The minuses are subtracted from the base of AC10, so that a smaller number (eventually goinf negative) means better armour.
Just to be sure, what armoutr does Ornwin wear?

In reply to Otis (msg # 626):

hauberk

So the armour changes AC for 10 to 5. Shield makes it AC4. A dex bonus of -1 makes it AC3.

In reply to Otis (msg # 628):

Right. I don't know what I was thinking. Since he has no shield, his AC is 4.

Cass, I'll make those types of rolls for you, rolls when you wouldn't necessarily know if you had failed. It's alright this time.

In reply to Otis (msg # 628):

Thanks to everyone for all the trouble working out Ornwin's AC. I will post it as corrected.

Thanks!  That makes more sense.  But at least I KNOW I failed all three rolls miserably! LOL

Cass, instead of going through that whole door rigmarole, add the desired steps to the Guest thread and refer to them as needed.

If we’re compelled to make contributions, do we at least have some say in what they are?

I suppose if there is a save involved.

Good idea!  Will do so.  Standard door procedure.

You can make minor strength tests on your own.

In reply to The Host (msg # 637):

Further, whether you're trying to bash through a mass of corroded iron bars or chop a passage through them with an axe, it amounts to the same thing: a minor test of strength (which we'll say Orwin failed).

Further, further, while there is no express limit to the number of minor tests a character can attempt, I will limit them to one per day per particular feat.

There will be no killing of iron bars in Tegel Manor.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:29, Sun 26 June 2022.

If all 6 of us fail our minor strength test (how embarrassing would that be?), can we use Brant’s monster halberd as a battering ram?  Asking half in jest... :)

Our new party goal is to make productive and innovative use of Brant’s monster halberd in every room of the manor...

A most worthy goal.

But it is 30' long and cannot currently be maneuvered to the prison cells.

Can we attempt a combined door-wrestling manoever to try and open it?
D&D makes opening doors and climbing down ropes harder than battling hordes of undead.

@DM: For mapping and scale purposes, you said this room was a medium sized room.  Do the grid blocks in the module maps represent 5x5’ (or something else) blocks, rather than the 10x10’ scale that became standard in the years after this module was released.

Basically, the warden/accessible section of the prison cell is either 30x30’ or 60x60’.  Assuming 30x30.

By comparison, the Great Hall is 110’ (N-S direction) and approx 160’ (E-W).

Is the Master Foyer 100x140’ or 50x70’?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:38, Sun 26 June 2022.

Can we attempt a combined door-wrestling manoever to try and open it?

--No.

@DM: For mapping and scale purposes, you said this room was a medium sized room.  Do the grid blocks in the module maps represent 5x5’ (or something else) blocks, rather than the 10x10’ scale that became standard in the years after this module was released.

--That was a misreading of the map. It's a large room. I have been going with 5 by 5 blocks but I think that might have been an error. Then again a 20' by 15' cell makes more sense than one double that size.

Gotta admit, this was pretty epic. :) Well played!

Brant kneels before Ereth, laying his sword at the mage's feet.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:21, Mon 27 June 2022.

Instead of kneeling and bowing before our well-muscled spellcaster, some intrepid fighter needs to fetch that (hopefully) magical tome (being held by the still non-animated skeleton in the now-opened cell) and present THAT to our mage for examination - since that’s why he’s actually here.

If the spellcaster wants the book clutched by the skeleton, Ornwin will go off intrepidly and attempt to take it from the skeleton's bony hands and bring it to Ereth.

@Ornwin: thank you for retrieving the tome for Ereth - The Host already confirmed IG that you did so successfully and without incident!

@DM, (if appropriate), to continue moving things forward, absent objection from anyone (and subject to anyone wanting to take further specific actions in this room), the party will go through the same “force door” procedure until we gain entry into the northern prison cell (proposed order, using minor feat of strength to force entry (assuming the door is locked) and without use of any melee weapons or battering rams, will be Otis, Brant, Ornwin, Trevion, Ereth and then Cassandra - if we get desperate enough to get that far down the pecking order).  We will then search the two skeletons and anything else of potential interest in that northern cell as well).  If the skeletons animate or something else attacks during this process, we will switch to combat mode (and defer the above actions as long as necessary); otherwise, we will wrap up examination and searching of these prison/warden cells.

Additionally, Cassandra will continue working on her rough map (that she had already started to sketch out during our last trip for down time at the Emperor of Curd) of what we have discovered so far in the Manor - while we wrap up examination of this room.

Let me know if the above is acceptable and let me know if any of that needs to be expressed directly in the game thread.

Of course, if anyone in the party objects or wants to do something different, please speak up - just trying to wrap up this room and get us on to the next one - the big question is WHICH door do we try next (N out of this room, S through the door across the hall, or E to the door at the end of the long hall - the same long hall in which Brant’s Monster Halberd of Usefulness still lies...ready to be wielded yet again in aid of the party.

Yes, just add the protocols to the Guest List as efficiently as possible.

The program is all right with me.