Well Styvanus, if I did the 10 point buy in order to slightly offset the lack of commonplace magic, I would likely allow the players to raise an ability score by 1 every two levels instead of every four.
I did the same thing is one reason I have the opinions I do about it. Mine was set in a custom world, a small eastern-europeanesque town that gets hit by a zombie apocalypse plague. The players were all NPC classes. That game honestly kinda died because I didn't have the time or will to do the amount of work it would have required to be good.
Here's a link to the game I did. Like I said, didn't last terribly long, mostly my fault.
I'd be up for Dark Frontier. From what I've read about it on the Kickstarter and the like, it looks very cool. I've always wanted to do the Kingdom creation as well.
If you do another Way of the Wicked, I'd like that as well, since the one I got into died before we got down the first stairs. :(
I'm considering dropping out of the way of the wicked I'm in and looking for one with a better DM. We just got out of the prison, and are fighting our way across the bridge. But it's moving at a glacial pace, with minimal description provided from the DM's side. Not very fun.
Good Evening Guys,
Just want to let everyone know that I am going to visit my wife’s in-laws in Houston for the next ten days. Because of this I expect that my posting will be restricted but I will do my best to check in every few days via phone and tablet. I appreciate all of your understanding and assistance while I am away from my home computer.
Teladon
If Ar'Z doesn't post by the time I get home from work I'll have him delay and move on.
Apologies. I wasn't aware I was being waited on.
Then, Ordrud and Az again before the ice elementals.
If it not too much trouble please skip or DMPC my actions for the next few days. In hindsight I should have brought my laptop with me. A tablet is unviable for long posts.
I'd like to ask the same, although for different reasons. My anxiety has spiked and is hitting me really hard. I apologize for it. Hopefully I can get it under control soon.
Okay so, with that encounter done (and a couple people semi-away) it may be a good time to discuss your potential strategy for the move on the lodge. You can't see it from the river, and estimates of distance would put it about 15-20 minutes away from your current position.
Will you scout out the area? Who will go? How far ahead? What spell/item preparations will you make?
You've come this far on a half-empty tank, as it were, so the difference between victory and defeat will be a solid plan.
We've come this far, it makes sense to push on and take advantage of our hardship to gain the element of surprise. Of course scouting ahead may be required.
Alternatively, we could try to set up an ambush and lure them into a trap.
I have two spells remaining, one is color spray that I will reserve if we get attacked by multiple opponents at the same time. The second is windy escape. I will use that to negate a critical hit or sneak attack. I also have one point left in my arcane pool and will use that when we attack. Lucent, is it still dark and snowing at the present time? We might be able to approach undetected? The other idea is that we could approach from the back and then use our zombie to trigger the dead fall log trap. Hopefully this would cause the lodge to send out some scouts and split the combat between two smaller groups.
Thoughts?
It is still snowing and will be dark for six or seven more hours. The snow is falling lighter on the other side of the wind wall once you pass through and the snow is not as deep. However it is significantly colder.
We're all depleted resources.
I think we should have sneaky folks go find a hiding place where we can observe the lodge while resting. Then, they can bring the non-sneaky folks there and cover the trail.
If we observe an opportunity to access the lodge, save the captain, and escape with minimal combat, we can take it in our current state before we finish resting.
Otherwise when we are fully rested, we can let the undead trigger the log fall trap. We can either ambush the squad sent to investigate the trap first. Or (which I prefer) attack the lodge first, then ambush the investigators when they return.
My two cents. Ordrud might be so strategic but would never talk that much.
cheers
I do like the idea of using our Zombie to trigger the dead fall log and split up the two groups.
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Ambush worked before didn't it? We could use it again to our advantage. When the enemy comes to investigate, they're probably going to think one of two things:
Their enemy (us) killed the hunters and are returning on their heels, or:
Their allies are coming back and accidently tripped the trap.
Either way, they come to investigate, and we ambush them round 2. But this might cause the rest of the lodge to become more alert.
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Divide and ambush is my favorite tactic when pitting a small group against a larger one. I'm down with that plan. I think we should rest while observing the lodge from a hidden position, and then use the zombie to hit the log trap when we're at full strength. Though, if it's a fifteen minute walk to the lodge, how would they hear the bells on the log? There might be other people/creatures waiting closer to the trap to listen for it.
I think the element of surprise is lost if we don't act against the lodge immediately. If the hunters are not back by a certain time, the alarm will go up anyways and we'll be dealing with a prepared force likely. Having said that, I still think Teladon's plan is a sound one—I had nearly suggested it myself, actually, so I doubly agree! If they think we overcame their hunters and are on the approach, they'll likely send the bulk of their capable men out to deal with the intruders and a token force back at their lodge. At that point, it's a simple matter of cleaning up said token force then setting up our own ambush when the rest of them return empty handed. I might suggest (and probably will do so in character if we go this route, and depending on other details pending our arrival) trying to lure them back into their lodge and setting it ablaze while we pressure/attack them from outside. That depends on of ifs though.
I agree with Fenix, I think that sleeping is a bad idea, I know that we are low on resources but we are here now. If we wait 8 hours, the lodge will be awake and there is the potential of them finding us while we sleep and flipping the ambush back on us. If we attack at night it will take them a while to get ready. We have the initiative. We should use it.
A reminder, since its been a while. One of the hunters you spoke to said many of the men at the lodge have become very sick in the last few months.
Something to consider the implications of.
Given that my dwarf is on one side of the Wind wall and the Orc and the merman are on the other, what can I do to rectify that problem?
Can I take the rope and attempt a crossing? What rolls do I need to make to do so? I cast endure elements before the battle. Also, being a dwarf I have racial Stability: Dwarves gain a +4 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground.
Would this help minimize the effect of the wind bowling Ar'Zarrcal over?
@Ar'Z: You'll need to make the Fortitude saves (two @ DC 15) versus the cold (one for lethal damage, one for nonlethal) in the wind, even with endure elements, as the cold bypasses the bottom level of temperature resistance provided by that spell. A failure on the nonlethal damage also affords the fatigued condition until all the nonlethal damage is healed.
You'll also need to make a DC 10 strength check (that you cannot take a 10 on due to the threat of the wind) to make it through the wind barrier. Given Ar'Z slower speed (20ft) and that crossing the ice requires more movement than normal squares (without ice cleats) he'll either need to make two strength checks (and four Fortitude saves) or attempt to run across the ice (x3 movement) and only make one Strength and two Fort saves (which would require an acrobatics check or fall prone).
If you coordinate with someone who has a rope on the other side that will give a +2 bonus to your strength checks to get across. I'll also allow your dwarven stability bonus to work in your favor for the strength check in this case (so a +4 bonus) with or without the rope.
The orc and merman conversation is happening AFTER everyone is across.
Talavuc used Ordrud's rope to get across. I thought that there were two others: Teledon and Kain's. Ordrud would happily aid/pull anyone across and can easily aid while taking 10.
That's true there's more than just Ordruds rope
Just in case I'm not being clear enough in character... I'm concerned that if we set off the trap that only the smaller group around the fire will come look. Yeah, they might send one of their number up to the lodge, but we don't know that for sure.
If we're positioned a mile away, around the lodge, and we send the zombie to spring the trap and they don't send a runner to the lodge, then they will likely just kill the zombie, and then return to the fire. That means we will be down a good ambush spot and a zombie with nothing to show for it. I don't want to risk that.
If we send Teladon to hide by their fire, and then set an ambush around the log trap using the zombie to set it off we don't run that risk. If they all come to the log, we kill them all and the lodge remains unaware. If one runs for the lodge Teladon kills him, and we kill the others who come to the log, the lodge remains unaware. If we leave their fire burning, it's unlikely anyone in the lodge will notice that something's happened until shift change.
The time between our ambush and shift change could be used to start resting and get in position around the lodge. Then whenever they go out to set new trap watchers, we can attack the lodge. Then when the new shift figures out something's fishy and returns to the lodge, we ambush them from inside.
Biggest risk with my version of the plan is if the shift change happens to be five minutes after we set our first ambush. We have no way of knowing that, but I still think it's less risky than hoping a large group of them will leave the lodge to investigate the trap going off. Even if they send out a new group of trap watchers shortly after we kill the first group, that's still getting them in three groups rather than potentially 1 or 2. Hope that makes sense.
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sorry for holding things up guys, real life had me stretched a little thin.
I'm about to head to work so I'll get a post up later this evening in response to planning.
I'll go ahead and make rolls for crossing the river if i have to be moved forward before i can get a post up.
wow, really nice rolls there, even before the bonus from the clothing.
also, just a quick comment, maybe there's a better way to spring the trap without sacrificing Fenyx's zombie. We know we're going to be outnumbered, we need any advantage we can get , if nothing else, just to soak up damage that would be inflicted on one of us if the zombie isn't there.
Animate rope perhaps?
Just in case I'm not being clear enough in character... I'm concerned that if we set off the trap that only the smaller group around the fire will come look. Yeah, they might send one of their number up to the lodge, but we don't know that for sure.
IMHO, the biggest risk is being overwhelmed. We've got one fight in us before our resources are fully tapped.
My primary advice is to only fight before resting if there is a clear advantage, benefit, and escape to go rest. Otherwise, we hide, rest, and observe.
While I do want to rest, pray for new spells and the like - we lose the element of surprise if we do so. The whole reason for pushing on through the night was to arrive before they realize we dispatched the force they sent to kill us. I have one cure light wounds and a animate rope left in me. I'm likely going to use Cure Light wounds on either myself or Ordrud, depending on who has more wounds.
While I do want to rest, pray for new spells and the like - we lose the element of surprise if we do so. The whole reason for pushing on through the night was to arrive before they realize we dispatched the force they sent to kill us. I have one cure light wounds and a animate rope left in me. I'm likely going to use Cure Light wounds on either myself or Ordrud, depending on who has more wounds.
Ordrud used the potion of cure light wounds that he found to heal. He's only down 2 points of 28 now. Thanks for the thought though.
cheers
I'll take this moment to illustrate the options/information you have baed on what you've discovered and let you use that to form a plan:
At the lodge
* There are nine surviving conscripts from the villagers who live outside the lodge in tents
* There are two dozen members of Thuldrin's hunters, half of them are sick.
* Halak, the druid, acts as an emissary between the lodge and whatever dwells at the eye of the storm. He is sometimes at the lodge, sometimes not.
* Thuldrin Kreed, the man in charge of the lumber consortium, resides at the lodge at all times.
* Captain Talisa Gwynn is likely imprisoned somewhere in the lodge.
About your ambush plan
* Eldrin, one of the townspeople-come-hunter that you defeated told you that no one at the lodge would expect his team back until sundown at the earliest (which was roughly eight hours ago now) but Eldrin said if they arrived by sunrise (roughly five or six hours from now) no one would be surprised, given how treacherous the woods can be.
* At present it is about 1:00am. Halak and his men would have likely arrived at the lodge an hour or two ago after a full day's travel and are probably tired. Halak may or may not still be at the lodge at present.
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* Captain Talisa Gwynn is likely imprisoned somewhere in the lodge.
Doesn't mean we can't light the place on fire.. I've always wanted to do a daring rescue of a tied up damsel in distress from a burning building!
Even if I'm the one who lit the place on fire in the first place...
Anyways, I think we should hit it sooner rather than later. If we have time to rest, then so do they.
So, I still don't see a consensus on what the group's plan is. I know some people are for resting for 8 hours to regain spells and abilities and others are all for forging ahead and clearing out the lodge before resting.
I'd like you guys to come to a decision, or at least a majority, so that we can move things forward.
Also, this is a tentative nudge to Talavuc's player to see how they're doing. It's been a couple weeks and while I've been pretty lenient with people needing time for life getting in the way (like it does for me a lot!) I just want to make sure people haven't forgotten about the game entirely.
I feel like us having pushed this far through the night was all a waste if we don't act on the camp now; my vote is to press on-on-on.
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Ar'Zarrcal is of the same opinion as the right honorable Ambassador of Shalast Fenyx (I know, big surprise).
I agree with Fenyx and Ar'Zarrcal. We have pushed hard to get to this point. We would be shooting ourselves in the foot. Based on the information, half of them men are sick and they are likely sleeping. Lets Ambush the group that is watching the river and then move for the cabin.
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Okay. Before I get a post up I just want to get to a consensus on the plan.
It looks like we're all for pressing ahead. I just want to make sure everyone agrees on how we need to do it.
We have pushed hard to get to this point. We would be shooting ourselves in the foot. Based on the information, half of them men are sick and they are likely sleeping. Lets Ambush the group that is watching the river and then move for the cabin.
+1 on that. Is everyone alright with that being the course of action we're taking?
I'm going to sit down and check everything tomorrow, likely in the afternoon/evening. If I can get to it earlier, I will. Also, I'd like to say thanks for the leniency. I do appreciate it.
Busy and slept most of the day yesterday. Just put up my post. Also, I like how you DMPC'd her. Thanks a lot.