Another OOC thread!

If Harald had realised he would not catch the half elf then instead of move and charge he would probably run (3 less squares) and throw his axe.

Is it worth changing the post?

I would think so. Go for it.

Not sure if the 32 will hit but not going to blow a bennie at this time.

Is Harald trying to knock the half-elf over the edge? Harald would see that there is quite a drop from the bridge to the cavern below.

No.  In case we need to take a prisoner/interrogate someone I thought it best to leave him up.  Someone else may of course decide to zonk him tho...

Fair enough!

Giving Nemeroff until tomorrow before I NPC him.

Harald, free MBA on #2 and +8 to your damage.

As my awareness floats in the air, I am assuming it cannot 'fall'. It is also the source of the teleport field-so can I transport anyone who is about to fall to safety?

Sadly, no, not unless you ready an action to do so.

3:38, Today: Vali, the Returned rolled 8 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 4.  destined for greatness.

Clearly, it wants me to fall.

With my normal die rolling, that's a great result!

Reminder for everyone:



Keep rolling, Vali.

Took the liberty of rolling for you. I'll update the turn later today.

Sorry for the delay! Thanksgiving snuck up on me. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in the U.S.

I am leaving shortly for a few days away.  I will probably have some web access but it will be limited.

No problem. Thanks!

FYI--I am going to be mostly offline Monday, online Tuesday, then business trip the rest of the week, followed by a family wedding. It may be a slow week for the game, depending on how all that plays out :-)

Which means if I can update today, I will; otherwise plan on seeing an update early tomorrow.

Sorry to be that player, but I wouldn't have Sequestered 1 if that would cause Zog to fall. Judging from the map, I thought Zog was still on the platform.

Could I switch my target to 2?

I think you're worrying too much about it, candidly. Zog would be falling at most 10 feet as he is over the walkway. He's not in danger of dying. And if he were, Gromley has an action readied to prevent that.

And it's worth pointing out that Zog was in far more danger from #1 than he is from a short fall.

Oh, that's okay. I wouldn't drop a party member 100' to the spikes if I can avoid it.

Okay, couple of things.

First, I'll be going on vacation for about 10 days, and won't be able to post.  Agon is pretty much out of powers, so go ahead and have him ping whoever looks vulnerable with Magic Missile for 17 damage.

Tactically, it seems like the real danger here is from getting knocked off the walkway, which is 10d10 damage, compared to the relatively minor attacks of the Astral Stalkers.  I think we should consider either retreating and using ranged attacks, or running for the next room.

I'm all for running for the next room, myself. I think I'll do that now.

I'll run for the next room as well. Just wondering what the sorce of being immobilized is, and what I need to roll to get rid of it.

Nemeroff is out of pocket, so I'll NPC him tonight when I update.

Giving Agon until tomorrow to post before I NPC him.

Giving Vali until 12/26 to post. Assuming Nemeroff is still out of commission for the moment, but if he posts, more's the better.

Just waiting for Harald's newly granted MBA.

Note: A and B are actually visible at the moment. Sorry I didn't fix that earlier. Agon, if that changes your action at all, let me know.

Wishing all of you a Happy New Year!

I will update this at some point tomorrow.

Make that tomorrow--ran out of time today.

Thanks for your patience, folks. Update tomorrow for certain.

Thanks again for the patience.

By way of preview, once you get out of this fight and have a short rest, there is one more fight in this chatper. After this chapter, we will have a logical break point when:

1. You can level your character, or
2. You can change your character for another character. Note that you have to still have a character with a similar background--someone who is out to defeat Tiamat and someone generally out for the well-being of the universe.

Alternatively, if you want to choose that time to walk away from the game, that is fine as well, though I do hope you folks will stay!

The end of this chapter also brings up a Major Plot Development^TM and an opportunity to roleplay your characters fairly extensively for a chapter without a ton of combat. The next chapter will be a lot of role-playing and skill challenges.

Let me know if you have any questions about any of the above. If you have any critical feedback about the game, please send via PM rather than post here, and I'll share with the group based on those conversations.

Quick note: Vali's player is no longer in the game. If someone is willing to NPC him for the last fight, I would appreciate it--send me a PM if you are willing.

Going to spend some surges for Nemeroff, whose player is tied up in RL and am moving along.

Since I don't have DDI right now, I'm unwilling to NPC a complex character, or make major changes.

That said, I check my powers since out last extended rest (Post #590 or so), and Agon has used Mass Resistance and an Action Point.

We've had 2ish encounters (evil furniture, this last one with the walkways and the invisible stalkers) Have we hit a milestone and gotten our AP back?

I had two APs, so maybe Pete just has to fix an accounting error :-)

Harald, chime in if you have anything to add or otherwise let us know if you're good to go. When you're ready to go, I'll start this.

Nemeroff, whenever you're ready to post, chime in. I'll NPC you until I hear from you.

I'll be NPC'ing Vali.

Bit confused. I show you having an action point on my tracker. I gave you all one before the last fight.

Oh, okay then. I trust the tracker.

I double checked as well and you should still have one.

Take actions, guys!
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:21, Tue 12 Jan 2016.

Giving Gromley today to post his action.

Thanks! Update from me in the morning.

Just waiting for Nemeroff--will update for Vali and the bad guy after he posts.

Excellent! Update from me tomorrow.

Did the lich make his save vs my immobilization and his own restrained effect?

Thanks for the reminder--yes, he made his save vs. immobilized. Not that it applied during his teleport/invisible schtick last round.

Restrained is no longer a factor as his area of effect lapsed.

I thought I was dazed?  If so, how did he manage to do so much on his turn?


PS; I just used my AP but the tracker still has me down as having one.  Also I get back my minotaur's charge.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:52, Fri 22 Jan 2016.

Apologies--my mistake, I should have mentioned: he appears to be immune to the dazed & stunned conditions. I should have made that clearer when I posted.

In reply to EpicOne (msg # 48):

Well, is a 46 enough to hit his will defense anyways?

Absolutely, yes.

The save against the restrain, is that at the beginning or end of the round?

At the end of the round.

Rats, not much I can do from where I am at.

Seed of Chaos says you get a free basic attack, Agon (your choice as to ranged or melee)

Edit:never mind, thought you had used an AP
This message was last edited by the player at 04:11, Tue 26 Jan 2016.

On your next round of attacks, be sure to remember the 6 points of extra damage per hit that you do from Vali's attack.

I can't see a blue zone, only a purple one.  What happens if Harald moves into or through the purple zone?

Corrected my text--I meant the purple zone. And if Harald moves through it the tentacles attack him again like before.

NOTE: You can try to jump over the zone or something creative like that as well.

Very close to victory--once Harald makes a correction to his post, will post the really interesting stuff.

I can tell you now that it's okay to finally start leveling your guys up to level 23. Enjoy!

I will also advertise soon for a replacement player for Vali.

Anybody?

Bit busy this weekend. Will try to have something up tomorrow or Monday latest.

How is the leveling coming, folks?

In reply to EpicOne (msg # 61):

23 is just a hp increase, right? No feats, no bonus to defenses, attacks, or skill rolls? Do we get a new power-because that I can do later tonight.

Sorry for the delay guys, I'll post something IC soon.

I need to migrate my character out of DDI and into a format that I can actually update/read, which I am really not looking forward to.

What if you want to swap to something different? I was thinking of a Hybrid Paladin/Wizard of Ioun, what would be the items they get?

Ok, I did a full update of powers and hp.

Ouch. No worries, let me know how that goes. We can start the roleplay while you're doing that.



Are you thinking of sunsetting Nemeroff, then? If so, that's fine. We'd need to find a healer, then, too, to help Gromley out.



Great!

Zog, how is it going? Harald, how about you?

I am going to solicit another PC as a healer, then.

Leveled and ready to go.

Hiya, I'm a new player, Martha.

Martha is your new healer-type, so Nemeroff can migrate/be migrated to a paladin/wizard. Man, that's a LOT of controlling :-)

I'm adding one more player as well.

Harald, how comes the leveling?

Great, so I'll make her a cleric primarily then. Excellent - building away!

Harald is about done.  Like Agon I needed to move from DDI to a different character sheet which was actually easier than I expected.  I also found a couple of things which applied to Harald but which the DDI did not use.  One gives me resist 10 for a turn if I score a crit, another gives resist 10 when I spend an AP.

I will be finished later tonight.

Okay. Keep in  mind that anything you have I'm still checking against the Compendium, so I may poke you about errata if I find anything.

I will start the story tomorrow; our last player may not be on-boarded by then but I can incorporate them after the fact.

Please do poke about errata.  Now that I don't have access I need all the help I can get.

I did it, got myself a cleric. Will I go ahead and add a post to the background thread tomorrow? Seems like it won't do any harm.

Sure. Will look at your guy and at Martha tomorrow.



Acrually, I need to send you a PM about the rather different circumstances of your summoning. Look for that tonight.

This will be cool! Have to admit I'm looking forward to a shift after that long dungeon crawl.

Going to let you all chat for a minute.

Sonliin, jump in at any time.

Added one last player--everyone welcome Darratheir, who'll be playing a melee striker. I'll introduce him once he's ready.

Hey there !

I'm stopping by quickly to give you a shout-out. I'm called Darratheir (That means Fearful Fortress in Draconic) and I'm a Barbarian Dragonborn. More info about me tomorrow. :)

Super. Pleased to meet you Dara. I'm not as mad as my character by the way.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:03, Thu 04 Feb 2016.

Probably not directly relevant, given what you just said IC, Pete, but I'm assuming we didn't get an Extended Rest?

Okay, I'm not making myself adequately clear:

THIS IS NOT A NORMAL FIGHT. Don't treat it like a fight, expecting me to roll initiative and all that.

THIS IS A SKILL CHALLENGE.

I want you to describe in narrative form what your folks do and roll skills. Zog has the right idea. Everyone else needs to contribute to resolving the scene in some way appropriate to your character.

Gromley, for example, may go reactively stealth, but then you have to do more. FAILURE TO DO SOMETHING WILL CONSTITUTE A FAILURE IN THE SKILL CHALLENGE. :-)

Your guys are kick-ass 23rd level characters. Have some fun describing how they can do cool things.

If you have questions, PM me.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:40, Sun 07 Feb 2016.

I will move this along shortly. I will also be posting some guidelines about thinking "out of the box."

What's this flying disk you are using Gromley ?

In reply to Darratheir Burnedbear (msg # 84):

Tenser's floating disk. As a Psion, I can do it once a day for free, and it lasts for a day. Plus, it moves faster than I can walk.

That's kind of cool. Look at me, I'm a (almost) dragon and I can't even fly by my own means. :D

In reply to Darratheir Burnedbear (msg # 86):

Yup! And I have a familiar who can do unseen servant at will and with no material costs as a standard action. That can lift 100 pounds, and I weigh far, far less! And of course I got Tenser's Circular Shield!

hehehe.

I think there is a paragon path that lets Dragonkin grow working wings.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:49, Mon 08 Feb 2016.

Ha - just realised something.

Martha took paragon path 'Scourge of Io' to represent her hatred of dragons, and I took an avenger multiclass so she could run up to them and hit them with her sword, but she can't fly so.... lol. Not very organised!

In reply to Martha (msg # 88):

Dont sweat it. I can make them land.

Yep, there's one that let you grow real wings. You can also grow "false" wings with other path and the Avatar of Io Epic Destiny is one of them. I would have took it if the group needed a Defender but as a Striker was needed, I'm a barbarian. :D

And I don't care if I can't fly. I don't need that to beat some dragons' ass ! :D

Would be pretty funny to have an Avatar of Io and a Scourge of Io in the same party!

Yep, that would have been funny ! A chance that I wasn't able to play this Warden. :D

Giving Daratheir a chance to respond and Agon & Gromley a chance to chime in before we continue. Will update tomorrow night my time (Eastern US).

In reply to EpicOne (msg # 93):

I did chime in! I hid!

hehehe

FYI, going to be busy this weekend and not near my computer.

A more substantial update later, but FYI: the dragons were taken down by something like 150 angels. Overwhelming force. And they're prisoners, not dead.

Okay, I'm almost done with my character, but could use a little help from somebody with DDI.

Can you tell me what level the Sage of Ages Epic Destiny features kick in?  What a Guardian Staff does? And what an Ioun Stone of Intellect does?

The Utility power kicks in at level 26.

---

---

Head Slot        225,000 gp
Property
You gain a +4 item bonus to Intelligence-based skill checks and Intelligence ability checks. You also gain a +5 item bonus to the damage rolls of Intelligence-based attacks.

Thanks, GM!

No problem!

FYI: I will be offline pretty much all day today--look for more from me tomorrow.

Oh, there was one thing I forgot.  It's a Mnemonic Guardian Staff +5.  What does a Mnemonic staff do?

Not sure what a Guardian Mnemonic Staff is, but a Mnomonic Staff +5 is
Property: +2 item bonus on monster knowledge
Crit +5d6
Power Daily: minor, swap a prepared power for another in your spellbook equal or lower level, and level 22 or lower; either utility for utility, or daily for daily.

Thank you, Martha!

What's all these bennies you are spending ? I have never seen that before.

It's a house rule, see 'rerolls and bennies' thread in game menu. But this makes me realise that I actually have some bennies! (I thought I had to earn them first). So I can reroll that history check (had rolled a 2).

EDIT:
08:56, Today: Martha rolled 41 using 1d20+21 with rolls of 20.  Spending a bennie (history roll).

Skill crit - From dunce to historical genius with a bennie.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:57, Thu 11 Feb 2016.

Ahah, silly me ! Thanks Martha.
I had check this thread when I started to lurk this game but I had completely forgot about it now that I'm an actual player.

And it worked really good for you. :)
I guess I will have to just wander in the library now, waiting that all of you do the stupid work as I don't know what to look. Or I will try to find more information about Tiamat.

I have updated my last post with a description of my equipment. I'm sure I look even uglier than most of the foes you fought ! :D

Edit : you may also (or may not) have noticed that English is not my native language. If there's a moment where you don't understand what I have said, tell it ! I will then try to find a better word or try to explain what I wanted to say. :)
This message was last edited by the player at 10:14, Thu 11 Feb 2016.

A few things:

First, you will be getting an Extended Rest shortly IC, if you were wondering. (Obviously more relevant for the people who just come from the Mantled Citadel, but still important to all.)

Secondly, I just refreshed everyone's Bennies to 10, and marked off one for those who spent them.

Third, the singular for Bennies is Benny with a "y," not "Ie." Personal preference :-)

Fourth, waiting for you, Zog.

Agon, Martha really wants to see those papers to follow her epic path of Punisher of Tiamat, but she will never use an underhand method to get access, or try to steal them or anything, as that wouldn't be fun for us players. Her plan is to win Agon's trust. She's going to assume that she wouldn't be able to read them without Agon explaining. Just clarifying that, so you don't think I'm implying inter-party conflict, which I am absolutely not.

Thank you, Martha. I don't want any inter-party conflict either.

It's just, looking over the IC thread, Martha hasn't talked about her background as the Punisher of Tiamat, or clearly demonstrated that she's more than an unusual old woman. I expect that it will very rapidly become apparent that Martha is a Very Dangerous Person indeed, at which point Agon will share the notes.

Yes that's true. The friendships will evolve.

Sorry for the delay. After five months without a job, I have received three job offers at the same time yesterday. So I have started to answer them while I was at it and I have one left to do.

So I will normally post IC later today. :)

Wow! Congratulations! Hope you got the job you wanted most.

Quick tally: you have eight successes and four failures. By way of transparency, this is a 12 successes before six failures skill challenge, so giving you the opportunity now: anyone want to spend a Benny on your roll? Bit of a hint: if you rolled in the high 30's or low 40's, you don't need to spend the benny.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:31, Fri 12 Feb 2016.

Let me spend a benny on the Arcana and Religion checks then.


13:38, Today: Sonliin rolled 39 using 1d20+24 with rolls of 15.  Benny Religion.

13:37, Today: Sonliin rolled 34 using 1d20+24 with rolls of 10.  benny Arcana.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:39, Fri 12 Feb 2016.

Woops ! I spent a benny that I don't have. ahah.
Forget my roll. :3


Thanks. I will keep you in touch anyway as no matter the job I get, it will be precede by a intense training course session that might have effect on my posting rate. :)

What fun things happen if we fail? If our party is not very suited to library research (surprising given Agon but anyway) then perhaps we can find the information out another way - such as ferreting out some of Tiamat's spies and making them talk?

I can be quite persuasive if needed... :D

Clearly you mistake this for 13th Age :-)

My only fail by your standards, Pete, was an assist, so I can benny that if it matters, but otherwise I'll pass.

Having thought about this further, I've changed my mind. Considering Agon's Epic Path choice, I would think he'd be able to work out Martha's background very fast, especially in this library here. I created Martha based on GM brief of a flawed character who has a problem with Tiamat, and I also made her work well in a group. I don;t really want to explore her dark side or background - what I want to explore is her future relationship with this group of PCs. I posted her background publicly for this reason. I'd prefer if Agon 'off camera' worked out exactly who Martha was, and it's just assumed to be party knowledge.

Honestly, I echo Martha's request. Agon, you should assume that Agon has had enough time to determine that Martha is a legitimate help. Intra-party conflict is pretty much a waste of time in this story, IMO.

Given Agon's knowledge base, you might even have heard of Martha by reputation.

As for what interesting twists come out of failing a skill challenge--well, you will have to find out, won't you? :-) I just wanted to point out that you're closer than you might expect to failing the skill challenge in question because the DCs are higher (In the 30's).

Will update the plot a bit later today!
This message was last updated by the GM at 19:45, Sun 14 Feb 2016.

Okay, thanks guys.  I've posted a bit about knowing Martha's true nature, and a second part of the Skill Challenge.

I'm going to post later today. Being in France makes me a bit time shifted compared to you. Trying to figure what I could do with my best skill... Intimidate. I might bang a scholar until he gives me a book... :D

Edit : after reading it a second time, I understand that I can use whatever skill I want in my top skills list. I guess I'm going to jump everywhere again if I can't find a good use for my Intimidate skill.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:57, Mon 15 Feb 2016.

Could we make an ability check instead of a skill check ?

Yes, if you wanted to. Seems a bit risky to me unless you have a trick up your sleeve to make it better than a skill check. Skill checks have the advantage of an extra +5 to the roll. The DCs are high :-)
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:47, Mon 15 Feb 2016.

It's going to be a busy week, and today in particular is going to be rough. It's unlikely I'll post more today; look for more from me tomorrow.

Continue your discussion and firm up a direction, though I believe you're leaning towards the Secret Library as your first destination.

Also, key point: breaking the seals does not necessitate actually breaking the objects involved. "Break" could be read as "deactivate" as well.

I guess you don't really have to worry about this. This game is the fastest I play in already and I really enjoy it so far. Having a post every two days would be more than needed compared to rPol standards. :D

My standards are a tad higher than that, as you can tell. Especially with a 4e game, I like my game posting to keep up at a good pace :-)

Back to work for me!

I won't complain about that. :)

I will let you deal with him peacefully first. If he doesn't want to help, I will try to use some intimidation... :D

Moving day was today--will post a bit tomorrow, maybe on Sunday and back to normal on Monday.

Darratheir, this might be the time to use a Benny to reroll that last check

Actually, I'm ignoring the roll since I didn't ask for it.

Per the house rules: please don't roll unless I ask for it outside of combat. Sometimes your roleplay will resolve a situation on its own merit.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:14, Sun 21 Feb 2016.

I don't have bennies yet if I can trust the list.

@EpicOne: Yeah, I did the roll just in case you would ask for it. At least, it was done. :)
This message was last edited by the player at 15:29, Sun 21 Feb 2016.

To clarify: First of all, there is a thread for Bennies on the list already. Check out the Notice items. You have Bennies already.

Secondly, do NOT roll items without me asking in the future. Don't do rolls in case I ask for them.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:53, Sun 21 Feb 2016.

I checked the list and I'm not on it. Maybe you just forgot to put me in. :)



As for the skill roll, sorry about that. I won't roll anymore unless you ask for it. :)

Well, that's what I get for not checking :-) Assuming you didn't get Bennies yet was incorrect, though; I added you to the list.

And thank you.

No problem. We are here to help each others. :)

I will wait Agon results before spending a benny. :)

I have a funny feeling I'm going to be drinking some mouthwash for a speech test next. :-p

The funniest thing about our skill checks is Haralod is better at Perception than I am, and chances are I am better at Endurance!

Bit busy at the moment. I will try and post later tonight or in the morning.

Sounds good.

Sorry, because Harald forgot to put his dice roll in his IC post I  didn't realize that was his response to my request for a roll.

Sonliin, write up a vision that Sonliin has that involves something from History and update your last post with it.

In the mean time, I'm moving the story along--you all have passed the latest test.

Oops!  Sorry!  I did make the roll but forgot to add it in.  I have now done so - just for completeness!

No worries :-)

Anyone going to answer the librarians?

Now THAT's what I 'm talking about--solving the problem without a dice roll. Well done! Gave each of you a Benny along with the XP for the encounter.

We are particularly bright though.

Woohoo!

I've had some heavy travelling, but I'm back now.  Bastion sounds good to me too.

3001 posts! Woot!

All for Bastion! Huzzah!

Looks like a busy day today--I may not be able to update until tomorrow. We'll see :-)

Talk about a busy day ! I have been spending almost 5 hours assembling furniture ! :p

I'm afraid I have a stinking cold and my brain is not working too well.  I will try tomorrow to look at this.  Sorry for the delay.

Might want to spend a benny or two with the back to back 6's you rolled there Martha

Well I don't really have a context for the roll, so I'm not sure what it is I'm spending the extra energy on. Martha's not too fussed about this: after all, if the angels won't compromise (and she does not have high hopes) we will need to find another way. I'll use the bennies when it matters to her.

Actually, I was about to give you two free Bennies to re-roll both rolls--I really, really, really hate it when this diceroller does that (give you the exact same number twice).

In that case I will make both rerolls. I will edit both existing posts.

Love it. Everyone gets a Benny for that.

Ahah, thanks Martha. :D

I'm traveling this coming week. That means that my posting Sunday-Thursday will be limited. That doesn't mean you STOP posting; it just means I may miss a day unintentionally due to being busy with work-people.

Three rolls of 1 for initiative. Guys, tell me you will score better during the fight ! :D
Speaking of the fight, as it will be my first one with you, I'd like to know how you handle them. Do we, as players, have to do special things like to post all of our action. Also, do we have to wait our turn to post or do we post all together and you then put them in order ?

In short, what do I need to know before my first combat post ? :)

It's also my first fight here Darra, and possibly Sonliin's, so you are not the only newb.

I use to play Nemeroff here so if you grant attacks like a warlord, you might want to check out "Nemeroff's Cheat Sheet--MBA and RBA" to get ideas as to who you want to grant your bonus. Also would be a good idea to post there what you have in case it is needed.

As far as order goes: I will tell you explicitly who is up. Those characters must post their turn, in any order, but only those characters may post their standard/move/minor actions. Anyone who has an interrupt or an opportunity action may also post.

We will NEVER, EVER post in a jumble and let me sort it out. It is YOUR responsibility to decide when your interrupts and opportunity actions occur, not mine. If you forget to do one, that's on you. We are not doing "contingent" actions where I have to keep track of it. If I have to do that much accounting, I will make mistakes and frustrate everyone.

I do not know what you mean "post all of our action." Explain that further.

---

More delays, I'm afraid: as of Friday afternoon, I am going on a camping trip with two of my kids, so I'll be completely offline until Sunday night. I will have a much more "normal" week next week.  I will start the combat tomorrow and allow people to get going on their first turn, but there will be no update after 2pm Eastern tomorrow until Sunday night.

Don't worry about that. I've got the answers I wanted and I'm ready for my first fight.

Enjoy your camping trip. I hope you will get a good weather. :)

Does this mean Harald is - or is not - surprised?  Is he to use 1 action or all?

Harald and Martha are the only people who can act, per the earlier IC post. Harald does not act yet; it's Martha's turn. And both you and Martha get one and only one action in the surprise round.

More delays, I'm afraid: as of now (Friday afternoon), I am going on a camping trip with two of my kids, so I'll be completely offline until Sunday night. I will have a much more "normal" week next week.

However, this does not give you license not to post—Martha, counting on you to update over the weekend :-)

Noted! I will post tonight.

I understand.  I'm about to start an FtF game but I will post my action (singular!) later tonight.

Enjoy the camping!

You forgot to put me in the initiative list but considering my roll, I guess I should play at the same time than Agon, Harald and Zog. Am I right ?

What's the funny black thing with two eyes? Is that someone's familiar/pet/mount?

Yes, hope you had a good trip, Pete!

Are the squares marked with a triangle. difficult terrain?

This is usually the case with this kind of map. :)
And EpicOne added this to the post : 

I did, thanks!



Yes.

Even if it probably changes nothing, I forgot to mention that I speak to them in Draconic. I have edited my post to add this precision. :)

What kind of Knowledge check to identify the various creatures?

Good question! Relevant knowledge checks:

X - Arcana
A-B - Arcana
C-E - Nature
Numbers - Arcana

Four different checks. Don't post roll results here--post them in the IC thread.

Thanks, Sonlinn.

Agon, you might want to use a Benny on at least D as it is going to miss and teleport away (need a 41 reflex to hit it with its defenses) A is also going to miss (missing it by 2).

I will be completely offline tomorrow and offline the vast majority of Saturday; look for an update on Sunday, most likely. Would love it if Gromley can post before I get back :-)

Minor clarification on Crushing Titan's Fist.  It is Immobilized UEoMNT, not Save Ends.  Will mention this again in my post.

Enjoy the weekend!

That's what I get for not looking it up :-) I'll adjust my last post accordingly.

I don't remember you said it. What is the black thing right under me ?

That is Gromley's projected consciousness. Darratheir wouldn't even really know it's there.

Can anyone grant me a saving throw before my action? I hate to waste another round Weakened.

Martha can't - no off-turn actions.

Thanks. :)

Come on dice roller ! I couldn't score this Natural 1 on my attack and get the 11 on the saving throw ? :(

Remember your bennies. I think we all have over 10.

Yep. But I don't want to start spending more than one on the same roll or I know I will spend more than I have. :D
Maybe if I'm facing a critical situation (Or if I accumulate them too much) I will spend more than one but at the moment, I prefer to stick to this rule. :)

Update from me tomorrow.  Mini-update: Zog did kill C. E did not fall because E has flight with hover, though he was pushed.

Update from me at some point today; need to work out something first :-)

Sorry been super-swamped with work and house stuff, will try to post something up later.

No worries!

Just need an action from Darratheir.

Sorry for the delay. I have also edited my last post to say that I wasn't just trying to behead my foe but succeeded. :p

Update tomorrow.

Lol that poor devil, keeps getting bounced around different planes.

Stop sending this big baddy away from us. I want to hit him :p

You've got another target to the south--one of those pesky silver dragonborn. Go hit him :-)

Yes. But he is too far away from me. I don't like to run after my target ! :p

Agon.  I don't think you have line of sight to A.  The tower to your front blocks both your view and mine I believe.

Was hoping that the devils buddies would be gone by now before we deal with him.

Correct, that was part of the idea of his positional placement. He's a punk, that A. ;-)

Nope, I can hit him.  I've indicated a valid LoE on the map. I don't have valid LoE to E.

That line goes from Harald's square not yours.  So Harald has LOE but Agon does not.


And I buggered up initially anyway.  I was looking at the letter A and not the figure A.

The rule of thumb from 3.5. which explains it a little more clearly than 4e, is any line from any point on one square to any point on the second square.  4e says the same thing, but in convoluted "if every imaginary line traced is blocked, there is no LoE" language.

But yeah, lots of letter floating around.

I agree with Agon. He has full Line of Sight, and also full Line of Effect with no cover penalties (if he was using a power other than magic missile). He does, however, have cover against a ranged attack from A.

EDIT: he also has full LoE and LoS for the letter A (As starting position).

I think GM was mixing him up with E? Agon can't see E.

EDIT2: Agon I believe 4E says: player chooses 1 corner of his square. If he can trace an unbroken line from that corner to a corner on the target's square he has line of effect and line of sight. If you can trace the line to all four of the enemy's corners, you have unobstructed LoE. If one or two are blocked you take -2 cover, and if 3 are blocked you take -5 superior cover.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:14, Tue 12 Apr 2016.

I've been cheated wholesale...!  I had never really read the cover rules in the PHB but many, if not most, of the GMs I have played with have gone with the 'centre to centre' LOE.

Wait till I get hold of them!

The intention was not to have LOE from Agon. If his square was wrong, I would fix it. I give you guys plenty of room to fix errors, so I am expecting you to cut me a bit of slack on this one :-) Not relevant in this case, as I am ruling that Harald's axe kills the devil first.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:06, Wed 13 Apr 2016.

Not your fault at all GM.  I have just been very confused by previous GMs and their interpretation of the cover rules.

It is a holdover from early in D&D history. Remember Gary Gygax & friends were wargamers. In order to see if you could hit a figure (or counter) with blocking terrain, they would run a string or tape measure between the two units to see if there was a clear line of sight.

Nicely done, guys. Expect a break from combat for a week or two as you talk your way through the next couple of tasks.

Giving Zog a chance to chime in as well before I move along IC.

And, believe it or not, you get to level up. Please level your PCs up to 24!
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:38, Fri 15 Apr 2016.

Wow!  Such dizzy heights such have seldom been seen by man or dwarf!

Sweet.

Hurray for a new level !
This message was last edited by the player at 07:34, Sat 16 Apr 2016.

I have quite a busy weekend so might take a day or two to get Harald levelled.

Easier than I thought;

Harald 24th level

+1 to Str and Con (no increase in mod as yet)

Epic Destiny Feature
Undying Stamina: Each time I reach a milestone I regain 1d4 surges.

Dwarven Weapon Training: +2 damage and gain proficiency with
axes and hammers  Retrained out for Weapon Focus - axe

Weapon Focus - Axe;   Retrained from Dwarven Weapon Training.
+3 to damage instead of +2

New Feat
Unstoppable Charge: My turn does not end automatically after I charge;
I can take further actions.

Cool. Will have to fine tune Sonliin as I noticed in combat as he had very little one on one melee attacks.

Thank you! Will double check sheets on Monday when I have a bit more time.

Agon, Gromley, Martha and Zog, let me know when you're leveled. I'm moving the story along while you're leveling.

Levelled up!
* +1 Wisdom and +1 Intelligence
* New feat: Font of Radiance - turns anyone I crit with radiant power into shiny torch.
* Devourer of Fate: the target of my Immortal Curse (Punisher of the Gods Paragon Path) has a tougher time killing or affecting Martha with conditions.

Okay, I think I'm leveled.

+1 Int and Wis
Feat: Pure Mind, Resist Psychic 10 and a bonus to Will
and I get my Sage of Ages 24 feature, Keeper's Prescience (24th level): At the start of each of your turns, roll a d20. You can use the result of that roll in place of any one d20 roll you make before the start of your next turn.

Crazy day today--update from me tomorrow.

I get +1 Int and Cha.

Feat-Superior Initiative: +8

Topaz meditation:
Gets +2 to all defenses, +2 psi points, immune to immobilize, restrained, and polymorph effects.

Looks like Sonliin has been faster than me. :p

Sorry for the delay. The WWE was in Paris yesterday so I had to be there as well. :D
I will try to come with something about this seal but Darratheir is more of the brute force kind... :p

Everyone contributed well enough, no worries there. Exchanging some PMs to clarify something with Agon before I continue.

Nature check to figure out information on the massive maelstrom?

Sure, go ahead and post the roll IC along with your contribution to the conversation.

What's the athletics roll for? Did summoning sea horses work and have we arrived at the slat site already? Coolness!

Maybe it's for surfing :-)

Yep, Darratheir is a pro surfer ! :D

By way of full disclosure: this critter is one of the few that will have Bennies like you. And, yes, you get extra XP for that :-)

Meaning do not bother using attacks with saves, just pound it.

Lol just critted with a radiant power on the titan, straight after getting a feat that only triggers when you crit with a radiant power! Hope it was good!

Sonliin, you might also consider checking out that stone of Ioun? It's likely to be magical and you may be able to use it somehow.

Funny Martha, I was thinking that but will have to wait since I am at the bottom of the batting order.

Hope the Titan is not immune to lightning there Zog

Happily, he is not. Resist 30, but not immune. Zog still had a hum-dinger of a round, as did several of you :-)
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:33, Wed 04 May 2016.

I have a few things I can do in response to the damage. What defense did he attack and what did he roll? I think he got a 41 vs me, and If that is reflex or will it's a miss.

He attacked Reflex and the second roll was a 41--and, yes, I see that's a miss now, my bad.  He will spend another Benny to roll a 43.  What power do you want to trigger?

In reply to EpicOne (msg # 244):

Intellect Fortress-Encounter, Immediate Interrupt. Trigger-you are hit. Effect-Choose defense-until end of next turn, gets power bonus equal to cha bonus to that defense. Reflex goes to 50.

Sorry to double post, but am I 10 spaces from the titan, or 11? It might make a difference.

10 squares, and I'll adjust the turn to account for the fact that you weren't hit.

I'm assuming we are to wait for you to confirm before we act GM?

Of the pcs, I want to go last do the titans blindness is still effecting it.

Gromely, I believe Sonllin sequestered (depending on if it hit) the Titan, suggesting it might be removed from play until it saves, which will likely be at the end of its turn. IF so, by the time it comes back, it will no longer be blinded.

I guess the next question would be if I can release him as a free action once everyone is in place.

Might give us time to check out those pillars too, if it works. Martha can try to examine one of them and make a religion check.

No, I don't think you would have that kind of control over Sequester. You've already bought the party some time--that's not a bad thing.

Everyone note that you should not roll skill checks unless I call for them. There is nothing to learn from the standing stones.

Agon, Gromley, Harald and Zog are up!

Worth noting that Harald is bloodied, for those who track such things.

How does initiative work in this game where multiple PCs can post, i.e. like now?

1) events occur in order of posts?
2) DM re-orders posts in order of initiative?

Note: This round, Martha will heal Darra and Harald, she will grant CA and a +2 bonus to hit to half the allies, and the Spirit of healing will end at the end of Martha's turn.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:24, Fri 13 May 2016.

If the order matters, I usually go back to the original initiative order to sort things out. You can ask people to delay until after you or to delay yourself until others go for some effect--just ask them, rather like you would at a tabletop game.

FYI, on Monday I'm headed out of town on a business trip. I'll be able to post, but not necessarily daily during that stretch. I'll be back in the proverbial saddle by the following weekend (5/21/22).

Thanks for the notification. :)

An important point of clarification: when the cleric heals you, you do not have a say in it. She's healing you; you're not cooperating as much as receiving. I'm not going to allow you to "turn down" the healing.

And, I might add, under the circumstances, you should not over-think it. None of you have spent many healing surges, so if Martha tops you off less-than-optimally, you are realistically not going to pay for it.

You can certainly talk with Martha about where she spends her healing, but she has final say.

Waiting on one answer to a PM and then will update.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:13, Sun 15 May 2016.

That's fine.  Harald didn't need that much healing so I thought perhaps the 2 surge heal could go elsewhere.  2 surges + the rest would have taken him 40hp more than his max.  I will adjust my post.

Nobody is currently more hurt than Harald, so I don't know that I would move the healing were I the cleric, either.

Also waiting for Gromley's turn, I realized.

Noted. I discussed about the healing with Martha privately and she said she could heal Sonliin instead of me so I thought it could be better for him than for me.
Next time, I will just say thanks and take the healing. :)

Ok that's fine GM. Note fellow players that I indicated ten ooc posts ago my intention to heal darra and harald and no-one commented. What we clearly need to do is discuss in OOC or else for players to clearly signal in character their healing requirements, because otherwise I won;t know what you want. Martha's healing word are as much about buffing (+2 AC/+2 defences, etc) as about healing, so even if it does not use the full surge its still useful.

Perhaps the best would be if each of you set out the basic circumstances you would like to be healed? EG: whenever I reach below Xhp heal me, etc.

I plead guilty on this one. That's right I should have react and I'm sorry I didn't.
I will try to speak more OOC from now on so we can better know each others what we need or want.

I agree--it is reasonable to assume that you all have discussed these matters IC to some degree, being professionals.

Wakey wakey, people--everyone except Gromley is up.

Heard from Zog's player--he plans on posting tonight.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:38, Wed 18 May 2016.

I will try to update today--if I can't, look for it tomorrow.

Enjoy. If the titan do not throw me away, it will stay prone this time. :)

I'll be out of town for a few days, so my actions will be the same as the last two rounds.  Two Magic Missiles for a reliable 36 damage, and try to stay out of the aura.

For the record, Agon doesn't really have better options against a single target.  Some spells do slightly higher damage, but they all might miss. And none of the effects he can apply will last long enough for it to be worth it.

Two consecutive crazy days--I'm iffy to update today. Something from me tomorrow, rest assured.  Thanks for your patience.

Waiting for Martha, Agon and Gromley.

Sorry busy; posting now.

No worries!

The picture of Martha cuddling the scarred dragonborn has left me laughing for the last few minutes. Nice :-)

And she's giving biscuit ! What a lovely mother.
I will try to have my post done a bit later today.

Darratheir will probably not be really amiable with our old "friend" so I will give you the opportunity to speak before his own word start to set the situation alight.
I will not attack but my words might heat them up a bit... :D

Edit : Finally took the floor. I hope the message will be clear to them. They will die.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:26, Wed 25 May 2016.

Going to give the diplomacy-ish people a chance to chime in if they're inclined. Or if you all just want to duke it out, let me know.

Important note: I am not actually asking for Diplomacy (or Intimidate, or Bluff) checks. Roleplay out what you're saying and we'll see if you get to roll.

The Diplomacy DC for this one is out of reach for all of you unless you come up with an argument that's really compelling. The 30-against-7 argument isn't so much.

I exchanged text messages with Zog that he had nothing to add, so I felt free to move it along. I'll let him chime in as he rolls initiative.

Monster knowledge results coming up via PM to some folks shortly.

Also, in case anyone was wondering, this is a go-for-broke end of chapter fight. Keep that in mind.

You mean we can go full rampage and spend all our shiny powers without any problems ? :D

In a word, yes.

Hopfully I picked the right critter to use my superpower daily on. My thinking is: the talky one is always the dangerousest. Maybe I should have rolled a monster knowledge first? I had a spare minor.

If I had been able to go first, loud mouth would have been my target.

Wow! We are just lethal! Ha!

Just a reminder to everyone: when you spend a Benny, you keep re-rolling until the natural roll on the die is 10 or higher.

Boss has gone back into time out

Good job team!

Busy holiday weekend for me--look for next updates on Monday (unless I get really lucky tomorrow.)

I feel lonely. Did I forgot to brush my teeth or what ? :(

Awwww, poor scarred dragonborn holding an artifact. You'll get a chance to move up and hit things soon enough :-)

Just waiting for Gromley, who just got some info from me that he needed.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:37, Mon 30 May 2016.

I won't be the only one scarred after this fight ends.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:21, Tue 31 May 2016.

Do we know what (specifically) the artefact does?

Darratheir does now that he's bonded with it :-) You can all make Arcana checks if you want to see if your PC remembers it. You have not had time IC to discuss its properties among yourselves.

I made an important oversight in my last post: Guionne returned from banishment.

Agon or Darratheir, does that change your turn?

I wouldn't have attacked him this turn anyway. I might have tried to stun him with Dragonfear Overwhelming but let's move on. I won't change my turn just for that. :)

Mmm, yes.  With two enemies to make attacks, I'll activate a buff before moving.

[Minor] Bracers of Iron Arcana, +8 to AC until start of MNT

Yep, the stunned bad guys are definitely going to use their inaction on Sonliin.

You guys are wiping the floor with these guys. :-)

Work is busy today and then I'm on the road for work the next two. Posting will be spotty until Saturday. I will likely be able to do an update today, though, once Martha gets her turn in.

Aargh buying house, just been gazzumped; sorry for delay everyone but really tricky RL stuff happening, should all be resolved by this weekend and I'll get posting again.

No worries; congrats on the new house!

This is a play by post game; it allows for things to come up in real life, which is why I game this way. Stuff ALWAYS comes up in my real life. :-p

Thanks. We signed contracts today - hoping to move in by 24th June! Exciting!

Nice one. Can a Dragonborn join the house-warming party ?

Been out all day and just about to head off out again (sea shanty night).  Will try to post when I get back (beer permitting!)

Men of the good ship Venus...

Ha, Ha; I laughed at that round. I'm feeling awful for you GM. Us demolishing every enemy you fling at us in no way means we don't still love you.

Yeah, sorry for the Crit. But it came so well to reinforce the surprise attack ! :D

That is one sweet crit. Nice job, Darratheir! Nice to have another striker in the party :-)

And don't feel bad for Pete. He probably increased the CR of this fight by six or something.

Don't mess with an angry Barbarian holding an ancient artifact in his burned hands! :D

Feel no pity for me. For starters, you're not particularly close to finishing Guionne, and second, if you guys get to be awesome in the process, all the better!

Update at some point today.

G is a tough one but 170 points would drop most of us in one shot. ;0

Yep. And don't get me wrong--he's not well at all. This may be over soon :-)

Wow I roll like a pro! crits everywhere (for once actually triggering something) and lots and lots of damage. Can Guionne still be alive!?!?!

Update later today. The suspense! :-)
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:44, Mon 06 June 2016.

Update early tomorrow--ran out of time today.

I'd appreciate it if one of you could mark off 5000 gp from your sheet to pay for the Planar Portal ritual casting.  We'll assume you have the residuum :-)

I'll be posting Chapter 4's introduction later today!

GM, in case I go first in initiative (I did roll an 18!) can I ask: are the dragons in the air? And if so,how high? Exciting to be fighting dragons at last! Martha is the ultimate dragon slayer. I weep for them.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:48, Sat 11 June 2016.

I want to kill some of them too. The arrow would really like it ! :D

I'll leave you one, but you owe me.

The dragons are at ground level. They landed in the surprise round as the teleported into the air above you and landed.

And what I'm hearing you say is that I should add two more dragons ;-)

Shh ! Don't tell the old blind woman ! I will give her her dragon and kill the rest ! :D

Oh, only two? Anything under 20 dragons is a cakewalk.

(Note: kidding).

Ok amazing! How much fun is that! Lol half my powers only work against dragons, hilarious to be able to let loose!

Is that a +4 to saving rolls ?

I believe that is +4 to all your defenses against Fear powers. Martha, can you confirm?
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:45, Tue 14 June 2016.

I think the power just says '+4 v fear effects', which I interpret as per GM above. Whether it also applies to saves is GM call I think. I will check wording when home from work.

+4 to defense makes more sense.

'each target gets a +4 power bonus to defences vs fear effects'. So GM was right. As always!

finding it difficult to navigate using my phone.  did we get a long enough rest to recover dailys and/or encounters?

Yes, battle order shows a clean slate. (AP set back to 1, no powers expended, etc)

We have got an extended rest at the end of chapter 3. :)

Update tomorrow!

There is nothing in the power that says you can't. The trigger is that they start their turn next to you. It would be advantageous if you were next to more of them, as you get a free attack on every enemy that starts its turn next to you.

Where is the lady in question as of now on the map? On my turn I may invisibly teleport in and try to grab her and teleport away.

Flying to France on Friday morning and returning monday midnight. If my turn comes up, here is what I think Martha would do:

Minor: healing word on Zog & anyone else wounded: targets 2 PCs in 15 squares, regain HS+7d6+4hp & +2 attacks EONT & +2 defences EONT +4 fort defence +4 poison saves eont.
Move: if necessary, to place as many dragons as possible within close burst 7.
Free: use Ring of the Zealous Daily item power on Turn Undead (powers it up eont)
standard: Turn Undead (Martha's TU works on Undead AND Dragons!), d20+31 (incl +4 Mo1000L with Falchion Evil Undone & +1 rad) vs will vs all dragons in close burst 7, 3d10+13/3d10+13 radiant dmg (roll twice, pick highest damage roll Ring Radiant Storm) pushed 3 squares & restrained eont. Miss half damage.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:15, Thu 16 June 2016.

Got it. I can manage that for you.

How long is the flight to France?

2 hours - Dublin to Lyons.

Welcome in France Martha. :)

Hi Martha, if you're in Dublin, you're only 1 hour's flight from me in Liverpool!

Coolness! Watching the football?

Just the first half.  Scotland ain't playing (as usual) so I didn't really have a particular axe to grind (says he with fingers crossed!)

Lol wasn't it wales england tonight

England 2; Wales 1, I believe

For those interested, my Dragon fear hit 10, 13, 14, 19, 20, G1, G2, G5, D2, D4. So they grant CA UEOmNT. :)

To clarify something, folks: the walls of the building that Amyria is in are quite solid. You need to be by a window or door in that building to have a clue about what's going on inside, and it has to be a door or window where the angles are right.

Great action gromly! Guys I'm in airport on way back now. Action won't change probably, but will be able to post for myself I suspect

In reply to Martha (msg # 348):

Thanks.

:)