That's what I was thinking, but I wasn't sure anyone would get the reference. No spoilers! We get them late in the US, and I'm still behind.
Weeping Angels?
Is that like a series or something?
They're villains in the new Doctor Who series. They look like statues of angels. They don't move when someone's looking at them, but they move super fast when no one's looking at them. So, you walk into a room full of life-size angelic statues. blink There's an angelic statue right in front of you, its hands reaching for you, and its face contorted in rage. You know one more blink, and you're done for.
The first episode with them was excellent. The later ones... nothing special.
No, I haven't heard the story.
To be honest, I usually just watch for the character of the Doctor, sometimes the companion(s). Most episodes lose me plot-wise, once he starts 'solving' whatever mystery. A lot of times, I have this feeling that there's not a solid mythology, and they're just making stuff up as they go along. But I just don't know enough about the show to know whether I'm right, or I just feel that way because I don't know the mythology.
But with the Weeping Angels, I really felt that they were rewriting the mythology in the later episodes.
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Moffat was walking home one night and walked past a graveyard with a statue of an angel covering her eyes. He felt it was an odd sight in the graveyard, none of the other graves had a life sized status on them. He thought nothing of it other than it was odd. A week later he was walking by the same area with his son, and noticed that the status was gone.
Now, it may be complete poppycock, but that would freak me out to no end, lol.
Lol, that would be freaky. But I do wonder if it's a bit poppycock, too. It seems like that would've been easy enough to verify. "Excuse me, Mr. Caretaker, did there used to be a life-size angel memorial here that was removed in the last week or so?"
GM Rickmeister, I keep forgetting to bring this up: do you want us to level up to 9? Your original plan was to run with 4 level-9 characters, but we dropped it to lvl-8 when you decided to run with 6 characters. But now that we seem to have stabilized at a party of 4 after all, should we level to 9?
Ah right, might be a plan.
Bring it up again after this part of the story! :)
((Also: with Shan-yu, who needs more attack and damage :p ))
Nice Anja
Should we level up now that we're out of the mansion, or after we visit the Ticktock Man and return?
People can start giving me ideas on how they want to level.
You know + this, this feat, etc.
I always try to emphasize that you should take something logical: things you did during the last level etc.
Anything special you want to work towards (prestige classes, multiclass) are ofc possible :-)
Leveling Invulnerable Rager +1
+1 BAB
+2 rounds of rage
+4 skill points
+2 intimidate
+1 perception
+1 survival
+ feat tbd
So a few options on Anja's feat. If anyone has any input or preference, let me know.
cosmopolitan (diplomacy and sense motive): Anja's been doing more talking than I anticipated, so this would correct that oversight. Would take sense motive over bluff here to reflect her background as a guard.
enforcer: -4 to hit non-lethally and then they get -2 to attacks and saves. Spellcasters likey?
dodge: +1 to AC couldn't hurt
Post coming up tomorrow guys ^_^
+1 feat - Spell Focus (Evocation)
+5 skill points - Diplomacy, Knowledge: Religion, Knowledge: Planes, Acrobatics, Fly
+1 Fort/Reflex saves
Spells/Day: 6/6/6/4
Spells Known: 8/5/4/3/2
Wizard Lvl 9
HP +6 (4 Base + 1 for Con + 1 Toughness)
Skill points +8 (K:Arcana, K:Planes, Spellcraft, Diplomacy, Sense Motive)
Spells Learned : Break Enchantment, Telekinesis
Feat : Extend Spell
+1 Fort/Reflex
Skitter :
+1 Natural Armor
+1 Int
HP 32
I'd also like to have him write his scroll of Dismissal to his spellbook the next time we have an hour. Not sure how you want to handle the costs though. I can just pay the gold or do you want me to wait till we're somewhere he could buy "materials"?
If it all looks good let me know and I'll update his sheet.
You'll have to actually find a scroll or friendly wizard in order to learn dismissal Valeeran.
To write the ones you learn through leveling, this is not necessary ofc :-)
Everyone ready to continue?
Nothing out of the ordinary so you all have the green light!!! :D
Brief stint in the ol' hospital after taking a bad tumble. Am okay now, will try to post tomorrow.
Take care Terry!
Something to do with that horrible winter?
Yes, ice. :(
So... you all continuing? :-)
We picking a card for later? Valeeran already pulled the Avalanche when we started climbing the volcano. I guess I'm a little confused. Are we supposed to be picking a card for something that's happening right then? A lot of times, it seems like nothing's really happening when you call for a card. Can we maybe revise the way we choose the cards, now that we have some experience with it?
It seems like a novel feature of this module that could be fun, and I don't think it'll drag down the pace if we discuss pulling a card in the discussion thread. If there's a stalemate, maybe we roll a die to pick one, but I think now that we recognize how closely the pictures are aligned with the actions in the game, I don't think that'll occur too often. The choice is usually obvious, like when Valeeran pointed out that the owl had a needle and thread in his beak. I missed that detail, but when he pointed it out, I recognized that was exactly the appropriate card for the occasion.
Also, would it be feasible for us to choose when to use a card, rather than be prompted? It'll probably require us to review them more often, but I think it'll reduce the chances of us wasting one trying to fit some card into the circumstances that aren't really clear to us.
Also, can we find out the results of picking the right card or if we picked a wrong one? Without knowing if we're gaining any benefit, it feels like we're missing out on this original aspect of the module.
Generally speaking, nowhere does it say you know what the results are. Therefor, if you receive a bonus to attack (for example) i simply reverse it and give them a penalty to AC.
If you look at the google document i gave you at the start of the adventure, you can see which ones you chose, and which were correct and incorrect. Is that what you mean?
I would love to get feedback from you guys! Don't be shy :)
No, but as far as the 'game within a game' goes, it's just not very gratifying. The difference between picking a right card or a wrong card is unnoticeable. I do wonder, though, if we find out the results of a card, would it affect our reaction as players. For example, if we found out picking the Paladin gave us a bonus to hit him, would we think, "Oh, I guess we're supposed to fight him, then."
Maybe just tell us if we do something to trigger the benefit of the card (if we got it correct). So if Anja decides to slap the Paladin for trying to cop a feel, then after the attack roll you tell us something like, "Anja feels the power of the deck guide her attack, but the Paladin's armor still deflects her open hand.
Mhmmm very nice. I indeed wajted to keep it a secret so you eon't assume "Oh, it's bonus damage so let's roll for initiative" but you got a point there.
What do the others think?
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I think that its an unnecessary addition to a game. It adds an element of feeling like if you picked the wrong one you not only messed up this encounter, but the one that was supposed to have the card you used. While not what is intended, I would prefer a random buff deck that gives some perk, but doesn't impact future encounters.
The winds of fate swirl, and you find your eyesight improved: +2 Perception
Kinda thing. At times it may not help, but it could lead to interesting RP if someone tries to use that +10 Diplomacy boost on the soul sucking undead monstrosity.
Ah yes, I know what you mean. That would certainly be useful, but since this adventure has already been underway some time I'm likely to continue using the bonuses the booklet prescribes.
Valeeran?
Tiny one? Your two cents?
I don't mind picking the wrong card so much. It just leaves me looking forward to whatever encounter it should have been for: "Well, if these aren't the Crows, then when do we run into more?" Besides, I know that we don't need any of the bonuses to succeed, so when we do reach that encounter, it's no loss, really.
But without any recognizable benefit from picking the right one, then it feels like a pointless chore. Nothing happens when you pick the wrong one, nothing (perceptible) happens if you pick the right one.
Plus, opening the choices up for discussion would alleviate picking the wrong one to some extent. I don't think Terry understood the logic of the adventure designer when he chose The Hidden Truth, much like we didn't when we started, and we chose The Beating. But after the first encounter or two, I think we understand that the picture describes the encounter more than the name of the card. (For example, we probably should have used The Beating in the graveyard, considering the picture of the arms reaching up from the ground depicted the spell that the Barrow King cast.) We could have steered Terry away from choosing The Hidden Truth if card choice was more of a committee decision.
And I just feel that discussing the card selection would be more fun. When that paladin showed up, I noticed several cards that features someone of his description. I think The Paladin was the right choice, but I wonder if we should look out for him again later in a different state, as depicted on The Lost. Or maybe the encounter would've been different if we'd chosen The Lost. Maybe whether you choose The Paladin or The Lost determines whether he's remained a rational Paladin (as rational as Paladins can be!) or if he'd been driven mad wandering through this dimension. Who knows? But it's an interesting question (to me, at least) that you don't get from a more traditional module.
I think the other thing that would help alleviate picking the wrong card is if we chose when to pull a card instead of being prompted. I know we may not recognize a chance once in a while, but the last two times we've been called on to pull two, I've felt like one choice is obvious, and the other is more speculative (and more likely to be wrong). This last case, I chose The Forge, but when we were asked to select, the dwarfs had already fled the forge, so I'm not sure if that was the right time or not. Maybe it was too late for The Forge? Maybe we selected The Avalanche too early, and should've picked The Forge then? If it was up to us, though, we'd hear the description of the dwarfs at a forge and said, "Hey, let's use the Forge right now." And then rocks come tumbling down, and we'd say, "Hey, let's use The Avalanche right now."
Arite, arite, I feel you!
Valeeran and Terry, your thoughts?
Anja's criticism is spot on the nose, and I agree with Shan-yu that the effects of the cards could be more closely tied to the story at hand. I've never used Harrow cards before, but so far I'm finding them to be fairly useful, if inconsequential.
My thought would be that they are probably more interesting at a table then they are online. During a face to face game they can be an interactive prop that the players can throw down on the table with some satisfaction at having made the link between the situation and the card.
As far as the bonuses go, considering the story/altered reality feel of the module I wouldn't necessarily hide or relate the bonus directly but rather describe some kind of alteration to the world when the correct card is played. As an example if the Avalanche card reduced the damage done by the avalanche I'd talk about how some of the boulders begin to split and crack, grinding down to smaller rocks once the card is drawn. Perhaps even better would be to give the players/character a sudden insight into the story that the effected area is based on. Ex. If the paladin card gives you a Diplomacy bonus to dealing with him then perhaps the player suddenly has a poem about a wayward paladin mysteriously come to mind. That sort of thing.
Without some kind of embellishment I think their a nice enough gimic but eventually becomes a repetitive matching game.
Actually what would be kind of cool is if the deck itself was the storyline and as you matched/used the foreground of the cards the background images or names would start to form their own story or history of what happened. That way you'd get the direct benefit from the cards but also helpful information about the storyline in general.
One last thing on how/when to draw them in a PbP. I'd agree that it's probably better to have us draw them on our own if/when it seems appropriate. That will add the possibility of missing their bonus if we're not making the connection but also avoid over drawing (ex. in the current scenario we knew we were going after the ticktock man at a volcano with pipes and such. Should we have drawn all related cards right at the beginning? Would we get another chance to?
All that said I'm fine with however we move forward.
I have to agree, they are a lot more fun at the table, coz we throw the lot of them on the table and then the players sift through them until they agree. I even have a timer set for 5 minutes so they feel the 'pressure'.
So, everyone agree with the following?
- I will no longer prompt you guys to use a card. You will choose your own time to draw, and I will not even say how many.
- I will attempt to describe the effects of the card (if chosen correctly) without giving away too much of the bonus (fluff > game rules).
>> Related thought: how about I try to let you guys incorporate it (as far as it is possible). Taking Valeeran's examples: Paladin is for the player, avalanche doing less damage is for the DM.
Can i get four ayes?
Aye!
Nose knows!
Sounds good.
>> Related thought: how about I try to let you guys incorporate it (as far as it is possible). Taking Valeeran's examples: Paladin is for the player, avalanche doing less damage is for the DM.
Not as crazy about this. Valeeran's a more creative story-teller than I am, though, so I can see how he'd like it. :)
Everyone still having fun? :)
I'm going to try and up the tempo a bit, are you all ready for this? Back to one post per day, minimum! :)
I'm guessing we'll be pulling The Publican card when we get inside. Just keep an eye out (no pun intended) for a one-eyed, white-haired barkeep.
Sorry guys, kinda busy with renovating our second bedroom. I'm trying to keep up the flow, but as you can see I've been kinda overwhelmed.
Most of the (dirty) work has been done, so I should be able to get back to more regular posting before sunday!
No problem boss
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I’m not sure where to go here. We know these guys are lying about somethings, but said truthfully they don’t know about Sonnorea. We don’t even really know these guys aren’t just some random distraction on the road, do we? Yes, they dropped the mountain on us, but Shan-yu isn’t about to just start firing unless they make a direct attack.
Is there a path onward? DO we know this is where were supposed to meet this guy? Can I open up the quest again and check the map for where our target is located?
*lurks*
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So yeah… With the tunnel being a dead end, I’m drawing a blank on what our next steps should be. We’re at the top of a mountain with a cave that leads nowhere, and giants/dwarves that aren’t being helpful. Am I missing something?
RICK: Not sure if there are secret passages or anything, but Shan-yu’s passive, take 10 while we walk, perception is 27. Did he notice anything unusual during this little excursion.
Probably need to try harder to check out the pub. Shen-yu could probably sneak around it and check any windows. Does he have climbing to check any windows on the higher floors?