Just to note though, there's a lot of people who can change into animals, kitsune, druids for example, sorcerers, wizards, anyone who can cast beast shape...
I don't think it would be wrong to assume were all around the same level, beast shape is 3rd level spell and wildshape is 6th level ability. This Griswold would know, he was raised by a druid.
Regardless, that's why in his post he questioned his judgement. It will be a fun thing to Rp out, it doesn't matter to Griswold. Ever creature in nature has its place.
It seems more odd to me that a werebear would just shrug off any other type of werecreature he doesn't know personally. They do have a rep and you can bet all the other were's wouldn't shrug at a werebear with their rep. That was made pretty clear during the meeting even if you disregard the lore.
Going to agree with Griswold on that about the many ways to have access to shape change. Those are far from common or universal, the go to response for anyone not clearly shown as magical around the Gnarley. Would be a lycan. After all we have a druid with us already and no one has fessed up to being a full blown mage. I think Val or Gerwyn said something about having some magic, but not full blown transformations due to their abilities.
Would be interesting RP I think. ;)
I mean that's a fair point Igdus. As we know the werebears are generally the good guys of lycans. The reason they're regarded as such is because they prevented the gnomes from getting ethnically cleansed by the orc menace.
Because of their selfless sacrifice of their own numbers the gnomes give offering of food to prevent them from needing to raid, plus they have the protection of the archdruid and fellow druids.
the way I play it with Griswold is like so, he doesn't hate or look down upon other lycans. They're part of the ecosystem and he wishes for their survival and ultimately wants them to be like the werebears, a force for good that don't need to raid. Raiding will only lead to their doom. The werebears have always been left alone, but Griswold's dream is to bring in the werebears with the other lycans. He hopes that if Lycans have the werebears with them, it will improve the greater image of all lycans because the good guys are with them.
It was only 66 years ago that the werebear were almost driven to extinction, now they're if not thriving doing well, all because they improved their image by saving the gnomes of Namburil.
Rhun grew up outside the Lycan world until she was a teenager, and then she more or less pretended she was always part of it, and nobody realized she wasn't (mainly because she could always change her appearance afterwards and people thought she was a new person).
Rhun grew up with a lot of criminals, but they were criminals because they were not allowed to be anything else, second and third class citizens, poor, and so on. So they did bad things for good ends (Chaotic Good, the ends justify the means). She's never made another Lycan, and the few times someone has caught her doing something wierd, she cops to being a Kitsune, and everyone puts down any strangeness to that.
Also note that seeing someone turn into a bat doesn't mean they actually did, low level illusion magic can do that, and it's a good distraction, make someone follow 'the bat' while you sneak off into the bushes behind the illusion spell.
Griswold also grew up outside of a Lycan community. Born in Beltander, due to a series of tragic events he was lost in the wild as a babe. Only to be found by a greyrender and a druid. Griswold knows of lycans and his heritage because his eccentric gnomish druid caretaker, taught under the doctrine of Obad-Hai that all creatures in nature have a place.
Griswold may of met a werebear in the Rangers, the rangers gladly take them up. If not, the only Lycan he knows is Fenrarem and a werewolf that attacked in in the past that he was forced to kill.
Griswold longs to meet his fellow werebears and dwarves. Not knowing them makes Griswold question himself and his place in the world, feeling isolated and disconnected.
Griswold, what book has all this werebear stuff?
I'm not sure what source book, some of it my interpretation of the lore. So Dm be willing.
The bit I found is right here. Note that most of it is word for word what's in our campaign tab.
I'm not sure what Storyteller's interpretation of the werebears is, either way it might be hard but I want to make Griswold a change for good for them and other lycans. Also he probably wants some sort of wife.
That's a "campaign" site, that could all be homebrew. May want to check with the DM about any lore not from an official source. As that tends to be the baseline, at least I use it that way.
Werebears from the source books have a good alignment, that's why I figured they get along with others. All other lycans are neutral or evil inclined. Making good ones an exception not the rule. Flip that with the werebears, hence the odd one out dynamic between them. That was my understanding anyways.
Edit- I just used the word "hence", I'm taking a break. -.-
Usually lawful good, if I recall correctly. I'm running more with nurture rather than nature. He hasn't met any were bear( unless he did within the rangers, up to shadow.) So he hasn't a point of reference.
As for the campaign blog, yeah it's up to the dm, mind you most of it is in line with what he has in the campaign tab.
Fenrarem might not be the most zealous druid in the world but he's choosing to see the situation the way I imagine a druid would. If vaki is a lycan, thus far he doesn't seem interested in harming the forest and if he is natural, then Fenrarem will have no reason to care about his Lycanthropy.
As to what you've been saying Rhun, I see your point but I have to echo Griswold and Igdus. While magic could explain Vaki's transformation, magic usually has somatic components and most abilities that would allow you to become a bat aren't exactly low level abilities. So natural lycan isn't exactly a leap of logic.
Mildly annoys me that ya'll lookin up at Vaki for no real reason...
Don't know what you're talking about Vaki, Rhun never looked at you, because she knows you're a shifter. Only someone who didn't know might catch you at it.
Hey, Gerwyn was looking at the guard, not you. :D
Griswold likes what he sees?
But in all seriousness, it's not like I was actively looking at vaki like a paladin looking for evil. I just made my perception check.
FYI to all my games :
I live in Texas (Austin), and one of the options Harvey has is to wander up and over Austin and laze around and drop a couple of feet of water on us. So if I don't post this week it's because we lost power, internet, or both. Should be fine for anything else, we live on a hill so if we have water flooding our living room, the entire Mississippi river valley is under 80 ft of water from New Orleans to St. Louis. :) So we'd have a lot more problems than flooding at that point.
Griswold likes what he sees?
But in all seriousness, it's not like I was actively looking at vaki like a paladin looking for evil. I just made my perception check.
Which is fine, except Vaki was up in the trees, not hanging around the caravan.
If one of the guards is doing something on the ground, and there's no sign of an attack or anything, I don't see why anybody would look up.
I dunno man, I think it stands to reason that guards looking for threats might look up in the trees every now and again. Especially since we're worried about Fey, many of whom can fly.
I'll be traveling for two weeks starting tomorrow. I don't anticipate being without Internet for more than a day at a time, but it's possible, so if I'm silent for a bit that's why.
FYI to all my games :
I live in Texas (Austin), and one of the options Harvey has is to wander up and over Austin and laze around and drop a couple of feet of water on us. So if I don't post this week it's because we lost power, internet, or both. Should be fine for anything else, we live on a hill so if we have water flooding our living room, the entire Mississippi river valley is under 80 ft of water from New Orleans to St. Louis. :) So we'd have a lot more problems than flooding at that point.
Stay safe!
Hope it all blows over with minimal impact.
Griswold likes what he sees?
But in all seriousness, it's not like I was actively looking at vaki like a paladin looking for evil. I just made my perception check.
Which is fine, except Vaki was up in the trees, not hanging around the caravan.
If one of the guards is doing something on the ground, and there's no sign of an attack or anything, I don't see why anybody would look up.
I am involved in a PbP where this exact issue created a huge shitstorm. Apparently, a successful Perception check assumes the person making the check looked everywhere, including up!
Personally, I think the scene adds to the intrigue that I have been intentionally infusing the game with.
If only I could quit my job and run PbP full time! :-(
Alright, that's my post up!
Personally, I think Valaronex has one of the most... potentially interesting views on Lycans. He was born as one and grew up amongst a Lycan community, allowing him to see all the benefits of being a Lycan... and all of the downsides of it as well. Downsides that ripped his family apart, and lead to him believing that it was nothing more than a curse. Which in turn, lead to him seeking out a way to cure himself of it... even putting himself into debt of some rather shady people in order to rid himself of the Lycan curse.
Not to mention he ended up joining this mission on complete and utter accident, arriving at the city to see his family again just when said family was expecting Lycans to gather for a mission. I don't think the others are going to be too happy to hear that!
I'm going to give Vaki another day or so to respond to my spoiler before I move the caravan along!
Rhun, once Vaki and Griswold are done Kate will have some comments for you that next morning.
Due to the hurricanes I may be slow to post or unable to. DM PC me if I don't post.
FYI, I PM'ed Vaki, once he responds to Griswold and ascertains what to do with the information he found, I'll move forward with the next day.
I am allowing the PC's to chime in as they want to. No programmed scenes until the evening falls again.
It's unlikely any of you will do anything by day anyway I think as you are all in need of sleep after a long night on the edge.
Assume we concluded our conversation, I will make a post when I get back from work, so it's in the record.
Did anyone tell everyone else about whatever went on in the forest? I may have missed it but it seems like everyone is telling certain people, not the group.
Rhun told our NPC leader. Rhun's understanding is that she's in charge, and makes the decisions, which is why she didn't go into the forest last night.
So far, Vaki, Griswold, Rhune, and Fenrarem are the PCs who know.
The NPCs who know are Marya and Kate.
I fully expect Marya to spread the info around, but it would look suspicious if Rhun went around talking to everyone and their brother, as she's not supposed to like the others for the most part.
Rhun's player is not tryign to start a fight IC. But there have been several comments earlier in front of her about eating people, and she will not allow that to happen, PC or NPC. Chaotic Good and all, and as we have no Evil (that I'm aware of) characters (hopefully no evil players either), that really shouldn't come up so I think it's moot.
Don't worry about Igdus, he may be crusty sense we are all still new (IC) but he is not evil or aggressive. Also while he likes meat, it's the animal kind, he does not nor has he ever eaten people. By the same token he does not begrudge nature and survival. So long as it's not his or kinsmen survival that is involved, fighting to stay alive is part of nature too. ;)
Griswold is good at heart, just rough on the edges like most dwarves. Bloodthirsty not really, just doesn't want innocent people to get hurt on his watch.
More importantly, is valar and tobar still with us?
When you talk about wanting to beat/kill someone you don't like. Blood thirsty is being nice. ;P
Yeah we may want to get a roll call going.
OOC Sidenote: Most of us have no real way of hurting vampires much less killing them. Wooden objects don't do anything, unless their helpless. Silver only works if it's got magic in it as well, such as a +1 silver dagger. A silver dagger does not cut it. Sorry for the pun.
Fenrarem is Chaotic neutral but like Griswold has some good tendencies.
Yeah but not trying to help others that are in potential danger is just as bloodthirsty. If you have the power to stop it. Besides I said not really, Griswold doesn't revel in violence. It's just part of nature and survival, something he's been doing for years and was taught from an early age.
last I checked, blowing up a wagon at noon with the vamps in it will lead to a very sudden and acute onset of bursting into flames and permadeath...
Just saying. :)
^^
That's not an unfair point.
Your in the Gnarley, which means even at high noon your not getting direct sunlight. Which is why Igdus wants them out of the Gnarley. If they get loose they will effectively be trapped in the forest his people call home. That's going to get a lot of factions besides his own mad at you lot.
Also pretty sure Rhun does not have that much gunpowder. Vampires are tough and heal quickly.
<--- Evil, but not the 'let innocents die for funsies' type.
More like the do whatever it takes to get the job done, and obtain personal power type.
^
|
So basically you're the best kind of evil?
^
|So basically you're the best kind of evil?
Yes, yes I am.
Good man!
Too many people can't play evil or chaotic neutral without becoming moronic.
Harbinger is darkly themed, so I used that as inspiration for Vaki, and I took a trait to give me access the the Black Seraph discipline to further that persona.
He's basically a thief/assassin who is very loyal to his clan and allies. Hence his sharing his findings with Rhun.
Gerwyn's Chaotic Good, but he thinks that attacking someone who is *probably* a vampire wouldn't be a good idea because 1) They might not be and 2) If they are, as has been pointed out, how would we kill one with what we have on hand?
To elaborate On what I said above, he's chaotic neutral but kinda like Vaki I chose to make him a little bit pack-minded. Mind you before he met Griswold the extent of his pack was a living tree but still.
Igdus is just plain neutral. He only cares about what he is shown and treated like, could care less about that good and evil nonsense. People call lycans evil, when really some are just jerks like every other race has. :)
True Neutral with good tendencies.
I am alive just have tonsilitis so I've been very much out of it the past 8 days. I am HOPING I can get some IC posts up tomorrow here as well as in many, many other games I run [many of which most of you play in besides this one ;-)]. I believe Tobar is with us, he can be a bit of an irregular poster. Valar even more of a sporadic poster.
I wouldn't call myself an irregular poster. perhaps by character. I check the boards every day i just kinda dont have much to say with Tobar. I don't clash with other PCs like some in here and i probably shouldnt have made him the secretive sort as i have problems with "lone wolf" types. but yeah i read all new posts daily barring the occasional day off.