Way of the Wicked (Group 2) (Inactive)

Game Master Whack-a-Rogue

Honestly? That's a patrol ship with soldiers. I doubt their first instinct is to flee...
I understand your notion, but IF they withdraw, they need to get their people back on their ship, loosen the boarding clasps affixing the ships, then set sail to get moving.
If they work FAST, that would take at least 3-5 rounds, time enough to burn their sails.

So if it goes wrong, I'll gladly try and burn the largest bunch of them where they stand...because if their sails are burning, but they are on our ship attempting to slaughter us, I'd consider that even less desirable.

What are your instructions for Grumblejack?

Something like: Lie down for now so they don't see you right away...

Will be gone over the weekend. So, doubly good that you 2 are the ones to talk with them, first ;)

Have fun!

It's my birthday so I'll be gone all day.

Happy birthday!

Also, damn. Is it still possible for Saranda to give me an Aid Another on the bluff roll? That would beat his sense motive.

If it's too late for that, we go to Plan Burn-em-all.

Saranda's being Diplomatic, so Aid Another isn't an option. :-(

Ay Frederick Fair, love it. Will post soon.

Cover well and truly blown, but we can't let them see the cargo. Damn. If I'd rolled even slightly better...

Grrr.

On the plus side, at least we get their loot now.

@Hecate...When I was impulsive at the very first prison encounter, I got called out for it, and it was good that we had that talk so I could explain my reasons for it, and understand why others felt unhappy about it.

I have an urge to now talk with you about what's happening.

When we met the Paladin, Hecate got triggered by his choice of words and instantly started battle against him.
Things went well, and no elaborate plan was necessary to bring him down, because we had some lucky rolls(well, he had unlucky ones, more accurately).

But I felt it's a pity to have different options and not make use of them. So this time, I thought we had agreed, beforehand, that you try your hand at talking with the enemy captain - being able to talk and all, and pretending to be in charge, and, if that fails, I get to try and remedy the situation.

I did NOT want to press into the foreground courtesy of Robin having superior modifiers on these rolls. Because honestly, while she may be better at lying, she is simply not more likely to take initiative here. Plus, you and Saranda invested into these skills and it would be unfair to put you into "support" mode purely based on mechanics.

But I DO feel cheated out of an option to act based on my own skillsets, simply because Hecate felt she failed and decides to take matters into her own hands.
Even after the patrol ship captain LITERALLY gave us another chance to explain ourselves.
Don't get me wrong, we can go with that kind of approach any time, but in that case, I, as a player, will only ever consider options if Robin is designated to be the one talking to someone.

I may have rolled poorly, GM may have decided my idea was too far-fetched, there's by far no guarantee for it to work(plus he'd get a circumstance modifier for repeat attempts), but we could have tried.

I had some elaborate idea worked out where we do transport these arms and armor to bugbears who joined the faith of mitra, and intend to march against sakkarot. as it is a covert operation nobody can learn about, which he now did, he'll have to escort us to the drop-off, and we'd then accompany him to his superiors at the watch wall and figure out where to take things from there.
As said, would have taken a good roll to get a chance to get him to buy it, but it would neither contradict what you said, nor what we have loaded, and the bugbears would have made short work of them and gotten a free patrol ship out of the deal they could use to insert a commando team.

But all that consideration was in vain, because the moment the captain reacted unfavorable to Hecate, she decided to start combat, again.

As said, I'm just bringing this up as a topic of discussion. I'm fine if you want Hecate to be impulsive and uncontrolled, not showing restraint. But in that case I would forcibly take lead in some social interactions when applicable, so my own skill and feat investments don't seem wasted.(I didn't invest 2 feats and a trait to boost my bluff to never use it - I simply considered it more as a sort of "failsafe" if our primary approach fails...which is WHY I bring this up in the first place - because in the only 2 situations in which it would have been relevant, Hecate jumped the gun before there was a chance to do so.)
(PS: Also, due to misfortune, I could have forced him to reroll if he managed to beat my DC just courtesy of a high roll)

@Robin

Fair point, and I'm sorry if you feel deprived of options.

My understanding was that we'd bluff him and then, if that fails, we'd attack - hopefully getting a surprise round. The bluff has failed, YBD specifically stated that there's no Aid Another available on the roll, so I moved us to the pre-agreed plan. I even summoned a devil so you can fireball without harming our side.

I genuinely had no idea you had a plan to interact: your description of sitting on the crates made me think you were getting a good vantage point (i.e. out of touch/mêlée range) to rain down fiery blasts - especially given that you have to have physical contact with anyone you want to talk to.

Plus, I don't see what you could do even if bluffing was still an option: you have to get to the captain and then somehow persuade him to let you touch him, and not freak out about the telepathy. On that basis, my assumption that you weren't getting involved in the conversation doesn't look unreasonable.

That said, I clearly misread you and should probably have checked, but I didn't want to slow down the Gameplay thread.

I actually didn't intend to be impulsive this time; I thought we had a plan, and I was following it.

Sorry for any misunderstanding.

@slowing down: addressing this first: initiative also slows it down, unless I am botted, so it's actually one reason I was surprised. Because moving into combat rounds definitely means input from each player is needed, while out-of-combat would have let it continue.

@aid another: YBD stated that Saranda could not aid you BECAUSE she was doing diplomacy. She was busy doing a different thing. Besides, I had not intended to "aid another", I had intended to "re-try", with a +10 bonus for him and a 9 higher bluff for us, but the possibility to force a re-roll on his part.

@touch him and not freak out: Mitra works in wonderous ways, and there's spells that let you do just that. I don't think getting to the captain would have been unreasonable. He still was talking with us, and merely ordering a search of the vessel. Even if he was convinced that we are smuggling weapons, he would likely demand our surrender/that we stand down, before starting to cut us down on the spot/starting combat.

As said, it's no biggie, but I felt it was the second time Hecate rushed into combat before we exhausted our options and wanted to establish wether that (from my perspective:) reckless aggression was part of her concept, or simply situational with diverging "reading" of the situation at hand.
In the former case, as said, I would play Robin slightly differently, to allow her to use her skills as well, even if fluff-wise, she'd prefer other people handling these kinds of things.
In the latter, I know that we need to more clearly establish what will happen in discussion so that we're on the same page.

Thanks for helping to understand what took part.

As said, it's no biggie, but I felt it was the second time Hecate rushed into combat before we exhausted our options and wanted to establish wether that (from my perspective:) reckless aggression was part of her concept

This is something I'm wrestling with, as it happens: I'm still trying to get a 'fix' on Hecate's character. She's not impulsive (average Wis, methodical approach to Lawful Evil), but she is angry: angry at being branded and imprisoned, angry at Mitrans for getting in the way when she's trying to get things done. Ultimately, it was that anger/hatred that led her into murder (killing Sergeant Blackerly and Sir Balin).

Now, of course, that anger is leading her to make stupid decisions - possibly something for Robin/Saranda to point out to her in-character (assuming we survive)?

or simply situational with diverging "reading" of the situation at hand.In the latter, I know that we need to more clearly establish what will happen in discussion so that we're on the same page.

100% agree with this. I will make a point of posting in the discussion section before assuming that I know what page we're on. Apologies again for messing this up - we're all here to have fun, so if fun isn't happening then it needs to be resolved.

Thanks for helping to understand what took part.

Thanks for your very comprehensive posts which set everything out so clearly.

Kiss & make up? ;)

I'm fine with everything.

I'm glad this is getting resolved amicably. You two seem to be wrapping things up, but I'll give it a little longer just in case. :-)

Travelling today, will post tomorrow.

Sorry for any holdup.

This is something I'm wrestling with, as it happens: I'm still trying to get a 'fix' on Hecate's character. She's not impulsive (average Wis, methodical approach to Lawful Evil), but she is angry: angry at being branded and imprisoned, angry at Mitrans for getting in the way when she's trying to get things done. Ultimately, it was that anger/hatred that led her into murder (killing Sergeant Blackerly and Sir Balin).

Now, of course, that anger is leading her to make stupid decisions - possibly something for Robin/Saranda to point out to her in-character (assuming we survive)?

Aye, I figured Robin would be the impulsive one what act's on a whim, with Hecate being more controlled and calculated, thinking everything over and sticking to plans.

100% agree with this. I will make a point of posting in the discussion section before assuming that I know what page we're on. Apologies again for messing this up - we're all here to have fun, so if fun isn't happening then it needs to be resolved.

Much appreciated. I will also try to be clearer in stating my intentions. As said, I don't think it's in Robin's interest to be primary face character. But she has a set of skills that can help her salvage situations, or turn them around to our advantage, if things appear to take an unfortunate turn. I very much would like to get to use those, if our regular approach fails and it's still an option.

Thanks for your very comprehensive posts which set everything out so clearly.

Kiss & make up? ;)

Done. *smiles*

The problem is that in-character, Robin definitely has no problem with what you are doing, she may be surprised but otherwise be perfectly fine with it :)

It's me as a player that doesn't want to let her skills go to waste, so it will be hard to point it out in-game. Maybe Robin can congratulate Hecate to letting anger take over, letting hatred guide her and embracing the raw power it offers...(something Robin did after the contract, while Hecate distanced herself from that as "too dangerous" during the rebuild...) ^_^ That could get Hecate thinking, herself ;)

Ah - a sort of "your approval fills me with shame" moment? I like it.

Much appreciated. I will also try to be clearer in stating my intentions. As said, I don't think it's in Robin's interest to be primary face character.But she has a set of skills that can help her salvage situations, or turn them around to our advantage, if things appear to take an unfortunate turn. I very much would like to get to use those, if our regular approach fails and it's still an option.

Makes sense.

Ok, YBD, over to you - do we get a surprise round? Or did I take Robin and Saranda by surprise too? :(

@Hecate, you failed to reply to the last point of the agenda. I take it we'll simply play that out in-game? *smirk*

@YBD: Aye, I think we sorted it all out and are ready to progress once we know the order...

I think that Lemure is due a promotion...

@Hecate, you failed to reply to the last point of the agenda. I take it we'll simply play that out in-game? *smirk*

...

*blushes furiously*

*wonders whether it's too late to rebuild as a Teleportation subschool specialist*

Notable Loot
MW longsword
Breastplate
Heavy steel shield
50gp

Thanks, YBD! Loot list updated.

Out of curiosity, what's everyone normally doing throughout the days/nights at sea? Any particular spots on the Frosthamar where you and/or Grumblejack tend to stay?

Hecate can't see at night (barring magic), so will tend to sleep - or at least, lie down. Generally, she'll have conjured some sort of light and be trying to read.

During the day, she does her best to keep out the way of the crew.

*Posted to all my games*
At the moment, my wife and I are in the Hurricane Matthew danger zone and may be evacuating early tomorrow morning. If you don't hear from me for a couple days, that's the reason.

Good luck and God bless.

Good luck. In that case, I'll take a little more time to consider our options :)

Yikes. Good luck and stay safe!

Not only are we still alive, but we didn't even lose power. :-)

Awesome :)

Aye, good to hear :)

Also, I have a BAAAD feeling about this combat.

Since you replied impressively speedily, I've amended my previous post to include my action.

Robin - it's OK, not all of us rely on fire to get stuff done :)

Since you replied impressively speedily, I've amended my previous post to include my action.

Robin - it's OK, not all of us rely on fire to get stuff done :)

Hehe, it was meant more of a "uh-oh, I'm useless AND (more importantly) they are spread out all over the place, threatening us with one less tank on our team"-way.

Plus, of course, that we are currently only dealing with the first wave...summons...and nothing really stops them from summoning more if those fall -_-

It's ok, you can be the damsel in distress this time round ;-)

But agreed: with the elementals, dolphins, and the tritons, this is a reasonably high-CR encounter for level 3. Then you throw in the fact that we're in a confined space that makes it difficult to avoid melee and it complicates things further.

Just means more XP for us when we take them down! ^_^

Yeah :) Lets hope so!

Btw, I am well aware that it may be tactically sound to simply stand up and provoke, or take total defense, stand up and provoke, so I can 5-foot step next round.
But that's thinking in mechanics...Robins there, trying to evade blows while prone, hoping one of our sailors, you, or her own fire takes down the thing, before she gets up- just clarifying that I am aware of the options.

Makes sense - I wouldn't want to provoke an AoO, either; there's always the chance it's a critical... you just lie there and be the damsel in distress while I rescue us ;-)

Just for ease of admin:

Lemure: 1 turn remaining
Squid 1: 2 turns remaining
New squid: 3 turns remaining

Uhm, no, I'm done damseling :)
My fiery feet felled the fat fluid foe.

But you can still have a kiss if you're done rescuing us. Because that summoner-triton is beyond my reach.
@AoO: I meant that technically, it would be smarter to get up...prone, I get -4 to hit, enemy gets +4 to hit in melee. Better to "eat" one AoO than stay prone. I just meant to explain that I am aware of that mechanically, and it was a conscious decision not to do so.

Uhm, no, I'm done damseling :)

My fiery feet felled the fat fluid foe.

Beautiful. A little alliteration is an unalloyed delight :-)

Because that summoner-triton is beyond my reach.

I have exactly one offensive spell remaining: Glitterdust. After that I'm down to Acid Splash >_<

@Saranda: didn't YBD give you access to Scorching Ray?

@fire:

: Nonmagical fire (including alchemist's fire) does not burn underwater. Spells or spell-like effects with the fire descriptor are ineffective underwater unless the caster makes a caster level check (DC 20 + spell level). If the check succeeds, the spell creates a bubble of steam instead of its usual fiery effect, but otherwise the spell works as described. A supernatural fire effect is ineffective underwater unless its description states otherwise. The surface of a body of water blocks line of effect for any fire spell. If the caster has made the caster level check to make the fire spell usable underwater, the surface still blocks the spell's line of effect.

not too convenient...unfortunately.

Hm. That's a good point. Are they underwater, though? They were firing at us. The way I read YBD's posts, they're on the surface of the water and thus hittable. I may be mis-reading, of course.

@YBD: can you clarify?

Next turn, someones getting disintegrated.

Na, my mistake, I think they are on the surface, I just expected the summoner/leader to hang back, and them to retreat below the surface if things go bad for them. They could simple start sundering our hull from below to force us to enter water...which would be clearly to their advantage. So right now, I'm contemplating how to best get rid of their leader, which MAY cause them to retreat instead...

I got ahead of myself there :)

Hull sundering with crossbows would be rather difficult, methinks. ;-)

The tritons are above water, by the way. Apologies if it wasn't clear. Also, the leader cast sanctuary on himself, hence the need for Will saves.

Well, could be they carry, don't know, pitchfork-spears or something, then a mounted charge on a dolphin could be quite sundery :)
But I totally won't complain if they only brought crossbows! Because that means they will even run out of ammunition! Unless they die first. In that case, no worries about the ammo.

Well, they've fled; and with two of them dead, even if they come back we should have a much easier fight next time.

...we'll spend a day in some of the richest fur seal hunting grounds...

So...we get to club baby seals?

^_^

When do we start XD. But seriously, while some nice seal skin bikinis would be nice, we need to help deliver these supplies. Lol

Hecate, the when was more closely related to 'where'...if there is no place in the north that pays a good price, it would be pointless...we won't fetch another ship and sail south for a week, to reach a trade port that provides a proper market for the furs...

I'm assuming our destination town has a market where we could offload the furs.

I thought we first go to the beasties, then get offloaded in the wilderness...if we are going to a proper port, that may complicate killing the captain, taking his payment, and sinking the Frosthamar...if wilderness it is, getting him to offload the furs may be difficult, so we would need to be careful about sinking the ship quickly to prevent escape...

“Sitting on the dock as we speak is the longship Frosthamar captained by Kargeld Odenkirk. Tomorrow when the ship is resupplied it will be your transport. The captain is a ruthless mercenary and not to be trusted. He knows nothing of the specifics of our mission and you should keep it that way. He knows he is smuggling cargo to the north beyond the Watch Wall. That is all he need know.

“Once the cargo is safely delivered, he will take you just south across the lake under cover of darkness and land you near the town of Aldencross. There our contract with Captain Odenkirk will be concluded.

[b]"It is a shame how greedy he has proven. I had hoped to let the captain serve me again but it seems he is too much of a liability. Kill him. Kill his crew. Burn his ship and leave no survivors.

We're not getting offloaded in the wilderness - we're landing near the town of Aldencross. Shouldn't be a problem.