TheFred

I think Shenoah going and applying some healing actually gives her a great excuse to get involved in the combat, and endear herself to the group. Obviously, Erico, if you want Jen to die ignobly and then create a new character you are welcome to but, like I said, I tend to treat at least the first combat as a bit of a test run so I think everyone gets a pass this time.

At any rate, it's over to everyone else to act.

That's sad. We'll be sorry to see you go. 😢

"Yes, well, very good," Molgrug says, confused as to why these supposedly-powerful former lords of evil think it would be difficult to take a bit of crystal from a person who's basically dead and can't even move. "Payment up front though, I'm afraid. Kerapsis, grab that crystal won't you? Don't worry, Dasher, we'll go look for your sceptre."

Perhaps a magic sceptre is worth something in its own right? It sounds powerful, at any rate.

I've added a few extra details in my last post, hope that helps.

Despite their fervour and haste, it takes a moment to organise the villagers according to Kassandra's plan. Some seem ready to charge in by themselves, but after the carnage that the wolfweres wrought they see the wisdom in letting their heroes take point.

Inside, the mine is dark and clearly long since abandoned. The main tunnel stretches ahead, into the gloom, and it's hard to see where it goes. All along, side tunnels open like inky black wells, hiding who knows what?

20 minutes ago, ccanary said:

Sorry all, missed my cue! I'll be in in a sec.

I figured you might join in a round or two later anyway. After all you’ve got to figure out what’s going on and then decide to join.

Perhaps Shenoah can save Jen’s life? Good way to introduce yourself to the party I suppose.

2 hours ago, TheBard101 said:

There's tons under 8k in the MIC. But I went there first (because they list all the DMG items too) and couldn't find anything. Heck, I went all over the Completes too. It's not a big deal. Worst case scenario, I could spend 8k and get the item I want with several effects I don't want. LOL I was just looking for something did ONLY what I wanted and couldn't find it.

What do you want, out of curiosity?

Oh wait, drat, Mack fired twice. Yeah he hits (but doesn't kill) - I'll update the post.

I hadn't expected my first ever attack after recruitment to roll a nat 20, and firearms have a x4 crit multiplier. The brutality and (potential) lethality of this actually seems kind of appropriate for a Western but it's not much fun to have one of our characters die right off the bat. I think we should say she's dying but not dead, and the rest of the group can patch her up after the fight. I'm happy e.g. to let people make tweaks to their characters after the first fight anyway, once you've seen them in action.

Maybe... if they can get to her in time? That might mean scrambling down the precarious and dangerous slope whilst getting shot at? Could be a good way to heighten the drama! These bad guys are actually not that dangerous, other than via nat 20s.

OK, so, er, I think I might just have killed Jen...

She gets +2 cover from the trees, apparently, but the confirmation role was +16 vs what's then a 15 touch AC, I believe. Happy to be wrong, though!

This actually reminds me of the very first time I played Kingmaker, where I played a Spellslinger|Slayer or something (it was gestalt) - that was the inspiration for Kingmaker-as-a-Western actually - and the guy died to an unlucky axe crit from Kressle in the very first fight. 😕

Since this is our very first combat and we're still figuring out these characters I'm happy to grant a mulligan and say that Jen is alive and just dying. I'm not sure if anyone is getting to her to give any first aid any time soon, though...

The bandits seem to be caught off guard by Jen, rather than shooting, suddenly casting a spell, but they might have responded in time had not the rest of the group suddenly opened fire from the nearby ridge. Buzz's ensorcelled strike proves to be overkill as the man drops to the ground before he can even draw his gun.

Jen makes a beeline for the trees... but she isn't fast enough. By now the bandit leader has recovered his senses and, darting for cover himself, fired a deadly shot that catches her square in the back!

Meanwhile, the would-be chef has drawn his own gun and run for the cover of a tree near the horses. Mack thinks he managed to hit him with a shotgun blast, but whilst he may be injured he definitely isn't dead yet; he searches for the attackers hid up on the ridge and fires at them. Fortunately for those hiding there, he doesn't even come close to hitting anything.

"We should just rush 'em!" Borden suggests, fingering his staff. "Take 'em all out, before they know what's hit 'em!"

A number of the other villagers murmur their assent.

Bianca Pohlo

Bianca frowns.

"This doesn't make sense..." she mutters, more to herself than anything. "If Dimira's back here, how did she get through that door? Or did she lock it behind herself?"

Or did someone - or something - else? That man poor man claimed that some evil being stalked the halls... that seems hard to believe, but if she was just dragged off by simple skeletons, shouldn't they have found the body by now?

If Carmine wants to give Molgrug some head pats he's going to get electrocuted in return.

Molgrug raises a sceptical eyebrow at Carmine.

"Au contraire, my foolish fiend," Molgrug quips. "It is you who is being distracted by all this talk of sceptres and... wormy... creature... things. I am merely taking a moment to educate our bird-brained compatriot in the basics of intelligent communication! Now, if you would like, I have actually prepared a few short etymological essays which I could recite in order to better provide a little background on this subject - essays I think you would all find quite illuminating."

Molgrug looks at the assembled gaggle of fiends, and his face suggests he may not really believe what he is saying. After all, half of them probably wouldn't understand a good etymological essay unless it bite them in the face.

"Well, if by "impressive" you mean "impotent", then... yes," Molgrug quips. "Or perhaps "immobile"? There are, um, well, lots of words that all sound quite similar but, something quite important when it comes to the art of conversation - they all mean different things."

@hoverfrog - when you say "to the left of the campfire", do you mean the one that's further away from it, to the north?

"Yes, well, I think you are all rather missing the point here," Molgrug says emphatically. "Why, I wonder if any of you have even visited Pandemonium! Admittedly, I wouldn't recommend it, though it does have the distinct advantage that I wouldn't be able to hear most of this infantile speculation."

He eyes the corpse-person with scepticism.

"This... person... certainly seems to be more than your run-of-the-mill mortal - not least since it appears to be dead!" He remarks. "Ask it if it's ever visited Pandemonium, won't you? I say! I say, undead person! Have you ever visited Pandemonium?"

Bianca Pohlo

As much as it may seem that this group don't really know what they're doing, Bianca has to admit to herself that she doesn't have any better suggestions.

Following along behind the others, she studies the door, but leaves it up to those with more experience in larceny or breaking and entering to apply their own particular skills to opening it.

On 3/12/2024 at 7:07 AM, hoverfrog said:

Should we assume its all difficult terrain?

No, not all of it, but I should have marked some of it maybe. Anyway, the slope is definitely difficult to get up or down, that's not just difficult terrain, you would probably need a Climb check or something.

Are we saying it’s supposed to be the blasting rather than the structures that are protecting people from death? Right now it doesn’t read like that.

44 minutes ago, Steel Warrior said:

Oh? I would hope, taking Subduing Strike should allow full subdual damage.

I’m sure it would, but what use is that? Someone’s unconscious if they’re on half health with as much no lethal, just the same as if all the damage you’d dealt was nonlethal. A bit of lethal damage isn’t usually fatal.

20 minutes ago, Sundust said:

Zero is fewer than two, so you could target an empty ship just fine - as I see it, at least.

Yes I’m pretty certain that’s correct, my confusion is that the next bit appears to say you can target a structure containing more than two people (but possibly only if it’s protecting them from death, which is the opposite of what I would expect).

15 hours ago, Thramzorean said:

I was pondering that. Sort of torn between it being the 'right' thing to do for the rules of war vs. it being largely redundant since you're pretty much never going to kill anyone anyway. Well anyone you should be outright fighting.

Right, ironically something like Subduing Strike is kinda pointless here because now you deal 50% nonlethal anyway. Unless you deal really big damage in a single hit, you’re not likely to kill anyone by accident.

As it stands right now, this applies to all damage - so even the “Weapons of Wanton Destruction” probably won’t be killing anyone.

Actually, a question for dalamb: the rules on those seem slightly contradictory. I can use these spells against structures holding two or fewer people (or… any number of non-combatants? 🤨) or structures which are protecting people from dying? This means I can sink a ship with such a spell but only if it will kill people? But I’m not allowed to kill people directly with the spells?

If you’ve got bar equipment you should be good to go, that’s the bit that matters when visiting an inn after all.

Right, except we can't actually kill them or the space angels will descend upon us.