Jelani's The Witchwar Legacy (Inactive)

Game Master Brian Minhinnick

So we now have 18,200 gp worth of stuff. Unless Baba Yaga put a shop in the Veil for our convenience, now might be our only chance to do anything with it, but then again, we do kind of have a race against the clock to consider it.

That being said, Ophelia would love one of the wines. She is quite the wine connoisseur. Sure helps her get through grading finals.

Yeah, I'm not sure how much liquid wealth is going to benefit you guys since this is a one off module. The closest settlement is a frost giant fortress. I'd say drink away! Plus, most of this wealth is in the form of stolen objects, so it's not going to be easy to carry all of it around.

Well, finding a settlement to sell the stuff isn't that big an issue. Ophelia could just load up Gror and Lucero (large guys with big strength) and teleport them to Magnimar or Korvosa right now. I laughed a little when I saw that Irrisen was so close to Varisia.

However, by all accounts, we don't have the time, and she readily would recognize that.

That being said, I found a spell not too long that I would totally love to toss in my book.

You don't know if you have time. Baba Yaga's not coming back till the end of the year, but you don't know if the two parties already inside are succeeding or failing.

Gror wouldn't consider an excursion. If we're still alive when this is over, any loot's likely to still be here.

He's happy to toast our first success with you though.

So I have the craziest idea for what to do with this disposable wealth.

Well, storing it might not be that big a problem as first thought. I looked up the specks for Secret Chest, and wow does it hold a lot of space. Ophelia has a little less than 12 cubic feet to spare. That is bigger than a giant refrigerator.

Anyway, she is thinking of teleporting back home, grabbing a scroll of Greater Planar Binding or better yet Greater Planar Ally, and calling in something truly heavy to help their cause. The latter only costs 5,500ish gp.

Keep in mind this is to counter the whole "avatar of a god" bit. Otherwise, she would just pack up as much as possible, and give the profits of her share to a local orphanage or church (she developed big altruist streak in the wake of her brother's death).

At heart, Ophelia is a highly cautious individual. As a wizard, she is slightly stereotypical in the regard that she loves planning things out rather than charging head on. That being said, she can take a little information and twist it to insane tangents. Despite Vega nimbly dodging everything these giants could toss at him, Gror running around and killing anything he touched, Dori transforming from a little shadow woman into a giant monster of darkness, Poppy showing that she could stun enhanced frost giants with a spell Ophelia gave up using after level 4, Lucero tossing ogres into the abyss right and left, and Bob facing down the Jarl like a champ, she is worried that it was a one time deal.

Hey guys, back from my move:

if still relevant (I haven't checked the gameplay thread yet), Cho would want to do whatever is most practical with the captives. He realizes that the importance of this mission takes precedence over their lives, and the natural cycle is that the strong survive and the weak die, so while he has compassion for how they meet their end (he is not a fan of undue suffering), he would not want the group to put itself out by ensuring their safety.

As for the Cash:

I am 100% down with the idea of burning our cash on planar bindings of awesome outsiders or other such swift expenses. Also, since it seems like we may have some time to play with, I wouldn't mind sending one of our NPC cohorts off to do shopping while we explore/rest.

Giant couatl shows up in Varisia, "I AM HERE TO DO MERCHANTILE BUSINESS. HSSSSSS!"

Huge serpent-bird smashes head through shop door and wall, "SALUTATIONS, DO YOU HAVE ANY SCROLLS OF METEOR SWARM!?" Screaming shopkeepers fleeing with arms windmilling.

Well, we seem to be two for two. As for the rules aspect of all of this, Magnimar and Korvosa should be big enough for what Ophelia has in mind. The spells she is thinking of are eight level, which the rules say can be found in big cities.

As for the story aspect, I think she should know where to look to get good conjuration supplies. You know, 140 year old elf and high level conjurer. However, it is a time issue.

I suppose it is time to ask the good DM how long it would take for Ophelia to reasonable secure:

1) A Scroll of Greater Planar Binding - 3,000 gp

or

2) A Scroll of Greater Planar Ally - 5,500 gp

The former is cheaper, but much less certain. In an ideal world, Ophelia would shoot for the latter. While she thinks that Shelyn might be a bit too neutral to assist, Desna might be willing to help out. (Asking Iomedae for further help might be pushing it.)

If the time impact is minimal, Gror can be persuaded. More firepower can't hurt! (And if you're looking at deities to call on, he's confident that Andgradd and Torag support this mission.)

Let's hear from Jelani on logistics, and then hopefully from Vega as well.

rofl

If you teleport to a major city that Ophelia is familiar with, I'd say we can make it short and sweet for either one. An hour to sell the goods, and an hour to buy the scroll.

That is exactly what Ophelia had in mind. Hence her constantly talking about time.

Argh.

Sorry for the silence. After the busy weekend at work, I discover a leak in my basement. WATER EVERYWHERE! (well, I found it and stopped it before it got serious... but there is still some damage). I'm hoping to be back in full force and posting in a few hours, but my basement is in desperate need of cleaning first.

Great! I hadn't imagined it would be so fast. Gror is now an enthusiastic YES.

It seems that the majority decision is yes then. However, I still think we should allow Vega to say his piece.

@Cho: LOL

@Everyone: Miss P votes that we take the time to sell the stuff and buy awesome scrolls. If we can send an NPC to do it, then they should take on the task. But, she votes that we don't rest.

Question, since I have a Ring of Sustenance, does that mean if the selling and buying takes two hours and I rest while that is going on, then all my spells are back?

Given how we still have most of our resources, I think that we can keep on going. I did say that it would be wise to enter the Veil at full strength. However, given the time constraints, that probably is not possible.

Other than Lucero (who can't teleport), do we have an NPC? I was just going to have Ophelia jump to Magnimar and gather everything.

So what exactly do we want? I say the Scroll of Greater Planar Ally given how much more certain it is. Even with her Synthesist empowerment, I doubt Ophelia could beat a high level celestial.

Gror will go with Ophelia's judgment as to the best summon spell. He understands the argument for resting...but he still has most of his resources too. Unless someone is really depleted, he votes we burn no more than the two hours we need to for the shopping spree.

...and speaking of depleted, Gror will cast Rejuvenate Eidolon: 1d10 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11 on himself and again Rejuvenate Eidolon: 1d10 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10 bringing his THP back up to 85/90.

By the way, he still hasn't pulled out his biggest guns. He didn't even activate his Judgement (+7 dam, +4 hit) that battle, he has some bigger buffs (e.g. Stoneskin and Greater Evo Surge) that he didn't use...and (his biggest of all) he can still cast Litany of Righteousness up to 9x today, which (as a Swift action) lets all Good folks attacking the designated Evil target do 2x dam for that round. If we use it to gang up on Kostchtchie's Avatar, the damage will add up quickly (assuming we can score a hit, which Greater Invis and Haste would help with).

EDIT:
I want to make sure I've got this right. Eidolons don't regain HP overnight, right? As far as I understand it, they come back at 50% HP the next day if they are reduced to zero, but otherwise they can regain HP via Rejuvenate Eidolon. Am I missing anything?

Gror will go with Ophelia's judgment as to the best summon spell. He understands the argument for resting...but he still has most of his resources too. Unless someone is really depleted, he votes we burn no more than the two hours we need to for the shopping spree.

...and speaking of depleted, Gror will cast [dice=Rejuvenate Eidolon]1d10+5 on himself and again [dice=Rejuvenate Eidolon]1d10+5 bringing his THP back up to 85/90.

By the way, he still hasn't pulled out his biggest guns. He didn't even activate his Judgement (+7 dam, +4 hit) that battle, he has some bigger buffs (e.g. Stoneskin and Greater Evo Surge) that he didn't use...and (his biggest of all) he can still cast Litany of Righteousness up to 9x today, which (as a Swift action) lets all Good folks attacking the designated Evil target do 2x dam for that round. If we use it to gang up on Kostchtchie's Avatar, the damage will add up quickly (assuming we can score a hit, which Greater Invis and Haste would help with).

EDIT:
I want to make sure I've got this right. Eidolons don't regain HP overnight, right? As far as I understand it, they come back at 50% HP the next day if they are reduced to zero, but otherwise they can regain HP via Rejuvenate Eidolon. Am I missing anything?

** spoiler omitted **

That's right about eidolons.

There are two other ways to regain Eidolon Hit Points.

one) If you cast the spell Purified Calling as part of the summoning ritual to bring your Eidolon into this world, it is restored to full HP.

two) If your Eidolon has the Fast Healing evolution, it heals naturally (at a rate between 1 and 5 hp per round). If your Eidolon does not have this evolution, you can give it to your Eidolon for 12 minutes via Evolution Surge (1hp/round) or Greater Evolution Surge (2hp/round).

Option two is how I/Vega was planning on dealing with the bulk of my/his healing. It's especially nice because we share this evolution, so it will first restore your HP (if you've taken damage), and then it will continue to restore your Eidolon's HP (aka: your temporary HP).

:D

Ahhh, thanks Vega, great tips!

Sorry to hold this game up further, but can I go ahead and call up our new celestial friend before we go in? It would only take ten minutes, and maybe a couple more of negotiations. Moreover, doing it all inside the Veil might screw something up.

Alright, so let's say that we keep the wine. That leaves us with 17,400 gp (I think). To get the scroll of Greater Planar Ally is 5,500 gp. Hence we have 11,900 gp left over.

Looking over the options, Ophelia is just going to shoot for a Planetar Angel. They are basically the king of the roost in terms of good outsiders accessible through these spells. They are immune to cold, and they sport regeneration and cleric spells. Few other good creatures would hold up nearly as well.

Looking over the guidelines for Greater Planar Ally, to get a multi-day deal with one would be 17,000 gp (for the multi-day service, it is 1,000 gp per HD). However, we do stand a chance of getting a reduction on the necessary tribute, and Ophelia would gladly wave her portion of the loot as necessary to make up for anything the group does not have in hand.

Also, unlike Lucero, I think this guy would be under Jelani's control. Ophelia would be working out a deal with this guy as an equal party. Heck, she would follow her brother's example and be nothing but respectful.

All that being said, it might be best for Poppy to activate the scroll and talk to whatever we do get. GPA is on her list, and she has a nice +28 to Diplomacy.

Or we could shoot for a multiple hour deal for 8,500 go, but that really might not hold out very well. If the avatar is a day's worth of treking away, then we want our said as strong as possible.

I say we just trying negotiations. Surely something agreeable can be reached.

Yeah, anything you summon will be an allied NPC, not under Ophelia's control. We'd handle the negotiations in character. I'd assume you'd call a Planetar of Iomedae considering the circumstances.

Sounds good to me.

If it is an option (she doesn't want to overstep her bounds with any one deity), Ophelia would go for a Planetar of Iomedae. That would give them the best circumstances of negotiations by far.

I think that's entirely reasonable. I mean, he's not going to work for free, but yeah.

Alright, in the interests of time, I will activate the scroll (+19 UMD) and start the negotiations. Does that sound good?

Negotiate away!

Is there anything else somebody wants me to grab other than Dori's scrolls of fire shield?

Alrighty. Sorry to put everything on hold, but that is everything. Here's how the money worked out.

1) We kept the wine, so 15,000 gp from the goods plus 2,400 gp from the silverware = 17,400 gp.

2) Ophelia gets two Scrolls of Fire Shield (700 gp * = 1,400 gp) for Dori and a Scroll of Greater Planar Ally (5,500 gp).

So 17,400 - 1,400 gp = 16,000 gp - 5,500 gp = 10,500 gp.

3) Ophelia throws in her life savings of 1,110 gp. She's an elf with a steady job, though, so she doesn't mind.

10,500 gp + 1,110 gp = 11,610 gp.

Just under three-fourths of the asking price.

Dori's 100 plat brings it up to 12,610. Just under 4000 to go.

So are the frozen bodies at the base of the stairs? I am having a little difficulty making a mental lay out here.

Twenty feet up from the first step. Like they were walking up the steps, got twenty feet, and then something flash froze them.

Oh good ._.

I have a funeral to attend this weekend, so my posting ability might be limited or nonexistent.

Gosh Ophelia, I'm sorry for your loss!

Thanks. :)

Well, it seems that the Ring of Protection +4 would be the most useful. Looking over the character sheets, Poppy already has a RoP +5, so she obviously doesn't need it. Gror and Dori have a +3 version, and Cho has a +1. Meanwhile, Vega does not have one, but his AC is already through the roof.

I ask for it now because I plan for Ophelia to decide to join the frontlines as soon as she gets to rebuild her Eidolon. Either when we level up or she gets a chance to jam a dagger in her arm to use Blood Money to pay for Transmogrify when we rest for the night.

EDIT: Vega just said he already doesn't want the ring.

Vega and Cho have me stumped, so...

^_^

The Pacifistic Pugilist?

o_O

... I'm not too sure myself, though a more cryptic yet appropriate one for Vega (given his past and desires. Hasn't been much opportunity to bring it to the forefront so far yet though) may be something like "The Gardener". Down to earth, gets his hands dirty in the pursuit of cultivating flourishing life, has a very gentle yet guiding touch that slowly influences everything around him, is an actual gardener by trade (I has ranks in profession: gardener), etc.

The Hand of Balance?

The Supple Serpent?

The Progenitor of Peace?

The Amazing Alliteration Allegory of Ancient Arts? (sorry, couldn't help myself)

...as for Cho... something to do with nature perhaps? His earthly spirituality?

The Roots of Wisdom.

The Living Branch of the Ancestors?

The Embodiment of Nature's Wrath/Wisdom/Power?

*random thoughts*

__________________

EDIT: Yes, I have no need of the ring. While an additional +4 bonus to my AC would be phenomenal (it's true, I do not have a deflection bonus yet, except for the +2 vs evil I get when I have protection from evil up, which is not now), I cannot see replacing either of the two rings I already have for it. So I will do without. ^_^

EDIT 2: Speaking of storage... I'm at work, so I don't have time to look it up myself right now (it's bad enough I'm making this edit right now)... is that 12 feet cubed (12 x 12 x 12), or 12 cubic feet (1 x 3 x 4)?

'cause that's actually a big difference in volume/space.

Hand of Balance is sweet. But I really like The Gardener. The Supple Serpent sounds unsavory.

And does the Savory Serpent sound unsupple?

Jumping off from Vega, if we're going for alliteration Cho could be The Roots of Wrath.

Getting back to practical questions,

Loot: no strong opinions. Might make sense to give the ring to Ophelia once she's ready to join the front line. Looking at how the first encounter played out I suspect Gror will often have the biggest target painted on his chest. Perhaps upgrade Gror to +4 and then either bring Cho to +3 & Ophelia to +1 or vice versa?

EDIT: And I'm not at a computer right now but the rest of the loot can be put toward our tab with Sapphira... And I suspect she can carry it in her portable hole.

EDIT again: ...and I think Grorgoyle is great. Wish I'd thought of it!

Vega, I think it's twelve one foot cubes in a big cube. So 12x12x12.

...er... you mean 1728 one-foot cubes?

A cube that is 12x12x12 is made up of 1728 one foot cubes.

12 one foot cubes would make up a volume that has dimensions of either 1x3x4, 1x2x6, 2x2x3, 1x1x12, or 2.2894285 x 2.2894285 x 2.2894285 (approximately for that last one. didn't feel like going past 7 decimals for the cube-root of 12)

My apologies for harping on this. I just want to be clear about it. For the now, it makes a big difference on how much loot the Secret Chest can hold. I don't know if it will come up in this game, but this clarification can also impact things like Stone Shape in big ways.

Ah true, I guess they would need to be stacked somehow, and that it wouldn't be a cube. Durka-derrr! Didn't really think before posting there.

I'd say for convenience sake it'd probably be two wide, three long, and two high. Like an actual chest is shaped. Meaning, it could probably only hold one person at a time. Especially if it already has stuff in it.

However, Sapphira's portable hole could hold both Dori and Poppy easily. It has enough air for five minutes.

Getting back to practical questions,

Loot: no strong opinions. Might make sense to give the ring to Ophelia once she's ready to join the front line. Looking at how the first encounter played out I suspect Gror will often have the biggest target painted on his chest. Perhaps upgrade Gror to +4 and then either bring Cho to +3 & Ophelia to +1 or vice versa?

EDIT: And I'm not at a computer right now but the rest of the loot can be put toward our tab with Sapphira... And I suspect she can carry it in her portable hole.

EDIT again: ...and I think Grorgoyle is great. Wish I'd thought of it!

That makes sense to upgrade Gror and give his other ring to Cho or Ophelia, who takes Cho's if he gets the one that belonged to Gror. It would depend on Cho's fighting style, though. Let's hear Robert on the matter.

@Jelani: Speaking of all of this, could I switch out one of Ophelia's lst level spells in her books for Shield for later? I forgot to put it in there, and in-game, we aren't in a position for her to grab it. I could make it one of her free ones from her earlier levels.

As for the chest, it just says "The chest can contain up to 1 cubic foot of material per caster level" and never specifies dimensions. Looking up 12 cubic feet, that is roughly the size of a big refrigerator.

As for stuff, it only has Ophelia's spellbooks in it, which she can easily transfer elsewhere.

Yeah, like I said, two feet wide, three feet long and two feet deep. I will have Sapphira suggest using her portable hole in character.