Looking within the hole Belfer sees that it leads to a cave that is below, but there is a large object below that is blocking the way. It looks like a black stone that appears to be absorbing the light from Belfer’s spell . Looking down on the stone you see that the top is shaped like a bowl and the water that drained this way has filled it and is overflowing onto the cave floor below.
Just a quick clarification. What Belfer sees below is a large black stone blocking real passage below. Carved out within the top of the stone is a bowl that is collecting the water that flowed down. Hope that makes sense, there isn't a bowl on top of it or anything.
I'd say yeah, I'm not sure yet. I think we're still in the teething phase of finding our groove.
Or in other words, signs unclear, ask again later.
Congratulations on your anniversary!
I'm enjoying this game so far, and the world's interesting, it has some good depth. People have been polite and working well together, which is always fun too, and I've been very impressed by the roleplaying I've seen from others. I don't really have any comments otherwise.
Hey thanks all!
two quick things...
1 - my posting cycle has gotten a little off cycle so I am going to hit pause on posting today and I will post tomorrow morning as per normal. Feel free to continue doing what it is you're doing.
2 - I am okay with people reading the Belfer spoiler tabs from yesterday for story purposes. I just wanted to squish the wall of text.
Belfer wouldn't have knowledge of what he saw outside of undead, titans, and something acting as a general of one of the armies. You would have surface knowledge of undead because of the truth/rumors of a cult of Braal in the town. One of the reason why many people stay away from the cemetery at night time... but that could also just be an old wives tale to keep kids locked up in their rooms at night.
Is the trap door/slide actually a trap? Will it release if someone steps on it, or is it just like a hidden compartment, like a concealed garbage mechanism?
Sorry, I probably didn't communicate it well. So, OOC, the trap door lowers the floor stone to angle down into the cave below. It angles down similar to a slide. At the bottom of it it leads to the black stone that has a bowl-like recess on the top where you saw it collecting water.
No traps, the mechanism you engaged only raises and lowers the one side taking it from an angle/slide, to flat floor.
One thing that I might have not been clear on was that it appears as if the design of this chamber is to angle slightly towards that corner. The party experienced this when the water burst from the spirit and it all drained down that door.
I do apologize, at times in my mind I think it is clear... but you all aren't playing in my mind. If you ever need a clearer picture please jump onto this discussion tab and ask. I want us all to be on the same page.
No worries; I just wanted to make sure the trap door wasn't a literal trap in case Belfer just reset the trap. Given the vision, I just wanted to cover the Orthanc.
And 'train of thought' does predate the physical train's invention by about 150 years in case anyone is worried about immersion. 'Train' as in a series or progression was the original usage. This means the term train for the mechanical device was named such since it was a "series" of cars.
Your daily dose of etymology!
And 'train of thought' does predate the physical train's invention by about 150 years in case anyone is worried about immersion. 'Train' as in a series or progression was the original usage. This means the term train for the mechanical device was named such since it was a "series" of cars.
Your daily dose of etymology!
I thought trains existed for thousands of years before steam engine trains, as ways to move coal and stuff.
Hey guys I say this with love. When you post, have forward momentum in mind. The last two days there have only been a couple things for me to respond to. I’m 100% with you guys doing what you want, but I also don’t want things to stall because there isn’t a forward progression.
Hey guys I say this with love. When you post, have forward momentum in mind. The last two days there have only been a couple things for me to respond to. I’m 100% with you guys doing what you want, but I also don’t want things to stall because there isn’t a forward progression.
Understood, I'll try to keep my posts more action-oriented.
Fair point, but be warned at the moment Klaus is a pure roleplay vehicle. He trends towards lazy and uninspired and is certainly not sold on the "only we can save the world" attitudes a couple of the other characters have given Klaus has not seen anything to validate or acquired any personal instincts which would lead him to believe the random pronouncement of a rather unfriendly spirit claiming there's a world-ending doom somewhere in this "cellar".
At the moment he's here entirely because he wants to support his friends and hasn't seen anything a wizard's apprentice probably hasn't experienced firsthand either in the laboratory, lessons, or done as a prank by another apprentice. Oh, the life of a magic student.
I had planned Klaus to be this way given we had such an abundance of players in the game, I figured I would let the more assertive personalities rise up and drive the action. This means my posts were never intended to push the game forward, but support and/or comment on whatever is going on in others' posts.
I fully expect this may change and Klaus may evolve as a character as the stakes become more real and more apparent to him as a person, but for now, he is what he is. ;)
...he sees Klaus take off the other way. "Dang it. Let's follow Klaus, I don't think we should split up while this is going on." Alistair says as he moves toward the mage.
Sorry Alistair. :P
Klaus definitely didn't know the other direction looped them back around, so he just went the way he knew goes out.
no worries, just staying in character.
I think it's perfectly in character for things to be a little chaotic and disorganized under this situation.
I am going to hold off on Rasmus and Dargys last two post. We are in rounds currently and I don't want to assume they would do those same actions based on my posting.
You guys are all up.
You do not.
And yes, you guessed correctly, Axe will always be what Deshe goes for if he doesn't otherwise specify.
Please tell me that it is a pony-shaped slime and not just a slime using pony stats.
Please tell me that it is a pony-shaped slime and not just a slime using pony stats.
It's all visual fluff, so feel free to pick whichever works best for you :)
Honestly, no, I was thinking Dragon Quest more than Ponyfinder.
I just like the idea of a slime pony, no other IPs referenced. A gooey little horse is fun visual…until it melts someone’s face of course.
Just a reminder that there is no natural light down here. I know Allistair had a torch and Deshe & Belfer used his light spell. Dargys had a torch but when battle happened we went sword and board, I missed this but the torch would have fallen in the water and went out. Belfer & Alistair were both still there providing light, along with Rasmus' lantern.
Question that I need clarity on: Does the PC have any melee attack penalty when the mount double moves?
If you look at Mounted Archery feat there is a normal -4 attack penalty but is halved with the feat. Is there anything similar to that with melee?
I wasn't finding anything official that speaks on this, if you know of something please let me know.
The light from the fallen torch fading behind him, Dargys curses a bit under his breath and keeps going as best he can. Fortunately his shield should take any collusions with walls or the like pretty solidly.
You still have the light of Belfer deeper in the cave and Rasmus still having his lantern. You should still be good by the time you get to the top of the stairs because Deshe's light is coming from the hallway just ahead.
Does the PC have any melee attack penalty when the mount double moves?
No. Here's the full text on melee mounted combat from the SRD.
With a DC 5 Ride check, you can guide your mount with your knees so as to use both hands to attack or defend yourself. This is a free action.
When you attack a creature smaller than your mount that is on foot, you get the +1 bonus on melee attacks for being on higher ground. If your mount moves more than 5 feet, you can only make a single melee attack. Essentially, you have to wait until the mount gets to your enemy before attacking, so you can’t make a full attack. Even at your mount’s full speed, you don’t take any penalty on melee attacks while mounted.
If your mount charges, you also take the AC penalty associated with a charge. If you make an attack at the end of the charge, you receive the bonus gained from the charge. When charging on horseback, you deal double damage with a lance (see Charge).
As for my action this turn, however, I realized in the middle of researching this that Shep isn't combat trained, so I would have to make a DC 20 Handle Animal check to get him to go into melee. Given that, even with the bonus for him being my animal companion, my chances are less than 50%, I will stay out of melee for the time being.
So several things don't seem to work here due to some misunderstandings, I think.
On retcon, Klaus ceased moving until someone with light appeared. Once this occurs, Klaus would have stayed with that person, in this case Alistair. If things had happened the way you're describing, Klaus would have left Alistair in the dark after taking his torch. So this idea of the two splitting up at all doesn't make any sense.
About the torch...Alistair did not give Klaus his torch.
Alistair...passes Klaus, holding his torch high, keeping an eye out for danger.
I'll restructure this quoted line.
Alistair passed Klaus (walked by him). Alistair held his torch up high while looking for danger.
The implication here is that Klaus would not have then chosen to move down an unlighted hallway or passage given he has no light source of his own.
Obviously, we can just ignore this and continue on, but these small changes definitely had an impact on what happened and what Klaus would have done...especially since he would have happily handed over the potion (his final action for the turn based on rules) and likely stuck with Alistair once he appeared with his torch starting into the next 'round'.
I just like the idea of a slime pony, no other IPs referenced. A gooey little horse is fun visual…until it melts someone’s face of course.
Given the current direction of the game, maybe I should have gone with this.
Klaus, my apologies on several fronts. You are correct I did misread the torch portion. Which then led me to bot the rest of your turn as you were doing before the darkness was there.
I am sorry, I had no ill will to force your PC into the tunnel to get injured as he did.
I don't really know what to do at this point. It is hard to retcon because not hearing the creature attack Klaus changes everything everyone has posted.
If we can move forward as Klaus went to the tunnel I think that might be easiest, but I 100% am okay if you don't want that to have been your turn and we can hit reverse and Erik/Shep would have just rushed to Deshe's aid instead of flying past.
I am okay with what you want to do in this situation.
Again. I am sorry, no ill will intended on my end.
Hey guys, I need to apologize. I have been scatter brained these past few days.
My wife and I have learned that we lost a pregnancy at 14 weeks. We go in tomorrow for one final scan to confirm the baby is dead before she is induced. I will need a mental distraction from this terrible situation and will be posting but I might not be as consistent as I have previously been. I ask for a little grace as we navigate this time and get back to normal.
Thank you all for this fun game and something to look forward to each morning. It has been a blast and I look forward to what we all discover together.
I am so sorry. My prayers go out to you and your family.
Deepest sympathies to you and your family.
I moved the creature forward toward Erik to match the description of action unless it has reach. Obviously, if it has reach my crit is still valid but no sneak atk.
As someone who has also been through this, I know there are no words. My deepest condolences.
You and your partner will need each other now more than ever. You or she may lash out and want to assign blame for things. This is a relationship trap you may not survive. Seek grief counseling and turn your attentions to outlets for your emotions. Physical activity (if possible for you) is always a combat against depression. Do your best not to begin associating your sadness with dates and things. Once you do, they will perpetually be triggers which will cause you to spiral in the future.
I'm very sorry, Shane. You have my prayers and best wishes.
I’m deeply sorry for your loss. Please take all the time you need. Our prayers go with you and your family during this difficult time. Your well-being is the most important thing right now. Thank you for everything you do for this game; it means a lot to all of us. We’ll be here whenever you’re ready.
For my part, I'll endeavor to keep having a post up by each morning.
Thank you all for your kind words, and unsolicited advice. My wife and I are home and we are resting and she is healing. Our kids were glad for us to be home that is for sure.
I have decided that when it comes to combat things will fall into a "us" vs "them" or a "them" vs "us" kind of round system. Because of this I am going to allow anyone who took an initiative based trait or the improved initiative feat to reselect.
For those who took those, go ahead and let me know what you are picking as your trait or feat choice.
I wanted to give everyone time to post. I’ll continue on in the gameplay thread tomorrow morning. Still feel free to shoot me you ur changes for initiative based feats/traits if you’d like.
Hey guys, I need to apologize. I have been scatter brained these past few days.
My wife and I have learned that we lost a pregnancy at 14 weeks. We go in tomorrow for one final scan to confirm the baby is dead before she is induced. I will need a mental distraction from this terrible situation and will be posting but I might not be as consistent as I have previously been. I ask for a little grace as we navigate this time and get back to normal.
Thank you all for this fun game and something to look forward to each morning. It has been a blast and I look forward to what we all discover together.
I apologize for the delayed response. I was undecided how much to say because internet posts can come off as inauthentic, pretentious, or worse, and everyone grieves differently, so its hard to guess which approach to take.
I'm sorry for your loss and my sympathies for you and your family.
One of my aunts had difficulties conceiving for a long time. The babies suffered congenital heart defects where the 4th chamber was either underdeveloped or missing. Some were miscarriages and others were born prematurely, surviving no more than a day. It might not be much, but you might find some solace knowing that if it was not meant to be, that nature ended it earlier rather than later. The premature birth scenarios were more emotionally tolling for them.
Hey folks,
I'll post soon, I've just been a bit busy.
As far as I know, no WORD was given?
From Dargys' POV, he's been shaken supernaturally, has no idea what the heck they just faced, and asked HOW to defeat something so he could do so... and just got insulted to his face by a pompous windbag who is lying in order to insult him and tarnish his reputation.
So just taking that BS was not going to happen.
Totally reasonable and acceptable response from Dargys based on his past and what the party just went through. I have zero issues with his response.
That being said, on Antero's end there was a job, an offer, and an acceptance of the job. On the merchants end of things, with an agreement there are two parties giving their word. Part 1) Task/Payment, Party 2) Job Done.
I can totally see both Dargys' and Antero's view of this situation.
On my end, all is well. Let's see where things go.
I need to apologize. The map is wrong. With the last map update I uncovered the final room of that floor. There is still the sealed door that you first came across wen you came down to that level. So there is that chamber that is unexplored... you now see what it looks like but that doesn't tell you what is in there.
Also, there was progress made in the clogged staircase and could be cleared with time. That way technically is also still unexplored.
Is there a temple to Sethiel's god that would be a good place to help him get to and recuperate, or does he have a home in town?
I was thinking we had not investigated that sealed room but did not want to mention it in front of our employer. What he doesn't know won't affect our bottom line.
Is there a temple to Sethiel's god that would be a good place to help him get to and recuperate, or does he have a home in town?
To drop him off or to keep him on as an NPC?
Are we in the clear to rest the night, hopefully allowing for a reset of these fear penalties?
I was thinking we had not investigated that sealed room but did not want to mention it in front of our employer. What he doesn't know won't affect our bottom line.
Yes, but would that sit well on everyone's conscious...
Sethiel's deity is Darlen (LG), it doesn't specifically say it but I would say that there might be a small shrine to Darlen in the Lawgiver's Hall which is a temple of Conn (LN).
As far as keeping him on or dropping him off, I am going to say that he will be dropped off probably at the temple for long term care due to his possession.