Keep on the Borderlands--B2 (Pretty in Pink) (Inactive)

Game Master Chainmail

The rules of how to handle how healed characters and enemies enter the initiative line are incomplete. Some have them act when they come up next in initiative but make sure they wait a full round at least from being healed. You can't full attack, get healed, the be full attacking as a prone monk before a full round has expired.

Let us do the instant awake now with PCs first.

So are you saying that Rowan and Elwita get an action since we are after Mott in the initiative order. I am going to post an action as though we are and we can drop it if not.

I thought that there were only 3 Orcs left when my second attempt at Color Spray in Round 6 actually worked and knocked them unconscious. Mott performed a CDG on one Orc at his initiative in Round 6 which would leave 2 remaining. I then performed a CDG in Round 7 which should only leave 1 remaining Orc (besides all of new-comers, of course). Finally, Mott (posting as Ryan H) used his channel ability in Round 7. I think this is correct isn't it?

Should be an orc sleeping and two orcs prone now. Two orcs sleeping are now dead.

Damage to Grimm with club was 9 not 11--I think rising orcs are out of reach of all but Elwitta.

Let us proceed with a 'tag team' as it does not look good for Morgan, Elwitta, and Grimm. Some feel aliases are precious and are reluctant to make new ones. If Morgan, Elwitta and Grimm change their profile picture and create characters at least subtly different, they can be duo of adventurers drawn to a conflict in the orc cave. The same will happen if anyone else falls.

The combat is going to be brutal and you need convenient reinforcements.

It turns out orcs, even gimped, are ferocious mofos. Sleep used to be our favorite spell in 1st edition. But it wasn't a full round spell as it is in Pathfinder.

Yeah, Orcs seem a little too tough for 1st level characters in their current Pathfinder iteration. That Orc Ferocity thing makes them the equivalent of at least a 2nd level monster. Add in that they apparently have 18 STR (they seem to be adding +4 to all damage. +6 when attacking with two-handed) and they are SIGNIFICANTLY tougher than they were in Basic or AD&D.

Sleep on the other hand has definitely been nerfed. As you pointed out, it was the MUST have spell for low-level wizards in AD&D as it could effectively end a combat with low level monsters. I chose to take Enchantment as one of my opposition schools because there are so few spells in that school that I ever use. Of course, that meant I had to forgo the Sleep spell and run with its slightly less effective cousin, Color Spray. Of course, wearing armor and actually missing my first Arcane Spell failure check (only 10%) was a really bad break for us all. If that hadn't happened this encounter might have gone very differently.

Btw, are those of us still standing actually going to stay and fight? This looks pretty hopeless, does it not? Eldarian is no hero and I think he would almost certainly run in the face of these now seemingly overwhelming odds.

I was hoping to have Grimm/Elwita/Morgan ready with replacements to show up and save the day.

Getting to it. I would really love to keep Grimm, but I wll try to drop in a new character ASAP

My weekend is slammed.

I will try to get someone in as soon as possible, but it won't be quick. Maybe by Sunday night.

Well, Rowan, Mott, and Eldarian could probably escape ... Mott IS all about revenge (not necessarily heroics.)

I do not see us surviving the fight if we stay. That's alot of orcs ...

I think in round eight we should start to try to withdraw, it will be tricky as it seems the whole tribe is coming down on us.

Rowan will do what he can to slow them down, though he could be potentially attacked by up to 3 orcs and may not survive through round seven.

I actually have a backup character rolled up should Rowan fall that could step in and help with the retreat.

This is Rowan's backup, he could help cover the escape if it comes to that.

I wanted to post him so DMTribute could look him over.

I also noticed I am off by one round in the post above. Rowan will try to withdraw in round 9, if he survives round 8.

We should also remember that orcs have light sensitivity and getting outside in the daylight might stop their pursuit.

Can I add as an aside, this game so far definitely has that 'first edition feel'. When I first started playing, we would come to the table with a couple backup characters ready to go because someone's character was most likely going down that night. We actually had a 'rule', don't get attached to a character until they are third level because a lot of them never made it that far.

So very true Rowan...I remember in my first few attempts to defeat the Caves, I went through a number of different characters!! They were always the brother of..., of good friend of...and we also made out wills to give all or stuff to the new character..lol..

Ok..here is Grimm's temporary replacement (I hope). A travelling mercenary, Berke is a rough, crude fellow who tries to do the right thing...if the money is right!

Here's Elwitta's replacement.

And another replacement if needed ...

In my first game ever, with my first character ever, in the first room, against the first orc ... Blackovar (named after a rabbit in Watership Down ... I was in 4th grade) ... Campion, swung and missed, the orc killed Blackovar with his first swing. Blackovar's son Campion went on to adventure for many more years though ...

... yes, first edition was deadly.

In my first game ever, with my first character ever, in the first room, against the first orc ... Blackovar (named after a rabbit in Watership Down ... I was in 4th grade) ... Campion, swung and missed, the orc killed Blackovar with his first swing. Blackovar's son Campion went on to adventure for many more years though ...

... yes, first edition was deadly.

I can't believe you still remember all of those details so vividly. I have trouble remembering what I ate for breakfast.

I started in 1979 after the DMG had just came out. Friends of mine wanted to start with the basics, so they bought the box which came with the basic rules and the Keep on the Borderlands. I remember reading the Players Handbook, but the DMG was 'forbidden'. There were dark secrets as a player I was not allowed to know :-)

Our local DM was a local legend, no adventure he ran was ever the same because he was a modern day Robin Williams. He could improvise a new NPC or story twist in a few seconds and run with it. Players wanted to go off the map, because he had something cooler than what was on the regular map to do. He taught me the rules were a guideline and the storyline and intent were more important than how the dice fell, a lesson I still have some trouble with. I want to be more neutral like the Fates, but he encouraged me to throw players 'breaks' when things went horribly wrong for them.

Caught by spiders in a desperate situation where webs abounded, my wizard cast spider climb to attempt to save the rest of the helpless party. I did not know all the rules, so his description of my character feeling my hands and feet grow sensitive as strange animal hairs grew with the ability to stick to walls when I had cast it before made me think I could traverse weblines just like a spider. Rewarding creativity, when I cast spider climb and jumped for a web line, without missing a beat, he announced my hands and feet held and I was able to move along spider webs as a spider and cut our dwarf tank free with my dagger.

Alright, here he is - Morgan's replacement:

Warchyld is another ranger operating in the area, and is an acquaintance of Morgan. He focuses on the orcs in the area. Warchyld and Morgan have worked together on occasion, but each has their own preferred prey, so they go their separate ways as often as not.

Replacements look good. A half orc who hunts orcs, could add a forced coupling in the background for motivation. Could make favored enemy goblins as he grew up in this valley and survived the brutal orc goblin war (recommend goblin favored enemy over orc).

Crom would get +1 with all axes and hammers feat.
Warchyld gets unarmed combat as free feat. May prove useful.
Burke looks good for a human fighter :=).
Arik gets the same rogue feat Rowan had d8 for sneak attack damage.

No traits or archetypes. I want the rogue to be Master Of His Domain.

I chose orcs because it fit his back story, and because I thought these replacement characters were here to rescue the first ones.

I figured Warchyld would come in, kick some orc butt, then admonish Morgan for underestimating orcs, and that she should stick to hunting goblins. Warchyld would then revert to Standby status.

If we are, instead, going to presume the first characters to be lost, then I'll adjust his back story and change his favored enemy to goblinoids.

I wanted to just run through what our goals are here for this next phase of our story. Please correct me if I have anything wrong.

Arik is going in to find Rowan dead or alive. My intention is to run with Arik as I think he has a better chance at survival and his build will work better tactically. I can role play a solution if Rowan lives (Rowan trades a finger and personal item for his life and flees toward Furyondy or the Nyr Dyv.)

Warchyld is going to try to save Morgan. Intention is for Morgan to continue and Warchyld to be NPC/backup muscle in area.

Crom can be Elwita's replacement, not clear on whether he wishes to salvage Elwita or stick with Crom.

Burke is going in as mercenary, and we hope to save Grimm.

Mott and Eldarian are alive and outside cavern.

orcs are shying away from the light at the cave mouth.

When the replacements arrive at the cave, we either will go into the cave in a much better tactical position. Or, we can try to negotiate for the return of the fallen. We could work the angle that the two remaining males are in a much better position in the tribe (having all the females for themselves) and returning the captives would keep us from returning with even more reinforcements.

So the dwarves and Rowan are dead beyond saving then?

Yes, I don't think they have any motivation to keep prisoners. And seeing the fallen already get up makes them sure to not let it happen again.

Just wanted to note that the only "useful" spell I have left is Enlarge Person and I'm not sure that it will really be all that useful in the cramped environment of these caves. I thought we might have some encounters before we got to the caves but...nope.

If someone wants me to cast EP on them, though, let me know and we can role play it out in the game play thread.

There are some advantages to a big cleric with a big spear.

I think the group is ready to rush in so I will get initiative ready.

@Tribute: I am a little conflicted right now. I want very much to continue in this game but I should admit that I am not thrilled with my PC. Personally, I almost never played Magic-users/Wizards in my previous tabletop gaming experience as they were my least favorite class. I only picked a Wizard for this game because you are "supposed" to have one and no one else had made one yet.

What are your thoughts about letting me "roll up" a new character (since just about everyone else has) even though it would leave the party without an arcane caster? Like I said, I definitely want to play in this game (and, hopefully, the following games as well) but I think it might be more difficult for me to stay engaged if I continue to play a class that doesn't really suit my play style. I have to admit that I prefer to be able to wade into melee and bash things really hard. :)

I believe in breaking the rules. You don't need an arcane caster for sure and can easily meet one. If someone else wants to flex to a wizard or sorcerer that is fine, but feel free to make what you want to play.

The biggest bashers are the barbarians.

If we are giving the fallen up for dead, do we really want to rush back into the orc caves? I think there are other caves we could try and perhaps those might have weaker opponents that we could actually handle.

Honestly, I have forgotten why we are going into these caves, can someone remind me about the purpose of this little expedition?

I believe in breaking the rules. You don't need an arcane caster for sure and can easily meet one. If someone else wants to flex to a wizard or sorcerer that is fine, but feel free to make what you want to play.

The biggest bashers are the barbarians.

Thanks Tribute. I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to play a PC more suitable for my style.

RE: Barbarians...I never got into them. I guess it was because they weren't "legal" until Unearthed Arcana plus I think they needed something like 6000 exp just to get to 2nd level IIRC. Yikes!

So what's the story with Eldarian … he running off?

I think we can say the brutality was too much for him.

So what's the story with Eldarian … he running off?

Yeah, that seems pretty well in character for him. He has led a sheltered life as a Wizard's apprentice and the savagery he witnessed (with most of his comrades getting mowed down in short order) would have left him a quivering mass of jelly.

I am planning on running a Dwarven Cleric who may do a little multi-classing into Fighter as well. He will definitely be a front-line melee oriented PC who will add a little extra healing and I think we can all agree that is not a bad thing at all in these Old School games.

Well since poor Grimm is RIP, maybe I will play the magic user, if that is ok with everyone, and Eldarian can makeup a fighter to take Burke's spot. I will work one up now and submit it for your approval.

Well, like I posted earlier I was going to play a Dwarven Cleric. He would be a decent melee fighter but not the "real thing".

If Tribute feels a 3rd Warrior is preferable to a 2nd Divine Caster, I'll go with a Fighter or Paladin. I'm perfectly happy to play either the Cleric or a Warrior-type. I just want to be able to mix it up in melee and not have to cower in the back after my paltry assortment of spells have been quickly exhausted.

Two clerics are fine. And dwarven clerics are quite good. Should be a good fit. Had a party with 3/7 clerics and it worked surprisingly well.

Take selective channeling :)

Ok...I present my wizard, Ozmund the Evocator

If he meets with your approval, I will swap out Burke and bring him in...also a merc from a very militant school of wizards.

Like him already. The evocation school Su is quite good at first level. Like a ton of extra magic missiles.

Alright then, I will swap him out with Burke and he will join the rescue party!!

I think we should still try to negotiate for Morgan's release and the return of the bodies of the fallen.

Arik would be motivated to do this as he needs proof of Rowan's death.

Or we could go in arrows flying and kill us a bear orc

I should also mention, since we are talking about our characters, that I plan for Arik to take some fighter or ranger levels to add to his potency.

I looked over the new PC character sheets and identified some "issues" that need to be cleared up:

@Crom: You have two different sets of abilities on the sheet for Crom (love the homage to Conan, btw!) right now. Which ones are the correct ones for Crom? Depending on the answers, you might need to modify your Armor classes and CMD.

@Warchyld: You have 2 feats but I think you should only have 1. Secondly, your CMB should be +3 and your CMD should be 15.

@Ozumund: You have 3 feats (besides Scribe Scroll which you get for free) and you should only have 2. Secondly, you have 2 potions of cure light wounds on your sheet but you cant afford those as they cost 50 gp each (plus I'm not even sure if Tribute is allowing us to buy magic items) and you only have 70 gp to spend as Tribute said we are getting average gold to start not maximum. Finally, you should probably indicate all of the spells available in your spell book because that might come into play when using your bonded object feature.

Umm I believe that Tribute told us to take an extra feat to take the place of the 2 traits we usually get....and I will wait to hear about the money situation from him and remove the potions, etc. if necessary.

Umm I believe that Tribute told us to take an extra feat to take the place of the 2 traits we usually get....and I will wait to hear about the money situation from him and remove the potions, etc. if necessary.

No, he did not give us an extra feat for this campaign. I saw that you applied to his Dwellers of the Forbidden City game and you may be thinking of that game as he did give an extra feat for that one.

If you check the recruitment thread again for this game you will see that there is no extra feat and that we are using average starting gold.

Replacements look good. A half orc who hunts orcs, could add a forced coupling in the background for motivation. Could make favored enemy goblins as he grew up in this valley and survived the brutal orc goblin war (recommend goblin favored enemy over orc).

Crom would get +1 with all axes and hammers feat.
Warchyld gets unarmed combat as free feat. May prove useful.
Burke looks good for a human fighter :=).
Arik gets the same rogue feat Rowan had d8 for sneak attack damage.

No traits or archetypes. I want the rogue to be Master Of His Domain.

This post from GM Tribute states why Warchyld has the extra feat.

I adjusted the CMB/CMD.

GM Tribute wrote:

Replacements look good. A half orc who hunts orcs, could add a forced coupling in the background for motivation. Could make favored enemy goblins as he grew up in this valley and survived the brutal orc goblin war (recommend goblin favored enemy over orc).

Crom would get +1 with all axes and hammers feat.
Warchyld gets unarmed combat as free feat. May prove useful.
Burke looks good for a human fighter :=).
Arik gets the same rogue feat Rowan had d8 for sneak attack damage.

No traits or archetypes. I want the rogue to be Master Of His Domain.

This post from GM Tribute states why Warchyld has the extra feat.

I adjusted the CMB/CMD.

Yep, I completely missed that. My bad.