"Hmm...I don't know, do you think it would be better to explore the rest of the grounds before we head inside?" Florence asks as she follows Zilchus and Nidhii into the small courtyard. "I mean, I'm good either way but it's just a thought..." she adds as she moves to have a look at the western doors.
NG male human (Garundi) diviner 10 | HP: 62/62 | AC: 14 [17] (13 Tch, 11 [14] FF) | CMB: +5, CMD: 18 | F: +5, R: +7, W: +10 | Init: +16 | Perc: +14 (+16), SM: +1 (+3) | Speed 30 ft | Special abilities: prescience 10/10 | foretell 10/10 | Active Conditions:
"You're wrong, Zilchus". Ben shrugs. "I'm not in the mood for jokes today. This time, I won't be informing you about incoming dangers, so as not to expose myself to derision."
Ben follows the others inside the courtyard, and voices his agreement on Florence's suggestion to explore the grounds before getting inside the proper House of Penteru. With the help of his familiar, the greensting scorpion Stingy, Benedictus makes a quick exploration of the grounds surrounding the house.
_______________________________
Perception check (+2 Altertness):1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 6 + 2 = 11
Nidhi stops to look from Benedictus to Zilchus. Zilchus doesn't give off the warm and fuzzy vibe, but Nidhi thinks Benedictus is being dramatic and she's curious if Zilchus will comfort the other man, chide him, or apologize. Nidhi glances at Florence too, she seeing this? Nidhi feels a little awkward around Benedictus. She likes spending her time outside in the sun, fingers dyed with fruit juices from working with fabrics. Meanwhile, Benedictus is - was - a professor who enjoys, what Nidhi considers, rambling on about his knowledge. They come from completely different worlds.
If nobody says anything immediately after, Nidhi quips: "Too bad turtles aren't more alert. Well, at least you'll have your shell." A reference to Cahal's earlier statement towards Zilchus. Nidhi smiles at Zilchus, expecting him to turn red or snipe something back.
Nobody has said anything about being quiet so the thought doesn't cross Nidhi's mind.
Ben's words also give Florence pause from her examination of the western doors and she looks over her shoulder at the others. She spots Nidhii glancing her way and offers a 'I have no idea' face.
I've never met a man as moody as Ben is. Are we sure there's not any woman parts hiding in there somewhere?
As soon as the thought crosses her mind, she flinches and sighs to herself.
Not nice, Florence. We're all allowed a moody day or two from time to time, aren't we?
"It'll be fine," she says firmly. "We're already doing better than we did yesterday - more alert, more prepared. All we need to do is decide on what to tackle first."
Nidhi, you should mention it as you use it as it’s not practical to ‘concentrate’ the whole time. Also, I am a forgetful DM and will not remember you have it going. :)
As Zilchus looks for tracks, he perceives that the wind has scuffled the sand obscuring any tracks longer than a day or two. Nothing has entered the compound by this way in that short time.
As the group enters, you hear, suddenly, the sound of an angry mob outside the walls and the outer doors slam shut - nearly falling from their hinges from the effort! A woman’s voice cries out in Ancient Osiriani, “Eaqad biwabatan! La tade lahum dakhil almujmae!”
Powerful blows shake and rattle the feeble gates, and everyone must make a DC 11 Will save, or flee in terror into the complex somewhere (your choice).
Ancient Osiriani:
”Hold the gates! Don’t let them inside the compound!”
Cahal hears Ben's comments and curses under her breath. Divisions, this early, so easily? This was not a good sign. For a moment, she is about to walk up to the man and chastise him for his words, but then she catches herself, remembering the man's mood at the inn and again this morning. Perhaps there was something at work she was not aware of? Perhaps stepping in would only make things worse...
She resolves instead to stay quiet and keep an eye on the man, when the wind stirs and, before she can react, a voice rings through the courtyard. Her heart freezes...
Will:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17
...but she holds fast: "Sorcery!" she mutters, eyes wide with fear.
At the sound of the strange voice, Florence feels her blood run cold and knows that she has to get away from whatever pounds at the gates. "W-we've got to get out of here, we've got to go NOW!" she cries before fleeing...
Which Direction?:
1=West
2=East
3=Inside
1d3 ⇒ 1
...through the western archway, heedless of any dangers that might lie beyond!
Bynx's eyes grow wide and the fur on his band stands on end as the mysterious voice and sound of rattling gates catches the group by surprise. He hisses, standing his ground with the others, and watches with surprise and alarm as Florence suddenly bolts away to the west.
"Florence! Wait!" Regardless of possible dangers, Nidhi runs after Florence in concern, but she has her wits about her so she doesn't drop anything. What does she think she's doing? Nidhi looks to see where Florence has run to. Nidhi is holding her Everburning Torch (from examining the door) so her bow is not drawn.
Nidhi attempts to move to a square adjacent to Florence when the woman finally comes to a stop. "You're okay, my friend. We're all in this together and we're all here for you." Nidhi doesn't touch Florence but looks the woman with a resolute expression.
NG male human (Garundi) diviner 10 | HP: 62/62 | AC: 14 [17] (13 Tch, 11 [14] FF) | CMB: +5, CMD: 18 | F: +5, R: +7, W: +10 | Init: +16 | Perc: +14 (+16), SM: +1 (+3) | Speed 30 ft | Special abilities: prescience 10/10 | foretell 10/10 | Active Conditions:
While Ben looks around, he suddenly hears a woman's voice saying something in Ancient Osiriani. Before the scholar can react, he feels Stingy getting away from his shoulder and darting to the exit. "Hey Stingy! Wait! Come back!"
Ben rushes to his familiar and tries to grab him and put it into his satchel. I shouldn't have freed him...
As he runs toward Stingy, Ben raises his eyes in order to check the situation. There was something strange, something terrifying in that voice. As soon as the scholar realizes that everyone seems to be alright, he breathes a sigh of relief, but when his eyes start to look for Florence, he sees the girl running away in fear. Choosing between his familiar and Florence is a hard matter for Ben, but he eventually decides to go for the woman first. I can always take back Stingy later using our empathic bond...while Florence will surely get into trouble if she opens that...For Nethys, I must act quickly!
With a somewhat unusual quickness, Ben moves toward Florence and tries to grapple her. If Ben manages to grapple Florence, he holds her tight and tries to look her in the eyes while holding her on place keeping his hands on her shoulders. "Florence! Florence! Calm down. Everything is fine, everything is fine! Look at me! Everything is fine! There's no one here apart from us."
_________________________
Will save (Ben):1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16 Will save (Stingy):1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5 Grapple attemot:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18
Florence flees inward to the west. Professor, Stingy won’t flee ‘out’ as that’s where the fear is coming from. For simplicity, I’ll say he fled the same general direction as Florence…
The western side of the estate forms an L-shaped yard mostly given to sand, sun-dried earth, and the ancient husks of dead trees. Stone benches line the walls of the yard, and a large tiled pool sits in the southwest corner, dried and partially filled with sand. A short flight of steps leads between a pair of pillars to a set of stone doors in the west side of the house. At the north end of the yard stands a squat stone building with columns at every corner.
The professor catches up with Florence (who had to use a move to open the door and a move to flee). Florence has an AoO, if she wants, on the Professor, otherwise she is held firm by him in a successful grapple.
Unfortunately, Benedictus’ senses are tingling, something is nearby…
-Round Surprise-
Benedictus - 17+
Nidhi - 9
Good Folks - 1 (so sad)
-Round 1-
Benedictus - 17+
Cahal - 17-
Florence - 3 (frightened)
Nidhi - 9
Zilchus - 8
Good Folks - 1 (so sad)
You can draw a weapon as part of a move as long as you have a BAB of +1 or greater, so you're good there. But it's a move action to put away your torch, and in a surprise round, you only get one Standard or Move action - which you're taking to move.
So you can either drop the torch (plenty of light, you're in open air spaces still) or carry it with you in your other hand for now.
Also, I don't remember where you started on the map, but you only get a single move, so 30' in your case I think. If you traveled that far, you're all good. Otherwise, please shift.
As Florence attempts to flee to the west, she doesn't get too far before she suddenly feels arms trying to close around her from behind! She swings a fist out of fear and panic...
...and manages to connect before finding her arms pinned solidly at her sides! Despite Ben's reassurances, she continues to struggle to free herself and doesn't seem to register that it was her companion rather than an unseen assailant that she just punched.
"Nononono, let me GO! They're coming for us!"
__________
Forgot to say either way in my last post but I'll say that Florence dropped her longspear in her panic to get away from the front gates, so she's currently unarmed. Also, sorry Ben! I promise she'll be properly mortified about this once the fear wears off!
NG male human (Garundi) diviner 10 | HP: 62/62 | AC: 14 [17] (13 Tch, 11 [14] FF) | CMB: +5, CMD: 18 | F: +5, R: +7, W: +10 | Init: +16 | Perc: +14 (+16), SM: +1 (+3) | Speed 30 ft | Special abilities: prescience 10/10 | foretell 10/10 | Active Conditions:
"You're not going anywhere, Florence. No one's coming for us. If I let you go, you will get into trouble, so NO! I'm not letting you go...although things will become dangerous in a moment.".
Ben tries to maintain his hold on Florence, and despite his words, he warns his companions. "Something bad's going to happen soon. Cahal, Zilchus, keep your eyes open!"
_____________________________
Grapple check to maintain the hold:1d20 + 1 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 1 + 5 = 17
Benedictus maintains the hold (did you want to pin?). Nidhi draws her bow as she charges forward, hearing… something coming.
Meanwhile, all the shouting has indeed summoned an interested party. From the north comes an elephantine centipede scurrying about, its double tail lashing angrily behind it!
It closes a bit with the group climbing part way on the wall and part way on the ground as it scuttles forth. It peers around the edge of the wall, mandibles chittering in delight at its next meal.
-Round Surprise-
Good Folks - 1
-Round 1-
Benedictus - 17+
Cahal - 17-
Florence - 3 (frightened)
Nidhi - 9
Zilchus - 8
Good Folks - 1
Next up in round one - everyone! Florence is still frightened.
NG male human (Garundi) diviner 10 | HP: 62/62 | AC: 14 [17] (13 Tch, 11 [14] FF) | CMB: +5, CMD: 18 | F: +5, R: +7, W: +10 | Init: +16 | Perc: +14 (+16), SM: +1 (+3) | Speed 30 ft | Special abilities: prescience 10/10 | foretell 10/10 | Active Conditions:
Ben is forced to let Florence go, seeing the huge beast threatening them and especially his familiar, Stingy. Without thinking too much about what to do, Benedictus interposes between his familiar and the elephantine centipede. Mustering his courage and speaking some arcane words, Ben unleashes a powerful scream, inaudible to all but the centipede.
"Zilchus, Cahal, please cover me!"
___________________________
Ben casts ear-piercing scream. Ben unleashes a powerful scream, inaudible to all but the centipede. The centipede is dazed for 1 round and takes 1d6 points of sonic damage. A successful Fortitude save (DC 15) negates the daze effect and halves the damage.
Free Action: Nidhi does not Inspire Courage, instead she screams like a ninny: "A- a- bug?! GrossGrossGrossGrossGross!" Nidhi is reminded of the spider-like creatures from the previous day. Undead? Meh, bring it on. Bugs? Run! Every man and woman for themselves!
Nidhi drops her Everburning Torch in fear and takes an involuntary step back.
Move Action: Nidhi shakily readies her bow. Her arms tremble. Oh geez. This is the last thing I wanted to see today. A giant BUG.
Standard Action: -
Nidhi is really creeped out by the giant creature. Not running away in fear is a huge achievement for Nidhi.
Still gripped by a fear of something only she can see or hear Florence once again bolts as soon as Ben releases her, heedless of the danger posed by the overgrown centipede.
________
~And I ran, I ran so far away...~
On a more serious note, Florence will keep going around the corner to the north if she can. Currently can't access the map on mobile so please move her as needed (and take any AoOs as needed).
Benedictus releases Florence and screams at the centipede doing some damage. Cahal double moves into position also provoking from the great beast, but it cannot bring its tail around quickly enough. Florence flees to the corner of the structure when the fog of fear lifts, and she can tremble at the clear sight of the giant centipede instead. (You are no longer frightened.)Nidhi panics herself a little, but readies her bow hoping for the best. Zilchus also closes up, ready for action.
You no longer hear the crowd outside the gates pounding to be let in, but the fierceness of your foe has all your attention. It steps up (5’ step) and lashes out at Benedictus.
With a loud grunt, Zilchus steps up to engage the many-legga pede. He locks his arms, both hands on his hilt, and offers an additional scream as he closes his eyes to swing at the 'pede with all his might
NG male human (Garundi) diviner 10 | HP: 62/62 | AC: 14 [17] (13 Tch, 11 [14] FF) | CMB: +5, CMD: 18 | F: +5, R: +7, W: +10 | Init: +16 | Perc: +14 (+16), SM: +1 (+3) | Speed 30 ft | Special abilities: prescience 10/10 | foretell 10/10 | Active Conditions:
Ben feels the warmth of the fresh blood spilling out of his wounds and tries to stop the bleeding with his hand, but when he pulls it back, his eyes widens at seeing his hand completely covered in blood. Although his shock his great, Ben manages to stay focused and falls back with a quick step before concentrating on another spell. Casting it reveals more hard than expected, since the scholar has to try and avoid being hit in the process. Until Florence won't come to her senses, no one will be able to heal me, I must be careful... Considering this, Ben conjures a magic armor in order to protect himself.
______________________________
Sorry for the low quality, but I'm from my phone as well. GM, should I move Stingy on the map or should I leave that to you?
Florence blinks and shakes her head, looking confused. Just a moment ago she'd been fleeing for her life and yet now she couldn't even remember who or what she'd been fleeing from. With a start, she realizes that there's a fight on and their opponent...
"Holy moly!" she gasps as she takes in the sight of the huge centipede. "Hang in there guys!"
Florence quickly draws her crossbow and takes aim, firing off a shot at the creature.
"Ben, we need to get you some real armor," Zilchus grouses as the attacks keep coming at the archivist. "Ben? BEN? Can you hear me?! You should have some real armor."
Benedictus slides comfortably to the floor, but at least his breathing is regular and calm. Cahal leans in too heavily, and her spear misses the centipede. Florence shoots well, but still wide, as she misses the great beast. Nidhi also launches an arrow, but misses as well. Zilchus rounds it out with a closed-eye attack that, wait for it, misses.
The centipede chitters gratefully as Benedictus collapses at its many feet. With all the wind, it doesn’t know who to attack next. Cahal/Zilchus:1d2 ⇒ 2
Zilchus looks at the unconscious form of Ben as the scorpion's attack flail and strike his armor, leaving him uninjured.
"See, Ben?" ZIlchus clanks his fist on his mirrored armor, happy with the solid clunk of protection. "Armor is good. Did you see?"
He then turns his attention back to the scorpion, increasing the amount of power he's putting into his blow with another scream as he swings from his heels.
"Quit worrying about the damned armor, he can't hear you anyway!" Florence yells, horrified that she somehow got them into their current predicament. She takes small consolation in the fact that at least Ben doesn't appear to be bleeding freely as she fires off another shot with her crossbow.
Oh, missed something, Professor, you may move Stingy to your hearts content. I moved him a couple times for the fear effect, but I suspect I moved him too far even then. :) Florence, you should also feel free to move Bynx. She’s all alone guarding the door…
Benedictus rests comfortably on the sandy floor. Cahal misses again, her zeal for damage her undoing. Florence shoots and misses. Nidhi moves into position but struggles to hit the creature (nice positioning). Zilchus screamingly connects with his blade, cutting deep into the chitinous creature.
The verminous beast continues to press its attacks on Zilchus, him having harmed it most recently.
As Zilchus earns the ire of the centipede next, Florence pales.
I've got to get over there and fast!
She fires off one last shot at the beast and then darts forward to stand next to Nidhii, readying herself to pull out the healing wand and give Zilchus a boost.
Convinced that nothing nasty is going to creep up on the party from behind, Bynx dashes into the courtyard and underneath one of the stone benches. He hisses fearfully at the enormous centipede.
Zilchus's question ends unspoken when the beast's teeth find purchase through his armor, despite his hopes that it would continue to hold up.
Cahal ud'Din wrote:
"We have to bring it down!"
Zilchus wonders if Cahal is speaking her herself after the first comment when her spear goes wide, and that is confirmed when she states the obvious with the second.
Zilch offers yet another grunt as he swings away with both hands, eyes closed.
Free Action: Nidhi glances at Cahal, she's sure fearless."I- I'm trying my best," Nidhi gasps out. It's so gross. At least you can't see the details with the small ones.
Standard Action: Nidhi pulls another arrow out, nocks it, and shoots towards the bloodthirsty insect.
Benedictus remains calm and quiet. Cahal speaks wisdom, but she herself cannot connect as the beast writhes away from her spearpoint. Florence, if she were a more skilled marksman, would be hitting, alas, the melee scrum gets in her way. Nidhi . Zilchus manages another devastating blow, but can he keep it up?
The nasty beast continues to press its attacks on Zilchus, him having harmed it most recently.
Lol. We were actually talking about Blizzcon or PAX. We both play a lot of computer games.
Ahh... It's twice as hard when you live in a different country. We should all go the same year XD Group table! Mummy's Mask 50 years later edition! The heroic adventurers bust a move (and hopefully not a hip) on some equally old nemesis!
I'm of mixed feelings about PaizoCon...on the one hand, I'd love to meet some of the people I've had the pleasure of playing with on the forums! On the other hand, I'm a much better roleplayer online, with the written word, than I am in person so I don't know how much fun it would actually be for others to sit at a table with me.
This year probably not because I'm already looking to go to DieCon again with my brother but maybe next year? Might be a hard sell to get anyone else I know locally to go with me though :\
It's fun to come to at least once. Heck, I even think Evilan has been once.
You think I was there once? I was your roommate! Don't you remember?! hehehehe.
It was a lot of fun, definitely worth doing when you can. I also can't make it this year (I'm headed to Derby England the week or so before), but who knows when I'll be back. I game exclusively online these days, but I do enjoy the card game now and again - and that's harder to play socially online. :)
Oh, and there is a map for the fight, I just forgot to flag it. It's up now, but I'm off to a meeting, back in a few hours to continue the fight!
Checking in; I'll wait a bit before posting (since I need to get some sleep before work tonight anyway) to see what Nidhi and Cahal want to do and if they decide to come find Zilchus and Flo at the church right away. If they do, we can run into them on our way outside or something :)
So "free trade" shops are starting to become popular here in Virginia. (I don't know if you have those.) The whole "every item we sell has a story" marketing strategy. (Maybe because thrift hunting was popular for a while? Macklemore and Lil Dicky come to mind.) I'm personally not a fan, but the stores are still everywhere. Stores like Free People and Lush are always super busy. I remember when Forever-21 and Bath&Bodyworks used to be the hot spots to shop. But, we still have the massively popular "Tarjey" (Target) and Wal-Mart. In the produce section of Tarjet, sometimes the only option is organic. Oh, and speaking of food, macaroons are the new frozen yogurt (at least where I live.)
I'm ready to move on. Soldiers show up at the tavern to escort the party which leads to a drunken encounter with Muminofrah(?) Hilarity ensues. Nidhi pouts in a corner over Muminofrah's earlier rejection. Zilchus' verbal eloquence takes an even bigger negative modifier due to alcohol. Perhaps the idea of visiting a brothel is suggested again? Maybe Ben's leaning over the bar counter trying to convince the bartender to cut Zilchus off. Meanwhile, perhaps Florence and Cahal try to handle things diplomatically with the guards. I'm excited to see how this plays out.
For those of you missing the 'My Campaigns' tab as much as I am - they are aware of the problem, and do plan to fix it. It's not a casualty of the new design, just a casualty of the process. It shall return, or so I've been lead to believe.
Here's where folks seem to be talking about it, though I'm sure there are other places as well.
Going to take some getting used to; not sure if its a color change or font change or what but the new forum look hurts my eyes a bit. Glad they're working on the site innards to make it perform better but to be honest, I never got all the 'hurdur the site looks like it came from 2002' grar...I rather liked the old look, personally.
*edit* It does seem like it's moving faster though, so that's definitely a plus!
My hope is that they've done the right thing with the design, and can open up 'custom' looks for folks with logins - but my guess is something that basic (yet complicated on older message boards I'm sure) will take some doing yet.
Still, they said this is step one of two (at least with this rollout), and they've a few bugs to fix tomorrow, so we'll see. The text is certainly smaller, and they changed the font.
This new layout reminds me of dndbeyond.com with the black banner of links running across the top. I don't like change; bring back the old style Paizo! :( Yeah, I would like to see different options like on Google accounts.
I like the new font tho. Arial? I can fit more of my wordy thoughts and roleplaying onto the screen.
NG male human (Garundi) diviner 10 | HP: 62/62 | AC: 14 [17] (13 Tch, 11 [14] FF) | CMB: +5, CMD: 18 | F: +5, R: +7, W: +10 | Init: +16 | Perc: +14 (+16), SM: +1 (+3) | Speed 30 ft | Special abilities: prescience 10/10 | foretell 10/10 | Active Conditions:
I find it nice. A bit minimal, but nice.
Anyone knows if new options for BBcode have been introduced? Such as the possibility to add colors and such?
[u]Underline[/u] definitely works now. And oh my god, also [color=red]colors[/color] do!
And also, it is possible to use a second font to separate things:
[code]this may be used to write descriptions, such as the descriptive text of modules and Adventure Paths[/code], and this for the body of the post.
Be prepared, for from now on I will format my posts very differently!
Working today; I will catch up later this afternoon or tonight. I admit, I basically buggered off for the night after the site came back up because trying to read through the forums was giving me a headache - at least I wasn't the only one, according to the feedback threads. Hopefully they'll be able to adjust the font and sizing a bit to make it easier on the eyes :)
Benedictus, none of those things work for me. Perhaps in the second part of the two part update, but we'll see. Until then, you might want to wait - you seem to be the only one for which those codes work. Are you using a plug-in on the site?
By the way Nidhi, reading your character's posts over the last day or two has been both highly entertaining and deja vu-inducing. There's recently been a small bit of work drama surrounding a coworker that engages in attention-getting behavior and childish pouting when said behavior gets them ignored/the side-eye. Art imitates life? :P
Florence, I'm happy to hear you think Nidhi is entertaining. :D I've had a lot of fun role-playing her anguish but I was worried she might come across as obnoxious. Lol.
I'd like to think Nidhi's grown since level 1. She came to the party as a tailor's granddaughter with the assumption she would work at the tailoring shop her whole life. With their adventuring, Nidhi has become more confident in her skills and (like Ben) comfortable around her companions. Unlike at level 1, Nidhi now speaks her mind and “bites back.” She's realizing she has talents and the ability to impact the world around her. Her “world” has also gotten a lot bigger and I think Nidhi's figuring out what her grandmother already knew: she wouldn’t have been truly happy living out her life at the tailoring shop. I think Nidhi is into having experiences and having fun; from fearlessly performing at random taverns to slaying cultists in the Necropolis. Although, I think at this point Nidhi might be sticking with the party out of the fear of being "left out" of the glory. I’m not sure if she has much stock in Tephu.
I want to give props to Ben because I've noticed a lot of development in his character since we first started. One of the most obvious changes is his interaction with women. He hasn't stuttered in a while and is progressing with a love interest. I enjoyed the conversation Nidhi and Ben had a while back on what constitutes as an “attractive” person. Ben had asked Nidhi for relationship advice and Nidhi sort of "grieved" for Ben over his lack of muscles. And then you had Ben’s interaction with Zilchus where Ben (although maybe not intentional from the player) turns down the opportunity to visit a brothel. Perhaps due to his budding relationship with Florence or his personal morals concerning women (or maybe both?) It’s fun to think about. As a reader, I’m trying to understand these characters and their motivations. Also, it always throws me off when Ben “giggles” because I tend to think of giggling as a feminine action (But if the wording is intentional it's funny because I’m not expecting it. Sort of like Ron Swanson’s laugh.)
I hope I get to read more of Florence’s secretive past. Perhaps with the repeated incidents involving fire will bring it…to light?
And yes, I do think Nidhi is very entertaining! I realize my comment about my coworker might've seemed like a backhanded compliment or some kind of veiled insult but I genuinely meant that Nidhi reminds me (in some ways) of a real person I know - which means that she herself is a realistic character. I've mentioned elsewhere in talking about this game that it's probably got some of the most 'dysfunctional' group dynamics (without being an evil or chaotically-aligned group) that I've personally experienced and I love every bit of it. Sometimes it's more fun when the group isn't 100% buddy-buddy with each other, provided all the players can be mature about it :)
Regarding Flo's past - don't worry, I've not forgotten! It's just the sort of thing that you don't tell people that you've just met and I also don't have to worry so much about front-loading character stuff since I know we'll actually get through all six books. She'll open up...slowly, but it'll happen :)
Truth be told, I kinda wish I'd come up with a different background for her because in retrospect it seems way too contrived. My previous Mummy's Mask character is/was basically in Osirion on a whim because she thought that meeting a sphinx would be, like, really neat, and I suspect in my effort to try and take a different approach to Florence I went too far in the other direction. Ah well, live and learn.
Oh yeah, like...vague spoilers for Flo's background for those that try not to read the backgrounds of the other characters.
NG male human (Garundi) diviner 10 | HP: 62/62 | AC: 14 [17] (13 Tch, 11 [14] FF) | CMB: +5, CMD: 18 | F: +5, R: +7, W: +10 | Init: +16 | Perc: +14 (+16), SM: +1 (+3) | Speed 30 ft | Special abilities: prescience 10/10 | foretell 10/10 | Active Conditions:
Nidhi Aashirya wrote:
I want to give props to Ben because I've noticed a lot of development in his character since we first started. One of the most obvious changes is his interaction with women. He hasn't stuttered in a while and is progressing with a love interest. I enjoyed the conversation Nidhi and Ben had a while back on what constitutes as an “attractive” person. Ben had asked Nidhi for relationship advice and Nidhi sort of "grieved" for Ben over his lack of muscles. And then you had Ben’s interaction with Zilchus where Ben (although maybe not intentional from the player) turns down the opportunity to visit a brothel. Perhaps due to his budding relationship with Florence or his personal morals concerning women (or maybe both?) It’s fun to think about. As a reader, I’m trying to understand these characters and their motivations. Also, it always throws me off when Ben “giggles” because I tend to think of...
Thank you Nidhi. It is an honor to see that someone apart from me actually cares about all the efforts I make in order to slowly and gradually develop Ben's personality according to the events. This campaign is the best one I have ever played actually, and the one of the reasons for it is that it lets me work on my character, which is something I deeply love: it gives me joy to see Ben progress, and know that his developments are the result of the interaction between me and a world created by our GM and your characters.
As for the giggles...Actually, not being a native speaker, I didn't know it was supposed to be a "feminine" behavior XD Can you perhaps suggest me a masculine expression to convey the act of laughing slightly?
I like "chuckle." it means the same thing but it's used more for men. Chuckle is a deeper sound in the throat than a giggle.
And, I'm sure you know, there are different levels of laughter. To me, giggling and chuckling describe a lighter laughter. They aren't describing a deep, hearty, belly-shaking laugh like the word "guffawing" achieves. Guffawing is a messy, "uncultured" laugh.
NG male human (Garundi) diviner 10 | HP: 62/62 | AC: 14 [17] (13 Tch, 11 [14] FF) | CMB: +5, CMD: 18 | F: +5, R: +7, W: +10 | Init: +16 | Perc: +14 (+16), SM: +1 (+3) | Speed 30 ft | Special abilities: prescience 10/10 | foretell 10/10 | Active Conditions:
Sometimes I just regret I cannot write: "e fu così che Benedictus sorrise leggermente, inarcando gli angoli della sua bocca, gli occhi fervidi di sogni troppo a lungo nascosti in un recondito cassetto del suo animo. Una risata gli sfuggì, appena abbozzata, forse liberatoria, di certo sincera."
As I was telling the GM yesterday, I consider a privilege to be able to play with you native speakers in a foreign language, and you don't know how much I would like to replicate even half the vastity of vocabulary I have in my native language in English...Unfortunately, that's not so easy :( I do my best, but sometimes I make stupid mistakes such as giggle...sorry!
It's no worries, Ben. It's easy to forget, especially when you're someone like me who lives in a pretty small town whose citizenry is pretty homogeneous as well, that things can get lost in translation from one language to another. You write well enough in English that I sometimes forget that it isn't your native language and so I automatically assumed that you meant to use 'giggle' as a feminine-type behavior for Ben instead of something more masculine like 'chuckle' as Nidhi suggested. But that's another thing I like about doing PbP - I get to play with people from all over the world and have my horizons broadened. It's definitely made me wish that we started teaching foreign languages in the US at a much earlier age than what we do.
_______
In other news, my work hours have been cut (40 down to 30) for at least the next two weeks - possibly more, I don't know yet. So, while that's obviously rather distressing and stressful, I guess that means I'll have a little extra time for PbP and for taking care of other things around the house that I've been needing to do.
Yes, Florence is Int-based as well but I'm happy to let Ben take the headband. Perhaps we'll find another one in time or maybe Flo will save up enough money to be able to buy one for herself :)
Hehehe, as much as I'm enjoying the Battle Royale between Nidhi and Zilchus, no Charm Person spell. Zilchus pushed the envelope with his grabbing of Nidhi's finger, but Nidhi's going over the line with casting a spell.
No player vs player combat, and no player control by another player. Lighten up you two. :)
NG male human (Garundi) diviner 10 | HP: 62/62 | AC: 14 [17] (13 Tch, 11 [14] FF) | CMB: +5, CMD: 18 | F: +5, R: +7, W: +10 | Init: +16 | Perc: +14 (+16), SM: +1 (+3) | Speed 30 ft | Special abilities: prescience 10/10 | foretell 10/10 | Active Conditions:
The headband is an headband of vast intelligence +2. I don't know why it is not my equipment, actually...It must have been lost in the level ups. Anyway, as a proof I have this post. I have also purchased it in-game.
GM Euan wrote:
There is a merchant with just the headband Benedictus is seeking, miraculously enough, all the way down to the preferred skill. And it's a beautiful piece, well crafted, with care and attention to every detail - or so the merchant claims. It's actually gotten to the auction block, and the bidding is fierce, but folks start dropping away as the price climbed toward 4,000gp.
In the end, Benedictus wins it from a half-elf named Basif Iosep, who comes over to congratulate Benedictus on his success. "I knew I should have pushed to 4,500gp at least, but I'm saving my money for a large block of texts from a crypt later in the auction. The collection is most impressive, and I hope to gather it all as a piece if I can afford it.!"
Okay cool, that's what I thought it was but I couldn't remember for certain! I'll add it to Flo's sheet and adjust the relevant scores once we figure out what the skill is :)
