Rappan Athuk [Pf]

Game Master Chris Manos

Yeah, it took a long time for me to come up with a meaningful distinction. Lawful is quite easy - follows the Law; in a wider sense the Laws and customs and mores and taboos.
But to define Chaotic in opposition to that causes me problems since Lawbreaking is associated with Evil, and Chaotic is amoral.

Then too, so is Lawful - yet that is associated with good. In order to dissociate Lawful from Good we must look at what is bad about it and similarly we must look at what is good about Chaotic.

Hence my proposition that Lawful is a mindset that requires a rigidity of thinking; it is good at planning and corporate action, not so good at taking advantage of opportunities.

Chaotics are bad at planning, but good at improvising, using their initiative and individual action.

In Military terms, it can be seen as the difference between Roman Legionaries and the Mongol army. Roman Legionaries were famous for their discipline, training and tactics. They consisted of large bodies of men all marching together. Clearly this is Lawful thinking.

The Mongols were famous for their ability to maneuver in battle; against superior numbers they would break up and use skirmish tactics, against smaller numbers they would reform into a larger mass capable of defeating them. They employed ambushes, flanking attacks or anything else that worked. They clearly represent Chaotics.

Both created an Empire, both were succesful Military styles, yet both were diametrically opposed in ideology.

All right, that should be all but Tony's actions; as soon as I've got those, I can turn the round.

Oh I thought the run was my action.

Let me stab some backs real quick.

Cool.

Here's the updated map. It's your turn again (all of you). Gargoyle actions are in the gameplay thread.

To Tony, I see that thise is a somewhat rude introductions to the adventure. That's how it goes sometimes.

Here's the updated map.

It's fine by me. Friends of necessity often brings disparate groups together.

But I'll work on an extra sheet just in case.

We've had roughly seven rounds of combat, it seems. This is a long one.

Then again, each of them is nominally challenge rating four, and each of you is nominally challenge rating four as well, so it makes sense for this to be a tough one, in a way.

Can you believe that one of these guys is supposed to be an appropriate encounter against a party of four of you on its own?

I guess we believe it :P

Guys, any idea on what Tessai should do next? These are all assumptions, but...

- If I try to get up with 8 hp, I'm gonna eat 3 AoOs at +4 (because I am prone). I doubt I will survive that (even though it is meta, at least two of them will be attacking at +14);
- If I stay down and heal, even if for maximum possible LoH, next round I'm eating something like... 12 attacks at +4 (because I am prone). I doubt I will survive that also;
- If I stay down and attack, it is probably even worse than the above, and I doubt I will be able to take any of them down.

Any suggestions?

Make up a reserve character.

Never!

Lol

Realistically, your only hope is to stay put and heal, and hope something prevents them attacking you next turn. There are a whole parcel of ghouls as well as other team members who can take some of them out. It just depends on whether your teammates can get there first.

I dunno. Tony is paralyzed (and at 3 hp), Gareth just flew away, you're not really up for melee (although you did root 4 to the spot until his next turn), and Belle is invisible.

Agyen, the fire elemental, and Reynaud are pretty much the ones it hinges on now. Although Reynaud does have that bodyguard thing, so that should be at least 1 hit off guaranteed.

Agyen will kill #3, and everything will be ok.

EDIT: The elemental could at least 5' to flank :P

Unfortunately Belle does not speak Inguan and cannot direct the elemental. I suppose she could give it a push, but I don't think that would be wise :) Could someone drag Tessai, or did Olaf say that she is still standing since Belle took an action before Tessai and healed her?

She's prone. You go prone when you drop unconscious, I'm fairly sure. You just don't drop what you're holding.

At least, that one is according to my houserules, so we'll go with that.

You do drop what you're holding if you're stunned though, but not if you're paralyzed, dazed or unconscious.

For the future, if you start to get surrounded, use 5'steps to get out. A few AoOs are better than a dozen full attacks, and not all of them will be able to follow anyway. And we definitely need more front-liners.

Gav, that is a nice suggestion, but if I moved out they would be ganging on Belle or Agyen or you. In fact, if I or anyone moves in the open, and they decide to chase, that's when you get really surrounded.

Tessai got surrounded because there were a lot of them, and since people began moving (perfectly understandable because they are not tanks), their spots were taken up by gargoyles.

Tessai held her ground exactly so that they would not chase the others. It is a big part of her role.

Yeah, they're more mobile than us and there are a lot more of them. We were gonna get swarmed no matter what.

Our biggest mistake was underestimating the difficulty of the encounter and not being prepared with better buffs. Immagine what a few barkskins, false lifes, or shield spells might have done. Or a host of other potions or scrolls we didn't use or bring because we all think in long terms.

I admit that I didn't look up the foe until after it had all started or I would have been a lot more wary. I like that this turned out to be much more realistic (if you are allowed to use that word in a fantasy rpg) than the well balanced in PC favor PFS stuff.

Gotta love Frog God Games ;)

Live and learn. Or learn from the dead guys you trip over on your way at least.

Our biggest mistake was underestimating the difficulty of the encounter and not being prepared with better buffs. Immagine what a few barkskins, false lifes, or shield spells might have done. Or a host of other potions or scrolls we didn't use or bring because we all think in long terms.

I admit that I didn't look up the foe until after it had all started or I would have been a lot more wary. I like that this turned out to be much more realistic (if you are allowed to use that word in a fantasy rpg) than the well balanced in PC favor PFS stuff.

That's actually one thing I like about this adventure. I'm not the one havintg to play through it, so it might not count for as much, but still.

What's there is there. Stuff doesn't suddenly level up or down according to your APL, and loot doesn't accrue or disappear according to WBL. There's some slight concession to putting the harder levels generally below the less difficult ones, but even then, case in point, there's some overleveled stuff that is best avoided, or at least handled with extreme care. There's also sometimes some things that are hideously underleveled, and that's okay too.

Hmm. I think I just killed our paladin.

Yep. Tessai is dead.

Map.

So... Something tougher than a Paladin... Master Summoner maybe?

Me IRL.

We definitely need some Divine Power I think... Maybe an Oracle of Life?

Though I feel like playing a Dwarf Fighter.

An alternative way to deal with stuff like this is party tactics, to spread the damage around a bit more. You were tanking all the stuff, I don't think you can realistically expect to build a character to tank the whole thing.

It's not as if I chose to tank the whole thing - I wasn't expecting that amidst so many 'softer looking' targets, the Gargoyles would focus me.

And I wasn't actually 'tanking' (as if I had gone ahead alone to have them all target me)... I was there amidst everyone else, and ended up being the target of choice :P

What sucks is that the Paladin was what I wanted to play.

Don't mind my bitterness ;)

I'm gonna have a smoke and think about a character - should have something by tomorrow I think.

If it helps any, I'm always sorry when I kill PCs. Especially PCs that the players don't feel they're done with. Not quite sorry enough to stop, but sorry nonetheless.

The very fact that PCs have died bring a level of excitement to the table I've missed from most RPGs for years. When I first started playing in the 70's my GMs were positively sadistic and making it to 6th level was a major triumph!

You're not sorry Olaf... You wanted to kill Tessai!

*Shakes fist*

Let's call it complicated motivations, eh?

I need to ask something. I read the favored class bonus to Arcanists for Elves and thought it meant that I gained one to my available pool. I read the forum and I see some disagreement on whether it is to the maximum or to the available amount. I need a GM ruling on this and if, as I suspect, I did it wrong, an adjustment to my reservoir which will mean I am now out of cure spells.

On the other hand there is that nice wand hanging from Tessai's belt...

Whaaaaaaaat???!!!! The shame Belle!!

Besides, if we are keeping gear from dead players, my next character wants a cut...

Hah! You know that if you could, that dead arm of yours would be handing it to me!

NEVER!! Belle... How could you..?

Gonna call it in for today people - just wanted to let you know I am considering a Zen Archer or a Bloodrager ;)

Thoughts?

Zen archer is powerful, Bloodrager is a nice frontliner.

I like either. I've seen tons of bloodragers and never played with a zen archer though. On the other hand we need more beef.

I'm the opposite, I've seen a grip of Zen Archers but not many Bloodragers.

But we do need more rough and tumble types.

More rough and tumble would probably be the Bloodrager. Though I still think we need more healing. Let us see what Olaf has to say to Belle's question :D

How about an inquisitor or oracle? Both can be rough and tumble healers. There is a cool third party inquisitor that can do spell combat I was thinking of trying and you could be my guinea pig!

Yep, I have been seriously considering the Inquisitor.

... Besides the straight Barbarian, the aforementioned Bloodrager, a dwarf fighter, a MONK (even though I never played a melee one, I would like to try it), etc :D

Also pondered the Battle Oracle - it is not bad at all and would bring some added divine power to the table.

In fact, what I wanted to try would be a melee Shaman, and some shennanigans with Battle + Lore spirit, but I need all good stats... Except maybe Dex... Maybe... Can't pull it off even on a 25pt buy :P

Lore is a b!@!+ to pull off, even on its own.

Edit: You could do 14+2/10/14/13/15+2/14 (Trait for Dual Talent.)

In any case, wandering hex only comes online at level 6 :P

... Besides the straight Barbarian, the aforementioned Bloodrager, a dwarf fighter, a MONK (even though I never played a melee one, I would like to try it), etc :D

Monks are the definition of cool, but their AC is a challenge particularly at low levels and they are annoyingly MAD. I'd do a Monk in PFS, but in Rappan Athuk I think it would be dead meat pretty soon.

You could be a sohei and wear armor, perhaps. You'd probably need to get medium armor proficiency from somewhere for it to really work out though, so that makes it less monk-like.

Perhaps if you bought a Rod of Lesser Extend, you could bribe one of the arcanists into casting Extended Mage Armor on you each day with that.