Random DM nagging.

[Anastasia]

Oh yes, Cor. I'm looking to go back to Eladrin Ascendant again soon. Did you ever come up with a feat for it or anything?

[Anastasia]

On the to-do list: A good, long hard look at permanency and how it works. Talking it over with a few people, I'd like to pick the spell apart and rework the old Balmuria 1 guidelines for it. My mechanical skills have improved since then, so I'd like to take a crack at it.

[Corwin]

Arcane Strike is used enough because it's good and useful! Don't hesitate to give it to NPCs, and it's not like a bard will be that strong with it.

If you're strapped for feats, why not crib from the list I PM'd you yesterday? There are very nice ranger combat options in it, and a variety of them.

And yes, bardic stuff. I know you're saying she's very combat-minded, but isn't her refusal to buff herself with +to hit and +damage pre-battle silly? It would be like me or Afina not using Greater Heroism. If we can justify wasting a round on that in times of need, so could she, if only for her own benefit? If she realizes this, there was that feat that raised bard bonuses that got used in B2 (inspire courage++ and all that).

[Ebiris]

Yes. She'll have the to-hit for PA soon enough if she wants to go that route. Well, assuming she can. I forget if power attack and weapon finesse mixes...checking...hm, can't find a ruling offhand. Eb, didn't you run into this with Afina? Even if she can she's not inclined to, as it doesn't really match the style she's trying to emulate. Arcane Strike has potential, though it's used enough already that I'm hesitant to hand it out again.

If you attack with a two-handed weapon, or with a one-handed weapon wielded in two hands, instead add twice the number subtracted from your attack rolls. You can't add the bonus from Power Attack to the damage dealt with a light weapon (except with unarmed strikes or natural weapon attacks), even though the penalty on attack rolls still applies.

emphasis mine

[Merc]

Any suggestions on level 1+3 spells that Ithea could pick up from the duskblade orb?

Right now I was considering True Casting (lv 1, from SC, gives +10 to next caster level check for SR) and Blink (lv 3).

Nerveskitter was another lv 1 spell I was considering, didn't really have any other level 3 spells in mind (besides two banned ones and Fly, which I feel meh about using the orb for).

[Merc]

Moving repair stuff discussion to DM nagging!

So we have 170,354.54g funds for repairs.

Cor suggested spending on:
(0 gold) War Conference Room
(20,000 gold) War Conference Room (Illusionary Battlefield): 1 DC 25 spellcraft check
(80,000 gold) War Conference Room (Scrying): 2 DC 32 spellcraft checks; 1 DC 32 K:A check
(20,000 gold) Repair Suites: 2 DC 25 spellcraft checks; 1 DC 25 K:A&E check
      * Note that Tepen's the only one with K:A&E and this is 10 days of work
(40,000 gold) Improve Soldier Barracks: 1 DC 26 K:A check; 1 DC 26 K:P check; 1 DC 26 K:N check
(10,000 gold) Portal Compass: 2 DC 23 spellcraft checks; 1 DC 23 K:P check

I did note a preference for improving officer barracks over fixing the suites though, and we've also said before we didn't want to put Tepen to hard work. I'll go with the suites if others still want to have nice rooms available for guests though.

[Corwin]

We can get all that stuff and probably even more improvements in this batch, so it's not really a question of picking soldiers or guests. If you meant the order, then it doesn't really matter to me. No objections to shuffling things around.

[Corwin]

22:38] <Jaela> roll 1d20+21
[22:38] * Hatbot --> "Jaela rolls 1d20+21 and gets 22." [1d20=1]
[22:39] <Ithea> roll d20+23 sure, what am I GI'ing though? >_>
[22:39] * Hatbot --> "Ithea rolls d20+23 sure, what am I GI'ing though? >_> and gets 41." [d20=18]

The Mercane thing made me wonder. What merchant presences exist among the planes? Only criteria is that they are not fiend-based or favor those. Waukeen on Brightwater is an obvious one, but I figure we might as well learn? Then we could send invites.

[Anastasia]

Todo list:

1. Posts here.
2. Aurora topic prices.
3. Eladrin Ascendant.
4. Odds'n'ends. I'll start chipping at this some time tomorrow.

[Anastasia]

Arcane Strike is used enough because it's good and useful! Don't hesitate to give it to NPCs, and it's not like a bard will be that strong with it.

Yeah. She may very well end up taking it for that reason. I'd prefer variety if possible, but if I can't, so be it.

If you're strapped for feats, why not crib from the list I PM'd you yesterday? There are very nice ranger combat options in it, and a variety of them.

Of those you listed? Nemesis is out, as she's good but not exalted good. Deadeye is irrelevant as she's focusing on melee now. Ditto with improved rapid shot. Knowledge Devotion is out for various reasons; she's having a bit of a crisis of faith and privately examining the other gods of the Seladrin right now so devotion feats are out until that settles. 'sides, I don't want to go into that here. Of the remaining feats, Favored Dodge isn't needed right now. Her AC went up about 10 points this level, plus she has MI+blink. Her defenses are solid. This leaves Tactical Advantage, which is a superb feat for her and she may take it. It does need a mild rewrite which is about to be posted to house rules.

And yes, bardic stuff. I know you're saying she's very combat-minded, but isn't her refusal to buff herself with +to hit and +damage pre-battle silly? It would be like me or Afina not using Greater Heroism. If we can justify wasting a round on that in times of need, so could she, if only for her own benefit? If she realizes this, there was that feat that raised bard bonuses that got used in B2 (inspire courage++ and all that).

Hey, you know what? I agree 100%. She doesn't. The thing is, Misalea's not looking at this form a dry, mechanical standpoint like we are. She has her own motivations which she's at least mentioned a few times. It's not a matter of her justifying it to herself, but the mindset runs from deeper wellsprings than that. She has her own concerns to deal with and demons hounding her. Approaching this from a rational angle to me, the DM, is going to fail. I'm not the one who you need to talk to about this. Misalea is.

Incidentally, she had the inspire courage feat before she retrained.

[Anastasia]

22:38] <Jaela> roll 1d20+21
[22:38] * Hatbot --> "Jaela rolls 1d20+21 and gets 22." [1d20=1]
[22:39] <Ithea> roll d20+23 sure, what am I GI'ing though? >_>
[22:39] * Hatbot --> "Ithea rolls d20+23 sure, what am I GI'ing though? >_> and gets 41." [d20=18]

The Mercane thing made me wonder. What merchant presences exist among the planes? Only criteria is that they are not fiend-based or favor those. Waukeen on Brightwater is an obvious one, but I figure we might as well learn? Then we could send invites.

This is a difficult question to answer for a few reasons. First of all, the biggest trade nexus in Creation is Brightwater. By its basic nature, Brightwater lacks a central banner. There is no one, unified house of trading or monolithic Brightwater bloc. Those not deeply involved in trade may assume there is, but this a gross over-simplification. Countless merchants hail from Brightwater, but they work in small groups or alone. Ergo, the biggest source of trading is already fractured. Second of all, law and chaos factor into trade. Lawful planes tend towards grand, unified trading houses that are easily identified. By contrast, chaotic planes are a mish-mash of dozens and dozens of groups vying for superiority, each one seeking their own glory. If you looked purely at the volume of trade done, you might imagine the lawful planes far out-trade the chaotic planes because of this. This is patently false. Third of all, many non-Prime planes have scant need for trade. The elemental planes are self-sufficient in and of themselves; Fire does not need to import more Fire nor does Air need to buy more Air from another. The Heavens are by their nature nearly perfect, they provide for the souls that live there.

In light of this, you may wonder who would trade. If you thought about it and answered 'mortals and fiends', you'd be close to the truth. Mortals are not so blessed as those other realms and are often beset by greed. Coming from lands where trade is vital, they seek the planes as a way to make greater and greater profits. On the other hand, fiends always crave and desire. Fiends crave more souls for gain, more treasure for security and use, more magic for power and all of those to sate the greed that often plagues them. Indeed, the most well known type of planar trading may be the soul and larvae trade of the Hells. Further, both blocs gain from trading by gaining influence and connections. For mortals this provides more chances for profit, while fiends gain connections to further advance themselves and corrupt more souls. This is one of the biggest reasons that Heavens trade, to counter this effect and establish their own connections. They do not often need what they trade, which can make them fundamentally different merchants to deal with.

Over time, this has lead to trading becoming accepted across the Outer Planes. The benefits of communication, influence and chances to observe have become too precious to neglect. In time, this has even opened up the Astral, the Inner planes and other locations to the trade routes. However, outsiders do not always make the most acceptable merchants. While some planes do maintain diplomatic relations with their opposites - Celestial and Baator are the best known for this, having entire bureaus dedicated to it - having angelic traders in the Abyss or yugoloth traders in Arborea is unacceptable to all concerned. As a result of this, non-aligned creatures have a large presence in trading. There are no pesky problems of eternal enemies, realms that innately reject them and other hang-ups. Further, quite frankly, the opposing realms are rarely interested in directly trading with one another.

Finally, there is one last factor to consider. As the goddess of trade, Waukeen is whispered to have incredible control over trade through her clergy on top of whatever divine control she may have over trade.

This all being said and to provide a better understanding of planar trade, here are the biggest non-evil/fiend movers and what they prefer to deal in and to who.

The Mercane Consortium

This group oversees all official mercane trade in Creation. They have their hands in everything on almost every plane, or at least try to. They trade in everything and trade to everyone that will have them. The Consortium may rival Brightwater and is better organized; however, it is said they also cultivate good relations with as many powers as they can. If nothing else, the Mercane seem to live for trading, having no other aspects that are commonly known of.

Brightwater

While not an official group in any meaningful sense, Brightwater holds countless traders and is a huge throbbing pulse of planar trade. It deserves mention in any conversation of planar trading. Brightwater avoids more fiendish pursuits by and large, but they handle almost everything else. Within Brightwater are several notable houses and organizations: House Goldback, Congress of Profit, Company of the Blessed Coin and Brightwater United.

Clergy of Waukeen

In this context, Waukeen's clergy is a separate entity from Brightwater. This group has a cohesive nature that Brightwater lacks, as the church hierarchy translates into the basis of a strong trading house. They operate under Waukeen's doctrines for trade, dealing in most things that don't offend this and with almost everyone. Shar, many demonic princes and certain denizens of Limbo are not traded with.

Celestia's Envoys

A small but well organized trade service, used on occasion by more pragmatic archon lords. They are not drive by profit in coin, but profit in deed and accomplishment. Often they take great losses, but what they provide helps fight back against evil. Persistent rumors that the Slayers of Domiel use this company as cover are old and persistent.  They deal in goods from Celestia, usually arms, armor, foods and magical items.

The Purple Flag

While not its official name, a sect of slaad often use a purple flag when they travel to trade. Slaad trade is inherently unpredictable, but it does occur. Sometimes great wonders are found, at other times nothing of use at all. Prices also vary.

[Anastasia]

I've been toying around with a rules change. Ability damage/drain can't reduce you below 1 point in any given stat, ergo ability damage/drain lacks the risk of incapacitating you or flat out ending your life.  This would make certain broken spells like Ray of Stupidity and Shivering Touch useable without being instant win buttons against certain creatures. Creatures that have a gimmick based around reducing an ability score to zero, such as shadows, would gain a trait that allows them to ignore this rule.

What do you guys think?

[Merc]

*shrugs* I'm okay either way on that.

[Corwin]

1 still incapacitates you with some stats, doesn't it?

[Anastasia]

Str 1 can if you're wearing or holding anything particularly heavy. None of the others really incapacitate you. Int 1 reduces you to the intellect of an animal, but you can still act.