[DnD] Let's Cast Magic Missile!

I suspect that in this case, we're the dramatic cavalry, riding in to save the day at Lamid.

Still, I'm convinced there's something else in the house that bears searching for. Heck, if we can find a copy of the play, the quest is over, Lamid be damned.
Right Skex?

EDIT:

My EYES, do they deceive me? The entire party posted, one after the other, in less than half a day???

This is amazing. Saints be praised, we have a miracle!

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Surely putting an ever-burning torch in your pack would result in an unfortunate pack fire?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Nope. Pang is a kind DM and extinguishes any torches we put in our packs (like the burning torch Glock swiped from Murkelmor's house)

How ya doing, buddy?

Everburning torches don't actually issue heat for some reason.

Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by Zergrinch

Pang is a kind DM

LIES, DAMN LIES AND SLANDER

I was speaking idiomatically.

Any DM who does the following houserules:

1. Ability to use more than one daily item power per day
2. Free Rituals at the cost of a healing surge
3. Ability to Bluff for discounts
4. Ability to use more than one action point per encounter

Surely counts as kind and merciful

(Of course it is mitigated by the multi-staged level 9 encounters that he throws at us. And that Spitting Cobra Stance he deprived me of.)

Oh wait. Scratch that. He isn't kind and merciful after all!

Any ruling on the extension of component-free rituals towards Alchemical items* and an 80gp discount (equivalent to our most expensive owned ritual) to enchant item?

* Not that Gheth or I have any Alchemical formulas. Just asking, of course.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

The component cost of Alchemy or Creation is almost always equal to the cost in gold of buying the item outright, so making these practices component-free or component-reduced would be akin to just pouring gold bricks over your heads.

(I mean, without the attendant risk of concussion.)

What's to stop Gheth from making healing potions for free, selling them at 20%, and retiring on the literally infinite income stream thereby created?

The houserules aren't really intended to make things easier (although some of them surely do have this effect); they're intended to make otherwise-useless things more useful. And when all your resources are useful, that makes a more interesting game for everybody.

And as you note, it's extremely simple for me to compensate for any perceived reduction in difficulty.


V ahahaha yeah fixed

FELIPE NO

Was worth a try

Ah well, there goes my dream of free augmenting whetstones for life

Maybe you wanna update Gheth's wiki page with the formulaic practices for "Alchemist's Acid" and "Antivenom". I initially thought he forgot to pick some.

Also, just so y'all know why I put in that stuff about lumbago and hernias,

This content has been hidden by the poster

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Not exactly the highest quality scan ever, but it seems Players Handbook 3 has been leaked early.

Psionics and hybrids, rejoice!

Also, it looks like Gheth might want to swap out his Spear Expertise for the new Versatile Expertise feat come level 7:

VERSATILE EXPERTISE
Benefit: Choose a weapon group and an implement type. You gain a +1 feat bonus to attack rolls both when using a weapon from the chosen group and when using an implement of the chosen type. The bonus increases to +2 at 15th level and +3 at 25th level.
Special: You can take this feat more than once. Each time you take this feat, choose a different weapon group and a different implement type.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I know it's been a while since we've done a skill challenge (last time was on board the Rosy Dawn, I think!), so if you've got any basic questions about how they work feel free. Basically I just need each of you to make three skill checks, each of which you'll justify as being in some way relevant to the situation.

Trying a new system this time, it's a little more flexible and hopefully a little more fast-paced.

How ya doing, buddy?

Eek. Skill challenges, the bane of optimized combat characters!

So, do I make checks based on Cal's stats, or on the horsey's?

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Well that entirely depends on what you're trying to do, doesn't it? I mean being on a horse makes Stealth kind of tricky but I can see it being handy for some forms of Athletics.

Just go with what makes sense to you and I'll apply bonuses/penalties as appropriate. You won't really know for sure what worked until the challenge is over.

Originally Posted by Zergrinch

Eek. Skill challenges, the bane of optimized combat characters!

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Yeah, being mounted puts a damper on my preferred use of stealth. Oh well, let's wing it and see...

I guess it's too late to say I handed Radcliffe the sword, eh?

Also, have you received the PM I sent regarding Inventory categorization on the wiki?

Originally Posted by Pangalin

Luckily Cal isn't optimized for combat! Since the changeling is a better fit for melee ranger or bard

I was speaking idiomatically.

Guys, just go ahead and make all three checks in one post, that way there's less waiting around for other people to take their turns.

Rearranged it according to your liking now.

Most amazing jew boots

We can also make a straight strength check for this, right, Pang? Or does all strength fall under endurance or athletics now?

FELIPE NO

Oh Lordy. That's 2 successes (Bluff; Endurance) with six more to go and six skill checks remaining.

I don't think it's doable anymore. We may need to prepare for combat... :/

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Skexis

We can also make a straight strength check for this, right, Pang? Or does all strength fall under endurance or athletics now?

Well, it is a skill challenge; it'd be kind of goofy to include ability checks. STR checks only really come into play for "brute strength" sorts of applications; holding open a portcullis, kicking down a door, that sort of thing. Use skills unless none of the skills reasonably apply: holding shut a dragon's jaws requires you to be strong, for example, but there's nothing especially athletic about it.

Additional Spam:
don't worry too much Zerg I know a guy that can deliver you three natural 20s guaranteed

Jam it back in, in the dark.

But we need two guys who can deliver us three natural 20s guaranteed

There's nowhere I can't reach.

The Garr for Admin campaign starts here

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Worst. Sneaking through a crowd. Ever.

I approve of more skill challenges though, if only to completely negate all the time Zerg spends worrying about how to maximise his (and everyone else's) character's combat stats.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Meh, I'm not gonna worry about everyone else's stats. I mean, if they try to optimize theirs and thus increase the party's average to-hit rate, then Pang would obviously need to increase monster defenses to compensate. Why bother getting into an arms race (which we can never win) with the dungeon master?

Won't stop us from allocating treasure in a mechanically optimal way, of course. But then these parcels are there by the grace of Pang.

Oh and Shin, the crowd is certifiably insane. Therefore only unconventional methods should work

Psst Pang. In Skill Challenges, do we get to do "Aid Another" just as we do in regular encounters?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Zergrinch

Psst Pang. In Skill Challenges, do we get to do "Aid Another" just as we do in regular encounters?

Yeah, you can choose to do Aid Another instead of making one of your three skill checks, if you think that would be more effective. I should have made that clear at the outset, so if any of the three of you who have made your checks want to rescind one for an Aid in retrospect go ahead.

FELIPE NO

Yay!

Though unfortunately most rolls were so bad, I don't think I'd be able to help :/

Let's see if Garr has a roll that fails by 2 though!

Cal:
Thievery = 5 + 8 = 13 fail by 10
Athletics = 5 + [indeterminate but doubtful Denny has 18 athletics; best guess is about 9 (strength mod +4 and training)] = 14 fail by 9
Bluff = 2 + 5 (changeling disguise) + 14 = 21 fail by 2

Glock:
Athletics = 8 + 4 = 12 fail by 13
Bluff = 16 + 14 = 30 pass!
Endurance = 16 + 8 = 24 pass!

Gheth:
Perception = 10 + 7 = 17 fail by 6
Heal = 3 + 12 = 15 fail by 8
Athletics = 1 + 5 = 6 fail by 17

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Zergrinch

Athletics = 5 + [indeterminate but doubtful Denny has 18 athletics

Denny has no training in anything and he's level 1 besides, so all his skill bonuses are essentially as his ability bonuses. Ergo his Athletics bonus is 4.

Which is still better than Cal, sadly

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Dang, I was hoping a horse would be much better in knocking people down than I am, not just marginally so. Wrong decision, should've used Cal's acrobatics, but que sera sera

Of course, that has absolutely nothing to do with sneaking through the crowd unnoticed, and everything to do with just escaping from said crowd!

There's nowhere I can't reach.