Shadow over Riddleport

Game Master Joana

So... the next few weeks are going to be interesting for me - which will have an affect on my PbP-osity as well. Starting tomorrow our apartment starts to become less inhabited as the movers begin to excise everything. Thankfully I'll keep the interwebs until Friday - but after then things are going to get scratchy from me until I'm firmly ensconced down in Sydney come the end of April.

So please to be keeping patience and whatnot... I'll be as active as I can.

Good luck on your move! Keep us posted as you progress!

Good luck with the move, Mark! I hate moving. Something always gets lost, and something always gets broken.

Sydney. Wow, we'll be neighbours. :-D

Let us know when you're set up. You're welcome to come visit me any time.

And, Joana, thanks as always for the amazing game/s. Some things are worth waiting 2 years (and 4 months) for. :-)

Sydney. Wow, we'll be neighbours. :-D

Let us know when you're set up. You're welcome to come visit me any time.

And, Joana, thanks as always for the amazing game/s. Some things are worth waiting 2 years (and 4 months) for. :-)

^that. :)

Will move the gameplay thread ahead to the next day tomorrow. Intended to do it tonight, but I'm too tired.

I'm still possible, I'd like to return the unused Close Range arcana for Familiar, the previously-appearing Emissary butterfly(finch).

223 boxes later our apartment's got a few strange echoes from all the empty space :P The packing wasn't that bad - given I was away at a course most of the time and we had a suite of 6-7 guys from the moving company doing all the heavy lifting. Fun fact - they wrap everything in cardboard. Book boxes, furniture, cabinets, bean bags, ladders, bicycles... everything.

Braddon - are you in Syd proper? - I'll be up at Lane Cove for the first month or so before moving into Paddington. Would love to catch up at some point to put a face to the shenanigans?

Also - obligatory Joana runs the best game on the board comment ;)

No, Mark. Still in Bris...vegas. :-)

It's only 1000km away. But I will visit Sydney and say hi.
Might give it a month or two for the floods to subside though. :-)

I'm still possible, I'd like to return the unused Close Range arcana for Familiar, the previously-appearing Emissary butterfly(finch).

I mean, IF still possible. And Thrush? I think was said?

A thrush seems to be the smallest bird so we could use those stats, but the associated skill bonus would be to Fly.

I don't believe anyone cast any spells during the travel day. Of course, you can switch out spells for new ones if you wish, but your spells from "yesterday" haven't expired.

A thrush seems to be the smallest bird so we could use those stats, but the associated skill bonus would be to Fly.

As a bonus to Gristav, that won't matter at all, I don't see him flying; he can't legally take the skill.

Presumably the butterfly has no natural attacks. Not that the Thrush had much.

And would lack the thrush's power of speech? That would follow the lack of Diplomacy.

Would you accept Acrobatics as a reasonable skill bonus for a harmless critter? And then allow that I cash in that favored class I've been hoarding toward an arcana, to be skill points instead, spent on Acrobatics to empower Gris and the Emissary, both, toward better Total Defense (and Fighting Defensively, perhaps, in Gris' case)?

I don't believe anyone cast any spells during the travel day. Of course, you can switch out spells for new ones if you wish, but your spells from "yesterday" haven't expired.

Gristav will be carrying:

Also, if you'll allow it, he'll put the Favored Class credit (that he'd been saving toward an Arcana) into Acrobatics, regardless of what you decide about the butterfly's familiar bonus, because the critter needs three ranks to improve its Total Defense, since that seems a likely usual option for it to take.

I am hesitant to sanction a design-your-own-familiar exercise, given that those who choose an 'official' familiar have to make their own balancing act between flavor (what animal do I see my PC with?) and utility (which +3 bonus would be useful?).* I designated Fly because I asked James Jacobs, without any further explanation, which Skill he associated most strongly with Desna, and that was his reply.

Keep in mind that there will be little to no reason for most of the enemies you face to attack a butterfly unless you make it obvious it's delivering spells for you -- though if you were to encounter someone with her own familiar, she may well put two and two together and see the butterfly as a valid target. In any event, if you want to cash in your FCB for Acrobatics retroactively, that's fine.

I've applied the FCB to Acrobatics.

This Emissary cannot Deliver Touch Spells, but it's likely to flit about Guidance-ing all who allow it's touch. And 1/day, it'll let someone roll all their d20s twice.

I'm delighted you also are thinking Desna. Fly from Desna better than anything else from a dread witchy unknown, for Gristav. But Fly is not what Desna has shown an interest in. I can't overspeak James, and I won't contradict you, but will you allow me to call some traits as witnesses, regarding Desna, and skills?

I will give you the option of a +2 bonus to Reflex saves, in keeping with Desna's luck.

Gameplay and Discussion threads not showing messages? Recruitment is.
This is a test.

I just posted to Discussion, and find the post number increased, but the tab still not showing messages.

I'm having no issues with either.

Was a couple hours this afternoon.

Ah, I see. That would explain it then seeing how I'm about 6 hours after the fact. :P

Busy Easter weekend. Will plan on posting Sunday afternoon to evening.

Safely in Sydney... but still sorting out interwebs collywobbles.

For clarity's sake, the deal struck with Gether was to convey the party to Riddleport. The Boneyard is the eastern outskirts of Riddleport and thus fulfills the contract. Gether's intention was to deliver you to Lubbertown, the northern outskirts of Riddleport. There was never any questions of his delivering you to the Gold Goblin's doorstep.

Since Mark is trying to get himself settled, Snake can pay the rest of the fare if need be.

I didn't bother because I can't remember at all what it was. :P

Just let me know and I can deduct it from Snake's total.

Braddon has more than enough cash.
No wait, he doesn't.
He owes people all over the place.
You guys better remember and call in those debts.
Or make a few up.
It's not like Braddon has the best memory. :-)

This hideousness is the official emissary of Desna. In all devotion, I will deny.

Instead, Gristav will shortly carve a hiding-place in a turnip, for the newest face in our crowd to shelter/hide in.

Are you going to split the party as Gristav suggests or stick together? If you do split into bait and watchers, I'm not entirely clear on where you intend Snake and Braddon to watch from, Gristav.

The scale isn't on the map, but the distance from the ridge to where the road forks east of town is about 800 feet.

Krooge's hut and bonfire is that L-shaped building overlooking the salt marsh; if you look carefully, you can see a narrow, winding path that the garbage carts take to the dumping cliff which leaves the main road where that pair of marker posts is.

The whole Boneyard is larger than Rotgut District and appears to be difficult terrain at best; the southern end is likely only swimmable at high tide, though one might be able to travel on the remains of the derelict ships.

You have an hour and a half to two hours of daylight left.

It's clearly a very bad idea, to split the party. I'll let Gristav's poor WIS take the fall for my lack of understanding of the situation, where I imagined a road alongside forest.

No problem; I wasn't sure if you were looking at the map and imagining a specific viewpoint or if you didn't realize the Boneyard was on the map.

(As an aside, one of my most fun combats involved a split party and was in Second Darkness. The party had been tipped off that their enemies were planning a raid on the Gold Goblin, so one of them camped out in front of the vault, while two patrolled the outside and two the interior of the building. I ended up with one group of enemies coming in the front door (and fighting the fighter camped out in front of the vault), one group breaking through the window at the end of the residence wing (and being discovered by the cleric and monk on patrol outside), and one breaking in the backdoor and going upstairs where they met the rogue and bard. I did a couple of rounds in each location before rotating to the next. So much fun, and very tense.)

(As I've changed the story up substantially from the original adventure, if you're interested, that encounter turned into Harvey and Friends, with the three separate groups of combatants arriving from different directions at staggered times.)

1) Only two of us have any sort of night vision, yes?

2) Computing a craft rate for a DC10 wickerwork 'cage' using the numbers of (DC:10)*(Check Result:Take10+3INT+1Guidance)=140sp/week, yielding a per diem of 20sp/day('day' of 8 hours), making a 1sp wicker globe (compare to $2.95 at Pier One Imports) should consume 24 minutes at a component cost of 3.33 copper. Let's see if Gris can get one woven to shelter (not trap) Bolboretta, before somebody observes point 1), above.

Or I can just cantrip "light" for a bit

To anyone who wishes that had gone differently, I'm sorry.

I again read the signs wrongly, guessing that if the slowest and usually rearmost of us was walking past Bo, Gris'd be in range to strike. But the dice have said differently, and now the map agrees.

It's clear that calling on stealth started a more formal clock than the one where Dancing Lights got cast retro-whenever. Someday, I'll learn the value of being the last one to declare. Maybe too late for Gristav, but someday.

As for the why of it: You don't drop your guard and get stagger-drunk if you think you're about to be attacked. And if your boss's partner has been missing for three days, you would think you're about to be attacked. Unless you did it.

But depending on how the dice run, you may not have to suffer through Gristav's explanation.

It's perfectly cool... Gristav should smack more peeps in the face unnanounced :P

It's on theme with Pulp-y action, acting on impulses right or wrong, and should open up a wide variety of scenarios depending on how we go.

Lastly... Bojasc can't be 'that' tough :P - Phil made him back down once... on a fluky roll...

Braddon, Tendal: You guys aren't near enough to see anything, nor lay a gentling hand on a shoulder. Please do look at the map, you're about 60' away, at least one corner.

I owe an action for Bolbo, I'm sorry that won't be up before lunch.

Oh, and so far as I can tell, Gristav hasn't done more than front on Bojasc, though, I, too, thought he could strike him. He has not.

Time: wibbly.

Gotcha. Had not realised that when Snake and Gristav rounded the corner, they had in fact had double moved and left the room.

Kidding, right? I think what actually happened in the mind of the GM was we were randomly divided between the two possible doors to the casino floor. Then I guess Gris stealthed, Snake strode, and (but not in the mind of the GM) Phillip walked past Bojasc. I credit Mark with a superior understanding of Joanna's inflection/intent, so...

In my mind about then, we were all walking(had walked/would walk) past Bojasc, and that was when I had intended Gris to strike, and then question Bo, who, drunk and in shock, might let some word or expression slip that the major Sense Motives of the group might pick up. But Gris was still some steps away, and so...

Snake responded to the question and the attack. Tendal(65 feet away) uses Gentling Hand of the Apprentice, power-stunting it to not need line of sight. Braddon moves for the flank...

It's Bolbo's turn. I promise something by (during) lunch.

The party slips down the alley behind the Goblin with extreme caution and quietly unlocks the kitchen door. The interior is dark and quiet. The kitchen is a mess, uncleaned dishes and utensils left spread over the tables, along with several empty bottles. A few days' worth of baskets from the bakery sit among the detritus, partially picked through but mostly going stale.

The party enters the back door of the Goblin (at the top left of the map and takes the first right into the kitchen.

Braddon says he's heading to the vault, and Phillip says he's going to his room, both of which require exiting the kitchen and crossing the casino floor.

Alarmed at the state of the kitchen, the men move toward the double doors onto the casino floor and thence to the vault or residence wing beyond. Braddon is just about to push them open when the party hears heavy footsteps stumping unevenly down the stairs from the second story.

The party has just reached the doors (which I keep misremembering as double doors, when in fact, they are two separate doors with a bit of wall between) when they hear someone coming down the stairs to the second floor (marked "up" on the map, as they go up from the maini floor). Everyone freezes, or hides, somewhere in the area where Braddon, Tendal, and Phil still are in the kitchen, next to the door to the casino floor Braddon was just about to push open.

A light approaches along with the footsteps. As they reach the foot of the stairs, the footsteps stumble, and there is a thud as someone leans heavily against the opposite wall to steady himself. When the footfalls begin again, the light visible through the doorway to the staff break room recedes along with the footprints; whoever came down the stairs is heading toward the narrow corridor between the bar and the back door, not into the kitchen. He seems to be making no attempt at stealth.

Bojasc arrives at the foot of the "up" staircase. He can go left (down) toward the staff break-room and the kitchen or right (up) toward the back corridor that leads between the back door and the bar. He goes right and never enters the room you guys are in at all. (If he had, he would have seen you, as he is carrying a light.)

Gristav states that he is going to try to sneak after the person who came down the stairs. Snake decides simply to confront him, bringing his lights with him. Gristav is stealthing and moving at half-speed, so Snake moves past him. To follow Bojasc, you guys both had to leave the kitchen and move into the corridor at the foot of the stairs because Bojasc never came toward you guys; if he had, he would have seen you because he is carrying a light.

Phillip never moved past Bojasc at all as they were never in the same room. Tendal, Braddon, and Phillip still haven't seen him, although I'm sure they recognized his voice from around the corner.

Looking at the coordinates on the combat map, Bojasc took the path N19-M19-M17-M16-L16-K16-J16. Snake and Gristav started from R9-10ish and went across the N row and up the 16 column. The only doors that lead onto the casino floor are at Q13 and S10. The back corridor to the bar does not offer access to the casino floor, without physically climbing over the bar.

Is everyone clear on the map now?

Some of the confusion would have been lessened at the table by pointing at a map, but whether Gristav was close enough to strike Bojasc this round or not is ultimately irrelevant, honestly. Attacking initiates combat and ends any chance that Bojasc is going to have a conversation.

Attacking initiates combat and ends any chance that Bojasc is going to have a conversation

Gristav has not yet attacked, yes? Lots of others are conversing.

I'm late for a post promised at lunch, IT is like that.

Oh, I got the impression that Bojasc was being accused of disappearing Saul. Either way, Tendal isn't in for just getting in a fight in his place of work, especially with those he is supposed to be working with.

Hence the thought that they should talk first.

Is everyone clear on the map now?

Sorry... I should have actually looked at the map you worked so very hard to prepare.

*Hangs head and nudges floor with toe*

Although I'm pretty sure I've said it before, it was likely years ago, and I cannot give enough credit where credit is due: The glorious maps of the interior of the Gold Goblin were created by Simonutti Pierre. I have only snagged them for my own use of his artistic talent.

To be clear, Gristav can absolutely continue his speech over his following rounds; I'm not just cutting him off. But since we're in combat rounds, other people have the chance to take actions while he's still talking (and can, of course, interrupt if they like).

There's no way he's getting through all that in 6 seconds. ;)

Sorry, again, to have misread the situation. I had reasoned (and had let Gris reason...) that with everyone waiting for Gris, some demanding his explanation, that he might make it... But no, reasonable that Bo share his news then.

No, Gris won't continue the oratory as written, much as Gris never swung the blow that started the battle. But hopefully, in the same way that everyone has responded to the unswung blow, they might somehow hear the sense, if not the words. Like with arguments stricken from a court transcript, the jurors still heard, and might still remember.

Perhaps by the time Gris' turn comes around again, there'll be little enough traffic that he'll be able to cross on Bojasc's "still on about that"... When was Gris 'on about it' previously, will be the question. Maybe somebody else can ask it; Gris has spent his words, it seems.

In some mirror universe, a clean-shaven Gristav bellows to Bojasc to be silent, yes, even with Saul missing, if Bo had time to drink, he's got time to listen to the explanation he and the rest demanded. mirror-Gris might say. Maybe that Gris landed that blow.

But our Gris has had his friends ask for calm. Here it is.

We can move into tense stand-down (and out of combat rounds) if weapons are sheathed and everyone drops their readies. Otherwise, we're talking like this.