Latest Updates
Sunday 9/9
So, this next Sunday I have my 3:00 meeting, so I have to leave early. If we can try to get started around 11:00, that would be great.
Second, everyone can go to level 11. Please update character sheets here, so I have an idea what I’m dealing with, since 11th is a big shift (or can be).
Also, as you all know, we’re dealing with aquatic environments. So we have a number of things to deal with.
1. 3D combat – If anyone has stackable, multicolored pieces (like cheap plastic poker chips), especially ones that click/lock/settle together. These will indicate elevation. (I have some but they are 1000 miles away).
2. Aquatic combat rules – Here are the rules that change with Aquatic combat, just so everyone is aware:
Combat Rules:
– Creatures with the Aquatic keyword gain a +2 to attack rolls against creatures without the Aquatic keyword.
– Powers with the Fire keyword are -2 to attack rolls.
– Weapon attacks are -2 to attack rolls (except crossbows and spears).
– If you take damage while holding your breath, you risk suffocation (Endurance Check).
Movement Rules:
– Moving requires an Athletics: Swim check.
– DCs are 13/19/27 (using level based DCs instead).
– Fail by 5 or more and you sink 1 square but otherwise do not move.
– Fail by 4 of less and tread water (stay where you are).
– Succeed and move, spending one extra square of movement for each square entered.
Currents and Turbulent Water – I may use water conditions in any of these ways:
– Makes Athletics rolls more difficult.
– Creates difficult terrain.
– Forced Movement (either at set intervals, or at start of turn)*
- Forced Movement is a Slide, which can be negated with points of movement.
Suffocation:
– You can hold your breath for 3 minutes without a check.
– If you are Water Breathing, you have no breath to hold if you suddenly cannot breath water.
– An Endurance check, DC 20, provides 1 more round of not needing to breath.
– Subsequent checks are cumulatively 5 higher DCs.
– Failure results in the loss of a healing surge.
Ranges:
– I’m toying around with reduced ranges on non-magic projectiles… or all ranges. I’ll get back to you on that.
FYI options for a swim speed
Gauntlets of Swimming and Climbing (10)
Boots of Swimming (13)
Ring of Aquatic Ability (15)
I need two other things, to speed up the game:
First, you’ll have 4 days before leaving. So if there is something you want to do, post it and let me know, and hopefully I can just show up with the results.
Secondly, and you can think about this for a couple sessions, I’m going to reveal something you are likely yo find (and now guaranteed, since I’m telling you), but hearing an answer will save me a great deal of hassle, or a lot of time during the game.
So here it is:
There will be a pedestal in the ruins which is slotted for 4 1-inch gems. I would like to know the color combinations (in order) that you would consider trying, in order to narrow down the number of options I have to come up with. Also, if you know what item(s) you would like to use that color combination on, that would be helpful.
You should have the following Crystals to work with:
4 Red
1 Blue
1 Yellow
1 Green
1 Black/Purple
2 Clear (if you destroy the Amulet of Hur’Aur to get them)
If my calculations are right, there are about 5040 possible combinations, and the effects would then vary depending on item slot (arm, weapon, etc.) meaning a full chart would be somewhere about 40,000 possibilities, I think.
But if you can narrow it down to a top 10 or 20, I can work on making a smaller list. Feel free to discuss. The list of outcomes from the 3 gem pedestal is in the session log.
The known effects are:
Red – Power
Blue – Life
Yellow – Time
Green – ? (possibly relating to the Cloak of Elijah)
Clear – ? (possibly having to do with light or anti-shadow)
Black/Purple – Unknown
Upon finding said pedestal I’m pretty sure everyone is going to put everything they have on it; both existing items and the new “emotional” items we picked up.
Unfortunately, I don’t think we can say what combinations we are going to use. The results of one combination will directly affect the next attempted. So until I know what Black/Red/Red/Red does to the necklace I don’t know what combination I’m most likely to use with the spear (as an example).
Green has to be identified as does black, so green/red/red/red and black/red/red/red are a given. On what though, I don’t know.
As for Clear, I don’t know if we want to bust up an item for that.
For myself, Deceiver’s Holy Symbol is probably one of the primary experimentation items. The fact that most healing is negated limits its direct use pretty significantly (since the encounter all but has to be used to cover the healing from the property, the other at-wills are too dangerous to use with not enough benefit from the spent surge). But since I don’t use it as an implement it’s probably more valuable as a random rainbow item. Say, Green/Black/Blue/Yellow. But whether or not I put Green first depends a lot on if someone else tests green to determine whether or not it’s the “nature” or “elemental” crystal like I suspect it is. And if black is tested and turns out to be some form of necromantic, then that combo changes again .
So, I think if we want to keep this out of the game and keep you from having to do a bunch of work pre-determining combinations, our best bet is to slowly step through the experimentation process over the next couple of weeks. We would know what item enchantments we’re getting ahead of time, but I don’t see this working out any other way.
I agree that classifying the green/black(B) crystals are guaranteed attempts(grrr/Brrr) , and probably at least a rainbow or two to get a better sense of how the end result might change.
For my personal experimentation I will probably be keeping the cloak as-is unless it gets seriously outclassed by other 4 gem creations. For the weapon, I would be happy to try the grrr first (see if there’s any theme/synergy with my suspected “green” cloak) . Other weapon combos that I’m personally curious about are yrrr, and KMrr (where KM is some combo of y, g, b, B) .
I don’t recall if there was a downside/risk to repeated experiments.
We can’t change an enchantment once it’s there, so I’m not sure whether the four crystals will totally overwrite what’s there or just spin the current enchantment.
I expect to be experimenting with the Dodi rock and with the pawn shop ring. The bow I think I’ll either go 4 reds or choose a combination that has already been successful. But, yeah, it’s hard to say in advance what specifically I’d want to try until we know more about what the crystals do.
I was thinking that a discussion of hypotheticals would ensue, where you might not identify exactly what you would use, but might come up with the likely options. You have 10-20 items, so I figured roughly that many plus maybe ten other possibilities. Perhaps that’s a stretch to ask for, but I suspect you can at least give me first two items and color combos with discussion.
I don’t want to say too much, because there might be a wrench thrown into the process, depending on how you do other things in the ruins. But for the most part, I suspect you’ll stick with the same or similar combos.
i.e. If I just walk through the process of the pedestal, then something else you might do, could change that decision.
As Jason did, that is very helpful. It should narrow down the possibilities or at least the number of times I have to figure it out on the fly.
Coming up with:
grrr
Brrr
yrrr
bBrr, bgrr, byrr
Bbrr, Bgrr, Byrr
gbrr, gBrr, gyrr
ybrr, yBrr, ygrr
is still narrower than the 5000 or so possibilities.
I already anticipated a Bxxx combo, so I have a notion, at least for weapons, how that works. Other items might be trickier, but I’ll figure something appropriate out.
If anyone has other thoughts, I’ll take them. It will be helpful. If not, I’ll wing it, or hopefully time it for an end of session to work on it between sessions.
Does Cullen have any more ideas on the effects of the Green or Black/Purple gem. Curious if his Ancient Magic gives him any insight?
No more than has already been stated. It requires analyzing the effects to get a sense of what it does, more effects means more probability of figuring out the purpose.
