OOC A Tide of Discussion: the d20 ToF OOC thread

So... yeah. Four people counting Mazarun. I think we're pretty well covered, if William's able to teleport the rest? (Not counting Ariel, since she can just fly there.) Even if Dimension Door doesn't get us all the way there, it certainly gets us closer, and out of the more immediate danger.

 

If William teleports everyone else, then that'll be the full eight: William +3, Mazarun +3. While we're waiting on that decision, Rilwen, where are you dimension dooring to inside Brindol?

 

If you're not counting Ariel, you might as well not count Skadi, Corrath, Ragnar or William, since all of them are capable of traversing the air without a problem (though Skadi's speed is slower than the others, so she'd lag behind). It's only Maz, Evelios, and Zanaek who are ground-bound.

 

Just for reference, though it's freely available in the IC thread:

Corrath: 60 feet per round (Air Walk + Haste)
Ariel: 60 feet per round (on the ground), Flying 80 feet per round (Wings + Haste)
Skadi: 50 feet per round (Air Walk + Haste)
Zanaek: 50 feet per round (on the ground) (Hasted)
Evelios: 60 feet per round (on the ground) (Hasted)
Ragnar: 80 feet per round (Air Walk + Haste)
Mazarun: 60 feet per round (on the ground) (Hasted)
William: 60 feet per round (on the ground), Flying 70 feet per round (Overland Flight + Haste)

Haste adds 30 feet of movement in general until you hit twice your normal movement speed.

Note your Haste is counting down, too. By the time Skadi casts Mass Fire Shield and the party teleports out, I'm holding its duration will be down to 4 rounds: one round to bring everyone in range of the casting (no two creatures can be more than 30 feet apart when it goes off) and cast assuming Skadi delays/ readies an action for when everyone's in range, another round to teleport out.

 

A very good question.

 

In passing, everyone, I've spoken with Xan: probably she won't be joining us again, unfortunately - RL and career are just pummelling her beyond the point of no return. She sends her warmest regards. Anyway, I plan to keep Corrath running with the rest of the party as an NPC for the time being, much as Skadi is. On the other hand, if you all would rather we "retire" her character and bring someone new in, reopen the discussion in our old PM thread and we'll decide in private as a group.

EDIT: So we don't get distracted -- still waiting on William and Mazarun to specify (if in William's case) and where (in both cases) they're doing Dimension Door and Teleport to, respectively. William's Teleport can go anywhere in Brindol (or indeed out of it, or indeed within a thousand miles of it) with one hit; Mazarun's Dimension Door can only take them 300 feet back inside Brindol's walls in a single jump.

 

I don't think we need to do the teleporting. If Mazarun takes the three landbound ones, the others can just fly. A scroll of Teleport is probably not a resource we should waste on just getting back inside the city. And we've got enough Hastes in reserve (Evelios with his spontaneous casting and William with one) that using this one till it runs out is worth it.

 

Hey guys-

Sorry for disappearing without warning, and for so long. As I told Saint, work and life are just consuming all of my time and focus right now. Like, I just spent ten hours from about 10pm Saturday to 8am Sunday working on an IT deployment for a big Australian retailer. (I'd link you guys to our Finished Product, but I don't think the news has officially broken yet so I have to keep it quiet for now - but I will! I'm actually stupidly happy about how it's come together. Although probably only Rils and Saint will recognise the name at all.)

I would love to be back, but it's just not going to work out for me right now. I'm kind of angry at myself because I have actually never managed to see a long game to its conclusion, and ToF is so very close, and I miss playing Corrath and writing and hanging out with all of you - but I just can't right now. So let's just say I'm out for now - but maybe in a month or two when work things die down for me (and if Corrath lives through the battle) ... maybe I'll make a reappearance.

Until next time, my friends! Miss you all, hope everyone is well, and kick some hobgoblin arse for me.

 

Seems fair enough. Take care, Xani, and I hope I speak for us all when I say if you do return in time for the epic finale, we'll welcome you back.

 

Its all good Xani!

As a fellow IT'er, I can understand how hectic things can get. Take care, best of luck, and many good wishes!! We'll always be happy to welcome ya back!!

 

Looking forward to your hopeful return, Xan!

In other news: given the chaos the thread has turned into following passionate and lengthy discussion of teleport alternatives I'm going to make the following assumptions to move us along--

- Mazarun, Evelios, and Zanaek Dimension Door back into Brindol.
- Everyone else flies.
- I'm assuming the party's intent on getting to the West Gate as fast as possible -- as a good portion of Brindol's cavalry is getting slaughtered every moment you wait -- so Mazarun will teleport first to Brindol's graveyard, and then Dimension Door the three of them again to the West Gate, leaving the fliers to catch up.

Any changes? Please be about them quickly if there are...

 

There's room for four people including Maz, so might as well take Skadi along with you, since she can't travel as fast as the others. Everyone else can fly 480 240 feet per round.

 

Yes, taking Skadi. Double Dimension Door it is, I guess. XD

EDIT: Aaaand posted. Thus marking the first time in a while I've actually known what was going on.

 

Guess my Hound is running back to be of some use. *sigh*

 

Update is up. Looks like a hot old time on the town tonight.

 

They can still spend APs to improve their saving throws, you know.

 

Consulting my books, Maximize Breath is a full-round action, so it should not have been able to move and breathe in the same turn.

I'm still kind of confused as to the sequence of events here.

Initiative Count 20: Maz uses Dimension Door, winds up out in the open. Ends turn.
Initiative Count 15: Zanaek does a thing (or doesn't? Due to the smoke?)
Initiative Count 8: Skadi does a thing

New Round
Initiative Count 26: Corrath runs
Initiative Count 24: Dragon does a full round action to superbreathe on the party. End turn
*We are here*
Initiative Count 22: Evelios does a thing (or doesn't? Due to the smoke?)
Initiative Count 20: Maz does a thing
Initiative Count 15: Zanaek does a thing
Initiative Count 8: Skadi does a thing

I don't think that 30 feet of dragon with a -8 Stealth penalty should be able to sneak up on the party within 50 without Stealth and Perception checks, even with the smoke. Even if it did, a surprise round allows for a single action, not the full round necessary for a maximized breath weapon. Shouldn't Skadi and possibly Zanaek have had a chance to cast things?

 

Hokay, while the non-fliers are floundering in smoke, William will try out a new trick; he's going to activate Unfettered Heroism as an immediate action, and use an action point to Persist it. Using the rest of his full round and brand new action point, he's going to emulate the Run feat to get closer to the action. This should allow him to go 350 feet. ZOOOOOM.

 

From what I read, the dragon was already there. We just had the bad luck of DMing in front of it. It breathed on us, tried to fear bomb us, and now its our turn.


I would have a bigger beef over why we were DMed into area with burning buildings? Even if we couldn't see through walls, Maz would be able to see where the glow of fires are at and NOT send us there. On top of the battlements would have been a better place than among buildings.

 

Even if it were already there, we should have had at least one or two spellcasters who could have thrown up some defensive buffs before scrambling for cover before it could take its turn, and after it took its turn it would still be sitting or hovering in the same place, within 50 feet.

 

Can a dragon hover? I thought that required more precision with the flying movement type than your average flying lizard could manage, given the usual assortment of "Poor" and "Clumsy" they get to use. Not to mention minimum half-speed forward momentum should make it impossible for a dragon to ever perform a full-round action midflight, save for bizarre anticipation-based start full round action maneuvers which would've required it to be aware of our presence for more than one round.

 

It wasn't hovering. It was on the ground, spread it's wings and breathed on us. THEN it took flight. IF anything, it wont be able to take off after breathing on us.


EDIT: Like I said, I have issues with where the DM opened up. Saint should have asked Maz where exactly he wanted to DM to since it is the player's choice. You want to avoid the bad dragon breath, go that route.

 

Ah, sorry, I'm on my phone; I haven't been able to read the update yet, and had gotten the impression we were nuked from above.

 

So, for those of us flying/walking whatever... we still have one more round before we can react, right? Unless maybe we spend an AP for it?

Also, can WE see where big ole red dragon is, since we're not blinded by smoke, or is it hiding within the smoke and flames?

 

Closer to two rounds of running before you're within charge range. Spending an AP to emulate Run lets you go 400 feet per round instead of 320, which still takes 2 rounds. I wouldn't really worry about it (though I guess it would give you more room to maneuver once there).

Re-reading the thing, it seems like the dragon was perched on top of the wall when it breathed on the group, so it should still be there.