The Father of Waters

Game Master Fighting Chicken

I like the idea of creating your own champions.

Imix will have the ritual for the Nargun figured out this week, if he's still going to study in the spiral room.

The basic component for each champion ritual is (darohm, Flame):

vessel (rocks, person) + condition (ley line, ???) + symbol ([adamantine] heart, eggshells) + trigger (???, ???) + skill checks

A good champion ritual should follow the same general structure.

Creating champions is cool, I endorse this!

Drazen was able to pick up the trail, which is great. I think the three of us (Nat, Drazen, Istiel) can handle whatever it is that killed Scree, but do we want to get a full party just in case?

OK, I'm putting you all together on the hilltop and moving us forward a bit.

Seems paizo was automatically logging me out again.

S@&#, our loot is getting away! I really wanted that wand of acidball...

In all seriouesness, wow. Looks like we've created ourselves another villian...

If it's the undead Darohm that was with Yd (which I am all but certain it is) then I can imagine any of the following happening:

1)The unamed Darohm meets up with Mother Hunger and tells him about them nasty, terible shadeholmers. Long-term this might piss off Hunger but that doesn't really effect us right now?

2)It heads towards Shadeholme thinking that there are still some of us left there (which would be odd, because we told Yd we had to flee, correct?) and attacks the Frozen forces out of mistake, eventually being hunted down and destroyed. I find this unlikely because this thing seems super smart. Best case scenario is terrorizes the Frozen for a long time and we have to deal with it when we return.

3)It joins forces with the Flame out of pure hatred, sharing its knowledge of magic, metalworking, etc. This would be so bad for us it's almost comical. But it's probably the most likely scenario. I can see the leadership of the Flame accepting the Darohm with open arms.

Remember that he had a survey team to interrogate before you arrived. The Darohm has a good idea of what's going on within the world at large.

Ah yes that too.

Pretty sure Drazan is right that the jig is about to be up. But we still need our watercraft.

Too bad we can't catch up with it and kill it, but it's got a few days lead and it doesn't need to stop.

OK, first things first: sincere apologies for lack of posts.

Good news: I got a promotion. Bad news: I now have a metric ****-ton of extra work to do, plus travel.

I’m still around, but I won’t be able to post once a day. We’re looking like – at best – every other day. If I am holding stuff up please just bot me and I’ll do my best to catch up.

Yay! Congrats on the promotion, DR. I hope the extra work is worth the extra travel/money.

I'm botting you as we speak, er post.

Alright, gamepace-wise it feels about time to get you all on the road swamp, and if I'm understanding your IC posts correctly, your PCs feel the same.

What's the plan?

Docks/ships will be finished next week, according to Korya's estimations.

Yup it's time to get swampin'

We could go ahead and use our fancy new canoe to make first contact with the peoples in the swamp so they don't try and murder us. Or we premeptively murder them if negotiations don't go well!

Speaking of murder, Istiel will volunteer for Nargun murdering duty if it comes to it. I'm assuming were destroying as much as possible before we leave so the Flame doesn't get it?

In brief Istiel will be either:

• Going into the swamp with the party for first contact
• Murdering Nargun in their sleep
• Scouting the borders for Frozen Scouts. Counter-scouting?

She is able, after a few hours, to translate the message: What is your saying? Enemy of Enemy is Friend? Kill All Three Peoples!

Shiiiiiiiiiit that is super bad. Now they have a lich!

By the way, is Fulton working on translating the runes in the tower? Or is he just transcribing them for later translation?

Fulton is just transcribing.

I imagine he swore when, after all his effort, some smartypants suggested that the shape of the rune patterns might be important and he had to start again.

^ Haha, there was much swearing!

So what's the what?

You're scattering/killing sleeping Nargun. What else?

Are you digging into the city? Trying to get the boats built and loaded ASAP? Starting to design a champion-binding ritual? Something else?

Besides murdering Nargun, we'll be sabotaging anything the Flame might use. The Forge and Nargun maker are two good targets.

We still have explosive paste left if we want to make sure they REALLY can't use the Nargun ritual room. If we want to be extra dastardly, we collapse the tower on top of the entrance of Daroholm and make them dig for it.

I think the consensus is boats built and loaded ASAP.

It's a really long, winding chimney, right?
We could fire it. It'd destroy everything. Might collapse the supports in the mines. With enough fuel it could burn for days. If we can lure some of the Flame in first... we could kill a bunch.

How much time do we think we have?

Well Oios would vote to not ambush the Flame right now. They've got a force that overran the entire Valley and Shadeholme barely survived behind its fortifications and is now a caravan of refugees. I'm sure we could take out a lot of them, but not all of them, and we have no plan to save Nat's people as a part of it either.

I have to agree that while Imix's plan is really cool and I'd love to see it in action, we should keep moving.

Break the important things, seal the entrance if we want to be cheeky, then hit the swamp.

How much time do we think we have?

The fire idea is interesting, but I have no idea how to adjudicate that.

Timewise, it took you all 8-9 days to get to the falls. It will take an undead walker less time. But it'll have to speak/plead with the Flame and then (assuming that they come for you), they'll have to marshall their forces and march south.

So, two votes for loading up the boats and getting out of dodge. And smashing stuff. That's a consensus.

What are you smashing, besides the Nargun? I think both Drazan and Istiel mentioned the fyorge. That's a consensus. What else?

Is there anything else left that we haven't looted? I don't think anyone's interested in tearing down the ruins.

Also, undead bad guy left on Desnus 25. It is Desnus 27 when you discover Scree. The docks will be finished on the 2nd of Sarenith. Boats will be rebuilt a few days after that. Then they'll need to be reloaded. Basically all your laborers will be utilized for this. If you want to take down anything really big, like a tower, you either need magic or other dedicated NPCs to do it.

We were rebuilding the Keelboats into rafts, right? I can't recall.

Is there anything else left that we haven't looted? I don't think anyone's interested in tearing down the ruins.

Looted? No. There's a couple of rooms that have secrets yet to figure out though.

People have mentioned taking down the tower, destroying the spiral room, among other things.

If you destroy the spiral room (and not just the basket and chain), and you want the Nargun ritual, you'll want to transcribe it (a week of work).

Huh, guess we don't need to spend our time murdering Nargun, they're already free!

BP: I suggested flatboats instead of rafts, but i think you said that it will take a month to build flatboats whereas rafts were 10 days?

^ That's right! The process would have been started on the 12th, so the flatboats would be finished on the 12th of Sarenith. Since some boats would be already built by then, lets say you could be loaded and ready to go by the 13th.

Magic page (different than the character creation magic page) has been created.

You forgot to put Istiel's fists on the magic page- they're potent death spells.

Man why did I have to go with the flatboats? 13th of Sarenith is going to be cutting it close in terms of the Flame getting fed up with us. Ah well.

What do we want to do for the last week the boats are being built? We could all take a ride on the Magic School Canoe and meet the swamp natives?

Yep, you all have a week or so. Let me know what the plan is, and I'll go from there.

One vote for swamp natives.

Much as he's got other things he wants to do, I think Imix should probably travel on the MSC.

Imix is more or less Ms. Frizzle. He's got students, a magical canoe... Time for wacky (deadly) adventures!

Allright, that's the rule of two.

I'll get us moving on ASAP, hopefully this afternoon, work permitting.

You sure know how to set up a mystery BP! I wonder what this is... fire elemental?

The beastmen tribes could be extensive magic users, maybe they have summoners?

Thanks! Hopefully it all makes sense soon...

Busy day, I'll get an update in tomorrow. Put on yer fightin' boots.

Yesssss punchy time!

Whoooaa what is this thing? Did you design this yourself BP? Freakin sweet.

Currently traveling but will try to get a post in.

We should probably surround it? Debating whether I should have Istiel try to disable some of the puppets or concentrate on the tree.

Sorry guys, I might be dense, but what map are we using? There's a lot of links i the campaign description now! :).

You're not dense: we're not using a map! We are going theater of the mind for this one.

It just occurred to me that this is a good chance to implement an adaptation of FFG's theatre of the mind range system that I saw used elsewhere:

It isn't perfect, but it is a decent abstraction.

Everyone is within melee range of the tree except Imix, who is at close range. It will take an AoO to move from melee range to close range, and vice versa (Imix gets off this round as I didn't post this until now).

Update incoming this afternoon. Tomorrow I'm at a conference, so I probably won't update again until Wednesday.

Whoooaa what is this thing? Did you design this yourself BP? Freakin sweet.

It is a heavily modified 3rd party monster. Nature check will reveal more!

Oios wants to support cast but doesn't want to eat an AOO. Can he take a guarded step action to get out of range of everyone to put up some buffs?

My phone is having some issues, so I won't be able to post from work until I get it figured out. On the bright side, think of how much more productive I'll be!

Hmm. I think these beastlings tried to take the island from this tree monster. Big, stable island, full of peat... just a burning murder tree to compete with!

BP: How many CR points is giving a creature the ability "always crit the monk"?

Oios: I think we're all in difficult terrain, so no guarded step?

Everyone: We need a knw: nature check so Istiel knows where to punch it! I feel a level up coming on if we beat this thing... *crosses fingers*

BP: How many CR points is giving a creature the ability "always crit the monk"?

Right? Istiel is eating some 20s lately.

Oios wants to support cast but doesn't want to eat an AOO. Can he take a guarded step action to get out of range of everyone to put up some buffs?

AoOs don't work really well with abstracted ranges + reach, which really leaves no room for the step action, which is doubly weird with RAE because a step is one action, not free like with a 5' step in normal action economy.

So, if we had a map, you could step, but may still be in reach of the creature's attacks. With difficult terrain, that would be two actions for the step, and it may still leave you open to an AoO.

With Theatre of the Mind, you could take one action (two with difficult terrain) to move from melee to close range. That's probably the best option: move from melee range -> close range, and not take an AoO. That will take two actions.

One of the reasons Drazan becomes large and takes the penalties for being bigger is to control more of the battlefield. If Drazan is in melee range with the monsters and one leaves to go after Imix, that would provoke an AoO from Drazan wouldn't it? Or when you say AoO's "don't work well", do mean "we aren't using them at all?"

Mechanically better range (and tactical positioning) means you are harder to get around and can stop people retreating with a single guarded step. Maybe if you say "it takes an action to leave melee safely" it should take two if there is someone with reach?

Can I also suggest using a Flanking alternate rule I've used for mapless? Basically standard flanking becomes as per Gang Up. If you have three people attacking the same target, they are assumed to have flanking.
Now I think about it you might just want to go with "for every two combatant advantage a side has, one target is flanked." So 7 on 3 would leave 2 targets flanked each turn. This stops the 3 in 3 on 7 flanking the 7!

I'm hoping Oios' Agile feet will allow him to move from where he is to Isitel without provoking an AOO so he can cast his buff on her in this round. Basically moving from melee to close range in her direction in one action as Agile feet negates difficult terrain. Let me know if not and I will retcon.

I instituted this theatre of the mind system mostly because I've got a busy week and didn't want to have to fiddle with maps in my spare moments. Silly me, I've had no spare moments!

I hope to get an update tomorrow afternoon.

Drazan go ahead and take an AoO on Imix's beastling.

Imix, I like it. Two actions to leave melee safely against creatures with reach. Because this combat also has difficult terrain, it will be three actions.

And yes, I like the flanking rule. I think we'll go with three people attacking the same target to keep it simple.

Oios, with Agile Feet it will be two movements to not provoke, but since we're adjusting as we go, that will start next round with that rule. You'll get the spell off without provoking.

Sorry, all, work is kicking my ass right now, and I don't have time to post at home any more (hopefully that will change as baby ages).

I hope to get an update in tomorrow.

Oh you have no idea what's coming your way GM. :). No worries at all.

I'm pretty sure I'd take fighting an eternally burning puppeteer tree monster over taking care of a newborn.

*Hearty chuckle*

Well, the dicebot is being particularly cruel. Hopefully it works the same for you all!

Welcome back BP! I was having dreams about this game last night. Istiel was kickin the s$+$ out of some beastmen.

Not quite the present scenario, but glad to return all the same!

We sure are good at getting the snot beaten out of us. In fact I'd say it's our greatest trait to survive these monstrosities!

Onward! Glory or death!!! ... When I get time to post.