Rappan Athuk [Pf]

Game Master Chris Manos

I think Reynaud is about 11hp down still. Do we have another CLW for him?

Do we need a floorplan/map for the building?

Let anyone who thinks they need more healing speak up. At this point Belle is saving for the upcoming fight unless asked, but if asked she will surely cast a CLW at least as long as it leaves her enough for two Vanish spells.

It may be too late as the door has just been unlocked...

Regarding what Reynaud just said, you haven't actually looked at the southern mausoleum from up close yet at all, much less been inside.

If people don't have anything to add, introductionswise, perhaps someone should move us along?

Agreed. Let's go ;)

dooooo iiiiiiitttt.

Show, allow me to introduce you: this is the Road.

Feels good, don't it?

Tony's show now :D

Soo... Magnus, at the very least, seems very determined to travel back to town, probably coming back here in two weeks and a bit.

Belle and Tony wants to go in.

However, I quite frankly don't think you have anywhere near enough money that the two week trip for the merger supplies you can afford to be remotely worth the two-week trip.

By the way, who's carrying the sapphires? I'd appreciate you keeping all items carrying written onto your character sheet, including keys, loot etc.

Okay, re sapphires, no-one apparently took the time to pry the eyes lose of the one gargoyle you to take along with you, so it's still lying around in the mausoleum you slept in, eyes included.

I gotta agree - I'm not sure the trip back will be worth it. Not sure how far we would need to go to sell the sapphires in the first place.

Then again, Garrosh is the 'new guy' so he is keeping to himself on this, for the time being :P

I thought Magnus had prised them loose. Perhaps I just forgot to post it, but he certainly would have done so.

To me the loot or lack of supplies is a minor issue, the main reason I want to go back is that Reynaud will not relinquish Tessai's body and it's going to be a burden to any combat until we can get rid of it, and that could kill us.

By the way, once we get into the dungeon proper, does anyone feel like drawing a map? I think it'll help you visualise it better, and not get lost.

Plus, it's nice for you to know what you've already explored, once you leave and return again for a later delve. And once we've done this for a few months, you can look at it and remember all the cool stuff you discovered at various places.

OK. here is my pathetic attempt at mapping the crypt room. It took a half hour to draw and it looks like crap. Any suggestions on how I can improve my non-existent skills?

Mhmm. I might do something lots simpler, just drawing blobs for rooms and writing down the features of it.

I don't think it is pathetic Belle - online maps are much more work than one may initially expect ;)

Blobs may work Olaf - unless you actually have the maps to use as background, and then just cover the rest with fog of war?

I have maps, but they'd need editing - they're nice, but not player friendly. And I don't trust my ability to edit them without giving the game away.

Filled with marked off traps and "look for secret doors here!" neon signs.

Besides, I'm on a phone until Friday, so any drawing and/or uploading of maps on my part will have to wait until then.

Yeah, that is always the problem with maps... I just love it when the PDF is layered and you can separate everything neatly :D

I don't really understand Reynaud's plan. Either way, the various perception checks for traps and stuff have also included the sarcophagus (although obviously not on the inside, it needs opening for that). It does not seem trapped.

Just a line in discussion to ask: why are you guys so convinced the ceiling is gonna close down on us? I'm really not seeing such evident signs :P

Law of conservation of detail, right? If something is revealed by a perception check, then it's got to be interactive somehow.

Which reminds me, I should really put some false positives in there, to throw that kind of thinking off.

The ceiling perfectly fits the features on the floor, as though those features were designed to fit into the ceiling. Also the walls are smooth, though that could just be happenstance. Why would anyone create a ceiling with such indentatations if it were not intended to meet?

Aren't all of your spells recharged anyway? I've clocked you for an hour of spell preparation and breakfast, at least.

I used a few of my spells for healing. Belle is down 3 first level spells (1 Mage Armor and 2 CLW) and 1 2nd level spell (CMW) and 3 arcane reservoir. The miserable failures with the wand cost her a bunch of spell slots.

I'm thinking we would do better to discuss our options here rather than in the gameplay thread as we seem to have several different opinions as to what we should do.

option#1) Go back to town, bury Tessai properly and stock up on supplies. That's a weeks journey with very little to show for it.

option#2) Go a safe distance into the wilderness, bury Tessai, return and take up where we left off.

option#3) Carry on.

Personally, I'm in favour of option#2. I don't think opening the Sarcophagus is a good idea and anyone doing so should have their back-up character ready.

I think we are settled on option 2 with one night of camping and looking for Pill.

Is Pill that important, a beast of burden can always be replaced? Do you need her out sentimental or was there important equipment your missing?

So... I can also map for you if you feel it's annoying to do.

Would end up like this, mostly.

Personally, I like making the maps for dungeon crawls myself, which was sort of why I urged you to it, but no reason to make you do something that's not fun, you know?

Old school mapping is so cool :D

Is Pill that important, a beast of burden can always be replaced? Do you need her out sentimental or was there important equipment your missing?

Heck no. OOC I don't give a hoot. But Belle, well Belle is Belle. And if I didn't have her worry about a stupid mule you would all be missing out, now wouldn't you?

I'm hoping it comes down to a simple tracking role and either dead or no. No need to make a big production out of it except that it will give me something to role-play while we wait for some action or actual important decisions to be made.

So... I can also map for you if you feel it's annoying to do.

Would end up like this, mostly.

Personally, I like making the maps for dungeon crawls myself, which was sort of why I urged you to it, but no reason to make you do something that's not fun, you know?

I really want to learn how to post maps and layer icons and all that but I would really need someone to mentor me on that. I'm thinking the best way would be to run an evergreen and ask for a GM-player to shadow me and put in some time helping me learn how to do that. But when you asked for a cartographer, I figured I might be able to learn how in this game. But its a bit different when you are drawing a dungeon by hand blindly from a verbal description than when you are scanning a map and just adding fog and icons, so I'm not sure if this will help me learn how to GM. I could still learn how to find/add icons if someone would help, but that first try was difficult because of learning how to use google draw, researching/finding a grid, learning about line thickness, etc. If we are not going to use the maps I make for tactical combat it takes most of the benefit out of it.

If we are going to use the map for tactical then let me take a crack at it for a while and I'll let you know if it is getting too frustrating for me. If we are not going to use it for tactical then I'd rather not have to do it.

Ooops, I'd disabled the notification thingy. I thought there weren't any posts in the IC.

Either way, ghoul encounter pt. 2.

Map!

Initiatives!

Agyen: 1d20 - 6 ⇒ (1) - 6 = -5
Belle: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
Garrosh: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21
Magnus: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
Reynaud: 1d20 ⇒ 19
Tony: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

Enemies: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16

Okay, so this is how the turns look;

Rd 1
1:Magnus
2:Belle
3:Garrosh
4:Reynaud
5:Tony
6:Ghouls!

Rd 1
1:Agyen (takes his first action here because he goes after the enemies. This is easier in a pbp format.)
2:Magnus
3:Belle
4:Garrosh
5:Reynaud
6:Tony
7:Ghouls!

One of the Reynauds wasn't supposed to be there. There's also no ghoul #7. I was somewhat tired when I put that map together, I think.

As far as I can tell, whip mastery does not allow for the whip to threaten an area?

No, but Whip already has reach?

Also, I don't think we have permission to move our icons. At least for me the selector is not showing up. Is that intentional? Not that I WANT to move Belle. She looks nicely tucked in right where she his.

No, but Whip already has reach?

Yes, but it doesn't actually threaten the area it has reach into.

I just read up on it.

From the whips description;

The whip is treated as a melee weapon with 15-foot reach, though you don't threaten the area into which you can make an attack.

Yeah, just realized it also... Dang...

You need improved whip mastery

I'm going to put my tactics discussions in this thread.

I like the idea of the pits and having the fighters fight defensively, but I don't like spreading the fighters and giving the ghouls more surface room to attack on. I plan to place an earth elemental strategically so as to reduce the points of access (recommendations will be welcome when the time comes). Can an elemental be paralyzed - I'm hoping not? I also recommend that someone that has a protection from evil or shield of faith or anything else that boosts AC or ST put one on Reynauld. He's going to need it.

You need improved whip mastery

Yeah, but it is still only a 5' threat area, and I can only grab it at level 7... I'm thinking a quick rebuild to go with a reach weapon would probably be best at this time, and just be done with it...

It's a 10ft. area, so it's just like a normal reach weapon.

Either way, you could pick up a normal reach weapon after this combat, and use that until 7th level comes around.

Does Magnus cast any spells or somesuch on his action?

Yeah, Magnus will use his wand of still image to cast an illusion of a pit spell, just got to get the party to agree where, but I'm thinking 20' diagonally right from the base of the stairs (that's 20' forward then 20' to the right) leaving space at the back to cast more such spells and then our pocket would be 20' in front of the stairs.

You don't really have time to discuss tactics that extensively.

So, it would look like this?

Also, note that silent image is

Duration: Concentration

, so it stops when you stop spending standard actions to keep it going.

@Agyen, welcome back! You made it just in time for your first action.

So, it would look like this?

Also, note that silent image is

Quote:

Duration: Concentration

, so it stops when you stop spending standard actions to keep it going.

I'd meant a bit further forward so that I could cast a pit behind me , but I suppose we could put something on the stairs.

I had not noticed that it was a concentration spell, that changes things a bit, as we will have to rely on Belle and her glitterdust spells. Still it will give us some cover. Incidentally it is supposed to mimic the various pit spells, which are a 20' x 20' square so that was what I was thinking of doing. It really depends on whether an odd-shaped pit would provide a bonus to disbelief; if it does not then I will go with what was posted.

OK guys, move up alongside it, Fighters and summons at the front.

I don't thinkit would, necessarily. Either way, if they have ranks in spellcraft, the game will be up, as it were, since spellcraft gives the ability to identify a spell as it is cast (with a successful roll, obviously).

The only snag is that the pit can't appear deeper than 10ft, because of the spatial limitations of Silent Image.

You *could* do something with forced perspective to make it look deeper, sort of like those drawings on asphalt, but they'd get a perception check to notice that something was off, and it wouldn't be a particularly difficult check.

Lol, I always imagined an illusion of a pit to be something very akin to those forced perspective drawings, anyway - but point taken. All in all not as effective a barrier as I imagined. Perhaps a pit filled with acid? That would make a better deterrent than a basic 10' deep pit, which would be little more than a road bump to a determined pack of ravenous ghouls.

Checks pit spells Acid pit is a 4th level spell, I think that will work.

Perhaps I should have made it an L-shaped, 10' wide structure that could guard 2 sides.

Remember that for next time.