WotW: A Knot of Thorns The Second Parchment
Game Master Xzaral

Made minor corrections to both profiles.

I don't know about everyone else, but I think I'm ready to be done with this place.

I motion for a "quick wrap up/travel montage" from King Mark to get us off to the Old Moors (and a few steps closer toward new meatshie- er... new friends)

Here's Xanos' Survival/Perception rolls.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

I totally saw that tree in front of me before I walked into it, and I'm sure those berries are safe to eat.

Not to get all rules lawyer (esp since I am not here yet) but I was looking at the rules for swallow whole and I think that the way it works is grab first turn, swallow next, with a separate combat maneuver check for each.

Shulme, it looks like we have less time than we thought to sort out how our backstories mesh. You're undoubtably going to recognize me during or after the fight. Can you PM me your thoughts on what we've discussed?

Shulme, it looks like we have less time than we thought to sort out how our backstories mesh. You're undoubtably going to recognize me during or after the fight. Can you PM me your thoughts on what we've discussed?

Indeed I can; already working on that PM.

edit: And I have.

Looks like you are right, Fargo. Thanks for the heads up. There's quite a few rules in this game, and I do make mistakes. If you see me do something that's wrong, let me know, and I'll try to remedy it.

Aww... and I was liking the 'getting digested' part of this gig. Rules-shmools! :D

And if I am wrong or you are doing something non standard, please feel free to tell me to shut up.

Hey, just a heads up. My wife is about to burst with pregnancy. So if my posting becomes suddenly erratic or sporadic, that's probably what's up.

If it holds up the game, feel free to play me however is needed. I'll try to give a more specific heads up when it happens, though.

So who's gonna get eaten when Fargo is introduced? :)

Fargo climbs out of the bowels of the frog...

Now THAT is a unique character entrance!

LEVEL 2! now to do some work. :)

Indeed! WOOT!

Ready to go anytime.

Level 2 - Ranger

HP: 13 + 1d5 + 5 ⇒ 13 + (3) + 5 = 21.
Combat Style: Archery - Rapid Shot

Skills to be updated soon… but the gist is mostly the same with the inclusion of a rank of swim and climb to round out his scouting capabilities.

When the story moves forward, Fargo, you'll be getting brought in, when they meet with Tiadora's master. This will happen pretty quick (just waiting on any possible responses to Tiadora first).

Ok, I just knew I was getting close.

I'll be able to do the level-up on Monday.

Price is updated. Here are the basics.

HP: 11 + 7 = 18 (roll in game thread)
BAB: +1
CMB/CMD: +1
Fort: +1
Will: +1

Init: +5 (Cunning Initiative)

Class Abilities:
Cunning Initiative
Tracking +1
Detect Alignment
+1 0 lv Spell - Read Magic
+1 1st Spell - Bless

11 Skill Points
Bluff +1
Climb +1
Diplo +1
Disguise +1
Intimidate +1
Know (Nature) +1
Perception +1
Sense Motive +1
Spellcraft +1
Stealth +1
Survival +1

Just in case you didn't notice, in the Profiles for my NPCs, I do try to include some basic information, including a link to the picture of these NPCs. If you want to see the awesome artwork for them. It's too bad I can't use custom avatars for them.

Oh, this is going to get ugly...

level up complete. I'll try to get a post up.

Just a heads up... the big day has come. So I'll do my best to be able to post once in a while... it may not happen. NPC Cain at need. I'm still here, though. :)

Congratulations!

Hope I'm not writing myself out of the game...

Congrats Cain

Wow can't wait to see how this plays out.

Hope I'm not writing myself out of the game...

Not yet, you haven't. I've actually been planning for this one, hehehe.

Uh oh, Fargo went to long without and answer and now he is humping the Cardinals leg.

Down Drinog! Bad Summoner!

Sorry for the absence. I thought I had until early July before my daughters birth... turns out we had until this past Sunday. We're finally back in our house, and I'm going to rubto catch up on my games and get a post or two up.

Thanks for your patience, all. Mother and daughter are both healthy. :)

Congradulations, and welcome back. :)

Welcome back, Cain! Congratulations on the little one.

Just to give everyone a heads up, Xanos has given me a nice wrench that I need to plan around abit. This is a good thing in my opinion (I love the interaction!), but it's gonna take me abit of reading to work through. So I'm still here, just give me a little while to figure it out.

It'll give Cain that chance to catch up, too ;p

No worries, do what ya gotta do.

Price has her loopholes and outs - so she's good to go. >:D
No one expects the Asmodean Inquisition!

Realized I forgot to congratulate Cain. Congrats. Has anyone else been following the first parchment. It is kinda funny.

I am going to be backpacking from Sunday (tomorrow) evening through Friday evening (or Saturday morning depending) of this coming week. And apparently nobody has gotten around to installing wireless hotspots on remote wilderness mountaintops (shameful negligence, I know).

So from tomorrow evening till Sunday please feel free to NPC Shulme (hopefully the contract will be settled before I have to head out).

A thought on the contract. It feels like an important element of the game to get right... I wonder how much the game dev's anticipated this amount of push-back on it.

That said, I guess I don't really have a problem if we sign it as-is. As Price pointed out... there's already some wiggle room in it to do our thing as the game progresses.

I realize that's not Xanos's issue, but that's my thought

And have fun backpacking, man. Don't get lost

The compact does play a larger role later on (you begin seeing it in bok 3), but I PM'd Xanos for some more information, and re-reading have figured out the necessary angle to keep the story intact. I'll be moving us along when I get home. Just hard to make a long decent post from work.

Ok sounds fun. I see a couple of outs as is for at least some of the contract. Fargo is not thinking about that though.

See, you should have selected me. Then you could have an attorney reading your contract.

And yeh, I am still watching this OOC hoping one of you will get lost in Africa or have your computer stolen by gremlins or something like that. Because everyone needs a bard in their party.

No one needs a bard in there party.:p I have been playing about four years and no one in my group has ever played a bard.

No one needs a bard in there party.:p I have been playing about four years and no one in my group has ever played a bard.

Wow. Personally, I love having a bard in the party. They make everyone better (generally). And none of those Archaelologists, Dervish Dancers, or Arcane Duelists. A real bard.

Aah... I love the Arcane Duelist! Lose the lore for some combat oomph? Sign me up!

Meh, I'd stick with the lore monkey aspects. Personal tastes though.

Its on my list to play.

Partys like bards for the buffs. Players like bards for the knowledge monkey/jack of all trades angle.

In terms of performance there's nothing a bard can do, aside from quick Party Buffs, that a cleric of a knowledge god can't do just as well.

Which is why the Bard will always be a Cohort class, and not a real PC class.

I took leadership once. It was most of the next level until we got to town and my bard cohort could arrive. We get to town, are joined by two new party members (the prevoise week was rough, couple of people died) and my cohort. We kill a couple of dragons. Yay us. Then the guy at the other end of the square turns out to be a colossal red dragon. One who claims to be a god.

And the party inquisitor mouths off. I was cool, but it stung. The inquisitor was left standing with 1 HP and my brand new bard was extra extra crispy.

Depends on whether your goal is to have an optimized one trick monkey party or a creative interesting multifaceted party. In a four person party, perhaps bards are not optimal, but for 5 and 6 character parties a bard is invaluable - a buffer, a 2nd fighter, allows the other party members to focus on their main skills, and has a fairly nice selection of spells. Not to mention that getting bonuses on attack and damage for the whole party is really nice in a close battle.

But, you are free to continue hating bards, and dwarfs, and druids, and any other class or race you want. (FYI, I currently only have 1 Bard, along with 1 Rogue/Wizard, 1 Rogue/Cleric, 2 Druids, 1 Fighter/Oracle, 2 Sorcerers, 2 Witches, 1 Fighter/Ranger, 1 Monk and 1 Ranger/Rogue - so I am not really tied to any one class.) Personally, I am opposed to any class that is allowed to wield a dagger and any race with only 2 legs. Unfortunately this limits my selections to Commoner Driders which are usually not allowed in most campaigns.

I put the sticky outy tounge in my post, I was not really hating on bards.

me either. I'd love to see bards and rogues get mechanics allowing them not to be second class citizens, so to speak. the ninja and inquisitor were steps in the right direction, and a few of the recent bard archetypes make bards more viable, but it's still not enough to make up for the fact that a number of other classes simply fill the bard's niche better than the bard does.

that being said, I have no problem with people who want to play bards. character and fun are paramount and if bad mechanics don't detract from those things, more power to you.