Red Hand of Doom 3.5 OOC Thread III

[Dexam]

Given that it's sunset, I say we get a couple of hours travel in while it's relatively cool, then rest. Plus, that bonfire could potentially attract some unwanted attention; best we put some distance between us and it.

[Saintheart]

Well, I'm not seeing a tremendous amount of objections either way here, so we'll take it from here that the circus transfers a couple of hours down the road before turning in. What are you doing with the hobgoblin prisoner? Is he being let go?


(Also, we'll rule that Aeric uses his artificer's monocle on the remaining magic items that haven't yet been identified. This brings the full sets of gear recovered to the following:)

12xRune of True Strike
1xRune of Haste
3xRune of Conviction CL 6
1xRune of Divine Favor CL 9
7xRune of Cure Moderate Wounds
3xRune of Hunter’s Mercy
1xPotion of Cure Serious Wounds (Arendi recognises this without a check.)
2xRestful Armor Crystals (these were on the ogres' armor)
2xSpiked Half Plate (Large)
2xMorningstar (Large)
2xMasterwork Broadblade Shortswords
6xHandaxes
6xLongbows
2xCalled Full Plate +1. Called armor is armor that can be donned as a standard action a la Tony Stark's suits in Iron Man 3. Unfortunately, Aeric also discovers that these two sets of armor are specifically ensorcelled to only function for a hobgoblin wearer, meaning it's otherwise just plain old Masterwork Full Plate (and kind of chafes in the ... uh ... lower hips area, too). Which is to say that if sold it won't fetch full price that a normal set of armor would.
6xStudded Leather Armor
2xHeavy Steel Shield (Large)
2xHeavy Steel Shield
6xHeavy Wooden Shield
2xCloaks of Resistance +1

6xBedrolls
Inedible hobgoblin rations
Flint & Tinder
8xWaterskins
Mundane knife x4
3 rocks

[Metastachydium]

What are you doing with the hobgoblin prisoner? Is he being let go?

We absolutely shouldn't and M. will vehemently object if anyone suggests that – for whatever that's worth; as you put it yourself earlier, she's so stupidly Lawful that she'll pretty much accept what the Circus in general and Alastor in particular decide. There is, perhaps, a related, broader and more pressing point of contention: where's the party even headed now? Onwards after Saarvith or onwards to Rethmar?

12xRune of True Strike
1xRune of Haste
3xRune of Conviction CL 6
1xRune of Divine Favor CL 9
7xRune of Cure Moderate Wounds
3xRune of Hunter’s Mercy

Neat! Can I have some of the CMW runes? Mikolt's Fussy flaw means that she mixes poorly with potions.

1xPotion of Cure Serious Wounds (Arendi recognises this without a check.)
2xRestful Armor Crystals (these were on the ogres' armor)

Hah! I told you guys the ogres sleeping in armour is good news for us!

2xSpiked Half Plate (Large)
2xMorningstar (Large)

Do we have any reason not to sunder these and throw them into the bog?

Inedible hobgoblin rations

Can the hobgoblin eat the inedible hobgoblin rations?

3 rocks

I assume we're keeping these?

[Aracor]

You can certainly grab some of the runes. The way Saintheart rules, you're allowed to activate multiple runes with the same standard action, so it's definitely advantageous to grab at least a couple of them.

[danielxcutter]

And you don't need UMD to activate them either. They're more like potions, not scrolls.

[Dexam]

Just a head's up: I will be away on holiday for a few days and I don't know if I'll have internet access where I'm staying. If I don't post before then, everyone have a happy new year

[Saintheart]

Well folks, I hope the season was merry and featured lots of eating. :)

So getting back to this, whilst I can proceed on the basis that the party basically wanders back down the road for a couple of hours before camping for the night, what's going on with respect to:

(a) the hobgoblin prisoner you've got (yes, he can eat his own rations. No, 'inedible hobgoblin rations' does not mean the hobgoblin is edible under normal circumstances, but let's not raise that possibility again... and
(b) what are you doing now, i.e. are you heading back to Rethmar or going to try and find Saarvith, as some suggested further up?


Once we've got a general sense of what people are doing with this, I can move on more fully.

[Metastachydium]

Well folks, I hope the season was merry and featured lots of eating. :)

Why, yes, more than it should have, even! Allow me to express the same hopes!

(a) the hobgoblin prisoner you've got

Drag the feller along all the way back to civilization, I say!

No, 'inedible hobgoblin rations' does not mean the hobgoblin is edible under normal circumstances, but let's not raise that possibility again...

Well, the ones we roasted might be a tad overcooked at this point anyway.

(b) what are you doing now, i.e. are you heading back to Rethmar or going to try and find Saarvith, as some suggested further up?

For the record, Mikolt would advocate backtracking for at least as long as a Rethmar patrol who can take over the prisoner is met. And, of course, she still wants to reach Rethmar as soon as possible for reasons (still, do note that in the strictest technical sense, her oath only binds her to the Circus until their shared destination is reached; we might need contingencies in place for that).

[danielxcutter]

Arendi doesn’t like the hobgoblin but isn’t going to murder him in cold blood either, especially since Mikolt wants to drop him off with the authorities(who will likely execute him anyways).

He’d say Rethmar first, then go hit the other gobbos if necessary. Don’t Mikolt and Vokon still have major Wisdom drain?

[Metastachydium]

Don’t Mikolt and Vokon still have major Wisdom drain?

Yes, they still have their Wisdom drain, although only Vokon's is what I'd call major; Mikolt's four points lost are manageable.

[Aracor]

Vokon is cool with murdering him in cold blood. He tried to kill us. He lost. And he admitted that he'd try again if and when he gets back and gets re-armed.

[Alhallor]

Merryment and food has been had all around.

Regarding the prisoner: Calyd would kinda like to let him go, giving us kind of a morale victory. We are so powerful we can just let him go and don't have to worry about him, which may plant a seed of doubt in him when he have time to ponder getting back to his army. Though he may just be way to indoctrinated to harbor doubts.

Let's throw him to the nearest authorities, it's probaby easier that way.

Getting towards Rethmar is probably the faster approach, perhaps we can even find someone there that can get a message towards Saarvith.

Also what are the inedible hobgoblin rations? What does that entail? (rotten meat? Strange mushrooms?)

If no one has any objections Calyd is gonna bind our prisoner (he just takes 10 for a 15).

[danielxcutter]

I thought the joke was that "hobgoblin rations" meant eating him.

[Saintheart]

Okay, given what's been said I'm going to assume the hobgoblin at least makes it with you to your campsite for the night without being executed. This will be a couple of hours back southward down the trail.


In terms of procedures and housekeeping:

(1) Arendi prays for spells at sunset, so will need to pick his incantations again. Any other spells to be cast in the meantime, let me know.

(2) The party forages for food, but that's kind of tough to do in the nighttime hours. Even potable water's unable to be found: everyone fails their foraging rolls, meaning waterskins are emptied (Alastor has 2 of them, which goes to 1) and everyone consumes 1 trail ration. I make the ration counts after that to be:
Keda: N/A
Arendi: 7
Alastor: 45
Vokon: 15
Calyd: 1
Mikolt: 4

All waterskins are empty, as said.

(3) Whatever else happens, during the night the Complication Pool ticks over again, and so it's time to roll ...

Spoiler: For the drama

Show

(1d6)[1]
(1d6)[3]
(1d6)[5]
(1d6)[3]
(1d6)[6]
(1d6)[3]

EDIT: Oh dear. '1' result, so a Complication happens. I'll go and do an update now ...

[Metastachydium]

…
Oops, I suppose? It's a good thing Alastor's loud as all nine hells.

[Dexam]

Hmm... Keda doesn't need to sleep, though he does need to rest; did he notice anything?

[Saintheart]

Hmm... Keda doesn't need to sleep, though he does need to rest; did he notice anything?

Not the hobgoblin's efforts to free himself, but we can say he's awake and sort-of meditating or similar and thus at least ready to go when the hobgoblin is first heard crashing through the trees beyond the campsite. So, yeah.

[danielxcutter]

Alright, rolling for health... should have done this earlier, but was preoccupied.

(1d8)[4]

Say, has my Dex been healed since?

[Saintheart]

Aeric I think healed you for 4 DEX damage if I remember right, but since he doesn't pray for spells at sundown that's likely all you get until sunup, absent natural healing that is.

[danielxcutter]

Ah. I believe the proper response is "buggrit".

Hey, do I get my spells refreshed?

[Saintheart]

Ah. I believe the proper response is "buggrit".

Hey, do I get my spells refreshed?

Yep, sunset passed so make new spell selections by all means.

[Metastachydium]

Has anyone seen King lately, by the way?

[Saintheart]

I'll reach out and see.

In other unrelated news, the next monster you'll be facing will be called the HasbroWOTC, with a OGL 1.1 attack carrying a +200 bonus, doing 600d8 damage, and with an AC of "We want to create a fun and inclusive space where we can monetise the snot out of our userbase."

[danielxcutter]

I'll reach out and see.

In other unrelated news, the next monster you'll be facing will be called the HasbroWOTC, with a OGL 1.1 attack carrying a +200 bonus, doing 600d8 damage, and with an AC of "We want to create a fun and inclusive space where we can monetise the snot out of our userbase."

[Metastachydium]

In other unrelated news, the next monster you'll be facing will be called the HasbroWOTC, with a OGL 1.1 attack carrying a +200 bonus, doing 600d8 damage, and with an AC of "We want to create a fun and inclusive space where we can monetise the snot out of our userbase."

We should be fine. They have an incredibly thick skin, which is natural armour, so touch attacks should bypass it alright.

[danielxcutter]

Yeah but they also have a lot of money, so in legal courts they have an effect that duplicates Scintillating Scales and converts it into deflection.

[Saintheart]

In other news involving something other than the potential obliteration of entire ecosystems of third party publishers, I haven't had any response back from A.A.King as yet, and he hasn't been online since early December by the look of it. Won't do anything dire just yet, but shall I take it from the group response that it's likely Keda will alert everyone, and go personally chasing after the hobgoblin into the jungle?

[danielxcutter]

...Probably?

[Alhallor]

Calyd is ill equipped with following Keda and will ready himself when woken up. (He doesn't sleep in his armor should it come up, but if he's waken he puts it on). He then draws his glaive and casts a light spell on it, puts it in a blanket (to dampen the light) and waits.

[Metastachydium]

Let's do that for now, I say.