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[pbp]Hunger of the Beast[ToA]

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  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    Nasim starts a little as you speak to her, then shakes herself out of her reverie and nods, regaining her usual cool demeanor.

  • AustinP0027AustinP0027 Registered User regular
    The Radiant sighs. "I'll go look for a shovel." He heads to the cart to find an appropriate tool, and returns back to the man, starting to dig him a grave. Victor takes a moment to perform last rites, sending the man's spirit off into the Aether with a blessing of peace and an assurance of forgiveness for the choices he made in life. Victor allows a moment of silence before he lays the man carefully in the hole and starts to cover him up with the dirt he had displaced.

    The man buried, his last rites performed, the Radiant turns back to the group. "What now? We have a location, and some dangerous bandits, but it's clear that this may not be completely black and white in terms of good and evil. We should talk about what we want to do."

  • joshgotrojoshgotro Deviled Egg The Land of REAL CHILIRegistered User regular
    "I'll get the boy and his flock back to Davittsburg. I can catch back up with you before the bandit camp."

    Aub grabs her sack out of the cart and gathers Hans.

    "Get your baas. I've got places to be.

  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    Hans will assent. "It's only a half day. Should be safe enough." A pause "I hope."

    "I thought you were all coming, though? Sure would feel safer with five than with two."

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    "We'll be three and three if you can count on Abby.", Har says half-convincingly.
    "So long as we're heading towar' the bandits whilst you're heading away, I can' imagine you'll meet too much trouble."

    More concerned 'bout Aub catchin' up with us in time

  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    *nonchalantly whistles never split the party*

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    Xagar wrote: »
    *nonchalantly whistles never split the party*
    Well it's only until Aub catches up.
    Also Har is going to make regular X markings on trees to hopefully get her back in the right direction, when she inevitably gets lost.

  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    @AustinP0027 Looks like it's your conversation to start - the other two seem inclined to get going and worry about it later.

  • AustinP0027AustinP0027 Registered User regular
    Victor frowns. The Radiant had to admit that he wasn't overly fond of splitting up, they had been waylaid on the road already, so it felt like a bad idea to split their strength.

    Still, he also knew they were in a tough spot. They couldn't leave Hans alone to return with the sheep, but they also couldn't delay the investigation now that they knew where the bandit camp was. Both choices were poor, so he didn't have a real reason to argue. "I don't like it, but I don't feel like we have a ton of options. Either we all go with Hans, or we split. Someone needs to help him back."

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    Har has itchy feet, or at least is shifting her weight in the direction of the road a lot.
    "I don't much care, one way or the other. I'm not the one volunteerin' to walk through the night to catch up.
    But I guess with this one like this,"
    shrugging at the shallow grave, "there ain't much that'll alert the bandits to what's up.
    .. n the dog might be more trouble to the sheep.

    May as well help 'em home, if Nasim's not got any objections."

    Don't You Know That
    you always split the party
    Ranger's up the front
    while the fighter's being tardy
    The wizard's cast some magic
    so now he's lost in time
    and the rogue's with his lordship drinking wine...

  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    Nasim shakes her head, moving away from the group as Hans smiles and pulls up to replace her, sheep in tow. The camera pans up, showing the rolling hills and Davittsburg in the bend of the river to the northeast, with the speck of a raven circling against the still-grey sky.

    That afternoon...

    Back at Gordon's Brew, the cranky patriarch Otto seems to have some good cheer about him, showering the party with compliments and laying off of Hans for a few minutes. "Well! I promised you a reward, didn't I!" He waves over a young woman with a freckled face and long, loose brown hair managing some children at a second table. "This is my granddaughter Dora," he says with pride in his voice as she nods, "She's quite the tailor and enchanter. If any of you fine folks' armor needs made, repaired, or modified, she can handle it." Dora bobs her head again. "Long as you've got what she needs and can wait for her to finish."

    Everyone in the tavern is staring at the boisterous noise coming from the center of the room, save the surly puddle of Maurice and his guards. You think back on your entrance into the town a few minutes ago - bystanders and guards murmuring among themselves, the town taking notice. Perhaps they are not daring to hope just yet, but something new is there, a crack in the malaise. If nothing else, everyone knows your names now.

    ---
    Dora has Tier 2 crafting and enchanting, and she specializes in cloth and animal materials. You think she would be able to do something with the strange bristles you found. She is also able to change out your armor enchantment for another one of the same tier, or craft you a new set. You won't have to pay for her services by grandpa fiat, but you will need to provide her materials.

    As a reminder, a T2 piece of armor has two enchantments slot, one T1 and one T2. You can have two T1 enchantments if you want, and you can't double up on enchantments of the same type (e.g. no plating I and plating II).

    You should consider carefully who you want to tell about the bandits, and what you want to say. The major options are the young firebrand James, the cautious knight captain Richard, or to set out yourselves.


    @joshgotro @AustinP0027 @discrider What do you do?

    Xagar on
  • AustinP0027AustinP0027 Registered User regular
    I'm thinking one of you two try for the T2 upgrade.

  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    :/
    I think a T2 hammer actually makes my weapon worse, unless I stick two T1 abilities on (or stack T2 movement with Lunge movement)

  • joshgotrojoshgotro Deviled Egg The Land of REAL CHILIRegistered User regular
    edited October 2018
    @Xagar Do I need materials to take Stability from my Leather and added it to my Plate Armor?

    Edit: That doesn't even make sense. I'm an idiot.

    EditEdit: Where can we find some Tier 2 materials?

    joshgotro on
  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    Remember weapons only have one enchantment slot.

    Dora probably wouldn't be able to upgrade the hammer anyway, since it's metal.

    You can get them by killing scary things or buying them - this is a pretty poor area, so buying them might prove difficult. The teeth you have are t2 as well.

  • joshgotrojoshgotro Deviled Egg The Land of REAL CHILIRegistered User regular
    edited October 2018
    Aub approaches Dora, shows her the remnants of beasties, and asks, "what can you do with these bits?"

    Metal armor with the tag Plating 1
    Leather armor with the tag Stability

    joshgotro on
  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    "And, uh, in what sorta time?", Har interjects.
    "We sorta need t'be moving on soon."

  • joshgotrojoshgotro Deviled Egg The Land of REAL CHILIRegistered User regular
    "Yes, yes Har, I won't be staying to wait. We'll be in the road again in moments.
    Aub motions back to Dora, "short and sweet dearie. We've got places to be.

  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    "With only a few moments?" She shakes her head. "Let me see." She takes the leathers from you and clears a spot on her table, pulling back the collar. She turns it out, running her hand along a thin silvery thread that stitches arcane runes along its length. "I could alter this easily enough, given half an hour, but anything more will take half a day. That shiny mess?" She looks at the armor. "Not my specialty."

    She offers to switch out a t1 enchantment for any other, or to add a new t1 enchantment to a normal piece of clothing you have to make a new piece of armor in your inventory. Anything fancier will take at least half a day.

  • joshgotrojoshgotro Deviled Egg The Land of REAL CHILIRegistered User regular
    edited October 2018
    "The leathers could use some love please. I'll pick her up when we get back.

    Aub moves to Har and Victor.

    "Bandits yes?

    @discrider @AustinP0027

    joshgotro on
  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    Har peers over at what Aub has given the lady.
    "I'm no.. we're not that rushed Aub.
    Perhaps you should leave her something she can work with?
    If it's half a day, we can spen' the night in town if we have to.
    Migh' be better than sleepin rough again in a couple of hours."

  • joshgotrojoshgotro Deviled Egg The Land of REAL CHILIRegistered User regular
    @Xagar It's a 2.5 days to the camp right?

    "We're leagues away. Might as well sleep well once this week.

  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    @joshgotro It's about 2.5 days away by horse/boat. The camp itself is in a cave near where the river splits in two. You were given another couple landmarks in the area, but it may take you some time to find it.

  • AustinP0027AustinP0027 Registered User regular
    "I'm not going to argue for sleeping on the ground" Victor adds with a grin

  • joshgotrojoshgotro Deviled Egg The Land of REAL CHILIRegistered User regular
    edited October 2018
    "I'll fill James in on what we've found. Do either of you want to secure rooms and gather the gossip?"

    Aub moves through the tavern, slowly, passing by Muarice's table on purpose, and moves her hand along the arm of the guard from earlier, "morning boys", as she moves passed towards James.

    joshgotro on
  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    @joshgotro You wanted to have Dora change something out? What did you want? Barring any mechanical changes, she'll tailor them to you so they're actually comfortable - you don't really have the same proportions as the bandit you took them off of.

    This is as good a time as any to push and update out, since my physical session is tomorrow. None of these affect any of your characters at the moment, besides possible options to learn for Victor. I'll have the spreadsheet updated pretty soon.

    Skill updates:
    Rogue - Eyes of Fate: Damage bonus removed.
    Templar - Cancel: The user now must choose between blocking damage or blocking effects on others.
    Ranger - Chosen Prey: Replaced with Preparation: Instead of moving on your turn, you may gain a counter. Each counter increases your maximum range by +1, up to +4. When you move, dash, or teleport, you may spend any number of counters to increase the distance traveled by +1 tile for each counter spent.
    Necromancer - Curse Blast: Damage 5 -> 4. Initial attack is now immediate. Explosion now deals the same damage to all targets.
    Necromancer - Nightmare Pact: Replaced with Recurring Nightmare: Haunt an enemy in sight within 6 tiles with dreadful visions of despair, doubling the effects of banes on the target. On its turn, the target may sacrifice 6 Health to end the visions. Cannot be removed otherwise. If the target is defeated, the visions spread to another enemy in sight of the first within 3 tiles.
    Necromancer - Spirit Effigy: Base damage reduced to 4. The effigy now has the target’s equipment.
    Geomancer - Desiccate: No longer avoids reactions. Reaction disabling is unblockable instead.
    Geomancer - Lodestone Shackles: Secondary effect replaced: now creates a “cover” effect that must be removed before the target can lose other negative effects.
    Geomancer - Aftershock: Replaced with Ash Blast: React with a cloud of choking ash, attacking your attacker in sight within 6 tiles for 2 damage and inflicting blind. Until the end of its next turn, the maximum range of the target’s skills is reduced to 1.
    Cryomancer - Gale Fist: Secondary attack damage 1 -> 3. Now must push in a line. Conditional effect clarified.
    Cryomancer - Arctic Gusts: New additional effect: You may also displace targets within the first 2 tiles of the line 2 tiles towards or away from you.
    Cryomancer - Icy Phalanx: Now lasts until the end of the target’s next turn, instead of yours.
    Paladin - Reversal of Fortune: Effect replaced with: The target takes -2 less damage from attacks, and each time it is attacked, it is healed for 4 after the attack.
    Paladin - Intervention: Now also cleanses the target.
    Paladin - Defender's Vow: Replaced with Vengeance: Grant a positive effect to an ally attacked since its last turn to mark its attacker for vengeance. When you attack a marked enemy, deal +3 damage, remove its mark, and gain a counter, up to 4. For each counter, your healing, revival, blocking, and damage reduction on allies attacked since their last turn increases by 1.
    Warlock - Warlock's Eye: Now can be summoned on any tile on the battlefield, but cannot move.

    Context:
    Eyes of Fate is still better than most damaging support skills without its damage bonus.
    Cancel was overtuned against attacks that mostly deal negative effects.
    Chosen Prey was altogether too fiddly and was essentially a bad version of "Priority Target!," so I replaced it with something that doubles down on extending range and mobility.
    Curse Blast was too difficult to use properly.
    Nightmare Pact was too specialized to fit in most loadouts.
    Spirit Effigy dealt too much damage, and still may do too much damage.
    Desiccate encouraged degenerate builds that focused on maximizing damage instead of using it as a combo starter.
    Lodestone Shackles was more of a necromancer skill from a mechanics standpoint, so I moved it over there. The new effect is a request for a skill that specifically counters Shake Free and other sources of easy bane removal.
    Aftershock was basically unusable.
    Gale Fist was very weak unless you were close.
    Arctic Gusts was too weak for something that doesn't deal damage.
    Icy Phalanx now is more reliable.
    Reversal of Fortune was too specialized to fit in most loadouts. It's now the best heal in the game if the target is attacked twice during the effect.
    Intervention gained a cleanse because paladin no longer had one after Reversal of Fortune's change.
    Defender's Vow encouraged degenerate defense buff stacking builds.
    Warlock's Eye was strictly worse than Unerring Bolt in basically every situation.

    Xagar on
  • joshgotrojoshgotro Deviled Egg The Land of REAL CHILIRegistered User regular
    @Xagar thematically would the teeth and or needles be good to add plating 1 to the leather armor to keep stability as well?

  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    Sure, she could weave those in in a studded leather kind of way, but you'd of course want plating 2 instead.

    When you bring over the needles, she will indicate this will take at least a day to finish, and leaves to find a quieter place to work.

    Xagar on
  • joshgotrojoshgotro Deviled Egg The Land of REAL CHILIRegistered User regular
    Does Stability go away in the process?

  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    Nope. Armor is like

    T1: One t1 enchantment
    T2: One t2 or t1 enchantment, one t1 enchantment
    T3: One t3, t2, or t1 enchantment, one t2 or t1 enchantment, one t1 enchantment

    Weapons just have the one enchantment up to the quality of the item.

  • AustinP0027AustinP0027 Registered User regular
    Woah, I was already thinking maybe picking up Paladin anyways, but the Reversal of Fortune action will fit perfectly into my loadout, so looks like I need to do more studying.

  • joshgotrojoshgotro Deviled Egg The Land of REAL CHILIRegistered User regular
    edited October 2018
    Wonderdul.

    "James. Would you like to come here a moment?"

    joshgotro on
  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    You make your way back to the church, which is still crowded but somewhat quieter, to find James at his usual pew in the back. Nasim follows, scanning the crowd - you recall she had mentioned offhand knowing who the cultists in town were.

    "Yes? Your face says you have good news for me, nay, for this town!" He sets down his notes and stares up in anticipation.

    Geth, roll 1d10 for Ini check

    Ini check:
    1d10 2 [1d10=2]

    Xagar on
  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    "We found some sheep at least", Har starts, "'ow goes coralling the townsfolk?"

  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    Updated cards!

  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    "Sheep? Yes, the townsfolk seem to share much with their sheep." He harrumphs. "The same as it's been going for the last few weeks - most are too fearful to try to better their situation."

  • AustinP0027AustinP0027 Registered User regular
    "I'll go get us a room." The Radiant replied as the other two headed off to find James.

    Entering in the inn, Victor looks for either of the two women who were running it to request a room for the night.

  • XagarXagar Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    The innkeepers inform you that they're full up at the moment, due to all the refugees.

    Xagar on
  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    Geth roll 1d10+4 for Is there anyone listening in on us?
    Har looks around at the pressing mass in the church, circumspectively.
    Lowering her voice, she says, "We're about to 'ead off and see what we can do ourselves. Don't know if you want to come with, but if you're up for it we're leaving in the morning.
    's possible we don't know what we're up for, but that ain't stopped us before."

    Is there anyone listening in:
    1d10+4 8 [1d10=4]

  • AustinP0027AustinP0027 Registered User regular
    "All full, huh?" Victor presses the innkeepers, "Are you sure there is anywhere we could stay? We just need a single night and then we'll be off in the morning".

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