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Yeah I still read that differently than the rest of you but thats me coming from 30 or so years of gaming with a DM that handed out magic items at a rate of 1 item per party level. So we'd get ONE item for the 5 of us every time the entire party leveled.
What you should have said was ... Wow! I see what you did there. 8)
Sorry Fulito. Things just got real busy all out a sudden and i hate not being fully committed to something line that. Your character was a hoot.
dming requires a much greater commitment and therefore dms tend to drop out as the demands wear them down. I've recently ended a campaign i was dming for just that reason. i personally find i like making up the story. i like writing the battle recaps but i hate the mundane mechanics of running a pbp game. the pbp format is a bit clunky in that regard
Guys, I'm so sorry but RL commitments are really demanding at the moment and I'm barely keeping my head above water so to speak. I do realize why there are so few DMs on these boards now though. The truth is that the time commitment can be onerous. That being said, I'd like to continue the adventure but next semester my workload gets even worse as I have to relearn how to write in Java. Some of my students are starting to develop aps for android devices. It kills me to not be able to commit to something I started. I simply cannot keep up the furious pace we set earlier. I can barely keep up with the pace we've set the last 2 weeks. I'm so sorry but I've no choice but to put the campaign on hold for a while till I get some things looked after. :( DM Krallek
Brain stamping? Sounds like an episode of Fringe. I just had a doozy of a cold myself. I think my dog and my kids want to mutiny at the moment because I didn't do anything with them this weekend.
Round Recap: The nearly dead bandit on the wagon manages to get to his feet again and takes another swing at Staryth with his dagger. He makes a vicious cut at Staryth's face with the bloodied dagger in his hand and misses.
Sense Motive Checks (DC16)
Acrobatics checks
I think Marianne gave me her cold. Holy moly! I've been knocked out for nearly 48 straight hours.
I use Photoshop for making the maps. I put each player on his/her own layer. The background on a separate layer. The gridlines on another layer. And each of the bad guys in a separate layer. I also have a 'fog of war' layer for indoor maps but we haven't had a chance to use that yet. As for the map link up top, I just put a url style link in the campaign notes. On an unrelated note, I've been holding off for the real Damaran and Jeggrim to post but I think we may have lost them. You guys can continue to gimp them for the next few rounds. I will pm each of them individually to see if they have moved on. Cheers DM
yepper, go ahead and poste Marianne. Hope your feeling better soon.
Next Round: The nearly dead bandit on the wagon takes another swing at Staryth with his dagger. Balance check *success* He makes a vicious cut at Staryth's face with the bloodied dagger in his hand and misses. The four bandits behind the wagon from left to right. The one marked with the orange dot has a lit bomb and will throw it. Marianne that will give you an AOO on him if he succeeds on his ride check. Ride check (dc10) Acrobatics check to light the wick (dc10) *success*
Bandit on the right side Ride check (dc10) Jumps on the wagon *success*
The bandit on the wagon, half unconscious from the knock he took, takes a swipe at Staryth with his dagger and manages to find an opening in his armor and cuts him. Meanwhile, the bandit riding to the left manages to guide his horse up the side and he throws the lit bomb onto the wagon. It hits with a fiery explosion and the sticky orange liquid spreads as it catches fire. Damaran, seeing the danger, grabs one of the tarps from on top of the supplies you are carrying and pounces on the open flame and manages to put the fire out. The bandit behind him doesn't have as much success because as Fulito swerves the wagon he is caught off guard and he drops the match to light his readied bomb. One of the bandits in the rear does manage to get the wick lit. Gilthanis tries to maneuver his horse into position for the upcoming rock but fails to guide the beast with his legs as the wagon swerves. He must quickly grasp the reigns and loses his opportunity to attack. Marianne swings her glaive in a wild cut and decapitates the on the side of the wagon, his body slumps and then falls off leaving the horse riderless. Staryth, with his strong dwarven footing, manages to keep his balance and he takes a swing at the bandit on the wagon but misses. Fulito manages to keep the wagon on the path and guide it towards the upcoming rock. scoreboard: The wagon has now taken 5 points of damage out of 90 and the bandits morale is down to 80/120.
Yes, we may have to get you to play for them. Marianne, would you mind gimping for Jegg? Once we get an action in for Jegg I will recap the round. Things are starting to get interesting now with the wagon on fire and several more bombs headed your way!!! Also, let me know if this new mapping system helps or not. Thanks for the tip Marianne. It will help to be able to see recent rounds.
The AOO still missed but your glaive attack darn near split em from neck to nuts. I may have you guys gimp Jeggrim and Damaran if they don't post by tomorrow.
Battle Crunch Part 1: *Still waiting on Jeggrim and Damaran but the round is starting like this.
Working from left to right:
Gilthanis failed ride check and must grasp reigns to maintain ride
Ok, seems like I'm stretched a little thin lately. The closer we get to xmas the busier things get round here. Posting the latest round info today. DM
Thanks for the reminder. Adoration DC 14: *Fail* I just noticed that I also missed his regular attack as well in both the crunch and the recap. Attack on Damaran: for damage. *miss* Adjust the description to the bandit attacks Damaran and misses his attack so badly that he is now knocked prone.
subtle rule change:
I will grant 1 heroic point for a successful balance check and a second one if you manage to land a successful attack/spell/maneuver. Note: I will update the map and make my play for next round late tonight. Feel free to post your moves if you like though. Basically, those that can throw a bomb will do so. Those that can board will move up and do so. Those that can shoot will do so. You see the bandits advance and the two in the lead drop their short bows and pull out a vial of nasty looking orange liquid inside. One bandit loses his balance a bit as his horse gallops towards the wagon and he lets out a vile curse as he clutches to the saddle to keep from falling off. The second bandit has more success as he gracefully guides the horse with his knees while he quickly lights the tindertwig and readies to throw it. A third bandit deftly reaches back for an arrow, nocks, and pulls back the string on his short bow aiming for Gilthanis’ head. As he releases the bowstring Gilthanis lets out curse of his own and moved in to sweep the mans head off with his sword. As he begins to swing his sword he over compensates for the galloping motion of the horse and has to quickly grab the pommel with his free hand while the blade whistles harmlessly past the bandits ear just as the bandit releases the arrow which narrowly misses the elf’s head. The bandit shoots Gilthanis a look and says “You got lucky this time elf, next time you die”. The last bandit howls in frustration as he has no clear line of sight to shoot and he begins to move his horse forward as two more bandits full in the gap in the rear ranks.
score board: The bandits morale is now at 90/120 and your wagon has yet to take any damage. As near as I can tell Gilthanis has 2 heroic points, Marianne has 2, Fulito has 1, Staryth has 2, and Damaran now has 1. The only one who is currently prone is Jeggrim.
Sorry Marianne. I updated the map link in my post but not up top.
It appears as if Damaran is on another road trip. Can one of you take a turn for him please? I will recap and update tonight or first thing tomorrow once that is done. Just remember, he is prone at the moment. Oh, and I may make an adjustment to the allocation of heroic points for this next round. I will be dropping the requirement to if you make a successful balance check OR a successful attack, you will get the point. Cheers
That boulder is coming up on Fulitos side of the wagon and it will be in two turns from now. Yes you and f ulito can coordinate something to run them of the road but be careful cause space is tight. I'm just giving you the heads up as movement is hampered. Yes you can target the guys with the bombs. They won't blow themselves up unless the wick is lit though. Otherwise it would just be a normal attack. Hero points can be spent all at once or split up. Sorry on phone so being brief.
Ok, I've updated the maps and I am going to try them on a new site tomorrow as per Marianne's suggestion. Lets see how this works. Fulito manages to get the wagon under control just after the one bandit goes under the wheel. As he looks up ahead he sees a new danger approaching. The road appears to narrow a bit up ahead as there is a large boulder looming dangerously close to the side of the road. Fulito estimates that it will be about another 10 seconds or so before you reach that boulder. Gilthanis, you also become aware of the impending danger. You think the space is just big enough for the wagon and your horse but it is going to be tight. The two bandits that shot Jeggrim move up close the the back of the wagon and each of them drops their bows and pull out oddly shaped glass vials with an orange liquid inside. The top of the vial is stoppered with what appears to be a cork with a tinder twig stuck in it. You get a sinking feeling as you realize they are going to set the wagon on fire!! Crunch:
Bandit ride check (dc10). Acrobatics check to light the wick (dc10) *fail* Bandit ride check (dc10). Acrobatics check to light the wick (dc10)*success* Bandit ride check (dc10). Shoot at Gilthanis *near miss* Bandit ride check (dc10). Has no clear line of site to shoot. Two more bandits pull up to fill in the gap created by their fallen comrades.
I'm here every day. Often more than once. I just am confused as to what is going on at the moment in game.
The bandits, realizing the futility of trying to shoot the wagon, choose a different tactic. In unison they move up and several of them attempt a 'boarding' action. As they approach you see several of them drop their bows and guide their horses in for the jump. The first bandit misjudges the distance and as he jumps you see the shocked look of fear as he realizes that his jump is short. He reaches out and grabs onto the side of your wagon as gravity pulls him down and under the wagon; his knuckles white with the tension of hanging on for dear life as he is dragged along the ground dangerously close to the back wheel of the wagon. Fulito sees an opportunity and sharply turns the wagon to the left in an attempt to shake him off. The momentum of the wagon's shift causes the man's hand to slip off the side of the wagon and as he momentarily hangs on with one hand, his legs slide along the ground and one of them gets caught under the wheel. You hear a sickening crunch as the wagon jumps when his torso slides under the wheel. Just as the wagon swerves out of control, a bandit from the other side sees his opening and jumps for the back. As he jumps, the wagon once again lurches out of his reach and the bandits arm gets caught in the spinning rear wheel. The man's head briefly disappears from view as his arm is violently torn downward as it gets caught between the spokes of the rapidly spinning wheel. A moment later though he comes back into view as the wheel and his arm come back up the other side and the man is viciously flung upward like a rag doll and he flies over the head of the rider behind him.
The two bowmen further back each take careful aim at Jeggrim. The first arrow takes the dwarf deep in the thigh and Jegg looks down in shock as blood gouts from his leg. A second arrow takes him full on in the chest and sends him flying backward. He lands on his back clutching a the arrow shaft as it protrudes from his chest.
Marianne, seeing the dwarf fall as he takes two arrows. She climbs over the seat back but loses her balance as the wagon lurches and she falls and slides backwards toward Jeggrim. As she reaches Jeggrim's side he spits blood and loses consciousness. Damaran, seeing the cleric slide by him, attempts to throw a kick at the bandit standing on the back of the wagon. Instead, as the wagon swerves, Damaran loses his balance and falls to his knees. Staryth takes aim at the bandit on the back of the wagon but the bolt flies wide. note: Sorry guys, I will have to update the map later. You may begin the third round actions now if you like or you may wait till I get the map updated. So the count as it stands now, your wagon hasn't taken any damage yet and you have defeated 3 bandits so far. Jeggrim is down but not out. Marianne is prone. Gilthanis has earned a second hero point.
No problem jegg . This week at our school has been insane and we've slowed place a bit. My connection to paizo has been good from home but art the school it has been bad bad news. I went to download a font the other day and the estimated download time was 26 hrs. Our site tech has been sick all year so I get all the tech problems while he is away. This semester has been brutal. Most of my posts have been from my phone and that is really time consuming. I believe Marianne is coming back to revive you. So don't worry boot Jeff to much. Things are staying to get interesting.
Sorry all. Report card time!! Ok I will post the recap for round 2 asap. Oh and our wifi at the school isn't working too well lately. A few odds and ends need cleaning up. Yes Marianne, I do need to reroll Jegg's damage for that one hit. I should have been d6 as in the critical not d8. Thanks for the heads up.
Ok, that didn't seem to make any difference. So Jegg took 18 damage. Someone is going to have to get back there and fix him up!! @ Gilthanis: dwarven 'stability' racial bonus is for cmd checks against things like trip and bull rush so it wouldn't apply here.
I will post a recap after you turn as always. I find the crunch tells you what is going on so you can make informed decisions and the recap is the story.
Check to see if that hit on Jegg was a crit
Ah ok. You know what? I didn't even notice the crit on Jegg so you guys are the jerks for pointing it out. :) Oh, now that comment from Fulito actually makes sense. I was a bit baffled by that lol. I will confirm/not confirm tonight once my kids are out of the house. Should be only a few hours from now. I can't wait to do the write up for the round ... that guy with the epic fail is going to die a horrible horrible death!!!
Ack! Hope everything is ok. RL > RPG Life as always. On that note, I get the impression that people are waiting for something before they post. Is this true? Have I missed something?
Round 2 Crunch: Bandit 1 (wounded on Gilthanis) : Drops bow, move up, atck Gilthanis Ride check (dc10) *success* attk Gilthanas *miss*
Bandit 2: moves up and attempts to jump on back of wagon Ride check (dc10) acrobatics check (dc15) *epic fail ... this is going to be funny* Bandit 3:moves up and attempts to shoot Jegg Ride check (dc10) attk *hit* Bandit 4: moves up and attempts to shoot Jegg Ride check (dc10) attk *hit* Bandit 5: moves up and attempts to jump on back of wagon Ride check (dc10) acrobatics check (dc15)*fail* Bandit 6: moves up and attempts to jump on back of wagon Ride check (dc10) acrobatics check (dc15)
The map is now updated.
Fulito, technically the bad guys go first so you will have an attack this turn. Will update soon.
Not a professional graphic designer no. I'm a high school teacher. I teach computer science, video game design, ict ,yearbook and Cisco networking academy. As a hobby I work with an independent film company.
Round 1 Recap: Each of you readies in anticipation as the bandits come into view. They are gaining on you fast. As they get within 15 feet or so you notice they start to fan out with one group attacking from the left and the other from the right. The first 2 bandits manage to control their horses with their knees and shoot arrows directly into the spokes of the wagon's wheels. The arrows shatter when they strike throwing shards of wood everywhere but no apparent damage to the wagon. The third bandit readies his bow and takes aim at the back wheel under Jeggrim but his horse starts to follow the lead horse and the man is jostled. He must grab onto the reins with his hands to get his horse under control. The last rider moves up to engage Gilthanas but on the way he shoots an arrow at the wagon. The head of the arrow burries itself deep in the wood of the side of the wagon but no damage is done. Fulito coaxes the horses up to full speed and begins to sing a battle chant. Each of you feels the familiar calm of battle come over you. Marianne stands up on the front seat and grabs her glaive and readies to chop at the nearest rider. Gilthanis moves back to engage the nearest rider and swings wildly at his shoulder with his sword. The blade glances off his pauldron and catches the man under the ear and hacks away a chunk of flesh. The man gets a little woozy but manages to keep his balance. Meanwhile, at the back of the wagon, Jeggrim pulls out his crossbow and shoots at the nearest rider. He misjudges the movement of the wagon and has to drop to his knees to keep his balance. Staryth taunts Jeggrim a little and then leans in to show him how its done. Staryth and Damarans missed rolls:
Staryth: balance check . By my math you should be getting a +2 to balance because you are seated and a minus 2 to your attack. Damaran steadies himself (balance check ), shifts and falls to his knees. Staryth manages to shoot his crossbow at the nearest rider but the bolt flies wide as the wagon jostles along on the bumpy road. Meanwhile, Damaran loses his balance and falls to his knees.
Sorry all, the last 36 hours at work have been hectic. I'm trying to learn how to use AfterEffects CS6. The learning of the tool set isn't that time consuming. But doing anything creative with it takes a long time. I've managed to get a meteor to fly out of the sky and hit the hood of my car as I drive. I've also done a clip of my kids doing a light saber duel ... well one has a light saber and the other has a blaster. Fun fun fun! Back in business now though.
If you could, please confirm the map won't load for you. It loads fine on my computer and the only thing I did different was put the map link inside the round post. I play on creating a flikr account tomorrow to post the maps as Marianne suggested. But tonight I'm bagged so it will have to wait till morning.
Note:
I have put a red line on the bandit icons to indicate relative health. The smaller the read line the nearer to death they appear. Round Rules:
The wagon chase challenge is a combat challenge involving a vehicle fight with the wagons and horses. Combat ends when your wagon takes 90 pts of damage or you have dealt 90 pts of morale damage to the enemy (each enemy defeated will give you 10 morale points. After 90 they give up the chase) Wagon Driver: Driver Check - the driver of the wagon must make a driver check every turn DC 10 to stay on the road. You may use either your ride skill or your handle animal skill for this roll. Failure means you’ve bumped something, hit a rut, run on the shoulder, or rubbed against a rock or tree. On a fail everyone except the driver must make an additional balance check to remain upright. Driver Attack: Ram the horse next to you. Make a D20 + your drive skill roll to ram the horse next to you. Damage is d8. The horse’s AC is 11 plus the driver’s skill. 10 total points of damage takes that enemy out of the fight. Driver CMB: 1 + driver skill. Use this attack to run the enemy off the road, into a tree, or off a cliff. This effectively takes the enemy out of the fight if you succeed. If you fail, you take a -2 penalty on your drive check next turn as the wagon weaves out of control. Combatants:
**Special: If you choose to attack from seated or kneeling position you lose your dex bonus to attack but gain your dex bonus to your balance check. So yes, you would get it twice because it would already be part of your acrobatic/jump skill. CMB/CMD remains the same. Changing vehicles: this will require a jump check at DC 14. Heroic bonus: every time you have a successful round (hit on your attack and not failed on your balance/drive checks) you will gain 1 Heroic point. You can bank these points or spend them as you wish but each Heroic point spent will grant you a +2 bonus on one dice roll (drive check, balance check, attack, jump or save). You can bank these and spend more than 1 at a time stacking the bonuses. So it is up to you if you choose to spend them and get incremental bonuses along the way or bank them for something really heroic. These are only good for this encounter though. Spell Casting
You may spend your turn assisting a team mate at any time with their check. This will give them a +2 on their balance check to move up the condition scale. Movement Lets assume that the wagon is going full speed. I will leave that pretty much in the middle of the map and move other markers around it accordingly. Picture it as an old school car racing video game where the player stayed in the middle of the screen and the track moved around the player. 1. The wagon can only move 1 square to the right or left per turn.
Round 1 Battle Crunch:
Bandit 1: move and attack (shoot shortbow at wagon)Ride Check (dc10): *success*
All four bandits realize the futility of shooting the wagon ...
Marianne, you've hit upon one of the biggest flaws in all forms of DnD games and one that has simultaneously irked and amused me since I first bought the boxed basic set over 30 years ago. Turn based combat is sooooo very unrealistic. A turn is defined as 6 seconds but because of the mechanics of the game we need to break it into turns; and rightfully so as combat would be chaotic if we didn't. In reality, that six seconds of time wouldn't allow for much flexibility in your decision making as all combatants would be moving at the same time, not in incremental chunks. For example, if you go dead last in initiative on this combat would you really be frozen in time for most of those six seconds while 6, 8, or even 10 people took their chunk of time ahead of you? Lol Anyways, the bandits move up and attack!
Yes, for you and Fulito to earn the heroic points you would need to do a successful ride check and a successful attack as well. Remember, the DC for riding increases with the difficulty of the maneuver you are trying. The table is here for quick reference. Most of your checks will be in the dc10 range unless you try something really challenging.
Silly me, I forgot to post initiative. I've updated the map to include the riders as they enter the mapped area. Initiative::
Staryth: Damaran: Fulito: Marianne: Gilthanis: Jeggrim: Badguys: The order is
Go ahead and post your round 1 actions. I will post for the 'bandits' later this afternoon or early this evening.
Damaran, lunges out to take a swipe at a retreating patrolman and manages to cut him on the side. The man doesn't even bat an eyelash as he runs past and heads northward. Somewhat shocked at the response he quickly reverses the blade and cuts back again at a second patrolman that is running past him. Staryth runs over to Jeggrim and tosses him on his back like a sack of potatoes and heads towards the wagon to the south where he unceremoniously dumps the dwarf in the back. Jeggrim sputters to consciousness and begins to question what is going on. Meanwhile, Gilthanas rushes over to wake up Marianne. And the two share a nervous joke as they head to the wagon. The lack of a reaction of the retreating patrolmen gives each of you a pause for concern. What is going on? Whatever is coming from the north has their attention. The party quickly mounts up and just as you are about to head south, across the clearing you see movement as the sounds of battle to the north die down. You look back quickly before putting the spurs to your mounts and you see many riders canter into view. At first they seem quite casual; almost confident that they have dispatched their foes. As soon as they see you, they look quickly at the wagon and the lead rider shouts quickly boys, we have some deserters making off with our hard earned loot!! After them. And the chase is on.
Map is updated. Movement Rules: Lets assume that the wagon is going full speed. I will leave that pretty much in the middle of the map and move other markers around it accordingly. Picture it as an old school car racing video game where the player stayed in the middle of the screen and the track moved around the player. 1. The wagon can only move 1 square to the right or left per turn.
Fulito - seat 1
We can assume that since you purchased the trained horses that the extra mount will simply follow you unmanned. I will make a periodic check to see if it veers off or gets spooked but for the most part it will follow.
Well the next map will be kind of fluid. We're going to be moving fast so I will be making a bit of a dynamic map. There will be obstacles to avoid and such.
Welcome back Jeggrim. Hope the trip was good.
Just adding some extra text here so my ascii wagon moves down below the avatar picture. 8) So just to be clear. I will need to know who is in the wagon and where. Basically picture it like this: 00 --> these are the horses pulling the wagon
Plus, you had 2 trained horses. Who is riding them? The rules for horse riding will be the same as for the wagon except without the continuous balance checks. So far, Fulito is at position 1. Where are the rest of you?
Marianne, you are good to go as Gilthanas already woke you up. You will have time to heal at the beginning of the chase I'm sure.
The wagon chase challenge is a combat challenge involving a vehicle fight with the wagons and horses. Combat ends when your wagon takes 90 pts of damage or you have dealt 90 pts of morale damage to the enemy (each enemy defeated will give you 10 morale points. After 90 they give up the chase) Wagon Driver: Driver Check - the driver of the wagon must make a driver check every turn DC 10 to stay on the road. You may use either your ride skill or your handle animal skill for this roll. Failure means you’ve bumped something, hit a rut, run on the shoulder, or rubbed against a rock or tree. On a fail everyone except the driver must make an additional balance check to remain upright. Driver Attack: Ram the horse next to you. Make a D20 + your drive skill roll to ram the horse next to you. Damage is d8. The horse’s AC is 11 plus the driver’s skill. 10 total points of damage takes that enemy out of the fight. Driver CMB: 1 + driver skill. Use this attack to run the enemy off the road, into a tree, or off a cliff. This effectively takes the enemy out of the fight if you succeed. If you fail, you take a -2 penalty on your drive check next turn as the wagon weaves out of control. Combatants:
**Special: If you choose to attack from seated or kneeling position you lose your dex bonus to attack but gain your dex bonus to your balance check. So yes, you would get it twice because it would already be part of your acrobatic/jump skill. CMB/CMD remains the same. Changing vehicles: this will require a jump check at DC 14. Heroic bonus: every time you have a successful round (hit on your attack and not failed on your balance/drive checks) you will gain 1 Heroic point. You can bank these points or spend them as you wish but each Heroic point spent will grant you a +2 bonus on one dice roll (drive check, balance check, attack, jump or save). You can bank these and spend more than 1 at a time stacking the bonuses. So it is up to you if you choose to spend them and get incremental bonuses along the way or bank them for something really heroic. These are only good for this encounter though. Spell Casting
You may spend your turn assisting a team mate at any time with their check. This will give them a +2 on their balance check to move up the condition scale.
riding IN the wagon? or driving it? There will be special rules for you if you are a driver.
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