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Was not sure if Innana was still mounted on Bliss with this last round, so had her hobble around.

TK, I think there might have been a miscommunication of intentions in the last round. My understanding was that Rhys was waiting until Lanny engaged the shaman directly (delaying his initiative if necessary) before moving around behind the gnoll for a +2 flanking attack from the rear. Lanny wanted to attack the shaman from the front and draw the shaman's full attention upon the elf (hence Lanny's battle cry) so that Lanny could use his shield to save himself from any potentially lethal strike (by having it splinter).

I guess this raises another game mechanics question: Can PCs declare a "delayed initiative" as part of their intention? (ie., to purposefully delay their own action until other specified PCs or monsters act in the round, thereby effectively lowering their place in the initiative order, even if they started out with a high initiative roll)? For example, I see that Rhys rolled a higher initiative roll than Lanny, but from Rhys's post it seems like he was waiting for Lanny to engage the gnoll before sneaking around and attacking it from behind. I don't think Rhys had any intention of attacking the creature first (or head-on), given that he is completely unarmored.

I'm going to let the results stand. You guys are out in the open, there's plenty of room to maneuver, so whilst it is possible for Rhys to perform the action as described it would also be totally possible for the gnoll to turn and attack Rhys. In addition, regardless of whether or not Lanny yelled a battlecry it is was Rhys who successfully hit the dude. So, technically, the gnoll's back is now turned to Lanny, and it remains to be seen whether he will turn to engage the elf or move forward to engage Drudsa and Semele who are rushing to Rhys' aid.

It is certainly possible to post "delayed" actions. These a)must be done prior to me rolling initiative and b)do not gain the +1 modifier I have been automatically applying to all PCs initiative. However, I would prefer if this was kept to a minimum. I have eight PCs and a henchman to keep track of, in addition to all the NPCs, and I quite frankly don't want to have to deal with eight different contingent posts.

For the record, I'm fine with how it played out.

That's how it is when you play... The Game Of Dice.

Fair enough, thank you for hearing me out TK, I just needed to make the case, as I was fully expecting Lanny to take the brunt of that attack from the shaman. I'll post IC shortly.

I do think there are certain circumstances when using delayed initiative is critical, though. A perfect example is the beginning of this battle with the gnolls. If the melee fighters did not delay their initiative and wait for the spellcasters (who might have had a lower initiative roll) to cast their spells, then the melee fighters could have been caught in the area effect of the Sleep spell. There are probably other situations where the exact timing of attacks is critical, though as you say these cases should be pretty rare.

Innana wrote:Innana the Fighter:

Innana points up at the sky, and looks in amazement, "Is that a flying cat?" (hopefully the gnolls follow her gaze). Innana intends to move in for a quick kill as they expose their necks. "Nope!, Innana spins in a spiral with her sword in full swing, "Just a couple of dying dogs!!" Innana intends to slice their necks on the tail end of her spiral turn.

Gotta love the "flying cat" trick!

sulldawga wrote:

Innana wrote:Innana the Fighter:

Innana points up at the sky, and looks in amazement, "Is that a flying cat?" (hopefully the gnolls follow her gaze). Innana intends to move in for a quick kill as they expose their necks. "Nope!, Innana spins in a spiral with her sword in full swing, "Just a couple of dying dogs!!" Innana intends to slice their necks on the tail end of her spiral turn.

Gotta love the "flying cat" trick!

Thanks Marodin. Innana thinks that those giggling dogs should not be the only ones getting a good laugh in, besides, if she dies, she wants you to remember her with a smile.

Alethan wrote:How many healing potions were we able to purchase before leaving? I know we took some hits, but maybe heading back to town so quickly isn't the best course of action. Might be a good idea to do a little healing and then see what else there is to see here. Leaving now, with maybe a few gnolls left inside, could give them plenty of time to get a lot of reinforcements and prepare for our return between now and the time we get back from healing... After drinking a healing potion, Rhys would still volunteer to get turned invisible and scout ahead inside the building for a bit. Oh, that reminds me... There should be another body inside the courtyard, shouldn't there?

@Al: Oleg had 3 healing potions and 1 fire resistance potion in stock, which we had agreed to purchase. But given that payment was not yet made, I am not sure if they are in our possession yet. I will refer that to TK.

Regarding returning to Threshold vs. entering the castle: The issue here is not so much the damage done, or even that our critical spells are depleted, so much as the apparent death of one of our companions, and the desire to return his body to Threshold for burial. This is not to say that Lanny cannot be convinced to continue on, especially if an imminent threat is identified, but it will certainly take some convincing. Right now, though, Lanny is unconscious, so he really has nothing to say about the matter.

I am taking this from the To Do thread:

Potion Requests for Oleg:
* Request for herbalist to make one potion of healing and one of antidote for every party member.
* Purchase three healing pots and one Fire Resist pot currently available (Lanny)

So, it sounds to me as if there was an order placed for 9 potions of healing and 9 antidotes, and that Lanny outright purchased the three potions of healing and the one Fire Resistance potion.

Costs and descriptions of the alchemical concoctions are below, quoted from page 28 of IC I:

Highstreet's concoctions will last for one month. We will assume this is one month from purchase. They do the following:
Potion of Health (200 gp):When consumed (and yes, they can be force-fed) the potion will heal 1d4+1 points of damage.
Antidote (175 gp):If taken within two rounds of coming in contact with non-magical poison the target is allowed a second saving throw with a +2 bonus.
Insect Repellent (200 gp):Normal or magical bugs will, unless magically compelled, ignore a character slathered in this greasy oil. Lasts for approximately one hour.
Fire Resistance (200 gp): The drinker of this potion becomes immune to normal fires and suffers one less point of damage per die done from a magical source (minimum one hp per die). Therefore, if hit by a fireball causing 6d6 points of damage, the result of each d6 would have 1 hp subtracted from it.

Ok cool, well, we can assume that the PCs have made a down payment on those potions and will pay the remainder when the rest of the order is complete. For now, I will add those 4 potions to the Treasure List so they are not forgotten. Please feel free to use one of them on Lanny (unless Marodin will be using CLW).

thirdkingdom wrote:So, if you guys order no more than six potions total, you're looking at three days. Between 7-12, let's say, it'll be a week. More than that is a 1.5 to 2 weeks.

Based on this previous post (IC VI, page 9), I believe that the maximum number of potions we can order and receive in a week's time is 12 (6 healing and 6 antidotes seems to be an appropriate mix).

thirdkingdom wrote:Both can use First Aid, and Semele can still cast an orison, I believe, that will heal 1 hp.

By the way, I meant to mention this earlier, but I think it would be to the party's great benefit if Marodin and Semele both had Cure Minor Wounds as at least one of their prepared orisons. That spell, unlike the First Aid skill, will both stabilize a dying character AND restore them to consciousness. Also, it cannot fail (unlike the First Aid skill), which is really important is failure means the death of a PC.

I figure if we do return to Threshold, we can expedite things by delivering the body straight to the church, spending the night at the inn, and then returning in the morning after preparing our spells for the day. Granted, we might have to face a random encounter on the journeys to/from the castle.

Also, I know we have yet to discuss what will be done with any of the gnolls that are currently sleeping or paralyzed, or with the items found on the shaman or chieftain. If we return to Threshold, we might bring the chieftain as a prisoner for interrogation by the authorities. The amulet bearing the same symbol as Elwyn's cult certainly raises some questions, but we must be very careful handling that item, as it might possess the person holding it as it did with Saul when we captured Elwyn's emissaries.

frobozz wrote:I figure if we do return to Threshold, we can expedite things by delivering the body straight to the church, spending the night at the inn, and then returning in the morning after preparing our spells for the day. Granted, we might have to face a random encounter on the journeys to/from the castle.

I think Rhys would agree to that plan.

He tends to be more philosophical about death, though. It's just the transition for the next great adventure...

Marodin thinks that we should bury Saul right where he is. He doesn't have any family in Threshold so there's no real point in taking him back. We can take his things back and send them to his next of kin after we're done with the gnoll hideout.

I'll make sure to adjust Marodin's and Semele's memorized orisons to add Cure Minor Wounds after our next rest.

I think we can question the hobgoblin ourselves and then execute him for his crimes. No need to cart him back to Threshold. There's no due process for these guys.

sulldawga wrote:Marodin thinks that we should bury Saul right where he is. He doesn't have any family in Threshold so there's no real point in taking him back. We can take his things back and send them to his next of kin after we're done with the gnoll hideout.

I'll make sure to adjust Marodin's and Semele's memorized orisons to add Cure Minor Wounds after our next rest.

I think we can question the hobgoblin ourselves and then execute him for his crimes. No need to cart him back to Threshold. There's no due process for these guys.

Oh, hmmm. Rhys would be MORE apt to go for this plan, though, were it explained to him that Saul has no family in Threshold. A stone cairn and a few kind words lingering in the air marks the resting place of many an adventurer...

Questions to pose to the hobgoblin:

How many more gnolls are there, either in the castle or on patrol?
Who else is in the castle?
What else is in the castle?
Why are you here? What's your mission?
What does that necklace the shaman wore represent?
Who do you take orders from?

I'd tell him if he answers truthfully, we'll give him a quick warrior's death right here. If not, we take him back to Threshold and he dies a long slow death there.

I think the party wants to go back to Threshold so let's go ahead and do that. I would like to see if we can charm the hobgoblin and see what he knows before we kill him though.

The more I think about it, the more I think we should stay. We shouldn't be running back to Threshold every time we get into one or two encounters. If we camp here for the night, we'll get some healing from that, and then there will be three more CLWs available for folks.

Saul will be ok with us spending an extra day examining the castle before we head back. And if we don't split the party up again, we'll be less likely to get as badly hurt as we just did.

A few quick words:

I certainly understand that most players (myself included) want to get back to the action at the castle as quickly as possible. I think our entire trip to Threshold could be summed up in a single DM post. This is what I had in mind:

1. Flaurmont 3 (today) - Bring Saul's body back to Threshold and simply deliver it to the church for burial (preferably waiting to handle his possessions until the castle adventure is complete).
2. Flaurmont 4 (tomorrow) - Cast the 3 Cure Light Wounds (1d6+1) on Bregalad/Lanny/Rhys, and the 5 Cure Minor Wounds on Innana (1 hp each). Additonally, every wounded PC will get back a total of 3 hp from rest (1 for overnighting on Flaurmont 3, and 2 for a full day's rest on Flaurmont 4).
3. Flaurmont 4 (tomorrow) - While the wounded are resting, Drudsa and Tratiln (with some armed support) can use Charm Person to question the hobgoblin just outside of town (using the same questions Marodin and Lanny have already put forward). The hobgoblin can then either be imprisoned in town, or else executed as quickly and painlessly as possible, depending on whether or not the information shows an imminent threat to Threshold. No excessive back and forth here - I am ok with TK deciding how much information the charmed hobgoblin will know and will share with his new "friends".
4. Flaurmont 5 - With the PCs now at (or near) maximum hp, and with a full stock of spells prepared for the day, the PCs depart at dawn for Castle Mistamere. They do not return again until the castle has been completely cleared.

frobozz wrote:A few quick words:

I certainly understand that most players (myself included) want to get back to the action at the castle as quickly as possible. I think our entire trip to Threshold could be summed up in a single DM post. This is what I had in mind:

1. Flaurmont 3 (today) - Bring Saul's body back to Threshold and simply deliver it to the church for burial (preferably waiting to handle his possessions until the castle adventure is complete).
2. Flaurmont 4 (tomorrow) - Cast the 3 Cure Light Wounds (1d6+1) on Bregalad/Lanny/Rhys, and the 5 Cure Minor Wounds on Innana (1 hp each). Additonally, every wounded PC will get back a total of 3 hp from rest (1 for overnighting on Flaurmont 3, and 2 for a full day's rest on Flaurmont 4).
3. Flaurmont 4 (tomorrow) - While the wounded are resting, Drudsa and Tratiln (with some armed support) can use Charm Person to question the hobgoblin just outside of town (using the same questions Marodin and Lanny have already put forward). The hobgoblin can then either be imprisoned in town, or else executed as quickly and painlessly as possible, depending on whether or not the information shows an imminent threat to Threshold. No excessive back and forth here - I am ok with TK deciding how much information the charmed hobgoblin will know and will share with his new "friends".
4. Flaurmont 5 - With the PCs now at (or near) maximum hp, and with a full stock of spells prepared for the day, the PCs depart at dawn for Castle Mistamere. They do not return again until the castle has been completely cleared.

Bregalad the elf

I like your plan, Lanny. Concerning the hobgoblin, though, Bregalad does not favor taking him back to Threshold.

I wonder, do the city authorities really want us to bring in prisoners such as this hobgoblin? If so, what would they do with him? I'd like to believe that they are not experts in torture. I recall, too, that someone said that he would be prosecuted and imprisoned or executed, but what crime would he be tried for? Defending his territory against would be raiders?

I'd rather we not take the role as self-proclaimed sheriffs of Threshold. But if we do, then I feel it should be officially sanctioned by the city government.

Finglas wrote:Bregalad the elf

I like your plan, Lanny. Concerning the hobgoblin, though, Bregalad does not favor taking him back to Threshold.

I wonder, do the city authorities really want us to bring in prisoners such as this hobgoblin? If so, what would they do with him? I'd like to believe that they are not experts in torture. I recall, too, that someone said that he would be prosecuted and imprisoned or executed, but what crime would he be tried for? Defending his territory against would be raiders?

I'd rather we not take the role as self-proclaimed sheriffs of Threshold. But if we do, then I feel it should be officially sanctioned by the city government.

Definitely a fair point, Finglas. I would suggest that, in most battles with humanoid monsters, Lanny would prefer not to take any prisoners (both for IC and OOC reasons). However, in this situation, he feels that something is seriously amiss. The reports we received were of a recent increase in humanoid activity in the area around the castle, so this is not likely the home of the gnolls or of this hobgoblin, but rather a base of operations from which to prepare an attack. Seeing the medallion of Elwyn's cult on the gnoll shaman is particularly troubling, especially given that we know that Elwyn and Bargle are plotting something big that could affect this region of the country, and that could very well involve the gnolls. True, I agree that it would be much better if we already had a Charm Person spell prepared so we could use it immediately, but as it is, we cannot cast it until either Drudsa or Tratiln (or both) prepare it tomorrow. Lanny does not favor getting the authorities in Threshold involved in this business at all... at least not yet. If we can handle it completely by ourselves, all the better (although, as Tratiln pointed out, we may need to store the hobgoblin in a cell in town until we get the Charm Person spells prepared - hopefully the town guard will allow this, given our stellar reputation as defenders of Threshold). Under no circumstances is Lanny suggesting that either the PCs or the town guard torture the prisoner to get information.

With all that said, I also understand Bregalad's desire to see justice done here and now. Lanny feels the same way, but he is concerned that there is a greater danger looming on the horizon, and that getting information now is critical.

Bregalad the elf

Thank you, for the explanation, Lanny!

Bregalad understands now. It is worth the risk to bring the hobgoblin in alive.