Wait, @DragonParadox, can we even hit the Devil with Imperious Glare? Because if not its probably better that the vote be delayed, because I'm pretty sure no one voted to have Viserys waste his turn casting a spell that would be useless against the actual target and he knows how his own spells work.
EDIT: Also Psychic is explicitly included in the classes whose spells Shadow Enchantment is able to duplicate, and removing a third of the power of the spell after it's already been accepted when you signed off on it as is like that is pretty dirty pool.
Faced with a foe unseen you close your eyes and listen, beneath the rattle of armor, beneath the calls of the knights, even the soft sound of Garin's breath... there a rustle in the grass, the softest hiss of a blade cutting thought the air. Fel words of power you speak then, of terror and of might. Upon grass stained with black blood and silver, your shadow spreads, it seeps through the air and calls out to the very souls of man and fiend alike: Here I am lord of the skies, quail before me!
All along your side of the ring knights shudder and collapse in fright quivering and calling out desperate prayers, but your true foe is not so easily undone, for it is a thing of terror, a tool in the clawed hands of the lords of hell. Yet it knows its peril, a web of infernal symbols edged balefire begins to open into the air not three feet from the foe...
"Farewell oh mighty sorcerer most foul," a whisper dripping malice echoes in your mind.
In reply you speak a single word, a spell and a command... time twists to your will and the growing portal freezes in a single perfect instant. Again your shadow grows and the power of elder days is brought into the light of day... this time the devil's will fails, ages of slow calculation shattered in an instant. The gate gutters out like a candle in a high wind just as time catches up to your trick and tumbles over you with irresistible force.
You watch as Tyene reaches out to the false lord bleeding silver and pours golden healing light into his wounds, as Ser Richard charges through knocking over Lord Tranth in his haste, then as Garin's blade growing with a ghostly light sinks deep into the fiend becomes visible to all.
Even cowering and broken it it a dreadful thing: insubstantial flesh, like grey mist flowing over jagged bones black as dragonglass, its eyes two glowing embers set above a mouth fixed in a horrid grimace. Your friends pay no heed save for the fact that they can now see their foe and with practiced brutality, burn cut and bludgeon the thing into submission...
Viserys 975 XP
Ser Richard 1350 XP
Garin 1350 XP
Tyene 1650 XP
"Stop!" you hear the false Lord of Storm's end call and for a wile moment you think he means the devil.
Then you notice the other four knights including Ser Criston untouched by your spell are charging in blades drawn... In the only intelligent act he has done this day the fool follows suit of his less offensive fellows and does not strike, though he does shout something about foul sorcery and devilry, just as you are gaining control of your limbs once again.
What do you do next?
[] Explain the strange happenings
-[] Write in
[] Secure the unconscious dogai
[] Write in
OOC: Well here is your chance for Viserys to shine. That poor Dogai, it aced the first save and missed the second by one point.
EDIT: Also Psychic is explicitly included in the classes whose spells Shadow Enchantment is able to duplicate, and removing a third of the power of the spell after it's already been accepted when you signed off on it as is like that is pretty dirty pool.
This seems an opportune moment to gush
You did an excellent job of setting that up with the whole Renplacement thing. The thread was engaged discussing what would be the right thing to do with fake Renly, whether it was even our business, if we should respect Renly's choice to abdicate, etc. We were even looking forward to meeting a new NPC, a Westerosi Lord even (who we have something of a general distaste for form previous experience). You excellently set us an intriguing situation and had the thread really engaged with the general otherness of the fey, while at the same time questioning if allowing a changeling to take the place of the Lord Paramount of the Stormlands might be the morally right choice. In short you have done a really excellent job making a story your players were engaged in and excited to be playing.
Also I love the Renplacement, I'm currently wondering if we can somehow set up more effective changeling replacements for all the less than steller fellow lords.
That said I still think you have something of a bad habit around informing us of significant nerfs to spells only after we have taken them (which is already iffy given our limited spell selection, and has gone badly for us more than once.) It worked out this time, it won't always.
That said I still think you have something of a bad habit around informing us of significant nerfs to spells only after we have taken them (which is already iffy given our limited spell selection, and has gone badly for us more than once.) It worked out this time, it won't always.
I was more concerned with the implications around future uses of the spell, but I'm done quibbling about this. We laid the magical smackdown here, and in style. I'm too busy basking in it to continue to nitpick
Great work man.
Edit: Especially nice touch with the devil going for a smarmy one liner, which we got to promptly make him eat.
Then ASR, Dimensional Lock, BP and (quickend?) sleep. Put it in a bag?
Take contol of the situation, see if Frenly is ok, try to get him to call for calm and rational thought.
Tyene then casts non-detection on the turtlebag, possibly also curses it for INT and WIS for later interrogation.
Remind everyone that we came here for a peaceful parley regarding the ransom of lord Stannis Baratherion, and that we should not let a devil distract us from our shared goals.
(play it off as a thing that happens).
Remind them that we were about to observer Ser Richard kil- ah, Duel Ser ... Thingy, as Ser Thingy demanded by offering deathly insult to two of our friends.
If they bring up the silver blood, concur that it is indeed odd, but first, satisfaction for slander and undeserved insult.
"See, that is what I'm fighting. These mundane squibbles are just not worth my time when the hordes of the Abyss and the Nine Hells are outbidding each other as to who gets the most mortal souls."
[X] Quickened Prestidigitation at Renly to remove all traces of silver blood, then Turtle the Devil, Garin keeps an eye on the turtle
-[X] Tyene and Richard try to keep things quiet until the devil is dealt with and we can continue negotiations
I think you might want to start really looking into a spell before letting us take it, this is becoming a very unpleasant pattern.
Adhoc vote count started by Deliste on Jan 5, 2018 at 5:59 AM, finished with 191 posts and 20 votes.
[X] Viserys casts Nerveskitter on himself, then uses Greater Shadow Enchantment to duplicate a Greater Command spell, ordering everyone except for Richard, Garin, Tyene, and the Renplacement to Halt. If any knights or the Dogoi resists, he casts Celerity and repeats the Command. (Use Imperious Glare if Greater Command cannot be duplicated) -[X] Tyene casts Close Wounds on the Renplacement. She then casts Mass Inflict Light Wounds on the area where Garin is fighting, but prevents it from damaging any party members, the Renplacement, or any of the knights. -[X] Garin casts Wraithstrike as a Swift Action then continues to engage the Dogoi in combat. -[X] Richard activates uses his Earring to gain See Invisibility and moves to assist Garin against the Dogoi.
[X] Quickened Prestidigitation at Renly to remove all traces of silver blood, then Turtle the Devil, Garin keeps an eye on the turtle
-[X] Tyene and Richard try to keep things quiet until the devil is dealt with and we can continue negotiations
[X] Quickened Prestidigitation at Renly to remove all traces of silver blood, then Turtle the Devil, Garin keeps an eye on the turtle
-[X] Tyene and Richard try to keep things quiet until the devil is dealt with and we can continue negotiations
Edit: not sure if removing the blood will help, we can pass it off as a consequence of the devil being the attacker turned the blood silver, and it needed to be removed I suppose.
Sigh... you are right. I should have been more careful. It's just that I could not look through the whole school of enchantment for three classes of magic to see if there was anything unbalancing there.
On the other hand it's hardly the players' fault that there are a ton of spells out there. Reversing the previous judgement (though not ret-coning the part).
I don't care too much about the silver blood. That can easily be explained away as a result of the Dogoi's magic. Much rather secure it thoroughly and get this show on the road.
[X] Plan "We just got a new turtle!"
-[X] Viserys casts Assay Spell Resistance, then targets the Dogoi with Dimensional Anchor. He then uses Baleful Polymorph to transform it into a turtle.
--[X] Once the Dogoi is properly neutralized, explain to the Renplacement what the creature is, and how we might have earned the enmity of its fiendish brethren when we stumbled across, and subsequently gutted, their dealings with the citizenry of Westerosi cities that were not adequately protected by their Lords. Ask if there have been any rumors or odd happenings in the area which could indicate Devil activity.
-[X] Tyene finishes healing the Renplacement. Once the Dogoi is turtled, she uses Cure Light Wounds to provide it enough healing to guarantee it will be available for sacrifice later (16 HD!). She then picks it up and stashes it out of sight.
-[X] Richard interposes himself between Viserys and the Renplacement's knights, readying an action to murder the fuck out of anyone who gets uppity. He and Oathkeeper remain on high alert for further opponents, especially the unseen.
-[X] Garin guards Viserys' back, alert for further surprise attacks.
-[X] If the silver blood is questioned, suggest that it may be an effect generated by the Dogoi attacking from Invisibility. Viserys uses Prestidigitation to remove the blood, then warns that the condition could be permanent, but should not be harmful now that the Dogoi is dealt with.
Nah let's not just lie. Instead, in the best tradition of the fey, use the truth to tell a lie.
"Why was the Lord Baratheon's blood silver."
Viserys shrugs
"The attacker is a naturally magically gifted thing, wicked though it is, and Magic is a mysterious thing. Not even one such as I can be said to know all it's secrets."
We can explain it to Renplacement later in private, if needed.
Sigh... you are right. I should have been more careful. It's just that I could not look through the whole school of enchantment for three classes of magic to see if there was anything unbalancing there.
On the other hand it's hardly the players' fault that there are a ton of spells out there. Reversing the previous judgement (though not ret-coning the part).
There really are only a small handful of Enchantment spells added to the Psychic spell list that aren't already on the Sor/Wiz list. The Command and Forbid action spells come to mind, and Mass Suggestion is 5th level on the list, rather than 6th, so it's normally also eligible for duplication by Greater Shadow Enchantment. I don't see the harm in keeping Command and Forbid Action available, but I would totally understand if you ruled that we can't cheese it to duplicate Mass Suggestion.
Sigh... you are right. I should have been more careful. It's just that I could not look through the whole school of enchantment for three classes of magic to see if there was anything unbalancing there,
On the other hand it's hardly the players' fault that there are a ton of spells out there. Reversing the previous judgement (though not ret-coning the part).
I ended up liking the change quite a bit, I was concerned when the Knights were terrified but the Devil was escaping, I was dreading the outcome.
When we crushed it the second time round, it approached best case.
Craven he says?
Unfortunately it seems that particular fool was not on the ground praying his fear away mid-combat, I would love to be wrong. Please tell me I'm wrong?
There really are only a small handful of Enchantment spells added to the Psychic spell list that aren't already on the Sor/Wiz list. The Command and Forbid action spells come to mind, and Mass Suggestion is 5th level on the list, rather than 6th, so it's normally also eligible for duplication by Greater Shadow Enchantment. I don't see the harm in keeping Command and Forbid Action available, but I would totally understand if you ruled that we can't cheese it to duplicate Mass Suggestion.
Unfortunately it seems that particular fool was not on the ground praying his fear away mid-combat, I would love to be wrong. Please tell me I'm wrong?
