MadAzolin
First Post
Shards of Eldanarth, chapter I: Garden of Stars
A Living 4th Edition adventure for high heroic level:
GM: MadAzolin
PCs:
Welcome to the adventure.
This post will be kept up to date as main reference
Malenkirk's rules will be used along with several modifications of my own to make things easier for everyone:
The Malenkirk Conventions
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Mal Malenkirk came up with some house rules for speeding up PbP combat that are now so ubiquitous in L4W that almost nobody actually bothers posting them anymore, which can lead to confusion. Here they are:
1. The DM rolls initiative for everyone to save time. Only one initiative value is rolled for all of the bad guys.
2. Any PCs whose initiative beats the bad guys get to act first. They can act in any order they like and their actions are resolved in the order they are posted.
3. The DM then runs all of the bad guys’ turns together.
4. All of the PCs (including any who won the initiative before) now get a turn. Play then proceeds with all the bad guys having another turn, then all the PCs, etc. Again, the PCs can act in any order, and their actions are resolved in the order of posting.
5. Effects that last until the end of someone’s next turn need a special rule, because the changing order of actions could otherwise lead to abuse. Such an effect gives its benefit (or its penalty) to each recipient for one turn only, no matter when that turn occurs in relation to the other recipients or the originator of the effect.
Example: Suppose that PCs Algie, Bertie, Cecily, Dickie, and Edna act in alphabetical order on round 1. Cecily uses a power that grants herself and all her allies a +1 to attack rolls until the end of her next turn. Dickie and Edna each benefit on round 1, as normal, because they act after Cecily.
On round 2, the PCs happen to act in reverse alphabetical order. Even though Edna and Dickie act before Cecily, they no longer benefit from Cecily’s effect, because they have already had it for one turn. Cecily benefits from it on her turn, just as she normally would, and Bertie and Algie benefit on their turns, even though their turns take place after Cecily’s is over.
This rule can be tricky to apply correctly at the beginning, so let me know if you have any questions about it.
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Also, following rules will be used:
[sblock=show]
NPC stats and combat map: [sblock=show]
Out of combat skills, skill use and dice rolls: [sblock=show]
PC stats / other stuff:
[sblock=example mini-stats] Status: Bloodied Init:+5 Speed: 5 Perception:22 Insight: 20
AC:21 F/R/W:17/18/22 HP:30/61 Surges: 4/8 Surge Value: 15 AP: 1
Languages:Allarian, Imperia, Draconic
Str:8 Dex:14 Wis:14 Con:14 Int:10 Cha:22
Powers:AtWill - JinxShot, Cutting Words
Encounter- SecondWind, Fox'sCunning, Twin Strike, Grappling Spirits, Hunter's Quarry,Majestic Word (0/2), Words of Friendship, Chordof Dissonance, Rhyme of the Blood-Seeking Blade,Virtue of Prescience
Daily- Arrowof Ill Omen, Arrow of Warning, Bracers of Archery, Inevitable Shot,Songbow of Vanishment, Warding Arrow
Full Character Sheet <-- link should be included here if possible
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[sblock=example triggered actions]
Posting frequency / limits:
XP / time so far:
OOC / Discussion / Suggestions ...
A Living 4th Edition adventure for high heroic level:
- expected level for PCs is 7-10 (4+ PCs)
GM: MadAzolin
PCs:
- PC: Neurotic, Character: Martelai Luinil, level 8 warlock
- PC: Voda Vosa, Character: Vermitrax, level 7 necromancer
- PC: jbear, Character: Kane, level 8 swordmage
- PC: nell1889, Character: Lilli, illusionist
- PC: dimsdale, Character: Lerric, level 6 cleric
- PC: MetaVoid, Character: Cyr, invoker
Welcome to the adventure.
This post will be kept up to date as main reference
Malenkirk's rules will be used along with several modifications of my own to make things easier for everyone:
The Malenkirk Conventions
[sblock=show]
Mal Malenkirk came up with some house rules for speeding up PbP combat that are now so ubiquitous in L4W that almost nobody actually bothers posting them anymore, which can lead to confusion. Here they are:
1. The DM rolls initiative for everyone to save time. Only one initiative value is rolled for all of the bad guys.
2. Any PCs whose initiative beats the bad guys get to act first. They can act in any order they like and their actions are resolved in the order they are posted.
3. The DM then runs all of the bad guys’ turns together.
4. All of the PCs (including any who won the initiative before) now get a turn. Play then proceeds with all the bad guys having another turn, then all the PCs, etc. Again, the PCs can act in any order, and their actions are resolved in the order of posting.
5. Effects that last until the end of someone’s next turn need a special rule, because the changing order of actions could otherwise lead to abuse. Such an effect gives its benefit (or its penalty) to each recipient for one turn only, no matter when that turn occurs in relation to the other recipients or the originator of the effect.
Example: Suppose that PCs Algie, Bertie, Cecily, Dickie, and Edna act in alphabetical order on round 1. Cecily uses a power that grants herself and all her allies a +1 to attack rolls until the end of her next turn. Dickie and Edna each benefit on round 1, as normal, because they act after Cecily.
On round 2, the PCs happen to act in reverse alphabetical order. Even though Edna and Dickie act before Cecily, they no longer benefit from Cecily’s effect, because they have already had it for one turn. Cecily benefits from it on her turn, just as she normally would, and Bertie and Algie benefit on their turns, even though their turns take place after Cecily’s is over.
This rule can be tricky to apply correctly at the beginning, so let me know if you have any questions about it.
[/sblock]
Also, following rules will be used:
[sblock=show]
- Simplified acting order for 1st round: If PCs have better average initiative, they act first, otherwise NPCs act first. This goes for 1st round of combat.
- One short rest per encounter: plain and simple; exception to this is long rest
- Unconscious PCs go first: they act before anything else happens, in effect losing turn. If they get back into fight, they continue acting with rest of PCs
- One trigger per power: define single trigger for your triggered power and sort them by priority (see below for example). Triggered powers will be resolved by DM to minimize turn-reverting and waiting.
- Dominated PCs go with NPCs: if someone is dominated, DM will play his turn and he will act with monsters.
- Leveling up during adventure is legal, but character must be in home base to level up - this typically means Daunton or Bacarte
- To encourage skill use in combat, skills will be given flexible treatment - basically if you think something might work and want to use skill for it, feel free to try. Most misc skills (such as knowledge) requireminor action. Some examples:
- get generic info: knowledge: minor: 'what do I know about this monster?'
- get specific info: knowledge: minor: 'this shimmering barrier that appeared here, what does it do?'
- interact with some specific powers/effects: for example some monster powers can be disabled by using appropriate skills (ex: dominate that is breakable by religion or monster aura that can be disabled using arcana). This applies only to some specific powers and usually requires standard action and recognizing effects of such power
- minor improvisation: minor or standard action required: mostly minor effects that have no clear rule treatment; ex: aiming attack at specific monster weakness (if it has one), exacting especially gruesome effect on grabbed minion monster, closing that crack in reality that just started opening...
- major improvisation: generally requires multiple standard action, possibly expenditure of other resources such as healing surges, encounter or daily powers: basically if your character can do something similar, but effect you want is not described by the rules - example: use linked portal ritual to crack open that partially closed magical portal, using portal ritual to banish demon that just appeared back to hell, climb atop that iron golem so you can crack open its unarmored brain...
NPC stats and combat map: [sblock=show]
- Monster mini-stats will be posted and kept up to date during the encounter. This will include defenses, HP and basic status effects
- Monster triggered powers will not be posted or announced beforehand, keep eyes open in case those come into play
- More exotic status effects or equivalent might or might not get posted beforehand, depending on monster and encounter
- Auras will play at monsters' turn: to minimize turn-reverting, auras such as 'foe that enters aura takes 10 necrotic damage' will instead play as 'at start of creature's turn, foes in aura take 10 necrotic damage'
- Google docs excel will be used for combat map(s)
Out of combat skills, skill use and dice rolls: [sblock=show]
- Some skill effects will be put into blocks, along with DC (for example: perception DC 20); please do not look at these if you don't succeed appropriate skill roll or have equivalent passive skill level
- Keep in mind this does not include all possible skill uses, some will be hidden for reason, so feel free to experiment
- Use invisible castle or this forum's dice roller for rolls
PC stats / other stuff:
- Please post link to full character sheet and keep your mini-stats block up to date.
- If you have more then few immediate/triggered powers, put those into block of their own. Please keep number of triggers per power to 1, at max 2 if you really have to (in which case they should be sorted by priority, see example below). Triggered powers will be resolved by DM.
- Decide beforehand on color used for character speech, try to keep it visible (don't use light yellow, please) and different from rest of PCs.
[sblock=example mini-stats] Status: Bloodied Init:+5 Speed: 5 Perception:22 Insight: 20
AC:21 F/R/W:17/18/22 HP:30/61 Surges: 4/8 Surge Value: 15 AP: 1
Languages:Allarian, Imperia, Draconic
Str:8 Dex:14 Wis:14 Con:14 Int:10 Cha:22
Powers:AtWill - JinxShot, Cutting Words
Encounter- SecondWind, Fox'sCunning, Twin Strike, Grappling Spirits, Hunter's Quarry,Majestic Word (0/2), Words of Friendship, Chordof Dissonance, Rhyme of the Blood-Seeking Blade,Virtue of Prescience
Daily- Arrowof Ill Omen, Arrow of Warning, Bracers of Archery, Inevitable Shot,Songbow of Vanishment, Warding Arrow
Full Character Sheet <-- link should be included here if possible
[/sblock]
[sblock=example triggered actions]
- Sorted in order of importance:
- Opportunity Action (1/combatant): MBA if not marked and shift or attack not targeting me while in aura: +18 vs AC (+20 if slowed/immobilized), 1d10+8 and stance effect; 2 damage on miss
- Opportunity Attack (1/combatant): MBA +18 vs AC (+20 if slowed/immobilized), 1d10+8 and stance effect
- Guardian's Counter: (Immediate Interrupt) If ally w/ 2 sqs. hit by attack that drop them/bloodies and I am not also attacked: I and ally swap positions, I become target, and can make MBA after resolved; +17 vs AC (+18 if slowed/immobilized), 1d10+8 and stance effect;
surge afterwards
Posting frequency / limits:
- to be determined, current plan is to have it at roughly 48 hours per out of combat 'scene' or combat turn. If single PC lags behind in combat, DM will take care of his turn, if more then one PC does not post on time, we wait for a while
- loot will be listed here
XP / time so far:
- aventure start date: recruiting underway, adventure has not started yet
- XP acquired will be listed here
OOC / Discussion / Suggestions ...
- use [Adventure OOC] Shards of Eldanarth thread
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