The Brute Squad Matrimony (Inactive)

Game Master ThorGN

If you've never been to GenCon, it's a tremendous experience I recommend for any gamer. You should attend at least once, cos it's the mother of them all and, often quite literally, everyone is there.

I find, personally, that I now prefer smaller conventions myself. GenCon can be a tad overwhelming. But that's a choice I've made after going to several GenCons. If I ever go again, it'll only be for Thursday and Friday; by Saturday afternoon, I'm very much done. YMMV. :-)

Note to self, stop posting when tired. 1 hour edit window really sucks when you see grammar/spelling mistakes the next morning, ugh.....

Yeah, that crit had me a little worried too. I just realized for the first time in PBP world we are not overloaded on melees.

Yeah, for some reason I was thinking he provoked from both guys that are threatening him, but that's not the case.

Ah okay. Yea, I definitely wouldn't be punching people if I thought I was provoking twice. The first thing going in my head was "Of course the lowest level guy is getting critted."

I'm off from tomorrow until Sunday for Conception. I have my phone with me and will try to follow and post - but it depends how hectic it is.

I'm trying to take it slightly more relaxed and haven't yet booked out all my slots.

Anya and Yandu can draw some attacks if needed. I felt the two lonly ones in front needed some support. I can't yet tell how much the spells help or not.

I take a particular delight from successfully Hold Personing Olaf that may need explained post-session. Here's to hoping he doesn't break this round! (Even if he does, he lost a full round.)

This reminds me of the time I advised the party mage to drop a fireball on a Frost Giant and a Winter Wolf, even though our Rogue was in melee with them. “She has Evasion and will totally make her Reflex save!” I said.

... She died.

Erin, you shall not have died in vain! ;-)

(Though hopefully you will get healed, too...)

You have 18 seconds Rosham, use them wisely :p.

Okay, I admit this made me laugh out loud. X-D

Hey, guys. Remember all those really low social rolls?

I I have never played a ranged character before. It really is painful to watch heroes drops while I sit from afar.

I'm trying to understand how Hero's Defiance is supposed to work mechanically. One way to read it would be that it heals you after you take damage that reduces you to 0, but that does not help if you are dead. The other option is that it reduces the damage you take by the healed amount. That is more helpful, but makes less sense mechanically.

My search-fu has not yielded any answers.

This actually was brought up at out table this weekend during our Saturday Shackles group. I currently have an item specifically bought for this purpose on a character in that AP. I personally think it should activate when you hit 0 hp, thus healing the person, then applying the rest of the damage. Amira was of the mind that it heals you when you take the hit, thus being worthless in this situation as Adamus was at full HP when he took the hit. Our table was split 50/50 on the discussion, so we ruled DM discretion on the matter.

I think it is your call, as the ability is not worded very well. I am generally a story>mechanics type though.

Let's just move on for now as things stand.

I'm cool with GM discretion on many things where RAW is ambiguous. Most of the time it's not a big deal, but this basically puts me in the position where my personal opinion can kill a character outright or not. That is exceedingly uncomfortable, and bad for party dynamics, GM trust, etc.

Well, I am blind and full defensed for 3 rounds as I cannot see. So, other people have a little bit of time to figure out what is going on.

I understand where you're coming from. Either way, I can't do anything for a while anyhow.

I can understand the discomfort on making that call. In my game I've ruled it as working the way it's currently (as in, yes, it saves you.)

Ok, Rosham has some serious agro.

That's the Magus in a nutshell: the ultimate glass cannon. :-)

I see your perspective on [i]hero's defiance[i/], Brute. I tend to be a rules-as-intended guy and that, combined with it as an immediate action, would indicate to me that it should work as the blow is coming in. But I can see, mechanically, how that's really, really dicey in this case.

Sorry for being away. Internet at the Convention was terrible. WiFi didn't work in the trade hall (where I was GMing) and in the Lodge - so I didn't buy an overprized connection that I could only use while close to reception.
And even the phone wouldn't work. I try to catch up.

I'm trying to understand how Hero's Defiance is supposed to work mechanically. One way to read it would be that it heals you after you take damage that reduces you to 0, but that does not help if you are dead. The other option is that it reduces the damage you take by the healed amount. That is more helpful, but makes less sense mechanically.

My search-fu has not yielded any answers.

If it helps to tip the balance - Yandu was more or less ready to administer healing (well - me the player was ABSOL ...).

And just reading Heroes Defiance - it seems to me it only makes sense if you can apply it even if you are massivly hit. But I haven't seen the discussions yet.

The source is internet - so

The instant before you are reduced to 0 or fewer ...

To me this means

Paladin has x HP left

Step 1 Paladin gets hit with y damage, y >= x

Step 2 Paladin loses x-1 HP to reduce him to 1 HP

Step 3 Paladin uses Heroes Defiance and heals back z HP

Step 4 - all remaining damage from the hit is applied

The wording in the second part would be more clear if stating - if it keeps the HP above 0 not bring it back. Off course - this bringing back above 0 is while you could argue all damage is applied first.

Edit: And you aren't stable in the way I read it if you are below 0 HP as the healing happens while the damage is applied.

That little amount of damage Anya did actually made a big difference.

Yep. Every bit helps. :-)

BTW, congrats to Thod. :-)

link

BTW, congrats to Thod. :-)

link

Thanks !!

Looks like the Lantern Archon will only be a very small speed-bump and rolls haven't been great. So maybe a single needle prick - if at all

Losing two fighters in round 1 is bad for the moral.

I'm open for options

Haste - will help the remaining ones - current plan for next round if everyone is close enough
Melee weapon - well - at least he is threatening but Yandu isn't a fighter and I need first to figure out if he even affects them
Spawning more Lantern Archons (or something else) - might have to look at options here
Something completely different ?

Haste is good. Though turn 1/top of the initiative Fear threw a wrench in our plans. We need to group up and tackle one thing at a time. Either the Daemons or the BBEG.

Hard to argue with haste; gives the remaining PCs a fighting chance, so to speak.

With Amira out of the picture for nine more rounds, Knowledge checks are a must. It's the only way we'll have any idea how to battle what we're up against.

I think we have to take down the BBEG first and foremost. But save the smite for the outsiders.

Also, does it make sense to dismiss Anya in favor of other summonings?

EDIT: LOL, I see that appears to already have been done. I'll hush now. :-)

Yea, I was thinking that. I think for future summons, we'll need something beefier to help tank. Like an Auroch or a Wolverine.

The Lantern Archon has Cha 10 - so Smite isn't doing anything (as far as I can tell). It was first choice until I (or others) figure out more information. Seemed roleplay wise a sound solution and hopefully draws attention from BBEG at least for a single round - unless someone makes a bigger impact to draw his attention.
Unfortunately can't do both - haste and summoning - people seemed to far spread out for Haste to affect them all. I guess if Adamus just gets a few feet closer, then we are fine.
I think we started with the BBEG - so we should follow on with him. And yes - Anya was dismissed ahead of time.
Another alternative - multiple celestial eagles - 1d4+1 - to keep the daemons occupied.

I cannot see the map right now, but quick question. Were Amira or I close enough to benefit from Adamus' Aura of Courage, and would it have made a difference? Just figured I would ask as my combat contribution thus far has been to kick a guy in the junk....haha.

And an excellent junk kick it was! Unfortunately, you were definitely more than 10' away :-(

Yea, you were too far, otherwise I would have mentioned it. There's a good chance that by the time you come back from your running away, the combat will still be going. So don't worry.

Hi - this looks bad at the moment.

I'm torn between two options to tell the Lantern Archon - trying to disrupt the next casting - - attacking him once or just attacking three times.

Well - maybe the daemons ate not what they look like - but if they are then we hardly have anyone left fighting BBEG.

Hmm - thinking about it - will just do three attacks on BBEG with Lantern Archin. Hope Rosham will be close enough to take care of BBEG.

Help me kill the demon next to me if possible. I have 11 hp and I need time to heal.

There are several options:

1) Taking out the BBEG as quickly as possible and hoping the three demons disappear in case they are summoned.
2) Hoping the demons are illusions as well as the spell and ignoring them.
3) Talking out the demon next to Adamus
4) Retreat

My knowledge plane check failed. I doubt these are illusions - but I'm not even sure you are currently make full damage and I would guess the one next to Adamus is not even close to go down.

Do you still have the smite? Or is it already active.

It is 4 of us against 4 of them. Adamus went down in a single round and only was kept up by Heroic Defiance. Group heal aka channel has run off, backstab has run off.

Yandu tried to play for time (the Archon) and is buffing now. But I won't deal (much) damage. The Latern Archon is weak - but it can overcome DR. at least in case I roll half decent.
I can try and summon something beefier between Afamus and the demon. Bishop is fighting 2 of them now and is being flanked.

We need more information - what are they, how to fight them (overcome DR), do we actually do enough damage to take them down quickly. We can't afford losing 5-10 damage per hit on them.

I have it, I just haven't had the actions to use it. We need something to tank for a while. I can hit hard, but I'm a little exposed due to the lack of armor. I would say help Bishop, but he has double my AC and he's full hp. We need to kill the demons one at a time and try to survive the BBEG.

Adamus

There is nobody in the group who can effectively tank at the moment.

AC21 Bishop is still 55% hits coming through.

So let's do the math. 6 attacks total, assume 50% of threads confirm and we can calculate:

6 * 0.6 * 11.5 = 41 Damage / round. Bishop will 'Tank' just a little bit more as one round if he takes all the damage. Not including anything extra from the BBEG.

Rosham will last just 1 round - some for Yandu.

I try to keep out-of game knowledge and in-game knowledge apart. That is why I'm waiting for Rosham to give us additional info from his knowledge check - and why I'm doing a heal check to confirm what I think - that you currently only scratch the demon next to you due to DR.

We need to ensure they can't flank us or it looks even worse. Your lack of armour is an issue. This makes you just into a speed block - a minor - for these creatures. They deal damage faster on you as you can heal.

There was a reason I added 4) retreat into the options. It fits role play wise to Yandu - but the question is - do they have more combined HP compared to us and o they out damage us or is it the other way round.

If they out damage us then playing for time won't help. We don't last until Erin and Amira are back.

I have the arrows to overcome DR. I just need the space to use it. Three arrows from me will hurt, but not as much as a against humans. I don't mind fighting a retreating battle. If they're summoned, we might be able to outlast them. I'm hoping I can drop the human before I have to flee.

I have 1 scroll of protection from Evil - IF the creatures are summoned.

Possible targets
Bishop - as he then can fire without danger of being killed by the demons
Rosham - to go 1on1 against the BBEG
Adamus - to keep him alive

That assumes Yandu lasts long enough and manages to cast the spell.

If you hit one of us, we can back into a corner and protect the other. Like I said, I've got a quiver full of goodies.

I have another idea.....

Characters who are panicked are shaken, and they run away from the source of their fear as quickly as they can, dropping whatever they are holding. Other than running away from the source, their paths are random. They flee from all other dangers that confront them rather than facing those dangers. Once they are out of sight (or hearing) of any source of danger, they can act as they want. Panicked characters cower if they are prevented from fleeing.

PRD URL

Just noting this for relevancy.

It's a GM call as I don't know if there is more pandemonium outside the tent and for game reason we just deal with Arastax and the 3 demons.

But having you back soonish would be pretty relevant.

Also if someone (Rosham) can tell me if they are chaotic? I have another scroll of pretection from Chaos.

This is a tent - so not sure how much protection 'a corner' will give. But we have tables to turn over. They are larger as tower shields and we can build our own fortified table enclosure.

Scroll of generate pit, wand of grease, summon more critters. Hmmm - which of these is even available in a single turn without losing too much time to undo the peace binding around it.

I hope protection scrolls and wand of CLW are available.

GM - Just to reaffirm I will follow your calls. I'm only discussing options here. Please slow me down if you feel Yandu is trying too many actions. Hope some of what he tries right now is mainly observation and istantaneous.

Even if they're summoned, we can't just wait them out. I mean, that's 8 more rounds that we have survive. And when I say I need to heal, I mean I need enough hp to not die from the next AOE spell. I'm not trying to outheal there damage. I'm just out of Heroic Defiances to ward off Brute's attempts to kill me... :)

Should I focus on BBEG or work to try and help Adamus stay alive?

Well personally I would appreciate the demon off my back, but everyone has focused on the BBEG, so I guess trying to finish him wouldn't be the worst idea.

Yeah, I can certainly understand that. :-)

My concern is that we're basically fighting a two-front war and we're already 1/3 down in power.

I don’t want to tell you guys what to do, but I might recommend a tactical retreat. There is combat outside and all around the tent, but for games reasons you only need to deal with these guys yourself. Hiding for 2 min to get your healers and rogues back is not a bad idea.

I don't object to the idea of a withdrawal to regroup, but is there anyone left in the tent besides us? Rosham is an arrogant pr!ck, but he won't let innocents suffer by his own inaction. (He'd strive to be a benevolent, if prideful and unlikeable, ruler, LOL.)