OOC Thread

[Mercutio]

Character ideas

Beast Master ranger is currently winning in my head. It's something I haven't done much of before, and I'm interested to see how 4E handles it. The mechanics look decent enough.

[Stringbean2142]

I'm still definitely leaning towards the fighter/wizard character. I figure there's the mechanical and the fluff side for building this party, so I'll break things down like that.

Mechanically, I see her (she popped up female in my head, and I'll explain why in a minute) as a sword and board fighter to start, but when she starts using an implement she'll move to one-handed swords and the implement in the offhand. She'll be in the thick of things most fights, using her magic as close blasts and bursts more than ranged attacks. I can give flank to those who may need it as well from up there (avenger, possibly the beastmaster if needed, although beastmaster usually gives himself a flank), but will be limited in range combat, especally to start.

Fluff-wise, the first idea I had was being young, say 17. My dad could have fought beside others in the party, and as a favor to him maybe one of the others in the party is bringing me in on this to teach me the ropes. There could be some great rp'ing there as well, as I learn wizardy powers against the wishes of my father. Beyond that, I'll need to see what else people are pulling in before I have more ideas.

My character concept is one of duality. A fighter and a mage. A woman doing a man's job by holding the line. Going along with that, I think half-elf would work best. But to twist things a bit, my mom was a travelling bard who just left one day, and my dad is an elven fighter who wants me to be the same.If I go with 17, I can play with the added teenager roller coaster, something I just realized I've never dealt with in a game before.

Anyway, that's the brief look at her. Thoughts? Concerns?

[treehouse]

I am definitely playing a fighter; his background will be 'knight', and I would really like him to be a beggar knight at first (or 'hedge knight' if you are familiar with George R. R. Martin's work - a landless knight who barely deserves the title, which was probably given in the middle of a battle by some grateful noble). I am not interested in playing a paladin, but the reason my character wouldn't be one is because he doesn't extend his honor code to his enemies. He is a chivalrous defender of civilization and treats his friends like beloved brothers, but can be somewhat brutal and unforgiving in combat (or afterwards).

Mechanically he will be a classic sword-and-board build focused on party defense and tactical superiority.

zachol and I have already discussed having our characters be comrades of sorts. We haven't gotten into the specifics yet. I need at least one more connection.

[LeadPal]

I am definitely playing a fighter; his background will be 'knight', and I would really like him to be a beggar knight at first (or 'hedge knight' if you are familiar with George R. R. Martin's work - a landless knight who barely deserves the title, which was probably given in the middle of a battle by some grateful noble).A Knight Bachelor? Only not knighted by an actual monarch.

Also, borrowing this as a visitor's thread. Hellooo!

[zachol]

Argh go away!

Anyway.

Cyril Radegonde Kilyan Corentin du Ile-Vert, 'Ril'
Bard
Friend of tree's knight character for some three or four years (since 17, is now 20). Idle noble scion of a distant family, had an argument with his father as a teenager, left home, came to the Vale, quickly made friends with the knight.
Nobody's heard of his family (they're pretty minor, and from far away), most think he's just a poser or something.
Spends most of his time in bars, flirting, serving as entertainment, being a prat. Is running out of money, although it's amazing it's lasted this long.

Ril is the sort who would know everyone in town, and could end up being that guy who acts like he's in charge despite not doing much of anything.
Depending on what BP's thinking for how the party gets formed, he could serve as the glue/catalyst for the whole thing.

[Mercutio]

Scales of War starts at level 1, correct? So I don't have to worry about statting up a character to a higher level (since the CB trial only goes to level 3)?

[Black Plauge]

That is correct. Level 1 characters all around.

[Stringbean2142]

Hmmm, with tree's character a fighter I could see my dame being under his wing. Maybe my dad was a comrade of yours as well?

Also, not necessarily a connection up front but zachol's bard could be a source of contention with my character as the game progresses, what with her bard mother abandoning her at an early age and all. Mercutio, did you have thoughts on your character's background?

[Mercutio]

No. I'm still trying to nail down a concept. We look to need a straight leader type, so I might rethink something like a Warlord, a background that would be easier to tie to both Brindol and the other characters. Perhaps a young veteran of war who served alongside z and tree.

[Stringbean2142]

We have a bard, who fills the leader role. What we are lacking is a straight controller, but I'm sort of handling that with my fighter/wizard character, and honestly controller is the role least needed in a party. Overall, we're pretty balanced I think.

Not trying to discourage you; if you want a Warlord, great! More healing is always nice. But I didn't want you to deep-six your beastmaster if you don't have to or want to.

[Mercutio]

I was more worried about healing, but I'll be honest in that I haven't really read much of the bard,

[Stringbean2142]

It heals, so we're covered. Bard's not the best healer, but it's more than adequate for a five-person party. Bard actually also has some controller bits, now that I think of it, so not having a dedicated controller is looking less and less problematic...

[treehouse]

Got my hands on Martial Power. I am definitely interested in the Knight Protector paragon path.

It seems like I have a lot of options in my available exploits to shift allies and push or slide enemies. BP, are you going to be providing tactical maps for our encounters?

[Scythe]

I'm sort of confused on what type of character to build up...

So far, we have a Fighter, a Fighter/Wizard, Bard, and Beast Master? So I'm thinking either Warlock, Pure Wizard, or going with a Ranger type. I don't have access to PHB2, so my options are limited as of right now to the core books and Martial/Arcane Power.

A criminal seeking redemption finds himself on the path of righteousness; seeking for inner peace, he has decided to help those in need. Only through "good" can the guilt that weighs on his shoulders lift up and free his soul from the shackles of his past.

As such, my main idea remains flexible. Any thoughts from our group of merry men on what should be a interesting choice?

Warlock: "Whilst travelling the forest one sunny day, he came in aid to a weakened spirit of nature from wild and ravaging animals. In return for his help, the spirit proposed that they be linked forever together, so that he in return can lend his power, strength from the world of the feywild!"

Wizard: "As he travelled to a small town, he once witnessed the mystical wonders of a skillful arcane user. Goblins had come to disrupt the peace, and with a few mumble words, the Wizard suddenly vanquished these demons from the forest. Amazed from such strength, he begged this interesting figure to become his apprentice, and learn the intricacies of the Incarnum, so that he himself could also bring peace to his surroundings!"

Ranger: "Even though trialed and sentenced, his identity was never forgotten from the faces of his townspeople. Once his freedom was given back to him, the people from his village shunned him outright, never forgotten for the sins he had committed in his past. As such, he had no choice but to live in the wilds, living on his own, away from the civilisation that rejected him. Eventually, through many days and nights, he had no choice but to gain some form of strength to survive. He became a skilled hunter. He tracks his prey with ease, and comes to aid to travellers as bandits raid their caravans. These small acts, even though little, brings him immense personnal satisfaction!"

[Mercutio]

Well, the Beastmaster is a ranger build.

[treehouse]

If you're asking for input, I would vote wizard out of those. I think it would compliment us nicely.

Since BP's stated goal is to actually have this game go from 1st to 30th level I think I'm going stat out Lorien's progression, at least the basics, somewhere under his sheet. Definitely taking Knight Protector for his paragon path, and I am thinking Eternal Defender (also from Martial Power) for his epic destiny.

Starting to ruminate on a background story as well. It involves a life of low debauchery and public disgrace followed by a battle he took part in, where he became an unlikely hero in some desparate last stand, gaining his knighthood in the process. He has come out the other side changed personally, but to outward appearances he just looks like a thug who has somehow acquired plate armor and a sword. He is at 'square one' on his path to greatness, which will play out in-game (or not). He doesn't have a crest or tabard yet, he doesn't own land, he can barely afford lodging for himself so he hasn't taken a squire, etc.

So perhaps anyone interested in being linked could collaborate with me on some details of the off-screen battle? I was thinking something simple and appropriate for 1st level characters, like defending a vulnerable township from goblins, or protecting a noble's daughter from vicious highwaymen.

[Mercutio]

I like the second idea. That could put Taraka in the neighborhood of the fight. I envision him kind of like Rambo in the First Blood movie. Disenchanted with war, a n00b to the army (unclassed), when his tour was up he slipped out into the wilderness. As a shifter he was already predisposed to being a loner, but a chance encounter with a tiger (the last of its family group, Taraka found it standing watch over the corpses of its brothers, fending off the hunters who were after its pelt. Taraka stepped in to help, and earned the trust of the tiger) engaged his nurturing side for animals.

He learned the ranger trade along the way, using sledgehammer he had found at an abandoned shack as a weapon when necessary. One day while scouring the forest for a band of highwaymen he had been tracking, he heard a scream of a young woman. He and Corbin raced to the scene where the bandits were assaulting a coach carrying a young noblewoman. Perhaps Lorien had taken on the job of the escort as a means to earn money for ale and wenches, and proved himself a hero despite all that, with a side of help from an aloof hunting shifter.

Just brainstorms...

[treehouse]

That could definitely work. To tie zachol's bard into it, perhaps he's a drinking buddy of Lorien's who took the escort job as well.

For my own part, Lorien doesn't actually have to be the hero of the fight, but he does need some moment where he places himself directly in harm's way (perhaps taking an arrow for the young lady or something like that) to protect the innocent. She ends up recounting this to her father afterwards. The father pays everyone involved (including Taraka), which explains how we have a pretty decent amount of gold/equipment for level 1 nobodies, and because Lorien took a grave wound during the fight (he arrives at the manor on a stretcher) the noble gives him a knighthood. It's really just an honorary since there is no land with the title, but it causes Lorien to have a kind of awakening. He is still a surly loser drunk when he goes back to Brindol with his friends (now including Taraka), but as he recovers from his wound he begins thinking that perhaps there is more to life than booze and wenches.

Edit: There is really no reason why everyone couldn't have been at the escort job. We just increase the theoretical number of bandits accordingly. So String, Scythe, if you want to get in on this background story and make things super easy just jump right in.

[Mercutio]

Nice. Sounds like it's coming together.

Stringbean - your dame's father could have served in the same unit (of whatever...still kind of nebulous) as Taraka. Kind of like the Colonel Trautman character from Rambo.

[zachol]

That could probably work.

Ril could've easily been drawn into it because of the noblewoman, not really thinking about the combat part of the job. He probably did "surprisingly well," which could lead to him thinking he's a better fighter than he actually is.
For the most part he's pretty lame at combat, though. Not an especially bad shot, no more than anyone else, but not really "adventurer-level."

[Scythe]

Treehouse, what role does your character occupy? Fighter/Wizard is kind of vague for me.

[treehouse]

Oh, my guy is a straight up sword-and-board fighter, focused heavily on the defender role.

Stringbean is the fighter/wizard, I am not sure what his angle is.

[Stringbean2142]

Hmm, this highwaymen fight is suddenly sounding a lot more like a full-scale party engagement. What if Miriam's dad was on the job as well, along with Torien and Ril? Perhaps it was on the way to his home, and he figured he could get a paying ride home. Then the fighting starts.

He would have been the old sergeant type, just putting in the time. Then his leg is ravaged in the fight (crushed knee or something, heck with his age maybe he just landed wrong on it during the fight) and he can't fight anymore. Fighting's all he knows, and he's used it to support himself and his daughters. Miriam, the oldest, joins the group in his stead, intent on moving beyond her father's shadow while sending part of her plunder home to support him and her sister. It gives me a chance to play the rookie of the team.

Could also have had him serve with Taraka. It would explain why Taraka sticks around after the fight (his friend is there, and hurt) and Miriam may have met him if he ever visited her father to reminisce on old times. That gives me a weak connection to Lorien and Ril, and a stronger one to Taraka. And if Scythe goes wizard or warlock, that explains where Miriam's is getting arcane training from. Wizard works a bit better for that, but warlock would be fine as well for it.

[Scythe]

Oh, my guy is a straight up sword-and-board fighter, focused heavily on the defender role.

Stringbean is the fighter/wizard, I am not sure what his angle is.

Sorry, I haven't yet had my quota of coffee this morning ;)

Wizard seems to be the best choice at the moment. I'm still wondering which build to focus on... Control/Illusion seems to be pretty interesting!

As for background liaisons, when your knee was crushed Stringbean, your superiors could have put you simple guard work at first, until your knee healed back up, where you could have met me for the first time in jail as an inmate. Since I didn't seem like the normal folk that would be imprisoned, maybe we started talking together. I would have told you my story. Maybe your influence helped my getting released earlier, and as a token of my appreciation, I showed you the basics of arcane usage.

[Stringbean2142]

Not my knee, my dad's. Miriam's my character, but my in with the others flows through my pure fighter dad, who's not happy his oldest girl is mixing it up with the arcane.

However, I do need her to have a proper job prior to this. Perhaps she was a guard? Or better yet, she cleaned the jail cells, and struck up a conversation with you. Avoids the woman guard with male prisoners kick. So at home dad's teaching me my sword work, but in the jail I'm sneaking lessons from you and helping you find a way to be released at the same time.

Let me know what route you're going with your wizard's powers, and I'll tailor my girl to have some sign of your influence in hers.

Just to recap, we have as a suggested group history:

Taraka and Miriam's Dad served together in the army years ago, and may or may not have kept in some contact after during which Miriam would have met Taraka. Three or four years ago, Cyril and Lorien became good friends. Miriam met Wizard while he was imprisoned, and helped him get released earlier. In return, he tutored her in the arcane.

Lorien, Cyril, and Miriam's Dad all took jobs as escorts for a noblewoman, whose carriage was attacked by highway robbers. These same robbers were being tracked by Taraka, leading him to the attack as well. In the fight, Lorien sacrificed himself to save the noblewoman and Cyril, against all expectations, proved he knows to point the sharp end of a sword at the enemy. Miriam's Dad was hobbled when he landed bad on his knee and had an MCL and ACL tear. Taraka may have saved his friend here, if Mercutio wants a heroic moment.

After the fight, a loose bond forms between the victorious team of Cyril, Taraka, and Lorien. Miriam takes up the mercenary way in place of her father to put food on the table, and the party accepts her as a favor to Miriam's Dad. Miriam possibly is the reason Wizard is with them at the start of the game (traveling together for a time, perhaps), which brings us to Brindol and the tavern. Is this maybe the first time all of us are gathered at the same place?

Did I miss anything? If not, it sounds like we've got a pretty well-knit bunch. We've got the outsider (Wizard), the buddy team (Cyril and Lorien), the veteran (Taraka), and the rookie (Miriam). The only character without a deep connection to the group is Wizard, but either we can add in more from his pre-jail time (who caught him to start? were any of the other party members around for it?) or we can move back his release so there's things after jail he did that connects him to the party. Thoughts?

[Scythe]

Whilst Wizard was still a street thug before he was imprisoned, he could have been drinking buddies with Lorien, and could have done a few sketchy jobs together. Myriam would probably dabble in Illusion/Control arcane abilities, being Wizard's specialty, reflecting in some obscure way his Tiefling heritage.

Even though, Wizard would still remain a bit of an outsider. Not surprising, townspeople aren't really favorable towards people who look like infernal creatures, and whose ancestors have made arrangements with such demons and devils.

[Stringbean2142]

Hmm, Myriam. I like that spelling better, so I think I'm going to steal it. Incidently, here's a picture of her (ignore the spelling of the name, I didn't feel like changing it). The ears are covered, but rest assured she's a half-elf. Her father was a darker-skinned man, hence her darker features.

I don't have anything stated for Myriam yet, but I'll start working on that tonight.

[Black Plauge]

It seems like I have a lot of options in my available exploits to shift allies and push or slide enemies. BP, are you going to be providing tactical maps for our encounters?

Yes. The current plan is to play out at least part of each encounter and there will be a full tactical map for that. We'll see how things go and adjust as necessary.

[Black Plauge]

Also, don't forget that each character needs a tie to at least 2 other characters. The as of yet unnamed wizard will need a tie with someone besides Myriam, whether it be as Lorien's drinking buddy or something else is up to you guys to work out.

I must say though, that I'm impressed with what's coming together so far and look forward to seeing the end product.

[Mercutio]

The excellent Portuguese language character toon creator Fabrica de Herois has been updated since the last time I looked at it. Bonus, he's actually translated it into English too (after you start, there's a language button at the top), http://fabricadeherois.blogspot.com/

Here's Taraka.

[Scythe]

I've told all my DMs the same thing; I'm a sucker for names! :worry:

I've thought of a slightly different progression for my character, so I could include some more background elements. As Wizard was of age, he joined the military, hoping for adventure and excitement, and a place where he could possibly use his magical talents to good use. He had learned his magical talents from a wandering wizard whom he begged to become his apprentice. He could have possibly met up with Taraka, and maybe even Myriam's Dad. He also met up with Elrohir, an elven soldier who joined up about the same time he did. They became good friends. During his military off-time, he would go to the local bar, and there he met with Lorien, whom became his drinking buddy. Together, they made a few extra gold pieces whiles doing some sketchy jobs. However, things turned badly for young Wizard. During a training exercise while he was on-duty, one of his spells backfired, and created an immense explosion of psychic energy, which resulted directly in the death of his elven best friend. He was brought forth militray court, where Myriam's Dad strongly suggested that Wizard be imprisonned for his negligence. As such, he was put in jail. The whole town knew about the situtation, they knew about everything that had happened. The townsfolk started rumours that he was the one that was causing all the ruckus in town; that he was actually a demon; that his magic was proof of his evil-ways; that I purposely killed off my best friend for simple pleasure. While being trapped within his lonely cell, he continuously blamed himself for what had happened, for the death of Elrohir. He eventually met up with the daughter of the man whose influence had put him behind bars, Myriam. At first he was hesitant to speak with her, but she was different, she was nothing like her father. Evnetually, together, they bargained a sweet deal. He would teach her some of the basics of magic, and she would try at best to talk to people so that my sentence be reduced, so that my freedom could be retrieved. A few weeks later, he received pardon from the Church, and was freed without condition. He had no doubt that Myriam played an immense role concerning his liberation.

Wow, that seems pretty interesting. Thoughts?

[treehouse]

That has a lot of potential, and it certainly makes him more interesting.

Just to be clear though, the nature of any sketchy work he did with Lorien can't be terribly illegal. Up until the escort job he's been a filthy layabout, not a crook.

[Black Plauge]

For those of you posting character pics: if you want those pics to be used to represent your character on the tactical map then the picture should have a solid color or transparent background. Ideally it would also be in png format, but I can convert most any image file to png.

Of the two examples posted thus far (Myriam and Taraka), Merc's is suitable for use as a token while Stringbean's isn't.

Of course, you can also separate your map token from your character portrait. If you need a place to look for possibilities, try the following sites:
http://ww2.wizards.com/Dreamblade/Gallery.aspx?
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mix/gallery
http://www.hasbro.com/games/kid-games/heroscape/default.cfm?page=Inside/MasterSets
http://privateerpress.com/
http://www.reapermini.com/PaintedGallery
http://entertainment.upperdeck.com/wowminis/en/gallery/default.aspx
http://mediawonder.com/gallery/

Finally, please use the DPR Calculator (http://sites.google.com/site/dndcalculator/DnD4eDamageCalculator1.17b.exe.7z) and post the save files for all of your at-will powers (one save file for each at-will power) when making your character sheet. I'm going to be using these to help speed up the combat.

[Mercutio]

Wow, looking at that DPR calculator, Predator Strike comes out as completely worthless. Swapping it for hit and run.

[Scythe]

That has a lot of potential, and it certainly makes him more interesting.

Just to be clear though, the nature of any sketchy work he did with Lorien can't be terribly illegal. Up until the escort job he's been a filthy layabout, not a crook.

Okay, then we be drinking buddies. So, I could also rearrange my background some more, since with you and StringBean I have my needed connections.

[Stringbean2142]

Ok, updated picture then, with a more uniform background. Also, with the new name!

[Black Plauge]

Wow, looking at that DPR calculator, Predator Strike comes out as completely worthless. Swapping it for hit and run.

The relative DPR of those two powers has a lot to do with your ability scores. You've got a fairly high Str and low Wis which favors Hit and Run (which uses Str) over Predator Strike (which uses Wis). You've also got a two-handed weapon while your companion is only wielding the equivalent of a one-handed weapon.

Plus, some of Predator Strike's attack bonus comes from positioning you're companion in a flanking position in the normal course of play. If you play so that this bonus is always on, then it equalizes the attack bonuses between the two powers.

[Mercutio]

Yeah, the attack bonus would equalize, but the damage would still be way off. Even were that not the case, Predator Strike is simply suboptimal. If it had a secondary effect, like allowing the PC to shift one square (like the flip side of Crippling Strike), then it might have something going for it.

[Black Plauge]

Ok, updated picture then, with a more uniform background. Also, with the new name!

Can you strip out the name in the originating program? I'm going to do that anyway when I turn it into a map token.

[Black Plauge]

So, I've posted my first draft of the combat rules. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

[zachol]

Not sure how big a problem it is, but I can't use the DPR calculator.
I'm on a Mac. I've been trying various ways to use Windows, but for some reason they all end up not working. Lots of little problems keep popping up.

[Black Plauge]

So long as it's just you, I can probably handle plugging your numbers into the DPR calculator myself. I just don't want to have to do it for everyone.

[Mercutio]

Once per round damage sources (Hunter's Quarry, Sneak Attack, etc.) are assumed to be in play 75% of the time when calculating DPR.I think I understand why for Sneak Attack (conditions requiring it may not be met), but Hunter's Quarry only requires designating the current target as the quarry. Every attack from a ranger will account for Hunter's Quarry unless the player is just an idiot and forgets to say, "I change my quarry to my current target."

[Black Plauge]

True, but you can only designate the closest target as your quarry and it takes a minor action to do so. I've seen plenty of times in my own game where the ranger can't designate the target as his quarry because there is another enemy closer or because he doesn't have the available actions.

Now that I think about, of course, I realize that the proximity problem really only occurs for the archer ranger. The beast master and two-weapon ranger wouldn't have that problem as they're almost always attacking enemies which are adjacent, which means they're always the closest (though other enemies might tie). Obviously enough, since you're playing a beast master, you're not going to have this problem.

So I guess the question is "Do you have something else to do with your minor actions that might prevent you from changing your quarry?" I know ordering your companion around takes actions, but I'm always mixing up what the exact action requirements are with those for the wondrous figurines and familiars. Can you refresh my memory on what the exchange rate is?

[Mercutio]

The beast's actions take the place of the character's actions. If it attacks, I can't. If it moves, we can both move or I can attack but not move. The summary - I spend the action and the beast uses it.

[treehouse]

So, I've posted my first draft of the combat rules. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

I will have to see it in action. It seems like it could cause problems for my character - a lot of my encounter/daily powers are situational, i.e. not something I'm going to bust out in round 1. For example, right now my encounter power allows me to do extra damage and shift a friendly target away from the target of the power. If I am not needing to shift a friendly target to safety, I'm going to reserve that power until I do need it and just use an at-will, which does less damage.

As an aside, the fact that we just get to decide how to distribute incoming damage during the final resolution kind of oversimplifies the defender role. Maybe there's no other way to do it, but it makes me less interested in loading up on tactical powers than I probably should be.

[Black Plauge]

The beast's actions take the place of the character's actions. If it attacks, I can't. If it moves, we can both move or I can attack but not move. The summary - I spend the action and the beast uses it.

Okay. It sounds to me like there's no reason, at least at this point, for you not to get your quarry damage each round. You can bump the percentage up to 100%.

I will have to see it in action. It seems like it could cause problems for my character - a lot of my encounter/daily powers are situational, i.e. not something I'm going to bust out in round 1. For example, right now my encounter power allows me to do extra damage and shift a friendly target away from the target of the power. If I am not needing to shift a friendly target to safety, I'm going to reserve that power until I do need it and just use an at-will, which does less damage.

As an aside, the fact that we just get to decide how to distribute incoming damage during the final resolution kind of oversimplifies the defender role. Maybe there's no other way to do it, but it makes me less interested in loading up on tactical powers than I probably should be.

It's my hope that 3 rounds would be enough time for those kind of tactical decisions to come into play, but I hear your point. If after the first combat you feel that the system is preventing you from playing your character the way you want to, let me know and we'll see what we can do to fix it. If it comes to it, I'm not against playing out each combat in all it's gory details, I just don't want to spend a month on each combat.


Finally, I've posted the first IC thread and set the scene for you guys. You can place yourself anywhere in the scene that I've described, even as one of the people I've described (except for the proprietor and his family). I know your characters aren't completely built yet, but I like to give players an opportunity to interact with each other IC before any dice come out, so that isn't a big deal right now. Once all the character sheets are done, I'll break in and start the actual adventure. The only thing I ask is that you not advance the timeline beyond an hour or two.

[Mercutio]

I'm with BP on this--three rounds of combat should be enough (by the third round at least) to make use of a tactical power.

Tree--think about Lorek and Longbaugh in that last fight. How long was it before Longbaugh tumbled between enemies and into flanking position to use a Sneak Attack?

EDIT - Three Dragon Ante is the only non-RP game supplement I ever bought for D&D. Never got to play it. Sitting on my shelf in a slightly worn box.

I have all the dice games downloaded in a file too, that I did a long time ago.

[Black Plauge]

I got to play Three Dragon Ante for the first time after the DMG2 Game Day and had a blast. I'm probably going to be getting it for myself soon, along with the forthcoming expansion. I highly recommend getting a bunch of people together to play it. You don't even need to play it with people who play D&D regularly. Of the 6 who I played with, only 1 was in my regular gaming group and I think 2 didn't play any form of RPG (they were at the store for other reasons than the game day).

Specifying little details, like the card game being Three Dragon Ante and the dice game being Wishing Well, is one of those things that I really like in novels that I read as it gives the world a sense of depth beyond what's right there in front of you. When I decided to do that here, I figured I'd use bits and pieces that you guys could look up and capitalize on while still maintaining the sense of the world.

[zachol]

Ok, I have no idea how Three Dragon Ante works and it looks like it's one of those "every card does something different" games, so I'm just making stuff up.
Unless there's a list of cards or something somewhere?


edit: Looking for a good Dilettante power (open to suggestions). Currently I'm going with the fire spray thing because it's a burst, and Ril otherwise has no way to deal with adjacent enemies (well, dagger, but bleh). Also its based on charisma, and the only other class with a lot of charisma-based at-wills is the Paladin (ew). However, about the Warlord's Commander's Strike:

Commander’s Strike
With a shout, you command an ally to attack.
At-Will Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee weapon
Target: One creature
Attack: An ally of your choice makes a melee basic attack against the target
Hit: Ally’s basic attack damage + your Intelligence modifier.

Does this mean that the warlord needs to be adjacent to the target (and wielding a melee weapon), or that the "ally of your choice" needs to be adjacent to the target (and you could be, say, behind that ally, or otherwise safely some distance away, wielding, say, a bow)?
The (obvious) reason for all this is that others might have better attacks than my own, even (slightly augmented) basic attacks. Although that's pretty pathetic, I guess.

Also, if I were to take, say, a Sorcerer attack for my Dilettante power, and it had the "Implement" keyword, could I use bard implements (such as a songblade or magical instrument), or do I need specifically Sorcerer implements for that?

I'm assuming the answers to both these questions are "no" (that is, unfavorable responses, as they aren't necessarily Y/N questions), as far as I can tell from the rules, but I'd like to check; maybe I'm wrong, or maybe BP is merciful and kind (ha!).


Edit 2: Also, I'm not done done, but the great majority of the numbers should be correct; if someone could just give everything a once-over?

[Black Plauge]

Ok, I have no idea how Three Dragon Ante works and it looks like it's one of those "every card does something different" games, so I'm just making stuff up.
Unless there's a list of cards or something somewhere?
I don't know if there is an official list of cards somewhere, but most cards have a dragon on them (Red, Green, Blue, Black, White, Gold, Silver, Copper, Bronze, and Brass). There are also a bunch of mortals (Thief, Cleric, Princess, Archmage, Dragonslayer, and Druid), two dragon gods (Bahamut and Tiamat) and a Dracolich. Each card also has a numerical power on it, varying from 1 to 13 (not all dragon/power combinations are represented). Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-Dragon_Ante) has a fairly good summary of the game.

[Scythe]

As a Wizard, do I need to buy my own starting Spellbook, or does the Spellbook feature already include the book?

And as for rituals, do I need to specify for which components apply to each ritual?

[zachol]

You get a free spellbook and some free spells.
Not sure about Wizard, but Bard gets a free book and two spells. Component costs and focuses are not included, but the book and the spell price is included.

Components are just "arcane components" or "divine components," not specific to any individual rituals. "10g of arcane components" is all you need to say.

[Black Plauge]

Actually, the components for rituals are based off the key skill involved in the ritual. Heal (mystic slaves) is different from Religion (sanctified incense) is different from Nature (rare herbs) is different from Arcana (alchemical reagents). Residuum can substitute for any of the four, but having a large quantity of residuum is rare.

You need to specify which of the five types of components (and how much of each) you have, but need not assign them to specific rituals.

As for the book, if your class feature says you have one (as is the case for a Wizard), then you get one for free.

[zachol]

Erg, yeah. Knew it was something like that (Arcane, Divine, then two others). Sorry.

[Black Plauge]

Some one's character sheet reminded me to do this:

Here's a place to post your magic item wish lists. (http://online-roleplaying.com/forums/showthread.php?p=358498#post358498)

[Mercutio]

BP--I can send you the .dnd4e file, leave the PDF up, or transfer it over to forum scripting. What's your preference?

[Black Plauge]

I prefer to have all the character sheets in one place, so having a link to the pdf or transferring it over to forum scripting is preferable for me. Which you do up to you.

[Mercutio]

Alright. The PDF is there, but I'll make a forum scripted sheet too. Might actually make it easier to update...

[Stringbean2142]

I have my character sheet basically done, but it's at home and handwritten. I'll get it typed and on the site tonight. I'll also get a magic item wish list posted, at least for the early levels. Sorry for the weekend, but it got busy quick and never let up.

[Black Plauge]

Don't worry about the weekend. I don't have internet access at home and thus can't check the forums or post most weekends as a result.

[treehouse]

Hey BP - do you have a preference between past and present tense?

[Stringbean2142]

Yeah, I just noticed we're all over the place with tense, aren't we? We should probably pick one and stick to it.

I vote for second person, future tense. You will disagree with my choice.

[treehouse]

You will find that your assumption was correct.

[Mercutio]

I just tend to prefer past tense for third person stories, but I'll adjust to whatever.

[Black Plauge]

You will find that I use both present and past tense as suits the literary needs of what I'm writing. I know that consistency in tense is something that many writing coaches and handbooks advise, but I tend to take that advice on a scene by scene basis, rather than for a whole work. The trick is managing the transitions.

Generally I use present tense to convey a sense of action, and rapid pace. It also works, as in my introductory post, to place the reader inside the scene. In that case I was trying to create an atmosphere without identifying the reader with any of the main characters (your characters), who had yet to make an appearance.

Most of the time, however, I'll revert to the past tense. I find it reads much better over the long haul. Especially when several people are writing in a round-robin fashion. Over use of the present tense feels forced to me and tends to get on my nerves in books, so I try not to do it myself.

You guys are free to switch back and forth for similar reasons, but I do ask that you consider the current tense and the resulting tone that has been set for the scene before switching.

For person, I rigorously insist on 3rd person. First person only works when the POV is fixed or changes only very infrequently (i.e. not what occurs in a PBP where each post changes the POV) and second person is way to hard to write.

In the current scene, the continued use of the present tense helps to portray the fractured nature of the scene. One or two characters over here, another over there... As the characters coalesce into a single group, however, past tense will help improve the readability of the narrative. Basically, use what you want, for now. I'll probably make a definitive switch to past tense when the first combat starts, if it hasn't been made already.

[LeadPal]

Didn't see these answered, so I'll do so anyways.

Does this mean that the warlord needs to be adjacent to the target (and wielding a melee weapon), or that the "ally of your choice" needs to be adjacent to the target (and you could be, say, behind that ally, or otherwise safely some distance away, wielding, say, a bow)?You need to be in melee with the same enemy as your ally.


Also, if I were to take, say, a Sorcerer attack for my Dilettante power, and it had the "Implement" keyword, could I use bard implements (such as a songblade or magical instrument), or do I need specifically Sorcerer implements for that?I'm mostly certain you have to use sorcerer implements for it.

[Scythe]

Not necessarily; I believe implements are used for special class abilities, such as the Arcane Implement Mastery for Wizards, or to be able to grant enhancements bonuses for magical implements (but you still need to be able to use your implement). In this case, I'm pretty sure any implement is okay, since enhancement bonuses from implements depends on whether your class is able to use them.

It's not necessary to have an implement in order to use a power that has the implement keyword.

[LeadPal]

You don't have to use an implement, but any implement you do use has to be the correct type.

[Mercutio]

You will find that I use both present and past tense as suits the literary needs of what I'm writing. I know that consistency in tense is something that many writing coaches and handbooks advise, but I tend to take that advice on a scene by scene basis, rather than for a whole work. The trick is managing the transitions.Interesting. I am definitely in the writing coach/handbook camp, and not because I have a Master's in creative writing. I feel distracted and annoyed with tense shifts, which Glen Cook does far, far too often in the Black Company novels. It's less advice and more of a rule for me. If people hadn't insisted that the stories were good, I would have politely stopped reading because it was far more than a personal preference.

Now, in the measure you listed, scene-by-scene, it can definitely work depending on the scenes, characters, and the storyline. But that's most definitely not what was at work in the Black Company books. Tenses shifted within the same sentence at times, within the same paragraph frequently, and at least once in every three paragraphs. (I told you it was distracting. I counted, underlined, and made notes.)

That said, this isn't formal writing and is just a game among friends, so it doesn't really matter.

[treehouse]

I am unlikely to do tense shifts in my posts if it isn't a requirement, though I don't have a problem with it. If we are shifting semi-permanently to past during or after the first combat I will probably start using past exclusively. It's my natural preference to use third person past tense in most writing, although I have used present a few times in play-by-posts that I play in without issue.

[Scythe]

Alright, most of my character is complete; I still need to choose an appropriate background (I'll do so when I'll write up Balam's history) and an extra daily spell for my Spellbook. I'll add information in the Magic Items Wish List eventually. My next task on my to-do-list would be those DPR calculations.

Also, are their many powers or situations that would call for a Ranged Basic Attack?

[treehouse]

I think you just need to have something down that covers your Intelligence attack vs. Other.

Edit: wow, I just realized I'm not even close to finished with Lorien. No background, crunch isn't finished, and no DPR links. -tsk tsk- I'll work on it tomorrow.

[Scythe]

Speaking of character completion, do we have a deadline for sheets to be completely finished?

EDIT: After looking up the DPR calculations, I've noticed that it would be possible to add any and all situational modifiers for our attacks. Simply add them as extra attacks (always/no trigger), and the the net damage in the damage section equals the DPR for each possible situation (normal attacks, combat advantage, class features, racial features, feats, powers, etc...) so that we as a team can profit from team boosts from a statistical point of view. Monster penalties could be prepared for in advance.

[zachol]

With the tense thing, I tend to try to use the same tense as the previous post.

[Black Plauge]

Now, in the measure you listed, scene-by-scene, it can definitely work depending on the scenes, characters, and the storyline. But that's most definitely not what was at work in the Black Company books. Tenses shifted within the same sentence at times, within the same paragraph frequently, and at least once in every three paragraphs. (I told you it was distracting. I counted, underlined, and made notes.)
Changing tenses that often would probably get on my nerves too. It's a question of balance for me. The writer needs to balance the narrative needs of the story with the ease of reading for the reader.

On the implement thing, a careful reading of the Implement class feature shows that a character with it has proficiency for specific implements for use with their class powers only. It does not allow the use of those implements with powers from another class, even if the implement would be a normal match for that class.

Also, the Dilettante ability of the half-elf grants no implement proficiencies. As a result, if you chose a power with the implement keyword, you can't use implements with that power, even if you have the Implement class feature.

The way around that is to take the multi-class feat for the class that your Dilettante power comes from, as that does grant the necessary implement proficiencies and ability to use those implements with the power.

Also, are their many powers or situations that would call for a Ranged Basic Attack?
That depends. If your character has a ranged at-will power then no, there are generally not many situations that call for it. If your character doesn't, then your Ranged Basic Attack will be your primary way to engage in ranged combat.

As for powers, there are powers which grant a basic attack, allowing you to chose ranged or melee, but you'll want to look at your teammates to determine if those powers are going to come into play.

After looking up the DPR calculations, I've noticed that it would be possible to add any and all situational modifiers for our attacks. Simply add them as extra attacks (always/no trigger), and the the net damage in the damage section equals the DPR for each possible situation (normal attacks, combat advantage, class features, racial features, feats, powers, etc...) so that we as a team can profit from team boosts from a statistical point of view. Monster penalties could be prepared for in advance.
I'm not sure it's going to be as easy as you make it out to be, but yes, I do plan on attempting to include most bonuses/penalties.

[Black Plauge]

It looks like everyone's character sheets have all the mechanics in place. Is there anyone who still needs to tweak their character?

[Scythe]

I still need to fill in DPR and write up a background, but everything else is done. I'm pretty busy tonight, so I'll finish up everything over the weekend and be ready for play on Monday.

[zachol]

Not sure about Ril's feat or his dilettante power.

Retraining's an option, right?

[Black Plauge]

Not sure about Ril's feat or his dilettante power.

Retraining's an option, right?

Of course. Every time you level you can retrain 1 feat, power, or skill.

It should be noted, however, that racial features (including the dilettante power selection) can't be retrained.

[zachol]

Hmmm. Does anyone have a suggestion, then, of some good random at-will power?
Preferably one that rests on charisma, or maybe wisdom.

[Black Plauge]

It depends on what you want out of the power. Options:
Astral Seal (healing, no damage)
Sacred Flame (temp hp or save to ally)
Ardent Strike (sanction and usable on charge)
Virtuous Strike (saving throw bonus to self)
Bolstering Strike (temp hp to self)
Blazing Starfall (area 1 within 10)
Lightning Strike (secondary target)
Arcing Fire (conditional secondary target)
Acid Orb (ranged basic)
Burning Spray (close blast 3)
Chaos Bolt
Dragonfrost (push and ranged basic)
Storm Walk
Spiteful Glamor (extra damage against undamaged targets)
Elderitch Strike (slide, melee basic)
Elderitch Blast (ranged basic)
Eye Bite (invisibility against target)

[zachol]

That's... helpful. Hm. Thanks.

Do Acid Orb, Dragonfrost, etc. "count" as a ranged basic (or melee basic for Elderitch Strike), even though they'd be encounter powers? As in, if some other guy includes me in a "ally gets a free basic attack" sort of effect?
I'm probably not going to need a basic attack more than once an encounter anyway, so that would be actually pretty nifty.

[Black Plauge]

Did any one post anything over the weekend that got lost? It seems there were some server problems on Saturday.

Notes on character sheets:
Stringbean: can you specify your modifiers for your skills and not just which ones are trained.

Scythe: You haven't taken a background yet.

zachol: you can't take Supernal as your third language since you can't learn Supernal (or Infernal, for that matter) at level 1

Merc: Is your character a druid or a ranger? I thought you were playing a ranger but both classes are mentioned in your character sheet thread.

tree: can you specify your modifiers for your skills and not just which ones are trained. Also, you're entitled to take another language and a background.

[Mercutio]

Beast Mastery Ranger. I'm just an idiot and typed in Druid instead.

[Black Plauge]

No problem. That's what I thought. I just wanted to make sure you hadn't changed your mind.

[Scythe]

I've been pretty busy lately with College term papers, yet again. I've added some DPR files for my main powers. I'll do them all eventually. As for background, I have no clue how everything works... Do I simply choose a type of bonus and include it logically in my background, or do I have to choose existing histories, like the the ones in Arcane Power?

[zachol]

Done with everything but the description/bio.

I've gotten windows & the character builder working, but for some reason I can't get the DPR calc thing to work. I might've done something wrong (unzipping it, maybe?), I'll try again, but for now if you could still do it?

[Black Plauge]

I've been pretty busy lately with College term papers, yet again. I've added some DPR files for my main powers. I'll do them all eventually.
No need. I only need the files for your at-will powers. If you're curious about your other powers, that's your choice, but I don't need them.

As for background, I have no clue how everything works... Do I simply choose a type of bonus and include it logically in my background, or do I have to choose existing histories, like the the ones in Arcane Power?

You should be choosing one of the existing ones that fits your character. If you can't find one that fits, then we'll discuss creating your own.

I highly suggest starting your search with the backgrounds in Dragon 366 (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/TOC.aspx?x=dnd/4new/drtoc/366) (which is one of the free preview issues) as they tend to be more interesting (mechanically) than the ones which have been published more recently.

I've gotten windows & the character builder working, but for some reason I can't get the DPR calc thing to work. I might've done something wrong (unzipping it, maybe?), I'll try again, but for now if you could still do it?
The program does need to be unzipped, but it isn't zipped with the usual Windows default compression algorithm. I unzipped it with WirRAR, which isn't free, but does have a free trial that lets you do things like this.

[zachol]

I used 7-zip.

And apparently I did something wrong that I can't even reproduce; trying it again works. WTF?
Bleh, whatever. Computers are stupid.

[Black Plauge]

Computers are stupid.

That, good sir, is a given.

[zachol]

Ok, I probably didn't do those right at all, because that felt... really simple.

Eh, whatever.

[Black Plauge]

At level 1, entering at-will powers into the DPR calculator is very simple. It's at higher levels when you start having feats, items, and other abilities that modify your at-will powers that things start getting complicated.

[zachol]

Ok, question: my encounter power has a "attacks on target crit on 18-20 until end of next turn" effect, which doesn't affect itself (happens after a hit), but would affect other people's attacks, and Ril's own when his turn comes up again.
Is there a way to incorporate that, somehow?

Also, what about things like "ongoing 5 (save ends)"?

[Black Plauge]

If you used that encounter power during the last round of combat that actually gets played out, then I'll take that power into account by upping the DPR appropriately for the first auto-resolved round. If you used it earlier, then it would play out as normal.

For ongoing damage, if an at-will imposes it, there is an ongoing damage calculator in the DPR Calculater which determines the effective damage bonus that said ongoing damage gives. If the ongoing damage is in place at the end of the fully resolved rounds, then I'll roll saves to determine how long it lasts and add it to the party's DPR for the rounds when it is in effect.

[Mercutio]

7-zip is, proverbially, "da bomb."

[treehouse]

BP - I am definitely not flaking out on you, I've been down with a fever for the last week and a half and I'm still on the mend, which means I have almost no energy (I do a lot of my ORP stuff at night after the kiddo goes down). I'll get my shit together soon.

[Black Plauge]

I still need wish lists from the lot of you. If I don't get them, then I won't guarantee that any of the magic items that turn up in game will be stuff you guys actually want.

Also, I'd like to start the first encounter on Monday, if at all possible. To that end, every one needs to double check their character sheets and make sure they're ready.

[Mercutio]

Crap. I forgot about the wish list. I'll try to gen one up this weekend. How many levels out did you say you wanted them?

[treehouse]

Definitely not ready yet. Fever I think broke for good last night so I am almost recovered.

[Black Plauge]

Five is far enough for the moment. As characters level up, you'll want to keep your wish list up to date though.

[Black Plauge]

Definitely not ready yet. Fever I think broke for good last night so I am almost recovered.

That's part of the reason why I'm giving people to Monday. It's my hope that that's enough time for you to feel better and finish what you need to finish.

[Black Plauge]

Feeling better treehouse?

[Scythe]

For the magic items wish list, does the level reflect our own when we level up, or does it reflect the items actual level?

[Black Plauge]

The level is the level of the item. The treasure parcel system specifies the magic item level when one is supposed to "drop" but not the form (with a few story exceptions). That's where your wish lists come in. I'll be looking at them to populate the treasure lists in the adventure, trying to place items in appropriate places. You won't get all the items on your lists (there aren't enough treasure parcels for that) but at least the vast majority of magical items that do appear will be stuff you guys actually want.

[treehouse]

Feeling better treehouse?

Yes, finally. I have/had tick fever of some sort (don't think it was Rocky Mountain, thank God). I'm feeling better but I'm still on antibiotics for another week to flush it out of my system.

I am giving this game in particular my highest priority (including above the ones I run) since I have so much stuff to get done before my character is post-ready.

[Black Plauge]

I wonder if that's better or worse than getting swine flu.

[treehouse]

Worse for me because it lasted a week longer than flu - better because I wasn't contagious, so my wife and kid weren't in any danger (unless there's another tick around here somewhere).

Okay, magic item wish list is up, DPR calculations are up (hope they are right - cleave and tide of iron are identical because they have intangible benefits that I can't throw into the calculator).

Lorien needs his untrained skills listed and then a final once-over of his mechanics, then I need to post a background (it will be kind of short and sweet).

(here is another parenthesis)

[treehouse]

Almost done with Lorien. He's play-ready, just need to detail a background (really, it's all out there in OOC discussion, just need to consolidate information).

[Black Plauge]

Then if there are no further objections, I'll formally start the game tomorrow.

[Mercutio]

Works for me. I'll finally follow through on the wish list tomorrow morning.

[Scythe]

Perfectly fine with me.

[treehouse]

Then if there are no further objections, I'll formally start the game tomorrow.

Sounds great. Sorry again to be a source of delay here. Looking forward to getting started!

[Mercutio]

It's clobberin' time!

[Black Plauge]

Let it be known that I'm not entirely satisfied with the quality of the map. I'll probably be playing with that in an attempt to improve it.

Don't forget to include rolls when posting your actions using the [roll] tags. Hopefully that will let you post after each other without needing my intervention (as you can see the results of the previous player's actions.

Oh, and the map's up. Go for it Merc.

[treehouse]

Map looks good to me...

Is Lorien the knightly fellow in the upper right hand corner of the building?

[Black Plauge]

Yes. Myriam and Taraka have figs based on their submitted pics. For the rest of you I had to grab things that looked right from my collection.

To be clear, Lorien and Ril are in the upper right hand corner: Lorien's in plate, Ril is "on top" of a chair at the table.

The other three characters are near the fire pit with both Myriam and Taraka using their submitted pictures. The other figure who doesn't appear in the setup post is Balam.

Your positions are based on where you said you were in the tavern.

[treehouse]

My icon looks like it will suffice permanently for Lorien if you don't mind holding on to it. I was having trouble finding anything I liked.

[Black Plauge]

Not a problem.

Three things about your move tree:

1) In 4e a square is a square is a square, even when moving diagonally. As a result, your move only takes 9 squares of movement to accomplish (as there is no difficult terrain or even many obstacles for you to maneuver around).

2) You can't draw a weapon as part of a move in 4e, but drawing a weapon is only a minor action, which you haven't taken yet. As a result, you can draw your weapon while still moving twice. To draw your weapon as part of another action, you need the Quickdraw feat, and even then it can only be drawn as part of an attack made with that weapon.

3) The hobgoblins get to act before you, so you may want to hold off on declaring your action just yet. One might move into a position that you can attack, you never can tell (remember, charging is a standard action in 4e so you can move a bit and then charge in a different direction).

[treehouse]

All things I didn't know. I've been involved in exactly two rounds of combat in 4E so far (SPQR's game). Thanks for the clarifications - I'm just going to delete my post and wait if you are planning to update before Lorien's action.

[Scythe]

Should I update the combat thread even though my action is after the ennemies?

In the opposite case, I'll simply move back and use Phantom Bolt and try sliding a hobgoblin in front of the door.

[Mercutio]

Where would the inn have a "hitching post" because that's probably where Taraka's tiger would be.

[Mercutio]

Doh, forgot to put target and I don't want to edit a post with rolls in it (can we without screwing up the rolls?) Of course Taraka is aiming at the nearest hobgoblin guy adjacent to his shifted position.

[zachol]

Pretty sure you can edit posts as long as you don't change the rolls.

[Black Plauge]

You can edit posts with rolls in it.

When you do so, you'll see a series of [roll0], [roll1], etc. tags which represent the actual rolls. So long as these all remain in the post, you can edit it, even moving them around. You only get into trouble (create a flag which denotes the editing of rolls) when you add or remove roll tags.

[Black Plauge]

Note: I'm not going to bother with exact book keeping in the NPC on NPC violence as it doesn't effect your characters directly. I will, however, use the built-in die roller when the monsters attack you guys.

[treehouse]

You know, I actually really like this method of handling combat so far. Saving all the description for last makes it a whole lot simpler to post an update on the fly.

[LeadPal]

It does seem to be working. I think I'll be trying something similar.

[Scythe]

Note to self; retrain to have an area effect at-will power for useless minions :S

[Black Plauge]

Scythe, it's unclear which enemy are you targeting. I'm going to assume it's the one that was closest to your original position. Since most of the enemies here are minions, it shouldn't matter too much but it could make a difference in other combats.

Also, nobody's used them yet, and that's okay, but I want to remind everyone about their bonus actions (1 standard, 1 move, & 1 minor) that they can use at any time in these three round combats. Don't forget them, as they can help you pull off everything you want to do in these abbreviated combats.

Finally, because it might become important large fires indicate squares which are ablaze. You can put them out with a standard action. Small fires indicate squares which are just beginning to burn (either from a torch having just been thrown there or because the fire is spreading). You can snuff these with a minor action. Standing in squares which are on fire (large icon) would qualify as a "bad idea" for everyone but Balam (who has enough fire resistance to negate the resultant damage most of the time).

[zachol]

I'm fairly certain the answer will be some variation on "make it worse," but I'm curious about the specifics: how would using burning spray affect these fires/create new ones?

And with the fires, is it something like, say, small fires become large fires after one turn, and large fires spawn small fires in each adjacent square (or maybe each square to the NSEW)?

[Black Plauge]

Under normal circumstances, area and close powers with the fire keyword (like burning spray) will not start a fire or cause a fire to spread. Highly flammable materials (like, say, the supply of spirits behind the bar) change that. Ranged or melee powers with the fire keyword only start a fire when they are targeted at a flammable object.

As for the spreading, it works as follows:
Large fires spawn a small fire in 1 randomly determined adjacent square which is not already on fire each turn. Small fires become large fires after 1 turn.

[treehouse]

I think I zigged when I should have zagged. North side of the common room looks like it has more action.

BP - do you want me to always wait to post until there are no enemy actions preceding mine, or no? I'm cool with either.

Also, it doesn't look like Stringbean has logged in since the 25th of November, so perhaps he is having an IRL crisis or other issue? Might not want to wait on him to post, at any rate.

[Mercutio]

Err, rolls aren't showing up?!?

[Mercutio]

damn, now it shows up and I mistyped one roll. Not that it matters because I'm sure a 9 attack roll doesn't hit the blackblade. Which means I wasted a frickin' daily on a miss... $#&$

[Black Plauge]

Yeah, we'll consider Myriam to be delaying for now and press on. Stringbean can post when he shows up again. If he doesn't, then we'll look into replacing him. (Grrr... I was hoping to avoid that.) zachol, go ahead and post your action.

BP - do you want me to always wait to post until there are no enemy actions preceding mine, or no? I'm cool with either.
You don't have to, but doing so is bound to make life easier on both of us seeing as you've got a melee character. If you post your action before I post prior enemy actions, you may end up posting a combination of actions that will be invalid.

[treehouse]

Wow, those were some shit rolls. Shift one square, blow encounter power, flail wildly.

[Mercutio]

I blew a daily if it makes you feel any better.

[zachol]

I'm prone and in close combat with two enemies.

[treehouse]

Stop trying to out-wallow me!

[Scythe]

The Backblade is immobilized and prone, and has only 5hp left thanks to my super combo :)

[Black Plauge]

A few things tree:

1) The Goblin Blackblade gets to shift when you miss him (in this case, 1W). As a result, he's out of reach for your second attack unless you use your extra move action to follow him first. Note, you can't shift for that move action because you'd be moving up onto the table to do so, and that costs extra squares. You'd have to take a regular move action to get on the table or move to the other side of Takara's tiger.

2) Shifting (at the begining of your turn) is a move action. Combined with the above, and you're out of move actions even before you make your second attack (barring the expenditure of your action point).

As a result, only the first to actions of your post actually count and I'll let you add on the extra actions after Balam's turn, before the Blackblades act, if you still want to take them. If not, just post here and I'll post the Blackblades' actions and we'll move on to Merc's turn.

Edit:
Scythe, along similar lines, you can adjust the direction of your slide if you want given the Blackblade's new position on the map (which doesn't reflect the slide). 1W would seperate him from the party, which may have been what you were going for, but I thought I'd check.

[Mercutio]

Man, I am getting some shitty attack rolls. WTF?

[Scythe]

No worries, the main idea was to be able to seperate the Backblade from the rest of the party so that they wouldn't be affected from my area attacks. Since I'm obliged to make him move now, I'd think 1N would be best, and it would reflect Mercs actions.

[treehouse]

As a result, only the first to actions of your post actually count and I'll let you add on the extra actions after Balam's turn, before the Blackblades act, if you still want to take them. If not, just post here and I'll post the Blackblades' actions and we'll move on to Merc's turn.

That is actually just fine with me, if you don't mind. After the blackblade gets his free shift Lorien will be done for the round. I don't want to waste my extra move action at this point.

[Black Plauge]

Actually Merc's action can't be resolved as stated for two reasons:

1) There is no hobgoblin within shifting distance.

2) Depending on where you slide the Blackblade too (including 1N), the blackblade won't be withing shifting distance.

So, just ignore Merc's actions for now and pick the slide direction (obviously constrained so that he the blackblade ends up inside the burst).

[Scythe]

Alright, have the Backblade slide 1 south, and the origin square remains the same, so both targets are still targeted.

[Black Plauge]

Okay, Merc. Care to re-evaluate your action then?

[Mercutio]

Deleted and posted below latest update.

[Mercutio]

Alright, now that's just uncanny. The rolls are almost identical. The statistical improbability of rolling a 4 twice on a d20 is absurd.

[zachol]

What the eff is going on? I just rolled a 1. Arrgh.

[treehouse]

Alright, now that's just uncanny. The rolls are almost identical. The statistical improbability of rolling a 4 twice on a d20 is absurd.

Pretty good, since in my last post I rolled a 4 on both attack rolls.

[Black Plauge]

Alright, now that's just uncanny. The rolls are almost identical. The statistical improbability of rolling a 4 twice on a d20 is absurd.

Not really. There's a 1 in 400 chance of any two d20 rolls being identical. Furthermore, given the value of the first roll (as is the case when the rolls are separated in time), there's a 1 in 20 chance of the second roll coming up the same.

[Mercutio]

None of your science and statistics here, Mr. Scientist. Dice rolling is all about ritual and superstition. Had I actual dice to represent they'd all be waiting for their turn to roll into battle, sitting highest number up so as to be trained to deliver their level best. Underperforming dice are given the chance to commit sepuku or else be forcibly hurled against the nearest wall.

[treehouse]

None of your science and statistics here, Mr. Scientist. Dice rolling is all about ritual and superstition. Had I actual dice to represent they'd all be waiting for their turn to roll into battle, sitting highest number up so as to be trained to deliver their level best. Underperforming dice are given the chance to commit sepuku or else be forcibly hurled against the nearest wall.

So true...I bring four d20s to the table, and they usually get retired for the night when they turn up 1 for the first time.

[Black Plauge]

Dice rolling may be about ritual and superstition, but using a computerized die roller is all about statistics.

[zachol]

Or horrible, soulless evil electric monstrosities.

[Scythe]

Darn, all of that for a single death, and the grunt too! :S

[zachol]

Wait... Majestic Word is a minor action... shoot. Should've used it.

Although, healing powers get figured in with the magic calculations, right?

[treehouse]

So...3 20s in one post. Is the site's dice roller broken or did I accidentally nudge the IWIN button?

[zachol]

Evil soulless electrical beast.

It's toying with us. Like a cat! Aaauugh!!


Edit: Oh hey, and all the goblins are dead. Yaay.

[treehouse]

Not blue-outlined blackblade, he's at full health.

Also, this common room is about to burn to cinders.

[zachol]

Curses. Looking back, I forgot area attacks use multiple attack rolls and assumed the first 12 was used for hit on both Grunt and Blackblade.

Actually I think the blue one should be down to 15 hp, took 6 from the phantom bolt and 4 from the zone.

Also yeah, shouldn't the patrons be helping in the various stop-the-burning activities. I thought Ril would set an example or something.

[treehouse]

The patrons are busy throwing themselves on hobgoblin swords.

[zachol]

And also scoopin' up all mah winnin's.

Gonna have a talk with them when this is over...

[Mercutio]

I think the dice roller is crap, personally. The way these rolls are occurring seems to prove the point that electronic dice rollers are not completely random.

[Scythe]

Curses. Looking back, I forgot area attacks use multiple attack rolls and assumed the first 12 was used for hit on both Grunt and Blackblade.

Actually I think the blue one should be down to 15 hp, took 6 from the phantom bolt and 4 from the zone.

Also yeah, shouldn't the patrons be helping in the various stop-the-burning activities. I thought Ril would set an example or something.

No,l I miss everything. The Phantom Bolt include the +2 from Combat Advantage if I had hit the enemy with my Grasping Shadows. So the only thing that dies is the Grunt.

[Black Plauge]

The patrons will help put out the fires now that there isn't a chance they'll get killed for it.

All-in-all an excellent combat. I think that had Stringbean been around and Myriam done something besides be frozen in fear, you would have had a decent chance of killing the last goblin instead of him getting away.

[Black Plauge]

Oh, and 116 XP each.

[Mercutio]

Cool beans. Here's hoping that during the next combat I can roll an attack that actually hits something.

[treehouse]

I am feeling much less skeptical about this combat system after seeing it in play. I'll reserve final judgment for a combat or two when we actually have off-screen resolution, but I really liked just posting actions. Taking the emphasis off description will let us all focus more on tactics and coordination, which makes it feel more like tabletop gaming.

[Black Plauge]

There are more than enough people to manage the fire. It will take some time, given it's current spread, but its easily doable.

[Black Plauge]

Since no one else has posted anything, I'm going to assume that everyone follows Lorien outside.

[treehouse]

Whoohoo, leading by example.

[Mercutio]

Crap. Yeah, that works. I'm having a brain fart kind of week.

[Black Plauge]

Holidays'll do that.

[Black Plauge]

Merry Christmas everyone!

Normally I'd post more to keep things moving, but because of the holiday I'm not going to be able to post again until Monday (as I have to prep a couple of things first). None of you need to post before then, but if you have something that you want to add, feel free.

[Mercutio]

Merry Christmas!

I'll be around, but probably incognito tomorrow.

[Scythe]

Merry Christmas! Once the holidays are done and gone, let's keep this going :D

[treehouse]

Ogre
HP 111; Bloodied 55
AC 19; Fortitude 21, Reflex 16, Will 16

So...are you guys ready to die?

[Mercutio]

Stupid wasted daily already... It would have been worth it if I hadn't missed the goblin completely.

[Black Plauge]

Careful what you wish for.:evil:

[treehouse]

Lorien is going to think this is awesome. He's always wanted to be clubbed to death by an ogre.

[zachol]

Funny thing. Ril was just thinking now would be an alright time to go back to his home kingdom and patch things up with dear old dad.

[Black Plauge]

So, Merc, care to open things up?

[Mercutio]

Yeah, sorry.

[Black Plauge]

Now you know why he's referred to as a bombardier.

[Black Plauge]

zachol?

[treehouse]

Things will probably pick up sharply by Monday. Sorry on my part for the posting delay, I was away from the PC all day.

[zachol]

Posted.

[Black Plauge]

Scythe?

[Scythe]

I've been away for the holidays, but I'm back now.

[Black Plauge]

Now it's Merc's turn again.

[Mercutio]

Okay. I wasn't sure if you were going to resolve before I posted or not.

[Black Plauge]

If you need me to, let me know. Since everyone's using the die roller, however, I don't really need to tell you which attacks hit and which missed as you can see for yourself.

[Mercutio]

Not a problem. I don't need it. Just wasn't sure.

[Mercutio]

Apparently Taraka can't hit the broadside of a barn!

[Black Plauge]

Well, on one hand Taraka just got very unlucky (getting targeted by all three enemies and taking damage from each in addition to the miss). On the other hand, he was lucky in that the pitch cask exploded in a square where it didn't catch him in the burst (and it did catch all the enemies).

Now if I could just remember all the rolls that go along with a single post so that I don't need to post so many times.

[Mercutio]

Well, goodbye Taraka. One more hit and you bite the dust for good.

[Black Plauge]

Really? How many hp do you have left?

[Mercutio]

-2. That was 26 total damage in that round. Taraka has 24 HP.

[Black Plauge]

Well, at least I wasn't hitting you when you were already down.

On that note, would everyone be so kind as to include a status indicator for their character in their combat posts (kind of like what I do for the enemies) so that I don't end up making that mistake.

[Mercutio]

That makes sense. It would help me too, actually.

[Black Plauge]

zachol? Calling zachol.

[zachol]

Wee. 2 good, solid hits, some extra effects, and a healing surge on Taraka. Yesss.

[Black Plauge]

Uhg. I just realized that the map I posted didn't have the hobgoblin moves on it. I've just switched it out for the correct one. I don't think it effect much, just where Lorien moves to so that he can make his melee attack, but if you guys want to double check things and change something, I won't hold it against you.

[Black Plauge]

Well Merc, it's your turn again and thanks to Ril you get to do more than roll a death save.

[Mercutio]

Apparently Taraka is destined to be "that guy"---the one who never hits anything in combat. BP, since we do our posts without knowing the results of our actions, can I post a follow-up using an action point to try another attack before the move?

[Black Plauge]

Sure. You can edit in or make additional posts to add actions that would be based on the results of die rolls in previous posts just like I do.

Just be sure not to remove the [roll#] tags when editing posts with rolls in them.

[Mercutio]

Alright, this is just damn frustrating. I haven't hit anything in the last 6 attack rolls. Taraka is officially going into my "I don't care if this character dies" folder.

[Black Plauge]

Also, Ril got to slide Taraka 1 square when he healed him. zachol wasn't sure what direction you'd want to be slid in and guessed south. Your actions, however, indicated that you wouldn't have wanted to be slid at all though, which is fine. Since we're not around a physical table, its harder to consult each other about those kinds of things, but if everyone would make the effort to talk to each other when you go about granting (or "forcing") actions on each other I'd appreciate it.

Oh, and Merc, don't forget you have to stand up on your turn. Getting knocked unconscious automatically makes you prone. Standing does not provoke an OA.

[Mercutio]

Ah, missed that. So I wouldn't get the second attack in the first post anyway because I'd need to use a Move Action first. Anyway, I've expended an action point and my extra action for the encounter and achieved dick for my efforts.

[zachol]

Is it alright if I just say "and can be slid one square if he wants" whenever I use majestic word?

[Black Plauge]

If I understand you correctly Merc, your action order is:

Longtooth Shifting (Minor)
Stand (Extra Standard)
Circling Strike (Standard)
Hit & Run (Action Point)
Move (Move)

If that isn't correct, please edit your post to indicate the correct order. I'm going to start making the update based on the above assumption.

[Black Plauge]

zachol:
Yes, that works if you don't have any preference for the direction of the slide.

[treehouse]

Hmm, I didn't realize until just now that the revised positions of the goblin archers puts me so far away from Taraka. I meant to get in there and give the ogre a second target.

[Black Plauge]

Edit if you want. I'm still working on the update and can easily change things right now.

[treehouse]

Edit if you want. I'm still working on the update and can easily change things right now.

Thanks for that. I posted an entirely different action for this round, ignore my first post.

[Black Plauge]

Merc:
You're hit point total doesn't include the bonus healing from majestic word. You should have 4 more hit points.

Longtooth Shifting has a duration of "until the end of the encounter" and a condition of "while bloodied" on the regeneration. The power won't end when you are no longer bloodied, the regeneration will just go inactive until you are bloodied again.

You're move is going to put you within the area of Balam's Grasping Shadows (dealing damage and slowing Taraka). Are you sure that is where you want to move?

Everyone but Merc:
Please track your current hit point total and conditions in your combat posts.

[zachol]

Yes, I realize I'm standing in fire...

Lorien is hardcore.

[Mercutio]

BP - the sequence you laid out is correct.

No, that move is not what I want. I didn't realize that was in the same range. With that being the case, Taraka moves straight south 6 squares.

I'll update the HP. I forgot about the Majestic Word. I even thought about it as I was calculating HP and just forgot to add it in.

[Mercutio]

Lorien is hardcore.
And has actually rolled above an 11 to attack. Taraka sucks.

[zachol]

I still think we should've just run. Freaking ogre throwing barrels of fire?

[treehouse]

I still think we should've just run. Freaking ogre throwing barrels of fire?

Yeah, but think about the bragging rights and glory if we destroy a CR 7 at this level.

[treehouse]

Do I still have my action point?

[Black Plauge]

Grrr... Only the ogre gets caught by the explosion this turn, neither of the hobgoblins can hit, and Angry Smash doesn't recharge. It seems my luck is no better than Merc's this round.

[Black Plauge]

tree: Yes you do.

[treehouse]

Ouch, there you go Merc - Lorien has done nothing except not die so far, and I'm tapped on expendables.

[Black Plauge]

tree, are you marking the ogre when you attack it? I would presume so, but I want to make sure as it will make a fairly big difference in how things play out.

[treehouse]

I think the mark only sticks if I actually land a hit. As near as I can tell, I have failed to do that so far.

[Black Plauge]

Nope. Fighters can only mark creatures they attack, but they mark on either a hit or a miss (if they want to).

[treehouse]

Oh, well I definitely mark him.

[Black Plauge]

tree, Lorien's not on fire. If he was, I would have assigned ongoing fire damage to him.

[Black Plauge]

Okay, so we've had three rounds of combat and there's still a fight going on here, so under my proposed rules that means that I resolve it on the basis of DPR. I've posted these calculations in the combat thread.

Before we go any further, however, I'd like everyone's reaction to what I've posted. Does it seem fair to you and are you willing to have combat continue to be ended this way, or would you prefer that I delete that resolution, we finish this combat out normally, and we simply play out each combat in its entirety?

[zachol]

I basically got to do everything I would want to do. Further rounds would just be "I peg the ogre/archer 1/archer 2 with jinx shot" and would be pretty boring.
It might be because I'm still fairly unused to 4e or to Ril's abilities, but 3 rounds already feels quite long enough.

[Mercutio]

Since Stringbean hasn't logged in since November, are your calculations still including him?

Just asking. 84 hp distributed around the group will kill one member of the party, if I calculated correctly.

[Black Plauge]

No, the calculations didn't include him, but by my calculations the party has enough hit points to take that damage.

Here's what I've got for current hit point totals & healing powers:

Lorien: 27 hp + second wind (7)
Ril: 24 hp + second wind (6)
Balam: 24 hp + second wind (6)
Taraka: 20 hp + second wind (6)

That's 120 hp worth and doesn't include the 4 hp healing every time someone hits the ogre (which I just realized I didn't calculate in). That works out to 20 points of healing, so the damage the party actually has to distribute is just 64 hp. I'll go correct that.

[Scythe]

I don't mind the system, it's quick and simple. Also, Balam doesn't mind taking more damage then the others; he's usually behind the scenes and he didn't get hit during both fights they had, so it's all good.

[Mercutio]

Taraka should take a fairly large share of that 64, fully 1/3 based on how he manages to soak damage and do none of his own.

[Black Plauge]

Just because you had bad luck with the dice on the resolved rounds doesn't mean that your character didn't do any damage. Taraka has the largest contribution to the party's DPR and thus helps out a whole lot in auto-resolved rounds.

[Scythe]

So, how do we split up the hp?

We could go half and half for everyone and use healing surges for the time being so we could move on...

[Black Plauge]

The IC thread is back open. Sorry about forgetting to do that when I posted the combat summary.

[Scythe]

Funny how you presented Taraka Mr.Bard, made me laugh :)

[Black Plauge]

So, Ril asked everyone a question. Anyone care to respond?

[zachol]

So... is the goblin attack still going on, or is it winding down now?

[Black Plauge]

There are no signs of goblins active in your immediate area, however Ril and Taraka can still hear sounds from farther away which might be attributed to a goblin attack. The frequency and volume of said sounds has decreased significantly, though, from when you first left the Antler and Thistle.

[zachol]

'k. Just sort of said "take short rest, go on to fight more goblins."
Hoping that's alright with everyone.

[treehouse]

Sorry BP, my subscriptions to this game's threads weren't reaching my inbox for whatever reason.

[Black Plauge]

Did you check to see if the subscription setting was for an email notification of some sort? I've had that happen to me in the past where I subscribed, but accidently set it to "No Notification." As a result, the only notice of new posts was on the list of subscriptions, not in my Inbox. Took me a bit to figure that one out.

Also, I'm not ignoring Lorien's question about the sage, I just couldn't fit the answer into this update. I hope to fit it in shortly.

[zachol]

Goodness but Ril loves to talk.