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I just checked in to say I was still here. Please don't think it means I'm being impatient. The weather has been knocking out my power a lot lately, so when I had some time with the lights on I went through and did a check-in with all the games I'm in. At the time I didn't even think about the fact that this one is on hiatus. Hope things get easier for you, Ray. Take all the time you need.
Checking in here.
[b]"I have a report to make. I suggest we all meet in the morning to plan our next steps. Come to the garrison. We can leave from there." Azlain said. His companions seemed to have everything well in hand, so he sat down at Winnow's desk and began writing.
"That seems to be the case. However, he proceeded to resisted arrest right up until the moment of his death. The last thing he attempted to do was escape to another plane of existence."
Azlain pocketed the Nightglass again and returned to his documents. "Why thank you. It's good to feel useful."
"Ah. Yes. Clearly my talents have been exhausted. Perhaps you'd like to carry this as well?" Azlain said, offering Mindy the cloth-wrapped Nightglass.
"What was that?" Azlain asked dryly.
"Whatever gave you the impression I was knighted? Or gallant?" Azlain chuckled, still not looking up from his paperwork.
"Thank you," Azlain said. "Bag it. We'll deliver it to the Garrison with the rest of the evidence as soon as we are done here."
"Keep the head intact," Azlain said without looking up from his paperwork.
Azlain made sure the nightglass was safely tucked away, and then quickly fixated on the legal document.
I feel like as the newest player, my personal questline shouldn't suddenly take the spotlight. I don't want to abandon that plot thread completely, but I think letting myself become more integrated in the plot the other players have been following would be the best thing to do.
Hmm. Domains are essentially a handful of extra spells, a first level power that scales in a minor way and an 8th level power that also scales in a minor way. The extra spells are handy (especially if they're spells that aren't usually on the cleric's list), but they are fairly minor. It's a minor loss of potential options, not of actual ability. The Barrister skill thing is roughly the same power as a 1st level domain power. A free improved familiar is powerful, but it's about on par with some of the better 8th level domain powers. Honestly it sounds pretty well balanced to me. If I were running the game I'd probably allow it.
Oh, we're still in combat? I guess I ready my Round 5 action to Dispel Magic as a Counterspell then.
Beneath his mask, Azlain was sweating. His hands shook. He wanted to drop the thing he held like it was on fire, but he was a professional. His resolve had been tempered by the fires of Hell. He simply wrapped the black mirror in his scarf and tucked it away in his haversack. Then he let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Winnow, you are Bound by Law." he didn't have the focus to get through the rest. He tossed the Boogeyman a pair of manacles. "Search the premise. Find the contract, and anything else of interest." He focused on the job at hand, but a portion of his thoughts could not help but dwell of the immensely powerful enemy they'd just made.
Thanks team. :) It always surprises me to receive praise for what I still think of as normal gameplay. I've learned it's one of the most fundamental differences in playstyle. A lot of people (particularly people who started playing with 3.0 or later) approach the game like it's a sport or board game. They think the numbers represent the comparative strengths and weaknesses of the pieces on the field. From that mindset, the fun of the game is in the tight play and counterplay of the actions. A significant imbalance in those numbers mean that the game isn't fair. When things aren't fair, players get cranky. Frankly, I think it's b$&$@*#!. The game certainly can be a sport, but I think it's better when it isn't. I learned to play back when "Save vs. Death" was literally a number on your sheet that you were expected to have to roll regularly. The game was unfair by design. Pretty much anything a party came across was a TPK waiting to happen. Monsters were designed as puzzle-traps that chased you down and ate you. If you couldn't figure out their weakness on the fly you were going to be rolling a new character. This was normal. The mindset players from that era of gameplay learned was, if you haven't stacked the odds in your favor before the fight even starts, you've probably already lost. The game isn't a sport. It's asymmetric warfare. Azlain is built from that mindset. He looks for weaknesses, and then exploits the hell out of them.
"Be gone."
"Mindy, get me the nightglass," Azlain said, ignoring Winnow's mewling for the moment.
Is there a way to use the mirror to dismiss the Ormyr?
Profession Barrister would be me. I'll make the roll later when I have time for a longer post. If take 10 is allowed I can make that DC without rolling.
Since Winnow's so affraid of Ormyr, I was thinking we could use that. Maybe he'll surrender and we can get out of here.
Azlain understood the value of discretion, however, he also had a reputation to uphold. "Winnow, you are Bound by Law. If you stand down and submit now I offer leniency to the extent of the law's allowance, and you will be under Hellknight protection."
If Ray was doing everything he could to win, being able to target glitterdust because Winnow was too stupid to move after turning invisible never would have worked. So far it's worked twice. Also, the enemies are targeting each other. Ray is kinda softballing this encounter. It's clear to me he wants us to win.
Magnius, I don't want to be confrontational about this but I think you're overreacting. It's a team game. Lets see if we can use good teamwork and tactics to overcome this. Yaos is about to drop a horde on the field who's only job is to give you bonuses. I'm going to keep piling on the debuffs and canceling enemy spells. You're going to get your hits in, just give us a bit to set you up for victory. You and Boogey should be waiting until After Yaos and I take our actions before you take yours. That way you'll get the biggest bonus out of whatever we do. I think we can do this.
Now I feel like not taking teleport just to be obstinate. ;)
Thanks guys. I don't want to barrel past Magnius' concerns with tactics talk though. Lets get back to the discussion of how to make things fun for everyone. I think a lot of good points have been brought up so far. Let's keep it going.
Yaos, since your leopards aren't doing the trick, it might be worth summoning a group of more intelligent creatures and having them perform Aid Another actions with Mag and Boogie. The AC to pull off Aid is low, and the bonuses stack. That might help our front liners get their hits in.
Alright. Without retconning, what would it take for you to feel like you were having fun again?
I get your frustration. It's a tough fight and it's never fun to feel useless. I'm not sure if it's intended, but your posts are coming off as a bit hostile. Should we take a step back and talk about how to make sure we're all having fun, and our expectations of the game? If it isn't fun for any one of us, we're all partially to blame and should address it.
Jeebus. I thought I'd dealt with the eidolon. You're not out of the fight, btw. You still have options. Out think the problem. Here's my suggestions- Wait until after Mindy goes each round. My goal with her is to keep him wasting his actions to deal with whatever annoying stuff she throws at him. Use touch attacks. Azlain has Tangleburn bags. You've seen him use them. You know where they are on his bandoleer. Come get them and hit Winnow with burning glue. Use Combat Maneuvers. His CMD is going to be lower than his AC because Summoners don't have full BaB. Dirty Trick and Trip are awesome ways of screwing over an enemy and setting them up for allies to hurt. The trick is not to think in terms of damage, but instead in terms of forcing Winnow to make choices where he has no good options. Keep him on his heels and buried in status effects. That's how you win fights against high-CR enemies.
Wait, so the creature I banished at the start of the fight wasn't Winnow's synthesized eidolon?
Alright. Depending on Winnow's action, I may change my action. Probably not though.
Azlain waits patiently, biding his time.
Not at all. Imagine it like she's inside a small bunker with arrow slits. She can still be targeted, she just has Improved Cover. She can still see out and fire out with her bow or with spells. She just isn't going to be flying around delivering touch spells, potions or stealing things from people.
Clarifying, since I'm not sure it ever came up before- Azlain's big armored pauldrons are Familiar Satchels. They are hollow with "arrow slits" cut into them, and an open hole in the back where Mindy can slip in and out of. When she is with Azlain, she's inside one of them unless I say otherwise.
After the lightning lanced through her, Mindy ducked into the small metal fortification built into Azlain's pauldron.
Azlain winced behind his mask and unleashed a torrent of bolts at their foes.
Dammit Winnow! Can't you do anything right?!
checking in
Light him up, Azlain whispered to Mindy through their link. Azlain himself concentrated on undoing Winnow's work.
Not sure why the order of my last posts were swapped. I posted Azlain's first. Just read them in the reverse order.
Am I correct in my understanding that after Winnow's last action that he could not have moved more than 5 feet without some kind of Swift action movement ability?
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