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 Recent Posts
That seems ripe for applying a house rule. Chances are there might be something like that appearing in the Skulls & Shackles AP. Salt water spray is hell on ferrous metals. Untreated cars become buckets of rust rather quickly when exposed to it, like when you live in coastal areas. So I'm guessing in a seagoing adventure a lot of time needs to be spent cleaning and oiling iron and steel weapons to prevent corrosion.
"That's where it gets a little dicey. Damaris left without contacting us. None of the others were affiliated with us. What information we have is second-hand. What we do know comes from two sources." "First, an akaara called Io threw in with them and helped them escape. She traveled with them for a time before returning back to her tribe. She says they went south, out of the Marches and into the elven woods below the mountains." "Second, there's the people that contacted us wanting to get to the Hakar family and get them out as well. They called themselves the Sons of Jurnos. Supposedly they came from far to the south, from a city...a human city. Sounds like a fairy tale, but Jurnos was the twin brother of Jorin and the King of the South. So...well, there you have it."
Round 8: Gendo
Gendo, you regain consciousness, but are blinded and stunned. You lie in the snow, attempting to regain your footing. When you ask what's going on, it comes out a bit more like "Whassgnninon?" Jon, William, and Auric make their way toward the tower. Auric is just able to see through the doorway, as the form of the dwarf make its way up the stairs to the second floor.
Y'all ain't never gonna done have no friends no how if'n y'all keep talkin' yer leetist grammer all up round here. Prob'ly haven't got none now anyway.
Umm...she shows a lot of remorse. The whole reason she's involved with the cop and the doctor is so she can feed from someone who won't die when she does so, and to learn to control her ability so she doesn't drain someone dry when she does feed. You should probably pay a bit more attention.
Evram sighs. "Now mind you, this is a hunch, but it bears out when you have the facts that I do. I'll tell you what I know, and you can decide for yourself if it makes sense." "Grundar is a maggot. You show him a wound and he'll crawl into it and poke around. No. A maggot at least will clean out a wound. All Grundar will do is poke around and see where it hurts worst. Before his death, he liked to slum around with humans, make them as uncomfortable as possible...found a lot of sport in it." "On the day he was killed, the Inquisition burned two villagers. An uprising happened and was quelled. When it was over, certain folk were unaccounted for: The Baalite, Asheron; our comrade, Damaris; apparently this Aidan Hakar; a gnome bard by name of Dimble Daergal; and last, Shade Eventide." "Now they found Grudar's body in the middle of the floor of the inn in Dunshale. He'd been stabbed in the back with two blades. I hear whoever did him in gave them a good twist before they pulled them out. This happened on the same day that a man and his wife were burned at the stake. The Eventides. They die, Grundar goes slumming to poke at a raw wound, ends up killed, and the only son of the couple goes missing." "Of course, they'd have gone after him anyway. His mother was the offspring of a fiend, hiding in human guise. He's fiend-blooded. The Inquisition would have hunted him down as well to put to the torch."
"Well, you're not asking for much, are you?" asks Evram, as he settles on a stool and takes a pull from a nearby wineskin. "If that's how we begin, then here it is." "The Hand of Jorin fights for the sovereignty of the human race. Ultimately, the dwarves will grant us the freedom to choose our own leaders and live by our own laws. Once Jorin, King of the North, ruled these lands. Now the dwarves claim everything both above and below. They take what they wish and humans labor hard to keep them satisfied." "We harry the dwarves at every turn, taking from them to replenish what our people have lost. With the gods grace the dwarves will learn that keeping the yoke on us comes at too high a price. Any dwarven merchant or soldier that crosses the surface becomes fair prey."
Round 7: Gendo stirs slightly, but remains where he falls.
Jon plows through the snow to join the melee, preparing his scythe for the fray. Auric's swing does not connect, as he slips in his delivery, allowing Devrik to duck aside at the last moment. William pulls himself up over the top of the cliff and moves closer to the combat. "We have him now! If he refuses to surrender, send him the way of his evil companions! We shall prevail!" Devrik stays on the defensive, avoiding attacks as he mutters a brief spell, then vanishes from view. For a moment, the group looks around for any sign of him, then William calls out "There, he's in the tower, heading for the stairs," as he spots your foe.
I personally like the idea of combat taking a toll on the arena being a factor in the game, especially in a scenario like this that feels like a climactic encounter. Sure, the sorcerer can start throwing fireball spells willy-nilly, but it has a cost. PCs having to forgo savoring their victory so they don't go down with the ship can be fun. So at the heart of this entry there's a kernal of something really good. That said, it's something I'd come across and be likely to majorly overhaul with my own opponents and insert it into my own plot line, rather than using wholesale, keeping the ship as a precarious battleground.
As the group enters the barn, they find Evram and Ravenna still here, along with some others, though certain faces appear to be missing. More of them appear to be in the loft, bows in hand and eyes on the surrounding farmland. When you hand off the satchel, Evram seems both pleased and relieved. He gives the bag off to Ravenna, saying "Get back to the caves." She nods, then leads a shaggy horse from a nearby stall and mounts. Two others open the barn doors and she rides out at an ambling gate, heading east. As the doors are closed again, Evram turns back to your group. "We owe you thanks. Those will be of great help to us. Now I believe I owe you some information. Best ask me the questions directly again, so I give you exactly what you want, or at least what I know."
I've used the opening lines of "Jabberwocky" as an exercise to show students our innate ability to process language. The words are nonsense, but their position in a sentence and the way they're used still allow us to process their function if not their meaning. They're successful identifying nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives readily enough.
Round 6: Modified Initiative Order:
Gendo
Jon Auric William Devrik Gendo continues to lie senseless in the snow. Jon sends a sling bullet speeding toward Devrik, but misses his mark. Auric advances, slashing with the Baron's blade and scoring a slice across the dwarf's side. William's head pops into view over the edge of the cliff, looking slightly winded and a bit wild. "All down but one then, friends. Lay into him and victory is ours!" Devrik clutches at the wound in his side with one hand, taking an overhand swing at Auric with his pick. Auric knocks the blow aside with his shield, noting that the dwarf still possesses quite a bit of physical strength for a wizard.
I don't remember who that is, and I'm older than you. He's the pre-generated character that inspired the worst 6th level spell in D&D history.
I think the thing that clinched it for me here is the inclusion of 3.5 stat blocks. When I run 3.5 scenarios for my Pathfinder game, I take the time beforehand to update any NPCs to Pathfinder rules. Stock monsters are no problem due to the various Bestiary books, but monsters with class levels in this format means I have to drag out my books and calculate CMB, CMD, Perception scores rather than Listen/Search/Spot, etc, etc.
All the herbs and fungus contained herein have medicinal properties. They also are not found within the confines of the Iron Marches. When you do see them, they are usually brought in by gnomish or halfling traders and command high prices. There is also a jar of small, fine crystals, which you determine to be an alkaloid salt.
Round 5: Initatives Order::
Gendo
Morgrim Jon Auric Dwarven soldiers William Devrik Zapazarus/Ogre Gendo throws a punch at the dwarf, whose face is a mask of jagged, angular patterns, only to have his blow deflected by some invisible force surrounding his target. Morgrim swings his axe and catches the ogre in the leg, slicing deep through the muscle and grating on bone. The giant gives a bellow and collapses, his gnomish passenger giving a shriek of rage. The dwarven captain, voice full of confidence, orders the rest of his troops to advance and apprehend the gnome. Jon loads his sling, awaiting the outcome of the fight on the bridge. Auric plows through the snow toward the dwarf, pulling in beside Gendo to present a unified front. Two of the remaining dwarven soldiers follow Morgrim's orders, laying down their crossbows and hustling through the snow toward the gnome where he lies. The third crossbowman just stands there, rhyming words in dwarven. The one up beside Morgrim suddenly turns with a snarl and swings his axe at his own captain. The blade rings off Morgrim's armor, exhorting a startled oath from him. William shouts "Into the drink with the lot of you! Peace and freedom for the Marches!" Then there is the sound of a loud grinding noise, followed by a terrible groan that rises to a rumbling roar as the bridge suddenly dips into the ravine below, taking the dwarves, the fallen ogre, and Zapazarus down with it. Devrik, the outcast dwarf, backs away from Auric and Gendo. The heavy snow makes this enough of a difficulty that Auric and Gendo are able to attack him as he retreats. Again, the attacks are foiled by the dwarf's arcane defenses. After putting a bit of distance between himself and the humans, he raises his hand and pronounces a few arcane syllables, blasting a wave of colorful light at his two opponents.
Zapazarus' screams as he falls are growing fainter, but oddly appear to be moving away from the spot where he fell. William calls out "Damn it all, the gnome's floating away like a leaf on the wind! He's moving downstream at a good clip, but he's falling steadily." Thus endeth the round.
"Clear skies and gentle winds to you," bids Io. With that, she launches herself skyward again, winging in wider circles as she gains altitude. Your trip back to the farm is uneventful, but tiring due to the new-fallen snow. Your approach seems to be watched for, for as you approach the signal flag appears from the loft, indicating it is safe for you to approach.
This was why I mentioned that it was 2nd edition when I told the "death by door" story. No take 10s...also, no hard and fast rules about doing damage to objects with weapons. Hence, plenty of room for a DM to make up stupid rules on the fly that cause much sorrow which can later be turned into hilarity after the fact.
Yeah, the guy that did the wish perversion also made us roll attack rolls against inanimate objects, like doors. (This was back in 2nd ed.) We were also using critical hits and fumbles. One of our players will never live down the time his barbarian fumbled and accidentally killed himself while chopping through a door in a castle with an axe. "Killed by a door" is still the most ignominious death on our list of bad ways for characters to die. After hearing your tale, we'll have to add "death by soup" to the list.
I have a tie for the worst: First, going into a campaign with a new character, which you design with the established campaign in mind (i.e. an urban setting.) Then, once you're in the campaign with a character optimized for the setting, the DM turns around and changes things, leaving the character largely useless (i.e. as soon as the urban rogue/diviner designed as an information broker arrives, the party heads out into the desolate wilderness.) Second, the DM adopts on-the-fly house rules that are detrimental for the PCs. Example: All wish spells have drawbacks, no matter the source. So you wish your party out of the enemy stronghold, on board your ship, headed away from danger. *Poof* Wish granted. Oh, and you're all naked. You wished your party out of there, but didn't specify you wanted to take your gear with you. *snicker*
Aslak is correct. If you read down through the third paragraph of the Swarm entry it says "Swarms of nonflying creatures include many more creatures than could normally fit in a 10-foot square based on their normal space... ." Are you playing 3.5 or Pathfinder? The PRD clarifies things a bit more, with non-flying creatures taking up a 10ft square, while flying creatures take up a 10ft cube.
Initiative Order:
Gendo
Round 4: At Auric's prompting, Gendo moves for the other spellcaster, cartwheeling past the elemental and driving through the snow toward the dwarven conjurer. The snow makes the effort difficult and the elemental has an opening, swinging one earthen appendage at the monk as he goes by. Gendo takes a hard hit to the back as he goes by, continuing despite the pain and moving into combat range of the dwarf. Morgrim lunges forward, ducking a swing by the ogre as he moves under its reach. With his foe still bent down from its attack, he swings up in a high arc, catching the ogre in the shoulder with a deep slice. Jon moves around the grease, taking a swing with his scythe at the earthen humanoid. The attack glances off one of the rocky outcroppings on its body. Auric moves in on the elemental, taking a fearsome swing. The blade bites through earth and stone and the humanoid form crumbles, now nothing more than a pile of dirt on the snow. The dwarven soldiers, who have been acting crazy, seem to snap out of whatever strange malady that was afflicting them. They go back to following their captain's orders, with two of them double-timing it to form ranks with Morgrim, while the others take the round to reload their crossbows. William's voice continues to sound from nearby, a faint pained note in it, but otherwise still sounding strong. "Hold fast, comrades! I'm still here! Keep our enemies at bay a bit longer while I get the drop on them!" The elemental turns on Jon, taking a vicious, clubbing roundhouse that catches the druid in the ribs, blasting the breath from him. At Gendo's approach, the dwarf goes on the defensive, casting a quick spell before the monk can get the drop on him and drawing a pick from its holder on his belt. Zapazarus casts a spell at Morgrim, but the dwarf shrugs off whatever intended effect it bore. The ogre takes a mighty swing, catching one of the dwarven soldiers in the side of the head, his helmet crumpling grotesquely as he falls into the snow.
Several minutes later, Io returns, circling gently before coming to light again on the tree. "The wolves have put some distance between themselves and you. It's unlikely they'll return. Strange that you were attacked. The wolves in this area don't often attack humans or dwarves, unless they're starving. There is plenty of game in the area for them."
I like the aquaponics idea. Many of the buildings are fitted with cisterns and there is an advanced plumbing system in place (though it will undoubtedly need repairs) to make it viable. Biobeast mentioned trade routes and I was considering playing with a system that allows them to set up trade that will offset consumption, possibly adding BP with appropriate buildings. (After all, being able to bring an entire warehouse full of goods directly to where people want it most is a great advantage.)
I'm running a Golarion campaign and the party has just finished with Crucible of Chaos. If you're unconcerned with spoilers, read on. Spoiler:
The PCs are likely going to help the surviving Shory get the city airborne again, using it as a mobile base to take to adventure sites while helping the city rebuild to its former glory. I thought a fun way to do this would be to adapt the kingdom building rules from the Kingmaker AP. However, there will need to be some major changes to the rules, since the city is airborne and unable to annex surrounding lands for food, and Ulduvai will be the only actual settlement in their "kingdom." So my general question is this: How do I adapt the rules to such unique circumstances? I've a few ideas of my own, but I thought I'd pick the collective brain of the boards and see what pretties turn up. Thanks in advance for your help.
This guy had some good ideas. Since Lucas has such a penchant for redoing his films, maybe old George should hire him to redo Episodes I-III. He had me at "This is Obi-Wan's story." It's true. Obi-Wan Kenobi is a hero. Anakin is a villain in the making. Qui-Gon, while cool, is not the main character, he's the vehicle setting up Obi-Wan to be the hero, much like Obi-Wan is in the original trilogy.
It depends on how they are killed I would guess. I mean you wouldn't want to eat poisoned meat.Just think of how much fur we waste every year because people don't feel comfortable using cat or dog fur. I mean we put millions of dogs and cats to death every year in our "humane" centers and destroy their bodies. What a terrible waste, if we are going to kill them we might as well make some good come out of it. I think somewhere a native american is crying. Well, yeah, you'd have to change procedure. CO2 inhalation would be quick and painless.
Just think of how much fur we waste every year because people don't feel comfortable using cat or dog fur. I mean we put millions of dogs and cats to death every year in our "humane" centers and destroy their bodies. What a terrible waste, if we are going to kill them we might as well make some good come out of it. I think somewhere a native american is crying. I'm picturing a pimp in a Pomeranian coat for some reason... What about meat? There are people who supplement their diets with roadkill. There's plenty of edible meat going to waste with all those dogs and cats, that other cultures wouldn't blink an eye at using for meals.
Round 3: Initiative Order: Gendo
Gendo snaps off another kick against the rat in front of him and takes the rat in the side of the head. Cursing the gnome's magics, Morgrim orders his cogent men to advance on the ogre. Then he takes a shot with his crossbow before dropping it to the snow and pulling the dwarven waraxe from his back. The bolt takes the ogre with a glancing strike to the shoulder. Jon takes another swing at one of the floundering rats, slicing open its side. The rat ceases its struggles.
Auric takes a great overhand swing and separates the rat's head from its body. The dwarven soldiers' situation continues to deteriorate. As the one continues his yodeling, one of the dwarves that seemed prepared to advance with Morgrim turns and swings his axe at the yodeler. Most of the impact is absorbed by the dwarf's mail, but he is wounded. The other three damage themselves, one continuing to gnaw on his crossbow, the second striking himself in the face with the butt of his crossbow, and the last catching himself in the eye with the edge of his shield. William watches the dwarves take themselves apart with a look of disbelief. Then he speaks. "Fear not friends, for we can win this battle, so long as our hearts hold fast and we risk all without fear. Rally! We shall defeat them!" That said, He steps around one of the barrels and drops off the edge of the cliff. The last rat finally struggles up to its feet, giving Auric an opening to attack. The swing nearly cleaves the rat in twain. The feeling of victory is short-lived, however, as a small mound of earth rises out of the snow to the left of Gendo. It sprouts arms and legs, taking on a humanoid form about William's height. It lashes out at the monk, who narrowly dodges the swing. The ogre pulls another javelin and hurls it at Morgrim, only to have the missile splinter against the dwarf captain's mail. Zapazarus squeaks out a spell and four bright green bolts of energy lance out, piercing Morgrim's armor and drawing blood, though the dwarf stills stands.
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