NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cerebral Paladin" data-source="post: 3505001" data-attributes="member: 3448">There is not yet a rogue's gallery--I'll try to post one at some point soon.  At this point, the party is about 8th level.  Lord Davion is something ludicrous like in the 80s.  The Master Unbidden is probably something like Ftr20/Bbn20, but that's just a guess.  It's worth noting that the critical hits system that the DM uses makes groups of low-level characters fighting one or two high level characters more dangerous for the high level character--if you get really lucky, you could get a one-shot kill.  But one of the things you learn early in this campaign is that you need to choose your fights, or be prepared to lose characters.As for how the strategic level control of combat is handled:  we don't play it out.  Typically, the DM has us roll a d20, or sometimes a couple of d20s, for how well the fight goes, based on what the odds are like going in.  He then narrates the outcomes.  So if we chose the duel, what we would expect is to be told to roll a d20, with a 1, 2, or 3 meaning Lord Davion lost, and a 4+ meaning he wins.  Pretty good odds, but scary with death without resurrection on the line. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />----The Council accompanied Lord Davion into the antechamber, where Arrrrgggghhhhsnap was waiting.  The uruk witchdoctor was contorted over a chess board.  He appeared to be playing both sides, but with a dubious, at best, understanding of the rules.  The position of the pieces was highly improbable, if it were even theoretically possible, and as the Council approached he made a move that was as devastating as it was illegal.  He looked up excitedly and began fawning, literally rolling on the ground in front of Alistair.  Alistair told him to rise and thanked him for his loyal service, and the uruk rose to its knees, grasping at the hem of Alistair’s clothes.  They thanked him for his loyal service to the Archduchy, producing a proud and tusk-filled grin, and Lord Davion led him away.  Dame Brionna carefully scrutinized the motley assortment of talismans and totems that he wore for any that would indicate evil.  She was pleased to discover that no evil entities were represented but the sun disc of Glor’diadel featured prominently.After Lord Davion and his friend had left, the Council resumed discussing how to deal with the Master Unbidden.“We cannot take the risk involved in the duel, your grace.  There simply has to be a safer way.”Kit nodded vigorously.  “Fifteen percent is far too high a chance.”“I don’t like the odds more than either of you, but I’m not sure we have much of a choice.  I don’t know if there’s any other way we could kill the Master Unbidden.”“He did not say that using artillery would fail, your grace, only that it would involve collateral damage.”  Dame Brionna paused, thinking.  “Perhaps we could use the remaining knights and guards who wear black armbands to stop him?”“If he is as powerful as Lord Davion says, I don’t think eighty or a hundred elderly knights will be able to defeat him.”“But they don’t need them to, your grace.  If we lure the Master Unbidden out to the Vale with rumors that you are at a vigil, we could send the black armbands as an honor guard.  When he attacks, they would only need to prevent him from returning to the City while the voller attacked with its energy lances.”“They wouldn’t be able to hold him for long, though.  And I don’t know how they would survive the first barrage.”“But they might not need to hold him for long, m’lord,” responded Kit.  “They only need to keep him out of the city to keep the people safe.  And as for surviving, they’re planning on killing themselves anyway.  I’m not saying that’s good, just that it’s true, and they would probably prefer dying in a last burst of glorious heroism.”“I don’t doubt that.  Let’s see whether Reverend Canon Toddle can tell us anything about how that plan would work.  We need to contact the Archbishop and the priests of the Lady of Fate anyway to try to make sure fate favors us with either plan.”Kit nodded.  “But we have to be able to do better than a fifteen percent chance of you dying.”</blockquote>

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