Hi everyone.
I'm making some changes to the wiki to accommodate the multiple campaigns I'm running. Please use the following link going forward:
https://reignofhazards.obsidianportal.com/wikis/main-page
Val (John)
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Hey Gruskorb! Glad to see your alive and well. At some point (hopefully during 2021) I'll be continuing this campaign. Hope you can join us. Val (John)
Hi Everyone. The past year has been a challenging one for me. My job change has come with a massive amount of added responsibilities owed to myself and my family, but also my responsibilities for the employees and shareholders I serve. As you've felt, this has really taken away from my time to GM a game to the level I demand of myself. On top of that, during this summer/fall, my wife's health has taken a substantial hit with her second heart attack in 3 years and the increased activity of her lupus. When I'm not working, my heart is with her and my three daughters. Unfortunately, my gaming is not getting the priority or time it deserves or requires, and I don't see that changing for the better any time soon. I have enjoyed playing with all of you very much. I will never be able to express what it meant to me to have you invest so much time, energy, creativity and thought into an insignificant fantasy world that I created. So, it is with a heavy heart that I tell you that I have decided to put the campaign on indefinite hold. I say "indefinite hold" as I hope to revisit it in the future. When that time comes, I will reach out to each of you and ask you to return to the world of Æustëra with me. In the meantime, I plan to continue to develop the world with the little free time I can dedicate to my favorite hobby. So, don't be surprised if you see some changes to the wiki... if you happen to check it. You have my email, ValjoenTheGM@gmail.com. Never hesitate to reach out with questions, thoughts or ideas about the world we explored together or just to say hi. If you have questions or want spoilers about what was happening or where my thoughts on the game were going, feel free to post here or shoot me an email/pm. Your friend and GM, Val
Hi Everyone. The past year has been a challenging one for me. My job change has come with a massive amount of added responsibilities owed to myself and my family, but also my responsibilities for the employees and shareholders I serve. As you've felt, this has really taken away from my time to GM a game to the level I demand of myself. On top of that, during this summer/fall, my wife's health has taken a substantial hit with her second heart attack in 3 years and the increased activity of her lupus. When I'm not working, my heart is with her and my three daughters. Unfortunately, my gaming is not getting the priority or time it deserves or requires, and I don't see that changing for the better any time soon. I have enjoyed playing with all of you very much... and miss Gruskorb as well! I will never be able to express what it meant to me to have the five of you invest so much time, energy, creativity and thought into an insignificant fantasy world that I created. So, it is with a heavy heart that I tell you that I have decided to put the campaign on indefinite hold. I say "indefinite hold" as I hope to revisit it in the future. When that time comes, I will reach out to each of you and ask you to return to the world of Æustëra with me. In the meantime, I plan to continue to develop the world with the little free time I can dedicate to my favorite hobby. So, don't be surprised if you see some changes to the wiki... if you happen to check it. You have my email, ValjoenTheGM@gmail.com. Never hesitate to reach out with questions, thoughts or ideas about the world we explored together or just to say hi. If you have questions or want spoilers about what was happening or where my thoughts on the game were going, feel free to post here or shoot me an email/pm. Your friend and GM, Val
@Kayin - I'd say you moving into position was your one act, IIRC. So DC 11 and 10 minutes on a fail. @Titan - Titan's Bow on the wiki. It is a +1 Longbow with Undead Bane: The zombie’s essence of death bonds with the bow turning it black as midnight. It excels against undead. Against an undead foe, the weapon’s enhancement bonus is +2 better than its actual bonus. It also deals an extra 2d6 points of damage against such foes. (Death1: Zombie)
GM Screen:
As Kayin works his magic and partially restores the health of the Muraisa and Ysildaë, Titan draws the deathly essence from beneath his cloak. The crystalline structure begins to pulse with an audible beat. Thump-thump... thump-thump. The essence turns to a black, molten substance and spreads across the hunter's bow. The essence penetrates the wood turning the dark brown grains to midnight with the slightest hint of purple. As it spreads, the bow begins to beat as well, the violet hues growing brighter with every pulse. With a final pulse, the string darkens to match the bow and the transformation is complete. Titan stares at the bow, its wood hardened and smooth. The wood is entirely black with faint grains of deep violet. Testing the string, the bow pulls back easily but it feels as though the string is slightly animated and pulls against his motion, beckoning him to release it. Ysildaë blankly watches the Titan test the bow. The weapon seems to shift its form as it bends from the tension. Something is elusive to her senses but she cannot place it.
Hey all. Sorry, been an up and down last week with illness rampant. I'm doing well and trying to get the game back going. Lot's of things to get altered and set for the next stage. Next week is busy for me as my company's Board is meeting for 3 days. I'll post today, and then should be back with a vengeance come the 26th or so. Updated rules on finding and imbuing essences for this campaign can be found HERE. I'm still filling out the possible magical abilities that result from imbuing essences which can be found HERE. These are just a few of the abilities. You will have a lot of flexibility to request different abilities. If you have something in mind, just ask. Val
Haha. Yes, we have a Board meeting monthly but this is the annual 2-day fly in... a bit more time consuming.
Hey all. Sorry, been an up and down last week with illness rampant. I'm doing well and trying to get the game back going. Lot's of things to get altered and set for the next stage. Next week is busy for me as my company's Board is meeting for 3 days. I'll try to post before then, and then should be back with a vengeance come the 26th or so. Val
Asulad smiles at Malthazir. "My daughter's power does not come from me but a connection to a strange shadowy mystery that one day she may understand better than I. But thank you for seeing her back to me." With a polite nod, she turns her attention to Niyut. "Yes, daughter. Your help, and that of your friends," she says gesturing to the others. It will be needed to repair Eh’semghédôm... and do not fret, daughter. The stone was cast down long before you were born." Asulad takes a seat and offers rest to everyone. While Gnisk builds a fire, she tells the tale of Leeluran's binding to the Dreaming upon the stones of the Ruination. The hag had come from over the mountains and threatened the memories of all the ancestors of the First Lands. The five tribes had united and had taken a witch from each tribe to represent her people. These witches were bound to each other, to the First Lands and to the Dreaming. For generations, each witch held a title and duty to the others. As one witch died, another was called to replace her in the covenant they had taken. The Firebird clan's witch had long held the title El'vitch, the Dreaming one. Each El'vitch had taken Si’elwaght, the Soul Weaver Staff as her bond. This staff kept the Dreaming safe from Li'luraant. It also kept the First Lands shrouded from the outside world. The other witches each had their own role to play. The elves' protected the Eh’saertghdôm, a stone monument within the Elder Forest, much like the Ruination which the orcs had long protected. Māheo, the goblin witch was bound to the land and the Gnisk, the hobgoblin, was linked to the primordial beasts. Together they encompassed all that was the First Lands. Fauna and flora. Life and death. And the Dreams of their ancestors which surrounded all of it. "Prisca and the ancient hag were leaching the souls of our ancestors from the dreaming," Yazgah explained. "As they drew the life essences from the Dreaming, they grew in power, and the Dreaming was fading. The First Lands were ripping apart. All that held us together was wasting. When the five sisters were taken and bound to the Ruination, Leeluran was using our own connections to the ancestors to destroy the Dreaming for all time. The First Lands would have been ruined and cast into the void... and Yrgna, the Bonemother, would have been freed." The orc witch smiles as she looks upon the three younger witches. "When our sisters died upon Eh’semghédôm, the heirs of their power... their connection to the Dreaming was bound to a new soul of their clans," she continued. "They took the calling and felt pull of Asulad and myself. Lucky, we all were, that you found us first. They would have fallen to the hag and her minions." She conjured a green smoke from the fire. A vision of Eh’semghédôm before the stones had tumbled long ago. "The Ruination must be remade. We will need your help. Only then, can we bind Leeluran once more."
Hey everyone. Back from the land of the ill. Thanks for the well wishes. I'll get a post up soon. I've been thinking about the Essence system and how I've laid out the options while I've been down. I have a lot of thoughts and will be posting them to the wiki soon. Titan asked for Bane on his bow from the Death Essence. That is perfectly acceptable. My intent is to make basic ethereal essences as the base building blocks. Essences that are specific to elements like the Death ones, can act life basic essences or can offer additional options for abilities... Like Anemic. This ability, only available on casting bonds, requires the Death essence. That is, a basic essence can't grant that ability. Hope that makes sense.
Hey everyone. Back from the land of the ill. Thanks for the well wishes. I need to compose a long post about Truk's time in the Dreaming. It will take me a bit to write it up. I'm hoping to get it done this weekend. I'll also get another RP post up today or tomorrow to keep the conversation of the group with Asulad and the other witches.
Sorry for the delay. When it rains... well, you know the rest. My wife has been feeling lousy the past 10 days and was diagnosed with COVID over the weekend. My daughter and I feel terrible as well. I have an appointment to get tested tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be back to the land of the living asap. Val
Sorry for the delay. When it rains... well, you know the rest. My wife has been feeling lousy the past 10 days and was diagnosed with COVID over the weekend. My daughter and I feel terrible as well. I have an appointment to get tested tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be back to the land of the living asap. Val
Also, reading back through the thread, I thought I'd communicate the outlook going forward regarding what to expect in the campaign. Obviously, undead will always be a theme as the vale is, hopefully, cleared and repopulated. However, many of the plot threads for characters arcs have very much alive NPC's or monsters as the BBEG. Some of these may have ties to undead; many others will not. In those cases, the undead are just incidental to the story line. Muraisa's concern over the zombie encounters should be solved for, by the characters. But, there will be plenty of encounters that her big, two hander will come in handy. Val
Deathless needs to be updated with the 50% clarified. It should only be affects caused by the negative energy, not any determental effect. That is OP. Some of the weapon/armor attributes you listed will come from other primal elements. Other custom ones will require pure ethereal essences in combination with the death essences.
I was only planning on giving Life Essences a secondary ability in this campaign. I may on occasion grant a random secondary bonus when the situation calls for it. I'd like to keep the power curve a little lower for this campaign. I'll find ways to provide some unique perks, but they will be random and thematic. As for Death Essences, your choices can be found here: Ethereal Essences Rules Self-imbued - Primal Aura of Death or Negative Energy Resistance 5. Weapon - Bane: Undead or Ruination. Armor - Deathless Casting - Anemic Keep in mind, to imbue an essence to an item, it must be of masterwork quality, and the first essence imbued to a weapon or armor will make it a +1 item. Also, sundry items can be imbued and the effect will be thematic, although I don't think anyone has those items yet.
GM Screen:
With rapid precision, Ysildaë strikes at the remaining zombie with her first blow landing. Reacting to the monk, the creature loses its grip on Muraisa who wraps her muscled arms around it in a massive bear hug. Hearing Titan's yell, she spins around giving the hunter a clean shot. The arrow sinks deep into the zombies neck, coming inches from striking the barbarian as well. It begins to convulse, and Murasia drops it quickly dodging into the alcove to the south. She avoids most of the creatures energy. A blackened lump of energy forms from the fumes of the vanquished zombie.
Anarzi smiles upon Niyut, "Thank you, young daughter of the El’vítch. Offer to you our fire and our salt should you come to our home." Relief falls upon her face as she looks at Asulad and Yazgah and bows low. "I am Anarzi, daughter of Siraye of the Seven Stars. Heard your call I did, and felt your presence I did, my El'vitch. My Waivch. My sisters." The elf opened her hands and held them out. The goblinoid witches stepped forward each taking one of Anarzi's hands. The hobgoblin smiled and nodded, "I am Gnisk, daughter of Nerat. I heard your voices. I felt your dreams. My sisters." She reaches out and takes the hand of Yazgah. A jolt of ether surges between them ,and both revel in the power. Gnisk delivers the ether to Anarzi and tp the goblin who, in turns, curtsies to Asulad. "I am Māheo of the Lost. Your call found my ears. Your presence found my heart. I am Lost no more.” With a short broken cackle, she extended a hand to Asulad bearing a white rabbit. ”Oh, and I found a man though he is not of the Firebird, me thinks.” She gently cradles the rabbit, showing its eyes to the El’vitch just as Malthazir absconds the long-eared swashbuckler away. ”Hey, another elf!” the goblin exclaims with a shriek of delight. ”Meeting two of them in a single day. How glorious!” Asulad raises a single eyebrow as she examines the rabbit in the wizard’s arms. Pointing her staff at Garidan, she begins to mutter an incantation. However, before she concludes the spell, a small glowing sphere flutters in her face. Asulad observes the vibrations and flashes of the ioun torch before continuing her spell with a simple word to calm Ruza, ”Peace.” Si’elwaght, the Soul Weaver Staff, bursts alive with bluish hue of radiant ethereal energy. She circles the tip of the staff around Garidan focusing its energies on the rabbit. It’s white hair takes on the color of the staff and Garidan is consumed by a peace not felt since before the world split. His sight begins to fade and for a moment glimpses through a portal, looking at a timeless reflection of the world. He sees his young sister’s face, smiling and laughing with her mother as all goes dark for the swashbuckler. At once, he feels his reach expand and his finesse return to his hands. He feels his feet hit the ground and reaches instinctively to his blade. The foil still rests on his hip. His vision returns with a view of Asulad smiling up at him, her face flushed with a bright light. Then, he senses his sister. Her eyes are, once again, his view of the world. Gari,you’re back! The El’vitch turns and takes Māheo’s hand, and the five witches are linked. They speak with a single voice in a language known only to them. Primal words of Eh’se they evoke, lifting them into the air surrounded by the ether of the First Lands that bound them together. In turn, each spoke unrecognizable words that burned the minds of all who heard. Yet, the pain was fleeting and soon was gone. Niyut could not recall what she had heard and Malthazir did not retain their sounds. Each knew that they had witnessed a union of the people of this land, the First Lands, still bound to Eh’se. Suddenly, a brilliant energy arose from chests of Anarzi, Gnisk and Māheo. Niyut’s eye grew wide as she saw the living spirit of a mortal still bound to the world coalesce into an essence. The three essences circled each other, intertwining their energies until the bonded. The El’vitch held Si’elwaght aloft and the life essences allowed a portion of themselves to be consumed by it. The five witches howled and shook with enraging energy. The light of the ether cascaded over them and faded. Asulad opened her eyes and turned to her daughter. ”My new sisters have found Yazgah and I. With your help, our spirits have come back from the binding within the ever-living dream; a binding forged by Leeluran and Prisca meant as a sacrifice to release the Bonemother and form their coven. Now, we have renewed the bonds of the five clans with Eh’se,” she says as she takes the girl’s hand. Looking at Malthazir and Garidan, she continued, ”We must not tarry here. Gathering the essences of my staff has restored the Dreaming for now and it is strengthened by our own coven, but the casting down of Eh’semghédôm has made the Dreaming unstable. It might yet fail. We must return to the Gathering Stone and find a way to bind the hags and repair the stone.” Māheo once again squealed with anticipation. ”Another trip?!” she asked. With a nod from Asulad, the little goblin pulled a small pile of bones from her pocket and began looking through them in earnest. ”Back to the death stones, yes?” As she said this, a rustle of branches caught the little witch’s attention. ”The young human with the strange animal comes,” Māheo says without looking up. From the south, Raektov cautiously approaches. ”Did you win?”
The scroll from Scarlett was teleport, indeed. As for getting more spells copied into your spellbook, Cälaturrim, Tower of the Conjurer, in Earthenwork would have been a grand opportunity. Within the tower is The Archives – A full listing of all conjuration spells on scrolls, books, etc. Additionally, some other spells from different Sodalities. An Grand Archivist is charged with maintaining records of all the books and records of the Sodality. The Hazard may have given you access. So heading there is a possibility. Additionally, most any of the Hazards would certainly have access to spells you do not have. You could try to strike a bargain with any of them. Lastly, there are tales of grimoires lost throughout the ages. Malthazir would surely have heard some of these legends during his studies. Let me know what you're looking for and I'll give you some options of where to find any lost spellbooks that may contain the spell.
GM Screen:
Muraisa steps forward swinging her axe. Although she slips on the gore spread across the tunnel floor from the exploded undead, her axe finds the back of the remaining zombie. It wildly swung an arm at the barbarian, then turned and slammed into her.
@Muraisa - Feel free to act. Getting the disease, while already sick, is just giving it another chance to roll the onset die. I'll keep you posted if anything occurs. @Kayin - Done
GM Screen:
Muraisa shrugs off the disease from the zombie as Ysildaë is able to break the grip of the zombie holding her. She points down the hallway and calls out to Titan, but the hunter sees nothing in the darkness. He turns and fires an arrow at the nearest zombie. The arrow sinks into the zombie's skull. It quivers for a moment then bursts with black energy that overwhelms the tunnel.
Now that she's literally got one in her face, will Muraisa be able to recognize the apocalypse zombie type and warn the others that they're the explodey kind and they need to keep there distance, or will I need to roll a knowledge (religion) to be sure? You would be pretty certain that these are the same zombies.
GM Screen:
Muraisa rushes forward past Titan swinging her axe. The head of the axe crushes in the chest of the nearest zombie. It staggers back a half-step then lurches forward at the barbarian, slamming into her. Muraisa grasps for breath as the zombie's arms wrap around her. The other zombie pins Ysildaë down and tries to bite her face. She fights off the attack but cannot move. As she struggles, movement catches her eye, She looks down the passageway and sees another figure standing over the dead brigand. It turns and runs away, disappearing into the darkness. Ysildaë:
Swift Action: Smite Evil on the undead monstrosity that has her grappled. She gains a +4 Deflection bonus to its attacks and combat maneuvers. AC: 23 / CMD: 24
Technically, he pulled a metal bar that had been placed through two links keeping them secure. You would need two hands and a metal bar to stop the zombies from advancing anymore. They now have enough slack to step into the pathway. So, you'd need to take up the slack, find or produce a metal bar (or something to act as a cottar pin) and then line up two links and place the bar/pin in place. Anyone close enough to inspect it, could easily surmise this. Oh, and all the while, the zombies are in range to attack. Hope that explains the situation.
You can make a dungeoneering check. It appears to be a heavy chain. So, you would surmise that mage hand may lack the required strength.
Free movement through ally squares is how we've always played. The passageway is getting narrow. So, if it gets smaller, then squeezing comes into play. But, we aren't there yet.
First Post done... The Dream of Truk'tosh is coming next, but please give me a couple days.
From beneath the bush, a small rabbit stares out at the wide world. The towering elf overlooks the hare and begins to cast an incantation, searching throughout the forest for his companion. The rabbit twitches his nose and bounds towards the elf. Before Garidan can reach him, the wizard lifts into the air with a small jump and begins to circle the campfire. Malthazir directs his draconic friend to join in the search and the pair search for a rabbit without success. Garidan looks around for his sister, ”Ruza, where are…” Suddenly, the rabbit is swept up by a pair of gentle hands. Thin, sinewy fingers hold him firmly but with a sympathetic touch that reminds him of a mother’s cradle. ”Well, well… this won’t do at all… a man trapped as a rabbit fur.” Garidan wriggles and squirms to see his captor. Finally, he is able to turn enough to see the green eyes of a goblin look down at him. Her toothy grin sends a shiver down his spine, but Garidan’s fears are whisked away as she chuckles. ”Gnisk, look what I found!” Out of the sky, a hobgoblin, her hair dressed in black feathers, swoops down to look at Garidan. ”Stop playing with dinner, Māheo,” she barks. ”The others are nearby, we must find them quickly. If Anarzi is correct, we have little time to bind them before it is too late and they return. We must find the El’vítch and the Wiavch.” Niyut, unaware of the approaching goblinoids, casts a quick spell to secure the essences left by Prisca’s spirit and grabbed the witch's staff. Tucking the staff into Brynderie's Silken Robe, the oracle glances once more where the eve woman had been dispatched just moments ago. Nothing remained of her, she was consumed by the ether, Niyut thinks. Shaking her head, she bolts into the sky racing to the shrouded figures bound to the upper branches of the trees. ”Malthazir!” she shouts. ”Catch them!” With a flick of her wrist, a streak of frost flows from her fingers freezing the hemp rope. The brittle strands crack under the weight and begin to give. She pulls the cloak back to see the lifeless face of her mother. A paleness had overtaken the witch’s skin. Niyut gasped as the bindings gave way and her mother fell towards the ground, followed quickly by the orcish woman. Before the landed, Malthazir’s spell takes hold of them and their descent comes to a quick halt. The pair of bodies float slowly to the ground and the awaiting arms of Niyut. The oracle places her hands upon her mother’s cheeks and sighs as she feels the traces of warmth and blood flow still flowing in the woman. She reaches out and confirms that the orc woman is also caught in a fugue. She turns to speak to her elven companion, when she is caught by surprise with the arrival of another elf. This one clad in the garments worn by the elves of the First Lands. The elf looks gravely upon Asulad, then closes her eyes and calls upon the spirits. Greenish smoke rises up from the earth about her and her eyes roll back. For several moments, she slowly convulses her body then awakens. ”Anarzi, of the Seven Stars Clan, am I,” she says to Niyut. ”Lives your mother between the worlds, the first and the dream. The El’vítch is she since before your birth. But, now trapped she is by the Soulbleed and her coven.” As the elven witch speaks, two other witches approach followed by Malthazir who anxiously looks over the scene. Yet, when the witches smile upon seeing the still living bodies of Asulad and Yazgah, he relaxes. ”Look, Anarzi! I found a rabbit,” the goblin witch cackles, holding Garidan up gently for the others to see. Malthazir sighs upon seeing the young swashbuckler. The boy is still a rabbit, but at least he is found. ”Time it is not for eating,” Anarzi silences Māheo with a open palm held at the diminutive witch. Turning to Niyut, she points to Asulad’s remade staff. ”Give it to your mother. Provide her the mastery of the Dreaming, it will.” Anarzi shakes her own staff at the oracle and then demonstrates placing it in Asulad’s hand. Niyut nods her understanding and gently opens her mothers hand. Before placing Si’elwaght within the unconscious witch’s grip, she turns to look upon the elven witch’s staff and cocks her head with the recognition that it appears quite similar to that of Prisca’s. Seeing this in Niyut’s eyes, the elf becomes excited. ”Observed the Wiavch’s staff you have as well! Please, give to Yazgah, her staff.” Niyut pulls the staff that Prisca had just wielded against them from the deep pockets of her robe. She gingerly lays the two staffs in both of the witches' hands. The land goes quiet as a small quake seems to tremble all about the forest. Streams of ether begin to pour out of the sky into the orc’s open hand. A billowy mist of shadows consumes her and she fades from sight. Then, a dark forces begins to swirl around the encampment. The whirlwind takes shape and Yazgah appears. Niyut turns to her mother. Her staff crackles with white energy. ”The fusing of the elements,” the hobgoblin witch mutters. ”Never did I think I would see it.”. With a brilliant flash, Asulad entire body contorts. Her back arches and her hands grip the staff tightly. She floats up from the ground as if the staff was pulled by invisible hands from the sky. She pirouettes once, then lands upon her feet and opens her eyes. ”Where is Truk’tosh?” she says looking at her daughter.
Yes, normally. I didn’t give Murasia a crit fail on perception this time.
GM Screen:
Muraisa looks confused and looks around for the metal clanging sound. Where is that coming from? She thinks. And why are those zombies wearing metal collars? She stares a little closer. Are those chains hanging from the collars? Without hesitation, Titan draws the full length of his bow and fires an arorw over Ysildaë's head. Narrowly missing her, it finds it mark, embedding itself deep within the brigand's forehead. His head snaps back as he collapses. The elven woman's eyes grow large as she glares at the hunter. She clenches her jaw, gnashing her teeth and calls upon Dasyra to bless her.
GM Screen:
plus disease and grab plus disease and grab As she chases after the man, Ysildaë runs past his hiding place in the tunnels. The outcropping conceals a large room. At the edge of the room, two zombies lurk. The first tries to slam into the monk, but only finds the wall as the elusive aasimar slipped past him. She turns her head just as a second zombie's arm crashes into her chest. The elven woman gasps for air as the zombie locks its powerful arms around her.
GM Screen:
Maria followed by Ysildaë head down the western tunnel. No sooner had they entered the narrow passage, an arrow comes from the dark flying past the women and clattering against the far wall by Muraisa. A man darts from behind an outcropping and rushes down the tunnel away from them. Passing an unlit torch in the wall, the brigand takes the torch with him, releasing a length of chain. The slack in the chain quickly begins to be taken upwards. The clanking sound of the metal chain echoes in the passageway.
Muraisa takes a long look down both tunnels before surmising that both tunnels have seen recent use, but the western tunnel seems to have seen more traffic lately. This is confirmed when Bjorkus lets Titan know that the scent of the children leads west. Before she leaves, Muraisa peers down the manhole. She can see that the rusted metal bars can be easily removed. Several spikes are stuck in the rock every few feet before the darkness obscures her vision. However, the metal is rusted and covers in green algae. She looks back along the ground and sees that water slowly runs from all directions into the manhole.
@GM: Silly question, but on the map for the old world there is no southern polar ice cap. But, the world was tilted enough for there to be seasons. Was there a supernatural reason there was a northern ice cap but not a southern one? No supernatural reason... just ran out of room on the map. Kinda like "What's west of Westeros". There is more to the world south of the map. @ALL - I'm working on the next posts. I'd like to get one post from each of you at the appropriate time. I'll send each of you a PM to discuss your post. It will help wrap up a few things and this way I don't miss anything. Once we get these portions done (over the next week), we can get back to the essences and leveling. In the mean time, PM me any questions or issues that need to be addressed. That will keep this thread a little more organized. We're getting a lot of things buried and I don't want to miss anything.
Oh, dang. You're right. It's been a long time. Reread a portion of it. For the record: The rogue has 2 magical axes that will produce 6 EE's.
I'll finish all the conversion for Garidan and anyone else left after we level and apply the new EE's... hopefully, before we start with the next chapter.
Wasn't the witch summoning a familiar next to the fire also an illusion? Or did Garidan shove some harmless old lady into the fire? The cloaked figure that was by the fire and killed early in the battle was an unseen servant wearing Prisca's cloak used to draw you into their "trap". Garidan killed the unseen servant and the cloak fell in the fire.
Detect magic only has a range of 60 feet. The illusion was well above that up in the trees. So when Niyut was searching the area using detect magic she never was within range of the illusion. When standing on or near the ground and looking up, you would see real trees for the first 75 feet or so and then the illusion starts. Similar to movie blue screening. The set directly around the actors might be real but everything in the distance is just a blue screen, or an illusion. I made several references to oddities about the sky and the canopy of the trees. If anybody went up there and was searching with detect magic, I totally missed it. This battle has been months in the making so I may have forgotten or missed things. No real devious tricks going on.
Gruskorb: So, I'm hearing that: 1. Adding someone to play Gruskorb is out.
I can adjust the encounters to deal with 4 PC's very easily. I think having Niyut run him for now is fine. However, once the story arc of the sapling is complete, I'd say we retire him.
I like the idea and I'm up for it. Adding a bloodline is pretty powerful. Here is an idea: the Fire Essence grants her Solar Caster ability which is the Bloodline Arcana and adds the bonus spells to her casting ability. Then, an Ethereal Essence gets her the 1st level bloodline power. 2 additional EE's gets her the 3rd level bloodline power. Etc. The Bloodline powers can be shared with Garidan as long as she is within reach of him. 7. I want to grab the magic items on the two orcs the one that turned into a bird at the end of the last battle (the male orc) and the female rogue. You can get the magic item from the rogue, but you never saw the other orc that turned into a bird. The cloaked figure that was by the fire and killed early in the battle was an unseen servant wearing Prisca's cloak used to draw you into their "trap". Li'luraant, Prisca and the Rogue were flying high in the trees using an illusion cast by Prisca to make the "clear" night sky. I alluded to it by having the stars shining but you kept hearing thunder. Also, the archers were part of the illusion.
1. Yep, I'll explain that. 2. You did that. I'll try to cover that in some text. 3. I'll let you RP that once we clear up the other things. At that point, we can discuss next steps.
@Niyut - Sounds good. _________ @All - Truk & I are working out a few ideas via PM. They should be resolved before we move forward. I have a good idea of what actions everyone wants to do next. Is everyone agreeable to let me do a cinematic scene to wrap everything up as the next post? In that scene, I will have: 1. Niyut collect the essences from Prisca and take possession of Prisca's staff;
Additionally, I will summarize some of the party's options to move forward in the campaign. Of course, if you all agree, you can take off in any wild direction you want. Lastly, let's discuss Gruskorb. While every character has a 'bound soul' arc, none of those arc's were part of the original plot to gather the Hazards for Bærwynnd. However, Gruskorb does carry the Sapling of the Ancient Chestnut Tree which may prove useful in the future. So, the question is: Do we want to recruit someone to take over Gruskorb? Or recruit another player to create a fifth character that takes over the role of Gruskorb but not the character? Or do we want to continue as a foursome with the sapling recovered from the Dreaming? Or does anyone have another option? With all that said, welcome to 10th level... finally!
Maria slips through the door shed in the light of a small candle still burning near a bedroll. Two tunnels lead out of the small chamber in either directions. Near the far south wall, a manhole is covered with rusty metal bars. As Muraisa follows after the group, she notes that the stairs have been traveled consistently. Little dust can be seen in the center of the steps although the edges are lined with dirt. The passage is old, but used recently and frequently.
I thought that the hook was related in some manner to the hole, but by the time I'd made that connection, Muraisa had already "Muraisa'd" the door and that was that :D. We once had a character in my longer running game called Tred. This was back during AD&D2e. He was a human barbarian that was incredibly strong. He never failed a bend bars/lift gates/open door roll. Eventually, he was named Tred Doorbane by the party.
How about letting it use touch attack but Spell Resistance is applicable. This would put it on par with scorching ray. But elemental resistances wont affect.
True... getting D&D5e and PF confused. Still, you're asking to gain a big advantage with ranged touch. For Prisca, it was the difference of 10 points of AC. Buffed her AC was 25, but Touch AC was 15. It's a 2nd level spell for 4d6 x2 (and x3 in a couple more levels) that I cannot defend against that you can currently cast 14 times a day. Next level, your BAB is likely +5 plus the +3 from your Dex. You would need to roll a 7 or higher on your to hit roll to hit a 9th level arcan caster in Prisca. You'd only need an 11 to hit Garidan, a dex based martial. I'm truly concerned that if we allow that, the kind of monsters I'll need to concoct to make that spell only moderately effective, will be absolute beasts. You guys already surprised me how easy the last two fights were. Your power is pretty high for your level at this time. I'm already conceiving of how to challenge you, and it isn't pretty. ;p
On another plane...:
Gruskorb looks at his hand as the Master's Whip appears. It feels right. It looks the same. Even the sweaty smell of leather is present. Yet, the feeling of malice and fear whenever it snapped is gone.
I'll dig up the PM on the Dreamlands cat and reply. As for stone discus, a ranged touch attack with physical damage is incredibly powerful, especially when they start bypassing DR at 5th level. I'd likely be willing to let you modify it with a Primal Essence and make the discus created out of that energy type. That could be a ranged touch attack, but it would be mitigated by DR and subject to SR. Anything other than that is too over powered for a 2nd level spell, I think. I mean, that is best of all worlds. Use your casting stat to hit the typically lowest AC with no save, no SR, and it avoids DR at higher caster levels. Is there any other spell that does that? |