I apologise for my absence. Too much in RL...
I will have limited internet access Sept 2nd - 5th. Attending DragonCon again this year. Is anyone else attending?
While I'll be offline on the 4th and 5th, it won't be for DragonCon. As much as I'd like to make it to a convention, I still haven't been able yet. I'll be ushering in the Fall Season this weekend with my dad, as he and I will be off camping in the mountains.
Okay, I'm taking next week off of work. Not traveling or anything, but since my comp recently crapped out, my posting may be slower and sporadic until I get it fixed (hopefully shortly), while I'm away from my work computers.
Right now, you guys are at a point where I'm just waiting for a decision. There are requests/suggestions floating around, but nothing declared.
This is the worst part about low level dungeon dives. "The Rest Time"
Martial and skill-based characters are like "can't we just press on" while the healers and casters are all "sure, if you want to die a horrible death".
Brennan will grudgingly accede to stopping.
Just a quick note that I'll be camping this weekend (leaving tomorrow morning) and I'll be off 'Ye Olde Grid' until Monday. Happy to go along with whatever the group decides for our current course of action though!
Hmmm, I think I'm a little conflicted on Surubi's opinion here. She doesn't want anyone hurt (especially when Chephren is out of healing magic), but she also doesn't really know (or want) this Omenhotep guy around... I think she will acquiesce to whatever Brennan wants to go with, as he seems to her to be sensible (if gruff).
As a player I know Omenhotep joining is a necessity (in that he's a new player joining as best as I can tell), but Surubi is sort of stalled out on that idea.
So it seems like everything hinges on Brennan's game post... :-)
I'm back! You guys are welcome to make your decision as to what to do as if Omen weren't factored in. He'll just follow you anyway until you accept him into the group. =)
So my computer issue is an inop laptop motherboard. So my options are limited to buy a new one, or replace/fix it for close to the price of a new one. Ugh!
Sorry for my continued absence, but on top of my computer being out of commission, I'm in a class for work all week. So, I am unable to post from there either. I should be back to it by Sunday.
I am on travel through wednesday. I may or may not be able to post daily. Please move on without me if needed.
So did the night go uneventfully or did something occur? Looks like we stalled here.
I don't think we've stalled in particular, Aard has been slammed of late and all his games are essentially in a waiting pattern.
And given that bit of slowdown, I don't expect this to have much impact, but I did want to give everyone a head's up that I'll be off camping this weekend and won't have access to the internet or phone signals or anything else really. I'll be heading out Thursday afternoon and won't be back until sometime Monday.
Yes, sorry, my broken computer has really bogged all of this down for me. Sadly, there will be something that happens at night, and so I will need to set up the events. I'm trying to get things sorted, and ideally will be able to use the upcoming (US) holiday to post a more thorough update.
Sorry, got pulled into a class I wasn't expecting this week for work. I have limited time.
It appears that Gabriel may not be around. I looked at posts, and the last time I've seen him post anything was early Sep. I will PM him and see if he is still around.
I'm going to have Surubi act as Surubi, buuuuuuut is there a deliberate effort going on to get rid of Malik and Gabriel? That is, how much should I (the player) take into account out-of-game concerns in what's going on when I craft Surubi's reaction?
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Real quick, no deliberate effort. I do not like to use the kill method of removal via fiat. If they die in game through my good/bad rolls while DMPCing them, then that is by the dice. Story wise, I prefer to have them exit the scene. I think it is vengeful to kill them off as an easy write off from the campaign.
So, Suru being Suru is the best thing to do in this or any scene.
I have been and will be a little sporadic up to a little after Christmas. Holidays, family, and all that hoopla. I will make a post today for certain.
Also, looks like we are down to 4. What's everyone's opinions on adding more? If yes, 1 or 2, more?
I'm not sure what OmanIsteppedinit's build is like, but I think we have a pretty decent group right now. If we add any, I'd say only 1, but that's just my 2c.
Omen's just a sorcerer, Brennan. So nothing too fancy apart from his bloodline (void touched). =)
As far as our team's effectiveness is concerned, I've only been present for the dang kaiju centipede, and that fight was over before Omen could even do anything!
Family is in town this week for Christmas through the 29th or so, so my posting may be spotty at best. I'll try to check once per day and post if I can, but no guarantees.
I think adding 1 more is fine, but I'm also fine with playing with 4.
Adding another or not, I am fine either way.
Sorry for the delays. I've been dealing with the effects of the blizzard we just had here. I will have a post up well within the next couple hours.
No worries. Same here, though at least we didn't lose power or internet.
Okay, Malik has finally reached a spot where I could write him out. I have been PM'ing Gabriel, and he was out due to sudden RL doing what it does. He is considering whether he is able to return or not, considering my games tend to not have a demanding pace, so I'm keeping him with the group until I hear back from him.
Any previous party members that have left the group, written out the way I try to, allows them to be picked up as cohorts when the free leadership feat is granted (9th level), and must still be based off in-game interactions working toward adopting them as cohorts.
In Omen's eyes, everyone's his cohort! =P
Surubi's eyes twinkle a few moments as she writes the note. She knows the innkeeper will know who he is. Nobody could miss those pearly-white tusks. Or those big, strong muscles. She'd heard he was still around town somewhere...
I figured that would get Suru's attention, though I couldn't begin to imagine who she has in mind.... ;)
Suru, not sure if you saw it, but I sent you a PM.
Internet is down for 2 days. Please DMPC me as necessary until I can get back
FYI - I will be travelling tomorrow through Thursday. I may be able to post, but I may not. PLease feel free to DMPC my character if necessary.
I am back, and should be catching up on regular posting in the next few days.
FYI - I will be travelling from Thursday through Wednesday. I doubt I'll be able to post at all, but I may be able to check in occasionally. Please DMPC me as necessary.
I am considering introducing a new houserule and would like your opinions on it.
The basis is about adding more skill points in the form of each class getting a rank single specific class skill equal to their class level.
For example: a 3rd level wizard would get 3 free ranks in Spellcraft, a Cleric in Knowledge Religion. A multiclass character only gets them for the levels in the classes they have Ftr 3/Rog 2 would get 3 in intimidate and 2 in Knowledge Local.
If you all agree to this, then it will become retroactive, and any points you may have already spent in your specific class skill will be returned to spend elsewhere (since you would have already had the class skill).
Brennan - Knowledge Local
Chephran - Knowledge Religion
Gabriel - Knowledge Religion
Omenhotep - Knowledge Nature (based off your Bloodline skill)
Surubi - Survival
TLDR: It's power creep, but I approve.
While I generally don't mind power increases (and extra skill points are minor power increases), it does change some character dynamics and significantly affect balance by giving away a scarce resource (skills), especially given that some characters/classes have very little of that resource (e.g. most clerics and sorcerers--2+INT on a non-int based class). It also avoids some pitfalls/challenges a character or party will face due to lack of said skills. Knowledge skills especially allow characters to act more appropriately in given situations--the classic example being a character that normally would use his longsword in a fight switching to a club against skeletons because he "knows" that bludgeoning works better against them. Recognizing or knowing a game mechanic effect (assuming that players do not metagame knowledge that the character would not have) can drastically change an encounter.
On the other hand, there are many things that certain characters probably _should_ know due to their background/profession/etc., but that players do not take for the character due to the lack of skill points available. Knowledges are often in this category, as is, for example, swim/survival/heal. Why do these get passed up? Again often game mechanical advantage--usually because they want to have a strong showing in one or two "more" used skills (like perception/diplomacy/stealth/intimidate etc.) that give them a combat advantage or prevent a disadvantage.
Regardless, one skill rank per level in a skill that is assigned by class and not chosen by the player is certainly not game-breaking (I've played in plenty of games where players got a free rank in a profession, or where (for example) halflings get free Profession: Cook etc.) and I don't think that skill based characters were significantly disadvantaged or lost balance due to the change, so I think this house rule would be fine.
I love me some skill points and I will never say no to free ones.
That said, is Knowledge (nature) most appropriate for Omen, or do you think Knowledge (planes) could work given his void-touched archetype and his ties with The King in Yellow?
I am fine with this type of adjustment to skills. Two of the table top games I am in have started using the background skill options for this very reason.
I will plan to reassign my to skills points from Knowledge (Religion) to Knowledge (History) +6, which will benefit from the trait Devotee of the Old Gods.
Omen, in looking at the skills for who would get what, there are only two classes where the result was a variable. Oracle and Sorcerer.
Oracles get class skills based on their Mystery, and Sorcerers get a bonus class skill based on Bloodline. I didn't realize Oracles get so many in some cases at first, but decided it would likely be the one that best matches the Mystery itself (e.g Ancestor gets Knowledge History).
For your Bloodline (Void-touched), the skill is Knowledge Nature. That said (as I was surprised it wasn't Planes as well) I realized that stars and the void of space are not other planes.
I think Nature is the closest skill to Astronomy (based on the designers giving the skill to Starsoul). To track the solar bodies and constellations, you have to be versed in Nature. Since yours is the void, it is the dark empty space between those solar bodies, which can likely be tracked very much like the stars themselves.
I rarely complain about character-specific hooks and skills. In fact, it can help make people more involved with their character.
Okay, since it looks agreed upon, everyone remember to add/rearrange your skill points to account for the class-specific rank/level.
very well. Will do that as soon as I have access to HeroLab again.
Knowledge (nature) ranks added!
So, in doing some of my own research for my home campaign, I've learned that some skills specifically say they are 'rolled in secret' since you don't know if you succeed or not until it comes up. Among those are Disguise, Disable Device (but not for opening locks) and Linguistics (to create forgeries). I feel like more should be, but that's for my home games, so I will keep those as is.
As such, for the above listed rolls, let me know you intend to do them, and your modifiers, and I will do the 'secret rolls'.
FWIW it might be easier to let us roll the checks, without telling us the DC for the secret rolls.
Yeah, you're right. Thinking of the logistics, it just means two more posts for the one action.
As the long as players are not metagaming their decisions based on their results, it's not an issue. It's more of a table issue, where you see people decide to roll for themselves after they see the initial roller roll low.
I will be traveling from Sunday through Friday this week. I will have internet access in the early morning and late evening, so I should be able to post daily, bu if you need to move on, please DMPC me.
Travelling most of today, should be back online tomorrow (Thursday), then may be missing through Sunday. DMPC if needed.
okay, I'm back!