DM Salsa Presents - Chronicles of Kassen

Game Master AdamWarnock

Best hopes for his wife

Indeed. My own aunt was just diagnosed with breast cancer last month, and we're prepping her for surgery, which will be somewhat trickier than most given the...unique hand of disabilities she was dealt at birth. But she's survived a whole lot already: The doctors didn't think she'd live to see three years old, and she's SIXTY-three now.

So I'm sure Chainmail's wife will do well, and we'll be glad to have him back when he returns. :)

Thanks for all of the well wishes. I'll make sure to pass them along.

On a completely different note, holy cow! The two zombies that landed on their feet got a nat 20 and 19 to not fall on their butts and both Anislee and Timolt hit dark red for max damage with fairly high rolls on the attack. Why can't I roll like this when I'm playing as a player?

The dice gods have been extraordinarily kind to Moon. Hopefully it lasts long enough to finish this battle.

Perhaps it’s the dice gods’ way of compensating for the whole “drop from full health into negatives” thing from our first fight.

LOL. Could be. Here's the fun bit... it is theoretically possible that the nasty second crit into my lung was delivered by Meep! I'm looking forward to asking her about it. Maybe I'm wracking up good karma by supporting the goblin who nearly put me into a grave.

Well, that was something. Sheesh, Yellow Skeleton has no chill! Max Damage on Betzolte then double nat-20's to crit and confirm on Maidie.

So a few things.

1. I swear I don't normally roll like this.
2. I wasn't trying to pick on Maidie, she was the one that suggested getting up into the captain's face, so he decided that turn about was fair play. Then he proceeded to hit her for max damage and one of his mooks critted on her.
3. I'm ruling that shortswords, longswords, and greatswords can do piercing or slashing. That's something that's always annoyed me about them.
4. Vark's collapsing of the back third of the tent makes the top three squares difficult terrain and it takes a full-round action to cut through the back panel.

I'm just impressed to see enemies using tactics lol

I regret nothing - avenge me, Meep!

With approval from our benevolent GM, I'll run Bimbur until Maidie is done taking her nap in the negatives. No rush getting her back up, playing possum in stable condition is probably makes her the safest PC on the entire battlefield, to be honest.

I don't know what she'll be able to do, but she'll give it her best!

And now Maidie starring in the role of Bimbur Meep!

I don't know what she'll be able to do, but she'll give it her best!

Well if Meep gets rolls as good as your other archers... she'll put an arrow through Talking-Skelly's skull for enough damage to kill him and blow a pillar out behind him.

I keep expecting this to turn around, for this menacing force of the walking dead to turn into the three stooges, but nope! I guess the one saving grace is that I've been rolling well for the NPCs as well, but who knows how long that's going to last.

Oh, and then there's Dark Red Skeleton, but he failed the captain for the last time.

And now Maidie starring in the role of Bimbur Meep!

I can neither confirm nor deny the insistent rumors that the GM has just sent me Meep's HeroLab portfolio. (You will never guess her class...)

Everyone loves Meep! I have proof!

I’ll admit, I'm sorely tempted to just whip up a Meep alias and roll with it, but I guess I'd better get to bed before this becomes a one-man NPC juggling act.

Please try not to get anyone else one-shotted in the next couple of hours.

Hypno-pathetically, Salsa would it be possible for the woman between me and the wall be able to give me a boost to the upper level so I don't have to blow a series of actions sheathing then pulling my sword again? I don't mind having to do the climb roll and such but the loss actions to get in a position to back Casina up is... ugh.

Some notes on the Platform and jumping up on it. Here's the relevant portion.

The entryway platform is about six feet higher than the ground level. Let's say DC 10 Acrobatics or Climb check to get up there without taking a move action and it costs 15 feet of movement. Can get up there with no check as a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

I'll go ahead and say since it's low enough, you can get up with just one hand free if you are climbing, or with no hands free if you decide to Parkour your way up there. Anislee, the woman by the platform, can help give you a boost if you want, but you'll need to tell her.

Does that help?

Yep. The roll DCs and move cost were in my notes but I had either choice taking a MOVE. Cool. Hmm... I think I'll be able to get up there without help in that case. Thanks!

Anytime. :)

It is somewhat amusing that Grobradon has exactly 666 posts when I post a link to "The Doom Music" ("The only one they fear is you") while telling him he's up. It's things like that which make me smile.

...

And cackle maniacally. :D

And cackle maniacally. :D

"Yes... yes... my young apprentice. Embrace the darkside of the GM."

FWIW, I may be using a Hero Point next round depending what I find out about the BBEG, how badly the round goes, and what that BUTTLOAD of sword-wielding skellies decide to do.

The Macarena?

You monster... you know that six or more skeletons doing syncopated dance routines to 90's hits popular at weddings triggers a triple strength Vrock's Dance of Ruin!

You sick bastard.. there are children under 30yo present!

Game over, man! Game over!

Position doesn't really matter for the mace. We'll just roll with it. Roldare will pick it up on his next turn, assuming he makes it, and yes, that is Roldare. Timolt is wearing black and has a much better beard.

BTW, I just meant that anyone could grab the gear. Roldare was just a 'where is it' reference point... and yeah, Timolt is rocking that beard and has better hair as well.

Is he married? Maidie's looking.

Maidie currently has other priorities than dating. Like learning how to breathe with an arrow piercing your gut and lung.

Oh Moon has expertise in THAT.

Lessee here.

Timolt is married, but Roldare's single.

And his falsetto is… impressive.

Roldare? Ugh, hard pass...Besides, Maidie may end up looking in a different direction. Let's see how thinks shape out. Survivial still being at the top of the priority list.

Okay. Die roller curse I had going on yesterday seems to have taken at least a temporary break!

It's the first decent roll to hit I've made in 24 hours... and I'm being beseeched to retcon it.. and why? just to increase our chances of staying alive.
Selfish, the lot of you :P

Sec. I'll post the retcon, and thanks for your patience

No worries. I knew this was going to be a hard fight.

If they all make their save, I'm gonna cry.

A manly, macho cry to be sure

Very big impressive tears

;)

Wohoo - that makes a huge difference!

I can copy the entangle template from the other map and drop it in this one, if that makes it easier to keep track of where the area of effect is?

Oh, and for the record, Bimbur does not mind getting caught in the middle.

No need. I've got it. :)

Casina waiting patiently for her next turn.

"Just one moment" Speaks into mic "Earl? We need a price check on righteous fury? Price check on Righteous fury"

I am not ready for the Meep returns as a Lich storyline, so let's try to keep her alive too I suppose :)

The quarterback is TOAST!

No one smacks Meep around and gets away with it! Casina bring duh FUNK, and I'll bring duh NOIZE!

Salsa, just checking here... Meep is still conscious and up, right?

Yup, Meep is up with 2 HP. She's a tough little cookie, but the captain walloped her good.

@Everyone: I've added a couple of things to the house rule section.
- Retrieving and using a potion is a move action
- Drawing a weapon and a shield can be done as one move action

I figured I should put those up there as a reminder to everyone, including myself, about what I've ruled on. Given how this fight's going, I thought that at least one of those would be relevant. ;)

Really struggling to figure out what to do tactically: Potion Maidie? Potion myself? Potion Meep? Sock the skeleton with a telekinetic fist so Meep can get away? I hate being so indecisive! >_<

Really struggling to figure out what to do tactically: Potion Maidie? Potion myself? Potion Meep? Sock the skeleton with a telekinetic fist so Meep can get away? I hate being so indecisive! >_<

Oh, if it helps, I get like that myself quite often. VERY frustrating.

Others are better at tactics than I

I avoid offering unsolicited advice. That said, Grob's points are good. I'd also point out that Telekinetic Fist does bludgeoning damage (which skellies no like) and they don't have a lot of hit points so potting shotting them is not a bad idea. Whittling down baddies is not sexy but it gets the job done and makes life easier for the rest of the team.

And TK Fist will be very MEH beyond first and second level. So, enjoy it while you can.

I avoid offering unsolicited advice.

This is the gist of the conversation I had with Adam earlier. I’m very consious about letting others make their own decisions.

On the other hand, this is a complex game where a single decision, especially for a spellcaster, can have a huge impact for the entire group.

That’s why I waited until Grob mentioned the entangle on my own to weigh in. And if any of you ever feel I’m trying to micromanage your PC, please ignore my advice or tell me to shut up.

Personally, I welcome input from others, solicited or not. My actions affect your character too, after all. Preferably in character if it makes sense, but often a quick ooc comment is best.

So, since you asked:

My recommendation is to focus on neutralizing the champion ASAP. Grease on his sword would be my first choice, followed by telekinetic fist.

If you pour a potion in Maidie, it might put her back in action so she can cast grease using her Pearl of Power. But you need 6+ hp on a 1d8+1 roll and it makes her a target again.

Tactics!

Tactics!

Inara : Well, yes. So, explain to me again why Zoe wasn't in the dress?

Something tells me we're going to have a "by my pretty little bonnet, I will end you" at some point, and I'm all for it. :D

As for helping out with what to do, that's a little tricky for me because I'm running this thing, and while I want the party to succeed, I'm also aware that it can come off as "this is the way" if I offer any advice. I also like it when my players surprise me with clever plans and solutions that I hadn't thought of.

So, I think what I'll do is point out some options.

- If you use your move action to either heal yourself or Maidie with a potion, you can't move to get a better vantage point.
--- You're in TK-fist range of all three skeletons not in Grob's entangle spell.
--- Dark Red Skeleton has soft cover against Betz thanks to Roldare and Timolt. That's a -4 to hit.
--- Yellow Skeleton is behind a pillar and Moon's in the way. I'm going to say that between that and the six feet of elevation Yellow Skeleton has on Betz there is no line of sight to target Yellow Skeleton at the moment.
--- Skeletal Captain has soft cover from Moon. That's a -4 to hit.

- If you forgo the potion, you can move to the square next to where Dark Red Zombie's remains are. This improves your chances of hitting the captain since Moon is no longer providing him with soft cover against you. No penalties to hit since Meep is less than three feet tall and I think the angles work out that you see the captain, but not her.

I think technically there should be a miss chance due to concealment, but honestly, those rules are a bit clunky when dealing with 3 dimensions. If you're not up against the wall and your target's not way on the other side of the platform, I'm going to say you see them well enough to avoid the concealment penalties.

Something tells me we're going to have a "by my pretty little bonnet, I will end you"

Firefly had great writing.

Shame Fox screwed it over. It was a great sci-fi show and I loved Serenity as a ship.