I made the character in HeroLab, so I guess the software shoved the size bonus in with the BAB. I'll fix it and remove the extra spell-like abilities (had to do that by hand since racial options aren't implemented yet in HeroLab).
I think I (and the software, since subdomains are supposed to be done) disagree on the base speed, though. The extra 10 feet base speed is part of the overall Travel domain, and not part of the agile feet power, which only deals with ignoring difficult terrain. Since each subdomain replaces only "a granted power and a number of spells" (emphasis mine), I think the base speed bonus remains, like the class skills and bonus feats some of the other domains grant outside of a named power.
I make a point of it only because so much of her career is going to involve running away. :)
Yes, you're right about the speed. My mistake. Sorry.
@Navior
I take it we'll be playing on the Google-page. How will dice rolling work? The roller included seems a little... clunky? I haven't used it, but it looks like it won't integrate easily into posts the way that does
@Navior
I take it we'll be playing on the Google-page. How will dice rolling work? The roller included seems a little... clunky? I haven't used it, but it looks like it won't integrate easily into posts the way that 2d6 + 2 does
No, we'll be playing on the boards here. I'll be opening the thread for initial role-play on the Jenivere later today. The Google page is primarily for keeping track of extra things. I'll be putting maps and handouts there. You all can use it to make notes on NPCs you've encountered, locations, etc. (saves having to search through the whole thread). The dice-roller on the site is superfluous. It's just part of the template I used for the site, but we don't need it.
A pity, the page would be perfect if it had some form of dice-roller that can be used when posting. It could host some updateable battlemap, etc. Would be brilliant. Where are the IT-tech-savvy people that can whip this up for us? :D
Finally got Urza up, though there's a few odds and ends, like finishing the details on his gear. Navior, take a look and make sure he's ok.
Looks good!
I just want to double check where everyone boarded. Obviously, the characters with "Boarded in..." traits boarded in those locations. So we have Douena boarding at the start of the journey in Magnimar. Aakif boarded in Corentyn, and then Loren boarded in Ilizmagorti.
Makoa and Urza are crew members. Have they been members of the crew for the whole voyage or did they sign on later?
Finally, Mahjik is a stowaway. He could have boarded at any port, but from his background, it sounds like he boarded fairly early and was found fairly early as well. Did you have a preference for where?
I hope to have the first post up in the next few hours or so.
There must have been some serious lag problems earlier. I see your post four times, Navior! That must have been awfully frustrating.
Looking forward to the first post!
Well, Makoa could have been on board since the start. His backstory says he picked a good time to go, since there seemed to be an increase in people going.
Let's just say he was waiting for a group that could keep up and make a good pack.
There must have been some serious lag problems earlier. I see your post four times, Navior! That must have been awfully frustrating.
Looking forward to the first post!
Woah! Yeah, the first three tries kept taking me back to the this page of thread but with no post, so I kept trying again and again. I'm going to delete the extra ones now.
I'm not sure which ports are available; if no other port comes to mind, Mahjik will have snuck on board while the Jenivere was harbored in Magnimar.
I figure to have been part of the crew from the beginning, but don't have to be if that works better for you.
From the beginning is good.
Okay, the first post is up! A little later than I'd planned, but that's okay. Here's the link.
The first event of this adventure is a little unusual and will require a bit of patience in pbp. I'm going to need Fortitude saves from everybody before the event happens. Normally, for reactive rolls like saving throws or Perception checks to notice something happening, I'll do the rolls for you. It simply saves time rather than having to wait for everyone to post a single roll. However, due to the unusual nature of this event, I'm going to have you make the rolls here in the OOC thread. I won't start the first event until Thursday, so that gives you all lots of time to do a bit of roleplaying and to make your Fortitude save.
Have fun everyone!
(And now I am off to bed for the night.)
Aakif's Fort save:
Lorenz's Fort save: .
Ah, Lorenz's luck is holding strong!
Fortitude save go!
DB3 as fellow half orcs and members of the crew, how about we start with Makoa and Urza being friends or packmates to you?
That's fine, and makes sense, considering the non-orcish crew may have found me.. disconcerting...
It's pretty sad that all of the players with the higher Fortitude bonus got the lowest rolls.
It seems I'm no sea-wolf...
The beauty and flaw of level 1 characters is that their characteristics are still so close to each other that there's no real significant difference to the rolls yet.
The beauty and flaw of level 1 characters is that their characteristics are still so close to each other that there's no real significant difference to the rolls yet.
I agree. I just found it amusingly ironic. I'm eager to find out what's going to happen as a result of these diverse rolls.
And so it begins...
This first event is a bit unusual and doesn’t translate to pbp well. So it’s going to require a bit of patience from everyone involved. The Fortitude save I asked for determines the order in which your characters wake up. Mahjik was highest, so he wakes up first. Unfortunately, he wakes up to an immediate fight. The rest of you will wake up in descending order of your saves, one per round.
Round 1: Mahjik
Round 2: Douena
Round 3: Urza
Round 4: Aakif
Round 5: Lorenz
Round 6: Makoa
The NPCs won’t wake up until the battle is over. An exception to all this is if any of you take damage at any point while still asleep, you will wake up immediately and be able to join the battle. I realize this means those of you with the lowest saves (particularly Makoa) could have a bit of a wait before being able to join in. You’ll just have to patient.
Everyone awakes wearing whatever clothes you had on while eating, including any armour. The rest of your equipment, including weapons, is in a pile on the beach.
Until everyone awakes, I will be placing the battle in spoiler tags.
A battle map has been placed on the website, and I will continuously update it as the battle progresses. Each time I do so, I will indicate it in a post in this manner:
During battles, I’ll clearly mark the round number at the beginning of every round, and I’ll indicate who’s up next. Feel free to post your actions for the round before your turn comes up to help speed things along. If you do, I’ll simply wait until your turn to resolve them. If the situation changes before your turn arrives and you wish to change your stated actions, you may do so.
If you have any questions about how I’m handling this and other battles, feel free to ask.
Now on to adventure...
Sounds good. I'm certainly willing to be patient. It sounds like an interesting and unusual set-up.
Oh, almost forgot a couple things!
Everyone awakens still feeling somewhat groggy. For the duration of the battle you will all have the sickened condition (-2 to attack, damage, saves, skill checks, and ability checks). An important bit of information. Sorry for forgetting that. [blush]
Also, retrieving a weapon or other specific item from the pile of equipment is a standard action (as you have to do a bit of searching for the correct item).
I've been around all day but I'm going to have to take off for a few hours. I'll be able to post again around 8 EST.
Lovely map, btw.
Lovely map, btw.
Thanks!
I'm going to be heading away from my computer for a few hours here, shortly. If Aakif's turn comes up before I'm back, all he's going to do is stand up, 5' step to the weapon pile, and find his falchion.
Always a good omen when one's first attack of an adventure obliterates an enemy :)
Kudos for the crit, fellow barbarian! Rage on!
Even if you'd not given me the chance to find my horse, Navior, I wouldn't have felt you were an evil DM, just for the record. I didn't exactly expect it to die or get lost in the shipwreck (or whatever), but neither did I expect it to be available. I took the money trait mainly to afford the sword, not the mount, so losing the mount wouldn't have been a big deal. He gets a permanent one at level 5 anyway, and he probably won't pick up any mount-related feats or powers until around then either.
That all said, I imagine having a horse will be useful, and I'm glad the investment isn't necessarily wasted :)
Even if you'd not given me the chance to find my horse, Navior, I wouldn't have felt you were an evil DM, just for the record. I didn't exactly expect it to die or get lost in the shipwreck (or whatever), but neither did I expect it to be available. I took the money trait mainly to afford the sword, not the mount, so losing the mount wouldn't have been a big deal. He gets a permanent one at level 5 anyway, and he probably won't pick up any mount-related feats or powers until around then either.
That all said, I imagine having a horse will be useful, and I'm glad the investment isn't necessarily wasted :)
The adventure actually has a really good set-up, allowing everyone to keep all their belongings while having a good in-game explanation for it that sets up a little mystery and helps move the adventure forward!
On a more general note to everyone: I'm going to be unavailable for most of the rest of the day (I'm in EST, which is either GMT -4 or GMT -5, I always get confused how daylight savings affects that), but please feel free to role-play your initial time on the beach. You can discuss how you'd like to proceed from here. On the whole, the NPCs' morales are quite low, and they're not particularly helpful at the moment, so they don't contribute a whole lot to whatever plans you decide to make. I'll go over the rules for how their attitudes and morales can be improved when I get back.
I just wanted to say that even though Lorenz didn't get to contribute at all to the battle, I liked the way the game started. Waking up individually on the beach with sea scorpions nibbling at your heels was pretty entertaining.
I also really liked the maps you updated as the battle continued. It was very useful to see exactly where everyone was and how the battle was proceeding.
By the way, the East Coast is GMT -5 until their Daylight Savings Time ends which is usually the week before ours does. Then when we get off DST, we'll be back to GMT -5 again. I was highly amused at the numerous EST time values on AK's original recruitment post.
Technically EST never changes with respect to GMT. EST stands for Eastern Standard Time. When we switch to Daylight Savings Time, we switch to EDT, or Eastern Daylight Time. EST is GMT-5, EDT is GMT-4.
I just wanted to say that even though Lorenz didn't get to contribute at all to the battle, I liked the way the game started. Waking up individually on the beach with sea scorpions nibbling at your heels was pretty entertaining.
I also really liked the maps you updated as the battle continued. It was very useful to see exactly where everyone was and how the battle was proceeding.
By the way, the East Coast is GMT -5 until their Daylight Savings Time ends which is usually the week before ours does. Then when we get off DST, we'll be back to GMT -5 again. I was highly amused at the numerous EST time values on AK's original recruitment post.
I'm glad you liked it! And thanks again for being so patient. In a pbp, that opening encounter can leave some people waiting for a really long time. I'm glad people were prompt in posting.
As is probably apparent by now, part of the challenge in this adventure is dealing with the NPCs. All of them have the potential to be either a great help to the party or a great hindrance. How they end up depends mostly on your actions. There are two main things regarding the NPCs that I'll be keeping track of: attitude and morale.
For morale, I will make a Will saving throw for each NPC at the beginning of each game day after the current one. I'll apply bonuses and/or penalties to these rolls based on the events of the previous day. Successful saves (DC 15) will improve the individual NPC's morale. Unsuccessful saves can lower it. The morale categories (from best to worst) are hopeful, normal, shaken, frightened, and panicked. At the present time, all the NPCs are shaken.
Attitude is based on the standard diplomacy categories: helpful, friendly, indifferent, unfriendly, and hostile. You can make one Diplomacy check per NPC per game day, although you can work in tandem using aid another, of course. I'll apply bonuses or penalties based on your actions and how you've generally treated the NPC in question. The results of a Diplomacy check are permanent unless a future Diplomacy check or major event changes things. Intimidate can also affect an NPC's attitude, but the results are temporary and when they fade, that NPC's attitude drops lower. Due to the circumstances of the adventure, an NPC's attitude cannot be raised to helpful unless you accomplish a specific task first. That task varies depending on the NPC and must be discovered in-game.
With attitude, I'm doing things a little differently than by-the-book in that I'm keeping track of NPC attitudes towards each individual, rather than one attitude to the whole group. I just feel it makes for a more interesting dynamic that way. However, as long as the party is working together, these attitudes shouldn't vary too much among individual party members. I'm not one for stating specifically what an NPC's current attitude is. I prefer to let that come across in the NPC's actions and words, but I will say that at the moment, Sasha is the most well-inclined towards you all, and Aerys the least.
I prefer to let that come across in the NPC's actions and words, but I will say that at the moment, Sasha is the most well-inclined towards you all, and Aerys the least.
All of us? I got the impression that Sasha rather disliked poor Lorenz...
I prefer to let that come across in the NPC's actions and words, but I will say that at the moment, Sasha is the most well-inclined towards you all, and Aerys the least.All of us? I got the impression that Sasha rather disliked poor Lorenz...
Yeah, I was generalizing a bit. She is least-inclined towards Lorenz. Just so people know, the starting attitudes of the NPCs are based on backstories and where each of you boarded.
I think Douena's found her new BFF! ;)
I think Douena's found her new BFF! ;)
I'm so going to find something shiny for you. :)
By the way, I wanted to add to the commendations on the map. That shipwreck map is entirely awesome, even though I totally missed the spot where the rowboat is tied up (darn it!).
By the way, I wanted to add to the commendations on the map. That shipwreck map is entirely awesome, even though I totally missed the spot where the rowboat is tied up (darn it!).
I'm glad everyone likes the maps. They're really not that difficult to make. I use MapTool, and I've got a pretty large library of images that I've gathered from around the net. I then just grab the types of images I need and place them on the map. If you look, you'll notice that there are really only about 4 distinct rocks in the shipwreck map. I've just reused them by altering their sizes and orientation.
Most of the kudos should go to the people who spend the time making the images and then put them up for free download.
I thought that looked like a MapTools map. I really, really like that program; it's very easy to make high-quality maps with it.
By the way, if no one offers any better suggestions, Aakif will smash the desk to flinders with his falchion. Leave no drawer unopened, and all that. 2d4+7 (power attack) should reduce a wooden desk to its component parts relatively quickly. Obviously, if Douena were with us, she could probably pop it, but as Urza pointed out, we may not have that much time.
By the way, if no one offers any better suggestions, Aakif will smash the desk to flinders with his falchion. Leave no drawer unopened, and all that. 2d4+7 (power attack) should reduce a wooden desk to its component parts relatively quickly. Obviously, if Douena were with us, she could probably pop it, but as Urza pointed out, we may not have that much time.
Player-wise, I have no objections, though that sounds risky: Whatever is in that drawer may be fragile. You also could risk knocking the remains of the desk into the sea through the hole in the cabin. Naturally, if Aakif isn't going to think that far ahead than it's your perogative to act.
I'm a little worried we haven't actually completed the search of the cabin, given we've concentrated on the footlocker and the desk but Lorenz isn't bright enough to think that through.
There was something else I came here to say but I'll be darned if I can remember what it was.
Edit: Oh yeah. I'm keeping track of things we've located in my profile under Adventure Notes. I don't know who has the keys, though I'd sort of assume that Lorenz does since no one stated that they took them. I'm also including the maps and captain's log on his person for the record. If someone else wants them, we can roleplay that out and I'll reassign the possession to the appropriate person.
By the way, if no one offers any better suggestions, Aakif will smash the desk to flinders with his falchion. Leave no drawer unopened, and all that. 2d4+7 (power attack) should reduce a wooden desk to its component parts relatively quickly. Obviously, if Douena were with us, she could probably pop it, but as Urza pointed out, we may not have that much time.
Aw, c'mon. At least search the rest of the ship and come back to that locked drawer last to give her a chance to get there. Although I already blew my nat 20 on those unpickable manacles. :P