Early inspiration to Vecaal for this great detail. I meant to describe more about the air (literal and metaphorical) inside the caldera in my own posts, but I neglected to do so, and Vecaal nailed it. Of course the steampunk trope is that everything is smoky and sooty and dirty, but Coglinton doesn't actually run on coal, so rust and sweat and sulfur are far more appropriate.

Are weapons allowed to be carried openly in the city? Just wondering if I need to reimagine Baern's warhammer as a heavy wrench or something to that effect.

Only constables are permitted to carry magically and/or technologically enhanced weapons, though of course the laws are rarely applied to ranking members of either Cognelius company. Nor are they applied even-handedly to the city's other residents: possession of even a simple weapon can be cause for suspicion or arrest.

So: it's not against any law, but the laws are not effective limits on what the constables will permit in practice. A heavy wrench would be better when trying to avoid unwanted attention.

So is Kreo causing tension openly carrying a pistol?

It's definitely making a statement, one that could attract the wrong kind of attention. But I think a pistol (as opposed to, say, a warhammer) is small enough to conceal when it's wise to do so, so you wouldn't have to make it obvious you're packing when you didn't want to. Mostly this would be an issue if someone had cause to search you.

On a related note, Baern and I have discussed flavoring his weapons in such a way that they wouldn't present as weapons. So the warhammer is a giant wrench, etc. I'm happy to discuss this with others as well. My intention here isn't to hinder you mechanically, just to add some flavor and authenticity to the city.

I think Kreo's good with making a statement for sure

Procz: Sorry, I need to clarify a few things, and then you can edit your post if you like.

The six "constables" are all pretty close to where you are now. There are more up on the caldera wall but none between you and the workers. The road ahead is mostly empty, with a guardhouse and a few little storage sheds. You haven't detected any movement in or around any of the buildings.

The upshot of this is that, if the constables are going to jump you, they're liable to do it immediately. Anything you communicate to Frack would have to be quick (and subtle, if you want to preserve the possibility of not getting jumped). Whether you have time to cast a spell remains to be seen - we'll need to resolve your communication with Frack and whether one or both of you keep walking past the guards before we see what happens next.

Ah, I misunderstood completely. I'll edit my post.

Great start by everyone!

And thank you Tinkerer for the inspiration nod.  I'm sure it will come in handy against these mock constables.

Thanks. May I now also ask: what would the others see, if they observed you from a distance? How obvious is it you are a constable? Are you in uniform?

I would say uniform and visible badge. Very obvious.

Heads up - I'm going on a weeklong vacation starting tomorrow evening, back the next Tuesday.  Should have access while I'm away, but posting may be slower.

Kicking off both the campaign and the mission with a natural 1!  Cool, cool, cool ;D

Maybe it's out of the way now?  *fingers crossed

It brings the groups together faster :) Who knows, maybe the guards will roll a critical failure on their perception check.

Now I'M the distraction for Procz and Frack :)  Small-Squad, it's your time to shine!

Actually, Baern should be a part of Small-Squad too.  I only now realize that half our crew is small sized :D

Answering Vera's question here because it's info everyone would have: the factory does have some large windows, but they are all a good 40 feet off the ground (more, for those who have descended to the factor's lower, engine room entrance). The engine room group is a long way from the ruckus, BTW. Like, 1000 feet or so.

Well, heck!  time to think of a way to bamboozle a couple of Steel Resolve hardcases and an Iron Maiden... while Procz is getting shot at.  Looks like this campaign might be a speed-run ;D

Clearly we're pipe fitters here to fix a problem in the engine room :)

But we've got big hearts!!!
This message was last edited by the player at 04:12, Mon 24 Apr 2023.

Fell asleep trying to post. Will post tomorrow.

One question in the meantime: Can Frack use his interception fighting style on a ranged attack (life a rifle)? At first I assumed no, but I don't see that explicitly called out.

Fighting Style: Interception
When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 ft. of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10+2 (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

Well, my first roll for the game was a nat 20 (initiative), so that's a promising start (other than just having been shot in the face).

You sure can. And I imagine, if you do, that will keep Procz from going down.

The more things change the more they stay the same! JAWBREAKERS! Sorry for the reaction spell there and the if/then caveats, hope I'm not causing too much backtrack

No, no, this is very good! I was not looking forward to murdering Procz in the game's first week :-)