In your first post please include some description of your character, so we don’t all have to hunt through each other’s profiles just to learn that the person we were assuming was a Caucasian American cowboy is actually a one-armed aboriginal circus acrobat.
Also, let's move all further discussion to this thread per Nate's suggestion, so the recruitment thread doesn't keep popping up for people looking for games to join.
If we move this discussion to the discussion thread the game will stop popping up where people see it...
Regarding tool kits- I get that; I'm just thinking that even at my wealth level if I spent (the equivalent of) thousands of dollars on tools I probably wouldn't have brought them to what I presumed to be a fairly typical funeral.
With that attitude you wouldn't bring a hand-crank electric torch prototype with you either. You could reasonably expect the matter of the funeral and will to take 5 to 6 days with travel, and perhaps planned to use it as an excuse to spend some relaxing time in the country shooting game and tinkering. Perhaps you planned to field test the light in the darkness of rural wilderness, and brought your kit so as to make any needed adjustments.
Yeah, I guess it's not that hard to explain. If I'm being entirely honest I think I'm just feeling cheap about letting my wealth level drop. I think I'll still be at 11 after purchases though, so I'll still be able to afford fancy hotels and fine meals. Out of curiosity, how wealthy does one need to be to have a footman (not looking for any help with skills/combat, just someone to take care of my stuff).
Background and equipment up. As well as an avatar image change.
To be clear for everyone, the expected posting rate for this game is at least 3 posts a week. I was hoping everyone would be able to get an intro post up this weekend, but obviously that hasn't happened. I'll be calling our stagecoach driver tonight to make sure he's set up here on paizo, and I'll move the action forward as soon as he and Loyie have posted at least once.
I apologize for the somewhat brief lead-in post, but wanted to get this thing started. The next several posts by me as I move things along will be more illuminating on the subject of your brief time in Helorus thus far.
For those who are new, we're going with formatting action/description in normal type, thoughts in italics, and dialogue "Bold and in quotes."
For example:
He walked up to the man, unsure of himself.
Should I say something? Probably... it would be much more uncomfortable to remain quiet.
"Hello there, good sir. How about this weather?"
He awaited a reply, what little confidence he had fading.
Did I err?
So I'm testing out the action, thought, speak:
Hapne walked into the bar.
What shall I have to drink?
"Sasparilla please!
Should non verbal vocalizations be actions: He twiddles his thumbs, humming a little ditty.
or split to dialog
He twiddles his thumbs.
<<humming a little ditty>>
Should non verbal vocalizations be actions: He twiddles his thumbs, humming a little ditty.
or split to dialog
I'd prefer it formatted the same as actions and included with rest of description, per your first example.
That's useful information, thank you, but it seems much more applicable to specific tasks than ongoing employment... Carrying and packing/unpacking my crap probably doesn't even require any rolls, so a guy with 1 rank in profession would be perfectly fine- so the purchase DC to have someone do it once would likely be 1-2, but I have no idea how that would translate to someone who would potentially travel with me and do it whenever necessary (and perhaps occasionally run minor errands like delivering a message to a telegraph office or getting something minor/simple from a store).
I could actually afford more than a long term bouncer or informant so it seems like a footman would be within reach?
Well, middle class Wealth range for 1875 starts at 4, so let's say:
Footman, poor quality, per month: 4
Footman, average quality, per month: 5
Footman, high quality, per month: 6
Footman, epic quality, per month: 8
When you get a chance, please format your character's profile in the following manner; fields not listed may be used normally. "X" is a filler for whatever your character's actual score/total/whatever is. This stuff will appear under your name when you post, and will help me as a quick reference guide when responding. Please note that your saves (F=Fortitude, R=Reflex, W=Will) should be the total of 11 + the character's normal save bonus (Chris, I've already figured that for you on your character sheet, so just use thoe totals.) The upright | line is made by using the 'shift' and '\' key combination.
Your maximum nonlethal HP is equal to double your normal HP.
Any questions, post 'em here!
Race: | Speed 30 | Action Points X
Classes/Levels: | Active Effects: X
Gender: HP current/maximum (current nonlethal/maximum nonlethal) | AC X / Touch X / Flat Footed X | CMD X | F X R X W X | Initiative +X | Perception +X / Sense Motive +X
So here is my attempt at modifying profile as per your specs
Looks good! Anybody has any problems, see the format on Louie's profile and mimic it.
I believe my tags should be properly formatted.
Also, I'll take a good quality footman. Do you want to come up with his name/personality/backstory or shall I? And how do you want to work it when I have tasks for him? I ask and you write his response; I write his parts in my posts; or, we try to keep him completely 'off camera' and use the discussion thread to assign him tasks?
I modified my profile. I put reputation bonus in as well. I will take out if you want me to.
@Thom: I'll PM you about the footman.
@Oculus: Good call!
If everyone can add in their Reputation bonus to their info after Sense Motive that'd be great. Totally skipped it when referencing my pathfinder format. Thanks!
pending final GM approval, my valet, Mr. Wright, shall be checking in on me from time to time. He is not at the funeral but I'll give a brief description at some future opportune time.
added reputation
Thom, I believe your will save is wrong, you have a +3 due to class, when it should be +2. Please feel free to review my math as well.
thanks. i actually had that correct and when i added it to the tags i was so stuck on the pathfinder progression that i thought 'i forgot to increase it at 2nd level'.
I'm going to progress the gameplay thread tomorrow whether or not we've heard from our fourth.
@thom Yeah, I was looking at our saves, and I took iron will, and high wis, I though mine was wrong, because we were close.
Is the casket open? If so I would like to take a long hard look at Dr.P.
Also what does "dot" mean?
"Dot" is a term used in the forums for making a post that's sole purpose is to start following a thread (so you can find it easier later and/or see when it's been updated).
I told Chris to "dot" this thread, thinking that the game would then show in his campaigns tab. Apparently it only shows on that tab after you post in gameplay.
"Dotting" is the term for posting in a thread just to make it more noticeable in the forum lists etc; people will also just post a '.' to do so, hence the term.
*ninja'd
To have someone ninja you means that they have posted a response/answer to a question posted on a thread while you were typing your own response.
PBP technique questions:
1)Who do I post discussion as?
2)I've managed to avoid opening the spoilers for perception/sense motive checks, makes it easier to keep player/character knowledge separate, but are they considered similar to dm to player notes or just a benefit of the online spoiler option as opposed to everyone at the table being told "oculus you hear/notice" and then having to play without their character being any wiser?
Setting question:
Trying to finalize gear/wealth, and unsure of the general hospitableness in upstate ny to a black traveller? Am I better off having cash to pay for a rough room/meal or to spend it on a bedroll and rations to be self sufficient? As its a historic fantasy trying to figure out if I can trust a general acceptance or if in honor of lovecraft folks are defacto racists?
Realized my setting question might by answered by a character skill check, streetwise and or current events as well
PBP technique questions:
1)Who do I post discussion as?
In character is generally easier.
2)I've managed to avoid opening the spoilers for perception/sense motive checks, makes it easier to keep player/character knowledge separate, but are they considered similar to dm to player notes or just a benefit of the online spoiler option as opposed to everyone at the table being told "oculus you hear/notice" and then having to play without their character being any wiser?
My intent is to indicate which characters are aware of the information. I have no problem with everyone reading them if they're able to keep player vs character knowledge separate; if you don't trust yourself to do so, then don't read them.
I plan to use spoilers for instances where the party splits up as well, just to make posts easier to read and keep track of.
Setting question:
Trying to finalize gear/wealth, and unsure of the general hospitableness in upstate ny to a black traveller? Am I better off having cash to pay for a rough room/meal or to spend it on a bedroll and rations to be self sufficient? As its a historic fantasy trying to figure out if I can trust a general acceptance or if in honor of lovecraft folks are defacto racists?
I don't have the time right now to research this, but folks will be no more racist than historically accurate. That said, my assumption is that most people in upstate NY are anti-slavery and all for the rights of African-Americans in theory, but are probably a mixed lot when one actually shows up on their doorstep. I imagine many people, while anti-slavery, are probably not actually down with treating them as equals for all the usual racist rationalizations, ie they're baser than whites in reasoning ability and temperament, they haven't been raised to be properly civilized, etc etc.
Will have new Gameplay post up tomorrow.
Thom, you have no idea who the man in the bright blue suit is.
FYI At this juncture (confrontation at the graveyard) I'm assuming the only people who are armed are Louie (as he's carrying all his possessions with him; I'm willing to allow that his pistol is in a holster or stuck in his belt) and Oculus (his cane hooked somewhat awkwardly on an elbow as he struggles with his corner of the coffin.)
Not sayin' y'all are gonna start a fight, but just in case you do, I wanted to let you know where you stand armament-wise.
Chris, this would be a point where a skill check might be called for depending on what you want to do, if anything. I believe that you are the most likeable/diplomatic of the party members; if you wanted to try and reason with Mayer and his posse, you would post some dialogue so that I have the general gist of your tone and tactics, then behind a cut/spoiler you would include a Diplomacy skill roll. Instructions on how to generate die rolls and spoilers are underneath the box you enter your post's text in: just click on the 'Show' button at the end of the line that reads 'How to format your text'.
If anyone has any questions, post 'em here; I'll be checking off and on all day.
Louie walks up to stand beside the preacher.
"Doc Pallaver wasn't a devil, he was a good man, understood family, knew that folks could be better than what folks expect of them. Speaking poor of the dead, particularly at their funeral, ain't a very right thing. What's got you so worked up that you can't be decent to the dead and their people?"
You can go ahead and give me a Diplomacy check there, Louie.
@All: Generally if you feel a skill check is called for due to an action on your part, go ahead and throw it on the end of your post in a spoiler/cut along with any ooc notes/clarifications on your action you feel are necessary. I'd like it hidden behind a spoiler so that it doesn't break the flow of the gameplay thread. In my games I usually put such ooc info behind a spoiler labelled 'Behind the Scene', but label it as you see fit.
Also, Louie's post here is exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for if you're attempting a social action, i.e. Diplomacy, Bluff, or Intimidate.
Trying out the Diplomacy as a dice tag
Trying out the Diplomacy as a dice tag
[dice=Diplomacy]1d20
That's some pretty good diplomin', Louie. If anyone would care to chime in to try and give him a +2 assist bonus, please do so. I plan on advancing gameplay on Saturday morning if nobody else takes an action before then.
@Chris: In many situations you can attempt to "aid another," giving them a +2 bonus to their roll. Usually this requires a similar roll from you against a DC 10; in this instance, if someone backs up Louie with a Diplomacy check that gets a 10 or higher, it will boost his roll by 2 to a 20.
When aiding another the best you can do is provide them with a +2, even if your roll to assist is actually higher than their original roll.
Chris claims that he's going to assist Louie's diplomacy, so I'm giving him 'til the morning.
With no backup to Louie's words, the angry mob has decided upon violence!
We'll be using block initiatives, which means that allies and enemies will be arranged into groups for order of action. Individuals within a group act in the order they post, not in the order of their individual initiative results.
Thus, in the current combat, Gustav goes first, followed by all the members of the funeral procession in whatever order those actions are posted in, followed by all the rest of the members of Gustav's mob.
I feel this helps game flow, as the whole party won't be held up by a single slow poster, and in practice actions are more difficult to post out of order.
Gustav's 'Behind the Scene' spoiler is an example of how I'd like dice rolls and ooc action details posted. I first generated all the dice rolls for Gustav's actions and 'Preview'ed the post to see the results, then added in the narrative text to match his die rolls and 'Submit'ted the post. The website 'remembers' your die roll results as long as you don't add new dice rolls in between existing ones.
Post any questions here, and good luck!
FYI I was thinking for keeping track of in-round sequencing, we would use ROUND X / Order Y, with X being the current round number and Y being the number of your initiative block.
Or maybe we should do ROUND X / Initiative Block Y for clarity's sake?
Let's do ROUND X / Block Y.
Also, each encounter which goes into round-by-round actions will have a separate name, such as the current . Feel free to preface your round/block with the name, but it's not necessary.
I'll be botting anyone who hasn't posted actions for ROUND 1/ Block 2 by midnight Wednesday, so get your posts in!
I don't know if it is possible to assist Louie in his intimidate check, but that is what I would like to do with my post. If not I guess it would be my own Intimidate check.
Is it worth taking improved initiative with how we are doing it currently?
If you want the best chance of acting before your enemies, then yes.
I think I screwed up. Would I be able to take 10 on the sleight of hand checks to conceal items on my person?
Yes, you would.
I think you can take 20 to conceal items on you if you have enough time...