SR's - Great Southern Isles (PbP) (Inactive)

Game Master stormraven

The shark spies the little creature gesturing and senses an easy meal...
AoO time

To Hit: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

As Straehan makes the strange gestures and sees the shark turn on him he thinks, Damn. This is something I wish I had fully remembered about spell-casting... The jaws miss him by a hair's breadth and his eyes go WIDE.

Is there anything on our impromptu raft that can be used as a club?

Well there is a gnome and a small human. :) The loose items that could be used are all in the pile of stuff Straehan is sitting on. The only object that would come out easily is the block of wood that is wedged between the barrel and the center of the raft.

Jayce files So the gnome's a spell-caster… under 'important things to remember' as his body slides into a combat stance, limbs loose but ready, feet planted wide for stability on the rickety raft. His mind, despite the chaos of the fight, calms immensely, and in the quiet of his calm a confidence rises.

Now this is interesting...

The thought recedes to the far-reaching recesses of the calm.

Don't have a clean line of fire to keep wasting shuriken, so delay until a shark stops close enough for me to flurry (unarmed strikes).

Jayse waits for the perfect moment to strike...

ORDER: Jayse, Fin, Jaws, Ushari, Straehan.

Fin gasps in pain and winces at the painful gash running down her side. She readies another attack for when a shark (preferably the same one) comes within striking distance...

Whoosh 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 6 + 1 = 20 high ground
dmg 1d10 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 3 + 1 = 12 2-handed

Ushari slips into a combat stance, waiting for one of the sharks to move into striking position. She angles for a weak spot so she can do the maximum damage, if at all possible

She wants to flank the shark if at all possible.
Attack punching dagger 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4 add +2 for flanking if she can manage it.
Damage 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
Sneak Attack 1d6 ⇒ 4 if applicable.

The only flank you can achieve would either require jumping in the water or inviting a shark onto the raft. :) Your choice.

Jaws is frustrated; tender morsels are so close at hand. He sinks back into the water, sulking - and then lashes out again, seeking one of the smaller, tender, less well armed, meals.

Bite on Ushari
To Hit: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

As the shark surges up to strike, Fin wallops it again. Her blade sings as it carves deeply into the shark's snout - striking the skull. The blow is considerable but does not stop the beast! Even as her blade buries itself, the shark's jaw latches reflexively on the smaller woman's arm - nearly swallowing it up to her shoulder. With dexterity, Ushari manages to straighten and pull her slender arm from between the shark's teeth as the shark sinks down trying to drag her into the water. Free and breathing heavily on deck, her arm drips blood from a half dozen tears made by the rending teeth. Shock registering on her face, Ushari strikes at the beast but hits nothing.

The thrashing stimulates Jaws Jr. and when the smell of the elven and shark blood reach him, he can't stop himself...

Jayse sees the prowling shark twist towards the raft. With a decisive stroke of its tail, it comes hurtling straight for him, its fin cutting like a razor through the water.

Aquatic Charge on Jayse
To Hit: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 5 + 2 = 17
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

It crashes into the raft, thrashing and snapping. Jayse is thrown off balance as the entire raft is tipped by 300 pounds of shark coming to rest on it. Jaws Jr. snaps on his hand. Jayse balls his fist in the creature's mouth, strengthening the joints to prevent the shark from shearing off his hand. He clamps down on the wound at his wrist with his other hand and uses this one stable spot as a lever point. Face to face with the shark, he whips his free leg around and gives it two precise whip-crack kicks, catching it in the eye and then driving the damaged eye and tissue into its skull. The pain must be severe for the beast releases his hand, thrashes violently, and immediately retreats back into the water.

Current HPs:
Fin = 7
Jayse = 4
Ushari = 3

Straehan coming up when I have a second...

Straehan tries to conjure more magic. He thinks Frost!... um... Lightning! Hail! Wind! Kitchen SINK! He looks at his hands as if blaming them for the lack of magic pouring out.

Gotta find something... He wracks his brain for something that will work...

Spellcraft Check 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13 Scraping by...

He think Fire? and the answer awaits him... like an old friend. This time he doesn't make the same mistake. He lets the magic come but tries to stay unobtrusive.

CONCENTRATION v DC:17 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18 Scraping by... again

His mouth forms words he barely understands until he realises he knows them... in several languages no less. "Ignaeous Ampliare!" A roaring sheet of flame, like a living fan, fires out from his hand, catching both sharks... barely. It also ignites a fragment of the ship's rib that stretched out a bit too far.

Burning Hands
RANGE: 15' cone
EFFECT: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (3, 1) + 2 = 6 Pyro (as +1 Lv), Bloodline (+1 per die)
SAVE: Reflex Save for 1/2 - DC: 16

Jaws: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18 <- 1/2 Dam - 3 pts
Jaws Jr.:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7 <- Full Dam - 6 pts

The flames engulf the larger shark but whether propelled by hate or some demonic force, the vicious old beast refuses to die despite the searing flesh in the open wound gouged by Fin.

A stray lick of flame, almost an after-thought reaches out to touch the smaller shark, entering through the smashed eye socket and skull to super-heat the shark's brain. Its skull explodes showering the deck in gore. The smoking ruin of its head slips slowly beneath the waves.

ORDER: Jayse, Fin, Jaws, Ushari, Straehan.

Map Updated - http://greatsi.tripod.com/battle/raft_2.png

Finding himself once again out of reach of their attacker -and with too many friends blocking a clear throw - Jayse stands ready in case he can get a shot in, watching the dark waters around them for more movement.

Delay again.
Perception (just in case) 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18.

You see nothing else in the water and nothing seems interested in eating the dead shark that is spinning slowly downward.

ORDER: Jayse, Fin, Jaws, Ushari, Straehan.

Whoosh 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 6 + 1 = 8 higher ground
dmg 1d10 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 1 = 9 2-handed

Findelwing's sword makes a loud "whoosh" as it slices cleanly thru the salty sea air. :P

In pain, frustration, hunger, and confusion decides to make last attempt at stealing a meal before leaving:

Jayse 1
Fin 2
Ushari 3
Straehan 4

1d4 ⇒ 3

It mounts a vicious strike on the bleeding girl but finds she is too quick to be caught easily. It continues its movement swimming past Jayse and diving rapidly.

To Hit: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

You each get an AoO as it submerges and leaves but the underwater rules apply for 'firm footing'. So for:
bludgeoning or slashing weapons -2 to hit and half damage
piercing weapons as normal.

Judo KICK! 1d20 + 4 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 4 + 1 - 2 = 18. Higher Ground, Underwater thingy.
Damage 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9.

Whoosh 1d20 + 6 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (10) + 6 + 1 - 1 = 16 higher ground, underwater (pearlsteel)
dmg 1d10 + 3 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 1 - 2 = 7 2-handed, underwater (pearlsteel)

With a growl, Findelgwing slashes at the retreating predator, her swing scarcely affected by the water.

Straehan knows a moment of pure rage. No way this FLOUNDER gets to swim away...

He snarls, his fingers instantly growing a set of long smoking black claws. He swipes at the shark's tail.

Claw (crit: 20/2x):
To Hit: 1d20 + 4 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 4 + 1 - 2 = 8 high ground, water
Damage: 1d3 ⇒ 2

He misses.

Ushari, still in shock as her blood flows freely, and also from dodging its razor sharp teeth, barely has the presence to return its attack with a single thrust from her dagger.

AoO Dagger (piercing) 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21
Crit? 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16 yes?
Damage 4 + 1 + 2d4 + 2 ⇒ 4 + 1 + (1, 4) + 2 = 12

Apparently some supernatural force guided her blow, as it struck deeply into its innards.

Jayse correctly accounts for the ocean's defraction, and despite the reduction to the strength of his blow, his kick to the shark's brainstem causes it to convulse providing an opportunity for Fin to shove 3' of steel through its heart in a two-handed thrust. It twitches like a gutted fish and Ushari, screaming vengeance leaps on its back and, with both hands, drives her dagger into the soft spot created by Jayse's kick - cleanly severing its spine. She looks, for all appearances, like a demented nereid riding a shark-steed. She jumps off as Jaws rolls over... quite, quite dead. It's pale white belly glistens in the first feeble rays of the newly rising sun.

Encounter over. Well done, guys!

Woot! Our first kills! Does this mean i get my throwing knife back?

You mean your 'shark handle'? Yeah, you can recover it. :)

FYI - that's 300 XP for each of ya.

Also, you could cut yourselves some shark steaks if ya want... and I'm pretty sure you can figure out who can cook'em for you.

Ushari feels light headed for a moment, as she slides off the dead shark. She feels her arm scrape against the embedded shaft of Jayse's knife, and deftly plucks it and returns it to its owner.

Soon the loss of blood is telling, and she sinks back in exhaustion, trying to summon reserves to stay conscious...

... and Jayce moves quickly enough to keep her from sliding unconsciously into the water.

"Watch it, there... we'd hate to lose you after that bit of heroics." The short blade slips quietly back into its home. After a quick grin to his new companion, he looks up with a half-grin, "I don't guess these sharks are a very specific and rare breed who only swim the shallow waters near some very welcoming village with a nice warm, bed, huh?"

Ushari sinks into Jayce's embrace and for a brief second is acutely aware of his masculine arms and his body warmth radiating from his body. Her body reacts instinctively to his touch, and she feels a pleasent warmth answered from her own body...but her mind feels a tightening pressure, almost a feeling of being trapped, and held down. The feeling lasts only a few seconds, but it echoes in her body, long after he has released her.

She wants to ponder the strange feelings elicited by Jayse, but soon a more pressing concern appears, she is still bleeding! Also she looks over at Findelgwing, and Jayse who also need their bleeding stopped.

She attempts to stop the bleeding of Jayse first, although with any bandages, or medication, she wonders how she will be able to help them. Stilll she had to try...

Heal check 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

Sense Motive 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27.

Jayce realizes the play in the girl's eyes, and puts her down gently, creating some distance. "Wouldn't want you to get hurt now."

It's the damn good looks of mine!

Heal AA to Ushari (untrained) 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23.

When he sees her looking to others wounds, he begins ripping off strips of the sleeves of his white shirt, hoping she can use them as tourniquets or bandages.

Dang... hot dice!

Straehan watches Ushari and then Jayse work, trying to bind wounds. He wonders how many strips of their own clothes they will tear off before basic modesty prevents them from going further.

He reaches into his backpack for an item he found earlier. Whoever I was before, I must have liked contingency planning.

He tosses Ushari the complete Healer's Kit. "You might want to use this instead of your clothes, young lady. Sunburn is a serious risk on the open sea."

Straehan examines his claws, carving a curlique of wood from the barrel with little effort. Remarkable.

Ushari accepts the Healer's Kit gratefully from Straehan, and while treating the wounds of both Jayse and Findlegwing, she has time to reflect on how much nicer this was, rather than her previous activities.

Heal check is 19 total for Jayse.
Findelgwing Heal check 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 3 + 2 = 17 kit

Ushari's efforts at first aid result in augmented healing despite the less than ideal conditions.

Ushari Self-Heal check: 1d20 + 3 + 2 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 3 + 2 + 4 = 25 base, kit, AA

You will all be gaining back 2 HP/day. Since no one was knocked to negatives, your use of the kit was minimal, uses are down to 9 of 10.

Well damn, I go to play Borderlands for a few hours and you guys start tearing your clothes off and making out. Sheesh!

Shaking her head at the antics of the others, Fin goes about filleting Jaws for breakfast. She also harvests as man of its teeth as possible since they make nice adornments for most any occasion.

survival 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Well damn, I go to play Borderlands for a few hours and you guys start tearing your clothes off and making out. Sheesh!

Well, my man, it's like the song says...

BAM! That is a double-relate!

Straehan assists Fin with carving up the shark and pulling teeth. He works silently next to her, curious. Eventually, he says "So do you speak Common even a little bit? Unfortunately, I don't seem to know Elven or that other language you were speaking. Are your memories gone too?"

He doesn't expect an answer but he hopes his tone conveys his friendliness.

Jayse watches the gnome and the elf work on cutting up the shark as the sunrise paints one side of the sky in brilliant colors. He shifts his gaze over to Ushari, whose apparently natural healing skills have already made his ravaged left hand and forearm mug more comfortable. "So, you said you havent had any medical training. Does that mean you remember some things from before little swim?"

The day is bright and the weather is fair but a bit windy. The sky is cloudless and the horizon is unbroken by the sight of any land. It is an endless flat expanse of ocean. After a bit of discussion and pantomime, you all agree that one of the tasks is to figure out where land may be. You pool your intellectual resources to figure out a few things:

U's Prof:Sailor 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 7 + 2 = 20 AA
F's Prof:Sailor (AA to U) 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

F's K:Geography 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

U's Survival (AA to F) 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
J's Survival (AA to F) 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
S's Survival (AA to F) 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15
F's Survival 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 2 = 10 AA

You determine that the wind is variable but it is blowing generally North-East. The current seems to be flowing generally between East and North-East. There is no obvious sign of land, flocks of seabirds, or the like. The sky is relatively cloudless except for a small puffy mass that is roughly North-East. According to Fin, after a very elaborate pantomime and a half hour of discussion about what she was attempting to say, it is possible that the cloud could be hanging over a landmass - but that isn't a certainty.

J's Perception 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

Shifting positions to a more comfortable spot, Jayse hears an odd, non-metallic clunk from his belt-pouch which he assumed was filled with coins from the frequent jingling he heard.

Jayce looks down at his waist,"What the...?" And he very carefully opens up the beltpouch, keeping his face at a distance.

Wanna check out the possible island? I'm game. Me and Fin could kick us over there.

F's Survival 1d20+4+2 AA

Point of order, your Honor: Fin's Survival modifier is +7, not +4. Lemme guess, that's your way to telling me to get the matrices made up, huh? ;P

"So do you speak Common even a little bit? Unfortunately, I don't seem to know Elven or that other language you were speaking. Are your memories gone too?"

At his words, Findelgwing smiles at the short man, and begins humming as they continue to work.

Jayse watches the gnome and the elf work on cutting up the shark as the sunrise paints one side of the sky in brilliant colors. He shifts his gaze over to Ushari, whose apparently natural healing skills have already made his ravaged left hand and forearm mug more comfortable. "So, you said you havent had any medical training. Does that mean you remember some things from before little swim?"

Ushari gives Jayse a small smile, he can see the talk of her past life was troubling to her. Still, she answers his question after only a moment's hesitation.

"I..I was a thief back in my other life, I think. One of the things I remember is running along the rooftops in a large city...I know not where or when. I remember the thrills I experienced, it was exciting!" She pauses for a moment, and adds, "As for my medical training, I don't know, but I do enjoy the thought of healing people... Her voice trails off.

She then gives him a smile, a twinkle in her eyes, "And you, Jayse? What tale from your past do you care to burden us with?"

Jayce smiles, "That does sound kind of exciting, actually, but I didn't mean to pry. You just seemed to have a bead on who you might have been… which is more than I can say for myself." His hands go to his beltpouch, where he is still fumbling at the knotted opening, trying to see what the mysterious sound was.

"My memories are even sketchier than yours, it seems. I remember growing up on an island with white sand beaches. I remember cold winters. And training. A lot of training. For what I don't remember." He makes a fist as he smiles a small smile, "Though at least part of it seems to have been fighting."

Sense Motive 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

Ushari pauses, unsure if Jayse was going to add more, but figures he is done talking for now. She notices him trying to open his pouch, and asks, "Do you need a hand with that?"

Here comes the Hail Mary...

Sense Motive 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8 Interception!

Straehan firmly believes Jayse is telling the unvarnished truth but he is more curious about what the big man is trying to get from his bag...

Jayse, focused as he is on undoing the waterlogged bag, is a bit startled by Ushari's offer. He yanks the bag open spilling the contents across the deck - a smattering of coins and a single stone.

It is an odd little thing - black and spindle-shaped but with sharp straight edges. It most resembles obsidian in terms of angularity, sharpness, and color but it lacks the 'glass-like' fragility of obsidian. He touches it tentatively.

He picks it up and is clearly surprised by the weight of it. He hefts it experimentally. It is incredibly dense and heavy, weighing fully twice what he would have expected.

Fin - sorry I got your numbers wrong, they are correct on my ref sheet. I plead too much zealous copypasta and 'late night posting' as my excuse. :p

After a few seconds of inspection, Jayse bounces the rock lightly in his palm. "Um, I realize we just met and all, but what are the chances any of you have any idea what this is?"

Ushari looks at the strange rock, and runs her finger over it, feeling its heft.

Appraise 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22

Eyeing the black rock eagerly, Straehan lights up at the offer. "I'll take a stab at it." He takes the proferred rock gingerly, surprised by the weight. "Heavy. Definitely not obsidian." He rolls it around in his hand examining it carefully very closely. His free hand unconsciously goes to a hidden pocket in his robe and pulls a pair of leather-bound pince nez glasses which he props on his nose. The action clearly surprises him. "Where the hell did these come from?!" However, the rock calls to him and he dismisses the issue of the glasses for the moment as they do allow him to examine the stone even more closely.

Appraise 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23 Lucky...

He is quiet for several minutes, then mutters something under his breath and his eyes glow briefly. He hands the stone back and pulls off the glasses. He consults with Ushari whose hands were a mite quicker than his... and they reach an agreement of sorts.

"Well, whoever cut it was a master. It looks naturally sharp but that is the jeweller's work, not nature's. Masterwork Gemstone It isn't magical... apparently I know a spell to tell that." He gives a self-depracating smile. "And for some reason, I think..." He looks at Ushari for a moment, "sorry, WE think this is made from a rare stone called Abyssidian... though we can't tell you how we know that or even what Abyssidian is. But it is worth some coin."

Jayce looks at the rock skeptically, "And you're saying it's not magical, huh?"

Straehan gives him a curious look at the bent of the question. "It is not magical, but it is of such quality that it could be made magical... Is there some reason why you think it should be magical?"

Jayce shrugs, "I don't know... it just... feels like it has power in it." He looks around to see if anyone seems to have a clue, "... or some kind of energy."

Ushari shrugs her petite shoulders at Jayce, "I don't know, Jayce. That rock you have there is extremely rare, and I don't believe it is a coincidence that you have possession of such an item. It could be linked to your memory loss...heck it could be linked to all of our amnesia. We just don't know right now."

She gives him a grin, "I have a feeling though we will find out one way or another, though."

"Well, I'm just figuring out this magic thing... Maybe I cast the spell wrong." He borrows the stone again, repeats the incantation and stares.

Knowledge: Arcana 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

"It still doesn't appear magical to me. But there are many kinds of energy and power in the universe. Magic is just one of them. Perhaps your stone reflects another?" He holds the stone for a long moment. "I don't feel anything, but maybe I'm not sensitive to whatever energy it holds."

He returns the stone and fiddles with the pince nez glasses in his hand. They are as much a surprise to him as the stone. He examines them closely.

Appraise 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

"Hm... yes... well these are fascinating. They appear to be regular old glasses." He laughs, "But they are well constructed and rugged, and my hidden pocket is really quite nice. So I guess that tells me something I didn't know before. I've got a good tailor somewhere."

Jayce ponders the stone for a second or two longer before deciding a thorough search of his clothes is in order. "Well, thanks for looking at it, anyway." he says as he finishes up. I'm assuming there are no more special finds, but i'm open to whatever.

His eyes scan the horizon in the direction Findelgwing indicated earlier. "So we wanna try out our Lady Elf's direction now? I mean, at least it'd feel like I'm doing something. Anybody see anything we can use as a sail or paddle?"

If they agree (and if they don't have canvas or paddle), he volunteers to take first rotation in the water, tediously and ponderously pushing the raft in the direction Fin indicated.

Jayce laughs at the surprising little man, "You are full of surprises, aren't you?"

Sure thing! And I'll handwave away those XP too...

FWIW - you are 3/4 of the way to the next level.

I think i read somewhere that's when you're supposed to gestalt... I'll just go update my character sheet, then. :D

Jayse, I don't think that is what Justin had in mind with rule #11, he he.

Sheesh! I'm looking through my core books and I just DON'T see that gestalt thing anywhere... must be a 3PP optional rule. :p

Oh, I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in the back. Just take my word for it.

And Ushari, wasn't the 11th rule that 'you don't talk about fight club'?

Gee, I thought Fight Club only had like three rules, maybe I should actually watch it, he he.

Gents, I apologize for my slow posting over the last several days. Work has been a bear. I was hoping today would be a kick-back day but alas it has not worked out that way. I will be able to post more after today.

No worries man, work has been busy here has well, so I definitely feel where you are coming from.

No worries. That's the beauty of PbP.

It's been pretty busy here today also, so trust me, I feel your pain...

I've updated the Miir flat-map with approximate positions of some of the locations mentioned.

Links, or it didn't happen! ;D

Links, or it didn't happen! ;D

Better?

Links, or it didn't happen! ;D

I think I hear the sound of a DM-guided rock falling...

Sorry for the lack of replies, but I'm trying to get Rumble caught-up to the point where you guys can resume contributing. Summarizing 2500 posts in the space of 3 is a bit of a challenge.

No worries.

Hey remember when you asked for magic item wishlist, I think an item to grant low light and/or darkvision would be nice, he he.

Correct me if I'm wrong but...

As I understand it, low-light vision will not allow Fin or Strae to see in a dark cave. They will be able to see twice as far in each of the light categories provided by the torches you carry, though... so they can scout a certain amount ahead of the main group but bends in the passage, etc. will effectively chop down on the range they can roam.

In terms of order - you want Fin as scout and presumably Straehan in second position to keep an eye on her. What about Jayse and Ushari? Do you just want me to place you guys in reasonable positions?

Yeah you are correct SR. I assume they are counting on using any existing light sources in the cave complex. Keep in mind darkvision allows you to see things in black and white, but it is limited in you cannot read books, for instance.

If the caves are completely dark, then we can adjust out scouting strategy to account for that.

The scouting order seems fine, Jayse and Ushari can be side by side, and we can change it as the case may be.

Darkvision makes no such statement about being unable to read. Essentially it is just like normal vision only greyscale like an old B&W movie. Being as most printed material is B&W, there is no good reason why reading would be impossible. I'm pretty sure you are thinking of a holdover from an earlier version of the game predating 3.5 and Pathfinder.

Well since the only folks with darkvision are the goblins - who are not fans of literature - I think we are pretty safe for the moment. ;)

FWIW - I left the ground in the cavern maps as green just to make it easier to see. Please imagine a proper cave environment.

Curse my groganrd status, he he. :P

Could be worse. You could have claimed it was heat vision like what the Predator has. ;)

Bah! Let's mix genres... the visual 'pie slice' in front of you is FLIR - Forward Looking InfraRed, the two flanks are Active Sonar, and the rear is Passive Sonar.

I figured I'd clarify some stuff here since it could generate discussion that doesn't need to take up the main thread.

The Goblins were, in fact, standing around the fire and tending meat on a spit, chatting, and whatnot. They weren't sitting. So I should have clarified what they were doing.

I guess I misunderstood exactly how you were intending to accomplish the idea - that is a risk of having a character who uses dioramas instead of the Common tongue. :p The point I took away was bring the Goblins into the passage and hammer as many as possible with burning hands.

Since Straehan couldn't hit all of the obvious opponents with one blast where they stood initially and his move base is slower than the goblins, he figured luring them closer was the best way to catch them all and cover his own ass.

Going behind the DM screen about how I do things... I choose actions, based on likely outcomes, before I roll the dice to keep things fair. Straehan has +4 on init and the Goblins +6. They were likely to beat his init and it was the assumption I based Strae's action on.

Had they actually beat his initiative... In the surprise round (assuming he could have snuck up on them before that) he would have fired his burning hands, hitting three of them. When Round 1 began, the goblins would have gone first - in which case, Straehan was likely to be swarmed and cut down or had his retreat effectively blocked... If that happened none of the goblins would be in the passageway, effectively screwing the pooch on the plan.

So the safest way to ensure he could hit them with his spell, minimize the amount of attacks he would take, protect his ass if the worse happened, and ensure the baddies could be lured into the passageway was to do as I did.

Jayse can grab and pull Straehan from his current position and dump him in the empty square as 2 actions. I don't think they need to share a square - based on extrapolation of the grappling rules and I can't recall there are any rules about grabbing objects requiring sharing the same square.

Mike is correct that grabbing objects does draw an AoO - but it would be an AoO on Jayse not the object itself. Since Jayse is not in range of the goblin, there can be no AoO on him. However, it seems reasonable that the goblin could strike at the 'moving' gnome. If Jayse wants to fire his ready action after Fin (who will kill the goblin with that crit) then there will be no risk of any AoO.

Ah ok. Guess I should have asked what their posture was first.

Originally I thought to have Fin fire a shot to get their attention and act as a shield for Straehan to fire around, but I figured that would be too complicated to explain and a lot tricker to adjudicate (not to mention seeing a tall elf instead of a short gnome might have caused all the goblins to stand back and pepper them with arrows instead of charging).

On a different topic, did you get that last email I sent about how I figured out how to link to map versions properly?

When you link directly to the image (instead of to the page), we actually have to navigate the site if we want to look at prior rounds. The link to the page lets us view the file history. Also, any links from earlier rounds will always show the current round if you link directly to the image.

In case that email got lost in the interweb, here's now I've started doing it along with the shortkeys script I use...

MAP: Dunwaar Streets, (Round 0)

The first URL is the link to the page itself which always displays the current version. The second URL is where the round-specific URL gets pasted. (The instructions below detail how to generate that URL.)

Oops! Was just testing the reply button on my prior post to ensure the script is high enough up to be visible so you can copy it. Looks like it is!

BTW, if we're all readied and Ben and I are in agreement about getting Straehan out of harms way, I'd say you should be good to go ahead and resolve Fin's and Jayse's actions. Fin hacks and shouts, Jayse recovers Strae once the chance for an AoO on the gnome has been removed.

You could have Fin motion that she's going to swing to indicate to Jayse he should give her a sec to clear the way for him.

:)

No worries. I did get your email on the work-around. Do you often check the previous round? I haven't used your solution because I'm generally more concerned with this round find the 'instant blowup' version kind of nice. If you guys find my 'single pic' version is more of a pain than an easy reference, I'll switch methods.

I do it moreso as DM than as a player, but I still check prior versions quite a bit to note how enemies are faring over time, etc. Bad memory or iterative thinking, I'll let you be the judge. ;D

At any rate, the historical view is one of the reasons I started using the wiki for map uploads instead of a traditional upload system (like flickr or my wordpress site).

Even if the dual-link format is too much of a hassle, if you could just link to the page instead, I'd much prefer that. One additional click to open the blow-up version takes only a second or two. Having to visit the site, navigate down two categories and then click on the right battle takes me a good bit longer... and that's for someone who uses it all the time. I doubt Ben or Eric access it as frequently, so I could see it taking them a good bit longer. :)

I'm fine with Jayse using his readied just after Fin to avoid the AoO on Strae, since the point of the move is to save Strae some damage.

Well that could have gone better...and worse, he he.

Ushari will see about getting Straehan functional again. BTW Straehan does have that potion Isolde provided him correct? Where does he have it stashed?

EDIT: Ok updated Ushari profile with the potions carried.

So... did I scare you guys off with my "why didn't the goblin fire?" scenario? :)

I'm just having a crazy week. It is strange, though. Thinking through a response.

Ah! No worries then, take your time.

My excuse is that I have no idea what's going on yet. It is rather curious however. Makes me wonder if he goblin was expecting someone else to show up. i.e. Could it be that he's saving his shot for a bigger threat?

Well, that never stops me from doing something, he he. I suspect he is bait, trying to draw us out for the shaman to drop an incapacitating/killing spell on us.

Another possibility, though unlikely, is the goblin is an illusion.

DM-gotta-know Questions - what is your intent towards the goblin? Are you willing to strike and abide by a deal or are you just trying to get info and then intend to kill the little bugger?

I guess it depends on the little bugger. Jayse is happy to see them dead since they attacked us earlier without provocation (on the beach), but perspectives can change...

I'm actually expecting deception on his part.

So long as it doesn't attack her friends, Fin will refrain from attacking. She doesn't think being in a strange cave without waves to dive into or palms to duck behind bodes well in a tactical sense. While we may have been able to fight thus far, she's fairly certain there's still more than enough goblins about to spell disaster. So if talking can get the job done, more power to the folks who know how to use words.

Besides, this was supposed to be a fact-finding trip. If the goblins were such pushovers that 4 people could take them out, they wouldn't be such a problem.

Darn...well even though she does not trust the goblin one iota, she will not attack him, unless he betrays them. She is just too nice that way, he he.

Pucker up, Buttercup...

You gents are kissing distance from 2nd level. Hell, you could be updating your characters by Sunday... those characters still alive, I mean.

Aww, be nice to Eric, he's starting to get that glow about him...

It's candle-light or possibly indigestion.

...oooor probably both! Dammit Eric, quit eating those!

But they taste SOOOooooo good!!

I knew we shouldn't have bought scented candles... >.>

Gonna post this in here rather than cluttering up the RP thread...

Re: Fighting defensively...

Yeah, it does say "that same round", although it makes no sense to me why it would expire before the character's next turn.

Since I'm curious as to that design choice, I've started a topic about it in the rules forum.

Part of the reason it seems silly to me is that I could have simply delayed my initiative until I was at the top of the next round, and declared the same exact action. I would have still acted after the skeletons' last actions and before their next... yet suddenly I get an extra bonus?

I know you're not the one who wrote the rule, so I'm not faulting you. I'm just a bit irked that 2-rounds in a row I purposefully gimped my attack when there was no way it could have possibly yielded any benefit. Given Fin's rolls and the AC I suspect these skeletons have, it's probably a moot point but...

Anyway, I'll be curious if a dev can offer up a convincing explanation on why the current implementation makes a damn bit of sense. If not, expect that I'll be adding a new house rule over in Rumble so that this functions the same as damn near everything else. ;)

I gotta agree with Fon on this one. I've always understood it to be that the bonus lasts until the beginning of the characters next turn. Otherwise you invite a whole slew of strange initiative based scenarios that don't make much sense. Whereas if you decide to begin fighting defensively, it should continue until you have a chance to decide to do otherwise.... which can't happen until you can act again -at the beginning of your next turn.

Just my thoughts. Now back to watching my son squirm and fuss at 5.30 in the morning... awesome.

P.S. - Stormy, what app are you using. The one I have is out-dated and full of typos and whatnot.