JBRam2002

D&D 5e - The Lost Lands

Katia Lei

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For a moment after the battle's end, Katia stood before the altar, staring into the flame and trying to wrap her head around what she had just witnessed. Despite not turning to check on the others, she could hear the sounds of those behind her proclaiming wordlessly that they were alive and well just as she, although Katia doubted any had seen the visions she had seen. The sacred flame flickered before her, enkindling in her soul the same flames that had nearly been snuffed in despair.

Reaching into her mind, she could feel a strange yet comforting new power granted by the heavenly being she had witnessed. The power to give life and draw it away, to conjure fire and light, to mix both together in a holy evocation of destruction. Indeed, as she stood by the light of the fire she had borne, Katia touched the tip of her staff and the radiance shone from her weapon like a sacred torch. This was magic, no doubt about it, but unlike the books that Wick had studied or the prayers she had devoted to her deity, this magic was part of her very essence, crafted and drawn from her very essence. This was even beyond the minor miracles of her monk training: a power granted by the heavens themselves to be used to further good.

As the realization dawned on Katia, she turned and sprinted back to the others, darting around Cesar, Birbin, and the others as if they weren't even there, and stopping only once she had reached Wick. "Magic, milya! I can use magic!" she called out excitedly, holding her staff out as proof. "I saw a Light, and then I heard someone tell me to keep going, and then..." A shower of sparks exploded from Katia's fingertips, causing her to giggle in delight.

Out of the corner of her eye, Katia saw the Green Man attempt to slink off into obscurity. "Hold on, you! Was this all some sort of test? What's really going on here? We don't want to destroy or hurt anything good, so if you can help us know more, we can take better care." Katia felt a bit sheepish about smashing the paladin in the face with her staff, but then, if he had no plans to help them, perhaps it was warranted after all.

Mechanics

Katia casts the cantrip Light on her staff, then uses Feline Agility to dash towards Wick at full speed (max 200 ft). Once there, she casts the cantrip Prestidigitation as a demonstration of her newfound powers. She will then remain still long enough to regain her Feline Agility.

HP: 33/33. AC: 15. Ki: 3/4 (Recharge Short Rest).
Feline Agility: Available. Golden Surge: Available.
Pact Magic: 1/1 Lvl 1 Spell Slots per Short Rest.
Monk DC: 13. Warlock DC: 12.

Mentioned: @Gordian Nought, @The Harbinger of Ferocity

D&D 5e - High Seas and Tall Tales

As the others bickered over the magic items and loot, Jill backed out of the cramped room and made her way towards where they had left Koan and the aasimar. For some reason, they hadn't met up yet, and Jill had started to worry slightly. With the effects of her Detect Magic spell still active, she could see the faint magical aura of a spell being cast as they kissed, but she was too late to do anything other than watch as Koan fell unconscious in the aasimar's arms. One part of her wanted to rush out and save the mage, but the other was curious about what their new friend would do. Was he about to let Koan drift away, bleeding out in the salty waters? Or would he harness the power of the heavens and save the jester?

A beat... then two. Jill opened her mouth to call out a healing word when finally the holy energy flowed through his hands and restored Koan's breath. The word and magical energy died on her lips, and the captain breathed a sigh of relief. Trust was not easily won in this part of the planes, and Jill was almost as slow as their beholder to truly trust someone, but chances would be offered until proven wrong. Jill was not too happy about letting Koan's life hang in the fallen aasimar's sadistic balance for long, but she was alive. That was all that mattered.

"I would tell you two to get a room," Jill called out, making her presence known, "but I'm afraid you wouldn't survive the night. If you are quite finished, we need to move on. No amount of healing can cure stupidity." The final sentence was muttered barely loud enough for them to hear as she returned to the others. Seeing as they were still divvying up money and propositioning the merfolk, Jill peeked her head around the next corner before darting back to rejoin the others.

"Dyn, everyone, come quick!" she whispered hoarsely. "There's someone here! Looks like a prisoner." Indeed, a fully armored blonde woman wielding a staff and shield was in a part of the cavern that seemed to fold in on itself to make a comfortable cell, complete with apparently naturally forming stalagmite bars keeping her from escaping. It wasn't long before Jill's presence became obvious to the woman, and the captain waved sheepishly. "Uh, hey. Can we help you out of there?"

Modular Pathfinder

Maiko | Monk of Perfection

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The monk of the group stood hanging over the railing and feeling the sea breeze on her face. Maiko had rarely been on an open boat traveling at this speed before; most seafaring vessels she had ridden were dingies or slow schooners. A huge smile spread across her face as they approached Xielan Island, no cares evident in her expression.

The appearance of the fisherwoman turned her attention, and she stepped away from the railing to greet her. "My name's Maiko," she replied. "I'm a student of the Dragon Style of fighting unarmed, and this is my first real tournament, although I've fought one-on-one many times before."

Risha nodded happily in response to the information and questions. "Singing isn't my strong suit," she replied with a chuckle. "It seems the Tail Chasers have a lot of draconic energy on your side, and kitsune if I'm not mistaken," she added, glancing at Kyoumi. "And what about the rest of you?"

Modular Pathfinder

Maiko, the Freed Slave

How does one repay the gift of freedom? Through eternal loyalty.

D&D 5e -- The Lost Children

I second the above suggestion. Especially for the DM, it's very useful info to have. As for players, it helps us know info that's pretty important when there's no map to help us keep combat straight.

Modular Pathfinder

Through group consensus, we have decided to preemptively end the Fangwood Keep module. Instead, we shall begin a new module with brand new characters:

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The Ruby Phoenix Tournament

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The sorceress Hao Jin left an indelible mark upon the land of Tian Xia. Throughout her centuries-long life, Hao Jin—a devout follower of Abadar, god of contracts, wealth, and order—set out to amass her own First Vault, a collection of those items she deemed most perfect or wondrous in all the world.

Among the many Abadaran pacts and contracts that dictated Hao Jin’s life was her carefully contracted agreement with the temple of Abadar in Goka regarding the fate of her collection in the event of her eventual death. Fearful that her treasures would fall into the wrong hands or simply be lost to history, Hao Jin left strict instructions that were she not to set foot within the temple for 10 years and a day, on the 10 year anniversary of that occasion, an epic competition of martial arts was to be held, overseen by the city’s Abadaran clergy; the winning team would be allowed to choose a single item as a prize for their victory. Not only would this prevent the collection from immediately being broken up, but it also ensured her life’s work would attain its own legendary immortality through the prestige the contest would bring.

During her lifetime, many who knew of her will attempted to end her life prematurely, and many succeeded. But Hao Jin had contingencies in place to such a degree that even her most cunning and careful would-be assassins underestimated her ability to return from the dead. Each time an enemy killed her, she miraculously emerged unscathed days later, her red hair a shade more vibrant than before her death. Her ability to overcome death and the resemblance her hair soon had to an animated, flickering flame earned Hao Jin the nickname Ruby Phoenix, and over the centuries of her life, many believed her to be truly immortal.

Yet in 6891 IC (Imperial Calendar; 4391 AR - the current year is 4711 AR), a recordkeeper at Goka’s Grand Bank of Abadar informed the archbanker that a decade and a day had passed since the Ruby Phoenix last visited the temple. The conditions of her will had been met. As no one had seen nor heard from the sorceress for several years, she was assumed to have finally met her end, and the preparations were made to conduct the first Ruby Phoenix Tournament 10 years later. That tournament also established the office of the Emissary, an Abadaran official appointed for life to run the proceedings.

Each decennial since, the greatest champions from across Golarion have vied for the victors’ spot, and most contestants have competed honorably and passionately. Each group of contestants must prove themselves worthy of the Tournament, either through a qualifying competitors or by performing an act of great renown. When our group defeated a terrifying oni who had held a small town captive and freed their slaves, their names were entered into the competition and a formal invitation was extended.

Thus, the group found themselves on a transport boat between the Tian Xia mainland and the small island of Xielan, the home of the decennial tournament. As they stood on the deck of the ship, a blonde woman dressed as a fisherman approached. "Hey there! The name's Risha. You all look like you're heading out to the Tournament too!" She carried a large pack on her back as if she were ready for an extended stay on the island. "I bet you're all fighting there, huh? Mind introducing yourselves? I love meeting all the contestants!"

enjoy your last minutes of free internet

@anxiouscat

There is no money to be made in making a low-load forum into a luxury. However, the same cannot be said for Netflix, Twitch, Youtube, any P2P or file sharing sites, or any sites that do not conform to whatever standards the ISP dictates.

Repealing net neutrality means that certain parts of the internet will very likely become a luxury, and those who use high bandwidth (gamers, streamers, small businesses like the one I work in that have to transfer large files) will have to pay premium rates or get throttled. The fear is where that line will be drawn.

Take a look at cable (or satellite) TV providers, many of which also provide internet. For cheapo package A, you get your local channels, maybe the huge networks. For medium cost package B, you get 140 channels, and for high cost C, you get all 600 channels. Plus, you can pay an extra $30 per month for HBO and Cinemax. The question is where do the sites you visit fall into thimgs? Are they included in A, or will you have to pay C? Will imgur and 4chan be part of the HBO package? How much do I have to pay in order to stream my favorite games on Twitch?

D&D 5e -- The Lost Children

Fairly productive round for Bobbin. @ihinka is up next!

D&D 5e -- The Lost Children

Bobbin Wiev

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The foes surrounded them with a speed unexpected, blades whirring and missing all around them, followed by crossbow bolts. One such bolt found its mark in a location the kenku did not care to discuss, and he squawked in pain as he turned his ire towards the foe next to him. The squawk slowly morphed into an ursine roar as the kenku's form grew, feathers transforming to fur and fists to claws. The kenku-turned-bear stood on its hind paws, mimicking the near-drunken stance of the monk as it towered over the bandit. A step placed the bandit between him and one of his allies, and the brown bear dropped forward, his teeth tearing into the bandit followed by a raking of his claws against the crazed villain's face.

Not many simple bandits could withstand an onslaught from such a foe, and this bandit was no different. Perhaps his last thought was regret about mistaking the kenku for chicken, or perhaps it was proclaiming the majesty of the ferocious beast that bore down on him. In any case, the bandit's body twisted and flew to the ground with a sickening thud as the bear turned its attention to the other enemies before him. The fish seemed to be able to take care of himself, and the elf had a panther to assist her despite seemingly heavily wounded. The Jacoby creature was too far away for Bobbin to be of assistance. That left the Sapphire who would now find a large bear opposite her enemy as another angry roar sounded.

Mechanics

Bobbin uses Wild Shape (bonus action) to transform into a CR 1 Brown Bear (stats below). He moves to the most advantageous position he can and uses his multiattack feature with advantage. He then moves to flank opposite Safira, giving her advantage on her attacks.

Bite Attack: 17 and 22 + 1 (from Bless) to hit for 6 piercing damage.

Claws Attack: 19 and 6 + 1 (from Bless) to hit for 11 slashing damage.

Brown Bear Stats

Size: Large, AC: 11 + 2 = 13, HP: 34, Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft.
STR 19 (+4), DEX 10 (+0), CON 16 (+3)
Stat Page

Current Stats:
HP: 9/18 | Wild Shape HP: 34/34 | AC: 13

D&D 5e -- The Lost Children

@0 Azzy 0 - Looks like Signod is up!