T-there are a lot of stickies in this board~

Well, I try to unsticky threads when we change to a new one. So there should only be 3 stickies at a given point in time.

Anyway, craud encounter. Here's what I have for healing surges spent:

Surges Spent:
Bernkastel: 2
Torinn: 3
Myn: 3
Michael: 1
Sureiya: 2

Current HP Values:
Myn 40/44 HP
Michael 40/40 HP
Bernkastel 34/34 HP
Torinn 45/46 HP
Sureiya 43/45 HP

Please note that for now I am enforcing the rule that "you can't take an extended rest except in a sheltered area," such as a city, or by using a ritual that creates a "safe zone." This means that sleeping on the boat or camping don't count as extended rests, only short rests. As such you have not yet received the benefit of an extended rest since the craud encounter.

XP Earned: 353 XP each
Expected XP Total (after battle): 4253/5500

Please update your sheets to the new total as soon as possible. Now, to get to work on your next encounter.

>>2486
I sure seem to go through those healing surges quickly.

>knows when to stop
>docks itself
>makes its own dock
>anchors itself
>no sails needed
Nice boat.

How about some aid another with Bern for the forage? Getting a 15 by ourselves doesn't look very easy.

>>2493
>15
You mean 25, right?

>>2494
Well, with a 15 you can get food for yourself, so we should try to aim for a 25 (food for all of us).

>>2495
That's what I meant.

Anyways, why Shion in game responses from npc always end up using that sad face? Is Sureiya really that rude?! I'm starting to get concerned about it.

>>2497
You did call something he was very proud of a "toy".

>>2498
Alright, the word toy doesn't always have a bad meaning but okay, it make sense he got a little offended, but even before that she used the same sprite! And I'm certain that's not the first time I see it.

Still not a good place to summon a horse.

Sweetfish river etc.

Incidentally, lizardfolk only speak Draconic; this should have been relayed with the other info.

The crusher seems dangerous ...

>unaligned humanoids that finally speak the same language as Torinn
>diplomacy doesn't work
>no time to summon mount
>they have push powers
Are you crushing my soul on purpose?

>>2523
There's no need to get in such despair. You just can't always count on being able to be riding on your horse whenever combat starts. I'm not really INTENTIONALLY trying to set up encounters that mess with your class abilities--only one of these enemies has forced movement and the ability to knock prone.

If anything, the short time before combat starts is me learning from my mistake of giving you guys a surprise round on the dragon, which made it kind of a non-challenge.

Anyway, the pegasus is pretty much godly so I don't see the issue!

>>2524
It is godly. In fact, the Cavalier's mounts are strictly better than any mount in the game because they scale and cost no gold to upgrade. But I don't get a pegasus until paragon tier, though. I'm grounded until then. I wasn't aware of how situational the heroic tier mount was at first, so I'm a little disappointed by the reality of it. I was really looking forward to playing a valiant knight on horseback.

I'll get my chance someday, though.

http://www.mediafire.com/?g3wyp2yby4zzmqa

The mystic looks like the one calling the shots. Should we inspire distrust of their fearless leader?

>>2532
>drown him
elaborate

>>2536
Hurl him to L-20, which is underwater, I think. If he's immobilized by the initial attack, he can't even make an endurance check to not drown because he can't swim.

Also would impress superstitious natives.

>>2537
There are a couple of nitpicks I have with that.

A) The rules compendium doesn't say anything about "can't make an Endurance check because he's immobilized." If it's underwater, it makes the Endurance check regardless, it doesn't automatically fail because it's immobilized.
B) Furthermore, even if the lizardfolk is pushed into the water, being immobilized doesn't prevent it from making an Athletics check to tread water, preventing it from changing elevations and be in danger of drowning in the first place. All immobilization does is prevent it from leaving its space via normal movement. It doesn't paralyze the creature. Of course, you could slide the target under the water directly (forced movement is allowed in 3 dimensions, so long as you're not sliding an earthbound creature "up").
C) I'd say that forcing a lizardfolk into water definitely counts as sliding it into "hindering terrain." It would get a saving throw to avoid falling in the river.

I am not sure about what you could do this turn Bern, but if you plan to use Scorching sands please wait another turn, I would like to use it against the big one.

>>2538
Whoops. I made too many assumptions there.

Does the saving throw negate the forced movement entirely if it succeeds?

>>2540
Not in this case, since it's not teleportation. In the case of a push, pull, or slide, it'll drop prone in the last space before it was forced to change to hindering terrain.

I should note that drowning isn't exactly a very quick way to deal damage, either. When it fails an Endurance save, first it would lose a healing surge, then it would take damage equal to its level every round.

>>2541
It's the impression that counts?

1. Greenscale Raider 1 (G-15), -35 HP (Bloodied)
-This one should fall with 20 damage at most, and we'll have one less shift prevention to worry about. No need to restrict its movement, since it should die quickly.

2. Blackscale Crusher (G/H-9/10)
-A big threat, dealing high damage from behind the front lines. We need to drag it into a flanking position and focus fire. We don't know how much HP it has, so we should focus encounter powers on it. Since it's large, the melee attackers and one of my spirits can surround and immobilize it.

3. Greenscale Raider 2 (J-11), -16 HP, dazed
-It's dazed, so it's less of a threat at the moment. It'll fall with 39 damage, at most.

4. Greenscale Bog Mystic (D-11)
-We'll attack it when the melee are more free to flank and focus. Since it's a controller, while it's alive, non-melee combatants should stay spread out.

??. Greenscale Hunters
-To be killed one at a time between the high-priority targets, but only with a good opportunity to flank.

Note: While focusing on a target, we should try to deter it from running off to a ranged ally.

My spirit companion can replace an ally in one of the three positions, if needed.

To Hide: A suggestion was brought up that Michael should let Torinn take his turn first for the combat advantage from either a daze or a flank. It's your choice, though, and we'll come up with some other plan if you disagree.

"A blackscale lizardfolk ... when it is attacked, it has a tendency to retaliate with a large sweep of its tail, knocking nearby enemies prone."

It's unfortunate that the daze missed. We'll have to do without CA for a bit longer, depending on the prone thing.

>>2554
And there's the insult to injury. Fantastic.

>>2555
You should intimidate it when it's bloodied, ne.

>>2556
Will do.

>>2554
Oh fuck, can't you daze it bern?

For the sake of history

Alright, when they refuse to escape what to do? Go for the leader?

>>2573
Take him down.

Well, that could take some time, since I'm still slowed~

>>2575
Or marauder's rush it.

Still won't reach.

>>2577
Move, then charge. You're not subject to its aura since its attack missed you.

I'm not sure if that's how it works ... anyways with just three enemies this should not last long.

>>2579
Why wouldn't it? You get speed two, that doesn't mean you can only move two squares across two move actions. You can move up to four.

The Mystic is at D-12. Sureiya is at H-13. Move through H-12 to G-11. Then charge through F-11 to E-10. It's very doable. The crusher's not gonna stop you, since it's, well, down.

>Swamp's grasp creates a zone of swampy terrain until the end of the encounter. The zone is difficult terrain to creatures without swamp walk.

>>2581
That's the stuff you're standing on the edge of. You can walk out of it just fine.

I see, I confused it with the aura.

Enabling Sureiya so he can make attacks might be a good idea.

Just FYI, the bog mystic may have another action to take before it runs off if Torinn bloodies it with an opportunity attack.

I was wondering how a system would work if we removed AC, made all attacks that targeted AC instead target Reflex, remove proficiency bonuses from weapons (give +3 prof weapons an "Accurate" property for +1 attack rolls), and make armor give damage resistance instead of boosting a defense. Perhaps also add a damage resistance based on a stat (like Constitution).

I don't think it would really work with only doing that much, but it was an interesting thought.

>>2595
Every melee should multiclass assassin/monk for mighty ki focus. (high crit and unerring)

also >heavy armor

>>2596
>>2597
The system I was envisioning this for would be different in a lot of other ways, too. Separation of all attacks into physical/magical, Constitution would add to physical damage resist while Intelligence would add to magical damage resist. The three defenses would be Evade (Dex/Int), Magic Evade (Wis/Cha), and Resilience (Str/Con). Evade and Magic Evade would be used in To-Hit rolls for most attacks, and Resilience would be used in To-Hit rolls for most conditions and forced movement.

In the end, though, I think the shift would be too dramatic and complicated. I'm not sure how to scale it. I was thinking of some hack-solutions like you have a base resist of one-half your level, which the relevant ability mod and armor adding to that, and no attack could be reduced below half damage (necessary to keep first level characters from completely resisting the damage of heroic tier monsters), but those ARE hacks and not terribly elegant. Also, since Con added to physical damage resist, there was a fear that it counted for too much in adding to HP/surges, so I though I'd remove it from those and make it so that HP/surges were dependent on racial modifiers + class modifiers and are independent of ability scores (High HP races would have +16 HP +3 surges, to low HP races would have +12 HP and +1 surges).

Not sure if I can do anything much while dazed. I only get one action or something.

Oh, and can't install character builder update on Windows 7 64 bit. Something about a 7-zip error.

>>2607
I have Windows 7 64-bit too, and I installed it without trouble. Try using something other than 7zip?

>>2608
I didn't even have 7-zip installed when I got the error.

I should turn file extensions back on, probably.

>>2609
Looks like an access restriction problem of some kind is placed on that folder. How do I remove that?

>>2611
Right-click the folder, Security, and set permissions so everyone has Full Access. You'll need Administrator rights to do that, of course.

>>2612
Got it. It works now.

Something just occurred to me. Since Michael has a Healing Brooch, if he uses the Battle Standard of Healing (a power with the healing keyword), the HP recovered from the standard should have the bonus from the brooch, right?

>>2614
I think it works on powers, but the standard also uses a power.

Not sure that it's supposed to work like that anyway, though.

>>2614
I am not really sure, but I am tentatively thinking I could allow it because it keeps the battle standard relevant at later levels. My gut reaction is that it could be overpowered, though, so no promises.

>>2617
Then is it safe to say we can heal the extra for the short rest after this?

>>2619
I suppose so. Don't take it as absolute precedent for the trick working, though.

>>2620
Houserule them into item bonuses to healing or something so they don't stack.

Myn: spend 0, heal for 0+6=6, 41/44 HP

Michael: spend 0, heal for 0+6=6, 40/40 HP (1 overhealing)

Bernkastel: spend 1, heal for 8+6=14, 34/34 HP (1 overhealing)

Torinn: *Inspiring Word* spend 1, heal for 16+6+(1d6+3+1)=26+1d6

Sureiya: *First Aid Second Wind* spend 1, heal for 11+6+1=18, 41/45 HP
(the extra 1 from the healing brooch if Michael grants the second wind, which is a healing power)

formatting mistakes ;_;

>>2627
>Sureiya: *First Aid Second Wind* spend 1, heal for 11+6+1=18, 41/45 HP
>(the extra 1 from the healing brooch if Michael grants the second wind, which is a healing power)

First aid "allows them to use a second wind," it's not really "using a healing power on them," I am pretty sure.

>>2628
And if I spend a healing surge, wouldn't that do the trick?

>>2628
I thought it was a power, for some reason. Well, it's just 1 HP.

Anyways, I don't mind missing 1 hp.

Oh, and more importantly. Should we try to make the rail move again? Or simply ignore the danger and sleep again?

>>2633
Get out of here. But that requires an arcana check.

George, go to the rail and spam arcana checks, if you break it we use the scroll.

What should I ask, anyway?

>>2637
Their names, motive for raid, their leader's name, tribe size, usual etc.

>>2638
Okay, but Torinn's already indicated he wants to move on. You'll have to tell him what you want.

>>2636
You can, I'm just wondering if you had a plan before waking up a hostile monster in the middle of the group.

If possible, when you update please consider we took the short rest. We probably don't plan to tie those guys or anything, if they don't seem like talking we will just move.

No short rest for me, ne.

>>2648
You don't have an aura. You don't really benefit from not resting.

>>2649

It's a pain to go through encounter powers again when I could just use up my last one and get arcane reserves, though...

>>2650
You do more damage with encounter powers than with arcana reserves.

>>2651

1d10+2 vs 2d6 (+3 at start of turn) vs 2d6 (+weakness damage + 3). Given that eldritch blast does get stronger over time, once I reach even a small aura value it should be considered on par with darkworm feast, meaning that I should generally be using it instead. YDW is usually weaker than eldritch blast + arcane reserves, and would be a waste of a standard action unless there's a weakness present, which hasn't been as common as I expected.

>>2652
But until you have that aura it's not as good. And you don't have one yet.

>>2653

However, that also lets me attack with fire damage. The dark pact benefit will add +3 to that, but that's the same as AR + aura 1, which isn't difficult to get in the least.

>>2655
Then you better use up blazing starfall right now, otherwise your damage will be very sub-par for the first round next fight bar some serendipitous positioning of enemies in a big cluster (or Bern going before you, but you can't rely on that). And as a striker, that's really bad.

I know you want to get some use out of everything you picked up, but with combat as short as it is, there's not going to be any significant gain from it until you get back that rod of corruption to get a very significant boost to the number of enemies cursed by you in that short time. The big reason you got such a huge aura last time was that gauntlet run that let you curse all those minions over the course of several turns. Until then you'd be rather sub-optimal at your striker role without encounter powers.

If you want to be sub-optimal, though, more power to you and do whatever seems more fun.

Come to think of it, we probably already know why they're attacking : their king wants sacrifices.

Why're we interrogating them again?

>>2661
Well Torinn knew, not us.
Anyways maybe we didn't consider the barrier in the communication between us. If anything you should try to ask them if their comrades are coming back.

Standard plant on boat, rest on the boat while Myn doesn't take the short rest and makes the boat go?

>>2668
Makes sense.

Themes are up. And they're pretty cool.

>>2676
info where

>>2678
Oh, right, you weren't there last night.

>>2679
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=K3GYA2YB

>>2676
>>2680
They seem pretty good, depending on the class, but Noble might be the closest thing to my warlord right now I suppose.

>>2681
Yeah, but the flavor about being associated with something like a noble or a clergy puts them off limits for me.

I wanna become a Guard, it kinda fit my (non-existent) character background. Just gotta reread something about the city of Sureiya so I can write some explanations about it.

>>2683
I haven't asked yet.

>>2685
Well, thanks to the guard description and the ideas I had when planning the character I should be able to write some background.

I just noticed the song Shion updated in the other thread is called Voyager.

I've been debating back and forth internally what exactly to do at this point, and I think I'm going to scrap my original idea and do something more minor here (still story-relevant, however). So sorry for the delays, I just really wasn't sure what to throw at you when I decided I didn't want it to be another random encounter.

As a side note, as for the themes, I am really hesitant to just flat-out allow them. The Guardian theme in particular (the 1st level feature). Some of these themes seem to just add a not-insignificant amount of power to a character with no real drawback. The guardian's immediate interrupt is a godsend for a defender, especially those that don't make heavy use of their immediate actions, for example. Anyway, just throwing that out there. Still thinking it over.

I see, if that's the case then I could choose another theme, or maybe you could rule I would need to spend a feat/reach-a-level to get the theme/feature.

Should we use that scroll to summon tech support?

>>2691
Themes are like a heroic tier paragon path, I think. They just don't have prerequisites, and tell where your character came from rather than what they did a significant time after becoming adventurers.

>>2694
I understand what themes are. I'm saying they are adding powers to characters that wasn't there previously. This is especially the case for, say, giving a character an immediate action/minor action power that they didn't have before, at effectively no cost. I am not saying no to them just yet, but I hope you at least understand my concerns.

>>2695
Well, apparently, the difference would be that monsters are stronger than ever (MM3 etc), so player characters also grow stronger to match.

Well, how themes will be managed is Shion decision, for now let's focus on the encounter.
Should we put in danger Cid life and ask him to repair the rail or should we go and see what stopped it?

>>2697
I think that's what they call "power creep".

>>2700
Perhaps my feelings on the matter would be better explained as such. I understand the idea that, as more and more options become available to characters, the "best" options generally become more powerful. It's nearly impossible to avoid, even with the best game design. Furthermore, if new options are NOT better than the others, at least in some situations, then it will be disappointing for the players. Thus, power creep can be said to be essential for the continued health of a growing game, as introducing sub-par options won't improve the game and will frustrate players.

However, at the very least, when you are given an option, there should be a trade-off. Like, when you take a "better" power for level 3, you are at least NOT taking a slightly less powerful level 3 option that existed before. Power creep may exist, but this kind of power creep is easier to balance, as at the very least, you are trading something that you could have had before that might have been more useful in some situations for something you perceive as "better." When you take a good "feat," you are still generally putting off another feat (that you would've taken before) for a few more levels.

With themes, this is not the case. There is no trade-off. You simply take the theme and receive the benefits. This seems like a more significant power creep to me, in that you do not have to give up anything that existed before to gain a theme. The only thing you give up is the ability to take a different theme, but since themes didn't exist at the start it still causes me hesitation that they're simply adding it "on top" of existing stuff instead of making players choose between their older options and the newer ones. That's why I originally allowed the Dark Sun themes on the basis that they worked like a multiclass. That made the players make a choice in taking a theme--was the theme worth giving up their multiclass for? Anyway, still no final decision yet, but I'll know by the time you guys level up again.

>>2703
That actually makes a lot of sense. There's no opportunity cost for them, other than picking new themes. If it had been implemented earlier in 4E's lifespan, it probably wouldn't be such a big deal, and monsters, along with encounters, would have grown to accommodate them, but putting them in now is awkward and upsets the power curve. It's like the Essentials classes deviating from the tried and true AEDU (at-will, encounter, daily, utility) formula that had been established from 4E's conception, and people liked the old system quite a bit (Options, versatility, and everybody gets to be useful instead of the spellcasters stealing the spotlight. Fighters are not just good now, they're amazing).

On the other hand, I like finally not having to make a decision that would make or break my character, as a lot of the new themes, as opposed to the Dark Sun themes, are a collection of encounter powers that are even weaker than those from Dark Sun for the most part (how many feature powers from either group of themes would you take if such powers required a power swap feat?), features and utilities, some of which are less than stellar (animal master could be replicated by saying you have a pet monkey with you), but you don't have to spend a feat to grab the theme, utilities, or the features. This appeals to me, much more than the Dark Sun themes with their (mostly) stronger collection of featured encounter powers, actually. Some of the benefits are pure fluff (free lodging with a noble is kinda meh, even if the rest of the path is golden) and some of them are definitely overpowered (+2 will and stealing from the wizard's amazing utility list at every level, without power swapping? Are you kidding me?). But some actually strike a nice balance between power, flavor, and utility. And, more importantly to me, they're flavorful. I'm trying to strike a balance between flat mechanical benefits from feats and powers while still picking something that develops Torinn beyond his combat ability, like learning some more of the common languages, or bumping charisma based skills. But a lot of the methods to do so (Who takes skill focus in a campaign with any amount of serious combat?) would be less than optimal. An option that still boosts those things without a significant opportunity cost is very appealing and takes a load off my mind.

Also, you can have a fighter that is also part wizard yet still effective at his role, a scholar who ran away to become a very knowledgeable barbarian who is affluent in every spoken language, or (once again) an artificer who, when given lemons, can use them to make stupidly accurate explosives, then shoot them through a crossbow. Not necessarily the best justifications, but I find this funny~

Now, Chevalier has some good, non-entirely-combat related benefits (especially the diplomacy and intimidate power bonuses, roughly the equivalent of a feat I couldn't fit in). And the utilities are pretty nice, too (Do you know how hard it is to find ways to negate forced movement with some consistency if you're not a dwarf? I've looked) However, I'm not taking this, even though I like every mechanical benefit in it. Why? Because according to the fluff describing themes, back in the first article, themes are supposed to tell who the character was before they became a hero. I've had a specific origin in mind for a long time, and while I've made several changes to the original plan and to account for his growth (basically, why is he how he is), I intend to stick with it. While the chevalier does say what he believes in, its origins (being from a well born family or having the backing of a noble, heck, just being renowned across the land in the first place) don't match up, and if they did, he'd have no reason to be traveling right now (wealth or influence would be at the discretion of his patron, pretty much turning him into their lapdog, which I don't like). So I don't want it. I don't know about everyone else, but for all the nice little perks the themes might have, I'm firmly dedicated to taking one only if it fits, well, thematically, hoping that said perks might actually tie in to how he came to be and how he grows. And since the next group of themes seems to be about more morally ambiguous groups like mercenaries and rogues, I can't see myself picking a theme from this month anyway.

But if you still don't think the existing themes should be implemented as they are, you could just modify them however you like.

If you want to implement themes, but don't like the ones presented so far or feel like changing them around ("NO MORE WILL BONUS? I MAD"), write something tailored to our characters and their origins, and where they will be by level 5. Everyone really likes your homebrew ideas and concepts (fellflame dragon was cool, and would have been incredibly challenging if not for the hoarding of our daily powers, you have a good idea of what would be balanced, and because you have an idea of where the campaign is headed and know what's happened so far, you could tailor them around that. And they look fun. Or let everyone try to come up with their own theme and try to work with that (you could let us do the features and powers, but that probably wouldn't end well). Or easy modo: modify existing themes depending on who wants them (even if two people take the same theme at some point, doesn't mean they have to be identical)

It's up to you, though. I'll be very upset if we don't get to use themes, but unless there's an Unordained Priest, Lance Defender or Truth Seeker theme coming out at some point, or we whips something up, I'm not really interested in actually taking any of the ones presented, and certainly wouldn't ragequit if they were disallowed or implemented through feat requirements (For all my gripes, I'm still having fun here, and I think everyone else is, too). To me, it's flavor, but it's flavor with some noticeable impact outside of combat, which I like, without a significant opportunity cost, which I love. It's fluff with justification.

Anon seems interested, though, and said he figured out a way to fill in his character's backstory thanks to it, and since it makes him happy (even though it looks like it wasn't even designed for rangers in the first place), that should be given some degree of consideration. You shouldn't hand us everything we want on a silver platter - in fact, I would like to encourage making us work for nice things like this - but if most of us want them, could you try to find a way to put themes in? Please?

tl;dr the best decision is usually the one that can bring about the most happiness

I should get on that bio really soon.

>>2704
I suppose I wouldn't mind taking a personalized "mind flayer" theme.

>>2705
This is why we can't have nice things.

>>2706
No, you.

Hohohoho, even if we can't really take the themes I wouldn't mind molding my character based on the guardian bio.

Sweetfish river, check. Village, check.

>>2711
Trapped by forces beyond our control? Check. Magic involved? Check.

>>2713
Well, there are six of us, right? With such a number, it couldn't possibly end too badly.

>>2714
Bring it on, etc.

>>2715
The probability of a TPK in this encounter is about one in a quadrillion.

>six
ffffffffff

>>2704
That last encounter was a milestone, so you do have 1 action point more than you had before.

Anyways, keep in mind I don't require a power swap feat for a theme feature power, just one of the theme powers that have a level. This makes it equal in power to most multiclasses, I feel. Now, it's true that some of the theme feature powers may be lackluster, but others--like the guardian feature--are quite potent. Adding more and more powers to a character only increases relative power slightly, because you are still limited to so many actions on your turn. Thus, adding powers that can be used outside your turn (or as a minor action) raise the relative power level a lot more. It's the same reason rangers don't just take the "upgraded twin strike as a standard action" powers and prefer things like Off-hand strike and Disruptive Strike--they free up the standard action to keep spamming twin strike, in addition to using the other powers.

>>2719
Just a simple consideration, if the hit doesn't kill the target (not so likely) the ranger also could get some bashing. Anyways, not saying it's a bad power of course~

>>2721
I think that's the point. She's saying it's possibly too good on a ranger. Or a defender in general.

>>2723
Yes, yes.

>surrounded by rugs
>they're perfectly fine
>even though the rest of the place has been in shambles since the Spellplague
Is there such a thing as a rug monster?

Now, to tell nobody what I learn from this.

>>2728
Don't mind me, just gonna touch whatever it is if you don't tell us either way. Maybe. Possibly.

>>2729

Go forth, valiant test subject.

The river isn't going to carry away the boat while we're away, right?

>>2728

>>2731

Well, the river won't.

>>2732

You'll have a huge arcana bonus then too!?

>>2733
Something much more exploitable than that.

>paragon
>implying we will survive the "rock falls everyone dies" troope.

>>2737
As long as I'm never called in to design monsters, I think we'll live.

>>2739
>the shion

>>2739
stop that, I regret it

>mfw he reveals info

>>2741
>>2743

Well, I said it was in-character to not answer if he wasn't asked, so...

>>2745
When?

>>2748

In streamchat, I believe.

>>2745
>>2749
There's a vague memory of you saying something like that, so it probably did happen.

>>2751

As expected of the one with the strongest memory, ne~

>>2752
>one with the unreliable memory*

>>2753

>with the strongest memory*

On another note, it's probably bad to leave our diplomat alone while we explore.

He should come with us, and make a streetwise check while he is at it.

>>2755
He should probably come with. Otherwise they might kidnap him.

It looks like Sureiya's climber's kit, along with some rope, may be the best way to anchor the boat.

>>2759
Oh, it's the boat still moving? If that's the case I will do the trick then.

>>2760
Well, if we have to bring Gourmert, no one will be watching the boat. Normally ...

"Whenever the boat stops, it moves over to shore and deploys a small platform which folds from the side of the hull, and a chain harpoon-like construction darts out and fixes itself firmly to the ground, to prevent any odd currents from pulling the boat away."

Unfortunately, the ferry is broken, so it won't do this. Therefore, we need to manually affix it to the shore.

Oh well, I had to try~

For some reason, it completely slipped my mind to include results of Bernkastel's check in my post. I'll have a follow-up there soon.

Super ultra busy, what's now? another streetwise/perception? or will you try a insight?

We would need Michael to roll something.

>Once you make a successful skill check to contribute to the challenge, you cannot make another check until each other party member has made one.
>Once you make a successful skill check
>successful

Since Torinn's streetwise attempt was unsuccessful, would he be allowed to Aid Another for Michael's roll?

Silly imouto, Gourmert's too moe to be dishonest~

>>2770
So now we need to let them make a streetwise check huh.

>>2770
Michael can attempt Streetwise, sure. If anything, asking Gourmert first should probably give some sort of circumstance bonus.

All right, in the interest of keeping things moving, we'll go ahead and begin the second round of checks now. Feel free to make relevant checks and flavor them how you want. If we get within one check of success/failure we'll stop and hold up for Michael, I don't want the challenge to end without him getting a chance to make a check.

Remember, if you're uncertain about your own modifiers, there's always Aid Another. That doesn't directly affect the success/failure count of the challenge.

busy with many things, job interviews, etc, no time for anything pass out nao

good luck bro

I forgot to ask : What did we get from the last battle? I want to confirm everybody's AP total since I think somebody might not have spent any yet.

>>2782
I did say earlier it was a milestone, so there would be an action point gained for it. I don't think I've said anything else yet. I'll get it together before next combat.

This is the data I have for the last encounter.

XP Earned: 345/person
Expected XP Total: 4598/5500

Surges Spent (Including Short rest)
Torinn: 3
Bernkastel: 1
Sureiya: 1

HP Totals
Myn Nthelsyr (George): 41/44 HP
Michael Silversteel (Hideiling): 40/40 HP
"Bernkastel" (Bernkastel): 34/34 HP
Torinn Tormine (Astaroth): 46/46 HP
Sureiya (Anonkun): 40/45 HP

>stab the magic thingy as it sleeps
>stab
>myn
Enjoy missing and dealing little to no damage on a hit.

>new theme gives character a %10 discount on what they purchase and sell items for %30 more

>>2787
What the hell are those guys thinking on?
Anyways, oh damn it, george did it.

>>2788
Forgot the link.

>>2787
>>2788
>>2789
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZOLPH2U0

All right, I'm gonna NPC Michael until Hide starts posting again. We've been paused a bit too long.

We are on the third round already, and we need two more successes to finish it. For drama sake, the insight check should be the final one, so what should we roll for the 7th check? I could roll another perception check and use my action point for it, but I would need a good roll.

Either Torinn or Michael can Aid Myn with a Streetwise check, and then I'll try Insight.

>Sureiya, meanwhile, considers the fact that though this leyline to the Shadowfell exists here and an arcane circle has been set up, there are very few actual defenses and nothing is guarding it.

Final check! Go forth, action pointers!

>>2805
I think a mass aid another on insight is called for.

>>2807
>Furthermore, for the purposes of this skill challenge, only one Aid Another check will count for a given skill check.

Of course, it's fine to help with the insight check in-character; it just won't count as a bonus.

Ganbare, detective-tan.

I'm pretty sure it passed.

Would I be correct in assuming that the same types of checks became harder the more often they were performed?

>>2814
I believe I said something to the effect of the first question you asked. And yes, the Insight check became easier as you got more successes, to a certain point.

hmm, should we try to make the ferry move again?

>>2816
You can try, but it's doubtful anything has changed on that front.

>>2816
I think we should hear what Bern has to say about the leyline.

I can't say I'm satisfied with the information we've gathered so far. There may be some questions to be addressed and tests to be done.

>>2819
By "tests" you mean "figure out how to send something very dangerous back through it to ruin the day of whoever's trying to come through", right?

>>2821
Something like that, yes.

>>2822
w-what are you talking about!?

>>2823
Nothing.

>>2824
Oh boy, I wouldn't want to be used like a lab rat.
Who is the loser?

>>2825
In science, there are no losers.

inb4 party raids shadowfell

>>2827
>>2826
You know, I like my range and I'm not planning making another character soon!

>>2827
We're not raiding anything, that's silly.

>>2828
Don't worry. In the worst case, it'll just be a limb.

You could attempt to activate the circle, but keep in mind this is a teleportation circle like the one you found in the Fell Cavern, not a portal of some sort. It will teleport the whole object or person indicated when activated, and you don't know where it leads exactly (the Shadowfell is a big place).

Something I probably should have mentioned earlier: from Myn's arcana checks, he believes that there is a strong possibility that the leyline is what is interfering with the magic ferry's functioning. Likely, the circle is focusing and amplifying the leyline's power in this area to allow transportation, and removing the circle might allow you to restore function to the ferry.

>>2831
Is it possible to get rid of the leyline as well, or does that still need lots of powerful mages working in unison?

>>2831
Okay, we'll experiment with half-orc extremityadventurer hair, some small, defenseless animal to substitute the guinea pig, my spirit companion, and a written note to the other side.

There's no way we should remove the circle; the enemy would just remake it or come after us.

>>2833

I wonder if book imp-chan will work?

>>2834
Probably not. I think that it has to be a certain distance from you, and the Shadowfell is... Pretty far away.

Unless you have a cat or scout homunculus. They get unlimited distance.

>>2835

Or, is it right next to us!?

>>2832
Removing the leyline itself is practically impossible with the tools you have at your disposal.

>>2833
>>2836
I'm gonna say sending something like a conjuration or familiar cross-plane would definitely count as it being more than 20 squares away.

So, our options are
a) remove the magical circle
b) wait weeks and try the ambush anyone who come from it

And since it looks like Shion is hinting at a) ...

>>2838
Well, you COULD stay and wait for an enemy, but Gourmert might start complaining after a while~

>>2840

So we.... kill him?

>>2841
You DO remember you have a mission to attend to, right? Journey to Many-Arrows? Ring any bells?

>>2841
I saw this coming a mile away.

>>2842

Who is this 'Many Arrows', and why is he stopping me from killing the guy we're inexplicably traveling with.

>>2844
I am going attempt to preserve my sanity by assuming you are simply messing around and are not serious about any of this.

>>2845

You've learned, young padawan.

>>2845
hahaha, well done

>>2835
>>2837
The rules say things like familiars disappear if the conjurer ends the turn more than a certain amount of squares away, right? The time until the turn ends should be plenty of time for the familiar to see what's on the other side.

>>2838
We don't have to ambush anyone. We can simply set up the magic circle to fail when someone tries to use it, and leave. The boat not working isn't really a huge problem; some manual labor or other such methods can overcome that obstacle.

Anyway, through experimentation or otherwise, I want to aim for two things:
- Determine the type of creature that fits through the magic circle. If an Arcana check would tell us this, it should be okay to skip the testing.
- Disable the magic circle without leaving evidence of tampering until the moment someone tries to use it. (If possible, failure should leave some sort of marker or alert.)

>>2850
I say we just disable it and beat up whatever comes after us. It's more fun that way.

I don't mind if you want to try and mess with it, so go ahead if you feel like it~

>>2851
When Myn connected to the person on the other side, it's fairly likely that we were discovered. Of course, he hasn't told anyone, so we don't know.

Failing the skill challenge probably would have meant a combat encounter. Delaying too long may have the same consequences, so I think you'll get your fun either way, useless-at-skills paladin.

>>2852
See, Shion has a backup plan to devastate the PCs for taking too long.

>>2853
When I finish gathering and upgrading all my social skills, I'll make you choke on your words.

>>2854
I probably won't spend feats for non-Insight skills, so any real investment means you'll be ahead.

>>2854

>choke on words

Is that a high-level Diplomacy power?

>>2857
Yes. Yes it is.

http://www.mediafire.com/?wm751vwvvz23s13

Finally, a version I am semi-comfortable with.

>>2870
>limit breaks
>chaining attacks
>weapon mastery is the equivalent of four feats

>>2871
Limit breaks are intended to replace daily powers. That's why they're strong.

>>2872
Ohhh, I see.

Not sure that they should be completely replaced, though. Daily powers help distinguish the different classes. Maybe you could use a daily power, but not a limit break of the same level. Like a Reserve Maneuver sort of thing.
Or just make a feat for that.

I just don't think it'd be as much fun if a class lost all its daily powers to do the same thing another class with the exact same weapons does. But that's just me. I like variety between classes.

All timestamps are PST.

8:15 PM fortknox: save girls
8:15 PM Sakutarou: Huh. So he did.
8:15 PM Jyouji: Indeed I did~
8:15 PM Sakutarou: Good job.
8:15 PM Voyager: okay, good night.
8:15 PM Jyouji: Naito, minna~
8:15 PM Sakutarou: Good night.
8:15 PM Meta RIN: Good night
8:15 PM Meta RIN: Saving girls is a good cause
8:16 PM Voyager: So do we just move on and pretend we didn't alert the opposing faction
8:16 PM Voyager: actually, we probably could have called Sid to trap the circle
8:17 PM Sakutarou: We don't know if they'll be alerted, do we?
8:17 PM Voyager: I'm about 95% sure they'll be alerted
8:17 PM Voyager: so yes, I'm not entirely sure, derp.
8:18 PM Sakutarou: Case cannot be resolved without clues, etc
8:18 PM Voyager: I have plenty of clues
8:18 PM Voyager: are you blind.
8:18 PM Sakutarou: Maybe. Show me a clue and we'll find out.
8:19 PM Voyager: Once upon a time, there was a northern village where humans and orcs could peacefully coexist.
8:19 PM fortknox: lol wut
8:19 PM Sakutarou: Before the spellplague.
8:19 PM Voyager: Its origins were human, but they had welcomed a group of Dragonsworn seeking refuge from Obould Many-Arrows.
8:19 PM Voyager: Nearly a century ago, the peace came to an end when the Spellplague hit.
8:20 PM Voyager: The plague created a leyline connecting the village to the plane of Shadowfell. A pillar of deep violet served as the physical symbol of the connection.
8:20 PM Voyager: Seizing this opportunity, dragons who called the Shadowfell home emerged through the pillar, raining fire and lightning upon the village.
8:20 PM Voyager: The human villagers stood no chance against the dragons, for arcane magic had ceased to function, and they could only watch helplessly as their homes crumbled to the ground.
8:20 PM Voyager: cue brave and ferocious orcs defending village, and they push invaders back to Shadowfell.
8:21 PM Voyager: Many choose to take the battle to their enemies.
8:21 PM Voyager: Surviving humans and half-orcs settle in Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep.
8:21 PM Voyager: The Dragonsworn adapt to life in the Shadowfell, and become fell orcs.
8:22 PM Voyager: Their new leader, referred to only as the Fell King, promised the destruction of Many-Arrows and united the orcs under the banner of revenge.
8:22 PM Voyager: and, present day.
8:22 PM Voyager: The end
8:22 PM Voyager: It's perfect, isn't it.
8:25 PM Sakutarou: Speculation. Won't hold up in court.
8:25 PM Voyager: Which part is speculation?
8:25 PM Voyager: I have a spreadsheet of evidence
8:25 PM Sakutarou: Motive.
8:26 PM Voyager: Whose motive
8:26 PM Sakutarou: ...I forget.
8:26 PM Sakutarou: I'm tired.
8:26 PM Voyager: baka
8:26 PM Voyager: Revenge against the Many-Arrows, remember.
8:27 PM Voyager: Under the machinations of the Fell King, these orcs sow confusion and enmity between Baldur's Gate and Many-Arrows. They will settle for nothing less than all-out war between the two factions,
8:27 PM Voyager: even as they plot to summon more of their kin from the Shadowfell.
8:27 PM Sakutarou: Machinations is fun word.

>Canith Goggles errata'd to a level 11 item

Heh, looks like WotC did learn something from that massive player backlash over the Templar. The Warlock updates are labeled a "playtest," and players are encouraged to send feedback before the errata becomes official. Wonder if they'll backtrack and do that for the Cleric, too?

>>2878
>dire radiance is still constitution only
They're certainly going to get feedback about that one.

>>2878
backlash over templar?

>>2883
When WotC released the class compendium updates to the Cleric (the PHB Version renamed "Templar"), they decreased the damage and overall power of many of the cleric powers in the PHB.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/dra/201105templar

The response from players on the forums was very hostile, based on the fact that Clerics were not seen as being "the upper crust" of leaders, so to speak, and the posters did not like the fact that clerics took such a "big" hit of the nerfbat while the Warlord (considered the strongest leader by most of CharOp) was relatively untouched in the "Marshal" article. Many claims of WotC being out of touch with the game, etc. followed.

>>2885
Ah.

Don't worry too much about that, you guys were already awake and getting ready to leave when you heard the big thing coming at you. So I assumed you were already standing up. I definitely wouldn't try to screw you guys over with that~

>>2891

My character always regally sits when convenient, ne~

As soon as I get a post from Bern, I'll post what you all see.

Actually, I'll go ahead and post the introduction, since I'll be going to bed soon here. Bern will still have a chance to ready her character before anything starts.

Oh, Hi Rampage.

Some general thoughts about the encounter:

Okay, these guys knock us prone just because they want to do it, (why we didn't bought these boots? the falling prone thing almost like Shion mark!) and they can do bad things to us when they do it.
Teletransportation could be difficult, what does this actually mean? He gets a extra defense against it? or is he invulnerable to it?
He also just countered the attack to the mount. Can he use that trigger as many times as he desire per round?

>>2904
The rebuke is an opportunity action, so it follows the rules for those. Once per combatant's turn.

It's not immune to teleportation, but it gets to immediately save if the teleportation would dismount it. If it makes the saving throw, it negates anything that would dismount it. It has the standard solo +5 bonus to saving throws.

>>2905
I see.
How about making him fall prone/stun something similar?

>>2906
Teleporting the mount or forcing either the rider or the mount to fall prone would still allow it to make saving throws.

>>2907
It can save against falling prone?

>>2908
Well, that much is actually part of the rules for mounted combat, and is not directly related to its Stay in the Saddle trait.

If you wonder why it didn't apply to you, it's because your mount also fell prone, and the rules for mounted combat say if the mount falls prone, its rider is dismounted and falls prone in an adjacent space.

>>2909
So if his mount falls prone, he falls prone too?

>>2910
He can negate it, so not necessarily.

>moving through enemy spaces
I wonder if we should still surround it ... though, if we do, we would need Torinn and one more melee (Michael or Sureiya) covering two sides of the behemoth. My spirits will cover the other two.

Because the enemy doesn't seem capable of ranged attacks, the other melee ally should probably be further away, using either Direct the Strike or Twin Strike.

>Attacking its mount while the outrider is mounted will result in a deadly counter-attack
Well, this is interesting. Would this apply to ranged attacks, too, or only melee?

>>2912
It's a melee counter-attack, so even though it would trigger for ranged attacks, he couldn't actually execute the attack.

>>2912
Well, Michael is meele, but my ranged potential is very limited, so it would be better if I stay near.
By the way, the opportunity attack is very problematic, what should we do about it?

>>2914
We would have to daze and kill it quickly, or ignore it and attack the orc instead.
>When the outrider first becomes bloodied, its mount will immediately rampage across the battlefield, goring all in its path.
We risk this happening if we focus on the orc.

How does forced movement affect the rider and the mount, separately?

>>2916
Page 252 of the Rules Compendium pretty much tells us everything.

>>2916
In general, forced movement (push, pull, slide) moves both the rider and mount. The rider can choose to not move the mount (if the rider is the target), but that would dismount it.

>>2917
Killing the mount first would be the most viable option but it's also slower, so dazing would be nice. I could try to move and charge next turn, but we should first decide who to attack.

Well, since it's a solo and elite encounter, there's probably no shame in breaking out the daily powers.

>>2920
You have no dailies now?

Does the counter-attack trigger if the orc attacks the mount?

>>2921
Not until level 5. Hence the mount to help keep my damage output up.

>>2922
Hmm, betrayal is a good idea right now.

>>2922
Well, even if it did (it doesn't, because it says "enemy"), he wouldn't HAVE to attack himself...

>>2922
Since they both share the same actions, I doubt it.

Also, there's the chance that the behemoth might be tamed, so maybe try not to kill it first, I guess. Unless you're doing it from range. Or have a way to stop it from taking OAs.

Serious question time:
What would you ask us to do to re-tame the behemoth for our personal use.

>>2928
Er, even if you could, how exactly were you planning on taking it with you? It's not as if it can just fit on the boat...

>>2929
Sureiya could make it follow the boat.

>>2930
What if you hit terrain the behemoth couldn't traverse? Or the river widened?

A-anyway, given how difficult the behemoths are to rear and train to begin with, I'm having a hard time justifying in my head how I could let you try to re-tame one in any reasonable amount of time you could set aside...

How about using the power of love?
His owner have an horrible accidental death and the mount is all alone in the world. Then a half-orc take it and try to make it return to the way of the truth.

>>2932
Encountering adventurers and being killed by them isn't an "accident", unless you subscribe to Terry Pratchett's definition of "suicide".

>>2933
Terrible accident, the half orc never expected his blades would cut the rider's neck so easily.

>>2934
But if you didn't do it intentionally, then you can't make a clever one liner after killing him.

>>2935
"Hey, do you wanna see an awesome trick with my blades!?"

>>2936
More like "Now who's half an orc?"

>>2937
9/10, made me lol'd

>>2922
In case there was any confusion, by the way, the orc is the one who counterattacks when the mount is attacked. He's a soldier, so he protects his allies.

Alright, vote time.
1.- Kill the mount first, the orc will flee later
2.- Kill the orc first, slow the mount before the orc gets bloodied.

>>2940

Kill orc, mount will mindlessly flee.

Knock out rider, hopefully mount doesn't go crazy, try to not kill mount

Well that's two votes for kill orc.
What a shame we are hitting the mount right now.

Hmmm... I wonder if, hypothetically, Torinn would use Righteous Shield to save his mount.

Because it just got crit when the behemoth trampled over half the party.

>>2945
What the .... well he would probably do.

>>2945
Absolutely not. Horse is expendable, while healing surges are not.

>>2948
You do know if the horse is reduced to 0 hit points, he loses a healing surge anyway?

>>2949
He has one more use of horse power, right? A minor action will dismiss it without killing it.

One surge is worth it, probably.

>>2950
The minor action is only relevant if he keeps it alive with righteous shield.

What I'm saying is there is a special clause on the summoning power. If the horse is reduced to 0 HP, he forfeits the ability to summon it again until he takes an extended rest. Doesn't matter if he still has another use of the power.

>>2950
Never mind, apparently horse dies if it's not saved.

>>2952
I feel Torinn's pain, really. I played a game as a druid where my very first summon spell in the campaign was taken from full to 0 in a single monster crit too. Only I didn't have the option to save it.

Saving the horse is important, its for drama and rp value.

Wait a second, so we are killing the mount first?

Save horse please.

Fair word of warning for melee attackers: for the orc's counter-attack, I turned up the damage in the adventure tools as high as it could go, and gave it an accuracy bonus. Since it's completely avoidable damage, I used the Limited Use (+75%) and High Damage (+25%) modifiers on top of the already higher base damage of a solo. Also, if it hits, it causes the triggering attack to take a penalty, and it deals half damage on a miss.

So, you know, attacking the mount... it's your choice.

>>2959
Or we could have the orc attacking his mount.

No healing yet. Want a bunch of attack bonuses stacking when I finally attack.

Ranged attacks don't seem to have drawbacks, so everyone but Torinn can just use those to hit the mount. He can hit the orc; maybe daze it, too.

I don't see any "special" charge attacks in the nature check. After it inevitably charges, I may or may not try Living Missile, and Torinn can charge or just move to catch up right away.

>>2962
My mount gives a +5 bonus to damage rolls on charges. Holy Smite gives 6 damage hit or miss. Weapon attacks have a damage bonus of 5. Righteous Shield gives a +2 power bonus to attack rolls. Draconic Fury gives a +1 racial bonus to attack rolls when bloodied. Charging is another +1 bonus.

A hit is a guaranteed minimum 17 damage, maximum 24, unless there's a critical hit, in which case it's minimum 25, maximum 32. Bonus to hit is 14, unless we somehow get combat advantage, in which case it's 16 or 18, depending on whether Michael hits with Intuitive Strike or not. If so, that means Inspired Belligerence and an additional +3 to damage, and possible Warlord's Strike with another +4 to damage, boosting damage to minimum 24, maximum 31, and crit damage to minimum 32, maximum 39.

Charging is the best option damage-wise and hit-wise. The only question is who to target.

Alright, so the thing is to deal as much possible damage to the mount, right? So there are two options, you could try to daze it, or if bern can use scorching sands on it I wouldn't mind getting one hit if I can use twin strike twice and a off-hand strike.

>>2966
Keep in mind that dazing the mount won't stop the counter-attacks coming from the rider. In fact, considering how high Shion said the damage dice are on the retributive attack, if I charge the mount, there's a possibility its attack will kill Torinn outright.

Also, charging the rider with a daze should incapacitate him until his turn comes up at the earliest.

>>2967
Yeah I was talking about that, sorry if I spelled it wrong, I need the rider dazed.

Does "riding on top of" count as "adjacent to"?

Heal Torinn, Warlord Strike, and ????

>>2972
>>2971
Yes, and yes to your subject field.

>>2973
I hope we roll lucky, then.

Fun fact: I almost made "the chains that bind" inflict the restrained condition. The only reason I didn't was because restrained prevents forced movement, and I needed it to slide the person along as it moved, so I changed it to a grab.

Restrained condition it's scary.

>attack the mount from melee
Wait, what.

>>2984
We had no other option, the result wasn't that good but we did a lot of damage in that round.

>>2984
If it attacks, it brings itself that much closer to dying thanks to Righteous Radiance triggering right next to it, plus it attacks with a -2 debuff, more if you move your companions closer.

If it still bugs you, use Spirit Infusion on Torinn first so he can attack the mount and daze it with his other Holy Smite, then use your daily.

>>2984
>>2985
>>2986
Oh, I was assuming you were talking about provoking an OA by using Living Missile.

>>2987
And well, they can't OA her from that distance

>>2988
That too.

Encounter is going very well.
I will try to nova lunchbox next turn, but I don't know of what is capable that beast, will it move too much before my turn?

>>2991
Not if it stays slowed.

>>2992
Is bern going to use magic missile on it? Well either slowing it or immobilizing it would be pretty good.

Wait, bern already used her AP?
>no scorching sands combo
I sad

>>2994
I think Lunchbox is close enough to death that you don't even need to worry about that.

>>2995
Don't give him ideas, we aren't killing the mount.

>>2996
We'll just knock it unconscious, or something.

>>2997
And then the drama subplot starts.

Will the chain drag Michael along with the behemoth if I throw it ten squares away?

>>2999
Probably. Unless it lets go somehow.

>>2999
Probably, but why would you do that?

>>3001
To use Living Missile's attack to knock them both prone.

>>3002
But moving them? It would be nice to have them near and in flanking position

>>3003
Slide them one square back and one square forward, then.