Strength and Fear: An Ustalavic Kingmaker Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master vayelan

Wishing you all the best and a speedy recovery! COVID... sucks.

Hope your wife recovers swiftly and you get some rest as well. Vaccine vastly decreases chances of dangerous complications and hospitalization, but you can still feel pretty lousy.

Sorry. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to all!

Hoping for a swift recovery for your wife, and for nobody else to get sick!

I will be offline starting tomorrow save periodically until Monday; please bot as needed.

Added to loot spreadsheet, ready to be claimed... I understand Valeska seems an obvious choice.

I do not know how it works with the time needed to read the book, if it is assumed while adventuring/kingdom buildinig, etc...

I'm happy to put it up for a vote/nomination. It shouldn't be an assumed allocation.

I agree that Valeska should either be the one to use it--or to command someone to use it in a time of need when it would do the most good, and stay in the county's stores until then.

Giving others a chance to post and do their thing, now that the lid is open.

Also, as indicated in character, I think it's best for Miruna to claim (physically reach out and accept) this item.

I know from another game that Miruna both recently got married and also has been struggling with a med shortage. They'll post when they can, I'm sure, but I don't know when that might be.

A friend of mine had died recently and I need some time off. Please bot me as needed.

A friend of mine had died recently and I need some time off. Please bot me as needed.

Sorry for your loss, may their memory be a blessing.

A friend of mine had died recently and I need some time off. Please bot me as needed.

My condolences.

I've very sorry to hear that, Nadiya. Please take care of yourself.

I am going away for a couple days. I will post after that. Please bot as needed. Nadiya's statblock is up to date as are her prepared spells on her profile. Nadiya has burning hands and iron stake that may be useful in fighting the ghouls (saving the latter for one of the main threats), and like a cleric can turn any other prepped spell into a cure spell which she can use to hurt the ghouls as well--but she will not convert her two prepped remove disease spells in case people need treatment after interaction with the ghouls, and she will save her inflict moderate wounds if Leta needs healing.

She will activate her flight hex if it helps her either avoid being surrounded by ghouls or to angle her burning hands cone most effectively.

She will try to avoid too much risk to Mishka, but will use Mishka to deliver a touch cure spell to an ally if they are badly wounded and if it is easier for Mishka to get there.

I am going away for a couple days. I will post after that. Please bot as needed. Nadiya's statblock is up to date as are her prepared spells on her profile. Nadiya has burning hands and iron stake that may be useful in fighting the ghouls (saving the latter for one of the main threats), and like a cleric can turn any other prepped spell into a cure spell which she can use to hurt the ghouls as well--but she will not convert her two prepped remove disease spells in case people need treatment after interaction with the ghouls, and she will save her inflict moderate wounds if Leta needs healing.

She will activate her flight hex if it helps her either avoid being surrounded by ghouls or to angle her burning hands cone most effectively.

She will try to avoid too much risk to Mishka, but will use Mishka to deliver a touch cure spell to an ally if they are badly wounded and if it is easier for Mishka to get there.

Thank you very much for the botting instructions. Have a safe trip!

Story-wise if not mechanically/crunch-wise... why wouldn't Miruna use Raven's Head? I understand Sarenrae, scimitar... but...

This situation seems to be exactly what it's meant for and I'm guessing it's more powerful that anything we're carrying.

Mechanically, I suppose the character build might be gimped by using it? I haven't looked.

If you find and can pull Excalibur from the stone... use it!

I could be wrong.

I was thinking that as well.Though I think Miruna is using the dervish dance feat, which only works for scimitars. I guess if no one else is going to use it Kain can use it in times where he is not mounted. It's less damage than a two handed spear, but it would allow him to use a shield on foot.

All of the following assumes an undead enemy...

I may not be accounting for everything on Miruna's character sheet, and I am terrible at arithmetic) but it looks like she's got a +11 to hit with her scimitar, for 1d6+6 damage (assuming a one-handed attack). She can give it the bane quality, which if she activates that gives her an additional +2 to hit and 2d6 damage (for +13 to hit, 3d6+6 damage (avg result @16, max damage 24)).

If she were to use raven's head in this fight (a +3 undead bane heavy mace with various cool extras), her bonus to hit versus undead would be +9 and her damage would be 1d8+2d6+3 damage (avg result @15, max damage 23), plus a chance to destroy the undead completely (DC 14 Will Save). Unfortunately, as an inquisitor she does not have positive energy channeling so she doesn't get the bonus of the Channel Smite feature, which would make it do more damage.

If she didn't activate her bane judgement, the raven's head would be better for the improved damage potential--worth the tradeoff with the lower to-hit, especially if someone can buff her attack bonus.

With the bane judgement, she's better off keeping her scimitar in hand for the better to-hit and slightly better damage potential--but notably, this is ignoring the disruption effect, which if it worked could save the day, but only if the ghouls reliably fail their saves.

If she could channel smite, I'd say it was worth the tradeoff of the extra damage from channel smite (which would be several more d6s) to use raven's head. Unfortunately she doesn't have that. If we wanted to make a rule rule of cool and say she could spend judgement while holding raven's head as though to channel smite against undead as a cleric, that's the only way to get the full potential I think out of the artifact, but that would entirely be up to the GM (and of course to Miruna's player).

====

All this said, if Miruna isn't planning to use it during this fight, I would suggest that she hand it to someone else, who will still benefit from the undead bane and disruption effect. It's a simple weapon so any of us could use it.

Why do our initiative rolls have me ranting to break out with...

How low can you go, how low can you go...

So, Miruna, do you wish to use it? If not, Kain will make use of it, at least for the fight.

I cannot remember the last time I got to insert an artifact into a game, so it would be a shame for Raven's Head to go to waste.

Thus, I may incorporate a future plot line or side quest where you seek out a ritual or blessing to reconsecrate Raven's Head and have it transformed into a different weapon.

For instance, Miruna might seek to commune with servants or avatars of both Pharasma (to whom the artifact is currently dedicated) and Sarenrae to transform the weapon into a scimitar, since both deities would be keen to see it used against a new, rising undead threat.

Alternatively, Kain might bring the weapon to a sacred site protected by a knightly order dedicated to Pharasma, beginning a ritual to transform the mace into a spear or lance.

Question: we seem to have 6+ of the greenish ghouls and 3 of the bluish ones (all with red outline). Are the "ghoul creepers" with the bows the three or the six? It's not clear to me who I the player should be indicating as Bashuk's target

Her priority is of course the archers (I believe that's all who's visible currently) and clearing a path for us to get out.

My apologies for not making it clearer beforehand.

You are correct: the six are vanilla ghouls, the three are the creepers.

I've given the ghoul creepers with bows a yellow outline to better distinguish them.

While it's a very cool weapon, it's unfortunately just not very well suited for Miruna mechanically, as even with the extra enhancement my to-hit drops by 4 and my damage by 3. I'd be happy to hand it off to anyone who is better suited to use it. I'm also not a cleric (or a follower of Pharasma, for that matter), so I don't gain the disruption ability either.

Whoops, I missed that the disruption effect is for clerics of Pharasma only.

Would you consider handing it to Kain or someone else so they can use the undead bane benefit?

DM Vayelan, can we put the summoned (small) Earth Elemental anywhere bottom left with 5-10 feet between it and Valeska.

Totally! Happy to let Kain or anyone else use it.

For future, Blinkback Belt is on Valeska's Christmas list.

For future, Blinkback Belt is on Valeska's Christmas list.

I've added a token for the earth elemental. Thank you for reminding me to do that.

Also, I've added a tab on the Rulership Tracker spreadsheet, coming after the loot and treasury tabs, to serve as the party's wishlist. I've already added the Blinkback Belt for Valeska. If anyone else has any items they'd like, feel free to go onto the spreadsheet and add them or ask me to add them.

Valeska Talanova wrote:

For future, Blinkback Belt is on Valeska's Christmas list.

I've added a token for the earth elemental. Thank you for reminding me to do that.

Also, I've added a tab on the Rulership Tracker spreadsheet, coming after the loot and treasury tabs, to serve as the party's wishlist. I've already added the Blinkback Belt for Valeska. If anyone else has any items they'd like, feel free to go onto the spreadsheet and add them or ask me to add them.

Thank you, thank you, thank you...

If you are wanting to use starknives, there is always the startoss style feats.

If you are wanting to use starknives, there is always the startoss style feats.

Yeah, considered that... but would take 3 feats. Level 11 if I ignored all other feats.

Can maybe pay to add the returning feature to it down the line.

Can maybe pay to add the returning feature to it down the line.

That's a cool idea. And happy to.

Dream Item... Belt Dex +2 & 1 or 2 Blinkback Slots.

Okay if we get the full list of initiative order? Understanding anyone in PC group can go at any time as long as they are appropriately before or after monsters, based on what they rolled. Thanks.

Those are the numbers next to the character names (right side) on the map, I believe.

The fever for the flavor of a Pringle.

Umm... this could end abruptly.

Are we standing on earth (albeit) surrounding by a crevice/moat?

Or are we standing on something that could fall out from under us?

Are we standing on earth (albeit) surrounding by a crevice/moat?

Or are we standing on something that could fall out from under us?

You are standing on solid stone/rock surrounded by a deep crevice. It is essentially a very wide, stable column. There is very little risk that it could fall out from under you. Of course, I won't rule out that you party members may have the ability to strategically collapse it.

Thanks, Nadiya!

I got so preoccupied with getting the bonuses right for the elemental and Valeska. I forgot to say anything.

I think we're in an poetic of not OK position. The bards and ballads will remember!

I mean (as always) we will definitely TPK if it's just an endless stream of undead.

That's all up to the DM. First time playing with him.

Could be a dark grind, loss, after retreat, after loss, etc... but that doesn't seem to be his style in this game at least.

I see it more like a Kingmaker meets high fantasy sorta thing.

My experience with Vayelan is that he tends to set up fights that appear to have highly difficult odds against the PCs, but there's always a way through. He tends to encourage and reward creative tactics (like, indeed, collapsing the column were that a sensible thing to do). (Vayelan I hope you don't mind me speaking "in front of you" as it were, about you. :)

As for battle tactics:

I would agree that if at least some of us can move off the platform it may be a good idea so we aren't sitting ducks, and it will force some monsters to come around to face us from the other side. Nadiya's plan presuming she remains free to do so next time is to fly upwards and hover over the chasm.

The other thing is while we've needed to clear the red-ghoul speedbumps so we can maneuver, we should really focus blows on Baron Ludwig and the Ghoul Cleric, particularly the latter who might be able to summon more undead.

I don't think I'm saying anything here that would be outside my character's knowledge/frame of reference, given she's used to traveling in dangerous places in the region, and undead are not uncommon.

Bashuk does a lot of single-target damage but unless she's using her move action to gather power she's not as useful--but it should still be sufficient for regular ghouls. If she gets a shot lined up on the bosses she'll take it.

I'm playing Valeska as she's unaware of the Baron & Cleric, currently.

They could just buff the current/existing undead which could be just as bad. Or debuff us.

Depending on how it plays out, might need to thin the herd as Kain does the heavy hitting for a round or two.

Are the ghouls up high losing Dex to AC or something similar because they need to essentially attack while climbing? Or do they have some spider-climb ability?

I think they are crouching on crevices/platforms

@Nadiya - I don't mind at all. In fact, I'm quite flattered by your description of my approach to encounter design.

I had not fully intended the column/platform to be an exploitable environmental hazard since it would pose more of a threat to the party than the enemy. However, I did entertain the possibility that you might collapse it to fill the chasm below and seal off the ghoul tunnels, cutting off their reinforcements and effectively barring Clover's Crossing from their further depredations.

Regarding the ghoul archers, they are standing in slanted tunnels/crevices in the domed ceiling. While the slope of these narrow openings is not so steep that they can't stand, there is the potential to cause them to fall.

There are a few other environmental features that you can make use of. For instance, on the map we have tokens marking weak portions of the floor that would collapse under a person's weight. Similarly, there are the Kellid burial niches in the floors, along the edges of the passages, that inflict divine damage for stepping on them. While the damage would be just an annoyance for living beings, they would cause more damage to undead.

Also, back towards the entrance of this level is the grave guardian. By performing the proper ritual gestures, it has marked you as welcome. The ghouls, however, would be attacked on sight. Thus, once you get back to the other end of this level, you will have a powerful ally to cover your retreat.

I'm playing Valeska as she's unaware of the Baron & Cleric, currently.

Sorry, I confused them for the creepers on the board, didn't realize they were further back.

Still, we encountered them in the previous ghoul fight and know they are probably here somewhere, and know we need to stop them as the Baron claimed responsibility for all of this. So... eventual priority targets.

Vayelan, thanks for the reminder about the statue.

Is there one more archer?

Happy 4th of July (US Independence Day)... yes, even if not in the US, I'd BBQ with you!

** fun fact: the US Declaration of Independence was signed on July 2nd - but it was a Saturday! Made official on Monday, two days later!

** fun fact: the US Declaration of Independence was signed on July 2nd - but it was a Saturday! Made official on Monday, two days later!

Yeah, I'd heard that recently lol...have a great one man!

Is there one more archer?

Yes. Now that Bashuk finished off the wounded archer, there is one more remaining.