I guess now would be a good as time as ever so I just wanted to ask what do you guys think I should do with Daud? Retrain him completely as a Bloodrager? As a Barbarian? Keep him as is? Do something else with him?
I think you should definitely reskin him as just a bloodrager. It fits the character, I like how you flavor the bloodrage, and let's be honest--how often do you forget about Vuk? ;-)
A Huntmaster without his dog is just a worse Fighter. Bloodragers, OTOH, are badass both flavor-wise and mechanically.
Guys, it's been fun, but I've decided to stop after book 1 as well. Here's what I sent to DM Crispy in response to his PM:
Hello DM Crispy,
Those are both fair and reasonable requests and I take no offense. I really appreciate you taking over this game for us and I know how much time and effort it takes to run a game.
That being said, I don't think I can continue with the game. My reduced ability to post has just taken a lot of my motivation out of this as it's been frustrating. I apologize for any problems this may cause, but I had a lot of fun this far!
As we come to the end of book one, I have made a decision: I will be leaving the game.
This has not been an easy decision for me, and first and foremost I would like to thank everyone here for including me. I know accommodating another player in an existing group is never an easy thing, and I hope it has been an enjoyable experience for all of you. Thank you especially to DM Crispy for running a fun adventure.
Primarily, I’ve decided to cut back on my PbP. Also, I caught up with the GM who ran (what I thought was) book 1 and part of book 2 for me before: turns out I've played much more than I had originally remembered. We only played about 10-12 sessions, but he skipped big chunks. I was waiting for a certain something (sorry no spoilers) to happen, but he said that it wasn't until the start of book 4. An honest mistake on my behalf, and he ran so little of the actual content that almost all of this felt new to me. For example, his adventure had nothing about Rolth (or his apprentice) or the dismembered Shoanti in it. He didn't like that plot line, so he trimmed it (and filled in the gaps where he needed to). Also, we captured Trinia, but there was no chase. Interestingly enough, we didn’t hand Trinia over to Croft. Something else happened for us in the next bit (no spoilers again, sorry).
However, those are not the only reasons I have decided to leave. I’m putting my other reasons in a spoiler below, if you care to read. It’s a little critical, but I believe in being honest - and especially so at times like these.
** spoiler omitted **...
I respect your decision, and thanks for playing with us!
Yeah, for me, as I've said before, not being able to post on my phone is really slowing down my play. I read everything, and I have things I want to say, but by the time I get home things have progressed and I would just be parroting something someone else said.
Hopefully that will get better in a few months when I get a new phone.
FWIW, I'm not offended by your comments on the game, and in the same spirit I would like to respond--our characters are, let's face it guys, very sub-optimal. Me and Daud took level dips we didn't need, Pyron has a few different casting classes, Tolenn is fairly powerful but all of her abilities haven't come online yet, but Zart as a decently-optimized Summoner with an Eidolon tougher than all of our front liners (and, to make matters worse, can't roll below a 17) just blew the rest of the party out of the water.
It's hard to contribute to a narrative when Raamanti kills everything, has better senses than our fighters, better perception, Zart is a pretty good party face, etc. It was almost as if we were the sidekicks without much to contribute except following what Zart was doing and aiding him (also because, as you said, your posting rate was far above ours and was driving the story). And Daud's rolls were so bad that even when he only tried to Aid Another he still failed. I've been there before, and that can get frustrating after awhile.
After the Derro has said all it has to say, and Raamanti drops him into unconsciousness, Gaius draws his dagger.
I understand that...some of you would see this man tried for his crimes. But we are acting on behalf of the law and he has openly confessed to murder and reanimation of corpses. I will pass my judgment on him in the name of Korvosa, rather that worry about him escaping his bonds or afflicting us with his magic. Or would it be more humane to sever his hands and tongue to ensure he complies? He made his choices, he must live with the consequences.
If no one stops him, Gaius will stab the Derro in the temple.
Later, at Zart's words:
You may be right--perhaps the city is past hope. I don't fault you for leaving--good luck to you, and Raamanti. Keep your daughter close, and may your own shadow weaving keep the darkness at bay.
Gaius shakes the man's hand, then begins the grim work of leading a cart laden with body parts back to the field marshal.
Lucky he was almost dead. Without Raamanti's reach we would have been in trouble.
But if we go to the net store and get Daud a net, we should be good to go for anything like this in the future. ;-)
On that note, I made a Huntmaster Cavalier for another campaign that has stalled out. He was going to use his dogs' pack tactics with Teamwork feats to get a lot of bonuses, and he had the Net Adept feat--lets you use a net as a melee reach weapon, which is great since it's a one-handed weapon. Very fun.
Gaius' faith is rewarded with a satisfying thud as the bolt finds its mark.
I will get him to lift the spell. Just keep him alive, bind him, and bring him to me.
Maybe a lay on hands as that's less than CLW? But Blindness/Deafness is dismissible, so if I can intimidate him, he should do it. Assuming you guys comply with pissed-off-Gaius' "suggestions", and after asking Calistria again for guidance as the man is bound/stabilized...
Gaius grabs the unconscious form of the "man", holding the vial of smelling salts in the general direction of the thing's face.
Wake up, he snaps, like an annoyed mother trying to wake a reticent child. He pulls the creature in inches away, and demands: You will lift this curse now, lest I take my vengeance. I will start with your eyes, but the work will be messy without my own sight. One way or another, we will speak as equals when you tell me where Rolth is...
Intimidate to influence attitude (force him to act friendly for 1d6 x 10 minutes), DC 10 + HD + Wis Mod, includes size, Guidance:1d20 + 12 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 12 + 4 + 1 = 25
And you have net proficiency, too. This whole battle I have been wishing I had a net to nab this guy. You should definitely get one.
Gaius draws his crossbow and asks Calistria to guide his aim since his eyes have failed him.
Cast True Strike
Where did he go?
If one of you lets me know where he is after his next turn (i.e. 25 ft forward at the ceiling), I should be able to get one good shot at him (True Strike negates concealment). That's the last trick I have up my sleeve to get this guy.
Speaking of whips did you know Gaius that Calistrian Combat Style for rangers is about whips?
Hmm, that's cool. My archetype trades out combat style feats, though. :-(
Before I get permanently blinded (which is not fun at first level, hehe), just a quick metagame comment--I know I dropped the whip, but that shouldn't affect the duration of the "dirty trick". So if the 23 beat his CMD by 5 or more, he'd still have been entangled for both my attack and his spell he cast on me (which I believe would prompt a caster check). If you were aware of that and the move still stands, then...
Fort Save:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Yep, saw that coming. Pun intended.
Gaius' world goes dark as the spell takes effect. He screams in rage at the infuriating opponent.
Take this wretch alive! I'm going to beat on him until he gives me back my sight!
Standard Action intimidate to demoralize:1d20 + 16 ⇒ (5) + 16 = 21
For real, though, Blindness is permanent. If we don't take this guy alive and beat on him (nonlethal) until he removes the spell, then I don't see any other way for me (at least) to go fight Rolth.
Makes sense flavor-wise, but RAW I'm not sure that works. If so I definitely would've done that, and would've been rewarded for my boldness with a Natural 20. ;-) I actually think my 10 might hit, so it might be moot, as pathetic as that is. A hexed, entangled, small foe targeting CMD. And I think Pyron's Bless goes before me, which could be the difference.
I'm hoping my effective 23 beat his CMD by 5 or more so he's still entangled. That would mean he's still entangled and has an effective -4 to his CMD, so hopefully this will work.
Sloth Gaius says simply, dropping the whip and running forward, jumping closer to grab the caster.
With my height and only a 15 ft ceiling, I'm assuming a DC 12 is enough (jump 3 feet up)
Run 10 ft, then jump: Acrobatics high jump:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21
Mid air Grapple attempt vs CMD:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Nice work Gaius! Even if you can't reel him in, that -4 to Dex will work well. So... with Pyron's hex and a -4 total to his AC? Phew! Extra concentration check required for each casting (additional to casting defensively) from being entangled? Very sweet indeed. We may even win this one.
Thanks! I thought about doing a ready action to do that if he starts casting a spell, but if he didn't cast my action would be wasted. Depending on how he is flying, it might also prompt a fly check.
You know, I could also use a swift action to cast litany of sloth on him. Then he can't cast defensively at all for a round.
Maybe I'll do that next round--let's see how this shakes out first.
This is such a grisly "fetch the macguffin" quest, but at least nicely ties in the necromancer.
Zart the Lost wrote:
"Well now," Zart mutters forlornly, "It looks as though we have most of the corpse of the Shoanti. Let's see... the legs from the room with that tentacle beast, the arm from the rotting golem in the boarded up room, now the head... oh, it seems we are missing an arm and a torso still. Do you think the Shoanti man will mind if it is a few pieces short? Perhaps he will, maybe we should find the rest... oh, and we need to find the necromancer, Rolth. Mustn't forget about that. War is important to avoid, yes, most important. But can do both justice and prevent war. So we should."
Zart seems to becoming more withdrawn and internalized. His manner of speech is as though he is talking to himself, or just himself and Raamanti, as he mulls things over in his head.
I assume we're using the wheelbarrow to transport all these parts, yes? Since Tolenn is AWOL, I say we give it to her to push. ;-)
The Shoanti did not seem like a man who would be willing to settle for anything less than the entire corpse. We need to find Rolth anyway, so we might as well keep searching for the rest of Gaekhen.
Gaius will ask Calistria for Guidance before continuing down the next passage.
Gaius sidesteps the ogre to allow Raamanti a clear shot at it (and open up a flank for Tolenn). He bashes the foul creature on its skull, and glares at it menacingly.
5 ft step to SE.
Standard power attack with nonlethal:1d20 + 6 - 1 ⇒ (20) + 6 - 1 = 25
Well, I was hexing the enemies. I was causing them to be easier for you to hit and more difficult for them to hit you. Why else do you think the combat ended so quickly?
Yes, a few more seconds of your insane laughter and I'd have done my best to get killed too.
Gaius claps Pyron on the shoulder, then waits for Daud to see if he can identify anything useful.
As Pyron starts his spells, Gaius looks at him with interest, then looks to the others for their opinion.
Can we take a moment to discuss what the hell happened to you back there? Granted, I couldn't move, but I could still here you laughing like a lunatic while our lives were in jeopardy. Just what did you find so funny about those creatures?
Tolenn firmly grasps Gaius' shoulders, and proceeds to use her holy powers to heal his wounds from the terrible constructs. .
Gaius lightly grabs Tolenn's wrist before she pulls her hand away, and smiles broadly into her scarred face, before releasing her.
Raamanti wrote:
Grimly, Raamanti strides forwards. Knowing what debate raged earlier but believing that expediency is best for now, the eidolon strikes the creature firmly with his hammer.
[dice=Lucerne hammer, power attack ]1d20 + 7 - 1
[Dice=Damage, power attack ]1d12 + 6 +3
I know we all get a free round, so to speak, but could we perhaps still roll initiative and go in initiative order? To be honest, I would like to contribute a bit to some of these encounters, but I'm not feeling I'm getting much of an opportunity.
Like ghouls, huh? Remember the good ole days when elves were immune to ghoul poison? Daze and paralytic poison is a pretty nasty combo. Tolenn may need to start smiting to save all of our sorry, dazed/paralyzed asses. ;-)
Gaius tries to shrug off whatever fell substance he has just been exposed to, dropping his sword and swinging his morning star at the wounded creature.
My reduced posting has come from this being a busy time for me at work (almost through it!), but also because of the seemingly-small (but more annoying than I thought it would be) issue of not being able to log in on my phone. One, I can't see when there's a new post so I have to manually go check the thread (not a huge deal). Two, I can't really post until I get home (because I can't post on my phone), and many times by then things have already progressed beyond where it would be natural in the conversation for me to say something. I've been reading everything each day and wanted to comment on many of the issues, but I don't want to retcon everything, and most times a different character says something similar to what I was going to say anyway.
So it's led to Gaius' seeming-silence on these issues.
Also, minor note--I have +4 initiative, but it looks like that didn't matter for this fight, just fyi.
Gaius moves to draw his sap then pauses, seeing that the strange creature seems to understand Zart. He eyes the exchange warily, waiting to hear some good news.
Gaius closes his eyes and uses his other keen senses to try to locate the winged enemies.
Perception to locate:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25
I think that's high enough since they're not trying to be stealthy or anything, even with the +20 DC for being effectively invisible. Let me know if I'm wrong.
He steps forward cautiously, trying to get to a good position to strike. The half-elf slashes at the blood-sucking monster and roars in fury in its direction.
Move to just south of Tolenn, strike the one to the south of Zart
Sorry for the minor retcon, but I wanted to respond to this...
Zart the Lost wrote:
I agree, Raamanti, replies Zart with a concerned look on his face, also using their mind link, But do remember that this individual likely does deserve to die, and his abominations did just try to kill us. It is deeds that matter more than words, so do try to ignore them. Still...
"Please remember, my new friends," says Zart aloud, "That we are to bring this individual in to face justice, not mete it out ourselves. If he should try to kill us and we are unable to detain him without ending his life, then it will be regrettable but necessary. I do not think, however, that we should aim to kill him before he can stand trial. The city needs to see justice, not vigilantism."
Gaius sneers at Zart's earnest plea.
Of course, in order to ensure justice is served we must turn him over to the fair and noble officers of the law , the same paragons of virtue that convicted a lone artist of regicide. I'm sure Rolth is just an unfortunate victim of circumstance, a down-on-his luck vagabond who has been trapped here by this horde of undead, all the while being unfairly accused of necromancy. The true culprit is, no doubt, a twelve-year-old apprentice to some baker or cobbler, a nefarious monster indeed.
Holy Criticals, Batman! Zart, I think your Summon Monster SLA should only be a standard action. A non-archetype summoner gets it as a SLA. In your archetype, it lists all of the changes to your summon ability and then says: "This ability otherwise functions as, and replaces, the summoner's normal summon monster spell-like abilities." This leads me to conclude that yours is a standard as well.
Also, Pyron, how are you getting +5 to attack with your weapon? You have 14 strength and +1 BAB. I'm seeing +3...
Gaius skirts around the pillar and Tolenn and strikes at the large slipping skeleton.
Path is S, SW, W, SW. If the creature has reach, I believe this will give me soft cover vs it from Tolenn.
standard attack with morningstar, power attack:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Gaius drops his own blade to the floor, drawing his morningstar and stepping up to stand with Daud. He swings the weighted weapon with a roar at the adjacent skeleton.
Free drop sword, move action draw morningstar, 5ft move down and to the left
Standard attack with morningstar, power attack:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
It could go either way. I figured since it was a mausoleum that we just entered it would count as a building, but we did go through a trapdoor so it makes sense too that we are underground (and in a "dungeon"). Weird that sewers are urban but underground is separate.
Favored Terrains:
Cold (ice, glaciers, snow, and tundra)
Desert (sand and wastelands)
Forest (coniferous and deciduous)
Jungle
Mountain (including hills)
Plains
Planes (pick one, other than Material Plane)
Swamp
Underground (caves and dungeons)
Urban (buildings, streets, and sewers)
Water (above and below the surface)
Sorry, I thought I put it in my profile, but in urban settings I have +6 init, which looks like it would tie me with the skeletons and cause a roll off. Is this right? I'll update profile now.
Elkaris' tracks, Gaius says, pointing to the wheelbarrow tracks. Looks like he made multiple trips. I can't say what made these four-toed prints, but whatever did is probably a servant of the necromancer.
The inquisitor straps on his shield, smiles at Tolenn as he gestures towards the entrance, then draws his sword.
