Chapter 14: Q&A / Discussions

[Darren]

Feb 7, 2018 13:17:17 GMT -4 Ken said:

Belarin takes one last look at the mural. "That wall isn't going anywhere... I hope. We won't fail."

He gives Adamant a reassuring pat on the arm. "I'm all right. Let's go join Captain Happy. Melethos, come along, please. This can keep."

I know how you feel, Ken. Kal really wants to get back to the Onyx Fountain as that seems to be tied into his personal destiny, but timing is a bitch....

[Jeff]

Feb 7, 2018 13:27:14 GMT -4 Brian said:

"Adamant is correct," Melethos says as he falls in step beside his friends. "We will come back when we can and learn more about your tower and where it can be found."

Melethos falling into step is the closest thing I've got to a stated action, but neither Adamant nor Belarin nor Thul are actually moving to fall into step with. All I've got it dialogue. So I'll wait to see what actions are being taken. Sorry, I'm going to always insist on this.

[Elvis]

Since we are all just standing around and not heading to the dock, I will engage in some dialogue with the locals. 


Hopefully Thul doesn't say something... honest.

[Ken]

Feb 9, 2018 11:47:25 GMT -4 Darren said:

Ken, that was a pretty masterful deception with the Chronicle. Well done!

Thanks, Darren! I had fun using Belarin's Epic-Level Bullsh--ting. It was also fun to look up those old threads. Geez, we've been doing this a LONG time, haven't we, friends? Wow.

[Jeff]

Feb 12, 2018 9:10:01 GMT -4 Darren said:

Kal can't remember a time when a walk seemed this long to him.

Uh-huh. I didn’t split the party.

[Darren]

That wasn't a judgment!

[Dave W.]

That's what elves do, after all?

Isn't it?

Well played Brian! The image of the tiefling trying to pretend to be an elf is definitely making the final cut of the movie...

[Brian]

Feb 21, 2018 11:58:58 GMT -4 Dave W. said:

That's what elves do, after all?

Isn't it?

Well played Brian! The image of the tiefling trying to pretend to be an elf is definitely making the final cut of the movie...

Thank you.

[Ken]

FYI: I had posted a whispered response to Kal, but then I realized (as Darren did when he mentioned "visible") that Belarin wasn't targeted by the message spell because he's invisible! So I deleted the reply.

[Jeff]

I appreciate the attention to detail on that, Ken.

[Darren]

I don't have time to post it now, but Kal will be using Message to try to reach Brack (hopefully before Jeff posts again).

I'll try to write again tonight after my show.

[Dave W.]

Wow, the tension's ratcheted up a bit... probably no need though, I'm sure this "Coin Lord" guy is just a 1st level Aristocrat.. I mean they just play with coins all day, right? It's like being afraid of an economist...

[Ken]

I'm REALLY tense!

[Elvis]

Thul has no beef with Wylkes.

But he has no problem using one of the crossbows. As soon as things go south, that is. 

[Brian]

Jeff, can I assume that the ship's hull has barnacles attached to it, like most sea-faring ships? If so, are they in reach of Melethos?

[Jeff]

A fair question. But actually, no: although it looks scored and well worn, the hull is remarkably clean. Either because it's been scrubbed free recently or has some enchantment to keep barnacles from clinging. A not-unheard of concept in Eberron. Minor magic is rampant.

[Brian]

Bummer. I had such a grand idea.

[Jeff]

Feb 25, 2018 12:07:19 GMT -4 Darren said:

Kal will move two squares east and one north to get behind that crate on the map. Let me know if you want a Stealth check.

Jeff, can a person tell what direction Message is coming from when it's cast? Is there any way for a magically inclined person to know the location of the source?

Joe's right, that's a hatch, not a crate. But that's part my fault, as I left a shadow effect on that particular graphic that makes it pop upward. I'll remove it for next map.

Regardless of where you move, yes, go ahead and add a Stealth check, provided you also intend to stay still for a while.

Message doesn't reveal any locations, no.

[Ken]

Jeff, is Belarin still invisible? I'm assuming that the greenish glow is more or less a magical "highlighter," as opposed to something along the lines of faerie fire.

[Jeff]

It is very much like Faerie Fire. However, only the specified areas that are glowing are illuminated and fully revealed. None of the deck’s objects or creatures standing there are lit with the fire. So while everyone is bathed in dim light and can easily be seen if on more or less the same level as the deck, I don’t think that renders Belarin visible. He’s fine in dim light, right?

For example, Thul is definitely visible in the green light even by those on the docks but it’s dim light. So unless they have darkvision an attacker would be disadvantaged but CAN target him. Most of the group is not readily visible to the people on the dock level. The upper deck is at a higher level than the dock; no quite teen feet up.

But anyone standing at the gunwale can be seen from below depending on where.

[Jeff]

Feb 26, 2018 10:35:28 GMT -4 Ken said:

Seeing Wylkes approach, Belarin ducks down and quietly moves over to where Kalarian is trying to open the hatch. "Kal!" he hisses. "I'm changing our appearance." He extends his hand and again speaks a series of lovely yet disturbing syllables.

Kalarian now resembles a burly, tanned human of average height, with long, stringy black hair and a beard to match. His sharrash now looks like a pike, and his clothes are faded and old, yet still intact, aside from the sleeves, which have been torn off to reveal muscular, tattooed arms. Tangat now looks like a black and brown hunting dog with a spiked collar.

As for Belarin, he makes only a few changes to his appearance: He now looks several inches shorter and slightly hunched, with shorter black hair and brown eyes. His feyweave garments are replaced by less flashy traveling clothes of the same color.

___________________________


Stealth roll to do this quietly: 1d20 (9) + 8 = 17.
Belarin casts seeming on himself, Kal, and Tangat. The original casting on Adamant and Melethos will continue for another few hours.

For my own understanding, is Belarin's intent to make Kal quite visible, just different? Kal is still wearing the Cloak of Elvenkind, which will continue to camouflage him. Is Kal intending to keep the hood up and stand very still, regardless of this new illusion?

And is Belarin staying next to him?

[Ken]

Belarin will move back to his position afterward, and again use his One With Shadows invocation.

[Darren]

Feb 26, 2018 18:30:54 GMT -4 Jeff said:

Feb 26, 2018 10:35:28 GMT -4 Ken said:

Seeing Wylkes approach, Belarin ducks down and quietly moves over to where Kalarian is trying to open the hatch. "Kal!" he hisses. "I'm changing our appearance." He extends his hand and again speaks a series of lovely yet disturbing syllables.

Kalarian now resembles a burly, tanned human of average height, with long, stringy black hair and a beard to match. His sharrash now looks like a pike, and his clothes are faded and old, yet still intact, aside from the sleeves, which have been torn off to reveal muscular, tattooed arms. Tangat now looks like a black and brown hunting dog with a spiked collar.

As for Belarin, he makes only a few changes to his appearance: He now looks several inches shorter and slightly hunched, with shorter black hair and brown eyes. His feyweave garments are replaced by less flashy traveling clothes of the same color.

___________________________


Stealth roll to do this quietly: 1d20 (9) + 8 = 17.
Belarin casts seeming on himself, Kal, and Tangat. The original casting on Adamant and Melethos will continue for another few hours.

For my own understanding, is Belarin's intent to make Kal quite visible, just different? Kal is still wearing the Cloak of Elvenkind, which will continue to camouflage him. Is Kal intending to keep the hood up and stand very still, regardless of this new illusion?

And is Belarin staying next to him?

So *I'M* clear, how does the spell and the cloak interact with each other. Ken's description of the illusion included a change in how Kal's clothes appear. (BTW, Sem still has Kal's sharrash in the Bag of Holding.) If Kal keeps the hood up and he is spotted, what does that look like to someone seeing the illusion?

My thought is to have Kal keep the hood up but act like he is just working on something on the ship and trying to remain unnoticed. That way, if he IS spotted, it just sort of looks like he's so commonplace that Wylkes just didn't see him the first time. But if it becomes clear when he is spotted that he's a ship's hand wearing an Elven Cloak, the illusion sort of goes out the window, so I want to be clear on how this will work.

[Jeff]

Belarin's spell changes Kal's appearance, but it doesn't suppress his Cloak if the hood's up. So the camouflage effect is still in place on him. So basically when the hood is thrown off, we see Belarin's illusion in place. Hood up, we're back to camouflage mode.

Think of the Predator. When it's not moving, it's hard to spot. When it's moving at all, you can home in on it and it even stands out weirdly. So if Kal intents to wear the hood right now, he'll want to be trying to blend in by not moving at all. Especially if someone's actively looking around. If you're moving, then it's actually more conspicuous. Can't really have it both ways.



Minus the yellow eyes, of course.

[Jeff]

What's it going to be, Darren? Hood (effectively concealing the illusion) or no hood (accepting Belarin's illusion)? Let me know in the main thread, though.

[Darren]

Sorry. Busy few days. Will post again soon.

[Jeff]

I very much enjoy imaging Belarin's face—which no one can see—grimacing in horror as Melethos makes Deception checks.

[Ken]

It's painful.

[Dave W.]

Good grief.

[Elvis]

HA!