Sorry about my lack of posting - work's been very busy, so I've not had much time to post from there, and nights haven't been much better. Kowaru's action would have been to attempt to grapple again, and it looks like he's just cursed to be the worst monk ever!
It does suck for Chez that the dice turned against us like this. While Lavinia might not be able to spring for his raising, maybe she can spring for us to speak with his departed spirit, and find out if he wants us to return him to life or not. If he doesn't, we can fulfill any loose ends he'd want us to tie up for him in his wake.
Of course, that assumes we survive the next minute!
If Chesley doesn't come back, I'd actually consider using Chesley as one of the ghosts that haunts Aeronniell due to her curse. :)
That's one thing I wish I developed more in Aero's backstory. I gave her one spirit for internal dialogue (Jerrell, her adoptive uncle), but a couple different personalities would be great.
Its a lot of fun Aero. I have a haunted ancestors oracle named Boneyard Pyke in MiniGMs Absalom campaign. Well, really he's a detective bard and the level of ancestors oracle just makes him fun. He's the result of a union between a Varisian and an elf so half of his ancestors are Sczarni thugs or Varisian fortunetellers and the other half are elves. You can check out his ghosts in this profile.
If Chesley doesn't come back, I'd actually consider using Chesley as one of the ghosts that haunts Aeronniell due to her curse. :)
That's one thing I wish I developed more in Aero's backstory. I gave her one spirit for internal dialogue (Jerrell, her adoptive uncle), but a couple different personalities would be great.
Sounds like a great idea. Who wouldn't want a ghost haunting them that keeps mispronouncing their name and commenting on how attractive they are :)
It sounds like it could be fun though. Chez enjoyed experiencing all the fun things in life. Often when Aero would want to be conservative or practical about something she might hear Chez in her head encouraging her to be more thrifty/impulsive.
I guess from now on I will roll my combat and damage rolls off camera and just inform you of the results if we're going to be doing this level of meta-gaming.
Sorry Kowaru, I was planning to shoot even if Aero hadn't attacked. Now I don't have a choice. Couldn't you have rolled just a titch better on that crit!
Oh no, that's not what I intended.
Ultimately Aero hates monkeys and doesn't really feel comfortable standing around with yet another party member missing unless Rowyna agrees to be disarmed and bound, and the ape can be secured.
RP-wise, I didn't want her to accept a sketchy stalemate of a surrender.
The meta-game thinking was because I, as Aero's player, didn't want playing Aero as I saw her reacting to be a decision taken lightly if it could cause the immediate death of Kowaru.
I only really examined the meta-game since half the party is dead, dying or disabled.
Sorry Kowaru, I was planning to shoot even if Aero hadn't attacked. Now I don't have a choice. Couldn't you have rolled just a titch better on that crit!
That is comforting. I didn't want Aero's decision to be the sole cause of a death blow to Kowaru.
Technically, without a Heal check, we didn't know whether Kowaru and Chesley both are alive or dead - right? (Outside of the obvious RP of Ches's ghost joining Aero's cadre).
Ialda was going to give in to the plan, since she couldn't bear another of her group's death right now.
I was a bit worried that the decision was entirely metagaming as to Kowaru's condotion as well, but if it wasn't, then that's fine.
I think it does take a Heal check unless of course your GM gives you all of the gory graphic details of an obvious death.
You've done a great job of making Rowyna very hate-able. Baolo and his player were figuring she was going to come back nastier than ever if we didn't finish this now.
But, I also was betting the ape was closer to death than it proves he was.
Agreed. Absolute detest this woman and her ape.
Also agreed, it felt more meta-gamey to accept the surrender because we knew Kowaru was stable in the negatives rather than stick to ending this b--tch.
I don't see it that way. Kowaru was at -2 and does not wear armor. He's on the floor unconscious but clearly breathing, and that's visible especially from Aero's adjacent square. Rowyna even told you that. Hey, I hope you guys take them out now and save Kowaru's life, more for his sake, b/c I'd hate to be the one to explain it to him how his stable character died. So maybe Baolo takes her out and Xarethi takes out the ape or vice versa.
I'm glad you dislike her, but she's not the main bad guy of the story. The ever elusive Vanthus is. Not every bad guy you kill has the "turn me into a revenant so I can get revenge" clause in his/her contract, though it's not a bad idea! :)
This is where I wish I had Rapid Shot. Would have taken a chance on the cover to get a shot at each of them.
Knew she wasn't the main bad guy, but after the way this fight went down, you'd have ruined your killer GM creds not to bring her back with a much bigger, badder ape. Maybe you still will. I forgot about the revenant angle.
OOOoooOOo ooOooOo ooooOOOOoooo ooOOoOOOoo OOOOoOOoO ooooOo
So... replacement character-wise... unless there's some priestess in the city that can't live without Chez's comfort and is willing to "loan" him a resurrection... what is the starting level of my new character? What is your rule again regarding hp's gained at level advancement?
Rapid shot!
Aeronniell still hungers for Precise Shot.
Perhaps she should use Baolo as her archery trainer, and he can teach his feats to her every other level?
Chez, all new characters will be 3rd level to match the other players (who will be 3rd at end of this fight). Just your WBL will be adjusted to match the other players in group so don't go by what's in the PRD. I'll let you know that amount later.
Max hps at 1st level, half HD+1 each level or you risk it and take my roll (that way you can't preview it).
Good to know this, since it might apply to me in the very near future...
And me too, with my dice luck. :(
Xarethi is a character designed for underwater combat, so its not really surprising.
Sorry, Kowaru, but party's actions have consequences and once the ape was dead, Rowyna's life was forfeit and there was no point to surrendering.
I'm also sorry Kowaru. I did think we could take them out, but failed. I also thought that even though she was being genuine about her love for the ape, that she had something up her sleeve with the city guard (or at a minimum was hoping Xarethi would forget about the trap and get herself killed on the way to get them). Sounds like that wasn't the case, but trusting an evil priestess of Norgorber seems like a course of action that is going to go sideways more times than not.
In the original mod, Rowyn(a) is a CR5 baddie with a CR 2 dinosaur pet. I made her CR 3 (Rogue 3/Cleric 1) with a CR 2 ape (seemed to fit Eleder more) but tailored her to be deadly, especially when flanking. Her teleportation as an immediate action was the result of the Deception domain (very cool for evil rogues to set up flanks). Also gave her and the ape Precise Strike feat (my logic was that she raised him as a baby so she trained him to fight with her), which does an extra d6 on all attacks when both parties flank same target and it stacks with sneak attack so sweet! 23 AC (+5 armor +4 dex +2 shield +2 deflection). The party figured out too late that best way to minimize her effectiveness was to take out her flanking buddy first instead of trying to hit her ridiculous AC. Well you gain xp and learn from your mistakes.
I was worried Ialda would crit her and the fight would be over in less than 2 rounds. Thankfully, it became a glorious fight with a tragic finale, lasting 7 rounds.
That deception domain ability is marvelous for a rogue type! I was going to ask you what she was doing after the fight was over. Very clever.
Thank you, I liked it too and it fit the build perfectly!
Sudden Shift (Sp): In the blink of an eye, you can appear somewhere else. As an immediate action, after you are missed by a melee attack, you can teleport up to 10 feet to a space that you can see. This space must be inside the reach of the creature that attacked you. You can use this power a number of times each day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
Well, I'm bummed for Chez and Kowaru. I hope both of you want to continue and put together new characters.
That fight was tough, and the dice certainly weren't our friends.
I will definitely take another level of barbarian, since I need the HP's for sure, lol. I'll get it together later today.
The AC was brutal and the damage output nasty. Even though I don't think it came into play, I was also worrying about the reach of the ape in that tiny room the whole time while also trying to keep an escape route, and trying to deal with cover. Not possible to do them all.
Kor and Misroi, let me know how you want to proceed, if you're still interested in the game. No hard feelings if you're not, I would understand. I'll wait to hear from you either here on boards or via PM.
I think I'd like the chain shirt...it shouldn't interfere with any of the barbarian class abilities, should it? I know there would be a bit of a spell failure chance, but I don't plan on developing more spells for a long while.
If anyone else wants it, just let me know and we can roll off for it or something.
Good points, Baolo, but the ape's AC was 15 and though you didn't know it, her weakness (she would have surrendered much earlier if the ape's life was in danger). I'm glad the party didn't figure it out till much later in the fight (Round 4-5).
No problems with armor, Ialda, it's light armor.
I actually did go after the ape at the start, but rolled terribly. It wasn't because I thought it was her weakness, but more because I thought it was going to wreak havoc in that small room. Then Chez's death caused Baolo to switch targets out of anger.
I hope Chez and Kowaru stick with it too. I'd love to see you guys occasionally play the ghosts with Aero too.
Okay, so 3rd level?
- Swim speed 30 ft.
- +1d6 hp
- hydraulic push
- +1 Fort, +1 Ref
- +1 1st level spell per day
- magic missile
- Sense Motive 2 ranks
- Weapon Focus (unarmed strike? touch attack?) Not sure if that's allowed.
Xarethi, in your case you can take 4 hps + Favored class hp or take my 1d6 roll + FC hp. Either of those weapon focus is allowed.
DM, I will take the half plus one for my hit points=7 plus Con mod and plus one for Favored Class.
Third level is barbarian:
*+1 BAB
*+1 Fort save
*+2 rounds of Rage per day
*Uncanny Dodge
*Rage Power--Lesser Beast Totem
*Skills (4): Know. Arcana (x2), Linguistics: Draconic, Climb
*Feat: Extra Rage
Everyone gets a feat at 3rd level, don't forget.
So that's 14 rounds per day of raging, if I calculated correctly, Ialda? Wow!
Yep...that's what my updated sheet shows. This might be my last barbarian level, depending on what happens inthe future, so I had to be sure I could still get my rage on!
Confused as to the rage power. Are you going to be using claws more than weapons now? Doesn't your bloodline already give you claws?
The bloodline does give me claws that do 1D4 points of damage (right now). The rage power gives me 1d6 points of damage. I probably am going to start most fights at reach with my longspear, then I'd switch to claws after they pass into close melee.
I'll probably drop the dagger and flail, and might pick up one blunt melee weapon, and just use claws the rest of the time. She is becoming more draconic as she learns more (ergo the Linguistics Draconic language skill). She'll be more comfortable with her beastial claws, I think.
Cool, makes sense when you explain it like that.
Ugh, sorry Kowaru.
I had hoped that Rowyna and her monkey would gang up on Aeronniell.
Was the ape awakened? The part I was trying to sort out was how it was following relatively complex commands without Handle Animal checks. I kind of assumed Rowyna had some Druid levels or something.
It wasn't necessarily his damage or reach that was scary, but the fact he was employing crazy, cunning tactics without Rowyna having to expend an action to command him.
3rd Level: Oracle 3
+1 BAB
+1 Fort, +1 Reflex
+1 1st level spell per day
+6 HP (5 Oracle, 1 Favored)
New Spell: (1st) Protection from Evil
Feat: Precise Shot
Revelation: Ancestral Weapon (tentatively)
Cunning tactics? He kept attacking people she flanked. And he beat on a prone Kowaru. Under Handle animal, she just has to point to get animal to attack/flank.
Once the animal knows the trick Attack and Flank, it's only a DC 10 (12 check if wounded) to get them to perform it. She gets +10 to her check when dealing with the pet due to skills and fact that she raised him since birth. So we can say rolls were made off-camera. Original mod has pet dinosaur attacking on its own without owner having to command it, so I played it the same way. If saying it's awakened solves the issue, then we'll go with that.
Without a doubt, Rowyna and Guts are a deadly combination.
At least, my "post game analysis" is mostly from curiosity and searching for "good ideas" for future NPCs (from a GM side) or PCs (from a player side).
Hopefully you take our inquisitions as a compliment to the crafty build of our enemies. If you don't think that Rowyna + Guts were cunningly built, then you're doing yourself a disservice. The combination of everything - sudden shift, sneak attack, precise strike - is damn sexy.
Her high touch AC was definitely tasty. Notice at level 3, Aeronniell took Protection from Evil and put 3 ranks into Acrobatics. :)
Awakened for sure solves it. No doubt, Rowyna would have spent the Lotus Dragons hard-stolen gold on awakening her "baby" - yuck.
Correct me if I'm wrong (and I usually am half the time since the rules can be somewhat obscure), but without a druid level or the ape being awakened or some obscure feat (which is what I was really hoping to learn about), it would've been a move action to issue a command for him to perform a trick by using Handle Animal?
Druid's get link which lets them issue the commands/tricks as free actions instead of move actions.
For what it's worth, when I originally rolled Aeronniell, I had considered the Nature Mystery and picking up an animal (not an ape), but everything I read suggested it would be a move action for commands since she would've lacked the link ability.
Aero, you are right, Handle Animal without a druid or ranger level, is a move-action. I could have also rewound and given Rowyna a ranger level and not changed her hps and that would have solved the issue as well. I'm glad you liked the combo, as did I. The original mod has Rowyn as a bard/rogue combo, which didn't make sense to me. The evil cleric level gave her more personality and the domain power was too sweet to pass up.
I've been doing a fair amount of research into cults of Norgorber lately - particularly in his aspects of murder.
It's interesting that a lot of the doctrine is about how they are obsessed with how the murders they exact will shape history and events to unfold differently, as if they are sculpting the future with their evil actions.
I'd imagine the two murders that Rowyna just perpetuated on Chesley and Kowaru will accomplish some sort of "shaping".
I could have also rewound and given Rowyna a ranger level..
She'd need 4 ranger levels to get her hunter's bond (to effectively be a level 1 druid for link), right?
True, didn't read the part that's only a free action with the animal companion. A druid level would have been the best way to go. Wow, didn't go that in depth as to the shaping, but looking at it, yes, history will be different without Chez or Kowaru.
I'm good with ruling that it was awakened and us just getting the extra XP and all for it being a higher CR.
(Not that you're using an XP system, I'm guessing we're leveling at plot points, but it's a consolation prize nonetheless)
I don't think there's any animal trick that lets a creature ready an action to strike someone?
That's why Aeronniell was playing it with Guts being was a abomination - a cunning, evil ape.
Ok, back to leveling. A couple of questions and a bunch of plans...
Question 1
Seeing as 1 hp made a lot of difference in that last battle, I'm trying to work out a puzzle. I see I only took 4 hp on the die for 2nd level. I don't see that either you or I rolled in the recruitment thread so I think I screwed it up. Are you ok with me upping that to 5 or should we treat it like an action in combat and no going back?
Question 2
I thought I understood Determination (from the Preacher archetype), but now that I'm seeing how Hero Lab has implemented it, I am questioning my original reading. Here's how the ability reads in the PRD
Determination (Ex): At 3rd level, the preacher is a person of few words on the battlefield, but those words hold great power and authority. Once per day, the inquisitor can use this ability to create one of the following effects. Each is a free action to use.Aggression: The preacher may reroll an attack roll that she just made before the results of the roll are revealed. She must take the result of the reroll, even if it's worse than the original roll.
Defense: When the inquisitor would be hit by a melee or ranged attack, as an immediate action she may add a +4 insight bonus to her Armor Class against that attack, and if this makes the inquisitor's AC higher than the opponent's attack roll, the attack misses.
Warning: When a preacher's ally within line of sight would be hit by a melee or ranged attack, she may call out a warning to that ally, and the attacker must reroll the attack and use the results of the second roll. The ally must be able to hear the preacher and must not be helpless for this ability to have any effect.
Whenever the preacher could select a bonus teamwork feat (at 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level), she can instead choose to increase her number of uses per day of this ability by one. This ability replaces solo tactics.
So, it clearly replaces solo tactics. The way this reads to me, starting at 3rd level, I can either select a teamwork feat OR I can increase determination/day by one (so in this case, I would get 2 uses).
The way Hero Lab has implemented it, it looks like I still get the teamwork feat and that determination and the special ability of the inquisitor to swap teamwork feats in and out (which is tied to the bonus teamwork feat, not to solo tactics) are interchangeable. I can either swap the teamwork feat OR I can use an instance of determination on a daily basis.
While the Hero Lab method would clearly offer more flexibility to me, I am more inclined to go with my original interpretation. Any thoughts on that?
3rd Level
HP - I'll take the 5 on the die
Favored Class Bonus - I'll take the HP
Baolo picks up Determination (replaces Solo Tactics)
Pending question #2 above, I will replace the bonus teamwork feat with an extra use of determination so that I have 2x/day.
0-Level Spell: Read Magic
1st-Level Spell: True Strike
Skills: 7 ranks: Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Nature), Knowledge (Planes), Knowledge (Religion), Perception, Sense Motive, Stealth
3rd Level Feat: Rapid Shot
Judgements: Destruction increases to +2, Healing increases to 2, Piercing increases to 2, Resistance increases to 4.
Final Question
At your convenience, can I get an advance reading on how you interpret the Target of Opportunity Teamwork Feat? How does this work for an archer? Do I just need to have bow in hand? Or do I have to have the arrow loaded? That could be a must-get feat for myself and Aero if we both stick with archer builds and live that long (9th level for us).