Korvosa Unchained - CotCT playtesting new rules (Inactive)

Game Master Darkness Rising

Lamm sneers again as Tyenar's attacks both go wide. "Stupid fairy. Like the Crown gives two clucks about some ambassador with a bit on the side."

He has gradually regained some confidence, although he still looks warily at Juliet's blade and Lorick's fists.

Xenia is up.

Xenia concentrates on the devil, making the bearded monstrosity react, if briefly, to the attempted attacks by Lamm's lackeys. As she does so, so speaks a few easy words to a simple spell. A moment later she calls out.

The powers of Cheliax do not condone those who would corrupt or threaten their ambassadors.

She then looks to the bearded devil and calls to it in Chelaxian:
Destroy.

The devil then looks down at Ladzlo and Davor, snarls, then throws back its head and roars as it swings at the pair of criminals. Unfortunately (or fortunately if you are Ladzlo or Davor), the blow is just high, barely going above their heads.

Sadly, neither of the lieutenants is fooled by Xenia's illusion this time round.

The fight between the Lambs and some of their adult allies against the remainder of Lamm's goons continues, with hoarse shouting and feeble cries of pain. Hookshanks draws his whip (laced with nails and shards of glass) and flays about him, almost heedless of friend or foe; Tybalt dances between bodies, stabbing seemingly at random; the small combatants (Timmor and Anders among them) cannot be seen.

Sia draws a dagger from her belt and stabs feebly at Lamm.

She misses him completely, but at least she doesn't drop her weapon this time. Beneath the sheen of sweat on her brow her skin is taking on a greenish tinge.

Ladzlo and Davor ignore the illusory beast Xenia has created - Ladzlo moves in behind Juliet, attacking her, while Davor focuses his wrath on Otto. "I hatesh shkellies, I doesh."

Tyenar lashes out at them as they move, missing Ladzlo but striking a glancing blow at Davor, who seems almost not to notice.

Ladzlo leers at Juliet as he stabs at her repeatedly: "You an' me, girlie, we're finally getting to it, hey? Had this date coming, din't we?" Juliet manages to parry one of the attacks, and her riposte hits him squarely in the gut; he grunts in pain, but stays focused.

ROUND 3

Lamm is suddenly a blur of movement: one moment he's in the middle of things, and the next he's back on his throne. He moved impossibly fast - magic is clearly involved, somehow.

He bares his teeth at you all, in a combination of a taunt and a snarl: "You wanna come at the King of Spiders, you gotta take him in his nest..."

With that, he kicks at a hidden switch: the throne drops with a muffled thud into the room below, taking him with it.

Lorick is up, then Xenia, Tyenar, Juliet, Evelyn.

Tiptoeing round the edge of the mêlée, Xenia is able by careful positioning to cast a spell that enmeshes both Davor and Ladzlo while avoiding her companions (it inevitably means that there is consequently nobody between her and the lieutenants, but life involves a little risk now and then).

The half-orc looks bemused "Hey, looka the pretty lightsh!" - and then immediately concerned "Hey! Whersha lightsh!" He gropes about, blindly.

Ladzlo is however far too focused on his bloody carving up of Juliet to be affected.

Lorick, Tyenar, Juliet and Evelyn are up.

Lorick pauses just for a moment in his almost uncontrollable rage to lock eyes with the shivering Sia. He drops his sack at her feet It's got two cures and antitoxin in there. Stay alive and wait for me. Wait for me and rushes into the darkness.

Otto is crushed with little ceremony and Evelyn curses under her breath. She curses a second time as Juliet is stabbed repeatedly, and a third when Lamm disappears and Lorick goes after him. Forced to act quickly, she ducks her light frame through the crowd and to the opposite of Ladzlo. With a quick thrust, she jams her longsword into the mans back.

She shouts past him to Juliet "This situation is out of control. Lorick and Lamm are gone, we need to regroup."

The pain comes quick, three times, Ladzlo ducking Juliet's blade and letting loose a viscous series of stabs with his daggers. Grunting, Juliet pulls Spite back as her vision clouds, momentarily going black. If I'm dying tonight, that pervy a+#&%@!'s going with me.

"Much nicer experience than shacking up with you, I'm sure."

Stepping back, Juliet flourishes her blade in three quick swipes and then bracers herself to parry the counterattack, spitting a mouthful of blood on her nemisis as she does so.

"I've got some in-and-out for ya, Greasy. Enjoy it, its your last!"

Eyes still on Ladzlo, Juliet yells. "Well get this horser off me then, kid!"

Ladzlo coughs up blood as Evelyn's longsword pierces his back, entering a lung. His eyes widen in shock as Juliet skewers him; his daggers fall from suddenly nerveless fingers.

Dropping to his knees, he pats helplessly at his wounds with stupefied hands before reaching out imploringly to Juliet; he gurgles, a bloody spray of foam on his lips.

...

"O girlie, you've - you've done for me..."

...

"...you've done me good..."

...

The arms fall limply back to his side and Grease-Fingered Ladzlo slumps forward in a heap, never to move again.

Tyenar gets more and more panicked as he misses every attack against Lamm. Even Ladzlo's demise, that filled the Sylph with a bit of relief, only serves to further show Tyenar how he has no actual combat experience whatsoever.
Still throwing glances at the bloodied corpse of Ladlzo, Tyenar flails wildly at Davor.

Knowing the illusions are not of any use at this point, Xenia ceases concentrating on them, and instead moves over to the bag that Lorick dropped, picks it up, and draws one of the potions, which she hands to Juliet, before offering the bag to Sai to allow her to consume the other.

Need both of you strong to kill that sleaze.

Amazingly, even with Davor blinded and stunned, Tyenar manages to miss the half-orc with each attack.

The Lambs and their allies may be on the side of righteousness, but Lamm's thugs are brutal - and they enjoy their work. Hookshanks throttles one of his young charges with his whip, his face set in a cruel smile as he does so; Tybalt is beset by three goons - he takes them down, but they take most of the left side of the elf's face with them.

Sprawling to the floor, Sia's shaking hands tip the contents of the bag onto the floor: it's as Lorick promised, there are cures in there. She desperately grabs the vial of antitoxin and pours it down her throat, but it doesn't seem to have any effect. She cries, softly. "I can't - I can't feel my legs..." She wraps her arms round herself and shivers, despite the sheen of sweat on her forehead. "so cold..."

Davor paws helplessly at his eyes, trying to restore his sight.

Juliet smiles as Ladzlo slumps, the Kid coming into view behind him, Evenlyn's longsword thick with blood. "Ah, nice job, Evelyn! Now let's-"

Whirling to look for Lamm, Juliet's words die in her mouth, Lamm gone, apparently into the ground. Sia, writhing on the floor, pale and sweating brings a quick stab of pity. Nothing I can do, looks like. And the Jaw-

Lorick.

Gone too, probably down the spider's hole, alone with Lamm and his pet, whatever that thing is. Juliet's hand squeezes the potion just placed in her hand; the glass cracks in her grip.

__________________
LORICK
__________________

The opening of the throne to whatever lies beneath is a 10 foot by 10 foot hole; it's also around a 10 foot drop to the deck beneath.

Lorick lands, on his feet no less. It takes a moment for this lower deck to come into perspective: the light is odd. There's no light source within the deck, but the Eel's End is an old ship and poorly maintained, at that - the planks that form the walls have warped, and the outside light can stream in.

The striped effect it creates is slightly disorienting.

More disorienting still is the sight of Lamm: bastard's landed in some sort of hammock, and is sitting up, grinning at you. The hammock is... cobweb. Lots and lots and lots of cobweb.

Then the smell in the air hits your senses: shiver, raw and unprocessed. A quick look around confirms that there are webs all round this lower deck: a factory of dream spiders, spinning the gold that keeps Lamm afloat.

Lamm chuckles at you, and cracks his neck, side to side. "You caught me a fair few good ones, up there - nice going. Care for a rematch? Just you, and me, and my pets?"

A horrible, strident, chittering sound from behind you catches your attention and you see a four-limbed, upright, manlike form with a monstrous head approaching you. Its chittering increases in intensity.

To the other side of Lorick, two enormous spiders the size of cart-horses silently emerge from funnel webs.

Lamm chuckles again. "Nothing like a fair fight."

A few fleeting thoughts pass through, in no particular order:

• There's no obvious way of getting back up.

• Lorick has, like others before him, finally discovered the nature of Lamm's pet. But is he going to be the first to live to tell about it?

• Because Lamm is right: this is NOTHING like a fair fight.

Miyoto's voice comes, unbidden, to mind: look before you leap.

Again Lorick doesn't give any indication that he's actually heard the crime boss say anything.

Lamm grunts as Lorick's fist connects solidly. But he grins, through the pain. "Boy, you in trouble now..."

ROUND 4

Lamm's fist and knee lash out, catching Lorick in the temple and gut, respectively. Then, quick as lightning, he steps away, grinning, and puts himself behind the clawed monstrosity that is his pet. "I'll let Chitters take it from here, I think."

Nothing like a fair fight.

Lorick, Tyenar, Juliet, Evelyn are up.

The potion would have to hold Juliet over for now. Wand in one hand, longsword in the other, Evelyn rushes towards the pit and looks over the edge. Her mind races as her enhanced senses pick up the various beings below. She also realizes, in the back of her mind, that in her earlier hunt for the necromancer she had become so consumed that she failed to restock the flash vial - something that would come in handy right now. She curses quickly but puts that aside.

With great difficulty, she starts her normal incantation of summoning, though this time instead of a skeleton appearing, a dog-sized beetle creature springs into existence. Evelyn directs the creature, whose back opens up to reveal small wings. The beetle lazily floats into the pit, stopping to hover just above Lorick. In the dark of the ship's underbelly, the beetle glows faintly, shedding light in a small radius.

Still desperate in the situation, Evelyn continues to rack her brain for something else she could do. Mustering all her confidence she shouts down into the pit, mimicking the earlier chittering. Her speech is rudimentary, but effective.

I think that a Diplomacy check takes one whole minute, unfortunately. :/
Wide-eyed, Tyenar manages to miss completely a blind man as the realization of his own inexperience dawns on him. As his breath grows shorter, the Sylph starts shaking as the winds around him grow stronger.

Then, in a flash of clarity, Tyenar starts making for the dais.
Focus!Focus!
Searching in his backpack, Tyenar pulls out a silk rope and ties it around Lamm's throne, and then throws it into the pit to help him climb back up.

Juliet tilts the potion back and drops the empty vial as her wounds staunch. She prepares to launch herself into the pit after Lorick, when a thought - no, a revelation, really - hits her, stopping her in her tracks.

This fight was, simply put, bigger than Juliet D'Artangen.

Lamm was done. He'd murdered someone; the proof was hanging on the wall. The guard was outside. They'll take the King of Spiders, and no weeds would sprout in his wake.

Because Juliet was going to kill every single last bastard still loyal to Gaedran Lamm.

No distribution network, no muscle, no pushers, no blackmailers. Amprei would be free. The children would be free. Evelyn and Tyenar too, and maybe Lorick and Sia, if the gods were good.

Murdering every evil man and woman in this room would be the first noble thing Juliet had ever done.

Casting a glance over her shoulder - "Jaw, your woman needs you!" - Juliet levels Spite at Lamm's blinded henchman and charges.

"I'd say I'm the last thing you'll ever see, but..."

Evelyn's speech leads to a cacophanous, grating chittering sound rising up from the floor below, which might be the thing's equivalent of laughter.

Davor has in fact recovered his sight, but is still groggy from whatever spell Xenia hit him with; Juliet's lunge skewers his arm and he howls in pain and fear.

Lorick is up

Lorick doesn't care for the spiders or the chittering abominations. He steps forward, and then steps forward again, focused solely on the object of his rage, intent on crushing the life out of the man who had made his life intolerable for so many years.

Or. He almost does. Juliet's voice manages to penetrate his consciousness. He looks up and sees a rope swinging slowly against the light.

Only fool always keep asking how he remembers Miyoto griping at him once when he had stubbornly insisted on training throughout the night in Miyoto's little room Wise man first focused on why. What use is lashing out with foot if no reason to? Go home, find reason to fight, then come back.

Lorick had left, puzzling over the words and frustrated at the old man's cryptic response to just wanting to know how to kick harder. He had ended up at Sia's hovel.

Miyoto had tried to drill into Lorick the importance of why. Why was killing Lamm important? Because it would free Sia and Miyoto from his control.

Sia he whispers and reaches up, pulling himself into the light before the spiders can attack, hoping against hope that it would not darken for him permanently.

**

Outside the pit he reaches into the sack held by Xenia and retrieves the anti-toxin and pours into the un-resisting dying throat of the women he loved. Blinking back tears he looks up. Burn the pit and everything in it he chokes out. What Lamm had done to Sia... it wouldn't be right for him to do it to anyone else. It was not a reason to continue living that he would want, but it might be the only reason he would have left.

Sia splutters as Lorick administers the antitoxin, but she gets most of it down. Not that it seems to do much good. She clings to him, her hands like ice and her veins turning exactly the wrong shade of black. Tears leak out from beneath her closed eyelids. "'m sorry, Lor... heard your code but couldn't... move quick enough..."

With a great effort of will, she forces her eyes open and looks straight at the monk. Her gaze quickly unfocuses, and her voice is dreamy, unreal: "You reckon it's true, what they say, 'bout judgement? Cos I... I done some bad things, Lor." She closes her eyes again.

The fight between the Lambs and Lamm's thugs continues; in despair at their losses, one of the younger Lambs in the rafters grabs hold of a lantern, hurling it without thought into the fray below before anyone can stop him. He narrowly misses Hookshanks, who twists away from it desperately; the glass shatters on the wooden deck.

*WHOOMPH*

The Eels' End has been sitting on this dock for decades; it stays afloat only because it is moored to the pier, and lashed to the other ships. The outer timbers may be damp, but the interior is dry. Tinder dry.

In seconds, the rear of the room is ablaze, crackling as the fire devours it greedily. Lambs and thugs alike scatter: the younger Lambs in the rafters cry out in terror as the smoke drifts up to them, scrambling across the beams and towards the door...

At the same time, from the hole in the dais where the throne once stood, new horrors emerge: two vast spiders the size of carthorses, and a two-legged thing of nightmares, its arms ending in wicked claws and its entire head looking like that of a spider's.

Evelyn's summoned beetle is little more than a momentary delay.

From a position of safety behind the two giant spiders, the thing chitters at you.

Realising that Juliet is intent on killing him, Davor shakes his head, clearing the last of the fog from Xenia's spell...

ROUND 5

The fire in the rear of the throne room spreads rapidly, reaching the walls of the ship's stern.

Of more immediate threat is Lamm, emerging from the pit below like some mad demon king in a grisly pantomime - the sort where all the audience ends up disembowelled and eaten.

He looks around, taking in the sight of Ladzlo lying dead on the floor, the rear of the chamber ablaze, and Davor bleeding from a dozen wounds, his normally-docile Lambs and allies fighting with his goons. He gives a hiss of low menace, his voice barely more than a whisper: "My world. What have you done to my world?!!!"

Party is up. Juliet and Tyenar are in melee with Davor, nobody else is currently in combat.

Juliet scowls as the boat goes up in flames. Of course, it was her intent to do the same thing as soon as the kids were safe, just not so... soon.

But there were more immediate concerns. With a flick of her wrist, Juliet sends Spite's tip across Davor's nose, and then again into the thug's throat.

To Lamm, she calls out, almost breezily, "Ending it, King of Nothing. Told you, the crown wants you snipped. Hear that, dummies? The crown wants Lamm's head on a stake! Leave now and yours won't be next to it!"

Juliet's first and third attacks bounce off Davor's armour, but the middle one finds a gap. The half-orc snarls wordlessly in reply, eyes narrowed.

Lorick, Xenia, Tyenar, Evelyn are up.

Evelyn shy's away from Lamm and the emerging horrors and moves back towards her companions. Dodging smoke, fire, and distracted companions, she stops by Lorick. She'd been keeping mental notes of the battle so far, and she new that he had suffered wounds of the kind that she could heal. The other, the one's she couldn't fix, would have to wait.

Using the last charge of the wand she bestows a curative blessing on him, before resting a hand on his shoulder. She can't think of much else to say, so she drags her eyes away from the sorrowful display of pure humanity and instead keeps watch, ready to fend off approaching dangers with her brandished sword.

With his magically lengthened, flailing arms, Tyenar hasn't been able to lay blade on Davor - but this doesn't stop the sylph from trying again.

This time, the tip of the blade deftly, almost delicately, opens up the half-orc's carotid artery: thick, dark, blood spray-jets from the (clearly mortal) wound.

Davor gives a grunt of surprise as much as pain, left hand pressing to his neck, trying futilely to stop the flow. He glares venomously firstly at Xenia, whose magic has so expertly kept him out of this fight, before half-focusing on his killer.

He takes a stride towards Tyenar, which would be menacing if it weren't so wobbly. "Shtupid fairiesh - I hateshs faerish..."

He falls from a standing position, much like a tree; the thud as he hits the wooden deck is audible even over the hubbub within the Eel's End.

"I Hatesh 'em sho mush..."

"I...hateshshsh..."

"...evershing..."

His hate-filled gaze is still locked on Tyenar, but there's no spark of life behind his eyes: Davor One-Tusk is dead.

Xenia looks with horror as the monstrosities begin to pour out of the hole in the deck. She had figured there might be a shark or some type of sea creature from the noise and the rumors, but this was insane, true insanity.

Sucking her breath and overcoming the urge to flee, she once more raises her hand, hoping against hope that one of these creatures might be affected by her magic.

The spiders are huge, meaning that Xenia has to maneuver carefully to catch everyone in her spell effect; the blast of colours washes over the two spiders and the spider-headed monstrosity, and even Lamm is caught in its effect.

A high-pitched screech just on the edge of hearing tells her that it has worked: the two-legged thing with a spider's head staggers and nearly falls, while one of the spiders rocks back, hissing and chittering to itself. The other spider is unaffected, as is Lamm; leaving Xenia to reflect on the fact that she's put herself within 15 feet of the enemy, with no allies in between.

Lorick cradles Sia's head for a moment longer We did the best we could, girl of mine... hold on to that.. whatever else.. then he settles her gently back down and stands up.

The healing from Evelyn helps a bit ease the pains he's wracked with, the physical ones at least. But he is really tired, with a last burst of a rage quickly withering under sorrow, he moves in and lands one hard punch into the screaming crime lord's face.

The fight at the back of the room degenerates even further in the heat and smoke of the flames; scurrying along the rafters, coughing and choking, the Lambs do their best to escape - but on the floor, it's murder.

Sia's eyes are closing again even as Lorick settles her back to the floor. In her comatose state, her breathing is so shallow that it would be almost impossible to say definitively when it actually stops.

Lorick's fist breaks Lamm's nose with a sickening *crunch* and knocks out his front teeth into the bargain; the crimelord shakes his head, trying to clear it, before giving a bloody grin. "Spirited, ain't ya? Gonna enjoy breaking you..."

Xenia's spell has incapacitated - temporarily - the monstrosity and one of the spiders, but its mate scuttles over to the sorceress, its glistening mandibles bared.

Xenia feels the sting of poison coursing through her, sapping her strength.

ROUND 6

There is a crash at the back of the room: the fire has burned through some of the supporting joists, bringing down the upper deck and just as swiftly burning it away: the sky is exposed, and the fresh oxygen gives the flames fresh impetus, driving the fire across the room, creeping towards the dais.

The light of the flames bathes Lamm's blood-streaked face, lighting up his eyes a with hellish intensity. The crimelord breathes in deep, savouring the moment, his earlier doubt now a mere memory. "You've made things interestin' - I suppose I gotta give you that. Be almost a shame to end this; it's been..."

He pauses, searching for the word.

"...emotional."

With that, he unleashes a flurry of kicks, punches and low blows against Lorick.

Party is up.

Juliet's head swivels back and forth, from the floor of the ship to Lamm. Children or boss? Hobbled by indecision, she winces as Lamm lays into Lorick. Sliding past the spiders and across from the Jaw, Juliet hefts Spite and sends it towards Lamm's heart. Or so she thinks; the light playing tricks, Juliet catches nothing but the crime lord's loose shirt.

Evelyn stows the wand and moves after Lorick, healing him once more

Dinetta sucks in her breath, feeling her energy drained as the pincers just miss severing her head from her neck.

Realizing that she has to incapacitate this creature as well, she steps back and attempts to disable the spider.

Get the man-spider and the big bug while they are disabled.

Xenia's spell cripples the spider - with a keening shriek, it rolls over, all eight legs thrashing at the air.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Juliet nimbly dodges around to the side of Lamm, driving Spite through his rib cage, deep into his black heart.

The crimelord twists round to face her, his sneer turning into a look of puzzlement - and then into panic. His mouth opens as if he's about to say something - a plea, a curse, Gods know what - but all that comes out is a long, lingering sigh.

Sliding limply off Juliet's blade, Gaedren Lamm slumps to the floor, inches from the dais where he ruled for so long. The fingers of one hand claw frantically into the wood, scrabbling for purchase; then, with a final spasm, he is still.

Juliet stands stunned as Gaedren slides off of Spite's blade, one word on her mind.

Freedom.

But not quite. Shaking her head, she screams out into the ship. "Oi! F%!!ers! Lamm's going down with the ship, deader than the King and twice as hated. Bugger off, and I won't hunt you down! Touch another Lamb, and I kill you too!"

Fresh off killing Davor, the light-footed sylph moves to engage the spider-headed monstrosity.

His second attack goes awry, but the first one hits: blue ichor spurts from the wound, hissing where it contacts Tyenar's sword.

The air seems to go out of Lorick. He feels his soul shriveling away inside him. It isn't the fall of Lamm that does it. It's something else, something far worse. Sia's breath has been a part of him for as long as he can remember and, even as shallow as it had become, he feels it when it stops. Feels it in the very core of his being.

For a moment he stands stock still, arms hanging by his side, as if he was the one stabbed in the heart rather than the dying crime boss that was sputtering his last in front of him. All the rage he had felt fades away. He realizes that it hadn't been Lamm he had hated. Not really. What he'd hated was his own inability to protect the ones he loved from Lamm.

The realization of his fear, that he would be unable to free Sia and Miyoto from Lamm's hold saps his strength and a great weight settles on him as Sia dies. He feels Lamm's final spiteful laugh stab at him from beyond the grave; a poisoned dagger like the one that had ended Sia's life and shattered his. It's almost too great to bear. Almost.

He hears Xenia's gasp as one of Lamm's spiders bites her. He hears Juliet shout at Lamm's thugs to stop attacking and hurting the little Lamms. He hears the chittering scream of Lamm's spider monster as Tyenar stabs it. The monster that had done more to tarnish Sia's soul than anything else when Lamm had forced her to take part in his twisted displays of power and dominance. Which had caused her conscience anguish at her dying breath. He turns. The ugly echoes of Lamm's life resounded around him

You breathe or not breathe. Doesn't mean you live He remembers Miyoto saying once Ripples you make on world is what shows you live. As long as ripples continue you live.

Lamm may not be breathing anymore but the evidence of his life were all around Lorick. The same wasn't true for Sia. As much as she still lived it was only through him.

Eveylyn's healing washes over the monk and he takes a long shuddering breath. His work wasn't done. Not quite yet. Lamm had to die a true death. Sia had to live. And so, Lorick raises his fists again.

Deprived of the rage that had sustained him Lorick's attacks are weary but clinical, passionless. At least one of them lands.

That was my action for the turn and I have to wait for next turn to act, no?
Dazed, the Sylph slowly realizes what he is doing as he pulls the rapier out of the creature. The last ten seconds were the most confused the Sylph had been in his whole life: one moment he was flailing wildly against the blind half-orc, is eyes shut in fear, and the moment after that Davor was falling to the ground, blood flowing from his neck.

It's only when he hears Juliet shout that Tyenar snaps back to reality: in a moment, he finds himself face to face with a spidery monstrosity. Panicking, he looks around him, eyes wide at the hell that was breaking loose around him, and Lamm dying half a meter away from him.
What is going on? What do I have to do?
Tyenar squints his eyes to concentrate on the present, but all that it accomplishes is showing the sylph Davor last hateful glare in his mind.
Focus! Focus!

"We have to find proof of Lamm's deals with the ambassador!" Tyenar shouts after a deep breath "I'll search the dais, and then jump down the hole to search for something.". He looks at Lorick, and then at Sia's and Lamm's dead bodies "If you want to go before I'm done, do it, but bring Lamm's body with you...and that woman's."
If I don't find anything, Lamm's body is the only way we have to find information...And maybe we could still raise that woman.

There is no more combat at the end of the room: there is only panicked flight by those still able to run, walk, hobble or crawl. The Lambs scramble up the rafters, then scuttle rapidly along, dropping down by the door, fleeing to freedom, carrying (or dragging) their wounded - but on the floor, it is Lamm's thugs who have won the day.

They are given precious little time to enjoy their victory - even as Juliet turns and screams at them, venting her rage, there is a groan of distressed timber and the floor beneath them literally gives way with a resounding crash. Screaming men and burning wood fall to the deck below, where Lamm's shiver factory has been located. The webs catch light almost instantly, and those spiders not immediately incinerated are roused to an invertebrate fury, swarming over their wounded, and trapped, prey.

Sparks - and the sound of screaming - rise upwards, along with the crackle of flame. The stern of the ship has become a furnace, an inferno; and beneath you, the fire spreads, unchecked.

Neither the spidery monstrosity nor the two actual spiders pose any threat for the time being, but the poison continues its course through Xenia's system.

ROUND 7

Party is up.

Gods, Juliet thinks, staring slack-jawed as the ship becomes an inferno - and a grave for most of Lamm's thugs. A quick tinge of panic crosses the duelist's mind - Tybalt! - but Juliet pushes it aside; now was not the time for panic. Plus, her brother was like one of those wicked winged roaches that haunted Korvosa's dark; he could survive anything, anywhere.

Turning her attention to the monster, Juliet stepped forward, two quick cuts from her rapier aimed at the thing's chest. That thing, homeless and hungry in the shadows and alleyways of Korvosa? That couldn't be allowed to happen.

Both of Juliet's attacks miss the thing; it dodges nimbly and hisses at her menacingly.

Moving to the throne, Tyenar starts looking around the dais for papers, anything that could be used as a clue, glancing in the meantime at the blazing inferno below deck.

Exhausted, and looking more than a little hale, Xenia shakily moves toward the throne to help Tyenar.
I . . . I could use some healing I think. She says as her steps wobble momentarily.

She tries to assist Tyenar, but the poison from the spider is too much and makes her unable to concentrate on much of anything other than standing up.

Tyenar and Xenia find nothing around the dais apart from the mechanism Lamm used to drop the throne down to the deck below.

Lorick, Evelyn are up

I can cast a spell, start a song, and swing a sword all in one round, right?

Unfortunately, no. Casting a spell is always 2 acts. :(

Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan wrote:

I can cast a spell, start a song, and swing a sword all in one round, right?

Unfortunately, no. Casting a spell is always 2 acts. :(

Hmm, ok, start a song and cast a spell then? That's something a Bard cannot normally do until 7th level.

Yup, that works!

I would like to try it out at some point, but you're right. It would take a lot of work for you. So I think it comes down to figuring out how much you want to put into it.

Fighting Chicken wrote:

your idea of making some swift actions into free actions would be a necessary house rule, in my opinion.

That's the problem - I'll end up having to go through every.single.one of the swift actions (tiefling's prehensile tail? Slayer's level 7 study target? Swift poisoning? Spending a ki point? Bardic performance?) to decide what to do with them. Azih and I can't even work out how the RAW should be interpreted on flurry of blows, so trying to work out the actual intent for everything else is going to be a complete 'mare!

Hmm. In that case, I think there's two options.

1) Every previous swift action is now a free action. It would save you time and we'd still get to try the system out, but I'm sure will have unintended consequences.

2) Do away with the action economy test. This would also save you time, and we all know the system.

I'd rather not use the revised action economy. It's seems like more work for less so far.

I'm up in the air on what to play now though. There's the alchemist or the witch. Both could have Brew Potion at first level easily, but looking at DMIC without another person to help it's going to be even more expensive to make potions that way. 75% to brew instead of the usual 50%...

DMU: I was listening to the Know Direction podcast that recorded the Paizocon session on Unchained rules and the designers basically said that a lot of stuff in the revised action economy is left to the DM to handle as they didn't go through and fit all the years of old rules about swift actions, full attack actions etc. onto the three act per round revised system. They really left a lot to RAI here. Any class dependant on swift actions is going to be harder to handle than the flurry :p

It's up to you. I think it might be a fun thing to try and maybe drop if it's not working out?

About the flurry:

The thing about the section of the book on page 103 is that it's talking about the old standard/chained flurry of blows rule that was mimicking TWF in a kinda convoluted way. The new unchained flurry of blows isn't handled. This is simply an extra attack at highest bonus at level 1 and another extra attack at highest bonus at level 11 when doing a full attack action. The unchained flurry rule is very clear that these are meant to stack with any extra haste attack as well as the extra attack from spending ki.

One possibilities I can see to fit the unchained flurry is the one I proposed with the second attack losing the penalty at level 1 and the third attack losing the penalty at level 11. That's the examples I put in there with haste and ki spend examples included.

Personally, my vote it to drop the Revised Action Economy. However, as I am planning on creating an Unchained Monk, I see the problem. Really, there are two problems. Either you force swift action people to use "1 action", which effectively puts them behind the non-swift using classes, or you turn it into a free action, which results in the swift using classes getting a big bonus over the non-swifts.

My thought would be to leave swift actions as swift actions. Use the 3-action system as it is, but also leave the swift actions as they are, 1 per round. This would not penalize those classes that use swift actions. If someone wishes to use a more than 1 swift action, then the second (third? fourth?) would take up actual action slots. For instance, this would enable a higher level bard to start a performance (swift), use Arcane Armor Training (swift in an action slot), and then cast a spell (2 actions) all in 1 round.

Thus, you would get 1 swift/immediate (if you use it as an Immediate, you lose it as a swift). And you also get your normal AoO (with extras from Combat Reflexes). Then, during your turn, you get the three actual actions.

While this seems to work, personally, I think that Paizo needs to take this one back to the drawing board. It seems that they are trying to cram an established system into a new ruleset. It will probably work, with a bit of a learning curve, but is going to invariably keep having new hiccups as we level and get new class abilities.

Thus, my vote is to ditch the Revised Action Economy, although I would like to see it work if we can figure out all the unanswered variables.

DMU: I was listening to the Know Direction podcast that recorded the Paizocon session on Unchained rules and the designers basically said that a lot of stuff in the revised action economy is left to the DM to handle as they didn't go through and fit all the years of old rules about swift actions, full attack actions etc. onto the three act per round revised system. They really left a lot to RAI here. Any class dependant on swift actions is going to be harder to handle than the flurry :p

It's up to you. I think it might be a fun thing to try and maybe drop if it's not working out?

About the flurry:

The thing about the section of the book on page 103 is that it's talking about the old standard/chained flurry of blows rule that was mimicking TWF in a kinda convoluted way. The new unchained flurry of blows isn't handled. This is simply an extra attack at highest bonus at level 1 and another extra attack at highest bonus at level 11 when doing a full attack action. The unchained flurry rule is very clear that these are meant to stack with any extra haste attack as well as the extra attack from spending ki.

One possibilities I can see to fit the unchained flurry is the one I proposed with the second attack losing the penalty at level 1 and the third attack losing the penalty at level 11. That's the examples I put in there with haste and ki spend examples included.

But then the monk loses all the extra attacks from bab.

Another option is making flurry a two action attack that gives you 1 or 2 extra attacks based on level. The third action could be used as an extra attack at -5 or a ki point spent first to gain an extra attack at full bab.

But then the monk loses all the extra attacks from bab.

Unless I'm very wrong EVERYBODY loses the extra attacks from BAB in the revised action system and gains three actions which they can use to attack three times if they want.

I actually want to keep the revised action economy. Of course, it seems the general consensus is strikingly against that.

I really don't see how people are getting that certain classes are being punished or not punished. I mean, even if you use a swift action you can still attack twice, attack and move, or cast a spell, etc.

I like the new system because it is less limiting to low level characters (for example, it makes my necromancer-knight concept work really well) and prevents higher level characters from totally breaking the action economy. Plus, "standing around and full-attacking" isn't the default strategy of full BAB martials anymore. There are actually other, viable strategies one can take.

Perhaps a compromise is to drop the Revised Action Economy rules and use the "Removing Iterative Attacks" rules?

Also, I saw that someone said earlier that they believed Arcane Strike to no longer be viable. I kind of wanted to get a little more discussion on that, as that is a feat that was fairly important to my build and I don't see how it's bad (especially with the new stamina rules).

That is a reasonable point. Three flexible actions should be stronger in many ways than the Swift/Move/Standard setup of the standard system.

I think that what might be missing, and has been sort of referenced in several posts above, is that they seem to be missing a "Full Attack" option. It could be a 2 action complex action, sort of like spell casting. This would allow the high BAB characters, and Monks with their Flurry, to use their abilities, but would not result in the strange confusion of what happens when a fighter gets a third, or fourth, iterative attack.

But there are no iterative attacks under the new system, that's the thing. I'll admit, the unchained monks flurry has apparently presented a good deal of confusion.

What would adding a full-attack action back into the mix do, though? In virtually every scenario (except for post-level 15 for full-BAB classes) just using three simple actions yields the same result.

Is there some concern, maybe, about how actions with the "during a full-attack" qualifier function?

And let me be honest right now, this is one of my favorite new rules in Unchained. I believe it streamlines the combat system, is more flexible, and isn't as overtly breakable.

DMU: I was listening to the Know Direction podcast that recorded the Paizocon session on Unchained rules and the designers basically said that a lot of stuff in the revised action economy is left to the DM to handle as they didn't go through and fit all the years of old rules about swift actions, full attack actions etc. onto the three act per round revised system.

And doesn't it just show? I have to say, I'm not interested in stopping every fight to make a ruling on a new swift action that's just come up - I'm in this to have fun too, y'all!

My thought would be to leave swift actions as swift actions. Use the 3-action system as it is, but also leave the swift actions as they are, 1 per round. This would not penalize those classes that use swift actions. If someone wishes to use a more than 1 swift action, then the second (third? fourth?) would take up actual action slots. For instance, this would enable a higher level bard to start a performance (swift), use Arcane Armor Training (swift in an action slot), and then cast a spell (2 actions) all in 1 round.

Thus, you would get 1 swift/immediate (if you use it as an Immediate, you lose it as a swift). And you also get your normal AoO (with extras from Combat Reflexes). Then, during your turn, you get the three actual actions.

THIS. Seriously, this. This is how it's going to work. Paizo, give this guy/gal a job, stat!

Unless I'm very wrong EVERYBODY loses the extra attacks from BAB in the revised action system and gains three actions which they can use to attack three times if they want.

You're not wrong. Or if you are, I need to check in for advanced reading comprehension, 'cause that's the way I understand it too.

Tirion Jörðhár wrote:

My thought would be to leave swift actions as swift actions. Use the 3-action system as it is, but also leave the swift actions as they are, 1 per round. This would not penalize those classes that use swift actions. If someone wishes to use a more than 1 swift action, then the second (third? fourth?) would take up actual action slots. For instance, this would enable a higher level bard to start a performance (swift), use Arcane Armor Training (swift in an action slot), and then cast a spell (2 actions) all in 1 round.

Thus, you would get 1 swift/immediate (if you use it as an Immediate, you lose it as a swift). And you also get your normal AoO (with extras from Combat Reflexes). Then, during your turn, you get the three actual actions.

THIS. Seriously, this. This is how it's going to work. Paizo, give this guy/gal a job, stat!

I concur. Good call, both of you.

I like the new system because it is less limiting to low level characters (for example, it makes my necromancer-knight concept work really well) and prevents higher level characters from totally breaking the action economy. Plus, "standing around and full-attacking" isn't the default strategy of full BAB martials anymore. There are actually other, viable strategies one can take.

Agreed. There's a lot that the new action economy system does better than the old system, I think. Zahir's example above (start song, cast spell) is a neat example of this.

I think that what might be missing, and has been sort of referenced in several posts above, is that they seem to be missing a "Full Attack" option. It could be a 2 action complex action, sort of like spell casting. This would allow the high BAB characters, and Monks with their Flurry, to use their abilities, but would not result in the strange confusion of what happens when a fighter gets a third, or fourth, iterative attack.

Adding a full attack option that is two actions, but keeping everything else the same? Works for me!

We using Tirion's proposal, then? I wouldn't mind that.

@Evelyn: I've talked about my main gripes with the system here. Essentially, swift action users get nerfed because the opportunity costs rises considerably with the revised action economy: taking Arcane Strike as an example, why use Arcane Strike as a plus to damage when you can just attack again? Stamina does fixes that (I didn't know that AS stamina trick did that!), but usually you'll be using AS only when you can stay still and attack twice.
Speaking of which, 5ft. steps cost 1 act: battle are actually more static than before, as you'd have to forgo an attack to set a flank. Again, you're encouraged to stay still.

Though, I really, really like the base idea, too: with a lot of time, the system can be honed*, but I like Trion's bandaid for now.

*

Lol - figures the one who is against the system posts a bandaid that fixes a number of the issues that have been raised.

Goes and sticks head in the sand to avoid fixing anything else.

Quick, Tirion! Talk about the Monk's MADness! High Level wizards! Caster-Martial disparity! Fix Pathfinder!

YanJieming wrote:

But then the monk loses all the extra attacks from bab.

Unless I'm very wrong EVERYBODY loses the extra attacks from BAB in the revised action system and gains three actions which they can use to attack three times if they want.

You're abolutely right. But that isn't a bug -- it's a feature. The revised action economy is freeing martials from the tyranny of making full attacks. :)

The way iterative attacks work in 3.x/Pathfinder is literally my least favorite part of the system. (Followed very closely by how TWF works.)

But don't mind me -- I'm still not sure if I'm going to be making a character yet. Should know tonight.

You can fix the 5' step by making it a Swift action, of course then you get some AOO issues with 5' away and then a bunch of moves acts.

Is shoehorning the full attack action into the revised action system missing one of the major reasons to go to the revised action system in the first place then?

I'm not too broken-up over the loss of 5' steps personally, as I think things are more mobile over all. I also think that there is a lot more value put into Acrobatics because of it, especially the skill unlock that comes at 5 ranks.

Ok, so how would this sound.

1) You get 3 "actions" per round, as per the Unchained stuff.

2) You get one "swift/immediate" action, it must be used for a swift or immediate action. If used as an immediate (or swift) action, then you can use your normal action slots for other swift actions.

3) A "full-attack" is a complex action which requires 2-actions.
--> This gives a small bonus to those martials with high BAB/monks. When haste is cast, it gives an extra "action", which means that a full-attack could be done, and you would still have 2 "actions" remaining.
--> What this would accomplish is that a martial (or anyone) with 3 or more attacks would be able to make all those attacks in a 2-action complex action. For those who have not yet obtained 3 or more attacks (looking at you rogue(thugs) and bard(arcane duelists)), you could still make 3 attacks using the -5 per additional attack action of the Unchained system.
--> If you make a "full-attack", you can still make one additional attack with your third action, with an additional -5 on your attack roll from the largest penalty you suffered on your regular attacks. (We are talking -20 at 16 BAB.)

4) If you have used your swift action, you can still make an immediate action as part of a reaction in place of one of the reaction actions. If you used a swift action, then also using an immediate action would effectively reduce the number of reactions/AoO you could make by 1. You are limited to a single immediate action per round.

5) If you use all three of your actions on non-moves, you can still make a 5-foot step as a swift action. If you used all your actions and your swift action, too bad, you ran out of time to move.

I am sure that there is something else, but I think this sets forth what I think works, and seems to have the intention of the Unchained rules, without causing disruption to either high BAB classes or Swift dependent classes.

No. Too complicated. 5 ft step was OP anyway, in my view. It should take an action.

"Full attack" is GONE. It is no longer a concept, except for monsters.

The free swift/immediate action is the only fix required to make this work, in my view. Plus restoring AoOs.

Let's move on.

Wait, restoring AoOs? O.o
And you don't need to add anything for monsters: the "Full Attack" is still there, as the 3 act actions to attack with all of your NA, like the normal system.

Aren't 'reactions' supposed to be the way you get AOO?

Sounds fine by me. Although it does still leave the Flurry of Blows "action" hanging. Should we consider a FoB to be a 3-action "Full Attack", like for monsters, or a 2-action Complex Action? Or, do you make each attack and get a free full-BAB attack on the first attack (and second at 11th level)?

I plan on submitting an Unchained Monk, and am good either way. The issue is that FoB seems overpowered if you just get a free bull-BAB attack with a standard 1-action attack.

I have to take off, and will need to consider this more to determine if I have any other ideas.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

The flurry of blows class feature works in a similar way. At 1st level, you can make an additional attack with a –2 penalty on your first attack simple action during a turn. At 8th level, you can make an additional attack on both your first and second attack simple actions during your turn. At 15th level, you can make an additional attack on each of your attack simple actions during your turn. You must, of course, take all the penalties associated with those attacks.

This seems to really simplify things, but enable the monk to get the high BAB attacks, and still save his moves and other stuff to replace the later low BAB attacks. Works for me, but does seem a little unbalanced.

What about leaving Unchained Flurry as a single attack action, but limiting it to once per round? It helps from it getting out of hand, but still retains its functionality (considerinf that now you can use it to FLYING KICK).

Personally I'd make the call that it just reverts to the Flurry of Blows described in the side-box on pg 103. Simple, and that seems to be the intention of the revised action economy, at least in my view.

Ki pool would still serve a purpose under this logic as, instead of spending the ki to get the extra attack, you can spend the point to ignore the penalty from using multiple attack actions. Not optimal, but it does something at least.

Well, the spells I would normally choose (Glitterdust and Haste being a great examples) are certainly nerfed, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to nerf my CHA though. I figure others have the combat thing handled, and Shaeda will wade in herself with 3 acts per round, but a Bard needs Charisma for other things. I need to look into this overclocking stuff and esoteric components.

On the plus side, the Lore Skill can be quite uber since it qualifies for the Bardic Knowledge benefits. I read Lore as telling me that Lore (Korvosa) is a bit broad, but I can maybe do it by districts. Maybe add them as we experience them.

I wouldn't say that the bard (or magus) version of haste is nerfed. for them it is a 3rd level spell that is learned at level 7, so it last 7 rounds when cast. Generally enough to last a combat.

Even the wizard version, with a 5 round duration, would last through most battles.
Glitterdust will last 4 rounds, a bit short, but useful.

Bardic Knowledge is one I don't want to give up. That rules out a LOT of the Archetypes. Versatile Performance is also tough to give up.

I'm thinking Sound Striker, bring a bit of the Weirding Way to Korvosa.

I love the archivist bard but it exchange inspire courage with Naturalist, an attack and AC bonus instead of attack and damage bonus and only with a succesful Knowledge check, so it lose something of the bard buffing abilities.

I don't know, getting away from the screwy TWF Flurry of the standard monk is one of the highlights of the unchained monk. I'd rather have the extra flurry attacks (one from level 1 and two starting from level 11) stuck in with the first attack action (where hasted attacks would go) OR have it remove the penalties from the second attack (from level 1) and then the third attack (from level 11).

I think I'll go ahead and drop out. I haven't read enough about the revised system to know if I like it or not, and would rather stop now than get a spot in the game and end up stopping later.

Good luck, everyone.

Wait, restoring AoOs? O.o

Aren't 'reactions' supposed to be the way you get AOO?

Yes - I'm getting rid of "reaction" and putting immediate actions with swift action, and so AoO needs to come back in. It works, so why fix it?

And you don't need to add anything for monsters: the "Full Attack" is still there, as the 3 act actions to attack with all of your NA, like the normal system.

That was the point I'm making: full attack (for PCs) is GONE, because I don't need to bring it back: monsters still have it (or an equivalent).

Sounds fine by me. Although it does still leave the Flurry of Blows "action" hanging.

True - I will re-read what everyone has said about FoB and make a decision tomorrow. Please therefore can we consider that discussion CLOSED. I'm grateful for everyone's input (no, really - I wouldn't have come up with the swift action fix on my own), but I think everyone has now had a chance to express a view, so rehashing it further is pointless.

So, what next? Back to actual character generation? :)

I'd love to, but I think I'm pretty much done...

Unless someone can point out anything I've mucked up (I've never played this AP before).

@DMU: Whoops, rolled two 1s on reading comprehension. <.<

And finding a character image is proving difficult, this time. D:

Promise me that when all is said and done, you'll post whatever "decisions" are made regarding the implementation and changing of rules in the Campaign page!!

I actually want to keep the revised action economy. Of course, it seems the general consensus is strikingly against that.

I really don't see how people are getting that certain classes are being punished or not punished. I mean, even if you use a swift action you can still attack twice, attack and move, or cast a spell, etc.

I like the new system because it is less limiting to low level characters (for example, it makes my necromancer-knight concept work really well) and prevents higher level characters from totally breaking the action economy. Plus, "standing around and full-attacking" isn't the default strategy of full BAB martials anymore. There are actually other, viable strategies one can take.

Perhaps a compromise is to drop the Revised Action Economy rules and use the "Removing Iterative Attacks" rules?

Also, I saw that someone said earlier that they believed Arcane Strike to no longer be viable. I kind of wanted to get a little more discussion on that, as that is a feat that was fairly important to my build and I don't see how it's bad (especially with the new stamina rules).

There are classes for which it is very punishing. It completely remove the pseudo-haste benefit of spellstrike. With it costing 2 actions and the inability to move between casting and attacking it nerfes it even more.

That for me is the most striking example as it has turned a option on the way in which you deliver your touch spells with no action cost into a spellcasting action with attack. In practice it ha completely overwritten the spellstrike ability making it something totally different.

As it is one of the core mechanics of the magus it had remade the class into something different.

There are other classes for which that is true but that is a class with which I am familiar.

In the forum there are posts about the damage done with shocking grasp if you sacrifice a feat and one or 2 traits for that, but they are mostly tall tales. Unless a group normally play with the 15 minutes adventuring day you don't have the Arcane pool points to do that so often. When you get the resources to do it repeatedly the pure martial classes consistently deliver more DPS than the magus with shocking grasp, so I fail to see why it needed to be nerfed.

I suspect that the inquisitor will suffer from the same problem. Any class that benefited from using swift actions is penalized with this system when compared with classes that use standard actions, as now the cost of a swift action is the same of most standard or move actions.

Another big change is the 5' step = an action.

Evelyn Gertruade deGrey wrote:

I like the new system because it is less limiting to low level characters (for example, it makes my necromancer-knight concept work really well) and prevents higher level characters from totally breaking the action economy. Plus, "standing around and full-attacking" isn't the default strategy of full BAB martials anymore. There are actually other, viable strategies one can take.

Agreed. There's a lot that the new action economy system does better than the old system, I think. Zahir's example above (start song, cast spell) is a neat example of this.

Tiroin wrote:

I think that what might be missing, and has been sort of referenced in several posts above, is that they seem to be missing a "Full Attack" option. It could be a 2 action complex action, sort of like spell casting. This would allow the high BAB characters, and Monks with their Flurry, to use their abilities, but would not result in the strange confusion of what happens when a fighter gets a third, or fourth, iterative attack.

Adding a full attack option that is two actions, but keeping everything else the same? Works for me!

Under seventh level, yes, above? A wash from level 7 to 12, a negative from level 13 onward.

Promise me that when all is said and done, you'll post whatever "decisions" are made regarding the implementation and changing of rules in the Campaign page!!

Absolutely. I've been trying to do that as we go, but today's update has eluded me as yet.

EDIT - missed this completely!

I think I'll go ahead and drop out. I haven't read enough about the revised system to know if I like it or not, and would rather stop now than get a spot in the game and end up stopping later.

Good luck, everyone.

Sorry to see you go, thanks for your questions; I will be incorporating some of them into the rules.

As suggested, the whole discussion about the revised action economy would merit its own thread, possibly in the rule forum or general discussion.

I am willing to try as it seem a nice buff for low level martials and some high mobility build, but I wouldn't be troubled if we dropped it.

Alright I think my crunch is done. Thanks for the consideration.

I added the Combat Stamina feat. So this character would be testing combat tricks as well. Should be fun to have ki points, a stamina pool, style strikes, and rage all rolled up in one very very martial character :). I think Lorick should have a lot of options to play with eventually.

Here's fighting Chicken's submission, Juliet D'Artangen, opera singer, duelist, and burgeoning Wobblie. I ended up scrapping the caster path and went back to martial - swashbuckler VMC cavalier.

I'll be testing: VMC, stamina and combat tricks, expanded skills (expanded perform), scaling magic items, background skills, revised action economy, and automatic bonus progression.

I've included everything from Juliet's profile here for easy perusal. Thanks for the consideration!

I think the addition of swift actions isn't bad, but I wanted to see how reactions would work. I honestly want to try out the new action economy exactly to see where it breaks down. Seeing the Magus abilities get a bit wacky is probably no surprise. Spellstrike/spellcombat specifically messed with action economy, so a change to how actions work would hit them hard.

I'm up for using as much as we can and letting the chips fall out.

kudos to fighting Chicken to be willing to chance a full caster with the Limited Magic rule.

I am now forced to print a retraction.

So what's our timeframe for getting this barge moving?

Zahir ibn Mahmoud ibn Jothan wrote:

kudos to fighting Chicken to be willing to chance a full caster with the Limited Magic rule.

I am now forced to print a retraction.

Limited magic and the 15 minute work day defeated me. *Hangs head in shame*

So what's our timeframe for getting this barge moving?

In the words of DM Unchained:

"I suspect that assimilating the new rules and putting crunch together will take a while, and that there will be a lot of questions. I'm therefore setting two deadlines: a first of Monday 22 June for submitting a concept (name, race, class(es), background!, which bit of Unchained your build will test), together with any questions. After that date, I'll set a further deadline for completing crunch."

OK, this is the definitive (until the next one) interpretation/fix of the action economy and flurry of blows rules.

I think the addition of swift actions isn't bad, but I wanted to see how reactions would work. I honestly want to try out the new action economy exactly to see where it breaks down. Seeing the Magus abilities get a bit wacky is probably no surprise. Spellstrike/spellcombat specifically messed with action economy, so a change to how actions work would hit them hard.

I'm up for using as much as we can and letting the chips fall out.

I sympathise with that, and I have ultimately decided to keep reactions in. But I think we have seen where the system breaks down, and it's with swift actions. It's all very well for the game designers to say "oh we'll leave it to the DM to handle" - but to be honest, if I have to make a decision on which swift action becomes a free action and which one doesn't (and what effects that will have on the game) every.single.time a new one comes up for discussion, MY chips will fall out... I'm in this to have fun, too, you know :-)

I haven't updated the Campaign tab yet, but I will do. Please disregard it for the moment.

Campaign tab is updated.