Raise the baseline ability of characters to start heroic feeling even if the low HP and dice variability makes it dangerous. If a class is proficient in something they should at least be OK at it - like using two weapons, a ranged weapon, throwing a weapon, etc. I know there's a lot of noncombat stuff this applies to, but the most obvious cases are just being able to use the weapons a class is supposed to use.
GREATLY improve maneuvers. Ideally, you should be able to make an attack and use a maneuver so you are not constantly weighing attempting a small action versus dealing the HP damage that a party is relying on. Either reduced damage to add an effect, or tie maneuvers to weapon damage to make weapon choice meaningful and allow a weapon use the maneuver as part of the typical damaging attack.
Remove hyper-specialization in weapons. It is terrible, and even 5e pushes a fighter - a master of all weapons - to only ever use a small number of weapons. Specialization should be how to make a gish-y wizard (if anything), not how to make a fighter.
Related to above, allow for carrying several powerful magical items without relying on your big 6. The best way this is done is simply by removing enhancement bonuses to magical weapons (or greatly reduce them). Make magic items to magical things and not abstract +X to roll things.
Make mundane equipment more fantastic, and the choice matter more. This was done well later in Pathfinder and needs to continue - and be extended to armor and weapons more.
De-emphasize stats, or at least the penalties. Pathfinder basically requires DEX, CON, and WIS for 90% of characters while CHA is relatively meaningless. The biggest issue is probably the negative modifiers combined with things like 2+INT skills, heavy armor, and save tracks. I don't have a great solution, but it's an old system that is showing its age.
My opinion is also that basing paladins so strongly on alignment alone makes them a metagame disaster that actively discourages character complexity in NPCs and PCs alike.
The Revised Action Economy rules are fairly common in games with better tactical combat than Pathfinder, so if Pathfinder 2e wants to have more tactical combat by default they really should be using those rules. It's also the strongest differentiation they can have between 5e's simplified action economy and their new streamlined action economy.
It's one of the things that intrigues me the most, though I guarantee it won't go far enough. The revised action economy can only work by allowing 1st level characters to be able to do an extremely large number of immediately available combat options - and not to keep them locked behind feat chains and class features. That is the real measure of how good combat in PF2e will be.
EDIT
And keeping "immediate action" reactions is already a poor choice. If they really want to implement this style action economy, then they need to do something like give all characters 3 actions in a round and say a character can only take one action on their turn, taking multiple turns in a round. Then you can use the actions for defensive (or AoO) reactions or for an attack and that layer of tactical decision is important.
It also means that you can make magic spells be cast without provoking an attack of opportunity, but still vulnerable to interruption requiring a caster to find a brief safe space to cast across 2 turns. That then means you give martial characters options to defend the casters' spell casting, making defense actually matter in a way it doesn't now.
Just some basics from a revised action economy like this. I hope they look at Mythras/RuneQuest 6 for inspiration.
I'll say it every time, 5e has the best paladins of any edition. Moving alignment restrictions to an Oath restriction is much more fun, varied, and flavorful.
In Xanathar's Guide To Everything are the Divine Soul Sorcerer and the Celestial Warlock.
I think that's what you looking for.
Very nice options.
I'm aware, but there are only a handful of things in Pathfinder that I find both unique and deserving porting into future systems. From my personal tastes I would like an anti-magic barbarian path, an oracle class, an alchemist class, and a witch wizard tradition.
That's not exactly a lot considering the glut of materials in Pathfinder, but those are the tropes that personally appeal to me and I think are not covered adequately from the existing material.
Honestly, no. But that's more because my D&D games have not used a lot of vehicles.
The games I have played with vehicles featured normally had a lot of crawling around on and off vehicles and things like that, but you are right there's no real need for special vehicle mounting rules when the only feasible time it would matter is a chase.
Outside warlock (which is a special caster), no there is not and there is a lot of interest in Gishes. Something like an arcane Paladin is very highly desired from what I've read.
The other thing I would like to see is something like an Oracle using the warlock as the base (or sorcerer but as 5e matures I feel sorcerer is by far the weakest class).
I have been kicking combat houserules and stuff around for a long time, but I’ve put my notes all together into an OGL complaint replacement chapter for Chapter 9 in the Player’s Handbook.
A brief overview of the changes:
Expanded options for player actions, taking the existing elements of a round and making a larger standardized move-set to fit common situations my games have encountered and that I have heard of.
Modified weapon reach rules, giving three bands of reach with weapons and placing more distinction between weapons by making reach a larger part of combat.
Additional effects on hit. Instead of weighing a Shove against raw damage, you now try and win advantages in combat to apply an extra effect on a hit to make combat more tactical and dynamic. Combine with expanded options for players, you can also attempt to win defensive effects with new reactions.
A streamlined injury tracking system combined with not falling unconscious at 0 hit points to give more dramatic possibilities at low hit points. It also prevents akwardness around being knocked unconscious 4-5 times in an encounter.
Somebasic advice for running a combat with zone style maps instead of the default maples and tactical map options.
Just saying the games exist really miss the point of my comment. The point being that if a company is going to produce a game from levels 1-20 then the content for the game should matter from 1st level to 20th level - which wasn’t the case for Starfinder. It’s not a unique problem to Starfinder, but it is a very frustrating one. Of the games I know very well there are two that I can personally vouch for the math not breaking down, and only one of those two has levels - fourth edition. Like the style or function of the game or not, it is one of the few examples of making high level play functional. In my personal tastes 5e does a better job than Pathfinder that does a better job than 3.5, so to see Starfinder be a big step backwards in such an obvious way was really disappointing.
Starfinder has a far better action economy than pathfinder, and I think that this is forgotten in all these pathfinder. V starfinder arguments.
Starfinder has a lot better skirmish rules in general.
Also, please focus on GM options over player options. Pathfinder has basically the reverse going on, and in a world that is meant to be set piece after set piece of a wide variety of challenges alien to the player it requires a bigger toolbox than I feel Pathfinder provided.
On the player side, I don't care if there are 500 boring feats just don't make spells that are "use this spell to get past X common problem players find without rolling, no creativity needed." That's another one that gets old fast.
I also would like the trend of "these rules have an issue, so let's fix them" to continue, because it seems like it is always tried to be fixed by player options and not alternative rules or FAQing starship combat DCs.
I wonder if they mean long, long campaigns like a West Marches where multiple players will float in and out of the game. I have heard it being mentioned a lot more lately.
I think the breath weapon was pretty much a copy of the per encounter power it was in 4e, but 5e doesn't have a per encounter ability. That's why I think at will means it makes more sense - it's a special race-only benefit that deals roughly cantrip damage that will probably only be used when it would hit more than one opponent. Making it at will doesn't seem to harm anything.
I think I'll give them a shot if it comes up in the future and see what happens.
My next game is a fantasy police force game, and I have loads of ideas for adventures to go on. The problem I have run into is the police force itself and how a fantasy FBI/non-local law enforcement proxy might work.
I thought maybe it should be a private organization offering investigatory services, which appeals to me because it gives a little noir feel and the players have something to invest their cash into to grow and improve. It could be something as contrived as an adventuring guild or even a tavern with a side business since it is a bad tavern. Then the government would be more of a feudal fiefdom system with a monarch or council where there are competing lords wanting their problems hush-hush.
The other idea is to have it in he frontier, where an organized service with a wide range would be more natural. Something like the Dogs in Dogs in the Vineyard if you know that setting, where the police work to establish order above all else in a chaotic wilderness. The problem with this one is that they will grow out of the range of a regional force like this that is such a community, but I can deal with that when it comes. This would be more of an authoritarian state with a central government.
Dragonborn - having seen them the breath weapon is underwhelming and could stand to have more uses or more damage. I really question if it is too strong as an at-will ability since it is situational to begin with. I would prefer that to more damage, and you’d see it being used more.
Frenzied - The best solution I have seen is letting the exhaustion be removed with a short rest. Barbarians are one of the only martials tied to long rest abilities, so giving them as a class the ability to rest exhaustion off quickly or let frenzied only remove 1 level of exhaustion on a short rest if they went into a frenzy is fine. It’s not a game-breaking buff.
Sorcerers - They are underpowered compared to their piers, and it is not just ritual casting thought that helps a lot. What they really need beyond ritual casting is some free thematic spells known, a few more sorcery points, or maybe a very flexible magic ability. I feel thematically and mechanically they need a way to cast what they need even if they don’t know it. What I would do is give a sorceror 1/short rest expend 1 sorcery points and cast any wizard spell with a spell slot, and metamagic can’t be used on the spell. I then might give a 1/day recover half their sorcery points with a short rest, or letting them use HD to recover sorcery points like HP (without the Constitutiob bonus). The other idea I had was to give players the option to use spell points as a casting buff to differentiate them more.
Robot
Not all robots are created equal, many are manufactured with increasingly advanced AIs. However, self-awareness is only gifted to a few. These random incursions of manufacturing protocols do not always gain sapience at their creation, but at the bits flop into place after interacting with the world. Frequently not even understanding what individuality and free will means a robot can spend its entire existence performing the task it was designed for, though some break free entirely of their bondage and venture forth into the world fueled by a curiosity that was never there before.
Ability Adjustments: +2 CON, see below
Hit Points: 4
Racial Traits
Type
Robots are constructs with the triunite type by default. Constructs with the triunite type have a Constitution score, and do not possess Construct Immunities or gain bonus hit points based on their size.
Size
Robots come in a wide range of sizes and shapes depending on their purpose. When building a robot character, choose one size from the list below:
Tiny - +2 DEX, -2 CHA. Tiny robots are designed for support tasks. As adventurers they tend to be paired with a ship or a person as an advanced scout. Tiny robots have a 30ft fly speed, and are only capable of using weapons or interacting with objects as if they had one arm.
Small - +2 WIS, -2 CHA. Small robots are designed for nuts and bolts independent work for a given task. They go anywhere and do whatever is necessary with little oversight. They typically use treads, wheels, or levitation to move over legs. Small robots cannot have their movement reduced by encumbrance or nonmagical terrain.
Medium - +2 INT, -2 WIS. Medium robots tend to be entirely humanoid in appearance and designed to function in roles that require interaction with thousands of individuals organically, though they tend to be deceived by those who know their AI’s weak points. Medium robots learn two additional languages, and choose a bonus expanded trait.
Large - +2 STR, -2 CHA. Large robots are designed for construction and war, at least any that might be found traveling through space. Their appearance varies drastically, but their threat tends to be obvious. Large robots add +2 to their starting hit points, and gain a +2 racial bonus to perform or defend against combat maneuvers.
Mechanical
Robots receive a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against disease, mind-affecting effects, poison, and sleep, unless those effects specifically target constructs. In addition, Robots do not breathe or suffer the normal environmental effects of being in a vacuum. Reductions to a robot’s hit point total cannot be healed with magic or rest, but can be repaired with any ability that can repair a ship or other technological item. When a Robot’s hit point total reaches 0 they are immediately destroyed and cannot be revived unless their AI data can be retrieved and placed into a new body for the cost of 15,000 credits.
A Robot does not eat or breathe, but requires rest like a typical Human to maintain its AI’s function.
Inherent Armor
A Robot can never don armor besides power armor. Instead, a Robot’s EAC and KAC is equal to 10 + their character level. A Robot’s inherent armor supports a number of armor upgrades equal to 1/3 their character level (minimum 1). When wearing power armor, the Robot uses the power armor’s statistics in place of their Inherent Armor.
Standard Senses
A Robot has the hearing and sight of a human by default.
Expanded Traits
A Robot possess expanded traits to reflect its intended purpose. A robot chooses a single expanded trait, unless it is Medium sized then it chooses two.
Infrared Viewer - The Robot gains low-light vision and darkvision up to 60 feet.
Heavy Armor - The Robot gains a +3 racial bonus to KAC and EAC.
Comlink - The Robot gains wireless communication and a number wireless communication appendages equal to their Charisma bonus (minimum 1). These appendages can be used to communicate with individuals discretely, or as a microphone installed in a suitable location or object. A Robot can replace any number of its appendages each day after resting.
Data Link - The Robot can use Diplomacy or Bluff in place of Computer checks to interface with a computer or in place of Piloting checks with a vehicle that possesses the technology to interface with a computer. These checks do not require the use of a kit.
Advanced Attenuation - The Robot gains blindsense out to 30ft.
Surveillance Disc - The Robot can record, store, and playback anything they can sense in a fashion that is understandable to most intelligent creatures. This playback can be done on their body or projected to a computer screen with a Data Link. This ability add video surveillance to a Comlink.
Magnetic Appendages - The Robot is designed for working in any environment. They gain magnetic appendages that can adhere to metal surfaces and support their weight, and can make Engineering checks without and engineering kit.
Radar - The Robot can perceive objects at any distance so long as no physical barrier obscures the object, and determine the distance to that object. To use this instrument, the robot must be stationary.
Cloud Storage - The Robot’s data is saved automatically, and can be reloaded into a new body without retrieving a physical data storage device.
Shielded Internal Compartment - A Tiny Robot possesses 0.5 cubic feet of storage that can be heated or cooled to best preserve the contents. This space doubles for each size larger the Robot is, up to a maximum of 4 cubic feet in a Large Robot. This trait can be selected twice, tripling the storage capacity.
Field Dressing - The Robot can make Medicine checks without a medicine kit, and Medicine is always a class skill for them.
-----
Exclusive Feats
A Robot can choose the following feat.
Upgrade
You have modified your chassis to include additional features.
Prerequisite - You must be a robot.
Benefit - You gain 2 expanded traits from the Robot racial feature of the same name.
First, thank you for the feedback and review! I have been trying to get some input across different boards, and as always this place has the best editors :p
Anyways, Here's a breakdown of updates:
Added a brief fluff for a robot with class levels.
Changed the type from Constructed(Technological) to Constructed(Triunite) and clarified that they have a constitution score and lose Construct Immunities.
Adjusted how stats are presented to be more in line with other races.
DISCLAIMER, THIS IS INTENDED FOR NPCS IN MY HOME GAME.
I'm not opposed to a full robot player, but I want a consistent way to develop colorful robot NPCs of any reasonable size and shape without creating something from nothing every time.
Robot
Ability Adjustments: +2 CON, -2 CHA
Hit Points: 4
Racial Traits
Type
Robots are constructs with the technological type by default.
Size
Robots come in a wide range of sizes and shapes depending on their purpose. When building a robot character, choose one size from the list below:
Tiny - +2 DEX. Tiny robots are designed for support tasks. As adventurers they tend to be paired with a ship or a person as an advanced scout. Tiny robots have a 30ft fly speed, and are only capable of using weapons or interacting with objects as if they had one arm.
Small - +2 WIS. Small robots are designed for nuts and bolts independent work for a given task. They go anywhere and do whatever is necessary with little oversight. They typically use treads, wheels, or levitation to move over legs. Small robots cannot have their movement reduced by encumbrance or nonmagical terrain.
Medium - +2 INT, -2 WIS, +2 CHA. Medium robots tend to be entirely humanoid in appearance and designed to function in roles that require interaction with thousands of individuals organically, though they tend to be deceived by those who know their AI’s weak points. Medium robots learn two additional languages, and choose a bonus expanded trait.
Large - +2 STR. Large robots are designed for construction and war, at least any that might be found traveling through space. Their appearance varies drastically, but their threat tends to be obvious. Large robots add their Constitution modifier to their starting hit points, and gain a +2 racial bonus to perform or defend against combat maneuvers.
Mechanical
Robots receive a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against disease, mind-affecting effects, poison, and sleep, unless those effects specifically target constructs. In addition, androids do not breathe or suffer the normal environmental effects of being in a vacuum. Reductions to a robot’s hit point total cannot be healed with magic or rest, but can be repaired with any ability that can repair a ship or other technological item. When a Robot’s hit point total reaches 0 they are immediately destroyed and cannot be revived unless their AI data can be retrieved and placed into a new body for the cost of 15,000 credits.
A Robot does not eat or breathe, but requires rest like a typical Human to maintain its AI’s function.
Inherent Armor
A Robot can never don armor besides power armor. Instead, a Robot’s EAC and KAC is equal to 10 + their character level. A Robot’s inherent armor supports a number of armor upgrades equal to 1/3 their character level (minimum 1). When wearing power armor, the Robot uses the power armor’s statistics in place of their Inherent Armor.
Standard Senses
A Robot has the hearing and sight of a human by default.
Expanded Traits
A Robot possess expanded traits to reflect its intended purpose. A robot chooses a single expanded trait, unless it is Medium sized then it chooses two.
Infrared Viewer - The Robot gains low-light vision and darkvision up to 60 feet.
Heavy Armor - The Robot gains a +3 racial bonus to KAC and EAC.
Comlink - The Robot gains wireless communication and a number wireless communication appendages equal to their Charisma bonus (minimum 1). These appendages can be used to communicate with individuals discretely, or as a microphone installed in a suitable location or object. A Robot can replace any number of its appendages each day after resting.
Data Link - The Robot can use Diplomacy or Bluff in place of Computer checks to interface with a computer or in place of Piloting checks with a vehicle that possesses the technology to interface with a computer. These checks do not require the use of a kit.
Advanced Attenuation - The Robot gains blindsense out to 30ft.
Surveillance Disc - The Robot can record, store, and playback anything they can sense in a fashion that is understandable to most intelligent creatures. This playback can be done on their body or projected to a computer screen with a Data Link. This ability add video surveillance to a Comlink.
Magnetic Appendages - The Robot is designed for working in any environment. They gain magnetic appendages that can adhere to metal surfaces and support their weight, and can make Engineering checks without and engineering kit.
Radar - The Robot can perceive objects at any distance so long as no physical barrier obscures the object, and determine the distance to that object. To use this instrument, the robot must be stationary.
Cloud Storage - The Robot’s data is saved automatically, and can be reloaded into a new body without retrieving a physical data storage device.
Shielded Internal Compartment - A Tiny Robot possesses 0.5 cubic feet of storage that can be heated or cooled to best preserve the contents. This space doubles for each size larger the Robot is, up to a maximum of 4 cubic feet in a Large Robot. This trait can be selected twice, tripling the storage capacity.
Field Dressing - The Robot can make Medicine checks without a medicine kit, and Medicine is always a class skill for them.
-----
Exclusive Feats
A Robot can choose the following feat.
Upgrade You have modified your chassis to include additional features. Prerequisite: You must be a robot.
Benefit: You gain 2 expanded traits from the Robot racial feature of the same name.
The easiest one I can think of is a Soldier dip for melee focused Solarions, change your resolve to STR and get a good bonus from something like Blitz.
They should have just abandoned the D&D style stats entirely and made similar ability scores - like combat/ athleticism/ mechanics/ science /arcana/ leadership something thematic. It's not like 1 to 1 conversion is easy anyways and in the setting there are wider divisions in mental paths. At least this way the three combat stats are evenly split in two and the mental could carry new weights - and it is more intuitive.
I know this whole idea makes no sense to many here, just saying it spreads it the commonly referenced expertise. Then suddenly perception is combat instead of wisdom (a soldier's senses) along with all attack rolls and damage modifiers, sense motive is leadership along with persuasion and culture knowledge, magic lore and will saves are arcana, AC stamina modifier and encumberance along with piloting is athletics, and your engineering and science stuff is all obvious and intuitive. Not perfect, but the idea is just that there are attributes that make sense in space that spread better than the legacy attributes of D&D, service the game mechanics not older systems.
Unfortunately, IRL has taken a turn that means I need to end my games on here. I'll mark these as inactive soon, but want to give a chance to see the message.
Unfortunately, IRL has taken a turn that means I need to end my games on here. I'll mark these as inactive soon, but want to give a chance to see the message.
Unfortunately, IRL has taken a turn that means I need to end my games on here. I'll mark these as inactive soon, but want to give a chance to see the message.
In the room past the Ogre's quarters you find a small room with a staircase leading to a stone wall with a handle - what appears to be the backside of a secret door.
She begins by separating the cards into two piles with different backings, then she lays out a delicate and old lacy cloth that has a pattern of the sun and moon woven into the fibers.
She draws the first card from the larger deck with a black backing and speaks in a strange dual-tone voice, This card tells of history. Knowledge of the ancient will help you better understand your enemy.
Laying the card flat you see the number two in the corner along with a strange symbol on the opposite corner. It shows the face of a gaunt man with his eye downcast in reverence while holding a holy book of some kind, Madam Eva continues, I see a garden dusted with snow, watched over by a scarecrow with a sackcloth grin. Look not to the garden, but to the guardian.
She draws a second card from the black deck saying, This card tells of a powerful force for good and protection, a holy symbol of great hope.
Laying the card above and to the side of the first you see the number 7 with a star on the opposite corner. The face on the card shows a wizard or sorcerer holding a painting over half his face showing a different, terrible face wreathed with menacing light, A man is not what he seems. He comes here in a carnival wagon. Therein lies what you seek.
She draws a third card from the black deck and places it symmetric to the first saying, This is a card of power and strength. It tells of a weapon of vengeance: a sword made from sunlight stolen from the sky.
The card reveals a fat and wealthy noble dropping a tithing of coins into a hefty purse, Our people have what you seek under lock and key. Pursue the ripples on still water to find the key to what you seek.
She takes a card from the small deck with a grey back with silver filigree saying, This card sheds light on one who will help you greatly in the battle against darkness.
She places a card down revealing a horned man sitting proudly on an ebony throne. You swear the figure moves it hands as Madam Eva falls silent for a time. A thin trickle of blood flows from her nose and her voice cracks as she speaks, Your fates are cursed, the worst of truths. You must face the evil of this land alone!
The lamps lighting the wagon flicker as she chooses another card, Your enemy is a creature of darkness, whose powers are beyond mortality. This card will lead to him.
She places the card face up in the center of the other four, completing a cross shape, He lurks around one of his prized treasures, a room adorned in the bones of a fearsome foe; a hall of bones deep in the dark pits of his castle.
The light returns to normal as Madam Eva gathers the cards back together and the clasp leaps from her hand to secure the cards. She speaks, That wasn't so bad, though I don't know any magical sword among my people. Now relax, I will make you whole once more.
She slowly walks to the back room and returns with an ornate brass pillar she places on the table after sweeping the lace away. She begins a short chant as she spins the pillar on a hidden axle while poring a clear liquid on its top. The letters carved in the pillar glow with a magical light until she ends her chant and stops the device suddenly with her hands. The glow from the letters flash and when your vision clears you see her hands now glow the same color.
She stands carefully not touching anything, and lays her hands on you. Your body suddenly feels uncomfortably hot, and the feeling of pins and needles runs across your skin. She says, It should only take a few minutes, but your hand will be better than it has been in years! She laughs a little, I wish you well on your adventures, don't be afraid to come back when you have interesting stories to share.
Looking at your hand you see the missing chunk of your hand is knitting itself together fast enough to see, though it will take a few minutes. If you check scars you previously has you find them removed as you body heals every injury you have ever received.
Madam Eva says, When you have lived as long as I have you will understand, I am interested in keeping my mind sharp and paying attention to my surroundings. If I simply stayed put with my things then I would lose a reason to wake up in the morning!
Please don't over think this - I am a fortune teller, and I live to continue to tell fortunes to the bold.
You do not detect malice in her intent, and you think she is telling the truth. She's certainly a wily woman, but you see no reason to think anything bad will come of this.
Arda wakes up with a start and lurches forward before noticing the pain in her side. You all find yourselves alone once more, well accept for a gnome who is useless in a fight. A secret door lies open in front of you, what do you do?
Her wagon is larger than the others, and old. The inside is furnished with a wide variety of antiques, their clashing style gives the impression she has collected them for their meaning beyond their worth. Her sitting room in this wagon leaves little room for a group, but there is a seat for everyone there in front of the linen covered table she has moved behind.
Please, girl, let me see the wound, staring at the now dirty and quite painful injury she says, Nothing Madam Eva cannot fix! But first I must discuss my price... I am an old woman who possesses everything I could want, so my interests do not lie in money. For a wound like this, I simply ask for you to read your fortune - your true fortune - on these cards.
She lays out an ancient looking set of cards with elaborate backings. It is bound by a golden clasp with no obvious mechanism to open it, If you agree, simply place a drop of your blood on this clasp and I can use the power of these cards to tell you of your future - a future that could use any help it can get to face Lord Stahd should it come to it.
Ireena say curtly, The Vistani must have some deal with the Devil to live so freely in his shadow, but they are care-free because they are not hunted by his wolves. They are just another of his servants.
Ismark tries to cool her down a bit, It is true they hold special privilege, there are rumors that the fog that prevents our departure from this land seems to not effect them. I can't explain why, but they also do let the wine flow from the Wizard of Wines out this way and offer their services. We are their guests, and while we stay here we will not be harmed - but maybe watch any loose gold or tongues...
The vistani sitting and drinking offer seats on low benches or clean logs, and each person in the party is greeted as warmly as the last. Anyone that seeks wine or food finds it freely given. You hear some of the men thinking they are out of earshot make comments on each of your relative attractiveness, Ireena receiving high marks while Bazim and Emron's parents are disparaged - but it's no better or worse than the tavern talk in a rough neighborhood of your homeland.
The old man playing music ends his song and the crowd suddenly falls quieter. The old man stands and stretches and ashes his pipe before speaking in a heavy accent, Bi kashtesko merel i yag, and with the wine we drink we must also learn the lessons of the elders that grew the vines. We have guests to amaro baro them, and while I cannot place youth onto this interesting pair it seems that today is a good lesson of recent times for most sitting here - after all we have many stories of visitors to this land.
A mighty wizard came to this land over a year ago. I remember him like it was yesterday. He stood exactly where you're standing. A very charismatic man, he was. He thought he could rally the people of Barovia against the devil Strahd. He stirred them with thoughts of revolt and bore them to the castle en masse.
He throws a sand into the fire and it burns a deep red with shadowy people with raised pitchforks.
When the vampire appeared, the wizard's peasant army fled in terror. A few stood their ground and were never seen again.
More sand, and now a shadow swallows the crowd and the fire dies for a moment before returning to a typical orange glow.
The wizard and the vampire cast spells at each other. Their battle flew from the courtyards of Ravenloft to a precipice overlooking the falls. I saw the battle with my own eyes. Thunder shook the mountainside, and great rocks tumbled down upon the wizard, yet by his magic he survived. Lightning from the heavens struck the wizard, and again he stood his ground. But when the devil Strahd fell upon him, the wizard's magic couldn't save him. I saw him thrown a thousand feet to his death. I climbed down to the river to search for the wizard's body, to see if, you know, he had anything of value, but the River Ivlis had already spirited him away.
He punctuates the story beats by pointing to the foggy area behind him and to the sky, and when he finishes the story he points to the quickly moving clear water next to the camp.
Anyways, the land is old and we must remember the lessons of the past, and as he finishes speaking he stares intently at Urrnir.
A door to a wagon opens, and a tiny old woman walks out with the help of a cane. Her white hair is tightly pulled up and not moving in the slight breeze, I hear we have a young woman in need of help, I do not mean to interrupt Yesper but it seems her hand is badly wounded and I wish to speak with our guests.
I'll give it a little time if anyone wants to act, then continue.
Urrnir approaches the out of place reverie when a large man with wild eyes and only slightly groom beard stands at the edge of the camp and stares silently for a moment before beaming a wide smile and saying, Droboy tume - it's good to see you, mora! Come, sit and rest by the fire we have wine and music. Did you manage to travel these lands alone, or are there others? It's not safe to travel alone.
Assuming Urrnir shows her hand he says, Marel ma o Del! Come sit, eat. I will go consult with Madam Eva. And he bounds off across the camp shouting a couple things as he goes. The others don't seem to pay him any mind and continue to drink and listen to the music played by an old man sporting a fine pipe.
I'll give it a little time if anyone wants to act, then continue.
Grim cannot land a solid blow, but Glyph's bolt of fiery magic strikes it in the arm giving it enough pause that Marcus lands a dangerous blow injuring the creature.
Moral:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 17
Gritting its teeth it swings at Marcus thinking if he takes down the fighter the rest will follow.
Bugbear Attack:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
But its wounds make it flinch and the attack is slow and sloppy.
Grimm's hammer brings down the bugbear as Marcus mitigates the damage from its attack, the creature slumps to the ground dead as the other meet Marcus and Arda in combat.
Arda cuts the first's armor deep enough to leave a gash while Marcus uses the opening to feint to the side and land a blow through the hole badly wounding the chest and shoulder of the bugbear as it roars only to get a firebolt in it's open maw. Chocking for a moment it dies in severe pain.
The partner that woke from sleep runs up and strikes.
Apologies for having gone missing! IRL and tech issues abound.
Charging forth, the kobolds come within range in two rounds, Peren falling a bit behind to make ranged strikes from the shadows taking two of the kobolds down.
There are still a half a dozen left with daggers drawn.
I just automated two round to get you guys in front of them. Fell free to attack!
Ismark says, These are the Vistani in their element. For some reason the Devil's ire never is drawn to them, and they freely celebrate in this foggy lands. I don't know why they stay here, but there is a permanent camp at this river and another past Vallaki.
Ireena places her hand on her sword, I hear they sold their humanity to the Devil in exchange for safety. I hear they know how to survive the mists somehow.
I've been laid out and Paizo's site has been flakey, sorry for that. Let me give a refresher on where you are:
From Donnovich at the church:
hiiamtom wrote:
Turning to Urrnir's hand he says, How did you manage to dig a grave with such an injury? It's stable and clean - but I cannot fix this with my meager faith. I have heard the Vistani have a power much greater. I must warn you it comes at a cost, and it is always a deal favoring them. A family of those damned gypsies owns the Blood of the Vine Inn in the town center.
From the Vistani that run the tavern:
hiiamtom wrote:
Urrnir attracts a lot of attention from the three women, two of whom stand and approach, Let's see what the damage is... oh that is something way beyond my abilities, but I know where you can get someone to help you. Madam Eva has anchored her vardo near Tsolenka Falls - seeing the lack of recognition she adds, If you take the road west of the village and then the trail north to the water you can't miss it. If you reach the bridge over the falls you went the wrong way.
The bugbears charge into the room and are met with spells and blows from Grimm and Marcus. One of the bugbears is looking rough, while one stopped short to wake their partner who stands sleepily.
With only one bugbear on the front line it doesn't back down despite his wounds.
The path's condition worsens and the trees close against the side as you travel down the slopes to Tser Pool. You hear soft whispering words in between the trees asking you to come closer, but you choose to listen to the lump in your throat and push forward.
The road gradually disappears and is replaced by a twisted, muddy path through the trees. Deep ruts in the earth are evidence of the comings and goings of wagons.
The canopy of mist and branches suddenly gives way to black clouds boiling far above. There is a clearing here, next to a river that widens to form a small lake several hundred feet across. Five colorful round tents, each ten feet in diameter, are pitched outside a ring of four barrel-topped wagons. A much larger tent stands near the shore of the lake, its sagging form lit from within. Near this tent, eight unbridled horses drink from the river.
The mournful strains of an accordion clash with the singing of several brightly clad figures around bonfire. A footpath continues beyond this encampment, meandering north between the river and the forest's edge.
The swift actions of the group kills the remaining cultists in an instant as everyone but Laris strikes true. The overwhelming force could have killed them twice over.
The kobolds begin to move toward the camp with their weapons, they are about 300 feet away from you.
