Ascension of Eight
Game Master Arkwright

If no one objects, i'm going to write a little bit of flavour to put in. If there's still no response from the GM and no objection from you fellows, i'll use it as a springboard for some further action.

Also, I am assuming that you fellows would like this to be a Sandbox game? By which I take to mean you are let loose with a general purpose in a large setting?

And warning, I am a Bethesda fan so this may influence my plot ideas.

I'd like that.

Bethesda=Good.

Sandbox=Fun.

Bethesda type Sandbox= Good fun.

I live close enough to Washington, DC that I keep seeing Bethesda and thinking suburban Maryland. That said, I'm willing to try whatever you're contemplating.

Cleachtadh mo úsáid na teanga Si.

Practicing my use of the elven language.

I'm just happy to be playing.

Okay, I have the rough outline of a plot starter. But because this isn't technically my game, I thought I would clear it with you fellows first.

Basically, you are going to escape from the cell, rescue the children, be given the Main Quest by Wise Old Man, and then be teleported out into the city. The main quest will be something along the lines of 'bring down Cheliax'. There is a great deal more fluff and such but that is basically it.

What does everyone think about this?

As a tiefling who's suffered at the hands of this evil nation, along with being one who's on a quest to become ludicrously powerful so his demon lord grandfather won't kill him (which I hope DMs will use at some point, nudgenudge), I say aye!

I say.... sounds good!

No more spoilers! :D

Sure it'll be okay for me to basically hijack this game? Particularly since the GM has only been away for a week?

Sounds OK to me.

I don't mind. Isn't that the purpose of a co-GM? If the main GM isn't around to do his job...

Hmm I suppose so.

Please continue to post your thoughts on how i'm progressing the plot as we go on; let me know when I get too ham-handed.

Is there anything restraining our characters from reaching the keys? Are the manacles and chains so invasive we can't move to the bars?

Nope, go ahead.

Quick outline of the area- one corridor with closed doors at each end, one side of the corridor is made up of the wall of bars separating the corridor and your cell area.

Image map.

The guard is carrying:

1x Studded Leather armour
1x Longsword
5gp, 25sp
1x Whip
2x Manacles

If you can come up with any other small thing that a guard would probably carry i'll consider it.

So first we have the one threatened with rape stabilize the guard and then the one hiding in the corner killing him just in case? Wow.

Those children had better watch out...

I edited my post to reflect the murder which was an oversight on my part. Aleksandyr does not approve.

The widdle childwen are on the other side of the door.

One neutral gall in a goodie group, bound to lead to friction. Not that that's a bad thing.

Neutrality does not mean murder. Murdering a helpless guard is an act of evil.

I know, but the idea of neutral characters (on the good v evil axis) is that they walk the line between the two and can commit acts viewed as either depending on the situation. That's my opinion at least. (I'll avoid the "Is killing helpless evil an evil act" debate otherwise we'll end up with paladins and goblin/kobold children)

That said, Alian disapproves but he is one to always look at where he's going going and not just at where he is now. Basically he has his priorities elsewhere for the moment, namely the getting out and taking those children with him.

I don't intend to play a "Lawful Stupid" or "Lawful Nice" character, but someone who will show compassion, mercy, and wrath when its appropriate.

Wasn't referring to you with the Goblin/Kobold babies, it's just a senseless discussion that seams to rear it's ugly head whenever people talk about alignment :)

Thank you Gary Gygax for creating a game element that has generated spirited circular discussions for forty years. ;P

Reminds me of the time I was writing a character backstory and I was trying to come up with a good situation where Chaotic Good and Neutral Good would come into conflict... hard to find a good one :P

I'm with Mellany, its something to talk about to pass the time.

Indeed. Very spirited debates. Probably of all the stances people take, my least favorite is "the Alignment system is dumb and shouldn't be there at all." Sigh...

A close second is the CN haters. If played well, it can be a great alignment.

But as for Neutral characters and evil acts, I have trouble with it. Recently I started up a character who tries to do good things, but he sometimes commits evil acts in order to do good in the end. Thus, I figured he's Neutral, with a heart of good but an evil streak. Confusing, I know.

Are we going to rush to save the children or find where they stashed our armor before we attempt to die?

Co-GM wishes you to go save the children.

This plot is on rails for the next two rooms (including this one), think of it as being like the tutorial stage in Oblivion.

Woah, lots of disapproval! I missed the stabilization check, so I didn't get the impression anyone was caring for him.
The way Akari see's it, these men are guilty of crimes beyond redemption. Within ten minutes that guard will be awakened and back on our trail. Akari is doing what she must to survive. To her, this has nothing to do with good/evil, but survival. If this increases her chances of getting out havin saved the lives of those children, and having thrown a wrench in the cog of this totalitarian regime, she'll do it.

Akari, no hostility OOC. Just opportunity for role play. If this game is on rails, Aleksandyr just kicked down the door!

Akari, no hostility OOC. Just opportunity for role play.

Same here. Honestly, the strategic side of me totally agrees. Alarms would be raised either way, and your actions may have saved us an extra enemy in the long run.

However, I'm playing Blast as Chaotic Good (sigh), so he disapproves a wee bit.

Similarly, just RP

Alian understands the reasoning and agrees to a point. He'd rather have had the guard bound, gagged and knocked unconscious though.

What I was hoping to convey with Mellany's reaction to the guard's death was more shock than hostility. If it came across as hostile, I'm afraid I wrote it poorly.

So, can I just get a quick picture of what the people in the other room are seeing? From what I can gather, they are seeing one prisoner standing in the doorway with a sword, two skulking to the side, two 'guards' behind them and a few other prisoners who presumably aren't convincingly manacled?

If these forum's had a function equal to the "like" button on facebook, I'd use it for that ^

Akari has one hand at her side, with a whip. She is standing toward the back of the pack, grabbing someone by the arm who is presumably "shackled" (but not really). If the rest of the party is just busting through the door, she'll just follow that lead and get ready to pounce on something hostile.

Aleksandyr is wearing armor and a sword and I had assumed he's standing in the doorway so no one else can be seen very well.

Blast is crouched to one side of the doorway, barely peering out. He got a 20 on his Stealth check, so maybe the guards don't see him? I'm not sure how it works. You can decide.

When you team up with a paladin, you have to be prepared for the periodic facepalm when he busts into the temple full of evil cultists and yells, "You're all under arrest." Or words to that effect.

But yes, the decision was reached and acted upon to forego subterfuge.

I apologize for every facepalm you all will have to endure this adventure.

Paladins are great. Just have to plan the attack around their particular foibles. ;)

This isn't going to be a proper combat round, so don't bother with initiative. Feel free to try any unconventional manoeuvres you would like. Also, two more assumptions for this combat- the guards have a crappy CMD and you are all able to reach any point in the room with your movement speed.

When you team up with a paladin, you have to be prepared for the periodic facepalm when he busts into the temple full of evil cultists and yells, "You're all under arrest." Or words to that effect.

Agreed. Much better to burst into the temple full of evil cultists and blow them all up!

Feel free to try any unconventional manoeuvres you would like. Also, two more assumptions for this combat- the guards have a crappy CMD and you are all able to reach any point in the room with your movement speed.

In that case...

See Gameplay thread

Well, I'm pretty sure Aleksandyr just cut a man in half... 12 damage or a possible 24 damage if his critical hit confirms.

He fails his save.

Arkwright, what do you mean by:

(He does 1-8th damage.)

I assume Aleksandyr took damage but its not clear how much. 1/8th of a longsword? 1 damage?