Just checking in
Hope to have things rolling soon. All character reviews are almost complete - 2 to go, and once everyone has made changes and responded to my feedback we will move forward.
I think I have Tayanalla updated
Do I need to track ammunition? Can I assume she starts with some arrows?
Ok reviews for all characters have gone out. Many of you have already responded and adjusted or tweaked as needed, and are marked as passed. If you are changing something while we are still in Trial Phase, send me an email, so I can note it. Once we end Trial phase, changes can no longer be made without retraining. Some of you have replied but are still working on some changes or tweaks, so haven't been marked passed yet. I have the next adventure piece planned, and also working on some frameworks for a more solid ruleset for your special items, that will let you plan a little better.
Just a note about the flow. For now we are still in trial, and I am keeping the tables on roughly the same timeline due to proximity and potential for immediate(ish) interaction as well as some timed events. Once the groups split apart more and follow their own paths, it will be more free flow and I won't keep everyone on the same event timeline. This is also why I want to make sure all characters pass review before I move the timeline forward, despite some tables all passed or almost there.
This post will be cross-posted to the various tables, so sorry for the spam if you read in more than one place. I would like the various tables to check in with the master thread as well, just to keep track of overall changes.
In addition, I will be camping from Friday June 26 through Thurs July 2nd. The last you may hear from me would be Friday morning the 26th and not until probably the evening of July 2nd when I return. The camp ground is remote, and cell reception is unreliable at best, and I don't feel I can adequately GM from a phone in the wilderness, so I will suspend play during that time, or if possible, I will try to get the groups to a point where you can do things that don't require me as much. Without revealing too much about what lies in store now, I will have more information as we get closer.
I think I have Tayanalla updated
Do I need to track ammunition? Can I assume she starts with some arrows?
Ok, I will check it over. You should track ammo, you start with 40 arrows for your bow.
checking in as asked
from table 5
i see you have me as "feedback sent", was there something else you needed me to do after my last reply?
Hmm, nope I checked the email exchange we had, and your updated sheet, looks all good, thanks :)
I like our location
This will position us well to get out of these mountains and figure out what is going on.
Are we planning on heading downriver through the gap?
me thinks the gap becomes a waterfall or at the best rapids. We could build a raft. Then Grobly could watch from the air as you go over the edge.
Figuring out if there's a way down sounds like a perfect mission for our aerial scout.
Map will come tomorrow. Long day here.
That looks like a big goat out there in the woods, good thing we've got a big bull.
I think a few of us jumper the gun on round 2 :)
No worries. I forgot to indicate to go.
I will need some room to get out of the shelter to attack. Lump if you moved, then I can move Warcat and take a step outside to reach pretty much all the combatants.
Can you use your reach to attack over some of the other combatants?
I'm inside the shelter so I cannot technically reach the goatlings. I can only reach the little goat, which I am hoping Grobly and/or Warcat can kill. I am going to delay my action until after they go, and then I can step out. I could try to plow my way through the shelter walls, but I don't want it to collapse on anyone. If I can get outside I can kill them all very quickly.
I can hit goat1 and the animal goat this round if they survive to my turn.
Well, im 2 sizes under you so i think we can share a space without penalty....
but if you need me moved, you can 5ft step me anywhere that wont make me suffer an AoO. I cant open the map on my phone.
I plotted a different strategy.
Will get to your table this evening.
I am sincerely glad my character doesn't have a multiple natural attack routine with a pet that has a multiple natural attack routine like Asheranthi or Karkoran.
That's just too bbcode for an every day post on a first level character.
Well, one less pet now. Oh, but they will pay! Warcat will be avenged!!
Sorry about that, if I had known how it was going to turn out I would have mage armored your cat instead of you.
I have a big feeling I will be dropping this round. Avenge the fallen!
I have a big feeling I will be dropping this round. Avenge the fallen!
well, if big battle goat attacks you, he has to roll twice and take the worst, so i hope that saves you! and me!
I survived! Praise the toad!
@Cavetoad: After catching up on table 6, and seeing that they are on round 2, Can I keep playing in this thread after say~ 100 rounds have gone by? More than enough to fly there, chit chat, then return. I can post on that table when they catch up?
EDIT: An all out assault should be easy to trace back to its source given our party makeup... depending on what we can learn from our captives this might be our most advantageous lead. We should either persue this angle ourselves or try and coordinate with the rest of the table's.
We might also try looking actively for druid circles if we get off this plateau. Something tells me that no matter the changes time brings, some form of druidism is still alive. We find ourselves in a forest after all.
I fear the day you get those advanced bardic abilities.
Grobly yes, assuming you make it to camp 6 and assuming you make it back to camp 5 alive, you would be able to partake in action here. Not much time has passed so far. Dragging the bodies around takes some time.
Lump, what time of the day do you prepare your cleric spells? Clerics get comprehend languages. If you can pray for that when you get your spells today, we can attempt to get answers from the goat guy, if we can get some basic ideas across to it. Also if we just let it babble for a bit, you can understand it and then key in on critical things it says. It lasts 10 minutes and you could take up to three, although I am not sure we would need more than one.
Also I recommend, even before questioning, that we prepare a bunch of questions and how we will communicate them to the goat so that he can talk. Perhaps we use a flat rock and a charcoal stick to draw a map of the lake and region and point to various parts to get him to talk, and then you can understand and coax or encourage various things with head nods or shakes. We can use this pictograph method to ask questions by drawing the pictures ahead of time, so we don't waste time in drawing them as the spell is running. Any other input?
Ah, good idea. Dont think i prayed yet today since we were woken up.
As chaos and madness are my domains, i probably have to pray at a different time each day.
a cleric of chaos and madness .... that's reassuring.
Summary and Housekeeping Post:
===================================
1. I leave for camping on Friday June 26 and return Thursday July 2. During that time I have basically no internet, aside from very spotty phone reception that drains my battery like crazy and there is no electricity to recharge my phone. I carry a ton of recharging devices and even a solar charger but they don't all work that well. Plus its not fun to GM via phone. So I will be out a week. I bring my notepad though and will be working on storylines and adventures.
2. Everyone gains 1400 XP for the battle. This will place you at level 2. You do not get the XP until you decide to 'rest and reflect'. This basically means several hours in a safe spot, not walking around or exploring or travelling. Staying at the campsite will count despite being the wilderness and maybe more goatlings around etc. The group will have to decide if they want to level up and pause for a few hours of in game time where you can't do much other than chat and relax. You need to be conscious and reasonably unwounded.
3. Since there is the slight potential for interaction with other groups, in the short duration after the battles, I would prefer people do all their level ups on an alternate sheet (offline perhaps), and have it ready to go, keeping your level 1 version on hand, and then just swap it in when time moves ahead. This gives you time over my vacation to get your character updated and brainstorm your future, or even adjust based on party needs.
4. Remember at level 2, you gain a feat from your item. This is a combat feat if its a weapon, or an combat amulet. It is a spell caster type feat or skill feat if its a caster-y item. I know this can be a little vague yet, and I will allow a redo of this feat once I have a solid rule-set soon after I get back. Refer to the rules I laid out so far for the items in the original rules.
5. Take some time for feedback, within your group and to me. Feel free to message me privately as well if you have concerns about anything that you don't want to share openly. This is also the time to decide if the table you are with is right for you. I feel like most of the tables are meshing well. We do have a few new recruits, and table 2 is at 6 people, so there is the possibility of some retooling. I think 5 is my target number for all tables.
6. Once you level your characters you are out of trial phase and we will move ahead. No more reworks, no more changes without formal retraining. Only if I find an illegal combo or build will I have someone change (in theory I should have caught these already, but eh, I'm human, mostly).
7. While I am gone, its a good time to firm up tactics and strategies. I realize you are still in the wilderness, and mostly gearless, but that will change eventually.
8. Feedback, analysis, discussion, critiques, strategies, ideas, amongst each other or for me are welcome. I hope the battle was a fun, perhaps tense, learning experience. Trial by fire sort of thing. Most combats will not be so brutal, save for the really epic ones perhaps, but those are suitably rare and special.
9. Everyone having a mini crunch really makes a difference, and those with special status spoilers for running effects, and other trackables really speeds things along, so if you don't have these yet, take a look at what others do, and get one going. It helps for minions too.
Grobly we should swap alchemist formulae when we get somewhere we can do so.
I thought that combat went fairly well.
We suffered from having Karkoran in the back of the hut to start with.
I should have used my armor spell on the cat in the first round.
I thought that combat went fairly well.
We suffered from having Karkoran in the back of the hut to start with.
I should have used my armor spell on the cat in the first round.
Agreed on the part i bolded, quite a bit.
I think the combat went as well as it could have. Considering the horrors I read in the main thread from the other tables complaining, I think we probably had the best possible outcome. I think that was in large part due to the improved shelter Karkoran (i think? maybe others? i think Lump only gathered a few sticks and leaves for the fire) built.
Class/skill/ability-wise, it is hard to tell if we mesh well, but i see no issues emerging. Player personality-wise, I think we get along quite well.
Let me know if there is anything else Lump can do, just like it was suggested that he pray for Comprehend Languages. Good suggestion, and no problem acting on it.
I didn't think the combat was too brutal.
I could see it being rougher on a group with builds that focus on spellcasting exclusively. It's hard for a first level sorcerer/wizard/oracle to get much going.
We did get some good rolls when we needed them (Grobly's crit on the boss was nice), but I also think we have a good mix of characters.
Lump and Karkoran's buffs made us all better and we generate lots of natural attacks.
I'm thinking about adding comprehend languages as a sorcerer spell to Tayanalla. It's not normally something I would put on a sorcerer, but given that her bloodline arcana is:
Your powers of compulsion can affect even bestial creatures. Whenever you cast a mind-affecting or language-dependent spell, it affects animals, magical beasts, and monstrous humanoids as if they were humanoids who understood your language.
it seems like being able to charm person more humanoids could be useful.
Thoughts?
I think we bring enough damage to the table to be effective. We have great support and most of us bring some utility to the group with spells, and that will only get better as we add classes and powers later. We may will have to see what we can do if we ever need crowd control. I think we take it as we go. I have not determined my cheese classes yet, maybe cleric or urban barbarian. Twin mind is Dread, Stalker and Aegis for sure. I need 24 hours to replace my lost companion by praying so it may be a little bit before that happens.
I will continue my melee/grapple focused character. Once I can turn Naga it will be fun, but I may be less effective. The rules are a little unclear about the naga stuff. I may need cavetoad to clarify.
I added another velociraptor. I don't know if they show up knowing tricks, or if I have to spend time to train one. Are there even any in the area? How do I as a packlord gather new minions?
Haha, that reminds me of an old 3.5 game I played in. The wording of the Leadership feat implied new followers arrived within a certaina mount of time to replace old ones. We were deep in the underdark. On our way out we found all the followers that died on their way to try and join up with us. Hundreds upon hundreds. only so the 4 or so level one followers could 'replace' the ones who died with the party.-- I could see a long trail of warcat and raptor corpses leading back to wherever they came from- just so that one special one could have arrived to us.
I enjoyed the combat very much. The surprise round is what really hurt us, but as the others said, we came through alright.
Grobly will also be focusing on his grappling barbarian angle, with some alchemy to buff and augment that.
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How do I as a packlord gather new minions?
well first, you get two minions that love each other very much, and then ....
Anyone considering modifying their characters? I thought about trying to figure out how to incorporate one of the path of war classes instead of fighter.
I've also been thinking about switching from serpentine bloodline to envenomed to get more of a poison focus.
Tristalt is complicated enough without me going back, surgically removing one class and implanting another haha
At level 2 i am picking up the bard spell Share Language, so there should be no problem talking to goat man. It will give him the ability to use Common, so we can all talk to him.
I'm half convinced to take Sun Metal so i can hit people with a flaming mandolin. hahahaha
EDIT: i finished leveling up Lump. I wont update the sheet until the DM gives the go-ahead. Expanded support capacity.
I saw Jurassic world last night. I am ok with Asheranthi having a pack of velociraptors.
Just sayin Hi.
While we wait for our GM to return, maybe we could use this time to our advantage? maybe discuss some meta? I am assuming Lumpy will be our 'face'. Combat wise I think we have things covered. Maybe not in the cc mindset, but we can pull off a lot of damage. With Taya's raptor pack we can do a lot of situational stuff.-- Maybe we should look into teamwork feats?
yeah i figured i would try for face material, though that isn't how i usually play so expect some mistakes.
last face i played was a high-CHA necromancer in 3.5 whose only trained social skill was bluff (later intimidate). that was fun, in a bully-the-npcs-and-have-great-plans-for-when-they-inevitably-try-to-murder- you kinda way