Shadows of the Sand (Inactive)

Game Master caster4life

I think manacling the monk is going to be pretty hard. You would have to pin first. They do trust you right now, though, so their CMD and AC is flat-footed against you, for the moment.

Work is a little crazy at the moment. Happy to fall in line with whatever plan appears to be emerging from the battle. Will check back in soon.

I'm really unsure what Zaza would do here so I'm unsure I want to bot you. Do you have an estimate of how long you need? Because this fight could go pretty badly for Amari and I don't want that to be because I bot a move you wouldn't actually make.

Should be able to update a little later today.

Bit of a weird day with polar vortex and some other stuff. Will be bale to update tomorrow morning (Eastern US).

@Agaban: A protection from evil (assuming the mind effect is evil) might help, as it gives an immediate re-save for ongoing effects with a +2.

Would Amari know what is usually kept in the storehouse?
Simply food'n'stuff I'd guess?
In that case, I think it would be best to hurry up and get into the main building.
No one can tell how fast the overwhelmed monks will be discovered...

Yes food n stuff is an appropriate description.

Draw a path.
Trying to approach the storehouse in such a way that it will block-out line of sight from the other watchtower as far as possible.

Just wondering...Agaban isn't trained in Knowledge (local) but could I make an appraise check or would that not work in this scenario...if so and you want to roll to move it along he has a +6 modifier for that skill.

Agaban appraise: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

@Hadha and Stealth Synergy:
There was this discussion a while back.
Not sure if he simply forgot to make the swap in his char sheet or if he decided to wait until lvl 5 for a retrain / take it a feat.
After the problems we encountered back then, with him nearly dying after giving us away, I thought it quite appropriate for us to give him some extra lessons as to how our team is doing things ;-)

That's a definite forgetting on my part. I don't think I've even used precise shot yet...

I have updated my profile with the previously approved change.

Nice!

Crap.
Well, then there is no reason to be here in the first place if we have to walk through all of the manson to go down...
I'd recommend backing out of the kitchen asap and walk around the south-side of the monastary, ducked low below any windows and enter between m15 and m17.
That way we will remain out of sight of the other watchtower and have a reasonable chance to remain undetected.

So to orient you guys as to the big arc here, I originally stated this adventure would run to level 5 and then we would re-evaluate. I am quite busy right now with finishing up my doctorate so we will stick with that but not run past level 5, or at least much. This current mission will prompt one final mission and then I think we will have a satisfyingly complete story. Just a heads up.

Ahh what a shame.
Fully understandable as it is, I really enjoy this game and would seriously love to see it go on forever :-)
I can somewhat relate, since I did my master thesis not too long ago, while running a game here simultaneously.
I made it through by strictly limiting my rate of posting and thus effort put into the game per day. Reduced it to something like an hour a day, be it preparation for story-to-come or ic posts. Then again, there were times when I was slow to progress and i put the game on hiatus for the last two weeks before submission date for the last sprint everyone tries to prevent and everyone fails to do so ;-)

Not wanting to press you for anything of course, just giving an off-the-heart reply.
Just in case you play with the thought of continuing it at a slower pace or after a lengthy hiatus ... I’d probable be on board :-)

That is totally fair. And having another mission following this one suggests there's more to this monastery story than we know! Looking forward to the discovery.

I am perfectly happy with whatever you decide. Only you know your circumstances and I respect your ability to know when to quit. I sometimes have trouble with that.

Agree with Hadha...though if after a break you want to start back up and continue the storyline/missions. I would be more than willing to continue forward at that point.

Down with flu. Will update when can.

Sorry to hear that--get rest and feel better!

Hope you get to feeling better, but take your time and get well.

On the mend but catching up with a bunch of stuff.

FYI, Shameless self-promotion

Nice work, Amari!

Seems you guys are ready. Will be able to update tomorrow morning.

A heads up, due to a vacation, I will be sporadic at best from March 25th until April 5th. I'll post as able but it will almost certainly be far less than normal.

Thanks for the heads up. Hope you're heading somewhere awesome!

Thanks! China. My first time in Asia so excited.

FYI, it's effectively a new round of combat. You're just not NECESSARILY still in combat.

Safe travels and hope you have a great time...don't worry about missing a few posts take the time and enjoy your trip.

I just want to be very clear, the Djinn says do NOT go in alone. This particular puzzle is impossible to solve alone, even for a very powerful character. It's just a built-in part of the challenge.

Assuming I understand our situation right, some of us need to go while others need to stay to defend us? Especially since I blew the bluff check.

Looks like it.

Lets see if I can't salvage this just a little...

Kinda sick due to a food poisoning or a virus with similar syndromes.
Getting better but good thinking isn't my strong point atm

Any guess what those tests may be?
Physical or psychical in nature?

Sorry to hear that, Amari. Hope you get better soon. I lived in constant fear of food poisoning while in Cambodia...

Re test nature: Ask the Djinn.

Just to lay out the reasoning behind my proposed team split:

Hadha is our skill monkey so has to go.
Zaza also has a decent array of skills, so I think makes sense to go.
We need a combat specialist, and Amari's preferred combat mode is ranged, which is not as good at holding a door.

Lo and Serenity are our melee pair to hold the line.
Agaban can heal and can summon a bunch of eagles or something to get in the way.

I could see swapping Agaban and Zaza.

Up to you guys. As you've noticed, I like throwing problems at you guys and waiting for your solutions. I'm not very railroady, especially in this game. It'd feel really dumb to say "You are a team of crack operatives. And I say you decide to infiltrate the compound tonight by sneaking in through the south entrance."

To all my games:

My wife gave birth to a baby boy yesterday! He came two months early. Mom and baby are well. Expect some delays in the near-term before I can catch up. Please bot me as needed.

Oh wow, congratulations!

Congratulations, Zaza! Glad to hear both are well. No worries here. Will bot.

Congrats!

Congratulations Zaza.

Congratulations!

So, I'm back! But I think Zaza is unconscious on the floor?

Bad choice to give up the healing wand to Agaban in retrospect. Really hope that doesn't screw us over.

Glad to hear it! Congrats again!

Yeah... you guys have no healing with you whatsoever, right? That won't be the biggest possible problem but it won't be great either...

I could be woken up with my favorite item--Smelling Salts.

Being able to move and open doors may be necessary!

And tell folks what you see!