Post your OOC (out of character) comments and questions here, or feel free to just generally chat.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 1):

Jeez, i'm looking forward to this!!

And good to hear from you again, Frederick (it is with ck, right?)

cheers
Johannes
This message was last edited by the player at 21:44, Wed 03 Dec 2014.

In reply to Benilla (msg # 2):

Hej Johannes! I lige måde. Nænej, det er kun med k!

In reply to Logan (msg # 3):

ha, det må du vist lige minde john om :-)

jeg er godt spændt på det her, bare jeg også snart kan komme igang:-)

Yeah, I am pumped as well. I was amazed when I looked into the Savage Tide adventure path by the volume and quality of materials that is associated with it. And to think that I was considering running one of the old oD&D modules. By using the adventure path we get great maps, NPC portraits and battlemaps.

Oh, and sorry about the extra 'c' Frederik. You know how I am word blind.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 6):

Don't mind. I've been called worse...

Hvordan går det?

(no, I don't actually speak Danish, I just know how to use google, lol)

Hello all!

Ha! I think it does better than me and I have been learning for five years!

Gents, say hello to our lurker and soon to be third player. Two PC's is not enough so he was kind enough to accept my invitation to play.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 9):

Hello, Lurker!

(wraps cloak around his face)

I...am the Lurker...that flaps in the night

In reply to Lurker1 (msg # 11):

hehe, good one, that's a darkwing duck quote, right? My kids watch it :-)

Welcome lurker, but please bear with two of us who are note native english speakers:-) excellent work on the translation btw!

I'm guessing lurker is not going to be your character name (already got a rogue:-) )??

Do you also have a real name (maybe you can make out our's from the above?) and whereabouts are you from? Or do you prefer to be anonymous?

cheers
johannes

yeah, I like Darkwing Duck, lol

working on a new name with the DM, looks like I'll probably be a hunter



I'm Jimmy, 37, married 14 years with 3 kids, and I live in north Florida

In reply to Lurker1 (msg # 13):

nice to meet you jimmy!

got three kids as well (we'll stop at 3:-), but 39 and only married for 8 years. Native dane:-)

cheers
johannes

Woah! Are we breaking the RPOL code of silence already?! I've never found out anything about the players in my other games, not even their usernames.

OK, John, 38, married 8 years with 3 kids. I'm a New Zealander married to a Dane. We live in Copenhagen.

And one more thing. First D&D experience...

Frank Metzner Basic D&D set - the red box. Pure genius.

I didn't know RPoL had a code of silence, lol

over the years you get to know quite a bit about other players

speaking of which, I also play...

Darin Gry in The Jade Regent (going on 3 years now)
Ragnar Magnusson in Rise of the Runelords (2 years)
Magnus Payne in Kingdom of Opportunity (over a year)

so if I've annoyed you in other games, please don't hold it against me ;>


1st experience with D&D was with the goldbox games

In reply to Lurker1 (msg # 16):

wouldn't know about a code, and you ca't have bothered me before, being a first timer on rpol:-)

but mine was the red box - in danish!

ok, sleep time here in dk. John, gimme more for tomorrow:-)

looking forward to seeing your char, jimmy

speaking of equipment, do we roll, take average, or take max for starting funds?

Hehe, so I'm the young one here! But with 35 years, three kids and married for 12 years I'm not that far off.

My first (and only) D&D set was the big black one that came after the red and the blue ones.

In reply to Logan (msg # 19):

BTW, isn't it about time that Logan changes from a colour (although it kinda matches his cheek colour very well) to a proper profession for one of his talents?

(if anybody understands my underplayed and probably very weird attempt at humour - correct the spelling of his class, god damn it :-))

isn't rouge face paint?

it might take me a day or 2 to finish my character

Sigh, you guys... OK, fixed!

No probs with the character. Take as long as you need. Logan and Celene have a robbery to commit first anyway.

hmmm, maybe I'll he hired to hunt them down, lol

In reply to Lurker1 (msg # 23):



Burglary if I may. No violence is to occur... not much anyway :-)

Looking forward to seeing your character Jimmy!

Jimmy, have you settled on a character name yet? Are you going with Kassius? I would like to start your intro adventure and we can do that while you are still finalising stats.

Kassius would be fine if it makes things easier on you, it's not to far off from Caius anyway, which is what I had originally chose.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:53, Tue 16 Dec 2014.

and if you want to you can add another character under me for my companion, I'll get up a character sheet and description for him, and you can control him during combat if you like

I'm thinking "Kibeti" the Swahili word for runt

Cool. Your name changed and one cat created.

Yes, in combat you will give the cat commands using the tricks you have taught it and then I will interrupt these commands and control it in the way I think the cat understands your instructions.

Here are my current rpol.net games...

In addition to Savage Tide, I am also DMing The Mystery of the Snow Pearls. This is a one on one game I am doing with Johannes, based on an old solo module from the 1980's. It is pretty psychedelic.

I also play in three games. Castle of the Mad Archmage, which is an oD&D game based on Castle Mistamere from the red basic set. Strange Magic which is an oD&D game set in Glantri. And Legends and Chronicles: Fate of the Immortals, which is an immortals level game.

So you might ask, aren't I overcommitted? No, not at all. All three of the games I play in move at such a slow pace they are effetely dead. The Strange Magic game is the worst for pacing. It has been running for one year and we are just about to get into the first encounter with some hobgoblins. So I make a post every couple of weeks in character, and then wait 1-2 weeks for a response from the DM. Sigh.

So I have plenty of time and energy for the games I DM. I am looking forward to seeing how far we can get in the adventure path.

Johannes, has Celene got any ideas about how to get the floor plans for the Aubreck place out of Castle Terknian? Keeping in mind that you can't break in - it is much better guarded than the Aubreck house. Or are you two going to try and do it without floor plans?

I've got a tentative description up, subject to modification as I work out the details

do you want me to roll for hit points or take the PFS average?
This message was last edited by the player at 20:19, Wed 17 Dec 2014.

Oh, a talking cat!

In reply to Kibeti (msg # 32):

Hi, take an average thanks.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 31):

Hi John, she might come up with some ideas, but of course not in the burglary department (not her thing of course).

but why are we posting this in ooc? Should I do that too, or in the story thread?

not until level 11...level 6 if I take the spirit guide archetype, but either way only my master would be able to understand me

I can take a rank in linguistics to understand common at level 4, and there's always the Speak with Animals spells, or Beastspeak

And in the meantime the cat is trained to understand a few set commands, that the DM will then interpret. I am looking forward to seeing how it works out.

Btw, should any of our posts be marked for individuals, e.g. the GM, or should we always leave the ticks empty (as I've done so far - but not sure if all do this??)?

You're talking about private messages, right? Posts in a thread are seen by everybody who has access to a thread. If it is a private message then you can tick whoever you think is appropriate.

Yes, when you meet up with Logan then you will discuss it in the story thread - Celene might be surprised that he isn't better prepared and try to help. I mean, all he has done so far is peer in the ground floor windows and do a handstand to get a free glass of wine. It is not like he has been burning the midnight oil trying to accomplish the mission.

I just wanted to know about possible ideas ahead of time so I had a chance to think about good responses.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 40):

Hey, I'm right here!

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 39):


No, I can make any of my posts in the threads private to somebody. Not just the 'private messages'. But I think I got my answer: they're supposed to be readable to anyone!
This message was last edited by the player at 21:05, Thu 18 Dec 2014.

In reply to Logan (msg # 41):

Hey, I'm right here!

So you are :-) He's just trying to pep up things :-D

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 40):

Yes, if a building plan the castle is still needed when they meet, Celene will probably try out what sources she may have - lady Eseriel might know someone, and be inclined to pull a string to make her assistanse succesful. Failing that, she might try if she knows someone at the lower levels - as she's herself of 'lesser' background - who may help her for a future favour or a bribe.

Commands : Attack "kupu", Down "kuwe", Flank "kinyu", Flee "kuto", Heel "kufu", Stay "kuka"

Cool! I have written the commands on a post-it and have them on the side of my monitor so I don't confuse 'stay' with 'tear out the throat of the rogue'!

Thanks!

Just watching out for you buddy!!

don't see penny's sheet, which you mentioned, anywhere...? are we not allowed to see it?

In reply to Celene (msg # 49):

Can't you see it under Character Details?

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 50):

errr, no, don't see that option anywhere. looking under 'the cast'

character details are private to the DM and players with control of said characters, if you want the sheet to be public for the NPC you'll have to put it under description

Link back to this game= have to scroll down
This message was last edited by the player at 21:45, Fri 19 Dec 2014.

ok, general rules question:

So, Kassius is a divine hunter - never heard of that, so tried to read up on it. Hunter is a hybrid class (which looks cool, should have read this before). But the divine part i don't get: under archetypes (no idea what they are yet?), it says that 'divine hunters' are paladins??? How does this mix?

Also, where are the 'racial qualities' found? I couldn't find them under half orc race description, must be looking in the wrong place...

there is a divine hunter paladin archetype in addition to the hunter archetype, but they are two different archetypes, I might be taking the divine hunter archetype at level 3 if the DM is ok with it, which would give Kibeti the celestial template in exchange for my bonus teamwork feats

http://www.archivesofnethys.co...er%20Divine%20Hunter



and you have to scroll down for the optional traits
http://www.archivesofnethys.co...px?ItemName=Half-Orc
This message was last edited by the player at 23:13, Fri 19 Dec 2014.

In reply to Kassius (msg # 54):

oh, i thought hunter was a hybrid class, not an archetype.

exciting stuff. John, do you know where we can find it on the paizo site? Both archetypes and alternate racialtraits?

Got it, thanks. Penny's character sheet has been copied over into her description beneath the picture.

Hi, the hunter is one of the classes in the 'advanced class guide'.

http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG.../classes/hunter.html

And the divine hunter archetype is in the class options chapter of the same guide.

http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG...sOptions/hunter.html

Archetypes are ways to customise your characters even more than what is possible with skill and feat selection - by taking an archetype you become almost a subclass of the original class. You can check out the sorcerer section if you like:

http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG...ptions/sorcerer.html

But I think your character concept makes a vanilla sorcerer most realistic.

you do realize like bonuses don't usually stack right? in other words bracers of armor don't stack with regular armor

speaking of armor, this is good for Celene to wear under her shirt, it doesn't stack with mage armor, but for 3gp you have a static +1 AC with no spell failure and it only weighs 1 pound ;>

http://www.archivesofnethys.co...px?ItemName=Haramaki

not being proficient with light armor you apply its armor check penalty to attack rolls and to all skill checks that involve moving...which in this case is zero
This message was last edited by the player at 20:34, Sat 20 Dec 2014.

In reply to Kassius (msg # 58):

Oh, you've got some good tips! Definately something she'd like.

John, is that available in the city?

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 57):

Ok, still struggling with the rules: can we choose to change to any 'Alternate Racial Traits' (as long as we haven't already changed the substituted trait once before)?

Hmm, well it is in the pathfinder reference document, abet under the Eastern armour section. Sure, why not. Your character needs all the help she can get.

http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG...eapons.html#haramaki

Well spotted! Thanks, this has been fixed.

Yes, you can if you have a good story reason for it. What were you thinking off exactly?

what race are you? as a human you can't go wrong with the bonus feat and extra skill points

half-elves and half-orcs have some nice options, also as a half breed don't forget you can take feats, traits, archetypes, and favored class bonuses available to both parent races which opens up some nice options as well
This message was last edited by the player at 19:32, Sun 21 Dec 2014.

Celene is pure human. I had a quick look through the list of alternate racial traits for humands and didn't see anything worth loosing the core traits for, unless it was for roleplaying purposes.

the only alternate trait for humans I've ever considered was Adoptive Parentage for a human raised by his dwarven godfather upon his father's death

Focused Study would probably be worth it for a higher level game if you plan on taking Eldrich Heritage

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 61):



Great - and thanks for the words of encouragement :-)

In reply to several of your well intended posts:



Thanks for looking that up and deciding for me. Can't you just premake our next characters as well? :-D.

Sorry, no, I was purely looking up the rules, to learn the ins and outs - I thought that was (partly) what this OOC-forum was about? I.e. I wanted to be prepared for the next character, when you/John kills off the first one :-)

As to traits worth considering for humans it was particularly Focused study I had been looking on.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:14, Sun 21 Dec 2014.

Ok, follow-up on the rules:
can we also use the 'Favored Class Options' for our race? (Found same place as 'alternate racial traits', in section 'Alternate Racial Rules')

Actually, I was thinking about playing them for you as well - that would be a lot more streamlined. Just cut out the middleman! :P

Ah-ha! That actually sounds sensible! I've been reading on the Paizo Savage Tide forums, and some of the encounters in this first module are real TPK opportunities. But you guys are experienced and cautious, so you might be OK.

Yes. So for you (playing a human sorcerer), instead of taking +1 hp or +1 skill slot when gaining a sorcerer level, you could take an additional low level spell instead. Hmm, nice.

So different from oD&D. So much customisation possible.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 71):



Exactly :-)

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 70):



That remains to be seen :-D

the favored class bonus for human rogues (also available to half-elves since they're half human) 1/6 of a rogue talent is awesome, you don't get anything or 5 levels, but then you basically get a free feat

Hi everyone,

have a merry christmas (if you celebrate that?) - glædelig jul in danish. And a happy new year (godt nytår) too, but i hope we will 'see' each other before then:-)

best wishes from
johannes

Glædelig Jul - can we say that today or does it start tomorrow?

Also, this is an official announcement of the holiday slowdown period. Don't expect me to be posting that much.

Enjoy the holidays!

Regards

John

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 76):

What? I DEMAND my christmas gift!!

:-)

Ha! The only Christmas gift you'll get if you carry on like that is a critical hit with a pole arm! :D

Well, if I get bored then I'll post. You know how it is. I need to keep the in-laws entertained.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, we had a full house

Hi,

well, we spent the holidays going from A to B, back to A, to C, then A, and tomorrow to D. Then back to A ... sigh

I was ill (fever and sore throat on the 26nd, so while the others partied on, I lay in bed in the other end of the house - another sigh.

But my kids and wife had a great time! :-D

And yes, overall I, as allways, had a christmas, thank you!

hope the same for you?

We stayed home and hosted this year. Much better!

I'm sorry to hear that you were ill. That just saps the fun out of the holidays.

these are awesome, even for non rogues
http://www.archivesofnethys.co...0Burglar%27s%20Boots

also, check out this spell
http://www.archivesofnethys.co...emName=Monkey%20Fish
This message was last edited by the player at 21:20, Mon 29 Dec 2014.

you have been following up on celenes shopping i see, thanks!

The boots look fine but are out of her league so far - too expensive. That spell, however is awesome! Only thing missing is how it affects her skills at climbing and swimming checks?

In reply to Celene (msg # 83):

it gives you a climb and swim speed, so +8 to both ;>





circumstantial, but definitely not bad to keep on a scroll
This message was last edited by the player at 23:07, Mon 29 Dec 2014.

what spells does Celene know?

I have CLW & SNA, +1 other I'm trying to decide on

debating, entangle, obscuring mist, delay poison (early entry), or remove sickness at the moment, but feel free to suggest others

Celene has got:
Level 0 :
     - Detect poison
     - Daze
     - Flame Burst (special - as Acid Splash but a fire orb instead)
     - Mage Hand
     Bonus spell-like abilities 1/day:
     - Detect Magic
     - Light
     - Prestidigitation
  Level 1 :
     - Charm person
     - Sleep
     Bloodline powers:
     - Flame lance 7/day (3+CHA-bonus)

BTW i don't know her bloodline, and i'm keeping it that way, so no discussion of what it is:-) (as you know the rules so well, you might guess it).

I'm sorry i don'tknow the rules enough to know your options, but i'll have a look. But you could put into your considerations that Celene plans to take her next level in cleric (wee jaz) - if shesurvives that long :-)

I've mixed up the bloodline powers a little so that NO-ONE knows what Celene is... yet!

Gents, I spoke with Frederik (Logan) tonight and he said that play by post was too slow for him. So we need a replacement player...

Jimmy, do you know any other players that might be interested? Otherwise I will advertise for a replacement this weekend.

Ahh,what a shame :-(

ok, let's see what (who) comes up.

ok, from your suggestions and some others i looked at, i'd say entangle sounds by far the best, despite it's only for plant environs. But that is just me - go for what you think best of, or fits Kassius best.

Al right, I will run Logan on NPC for a bit until we organise a replacement.

OK, advertisement for replacement player posted!

Hi all!  Glad to join the game.  Just taking a look around, reading the back posts and getting a feel for the character.

Welcome Logan #2! Glad that you can join us!

What do we know about Logan so far?

- half elf, the Elven ancestry coming from his fathers side. Doesn't seem to have anything to do with his father though. Raised by his mother in Shadowshore.
- lives in Rubble Street with his Mum. This is the worst street in the worst district of Sasserine.
- cheeky, suicidally cheeky
- doesn't like paying for a drink if he can trick his way into getting a free one

Trying to keep the cheeky part in.  Let's see how it goes!

In reply to Logan (msg # 96):

Hi there! Great you could jump in! Hope you will enjoy it!

I am Celene/Benilla, but johannes from Denmark in real life.

In reply to Celene (msg # 97):

Greetings!  I'm John from the USA.

Oh, another John :-).

You will have to bare with me and my language, as all the rest of you are native english speakers :-)

In reply to Celene (msg # 99):

Yes, it has the distinction of being one of the most common names in english-speaking countries.

So, reading back through the OOC archives, everyone here has kids?  It seems to be a common thread for RPoL.  I've got 3: a three year old and a set of one-year old twins.  We were planning to stop at two, but biology doesn't seem to care what your plans are.

On top of that, my name is another (unabreviated) version of john :-) And jimmy isn't that far oof either.

Yes, and it even seems that when a couple beforehand have decided to only get one last one, then mother nature definately steps in:-) But i hope you are still happy with them both!:-)

We are happy with them both.  The first year has certainly been a *lot* of work.  But it's starting to get easier, now that they're sleeping through the night and nursing less often.

Yes, it's a blessing!:-)

BTW, speaking of Jimmy/Kassius, where have you gone off to Jimmy? Are you stillaround?

Yeah, I know we have tantrums and toilet training and all that in front of us.  But honestly, everything is so much easier when you can (mostly) sleep through the night.

Yeah, I know we have tantrums and toilet training and all that in front of us.  But honestly, everything is so much easier when you can (mostly) sleep through the night.

Some people will deny it,but sleep is essential!

yeah, I'm still rotund, sorry, just been one of those weeks, just started a new part-time job, kids started back to school, brought home some sort of stomach virus, and I just started classes for computer networking

oh, and I assure you, the fact that my wife got me a 360 for Christmas, and I just got Fable 3 for it isn't distracting be one bit...not at all...not a smidgen...ok, maybe a little bit

my three year old is named Jonathan, but we call him Jon Jon
This message was last edited by the player at 23:41, Wed 07 Jan 2015.

not one bit, i am sure :-)

One of those weeks... only one good thing about them - they eventually end:-)

As for me i am on parental leave with our youngest, so i cannot complain :-) - except i have had tonsilitis and ear infection since christmas :-(

Hopefully Celene can look past Logan's sense of humor.

sorry, she doesn't own one herself, so he is out of luck :-)

Well, we'll make quite the pair, then.

I think they manage to work it out evetually, but all starts are rough :-)

Yeah, I figured it wasn't a lot of money, Logan is just cheap.

Oh yeah, add that to the list of things we know about Logan. He is cheap. Or at least poor.

Aih caramba, i hope you are kidding, otherwise i will wory :-) I ordered a mug, not a gallon of ale :-) And whatever logan thinks, we're NOT spending the night in the private room!!! :-)

That is two silver pieces for the ale, not two gold pieces! Ten sp = one gp. So the room cost 3 gp, and it is a meeting room not a bedroom. It contains one table and a few chairs.

Oh yeah, and there is a house rule that there isn't any hanky panky between the PC's - the would just be weird! The NPC's are fair game, although we do have a 'general' game rating at the moment, so it would be handled off stage.

Considering the NPC's you'll be meeting I don't think there will be any temptation for quite some time anyway!

Don't worry about that.  Logan certainly isn't making moves on Celene.  He just wants to push her button a little bit, as he assumes she's some stuck-up priestess.

Same here. Also couldn't really be bothered about that in a game. Just good old fashioned fantasy and battle, that's me :-)

hello all, older oracle hère

Nice to be joining the game,,,

Everybody, please welcome Angati who is a rather older citizen of Sasserine...

Welcome to the game!

Also, I'll likely be absent today. We're having a "one year survival" party for our twins (and us) that starts in about 4 hours, so I'll be prepping & then hosting for the rest of the day. I'll be back to full plotting speed tomorrow.

In reply to Logan (msg # 122):

What the heck is a one year survival party ?.

He he, well, if you had twins (I don't, but I can guess), I think you'd know what he means :-)

Congratulations on getting through it, John (if i'm guessing more or less correctly)

And welcome to you, Angati! Glad you'd join us!

I could then ask what the heck 'older oracle' (or citizen) implies?

An oracle is to a cleric, what a sorcerer is to a wizard. It is a sorcererous cleric - they don't need to say which spells they have memorised.

And as for 'older citizen' comment I just meant the character is older and has lived in Sasserine her whole life.

Oh, well, we just learned this weekend that my wife is pregnant again, and I got the shivers, its gonna be the third after a long long pause... completely unlooked for... this kind of thing you think you are never gonna have to go through cuz you are smarter and so and so... :)

Also yeah, DM's description is quite correct. It basically means a bit less flexibility than the cleric, but getting some special percs in exchange.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:21, Sun 11 Jan 2015.

Congrats Angati! Now you can join the rest of us in the game who all have three kids. Yes, I have to admit that the third one has been tough...

Congratulations! Wonderful news!

Yes, this is getting to be a three-kids-club, strange... But that means that you have less than 9 months before you will be offline a while :-) Nah, with our experience number three is a walk in the park.... right? :-D

Well, we are already in our forties, and while the two we have are older, 5 and 7, we live far from any family or friends that can give a hand. I want to think however that things will be fine... we ussually don't need much help.

Anyway, let just wait and see... things are at a very very early stage now... due for September, imagine that..

Anyway, time to go to bed. See you tomorrow.

like a Favored Soul if you're familiar with 3rd edition

sorry, no i am not - my last experience with d&d was AD&D 2nd edition - SHOCK!, i know :-) and zero experience with pathfinder. But somehow it just makes it more exciting:-)

yeah you'll be fine, and the two older ones will help you along th way - but exciting!!

I just noticed Kassius' impressive signature/footer, with tons of info and now also a summary of this rounds actions.

Should i also make such a info summary in the footer? And are there any tools for doing that in here?

Also, Kassius made and inserted an edited map for the action. How is that made? (again, is there a tool for that in here?)

Hey Kassius, do you play by the name Ragnar in another game by any chance ?. If so, I play with you there with Nasmas.

@Celene: No, the system does not help at all with that. What I do is save in the ScratchPad the format with all the fields prefilled so that I don't need to fill them up each time, so put already your AC, spells etc etc... and then just copy paste from your scratchpad at the end of each post whenever needed changing the values needed (actions etc):

<hr><Orange><center><Goldenrod>Free : | Swft : | Move : | Stnd : </Goldenrod>
[Private to DM: dice rolls]
<hr>HP: |  AC: | CMD : | Saves:
</center><quote Special Notes><small><tt>[list]
  (De)Buffs :
 Conditions :
  L1 Spells :
  L2 Spells :
  Abilities :
[/list]</tt></small></Orange></quote>

Which actually looks like so:

---

Free : | Swft : | Move : | Stnd :
[Private to DM: dice rolls]

---

HP: |  AC: | CMD : | Saves:

Special Notes:

  (De)Buffs :
 Conditions :
  L1 Spells :
  L2 Spells :
  Abilities :

guilty

sorry, Celene, no special code, I created the footer with a plain old fashioned keyboard, and edited the picture with the standard MS Paint in Windows

In reply to Angati (msg # 123):

Well, twins are a *lot* of work.  Especially the first few months.  Things get a lot easier after 6 months, and against after a year.  But a lot of twin parents celebrate making it through the first year with everyone alive and sane.  We decided to do the same, since we had just been in "survival mode" for way too long.

Cool (albeit cumbersome), i will have a go at it later.

Well I really do hope that we don't get twins now... I really wouldnt have minded at first, or with the second child, as I always wanted to have 3, but if two came now... well, 4 has never been part of my plans, I really dont know what the heck we would do... :)

In reply to Angati (msg # 138):

That's exactly what I thought about 2 vs 3.  The wife and I had planned on 2, and finding out we were going from 1 to 3 was a bit of a shock.

Entangle is such a great spell. I remember it fondly from when I was playing the Dark Sun computer game. It is the most fun first level druid/ranger spell because it covers such a huge area.

FYI, in the future you guys can always just tell me the centre of your spell and I will add it to the map with GIMP. I would probably cheat and just make a circle, rather than going around the edges of the squares though. Hmm, unless I could make a template...

I think age (i.e. my age) is also a big factor. I could do it easy when I was in my early thirties, but staying up half the night now just kills me for the next couple of days.

Ugh.  I'm in my mid 30's, and it's starting to wear on me.  Especially when the twins get colds in serial rather than parallel.  I think with one baby, they have to sleep sometimes.  Maybe it's not at the most convenient time, but they have to sleep.  I swear our twins would sometimes try to cry in shifts.  It's not so bad at this point (unless they're sick or teething or...well, just about anything) but when they were 2-4 months old, we used to take shifts watching them at night so we could be guaranteed to get *some* sleep.

I fully agree to the 'age' problem... I really do feel old now... as soon as there is something that does not let me fully sleep I am completely knackered also.

GM: what should I do now ?. (talking about the game of course :)

Just as well you said ’in the game’ at the end of that! I was going to say ‘try and roll a critical when you are changing diapers’ or ‘make an endurance check to stay awake all night’!

Private post made to you. Since Celene and Logan seem to be busy doing a pub drawl of the city, we will come up with something for Agnati to do.

How should Agnati’s name be pronounced?

To me it sounds african:

'N - GA- TI

Without much pronounciation of initial A, and making an open A at ga, and a short ee sound at ti.

That's in my head however

'n-GA-tee. Sounds good.

There is a thread there for you to get started in.

FYI, Angati is at 0600 Day 4
Celene & Logan are at 1600 Day 2
Kassius is at Day -7 or something like that, stuck out in the wildness.

Okay, busy day for me, but I'm making my post now.  Trying to decide about "Bent Bertha".

In reply to Logan (msg # 147):

Awesome post, Logan! And it sounds fine to do the dialogue yourself, and with the skill use embedded. As long as it's not 'important' NPCs or events. Would love to do that too, but I wouldn't know how to determine the DC's - how/where do you get those? But there no way to do it if it requires a counter roll or skill value from the opponent, right? (as is apparent, I'm brand new to both Pathfinder and RPOL, sorry :-) )

The DC for various skill uses are in the description of the skills.  For example, the two DCs for what Logan did are right at the top of the page here:
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/sleight-of-hand

Admittedly, I chose those because they aren't contested rolls.  The complete skill list is here:

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills#TOC-Skills-List

Most of those tell you what you need to roll to do something.  For example, the DC for learning about a monster with a Knowledge skill is 10+the Monster's CR.  So you might not know that last part, but you can probably eyeball it.  It'd be DC 11 to learn about a goblin, and DC 30 for a powerful demon/devil/dragon.

sadly our manager quit this week, the good news is I've been working double shifts ;>

Sorry to hear that Jimmy. At least the OT money will come in handy though.

Cool post Benigno!

Whew! I do enjoy running the combats, but round after round of misses can get frustrating.

I think I'll switch Kibeti's animal Focus to Con since the Str bonus isn't being applied to his attack and damage anyway ;p

edit: it only gives him 2 temp hp, but every little bit helps right?

does making it through the slaves count as difficult terrain?

what's the action/DC to vault over the fence?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:05, Sat 17 Jan 2015.

Opps! Sorry. Actually I was going to ask you to point out any errors you see since I am still getting into the groove of this. In regards to Kibeti, I just used the attack and damage modifiers on his character sheet, I didn't try and reverse engineer them.

Sure, go right ahead and change over to con and add the hp.

No, they aren't going to get in your way.

Nothing. It really isn't much of a fence. No effect on movement, but it could provide partial cover.

<Red>

quote:

Aubreck Heist #117:

Make either a bluff or intimate roll, your choice.

What? Celene is certainly not going to be intimate with that gnome. I thought we'd agreed it was not that kind of a game? ;-D

On the other hand, I might do an intimidation roll for her...</Red>

Opps! Slight typo there... Damn the auto correct function.

Are you sure I wasn't doing his attack and damage right? I was giving him +4 to attack, which was +2 from his normal attack stat block and then a further +2 for the pounce...

Damn. But I have just read that you can't run over difficult terrain, which is what three of the Bullywugs did. I will remember that for next time. Sorry Kassius!

Yeah, I know OOC that skeletons have DR against slashing weapons, but Logan probably doesn't know that.

Cool, actually that OOC comment was aimed at Celene's player who is new to Pathfinder. In oD&D there wasn't DR, there was just total immunity, and I thought he would ask me what DR/XXX meant, but apparently not... ;P

Ha! No, i just say what she wants to do, roll the dice, and lets you interpret it all :-)

BUT speaking of which, I am actually need some rules clarifications from you (asked you in PM) before i can go on ...

No, you can't throw 5 flasks of holy water at the same time and do 10d4 points of damage...

That sounds like a great attack plan, though!

But Celene doesn't have the 'holy water cluster bomb' feat!

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 164):

Ah.  What kind of sorcerer doesn't take that feat?  Simple inexcusable.  :-)

In reply to Logan (msg # 165):


Sorry, i'm new at this ;-)


But no, not trying to hit it (although 10d4 would be awesome :-)) - I'm just going to soak the place :-D

Next time you'll be trying to get holy water in buckets!

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 167):

That's a GREAT idea!

Actually, i cannot remember for sure, but i don't think i have ever used holy water before now :-)
This message was last edited by the player at 09:49, Fri 30 Jan 2015.

You know what, I can't remember ever using it in oD&D either. I think the clerics were always so successful at taking out the undead at low levels that it was unnecessary, and since it only did 1d8 damage, at higher levels a normal attack was more effective.

It is more useful in pathfinder since it helps get around the damage resistance that low level undead have in this version of the game. DR 5/XXX is a real nightmare otherwise.

Yeah, but clerics can still channel energy in PF.  It's the same effect as turning undead in 3.5.

So, the player in the main story thread (which just happens to be Agnati's thread) is rapidly reaching the end of that little mini adventure and it is time to join you all together. The thing is that Logan & Celene are not finished yet. Are you two will to post in two threads for a couple of weeks while we finish off the heist adventure?

Yeah, that works for me.

Please welcome our new player - Alohan Nuari!

Aloha! Look forward to making the tide less savage!

Welcome!  I really could someone with whom to flank!  Taking down these monsters with DR would be easier if I could get some sneak attack!

sure, i'm fine with it.

Welcome Alohan, glad to have you aboard! Looking forward to joining up!

Oh, and just a tad curious, where are you (and you Angati) from? If you prefer anonymity, though, that's fine, just ignore the question! :-)
This message was last edited by the player at 21:36, Sun 01 Feb 2015.

You mean in character? or me as a player?

Oh, sorry for being vague. I meant you as a player - real life :-)

I live in Philadelphia PA, in the good ole' US of A. I am currently taking the rest of the night off to watch the superbowl.

Oh, that's right, that's tonight! Well, have a good game then! But you still have time for posting - commendable!

Another in America, it gives some good back-and-forth posting (us posting in Europe, then you replying a few hours later, and vice versa). I'm in Denmark, europe, if you haven't read the million posts above :-) - oh and my name is Johannes.

Nice to meet you Johannes. I am Ron-

Welcome, Ron!  Glad to see some new faces.  We've got quite the crew joining up for this game.

Hey there, I am Benigno, Spanish though living in Tunisia.

Nice to meet you all. :)

 Glad to meet you both. Tunesia, that must be about the same time zone as denmark, i'm guessing.

We now have 2 players and the DM on western European time, and 3 players on  US time -  I actually think it works out just fine. I’m not expecting multiple posts in a single day, as I wouldn’t be able to keep up with that myself, so I like that I can write something in the evening and then get up in the morning and read the response. Nice and relaxing.

Speaking of posting at night, did anybody else notice that RPOL was down last night (European time)?

FYI JOhannes, the superbowl is when they play American 'football'. It is like handball but the guys have a whole bunch of padding on so they don't get hurt.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 186):

We actually lost power for about yesterday; when I got back online, RPOL was down.

Weird, you must live next door to their servers....

I think its same time zone as most of Europe now... later on, Most of Europe goes into time saving while Tunisia doesnt so there is 1 hour difference (We will be 1 behind here).

Hehe:-) hope you don't easily her offended, guys? :-)

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 189):

Yeah, that's what I was wondering.  It looks like their servers are hosted in Atlanta, so probably not.  I think my outage was just local, caused by strong winds.

I've always wondered if part of the reason the NFL and American football is having so many problems relating to long-term brain injuries is if all the pads make players feel safer than they actually are, so they don't worry about ramming each other at full speed.
There's some studies that show the same sort of things for automobile safety: the safer you make cars, the more dangerous people drive (on average.)  It's like people have a set level of safety they want to have, so if you make things safer, they just take more risks.

I think I end up playing with Beni in almost every single game. Good seeing you again Beni

@Alohan: Ahh we are good at picking games then... :-) what other games do we share then ?. I go by Anansi, Nasmas and Anouar in the other games I am playing... by the way I really love your portrait and the photo at the description... really cool.

The story of Beni and I begins like three, four years ago in a game called Shores of Orthanis. He played a human ranger named George I believe and I played a half-orc named Vrbata. After that game took a dive, Beni was kind enough to play in two of my games, one as a replacement player for a wizard named Valannar (or something) and then a flamboyant witch named... Ishra? Geez it has been awhile..

Anyway, fast forward a year or two and we just recently played in a game where I was a wizard named Heph and Beni was a half-orc. That game bombed however just before this game, I was a hobgoblin arcanist named Dnur and he was a thug named Rum.

RPOL is a big place but it seems I migrate towards the same group of players.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:17, Tue 03 Feb 2015.

In reply to Alohan Nuari (msg # 196):

Hey Ron, so since you are a more experienced RPOL'er, I was wandering:

- in the games that failed, what was the cause? Player dropout or DM fatigue?
- what is the longest game you have ever played in here on RPOL and what do you think was the secret to its success?

It sounds plausible. I've heard the theories before, but never seen them first hand. Intriguing, yet pretty hard to prove in reality.

Uh, any points for guessing Alohans inspiration :-) ?

ohhhhh man... play-by-post theory. Welcome to Rpol Theory 101. Today we are going to talk about fundamentals. Seriously tho, I could write a research paper. Hope you brought your reading glasses...

Why do games implode? I think the leading cause is GM fatigue BECAUSE players drop. There are two kinds of GM fatigue- 1) I am going to make this RPOL game because I have free time NOW and I am bored and 2) players keep disappearing. The first type of fatigue isn't as prevalent since many GMs already know how taxing running a campaign can be... Fundamentally, many GMs might have free time now, this week, this month, even this year, but when things in their personal life start to pick up pace the game will fall to the wayside. I think recognizing "I want to run a game" is as important as "this is a lot of work and dedication." A GM can prevent himself from burning out of his own game by recognizing his faults, when he wants to play, when he is in a rut, and communicating all of this to the players. I find RPOL games mirror relationships. There is an initial honeymoon phase where everyone refreshes their page 12 times a minute and then there is the deep set, 'I check this game in the morning, at lunch, and at dinner.' When a game evolves from the honeymoon phase into the married phase, many GMs tend to falter.

Second point was -Players keep disappearing. The dreaded player drop. Now, this is a very interesting topic since their are and uncountable reason why a player disappears. 1) players don't get along with each other or even the GM. Two games ago, Beni and I played in a neat game that was a homebrewed... Pacific islander inspired pathfinder game. There was a ton of disconnect there between the GM and his players and when Beni brought it to his attention (via PM mind you) the GM got offended enough to posted all the dirty laundry in the OOC. He asked for opinions, people gave them, and he got upset and deleted the game. You have to have thick skin. You have to be willing to communicate and you have to not be a dick. This is really standard "how to treat a human" type of stuff but it never ceases to amaze me how much RPOLers tend to lack this skillset. I actually think RPOLs stance on player anonymity is the underlying cause but that is a whole 'nother topic.

2) Players disappear cause the GM isn't putting in the work- I am of a belief that bigger and better posts and dialogue enhance the game and I believe a good, strong pacing can keep a game alive for months. BUT I recognize everyone has their own style.  I am not a diva. I can play in another DMs style and not try to influence him to be more like that one GM I had so long ago. OR influence him to be more like me and how I would GM. Everyone's style is different, doesn't make it right or wrong. Again, some players go into a game looking for one thing, then disappear when it isn't present.

In short, a GM who puts in a shit ton of effort -several stickied threads of world information- can suddenly delete his game cause 2 of his 6 recently acquired players never seem to log back in. It is heartbreaking. It takes the wind out of a GM sail. It kills the game.

So what works? I am going to toot my own horn. The longest games I have played in have been the ones I have GMed. I haven't played in a pathfinder game that has survived for more than 6 months. I don't think I have ever gain a level and the amount of games I have participated in... well I lose track. So what is my secret to success? Honestly, I don't know. I think the players I have -Jimmy included- mesh well together even if they hardly know eachother after a year and a half of playing. I know their perseverance contributes a lot to the game's success. But I also think my dedication counts for something. At least I would hope.

But yet, not even I am impervious to the dread dropped player. Out of my original 5 players, 2 had to be replaced. Fortunately, the 2 replacement players have been with me ever since. Believe me, it sucked when players drop. I was in a funk and almost brought the game to a standstill. With some creativity, and finding some great players, the game got new life and continues to this day.

So there it is class, RPOL Theory 101. Next week will be the topic of structure and why I find it important.

And yes Johannes, you may guess as to our inspiration for Alohan and Remmi! If you succeed, it will only enhance the entertainment I get out of his character.

In reply to Alohan Nuari (msg # 201):

If we guess right, will James Earl Jones play your father?  It would fit my guess, after all.

In reply to Alohan Nuari (msg # 200):

Did any of you read the thread over on the community chat forums about long RtJs?  The GM of the longest running game I'm in posted about his rationale for having a very detailed RtJ for his game.  (4 players, going on 8k posts.)  I think it might act as a kind of commitment device.

My RTJ wasn't as extensive but I also drifted away from the norm. Sure I asked for a writing sample but I encouraged potential players to just go grab one from another game. For the most part, a lot of my RTJ was just personal questions about who the players were. I tried to find some that hit on common keywords and ideals. In the end, I picked five and trusted my gut.

4 players going on 8k posts is quite impressive. How long has it been going on? If I would guess, maybe 3 years?

Actually, it started on Labor Day, 2013.  So about 1.5 years.  Admittedly, we're on our 6th OOC thread.  I think we have a tendency to chatter a lot outside of the game.

Cheaters. My 1.5 year game only has two and I am only at 4100 posts!

That's where i would put ny money too:-)

Hmm, i'm new at this, so i have missed a few 'spots'. I didn't realise there was a RPOL-code of anonymity - actually thought John - sorry, our DM, was kidding. Sorry for my ineptness :-(.

Also, i haven't done all this RTJ-stuff, as i knew John before, and he just asked me, so i don't know the value of it. Hard to have an oppinion...
This message was last edited by the player at 08:05, Wed 04 Feb 2015.

@Alohan: AHHH  THERE YOU ARE :) It really makes me happy that we meet again. [Private to Alohan Nuari: And hey... if you are looking for recruits on your game, please let me know... :) I'd love to play with you again... jeez does that sound bad.]

As for RPOL 101:

I do agree with Alohan. But I have been, and still am, in a couple of very long running games. (In one I have been for more than 2 years, and entered as a replacement, it has been going on for about 4 years I think, and in the other, since the begining for also more than 2 years).

Anyway, to me most important factors are:
- The game goes first: I mean in the game, not before personal life. That is, keeping the game alive is a task for everyone, although most of the chore falls in the GM. So what do I mean by this ?. Well, a game that does not advance gets stagnant and dies. And how does a game advance ? well... thats the problem, you see, it depends but it must be something that agrees with everyone.

That is why open communication is the most important thing needed. And open communication means that some people always need to adapt. That is why the effort is shared between players and GM. Because players also need to adapt:
- To a posting style.
- To a posting Rythm.
- To an overal theme.
- To the setting.
- To how fights are conducted (at times in pbp you need to simplify at certain fights to keep on moving... but other times you have to give the player that enjoys the strategy side of the fight have a go at it and show off his character).
- To discussing and making decissions OOC so that the game moves on. I think this is one of the most important things, that get overlooked. If in need its much better to just decide OOC the outcome of a decission or a fight or whatever, and then just make a summarising post rather than slowing everything to a halt. Not everything needs to be done IC, not everything needs to be IN Character... people need to make concessions so that things get moving with the most overall enjoyment of everyone.

Now the GM has the most work, because its his role to make the content and to keep the story moving. If the story stalls, its never the fault of the players (unless they are not posting)... and even then, its the GMs responsibility... you need to talk it out before the game is ruined and if that doesnt work, you need to sack those players before the game is ruined.

If players and GM are in the same chord, mature enough to know not always things go the way we want but that the sacrifice is worth in the sense that the game moves on and there is more enjoyement ahead, and if life doesnt make a bitch along the way (which at times just happens) then the game moves on.

Ussually though, in a group of 4-6 people a couple of replacements are needed after the first months. Most people, just go for 6, and then don't bother to replace when they get down to 4...

As for tough and hard RTJs I am really do HATE THEM... I mean, I wouldnt if the GM was actually making the same commitment when he asks for all that information and effort... but of the games I have played, those that asked for the most work have been the ones that have failed most miserably because of the GM.... and I really hate spending a week to make a good RTJ to have the game stop in a months time.

To me, what a GM should be looking for is maturity, a player that fits his play style, and commitment. The background and character can be worked together, and judging the players based on how you like the background they sent is a bit of a nonsense... if you want a background to fit your story, just work it out with the player.

So... I am liking it here very much. I like your posts... they always move forward, while giving also enough detail in a nicely written way. I like that we have discussed on the character and found common points to work on, and all that gives me lots of hope :).

AS for the game Alohan was mentioning, the reason why I wrote to the GM in the background was just to give him a suggestion on how to make his posts so that people would reply to them... He wrote a post with just a generic description, with no cues on what to do and expected that all the players would be making actions while in an alien environment that no 2 people would picture the same way... anyway, he did not take on suggestions and just said we were ruining his game, by not wanting to post.

Anyway, thanks for listening and for asking.

Cheers,
Benigno.

OH ! and one very important thing:

As the DM you are putting more work and hopes into this than anyone else. Ultimately, your word is the law and there is nothing to discuss on that. Players then have the choice of staying or leaving if they don't like it... but not of ruining the game to everyone else (least of all you who is putting the most effort).

I agree with Beni. DMing is different on PbPs which many people seem to not realize. Their tabletop group might love their style at the table but PbP is really different in some ways.

Anyway, I actually prefer the lack of anonymity coming from Johannes. Getting on a first name basis with people is so much better when running a game. It helps people put a face to a character. For example Angati becomes Beni from Spain by way of Tunisia- It just.. helps keep people together.

@Alohan

Indeed, thats something I dont dig from rpol. It would be much better if the names were public, or if at the very least you could have a public name that shows in all your games. As a DM and as a Player you end up knowing who you like playing with and who you dont, and in here its like they have made it so that it is difficult to tell... and incredibly easy to loose track of one another when the game dies...a shame actually.

Here goes my email for posterity :P benignoc@gmail.com

Oh, and if you want to know more about me, there's some songs I have written: https://soundcloud.com/benigno-calvo-adiego

And here my webpage... which is quite a bit outdated: http://www.benignocalvo.com/

But how do you know a player fits your style without a little from them?  A one-sentence background probably isn't enough to show that?  And doesn't a longer RtJ show some commitment? I realize there's all kinds of games here, and I've enjoyed games with less strenuous RtJs as well.  And I've had other games with strenuous RtJs fall by the wayside.  I might just be swayed because the most successful game I'm in so far has had a strenuous RtJ.

On the other hand, I think it does have a lot to do with both the players and DM.  The DM needs to keep posting, getting through the occasional rut, whether caused by events in their personal life or the game.  And the players need to do their part as well.  Sometimes, I'll post something in a game to try and move it forward, even when it's not a great post, just to give other people something to react to.  Actually, that's something I'm still trying to master: giving enough in posts that gives other people something to respond to.  It's not enough to just say a sentence, or do an action.  You need to do something to which someone else can react.  At the very least, ask a question, provoke a reaction.

Absolutely true, and a fact that many players, and some DM's seem to forget about.

Wow, thanks for really taking the time to answer my questions with some lengthy answers. I consider myself lucky to have such dedicated and experienced players in the game.

Ron & Benigno Re RPOL Theory 101: lots for me to think about there. I definitely take the point that the DM needs to be willing to hear out the players' thoughts and concerns on the game and listen to what they are saying. Oh, and 'don't be a dick'. That should be our game motto. :)

I also want to reassure everyone that I won't be giving up, not under any circumstances I can imagine. I love RPG'ing and I have been away from it for too long, and I also quite OCD about long term games. I once played 'play-by-email' computer game called 'War in the Pacific'. This was a real time game of the Pacific Theatre of Operations in WWII. 'So what?' you might say. Well, when I say real time, I mean that one day in real life was one day in the game, so I played for 3 years from 1941-1944, one day at a time. The really crazy thing was that my opponent also kept playing for all those years! So anyway, I am in for the long haul.

I just want to add one more thing that we need to be careful of, and that is SWAMPING. Because Johannes and I are in the same time zone and even put the kids to bed at the same time, we can trade half a dozen posts in one evening. The problem is that this means the other players are blocked out of a lot of decisions. SOLUTION: Be aware of it. We won't trade too many posts in one evening. And Johannes and I also have our one-on-one game to burn off energy on as well.

Ron, I look forward to RPOL 102 - 'Structure & its Importance in play-by-post' :) You should seriously post this in the RPOL community thread.

John(Logan): James Earl Jones? Yes! You are spot on, but... Duh! <Slaps forehead for hand> How could miss that opportunity for an NPC?! I'll have to figure out away to get King Nuari into the picture somehow. It'll be quite far down the road though.

All: Using RTJ's as a screening device. <shrug> Who knows. I am very happy with the players we have landed for the game. They were selected from people I know (Johannes/Celene), a lurker who turned up even though the game didn't have the looking for player's flag set (Jimmy/Kassius), first person to apply when I advertised for a new player (John/Logan), very impressive RTJ outlying why he wanted to play (Benigno/Agnati) and recommendation from a player already in the game (Ron/Alohan). So *knock on wood* we should be right for a couple of months at least.

John & Ron: So John has played in a pathfinder game that has been going for 1½ years, and Ron has DM'ed a game for 1½ years. What level are the characters at?

Johannes Re The RPOL code of anonymity: Well, I wasn't joking at the time. Some people take their anonymity very seriously on here, but in hindsight I am really glad you asked. Why do people want to be anonymous? Just in case they want to be dicks later down the line?! Having (first) names for people makes it more personal and maybe it will help us sort out issues down the line.

Benigno Re good advice for DMing: Please please feel free to PM me at anytime to help me out with some of the issues that you noted! I am concerned about how our group combats are going to go. How can 4-5 players have a combat one round at a time when we are placed around the world? Wouldn't the first battle with a couple of goblins take a week? I have some ideas for solutions, but please help me when we get to that point.

Benigno Re it being my game and my word is law: Yeeessss, but after you guys put so much work into it, it becomes your game to. I don't want to piss somebody off so bad that they leave six months and 1000 posts into the game. On the other hand, I do provide the final word on the physics and NPC's of this world. We will see how we go.

Beningo Re Music: Very very cool! Can I link to it in the game if the right scene comes up? Heck, if I did find music for scenes that needed some, would anyone listen while they read the post?

Beningo & John Re the DM needs to just keep posting!: Yes, I agree. I know from the RPOL game I play in, it is so frustrating if they don't step in and provide guidance, additional descriptions and just... movement! And as for the DM writing posts that don't lead anywhere... Oh man, I have experienced that first hand as a player as well.

We're level 4.  I don't think the GM is tracking XP, more leveling us up when he feels it is appropriate.  We're doing the Rise of the Runelords AP, which gives some feedback about appropriate times to level, though I think we're often a level or so ahead of where we should be because our characters are *very* non-optimized for combat.

I have to admit, I was a little worried when I got into the game just by being the first to respond, but it seems we have a really good group of people here, and everything is going smoothly.  Part of that is probably referrals, though.  I guess, in a sense, there's only two "random" joins: Kassius and me.

1.5 years and players are about 3.5 level. Don't have to worry about swarming me. I get enough downtime at work to read through threads and sometimes respond. But yea.. this game should be good.

I second John's notion on the experience and dedication of this great group of players. It's certainly looking to be a great time here!

As for Rpol Theory 101, and its' replies, it's an impressive amount of consideration and contemplation that's gone into just a few days posts. I'm hard pressed to digest it all, but i've noted a few points:


That sounds likely, Ron, and I'm expecting it. Just don't know when. Not yet, anyway, and I'll be sure to cheer you through it, John :-)



Not knowing RPOL'ers except you guys, I'll just add that so many other people lack it too, I find it hard to think that RPOL'ers could be any worse. Let's hope un-anonymity has helped us a bit here, DM and players alike. But it's not easy, people are different, have different cultures, different senses of humour etc. Real life shows how hard it can be to juggle human relations. Anyone, feel free to let me know (PM if you're considerate to me :-) if I overstep any bounds.



Logan, I hope my post provoked, but not too much (as per the above)? :-)



You're right John. I haven't given that much thought until now. I'll do my best to turn it down a bit, even though I'm so excited about this game that it's hard to :-)


I naturally agree, and I'm delighted that you want to 'get a little closer' by giving your names, but I am also serious about it's absolutely alright not to be forthright about names or other personal information. We might get other players down the line, so it's of course important to be open to this. My private mail is jplomborg@yahoo.dk, if it's of any use. Afraid I don't have any cool websites nor creative talents as your music, Benigno. Awesome!

'Nuff posting for now, it's the americans' turn now ;-)

@DM: Feel free to use my music anyway you please here. Soundcloud is a great way of finding music, and setting up a mood in the post... I'd use it sparingly though, some of us access this at work, and I don't see myself putting on my headphones to get the fullest of a post everytime I log... however, for certain key scenes I think it might be quite cool.

@All: As for Combat management, a few simple rules I see working quite well are:

• A separate thread with prepared spells, abilities etc. One post per character, that he updates editing his post.
• A preformated text at the end of each combat post, (much like what Kasius did), that we all stick to, with current information on AC, HPs, standard action, move, free, swift and any bonuses etc... This helps DM GREATLY to avoid having to enter into each players character to resolve each round.
• A simplification on initiatives, in this way:
      - Higher inits, are taken into account by giving them chance to act as if in surprise round. Then:
      - If most players act before mobs, then all players act 1st in no particular order, then all mobs... and the other way round if most mobs rolled higher.
• GM writes stats of mobs at each resolution (including AC, HPs etc, so that players can incorporate the results of their attacks in their post RP. (This works with experienced players... if not, the alternative that also works but its more work for the DM is to do the other way round, having the DM write in his post a detailed result of the actions of all the players, and then the actions of his mobs).
• In very simple combats, maps are not set or updated in detail.
• If someone doesnt post in a day, DM assumes a reasonable course of action for the character and NPC's him/her.
• Attacks of Oportunity, need to be rolled by DM for the characters, to avoid further time spent in the round..

Most important is the rule about not following strict initiative order... it is hard enough to post when you get the time, but if you also need to wait for player 1 and player 2 to post their action, before you post your action, days are lost. In the way described before, you can aim for 1 round per day. And that really is tops speed you can hope for in a normal game, so you can see how combats really slow down.

For streamlined things, (simple combats) we go for a declaration of intentions (OOC mostly) and the GM then describes the combat. Stopping if there is any critical decision to be made.

I hope this helps. It is by no means the only way, its what I have seen working that keeps a balance between keeping the tactic aspects of the game more or less intact along with making combats interesting when they need to be, and fast when they also need to be fast.

Cheers,
Benigno.

I would like to apologize to everyone, my part-time job turned full-time with our manager quitting, and has since turned over-time with the loss of the other keyholder as well, I've only been there a month and I'm basically acting as assistant manager since the assistant manager is acting manager, lol...all while struggling to meet assignment deadlines with my classes. I like the time and a half, but it sucks that I hardly get to see my kids, and don't have much time to relax and play games.

I am willing to bow out if you think that would be best for the game, but I hope my schedule will settle down once they find replacements.

---

I also play:
Darin (Human Inquisitor3) in The Jade Regent (3.5 years/almost 5k posts)
Ragnar (Human Barbarian2/Oracle4) in a Rise of the Runelords game (2.8 years/almost 5k posts)
Magnus (Half-Orc Alchemist3) in kingdom of Opportunity (1.7 years/over 4k posts)
This message was last edited by the player at 19:07, Thu 05 Feb 2015.

Jimmy! No need to apologize at all! We have to roll with the punches and fit our gaming in around whatever life presents us with. You have one heck of a pedigree on RPOL, so I knew that you would never disappear unless you were stuck handling real life issues.

So, please no need to bow out. We will write Kassius into the story when you are back to normal operating conditions again, the only thing I ask is your permission to run him through the prelude in NPC mode so that when you do come back you are ready to join the main story stream.

You shouldn't worry, we still have a couple more things to do until we start the adventure path properly, and even then things are local at the beginning so there are heap of opportunities for Kassius to get written into the story.

What do you think?
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 20:39, Thu 05 Feb 2015.

Hi Jimmy, no apology needed - for my part anyway. No problem at all, we all know that real life hits hard sometimes. And now that the DM has had his say, it's safe for me to skip in and say 'stick in there', if you can. As long as the DM can handle the shuffling around etc. I think it's just fine you having a 'leave of absence'. Hope things work out better for you soon!

In reply to Celene (msg # 223):

Celenr: re the Detect Magic. You can cast all of your cantrips (0 level spells) unlimited times per day. So nothing's stopping you from Detect Magic.

In reply to Logan (msg # 224):

Ah, sorry mate, but Detect magic is one of three I have from my 'Sasserine Native District Feat (Noble district)'. And can only be used once :-(

In reply to Celene (msg # 225):

Ah.  Well then that's different.

@Kassius: We were missing you.... glad to know that you are ok

In reply to Logan (msg # 226):

Ah, that's what I love about this PbP - you have all the time in the world to  think things through. For instance, the idea of the sword concealing itself came to me in the morning shower.

As I'm sure John will attest, I'm quite slow yet thorough at gaming, always thinking everything through an extra time, or five :-) This is just my kind of pace!

:D Yes, I remember that from our tabletop sessions very well. Actually, I really loved that you took time to look around the dungeon and actually think about what was in there and WHY things were in there, rather than just push through into the next room to find the next thing to wack. We certainly had a wide discrepancy of styles in that group though.

Thanks, that post was worth its weight in gold. Things I want to incorporate:

• A preformated text at the end of each combat post - I am spending a lot of time looking all the information up, and it seems an effective solution.
  
• We have to simplify initiative. I mean, if the order is Johannes in Danmark, then John in the US, then back to you in Tunisia then over to Ron in the US, then me rolling for a mob in Denmark then back to Jimmy in the US we will NEVER get anywhere. All the PC's go in one block in the rough order of whoever posts first, then the mobs. There is no surprise round as such, but mobs may go first if the situation calls for it e.g. they launch a successful ambush. So the PC's miss out on surprise round opportunities, but gain the privilege of going first every combat. That is a good deal - although high initiative characters loose a little of their shine.
  
• We will see how we go on maps. I love maps, as you may have already noticed! It doesn't take me much time to update them.
  
• After... I don't know, 24 hours or maybe 36 hours of no posting, I run the PC in NPC mode for a round.
  
• Yeah, I will roll for PC attacks of opportunity

Cool, I am looking forward to our first real combat. That party can dish out a lot of damage, but is very poor on defence I think.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:19, Fri 06 Feb 2015.

In reply to Celene (msg # 228):

And as you can tell by Logan's actions, sometimes he's a whee bit impulsive.

It's a good balance. Celene tends to over analyse everything and you two won't get through the dungeon before dawn if you spend all night casting detect poison on every 5' square.

Epic battle in the great hunt thread, and a good example of some of the problems that we need to avoid in the main game. The good guys should've all has actions in one block, then the bad guys all together - too much chopping and changing. And the bullywug's AC was too high which lead to many rounds of aimless chopping.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 233):

Those battles are the worst.  Just turn after turn with nothing happening.  Hopefully, in group battles, things would be a little more dynamic.  You'd have people with all kinds of different abilities and ways to combine them.  Though I've had some fights on RPoL where the dice roller has been extremely one-sided, and the PC's having trouble rolling over a 10.

Yeah, I think it is up to me to think about encounter design and avoid that situation. Battles need to be dynamic and eventful. E.g. situations like the bad guys sitting behind cover and taking pot shots just leads to boredom, even if it is the best strategic choice for them.

It's better if the bad guys are bold and make interesting moves, even if that means that are less effective.

And I will keep and eye on those AC's for the first couple of levels.

Sure he is, but I've always seen him as young and impulsive - fits the bill perfectly! Though it might get him killed off quickly.... ;-)

In reply to Celene (msg # 236):

Though if he lives, he'll feel vindicated in how he lives his life. :-)

In reply to Logan (msg # 237):

Fine playing in that last post, btw! Celene was promptly outraged :-D.

In reply to Celene (msg # 238):

He's an impulsive street urchin with a penchant for petty larceny.  She's a temple-rat with mysterious powers.  Together, they FIGHT CRIME!

Yes, except so far they have only COMMITTED CRIME!

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 240):

Just a little bit!

In reply to Logan (msg # 241):

They are both going to burn in hell for this...

@DM: Not sure if you are waiting for me to post directly at Barges or I am to wait for another introductory post ?

In reply to Angati (msg # 243):

Sorry, but you have to wait a little bit longer. We need Alohan and Celene to get together first. I am still figuring out with Johannes how much of Celene's setup should be done off camera.

OK, Celene will need to be in two threads at the same time, then at least we can get the ball rolling.

As soon as they get to the merchant district and Bronson's shop then they will all meet up.

Johannes- would you mind posting first as Celene in Barge End? I don't want Alohan to jump right in hitting on everyone, as it is his prerogative.

Ron - sure, uh, though not quite sure what you mean. Are you being considerate because you (Ron) don't want to 'step on my (Johannes') toes', or are you afraid he (Alohan) is going to make things difficult between the characters (him and Celene) for their future cooperation? In either of those cases, don't worry at all. Don't know if you've read it, but Celene has been pretty hard on Logan (I have been trying to squeeze in a 'sorry' or two, but he's fortunately been giving back in his own way), and whatever Alohan tries, Celene will be giving him an icy stare + cold shoulder (despite her fiery nature). Whatever he thinks his prerogative is :-) Although she'll probably be impressed none-the-less, if your character image is fitting?

Should you think he's going to make too much of an arse of himself, don't worry either - that's Celene's view on most people she don't know yet :-) But she warms up to them, if they don't try to kill her too quickly :-)

Or is it something else i'm missing?

In any event, Celene's mind has just become preoccupied with something else - so i'm afraid she's more or less going to ignore the two guys for the moment. He's free to try his luck :-)

More of the later. I don't want Alohan to immediately spoil their future relationship based off of his typical behavior. If you described Celene as having "do not disturb" written on her face, Alohan would take the cue.

Image is fitting but Alohan would be leaner than the pic I found. Not by much but more of an athletic build.

Anyway, Ill work on some bits tonight but ill probably be posting tomorrow.

ok, hope you can work with what I've written? Anyways, they'll work it out eventually :-)

And on a side note:
One thing i've found hard to convey in both spoken and written RPG is how charismatic a character is. John has been helpful enough in describing Celene as 'very attractive' which of course gives a clue about her, even though that's purely her surface appearance he has described. But I have a hard time figuring out about your other characters. E.g. Alohan may just have an impressive physique (str+con), but on the other hand, his behaviour in the market implies a charismatic nature - but again it could just be his foreign background that makes him interesting?

implied or inherent quality as charisma is really hard to convey in words. Such characteristics are normally felt (in RL), even on a subconscious level. But in the same way, our characters ought to respond better/subservient/adoring/etc. to other highly charismatic characters - in general of course, but certainly altered by what the character says or does.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:56, Sun 08 Feb 2015.

Angati is REALLY charismatic. And she is beautiful, although not ravishingly so as she is already over 50 and it shows.

I just want to say that I don’t think storing salted hams in the basement is that weird. We always kept our ham in the basement when I was a kid, I mean, where else would it go?

To be fair, we didn’t have a zombie in the basement… Unfortunately…

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 251):

Yeah, I don't think storing salted hams in the basement is weird.  I think it's weird if you dig a secret underground dungeon, and stock it with both hams and undead.

True... But those are just his two hobbies, animating the dead and eating high quality salted pork. I suppose the zombie would have eaten the hams, damn dungeon ecology. Hmm... You noticed that several of the hams had been chewed.

Well, it could be that zombies only bite because they crave the spark of life.  In which case preserved hams wouldn't have any appeal.

Yes! So the zombie was actually guarding the hams! Actually, I originally had a number of things in that part of the dungeon but since your thread was behind I cut almost all of it out and the only thing that got left was zombie... and ham.

Well, if you need to leave only two things, why not zombies and ham?  They go together like chocolate and glass shards.

I jsut brewed some beer so my basement has fermenting wort, kid toys, dust, and workout equipment.

How are we handling languages in this game?

you're only allowed to curse and swaer if you stub your toe of hit your finger with a hammer. ;>

Hey -what does everyone see in my most recent post? Can you see the dialogue? Languages aren't set up in this game but I preference the post as if they were. Looks like the ruby code acknowledged the format.

In reply to Alohan Nuari (msg # 259):

I see a two lines of dialogue in "Language Unknown" that I can't read.

And I see the actual text since I am the DM.

OK, Nuari language group created and Alohan & Remmi added to it. It is PLG 1.

So what do you none Nuari speakers see now?

Agnati is charisma 17, while Celene is charisma 18. They are both basically the most beautiful women to walk the earth. Hard to describe that in the game without being creepy though.

I see the same language unknown thing.  Looks like the language groups are working.

Looks to be working on my end. Working on a response.

Actually Angati is 18 too... aging seems to do well on charisma it would seem.

.... not that its a beauty contest Celene... but, I have the charms... you... well, you look like you are calling for attention with that hair and all...  :P lol
This message was last edited by the player at 19:13, Mon 09 Feb 2015.

Hey Benigno, do you have an updated character sheet with the aging taken into account? I have been using this one:

http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=78690

Hello, yeps, thats the one, It was set as temporary adjustment to make it easy to see it, but maybe you prefer I set it as final one... whatever you think best.

Ah-ha! I finally get it. That is perfect.

Yeah, so her charisma went up as she aged? Weird, my charisma has definitely been going down as I have been getting older.

Well, you are probably more charismatic, more aware of when you make an ass of yourself and less beautiful than when you were younger... that's usually the case :)

Hmm, by that line of thinking, Angati shouldn't have that extra point in charisma for being old, if I understand correctly that she's a young woman trapped in an old body...? :-)

In reply to Celene (msg # 271):

Well you know how magic is... if you have previous experiences with these type of affairs however, please do share them :-) Thinking about this myself, I thought it best to just go on as per the description of the curse. After all, there is no hard evidence that tells us that charisma is a result of years lived, rather than a way to compensate the rest of the things that are failing.

I'm just saying, my charisma is going down over the years - it's no use pretending otherwise - if anyone thinks their charisma is going up as they age, then please feel free to explain it. The benefit for being more wise does not offset the decrease from being uglier.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 20:51, Wed 11 Feb 2015.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 273):

Lol... its one of two:

- Either you were really good looking when you were young and that helped you much in your relations...
- Or if you were one of the normal ones (much like me) I feel that I have a much higher degree of success in convincing, and getting my way with people... by far.

Its the knowing how to treat people, how to profit from ones own strengths, being more self assured etc etc... its not to do with beauty, which certainly doesnt get any better :).

1st day off in 2 weeks and of course I have to be sick :(

That sucks... But often happens if you're working hard and stressed and then get a break. It's as though your body is relaxing and then taking the rest you need. Speedy recovery!

Sorry, busy couple of days, and have been away (offline). But you seem to have done fine without me ;-)

I am fine with going to the Skinned Man and seeking out this Logan. You can forward time accordingly

In reply to Alohan Nuari (msg # 278):

Yes sure, ditto here... following Celenes suggestion and waiting there if need be.

Cool, thanks for telling me. One fast forward sequence coming up.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 280):

Sorry thats what happens for trusting my memory on these things... I edited the post to correct it.

In reply to Angati (msg # 281):

It's a weird name so I totally understand. How come people in fantasy never have normal names like John or Bob.

That post look good? Want me to re-size the pic for added clarity?

Any passive Perception check to have noticed that slippery floor? Also, why not apply my acrobatics rolls to the trapped floor and just 'burn' their usage on retaining my feet. Since none of my actions would have transpired, those rolls could have been used for the fish gut syrup while your rolls would have placed me into the water.

Just a questions on how things would transpire-

The pic was perfect thanks.

I don't like the idea of re-using rolls for things they were not originally made for - especially if that means that they end up being used out of order.

What if you had made two acrobatic rolls, one for DC15 which you roll a 21 for, and then one for DC10 which you roll a 11 for. But then I come along and say there is a change and there is an additional acrobatics check at DC5 at the start. Then I use your 21 for the DC5, and your 11 for the DC15? So you end up failing the DC15 check? It just seems unfair and messy. I would rather just say that if something changes then we start again, no matter how good or bad the rolls were, and sometimes I am going to make some rolls for you because this is play by post and I just want to keep it moving.

That was one hell of a jump though...

And in regards to passively seeing the fish guts - well, you saw them but just didn't think it would be THAT slippery. I mean, if Ketrana cleaned the boat a bit more often it wouldn't be so nasty. Sorry, but the module doesn't state there are any such checks, but you can use an action to make them in the future - although this will probably loose you too much time.

The acrobatics stuff works for me. Every GM is different- don't mind following what you prefer.

BUT, I would think all traps merit a perception check especially if Alohan had been brought up around ships. Well, not him, but his people. I mean, Alohan has profession Sailor for this exact reason!

Well, maybe... But consider this, if he had seen that it might be a bit slippery, would he have walked really slowly (2 x 5' moves) in order to avoid the DC14 acrobatics check?

I still can't believe he failed it twice. Am I really rolling the d20?

I don't know. Do sailors know about the slippery floors of fishing boats? I guess they do. OK, if you honestly think that a successful perception roll would have changed your move, then let's do that since Alohan is meant to be a good sailor.

Well, maybe... But consider this, if he had seen that it might be a bit slippery, would he have walked really slowly (2 x 5' moves) in order to avoid the DC14 acrobatics check?

I still can't believe he failed it twice. Am I really rolling the d20?

I don't know. Do sailors know about the slippery floors of fishing boats? I guess they do. OK, if you honestly think that a successful perception roll would have changed your move, then let's do that since Alohan is meant to be a good sailor.

Not like my perception is any good anyways. Pay no attention to me -I'm just upset Alohan is flubbing around like a fish. No need to retcon anything. Ill be posting soonish. Busy work day.

Consider GM rolled perception checks. Yea, it adds a bit of work but some PCs should be rewarded for observant eyes. Alohan isn't one of them (+0) but maybe he'd get lucky?

Hmm... point taken about passive perception checks. Actually, there is some other stuff coming up in the game when I always intended to do it, but in this case the module just didn't mention any and... if it had been a bunch of ropes or rigging on the deck I would have totally given Alohan a perception check and given a bonus on the acrobatics check. But I don't know. Fish heads? Sailing? Well, it's arguable I 'spose...

Yeah, I'm pretty bummed about not getting to see the islander fly as well. That would have been cool.

No worries about posting. I am off to bed so I won't be posting anything major for another 23 hours.

*Grin* - don't worry, he's not the only one down there :-D

BTW, how does regaining the daily allotment of spells work for sorcerers? Do they just regain them when they've had their normal sleep, or are they replenished at 12 midnight, sharp, or...??

E.g. have Celene regained her spells now, after going home to sleep, or does she have to wait for next midnight, as they were used after midnight??

I like to keep it simple but always default to our GM- Since he is probably asleep, ill throw in some info. Sorcerers need 8 hours of rest and must spend 15 minutes doing some kind of ritual to 'prepare spells.' Even tho you were busy last night casting spells, I'd imagine your daily ritual (15 mins) would be in the morning after a full nights. I would say you'd have all your slots back and wouldn't have to wait.

I mean, think of this way. You spent all of yesterday with you spells (that you would have probably prepared in the morning). Just because you used them after midnight, you preparation ritual is still in the morning.

Yeah, sounds plausible. Either way, she still has some spells (for her next action), so no imminent worries, but nice to have sorted out - GM, say your piece in the morning :-)

That, in 10 seconds? I think we're gonna need a Speed Talk check at DC25. ;-D

In reply to Celene (msg # 296):

Oh well, you are probably right.

GM feel free to split into as many rounds as you consider necessary. As long as it would take I'd keep at it unless things around me change drastically.

Logan's definitely viewing this as a contest again the faster islander.  So far, the +1 to acrobatics (or perhaps just good dice rolls) have compensated for +2 movement.  Though I wouldn't have expected that.

Cool, we are going to split that text across at least two rounds then.

Yeah, Logan failed the fruit, but passed the chickens. Alohan had the opposite experience. Thanks to Celene the tension in the chase as disappeared a bit though <angry look to Johannes>
I can see that those spells with will saves (sleep & charm) are going to be lethal. CR1 enemies are not going to pass very often versus a DC16.

Yes, exactly what Ron said. As long as she gets a couple of hours sleep and a few minutes of prep time, she is good to go, no matter if the spells were actually cast after midnight.

Yeah, Sleep is pretty lethal period against low-level opponents.  It's balanced by the fact that it only affects 4HD worth of creatures, so becomes worthless against all but the weakest foes, and takes a whole-round action to cast, which means it doesn't come into effect until right before the caster's second turn.  (Incidentally, the Summon Monster spells work the same way.)  At first level, they're very, very good against multiple foes.  Of course, enemy casters can also use them against us!

Opps, I let Soller get affected straight away. OK, live and learn.

What happens if the target moves out of the range or the area of effect during the round?

That's actually an interesting question.  I don't think I've ever seen it come up in the context of sleep, because the spell is pretty long-ranged, and combat usually occurs at much closer range.  (Plus, sleep is often cast right at the beginning of combat, when foes are unlikely to be fleeing anyway.)

There's this line from the SRD:

I suppose that means if your original target(s) moved out of range, you could choose new ones, or the spell would fizzle if there were no valid targets.

Heh, i thought that was another weird english saying/idiome... until i read the post - a shame:-)



SOOOOOORYYY!

Btw, too busy for a post from me tonight, so seeing she has done enough to ruin the fun, celene decides to sit the next round out. She just ogles that brat kid.

Yeah, that would be a super 'figure of speech'. "He failed the fruit but passed the chickens".

Re: Sleep spell

So as it turned out, it didn't matter this time. But Johannes, we need to do better at catching that next time. So sleep and charm person are super powerful spells, but you need to survive the entire round to launch it - and over the round the NPC guys are free to disrupt you and make the spell fizz.

Whoops.  Made that Escape Artist check already.  Mind if I save it for next round after Alohan posts?

Sorry if I avoided all that drama.  It just seemed much easier to jump over all the trouble than struggle through it.

In reply to Logan (msg # 307):

Sure, we'll use that roll next round.

Okay, of course, let me know how you want it written. As Logan had warned me in the Heist thread about the long casting time, this time around I wrote this in the actions:

I thought the 'takes 1 round to cast' would do it, but I'll write out more in the open next time if you want it. As for charm person, it's not a whole round, just a standard action, i think.

And the villains disrupting her are of course dependent on them realising she's casting something nasty that they can interupt :-) So looks so innocent :-D
This message was last edited by the player at 22:33, Sat 21 Feb 2015.

Alohan will begin at M8 then travel diagonally to P11. This will be his first 'move' if getting out the chickens doesnt cost anything else. For his second move, I guess ill just invest that into the 'shit is going to happen to me' category and have Alohan respond naturally-

You wrote it out just fine, I'm sorry, I just missed it.

So the escaping from the web and deactivating the trap was my action for this round?

In reply to Logan (msg # 312):

Yes, sorry it was. Boring I know.

Feel free to make a wise ass quip in lieu of having an action.

DM: I avoided preempting your post by mere seconds.  Was going to have Logan help with the dogs.  Might still do that, but need to revise my post.

Opps, sorry. I did Celene first because I thought there was a good chance she would take out a couple of them. Since we are playing with flexi-initiative, she can go first during the party's turn.

Feel free to redo your post, there is still one dog left. I'm sure Alohan will appreciate the help.

Sorry, they are AC 12 so Logan misses by one.

If I had stepped back, dog number 3 wouldn't have been able to reach me unless he has some 10ft reach or something. Right? I mean, the diagnoal is off and there is a body of water in the square next to me. That is why I backed up, in order to minimize the amount of hounds biting my native ass.

Exactly, it was a nice strategic manevour and only dog one and two tried to chomp your ass, dog three couldn't get at you.

Also, dogs two and three succumbed to Celene's sleep spell at the start of the party's turn, so one dog one is left. Do you want to change you post and take a swing at it?

nah, ill probably just attempt to scare him off my next turn. That or bull rush it into the water.

Cool.

Hmm, I should have done something on the map to show that two of the dogs were sleeping. Delete them? Fade them out? On your battle maps you have more space to do that sort of thing...
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:03, Tue 24 Feb 2015.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 321):

Ok, since there is a time out I am not sure if I am suppossed to post now or not... at any rate Angati will continue moving towards Logan and Alohan.

Not a time out, I mean that after Alohan and Logan get one final round of action I am going to say this is a party victory and not play out the final rounds of combat. Does Agnati want to do something other than keep carefully moving towards the other dock?

Ahhh ok, misunderstood... no, she would go there and heal Alohan casting CLW.

In reply to Angati (msg # 324):

Sure, go ahead and make a roll, then see if Logan accepts...