Zombies and Crooks (DM:Mal Malenkirk Judge: Covaithe )

[Stringbean2142]

Mesa shook his head at Montroya's words. "Afraid I can't quite agree with ye there. In this case violence fit, but just being undead ain't reason to hate a creature. If it's their will to be brought back into this world, then so be it. I may not agree with twisting the laws of the world, but considering the life I've led I won't judge them. It's when their spirits are trapped in a dead body against their will that I hate."

He looked back towards the fallen gravehound. "Take that beast over there. Once, it lived like ye or me. It hunted, it slept, it may have mated, and then after it had lived its life it died. But its spirit can't find peace when some bloody stranger comes along and raises that body to become, as you said, a creature built to kill and cause the suffering of the living.

"But even trapped in the agony of undeath, its spirit shines through. Look at the dance it and me had. It was the dance of claw and tooth, animal agility and predatorial cunning." He looked back at Montroya and shrugged. "Ye can't hate that, and I'm glad I could help send that spirit on its way. I do want to have a word or three with whoever did this to them, though."

 

[Mal Malenkirk]

[sblock=Short rest]
No, you can't use Andrec's inspiring word between fights.

For one thing, you won't rest very long; when I have a moment I will write what happens when you rouse the herder and you'll be moving very soon. He won't be hard to break, this isn't a skill challenge. It'll be less than 5 minutes actually; as soon as he talks you will be running.

As an aside; the 5 minute short rest is a pet peeve of mine; I don't use the 5 minutes notion at all. Between two encounters, there is only one short rest, whether it takes 30 minutes or 30 seconds.

Sometime I might have PCs rushing through a manor like they are a swat team clearing a terrorist hide out, completing 4 encounters under three minutes of real time but still regaining encounter powers in between each after a few deep breath. Other time it is a more leisurely pace.

But in no circumstance I want to have to imagine your PCs leisurely resting against a wall for specifically 10 minute while Andrec is shouting ''Come on! Breath in, breath out! Rest, damn you!'' in order to get a few extra 1d6...

The inspiring words make a lot more sense during a tense fight then a while sipping a bit of water and catching your breath, anyway, don't you think?
[/sblock]

 

[Stringbean2142]

[sblock=Short Rests, or Why Everyone's Special]Makes sense, Mal. I think that's actually what was intended with the short rest idea, but as usual us players went looking for the mechanical edge. In that case, should we assume that encounter powers have recharged and surges are used as soon as we're out of combat?

Still, think of the roleplaying gold of using Inspiring Word on a short rest. "C'mon, I know you missed that one-legged spider with every swing of your greatsword, but that's not going to stop you, is it? Nope, you're going to be my little homicidal helper and when we get to the next fight, you'll show us all what a true warrior can do, because you're good enough, you're strong enough, and gosh darnit people like you! Now give us a hug, and let's get back to the murder and mayhem."

It'd be Dr. Phil, the Warlord. [/sblock]

 

[Velmont]

Jarel-karn was looking around, to spot the person responsible for all that blood and carnage when he hears the comment of Mesa. He turns around. "Yes, we can. I can hate those creatures, hate the magic that animates there corpse, hate their carving for blood and flesh. They do nothing but bring death or misery" as he told that, it is possible to feel some rage growing in him. "There is no beauty in that, no dance, no art. There is ugliness, death and destruction. So stop babbling some stupidity and start to search for the bastard who is behind all that, because as you've guess, they didn't appear out of thin air sent by Hadeys because he was missing a few coppers in his treasury."

Still his sword in hand, turns and see the pen where the zombie was coming out. "I think that guy will be able to tell a few things." He walks to the pen and see the herder laying unconscious. He sheets his sword and garbs the men and put him inside his pen. He put him sitting, his back against the wall. He then slap the man in the face to wake him up. "Wake up, you have explanation to give."

 

[EvolutionKB]

The deva shakes his head. "The predator you see, that you fought is unnatural. That creature wished not for the things it had in life, food or defense of it's young. It wanted only one thing, death of the living souls around it." The deva adjusted the golden wings on his back, "In Apoli's eyes, it's violence is a cry for help. A cry to let it go from it's undeath, to release it's soul from which someone else decided to contain it beyond it's normal lifespan."

Montroya walks to Jarel-karn, as he slaps the man awake. His arms crossed he waits for the man to speak.

 

[Stringbean2142]

Mesa opened his mouth to respond to Jarel-Karn, but before he could Montroya added his bit in. Pa said when more than one person tells ye yer wrong, stop and think 'cause ye more than likely are wrong. Here were two men, both whom he had fought beside, telling him he was wrong. He rethought his retort and tried again.

"Maybe yer both right," he said, but as he limped after the others, he couldn't help his gaze drifting back to the gravehound. How could I hate ye? Yer master, maybe, but ye never asked to be brought back to this foul form. Mesa's smile, for once, was gone and his brow was lined in concentration as he thought over the fate of the beast's spirit, and how he should feel about it.

 

[Ecce]

Matlal eases back into a relaxed posture after scanning the area, crouching down for a moment to regain his bearings. Since everyone had converged on the last undead to die, he found himself in the middle of the bustle.

"Well, a lucky brudda is I to have so many other warriors aroun', lucky fo'da bystanders too. De name is Matlal."

He nods to all and looks down at the fallen zombie. He nudges the corpse with a foot before placing his spear securely on his back and walking with the others to the fallen man.

"Well, dat was fun."

 

[Tomalak]

[sblock=mal]I think just spending the surges will be fine, It never occured to me to try using IW while resting. But, I'm pretty sure the '5 minute rest' is more of a general guideline to a short rest that a hardline Rule. At least, that's the way I play it. I always read "Short Rest" as simply taking time to do nothing but catch your breath - rushing through a house (or whatever) from combat to combat without stopping, certainly sounds like you're not taking a rest. Then again, if I was in that situation as a player, that's how I'd want to play it - running through without stopping, collecting Milestones as we go. That's just my two cents[/sblock]
Andrec nods at Tor, "Teamwork wins battles. Um, so - what next?"

 

[Mal Malenkirk]

The young hoodlum is roused by Jarel. He mumbles and tries to stand by propping himself with his bizarre stick. Unluckily for him, in his confusion he uses it with the business end pointing upward. The result is a nasty shock when he tries putting his weight on it.

-''AARGH! Son of a bitch!''

This helpfully awakens him fully to his current situation. He looks around wildly.

-''Huh, this isn’t what it looks like! They weren’t supposed to go free. My stupid brother forgot to feed the zombie and they rioted out of their cage. I didn’t mean any of this to happen!''

[sblock=OOC]Well, I neary launched a near-solliloquy explaining everything, but figured I might wait until you actually ask a question and give some people a chance at cool dialogue!

I am working on the next map. It will still be an excel map. Still haven't mastered Maptools. I am guessing I am ready by saturday so you might as well display your bad cop and worst cop routines in the meantime.
[/sblock]

 

[powerofbaka]

Following the others towards the hearder Tor watches the sewers carefully, half expecting more zombies to pour out at any moment. His attention is brought back to the herder when he hears him speak. His hands clenched in a tight fist he feels the urge to smash this fools face in, holding back the urge he simply growls as he glares at the herder.

With a look of hatred and disgust he rests a hand on his sword as he speaks in a deep, rough voice. "Why the hell do you keep zombies as pets?"