Should we ask the ghost as well? The one who promised to help fill in the maps and stuff.
Speaking of that - we should copy a map and color in some areas to either ignore or focus on. As in create a plan :)
Rodolfo will volunteer for this part, he's been itching to use his brains and skills instead of barely avoiding death all the time.
Also - figure out what we need to do should we find these symbols.
The Ghost... Burrow Warden Jaeger? Did he promise to fill in maps? I don't recall anymore.
You want to copy a map and color in what areas? Outside Blingdenstone, where you plan to search for Entremoch's Boon?
Yes, yes.
And yes to copy a map of the surrounding area or as much of one as there is. And then go over these with Orubis and Grithic to see if they recall where they have seen these symbols before.
Orubis, being from Blingdenstone, has explored the entire surroundings around Blingdenstone. However, Grithik arrived at Blingdenstone recently, from the direction of Gracklstugh. Neither can recall with enough certainty to travel directly to one of those markers, but between the two they can narrow down the direction of the search. (Will grant rolls to be made with advantage).
As for the map and Burrow Warden Jaeger, I'm not sure what you want.
I have posted a map HERE that shows most of Blingdenstone. All that is missing from that map is a bit of Inner Blingdenstone (bottom left) and the maze that serves as a defense between the inner city and the outer gate.
Your party would have seen a complete map of Blingdenstone during the council meeting, as the council worked on their strategy for pushing out the Pudding King from Blingdenstone.
As for the map and Burrow Warden Jaeger, I'm not sure what you want.
I have posted a map HERE that shows most of Blingdenstone. All that is missing from that map is a bit of Inner Blingdenstone (bottom left) and the maze that serves as a defense between the inner city and the outer gate.
Your party would have seen a complete map of Blingdenstone during the council meeting, as the council worked on their strategy for pushing out the Pudding King from Blingdenstone.
Aha, OK. I understood that we should be looking further afield for it.
As for the map and Burrow Warden Jaeger, I'm not sure what you want.
...
Also, you can all level up (to level 6) as you prepare to head out to find Entremoch's Boon.
For asking the Warden, if he remembers any areas stronger in elemental magic, or places they stayed away from due to unusual events. Things that might match what Nomi has suggested, even though it wasn't called Boon or Bane when the Warden was alive.
Or if he remembers seeing a location with that symbol anywhere. (I don't think we asked that before.)
Guessing the answer is "no", but don't want to leave any source of info unchecked, before the party heads out.
After asking the Warden, we should do the long rest (and level up). Then head out, although I don't have any strong ideas of where to look.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM) Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy) DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
When you ask Burrow Warden Jaeger about 'areas stronger in elemental magic', he quickly replies that the Stoneheart Enclave do know of such a place where Entremoch has been summoned and the summoning infused the stones with elemental magic. He says he doesn't know where it is as only the priests made the expedition. But he knows that the priest would prepare enough provisions to travel for a couple days each way.
Checking with the DM about Optional Class Features (from TCoE)...
Can I switch to alternate Ranger features? "Favored Foe" will be better than "Favored Enemy".
I like some of the alternate spells for Rangers. "Gust of Wind" is on the list, so I could pick that on leveling up. Maybe that will work against the evil elemental cloud? ("The gust disperses gas or vapors.")
"Deft Explorer" would be better than "Natural Explorer", but the group has already benefitted from traveling in the Underdark, so I should leave that one alone.
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM) Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy) DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Checking with the DM about Optional Class Features (from TCoE)...
Can I switch to alternate Ranger features? "Favored Foe" will be better than "Favored Enemy".
I like some of the alternate spells for Rangers. "Gust of Wind" is on the list, so I could pick that on leveling up. Maybe that will work against the evil elemental cloud? ("The gust disperses gas or vapors.")
"Deft Explorer" would be better than "Natural Explorer", but the group has already benefitted from traveling in the Underdark, so I should leave that one alone.
Yes to Favored Foe.
Yes to Ranger spells from TCoE
No to Deft Explorer (you have benefited from Favored Terrain greatly, even if you don't know it, and will continue to benefit from it.)
Since two of you are new, I will recap how it used to work before I explain how I'm going to change it...
In Tier 1 play (levels 1-4), this module was supposed to have a 'survival' feel to it. The party escaped captivity with pretty much nothing. It was supposed to be a day by day struggle to stay fed, stay ahead of the Drow who were chasing, avoid the big bad Underdark monsters, navigate the underdark without getting lost and craft the bits and pieces that were necessary to survive. Travel progressed day by day, rolling survival to find food and water, rolling for encounters and so on. Seeing as I was running the module by XP based leveling, this was also necessary to provide the XP needed for level progression.
However, now the party is level 6 and the day to day struggles of feeding yourselves are resolved with magic for those days when foraging isn't sufficient enough. Dealing with travel the way it was done earlier in the module will just generate tedious encounters that mean nothing (assuming you get to long rest each day). And considering the pace of PBP, we'll be at this module for 10 years if I follow those mechanics.
I also switched this up for my live game. What I decided to do was to resolve travel by conceptualizing the entire journey (wherever you are traveling to) as a 'day of adventuring'.
IE: in the DMG, it suggests that a day consists of 3-4 encounters of varying difficulty with a couple short rests per day followed by a final long rest. So assuming we have to travel for a week, instead of doing 1-2 encounters per day followed by long rests, 7 times... I'm going to roll for random encounters until your objective is met (finding Entremoch's Boon in this instance). So you can end up going into the final encounter (which may not be combat, it depends on the scenario...) full of resources (if you roll well and don't get any encounters) or you can go into the final encounter after many encounters and short rests with depleted resources (spell slots and other abilities that only replenish on a long rest, depleted). Once your party completes (or fails) the objective, you will have returned back to Blingdenstone (in this case) and the time needed to travel the distance defined in the module will have elapsed.
This should greatly accelerate the progress through the campaign
Is the cliff "up" or "down" ? As in are we facing a wall where supposedly the path continues if we climb 80ft upwards? Or are we facing a drop-off and assume that after going down 80ft the path continues?
Ok so I can carry 540 pounds - but I can lift up to twice that much according to the rules - subtract the 96 pounds of gear I have and that's 444 (or 888 pounds lifting/pushing/dragging)
If we have enough rope, and I can spider climb to the top - it shouldn't be too much of a stretch that Skameros can pull people up the cliff to get past this.
Carrying Capacity. Your carrying capacity is your Strength score multiplied by 15. This is the weight (in pounds) that you can carry, which is high enough that most characters don't usually have to worry about it.
Push, Drag, or Lift. You can push, drag, or lift a weight in pounds up to twice your carrying capacity (or 30 times your Strength score). While pushing or dragging weight in excess of your carrying capacity, your speed drops to 5 feet.
Size and Strength. Larger creatures can bear more weight, whereas Tiny creatures can carry less. For each size category above Medium, double the creature's carrying capacity and the amount it can push, drag, or lift. For a Tiny creature, halve these weights.
Bugbear
Powerful Build
You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Yes, yes.
And yes to copy a map of the surrounding area or as much of one as there is. And then go over these with Orubis and Grithic to see if they recall where they have seen these symbols before.
Survival check to be able to return to the little triangle 'cairn'/'marker'.
Orubis, being from Blingdenstone, has explored the entire surroundings around Blingdenstone. However, Grithik arrived at Blingdenstone recently, from the direction of Gracklstugh. Neither can recall with enough certainty to travel directly to one of those markers, but between the two they can narrow down the direction of the search. (Will grant rolls to be made with advantage).
As for the map and Burrow Warden Jaeger, I'm not sure what you want.
I have posted a map HERE that shows most of Blingdenstone. All that is missing from that map is a bit of Inner Blingdenstone (bottom left) and the maze that serves as a defense between the inner city and the outer gate.
Your party would have seen a complete map of Blingdenstone during the council meeting, as the council worked on their strategy for pushing out the Pudding King from Blingdenstone.
Also, you can all level up (to level 6) as you prepare to head out to find Entremoch's Boon.
Aha, OK. I understood that we should be looking further afield for it.
Rodolfo would like to take 8 hours at one point to create his Transmuter Stone. Going with "resistance to acid".
For asking the Warden, if he remembers any areas stronger in elemental magic, or places they stayed away from due to unusual events.
Things that might match what Nomi has suggested, even though it wasn't called Boon or Bane when the Warden was alive.
Or if he remembers seeing a location with that symbol anywhere. (I don't think we asked that before.)
Guessing the answer is "no", but don't want to leave any source of info unchecked, before the party heads out.
After asking the Warden, we should do the long rest (and level up).
Then head out, although I don't have any strong ideas of where to look.
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec
Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM)
Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
When you ask Burrow Warden Jaeger about 'areas stronger in elemental magic', he quickly replies that the Stoneheart Enclave do know of such a place where Entremoch has been summoned and the summoning infused the stones with elemental magic. He says he doesn't know where it is as only the priests made the expedition. But he knows that the priest would prepare enough provisions to travel for a couple days each way.
Checking with the DM about Optional Class Features (from TCoE)...
Can I switch to alternate Ranger features?
"Favored Foe" will be better than "Favored Enemy".
I like some of the alternate spells for Rangers.
"Gust of Wind" is on the list, so I could pick that on leveling up. Maybe that will work against the evil elemental cloud?
("The gust disperses gas or vapors.")
"Deft Explorer" would be better than "Natural Explorer", but the group has already benefitted from traveling in the Underdark, so I should leave that one alone.
Beegred Thornpost - Lvl 8 Halfling Ranger - Out of the Abyss by Kerrec
Drusk - Lvl 8 Half-Orc Life Cleric - The Long Road: Dragon Heist by Mingofaust (player & current DM)
Hunferho Aelorothi - Lvl 5 Half-Elf Bard/Rogue - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
DM - Frontier City of Nunkreet (ended)
Yes to Favored Foe.
Yes to Ranger spells from TCoE
No to Deft Explorer (you have benefited from Favored Terrain greatly, even if you don't know it, and will continue to benefit from it.)
Sorry folks. Having young kids during COVID times really sucks. I will post and get things moving ASAP.
Not a problem at all, I have twins just shy of four years old and life is tough.
Mine are 5 and 3. So we're both in the same ballpark.
OK! Mechanics change incoming.
Since two of you are new, I will recap how it used to work before I explain how I'm going to change it...
In Tier 1 play (levels 1-4), this module was supposed to have a 'survival' feel to it. The party escaped captivity with pretty much nothing. It was supposed to be a day by day struggle to stay fed, stay ahead of the Drow who were chasing, avoid the big bad Underdark monsters, navigate the underdark without getting lost and craft the bits and pieces that were necessary to survive. Travel progressed day by day, rolling survival to find food and water, rolling for encounters and so on. Seeing as I was running the module by XP based leveling, this was also necessary to provide the XP needed for level progression.
However, now the party is level 6 and the day to day struggles of feeding yourselves are resolved with magic for those days when foraging isn't sufficient enough. Dealing with travel the way it was done earlier in the module will just generate tedious encounters that mean nothing (assuming you get to long rest each day). And considering the pace of PBP, we'll be at this module for 10 years if I follow those mechanics.
I also switched this up for my live game. What I decided to do was to resolve travel by conceptualizing the entire journey (wherever you are traveling to) as a 'day of adventuring'.
IE: in the DMG, it suggests that a day consists of 3-4 encounters of varying difficulty with a couple short rests per day followed by a final long rest. So assuming we have to travel for a week, instead of doing 1-2 encounters per day followed by long rests, 7 times... I'm going to roll for random encounters until your objective is met (finding Entremoch's Boon in this instance). So you can end up going into the final encounter (which may not be combat, it depends on the scenario...) full of resources (if you roll well and don't get any encounters) or you can go into the final encounter after many encounters and short rests with depleted resources (spell slots and other abilities that only replenish on a long rest, depleted). Once your party completes (or fails) the objective, you will have returned back to Blingdenstone (in this case) and the time needed to travel the distance defined in the module will have elapsed.
This should greatly accelerate the progress through the campaign
Orubis and Grithik lead the search for the Entremoch's Boon markers.
DC 20 (History or Survival) check to find the marker. Two characters roll in place of advantage (only need 1 success, same difference):
On a fail, roll for encounter: 8
Follow up encounter roll(s): 6
Is the cliff "up" or "down" ? As in are we facing a wall where supposedly the path continues if we climb 80ft upwards? Or are we facing a drop-off and assume that after going down 80ft the path continues?
Up. You need to climb to get to the top of the cliff.
Ok so I can carry 540 pounds - but I can lift up to twice that much according to the rules - subtract the 96 pounds of gear I have and that's 444 (or 888 pounds lifting/pushing/dragging)
If we have enough rope, and I can spider climb to the top - it shouldn't be too much of a stretch that Skameros can pull people up the cliff to get past this.
Carrying Capacity. Your carrying capacity is your Strength score multiplied by 15. This is the weight (in pounds) that you can carry, which is high enough that most characters don't usually have to worry about it.
Push, Drag, or Lift. You can push, drag, or lift a weight in pounds up to twice your carrying capacity (or 30 times your Strength score). While pushing or dragging weight in excess of your carrying capacity, your speed drops to 5 feet.
Size and Strength. Larger creatures can bear more weight, whereas Tiny creatures can carry less. For each size category above Medium, double the creature's carrying capacity and the amount it can push, drag, or lift. For a Tiny creature, halve these weights.
You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
Skameros - Bugbear Barbarian - Out of the Abyss - By Kerrec
Follow your Arrow where it Points - Tabaxi Monk - Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus (by Pokepaladdy)
Citron Pumpkinfoam - Fairy Monk - Project Point: Team Longsword
This will be resolved with 1 casting of spider climb. Does Rodolfo cast it?