Ok guys, here's our discussion thread.

How are you, Kruelaid?

I'm fine, thank you, and you?

Kruelaid, what is it with you and pork and babies?
Remember your last post in the Thoughts of Darkness Game Thread. Mwahahahaha!!! Evil Laugh

Morning all. Mmmmmm ... it's got that clean thread smell.

HELLO! HELLO! HELLo! HELlo HEllo Hello hello hello

Wow it's empty in here

Morning all. Mmmmmm ... it's got that clean thread smell.

Assuming we don't get stabbed up by Paper's old family retainer, do we have any kind of rough idea what we might do next? I was thinking of having Isat (helped by Modius and Paper as the face guys) talk to the wounded as a bit of a priority.

Also, I'm thinking I need a bit of clarification about how my skills and such work. It's true that Isat is never going to be a front line man except by accident (and he's an arrogant git, so that could happen), but I'm a little unclear on how he actually heals. Is it all done off the Healing skill or what? Herald? Can you shed any light?

Just burbling aloud really.

Aye. My sense motive leads something to be desired. Hopefully my retainer isn't holding a grudge. :)

I made Paper to be a taciturn veteran with post-traumatic stress syndrome, but I think my inner babbling is making him more talkative than I first imagined. I think that Modius would be the better face though, I am still a bit distracted and surly to play Mr. 'nice nice'

If the man doesn't want to talk after you heal him Rosey... let me at him. I'll make him talk.

Isat has pretty good face skills, but Paper owns the house and as an ex-soldier might have more personal clout than a wandering Persian doctor and a larcenous ex secretary.

Hroth's option is always good too. Guy won't talk, deck him.

I was thinking of describing to the man in detail the process of transforming a man into a eunuch.

As long as you don't tamper with my scalpels that's just fine.

I think using a blunt heated knife is better to drive home the point that he has to talk.

Red - man has to be conscious before he can talk. Haven't had a peep out of him yet.

You're taking the joy out of life.

Someone has to be realistic around here. If he doesn't utter, you can have your fun. You're the one with the experience in that department. Isat mostly just patches people up. Mostly.

Torturing the victim?
Are you serious?
Did you notice the big guy with the hammer getting all attached?

About party planning. We need to give Rob some time to catch up. He seems to have less time to post than we do.

Just Red and Isat having a little sick fun. There's no way Isat could stop Hrothgar (or Rufinus) from doing anything they wanted to - they're both much bigger and stronger than him. Which applies to practically everyone.

Of course we must wait for Rob - just doing a little random speculation and (in my case) wondering what I can do in practical game terms with my slightly wacky set of skills and non-abiliities.

Wow, Herald is seriously AWOL.

Anyone have his e-mail?

If his connection has been anything like mine the last couple of days, he may have been posting and getting eaten.

I've relived the same moment on numerous threads trying to get init rolls and such up there.

Lord knows there are all sorts of web gremlins about

Well, that's a week with no Herald.

Anyone heard anything? Seems a shame to have this one fizzle.

Right. Wife's permission or no wife's Permission I am going to take over as D.M If at least two of you give me an "Aye".

A week is long enough in Limbo. If he wants his game back, he can ask me nicely. I will check in here in a few hours to see if any of you want to continue with me in charge. I can run any game well at a moment's notice. I have been D.M.ing since 1989.

I await your ayes. I will do this well. I will not be striving for pure historical accuracy, but will rather make things my own. If you want to add depth to the setting, feel free to add whatever you want and I will run with it.

If you vote me in, I will start up again in a few hours. I can easily adapt to what you all do, so don't worry about getting ahead. No rails here. Post as you see fit will be the whole of the law.

You've got my vote. I would've stepped in myself but I just started DMing a new game and I am new to this whole PbP thing. Paper eagerly awaits his adventure!

One more "Aye" and I will be good to go. Thanks.

Yes from me. With the following proviso.

I have no clue what Herald was planning to do with my character. If we do continue, could we take a look at Isat (communally) and decide what if any skills he's got?

It's going to be hard to play him if I don't know what he can do.

Patrick. Let me know how you envision your family house. I am going to place it in a crowded tenement area, but it does not have to conform to the surroundings. The only requirement is that it have a courtyard or square in front, where lots of plebs loiter.

How many rooms?
Furnishings?
Supplies?
Staff?
Security?
Climate control measures?
Neighbours? (proximity, quantity and type)
Garden or plants?
Toilets?
Water supply?

Rev. Glad to have you aboard. Your skills are up to you. As long as you avoid anachronism, anything you want out of the SRD is yours. If you want to convert your character to anything less restrictive, go for it. Do what you need to do to get something you are excited to play. I need to review characters, so could everybody please post once, here in character so I can have a look and get a feel for what you are all trying to accomplish?

To the Internet! Typical Roman house floorplan Gawd I do love modern computing.

As for furnishings, I would imagine that Paper's family as a Plebian rank family of ancient lineage would have a display of the wax face death masks of their ancestors along the vestibulum. Paper's family has fallen on hard times in recent years, so I imagine the furnishings would be sturdy, but not in the current fashion. As for staff, I would image Zalmoxis would be a major domo and there would be a slave staff of perhaps a dozen to run the household. For security not much besides a stout door. Constantinople should be lawful enough that Paper's family shouldn't need a private security force. There would likely be a water hookup and a running water toilet. The Peristylium would be planted with herbs and ornamental plants, also perhaps some small fruit trees. The neighbors could be almost anything, I would leave that to your discresion, though I would imagine that Paper's family would try to stay among the higher-class of Constantinople.

For Isat:

Adepts have spells. I think historical accuracy flies right out the window as soon as spell casting is allowed in the open, so we have a few options:

1. Historical game.
Magic is not a part of the game world.
Any magical talents become exceptional abilities, rationalised.

2. Mythical historical game.
Like Ars Magica, Magic is a hidden, but viable part of the game world.
The game is still not D&D crazy, but supernatural stuff does happen. Because of social and religious pressures, people who have mystical abilities disguise them as best they can. In this sort of world, Isat could wait till he is alone with the patient, cast a cure spell, and then say that the wounds were not as serious as hoped. Take bluff as a skill and max it.

3. Historical flavour on D&D standard.
I think none of us really want this. We are attracted to this particular PBP because it is different.

Seeing as Isat is the only mystically able character, I will let you decide for us whether you want 1 or 2.

Thank you Patrick. Your family is wealthy. This will carry with it a slight drawback. You are known in the city, whether you want it or not. You are also a representative of the family. As far as strangers are aware, you and your family are close, unless you have had the lapse of reason necessary to have an argument in front of a slave, in which case everyone will know you don't have backing after all. I need to know from you. Why have you not been staying in this house? What is your standing with your family?

I will start up the PBP tomorrow. Let's give Kruelaid and Radavel a chance to chime in what they want with this game.

Thanks to both of you for getting fired up again on such short notice.

I look forward to this immensely.

I had actually assumed that Paper WAS staying in the house while in Constantinople. Paper has his disagreements with his family, but he is such a believer in old Roman values that he would NEVER openly disagree with his father, the Paterfamilias. That was almost unheard of. His beef runs mostly into the 'fair weather' Christianity that his family has assumed to remain in good standing with the Imperial elite. Paganism is not yet outlawed, yet Paper's family profess public Christianity while still honoring the old gods in private so as to keep in the good graces of the social elite. This smacks of rank hypocracy to Paper. He doesn't agree with it, and he has gotten in arguments with his father and brothers over it, but he would never say anything openly derisive of his family.

For Isat:

Adepts have spells. I think historical accuracy flies right out the window as soon as spell casting is allowed in the open, so we have a few options:

1. Historical game.
Magic is not a part of the game world.
Any magical talents become exceptional abilities, rationalised.

2. Mythical historical game.
Like Ars Magica, Magic is a hidden, but viable part of the game world.
The game is still not D&D crazy, but supernatural stuff does happen. Because of social and religious pressures, people who have mystical abilities disguise them as best they can. In this sort of world, Isat could wait till he is alone with the patient, cast a cure spell, and then say that the wounds were not as serious as hoped. Take bluff as a skill and max it.

3. Historical flavour on D&D standard.
I think none of us really want this. We are attracted to this particular PBP because it is different.

Seeing as Isat is the only mystically able character, I will let you decide for us whether you want 1 or 2.

Option 2 seems easier to manage mechancially, and would be interesting to rp, but it could also raise areas of faff. Just slightly fewer of them.

I'm not really a fan of option 3 (good guess).

Isat is high I, W, Ch and feeble in all other ares. If he's a magi, that makes some sense, it would be a kind of combination of clerical healing/sorcerous ability to the outside eye.

If you want to go with option 2, I would prefer it. If one were going to run a game with no magic, it would need rules I don't have, like the d20 modern stuff. I can easily run a magic lite version of D&D where it is still possible to have strange creatures lurking in the shadows and wizards in their fastnesses hiding from the churchmen.

It will be up to you to give plausible excuses for any supernatural stuff you pull off. I don't think anyone in the party has any motivation to call you a witch, but secrecy could be a fun thing to play. Go for a straight adept out of the DMG. Tailor it to your needs and let us see the result.

To your starting equipment, add a jar of keoghtum's ointment.

I will change three things:
1 All spells will have material components. If the spell does not normally require one, make one up.

2 Spells can be whispered and cast subtly. You can make a bluff check whenever you cast a spell to avoid notive. There is no DC. It is an opposed check by the sense motive of anyone watching who has reason to be looking closely at what you do. Your best bet is to use diversions.

3 You will need to think through the mechanics of any spell you cast, and get some cool fluff for each. Look into the sympathetic magic idea,and old persian occult traditions. You are in charge of the flavour of your magic. Get it in line with the period. Feel free to use a grab bag of different traditions.

You can take sleight of hand as a free skill, used to palm components without being spotted.

People who are trying to catch casters usually don't know what to look for. Being a doctor is a very good cover indeed, since few know more about medicine than they would about magic.

Let me know what spells you have memorised. Feel free to change class if you want.

Old rules are off the table. I am a very free wheeling DM.

I think healing should not be instantaneous. It should add HP over a period of rest. Easier to balance and easier to keep hidden.

Thanks! That's probably the easiest way to do it. Being a strange foreigner helps, everyone will expect him to be odd. Zoroastrian too, which is good cover because everyone knows they're wierd. He's quite snarky anyway, which is also useful. Who wants to talk to a smartarse?

Will keep the doctor thing and see what I can find spellwise that fits into a plausible package.

For Patrick.

In that case, the house is as you left it. There is only one slave attending the house in the absence of your family. The rest of the staff have been sold to raise capital for a sea voyage to Alexandria run by your older brother, Rhanus. He is impetuous and arrogant and is challenging your family to diversify into the slaves and dye trades. The house itself has not been sold, because the patriarch of the family likes it. He hopes to move here and is glad to let Paper stay there in exchange for a letter a week. Paper has been offered money to start a commercial concern. He has refused it. The furnishings are mostly in the few rooms that have not been sealed off. The old slave was born in the city and was returned to his hometown as a reward for good service. He does not like you because you make him have to run a household by himself in what he thought of as a cushy reward posting.

Zalmoxis is very fond of Hashish.

Sounds good! I eagerly await restarting the game.

Taliesin - how does Read Magic fit in here? Currently I'm looking at using the following, which could all have natural causes

0 level Touch of Fatigue (mat comp - sweat - nice eh!)
Ghost sound (mat comp - wool or wax)
? - was wondering about Read Magic, but if so, what will it
do and how will it do it?

1 level CLW - on your suggested slow burn system (mat comp tear drop)
Sleep - (mat comp - pinch of sand)

Steering well away from anything that could look overly flamboyant.
If the Read Magic thing is a pest and I can see it might well be, I'll go with Cure Minor Wounds instead, which will have the same material component as CLW.

Waiting on Radavel and Kruelaid for their benedictions.

I would like everyone to let me know of any edits to their characters.

I'm all for jump starting the game.

OK. Getting there. Sorry to be a pest.

Can I have any Feats at all? Suitably flavoursome ones obviously. Adepts don't which is a big pain and also makes me inconveniently useless as a PC for a long time.

Also - languages - are you OK with me sticking to the originals with this? Seems reasonable that he's learnt a lot of them and guy almost has to be literate in his line of work.

Human feat.

Starting feat.

Background feat.

Adepts can get bonus feats as per wizard.

Whatever you guys want to do is fine with me.

I don't know what Herald is up to, sometimes when a guy disappears it's because of bad news, but if he doesn't post to let us know there's been trouble then I guess he doesn't really have it in him to run a pbp.

Beeler beat cancer since I started in his and he checked in to let us know what was up. Herald's hard to read.

That's an 'aye'.