GM Red's Down the Blighted Path (Inactive)

Game Master GM Red

Hi folks, and thank you for joining my game. To begin, I wanted to get a sense of which characters might have relationships with other characters.
I see that Glorgrim, Gigt, and Hinata all lived in Davarn for at least for some time. Yizzik only arrived for the Spring Festival, and Vingold lived more of a nomadic life, although he did visit towns in the Five Kings Mountains. Perhaps a few of you have already met each other? If so, explain how and what your relationship is.

This is entirely up to you. I just find it'll add to the RP experience, and help things flow even more smoothly.

Other than that, dot in, introduce your character to the others, and we'll get started soon! :)

I'm not the type of GM that's going to obsess over rules, nor will I have you roll a million checks against one intention. I GM in the interest of fun, and that's what I will choose first and foremost. If there's disagreement, let's settle it with RAW, and if we can't get a clear answer, I'll rule on it and I will usually side in favor of the players rather than against them.

This is a game, after all, so let's have fun!

Thanks for choosing me, I'm excited to get started!

Looking forward to the game, thanks for picking us.

In response to characters being related I left Hinata's backstory intentionally vague on the topic of what dwarven she serves so if Gigt or Glorgrim wanted to be her employer I'd be fine with either but if not any npc will do and they can easily be friends of the family.

Foot note: If either of the dwarfs want Hinata to work for them I'd like to trade out detect alignment for detect metal as it seems more fitting for a blacksmith which I believe both of them are to some extent?

If anyone is interested in getting a basic idea of her combat skills here is her Character Sheet

Key points about Her:
• She has white fur

• She has facial tattoos

• She never uses her shape shifting to trick anyone into thinking she isn't a kitsune

Oh, and since only 3/5 of the party has darkvision I won't be picking up darkness. I'll stick with my current spell selection.

As the only person currently multiclassing, I'm the only one impacted by this question:

Should I use the base rules for saving throws and BAB from the base game, or Fractional from Unchained?

The net result is that at this level, I will immediately lose 2 Fortitude. At next level, I will gain 1 Will (Where I wouldn't have). At 7, it will return to the same amount of Will, but still missing the 2 Fortitude. :)

It's a bit of a trifle, but I wanted to include it, since I've always been a fan of Fractional (even though it hurts me :p)

As for Roles, Gigt and Umber are primarily frontline fighters.
• If folks invest in Teamwork Feats, Gigt should be able to oblige you, at least occasionally. At the moment she is trained in Escape Route and Outflank. (On occasion, she'll switch to Bonded Mind from • Escape Route to have a conversation with Umber).
• Gigt is not good at communication, in addition to her bad Charisma Score, she has a mask that she never takes off in mixed company, which is more likely than not considered rude.
• Umber isn't quite an adult Dire Bat, yet. But he'll get there! :)
• Gigt should be able to feed the party with relative ease. She's trained in working in the tunnels (and by trained, I mean more 'survived living in the tunnels).
• Gigt is not a happy person when aboveground unless it's night time. Bright light hurts her eyes, which grew accustomed to the tunnels below in her youth.
• Her husband was taken. You very likely know this, as this is likely the first thing she asked you about when you met (or when you do meet, soon).

Happy to be a part of this :3 I'll be sure to read over everyone's backgrounds just so I know of your work at the every least. I'm certainly up for it if anyone wants some past history with my character, he's been traveling and taking up work here and then since his past with Alexander. He's very protective of people who agree to work with them, seeing it as his duty despite not being a paladin(yet). Despite his savage appearance he does act very civil, just a big scaly teddy bear. His biggest thing is his love of music so Vingold will certainly catch his interest right off the bat lol

Red when you get the time would you please open the gameplay thread? Even if we aren't ready to start yet it will let us dot the thread so it shows up on our active games

@Gigt I'd prefer it if you stuck to the base rules for savings throws/BAB, just for consistency's sake.

@Hinata Done!

We're just waiting for one more to check in, and for the relationship stuff to be hammered out since it will affect how we start.

Thanks, dotted

Also dotted.

I don't like reading other people's back stories, so I can learn as I go. So, with that in mind, Gigt in relation to Davarn:

Gigt was not born in Davarn.
Gigt was not particularly social.
Gigt only goes to the surface at night.
Gigt was married to one of the many smiths in town, an Axebringer.
Gigt has a pet dire bat, whom she treats as family.
Gigt is a hunter/forager by trade, going into the dark depths to find rare 'delicacies' and bring them back to the surface. She also brings back pelts, but is not a leatherworker.
Until recently, Gigt was simply aloof, not... Upset.

What sort of opinions would the local (PCs) have of Gigt? Does any of that line up well with what some of your characters are interested in?

Sorry for holding things up. Currently on my phone so I'll be brief.

As far as Hinata goes, Glorgrim isn't a blacksmith, he's a miner. That said it's possible that his father could have taken to blacksmithing after retiring from the mines. I also believe Iron's Run is far enough from Davarn that a caravan (though likely not more that a wagon or two) would be making the trip.

With Yizzik... Perhaps they met in a tavern at some point? Or in the market while Glorgrim was taking his turn at delivering an iron shipment to a local blacksmith where Yizzik was buying weapons?

For Gigt, I'm sure they would know each other with her husband being a blacksmith. Likely one of high regard, and thus requiring alot of iron.

For Vingold... possibly hearing rumors of a dwarven miner that works with almost supernatural speed and efficiency?

@glorgrim If you want to be the one she works for miner works and detect metal would become even more valuable since she could show him where all the shiny stuff is but again if you don't want to or it mess with your story don't worry abut it

@Glorgrim I could definetly see at a tavern. He plays his music and uses whatever gold he receives from his performances to buy a round for everyone. As a Lizardfolk, he just tried to prove that his kind aren't as vicious as people think, because it bugs him he had to be left behind by Alexander's group

@Hinata Could definitely see that working, and it'd also mean you'd likely be the only one that knows the secret behind him mining as quickly as he does.

Knowing which way is best to dig to begin with... well, that would only save him more time. So, I'm on board with the idea unless Gigt would rather have had you working with her and her husband.

I don't dislike having her as 'part of the family', but it doesn't fit all that well without big adjustments for both backgrounds. :(

Knowing which way is best to dig to begin with... well, that would only save him more time. So, I'm on board with the idea unless Gigt would rather have had you working with her and her husband.

Sounds good to me I can change out my Spells when I get home to detect metal also I don't know if glorgrim would be interested but explosions are sometimes used to mine no idea if that would work on dwarf mines but just brainstorming.

If gigt buys metal from glorgrim that connects three of us pretty easily

I'm not really sure either, I'd assume as long as the tunnel's were structurely sound enough it wouldn't hurt. Also, considering that most of the iron that flows into Davarn is either from Iron Run or Bodgrin's Deep... I'd say there's a 50-50 chance Glorgrim knows Gigt.

Great job so far with this, everyone. It's helping me piece my introductory game post together well and I won't have to just throw you guys on the map and expect you to meet each other. :)

Hinata, what would I refer to you as when it comes to serving Glorgrim? You were taken in by he and his family and served as handmaiden, but they eventually began to treat you like family yourself. Would you sort of be his step sister, or still something of a servant?

If everyone could also please add a stat bar above your avatar in the following (or similar) format, it would help me out a lot once we start:

Gender Alignment Race Class (Archetype) level | HP: X/X | AC: X (X Tch, X Fl) | CMB: X, CMD: X | F: +X, R: +X, W: +X | Init: +X | Perc: +X | Speed xft | Active conditions: (none)

You can do this by modifying your profile, pasting it into the "Classes/Levels" field, and then filling it in. Feel free to add any other information you think may be relevant.

Once you've placed a dot, you can delete the post to remove it, and keep your 'campaign tab' thingy. Unless you're the DM. Do that as the DM and you bork the thread.

Her husband likely did. Her weapons, armor, and shield might be made from the very metal Glorgrim mined. :)

She would still consider herself a servant but treat them like family if that makes sense

***EDIT***

If anyone wants any alchemy items beforehand Hinata gets quite a few bonuses to crafting and wouldn't mind making things for people if they are able to ask IC

The profile format should be done now so you'll be able to see her normal stats all the time and I'll try to post my combat status during fights

Vingold, do you think you've met anyone in the party? Perhaps you bumped into Yizzik at some point during your travels, or knew Gigt's husband in some way when you were exploring towns in the Five Kings Mountains?

Yizzik should be set up now. Definetly gonna get a kick out of this game, I just know it xP

Don't worry socially-awkward fighter-types, I am here for all your charisma needs!

Vingold's backstory is very short, but he's a well known guy because of how much he likes to put on performances. In the same vein, he's the kind of guy who likes to get to know everybody else. He even buys people drinks if they tell him about a fresh face in town. If anything Vingold is mostly likely to be the only person who has already met everybody.

Okay, the scene is set. Here we go! :)

Awesome, I'm headed out for work but I'll try to post during my lunch hour. If not I'll definitely do so when I get home.

Sorry for being slow to post and update and such. It's been a long day, and it's tabletop night tonight. Plus I made the mistake of running a recruitment and giving out steady feedback to people. :S

By the way, if you guys want me to tone it down on the speech patterns, all you need to do is ask. I know it irritates some people.

Her standard form, which seemed to be a kitsune that had gotten stuck mid transformation so they were now human with kitsune like features, Not sure if this is allowed by RAW but I figure as long as I get no bonuses it's won't effect anything, let me know if it's not ok and I'll retcon it normally made it difficult to blend in but with all the new arrivals and events going on it was much easier during this time.

@Hinata Yup, perfectly fine

Looks like the party formed up pretty quickly. I'm interested to see how Gigt makes her appearance, and how she might handle a crowded tavern. :)

I'll get something up soonish. I'm behind on everything thanks to tabletop night and general laziness, and taking the easiest route to posts (less to read, more in touch with character!)

No problem, take your time. :) What are you running on tabletop?

I realized later that I had written the barmaid's name as Falla - it's actually Falia as per Glorgrim. I envision her to look like this.

We're between campaigns at the moment, due to wildly divergent schedules.

When folks are available:
I DM Hell's Rebels when person A is busy. (Ratfolk witch, small aasimar cavalier on a 'chocobo' (Yolubulis Heron), and a Ratfolk Alchemist/cook)
Person A DMs a spy craft game when person B is busy. (I play a scientist with an emphasis on being face-y)
Person B is always busy lately.
Person C runs Giantslayer, when when everyone is available. (I play an aerokinetic gnome who has been fired out of a catapult (twice!), steered a rock into an enemy camp, and sniped the first giant to death (with the help of a very pulverized fighter/mesmerist. Though, the giant probably wouldn't have reached us!)
Person D is working on a campaign of their own, but is also busy, lately.

At the moment we've been doing board and card games.

B-Sieged is their favorite, though I've grown bored of it. Too random, too difficult, until its too easy. You play heroes locked in a castle... Under siege. Lots of cards, lots of dice rolls.

Zombicide: Black Plague is our current compromise. Midieval Dungeon/Street Crawl, vs. Zombies. Also very random, you tend to be winning for most of the game, then a random fluke explodes the mage. It's still lots of fun, and gets better with more options.

Sentinels of the Multiverse: my favorite option. Comic book character card game. Environment deck, villain deck, and hero decks clash against each other with lots of design space. (My favorite character is a 'cthuhlu mage'. I'm not even into Cthuhlu, but she's ridiculously fun and family.)

Sounds like you have quite the tabletop nights. My monthly tabletop is a homebrew campaign I play with four others. I'm a Gorum-worshipping Cleric. Being the last player to join meant I had to fill the healer role. It actually hasn't worked out too poorly, since I took on more of a martial role first and support role second, so I'm finding it to be more fun than just channeling energy all the time.

There's always that first round in combat where I'm torn between casting Bless/Prayer and just taking out my greatsword to kill something...

So... I just realised he has been missing for a week. Though, safe to say Glorgrim hasn't been in town either, so... Guess it still works. Still, sorry for not paying enough attention to your back story there Gigt.

So, does Luther Stinnison know of Glorgrim's mining secret? It's possible. He's related to the Axebringers, Glorgrim sells ore to an Axebringer, so if Gigt's husband knows, Gigt might know. Gigt's husband must have, at some point, questioned how Glorgrim was able to mine so quickly. Perhaps Stinnison heard rumors about how he does it, but more of as a crackpot theory rather than truth, and so he decided to take the theory and use it to sell some more snake oil. I don't think Stinnison actually believes it's possible.

I mean, it's possible. He's not the only miner down there either, so one of the others might have thought they saw something and started a rumor that most dwarves just shook off as impossible.

Just wanted to say you guys have been great so far with hooks and with keeping the game flowing well. I'm happy with my choice of players. It's making my role a lot easier to handle. :)

Thanks! You're keeping it moving and interesting as well!

But this NPC is about to feel the wrath of my maxed out intimidate...

Good to hear, I know how it feels DM'ing for a group that doesn't have a clear direction or really a place in the world. Was hoping to avoid that.

Also, wanted to mention this is my first PbP thing, so if I seem... slow(?), it's because I'm not sure if I should go ahead with progressing the narrative/story before allowing others time to post/react. I've actually been checking back in quite often to see how things are going without posting due to that. So... Let me know if I'm doing something "wrong".

Also also... I was throwing together another character (sad to say I do that alot for really no reason) and just realised I never took any favored class bonuses for Glorgrim. So... I guess I'll just take the kineticist bonus 5 times?

All that will do at level 5 is increase his damage with his earth blast by 1, only while Elemental Overflow is active (which will likely be most of the time). Sorry about that.

I'm enjoying this group as well and how well the interactions are going ^^ can't wait to take this further and really get into the meat of this story :3 It's only my second PbP too so no worries Glorgrim, we're both new at this!

That first point of elemental overflow is so ridiculously good for the soul. :) Combine that with having fed it to your defense power, and most folks overlook just how good that passive is. :)

My difficulty with Gigt is the Charisma 8. I don't want to make her a jerk, but I also don't want her to be a wallflower, so I'm mostly just making her ignore social mores and generally be short (pun!). Skipping questions in favor of simply doing something (i.e. putting money down, but taking the bowl without asking).

I know, and that first point of burn each day IS going into his elemental defense.

That's... DR 3/adamantine, +1 on attack rolls and +3 to damage (with his earth blasts at least) in exchange for 5 un-healable nonlethal damage. So there is that, lol.

As to the charisma score thing, I believe I saw somewhere that an 8 would mean someone who is a bit of a bore and/or makes people mildly uncomfortable. Now... Glorgrim on the other hand, lol. He's pretty much just rude, boorish and just altogether unpleasant to be around. Of course, he doesn't think he's that uncharismatic (in case his "flirting" with Falia didn't make that obvious).

A low charisma doesn't necessarily mean that you're quiet or a jerk. It means you don't have a forceful personality that can be used to influence others.

I think the speed at which everyone is posting is perfect, not slow at all. Falia was a nice touch and allowed me to create an NPC to feed you guys information. I don't think it's necessary to wait for all five players to post between each NPC interaction. Doing so would make my NPC have to react individually to each person, so it can get a little messy ;)

Yizzik, agreed, I'd like to get into the 'meat' of the story too. The preliminary stuff can be a little slow to move through, but having a solid foundation that answers the questions "Why do I care about this? Why are we going to this place, Why are we killing these enemies" is important, else it becomes more of a mindless dungeon crawl. :)

Yeah, I know. That's just some unofficial thing I saw I think on the srd.

Well that's good to know, and it was more not wanting to talk about something g while waiting for a reaction from someone else. Um... also just noticed I didn't alter my Dex score or to bit and such for things based on Dex after I added that belt in to the equation. So... *sigh* at least I caught that before such rolls were made. Sorry for the poor bookkeeping. I'll fix that when I get home from work and put it in his profile so that it's more readily available.

So the competition map can be seen here. Link will be added to my stat bar and the campaign info once we begin.

Here are the rules for the competition:
- Six obstacles block the way, each has one red flag.
- Each team member to reach the peak awards their team 10 points, and each flag is worth another 10 points
- The first team member to cross the finish line gets an extra 10 points on top of that
- The competition ends when all members of a team reach the peak, or are disqualified
- Each member of the team does not have to complete every obstacle, but only competitors tackling an obstacle can reach that obstacle's flag. You can try to climb up the steep walls (DC 30 climb check with 15 feet between each tier), for example.
- Any use of lethal force immediately disqualifies a competitor. You may deal non-lethal damage or pick up a wooden sword from a basket at the starting line.
- You can knock an opponent unconscious, although it's considered poor sportsmanship. You can also use disarm or steal to steal a flag from an opponent.
- Magic is allowed, but only if it aids or enhances your abilities rather than circumvents the challenges. Any form of teleportation or flight disqualifies a competitor.

I think that's it. Sorry for the wall of text! Just waiting for a few more to post and we'll begin. :)

Hahahaha, it's like I was made for this competition! A bard with tricky nonlethal spells and a whip for disarm/trip and nonlethal damage!

That climb DC hurts... I could just make it with a 20 but the odds aren't worth it.

Oh! Here I was thinking we were going to have to swim out to the rock as part of the competition. Looks like there might still be some swimming though, so his comments still stand.

Screwing over enemies

Grease
Hideous Laughter
Glitterdust
Fascinate

Helping allies

Inspire competance

~~~

This should be our plan. Send the person with the highest climb check up first. If we need to I can use enrapturing performance to give them a +4 on climb checks, or I can keep the competition from advancing. Once they're up there, they lower down a rope that we use to follow. Sound good?

Wait, Glorgrim, do you have a climb speed from something? That may put this hugely in our favor. Having a climb speed gives you a +8 to climb checks.