OOC Thread

I pretty much assumed such, no objections.

It doesn't really matter. You can make one interaction with an object for free each combat round, so even if your weapons were sheathed, you would be able to draw it as part of your attack action. Where it might matter for Barendd is that he is a two-weapon fighter. Since you can only draw one weapon per round (unless you have the Dual Wielder feat), whether or not he has at least one weapon already in his hand will make a difference.

word

By the way, that intimidation check was pretty good thinking.

Since Aegar's also intimidating them, does that count as an advantage?

I don't believe so, as we're both intimidating independently not one person intimidating and the other helping like Kit did with Barendd

Cool! Thanks for the heads up. I wasn't aware that picking a domain conveyed certain spells. I made the changes. :) Feeling like I could be a lot more helpful now.
Thanks Len, let me know and I'll switch it up when or if necessary.

Sounds reasonable to me!

You got it, Jacketch.

Not sure if I jumped the gun or not, but that was a pretty sweet roll

If I'm understanding how the initiative works, then Iman has highest followed by myself then the bandits then the others. However anyone before the bandits can go in whichever order it seems? I'm a little unclear. Either way I go before the bandits for sure. I'd like to keep my speech, actions, and rolls. Is there a need to repost?

Also as a party should the plan be to try to decimate all of the bandits. Just the leader who is insistent that they continue, all but one so we can get info about the Night Lord? The intimidation seemed to work on all but the leader, but I would say keeping at least one around would be a good idea.

Hell ya! Good job.
You got it, Starrbeardo. The way this particular initiative turned out, Iman or Barendd could have gone in either order. Then the Bandits go. Then, everyone else can take their turns in any order. I've tried running it according to the original D&D rules where the highest initiative roll goes first, but it bogs down badly. If you were going first but didn't log on until the end of the day, then everyone is waiting on you before they can take their turns.

I actually did side-based initiative for awhile where each side rolls initiative for their entire side. All the characters on that side act together. It is super smooth for PbP, but I found it was really swingy in terms of the results. A well-balanced encounter could turn too hard or too easy depending on the outcome. So, I'm trying Over-Under initiative this time. You'll find different DMs do it differently on this site. Just go with it whatever they're doing, it'll be fine.

By the way, if you are making a melee attack, you can choose to do non-lethal damage when you bring a creature to zero HP. Basically, they are knocked out instead of killed. Ranged attacks or spell attacks only do lethal damage. You can declare non-lethal even after the damage is dealt.

Awesome. I'm glad that worked out.
Well, team since no one seems to be dead or dying yet, so my vote is to whittle down the bandits leaving perhaps the female who knew there should have been a wagon so that we have someone to question. Being true neutral I feel like Barendd gave them a chance to leave us be, but they decided not to take it, so he's perfectly fine with unloading on everyone. The former criminal in him knows that information can be valuable and profitable though so keep one around, especially someone who seems to have some knowledge of their plan seems pretty prudent.

Sounds like a good plan there Barendd. Since both the bandits atop the log have been targeted (assuming Aegar keeps his rolls), we can assume that the female is one of the bandits off to the side. My turn will follow with an attack to one of these bandits to the side, and just wanted to make it clear its not towards the female. Also, Iman will go into rage and will not declare any nonlethal blows, I think it fits him since he has it out against bandits from being chased off all his life.

So, if it is my turn, and the female is the last one standing, I wont be declaring nonlethal if I strike a lethal hit.

If you don't mind, I'll offer a little advice on your Polearm Master feat (and a quick run-through of what happens during a round of combat).

Each player has four potential points of activity in a round of combat.

1) Action - This is when you attack/cast a spell/etc. (there are more, but this will probably get us through this combat)
2) Bonus Action - Certain things allow you to use a bonus action (Iman's Polearm Master feat, certain spells, Barendd's two-weapon fighting, etc.)
3) Move - You can move (as long as you are not within 5' of an enemy, or they will have an opportunity attack (OA), basically a free shot at you)
4) Reaction - This usually happens during someone else's turn (if an enemy next to you moves, you can use your reaction to take an opportunity attack, Pageflap's Shield spell activates if someone hits him with an attack, etc.)

So, the reason I went through all that is that when I started 5e, I had only played AD&D and I didn't know a Reaction from a Bonus from an Action, so I figured some of you might not either. But it was also to explain a combat strategy the Polearm Master feat allows.

What my point boils down to is that most melee weapons have a range of 5', which means you have to be right next to an enemy to hit them. Iman's halberd has a reach of 10'. So if Iman stops 10' away from an enemy, he can use his Action to strike with the blade and his Bonus Action to strike with the other end of the halberd. Here's the best part, though: the enemy is still 10' away. They are not next to him, so Iman can use his Move to step back 5' without provoking an OA, and the enemy will end up being 15' away from him. They will have to move closer to Iman to stab him. "While you are wielding a glaive, halberd, pike, or quarterstaff, other creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they enter the reach you have with that weapon." Which means, once they move within 10' of him, Iman can use his Reaction to attack again!

I've been thinking about this a lot lately because I've been wanting to play a polearm master, then take the Mobile feat at 4th level, which would allow the character to move away from an enemy without taking an OA! Every turn, your enemy has to close in and enter the reach of your constantly twirling halberd (think Oberyn Martell from Game of Thrones)!
You can usually communicate with your fellow characters during combat. DMs won't usually allow lengthy speeches, but shorter bursts (Keep one alive! Attack that one! Run away!) are typically allowed.
Awesome! I love it when players stay true to their character, even when it goes against the interests or wishes of the group. Makes them more three-dimensional.

I plan to use the bonus action on my next turn if I can :D
So did I just walk into an OA? lol I was intending to set my self up so I can make an opportunity attack on either one of the bandits on their turn. Maybe I should clarify next time how far away I am when I attack?

The bandits are 20 ft from the log, and I charged 15 feet towards them lol so I think I did XD oops.

A creature only provokes an OA when it tries to move away from an enemy they are next to. Iman's feat gives him the special ability to use an OA when an enemy comes near him. So closing in combat is no problem for anyone except Iman's enemies!

Oh ok. I got it now. Thanks! And we only get 1 reaction until the next turn correct? So if 1 bandit tries to move away, I can make an OA, but not on the other if it also moves?

That's correct. One reaction. If you use it to attack one (and you get to choose if you use the reaction or not so you don't have to use it on the first one that enters your reach), others could move away from you without provoking an OA.

This is mostly a question to lenpelletier, but would I be able to use Mage Armor as a reaction since I had Pageflap prepare it and have it ready to use if the bandits started advancing?