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DMDM's Way of the Wicked, Part II: The Dark Tower

Game Master Douglas Muir 406

Villains! You've committed acts of great and terrible evil. But now comes your greatest challenge yet. You must find and take control of the Dark Tower, and unleash horror upon the Kingdom of Talingarde.


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New campaign won't start until next week, but let's get this up here for now. No posts on gameplay yet, please.
Male Human Oracle (FC) 15 Init: +8 Perc: +0 AC:24/14/20 F:+13 R:+14 W:+15 HP:124/124 Freedom of movement, Resist Cold/30, Air Walk 30'

Dotting...
M Tiefling Magus/Rogue;
Statistics:
HP 169/169; AC:37/21/29; Saves: +22/+23/+20; Init +10; Per +28(See Invisibility), CMD 42
Misc:
Effects: Resist Cold 30, Fly 30', Telepathic Bond

1d20 ⇒ 15 spellbook away!
M DEAD!! KILLED BY EVIL EVIL DMDM!! Rogue1/Barb (Feral)1 temp hp 14/17 and 9 con (HP 24/25+4 when Raging; AC21/17/15(-2 Raging) ; CMD 16 (18 Rage) Fort +4(6); Ref +8; Will +1( 3); Init +6; Perception +5/6 for Traps; Darkvision

Just a lonely goblin here nothing to see
Male Vampire(former Dhampir) Bard(Negotiator) 13/Anti-Paladin/2 - [HP 209/231; AC43,FF36,T22; CMD32; DR/10 magic+silver; F+28,R+29,W+26; Per+31; Init +12]

Dotting the OOC thread unfortunately does not make it appear in your Campaigns list. Can we dot the Gameplay?

Wait for it. I don't want to start the gameplay thread just yet. (And when I do, I may post non-interactive cutscenes for a day or two, by way of warming up.)

Edit: Hm, that raises a thought. Does anyone have a cutscene they'd particularly like to see? As in, what's going on somewhere else, or with someone else? No promises, but if you have an idea and it fits, I'll see if I can work it in.
Male Human Oracle (FC) 15 Init: +8 Perc: +0 AC:24/14/20 F:+13 R:+14 W:+15 HP:124/124 Freedom of movement, Resist Cold/30, Air Walk 30'

Dren would like to see the misery and destruction that was done to Balentyne as we march out with the army. I think it would be a fitting tribute to our efforts to further the cause of the dark ones.
Male Vampire(former Dhampir) Bard(Negotiator) 13/Anti-Paladin/2 - [HP 209/231; AC43,FF36,T22; CMD32; DR/10 magic+silver; F+28,R+29,W+26; Per+31; Init +12]

Anything dark, undead, and troubling. As I plan on taking the next vampire feat next level, I am going to then be a weak undead, so it would fit in. Perhaps some graveyard has suddenly begun to spawn undead, or some Mitran adventurers opened an ancient crypt and found restless undead inside.

Not sure how it would tie in, but I am sure you could work it in and it would help tie my descent into things.
M DEAD!! KILLED BY EVIL EVIL DMDM!! Rogue1/Barb (Feral)1 temp hp 14/17 and 9 con (HP 24/25+4 when Raging; AC21/17/15(-2 Raging) ; CMD 16 (18 Rage) Fort +4(6); Ref +8; Will +1( 3); Init +6; Perception +5/6 for Traps; Darkvision

the misadventures of my new character :)

but mainly the ghostly adventures of Bref and Xen in the flat in purgatory

but as for something you might do!

The reaction of the rulership of talengarde how does the goodly king react when news is delivered
Male Human Oracle (FC) 15 Init: +8 Perc: +0 AC:24/14/20 F:+13 R:+14 W:+15 HP:124/124 Freedom of movement, Resist Cold/30, Air Walk 30'
Bref wrote:


The reaction of the rulership of talengarde how does the goodly king react when news is delivered

+1!

Vitals:
LD14, Cav 1 INIT:+4, AC:34 (39)/FF:33/T:16, HP:283/216, F:+24 R:+14 W:+17, P: 10
Skills:
Bluff+8,Climb+12,Dip+8,Disg+8,Han An+9,Intim+30,Kn(Nobil)+18,Kn(relig)+8,Perc+10,Ride+10,Spellc+4,Surv+6,Stea lth+8

Ohhhh.... Maybe I can get my standard out there? You know, word of mouth is the best advertisement.
Don't think it deserves a cut scene though.

+1 to Dren and Bref.
Male Human Oracle (FC) 15 Init: +8 Perc: +0 AC:24/14/20 F:+13 R:+14 W:+15 HP:124/124 Freedom of movement, Resist Cold/30, Air Walk 30'

I recommend we keep the hat of disguise as a party type item. Under certain circumstances several different characters can find it very useful.

Dren has the best disguise by far but is not the best liar. Which means I can look like anyone but can't necessarily pull it off.

Cy has a much better bluff so she can be more convincing but people have a better chance of seeing through the disguise. She also has disguise self as a spell and can make a few scrolls if needed to replicate this ability. Could make some of those for Dren then maybe we don't need the hat...still think we should keep it just in case.

Jax could also use it as well as everyone else in certain cicumstances. I think we should just hand it around to those that need it.

The Haversack should go to the one that will be able to use it the best.

Not many other items of interest but we should make sure anyone that claims anything does it now.

Any other thoughts?
M DEAD KILLED BY DMDM Lore Warden 2/Arcane Duelist 3
Stats:
HP 4/45; AC 20(25 w def/CE)/16(21)/14; CMD 19; Init +5; Perception +4; Fort +7 (8 vs Poison), Ref +9, Will +3; Fire Res 1; BP 10/12; Spells Lvl 1 3/4 Initiative +5

Currently I believe judge snagged the haversack, jax took the hat and boots. So neither of those was sold
Male Human Oracle (FC) 15 Init: +8 Perc: +0 AC:24/14/20 F:+13 R:+14 W:+15 HP:124/124 Freedom of movement, Resist Cold/30, Air Walk 30'

Dren actually grabbed the hat...or at least I posted first :] but as I mentioned I think it makes a viable party item so I am not too worried about it.
Unnamed

Oh that's right. Well I was dead so I couldn't remember
Unnamed

Dmdm you should totally write a book. I would read it.

On another note you would be pleased w the delemma I gave my JR crew. They are in the lick road village and found a hit with goblin children in it who were cowering in the corner.

Some of the party said kill them others said lock them in and leave them and another is talking about adopting them lol. It's awesome
Male Human Oracle (FC) 15 Init: +8 Perc: +0 AC:24/14/20 F:+13 R:+14 W:+15 HP:124/124 Freedom of movement, Resist Cold/30, Air Walk 30'

I remember my Paladin in Kingmaker having the same thoughts about the Kobolds. They are LE so he wasn't sure if he could trust them. Eventually he gave them a chance since they hadn't shown themselves to be destructively evil. They are now part of our kingdom and one of their tribe is on my ruling council.

Of course Gobbos are a completely different animal :].
MiniGM wrote:

Dmdm you should totally write a book. I would read it.

Aw. -- Well, feel free to comment and speculate about the cutscenes. There are a couple more, and then actual gameplay should start sometime next week.

MiniGM wrote:


On another note you would be pleased w the delemma I gave my JR crew. They are in the lick road village and found a hit with goblin children in it who were cowering in the corner.

Some of the party said kill them others said lock them in and leave them and another is talking about adopting them lol. It's awesome

Oh, the "goblin children" problem is almost as old as D&D. It was simpler (if more gruesome) back in the day when monsters were monsters, all evil, no exceptions. In PF, it's canon that everyone has free will, even if some races seem to favor certain choices more than others.

Trying to set up and run a goblin orphanage could be amusing...

Doug M.
Dren of the Dark Tapestry wrote:

I remember my Paladin in Kingmaker having the same thoughts about the Kobolds. They are LE so he wasn't sure if he could trust them. Eventually he gave them a chance since they hadn't shown themselves to be destructively evil. They are now part of our kingdom and one of their tribe is on my ruling council.

Cutting a deal with the kobolds is just one of many things to like about Kingmaker. It's possibly still my favorite Paizo AP. I thought Wrath of the Righteous might edge it out, but I was a bit underwhelmed by the ending of that one.

Doug M.
M Human Bard 1

High-level endings are difficult to write, and particularly to write well. Plus you pretty much have to tailor them to your party. Kngmaker has the advantage that a lot of tailoring has already taken place in its sandbox environment.

Oh, I agree. And writing an ending to a mythic campaign where the PCs are 19th-20th level with 8-10 mythic tiers must be hard piled on hard.

That said, Richard Pett seemed kind of tired in this one. The horror seemed by-the-book, and he repeated himself a couple of times. And the final boss fight was "the boss shows up with a bunch of balors and stuff, and you fight". Um?

Meanwhile, Gary has provided rules for building evil organizations of minions. They rules only come into effect when someone (1) has the Leadership feat, and (2) has a combined Level + Cha mod equal to 10 or higher. Only Jax has Leadership yet, and his Cha mod isn't high enough to make him eligible yet. However, eventually the rules will come into play, either because Jax will reach 10th level (sooner if he gets a Cha boosting item) or because someone else will take Leadership next level (assuming you survive). So, I'll post the first part of the rules here, to give you an idea of how it works, and I'll post the whole thing a bit down the line.

Building Your Own Evil Organization, Part 1:

Would it truly be a villainous campaign without minions? I think not. But keeping track of an organization can be a tedious affair. So, with this optional system we abstract the paper work and help you skip the bookkeeping and instead get back to the glorious business of evil.

How do I build an Evil Organization?

Mechanically, the answer is take the Leadership feat. When you take the Leadership feat you receive a cohort as normal but instead of receiving followers, you become the master of an evil organization. If multiple PCs buy the Leadership feat they must choose whether they are each starting their own organization or if they are pooling to form a council of villainy.

There are advantages to both. Councils can hit higher target numbers but control can be an issue. Individual groups are weaker but there is no question of control.

The Six Ability Scores

Much like a PC, an evil organization has six ability scores that define them. Every score ranges from -5 to +10. These scores modify both action and skill rolls.

Where a PC has Strength, Organizations are Ruthless. Ruthless is the ability to get violent things done. If Ruthless ever hits -5, your organization cannot take any violent actions.

Where a PC has Dexterity, Organizations have Secrecy. Secrecy is the ability to conceal your organization and its operations. If Secrecy ever reaches -5, your organization becomes a household name in Talingarde.

Where a PC has Constitution, Organizations have Survivability. Survivability is your organization’s ability to survive adversity. If Survivability ever hits -5, your organization has ceased to exist.

Where a PC has Intelligence, Organizations have Connections. Connections is your ability to get nonviolent tasks done. If Connections ever hits -5, your organization can take no skilled actions.

Where a PC has Wisdom, Organizations have Espionage. Espionage is the ability to acquire information others don’t want you to have. If Espionage ever hits -5, your organization can take no espionage actions.

Where a PC has Charisma, Organizations have Loyalty. Loyalty is your minions devotion to their masters. If Loyalty ever hits -5, your organization falls apart.

An organization’s scores start at zero. Each master with a positive charisma modifier has that many points to spend increasing the scores. No score can initially be raised above +4. After creation, changes to charisma no longer effects scores. Scores change from game effects
and when a master gains a level -- a master then adds +1 to a score of their choice. No score may ever exceed +10.

Actions

Actions represent an evil organizations ability to get things done. Every week you may command your evil organization to perform actions. The maximum number is determined by adding the leader’s level + current Charisma modifier and then consulting this chart.

Level + Charisma Mod. Actions per Week

9 or less 0
10 1
11 1
12 1
13 2
14 2
15 3
16 3
17 4
18 4
19 5
20 5
21 6
22 7
23 8
24 9
25 or more 10

If the evil organization is ruled by a council, every leader contributes his actions to a pool. That is the total number of actions an organization may take per week.

The Action Check

When an action is performed, this usually involves an Action Check. This roll is the relevant score plus a d20. A Secrecy Check, for example, is d20 + Secrecy. Every action check will have a target number assigned by the Game Master. To succeed an Action Check must equal or beat that number. A natural 1 is always a failure. A natural 20 often improves the checked score. Target numbers are assigned by the Game Master based on difficulty given the current circumstances:

Target Number Descriptor
8 Easy
12 Average
16 Difficult
20 Very Difficult
25 Almost Impossible

Meanwhile, a couple of housekeeping questions.

1) This campaign may involve some documentation -- dungeon stuff, NPCs with stats that are accessible to you, a gazetteer of the town, the rules mentioned above. Does anyone have ideas for an easily accessible online space to post these sorts of things?

2) Is anyone besides MiniGM reading the cutscenes? (Lurkers?)
Unnamed

I think a google doc is the easiest way

Let me know if you want me to make one and you would just have to post the link for us
Male Vampire(former Dhampir) Bard(Negotiator) 13/Anti-Paladin/2 - [HP 209/231; AC43,FF36,T22; CMD32; DR/10 magic+silver; F+28,R+29,W+26; Per+31; Init +12]

I just finished reading through all of the cut scenes, took a while. Sweet write ups and descriptions.

I also already have a Google Drive share set up for this campaign if you want to use it. I will set it up so that DMDM can add/edit it and everyone else will be able to read it. I can also make the reading publicly available as DMDM wishes.
Douglas Muir 406 wrote:

Meanwhile, a couple of housekeeping questions.

1) This campaign may involve some documentation -- dungeon stuff, NPCs with stats that are accessible to you, a gazetteer of the town, the rules mentioned above. Does anyone have ideas for an easily accessible online space to post these sorts of things?

2) Is anyone besides MiniGM reading the cutscenes? (Lurkers?)

Lurkers most definately are.

Dark Archive
Douglas Muir 406 wrote:

Meanwhile, a couple of housekeeping questions.

1) This campaign may involve some documentation -- dungeon stuff, NPCs with stats that are accessible to you, a gazetteer of the town, the rules mentioned above. Does anyone have ideas for an easily accessible online space to post these sorts of things?

2) Is anyone besides MiniGM reading the cutscenes? (Lurkers?)

1) Dropbox, if it's available in your location. HTTPS links to whatever you want. Alternatively, Google Drive? Those concerned with privacy could use anonymous/throwaway Gmail addresses.

2) Most assuredly.

/lurks
Douglas Muir 406 wrote:

Meanwhile, a couple of housekeeping questions.

1) This campaign may involve some documentation -- dungeon stuff, NPCs with stats that are accessible to you, a gazetteer of the town, the rules mentioned above. Does anyone have ideas for an easily accessible online space to post these sorts of things?

2) Is anyone besides MiniGM reading the cutscenes? (Lurkers?)

yep

M DEAD!! KILLED BY EVIL EVIL DMDM!! Rogue1/Barb (Feral)1 temp hp 14/17 and 9 con (HP 24/25+4 when Raging; AC21/17/15(-2 Raging) ; CMD 16 (18 Rage) Fort +4(6); Ref +8; Will +1( 3); Init +6; Perception +5/6 for Traps; Darkvision

I find google drive/docs quite convenient as anyone can edit them. Since judge has one made perhaps we can use that. He could also create a loot spreadsheet that would allow bus to keep track of that as well
M Tiefling Magus/Rogue;
Statistics:
HP 169/169; AC:37/21/29; Saves: +22/+23/+20; Init +10; Per +28(See Invisibility), CMD 42
Misc:
Effects: Resist Cold 30, Fly 30', Telepathic Bond

I've been loving the cutscenes as you post them! Reminds me how much we have to HATE that damned halfling and hate that we didn't kill him when we had a chance. Damn morality!

I make use of Obsidian Portal's wiki for my games for posting lots of information. Google docs allows easier editing but other than having a mess of links to other docs, I don't know if there's a way to easily have all the information connected. Unless you just use one long document.

It's not the prettiest thing, but using the free option has worked well enough for me. Example
Male Human Oracle (FC) 15 Init: +8 Perc: +0 AC:24/14/20 F:+13 R:+14 W:+15 HP:124/124 Freedom of movement, Resist Cold/30, Air Walk 30'

Since I didn't have a campaign dot I didn't realize you starting posting the cut scenes until now.

Great read, I feel like I am reading a novel where we are the central characters but you keep breaking away to show what the major players are doing!

Looking forward to picking this back up. Google docs works pretty well. You can also use Google Sites:
https://sites.google.com/site/dmstevesserpentsskullcampaign/
This is my Serpents Skull site. We don't use it much but it can be helpful.
They already have this template you can copy and set up and then invite people to it so you don't have it exposed to everyone.

Of course I have to share it with you...so you would need to PM me your address and I can send you the share link so you can look at it.

Okay. Thanks to everyone. It'll be a little while before this is relevant, but if you live, it will be.

Meanwhile, another question. What exactly happens when I tick the "This campaign is no longer active" box over on the other campaign thread? Is posting still allowed there if I do?
M DEAD!! KILLED BY EVIL EVIL DMDM!! Rogue1/Barb (Feral)1 temp hp 14/17 and 9 con (HP 24/25+4 when Raging; AC21/17/15(-2 Raging) ; CMD 16 (18 Rage) Fort +4(6); Ref +8; Will +1( 3); Init +6; Perception +5/6 for Traps; Darkvision

Yes it can be but it goes to the bottom of the campaign tab as an inactive campaign. You can always deactivate it as well. It is just a way to clean up your campaign tab
Bref wrote:
Yes it can be but it goes to the bottom of the campaign tab as an inactive campaign. You can always deactivate it as well. It is just a way to clean up your campaign tab

Alrighty. It looks like everyone is over here now, so I'll shut it down later today.

By the by: has anyone heard from Zimu / Kate? I PMed her last week but have no response yet.
Male Human Oracle (FC) 15 Init: +8 Perc: +0 AC:24/14/20 F:+13 R:+14 W:+15 HP:124/124 Freedom of movement, Resist Cold/30, Air Walk 30'

I haven't heard from her since earlier last month...hopefully she is still around!

Are you okay with us dotting the gaming thread or would you rather we hold off for something to occur?

Not sure if you are done with the cut scenes yet.
Male Vampire(former Dhampir) Bard(Negotiator) 13/Anti-Paladin/2 - [HP 209/231; AC43,FF36,T22; CMD32; DR/10 magic+silver; F+28,R+29,W+26; Per+31; Init +12]

Yeh - I would keep the old thread active until Cy shows back up and until we have all dotted the new thread. I keep forgetting to check this one because it is not on my campaign thread yet.

Really enjoying the cutscenes though.

Hang off on dotting just a wee bit longer.

Another day or two of cutscenes, then we're ready to go. That's why I asked about Kate.
M

Some lurkers are just loving the cutscenes. Gaian and Tekunel references, oh my.
Male Vampire(former Dhampir) Bard(Negotiator) 13/Anti-Paladin/2 - [HP 209/231; AC43,FF36,T22; CMD32; DR/10 magic+silver; F+28,R+29,W+26; Per+31; Init +12]

After nearly 18000 posts, between IC and OOC, it is amazing how many lurkers we still have on this campaign.
Male Eidolon Disconcerting Shadowy Monstrosity HP: 9/53; AC23(27 w/Mage Armor; 31 w/MA& Shield),T12,FF20; F+6,R+3,W+4/+8; Per+9; Init+2)

Mmmm, Lurkers taste like chicken . . . fresh bloody chicken.
1 person marked this as a favorite.

I am very impressed by the quality of the writing, and the effort being put into the campaign. I am as excited to see a new post here as I am in the campaigns in which I am a player.

This is a prime example of what play-by-post games are capable of that would otherwise be very difficult.
M Tiefling Magus/Rogue;
Statistics:
HP 169/169; AC:37/21/29; Saves: +22/+23/+20; Init +10; Per +28(See Invisibility), CMD 42
Misc:
Effects: Resist Cold 30, Fly 30', Telepathic Bond

Doug keeps even the lurkers on their toes.
Vitals:
LD14, Cav 1 INIT:+4, AC:34 (39)/FF:33/T:16, HP:283/216, F:+24 R:+14 W:+17, P: 10
Skills:
Bluff+8,Climb+12,Dip+8,Disg+8,Han An+9,Intim+30,Kn(Nobil)+18,Kn(relig)+8,Perc+10,Ride+10,Spellc+4,Surv+6,Stea lth+8

Dot.
Morsum wrote:
Mmmm, Lurkers taste like chicken . . . fresh bloody chicken.

What an absolutely adorable entity, and it believes that it has some measure of autonomy - how novel!

M Tiefling Magus/Rogue;
Statistics:
HP 169/169; AC:37/21/29; Saves: +22/+23/+20; Init +10; Per +28(See Invisibility), CMD 42
Misc:
Effects: Resist Cold 30, Fly 30', Telepathic Bond

...So angels weren't enough, now we have the demons and the elements too. Yay. We're so dead!
Male Eidolon Disconcerting Shadowy Monstrosity HP: 9/53; AC23(27 w/Mage Armor; 31 w/MA& Shield),T12,FF20; F+6,R+3,W+4/+8; Per+9; Init+2)

HP: 1d10 ⇒ 7

Feat: Improved Natural Attack (bite)

Evolutions:
Lose Energy Attack
Gain Flight
Gain Improved Damage(bite)

Skills:
Acrobatics
Knowledge(planes)
Perception
Stealth
----------

Was considering completely changing him up, but decided to stick with pretty much the same friendly guy you all know. Except now he has large batlike wings to go along with his stellar personality and stone on stone grating voice.

I want to run this adventure someday, so I'll be lurking for as long as you guys are playing.

ps.. im actually lurking on like 3-4 threads for this adventure.. it's very interesting to see how each group responds to things.
Male Vampire(former Dhampir) Bard(Negotiator) 13/Anti-Paladin/2 - [HP 209/231; AC43,FF36,T22; CMD32; DR/10 magic+silver; F+28,R+29,W+26; Per+31; Init +12]

We don't respond, we run scared hoping that we don't accidentally find any Solars or Planetars searching for us.
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