D&D Meta Thread

[Our Angry Bear Brain]

That whole "memorize certain spells" just means you never have the right spell for situations and are stuck with the same 3-4 spells always and end up hitting things with your mace and wizards end up striking things with a quarterstaff which is not fun in my opinion. Other than that, she's doing normal Cleric things.

I already knew Barbarians are OP because of Rage and Ashley's shenanigans would be powerful but Alice is ending up stronger than she thinks with automatic deflect and multiple hits per turn.

[Τamamo]

We have absurd first-round damage output  but can't keep that up for long. And everyone but Cat can't take a lot of beatings. But we have massive healing capacity. Everyone but Ashley can heal.

[Τamamo]

Here is how I see the optimal movement:

-Yulya tries to free herself, and if she can. she moves with Alice flanking wolves #4 and #5

-Alice attacks wolf #4 and #5 moving 5 ft N. If she downs both she attacks #3 and moves around him 1 tile north of #3. If not she stays where Ashley is now

-Cat moves 5 ft SE and 5 ft NE and attacks #3 with her claws using Nick.  Ideally Alice is now W of him for a flank. After downing #3 she attacks #2

-Ashley Panther gets up and moves 10 ft NE attacking #2. Ideally Alice is now W of him for a flank.

-If wolf #2 is also downed, Cat moves 5 ft N. Now both Alice and Ashley are 5 ft within Cat. If they get attacked, Sentinel is triggered. Blue are flanks without attacks

[Our Angry Bear Brain]

I got an indication from Ashley Panther that she will do what she thinks is right. Especially if it ruins my plans.

[Our Angry Bear Brain]

Guidance from the official rules:

Moving through non-hostile creatures:
• You can move through the space of a friendly creature, but it counts as difficult terrain, meaning it costs more movement to traverse.
• You cannot willingly end your turn in a friendly creature's space.
• I am allowing it.

Moving through hostile creatures:
• Normally, you cannot move through the space of a hostile creature.
• Exceptions: You can move through the space of a hostile creature if it is at least two sizes larger or smaller than you.
• I will count this as breaking a grapple of the creature you attempt to pass, but it will be part of the move, not a separate action as you didn't actually have them grappled.
• Even when you can move through a hostile creature's space, it still counts as difficult terrain.
• You cannot willingly end your turn in a hostile creature's space.
• Except if you have successfully grappled that creature, then you are in that creatures space.

I knew there was something about not being able to break a line of enemies. After this round this new regime will take effect. Now you can legitimately surround an enemy and even if they disengage they can't easily escape.

[Alice]

That's quite some diagram, Tamamo!
Looks well thought out (I think). I'll go with it!

Soo - according to the rules we should not have been able to run past the wolves in the beginning. That somehow makes sense. Disengage is for retreating not bypassing enemies without triggering an opportunity attack.
That means in the future this will be no longer possible. This will make things more interesting.

I also think you shouldn't be able to end your turn in an ally's square unless there's some special situation like I'm on Cat's shoulders or something.

[Our Angry Bear Brain]

>I also think

[Τamamo]

Why did I spend more then 2h making the graphs above if you move us in a completely different way than stated? Cat could neither use Nick nor Sentinel because of that, Alice is down, Ashley is somewhere completely else where none of us can help her, breaking Emboldening bond too. Well done!

You also forgot Cat has advantage on DEX checks because of Danger Sense.
I don't understand why Alice was able to reduce the wolves attacks in round 1but can't now. If it's magic she should not have been able to do that in the beginning either.

[Our Angry Bear Brain]

Do you see how painstakingly I had to explain how I had to move you where you wanted to go and Ashley Panther together to maintain flank for every hit, then with Alice and Yulya? It's the best I could do in the two hours I spent. If I didn't do all that you wouldn't have been able to complain, you're welcome.

Any issue you have with Ashley's decisions you can take up with her when she's no longer a Panther, that's her, not me. She just told me what path she wanted to take and I used that the best I could.

There was no NICK because the wolves you could have nicked were downed, there weren't any wolves close enough to perform that in the order you hit them given the 4D puzzle I performed to maximize your advantages.

>danger sense advantage on dex

I just re-rolled and it was a 7 so still not enough to prevent being prone, I'll update the text, you are still prone.

If you wish, I'd like an explanation of exactly what you thought you wanted to do at every step with Alice and given Ashley Panther not doing what you want and Yulya stuck in a tree. Three days of back and fourth later might not end any better but if you want to do that we can pause the game and don't post anything in that thread while we hash out this negotiation. I'm willing to do that because you rarely complain about this sort of thing, but honestly your diagram:



>reduce the wolves attack in round 1

It was my mistake that I realized this round. "Magic attacks" technically aren't piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning. This goes for your sword and Ashley's cats' slight necrotic damage boost if the target fails CON.

In cases such as this, it is what it it.

[Alice]

Tamamo has yet to learn how to deal with the Bear Brain, and that Joy is playing the game, not us. If we're lucky we can give a few suggestions now and then.
So the outcome is pretty much what I excepted - except Ashley's suicide move. But in the scripted event she somehow has to die in this battle so she's doing her best.

Alice is downed from the first hit [Alice has -2HP and will be out until she can be reconstituted by her own rules, whatever they/them are

It was to be expected. I don't think we have agreed on any special rules except that I'm always stable. I guess I won't wake up on my own in that cold, not unless you put me in the soup pot and feed me with warm rations (or corpses). But until I reach  the Full Metal Gear Solid form, I can be healed normally so I'll just wait for that. I'd still propose I need an action for Shape Self if I'm healed to positive HP. Otherwise 'killing' me is too irrelevant.

I had already wondered about reducing/deflecting the first cold attack but it said 'Cold Piercing' whatever that means so I assumed I could deflect the Piercing component. But yeah, I can only deflect Bludgeoning/Piercing/Slashing attacks.

Ok, if Cat's Life Giving Force brings me back, I'll help her deal with the wolves. But Yulya should not spend an action on healing me. Try to break free and help Ashley. I'm too slow in this goddamn snow to reach the bandits anyway. I have no idea what Ashley can achieve 3 against 1, I hope that was worth it.

[Our Angry Bear Brain]

>Joy is playing



It's unfortunate that I have to deal with these extra-system entities. They're all so fussy.

Life giving force is "temporary hit points" and temporary hit points cannot be used to bring someone back to consiousness, so a proper healing spell is needed first or an hour out of combat.

I can tell you that Ashley is playing her part well, just like an animal not thinking of consequences. Her intent was to stop at least one of them who isn't dead for questioning later.

Her logic is sound because who knows what lurks in that mine other then these bandits.

Interrogation is key to infiltration.

Whether she survives the stunt is another thing.

She wants to take down at least one alive, your first victim succumb to his injuries by his (my) own mistakes but by your blood soaked hands too of course.