The Thunder Below (Inactive)

Game Master DireMerc

Out of character discussion/announcements

So you might have noticed my posting times are a little odd.

I am located in Eastern time (Atlantic Canada) but I work nights so I tend to sleep during the day and do most of my posting during Australian time. I mostly keep to that schedule tough when I have time off I sometimes revert back to sleeping at night and being awake during the day but I try to avoid that as it makes thing harder on me when it's time to start working again lol.

Been cracking away at the character, and yes it'll be quite the surprise.
The design is interesting, as I'm using access to ALL Paizo content.

Rune will be along in a bit...

I'll be doing some character rendering, if you want a character rendered, I'll be needing a height and general description (hair, eyes, skin, build)
as I'll be using pre-made Daz Studio content (Hair, clothes, surface materials) for them.

Questions for DireMerc.

Things that Devlin will have already tested to see what happens, rather than find out the hard way, with his butt on the line...
1) Stealth is a very DM idiosyncratic thing. Does the concealment from the shimmering mirage wild talent allow Devlin to use stealth?
2) If yes, would this allow him to use a kinetic blast, close using ride the blast, and use stealth as part of the movement.
3) Devlin will have tested falling onto earth/rocks - can he turn on Earth Glide, and not get hurt ("Gliding" through the rock until he gets his momentum under control)?
4) Can he choose not to bring something clinging to him along when he Earth Glides? Can he use it to scrape off say, green slime or something else sticky?

I can work with whatever answer you choose, I just want to know ahead of time.

1) Not in plain sight this is simply a blury outline around you like the spell blur. You can still stealth normally but the ability doesn't grant any bonuses to your stealth check.

2) Using a kinekic blast fires a visible and likely audible projectile that would likely alert anyone in the immediate area but you could blast somewhere out of sight during combat and try to ride the wave and then stealth to try and hide.

3) not sure what you mean by this. You mean earth glide into a falling boulder?

4) This one is a little tricky it depends on the situation. Something like an ooze creature trying to dissolve you could escape but something like green slime or Sovereign Glue would go with you.

There was quite a few conflicting rulings on this but this is what I decided to go with.

Basically other living creatures don't go with you but things like slime, grease, goo, fire ect would.

Also worth nothing if the creature is grappling you, you would need to escape the grapple before you can use earth glide to get away.

DireMerc

With regards to 3), consider a normal person falling off of a 100' cliff - they hit the rocks below and go splash for 10d6... Earth Glide, on the other hand, allows Devlin to glide through the rock, as if Devlin was flying; can he activate earth glide and skip the 10d6 damage by gliding into the rock.

Ah unfortunately no you would still take the falling damage.

Note that a fish has a swim speed and would still take 10d6 falling damage if dropped from 100 feet up into water.

Earth glide is a form of burrowing when you come into contact with rock or earth you can cause it to become smooth and the you can move trough it and it re-solidifies behind you but the instant you touch it is still solid. Your not becoming incorporeal.

Yeah, things that I want to know before I try jumping off the aforementioned 100' cliff to break contact with the enemy...

Thus, why I'm asking questions.

No prob. I don't mind.

BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense. Great anime I thoroughly enjoyed it. Watched the whole series today. Thanks for the recommendation.

Glad you enjoyed it,
Hopefully you didn't nearly fall out of your seat laughing,
Turtle....Flying....Acid-rain..

@Mae: I've budgeted 1000gp worth of diamond dust to use as material components for restoration.

Got Rune Done

Might be helpful if we knew who had what skills for checks;

Here's Runes

GM can we get a list of all the buildings in the town,

And maybe a mark showing it's been visited.

I know this is a great time for bad news, but unfortunately my computer went down last night. I’ll try to keep posting via mobile, but expect me to be sparse for a few days. Thankfully the local shop is still open, so hopefully I’ll get it back soon.

Well I hope they can fix it, if not and you have another older computer lying around I could help you get it up and running again with a new up to date OS that should be easy to use.

If fact my Old Core2Duo system is still running strong and reliably for over 8 years, and is my back up should my main system fail.

I asked for permission to access the loot page when it's giving I will post the link in the top.

I asked for permission to access the loot page when it's giving I will post the link in the top.

I accepted, and your e-mail is on the list, so you should have access.

Only major buildings are the Inn/tavern / general store and the church.
You've checked the major buildings and found the biggest clues.

Searching minor buildings have a chance to find more clues would take around 10 hours to search the entire town each 1 hour spent searching has a 20% chance of finding another clue.

Loot list is pinned at the top.

I thought there'd be more major buildings as a town needs a product(s) for work and income to buy stuff from out of town like from a smith, tannery lumber camp, and or saw mill kinda like in the beginning in Iron Fang Invasion when you need to go through town, it listed like 12 buildings.

True but nearly 70% of this town is just melted/burned rubble at this point.

Ok, I don't think it's a good plan to bypass the chimera's - I wouldn't want them piling into a big fight with the camp from behind us... So I think we need to find some method of taking them without alerting the camp. That might mean quietly, but it depends how far they are from the camp...

We can easily put some people (Devlin, Rune at least) between them and the camp so they would have a hard time running to alert the camp... Devlin would like to be the one initiating the fight, that way he can take advantage of his Delay Blast feat to get an extra/free shot in. Which is a stunt I'd also like to open the fight with the main camp with - alpha striking the dragon HARD, from 480' away.

Someone with more knowledge skills than Devlin might be able to get something useful from knowledge checks about the chimeras.

Rune was made with a few ways of quietly taking out NPCs, that and has 120ft darkvision, better then any Orc and with no Need to sleep really sleep she could pick some off during the night. when they leave camp for the Privy.

And if we wipe out the camp and it is obvious from afar, Rune could do an infiltration, reconing some and feeding them bulls**t, and pin it on Maple.

Rune does have 6 knowledge skills, but not sure what chimeras is under.

Now something else we could do and it'd be funny and do able, is everyone disguises as an Orc and then cause havoc.
As Rune can give a gift that gives a +2 stat bonus and give the racial ability shapechange.
Though it first should be done with those that can speak Orc.

With regards to the camp itself, there's only 1 exit, according to diremerc's picture... We can turn that into a chokepoint ( Devlin - wall infusion kinetic blast. Mae - Greater Shadow conjuration acid fog? ), and then Devlin can hammer the camp at will with fragmentation infusions (fireball-ish effects).

Take the dragon with say, a [delay blast] empowered entangling extreme range metal blast, and regular empowered entangling extreme range metal blast, that's leading off with (16d6+37)X1.5X2... (any accuracy boosting buffs would be appreciated - like say heroism would help).

Chimera and dragons are magical beats which falls under arcana.

The camp actually does have a gate on both sides one towards the castle and the other towards the village. The image was just something I google to give you a good idea of what the layout looked like.

I'm in favor of drawing the dragon out into an ambush and dealing with the foot soldiers afterwards.

I'm in favor of drawing the dragon out into an ambush and dealing with the foot soldiers afterwards.

Asleep > ambush. Especially as it might see through your to draw it out...

However, do you agree clean our line of retreat first? i.e. clear out the bear-dragon things.

So the Cautious Hero was a pretty great show. Good any other good recommends for me for tonight?

As for your plan engaging the bears first could potentially be a good plan that may even succeed in drawing out the dragon as well the trick here is going to be to not stay engaged longer than you should.

Don't do like the last group I played this with in the 3.5 days and bring 2 frenzied berserkers a ninja and a cleric with the trickery domain whose job it was to revive the berserkers in the aftermath of them killing everything and then dying when their rage ends lol

@Devlin: your belt exceeds max gold limit in recruitment

@Devlin: your belt exceeds max gold limit in recruitment

Oh hell, I didn't even think about that. Now I need to think.

If GM wants more anime;
Rokka:_Braves_of_the_Six_Flowers
Goblin Slayer (Warning: it is a Dark Fantasy, as bad as Berserk at times)
That and the Manga is Further along then the anime while the light novel series I believe is even further then the manga.
Slayers (5 different TV series, 5+ OVAs, 5 Movies)

Obidiah Gerheart wrote:

@Devlin: your belt exceeds max gold limit in recruitment

Oh hell, I didn't even think about that. Now I need to think.

@Diremerc,

A general Qs for all players:

1) What's your preferred combat style(s)?

2) How much hell can you lay down at a rang of 400' or so? (Assume you're striking a sleeping green dragon on a tower-nest... You can take quiet prep rounds as needed. Yeah, I am trying to figure out if we can do a functional rip and run, leaving a dead dragon behind.)

Rune has a few styles of Combat Open (all mostly Melee)
1) Stealth + Sneak atk + Assassinate (either with Balrog or Winter's Breath)
2) Straight up Melee Combat with Balrog or Winter's Breath.
3) If Rune goes big (i.e someone uses Enlarge person on her) she could become a mobile platform for casters, they are on her shoulders (about 28ft off the ground) and she'd likely be using Balrog as the Damage output from once strike could be enough to force a save from death from Massive damage, if no casters then yeah the damage would climb as she vanishes and appears with sneak attacks.
Given the damage for Balrog at Medium size is 3d6 + 9, her large size is 4d6 + 9, and then with enlarge person it becomes 6d6 +10 per swing before the +6d6 sneak attack if flanking or vanishing, and the weapon is also flaming.
Given the damage for Winter's Breath at Medium size is 1d10 + 9, her large size is 2d8 + 9, and then with enlarge person it becomes 3d8 +10 per swing before the +6d6 sneak attack if flanking or vanishing and has both Frost Burst and Shocking Burst along with Keen.

Rune can also disarm opponents, but that is more or less for when she doesn't have her big weapons or any weapon at hand.

Now here is a VERY FUN idea and it would get the Dragon to Work for US for a time,
Let Rune with or without anyone that can infiltrate and speak the Orcish tongue go into camp,
Rune then repeatily uses Either or Both; Charm Monster and Suggestion
and plant the idea that the Dragon would get betrayed by the real leader.
Note She has these as AT-WILL SLAs along with Telepathy for no vocal trace back to her.
All it'll take is a dragon to roll low or a Nat 1.

@Run seen goblin slayers and slayers I'll look into the other one.

@Devlin...Ehh I'll allow the belt it's fine.

Thanks for pointing that out obidiah I just didn't want anyone spending like 200k on one stupid op item.

On combat capabilities Mae really does not do well at long range. Most of her offensive spells are of close (65') or medium (260') range. She can do long (1040') range with some shadow evocations.

Moving post to the more appropriate thread

Rune, if you want to infiltrate their camp and cause chaos, that'll help, yes. Particularly if you can assassinate the hypothetical other caster involved.

But you should realize what that's getting your PC into. 1) The only person who could potentially come with you to back up your play is Mae, and I'm not to sure she's interested... 2) If the attack on the dragon fails, that leaves you in the camp, with a) the Dragon, b) our hypothetical caster, who's at least 15th level to cast earthquake, c) a lot of orcs - probably a fair number of mid level and up barbarians there, and d) any other high level NPC's or other specials in the camp.
Even if the attack succeeds, you're still in the middle of a encounter who's CR is greater than your level, with only 1 PC. 3) If your exit plan is greater teleport, realize that DireMerc has indicated that the actual teleport spells are gimped...
That said, your PC, your call.

Well I got thinking, since I can Ethereal Jaunt, And I am a demon (though risen), I could *possess the Camp's leader or second in command. Thus if killed there, it really is the host that is killed not me, and could then start really laying in the mind games that'll mess them up.

And Yes I Read Greater Teleport is gimped, but not if you set the destination right with careful thought,
If the offset from Camp to Town is 300 ft, all I need to do is set the destination 300ft above town and fly down.
This means I can appear anywhere from ground level to 600ft above town.

*Refering to FC1 pg 21-26

I dont believe we know how teleportation is being affected. Also, I suspect etheral jaunt would be included and anything that can see invisible can se you in the ethereal plane. You also dont seem to have any way of being able to possess anyone? Just going ethereal or being a demon is not enough, you would need Possesion or Magic Jar or similar.

In the Fiendish Codex 1 on page 21-26
A fiend doesn't need Magic Jar or a feat, just Etheral Jaunt, For possession.
Now it does not really list that anything more then; 4 HD, a Cha of 13 or greater; and having Etheral Jaunt.

But I'll let the GM decide on it.

Now The Fiendish Codex 1 has the most detailed covering of possession for fiends in the DnD 3.5 and PF1 rulesets, with Fiend Folio being next in line.

Now for teleport we did get a hint at it from the GM

Ride the blast still works normally but devlin does notice the interference and feels like he might be a few inches off from his intended destination. He feels short range transportation is likely fine but anything further than a couple hundred feet should be avoided.

Which means if you look at it in Polar math, the angel has a minor margin of error, while the magnitude is correct.

Were not gonna go into that, that ability is reserved as a plot tool for Gm's and was never intended for a player character (is also from 3.5). If you have a spell or ability that allows you to posses someone sure you can use it but you can't just ethereal jaunt into people to take control of them.

I'm ok with the plan of Devlin trying to nuke the dragon from a distance.

The way I see it, it goes one of three ways:

(1) he rolls really well and kills it. We probably have to immediately deal with the chimeras that come for us, unless they have other leadership.

(2) he hurts it badly, it retreats either behind the walls of the fort or to somewhere else and heals up. We've lost the element of surprise, but nothing more. We probably have to play hide-and-seek with the chimeras, but they probably don't kamikaze into us.

(3) he only does mid-range or low damage to it. Then we're probably going to face off with the dragon and chimeras all at once.

In any event, I think we'd better we ready to deal with a group of angry bear-chimeras.

I'm ok with the plan of Devlin trying to nuke the dragon from a distance.

The way I see it, it goes one of three ways:

(1) he rolls really well and kills it. We probably have to immediately deal with the chimeras that come for us, unless they have other leadership.

(2) he hurts it badly, it retreats either behind the walls of the fort or to somewhere else and heals up. We've lost the element of surprise, but nothing more. We probably have to play hide-and-seek with the chimeras, but they probably don't kamikaze into us.

(3) he only does mid-range or low damage to it. Then we're probably going to face off with the dragon and chimeras all at once.

In any event, I think we'd better we ready to deal with a group of angry bear-chimeras.

I'm not quite sure the plan was "Devlin trying to nuke the dragon from a distance"; I was assuming that everyone would play a game of focus fire tag... Maybe it is the plan though. I admit was figuring a bunch of 15th level characters would pretty much all be able to play at mid-range; looks like I'm wrong...

If that is the plan, should Devlin be trying to kill the dragon, or suck it into coming out to fight?

Either way, though, can anybody help Devlin with accuracy boosting effects? His to hit with Kinetic Blast look like this: +10 (bab)+8 (dex) +1 (Weapon Focus) +5 Elemental Overflow +1 small + 1 (Competence, Ioun Stone) = +26; if anyone can give a sacred, morale or some other bonus to hit, that would help.

Mae has blessing of fervour which can give +2 and greater invisibility which can have you shooting at flat footed AC.

Mae, that's the spirit.
Blessings of Fervour is good (+2 untyped). Not sure Greater Invis helps - generally large dragons don't have a dex bonus; and this one is sleeping, so until it wakes up it's helpless = Dex 1. You also have Bless which is +1 morale. Finally, you can kick in some damage yourself with either shadow evocation (probably Fireball for ???, really save dependent), burst of radiance (5d4 is 5d4)

Jonuli has Fireball as well; and if he can borrow Obidiah's wand of empower, thats another 15d6.

Liam has a longbow, but I'm not putting money on him hitting

Obidiah can kick in a bit. Sure his shortbow has a 70' range increment, but he has true strike to compensate.

I'm not quite sure the plan was "Devlin trying to nuke the dragon from a distance"; I was assuming that everyone would play a game of focus fire tag... Maybe it is the plan though.

You've been lobbying to attack it where it lies for two days.

You can get a couple of weakish blasts from the illusionist and the DD, but I'm not sure what you thought the monk, ninja, or magus was going to accomplish at 400+ feet of range.

I'm not going to dimension door next to it surrounded by an army.

I'm pretty sure you just make it mad and bring it to us, which is fine with me, but maybe you roll hot and kill it.

greater invisibility which can have you shooting at flat footed AC.

It's a dragon, not a pixie.

Flat footed doesn't change anything.

You might make it waste a standard action on see invisibility, but it's probably going to have plenty of targets.

Rune's Melee Attack is at +22 (only 4 off from Devlin), she has Sneak attack and all her weapons are +1 (sans the Shuriken) with effects for increasing damage.
Now she does have an AC of 41 she she could tank for a while.

Very doubtful you can kill the dragon in a single round (like maybe 1% chance) it would take some pretty crazy odd defying rolls.

Don't want to go into spoiler territory but he came here with the intent to take on two level 20 wizards and fully expects to win.

I'm not saying you cant win, just saying don't expect him to go down without a serious fight on your hands.

Flat footed might not change much about the dragon but there are plenty of other enemies to deal with. It also makes targeted spells and effects much more difficult to use.

Anyway, I suggest we execute the plan without too much faffing about or this risks decending into total analyssis paralysis.

Very doubtful you can kill the dragon in a single round (like maybe 1% chance) it would take some pretty crazy odd defying rolls.

Don't want to go into spoiler territory but he came here with the intent to take on two level 20 wizards and fully expects to win.

I'm not saying you cant win, just saying don't expect him to go down without a serious fight on your hands.

That's pretty ambitious for a "CR17"; I'm guessing he's got some class levels tacked onto that...

Which raises a couple of questions.
1) Does anyone have anything like Arcane Sight, which would let us find out what buffs he's running around with? Could be pretty important, as opposed to finding out what he's got the hard way... Devlin doesn't.

2) Devlin has a couple of personal bug-out strategies if this goes south; Ride the Blast teleportation, and Earth Glide - straight down... But he can't take anyone with him (either way). How many bug out stunts do we have, and who can bring someone else along? What's our plan if we discover all we've managed to do is seriously PO this large green fellow...