Almost forgot: and a quick Computer check to synch those comlinks to Spice Rush and its navicomputer.
If I post sporadically for this part, it's because, well, I have no technical skills. But rest assured I'm present and reading.
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For the record: conversation, investigation, postulation, inference, extrapolation, and adding to the exposition of any character including your own is just as important as any technical skill. For something so bogged in technicalities as running a starship, it is far more important to the telling of the story for everyone involved to try their own hand at this.
Star wars would be a boring and unknown franchise if it were simply full of folk turning hydrospanners and figuring out astrogation algorithms.
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Further, I would add that a campaign is best run by it's player characters. A story is best told by one that lived it. If things don't work in your world, the important thing to remember is that it's your world and you have as equal a share in it as the folk that populate it. Make it work.
What he said. ^^
Twice. :)
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I'm going to go on record here for a moment, people: I have been in a very unpleasant spot for the last couple of months, primarily involving my workplace. If not for Synchro welcoming me into his home on a regular basis and listening to my tirades (and further medicated by *lots* of his excellent cooking!), I'm not exactly sure I'd be doing as well as I am. In fact, I *know* I'd be much worse off than I am. That being said: I am finally beginning to turn that particular corner in a **good** way, and expect that this positive change will carry over to our doings here. Good things ahead, folks!
A continued thanks to all of you!! MORE!!
And, to Synchro: Thanks, chief. Couldn't have gotten this far without ya. My best to your wife and daughter!! :)
This sounds like an occasion for some music.
Also, Wild Magic for the Spheres is gonna be up on the Wiki in a bit over a week - complete with clickable result generators (no rolling and scrolling needed) if you ever want to see the Force going a bit wild for whatever reason. ^^
Thank you, and I'm watching for any conversation I can add to. It was just to warn you in case I seem absent.
Will post tomorrow. Had a unexpectedly busy day.
Roger that! I'll be watching for it!
Also: I haven't forgotten Hayden's intentions -- I'll include that bit in my follow-up to Kreshell's post. But perhaps a segue would be in order? Perhaps his internal meditative mantra, or something?
For instance: I have frequently typed up actual *prayers* for my cleric character in another campaign (spoilered, of course), just to push the flavor a bit. I encourage some of that sort of initiative!! Share your characters' thought processes!! Action is great, but **character** is what we're truly pursuing.
Thanks for reading, people!! :)
Dawwww...
You say the sweetest things.
lol
*Do* shut up about it . . . . :D
Terribly sorry all. I know for sure that I will have time tomorrow/today as it is midnight.
Thank you for keeping us posted, Saashaa!!
I will likely go ahead and get the response to Hayden's meditation posted later today, and we'll wait to see what we read from Kresh before moving much farther.
A brief sidebar:
Synchro -- a few minor changes to your tagline will help me out, in the long run. If you will, adjust your HP/WP/FP stats to "fractions" there: it'll help keep me aware of just how much 'gas' is left in each respective tank. Thanks! :)
Yaaaaaaaargh!!
Too much to type and format and insinuate and craft and such . . . . . Gotta hold off till tomorrow to get our little Toydarian sequence posted, people. I apologize for slacking yesterday, but I was working through an employment dilemma that overrode *everything* but supper last night . . . . . Read y'all later!! :)
Whew!! That was quite a bit of typing!!! :D
I'll wait till tomorrow to activate the hyperdrive, folks -- unless, of course, all this news . . . changes things. }:>
Amazing work on the news. Truly impressive.
Many thanks, Saashaa!! :D
I am totally *not* breaking up the conversational lines y'all have started until we get something resembling a consensus/action plan solidified from our crew.
I really like what I'm reading, people: keep it coming! :)
For context: Rhea's people still have pretty recent memories of the destruction of the Lorell Raiders, who inhabited the Hapes Cluster before the newly-formed consortium. XD She has Opinions on the fate of pirates.
Hayden takes the time to pick and choose words that are just insensitive enough to provoke a reaction, but not quite hard enough to provoke a fight. There's a delicate art to being just the right kind of jackass.
Edit: When he thinks to, at any rate.
Dontcha just love how easy it is to equate "comlink" with "cellphone"?? :D
By the way -- anybody else got an opinion on a path forward?? 'Cause we've been quiet-ish the last few days . . . .
Hayden, is that small part of your speech understandable or just meant to pass over our heads?
Understandable. Just hastily said in a small voice. I won't make asides.
Good on ya, Sapiens!! :)
I should get our next piece of convo posted tomorrow, people. Read ya later!! :)
Oh, boy. Had to happen sometime. :D
DISCLAIMER: I'm opening this up for discussion, because I don't want to simply rule willy-nilly on the matter raised by Vadi's action. Let's share a bit, kick it around, and we'll come out the other side with an answer.
Here's my own opinion, at the present:
While the overall mythos only seems to implement Verbal Casting as a sphere-specific drawback (i.e., Kenobi's Mos Eisley head-fake), I'm persuaded that any spherecastings/Force manifestations requiring a verbal component would call for exactly that -- discernible vocalizations necessary to bring about the effect, no matter the sphere involved.
That said, though, I also have no trouble with the idea that such a component could be easily contained in a conversational segment, much as Vadi has done on at least two occasions now. Still, there's nothing *subtle* about that drawback . . . .
For me, it's the Somatic Casting that truly pushes the envelope on just how overt these efforts would be. It may be an apples::ashes comparison/parallel, but what we see in the casting components for the MCU's Doctor Strange makes me think of a doubled Somatic drawback (the funky finger positionings and such to open the Eye, the use of a free hand and a focus for Warp effects, etc.). While an argument *can* be made that those two instances would not suffer impairment if the good Doctor were in plate mail, the presence of the drawback as a resource in the system pushes me to say that having taken the drawback *once* mandates gestures akin to Luke's lightsaber retrieval in the wampa cave on Hoth, just executed more rapidly.
So I hold the position that the two drawbacks taken together *clearly* indicate that Vadi is DOING SOMETHING in making use of them. And applying them against another Force-sensitive *will* make its nature close to obvious . . . .
And as for Bluffing through those drawbacks:
Simply put, permitting such a thing would too strongly reward a particular style of character building on a mechanical level, it seems to me. Cha-based Force users gain a powerful edge; those with Bluff as a class skill get an even stronger benefit; it skews the distribution of valued skill points even more than already exists within the RAW system . . . . On this aspect of it, I'm even *more* strongly convinced that the appropriate answer is "No."
That's where I am now with it. Feedback!!!
As GM, if your feelings are very strong on the subject, I have no objections. XD ...Also, I'm Wis-based, and wouldn't really benefit if that was implemented. Soooo, maybe I'm a bit biased.
Some Related Tangential Musings:
1) This event has the potential to blow a narrative line from "extended matter of interest" to "one-and-done flash-in-the-pan" . . . . As the relevant player has effectively yielded agency to me by dropping from the campaign, I am going to run this as close to the rules as I can. I *will* confess to hoping that the algorithm beats that DC. If Le fails the save, I'll run it fairly, but there may be some "pushback" on the point . . . . Just so you know.
2) How do y'all, as a group, feel about the use of such powers upon PCs? This is another angle that has led to some toxic scenarios before, and I feel that this is a good time to open floor for the subject.
In general, I don't recommend using mind-control of any sort on PCs. o wo Unless it's a buff, maybe. If nothing else, we have good saving throws. XD
Unless I am reading it wrong, it seems like something that Vadi would do as she is untrained and doesn't know of the awareness ramifications.
Alright, so:
1) I agree with you. It was more of a SoP/gameplay related issue, where Verbal Casting means you can't cast stealthily, while Somatic means you can't use heavy armor, but only Magical Signs alerts people that you are using magic. However, if anyone watching who is trained knows it, no problem for me. I wanted to clear away the doubts.
2) Vadi doesn't know she's using the Force. She's currently a two-trick pony, and has been going on those tricks instinctively.
3) I definitely don't want to use mind-control on PCs any more than I want to bluff, lie, steal and deceive. As Le is an NPC now, and a creepy one for that matters, I thought it could be appropriate anyway, and fit to what she would do.
4) As for sneaking casting, perhaps the possibility to Bluff to hide a Force power could be a feat?
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There was a metamagic feat in 3.5. Uhm... In Complete Scoundrel... I think. You could make the effects invisible or make it seem to come from an alternate origin. Perhaps it was a tactical feat.
Nevermind. I like Conceal Spell better for this. Good find.
If I recall correctly, the 3.5 feat was found in Cityscape, and called for a +1 spell slot level expenditure. I can't recall the feat name at the present . . . . I think both books are on the shelf next to my bed, though, so I can check that presently.
And I must admit that I appreciate *both* feats. Conceal Spell uses action economy for balance, the 3.5 used a daily resource. But Conceal *is* better, in my estimation . . . .
Regardless, our next story sequence is going to be interesting . . . . :D
EDIT: Yup -- Deceptive Spell, Cityscape. And it's even weaker than I remembered. lol
I know I've been too quiet the last few days. Expect a gameplay post within the next 30 hours or so. Been *busy*.
Urgh, I had a post up tonight but apparently it was eaten by the forum. I'll write it back when I have some free time.
Yup, those dire boards are nasty, sometimes. :D
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I'll be getting the next Gameplay post done this afternoon -- and I'm guessing that we'd like to just fast-forward to Manaan, correct?
We've finally gotten some "get to know ya" dialogue thrown around (yay!!), and the group is starting to find its shape. I'd like that to continue, but it is high time that we got to some action that's less railroad-y.
I think what would work best is to start our hyperjump, get another dialogue post or two from our active players, and then we'll end up at Manaan, ready to roll. Sound good, team?
Hooah.
Works for me. ^^
Got to table it for tomorrow, folks. Not much longer to wait!!
Talk amongst yourselves!!
Yeesh.
I know y'all have been waiting too long on that latest post. I can only say that the past week has been fairly taxing -- injured my leg Saturday, healthcare costs for the same and some prior things, tumult at work, and a general . . . malaise in the last three days. Thanks for hanging in there with me, people.
Now let's go blow some stuff up!!
Uh . . . . I mean . . . . let's crush our enemies, see them driven before us . . . .
That's not right, either. (Necessarily)
Let's do . . . . Stuff!!
I have a new plan...
Which way? You *do* have a Class III hyperdrive, after all . . . .
Take care! Comm officer sounds excellent to me, for the other duties I'll gladly aid anyone who wants, but I don't think I have the right skillz.
*thumbs up*
Gonna hold off one more day -- Synchro told me he means to post something before we field Manaan. His attempted post got eaten yesterday, and he should be trying again ere long.
Regardless, 24 - 26 hours from now, we'll end a hyperjump, and retroactively accomplish any other things his post will prompt, if he gets it submitted.
:)