[Adventure] New Cyre Borderlands (Judge: )

[Antithetist]

"I'll be impressed if these hogoblins manage to press Susan as hard as the Owlbear did," Jarren puts in with a smile on the back of Ryda's remarks.

"My spirit ally can take form where it is needed, and it can take a lot of physical punishment without serious risk. So, yes, it can serve as a distraction or a shield," he replies to Grys. "But I also channel many other spirits through my bonded companion. The more that we stay grouped up, the more of us I can aid at once in that way. Balance that against the possible benefits of spreading out."

[sblock=OOC]Sudden Call lets me port my Spirit Companion around as a Free Action multiple times per round, so for instance I can send it up to the front lines to target Susan/ Unit 16 (who is a he, by the way ) with the addditional healing from a Healing Spirit (Minor Action), and then hit something with Watcher's Strike (Standard Action) and resummon the Companion next to our ranged attackers to provide +1 on attack rolls and a Fort/Ref/Will defense benefit to everybody adjacent.

If we use the Companion as a front line blocker, chances are that only U16 will ever get the (constant) f/r/w defense bonus and the possible +1 attack buff from Watcher's Strike, which might be a bit of a waste compared to the possibility of it otherwise providing those buffs to the whole rest of the party if we group up as a bunch at range (though obviously that can be riskier if we're facing enemies with Burst attacks).

Not saying that the Spirit Companion should never be on the front lines, 'cos it's certainly useful for that too (not least because it has a great OA option which hits anything moving out of adjacent squares - even if it moved into a nonadjacent square, thanks to the range of 2 from my Totemic Spear - which also provides temporary hp to allies), but flexibility is the thing.[/sblock]

 

[evilbob]

"I redirect the enemy's focus to myself."
[sblock=ooc]Unit 16 doesn't care which pronoun you use.

16's tactic is to stand in the middle of everything and grab all the enemy's attention and get beat on. His AC is very high and he can make it higher, so the idea is to make the enemies waste their attacks. Alternately, he punishes those who ignore him with damage or negatives to hit (that's his mark). He also has good HP and his 2nd wind is designed to get used every battle, so he recovers well, too. His only fault is that his to-hit is a bit low, so he misses more often.

It is worth noting that when you're fighting a level n+4 elite who can hit you all the time anyway, this tactic does break down a bit.

Regarding allies: unless I am mistaken, I think generally things that are summoned do not flank and do not count as allies for the purposes of Warforged Tactics. Sometimes they specify that they flank, but I'm pretty sure nothing we can bring to the table would count as an "ally" for the purposes of 16's feat. I could be wrong, though.

It's ok, though: I traded his feat that made his OAs so good they would never get triggered for Warforged Tactics, so no worries if this one doesn't get used as well. [/sblock]

 

[KarinsDad]

Turning to Jarren:

"Yes, you should do what you think best in combat. Your companion will make a great front liner a good majority of the time, but you will need to balance that with circumstances and the needs of the rest of the team. For example, if the Hobgoblins have archers, you may want to distract them by putting your companion in amongst the enemy archers."

[sblock=OOC]Sudden Call lets me port my Spirit Companion around as a Free Action multiple times per round, so for instance I can send it up to the front lines to target Susan/ Unit 16 (who is a he, by the way ) with the addditional healing from a Healing Spirit (Minor Action), and then hit something with Watcher's Strike (Standard Action) and resummon the Companion next to our ranged attackers to provide +1 on attack rolls and a Fort/Ref/Will defense benefit to everybody adjacent.

If we use the Companion as a front line blocker, chances are that only U16 will ever get the (constant) f/r/w defense bonus and the possible +1 attack buff from Watcher's Strike, which might be a bit of a waste compared to the possibility of it otherwise providing those buffs to the whole rest of the party if we group up as a bunch at range (though obviously that can be riskier if we're facing enemies with Burst attacks).

Not saying that the Spirit Companion should never be on the front lines, 'cos it's certainly useful for that too (not least because it has a great OA option which hits anything moving out of adjacent squares - even if it moved into a nonadjacent square, thanks to the range of 2 from my Totemic Spear - which also provides temporary hp to allies), but flexibility is the thing.[/sblock]

[sblock=OOC]
Calling Susan a she is roleplaying. I figured that she was a he, but Grys does not know that. In reality, Warforged are neither, they just happened to take the characteristics of one or the other and by picking Susan as a name, Unit 16 has taken the characteristics of a female until Unit 16 says otherwise.

Unfortunately, Grys is not designed to be a front line combatant. The only other PC with a good AC is Ryda and she is not designed to be a melee combatant. So, we are mostly left with Susan and the spirit companion to hold the line.

As for Protector Spirit Adept, it's kind of like Ryda's Prime Shot. She will rarely get to use it. At least Jarren will get to use Protector Spirit Adept on many rounds, even if he cannot always get a lot of PCs with it. But this group is not melee heavy, so we shouldn't clump up and play them melee heavy, just to get Protector Spirit Adept in use more often. Obvious, each situation will be different and what works for one will not work for another, so we do need to be flexible. I just see that the spirit companion out in front of everyone including Susan to be a good solid tactic for the start of encounters. Presumably, RR will have foes not ignore the companion most of the time, so we should be able to get a few area effects that harm foes, but do not harm the companion. The vast majority of effects do not affect the companion in any way, so it should be used as bait as often as possible.

Although this group is not melee heavy, we are effect heavy. Nearly all of us have some ways in which to help allies or hinder enemies and that is where our strengths lie. As an example, Grys will often move next to the spirit companion (once Jarren tells Grys knows about Protector Spirit Adept) just to be near the front and to get the bonus. If Grys moves next to the companion and then Jarren teleports the companion away, that kind of defeats the purpose of that movement. So I don't see moving the companion a lot as a way to help the team a lot. Sure, it needs to be done when it needs to be done, but the companion should be a front liner as often as possible and not in the back with this particular group of PCs.

Jarren is designed to move the companion often and to have a lot of allies around the companion, and that's great. Unfortunately, this group is not designed with a lot of melee types (Barbarian, Rogue, melee Ranger, etc.) to take advantage of that. Just like Susan is designed to have a better chance to hit an enemy if the enemy is adjacent to an ally, that won't happen too often either. Grys and Mythra's summoned allies will be able to allow that to work on occasion, but I doubt Jarren will manage multiple adjacent allies often without weakening the front line more than it assists the back rank.

You can run the companion as a back rank +1 defense/attack boost, but as a general rule, that just means that foes will get into the back rank faster in some circumstances because of there being one less body in the front ranks.

Obviously, not all encounters will even have a front line. Foes will come from multiple directions, so the companion should sometimes be used to create a second "front line" away from Susan.

Grys as well is not designed to be front line, but there will be times when he will need to pick a side of the party to protect. I want to run him as a back rank spell caster and to not have him in melee at all, but I will more often have to run him as a second rank defender. That's just how things will work out with this particular group of PCs.
[/sblock]

 

[RickRoll]

[sblock=ooc]I know how wizards work pretty well (is Mythra a staff wizard or something else?), but mostly I was wondering how Grys works. Do you wade into melee or blast from afar? 16 gets bonuses to hit for just having an ally next to a creature (Warforged Tactics), so I wondered if Grys was another front-liner or if this was a party of four ranged guys and me. Also, is this too much OOC tactics stuff or is this ok, RickRoll?[/sblock]

[sblock=OOC]
I'm fine with this outside of combat, but inside I'd prefer things to be IC, ie "Susan, get back I'm going to blast them" from Mythra and that way Unit 16 gets the jist of it. If there was a kalashter with Group Link feat (is that the name of it?) I'd be more open to some OOC chatter, but otherwise that feats useless. Also, you can be discussing this stuff on the train so that's also fine. In the interesting of moving the game along it's ok this way to summarize what your characters strengths are, especially to the ones who haven't adventured together.[/sblock]

 

[Mezegis]

Well, since we seem to not have much in the way of melee fighters, I can pseudomelee distraction. I am quite skilled at skirmish fighting, and can slide in and out of melee range at will. As such, if need be, I can be up near Susan most of the time to keep them away from you casters. says Ryda as the group navigates their way to the Lightning Rail

[sblock=Ryda’s skills]I built her to be very much a skirmish fighter, and nearly all of her powers allow her to shift before, during, or after the shot. As such, she can still be “ranged” while in melee most of the time (shift back, shoot, shift up) and try to offtank any that get by Unit 16. Her AC with her armor boost is the same as Unit 16’s, so I’m hoping she might do a fair job at it. [/sblock]

 

[Antithetist]

Jarren quirks an eyebrow at Grys, but nods good-humouredly enough. "Like you say, I'll do what the situation calls for. It seemed sensible to let you know how I work best, that's all."


[sblock=OOC]My bad on Unit 16's implied gender. I thought he identified as male but had simply made an unusual choice of name.

I'm not unhappy with the prospect of my Spirit Companion being upfront and acting as a blocker and distraction most of the time, but I think it's nice to have the option of buffing the ranged attackers as well. Depending on the situation, one or the other might make more sense. For instance, in Grys's example of an archer-heavy enemy force, I would be inclined to have the Companion buffing our own ranged attackers rather than wading into the enemy. I just can't see it looking like much of a threat to them, even if it's in their midst, compared with the punishment that our Strikers and Controllers will be putting out there - so it seems better to just do what I can to buff those guys rather than trying tenuous distraction tactics on the enemy.

Note, also, that I can bring the Companion back to use Healing Spirit and grant temporary HP (via Strengthening Spirit) to as many people as are adjacent to it, and then put it back on the front lines in the same turn. In short, I don't think that it's by any means impossible that I'll get a good chance to buff the ranged guys now and then just because we're short on melee. If the ranged guys want to make the most of those opportunities when they come up, they should stay within a couple squares of each other. It's not vital, but if there's no particular reason not to do it, then it might come in handy.

It's also worth mentioning seperately that if multiple people are wounded and want healing then, all other things being equal, they should try and be within 2 squares of each other to maximise Jarren's output (he gets to add Con modifier to healing done on allies adjacent to his Companion, and they also gain his Con modifier in temp hp).[/sblock]

 

[Luinnar]

[sblock=ooc]Mythra's cat will be useful in scouting for enemies as it does not have a range limitation. The only problem is that it will have to report back as I don't have the feat to communicate with it telepathically. (granted the feat is only 10 squares maximum range)[/sblock]

 

[KarinsDad]

Well, since we seem to not have much in the way of melee fighters, I can pseudomelee distraction. I am quite skilled at skirmish fighting, and can slide in and out of melee range at will. As such, if need be, I can be up near Susan most of the time to keep them away from you casters. says Ryda as the group navigates their way to the Lightning Rail

"Well, with this being said, I too am fair at being a skirmish fighter. In fact, I will need to move forward on occasion to use some of my short range arcane spells. We may want to consider the companion in the far front rank, Susan in the front rank, Ryda and myself in the second rank, and Jarren and Mythra in the back rank at the start of combat if possible. Unfortunately for Susan, you cannot provide her with flank because of your typical lack of melee weapons in use Ryda. However, Keke can fulfill that role on occassion, as can I. As a standard rule though, I prefer to stay out of close combat most of the time due to my lack of armor. But, I can easily stay near the front where I can assist as needed."

Jarren quirks an eyebrow at Grys, but nods good-humouredly enough. "Like you say, I'll do what the situation calls for. It seemed sensible to let you know how I work best, that's all."

"Of course. As you were indicating your best individual tactics, I was merely pointing out that subpar individual tactics are sometimes the best team tactics. If we could get the vast majority of enemy attacks to target your mostly immune companion instead of one of us, that would often be an optimal goal. Obviously, that will not often happen, but it's something to keep in mind. Your companion can help in many different ways and be of assistance for more than just healing and buffing. Keke too can help in more ways than just one as can Mythra's cat. A single attack will send Keke back to the spirit world for a short while, but a single attack against Keke or Mythra's cat is one fewer attack against the rest of us. The same is often true for your companion and for Mythra's summoned allies as well. And hence, the reason for this tactical discussion. None of us knows everyone else's skills or the best way to use them for the benefit of the team." Grys says.

 

[evilbob]

[sblock=ooc]Couple of quick things, none of which are really worth belaboring:

...on Unit 16's implied gender. I thought he identified as male but had simply made an unusual choice of name.

You are 100% correct. I think KarinsDad was just saying "Grys doesn't know that."

I think you don't need a melee weapon to flank anymore. Anyone can flank with anything - you just "must be able to attack."

As for tactics: "best laid plans..." We all know best what our characters can do; it'll sort itself out when we get in combat.[/sblock]
Unit 16 casually listens during the train ride as his companions speak of tactics, knowing his place is always between the enemy and his allies.

 

[Antithetist]

With nothing more of import to add to the tactical discussion, and no desire to turn it into a pedantic squabble, Jarren sits back and does his best to follow Susan's good example of detached receptiveness.


[sblock=OOC]My correction on Unit 16's gender was because 'she' started cropping up in OOC text too - if it had only been in IC speech, I would have taken it for RP. Anyhow, let's move on. [/sblock]