[OOC] D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

[Gordian Nought]

Awesome! Will have my post up later today!

[Norschtalen]

I'll try to post today too. I'm off today but I have a few things around the house I need to take care of.

[Gordian Nought]

Maybe a new twist, to the possibility of incorporating inspiration die. However, this applies mostly to live Theater of the Mind sessions and less module governed mechanics.

Anyone heard of the West Marches' style of play? youtu.be/oGAC-gBoX9k

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

Awaiting @Ryonara's response before I will attempt to move the side scene on to the governor.

As an edit after the fact, I apologize if the character development I keep working on with Brannor is uninteresting. It is mostly my endeavor to give him evolving motivation and companionship toward the party, hence why my posts might be long. It also helps that the other characters are interesting enough to actually care about, something I find rare in many games.

[Gordian Nought]

Will have a post tomorrow!

And, Harbinger, I always dote character development in general! The emotional complexity in this campaign has been intricate and very enjoyable. I love the relationship Brannor and Parum are developing. :)

[Norschtalen]

I'll try to post tonight ASAP.

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

We have a long downtime between each of our posts, so I figured it was a good use of said time, @Gordian Nought. Rather a character with... for lack of better words, character, than one without. We are first level characters facing dragons, the odds of us getting much story in before we might die is not in our favor just by design. Why not enjoy it?

[Gordian Nought]

Agreed, @The Harbinger of Ferocity! This is one of the guilty indulgences that play-by-post lords over live sessions.

I wonder what the governor has in store for the group. Formality aside, I feel that we may be venturing outside the keep soon.

[Gordian Nought]

So... Tough decision. Anyone want to vote?

Long rest than AM? Or now, while dark?

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

I am unsure if we can even so much as rest at all, @Gordian Nought. I am totally unsure how modules work, but I am more sure our cleric will not just allow us to ignore a threat to the people, let alone the governor allow us to. More surprisingly is that somehow we still have not hit second level, which is bad news for us given how much abuse we have sustained as is.

[Lucius Cypher]

IC Orchid would go now since he's back at full health, but ooc while we may be back at full health we've used much much of our resources. No more lay on hands, I'm almost certain Kyra and Parum don't have anymore spell slots, and Orchid used up all his rage for today. While I'm sure our group can make due, we'll have to be sneaky and utilize stealth this time instead of tackle with as much strength as we can muster.

[Gordian Nought]

Torus is also out of spell slots.

I'm for going out now, as that would fit IC more, but maybe we can use the raven to spot a potential prisoner, close to the tunnel.

Any other ideas? Short rest with Hit Die use? Implore Romando, Trear, or Mr. Lake as NPCs to help us?

[Gordian Nought]

Or maybe use the familiar in flight as a visualizing satellite with Torus (blind on the ground, but holding onto party members), helping them navigate through the camp/Greenest with Kyra as point?

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

The idea of using the raven to scout out the situation first would be perhaps the wisest, @Gordian Nought. We really cannot sustain another major combat and we could at least travel to the temple while the bird provides us insight as to what is going on below. Thus far, no one has any remaining injuries, but the core issue is, is that we have no sustainment. The next major conflict could get us killed and there's no apparent end in sight unless dawn is right around the corner and that's even assuming the enemy, namely the dragon, will depart around then after the attack and keep to themselves.

We have our weapons and cantrips, but as @Lucius Cypher surprise is our only credible chance. Scouting from above is perhaps the only way to get that, avoid combats we needn't see ourselves into - if they can be avoided at all, again as this is a module - and contend with the temple. This is of course ignoring the prisoner issue, but we will just beat their soldiers senseless between Orchid and Brannor, then hauling them back.

[Gordian Nought]

The barricaded temple of Chauntea seems a more pressing priority than obtaining a prisoner for interrogation. However, I agree the latter can be also accomplished after securing the former, while escorting the town's remaining people back to the citadel, if possible. Especially with Brannor and Orchid cracking skulls when push comes to kill.

I'm in like Flynn; I should have a post by tomorrow.

Any other suggestions?

@The Harbinger of Ferocity@Lucius Cypher@Ryonara@Norschtalen@Hekazu

[Ryonara]

I think making a run for the Chapel would be best. IC Parum would want to stay in the relative safety of the fortress, but she slowly she does realize staying there will only make them sitting ducks. If they could somehow reach any survivors outside the fortress and remain relatively hidden, they could possibly use the situation to their advantage the next time the invaders attack. They'd be so focused on beseiging the fortress that they could lead a fighting force to hit them from behind, or at the very least strike them when they least expect it.

Sneaking to the place would be the hard part, but being a light-foot halfling, Parum is pretty good at staying out of sight. I certainly know that she can use her Minor Illusion to turn into something inconspicuous, such as a barrel. If everyone else wasn't such bigguns she could try to do the same for everyone, but alas.

[Norschtalen]

Of course Kyra would want to head to the temple ASAP. With or without magic she won't let her church fall. That being said I do agree we need to do a stealth route, and to that end @Hekazu would Kyra have intimate knowledge of the village since she's lived there, and thus know the quickest, fastest route to the chapel? As well as a general idea of the current enemy patrols since scouting is more or less what she's doing when she isn't tending to the wounded?

[Hekazu]

@Norschtalen
Knowledge about the fastest, most direct route? Surely. About the stealthy option that's almost as fast? Less easy to do since people normally don't note down that kind of things, but with a plain INT roll we can figure out how well she makes one up from what she knows. Unfortunately knowledge about enemy patrols is limited since they don't seem to patrol per say, instead looting and rechecking houses without real set order to it. Unorganised plundering is hard to predict. At least she knows that's how they are acting.

[The Harbinger of Ferocity]

I will have to advocate the scouting then stealth options, as we cannot sustain at this rate. There's too little longevity at 1st level to handle any fights we legitimately cannot back up outright seeing as we should not and cannot rest. Torus' raven projecting for us what it sees, moving quietly while it keeps watch, then trying to contend with the temple as subtly as possible is the only efficient way to avoid more injury than we need.

I am assuming if we fail the attempted stealth that this is going to turn into a fight, but that is only because we have not the faintest idea of the enemy short of that they are looting and even then that tells us nothing about their make up. Thus far we have seen everything from a dragon to a few priests and some archers, as well as a couple of enemies who seem to be plot relevant... barring the enormous dragon of course.

[Gordian Nought]

It looks like we are all in.

Didn't get to finish yesterday.

@Hekazu, should I involve Escobert in the next post or just bypass the tunnel, and out we are?