Three Tasks OOC

[Kistler]

Figured I'd start a new OOC thread for the current tasks.

 

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I need the order the group is in. The trail would allow 2 people to be abreast and travel comfortable. Buttercup takes up enough room for two people. Have to attached the vessels to buttercup for the trip to the get the water? Do any of you have weapons drawn or ready before getting to the entrance? Let me know if there is anything else I should know at this point. You may all relay things retroactive to the beginning of the walk if needed.

 

Egan is using the Scout exploration activity, so he's likely near the front, possibly ranging off the trail a little as they go, though if he needs to be leading Buttercup then he'll be sticking to the trail. I generally picture him carrying a walking stick or quarterstaff, but it's not really a weapon for him since it doesn't have the Finesse trait. Since we hear sounds and Buttercup seems anxious he would probably set it down and pull out his bow if he had the opportunity. I would assume we've strapped the empty vessels to Buttercup for the journey, and that she's following behind the front of the line.

[Vedast]

Awaiting GM clarification regarding Qingalic's Cover Tracks (as noted before, the question is whether his DC for that, equal to 15, is actually better than whatever DC would normally be assigned). So Qingalic is either:

1. at the back, using Cover Tracks (set DC = 15) with his guisarme in hand (doubling as a staff/walking stick).
2. at the front, using Search (Perception Bonus of +7) to check explicitly for traps and snares along our path: also with guisarme in hand.

#2, Searching, is specifically looking in the near-field whilst, I imagine, Scouting is looking in the far-field.

 

FWIW, Qingalic has a few javelins for ranged combat, but he's much better at melee.

[Vedast]

From a more generic perspective, I submit that we ought to think about the various tasks we need when, as is likely to be often in this Setting, we are moving cross-country. We probably don't need everyone "Scouting." So perhaps we ought to consider a task list and who might best fit/take those tasks?

• Scouting
• Searching (outdoors, for traps/snares/hazards)
• Cover Tracks (based on Survival, if efficacious per my previous posts on the issue of DCs)
• Avoid Notice (do we want someone 'sneaking' ahead? Would Egan want this to take advantage of rolling Stealth vs. Perception for initiative and using Surprise Attack feature?)

All of these involve half-speed movement so no one task would slow the group relative to the others.

For Qingalic, as a fighter he has good Perception (E) and he is Trained in Survival (WIS +2) and Stealth (DEX +1). So he's better at Perception/Survival than Stealth-related tasks.

Edited January 23 by Vedast (see edit history)

[allefgib]

Talyn will be annoyed with others up front not judging situations as she would think is appropriate :P

She'll typically be in 'Defend' esp if Egan is scouting. Maybe 'Search' when that's more valid.

She's not exactly main tank material but certainly keen to be close to front line - so close to front would be her natural preference.

Only fools stand right in front though. Fools!

[Zen Gypsy]

Honestly, Egan should be using the Avoid Notice exploration activity since he, as a rogue, is the only one who benefits from starting combat in Stealth. Scouting doesn't require a skill check, and could be done by anybody. All exploration activities reduce speed by half ... so I am assuming 25 ft gets rounded down to 10 ft, so we will be slow, but cautious ...

Garath is good at stealth, with a +7, decent with Nature & Survival with a +4 ... but likely to take the Scout activity so that Egan can get a decent jump on initiative if we run into trouble ...

[Kistler]

In exploration mode why would you round speed down to 10'? I don't think I've ever tracked movement and time that granularly. That's what encounters are for.

Scouting doesn't stop him from rolling Stealth, it really depends on the situation of the encounter. While that activity is most 'optimal', i don't think it's good roleplay to sneak through the woods when traveling with a group that isn't sneaking, especially when we're just going to get some water. Keeping your eyes and ears open, sure. But darting from tree to tree for miles?

I guess now that we're aware of something it would make sense for Egan to try to sneak up on it.

[Zen Gypsy]

Actually it does, your overland movement is based on the group's land speed, which would be 10', which would be 8 miles per day. And you absolutely can not do two exploration activities at the same time, until Legendary stealth.

Edited January 24 by Zen Gypsy (see edit history)

[Kistler]

Save me from a game you're running where you feel the need to steal movement from players because of a rounding error. I bet a double move in difficult terrain you only let them go 20' instead of 25'.

And it's not two exploration activities. Nothing says 'the only way you can roll stealth for initiative is using avoid notice'. It says 'when appropriate you can roll a different skill for initiative'. Its up to the DM when that's appropriate. If I'm not in a direct line of sight and someone else in the party trips off initiative, would it be wrong to roll stealth?

And yes, Avoid Notice explicitly allows it, but it's not the only way.

[Vedast]

For the moment, at least, this round-off bickering is moot. Qingalic's movement is 20' so any half-speed Activity on his part rounds evenly to 10.

Or, he needn't take a specific Activity so we can continue moving pedantically at 15'.

[Vedast]

If I understand the GM's comment in Discord correctly, the default tracking DC for the Party trekking along as they are in this area would be DC = 10. Qingalic's using Survival to Cover Tracks as an Activity would set the DC = 15.

That said, this lowers his movement from 20' to 10'. That limits our Party speed ... or doesn't. ::cough::

Perhaps in this upcoming specific instance, this makes no difference as we presumably weren't tracked, but walked into what situation we're encountering. As a general default Party procedure, however, I suppose we would have to determine whether Covering Tracks is preferred to the slow-down of covering ground.

 

Q has a decision at 3rd level (yes, a ways away) which could be either Fleet (raise his speed to 25') or take Assurance in Athletics. This discussion might suggest that the Fleet General Feat might be more generally useful, putting Q's movement on a par with most of the Party (I'd guess that Gol'Garath can likely move 30' or 35').

Edited January 24 by Vedast (see edit history)

[BarbarossaLives]

Ok, most of this is a mute point. No one in the group, on the "trail," can be avoiding notice or be using stealth because you have a half ton creature with you. Egan you need to be with Buttercup. She will follow you or at least wait for you if you go off to far. Q can be using cover track but as I stated else where you are moving slow. That in no way matters unless someone in the party is not staying with the rest of the group.

Edited January 24 by BarbarossaLives
Typing issues (see edit history)

[Zen Gypsy]

9 hours ago, Kistler said:

Save me from a game you're running where you feel the need to steal movement from players because of a rounding error. I bet a double move in difficult terrain you only let them go 20' instead of 25'.

And it's not two exploration activities. Nothing says 'the only way you can roll stealth for initiative is using avoid notice'. It says 'when appropriate you can roll a different skill for initiative'. Its up to the DM when that's appropriate. If I'm not in a direct line of sight and someone else in the party trips off initiative, would it be wrong to roll stealth?

And yes, Avoid Notice explicitly allows it, but it's not the only way.

Hey man it's cool, people can enjoy different things ... I enjoy a set of rules that's applied unilaterally so I enjoy working out the mechanics. If you want to house-rule movement, difficult terrain and overland travel speeds and that works for your games ... great.

I don't have any skin in this game, I was suggesting an Exploration activity that would have the largest mechanical benefit to your character ... if you want to take a dig at me because I use the rules as they were written that's cool too man. You do you. Not here to bicker, we're here to play a game.

[Kistler]

That's not a movement houserule. That's RAW.

Pew. Pew.

[Zen Gypsy]

First off the linked rule has ZERO to do with Exploration mode, and rounding half speed, but whatever. I literally, said, you play your game and I play mine, but you wanna come back with rule quoting and finger guns to extend the bickering? It's not your game, it's not my game, it's Barbarbossa's ... so why don't we play it and drop this bullshit, I have my interpretation, you have yours. K, man, cool. Drop it. Thanks.

[Kistler]

Vague though the wording may be, it clearly says "thou mayest combine movement actions to not screw thouest players out of movement." Ergo "combine, then round" is A-Okay.

You keep last-wording on the issue and then saying "now that i got the last word in, bickering isn't cool so drop it.". Which isn't really fair.