[FR]Against the Storm
- Thread starter DM_Matt
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Thanee
First Post
Allow me one more comment about those vampire's ability...
Let's see...
From FRCS: Shadow Stride (Sp): A shade of a least 8th level can vanish from its current location and reappear in any shadowy area within 300 feet, as often as once every 2 rounds. ...
I hope you are aware, that the power those vampires used must be much more powerful than that, because we were 800 feet away actually, and as noted in the IC thread they used it twice in a single round!
So, unless their ability is THAT MUCH more powerful than the shades' the above is the only big thing, that happened (any other minor oversight (and there wasn't much besides) is no big deal, really).
I'd actually prefer, unless it would hinder your future plot, if you would correct that part (of course that's your choice, you are the DM after all
)... I'll offer a solution in my next post here soon...
Figured that! I just added it to the list, to make it more impressive!
Well, she hid from being in full view of the two, so that wouldn't have worked to conceal her presence, but seeing her wounds wouldn't be possible, of course!
They must be, if the stunning fist-critical hit-thing doesn't work for those, altho the vampires outnumbered them 3:1!
"The game takes place in the Realms, but in a time when the munchkin UberNPCs have been killed..." 
Ok, enough teasing, hope you don't mind the little poke...
The wizards know these creatures... they would be dumb not to protect against them specifically, if they have the means to do so...
Bye
Thanee
DM_Matt said:
Let's see...
From FRCS: Shadow Stride (Sp): A shade of a least 8th level can vanish from its current location and reappear in any shadowy area within 300 feet, as often as once every 2 rounds. ...
I hope you are aware, that the power those vampires used must be much more powerful than that, because we were 800 feet away actually, and as noted in the IC thread they used it twice in a single round!
So, unless their ability is THAT MUCH more powerful than the shades' the above is the only big thing, that happened (any other minor oversight (and there wasn't much besides) is no big deal, really).
I'd actually prefer, unless it would hinder your future plot, if you would correct that part (of course that's your choice, you are the DM after all
)... I'll offer a solution in my next post here soon...Figured that! I just added it to the list, to make it more impressive!
Well, she hid from being in full view of the two, so that wouldn't have worked to conceal her presence, but seeing her wounds wouldn't be possible, of course!
They must be, if the stunning fist-critical hit-thing doesn't work for those, altho the vampires outnumbered them 3:1!
"The game takes place in the Realms, but in a time when the munchkin UberNPCs have been killed..."
Ok, enough teasing, hope you don't mind the little poke...
The wizards know these creatures... they would be dumb not to protect against them specifically, if they have the means to do so...
Bye
Thanee
Thanee
First Post
Thanee said:I'd actually prefer, unless it would hinder your future plot, if you would correct that part (of course that's your choice, you are the DM after all
Ok, from what I know so far (which surely isn't everything), I'd think the following would be much more plausible:
After Rahja transported everyone out, they saw the two carriages followed by the blonde wizard (she might have noticed them, too). They couldn't see exactly what happened before the building, the guards storming out and the other wizard appear and blast the Talosans. Maybe they (or at least Ines, as Rahja was busy trying to wake the prisoners) could peek and therefore roughly know what happened.
The guards, being no match for the two wizards and not seeing the prisoners or knowing precisely where the prisoners have been transported to (and there is no reason for them to assume, that we don't continue to move away from the place), used the confusion to disappear (they could also run/shadow stride around to search for them, but it's quite an area we are talking about and they will have to deal with those wizards then, because they are an immediate threat to them).
Afterwards, the wizards look after the prisoners and the talk takes place as normal.
What do you think? Anything wrong with that?
As I said, as long as there is no particular reason to take away the prisoners and Danilo (that's the only noteworthy difference, that these five are still around), to "save the plot" so to say, I don't really see why the guards should or even could do so.
Bye
Thanee
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DM_Matt
First Post
This ability was INSPIRED by shadow stride...remember that SS is sort of a shadow DD, but shades at higher levels get a shadow Tp and a shadow plane shift. This is somwhere on the continuum between the DD-like one and the TP-like one. I'm not going to tell you the range, though.
They could have seen you even there. Really. This is the problem when I use nonstandard monsters and nonstandaards abilities. If you look at the other thread, you might notice that the other PCs have discovered that a certain criminal organization is experimenting with creating new breeds of vampire...
Some of the vamps went before you, some after. Thats why Danilo and the other prisoners did not get away.
And to clarify my "enormouly powerful" claim, I wasn't talking about the 30th level Ubers that are running around the canon realms, but rather someone who just cast hirrid wilting (the other one used a lightning-subbed firebrand (L5 spell). Also they never fought the vampires. The vampires simply decided not to risk fighting two mages that blasted the Talonans to death in one round wit heavy damage spells. Its a pretty intimidating sight, one would think.
They could have seen you even there. Really. This is the problem when I use nonstandard monsters and nonstandaards abilities. If you look at the other thread, you might notice that the other PCs have discovered that a certain criminal organization is experimenting with creating new breeds of vampire...
Some of the vamps went before you, some after. Thats why Danilo and the other prisoners did not get away.
And to clarify my "enormouly powerful" claim, I wasn't talking about the 30th level Ubers that are running around the canon realms, but rather someone who just cast hirrid wilting (the other one used a lightning-subbed firebrand (L5 spell). Also they never fought the vampires. The vampires simply decided not to risk fighting two mages that blasted the Talonans to death in one round wit heavy damage spells. Its a pretty intimidating sight, one would think.
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Thanee
First Post
DM_Matt said:
I have no idea how the surrounding area might look like (at that time I was assuming some buildings between our position and the prison building at least, so that there is no direct line of sight), but if we were basically in view from the building, that wouldn't be hard for sure. If they have other means to view the area, however... Well I don't want to guess the CR of these vampire things, but it must be extremely high! I just hope you are aware of that, too.
Well, they appeared, acted and disappeared, all before we could do anything about it. That's what I meant.
Yep, that custom stuff (especially with such extremely powerful abilities) paired with the minimal information we have at this point does add a lot to the confusion.
Whatever, I just thought that the whole situation was based on the assumption, that we were near the building and easily seen there (which both was not intended), but if it doesn't change anything, then it's just like that.
Just get on... at least it's over for now!
Bye
Thanee
DM_Matt
First Post
Lets just get on with the game.
However:
The Vamp's CRs were individually lower than you. They had great maneuverability and one of them had some very nice detection abilities (I knew that there was no LOS between you and them. It didn't matter), and when they as melee-orented monsters were mobbing unbuffed mages they could do a lot of damage. However, if you did choose to fight them (And I am not saying tht you should or shouldn't have...there is no one rigth answer in this case), you would have found that while they had some nice tactical advantages, if they got the big-ticket energy spells sicced on them they would not have fared all that well.
Also, you said that it seemed that you were not "intended" by me to escape. That isn't true. While it was possible for you to fail, I expected that you would have successfully escaped.
However:
The Vamp's CRs were individually lower than you. They had great maneuverability and one of them had some very nice detection abilities (I knew that there was no LOS between you and them. It didn't matter), and when they as melee-orented monsters were mobbing unbuffed mages they could do a lot of damage. However, if you did choose to fight them (And I am not saying tht you should or shouldn't have...there is no one rigth answer in this case), you would have found that while they had some nice tactical advantages, if they got the big-ticket energy spells sicced on them they would not have fared all that well.
Also, you said that it seemed that you were not "intended" by me to escape. That isn't true. While it was possible for you to fail, I expected that you would have successfully escaped.
Thanee
First Post
DM_Matt said:
Yep!
Just commenting a bit further here... no need to keep up the game now...
Sorry, but no way!
These abilities alone are pushing their CR a lot! Please don't underestimate those! If they are below our CR, they must be level 1 commoners or something (not level 8 fighters, monks or whatever)!
And unless you are talking about some custom stuff (or I'm missing something
), they must have more than "very nice" detection abilities to find us there, I suppose. No need to tell us the exact abilities, as they are still around, but I'm assuming something along the lines of Greater Scrying would be necessary for that.For sure, but how did they know that?
Rahja was inside the carriage casting spells before they hit. Ines was sneaking around the tavern. Don't think they could expect us to be unbuffed, really!
What I meant is, that the way you planned it probably (just a guess, really), which doesn't have to be the only outcome, of course, is the two wizards rescuing us!
Bye
Thanee
DM_Matt
First Post
SOme responses, then back to the game in ernest.
The ability is significantly weaker than that spell, and they were significantly weaker than eighth level.
No, they couldn't. But they were confident enough in their abilities that they believed that numbers and surprise would win this. The unbuffed part was just a statement of fact.
They may have found you if you did not escape, but I wasn;t counting on that happening
Thanee[/QUOTE]
Thanee said:These abilities alone are pushing their CR a lot! Please don't underestimate those! If they are below our CR, they must be level 1 commoners or something (not level 8 fighters, monks or whatever)!
And unless you are talking about some custom stuff (or I'm missing something
The ability is significantly weaker than that spell, and they were significantly weaker than eighth level.
Thanee said:
No, they couldn't. But they were confident enough in their abilities that they believed that numbers and surprise would win this. The unbuffed part was just a statement of fact.
What I meant is, that the way you planned it probably (just a guess, really), which doesn't have to be the only outcome, of course, is the two wizards rescuing us!
They may have found you if you did not escape, but I wasn;t counting on that happening
Thanee[/QUOTE]
Mithreander
Explorer
Those nice abilities (Just to add my two cents, and can be ignored hereafter), could be acomplished by Scry (with a -10 to our will saves due to them, possibably have a hair from each of us, or something, or even as high as -15 if they had marked us in someway that makes us very familiar, such as branding us with an invisable symbol.), which is only a 3rd level bard spell, or 4th level mage spell, or can be accomplished witha magic item besides.
Besides, according to the SRD's Improving Monsters page, that ability would only add +2 CR to that specific creature.
Vampires add +2 CR for that template, then their type is concidered abnormal humanoids, or monstoruous humanoids, which means that their CR goes up +1 for every two levels or hit-dice that they go up, according to that page I referenced, so I ccan easily see them as having the abilities that they had and stay under or at the CR 10 that Matt had said they where.
Just my two cents worth.
Besides, according to the SRD's Improving Monsters page, that ability would only add +2 CR to that specific creature.
Vampires add +2 CR for that template, then their type is concidered abnormal humanoids, or monstoruous humanoids, which means that their CR goes up +1 for every two levels or hit-dice that they go up, according to that page I referenced, so I ccan easily see them as having the abilities that they had and stay under or at the CR 10 that Matt had said they where.
Just my two cents worth.
