The Slumbering Tsar Saga (Inactive)

Game Master Something Wicked

ha ha the odds.
I named my character Cornu Ammonis, which is a bit of an inside joke. Cornu Ammonis are important subdivisions of the hippocampus, a brain region involved in memory and the subject of my dissertation.

Anyway, I just got around to reading the first post and..oops

Mr Ammonis is named after 'the Grand Cornu' himself...the fallen priest and leader of everything foul and evil in Tsar. That's awkward.

Hah. I guess whoever wrote this may have had a similar background as you!

I'm still pondering my alchemist. I'll undoubtedly go for a melee/close range version, I hope that helps. I'll try and finish the build at some point tonight!

Wicked here.

Once you finish building your character, please put your vitals in your tagline (I'm posting this with an alias so you can see what that looks like, though you might decide to format things a little differently, and that's okay). This enables me to quickly review things like your AC and saves and run combats faster.

It looks like we're pretty close to getting started! When everyone's able to import full stats into their profile I'll get the first post up.

The last remnant of the Gnomish Engineer Corps returns to the field of battle...

This is The Lion Cleric with my frontline durable alchemist. I've not yet finished the build in terms of skills and spells/potions, but I believe the most important things are there.

Now, granted, I think he's optimised to a quite a considerable margin, and while I've triple checked everything for the moment, it's late and I did it all in one go. The fighter level is vanilla, the alchemist archetype is Alchemical Sapper

hmmm

That looks fun Eddwick. With that AC you can stay right at the front.

Some questions come to mind. Will you be drawing a lot of AOOs throwing bombs while out front? Also, I note you have the feat: fleet. I don't think you can get the extra 5' movement while in full plate mail though.

Ugh. I ended up accidentally writing a short-ish backstory, then the one time I forget to save before I submit, I lose it.

TL;DR - A junior sapper from the Engineer's Corps in the Army of the Light, injured heavily in a scouting mission prior to the final assault. Ends up travelling the world and building a family. Staves off the Bleaching for a good year, finishing a house for his son, then picks up the set of siege armour, his alchemy kit and a year's supply of explosives and sets off to join the first band of people crazy enough to set into the Desolation.

EDIT: Correct! I'll change the Fleet for something more fitting. Mostly I'd plan to use Breath Weapon Bomb to not draw any attacks of opportunity, as well as trim swarms of enemies significantly easier. I imagine it as being either breathing fire, or using some sort of mechanism built into his set of full-plate.

EDIT 2: I might end up picking up the Boots of Striding and Springing, instead, since they'd put me right at 20. Alternatively, if I use an Extract of Expeditious Retreat at some point, I'd still be able to keep up with anyone who isn't a monk for short distances.

EDIT 3: Teamwork Feats! They're great! I believe Phalanx Fighter (the feat) is just begging for us to turtle up and defeat the forces of evil. Issue is, everyone who has it needs to be good.

Haha I love that you drop a bomb like Eddwick on us at the last minute. I will have to build him in Hero Lab in the next days (only my home computer has Hero Lab). Once everyone feels their character is built and ready to go, pop a "green light" post here in Discussion, please.

Green light.

The big thing in that Teamwork feat is the +3 for all saves against evil folk. I'm willing to add a team work feat, though being adjacent does leave us weaker against area effects, and Cornu is good.

I'm trying to get my character done..just got a bit busy this week.

Also, I think the Phalanx feat might be a good one..the more the better. Better than the +2 Iron Will Feat I think.

Green light.

Just need to get a chance to write the background down but I am off to work shortly so can't right now.

Green light, work muddled up my schedual.

You can also log in to the Roll20 game so I can match you up with your token.

I'll try to be ready for tomorrow. I think I just have the extracts to do. I also had the bombs number wrong, will reduce.

after creating roll20 account, anything i need to do?

Just sit tight until we get started!

Cornu has improved familiar with hands that's gonna carry a wand of haste. Those that bought boots of speed might consider spending the 12k elsewhere.

I need to pick skills

In terms of skills, knowledges will definitely be useful to identify enemies and their weaknesses.

I notice your cloak, headband, and haversack are listed at half price. Have you crafted these items yourself? They should cost, respectively, 1,000gp, 16,000gp, and 2,000gp.

I like the title.

I took the trait magical lineage (reduce metamagic cost on one spell).
Any advice one choices? Cornu is in the school of conjuration?

Fireball plus daze
Magic Missile plus topping
A summon Monster?

With all summoning, fireball might be hard to use..

Black tentacles :).

I did decide to use a feat to choose craft wondrous..In actuality, I could afford all the wondrous items at the regular price, but used the savings to buy a wand of haste to buff the party. I'd totally understand it if you feel like I'm taking advantage.

No, that's okay. As mentioned, once the game begins you're going to be in a wasteland, so acquiring magical items is going to be very difficult and, until you're able to access proper teleportation magic, will be at the mercy of whatever loot you can find.

I have enough information to get the first post up. I think I'll do so, just to get us going before the weekend (I tend not to post on weekends). Those who are still finishing up their characters can jump in when you're finished.

On that note, Ulave invested some of his background skill points into lore. Lore of Tsar in fact; the legends, rumours, and history. Ulave is what they might call a Tsar enthusiast; he collected artifacts purported to come from the region or to be connected with its history and the battle.

Knowledge (history) and Lore are great, and at times that's how the adventure assumes you gain certain information.

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm not particularly eager to engage in combat with an insane giant on the threshold of arriving to a settlement. I would suggest that we look for a way to handle this some other way.

Just a reminder to those that bought boots of speed, I have a familiar that will cast haste on the party. If not interested in that buff, let me know
(al could be pretty useful for the summons).

Gone for a grapple attempt to slow things down and buy us time. DM, feel free to swap in a bear icon if you like.

Nice post rurik! You've got a range of 40ft with summon, yea? Looks like you could place mr bear in position to 5ft step and full attck.

Ah - I read somewhere that summoned creatures can only do a regular attack the round they're summoned? Am I wrong on that one?

I'm not sure :/. will have to look into that.

Still better than my summons, which only come into effect the next turn.

My idea for Eddwick's back story is that as a low-ranking guy, he knew pretty little, and the whole mystery is just as much a mystery to him as well.

But if its more than 100 years, then it doesn't work at all. So being a former gnomish engineer works, too, and avoids the issues you might have with that kind of veteran, so let's go with that!

I'll get a post up soon, and log onto roll20. I've mostly been working from my phone the last couple of days, so editing is hard, and roll20 is impossible, but I'll be home by Saturday night.

For now, plan is throw an immolation bomb at the giant, in case you're left waiting for me.

Cheers, and sorry!

@Wicked I can't move my guy currently.

@Subiculum consider asking about a feat, I can't remember it's name currently but it's in the Curse of the Crimson Throne players guide. You need to be a specialist wizard but it lets you cast summon monster spells as a standard action but need to make a fortitude save or become fatigued or something. Worth considering.

Also on fireball+summoned monsters... why not fire elementals? They are immune!

Is anyone else unable to move their token? From my side, everything looks right. Lyon, make sure you've activated the "Select/Move" mouse function (rather than "Pan") on the left tools menu.

Also, under the Journal, select your character and see if you can edit or adjust any options.

I can edit and adjust my character in the journal but not interact with the token. I have clicked on the select move which isn't helping. It's not panning either.

Ah - I read somewhere that summoned creatures can only do a regular attack the round they're summoned? Am I wrong on that one?

I've tried to find this rule and can't. To the best of my knowledge your summoned creatures can full attack the round they appear.

I can edit and adjust my character in the journal but not interact with the token. I have clicked on the select move which isn't helping. It's not panning either.

Thanks Lyon. Is anyone else having a problem moving their token?

i also cannot move icons

lyon, would you be interested in Cornu casting this on you for an extra attack ,and a full atack on your turn?

School evocation [force]; Level bloodrager 4, sorcerer/wizard 4

CASTING

Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S

EFFECT

Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one willing creature
Duration instantaneous
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)

DESCRIPTION
You telekinetically launch an ally across the battlefield to anywhere within this spell’s range. While moving, your ally is flying just above the ground unless you wish otherwise. Movement from this spell provokes attacks of opportunity as normal, although you can lift your ally over objects or out of enemy reach, as long as your ally remains within this spell’s range. If your ally lands adjacent to an opponent, he can spend an immediate action to make a melee attack against that opponent with a +2 bonus on the attack roll.

Else he was going to cast slow on it.

Haha we just saw this used in Lyon's PbP game like a week ago.

Okay, I think I fixed Roll20. I'll be logged in for the next 10min or so if anyone's around to log in and test.

worked for me.

Probably has reach so probably would yield an aoo, but that was gonna happen anyway

Telekinetic charge is my favourite spell for overcoming spell resistance as I said to a friend playing a rogue once. Do it on Iyon, let him provoke the AOO, the giant probably just has one and he's got a good AC and a bit of DR.

I can move my icon now.

Cool. Ill try to post soonish.

How does it overcome spell resistance, btw? Just by better utilizing the fighters?

My bear would fill attack then! DM, I'm traveling this weekend, could you roll for me?

Seems that there is little interest in haste due to boots of speed. Reconfiguring, and finalizing build. Sorry about being so tardy. Work is killer right now.

Dude, apologies. Grab haste for the party. I'll keep my boots so that I'm always always hasted ;)

@Cornu, haste would be great. I've only got boots of striding and springing