DM Voomer's Age of Ashes

Game Master Voomer

I'll have a post up today. I had a lot of IRL things blow up this weekend and haven't been doing great mentally.

Catalina, thanks for the post, and sorry for the lousy dice rolls. Don't worry about the delay, we are all going to have things come up IRL and you need to do what you need to do to take care of yourself.

Caiten, thanks for the Dario botting suggestions.

Should I bot Cev? Any suggestions for him, since I don't think he has shared any? Thanks!

The beautiful thing about Thaumaturge is that unless I have a critical failure, I can use a weakness that I'm aware of already - I just have to be creative about it. Critical success gives me the most information. Critical failure leaves me flat-footed. :(

Should I bot Cev? Any suggestions for him, since I don't think he has shared any? Thanks!

Usually delay once to the next initiative block, then bot as needed.

Cev - or champions in general - want to be up close and in the face of the enemies. Ideally behind a shield, but I haven't been able to convince Cev to use one of those yet. Cev likes to heal people with Lay on Hands, he now has a Litany that he uses, and will make an attack or two if there is time. I don't know what spells he has prepared in his two Cleric spell slots.

Sorry to have been busy, RL does kinda happen :( my apologies tho

Everything K10 said is correct.
Cev looks like this at the moment:
CEVENDYL

Maybe someone can let me know the link works?
His cleric spells are Disrupt Undead, Heal, and Restoration

Back from NOT COVID (but a damn awful cold)

Sorry, GM Voomer, I used Reduce Person or whatever it's called in PF2E for better sneakage. It does reduce my AC. I should have put it on my current conditions...

Cev has moved, but I need someone to tell me what is within 30'

You can count squares on the grid. Or there is the 'ruler' tool in the pile of tools on the top left.

And you might turn on a 15' aura on your token so that you can easily and constantly see what is within that range.

I lost internet for a bit yesterday BUT WHERE IS EVERYONE ELSE

Don't mind me. Chilling behind a tree.

We are still waiting on Cev to complete 2 more actions.

Imo if we have to wait this long for someone, we need to move them in initiative or something.

I think some sort of "skip or bot" rule is reasonable. In a group this large, perhaps "skip".

I'm traveling visiting my Mom and so it has been tricky for me to find time to post, but I will find some time later today and bot Cev if he has not posted by then, and I think I also need to bot Dario.

As I mentioned before, it would be SO helpful to me if folks could share botting instructions in a form that I could copy and paste (so with the dice formulas, etc.). I think you can just put it somewhere on your character page and then I'll make a doc for myself with all the botting instructions. Thanks!

And if anyone wants to write proposed botting instructions for Cev and Dario based on past practice they are very welcome to do so!

Bonuses for dice rolls change regularly during combat.

Another thing I have seen in one game I was playing in was to delegate botting of a missing player to another player.

I believe that Caiten already posted instructions for Dario. Shoot as often as possible with Running Reload or Risky Reload and if possible, shoot and get into melee using Reloading Strike or Drifter's Juke. IDK what Cev would do outside of using Glimpse of Redemption as a reaction though

Yes, Caiten gave suggestions for Dario, but I meant a proposal with more specificity, something I could cut and paste. I think something that isn't that well known among players is that forever GMs in PF2e have no need to learn anything about PC abilities, since NPCs and foes don't use PC rules. Some GMs have the time and memory to learn everything, but not me!

Anyhow, I'll figure it out and post something; it just may not be optimized.

Sorry all, things have been busy - I do have some time off this week, and can try to catch up in a moment.

Tell me what we need?

I botted you Cev, but I'm fine with you changing the action if you post another action today in the gameplay thread. Just include the word "retcon" in bold.

Lisi, what is the DC for the fireball reflex save? In the future, please always make sure to include the DC and type of save for all your spells and abilities. I know I can figure it out, but I would like to focus on GM stuff and not on figuring out PC stuff. Thanks!

EDIT: The DC doesn't matter because the vrock critically failed (by a homebrew rule that only applies to foes). Normally rolling a one would just make a failure a critical failure, but for the time being I'm going to make a one be a critical failure even if the roll is high enough for a success (which by RAW would turn the success into a failure). I'm guessing I will change that rule in the future when spells come into play that have truly game changing results on critical failures, but for now I'll play with this homerule.

Still, please everyone include in your posts everything I need to resolve your attacks without referring to your character sheets.

Chronomancy. Now available in-game.

The DC of the Fireball is just a basic reflex save, which is based on the Vrock's Reflex DC, not Lisi's.

Lisi's class DC is also listed in his stats line on his Alias so you'll be able to reference that without opening his Alias.

Lisi's spell DC is 22, which is what the Vrock is rolling against.

Save being basic just determines the effects of various degrees of success.

Crit fail - double damage
Fail - full damage
Success - half damage
Crit success - no damage

Spells may state various effects of various saving throw success levels. If it states the save is basic, it just means the above.

Oooh, I misread the spell.

Either way, info is in the stats lines!

I didn't actually read it. Just used what was stated here. So I might be wrong, but I just wanted to clarify the 'basic saving throw' mechanic.

Thanks. I knew the basic save mechanic but I didn't realize the DC was in the stat block.

Caiten, you're not within 30 feet of Lisi or the vrock, which are 10 and 15 feet in the air, respectively. You're not even within 30 feet on the ground, given the cost of diagonals. But I'm going to handwave that your stride last round took you within 30 feet (which you needed for divine lance), which will require me to move your counter. Let me know if you think I'm figuring something wrong. I'm being a bit of a stickler because I'm being careful in calculating ranges for the foes as well.

Do any of you have abilities/reactions that take place when a foe critically misses?

OK. I have just been using the measurement tool on Roll20 after turning off snapping. Rather than counting diagonals. But even that doesn't account for 3-d distances. But yes, the intent was when coming out of the foliage to move far enough to get the Vrock and Lisi inside the 30 foot casting distance.

I'll try to adjust for that in the future.

Yasami has Opportune Riposte.

Also, Voomer - do you want me to just bot Dario for you?

Ok, so I do list the DC next time? Can/will do.

Well, mokele-mbembe, it was fun, but Lisi is clearly not Rohirrim. :D

Caiten, Lisi has prepared Earthbind, so we'll see if that does something.

Caiten, Lisi has prepared Earthbind, so we'll see if that does something.

Cool. I also have Command, which may be able to cause him to land (at least that is how I would interpret the command to Drop Prone while flying).

It also turns off reactions...

Sulee, I'd be happy for you to bot Dario. Unless you think it makes more sense to post it here and then for me post it in the gameplay, you can just post in the gameplay thread and make clear you're posting for Dario.

FYI, if Dario (meaning the player) doesn't come back, I will eventually take the character over for story purposes...

It's frustrating that the ruler doesn't measure properly. I actually tried to check/change the settings, but I don't have the ability to control them because Fern created the game (I researched the D20 forums on the issue). For that reason, if it isn't too much hassle, I may have us move over to a game I create after this battle...

Yeah, moving to your own VTT game makes sense.

And I'll just narrate Dario's actions from 3rd person. Should work fine.

Also, I don't think that Dario would have problems from cover from that location, but if he would, then he would move first - straight East into the middle of the clearing until he could get a clear shot - instead of reload at the end.

Thanks for the Dario post, Sulee. I'm traveling today so I'm not sure when I can post, but when I can I will resolve the actions and do final posts and then onto round 3!

I will bot Cev if he has not acted by tomorrow morning so that we can move on to round 3. I'm open to botting suggestions, since I don't believe Cev has provided them yet.

For Cev, I'd say to toss a Litany Against Wrath at the Vrock and then spam melee attacks and/or cantrips the rest of the fight.

He also has a +1 striking bow from the elves, which could be useful.

Ah. Well if that's the case, it would probably be of more use for him to be attacking from ranged than using his fists.

Thanks. Litany against wrath makes a lot of sense, as does the bow. I think Cev might reasonably feel like he's in a tight spot seeing the flood of foes (the trident-wielding charau-ka look fierce) and withdraw to use ranged attacks.

Part of the challenge botting him without instructions is that I find the Pathbuilder sheet very non-intuitive and difficult to read.

Anyhow, I'll bot him later unless he acts in the meantime.

Sorry Cev's action went so poorly. He had no way of knowing about the AoO risk and needed the two strides to get in range to target the vrock with the litany, but it's hard to guilt trip the vrock...

Lisi, can we also have you update your token with current HP.

Yeah, will do!

I really would have liked to cast Fireball again and then use Fire Attunement to make the vrock fatigued...but I think I'll skip it.

I would just point this out about the litany:

A particularly wrathful creature, such as a wrath demon, uses the outcome one degree of success worse than the result of its saving throw. The target then becomes temporarily immune to all of your litanies for 1 minute.

Not sure if it applies. Just wanted to put it out there.

Thanks for mentioning that. It does apply! The vrock's action and attitude doesn't significantly change, but it does seem a little more annoyed at Cev...

Also, Lisi, as I mentioned in a DM to you, if you fall as a free action (which I don't think is RAW but I would allow it), it would provoke an AoO, so my understanding is that you instead want to take a step to fall off the dinosaur. The only difference is that you don't have the extra action to run behind Cev. I will adjust the Roll20 map accordingly.

Catalina, as I count the distance the vrock is just beyond the 10 feet for your reaction to work.

Also, I'm not going to use that idea of a one always being a critical failure for the foes because I think that overly messes with game balance. On reflection, I think the game designers were pretty thoughtful on that issue by having it make the result one step worse.

Oren is in a tough spot!

Oren is in a tough spot!

I'm thinking Dying 2 from dropping due to a crit - unless you are deliberately fudging that. Such as by reordering the order of the attacks on the same initiative count.

I also think that Caiten is just outside of the 30 foot reach for casting anything on him, yes?

Yeah, I'll waive the dying 2, at least this time. I'm not sure I see the point of that rule.

Caiten is 50 feet away. I'm certainly interested in your thoughts on an action for him, because we may need to bot him again. I guess Cev's player has some stuff going on...

Persistent damage happens at the end of the afflicted's turn.

And I am not entirely sure what to do for Cev. I think he has two focus points, so could use either Lay on Hands for Lisi or Litany against Wrath again. But probably not both. There is Desperate Prayer, but he has to be fully out of points at the beginning of the turn to use that.

Other than that... be in position to defend people?

I have no idea about Cev's focus points, or really about how those work. Seems fair to assume Cev has at least enough available for lay on hands, which it makes sense for him to use. But what about the other two actions? There's a ray of frost, but the spell attack roll is tough given the vrock's AC.

He could use his remaining actions to start to move Lisi out of harm's way. I don't know if the rules precisely cover the situation, but I would probably allow him, as a two action activity, to pull himself and Lisi back a square (take a step) without provoking an AoO. It's not pulled to safety, but it's a start.

Of course, all of that depends on Cev's save versus stunning...