Who wants to handle Jason's search?
If there's no takers, maybe what we'll do is have Jason pick-up as many water breathing scrolls as he can. It'll keep you guys alive long enough for Donkor to prepare some more at midnight. Hopefully he can then keep you breathing long enough for Hal to prepare more at dawn. That way everyone will still be alive when you reach Deca-Jaws so he can kill you.
Air breathers - such a hassle.
Sorry for not heckling you guys about posting more. It turns out this brief break in the game coincides nicely with a time during which I am insanely busy. Things will calm down probably early next week, and you can expect the usual manic posting schedule from me.
Sorry for not heckling you guys about posting more. It turns out this brief break in the game coincides nicely with a time during which I am insanely busy. Things will calm down probably early next week, and you can expect the usual manic posting schedule from me.
All is forgiven. I too pledge to kick it back up next week.
Hurgah pledges to eat Deca-jaws or die trying...
Deca-Jaws will likely end up spawning a fine story for some war trophy Breach is sure to cut from his hide or found stuck in it.
Hurgah pledges to eat Deca-jaws or die trying...
Contact your local politician (or adventurer):
Insist they take the Hurgah pledge.
Hurgah pledges to eat Deca-jaws or die trying...
Actually, just to check: this is just a quip right? This isn't your way of telling me that Hurgah and Moon are going to hightail it to the Tumen Oasis?
I propose that next week be devoted to:
1. Finishing off any looting selections;
2. Resolve any remaining Schmoosh related communication; and
3. Let the Dune Squad do their en route planning in regards to the assault on Deca-Jaws.
Last call!
Then I am going to try to revive things, by advancing the storyline. You are about to leave A'Viss - if anyone has any last minute loose ends, let me know!
Hurgah pledges to eat Deca-jaws or die trying...Actually, just to check: this is just a quip right? This isn't your way of telling me that Hurgah and Moon are going to hightail it to the Tumen Oasis?
No, it's just a boast for now. Hurgah continues to let Moonpate call the shots for now - after all, he is a brute mercenary with 7 INT.
No, it's just a boast for now. Hurgah continues to let Moonpate call the shots for now - after all, he is a brute mercenary with 7 INT.
Ahh, don't underestimate the power of 7. And besides, your IQ test could have been completely misread, administered incorrectly, or totally not appropriate for your cultural circumstances. In fact, for all we know, Hurgah is really just a misunderstood genius! So, let spew the deep thoughts.
Well, I'm a bit uncertain of our options. How far is it to the Tumen Oasis, and would it be possible for us to make it in time? If so, it makes sense to rendezvous there, if we can make the trip safely - fly some of the way perhaps?
Otherwise, we'd best use Schmoosh to arrange a meeting point and make our way there.
Well, I'm a bit uncertain of our options. How far is it to the Tumen Oasis, and would it be possible for us to make it in time?
If so, it makes sense to rendezvous there, if we can make the trip safely - fly some of the way perhaps?Otherwise, we'd best use Schmoosh to arrange a meeting point and make our way there.
It's a day away - as in a good 7-9 hour trek on foot.
(You may recall from Gandel, the ruined city of Tumen is the ancient capital of the Four Pharaohs of Ascension, who in turn built the pyramid supposedly under the sand at your current location. Supposedly they built it "not far" from the capital.)
The biggest hitch is you have no idea where this oasis is, apart from it's somewhere near Tumen. You don't have Gandel's map. All you would have for navigation is Schmoosh.
A second hitch is you do not know when the rest of the Dune Squad will arrive there. Currently, neither do they - all they know is Faren and Orchid have agreed to take them there. You could wind up early or late.
The last hitch is, I don't know about "safely". Once you're on the move you could be exposed. You might be safer hidden in your hole.
Karek is ready for action once again. Just let him make an addition to his looting...
So, one plan I am thinking about is to use a couple of Mount spells and try to find the Tumen Oasis. We could get there much quicker, cover more ground, and better evade pursuit on a couple of Moonpate Special Edition Camels.
Come time to study for spells, I would like to select the following:
1st Level: Endure Elements, Mage Armor, and replace Alarm and Obscuring Mist with two Mount spells
2nd Level: replace the two acid arrows with Levitate and Summon Monster II
3rd Level: Fly, replace spiked pit with another Summon Monster III
4th Level: Summon Monster IV, Dimension Door
Before leaving our quaint hole I would cast Mage Armor. Also, while studying and after would let Hurgah get the sleep he needs before heading out. When the temp gets uncomfortable would cast Endure Elements.
Ah, a break for it on camels. (If the mount spell doesn’t specify camels, I am good with it.)
You can go ahead and make those changes to Moon’s spell selection. You will soon learn that apart from Schmoosh’s interruption, he makes it through the night and can prepare spells in the morning.
One thought: Moon’s past experience has been that Hurgah declines mounts. Maybe we should check in with Jace as to whether Moonpate can persuade him.
Moon’ll wind up using that endure elements very shortly after he exits the cave.
That reminds me, I wonder what ever happened to the camels the Dune Squad brought from the Overlander’s Emporium? Anybody remember ol’ Binky/Blinky? I wonder if Thalia and Vavonne Shear are taking good care of him. (OK, as far as hostages go, I’ve probably done better.)
One thought: Moon’s past experience has been that Hurgah declines mounts. Maybe we should check in with Jace as to whether Moonpate can persuade him.
Ahh, forgot about Hurgah's Conan-like (old version - haven't seen the new movie) preference for running across the wastes. If he does decline the mount (and I'll assume we discussed it prior to spell selection) I would like to choose Protection From Evil instead of the second Mount spell.
I do remember poor Binky/Blinky...yet another bone to pick with Thalia.
While Hurgah prefers to make it on his own power when there is time for it, he is not blind to the fact that a camel is faster.
I'm Hurgah the Reaver and I approve this plan.
While Hurgah prefers to make it on his own power when there is time for it, he is not blind to the fact that a camel is faster.
I'm Hurgah the Reaver and I approve this plan.
Camels it is then!
Question for the Beetle: Do we regain any hitpoints from resting?
Question for the Beetle: Do we regain any hitpoints from resting?
Yes, good point. Moonpate gets 1 hp per level for resting (in this case 7 hp).
With what you've done with this module, I would really love to play this one. If you ever decide to run it, let us know. I am sure the rest of guys would enjoy it,too. Being that we ended up in the Plane of Water during a desert adventure, I'd be curious to see where we landed in an Wonderland inspired one.
Actually haven't read that one yet, but I've enjoyed Crystal Frasier's work, so I'll have to check it out.
Though I can't take credit for the recent turn of events, that was all the madness of Mr. Monotony, with possibly a nod to Phrip. : )
Actually haven't read that one yet, but I've enjoyed Crystal Frasier's work, so I'll have to check it out.
Though I can't take credit for the recent turn of events, that was all the madness of Mr. Monotony, with possibly a nod to Phrip. : )
Me? Moi? All Moon did was refuse to be incarcerated, interrogated, and tortured by a bunch of devil worshiping monks. I just didn't see that working out too well for him at the time. So, I used up his elemental gem, nearly got him and everyone else killed in the process, and had him spend the night in a hole with a ripe half-orc (I am sure both chaps were quite ripe actually) separated from the rest of the gang that are supposed to keep him safe. Madness indeed, I suppose.
Honestly, with the group we are running with now, I would like to see any adventure play out. This has to be my favorite game of the 5 I am playing in. I woulf say if are looking to run any more games in the future, I would love to play with all of you again.
Honestly, with the group we are running with now, I would like to see any adventure play out. This has to be my favorite game of the 5 I am playing in. I woulf say if are looking to run any more games in the future, I would love to play with all of you again.
Absolutely! This has been a cracker of a escapade so far.
Actually haven't read that one yet, but I've enjoyed Crystal Frasier's work, so I'll have to check it out.
Though I can't take credit for the recent turn of events, that was all the madness of Mr. Monotony, with possibly a nod to Phrip. : )
Hey, all I did was use my hero point in the most obvious way possible after Phrip dumped us in the pot!
Sorry for my sparse posts lately guys, it's been an odd summer.
Things should be settled down and on my regular schedule after Labour Day.
Hey, Beetle
So, I definitely haven't forgotten about Bunky the Weasel. In fact, he's kinda been preying on my mind, and I might have wanted to mention something sooner, so we could figure out what's up.
I've established that he lives in my pack and that my pack came with me. When we did the first Water Breathing, immediately before ending up in the Elemental Plane of Water, I kinda abstracted him away. I figured he could share my air, or that he had a waterproofed section of the bag, or that Donkor (and Jason and Hal) would obviously cast their spells with him in mind, or some other such unlikely scenario. Looking back, after seven more castings of the spell, those seem like lunacy. But I hesitated bringing it up, because I was afraid of what you'd say. (Namely, he's dead! Just another reason to be mad at Thalia. And a good reason creatures like this don't come along with adventurers. Shame on you.) Which brings us to now, I suppose.
So what do you think? Do any of those scenarios above sound at all reasonable? If we could do this and come out of the Elemental Plane of Water dragging one very wet, angry, live weasel, I would be one happy Killer Kamper.
There's an alternative explanation that doesn't require stretching the rules of the spells or retconning in a magical waterproof bag. Simply, Bunky chose to hang out with the party's weapons, and was liberated with them when Hurgah came calling. Or he's still hanging out at the dig site, doing whatever weasels do. (Sabotage, obviously.)
Let me know.
I on the other hand totally forgot about Bunky.
As imperiled as he is, I'm not so sure hiding in Hurgah's Santa Claus sack with the bladed weapons while he gallops around would be much safer.
I think all this means is that our math on the water breathing spells is off. The total time should be divided by 7 instead of 6. Presumably Donkor, Jason and later Hal would include him, or risk a set of puppy dog eyes from Karek. It'll make things a bit tighter, but on the positive side, it actually makes the math a lot easier.
I'll say again (if I've said it before) that the developments in this game keep me on the edge of my seat. I trust in the Beetle's ability to guide our characters through this mess and tell a fascinating story. Sure, we're all in mortal danger now, but the Beetle has a plan, and he wouldn't just let our characters die an ignoble death, drowned on the Elemental Plane of Water as a lesson to those who would use Hero Points.
Uh, right?
Anyway, I'll be going incognito for the next couple of days, to the land of lack of internet access. I should be able to check again on Sunday night.
It seems Hal plans to lecture me about the risks of adventuring with small creatures. Rest assured Karek is strenuously against any plan that involves leaving his charge behind. I will put strong words to this argument if needed, and threats if the conversation escalates. I'm sure you'd all be able to divine as much from the way that Karek interacts with Bunky. We'll have to find another way.
Looking over Hydras, I do happen to have Improved Sunder, good for chopping heads, but no slashing weapons, and no fire. Sad day.
Sure, we're all in mortal danger now, but the Beetle has a plan, and he wouldn't just let our characters die an ignoble death, drowned on the Elemental Plane of Water as a lesson to those who would use Hero Points.
Uh, right?
Sure he would! It ain't a party without a few corpses. See for example, "A Weekend at Bernie's".
Seriously: plan is long gone - tattered to shreds. Now things are just happening, cause and effect, which can be fun. There's a good chance we'll get back to the main plotline, I do particularly like this module afterall, but hard to say, things are rather grim (again). It depends on the PCs.
Looking over Hydras, I do happen to have Improved Sunder, good for chopping heads, but no slashing weapons, and no fire. Sad day.
I'll concede the no-fire problem was intentional - the completely under-equipped Dune Squad was unforeseen.
If we can, let's all resolve the surprise Bunky sub-plot soon after you get back so (if the Dune Squad is still alive) we can get on with the head-chopping with pointy stick part.
I'm wondering if we could be more specific on our math problems. I guess I'm still unclear as to Faren's best estimate for how long it will take to get to the gate, and how long before I can pray again, and how long Hal's Water Breathing spells will hold out. Is there any chance we could have some numbers on these please?
I will try, but I suspect you will not like my nebulous answers.
I'm wondering if we could be more specific on our math problems.
A math problem? Are you going to destroy this operatic moment of competing self-sacrifices by distilling it to logic?
I guess I'm still unclear as to Faren's best estimate for how long it will take to get to the gate,
I bet. It hasn’t helped that Faren has been very inconsistent in his postings – damn him. The number Donkor and Hal originally keyed in on was 11-15 hours, which I believe was given at the time Donkor chose his spells. Since then his estimates seem to be getting bigger – he’s losing confidence.
In fairness to Faren, he hasn’t done this voyage in years – not since the rift was effectively shut down by Deca-Jaws.
But let’s say his repudiated estimate above is actually right. Since that time Donkor’s covered 8 hours with his 4 spells and Hal another 6 hours with his first 3 spells.
That’s 14 of the 15 projected hours already covered, even at the high end. Sounds like you will have room to spare.
. . . and how long before I can pray again,
Ah! Donkor can pray again at midnight.
“How long till midnight?”
With the absence of a rising and setting sun, the Dune Squad has lost track of time. This isn’t helping. If someone had a waterproof hour glass and a plan to keep it upright, that might help. Your best way of keeping track of the passage of time is probably the exhaustion of your water breathing spells. Going by that, it’s been 14 hours – he’ll likely need somewhere close to another 10.
. . . and how long Hal's Water Breathing spells will hold out.
4 more hours. He has two castings left. Assuming he doesn’t cut out the Bunkster. Doing so nets the Dune Squad an approximate extra 20 minutes per casting (about 40 minutes total).
Is there any chance we could have some numbers on these please?
It is unlikely that Hal’s magic will hold out long enough for Donkor to recover another set of spells. You’ll either make it to the gate, or drown in the attempt.
Though I suppose you could come up with a new whacky idea, possibly involving the aboleth slime that Breach remains convinced Faren has stashed nearby.
Not that I'm in charge here, but if I was, I'd say we give the air to the people who have gotten their PC portraits in and make the rest draw lots.
I can't help but notice that in the link in my profile it appears that Bunky seems to have mysteriously gotten his in.
The good news is that I have a great idesa for a backup character. The bad news is that I am out of other ideas for the current situation. I do have a combat strategy that I would like to discuss in character but I will get to that when we know if we are going to make it to the portal or drown to death.
To assist with that, we'll need Hal to bite the bullet and make an admittedly very difficult call here (or someone else to make it for him, if he won't). Last chance or forever hold your peace (and possibly your breath).
Will he:
A) Cast his spells as normal, for 4 more hours.
B) Cast his spells, but for 6 persons, excluding someone (such as Bunky or one of the other nominees).
C) Cast one more spell for 2 hours and reevaluate for the last one, though 20 minutes probably won't make a difference at that point. OR
D) Some other idea.
P.S. With way too much hindsight of course, this whole episode is probably a nice advert for the Extend Metamagic feat. Anybody remember the "Divine Metamagic" feats from 3.5 which let clerics burn turning attempts to metamagic up their spells on the fly without level adjustment? Those were great!
I was trying to do it by group consensus, if I don't hear some feedback soon I will just have to decide myself I suppose.
Yeah, I appreciate you're trying not to be an autocrat here and we love ya for it.
Hmmmmmm. If the Dune Squad is a democratic institution we could be in trouble:
If we call Hal a "Yes", he's off-set by Karek's "No".
Breach and Donkor just want to kill themselves in a noble fashion, preferably if it involves aboleth.
Gandel might not be by for a while, and if Jason votes and an NPC decides this, people, GM especially, will not be happy.
Jason won't miss Bunky, but he won't mind gambling 20 or 40 minutes of air to try and help out Karek either. He's been in worse scrapes. His last party was wiped out, so he's pretty opposed to Breach or Donkor sacrificing themselves, even though the GM thinks it would make a kick-ass scene if they did.
I was trying to do it by group consensus, if I don't hear some feedback soon I will just have to decide myself I suppose.
I was trying to resolve it in conversation, but you didn't respond to my first question! Though perhaps you didn't understand it, which... would be appropriate. :)
Great way to turn the unlooked for "return" of an NPC into an opportunity for party conflict, Dennis! I'll hate you in-game, but I do wonder what solution you'd be seeking if I hadn't mentioned Bunky.
So, anybody seen Buffy Season 5 recently?
Nothing like a roaring dwarf standing before the terror of the depths as the crew amkes an escape. Quite epic, in a Toliken/300 sort of way. But, this time with a whole lot of tentacles and bad intentions.
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(Wha? Too much?)
Okay, it looks like we're only down to one good option. As a player, I was hoping to conserve my hero point for another life and death situation. It appears that we have now accomplished that mission.
As a character, Sooron did not want to call upon his goddess to grant him extraordinary powers beyond his reach needlessly again so soon. There now appears to be a need. It's either that or pop the weasel, which probably still won't give us enough time.
The only other option I can see that might work would be if we had some sort of air bladders around. Then we could cast our water breathing for the next couple of hours, and blow air into bags which we would then subsequently breathe out of until it ran out, then Hal could refresh the water breathing again. That would be awesome, but possibly awkward.
I think I'm gonna need to spend my other hero point and hope Pharasma is feeling generous.
If I do spend it to get us back to the prime plane, who still wants to go to the oasis to kill this little wee lizard guy?
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(Wha? Too much?)
(Couldn't resist...)
(Wha? Too much?)
(Couldn't resist...)
Ahh, I wish I had time to come up with something witty on behalf of SBS, but alas, I have to rush to work. Yep, back to work, ironically with my former employer. So, now I am travelling to Boston to be "re-trained". Gotta love the corporate mentality: I am a returning employee who has to go through all the new hire orientation hoops since it has been more than six months since I saw my old cubical. Not complaining too much though, since being employed is way better than not.
Hopefully I will have time to post later tonight. So much going on...Bunky's Plight, the Dune Squad Drownings, the Hurgentate's Heroic Stand against the Dreaded Deca-Jaws.....
Congrats on the job, Phrip!
Awesome, Phrip!
Woot woot for employment!
Yes Congrats! Who is the new/old employer.
I work for Advanced Bionics, a medical device company that makes cochlear implants. I'm an audiologist in their technical services group; so I get to interface with the surgeons, center audiologists, and patients. A nice variety of work that allows me to work from home mostly, with occasional travel to headquarters and various centers around the country. Very glad to be back working and helping patients and professionals.
Can I just say that it is so unfair that Hydras get Pounce? Of course they have Combat Reflexes, but that was a given. PS: Don't provoke an attack of opportunity near a hydra. I've made that mistake before...
The plan will now be known as "Montezuma's Revenge." I hope this thing works,lol. No hero points on this one. We might end up in the "Bog of Enternal Stench."