GM Toothy's page

I feel it is unlikely to happen. It was just an interest check and while there is interest, it has been pointed out a good amount of issues with the premise to the point that I believe Albion gave up.

This is wrong on so many levels. For example, it does not take any additional time what so ever, in fact, using an AP takes more time.

But I’ll need to come back later to give a proper response.

Honestly, please, don't bother. It is already very clear we see things in a completely different manner and I'm not interested in this conversation.

The way I see, if you’re not reworking every encounter to your group, you’re hurting the game. That said, “combat as sport” is much harder and more involved to get things reworked well. One reason why I dislike “combat as sport.”

I respectfully disagree.

We have many rule books and setting books to allow us to create our own campaigns, but many of us just don't have the time to do so and this is where a published adventure/AP comes in. These specific products are designed to be run as written precisely to let GMs with little time to also have fun.

Reworking every encounter to a group should not be required. Yes, you can tweak a couple things to take advantage of a hook to better engage your players, but not doing so for sure isn't "hurting the game" and I completely disagree with any idea that comes close to "having a right way to play".

For pf1 adventures the design teams writing the adventures have generally designed difficulty to the lowest common denominator. That is to a player who isn't invested in their build and will choose suboptimal options because it sounds cool.

When you get that with at least one player who heavily invests in their build optimization it will skew the difficulty. This is true in non-mythic but is sharply apparent in mythic.

With the difference that even those that did not optimize in the least also become very powerful, even if by accident.

This is why to successfully run WotR you need to either rework mythic (or remove or depower) or rework all the encounters.

The game these rules were created for then migrated to Discord, but I've also merged the Hero Point rules into the "mythic" system in a way that you'd spend mythic power for the hero points benefits.

Another important thing to consider about these alternate rules, is the number of players. As usual, the WotR AP was created for a group of 4 players and was considered "very easy", but the game I've created these rules was for 6 players.

While there is no way to compare a regular mythic character with these Light-Gestalt-PrC, a more fair comparison would be 4 mythic characters to 6 of these gestalt-PrCs. I'm pretty sure the mythic party would crush the gestalts, but the game was supposed to be tougher than normal.

Man, I believe I'll have to bow out. With a deeper analysis, I believe I'm in enough games already.

Good luck everyone!

Yeah, thinking about it, since there are already three players and each PC will need to have a different campaign trait, I'm going to wait a bit for all the players to reveal about their ideas before setting on a PC.

It would suck to finish my PC and then discover a similar niche was already taken.

I'm thinking about a warrior from the Realm of the Mammoth Lords. Perhaps an exile. Human for sure, and worshipper of Pharasma, which is not that common for the region, and former member of a Following with the smillidon as their symbol

He'd a vanilla fighter using a pair of daggers (the tiger's fangs) and going for the sacred sentinel PrC.

Oh! Look at this!

Would you reconsider to allow player botting? If someone does not post within 48 hours, another player can post for them?

I understand you cannot always bot people, but it would be a pity to close down like this. I know some Play-by-Post GM's also skip over encounters that are just there to "stretch" things out, not posing a real challenge and leveling by Milestone. While we would miss out on a few battles, that may also significantly speed things up(and possible act as inherent counterbalance to stuff like wound threesholds).

Or, at least, allow people a chance to drop out if they know they will be unable to keep pace(maybe with the option of coming back later), rather than drop all of us capable and willing to keep going?

I have already considered such measures, but this would transform this game in a 2 or 3 players game. I've already cut the meaningless encounters. Sadly there is no way around my decision.

Guys, I'm really sorry to say this, but I've decided to close this game.

I love the story behind this AP and I like your characters very much, but being this game one so focused in combat, I can't accept to take more than a week to solve a single round of combat.

We are almost a full year playing together and have not finished 1/2 of the first book and this is the easier part. We'll be dead in real life before this game ends.

I wish you good luck in your other games.

Normal stabilization check at this point would be 1d20 + 2 - 1.

Does that critical mean i get a -3 on that check?
That's cascading fast then...

You don't get the -3 critical penalty on stabilize checks... but also, with the wound threshold rules you are disabled from 0 to -2 (your Con modifier), so you can still act.

:: Lair of the Vile and Vicious - Arodus 20 - Morning ::

Even if hurt, Ivanna inspires the others with her words while sending another arrow that hits no target. To ameliorate her situation, Edril prays for Nethys and is rewarded by healing the archer of some of her injuries. Jiao Feng, Finja and Darrien all continue to fight their individual enemies, all of them wounding them. In Finja's case, she manages to bring the huge woman down in a pool of blood.

The remaining mongrels focus their attacks at Jiao Feng once more, since she is the only one exposed. The wart-covered mongrel manages a lucky strike with his fist, even if only a grazing one... however, it is enough to distract Jiao Feng and soon after she is hit by a well aimed arrow which almost brings her down...

Boting Darrien and Matheus.

Quick recounting of Ivanna's last shots rolls:

8, 1, 5, 15 (but had the -10), 5, 3, 5, 1, 9, 2, 18 (but had the -10), 4, 3.

Lol! It appears luck is not on your side!

:: Lair of the Vile and Vicious - Arodus 20 - Morning ::

Despite wounded, Finja manages to slash the chest of the enormous mongrelwoman, and soon hides herself behind her tower shield. Edril arrives, holding his handcrafted holy symbol, desperate for divine intervention and thanks to Nethys, heals all of you in a burst of energy... however, both the wounded mongrels are also healed.

Jiao Feng makes quick slashes with her broadsword, however only the first one connects and draws blood, while the others are stopped by the barricade. Back to consciousness, Ivanna reaches for her bow but is unable to shoot while prone and Matheus joins the fight, apparently lost by the chaos of battle. Darrien tries to strike with his shield but is also hampered by the barricade and then decides to also protect himself with his shield.

With both Darrien and Finja protected behind their shields, the mongrelwoman with the trident and the one covered in black warts focus their attacks on Jiao Feng... most of the attacks hit the barricade and the only one that breaches it is dodged. The huge mongrelwoman fighting Finja decides to abandon the barricade in order to attack her from her side and manages to bite Finja once.

The shield wall proves to be a serious problem for the archer on the back and she has no choice but to target Jiao Feng, even if protected by both the barricade and the other mongrel. Her first shot, however, strikes her right shoulder, while she manages to dodge the second and the third hits the barricade.

@Jiao Feng: I believe I have already mentioned it before, but you can only FoB on your first act.

@Ivanna: While prone, you can't make ranged attacks unless you wield a crossbow.

Sorry all, having a bit of a rough time IRL at the moment... As such, posting with be sparse. Please bot as needed, and I apologize for the inconvenience.

Take care of your life! We'll be here when things are better!

@Ivanna: I believe you were unharmed before, and you took 21 (7+14) damage from the arrows. With 17hp, you were brought down to -4, not -7, so with Edril's channeling, you are conscious with 2hp.

:: Lair of the Vile and Vicious - Arodus 20 - Morning ::

As Darrien jumps through the hole in the ground and lands with a sonorous clank of his armor and shield, he notices yet another barricade, this one defended by three more mongrels in addition to the archer from above (green). The first one (magenta) has an oily green skin riddled with black warts, large tusks and long forelimbs, resembling a primate; the second one (black) is a female who carries a rustic trident in her hands and appears to have remarkably few mongrel deformities aside from hands with a weird number of digits (one hand has three fingers, while the other has six) and no body hair; the third one (dark green), another female, is disgustingly fat with a thick skin akin to that of an elephant (even if it is difficult to know if it is really thick, or if it is just covered in crusts of dirt and dead skin), patches of coarse grey hair and a large maw, full of sharp teeth.

Two of the mongrels try to harm Darrien as he reaches the barricade, but his armor protect him from the attacks. Finja and Jiao Feng soon follow Darrien and while Jiao Feng misses most of her attacks, she manages to graze the woman's arm with her sword. Finja is not so lucky, however.

Protected behind the barricade, the archer shots three times, twice at Ivanna and once at Finja. The half-elf is struck twice and with great strength, bringing her down immediately, causing her to bleed in the ground. Finja, on the other hand, ducks behind her shield and avoids the arrow. Since Darrien is protected behind his shield, the mongrels focus their attacks on Jiao Feng and Finja. While Jiao Feng easily dodges the mongrelwoman's trident, Finja is struck in her face by the powerful hands of the wort-covered mongrel and almost loses her sense. The last mongrel tries to bite Finja, but her armor protects her vitals.

Very well, the summoned beetle has eaten the archer's readied attack...

@Edril: You mentioned the beetle relaying back information to you, but the beetle, as a mindless being, can't speak or understand things... does Edril has any ability that would allow him to see what the beetle can? For otherwise there is no way I'm aware of you knowing what it saw down there.

:: Lair of the Vile and Vicious - Arodus 20 - Morning ::

Edril summons a celestial fire beetle and sends it flying through the hole in the ground. The poor thing flies only a couple feet before vanishing in a puff if golden colored powder as an arrow strikes it... however, even if short lived, the bug ensured that that arrow was spent on him and not on any of you.

So, what is the plan? Who is going first?

:: Lair of the Vile and Vicious - Arodus 20 - Morning ::

Neither of you are able to see anything useful through the hole in the ground, aside that the lower level is about 8 feet below.

Once Finja calls for Hashrin, she and the rest of your followers come to you and she hands each of you one of her healing potions. "I have with me six healing potions... I believe it is more useful it each of you take one of them. If you face anything that weakens your body, I also have three potions that might restore you."

Hashrin still has 3 lesser restoration potions with her. On your turn, each of you can drink a potion as 1 act if you wish.

:: Lair of the Vile and Vicious - Arodus 20 - Morning ::

Finja kills the scorpion-woman before moving towards the north door, noticing she was the only mongrel apparently alive inside this room. Before entering the room, Ivanna shots the two still alive mongrels behind her and Matheus heals himself and Darrin.

Darrien, after assuming a defensive posture, lowers his shield and is immediately hit by an arrow. The arrow, however, doesn't penetrate his scale mail, causing him to recoil a step due to the punch of the arrow. The archer, quick to her feet, quickly moves south and jumps through a hole into the ground, disappearing from sight. Darrien follows quickly and is able to see that the hole in the ground leads to another level of the lair about 8 feet below.

With no immediate danger, you can finally pay attention to the surrounding rooms. The previous room appears to be some sort of living quarters, while the small room to Finja's right appears to be a pantry, containing a rack of hooks that hangs from the ceiling, cured slabs of meat dangling from them and filling the room with a smoky aroma. A group of barrels appears to hold other preserved foodstuff.

The room where the archer was bears stout stone chairs surrounding a block of larger stone that serves as a table. The tabletop is strewn with bone dice and cracked clay jugs. Stained canvas pillows rest on the chairs and a copper bowl filled with coals hang from the ceiling, filling the room with warmth and an orange glow. To the northeast, another door lies closed and from the hole to the east you can hear some orders being given...

@Darrien: Total Defense requires two acts, so you can only move once forward.

@All: As soon as any of you jump through the hole (if you decide to follow the archer and stop her from rallying who-knows-how-many enemies down there), please delete the "orange square" that is covering the room!

So currently Darrien is on 7HP, Matheus on 8 and Finja 5?

Darrien is at 4. He was brought down to 1 hp.

Another round is rolled over?

Yes, you are on another round. You can keep making actions and I'll interrupt you whenever/if I seem fit. However, as I said, the more you linger, the more time you give the mongrels to organize themselves.

Guys, I need some decision before I can move you...

Also, you are still in combat. The time doesn't stop for you, so the longer you take to make a decision about what to do, the more time the enemies will have to get reinforcements and prepare themselves.

Just as a reminder, if you are short on healing, you can always ask Hashrin for her healing potions.

Also, as a cleric, Edril also has healing both in the form of spells and channels. It all depends on how he'll RP this newfound power.

:: Lair of the Vile and Vicious - Arodus 20 - Morning ::

Despite being wounded, Finja keeps her ground and slashes at the mongrelwoman. Her first attack harms her leg, the second one barely miss, deflected by the the chitin in her tail, but the third one opens a gash in her guts, a generally deadly wound. The scorpion-woman falls in a pool of her own blood. Edril takes advantage of this opening to position himself while making ample gestures and intoning words of power. Once he gets in position, a fan o flames erupts from his outstretched hands, starting blue and then changing to deep red, charring the flesh of both the recently fallen woman and the unmoving troll-beast. You notice that, differently than before, after being burned, the beast appears to not heal itself anymore.

Barely standing, Matheus reaches to heal Darrien of some of his wounds and the warrior soon blocks the door and the deadly archer on the other room. You hear no arrows pounding against his shield, however, indicating that the archer is not stupid and either retreated or is waiting for the perfect opportunity to shot you. Ivanna's arrows once more hit the rock walls around the mongrel, but fails to draw blood. Jiao Feng approaches the last mongrel standing in the room. With two ample and fast slashes, like a whirlwind she also cuts the mongrel's guts with his first attack and finishes to separate him in two with her second one... this one obviously dead.

Botting Jiao Feng (3rd in a row...)

:: Lair of the Vile and Vicious - Arodus 20 - Morning ::

As Finja barely stands due to her wounds, Matheus moves to her aid, channeling the gift of his Goddess into his hands. He then moves towards her, healing her wounds but getting bitten himself by the beast, almost collapsing. To avenge his small companion, Finja slashes the beast's overextended flank twice and it almost falls, enduring a couple more seconds just to be pierced by one of Ivanna's arrows... and yet, the beast still endures!

Edril summons a beautiful celestial frog of green and yellow color, and the tiny beast immediately bites the snake-mongrel... to little effect apparently. Darrien turns his attention towards the undying beast and with a quick strike of his shield, he finally downs it, with a snap on its neck. He then chases the fleeing mongrel but fails to end his misery. Jiao Feng moves between two of the mongrels, hoping to finish both of them. However, even if deeply wounded, the lobster-mongrel evades the first two swings of her broadsword, only falling to the last, with a grievous cut from bowl to neck.

The mongrelwoman with the scorpion tail, still shaken, approaches Finja for a rematch, but the fighter interposes her shield quickly and blocks her attack... the mongrel seethes in anger, unable to pierce her guard, her pincer pounding twice against Finja's shield. The snake-mongrel wielding the spear quickly kicks the summoned frog into the wall, making the poor creature disappear in a puff of bright powder. He then steps back and tries to pierce Jiao Feng with his spear, but the thrust is so imprecise that she doesn't even has to move to avoid it.

When you think under the control of the situation, the door close to Darrien in opened, revealing yet another mongrelwoman, this one resembling a blue-skinned lizard with a long and thin tail, as well as patches of feathers on her shoulders. From her back, two pairs of spider legs protrude, even if apparently useless. She carries a longbow with her and soon after the door is open, she shots Darrien in the guts before retreating to the back of the room. Deeply wounded, Darrien barely stands his ground...

Botting Darrien and Jiao Feng

Not sure if Matheus needed to tumble because of the doorway. If he did he would most likely provoke with that roll. How did you want to handle bodyguard? Should I do pre-roll an attack on ac10 during Matheus turn each time in case it comes up? I'm also happy for a GM roll each time it does rather than slowing things down.

Yes, the tumble is needed because you can't move diagonally in the doorway. You indeed failed on that check, but you have the Chance Encounter trait which lets you re-roll an acrobatics check.

For the bodyguard, I can roll for you, but we need to stablish a clear trigger to avoid the "I would not have done that in that specific situation". So for, without Combat Reflexes, you can use Bodyguard only once/round, correct?

If you are ok, we can default to "Whenever an opponent attacks an ally close to Matheus, he'll use Bodyguard".

@Finja: Unless told otherwise, I'll resolve actions in post order, even if the initiative order are different. I've once tried to follow initiative, but in the end it only causes confusion. In your case, the healing would remove your "disabled" condition, and give you your 3 actions back.

If you wish to post (too speed things, which is nice), but wants to wait for your action to happen after another player do his/her action, just state so in your post and I'll do my best to make it happen as smoothly as possible.

:: Lair of the Vile and Vicious - Arodus 20 - Morning ::

Finja slashes the beast in front of her and you all hear a whine of pain. The woman with the scorpion tail also recoils a bit, shaken by the look Finja gave her. While Matheus and Edril can only look and hope for the best from the back, Ivanna shoots another arrow and once the mongrel dodges it. With Finja in front of all the targets Jiao Feng can attack, she instead assumes a defensive position before entering the room... two of the mongrels and the beast try to attack her, but she dodges every single attack.

The lobster mongrel, wounded and intimidated by Darrien, does nothing but retreating towards the passage, so wounded that even the effort to attack could cause him to collapse. The scorpion-woman attacks Finja twice with her pincer-tail but each attack is more imprecise than the other and the young knight has no difficult to dodge them... with fear in her eyes, the mongrelwoman retreats a couple feet. The mongrel with the furred-snake body also retreats, but in his case to be able to use his longspear against Darrien. He makes two quick thrusts but Darrien dodges them easily once more.

While previously surrounded by enemies, Finja finds herself only fighting against the weird-looking hound-like beast. To her horror, some of the wounds she had inflicted on it were already healing! The beast then leaps to her, aiming for her leg, so quick that she was neither fast enough to dodge nor to bring her shield to block its advance. His big teeth burrow into her flash, making a terrible wound and almost bringing her down... it then bits again, and again, but this time, despite terribly wounded, Finja dodges and holds her ground.

Botting Jiao Feng.

@Finja: You are at -1 hp and disabled, which means you have only 2 actions instead of 3 and if you make anything strenuous (like attacking), you'll lose 1 hp. You remain conscious until -2 hp.

just a note, I wouldn't have entered, Darrien would have been quite happy to sit and wait for them to come out, or be peppered to death by ranged weaponry.

Sorry Darrien, but I just could not wait for a whole week for a post... this AP is really combat heavy and doing 1 round/week is not an option. Since I had to bot you, I needed to make a choice.

Since Finja entered the room, it appeared to me that Darrien, as a shield bearing frontliner would also follow to reinforce her position, otherwise she would be swarmed and brought down in 1-2 rounds.

:: Lair of the Vile and Vicious - Arodus 20 - Morning ::

Matheus heals Jiao Feng of some of her wounds just before Ivanna unleashes a barrage of arrows into the mongrel with red chitin... the creature dodges the first arrow, while the second flies wildly away (it would not hit it even if it was a statue!), and the third is deflected by his chitin.

Jiao Feng sheathes her broadsword and draws her rope dart, making two quick stabs at the mongrel with the huge horn, both of them hitting and drawing blood. Taking advantage of this opening, Finja advances into the room and slices the same mongrel in his throat... the mongrel falls over the embers and Finja can hear the blood from his wound sizzling.

Following Finja, Darrien also enters the room, but doing so opens his guard just enough for the mongrel with the spear to harm one of you once more... perhaps he is a better combatant than the others, or he is just lucky. Nevertheless, Darrien strikes him with his morningstar in his chin, making blood and teeth fly away. He then retreats besides Finja, making a small shield wall.

The lobster-mongrel, now pretty wounded, tries his luck once more against Darrien before assuming a defensive position. The scorpion-woman opens the door behind her and then moves around Finja's shield to strike her with the pincers of her tail, wounding Finja's leg. Lastly, the furred-snake mongrel advances and tries to stab him with his longspear, but Darrien ducks behind his shield against the first attack and then blocks the second one.

Suddenly, from the recently opened door, another creature darts towards Finja, trying to bit her, without success, beyond her shield! The beast has a squat, but powerful, posture that reminds vaguely some canine creature. Its skin is scaly with spots of greenish-black fur, oily and foul-smelling, and it has an oversized mouth full of sharp teeth with a pronounced underbite, which drips with a greenish saliva.

Botting Darrien (again) and Edril.

@Jiao Feng: As Finja kindly pointed out, at your current level, you only get one Flurry of Blows at the moment. Also, you moved, which requires an action (even a 5 ft step) and you do not have Quick Draw... under the UAE rules, drawing or sheathing a weapon requires a action (unless you simply dropped your broadsword on the ground). I'll allow you combine the drawing a weapon and moving since your BAB is +1, but you still (1) sheathed your broadsword, (2) moved and drew your rope dart, and (3) made a single FoB.

That would also give Edril time to complete a summon, which could go in first and eat up AoOs...

Just to remind you, a spell with 1-round casting time can be cast using all your three actions and thus manifest in the same round if you so choose.

@Jiao: Earlier combat text seems to indicate you have been hit. Is 22/22 HP still correct?

I am mostly asking because we're on a fresh day with fresh spells - Matheus or Ivanna could have decided to heal you if you are hurt, before we storm forward.
Would hate such a simple tactical mistake to cost us dearly.(plus the wounded penalties would be unnecessary)

Jiao Feng was indeed hit. She took 7 damage from a not-confirmed critical hit. The information on the header of the campaign is up to date.

:: Lair of the Vile and Vicious - Arodus 20 - Morning ::

Once you get closer to the door, you can see better the inside of the room ahead of you: a longer room with the lingering smell of cooked meat and rank bodies. Surrounded by many bedrolls, each piled with coarse blankets and animal furs, there is a fire pit with glowing coals. Tanned hides hang stretched on the walls, each crudely painted with scenes of deformed humanoids hunting giant vermin in caves.

To the west, you can see a closed door (more to the north), and an open passage (more to the south). Another closed door leads to the north.

Aside from the lobster-like mongrel holding the longspear that retrated here, three more mongrels await for you: one (pink) is pretty big with reddish skin, reptilian legs and a single horn of a bull that makes his head bend in a weird angle due to the weight of such massive horn; another (yellow) has the lower body of a furred snake and two sets of arms, even if one pair is atrophied, and also carries a longspear; the last one (cyan) is a stout female with dwarven heritage but with a long scorpion tail that ends in pincers and two more pairs of vestigial breasts.

All of them hold their ground, awaiting for you...

I've already revealed the next room to make it easier for you to move your characters, but bear in mind that the whole place is dark and you are the ones bringing the lights.

You won't be able to see much of it until one of you venture forward into the next room. When you do so, I'll make the proper description of the place.

Until Edril dismiss his spell, you'll all need a DC 10 Acrobatics check to move pass it. I've changed it so you can see where it is safe to walk without requiring a check.

:: Lair of the Vile and Vicious - Arodus 20 - Morning ::

Ivanna fires three more arrows: the first grazes the mongrel with the longspear in his arm, but the second is deflected by his numerous chitinous plates, while the third arrow flies wildling, not hitting her newfound allies by luck! Jiao Feng, fighting the lizard-boar mongrelman, notices as suddenly it falls on the ground... looking over the barricade she can see that the cave floor is covered in a weird looking grease of green color, a spell of Edril's doing!

Finja reaches the barricade and takes advantage of Edril's spell, slashing the mongrel while he still tries to understand what happened. As Jiao Feng moves towards the mongrel with the spear, she fails to stop his spear with her sword, but her distraction is enough to unbalance the mongrel. She then unleashes three quick slashes... sadly, the mongrel deflects two of them with his chitinous plates and the last one hits the barricade.

The barricade is too high for Matheus to do anything to the fallen mongrel, so he bids his time, waiting for an opportunity to help. Darrien, the last one to join the fight, also strikes the fallen mongrel with his morningstar, assuring the the guard will not get up.

The last mongrelman standing knocks the wood that was blocking the tunnel, forming an improvised bridge over Edril's greased area... you imagine he had not planed to do this, but luck was on his side. He then withdraws to the room beyond, shouting (in undercommon)...

Botting Darrien and Matheus.

@Finja: I've have changed them to all red, but if you think grey would be better, I can definitely do it. Also, since the mongrel you are hitting is prone, I've considered you are closer than him for cover rules!

@All: As you can imagine, there are more enemies ahead of you, so I'll keep you in combat mode.

:: Lair of the Vile and Vicious - Arodus 20 - Morning ::

Jiao Feng moves swiftly and engages the mongrel with the spiked ball in his tentacle hands. She slashes quickly twice, opening gaps in the enemy's chest... she could have finished the defender but hesitates in the end, meaning the mongrel is still standing, even if barely. Matheus bolts forward, trying to look beyond the barricade but sadly can't see a thing, the barricades a bit too high for him. Ivanna encourages all with her voice and soon corrects Jiao Feng's mistake and the mongrel falls with an arrow lodged in his chest.

The lizard-boar mongrel attacks repeatedly Jiao Feng with his bony fists, one blow more wild than the other, until by sheer luck he manages to hit her chest, which causes her to lose all the air she had in her lungs! The last mongrel tries to take advantage of this to pierce the monk with his longspear, but the barricade actually protects her.

@Ivanna: As a supernatural ability that uses a standard action, Inspire Courage takes two actions to activate under the new action economy. Luckily, you need not to move to hit someone.

@Jiao Feng: In the future, remember that the flurry of blows ability works like Two-Weapon Fighting with the new action economy... thus you could have moved (1 action), attacked twice with the flurry (1 action), and then attacked again at -5 (1 action).

@All: Just a reminder that spaces with fallen foes are considered difficult terrain!

The barrier provides cover? Both ways?

Yes, it works as a normal low obstacle. It provides cover to all creatures within 30 ft. of it, so everyone. An attacker can ignore the cover if he's closer to the barricade than his target.

I believe that if both creatures are at equal distance (since the attacker is not closer than his target), both get cover and neither can ignore it.

OK, map is up!

@Finja: To be honest, I'm not really concerned if your total carried wait exceeds your maximum a bit... it would require a lot of bookkeeping that I'm not sure it adds too much to our game. Those calculations are more to prevent someone to simply take everything they find, adding to a ridiculous bulk.

@Matheus: From your previous fight with the maddened dwarf, you were poisoned by the spiders and took 3 Str damage. Despite being a long time ago in RL, in game time it was on the previous day. I've assumed that someone gave you long-term care while you were in Neathholm, so you now only have 1 Str damage.

@All: We forgot about the maddened dwarf! It has been so long ago that I completely forgot he was being carried as a prisoner (even if unconscious). However, it is an easy matter to address, since we can simply say that he was kept captive by the mongrels in Neathholm, so no real damage in the storyline.

:: Neathholm - Arodus 20 - Morning ::

From the hamlet of Neathholm, the tunnel winds mostly in a southeast direction for about 30 minutes. The tunnel, generally wide, then narrows down at some point to a 5-foot-wide passageway, the walls carved with picks and chisels. Hashrin signals you to pause. "We are really close now... if you have any preparations you wish to do, now is the time..." She then moves to the back of the group, alongside Anevia and the others, drawing a curved dagger. By her posture, you sense she had no prior fighting experience, even if she is determined to complete her mission.

As you continue to follow the tunnel, more sinister marks can be seen along the walls: paintings and carvings of demons and their like. At some point, the tunnel bifurcates, one way continuing forward while the other winds down in a quite steep angle. "The main tunnel... this side one will lead us down to the main village of the traitors, where their children and elder are. We need not to face them, only the warriors who lie ahead of us." Hashrin whispers.

Soon after you reach a barricade made of heaped loose rocks and wooden boards that bisect a small cavern. Beyond the barricades, a wooden screen covers the lower half of a tunnel mouth, which leads to a much larger cave. Three mongrelmen maintain a watch here: the first, a male, is big with greenish oily skin dotted with blisters, large teeth and one arm made up entirely by tentacles who wrap around a heavy spiked ball of iron; the second one, also a male, looks like the cross between a lizardman and a wild boar, his hands however are big for his size and end in spiked bony protrusions; the last one, another male, is smaller than the others with sick white flesh and protected by a red chitinous armor resembling something between a lobster and a beetle, and carries a longspear in his hands. All the guards quickly notice you thanks to the light you are carrying and shout warnings for those inside the bigger cave... it has begun.

You can definitely sell the loot you have accumulated so far. However, if you wish to use the gold to buy something else, you need to do so before departing. Otherwise, simply say what you want to sell and I'll give you the gold.

Also, the items that are still unidentified, can be checked again, since Edril can do so once per day for each item.

The loot link in my statline is far from complete. Initially I had the plan to update it myself, but I've found that I have actually no time for it. I've set that sheet to "all edit mode", even if for some reason I'm having trouble to visualize it myself... perhaps my internet is just "worser" than usual.

About the item that could net you a reward, looking back I've noticed you've never found it... sorry for teasing you unnecessarily. It was in the first camp, where you fought the darkfolk, between the junk pile. Normally, when an item can be found simply by looking at something (the old 3.5 Spot skill), I'll make a check for you even if you do nothing, treating it as some sort of passive perception. On the other hand, when something requires you to actually look for something (the old 3.5 Search skill), then you actually need to give me the "I'll look in the junk pile".

:: Neathholm - Arodus 19 - Night ::

When you talk about this new information of retaking Kenabres, Chief Sull explains himself. "I beg your pardon, for perhaps I jumped to conclusions. Kenabres has her own wardstone that protected her from the demons... as you said it was overrun by them, I assumed something dire happened to the city."

"This is not the first time in our bloody history that a city fell to the demons and in every occasion, they came to stay... so far, the crusaders have never been able to, however." He says grimly. "On the other hand, not much time have passed and Kenabres lies in the border of the Worldwound. We can only hope that there is still time."

Once you agree with his plan, he calls the feast to an end, getting up. "Very well. You shall rest now. May the Gods bless us all..." With that, you are guided back to the cot the mongrels have provided to you. If wish to do something before hitting the bad, feel free to do so!

:: Neathholm - Arodus 20 - Morning ::

The morning comes but there is no sign of it beneath the earth and Naethholm looks exactly the same as the previous night. You notice however, more urgency in those you find in the earthen streets. A guard brings you some breakfast (that looks suspiciously similar to the leftovers from the last night's feast) and then escorts you to the east passage once you are ready.

In front of another beautifully carved stone door, Chief Sull, his daughter Hashrin and a couple other guards await you. As you approach, you notice the chief hugging his daughter and talking to her. Even if unable to hear the words, you believe he is advising her. The chief turns to you when you reach them. "I wish you all a blessed day, my friends. I've already dispatched ten messengers earlier and as soon as the passage is clear, and Hashrin has returned, we shall join you in the surface. Now, I wish you good luck... and go, for there is no time to waste. My daughter knows the way."

The stone doors are opened and Hashrin turns to you. "It is not far from here, about 20 or 30 minutes... be ready. Shall we go?"

Behind you, Aravashnial, Anevia and Isa follow you once more. Even if it would be safer for them to remain behind, they refused to be left... they are also eager to return to the surface.

@Edril: You could not find a holy symbol of Nethys, since he is not a common god of the crusades. You find, of course, wood to carve it for 3sp. We'll be using the Alternative Crafting Rules here. With them, you need to make a DC 10 Craft (carpentry) which will take you 4 hours. If you don't have the proper tools (which I believe you don't), you'll take -2 on this check. Since you can take 10 on it and your Int modifier beats the penalty for the tools, it is an automatic success.

:: Neathholm - Arodus 19 - Dusk ::

Chief Sull thanks Edril's offer. "Not a lot o books end up here in Neathholm, and all we have are already translated... we have a scholar here among us, Ol' Witch Maag. But rest assured, Edril, I'll indeed need your help, but not here. I'll explain in the feast, now go get some rest."

Anevia, Aravashnial and Isa indeed remain behind in a small house that has been offered to you. The elf doesn't appear to really be tired, but also stays behind just to spare you the trouble of guiding him. They thank Matheus for the offer and ask him to indeed by a clutch for Anevia and a walking stick for Aravashnial, even providing the gold necessary.

While the others look for supplies, Finja finds some peace in the small temple, completely undisturbed.

Be sure to give me a list of what you are buying before we eventually depart Neathholm.

:: Neathholm - Arodus 19 - Night ::

When the 'night' comes, another mongrel by the name of Gust comes for you and guide you back to Chief Sull's hall. Two tables were set for this feast: one, atop a tableau, is for the chief himself and a couple other mongrels, undoubtedly of political and social significance for the hamlet; the other one is reserved for you... with the exception that there is already another 'uplander' waiting for you... a half-elf wearing studded leather armor (This is your cue, Ivanna! I'll let you describe your appearance to the others), albeit looking tired. "Welcome, my surface friends! Eat! Enjoy our food so kindly prepared... like we, I know their look is not really welcoming, but I'm sure you'll be delighted. This girl sitting with you is Miss Ivanna. We found her wounded and unconscious in the tunnel and she had been in the care of Ol' Maag since then. As fate decided, she woke up a couple minutes after you arrived and she had confirmed what you said about the demon attack. She also wishes to go back to the surface, so I figured you might join your efforts."

Once you are sit, a couple servants bring the dishes: small fishes of a sickly pale color; an abundance of mushrooms of various colors, sizes and shapes, with mosses taking the place of herbs; an assortment of insects from various sizes that you first assumed to be seafood; and finally a bit of meat, even if you believe it pertained to a large bat species. The drink offered is slightly greenish as fosforescente, and are quite alcoholic (absinthe-strong) with an earthy hint. Once you have eaten (or not), Chief Sull talks once more once Isa is taken back to the hut.

"Very well... now to serious discussion. The nearest route to the surface is to the south and it would take you about half an hour in normal circumstances. The other routes, on the other hand, take you to the east and it would take at least three more days if the tunnels are still intact." He pauses. "Sadly, the south route is currently guarded by a different tribe of mongrelmen, one that doesn't share our ways or beliefs. They are traitors, and have dared to consort with wicked cultists for some time, and perhaps they still do. We have so far ignored them, but that time has passed."

"You'll need to face them, sadly, for we don't have time to spare by taking the large route. While you clean the way, something less costly for a small band than for our more numerous warriors, I'll send emissaries deeper into the tunnels to gather the other mongrel tribes to Neathholm and once we receive word that the crusaders above will welcome the crusaders below, we'll be ready to rise up and help take Kenabres back from the blasted demons!" He raises his cup, followed by the others in his table, obviously proud and eager with the prospect of fighting demons like their ancestors. "If you agree with this plan, I'll send with you my daughter, Hashrin." He points to a younger mongrel woman with light blue skin dotted with white spots and numerous spikes like those of a hedge-hog that covers her head in place of hair and her shoulders. "She is not a fighter, but instead a speaker. She will carry the message of our aid to the surface and eventually bring back the answer. To help you, she will also carry with her a small stash of potions, courtesy from Ol' Maag. What are your thoughts?"

Guys, I believe we need some decision regarding loot. Sadly, I have too much in my mind to also figure out which one of you have taken whatever you find. So far, you have taken some stuff, but I'm not keeping track of who did it.

I'm also not sure if you have ever written anything on your sheets about these items. I'd really appreciate if any of you could take the mantle of a treasurer... otherwise, aside from losing an item here and there, you'll also lose opportunities. As an example, there is an item you already found that could give you some reward, but I believe you forgot entirely about it...

:: Neathholm - Arodus 19 - Dusk ::

Chief Sull listens and nods to Jiao Feng's and Finja's words, but almost get's up when the later knees. "Oh, Miss Finja, I expressed myself poorly. We'll help you, of course, but what I meant was for you to bring a message to anyone in charge in the surface if they would welcome us... unless any of you is actually a high ranking officer, of course."

Later

While showing the village to those that are not interested in resting, Lann points to a very small house, a small shrine. "This is the closest we have to such a thing, Finja. As you know, our ancestors were once crusaders. We are not pious as they were, but we still pay respect to most of the gods involved in the crusades. Inside that small shrine, you'll be able to pray."

Just to let you know, now that you are back into 'civilization', you'll discover the current date and time. It is dusk on the surface and the day is Arodus 19 - 3 days after the festival of Armasse and the demon attack.

If you wish to shop:

NEATHHOLM
LN Hamlet
Corruption +0; Crime -5; Economy -2; Law +2; Lore -1; Society -4
Qualities insular
Danger -5
DEMOGRAPHICS
Government overlord
Population 38 (100% mongrelmen)
MARKETPLACE
Base Value 200gp; Purchase Limit 1,000gp; Spellcasting 2nd
Minor Items +1 arrows (8), +1 buckler, ring of protection +1, earth elemental gem

The chied scratches his chin as you speak in turn, paying close attention to what you say. "A massive demon attack? Terrible news indeed, and dangerous too! We felt the tremors, of course, but we could never imagine the foul creatures would be able to breach the Wardstones... we are close to the end..." He trails off a bit, obviously deeply concerned.

"Perhaps you know about this, but me and my kind, may be outcasts and freaks in the eyes of uplanders like you, but our ancestors helped drive back the demons during the First Crusade. We are proud of this, even if we have suffered dire consequences." He clearly implies that the consequences are their appearance. "We want the demons defeat as much as anyone who lives above. We have actually tried to join the other crusades..."

His eyes are filled with anger and sadness. "However, we were repealed as if we were the demons themselves... "mole people"... "pitlings" we were called..." As Chief Sull tells this, you notice that Aravashnial blushes and closes his mouth. "Our warriors were greeted with steel and blood. However, we hold no grudge against you... we'll offer help once again, but only if we are asked to do so."

A messenger then approaches the chief and whispers something in his ear. He replies and send him away. "You ask for a route up back to the surface. We know of one such route, but it is a dangerous one... nevertheless, we shall not discuss it now. I can see you are tired and hungry as you, Darrien, so kindly implied. A resting place is being prepared for you. Rest. If you wish to resupply, I believe Lann could guide you. In a couple hours we'll meet again during a feast and after eating, we shall discuss further plans."

@Darrien: On your Myth-weavers sheet, you have Climb, K. Dungeoneering, Perception and Survival as trained skills. You also need to pick two of them and swap for background skills.

Perhaps lvl1: Perception 1, Survival 1; K. History 1, Craft (cook) 1
lvl2: Climb 1, Intimidate 1, Swim 1; K. History 2, Craft (cook) 2

Jiao Feng: The Lore skill is much more narrow than that. Even picking the Worldwound region or Demons would be too broad.

The Worldwound has 5 regions: Frostmire (northwest, close to the Realm of the Mammoth Lords), Riftshadow (central, along the Sarkorian River), Sarkorian Steppe (west, close to Hold of Belkzen and Ustalav), Stonewilds (north) and The Wounded Lands (east, whole border with Mendev). You can pick ONLY ONE of the regions with Lore, but I'll tell you that this AP will take you only to the Wounded Lands.

If however you wish to use Lore on demons, you need to pick an specific kind of demon (Balor, Marilith, and so forth). However, I'll let the bonus stack: at first level, you take Lore (Demons-Babau) +4; at second level, you take Lore (Demons-Hezrou) +4... but will make Lore (Demons-Babau/Hezrou) +5. Fair?