Can you mark my character as inactive to get this game out of my list?
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Well, it is time to say goodbye to this game. I've had fun and hope to see you guys on the boards.
I apologize once again for my tone. The situation triggered some bad GM memories about some old-school GMs that would change rules on the fly and laugh about it. I do admit that I have a hard time giving up on things, but I'm done now. If any other changes come to mind, please let us know.
Arnav is looking for a way to get up there when something strange happens. His body ripples and small wings come from his back, coated in ectoplasmic gel. He shakes them to get rid of the slime and rises up ten feet into the air. This distracts him from other attacks, but he stands ready.
I apologize for the rant. The rules were interpreted in a way I haven't seen in any other Pathfinder game I've played. The laughter about this made me upset, and I reacted poorly. Okay, so height is sort of like cover in your game. So noted. I hope that sneaky PC's find some way to climb or fly to be able to use this. Does this extend to other types of facing? If so, a map would be really helpful. We have already faced flying creatures in this facility, so looking up is part of my standard procedure. Do you want me to specify this every time? That's exactly what a poor Perception check represents. Rolling poorly doesn't mean you go blind or deaf. It means you get distracted, you don't pay attention, you forget to look up, or something shiny catches your attention just as you were turning towards the thing you missed. This is not where my issue lies. My issue lies in the stealth rules. You cannot use stealth without cover, concealment or something special. The rules don't say that being higher affects stealth at all. Most games I play in assume that adventurers learn that things can jump you from above and look up as part of their scanning for danger.
Why doesn't that apply to "you just forgot to look left"? This appears to be a room where the only features are the ring of blood on the floor and the 20' pile of corpses apparently hovering in midair. This explains what I'm getting at. If it was on the wall above the door, and it attacked that round, no problem. If it sits around for a while after we get into the room, then it gets back to not having cover or anything else that would let it roll a stealth check. If there were a lot of bodies all over the place, I'd be fine with it.
Okay, I'm not clear where it is in relation to us. It also appears to have at least 20' reach, correct?
Then you did not describe what sort of cover it has so that it has the capability of making a stealth check. Neither your original description, not your enhanced description mentions anything it could hide behind. Did I miss this? Or did it have invisibility or hide in plain sight or some other exotic ability? If you are in plain sight, you cannot stealth. That's the rules. If you want to change that, then let us know what the new rule is so that we can take advantage of it. I understand the old-school thinking, but it's a b+!#@ to play in PBP. Things slow down drastically when you need to cover all sorts of things that are normally assumed in modern games. "I look up. I look down. I look right. I look left. I look straight ahead. I look behind the door. I look at the desk. I look at the green eggs and ham. I look under the green eggs and ham." You haven't been playing it like this so far. If you want us to declare where we look then, you need to let us know that we need to do this. If you don't tell us the rules are changed until afterwards, it screws us for something we don't know. I like the idea of doing fancy scenes, but if those fancy scenes only work if the PC's are wearing neck braces, then it's not very cool. If you'd have said it fades in or it comes out of a hole, then I would have been impressed. While I am upset, I am really enjoying this game. I will admit that I have some issues that come from some really bad old-school GM's. A couple who would change the rules back and forth to their advantage with no consistency. And one GM who wouldn't describe stuff, but expect you to react to it. I don't have a problem with you changing things, I just want to know what's changed, and keep them consistent.
That's because we're playing Pathfinder where we get a chance to spot things in our line of sight and not old-school OD&D shite where you triggered the trap because "You only said searched the statue's base but you didn't say you searched the statue's feet." If that's the game you want to play, then expect the game to go on hold for seven months while we hash out our old-school checklists where we go through 37 steps every time we open a door. And if we are going to do this kind of bullcrap, we need you to to give the full description of the room when we enter and not omit minor details like:
Above them about 20 feet is a giant amalgamation of bodies. Arms, heads, legs, eyes, and organs all sintered together into a vast jellyfish-looking bulk placidly floating above them. Half-a-dozen fanged maws on extended ropey necks contructed of what look to be fused-together spinal columns wave below the main mass. As Justin's eyes widen with shock and horror several beams spray out from the mass, hitting the group. IF you had actually described this part, we would have likely investigated it. Joking about us not saying specifically that we looked up when you didn't describe any reason to look up is not a joke of any sort. Trying to pass it off as a joke is pissing in the wound. After eating asparagus. Even if we're not going to go down the old-school "you didn't use the right magic words" route, I'd like to actually get a description of the stuff that's in plain sight. It's kind of important. For the official record, I am always considering up and down to be potential threats. Especially when we are in a crazy tinkertoy dungeon.
As Arnav is hit by the beam of many colors, it has little effect on his partially crystalized mind. His blade comes off his shoulder and he prepares to deal with the abomination.
"Is this just a slaughterhouse, or does that mixture have any magical resonance?" he asks.
"True, but not only instincts." he answers.
Arnav will keep himself near Mara. He expected that she wouldn't betray us while there were other enemies available, but he still kept ready. "Oh, wolves and deer aren't anything like the good and evil people do. They act on instinct and hunger and survival. We make our own choices, each day."
"We can always use allies in a place like this, and Mara seems capable," he says. "I vote to work together."
Arnav doesn't talk. He knows it's not his strong suit. He watches and observes. And keeps ready to slay this creature if it seems necessary.
"But if we ignore this, then the evil just expands." he says. "This is either a threat that we need to kill or a prisoner that we need to talk to. Both choices mean we need to open it." he'll step to the front and hold ready for when it opens.
He sighs, "Sadly, I haven't had much time to play with puzzles since I was a child. I keep getting confused."
Arnav will look at the puzzle on the back of the sarcophagus. Not touch, just look. If we weren't going to play cards, we might as well kill the dead.
Arnav will glance over at Hamar with a look. This is a finely calibrated look that communicates two things. The first is: "Your advice is prudent and logical." The second is: "Why are you asking the rain not to be wet?"
"So do we open it and deal with it on our terms or wait for it to come out and surprise us while we're dealing with other things trying to eat our souls?" he says with sardonic cheer.
Good, then I should take no damage.
While he seems to have caught fire, this doesn't seem to actually be causing him any pain or slowing him down at all. While it looks very impressive, undead are not known for their aesthetic appreciation. which is just one of the many reasons that they need to be destroyed.
I see the map! What type of damage is their base damage? Bludgeoning? Fire? Negative energy? Emotional?
Trying something new. Tell me if it works I see the grid, I see a circle. I see a lot of broken image files.
"Well, this isn't ominous."
I expect that Hamar would be the best for the dagger. He doesn't get the feats that he gets with his scimitars, but against incorporeal it's better. I'm interested that it was specified as a throwing dagger. This is an intelligence test because anybody who is throwing this weapon is either foolish or very desperate.
That sucks. I hope that you are okay.
Hello Hello Hello
Arnav nods. "It will likely be useful here." He looks at the hilt of the dagger and at his hands, "It's a bit small for me. I don't think more than the tip would come out of my hand."
Arnav will help in the search.
Arnav will look over at them. "She is a head shorter than him. With his lanky build there would be limbs flailing all over the place. I'm willing to lend a hand if he wants it."
Arnav sees the fragments of the wraith preparing to drain more life force. He fixes his gaze upon it, "You will feed no more."
I've got my own issues. I'm bringing my dog in for surgery tomorrow. :(
Arnav swings his crystal blade at the shadowy figure. The vibrations of the crystal blade seem to disrupt it more than expected.
Apropos of nothing, I'm playing Torment: Tides of Numenera, and it has your companions make snarky comments when you've been waiting too long.
"Isn't it cute how they flirt?" he comments as he advances into the fray. He goes straight for the body of the beast.
Arnav will start collecting the masks for treasure.
Arnav will look over the masks, "The Clerk's Ward would probably be the best place. The Sensates often hold masked balls and the backstory will only add to the value of the masks."
Arnav will chuckle, remembering the travelling wrestling matches that would come through back home. "The difference is that the wrestlers figured out who would win in advance. We don't get that luxury."
I hate to rain on Karrin's parade, but you don't get the frost dice on the critical. So it's only 129 damage. :)
Arnav shifts his stance for less power and more accuracy. As he does so, he charges his blade with energy.
Arnav does not know if this creature is telling the truth when it says it can slay with it's voice. He decides he won't give it that chance.
He realizes that they need to focus back on the pillar, but Nari's words fascinate him. He especially perked up at the word "transformation".
At Justin's rant about schools of magic, he asks Nari, "Does your psionic training divide it's power the same way?"
Arnav holds himself ready for any ambushes as the brainy people talk smart stuff around him. Having your face distorted and merged with stone makes it easier to hide the longing to have magic. It also hides the revelation that Nari said this power within him was like her power. If only he could channel it right.
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