Anauroch: Empire of Shade OOC

[rax]

The glade has a pathway leading east. You are currently to the west of the city. Sorry, I am winging it a bit here, as the module assumes you are coming straight off the last module. Elminster will have told you you were approaching the city from the west, as that is the safest area.

Thanks, I appreciate the extra information and as a former GM myself I appreciate the difficulty of giving the right amount of information, particularly when working from a module.

I have seen tension rising in the game, so I will just ask everyone to make sure to stay calm and considerate of each other, and respect each other's right to be here. I don't want to lose anyone from the game. Thanks.

I'd like to add my two cents here to make my own position clear on the matter of pacing and style of play.

I don't agree that momentum is the most important aspect for a successful PbP game. From my experience, the games that survive (and I'm currently in three games that are still going strong after 5+ years) have players and GMs who are patient and willing to compromise. The whole point of PbP is that it's not the same as playing IRL - no one's time is being wasted if things move at a leisurely pace because no one's stuck at a table and unable to do something else in the meantime. You don't even have to pay attention to the game until you decide to post.

I have observed that the majority of the games I've seen fail have been D&D games. It's usually been a case of the DM ghosting or finding that they no longer have the time to run the game, but players who simply drop out with little or no warning have also caused games to fail. I've seen players ghost games when both the DM and other players were posting daily and sometimes in the middle of a combat where everyone is actually waiting for the ghosting player to take their turn, so I don't believe that momentum plays any great part in retaining players. It's just a case of people not caring enough to keep playing and there's nothing to be done about that.

With all that said, if a DM doesn't post for a week or two with no explanation, I would certainly feel that the pace of the game leaves something to be desired, but that's mostly down to lack of communication. If there's a good reason for it and the DM has informed me of why they can't keep things moving, then I'm happy to wait for their return.

Thanks, DM. It’s worth having spent a few minutes pre-teleport to work out who would like which spells active when we arrive.

It would also help if, OOC, we worked out some basic combat strategy for whenever we get ambushed, which would have been founded on a quick discussion back at Elminster’s before we jumped out.

For her part, Eryn is very definitely not frontline combat, so she'll be focused on keeping others upright.

Palanan, you've brought up the matter of spells a lot, but you haven't actually volunteered what spells Eryn has that she could or would cast beforehand, nor said anything about spells you'd like cast on her. Perhaps you could kick things off by detailing Eryn's possible contributions and needs?

Re basic combat strategy for an ambush, terrain will play a big part in that, but obviously Aubryn will prioritize getting into melee range. He's also a knight, however, so he won't attack a flat-footed opponent unless the situation is obviously desperate. His first move will therefore most often be to spot the target or targets, move into range, and use a wand or spell to prep for round two (shield and enlarge person are priorities). If he manages to place himself correctly, he should be able to get off one or more AoO and his bulwark of defence feature will slow the movement of any enemy that begins in his zone of control (10-ft radius w/ glaive, 20 ft w/ glaive and enlarge person, 30 ft w/ glaive, enlarge person and a use of his greatreach bracers). After that he'll either melee the enemy to death or try to keep them stuck in his zone of control with Stand Still to let other PCs bring them down.

As for what spells I'd like from others: haste and greater magic weapon are probably the most important to have up and running ASAP or ahead of time, because they'll enhance Aubryn's attack rolls, meaning more hits, more damage, and more lockdown. Beyond that, anything that boosts his defences or removes a debilitating effect is obviously welcome.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by rax
Palanan, you've brought up the matter of spells a lot, but you haven't actually volunteered what spells Eryn has that she could or would cast beforehand, nor said anything about spells you'd like cast on her. Perhaps you could kick things off by detailing Eryn's possible contributions and needs?

Working on this. I hadn’t expected to be teleported out so quickly so I’m behind the curve here. Coming off of a couple very difficult days.

Eryn can handle removing fear effects, curses, disease, paralysis, etc., as well as restoration, vigor and some other specialized healing effects. Her priority, once it becomes plain she only has a few minutes to prepare before the teleport, will be to cast Greater Status on three other party members, which will be her limit. Open to takers on that.

Her primary role is healing and support, but she can also serve as a scout in swan-form, which is what she wanted to do from the outset. I’m pretty sure her max cruising altitude is higher than the mythal’s effects, but we’re inside it now and it’s not clear what will happen if she tries scouting at treetop height, although we’ve had some warnings from the DM that it might not be a good idea.

Very happy to discuss this further. Eryn won’t be able to help with direct combat boosts, so sadly no haste, but there may be some other options. Greater Status would be the priority because it allows for other spells to be cast through the link, so that’ll work as a good starting point.

Note also that Eryn can cast in swan-form, and that's her preference when moving around the battlefield. She'd start in that form but for the uncertainty about who we'll meet first, friend or something else.

[BelGareth]

Adama's spot and listen are quite good, though not as good as Mr Fancy pants Harper.

[Goby]

Doria believes her senses to be decent, though she’s probably 3rd on the team or worse. She’ll follow a scout if there is one, but if not she’s happy to take the point (with zero stealth), and any enemy that attacks her first just means she can hit them back quicker.

She’s a mobile striker, preferring to charge if she can. Try not to block the line between her and the biggest threat. If the terrain allows, she will try to smash foes into walls or other objects. Getting close to a group lets her intimidate multiple foes, if not she’ll target a strong threat to leave them shaken if she gets angry.

Allies will find that if you’re within 60 ft of her, and can hear her terrible off-key singing, you will hit harder if you charge like she does.

She’s happy to accept any magic buffs that people offer, as long as it doesn’t take too long to cast. Haste or enlarge would be absolutely amazing, but she would gladly accept a status, which actually makes a lot of sense to cast on her. Once she starts fighting she doesn’t pay much attention to silly thing like how much damage she’s taken, and her enraged combat limits her use of items and some skills.

Upon entering the glade, she believes that we’re walking into somewhat friendly territory and isn’t expecting an attack. If she found a group of elves sneaking around under her mountain, she’d assume they were hostile not allies, so probably the reverse is true here, and it might be better to seek out the Coronal and announce ourselves.

[Nines]

Doing some catching up,

@Paradox

Hey there,

The page number that I referenced in the MIC allows detect magic to actually discern the function of an item when used together with a sufficient Spellcraft check. Thus it will divine all of the ring's abilities, much like identify, not merely the school of magic, as is normally the case.

It's a special use-case of the spell that's a bit obscure, as it's one line buried pretty deep in that paragraph: "Also, a character making such a check can divine the function of an item by succeeding by 10 or more." Totally understandable, but definitely what I was after there. So if you could add in the relevant details, that'd be much appreciated, thanks.
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@Palanan
Definitely Greater Status on the melee who are most likely to be front line. I'll volunteer to skip, no worries.
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@Bel
Hah! Those spies, always seeing stuff. With Adama's exceptional speed, he can run interference from stealth at half pace while Lune takes point to scout, and still keep up with him. I'll run Allan out 150ft. at 45° on the grade, so he can dash back in a single turn.

That covers point, secondary, and eagle, so we just need column and rear sorted. I'll leave that to the armor to hash out, as they get settled in the glade
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As for buffs, haste is an option, but I don't typically lead with it, as the only meaningful benefit is the extra swing on FRAs, so I'll typically wait until everyone is in position before dropping it, unless we need to give chase. It also minimizes dispel risk that way, if there's reason to suspect an enemy caster is in play.

[paradox26]

Sorry, Nines, I missed that bit. The rings are fairly simple, having only the single use that Elminster told you about. They will divert a portal to a specific location, which you would have to assume is the Windsong Tower. It has no other purpose other than as a sort of signet ring to identify you as having been given it by Elminster.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Goby
She’s happy to accept any magic buffs that people offer…she would gladly accept a status, which actually makes a lot of sense to cast on her.

That’s one Greater Status for Doria, check.

Anyone else?

[BelGareth]

Yes please!! Adams is willing and welcoming of any buffs

[Palanan]

Greater Status for the monk, check. One left, going fast.

Also, Bel, is your character's name Adams or Adama? I've seen it spelled both ways.

[BelGareth]

Greater Status for the monk, check. One left, going fast.

Also, Bel, is your character's name Adams or Adama? I've seen it spelled both ways.

Adama, but auto-correct, my typing, and other things, he will answer to most things beginning with Adam

[rax]

Greater Status for the monk, check. One left, going fast.

Sure, toss one in for Aubryn as well.

@Nines
Haste also gives +1 to attack rolls, AC and Ref saves, as well as +30 ft to movement, so it does more than add an extra attack when using full attack. All of these bonuses are very useful regardless of whether or not the spell target is full attacking, so if we happen to know we're going to fight very soon, I'd rather have it cast before we begin rather than waste a round to get it going.

Also, this:

That covers point, secondary, and eagle, so we just need column and rear sorted. I'll leave that to the armor to hash out, as they get settled in the glade

I assume this is some sort of American military speak? I think I can guess what it means, but using plain English terms would make communication easier for a non-military type like me.

[Palanan]

Okay, Eryn will be casting Greater Status to cover Adama, Aubryn and Doria.

May have a couple additional suggestions over the weekend, depending on how far we get.

[BelGareth]

Also, this:
I assume this is some sort of American military speak? I think I can guess what it means, but using plain English terms would make communication easier for a non-military type like me.

No, not at all, maybe some kind of fantasy-military pidgeon speech, but that is not American military jargon. Was in the US Marines.

They're just descriptive words used for positioning.

Point - person up front
Secondary - back up to point
Eagle - flying person?
Column - middle people not in front or back
Rear - the rear.

The armor, i would assume is the melee focused players.

EDIT: i mean, point is military jargon.

[Nines]

Not to get derailed, but it most certainly is, as former Air Force Comms.

Point - lead-in, every branch uses it.
Second(ary) - #2, the actual spearhead, often a more dangerous position if you're being baited into a kill zone.
"the eagle" - used as slang for a drone, and pretty AF-specific, to be fair. Can also refer to any 'eye in the sky' support like SatCom.
Column - more often heard in the army, but related to the bulk portion of any armored formation.
Rear - refers to the formation, whereas 'six' refers to positions in relation to the formation, and a common mistake.

Armor- literally refers to tanks or lightly armored transports such as APCs. Anything that keeps you alive, essentially. Again, more of an army term these days, but the AF inherited a lot of their jargon before splitting off from the Army Air Corps. But when you're on channels as Comms for joint X's, you hear and have to know it all.

But overall pretty good guesses. I'll try to keep it to something resembling English next time, ha.

[Goby]

If we're talking about positions for a 3 person group of charger, healer, and knight, Doria would prefer to be at the lead of the column so she has room to charge if something happens. Would the honorable knight be willing to guard the rear?
With such a small group, it shouldn't matter much for moving into combat if needed.

Doria would try to stay within 60 ft of the point, able to get there in a single round if needed. Also, that's the radius of both her Leading the Charge ability and her darkvision.

[Nines]

I appreciate you digging so quickly into the terms like that, I'm glad you liked them.

From a gameplay standpoint, everyone should keep in mind that you can move through friendly occupied squares without penalty, for the rear in particular. You just can't charge through them, which sounds like it might be the deciding factor here.

Also, I'll admit 'flying person?' got a good chuckle out of me after re-reading it again, as an Air Force guy.

*checks bird on uniform, nods knowingly*

[BelGareth]

Sure, if you can call Air Force comms military

[Nines]

Oh the heat! Haha. How did I know that was coming? It's okay, we all you know guys are tough. Like when you're marching in the rain, and we drive by in those shiny vans. ^.^

[BelGareth]

Oh the heat! Haha. How did I know that was coming? It's okay, we all you know guys are tough. Like when you're marching in the rain, and we drive by in those shiny vans. ^.^

Hehehe, just kidding ofc! And yeah, I was a grunt, so that’s pretty darn close to the truth. I’ve been out for a while (16 years!), it’s kind of interesting the different points of perspective from the branches and all that.

Anyway, thank you for your service! It’s good to see another vet in this group.

[Nines]

Yeah, absolutely! All in good fun on my part, too. It's always nice to have those perennial shared experiences with someone you so recently met, it's a bit like discovering that you both speak the same second language, complete with those subtle little ways of saying 'I've been there too, I get it' (and also sometimes literally, as above heh).

I think it's been roughly the same time for me actually, and thank you as well. Always glad to see.

[Palanan]

Question for the DM:

Did Elminster actually tell us where to find the Coronal? And do we know where exactly we are, apart from somewhere on the western fringe of the inhabited part?

With a 31 in Survival, Eryn will be trying to locate anything visible which corresponds to what's written on the map, to help fix her position and navigate further in.

[Nines]

In reference to posts 48 & 49, I just want to be clear that the conversation between Lune and Aubryn was about stealth vs no stealth, to which Ixtalan agreed there may not be need for it given the perceived danger level.

However, Lune does still plan to head directly to the portal that Oghma showed him with his golden threads, and has no interest in chatting up the Coronal first, as this is need-to-know as far as he's concerned.

Judging from @Palanan's post, there may have been some misinterpretation regarding what was being agreed to there.

[rax]

I'd say that nothing has been agreed, since Ixtalan wants to do things his way regardless of other opinions.

In any case, what happens next is in the hands of the DM, since he's the one who can say whether or not Eryn's singing draws the right kind of attention and whether or not an elven patrol will just wave us through. But just so we're clear, if we do run into elves, Aubryn will explain our purpose and seek permission to continue unless something is obviously off about them. If that culminates in a visit to the Coronal, he's fine with that, and if not, he's fine with that as well.

[Palanan]

I have to say, Aubryn is just the right degree of gallant.

As for our approach, Eryn's view is that permission of the elves is the best way to proceed. Apart from the literary precedent, Eryn feels that since we’re on elven ground, it’s our obligation as travelers to announce ourselves peacefully.

I'm happy to discuss this more IC; otherwise I'll be waiting for the DM to rule on the results of Eryn’s Survival check, and whether she can see any features in the landscape that correspond to what’s marked on the map.

(If there’s a path marked “this way to Coronal’s pagoda,” all the better.)

.

[rax]

I have to say, Aubryn is just the right degree of gallant.

Thanks, I'm doing my best!

[Nines]

Glad we got that cleared up. Just wanted to make sure that others weren't reading the subtext in isolation and drawing different conclusions.

Ixtalan is also thinking like a magic-user, he is well aware there could be polymorphed or enchanted double agents among the elves. He wouldn't put it past the Shadovar to have infiltrated the place, as he knows they certainly have the means.

But overall, I'm satisfied to wait for the plot to develop further as well. Lastly, I believe we're missing Doria in the glade still.


EDIT: to avoid the double.

@Goby
'Ask and you shall receive' apparently, much appreciated.

@Palanan
On the sources you mentioned, what language are you substituting for Elven there? I'm familiar with Ed's literary work in that area, but I don't recognize those (and not really something I can ask IC, obviously).

[paradox26]

Question for the DM:

Did Elminster actually tell us where to find the Coronal? And do we know where exactly we are, apart from somewhere on the western fringe of the inhabited part?

With a 31 in Survival, Eryn will be trying to locate anything visible which corresponds to what's written on the map, to help fix her position and navigate further in.

You can assume the coronal's palace is marked on the map. You won't know exactly where you are beyond Elminster's gesture of roughly where you are in relation to the city, so just off the edge of the map. You won't have a long walk to the city, probably just a couple of hundred yards.

You will be able to assess exactly when you get onto the area covered by the map. But by then you will have encountered elven guards anyway.

[Nines]

Reference post #53,

Alright, so oaks not redwoods then. I was having to guess a bit there. Well Allan is as smart as a human, just light on their academics, so I'll assume he knows the intent of our training on strafing, and he'll keep to below the canopy to provide eyes for the group. Still at 45°, but at an appropriate height.

EDIT (no double): @everyone, please spoiler all OOC commentary in the IC threads (per forum guidelines) as it's jarring to switch between them otherwise. Thank you kindly.

[Palanan]

So, we should probably pause and be sure we’re all on the same page as far as which way the party is headed.

As noted, Eryn feels that our first stop should be the Coronal’s palace, so that’s the direction she’s taking her first steps in. Looking over IC and OOC comments from the others, I’m not sure if everyone’s automatically headed in that same direction, so we should clarify which way each of us is going.

If this ends up being one of those “where should three heroes go next?” moments, we can discuss it further IC.

__

As for spellcasting (which Doria alluded to earlier), Eryn would have cast Greater Status on Doria, Aubryn and Adama before we were teleported here. Further casting will probably be contingent on how the next couple hours play out.

[BelGareth]

Adama and I do not care where we go.