Thanks, and I was really confident about the item too; will have to see in the critique thread what they didn't like. Maybe I'm just unlucky and made the keep pile but not the final commit. Maybe there's a crucial flaw.
Always next year :)
If it's any consolation, Lore, I find it interesting how many former Top Whatever people, who were all praised for their design-fu and mojo in years past, got nothing but Lame - SIAC - Reject this year. (I'm thinking particularly of Marie Small, who Clark was shocked not to see on the list of winners based on her work last year, whose item didn't even get a single weak Keep this year.) Just goes to show making the top 32 has a lot more to do with hitting on an item that resonates with 3 or 4 judges than actually having some indefinable innate freelancer-ready quality. I think the following rounds of short deadlines and public critique are a lot more valuable in the winnowing process.
Honestly, there's really a small percentage of the top 32 from every year that I've ever thought, "Hey, that's neat" about. Most of them are things none of my PCs would ever be interested in. (Nothing personal, Jatori; I don't even know what yours was last year. I can't keep up with it all until it gets sifted down to the top 8 or so.)
Color me entirely not shocked that yours was a monk item, though. ;)
No worries, I live and learn; and I have similar reservations about most of top32 every year. The judges tore apart the item; so at least I know what they didn't like. I'm trying to follow-up with them a bit, as some of the critique does not make sense to me - with a bit of luck I'll get a better idea for next year.
I liked the name though :(
Hah! And shows what you know: I made a non-monk item last year! Hah!
(Nothing personal, Jatori; I don't even know what yours was last year. I can't keep up with it all until it gets sifted down to the top 8 or so.)
No worries. Not every PC wants to cut others just to watch them bleed :P
Also, I thought this was supposed to be a ninja item, not a monk item :)
Caulder flips the coin, catches it in the air, and slaps it on the back of his wrist.
Sadly, I had to double-check with my husband exactly where you're supposed to slap the coin down before the big reveal, because every time I've flipped a coin in real life I've been unable to catch it and had to chase after it and read it off the floor. I figure, even with a 10 Dex, as a PC, Caulder is qualified to be cooler than I am (and most likely, given my history with hand-eye coordination, still has a higher Dex).
I literally lol'ed at that. It's not too late you know? You could pick up some basic hobby or sport that develops hand-eye coordination. Maybe shoot some hoops (using a basketball ball ;P). Play darts. Or try to flip a coin at least once a day. It's definitely a worthy skill to develop - think of it as a party trick ;)
We still on init 10, if Caulder wants to, um, 'cheer' Pagrip on?
Cheering you can do whenever you feel like posting.
'Cheer'ing you can do on initiative 10.
I should add, to be fair, that I don't consider 'cheer'ing a lawful act - interfering with the proceedings of a match without being a contestant - not that it necessarily has immediate fallout.
Man, being Lawful is boring. This is why I never play this alignment. Caulder can't do anything clever or unexpected; he has no skills; all he can do is attack and heal. I'm getting by on amusing myself with dialogue. :P
hehehe - it makes for entertaining reading for me at least. If you read the rules and regulations of the knivesies match, maybe you can find some unaccounted for loopholes or provisions.
Knivesies is simple to play. Two contestants stand on opposite ends of a long wooden table. Their right hands are strapped together with a boiled leather strap, belt pouches are fitted to their waists, and a dagger is stuck in the tabletop between them. The game begins after a count of ten, during which time observers can place bets by tossing gold onto the table and standing at the end of the table where their chosen fighter stands.
There are two ways to win Knivesies. You can either force the other contestant to fall off the table, or you can grab for the gold and drop it into your pouch. Since each opponent has only one free hand, the first round is typically a mad lunge for the dagger, forcing the slower opponent to make grabs for gold. There aren’t any more rules beyond this; most Knivesies games devolve into tabletop brawls, with the first person to drop or touch the ground losing.
The game ends once a contestant is unconscious, dead, or knocked off the table; as soon as no coins remain on the table; or as soon as any coin is knocked off the table. When the game ends, an unconscious, dead, or de-tabled contestant is automatically the loser. Otherwise, the winner is determined by which person has the most coins in his pouch. At the end of the game, all money is emptied from the pouches back onto the table. Half the total is paid to the winner, while the remainder is split evenly among all of those who stood at the winner’s end of the table.
No rules explicitly prohibiting involvement by bystanders. That didn't even take thirty seconds. Obviously not a lot of lawyers involved in drawing up the regulations. :P
The messageboards of Old Korvosa must be full of threads debating RAW vs. RAI: "OMG! Another exploit! Knivesies is broken and full of fail! Did they even playtest this game?"
"One of the devs is cited saying only gold coins count, any silver, copper or platinum do not count towards your total."
"Other dev says that the gold-rule only applies in Northgate district."
Why is no one talking about the pirate-scallywag disparity? The Northgate ruling totally nerfs scallywags! Why don't the devs just admit they're blatant maritime fanboys?!
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Magnimar Champion to face all comers this Sunday! Promotional waffles sponsored by Calistria's Cushion establishment for the discerning gentleman.
This would be a good time to whine about DM not giving PC's enough coin to kit themselves out for encounters that have way high CRs. :p
As example. I put forward one flunked wizard dwarf against a Tenjo Tenge super fighter (google images "Tenjo Tenge Bob Makihara" for interested in pictures of what is mauling the dwarf). :D
To be fair, you were running Esmerelda at the time, so it's not like he was there.
To be fair, you were running Esmerelda at the time, so it's not like he was there.
DM is a meanie that way. ;_;
This is getting sadistic, LoreKeeper. How much more do you want to humiliate the party? :P
:D
...is not my fault the three spectator-PCs cannot find a way to even the odds.
What? So you can have a fallen Cleric and Paladin to torment for not being Lawful enough?
No, thanks. Caulder will just stand around making small talk and failing skill checks, like he's been doing since October. ;P
There is no right answer. Only a choice of wrong ones.
Mm. He seems like such a sweet guy as a player, but it's all just a cunning ruse, isn't it? ;D
Bah. This is obviously not a regulation match. I plan to submit a complaint to the board of governors at the Varisian Knivesies Federation. Knivesies without a raised surface? What next? Replacing the coins with wooden tokens, or the dagger with a wand of shocking grasp? You might as well try to play football on a basketball court. With a baseball ball.
C'mon Lore. You not still miffed about that run in with the Dire Elite Advanced Dire Wolves are you?
lol@Avianfoo: dude, you never going to live that down. That wasn't a battle. That was a railroad.
Anyway, Pagrip might not have the upper hand, but he's holding his own. He's only facing a CR 1 encounter (human fighter 2) - but of course the combat here does favor the specialist.
...and because I'm a nice guy, I'll mention that I do make circumstance adjustments - as in if the crowd favors one combatant, that gives a certain rallying effect that can make a +1 bonus happen here or there. Just cause Ten, Caulder and Esmerelda aren't getting beat on, doesn't mean they not "in" the encounter.
Oh, no. That would be non-lawful if we attempted to give our side an edge. Why is a +1 circumstance bonus not cheating and a +2 morale bonus cheating?
Caulder doesn't see any difference between Inspiring Word and just yelling, anyway. I've fluffed it as a mere side effect of his Intimidating personality and not a self-consciously supernatural effect. Doesn't seem to fit his down-to-earth personality to get all mystical and 'Oooo, Abadar will now speak through my voice.' He doesn't think he's doing anything but giving instructions. Refer to previous examples. If he's cheering, he's Inspiting Wording; if he's not Inspiring Wording, he's remaining strictly impartial.
The difference is that I decide when and if a circumstance bonus applies. :p
And in this case it is sporting, because both sides can do it. It's the difference between giving your favorite man an orange juice at half-time, or a injection of adrenalin or performance enhancing drugs. Both actions can benefit the contestant - but one much more so than the other. The former is generally acceptable as it falls under the social contract of sporting events (and is thus perfectly lawful) where the later is instilling an unsporting advantage in the competitor and is thus not lawful.
In character, Caulder has no clue that there's a difference between cheering and "cheering." In his mind, when he's using Inspiring Word, he's just talking; he has no clue anything non-mundane is going on. If someone tried to explain to him that it's a "domain power" to which he has access, he'd think they were nuts. He doesn't make a conscious decision to use a limited-use power. The distinction is meta, not in-game.
So, no, he's not going to get involved and get dinged by his deity for something that in nonsensical to him. Although I'd love to see Abadar sit down and try to explain to Caulder what exactly a domain power is and how many uses a day he gets of it and how he should engage in wise resource-management.
Wouldn't that mean that in character Caulder has no apprehension to use his cheering as he'd not understand the ramifications of his spoken words? At least not yet.
Absolutely. And if you had never told me that you would consider it unlawful, he would have done just that and been none the wiser. But as I have no interest in playing out the unbearable godawful drawn-out drama of losing cleric powers and atoning, I'm metagaming shamelessly. :P
If you hoped to screw me over, you have no one to blame for losing the opportunity but yourself. ;)
hahahaha - like a single infraction would result in much more than a slap on the wrist. I'm not interested in screwing any party member over, but I do enjoy opportunity to develop depth to characters. Is an excuse to expose say Caulder to a visit from Cobblehoof in his dream, for example.
Same basic idea of why I give circumstance bonuses (and more XP) for good posts - it helps make the situation more dynamic and interesting. It's about telling a story.
Oh if only somebody had somehow provided a +1 circumstance bonus to Pagrip's bull rush... :p
Oh if only somebody had somehow provided a +1 circumstance bonus to Pagrip's bull rush... :p
Except that it would have been a +2 morale bonus. :P
Anyway, Esmerelda's cheering. What is she, chopped liver?
I have characters that I would enjoy exploring issues of alignment and atonement with. Caulder is not one of them. He amuses me because he is shallow. There's no depth there. If he was somehow made to understand what he was doing when he was using Inspiring Word (which would take about a month's worth of dreams and a dry-erase board and a pie chart), I wouldn't want to play him anymore. He's fun because he's oblivious. If he's just another cleric using domain powers, what's the point?
Hi, chopped liver over here. We only get bonuses if the post is good enough. Meh.
Have Esmerelda flash Bob to distract him. That'll net you a +1 circumstance bonus.
+2. At least.
Well, both Caulder's 2nd-level domain spells are lame. I hadn't even looked to see what they were. :P
Anyone have any suggestions for a feat? I haven't a clue what to do with him; none of the choices reach out and grab me.
EDIT: Everyone still has 10 platinum from the bribing money, correct, in addition to what the field marshal just gave us?
Hey, I was going back through the thread, trying to figure out what the date is in-game, and I totally forgot about this
"This is a time of great need for Korvosa, swiftness is of the essence - correspondingly, each of you is granted a symbol of dexterity. You can call upon it while the need for haste is still great." Four cards spin out of the deck and circle Zellara once, twice, then move forward to settle infront of each of the four heroes.
"Esmerelda, you receive the Locksmith. You may call upon it three times. The Locksmith represents a new destiny. Once victim, now paladin, the future knows there is even more slumbering within you. Your blood, it will call to you."
"Caulder, behold the Crows! You may call upon them only twice. The Crows know what you have lost, for they are the ones that have taken their fill of you."
"Tendrizu, you are blessed with the Cricket. A symbol of luck that offers you the certainty of quick passage. You may call upon the Cricket three times."
"Finally, Pagrip, you again receive the Juggler - for fate loves you, even when you are tossed about by its fickle bonds. Know that fate grants you alone the ability to call upon the Jugglers four times."
Calling upon your symbols:
You can call upon your symbols several times, as presented in the text above. Calling upon a symbol is a free action. You can use them as follows:
Reroll a single dexterity check, initiative check, dexterity-based skill check, reflex save or dexterity-based attack roll. The new result is final, though you can spend additional uses to reroll again.
Gain +1 dodge bonus to AC for the duration of one encounter. You can spend up to three callings in one encounter on this benefit.
Gain a +10 bonus to your base speed for the duration of one encounter.
Don't know if anyone else had forgotten it as well. It was back in August, so.... :P
The Field Marshall takes note of the hour, "Time is pressing, don't let me detain you. Oh, and priest Caulder, I would appreciate a written report on All the World's Meat after tomorrow - if you can find the time."
You realize there's no Campaign Journals section on the website like there is for Jade Regent, right? ;)
EDIT: Everyone still has 10 platinum from the bribing money, correct, in addition to what the field marshal just gave us?
Indeed :)
Don't know if anyone else had forgotten it as well. It was back in August, so.... :P
I know Ten was considering using one of his; and if Pagrip had Weapon Finesse I'd have suggested that to him during the match with Bob. :)
You realize there's no Campaign Journals section on the website like there is for Jade Regent, right? ;)
Your information is outdated and obsolete :P
Campaign journal is up.
That's one sharp report
Anyone have any suggestions for a feat? I haven't a clue what to do with him; none of the choices reach out and grab me.
Power Attack? Warrior Priest? Toughness?
Persuasive.
extra channel? :p
A new feat that lets you reroll all "1"s on a channel?
Considering the trouble he's had with attack rolls, I think it's too early for Power Attack; no point in making him even less likely to hit. Warrior Priest I've considered. Extra Channel is always useful, but he's not really the nurturing type. Toughness is the most boring feat ever, but it did once make my wizard the sole survivor of a TPK by less than 3 hp. Persuasive? When a 31 Intimidate doesn't have any effect, there's no point throwing good money after bad.
Advance notice: I'm going to be traveling for a week, starting on Wednesday. Should still be able to check in from the road most days, but next Sunday I'll be at the Grand Canyon, and my understanding is that there's no internet access there at all. Will be back to normal the following Wednesday.
Don't know if anyone else had forgotten it as well. It was back in August, so.... :PCalling upon your symbols:
You can call upon your symbols several times, as presented in the text above. Calling upon a symbol is a free action. You can use them as follows:
Reroll a single dexterity check, initiative check, dexterity-based skill check, reflex save or dexterity-based attack roll. The new result is final, though you can spend additional uses to reroll again.
Gain +1 dodge bonus to AC for the duration of one encounter. You can spend up to three callings in one encounter on this benefit.
Gain a +10 bonus to your base speed for the duration of one encounter.
Yeah, I totally forgot about it, too. :)
Considering the trouble he's had with attack rolls, I think it's too early for Power Attack; no point in making him even less likely to hit. Warrior Priest I've considered. Extra Channel is always useful, but he's not really the nurturing type. Toughness is the most boring feat ever, but it did once make my wizard the sole survivor of a TPK by less than 3 hp. Persuasive? When a 31 Intimidate doesn't have any effect, there's no point throwing good money after bad.
Advance notice: I'm going to be traveling for a week, starting on Wednesday. Should still be able to check in from the road most days, but next Sunday I'll be at the Grand Canyon, and my understanding is that there's no internet access there at all. Will be back to normal the following Wednesday.
Looking at Caulder's stats... Improved Unarmed Strike opens up some style feats at level 5. I can see Caulder learning Monkey Style :P
Enjoy your trip.
Drive safely! :)