To be fair, there's also a bit of suspense-preserving on my part - I don't want to give away everything at a go, although I do like rewarding ingenuity like carrying speak with dead scrolls. That's why even my most cryptic or obstinate answers will nearly always have at least something useful or pertinent.Ok so you have basically taken your 'god-given responsibility' as a GM and have nerfed the power in order to make the game interesting and fun for everyone.
I like that; it's something I would do without hesitation. :)
Game on!
Not necessarily "nerfed it" so much as "not being as extensive as some would be" - there is much room there for stylistic leeway. And I swear, I'm giving information with my answers - Perry's already hit upon both points I've made so far, and that's with an interviewee that's supposed to be obstinate. ;)
I am here Amund just doesn't have anything to contribute currently. Also I am loving the answers. Not a spell I have seen in play before.
I agree with this tactic. The PC's shouldn't have access to all the answers. "The oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown."
The first time I'd seen speak with dead was having a player use it on me in my Midnight Mirror game. It and other subtler tactics (suggestion, divinations, etc.) take a fair bit of effort on my part, but I'm finding they add a lot to the game. And speak with dead specifically is a neat way to try and gather all the information you can get, even if it is a little creepy to think about actually doing. (I'd have a way harder time coming up with good answers in a live game, though - I'm definitely going to have to work on my improv if my usual players ever hit on it as a tactic.)
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That is part of the appeal of PBP. It tends to be a little more immersive and it is easier to stay in character at least for me. Plus the time necessary to plan what you want to say. Oh and it removes the he said she said stuff since you can just find it in text.
The Robotech game I am in stalled for 30ish minuets when a speech was needed. We then became distracted.
And improve is hard.
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Midnight mirror was awesome--but getting players so deep into Nidal is very difficult to do without gangpressing. XD
To be fair, there's also a bit of suspense-preserving on my part - I don't want to give away everything at a go, although I do like rewarding ingenuity like carrying speak with dead scrolls. That's why even my most cryptic or obstinate answers will nearly always have at least something useful or pertinent.
Yeah, I am pretty ingenius.
>:D
Not necessarily "nerfed it" so much as "not being as extensive as some would be" - there is much room there for stylistic leeway. And I swear, I'm giving information with my answers - Perry's already hit upon both points I've made so far, and that's with an interviewee that's supposed to be obstinate. ;)
Aweome.
No, I am totally behind you. Straight answers from beyond the grave is pretty anticlimactic. Pathfinder campaigns have little enough riddles as it is.Question: I haven't seen the need to ask this (being ingenius and all), but would you allow Perry to make a raw Intelligence check to figure out the riddle?
Most GMs are split between two schools--
One school says that Intelligence checks are fair game: the game will not require the player to have real-life strength to do an act in-game, or real-life Charisma to convince someone.
The other school treats it as an in-game action (much like a knowedge check--or the blurred line of in-character knowledge and memories). If your Intelligence is 7, you won't come up with the tacic you just came up with out of character.
Both schools have good points. How would you rule it?
I'm in the camp of making sure the players get the information they need to be successful. (Not necessarily every word of the book, as there are some things that are just nice to know rather than being entirely needed, but what's important.) If there's an extra layer of meaning that needs to be caught and no one's getting it, I'll put up a Sense Motive check, basically treating his words as a Bluff check to pass along a secret message with you overhearing.
I will point out, though, that at the moment I'm not going to be putting one up - you've pretty much gotten the point of his previous answers.
If you guys have a chance, let's get the last question up today, so I can answer tonight and we can work on getting some momentum back. Not being pushy, just trying to maintain a good pace to foster maximum engagement for all. :)
GM Rennai is running speak with dead just as it is meant to be run, in my opinion. Just the right balance of cryptic bullsh*t and actually useful information. ;)
To make it even better, my IRL group ended playing a group of wandering entertainers, which consisted of four Varisian siblings. They had been stranded in Nidal, sent away from Varisia with their grandmother by their parents, who were in trouble with the Sczarni. Said grandmother died before she could get her progeny out of Nidal towards safer pastures (though she still hung out as the phantom, since our youngest sibling was a spiritualist). The group ended up being very tigh-knit unit from the beginning, with a very strong sense of loyalty to one another. As such, we played perfectly into the already strong theme of family in the adventure.
For example, my character (the oldest sibling, a somewhat world-weary cleric of Desna) ended up sticking to his deal with Nicasor solely because he realised that the youngest sibling would stop looking up to him if he regened on his word. He was totally aware that Nicasor was planning on betraying the party, and had intended to betray him before they were out of the mirror. Instead, he chose to have hope, and try and resolve the situation diplomatically. With our group, we literally ended up in a situation were Nicasor's flunkies had Stepan with a knife at his throat, as we had a scythe Nicasor's. Perhaps unavoidably, both of them died there.
Our game ended with us uniting the two warring families, in a fashion, by having the baroness take care of the remaining shae as they got accustomed to the outside world, and recognise Sorin as the true heir. A bit bittersweet, but it felt like we made a difference in a way that still felt consistent with the very bleak setting of Nidal. Democracy was hardly an option, really. :P
I have looked into Midnight Mirrors and I looked like a fun game to play or run. It is on my list.
Guys, apologies as life continues to be hectic. Had friends visit from out of town this weekend. Tomorrow should go back to normal. Thanks for your patience.
Are we ready to pack up everything we can carry and head back to Fort Thorn? Been a quiet day today.
Are we ready to pack up everything we can carry and head back to Fort Thorn? Been a quiet day today.
Ready!
@Jetta: Stranding your adventurers in Nidal seems to be a running theme so far. XD
Interesting take--who were you running?
Hm, not sure what you mean. I was a player.
If you're asking about what character I was playing, he was a hidden priest of Desna. Playing one in Nidal was an... interesting experience. I finally got to try out Butterfly's Sting, too. Really fun feat, that one. I just ran around nicking the enemies with a kukri, doing hardly any damage, while the team's slayer moved up behind me with a scythe and cleaned up the place. Very satisfying.
Ready
Really sorry, guys - I'll get a post up tonight. My one night of weekend turned into another night of work by surprise, and I'd spent a good portion of the day getting a tattoo done not knowing that call would come. I'm beat.
So, what news? Did you discover what had happened to our workers at the camp?Perry: Sir, yes, sir! Mister Balthus ate them, sir!
Balthus: They were extremely scrumptious, sir!What weird situations we find ourselves in.
Ah...adventuring. :)
Just a friendly reminder to use the discussion thread for purely out-of-character posts. :)
Terribly sorry I forgot. Sadly I will probably forget again but I try.
So how many days do we have before the water goes all nasty. If we have a few we can go hunt us some not bugbears. Ohh we could get some eggs and raise them as our own. I have always wanted a Owlbear. I think the eggs also sell fairly well.
Just imagine it though. We have a Fort in the middle of nowhere and to protect the Fort and the roads we have soldiers riding Owlbears. They would be awesome. Terrifying and awesome :)
And GM Rennai I am always up for roleplay so that is an option. The is a tavern to be visited and fun always happens there.
Okay, so the valuables Perry gathered add up to 1500 gp. Everything on the spreadsheet is worth a total of 4169 gp, not counting the magic iron spikes that we've still been unable to identify. Anthuria and Perry should try again the next morning. If anyone wants anything from the spreadsheet, now would be the time to claim it.
I suggest putting half a year's wages (55 gp) towards the family of each dead worker. That should be more than enough to make sure that they stay on their feet. How many workers were there?
That's cold! Plus the goal of the mission is to get land and I title. Affection and loyalty can be bought ;)
Jetta will likely turn in any extra money she earns to her order after the mission is done.
Any land as well. That could be used to establish an outpost for the Hellknights. >:)
Ohh! That is just what the Vale needs. And they shall also ride the Owlbears!
Our dear GM made it a while back. The link is in the campaign info tab, or here for your convenience.
Oh, good, I couldn't remember for sure if I got the link for the equipment spreadsheet in the campaign info tab. Cool. :)
Four sounds about right - I can check to make sure if you like. Tolgrith will be able to make arrangements for getting it to them along with their effects.
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There were eight men and women on that particular crew; all were found dead, covered in dozens of small piercing wounds.
Alas, I am mistaken: they were eight workers and a few soldiers. I am confused as to whether all eight were buried, or some were buried and the rest were eaten.
So far, it seems 440 gp are in order.In retrospect, I totally called that they were fey, didn't I? Dragons and time, too.
But I swear I'm not cheating. Perry is just that genre-savvy. And I have a knack for predicting events in adventures...just ask Jetta.
FYI, I'll be out and about all day today and may not able to post until this evening. Please bot me as necessary.
The module as written doesn't - it's actually old enough that it's still using 3.5 rules. But if you guys would like to incoporate them, I'm more than glad to - I'm not highly familiar with them, so it'd take some study from me, but I'm not opposed to it.
I'm going to be busy much of the day as well - date day with the husband, since I've actually managed to get two nights off in a row for the first time in a while.
Ugh - super sorry, folks. I intended to move us along tonight at work, but then things exploded (fortunately only figuratively) and I ran out of time. We'll move along tonight, scout's honor.
And I do want to apologize for a little bit of spottiness lately - a bunch of different things have been converging on me all at once the last month, compounded by a crazy schedule, and it's got me pretty beat. But I promise, I am still stoked about running this game, and we'll get back up to pace.
There's nothing to apologize for. Life happens :).
Thanks for letting us know. :)
Life happens and that is unavoidable. Thank you for letting us know. And this is one of two fast games out of six that I play so even with the occasional lag it is still fast moving
@Anthuria and Perry: Do you want to re-try identifying those iron spikes?
I think so, yes.
Spellcraft.
That'll do it - they're stubborn nails.
Once you mentioned it, I thought of the exact same thing. :)
That movie is one of my favorites.
Mine too! :D
Long, complicated rules synopsis in Gameplay.
Yay, Ride rules! If I've made an error in applying them, shout out, but I think I've hit upon everything applicable.
Little of both - they've got a lot of Strength, being big hulking brutes, but they've rolled really well, too. As per usual, I can't roll for anything unless it involves possibly killing my players. ;) At least you're more able to take a hit than Ruel, though, and I've been checking to see whether they hit the horses or the riders.
Damn, Balthus! Nice rolls. :D