Aaaah! A devil!
I'm so confident this is going to go well, I'm going to head back to the stable for a nap. Good luck! ;)
Looks like our goal of not raising the alarm may not work out.
Our best hope is that the hound fails its save against Sidius' Slumber hex (range 30 ft).
Lubella could try to Fascinate it with her bardic performance, but that has a number of issues:
1: Fascinate requires both visual and audible components, so it does make some noise.
2: Any threat such as drawing a weapon, aiming a weapon at the target, or casting a spell, automatically breaks the effect.
3: The DC is only 15.
I believe Arcos knows Ghost Sound, so that's one possibility for a diversion.
I was pretty resigned to the likelihood of the hound barking loudly when Lubella tried another diversion. She's hoping to get the beast well away from the gate, since there's no telling how good an athlete the young nobleman is; he might not be able to scale the wall quickly.
Even if the Fascinate performance works, guards or dottari are likely to show up, but there'll hopefully be some delay. One way or another, she needs to give Talvek and Marquel enough time to get out of the compound.
Her back-up plan is always to cast Expeditious Retreat and run like hell. :)
Yup! I agree. Just reacting IC.
Petition to change Talvek's code name to Spidercat.
Ok, so, yay Slumber Hex? :)
I'm thinking, since I have an idea how long it lasts, Sidius would start casting a summon to coincide with the end of it - gives the hound (and any guards/dottari) something to focus on - though I'll do it sooner if there's a need to distract any guards immediately.
The idea was for Talvek to lower Marquel down with the rope, so that he doesn't have to climb down. Then Talvek would climb down after him.
Hi all. Just an FYI, I'll try to stay current this week but it's the election, our son's daycare is closed tomorrow so teachers and staff can vote, and I may have a 48-hour hangover after tomorrow night. Seriously, though, I'll try to stay current, just wanted to explain in advance if I'm AWOL.
Understood. My sons grade school just switched back to virtual today as several teachers and kids out with COVID .
Tomorrow we will play it by ear...will check back Wednesday.
I presume that if we escaped via the sewers, we would need to swim at some point; it's dangerous to assume that the sewers have a direct connection to the rest of the city. And we haven't located an entrance inside the Greens in-game.
Sidius shakes his head, "We should have scouted.
Lubella did scout, I just rolled badly on the perception check. :(
Talvek looked as well, but neither of us could tell that, what looked like animal tracks on the estate grounds, weren't left by an animal.
Oh I know, it's just Sidius hating feeling unprepared.
Might need to spend some time making some utility alchemy after this.
”Sewers? Ewww. Seriously? Maybe it will be better if I just return to my quarters. “ Maquel states with a turned up nose.
We might need a non-sewer option here.
Sorry, had to throw that one in. This is a pampered noble's son after all. :)
I'm having trouble seeing any good options here. I'm assuming that:
1. Standing and fighting will end in disaster.
2. We won't all be able to get away unnoticed.
3. Trying to bribe them is unlikely to succeed (I could be wrong, but have no way to guess the chances).
4. We'll be found if we stay where we are.
Try to get over the wall and into the rest of the city? We have some invisibility options still, but the hounds are a problem. If we have anything that smells very strongly we can use that to try and break the scent trail.
Lead them through/near an abbatoir or a fish market, maybe?
I don't think there would be any of those in the Greens, it's supposed to be an upscale residential area.
That's a fair point. Crossing water, then, is likely the best course of action
Sounds like we'll likely be spotted leaving the stable; the searchers are only 300 ft away, and someone's bound to blow their stealth roll.
Should we try to hide and hope that Lubella removed enough of the cologne to throw the dogs off? Obviously I have no idea if that can work; just throwing it out there.
That takes a pretty big botch with the distance penalty -- though I guess noble sons may not be as sneaky as the rest of us.
Accepting that, maybe we use his clothes - with his scent - to drag the dogs away. A wild goose chase could be enough distraction to allow the rest of the party to get him to a better hiding spot or to water.
Talvek still has 2 potions of invisibility, and an extract for himself. I think trying to draw the dogs away using Marquel's clothes is worth trying while we try to get to water.
Does anyone have a 2nd pair of medium sized clothes? It may be tricky to get Miquel though the gate in the morning otherwise. Although I guess we do have the 2nd Invisibility!
Lubella does have a 2nd set of clothes, but they may be a bit small for him. :)
I like Talvek's idea. What about giving Aldren the clothes, he goes out as dottari, says he found the clothes in a pile, and y'all find a new to hide (sans Marquel's clothes and eau de toilette). I do not have an extra pair of clothes on me, though.
As long as we have enough time, and a suitable escape route, to make our escape. The alternative is to hide in the stable, and hope that they follow the scent outside and away from us.
@GM Aarvid: Is there enough cover for us to potentially sneak away from the stables without being seen?
There has not been anyone closer than the hounds and their keepers at 300 feet (although probably 200 after all the discussion). The darkness and high gates and hedgerows will provide some fair cover, depending on where you go.
There is one gate back into the city and one away to lands to the east. Both are locked and guarded until morning, however.
OK, looks like we have to settle on our diversion plan. It's going to involve risk for the person taking the clothes bearing the scent. I'm OK with Aldren disguising himself as a dottari and saying he found them. He could need to come up with a convincing bluff to send the searchers in the wrong direction. The alternative is someone else taking the clothes and leading the searchers on a wild goose chase (would require good stealth to avoid capture, and would have to ditch the clothes at some point).
The person with the clothes is going to be out on a limb; it will be difficult for others to support them if things go wrong. I propose that Lubella stays with Marquel and acts as the communication hub. She will cast Message on everyone before Talvek heads out. She will whisper something short like 'clear' every few minutes, when no enemies are nearby, to indicate that it's safe for her to receive a message. Hopefully that will allow us to find each other afterwards, while minimizing the risk of alerting the searchers. The other lone characters will use the same procedure to minimize risk of discovery.
Thoughts? The searchers are close enough that we have to make a quick decision.
EDIT: The range on Lubella's Message spell is 150 ft.
You can whisper messages and receive whispered replies. Those nearby can hear these messages with a DC 25 Perception check. You point your finger at each creature you want to receive the message. When you whisper, the whispered message is audible to all targeted creatures within range. Magical silence, 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal (or a thin sheet of lead), or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks the spell. The message does not have to travel in a straight line. It can circumvent a barrier if there is an open path between you and the subject, and the path's entire length lies within the spell's range. The creatures that receive the message can whisper a reply that you hear. The spell transmits sound, not meaning; it doesn't transcend language barriers. To speak a message, you must mouth the words and whisper.
I'm thinking making a run for it disguised as Marquel might be better. With distance, I don't think there's any real issue with the "look like someone else" part of the roll, and that lets Talvek keep his invisibility if it turns out you all need to hide that he's there -- Sidius can magically disguise himself, currently has a potion of inivisibility in case he gets cornered, and plus, it might be possible to stuff the clothes somewhere that the dogs can't get to (sadly, the better plan of putting them on something that moves is less useful due to curfew).
I'm not opposed to that idea either. I just want to make sure you would be comfortable with the risk involved. It would be difficult for anyone else to help if Sidius got cornered.
I'm kind of hoping the ability to turn invisible at least long enough to put on a different disguise will save me.
Otherwise, well, I'm sure I'll enjoy my new character. ;)
Wheeeee! Splitting the party! This will go fabulously well.
I actually think it's a decent enough plan. Fingers crossed.
To be clear, my understanding is:
1. Talvek is scouting for a new place to hide
2. Sidius is going take the shirt and scent somewhere else
3. Lubella is guiding Marquel
4. Aldren is going to try to distract/delay the dottari
5. Arcos is...?
That's my understanding too.
I'm assuming that we're best using the gate back into the city, after curfew lifts. There's also the Silver Gate, leading out of the city, but I don't see an advantage to going that way. And trying to climb the wall doesn't seem a good idea.
I have to admit it, I am enjoying all the entertaining posts planning this rescue mission. Essentially locked in a quarter of the city as fugitives for 8 hours.
I'd forgotten about Aldren's Hat of Disguise. That's the easiest solution to the risk of Marquel being recognized.
This may be the first campaign I've ever been in where a Hat of Disguise might actually save the day. ;)
Should we be leveling up to 6th now, or not yet?
Actually yes. Congrats!
Start planning your level 6. I just need to finish post with captain but that put you over the top.
Woo!
Posting this here for future reference:
Captain Sargaeta now functions as an
ally to the rebellion:
Examples of favors that the captain can
easily provide include accompanying the PCs on a single
day’s adventures (or sending his first mate in his place);
allowing the PCs the use of his crew during a rebellion
action (the crew can serve as a bonus infiltrator team in
this case); a gift of 2,000 gp (it takes the captain 1d4 days
to round up the money); or transporting them, free of
charge and under cover, to a neighboring port (such as
Vyre).
There may be other specific favors written into future adventures, so use these wisely.
Witch 6:
+1 BAB, Fort, Will, Ref
+7 hp (4, +2 con, +1 FC)
+ Patron Spell: Remove Disease
+ 2 New Spells: Fly, Summon Monster III
+ New Hex: Cackle
+ 7 skill points: Bluff, Fly, Heal, Perception, Spellcraft, Stealth, UMD
+ 1 point to diplomacy (headband)
+ 2 Background Skills: Profession (Herbalism), Linguistics (Terran)
Looking at which Investigator talents to pick up next. I narrowed it down to Empathy (roll twice on Sense Motive and take highest, Detect Thoughts once per day), Quick Study (Studied Combat as swift action rather than move), or Trap Spotter.
Thoughts?
You'll want Quick Study soon. Lubella will be picking up Haste next level, and when you drop an enemy, you'd prefer to be making full attacks while hasted and studying a new target as a swift action, rather than studying as a move action. Mind you, she will be likely prioritizing Good Hope over Haste. At 8th you'll also be getting an iterative attack. As soon as you have multiple attacks, Quick Study is a big help to you action economy.
I would agree with that, take Quick Study now so you can take Sickening Offensive next time you get a talent (it's way too useful to not take).
Amazing Inspiration (d8s instead of d6d) also becomes available at 8th lvl (7th lvl Investigator). When I played an investigator, I took the feat Extra Investigator Talent several times, because there are so many good talents.
Lubella lvl 6 highlights:
+9 HP
+1 2nd lvl spells/day
+1 2nd lvl spell known (Glitterdust)
+2 rnds/day bardic performance
Adventuring Skill Ranks:
+1 Diplomacy
+1 Escape Artist
+1 Perception
+1 Perform (Sing)
+2 Perform Dance
+1 Stealth
Background Skill ranks:
+1 Linguistics (Celestial)
+1 Perform Dance
FCB: +1 HP
Versatile Performance Dance (Acrobatics/Fly)
I'll note that, as written, Versatile Performance Dance doesn't increase Lubella's AC when she's fighting defensively. She uses her total Perform Dance skill in place of her Acrobatics skill bonus, but doesn't gain any more actual ranks in Acrobatics. And her existing skill point in Acrobatics essentially no longer does anything.