Chapter 1 - Windward

[Seraphin]

Okay okay okay, I think we can knock the Drow off the list of targets, as well as the whispering way. The former isn't hostile towards us and powerful enough to hunt us down, and the latter hasn't really interacted with us at all, but given what we are doing, they would probably be neutral leaning towards friendly. The kobold town would be very, very hostile if they actually knew who we were, so we should go ahead with plans A, B and C (A is release an undead blight upon them. B and C are much the same.) against them.

 

As far as immediate plans of action go, I say we release the undead rats, and then go explore those cyclopean ruins. Piracy is fun, but my character is a treasure hunter at heart and would really rather steal things from the long dead than be forced to kill the living to steal their things instead.

 

As for our long term power, I believe creating a large number of standard undead rather than one huge undead is a better plan (At least until we can get both). I would recommend either your standard skeletal champions, or guardian phantom armours. Equipment can vary, of course.

 

Or, if we feel fancy (And my character always does) we can get a small number of a powerful, but not world ending undead. Say, a few dullahans rather than a tzitimitizltmzitlizitmzimlitlzmitlzmitlzl.

 

PS. I took Greater Summon Cacodaemons, so I should be able to deal with our soul gem needs without the massive cost. 1000 gold per HD is a tad on the ridiculous side.

[Grim_]

Fair enough, so scrap the world ending undead for now (even though some of them are awesome), in favor of moderately powerful undead. At any rate, plan time (destroy the kobolds edition). What I'm thinking of is going to take several stages.

Step 1: Rent an apartment or two in the city, get the casters, with onyx and a massive amount of rat corpses there.

Step 2: Use said store of onyx and rat corpses to send waves of 20 apocalypse zombie rats out into the city under channeled energy control. (they are to be kept in cages before being controlled)

Step 3: After getting an even distribution of apocalypse zombie rats throughout the city, create a batch of burning skeleton rats in hidden places, control them.

Step 4: Leave the same day (So as to not arouse suspicions)

Step 5: 2 days later (once the zombie rats have really started kicking off a minor zombie horde) have the burning skeleton rats race through the wooden town setting fire to most of it (but not one small portion of it, where the survivors will congregate).

Step 6: Wait and see what happens when a massive amount of kobolds, many of which afflicted with a disease that makes them zombies if the fail enough fort saves or are killed by a zombie, are kept in a very concentrated mass.

Step 7: Mop up remaining kobolds, who (incidentally) should never have burnt down that ship.

Step 8: End clerics, sorcerer kobold leader.

Step 9: Loot

Step 10: Profit

 

Erm ross, you do know that you can just use a second level spell for that, right? Also, you did take the undead master feat, right?

[archimage_a]

Also, we would hopefully be able to, at cost, add in a section of the ritual that brings the undead monstrosity to heel, and keeps it from killing us at the very least.

This sounds like the Fetch Quest you are sent on by the village elders before they summon the demon they need you to save them from =P

 

But yeah, exploring the Expanse isn't a bad idea, it might mess with GM events, and would take us away from the base for long periods, which could be troublesome unless we hire overseers and such...Basically GM events have backed us into not being able to leave...Unless we got the Fey to help us hide the base.

 

 

 

Elsewise I largely agree with Ross, a few treasure hunting expeditions would be entertaining, wouldn't interfer with GM Quests and wouldn't take us too far from the base...even if my Sneak Attack and Opium damage (Actually, RAW, the Opium would still affect it, but couldn't get addicted) does apply to the undead guarding them...It would give me the opportunity to break out my Battle Poi =p

 

 

Also for reference, Nerefus' soul counts as 500 gp, but most Gems would only count as 100 gp. Also 1 Cacodemon would usually be sufficent, since you are only saving 25 GP and 1 spell leverl over using Create Soul Gem. If you use Greater Summon then you are using a high level spell slot for 2-5 Soul Gems.

Then again, if Grim can harvest souls already then mass harvesting might be useful too.

Finally, both summoning Cacodaemons and Creating Soul Gems is Evil, so your souls will suffer.

[Grim_]

As a question for retech, are we allowed to use 3.X era poisons and other items?

[Seraphin]

Yeah I dunno where I got the 1000gp from. Lack of sleep, probably. I have Create Soul Gem as well though, so it doesn't matter too much. And I didn't take the cacodaemon spell, I obtained some scrolls of it, among other scrolls I scribed myself.

 

I took undead master, and I have command undead as well. I'm not seeing why we don't just release all 100 rats at once, really. I have a 32 HD limit, you have a 32 HD limit... 64 rats is a significant amount.

 

In terms of killing the kobold leader, I would recommend spell turning. See what happens when his disintegrate or chain lightning turns back at him.

 

[Please ignore my math, I am deprived of sleep.]

[Resistance]

Sorted by CR

 

Important to note that the Nemhain and Danse Macabre cannot be killed. This is probably a good reason to pick them but isn't going to be fun if we fail.

 

Airwalk: Winterwight

Swim: Bakekujira, Sea Bonze

Fly: Tzitmil, Danse Macabre, Dybbuk, Nemhain

 

Hollow Serpent, Ecorche, Warsworn don't have methods of transport beyond a ship or magic which is going to prove difficult.

 

I also don't think that it's going to be possible to bind a dyubbuk, even if you did it would end in chaos.

 

The Warsworn is clearly the best choice, it can go directly into a village and absorb anybody it kills to heal. It can animate enemies weapons and armour so pretty much all of the most powerful martial soldiers are going to be locked down. The Danse Macabre is another good choice due to the DC 25 will save being able to take out pretty much everybody bar clerics but obviously in terms of kobolds and Cheliax that's pretty much going to be the worst idea ever. Winterwight is also good.

 

Anything with intelligence over 3 is going to fight against the binding, in most cases these are the most powerful people turned undead so that they can carry on being evil. You're then planning to use the souls of commoners and low-level adventurers to bind them. You can't keep an intelligent creature as your slave and they are going to be invoking everything in their power to stop it. This is especially true for Nemhain, Ecorche and Dyubbuk which makes them not a choice. This pretty much exemplifies why intelligent undead is just going to be a massive problem.

 

The bakejukira is the safest option, it's not going to betray us (non-concious). It's going to be limited to the water. It already does massive damage and has massive health. It does 18 damage on average and 48 damage every four rounds. It can have CR 2 undead sharks and CR 4 undead vultures which is just fantastic. There are loads of spells to allow creatures with a swim speed to walk on land so the creature could be dropped off in a city or dungeon without much risk.

 

Also, regardless of what you do. An enemy spellcaster is probably still going to be able to make an opposed charisma check on you if you're using something similar to create greater undead. It's a bit too much of a risk. I've already looked at the options for magical contracts and binding and I think that it's only possible to curse or cast a spell if something doesn't obey and even then the contracts are deemed to be literal. Have fun working that out for a 25 INT undead. I'd recommend an animated object instead, it's just a matter of stone shaping something scary with spikes on it and animating it rather than dangerous soul-binding where it's likely to go wrong and even if it does go right it can still be turned and is also still likely to want to be freed.

 

 

Archi, MFW

 

 

 

I'm going to be starting in Absalom to gain some Apostles and then I'll aim to enter negotiations to join Absalom's military as a position similar to living saint in heresy. I may head to the Mwangi expanse but I would like to deal a blow to Cheliax somehow.

I'm going to need to recooperate my wealth and war crimes are always a great way to start. Angelic hoards come forth!

[Retech]

As a question for retech, are we allowed to use 3.X era poisons and other items?

 

If you run it by me, then I can look at them.

[archimage_a]

If we have to go with an undead guardian I would propose Nemhain, she has the long range scouting abilities that are most important for our Island.

 

The only real concern is that we can't kill it unless we hit it with good or electrical damage (Not that we could kill it anyway), so if it does run amok we are stuffed (Though true of all of them =-P)

 

 

 

@Nef, don't kill players and don't metagame excessively.

[Resistance]

@Nef, don't kill players and don't metagame excessively.

False statements backed up on nothing.

 

Only person to have ever killed another player was you. Metagaming isn't very quantifiable but it's also false.

[archimage_a]

You mean apart from Garmund killing you?

 

And its just a lesson you should learn for general roleplaying, if you don't then this will happen again and again, and each time will be less entertaining.

[Resistance]

Don't kill players.

 

Statement from somebody has killed a player and then lied to another player to encourage them to kill me to a person who has never killed a player.

[archimage_a]

If you don't want to learn the lesson then you are doomed to repeat your mistakes.

[Nexaduro]

If we have to go with an undead guardian I would propose Nemhain, she has the long range scouting abilities that are most important for our Island.

 

The only real concern is that we can't kill it unless we hit it with good or electrical damage (Not that we could kill it anyway), so if it does run amok we are stuffed (Though true of all of them =-P)

 

 

 

@Nef, don't kill players and don't metagame excessively.

Actually... Their creation links them to a 'Monolith' which could probably be used to control them...

 

You thinking what I'm thinking?

[archimage_a]

I was, but then I realised that if they went crazy we would need to destroy said monolith, which I (my character) would rather die than let happen. Also it would mean the monolith would be the target of every attack going.

 

Makes more sense to just have the duolith in the pit.

[Nexaduro]

I was, but then I realised that if they went crazy we would need to destroy said monolith, which I (my character) would rather die than let happen. Also it would mean the monolith would be the target of every attack going.

 

Makes more sense to just have the duolith in the pit.

I feel like that doesn't have much in game justification to it

 

Actually

 

Okay yeah it does, since you have that whole 'I hate the undead' thing going on.

 

I guess Grim could make his own Monolith. One of those proper, giant onyx pillar sort of things.

[archimage_a]

I am moderately displeased by the undead, and muslim mythos is replete with tales of complacency.

[Grim_]

My pillar will be made of onyx, probably with a hollow interior (for better animating), and will be encrusted with sheets/designs of silver, diamonds, and soul gems, but that' not too important. At any rate, if we're not going to go big, and we could use some way to defeat a mass attack, wouldn't we do better to just make an ass load of ghosts or similar undead, instead of skeletons or zombies if we can help it, as they will be quite a bit more effective against say hordes of kobolds, or human soldiers for that matter.

[archimage_a]

I would recommend a thought out plan, preferably with diagrams, than to 'Lets use ghosts'.

 

If you imagine Stone Henge, then that (*2 size) is my section of the base. I imagine there are your houses, the seamstress, carpenter and smithy around that somewhere.

 

Also remember we are enclosed on 3 sides by the lake.

[Grim_]

The first step would be to devise some sort of ritual, and make a kick ass monolith, probably outside of the village (maybe underwater in the lake, that would be fine by me, neither I nor my workers will need to breath air). Then, if we were to use ghosts (in combination with other methods of defense, like a fortress, or some other sort of battlement, with lead warded walls in the inner layers, as an added layer of protection. Then, if we were to be besieged, in conjunction with the zombies and musketmen on the walls, as well as the catapults and ballistae, and assorted siege weaponry, we would be able to use the ghosts as a way to guard the gate, and raid the enemy at night. They'd also be very useful as spies, what with them being incorporeal.

[archimage_a]

Each of the largish squares is 44 ft

 

The outer circle is made from several dozen steles and is about 330 feet across

The inner circle is the Monolith

[hide][/hide]

And is about 100 feet across

 

The brown is a pit, around 30 meters deep, set into the side of it are several small caverns (inside one of which is my room and the Pit), it is walled inside the stele line currently.

 

The White is laid stone.

The Lime Green is farm/herb land.

 

Of future note, I am going to be digging a trench to the lake, from the brown area.

 

 

 

[Grim_]

Righto, I'll probably build my demesne in the lake, seeing as it would be both more secure, and out of the way. If you want I can set aside some skeletal laborers for the digging of the trench.

[archimage_a]

If we do take extended voyages then I will take you up on that, otherwise I will just dig it myself/hire some labourers (I really would prefer to use less Undead if possible).

[Seraphin]

I'm going to make a wizard tower. Possibly in the centre of the lake?

 

Perhaps the monolith can make up the base of the tower? Or the top? Would make it look pretty imposing, and might increase it's area of control. I wouldn't know about the last one though.

 

Either way, we're going to need a heck of a lot of building materials. I recommend we look into methods to alleviate the pressure, and then raid the Aboleths.

[Grim_]

Well, there's quite a bit of iron underneath the fey forest, and if push comes to shove, we can just have skeletons quarry out the duergar mines for stone (Again, 100 skeleton workers working 24/7 will probably be more efficient than your average human worker only working 16 hours a day).

[Seraphin]

Or we can get a few scrolls of wall of iron?