Dain GM |
Hey guys, I'm sorry to say it but I'm afraid I'll have to drop this game. It's not that I don't enjoy it--I certainly do--but I started a new job today that leaves me with less time for Paizo, and this is by far my most intensive game. I wish it could be different, but I hope you all have fun.
The party is about to move through the tunnels; however, before they do they are startled by Anhur.
His eyes grow wide and all the muscles in his face suddenly go slack, as if he is having some sort of vision. Samir moves close to him, fearing that Anhur might be possessed by the dagger; as Red was.
However, before anyone can act, Anhur shakes himself out of his stupor, his eyes blinking suddenly.
”I am sorry for that display,” he says with a gruff voice ”I do not know what came over me…”
He looks at the others.
”I wish I could aid you on your adventure, but I suddenly saw… I have to leave.”
He shakes his head, as if to clear it, and there is a fierce glint in his eye.
Samir looks at him in surprise –
”Did you have a vision? Some sort of premonition about some dark mission which calls to you? Some task which you must now pursue, perhaps an enemy who you saw and must be dealt with?” he presses.
Anhur turns to the rope that hangs from the grate and is prepared to ascend when he looks at the others. It is clear that Samir’s guesses – wild as they are – may be closer to the truth than anyone knows.
”Let’s just say I need to visit an old friend… for dinner,” he responds with a crooked smile and a sudden gleam in his eye.
Then he climbs the rope and disappears.
Although Anhur is unable to continue via his work schedule I think it’s fair to say that we can have a place for him if he is able to return in time. Therefore I have decided to have him disappear for now; but if ever he’s able to return to the game I’ll do what I can to work him back in. Meanwhile; good luck, Anhur – I hope things go well for you at your new job!
Hedran |
Okay, I went back through all the posts and calculated how much gold we have respectively from our loot. I don't have time to finalise a spreadsheet today, but maybe by end of week (busy week for me) I'll have put one together and will provide a link.
This is the division of wealth so far (please note the amounts on your sheets):
Bjoern: 143 gp
Anhur: 143 gp
Tairin: 147 gp (she received money/tips for performing on the first night at the inn and she didn't take any of the coin found on the priest/man in the alley ambush with the assassins)
Hedran: 91 gp
Red: 143 gp
Samir: 80.5 gpThe following items have not been sold and are still in our possession:
* Yadar Dagger (worth at least 350 gp)
* Wizard's Foil/Bronze-disc Belt (150 gp)
* Northland Oak Staff (5 gp resale value)
* Scrolls (Mei-Mei current deciphering)
* Satchel
Tairin, thank you for this - bookkeeping is always fun (not) :D
As per THIS post, we found also some hard cash, and pearls. Samir took some of it HERE, but there should be some more to split among us - did you account for it?
Ariarh Kane |
It’s lucky then that I’m an accountant. Haha. ;)
I’ll need to look over the loot list tomorrow. The items taken by people, such as pearls, have not been taken into account. I only added the coin and divided it. But I didn’t include the pouch of the man in the alley. Well, I did, but Dain had quoted it differently in another OOC. I’ll fix the amounts by tomorrow. Sorry about that.
Who had their coin pouch taken by the pickpocket outside the bathhouse when we first arrived? If people can let me know it’ll help save me time by not having to go back through posts to figure it out.
It’s been a long day, with another tomorrow. Good night from me.
She Who Knows |
The vile thieves got Red's money. :)
She Who Knows |
I am fine thanks.
I have looked at the game play thread, but Red can't do anything against bricks.
Ariarh Kane |
Tairin had her Dancing Lights up from entering the sewers so it was safe to presume they were recast and still active as they moved.
Also, I thought we decided that at least 3 PCs would make the decision on routes etc before we moved along/ahead, but I see again that Red and Samir made the choice for us. Can I ask that it not continue to happen as it would be nice to have the PCs decide together (it had only been 4 hours since the GM’s updated post). I'm not saying this to be petty and no offence to Red; but we do have a Ranger/Scout in the party (Hedran) who could have rolled Survival and Know. Dungeoneering to figure out the best path to take. It would be good if we could utilise the skills within the party (via the PCs) and not push ahead so readily/haphazardly.
Thanks kindly.
Dain GM |
Tairin had her Dancing Lights up from entering the sewers so it was safe to presume they were recast and still active as they moved.
Also, I thought we decided that at least 3 PCs would make the decision on routes etc before we moved along/ahead, but I see again that Red and Samir made the choice for us. Can I ask that it not continue to happen as it would be nice to have the PCs decide together (it had only been 4 hours since the GM’s updated post). I'm not saying this to be petty and no offence to Red; but we do have a Ranger/Scout in the party (Hedran) who could have rolled Survival and Know. Dungeoneering to figure out the best path to take. It would be good if we could utilise the skills within the party (via the PCs) and not push ahead so readily/haphazardly.
Thanks kindly.
It is correct I did not give players as much time to respond to the recent question as I normally do.
For that I apologize - however; let's look at the results:
1. Your party is free to retreat back to where it went with no harm done if they have a better, alternative idea - you encountered no traps and the path was long, yet fairly straight - it will be easy to return to where you went with no issue as a team.
At this point if the party wants to go back then they can go back, no worries.
2. If your party wants to move forward they are free to do so - when a path was chosen I moved the party forward to a place that required a check - perhaps it's a Perception Check to ascertain if you can hear things other than voices - perhaps it's a Linguistics Check to see if you can understand a foreign language - perhaps it's a Sense Motive Check to gauge if the voices are stressed, or worried, or afraid or excited - perhaps it's a Knowledge: Dungeoneering Check or Survival Check to gauge how far away the voices are via echoing - perhaps it's a Stealth Check to avoid being noticed...
At this time your party is free to do any of those things; or all of those things - or something else entirely - it's completely up to you guys.
All I need is an In-Character post from your Character and I'll know what you want to do next.
She Who Knows |
I'm not saying this to be petty and no offence to Red;
None taken.
I didn't set out to take decisions for the group and don't really want to.
Dain- I know PbP can be agonisingly slow at times but I think Ariarh is basically right. As you say, we can go back if the group decides to so not much harm has been done. I want to know what happens next. :)
Ariarh Kane |
I was hoping Hedran would have had the chance to chime in by this time. His RL responsibilities may have prevented it.
Dain GM, a path wasn't chosen. Red made a suggestion being she had no knowledge of which would be better or even attempted to gauge the best route. It would have been good to have more PC input and actually make an informed decision.
Since Bjoern has recently opted to ready himself to move into the darkness (don't know how dark it is with 4 dancing lights and a light spell), then it makes little sense to retcon this decision at this juncture. All I ask is that in future the other players are given an opportunity to chime in and make any necessary checks, rp etc during the 24 hour window we have to make our post after the GM's. It makes sense to wait a bit for the characters with more underground experience to chime in. And honestly, I really dislike retcon as it can confuse a situation as people then don't know what's actually happened/happening. I'd rather wait a bit, get players to chime in and then proceed/push forward. Less hassle and in the end more time efficient.
Dain GM |
Given the comments I've received I'm not going to post again until/unless everyone has posted an answer to all the questions I posted.
I apologize if my pace has been causing any issues.
In my defense, on the Recruitment Thread I did indicate that I was looking for players who make at least one post a day - barring weekends (with exceptions) and if they were AFK if they could send us a line and let us know the duration so we could compensate for the time they were AFK.
However, it has been brought to my attention that rate is problematic and I'm sorry for that.
As an aside if anyone has any issues with things, please don't hesitate to send it to me via PM; that way I know specifically what your concerns are and how to best address them.
Again; given the concerns I've heard I will not be posting again until everyone on the board has responded to all the questions which I have asked.
Ariarh Kane |
Answering GM's questions as best as I can:
I’m assuming the same marching order as before? However, given the width of the tunnels you’re free to readjust. Please also detail how you’re using lights at this time.
We remained in our marching order, even as the corridor widened. We left a 5 foot space between each person as we moved.
1. Bjoern
2. Hedran
3. Tairin
4. Red
5. Samir.
Tairin's Dancing lights (that look like will-o'-wisps) were placed 10 feet apart: the first orb was 5 ft in front of Bjoern, the second orb was over Hedran, the third orb over Red and the last 5 ft behind Samir.
When we could see the doorway, Red cast her Light spell (she didn't say what she cast it on) and advanced to the door, listening to the voices to determine if she could understand what they are saying. Bjoern moved up and it seemed he was ready to move beyond. Tairin drew her scimitar and advanced with stealth, keeping her orbs behind her so they wouldn't cast too much light and draw the attention of those beyond the doorway. As she moved, she had used the light from her orbs to try to detect any traps. She would have kept doing this until she was safely 10ft from door and then stopped (if she discovered a trap beforehand, then she would have dealt with it as she is actively looking for anything that will harm them or alert the voices - even now close to the door) and listened in case she could make out what they were saying to assist Red's efforts. Hedran moved up with stealth to assist Tairin in searching for traps, so I'm assuming he's side by side with her. He's also listening to the voices and assisting Red.
At this point: The first of the 4 dancing light orbs is hovering 5 ft behind Tairin (15 ft from doorway) and the remaining three are 10 ft apart behind the first orb, so no one can sneak up behind the group. The first three orbs are hovering 10 ft in the air (depending on the cavern height? Not sure how high the ceiling is at this point) and the last is 5 feet from the stone floor of the passage to help with noting smaller threats coming from the ground.
goodwicki |
Hello everyone! I'm interested in joining your adventures in the World of Xoth, and Dain GM asked me to post my character submission for your perusal. So, without further ado, I present a link to Caslav, a tainted Lamuran druid.
Now, further ado: Please take a look and let Dain GM know if he's the sort of chap (and if I'm the sort of player!) that you'd like to have added to your party. I also genuinely appreciate criticism on my characters, especially constructive negative feedback, so feel free to provide me with it if you're so inclined :)
Regardless of your decision, I appreciate your time and consideration. Thanks!
She Who Knows |
Caslav looks like a character with an interesting backstory and that fits well into the atmosphere and themes of Zoth.
I would be happy to welcome you to the campaign if the others agree.
Tairin of the Veils |
Hello, goodwicki. I’d be happy for Caslav to join the party. I found his backstory interesting and would like to see him in play. :)
Dain GM |
Red and Tairin: Remember; at this point the only people who might be able to see anything that constitutes a threat are Bjeorn and Hedran.
Until we hear from them it is not likely that you would know there is danger in the other room because you are behind them and they have not posted to let you know what is there; what they might have seen; what threats/dangers are ahead.
It may be that they post soon, which I hope, as today I have a 12 hour day which I leave for in about 45 minutes and I had hoped to post a response to their actions up so you two could have a chance to act.
See you all soon.
Dain GM |
Thank you all :) Dain GM has given me the green light to join you in the temple catacombs.
At this point the party is able to hear you calling to them; however, right now Bjeorn is on point and blocking the entrance so no one can move out to help you.
Hedran; you are correct via being able to see somewhat around Bjeorn, but if you could tell me in the future which target you're aiming for via the coordinates? That way, if you hit, I'll know which target is damaged.
Normally I would have botted Bjeorn myself and moved him forward out of the way so you could move up to aid Cas and take action; however, at this point I've agreed to just wait.
Hopefully we will not have to wait long.
She Who Knows |
Bjoern I think you should move your ikon on the combat map as you indicated your character was moving forward to attack.
Dain GM |
Bjoern I think you should move your ikon on the combat map as you indicated your character was moving forward to attack.
I agree; especially as I had requested that earlier.
That said; I'm going to move Bjeorn's character so he is in a position in which he can literally attack the first one he sees.
FYI - this will allow you and Tairin to move through Hedran's space if you wish to move up and potentially help the person pinned under the rubble.
She Who Knows |
Dain, could you have Samir move up in front of Red and [maybe] Tairin.
Red is a long way from being a front line combatant and is already getting closer to being dead than she would like being possessed by the dead.
Dain GM |
Dain GM: Please don't forget that Red has a Light spell in place (not sure on what) but there is light coming from her square, too.
It would have been better if Red had told me what the Light Spell was being cast on so I could figure things out and knew what it was coming off of.
For now I'm assuming it is on Red herself; unless she says otherwise. But the spell does not in crease the range of the light furthest to the front.
When/if she moves forward then the spell will move with her.
However, as it stands the more effects/layers I create on the map the more complicated it is to create - so for now the only light I focused on is the one that it is the closest to your enemies.
If the two groups become divided more than I will be able to put another light up.
Ariarh Kane |
I made Tairin's action now as I'm not sure when Hedran will post and as such Tairin's orbs have moved into the chamber. The layers you created wouldn't allow me to move the icons of Tairin or the orbs (no matter how I ordered things on the map) so I had to remove them. You may need to just free draw the area of effect/light ... so we can move our tokens.
As to the descriptions, I think it would be good if everyone gave more information/descriptions in their posts as to how far forward they've moved (coordinates of the square they're in) and the coordinates of the enemy they're attacking or bespelling. It helps the GM and it helps us know which monsters are under attack and which are not. Is that alright with everyone?
Current Combat Map if people are unable to see it.
Dain GM |
Dain, could you have Samir move up in front of Red and [maybe] Tairin.
Red is a long way from being a front line combatant and is already getting closer to being dead than she would like being possessed by the dead.
Red - this puts me in a complicated position.
In this case I have left Samir at the rear of the party because the NPC has been become problematic for various reasons. I used his turn already to do a Full Round Action as a Full Defense via instructions he was given - in this case, he is required to stay in the rear of the party and not do anything but to act as defense.
If you want him to move in front of you I will be able to do that next round, but I cannot do that at this time as he has already acted :(
Dain GM |
Everyone: I had a requirement for the game upon recruitment; specifically, that people post once a day.
I prefer a faster paced game and as such I don’t like waiting for posts and having little to nothing happening in game/on the board. The waiting around to date has made me consider whether I want to continue on with the game. The current posting rate is too slow and is hurting my motivation.
If making a post a day is not for you, then this may not be the game for you. As it stands, the current pace of the game is not fun for me. If this doesn’t change in the very near future; if I don't see proactivity and invested interest from all players, then I'm not sure if I will continue with the game.
If you would like to continue playing, and, are comfortable posting at least once a day In-Character, then please let me know and we can continue. If that's not for you, I understand, just let me know and I will see what I can do to get a replacement for you.
Thanks!
Ariarh Kane |
I am fine with posting (at least) once a day on week days. Weekends can be trickier for me as I have added familial responsibilities and do a lot of travelling in my role of carer and I might not be able to post some weekends. I do, however, state/give reason when I am unable to post and I will continue doing that.
Caslav of Lamu |
I know I've only posted once, but I'm still on board with 1/day.
As an FYI in general you can move freely through an ally's square (rules link), unless this has been house ruled out. While it won't solve the underlying problem, it would help the flow of combat encounters so folks don't get hung up waiting for others to post because their characters are in the way.
She Who Knows |
On the posting rate, I have been posting each day. On the days I haven't it is because there isn't anything for Red to do.
I don't know about everyday but I can post nearly every day and more than once on most.
She Who Knows wrote:Dain, could you have Samir move up in front of Red and [maybe] Tairin.
Red is a long way from being a front line combatant and is already getting closer to being dead than she would like being possessed by the dead.
Red - this puts me in a complicated position.
In this case I have left Samir at the rear of the party because the NPC has been become problematic for various reasons. I used his turn already to do a Full Round Action as a Full Defense via instructions he was given - in this case, he is required to stay in the rear of the party and not do anything but to act as defense.
If you want him to move in front of you I will be able to do that next round, but I cannot do that at this time as he has already acted :(
I am not sure why Samir is problematic. Probably stuff Red does not know.
Fair enough on what Samir has done.
But the party has made a bit of a mess of this combat. We normally want melee people up front, with me behind wrecking the enemy with hexes and maybe spells.
At present I can go up front, which will get Red killed if I keep doing it, or do what I am going to do, stay where I am and do nothing because I can't see anything.
Ariarh Kane |
No one's asking Red to be upfront. But right now, Bjoern and Tairin are inside the chamber of maggots (with the man trapped under the rubble) and Hedran at the doorway. Since we don't have Anhur anymore, and the new guy isn't yet part of the team, Red can still move down the passageway to be closer to her companions (she’ll be behind Hedran) and go into Total Defense until she is needed via healing or hex. Where Red is right now, not only can she not see what's going on, she's separated from the rest of her party and can't really act/help either. As to Samir, being he is an NPC, he is there to assist the party, but it's up to the PCs to make the effort and handle the situation.
She Who Knows |
That sounds like the best thing to do Ariarh. I was just having a bit of a gripe about the way we have organised ourselves, or disorganised ourselves.
Bjoern Ghostbear |
As said before Thursdays is my pen and paper day. And twice it is in another town. So I came back very late and went to bed immidiatly. But I am back. Will post more often, promise! But every second thursday it is difficult.
Dain GM |
As said before Thursdays is my pen and paper day. And twice it is in another town. So I came back very late and went to bed immidiatly. But I am back. Will post more often, promise! But every second thursday it is difficult.
Everyone has RL to deal with, and that's totally understandable. Knowing what's going on certainly helps as it provides us all with a means to take action - in this case; knowing you're AFK on Thursdays means that - if we need to - one of the PC's can bot you as you'll be busy, rather than waiting.
I appreciate the heads up and I'm glad we're on the same page - for my part I'll try to move things forward better and I hope you're enjoying the game.
Caslav of Lamu |
"I am no enemy of yours!"
After that declaration, it would've been totally worth it to miss horribly and bean a partymember with his stone. Oh well ;)
She Who Knows |
No one's asking Red to be upfront.
I just wanted to be totally up front about Red being totally unsuited to being up front.