I've played through Carrion Crown before (with Kat, as she mentioned and linked) and I've played through two other times as well. Never got past Book 3, but one of those other two games will get there soon.
It is, by far, my favorite AP. I never get tired of it or the themes and I have had a lot of fun in the subsequent games really "putting my foot in it" deliberately from time to time. =)
I think if you wanted to excise a book from an AP and start the group at level 4, CC is a great choice. Starting in Leipstadt with the break-in seems like a fine springing off point with Daramid bringing the group together rather than Petros.
Rankings
1. Carrion Crown
2. Any Other AP, no preferences really
3. Not Iron Gods though
I agree with Mott, though as my active number of faster paced games has dwindled, so too has my enthusiasm for the hobby cooled. I still like posting in the games I'm in, but I'm not refreshing the pages every 15 to 20 minutes to look for new posts to respond to like I used to a few years ago.
I'm happy to retire this game for one with a pace like what mott describes above if that'll keep folks active and engaged. If we'd go from this to a game that sees input on a weekly instead of a near-to-daily basis though, I'd rather just put this game to bed and not bother.
Prazil continues to needle the engineer beside Spike while the triceratops wheels around on the strange device and begins ramming his horns into it, threatening to wrench it free from the deck!
Seeing the purple sparky thing at the back of the boat and thinking it must be trouble, Prazil and Spike wheel around into a furious dive. The knightly kobold bellows as readies his lance, "Hey! You am for leaving that alone!"
Prazil and Spike both target the engineer still working the device. If Prazil's attack is enough to kill the denizen, then Spike will just try to smash the device itself. No fly-by attack for Spike, so he'll end the turn alighting onto the deck. Not sure what effect a 10-ton dino landing on the stern of a magical self-healing boat will have, but it's bound to be fun! =P
I can say with confidence that you are the only person I know who can say, "I'm spending all day in a car going to Mongolia," and still be telling the truth. lol
Mounted Combat (DC 35):1d20 + 29 ⇒ (9) + 29 = 38
The second of the arbalests nearly strikes Spike, but Prazil deftly guides Spike through a juke that causes the projectile to glance off triceratops' headplate.
As the pair smash into the hold, Prazil whoops then looks around at the water rushing in behind and around them and yelps. "Back out, Spike! Back out!"
Spike fly:1d20 + 18 ⇒ (16) + 18 = 34
I'd considered just punching through the opposite hull wall and back out of the ship, but I'm presuming Spike would have lost too much momentum and that it's too cramped in here for him to be able to adequately charge. Back to the sky!
Status:
--Prazil--
HP: 89/89
Resist Fire 5
AC: 33 (16 T / 30 FF)
CMD: 31
F/R/W: +11/+11/+10 (+2 vs arcane or divine)
Cavalier's Challenge uses remaining: 3/3
Tactician uses remaining: 2/2
Knight's Pennon uses remaining: 1/1
+1 arrows remaining: 19/20
-Ongoing Effects-
Colossus Hunter: +1/+1 vs Large/Huge
RE: Spike's AC - It's 37 if he's still fully in barding (33 is Prazil's AC), but if he isn't in barding (which would make sense given the circumstances) then his AC is 31
Either way, with that mounted combat check, Spike would have avoided both hits last round, but it'll probably be a bigger deal in the upcoming rounds. What do you think, leinathan? Barded or unbarded?
Seeing their window of opportunity beginning to close, Prazil offers, "Spike and Prazil am for slowing it down!" Spurring his steed into rapid pursuit, the knight kobold guides the eager Spike into a frightful charge!
Looking to ram the back of the boat near the waterline. Hoping Spike is devastating enough to ground the ship!
"Kereek! Spike am for needing to be flying if that boat am moving!" Prazil leaps up into Spike's saddle and once Kereek's magics settle over the triceratops, the knightly kobold spurs his steed on in hurried pursuit.
Status:
--Prazil--
HP: 89/89
Resist Fire 5
AC: 33 (16 T / 30 FF)
CMD: 31
F/R/W: +11/+11/+10 (+2 vs arcane or divine)
Cavalier's Challenge uses remaining: 3/3
Tactician uses remaining: 2/2
Knight's Pennon uses remaining: 1/1
+1 arrows remaining: 19/20
-Ongoing Effects-
Colossus Hunter: +1/+1 vs Large/Huge
"Where am all the people, Heidan? This am not good!" Prazil then blasts several sharp notes on his whistle, calling for Spike. He was less worried about his faithful steed trampling tents if there weren't people in them and he could tell they weren't moving fast enough. "Maybe we should just be going for the boat? They would be for going to the boat, right?" He blasts another trio of sharp tones from the whistle.
Spike's speed is 55 when not doing a normal move (i.e. when doing a charge/withdraw/run), not sure where he'd be in relation to us or how long it'd take for him to arrive.
As Prazil and Heidan burst out into the main grounds, he pops into his tauric form and continues to give chase along side his new friend. "Am they taking people? We am needing to be for stopping them if they am!" When the pair near the edge of the grounds and there aren't any tents or pavilions in the way, the earnest kobold gives his whistle three sharp blasts to summon Spike to his side. He then notices the mast and bit of sail ahead and balks, "Am that for being a boat? Wow! Heidan, they am for having a boat!"
Prazil's eyes widen in alarm as he sees the downed men, "Whoa! Hey! Hey! Am you ok?" He hurries in through the door and clumsily checks each of the men to see if they're unconscious or dead.
Heal 1st:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13 Heal 2nd:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
As he does so, he looks to Heidan with wide-eyed concern. "This am not good, Heidan! Not good at all!"
"Wait- what? Them am a predator in a box? What am you talking about, Heidan?" Prazil then looks up at the box overhead to Katerina and asks loudly enough for her to hear, "Am you for knowing what he am talking about?"
Then, with a shrug, he follows along after Heidan, if for no other reason than for another chance to pet Thkrull.
"Prazil am not knowing what he could be for doing to top Kereek. Kereek's am for having a dragon! A dragon!" Prazil's eyes glaze over then as visions of a fire-breathing Spike with dragon's scales and wings soar through his mind's eye.
"WOW! WOW WOW WOW! Look at that!" Prazil ooh's and aah's throughout the whole performance, but his cheers erupt into an even higher volume at Kereek's finale. "THAT AM INCREDIBLE! WOOOOOOOOW!"
Prazil claps for the bugbear's performance, wondering inwardly if he'd ever visited the fabled city of Ba Sing Se. But then when Kereek is called out next, the knightly kobold cheers and hollers as loudly as he can. "WOOOOOO! YEAH, KEREEK! KEREEEEK! YAAAY!"
Prazil watches nervously from the stands, standing on his tiptoes to see over the railing and down to the field where a bugbear strides confidently. He catches Kat and Heidan's discussion behind him and he turns, "Yeah, but Kereek can also be for turning into a big, big dragon. Prazil am for hoping we am for seeing some of that. But Prazil am also hoping Kereek am not for accidentally setting fire to king's big chair. That am for happening before back home once. Baron-duke Jon was not for being very happy." His voice lowers ruefully at this last, as he shakes his head at the memory. "Mmmmpf. No, no, not happy at all."
Prazil shoots a questioning glance toward Jon and Agnar and the other bigfeets, suddenly unsure about whether mayhem was good or bad. "Prazil am not so sure that am the point, Kereek. And there am lots about you that am impressive. Way more than mayhem am for being."
Prazil extends his hand to Heidan, shooting the big fluffy cat a wink as he does so, and nods. "Sure! Prazil am for liking to be making friends! Prazil am for being called Prazil, by the way. And this am Kereek!"
Prazil tugs on Heidan's pant leg as they both keep their attention fixed on the exchange between Katerina and Gregor. "Am you for hearing what they am saying?" He then turns to Kereek, giving him the same question. "What about you, Kereek? Am you for hearing them?"
"Yeah, lots of new things for Prazil too. Centaurs trapped in really old cyclops ruins was for being new. Mean troll king was for being new too. Tatzylwryms and Tigerlords and frog-people, all am for being new. But new am new only once. You am for getting used to it though." He smiles brightly at the archer-man then glances to the side and point to Katerina a short distance away, her mouth agape as she stares without blinking at the swordsman with her.
"Huh. What am for being wrong with Kat-lady? Prazil am not for seeing her make that face before." He turns back to Heidan and offers a shining grin. "Oooh! Another new thing!"
Prazil scratches his head at Heidan's question, forgetting his own helmet again, as he considers the difference between pet and friend, petting and hand shaking. After several long moments, he asks, "What about hugs? Prazil hugs Spike and Fang and Agnar and Orin. Prazil used to be for hugging Kereek, but Kereek am for saying it was for being embarrassing."
Prazil's attention is ripped away from the swordsman to the big cat and he gasps, suddenly forgetting his headache. "Ooooo! Wow, Mister, am this big kitty for being yours?! Can I be for petting it?"
"Challenge am not stupid! Jousting am for being very fun! Being drunk am not for being fun, though. Maybe jousting am for being more fun than being drunk am not?" He shrugs, then offers Kat a hug. "You am for doing way better at the shooting than Prazil would be for doing, Kat! Those targets am for being really far away!"
He then looks up at the other competitor she's speaking with and he waves cheerily despite his pained squint against the harsh light. "Hi!"
I am now imagining the international incident that would occur should drunk!Prazil accidentally steer Spike through a castle wall during the joust. 'Ooops! <Urkel voice> Did I do that?'
Prazil winces at each of Kereek's claps and then withers as the victor is proclaimed and the home crowd erupts in cheers and shouts. "Ughhhh. Prazil am for thinking that Prazil am not for liking being drunk." He leans forward and claps his hands over his ears, forgetting once more the helmet he wears, and so does very little to muffle the noisome throng around him.
Prazil drinks as much wine as he is able at the dinner, hoping to learn what being drunk is like. It doesn't take long before the little kobold is tipsy and even less time after that before he's well and truly drunk.
He winces in the morning at the sound of the incredibly loud trumpets and narrows his eyes to mere slits to shield himself from the angry morning light. He plops down on the stands between Kereek and Orin with a groan, and raises a hand to cast shade across his face. "Prazil am not for understanding bigfeets. Or maybe bigfeets am not for feeling like this after they am for having lots and lots of wine?" He shakes his head and looses another soft groan.
Try as he might, he can't recall much other than impressions from dinner the night before.
Prazil frowns and his shoulders sag as Jon strides off to meet with Irovetti. He opines, "Awww, we am for never getting to be seeing him any more."
Slumping into a chair within the large tent, he shrugs at mention of the joust. "It am for sounding like joust am not for being normal joust. Prazil am not for being sure about getting drunk. What am that for even being like?"
Prazil looks expectantly at his comrades, having learned quite some time ago to defer to them in times of serious, heavy talk. Still, he couldn't help himself from at least being friendly to the nice man and answering his initial question.
"Good, your highnessness! Thanks!" He smiles brightly before resuming a more neutral expression after catching a withering 'don't-be-stupid' glance from Kereek.
Prazil scratches his head in confusion, forgetting yet again the helmet he wears atop his head, and shrugs in silence, accepting that his efforts in learning to call Jon Duke instead of Baron were wasted.
Shaking his head to banish the confusion, Prazil then smiles brightly and waves at the King of Pitax. "Hi!"
If leinathan will be playing Marcy still, I think we have the front line pretty well covered, mott. That leaves the biggest two "holes" as ranged and divine. I'm less thrilled with bard as an option as I think a lot of the bard's buffs would overwrite many of Prazil's - so mechanically that'd be a little weak.
----
I'm happy to stick things out, yeah. I don't know what your plans are, but I look forward to somehow accidentally thwarting them by virtue of a gigantic, wall-breaching triceratops. =)
