Character Generation and Discussion

[Drammor]

Leadership is as it's presented in the DMG (with the exception that it extends into Epic Leadership automatically). However, we're not doing anything with reputation. Your characters may certainly gain reputations during the course of the adventure, but it's unlikely to have major impacts on your count of followers.

[ketaro]

I remember it being said in the previous thread that pretty much most, if not all, of the bonus modifiers under leadership were in effect (Great Renown, Fairness/Generosity, Special Power, has Stronghold/Base of Operations or similar)

[Drammor]

I'll go search the thread, then. I really need to make an index of all that...

Edit: Yup, there it is. As long as you're willing to roleplay it and it fits the character, go ahead and assume reputations are in effect. Stronghold, too, if you're willing to pay for one from your pyg bank.

[Archon]

What feat do you need to take to be proficient in magonels? There is only one for ballistae in the main book.

Current theory is that I will field 7 heavy mangonels, and 28 light ones. At 4 crew for each heavy, and 2 for each light, and a few additional marshals, that makes the intended 90 men - Lesser Fire Gensai Fighters, level 2 for the heavy and Level 1 for the light. Each crew member pays for part of his weapon, and I have another 21 men to manage carts for these - one per heavy, one per two light. Is there any issue with this?

[Rekmond]

I could've sworn Mangonels had wheels. And pretty sure their is no feat for them as they target a square, unlike a Ballista which fires as normal for a ranged weapon.

Are the carts for their ammo or something?

[Archon]

I could've sworn Mangonels had wheels. And pretty sure their is no feat for them as they target a square, unlike a Ballista which fires as normal for a ranged weapon.

Are the carts for their ammo or something?

Ah, you are correct. I could swear that you have to dismantle a siege engine to move it.

Those who managed the carts, now simply manage the horses that drag that mangonels where they need to go. (and can provide a little impromptu handle animal for when such a thing comes in handy).

Edit: Drammor Said you needed one HD per animals HD to manage a exotic pet. I assume this doesn't count for horses, and one person can looks after at least 2-3 horses, despite thier larger HD. Because otherwise, horses to drag seige engines are going to need more managing that the engines themselves.

[Rekmond]

Horses are hardly exotic though.

And you do dismantle them in a manner of speaking. I believe you undo the arm and pulley system so it can't be fired and can be moved easier.

[Archon]

Horses are hardly exotic though.

And you do dismantle them in a manner of speaking. I believe you undo the arm and pulley system so it can't be fired and can be moved easier.

True true.

But thats not the same as breaking is down into parts and putting it on a cart, which is what I thought. No, much easier to have a light war-horse dragging each of them.

Edit: Speaking of siege equipment, Fielding Maugs, from the fiend folio, as ECL5 Followers is acceptable, right?

[Drammor]

Maugs are fine, yes.

And about taking care of horses and other normal animals? These are not exotic pets, like Rekmond said.

[Archon]

Whats the difference between a exotic and non-exotic pet then? is a exotic pet anything which doesn't have included rules for pricing and raising it? So, Dire Bats, for instance?(Which have a listed DC, price, and raising cost, but are in a "Exotic Mounts" section of Arms and Equipment guide.)

Or is it just, anything which out civilisation has normally domesticated, vs. anything rare and interesting. (so horses or camels (or maybe oxen for loads) are the only militarily interesting non-exotic animal)

[ketaro]

I think exotic, purchasable/trainable creatures that are not in the PHB tend to be considered exotic (for the most part). For example, the various creatures in the various Monster Manuals that have little sections about purchasing them on the market and training them.

[Rekmond]

Anyways, my services are available for training animals, if you have soldiers who can keep them under control.

I grabbed a few beasts for my forces. Effective ones though.

[Drammor]

I agree with ketaro about that, although many things from the Races books are probably also non-exotic.


On a different topic, I'm usually against revealing major villain information before the Knowledge check, but a recent conversation has lead me to believe we might like to do some calibrating. I want to make sure I'm challenging you guys, not annihilating you.

In the course of this campaign, you're going to come up against many different types of threats, and though they were design to kill each other, they'll be pretty good at killing you, too. For instance, we can all rest assured that there's not much point in overbuilding followers up to level 3, because the odds they'll survive for any significant length of time are really, really low.

On the other side of it (and I wish I weren't spoiling him), there's a villain with a breath weapon that hits a large area and does anywhere from 21 to 189 fire damage. The save is pretty low for his CR, but even at his median damage, that might be enough to reenact a Logi on your character's bones. It's probably the most egregious example of army-leveling goonery... but is this something you can withstand, or should I re-calibrate some of these threats?

[Archon]

IF you use a night caller (from liber mortis) to animate dead, and them hand it someone else, you retain control over the created undead, right?

I also have also gone ahead with dire bat ownership - one in four of my scout/signaler follower (of which I have ~200) has one, and they all look after them, meaning 4 1HD barbarians looking after each bat, which is correct (I purchased them with the listed prices in the Arms and Equipment guide, though)

[Drammor]

If you use a night caller that way, yes, you retain ownership of the zombie.

[Archon]

If you use a night caller that way, yes, you retain ownership of the zombie.

Cool, Cool. There will be a couple of those in my army.

[Drammor]

...zombies?

[Archon]

...zombies?

Night callers - some of the low-level dread necros are sharing one.

Most of the undead in my army are using the ghoul savage progression from liber mortis, because Ghouls are awesome, and those slots are basically just there to be filled with reanimated corpses.

[sirpercival]

I agree with ketaro about that, although many things from the Races books are probably also non-exotic.


On a different topic, I'm usually against revealing major villain information before the Knowledge check, but a recent conversation has lead me to believe we might like to do some calibrating. I want to make sure I'm challenging you guys, not annihilating you.

In the course of this campaign, you're going to come up against many different types of threats, and though they were design to kill each other, they'll be pretty good at killing you, too. For instance, we can all rest assured that there's not much point in overbuilding followers up to level 3, because the odds they'll survive for any significant length of time are really, really low.

On the other side of it (and I wish I weren't spoiling him), there's a villain with a breath weapon that hits a large area and does anywhere from 21 to 189 fire damage. The save is pretty low for his CR, but even at his median damage, that might be enough to reenact a Logi on your character's bones. It's probably the most egregious example of army-leveling goonery... but is this something you can withstand, or should I re-calibrate some of these threats?

I'll try to get some of my build put together so I can answer this question. I assume it's a Reflex save?

[Archon]

Dread witch is a acceptable prestige class, no? (on the other side of a my dread neco cohort, which is no longer a hexblade, but instead a paladin of slaughter / dread witch.