The pace seems a little slow, but its steady. I could go a little faster but I don't particularly mind either way.
On a side note I think it would be fun to try and predict how the other characters are going to fall. Anyone have any theories?
Aerodus already fell, right?
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As he stepped out in to the Market Square he took a moment, peering around, making sure the area was clear of danger, before moving towards the Stables. 'Cant be too careful after all, there have been some abductions. It is broad daylight though...'
1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
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Looking around for any danger, Aerodus fails to notice a small root jutting up from the dirt, precisely where he was to place his next step.
And then he (fell), assuring everyone that, It was deliberate.
Such a waste of a nubile, willing, calistrian. Of course no one said that the fallen were particularly smart, must be all the brain damage from the blow to the head.
|
... Fine. You live. I like your moxy!
Hmm I wanna say that Terra falls because her youth and beauty are some how threatened. I'm not sure how exactly.
I think Raggo falls because he is brought low, weakened, captured maybe. His strength is taken and he makes a deal with dark forces to gain it, and more, back.
If I had to guess Aerodus will fall through trying to help people. He'll be forced to make morally ambiguous and then wrong choices for the "greater good"
Not completely sure on the others yet.
I think the pace is fine. As I've said before, the most important thing is keeping things consistent - don't change location at a whim or anything.
I'm in no rush to get through scenarios either. What separates PbP from other gameplay types is that roleplay can be explored really deeply.
Norkers. I wonder if orcrillians or scro are next. :)
I think aliesah could slip into evil seeing justice denied, or burning out. Going more judge dredd, then one step beyond. I see her always staying lawful. Think some of the nastier police types in fiction.
All I can promise is no adherers, envelopers or flumpfs.
But Norkers?
The best of the goblinoid race!
Hells yeah.
Another thing about spoilers!
You can do a thing that looks like this:
You do this by following the "spoiler" in the first bracket with an equals sign and the thing you want the spoiler to be titled.
[ spoiler = Knowledge (DMing) DC 15] sans the extra spaces.
I apologize for my absence, yesterday (Friday) was a rough day. We had to euthanasia our 11 year old family cat due to incurable and fatal feline kidney disease and later that day, we had to bring our dog to Vet ER. The dog is mostly OK but she is still showing signs she may need more vet care but she is doing far better than the cat. I will be getting caught up during the day. And if I am ever absent because of real life, please bot me to keep the story moving. Thank you.
Deepest sysmpathies go out to you Cayosin.
Thank you everyone for their well wishes. The dog is good go to go now, it was either something she ate because she is half-goat and half-dog or maybe she was dehydrated. However, yesterday she had her stitches removed, had a bath, ate very well, and is at Dog Day Care today.
GM Ray,
I think you are doing a great job and just being too careful. Cayosin is about making gold so he is currently observing conversations because the other PCs are asking the questions he would of and Nellus is giving out all of the information he was going to ask so that is one of the reasons why is more quiet than the others. In addition, his diplomacy skills suck so he is restraining himself from speaking and letting the more refined diplomats speak to the wizard ... LOL. As his diplomacy skills improve, he will talk more but this is about coin earning potential and does not want to ruin it.
Question 1: Is this creature poisonous?
Question 2: Is this creature resistant to any particular elemental damage?
Question 3: Is the ritual to transform yourself into a Sinspawn eeeeeviiiiil?
How I like to handle Knowledge Checks:
If one has the appropriate Knowledge Skill one will generally get some Fluff information, the depth of which depending on the commonality or obscurity of the information and the result of one's roll.
--So Gregary, because he has Knowledge Arcane, knows that the sticky, viscous ooze is Arcane in nature but he didn't know quite anything beyond that (with his DC 12 roll).
...But with his 24 roll on the Sin Spawn he received quite a bit of general Fluff for the creature.
Additionally, and more importantly, his total of 24 gives him more information -- that I almost always allow the Player to ask...
According to RAW one gets some information based on a typical DC10 +CR check. This Racial Template (modified in my design) is CR 4. So a base DC of 14 gets a Player one question, in addition to the Fluff.
Furthermore according to RAW, a PC gets one additional bit of information for every 5 points beyond the base DC one achieves. So in this case a PC gets one additional question at DC 19 .... And a third question at DC 24 (Gregary just made it!)
A Note on Knowledge Local: To make a short story long... In an effort to strengthen Knowledge Geography and Nobility, I allow them to be combined PLUS, I add some typical Knowledge Local "stuff" to be part of the Geography or Nobility.
And for Knowledge Local I strictly interpret the RAW that says Local is used for "Humanoids" (the way Arcane is for Dragons & Magical Beasts, or Dungeoneering is for Aberrations).
Of course, since "Humanoids" are advanced with Class Levels, Knowledge Local -- if one chooses to interpret RAW this way -- gains information on a creature's Class Levels and Abilities.
So for example, if this Sin Spawn (being a Humanoid as well as an "Arcane Racial Template") has Class Levels in Sorcerer or is an Oracle with an exotic Archetype -- or is even a Warlock from the 3.5 Complete Arcane -- a Knowledge Local check can get you some info on what the creature can do based on its Class Levels.
Questions?
Comments?
@Gregary,
1) No, it's more likely to try to affect you against your WILL Save.
2) No, it is not resistant to any particular magical attacks (fire, force, acid, necromancy, illusions, etc.)
3) Yes and this one doesn't have to count -- you can still ask a third. (Mostly because that would be part of its Fluff info -- and also because someone will identify the evil Holy Symbol and I think it would be cheesy to do that to the players, confiscate a question like that.)
An example of a Knowledge Local check:
Nellus Alakart is an Alchemist, but he's also an "illusions master." If one wanted to, one could attempt a Knowledge Local check (because he's Humanoid) to determine what Class abilities he has -- assuming one sees him using some of those Class abilities.
One would likely learn, with a solid check, that Alakart is a gestalt Alchemist / homebrew-Illusionist, with all kinds of Illusion spells but with almost no other arcane spells in his spell book.
I have a question, DM Ray.
Are you going to be using monster-generation rules that are outside of what we can use? For example, you mentioned 3.5's Warlock. Is this something that we can take levels in or are you just pulling whatever you want regardess of what you allow us? Another example is, of course, gestalt. I'd assume that Nellus was a multiclass sorcerer/alchemist (probably something like sorcerer4/alchemist7) but if he's gestalt, that changes the game a lot.
Also, a third question: What greater force, diety, demigod, demon lord, etc. are sinspawn most connected to?
@ Gregary, (thanks for asking -- feel absolutely free to continue the discussion with comments / concerns)
1) Er,... yes and yes to your first question: I'll be using monster-generation rules outside of what you can use. Um, as monsters, they of course have generation rules that you don't have access to, unless I'm misunderstanding the question. Sin Spawn according to RAW in the B2, for example, have three SU abilities (such as "Sin Scent") that you wouldn't have access to. But even outside of that, Yes, monsters will be able to have access to some things that I can't allow for you -- I have to make sure the PCs are balanced to each other; I can't have one PC so much greater or weaker than another. BUT, I can have one powerful monster (that all the PCs, together, can beat) or I can have several weaker monsters, that all the PCs can beat. Etc.
I hope that you'll give me a chance to show you that I am fair, and am not in the practice of usurping PC abilities or Turtling the PCs. The encounters will be challenging but balanced -- and if you do happen to run into something that is over your head, you'll know and be able to run away or hide. But one of the responsibilities of DMing, I feel, is to make sure the game stays FAIR, BALANCED, and FUN -- and it's NOT fun, or fair, or balanced, if the PCs are getting abused by monsters that are supposed to die at the end of a fight. Or have WACKY ABILITIES THAT SEEM HAPHAZARD OR ARBITRARY.
2) Some of the NPCs you meet may be gestalt, most won't be. Some may have homebrew classes or be versions of old monsters from older editions not converted to Pathfinder, Beholders or Githyanki or Kopru for example (including the "little blue devils," though you don't know that yet). Some may be given Improved Initiative or Toughness or such for free. Some may, like you, have max HP or a Hero Point. (Many will have max HP; it's very rare for one to have a Hero Point.) But ultimately, this game is about the PCs -- not the monsters or NPCs. You're suppose to win, not me. I just enjoy monster design.
3) It depends on who made the Sin Spawn, or in this case, who the Sin Spawn made herself for -- as discovered by peripheral clues (in this case a Holy Symbol to a famous Demon Lord).
I'm not worried or asking about power level or encounter balance. I understand that sinspawn have racial abilities that non-sinspawn wouldn't have.
I'm wondering about OPTIONS. For example, if there are base classes in the world that we can't take levels in, but some of the NPCs you control can. Or if there are feats, even if we qualified for them, that you are giving NPCs but not allowing us access to.
Ah.
Did you have a specific Class in mind, or PrC? (Hexblade, Duskblade, um, Mageblade?)
I'm open to dialog about options but I would like to keep things simple (stuff I really know). It's easy to be a bit carefree with monsters (since they're gonna die) and NPCs (since they don't have to be balanced for fighting PCs).
If you qualify for a Feat in the books I mentioned in Recruitment (Core, APG, UM, ARG, ACG) it's acceptable. Outside of those, ask and I'll look it up and answer, doing my best to say "yes."
I can pretty much guarantee that NPCs won't have Feats outside of those books.
Ok. I suppose that's what I was wondering - if you were going to be using materials outside of Pathfinder.
Can I ask you to make it clearer whose turn it is each time you post the combat forward?
For example, I know that it's supposed to be Raggo's turn, but that's only because I looked up at the initiative order. When you posted Terra's action, it's helpful to do something like this:
Not if there are actions that we don't have control of in between the PCs actions.
In this example, the sinspawn acts in the middle of the initiative order. I dunno about you, but what my action is would be different depending on what the enemy's actions are.
I was watching what was going on but by the time it was my turn, I was out with family.
Is there any room for Cayosin to fit in the house?
Cayosin can certainly run into the inner chamber, moving through friendly squares in the foyer, and fight side by side with Raggo.
Cayosin can certainly run into the inner chamber, moving through friendly squares in the foyer, and fight side by side with Raggo.
Ok, just making sure, sounds like it is tight quarters. Do I get an attack for round 1 or does it take me a round to fit in there? ... LOL
The Sin Spawn is the only one Cayosin could have reached (without an Acrobatics to get past her and into the inner chamber) in round one -- and she appears dead, Raggo having critted her skull.
Thank you and likewise to all of the Dads in our group!
Fathers day? That's not till September. Maybe it is on a different date where you are.
Fathers day? That's not till September. Maybe it is on a different date where you are.
Yeah Father's day was June 21 in the United States.
First Sunday in September in Australia.
Yay!
I'm struggling to understand what you meant by this. A light horse (the kind you buy) has 2 HD, and you don't just get to add HD - that's just how much HD horses have.
I apparently lack your tact, Aerodus.
If you want a leveled animal to bring along with you, I suggest investing a couple of feats and gaining animal ally.
I'll take a closer look at the crunch in the next day or so.
Sorry for the delay in gameplay posts; I've just been so tired at the end of my days that all I wanted to do was go to bed when I got home.
I'm struggling to understand what you meant by this. A light horse (the kind you buy) has 2 HD, and you don't just get to add HD - that's just how much HD horses have.
It's actually a heavy warhorse and I am thinking realistic. But like I said, I will adjust it making the horse paper thin. But in all actuality in real life, I can cut you in half with a Claymore faster than a Freisan. Just like crossbows, DnD and Pathfinder do no justice to the heavy war horse. In fact, that was what the Claymore was made for, dismounting riders off their horses.
Also, Hero Lab is not as good as I thought it was. It is not complete, it has bugs, and to develop more modules is almost more complicated than making a Mod for Fallout 3/NV.
Here's another failure, both Pathfinder PRD and SRD do not have a heavy warhorse worked out. Why does SRD have a Fiendish Combat Trained Heavy Horse and not just a normal horse combat trained heavy horse?
the heavy horse is statted out, and the only difference between that and a combat-trained one is that the hoof attacks of a combat-trained horse gain +5 to hit.
Question:
In other PbP campaigns how is Initiative done; and what do you prefer / suggest here?
In the two most likely cases, where all the monsters go on the same point and where the monsters go at different points in initiative, should we do it two different ways?
I'm under the opinion, though not too strongly, that in situations such as the first mentioned, and what we had for most of this fight, it's more efficient for the PCs to post their Actions whenever they get to the Messageboards, despite correct order (with some situational exceptions, certainly). So,... Once the monsters go on X in Initiative, just post your Action whenever you make it to the Boards and I'll keep track (as best I can, and with your help) of which PC-Action happened first or second. Since you guys are working as a team, both now and after your Fall, you shouldn't be stepping on each others' toes and it's okay, I think, if PC "A" posts actions after PC "C" instead of before and I just adjudicate the actions of PC "A" as having occurred before PC "B." (Did that make sense?)
I think it may get tricky in situations such as happened at the beginning of our encounter, though for us it didn't matter because the Dark Slayers weren't able to do anything but buff with spells before you guys killed their Sin Spawn leader -- but in the future when encounters are more dynamic (or have more dynamic initiative orders) and the monsters have different initiative points, what is your suggestion or experience?
I agree