Guess who saved Gildere....again

So we set out from the city. We were already warned that for the next month and a half or so, our travels are going to be marred by a lacivious amount of undead. About 80% of this continent is covered in some form of undead. It's a good thing we have a paladin with us. The drawback is that he's a beacon and draws the undead in. He's got a cloak that masks his appearance a bit, but his protection from evil aura still irriadiates.

We are moving along, slower then usual because we have to stay within a certain range of Baldin to get the benefits of his aura. About 2 hours out, we camp for the night.

I awake to a shrill scream and open my eyes just in time to see Gildere take off running like a little school girl...right into the numerous skeletons and zombies that are being kept at bay by the aura. "Great," I think to myself, "not again."

I stand up, see two ghosts fighting Baldin, luckily, I'm not a little school girl. Start to rise off the ground and take after Gildere. I go buff, pick his screaming ass up about 230 feet from the camp. As I was flying after him, I heard voices gaining on me...while I was flying.

When I flipped around to fly him back to the camp (still kicking and screaming), I'm standing face to face with two flying human looking things (later I would find out they were vampires). I prepare to dimension door back to the camp, when a flash of light shines from behind me and disintegrates them both.

I choke a bit on the dust as it spewed towards me and bring Gildere back to the camp. After he settles down, I remarked "How many more times am I gonna have to save yer butt."

Patch 1.2

From our fearless (He is, believe me..) DM:

Paladins - Dispel Evil changed to a once per day ability
Warriors - Working as intended
Thieves - Some ability losses due to the implementation of Hero Points
Mages - See Below


I've been toying with something new and I decided to give it a try, you guys get to be my guinea pigs.

Without the restriction of spell components, spell interruption and a few other things mages quickly become very powerful. It gives the impression that burning through every spell possible is fine cause in less that 24 hrs I get them all back. There are a few ways to change this.

One, I could start with spell interruption. For example, you want to cast a fireball, roll a d10 and add the casting time of the spell. If you get hit by any attack during the 3 numbers that you are casting on the spell is lost. So say you roll a 5, the spell goes off at 8 with the casting time of 3. During 5,6, or 7 if you take a hit the spell is lost.

Two, I could actually make you use components. This would mean you have to keep track of every single spell component and how much you have of each. Most components are consumed during the casting of the spell so you have to know how many of every one you have. Even with a bag of holding to hold them all it takes time to call them to the top and get them. This is more cumbersome than anything else but it would slow down casting and eventually you will go to cast something and be out of the reagents for it.

Three, memorization. There are many ways to do this, the way that I have found I like most is as follows. Every spell level takes 2 turns (20min) to memorize. You want to memorize magic missile, spend 20min. You want to memorize fireball, spend an hour. What this does is effectively lower the number of spells you have over the course of a short period of time. There are only x number of hours in the day that you can memorize things. So it means that if you burn through 20 spells in one day, It's gonna take a few days to just get all those back.

I'm very much against option 2, I think it would just bog things down and be annoying. Option 1 while relatively simple isn't as effective as others and also adds a lot more math into combat which can slow things down tremendously. Starting next Sunday we are going to start playing with option 3. That means if you cast 2 3rd, 1 4th, 2 5th and a 7th level spell, it will take you 9 hrs to memorize all of those back. Memorization can only be accomplished in a quiet environment. Normally camp time overnight is 10 hrs, a max of 4 of those can be spend memorizing.

Attention All Heroes!!!

The test realm is now open!! Through extensive game testing it was determined that the original Hero Point system was flawed.

Below is the new 'test' hero point system. The number of points one may use during an adventure remain 1 per 10 levels. Hero

Points will regen at the start of every week. Keep in mind these are still on the test server so these may not go into a patch. While

In testing though feel free to use them.

FYI - Rumor has it patch 1.2 will be released soon

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Fighters:
Weapon Familiarity - No longer crit fail with weapon of choice
Duration - Last for 1 battle

Anticipation - By holding init until after your opponent goes you gain +2 to hit and -2 ac for that round
Duration - Last for 1 battle, can be used on any round

Last Stand - When reduced to negative hps a regular con check is made for full actions the following round
Duration - Last for 1 round

Death Wish - By leaving yourself open to retaliation you may add any number of current hps directly to damage
Duration - Last for 1 swing, may be used after a hit roll is made

Recklessness - +3 hit, +3 dam, -4 ac, no dex bonus
Duration - Last for 1 battle, once turned on must be used for the duration of the fight


Paladins:
Conviction - Immune to Fear/Charm and mind altering spells
Duration - Last for 1 battle

Improved Lay on Hands - LoH heals 4 pts per level
Duration - Must be used immediately

Rightiousness - May cast 1 additional spell per spell level
Duration - Last for 1 hr, after that time spells are then lost

Intercept - At the cost of one attack the following round you make take a hit for an ally if they are within range
Duration - Last for 1 battle

Divine Favor - Gain +1 to any 2 stats
Duration - Last for 1 battle

Thieves
Seal Fate - Attacks Crit on a 19-20
Duration - Last for 1 round

Lethality - For every 2 points above the number needed to hit add 1 damage
Duration - Last for 1 battle

Evasion - Double the ac bonus for tumbling
Duration - Last for 1 round

Opportunity - While using the tumbling proficiency an attack may still be made at -4 to hit.
Duration - Last for 1 round

Ruthlessness - +5 damage on every successful hit
Duration - Last for 1 battle

Mages
Arcane Power - All spells have a chance to crit. Crit damage is 33% more than normal damage.
Duration - Last for 1 round

Signature Spell - Any one spell can be designated as a signature spell, the casting time for this spell is reduced to 0
Duration - Last for 1 battle

Spell Focus - Spells have 25% more range and duration
Duration - Last for 2 rounds

Meditation - 8 hrs spent in a meditative state reduce memorization times by half and double natural healing for that night
Duration - Lasts for 1 night

Arcane Immunity - Magic resistance equal to half your level
Duration - Lasts for 1 round

Elementals and Pavillions

Strangest thing this week in the waste. We ran across a man who claimed he was from the Black Tower. He was sitting, alone, in a pavillion. With a feast, and a table. We sparred with him, and had a conversation. Gildere had a confrontation with the man, and I confronted him on the spot. He was taking the (apparent) imprisonment of Gabriel very personally and to heart. That, however, is not the immediate need of the group, or the world.

The day after that, in our travels along the road, we ran into 6 Earth Elementals and 4 Air Elementals. I personally destroyed 3 of the Earth beasts, and Baldin finished off the rest. After a short rest, we're back on our way...

Starting back up

We're camped in the mountains. The run-in with the giants was an interesting first test of the group's cohesiveness. Having the issue with the Fireball just proves we have a long way to go until we're a team. Hopefully these issues can be taken care of before we have to face the foe that's on the horizon.

Boulder Dodger at Large

We set out from the Dwarven City to traverse the Mountains of Fir. The snow has fallen and laid across the landscape. As we happened upon a ravine, the order is Baldin, Terra, Me, Endel, and then Gildere saw something move along the top and the snow rustled.

Before I knew what was happening, a boulder was hurled at me and knocked me from my mount. I get my wits about me, glance at the top of the ravine and notice 5 Frost Giants hurling boulders at the party. The walls of the ravine are sheer and straight up. My first instinct is to just try and burrow in the snow and wait it out. I hope back on the pony and we begin to make our way up the ravine as fast as we can without putting either in danger. Then it happens...I feel like I am able to bend time and space.

A boulder hurtles past me on our right, a second one comes the same way, but this one lands right in front of us and kicks up the snow in front of us. We veer to the right and a boulder hurtles right towards us, but a 4th one shows and KNOCKS THAT ONE AWAY.

I don't know what to say. I must have a gift, I don't always show it, but every once in awhile, it appears. We make quick work of the frost giants (well, after I get to the end of the ravine and back up the side). I get behind one, and bring it within an inch of its life. The rest of the crew takes care of the remaining 4 and Endel breathes on the one I'm wrecking and it falls over dead. It figures.

A Letter Arrives...

After reading the letter, I flip the courier boy some silver and thank him for his services. I take a peak inside the box and sure enough, there is a beaker with some liquid in it. I quickly close the box, tell my trusted manager, Righim, that I would take leave and retire to my quarters.

I head down the hall of the biggest Platinum Halfling in the capital city, unlock the door, and enter my room. It looks just like any other room in the inn, yet the keyhole appears to be a cross rather than just a regular keyhole. I close the door behind me and glance around the room. Everything is in its rightful place. I crack a smile as my eyes cross my Pip Willow Titch First Edition on the shelf. "Those were the days," I think to myself.

I head over to the wall where the picture of Bolos Keep hangs. I slide the picture to the side to reveal 4 separate dials. I turn them in sequence and the bookcase on the opposite wall slides to the right. I enter the small room. In the room there is a table with stacks of uncounted gold. On one wall, a cloak hangs, it has a pitch black color to it. Next to that, a leather satchel hangs from a peg, it shares the color of the cloak. A shelf is over the table with what appears to be a branch that is mounted on a plaque. I head over to a chest that was on the opposite wall of the table. I pull the chair from the table up to the chest, unlock the chest and open it.

I reach in and pull out a sheathed short sword and think to myself, "It's time...I've missed them and am ready to re-embark on my life. This is precisely what I need."

The Intro...

Scanning the village from the hilltop, he breathed his first breath in five thousand years. Now that he finally understood what true peace was he knew what he had to do. Raising his hands the ground began to shudder, clawing their way to the surface were skeletons by the hundreds. They pushed into town, destroying anything they came across. Three strangers from the inn made their way through them with ease, cutting down the skeletons and advancing towards the hilltop. As they got close enough they told him to stop, but they just didn't understand. He was doing this for their own good. Throwing back the hood of his robe they gasped. Waving his left hand he summoned his warlord. Twisted by hate and infused with power the behemoth strode towards the three. In a matter of seconds it was over. The giant turned towards his master for a moment.

"When this is over, you will honor you promise or so help me no force on earth will be able to protect you from my wrath."

"Of course I will" he cooed, "but now, we have work to do."

The two started walking into town to finish what was started.

---

In a place removed from time and space a council was being held. Arch-Magi from a dozen worlds were present, with more than a few noticeable abscesses.

"That's 17 worlds so far, completely destroyed" exclaimed one member. "He must be stopped!!"
"But we have tried" commented another, "how many more of us must die before we realize this isn't some idle threat"

Silence descended on the room as Forge rose to his feet.

"There is another way."

The room hung in a strained silence before one man spoke…

"But that isn't our way Forge. We were selected for things like this. It is not only our responsibility it is our purpose!"

"Yes," replied Forge "but our numbers have been cut in half. How much more proof do you need that this foe is beyond us? Would you see our kind completely annihilated before admitting there are some things that even we cannot do?" Turning to his right he spoke softly…

"Go Terra, find the Malkeri and gather your companions. Tell him to find Gabriel and seek his help, for he may have knowledge that can save us. And make haste, for the destroyer has come to Midkemia"