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Post by venger on Jul 31, 2012 23:32:32 GMT -5
Bolo enters the Green Parrot Inn, a dim and foul-smelling establishment. Its clientele are for the most part hooded travellers, foreign mercenaries and petty criminals, a few of whom fix him with hostile stares before resuming their illicit activities. The air is filled with murmuring voices and a cloying purple smoke.
Bolo is savvy enough to avoid unwanted confrontations or entanglements and makes his way to the bar. The bartender, Yenob by name, absently wipes the stone counter with a filthy rag.
Purchasing a drink (3SP) will net Bolo some (random) local rumors: 1. The gladiator Mahât uses a poisoned spear in the Fighting Pits. 2. The slavers have become increasingly bold, sometimes kidnapping people at the very gates of the city. 3. The desert bandits plaguing the caravan route have united under a mysterious new leader. The Sultan has offered a reward of 20,000 dinars for this man, dead or alive.
It takes several dinar (5GP) to prize any information about the Thieves' Guild from Yenob.
He says to seek out Bhatandu and directs Bolo to a house with a green door, on an unnamed street, near the intersection of the Street of Beggars and the Street of Curved Knives.
He says to go alone.
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Post by Bolo on Aug 1, 2012 6:40:36 GMT -5
Bolo thanks Yenob and seeks out Bhatandu at the house with the green door.
A couple of notes: 1. I will assume that all Bolo's expenses in this thread are his own personal expenses. 2. Everything in this thread is, of course, OOC knowledge. If Bolo mentions anything about his extravagant adventures to any of the other party members, I'll let you know.
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Post by Bolo on Aug 1, 2012 12:14:57 GMT -5
Assuming he is successful in obtaining a meeting with Bhatandu, Bolo will introduce himself as a professional from the far-off northern lands who finds himself in this fine city on a strictly temporary basis. He has heard a little of Bhatandu's impressive reputation and is honored to make his acquaintance in person. He hands over a pale green peridot (50gp) as a token of his esteem.
Is any short-term work available for a person of Bolo's considerable skills? Although Bolo's stay in Barb-el-Shay will only be brief, he is a hard-working fellow who likes to use his time productively. Also, naturally, he would never forgive himself if he left Barb-el-Shay without taking advantage of this opportunity to work with the great Bhatandu.
Bolo will also ask whether the Guild would have any problems with him doing some independent pocketpicking in Barb-el-Shay when opportunities arise -- on the street, in bars, at the arena, and so on. Are there locations or circumstances that the Guild would consider off-limits for that? What cut of the proceeds would the Guild expect? Bolo emphasizes that while he likes to use his time productively, he certainly doesn't want to get crosswise with the Guild when he is merely a visitor to the city.
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Post by venger on Aug 1, 2012 13:08:10 GMT -5
Bolo thanks Yenob and seeks out Bhatandu at the house with the green door. Brave. 1. I will assume that all Bolo's expenses in this thread are his own personal expenses. Fair assumption. 2. Everything in this thread is, of course, OOC knowledge. If Bolo mentions anything about his extravagant adventures to any of the other party members, I'll let you know. Sounds good.
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Post by Ginger on Aug 1, 2012 13:21:09 GMT -5
Bolo should inquire if Bhatandu would be interested in purchasing Blathwort's Black Book of poisons.
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Post by venger on Aug 1, 2012 23:09:26 GMT -5
www.pictureshack.us/images/60059_barbslums.jpgBolo follows the various Thief signs, which indicate to him the routes necessary to elude the Sultan's guard posted at the various entrypoints to the slums. He notes some regular traffic in and out of the gates during daylight hours. As Bolo wanders the cramped maze of streets and ramshackle buildings, he sees masses of the poor: drinking, robbing, gambling, cursing, tending livestock and meager gardens, etc; scores of crippled (mostly missing hands) beggars, some robed and hooded men dragging a barely conscious man into an alley. And feels upon himself the eyes of many unseen watchers... The intersection of the Street of Beggars and the Street of Curved Knives is a run-down plaza near the heart of the hot, stinking warren. A bunch of shirtless children chase rats in an alley and a one-eyed man glares warily at Bolo from behind a stand of sad-looking produce. On an unnamed street adjoining the plaza, Bolo finds the House of The Green Door.
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Post by venger on Aug 2, 2012 0:16:09 GMT -5
Bolo knocks and, after displaying his credentials, secures entry. Assuming he is successful in obtaining a meeting with Bhatandu... He hands over a pale green peridot (50gp) as a token of his esteem. The House of The Green Door is a decrepit three-storey villa with many vacant rooms and secret entrances, populated by a veritable army of beggars, footpads and cutpurses. They're ruled over by Bhatandu, a large, sweaty man in stained silks who speaks Common with a soft, lilting accent and calls Bolo " effendi." He seems pleased to make Bolo's acquaintance and accepts the gemstone, glancing at it appraisingly. Is any short-term work available for a person of Bolo's considerable skills? Bhatandu is further pleased by Bolo's eagerness and speaks of great rewards if the halfling has the necessary skill... but first he must prove himself: A man living on the Street of Rocs stole a gold chalice from one of the local shrines and tried to pawn it. Recover the chalice for the Guild and give this man the beating of his life. Bolo will also ask whether the Guild would have any problems with him doing some independent pocketpicking in Barb-el-Shay when opportunities arise -- on the street, in bars, at the arena, and so on. As long as Bolo is willing to provide them their cut. Picking pockets is a risky venture for the low reward, as the Sultan's guard is vigilant and will not hesitate to remove a hand or end the life of a troublesome thief. Are there locations or circumstances that the Guild would consider off-limits for that? No one steals from the pilgrims or holy men traveling to Entioch. There are clear Thief signs everywhere else. What cut of the proceeds would the Guild expect? 25%: 20% of the cut to the Guild, 5% to Bhatandu. That's for guild protection, the services of a fence and access to purchase special Thieves' Guild equipment/tools.
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Post by Bolo on Aug 2, 2012 6:33:05 GMT -5
Bolo asks for directions to the Street of Rocs and a description of the man who took the chalice. Also, he asks whether by "beating of his life", Bhatandu is implying "be sure to leave him alive"?
Assuming these are forthcoming, he will thank Bhatandu and set off to case chalice man's house. Hiding in shadows in a doorway opposite (or some equivalent location) he will watch for a while to determine how many people are in the house, what type of people they are, what entrances there are to the house, what the neighbors and immediate surroundings are like, and anything else that he notices in the vicinity.
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Post by venger on Aug 2, 2012 23:35:09 GMT -5
Bolo asks for directions to the Street of Rocs and a description of the man who took the chalice. This is provided, as well as a description of his home and his name, Buulda the Brick-maker. Also, he asks whether by "beating of his life", Bhatandu is implying "be sure to leave him alive"? While he considers the man less than filth, Bhatandu warns Bolo not to bring heat down on them with a needless killing. Hiding in shadows in a doorway opposite (or some equivalent location) he will watch for a while to determine how many people are in the house, what type of people they are, what entrances there are to the house, what the neighbors and immediate surroundings are like, and anything else that he notices in the vicinity. Bolo once again slips past the guards watching the gates to the slums utilizing the secret routes indicated by Thief signs. The Street of Rocs intersects with several like named streets at the Plaza of Birds, in a neighborhood that has seen better days. Apparently the walls, the gates and the guards haven't done much to halt the spread of the slums. What time of day is Bolo starting his surveillance?
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Post by Bolo on Aug 3, 2012 5:23:10 GMT -5
What time of day is Bolo starting his surveillance? Early afternoon.
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Post by Bolo on Aug 3, 2012 9:30:16 GMT -5
If, after watching for a while and getting the sense of the place, Bolo either (a) sees Buulda leaving his house by himself or (b) sees Buulda coming down the street by himself on his way home, then he will approach Buulda in a nonthreatening manner and discreetly state that he is here to offer him a job. He has heard that Buulda is a reliable man for work of a confidential nature. He would like to buy Buulda a drink or two, to discuss matters further, but given the nature of the job, it would be best for the two not to be seen together in public. So please accept this 1gp in lieu of the drinks. And is there a room in Buulda's house where we can talk without being interrupted or overheard?
If something happens before we get to this point, or if Buulda is not by himself or appears to be inside already and not coming out, then belay this, and I'll come up with a Plan B. Just trying to move things along a little ...
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Post by venger on Aug 3, 2012 18:25:37 GMT -5
The neighborhood seems fairly deserted during the day, most of its inhabitants laborers and tradesman working in other parts of the city.
Bolo settles in to wait during the early afternoon. And wait... and wait...
It's beastly hot even hiding in the shadows and Bolo is somewhat relieved when, a few hours into the evening, people begin trickling into the neighborhood. It's not for another hour or so before a man fitting the description of Buulda wanders down the Street of Rocs, his gait unsteady.
Slipping from the shadows unseen and approaching the man in a non-threatening manner, Bolo can see that he is clearly inebriated. Unfortunately when Bolo addresses him, Buulda only stares back uncomprehendingly, slurring a few apologetic-sounding words in the language of the Desert Kingdoms before brushing past on the way to his residence...
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Post by venger on Aug 3, 2012 19:21:11 GMT -5
..he will watch for a while to determine how many people are in the house, what type of people they are, what entrances there are to the house, what the neighbors and immediate surroundings are like, and anything else that he notices in the vicinity. Buulda shares an apartment with his cousin's brothers in a shoddy, two storey tenament building, along a row of shoddy two storey tenament buildings on the Street of Rocs. There are two entrances to the building complex, one to the Street of Rocs and the other to an adjacent alley. There is only one entrance to the second floor apartment of Buulda and his cousin's brothers. There's a window as well, but it is barred.
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Post by Bolo on Aug 3, 2012 21:32:42 GMT -5
Moving silently and taking advantage of Buulda's inebriated state, Bolo will attempt to follow the brickmaker to his door without being noticed. When Buulda opens the door, Bolo will press the point of the luckblade to Buulda's back and forcefully whisper the universally understood word "shhhhh!". Assuming that Buulda cooperates at this point, Bolo will follow him inside, close the door behind him with his foot, gag Buulda with a piece of his own clothing, and tie him up with fishing line. Bolo will then quickly rifle through Buulda's pockets for any spare change or other items of value. Then he will bolt the front door from the inside, leave Buulda tied up in the entrance way, and head upstairs to the apartment on the second floor.
If Buulda does not cooperate when he feels the point of the luckblade, Bolo will attempt to push him through the doorway, knocking him down, and then proceed as before.
If Buulda is wearing or carrying a distinctive item (perhaps a hat, a scarf, or a lunch box) then Bolo will take that with him when he heads upstairs.
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Post by venger on Aug 3, 2012 22:08:48 GMT -5
Buulda walks to the building, not sparing a glance behind him.
The interior of the tenament is a narrow hallway lined on either side with painted doors. Cheap oil lamps are set at irregular intervals down the corridor, more than half of them are extinguished/empty. Stairs leads up to another, identical hallway.
Bolo times his ambush and catches the man unawares. Buulda surrenders readily, putting his hands up, babbling frantically in the desert language. With Bolo's shortsword pressed against his back, he complies and enters the building.
Bolo notices that the entrance to the tenament building does not lock, as the door barely hangs on at all when closed.
When Bolo attempts to gag the man, he struggles to escape and begins shouting for help...
What does Bolo do?
The hour is not particularly late and Bolo knows a resident, passerby or guardsman! could possibly arrive on the scene at any moment.
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Post by Bolo on Aug 3, 2012 22:39:51 GMT -5
Bolo will attack Buulda to subdue, using the luckblade in one hand and the black iron dagger in the other. He will consider the permanent portion of that damage to be the "beating". When Buulda is subdued, Bolo will gag him, tie him up, etc. as described previously, except for the door not being bolted.
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Post by venger on Aug 3, 2012 23:04:31 GMT -5
Initiative: Bolo 1d6=3, Buulda 1d6=5Before Buulda can escape, Bolo draws the black iron dagger in his off-hand and attacks. His efforts at non-lethal combat must hinder his fighting abilities, as Bolo only grazes the man with his dagger. shortsword: to hit 1d20=5, damage 1d6+1=4, | dagger: to hit 1d20=11, damage 1d4=1 (At 8th level Bolo needs a 9 to hit AC 10) Buulda, not a savvy combatant, flees for his life down the hallway-- screaming at the top of his lungs and provoking attacks of opportunity: shortsword: to hit 1d20=17, damage 1d6+1=3, | dagger: to hit 1d20=3, damage 1d4=1Bolo strikes the man with the flat of his blade and the scream of terror becomes a yelp of pain! Buulda scrambles down the hall, breaking combat--- What does Bolo do?
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Post by Friedrich on Aug 4, 2012 5:06:55 GMT -5
OH smack!! This is a fun read...
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Post by Bolo on Aug 4, 2012 5:09:51 GMT -5
Well, those were crummy rolls.
Bolo takes two shots with his bow. If Buulda goes down, Bolo binds his wounds so he won't die.
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Post by venger on Aug 4, 2012 14:11:06 GMT -5
Initiative: Bolo 1d6=2, Buulda 1d6=6Buulda, shrieking and fleeing down the hall, catches two arrows in the back before he can exit the building. He slumps against the wall and falls into a heap. 1d20=11, 1d6=2, 1d20=11, 1d6=6Bolo goes to bind his wounds but unfortunately finds that Buulda is dead, being a 0-level NPC. His purse contains 14 silver centimes and 60 brass dirham. He's carrying a key and a trowel. His garments are of otherwise poor quality. A door opens at the end of the hall and a man peeks out. He quickly slams it shut. Bolo can hear shouting from somewhere.
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Post by Bolo on Aug 4, 2012 15:00:22 GMT -5
Well, this is going well, isn't it?
Undeterred, Bolo will retrieve his arrows, take the cash and the key, and head upstairs to Buulda's apartment. He will unlock the door with the key, or with an Open Locks roll (77%) if the key doesn't fit, and enter. If anyone is home, he will say "Buulda! Buulda!" to them in a panicked voice, pointing down the stairs, in an attempt to persuade them to leave the apartment at a run to see what's wrong. If that works, or if nobody's home, he will begin to search the apartment for the chalice. If someone is home, and Bolo can't fool them into leaving, he will threaten them with the luckblade and make gestures indicating that they must lie on the floor face-down while he searches for the chalice.
But before searching, he will check quickly whether there is an inside release for the bars on the window, perhaps intended as a safety feature in case of fire. If there is, he will undo the release mechanism first thing.
Bolo will remain alert for the arrival of the guards or anyone else who appears to pose a threat. If that happens, he intends to slip on his crystal vanishing ring.
I have a bad feeling about this.
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Post by venger on Aug 4, 2012 15:44:15 GMT -5
Arrows retrieved, corpse looted. Racing up the stairs, Bolo finds the correct door and unlocks it with the key... his lucky day, nobody is home.
Checking the window he finds the bars are rusted, but securely bolted in place.
The apartment of Buulda and Buulda's cousin's brothers is quite small, consisting of only two rooms. The living/dining room consists of a few threadbare rugs on the floor, some tired-looking pillows around a low stone table littered with the remains of a past meal, a quarter-full wine jug and some old Fighting Pit tokens; a simple stove in the corner by the barred window...
A curtain hangs over the entrance to the sleeping area which has a few hammocks in it and a couple wicker baskets.
Inside one of those baskets, hidden under Buulda's exta set of clothes, Bolo finds the temple chalice!
A woman screams downstairs. Bolo hears raised voices.
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Post by Bolo on Aug 4, 2012 16:27:11 GMT -5
Bolo grabs the chalice and the Fighting Pit tokens. (What's a Fighting Pit token? A ticket? A betting stub? Does it have any value?)
In the apartment, is there a hatch to provide roof access? In this type of climate, people sometimes sleep on the roof to catch the evening breezes. Alternatively, is there a fireplace with a chimney? If there is a chimney, is it wide enough that Bolo can climb up the inside of it to get to the roof?
If Bolo can get to the roof in either of these ways, he does that. But not if he thinks he might get stuck in a too-narrow chimney.
If there's no way to the roof, he moves quickly but silently down the stairs and attempts to exit through whichever of the two doors is in the opposite direction from Buulda's corpse.
He remains ready to put on the crystal ring if need be.
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Post by Bolo on Aug 4, 2012 17:05:44 GMT -5
Bolo goes to bind his wounds but unfortunately finds that Buulda is dead, being a 0-level NPC. BTW, I should probably know this rule, but I don't. How does it work? Who exactly gets to not be dead from 0 to -9 hit points? Just PCs? Just level 1+ humanoids? Also monsters with 1+ hit dice? As far as I can find in the PHB, it says 0 = dead for everyone and everything, so I guess we have a house rule. Is it written up somewhere on the board?
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Post by venger on Aug 4, 2012 18:43:20 GMT -5
Bolo snags the chalice and the tokens. Friedrich received a token when he went to the Fighting Pits.
No roof access inside the apartment and the "stove" is more of a brazier with a shunt for smoke bent toward the barred window.
Bolo descends the stairs, moving silently. A group has gathered around the body of Buulda and they are all talking at once.
Bolo slips out into the street, unnoticed.
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Post by venger on Aug 4, 2012 18:44:40 GMT -5
Bolo goes to bind his wounds but unfortunately finds that Buulda is dead, being a 0-level NPC. BTW, I should probably know this rule, but I don't. How does it work? Who exactly gets to not be dead from 0 to -9 hit points? Just PCs? Just level 1+ humanoids? Also monsters with 1+ hit dice? As far as I can find in the PHB, it says 0 = dead for everyone and everything, so I guess we have a house rule. Is it written up somewhere on the board? It's in the House Rules folder, last page or so, Combat Variants. In practice though, almost all monsters are dead at 0 and 0-level NPC/NPCs-who-aren't-important don't survive past death's door (-3.) I think that was for expediency.
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Post by Bolo on Aug 4, 2012 19:51:10 GMT -5
0-level NPC/NPCs-who-aren't-important don't survive past death's door (-3.) Thanks. I'll look up the details. So if I'd managed to nail the window from 0 to -2, the bind wounds ploy would have worked. Foiled by a bad roll. Typical. After exiting the tenement, Bolo will make his way to Bhatandu's house. Along the way, if he passes a sewer drain or a dumpster or something of that sort, he'll discard the key. If I understand correctly that the Fighting Pit tokens are souvenirs, or receipts of some kind, with no value, then he will also discard the tokens. In addition, he will make some basic maneuvers to check no one is following him en route. For example, he'll stop once or twice to look at a fruit stall or a shop window, to observe whether anyone else stops when he does. And he'll make a turn onto another street, cross the road, and turn back to the first street, watching for anyone else making the same turns. Assuming he notices no tails along the way, he'll walk straight up to the green door of the house with the green door and ask to see Bhatandu. Once inside, he will greet Bhatandu respectfully and say, "I have good news and bad news. The good: here is the chalice you requested. The bad: the brickmaker had a fatal accident. I apologize for failing to avoid the accident. I am confident that I left no evidence suggesting a connection to the Guild."
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Post by Bolo on Aug 5, 2012 7:46:04 GMT -5
This is all I find: HP and DeathCharacters who go from positive to negative hit points through a single attack have zero hit points at the end of the attack, and are unconscious. The same holds true for intelligent monsters. Characters at zero hit points do not lose hit points, but remain at zero hit points. Monsters lose one hit point per round unless actively stabilized. Standard Monsters and characters die the round after they reach negative ten hit points. So help me understand the combat with Buulda: - Attacking to subdue, Bolo hit Buulda for 1HP with a dagger and 3HP with a sword, for a total of 4HP. Buulda was not subdued, which means he started with more than 4HP.
- Only 25% of subduing damage is permanent (DMG p. 67) so at this point, Buulda was down only 1 real HP.
- Bolo then switched to arrows. His first arrow was for 2HP, putting Buulda down a total of 3 real HP - and therefore still positive, since he started with at least 4.
- Bolo's second arrow was for 6HP. As I understand the first sentence quoted above, this should have left Buulda at 0HP and unconscious, but not dead.
So why was he dead when Bolo went to bind his wounds? What am I missing?
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Post by venger on Aug 5, 2012 8:05:33 GMT -5
The way I've always played, you can't do subdual damage up-front then lethal damage at the end. Once he's dead from lethal damage, he's dead.
If you did lethal damage at first, then subdual damage, yes I feel it would get 75% of that subdual damage back and most likely live.
But if you subdue something to 0, then stab them to -10 while they're unconscious, they die.
The going to 0 rule before going to negatives already makes it so easy to subdue something... unfortunately shooting someone with arrows is the worst possible way to subdue.
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Post by venger on Aug 5, 2012 8:18:12 GMT -5
Bolo makes it back without any trouble, with no sign of pursuit, and the few city-dwellers he passes who take note of him are either indifferent or oblivious. Once inside, he will greet Bhatandu respectfully and say, "I have good news and bad news. The good: here is the chalice you requested. The bad: the brickmaker had a fatal accident. I apologize for failing to avoid the accident. I am confident that I left no evidence suggesting a connection to the Guild." "You're a small but dangerous man, effendi." Bhatandu says, inclining his head slightly to the left, a gesture of acknowledgment that Bolo finds inscrutable. ( reaction roll: 1d100=80) "It is well." He pauses, admiring the chalice. "Unfortunately the job I had in mind requires a bit more... finesse. The guards will most likely be looking for someone matching your description, lay low for a while. Come back in a week and I might have something else for you."
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