New one!

Huzzah!

I did forget to put I have resist 3 all damage until the end of my next turn. That would reduce the damage from Murkel.

True! DM, please adjust your last post.

I will be able to update tomorrow. Grock, you can count on some healing.

Yay!

Who should I give the healing to--Dral or Espera?

Dral.  I can attack at range the rest of the fight.  I'll be fine.

If that 19 was for Dral, and attacked Fort, he would use his iron mind to block it. Otherwise, never mind.

Edit: Actually, with total defense, he could beat a 19 vs. Reflex attack too. But I suppose he was hit with the 24.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:58, Tue 28 Apr 2020.

Very good. Update tomorrow barring unusual circumstances.

Unusual circumstances happened. Update from me tomorrow, sorry.

Sorry for all the delays! Espera, your go.

In reply to Greyband (msg # 11):

Thanks for the Heal!

My pleasure! I wish I could have gotten to Dral to give him a saving throw. Just hit something this next round, please, Dral--too much more total D and you'll put the rest of us in jeopardy.

In reply to Greyband (msg # 13):
I will, if I'm not blinded or dazed on my turn.

Okay, seriously: if you are blinded or dazed, please still attack. There's always a chance you will hit. If you don't, you are guaranteed not to hit and the enemies don't die. It's a better tactic :-)

In reply to Greyband (msg # 15):

I get it, though I'm not a fan of rolling just because there's no downside to not rolling. But anyway I was just bummed about using that daily power under the exact wrong circumstances, and then about my racial bonus not helping twice. I'll get back in next round, but I'd /really/ like to not be blinded or dazed when I do.

DM, what is causing the blindness and when doss it end? What keeps applying the dazed and stunned condition?

If there's a way to grant me a saving throw for the dazed and slowed condition before I take my turn, I'd appreciate it. I have this nice bonus that hasn't helped me yet, and if I miss the save by 1 I have a magic item I'll use to succeed.

The map and the chart make no sense.  I just drew out where people are according to the chart and the result bears no relation to the map.

How can I use my character when I have no idea where he can go?

According to the chart, this is people are

      F       G     h      I        J     K      L         M     N       O

                                                 Dral
    Greyband                       Grock         Ogre                  Murklemoor
                                                                        Trooper
                                   Warfryn                Trooper
                                                 Espera


Could someone please try to sort it out.

In reply to Warfryn (msg # 18):

He can probably go there. Just assume he can. I'll back you up.

I changed Grock’s coordinates to L10 which should make the map make more sense.

I had a check. Both effects come from the theurge. As listed, at end of the next turn(which has happened) the blindness from vile fumes go away. Hence, no need to save against it.
Dazed comes from his encounter power, wave of despair, and here it is just a save, and no end per say, properly due to the power being once per encounter.

As for the map, yeah, that is on me, and a slobby job at best. My pardons Warfryn, was a rushed job and going forward I will ensure better alignment on the grid and coordinates.

Don’t power effects go away when the person that caused them dies? If so the Theurge is dead as of last turn and his effects have ended.

I saved against the dazed last turn, but I may have forgotten to update the table. It sounds like Dral is fully functional again, if the blindness is over with.

No, not typically. Not in 4e.

Update from me either later tonight or tomorrow.

I checked and yes, I forgot to edit out Dral's dazed and slowed condition. If the blindness was until the end of the theurge's last turn, then that's gone too. I'll assume it is gone unless told otherwise. I think that's a reasonable assumption.

Blindness is gone, yes. I edited out the dazed/slowed for you. Your move!

Every time I see the name "Murkelmoor" I think of the talking pig from Disenchanted.

Saaad.

Scent of Victory is an odd daily not to give any kind of effect on a miss.

Edited to add: Not that the daily I used has apparently done any damage this battle.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:25, Fri 15 May 2020.

I'll try to take my move tonight.

(Lol) Nice.

Yet another mad Monday. Update from me tomorrow.

Hopefully, the ogre can finish off Murkelmoor.

Here's hopin'!

I will update shortly, and let the dices decide.

Anyone going to tie up and strip-search the guy, or argue with Greyband about it? :-)

Awesome haul! Thanks!

Dral spent 3 surges and has 3 remaining. I am thinking seriously about taking Durability for my next feat.

I'll update my items soon.

Should we proceed?
Espera, you about?

Are we actually to go to 6th or just take the items and increase later?

Carry on

Essentially once you have cleared the place, which killed the leader did, you earned 6th level.

DM, can you make an executive decision for Espera on her surges and then move us on?

She beat me to it. So you can with the key, items and knowledge move north - which I will go ahead and assume. No need to stagnating the obvious. Look for a post shortly.

Just checking: do we have more encounters here or can we head back to the Halls?

Warfryn took Fey Switch so if Dral or another gets into a sticky situation Warfryn can get him out of it.

Fey Switch | Move action: Range 10 | Targets: Self & one willing ally | Effect: Self and ally change places 

 As for his feat he took Distant Advantage. So if Grock and others flank our enemies I can gain CA on said enemies.

Also I have known for some time that I screwed up with my last feat taking light shield proficiency; since my Rod proficiency gives me the same shield bonuses.  So I have retrained that out for Improved Misty Step which gives me a longer teleport when a cursed enemy dies.



Light shield proficiency; +1 to AC and Reflex Retrained to Improved Misty Step (teleport 5 squares instead of 3)

None. You are free to head back.

Everyone else good with that?

In reply to Greyband (msg # 48):

Of course.

Yep

Yes

For my level 6 power, I'm going to take Unbreakable. For my level 6 feat, I'm going to take Durable.

FYI, I'm going to swap out Greyband with another cleric. This party is not optimal for a warlord, so I'm going to go with more of a pure pacifist cleric. I'll introduce him once we're wrapped up IC and after Greyband has a chance to say goodbye.

Anyone got a good backstory in which they'd know a pacifist cleric?

If nothing comes up, do advise and I will find a way in.

Cant think of one for Warfryn.  Perhaps the cleric is here already looking for a lost sibling etc?

What if the cleric was one of the armored people we had rescued?

In reply to Grock (msg # 56):

I like it.

Sorry for the mix-up Warfryn.

Fantastic. Love it. I'll work on him and have him run up behind you all wanting to join or some such. Look for that in the next day or so.

Its a shame to lose Greyband.  When he got Warfryn to attack he was usually much more successful than I was!

I think you'll find the new fellow useful, never fear :-)

Seriously, following your lead, guys. Are we ready to move on?

Yes. I'll try to post something OOC soon.

Roland wouldn't know this IC, but didn't Grock propose a course of action for you guys earlier?

Are we ready to move on to the meeting?

I’m ready.

Yep.

I am back, if you desire to continue onwards to the meeting.

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 68):

Let's do it!

Power outage at home today; will update later today if I can get power back.

Ready to go!

Well it does make a statement when making a first impression lol

DM, is there someplace else to walk into? Or is this where we were expecting to meet someone?

Only that path in; there is no entrances within sight that would fit the mark. This is for certain the place.

How hard would it be for Grock to not catch but deflect the boulder into the left side of the wall from where Grock is standing? Basically knocking it to the side just enough for it to not block the tunnel or hit anyone.

In reply to Grock (msg # 75):

I assumed the point of the encounter was meant to be that we can't leave.

I thought so as well, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

In reply to Grock (msg # 77):

No, not necessarily hurt. The effect depends on the flexibility of the adventure. Some adventures heavily depend on being able to lock players into certain situations.

I am not against it.
My ideology is that that while yes, this is a written adventure and thus rely on certain things, the tie inns I want you to have can be parlayed in many ways.
If you want to deflect a 10 feet tall and 6 feet wide solid stone boulder, then that would require me to ponder what could do so as this is a large stone, and the construct is horridly strong, which is what allows it, just, to throw it.

I looked into monks and arrow deflecting, but the projectile or boulder has to be launched and be no larger than a large hand. Also following rules, you have to be the target of an attack roll, like from a trebuchet. This is a boulder thrown at the wall, but as a shift of the boulder not an attack.
I am open for suggestions but the boulder is large and heavy and deflecting it will require alot of force.

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 79):

If you're open to it, then it's more than possible.

I recommend not taking other, somewhat similar rules as a guide, first of all.

Martial artists are, in popular culture at least, capable of dodging bullets, delivering shattering one-inch punches and using falling objects as stepping stones. They are supernaturally focused.

But, he has only a moment to respond, to squeeze a lot of energy into a moment. I would suggest that it requires spending an action point, and then making three successful skill checks or attack rolls against a difficult target number, and the result is simply that there is a momentary gap that lasts until the statue makes a saving throw. Then the stone resettle and we're trapped.

I already posted my action to keep things simple, but I appreciate the open mind.

Ah fair enough, do note that I welcome what Dral stated and am willing to adapt and change to let the game feel less on the rails and more fluid if that is doable.
I want the game to reward ideas, initiative and allow you to go outside the box.

Appreciate that, DM. In this case, let's just have Espera's actions and move along! :-)

As we are hitting the weekend, I will post for her shortly just to kick things off, long with map, charts etc. Just so it does not stagnate too much. Look for it in a few hours.

I had to remove references to Greyband before Warfryn got sentimental again ;-)

That's gnomes for you.

Did we take an extended rest? If so, all our numbers are off.

We did. I fixed up the stat block further. Check it out and let me know if there are any problems. Dral, Espera and Grock, your moves!

Will post in a couple of hours.

In reply to Roland Esperus (msg # 88):

The numbers still don't look right, but I'll fix mine when I post.

I updated my numbers and moved the ongoing damage from Dral to Espera, per the DM's post.

DM, I have two immediate powers that I'll use early on, if they're triggered:
Iron mind, an interrupt, is triggered on a hit and gives me +2 to all defenses until the end of my next turn. Please use this the next time it would block a hit.
Unbreakable, a reaction, is also triggered on a hit and reduces the damage by 6. Please use this the next time Dral takes 6 or more damage from a hit.

Of course, these both depend on him having his immediate action to use, which he won't if he uses his mark effect, which he will prioritize (both of those effects are for if his marks attack him, rather than his allies).

I'm not dead, but new job + old job makes me a sleepy boi.

I'll try and post tomorrow.

I guess the warder had some way of moving into carve position without setting off Dral's mark.

All good! Just keeping things moving. Hope you don't mind that I used Color Spray for you.

---

FYI: Saturday through Tuesday I'll be driving my daughter to college or driving back. I actually expect to have time to post, particularly Monday-Tuesday when I normally would, but if I disappear for a day or two, don't be alarmed.

Going by the map, the warder should take either an opportunity attack or immediate interrupt attack from Dral. I'll do the immediate interrupt so we don't have to figure out what halted movement would do to the monster's turn. I'll try to post it with the rest of my turn this evening.

Precisely what I was hoping for. The Warder hits Roland, and Dral hits it :-)

Correct. Good spot and go ahead.

Right, I'd generally only use iron mind to turn a hit into a miss, unless I was getting mobbed and wanted the bonus so I could better avoid opportunity attacks on my turn.

I’ll wait to attack after Dral, so he can get the heal.

In reply to Grock (msg # 99):

I'll try to post today.

Ran into the site problems. I'll post shortly.

If the tiefling tries to shift back into flanking, Dral will make his defender attack against it. +10 vs. AC, 1d8+3 damage.

Noted.
Just for reference, Espera is being played by Roland. But I have noted that Dral, all good.

Well, Espera's being played by Roland when Espera's player can't update. Once Espera's player is able to get back into the swing, they'll control Espera properly :-)

Warfryn's player's traveling, but once he's posted, I'll update for Espera if Espera's player hasn't by then.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:46, Tue 25 Aug 2020.

Does the placement of Dral and Roland's character qualify for flanking?

It does, yes. Technically, if you move up next to it, you could flank with Dral, too.

Note that I don't have a weapon, so I don't do melee attacks.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:27, Tue 01 Sept 2020.

I dont need to move.  So long as the enemy is flanked by my allies, I get the CA (Distant Advantage)

I am currently open for applications to the game, but seems 4e is not in high stock.
That said, if anyone knows someone, please direct them this way.

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 108):

Was it ever in high stock? If you're on Facebook, there are a couple of rather active 4th Edition groups where you could advertise. Some people also like the 4th Edition discord group.

I have a 4th Edition discussion forum on this site, but it has never been very active. Might be worth a try, though.

Greetings, friends!  I'll be your new Rogue, a wayward swordsman from the lands of Kara-Tur to fight for your honor!

How is everyone?

In reply to Zakuryu Mori (msg # 110):

Welcome. I'm doing well, though I'm falling behind in the games I'm DMing.

Hey, Zakuryu! Welcome, glad to have you. I'm your Healing Machine^TM, aka a pacifist cleric.

Love that build.   Pacifist clerics get so many cool debuff and control effects that no-one misses the 8-10 damage they might deal otherwise.

I'm going for a sort of Samurai Champloo duelist, using the combination of Sneak Attack and Rogue's Tricks for some cinematic action scenes and really playing up his character of a rescued urchin striving to be an honorable warrior.

Welcome Zak! Grock is an ex-slave bastard son of a pirate captain yar! Half Orc stone fist monk that likes fighting multiple enemies in melee. I enjoyed the Samurai Champloo series. Interested to see the roguish shenanigans.

Is that predictive text?  A Samurai Shampoo Stylist?



As to me Warfryn is a Fey pact Warlock m/c to Paladin of Corellon.  Tends to fight from range but has been known to get stuck in.

Lol, it does sound like something out of bad autocorrect translations, doesn't it?

But no, I'm referring to the frantic high-octane fight sequences of a certain Samurai-themed anime, which the various movement abilities of the Thief class do a really good job of capturing.

Dral is a tempest fighter, and my attempt to make a monk out of a defender class. He joined before our actual monk joined so any thematic overlap is inadvertent. Dral honestly hasn't been as much fun as I hoped - it turns out that being monk-like doesn't synergize all that well with defending. But, here we are.

What part isn't working the way you wanted?   From your description it looks like a pretty solid build and interpretation of your concept (although, your opportunity attack should be a +14 to hit, not +13).

In reply to Zakuryu Mori (msg # 118):

Sorry, I just meant that you're not missing something if it doesn't seem like it doesn't work in play.

Just to throw it our there but I am pro-retraining and adapting. 4E is fluent and I value your enjoyment higher than anything else(that goes for DRAL also), so please, throw ideas out and lets adapt or change so that you have fun - Let me know DRAL if we need to work something out.

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 120):

I appreciate it. I think just the last three encounters really bumped up against some weak points in the character. I still like him and I'm interested to see how he develops.

Just know Dral, that you can retrain and adapt when you see fit.

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 122):

Thank you. I think the last several encounters just hit his weak spots. I'll stick with him.

What is his strong points? What can we as a party do to help Dral shine in his role?

In reply to Grock (msg # 124):

He is supposed to take the tempest concept and be something like a monk. He has speed and he has (for his Strength) decent accuracy, He doesn't have much damage, but as a fighter he shouldn't need much. I understand that creatures are more likely to violate his mark if he can't do much damage to them, but that should at least increase his overall damage, and he still imposes the -2 to their attacks. And he should still be good at making opportunity attacks.

In one battle, he was out of healing surges and got taken out. I still wonder if that was due to a bookkeeping error somewhere, but he does have a low AC. I took Durable to offset that.

Shortly thereafter he was blinded for a long time. I could have done more than I did, despite the blindness (he can always impose that -2,and take hits meant for his allies) but it took away his mark retribution, his opportunity attack and neutralized the auto hit daily I had just activated, so I was pretty bummed out. I guess that's a big weakness for any fighter.

This battle highlighted his low damage, since he couldn't really scratch the warder. He doesn't have to, to be a defender, but it highlighted that weakness. Most fights won't, though.

That fight did offer the potential for more movement, though I didn't use it, since the big enemy was fairly stationary. And I got the double mark in a few times.

If I were to retrain, I might take Distracting Spate instead of Bell Ringer, though I like being able to target other defenses (though I believe the warder had a higher Fortitude than defense...).

Crack the Shell might be better than Tempest Dance.

Thanks for the offers of help.

Grock, see Dral's comment above.

DM, can we sell the warder amulet?

Dral, some suggested feats for re-training in place of Light Blade Expertise or Two-Weapon Fighting, that should still capture that monk-ish vibe.


Gives you a way to keep the pressure on even when you take a defensive pause, so you don't miss out on a round of potential attacks.



This one REALLY hurts enemies, as the cumulative -5 to hit will completely shut them down while you have your defensive bonus.  Combined with the previous feat,  you could have a full round of +4 Defense, with every adjacent enemy forced to either waste their turn attacking you and likely miss



This one is more for long term, if you want to just focus on Dexterity/Strength for your characteristic updates so they level up faster (as opposed to having to rotate str/Dex/wis).



Interesting fact:  this triggers when you USE the power, not when you hit.  Thus, you'd have a reliable way to poke someone two squares away and force them to take -4 to hit against your allies, even if you miss.



Pretty straightforward, get out of ongoing effects faster.



Synergy with Marked Fortunes and Resilient Focus, and doubles your opportunities to shake off effects.

In reply to Zakuryu Mori (msg # 127):

Thanks. I'll think about some of those.

I forget when or why I obtained light blade expertise, but I think it was handed out by the DM. I usually don't take Expertise feats.

The plus 1 from Two-Weapon Fighting represents a significant portion of my damage, but damage isn't his shtick anyway.

Marked Fortunes really sounds good, as does Marked With Iron. I dig that they're githzerai specific feats. I like things that support Sure Strike, but I prefer not to take really setting-specific feats, just for a bonus.

Thanks! DM, I'll get back to you on making any changes.

I offer a free expertise feat yes.

As per character generation...
[*] Start with a free expertise feat of choice and a free feat of choice at level 5.
    If expertise feats for whatever reason does not fit, select a free feat of own choice.

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 129):

I took staff expertise, but apparently I also have light blade expertise as another bonus. Did you give us a second bonus? I don't recall.

I can not honestly recall. I don't think so. I gave as below, but if I did I do not recall why or when.

DM, can we sell the warder amulet?

Yes, you can try. There are several options in the halls for this.
May need a charisma check though.

Apart from an extended rest, the only think I can think that Dral might benefit from are some doses of level 6 clearsense powder, if it's available.

I would say that for ease sake the following should be done.
- Someone should keep tabs on items. link to a message in this game can be used for this, but unsure who updates this?
- Assume you can buy any item upto your level at listed price without negotiation.
- For selling, assume half price, unless a dc 15 charisma check is passed in which case assume 75% price.
- For the necklace that counts to, and base price for this is 80 gold as it is.

With that in mind, should we advance to the well or do anyone have something in mind. I assume a rest at the inn, leave the next morning is what Dral asks for?

We should probably buy at least one potion of healing for each person.

Does anyone have the Healer Feat?  If so then Heling kits make a very cheap alternative to Healing potions.

In reply to Warfryn (msg # 136):

Dral is trained in heal. I'll look into a healer's kit.

Where is it described?

Also: I forgot about the Heal skill. DM, what are the limitations on making a heal check to grant oneself a saving throw or a +2 bonus on one's next save?
This message was last edited by the player at 19:07, Fri 18 Sept 2020.

In reply to Warfryn (msg # 136):

You're thinking of 5th edition.

In 4th edition, everyone has access to Second Wind as an encounter power; as a standard action, you can spend a healing surge to regain HP and get +2 to all defenses until your next turn.  With a decent screen of allies and a Pacifist Cleric, we shouldn't have any problems with HP gain.  For anyone with more than 40 HP, healing potions are generally underpowered.  Potions of Delusion  (from Book of Vile Darkness) cost the same, but grant 10 Temp. HP and you shift 1 square towards the nearest enemy.

Dral has the right idea with the clear sense powder, though.   Anything that revives or cleanses debuffs is worth its weight in gold, literally.

In reply to Zakuryu Mori (msg # 138):

Thanks, I searched and couldn't find it. Seems like something that should be in 4th Edition, though. Oh, well.

Yes, potions of healing are lost HP if your max is high enough, but they let one spend a surge to get healing when all other options are unavailable.

Interestingly, potions of healing are suggested less often in the DMG treasure table, around level seven. Levels 8 and 10 don't suggest any. Then, in level 11, they're replaced entirely with potions of vitality.

Stupid, stupid!

I am always mixing the two systems up.

Stupid, stupid!

I am always mixing the two systems up.

As per:
link to a message in this game

Heal
First Aid: Standard action.
 Use Second Wind: DC 10 - adjacent character can use Second Wind without action.
 Stabilize the Dying: DC 15 - stabilize an adjacent dying character - no further death saving throws, until new damage.
 Grant a Saving Throw: DC 15 -  an adjacent ally can immediately make a saving throw, or the ally gets a +2 bonus to a saving throw at the end of his or her next turn.

Treat Disease: Part of the diseased character’s extended rest. Heal replaces targets Endurance check.

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 142):

The conservative reading is that Dral can't ever make those checks to benefit himself, as he is not adjacent to himself. The rules don't expkicitly block that possibility, so I guess I was wondering if he could attempt one of those checks at a -5 penalty, or something.

But, that's fine, if not. I've got the clearsense powder to grant extra saves.

I see the point, and reckon that RAW(rules as written) want to prevent you from having too many or to easy use of saving throws or bonuses, to encourage teamplay.
I am per say not against it, at least on a trial basis, as it does require you to go heavy on heal skill early on. Might be a tad to powerful later on...but honestly, sometimes trial and erroring things is the best way to learn - lets give it a whirl at -5 in a few encounters. If too powerful, we will recourse on it and remove it.

I hate trying to view shit on mobile.

I tried to look at the map and scroll, and deleted the background because of my fat fingers and hitting undo isn't fixing it >_<  I'm sorry!

No biggie. Map remade.

---

Spoiler for Metagaming: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Oh no... I've seen Body Shield before...

I think Grock just accidentally K.O.'d Dral there, unless someone with higher Initiative procs the Body Shield before his crit.

---

In reply to Zakuryu Mori (msg # 147):

Ah, metagaming's fine. No one here is going to use it to cheat.

As for what may have just taken place, I find it hilarious. Very cinematic. Carry on.

*sad trumpet sound*

Owww. Hate that ability :-/

Real life stuff keeping me away today--contribution from me tomorrow.

I'll post my initiative soon, but I assuming it still matters.

Wait, did the chokers not use their ability?

DM hasn’t responded yet about using their abilities. I just realized it’s actually possible that Grock punches Zak too.

In reply to Grock (msg # 153):

Ok. I'll roll initiative and see if I can escape the grab. If that can't happen first, we can change it.

I got a 10, so the rest of you would have gone first.

I made some modifications to the map. I was tired of the letters not lining up. The numbers don't line up either, but they're close enough at the top of the map.

Waiting for the DM to answer a question of mine.

If someone could go before me and make it dazed or stunned then it wouldn’t be able to use its ability.

I can do that. However, I also need to find out whether any of us were body shields first.

• Dral and I are being grabbed by the chokers, which under their ongoing/effects box listed Body Shield as triggering upon an attack vs (Reflex OR AC).  You are being grabbed by the Phalagar, which has threatening Reach.
• Grock rolled an initiative of 20.  You'd have to beat that roll to save Dral from getting hit, otherwise the best you can do is heal him back up from unconsciousness.
• I'm assuming that if you use a power that targets Fortitude or Will and Daze/Stun the choker holding Dral, he won't be KO'd... but the floor tentacles might get an Attack of Opportunity.
• Alternately, if you make any attack vs AC/REF there's a chance it will waste Body Shield on your attack, leaving it unable to block Grock.  You still risk taking an opportunity attack, though.

In reply to Zakuryu Mori (msg # 159):

I have to say I'm not a fan of the retconning that seems to be going on. Grock, did you take the chokers' ability into account when you attacked? If not, then the power to go off. It's a cool, thematic power, that I think was specifically designed to stymie strikers.

I say we accept it and move on.

I didn’t know about the power. Grock obviously wouldn’t know either.

In reply to Grock (msg # 161)

And Dral might have known, but he wasn't fast enough to warn Grock. So, fog of war, let's move on.

Guys, this is all lovely, but I need the DM to rule here. He's the one who has to correct the sequence of events if interrupts/reactions happened. And my turn's actions are different if a bunch of us are hurt :-)

In reply to Roland Esperus (msg # 163):

He doesn't need to correct anything if we're all OK with taking the timing as literally what happened.

Are we all OK with it? Stuff like this can, should and does happen in D&D, but doesn't happen to this party often enough.

Sorry for the delay. I was away for the weekend, and got home...to a house that was broken into. That said, all is well now, and I will update shortly. That said, I am keen on following the logic DRAL advises as it makes things more fluid, and I hate retconning. Normally I prefer, that you post, I post, etc. Initiative is used by me in theses situations.
That said, Body shield is an immediate interrupt, so when they are hit, that means there is an effect.
So yes, Both Zaku and Dral being grabbed are viable for this unless they break hold before this. As neither broke(Zaku opted not to) and Dral is slower, both are directed by attacks from Grock.
So the damage from Choker one, goes to Zaku, and the 42 damage...yikes, goes to Dral.
The game isn't fair, and I wont be making anyone any favors by fudging this - aside from boring you in the end. Challenge is good, and death is rarely permanent anyways.

I will update a post with this info.

Well, this should be pretty interesting. I'll take my move ASAP. I'll try to break out, then second wind (which will also allow me to shift a few squares, assuming I'm free).

Dral, you will not have to take Second Wind. And if you ever threaten to use Second Wind again, I will find you and do unspeakable things to you.

Roland is a Pacifist Cleric Healing Machine. Please for the love of all that's good do not waste your attacks on doing what I am supposed to do for you except better. :-)

Waiting for another PM answer from the DM before I can actually heal you, but if you want to take your actions assuming that you will be healed well out of being bloodied, feel free.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:57, Tue 29 Sept 2020.

I'm confused about the chokers' HP. That might need to be double checked.

The HP look right for the Chokers going back to before the reflect, so all is good.

Choker 2 is in the corner with Dral, going by the positions when I posted. I believe choker 1 is the dazed one.

I was dazing the one that was grabbing Zaku. Which one is that?

In reply to Roland Esperus (msg # 171):

I go by their locations in the table. So, everyone be sure to update locations in the table.

I was away with limited wifi when the Body Shield incident happened.  In case of further problems like that one, can I just say I rarely favor retconning.  If I am ever not available at such a time please assume I am for just getting on with it, even when the result is not good for the party.

I am glad we all see it that way.
Yes, bad things happen - it makes you think more, care more and react more earnestly.
I will strive to never ever be unfair however, as I see a clear distinction between a hard challenge and an unfair one. Just to align on that.

Be careful: I don't believe that the one Dral has cornered is the one that was dazed. There was some confusion that I believe has carried over for several posts.

I need the DM to clarify this, please. I know which one I targeted (namely D2). The location in the table matches his location on the map. DM?

In reply to Roland Esperus (msg # 176):

I slid Choker 2 to L6, you dazed a choker and slid it to H7 though its location in the table was never set to that. I pointed this out in post 170 above. You targeted one choking Zakuryu. That's not the one grabbing Dral.

Don't attack the one grabbing Dral, as it is not dazed and will make him take the attack. Or, wait until Dral escapes.

DM, help me out here.

Dral is grappled by the one in L6; not the one in H7.
Just to clarify things.

I'll post my move ASAP, to see if I can escape.

Cool, as long as you attack him, too. We need to kill him while he's still dazed.

I can close burst to finish off the dazed one and hit the big guy.

In reply to Grock (msg # 182):

Sounds good. I did a little damage and kept my marks on, but didn't escape the grab. Don't attack the one grabbing me, unless it's with a Fortitude or Will attack.

Waiting for Grock to post, then will post my turn last.

Will post tonight when I get off of work.

Normally some rolls an escape check against when they have been grabbed. Is it possible to use an escape action to help someone else escape a grab if I am next to them or the enemy grabbing them?

By the books, you can aid another and grant them +2 to their escape check.  But that is what I could find - as per the book.
So that means pondering into how you could go about it.
I would argue that if do a straight strength(opposite) check, then you could perhaps either remove the hold or the person being held. That makes good sense to me actually.
How about that? Opposite strength checks?

One solution: if you have a power that slides or pushes the foe out of reach of the PC they're grabbing, the grab is broken. Now, if chokers have reach of 2 or 3, you have to slide them pretty far.

I'm waiting for Grock & Dral to go, as I want you guys to get the benefit of the Vulnerable 4 on Phalagar before I go again.

Solid, I would allow this aswell. Rules are fine, but should not hamper good ideas and creativity.

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 189):

That option is actually in the rules.

I'm traveling, but I should be able to post soon.

The choker is at K6 on the map, but still at L6 in the table. If it moved or shifted, Dral would have gotten an attack. What's the deal?

It should be as the table, so perhaps moved by accident?

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 192):

OK. That's what I figured, since I didn't see anything about him moving. I'll post soon.

Dral, don't forget that THP from attacking the Phalagar last turn.  That should help soften the damage from the Phalagar.

In reply to Zakuryu Mori (msg # 194):

Thanks. Feel free to just make corrections like that when you post your update.

I adjusted my post accordingly, having just healed Dral.

Hmmm...I don’t think Dral or Roland killed any of the creatures that last fight. Interesting...

Busy couple of days--I will throw my contribution in by Friday at the latest.

And you're right, Roland won't ever kill any creature. He's a Pacifist Cleric. :-)

Is the hay bale wall difficult terrain, and do Grock and I have a suprise round on the enemies or should we roll another Stealth Test to see if we can approach without alerting them?

Let me update map with this:

Illumination: Bright light. Four lanterns have been set up along the walls.
Hay Bales: A crude barrier constructed from bales of moldy hay divides the room. The bales are about 4 feet high. These squares count as difficult terrain and can provide cover to a creature standing behind a bale or superior cover to a prone creature behind one.

You will stealth out into bright light, so a new test is needed. If you pass a dc of 21 assume you have surprise round.

Lol, my Stealth rolls have been abysmal.   Not one of them have been above a 5 before modifiers.

Are we rolling initiative again, or keeping what's listed on the map?

New combat, new initiative. I shall update with combat chart shortly.

Dral, are you moving up with the others? Warfryn and I were going to move in behind you.

In reply to Roland Esperus (msg # 204):

Yes, I'll move up. I'm on my phone at the moment, but go ahead and move me where you'd want him to be. Bear in mind that he has reach and can extend it in a couple ways, so he doesn't have to be adjacent to a target.

Done. Updated the table as well on my post with current locations.

In reply to Roland Esperus (msg # 206):

Thanks.

I updated the map table. Looks like Zakuryu is first with a bullet.

Moved you, Zaku!

I adjusted the letters on the map to line up with the squares. The numbers seem hopeless, without individual squares for each one.

I fixed all of the locations, using the top left hyena as a reference point. I recommend counting by a known point. The upper left corner of the west hallway, where Warfryn is standing now, is A8. Count from there to find locations, rather than trying to use the numbers and letters. When I've brought this up before it's been mostly ignored and hasn't been corrected, despite causing a lot of confusion in the last encounter.

Lol, I didn't realize Grock was acting and moving stuff.  I'll withdraw my post until you get finalized.

You’re fine. The two of us can do our posts without interfering with each other

Yeah, but you opened up some really good positioning with your surprise round that enhanced my intentions.

I'm really digging the characterization you have in your actions, too.

Thanks. I was thinking depending on how this leg of the adventure goes, Grock might multiclass into Barbarian.

Now, that sounds like a fun build :-)

Post from me later today or early tomorrow, depending.

So, who are missing their turn?

I think Warfryn also has a surprise round,  and then everyone but me needs to post their first round.

In reply to Zakuryu Mori (msg # 216):

My mistake, I didn't get a surprise round. So, my first round is posted.

I still haven't posted. I also don't know when I'm acting--I'm not acting in the surprise round, so I don't know if I'm after any NPCs. Help?
This message was last edited by the player at 17:28, Thu 29 Oct 2020.

Then yeah, if enemies act on initiative  14 we're just waiting on them so Roland and Warfryn can take their first turn.

Bump.  Still alive after all that candy?

Sorry, got caught in the wind of testing(COVID) - all is good, but kinda knocked things on edge. I will update shortly!

Grock has resist 3 all currently so the damage he takes is 9 and 7 for 16 damage total. His hp should be 30/50.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:24, Tue 03 Nov 2020.

Ah, I noticed, I shall correct it.

Dral will use iron mind to put his AC at 22, blocking the attack that rolled 21. I'll adjust it on my next post, just tell me how much damage that was.

This message was deleted by the player at 01:19, Wed 04 Nov 2020.

DM, did you see Dral's note? I need to know how many HP he has going forward.

With 22, that means he blocked the 12 damage. I will correct this.

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 227):

Thanks for correcting it, but like I said I would have been happy to correct it myself on my next post. I just needed the information.

Did we lose Warfryn?

Good question! I believe I have him in one of my games, let me ping him.

Otherwise I can NPC him at end of day, just to keep things moving.

Bit of a timeconstraint sadly.
I have updated the level 6 sheet of Warfryn to the Character sheet thread, can someone play as Warfryn?

I can, unless someone else wants to.  Just need a moment to read back on his character goals and personality, but can get a post up tonight if we do that.

Go for it, Zaku.

Dral will use unbreakable to reduce one of the damage of one of those attacks by 6.

Who wants their target hit with Astral Seal so you can heal? (If you hit it, you heal 5 hp with no surge cost.)

Go for the weakened hyena, so Dral can finish it off and top up his wounds.  I'm about to drop this Gnoll, so Grock will be free to either reposition or recover.

Dral is down to 9 surges. Thanks for the heal.

With unbreakable Dral is up to full, so those 5 HP from hitting the hyena might go to waste.

DM, can I switch my target to a different hyena so Grock could hit it?

I will allow it.

Thanks! Grock, your next target should be hyena 4.

In reply to Roland Esperus (msg # 241):

Sorry, gang, I missed that I was up. I'll post soon.

I was thinking about using Athletics to basically hold it down/still until it decides to calm down. Like holding a brother throwing a tantrum in a bear hug until he wears himself out. Thoughts?

Why was my post edited? Did I act out of turn?

In the past I have accidentally edited a post as GM when I meant to quote. Did that happen?

There wasn't much to my original, just a critical miss, so no great loss to the annals of literature.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:36, Fri 20 Nov 2020.

 It looks like that is exactly  what happened.

Grock, I say go ahead and try it.  It's not a key skill for this challenge, but it still contributes +2 to the roll of a key skill.  I can assist, if you wish.

You got the right ankle Grock.
There are always main skills to be used, but given the right contexts, other skills work fine as well. And that is the whole key here, making use of skills to maximize efforts(remember that two failures mean you do not succeed!).

I've got +7 on Nature--who has better than that?

I think a 15 is a moderate success at our level, so my Insight check should give another +2 to your roll...but yes, yours is probably the best Nature skill out of all of us.

In reply to Roland Esperus (msg # 247):

I'd rather just roleplay it out and see what happens. When players line up their best skill checks for every roll in a skill challenge it usually just turns them into a dice rolling exercise. Do what your character would do and roll what the DM says to roll, is my advice.

That said, my character sheet is visible, and I assume the characters woukd have learned some things about each other through conversation and observation. If anyone thinks Dral should make a check (or avoid making a check) you can ask me to, in or out of character (ideally both). He has an amulet that lets him add 1d6 to a failed d20 roll.

I'm still deciding what to do.

I'll defer to the DM on how he wants to handle this with or without rolls. Zaku & Grock still can answer my question, though.  :-)

In reply to Roland Esperus (msg # 250):

I don't mean without rolls. I mean without just figuring out, out of character, who has the highest number. It would be nice if there were more to a skill challenge than that.

Grock has lived most of his life as a slave on a ship, so not a lot of nature learning here.

Deal, your point is well taken. However, it is also a way of speeding up a week’s worth of conversion IC.

Posting IC myself shortly.

Healing wounds, eh? DM, can I use Healing Word on the beast?

Technically no, since it is a skill challenge.
That said, I am not a fan of the old rigid rules tbh.
If you heal the beast, it will act as a success, in terms of calming it, regardless of how you look at it, in my book. It makes sense, and I will allow it.
I do know that it is persay an encounter power, and I have been in games where new rules had to be invented(using rituals and what not).
I think that is overthinking things here - in the context of things, I will allow it, and simply rule that as this is not an encounter as such you can use it, but have one less use, next proper encounter.

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 255):

The old rules were never rigid, particularly on this point. They just showed people (me, at least) that it was OK to haves rules and pacing for skill-based situations. Most people don't bother with the actual rules, but they seem to bother with /some/ kind of rules that do about the same thing, which I don't ever recall seeing before 4th Edition.

Well, for the record: I've run 4e games since 2008 and I always allowed an appropriate power to be expended to meet the criteria of a success.

However, to fulfill the spirit of what you're saying, I'll roll Heal instead. Posting IC.

Well, sorry guys.  The natural 1's have spoken.  Looks like the boar has just suffered too much under its captors to trust us...

The dicebot is evil.

For all of you in the U.S., Happy Thanksgiving! For those everywhere else, happy Thursday :-)

In reply to Roland Esperus (msg # 259):

Thanks, you too!

I will take the Thursday with a smile. Thank you. And a happy thanksgiving to all of you.

Grock, Warfryn, are you taking short rests?

Yes and spending a surge to heal to full.

Ready when you are to move onwards :D

Today has been nuts, tomorrow may not be much better; I'll be able to contribute on Tuesday (if lucky) or Wednesday (more likely).

Is Roland suggesting that Dral do some exercises? I was trying to ask the ghost what they wanted to see.

Roland was suggesting that exactly. I'm reading some things into what the ghost said.

Hi all, after a hiatus I am returning to rpol and am taking on the role of Striker for the group. I hope to be joining you soon!

Welcome! Can’t wait to see what chaos you will unleash.

Welcome, Saskan! More damage is never a bad thing :-)

I'm going to be tied up for a couple of days IRL with work stuff; go ahead and ask any questions. I'll chime in when able.

In reply to Roland Esperus (msg # 270):

Goodness knows I don't do any damage. Pity damage output is usually the only measure of success during combat in these pre-made modules, but with three strikers the encounters should at least be short.

Anyway, welcome back, Saskan and welcome aboard. I'm happy there's one more person on here who enjoys 4th Edition D&D.

I think each role has its place in a good 4e game and it looks like you are a great Defender. I just hope I don’t catch you in too many area effects :) My dragon breath is friendly though so you don’t have to worry about that.


I see we also have a Cleric. What other roles do we have in play here?

Stone fist monk here that does close burst attacks. Specializing in mobility to get where he needs to be in combat by jumping, climbing, and flying.

I'm playing a Samurai-themed Thief, a duelist-style Striker who is focused on singling out a chosen foe.  Most of my combat abilities are focused on getting into melee with an enemy on turn 1 and taking them out of the fight, and then using the Thief's movement powers to maneuver around and help our monk and fighter flank and mop up whatever is left.

I'm also extremely self-sufficient with my utility powers because I'm likely to be out of reach of our leader:  I can halve damage from one attack, get +4 to all defenses against another, and 1/day can use Honorable Resolve as an immediate reaction when I'm bloodied to use my second wind, deny any enemy abilities that affect bloodied creatures  AND gain +5 to fear/charm saves for the entire encounter.

As long as I have Combat Advantage my to-hit bonus is +17, and my other encounter powers can boost that to a +19 or +20, which in our last encounter freed up Roland to just keep maximizing Dral's sustain.


That said, Dral does a bang-up job holding the line and locking down crowds with his extended-reach double-weapon fighting style.  Grock and I went really aggressive, diving into a crowd of archers and taking a fair bit of damage.  If the hyenas at the other end of the room had joined the melee, we would have been a LOT worse off, but as it was Dral pinned them all down until we could finish off the archers and double back to him.

In reply to Zakuryu Mori (msg # 274):

Thanks for that.

I can pivot Saskan so he is a Storm Sorcerer to give us a bit more battlefield control. Right now he is built as a Dragon sorcerer with a pretty versatile set of attacks.

Either one is fine.  Dragon sorcerers have some good AOE and some good old Ancient Soul/Nusemnee's Atonement/Coordinated Explosion would actually work really well alongside Roland's slick heals, but all of the Sorcerer builds are really good at softening up big targets and mopping up crowds.   Play whatever sounds fun, we'll find synergy as we go :)

The bigger question is, do you want to take Dragon Breath, or Dragonfear?

I really like Dragon Breath for Saskan. I played a Dragonborn with Dragonfear as a fighter and loved that combo but the breath weapon feels more in line with the sorcerer.

I wasn’t planning on using the Nusmenee portion of the Breath recharge at this time but I can change that if that doesn’t feel too cheesy for everyone.

Not just any cleric, friend--a bona fide pacifist healer. I don't heal you, I obliterate your wounds. And heal you by cursing your foes!

Guys, don't forget to reply IC.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:00, Sat 12 Dec 2020.

Sorry, the what?

There's a fairly well-known combo in 4e that uses the Ancient Soul and Nusemnee's Atonement feats to burn through a Sorcerer's HP but effectively  make Dragon Breath recharge whenever allies are in your AOE.  It also reduces or eliminates friendly fire on any other powers, which is great when most of your allies are melee-focused.

There is always a juggling act, because you have to take damage of the same type as your Dragon Breath to regain the power.  If your allies have really high defenses, you might only regain its use once in an entire fight, but with good rolls you could use it every single turn.




With Roland's super healing,  it makes the combination REALLY strong.

So maybe I should take it so I don’t hurt others with my area effects. Hmm... I will consider. I took the “friendly breath” feat for my dragon breath but that doesn’t stop you from damage on other attacks.

Head's up: this may be a low-posting week from me as I have a crunch of activity the last full week before Christmas. NPC my guy if I’m holding anything up.

By contrast, from the 20th onward, my availability increases dramatically.

Once we pick a direction, this is probably a good point to start a new IC thread; the current one is nearly at the post limit, and I think we're all for getting Saskan added in ASAP.

Also, do you still want me to bot Warfryn, or are we looking for a tasteful way to lose track of him?

That is kinda where Saskan comes in; I will handle his "shift" as I see fit :) No need to NPC Zaku. Thank you for doing so, greatly appreciated.

Where are the voices coming from? The chamber ahead or the doors?

In reply to Roland Esperus (msg # 286):

Yes, they are on the other side of the door into the room you are heading into should you open them.

Are we looking down the "central hallway" with the sphere of crushing force trap?

You see no traps here, not even closely, more like an old barrack or so. Would like be another room, by the view of it.

Are these guys human or what?

Argh, forgot to add that.
They are Tieflings.

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 291):

Thanks. It doesn't totally matter, I just wanted to make sure they weren't, like, ghosts or demons.

Bonkers day, can contribute tomorrow.

So to align:
- Zaku goes into top room and challenges Gnoll.
- The rest go into the Altar? Or do you remain present in the main room?

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 294):

Dral, at least, us going with Zakuryu.

I'm pretty confused about the room options. Can you lay them out again?

Yes.

When you enter you see a small hallway south.
On the farthest side from the entry way are two doors. One single, one double.
The single is where the gnoll is(top one), followed further down by the double doors.
At the bottom the room extends out, and here is the resting area for the tieflings.

I'm REALLY lucky that Gnoll got the natural 20 on his initiative, and not on his attack roll.  Even so, that still cut it pretty close.

Whoops, we need a new in-character thread. Congratulations, everyone!

Let me handle that. I will shift the latest message over.

Surprisingly busy weekend & Monday--contributions from me in the next day or two.

Whats the hold up? Anything I can do? Please check the new thread!

Sorry, got swamped with moving.   I'll get a post up ASAP

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 301):

Sorry, I was off Monday and was tense about Wednesday. I'll post soon.

What does "It warns of the altar" mean?

Corrected it.

I wrote alter twice in the same sentence, so it has been amended to make more sense now. Sorry!

Just been a bit nuts. Will contribute over the weekend.

It's all good, I'm just bleeding out on the floor :)

Grock: You shall not have died in vain!
Saskan: I’m not quite dead yet.
Grock: Well...you shall not have been mortally wounded in vain!
Saskan: Actually I’m feeling quite better. I think I can walk.

Finally caught up. Can Roland get within 30' of the surviving dragonborn to try to do a bit of healing?

Yes, Roland can.

Also, makes me think of the duel from Monty Python..

This message was deleted by the player at 18:48, Tue 26 Jan 2021.

Roland, I don't think we've had a short rest yet and you already used Bastion of Health on me right after my "duel".  Do you have another minor-action healing power?

If not, it's okay: I still have my daily self-heal reaction and my Second Wind.  I just like keeping tensions high :V

Woohoo! I am finally up! Now, can I act or do I need to wait until next round?

EDIT: Also, I realized my HP hadn't been increased at each level so I actually have 55 with a surge value of 13. SO I am now at 28 of 55.

I can roll initiative and attack or wait, to be on the safe side I will wait.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:30, Tue 26 Jan 2021.

I'm pretty sure you still roll initiative; if your initiative is lower than Roland's, you're conscious on your turn.  If you roll higher, you are conscious next round.

That makes sense, so I'm out until next round :(

14:56, Today: Saskan rolled 7 using 1d20+4.  Initiative.

We haven't taken a short rest? Bother. Okay, I'll fix my post.

Yeah, assume the attack on Zaku is surprise, and you roll for round one as normal.
Please adjust HP, surges, location etc on the sheet if incorrect.

My sheet is updated.

Zaku, you need to correct the stat block in your post--Zaku is still bloodied.

If you correct the stat block can you update mine for 28/55 HP.

I'm confused.  You healed me up to full right after the fight with the Gnoll.  DM said "14 damage to Zaku" at the start of this fight, so 49-14= 35 if my math serves me right.  Am I missing something else?

Ah, I see the issue here.

I copied the last known block, but failed to add anything in between.
That means that at start of combat, please verify your own stats - hp, surges etc, and correct it. Zaku is right.

I'll post soon.

Is the combat over? I will introduce myself if so.

What happened with the HP on this beast? It has been all over the place. Also is it my turn?

In reply to Saskan (msg # 324):

The "12/106" was a result of a copy and past from our last combat. It looks like it was supposed to start at 108/108, and has been knocked down from there.

If you haven't acted yet this round, go ahead and act. For the most part, we act in a group and we don't tend to worry about who goes when, unless there's a tactical reason to.

Cool. I wasn’t sure if this was the round I was revived in or the next round. So I didn’t want to act yet if I wasn’t up.

In reply to Saskan (msg # 326):

I mean, I wasn't trying to speak to that. But if you were revived, you're conscious and prone.

It's like the old joke:
"Doctor, now that the operation is over, can I play tennis?"
"Of course."
"Wonderful! I didn't know how to before!"

Ran out of time today; update from me tomorrow or Wednesday at worst.

Will update after I get an answer from the DM.

For some reason, you guys left off the effects of my attack on the Barlgura on the stat block. I'll add it back in, but please be careful not to delete my debuffs. I burned a daily on this thing and kinda want that effect to stick around :-)

In reply to Roland Esperus (msg # 329):

You're talking about what you did in message 9? The effect you applied appears to have been a victim of the correction to the copied-over stat block from the previous encounter. Notice that the max HP, defenses and abilities are different between your post and the previous one.

That's fine. Can people go back and edit their posts to reflect the penalty, then, please?

I don’t think my post was inaccurate. I had one definite miss and one definite hit.

In reply to Roland Esperus (msg # 331):

Please spell out what the penalty is and what should have changed, so we're all on the same page as you.

It is currently taking a -2 penalty to its melee damage rolls, increasing by 1 each time it hits someone (-5 max).

I've added it to the table in my posts,  so feel free to just quote that.

That's what I thought, but I didn't see what that would have changed. I'll make my move soon.

Thanks. I'll update tonight as well.

Sorry for the delay! RL has been busy. Back to you, DM.

My initiative is really low, so I'm going to wait until others have posted, nice job Grock :)

Thanks. But our resident samurai can dish it out three times as much under the right circumstances.

Dral & Saskan, I'm waiting to go after you so you can take advantage of the vulnerability on the demon.

I will post first thing tomorrow if Dral hasn’t already slain him.

In reply to Saskan (msg # 341):

I'll see what I can do.

Well done! I will be more active in future combats :)

Yes, well done!

More substantial post from me tomorrow.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:27, Thu 11 Feb 2021.

Thanks for your patience, folks--I should be better able to post this weekend :-)

Per standard rule, spending a short rest with an item will attune you to it and let you know what it does.
If that is not to your liking I would argue 10+itemlevel(which is a check of 16 and 18 here), in arcane could also do it.

06:39, Today: Saskan rolled 23 using 1d20+8.  Arcana

Both are exposed to be the following:
Amulet of Life lvl 5
Shadowfell Gloves lvl 6

I’ll pass the gloves off to Saskan.

I have a pair of gloves already that add to my Will based attack damage. But these might be better. So I will take them :)

Roland doesn't have a use for either item. I say sell the gloves.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:57, Wed 17 Feb 2021.

Saskan will do whatever the party wants to do.

To put it in terms.

You can go northWest, south, east(you did so) and west.
So select either from the main room with the spirits.

In reply to Storyteller (msg # 353):

I don't see a lot of difference, but proceeding to the right (clockwise) is a methodical strategy.

Zaku, you had offered a direction--which direction was that?