[5e] Courts of the Shadow Fey (Inactive)

Game Master mishima

Ras, yeah, sorry...hope it doesn't feel like I'm picking on you. It was bound to happen to someone even had someone detected both. Every creature in this fight has some kind of massive forced movement ability...you might not be the last even.

Kjeta, indeed. Only reason I didn't is because we've never talked about it. I'm down if you all are. Sometimes it bothers me as a player, but only when a lot are rolled together with no reasonable order (and DM is just arranging rolls to suit himself, instead of using alpha or random targeting etc).

Yeah, I trust you to not cheat on the order. I mean, if you wanted to cheat us I think we'd have WAAYYYY bigger problems. ;-)

...And yeah, this is a vicious encounter! Fingers crossed for Ras to get our soon!! If I hadn't just wasted my Inspiration, I'd give it to you to help you make that roll.

Oh, no need to worry about that. It's just going to make certain things harder on her when/if they come up

Ill go ahead and say if Ras has a rope dangling in front of her, she can take advantage on the check.

Same goes for me. If a roll is needed please feel free to make it for me.

I agree as well about rolling for me. Only thing I really care about rolling myself is Stealth checks, but only because I enjoy rolling low =P

Seriously though, please feel free to roll for me if it's something that needs it.

Ditto. Please roll a save if you would wait for me.

cheers

Same. No sense in waiting unless there’s some choice to be made.

I thought that shadow beast was undead. Phasing through walls like a duck. Causing fear like a duck. Must be a duck, right?

cheers

I love the image. Hrungnir standing there, throwing fire around and looking like an orchestra conductor. His eyes focused on the Giant. To the side a hound comes, leaping at him. He turns, realizing that he won’t be fast enough. He begins to raise his shield anyways...and then Carnadine comes charging in, intercepting the hound. His lance piercing it, throwing the twitching body into the pit.

It’s a pretty epic scene.

Yeah no doubt, check out the picture of it from the module (I just dropped it next to the not updated map)...it even looks like a duck. But this is a shadow realm native. Fey.

But yeah, I need to try and remember that feature of yours; there's definitely been some missed opportunities on my part.

Hru, thanks for enjoying, on my side of things this is the funnest battle for me in a long time.

teamwork!

teamwork!

Right!

Like, uhh, when Kjeta and the Flying Fey worked together to drop Deimus into the pit. :-/

(But yes, I think this is a very tactically interesting battle.)

Very. It also has pretty much shut down the blaster caster by dropping her in a hole. :P

Down in a hole? Any old Chains fans

The chorus is pretty fitting for Ras at the moment. :P

Poor Lexi, she tries to help and Ras just snaps at her. (Also, this should be the first time she's used contractions in common if I did it right. Figured that would help punch up the dialogue just a bit.)

Language is important, especially when it goes against established norms.

Updated and simplified map to better show the scene between the pits.

Also, I actually have work today for the first time since last Friday, so my posting might feel less.

Hey all, I'm considering options.

One thought: BLESS on Deimus and Raseri and one other (Hrung? Carn? Lexi?). If you two plan to keep trying to get out of the pits, it seems like that helps...and (at least for Ras) will help you in combat once you're out too.

I could also do a Mass Heal, if enough folks are hurting

...and I could go back on the offensive too (picking up my Tankard, casting Spiritual Weapon, and--next round--adding Tankard-lellagh to the damage dealing mix as well.

Thoughts? Other suggestions?

I think you need line of sight, so Deimus is out from your position. And you may not be able to target Ras, Carn & Hru. Tough to tell.

I think you need to Spiritual Weapon that Shadow Beast and give Raseri Inspiration to get out of that pit. We need some range/lockdown of that Shadow Beast, because it keeps nailing us

The giant is just a hit point input/output

Bless is only 30 ft so climb down a little also.

I'll get Raseri. Kjeta, you can get Hrungnir.

Thanks. I appreciate the help, though if I'm honest, I'm not sure that was the best decision. Ras is bloodied and they probably know she's a spell caster. That's a "Kill me now" sign if there ever was one.

Maybe, but Lexi has something to say about Raseri's....thought process...(see my last post). Also, she's going to get Hrungnir up next, and...you're a cleric, you can heal yourself.

Oh I do too. I know she's a mopey mess. I, the player, was thinking more in terms of effectiveness. Lexi could have spent her turn and next dealing damage to something to help end the fight more quickly. Even after being freed, Raseri's out of the fight for the next turn since she's going to need some HP to keep from getting gibbed, and the only source of easy healing is herself. Still, that's just me and I'm hardly the end all be all of TTRPG tactics, so I'm not going to fuss too much about it. I am grateful for the help and I'm sorry if my comments make it seem otherwise.

Now as for why Raseri's feeling like she does at the moment, I'm still kinda getting know her in this iteration, but I do have a pretty good idea of who she is. She's always had a part of her that is still just a scared little girl, and despite her age, she's a bit naive. She doesn't want to be seen as weak, and since she's willing to let fights that would not have any benefit to them go, she feels that she has to be self-sufficient and not a drain on the party. That is one reason the fight in the Archives was such a brutal one for her emotionally. She was taken down and had to be rescued at the others' expense. She's feeling the same way about this fight. She's not helping and someone had to risk themselves to come get her loose. She's wallowing in self-loathing, and while Lexi has managed to get her to shut up for the moment, that's still going to be there, and she's going to be feeling low for a while. That, unfortunately, is me speaking from experience. It's hard to beat that way of thinking in a single moment and it's hard even when you start getting past it.

Of course, knowing this doesn't mean the GM and I are above twisting the knife. I'm sure he has plans for poor Raseri's backstory coming back to bite her, and I know of some things that will be coming up in the not too distant future once Raseri can cast fifth level spells. >:3

Anyway, here's hoping we make it there. :)

Im going to be changing the sheets tracker later today to hopefully prevent some of the dumbass forgetting of status like Deimus's bardic inspiration. I will split it up into a few pages with combat info on first page, character sheets another, xp treasure another, etc. I know no one really looks at it but me, but just saying...trying to work on it. Would like to be able to tabulate it in just one location, then copy paste into each post. When I copy from previous posts I inevitably make mistakes.

Update coming shortly.

@Raseri: I get your point, but from a tactical point of view I've rarely seen an instance where getting a healer back up is a waste of time.

As far as RP goes, Lexi has alot of the same insecurities as Raseri seems to (even if they're being suppressed somewhat right now). She talks/acts a big game, but she was (until the worm-things in the dragon's hoard changed her perspective some) doing her best just to hold it together and not show weakness in front of the "high and mighty lords", which is what she sees most of the group as (i.e. people who have never starved or had to kill for a crust of bread). That especially applies to Carnadine (who is basically the complete opposite of Lexi in pretty much every way).

I like Carnadine, however.

I resemble that remark!

In Carn's defense, he doesn't eat bread...only the succulent flesh of forgotten children.

I imagine the duchy of Morgau quite like the court described by Michael Moorcock in his Elric series. Decadent empire.

Dwarven Diplomacy posted.

Infinity, remember that the Fey and Giant have to save vs Spirit Guardian at the start of their turn (this most recent one, and any future one when the start out within 15' of Kjeta

Thanks Kjet, sorry will post their saves in a sec.

Carn, something occurred to me about 5e mounted grid combat I hadn't thought of before. I think I am going to say you occupy all 4 squares while mounted. I was reading this where it talks about 'Center of Mass Method' and it seemed reasonable. Any thoughts?

Whatever you want to play is good with me.

I didn't know if you would be enforce the reach penalty. Next turn, Carn'll probably ditch his lance and draw his handaxe.

cheers

Another thing I was reading from that link and Jeremy Crawford I hadn't thought of which you may find interesting:

the mount can take Disengage as her action, and the rider doesn't provoke since its forced movement for him (and forced movement never provokes PH 195).

Being mounted is better than rogue's Cunning Action.

@Raseri: I get your point, but from a tactical point of view I've rarely seen an instance where getting a healer back up is a waste of time.

As far as RP goes, Lexi has alot of the same insecurities as Raseri seems to (even if they're being suppressed somewhat right now). She talks/acts a big game, but she was (until the worm-things in the dragon's hoard changed her perspective some) doing her best just to hold it together and not show weakness in front of the "high and mighty lords", which is what she sees most of the group as (i.e. people who have never starved or had to kill for a crust of bread). That especially applies to Carnadine (who is basically the complete opposite of Lexi in pretty much every way).

I like Carnadine, however.

No arguments about making sure a healer is up, but the way I've been playing Raseri is more like a glass cannon. She hits hard and tries limit how much she gets hit. She's the most likely target for her own healing since she's the second squishiest character, with Deimus being the only one with lower HP and AC. Unlike Deimus, she's right in the thick of things and tends to get hammered hard. That's why I see her as more of a blaster caster than a healer. That's one reason I would have just left Raseri to her own devices and gone after one of the enemies in hopes of taking them out before they can cause too much mayhem.

As for RP, I'm looking forward to, and hoping for, an opportunity for Raseri and Lexi to have a heart to heart. I think it'd be good for both of them and I imagine Raseri's going to need it after she learns some things about herself. I'm actually kind of surprised that Lexi sees Raseri as some lady. Raseri's clothing up until she bought the dress was not in anyway fine and her hands are rough and calloused from forging and fighting. I would like to know what it was that lead her to think that. Admittedly, she does have some nice armor and weaponry, but I wouldn't think that alone would have been enough for Lexi to see Raseri as a high and mighty lord.

Well, to be fair, Lexi grew up on the streets scrapping for bread, so anyone who grew up with more than that she considers a noble.

Ah, I see now. I guess she's assuming that Raseri grew up with more than she had? If that's the case, that makes sense, especially since it's not likely that a street urchin would pick up the skills Raseri has in crafting.

@Hru

You cannot see the live giant from your position. While you can Edit your post, please change your target to the Shadow Beast that is controlling the battlefield with your Fire Bolt. Concentrate fire on it! Bounce your Flaming Sphere at it, with a Bonus Action if you can.

Cheers!

<waves hand> it is so!

Somewhere, there is a reality where Raseri's insult sends the giant into apoplectic shock, and in another, it runs off crying to its mother. In this one, I fear, it just makes the giant want to squash her flat.

But hey, there's a chance the giant can't do 77 damage to her in one round. Right, guys?
...
uh, guys?
...
Hello?

Can't do full post now but Spirit Guardians says "you can designate any number of creatures you can see to be *unaffected* by it"

Haha, nice thanks. Let me roll it, you were within 15 before he acted.

I wish just once I could post without making any mistakes. I swear I edit every time once or twice.

Speaking of things we'd like. I wish the dice didn't hate me so much. I got about two-thirds of the way through that post the decided to roll so I could finish. It's ridiculous the amount of horrendous luck I seem to have with dice, and it get kinda old when you build a fighter and constantly whiff.

It'd almost be perfect for the giant to either ignore her or kick the crap out of her to avoid sullying his spears.

Note, the giant gets a DC 16 WIS save vs my Spirit Guardians.

Do cure spells work on Deimus?

Yes, but they only cure half what you roll. This is only true for spells that have cure, healing, or heal in their name. Healing from resting works normal ("self maintenance").

Also fyi medicine checks dont stabilize him. Instead its an int check or the mending cantrip.

Hey, I'm opening up a recruitment thread for a short DnD 5e adventure if y'all are interested. The thread can be found here: A Dinner for Party of Five

Hmmmm, I think we're likely in as race against exhaustion here (which 5e does a great job of capturing mechanically).

Given that, my preference:
1. Assign the creepy dead horse to keep watch and all of us try for a Long Rest.

Or

2. Keep going to try to race the clock

Both are risky... But if we're going to ever get rest here, this tower seems like the best bet we'll see. Given that, I vote for Long Rest. If that happens, I'm 100% in support of ballista tinkering. Otherwise, I think we need tu run.

I second the long rest attempt, because I cannot imagine that we'll get a more defensible place that looks out as far as the tower can see, with a ballista!