OOC Thread

[zachol]

Well you've nearly killed someone, and it happened when we weren't able to rest between combats, which was sort of jolting.
Although apparently that only happened because we were so awesome and killed everyone faster than you anticipated.

[LeadPal]

Being awesome is a trend I'm trying to start.

All in favour of continuing west?

[Mercutio]

Aye

[Ergonomic Cat]

Aye

This.

[Black Plauge]

West it is.

[Black Plauge]

Not to force anything on the characters, but it seems to me that the "slime covered puddle" moving is the perfect trigger for causing her nausea.

[LeadPal]

I was going somewhere else with it, but that would actually work really well.

[Black Plauge]

Well, you guys have studied the image long enough for the ochre jelly to make it out. The specters which I rolled initiative for aren't in the room yet so you guys get to go first despite the fact that they beat you out.

[Ergonomic Cat]

What knowledge is relevant here? Also how far away from the room with the pit are we?

[Black Plauge]

What do you mean by "What knowledge is relevant here?" What are you trying to figure out?

You can see the room you just fought in on this map (http://online-roleplaying.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3111&d=1284397634). That room and the corridor with the pits can be seen on this map (http://online-roleplaying.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3097&d=1281628417).

[treehouse]

Am I crazy, or did I just hit twice and do decent damage?

[Mercutio]

Beats mine. If I had hit twice, that would have been a great round against that ooze.

[treehouse]

So far I'd say it's been a pretty great round anyway. It's already bloodied.

You know, I'm starting to wonder if I'd like Lorien better if he was a two-handed fighter instead of a sword-and-board fighter. What were your experiences with that play style in Dissonance Kindled?

[Mercutio]

I liked the build. It didn't fit that style of game, really, but it was better than my experience with sword and board if you want to actually do damage in combat.

[treehouse]

It's starting to sound like a good idea.

BP, what do you think about Lorien 'respeccing' instead of bringing in a new character? I'd have to switch out a couple of powers, a feat and find a two-handed sword. I'd be focusing more on doing damage, but keep some survivability in the build so he can offtank things that slip past Karon.

[Ergonomic Cat]

What do you mean by "What knowledge is relevant here?" What are you trying to figure out?

You can see the room you just fought in on this map (http://online-roleplaying.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3111&d=1284397634). That room and the corridor with the pits can be seen on this map (http://online-roleplaying.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=3097&d=1281628417).

What can hurt it, any weaknesses, whether you can run away from it and trap it in a bowl, etc.....

[zachol]

Hey, I got a critical miss.

Wish we had fumble rules.

[LeadPal]

What can hurt it, any weaknesses, whether you can run away from it and trap it in a bowl, etc.....
Ask Ril, he's the only person who made a Nature roll that didn't suck.

[zachol]

So...

Does Ril know any relevant information? Like say we just shut the door and retreated for a bit, would it eat through?

[treehouse]

BP - I went ahead and posted a draft of 'revised Lorien' in his thread for your perusal. At the top of the post is the full list of proposed changes. I'm not sure if you'd prefer me switching out characters to simply making a bunch of changes to an undesirable one, so if you're not wild about this we can proceed with bringing in the sorceress. My only defense is that I hadn't ever played 4E before building Lorien, so I made lots of poor decisions while I was rolling him up.

[Ergonomic Cat]

Did we get our rests?

[zachol]

I believe we did two short rests before moving on to this, so we should be at full hp and encounters.

Or did you mean something else?

[Ergonomic Cat]

I believe we did two short rests before moving on to this, so we should be at full hp and encounters.

Or did you mean something else?

That's what I meant. :) I just noticed people had missing surges, and wasn't sure if that was copy paste or if I'd missed something.

[Ergonomic Cat]

[roll0]

[LeadPal]

Behold, HP and surges as of the start of this round.

http://www.online-roleplaying.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11566

[Black Plauge]

Yes, you got your rests.

Ril knows that basically everything that posted in the combat thread about the ooze.

Revising Lorien is actually preferable to bringing in a new character, but don't expect to do it every few months. It looks like you're going for more of a slightly reckless beater type, which is more in line with how you've been playing Lorien anyway so I don't mind the change. We can implement the changes in the next encounter.

Note, when the jelly is bloodied (by Taraka's second attack, since his first missed, if I'm counting correctly), it splits into two. Ril and Karon need to specify which of the two halves they're attacking. Though since they both missed, I suppose it doesn't really matter.

I'm headed for bed right now, and will post an update tomorrow.

[treehouse]

Revising Lorien is actually preferable to bringing in a new character, but don't expect to do it every few months. It looks like you're going for more of a slightly reckless beater type, which is more in line with how you've been playing Lorien anyway so I don't mind the change. We can implement the changes in the next encounter.

I appreciate the leniency. Let me do a second pass over the build revision to make sure I'm completely happy with it. I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep Armor Proficiency (plate), partly because it fits the image I have of Lorien and partly because he's still a tank.

The only thing I'm not 100% on is his daily exploit. I picked Brute Strike over Villain's Menace because it does more damage and it has the reliable descriptor, so if it misses it isn't wasted. But Villain's Menace is more interesting. Any opinions, folks?

[LeadPal]

Absolutely take Villain's Menace, and stop looking at reliable powers. Sure, there's a high chance it'll be sort of underwhelming, but there's also a high chance that it'll be COMPLETELY AWESOME. Even on a good day, Brute Strike will never be more than mildly better than your more ordinary powers.

Now quit yer lily-livered landlubbing, y'har!

[treehouse]

Well, the extra 1[W] translates to a lot of damage on a d12 weapon. But I tend to agree with you. I'll switch. Villain's Menace isn't reliable, but at least it has some sort of effect when you miss.

Edit: Arrrrrrrrgh

[LeadPal]

Well, the extra 1[W] translates to a lot of damage on a d12 weapon. But I tend to agree with you. I'll switch.
Nay, +6.5 damage be a drop o' rum in the seven seas! What sea monster be fearin' it o'er Steel Serpent Strike?

[Mercutio]

1 LARGE jelly takes enough damage to be bloodied and then splits into 2 LARGE jellies?

Just seems weird that it doesn't split into 2 medium jellies. Something about the economy of mass and realism that bothers me about it, regardless of what the rules say.

[Black Plauge]

You know, now that you mention it, that does make a bit more sense. I think I'm going to go change that.

[treehouse]

Should Lorien keep on the jellies while Karon deals with the spectres, or do you want to swap, EC?

[LeadPal]

Cleave! Cleave! Cleave! :D

[Ergonomic Cat]

Should Lorien keep on the jellies while Karon deals with the spectres, or do you want to swap, EC?



Spectres is fine for me. I'm gonna rage soon so we'll see how that goes. :)

[treehouse]

How do you save to end an effect?

[zachol]

You roll a d20 once per round (at the end of your turn).
On... an 11 or higher, I think, it goes away, on a 10 or lower it remains.
It might be 10+ remove/9- remain, but either way that's basically how it goes. There're only a handful of ways to modify it (there's a feat for humans, some powers that allow "save with a bonus," etc).

[Black Plauge]

It's the second: 10 or higher removes the effect, 9 or lower the effect remains.

And yes, the vast majority of the time it's an unmodified roll.

[Mercutio]

BP, you might have to NPC Taraka this round. Grading papers today and tonight and I won't likely have time to post until Thursday at this rate.

[Black Plauge]

I meant to get around to posting an update last night, but got tied up trying to finish preparing my practice defense for this morning.

[Black Plauge]

Still need actions for Lorien, Ril, and Karon.

[Black Plauge]

My apologies for not updating recently. I defend my PhD thesis tomorrow morning and have been busy as hell preparing for that. I'll probably be able to update sometime tomorrow afternoon.

In the meantime, tree can post an action for Lorien.:)

[Mercutio]

Good luck with the defense. I'm sure it'll be a lot harder than my MFA defense.

[Black Plauge]

Well, I've passed the defense and have updated the game. This combat is over, so feel free to go back to posting in the IC thread.

[zachol]

Yaay.
Physics? Nifty. What's your focus?

Ril can take a bunch of damage (anything up to 20; maybe 14?). We can say one of the specters bothered him.
Also, looking back, why did we do that "short rest; use encounter powers; second short rest" thing?
For Ril at least it shouldn't matter (song of rest gives +4 hp per surge, and so does majestic word). Ieza has her healing spirit 2/encounter power, but it seems like the +4 would be better than 1d6, and wouldn't involve random rolls.

[Black Plauge]

My research focus is Physics Education Research.

[LeadPal]

Also, looking back, why did we do that "short rest; use encounter powers; second short rest" thing?
Because you didn't tell us about song of rest.

[zachol]

Whoops.

Uh... so hey guys, Ril has this nifty class feature. +4 hp per surge during a short rest. We should use it.
And stuff.

[Ergonomic Cat]

Sorry all - work kicked my ass, stole all my motivation, and then took out my laptop's GPU (the last may not be connected, it's hard to tell) so I took an enforced break. I'm back, and ready to go tho!

[Black Plauge]

So, what are you guys going to do now that the specters and ooze are defeated?

[Mercutio]

Sorry, I won't have time to look at this until tomorrow at the earliest.

[LeadPal]

short rest, keep going left

[Mercutio]

Left it is.

[LeadPal]

I should be honest: I'm neglecting to post because I'm extremely bored with this game.

[Black Plauge]

I'm trying to keep things moving on my end, but there's only so much I can do when you guys don't post.

[LeadPal]

It has nothing to do with post rate--I'm just really, really tired of this dungeon. Surely I'm not the only one?

[treehouse]

BP - I'm sort of iffy right now, as I explained in Uncognitive Cackling, but I am still interested in this game. I'll be able to help provide some forward momentum after a couple of the IRL pressures I am currently under are lifted, but I'm done trying to give people ETAs on when that will be. Feel free to replace me if you like, but if Lorien is still here when I'm able to start posting regularly again, I'll be ready to pick him back up.

[LeadPal]

Anyhoo. North?

[zachol]

South.

I mean yeah, north.

[Mercutio]

North.

[Black Plauge]

North it is.

Out of curiosity, are you guys closing doors behind you or leaving them open? I've been leaving them open on the maps, but I just realized that I never really asked if that was what you wanted to do. If you want them closed, we'll assume that they are retroactively.

[LeadPal]

Party of four? Don't forget Karon. Unless EC dropped into the aether, in which case, maybe we should...

[zachol]

I'm not sure where I got four. Maybe how many people were sent out from Brindol? Wasn't it four?

I think that must be what I was going for.

[LeadPal]

So the door gets kicked down, and then we head back to the crypt-room and look around the corner.

[Black Plauge]

Whether or not you're closing doors behind you is about to become relevant, so I need a decision from you guys on that now.

Also, are you simply going to force the locked door or is any one going to try to pick it?

[zachol]

I think we closed the first entrance door but otherwise have been leaving them open.

[LeadPal]

You said that we've been leaving the doors open, and nobody cared enough to comment, so that decision should stand.

Does Ril want to pick the lock? Even though Karon headbutting the door off its hinges would be way cooler. ;)

[zachol]

All Ril has is a measly +4 to thievery.

In other words, sure!

Edit: Welp, if BP allows it, and if the DC is 20, then Ril managed it in a half minute. Wee!

[treehouse]

I'm not ignoring this game, I'm just not sure what to interject at this point. I feel like there are some questions Lorien could ask, so I'll keep pondering, but I don't want to post a 'Lorien stands there menacingly' post just for shits and giggles.

[Black Plauge]

Open it is, and that makes for some interesting consequences. So, what are you going to do about them?

[LeadPal]

ATTACKATTACKATTACK
if that's cool with everyone.

[treehouse]

ATTACKATTACKATTACK
if that's cool with everyone.

Experience doesn't earn itself!

[LeadPal]

Was not expecting lava vs. rogues.

Can we get a map with monster locations? Also: monster knowledge?

[Black Plauge]

Sorry about that. I'll get that map up immediately.

[Black Plauge]

Done and done.

[LeadPal]

Three out of four isn't bad.

[treehouse]

BP may be on holiday. I haven't seen him in a while. He may also have given up on this game (which I would have by now) :∙

[Black Plauge]

I'm here. Just waiting for the rest of the combat posts.

Speaking of which, shouldn't that be 3 out of 5? Or did we loose Merc or EC when I wasn't looking?

[treehouse]

EC may be on holiday leave. He hasn't logged in since the 9th. Merc is around here somewhere.

[LeadPal]

EC hasn't posted anywhere since October.

[Black Plauge]

Well then, I'll assume him lost for now and just wait for Merc to post.

If you guys want to use Karon in this fight then post some actions for him. Otherwise I'll figure something out.

[Mercutio]

I swear to God I posted.

[Mercutio]

Oh, a nice solid hit.

[treehouse]

Didn't Taraka suck at some point in the past? I could have sworn he sucked.

[LeadPal]

If you guys want to use Karon in this fight then post some actions for him.
Might as well make them exciting actions.

[Black Plauge]

I'll get on making an update and have it up later today.

[Mercutio]

Didn't Taraka suck at some point in the past? I could have sworn he sucked.He sure did, but this is far more like he performed in my head when I created him than how he performed in actual play.

[Black Plauge]

Waiting on you again, Merc.

[LeadPal]

Are we waiting for Lorien to attack/not attack?

[zachol]

Should we attack?

...are they not attacking us? Aren't they going to attack us at the latest in two rounds or something?

[LeadPal]

Ieza is against attacking. I myself am not so sure. We could easily regret it, either way.

[Black Plauge]

Up to now no one has attacked the Creepers and Ieza even helped one of them out. As a result, I'm giving you guys the chance to decide how things go from here. Attacking the Creepers will force combat to continue. Not attacking them, on the other hand, might get it to stop, depending on what you say and do.

Given the Initiative order, Lorien gets first crack at actually doing something. However, any character can interject and say something as speaking is a free action which can be taken out of turn.

[Black Plauge]

I don't have time to create an update right now, but I promise I'll post one tomorrow. If tree hasn't posted by then, I'll assume that Lorien will go along with Ril's suggestion of a truce.

Note that Ril's suggestion for a truce calls for a diplomacy check (which I'll roll if you don't want to, zachol). Any one else who wants to chime in can attempt to aid him and you don't necessarily have to use Diplomacy. Other skill may be used, depending on what you say. For those interested (and who have a subscription) here's the rules on aiding. (http://www.wizards.com/dndinsider/compendium/display.aspx?page=glossary&id=322) In this case, I'm not requiring that you spend a standard action to aid since all anyone is doing is talking.

Along similar lines, since it is Lorien's turn, he's actually free to take a standard action to aid, which opens up more possible kinds of aid, should he so choose.

[zachol]

Diplomacy it is, then. [roll0]

[Black Plauge]

There you go. Talk away.

[zachol]

So confused.

So these guys aren't goblins? They're... natives of this fort thing?

[Black Plauge]

So confused.
Perfect.

So these guys aren't goblins? They're... natives of this fort thing?
They are not goblins. You can tell that by looking at them.

As I said earlier, Taraka recognizes them as of the same type (though not identity) as the creature he saw outside earlier. It should be noted that they still don't have the clingy shadows thing going on (despite the destruction of the magma hurlers and subsequent extinguishing of their light).

As for them being native to the "fort thing," well, you'd have to ask them.

[LeadPal]

We'll follow them, then.

[Black Plauge]

So, tree is out for a while (http://www.online-roleplaying.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11944) and EC has already checked out. That leaves just three of you for the moment. Something that may create some issues going forward (which I'm just realizing as I'm trying to assemble the rest of the update). How do you guys want to handle this? Do you want me to go looking for new players, turn Lorien and Karon into companion characters (and perhaps introduce another to even things out), or something else entirely?

[Mercutio]

Well, there are other prisoners, so looking for new players wouldn't be out of the question.

[LeadPal]

Any of those options are fine by me.

[treehouse]

Hey BP, I don't know if you saw my post in UC, but I am going to be (mostly) out for a while. I will occasionally be posting updates in RHoD because I would like to try to make some headway in at least one of my games while I'm pressed for time, and that is the easiest one to keep up with on 15-20 minutes a day. So you'll see me on, but I won't be posting here most likely. I'm sorry about that.

Please feel free to drop me from the game. If baby #2 is anything like baby #1, I'll have enough free time to resume semi-normal ORP activity in about six months, at which time I'll probably reapply for a spot here if one opens up. Or if you decide to NPC Lorien for that length of time, I'll pick him back up, but don't feel like you have to do that.

[Black Plauge]

Speak of the devil.

[Black Plauge]

Okay, I'm going to shift Karon and Lorien to companion character status for now, but also look for new players to try and round out the group. In the mean time, I don't know if you guys want to do anything before entering this chamber (the first new chamber that you've entered while following the Kieran) but I figured I'd give you the chance.

I'm skiing tomorrow, so expect my next update to be on Wednesday. If no one posts between now and then, I'll assume that no special actions are being taken by the PCs.

[Mercutio]

No special actions on Taraka's part.

[Black Plauge]

I don't have time to figure out exactly who in the party speaks Elven and who doesn't, but I know that some of you do so I'll give you all a chance to react to the overheard message. The Kieran is leading the party towards through the room to a door leading East (right on the map) if that affects any reactions you might have.

[LeadPal]

Oh hell I missed that we passed the exit on the way there. Ieza would have sent Sertanian out, to wait with the rearguard.

[Black Plauge]

We can retro that if you want. What kind of light would you have given him for the trek?

[Black Plauge]

Oh, and too be clear I already rolled the appropriate perception checks for everyone and the results were included in the last post. If you want to stop and make another Perception check, you are free to do so, of course, but that would mean taking more overt actions to look around. To keep them subtle would require a Bluff check as well. Do you still want to do that?

[zachol]

Hmm. I just saw how obvious the runes are. Looking in corners would be suspicious no matter what.

Eugh... if this goes on for more than a minute in game or something, yeah.

[Black Plauge]

If what goes on? Are you referring to the party being in the room (something which will take just a few seconds in game time) or to the feeling of there being someone there that you can't see?

[zachol]

I think I meant "us being in the room."
I think I've misinterpreted everything. Again.

Let's just go with a casual once-over Perception + Bluff. Ril's good at bluffing.

[Black Plauge]

No problem.

Still need that feedback on what kind of light you gave Sertanian when you sent him out. Most importantly, I need to know if that affects the lights the party is carrying with them.

[LeadPal]

How long does it take to go up, then back down? If it's under a minute I think Ieza would just accompany him. Otherwise she's got an extra sunrod.

[Mercutio]

I'll be posting tomorrow.

[Black Plauge]

It's takes a few minutes to trek back to the surface from the first room.

Oh, and to let you guys know, I accidentally locked myself out of my email accounts yesterday when I changed my passwords (must have made a typo or something) so I'm not getting the subscription notifications at the moment. I can't fix this earlier than Wednesday, as the people I need to call don't work weekends and I'm busy with the Special Olympics Winter Games on Monday and Tuesday. I'll try to remember to check in and keep posting, but it may be until Wednesday or Thursday before I post again.

[Black Plauge]

Email access has been restored.:) Now to get caught up on a weeks worth of email.:(

[LeadPal]

We still doing this?

[Black Plauge]

Yes. Sorry. Real life distractions have kept me busy this past week. Give me a few hours and I'll have a post up.

[zachol]

Goddamn. I think I've missed some very important information at some point.

Ok, I should've asked this the first time I got confused, but I thought I'd figured it out, but now I don't get it again: Where are we? What building are we in, who "owns" it?
I mean in a very large-scale sense. I remember the goblins stopping at some fort or something, but this place much larger and more complex than I expected.

[LeadPal]

If I read the first few pages of the adventure right, we're in a crypt under the ruins of Rivenroar Castle, now ruled by the undead Lord of Rivenroar, Sinruth.

[zachol]

Whatwhatwhat we're already at Rivenroar?

This all makes so much more sense.
Augh.

Edit: Although I'm still pretty confused about what's going on right at this moment.
But I guess Ril's confused too and that's ok.

[Black Plauge]

Whoops. I just realized that I accidentally copied a typo from the adventure into my last post. Here's a look at the change-log for the pertinent section of the post:

"then up the stairs to a room with a sticky floor, right left and up another set of stairs, then through a dusty room and left through a door."

The IC post has been edited to have the correct set of directions.

[Black Plauge]

Since the party has to practically carry Adronsius, it's going to take considerably longer to take him out to the surface than it took with Sertanian. Do you guys want to split up to keep an eye on the Kieran, or will you trust them to wait for you?

[LeadPal]

If Karon can carry Adronsius himself we'll do that, otherwise, maybe Lorien can help. Maybe we can get a bit of scouting done while we wait.

[Mercutio]

Taraka could probably carry him by himself too, if it comes to that.

[zachol]

Ril could keep an eye on the Kieran while the others take care of Adronsius.

Also maybe get stabbed a couple times.

[Black Plauge]

Adronsius weighs about 200 lbs (give or take) so anyone who tried to carry him by themselves would be at a heavy load and some would be into drag weight (once your own gear is accounted for). For each additional person who helps, that load is divided up amongst them to a maximum of four people. I will assume you guys make a sling out of a bedroll (you lack long enough poles to make a stretcher), thus easing the ride for Adronsius and allowing upto 4 people to help. The group headed to the surface would be speed limited by the slowest character (not counting Adronsius) and anyone who is carrying a heavy load is slowed (speed 2).

So who's going out and who's staying?

[zachol]

Ok assuming we want to keep this as a normal load, and also assuming that carry loads are now just strx10 (which they seem to be?), the weight people can afford (light-gear) is
Lorien: 60 lb
Karon: 115 lb
Ieza: 60 lb? (assuming 40 lb of gear)
Taraka: 150 or something (assuming 50 lb also jeez Taraka's strong)
Ril: 65 lb

Lot of assuming going on but pretty much any three will allow us to go at a normal speed.
We could have Karon go, which would be a good excuse to get him out of the picture by leaving him with Adronsius and Sertanien (can't spell), as a guard.
After that, perhaps Ieza and Taraka go, and Ril and Lorien stay?
I'm actually sort of interested in just taking over Lorien as "Ril's buddy" anyway.

[Black Plauge]

Normal load is Str x 10
Heavy load is Str x 20

[zachol]

Then I think everything I wrote is right.

Or at least that Karon+Taraka or any three can manage it.

[LeadPal]

Yeah ok. Karon+Taraka+maybe Ieza sounds fine.

[Mercutio]

Thirded.

[Black Plauge]

Okay, so Karon and Taraka are headed for the surface with Adronsius, where Karon will remain behind as part of the rear guard. Ril and Lorien will stay in the entry chamber to keep an eye on the Kieran.

What about Ieza, which way is she going?

[LeadPal]

Ieza will stay downstairs.

[Black Plauge]

It's not clear to me which you're going to do. Are you going to try and follow Adronsius' directions or follow the Kieran?

[LeadPal]

It's not usually clear to us what we're doing either.

Mushrooms or ogres guys? I'm liking the mushrooms.

[LeadPal]

Mushrooms.

[zachol]

sHrOoMs?

Yeah sure.

[Black Plauge]

Well, lacking any objections then, I'll post something that heads you in that direction later today.

[LeadPal]

Questions: triangle squares are difficult terrain due to lots of mushrooms? Is the whole area generally mushroom-strewn, or just certain squares? Can we move through the rubble not marked with triangles without penalty? And are the doors on the right the only ones we see?

Crappy rolls for Ieza, anyone else want to try perception/knowledge?

[Black Plauge]

There are mushrooms and debris all over the floor, but the triangle squares are the only ones where they are dense enough to effect movement. Unmarked squares can be moved through at normal speed.

If you want to avoid disturbing any mushrooms in the unmarked squares, you need only make a DC 10 Dungeoneering or Acrobatics check before entering the square. You must disturb mushrooms to enter a marked square, but if you have identified the mushrooms in that square (Perception DC based on distance to square and DC 15 Dungeoneering) you can then make a DC 15 Dungeoneering or Acrobatics check to avoid disturbing them in a way which would cause an adverse reaction.

The doors on the right are the only ones you can see. Once Ieza steps to the threshold of the doors, she can also see two holes in the ceiling, one in each corner on the left side of the room. The holes are about 10' x 10'.

Finally, is Ieza doing a general scan of the whole room (in which case she can't try to identify any mushrooms) or a close study of a particular square (in which case she can try identify the mushrooms in that square)? If a close study, which square is she studying and where is she standing (as that determines the Perception DC)?

[LeadPal]

Ieza is standing in the threshold, and doing a general scan of the room.

[Black Plauge]

In checking on some stuff about the spirit companion, I noticed that there has been some relatively recent errata (September of 2010) to the Call Spirit Companion Power. It now has a Requirement entry which states that the companion must not be present. This means it's no longer possible to use a minor action to effectively "teleport" the companion anywhere within the 20' burst range. You have to either move it (as part of your move action), in which case the movement is limited to your speed, or you must spend 2 minor actions, one to dismiss it and one to summon it in the new square.

This makes absolutely zero difference at the moment because we're out of combat, but I wanted to give you (LeadPal, primarily) the heads up right away rather than waiting to spring it on you when it became important.

[Mercutio]

You have to either move it (as part of your move action), in which case the movement is limited to your speed, or you must spend 2 minor actions, one to dismiss it and one to summon it in the new squareWhy on earth would anyone choose option one, then?

[Black Plauge]

It requires fewer actions. Option one is exactly like how Taraka and Corbin work together when it comes to movement.

[Mercutio]

Oh, I misunderstood when you said it was limited to "your movement." I thought you meant the way we were initially playing Taraka and Corbin, rather than the right way.

Makes more sense now.

[LeadPal]

Free teleports were pretty excessive anyways.

It's gonna suck to level Ieza without the character builder. Maybe I'll borrow access from a friend long enough to write up a comprehensive 1-30 plan. I'm worried it'll still be obsoleted by more errata, though. :(

[LeadPal]

Ieza's plan is go?

[LeadPal]

Indeed!

[LeadPal]

Quite right. Let us enact said plan posthaste!

[LeadPal]

And a fine plan it is, if I may say so.

[LeadPal]

Why thank you!

[SP7]

I agree as well!

[Black Plauge]

I make no comments on the suitability of plans one way or another. I simply ask for clarification when I don't understand them.

In this case, I think it's pretty clear what Ieza wants to do, I just don't know if anyone else agrees with her. Give me one other party member who says yes, and I'll gladly start the ball rolling in that direction.

[LeadPal]

Honestly, I'm pretty sure no one cares. So let's just do it.

[Mercutio]

LP is right as far as Taraka is concerned. He's not a leader unless he's solo, and he's deferred to others as far as all these decisions are concerned.

[zachol]

Let's go with that then.

[LeadPal]

I'd definitely like some more input from you guys though. It feels like I'm driving everything.

[Mercutio]

I'm sorry. I'll try to be better.

[zachol]

I really don't get what's going on anymore.

Edit: I mean, it's my fault, but I feel like I really don't have the head to figure out what's going on.

[LeadPal]

In a year and a half, has anyone, DM or player, opened a dialogue about this game's issues? Because I feel it might not have died if we dealt with why none of us cared enough to post.

[Black Plauge]

Let me turn that around on you, what do you think the game's issues are? I'm scratching my head myself, trying to figure that out. Sure, I've sometimes updated things a bit slower than I intended, but usually it's only been by a day (two at most). The rest of the time I feel like I'm waiting for you guys to do something. Is there something that I failed to provide that you guys needed to stay involved and interested? Some way that the story could have been pushed forward without making it feel like you were being railroaded? I'm a firm believer in letting player actions dictate the course and pace of the story and so have always tried to give you guys as much room to maneuver in as you wanted.

[zachol]

I'm pretty sure I haven't read posts closely enough and don't really know where we are and what we're doing. At the time it feels like yeah, I know what's going on, but my hold slowly deteriorates and your posts make less and less sense until I just don't feel like going on.
Also too much room. A lot of people here that feel like good DMs give me too much room, then I make bad decisions, then they post the legitimately bad results, then I feel discouraged.
It's felt more and more like I could easily make a bad decision, and I wanted someone else (who knows what's going on and knows what we should be doing) to post, since if I posted I'd screw things up.

Ril is a pretty cool dude that I'm interested in, and I bet if we were all sitting down in the same room this game would be awesome.

[LeadPal]

I just lack enthusiasm. Rather than being jazzed to clear these rooms, I feel like they're in the way of the fun stuff. I'm sure there is fun stuff, but I can't see us ever getting there; I'm so weary from trying to move the game that I'm not even sure I could enjoy it if we did. I've pretty much been posting on autopilot.

[Mercutio]

I think railroading gets a bad name. It's not always inappropriate. In some respects, like z said, I think too much openness stifles as much as too much control. In this case, I'm not sure I know what's going on, and I *know* that Taraka is clueless. He's not a leader. He's an outdoorsman.

Beyond that, I can't tell if it's the mechanics behind the character or just not a very well-developed character (I'm leaning towards the latter), but I'm just not as invested in Taraka as I should be. I've felt that way since early on when he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. I'm not sure what I'd do to tweak his build to make it better. I thought, for the class, that he was fairly well min-maxed, but he's not at all.

Overall, I think it's a combination of things--too open a world, too little enthusiasm from players, a general sense of "I don't know what the hell's going on," and I haven't fallen in love with my character the way I usually do.

[Black Plauge]

I guess the funny thing about railroading vs. the sandbox is that this is a pre-written adventure with a fairly linear story line. The room I'm giving you to maneuver in is in how you accomplish the story, not the story itself, which is far less room than I've given to other games I've run. And yet it still appears to be too much.

On the issue of player confusion, that has, in part, been deliberate on my part. One of the things that I really didn't like about the Scales of War when I ran it for my F2F group was how little and how haphazardly the different adventures were tied together. In running it for you guys, I've tried to make the connections more deliberate and so there are some elements here in the first adventure which foreshadow and lead to some of the later adventures, but which by themselves may seem slightly disconnected. As written, for instance, several of the rooms in the dungeon have gnomes, rats, and wererats in them. While the adventure explains their presence by an alliance between the hobgoblins and the mischievous (and sinister) gnomes. However, that's really a throw-away line designed to increase the variety of the monsters in the dungeon. The players never find out about this alliance and it has no bearing on the campaign. Given that I took those gnomes et al. and revamped them into the Kieran, tying them to a later adventure's villian and giving them some motivations that allowed the party the opportunity to interact with them they way they are doing rather than just killing them. Of course, as of yet, the party has only found a couple of grunts in that group and so there isn't a whole lot of information to be gained yet. The leaders who actually know what is going on are a bit deeper into the dungeon.

[zachol]

On the railroading vs sandbox thing, with this game there's clearly a "point" or an end that the DM (or the designer of the module) wants us to get to. I naturally want us to get there. I personally like playing along with what the DM has in mind. When there aren't too many cues on how to get where we're supposed to be going, though, I feel confused.

[LeadPal]

I hate railroading, myself. If I didn't know this was part of an adventure path, I'd suggest abandoning the dungeon to become travelling sellswords or something. I don't really want to explore scores of rooms in a PbP, especially when it feels like the other players don't want to explore either. Of course, if railroading is what's needed to hook everyone else, then I can understand it.

Adding Kieran to the story was a great idea. I've definitely gotten the sense that they serve a greater story purpose, and that there's more to learn about them deeper in the dungeon.

[Black Plauge]

I'd fully endorse the idea of becoming traveling sell-swords. It's an angle that I can work into the campaign relatively easily. The problem is that you'd want to abandon this dungeon to do that. That's flaking out on your current contract and wouldn't bode well either IC or OOC. In both cases people (IC patrons or me as the DM) would be wondering if you'd just do that to the next contract that came along.

So I think the issue as to be rephrased as what it is in this adventure/contract, that would motivate your interest and participation. You have a fairly straight forward mission: rescue some prisoners and recover some stolen artifacts. You've followed the thieves to their lair and need to go in and get them. The lair is a large complex and there are complications hinting at larger issues than a simple rescue and recovery mission. Summed up like that, the story sounds like something that should be interesting and fun to play. However, the game has clearly stalled out, indicating that something about the game isn't catching your attention. Is the amount of combat really that much of a killer? Or is there something else that's just sucking your motivation away? Merc mentioned the fact that his character simply isn't playing the way he envisioned (through a combination of bad build and luck). Is it the same for the rest of you? Are their other issues involved?