Ordinary Heroes Online Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master Rhanloi Ehlyss

For us its not as strong as I would like. Three or 4 players have dropped since we have started. Maybe 5. We are posting maybe 3 or 4 posts a week but progress seems very slow and our mission somewhat random. Little time has passed for us as we have mostly been in one spot over a single day. Not sure how he will ever remap the timelines to get us together.

Ok, I'm abandoning ooc script too for readability...

That's partly the reason I go for PFS more these days. You maybe get less camaraderie than an AP/Homebrew game in the team since it changes up, but since a chronicle sheet is a tangible thing that they want, I see more commitment among the players. I still have to go round up newbies, but PFS slots get filled fast, usually.
But I can safely say my issue for not working on Grizelda is about her, and not any of you. I never ran a wizard before and while I do find them a little more "high-maintenance" than I prefer, that's not really the issue. And seeing as I'm running practically her polar opposite in the "Queenmaker" campaign I play in, (a beautiful, charismatic sorceress) I can very clearly see how I feel about each of these personalities...

I LOVE playing Seraphina. It's like she's all the parts of myself that I like or wish I had more of and poor pathetic Grizelda is all the leftover parts I hate or felt like other people hated about me. I figured I'm enough of an actress, this shouldn't be a problem, but it takes it's toll. I'm willing to suck it up for you guys, but if you really want to see me fully invested again I may need to rebuild or retire her to a life of research and draw up something else. I may have even thought it was "healthy" at one point, but I guess I don't have a secure enough ego to handle immersing myself in a lifetime of insecurity rolled up into one character repeatedly. =/

I personally would love for you to play a character you're happy with and enjoy playing. If that means rebuilding her, or even making a new character, I wouldn't mind a bit.

I welcome anything you want to play. Bet for what its worth, I think you have done a fabulous job playing Griz. I was looking forward to seeing her open up some and grow as her self confidence grew. I see her as having so much potential; a lot of raw talent and maybe even more determination. Now she learns that people need her skills, and that maybe she needs other people...

I say go for it. You really have no obligation to stick around, but if you do, rebuild / reroll to your hearts content.

I like how this game is about a community, since any characters who have to "leave" just become part of the scenery so to speak, unlike some games where they just have to inexplicably disappear into thin air.

I look forward to seeing what you come up with :)

"Here, my girl, what's this for?" Before Griz can react Jacob plucks the pin holding her hair into a bun letting it fall about her shoulders, "You've such pretty hair, my girl, no need to keep it all bunched up. And stop scowling, yes I've a bit of trouble with the winds, but you don't have to show it on your face all the time! There now, smile, smile, a little more, there that's it, like a sun peeking from behind a cloud!"

change the stats, change the picture, heroes evolve! han solo was just a scruffy nerf herder until a rebellion made him a hero

Grizelda flapped her hands at the bookseller uselessly, trying to stop fingers that had already robbed her of the grey feather hair-skewer she kept her unkempt locks pinned up with. She blinked at him in surprise and then appeared to have a delayed reaction to what he had said. She clapped her hand to her mouth, stifling a chuckle, but then gave it up for a bad job and laughed out loud.
"In truth, Master Grimm... since the fountain has left inhaling rather more of a personal choice than a necessity, I rarely do so when I find myself downwind."

Ok, I didn't make any changes really. Just finished leveling her up for the adventure. She's had a face-lift (too much of one, really but we'll try and chalk it up to sunlight and vitamin D, lol), but mostly I will just try and play her in a way that makes me happy again. Thanks for the support!

Knowledge(Nobility) on the Baron: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20
I'll have some in character questions next post, just frazzled and up too late. Early now... Happy Easter Weekend everyone!

Wow Grizzy. You look different without your glasses. :P

Awesome! The gang's back =)

Your group is assigned the trail through Laughing Hollow, since you have proven to be resourceful and capable of independent action. You leave as soon as everyone is ready, riding hard through what is left of the night and into the morning. An hour or so after sunrise, the trail you are following leads to a small rise, the first of many approaching the hills that surround Laughing Hollow. Suddenly, a volley of arrows showers around you (about six total).

A man in scale armor rises from behind some rocks at the top of the rise to one side of the trail. He looks down on you and calls out, ”Go back where you came from, folks. The baron and his new lady want to be left in peace, and we aim to make sure they stay that way.” He then ducks back down behind the rocks.

"Woah!" Zinny hollers as the arrows pepper the dirt around them. Her horse whinnies in alarm, and Zinny tries to calm it with a pat on the neck.

Are these combat-trained horses, if they are from the Duke's stables? If not, then I guess I'll try a ride check and a handle animal check to keep the horses from spooking:

Ride: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13
Handle Animal: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

"That so?" she hollers back. "Well, I'd like t'hear it from the lady herself, so you can escort us there or we're gonna have some problems! Aside from the fact you just shot arrows at me!"

How high/tall are these rocks?

Luckily for Hugo, he had been handed a rather heavy set horse, the kind used for labor, a thick mane of hair covering its eyes. The creature barely even made an indication it had noticed the arrows hitting the ground.

"Ya fink dats a good idea Zinny, talkin' to em like dat?" Hugo sad in a low voice, trotting to her side on his horse and pulling out his shield. "I means Im wit ya an' all but still..."

Yes, these are well-trained horses - maybe not combat trained but not skittish! The rocks are high enough to easily hide behind, which they are apparently doing =)

I'm sorry, I may not have been clear: I am asking because I want to see if Zinny can, you know, climb them to get at the guys who are firing arrows and making threats.

If the rocks are 5-foot tall boulders, that's one thing. If the rocks are 30-foot high cliffs, that's another thing. A number value would be helpful here to let me visualize this.

(Alternately, if there is a non-climby route to get to the guys, she'd be happy to take that, but I'm not really aware of what the terrain is like here other than 'hilly' and rocks of indeterminate size.)

Sorry - rocks are 5 to 10' and spread around. The arrows came from about 60-75' in front of you up the trail. You can climb any of the rocks - but they are not all together. It's more like the Blue Ridge mountains than the Rockies...

Tomid would have asked to ride with Jacob. {ooc]I gotta bo back and see what moneys we have to see if he can afford a riding dog of his own later.[/ooc] He ducks down as best he can to try to avoid being seen as a separate rider.

Stealth: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (7) + 15 = 22

Once the speaker has ducked down again Tomid vaults off the horse and into the cover of the side of the road.

Ride: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7 This was to see if he could dismount as a free action.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32 This was for a clean dismount and quiet tumble into cover.

With no other recourse to save his hide as he perches vulnerable on horseback in an ambush, Jacob resorts to a story he recently read of cajoling bandits, applying the plot hook to the current dilemma.

"You there, good lads behind the rocks, clearly you meant to miss us with those arrows, such fine archers as yourselves would never miss so easily! What the lady here means to say is that we have a message of support and solidarity for the good Baron and his Lady and we're resolved to only deliver the message personally, surely a man of oaths such as yourself can understand such an agreement?"

craft bookseller in place of Bluff, otherwise -7: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

Tomid cleanly slides off the horse and tumbles into cover of a nearby rock. (takes a move action, though...)

In response to Jacob's and Zinny's calls, another round of arrows comes flying from up ahead of you! The arrows are well placed, but only two hit the party. Tomid gets one in the leg as he is tumbling towards the rocks (4 points damage), and Hugo takes a shaft in his thick neck, but somehow is not mortally wounded (also 4 points damage).

Im assuming that wasnt a Surprise Round, since we were all half expecting a fight, yes?

Once more displaying his slow nature, Hugo did not immediatly cry out in pain, although his eyes and mouth did flinch. A split second later, as blood started spurting from his neck around the shaft of the arrow, he roared in pain. "OWH! Wat da Hells ya fink yer doin'?" He bellowed, sliding off his heavy horse which still seemed too cool to care. "Which one ov' ya 'it me huh? Once I gets dis fing out imma stick it in ya, sees 'ow ya like it!!"

Continuing to bellow unimaginative profanity, he started towards them, pulling his mace from his belt. "Get behind ma shield!"

Move Action, dismount. Free Action activate Rage for +2 Str and +2 Dex (Current AC: 22). Convert Standard Action to another Move Action, moving 25 feet forward

With his newly aquired Bodyguard Feat, Hugo can use attacks of opportunity to grant allies +2 AC vs attacks as long as they are adjacent...so, you know, feel free to stay close :)

Aid Another against 1st attack vs adjacent ally: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

Aid Another against 2nd attack vs adjacent ally: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

Aid Another against 3rd attack vs adjacent ally: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

Zinny cries out as Hugo takes an arrow, and little Tomid too.

"That's it, now you done it!" she yells, scrambling off her horse.

Ride check to try to dismount as free, DC 20: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

She is not as swift as she wishes, alas. Zinny dashes up the slope towards the archers, leaving aside the sensible protection of sticking close to Hugo, alas. She will try and use one of the rocks for cover, however.

Move action to dismount, as she failed the ride check; move action to move 20' towards the archers, drawing her weapon as she goes. If possible, she will seek cover from the arrows behind one of the rocks on the slope.

"How about I make your shield easier to hide behind, Hugo?" She wiggles her fingers at him, implying she try the spell they practiced once before. If he consents, Grizelda will cast Enlarge Person on Hugo and dutifully hide behind him.

Move action to dismount, standard action to cast.

I think enlarge person is a full round to cast sadly. Also Zinny, since you move 20 feet and I move 25, you can remain adjacent to me. Heck you can even stand right behind me for cover -.-

Luckily, since Hugo goes last he can set up the cover for you.

Whoops, you are right. I guess I need to change that up to cast Mage Armor on herself first and maybe cast it next round...

I do not mind being shot so much but had hoped to move to cover while the enemy was ducked down so that they might not even be aware of him. If Tomid had moved then the shot was taken with at least a -4 penalty for cover, and Tomid was going for as much cover as possible - full cover if that was available. The enemy would have to have been ready to shoot Tomid as he moved to cover.

I knew what you were doing, Tomi! But the random dice rolls I made to pick a target (because they only shot for the range, not at specific people) chose you twice! So of the six arrows shot, four of them landed around you and two landed around Hugo. Blame the dice gods! Sorry ;-) And to answer Hugo, it was not a surprise round - I used your full AC vice flat-footed.

The party quickly, albeit not necessarily gracefully, dismounts and heads to the closest rocks for cover. You estimate the archers are about 40-50 feet away after your initial movements. There are other rocks along the way that you can hide behind, with some open ground between them. Also, because of the size of the rocks, you can fit no more than two people behind a single boulder. Dashing between boulders should provide some concealment. I'll give a 33% miss chance for the rock concealment. You can reach the attackers in a double move and then a single move (using slowest members' movement). In other words, they will get one more volley and then we'll be in melee. Unless you elect to do something else... I will roll the next volley after giving you a chance to comment =)

Initiative Order (for when we get to the melee)
Grizelda
Tomid
Thugs
Jacob
Zinny
Hugo

Btw Grizz, in case you werent aware, you can cast a Full Round spell over two rounds if you need to keep moving (like now). It ends up costing two Standard Actions, so technically more expensive Action Economy wise, but it would let Grizz Enlarge Hugo while we move up. Hugo just needs to go Full Defense next round to let you keep up.

Tomid will use his next round to double move and seek better cover.

Jacob weaves forward through the rocks, using the stones for cover even as he draws attention to himself by taunting the archers. "Come on boys, can't you even hit a middle aged man with little agility of strength?"

double move forward and try to draw the fire away from the party, hoping Jacob's deflection aura and the stones provide enough cover to keep him standing, and that his healing can take care of the rest

I have a lot of trouble visualizing the field of battle without a map. If I had realized we were so far away, I'd have done things differently. =/ I don't think Enlarge will be such a good idea until we close on them, just lowers Hugo's AC in the meantime. Are the archers clustered in a relatively small area?

Izzy - it's hard to tell where the archers are, since you haven't actually seen them yet. But your best guess so far based on the arrows and what you saw of their flight they are ahead and spread out in an arc. You'll see them this round when they shoot at you while you're moving...

The archers take advantage of your dashing over open ground between the boulders, raining arrows around you as you run. Most aim for Hugo, as he is the biggest target, and two arrows catch him as he moves (Hugo takes another 17 points damage for 21 total). Grizelda also has two arrows come her way, her mage armor deflecting one but another catching her in the shoulder (Grizelda takes 4 points of damage). The rest make it to the next set of boulders unscathed. Plus, you now know the archers are spread out in an arc in groups of two, with about 15' between each group. (Two 20' in front of you, two 15' to the right and 15' ahead, and two 15' to the left and 15' ahead. Updating Encounter Map...)

Initiative Order
Grizelda
Tomid
Thugs
Jacob
Zinny
Hugo

Didnt the 11 damage arrow miss due to the 33% cover roll?

Tomid will wait to see what the wizard will do before choosing to close on one of the three groups.

"STOP YOUR SHENANIGANS!" Jacob yells in a thunderous voice that sends a wave a sonic energy crashing into a group of archers.

Sound Burst: 1d8 ⇒ 5

target the group at G7, F8 with Sound Burst - Fort save DC16 - You blast an area with a tremendous cacophony. Every creature in the area takes 1d8 points of sonic damage and must succeed on a Fortitude save to avoid being stunned for 1 round. Creatures that cannot hear are not stunned but are still damaged.

I guess we double moved last round?

Grizelda pulls a length of gossamer spider's web from her component pouch and her hand makes a crawling gesture as she intoned the incantation.
"Illaqueatus es araneae"

She casts Web centered on E-16. Should catch all 4 on the right side of the map, DC-17 reflex save negates.

Hmm. Now I need to wait to see what the DM says about the web spell and where he puts it on the map.

@Hugo: Whoops! Sorry I missed that - got my lines crossed somehow! Thanks for catching - you are 11 points healthier =)

Initiative Order
Grizelda: Casts web, entangling three of the thugs (grappled)
Tomid:
Thugs
Jacob
Zinny
Hugo

Tomid charges forward pulling his "glass" dagger as he moves and strikes at the archer on the far right.

Stab: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 10 + 2 = 201d4 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6 If he hits the wound begins to bleed.

Chaaarge! Zinny tears up the slope towards one of the archers, lifting her club over her head in both hands.

Move to H-8, Charging G-7

"You hurt my friends!"

Charge attack: 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 9 + 2 = 21
Greatclub damage: 1d10 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21

CRUNCH!

AC drops to 15 for charge.

Seeing Zinny charge forward, Hugo did the same, following in her footsteps.

Double move to stand adjacent to Zinny, unless he can charge someone and still be next to her, then he does that.

If charge power attack: 1d20 + 10 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 10 + 2 - 2 = 20 Damage: 1d8 + 6 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 6 + 4 = 18

Tomid whistles at the group. Hey, need flanking buddy over here!

Initiative Order
Grizelda: Casts web, entangling three of the thugs (grappled)
Tomid: Using the glass dagger, he cuts the rogue deeply, causing him to bleed freely...
Thugs: The two thugs on the left draw their swords and move to attack Zinny. Zinny easily doadges one but is hit by his partner for 4 points of damage.
Thug 1 attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
Thug 2 attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27 Damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Thug 2 crit confirm: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
The other four thugs are now caught in Grizelda's web, although the 5th thug is not stuck in the web but is still inside the strands...
Jacob: Do you want to reconsider your spell? It will hit Zinny if you don't...
Zinny: Your move comes after the thugs...please redo your action since you can't charge now.
Hugo: ditto =)

Sorry, I must've misread the initial action order. Anyway, it'll just be an attack sans a charge, in that case

Zinny growls at the sword biting into her shoulder. She swings her mighty club.

Attacking I-9: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22
Damage: 1d10 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22

Lol. 1 higher on each. I repeat: CRUNCH!

Stepping up to assist Zinny, Hugo tried his best to draw their attention although his words did little to assist his endeavors. "Oi, 'ows about ya 'it someone yer own size!?" He bellowed, completely forgetting that Zinny was if anything the exact person he was suggesting they hit.

Not getting the reaction he was looking for, he instead tried to draw their attention the old fashioned way.

Heavy Mace Power Attack: 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 10 + 1 = 29 Damage: 1d8 + 6 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 6 + 4 = 13

The additional +1 to hit is from Hugo Crowd Control ability. He also gains another +1 AC while atleast two enemies are adjacent to him, so 23 now. Here are some rolls for his Bodyguard feat on the enemies next attack against Zinny.

1st Aid Another: 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 10 + 1 = 29

2nd Aid Another: 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 10 + 1 = 17

3rd Aid Another: 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 10 + 1 = 27

Hugo - which thug are you hitting? The one Zinny has already clocked, or the other one?

Round 1 (con't)
Jacob:
Zinny: Lands a crushing blow to one of the thugs, almost caving in his chest...yet he manages to remain standing.
Hugo: Also hits a thug!

Round 2!
Grizelda:
Tomid:
Thugs:

I am posting before Griz, knowing that I may have to change my action

Stepping to the side of the man he just stabbed, Tomid starts to dance and slashes at the bleeding man again, cutting him deeply. You aught not ta shoot at folks with arrows. he admonishes.

[Glass Knife: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 251d4 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Definetly going for downing foes so same as Zinny.

Jacob holds his spell as melee ensues, instead opting for his crossbow to target a thug out of combat in the web.

light crossbow: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
dmg: 1d8 ⇒ 1

Grizelda will use her movement from round one to follow and stay adjacent to Hugo. =) Also I forgot to account for where Gregor is, so can we say she left him behind and ordered him to hide? She wouldn't risk him around so many arrows.

Grizelda follows behind Hugo taking advantage of the cover the big man provided, she rummaged in her spell component pouch and prepared to cast a long spell.

Ok, I can Enlarge Person on Hugo or Summon Monster II... any requests?

Round 1 complete: Jacob misses (don't forget to subtract 4 for firing into melee...) with his crossbow. Hugo slams the same foe as Zinny, and he still doesn't go down, although he looks pretty bad!

Tomid had stepped to the right of who he was attacking. Can you move him.

I could use a flank over here. he calls.

Jacob fires again at a thug trapped in the webbing, then moves toward Tomid.

light crossbow: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
dmg: 1d8 ⇒ 7

fire at thug in E11, then move to K15

possible crit with light crossbow: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
dmg: 1d8 ⇒ 2