Keys to the Clockwork Dead

Game Master Matthew Stinson

No worries. As far as finding NPC stats, the SRD has a pretty decent NPC database section. I'm also working on compiling NPCs from various other sources into a databank on my laptop, if you'd like me to track something down that would fit your notion.

Hey guys, sorry I've been absent this weekend my wife kidnapped me. I know there is a fight about to start and we have a discussion going on here about the poison issue. I'll try to chime in tomorrow from work with my phone if I get time. I have the person your are fighting typed up but I would like to type up the priest or at least find compatible stats for him before the fight starts. I'll take my notes to work tomorrow so I can try and work things out. Sorry again and I'll post in the morning on this discussion.

Don't sweat the discussion too much. It boils down to: you started out asking what the rules were for detecting poison without a spell. I suggested a Perception check could work since it's what you use to detect other kinds of subtle anomalies in the environment. But really what started out as trying to help you field a rules question has sort of turned into a discussion in spite of itself.

For the record, Matt asked me about the poison thing face to face some time ago. I only stepped in here because it seemed to be a discussion which was about to start again (and, of course, this being the internet, me stepping in started a discussion, which I should have anticipated).

Just so people don't think I was being nosy. :) I'm generally going to try and stay out of the way unless playtest-relevant questions get brought up OR if Matt asks me to step in for whatever reason.

On the Poison, I wrote up this poison to be a low level, cheap poison. I'm listing it at 60gp still (compared to the Drow Poison at 75gp) because going to sleep is still so dangerous.
I think I would have ran this different at the table, just with everyone getting to speak up at the moment.
This poison is really more a story device, an "oh s~&~" moment. It's really not here to actually hurt anyone. If you look at the start of the gameplay forum it says "3 months ago". If this was a movie, the title wouldn't be shown until after this fight. The game hasn't really even started yet.
We are really just telling a story here, I promise I'm not trying to "win" and I'm not trying to "kill" anyone :)(but if you think your character dying would be good for the story let me know), so if something "bad" happens, just have fun with it. And think of Indiana Jones, bad s@+% happened to him about every 10 minutes in those movies, that's why everyone loves him and thinks he's a badass.
As a GM, that's really my style, a lot of fun "trick" and rarely any big fights.

I'm not concerned at all. Your gaming style never struck me as antagonistic at all. Likewise I'm very much a narrative gamer. I'm a lot more into playing in character and experiencing the setting than I am in necessarily fighting a bunch--certainly not if the fighting seems to be the whole rationale of the game. So no problems there.

Just so you know I always think it's a good time to kill my character. So much of what makes gaming fun is the risk of sudden brutal death and horrible failure. I like to earn my victories, so don't feel like you have to take it easy on my guy for my sake.

Matt: Heard them read your Know Question on Know Direction this week. I've asked one before, but they didn't read mine on the Podcast. Nice to finally meet another fan of the show.

Matt asked me to stop in and let you all know that he hasn't forgotten about this but he's super-busy this week, so he hasn't been able to update. Dimma does not react to the Diplomacy attempt--it's not clear whether there's magic involved or if she's just not listening. It's Culdren's turn.

@Gorgoron- I love that podcast. I work long hours in a factory and listening to my head phones is the only reason I've not gone crazy. It's the best gaming podcast I've found.

@Everyone- So atop of my normal job and normal weekly gaming group I've been writing for Kobold Press and trying to start my own RPG company. I originally thought I would be able to run this game mostly from my phone on my brakes at work. That is turning out not to be trust. But instead of pulling the plug on this game I would like to bring in a 2nd GM to be the main GM while I help out. If you all can just bare with me for a couple more days. I'll do my best to get this game moving forward once again.
-Matthew

Hey everyone, I have found a GM to take over the game. I'll be able to start next weekend, he's out of town this week on vacation. His name is Geoffrey and he's done a lot of White Wolf chat rooms games in the past.

My company, Gooddevil Press LLC is up and running. We should have our first PDF out by GenCon. When the Moai book comes out this winter or next spring I would love to put you guys down as play tester. Just email or message me on here with what names you would like to be put in the book. I thank you all again and am sorry I have to pull out of GM duties.
-Matthew Stinson

Hello All. I am Geoffrey Henry and I will be taking over for Matt. I will be away from my computer until Sunday. I should be ready to carry on by then. Happy Gaming!

"Noooo! Ryan, why have you forsaken me?"

Heard your most recent 'Know Question' on the Know Direction podcast Matt, asking about poison and perception checks. Heard that Ryan sided with your opinions; that unless they had reason to be suspicious, there would be no reason to grant a perception check to detect poisons. All due respect to Ryan Costello Jr., but I think that in many circumstances, I would still disagree. Most poisons do alter the taste and smell of a food or drink, unless expertly blended into a food with a similar flavor; a sweet poison on fruit, a bitter poison in coffee, etc. There are odorless/tasteless poisons, but I would argue that they are very rare and expensive. Only the GM generally knows what kind of poison is being used in any situation, and if it is an expensive poison, or expertly blended, I would say fine to no chance to detect it, or a very high Perception DC to notice something off about the taste. However, under most situations, I would still offer a perception check or offer the fact that the food tastes funny as a free throwaway that everyone notices, and leave it to them to recognize the significance. "You take a sip, and an unusually bitter taste fills your mouth." "The coffee was good at first, but leaves an unpleasant metal aftertaste that leaves you wondering about the quality of the beans or the sanitary conditions of the brewing."

I would never offer that "You notice the coffee is poisoned" but rather say that it does not taste right and see what, if anything, the players do with that detail.

So, at this point, I'm assuming that this campaign is dead?

Last I heard we had a new GM and were waiting for him to get his ducks in a row. Now either he's got a lot of ducks, or something has come up and he's no longer on the job. Check in for us if you're still there mate...