Greater Teleport got changed to 5e's Teleport, which I'm not sure is intentional. Even with the +10, that means teleporting to a location that isn't "very familiar"/"permanent circle"/"associated object" has a >20% chance of reducing Senaz to 0 HP, which is much more dangerous than the voters and voting options seem to be treating her teleportation. It's basically playing russian roulette every time she teleports to an unfamiliar location. Half the time she'll take so much damage that she won't get a death save.
I also don't see any representation of (or mentions of in the thread) the 3.5e Succubus's spell resistance, which was a pretty potent ability that didn't make it to 5e. Could be deliberate, I just don't see any explicit mentions of it. If so, I hope Senaz knows about the changes to Greater Teleport in-character.
This one was semi-intentional to try and make sure Teleport isn't completely casually bandied about, but I will say A teleport mishap will not damage Senaz enough to kill her from full health. Damage is reduced to 1d4 for now, and will go up slowly until it reaches 3d10; objects on her do not get damaged at all. Further, Senaz IC'ly knows this (under in-universe terms).
Further, locations she's been to or clearly seen in the last few minutes are Very Familiar for this purpose (at which point the +10 to the roll eliminates mishaps entirely). So teleporting direct to Eira is the only option out of those presented that would be high-risk.
I'll open it to group discussion if I should just rework to Greater Teleport instead.
I've also noticed she does not have her flight speed; I think I had planned to put that in at a later level, but I will get that in as well.
EDIT: I looked it over and decided it's too aggressive; I've reduced the penalty further and eliminated mishaps entirely unless Senaz is going places she hasn't been to.
[X] (Eira's Been Spotted Maybe!) Go towards the middle to see if you can spot and adjust.
[X] (Pace of Reaction) As a Succubus, you can teleport yourself with high reliability. Use this to get there before whatever else is running there does.
[X] (Pace of Reaction) As a Succubus, you can teleport yourself with high reliability. Use this to get there before whatever else is running there does.
[X] (Helen's Been Spotted!) Get down the hill quickly but quietly; there's not enough tree cover to hide close to her, so just ensuring your ally isn't alone when they show up is best.
Ah, caught back up to late to vote here. Still a good read thus far.
I should mention that the 50ft mark on the maps seems to be elevation, not hex size. Especially as the text over at breeyark talks about it.
Gonna try and keep up and avoid metagaming. Keep on the Borderlands was my start back in 2nd Edition (I was like, 8), so there's more than a little nostalgia involved.
So the next post already has several skill checks that I'm rolling personally, but there's still one big one to do.
Someone gimme 1d100 for Senaz's teleport check. If someone gives me a good on-thread shitpost, +10 to the roll. A really good one, +20. See some of what I've done for Another World Online (check the OP for a link, and Apocrypha within that for what I've done) for the kind of thing I'm talking about.
For coordination's sake, roll modifier can be AFTER the roll.
Well, good thing I specified the penalty drops on familiar areas, but that's going to mean Senaz needs to warp twice to get to her target, because 15 is Mishap downgraded to Similar Area!
Someone give me another d100. (Post is in progress, by the by!)
If neither of those rolls is salvaged, it is very likely Helen, Eira, or Both will be killed.
You have been provided a method to salvage the first roll either partially or entirely, negating the second. A decent bit of original, non-AI-generated artwork will allow salvaging the second roll.
The rolls will be sealed as of when I wake up Friday morning.
(Talia, since I've offered you monies for art, said art doesn't count. For clarity, my alarm is set for 7:30 AM Pacific that day. Work's a thing.)
"The order has become of the opinion, Helen, that it would be best if you left Waterdeep to seek new adventures."
"What!? Why!?" Helen asked, carefully and politely oblivious of the stocking that had just landed on her head. "There's plenty of people here to help."
The head of the order in Waterdeep pinched the bridge of their nose. This was going to be a long hour or two--" "That is NOT how it happened," Helen said, irritated.
"Are you sure?" Senaz asked, "Did you ask them, those ladies who--"
[X] (Eira's Been Spotted Maybe!) Go towards the middle to see if you can spot and adjust.
[X] (Pace of Reaction) As a Succubus, you can teleport yourself with high reliability. Use this to get there before whatever else is running there does.
Okay, situation together in your head.
Eira's been spotted, you're confident of that. Noise from atop the hill…
Senaz's perception: 13+1 = 14
… And it's starting down, you can tell that much. Which means either they are chasing Eira - or going for Helen. Glancing toward the road… She's starting up, and has pulled her shield already.
Okay, looking in between… Considering the river, Helen's ability to approach will be limited. Meaning the engagement will need to be near the river, unless you can get Helen across-
Helen's Athletics: 14+3 = 17
… Paladins are terrifying. She is charging through the water, which is about as deep as she is tall. (You didn't exactly measure.) At actually a rather impressive clip, though the current still carries her.
Okay, that means… The right place to move is right… About…
Senaz's Teleport Check: 15 +10 Yup That Be Senaz Bonus = 25 vs. Very Familiar location: On-Target… Ish.
Teleportation is pretty high-risk. Your schooling put very special emphasis on this, for multiple reasons. The exact detail varies, and it's said demons of great power stop experiencing these risks, but in short, the less familiar you are with a location, the greater the risk of missing your target - or winding up someplace kinda similar… Or just trying to teleport into a solid object, which can be potentially deadly. There's a variety of tricks to make it safer, but right now, you've got just one - the fact that you could, when you started, just about see the other side of the river bank.
And then you're moving, faster than is actually possible more or less. (The fact that you just did notwithstanding.)
And then you land… A bit away from where you were aiming, not precisely near where Helen is now getting out of the water. Running like that in full armor… Seriously impressive, but in these temperate conditions, cold could be a major problem.
… Less imminent than the ten bandits approaching Helen's location trying to chase Eira. One has a bow out, you can see that now, and she's gunning for…
Bandit Captain's attack roll at Disadvantage due to distance vs. Senaz: (12,2) + 6 = 8. Miss.
The arrow is very wide, but you still jump to the other side reflexively as it thunks down into the ground by you.
So, not the greatest position to be in - you're far away from your allies, and several bandits are splitting off to go for you now as the leader shouts, "ALL THREE OF THEM DIE!" - feminine voice, good to note.
… Is getting away an option, you need to consider. With this many of them, getting wrecked in a straight fight is more than plausible. Even basically armed, they could be a serious threat.
Keeping you split, however, is one of their best tools - especially if you resort to some extra tricks.
First, you dash in towards Helen, who is declaring, "Total of twelve!" - wait, did you miss one?!
Stopping near her, you draw your rapier. Eira arrives next to your Palain, spinning around and drawing her bow…
Eira's Attack: 16+5 vs. Bandit Captain - Hit! 6 damage
… The first shot hits the captain, who flinches and winces, but barely seems harmed.
The rest of the bandit force, now focused on one group, approaches, but slow down. They seem a bit nervous, even as their leader approaches and takes another shot at-
Bandit Captain's attack roll vs. Senaz - 24 - hit! 5 damage, resistance halves to 2. 7 HP remains.
Helen's shield raised, she looks around them, and towards - ah, a scout coming in from further out. "This is quite a few," she observes in understatement - you get the implication that she's not convinced you can win this.
You consider your options quickly.
[ ] (Bandit Horde) Only the leader has a bow - the rest are coming in to strike at you in melee. With the river at your back to prevent flanking, you can win this, you're fairly confident. Give it a fight.
[ ] (Bandit Horde) Summon the door, get Eira and Helen in, poof it, and teleport someplace (write-in where). You may take a few hits in the meanwhile, and you can be certain the bandits will move to a new location before long, but it's a clean escape and lets you potentially report their previous location to Arnstey Keep. (Yes, just getting away will be worth some XP.)
[ ] (Bandit Horde) Attempt to override the captain's will using suggestion - if you pull it off, you might sow enough confusion to turn the tides.
[ ] (Bandit Horde) Reduce the number of active bandits a bit using sleep to turn the fight around.
[ ] (Bandit Horde) Write-In another tactic.
***
Rough map of the combat situation. The river's deep enough that you'll need an Athletics check to clear it. You don't know what's going on with the twelfth guy to the southeast, but he is running in and presumably with the bandits.
Shorter vote time intentional, Senaz does not have as much time to think!
"The order has become of the opinion, Helen, that it would be best if you left Waterdeep to seek new adventures."
"What!? Why!?" Helen asked, carefully and politely oblivious of the stocking that had just landed on her head. "There's plenty of people here to help."
The head of the order in Waterdeep pinched the bridge of their nose. This was going to be a long hour or two--" "That is NOT how it happened," Helen said, irritated.
"Are you sure?" Senaz asked, "Did you ask them, those ladies who--"
[X] (Bandit Horde) Only the leader has a bow - the rest are coming in to strike at you in melee. With the river at your back to prevent flanking, you can win this, you're fairly confident. Give it a fight.
[X] (Bandit Horde) Only the leader has a bow - the rest are coming in to strike at you in melee. With the river at your back to prevent flanking, you can win this, you're fairly confident. Give it a fight.
[X] (Bandit Horde) Summon the door, get Eira and Helen in, poof it, and teleport someplace (write-in where: back to town). You may take a few hits in the meanwhile, and you can be certain the bandits will move to a new location before long, but it's a clean escape and lets you potentially report their previous location to Arnstey Keep. (Yes, just getting away will be worth some XP.)
[X] (Bandit Horde) Attempt to override the captain's will using suggestion - if you pull it off, you might sow enough confusion to turn the tides.
[X] (Bandit Horde) Reduce the number of active bandits a bit using sleep to turn the fight around.
[X] (Bandit Horde) Only the leader has a bow - the rest are coming in to strike at you in melee. With the river at your back to prevent flanking, you can win this, you're fairly confident. Give it a fight.
[X] (Bandit Horde) Reduce the number of active bandits a bit using sleep to turn the fight around.
I'm thinking escape of some kind. If just Helen and Eira vs these guys was likely to get one of them killed off for real, then us showing up isn't gonna make this a feasible battle on its own, just a survivable one.
The trouble is that I'm still very skittish about letting word of our "summon a door" trick get around. It's too specific; it'll give people ideas about how to counter it, how to sneak in after us. For future emergencies, I'd be in favor of buying a big sheet or tarpaulin or something at our earliest opportunity, so that we can hold it up with Mage Hand to at least keep people from seeing exactly what we're doing when we vanish into thin air.
In the meantime, here's a slightly different idea for how we can get out of here:
[X] (Bandit Horde) Write-in: Eira manifests Skate on Helen. Helen picks up Eira and runs. Senaz follows by air, Suggesting, as she does, that the bandits won't be able to keep up and might as well not bother chasing.
Helen's STR 16, which means she can carry 240lbs. Encumbrance is an optional rule in 5e, but even if we're using it, I'd argue that the text of Skate implies it wouldn't be a factor (considering what it does to drag weight limits when used on an object). If so, the extra 15ft per move (or 30ft downhill) should be enough to make tracks between us and our pursuers. Senaz's natural fly speed, at 60 feet, can keep up.
Even if we can take them, it's just good practice to use one's magical abilities to shape the fight.
[X] (Bandit Horde) Reduce the number of active bandits a bit using sleep to turn the fight around.
[X] (Bandit Horde) Attempt to override the captain's will using suggestion - if you pull it off, you might sow enough confusion to turn the tides.
No caster should be seeking a straight fight if they can figure out a way to cheat. Straightness plays to the bandits' advantages, not to the party's.
Sleep is an AOE. It affects a somewhat random number of targets and isn't highly reliable, but against a large cluster of weak enemies like the bandits it should drop at least a few. It's fairly easy to wake them up afterwards, but it still takes time for them to stand back up and get back in the fight even then.
[X] (Bandit Horde) Reduce the number of active bandits a bit using sleep to turn the fight around.
[X] (Bandit Horde) Only the leader has a bow - the rest are coming in to strike at you in melee. With the river at your back to prevent flanking, you can win this, you're fairly confident. Give it a fight.
[X] (Bandit Horde) Summon the door, get Eira and Helen in, poof it, and teleport someplace (write-in where: back to town). You may take a few hits in the meanwhile, and you can be certain the bandits will move to a new location before long, but it's a clean escape and lets you potentially report their previous location to Arnstey Keep. (Yes, just getting away will be worth some XP.)
[X] (Bandit Horde) Write-in: Eira manifests Skate on Helen. Helen picks up Eira and runs. Senaz follows by air, Suggesting, as she does, that the bandits won't be able to keep up and might as well not bother chasing.
