TOPIC: Black Pearl, what does it specifically negate (*spoilers*)

I think the scandals would be more likely to happen when a player's UR token's sticker starts to peel off, revealing a Turkey Leg underneath.

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<br />Why in the world would you offer dungeon gradations on level? It has absolutely no effect within the dungeon. It doesn't even track onto past experience all that well since XP doesn't stack in a lot of situations. <br />

<br /><br />Because level tracks roughly with token-ness.  You don't see any 2nd level players with artifacts, for example.  It's not perfect, I know, just a passing thought.  Nightmare mode accomplishes this now anyway, but some time in the future maybe it would be phrased differently.  <br />

<br /><br />That's ridiculous. It correlates less well with tokens then it does with past experience. The fact is that since you can pickup max XP just for making it to the  last room, anyone who wants max XP can get it. You usually have to be extremely unlucky or extremely stupid to get croaked before the last 2 rooms even in nightmare. More people get done-in by stupid crap like forgetting to heal in between rooms than anything else.

<br />That's ridiculous. It correlates less well with tokens then it does with past experience. The fact is that since you can pickup max XP just for making it to the  last room, anyone who wants max XP can get it. You usually have to be extremely unlucky or extremely stupid to get croaked before the last 2 rooms even in nightmare. More people get done-in by stupid crap like forgetting to heal in between rooms than anything else.<br />

<br /><br />Okay.  I retract the whole hypothetical. 

It's not a horrible idea, and it's what nightmare was supposed to be, but it just doesn't make sense to peg it to XP levels.<br /><br />Jeff's whole take on things used to be that most everyone on normal should be able to see the final room, but few parties should survive. That got watered down over the years because most people tend to complain like crazy if they die, even if it's finding the last big bad. It instead became less of a challenge as opposed to an experience. People paid their money and just assumed they should win the adventure as part of that. Smoak seems to be a throwback, which might bring blowback.<br /><br />Wasn't the survival rate for the first TD something like 20%?

Isn't that also why True Grind was introduced?  It was a chance for the players to be really challenged, and going in most people understood there was a very good chance their characters would die.

The Elvish arrow is +1 to hit and +1 damage to orcs.<br />Is this due to magic or like masterwork arrow, just due to fine craftmanship and materials? As masterwork arrows DO work with the ring of the wolf. <br />Do Elvish arrows work with the ring of the wolf.  ( and presumably would receive a +1 to hit against a creature-- perhaps a red dragon -- that is using a black pearl ioun stone.)<br /><br />

<br />Masterwork Items in TD tend to just be +1 damage.<br />

I screwed up when I noted "magical" as the adjective to describe the effect of the Black Pearl.  Sorry for the justified confusion.  <br /><br />The power of the Ioun Stone: Black Pearl is to re-arrange probability lines...it has nothing to do with magic or anything else "logical".  The only things that it seems not capable of affecting are the stated "to hit" bonuses below:<br /><br />

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<br /><br />This special magic item negates MOST "to hit" bonuses with both melee and missile weapons.  Thus, the only "to hit" bonus a player can have is his natural Strength (melee), natural Dexterity (missile) modifier, Bard Song (melee) or the Barbarian Rage (melee)  No other "to hit" magical or mundane effect can get through the probability-line-modification powers of the Black Pearl.  <br /><br />These bonuses are noted on the party card.<br /><br />The Ioun Stone can be attacked just by landing a weapon melee or weapon missile slider on its image.  It can also be hit with two magic effects:<br /><br />1) Magic Missile (spell, scroll and wand)<br />2) Ring of the Ram<br /><br />No other magic effect will damage an Ioun Stone as they are highly resistant to magic (other than "force damage").<br /><br />Because Ioun Stones move so fast, it is impossible for a character to grab a stone with their hand or any other device (like a Mage Hand).  It can only be struck with a weapon that lands touching the Ioun Stone area.  No "to hit" bonuses affect this slide.  You must land on the Ioun Stone to damage it.<br /><br />The Ioun Stone has 40 hit points.  Note that if a "Sling Bullet of Thunder" which has been slung from a "+2 Sling of Impact" lands on the Ioun Stone, it is immediately destroyed instantly.  Other attacks that round can then count their magical to hit bonuses.<br /><br />Note that the DM will have to tell the group during the first round of attacks while Smoak is asleep that they can ONLY count their natural attack bonuses due to some foul magic.<br /><br />The Bard's Bard Song (+1 "to hit"/+1 to damage) and Barbarian's Rage (+2 "to hit"/+2 to damage) WILL WORK to boost "to hit" rolls against Smoak or his Ioun Stone. However, please note that the Bards needs to sing loudly in order to inspire his party...so she should consider all the ramifications of doing while the dragon sleeps.  <br />

So, here's a question.  Does the Staff of Striking do an extra 3 damage to the Ioun Stone?<br /><br />(The stone seems to behave a lot like a construct as far as combat goes)

<br />So, here's a question.  Does the Staff of Striking do an extra 3 damage to the Ioun Stone?<br /><br />(The stone seems to behave a lot like a construct as far as combat goes)<br />

<br /><br />It's not a construct.

<br />So, here's a question.  Does the Staff of Striking do an extra 3 damage to the Ioun Stone?<br /><br />(The stone seems to behave a lot like a construct as far as combat goes)<br />

<br /><br />Sorry...no.

<br />I screwed up when I noted "magical" as the adjective to describe the effect of the Black Pearl.  Sorry for the justified confusion.  <br /><br />The power of the Ioun Stone: Black Pearl is to re-arrange probability lines...it has nothing to do with magic or anything else "logical".  The only things that it seems not capable of affecting are the stated "to hit" bonuses below:<br /><br />

---

<br /><br />This special magic item negates MOST "to hit" bonuses with both melee and missile weapons.  Thus, the only "to hit" bonus a player can have is his natural Strength (melee), natural Dexterity (missile) modifier, Bard Song (melee) or the Barbarian Rage (melee)  No other "to hit" magical or mundane effect can get through the probability-line-modification powers of the Black Pearl.  <br /><br />These bonuses are noted on the party card.<br /><br />The Ioun Stone can be attacked just by landing a weapon melee or weapon missile slider on its image.  It can also be hit with two magic effects:<br /><br />1) Magic Missile (spell, scroll and wand)<br />2) Ring of the Ram<br /><br />No other magic effect will damage an Ioun Stone as they are highly resistant to magic (other than "force damage").<br /><br />Because Ioun Stones move so fast, it is impossible for a character to grab a stone with their hand or any other device (like a Mage Hand).  It can only be struck with a weapon that lands touching the Ioun Stone area.  No "to hit" bonuses affect this slide.  You must land on the Ioun Stone to damage it.<br /><br />The Ioun Stone has 40 hit points.  Note that if a "Sling Bullet of Thunder" which has been slung from a "+2 Sling of Impact" lands on the Ioun Stone, it is immediately destroyed instantly.  Other attacks that round can then count their magical to hit bonuses.<br /><br />Note that the DM will have to tell the group during the first round of attacks while Smoak is asleep that they can ONLY count their natural attack bonuses due to some foul magic.<br /><br />The Bard's Bard Song (+1 "to hit"/+1 to damage) and Barbarian's Rage (+2 "to hit"/+2 to damage) WILL WORK to boost "to hit" rolls against Smoak or his Ioun Stone. However, please note that the Bards needs to sing loudly in order to inspire his party...so she should consider all the ramifications of doing while the dragon sleeps.  <br /><br />

<br />Can the casting of spells (from scrolls or party cards) or the activation of items(wands and rings) be done quietly enough not to awaken smoak?  Thus if no other attacks are performed, be done without awakening smoak?

<br /><br />Can the casting of spells (from scrolls or party cards) or the activation of items(wands and rings) be done quietly enough not to awaken smoak?  Thus if no other attacks are performed, be done without awakening smoak?<br /><br />

<br /><br />Good question!  <br /><br />It depends on how sound asleep he is...