Hey all! Go ahead and start talkin', I'm gonna go to sleep.
Hey! Super stoked to be picked for this group, looks like I'll be the brawn. I'll start with the fact that despite my playing D&D since the age of 10 (I'm 20), this will be my first PbP campaign. I've already been getting pretty accustomed to the formatting, but it may take me a few days to pick up on how this will flow. I'm a fast learner, and I expect it to be no real problem.
My only real question is what are people's schedules looking like in regards to the pace this will take off? I figure at least one post a day, but again, newbie. I'm around all the time since I lost my job (was a health conflict), so here's to a quick start and a fun time!
Finally, for what it's worth, I'm US Central Time. Again, glad to be here with y'all!
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I'm excited to be here too! I've been reading the recruitment thread from my phone for two days wishing I had a minute to sit down to write out an alias. When I finally got it, it was seconds before the choosing... thanks for taking me into consideration at the last minute. Major thanks!
Most PbPs begin strong and then hit a section where the party has to make a choice or plan and then peter off until the DM kicks the party in the butt and then they roll again. It's basically a roller coaster.
Usually with good prompts from the DM, the first two pages of the PbP go by in days-- then after that, all bets are off.
One post a day is a good mantra, as it keeps people checking the thread. If you see an interesting thing to say, say it and let people bounce off of you and it keeps interest alive.
You can check my aliases, like Smoke from Two Rivers to get a good idea of how normal PbP stuff flows. Narrative, then a skill check, then more narrative, etc. etc. The most difficult part of PBP is, of course, learning all of your GM's little houserules and their personal play style.
Here's one thing that can help: Add your stat block to your alias by editing the line in your profile with your class in it. It will help the GM a LOT, especially when rolling mass Init or Perception checks or saves. Check out my profile for an example.
Celia's prepared to be the cleric and the brawn as well. She'll be a very fighty cleric, so she'll be up there with you as we level Jenn.
CST here as well. I post regularly. I have the ability to post once a day usually, at least (often more). Wednesdays and Thursdays are currently my weekends, and as can be expected, I actually feel like I have less time those couple of days as I'm doing all the things I can't do during the normal work week.
I think this seems like an awesome group. Good on leinathan for making what I see as a good party mix. And thanks for the invite.
Also to Celia: "heyo gurl". Good to be in another game with you!
I think Conspiracy Hunter would be a fitting background for a Paladin of Iomadae, considering Wiscrani history.
Celia - I laughed when I read your spoiler, as that's pretty much exactly what's happened with one of my PbPs. It was being slovenly and I got a new guy in and now it's proceeding apace.
Anyway, good to have you guys around, we'll just wait around for Black Addie before I start up gameplay. I really needed a cleric, Celia. I've had parties that didn't accept one and it's been very dangerous.
Also...a few groundrules, just to make things a little more clear. I tend to run pretty fast-paced adventures (or want to) but please tell me if I should slow down my post frequency.
Firstly, I would prefer that each of you post once/day, and I will try to keep up and give you all something to post about every day. It's no big deal if you don't, feel free to take breaks or whatnot, if I need you I'll DMPC you.
Next, prepared spellcasters, at the beginning of any given in-game day, I'd like a spoiler on your first post with your prepared spells for the day.
Purely OOC things should be coming here. If it's in the gameplay thread, it should have something in there that your character is doing.
This seems pretty standard for PbPs, but format is important to be. Verbal dialogue should be in between quotations and bolded, mental dialogue should be in between quotations and italicized, thoughts should be merely italicized, and actions should be normal font.
We will be using a narrative form of leveling, which means we won't be keeping track of experience. I'll simply tell you when it's appropriate to level up. When you do level up, I'd like you to post in this thread with a post about what you gained from the level up. Health will be rolled for using the forum diceroller, and the rest of your gains, you'll just tell me about. (i.e. a feat, Precise shot, Hit points: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5, two spells known (burning hands and floating disk), +1 BaB, +1 Will save).
Combat will be done as the following: When I declare combat, I will roll initiative for everybody and then wait for a post from all combatants. We will post in initiative order (and I will keep track of where the initiative is and let people act in twos or threes).
I'll try not to be too draconic about rules, but I'd like you to keep track of doing things correctly. In addition, if you cast spells during combat, I'd really like you to link the spell in your post so I can see exactly what it does, but no biggie if you forget. I have google and the PRD.
Oh, one more thing. There will be no taking 10 or taking 20. You can roll and if you fail, you fail. I do not like those rules.
Anyway, hopefully I didn't forget anything. Make sure your characters are built with the proper number of points, have their story-related skill point and Weapon Finesse.
Oh, one more thing. There will be no taking 10 or taking 20. You can roll and if you fail, you fail. I do not like those rules.
Does this apply even to the bardic class features at various levels that are geared specifically to that set of rules? If so, do you have a replacement mechanic so that the bard class doesn't lose anything?
Oh, one more thing. There will be no taking 10 or taking 20. You can roll and if you fail, you fail. I do not like those rules.Does this apply even to the bardic class features at various levels that are geared specifically to that set of rules? If so, do you have a replacement mechanic so that the bard class doesn't lose anything?
I'm going to say that no, it doesn't. I just don't like doing this: "I'm going to be extra meticulous and take 20 on this perception check because I know there's treasure in here."
Hi all! Finally got a chance to check in. Thanks for selecting me, Leinathan. This looks like an awesome party of characters and a great group of players.
I'm in EST and typically post at least once or twice a day (in the morning before work and in the evening after the kids go to bed). In mid-August I will be dropping down to a part-time work schedule, so I should be able to post more frequently starting then. Weekend posting can get sporadic depending on family plans/activities.
Thanks again for the invite!
Cool stuff, stoked now.
@Celia thanks for the spoiler, I appreciate the insight, though I hope you're wrong about falling off, at least in the context of this group! I can see conspiracy hunter working for your cleric, and I feel like that might be a good locus for flavor among our personalities. However, I don't think it's too strange for us all to have Westcrown Firebrand, as that is, after all, most generic to the story, and there's nothing peculiar about a bunch of people who see something needs to be done. It's your call though.
@leinathan I agree the taking 10 or 20 can be a difficult thing to work with. Sounds reasonable to me. Can't wait to start!
@Shannon I'm curious, are you an opera lover or vocalist IRL, or did you do a bunch of research to get the background for your character. I sing myself, so I was enthralled by your detailed account of your character.
I can relate, leinathan. My players use those rules in tabletop with wreckless abandon. In my experience, a lot of people don't actually know that you can't take 10/20 on everything and don't pay attention to the little rules like that you can't do it on rolls to identify equipment or disabling traps. They were recently shocked when I informed them that they cannot "autoidentify" magical items by taking a twenty. One failure and you can't identify again until the following day.
The Perception example you use, however, is often the case. Never found a way around it, myself, save disallowing it like you have. :)
And as a matter of fact, Jessnen, I am a vocalist IRL. I sing a capella professionally in a few quartets (baritone and tenor primarily, I lean towards the harmonics over the melodies), used to play in a series of orchestras and choirs and have been in music for about 15 years. Almost as long as you've been alive!
Shannon, that's awesome :D I'm actually just about to go to music school.
I'll get us started as soon as I think of a good-looking way to get you all individually into the campaign. Shouldn't be too long.
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The only thing I use take 10 for is climbing anyways, so it should be a harrowing post when we come across a ladder. :P
Oh, and disable device, which is essentially written around take 10 take 20 but we don't have that skill in the party so moving on.
All of your house rules and such sound fine.
I'm unavailable for the rest of the day but I will check in around 8 or so to see what's up and try for a quick post. If there's more necessary, later tonight. It's my all-day face to face game day.
Haha, a bunch of musicians here! That's so great! I sing baritone, and have been part of a number of honor choruses through high-school, and was part of a professional group for a very short time as an alternate. Sang at the Minnesota orchestra hall twice too, once as a soloist! Runs in my family, my mother's been singing since she was young in professional groups, and her father before her, and his father was actually an opera star back in the 1920's!
Leinathan, what kinda music are you going for? Composition, performance, theory, conducting? Very cool following that kind of passion, it was hard for me to pass it up when I was picking schools.
Oh, I'm going for Education. I've wanted to be a teacher for years, but I dunno that I can give up doing music. So there's that :D
Sorry, folks. I've been in a weird, blank mood all day. Lemme see if I can get some stuff up for you soon.
There, gameplay is up. Go ahead and introduce yourselves.
Oh, Addie! At first I was curious whether you randomly drew Harrow cards for yourself and then wrote that, devising your own interpretation, or if it was an intentional staging of the cards.
But after thinking a second time, I don't know want to know. It would ruin the mystique. I just want to say that's awesome.
I wondered the same things Shannon, and I agree that it's more fun without knowing.
Also, question, if we want to know something before we have our characters respond, does that go here then? or over there? I waited to see some examples before I posted myself, and I hope I didn't take any liberties.
Every character deserves a good big introductory post full of flavor to set the PC's mood. After that, it's just tedious and overdone. That's when we can just go with one word responses like "wut?"
Celia, I almost wish you had just left it at "Who?" I would have laughed. I do appreciate the insight into the character though, so either way works in the end. But I agree whole-heartedly, if the rest of these posts match this level of intensity, we have some very talented and experienced players among us!
Someday I still want to play a 5 or 6 Int character who speaks in special dialogue.
"hai u guys wutz up r u redy to venture ??"
"i fit wif a sord, 4gd in the boilin feesees of the dammd"
"o man de princes is in a nuther castle! :("
"4 wescrown(royal) lol"
"aaah its a tarp"
Yes, if you want information without making up stuff, then ask it here, I should respond fairly promptly unless I'm sleeping.
Feel free to take liberties with things that don't really concern the other players, by the way. I want you to, it allows you to take part in storycrafting and setting-creation.
Shannon, I was in a PbP with a 5 Int Orc that could only speak in grunts. He chose the Orc racial alternate ability that takes away his starting languages.
Would it be helpful for us to respond in the order we arrive?
Not necessarily. I just put that in to let you know who you see when you enter. That is to say that Black Addie notices nobody, and you notice her, etc. etc.
Ok, I'll throw down something loose then. Thanks
I suppose that makes me *drumroll* fashionably late.
XD I love it
Oh, Addie! At first I was curious whether you randomly drew Harrow cards for yourself and then wrote that, devising your own interpretation, or if it was an intentional staging of the cards.
But after thinking a second time, I don't know want to know. It would ruin the mystique. I just want to say that's awesome.
Thanks!
I have to say, from the quality of everyone's posts I consider myself very lucky to have fallen in with such a talented group of players!
Yes, I meant signora. Your signore was in my head. I see Westcrown the same way and use Shannon's opera motif to similar ends (with some Wagnerian hyperpathos/bathos thrown in, because it is so cool.)
It would appear that we tend to be the posters in the wee hours of the morning. Hah! No complaints, just another excuse for my insomnia.
Hey by the way, where does it ever explain the references "dottari" and "Wiscrani"? I just looked them up, and scoured the CoTPG to see if I missed something, but they never expressly say what they mean. Is it the Inner-Sea World Guide? The Cheliax installment of the Chronicles?
Made me feel a bit behind on the times, and I'm not used to it!
The dottari are Westcrown's civil police force, essentially. They have a reputation lately for being quite corrupt, wedged firmly under the despicable mayor's thumb. And most people assume they're pretty much marching in step with the Hellknights (nationalistic enforcers of Chelaxian authority, consider them essentially a military force).
Wiscrani is what you call a person or thing from Westcrown.
No I found the information, but thank you for the summation, confirms what I found. I was just wondering where people got the info, I had to dig to find it and everyone seemed so knowledgable.
Btw, I'm also not used to writing in second person, sorry for any inconsistencies in perspective, it's good practice though.
I'm pretty sure we just implied based on how they're used on the AP and the Player's Guide.
Yep, that's what I gathered from the Player's Guide and a little bit of googling.
Got it. I do not have the AP, and it's only mentioned once or twice in the PG, so that makes sense
I'm feeling less like an expert and more like a student every minute. Please, keep teaching anytime you can, I'm like a kid in a candy shop with this stuff! Any other particular sites you'd advise investigating? (Pardon the green enthusiasm, if it gets irksome I can reign it in)
Love that map of Westcrown. Thanks for posting the link!
Any chance those links could be put under Campaign Info, leinathan? That would be helpful.
Sure! I'll just go do that now.
I just wanna make sure, I'm playing up the cynicism and sarcasm for the low charisma on Jess. Hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes.