The Fancy Bastard Forum

Awesome. And now it's decision time. Do I take the Two-Fisted Shooter (MP, pg 140) feat, which lets me carry the hand crossbow as an off-hand weapon, with a one-handed reload, PLUS a ranged basic attack any time I hit a critical...or do I use my feat to train Insight, allowing me to use Ferret Out Frailty (MP, pg 77), which gives me combat advantage once per encounter against a target of my choice for either one round or two (if they had been hit by my Rattling attack). It also lets me save the action point I normally use for a Bluff check, and use it for either another attack or to go for combat advantage a second time.

I think the extra 2d8 Sneak Attack damage and saving an AP outweighs saving weapon-swap minor actions with a 1/20 chance of an extra attack. Two-Fisted will have to wait for Level 8. New character sheet to be posted in the next week or so.

Also, if it doesn't break any DM Code, how did we do with Modra? Could we have gained a temporary ally, or even have stopped him from reaching the Shadowfell in the first place? Or was his fate pretty much sealed?

Posted By: SeanAlso, if it doesn't break any DM Code, how did we do with Modra? Could we have gained a temporary ally, or even have stopped him from reaching the Shadowfell in the first place? Or was his fate pretty much sealed?I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy

I guess I'll put this in spoiler quotes, in case you don't want to peek "behind the screen", but there aren't any spoilers for anything coming up:

Spoilers (highlight to read)

Making Modra an ally is not one of the possibilities put forth in the adventure, but I go with an "anything's possible" approach to DMing. It would have been challenging, and you likely would have lost both Reniss as a current ally and Leena as a potential future contact/ally. You probably took the best course. Modra was intended to make it to the Shadowfell, providing the impetus for you to follow. However, this was another case in which I was prepared to change the adventure. You guys rightfully saw through his deception (he couldn't actually have called off the wraiths) and were determined to prevent him from getting there. He got damn lucky when he rolled a crit on his pickpocket attempt and when you didn't realize there were keyholes on both sides. If you had managed to take him out, to be honest I'm not sure what I would have done. Altering a few things in the Shadowfell to expose Sarshan as the larger threat would've been easy enough, but I'm not sure how I could've convinced you to go to the Shadowfell in the first place. It might have been a hard sell when you recognized that the portal leads to the Shadowfell and you're essentially jumping into a place you know nothing about for no reason. Then again, you had the keys to the portal, you would've realized Modra wanted to get back there for some reason, and you tend to like exploring things so it might have been easy. Usually you guys make my job easy so I was trusting I'd figure something out.

If you're really curious about some of the different possibilities in the first couple adventures, you're welcome to read through both "Rescue at Rivenroar" and "Siege of Bordrin's Watch" (both should be available even to non-subscribers). Neither of those contain spoilers for upcoming adventures, although Bordin's Watch has some very minor spoilers regarding Overlook in general.

Don't know where to upload, so I'll just post it here. Added Agile Approach as a Utility Power, added Bloodied Invigoration as a Feat, retrained level 1 daily to Comeback Strike (may lead to me retraining Boundless Endurance at next level). Also realized I misunderstood what Weapon Focus does, so numbers have changed because of that.

Name: Rhogar
XP: 7738
Alignment: Lawful Good
Deity: Bahamut

Basic Attacks:
MELEE GREAT AXE: +11 vs. AC, d12+3
RANGED HANDAXE: +8 vs. AC, d6+1

At-Will Powers:
Crushing Surge: +11 vs. AC, does |W|+3 damage. Gives CON Mod +1 (4) temp HP (CON Mod +3 (6) when bloodied) on hit.
Sure Strike: +13 vs. AC, does |W| damage on hit.

Encounter Powers:
Steel Serpent Strike: +11 vs. AC, does 2|W| + STR Mod (3), and the target is slowed and cannot shift until the end of my next turn.
Crushing Blow: +11 vs. AC, does 2|W| + STR Mod (3) + CON Mod (3)
Dragon Breath(CON) (minor): +8 vs. Reflex, burst 2 with range of 10, does 1d6 + CON mod (3) Lightning damage

Daily Powers:
Comeback Strike: +11 vs. AC, does 2|W| + STR Mod (3), and you can spend a healing surge. (RELIABLE)
Crack The Shell: +11 vs. AC, does 2|W| + STR Mod (3), and target takes ongoing 5 and -2 to AC (save ends). (RELIABLE)

Utility Powers:
Boundless Endurance (minor, daily, stance): Gain 5 HP per round while bloodied for that encounter.
Agile Approach (move, encounter): Shift two squares and end adjacent to an enemy.

Item Powers: (one item power per day; +1 item power per milestone)
Gauntlets of Ogre Strength (free, daily): add +5 power to a hit
Ironskin Belt (minor, daily): Gain resist 5 against melee attacks to end of next turn

Feats: Weapon Focus: Axe, Hurl Breath (D365), Improved Vigor (MP), Bloodied Invigoration (MP)

Stats: AC DEF-23, FORT DEF-18, REF DEF-14, WILL DEF-15 STR-17, CON-17, DEX-13, INT-10, WIS-11, CHA-14, INIT-4
Checks: ACRO +4, ARC +3, ATH +13, BLF +5, DIP +6, DUN +3, END +11, HEAL +3, HIS +5, INS +4, INT +12, NAT +3, PER +3, REL +3, STE +4, STR +5, THV +4
STRENGTH+7, CONSTITUTION+6, DEXTERITY+4, INTELLIGENCE +3, WISDOM+3, CHARISMA+5
(Notes, includes: +2 Hist, +2 Int due to Dragonborn; +1 Dip, +1 Ins due to character path; +1 Ath, +1 Strength check due to Gauntlets of Ogre Power)

Max HP/Surges-62, 12

Items:
* Gauntlets of Ogre Power
* Drakescale Razor +2 Armor. When an enemy scores a melee critical, the enemy takes d10+DEX Mod (1) damage.
* Inescapable Great Axe +2. Each time you miss a target with this weapon, you gain a cumulative +1 bonus (up to the weapon’s enhancement bonus) to your next attack roll with this weapon against the same target. The bonus ends if you attack a different target or when you hit.
* Ironskin Belt
Everburning torch x3
Normal Scale Armor
Normal Great Axe
Handaxe x5
Standard Adventurer's kit

tl;dr

Posted By: DrPepperMDDon't know where to upload

I use Orbitfiles.com, and put the pdf in my shared folder, with password protection. It's pretty simple to use, and it means if you ever end up playing without your sheets handy, you can get to them pretty easily. Also, it's free.

Good news / bad news of the day - Character Builder is now available through Level 30!! Which means I have to subscribe again.

Speaking of the Character Builder, I double-checked Rhogar's stats with it and came up with the following errata:

Basic Melee Attack: +11 vs AC, 1d12+6 (+3 Str, +2 enhancement, +1 weapon focus)
Basic Ranged Attack: +8 vs AC, 1d6+4 (+3 Str, +1 weapon focus)

Likewise, any power that has +STR modifier for damage (most of them) are [xW]+6, Sure Strike is [1d12+3] (enhancement and weapon focus still apply), Crushing Blow is [2d12+9]. I think that should clear up any lingering questions we had about damage bonuses.

I have +12 on your Athletics unless I'm missing something. (6 STR + 5 training + 1 gauntlets)

Here is the character sheet for Level 6 Karch, as well as the Character Builder file. Passwords are "hijinksensue" for both.

I read through the old adventures, and it seems like we're either ignoring or just not noticing a lot about the overall story arc. I'll put two of the comments in spoiler boxes just in case you don't want to read it. It's stuff we probably should have picked up on, so I don't know if they'd be called spoilers or not.

Spoilers (highlight to read)

"The Emissary", whose note spoke of a coming invasion, was a dark creeper who was looking for a weapons deal. Sound like anybody we until-recently-knew? Also, on our way to the vents, we fought a group of orcs, which might indicate that they were getting past the mountains some other way.

I was also reminded of the assassins' note. For the new players...when the group was in Overlook, the group split up to do a little poking around, and Quiro and Rhyd'Ley (I think) were attacked by a group of assassins. After defeating the attackers, a note was found on the bodies with the names of everyone in our group...except for Karch. Of the names on the list, only Rhyd'Ley and Rhogar are still around. Looks like fantasy and reality have come together!

Question for Mike, which I might have already asked and forgotten the answer to - when we sell used equipment, what percentage of the value do we get for it? At our next opportunity, I'll be selling my plain leather armor, and I think we all agreed that the money from Darin's Dark Leaf Hide is going to be split among the group.

Posted By: SeanQuestion for Mike, which I might have already asked and forgotten the answer to - when we sell used equipment, what percentage of the value do we get for it? At our next opportunity, I'll be selling my plain leather armor, and I think we all agreed that the money from Darin's Dark Leaf Hide is going to be split among the group.I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy

There's not really a market for used mundane equipment. Ditch it, donate it, whatever you want to do, but you're not likely to find a buyer for it.

Magic items, on the other hand, aren't in high demand but can typically be sold for one-fifth the original price. There are other options, too. The Disenchant Magic Item ritual will dissolve the item into an amount of residuum equal to one-fifth the original price. I would also rule that a ritual caster that knows both the Enchant Item and Transfer Enchantment rituals could move the Darkleaf property to another piece of armor (Karch's +2 Magic Leather becomes +2 Darkleaf Leather, for example. Actually, that might be the only armor that qualifies).

Whoops - I forgot that I retrained my Piercing Strike to Disheartening Strike. I'll correct the links shortly.

Also, my Excel spreadsheet says I get a +4 ability bonus for my dagger's melee basic attack, but the Builder says no. I'm assuming the official tool is correct, but what am I missing?



EDIT - **File links corrected above**

Posted By: SeanWhoops - I forgot that I retrained my Piercing Strike to Disheartening Strike. I'll correct the links shortly.

Also, my Excel spreadsheet says I get a +4 ability bonus for my dagger's melee basic attack, but the Builder says no. I'm assuming the official tool is correct, but what am I missing?I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy

"Melee attacks with dagger" from the spreadsheet assumes that you're using one of your Rogue Powers, which almost always rely on Dexterity regardless of whether they're melee or ranged. A melee basic attack, however, always uses Strength. So while wielding a dagger you'd use the +7 modifier for opportunity attacks but the +11 modifier for any Dexterity-based powers (and that's reflected on your power cards).

Posted By: Mike BradyA melee basic attack, however, always uses Strength

Ah, OK. That makes sense. So that means the approximately two times I've ever used an opportunity attack, they've had the wrong bonus. Sorry about that.

Also (I'm just full of questions these last few days) - I can't seem to find the Transfer Enchantment ritual. The PHB and the ritual tab in the Builder (which seems to comprise pretty much every release ever) are my two sources of info, so I might just be looking in the wrong place. But would I be correct in assuming that the cost for the ritual would be the difference in price of the two items? ie - making a +2 magic into a +2 Darkleaf would be 2400gp. I'm not sure that it matters, since I don't know that anyone has that ritual anyway. Sirkana certainly doesn't since the ritual isn't in the two places we look. The cost would be way out of my range as well.

EDIT - It's amazing what a little research and logic will do. The Transfer Enchantment ritual is in the Compendium (no idea why it isn't in the Builder, especially since it's from the AV). And if we already have an item with Darkleaf, then there shouldn't be an "upgrade" cost for the transfer. Hooray logic! In any case, it will still have to wait for a visit back to town for Karch to make the 200gp purchase of the ritual/components for whoever would be casting it. But now I know that it's at least a possibility.

Right, right, Adventurer's Vault it is. Pretty cheap way to get a lot of value out of something that wouldn't otherwise be used (or to trade up if you take a new weapon specialization, armor feat etc.). It's 175 to learn the ritual, 25 for the material components (unless you still have some of that residuum you found back at Rivenroar).

Technically speaking the ritual cannot be used this way (i.e. you cannot transfer just a portion of a magic property to another item, and you cannot transfer a property to an item of higher level). This is because you could exploit that loophole to create magic items for far below the typical value. For example: instead of making Battleforged+3 armor (25,000 gp), you could make Magic Armor +3 (9000) and Battleforged +1 (1000) and then transfer the enchantment for a total cost of 10,025. As such, consider this kind of use of the ritual to be on a case-by-case basis. (I've already said it's OK this time around) You may always use the ritual according to the guidelines in the Adventurer's Vault, without consultation.

Posted By: Mike BradySpeaking of the Character Builder, I double-checked Rhogar's stats with it and came up with the following errata:

Basic Melee Attack: +11 vs AC, 1d12+6(+3 Str, +2 enhancement, +1 weapon focus)
Basic Ranged Attack: +8 vs AC, 1d6+4(+3 Str, +1 weapon focus)

Likewise, any power that has +STR modifier for damage (most of them) are [xW]+6, Sure Strike is [1d12+3] (enhancement and weapon focus still apply), Crushing Blow is [2d12+9]. I think that should clear up any lingering questions we had about damage bonuses.

I have +12 on your Athletics unless I'm missing something. (6 STR + 5 training + 1 gauntlets)I am the sacrifice the island demanded.

Yeah, Athletics is 12. I don't know where I was getting 13.

I was getting those same numbers from the latest version of the character sheet I was using http://dnd4.com/dd-4th-edition-character-sheet. I have to remember to trust that when I get an answer I don't expect, because it's been right every time so far. The important question is whether my macros were doing it right. Time will tell.

I seem to recall that we said we'd talk on the board to figure out whether we were meeting this weekend. I know a couple people are out, but I'll be in if we have enough people. Usually we need at least 4 to play, and we have one NPC assisting us. Do we have two or three more?

I'm almost positive I can make it.

Hey good news! Consecrated Ground is even better than we thought! The Cleric's Healer's Lore feature applies to Consecrated Ground, meaning that the HP healed is actually 1 + CHA mod + WIS mod = 6, instead of just 3.

Totally forgot: I'm taking my daughter to Myrtle Beach for her birthday next weekend. I won't be around to host the game. Sorry to leave you hanging - I'm trying to coordinate the big reveal to coincide with Sweeps.

That got a big "awwwww" from Kris. Have fun dad!

Does next weekend = February 22nd, or is it March 1st? Next weekend is a very ambiguous phrase.

Posted By: DrPepperMDDoes next weekend = February 22nd, or is it March 1st? Next weekend is a very ambiguous phrase.

Good point. As should be obvious by now, I meant the 22nd. I'll be around for the 1st.

Alright, today's session is over, and we finished our 3rd adventure. We pretended to befriend Sarshan so that he would spare us, and after some masterful bluffing from Karch, found a portal that got us back into the normal lands, just before an earthquake destroyed the portal. Sarshan will have to wait for another day.

Our gold haul for the adventure was 532 GP each. In addition, everyone got 250 XP for the end of the adventure.

Also, I read the description of a foot item that reminded me that I read that we were doing charging wrong a couple sessions ago.

PHP 288
* No Further Actions: After you resolve a charge attack, you can't take any further actions this turn, unless you spend an action point to take an extra action.

In other words, they don't want you charging at the enemy and then using a move action to shift away. If you want to do a minor action or a move action on a turn where you're charging, you need to do to that before you charge. (The Boots of Adept Charging [out of Adventurer's Vault] have the explicit property that they allow you to shift one square after charging).

Rhyd'Ley will also get a small boost to bring him up to 7500 XP - I know you've been travelling this weekend.

With the end of this adventure, it's time for another MAGIC ITEM CHECK:

Rhogar (10043 XP)
Inescapable Greataxe+2, handaxes, Razor Drakescale +2, Ironskin Belt, Gauntlets of Ogre Power
Karch (9005 XP)
Daggers, hand crossbow, Magic Leather +2, Gloves of Piercing, Acrobat boots, Polyglot Gem (Deep Speech)
Duron (8098 XP)
Terror Warhammer+1, Curseforged Scale +1, light shield, Symbol of Life +1, Peacemaker's Periapt +2, Cincture of the Dragon Spirit, Boots of Spider Climbing (?)
Sirkana (8057 XP)
Staff of Fiery Might +1, Fireburst Leather +1, Wavestrider Boots
Rhyd'Ley (7500 XP)
Bastard sword, Battleforged Plate +1, Cloak of Resistance +2, Symbol of Battle +1, Green Thumbs Gloves, Skull Bracers

Unassigned: Darkleaf Hide +1, Everlasting Provisions

As usual, I'm sure I'm wrong about some of this so please correct me. Also let me know if you're planning any changes to your preferred weapon/armor types. Or if your character is getting a sex change. I'm just saying.

Final note: I'm not 100% sure of my schedule for the next few weeks so stay tuned to the forums. I'll try and give as much notice as possible, but for the moment everything is a go.

Extra-Final note: We do have a spot open in the group if anyone's lurking and wants in. No experience necessary. :)

Thanks for the boost... I was indeed traveling this weekend. Sorry I was unable to notify you guys.
Also I have an IRL friend who's also a FB and wants to join. He's waiting to have his forum account activated, so can we go ahead and hold the spot for him?

Posted By: GneekmanThanks for the boost... I was indeed traveling this weekend. Sorry I was unable to notify you guys.
Also I have an IRL friend who's also a FB and wants to join. He's waiting to have his forum account activated, so can we go ahead and hold the spot for him?In Soviet Photoshop, image edits you!

Noted!

Three questions on Kristin's behalf re: multiclassing - The "novice power" feat (PHB 209) lets you swap one "encounter attack power" of your class with one of the same level or lower for the class you multi-ed into. The Character Builder removes the word "attack". Does that mean it can be done for utilities also?
Second question - can other powers be taken in place of your regular class? Meaning instead of a level 6 wizard power, she took a level 6 ranger power.
And finally - how do class features work with multiclassing? Specifically, the "Beast" feature in Martial Power (pg. 38). Can Sirkana look for a wolf to follow her around, or are class features only for "pure" classes?

Posted By: SeanThree questions on Kristin's behalf re: multiclassing - The "novice power" feat (PHB 209) lets you swap one "encounter attack power" of your class with one of the same level or lower for the class you multi-ed into. The Character Builder removes the word"attack". Does that mean it can be done for utilities also?

That seems reasonable at first blush. I don't see anything in the errata about it, but I don't have a problem with it. The utility must be an encounter power though.

Second question - can other powers be taken in place of your regular class? Meaning instead of a level 6 wizard power, she took a level 6 ranger power.

No I don't think that's kosher. That would defeat the purpose of Paragon Multiclassing. If, however, she wanted to use the Novice Power feat to immediately swap for a Ranger 6 encounter utility, that would be fine.

And finally - how do class features work with multiclassing? Specifically, the "Beast" feature in Martial Power (pg. 38). Can Sirkana look for a wolf to follow her around, or are class features only for "pure" classes?I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy

You only gain a class feature if the multiclass feat specifically allows it. "Warrior of the Wild" only grants the Hunter's Quarry class feature. Unfortunately, it looks like there aren't any feats that grant the "Beast Mastery" feature. The good news? I have it on good authority that Wizards will be regaining their "familiar" (somewhat like an animal companion) in the future. Maybe in Arcane Power?

You should record your sessions to give us newbs some flavah.

Posted By: Mike Brady [lots of answers]

I completely missed the Paragon Multiclassing thing in the PHB (I only caught it in the Builder), so the whole multiclass thing makes a lot more sense to me now. Also, the Acolyte Power specifically mentions 'utility', so the Novice one being a utility probably would have ended up being denied upon further review. As it turns out, the Ranger utility she wanted was level 6, and all of the Wizard 6's are daily powers anyway. Thanks for clearing that all up.
The familiar thing should soften the blow of no beast companions (other than the dragonborn of course).

Looking back on my notes, I can finally buy my Cloak Of Neener Neener, You Can't Hit Me From Way Over There!! (I forget the name) EDIT: Cloak Of Distortion (enemies more than 5 squares away take a -5 penalty to ranged attacks against me)

To whom it may concern: Duron doesn't need to take Transfer Enchantment, since we just noticed that a wizard gets 2 free rituals at level 5, which Sirkana never took. The second one is yet to be determined.

And for John Darc, our game takes place on a mix of an online tool for gameboard/text, plus Skype for voice, so I don't think we'd be able to record them too easily. It would take a combination of a screen capture video and an audio output capture. Jonny Ace was also interested in checking it out, so we might try to figure out a way to do "guests" without turning the sessions into a free-for-all. For what it's worth, I got my initial intro through the Penny Arcade D&D podcasts (they just started series #2, with Wil Wheaton joining Gabe, Tycho, and Kurtz at the table). I then bought the Player's Handbook, signed up for the new FB game, and the original group of Mike Brady (DM), Bill, Dr. Pepper, FrakTruck, and Flanked were outstanding in leading me the rest of the way.

In a couple years, that will hopefully be Mike Brady, MD (DM)^TM

I keep trying to think of good names for characters, just in my head, and it is not going so well. It really is a George Cauldron type situation here.

Posted By: John DarcI keep trying to think of good names for characters, just in my head, and it is not going so well. It really is a George Cauldron type situation here.Move over, bananas! I've got a new source of potassium!

Yeah I find that to be the hardest part about creating a character. You want it to be sufficiently exotic, to not sound ridiculous, and to not swipe too obviously from the mainstream. Figure out the character's race first; that will at least set the tone. The most effective way is to take a regular word or name and "corrupt" it just a little bit. I have my standby name "Simonas" that I use for a human-like character - usually one with a religious bent. Just glancing over at this bottle of vitamins gives me a lot of ideas off the bat: Theomin, Molyb, Vanadius. I have a neglected dwarf cleric named "Eldred Dammerung" - Eldred is a last name I thought was just offbeat enough, and Dammerung comes from the title of one of Nietzsche's books. Alliterative names are also more inherently memorable (think "Clark Kent" or "Peter Parker") - I chose "Silas Sendt" when playing a Yuan-Ti (reptilian) character because it seems like "s" would be a prominent sound for that race.

Posted By: Sean
And for John Darc, our game takes place on a mix of an online tool for gameboard/text, plus Skype for voice, so I don't think we'd be able to record them too easily. It would take a combination of a screen capture video and an audio output capture. Jonny Ace was also interested in checking it out, so we might try to figure out a way to do "guests" without turning the sessions into a free-for-all. For what it's worth, I got my initial intro through the Penny Arcade D&D podcasts (they just started series #2, with Wil Wheaton joining Gabe, Tycho, and Kurtz at the table). I then bought the Player's Handbook, signed up for the new FB game, and the original group of Mike Brady (DM), Bill, Dr. Pepper, FrakTruck, and Flanked were outstanding in leading me the rest of the way.I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy

I guess if someone wanted to watch and listen along, they'd have to log in to our session using MapTool and be a part of the skype conference call. Wouldn't be as interesting if they were just in MapTool. If people agreed to keep quiet in the conference call, I don't think it would be a problem. I don't expect us to have so many people watching that our chat becomes spammed with non-players (but I'd be gladly to be wrong, because that would mean we were pretty interesting to watch).

I also got started with the PA/PVP podcasts, and then torrented borrowed PHB until I joined the game, and then bought the PHB. I've become so used to our system that I'd like to show my brother how D&D works, but I can't fathom how to keep track of every character's movement when you're sitting around a table that maybe holds some generic graph paper or something.

And I had tons of trouble choosing names, which is why my character's name is from the default list of Dragonborn names in the PHB.

Yeah I'd be cool with spectators as well. If anyone is interested, you'll need both MapTool and Skype.

For what it's worth, I don't download the MapTool program - they have a "launch" tab, which ensures I'm always using the latest beta release.

As far as names go, I like the old standby of taking existing names and giving them weird spellings.
And finding name generators on the webernets.

One option for broadcasting gameplay is Ustream or a similar service ... I think there are things like Gotomeeting that also do similar desktop broadcasting. An audience would certainly impact the bandwidth of the players though.

Posted By: FlankedOne option for broadcasting gameplay is Ustream or a similar service ... I think there are things like Gotomeeting that also do similar desktop broadcasting. An audience would certainly impact the bandwidth of the players though.

Yeah I wonder if that would work. With the quality of a video stream I'm not sure the text chat would be readable, and you'd lose a lot if you couldn't follow that. And anything higher-resolution would probably be too much of a strain on bandwidth with Skype also running. Hmmm.

Those are also just thinking of live broadcast. It would be much simpler to just record screencapture and voice a la what they did for the instruction videos for MapTool. That, however, would be a big editing task, and may impact the quality of your machine's performance during game time. Unless there's a large enough audience, or it's very simple and painless to record and simply upload to YouTube, maybe Skype and MapTool would be the best for people just wanting to watch.

True, I wasn't thinking about time-shifting. I must work for a television network.

Mike: FYI, I'm taking Divine Bodyguard for my new utility, and Durable as my new feat.

Posted By: GneekmanMike: FYI, I'm taking Divine Bodyguard for my new utility, and Durable as my new feat.In Soviet Photoshop, image edits you!

Thanks!

Also, nobody forget about the time change today! We start less than an hour from time of this post. We only have 3 today so everyone is crucial.

Alright, the session just ended, and I decided to take notes!

Kalad, the Paladin we saved in the Monastery came to visit us. He told us there was a member of the Elsir Consortium who was interested in talking to us. Bram Ironfell, a dwarf, told us about a historical mine that his clan had control of in the distant past, the Karak Load. He had recently discovered a map to the load, and asked us to undertake a journey there, partly to discover what happened to his ancestors, but mostly for the value that the mine would still hold. He claimed he would use that money to help Overlook protect itself from Sarshan's upcoming attack.

He offered the group 500 gp and 500 gp worth of gems up front to undertake the journey. In addition, any valuables we find on the way we are allowed to keep. The mine's ore, however, will remain the property of Clan Ironfell. We talked him into giving us a 10% discount on any Elsir Consortium merchandise that we purchase before we begin our journey. Duron's insight check indicated that Ironfell was truthful about why he wanted us to go there, but there was some small sense that he may have been leaving something out.

We traveled into the Thornwaste, which I believe is some sort of swampy type area. After a while we found Mag Blackthorn, the protector of the Thornwaste. He agreed to help guide us to the far end. Along the way, we were attacked by some dwarves. They knew where we were headed and tried to steal the map from us. There were at least 4 Dwarf Hammers (with plate armor and heavy shields), 2 Dwarf Bolters, and a Hell Hound. The battle went far too long in my opinion, though notice we were outnumbered 7-4 (Mag helped us). I got so tired of the hellhound (and the d6 damage that it did to anyone who started adjacaent to it) that I used one of my daily powers on it. It took us 16 grueling turns (96 seconds in game time :)) to destroy the enemy. We discovered that they were members of Clan Hammerfist, which has a long-standing rivalry, possibly as old as the Karak Load itself, with Clan Ironfell. Duron found a bag that had their valuables, and inside was a Communal Bastard Sword +2. Of course, our old friend Rhyd'Ley uses a bastard sword as his weapon of choice (© Fatboy Slim), so he took possession of it. The communal property lets him add +1 to a nearby allies attack roll twice per day.

With some more skill checks, we finally arrived in the village of Dunesend (which appears to be where the dunes end). As we arrive, there is a demonic scourge of Gnolls collecting tribute in the village. Will we have to fight them? Find out next time! The 3 adventurers each received 667 xp for their adventures today.

Posted By: DrPepperMD[long text omitted]

Minor corrections to Dr. Pepper's mostly-excellent notes...
The name of the mine is in fact the Karak Lode.
The Thornwaste was (in my mind) a bramble-covered badlands.
The Communal power adds the bonus to ANY d20 roll, not just attack.

[/nitpick]

Alrighty! See you all next session!

Posted By: GneekmanMinor corrections to Dr. Pepper's mostly-excellent notes...
The name of the mine is in fact the KarakLode.
The Thornwaste was (in my mind) a bramble-covered badlands.
The Communal power adds the bonus to ANY d20 roll, not just attack.

Yep, that errata is all correct, and a great summary by the good doctor. There's a good chance I won't be able to run next week's game. You'll know as soon as I do.

OK, this weekend (3/15) is a no-go. I have family coming into town late Saturday night. Next week (3/22) is good though. See you then!

Thanks for the wrap-up guys! I'll have the new Sirkana character sheet up soon, and we're on for next week.
For Mike - Will Karch be able to purchase the previously discussed cloak from the Consortium or elsewhere? And enjoy your weekend!

Posted By: SeanThanks for the wrap-up guys! I'll have the new Sirkana character sheet up soon, and we're on for next week.
For Mike - Will Karch be able to purchase the previously discussed cloak from the Consortium or elsewhere? And enjoy your weekend!I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy

You weren't able to find it at the store, but Bram was able to find a seller for you. You still managed to get it at the 20% discount (so 672 gp). You took care of the transaction before following the group toward Dunesend.

Posted By: Mike BradyBram was able to find a seller for you. You still managed to get it at the 20% discount (so 672 gp). You took care of the transaction before following the group toward Dunesend.

My thanks to Bram. While that was being taken care of, Sirkana performed the Transfer Enchantment ritual (as discussed a few weeks ago), taking Darin's Darkleaf armor and making Karch's +2 Magic armor into Darkleaf Leather +2. The 25gp cost comes out of Karch's pocket if the materials are readily found in town, or out of Sirkana's residuum stash if they were not available. The plain leather armor was donated to the town's defenders as a humble thank you for Bram's efforts. EDIT: Did Karch find anybody interested in the alchemy notes he swiped, either to buy or trade? If not, he'll just continue to carry them around.

BTW, what's your ruling for how often Karch needs a resupply on crossbow bolts? I haven't been keeping track of how much I use, but buying another 40 (2gp) at the start of each major quest. Does that sound reasonable?

If my math is right, after the 672 for the cloak, 2 for the bolts, and 25 for the ritual, Karch now has 447gp, 7sp remaining. Fort, Ref, and Will increase to 14/20/17, and AC stays the same.

Whenever Level8 comes around, I think I'll be taking your suggestion of buying the Inescapable Dagger, and taking Two-Fisted Shooter to go with it. And then wait for a combat advantage crit to pull off about seven damage rolls in a row. :-D

After a very careful decision process, Kris has decided on the stats/powers/feats/rituals for Sirkana. Here is the Character Builder file, and over here is the character sheet pdf. Note that there are two armor items listed. The equipped one is a Magic +1 just to make the AC right, and the other is the homebrew Fireburst Leather (since it doesn't normally come in a leather variety). It's there just to generate a power card. It would be great if the homebrew description correctly affected the AC stat, especially since it automatically generated the correct number after "Charisma modifier" in the description.

EDIT: I forgot to include the Wavestrider Boots. Links have been corrected.