>>4754113
he is BACK!

>>4754113
I'm ready the get the ball rolling.

Ready to touch gobbo ears

>>4754113
LETS GOOOOOO

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When last we left off you had been journeying through JARKA forest.

This place is enormous.
It has not much loot and far FAR too many kaprosuchuses. Kaprosuchi? Kaprosuchese?

Horse gators.

Still, it's got to be good for xp, right?

Main reason you're in this overgrown mess at several hours past lunchtime is because you're here to rinse and elder dwarf that has been terrorising people in the neighbouring forest.

Killing this dwarf is good for a LOT of reasons. But you gotta flush him out first and to do THAT you need to find and collapse the entrances to his tunnels. You've done two out of three.

For right RIGHT now you have found a runaway gopnik, Milosh.

Milosh ran away from home. Legally, he's an adult so he can't be FORCED to go home necessarily. he wants money babes and excitement but he doesn't want to do too much hard work or do anything remotely dangerous.

Milosh is kind of an assbucket. You're not sure if anyone can get through to him.

But, well...you're trying.


Mike glances skyward.

Burstock eats a banana.

>>4756192
Let's see if any of tgis appeals to him. "So far you've got yourself a good story that'll impress any girl you might have your eye on if you embellish a little. Think about it: You infiltrated a notorius bandit gang to work undercover to undermine it, kept cool under pressure, and your help was essential in freeing Scadam, leaving you the only gopnick to walk out alive. You brave the wilderness with a vengefull troll bandit hot on you trail, but you give him the slip. You fool local authorities to assist you and make way across the land in search of adventure. If you play your cards right, you'll be a folk hero on your own odyssey. Publishing rights to a novel series of your life story will make you mad bank and prestige."

>>4756192
It occurs to me that if we can get through to Milosh, get him back home and enjoying his life, he might be able to help us out later if we want to sneak into that super rich people resort for that other bounty, being that he's apparently the heir to a big wealthy business. So while I'll admit my brain isn't working so good right now for coming up with ways to try and convince him to go home and enjoy his life, I do think it would be good if we can get through to him, beneficial for everryone both long and short term.

I'm just not sure how to do it.

>>4756305
If we can distract Milosh we could mutterbottle up to Silver Lining and ask Karl for advice? If we leave Milosh alone in this place he is surely going to get himself killed and I don't think that's the kind of news Karl wants to tell his employers, the boys parents.

>>4756192
Milosh mentioned having Clear Grink. Does he have any left, or does he have any other potions on him? If he does, then if he is looking to make cash I think we'd buy.
In hindsight we should have brought many more potions for grinding.

>>4756192
Outta curiosity, ask him what, if we just leave him here, his plan is going forward. Is he still gonna try and make it to Kerdil? Even before that, what's his plan for getting out of this forest alive with a rinkan that won't fly any more?

I'm hoping we can get him to reflect on his situation a bit, if he realises how fucked he is by himself then he might be a bit more amenable to recommendation.

>>4756311
When we first met Karl I think he told us about his job trying to get this guy back home. I think if he had a way to convince him to get home, he'd have done so before they got split up. But it doesn't hurt to try. And maybe with some fresh eyes on this thread, several after that one, we might think of a way to apply what Karl knows.

So I guess that's a longwinded way of saying "Yeah I'm down for trying to see if we can get Karl on the line."

>>4756192
Ask burstock to share his banana. Or better yet, get another banana for us

>>4756253
>>4756423
These, ask him what his plan is first then offer him alternatives.
Though from his description thus far, he might be too picky to convince. If so, we should offer to escort him to wherever the hell he's going for the price of whatever potions he's got on him.
>>4756493
First thing we should ask Karl is if the guy was named Milosh. It's 90%, but confirmation never hurt.

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>>4756253
>"So far you've got yourself a good story that'll impress any girl you might have your eye on if you embellish a little. Think about it: You infiltrated a notorius bandit gang to work undercover to undermine it, kept cool under pressure, and your help was essential in freeing Scadam, leaving you the only gopnick to walk out alive. You brave the wilderness with a vengefull troll bandit hot on you trail, but you give him the slip. You fool local authorities to assist you and make way across the land in search of adventure. If you play your cards right, you'll be a folk hero on your own odyssey. Publishing rights to a novel series of your life story will make you mad bank and prestige."

"Oh, Milosh knows this. But who is ever going to believe? It's just going to be my burden."

>Outta curiosity, ask him what, if we just leave him here, his plan is going forward. Is he still gonna try and make it to Kerdil? Even before that, what's his plan for getting out of this forest alive with a rinkan that won't fly any more?

Lay low until until fuckink troll is brought down by the vanguard or goes back fuckink home. Not going to be anywhere in this part of the mahala he can find me until then. Going to stay low and live in Kerdil until I know the coast is clear. Then head up to the big city and try my luck. Milosh needs to cut his own path.

>Milosh mentioned having Clear Grink. Does he have any left, or does he have any other potions on him? If he does, then if he is looking to make cash I think we'd buy.
In hindsight we should have brought many more potions for grinding.

"Much as Milosh would love to abuse the supply and demand out here and fleece you completely on potion price - Milosh need potion more than money."


>>4756493
>>4756311
QM: Not a bad idea. You just need to distract him a little.

>>4756565
Burstock swallows the last 3/4s of the banana whole.
"Oh, sorry pal. That was my last one."

>>4757224
>"Much as Milosh would love to abuse the supply and demand out here and fleece you completely on potion price - Milosh need potion more than money."

See Milosh? You're a natural businessman! Maybe candles aren't a big, impressive industry, maybe it won't get women flocking to you. But with the profits a smart man like you would make, you could start up other businesses. Weapons manufacturing, whatever it is you think would get you the babes and fame. Candles might be what your family is known for now, but under your skilled management it doesn't have to be what you're known for going forwards.

>>Oh, Milosh knows this. But who is ever going to believe? It's just going to be my burden.
If I read this right, he'd be down for money and fame from book deals, but knows he can't do it without proof.
If we can get him recognition for his 'efforts' from a well known and respected figure in the area, that might help make his story convincing. Baron for instance.
There already exist eye winesses that verify he was present in these places and events. He just needs something big to cap off at.

>>4757224
"You've given this some thought and have correctly surmised that masses can be disbelieving without proof."
Have Joey nod understandingly.
"You are in luck, Milosh. We might be able to get you the proof you need to for a life of wealth and fame in the world of adventuring literature. You interested?"

"If you want a consider your options that is fine. You probably already realize this is JARKA forest. Mike and Burstock here can give you directions how to get to Kerdil. Might take a minute or two. This place can be trecherous if you don't 'take your time'."
Wiggle you eyebrows at Mike and Burstock in hope they'll pick on your que to distract Milosh so we can call Karl.

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>>4757375
>See Milosh? You're a natural businessman! Maybe candles aren't a big, impressive industry, maybe it won't get women flocking to you. But with the profits a smart man like you would make, you could start up other businesses. Weapons manufacturing, whatever it is you think would get you the babes and fame. Candles might be what your family is known for now, but under your skilled management it doesn't have to be what you're known for going forwards.

"It's true my potential is limited - but parents only want to make candle. They are maybe 43 years old! Milosh going to be in late 60s before they die and leave him business. If I work in store to save money for own business - I still making candle! Sick of it!"

Burstock presses herself into Milosh's back and drapes and arm around him. Milosh's anger subsides, giving way to nebbish ,obvious attraction.

"That was the old you. You're a man of the world now, Milosh. You're a force to be reckoned with -what were you -third or forth in command of a gang - led by a troll?"

Milosh nods dumbly

Burstock grins at them
"I am sure - combined with their gratitude for having you back- that new found..."

Burstock faultlessly imitates a tremulous breath of genuine admiration

"...vigour you have will have you calling the shots in a business in no time."

Milosh self consciously fiddles with the hem of his tracksuit top
"Yes...that is true but...I still need to lay low for a bit until troll is out of the picture."

You fold your arms and nod, smiling thoughtfully.

>"If you want a consider your options that is fine. You probably already realize this is JARKA forest. Mike and Burstock here can give you directions how to get to Kerdil. Might take a minute or two. This place can be treacherous if you don't 'take your time'."

Burstock guides Milosh who is stumbling along with her to the corner of the clearing. A beaming Mike, who has poured 3 cups of something follows after and passes them around.
"Don't imagine I can teach this absolute bull much about survival but perhaps I can give you a few handy hints on ways to kick some ass without getting your hands dirty."

Milosh nods along and walks with them.

Burstock and Mike both look over their shoulders and nod at you.

>>4757669
Show thumb up Burstock and Mike in return. Great work.
Place a call to Karl. Tell him we got his guy, Milosh, down here in forest. Tell Karl what Milosh is planning and mention that we have history with the guy.
"I now fully understand the trouble he gave you, Karl. We got him to open up about what he wants and we might have an angle to convince him to go home back to his patents if we play this right. Should we give it a try? Is there any advice that could help?"

>>4757669
Time to Mutterbottle up Karl. First off, ask him if the kid he was after was named Milosh, just to obtain certainty. Then tell him we found him, and Mike & Burstock are currently distracting him with flattery, but our attempts to convince him are stymied by his combo of arrogant and idiot. Should we keep trying, or is it all good if we just shove him in a safeish direction?

Also, I considered asking this guy to deliver a letter to our parents as he gets back to civilization, but he seems like he might be too dumb/rude to trust with that.

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>>4757714
>>4757716
You surreptitiously get on the mutterbottle and breathe into it, as a way of making a call. It is answered by Lumsden, you ask if she can put you onto Karl. She says sure.

A few minutes later you hear Karl's dulcet authoritative voice.

"Karl here."

>First off, ask him if the kid he was after was named Milosh

"Milosh Cardigan, yeah. Why? Did you run into him?"

>Tell Karl what Milosh is planning and mention that we have history with the guy.

"You need a health pot after banging your head on a brick wall like that?"

>Mike & Burstock are currently distracting him with flattery, but our attempts to convince him are stymied by his combo of arrogant and idiot.

You hear the unmistakable snap of a lighter and Karl inhales slowly.

"That's him."

>Should we keep trying, or is it all good if we just shove him in a safeish direction?

Karl pauses
"Aren't you guys in Jarka? How did he get there?"

>>4758072
I guess Milosh didn't tell Karl about what he's been doing.
tell Karl what we know. Tell him that Milosh was working for the bandit Edgewater when we ran in to him in Scadam. Credit where credit is due, at least he had enough sense or cowardice to not try fighting us. We paid him off and he gave us some intel before leaving. After meeting Karl in Scadam he was put on a bet-bet by guard sergeant to a nearby farm, from where he stole a rinkan with the intention of taking it to Kerdil. He picked the wrong forest to land in. He seems genuinely afraid of Edgewater and intends to stay put until the troll is dealt with.

Add that so far Burstock seems to have planted in his mind that instead of just working in his parent's candle store, he could start running it.
Besides running the store, might be convinced to settle back home with a book deal on his embellished story. He is lazy and egotistical enough that it could appeal to him.

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>>4758143

> Tell him that Milosh was working for the bandit Edgewater when we ran in to him in Scadam. Credit where credit is due, at least he had enough sense or cowardice to not try fighting us. We paid him off and he gave us some intel before leaving.

"Yeah, he spilled that much."

>After meeting Karl in Scadam he was put on a bet-bet by guard sergeant to a nearby farm, from where he stole a rinkan with the intention of taking it to Kerdil. He picked the wrong forest to land in. He seems genuinely afraid of Edgewater and intends to stay put until the troll is dealt with.

There is a pause. And a small, low laugh.

"Would you be okay with letting me talk to him?"

"

>>4758217
>We're doing this for both your and the kid's benefit, so i'll trust you on this. All of us want the sod to get home in more or less one piece.

Karl's whole job is dealing with people like Milosh, let's give him a chance to shine.

>>4758360
Yeah, I trust Karl on this.

>>4758217
go for it Karl may you have better luck than us

>>4758217
"Yeah, but be careful. We just managed to flatter him into being a bit cooperative."

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>>4758360
>>4758370
>>4758419
>>4759605

>"Yeah, but be careful. We just managed to flatter him into being a bit cooperative."

"It'll spook him, but if I am wrong, I will stand to lose the most, I assure you."

You approach Milosh and the others with the mutterbottle.

"Milosh."

Milosh just about screams at the sound of Karl's voice. Looking around panicked and trying to move.

Mike and Murstock hold him in place. Milosh can't even struggle against Mike. Burstock whispers something in Milosh's ear. He breathes heavily a few times and then seems ready to listen.

"Milosh, I am glad you have a plan for your future. I've no doubt you'll bevery successful - no matter what you do. But, Milosh you've made a mistake here. Up until now, despite your criminal involvement you have always had deniablity. But now you've very clearly stolen a rinkan. Now, these Rinkan - no matter where they are from are ultimately the property of the local Vanguards."

Mike's brow furrows, but he says nothing.

"So you've messed with the vanguards property and, not to diminish the prowess of my associates here, if these three can find you the vanguards can."

Milosh goes pale.

"It's your first offence and you're a kid - but that's still a year of labour. So, like farm work out in the open. You're old boss will be able to find you - and you'll have ankle weights on so you won't be able to run."


Milosh gasps back a small yelp

"I'm here to help, Milosh. You lay low till that Rinkan has rested. Fly it back to the farm you stole it from. Then Milosh?"


Milosh eventually manages
"Yes..?"


"Go home and be a family man. I'll talk to my friends on the force and no one will ever have to know about your little joy ride."

Milosh goes limp
"I...yes..okay.."

there is a pause.

"Good kid. Don't worry your parents, now."


Milosh nods
"Is better"

Burstock and Mike release Milosh. Who looks very scared but resolute.

"Can't be king shit if I'm dead or in jail. Milosh gotta be smart for now."

"Stay out of trouble."

>>4760500
Make sure Karl is done talking before putting away the mutterbottle.
>"Can't be king shit if I'm dead or in jail. Milosh gotta be smart for now."
Nod. Tell Milosh that that's a good attitude to take.

"We must press on with our own job, so this is where we have to say goodbye, Milosh. One last chance to fleece us on any mana or health potions you might have if you've changed your mind."

>>4760576
This, although he might need the Grink Clear to lay low till the Rinkan regains its energy. After he leaves, let's get Mike to Listen Up.

>>4760676
we REALLY don't want the Clear anyway, getting double damage from a dwarf is a death sentence

>>4760500
"That's pretty cool of you. Try not to move too much, lots of things here hunt by sound, and near the rinkan is probably the safest place in the whole forest."

>gotta be smart for now
Well, better late than never I suppose

We should really take Rinkan riding lessons whenever we get the chance. probably a good skill to have.

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>>4760576
>>4760676
>>4760791
>>4761125
>>4762286

Karl thanks for you the opportunity. He says he's said all he needs to.

You hear a familiar voice.

"Hey, pal Joey? I know you're kicking tuchus out there, but please come back in one piece. I miss you , Joe."


Milosh readies himself as Mike and Burstock release him. Mike hands Milosh a small dagger and a single percussion pistol.

"I'd stay hidden if I were you. But if it comes to it."

Milosh nods

Burstock places her hands on her hips and shifts her weight to her other foot.

"Be a good boy."

Milosh blushes a little but smiles. He goes back to the previous screen, a better gopnik.

You have don Karl a solid and helped him with his job! He will (eventually) collect a decent bonus from his clients and Karl now likes you more!


Mike listens up!

"SIlence to the south. CLicking to the west.

>>4762389
Let's go south.

>>4762389
>>4762394 +1

>>4762389
I am empowered by goblin GF

>>4762428
>The words of your goblin gf fill you with DETERMINATION.

>>4762394
This

>>4762389
This gopnik rehab thing we've got going is difficult but rewarding work. South, for great justice.

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>>4762394
>>4762404
>>4762428
>>4762436
You head south.

You look at Burstock you ask if she has any spare mana potions on her.

Burstock gives you one with a broad smile.
"And to think you tried to give me one of yours."

Mike eats some sort of odd cookie. Looks like its made out of breakfast cereal.
"Still don't wanna spoil my appetite but I hope we find this guy soon."

You bump into Burstock who has already stopped walking. You're not sure she notices.


You found it!

Mike smiles a little.
"Oh. That works."

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>>4763332
Awright. Once we blow this, he'll be coming soon. Luckily, Joey has a plan!

MIKE drinks GRINK RAK
JOEY drinks GRINK RED, (But not a mana potion so long as mana>= 36)
Remove all but one bullets from pistol
Top off party health and Burstock’s mana
Round 1: unmodified KNEECAP, rerolling if needed. HH on Mike, who uses BLACK SHELL BREAKER to degrade it's armor. Burstock SMITES. damage: 350+
Round 2: HH on Mike, Mike uses HELL'S HEART SMOKE AND MURDER, Mike uses grink rak bonus action for PIN DOWN. Joey drinks a mana pot, Burstock SMITES. damage: 1410+
Round 3: speedload dwarfstoppers, HELL'S HEART HAMMER TIME, damage: 2010+

If all that doesn't kill it, we'll need to run.

>>4763362
>GRINK RED
is that a normal Grink, or what?

>If all that doesn't kill it, we'll need to run.
and come back with Highball, who can one-shot him with Guillotine unless we did less than half of his total health.

>>4763332
Neat.
Mike said that once we collapse the last tunnel, the dwarf will be on us in two screens, three at most. We can use this time to prepare, such as move to a better location, throw down caltrops, set traps and whatnot.
Have Mike listen up so we know what is around us.
Mutterbottle Silver Lining to let them know we are about collapse the last dwarf tunnel to flush out our bounty.
>>4763362
Do you mean Grink Cherry when you refer to Grink Red?
I'd rather save the reroll for Hammertime. If we miss the Kneecap, Burstock can cast Bodily Betrayal instead. She can't keep casting it next round, but it has worked on dwarves in past.
Otherwise seems like a fine plan.

>>4763384
>She can't keep casting it next round
she can, it'll just cost more

>>4763380
>>4763384
I mean the Grink that gives +15 init and +10 damage in exchange for making us smell or something for an hour afterwards. And I put the reroll on kneecap because I don't know whether ELDER dwarfs will have some extra resistance to bodily betrayal or something, and because I kinda doubt it'll survive to round 3.

>>4763398
If we fail HH Hammertime, we shoot one bullet, but we lose mana equal to what we'd lose if we shot the entire cylinder. Missing HH Hammer Time would be utterly devastating to us to the point that taking a hit from the Dwarf on one turn would be preferable.

>>4763362
Careful about PIN DOWN. As we've learned from the Harpy, it doesn't stop ranged attacks, if he has any. The other dwarf didn't, but...

>>4763417
True. Alright, we save the reroll for round 3, and Burtstock BODILY BETRAYALS in round 1 IF the kneecap fails; otherwise, SMITE.
>>4763398
Looking it up, yeah, I meant Cherry Grink for Joey. +10 damage on EVERY attack is best for Joey, since Mike generally makes fewer, stronger attacks.

>>4763362
Holy shit, I didn't realise we could put out that much punishment. Pretty fuckin good

>>4763485
technically, we could do more. Imagine if Mike had his full points, Joey could drink a Grink Rak too and they could both use their extra actions for yet another HHS&M, right after the first

If I recall correctly, we should be at full mana. I'd suggest for a combat plan, we go with >>4763362 's suggestion with some changes.
We drop HH Hammertime right out the gate. This will leave us with one point of mana, but we get most out of our mana potion that we drink after. We can then follow up with Mikes Smoke and Murder next round.

Before we start, lets have Mike listen and call our ship like >>4763384 suggested.
Also ask Mike and Burstock if there is anything they wish to prepare ahead of time.

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QM: These plans are good! Please make sure to restate them at the relevent time also, as, in their present form its a little hard for me to keep track of.

Having a plan is good. Makes Joey seem very much like a good boss.

Where is the lewd touching of ears?

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>>4763566
QM: Left on the ship. Come back later.

>>4763516
But then our heavy damage abilities will have to pierce its armor. I wanted to frontload the armor-breaking effect of Black Shell BREAKER, so HH Smoke & Murder and especially HH Hammer Time won't be reduced by armor. We can wrack ourselves a bit then Health pot, so we can cast the HH for the first two rounds, but this way we save a mana pot and do max damage.

Anyway, let's learn to stop worrying, and love the bomb; blow that tunnel.

>>4763619
Wouldn't the dwarfstoppers negate the dwarf's armor anyways, tho?

>>4763332
>Mike, go ahead and load your Dwarf Busters-(Is that a good name for them, Dwarf Busters?)- so they're ready to go at the start of the battle.

>>4763450
It can probably throw something at us but I doubt it will have anything particularly damaging.
>>4763384
Anyway we can set up a simple log trap here before we blow the hole here? then we can build one in the next screen and just give it the ol rpg shuffle till he spawns on one of the loaded tiles.

>>4763662
Probably, but this is an Elder Dwarf, caked in the hardened rust and rock of eons. It can't hurt to put down the armor-weakening first, especially since HELL'S HEART HAMMERTIME is our most taxing ability, and not the only source of damage in this fight.
>>4763561
CF, could we get a quick inventory and status check? Hp, Mp, all that jazz.

>>4763945
QM: What do you have in mind when you say log trap?

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>>4764059
some kind of swinging log trap, with a snare trigger, and maybe some manuel trigger we can trigger with our Wizard hands. consult with mike for the most efficient/worthwhile method.

>>4764071
QM: Okay. Well you do have rope. Depending on how this log trap works, you'll need to cut down some trees, though.

Before I go any further, are other people interested in this plan?

>>4764087
Not particularly? It seems like the dwarf might just shrug it off. I doubt even hours of work with dirt and logs could create something that hurts more than a round of bullets.

>>4764113
hey, free damage is free damage. maybe we could spice it up a bit with some of our extra dynamite.

>>4764147
Anything that takes time and effort isn't free. That said, we should have 7 dynamite left after we blow this hole, so setting something up with that isn't a bad idea.

>>4764186
Too bad we don't have fire spells.

I would have suggested burying the sticks of dynamite and leaving rather obvious marks we could lure the dwarf over and then set them off.

Can we ask Mike if Elder dwarfs have higher resistances than normal dwarves? I'd rather be done with the speculation.

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You collapse the last tunnel, as your ears stop ringing , you feel the ground beneath you shake.

Far away, although not as far as you would like you hear a long, furious bellow half way a between a crumbling cliff and a furious walrus, it makes loose leaves fall and scatters clusters of birds and anything else that can fly screaming into the night sky. So many it casts shadows over your party.

Then it goes quiet.


Mike looks around. His expression neutral save for what you think is just a hint of excitement.
"That did it."

You nod and take inventory:

Revolver (6 normal bullets)

Speedloader (6 normal bullets)

Speedloader (6 dwarfstoppers)

Speedloader (6 trollstoppers)

16bullets


3 Large Health potions

2 Mana potion

1 Burnsauce

Ravenbar

Mutterbottle

2 Books of Matches

Grink Rak

Grink Cherry

Grink

5 cloudjars

2 boomflasks

5350 Gold

As you check your gear, you talk to Mike.

>Mike, go ahead and load your Dwarf Busters-(Is that a good name for them, Dwarf Busters?)- so they're ready to go at the start of the battle.

"Boss shells."


>Can we ask Mike if Elder dwarfs have higher resistances than normal dwarves? I'd rather be done with the speculation.

Mike clicks his breaker closed.

"It's possible. I don't know."

He looks up at you, his smile still small but definite.

"Never fought one. Normal Dwarf got armour of 50. Dwarfstopper punches through 70. I doubt it's that high."

>Also ask Mike and Burstock if there is anything they wish to prepare ahead of time.

Burstock winces, pulls out a large flask of bright orange liquid chugs it down. She seems to find it disgusting.

"Just that."

QM: Now that we have a fresh start, commence your pre fight prep you have.

>>4764376
Load our gun with the dwarfstoppers

>>4764376
Let's down the Grink Cherry as the other anon suggested..

>>4764377
>>4764394
Seconding these.

Should we set traps or something? An ambush perhaps? Or do they already know where we are?

>>4765134
I think the big explosion might have tipped them off to our location. I don't believe we have much time until it arrived; any preparations we make I would imagine need to be ones that can be done very quickly.

>>4764374
I think the plan was to offer the Rak to Mike, yes?

>>4764376
Leave one normal bullet in the cylinder (for kneecap), but take the rest out. Drink a cherry grink, ask mike to drink a grink rak.

>>4765428
>Leave one normal bullet in the cylinder (for kneecap)
we decided to HHHammertime first, so don't do this

I'd not a strats guy, so I'll support whatever everyone else comes up with.

>>4765436
Then we won't be able to HH mikes breaker first turn, which means we can only HH one thing next turn, and he won't be able to PIN DOWN. It's less efficient, and puts our biggest expense up front rather than leaving it for if the other stuff doesn't work.

>>4765463
He can PIN DOWN on the first turn, it's the same thing. It won't do damage so it'll last just a turn, but chances are it wouldn't end up doing any either way, the Boss shells wouldn't strip that much armor out of him.

>>4765472
It still means we're spending our biggest hit to resources immediately, rather than as a coup de grace if necessary. And HH Mikes BREAKER first acts as a damage boost to all subsequent attacks, including his smoke and murder. Why play our biggest card right away when it's more effective and synergistic to wait?

>>4765525
>>4765463
I'm in favor of this. There's no reason not to be cautious and handle this as efficiently as possible.

>>4765525
>>4765578
Eh, sure. Then don't load the dwarfstoppers at all, keep them in their speedloader. That way when we load them, it'll be all 6.

>>4765525
I don't think we can cast HH on others if we also take an action same round.
I don't recall us being able to do so in the past.
I think we'd have to forego Kneecap on first round if we want to HH Mike's attack and drinking mana potion on the second fore the same reason.

Also can't we let Mike act before we do in a round?
We could let Mike use his breaker to strip off armor, follow that with regular Hammer Time with a cylinder with normal bullets and then free action speed load dwarf stoppers for the next proper HH Hammer Time?
Or heck, if Mikes black shells are truly effective, speed load normal bullets to save the dwarf stoppers for later Hammer Times.

I think that Mike at least should deploy some caltrops towards where he can hear the dwarf coming from. Costs us nothing to do so and is armor piercing.

>>4765592
HH in RAW "allows one extra action or spell", without specifying that it needs to apply to that action or spell. I assumed that means we can act, and HH someone elses action, on the same turn. Oh, we should tell Mike and Burstock what we're planning, so they aren't caught off guard or anything.

>>4765629
Where can I find the RAW for future reference? Only mentions on HH I can find are the first post of thread and the wiki and I can't find mentions of extra actions, only doubling damage.

>>4765629
Every single time we've used HH, it's always worked this way: if we use it on ourselves, it goes at the same time as another action, if we use it on someone else, it takes our whole action.

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>>4765646
QM: That is true.
Sorry.

>>4765638
>>4765646
>>4765718
Right, so, new plan. We keep the same pre-battle buffs. First round: HH Boss Breaker, Bodily Betrayal. Second round: HH Smoke and Murder, extra action Pin Down, Smite. Third round: Mana Potion, Karubin, Bodily Betrayal. Fourth round: Dwarfstopper HHHammertime, Smite, Pin Down (if necessary, at this point). If it's still alive by this time, we play it by ear or run away. Sounds good?

>>4765772
fifth round: kneecap, cloudjar, GTFO

>>4765772
Sounds good to me, but let me run a thing by you all in case it makes sense more than just myself.

On third round after using HH twice, we still have 53 mana out 85. That's a quite a bit to down a mana potion on to just get 32 back. Here is my suggestion:
We remove two normal bullets from the revolver ahead of time, do a HH Hammer time on round three and push drinking the mana potion on fourth round where we continue your suggested sequence.
We have enough mana to fire the four remaining bullets with HH, and thus have made most out our resources with a very low risk addition to the plan.

Also regardless what variation of >>4765772 plan we do, the dwarf will have at most gone once and only if it wins initiative. I really don't think running away the moment our initial plan reaches it's completion is warranted.

>>4765783
Well, as written HH Hammer time always takes 84MP, but CF might allow that. The question is, do Mike's points and Burstock's MP allow that extension?

>>4765788
Well, the problem is that this works only as long as Mike still has points and Burstock has MP, otherwise we only have a 55% chance of stopping it. In the highly hypothetical situation of it surviving that long, our best bet is getting back to the airship and changing our team for a fresh one.

>>4765791
>our best bet is getting back to the airship
Is it though? Firstly, the usual cloud jar gambit won't work on dwarves, since they don't use eye sight to hunt.
Secondly we'd have to make it back to the entrance where the ship won't be attacked by harpies while being chased by the dwarf that does at least 50 damage to each party member per screen just by charging through.
We can make a break for the ship after the plan has run it's course. I'm just putting out there that it might not be as smooth escape as one might think.

While I can certainly appreciate the benefits of planning our strategy turns in advance, I would like to remind folks that the decisions we need to make will be impacted by what the enemy does and the damage we take. Planning three or more turns in advance seems like it's open to the problem of whatever we come up with being obsolete due to the actual game state at that time.

Perhaps it would be best to come up with our first turn's actions and see what happens before planning for turns two and onward?

>>4765791
>Well, as written HH Hammer time always takes 84MP, but CF might allow that. The question is, do Mike's points and Burstock's MP allow that extension?

I checked last thread since I recalled this happening there and it did. We forgot to reload since last combat and did HH Hammer Time on some goblins, only firing two bullets. Without drinking mana potions we continued to cast magic without issue in the following combat.

>>4765805
You are not wrong, but some of these moves require prep before the battle.

>>4765805
Plans are useless, but planning is essential, friend.
>>4765772
I like this plan unmodified.

>>4765805
Just because the plan never survives contact with the enemy doesn't mean you shouldn't have a plan anyway.

I'm fine with any plan you guys got.
I only have a question for CF: What are the mechanics of running from a fight and coming back for it? Will the damage inflicted on the dwarf remain? Will the tunnels remain collapsed? Will the defeated mobs remain dead?

Actually, can we just ask Mike and Burstock if we can afford to run from a fight without being set back?

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>>4765842
QM: If you run away from the dwarf, it's going to chase you.

It's fucking furious.

>>4765901
really now? so furious that it'd trip some obvious tripwire explosives? because I don't see why we couldn't use that to our advantage.

>>4765909
That's not a bad idea, but I dunno how you'd tripwire dynamite. And we might not have time, now it's coming for us.

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>>4765909
QM: If you have any idea how to very quickly assemble trip wire explosives, by all means.

>>4765909
>>4765918
>>4765926
let's compromise: have Mike scatter some caltrops to the side the dwarf's coming from

>>4765918
we have some boomflasks left, we could rig one up to set it off

>>4765949
How? You can't just say "Do a thing" you need to come up with how you do that thing. Joey isn't MacGyve by default, if you want him to be you gotta figure it out.

>>4765926
>>4765949
>>4765962
Remove the ingnition primor from the flask, tie it to the dynmite, rig a cord to pull the pin. cover the dynamite in the mogspit for good messure.

The wire pulls the pin, the ignition lights the mog spit, the spit and dynamite explode. How's that?

>>4765969
we don't have time (and probably the expertise) to do all that, the dwarf is coming RIGHT NOW. let's just throw some HH'd caltrops and get this party started already

>>4765975
maybe even put some burnsauce in them if you really want to take the time to set a better trap

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I'm gonna table setting any traps at this exact moment. Only one anon seems to really be sold on it anyways.

For right now, you and Mike drink a grink cherry and a grink rak respectively. You've never had grink cherry before. Why is it called grink cherry? It tastes like marzipan. It's way fizzier than others, too.

Mike chokes down the Grink Rak and looks around.

"I can't tell where he's coming from....want me to just throw caltrops in all directions instead of going anywhere? It's a drop in the fucking ocean but it might help. If we move we better make sure its to a square with nothing in it. I don't wanna fight an elder dwarf AND a kaprosuchus at the same time."

Burstock's skin has gone shiny
"I feel like his battle cry cleared the forest, dude."

Mike nods.
"Still better to be sure."

>>4765986
>want me to just throw caltrops in all directions instead of going anywhere?
We just came in from the North and we've just been to the East, that leaves two directions, right? Might as well burnsauce them, as well. I only have the one burnsauce, tho. West?

>>4765986
>sweet
next time we can pack some bitters to add to it. and maybe whiskey.

>>4765986
Yeah. Drop some caltrops, back-to-back. I really don't want him getting the drop on us, even if he sounds too pissed for stealth.

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Rolled 3 (1d100)

Terrible, granite slab, thunderous footfalls close in on your position. You all ready yourselves.

Mercifully still easily visible in the early evening light, the ELDER DWARF emerges from the forest, the most recent of what you suspect to be dozens of fallen trees cracking to the ground behind it. It lumbers unthinkingly onto a double dose of burnsauce caltrops. If it's bothered by them it doesn't show it.


It stares into nothingness as it salivates and sniffs the air in front of it.

It speaks an insane, long forgotten language in a voice so low it hurts your ribs. The words are lost on you but the intent is unmistakable.

You're meat.

Time to do this.

roll initiative, don't forget to add +10

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>>4766134
>initiative 3

Rolled 93 + 10 (1d100 + 10)

>>4766134

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>>4766149
welp, your move.

You and Mike both have double actions this combat that you can cash in whenever you like.

You have +10 damage

You have one re-roll

As you were.

>>4766153
Right. Yell "JEEBOO KEE ZAAAAR" and use Hell's Heart on Mike's Breaker with his swanky new shells. Burstock is in Bodily Betrayal duty.

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>>4766169
Amen, and away we go!

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>>4766169
You cast HELLS HEART on Mike as he fires the BOSS SHELLS into the dwarf. There is an explosion that you feel in your molars and the unmistakable smell of ozone and high molar acid.

Mike jumps back and ejects the shells from his breaker as it emits a thick blue grey smoke. Mike has a broad grin.

"HOT DAMN!!

Burstock casts bodily betrayal with some difficulty.

"Alright! He can't move! keep it rolling. You guys don't even have to expend your second moves - but I hope you got something good!!"

The elder dwarf, plates of armour and exposes hide that haven't seen daylight for centuries now fresh and wet on its midsection, growls and struggles furiously.

It once again your move!!

>>4766271
I believe the plan was to HH on Mike, Mike does Smoke and Murder, Mike spends his second combat action to Pin Down, Burstock Smites.

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>>4766289
Mike combat rolls backward and unslings his karubin rifle You charge him up with HELLS HEART as he fires shot after shot into the dwarf, blowing chucks of it away.

Burstock casts SMITE!

Mike puts his rifle away and draws his bow

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>>4766308
Mike runs up and fires a PIN DOWN arrow into the dwarf.

Amazingly, it does damage. The dwarf CANNOT attack for two turns!!

Mike does a small chuckle

"Right, I lowered his armour! WHat next?"

What next indeed, anon?

>>4766310
>>4766310
Alright. We have effectively extra round.
Since emptying the cylinder is a free action along with speed loading, can Joey cover four out of six chambers with his free hand and empty the two uncovered chambers as a free action?
According to wiki HH Hammer Time increases in cost for each bullet fired and only firing all six costs 84.
If we do HH Hammer time with four bullets, we can do 360 damage after Mike's armor reduction, which is almost as much as Mike's Smoke and Murder.

I'm sorry. I can't call us to drink a mana potion with this much mana still left. Someone else has to do it.

>>4766348
Well, we just got an extra turn with pin down, so if that's no good we can have little a Hell's Heart Blast, as a treat. Mike and Burstock sho do anything they want that doesn't spend AP or MP.

>>4766348
Could wrack ourselves for some mana if you don't wanna expend a potion. That said I think that potions are cheap enough that using one while we're still above half if it lets us do a very powerful move is an acceptable expenditure of resources.

>>4766348
>>4766476
>>4766482
pin down working fully put us a turn ahead of where we need to be, so we gotta add a turn between 2 and 3 in our plan anyways

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As I see it. At this point you can select 3 actions per party member before the dwarf next gets to attack. Four for joey if you want to use his double attack from his grink.

Loading without a speedloader is an action as is drinking a potion.

Sorry for the interjection. As you were.

>>4766310
My suggestion for our actions.
Joey:
>Reload.
>Mana potion
>Hell's heart
>Hammer Time
Mike
> Boom flask
> Find a gap
> Arrow
Burstock:
>Smite
> Mana potion or Wrack
> Smite

>>4766669
Joey: Hell's Heart Blast, Mama potion, speedload dwarfstoppers (free), Hell's Heart Hammer time
Mike: Arrow, Karubin, Pin Down
Burstock: Smite, potioning when empty

if anyones wondering, we've done exactly 1010 damage so far. and he's still standing. Jesus.

>>4766765
Let's go with this.

>>4766723
I might be completely misremembering, but aren't dwarves poison-resistant? Find a Gap might not work if so.

>>4766765
This seems good, though are we saving Mike's AP for anything in particular? Could have him throw out a Boomflask if we can spare the AP, which is 40+20 armour piercing as opposed to just flat 40.

>>4766827
Damn, he's a boss for sure. Big lad.

>>4766923
>are we saving Mike's AP for anything in particular
Pin Down looks to be invaluable for this fight, so I'd rather keep that going as long as possible. An extra 40 damage is just not worth as much as two free turns.

>>4766923
>>4766938
speaking of, how are we on that front? I lost count
also we never asked what Burstock drank before battle

>>4767731
Just did a count and I think we only have one left, so let's leave it for that last Pin Down. After that, Burstock can use Bodily Betrayal once, then after that we're down to Kneecap, so let's hope it's dead before that happens.

>>4766134
Hang on, he's he growing an actual horn out of his head, or is that just something lodges in his helmet?
>>4766923
for reference, the big kaprosuchus had about 500 hp. He should be down to at least half at least. though that also means he's gonna go phase 2 on us. hopefully we'll drop him by then.

>>4767807
at least Kneecap ignores armor and doesn't cost anything to use other than the bullet.

>>4767999
>is that just something lodges in his helmet?
Indeed. It is a pick axe that has been driven in to his head that this guy is known for and was mentioned in the bounty notice.

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You unleash a decent HELLS HEART BLAST on the dwarf.

Burstock smites it, causing bits of it to glow and smoulder, mike fires an arrow into its throat.

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Burstock maintains her smite spell, you barely even notice the crackling and the horrible smell now. You're too focussed. You chug down a man potion.

Mike tumb;es back and fires a nice shot into the immense beast.

You slam a bunch of DWARFSTOPPERS into your big iron and click it closed.

Open wide, chunky.

====

QM: Can I please get a roll for hammertime, here?

Rolled 46 (1d100)

>>4768109
Here comes the snow

>>4768111
we want to roll under 55 right?

>>4768229
Under 60 for Hammer Time
Under 55 for Kneecap

>>4768232
Either way a 46 is a success, hurray!

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>>4768249
and here I was afraid the dice would betray us at the most critical moment, as they are want to do

>>4768257
That just means this isn't the most critical moment.

>>4768257
The dice only want you to have !FUN!, friend. Do not resent them for it.
>>4768111
Hammer of the gods, man.

>>4768257
We don't get to use the reroll we've been saving for it, so it gets the last laugh anyways.

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You let loose a HELLS HEART HAMMERTIME on the dwarf, each shot like a jarring thunderclap up your arm. Your vision begins to blur but every shot finds its mark, blasting whole chunks off the beast. You may even be hitting something vital. You do an extended, furious battlecry through all of it without planning to.

Burstock's smite continues to to twist and spark around it as it roars.

Mike sounds somehow both pissed an elated as he fires another arrow into its leg.

"How is this guy still standing?!"

The dwarf may not attack next turn.

You have the floor.

>>4768289
Right. We're spent, Mike's spent. How's Burstock? Might wanna conserve MP, Bodily Betrayal is about to become essential next turn. We might as well speedload regular bullets and do a Kneecap and have Mike Karubin it, it can't take all that much more. That said, I'd keep our extra action for when we NEED to Kneecap it 2 turns from now, in case the first one fails.

>>4768302
this. Mike makes a called shot to the pick ax wound, maybe he'll get a critical.

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>>4768302
No problem. Roll for kneecap!

Rolled 33 (1d100)

>>4768310

>>4768310
gotta update that with Stargazy, Natto and Konyaku

>>4768312
Oh joy. Burstock should probably keep SMITE up, considering we've got three more free turns to stomp this guy.

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>>4768289
okay, by my count we have 26 MP left. enough to cast HH and Wizard Hands(!) .

If the next round doesn't drop him, I say take our remaining boomflasks and as much dynamite we can hold in both hands, cast HH on as much as we can for one casting, then shove them in the Dwarf's mouth. Hands should be able to prime the flasks.

>>4768372
i believe the last HH Hammer Time drained our mana to 1 as per description of the combo in the wiki..

>>4768372
You have ONE mana left.

>>4768383
it took 84 according to the picture. which means I was off by ten anyway. unless we weren't empty already. Does Joey have a character sheet? I didn't see one in the wiki, just a profile that listed his spells and abilities.

>>4768372
Our MP is exactly 1 after Hell's Heart Hammer time, but I guess throwing boomflasks is not a bad idea. Dynamite has been repeatedly said to not be a combat-useable item, tho.

>>4768393
Joey has 85 total MP. Admittedly, it's not easy to find.

>>4768401
Dynamite is combat-useable, but not combat-optimal. I think that we can use the next three rounds (PIN DOWN requires the enemy spend two rounds unsticking themselves, and KNEECAP stops even that for a round) to mana potion, and HELLS HEART HAMMER TIME, while Burstock keeps SMITE up and Mike goes Arrow-Arrow-Karubin.
If THAT doesn't kill this jerk, then we can have burstock bodily betrayal him in order to let us shove some dynamite and a primed boomflask down his throat.

>>4768420
This sounds good. I'd hope another HHHT would kill him, but at this point there's no way to be sure.

>>4768420
I'll support this

>>4768420
Okay, wait. How about, instead of downing our last mana potion, we use Draw for once?

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You successfully KNEECAP the elder dwarf as mike fires more arrows into it, aiming for where he believes the organs to be.

Burstock maintains the SMITE, the dwarf spasms as great chunks of it slough off and its blood vessels rupture. The smite seems to be doing more damage the longer Burstock maintains it.

"Huh."

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You drink down a mana potion and feel revitalised despite the intense taste of chalky aniseed and mint.

Mike fires another arrow as Burstock continues to call down lightning. She looks a little exhilarated.

Mike puts his bow away

"Joonda!! Let's ventilate this guy!"

Mike equips his KARUBIN

Can I get a hammertime roll, please?

Rolled 73 (1d100)

>>4768550
let's see how this goes

>>4768556
Oh well, we'll still fire one shot iirc so it's not like the turn was wasted.

>>4768556
ah, not too well. I guess it's finally time for that reroll, then? someone else, please

>>4768558
>>4768562
I say save the reroll, its just some more damage we're loosing out on. missing a kneecap is what will really hurt us

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Rolled 54 (1d100)

>>4768556
>>4768558
Alright, rolling. May luck be with me, eh?

>>4768566
It was... barely. Let's just end this guy.

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>>4768568
>>4768566
Almost getting your gun caught in your holster, you step foward an unload a barrage of HELLS HEART HAMMERTIME into the dwarf once more. Lightning crackles all around it as the SMITE continues and Mikes KARUBIN finds purchase in the great beast's eye.

The elder dwarf lets out a horrible, distorted growl almost like powering down machinery and after several centuries of absolute madness and terror, finally keels over and breathes its last.

Mike slings his rifle as he walks up. He holds a holds a fist up to you.

Burstock slumps her shoulders and does a big smile as she wipes sweat from herself.

"Well, that wasn't such a chore now, was it?"
Mike shoots her a look

Despite her jokes, even Burstock is breathing hard.

All three of you laugh a little.

You got him.

>>4768600
Group high 5?

>>4768608
Mike's going for a fist bump, so let's not disappoint. Then we should get to helping him harvest.

>>4768600
"Woof, I can't wait to get back to the ship. After that I need a shower and to wash the taste of grink and mana potion out of my mouth. Those boss breakers were great, though. And I didn't know smite could do that." Remember to reload our speedloaders as well as our revolver, and don't leave Mike hanging.

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>>4768613
>>4768617
You fist bump Mike who smiles. Mike wanders over to the still smouldering dwarf and unsheathes a particularly sharp looking knife.

>"Woof, I can't wait to get back to the ship. After that I need a shower and to wash the taste of grink and mana potion out of my mouth. Those boss breakers were great, though. And I didn't know smite could do that."

Burstock leans on a nearby tree.
"Yeah, me neither."
Burstock casually vomits up a couple of pints of blood.
She winces and then heals herself.

She drinks a mana potion then spits more blood out.

Mike turns to her, but she holds up a hand. She's fine.
"Iron Brew."

Mike nods sympathetically then returns to his work.

>Then we should get to helping him harvest.

Mike smiles good naturedly at you.
"Naw man, I got this and it's...kinda precision work."

You see that in addition to the large knife he has, Mike is also using a series of smaller ones and what look almost like lino cutting tools to harvest bone shavings.

All the innards are dark, with rainbow glimmers to them when the light catches them. It's very hard to tell what is what.

So as to not keep you waiting, he also slits open the dwarves stomach and begins setting aside what hasn't been digested.

YOU LOOT:
84 gold
2 wedding bands
silver ingot
large pearl
2 pyrite nuggets

Burstock rinses out her mouth with some gin and glances skyward.

"We're just going back to the entrance, right?"

Mike hisses with pain and momentarily stops working.

Burstock heals him.

Mike nods and thanks her
"Fucking grink rak.."

>>4768629
"I'm all for grinding, but I think we're all a bit ground out for now. Good work, both of you. Let's see if we can't round up some plums for that sauce, yeah?"

>>4768629
Oh, and take the pickaxe for a trophy.

>>4768629
>"Iron brew."
Pardon?
>"We're just going back to the entrance, right?"
Good god yes.

>>4768629
Absolutely. We got our winnings, time to walk away from the table and cash out.

Grab the pick axe out of the dwarf as proof of bounty completion. We can put it on a wall afterwards or something.

>>4768629
Get the pickaxe and leave the forest

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>>4768633
>"I'm all for grinding, but I think we're all a bit ground out for now. Good work, both of you. Let's see if we can't round up some plums for that sauce, yeah?"

Mike and Burstock look at you then look at each other then shrug.

>>4768637
With some effort, you dislodge the pickaxe from the dwarfs skull. It bends and breaks in the process. It's worthless as a pickaxe now, but a nice bit of proof.

You throw and catch the wrecked pickaxe to yourself when something occurs to you.

>>4768650
>"What's iron brew?"

Burstock casts heal on herself again.

"Not quite illegal. But controlled potion. Horrifyingly sweet. But it raises your armour by 30 for two combats. Problem is, it's got a five hour debuff that periodically really hurts you. Can't just heal it out either. Gotta ride out the whole debuff."

Mike fills sets aside two jars of white shavings and begins another.
"In the end, you didn't need it either. You alright?"

Burstock nods and winks
"Always. And it was worth it to make sure you guys had a healer in case you needed it. Better safe than sorry against something that dangerous"

Mike smiles fondly
"First time?"

Burstock takes a swig of gin.
"Nah. But it has been a while."
She walks over to you and bumps against you.
"How are you doing? Feeling pretty kick ass there?"

>>4768931
"Yeah, we handled that dwarf pretty well."

>>4768600
FLAWLESS VICTORY

>>4768931
As for level up points, I feel like we should try and boost our mana or spellcasting. Keep us from burning through potions so quick.

>>4768946
>As for level up points, I feel like we should try and boost our mana or spellcasting. Keep us from burning through potions so quick.

I agree with this. Either increased mana or a discount to the cost of casting spells would be good. If we have enough points for multiple things, maybe up our gunslinging abilities some more? And heck, if I'm making a wishlist might as well add practicing/learning some better communication/negotiation. You know, for when we need to convince another Gopnik to leave the life of crime behind, or get a good deal selling out potions or whatnot. Maybe Karl'd be able to help with that?

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>>4769006
QM: I will give you a run down on who to talk about what once you're aboard the ship. I gotta snooze for a bit, and then get some new assets uploaded. But I will be back.

>>4768931
Reload normal bullets to the gun and the two now empty speed loaders while waiting for Mike.
"I have to admit. I underestimated how much of a fight this place put up. There is still quite a bit left to explore, but we are out of resources to do so without taking unnecessary risks. Could have made use of more potions, more boomflasks and more ammo."
Inspect revolver while you are at it. We put a lot of lead through the barrel and unless we maintain it it will start to wear quickly.

Do we need to meet up with communities in Jarka forest to collect our bounty, or is the bounty bar in Kretch holding it for collection?

>>4769006
Our main combat skills are gunslinging and magic, so upgrading those makes sense. Maybe Mike could teach us how to handload cartridges, or something. Upping our negotiation and smooth-talking also makes sense, considering non-combat situations, and our habit of offering negotiation and accepting surrender.
>>4768931
>"How are you doing? Feeling pretty kick ass there?"
"Yeah! That dwarf didn't even have a chance to counter, thanks to you guys. Tired though. And I'm a bit worried about the side effects of that cherry grink and all."
>>4769700
I like the idea of inspecting/maintaining the revolver.

>>4769025
Can we check the two wedding bands for inscriptions? Someone might be willing pay finders fee for something like that. Family or friends of the deceased.

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>>4769854
a spell specifically for shooting a single powerful bullet would be rad.

>>4768931
>"How are you doing? Feeling pretty kick ass there?"
Sure... but also spent. I really don't want to have another fight right now if I can avoid it.

>Points
I haven't forgotten about this in the last thread.
>Presently, you can only HH one thing at a time fwiw.
I wanna see what we can do about that. Or being able to use HH on someone else while also using an action of our own. It's been our most useful spell so far and we could do worse than make it better.

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>>4769700
>"I have to admit. I underestimated how much of a fight this place put up. There is still quite a bit left to explore, but we are out of resources to do so without taking unnecessary risks. Could have made use of more potions, more boomflasks and more ammo."

Burstock stretches
"Apparently we brought enough to get the job done."

>Inspect revolver while you are at it. We put a lot of lead through the barrel and unless we maintain it it will start to wear quickly.
You flick open the maintenance kit that Mike gave you and set about your revolver with small screwdrivers and brushes like Mike showed you. It's kinda soothing, honestly. Something occurs to you:

>"Do we need to meet up with communities in Jarka forest to collect our bounty, or is the bounty bar in Kretch holding it for collection"
"It'll be held at the bounty bar. It's why they have places like that. I dunno how much the communities in Kerdil get out that way. Most likely the mog behind the counter collected it from them. But I dunno their system."

>>4770402
The wedding bands are kinda tarnished anyways. Any inscriptions on them are long gone. Their only value is the slightly digested gold they are made from.

>>4769854
"I'm a bit worried about the side effects of that cherry grink and all."
Burstock nods.
"Yeah, I wouldn't try and be smooth with anyone for a bit. Your sugary breath is gonna attract flies and you're gonna burp at all the wrong times."

>>4770420
>"a spell specifically for shooting a single powerful bullet would be rad."
Mike sets aside a fifth jar.
"I dunno about a spell. But I can teach you how to do an execution or kill shot that you can then 'hells heart'. WOn't be easy, but it'll be powerful."

Burstock glances down at her wrist as it violently snaps backwards, pooling blood at her feet. She waves the injury off herself like it was a bothersome insect.

Mike sets aside a sixth and final jar.
"That's all we're getting"

You glance up. It's bordering on dusk. Not a moment to soon. Dwarf may be gone but fuck being in this place after sundown.

>>4770599
Well. Guess it's time to make like a tree and get the hell out of here.

>>4770599
>potions as a free action
Oh man you guys.

>Burstock glances down at her wrist as it violently snaps backwards, pooling blood at her feet. She waves the injury off herself like it was a bothersome insect.
That is super unsettling.

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>>4770599
Well, back to the Airship. We could shortcut southwards, but I dunno how good an idea that is.
>Burstock glances down at her wrist as it violently snaps backwards, pooling blood at her feet. She waves the injury off herself like it was a bothersome insect.
"Doesn't that hurt?"

Level up options?! Sweet. My personal preferences would be:
More versatile Gun Tech- Hammertime and Kneecap are great, but specialty rounds are expensive, and tough single targets were giving us trouble.
More Mana- We've got a nice selection of spells (even if we keep forgetting to use DOUSE), but we burn through mana real fast. (this might be something we can deal with through clothes, rather than level-up)
And Smoother Tongue- We are running a business, and we have a habit of starting conversations even in unlikely circumstances. Better conversational skills would go a long way to smoothing things out for us.

Though we do need to buy more bullets. The anon a couple threads back who suggested just buying crates worth of normal bullets might have had the right idea.

>>4770607
>>potions as a free action
>Oh man you guys.
Yeah, no, right behind you. That one goes in the upgrade list and I'm not budging on it.
Improving HH is also one we don't want to miss out on.
As for the others: we can get more mana by wearing robes instead of armor, and we can get healing by downing a potion (making the free action potion even more invaluable) and we happen to know someone who owns a potion company, and they even have a Vitamagus on payroll. Oh wait, that's us.
The killshot... I dunno, I need to know just how not easy is "won't be easy". We already have Hammer Time for a "whole buncha damage on a percentile chance" action already, after all.

>>4770599
"Another technique? You spoil me, sir. I'll gladly take you up on the offer after we've had a rest. ."

>>4770607
>>4770626
>>4770629
I'll support prioritizing potioning and more mana(having less mana than what a potion gives is annoying). as for what else we can take, we'll have to debate depending how much we can get this level.

>>4770671
>(having less mana than what a potion gives is annoying)
All mana potions give full mana, so that's not a thing that's happening.

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>>4770605
>>4770626
You walk as a group back to the airship. Mike is pretty laden but doesnt seem to notice or want help. Burstock finishes her hipflask.

"Good thing we're heading back."

You point to her wrist
>"Doesn't that hurt?"

She does a small smile
"Sure. But it is what it is. I've felt a lot of things so it take s a bit to make me scream these days."

She glances at Mike
"Scream in pain, anyways."

Mike coughs and pulls his hood over his eyes, crimson.

You get back to the forest entrance without incident. YOu can hear the familiar purr of the Silver Linings turbines.

>>4770714
I would like for Joey to eat, take a load off and a shower. That was exhausting, and I kinda want to delay any social interaction with crew until the cherry grink's worn off.

>>4770714
We must regale our exploits to the crew wilst enjoying a hearty meal.

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>>4770715
>>4770744
You take the rope ladder back aboard the Silver Lining. You opt to take a nice long shower. Rinsing your mouth several times and trying to sweat out the sickly smell coming from you. It takes a bit.

As you get out of the shower, you find your clothes have been washed and pressed as usual. Much better.

You do what the hope is the last of your cherry grink burping as you walk back to your room. There is a plate of lamb koftas and some slaw waiting for you. It's still warm and there's even a cold brew there to go with it.

You didn't even realise how hungry you were. Within moments you have a cleaned plate and an empty glass. Feels great.

YOU LEVEL UP!!

You have 4 level up slots that you can fill before bed!

Some of the basics!

Highball can train you in melee and social
Mike can train you in firearms and survival
Burstock can train you in magic, mana and vortexing potions
Richter can train you in strenth, athletics and blasting magic

There are other ways to level up that you can find.
or if something occurs to you - let me know. Perhaps we can figure this out.

>>4770714

Okay, let's lift off ASAP. This place sucks.

>>4770785
Go visit Burstock after taking off

>>4770785
Was there an level up option to get additional party members for away missions?

I do think we should catch up with Highball to practice our social skills.

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QM: I should say!!

I have been calling this forest JARKA all this time.

JARKA is the other forest. This is KERDIL.

Someone even corrected it and I ignored them

Very very sorry.

You just went to KERDIL forest.

JARKA is the nicer one with the snakefolk and beastpeople and what not.

Jesus H Mahogany did I goof.

>>4770917
You can look at the teamwork poster to gain one extra part member slot for three outings

It's powerful but long term doesnt do anything

EXCEPT

It's like adding more chances for two party members to figure out a TEAM ATTACK move.

But this can also happen by them spending more time together and becoming better friends.

>>4770947
Can those extra party member slots be saved? Say we want to take a trip to Kiani forest again, but take only two party members with Joey instead of the three we could take. Would this spend the amount of outings we can take three members on?

>>4770957
Yup. It's in any order between now and the next time you level up.

Make no mistake, that's a while away. Like, just a some grinding and killing edgewater wont make you ding again.

>>4770965
Yikes. Is there a way to permanently increase our party size? Spending multiple level up slots or something?

>>4770965
Thanks. That'll help us decide I think.
We'll want a third party member when we take on Edgewater and the other times we can use to venture somewhere more dangerous, like the Crags. That improved action economy is a huge advantage along with more options for team attacks.
We also need to become a better negotiator for when we start cutting deals, better prices and discounts. We'll most likely need this when we finally find Eccard Hilbosh. We'll want to see Highball about that.
Using potions as a free action seems like a fine choice, as does increasing our maximum mana.
I don't think learning new attacks is warranted. We saw in this very thread we can already do massive amounts of damage if it's needed. Improving our accuracy with these special attacks I think would be a good idea though that way we can use them more consistently without less chance of failure. Our current chance to hit with Kneecap and Hammer Time are only slightly better than a coin toss.

In summary, my suggestion for level up:
-Extra party member
-Improving social skills
-Improving mana or potions
-Improving accuracy

>>4771025
Not exactly.

>>4771033
I understand wanting extra party members against Edgewater, but I also feel that a level up that gets us a temporary buff is a level up wasted. It's powerful, but it's hamstringing us in the long run. Also, Burstock said something about bettering spells and I have it on good authority that it includes improving Hell's Heart, which is our most used spell by far, so we REALLY want that.

>>4771307
Team attacks that can be gained from bigger teams are still permanent. Also there are things that are resistant and outright immune to magic, including trolls specifically. Our best moves will be ineffective against Edgewater so having that extra teammate is going to be needed. I also brought up that with extra team mate we can adventure in more dangerous areas, gather funds, treasure and equipment that we could not get with a smaller team without taking massive risks. Extra team mate opens up so many more opportunities than just what can be done in combat its not even funny.

>>4771359
It's still just a temporary thing that is lost long term, and the combos can be unlocked otherwise. We won't get level ups all that often anymore, so we need to start thinking long term or we'll cripple ourselves. Also I think Hell's Heart works on the target of the spell, not the target of the attack, so it's probably gonna be critical against magic resistant enemies.

>>4771033
>>4771359
I'd rather not go with the larger team size myself. It's temporary, and it's only permanent benefit is the possibility of team attacks, which can be gained without it. I'd rather go for something more tangible.
My personal ideas on what we need are:
-Burstock's free action potions (ups the utility of potions immediately, and will only scale to greater utility as we gain power and larger Mana/HP pools)
-Mike's gun tech (Hammer Time and Kneecap are excellent indeed, but we have serious trouble with armored/high HP targets)
-Highball's social skills (Some of our best results have been from diplomacy and negotiation. Excellent out of combat, and even in combat we have a habit of striking up unlikely conversations)

Honestly, I think those are our areas of strength, and sharpening them up more is the best option for ever-better power. If it were up to me I'd just do those, and double up on one, but I understand if folks want to diversify a bit in the fourth slot. Maybe buff up melee or stealth, get ourselves a holdout option. Outside of level-up slots though, next time we're in Dunnlivin we should hit up the thread shop for wizards robes (nice ones, with the bonus to max MP), and buy a couple (dozen) boxes of bullets.

>>4771369
>>4771380
When asked from Dr. Ash about weaknesses of trolls, he specifically mentioned they need to be brought down with raw damage alone, charging attacks with magic are not going to work.
Extra team mate will always be better than anything we can get from a level up for Joey. Team mates bring more actions, more abilities, more choices. Unless you want Joey to start going solo there is no way to be crippled with team mates.

You also ignore the additional adventuring opportunities. Ask yourself: would we ever consider venturing to the Crags with only two team mates after learning what's there? What improvement from level up would make you feel strong enough to do so?

>>4771380
>-Mike's gun tech (Hammer Time and Kneecap are excellent indeed, but we have serious trouble with armored/high HP targets)
In this very thread we dealt with one of these. The solution is dwarfstoppers and other ammo types and boomflasks.

Joey doesn't have to do everything. That is what others can do. We can never do as much with melee as we already do with our revolver because of the choices we made. I don't see the benefit being at best average in everything when what we should do is improve our strengths.

>>4771380
>-Mike's gun tech (Hammer Time and Kneecap are excellent indeed, but we have serious trouble with armored/high HP targets)
We did well enough, tho. Dwarfstoppers were good, we just need to pack more of those.
I do agree on the potions and the social skills, but I also have to insist that we should look into what Burstock can do for Hell's Heart, because I think that's gonna be something we don't wanna miss.

>>4771380
>>4771390
>>4771391
Generally speaking, are we locked in with heading to HB for social and Burstock for potion chugging? It might be an idea to get started on those, and then maybe we can ask people what their thoughts are on level up stuff while we're there, see if they have any insights or recommendations.

For my money, I would say buffing Hell's Heart is a good plan - even though it won't work on Edgewater, it'll work on the goons we'll have to crawl through on the way there and probably most everyone else we'll face in the future. It's far and away our best and most used combat spell, so I'd say it's definitely in our interest to buff it somehow.

>>4771415
I'd say we seem to have a consensus, but I still want to have all the options on the table before making any permanent choices. Also give some time to people in other timezones to weigh in.

>>4771390
>>4771391
True, specialty ammunition and explosives go a long way. But they're expensive, and we can't always afford to spend them on every enemy with armor or multi-hundred HP. Joey's already good with his revolver, I just want him to be even better. Hammer time and Kneecap are both excellent, but a once-a-combat killshot for MASSIVE DAMAGE would be excellent, as would something like the ability to handload specialty ammo/explosives ourselves rather than having to buy them. I think Joey's main strengths are Talking, Gunslinging, and (general-purpose) Magic, and it makes sense to me to sharpen those rather than getting our melee, unarmed, or specialty magic up from bad to merely adequate.
>would we ever consider venturing to the Crags with only two team mates after learning what's there? What improvement from level up would make you feel strong enough to do so?
Yes, I would. As for what we'd need, a trained thanomagus. Bring an adventurer thanomagus and Richter, along with enough HP and Mana potions to keep us afloat, and that'd be perfect.

>>4771415
Yeah, seeing HB about social skills and Burstock about potions are good for me.

I'd like extra team mate for no other reason than social interaction with Joey and each other. Its a delight when we have discussions with them about current situation when on mission.

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Okay, I might be able figure this out.

Because you have the TEAMWORK poster, I will just have it that ONCE PER LEVEL. You can take an extra party member for one dungeon.

As you naturally level up as a boss, you may get to do it more times per level.

ALSO: As you level up your relationship with Highball, you will eventually get the 'inseparable' buff which means she doesn't take up a slot on the load out. That's a bit away, yet but it's there.

So for right now, you have one charge on takin out 3 party members instead of 2 for this level.

And you still have 4 upgrade slots.

How's that sound?

>>4771454
Sounds good for me. Only downside I can see is that we'll have to leave longer between particularly spicy dungeons if we wanna bring an extra party member, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Makes sure we're up to them by the time we get there.

>>4771454
Yeah. That's acceptable.

>>4771454
That sounds perfect, thank you.

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>>4771465
Appreciable, but other team members will also level up, like Mike did today so the party will be stronger as time goes by as well - so long as you use them.

Be sure to consult with Mike over what you'd like to see from him unless you're willing to trust me.

>>4770785
does Strength equal more hit points?

I say we get more mana and potions from Burstock, some socializing from Highball.

For our last slot we go either for more gun fu or gains.

>>4771793
HP is set, but being stronger changes your physical damage, overall abilities strength wise, and which weapons you can use.

breaker is an ork weapon for a reason. Even a wirey ork like mike is the 3rd strongest person on board.

>>4771940
Right. So right now my choices are:
1) Making potions a free action
2) Making Hell's Heart a free action
3) Smooth talk like a top gob
4) Worship at the temple of iron
But I'd still like to talk with everyone first. We still don't know what we can get from Karl and Jorn, for example.

>>4770785
Richter in strength
Mike can train you in firearms
Highball in social
Ask Karl to teach us how to become an operator

>>4772056
I like the top three, but I'd prefer firearms over strength. Wouldn't mind checking in with the new residents to see what they offer, either.

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>>4772080
Operator?

>>4772092
This. I'm down with the top 3, we can save our final slot for when we get back to the ship and see what other options we have. CF did say that there's some new stuff waiting.

>>4772092
Agreed. I consider sharpening our gun techniques or learning new ones absolutely critical, frankly. Hammertime and Kneecap are excellent, but extremely expensive and of limited damage, respectively. Learning a technique to get more damage out of our gun will be invaluable if we encounter more Kaprochuses or other enemies in a similar vein. So far, we seem to have a consensus on Free potions and Highball's social skills, but we need a nice high-damage ability of our own to HH, in the same sort of arena as Mike's BREAKER or something. I could take or leave improving our HH itself, but if people want to then hey.

>>4772098
Look at this guy. Smooth as butter on a baby's buttcheek.

>>4772080
Richter in strength if we're gonna go for higher caliber, harder hitting bullets.
Richter in athletics if we're gonna go for speed/trick gun techniques.

>>4772168
Gun technique is gun technique. Training i ahtletics will mean not everyone can out run you, and you could learn to dodge or jump higher or something .

>>4772114
I really don't like the idea of getting another shooting technique with a chance to hit that amounts to a coinflip. Is it really wise to get something new that the old thing can do already just fine? What we need is better chance to roll under the target percentile and master what we already have. HH applies to everything. Might as well improve it instead getting something new that might not even land on target.
As for expensive ammo, the solution is getting more money and doing that doesn't take a level up slot. Getting harder hitting ammo is also solved with money. We want to double our damage? Let's buy another revolver for our off hand. With money.

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>>4772223
Not to influence the outcome, but for what it is worth, that there is some goblin thinking.

>>4772223
But our existing techniques DON'T do it just fine. Kneecap is a stunner, and Hammer Time is excellent at damage, but extremely expensive. We could rely on specialty ammo in order to deal high single-target damage, but then anything like a Kaprochus will end up being a net expense to fight. Having a high-damage single attack will make us just plain better, it synergizes better with HH, and it'll let us deal with kaprochuses or armored foes easier. You can't make money if you need a constant supply of expensive specialty ammo.

>>4772219
Technique isn't useful if you can't handle the weapon.

Bigger caliber rounds need a stronger hand,wrist, and forearm to shoot while nimble, dexterous hands and fingers are needed for quick-draw and faster shooting.

>>4772237
We used 360g for those six shots of dwarfstoppers to bring that dwarf down. Literal pennies compared to the 5000 we scored with this bounty. We fought 6 Kaprochu in this forest and if we had Hammer Timed with dwarfstoppers each and everyone of them they would have have died at a rate of about one Kaprochu per round with the help of Mike and Burstock. That's without using HH.
In total, we would have spent 2520g on dwarfstoppers. Only half what we gained from the bounty alone, not to mention the savings we'd had made with from unspent potions, boomflasks and Mike's action points. We don't even know how much we get from the harvested bonemeal in the end product potions.

Special ammo is not as expensive you make it out to be. However I don't think we can see eye to eye on this, so I say we leave it for others to make that call. If people really want get yet another technique, then that's fine. Heck, Maybe Mike can help us improve Kneecap to do more damage or something. I just don't think it necessary.

>>4772251
Why are you arguing with the actual QM?

>>4772267
I'm cool with anything as long as the 4th skill is used on something fun and learned from one of the company staff.

LUMSDEN - Take a spin on the whirlybird and try our hand on learning to fly an airship
SURREY - Better potion making
JONES - Scrounging for wild ingredients in a pinch when out adventuring for a quick meal
GILCREST - Insert learnable skill here. Seriously though, Custodian's do know the best way to make a scene clean, for the in-between, and notice things out-of-the-ordinary.
KARL - Already mentioned, more specifically, lockpicking

>>4772271
Oh shoot. Just noticed his trip and other posts. Thought he was one of those people.

What can Everking teach us?

>>4772223
I like this. Support.

>>4772280
Stage presence.

>>4772237
Kneecap is a stunner, but also an AP move. Maybe we're better served by making it more reliable than getting yet another percentile attack?

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I guess, as QM, I would encourage you to explore each option and talk to your crew. Take their training if you like the sound of it.

>>4772223
I agree, but I also see the appeal of building towards chance. We may have experienced the ire of the dice gods, but so have we experienced their favor as well. The bigger the risk, the bigger the thrill, the bigger the win if we manage to make the roll of destiny! Save or die. Make the save, and become a legend. Fail, and die like a bitch. Are those not the most stimulating and thrilling throes of the dice you've ever made?

At least, that's one angle. Minimizing risks and random chance by extension is also a way to play... but I also feel it to be... a wee bit boring wouldn't you say? It's such a predictable and foreseeable "playstyle" from the GM's perspective as well. Better to take the "random" option now and again I'd say. Throw the GM off, channel a wee bit of Old Man Henderson or the like. Unless he's a railroading PoS he'll embrace the randomness as you have and see it as a challenge to "sell" those dice rolls to everyone.

Point is, sometimes embracing Chaos is a good thing. Total predictability isn't a thing the likes of us ought to seek if we want to remain engaged as utterly as we are now.