Please post strictly out-of-character items here. Mechanics can still go into the in-character posts, generally speaking.

I don't plan to focus on Eberron history, or anything, but it's a kitchen-sink setting that some people know about and it front loads some interestingness. If you don't know the setting, don't worry about it.

Please introduce yourself here, tell us about your D&D, 4th Edition and other RPG experience, and touch on what kind of character you'd like to make.

I don't require every role to be filled. Defender and Leader are good anchors for any group, but I firmly believe that any group other than All Defenders could do fine. So, play what you enjoy.

Hello,
I have enjoyed 4th Edition since 2006 or so, when I would run sessions for my students. I have a weekly D&D game night online for two hours that I DM. It’s been a while since I’ve been a player. I’m wanting to play a leader or controller, but I want to know what others are thinking. Just before 5th came out my local convention had a number of battle interactive events and games that would last the whole day. I miss those and the 5E events are just not the same.
Thanks,
Matthew

Hi,
I've been DMing 4ed for a couple of years - I've mainly GM'd Runequest and some other games in the past - for over 30 years, and this edition is my first experience of DM for this system

I have a group of 5 core players plus my 7 year old daughter who joins in occasionally - she'll reference gaming stuff in real life - telling my wife for example she needs to roll a 10 on a d20 to sneak out of the room, much to my wife's annoyance (in a jokey way).

Not much experience as a player in this edition - just a couple of one shots at 1st level

In this adventure I have generated a dragonborn fighter, just using phb1, so keeping it simple

I’m going gnome hybrid, with an artificer/invoker of Aureon. I couldn’t decide between leader or controller, but I love the concept of the the hybrid. Not going to be optimized, but should be fun.

I'll open a space for you to post character details once you've created them. There's a private sheet that only you and I can see and public details anyone can see. You can also pick a portrait, but it's not required.

If you tell me your character name, I can change your name to that.

So far we have:
mbivens: Leader/Controller
Declan Williams: Defender

That's just FYI if you want to have a role to yourself. If you're not familiar with hybrid characters, I'd say that the party currently has half (more or less, depending) of both a leader and a controller, so more of both would still be useful.

Hi! I've DMed 4e thru several partial campaigns, including a current weekly-ish game for my wife and kids but I've only actually played 4e twice, (both Play-By-Posts) back before essentials released.

Had a Warlordmostly built, but then scrapped it for Maggie, a Kenku Bard, incessant whistler and hoarder of useless things.

Hi all

I’ve been gaming with Declan for over 30 years but playing Runequest.
In the last 4 years we’ve been playing d and d in a group with Declan being the DM.

One of our group also runs Cthulhu.

I’ve decided to generate a paladin to try and balance things out with a bit of healing as well.

OK, we're looking at

Fighter, defender
Paladin, defender
Bard, leader
Artificer/Invoker, leader/controller

There's one other person who was invited who hasn't gotten back to me yet, but we could run with what we have if we wanted.

How is everyone's experience with 4th Edition? Like, do you think you'll have questions about powers, or how combat actions work? I was considering running a "test" combat, both to refresh people and demonstrate mapless combat.

I created character sheets for each of you. You can use those if you want to have the info handy, but you don't have to. I don't have a need to see your sheets unless you want me to review them.

Remember to suggest a level 3 item, and to make it useful for monsters if you want there to be a higher chance of me putting it in the game.

Hi Paul

Yep I’d be happy to go for a ‘test’ especially to reinforce playing it mapless.

I’ve been playing 4th with Declan for a while.

I’ll update my sheet tomorrow 👍🏻

Cool, I'll set up something.

What are those codes at the end of your post?

Well, given the current roster, dying seems very unlikely. It may take us a year to kill anything tho :D

In reply to Daddysauc3 (msg # 13):

If characters don't do much damage, monsters can risk more opportunity attacks and mark violations, speeding up the rate at which they take damage and allowing them to put it on softer targets.

That actually touches on something I usually like to ask players about: do you expect monsters to avoid opportunity attacks and obey fighter marks? Some people put it in terms of 5he monster's Intelligence, though I don't think Intelligence is really the same thing as tactical ability, and anyway I think a smart creature could see good reasons to take risks.

I usually think of it in terms of monster goals, but this adventure, as written, is about the monsters killing the PCs, Nothing I'd offered about their own self preservation. Which, if they had any, why would they fight at all. So, given this is meant to be simple and straightforward, I'll mostly focus on each individual group trying their best to kill the PCs.

Thoughts?

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 10):

I would be interested in a test combat because the dice tab doesn't make sense to me yet. I would like to get to know how to play mapless in 4E too. I feel that I am good on the way my powers work. I am going to be trying to stay back for ranged attacks mainly.
Does a burst attack provoke opportunity attacks? That may be my one power that I could use in melee, if it doesn't provoke.

In reply to mbivens (msg # 15):

The attacks that provoke opportunity attacks are ranged and area attacks.

Melee and close attacks do not provoke opportunity attacks.

Burst attacks can be area or close. If it's an area burst, then it provokes; if it's a close attack, it doesn't.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:37, Mon 26 Oct 2020.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 12):

Those numbers and symbols were emoji’s ... they didn’t work :-)

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 14):

Monsters should have some thought process
Though their goal is to kill the PCs, probably knowing they will die if sentient beings, they will attempt the task to the best of their ability - looking to weaken the PCs for their comrades if nothing else

so yes, play them as you would as a player with disposable minions, with a focus on the greater goal

I'd also be happy to try a test combat, as this system of rpol is new to me

Suggested magical items
Holy symbol - symbol of Battle level 5

Frost weapon - Frost long sword level 3

Where is everyone on their characters?

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 21):

I’ve created a character sheet a Dragonborn  Paladin called Drake.

What details are you wanting on RPoL on the character sheet section ; All the scores and details of feats powers etc?
This message was last edited by the player at 16:28, Tue 27 Oct 2020.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 21):

Mine's done, hasn't got a name yet but will do when I put info on

Is there a template you want us to use, or shall I just put something on and you can tell me if it's too much or too little

suggested level 3 magic item - Adventurers vault p47 - Lifegiving plate armour

In reply to Declan Williams (msg # 23):

There's no template I prefer. And I don't have a real bar for what's too much or too little. I don't really intend to look much at your characters, unless there's some clear mistake, like an armor class or damage roll that seems too high or too low.

character description and sheet done

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 21):

Character sheet all updated on rpol

In reply to Declan Williams (msg # 26):

Cool. Do you have a name you want to use? Remind me of the race and class.

I just added another player. I'll let them introduce themselves.

If we can finish character by the end of the week, I can start the practice combat on Monday. Once that's over, we can check and see how people feel, adjust as needed, and get into the actual game.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 28):

Name is Froodle, a dragonborn fighter

In reply to Declan Williams (msg # 30):

Name changed. Is that considered a cool name by other dragonborn, or average, or funny or what?

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 31):

hmm, good question, I hadn't got beyond it being the name given by his parents (in truth it's a part of a name I use for characters in many gaming sessions, stemming originally from a character called lucky Luke, though that connection isn't perhaps easy to see)

I think other dragonborn see it as a cool name, not one to make fun of (his strength and toughness may come in to play to show them the error of their ways then)

Hello Everybody!
Sorry for the late entrance. I've got a Hunter Ranger (Essentials, range, controller) I built for a previous game run here. Just to keep it simple and fast, I'll use that.
His name is Rottimer Lind. He tried to join an adventure company but the team kind of fell apart.

I've run a alot of 4E and played a little at conventions, but until Covid, it has always been face to face so online and play by post is still something I'm learning. Particularly the interface of this site just seems to leave my scratching my head. So please pardon my mistakes and clumsiness with posting.

I'm down for a practice combat or whatever everyone else wants.

As I recall this character has a couple magic items. Are we allowed any in this game or should I get rid of them?

Maggie the Kenku Bard (Ranged Leader) is ready, character sheet are in the Character Details section (hopefully, anyways. LMK if they're inaccessible, Paul)

In reply to mbeacom (msg # 33):

Yeah, no magic items, and please make sure you're at level 1.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 35):

Cool, think I'm good now.

A few minor issues with one character, and I'm waiting on confirmation that another is finished. Still planning to kick things off on Monday.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 37):

Character is made, on a slides presentation. I’m needing to convert it into just text. I can send you a link if you’re interested.

In reply to mbivens (msg # 38):

No need for you to send it, as long as it's complete. I'll change your name and start setting up the practice encounter.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 39):

Just got the character sheet loaded. I put the basics of abilities, defenses, HP, powers, and skills
Happy with my character and the chance to learn about Ebberon

In reply to Frug (msg # 40):

This won't be heavily about Eberron, as I'm keeping the adventure pretty generic. But I'll throw in a few things. Picking rhe setting mostly just helps me frame things.

I posted the first scene, but forgot the intent of making it simple, for practice. Iade it much too complicated. I'll retool it and post again soon.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:45, Mon 02 Nov 2020.

Ok, it's roughly the same encounter, except I put all the enemies in one spot, and removed other complications like terrain. The point is just to get a bit used to how I run PBP combat, and how the dice roller works and whatnot.

I'll wait a little longer on Maggie and then put them last in initiative.

Froodle, are you seeing the private messages I'm sending you?

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 44):

No, I'm not seeing the private messages

In reply to Froodle (msg # 45):

ah wait, yes, found them now

Let me digest and get back to you

In a little while, I'm going to post the first turns of the first round.

My method is to post some prose paragraphs that describe the mechanics, then post the mechanics, followed by any notes and then the "status block." I'd like you to roughly follow that example.

Post as much or as little description as you're up for, but have some mercy on your fellow players. No need to go overboard. You don't have to emphasize things, I just do it because I think it helps draw attention to what's going on.

I like to post the dice roll results from the dice roller. You're not required to do that, but please give us a little to go on: what powers you used, where you moved to, what effects you placed, how much damage you did, and anything else you changed about the scene.

You don't have to use the dice roller on this site. You can even use physical dice. I trust you.

It's usually not necessary to copy over my notes.

What does need to be copied and updated from the most recent post containing it is the status block. The status block consists of the lines that begin with the names of the PCs and non-PCs/monsters in the situation. After you have finalized your turn, the status block should reflect the situation as it is now. Any change in HP, or condition or location. The most recent status block is the basis for the next person's turn, so give them what they need to know.

Here's what the status block would have looked like, if there had been a turn before mine:

Security Armatures (3) (48/48; 15/15/13/12; +7, 1d10+3/9) Far side of square, near retrievers.
Retrieval Armatures (8) (1/1; 16/13/14/13; +6, 4) Far side of square, near quadrupeds.
Froodle: (34/34  19/16/14/11) Near rest of party, 5 squares from nearest quadruped.
Rottimer Lind: (22/22; 17/12/17/13) Near rest of party, 5 squares from nearest quadruped.
Drake (27/27 20/16/11/15) Near rest of party, 5 squares from nearest quadruped.
Maggie: (22/22; 15/10/14/15) Near rest of party, 5 squares from nearest quadruped.
Frug: (23/23; 15/12/14/14) Near rest of party, 5 squares from nearest quadruped.

The monsters went first, so for my turn, I took what you see above, adjusted it according to the mechanics (some movement, some attacks), and reposted it. You'll see it at the bottom of my game post.

The next person to act should work from that block, modify it, then repost the updated block at the bottom of their post.

The person after them should work from that previous block (not my original one), modify it, then repost it at the bottom of their post.

Mistakes will be made. We're not computers. When you post, you can correct errors you see. Please avoid going back and changing blocks once they're already posted, so we can avoid having multiple versions of reality at once.

On the lines for the monsters, I have put the attack roll modifier and damage for the monster's melee basic attack. For the quadrupeds, it's +7 (vs. AC) and 1d10+3 damage (1d10+6, if within 2 squares of their ally. This is so people can roll opportunity attacks and even things like triggered charges, if they don't want to wait for me.

I'm on my phone and don't have time for a full post with dice rolls just now, but Froodle you can roll the attacks if you like.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 48):

will figure that into future turns, but I'm about to head out to work, so you may get there first with the opportunity to roll their charges

Will be back on line later to finish my turn so we can keep things moving

In reply to Froodle (msg # 49):

I'm working on the post now.

Froodle's remaining turn is ready for him.

Note the changes to the status block. I usually use the term "engaged with" to mean, "adjacent to and actively fighting." I usually use "near" to mean "most characters could reach it in a single move, or less." If something is too near to charge, I'll say so, otherwise, a charge is valid.

Froodle is bloodied, which I believe grants him +1 to all his attacks for being a dragonborn. Can I just say that I love using brutes at low levels?

As the quadrupeds acted on Froodle's turn, their initiative changes to just before him - which is where they were in the first place.

Froodle's minor action will be dragonbreath, he should be able to take in the two brutes, but how many of the others are in range? Can the blast 3 take in all 4 in the middle which were 1 square behind? Or are some out of range?

In reply to Froodle (msg # 52):

Ah, good question. And the answer is, "I don't know, what do you think?"

I could decide something, but it would probably be conservative, or my explanation confusing, and you might have more questions, which would slow us down.

The way this approach works is that you decide for yourselves, based on what has been said so far, what makes sense to you, and what the rules are.

I'm probably not going to correct you unless there's something that doesn't seem based in the rules or description at all. If I saw things differently that how you decided, in a way I thought mattered, I should have said. Since I didn't, it's up to the player.

Some considerations one might make in this case:
Dragon breath is a 3x3 blast, without feats.
The quadrupeds had to move 2 from where they were in order to charge.
The quadrupeds are medium creatures.

If up to me I'd suggest more would have been in range had the quadrupeds not charged, so the humanoids are now at the extent of the blast - so only three could really be in range given they were in the square behind. This assumes they lined up behind the quadrupeds. If you rule they were spaced wider, then only two could be in range, so disregard my final roll.

In reply to Froodle (msg # 54):

What you decided is fine. It's true, and part of the reality people should use going forward in this encounter. Just note the effect on the status block.

rolls could have been better, but could also have been a lot worse, hopefully the format is okay, Froodle takes a heavy breath from exertion and watches the others do their bit

Got a hobo crit, that's nice!
I always feel like I screw up the mechanics portion so let me know if I put too much or not enough.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:37, Fri 06 Nov 2020.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 57):

I made a few changes and reposted with some description and a wave to Drake.

A couple of notes to all:
I won't always repost after a player posts, I just happened to have time. So, no need to wait for that.

Anyone can do what I did, if they see something they this is worth adjusting.

I find the the underlining of the names makes the block a little easier to read. If that's not the consensus, we can leave off. Otherwise, I'll note that if you quote the previous post and copy the block from there, it will carry over the underline codes.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 58):

"A portion of its outer integument is gouged open, and it seems to be having trouble working its jaw and moving at the same time."

Great description, love it! Exactly the concept I was going for.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 58):

Hope that all Drakes entry Makes sense !!!

I’ve just got to update the damage as I rolled it individually by mistake rather than applying the first roll (luckily the larger one!!)

Maggie your up !!!
This message was last edited by the player at 11:07, Fri 06 Nov 2020.

Oooh a bard - always fancied playing one of those, but cutting my teeth as a player in a more straight forward role. I'll be interested to see how you play the role Maggie

In reply to Froodle (msg # 61):

I made a bard once, for an Epic level game that never got off the ground. I took as many multi-class feats as I could and had training in every skill.

I like the 4th Edition take on bards. They can be focused around performance as in 3.5 or they can just be versatile leaders.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 62):

As in any game, what will often happen is that the PCs and the opponents will be in opposite "sides" of the initiative order. When that happens, it matters much less in what order members of a side take their actions. It can still matter a little, if there are start or end of turn effects or triggers in play.

What I'm getting at though is that if someone is eager to take their turn, or if people see a benefit to moving around on their side's initiative, let me know.

Also, if someone hasn't responded (not necessarily posted their turn, but at least logged in and shown they're still active in the game) within about 24 hours of when the last person posted, I'll have their character delay and the next person can act.

If I'm the next person, I'll try not to seem too eager. If there's a possibility that a person has stopped participating, I'll often make a portion of the opposition move to the background too, to keep the challenge roughly the same. I prefer that to having someone else run the character, though I'm open to other suggestions.

We're not at that point yet, just giving people a heads up

I usually don't expect people to post during the weekend. Enjoy your weekend.

Also, I'm not likely to be in a rush to boot or replace anyone. A heads up is always nice if something comes up and you know you will be delayed for a matter of days.

Cool, I'll probably give Maggie until the end of Monday to post.

OK, I spoke with Maggie's player and real life has tackled them for now.

I'll put Maggie in the background for now, along with some of the monsters, and I'll post for the monsters soon.

That's okay, sometimes real life takes over, and has to be more important

Hopefully she can come back in at some point, but we shall persevere.

Great fun so far

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 66):

Hope ‘Maggie’ is ok and all’s ok with the family

Now that everyone has had a chance to act, feel free to cut loose. Burn action points, use dailies, etc. This is not part of the adventure, and you'll get to start the adventure fresh.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 69):

Yay coppery and silvery are dead The battle continues

Maggie / Frug are up next after Gilded’s readied action against Drake

In reply to Drake (msg # 70):

I can't make a full post right now, but you can roll the quadruped's attack if you like. +1 from the charge and only 1d10+3 damage.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 71):

I think he's doing an extra shift at work Paul so won't be back for a bit either

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 71):

I’ve rolled it and it was a miss (lucky I had the AC buff)

Frug your up if Maggie is still unavailable
This message was last edited by the player at 19:03, Wed 11 Nov 2020.

Quick round, gang.

I'll work up a post soon. I expect one more round in this encounter and then we can see how people are feeling and mo e I think from there.

Froodle is up.

I feel like underlining the names in the status block helps readability, but it's enough of a pain to re-underline things that I don't want to bother if people don't think we need it. Bear in mind that there's a simple way to carry it over: just quote the message with the previous block and copy the code tags along with it.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 75):

I like having them underlined. But I have to train myself to check for it. I'm doing the quote thing then remove the quotes, but my previous turn I didn't notice that the block I quoted was missing the underlining, so I perpetuated it, sorry about that.

Rottimer is up, followed by Drake.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 77):

Is it just me or is the site painfully slow today? Also, that roll that showed up on the dice roller out of nowhere was me refreshing the page and it just rolled again. Please disregard.

I keep getting 504 Gateway Time-out when I try to post. Sorry if it double or triple posts. Cant see that page.

Friday the 13th....

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 80):

Must be! Still kinda slow but at least I can see my post now. I've not paid attention to this site, but maybe it gets busy on Fridays or something. Shrug.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 81):

Frug’s up!!

In reply to Drake (msg # 82):

I keep forgetting that I’m in this! I will have my post by the end of today.

In reply to Frug (msg # 83):

Nice attack, Drake! Doesn't look like I'll be collecting the arrows from the corpse. I think they got splintered! lol. :)

Ok, great. With all of the standard monsters dead and everyone getting to take an equal number of turns, I think this is about over. Time to check in.

How is everyone feeling about handling further combat encounters that way? Is there anything that could be more clear, or less confusing? Later encounters won't be in an empty 10 by 10 area, but I want the basic approach to be clear so we can do more complicated situations.

How is everyone feeling about having only four PCs for the time being? I'm open to suggestions. Four PCs can work; it's pretty easy to dial down encounter difficulty. A team without a full leader can work, but the players have to take that into account, and bear in mind that leaders don't just restore HP.

You also don't have a striker. That said, the two defenders worked a lot better than I would have guessed. A defended defender is pretty much not worth trying to hit, giving them lots of freedom to cause trouble.

I was going to have scene or two in between the PCs getting to the next bit of excitement, just so flavor things a little. As mentioned, the PCs will get to start fresh for the actual adventure.

Also, if anyone was simply plugging along so as not to bail in the middle of a fight, but has had their fill, no hard feelings.

So, we'll take at least a day to discuss. Even if you don't have an opinion, please at least let me know you read this.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 85):

Yep all good to date I have no problem with 4 at the moment

The format was fine and it needed to be a simple combat to get things in perspective.

I’m looking forward to much more .... so ready steady Go  haha

In reply to Drake (msg # 86):

All systems go, check!

I'm happy with 4.
All it does is switch the difficulty level up by 1,but then remember in D&D the characters are expected to win, so making it more of a challenge adds some danger element.
Of course Paul you'll be able to adjust as you see fit as you will have the overall view and know what is coming next!
I think the combat was a good idea, helped us standardise our formats and get an idea of how things will look.
Looking forward to the out of combat stuff too.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 85):

I enjoyed the combat, but it was a little strange to wrap my head around the space. I’m built for range and as the part leader I didn’t use my heal. I had a tough time with the system of taking what was in the previous post and adding to it. I’m writing this from my phone and I had been waiting to get on the computer to do the combat. I think that I will be able to make it work from my phone using a google doc for the modification of previous post information, but I am up for suggestions.

Four is good for me and I hope that I can remember to be timely about posting

Ah, I can sympathize. I don't post from my phone to this game, if I can help it, but even in games with a map I only use my phone if I absolutely have to.

I'd be willing to update the table for you, if that would help. I'd rather not do that for everyone, though.

Let me know if there's anything I can do to help with that.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm working up an in-character post now.

Please don't roll any checks. Go ahead and describe what you say or do in the next few minutes, or what your intentions are. If you don't wish to do anything specific, please post something so that I know you're ready for me to move things along.

The adventure doesn't have to do with these constructs. We can get into them a bit, if you want, but there's no immediate gain from it.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 90):

I do all my updates in my iphone

I type the text on my Word app

Then I quote the last player so the table appears and I copy and paste my entry to the start then alter the table details.

Regarding visualising the battlefield .... I was unsure before we started but with the entered descriptions it helped a lot and I could picture what was occurring and where the enemies were which assisted in the next moves to be made.

I think there may be times I may find it difficult to conduct close burst attacks to visualise where my allies are, in this combat it was more obvious .... but time will tell.

I will always wait for the laptop to do combat updates

I find the phone okay for a few sentences maybe and to read latest posts, but beyond that it is a real pain.

I also use word to copy and paste, but it loses the underlining etc so I have to remember to put that back in when posting (not a problem once I knew it happened)

In reply to Froodle (msg # 93):

If you copy from a quoted message, it keeps the underlining.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 94):

I appreciate that you all have offered advice and I will do my best to make it work

Thanks for the posts.

Part of this is about hooking the PCs into the adventure, so watch for those hooks. I normally wouldn't try to force things like that, but this is about a specific adventure.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 96):

Paul I’m not sure about the others but I don’t mind posting replies at the weekend .... just to let you know. I’m
nit sure how everyone else feels about it but as I do mine on my phone I can do it anytime apart from when I’m working !!

I'm happy to post at a weekend too

OK. Everyone's certainly allowed to post on the weekend. I just don't want anyone to feel obligated. Same for this week.

I plan to respond to the responses some time today. I am going to assume I don't have to do a hard sell to get you to accept.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 99):

Oh go on my then

In reply to Drake (msg # 100):

I'm afraid I don't understand.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 101):

Oops sorry a little gin involved in the last post

No hard sell required

Drake, I see your references to skill usage in your post (which I edited to fix the quote blocks).

Thank you for not making rolls, first of all.

Second of all, thank you for stating the intent behind those rolls.

As this situation is not a key part of the adventure, there's nothing really to roll against. I'll update soon, but Rian is deliberately not going to engage with you long enough to get pinned down on anything. He's telling the truth about the job and his information as to locations is everything he himself knows. It's clear that he's never going to pay you for the information, but the job is still valuable in terms of experience and a potential in with the Council.

That's what I meant about "hard sell." It's not an iron-clad good idea to take on Rian's suggested work, and he's partly doing it to try to keep you all out of his hair while he handles his primary investigation. He doesn't actually expect you to succeed, but he also thinks you might be useful contacts. He's not trying to send you to your deaths; he can see that you're capable and he trusts that you have enough common sense not to get in over your heads.

I posted a little about criminal groups in Sharn, though none of that is really relevant to the adventure. Those are simply the most famous groups in Sharn, ones someone might read about in the news sheets.

There is more information to be had by following up on the locations Rian suggests.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:07, Mon 23 Nov 2020.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 103):

Quick question, what is the lore on black market ice? And is this the "hook?". I want to latch onto the one that pushes us as intended and it seems there are several viable options.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 104):

I'm not sure what you mean by lore. It's not, like, a core conceit of the setting. No one who knows all about Eberron would be nodding knowingly about "ice." It's appropriate for your characters to be confused about the concept. I'm happy to explain, but I'll use a spoiler block in case anyone doesn't want to know.

All of the hooks are to the same adventure. You only need one, but each one has XP attached to it.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Magic is like tech here, but not to the point of replicating modern conveniences. That means know refrigerators, which means ice comes from sellers who /do/ probably use magic to make it. It's a service and they can charge for it, but if someone else is selling ice, that cuts into their profits. That's what's going on and somehow (probably due to political graft) if became a Council matter.

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In reply to DM Paul (msg # 105):

Ok, gotcha, can I invent some lore then? Was thinking to have my character grab the ice hook due to personal history with it.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 106):

By all means, but bear in mind that it's currently incidental to things. It's not actually about black-market ice.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 107):

No worries, just adding flavor. Trying to get a feel for this.

NOTE: none of the following is essential to understand. I just had fun "Yes, and"ing the concept of a disruptive blackmarket in ice.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 108):

Good. Ice really would be in constant demand. No one can grow much in the city, it can be stifling hot in places, and who doesn't love a cool drink, over tepid rainwater?

The ice merchants have a pretty firm hold, since they have the magic to produce it, Houses Jorasco, which is involved in healing, and Ghallanda, which offers the best in hospitality, both require a lot of ice. Both are halfling houses, with inevitable ties to the Boromar clan. So there are efforts to get around the monopoly and fights over that control can get nasty.

Illegal ice-making usually involves large artifice, or deals with creatures or beings capable of generating it. Artifice has an unfortunate tendency to fly apart without constant maintenance (and often even then) and creatures who can create ice are often, well, it would be cliché to call them cold-hearted, but....
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:12, Tue 24 Nov 2020.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 109):

DOH! I thought ice was some kind of drug. LOL
That's what I meant by lore. OH WELL! hahah.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 110):

Well sure, who's ever heard of illegal ice? But it turns out the concept works pretty well anyway. People can fight and ruin lives over almost anything, so why not a heavy, useful, hard-to-make, transitory commodity?

By next Monday, let's have the party zeroed in on a course of action, or close to it. I'll introduce the dwarf's hook later today.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 111):

Ok, sounds good. I'll do whatever the group decides. I personally like the ice hook. Sounds fun, but whatever is fine. All are good. I'm ready to go any time. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 112):

If I do this right, you should be able to take all three hooks.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 111):

Paul I can see the reply for the dwarf but is there any reply to Drakes enquiry from Rian re the fee?

In reply to Drake (msg # 114):

I spoke to that in post 102 in this thread, but I'll try to pop something into the in-character thread.

There's no actual payment for that job, and Rian won't engage with Drake or anyone else long enough to get pinned down on specific rewards. The idea is that, as adventurers, you're willing to do some work on spec, for the experience and potential connections. And because there's often swag to be had.

Also, I'll be honest: I dislike playing out haggling in D&D. Any reasons the PCs should or shouldn't get more money or a better price are entirely made up, so there's no basis for compromise. And the game operates on a semblance of paced out rewards. DMs are regularly advised to go ahead and give PCs more money if they ask for it, and then just reduce some other reward later. But that seems lame to me, too.

Per my suggestion above, Drake can roll a skill to see how good a negotiator he is, but the end result will still be vague assurances and a quick exit from the conversation by Rian. The roll and your description of what it means will color Rian's reaction, though.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 115):

Yep ok I got it

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 115):

I’ve edited my market day post hopefully following the skills ideals along the lines you’ve suggested

In reply to Drake (msg # 117):

OK. I'm not sure what changed, but I'll try to work off the current wording in any reply Rian gives.

He's already stated some good locations to check out and one of those locations is the zone of fog where Goldcap thinks his shipment might have been taken.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 118):

Thanks for being in this game, everyone. I appreciate you trying out play-by-post and giving me a chance to practice using and explaining it. I'm really excited to see how some of the encounters in the adventure go, and as you can probably tell, I like coming up with stuff about Sharn and Eberron.

I hope you all have a good holiday, or if it's not a holiday for you, I hope you have a good weekend.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 119):

Happy Holidays to you and your family

It’s just a weekend for me !!

Here's the info on the potion of healing, if anyone needs it.

Consumable: Potion        50 gp
Power (Healing) ✦ Consumable (Minor Action)
Drink this potion and spend a healing surge. Instead of the hit points you would normally regain, you regain 10 hit points.

I hope you are all having a good weekend. There's some times to respond further to the current scene, but early next week I plan to move things to the next step. It will involve some rails, primarily because this is all about a particular adventure. Otherwise, I might play out at least part of the travelling and searching.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 122):

CHOO CHOO! Bring it! :)

Once last scene before the adventure.

Combat isn't called for here. I'm not trying to be secretive, but I thought you'd like to ask some questions and have some interaction. I'm probably not going to call for any skill checks. If you have questions, please ask them in character, or out, and I'll address them. If I don't answer them, it's because I don't know, or because your answer would be as good as mine.

As mentioned in the House Rules thread, if you want to roll any skills, just for some randomness or character exploration, be my guest. Assume you're generally successful, but note that the goliaths will decline and discourage offers of help with their injuries, out of both pride and a healthy suspicion.

I think everyone has had a chance to read the latest post. Later today, I'll move us ahead to the first encounter.

The adventure lacks any kind of entrance way or antechamber; the PCs are really just thrown into things. Since that approach might have been based on the assumption that the party has all the roles filled, I'll consider the difficulty the party has with the encounter when deciding afterwards if it should count for more than one milestone. That is, I might decide that you get another action point immediately after the first encounter.

I've got my kids tonight and this weekend, but I'll I'm to post the first room in the next day or so.

Goliaths, not warforged. They're giant-kin, big, grey, tough-skinned.

Given Drake's response, I won't move to the first encounter. My next post will be a reply to Drake and anyone else who says anything before I reply.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 127):

Sorry I’ll correct it

I'll move us to the first encounter soon. It's not underground, but still in the city. Sharn is very tall.

Please roll initiative. Post your roll in the new game thread, "Sludge Pit," and update the status block with your name, hit points and defenses, in the order your initiative would place you. You can assume you win ties with the kobolds. Then post the updated status block.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 130):

I am content with no cover, but if there is anything in the room, let me know so I can use it. I don't want to invent a statue or crate or some other obstruction if the goal is to pin us behind the glowing barrier with no protection to force us to problem solve the pit while we get hailed.

Also, I'm a little confused on how to visualize an 8x4 rectangle crossing a 4x8 room.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 131):

Taken as a whole, I feel the description makes sense. Note that the pit doesn't span the room at its location, because of the alcoves. One can walk around either end of it.

I didn't establish a point to this encounter, so you can't really interfere with that. If it makes sense for there to be cover, then just establish it. I just ask that we just keep the basic reality intact, i.e. please don't establish that this is all a dream.

I mistyped: They're skirmishers, not dragonshields. This is why I don't bother to try to surprise players.

Everyone starts near the stairs at the south end of the room. The slinger is on the other side of the room, the pit is between you, but can be walked around, or leapt by the brave.

There are two other kobolds not currently in view of the party, but they've been warned and the other slinger has readied an action. If you get to the edge of the pit, you'll trigger it.

Frug be sure to let me know if you ever want to use fade away after this or some other attack. Remember for next time that you can make a Stealth check as part of your initiative check, if you're behind your allies. Per my house rules, someone hidden or invisible in combat can still be targeted, but attackers take a -5 to their attacks.

should Frug be 19 HP rather than 17 from the sling hit?

In reply to Froodle (msg # 134):

I was a bit tipsy when I posted that. Remember though that if you see an error, you are empowered to correct it by reposting the status block. You don't have to check with me.

That's cool

Yes, I knew we could correct it, but out of courtesy wanted to check first in case I had missed something.

It can always be corrected on the next status update - I'm sure Frug would have made sure it was right LOL

Drake's action will trigger the readied action. I'll handle that in the post for the skirmishers.

I will assume Drake moves closer before issuing divine challenge, as it has a range of  burst 5.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 137):

Yep I’ll go with that as I thought the whole room was 8 end to end I started at the end of the sludge pit I thought we’d be within the 5 but if  not I’ll move challenge fire reload thanks ... thought I’d trigger the action :) hope you role Low

In reply to Drake (msg # 138):

I see. Everyone started at the back of the room.

Drake, I should have gone with where you said Drake was positioned, but I missed it at first. I'm trying not to care how quickly these kobolds drop, since they're unlikely to manage much damage anyway.

If any kobolds go into the pit they are pretty unlikely to get out again, since they have meager Strength. They'll try to until killed or the fight ends. Once the fight ends, I'd prefer that the PCs not just shoot them like fish in a barrel. They'll be out of commission and I'll give the party full XP for them.

During the fight, those in the pit are fair game, though.

Also, remember that you have an action point and all your daily powers.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 140):

Status block seems to have drastically changed. Can I grab the most recent DM status block and update that?

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 141):

Yes.

Frug, so I can better explain things, can you tell me which status block you worked from?

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 142):

I’m not sure, I thought it was the most recent. I did it on my phone. I know that I hit the slinger and did 6 damage. Sorry that I didn’t get the correct statuses

In reply to Frug (msg # 143):

Yeah, it can be tricky on a phone. As long as you take the latest one describing the actions of the PC or character who acts before you, it should be the right one. If it's still unclear, let me know.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 144):

No harm no foul. Just want to make sure we're all on the same page. I liked having the room status in the block and it seems the movement issue with Drake had been resolved.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 145):

I’m trying to figure out if Drake, Froodle, and the Skirmishers are all in a 3x3 grid? I would like to use an area effect, but I don’t see a clear definition of the space. I know it’s a bit before my turn and things may change, but it’s going to be something that I need to look at often.

In reply to Frug (msg # 146):

If Drake is flanked and Froodle is engaged in melee with one of the flankers but not flanking him with Drake, they'd almost have to be in a 3x3.

In reply to Frug (msg # 146):

It's never going to be precise. You have to look at what's written and what makes sense to you on your turn. If the status block says that two creatures are flanking a third, for instance, you can judge that they're all in a 3x3 square. If you're conscientious, I don't think you're generally likely to get more out of your action that the rules state. After all, you'll miss sometimes anyway.

And having actions that don't have any effect on a miss is, I find, very helpful when things might seem contradictory or impossible. For instance, which side of the pit - south, on the side the party entered, or north, where the first slinger was seen - is Drake actually on? I'm going to clarify that in my next post, which will result in the erasure of some of what I'd previously established, which I feel safe in doing, because neither of the kobold skirmishers actually accomplished anything. When nothing comes of an action, it's easy to rework it. Actions that have effects, other than one's own movement, seem more "real" and less easy to revise. If the skirmisher had hit Drake, he'd have to be next to him, right?

So, please read very carefully the next status block I post. And from now on, when someone is near to the pit, I will probably try to state which side they're on. Again, please read carefully, and possibly more than once, especially if something seems surprising to you. I'll do the same.

We're not computers, and none of our descriptions or imagination of others' descriptions will be perfect. I find that things sort themselves out, though.

Also, it's not necessary for anyone to repost the room description, unless they want to. I'll try to do that in my posts, though.

Edit: Following my careful rereading, and Rottimer's post, there's less revision required than I thought. I'll update soon.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:43, Mon 14 Dec 2020.

Drake is up.

I took the liberty of having Froodle mark the kobold he attacked. Froodle, since marking is automatic with any fighter attack, I'll assume you mark unless you specifically say otherwise. Like, maybe you don't want to ruin Drake's mark some time.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 149):

Dog hide Skirmisher is up

In reply to Drake (msg # 150):

Noted, thanks.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 149):

Thanks for marking

I'll try to remember to state whether I am marking either way in all entries, though grateful of the assumption you have made. I'll keep it updated on the status track too

Myself and Drake will have to be sure we aren't stealing marks that cause us to lose an advantage

These gangers can shift as a minor action, so the doghide one tries to get shift twice, once as a minor, once as a move.

Since Froodle has this guy marked, he can use his immediate action to attack the skirmisher, which will stop one of those shifts.

If Froodle stops one, the skirmisher will wind up next to him, but not next to the pit. Otherwise, he'll end up south of Froodle, with Froodle between him and the pit (though not adjacent).

I assume he'll make the attack and I could look up his melee basic attack bonus, but go ahead and make the attacks and post a new status block, please.

In future, if you like, I can make the fighter immediate and opportunity actions that make sense for him as a defender. Or we can keep it like this.

Happy to keep doing the interrupt rolls myself. I often look at the current status on the phone and if I see an action is needed and can't respond in a reasonable time I'll put a short entry here.
If the "what ifs" become too complicated then by all means roll for me

In reply to Froodle (msg # 154):

Cool.

Also, I was wrong and misled you. The fighter's response to their target shifting is an immediate interrupt, not an opportunity attack, so the hit would not halt movement, nor benefit from combat superiority.

The hit is still good, but the kobold is south if you. Not that I expect him to kart long enough for that to matter.

Thanks,

I had to read over that three times to spot the difference, yes opportunity attacks are interrupts, but this is described as an interrupt, which doesn't make it an opportunity attack as the move is a shift.

Devil in the detail and a bit of cross referencing rules

I have amended the die roll and status
This message was last edited by the player at 14:34, Tue 15 Dec 2020.

In reply to Froodle (msg # 156):

I love the intricacies of fighter attacks, but darned if they don't still trip me up after all these years.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 157):

I am not sure if I can get both Froodle and Drake, so change it if I am wrong, but +4AC until my next turn, so fight bravely.

damn my rolls are poor in this encounter

If I hadn't used sure strike I'd have missed with both attacks this round

lets hope the luck balances out upwards as the tests get harder

In reply to Froodle (msg # 159):

On the other hand, that kind of tells you that you made a good choice, both in taking Sure Strike and deploying it when you did. Means you're outplaying the dice. Something to be proud of. And something that 4E gives more opportunities to do than any other edition.

It warms my heart to see someone take and use Sure Strike.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 161):

When choosing powers I like to keep a balance, not necessarily focus on what can do the most damage but consider the what ifs - what if something has high AC? Is there an attack that targets reflex / fortitude etc?

I have a fighter in another game that has cleave and tide of iron. He rushes to the front, uses tide of iron to push enemies where he wants them (backwards and away from the party) so he can use dragon breath. But once that is done and there's no enemies in a group they are no more than a basic attacks really.

So what else is there, in this case, the stats are balanced differently so I thought I'd go with the sure strike for those instances where it can be a slog and I just want to improve the chances of hitting.

I have decided it's a good alternative.

In reply to Froodle (msg # 162):

Great points.

The slingers are up. I'll update soon.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 163):

Accidentally pasted Drake into my roll without noticing it. Derp Derp. Thankfully I missed! Lol

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 164):

Phew haha

Quick question - the slinger on the other side of the portcullis - is he within 3 squares of the portcullis?  Just determining my next move, though the way the dice have been going I may not get that far LOL

In reply to Froodle (msg # 166):

Also a question, when I peaked to the west. Was there anything to see?

That wasn't clearly established, as far as I recall, and it seems plausible that he'd be that close.

Rottimer: all of the enemies and exits have been revealed. The other alcove is just empty space and blank walls.

Thanks, I've taken my turn as if the slinger was within range of the dragon breath and was about to post with a line saying ignore that bit if not, when I read your reply - so I think Froodle is good for the hit

In reply to Froodle (msg # 169):

Yep, cool stuff.

I forgot I was up. I'll post soon, though I won't expect responses until after the weekend. Have a good pre-New Year holiday!

Drake is up, but won't be considered overdue until the 29th.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 172):

I’ve been ...well I’ve taken a turn anyway

Frug is up

Merry Christmas all

In reply to Drake (msg # 173):

That's a brave choice, using the hand crossbow with nothing but the proficiency bonus. Hand to God, it didn't even occur to me that a paladin could use a hand crossbow, despite a paladin using one (once) in my favorite 4th Edition-based comic. I think that part of my brain is still stuck in 3.5 D&D, where they were exotic weapons. But it's a pretty nifty option for making sure one's divine challenge can be applied.

Edit: did you want to challenge the kobold? He's in range.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:12, Thu 24 Dec 2020.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 174):

I rolled a Critical Hit! At least I think I did. 1d20-1=19 reads like a natural 20 for full damage! Let me know if I am off. Have a merry Christmas all.

On another note, I am traveling for a few days before New Years. So it may be tough for me to post, but I will do my best.

In reply to Frug (msg # 175):

Yep!

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 174):

Not at this stage Paul thanks

I don’t want to overrun Froodles mark

In reply to Drake (msg # 177):

Let me know if my description of Rottimer's killing blow is too over the top for anyone. Shooting through a hole in the wall with that power felt right, but may be too "super hero'ey" for some. Just trying to get a feel for the groups tone/style.

And Merry Christmas and Happy coming New Year!

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 178):

Certainly doesn't bother me. Hunter rangers are both martial and primal, so one can always appeal to "spirits" for an explanation, even if none are evident.

Encounter over. There's no treasure to be had, but everyone gets 100 XP.

I'll start the next encounter soon.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 178):

Seems an excellent description to me ... great reading ...well done

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 179):

Well done team

In reply to Drake (msg # 181):

Cool, thanks. Nice job everybody. Thanks DM.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 178):
Loving the descriptive stuff. With gaps between us taking turns there's time to read it so it's not slowing us down and really adds some flavour / atmosphere.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 182):

You're welcome.

The party may take a short rest. There's no downside or trade-off.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 184):

Rottimer Lind thanks for the shout out for my nat20! I’m enjoying the narrative building from the descriptions. It makes up for the lack of being at a table.

In reply to Frug (msg # 185):

Agreed, Frug. I'm not super into reading really long exposition, but with but a post or two per day, a paragraph or two to set the mood feels pretty good. Only problem is when everyone posts on the same day, it can get long, lol. I'm still learning this medium. I think what I'll do in the future is kind of adjust the length of my posts relative to recent posting frequency. Lots of posts and I'll try to keep it shorter. Fewer posts and I may add a bit. Will see how that works/feels.

I'm working up the next encounter.

There's a portcullis in the way, but it's wide enough for Frug to pass through and pull the lever.

Edit: you can assume that any immobilization effects have ended.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:46, Sat 02 Jan 2021.

This room has traps in it.

As written, the traps are difficult to run in a play-by-post, because they involve an interrupt action; and they're difficult to run without a map, because they involve particular squares. Honestly, even without a map, I would find them annoying to run.

So, I've reworked them. They will attack certain creatures under certain circumstances at the end of each round (or not, if those circumstances are not met). The party can have the XP for a trap, if they meet one of the following conditions.
A trap is disarmed or destroyed before the kobolds stop fighting. (100 xp for each disarmament/destruction).
A trap hits with three attacks before the kobolds stop fighting. (100 xp, available once from each trap)

The balance of the XP can be gained if, at the end of the encounter the group can explain the "logic" of the traps, i.e. why they do or do not attack. Partial credit is possible here.

A character adjacent to a trap mechanism can make a standard action Thievery check, DC 25, to disarm it for the rest of the encounter. The defenses and HP of the traps are listed in the status block.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 188):

Sorry about the delay, I forgot about checking the game yesterday!

In reply to Frug (msg # 189):

No problem!

Rottimer is up!

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 190):

With all 3 standing "in front of the altar" I felt like they would be in a burst one. If that is not the case, feel free to amend my post accordingly.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 191):

I like how you named the one I hit as Bright!

In reply to Frug (msg # 192):

Just working with what's there. It was all you! :)

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 190):

DM time to do your worst!!!

Yep, I'm on it.

I managed one hit, but it was the one I really wanted.

The encounter I presented contained everything that was in the book. You guys could probably have still taken it, but I have adjusted it in proportion to the party by having one of the traps die.

As I read it, Froodle didn't end adjacent to any of the kobolds, but even if he did, they could have shifted away as a minor action.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 196):

You are right, I didn't have Froodle next to the kobolds. When I looked at the dimensions in the room description I considered he'd used a double move and was still a way from them. Nice of them to close and give me a chance to hit first, ask questions later - except I've now reread it and it says Frug not Froodle LOL

Hang on a mo while I get my head around where everyone is
This message was last edited by the player at 14:04, Sat 09 Jan 2021.

Wasn't sure whether to apply the -2 for cover to my roll. I didn't as I was adjacent but in the end it didn't matter as I missed by 1. If I'd hit by a close margin I'd have had your view first

I made my turn happen, which was a bit frustrating. Having to roll dice and then post was tough because I forgot to roll damage. I had to write my flavor out two times because of a bad copy/paste.

Writing the posts is half the battle! So Paul, my pointed gnome cap is off to you.

I shifted out of melee because from my read it seems like both kobolds were on the same side of me, otherwise they would have flanked me.

I want to use an immediate interrupt, but I have two.

In that case, I'd still hope you wod decide for yourself, be ause I'm probably fine with whatever you think. For the record, I wouldn't expect it to apply because to my understanding you were around the corner, with nothing between you and your target.

But you've hit on a key aspect of what makes this approach work: most of the time, it isn't close. On most rolls, at least at this tier of play, it's clear that you've hit or haven't, regardless of what penalties might be out there. On I'd say about a quarter, probably fewer, rolls there might be reasonable questions, but most of the time (with an average that improves with practice) the player in question knows the answer just as well as the DM.


Sorry to hear that. It gets easier.

You're picking up what I'm putting down! Not only could you not be flanked, because Rottimer is next to you, but it's not generally possible for someone to charge into a flank on the opposite side of someone from where the charge started. No doubt there's an exception to that, involving teleportation or something.

Immediate actions can be tricky, especially before I get to know the characters well. Two things:

If you think you might have reason to use an immediate action, let me know shortly ahead of time and I can execute it if it comes up.

If that isn't workable, than ASAP, please add a post that you're going to use the immediate, or a post of you using it. If that means that something I posted didn't or couldn't have happened, please undo any changes stemming from it (damage, say) and update the status block. Please describe the new reality in your update.

As with table play, please avoid using an immediate after someone else has posted their turn, unless it is minimally impactful.

If an enemy action is prevented by an immediate, and I have an action remaining, please let me know.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:35, Sun 10 Jan 2021.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 200):

Hmm not a successful round haha your up DM

I've taken the liberty of updating the statues bar as a standalone entry to reflect some of the moves and expiry of the immobilization. Hopefully I've got them right.

The old one is still there  - I think a few of us (myself included) have failed to update it fully each time. It's hard sometimes to do keep track of / update all the detail, especially if using a phone or tablet rather than laptop or desktop.

I know I spotted things yesterday and thought they just needed tweaking but had to wait until on the laptop today to actually to the updates

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 200):

My immediate interrupts are based off of a hit. So, if I get hit, I turn invisible. If someone else gets hit, I do an invoker thing. So if I get hit before an ally, I go invisible. If an ally is hit before me, I do my invoker thing.
Does that work?

In reply to Frug (msg # 203):

Yep, that works, thanks.

The only other immediate action I'm aware of anyone having is Froodle's combat challenge attack. I'll assume he uses that whenever he has a chance.

If anyone else has anything I should know about, please let me know. If you set up a readied action, just let me know the trigger and what the action will be.

I'll update soon. Froodle did you change something other than the font color in the update you posted.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:12, Tue 12 Jan 2021.

Froodle is up!

The bright skirmisher used Aid Attack, which is not itself an attack, so Divine Challenge wasn't triggered. Does that do 6 damage if it goes off?

These gang members have a bonus to attack rolls when mobbing someone, which didn't come up in the last encounter. Pity they can't manage higher damage.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 204):

I changed some of the position descriptions initially as some characters / monsters were still shown adjacent or engaged with others after moving. I also got rid of the immobilisation on Rottimer as the description said it just lasted until the end of his turn, which had passed.

My further edit was when I noticed I'd missed one, where despite Frug moving away it still showed one of the kobolds engaged with Frug

As for the colour change - that wasn't intentional - I've only just worked out how to colour the text on here and tried to replicate the original (unsuccessfully it seems)

In reply to Froodle (msg # 206):

DOH! I forgot I had hidden sniper active because I probably had partial cover from the tall skirmisher. Would have given me CA and a hit. Oh well. Next time! Finish him off!

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 207):

Yay Skirmishers are vanquished and Froodle has been healed.

DM divine challenge is -2 Penalty to attacks not including me and +7 in total radiant damage 3+ charisma
Modifier which is 4

DM you’re up

Good job!

Sorry that took so long. You know these 4th Edition combats; such slogs....

The trap didn't get three hits in, so no automatic XP from it. Anyone can offer their analysis of how what triggers the trap and who it targets. 100 XP are available, with an option for partial credit.

Im assuming that everyone is moving carefully around the room and out of line of sight for the active trap.

Go ahead and take a short rest and search around if you like.

I've put an entry on for Froodle, for his effort at understanding the trap - searching the room and he even had a go at disarming - what a time to roll a 20 - great for his story / legend, but would have preferred it in combat LOL

Rottimer is very cautiously trying to find out why it shot at him, what he did to trigger it. Focusing on his location and the path he travelled.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 211):

It's easy to figure out now that combat is over, but there's no XP reward for that. The way to get the XP now is for the players to tell me what they know about how it works, based on what happened during the encounter.

There's not a lot to go on, because it was a short encounter. Only two creatures were described as doing something that would trigger the trap and only one of them actually did trigger it. Then again, it's only 100 XP, and I decided to give you that much for the intro combat, so you wouldn't really be out anything.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 212):

Ok, well, as a player, I would assumed either Rottimers path of travel or the point at which he stopped near the coffin was a trigger for the trap. Probably the latter, since it fired after he was stationary.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 213):

That's good for 60 XP, 15 each. There's a little more to it.

In the next day or so, I'll post what the PCs find out about the trap and what else they find in the room.

Feel free to benefit from a short rest. You've reached a milestone, so increase your action points by one. Remember you can only use one action point per encounter (though monsters with action points are not limited in that way).

The trap triggered once a round on a medium creature using one of the coffins for cover. Only Frug and Rottimer stated they were doing that, and of the two only Rottimer is medium sized.

Like I said, you didn't have a lot to go on, but on the upside that's because you made quick work of the encounter.

I'll post the next room soon.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 216):

Nice one Paul

In reply to Drake (msg # 217):

I was lazy with posting my initiative. Didn’t realize until after I posted

I thought you already rolled initiative, Frug. A 5, right?

By the way, Frug can state that he is in cover for the initiative roll and make a Stealth check to hide, if he likes. I'm not sure what benefit it might have here.

I'll give Rottimer most of a day longer to post initiative, then I'll move things along.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 219):

Sorry for the delay, I was watching the wrong thread and kind of dozed off over the weekend, lol.

The defenders are held up, but the ranged guys can still cause problems.

Just FYI, the defenders could delay if they wanted, if anyone has a way to give them an off-turn saving throw. A DC 15 Heal check will do it.

Note the readied action, and note the the stone can push, but only away from the creature triggering it. Right now the north minion is holding it.

If a minion dies while holding the stone, I'm going to let either another kobold on the same platform grab it, or let it swing over to a kobold on the other platform without attacking anyone.

I think it's Rottimer up next - we have the same initiative but he is +5 to my +2

Happy to take my turn if it speeds things along or wait for Rottimer

That's fine. I don't have everyone's ability scores on hand, so when there's a tie between players I'll let you all decide who goes. Dealing is always an option, though in cases of start of turn effects like ongoing damage it can get a bit tricky.

In the case of ties with monsters I'll err on the side of the players, unless a monster has extreme quickness as an obvious trait.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 223):

I'm done. Shot the north slinger with a slide 2. Hoping to knock him off the platform and begging for some falling damage leaving him an easy mop up for the melee troops. Action pointed to hit the minion holding the stone hoping to disrupt whatever he's got planned.
Get em boys!
This message was last edited by the player at 16:17, Tue 26 Jan 2021.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 224):

I rolled a save for the north slinger and he managed not to fall. He's prone at the edge of his platform.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 225):

DOH! Nice roll!

The unseen creatures will not be taking actions this round, so the rest of the PCs may now act.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 227):

Finally a successful missile hit from Drake

One Kobold down and he’s free back to you DM

I remain impressed with Drake's use of a hand crossbow. Nice hit!

I'll act in the next day or so.

I judged that being two squares back on a ten foot platform was worth a little cover in this case. I'm also going to judge that just, say, jumping up, does not negate that, but a longer-term raise in height could.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 230):

Thank goodness I remember to use Cunning Stalker. Turned a miss into a hit!

Over to you DM

Yep, thanks for the reminder. I'll post soon.

I spoilered out the kobold's action because he's unseen. Anyone who wants to can look at the spoiler, and even if you don't you can probably guess what it is, but you can also be surprised if you want.

The doors take effort to open.

I'm up. I'll post soon.

Froodle, something is going to come up the stairs, but it's not a kobold. Do you want your trigger to be more general?

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 235):

Yes sounds like a plan, Froodle may have a surprised look on his face, but it would be in character to charge anything hostile that comes up, which would have been better wording.

Rottimer, you can trigger your readied action as well, if you like. The drake has partial cover from where you are.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 237):

Double doors are open DM your up

I'll post soon. I'll be rearranging some initiatives due to readied actions.

I rearranged initiative based on my understanding of the readied actions. All of the players go before the enemies act again, so feel free to work out with each other who goes when. Otherwise assume it's in the listed order.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 240):

Regarding the Blue / Yellow Drake that pounced then bit at Drake .... and thankfully missed ...should the Blue/Yellow Drake now be engaged with Drake in melee rather than back with the slinger?

In reply to Drake (msg # 241):

That seems to be what the description indicates, and it's very likely that I forgot to update that part of the block. Someone can feel free to change it when they post.

Edited to add: For that matter, I forgot to update Drake's immobilized state.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:03, Sat 13 Feb 2021.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 242):

No problem I just wanted to check cheers

In reply to Drake (msg # 243):

Proned the drake for you, Drake. Let him have it. Also, I think I updated the conditions/stat blocks, but feel free to double check. I always seem to miss something.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 244):

Thanks for making it Prone Rottimer

DM time for you to do your worst again

I love brute monsters. They hit less (in the original MM anyway), but they definitely hit hard.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 246):

Quick question, is the hallway lit now the doors are open? Just checking re modifiers before I roll anything.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 246):

Errr ouch .... glad I went for a couple of temporary Hitpoints

I said ...’time for you to do your worst’ !!! Glad you didn’t get a critical!!!

In reply to Drake (msg # 248):

Thanks for the buff/Heal  Frug .... very timely !!!

In reply to Drake (msg # 249):

LOL! Super lucky I chose careful attack or I would have missed completely. But then rolled a dang ONE for damage. WEAK! get em boys!

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 250):

It's all too rare when bonuses clearly matter, but it does happen sometimes. Cool.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 251):

DM back to you minus one Blue-Yellow Drake

In reply to Drake (msg # 252):

Well, it died doing what it loved.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 253):

It did and a pretty good job it did too !!!

all I needed was to roll a 4

cue the dice curse -here's a 2!

over to you Frug

In reply to Froodle (msg # 255):

Your dice math says 1d20+2. Is that a typo? Seems like it should be a higher bonus.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 256):

Ah yes, good spot, a typo. The die roll was 2,tbe modifier was +9, hence the still measly total 11.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:11, Sat 20 Feb 2021.

In reply to Froodle (msg # 257):

Sorry my posts have just been mechanical, I have life of busy currently.

I had a strong feeling that was the last round. Well done. Take a short rest. There's some treasure here, which I'll describe, and I'll start getting the next area ready.

Well
Done team :)

This next room is a bit complicated.

It's not all immediately visible but the wall across from the entrance is one side of a room, the outside walls of which are 20 feet wide. There are doors in the south wall. The top is open.

Behind the central wall is a 10 foot high platform with stairs leading up to it. It's basically 10 x 10 and set into the wall. The stairs leading up to it are also set into the wall.

The boulder is a complicated trap. It's going to come down and roll around the central room. There's no real way to stop it.

I neglected to scale down the previous encounter for four characters, though I think the "trap" had no actual effect so it probably wasn't tougher than it should have been. I have scaled this one down, eliminating one challenge and leveling several others down.

Action points: I don't think I specifically stated that you received one after the second encounter. If you have spent 1 thus far, you have 1. If you have spent 2 thus far, you have 0. If you have 0 thus far, you have 2 and should spend one in this encounter.

Please roll initiative and repost the status block with your details and your position in the order.

Rottimer, you're up!

It's apparent that the Boulder is about to roll into the room and around the central room. No one is in the path of it yet, and there is room to avoid it to the north and south, but not east and west. I'm assuming the party is still in the hallway.

Frud and Drake, you two can decide which of you goes first on initiative 10.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 263):

Drake you’re up first 10, I’ll take second

Paul, did we have time to spend surges? I forgot to put my stat block in.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:15, Wed 24 Feb 2021.

In reply to Frug (msg # 264):

Yes, the party took a short rest.

<quote Frug>
In reply to DM Paul (msg # 263):

Drake you’re up first 10, I’ll take second

<quote Frug>

Ok no problem Frug

Sorry, I hadn't realized that Rottimer had acted. I'll post soon.

I said the party entered in the east wall, but it's the west wall. That's corrected in the new stat block.

In terms of the boulder, if you are within two of the central room outer wall on the side the boulder sweeps on its turn. It's +7 vs. Reflex, 2d6 damage and knocks prone. It's kooky as all get out, but pretty avoidable. I have a feeling the kobolds are going to get to use their bonus against trap attacks.

Over to Drake

Paul if being on top of the wall means the wyrmpriest can see me then you have an energy orb to throw  - As we've both been this round already I don't suppose it matters if the roll is out of sync if others get to go as there is no direct engagement yet and most opposing sides cannot see each other

In reply to Froodle (msg # 269):

In a but I'll post what Froodle can see, but just to summarize:

He's at the level of the east platform and can be seen, so I'll roll the attack (or you can, the details are in the Challenges thread).
The wall of the central room is one square thick, and it's open, with a 2 by 2 square room in the middle.
Standing in the room is a kobold slinger.
There are ladders down into the room for easy access to and from the top of the wall.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 270):

I’m trying to figure out what the area looks like. I’m thinking that I would like to make my way towards the speaking. Is it a room within the room and a platform inside the room? I’m not sure if it is possible to follow the Boulder and see if I can find the person speaking. I figured it was worth asking while waiting for Drake

In reply to Frug (msg # 271):

Let me update with what Froodle can see.

Nice to see you borrowed my d20 Paul, my rolls have been particularly poor recently when the bar for success has been low.

The funny thing is my d20 has a reputation for rolling high, frequency of 19s and 20s being a talking point within my gaming group, as Drake will testify, when I'm DM / GM. Always rolled in the open too (and sometimes by my 7 year old daughter) so no room for fudging!

In reply to Froodle (msg # 273):

I can attest to his uncanny rolling .... it’s nice to see the boot on the other foot for a change, even though it’s to our team detriment !!

A successful round .... good rolls
But not exactly a game changing result !!! Over to you DM

In reply to Drake (msg # 275):

I believe Frug is up.

Rottimer is up.

It's only a move action to scale the wall, if Rottimer wants to do something else too.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 278):

Oh, sweet, sorry I missed that. Comin atchoo bruh!

Well, I managed to roll three hits, and get maximum damage each time.

Frug can fade away if he likes.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 280):
Frug will Fade Away!
Do I have line of sight to Rottimer?
Is the door that I attacked open?
This message was last edited by the player at 05:33, Wed 03 Mar 2021.

In reply to Frug (msg # 281):

Rottimer is prone atop a 10 foot wall that isn't directly in front of Frug. I would tend to think Frug couldn't see him.

What do you want to do that requires line of sight?

The door isn't open. It will be open at 0 HP.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 282):

Ruh Roh Raggy.

The party does have a potion of healing but I'm not sure who has it.

I think I have the potion of healing (it's written on my character sheet).

My plan is to engage the slinger this round and let the paladin aid Rottimer initially

I've assumed from the description that climbing down the ladder didn't require an athletics check. If it did and I need to add it in, Froodle rolled 17 on d20+9.

In reply to Froodle (msg # 286):

That's my understanding of how ladders are meant to work. Someone on a ladder could be hit and need to make a check to hold on, but normally I doubt it's worth rolling.

It's the presence of the fighter next to him and the combat challenge that will cause the slinger not to throw, not so much the damage itself.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 287):

yes, my wording was a bit vague, I wrote it before rolling but what I meant in my head was that the attack followed by the combat challenge would distract the slinger from his original intentions

Rottimer what’s your healing surge value for how many HP you regain?

In reply to Drake (msg # 289):

Surge Value: 5

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 290):

Rottimer You are up, I am glad to see! It’s also your turn. I’m hoping Geodesic can stay between me and anymore damage!

I have some bad news about that: the dragonshield is able to stick to Frug when Frug shifts away, so there was no room to summon Geodesic between the two of you.

Because I didn't mention or even telegraph this ability, I'm not going to take the opportunity attack for Frug using a ranged power while adjacent to the dragonshield, particularly since one of the attacks didn't hit.

In real-time, or if I'd remembered to give you a heads up, you probably would have played that turn differently, so if you want to alter anything go ahead and post an update, with some description to show what the situation really is. Don't go back and revise your previous post, though, please.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 292):

Well that escalated quickly! Felt nice to return a little max damage, at least on one attack!

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 293):

Glad I could help Rottimer :-) .... you soaked up some nasty numbers !!! Good to see you back up causing havoc !!

In reply to Drake (msg # 294):

Yeah, thanks for the heal! I was REALLY wanting to drop two baddies on that round and first attack was max damage I thought I might get lucky, but the dice had other ideas, lol. Rottimer lives!

I have Frug and Geodesic flanking Longsword Dragonshield now because of the situation. with my AC buff, I am hoping to get through the next round still standing. Hope that door can open up. I should have moved away while invisible, but that is behind me.

In reply to Frug (msg # 296):

As written, it could still have chased you, even invisible.

Anyway,awesome. The boulder will be here in a couple rounds too, which should stir things up a bit.

In reply to Frug (msg # 296):

I just realized that thundering armor pushes the target. So, assuming you pushed him, the kobold couldn't have followed with its reaction. Sorry. Once again, it turns out I shouldn't have bothered trying to correct anything. We can revert, at the risk of confusion, to the first version, or stick with where it is now.

I've just noticed the latest status bar entry for Rottimer.
Made me chuckle.

Froodle can unbar the door as a minor action. If he moves next to the dragonshield, the dragonshield will shift away from him.

It should totally be a legit status condition. :)
Also, it was nice that your next attack did minimum damage. Those silly dice do tend to average out over time dont they.

I'm not sure if the dragonshield would be in reach for an attack from my position in the doorway, but figured if it was it would shift away anyway given the prepared actions it had

Can I clarify something please Paul

Drake being stood on the wall next to Rottimer and the Longsword dragonshield having shifted does that mean I would have line of site to attack the longsword Dragonshield or would he be concealed from me due to the wall?

In reply to Drake (msg # 303):

That's up to you. I haven't clearly specified where you or the dragonshield is standing.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 304):

Ok I’ll go for partial concealment due to angles etc

Frug your up
This message was last edited by the player at 18:30, Fri 05 Mar 2021.

Frug you have a minor action left if you want to grab the healing potion on the floor in the central room. I put it down thinking it would be more use to you than me right now - it's the one the party found that I was carrying so usable by anyone - not specific to my character

I got one good hit out of the frost longsword, at least.

Obviously either Drake or Froodle could use it. I intended it for Drake, though, as it was his suggestion. Its daily power has not been expended.

We seem the have missed out Rottimer.
I'll do Froodle's actions after Rottimer goes

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 307):

Drake will definitely be interested in that :-) dependant on what Froodle’s intentions are!

In reply to Drake (msg # 309):

My hope with my "clever" attack is that the drake will take falling damage and land in square that will trigger Froodles readied action.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 310):

Crap I just realized I got skipped and the scene had changed. Sorry I had started my turn and got interrupted so didn't see the change. Do whatever you need to do.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 311):

My apologies! I was trying to stay on top of things, but instead I screwed you out of your move. You can change whatever you think makes sense. Rottimer would probably have his HP back from the last attack, at least.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 312):

Not sure how to "fix" it in the thread.

My idealized outcome would be the spiretop drake fell within reach of froodle triggering his readied action and so not getting the attack on me. But that might impact what your mobs would do. I will accept and respect whatever you feel is the right way to handle it.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 313):

That works, the kobolds were definitely going to move.

The drake will fall 2 squares from the wall, so seems like out of range for Froodle. Since you were banking on it taking damage from the fall, go ahead and roll 1d10 for it. I should have reviewed the verdammt flying rules.

Just need to clarify the boulder position. I think it might be at the SW corner now.
Am I right in thinking it will pass the south wall door to the central room next turn.
If so I'm not going to step in its path but let the drake who goes after the boulder and is prone have that delight.

Flying creatures fall when knocked prone, but subtract their flying speed from the distance fallen. So, the drake won't take damage or fall prone, but it will take an attack from the boulder on the next turn.

Sorry again for my mixup on turn order.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 316):

No worries, sounds good thanks! GO BOULDER GO!

I’m not sure how Drake went from 8 hp to 17 hp... it looks a typo unless someone can enlighten me ?

I will progress as if I only have 8hp unless someone can enlighten me

In reply to Drake (msg # 318):

I believe that's related to my skipping of Rottimer's turn. After Rottimer's next turn, I'll double check everything.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 319):

Ok, my turns done, please for the love of all that is holy, tell me Froodle's ready action is triggered this turn. :)

It should, yes. It will be a bit before I can post my update, so he or you can roll the attack.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 321):

Hot Diggity, get it Froodle!

Rottimer, what can I say, you keep going, putting the drake just where I want it and I miss by 1.
So sorry, my d20 is not performing - the irony being as a DM d20 it keeps rolling high - the player curse is real!

In reply to Froodle (msg # 323):

DOH! I just didn't want to leave you down there with no targets. I'm supposed to be a controller so I need to be giving my peeps things to swing at!

We'll get him eventually, lol!

I will hopefully keep him occupied now, freeing up others. If it moves or shifts away from me I get a free attack from the combat challenge. I could have done with one of my hits landing though as he'll still take more than one to take down. My encounter power is only 1w damage and my daily spends a healing surge, which I don't need - yet

In reply to Froodle (msg # 325):

He's only got 6HP. He's ripe for some badassery, lol.
:)

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 326):

Hopefully he’ll cop more than 6hp from the magic Boulder

I didn't clarify in the status block that there are ladders inside the central room, so it's easy to reach the wall from in there. Geodesic can be on the wall, if that was Frug's intent. The platform is 10 feet east from the east wall of the central room. There are basically two things to stand on, with a gap in between, not counting the platform the boulder started on.

When Frug blasted the remaining dragonshield, that target was out of sight. I think that was not conveyed will in the confusion, so I'm going to let the damage stand rather than basically waste Frug's turn.

I wasn't sure how Drake gave Rottimer 9 HP back, but I guessed it was because that's Drake's healing surge value. Lay on hands uses the target's healing surge value, so I took back a little from Rottimer. If I made a mistake, he can get them back again.

Drake has 0 Dex or Int bonus, but he carries a large shield, so I changed his Reflex to 12. Unfortunately, even that wasn't enough to keep the cold off this time.

Are there any healing potions left?

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 328):

No healing potions left on me just second wind

I have healing hands as a feat which means there’s an extra + points on any powers with healing as a word including lay on hands. I can’t recall off the top of my head if it’s +2 or + 3 as I’m not near my books at the mo

In reply to Drake (msg # 329):

Ah, I thought that might be going on. I'll out those point back.

As a reminder the east side of the central room is the next path for the boulder and the boulder will prevent anyone from walking to the north side of the room via that route for this turn and the next. Not that anyone seems inclined to actually walk around the wall.

I need to remember: if there's a wall, the PCs will try to get on top of it - even if they have no easy way down.

Drake, the sword is a frost longsword +1. Let me know if you need the details on the critical and the daily power.

You can add the enhancement bonus to your attack roll and damage immediately. As you've seen the weapon in action, you can also use its daily power.

In reply to Drake (msg # 329):

Could you use a heal?

I'll put them back on my next turn.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 333):

Ok, I think I'm confused. I'm reading through the thread. How is Frug hitting the shielded Kobold? I feel like I'm not understanding something correctly. Frug seems to be in the central chamber and the shielded kobold and wyrmpriest are walking outside it? Just wanted to sync up before I go.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:24, Thu 11 Mar 2021.

That's my understanding too - Frug is in a different area, inside a room with the dragonshield and wormpriest outside, to the east of the room, with the entrance to the room in the south, so thay can't see each other.

Also Frug I don't think you need to roll to get your geothingy up on top of the wall from inside the room as there are ladders there.

A bit of confusion that can easily be straightened out with some edits. That being the case Frug may want to move or do actions again. I'd wait until Paul and Frug catch up to sort how they want to play it.

As mentioned, it's easily straightened out. There's some confusion and I've brought it b
Up with Frug privately, but it's possible for him to have dealt that damage, using a different description, so I'm going to let it stand. This is an unpleasantly complicated room for mapless play, but I wanted to stick with the adventure as written. Please continue for now.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 336):

Hello, I have made the edit to put me and my construct Geodesic up the ladder, with Geodesic continuing towards the kobolds. I’m a visual person and reading through the stuff I just don’t see it yet, but I think that I am in the correct place for now. Thanks for the clarification.

In reply to Frug (msg # 337):

Please take the most recent status block, update that block, and then post it.

The central room is in the middle of the larger room. The platform is not connected to it, you and Geodesic can be on the wall.

One can use Athletics or Acrobatics to get off the wall, but there's a risk of taking damage and ending up prone.

In reply to Frug (msg # 337):

I had to draw a reference map to help my head stop spinning after the direction we entered the room changed. I'd attach it to this post but I can't figure out how, lol.

I'll post the monster turn soon.

With Geodesic's destruction, Frug loses 1 healing surge.

The dragonshield is intended to be positioned such that Froodle can't leave without provoking an opportunity attack. But I don't expect the dragonshield to live that long. Still, I'd love to see if his trap sense does him any good.

How big is the alcove in the north wall?

I know the wyrmpriest moved into it, but is there room for Froodle too?

Just determining whether I can move there or need to leg it around the corner to keep out of the boulder's path

Okay, I have to go to work and with time zone differences etc don't want to hold things up

Paul you are up next with an opportunity attack on Froodle from the dragonshield.

Then depending on the answer to the question above re the space in the alcove Froodle will move. I have posted two alternatives, the status bar can be updated to show the one that is used.

Also remember the dragonshield is now combat challenged, so if it shifts again while adjacent to me I will also get an opportunity attack.

Hopefully that makes sense

Sorry for the delay. Got to sleep in, myself.

Cool, I'll roll it. Not much hope, but it's something.


The main room is 12 squares NS, and the central room is only 4x4 around the outside (2x2 inside, with a 1 square wall). The boulder is 2 squares in diameter. This gives 2 rows on the north and the south that the boulder doesn't pass through. So, one can stand outside the alcove and still be safe from it.


Two things on this:
One: If a combat challenged target shifts while adjacent to you, you get an immediate interrupt, not an opportunity attack.
Two: One can't take opportunity actions or immediate actions on one's own turn, so if it used its reaction to shift, you couldn't respond to this. It's a bit unfortunate, but it limits how out of control game turns can get.

However, its doesn't appear to me as though the dragonshield can do anything about your movement, even it were able to block you, which it can't because dragonshield tactics is a reaction, not an interrupt. It could shift itself out of the path of the boulder but if it survives until then, it can just walk away (Rottimer could knock it prone, but probably not without killing it or knocking it out anyway).


I could say the same thing!

A hit. Amazing.

Pardon me, I re-read my own notes on the page: The central room is off-center: It's three squares from the north and 5 from the south, so there's only one row to the north that isn't in the path of the boulder.

Also, it's now possible for Froodle to see that the "alcove" is a hallway that dead ends about four squares to the north.

Thanks for that and updating my position. All makes sense.

To assuage my own guilt when it happens, are you aware that Drake is standing in the path of the boulder's next move?

Reading the above I decided on my move which meant I reached the north wall 1 ‘safe square’ before I charged the shielded dragonshield. As I started in the doorway of the central room. The charge would have taken me to the first square available to attack the enemy which would have been to the North West of the shielded Dragonshield?
Did I not read that right?

In reply to Drake (msg # 348):

There's no right or wrong, and it's clear (and not surprising) that each of us have a different t idea of the scene. I didn't explicitly state that someone ending in melee with the dragonshield would be in the way of boulder, but if you believe you're not, then it helps me if you specifically state that.

But anyway, it's clear to me from your response that you thought you were out of the way of the boulder, so you are. That's fine.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 349):

Thanks Paul I drew myself a plan of the room and worked it out if I had miscalculated I was planning to climb the ladder and try the hand crossbow but the action stated is more in keeping with the character !!

In reply to Drake (msg # 350):

After all this it will be interesting to see the drawings people have made, and how close they are to the ones I started from (and then set aside. I already have some ideas for how to handle room descriptions in the future and seeing how people interpreted things will help me.

Looks like the wyrmpriest should be on 24hp rather than 25 following Frugs hit.
Obviously just a typo but as I'm adjacent now I have a vested interest in him having fewer hit points.

As for the drawings. I've seen Drake's but not committed anything to paper myself. I've reread the descriptions several times and laid it out in my head,though only really focusing on detail on the bits I'm traversing.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 351):

Let me know how to post an image and I'll post my drawing.

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 353):

After this encounter is over, please.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 354):

Ok, so help me out here. I have an attack with a damage plus slide 2. Seems to me that I can put the wyrmpriest in the path of the boulder. Technically, it is "rolling" now, but won't actually be in a new location until its "turn". Is there a way you'll allow me to slide the wyrmpriest right in the path of the moving boulder? Either with my standard attack or with a readied action? Narratively, it seems like it should work, but with delineated turns where the priest moves before the boulder, it seems impossible.

Let me know what you think or if there's a way for me to attempt it that would make sense to you(paul).

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 355):

You could ready an action to attack slide him after his turn (or after he would have no means of moving) and before the boulder rolls. That would just risk him moving to far to slide before your attack.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 356):

Ok, we'll do that. If he's out of range of the boulder for some reason, I'll just try to slide closer to an ally.

That was nearly an out of turn incident

I worked out my actions and was about to post and update the character status when I saw Rottimer showed "ready to attack wyrmpriest"

Oh yes, I'd forgotten that, went back to the previous actions to see what it was and bless you Rottimer you had taken your turn.

Shame you missed, but it meant I could post what I had written with a minor adjustment.

I've adjusted the wyrmpriest hp to take account of the full damage from Frug last time

He's one point off bloodied - over to you guys to finish him off
This message was last edited by the player at 14:05, Tue 16 Mar 2021.

In reply to Froodle (msg # 358):

I'm sorry to tell you, I'd rather you had to rewrite your post, lol! I really wanted to slide him into flanking with you both! :)

Gotta love those daily powers when they kick in!! 2 H longspear to the rescue with its reach !!!!

Alright, cool. I'm glad that's taken care of, as I forgot to move the boulder.

Short rest and then let's talk about if you want to take on the last encounter. It is a much simpler map, fortunately, and I plan to be more descriptive in the future. The enemy is very tough, though.

In reply to DM Paul (msg # 361):
I’m in for the last battle and think that I just wrapped my head around how this PbP works last night. I’m seeing the hybrid not work as well as I would like it to, but that’s what I wanted to play. My invoker reaction power needs to be in use for this last encounter.
Stoked on the high damage daily from Drake! I almost wrote Frug firing off Thundering armor, but it makes more sense for him to be picking up the pieces of Geodesic.

In reply to Drake (msg # 360):

Amazing turn Drake! LOved it!
PS: Why is everything green now? lol

In reply to Rottimer Lind (msg # 363):

St. Patrick's Day.

Thanks Frug

It’s about time we had some luck and Drake managed to get his own back for all the damage the wrympriest threw at him

Yep I’m really enjoying the game and even the difference in time zones works out for me as I can post in the evening go to sleep and wake up reading the next turn :-)

Happy St Patrick’s day

Happy to continue

I still have a daily power to use (healing)which I've not needed yet

Happy Guinness day

Facepalm.

Here's a link to what this room looks like:
https://www.deviantart.com/das...e-Big-Boss-306855781

I'm interested to hear how you saw it. I don't think there's a way for you to post images here, because we're not allowed to have nice things. If you wanted, I could have you email images to me.

I'll post the intro to the next encounter soon.