OOC III

[Zhym]

BTW, what's the range of an eagle? I'm wondering if we couldn't locate Town No Go just by Hellebore asking the eagle to look for anything like a town "nearby" (which, to an eagle, I think translates to "within a few miles of here").

[AleBelly]

The others will have noticed from the goblin expedition that the raven has typically been sent out for scouting. Not that the eagle couldn't do it...

If it looks like a plan is still evolving, I'll wait to update until it is complete.

Right now it looks like Hellebore, Tempus and Lorilee are scouting ahead. I'll need to know how far ahead. Canines aren't particularly stealthy - although they move quietly they tend to growl or bark at potential threats. So what is the plan for them?

[Zhym]

An alternate plan would be to have druid Hellebore and ranger Angus scout ahead with the animals and not be quite as worried about stealth.

Oh, and I think Arnulf's plan to look at what's in the scroll case before leaving is a good one. We've shown a remarkable lack of curiosity about the source of the vultures' meal.

[Marullus]

So, the halflings and elves need to be more than 90' from the others, but then get a 4-in-6 chance of catching others by surprise. Arlandria and Hellebore have been doing this on every outing so far and it has actually saved the party several times, because she uses her surprise round to come back and warn the others, preventing them from being caught unaware. The only difference right now is that we have three PCs who can perform this role together (and might have a more tactical option).

The raven is trained to scout. It has a movement rate of 360' compared to 90' for the Halfling, so it covers ground much faster. It is trained to range ahead in a wide arc, circling back, and identifying anything that is a threat or man-made structure, helping us be much more efficient in our exploring of hexes on this map. (On the way to the tower, the GM noted that we zig zagged a bit, visiting a number of unremarkable abandoned farmhouses, which was the result of this.) The eagle, on the other hand, is a big, dumb brute who doesn't even understand having a name. He's armed overwatch to help us in a fight, but Hellebore doesn't trust him to scout. He can fight and is trained to bring back game-meat to help with feeding Hellebore's other pets.

I think we should have Arnulf check the scrollcase before heading out.

My suggestion is: Tempus, Hellebore, and Lorelei range about 100' ahead of the group to watch for trouble. The raven scouts its arc to identify potential areas of interest and help us direct our route. Fluffy and Redfang stay with Chet in the larger group. We head southeast for a few hours, then swing west, then northeast back to the tower by nightfall.

Alternatively, we range southeast, then southwest, covering an arc of territory but without intent to return to the tower by nightfall. Instead, we try to intersect the trail so we can stay overnight with the Sambords. Hellebore DID promise to return to check on the other survivors of the slave camps.

[Zhym]

Speaking of the Sambords: who are the persona non grata there in our party? I'm trying to remember if Elf Bitch was one of the reasons we were avoiding going back there, or if it was someone else in our party who had reason not to want to be there.

Your plan sounds good to me, BTW.

[Zorroroaster]

Thirded. I like it.

Arnulf will check the case. Gingerly. With great care, even.

[Storm11]

Sounds good to Me too

[Zhym]

Speaking of the Sambords: who are the persona non grata there in our party? I'm trying to remember if Elf Bitch was one of the reasons we were avoiding going back there, or if it was someone else in our party who had reason not to want to be there.

The search function is my friend.

viewtopic.php?f=176&t=4495&p=203729#p203722:

Coming at this game late, I do wonder why the party doesn't just make Sambord its home base. They seem friendlier and much less bossy.

Because Ilfrien tried her level best to kill one of the leaders of Sambord on their first meeting, and she's not the type to let anyone forget that or admit that it was a mistake...

With Ilfrien back at Alleborg getting a "wardrobe change," it sounds like there's nothing stopping us from dropping by Sambord now.

[Zorroroaster]

The only member of the Bunker raid that's with us is Hyde, and I think he had been put to sleep.

It was Eduard, Yana, Korok, Ilfrien, Hyde, and Arlandria.

Should be ok.

[Inferno]

Sambord option sounds good.

[onlyme]

dandelion is fine with that. She may find some rich benefactor for her entertainment career.

[Marullus]

It is the second of Glowinghearth to the 18th of Hewing. So, it is only about six weeks since we rescued Arnulf and returned the prisoners to the Sambords. It is still deep winter.

There is a risk associated here, however. If we suspect Town No Go is hostile and/or the home of Trona, having the loud party may draw more attention - attention breather than our collective group can handle. Having the sneaky party without back-up, though, may result in death or capture from even a small guard party. We need to decide how we want to balance that.

[Storm11]

Having the sneaky party range out some 60' from each other might stop everyone being targeted at once, and could offer the chance for a quick rescue by the others should something befall the lead scout perhaps. Hand signals and animal calls for signs could be a good way to communicate various things to each other.

[Marullus]

How sneaky is Angus, and how good at spotting ambush as a Ranger? Would having he and an invisible friend also range be advisable?

It seems that Arnulf might be the most vulnerable party member - just letting him stay invisible but with the main group could be good, just to protect him.

If we suspect Trona of being at Town No Go, then we will likely face evil clerics and undead. Fanning out to avoid spells is good. Yenny is likely a central MVP as our only person with Turning ability.

Having the sneaky party range out some 60' from each other might stop everyone being targeted at once, and could offer the chance for a quick rescue by the others should something befall the lead scout perhaps. Hand signals and animal calls for signs could be a good way to communicate various things to each other.

That all sounds good to me.

[enn.in.me]

It's all crazy complicated, and I'm totally game. Perhaps the non-sneaky group can plan an ambush in case the sneaky group gets noticed and chased. If we keep a druid with us, the ambush could include entanglement, and of perhaps sleep could be involved if they aren't undead.

[Zhym]

Rangers get a surprise bonus, though it's not as good as what Hellebore gets as a halfling. Angus's chance of being surprised is 1/6 and he surprises on 3-6. That doesn't depend BtB on wearing non-metal armor, although of course AleBelly's rules might differ. The real problem is that Angus isn't a halfling or elf and would kill Hellebore's surprise bonus (unless making him invisible would let the others keep their surprise bonus?).

[AleBelly]

No, the surprise rules stand no matter what armor the ranger is wearing. Unless, of course, the armor includes squeaky clown shoes.

[Zorroroaster]

Squeeeeeak.

"What in tarnation?"

[Zorroroaster]

I know Arnulf is squishy, but I'd rather not use the Invisibility just to keep him safe. Better to use it for something tangible. Goal-oriented. Useful, even.

As long as we proceed with good caution, between the bird and the advance scouts I think we're unlikely to get jumped.

What could possibly go wrong?

[Zhym]

Squeeeeeak.

"What in tarnation?"