Doh! Oh, gotcha! In that case I'll spring the trap!
EDIT: I read the bit about the trap as a bit of a joke, though I'll totally pull that lever if that's what y'all want to do!
Well, probably not AFTER we started storming :)
That bit was supposed to go with the surprise arrows.
Now that we are also in the room, I think we'll better leave the lever alone.
Sounds good!
Apologies for the delay, got distracted.
Hey GM Sam! So Rik'tik has the Speak with Reptiles ability, which allows him to speak with animal reptiles. As written, it wouldn't work to speak with humanoid reptiles such as kobolds. But any chance Rik'tik could give it a shot? He's not really here to murderize kobolds if he can avoid it. Maybe a primitive dialog could happen.
I'm sorry, but no. While I'm all in favor of character options that enhance the player experience, this one would be a bit much. It opens the door to arguing how much each side can understand from and get across to the other and would most likely boil down in the end to what your options already are when confronted with someone speaking an unfamiliar language; speak loudly (which Eser has covered quite nicely, :p) and make exaggerated physical gestures.
At best, you could get a (very rough) level of meaning from gross physical cues, like an extended frill--with a gaping jaw, it would probably mean "f*$@ off c$+$ or I'll wreck your s!+$ good," but on its own it might mean "u want sum fuq"--or a waving tail or the like.
No worries, I get it. I think Rik’tik would care a lot less if these were goblins and not kobolds, who feel more like kin.
Is it correct that Pfil is up again, but not anyone else in the party?
Indeed.
Then it's trap kobold and back around to the rest of you.
Hum, I must have missed that, somehow. Apologies.
Well, looks like one of those kobolds finally got a chance to sound the alarm.
I realize that it's a bit late to be asking this, but I hope none of you have a problem with me playing them smart like that, instead of the boxed set's normal "stand and die" type of discrete encounter. If you weren't all experienced players, I wouldn't deviate from the box setup for these fights, but I feel like this gives a bit more verisimilitude (ooo, look at me and my $10 word use, aren't I all edumacated and such) to the adventure.
Personally, I prefer enemies to operate on a logical basis. Smart, if you will. Anything else would make me an hypocrite.
What I do not like is that smartness becoming a burden on the player.
In many cases, smart enemies or BBEG could turn their resources into a no-win scenario against players.
Current thing: I have no problem with us not getting the jump on any more kobolds, with them being prepared for us, maybe have some jury-rigged hasty defenses or area denial traps.
But if they all now pool up in the throne room, placing snipers on elevated and almost unreachable positions, possibly splitting us with a hydraulic portcullis they release after the first 2 people enter, with traps and a spell-buffed chieftain that in sum amount to no less than "Rocks fall"(which would be really smart and what a player would do), then no.
In other words, I like the illusion of smart enemies. Make things believeable.
Don't make them actually smart.
Much like a computer game...oh, you were seen, the enemy will now start sending attack waves at your base to distract you, while preparing to evacuate the laboratory with the optional tech and reinforcing the weakly defended eco-expansion. (and not: Oh, the computer will now pull together the 150 supply worth of defenders split across main base and expansions and simply overrun you before you got your production up and running).
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But if they all now pool up in the throne room, placing snipers on elevated and almost unreachable positions, possibly splitting us with a hydraulic portcullis they release after the first 2 people enter, with traps and a spell-buffed chieftain that in sum amount to no less than "Rocks fall"(which would be really smart and what a player would do), then no.
furiously makes notes
Uh-huh, and what else don't you like about smart enemies. Feel free to incredibly specific.
Hum. Just on the off-chance it's me....who is up right now? Did the Kobbos have their turn?
All of us? Just me - are there still split-Init Kobolds?
Sorry, I'm confused.
Yep, you're up. And also yes, there's still a split in the kobold initiative, until gold gets corpsed up anyway. While unlikely, it's not impossible that you could catch up to trap kobold during the current combat, and so their actions need to be accounted for nice and proper.
New and strange things in 2e!
Stride is just a ">" action isn't it? So one could stride 3 times!
... Unless of course controlling an animal companion costs an ">" which does sound pretty reasonable.
Still, just in case someone else is also amazed by this new and shiny thing :D
Yep, giving the AC 2 actions costs an action, so two for Riktik, two for Grasz.
If we want to not split the party, I could simply ride on that hat of yours. It seems to have enough rim to serve as a archery platform.
That would cost both of us an action, and I'd move along with you :)
Then we can all have 2 actions and Marvel at our Barb-of-Prey rushing ahead and smashing everything before we get there.
(And Surla, while she is with us).
Sorry for the delay on my part, but I've been having ear problems that make it hard to focus on anything, mostly due to lack of sleep. Fortunately, it's nothing major and it's starting to resolve itself.
Right, so level 1 has been effectively cleared. Would you like to wait for Grasz to catch up with the rest of the party?
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No, let's rush a head blindly, each at our max speed, and splitting at each branching pathway. I'm sure those kobolds were our last foes, and things are safe from here on out.
No, let's rush a head blindly, each at our max speed, and splitting at each branching pathway. I'm sure those kobolds were our last foes, and things are safe from here on out.
That's some solid Leroy Jenkins-level planning right there :D. I approve!
>.>
No, let's rush a head blindly, each at our max speed, and splitting at each branching pathway. I'm sure those kobolds were our last foes, and things are safe from here on out.
Eser approves heartily of this optimistic sentiment!
I put my croc back on the map assuming he's had time to catch up by now.
Is Pfil our resident Thevery specialist now who can take care of the trap?
Sure, you're out of combat and Grasz easily caught up by now, though he probably stopped to sample some of the recent corpses. Your boy's going to be a bit tubby if this keeps up :p.
And I have no idea. If she doesn't, there is a proposed solution and I'll allow it (again, I'm always down for rewarding out-of-the-box thinking, if possible).
Cool--what kind of trap is it?
The trap that the kobold set is just your basic spiked snare. Basically a DIY beartrap. If Pfil can't (or won't) disable it safely, then dropping the table across it will work just fine to nullify it. Of course, if someone in the party had the traditional 10-foot pole...
Oh, sure, I can be the Trap Fairy.
Which of course means...nevermind, not that kind of game, I know.
Sorry for delay on my part, some stuff joined forces to keep me away.
According to the Thievery / Disable a Device rules, a trap is triggered only upon a critical failure of a thievery check. So given the DC and her skill, Pfil should be okay if she doesn't roll a 1--would just have to retry until success or critical failure.
>.<
According to the Thievery / Disable a Device rules, a trap is triggered only upon a critical failure of a thievery check. So given the DC and her skill, Pfil should be okay if she doesn't roll a 1--would just have to retry until success or critical failure.
Ack, well, that's what I get for trying to DM when my brain isn't fully engaged.
No worries, GM, the dice are on your side, this time...
No worries, GM, the dice are on your side, this time...
Holy f$+$, but that's some spectacular failure right there. I mean, I haven't seen a succession of dice fails like that since the last time I played one of the Owlcat games.
Hehe, that Owlcat RNG is something else...
People keep saying that it's just fine, that it's players noticing the f@!%ed rolls and ignoring the good ones, etc.
But others have come forward with screenshots proving otherwise, showing multiple critical fails, in succession, in a single fight.
I tried to help you, Pfil. I really did.
Oh, I know :) And thank you for that, Riktik, but the dice decreed it so - as you said, only a Natural 1 would cause a critical failure...on both rolls.
And you absolutely know she'll attempt to violently disassemble the next trap, as well. Just a little bit more cautiously, hopefully :)
Now that Pfil is not dead/dying, should we stop and do some healing, or use another potion on our little friend and keep moving?
Meh. I am at 2 hp or so. Anything more than zero means I am ready for action.
It's just a flesh wound.
Can't really push for you guys to push on and then demand preferential treatment :-) plus I still have a heal spell for after we deal with the trapper.
Oops, missed this. Will revise my post suggesting that we heal.
It's just a flesh wound.
This isn't Monty Python, you know.
But it's also not a system with a inherent wounds penalty that gives you disadvantage for not being full HP.
So technically...this little Sprite is fully armed and operational.
(albeit at 2 HP :D)
Just watch out for proton torpedoes.
*suddenly lights up and glows in a furious red*
I AM a proton torpedo!
Alright, there's your next game post. Let's see if we can't knock this dungeon on its butt by Christmas :D!
Hey folks,
I've come to the conclusion that I want to wind down my PbP games. I've done PbPs for a long time and enjoyed them, but I've been struggling with checking in regularly.
Hoping we can actually knock out this dungeon by Christmas! After which, Rik'tik and Grasz will retire to the swamps once more.
Lol, well, I'll still have Pfil, Eser, and Hellewen to torture entertain with my efforts. Guess that means hustling up some new players for the actual AP after the box is done with.
Thanks for being part of the team though. But before you (and Surla) do leave the game for good, I'll want to you ask you a few questions about the game, so please don't immediately scarper off into the sunset :D.
As an aside, I absolutely hated trying to figure out how to write out the Perception check for the fountain trap. Because while the room description mentions a number of the things that I mentioned, I just absolutely could not visualize how all of that came together to identify the trap (or the posts that were part of the disarm effort).
tumbleweed
tumbleweed
Cue theme.
As mentioned in the other game, you will be missed. This goes again for you too Surla. It was fun to have you :)
---
And yes, it sounds like we might want some more fodder once we're done with this place.