The question is just, should I stick with the safe options, and just raid the Slavers, or should I go for something more impressive right away, such as breaking into the vault of the Archon of Tyrosh?
On one hand breaking into the Archon's vault is risky, but on the other hand, I have every luck feat, and if I take some speed and stealth feat, then even if my luck run out and I get noticed, I'm sure I can outrun the guards.
Ok the superior option is clearly to empty the Archons vault before magic return, and intentionally let them discover me on the last pass though, so I can have an impressive chase scene, that ends with me making a narrow escape, I have a legend to build after all, and the best way to do that, is to get my name out there with deeds that are impressive for the time.
I will be retraining a level into Rogue first though, I need that stealth to help me pull it off, and finding a trainer shouldn't be too hard.
Not possible right away, you show up about 5 years before the return of magic, and you have no magic yourself, so you have to survive on Planetos for years before you can leave.
Not possible right away, you show up about 5 years before the return of magic, and you have no magic yourself, so you have to survive on Planetos for years before you can leave.
I think I'd go Dragon Shaman - while 15th is a bitch, so long as he doesn't actively send anyone to murderblender me, a level 20 caster can build up one hell of a resource base for himself, no matter the Tier.
Gaining technical immortality isn't that difficult at the level either.
I think I'd go Dragon Shaman - while 15th is a bitch, so long as he doesn't actively send anyone to murderblender me, a level 20 caster can build up one hells resource base for himself, no matter the Tier.
Gaining technical immortality isn't that difficult at the level either.
I think I'd go Dragon Shaman - while 15th is a bitch, so long as he doesn't actively send anyone to murderblender me, a level 20 caster can build up one hell of a resource base for himself, no matter the Tier.
Gaining technical immortality isn't that difficult at the level either.
Assuming my powers remain intact and I don't age, I could probably handle being a 20th level Dragon Shaman for a few centuries before an opportunity to gank the 15th arises.
Wow, a lot of responses to my latest challenge. Thanks!
These are also basically all responses that I wouldn't take, so that's interesting.
I'm hesitating between Elemental Weird (Earth) and the Binder, honestly. The Binder risks death at the hand of the local wildlife (and doesn't even have Survival!), but a Binder 10 is also a very versatile class that doesn't run out of stamina (Mindsight, limited endless healing and Summon Monster, etc). And levelling isn't impossible either...
Meanwhile an Elemental Weird casts spells as an 18th-level Sorcerer and has insane Divination abilities. Even bound to such a terrible location, there are definitely things I can do there! Summon stuff or Astrally Project to get around the wards, and then magically get into contact with non-Lannisters and bargain. I want researchers and helpers to try to fix my portal and help me escape, and I'm sure they'd love access to an Elemental Weird's bullshit divination abilities.
I think I'd go Dragon Shaman - while 15th is a bitch, so long as he doesn't actively send anyone to murderblender me, a level 20 caster can build up one hells resource base for himself, no matter the Tier.
Gaining technical immortality isn't that difficult at the level either.
Please note that technically, Dragon Shaman isn't a spellcasting class. It's a medium BaB class with healing abilities (no raising the dead), buffing Auras, Dragon breath, flight, free Commune, decent-ish skills, natural armor. All very nice things, but no spellcasting.
On the other hand, there's a lot that you can do in Lys with those kinds of skills. You're not immortal or invincible, but you're definitely very superhuman. Your Auras are stronk in war but also in socials, your healing is versatile (it won't cover a city, but yourself and a few others can heal form almost anything), your melee skills are terrifying and your Dragon breath can trivially obliterate things around the usual CR 5-6 cap.
This isn't God mode, but it is a good position from which to try to take control of the city through brute force or social skills. And then what?
The question is just, should I stick with the safe options, and just raid the Slavers, or should I go for something more impressive right away, such as breaking into the vault of the Archon of Tyrosh?
On one hand breaking into the Archon's vault is risky, but on the other hand, I have every luck feat, and if I take some speed and stealth feat, then even if my luck run out and I get noticed, I'm sure I can outrun the guards.
Ok the superior option is clearly to empty the Archons vault before magic return, and intentionally let them discover me on the last pass though, so I can have an impressive chase scene, that ends with me making a narrow escape, I have a legend to build after all, and the best way to do that, is to get my name out there with deeds that are impressive for the time.
What do you want from the Archon's Vault? Some expensive bauble to (smugly) sell at auction in Braavos?
And note that a Swashbuckler can pump their AC like crazy if they go the stereotypical Combat Expertise route. I'm not saying to charge armies, but if you want to duel the entire palace guard at once... Well, it isn't entirely impossible.
Assuming my powers remain intact and I don't age, I could probably handle being a 20th level Dragon Shaman for a few centuries before an opportunity to gank the 15th arises.
I mean, there's a feat to avoid ageing. There are also races, items... You could even try to max UMD and Knowledge skills and do the same sort of ritual bullshit as that Lyseni Lich did!
Incidentally, you'll probably have to deal with him at some point. Be careful!
What do you want from the Archon's Vault? Some expensive bauble to (smugly) sell at auction in Braavos?
And note that a Swashbuckler can pump their AC like crazy if they go the stereotypical Combat Expertise route. I'm not saying to charge armies, but if you want to duel the entire palace guard at once... Well, it isn't entirely impossible.
I want gold, I want the temple gifts we got from them, I want whatever old inactive magic things is in there, but mainly I just want the gold to build a very impressive ship, and I want to build my legend, which absconding with the whole of the Archon's vault should help with.
I really wish you would let us start with some gear though, just a Bag of holding would make things so much easier, as it is plundering the Archon's vault, is going to involve a lot of tediously smuggling things out, if I had a bag of holding, I could empty the Lannisters vaults, becoming rich and really building my legend, by doing an extremely daring theft.
Wow, a lot of responses to my latest challenge. Thanks!
These are also basically all responses that I wouldn't take, so that's interesting.
I'm hesitating between Elemental Weird (Earth) and the Binder, honestly. The Binder risks death at the hand of the local wildlife (and doesn't even have Survival!), but a Binder 10 is also a very versatile class that doesn't run out of stamina (Mindsight, limited endless healing and Summon Monster, etc). And levelling isn't impossible either...
Meanwhile an Elemental Weird casts spells as an 18th-level Sorcerer and has insane Divination abilities. Even bound to such a terrible location, there are definitely things I can do there! Summon stuff or Astrally Project to get around the wards, and then magically get into contact with non-Lannisters and bargain. I want researchers and helpers to try to fix my portal and help me escape, and I'm sure they'd love access to an Elemental Weird's bullshit divination abilities.
Please note that technically, Dragon Shaman isn't a spellcasting class. It's a medium BaB class with healing abilities (no raising the dead), buffing Auras, Dragon breath, flight, free Commune, decent-ish skills, natural armor. All very nice things, but no spellcasting.
On the other hand, there's a lot that you can do in Lys with those kinds of skills. You're not immortal or invincible, but you're definitely very superhuman. Your Auras are stronk in war but also in socials, your healing is versatile (it won't cover a city, but yourself and a few others can heal form almost anything), your melee skills are terrifying and your Dragon breath can trivially obliterate things around the usual CR 5-6 cap.
This isn't God mode, but it is a good position from which to try to take control of the city through brute force or social skills. And then what?
What do you want from the Archon's Vault? Some expensive bauble to (smugly) sell at auction in Braavos?
And note that a Swashbuckler can pump their AC like crazy if they go the stereotypical Combat Expertise route. I'm not saying to charge armies, but if you want to duel the entire palace guard at once... Well, it isn't entirely impossible.
I mean, there's a feat to avoid ageing. There are also races, items... You could even try to max UMD and Knowledge skills and do the same sort of ritual bullshit as that Lyseni Lich did!
Incidentally, you'll probably have to deal with him at some point. Be careful!
A Binder 10 dropped into Sororythos, on the day of Visery's awakening.
You are Neutral and cannot change your alignment to Good, and cannot ever craft magic items or retrain as a spellcaster/mystery user/psionic character. In exchange you are certain that you will become a Vestige when you die. Make sure to train some Binders or spread the knowledge of how to Bind you : it'll improve your afterlife considerably!
You can pick what your Vestige level and abilities will be now, or you can wait and see how your life experiences shape them.
Binders are awesome but the restrictions are far too much, the Anima mage option would have been nice and Astaroth for item creation would have been beautiful even without Anima mage.
But Vestige existence is not good, Gods and similar creatures legit fear it and being bound isn't nice either, it lets you experience a teensy bit of sensation bur you have no agency. Binders of a vestige are not followers, in fact the norm is a relationship of exploitation (there are some groups that have respect for vestiges) but you want them anyway because while unbound it's just a crap existence without even that small window.
I'd take this choice, Tomb-Tainted Soul and Mother Cyst as starting feats.
I'd be sorely tempted to go Sand Shaper for the additional spells known (and the aesthetics), I couldn't bring myself to the cheese of Rainbow Dread Necromancer even if I could access the Prc.
The lack of staples like Teleport is incredibly punishing so I'd work to round myself out in various ways and turtle for research, I've got forever.
Ok the superior option is clearly to empty the Archons vault before magic return, and intentionally let them discover me on the last pass though, so I can have an impressive chase scene, that ends with me making a narrow escape, I have a legend to build after all, and the best way to do that, is to get my name out there with deeds that are impressive for the time
What do you want from the Archon's Vault? Some expensive bauble to (smugly) sell at auction in Braavos?
And note that a Swashbuckler can pump their AC like crazy if they go the stereotypical Combat Expertise route. I'm not saying to charge armies, but if you want to duel the entire palace guard at once... Well, it isn't entirely impossible.
Fencer: "When I say 'rob the bank', I didn't mean that you should rob the entire bank!!!"
Tarrangar: "Circumstances beckons. I have to improvise."
Fencer: "What, like that giant trail of dead bodies and coins you left on your wake?"
Tarrangar: "*shrugs* At least I got to sleep with the Archons Wife and Daughter."
Adhoc vote count started by Goldfish on Sep 6, 2019 at 6:18 AM, finished with 209 posts and 17 votes.
[X] Plan Dragon Force, Go! -[X] Launch the attack immediately, unless any last minute intel provided by our allies leads us to believe we shouldn't. The longer we wait, the higher the chance our course of action will be Divined. -[X] NOTE: For sake of brevity, assume that ALL available buffs have been applied, including Resist Energy (all types), Mass Entropic Shield, Mass Shield of Faith, etc. --[X] Non-Standard buffs are as follows: ---[X] Lya will use Wild Arcana to cast Battlemagic Perception on herself. ---[X] Malarys will expend eight Rebuke Undead attempts to cast a Reached Chained Nine Lives spell and a Reached Chained True Seeing spell on himself, the Companions present, and our close allies. Viserys will cast Nine Lives on himself. ---[X] Dany will expend six Turn Undead attempts to cast a Reached Chained Energy Immunity (Fire) spell on herself, the Companions, and our close allies. She will then uses 15 Ideas to cast a Reached Chained Greater Spell Immunity spell on herself, Viserys, the Companions, and our close allies, protecting them against Baleful Polymorph, Blasphemy, Avasculate, and Energy Drain spells. ---[X] Viserys will cast Magic Army on the entire raiding force, making sure to include all of the Shaitain frigates and their crews, granting every weapon a minimum Enhancement bonus of +4. He'll cast Nine Lives, Battlemagic Perception, Moment of Prescience, and Energy Immunity (Cold) on himself. Using Wild Arcana to duplicate a Spellbane spell, he will prevent the use of Time Stop, Mage's Disjunction, Maze, and Contingency spells within a 10 foot radius of his position. He'll use the magic bedroll immediately after casting these spells to recover his expended resources. ----[X] Prior to resting on the magic bedroll, Viserys will create 17 Delicate Disks with the following effects and intended uses: -----[X] Five Flashburst Disks: To be distributed to Erinyes, each one will be used to further harrass the crew of an Efreeti ship after initial bombardment. -----[X] Five Summon Nature's Ally V Disks (charged by Vee using SNA IV spells): Each will Summon a Thomil-templated Large Earth Elemental under the command of whoever breaks the disk. Each disk will be given to an Erinyes to use as she sees fit to help deal with the Efreeti ships. -----[X] Two Wall of Force Disks: Malarys and Dany will each have one of these disks, for use in an emergency. -----[X] Two Greater Blink Disks: Richard and Dany will each have one of these disks, for use in an emergency. -----[X] Two Heart of Earth Disks: Richard and Malarys will each break this disk upon receiving it to benefit from the effects of a 20th level Heart of Earth spell. -----[X] One Mirror Image Disk: Dany will break this before the raid starts to benefit from a Mirror Image spell. -[X] The approach toward the Efreeti fleet will be made at all possible speed while the raiding force is protected, where possible, by a Mass Invisibility spell Miracle'd into place by Viserys. -[X] NOTE: I think there are too many moving parts and people involved to try to dictate the course of this battle and everyone's actions too closely, so I'm going to try to set up action groups with some starting goals and loose action plan. --[X] Vee, Rina, Teana, Wyla, Lady Saenena and her Dragon Korzion, Amrelath, Relath, Yrael, the Erinyes led by Mereth, the Djinni Cryomage, the Shaitan frigates, and the three Wyvern Fighters will act to suppress the five Efreeti ships not occupied by the leaders of the fleet. ---[X] Vee, via Summon Nature's Ally spells, will use three 8th level spell slots to Summon 3d4+6 Greater Orglash-templated Air Elementals and three 7th level spell slots to Summon 3d3+3 Greater Orglash-templated Air Elementals. The Summoning will be properly timed so that all of the Elementals are ready to attack when the raid commences. She will send at least three Greater Elementals to target each of the six ships, harrying them with their Cone of Cold spell-like abilities while avoiding her allies. From among the five ships not transporting the fleet leaders, she will choose the one which seems to be fairing the best at defending itself from our raiders (and which hasn't yet been boarded) and drop a 54,000 pound Greater Thomil-templated Earth Elemental on it from the best height she can manage using a Summon Nature's Ally VII spell. She won't drop an Earth Elemental on a ship if there are none which have not yet been boarded. ---[X] Lya will target the ship nearest to the command ship with her Greater Black Tentacles spell prior to our boarding the command ship. ---[X] Lady Saenena and Korzion, protected by a Blood Wished Greater Invisibility spell, will begin her part of the raid by casting a trio of Extended Bloodwished Wall of Force spells, first to block the path of the fleet then to hem them in to prevent easy maneuvering. She will then immediately heal her Charisma damage using her Orb of Mental Renewal before moving to join in with the attack, first by Summoning a Monadic Deva by expending an 8th level spell slot. ---[X] Each Wyvern fighter pilot will use their Beetle Bomb payloads (four Explosives and four Liquid Ice per fighter) to target the Efreeti ships from no closer than 2,000 feet. Each Wyvern's first salvo will be to target the Efreeti command ship with an Explosive Beetle Bomb, then move on to harassing the rest of the fleet. They're to carefully avoid our allies while placing emphasis on suppressing the enemy ship crews and destroying their weapon systems. Once their Beetle Bombs are expended, they will remain in the vicinity to lend fire support using their standard weapons. -[X] The main assault force, consisting of Viserys, Balerion, Richard, Dany, Xor, Siduri, Lya, Malarys, Zherys, Melisandre, and Yrten will move to assault the command ship, aiming to quickly suppress any surviving crew before confronting the Asurendra and Efreeti Mage. --[X] Lya will use a Wild Arcana'd Wall of Force spell to bring the command ship to a halt while Viserys simultaneously casts Dragon's Roar. ---[X] Although the group will assault the ship jointly, they will split up to intercept their selected targets. Should this not be possible for any reason, such as the Asura and Efreeti Mage have already linked up, the group will reprioritize. ----[X] Viserys, Richard, Dany, Xor, and Siduri will seek out the Asurendra Asura. They will stay within range of Viserys' Spellbane ward as much as possible. If he has an opportunity before fighting begins in earnest, Viserys will expend a 9th level spell slot to cast Summon Monster IX in order to Summon an Astral Deva to assist his group. ----[X] Lya, Malarys, Zherys, Melisandre, and Yrten will seek out the Efreeti Mage. Malarys will cast Summon Monster VII to Summon a Movanic Deva to assist his group. He will also have custody of the bottled Seeker to use as necessary. ----[X] Balerion will remain on the ship's upper deck under the telepathic command of Varys, who will remain hidden via Invisibility somewhere comfortable between the base of Balerion's wings.
Odd though the gathering may be under any other circumstances, the plan comes together quickly between your own past battles with greater Fiends and powerful sorcerers, the experience of the Shaitan captains in fighting the long war against the Brazen Throne, and the wisdom of the Djinn Archmage. Beyond the wards and blessings that are common for such outings Dany wards all those who might be harmed by fire as well as against enchantments that warp the form and sapthespirit while Malarys grants blessings of good fortune in the face of battle and clear sight that none of you might be deceived by figments or glamours.
For her part Lya sharpens her gaze even more, to see the very threads of power in the air, the roots of spells uncast, that she might shatter them in an instant, a trick that does not go unnoticed by the frost-touched Archmage. "I do not wish to pry into your secrets, young one, but could you tell me what spell that was? It seems most fitting for all our needs."
"Oh..." Lya blushes slightly, her eyes focusing once more upon the here and now. "That was not really a proper spell. I was just improvising."
"I see," the Djinn Archmage muses, the tone much more telling than the words. "Could you perhaps codify this improvisation at a later date? I suspect many would be interested in it."
"I can try, I but make no promises," Lya temporizes, never having attempted to transpose magic born of the legend of her deeds into arcane formula, but by the gleam in her eyes it is obvious she would like to try.
For now, however, all of you must focus on the battle ahead. Having done your own improvisation beforehand, followed by an hour of deep enchanted slumber, you set upon the table seventeen delicate platinum disks. Their surface shimmers as though molten, though they are cool to the touch, spell-molds crafted in the manner of Valyrian artifice to accept any spell lower than the Fifth Circle and enact it when they are broken. Their fragility had been such that they had never seen widespread use in the armies of the Freehold, but you trust everyone here to make good use of them, either to enhance the attack with more allies or keep against urgent need.
Gained 17 Delicate Disks
Lost 1,700 IM
Five Flashburst Disks
Five Summon Nature's Ally V Disks
Two Wall of Force Disks
Two Greater Blink Disks
Two Heart of Earth Disks
One Mirror Image Disk
While these final weapons are forged and passed into the hands that are to bear them into battle you look to your own protections, a proclamation writ in ethereal fire that none should gain dominion over the flow of time, shatter enchantments beyond recall, or call upon arcane contingencies near you. Now all that remains is getting near the enemy. You can certainly veil all the company you have gathered, even the Black Dread for despite his sheer titanic size he is only a single creature, but fourteen Shaitan ships filled with boarders are more than even all your company together can hide. Fortunately you do not have to...
***
Taking the captains with you from the Deep back to where the ships are waiting at a hidden anchorage among the twisting caverns of the Realm of Earth, you see the ships for the first time, and they are certainly not what you are expecting. Most of the ships you have seen in the Inner Spheres owe at least passing resemblance to naval architecture—they have decks and a hull, perhaps even sails. Not so here. The boarding frigates resemble nothing so much as enormous worms crafted of steel and Stonewood with a circular mouth filled with Adamantine teeth at the end to bite into the hull of enemy ships and then disgorge its crew into the lower decks, hopefully silencing its launchers.
No matter the form of the ships the crew aboard them would feel no different than any other warrior on the eve of battle, the first battle under allied command come to that. You know some of them will likely die and though they go to do their duty with grim determination born of stone-touched souls, you feel they deserve more from you than arcane blessings and marching orders.
What do you say to the crews of the shaitan ships before battle?
[] Write in
OOC: This can be a detailed speech or just bullet points if you guys like, but I felt the moment is enough of a milestone to deserve a speech, especially given Viserys' productivity towards them IC. It also gives me a chance to separate the action from discussion and preparation to improve the flow of both updates. A rousing speech at the beginning of a battle fits in better than what is effectively magical logistics.
Well then, let us make some of our usual battle-speech but make it a bit more succinct this time. Those Efreeti are not going to wait here much longer. And I don't want us missing some loot along the way.
Oh damn, those Shaitan ships sound awesome, @DragonParadox. It's good that they attack in that manner, too. Makes friendly fire much less of a danger while our forces are blasting the decks.
On top of not being good at speeches, I don't have time to write one. Anyone have any ideas? If not, I'll try to come up with some bullet points.
Fencer: "When I say 'rob the bank', I didn't mean that you should rob the entire bank!!!"
Tarrangar: "Circumstances beckons. I have to improvise."
Fencer: "What, like that giant trail of dead bodies and coins you left on your wake?"
Tarrangar: "*shrugs* At least I got to sleep with the Archons Wife and Daughter."
Why would I want to seduce the Archon's daughter much less his wife, the daughter maybe, you don't choose your parents, but anyone who would marry a vile slaver like the Archon, is not someone I would want to be intimate with.
Also when fighting weakling like the Archon's pre magic awakening guards, I wouldn't be striking to kill, after all they're no danger to me, and if I spare them, they will be telling stories about how I was heavily outnumbered, yet was so skilled that even when fighting a hundred men, I could afford to go for non-lethal attacks, and that's a really nice bit of addition to my legend, and it's my legend that matter, I want those Mythic Ranks, and for that I need to be goddamn famous.
Also when fighting weakling like the Archon's pre magic awakening guards, I wouldn't be striking to kill, after all they're no danger to me, and if I spare them, they will be telling stories about how I was heavily outnumbered, yet was so skilled that even when fighting a hundred men, I could afford to go for non-lethal attacks, and that's a really nice bit of addition to my legend, and it's my legend that matter, I want those Mythic Ranks, and for that I need to be goddamn famous.
That's actually really clever, and I like it a lot!
But please note that Mythic Ranks don't actually come from direct fame : we got our first one privately, from a simple question.
That's actually really clever, and I like it a lot!
But please note that Mythic Ranks don't actually come from direct fame : we got our first one privately, from a simple question.
Yes but a prerequisite for Mythic Rank is fame, fame alone wont do it, but the more famous you are, the easier it's to gain a Mythic Rank, which is why I will be spending my time prior to quest start, and in the early quest becoming as famous/notorious as possible, since this will lower the threshold, for how awesome a deed I need to accomplish to become famous.
Sure I still also need to do something suitably epic, but the difference is that if I'm already famous, then any high risk major deed I accomplish, has a high chance of getting me that Mythic Rank, whereas if I'm mostly unknown, the chance of such a deed giving me a Mythic Rank.
It's the difference, of having to do something as awesome, as when Prince Daemon killed Vhagar by jumping off Caraxes to get to Aemond once for my Mythic Rank, or having to do something that awesome at least 5 times, before I get that Mythic Rank.
