
Kwin Avassar |

Kwin, if taking requests, Hold Person. Devastating if it lands. :D
Thanks! And, story-wise, it may come in handy in the next story if we aren't necessarily supposed to wipe out the lizardfolk.
Profile is updated, hopefully. The forum has been a bit dodgy.

Badger the Rover |

Alright in all or at least some seriousness. DM threw down the gauntlet. We were advised to form a Merc Comapany.
Argyri's Argonauts (DM mentioned where Argonauts came from. But we are also along the Azure Sea so Azurnauts is an option).
Tarns Tarantions (which lets face begs for the Tarnators)
Tarnonauts
Face First
The Ghost Guard (Famous for facing a haunted house and capturing a pirate ship called the Sea Ghost and it sounds like coast guard)
Where there any further suggestions or votes on the mercenary company names.
Blacklock and I commented on the Ghost/Coast guard play but I don't think any actual vote happened (unless I fell asleep on a few posts).
Blacklock said he was down for whatever came up in gameplay first which at this point is Argyri's Argonauts. I would suggest a let's pretend she said Azurnauts cause we are on the Azure Sea and DM mentioned Argonauts took their name from the name of the ship Argos. Keeps the spirit, pays the homage to greek myth and fits the setting.
What think you all.

Tarn Copperlocks |

The Ghost Guard! It has my vote

gyrfalcon |

I'd suggested the Fantasmanauts, which means the Ghost Sailors.
That said, I think the Ghost Guard is at least as good.
...and I've really been overestimating my ability to get enough brain cells left after work and family to make a reasonably gameplay post. My apologies. I should have one tomorrow.

Badger the Rover |

So it sounds like we are the Ghost Guard. And of course the Ghost Guard's agents are called Fantasmanauts.
I will invest in a couple healing potions assuming we can pick some up with my cash.

Badger the Rover |

"A hundred at least. We'll see how it goes, and how much danger they are exposed to."
We've got it spare as most dnd groups do. Gold is a little more common in dnd than it was in Pathfinder. One of my groups started a company of security folk along the road between towns and for very little hired 40 people for the year.
"Comfortable" in DnD in the PHB is 2gp/day.

DM Jubal |

@Blacklock
Consensus puts the Monk class near the lowest tier of power ranking 5e classes, but I still like it. I think it well represents characters who are strong in hand to hand combat, like Vikings & Spartans, as well as those who can run up elephants, like Legolas.
I watched 300: Rise of an Empire while staring at 5e game mechanics and would like to try an experiment, if you want to participate. I want to give the Monk class the Shield proficiency and allow Shields to be used without negatively affecting any of their abilities.
I think +2 AC will significantly improve the power level of the class while keeping the class thematically consistent. I don't think it will be over-powering and would like to play it to check.
You game?
cheers

Kwin Avassar |

I too have a soft spot for the monk class, and I have ever since AD&D. I'd be curious to see how shield proficiency not interfering with monk abilities would affect things.
Edit: It doesn't seem to throw off the balance for the barbarian to have it. I wonder if it may be a good foundation for a monastic tradition.

Blacklock |
Well I'm one of those people that thinks class balance doesn't matter in tabletop D&D. I chronically played thief in 2nd edition if that tells you anything. Story and creative thinking affect the amount of fun I have much more than min-maxing. I play with min-maxers all the time and honestly see no difference in gameplay between theirs and my own characters.
Part of the reason is just statistics. Roll 2d6 a few times. You aren't going to get a gaussian. Even after 100 rolls its not going to be there. How many rolls do you make during a campaign? Not talking about 1d20s but those with a supposedly predictable average that theorycrafters use to make their arguments.
In physics, like statistical mechanics, your sample sizes are in the trillions...that's what makes it valid for prediction. That's why psychology is struggling as a predictive science, they have extremely low sample sizes...there's only 7 billion people on earth.
Anyways, the shield while sounding fun would change the mental picture I was going for with Blacklock. He is going to start using crutch (quarterstaff) and the pegleg in combat. A shield would leave him no hand free.
Now if you wanted to give me a ring or amulet with +2 AC, I wouldn't turn you down... ;) Or just include some base AC increase in the Unarmed Defense ability like previous editions.

Tarn Copperlocks |
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I’ve always felt that monks should be able to have Dex to hit/Dmg and 1/2 Str to AC. Making brawling monks more feasible. Str18 Dex14 Wis18 monk is AC 18. Str14 Dex18 Wis14 monk is AC19. Yes it encourages a MAD class to be even MADder, but it gives a bonus for having some muscle. And it gives a slight AC increase, offsetting lack of shields.
Also kudos to Blacklock for staying true to his vision rather than the numbers. It is a hard siren call to resist!

Blacklock |
I've just seen so many 'awesome builds' totally fail I don't care anymore. Its probably cynicism more than anything else. XD
But yeah, my friend played ad&d monk almost as religiously as I played thief. Our DM was ruthless, irrational, slaughterhouse style. Its been interesting how there have been so many interpretations of the class over the years. It started as psionics based class if I understand right...I've always put it squarely in the rogue corner rather than as a warrior.
I think 5e monk is a lot of fun to play, and leave a deeper analysis to the pros. ;)
I mean I'm not totally innocent of min-maxing to some extent, I wouldn't play a monk with 8 dex and 8 wisdom...that would just be silly. But I think the advantage of a tight number crunched hero is very slight, and likely to be overwritten by random rolls especially at these levels.
I would also say monk becomes quite a bit stronger 5+, regardless of build.
Anyways apologies if Blacklock is a weak link in the party...I'm really having a blast playing him though.

Argyri Katrakis |

Thanks as always for keeping us posted, Jubal.
Just posted both to finish some of the early RP (though happy to continue it too), AND my in character suggestion for how to approach the cave.

Drusilla Orizorwyn |

Okay so we have to determine whether or not we have two boat guards,
as for the ones hoping over well If we lead with the two swiftness and quiet that would be Angryi and Blacklock. Maybe Badger. Me, Tarn, and Quinn are not that stealthy.
As for the story I say we try and weave the possible events of the smuggler's weapons and the Saltmarsh council wanting to talk with leaders. Hoping to figure out what is going on.

Badger the Rover |

First sorry I missed the 2 guards question. I assumed that it was a good idea that we would do that. But I realize now it was a question.
Yes that works with instructions to flee if they encounter resistance they can't handle.

Blacklock |
1. Sure, 2 guards on the boat gets my vote.
2. It can be Blacklock, he is 'unarmed'. The quarterstaff he is holding is being used as a crutch. I had also misunderstood we were still on the dingy so my previous post didnt make much sense.
It looks like Badger, Drus, and Kwin are the Draconic speakers.

Badger the Rover |

@Badger.Don't know why you have Persuasion +4 vs. +3
I have no answer I think you are right but I think it should be +2 not +4. My guess is that I copied the formating for the character info from a different character and failed to fix the persuasion. That means if it was a Persuasion it would have been 14 not 16 and if it was a Deception it would have been 13.

DM Jubal |

@Badger Saying your companions don't speak Draconic is relatively truthful, since it's 50-50
I was just pointing out that saying that you didn't think the cave was a home was relatively untruthful, since you had a map to the lizardfolk lair here. No worries.
You feel that there will be a fight, if you don't dump your weapons into the water.
cheers

Badger the Rover |

@Badger Saying your companions don't speak Draconic is relatively truthful, since it's 50-50
I was just pointing out that saying that you didn't think the cave was a home was relatively untruthful, since you had a map to the lizardfolk lair here. No worries.
You feel that there will be a fight, if you don't dump your weapons into the water.
cheers
Oh on that one I was definitely lying as I was hoping to make them think I was in the process of untying the knot and taking them up on the leave option and giving my friends in the boat a moment to act.

DM Jubal |

Hi team
Need some advice. This adventure will continue to be a lot of role-playing. Are you not posting as frequently due to the role-playing diplomacy, because only a few characters are talky? Or is it a waning interest in the game? Or RL?
I believe that posting frequency is the heartbeat of PBP games and prefer upbeat games. So, I'm debating cutting the RP heavy portions of the adventure as a way to increase posting frequency.
Would appreciate your feedback.
thanks

Badger the Rover |

Badger is not talking much because he is not sure what to say at the moment.
It feels like we are skipping RP moments to get to action already, whether intentional or not. I have started posting less not because of lack of interest but because I felt like trying to push Badger's suggestions would derail what's going on.
Badger didn't want to start by going into the cave of a potentially hostile enemy he wanted to do what a scout would do and look around first. Get a feel for the size of the settlement, whether or not their appeared to be more exits to the cave. How active the lizard folk seemed further into the swamp. We had a conversation and I think most people wanted to explore the cave but the decision felt reached out of character. Badger stopped pushing cause I as a player figured that other players and the DM wanted the attention to go to the cave.
When we encountered the Lizard Folk there was a tense moment and I think they agreed to take us to the queen even though we didn't disarm, but I am not sure if we were expected to disarm or not.

Badger the Rover |

How long before our scouting mission here have the lizard folk been known to be here. Have they always been a few miles away or is a village this close to Saltmarsh a newer development? Trying to get some context that Badger might know.

Badger the Rover |

Sorry another question. Did the paperwork we found suggest that the load of weapons was an ongoing exchange and this was just one shipment? Or is this the first shipment and potentially only deal they had made with the pirates?

Tarn Copperlocks |

I’m here! I just find that (with translation) it doesn’t feel right for Tarn to take the lead here. I’m reading along and enjoying. I can post more in this scene if his absence feels wrong. But it does feel to me that it isn’t his scene

DM Jubal |

@Badger
* I want the game to move. I prefer RP discussions, and consensus is good enough. I intervened in that discussion, because it didn't seem that we were achieving consensus in character and posting frequency was low.
* Your read of the encounter in the cave is accurate
* Badger was surprised to find a lizardfolk lair so close to Saltmarsh. Lizardfolk are usually deeper in the marsh.
* The paperwork was one shipment
Is the way we came in the only entrance/exit?
* Your characters saw doors and corridors. You don't know what lies beyond them.
@Tarn. The Queen has been speaking Common. I've been trying to be clear about when the speech is Draconic vs. Common.

Badger the Rover |

* Your characters saw doors and corridors. You don't know what lies beyond them.
Right but I thought that was on the way into "the throne room" now that we are in front of the Queen are all those doors and corridors connected to the this chamber?

Tarn Copperlocks |

Ah! Well I have int as a dump stat. :p

DM Jubal |
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DM Jubal wrote:* Your characters saw doors and corridors. You don't know what lies beyond them.Right but I thought that was on the way into "the throne room" now that we are in front of the Queen are all those doors and corridors connected to the this chamber?
OK The map in the linked to my profile is finally updated.
No, there are no other entrance or exits into the throne room. Only the stone double door in which you entered.
cheers

Badger the Rover |

Did we convince the guards to let us in even though we didn't give up our weapons . .
or
Where we assumed to have given them up?
Kwin's last post suggests that we disarmed.
Prior to that there was discussion after the request to disarm . . . I wasn't 100% on if we are assumed to be unarmed or not.

Badger the Rover |

"No dwarf. It is not." The queen barks a quick reply.
The Sea Ghost were smugglers not pirates. Pirates attack other vessels and take their stuff. Smugglers are merchants who avoid taxes. Just to clarify. Cheers
I agree with the definitions of the words. But we have been operating on the assumption that these smugglers work with and were sent by the Sea Princes which are pirates?

DM Jubal |
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The Sea Princes covet the land where Saltmarsh is. Eliander Fireborn has fought battles against them.
The Azure Sea has long been a turbulent body of water in every sense. Its storms have sent countless ships to their doom, and warfare of one sort of another is conducted across its surface all the time. Pirates affiliated with the Sea Princes, along with independent marauders, prey on ships that attempt to cross the ocean. Despite all these actual and potential dangers, several realms rely on the sea for waterborne trade. By tracing a route in and through the Azure Sea, merchant vessels can reach almost every important trading realm in the world of Greyhawk.
The Sea Ghost has two concealed rooms, so the ship is specially modified to be a smuggling ship. The books and cargo was identified as a smuggler. It was specifically supplying the smugglers under the Haunted House.
So, while there are "Pirates affiliated with the Sea Princes, along with independent marauders," there was no evidence that the Sea Ghost was one.
Also, why do you think she trusted the smugglers? She had 3 warriors accompany the transaction.
Thanks for the questions. Hope that's clearer.
cheers
The region that would become the Hold of the Sea Princes was heavily settled by Suel during the Great Migrations. Eventually it came under the control of the Kingdom of Keoland. In the mid-fifth century CY, a pirate captain of noble Keoish blood led a rebellion against the Throne of the Lion. Distracted as they were by their northern wars, the Keoish could do little to prevent them from conquering the isles off the coast. In 453 CY, King Tavish III of Keoland led an army through the hot, diseased Hool Marsh and to the city of Westkeep, where they lay siege. In the short conflict that followed, Tavish III died, and his legendary family sword, Vilharian, was lost.
After the pirates lost (somewhat indecisively) the Battle of Jetsom Island to Keoland in 464 CY, the pirate captains decided to settle down and be princes rather than brigands. The Hold of the Sea Princes began to flourish, with an economy based on vast plantations and the trade of slaves captured from the Amedio Jungle to the south.
More recently, however, Jeon II became the ruling prince of the land. Jeon II, along with the rulers of the Duchy of Berghof and Sybarate, began campaigning for slavery to be outlawed within the land. Perhaps their efforts would have met with some success if the Hold of the Sea Princes were not invaded by the Scarlet Brotherhood shortly thereafter.
The current year is 576. You're right next the Hool Marsh and Westgate is some miles (can't remember) due east along the coast, as the closest city passed Seaton.

Kwin Avassar |

Just to clarify... As a player, I know the difference between smugglers and pirates. But in Kwin's mind, he has lumped them together with pirates. He assumes they were also involved in piracy. And he has some dark experiences and deep biases against them.