Battle Brothers LP - Slayin' With the Boys

[Kalarion]

why you bothering me?

Because the world is our oyster (tehe) and we're still POOR:


Help us, Reinhardt-obi! You're our only hope.

[Reinhardt]

and you want me to dig gems and salt? haha. what's next? licorice with a shovel?

[Kalarion]

and you want me to dig gems and salt? haha. what's next? licorice with a shovel?

I don't want a miner, we have like 9 billion of them. I want a factor. My soul needs a mentor. You should be that mentor! We will engage in that most vile and lucrative business - INTERNATIONAL TRADE.

Men, I'm about to complete our Ambition. I have an idea. Instead of voting on each new Ambition individually, I'll have you decide on Ambition priority.

There are three general categories of Ambition: exploration, unique, and renown-building.
- Exploration Ambitions ask us to do just that. We may be tasked with finding new locations, exploring for Legendary sites, finding famed items and so forth. They generally reward a small amount of renown, but the Ambition is often worthwhile in itself.
- Unique Ambitions ask us to undertake some task for a unique reward. Usually the task involves exterminating something or other, sometimes repeatedly. We are rewarded with a single wearable trophy with special properties.
- Renown-building Ambitions generally involve doing something with the civilized world - going to a bunch of towns, or engaging in trade, etc. There's no big reward for them but they give a hefty Renown bump. They're good for opening up new Retinue slots and contracts, and for increasing our ability to negotiate pay.

Here's how it will work: each of you will list your priority of Ambition type in order. The Ambition type with the highest combined priority will always be chosen if it's available. If there's a tie (two Ambitions of the same type), I'll tiebreak.

Some things to keep in mind:
- Certain Ambitions can take a loooooooooooooong time to fulfill, especially at this stage of the game (where we're not really strong enough to leave civilization for more than a couple days). Most of these fall into the Exploration category.
- I still reserve the right to instantly choose certain Ambitions as they're available. At this point the only one I can think of is the Ambition that grants access to Noble contracts, and the Ambition to complete a crisis (I like to take it just to be able to keep track of the course of a given crisis), but keep this in mind.

While you guys dicker, I'll take the next Ambition with no input to keep things moving.

[maidenhaver]

Take renown-building ambitions first.

[Eyestabber]

It was an honor, my Captain.

I'll carry on for you.

Damn, now I feel the pressure to perform. I thought I was just going to die right after recruitment, shortly after announcing my whoremongering to the world. Would be way too real and I would think Kalarion doxxed me somehow.

[asf]

take the extermination ambition

[Nemesis]

Renown ambition

[Kalarion]

@Eyestabber (if you've already told me in IRC this is the same one, ignore it):


@asf:


@1998, you came with a level:


I went ahead and picked Student as your first perk.

[Kalarion]

@maidenhaver:


Perk too. You're level 5 and can pick your weapon specialization now if you want.

[asf]

i will specialize in axes

[1998]

Wohooo..I am in-game, nice

[WhiteShark]

Unique > Exploration > Renown

[Kalarion]

THE BREWING STORM, in which the Turtles prepare for the troubles to come.

On the way back to Reinbruch:


: Where's the beer?!
: You don't want to know.

Kalarion strolls through the marketplace:


:
: Time to visit my close, personal friend the Mayor!

We accept the 3-star hunting contract. The thieves turn out to be close by, just a little jaunt over the mountains:


Thugs, Marksmen and a couple Raiders.
: Easy money, I can see the gems already!
: Nigguh you remember what happened the last time you said easy money?
: ...

Kalarion decides the Marksmen are worth taking into consideration. The Turtles wait for nightfall. Unfortunately the brigands have moved into the hills nearby by the time we catch them.

I then leave the computer for dinner with the fight opened and ready to go for when I come back... but I forgot to turn off OBS. So when I came back I had a 3-hour session capture that consisted of one hour of gameplay, and over two hours of this:


Whoops.

This is an unusually favorable start. We're at the top of a hill and the brigands are all at the bottom. One of the Thugs actually makes it to the hilltop in the first round (Thugs are fast, and I believe they have Pathfinder).

I made some changes to the lineup but forgot to get a pic. In short: Gerey now has Acrux's helmet, asf is back in the line (still with the Saif), Whiteshark has a raider helm (the one with a red bandanna wrapped around it), and Nemesis has taken Whiteshark's old helm. Hauberk and Maidenhaver are still in the reserves.

: Boontaker, sound the charge.
: Really? But what about...
: Pay attention. We have the high ground. I want us to keep it to the maximum extent possible.
: TURTLES! CHARGE!

Boontaker ends his movement as the last Turtle with an Adrenaline Rush:


: Time for some of that rakish gambling magic


: Time for some of that harelipped bowl-cut beauty magic, ja
: ...


In case it's not obvious, Gerey just one-shot the southern Thug!
: Yeah!

The warsword Raider swings twice at Eyestabber and whiffs both (fortunate, since he had a 71% hit chance). Fodder retaliates with a stab that significantly damages the Raider's armor and causes some HP loss. Maidenhaver stays true to form, rushing downhill to the lone Marksman:


: Hello there. I have a friend here who'd like a word
Raider: But you're the only...
: His name is Spikey.

Eyestabber starts making good on his word at Acrux's graveside immediately:
: For Acrux! For Anselm's hookers!


: Anselm's... what?
: I'll tell you later.

The pike Raider steps up to the warsword Raider's spot but misses his attack. Maidenhaver's object of affection (or more precisely, his mace's object of affection) fires off a panicked shot (loaded crossbows can be fired even in melee, but can't be reloaded) that flies wide. Then the AEKRJAWOLEIVNASLDKREUAEWI%)($^&#)IARU#E# Thug CHEATED:


: OW!

Nemesis lands a head-shot on the puncturer in retaliation but it doesn't do much. Whiteshark doesn't even bother trying to attack the kite shield Raider, instead smashing the shield itself twice. One more shot and it will be destroyed. We'll see what that puny pig-sticker the Raider has will do for him then. Asf meanwhile whirls the Saif and slashes mr. Puncture, who is now regretting his life choices:


The Decapitation attempt misses, but now the Thug is bleeding like a stuck pig from the Cleave.

: Take my arm, I take your head.


: asf, take notes.
: fag

Round 3 opens favorably, with Maidenhaver's target missing both dagger attacks, and the mace Raider failing to either push Gerey with a Bash or stun him with a Knock Out. The pike Raider slices through Eyestabber's cheek with a headshot, but Eyestabber is otherwise still able to fight. Gerey coolly goes to work on the mace Raider's armor, landing both shots for a good chunk of armor destruction. Boontaker misses his attack, but Fodder manages to headshot the pike Raider, giving him a taste of his own medicine with a Pierced Cheek!
Fodder: eye for an eye.
: My thanks, brother.
: FODDER DOES NOT-!
: ENOUGH, lord! This churlish behavior is beneath thee!
: <white with fury> We'll be talking later, Shieldbro.

: So as Spikey was saying.


Nemesis kills the pike Raider's partner, then moves forward to flank.

: Now then, you soft southern puke. I'm still standing, let's see about you.


: <spits> weak, all of you. Jackals preying on sheep. Should have run when you saw the wolves.
: Turtles.
: I don't-! What are turtles!
: fags

With the front line destroyed, asf rushes into melee with the bow Marksman, an evil leer on his face. Whiteshark completes the destruction of the spear Raider's kite shield, who now stands with no protection in front of a gang of very angry Turtles. Kalarion moves to assist Whiteshark. Finally, the bow Raider switches to his club and tries a Knock Out that laughably misses asf.

Round 4 opens with the spear Raider desperately poking at Kalarion, taking every advantage he can get. He lands both shots, but they do fuck-all against Kalarion's well-crafted heavy armor. Boontaker moves up to poke at the spear Raider but misses:


Fodder's thrust clangs off the mace Raider's buckler, but Gerey continues landing hit after hit, finally dismantling the Raider's armor.

: Spikey says you're a boring conversationalist.


: <stepping over the marksman> I wonder what kind of food they have...

The bow Marksman actually lands a Knock Out on asf! Asf is stunned for the round and cannot unfortunately call the Marksman a fag.

Kalarion continues head-hunting:


Whiteshark, now freed up, moves south to be in position for general support. Fodder opens round 5 with yet another headshot, slicing a large gash on the mace Raider's neck. The poor bow Marksman is in big trouble, as Nemesis and Maidenhaver both complete his encirclement. Nemesis fails to land a blow (he's on low ground), but asf, now awake and pissed, doesn't. The Marksman's sliced artery is too much and he drops to Fleeing state. Gerey casually dispatches the mace Raider. This fight is over.

Loot:


Not bad. In particular another mail coat is always appreciated, and that's a decent-quality crossbow. It's a big upgrade for Hauberk when he's back on his feet. We take our payout from Reinbruch, but we'll have to do a lot more sucking up civic duties before prices are low enough on trade goods to be profitable. In the mean time we head back over to the Salzfels/Riedland area by way of Waidhof. Along the way:

: Whiteshark. With me.
: Captain?
: Never reprimand me in the middle of a fight again. Am I clear?
: Thou art clear. I will obey, an I am able.
: Leaving yourself an out? I see. When you do it next time I'll throw your ass out of this outfit. I didn't put the Turtles together to get grief from one of my most senior - and one of the strangest, I must say - men.
: Then, too, I will obey. Thy behavior towards Fodder is beneath ye. I will not allow it to go unremarked any longer. So be it.
: IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN HIM! That's what fodder is for, you lily-tongued idiot! I should have stuck him with a shield and put him on the line. Instead I... and now you've given him ideas above his station, and I'm - we're - down a Turtle!
: <muttering> Now I remember why I started jousting. Damned old cripple...
: Lord-
: Stop that! What you say in the woods will slip out in town! Did you think I was joking about swinging from a gibbet? Sweet Anselm, you must really want me dead!
: It is hard to remember, sir. Can ye still not see? Not even an inkling? <muttering> Of course, I had to tell Acrux no, but I thought...
: What are you talking about? Tell Acrux what?
: <shaking his head> It will be clear in time. This crisis, or the next, or the next. I must only have patience, and wait on Anselm's timing.
: Crisis? What? For fuck's sake, maybe I should just throw you out now. You're starting to creep me out.
: <smiling> I shall remind thee of this conversation when the time comes... sir.
: Fine. Whatever. Back in ranks.

Waidhof has a Hunting Season bonus, which normally means various ranged backgrounds (poachers, hunters) appear in greater numbers! Unfortunately it's also got disappearing villagers, which depresses available hires. Let's see if we can fix that by taking the town's contract:


: Webknechts, eh? Great. Well, maybe we'll get some silk out of it.
: What's a webknecht, sir?
: <snigger>
: You'll see. Boontaker, get the men ready to move out.

The Turtles begin hunting:


Note the foot prints on the world map. These show other parties moving around the world. It's possible to tell exactly what passed with certain retinue members (we'll talk about that later). Kalarion starts organizing the men for this type of fight:

: Alright, we're doing something different for our little friends.
: Little...?
: Whiteshark, Nemesis, Gerey, take the flanks. Front and rear. Everyone else, get in close order and stay tight. Whatever you do, don't get separated. That's a quick death. I'd rather not have any more for now, thanks very much.


We found them:


: Everybody! Stick together! You separate, you die. Stay close!
: what the FUCK...?!

Mood:



These are webknechts. They are, individually, the weakest mobs in the game. They're also comparatively slow. They can move as far as a zombie and only get one attack per round. However unlike Zombies they have Pathfinder, which can result in surprising bursts of speed in tough terrain (such as forests, their favorite battleground). They also have a group morale mechanic - the more of them are on the battlefield, the harder it is to get them to waver and flee.

Webknechts' favored tactic is to rush up against single bros, web them (a debuff which significantly reduces all combat stats), and then start biting. Their bite is not very damaging, but it causes an HP poison, and if the bro is webbed it ignores a significant chunk of armor (similar to, though not as nasty individually, a Puncture attack). The brawniest, most tanky and most difficult to hit bro in a web is going to die fast when three webknechts latch onto him.

Webknecht fights frequently begin with bros out of place and spread out. Now you can see why I set the party up the way I did.

Oh, did I mention they're fucking fast?


Note very carefully the number of enemies on the field right now.

Kalarion's preparations have mostly paid off. The north worries me a bit, especially since we don't have a shielded bro up there to anchor our line. But Kalarion is in place, and hopefully he can one-shot a couple spidders (tehe) to keep things under control.

The first round doesn't go auspiciously. Fodder and Oystersauce together manage to kill one spider:
: FUCKIN spiders! Always crawling around in the larder when I'm tryna make BREAKFAST, no'm sayin?!

Nemesis takes its spot on the high ground, but otherwise it's whiffs and positioning all around. Round 2 gives us a taste of what Webknecht fights are all about:


Nemesis, Kalarion, asf and Gerey are all webbed up in short order.
: <frantically brushing the webs> AHHHHH get them off me! Chittering eight-legged FREAKS go away AUS-teigen!
: Wow. Fag.

Kalarion suffers a webbed bite, but thankfully his armor is so beefy that even webbed he doesn't suffer much damage... yet. Maidenhaver, on the other hand, suffers a surprising un-webbed bite (webknechts rarely do this), getting poisoned in the process.

Boontaker gets back in form, scoring a headshot on one of the spidders threatening Kalarion:


Eyestabber spends his actions clearing the webbing off Nemesis. Clearing webbing is only available to bros standing adjacent to webbed characters. It gives a chance that increases with use, based on melee skill, to clear the webs away. Eyestabber succeeds on his second try. Unfortunately that's all he'll be doing this round. Still, an unwebbed Nemesis is much more threatening to the surrounding spidders, and they might waste another turn re-webbing him.

Gerey accidentally clears away asf's webbing first, instead of himself. He succeeds, but fails on his personal clear.
: GAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Fodder quietly clears Kalarion's webs.
: ...

Oystersauce pokes another spidder, nearly killing it:


: lil' bitches. Glad you comin' to me now, I'll kill erry single ONE a' you.

Maidenhaver misses with Spikey, leaving him in an unenviable position for next round. If he gets webbed and another webknecht reaches him he'll be in serious trouble. Nemesis has better luck, slicing a spidder almost to ribbons with a pair of slashes. Whiteshark calmly reaches down and clears away Gerey's webbing. He stays on his high ground for now, saving fatigue for further web clearing and in case webknechts show up from the south.

Kalarion Swings on the two northern spidders, killing one.

The next round:


Remember how many spidders started this fight? Keep in mind, we've already killed two.

Any fight with webknechts starts with a number of egg clusters scattered around the map. They begin hatching, one after another, starting in the 3rd round. If the bros aren't killing multiple spidders per round at that point, we can get overwhelmed by the fresh reinforcements.

This round starts rough for the Turtles. Maidenhaver takes another two bites to the face, dropping him dangerously low on hp. Kalarion and Gerey get webbed again, and this time the spidders around Gerey bite him as well. Luckily, Nemesis' webknecht misses its bite. Fodder kills one of the spidders on Kalarion:


Oystersauce rushes south to help Maidenhaver. Meanwhile Maidenhaver is finally getting his act together:
: Excuse me, but Spikey does not have many friends. He would appreciate keeping me around. Bugger off.


Nemesis whiffs on his spidder, but Eyestabber is nearby to finish the job. Gerey, having been shocked into a moment of concentration by the bite, rams his sword into a spider and clears off his own webs.


Whiteshark decides now is the time to come down from his perch, smashing a webknecht's armor. Asf steps forward as well, slicing deeply into another spidder and causing bleeding. Fights like this, against low- or un-armored opponents, are where cleavers and swords really shine.

Kalarion risks a swing (with a penalty) instead of clearing away his webs, for a chance at killing the final spidder threatening the top. He succeeds, crushing it like a bug. All in all, the Turtles kill a whopping five spidders!

Next round, a new webknecht pops out of its egg sac. Thankfully Maidenhaver's spidder misses its bite. Hopefully we can kill it this round. Boontaker moves to support Gerey, asf and Whiteshark, popping Adrenaline Rush to be first next round. Fodder and Oyster both move to support Maidenhaver, with Oyster missing on what should have been an easy shot (85% hit chance).

Maidenhaver misses as well! The poison in his system means he probably can't take another hit. This is trouble. Nemesis moves to Kalarion and tries to clear his webbing. He fails, but that's not a problem right now. No webknechts are nearby, and the more the clear webbing action is used on a single web, the easier it becomes to succeed.

Whiteshark takes aim and smashes his axe blade right between the mandibles of his spidder, crushing its snout and dropping two of them to Fleeing. The next attack kills it. Asf follows up with a pair Cleaves, killing the only non-Fleeing webknecht nearby:


If you look carefully you can see part of a hatching egg sac just beneath the combat log. Gerey tries killing the fleeing webknecht but misses. Kalarion clears his webbing. Finally, the fleeing spidder tries to run and gets beheaded for its trouble.

Another egg hatches to start the round, bringing total enemy strength to 7. Good progress. At this point, we've killed enough that the newly-arriving spidders start running. Maidenhaver's is in melee and not fleeing, so it tries once again to bite, but luckily misses again. Fodder and Oyster finish it off.

Next round, some of the spiders decide they'd like another crack at the Turtles. They rush back, going after asf and Whiteshark. Maidenhaver survives the final poison tick with a mere 4 HP! But since none of the damage ever exceeded the injury threshold he should be fine, just needing time to heal HP after the fight. Asf kills the spidder that got close, and the round ends.

This time, the webknechts have truly had enough. They flee, and we finish the fight. Loot:


: Sigh.

Shitty as expected from a pack of spiders on a hunting contract. The webbing can be used to make reinforced nets, very useful against the stronger monsters such as Unholds. The gland can make HP-damaging poison to coat a weapon for one fight. Note that spider poison is different from goblin poison, which instead reduces initiative and AP.

The Turtles clean up, Gerey getting a little too excited:

: No flammenwerfer?! I'll make zis whole forest flame!
: <gleefully stomping>
: <slapping at his pants> HEY! Watch it niggas!
: Boontaker...
: Yes sir. FALL IN! Let's go get paid, you morons!

We get paid, with a nice little BONAZ:


Kalin would be proud.

The contract clears Disappearing Villagers as hoped, but does not unfortunately bring new hires in. Well, maybe Hunting Season will still be going when the next round of recruits is rolled. The Turtles head to Riedland with no further adventures. Time for a visit to the Sisters!


Everyone who's injured gets time with the Sisters:


: Yay!
: Be quick please, ladies.
: What's this? These are the famed Sisters of Anselm's Mercy? I thought I'd be seeing the softest southern delights of the flesh! Pah.

: <walk away, and...>


: That's more like it

We sell off our junk and accept another hunting contract. A minor round of equipment shuffling ensues.

: Hauberk!
: Sir!
: You've done some timely work with that shit bow of yours. But I don't think anyone would say you're going to be some legendary archer some day. On the other hand, you might like something like this:


: It's got sights to assist with aiming, and it'll punch through plate as easily as a hot knife through butter. Give it a try and see what you think.
: I like the feel of it. Good heft. I'll put it through paces, sir.

We also remember that asf is not, in fact, named Waldemar:


And (not pictured) that Fodder's only name is Fodder.

We pick up the hunting contract from Riedland, and head out. After leaving town:

: Men! Form ranks!
: Aye!
: Boontaker! Report!
: Sir!
: Boontaker, for the last dozen days you've done an exemplary job as my bannerman. You've borne it with distinction in battle, and acted as my right hand in every fight we've gone in to. The Turtles are in top condition because of your work. Now, I can finally give you recognition of the position you've been filling for some time.


: In addition, so that everyone will know to fear you on the field and off, I have sent for your sash of office. Wear it with pride, as you have wielded our banner with pride.
:

The Turtles pick up the trail of the thieves outside town. It's a pack of Thugs. They lead us on a merry chase to the outskirts of Waidhof before we finally catch them up. Hauberk is healed up and back in the line of battle with his shiny new crossbow. Kalarion organizes the men for fighting other humans prior to the fight:


This is something I've never done before. My idea is that the 2-handers will move as a group on the flank, while the shieldbros and light fighters hold the main line of battle. We'll see how it works out.


: A night fight. For my new crossbow. Right.

At any rate, it's a complete massacre. Bodies drop and heads fly throughout round 2. By the end of the round it looks like this:


The loot is total shit. The Turtles head back to get paid. We buy some more repair tools and sell our junk, then check out the second contract. It's a package to delivery to Eichholz. Probably pretty simple, but Kalarion wants to work on faction with Salzfels. We head out to see if any contracts are available there. After leaving town, our next Ambition choice pops:


The Noble contract Ambition is available, so I exercise my prerogative and take it immediately. In Salzfels, we check out the contracts available. One is a caravan escort to Sonstedt. The other is a hunting mission with a high payout. We take the hunting mission.

Heading out to the camp, Whiteshark gets a nice event. Not much, but free stats are free stats:


We catch the Raiders in the swamp near town. Note the size of the enemy party compared to the payout:


: Oh, I know what this means.
: Sir?
: You boys are about to learn today.


: Called it


: You can't see him yet, but he's there. Be ready.
: See him? See who?

Swamps are nasty to fight in. They're some of the toughest terrain to traverse, and in addition the swampy areas impose heavy penalty on melee skill and all defenses:


Our clear first objective is occupying the stretch of dry land directly north of us. The first two rounds are mainly moving into position, distinguished only by Eyestabber getting a javelin to the face:


He starts backing off immediately in round 3. We eat another javelin, this time to Maidenhaver. But this time, Hauberk is actually in position to make good use of his new crossbow:
: Ready... aim...!


Oystersauce steps forward into the swamp water, forgetting that the muck and mire greatly hinders his ability to fight without Pathfinder.
: Sheeeeit! Dis swamp suckin' on muh legs harder than I want the Sistuhs to suck on muh-
: SHUT UP!

Fodder lands a shot on the hammer Raider. Boontaker misses, but the mace Raider doesn't, whacking Maidenhaver in the chest. His armor is almost destroyed and he took a hefty amount of HP damage. Then, the hammer Raider Batters Oystersauce twice, demolishing his armor and piercing his leg. Maidenhaver lands a hammer-blow on the mace Raider in retaliation:


Nemesis rips the hammer Raider apart with a pair of slices. Hauberk shoots the same Raider from last round again, inflicting another injury. Oystersauce tries to get revenge for his ass-whipping but misses. Kalarion lands yet another shot on the Raider shot by Hauberk, who now has three (3)! injuries. Asf finishes the job.

Boontaker opens round 5 by killing the mace Raider. He immediately pops Adrenaline Rush to prep for next round. Then:


This is a Necromancer. They have two abilities related to the undead. Normally they're found in graveyards and mausoleums, tending herds of Wiedergangers and Geists (we'll run into them later). But sometimes (as now) they can be added randomly to otherwise normal fights. They make things... tricky. The party will have to kill these Raiders very fast to outpace the Necromancer's ability to raise them again as Wiedergangers. Luckily the Raiders lose all their fighting skill after being raised (though any undestroyed equipment is still worn).

: <squealing like a girl> EEEE! What the FUCK!
: I told you to be ready. You haven't even seen the full extent of his power yet.
: <scarlet with fury> SORCERER! VILE AND ACCURSED! Ye yank the dead from their rest! Anselm guide my axe to split thee in twain!

Nemesis slashes the newly-raised wiederganger, doing negligible damage for now. Maidenhaver smashes the life out of the sword Raider. Asf suddenly understands why Whiteshark and Gerey were quietly moving along the north side of the mire:
: Hunting time.


Hauberk also moves north, trying to get a flanking position on the Raider and wiederganger grinding on our line of battle. He misses his shot, unfortunately. Eyestabber finds some bushes to hide in. Kalarion steps out into the mire in order to foign:


Freed from melee control, Oystersauce quick-times to the rear. Then:

: ...why are its eyes glowing red?
Necromancer: Hello, Boontaker.
: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

The other ability Necromancers have is called Possession. They may possess one undead per round, turning it into a death machine, with large bonuses to stats and up to three (3)! attacks per round. The possessed undead also gains access to any special weapon attacks. This possessed mace Raider is extremely dangerous if we can't kill it before the Necromancer gets a chance to use it.

Boontaker opens round 6 by stabbing the wiederganger. A javelin Raider has been throwing them left and right but missing, and he doesn't stop now. The sword-and-board Raider shield bashes Nemesis back into the swamp. Meanwhile, the trio of Gerey, Whiteshark and asf continue moving towards the Necromancer. The Necromancer changes tack, dropping his possession in order to raise two of the dead Raiders. Maidenhaver immediately finishes off the previously-possessed wiederganger. Nemesis headshots the sword-and-board Raider, dropping him to Fleeing state. Hauberk lands a shot on the northern wiederganger, not doing much but setting the wiederganger up for Kalarion. Unfortunately, Kalarion headshots, which means the wiederganger's helm protects him.

The Necromancer opens the next round with a raise and possession. But now he's vulnerable, and the bros move in. Boontaker kills the posessed wiederganger, and Maidenhaver kills the other. The field is almost totally under Turtle control:


Nemesis swings twice and misses. It's not a problem though. Kalarion steps south and beheads the sword-and-board Raider.

The (seemingly) lone Raider begins retreating. Fodder, thinking that the field is open, charges forward:


: Shit!

The trio come to battle. Gerey slashes the Necromancer, then asf executes him in a spray of blood:


Whiteshark chases down the fleeing Raider. He gets off a shield split.
: <snarling> Those who abet abomination will perish. Thy doom is sure, miscreant.

Here, Kalarion makes another massive tactical mistake. We're offered the chance to end the fight, but Kalarion, as furious as Whiteshark, wants blood. Instead of Fodder being allowed to get out of his bind with no consequences, he's now right next to a Raider alone and scared shitless, with nothing to lose:


Fodder: nnngh!
: Keep it together! We're coming.

Boontaker steps forward and misses his attack, immediately popping Adrenaline Rush to pre-empt the Raider next round. Gerey steps up to the last Raider to secure the flank. Whiteshark destroys his shield, then smashes his axe into the Raider's armor, nearly destroying it.
: Thou wilt burn for what ye consorted with today.

Nemesis, Kalarion and Boontaker all miss their swings. The sword-and-board and Raider does not:


: Dammit!

Asf completes the enclosure of the sword-and-board Raider. Meanwhile Whiteshark continues pounding at the far Raider in his fury, opening up his stomach. Guts start leaking out.

: THOU WILT BURN!

Asf and Nemesis together slice Fodder's killer to ribbons, dropping him to Fleeing. Next round, Gerey finishes off Whiteshark's target while Boontaker kills the fleeing Raider.

HE LIVES! His affliction is Traumatized, which inflicts a heavy penalty to initiative and resolve.

Loot:


Not bad. More decent armor, three kite shields and two Arming Swords! They'll be nice upgrades for Gerey and Nemesis. The Turtles head back to Salzfels for a hefty payout:


Fodder levels up.
: FODDER!
Fodder: Sir.
: It should have been you.
Fodder: ...
: But it wasn't. Anselm spoke. You've served with distinction since joining the Turtles. You're an expert with your weapon. Choose your surname and rejoin the ranks.
Fodder: <rejoins ranks without a word>.

[Reinhardt]

renown. more fame > more rape > you could drop it earlier. trust me.

[Hauberk]

Ginger-soul, eh? But everyone knows that gingers...

Finally I got my grubby mitts on a decent weapon. If I could level up, I'm going for the Quick Hands perk our standard bearer was telling me about. Two loaded crossbows are better than one, after all.

[WhiteShark]

Serious downgrade in nuns this episode.

[Kalarion]

@1998, @maidenhaver, reminder that you both have level ups to take care of. Maidenhaver let me know your perk as well.

[1998]

@1998, @maidenhaver, reminder that you both have level ups to take care of. Maidenhaver let me know your perk as well.

Ah sorry, thought you already levelled up. Ehm...guess I go with range att then

[maidenhaver]

I need to switch to ranged hybrid. I'll die in a real fight with my melee def. Give me crossbow spec. I'll take ranged atk, ranged def, fatigue. I'll take anticipation.

[Kalarion]

I need to switch to ranged hybrid. I'll die in a real fight with my melee def. Give me crossbow spec. I'll take ranged atk, ranged def, fatigue. I'll take anticipation.

If that's what you want I'll go with it. But I disagree that melee def is a problem for you. The problem is that I haven't been focusing on upgrading armor to mid-range/heavy for the party yet. I normally wait until people get Brawny and 100+ fatigue to do it. But considering we're at full party strength and we're in crisis range I've decided to focus on that over my next play sessions. At minimum all of our melee need to be in chainmail coats, and ideally our shieldbros need true heavy armor.

Once you're wearing Scale Mail or better with Battle-Forged you'll be a machine.

[OnTilt]

A yellow bird! With a yellow bill!
Was standing on! My windowsill!
I lured him in! With a piece of bread!
And then I smashed! His little head!

Sang this in the army, totally forgot about it until now.

[maidenhaver]

I need to switch to ranged hybrid. I'll die in a real fight with my melee def. Give me crossbow spec. I'll take ranged atk, ranged def, fatigue. I'll take anticipation.

If that's what you want I'll go with it. But I disagree that melee def is a problem for you. The problem is that I haven't been focusing on upgrading armor to mid-range/heavy for the party yet. I normally wait until people get Brawny and 100+ fatigue to do it. But considering we're at full party strength and we're in crisis range I've decided to focus on that over my next play sessions. At minimum all of our melee need to be in chainmail coats, and ideally our shieldbros need true heavy armor.

Once you're wearing Scale Mail or better with Battle-Forged you'll be a machine.

Ok, I'll take brawny. Skills I'll take fat, melee def, and hp.

[Eyestabber]

@Eyestabber (if you've already told me in IRC this is the same one, ignore it):


@asf:


@1998, you came with a level:


I went ahead and picked Student as your first perk.

Bruh, I told you I have auto-leveling on. Just build the stats however you think it's best. Perks can be picked in any order and I don't think I gave a full build so you'll have to fill in the gaps.

[Eyestabber]

@Eyestabber (if you've already told me in IRC this is the same one, ignore it):


@asf:


@1998, you came with a level:


I went ahead and picked Student as your first perk.

Bruh, I told you I have auto-leveling on. Just build the stats however you think it's best. Perks can be picked in any order and I don't think I gave a full build so you'll have to fill in the gaps.

Also, just noticed the star distribution. If you want to make my guy into a sword and board tank, that's fine, since those stats are very well suited for it.

[Kalarion]

THE BREWING STORM, Cont.

Kalarion decides he'd like to do that Eichholz package delivery in Riedland. The Turtles head north. Oyster and Fodder get a visit with the Sisters:

: dik dik dik dik
: SHUT UP!

A new contract has appeared in Riedland. It's a caravan escort to Aalbek, the fishing town in the south that makes nets.

: We DID just get a couple silk strands...

Reluctantly, Kalarion decides to focus on Salzfels faction. We need to be Friendly/Allied for trade good prices, and we've been wandering all over the place lately. Time to concentrate. Whiteshark gets one of the kite shields to replace his beat-up and decayed heater, making him a virtual fortress against ranged attacks:


Nice! He lost 7 MDef but gained a whopping 13 RDef! Kalarion decides to check out available hires in town. There's one promising recruit and a couple gambles:


Kalarion checks the Gambler and the Flagellant, but no dice (tehe), they're both junk. The Turtles can't afford trash to take Acrux's old spot. He decides to hire on the Beast Slayer:


Not bad. Melee and ranged skill are both decent, though no talent stars in either somewhat sucks. Still, he'll be close to 70 ranged skill by level 11, and talent stars in fatigue and defenses are always appreciated, as well as high starting resolve. Kalarion has just the role in mind for him:
@1998: a bro throwing javs.

: Monster killer, you say? What's your experience?
: Anything you can think of, I've ventilated it. Nachs, Alps-
: What are Alps?
: Unholds-
: Was ist ein Unhold?
: <snigger>
: Direwolves-
: What's a Direwolf?
: Lindwurms-
: Lindwurms?
: And I suppose they don't count as monsters, but I've faced off against Necrosavants before, too.
: <hissing> Necrosavants?!
: <sharp glance> You know what Necrosavants are?
: I rem- I have read of them, sir. I did not think they still existed. From what I kn- what I have read, thou art lucky to have survived, master...?
: Ventilator. That's what they started calling me. And yes, a great deal of luck was involved. For me, at least.
: Well, you can see why I hired you on. Our band needs some expert knowledge on the beasts of the wild, and advice for dealing with them. What's your preference.
: <smiling> I like needle-work.
: Hmmm. Haven't worked with a javelineer before. This should be interesting. We've got a couple sheaves. Boontaker! Get him kitted out.
: Yes, sir.
: Boontaker's our Sergeant.
: Good to know.

Time for some work on the company. Gerey and Nemesis both get the new Arming Swords, as mentioned in the previous update. 1998 gets the sheaf of javelins and a helmet. Later we'll give him the sheaf of heavy javelins as well, but right now his ranged skill can't support the heavy to-hit penalty they impose:


The roster is shuffled around a bit to accomodate our new hire:


We head back to take the Sonstedt caravan escort, but it's gone! There are no missions available in Salzfels.
: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-!

Kalarion orders the Turtles back to Riedland to pick up the Aalbek caravan. We really could use some nets, and the towns down there could use some love faction-wise as well, especially Dornen. Dye is one of the best trade goods available.



Along the way to Aalbek:


: GEREY!
: Fuhrer?
: See what you can do.
:


:

The caravan moves on. Just outside Rothstadt:


: They can't be serious.


: Well, if they want to get slaughtered who am I to stop them? VENTILATOR!
: Sir?
: Time to practice your needle-work. Let's see what you've got.
: Aye!

These guys are fucking retards. I have no idea why they chased us. It's making me wish I'd gotten a bounty added to our contract.

1998 gets his chance to show off his skills fairly quickly, headshotting an approaching Cutthroat. This is even more impressive as Nomads have Anticipate, which gives a big bonus to ranged defense based on initiative:


: <whistling> Damn! Nice to have javelins flying at the enemy for once.

Hauberk, not to be outdone, shoots at the cleaver Cutthroat. The shot flies wide... but hits the scimitar Cutthroat behind him, piercing the kidney!
: ...I meant to do that!


It's not obvious here what happened because the combat log is not, shall we say, well implemented. It will omit entries, and it's inconsistent on reporting the same event across occurrences. When a ranged attack misses its primary target but ends up hitting an adjacent target, it should report: "but the shot flew wide..." and then report the results of the new attack roll. In this case, it treated the missed primary target and the hit fly wide shot as two separate attack attempts (plainly impossible for crossbows, as only one attack can be attempted without Berserk).

Gerey moves in front of 1998 to provide cover for future throws, and gets in a monster slash with his shiny new sword:


: Gesegnet Anselm, ich liebe diesen schwert...

Eyestabber meanwhile steps up next to Gerey and murders two Cutthroats with a Split:


: The further south we go, the weaker they become. Are these men or girls?! Pah.
: You see why I tell them they're faggots so much.
: Aye.
: Yes, these men aren't much to spit at... but that's also talent I see there. Hmmmmmm.

Oystersauce and Maidenhaver move into position to roll up the south flank next turn. Nemesis lines up with Gerey and gets off a slash that destroys the light armor of the spear Cutthroat. Whiteshark moves to the north of the northernmost Cutthroat and swings his axe, but misses. Kalarion calmly walks past Eyestabber to the middle of the enemy line. Just the fact of his arrival drops one of the Cutthroats to Wavering state. Asf has the same effect walking up to support Maidenhaver and Oystersauce. The Cutthroats know what a Saif can do:


Boontaker steps next to 1998 and dispatches the hurt Cutthroat.
: Dammit Boontaker! I was going to use that one.
: Uh... sorry, sir?
: Nevermind. Another opportunity will arise.

The two Nomad Slingers move forward to fire off some puny rocks next round.

The next round opens with the Outlaw moving to Kalarion, raising shield and throwing dirt at him.
: Gah! Little bastard!

One of the Slingers fires off a rock that pings off 1998's surcoat. The mace Cutthroat, now surrounded by Nemesis and Whiteshark, makes a panicky attempt to stun Nemesis that fails pathetically. Gerey meanwhile steps forward into the gap created by Boontaker's kill, surprisingly causing a massive rout in the enemy's line:


: STURM- wait where are you all going?

Oystersauce and Maidenhaver move to cut off the rearmost Cutthroat's probable retreat. The second Slinger moves behind the (fleeing) Outlaw and fires off a stone that does nothing. Nemesis calmly dispatches the panicked mace Cutthroat with a pair of slashes before he even has a chance to run.

Hauberk demonstrates the power of a well-developed ranged attack cohort:


That's a drop of two levels of morale on the Slinger!
: No scope

1998 moves forward to try dispatching the fleeing Slinger but misses. Asf dispatches another fleeing Cutthroat, then moves to tangle up the other Slinger. Boontaker moves behind Kalarion and pokes the fleeing Outlaw, doing a lot of armor damage but not much else. Kalarion closes out the round by moving forward one hex, which instantly routs the Slinger and drops the rearmost Cutthroat to Wavering.

The fight is over at this point.


YES! This is a big level for Kalarion. I'll show you why here shortly. Loot is unremarkable. The Turtles get the Caravan back on the road to Aalbek. We stop in Dornen on the way and note the shabby condition of the town:


Kalarion smells opportunity for later. No other significant events take place on the road. Just outside Aalbek, Kalarion completes his level up:



: I am now a killing machine
: You mean...?
: Oh. Seen it before?
: Seen what massa?
: Just wait.

We arrive in Aalbek for our payout. The town gets Well Supplied but it's having troubles:


Disappearing Villagers may depress goods available in the marketplace. Kalarion decides to try fixing it before shopping for nets and amber. The town's contract is a simple hunt, for a 400 crown payout. Should be a cake walk. We find our quarry just outside town, a mid-sized group of Nachs:



This is a fantastic starting position. The Nachs can't reach us before we get setup on the hill, and there are spots where our ranged attackers will be well-protected from attempted melee assault. Kalarion is not at all concerned at his being in a depression as battle starts. We end the round fully ensconced, and with a little surprise; two of the Nachs are already mid-size. Something to keep in mind, but again not too worrisome at this point:


Unsurprisingly, the Nachs start round 2 charging the hill. Hauberk fires off a shot that misses. 1998 deals a good amount of damage to one of the mid-level Nachs with his first throw, but misses the second. Kalarion signals the men to relax and await the Nach onslaught, ending the round with no further action.

The Nachs finally get into fighting range in round 3. One takes a swipe for negligible armor damage at Eyestabber, and one gets foolishly close to asf. Time for a beheading!

: weeeeak

Eyestabber kills another weak Nach, followed by Nemesis killing his target as well. Maidenhaver, apparently the only Turtle who still remembers how Nachs work, steps forward onto the corpse of asf's target, preventing it from being eaten by another Nach. Boontaker pops the last Nach in melee range in the chest, nearly killing it. That's ideally how we want things to go, with a Nach low on hp but not dead, so we can finish him next round and step on top of his corpse. Belatedly recognizing the danger presented by the northern mid-level Nach, Hauberk fires off a shot that goes wide:


1998 pops the Nach with both javelin throws, dropping it to Wavering but not Fleeing. We were close. But close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Kalarion rushes forward to pin the southern mid-level Nach and one of the weak Nachs in place. Then, as predicted:


Horseshoes and hand grenades.

The next round opens in the worst way possible, with two weak Nachs feasting next to the mega-Nach, becoming mid-level:


: <slaps his forehead> We got too cocky, Turtle-bros.

Luckily, a Nach that feasts can't do anything else for the round, so we have lots of opportunity to poke at them before they can start wailing on us. Boontaker opens up with a whiff, but Gerey confidently steps up to the northern mid-level Nach and absolutely obliterates him with a headshot slash. Swords have relatively high damage but not a lot of armor penetration, so they really do work on unarmored opponents like Nachs. Eyestabber follows with an absolutely massive headshot on the southern mid-level Nach:

: The bigger they are...
Incredibly, the Nach doesn't drop morale!

Maidenhaver whiffs his target, but that's ok. We'll see why in a second. Nemesis slices up the northern mid-level Nach, followed by Fodder coolly dispatching it. One problem taken care of. Hauberk does the same for the southern. 1998 fires off his remaining javelin at the mega-Nach, then switches to his warfork.
: Verily, I have wondered what the captain went through back those many days ago, when the company was formed in the fires of conflict with Nachzehrers. Now I shall fin-
Nachzehrer: AAAAAURP!


Nachzehrer: <burp>
: Shit!
: Don't worry, he'll be fine. Now then... Eyestabber, take notes!
:
: 1...


: ...2.


: RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Nachzehrer: Urrr-rrh?
: Mein Gott in himmel...
: Sweet Anselm.
: I sure know how to pick 'em.
: <whistles>
: Wow. You shut Spikey up!
: ...nice
: <grinning savagely> the south still has lions! HAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAH!
: Time to get Whiteshark out.
: AYE!

The final weak Nach instantly beats feet. The Turtles turn their attention to the (now lone) mega-Nach. Boontaker incredibly whiffs again, but Eyestabber steps forward with another walloping blow, slitting open the Nach's stomach. Whiteshark's foot kicks out. Nemesis gets off a minor shot, and so does Fodder. But it's not enough:


: AAAUGH!

In case it's not obvious, the mega-Nach did over 100 damage in two swipes. It's easy to forget that even if they're not swallowing someone whole, they're fully capable of ripping anyone not in the heaviest armor to shreds in a single round. Luckily, mega-Nachs that have recently fed take a huge initiative penalty, and Nemesis is able to behead it before it can follow up with a killing blow on Eyestabber. Whiteshark crawls out of its wrecked body.

: A unique experience, to be certain, but not something I wish to repeat.
: You have no idea what you missed, brother.

Eyestabber took an absolute ass-kicking, but there were no lasting injuries and no one died. All in all, a good fight that could have gone much worse. The Nachs drop some parts but nothing else, as expected. The Turtles head back to Aalbek for their pay, curing Disappearing Villagers. Time to check the market!


: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-!

Oh well, we pick up the nets and amber. At least they're cheap. The amber in particular will turn a nice profit for us. With that, the company heads to Dornen. The contract, and Ambushed Trade Routes, are still present. The contract is a camp clearance for 420 (BLAZIN) crowns total. Kalarion takes it. Scout report on the camp is a mix of Thugs and Raiders. Dead men walking.


:

1998 opens up with a pair of javelins, one to the chest and the other ripping off an ear:


Hauberk, not to be outperformed, shoots a bolt that pierces the Thug's kidney. The rest of the round is pretty pedestrian, with the Turtles moving forward and making minor swipes. Maidenhaver whiffs with Spikey, but Fodder lands a solid thrust, destroying the northern Raider's armor and piercing his leg. The lumberjack Raider switches to throwing axes and lands a shot on 1998, causing significant armor damage but not much else. Oystersauce strolls up to one of the Thugs and one-shots him with the Goedendag:


: Niggas walkin up on us like they can do something. Bitch I was a HOUSE-nigga. If I can do this to you whatchu think erryone else gon' do?!

Gerey lands a pair of slashes that drop the northern Raider to almost no HP. Nemesis finishes the job with another beheading. Meanwhile in the south, asf steps up to the spear Raider and casually slices him open. Hauberk kills the foolish Thug trying to tangle with 1998, freeing 1998 in turn to launch more javelins downrange. The targeted Raider manages to deflect the first javelin off his shield, but the second lands home, killing him.

: By Anselm, I may order a round of crocheting practice for the whole company at this rate!
: GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!
:

Kalarion crushes the southern Raider through Shield Wall, devastating his armor and inflicting a bleeding injury. Meanwhile, Whiteshark and Fodder move together up north to be in position to close the fight out next round.

The round opens with the mace Raider (who'd been hanging back most of the fight) rushing up to Maidenhaver and whacking him for significant damage and a minor injury. The axe thrower switches to his lumberjack axe. Normally this would be very worrying, but 2-handed weapons take more AP to swing than are left after a weapon switch. The lumberjacker ends his turn standing dumbly in front of Maidenhaver, an easy target for every Turtle in range.

Boontaker does exactly that, smashing the lumberjack Raider's hand and dropping him immediately to Fleeing. Asf lands a shot on the mace Raider that doesn't do a lot of damage, but does cause a stack of bleeding:


Whiteshark walks up behind the lumberjacker and smashes him with his axe, killing him. Oystersauce molests the southern Raider with his poker.
: DAS RITE!

Maidenhaver Spikey does the same to the mace Raider. 1998 walks up behind him to finish the job with the last javelin in his sheaf. Finally, Kalarion closes out the fight with a beheading of the southern Raider. Loot:

: DAMMIT!

Asf's lost chance at an axe notwithstanding, not bad for a 1-star with such a low payout. The salt will net us another 350 - 400 crowns, and those spears are an upgrade over the standard militia spear. I like to keep 1 - 2 on hand at all times (note the one already in inventory) to hand to brand-new bros with sub-60 melee skill, until they have the skill to wield better weapons.

The Turtles head to Dornen for their payout. Unfortunately it doesn't cure Ambushed Routes, meaning buying trade goods here is useless. It's night-time anyways, which means the marketplace isn't open. Kalarion decides to start heading back to Salzfels and Riedland. On the road:

: Boontaker.
: Sir?
: Take a look at this.
: ...a list of injuries and casualties? Dammit sir, I'm a Sergeant, not a doctor!
: Look at frequency. Every battle we're taking at least one injury, and often more. Other outfits might be able to operate like this, but not us. We're Turtles. We don't let any jackass in... at least, not anymore... and we don't have a deep reserve to fill gaps left when Maidenhaver gets his ear ripped off.
: Well, we could always pick a reserve up-
: NO! No. OnTilt and Acrux have reminded me. I've always worked alone for a reason. I love my Turtles, but I can barely stand being around a dozen of you, let alone 20. We stay small.
: I don't see what other options we have, sir. We'll all get to be better with time, but...
: I have an idea. It's time to start getting the men used to real armor.
: ...our armor isn't real?
: Take a look at what I'm wearing-


: Now, look at Whiteshark. I've given him the best protective equipment we have-


: Pass the word to the men. We're going lean. Shit rations, hard contracts, we're going to take more risks. There's a storm brewing, and we need to be ready for it. I want the men in shells of iron, or able to twist like a reed in the wind.
: A storm, sir? Have you heard something?
: ...no. But I'm having... I have a feeling. Trust me on this. Something is brewing, and we're going to be ready to meet it.

[Kalarion]

@Hauberk:


@Nemesis:


@1998:


@Boontaker:


@gerey:


Pick your perks as well. Some of you are now qualified for the next tier of perks. I'm going to update this thread's OP with my perk descriptions and notes, and I'll also include a link to the Battle Brothers wiki Perks page.

Nemesis and Hauberk, keep in mind you're both level 5 now, which means you may (if you wish) pick a weapon specialization perk and a surname.

[Boontaker]

Can I get a SS of my current perks? I'll take
+Resolve
+Melee Defense
+Ranged defense

Shame about those melee attack rolls, we may have to discuss retirement and replacement with a new Sargeant after a bit more time

[Kalarion]

I've updated the OP of this thread with the character queue and the perks available to our bros so far. As future critical information comes up I'll continue adding it to the OP.

Can I get a SS of my current perks? I'll take
+Resolve
+Melee Defense
+Ranged defense

Shame about those melee attack rolls, we may have to discuss retirement and replacement with a new Sargeant after a bit more time

Sure:

In case you're not fully familiar yet, you have: Adrenaline Rush, Fortified Mind, Backstabber and Rally the Troops. My recommendation is to take Polearm specialization, the fatigue savings will be useful and it's nice to be able to pull off a melee-range attack when someone tries to body-check you. But the choice is yours and I will abide by it.

Yes, your melee attack is hurting. Thankfully the standard gives a nice +10% bonus to-hit, and Backstabber helps a ton. So as long as you can get around 70 melee skill by 11 (still very possible), you should be ok. For what it's worth I think you're making the right decision taking better rolls on melee attack over all the +1s. All those fat bonuses to defense, HP and fatigue are going to help a LOT later on.

[Boontaker]

I've updated the OP of this thread with the character queue and the perks available to our bros so far. As future critical information comes up I'll continue adding it to the OP.

Can I get a SS of my current perks? I'll take
+Resolve
+Melee Defense
+Ranged defense

Shame about those melee attack rolls, we may have to discuss retirement and replacement with a new Sargeant after a bit more time

Sure:

In case you're not fully familiar yet, you have: Adrenaline Rush, Fortified Mind, Backstabber and Rally the Troops. My recommendation is to take Polearm specialization, the fatigue savings will be useful and it's nice to be able to pull off a melee-range attack when someone tries to body-check you. But the choice is yours and I will abide by it.

Yes, your melee attack is hurting. Thankfully the standard gives a nice +10% bonus to-hit, and Backstabber helps a ton. So as long as you can get around 70 melee skill by 11 (still very possible), you should be ok. For what it's worth I think you're making the right decision taking better rolls on melee attack over all the +1s. All those fat bonuses to defense, HP and fatigue are going to help a LOT later on.

I'll take polearm master, the 5 ap to attack will be nice too. I'm thinking of taking student soon to try and get those later levels a bit faster. And it would give me an extra perk later to grab gifted/brawny/anticipation

[Kalarion]

Done. Surname?