Taty - I also misunderstood your plan to cast bane, thinking you meant the area effect spell. But if you can make one of Felrin's claws a bane weapon, he can do the other, and that would be very helpful.
^ of course!
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@Etna: Technically initiative is rolled even for the surprise round. Either wait to roll for the unaware party until the first regular round, or roll for them with everyone else and simply skip them during the surprise round.
@Felrin/Taty: Yes, I assume she meant using her legacy weapon focus power to add the bane (elementals) property to our weapons, not the rather sucky 1st level spell. :P
I don't think this elemental is going to last very much. :P
I wouldn't be so sure. What this thing has on us is maneuverability. I doubt any of us melee characters are going to get a full attack on it. I believe it has a high fly speed and perfect maneuverability. It has no incentive to come down and play with us, and can likely fly circles around us. I know the Beast's current Fly skill is -2 (due to large size), so he'll not be able to do any fancy maneuvers. That means he has to fly at least half speed every round just to stay aloft (normally 15', haste would make it 30' on a strict interpretation; not sure if it is actually supposed to be a downside like this), and can only ascend or turn at up to 45 degree angles.
Your fly spell has a built in Fly check bonus equal to caster level, so Felrin and Erevan should have +8 and +9 respectively due to large size and no armor check penalty (note that the Beast is still wearing Its breastplate, as I'm hoping to draw the elemental's attacks), so they'll be better off, but some of the DCs are still rather high (fly less than half speed is only DC 10, turn greater than 45 degrees and hover are 15, turn 180 and ascend at greater than 45 are 20), so they're not guaranteed to succeed.
If the elemental has spring attack, and I would not be surprised if it does, we're in a bit of a pickle; the men may be more distractions/damage sponges while the women pick the thing off with spells. Regardless, since this is going to be a 3d fight, all flying combatants should keep a strict eye on our altitude as well as position.
tl;dr: Even if DMD doesn't have some hidden trick waiting for us, this fight might be like trying to catch a fly out of the air with a pair of chopsticks.
Something about needing blood.
Yeah! Less critical, obviously, but I want an opponent I can sneak attack! I don't think I've gotten off a single flank/sneak attack since level 1 or 2, and I have literally never used my bleeding attack discovery that I've had since level 4! I want to see you get pissed at me for "wasting" all that good blood. :P
Honestly? The only "trick" I'm trying to master right now is how to map this fight in 3-D...
But I'm waiting for you guys to start the surprise round. If it survives that, I'll think about mapping.
Well, I started shooting, hopefully everyone will follow. :P
And for mapping, I advise to make the map as normal, but note separately at how much distance someone is up in the air: that should be enough.
Let me just put this here to have it handy for the IC thread...
Effects: Aura of Cowardice (enemies take –4 on saves vs. fear and lose immunity to fear; 10-ft. aura), Bane (weapon gains the bane vs. elementals enchantment; duration 6-8 rounds), Beacon of Evil (+1 morale bonus to AC and on attack and damage rolls and saves vs. fear, ignore first 5 points of hardness when attacking unattended inanimate objects; 30-ft. aura, duration 1 minute), bless (+1 morale bonus on attack rolls and saves vs. fear; duration 7 minutes), Enlarge (increase size to Large and space to 10 ft. and reach to 10 ft., +2 size bonus to Str, -2 size penalty to Dex, -1 penalty on attack rolls and AC, affects melee weapons and increases their damage; duration 7-8 rounds), fly (gain flight with speed 60 ft. and good maneuverability, +3 to Fly checks; duration 6-7 minutes), haste (+1 bonus on attack rolls, +1 dodge bonus to AC, movement +30 ft., extra attack when making full attack; duration 7 rounds), mage armor (+4 armor bonus to AC; duration 7 hours), resist energy (gain electricity resistance 20; duration 12 minutes), shield of faith (+3 deflection bonus to AC; duration 7 minutes)
Attack and damage: +14/+9 (2d6+9) or +16/+11 (2d6+9+2d6) vs. elementals
AC: 22, touch 18, flat-footed 17
Defenses: Fort +13, Ref +10, Will +11; +1 to saves vs. fear; resist electricity 20; immune to disease
Speed: 60 ft., fly 90 ft. (good; Fly +6)
Started to make a little note to myself to account for all the buffs and thought it might be useful for others:
Heroism: +2 morale bonus on attack rolls, saves, and skill checks
Enlarge: +2 size bonus to Strength, a –2 size penalty to Dexterity and a –1 penalty on attack rolls and AC
Shield of Faith: +3 deflection bonus to AC
Beacon of Evil: +1 morale bonus to AC, attack rolls, damage rolls and saves vs. fear.
Alter Self: +2 size bonus to Str (adds bite attack)
Divine Favor: +2 luck bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls
Channel Vigor (effects of Haste): +1 bonus on attack rolls and a +1 dodge bonus to AC and Reflex saves
Bless: +1 morale bonus on attack rolls and on saving throws against fear effects
Bane: +2 to attack and damage, +2d6 damage
Mage Armor: +4 armor bonus to AC
Resist Energy: energy resistance 20 vs electricity
Attack: 2+1+2+1 = +8 (+6 bite)
Damage: 1+1+2= +6 +2d6 (+4 bite)
AC: 3+1+1 = +5 (Net AC with Mage Armor is 25/19/22)
Saves: +2 (+3 vs fear)
Reflex: +3
Note there are lot of morale bonuses, and different spells applied to different PCs, so we'll each have to account for how things stack or don't. It looks like Bless won't add anything for any of us, so Tkaara should just skip it.
Edit: started this a few hours ago, got called away, and Erevan ninja'd me!
Erevan - note that Bane also adds +2 to your damage rolls, in addition to the +2d6
Taty - on reflection, I'd prefer not to be enlarged, as Alter Self will give me the Str bonus without the AC and Dex penalties. I'll deal with the reach issues other ways.
No problem with Felrin using invisibility to get into position beforehand.
One problem, though: I have just been called away with work to the other side of the world (like 8 time zones away). I'll be travelling today and will have intermittent access to email.
I'll do what I can to keep posting, but apologies for any lag in dealing with things.
In that case, Taty will be using the ranged touch attack to avoid any chance of friendly fire.
Safe travels, DMD!
One problem, though: I have just been called away with work to the other side of the world (like 8 time zones away). I'll be travelling today and will have intermittent access to email.
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Woah! Safe travels!
You live to see another day, Lighting Elemental!
Erevan would be quite fine with waiting for the two guys to take as much advantage as possible of their invisibility. I am just slightly confused however by how you are able to move and attack in the surprise round. Or is uit that because of the invisibility you are able to place yourselves within striking distance before battle and thus the surprise round happens?
...
Nevermind, that is exactly what has happened. Apologies, but work has been pretty demanding the last few days and my brain is mush.
So basically Erevan will wait for everyone to attack and then join Felrin and Ottakar, i.e. he goes last.
Also, still no computer (I am posting this from work). Yay... :-|
DMD, how's the trip going? We didn't hear in more than a week, getting a little worried. D:
I'll be travelling tomorrow to Texas for a job interview that will take me through Tuesday. It is nonstop from when I get off the plane, so please bot Taty until I can jump back into things Wednesday.
Thank you!
Ack.
Jet-lagged. Brain mushy.
But I am home. Hello, sweet, sweet, keyboard (typing from a smartphone is just sucky).
^Haha, yep. South Texas, pretty much Mexico. One of the campuses I'd be working at is five minute walk from the border bridge. I never pictured myself being a Texan, but I like Latin America quite a bit, so its a wash.
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Tkaara is getting very hungry.
Stares at her sleeping companions with barely controlled longing.
*Whimpers*
Many, many apologies for the delay; since I got back I've had to struggle with jet lag, overwork and a great deal of human stupidity.
What can I say, you guys are just super-powered! That elemental never had a chance, especially with the pre-buffs and surprise round.
As I've posted in gameplay, what now? I think we should start by making the place at least decent (i.e. fixing the main possible security breaches that we've found, making the Horn habitable) and having some guards move in, before we start the ritual.
PS: remember that Etna can teleport herself 2 times a day, so when we need to contact our allies we can do so with minimal problems. Same with giving orders to the Bound Flame.
I'll be camping Thursday through Sunday, with little to no signal. Bot me as needed.
So, what's the plan: start out ASAP, or first get the horn in decent shape?
The matter of Tkaara's food is something we should consider, too: how much can she go without blood, and does she have to kill someone in one shot when she drains him/her?
So, what's the plan: start out ASAP, or first get the horn in decent shape?
I don't think we have to choose. Felrin wants to start the ritual right away, and wouldn't mind help, which Tkaara has already offered. Others can start working on sprucing up the Horn.
I'll be camping Thursday through Sunday, with little to no signal. Bot me as needed.
Have fun!
Before we do anything, we need to get a sacrifice for the first night. And it needs to be one of Vetra-Kali's own. I'm down with trying the stone salve on the headless statue, see if he knits back together alive.
@ DMD: Three prayers a day. How long do we have to spend in prayer? Is someone who is doing the ritual unable to do anything else during the day?
Also, if Tkarra (and Etna, though we don't know it) can't enter the room for the entirety of the ritual due to the blessed seal, can they still take part in the ritual? I doubt Doc cares enough to (but please correct me if I'm wrong), so perhaps if the ladies can't take part, Felrin, Erevan, and Taty should each lead a prayer each day?
Yup, Etna can't enter: IC she'll be able to Bluff her way out no problem. :P
So, let's try making a list of things to do so when DMD's back we're ready.
1) Get the sacrifice started: we need daily doses of Unholy Water, but we can make it here (I don't remember in which room).
2) Etna can teleport back to Farholde ASAP to start organizing someone to see how much/what we need to fortify the horn, and to see how the Bound Flame is doing. Also making the place livable.
From there, we should start building a line of defense:
3) Raise some undead guards for the upper floors.
4) Strike a formal deal with the Boggards: we give them food, they try to eat whoever goody adventurer comes close to the Horn.
5) Maybe down the road get some human guard in the Horn for finer guarding work.
6) Cover/trap the chimney so people can't sneak in and eliminate the plant/make that Tkaara's room.
7) Let's try to keep Hexor and Vexor on our good side: maybe buying them decent beds? :P
Anything to add?
Yup, Etna can't enter: IC she'll be able to Bluff her way out no problem. :P
For 222 days? I'm excited to see this :)
We'll need a steady supply of onyx gems for the undead.
Taty definitely needs some book shelves, a comfortable bed, maybe a nice throw rug. We'll need regular supply runs set up between Farholde and the Horn for such things, as well as food (both of the Tkarra variety and the more mundane type) - maybe the Bound Flame can be put to use for such work? I guess for mundane food Etna can grab this? You can teleport self + 50 lbs, yes?
I'd definitely like to get some human guards up in the Horn. I suspect the Boggards are going to be mediocre employees, though if nothing else, they can be fed to Tkarra when they inevitably disappoint.
What about traps in other areas than just the chimney?
EDIT: Oh yeah, and we should put the Bound Flame to work trying to identify someone with the Victor's blood. The sooner we kidnap someone that meets our needs, the better...
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Slaves/servants are always useful. If they misbehave, Hexor and Vexor have a snack. This would also solve Tkaara's snack problem. I do not think that she needs to drain people dead. And if she does, well, that's life (or death depending on your point of view).
I think that the chimney could be left with the plants. They are pretty nasty on their own, and as long as we set an alarm/trap on it, it should slow down anyone trying to get in that way.
I two levels, Tkaara will be able to dominate people, which makes slaves, or the slave masters, much more compliant.
One key thing is whether we can get someone else to help with the daily prayers. We are going to need to find a true believer of Mitra by the 111th day, and then one of the Victor's blood by the 222nd. I doubt this will be a 1 day in and out mission, although we might be able to teleport in and kidnap someone.
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Do we have a competent trap-maker? If so, we have a renewable source of both acid and poison. I'll want the rest of the components to restore the golem. Also, I'm sure there are plentiful monsters/dangerous wildlife around, maybe we can capture some and relocate them here? If all else fails, we can build a drawbridge and make a dwarven atom smasher. :P
Erevan will not mind taking part in the prayer ritual.
Other than that, I believe Felrin has a way with traps? Disarming them certainly, not sure about making them though.
Sorry all - this is the first break I've had since 5 a.m. Friday, when it became clear that a majority of my fellow Brits were actually going to jump into the Abyss (and thanks for that, you cockwombles).
Looks like I'll have time this evening, if nothing else breaks. I'll try and post something then.
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Please do not forget us Greeks. If nothing else we seem to always be in the running where such contests are concerned.
For everyone's sake, DMD, I hope the various proposals floating around for a do-over or somehow just ignoring the vote will come to fruition.
In the meantime, as our fellow posters have illustrated quite nicely, this is sure providing a lot of fodder for comedy.
Please do not forget us Greeks. If nothing else we seem to always be in the running where such contests are concerned.
Don't forget about us, too!
In the meantime, as our fellow posters have illustrated quite nicely, this is sure providing a lot of fodder for comedy.
Agreed, even if it's more of the "laugh while shifting nervously on the chair" variety. :P
Agreed, even if it's more of the "laugh while shifting nervously on the chair" variety. :P
As is the issue of Trump here in the US. As a liberal fellow, a part of me can't help but laugh that the Republicans have ended up with such a troubled candidate. But the other part of me pops up every now and then to ask "And if he wins?"
Not that I want to turn this into a political conversation and far be it from me to say that I know enough about Trump and Clinton (although I would choose the latter over the former myself), but it does appear as if you have drawn the two shortest possible straws as far as candidates for the presidency are concerned.
I'm afraid I have only bad news to report from a bad week.
Basically, it's now obvious that normal service is not going to be resumed any time soon and that my workload is going to involve a lot more travel (among other things).
I therefore have to put this game on hold, indefinitely. I won't be in the least offended if you try and find another DM to take over; that's certainly preferable to it dying by inches.
The only offer I can make is to try and come back to it in a few months, which I suspect isn't much use to any of you.
I'm really sorry about this. It's been a blast having you as players for my evil DM imagination to work on.
No worries, DMD - stuff happens and I hope things get worked out for you. Let me know if you end up coming back around and I'd be up for gaming with you again. Good luck!
I'm with Taty - not to worry, DMD. In fact, I have been aiming to lighten my PbP load, so this comes as just the tiniest bit of relief. This is not a campaign I would have chosen to put on hold, far from it, but it does come at a pretty good time.
If you do find yourself with time to get us going again, rain some PM's down upon us and we'll see if we can reassemble and dominate Talingarde after all. In the meantime, it has been a pleasure playing with you all, and I hope to see you around the boards or at a con some time.
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I will definitely be here. I really want to finish this AP. I love Tkaara and really want to see how the rest of the group develops - werewolf, devil, lich, etc.
Having been in a half dozen WotW campaigns that died, I would prefer putting this on hiatus, and hoping that you are able to come back and take the reigns again before too long.
Come back as soon as you can DMD.
Although this is certainly unfortunate, real life does take precedence. That pesky ol' thing...
I know I have not been as active as I was or as I would want to be, but still this is not a game I would have chosen to drop. It has been the single most well-paced PbP I have been in and one of the most interesting and fun ones as well. And that is in no small part thanks to a most awesome and -dare I say- bodacious DM. Yes, yes, I have used the highest of the '80s praises. You, sir, are bodacious.
I will consider this a hiatus, albeit a long one, and will be around if -or hopefully when- you are back and ready to go again.