ZEITGEIST BSI: Bosum Strand Irregulars

[skotothalamos]

We started a 4e game of Zeitgeist on Sunday. Three of the players had played in a Zeitgeist game I ran online up until about a year ago, which cut off in the middle of The Dying Skyseer. I enjoy reading the logs of others, so I thought it would be fun to share back.

Our Heroes So Far:

Cazara del Anthra (Razorclaw Shifter Vekeshi Mystic Monk)
A former member of the Executores de la Liberta, Cazara returned to her homeland of Risur in search of her Eladrin girlfriend, who went missing over three years ago. She joined the RHC around three years ago and was partnered with IronPeak. Delft jokingly refers to the two monstrous investigators as his “Brute Squad.”

Hugh Pearsall (Human Spirit Medium Wizard|Shaman Hybrid)
Hugh is in his mid fifties. He has been contacting spirits of the dead for most of his adult life. He works as a professional magician, hyponitist, spirit medium, and has been “RHC Special Consultant to the Dead” for many years.

James M. Chinast (Human Technologist Artificer)
James has lived in Flint all his life. He worked his way up through the factories of Guy Goodson, who found that James had a sharp mind for designing technology. James also designs pyrotechnics for Hugh’s magic shows, and today was his first day on the job at the RHC.

Malkie Vienne (Halfling Docker Vampire)
Malkie is the oldest member of the group, at about 120, but she looks the youngest. She hails from a little-known villa in the Malice Lands, where she died and was reborn. For over a hundred years, she’s been working the underbelly of society, dealing drugs, counterfeiting, and selling out people she knows to the cops. After a long professional relationship as an informant, she finally accepted a full-time position with the RHC.

Monsieur Mort Stark (Tiefling Eschatologist Assassin)
Mort is a special consultant to the RHC from Danor. Stark is a relative of House Soliogn, and is here as their representative in the search for Gale. Stark has a business importing Drakran technology into Flint. This business often takes him through the hazardous Malice Lands, which is where he learned to defend himself so capably with the pistol-sword and pistol-dagger.

Stoatra IronPeak Kalagnas (Goliath Martial Scientist Warden)
IronPeak is a native of Ber, and was a member of a Beran attachment to the Risuri military in the Fourth Yerasol War. She performed well and earned a scholarship to the Battalion after the war ended. Fresh out of the academy three years ago, she joined the RHC around the same time as Cazara. The two were immediately made partners.

The group gathered in Delft’s office on the morning of the christening of the RNS Coaltongue. Delft was nowhere to be seen, but some personnel paperwork has been left on his desk with their names already filled in. (I made up some HR paperwork to get background info on everyone, including at least two relationships with other PCs, and two contacts around Flint, prepping for adventure two.)

 

[skotothalamos]

After becoming re-acquainted with one another and filling out their paperwork, Assistant Chief Stover Delft arrived and gave a short briefing on the day’s assignment. Dossiers on prominent VIPs attending the launch of the Coaltongue in addition to potential troublemakers were made available to the group, so they could make their plans. (We made up little envelopes with pictures and typed-up index cards with info on the various NPCs. Extra index cards are available so the group can add their own notes to each NPC’s file as the campaign goes on.)

Once they had familiarized themselves with the potential threats and targets, most of the group headed to Royal Square to prep the area for the impending crowd. Monsieur Mort Stark headed to the Danoran Consulate, where Lya Jierre and Geoffrey Massarde had been meeting. He escorted their carriage to the event while the others worked the crowd.

Cazara scouted from the rooftops, and managed to spot a trio of suspicious-looking dockers making their way toward the front of the crowd. She signaled to IronPeak, who moved to check out the subjects. Unfortunately, Hugh Pearsall encountered them first while he was trying to use some hypnotic suggestion to calm the more surly-looking members of the crowd. When these three resisted his soothing words, Pearsall decided to summon up the spirit of his grandmother to spook the men, scattering them in three different directions. This attracted the attention of docker organizer Thames Grimsley, who was being shadowed by Malkie.

IronPeak literally collared one of the men as he ran past, turning him over to Flint P.D. without even questioning him. Cazara and Pearsall coordinated to track the other two. When the dockers met up again about a hundred feet from Pearsall’s position, the old wizard decided he would terrify the men into submission, summoning up another ghost to deafen and immobilize them. This worked brilliantly, except for the sudden panic that spread through the crowd.

Most of the crowd was calmed by the RHC and police while Malkie and Grimsley arrived to interview the two terrified men. Between the two of them, they got the men to identify their leader as a man named Dafton. Malkie and Grimsley tracked him down and got him to leave peacefully, with a little help from the hulking form of IronPeak behind them. Grimsley asked Malkie to bend the ear of Flint Governor Roland Stanfield, asking her to ask him to have the police lessen their pressure on the dockers. She agreed to talk to Stanfield at the VIP gathering later that evening.

Many VIPs arrived, the group met Principal Minister Harkover Lee, who invited them to help with security for the Coaltongue’s VIP cruise. He especially pointed out that the King’s sister Ethelyn should be in attendance for the King’s speech.

Ethelyn sought out Mort Stark to assist her in finding a room to nap in during the voyage, promising to return in time for her brother’s speech.

After the christening, the VIPs and their entourages moved onto the ship. Delft dismissed Pearsall for the day after the disruption he caused with the crowd. Malkie and James took tours of the ship, meeting some of the crew (Security Officer Divianne Atehl, guarding the ship’s magazine, and Fitz Luckshore, the youngest and smallest of the engineering crew). After finding that most of the crew would be topside for the national anthem and speech, the constables agreed that they should specifically keep an eye on the boiler and the magazine as potential targets for terrorist attack..

Mort found the Duchess a lounge to rest in, Malkie talked with the Governor, IronPeak stayed near the King, and Cazara kept an eye on the sky in case of any flying Eladrin terrorist attacks. The party progressed without incident until about 8:45.

With only fifteen minutes before the King’s scheduled speech, the Duchess Ethelyn had not returned. Mort went to check on her while James headed down to engineering to keep Fitz company. Cazara kept her eyes on the sky, IronPeak stayed close to the King, and Malkie kept close watch on the serving staff.

Mort knocked on the Duchess’s door…

…and we called it a night.

5.5 hours of 4^th Edition D&D and not a single initiative or damage roll. The only attack rolls were two opportunity attacks on two of the Docker troublemakers when they tried to run from Pearsall’s Spirit Companion (which deafens and immobilizes on an oppo with whatever power or feat he has).

The group seemed to enjoy the props and spent most of their time fleshing out their characters and the world. We’ll get into the action next week. At some point, we may even come up with a name for the group/game.

We have two more players working on characters, but I’m focusing on the idea that Zeitgeist can be a drop-in/drop-out kind of game, as different investigators get assigned to different cases. Pearsall’s player had to leave about 2 hours before we were done, so I had Delft dismiss him. If he makes it next week, well, apparently it was all a ruse and he was working undercover as a chef or something.

More next week…

 

[skotothalamos]

(Note: for those of you following along at home, we used the revised deck plans from Admiral o’ the High Seas)

We rejoined the RHC investigators just as the Risuri national anthem was beginning on the top deck of the RNS Coaltongue. Most of the constables were keeping an eye on various parts of the festivities, though two had gone below. James M. Chinast was keeping Junior Mechanic Fitzcairn Luckshore company in the engine room, and Mort Stark had gone to fetch the Duchess Ethelyn.

Up on the main deck, Ironpeak heard King Aodhan mutter something about an upset stomach, fishy burps, and a potentially upset archfey. She prepared herself to dramatically pretend to vomit in front of the king in case he started to become ill, hoping that would help him save face. A violently ill security staff is far less embarrassing than a vomiting king, one supposes.

Meanwhile, dowstairs, Mort was repeatedly knocking on the Duchess’s cabin door. After a significant delay, the Duchess’s elven handmaiden Sokana answered the door and said that Duchess Ethelyn was too ill to attend the festivities, and asked it Mort would be so kind as to send her regrets to her brother the king. Mort asked if he could speak with the Duchess, but was rebuffed as Sokana closed the door. Unable to determine how to proceed, Mort simply waited in the hall outside the Duchess’s room.

Farther below, James tried to ignore Fitz as the engineer geeked out about the technological marvels of the steam engine. James leaned in the doorway dividing the firegem room from the engine room with his musket, ready for an incident. The national anthem could barely be heard over the working engine as two engineers in full protective gear came down the stairs. James demanded to know why they were here. The lead engineer said there was a problem with the Muhurmneford Valve that needed to be fixed right away. James asked Fitz if there was a problem with the Muhurmneford Valve. Fitz said he wasn’t sure. James, no stranger to advanced technology himself, decided that the engine seemed to be running smoothly.

He told the engineers to stop, as there was nothing wrong with the engine, at which point the lead man asked who James was. James identified himself as an officer of the Royal Homeland Constabulary, threw his stovepipe hat to the ground, and drew his musket, strongly urging the men to stop advancing on the engine room. This display of force from the brand-new RHC constable (on his first day on the job) did not serve to defuse the situation. The engineers charged with their massive wrenches. James M. Chinast’s Remarkable Mechanical Hat was still in the process of deploying itself for combat readiness when it got unceremoniously smashed by an engineer’s wrench. The second engineer was grazed by a musket ball before knocking James out of the doorway. James yelled for Fitz to sound the alarm.

Up in the command tower of the ship, Malkie was busy mingling with the food-service staff who were busy getting the evening’s dinner ready. A device on the wall began to make a rattling noise. Malkie did not know what it meant, and asked the staff. The food-service staff had been brought in from off the ship and also had no idea what the strange rattling noise was about, so Malkie left to consult with her fellow constables. She found Cazara rushing past. Malkie mentioned the rattling noise. Cazara quickly responded that it was an alarm and Malkie was an idiot, and then Cazara removed a panel of the aft crane chute and disappeared below decks, leaving Malkie to alert an actual crewmember.

On the lowest deck, the two saboteur engineers had forced their way into the engine room. One of them managed to rust shut a steam relief valve while the other kept James occupied for a while. James finally managed to get a good shot off, killing one of the engineers instantly. Heavily injured, James escaped into the firegem room, intending to seek aid upstairs. Unfortunately for him, he encountered Sokana in the process of throwing an item into the furnace of the steam engine. She closed the furnace door and rusted it shut before throwing some fire at James. The fire came alive, manifesting as three separate fire sprites who held James in place, preventing his escape.

On the main deck, Hugh Pearsall (who had been in illusory disguise as a party attendee all this time) had an overwhelming feeling that something was wrong. The spirits of the newly dead were calling to him from the lower decks. He handed one end of a rope to Stover Delft, told him to hold on, and leaped over the side of the ship. Delft held on and the wizard swung down to the second deck, where he re-entered the ship through a gun port. Seeing nothing amiss on the second deck, he descended to the third.

Mort heard shouting from below. Becoming antsy, he picked the lock and entered the room, only to find it abandoned, with several windows open. He saw the telltale signs of a Water Breathing ritual on the floor and went to investigate one of the open windows. As he approached the window, a Halfling chef leapt out and stabbed him with a poison blade, nearly dropping Mort in a single blow. Mort drew his blade-pistols and took two shots at the wall as he stumbled back out of the room. He shut the door and ran off down the hall before the Halfling could catch him.

Elsewhere on the third deck, Zara belatedly realized she was on the wrong side of the ship to descend any further. Turning a corner, she spotted a Halfling chef with a wild look and a bloodied blade. She ran him down and incapacitated him with a single blow. (ran to get into melee range. -5 to hit, oh look: a 20) Then she grouped up with Mort Stark and they descended into the engine room together.

Hugh arrived on the third deck and could see the commotion between Sokana and James on the deck below thanks to the floor grate. He summoned up a spirit next to Sokana to try to hold her in place but she responded with a whirlwind that carried her up through the series of grates to the second deck.

On the top deck, Ironpeak had noticed that most of her comrades had disappeared below decks. She alerted Principal Minister Lee that there seemed to be trouble and she was heading below. He asked that she report back as soon as possible with an update. She descended to the second deck and immediately noticed that no one was guarding the ship’s magazine. She opened a door and found the bludgeoned body of security guard Divianne Athel. Just as she turned to go back up the stairs and alert the king, Sokana materialized, threw fire sprites at her, and dove off the ship.

Seeing the fire in the stairwell, Malkie shouted for the assembled crowd to start readying lifeboats in case an emergency evacuation was necessary. From the stairs, Ironpeak yelled for Minister Lee to get the king off ship.

Mort and Zara found the surviving saboteur engineer preparing to sabotage an engine relief valve. He put up a good fight. Too good for Mort’s taste. The Tiefling, deciding they already had a Halfling to interrogate, killed the suspect. With most of their enemies down or having fled, and unaware of the fire sprites near the ship’s magazine, the RHC investigators were feeling pretty good about their progress.

And then the steam engine buckled. The entire ship shook and the evacuation of the RNS Coaltongue deck began.

Mort opened one pressure relief valve while Zara broke the other open with her fist (Eagle Claw Strike: +2d8 damage vs unattended objects), filling the engine room with steam.

Malkie descended to join Ironpeak in her struggle to put out the fire threatening to engulf the ship’s magazine. Having taken a tour of the ship earlier, Malkie noticed that the fire wards were missing from the doors of the magazine. The vampire and goliath made short work of the fire sprites and headed down to the engine room. Once there, they discovered the others with a few sprites of their own to mop up. Seeing that James was still surrounded, Malkie used Docker’s Jank to teleport him out of danger. Ironpeak had taken the Form of the Fearsome Ram in the fight at the ship’s magazine. Seeing that Mort was struggling with the rusted furnace door, she shooed him out of the way and charged it head first. She failed to make good contact, but at the last moment stuck her shield in the handle and used it as a lever to pry the door free.

The intense heat of the furnace was being amplified by Sokana’s Rod of Affect Normal Fires. Mort knew what he must do, but he needed some help from Malkie. If Mort was close enough to death, he could invoke the Icy End of the Earth and supercool the engine, averting the impending disaster. He asked the vampire for an assist, and she was all too ready to oblige. She drained perhaps a bit too much blood from the Tiefling, but his plan was already in motion. He dove headfirst into the furnace and sent out a frigid blast. The furnace cooled dramatically, but not before burning Mort to within an inch of his life. Seeing that Mort was not moving, Ironpeak dashed into the furnace and carried him out. (Mort ended up at -10hp, 2 shy of death. Ironpeak went from 24 down to 4 pulling him out. Were Mort not a Tiefling, he would have died in the effort)

Afterwards, the king thanked the constables personally. He then gave a speech on one of the escorting ships to the assembled VIPs, announcing his intention to finally make peace with Danor. There would be a peace summit in one year’s time in Flint, and the King would be marrying a Danoran. Mort suggested that his cousin Lya Jierre would make a lovely bride, but the king seemed not to pay attention.

The Halfling chef-assassin claimed under interrogation that the Duchess Ethelyn was behind the sabotage attempt. Within a week, his claims seemed to be borne out as Assistant Chief Inspector Stover Delft called most of the squad into a meeting with Lya Jierre. (Hugh, as a consultant, was not immediately available, and James was busy with remedial Use-of-Force training.) She brought news that the Duchess Ethelyn had led an invasion of Axis Island, a key part of the Yerasol Archipelago, won by Danor in the last war. It seemed that the Duchess was trying to provoke a new war. Risur, with Lya Jierre’s help, was now planning a covert mission to retake the island from the Duchess’s forces, and then officially hand it back over to Danor before word can spread of the attack.

Of course, the mission requires a small team of infiltrators to land on the island and make an overland approach to the Axis Island’s main fortress, where they will infiltrate the rebel forces and open the fortress’s sea gate. At that point, Risuri marines will storm the fortress. The RHC is tasked with collecting the Duchess Ethelyn and bringing her to justice. Lya also asked the favor of finding her cousin, an astronomer named Nathan Jierre, who was stationed on Axis Island.

Delft gave the constables a stipend to collect gear from Requisitions, and told them to report to the RNS Impossible that evening to begin the trip to Axis Island.

 

[RangerWickett]

I love the offer to be the 'vomit scapegoat.'

I'm impressed that the group split up so thoroughly. I read that a lot of groups stick together as one, so when the fight starts Sokana usually goes down pretty quickly. I like that this one was spread over several areas, so each PC was reasonably imperiled until they could all link up together.

 

[skotothalamos]

We got about halfway through Dying Skyseer on my first run-through of this campaign (with three of the six current players, who are doing their best to let the new players figure tihngs out). The first time, Sokana did not make it. I was definitely focused on using her two teleport powers to get away... now I'm going to have to add her in to Axis Island somewhere...

One of our players held up the picture of Sokana next to the picture of Gale and remarked that one could be the other in disguise. You know how sometimes the players have the best ideas at the table?

 

[al_fredo]

Wow....Sokana escaped in my campaign too. I didn't put her back in on Axis Island (thought about having her dead at Varal's feet). But this...I mean, my players hate Sokana - mostly because she was the first enemy and she got away. But if Sokana=Gale? I have no idea how my player would react. They might immediately enter combat...instead of treating her as a potential ally. I really like the twist...and they have similar ideals. they COULD be the same person, right?

It would be great to do this...but I'm worried a player immediately attacking. Interested in hearing anyone else's thoughts!

 

[skotothalamos]

Infiltrating Axis Island

Five of our constables boarded the RNS Impossible that evening, making their way to Axis Island. Duchess Ethelyn was trying to start a war by invading Danoran territory won in the Fourth Yerasol War. Hugh Pearsall was not present.

The constables' mission was complicated: infiltrate Axis Island by way of an undersea cave, exit the connected mine, make an overland trek to the main fortress on the island, gain entry, make it to the lighthouse and gatehouse, signal the fleet from the lighthouse, open the harbor gate, and watch the Risuri Royal Marines take back the fortress.

Once the island was secured, the constables were charged with arresting the Duchess Ethelyn and checking on Lya Jierre’s (and Mort’s) cousin Nathan Jierre, an astronomer who worked in the observatory on the island.

During the journey, Malkie and Mort engaged in nightly philosophical and political debates with Captain Rutger Smith. Zara and Ironpeak preferred to get drunk and climb the rigging. Zara especially seemed to enjoy watching the birds from a higher vantage point, but she also took time to heckle the more sober members of the party from high up in the ship’s rigging. James spent most of his time tinkering with his Remarkable Mechanical Hat.

Forty-seven hours after departure, the Impossible arrived at Axis Island. After nightfall, black sails were hoisted, at the ship slipped into a cove. The constables used a Water Breathing scroll to enter the ocean and proceed underwater to an sea cave said to lead into a mine.

Just before entering the cave, large rocks appeared in the water above the constables. The rocks fell, catching Mort and Cazara unaware, but they both managed to extricate themselves from under the sinking rocks before being crushed on the ocean bottom. James remarked that it seemed as if there had been a planar disturbance that caused the rocks to simply appear above the constables heads.

The team proceeded warily into the submerged cave. At the end of a long tunnel, they found themselves in a large half-submerged chamber with a natural column near the middle. Scaffolding around the walls of the room and along the column seemed to indicate an excavation had been recently occurring. Unsure if the rock fall had been a planar anomaly or a trap, they attempted to move stealthily into the cave. James and Ironpeak noticed a faint glow coming from the stone pillar, which was emanating from a three-inch-diameter golden “coin.”

A gunshot rang out from a ledge high on the wall of the cave which seemed like an exit. Then a heavily-accented Danoran accused the constables of being “dirt worshippers” who had come to kill him. Mort and James circled around behind the pillar, Cazara skulked up the scaffolding as close to the Danoran as she dared, Ironpeak strode out of the water and stood on a platform under the ledge, and Malkie repeatedly failed to pull herself up onto the scaffolding, twice slipping off and loudly splashing back into the water.

An earth elemental came after Ironpeak, some sort of shadow creature harried Mort (and eventually Malkie), and James exchanged fire with the Danoran, distracting him from Zara flying at his head, claws first. She found him unusually resistant to her attacks. She also noticed that he was wearing a necklace with two more of the large golden coins.

Before the combat could become too dangerous, Mort explained that the group had come to help liberate the island from the Duchess Ethelyn’s rebel Risuri forces. Mort showed the Danoran that he was himself a Danoran, and was able to defuse the situation peacefully.

The Danoran turned out to be a mine foreman by the name of Nicolas Dupiers. He explained about how the Risuri rebels had killed his men and so he had taken the golden icons and fled here to claim the third. Dupiers told a tale of how the iron miners on Axis Island had discovered three trees made of marble deep in the earth, and in each tree they had found a golden icon. The three icons depicted imagery and constellations connecting each of them with one of the planets. Dupiers had brought with him the Golden Icons of Urim (earth) and Nem (shadow), which made him resilient and hard to see. He hoped the Golden Icon of Avilona (air) would help as well. The earth elemental and shadow creature also seemed to be connected to the icons, protecting the bearer.

Dupiers pulled the icon of Avilona from its marble home, which had been eroded away by the sea cave so as to be unrecognizable. Only a large splinter of marble remained, instead of a great marble tree.

Dupiers offered to show the constables the way out of the mine so they could finish their mission to liberate the island. Mort and Ironpeak and Cazara managed to talk the man into donating the Golden Icons to their cause, on the condition that they stay on Danoran soil and be returned when the island was officially returned to Danoran control. He made a point of handing the icons only to Mort Stark, as a representative of the government of Danor. James asked about the sudden rock fall and Dupiers explained that sometimes stray thoughts could cause strange happenings on Axis Island. He showed the group the iron spikes that his miners had driven into the walls of the mine every thirty feet. Dupier claimed that these spikes helped to ground reality so that strange things were less likely to happen.

The group thanked Dupiers and exited the mine. Dupier had given them directions to the fort, which involved crossing over a wooded mountain ridge. On their way down the far side of the ridge, the group found themselves suddenly standing in knee-high water in wooded marsh with yellow frogs, a purple sky, and a bright blue sun. James reached into his bag for an iron spike and immediately shoved it into the squishy mud beneath his feet and the group found themselves on Axis Island again.

A few miles farther along, James and Zara spied a nearby iron golem stumbling around through the woods with no head. The oil spurting from the construct seemed strange to James, but he wisely decided to keep a safe distance from the flailing machine.

After a few hours of travel, the group arrived at the fortress, where James was ready to use a Passwall scroll to go through the wall. Fearing that there might be a guard patrol on the other side of that wall, Zara claimed the Icon of Avilona and flew to the top of the outer wall. From atop the wall, she noticed a commotion at a nearby stable which seemed to have been converted into a prison. The commotion seemed to be distracting the guards, so she signaled James, who used the scroll, and the group hurried through the wall.

The town inside the fortress offered new challenges. Duchess Ethelyn’s rebel troops were everywhere. The infiltrators were going to have to find some way to pass as rebels (with a Tiefling in the group) in order to pass the harbor gate to get to the lighthouse so they could signal the fleet (and open the sea gate).

Cazara observed that the rebels were still wearing their Risuri Army or Shale Police uniforms, but had added red sashes. A plan to distract the guards, gain some allies, and get some red sashes was quickly formed. The group started working on a plan to go to the makeshift prison and break out the prisoners. After a few scrapped plans, someone remembered that Mort looked a lot like a Danoran (since he is one), and a Chewbacca Gambit was put into motion. Mort was fake-shackled. Ironpeak and Malkie were to play the part of the patrol that had found him. James and Cazara waited nearby in case anything went wrong.

The team talked their way past the guards outside the prison and made their way inside to a small caged receiving area inside the makeshift brig (which had been converted from a stable). With only two guards in the area, Malkie drew her gun, intending to shoot one. Before she could find her target, Mort drew a dagger and slashed at one of the guards from atop Ironpeak’s shoulder. Ironpeak threw Mort down onto the guard, yelling that the prisoner was armed. Mort managed to kill one guard before they could get their swords out. Seeing that Malkie and Ironpeak were drawing weapons, and with no evidence yet that they were not on his side, the remaining guard slashed at Mort and then was taken out by Ironpeak. Malkie just put her gun away.

Malkie’s player said,“I shoot one of the guards,” and the entire table went “noooo” (since they’d just talked their way past twice as many gaurds outside the jail) so I had them roll for initiative to see if they could stop her. Malkie got dead last, but I decided the guards were not ready, so the PCs would get a surprise round and then I would roll the guards’ initiative. Once they knew they had surprise, they forgot about stopping Malkie and just went into attack mode. Mort used quick draw to attack with his surprise action. Ironpeak used Mort as an improvised thrown weapon with her surprise action. Malkie drew her weapon. The guards ended up second in initiative. Mort killed one on his first round. The other one missed him. Ironpeak got her sword out and killed the other one. Then Malkie finally had a chance to shoot someone, but there was no one left to shoot. I love that I was able to apply the game mechanics to let it happen organically, rather than just letting the person with the first idea control the flow of the game.

Inside the prison, the guards met with Danoran Lieutenant Hessar Merseine, who had already organized the prisoners for resistance. Merseine led his hundred prisoners away from the direction of the lighthouse, starting the second battle for Axis Island within a week. With most of the rebels suddenly busy, it was fairly easy for the group to make their way through the harbor gate in a wagon (with Mort hidden inside). While most of the group approached the lighthouse in the traditional fashion, Cazara took the Pyrotechnics scroll and climbed back outside the fortress. She was in position to scale the lighthouse from the outside and signal the fleet while the others took control of the sea gate controls.

Find out what happens next week when the constables go…

To the Lighthouse!

 

[skotothalamos]

House Rules we are using (mostly gun-related):

- Flanked creatures give up combat advantage to all melee attackers, not just the flankers.
- Killing Tool from the Zeitgeist Players' Guide (firearms lose Brutal, gain 2[W] damage per attack).
- Threat of Force from the Zeitgeist Players' Guide (a loaded gun gives you a range-6 Immediate Reaction that eats your next turn's Standard Action)
- Firearms Expertise reduces Reload Standard to Reload Move (no running and reloading your musket. Makes for some tough decisions: get behind cover or reload?).
- Reloading a Firearm provokes Opportunity Attacks. This has been amended to allow the OA even if the provoked character has already used its OA this turn (so you can't cheese it by provoking twice with a shot and a reload).

I'm thinking of bringing in the Escalation Die from 13th Age.
I'm also thinking of bringing in the Obligation mechanic from Edge of the Empire.

 

[al_fredo]

I'm disappointed no one is using guns in my campaign. No idea why.

 

[RangerWickett]

I'm disappointed no one is using guns in my campaign. No idea why.

You might recommend that the PCs each carry a single gun as just a back-up weapon. Even if they don't want to have it as their primary weapon, and even if they never intend to spend the long time needed to reload it, having a single shot pistol or musket can be handy in a pinch. Your ship's about to ram theirs, and you can't close to melee yet? Bad guy's running away? Group of enemies gathered by some handily color-coded red explosive barrels? Draw your pistol and fire. Then get out your normal weapon and go for it.

You're doing 4e, right? It's a flaw of the system, I feel, that you're strongly pushed to focus one on specific weapon type. There aren't many ways to make use of 'secondary' weapons. It's usually better for a fighter to charge a gang of bow-wielding enemies who are on the far side of a canyon than it is for him to keep his distance and shoot back.