Palace of the Vampire Queen (Inactive)

Game Master Terquem

Wonder when the DM gets back.

I'm back, tomorrow

It took me over an hour to put that post together. I'm not as good at running big battles on the forums as I am on the table top.

There is a 5th level Cleric
A 5th level Barbarian (enlarged)
A 2nd level Wizard
A 3rd level cleric

two 4th level warriors

4 giant (small sized) poisonous spiders

...whew

Nice one Terquem. It ain't easy. I appreciate all you are doing for us in this game!!!

DM for clarification do wither Rownig or Windel have any actions remaining in RD 8?

Thanks Mae!

I think Rownig had a standard action available, but Wendel moved twice

Thanks Mae!

I think Rownig had a standard action available, but Wendel moved twice

Ok, I just didn't want to take an action and it being way out of turn.

Now that the Swashbuckler is out, it occurred to me that its mechanics are pretty much exactly what I was hoping to achieve with Hallister (I was even heading towards Duelist). Admittedly, his personality isn't what you think of when you imagine a swashbuckler, but his tactics and approach to combat definitely are.

GM, when it's appropriate, would you consider letting me rebuild Hal?

Sure, as long as I can do my homework, anything that gets ride of crane wing is fine by me (hehe, jk!)

I think the Swashbuckler-as-a-class is perfect for many tropes that are nothing like a film or fiction swashbuckler. I looked it over, just wish it was generally applicable - wanted to make a Spear-and-buckler or trident-and-shield style combatant using panache but no dice. I'll have to cook up some archetypes...

OSW, I'm with you. My biggest complaint about Paizo is that they don't take their best ideas far enough. I was really hoping for a fighter Archetype that gained Grit or Panache. It seems like such an obvious fit. Maybe we will get it in the future.

OSW, I'm with you. My biggest complaint about Paizo is that they don't take their best ideas far enough. I was really hoping for a fighter Archetype that gained Grit or Panache. It seems like such an obvious fit. Maybe we will get it in the future.

Hmm, a fighter archetype that gains grit... let me think...

"The gunslinger is an alternate class for the fighter core class..."

Can't help you with the panache bit.

The gunslinger is pretty far from the standard fighter.

I'm thinking of a fighter mechanical chassis with grit. No focus on any specific weapon, especially not one that requires so many special considerations.

Really I just want a fighter with a resource pool that can be used to do neat stuff. They had a great idea with the gunslinger and expanded it with the swashbuckler. They even gave it to the Kata Master monk. Why not the fighter too? Or rogue? Or brawler?

The grit/panache mechanic is not exactly fighting style specific. If it is suitable for guns, rapiers and fists, why not swords and sheilds too?

The number of "fighters with grit" threads in Homebrew are legion.

Exactly. It should be made official.

Miagnik - just reading back, and realized I never answered your question. I would allow the feat to extend the range of Burning Hands, but not make it a 30 foot cone. I'd like to keep the width the same. Is that workable?

Miagnik - just reading back, and realized I never answered your question. I would allow the feat to extend the range of Burning Hands, but not make it a 30 foot cone. I'd like to keep the width the same. Is that workable?

That could be a strange shaped area of effect. Interesting idea.

Acts sort of like a flame thrower, doesn't it, instead of a wide area fan?

I like the idea. It would make large cones less prone to catching allies.

Hmm, interesting indeed. Okay then, I'm good with that idea.

Okay, time for a crash course on combustion. This gets a little science/alchemical based in nature, but basically anything 1/32nd the size of an inch in concentrated quantities has the potential to ignite or explode when exposed to sudden, extreme increases in heat. In this way, things like flours, powdered sugars, cinnamon and just concentrated portions of dust will explode. This is caused by the rapid decomposition of the material which forms a chemical called "Hydroxy-methyl-fur-furl" which sets things ablaze. No I did not just make that up.

Granulated sugars, heavier solid concentrations of these items, basically anything larger than 1/32nd an inch won't explode as easily or quickly but if they do, they explode with much more force. It's the difference between very fine blasting powder, which was used for explosives, small grain powders which would have been used for old style match/flint-lock rifles and pistols, and large grain powders which were used for cannons.

If they become wet they are mostly inert. The most dangerous time for these things is when they've become crystallized through large exposure to dry circumstances when all of the moisture has been removed. So the dryer the material, the bigger the explosion.

Okay, I know about the combustion of dusts (did a construction project, a grain silo for Anheuser-Bush), but....

If you ignite the cloud of cinnamon, expect EVERYONE to be caught in the explosion

Somehow I doubt he's concerned about that…

Ground cinnamon is also one hell of a sneezing/choking/blinding hazard. Breathe in even a little and you're going to be coughing a lot.

Try it!

Somehow I doubt he's concerned about that…

You are correct!

Okay, I know about the combustion of dusts (did a construction project, a grain silo for Anheuser-Bush), but....

If you ignite the cloud of cinnamon, expect EVERYONE to be caught in the explosion

Since when did blowing EVERYONE up ever bother him? Do you need a refresher?

It's sort of his thing, really.

Yep, despite threats of grievous bodily harm by Mae, Miagnik will still occasionally blow up the room.

I remember the protagonists in a Terry Pratchett book blowing up their enemies by igniting a cloud of flour...

I just watched a slow motion video of Cinnamon being tossed into an open flame at a cooking safety website, awesome! and here's what I think, Powdered Cinnamon is not as explosive as some other dusts, but it is definitely flammable, so instead of there being an explosion, with expanding gasses that could potentially knock people prone, I'm going to simply increase the damage that is done in the area of effect of the fire spell thrown into the cloud of Cinnamon. One last thing, Hall do you still want to trip the Enlarged Goblin, and try to use it as a shield as it falls, or just try to use her as a shield as you roll away from the fire?

If the trip maneuver works, that sounds awesome. If it doesn't, we will have to justify how Hal evades some other way.

I'll get that map updated tonight!

Miagnik, there is certainly a problem with my notes, but that's because I keep rushing. The spiders have 3 HD, a +2 BAB, a Dex of 18, and weapon finesse. They are a mash up of the giant black widow, a regular giant spider, but also made small, so the Initiative of +4 and the hp are about the only things I got correct (I used these spiders before, and got them wrong then as well). Their attack should be +7 (I forgot the small bonus), and their AC is correct, but listed with a +3 for their dex and not a +4. I'll tried to get it right this time

Guys, I need to apologize to all of you. I'm so sorry for several things, and I've not been very helpful in this game.

• I'm sorry that my posting is so sparse and holding things up.
  
• I'm sorry that I clearly do not play casters well (never played one for long, always melee) and am so often at a loss of what would be helpful.

I have been far more of a hindrance to this game than a help. Which is a shame, because it's a really cool one. Not only is there really cool stuff happening, but Terquem incorporates a lot of character personality into it as well. It's fantastic, and very long running. But I need to drop it I'm afraid.

I'm so sorry for this, but hopefully you all will be able to enjoy a better game without being stuck waiting on my incredibly long gaps between replies and lack of creativity in actions.

May Stephanie find a better soul to guide her! :)

Sorry to hear that, I thought you were doing a rather exceptional job at keeping her an interesting character, even with times of sparse posting.

But it's understandable. I hope you can find a game you'll be able to enjoy more.

Thanks for the kind words, Stephanie, and I understand your decision (what is going on anyway...a clue will be discovered soon!)

Now, what are we supposed to do? I'd like to recruit another player, but maybe that just won't work this time. Help me out, who has an idea of what we can do to keep the character of Princess Stephanie in the game?

Hmm, that is problematic. Stephanie is a fairly established character in the story at this point. It would be difficult to get somebody new to play as her.

Really, there's only a limited amount of choices we can do. Open the recruitment up again, (With the retraining rules, assuming everyone is okay with it and we survive the encounter... we could exit out of the tomb and do some other stuff as the person running Stephanie retrains to another class.) ask someone in the game to run as another character, or you could run her.

I've had some experience in another game that Doomed is running where I took over for 2 characters and was actually playing one of my own, (yes 3 characters in one game, I'm crazy.) but I was pretty confident I could run them as two didn't say much and none were too well developed in the story when I took over.

I don't have the same level of confidence for running Stephanie, but if it's what is needed, I could run as her.

I play two characters with distinct personalities in this game, so I don't mind if a current player picks up the princess character.

I'm sure we can find someone willing to pick up the character, whether from our existing group, or from recruiting a new player.

Terquem, my question from a while ago seems to have been lost in the flood.

What do you think of me reworking Hal as a Swashbuckler? I recently discovered that dwarves have a favored class option that allows them to use axes for swashbuckler abilities!

Sure, as long as I can do my homework, anything that gets ride of crane wing is fine by me (hehe, jk!)

This was my original reply, and I was just kidding about the crane wing thing, but I think it is okay, let's do it after this battle, if Hal survives...

@Stephanie - Sorry to see you go, I though you were doing a great job too, but I understand completely...

Speaking as someone who has experience in this game coming in to replace an established character - it's a big ask to get any continuity without reading reams of posts, and Stephanie is a particularly specific character. But if the right person was up for it, then go for it.

I'm no caster at all, so I'm not volunteering - I feel like I have enough characters in PbP's already...

I tried to do a recruitment for a new Stephanie, it didn't go so well, but it did have a little bit of discussion about the complexity of trying to replace an existing character. I'll try to get a reply to everyone's posts up soon.

I read the recruitment. Nice work Terquem.

A byproduct of reading it was that it reminded me that I am the true princess. I should act a little more royal. ;P

Can I ask how Galinea is situated in relation to my parents?

And is my father not missing somewhere in this complex?

Is my mother dead?

Should I try to browbeat Galinea as some kind of royal scion with an axe….morningstar to grind?

Are these goblins known to me from an outlier tribe?

Sorry, I know I should know this a bit better, but theses are the perils of coming in late….

I tried to do a recruitment for a new Stephanie, it didn't go so well, but it did have a little bit of discussion about the complexity of trying to replace an existing character. I'll try to get a reply to everyone's posts up soon.

I don't think it went too bad Terq. I made a few comments, specifically agreeing with the possible recruit that you shouldn't be so hard on yourself!!!!

To celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary, the wife and I are spending two nights in the Tamarack Lodge in Ketchum Idaho, so I will be away from computers for the weekend. Have fun everyone, thanks for being patient with me.

I’ll try to get one update in today before I go

Congratulations! Have a good time.

Just as a heads-up - I'll be intermittently available over the next 48 hours. Will post as I can...

no worries, I'm back (hiked mount Baldy yesterday, yikes I'm old and sore). I'll try to get Hallister's comments addressed with a couple of dialog posts.

Greetings and salutations, I am the aforementioned eager recruit.
Apologies for the long delay between my interest in this game and actually posting things here, had questions and other business delaying my speed.

I'm actualy still in the process of rejigging Stephanies feats and such so if you decide to take a look it won't look very different.
She won't look much different after I'm done anyway, but we shall see what happens.

I'm happy to have been given the unique chance of 'drawing in the lines' so to speak and will try my best to respect the origin of the character while giving my own spin on it.

If any of you longer term players have advice for me please feel free to chime in as I've yet to have the chance to read the entire campaign log.

Welcome Nouveau Stephanie. The avatar is a vast improvement.

As the other recent incomer let me tell you the other party members have made me feel very welcome and my introduction seamless - I'm sure they will extend the same courtesy for you. I only hope I have done Maelodakh proud.