I completely understand where you're coming from, Lorekeeper. Knowledge (local) tends to affect me the same way. In fact, I used to require that characters select a specific region that their "local" applies to. However, then I started to realize just how absurdly broad all the Knowledge skills are (playing a game set amongst the planes will make you realize that the craziness of Knowledge (local) is nothing compared to the craziness of Knowledge (planes)), and so I dropped that requirement. It's all part of the abstraction we have to accept in order to have a playable game.
What I tend to do now, though, is make the DCs for places really far from your usual territory a bit higher. Of course, high-level characters can get their bonuses up so high that the higher DCs don't make much of a difference, but then, in this game, you kind of expect high-level characters to pull off the absurd anyway. :)
Knowledge: Local can also recommend not only know specific bits of information about a town, but how town's in general tend to operate. Granted, this doesn't explain how somebody who has never been here before can roll an insane Knowledge: Local check and know that the mayor's second daughter has elven toes, and does tend to step on Diplomacy's information-gathering toes a bit (whether there are eleven of them or not).
Knowledge: Local can also recommend not only know specific bits of information about a town, but how town's in general tend to operate. Granted, this doesn't explain how somebody who has never been here before can roll an insane Knowledge: Local check and know that the mayor's second daughter has toes, and does tend to step on Diplomacy's information-gathering toes a bit (whether there are eleven of them or not).
Emphasis is mine.
I didn't realize it was a typo until I got to the bracketed information at the end. Personally, I like the idea that she has elven toes much better. ;)
Always happy to entertain the masses.
Personally, I like the idea that she has elven toes much better. ;)
+1 me too :D
In fact, I used to require that characters select a specific region that their "local" applies to. However, then I started to realize just how absurdly broad all the Knowledge skills are (playing a game set amongst the planes will make you realize that the craziness of Knowledge (local) is nothing compared to the craziness of Knowledge (planes)), and so I dropped that requirement. It's all part of the abstraction we have to accept in order to have a playable game.
See there, I'd have not stopped there, and simply created "Knowledge (planes, abyss)", "Knowledge (planes, maelstrom)", etc.
I think the game needs to adapt to how you play. If you make a campaign that is all about planes-hopping, then having separate knowledge (planes, region) skills makes a lot of sense. If the gist of the campaign features occasional outsiders, then a simple knowledge (planes) is sufficient.
Conversely, if your campaign is about traveling from one side of the world over three continents to the other side of the world... then knowledge (local, region) starts making sense again.
In my MSI game, knowing there would likely be an urban ranger character, it made sense tome to split Magnimar into districts. As that campaign will probably never leave the walls of the city, any urban ranger would take Magnimar at first chance, and never be able to use another favored community.
I could have gone with different Knowledge Locals, but instead created a mechanic that gives bonuses or penalties to that skill depending on the district on which you are remembering knowledge.
Hey. Didn't want to step on Corinna's toes. After all, I'd hate for Gilfroy to be the kind of character that's always popping up in every conversation. :)
By the way, how many days have we been out? I havn't been tracking our consumption.
This is day 5. See here.
I must say, I find all these labels of Gilfroy as "self-taught" inaccurate and insulting.
Wherever did you get this notion that Gilfroy has ever learned anything, no matter who the instructor?
I think it's just a condescending way to refer to people with natural talent by people who had to work for years to achieve the same mastery. :)
|
I always figured that gnomes, while naturally inclined to certain magics, must still practice them to become good at them. As children for instance, they would play games that used their innate magics. Try to follow the dancing lights or use speak with animals to convince an animal to do something like having a bird fly in a spiral pattern. They could have contests to make the most realistic, sturdy, or even outlandish item with prestidigitation. Certain gnome bards don't use an instrument, depending on ghost sound instead. Gnomes that work with animals take time to talk to them and get more out of them.
I totally agree. I meant that earlier post more as tongue-in-cheek than anything, as clearly Gilfroy has never learned his lesson once in his life.
Dax, assuming we don't have an encounter the night of Day 6, you can say Malan copied mount then. Don't forget to deduct the 10 gp from your character sheet again. We're going to have to find some treasure somewhere pretty quickly or Malan and Corinna will be bankrupt just from writing spells. :P
No worries, Dax. My best wishes to you and your family.
My apologies to everyone for the dead weekend. My weekends just seem to end more and more full all the time. Things will likely be a bit slow for the next few weeks. Exam time is rapidly approaching and my students are booking extra lessons.
It's getting to be the crazy time of year when everyone transitions into summer with the holidays, family trips and extensive bbqs, anyway. I myself am hitting the road once again to go to Nova Scotia on Friday and Saturday. I'll be able to post while I'm there but will probably be silent most of Friday while I'm driving.
Nova Scotia is a beautiful place (as Nazard, who lives there, will be more than willing to tell you all about). Whereabouts in Nova Scotia will you be?
I'm going to be just outside of Lunenberg, south of Halifax. My wife and I have rented a house on the bay over there for the week.
This'll be my second trip to Nova Scotia. I went out to Cape Breton the first time, which was lovely.
Where are you at, Nazard?
Halifax (Lower Sackville, actually).
Might I say, you've made a fine choice in selecting God's Country for your vacation. Just be warned, people that choose Nova Scotia for their vacations on a regular basis tend to end up moving here.
Might I say, you've made a fine choice in selecting God's Country for your vacation. Just be warned, people that choose Nova Scotia for their vacations on a regular basis tend to end up moving here.
As it happens, that's one of the things my wife and I have been contemplating for some time. The only thing that would stop us is not being Canadian and having to deal with the work Visa issues.
Just drove through Lower Sackville a few hours ago and waved. :)
At my rental now, so posts should be possible once again.
Oh, that freak was you??
Well yeah, but I was in disguise.
|
|
Navior, since my posting will be more sparse, you may want to stop using the caravan rules. As I recall, I was the only one that really wanted to use them anyway. It wouldn't be fair to you to continue with the extra work and I not be able to carry my share of the burden.
I've updated the caravan infromation to the 4th of Rova.
Read through the Goblins game and found it to be hilarious. Too bad you didn't continue witht he goblins through Jade Regent, I seem to recall a post on the boards here where the goblins were kept going through the JR AP. :)
Navior, since my posting will be more sparse, you may want to stop using the caravan rules. As I recall, I was the only one that really wanted to use them anyway. It wouldn't be fair to you to continue with the extra work and I not be able to carry my share of the burden.
I've updated the caravan infromation to the 4th of Rova.
Sure thing, Dax. I'll take full control of the caravan and make the mechanics a little more abstract.
Read through the Goblins game and found it to be hilarious. Too bad you didn't continue witht he goblins through Jade Regent, I seem to recall a post on the boards here where the goblins were kept going through the JR AP. :)
Glad you enjoyed it! We certainly had a lot of fun with the goblins.
However, I don't think continuing with them through Jade Regent would have worked in our case. The characters would have ended up killing each other eventually (or at the very least, beating each other senseless). I did make a point of including cameo appearances by the goblin characters (well, most of them) in our Jade Regent game just to add a little fun. I'm intrigued by a goblin group that managed enough cohesiveness to carry on beyond the single adventure. If it's a pbp group on these boards and I manage to find the time (doubtful, to be honest), I may seek them out and have a read.
Thanks for the kind words!
I had a hard enough time figuring out a motivation for a NG human to tag along as a supporting character on an NPC's personal quest of discovery; I can't imagine why a bunch of goblins would love Ameiko so much. :P
Everybody loves Ameiko! ;)
Seriously, I suspect the AP would need to be altered to remove Ameiko (and probably the other caravan NPCs as well). It could be done. The AP does make allowances for the death of Ameiko and the other NPCs. Nonetheless, a bunch of goblins carrying out the main quest could cause for some unusual and complicated situations.
Ameiko: "So I'm planning to leave Sandpoint to go on a mission of some uncertainty, you see I've this mysterious note that hints to a great but dire past in my family history and am planning to investigate this - in spite of warnings of great peril and an overpowering evil that all but wiped out my clan; it is very well possible, some say likely, that this malignant evil still clings to the last remnants of my family that it knows about - waiting... waiting... for one of us to return. Then to strike! And kill again! This is so much a fool's errant, but one I must do. I must know! Will you..."
NG PC: "Shutup you fool, you had me at 'leave Sandpoint'."
Goblin Version:
Ameiko: "So I'm planning to leave Sandpoint to go on a mission of some uncertainty, you see I've this mysterious note that hints to a great but dire past in my family history and am planning to investigate this - in spite of warnings of great peril and an overpowering evil that all but wiped out my clan; it is very well possible, some say likely, that this malignant evil still clings to the last remnants of my family that it knows about - waiting... waiting... for one of us to return. Then to strike! And kill again! This is so much a fool's errant, but one I must do. I must know! Will you..."
NE Goblin PC: [Stab! Stab!] Loot her corpse! Then we go steal her family's treasure! [Stab! Stab!]
Goblin Version:
Ameiko: "So I'm planning to leave Sandpoint to go on a mission of some uncertainty, you see I've this mysterious note that hints to a great but dire past in my family history and am planning to investigate this - in spite of warnings of great peril and an overpowering evil that all but wiped out my clan; it is very well possible, some say likely, that this malignant evil still clings to the last remnants of my family that it knows about - waiting... waiting... for one of us to return. Then to strike! And kill again! This is so much a fool's errant, but one I must do. I must know! Will you..."
NE Goblin PC: [Stab! Stab!] Loot her corpse! Then we go steal her family's treasure! [Stab! Stab!]
I approve of this version. :)
Everybody loves Ameiko! ;)
Seriously, I suspect the AP would need to be altered to remove Ameiko (and probably the other caravan NPCs as well). It could be done. The AP does make allowances for the death of Ameiko and the other NPCs. Nonetheless, a bunch of goblins carrying out the main quest could cause for some unusual and complicated situations.
Or maybe have the group do a parallel adventure where the goblins chase after Ameiko's group since they are convinced that great fortune will be theirs if they kidnap and ransom Ameiko(Great goblin god gave me vision that she is princess! We capture and ransom!)
Or perhaps a kind of Three Stooges version. Scribbleface has survived and is still deterimined to write the history of the Lictoads! So the goblin chief orders them to run him down even if they have to chase him all over Glorian! Cue Scribbleface taking refugee in various places where human PCs would go due to other plot requiresments. The Goblin PCs have to defeat oni and question the corpses on where Scribbleface has gone. The climatic battle would have Scribbleface as the Jade Regent's jester who cowers next to the throne whole holding the Complete History of the Licktoads! Can the group win and burn the book? or will every Licktoad end up getting their soul sucked out?
Ah, here is the WBG thing I was talking about.
http://paizo.com/campaigns/WeBeSomeBraveGoblins/gameplay
Thanks, Andrea1! If I get a moment, I'll check out the thread. I'm intrigued.
But so far, it's just We Be Goblins. They haven't even really started the trials yet.
Today's my last day in NS. :(
Anyway, just wanted to let you guys know that I'll be able to post again today but tomorrow I'll likely be away from the computer all day while I drive back to VT.
You can't kill Tevyn's horse! He hasn't even gotten around to naming it yet. Where's the pathos?
It's not dead yet! And as it's combat trained, it gets to attack on Tevyn's turn and inflict all sorts of revenge on the goblins. Well, dice willing. :)
A nice turn-around for Corinna this battle! :)
We'll have to see if Malan's sessions with Corinna have helped him or if he ends up unconscious again this encounter. ;P
Hey folks! The next two days are insane for me. I may not be able to update again before Friday.
No problem on my part, Navior. I've had a couple of crazy days this week so far myself.
Back! For a little while at least. I have some time today, but I'll be pretty much incommunicado for Saturday and Sunday again (although I might be able to get in a post Sunday morning or evening), then back again on Monday.
Tieren nods knowingly. "I feared the Tyrant would show up again. This is no ordinary tyrant. This person will bring great harm to many, many people. I fear this is no petty baron or local lord, but a ruler of a nation. Worse still, this card has fallen in the present, so the person it represents is already part of your lives, although you probably don't know it yet. You, Corinna, are most strongly affected, but your friends are as well. Its position in the unclear row, however, makes it very difficult to determine who this person might be just yet."
Obviously, Ameiko is fated to become the Tyrant Queen of Minkai. It will be Corinna's duty to kill her as soon as her bloodline becomes known in order to prevent her despotic reign of terror. Excellent!
And thus Corinna becomes the Betrayer. Gilfroy will have to slay her with obscuring mist to prevent such a tragedy.
"Ack! The mist! It's obscuring my airways! Can't ... breathe.... I...." /shatner
Why hello there, is this an empty throne for me to usurp? :D