That's fine. We can get back to them once we've returned.
I think the idea was to take the thieves' hideout away.
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But then wouldn't they just find another one?
I can speak from experience that if you find rats in your woodpile (which you have because you like chopping wood and then burning it...but who doesn't?) if you just get rid of the woodpile without first killing the rats, the rats will find somewhere else to live, and that might be somewhere really close to your hot water heater. =p
Honestly, Arianna is on their list. The next time she's in town I wouldn't be surprised if they try to slit her throat. Yeah, we're going to have to fight them at some point.
That said, I'm still trying to peg Arianna's personality better than I've got it now.
@Orion Anything said in the discussion should be considered out of character.
If you don't know why Eska wants the bar that's fine there's little reason you should. I would rather you ask. Though Eska is more a I'll figure things out when i get there character. Arianna's done well character diving exploring her and other characters in the RP. I don't want to promote this solution as anything other than Eska's solution.
Since you asked i'll try and explain a bit...
IC
Eska is trying to do what she thinks is the right thing which i feel is in line with her background, ideal, ect.
It's a non-violent way of obtaining leverage over Mayna allowing us to use, contain and or remove their operation.
As a rouge-like character with a criminal background Eska is not for the murder-every-thief-you-see-mentality. As with characters of differing alignments in a group we do need some manner of compromise.
Historically the town has a strong background of criminal activity. Maybe or maybe not related to Mayna's crew. Eska is trying to warn Orion not to poke the hornets nest too hard.
(Meta) Team had a strong reaction to Mayna's crew it seemed weird that we would just ignore them after that. I do understand that main-questline character had important news for us. i get we don't want to de-rail the game I think the GM's solution of allowing us to earn the Ant was cool. Helping us resolve this side story If we chose to.
Also fixing every problem by attacking is actually really boring. The team has done well in finding creative solutions to problems thus far I rather promote that.
I hope this helps. If you want more context to who the character is or how she might think the bio might help.
Arianna, am I correct in thinking the Disguise Self could be seen through with a successful check against your spell save DC 13?
That would seem to be the case, but I think that would just let them know that I was disguised under a spell, not what I actually look like. I've highlighted the parts regarding how to see though the spell below.
You make yourself--including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person--look different until the spell ends or until you use your action to dismiss it. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear thin, fat, or in between. You can't change your body type, so you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Otherwise, the extent of the illusion is up to you.The changes wrought by this spell fail to hold up to physical inspection. For example, if you use this spell to add a hat to your outfit, objects pass through the hat, and anyone who touches it would feel nothing or would feel your head and hair. If you use this spell to appear thinner than you are, the hand of someone who reaches out to touch you would bump into you while it was seemingly still in midair.
To discern that you are disguised, a creature can use its action to inspect your appearance and must succeed on an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC.
Ah, fair point. Then they definitely did not recognize you as someone from last night, but Eska's a different story.
Eh, it's moot either way. I just wanted to know if I had an option open that is now made moot by Orion popping out.
Sorry all been away for a few doing my best to catch up.
Friendly DM reminder that you've all still got Inspiration from last night's fight. :)
Team, I'll be traveling for the next few days and I'm really not quite sure what my schedule is going to be like. I'll post as I can but it will likely not be that frequent and I may miss a day or two.
Safe travels. Don't worry, we'll be here when you return. :)
lol Arianna you came over to "save me" but why do i feel like I'm going to have to be the one to save you?
Cause my luck is abysmal? :D
It wasn't so much to save anyway as to try and protect your flank. That said, we need start whittling away the numbers or we're going to be in trouble.
I've returned and will make my posting rounds today :) Glad to be home!
I'll go ahead and bot Raakuze this evening if he hasn't got a chance to post, just to keep this fight moving.
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Okay, so, the character just isn't speaking to me.
Basically, I don't like how one-dimensional the Ranger is turning out. I'd much rather like someone that can do more. Maybe it's my fault for creating such an optimized path for him. Maybe I just can't think outside the box. But for whatever reason, the "Waste him with my crossbow!" trick isn't moving my muse, and I need to swap the character.
(Also, I think my days as playing the 'haunted loner' are through. It's been a while since I played a Charisma Monster, so I think it's a good time now.)
((P.S. Heh. Yeah, I fully realize how ironic the next character will be, especially considering...well, you'll find out. ^_^))
(((P.P.S. And, yeah, the 'pants-tossing incident' -almost- got me to keep him for a bit. Oh, man. It was close. =)))
Fair enough. Arianna's going to tease Orion mercilessly when this is all over.
"You had a beautiful elven maid literally throw her clothes at you and you said 'No, I'd rather be with smelly orcs!' No wonder you haven't found a wife yet!"
That said, Arianna's going to be feeling rather dumb for a little while. She didn't even succeed in getting him to crack a smile, and that's going to sting a bit.
Ok, so Orion is exiting out and another character we don't know about yet will enter. I believe that's how I read the last couple of posts.
I feel you, Orion. I've got a PFS ranger character I haven't used in a long time because he's archer specced. They get neat feats to augment their style at higher levels, but they're still one-trick ponies in combat situations.
I've found that if you're okay with lower bonuses, you can generally get a character that is capable of more. That said, there are times where I wish some classes got more skills/proficiencies. Not really to cheese the rolls, but so I can make a more versatile character. Fighters get the worst of it in Pathfinder. Sure you have more feats, but those don't really give you a chance of succeeding like skill points.
Of course, I'm also the same guy that rolled a half-elf barbarian for a 5e game with three 16's, a 14, a 13, and a 12. tanky and can double as the face of the party. :D
lol quite the entrance...don't think the dragon turned man will be welcoming you with open arms! welcome back though!
Welcome back to the party! I don't think Arianna is going to be so quick with her trust, either. That said. I think she'll be more easily convinced of your veracity.
Ah, I'd expect nothing less!
How could Mister Power reasonably know everyone's name? Curious about that explanation. ;)
Looking at moving us on soon enough. Can I get a Wisdom (Perception) check from everyone as we head out?
Let's see if I've got this right. Eska wants to try to get behind the rearguard as stealthily as she can and get an idea of numbers? And Arianna will join her?
Just want to give you a better idea of the terrain: the trail winds through a gap between two outcrops, and they're hiding in the outcrop rocks, but thanks to Stefan's report, you spotted them. However, there aren't a whole lot of trees or tall grass in this area to take cover behind. You'd probably have to take the long way around them, peek behind to see how many there are, and take the long way back to Raak/James/Brax. Which is fine. Just trying to clarify your intentions :)
Hi, folks!
I wanted to let you all know that next week, I'm going to be out of town for Asheville Scarefest on Oct 17-20th. Since the convention won't be at a hotel or a convention center per say and this will be my first time attending, I have no idea of what my internet access will be like there, if any. Even if I have access, my time's going to be pretty full with convention events.
For that time period, please feel free to bot my character. I'll still be able to post regularly until October 17th. I should be able to resume posting normally on Monday, October 21st.
Let's see if I've got this right. Eska wants to try to get behind the rearguard as stealthily as she can and get an idea of numbers? And Arianna will join her?
Just want to give you a better idea of the terrain: the trail winds through a gap between two outcrops, and they're hiding in the outcrop rocks, but thanks to Stefan's report, you spotted them. However, there aren't a whole lot of trees or tall grass in this area to take cover behind. You'd probably have to take the long way around them, peek behind to see how many there are, and take the long way back to Raak/James/Brax. Which is fine. Just trying to clarify your intentions :)
Long way around is fine. The idea is to get as close to their camp as possible without being seen or even inside(if characters can confidently do so) to sabotage(tents, wagons? we were told camp but not sure what that entails). I'm not sure what time of day it is but if we can leverage dusk to limit the vision of our enemies to make our approach. If the rear-guard is camped here Eska's in no rush and doesn't seem like the team necessarily wants to go around them only to be flanked later by the main force.
Edit: Eska with Arianna in tow
Pretty much what Eska said, with the caveat that if they don't see an opportunity to create some chaos, it might be better to just head back and report on what we saw.
And I'm fine with the long way. :)
Let's get a Stealth roll from Arianna as well.
Wish I had a doodle map or something. There's nine total, all cultists, some wearing less badass looking robes than others. One of the nine is a guard. Those nine are in the outcrops (where you had previously only counted six).
There's also the actual camp, which is the hollowed out plateau in the distance.
As for eavesdropping, I think that would require getting a little closer. I'd need another stealth roll.
Alright if we're able to infiltrate the camp just so the away team doesn't monopolize the game we are looking for....
- Information on on Leosin's whereabouts (Only if Arianna reminds Eska!)
- Camp vulnerabilities (alternative lowly guarded entrances, vulnerable supplies)
- Purpose of the raid on Greenest and where the hoard is being kept/headed to
- *Keeping an ear open for information on Rezmir, Bog Luck and Frulam Mondath* (the utmost importance to Eska)
- supplies we can use to further help our disguise
- unguarded supplies that the team can use
Mostly we should be eavesdropping, and observing the camp layout avoiding direct and prolonged contact with the cultists.
That's great and all, but if we're going to journey into the camp, can we not split the party? :)
See The Rogue is not a class so much as it is an ideology. It's their fault for letting That-Damn-Theif (Eska) out of their sight. So whatever happens, happens.
We'll regroup after the recon mission.
Edit:If we want to fast-track this we can just say Ari-Eska return with whatever info we glean based on skill checks. Since we did risk our lives for this. If you feel that is an appropriate compromise.
I'd say we don't push our luck. We've seen that the camp is pretty lax and if we could disguise everyone's identities, we might be able to sneak in and get Leosin out without arousing the entire camp. We could also cause a distraction by setting some fires to tents away from where the exit and Leosin are.
The thing is we still have the rearguard to worry about. If they are as lax as they seem, we should be able to take them out tonight, rest up to recover, then bluff our way in tomorrow while everyone's hungover.
Well i feel it'd be much more suspicious with a larger group additionally if we somehow manage to take out the rearguard (which might be doubtful given the numbers and status of the group) would they not be more suspicious the following day?
Right now we are at least leveraging the two characters with the skill to actually gain info. But i will step back if that the will of the game can some of the others chime in?
The idea isn't to solo recuse Leosin it's just intel i'm after. Cause we haven't learned an incredible amount and there is a beacon of info right front of us.
Possibly, but if they are drunk off their victory the guards might not be too attentive, especially when they are probably expecting some stragglers. My point is we might succeed, but if we fail, we're going to be lucky if we escape and we are going to put them on alert. I'd rather have all of use together and having some backup in case things do go south would be great.
It is your character i won't ask you to risk her for something you feel is out of character for her. Eska on the other hand accepts and kinda lives for the risks involved and is confident she can do this with Arianna.
OOC: I feel like whether we deal with the rear-guard or not we are going to end up in this exact same situation with needing to infiltrate on the sly. My hope is doing this now will net us an advantage later. You bring up a good point about them being on high alert status if we fail and the DM did make it clear this is very risky. that being said going high-risk stealth missions is the MO for rouge-like characters.
Edit: Also we might not have to deal with either the rear-gaurd or the big camp if we gain information on our main targets
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Point, but when the GM starts emphasizing the dangers involved, that is when I start really getting nervous.
In character, Arianna's nervous because of how quickly their last attempt fell apart. She's reckless at times, but that's mostly in a fight where her main advantages are surprise and speed. hen it comes to skullduggery, she's much more cautious.
That said, Eska would probably be able to convince her to go along with it.
Out of character. I'd rather not leave the others out for any longer than we have to. We have information that could help us get all of us into the camp and possibly back out if we're clever. We could also watch the rearguard and see if they interact with the camp at all or listen in to see if they are griping about something.
Honestly, I'd also like to hear what the others would like to do. I know that's slowing things down, but I think they have as much fo a say in this as we do. We have options and one of the others may think of something we haven't yet.
The main thing I had in mind here is I'd really rather not have this boil down to 3 players sitting idle, waiting around for the other two to come back and report on their findings. In character, how long would the others actually wait? Would Raakuze really just stand there for more than ten (five?) minutes? Wouldn't Brax soon worry that you guys ran into trouble?
Party splits are always a little tricky, but I understand the desire and purpose of scouting, of course. Happy to hear what the others think.
That was the other thing. I don't think it's going to take them long to get antsy if they don't hear back from Arianna and Eska.
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Imma completely agree with the DM on this one. (Mrrmph. -Another- reason I'm actually against scouting in almost all instances. They either end up with the scouter in a sticky wicket, or become some kind of quagmire (giggidy). Or both. =p)
Even with Orion, I think I've proved that my "Infinite Range"(where we open up at range and let the enemy run up to -us-) tactic can be successful where other ideas might not. Hence, I'm not worried about taking out the rearguard. If you guys wanna stay between the rearguard and the main body to ensure that there isn't any communication between the two, that's fine. (I'd -rather- only one of you did that, so the other one could help in the fight, tho.)
Also, I'm about as charismatic as they come, and having more people around means more options. With just two, AND an enemy force between you and help, that's less options.
With no errant enemy force, and the entire party either directly engaged, or within assisting distance, that's more options. Besides the obvious 'if it comes to a fight, more is better, even in a fighting-retreat' thing, with three charisma-monsters, another party member can Aid, or, more likely, might think of a tactic or idea that isn't apparent.
Anyway, yeah, IMHO, I'd recommend an immediate EVAC back to the party by at least one, with a general engagement to follow.
SO! Is Eska going to insist on going into the camp alone, or heed Arianna's concerns?
I leave it in the hands of Eska and Arianna. Raakuzedu'lon'ros will wait will until it appears that something is occurring at the camp. He was a dragon he can be patient.
Let Arianna regroup with the team and bring them up to speed and get them into position and get them back into the RP.
Y'all still need to figure out what to do RE:rear-guard and this camp whether we are fighting avoiding or other; which Eska is not likely to contribute to anyway.
I was told the risks and accept them. This will be strictly for information. As such in-base actions will be limited to scouting and eavesdropping Eska will automatically reconvene after accessing the in-base situation unless something specifically happens to her.
I'll be mindful in the future that stealth should only be used in the briefest instance.
Welp, let's see how this shakes out.
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Okay guys, do we wanna fight, evade, or something else?
If we evade, did you guys see all the Stealth rolls that Ari and Eska made? We would fail those. And then things might go...poorly.
If we fight, we can do two things. The first is the basic plan, where we (I) attack at max range (120) and then they come to us. We'd hit them with the ranged attacks that we have for two rounds and then melee.
Mind you, there's a little "extra" we could do. We could add Kiting to it. Like, they'll Dash, moving 60 each round, and by on us in 2 rounds. If every round we attacked at range and then moved 30, we would extend that to subjecting them to a withering fire for 4 rounds AND, if/when someone wanted to retreat, he'd now be even farther away from the main camp, which would give us more time to go after him and stop him.
(Arianna could even work around to their back once melee is engaged, and thereby stop anyone from getting away.)
What do you think?
(sry, not doing this IC because of time.)