DM Joseph Rauel's Price of Immortality

Game Master Dm Joseph Rauel

Aye :) I just went with a good old-fashioned Bless :)

Also, I think Perri has a reach-weapon, so I vote or him going to one of the "raised sword ready to cut someone up nasty"-skeletons and attempt to poke it good.(If between him and Miron we manage to down one, then we can double-team the remaining one and only eat one AoO for it.)

Also, just for the record: This time I went first to get that Bless out before anybody else rolled anything it might affect.
But for the remainder of the combat, I will try and go last if there are any readied actions from enemies or something, so that I can do emergency healing if needed.(I do not THINK they will do Ready actions much, but could be.)

I forgot an important piece of information for the GM: we've lost Perri along the way, and our former DM had agreed to bot him until the party got back from the Crypt (if they survive...)

Maybe you know that already, but I thought I'd post a reminder just to be on the safe side :)

Yup: I'll be botting Perri. Thanks!

While I'm botting Perri, I'm going to assume that he did level to 2 with the rest of you, though he gave no indication in his profile what he would choose for a Level 2 feat. I think Power Attack would benefit the group the most. Although Roya did identify blunt weapons as a skeletal weakness early on, there was also some recent discussion of Perri triggering the pressure plate with his bill, so I assume he has that out instead of his flail or his bow. If the group wants him to do something different, please say so in-character and he'll respond appropriately.

Let's also give him 1d10 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8 hit points to bring him to 18/19.

Just to confirm : an oil of Magic Weapon just takes a standard action to apply?

That's correct. Technically it's also a move action to draw if it's not already in your hand.

Drinking a potion or applying an oil requires no special skill. The user merely removes the stopper and swallows the potion or smears on the oil. The following rules govern potion and oil use.

Drinking a potion or using an oil is a standard action. The potion or oil takes effect immediately. Using a potion or oil provokes attacks of opportunity. An enemy may direct an attack of opportunity against the potion or oil container rather than against the character. A successful attack of this sort can destroy the container, preventing the character from drinking the potion or applying the oil.

A creature must be able to swallow a potion or smear on an oil. Because of this, incorporeal creatures cannot use potions or oils. Any corporeal creature can imbibe a potion or use an oil.

A character can carefully administer a potion to an unconscious creature as a full-round action, trickling the liquid down the creature's throat. Likewise, it takes a full-round action to apply an oil to an unconscious creature.

Its treated as using a potion. So a move action to recover from my sash, and then a standard action to apply it.

Yes, it does provoke.

Brandark, if you want to, you can hop/climb/clamber down the sides of the structure. It's no more than a 10 feet from top to bottom, and probably less than that. When I ran this previously, I think people who wanted to hop off the side just counted it is difficult terrain.

Damn! I looked up the wrong rules. It's lucky I'm role-playing characters with low Int :')

That move to where I am, is 20' total. I am saving the rest of the movement to after the show.

Edit - I meant after Round 2. But I am readying an attack, sorry, forgot to mention it.

Cool, cool. Just making sure you're not short-changing yourself.

Maybe we have time for a little bit of OOC strategizing then!

I think Asar is no longer within reach of Brandark and Conrad. Brandark, if you move 15 ft forward through Perri's space, you can engage in melee. I can move 5 ft to Conrad's right, then 10 ft forward, and Aser will be Flanked between the two of us without triggering an AoO. Fingers crossed we'll hit something with another +2 bonus to hit!

Only problem is that the spellcasters should be careful not to be too close to the boss

I second the notion that the primary healer with AC 12 should not be directly accessible to the boss :D
I can 5-foot step as part of my action, or even move, but I'd like to see where you all end up. I just knew I'd throw out a channel so did as much, for now.

Thanks for the heals! :)

In that case, I can stay where I am while Brandark moves to the boss, and we can try to perform a flank next round somehow. Perri's so badly hurt, he probably needs to move out of the way. Idk if he had a healing potion left

Should I continue pinging the boss, or try to take out an archer first?

I think taking down one of the archers could be a good idea? We might not down the boss this round, and if both he and an archer hits, chances of either Brandark or myself being KO'd increase :')

Is it legal to take a 5ft step back, then charge the boss? I'm trying to think of ways to gather more hit bonuses that would help beat his high AC. But it would dump Conrad's AC to 13, so I'm not sure it's a good idea :/

Unfortunately, you can't take a 5 ft step in any round in which you take other movement.

You can move 5 feet in any round when you don't perform any other kind of movement...you can't take a 5-foot step in the same round that you move any distance.

Thank you! That clears things up. Conrad will keep acting as a meat shield for the casters, and try hitting something :')

If he's got high AC, one option is to use aid another to give a +2 bonus to attack. Just have to hit a DC 10 (and be close enough to hit him...)

On an out of state trip checking out my soon to be new home. No internet till Wednesday. Bot as needed.

Sorry I have not been on.

RL tends to mug me on my days that I am not at work. :(

Groceries, Doggies to the vet for nail trims, wife to a medical appt. Myself to a medical appt.

I wish life would slow down for me. But I guess thats what I get for living a half hour outside the city. :)

No worries from my end. I only just got back from my holiday late this afternoon. We'll settle into a rhythm that the group as a whole finds sustainable!

Unless Asar kills everyone first.

That would be most inconvenient :') At least it would be a short run for you! Maybe that was the plan all along...! :O

Unless Asar kills everyone first.

What I'm hearing is you're proposing a Undead-Campaign?

Confirmed undead campaign! Everyone gets to gestalt into vigilante with the guise of life social talent.

You know, if things go that way.

Ok, now I'm pumped for us to lose :D

That aside, I totally wanted to run a Magical Girl Campaign with Vigilante and a shared Mascot. Not the Magical Girl EXACTLY as written, but as follows: Gestalt Vigilante Social Side+NPC Class would be the Schoolgirl(boy) identity that is totally hidden. Then the Vigilante Identity gets to Gestalt with any PC class but the character only has access to those things when in Vigilante Identity. (so there would be 2 different profiles with 2 different Gestalt Builds involved - but I'd imagine it to be so much fun.)
Just never had the spare time and capacity to seriously consider running a recruitment :D
One day...

Problem with being dead, is that you get slow, lethargic, and start to become odiferous.

Then people don't like you, and you lose all the friends that you had. :)

The only things that like to hang around are the flies and beetles. :)

Not a great career change for Shelynites!

Anti-undead sentiment is Shelynite propaganda! Embrace your Kuthonite kin!

And not all of the undead are stinky! Asar is quite scentless, thank you very much.

That Magical Girl campaign sounds like an absolute blast, Roya!

Torag likes those that are put in the earth, to stay there.

After all, the maker isn't to fond of the undead either. :)

Could be fun to role-play, if the battle goes completely pear-shaped!

role playing.

Urrrggggg!!! as he swings his arms in a slam. :)

or is that
Brainsss . . ..

or the engineering zombie.
Trains. .. .. .

How about the farming zombie
Grains. . . .

Ok, I will show myself out now. :)

I have a question : I think Asar moved 10 ft on the map to get within 5 ft of Miron. Would that trigger an AoO from Conrad? Or does he have a feat that prevents it?

Also, how can he score a hit with each and every one of his attacks?! That's a rhetorical question, I'm just venting :')

It was a 5-foot (diagonal) step rather than 5 west and 5 north, but that's a very fair question!

I am rolling shockingly well for Asar. He should have missed at least once by now. (He did actually kill one of the PCs at my first table with a nasty max damage crit. So just be glad he hasn't crit yet!)

I'm afraid he 5-foot stepped from in front of you towards Miron.
You and Perri are standing on corpses but the stairs ended behind you, so he does not have to walk around those.

Alas, yes, slightly worried on his hit rate as well.
Poly is really trying for that Undead Campaign.

It was a 5-foot (diagonal) step rather than 5 west and 5 north, but that's a very fair question!

I am rolling shockingly well for Asar. He should have missed at least once by now. (He did actually kill one of the PCs at my first table with a nasty max damage crit. So just be glad he hasn't crit yet!)

No problem!

Yeah, I'm certainly glad he hasn't crit! Given the damage he rolls, that'd be a one-shot for most, if not all level - 2 PCs.

I guess it's because of how the battle has played out so far that I'm a little shocked by how tough of a boss he is for a low-level party. He's a really heavy hitter AND he's got an insanely high AC AND apparently, he was not given less HPs to compensate a little!

Ah, I just realized that I was using Asar's CMB instead of his attack, so it should have been consistently 2 less. But that would still be a hit on everything he has made so far.

(The statblock as printed is rife with errors, so I had to retranscribe it.)

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His listed tactics are to use both power attack and combat expertise, so it significantly reduces his to-hit. But I haven't rolled below a 10 for his attacks so far, and that's enough to hit most of the party >_<

For what it's worth, previous GM decided to run it perfectly old school, which is why we don't even have traits.
So if the statblock as printed is rife with errors in our favor, then there is no reason to retranscribe. :)
I know some things were supposed to work differently back then, so maybe that's why?

Well, while I've never played this boss fight before and can't be too optimistic, I think that after taking nearly 40 Damage, Asar must be at least seriously wounded. Perhaps we still stand a chance Roya :)

I'll have to check the statblock later, but I think those last two blows did it!

As we continue forward, we may reconfigure things to be slightly less perfectly old school. I tend to like traits and I found some for this module I was fond of.

I guess it is up to us to adapt.

Myself, old school is original AD&D hardcovers. :)

Just do them how you feel they need to be done.

I did petition for traits and background skills, if only to add some flavor :)

So i'd be game.

Sorry about weak posts, I don't expect to have much energy till October. Checked out the place I'll be moving to, needs a bit of work. Move less than two weeks out. Internet likely limited or unavailable after the 14 or so, then it's up to the internet gods of Spectrum. Thanks for patience.

Myself, old school is original AD&D hardcovers. :)

Why you youngling true old school is original DnD. White Box set, before any blue covers or any ADnD. :)

Okay with changes just later, when this old man has some energy to spare.

Sorry about weak posts, I don't expect to have much energy till October. Checked out the place I'll be moving to, needs a bit of work. Move less than two weeks out. Internet likely limited or unavailable after the 14 or so, then it's up to the internet gods of Spectrum. Thanks for patience.

Brandark wrote:

Myself, old school is original AD&D hardcovers. :)

Why you youngling true old school is original DnD. White Box set, before any blue covers or any ADnD. :)

Okay with changes just later, when this old man has some energy to spare.

I had them as well, but I didn't have anyone to enjoy it with until after the hardcovers come out. :(

Well, Brandark that is sad, I was lucky and had some new friends that played it and invited me into their group. Glad you found some later.

I'm fine with having traits and background skills! Not going to say no to extra stuff...

My version of old school would be hardcovers of D&D, 3rd edition... And those belonged to my father :')

I'm sorry we robbed you of your undead campaign Roya! :( (... for now at least)

Ces't la vie.
or Ces't la morte, I guess.

I really want to play a cheerful necromancer one day. Raising the dead is always so 'taboo' but that's just propaganda from the nobles and the bourgeoisie - I mean, as long as they are controlled, they are free workforce.
They are the magical equivalent of the promise of automation. They could tirelessly do mundane tasks. Their inherently evil and unnatural existance does not play into that, those are just factors that need to be controlled.
Of course, the character I had in mind got thrown out of the arcane college or temple for her opinions on the matter, but she'd cheerfully advocate for the widespread use of mindless undead to improve the lives of everybody.

Ces't la vie.

or Ces't la morte, I guess.

I really want to play a cheerful necromancer one day. Raising the dead is always so 'taboo' but that's just propaganda from the nobles and the bourgeoisie - I mean, as long as they are controlled, they are free workforce.
They are the magical equivalent of the promise of automation. They could tirelessly do mundane tasks. Their inherently evil and unnatural existance does not play into that, those are just factors that need to be controlled.
Of course, the character I had in mind got thrown out of the arcane college or temple for her opinions on the matter, but she'd cheerfully advocate for the widespread use of mindless undead to improve the lives of everybody.

Heh. I had a concept like that for a Witch necromancer that I haven't been able to play yet. The whole idea is that he's appalled by how expensive Resurrection spells or Sun Orchid Elixirs are, and a bit miffed that only powerful wizards get to be intelligent undead like liches. Clearly only the rich can afford to be immortal! So he struck a deal with an unknown occult force to turn everyone into undead who would no longer bleed, suffer, wage wars, or dominate each other, because they'd be rid of their ego (bit of a hive-mind situation). Death as The Great Equalizer indeed!

Sadly, this type of Insane Troll Logic means he'd be considered criminally insane by most societies. Tragic.

A few things to start thinking about:

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Is there anything else that anyone would like to see moving from this module into the next?

Summary: For each of the following, please express your preference or propose an alternative:

Experience: No strong preference either way. Whatever works better for you as GM, I'm happy to go with.
Hit Points: Personally I like the half guaranteed+roll for half system, it's less swingy but still has some luck to it. I am also fine with max HP, though.
Background Skills: Yes. (Profession(Midwife), Perform(Storytelling)) (With Herbalist I would be tempted to use that as Knowledge Nature for anything that is not an animal :) Since she was trained to be a local healer and as cleric, I think midwifery makes sense(learning the ropes from the old ladies - plus they probably taught her about her changing body - I don't quite see her father being too comfortable explaining what a period is to her...), and a spiritual guide should have some talent at speaking to his community-)
Favored Class Bonus Expansion: Can we roll that out to all your games? :D
Traits: Yes. (I did have some in mind for Roya but will have to re-check.)
Free Story Feat: Yes. (Albeit I would ask if Achievement Feats would be acceptable? I'd like to aim for Healer’s Touch...otherwise, how strict are you with prereqs? Deny the Reaper would be a thematic fit for Roya, but she saw nobody die, luckily.)
(Also, can we roll that one out to other games, too? :D I like Story Feats.)