Search Posts
On some reflection, I am going to bow out of what is going forward. I've had some difficult stuff happening IRL and it would be wise of me to release a commitment or two and focus on the games I already have going on. Good luck; I hope you find a GM.
There is no need to apologize. I'm simply saying we have an opportunity to assess how much time we can realistically put into this game and either choose to stop now, when it won't disrupt anything, or feel assured we can sustain momentum for a new GM, who may want to get things moving quickly. I'm not saying we can't sustain the momentum. I am asking, non-rhetorically, based on your best judgement of this group and your own capacity to contribute: can we provide momentum to help a GM get us and keep us going? I am willing and able to contribute and can post usually at least once every other day. If we're agreed, who wants to post the "Want ad" as it were? Most "GMs wanted" threads do tend to actually get a taker pretty quickly.
As noted in your other game, I'm sorry to hear it and thank you for letting us know. And for running for that matter! While I'm game for trying to find another GM, the group is fairly slow to post. Simply asking from a perspective of realism, do we have the energy to continue? I hope so, but just want to consider that carefully.
"Why don't we check the other rooms before we go up? If there is a more destructive battle than this one, we may not have a chance to check later, and we may preemptively take out any lurking reinforcements for the leader." Naliah moves to check the next closest room, though keeping a leery eye for more traps as she does so.
Everything okay, folks?
"Excellent. Thank you Amandine. That might at least help me place a good opening salvo. I think I'll take this cold iron stuff and also use it to coat my switch blade....unless more bolts is wiser..."
Back, hopefully.
Naliah ticks a few items off her fingers. "And just as they are likely the source of the nightmares, that one shapeshifter did something to confuse Hasimir to think she was his friend. And this gentleman here has been made quite ill by them, although luckily or unluckily, I see no signs of poison." She shifts her weight. "However, we've confirmed the cold iron can kill them and if any of you folk good with magic can bolster our defenses from enchantments, then that's a help. And it took that one woman a good six seconds or so to summon her friends, so we just need to disrupt that from happening before a summons completes itself. It is frightening. But I don't think it's hopeless." She slides a bolt into her crossbow before placing it in her magical quiver, where the firing mechanism can't accidentally trigger. "Look, my assignments to this point have been entirely of the humanoid variety. And for better or worse, that's what I'm trained and skilled to deal with. To the point I almost worry if I'm ill suited for this assignment. But we're not in this work if we can't be adaptive. You were remarkably so in this last fight, Dro'gan. And if we leave now, they'll know we're onto them. So we must try to finish the job--flee of course if we must, but I don't think we must yet. Let us use our strengths to the best of our ability. This includes cleverness and stealth. I don't suppose any of you could make me invisible?"
Dealing with a family emergency. May be offline for a bit. Please bot me as needed.
Naliah doesn't approach him unless Dro'gan indicates he's safe. "What they did to you... can you tell me how you feel?" Based on his appearance and anything he describes, can she tell if he is poisoned?
"You all right, Hasimir? You seemed rather confused for a bit." She helps the others look for additional trouble.
Naliah frowns as the fiend disappears. "How rude. One should never leave a party so early." She puts away her crossbow. "Are we safe from the ah... trap thing? I mean, clever trick. But what happens next?"
Naliah moves just a bit closer for a better view of the paraika while reloading her hand crossbow (), giving the div a good look, especially as she's now panicking, hoping to identify a weak point. . And then, of course, she shoots.
Naliah is certain she can get right at the monster's eye, but the movement of the swarming monkeys makes her aim just slightly off, still striking, but not as hard as she'd hoped.
As she reloads her crossbow, Naliah gasps as the trap comes to life and joins them as an ally. "Oh. Good show!" She resolves to help finish off the minions in this case, and, stepping back, shoots a bolt at the nearest doru, swiftly reloads, and then fires another. If by chance the nearest doru is dead, she will aim for the next one.
As the second one lands directly in the creature's eye, Naliah smirks. "That's what you get for poor manners."
"Hasimir, snap out of it! A woman who disguises herself as a wounded ram to draw us toward a trap that would carve us into pieces is no one to take tea with! At least," Naliah concedes, "not without a royal introduction, but I don't think your 'friend' is willing to let such introductions take place before she kills us all." She takes a step back, smoothly reloading her crossbow. She eyes the head carefully, trying to discern the best way to strike before shooting.
"You know, for the first time I wish I'd paid more attention to my arcane studies. An invisibility spell would come in handy about now."
I believe he is, which is why he is trying to navigate not hurting us while also not hurting the paraika. I'll post tonight. Hope the season has been kind to all of you.
Oh, also, the reason I came here to post: I will shortly be drawn into holiday events and obligations and be slower online for the next week, possibly two weeks. I will check in if able; bot me if needed. Of course I expect many of us may be slowed down a bit, so I look forward to seeing you the other side of the season. Health and happiness to you and yours in the coming New Year!
Would you be able to heal us if needed even if charmed? The flipside to that is you also might think it's fine to heal her... One of the things I realized is I really need to get a source of invisibility to help get sneak attack more often ranged. Where she can't overcome DR it can help her at least do enough damage beyond the threshold. Dipping into Shadowdancer would be thematically appropriate but those prerequisite feats are a pain for a ranged build, since you need Point Blank and Precise shot first to be functional... I think an earlier build for Naliah (which was Velvet Blade rather than Sniper) was going to go for Shadowdancer eventually but she was going to be more of a melee character back then.
Fair enough. If we're only just hitting this kind of encounter now then I can assume in her own work for Martella she was also not dealing with this sort of enemy, and we will have to adjust accordingly! That DR 10 is no joke at this level, especially since I don't think any of us are massively heavy hitters. Hopefully we can manage to just get through this. I'm thinking of trying to maneuver so she can aim at the paraika, take it down, hopefully the summons will disperse?
phew! Go Vyranos and Amandine! I clearly built my character too much to deal with secret dealings with humanoids over anything else. The pitfalls of simply leveling up a character designed to start dealing with intrigues in book 1 with no other context to round her out. I would be open to advice on how to adjust her if that's possible. Or should I just wait and see how things go?
Having finished dipping her bolts, Naliah smiles charmingly at the fiends moving in to flank her. "I'm so sorry, but my dance card's full." She attempts to twirl and backflips away from them, moving next to Vyranos, so she becomes a closer target than the elf casting the spell. As she moves, she slides one of the bolts in her hand into her hand crossbow.
Unless this writer does not know something, Naliah's swift maneuvers should be adequate to avoid retaliatory strikes from the divs. And with that, she fires a bolt at the doru closest to her.
Alas, trying to do all that at once causes her aim to be off, and the bolt flies wide.
Noting the bolt did little to harm the "ram" and remembering what Vyranos advised about the possible planar occupants of this place earlier, Naliah pauses to retrieve her cold iron blanch from her haversack and 10 bolts from her efficient quiver and, time permitting, dips the latter into the former.
She also steps five feet back for good measure. Doesn't hurt to get a little farther from the bulk of the enemies.
Naliah smiles as she smoothly locks another bolt into her weapon. "Oh look, I found the horned woman!"
Fair enough. And there's always going to be misunderstandings as newer team members learn to work with the older. :)
Heck the Ram could be another monster in disguise even! FWIW Naliah did say the ram itself may be a trap. It's why she suggested shooting it--at best a mercy killing, at worst it's calling a disguised creature's bluff. Sorry if you felt ignored; that wasn't the intention, and I waited a bit before acting to get others' thoughts. She simply disagrees on the approach--using its noise as a cover is a good idea, but not if it's actually a monster waiting to attack us. Plus I'd think the machinery itself is noisy...? But maybe I'm misunderstanding how the trap works. I'm picturing it as actively having blades and hooks that swing out, which itself would create a ruckus.
That is quite generous! Thank you! The penalty from the spell should apply to the rolls I just made in the game thread if it was still in effect which is why I asked.
Woot!
With no one objecting, and having had time to give the ram a good look to see where would be the most effective and merciful shot, Naliah moves in range of firing (not in range of the trap) and fires a bolt at the ram.
Vayelan, did the crushing despair effect end with the barghest's death? Or am I still affected for several minutes?
Returning her switchblade to its usual mount in her hair, Naliah steps into the room to look at what Dro'gan is talking about. She responds via message, "This is supposed to be an inactive slaughterhouse, yes? And clearly the..." she fishes for the term Vyranos identified it by, "barghest had more exotic appetites. So what on earth is a sheep doing here?" She raises her crossbow, pointing it toward the suffering creature. "At best, it may be a mercy to end its suffering. At worst, it is itself a trap. What say you?"
Naliah, already close to the ground and about to strike the creature, starts as the tip of Amandine's rapier bursts through the creature's ear. "Oh!" She throws her blade upward in shock, and just manages to catch it with her other hand before it flies toward one of the living. "Well, my lady, you're decisive at least." She flicks a bit of brain off of her shirt, and eyes the beast to be sure it's dead--hard to tell, with extraplanar creatures.
Naliah puts away her crossbow, retrieves her hanbo and stows it, and pulls an ornament out of her hair. With a flick of her thumb, a sharp, slender blade springs forth from it. "Nonsense, good sir, we finish it off now and save us the headache. Surely you don't think it has value as a prisoner? I doubt its summoner has feelings for it, nor is it likely to have information..." She squats by its fallen form and leans to identify whatever its jugular might be, then pauses. "It will be unconscious about an hour at least. If there is something you want to do, do it quickly. I dislike loose ends."
Naliah is not certain what a greater barghest is, but it is clearly something deeply smelly and frightening and she does not like this feeling of certain impending doom. So she decides getting closer to it with the hanbo is not a great idea. She thus drops the walking stick, and with fluid movement produces both handcrossbow and bolt from the embroidered case at her hip and loads it, all faster than one can quite process. She pulls the trigger at the beast, aiming at the areas already wounded by Hasimir.
But as swiftly as she produced the weapon, accuracy is not on her side. The bolt skims past one of the creature's ears. Naliah curses under her breath. She reloads and tries again.
"What on earth-?!" Naliah seems quite perplexed as the horrible beast appears out of nowhere. The sight of its horrific visage washes over her, and she finds herself grasping for the confidence she usually wields. She nonetheless tries to focus, studying its physique and way of moving to better respond to it. Unsure it will even harm the thing, she takes a step back and points her empty hand at the creature, flexes her wrist, and an arrow flies toward it.
Naliah mutters through gritted teeth and the message spell. "The guard creature is still here." They are in cramped quarters, which is not ideal for her preferred form of attack. But fortunately her hanbo is still in hand from using it to prod at the trousers. She holds it in one hand and her seemingly empty hand upward as she looks around. (The empty hand would be the arm with the sleeve holding a tube arrow shooter.)
Naliah smiles in delight at Amandine's use of message. "Brilliant! What a clever spell..."
Naliah wrinkles her nose at the stench. "Some sort of guard creature was here... I wonder where it's gone...?" She whispers to the others. She's not much of a hunter in the traditional sense, but she tries to look for signs of where something might have trotted off to.
As she looks around, she spots the blood-stained pants. Pulling out her hanbo from her quiver she uses its tip to pick up the trousers and look it over, remarking, "Odd thing to leave behind...." She spots the small bulge in the pocket and produces the pearl. After viewing it a moment, she holds it out to Vyranos. "Don't suppose you can tell if it's magic? Or that little fiend over on the cabinet?"
Before I forget, I want to note that Naliah keeps her switchblade in her hair (it's disguised as a hair ornament). If you need a check for how hidden it is:
Well, I still like the hand crossbow I have for other reasons, so I don't really want to lose my feat with that right away. Let me discuss my options with the GM. For now, to save time, I think I'll proceed as equipped and in a later scene we can discuss the items you've found and we can formally distribute any major magical items properly. It would make sense that she remains equipped with what she showed up with for now, and formally gifting us with these special items might be worth a story beat later after we've gotten to know each other. PS: These are the things I'll note down that I am going to get from you: Arsenic (1)
Do you mind if I also grab that Disguise kit? It's not worth a ton of gold to sell and it could come in handy. If you change your mind and would prefer to sell these things so you have more operating cash, just say so. But Naliah likes to use poisons so she may as well boost her arsenal (and carry a few antidotes, just in case). Am going to assume you give her these things after the slaughterhouse. We have yet to prove ourselves. :)
As Hasimir noted, we three newcomers came in at full WBL, so the two of you should lay claim to any undistributed loot you might want without worrying about us. This said, if there's stuff (1) you two absolutely don't want and (2) would be useful to one of us--and thus, the party--it doesn't make sense to get rid of it. In other words, I don't we should let politeness conflict with making use of things that ultimately may help us all--as long as we're clear that Dro'gan and Amandine get dibs on their own stuff first. :) The crossbow could be of interest to me, though annoyingly, you have to assign Rapid Reload to a specific type of weapon, and I've taken it for hand crossbow, not light crossbow (Naliah was originally built around concealed weaponry). But perhaps there's a way to either pay someone to rebuild it as a hand crossbow, or maybe the GM will let me retrain my Rapid Reload feat to apply to light crossbows instead eventually.
"Well spotted, Dro'gan. Truly, I'm embarrassed I didn't see it. Still, they hid the door, so let's be sure there are no traps before we pop it open." She quietly approaches the door and checks it for traps.
If she does not spot any traps, she will quietly open the door a crack and peer inside (and move aside for Amandine and anyone else who wants to do the same).
He said the window was six inches tall. Unless you are a halfling acrobat… Three feet wide and six inches tall. Bearing in mind some chicanery for simplifying sizes of things in relation to game mechanics and the fact I was expecting some fantasy contortionism, I still thought it (fantasy gamewise) possible for a slender human. The point of Escape Artist is to be able to squeeze through ridiculously small spaces. This said... Rereading the rules for Escape Artist, I misremembered the DC for squeezing through a space your head fits but your shoulders don't. It's DC 30 which is a bit high. She actually could succeed on a roll of 20 (not because it's a nat 20 but because she has +10 to the roll) but we probably want better chances than that. Reduce person would presumably make it easier. Or we could forget it and climb up onto the roof, or look for nearby entrance into the sewers. Or indeed, barring all that, using the gaseous form potion. Just don't want one of our number stuck in an insubstantial form at an inconvenient moment. But if that's the path of least resistance, let's go for it.
I have +10 to Escape Artist so I might be able to get through a window.
Naliah converses, keeping half an eye toward being sure their position is not where they'd be easily observed or overheard. "As the doors are barred, and none of us have a battering ram... I could probably squeeze through a window. I've a knack for fitting in small spaces when needed. I've a flying potion, but I think we should save our mobility and escape potions for a more intimidating opponent than a door. Could you make me invisible, Brother Hasimir?"
Yes, I have poison use. :)
Hope you feel better soon, Vyranos.
Naliah, still new in town, hasn't mastered the local banter yet, though if Dro'gan shares what he learns from his easier manner with the locals, she will keep an eye out for strange animals and/or signs of their passing.
As they get closer to the building, she eyes the location. She speaks quietly to her companions. "Such a charming edifice... Anyway, I'm not keen on knocking or breaking the chain in broad daylight if we don't have to... Don't such places usually have multiple entrances? I'd scarcely think the workers would go through the same door as the livestock to the slaughter."
It's not Naliah's loot, but if you told her about it, she would want some of the poisons and maybe the potions of neutralize and delay poison. If you'd rather use or sell it all, however, I understand.
"Oh, the lady does speak!" Naliah replies to Amandine. "Oh good. I was worried you might be giving us the silent treatment. That is kind, but I think I can cover what I might need, at least. Perhaps later, if we decide to investigate those men turning to stone, we might need some preventives... or curatives... I haven't much liquidity, but I can contribute if need be, then. But I think we should see what we find first at the slaughterhouse. Do divs carry valuables, I wonder...?" Her blouse changes color as they go out the door. As they go through town, Naliah occasionally chatters aimlessly, commenting on this or that passersby's outfit or speculating as to whether a nearby lodging serves a certain fish. She either is this vapid, or is attempting to put off those who might suspect them of being more than a party of refugees from the recent political chaos. At the apothecary, she chats quietly with the proprietor about what initially seems to be suggestions for her beauty regimen, but as she drops a few words and offers a vial of something she pulls from the shawl over her shoulders which the apothecary almost looks surprised to see, but nods and trades her her goods, and distributes her new vials of cold iron blanch and one of holy water in a pouch or pocket. She will accompany the others as they complete their purchases, and help them haggle if needed (and if they accept her help).
When time comes to go to the slaughterhouse, her outfit changes to slightly more muted colors, but typical to the style of the town.
|
