So, this is the discussion thread for the primary 'Hawcroft Logging' homebrew campaign. It's a place to throw ideas around, ask for rules clarifications and make suggestions, discuss the game or just get to know each other. Make good use of it!
The characters will begin the scenario on the back of a wagon drawn by a rather recalcitrant horse, heading up a well-maintained path towards the site of the 'incident' you've been sent to investigate. Any on-wagon 'getting to know you' moments that people want to indulge in can be done here before the official start of the game if you wish, but don't worry about going all 'in-character' - you'll have the main PBP thread for that soon enough, and ample time to make in-character introductions.
So anyway... hope it all goes well, and the first campaign post should be up within the next few days (I'm sure that people will be posting rather erratically around christmas day and boxing day at least, so don't worry too much until the twenty-seventh).
Gatsby
Joseph Pilchard here; swordsman and scholar. Pleased to meet you all. Well, actually I'm a Magus (Kensai), but with magic being such a rare thing, I'm trying to keep that under wraps, which is why, if no one minds, I won't have actually told the party about the magic. I am pretty good with a sword though, and it takes a lot of confidence in your abilities to walk into melee with no armour.
Background wise, I'm a young nobleman whose father has left him in a lot of debt. I carry a really nice longsword, and all the usual travelling gear, but aside from the quality of my equipment, I'm not carrying anything that identifies me as a nobleman - other than maybe my accent and general bearing that will point me out as a nobleman to anyone with a working set of eyes and ears.
Caveth is a half-elf exile from the lands across the western sea with a tragic past. Some day he will return to his home to right the wrongs afflicted upon him but, in the meantime, he travels light and never stays in one place for too long. Milani soothes Caveth's soul, ensuring he does not succumb to the despair of losing all he once had, and he endeavours to bring the hope she kindles in him to others, especially those suffering injustices at the hands of the cruel and the corrupt. He has come to Auvenkine by way of Barrjka and has signed on with Harrowcroft Logging Inc. to monitor the working conditions, prevent conflict between labour and management, and ensure that all contractual obligations are observed.
Caveth is a slender yet wiry man of average height with with weary brown eyes and thick brown hair that he prefers to keep short. He dresses modestly aside from a fine suit of studded leather armour, wearing a simple brown cloak over a plain hemp shirt, wool breeches and well worn boots. At his waist are a light mace and a dagger but it is obvious that his weapon of choice is his long bow, crafted of a dark yew and reinforced with gleaming white, finely tooled bone. Carrying two quivers, he positively bristles with arrows yet still manages to wear a small, lightly loaded backpack as well.
As a half elf, he enjoys a comparably youthful appearance for someone of his age but a close observer will notice the subtle signs of having lived a harsh life. Although he is not given to smiling, he is a kind and helpful man who will make every effort to aid the disadvantaged, particularly slaves and political prisoners.
Silas is a well dressed man who carries a doctor's backpack and an enormous crossbow with him wherever he goes. He shares - even exemplifies - the look of the locals . Tall (6'3") and eerily gaunt. Though difficult to pin down the head seems somehow animalistic. small nose, prominent forehead, enormous eerie eyes, pointed (and almost mobile) ears and long, sharp, strong white teeth. In Silas' case this look is strong, and coupled with a smell of disinfectant and formaldehyde. Animals and even vermin seem unwilling to approach him.
Silas is a Bishop, of the local Bishops. The Bishops are one of the "old families" of the area, that have roots going back almost past recorded history.
Despite the fact his name and features mark him as Local, Silas was in fact born in a city and educated in a University. He moved here when he inherited the Bishop "mansion" (known locally as Bishop's Manse). It seems sometimes he is (if distantly) related to half the locals of the area - usually the inbred, barely civilized, lowest class of folk.
Silas is trained as a doctor: If the world is on the cusp of the renaissance, Silas is one of those who have bought Science to the physiker's arts. A talented Surgeon, Doctor and Alchemist he is an excellent man to have when injury or illness is a possibility. Silas has spent years here attempting to find a cure for his Wife's illness (a coma though I imagine the word is not used).
Silas reasons for acting as a troubleshooter are only vaguely given, but are somehow related to connecting with relatives.
Locals talk of the 'New Doctor' or the 'Prodigal Bishop' with a certain degree of fear, but the good doctor himself dismisses such talk as "The fears of primitive people, who confuse advanced science with their supersitious magic"
OOC of course, the 'good doctor' is a wizard - and close to a black one.
My intent is to use subtle magics wherever possible, so much like Mr Pilchard I would prefer it not be common knowledge that he possesses such capabilities. He will, on occasion, reference 'scrolls' that he might use to gain an effect but otherwise relies on subtle effects.
The exception is the Cantrips ability, which he will use in exigencies and claim as secrets unearthed by his comatose wife.
Silas' familiar is generally hid upon his person, in his doctor's bag or nearby.
As regards how much equipment he's carrying on the wagon - how long is this job expected to take, and how far is it from the Bishop's Manse.
Silas, the term 'coma' is indeed not used, and your wife's condition is poorly understood by most people at best. In addition...
Rules Discussion: Combat
Hello all. It's not an immediately important thing, but I was wondering how people were intending on handling combat. In previous games where I've been the GM we've always houseruled initiative slightly - monsters of the same type (such as a band of orcs) act on a single initiative, with any notables (such as an orc shaman or an orc with class levels) act on their own separate initiatives. It kept combat running a little faster, which is never a bad thing, and I would like to keep the same rule when GMing play by post.
Any thoughts or suggestions on this would be welcome, of course - nothing is set in stone - but it seems like anything that reduces the number of posts an individual player has to wait for before they make a combat action would be a good thing.
In addition, during combat is also the time I would most strictly enforce the 'try for at least one post a day if not more' rule, because in a normal non-combat situation other characters can do their own thing (explore, talk to npcs, take checks, interact with each other) if a particular player is absent, but in a combat everything grinds to a halt if one or two people aren't able to post. I hope people wouldn't take offence if I directed their character like an NPC for a combat round if they aren't there / are too busy to post when the party is in the middle of a fight.
I can't think of anything else along these lines right now, so please chime in and tell me what you think / whether that would be alright.
Gatsby
All sounds good.
Totally up to you, but this is what I've seen done elsewhere...
All Monsters get a single initiative score. PCs who roll higher than that act, then the monsters then all the PCs.
So if
Jospeh = 17
Caveth = 15
Silas = 8
Monster = 12
Joseph and Caveth post.
Then the Monster goes.
Then everyone (because after Silas on 8 the next init is Joseph on 17 in the next round.
Some GMs put AC/saves up for critters so PCs can self-adjudicate. Some even put HP.
Very rarely is the order in which PCs post important; easier to just let them all post. If you use the system above then init is just "do I get to act in the bonus round before the monsters".
PC with attached NPCs post NPCs actions when they post theirs.
Map-wise I have seen games run in tabletop without maps. Works reasonably well and there is a set of work-arounds (Flanking is determined as per the Gang Up feat, for example)
Alternatively a google-doc spreadsheet can be an easy way of coordinating actions, though not particularly pretty.
Most GMs seem to have a list (usually in the campaign tab) of Inits, Perceptions, and sometime other things. When something happens that the whole group would test for (like init) the GM rolls everyone at once. Everyone rolling init can take an extra day
Often GMs request players to put current combat stats in their Race text box on their avatar. This is things like Current HP, Current AC (and touch), saves, perception, init, etc. depending on what they want. Means the GM does not have to keep looking at the profile.
Have seen some GMs ask for a standard format like
at the end of posts to make it easy for them reading actions so they don't miss anything. EG
So, fellow players. Spells. Our inestimable GM cut me a bit of slack on picking spells until I knew the party composition so there was not too much overlap.
Mr Pilchard, I see that the Magus and Wizard spell lists overlap quite a bit. I'm looking at Void school with Fire school banned. Anything you'd like me to avoid?
All Monsters get a single initiative score. PCs who roll higher than that act, then the monsters then all the PCs...
... Very rarely is the order in which PCs post important; easier to just let them all post. If you use the system above then init is just "do I get to act in the bonus round before the monsters".
I like this discussion board!
If it speeds up the game and you guys are happy, then the initiative system suggested by Silas/Harakani suits me just fine. Anything that pushes combat in the direction of days rather than weeks will probably appeal to me, in essence.
As for using the race field for current 'useful info', again this sounds sensible and I've seen it done in a good few other PBP games whilst browsing the boards here. Don't worry about doing it just yet, while you guys are getting to know each other, but when combat threatens I'll probably request it.
As far as maps go, I have the map for the first area drawn up using google drawings, which doesn't seem like a terrible tool - as long as I can share it with the rest of you guys it would seem to be a useful reference point. However, for encounters in very small spaces or with only a single opponent my old tabletop group used to dispense with the map entirely, which is something I'd probably implement here as well (or at least try to see if it works). It became the difference between setting up an entire board for a combat that lasted a single round and involved only one or two actions from a few of the characters and dealing with the exact same situation in a quarter of the time, with only a little more description from the players (something that PBP looks like it'll support rather well).
Oops, forgot to use Avatar, sorry... Let me narrow things down
Spell wise I'm probably looking at Gravity Bow, Keen Senses, Sleep, Charm Person, Disguise Self, Enlarge Person and Crafter's Fortune.
@GM: Sounds good to me
I was wondering why only some of my info showed up as part of the heading when I have seen much more in other peoples'. Do I enter all the information I want to show into the "race" box then? This will be my first pbp game here so you can expect to be assisting me with format related questions until I get familiarized with everything. Thank you all in advance :) My lack of experience also means that I have no suggestions regarding how the game should progress. I will do my very best to post often--mainly available between 7pm through midnight MST--and observe the format you guys decide upon.
If any of you looked at my character sheet yesterday, you might have noticed that i've been waffling horribly over my second trait. I now have a concrete plan and have settled on both of my traits so I won't be altering my character sheet on Myth-Weavers anymore until in game circumstances warrant it.
As far as spellcasting goes, I've selected the generally awful cloistered cleric archetype because I think it suits Gatsby's low magic world but it means I have even less casting ability than usual. I currently have guidance, light, remove fear and abundant ammunition prepared. I can spontaneously cast cure spells and I'm more than happy to heal when needed but my chosen spells will mainly be buffs for myself. It feels like quick, quiet self-buffing is more in line with the low magic nature of the world than group buffing or using magic to affect my adversaries although I haven't been able to think of a suitably discrete explanation for my positive energy bursts. If anyone has any thoughts, I'm open to suggestion.
That works fine, Silas. I forgot to add all my spells to the list - I only wrote down the ones I had memorised. I've got Hydrolic Push, and for my other six, since I can't recall the remainder of my spells, I'll take Illusion of Calm, Mirror Strike, Stone Fist, Stumble Gap, Hold Portal and Magic Weapon. As you can see; a couple of flashy abilities, but mostly subtle utility stuff. Only one ranged attack out of all of them; mostly the spells here just improve my melee abilities. That's how it should keep going - a few attack spells, but mostly subtle utility.
Re Combat: Anything that speeds up combat is fine.
As a barbarian I often have a lot of stats to track, so I like to use something like this spoiler:
Condition: Raging
Rage: total rounds = 5, rounds used today = 3
Str 14 (16)
Dex 16 (18)
Con 13
Hp 13
Damage = 4
Base armour class (3 studded leather armour, 1 size, 3 Dex)
AC 17 (18)
Touch 14 (15)
Flat 14
As a GM I always appreciated a similar thing for spells or uncommon rules:
School evocation [fire]; Level druid 2, sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M/DF (tallow, brimstone, and powdered iron)
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Effect 5-ft.-diameter sphere
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Reflex negates; Spell Resistance yes
A burning globe of fire rolls in whichever direction you point and burns those it strikes. It moves 30 feet per round. As part of this movement, it can ascend or jump up to 30 feet to strike a target. If it enters a space with a creature, it stops moving for the round and deals 3d6 points of fire damage to that creature, though a successful Reflex save negates that damage. A flaming sphere rolls over barriers less than 4 feet tall. It ignites flammable substances it touches and illuminates the same area as a torch would.
The sphere moves as long as you actively direct it (a move action for you); otherwise, it merely stays at rest and burns. It can be extinguished by any means that would put out a normal fire of its size. The surface of the sphere has a spongy, yielding consistency and so does not cause damage except by its flame. It cannot push aside unwilling creatures or batter down large obstacles. A flaming sphere winks out if it exceeds the spell's range.
As a GM I liked to use spoilers too
As a GM I liked to use spoilers too
Welcome to the back of the wagon, Kay. I think we're just waiting for our alchemist now and then the party will be ready to start the campaign.
As for the 'spoiler tags for extra info' I was directed to a PBP run by a very experienced GM who uses the spoiler tags in the same way, and I definitely like the idea of it. It means that people know if there are certain useful rolls that they can take in a situation but are also free to request any extra rolls they see fit, or if there's a question they think the 'spoilered' info doesn't answer.
Kay, do you think it's possible that you and Caveth travelled from Barrjka to Auvenkine together or encountered each other along the way? Although we haven't met the alchemist yet, you seem just like the sort of person Caveth would gravitate towards in this group rather than the two rich fellas and the science guy. I don't mean to be pushy or too forward here, it's just that I feel like it makes sense, at least from Caveth's side.
Caveth: Kay has been working for Hawcroft Logging, so I guess we have been workmates for a while. I think the healing aspect would also be something that would bring us together; Kay has maxed her Heal skill and carries a Healer's Kit.
Caveth and Kay, it is entirely possible that you would have run into each other a few times being on retainer for Hawcroft, probably investigating / moderating some sort of strike action together (if you two do want to know each other before the start of the campaign, that would be great - any extra player/player bonds are fine by me, so the details are all up to you!).
As far as spoiler tags and GM posts go, how does the following suit everybody (purely an example of layout)?
...
A group of half-orc children are play-fighting in the village square, their parents and masters watching the display from the sidelines. The children move crablike around each other, circling in small groups, turning often to check their surroundings. When one of them lets his guard down another leaps forward and strikes, bringing a stout wooden stick down on the unfortunate with a sharp crack. With every contact there is a sound from the crowd, a mingled cheer and groan, as the surrounding adults support their young.
That's great.
Yep, that looks pretty decent.
Okay, great. We'll use what seems to be the usual 'bold for direct speech' convention as well, as a side note for anyone else who's new to the boards.
I'll create the campaign thread and post the introduction later today - you'll start with investigating the 'incident', which means that you don't have to worry about posting too much over the just-past-christmas period, but you can still explore the first setting / roleplay, introduce and converse / get to know each other in-character.
As shown in my last post I'll use spoiler tags for any 'obvious' checks you might want to take, but if you're exploring / interacting and want or need to take any additional checks, just roll the dice in your post. If 'Gatsby' was a character, for example, I might write...
...
Gatsby examines the monument, taking his time to read the inscriptions at its base, familiarizing himself with the shape of the thing. After a few moments of appraisal he remembers his purpose and looks around the empty square to check that he isn't being watched.
No. I'm not a spy.
No. I'm not a spy.
Of course you're not...
... because you're entirely welcome to watch. For the benefit of everybody else, Walter's not a player in this campaign, but he was the one who prompted me into making decisions and doing some research in order to hopefully make things run better, as well as offering me some useful advice - so 'thank you' to him.
Of course, if everything goes horribly wrong and we all catch fire, I can now also blame him for prompting me to make decisions. So... thanks Walter!
Thanks! But hey, I took those advices from my Eidolon, so if anything goes wrong it's his fault, not mine ^_^ Plus, they were not that important.
Anyway, I wish you a good game and a merry christmas folks!
I really like the Traits system that Pathfinder has, enough that I took Additional Traits as my first feat. I have used the traits to rebuild the Urban Barbarian to be more like the outdoorsy barbarian of the CRB, with the addition of Heal.
From working for Hawcroft the worst trouble she has had to deal with is angry workers, so she has adopted the flail to disarm or trip her adversaries. She will try to work her way into flanking positions.
Kay Towerweed is the youngest of five daughters. Her family has had to work hard to scratch together enough coppers from week to week, and has had to resort to living off what they could gather from the forests for months at a time between work. Now that she is old enough to get her own real job she makes sure that she can find enough coins to take home to her parents.
She is a plain, young halfling. She is broad of shoulder from hard work, and broad of hips from anything sweet or rich. She is also plain and broad in her speech to; never trying to be subtle or deceitful, her words are carried on a distinctly country accent. She is kind and caring in her outlook on the world, perhaps to the point of being naive.
GM - a question on the Urban Barbarian's rage.
Controlled Rage (Ex): When an urban barbarian rages, instead of making a normal rage she may apply a +4 morale bonus to her Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution. This bonus increases to +6 when she gains greater rage and +8 when she gains mighty rage. She may apply the full bonus to one ability score or may split the bonus between several scores in increments of +2. When using a controlled rage, an urban barbarian gains no bonus on Will saves, takes no penalties to AC, and can still use Intelligence-, Dexterity-, and Charisma-based skills. This ability otherwise follows the normal rules for rage.
Do you think that this means I can change the distribution of stats each round of rage? or maintain the chosen stats for the duration of that rage?
Do you think that this means I can change the distribution of stats each round of rage? or maintain the chosen stats for the duration of that rage?
I'm pretty sure that the controlled rage stat-change was meant to be chosen at the beginning of the rage and then last the duration. If during gameplay that turns out to be too limiting for the kind of encounters we have and if the other players agree (or if I'm wrong, of course), I'll have no problem house-ruling (or rectifying) it so that the stat bonuses are mutable from round to round.
I'm pretty sure that the controlled rage stat-change was meant to be chosen at the beginning of the rage and then last the duration.
That does make more sense from a real world perspective.
That does make more sense from a real world perspective.
I can see both sides, I suppose. Mechanically it is much more simple to offer the bonuses to stats at the beginning of the rage, as some stat changes (especially con) can be annoying to track round after round.
However, thematically speaking, I can also see the logic in being able to shift the bonuses around, with the fury of the urban barbarian pointing a little more towards the 'unexpected strength in extremes' that actual people do show in real life (such as when a parent pushes the limits of what they're capable of to protect their child) rather than berserker rage (just seeing red and getting an adrenaline rush).
But like I said, we'll take it as a 'decide-at-the-beginning' until we've seen it work in-game, if that's alright.
I don't think I'll want to change stats around too much yet.
For humanoids I'll boost Dex +4, charge in with a Disarm attempt +10, Acrobatics +10 to move through their square to flank, then trip +6 and hopefully subdue.
For non-humanoids I'll probably just boost Str and beat it to a pulp with 1d8+6 damage.
I love how the first one was so technical and then... splat.
Both approaches are viable!
@Gatsby: Given the set up I think Silas will have most of his medical kit (and a few odds and ends) with him - this is too long a trip to send for anything.
Will I need to buy him a chest to put them in, or is that part of the tools.
Really looking forward to the first post...
@Kay: interesting we are both healers. It is possible that we've worked together.
Also possible this just represents the fact Hawcroft makes a practice of having healers-on-call; possible to stop plague outbreaks amongst the workers. Bit worrying if we're both being called out then...
Silas is built to be a bit dismissive of "Healers" as opposed to doctors. If we've worked together that might help.
@Caveth: One very useful and legal trick is to leave a slot unfilled. This can then be prepared later (takes between an hour to fifteen minutes to fill a slot).
... Will I need to buy him a chest to put them in, or is that part of the tools...
I think we can assume that a chest or carrier of some sort is part of the tools - I don't mind too much about weight / compartment restrictions, as long as there aren't any obscene advantages being taken (one past player genuinely stated 'but you said weight doesn't matter so much, why can't I just carry the horse?' - if he'd been the party fighter it would have been excusable, but he was a bard with a negative strength modifier...).
As far as the first post goes it should be up in a little less than two hours, when I get home (though as I said, no time-pressure for players to post over the first few days due to the season). I'm currently nearing the end of my working day and using my office-time wisely, as you can see, but my campaign notes are on my netbook back at my house and I can't introduce the campaign before then. And I've got to watch a dance competition and a student rock band before I leave.
If you hadn't guessed, I love my job.
I love how the first one was so technical and then... splat.
Both approaches are viable!
Splat has its place in combat. Being surrounded by spellcasters I might need to simply Splat a bit more often. =)
@Kay: interesting we are both healers. It is possible that we've worked together.
Having worked together is a great link between the characters. =)
And I've got to watch a dance competition and a student rock band before I leave.
If you hadn't guessed, I love my job.
Teacher?
Teacher?And I've got to watch a dance competition and a student rock band before I leave.
If you hadn't guessed, I love my job.
Yep.
And don't worry - I was very happy that you anticipated the splat.
I am a teacher too (high school Maths), but in the better hemisphere down here we are on summer break til Jan 28. :-)
I am a teacher too (high school Maths), but in the better hemisphere down here we are on summer break til Jan 28. :-)
Really?! We haven't even started winter break yet, nor will it go on for that long, and it's our longest holiday! Grr...
Though I did just watch a glow-light dance show to j-pop, which was... interesting.
On a more professional note...
As soon as the first post is up you can join in the RP - I know we're still waiting for our alchemist so I'll send him another PM, but I don't want to hound him over the christmas break - when he joins (be it tonight, tomorrow, or next week) make him feel welcome - I think his concept should be an interesting middle ground between the social sides of the group.
Silas: Leaving slots empty is good tactic that I am aware of but I have so few to fill atm being a cloistered cleric. It's definitely something I will be likey to exercise in the future. Thanks for the tip.
Gatsby: If you're not going to be hardcore about weight and encumbrance, I might change my gear around just a little bit. My current DM is very strict so I'm used to counting every pound. I won't take advantage, I might go a little into medium load if you are saying you won't count the penalties.
Caveth tries to think of the traditions related to the spectacle at hand but is unable to recall anything specific. He approaches the friendliest looking villager he can find.
When the next lull in action comes along, Caveth says to the villager "Very exciting! What sport is this?"
... I won't take advantage, I might go a little into medium load if you are saying you won't count the penalties.
Not a problem - as long as its vaguely realistic and somewhere around the right value I'm not going to be too strict on it. think of it as the christmas present of leniency.
Basically, while it's useful to have noted down the weight of what you're carrying, I'm not going to be enforcing any 'the straw that broke the camel's back' rules (where picking up a discarded lantern without thinking causes your character to collapse into the heavy load category).
[dice=Knowledge Local]1d20 + 2
Caveth tries to think of the traditions related to the spectacle at hand but is unable to recall anything specific. He approaches the friendliest looking villager he can find.
[dice=Perception]1d20 + 5
When the next lull in action comes along, Caveth says to the villager "Very exciting! What sport is this?"
And there, perfect. If we can keep DM / player interactions on that kind of level, that would be great.
Except...
Remember to bold your direct speech, to make it stand out so it's easier for people to read. Whilst it's technically more important for the NPCs I think the players should go for it as well, to keep things standard. So your last sentence would have been...
...
'When the next lull in action comes along, Caveth says to the villager "Very exciting! What sport is this?"'
...
It looked strange to me at first, but after following a few pbp threads it really does make things easier to read when you're reminding yourself of something or interacting with a character.
... I won't take advantage, I might go a little into medium load if you are saying you won't count the penalties.Not a problem - as long as its vaguely realistic and somewhere around the right value I'm not going to be too strict on it. think of it as the christmas present of leniency.
Basically, while it's useful to have noted down the weight of what you're carrying, I'm not going to be enforcing any 'the straw that broke the camel's back' rules (where picking up a discarded lantern without thinking causes your character to collapse into the heavy load category).
Oh, in that case, can I have some more gold? I ran out io funds before I ran out if carrying capacity. ;-)
Oh, in that case, can I have some more gold? I ran out of funds before I ran out if carrying capacity. ;-)
No problem! You can have as much extra gold as you like!
Your gold also comes with a free gift - the introduction of the city watch, unanimous jury decisions and a long prison stay for theft! ;)
And now for a non-crime-related subject, for anybody that is interested the Campaign Info tab has been updated over the past day to include a slightly closer look at the city and also at how religion is treated in Auvenkine - peruse if you wish!
I'm very much looking forward to this campaign...
Gatsby
It Has Begun!
Good luck, and have fun.
Gatsby
Yay!
Quick thing - I'm used to using italics to show mental state... like
Silas ran his fingers through his hair as he looked at the newcomer.
Flushed. Slight limp. Overweight. Definite gout, likely heart problems. Susceptible to apoplexy? Symptoms of a man who is rich, and has been rich a long time.
"Good evening, may I be of assistance?"
Hoping this is okay...
No problem at all!
How many locations can we explore?
One location at a time?
@Kay - you're Southern hemisphere? Hey - I'm Canberran myself!