Terry the thief's page

Hey.

First, I owe everyone apologies for vanishing without a word. I've come back to try to apologize for doing so, and to let you know that I have no idea when I'll be able to meaningfully return.

That's as far s anyone needs to read. If you're curious, you are free to keep going, though.

Why did I vanish? My wife had started an evaluation of her knees, scheduled to run for about 2 months. First appointment was on a Monday. Late that same Thursday we were told the evaluation was over and they were going to schedule her for a full knee replacement in her worse leg. We found out that next Monday that surgery was that Thursday, a week after we were told she would be having surgery.

I took some sick leave to help her through the surgery and earliest recovery stages. I've been working half days, taking sick leave for the rest, for the past couple of weeks, trying to keep her from doing too much with the live-in grand kids and doing her exercises, with only partial luck.

She's doing her exercises while I type, and the grand kids are down for their naps. Today is going to be the last day I PLAN to do the half-day thing. Thing is, even having been home so much more than normal, I've been going non-stop. We were two weeks past her surgery before I even got into the office where my computer sits, and we're over three weeks past it now and I've had to steal the time to let people know what's going on.

I don't know how long it will be before I can reasonably expect the leisure time to properly contribute to these games again. I am sorry for vanishing, but I have to focus on my wife's actual needs before I play.

"So, this is one of Firinn's arrows, but the point doesn't look like it hit anything. Might have been dropped? Where did you find this?"

-----------

"Okay. so they were expecting someone. But they seem to have been expecting a weaker group. That might work to our advantage, until they realize we've won out."

"Yeah, I looked in the kitchen, he wasn't heading that way!" Where the frick did he go?

Don't know nuthin' 'bout no arrows, Ah don't. So's Ah can't see if the crest 'n' fletchin's 'r' his pattern . . ..

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31 +4 if the note counts as hidden

"Don't fail to stop them at the fjord? But it is in Abyssal, so it would be instructions to stop somebody on our side, right? Let me guess, the fjord's on our route, right?"

As he's talking, Terry's gaze drifts amongst the group.

"Wait! Where's Firinn?"

Well, pooh!

That being said, it is important to always take care of yourself and your own family first. Knowing that you've overextended is good, and taking steps to normalize is better.

Just really sorry this game didn't make your cut. But I do not blame you in the least.

Default? We set a default already, didn't we?

Flips back through the recent posts . . .. So, no. Uhhh . . .. Khaz, Jocasta, Terry, Lorena, Firinn? Terry, Khaz, Jocasta, Lorena, Firinn? Depending on whether we are pushing through are looking for traps, right?

Nope. LOTS of medication for the nebulizer, though. Enough to use it 4 times a day for two weeks . . ... Not that we are ANYWHERE close to that!

Replaced my tiny little sobakowa pillow with a foam wedge. Wife couldn't handle me sitting up all night, so, using it far less vertically. OTC Cold/Flu medication; the breathing treatments; hot, soaking showers have combined well enough to let me use my CPAP 2 of the 3 last nights. Had about 5 nights in a row where I couldn't. Obviously, lack of good sleep wasn't helping.

I've spent most of the day hiding from the grandkids . . .. Their parents tried to force the little darlings through all the presents machine-gun style. At one and two years old. The meltdown has been epic and running all. day. long.

The generic post to share before attempting to recovery post:

So, I got the flu. Not really over it, yet, but past the worst of it.

I went to get tested to verify it was flu, and the care providers went down the "better safe than sorry hole" a might to far, in my opinion.

Standard questions, designed to check for other, deeper concerns/problems, right? "Do you have any tightness in your chest?" "I've been coughing for about three days at this point, yes, I have a tightness in my chest!" So, they stopped everything about verifying the flu in order to check for a heart attack. Thing is, my fever had just started to break, and I was not only DRENCHED in sweat, but I was still actively sweating that hard. They couldn't get a good EKG read because the contact stickers wouldn't. Stick, I mean.

They called an ambulance and transferred me to an ER, to make sure I wasn't having a heart attack. The ER team was focused on EXACTLY one thing, for obvious reasons. First thing they did different? They took that super medical tape and taped the sensors down. EKG told them almost immediately that there was no heart attack going on. I was still in that ER for nearly 15 hours . . ..

IV fluids. Roughly 2.4 liters of fluid pushed into my system. Breathing treatment. Seems when I arrived in the ER, my O2 saturation was around 82. They started to admit me in order to watch my O2 saturation levels, but after I sat in their ER for that long without any further dips, they accepted it might not still be required and discharged me instead of continuing to wait for a room. Having an asthmatic wife means we have a nebulizer at home, and that helped sell the release, too. Still spending more time asleep than awake, for now.

Missed a couple of Santa gigs the family had lined up. Went to a photoshoot with a family yesterday. I was there for about 10 minutes, just needing to sit and smile, but I stumbled into the house when I got home, completely exhausted. I'm supposed to go get caught in a neighbor's house tonight. Very worried about going. Just as worried about denying their kids.

Anything moving in the kitchen? I mean, he's unlikely to see anything hidden with that roll, but . . ..

Terry waves the others on as he hesitates long enough to peek into the kitchen . . ..

Stealth w/ ACP: 1d20 + 14 - 3 ⇒ (20) + 14 - 3 = 31
Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

Visibly wincing as he is dependent on the subtlety of a plated dwarf for his ability to remain unnoticed, Terry moves along with the group. Even as Khaz begins trying to force a way in, Terry offers a step-boost up towards the balcony for Jocasta (or Lorena, but I figure Jocasta's a better vanguard).

Hey. Real life.

I live in a 3 generation home.

This last weekend, both of the youngest generation (one is 2 the other just had her first birthday) got sick. So did their mom. Monday so did their dad. Somewhere in there, grandma got sick, too. Now I'm sick. At least the youngest seems to be over it.

If you need to bot me to keep things moving, please do.

I'm sorry, but I'm not even managing to focus to play spades on my phone right now, and that's amazingly brainless.

"If they are set and prepared for a big fight, don't give them one. We should try to sneak around or past the troops instead of engaging them. Get into the tower, deal with their leadership, and then see if we can't provoke them into attack our group at a site of our choosing."

As he beds down, Terry's mind drifts, and he sees the archer who saved him, briefly, a fleeting glance as she seemed to move deeper into the World Wound in front of them.

He sleeps fitfully, but well enough, barely.

When he awakes, he has a renewed dedication to moving forward, though he doesn't really understand why.

"Too many will require light to travel at night, light that you can not hide without making it useless. Campfires can be hidden, to an extent. If we are supposed to be sneaking up on them, then advertising that we are here is probably not going to help."

Well, if anything comes p, either there will be lots of noise and a chance to get up, or it will be over before we know about. May as well sleep.

Terry stretches out and sleeps as if he has no worries or concerns. He doesn't understand why sleep comes as easily as it does, though.

"Well, I'm not sure if I should see this as good or not. More supplies without a fight, but an entire village wiped out by monsters that are still out there, somewhere . . .. No, I think I should see this as bad. Let's get these back to the others."

Yeah, I have no idea why we're on horseback either.

Terry goes with Firinn.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25 +4 vs hidden things. +2 to avoid being surprised

"Well, then, I suppose that makes it official?" Terry can't help but wonder how many people like the army of paladins here at hand have died trying to reclaim the Worldwound.

ABSOLUTELY done some bad things.

Done some good ones, too.

Done a lot of good ones, recently, actually. Would be more if the dice would cooperate!

Edit:

More Horgus? Is it written that way, or are you doing it because it will be entertaining for you? <grin>

I was going to post in the gameplay thread, but I think I need to give Horgus a chance to respond before I put my foot in my mouth.

Works.

So, do we let the Paladarmy do the scouting, too, or do we do it, or do we do mix, something like us scouting 1/3 of the time?

Risks and advantages. I have no idea what might actually be better.

Terry looks at the maps and thinks back over his time raiding shipments. "They don't look bad from what I remember, but I've never gone very far in. If we don't trust the maps, then scouting's a flat requirement. Question becomes do we scout, like Firinn volunteered, or do we send small patrols of paladins, or do we alternate, or what?"

He looks thoughtful for a moment. "Resupply at Vala's Gift. Do we know if it still stands?" He opens his hands and indicates the destruction around them . . ..

Terry chuckles. "Yes, you are being paranoid, Khaz, but we need some paranoia. How about something a little faster? Start with simply Detect Magic, and see who shows active magic and who doesn't. Then watch those who had magic that wasn't something 'normal' like a weapon or armor as our most likely suspects. If you want to do a more thorough check of those with magical auras, well, it still reduces the number of people to spend time on, right?"

But, see, this is an army of PALADINS. Anybody in the army without an aura of good isn't a Paladin, anymore, right? Sometimes an absence is easier to spot than a presence. Not that Terry knows that much about magic.

"Aron Kir? I'm Terry. Attacking a stronghold is bad business. Sieges deep behind enemy lines are worse, and I'm afraid that will be the default order with an army of Paladins. You've studied the map, she said. How much opportunity is there for a small force to sneak in? What kind of less direct options are there for entry?"

"Uh, guys? Queen wants another word." He waves each towards where she's resting. "C'mon. One final thing, she says."

Having only one thing he can think of to ask, and not the nerve to bring it up, Terry watches this opportunity for a pardon go by . . ..

As Khaz makes his insulting comment, Terry just stares holes into the back of Khaz's head, not willing to let a comment escape his lips, unlike Lorena or Firinn. Paladin's fall, that was one of the visions, wasn't it? Blinded by prejudice!

As he tries to prepare, everything Terry can think of to get he realizes the waiting army must already have in abundance. Water transport. Food. Rope. He knows magics on his weapons or armor would be beneficial, but there's no time to make that happen, and nothing left to trade for it. Besides, armies have a way of shrinking, and he might come by some upgrades that way, though not the preferred option . . ..

Finally, he finishes putzing around, and meets the others, outfit the same way he would have been without delay.

"Guess that's our queue to get packed and ready for the road. Doesn't seem like she's much on taking things slowly."

"Where did they go? I thought they would be here?"

Someone who looks for the bigger picture and us not bound by the oversimplification so many Paladins fall into, or an oversimplifying paladin to lead paladins in a holy charge when we should be sneaking?

Terry grins as he points to Firinn, without hesitation.

Terry just lowers his head and tries hard not to shake it or make eye contact as he thinks to himself. 100 "hardened paladins" to keep us out of trouble? They'll bring it with them. I guess the first question will be how do we lose them?

Terry stands in the back, shaking his head. "Not much choice, really, is there? Wardstone's gone. There's nothing holding them back, holding them in anymore. Leaving would just be running from the invasion to come." He snorts. "I don't want to go in there and try our luck, but I don't want to wait out here and see what kinds of things come out to eat me, either. Going in at least tries to stop them from eating everybody else. Yay." Enthusiasm is not the keyword for that statement, but it seems sincere.

Not supposed to pick up anything 10 pounds or heavier. A gallon of milk is 9.

Not supposed to exert myself physically for 4~6 weeks. <shrug> That's the killer. Most of what I do with the Scouts counts as exerting myself.

And how DARE YOU abuse Young Frankenstein like that!

Was at the hospital from about 0730 till about 1615. Home. reasonably awake, and medicated. The entire area over the hernia and belly button is under s bandage I'm not supposed to touch until Saturday, so all I know is I have some ugly looking injuries from where the laparoscopic entry points were on my left side. Not as limited in my movements this morning as I thought I would be, which is good. Abdominal muscles are a little tight, though. Don't think I can blame them. I figured they would be a LOT more mad than they seem to be.

Hey. I have surgery in the morning. Pretty minor, but it IS surgery. Outpatient, with a normal "don't work" period of 2 days, and a "no exertion" period of like 6 weeks.

I should be giving all my games another pass this evening, but I make no promises for the next day or two.

What is it? An umbilical hernia repair. Surgeon says I have multiple hernias right there together. All I know for sure is the general practitioner who referred em to the surgeon had it right when he said it looks like I'm going to give birth to a Titleist.

Terry tries to stay out of the way as much as possible through the evening and overnight. Once Khaz starts his chant, Terry listens, trying to accept the sentiments, but he can't get past the reality that the only peace it seems anyone gets is the peace provided by the grave. But he's bright enough to keep his mouth shut about that.

When Gwerm shows up, Terry comes out of hiding long enough to verify it really is the fat, annoying buffoon, still alive. He just shakes his head and gladly lets Khaz make himself a target.

"I don't know, Khaz. She could be bringing a force to reinforce this city, or she could be bringing a force to evacuate it. Both make sense for different reasons. We'll have to wait for her to reveal her intent."

Terry helps the refugees clean up the space that will shortly serve as an audience chamber. He does nothing about altering his own appearance or state.

No. I'm about 500 off of WBL.

For the record, "meh" is a neutral comment. If you thought my boon/bane discussion that followed says it is a poor choice, that's on you, not me.

I skated out of work early today so I could get ready for another Scouting weekend . . .. Probably won't get much done before I get home Sunday.

Mythic Bluffing is actually better. Swift action to make this guy flat-footed to me until the end of my NEXT ROUND of actions. Swift action to make everyone in (I think it goes up to 30') flat-footed against the first attack made by anyone against them, neither costing Mythic Power to activate.

Have to keep surviving to get there, but . . ..

As a Mythic Power use I can already make everyone in 10' flat-footed to the next attack against them.

Meh. The rogue sniper build is very thematic, but of limited impact. One all or nothing shot a round is generally a loss, while the mobile two-weapon combat rogue tends to get multiple attempts at that one big hit each round, and sometimes lands multiple!

The current mixed blend opens options based on specific tactical situations, keeps the theme alive, and avoids punishing the rest of the party too much because the theme is not more important than contributions to group survival.

In other words, I think Terry as the primary ranged guy would be WORSE for the party. A full BAB character, Bard, or Erastilian Cleric are normally the best choices for primary archer.

Organic deals with what you find, with adjusting based on specific events, location, and timing. ABP is just exactly that: Automatic.

There's no risk in specializing in a given weapon or armor, because you know they will both always be there and always advance.

Found the Attributes or Hit Points choice interesting. Did not find the point buy difference to be worth the HP, though. Might have if I had been building a wall character.

As for ABP? Meh. I am mostly neutral. Should allow for continued capability growth during the upcoming deep trip into the Worldwound, but that growth will be less organic, I think.

Currently at 7576 value, 4K of which is ABP eliminated items.

I have started games that said they would use ABP, but none survived for long, so I know little beyond the theory. It is potentially cool, letting people select less common items for expanded capabilities.

"Well . . .. When we touched the rod thingie against the piece of Wardstone, things went weird. The flash and destruction of the enemy was just the first bit. Who wants to talk about the visions?"

Yeah, sorry. Been out backpacking with the Scouts.

Nope. Terry's not taking credit. Among other things, that means accepting the focus of attention, and that is NOT a place Terry's comfortable!

Thief, remember? <grin>

"I went around the fight. You were standing toe-to-toe with them, taking everything they could dish out. All I did was walk around them. I couldn't have done that if you weren't the fighter you are. Everyone here did more to get us into that room and fight the foe than I did. All I did was follow orders."

"We got lucky. Finished the assigned task and survived. I can't BEGIN to describe what it was like to be at the source of that pulse. Just glad to still be moving!"

SOMEHOW, I doubt that really impressive roll from Khaz will be enough.

Okay . . .. You really like messing with Terry's head, don't you?

+2 to Bluff
+5 permanent HP
Learn Two-Weapon Fighting
+2 to Dex

Should make Terry a bigger contributor in melee, and with Feint now a swift action, he should be using it almost non-stop, if the player remembers.

Greater Feint isn't until Level 9 (8 if I use the Combat Trick to gain it, I guess), but with 2WF and Mythic Improved Feint, he gets 1 attack against a flat-footed AC, and if it hits then he gets an attack at (default choice - Bewildering Attack) target's normal AC-4 Then the next round he can get an attack at flat-footed AC-4, if the dicebot is with me!

Oh, wait. Never mind.

Until then, though, Compelling Feint lets me generate the everybody in range is flat-footed against the next attack effect.

Edit: Oh, wow. Looking at my attribute block, I realize I cheated myself out of the attribute bump for level 4. Correcting that error got Terry a +2 to all his Dex-based stuff, with the Fiat attribute bump.