Random DM nagging.

[Anastasia]

[00:29] <Jaela> roll 1d20+23+10+15 Avengers of Telastryiryn
[00:29] * Hatbot --> "Jaela rolls 1d20+23+10+15 Avengers of Telastryiryn and gets 59." [1d20=11]
[00:30] <Jaela> roll 1d20+23+10+15 Dark Kalis
[00:30] * Hatbot --> "Jaela rolls 1d20+23+10+15 Dark Kalis and gets 52." [1d20=4]

Knowledge:Planes, while reading the library. Just in case it'll tell us more in preparation.

The Avengers of Telastryiryn are elder water elementals of power and fury. Somehow they have gained immunity to death - exactly what this entails and how to overcome it is not known, however.

There's no useful information about Dark Kalis. Information about Ooze and the areas near it is thin to non-existent, since few creatures care to go and many don't come back.

[Anastasia]

From today's session.

> The ioun stone splashes in! As one they chant, "In this is water, for it sustains." After a moment they answer, "Dark Kalis lies in the Fenlin Marsh just outside of the Bile Sea. Beware Dark Kalis, for the Avengers of Telastryiryn are forsaken by death and may not die."
<Jaela> A spell is cast swiftly to bolster her hold on the lore, and then Jaela tries to recall that particular location.
<Jaela> roll 1d20+33 lore of the gods
* Hatbot --> "Jaela rolls 1d20+33 lore of the gods and gets 47." [1d20=14]

For future reference, you don't have time on a knowledge check to cast a spell, even a quickened one, unless the spell explicitly allows you to do so. You either know the knowledge or you don't. You don't have time to cast a spell to boost it, that sort of thing needs to be in place already. This doesn't impact other things, such as pre-cast Divine Insight, Cunning Knowledge or related skills, nor does it affect using them on library/research style checks unless said otherwise. But yeah, on the spot doesn't allow you the chance to throw a spell down.

[Corwin]

I kind of disagree on this one. Sure, if you're faced with something and must make the knowledge check right there on the spot, sure. But since we don't have to make knowledge checks the moment we hear about something, does it matter if I decided to go find a suitable book in the library on the subject or if I took a moment to cast a spell and only thought about that matter then? After all, the Fenlin Marsh was mentioned in the same sentence as Dark Kalis and the Avengers, yet you didn't have a problem with me researching those other two at a later time.

[Anastasia]

Re: Gate.

This came up today in chat since Yuth took Gate as one of his two bonus spells. As you know, Gate has two functions. The first is essentially an advanced form of Greater Plane Shift, something that I'm sure will serve Muirfinn well. The second function is more problematic. It's an open ended summons spell that allows you to summon and control creatures of up to double your caster level and trades off experience points to balance it out. Besides the obvious difficulties involved, Gate is a serious headache for the DM to adjudicate, since being able to summon almost anything in an open ended way requires considerable judgment calls.

I've been playing around with a variant we were going to use in Balmuria 1 for Gate in Balmuria 3. Let's face it - you guys have an entire army at your beck and call. Rather than summoning random things, how about Gate summons a member of your army currently at Aurora instead? Essentially it allows you to call in help in the same way that fiends call in summons. I admit I like this for several reasons. It lets you guys use the allies and forces you've worked hard to collect, it narrows down the scope of Gate and is thus far more manageable and finally it makes DMing this spell far easier. I freely admit that the last factor is the most important by far, especially because it means I don't have to try and balance Gate without an XP component.

Thoughts?

[Yuthirin]

Significantly less fun than gating in ancient gold dragons. But surely more manageable.

[Anastasia]

Much more so, yes. Especially dragons and casting creatures, since they require a spell list.

[Corwin]

Works

[Yuthirin]

[00:35] <12Muirfinn> Summon, summon, greater dispel on bossguy, area buff.
[00:35] <Corwin> You can't do the third
[00:35] <12Muirfinn> oh
[00:35] <12Muirfinn> true
[00:35] <Corwin> Not sure if you can do the fourth
[00:35] <12Muirfinn> Ican't
[00:35] <12Muirfinn> Just read that myself
[00:35] <Corwin> I think the fourth depends on Dune, so ask him first
[00:35] <Corwin> In fact, ask him on the forum so it's written down?
[00:36] <12Muirfinn> The area buff might kick me out of the Stop, but that's fine.
[00:36] <12Muirfinn> I'd pop it on the final round anyhow

[Ebiris]

I like this version of Gate.

Baleruk is better than any ancient gold dragon, anyway.

[Yuthirin]

Yes, I thought of that after I went to bed.

Complaint withdrawn.

[Corwin]

After thinking it over, I'll take care of the kid we found. I'm sure it will be just fine.

[Anastasia]

[00:35] <12Muirfinn> Summon, summon, greater dispel on bossguy, area buff.
[00:35] <Corwin> You can't do the third
[00:35] <12Muirfinn> oh
[00:35] <12Muirfinn> true
[00:35] <Corwin> Not sure if you can do the fourth
[00:35] <12Muirfinn> Ican't
[00:35] <12Muirfinn> Just read that myself
[00:35] <Corwin> I think the fourth depends on Dune, so ask him first
[00:35] <Corwin> In fact, ask him on the forum so it's written down?
[00:36] <12Muirfinn> The area buff might kick me out of the Stop, but that's fine.
[00:36] <12Muirfinn> I'd pop it on the final round anyhow

Buffing doesn't work, since you can't target other creatures while under the effects of time stop.

[Anastasia]

After thinking it over, I'll take care of the kid we found. I'm sure it will be just fine.

Okay, your choice. Does Jaela have any baby raising experience, curiously?

[Corwin]

Elven orphanage from the elven capital of a near-paradise Prime? Then her Order, I'd guess. So it would be indirect, but still surely better than Hanna's. She'd had nightmares for days fearing Hanna would volunteer.

[Anastasia]

Hanna was at the top of the list to volunteer, actually.