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Post by dragon722 on Nov 2, 2015 15:43:15 GMT
Meph what did you use to make your grain sacks? those are pretty cool looking and have to make some.
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Post by SpielMeisterKev! on Nov 2, 2015 21:33:26 GMT
Howdy, grain sacks? pretty cool looking and have to make some. look like Hirst-Arts I believe, Kev!
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Post by Meph on Nov 2, 2015 22:41:29 GMT
Things are finally starting to click with my group. For the first time they went through the night without a single player dropping (except for one unavoidable), I didn't nerf the encounters, and I didn't fudge rolls. The players started to properly utilize their skills and abilities and put a little more thought into their tactics. There were a couple hairy moments but the fighters used their Second Winds and the cleric used his healing and it was all fine. We also picked up 2 new players, another fighter and a warlock. So the players scouted around the outside of the mill and saw that there were 6 kobolds spread around the mill feeding small fires but they didn't appear to be trying to burn the building down. Aware that they might be walking into a trap, the players decided to sneak up and quickly try and dispatch a group of 2 kobolds on the closest side of the mill. They were able to sneak up undetected and a well timed volley of arrows, bolts, and 2 cantrips and those 2 kobolds dropped without a peep. Next they tried to sneak around the building at the next group. The warlock had a crossbow and tried to get herself into a better position to fire and was noticed by the kobolds who began to rush her. Unfortunately for them that brought them right by the rest of the party that was waiting around the corner and they engaged them. A fairly short battle later and they had dispatched the kobolds, while managing to knock one of them unconscious. They bound him up to bring back to the keep as a prisoner. So the outside of the mill was cleared and the players had a little brainfart in tactics at this point which could have ended up deadly. They were able to see through an outside window and there appeared to be no enemies inside so 4 of them decided to just step inside and start searching the main floor. Luckily for them the last player in the door made a DC20 perception check with a natural 20 and saw a flash of movement upstairs around the hole in the ceiling where the lift raises flour up to the loft. He yelled to alert the party and saved the group from a surprised round. I ended up putting 5 guards upstairs waiting to ambush with a volley of thrown spears and then short swords. Instead of putting the other half of the ambush upstairs I wanted to see how the party handled this group so I put another 4 cultists outside and had them approach from behind on round 3. All in all the party did really well. The cleric stepped into the door way and cast Bless on the 2 fighters and the rogue. The rogue attacked engaged guards from range gaining his sneak attack and then when that wasn't possible he used sneak/hide and then attacked with his finesse weapon for a sneak attack. Yes, that IS an Oompa-Loompa in the background. Damn Halloween After the mill the players took their bound kobold and headed for the tunnel into the keep. As they approached the gate they were spotted by a group of cultists. They decided being so close to the gate they were going to attempt to capture a cultist to also bring in for interrogation. So hopefully I am doing this right, I used the rules for knocking out. They are pathetically vague although other editions didn't have a good rule set in place for this either. Basically it states that a player can apply damage that would reduce a monster to 0 towards knocking it out instead of killing it. That's how I ran it. Combat as normal and at 0 the creature fell unconscious. Seems like a poor mechanic but it works I guess. So the players returned to the keep with both a kobold and a cultist. They turned them over to Governor Nighthill for interrogation. He later told them what he learned which I wont post in case it relates to anyone else's game. I decided not to play the party through the sally port or dragon encounter. While they were in the keep the Dragon came back to attack the archers on the walls. The Governor asked the players to hurry out the tunnel and try and rescue the trapped villagers at the Sanctuary while they kept the dragon busy. The players approached the Sanctuary from the south taking cover along with stream bed and saw them cultists and kobolds trying to break into it. There was a group of kobolds at the back door trying to burn the back entrance down. They were in a cloud of smoke and focusing their attention on the building itself. There was a group of cultists and kobolds in the front with a battering ram trying to bash the doors in, and there was a large group of cultists, kobolds, and an ambush drake patrolling the inner grounds of the sanctuary. They players scouted it out and determined it took about 10 minutes for the patrol to make it fully around the building after stopping to observe the front assault. They decided to try and use surprise to take out the rear assault quickly. Their plan worked quite well and had some great rolls. They managed to take out that rear guard in 2 rounds cleanly without alerting the others and none escaping. The sorceror (with the best charisma) managed to use his persuasion skill to get the villagers to open the back door for them and follow them back to the keep. It all went so cleanly they were able to make it back without incident. I did roll damage on the front door with them in there which got their butts moving pretty quick. I was honestly pretty disappointed they defeated the encounter so quickly but I wasn't going to punish them for using good tactics so I let them escape unhindered. They made it back to the keep with ALL of the villagers from the temple including Eadyan Falconmoon, the level 5 priest. He was so greatful to the party for rescuing the villagers that he used 3 Cure Wounds which brought the players back to full. As the players reached the courtyard of the keep they realized the severity of the situation. It was now almost 5am. Escobert the Red had valiantly fended off the dragon, landing a glancing blow with a ballista bolt. He angered the Blue Dragon so much that he turned his focus on Escobert and killed him with a lightning blast and then flown off. At that point the frontal assault had made it's way through the front sally port. After bashing the gates open the cultists & kobolds were finishing up their assault on the town and amassing outside the gates. The players joined the keeps remaining militia at the gates ready for the final onslaught. At that point Langdedrosa Cyanwrath, the Half Dragon leader of the assault finally made his grand entrance. In his arrogant tone he commended the town of their defense of the keep through the night and thanked them for their treasures that were looted as they hid in the keep. He brought forth a group of prisoners, a mother and 3 children and called for a Champion to come forth and fight him in single combat. In exchange he would release the prisoners unharmed and leave the town in peace. Day was breaking and their raid was done by Langdedrosa wanted to show his dominance over the town with one last crushing blow. The party stepped up and decided the newest fighter to the party would be that champion. He is a level 2 fighter with 2 weapon fighting style and had the highest AC. Langdedrosa allowed his group within range of the combat and the cultists also advanced, each watching the other side but not participating. I allowed the cleric in the party to get away with concentrating on a bless spell and in his arrogance Langdedrosa didn't notice it. The fight went as expected with the fighter managing to do about 20 damage to Langdedrosa before falling in combat. Luckily the finishing blow only dropped the player to -2, not killing him and Langdedrosa kept to his word. He released the prisoners and left the town, allowing the party to retrieve and save their dying member. I was originally going to skip the fight since it's such a railroad but I decided to go ahead and use it to set the stage for later in the adventure. The players liked it so I guess it was worth it. All in all the night was a success. The players did much better than the other previous nights and all said they had a good time. I set the stage for Episode 2 with Governor Nighthill asking the players to track the raid back to their lair to gain information. He also told the players what the kobold and cultist prisoners told him giving them more reason to track them to their camp. Now I have some reading to do and hopefully I have time this week to craft something for the raiders camp.
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Post by Meph on Nov 2, 2015 22:43:58 GMT
Howdy, grain sacks? pretty cool looking and have to make some. look like Hirst-Arts I believe, Kev! Yes those are Hirst-Arts. One of the other players/past DMs bought those and I decided to use them. I am thinking about buying some myself unpainted. They are just very convenient.
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Post by DnDPaladin on Nov 3, 2015 14:29:02 GMT
the old system in 2E at least the ADND i remember... was whacked... the system starting at -10 going all the way up to 10. basically the goal was that anybody had a 50% chance of hitting something without any armor or dexterity. but since everone started at -10 which was 20 -10 = 10 the system had a bunch of stuff that didn't work out right. so they changed it and instead of starting at -10 meaning instead of counting the bonuses instead of the chances instead... they decided to put a static number at start. which was 10 directly. and then go from there. 10 being the average of the D20 made much more senses then trying to fit bonuses into a D20.
overall... instead of counting bonuses, they preffered static settings. i cringe everytimes i hear this one "veteran mistakes"... as if veterans were perfect in their everyday play at all times... must i remember you guys that people have good days and bad days as well ? those happens even during a game. in second edition ADND i will also add that monsters had a lot more abilities. so the 20% more kill in AC is just a result of them having less abilities. monsters in adnd 2e were pretty much as lethal as they are here.
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Post by bluecloud2k2 on Nov 3, 2015 19:08:57 GMT
2nd ed was broken. End of topic, end of discussion. Let's not beat a dead horse.
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Post by Meph on Nov 3, 2015 22:15:21 GMT
The 20% more has NOTHING to do with abilities. In fact 5E Kobolds (which are the monsters in question) have more abilities in 5E including the pack tactics which gives them advantage also, further pushing that 20%. Either way I am not really in the mood to debate it anymore. My group has been together with me DMing for well over 20 years now. I can call them veteran players because they understand the system well and how to mesh as a group. The problems they are having have nothing to do with having a bad day, it's more about fundamental changes to the system. They are learning the changes and the game is starting to click better but don't fool yourselves into believing that 5E is close to perfect.
As for 2E being broken, the whole BX/1E/2E system with the Hit Matrix/Thac0 and descending AC worked fine for 29 years. For the last 12 years now D&D has been trying to find itself with the D20 system with massive changes from 3E/3.5E/4E/ and now 5E. Some are better, some are worse.
Either way, lets stop this back and forth debate in my Weekly Game thread. The point was just to share my game session, what the players go through, and some pics of some of the new stuff I will be crafting.
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Post by l7arkness on Nov 4, 2015 14:01:15 GMT
The 20% more has NOTHING to do with abilities. In fact 5E Kobolds (which are the monsters in question) have more abilities in 5E including the pack tactics which gives them advantage also, further pushing that 20%. Either way I am not really in the mood to debate it anymore. My group has been together with me DMing for well over 20 years now. I can call them veteran players because they understand the system well and how to mesh as a group. The problems they are having have nothing to do with having a bad day, it's more about fundamental changes to the system. They are learning the changes and the game is starting to click better but don't fool yourselves into believing that 5E is close to perfect. As for 2E being broken, the whole BX/1E/2E system with the Hit Matrix/Thac0 and descending AC worked fine for 29 years. For the last 12 years now D&D has been trying to find itself with the D20 system with massive changes from 3E/3.5E/4E/ and now 5E. Some are better, some are worse. Either way, lets stop this back and forth debate in my Weekly Game thread. The point was just to share my game session, what the players go through, and some pics of some of the new stuff I will be crafting. Thanks for sharing love seeing how every one else plays makes stealing ideas so much easier =-)
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Post by skunkape on Nov 4, 2015 16:45:58 GMT
The game sounds like it was fun! Great looking terrain as well!
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Post by Meph on Nov 4, 2015 21:26:46 GMT
I picked up a new batch of toys for the table this week also. Miniature Market had 10% off everything, these were on sale and one set was clearance. One set is for a player, one set it for me. They ended up costing about $90 for both sets which I think was pretty good. On Amazon you would easily pay over $100 for one set. Only thing missing is 1 set of Druid cards. When it shipped they only had one in stock so instead of back ordering it, they refunded it.
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Post by DnDPaladin on Nov 6, 2015 3:28:52 GMT
Meph, i get it... you're a 2E fanboy... everyone its own... i hated 1e and 2e. loved classic, loved 3.0 + been playing D&D since the red box came out... not literally... started playing in 88. but my friends had the red box.
so to each its own, but saying one thing is better cause it ran for years on end is stupid to say the least... proof... each games i was playing during 2E times hads their own set of houserules about the game including a lot of games that just removed the thac0 system in its entirety. if any systems were perfect... people wouldn'T houserule them at all.
all i was saying... as for kobolds, perhaps they were weaker in 2E... i dont really remember much of th emonsters of that time except for those who one shotted my groups all the times. something impossible to do here with 5E.
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Post by bluecloud2k2 on Nov 6, 2015 4:56:19 GMT
Dude, quit beating the dead horse. You get the same way when talking about 2.5D Next.
Drop it and let Meph share his Tales From The Gaming Table (I myself enjoy hearing about his group's antics).
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Post by ogrestamp on Nov 8, 2015 10:15:43 GMT
Hey Meph, I love this story you are telling. I am living vicariously through them. As for the extraneous arguments, I view them as those ads before a Youtube video. I wait the obligatory five seconds before hitting the Skip button
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Post by DnDPaladin on Nov 8, 2015 19:17:42 GMT
bluecloud... i like reading his review of the game as well... i just hate people evaluating the performances fo the players though. it just gets to me that badly. and i dont understand your 2.5d next refference... i love 2.5d next...
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Post by bluecloud2k2 on Nov 9, 2015 2:14:07 GMT
bluecloud... i like reading his review of the game as well... i just hate people evaluating the performances fo the players though. it just gets to me that badly. and i dont understand your 2.5d next refference... i love 2.5d next... WE KNOW Lol
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Post by ogrestamp on Nov 9, 2015 6:43:54 GMT
I love the Oompa-loompa, I would dole out extra XP for that costume alone
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Post by Meph on Nov 11, 2015 0:32:07 GMT
For some reason I didn't get any pictures this week. Our session began with the players agreeing to follow the raiders back to their camp and scout it out. They were tasked to gather information on camp location, size, and the raider's future plans if possible. They were also looking for Monk Leosin who was possibly captured during the raid on Greenest. I allowed the players one night for a long rest and they embarked on the following morning. 12 miles from Greenest the rolling hills turned into plateaus and the path let through the valleys between them. The party scouted ahead and spotted a group of stragglers consisting of some Cultists and Kobolds. They party watched them for a while and decided they should just avoid the group. Because they skipped the encounter they weren't able to learn about the Rearguard up ahead and the ambush they had set in case anyone followed. They party was actively looking for any ambush but had no advance knowledge so as per the module I gave them their DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check to spot them before they pushed the boulders down on the party. Amazingly 2 party members managed to roll natural 20s so I allowed them to warn the party at the last minute, avoiding the boulders and saving the party from surprise. The party managed to handle the ambush fairly easily since they weren't surprised but it definitely put them on edge and used up some of their healing. As the party approached the raider's camp the Thief again moved up to scout ahead. He was able to get them an idea of what they were heading into. They had decided to take the black leather uniforms that the cultists were wearing that ambushed them so they devised a plan to have the party enter as they were with one of the players (the sorcerer with the highest deception skill) dressed in the black. They claimed to have been separated during the raid and were just returning. They all rolled a DC5 Charisma checks to see if anyone in the camp recognized them and the Fighter that fought Landedrosa rolled a DC9. They all passed. The party scouted around the camp and gathered information. The heard a lot about Tiamat the Dark Queen and their plans to return her to this world. They also found the Monk Leosin tied to a stake in the back of the camp near the heavily guarded Leader's War Tent. Depending on what they were doing I was rolling some passive checks to see if anyone recognized and unfortunately for the Fighter, she was recognized for her role in the battle at Greenest. She was quickly surrounded as the party continued moving trying to remain unnoticed. She was taken back to the main tent where Frulam Mondath is summoned. She quickly deems that the Fighter is indeed the same one who fought Landedrosa. The Sorceror decided to take his chances bluffing their way out of this and approaches in defense of the Fighter. He failed so badly on his deception check that Mondath ordered him bound also and sentenced them both to death in the morning along with the Monk. At this point they were tied up with the Monk and the party began to work on attempting an escape plan. They knew from the start but I still had to stress to them that the camp had about 150 followers and an outright battle would just result in them rolling new characters. The decided to wait for nightfall and attempt to free them. The Monk wasn't too happy about the new developments since he was planning an escape of his own. The new additional prisoners were bound to bring increased security before night fell so the Monk decided it was his chance. He slipped the knife from his boot and freed himself and the 2 party members. This threw a big kink in their plans since they were waiting for the middle of the night and it was now just around dusk. The monk informed them that his absense would be noticed in mere minutes and they had better move. This forced the players to make a rapid retreat out of the camp sneaking along the cliff walls. The camp was in a bit of a party mode since this was their first night back since the big raid which made their escape a bit easier. I wasn't about to let them just walk out free and clear though. As they were approaching the main entrance to the camp, security had been tightened since the morning when stragglers were still returning. At this point it was guarded by Cultists, Acolytes, and Ambush Drakes. The party approached them to try and bluff their way by and just then the warning horn was blown from the guard tower nearest the main tent. The prisoners escape had been noticed. I quickly made it obvious to the party that this was the do or die moment. They had a couple minutes before the leaders assembled search parties and if they were going to go, it had to be now. They engaged the guards. It was decent fight but the party easily overcame it and they made their escape, headed back to Greenest. That is where we ended for the night and next week will begin with the Dragon Hatchery episode. It's quickly becoming obvious that the problems they had in the beginning are quickly vanishing. They are easily wiping through written encounters even after I buff their numbers. Another play issue came up this week regarding the Warlock. Our warlock chose "The Fiend" as her patron. Her first ability as Fiend is: Dark One's Blessing Starting at 1st level, when you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + your warlock level (minimum o f 1). She decided to Hex one of the Acolytes H e x 1st-level enchantment Casting Time: 1 bonus action Range: 90 feet Components: V, S, M (the petrified eye of a newt) Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour You place a curse on a creature that you can see within range. Until the spell ends, you deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage to the target whenever you hit it with an attack. Also, choose one ability when you cast the spell. The target has disadvantage on ability checks made with the chosen ability. If the target drops to 0 hit points before this spell ends, you can use a bonus action on a subsequent turn of yours to curse a new creature. Next she cast Eldritch Blast on the Acolyte. E l d r i t c h B l a s t Evocation cantrip Casting Time: 1 action Range: 120 feet Components: V, S Duration: Instantaneous A beam o f crackling energy streaks toward a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1dlO force damage. The cleric had bless on the party giving her +1d4 to her attack rolls. She hits the Acolyte, does 1d10 + 1d6 necrotic from the hex, killing the acolyte. That in turn triggers her Fiend giving her +3 for her Charisma modifier and +2 for her level, totaling +5 bonus Hit Points. Next round she does the same thing. The 1d10 + 1d6 is enough damage in most cases to kill on the first round or easily kill an already wounded creature. Her bonus hit points continue to build and she ends the fight with something like +20. I really hope we are playing this wrong because if not that's a seriously broken mechanic imo. At low levels it makes the warlock pretty much invincible unless I unfairly target her. These are the types of mechanics which make me not like the system in general as they really work to take the challenge away from the players. If anyone wants to chime in about if we are playing this properly go ahead. If anyone wants to criticize my dislike of the system as a whole, keep it to yourself
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Post by Meph on Nov 11, 2015 1:59:27 GMT
Thankfully someone on another forum pointed me to page 198 of the PHB which states...
Healing can't restore temporary hit points, and they can't be added together. If you have temporary hit points and receive more of them, you decide whether to keep the ones you have or gain the new ones. For example, if a spell grants you 12 temporary hit points when already have 10, you can have 12 or 10, not 22.
THat makes it much better.
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Post by DnDPaladin on Nov 11, 2015 9:37:41 GMT
if you think thats abusive... wait till you figure out that she can add her charisma bonus to her eldritch blast damage and that eldritch blast gains more rays as she levels, making her add up to 4-5 times her charism bonus to damage. making a sinple cantrip able to hit well over the normality of any other cantrips in existence. not to mention any characters only need 2 level of warlock to do that. seriously... the warlocks OP and is clearly the best spell caster in the book. but thats still manageable, unlike the unkillable druids of the moons.
like the story, not a fan of premade adventures... but i must say they are awesome story wise. can't wait for the next part.
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Post by Meph on Dec 13, 2015 20:12:59 GMT
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