Chapter 16: Q&A / Discussion

[Jeff]

Feb 3, 2019 18:18:17 GMT -4 Joe said:

Streko casts Control Water on a strip beginning ten feet from the starboard beam of the ship and running the length of the ship, out toward the floating rocks ahead.

Joe: Cool! Time for some crazy water stuff! But I'm not clear on the area you're picking, and it's very important I know exactly where this area of effect starts and ends. You have to pick a cube up to 100 ft. on each; basically 20 squares long, 20 squares high on the map. (Or less if you want, but it has to be a cube of water.) But you've got to give me a better understanding of where to place it. Either tell me the dead center (down to the square), or tell me where to begin one corner and in which direction it goes from there. (Like "the bottom right corner is X spaces away from Belarin in Y direction.") Thanks!

[Joe]

Let me know if that edited version works. So the 160 square feet starts 4 squares left of Belarin's position and goes down 8 squares to just about where the floating rocks are and extends out 8 more squares. In short, Dragonfly hasn't passed by the empty cube of parted water just yet.

[Jeff]

I think your "north" is throwing me off. You mean west? (Left.) It's okay to assume north/south/east/west as normal for purposes of this map.

Is this the idea? Attached.

[Jeff]

All right, I need to run with this. I'm going to assume I'm getting it right, Joe—except I now see you mean 8 squares (not 20) by 8 squares. So this'll be what I go with.

[Joe]

You are absolutely correct!! That's perfect!!

[Darren]

Jeff, with the Spell Sniper feat, would Kal suffer disadvantage if he tried to attack a creature that was grappling one of this companions? I don't know if grappling is equivalent to half or three-quarters cover or if it's something else entirely.

[Jeff]

It's no issue at all for you. For one, grappling doesn't inherently create any special cover. It's just about your line of sight. If someone standing behind Thul tried to shoot the choker in front of him—thus Thul being between shooter and target—then Thul's body would be giving the choker some cover. But with Spell Sniper you're pretty much negating any cover that isn't full cover. So grappled or not, no one's partial cover will matter to Kal.

[Darren]

Feb 5, 2019 13:34:15 GMT -4 Dave W. said:

Adamant is confused by Kal's comment, "What do you need Kal?"

Meanwhile he draws Syndra, ignites it and takes his fight to the choker near him.

---

Sorry... one minute...

Kal just doesn't want to get hit and risk losing concentration on his spell. Adamant is usually pretty good at blocking things from hitting the squishy companions.

[Dave W.]

Yeah, sorry, I'm really mentally slow today... I did figure out what Kal was looking for a few posts later...

I also forgot to include Syndra's fire damage but it doesn't appear to have mattered...

[Dave W.]

Just an aside, I think Adamant is immune to being choked... he doesn't breathe.

[Jeff]

He's not immune to being grappled and restrained by the chokers, but on a critical hit, he cannot be suffocated, right.

[Jeff]

Feb 8, 2019 12:12:44 GMT -4 Ken said:

Belarin attacks the choker with Valk's tongue.
Knife attack with disadvantage: 1d20 + 9 = 26 or 16. If the 16 hits...
Damage: 1d4(2) + 4 = 6. Since Belarin is currently disadvantaged, there's no chance of sneak attack damage.

Ken, so actually Belarin cannot attack the choker with a melee attack. He doesn't have reach on it, though it has reach on him. (It's 10 feet from him.) There are no stats given to attacking its arms by themselves (contrast that with a roper, whose tendrils you can attack or even break even when you're nowhere near the main body) so essentially they're too rubbery and in motion to effectively attack. And since he's grappled, he cannot move closer to it either. He'll have to do something ranged. Or use his action to just try to force his way free of the arms.

[Ken]

Understood. I've just edited it to be a ranged (if ineffectual) attack. Waah.

[Darren]

Jeff, Kal has a spell on his Cantrip list called Burning Spray and I can't figure out exactly where it came from, nor can I find it in the spell list. I'm trying to determine its actual range, too, since on his sheet it says 5 feet but in the description it says "to a creature you try to touch". Is this spell a holdover from a previous edition?

[Jeff]

If I remember right, this was a variant of Poison Spray we worked out. And it dropped into the list alongside the Spell Sniper feat.

It should read "within range" or "within range." Like Poison Spray, Burning Spray is made against an adjacent enemy. So you've got to be 1 square from it.

[Darren]

Feb 10, 2019 13:05:18 GMT -4 Jeff said:

If I remember right, this was a variant of Poison Spray we worked out. And it dropped into the list alongside the Spell Sniper feat.

It should read "within range" or "within range." Like Poison Spray, Burning Spray is made against an adjacent enemy. So you've got to be 1 square from it.

But it's not a Touch range attack? I'm trying to figure out spells that Kal can use with Tangat, and apparently right now that's only Light.

[Jeff]

It's not technically touch but since it's a melee spell attack, I'd allow Tangat to deliver this one, yeah. Like he suddenly becomes a hell hound and barks fire someone close to him.

[Darren]

Much like Dave, I am likewise unclear on if there are still any enemies left to target....

[Brian]

There are the chokers in the water and the elemental on the ship. Also, this might be Jeff's way of saying we're not out of the woods yet.

[Brian]

Give the order, Darren. Jeff won't move us ahead until you give a stated action.

[Darren]

Sorry. I thought that was it.

[Dave B.]

Well, actually, Shorak is in the crow's nest. Unless you call up to him, he doesn't know you want him to go too.

[Elvis]

Are we all good with this plan?

[Brian]

I believe we're good. Just waiting for the rest of the players to chime in.

[Elvis]

Ok. 

However, I feel this is setting a bad precedent.

[Jeff]

Unfortunately, it's just participation we're missing. I'm not going to run the game alone, you know? A worse precedent, to me, is me controlling characters for players who aren't saying anything. I find no fun in that.

Kal hasn't actually left the ship yet, nor Adamant since he stopped to speak with his hammer. So I'm waiting for all that movement.

[Elvis]

Is Joe good with this?

[Jeff]

Been 6 days since we've heard from him.

[Brian]

Jeff and I have spoken about this often. There is no implied actions in DE. We need to post concrete actions. Jeff already does enough work planning out these adventures. To push on him the responsibility of determining what someone meant by a post is adding to that work. We can and should take the helm when it comes to controlling our characters.

[Joe]

Feb 21, 2019 12:54:32 GMT -4 Elvis said:

Is Joe good with this?

Why do I care? The people who make the decisions have been pointed out. They make those decisions. Streko will speak out if he thinks it's a stupid idea, otherwise, at this point, he trusts the people who have been leading him for the past 5+ years. As to not hearing from me...if there is nothing for my character to say, should I then just start mumbling to myself loudly so everyone knows Streko still exists or wait to say something that is, you know, actually meaningful.

Guys, I work 9 hours day (7am to 4pm Pacific time), I am working on my Masters Degree in History, editing my novel, and I have a family I take care of. The point being, if there is something of importance that needs to be said, Streko is not one to shut up about such things. I also don't want him to start monopolizing the board with his thoughts or pointless actions. I actually check in every single day (for the most part). If you want a post from me every single day, regardless of Streko's needing to do so, just let me know. Streko is not a decision make for this group and when he has made the attempt to add his two cents, the pennies have been returned. He knows his place and is content there. Streko will NOT stand up and say "I approve of this plan of yours!!" At least not EVERY time someone proposes something (or even if Thul ever proposes something...just kidding Elvis...he's kinda growing on Streko, like a wart that won't go away...)

If you want me to post SOMETHING every day, I am willing to do so. Many of those posts will be pedantic however. Something like: Streko nods in agreement. Streko sighs...he sees where THIS plan is going. Streko prays to Olladra for plantar fasciitis so he can go lie down in the galley and eat cheese (or fish heads).

Sorry for the long post. Jeff's snide remark (at least I took it that way...if I'm wrong, it wouldn't be the first nor the last time I suspect) about not hearing from me in days hit me while I am also fighting a cold bug (for the past week) and it bugged me. Not like an insect plague or anything like that, more like a pesky mosquito. Hence the schizophrenic response.

Are we good here? I am good. Just exhausted, sick and still have homework (reading about racism during the Cold War era and posting responses to several questions) that is due tonight by 8pm Pacific time (which is why I came home early from work and am posting now).

Also, sorry for the info dump.

I am off. Will return later this evening and check in.