Survey question: Since the beginning I've wanted to use a skull and crossbones symbol for the 'dead' indicator, but just hadn't gotten around to changing it. Now I have changed it on the map, but seeing it done I find that I almost prefer the red ... 'splotch'? thingy that I was using (especially after Tangar gets done with them!). But the 'logical' side of my brain says the skull-and-crossbones makes more sense. So the question is: which one do you all prefer and do you have any input on this matter? (I do have both on the map so you can see them side-by-side if you want to.)
While I'm at it, let me put out another survey-type-question/s: Any input on the game so far? How am I doing as a DM? How am I doing as a story-teller? Are you enjoying it? Any improvements I can make?
Please remember that I am a very sensitive/emotional person, so while I realize I'm asking the questions and thus opening the door to possible criticism, I would appreciate if you could please try to answer in a diplomatic fashion, rather than an 'everbody-knows-who' fashion (To not mention names). :)
I like the splatter it looks like death.. lol
You're doing a fine job so far..
I like the splatter it looks like death.. lol
Yeah, especially the kind of death that Tangar tends to deal! Hahahaha! :P
indeed..
taking a 10 down the path a little.. lets see where that gets him.. lol
As I was saying, credit to Boudacia for the 'echo' effect as she/he first posted it some time back. :)
I get confused with these guys playing females ...do I call them he or she? or it? - And as I say this I remember that with my PS4 I just got Elder Scrolls, and I chose to play a female character! Hahaha! Well, at least in the video game you can strip her down to her underwear and enjoy the view! Yes, I'm one of those kind of guys ... but at least I'm honest enough to admit it! :P Just kidding really. I did do it when I first created her, but I've kept her fully armored ever since!
By the way, everybody I would like for one of the players, and one player only please, to volunteer to keep track of all the loot please! It becomes difficult to go back and find it in our game folder here. I would suggest a page in google drive that the rest of us can see, but only the 'record keeper' can edit? And I could put a link to that page at the top of our discussion pages here. I would like for that person to keep records of how much money, gems (with their value), and items (including any ability or charges info I provide) are found, and when a particular item is given to a player for use, make note of who that is given to as well please? Maybe give me access as well just in case?
Or do you all want me to keep track of that as well? I can if you want me too, I just like for a player to keep track to help remember things. Already I don't remember what loot you got on your first encounter in the woods!
Stormstrider you are doing a most excellent job as a GM, and I don't care one way or the other about the red splotch of the skull and crossbones. So whatever is the consensus, or whatever you prefer. :)
I get confused with these guys playing females ...do I call them he or she? or it?
Not it.
My in game character is she.
I am of course he.
When I post in discussion under my Boudacia Alias it can be either. I don't mind.
I am not going to be offended if someone gets the gender wrong for either me or my character either. If that worried me I would not play female characters. When you are as macho as I am, oozing testosterone from every pore, insecurity about masculinity is not an issue.
Red splotch or skull & cross-bones? Doesn't matter to me. Either way is fine. And you're doing quite well on the GM-side of things. Also, don't get confused about gender! If you see an obviously female avatar, say she, if it's a pretty obviously male avatar, say he. And as Boudacia (sorta) said, people won't usually get upset if you use the wrong one. Of course, you could always just say you accidentally missed/added a letter, too. ;) As for the loot, I don't know if I can do it. Google drive & I are not on the best of terms.
On the subject of sleeping without a bedroll out in the wilderness. (And yes the Stonde's front yard is still going to be considered sleeping out in the wilderness, because it is the hard ground that affects things here, not the surroundings.)
I cannot find anything definitive in the RAW, but found several pages discussing things about resting. The one that made most sense to me is that if you sleep on the hard ground without a bedroll you're going to suffer from fatigue.
Fatigued = A fatigued character can neither run nor charge and takes a –2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity. Doing anything that would normally cause fatigue causes the fatigued character to become exhausted. After 8 hours of complete rest, fatigued characters are no longer fatigued.
Unless someone can come up with something else, or Tamlara comes up with some convincing argument as to her sleeping arrangements, I am going to go with this ruling.
BUT, your kind, generous DM also has a solution in mind if needed, and if you decide to trust in me, you'll just have to wait and see. :D
If Tamlara volunteers to be the recipient of my Keep Watch spell, she can literally sit up all night and still gain all the benefits of having slept. ;) :)
On the subject of sleeping without a bedroll out in the wilderness. (And yes the Stonde's front yard is still going to be considered sleeping out in the wilderness, because it is the hard ground that affects things here, not the surroundings.)
I cannot find anything definitive in the RAW, but found several pages discussing things about resting. The one that made most sense to me is that if you sleep on the hard ground without a bedroll you're going to suffer from fatigue.
Fatigued = A fatigued character can neither run nor charge and takes a –2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity. Doing anything that would normally cause fatigue causes the fatigued character to become exhausted. After 8 hours of complete rest, fatigued characters are no longer fatigued.
Unless someone can come up with something else, or Tamlara comes up with some convincing argument as to her sleeping arrangements, I am going to go with this ruling.
BUT, your kind, generous DM also has a solution in mind if needed, and if you decide to trust in me, you'll just have to wait and see. :D
Price: 1 sp; Weight: 5 lbs.1
Gear Type: Item; Price: 1 sp;
DESCRIPTION
This consists of two woolen sheets sewn together along the bottom and one side to create a bag for sleeping in. Some have cloth straps along the open side so the bedroll can be tied closed while you are sleeping. It can be rolled and tied into a tight coil for storage or transport. Most people use a blanket with the bedroll to stay warm or provide a ground cushion.
Hence, the bedroll is just a thin sack, and a blanket alone should do fine. Unless, of course, it is actually cold out, in which case we would all need more (except maybe Tangar). Also, I accepted the spell from Aldranhald.
WOW! I've never seen that description of a bedroll before! I've always just thought of it as kind of the same thing you see cowboys having tied on the back of their horse which always include the blanket for padding. So I stand corrected in case it ever comes up again! I mean, not that it actually became an issue since Boudacia offered, but if it happened I was just going to have someone in town notice you looked 'tired' and they would remove the fatigued condition, but ok!
Not that I'm doubting you at all Tamlara, just for my own education and the sake of my future characters could you please tell me where you got that description from? A link would be great!
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Heads up - for this next week I may be a bit busier than normal. I have finally arranged to run the Spire for a table-top group! Of course thanks to this PBP, most of the prep work is done, but I'll be needing time to review/approve the characters for that group. And there are ... seven? players if I remember right for that group! RL Tangar is one of them, so that could be interesting. SEVEN! That is a LOT for a tabletop! I've got a lot of reviewing to do and I got to wait til they tell me what they want before I can review it! This time I did say no summoner types. ;)
Also, I'm not being able to do anything game-wise while at work, because our new systems are STILL NOT WORKING!!!! After 2 & 1/2 weeks! So people call us thinking that somehow magically we can make it work for them! So everyday we have 375-400 calls in queue all day long! Today they told us they are actually going to switch us back to the old systems temporarily, they just don't know when they are going to do that either! I swear, we must have one of the MOST INCOMPETENT IT departments in the world! I mean, did they not test this system at all before they released it? I realize most new computer systems have some glitches when they are first released, but ... practically nothing works the way it should! And some things will work for one person's account, but they won't work for another person's account? Aren't the systems supposed to run the same no matter whose account you're in?!?!?!?! GGGGGRRRRRR!!!!! And then today the one system that ... sort-of worked, some of the times, went 'down for emergency maintenance' at about 3:14 in the afternoon! And was down for about 1 & 1/2 hrs!!! Imagine answering the phone to someone who was already on hold for 1 to 2 hours, only to tell them you can't even look at the acct, less yet try to do anything!
HEADS-UP everybody! After setting up the map of the 1st level for my tabletop group to see it, I realized I needed to do some minor editing to what you could see and explain a portion of the map better. So if you look at the Battle Grid now, you will see some changes, and off to the right side there are several paragraphs describing the scene. The first part about section A15 and the yellow circle is the primary stuff. You all already know the rest, but it wouldn't hurt to read it before you go back again.
Here is the link for a Bedroll .
Generally D20PFSRD , from where the link is drawn, is an excellent resource for all things Pathfinder. One search and it will bring up most everything.
More generally, I have traveled, well lots and lots, and some involved camping out. Most of that we had a little mat with less than 1 inch of foam, minimal padding. It is no problem, maybe takes a little getting used to. I actually really like sleeping under the stars in decent weather.
Once I spent a night at a music festival where I could not find a tent on a collapsed cardboard box in front of a fire. It was ages ago but I can't recall the hard ground as a problem. Being freezing on one side and almost burning on the other was. Being placed on a rotating stick and perhaps basted would have improved things.
On the new tabletop campaign, hope it is fun. 7 is a lot for tabletop, I suggest you place the dice, rules and character sheets on the tabletop and have the players on seating at the sides.
On the new tabletop campaign, hope it is fun. 7 is a lot for tabletop, I suggest you place the dice, rules and character sheets on the tabletop and have the players on seating at the sides.
* Face-palm *
Well, you know how I was complaining about our new computer systems not working properly? It got so bad that today the company decided to shut them down completely! It is supposed to be a temporary shutdown, but they have not given us a timeframe of how long and they are keeping us all at work even though the queue call is completely empty since no one is calling us!
Except for the occasional call from someone who did not get the info that we are shut down, like the lady I just spoke to who was wanting to place an order. I explained to her that the system was stemporarily shut down and I have no way to place the order. So she asks me, something along the lines of 'So how can I get you to place this order for me?' - ?!?!?! What part of system shut down do you not understand??? So I told her again the system is shut down and there is no way I can place the order. So she asks, "Can I go online and place the order?" GGGGRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What part of So I explain to her that the system shut down means there is no web-site for her to go to to place an order right now. So she tells me that we are a piece of s!@%, and hangs up the phone. I just love my job at moments like this. SARCASM! I do actually like my job, when I'm able to actually help a customer who truly needs the help. But when I get IDIOTS like this or similar ...
Take solace in your intellectual superiority. A bit like feeling smarter than a sheep perhaps, but it is the way to make the best of things.
And I don't understand the "face-palm" to my reasonable suggestion.
A skilled cook? ... hmmm ... That would be a profession Cook skill check or just a straight up Wisdom check. If you all want to RP it, feel free.
Keep in mind you still need to talk and decide who your going to try to approach about getting communal dark-vision. Then you have to make it in to town, find them, talk to them and proceed form there! Or go to town first, and then decide who to talk to, either way.
Okay, since only 1 person has even commented about someone keeping records of the loot (AHEM! To the rest of you!) I have taken it upon myself to start a Google chart to keep records of the treasure/loot.
I have posted a link at the top of the page to it. Take notice that I set it up so that when you scroll down the top line is still visible, so if you scroll down it may look blank! Don't forget to scroll back up! Also anything entered in the 'Coin' column will automatically appear in the corresponding 'Value' column.
By the way, No one ever said they were picking up the 30 GP found on the last goblins? I assume someone would? Let's please specify those things in the future.
And does anyone remember what was found after the first encounter in the woods? I can look it up if I need to, but it would be by searching through the game-play board here and could be quite tedious, which your DM doesn't like ... (HINT! Any of you can do the same search for me!)
Can we set a SOP of collecting loot from fallen enemies? And weeping them with detect magic?
Can we set a SOP of collecting loot from fallen enemies? And weeping them with detect magic? (emphasis added)
You plan to cry over your fallen enemies? Hahahahaha! ;) Sorry, I know what you meant, but it was just too good to pass up!
And yes, your certainly welcome to set up an SOP of collecting loot and detecting magic, I just want to know who carries what, please.
My TV has quit working! Last night I was playing Elder Scrolls, when the screen just started blinking. It did that about 5 or 6 times and then the picture just went black. The sound is still on, and the power as well of course, but the screen is black. I tried turning it off and back on multiple time, to no avail! I even left it off all night and then tried again this morning and it still does the same thing. When I turn it back on the screen actually comes on fine, but after about 1-2 seconds it blacks out for a second, then comes back into view, then blacks out again and stays black! This means my PS4 has currently become a $400 paper weight! Any one have any ideas? I currently have NO money for a repairman/technician!
Well, just talked to my landlord who owns the TV. He said that tomorrow he would look into replacing the TV. That's better than I expected! :)
I haven't told him yet that I'm not going to have all the rent money for May on the due date. I'm going to have to owe him $100, but just for one week.
Oh crap, another source of conflict. :(
If TV wasn't waning I would suggest your life as the basis of a soap opera.
Good luck man.
Now on the subject of TV and games ... I had a weird thought. Honestly didn't think it would work ... but did a google search anyways. Turns out you CAN run your PS4 on your laptop's screen! YAY! So forget trying to download anything else! I'm playing Elder Scrolls with my PS4 on my laptop!
True, going from a 35" screen to a 17" ... and the quality of the graphics isn't quite as good ... and I can't figure out how to get the sound to come through ... but at least I CAN play! YAY! :D
Maybe I should try Elder Scrolls. You seem to love it.
And going back a way, I think you are doing a fine job as GM Stormstrider.
Thanks!
As to Elder Scrolls, This is Elder Scrolls online Tamuriel, it is just another MMORPG, but one thing I like is at the top of the screen it has a kind of 'compass' that of course rotates as you do and tells you which direction your facing, and different symbols show up on that compass to indicate points on the map, or quest objectives, so if for any reason you're unsure of what direction to head, just look for your quest on the compass and follow that!
Elder Scrolls has been around for a very long time, but this is the most recent version, and the only one that I have gotten to try. Like I said, for $30 you get a LOT of world to play in! But keep in mind if it's on the play-station you do have to a;so pay for the the ... PSO plus I think they call it? Of course that's ... $30 for 3 months I believe it was? And if you can afford it you can sign up for longer terms which makes it cheaper per month.
My landlord text me this morning saying he realized that my payday was this past Friday, and wanted to know if he could go ahead and get the rent money - even though it technically isn't due until the first Friday of the month - since that would help him on replacing/buying the new TV. So I had to go ahead and tell him that I could give him $275 today, but would be $100 short until the 12th. I fully expected a mad tantrum about it, He said that would be fine! And he just left now to go get the TV today, and he said he could install it today if I didn't mind him doing it while I'm home, or he could wait and do it tomorrow while I'm gone to work! - Obviously I told him today would be fine and that I'd be glad to help.
He is apparently a BIG believer in having TV. They have a 35" in their room, the 35" in my room, another 35" in the other renter's bedroom, a 46?" in the living room (which I have not seen on in the 5 months I've lived here!) and a ... I'm guessing 46-50" in the den where he stays all the time. Plus I'm fairly certain there must be at least one, if not two, down in the basement apartment. So that's at least SIX or SEVEN TV's in a house with only FIVE people in it! Not to mention of course there are 5 vehicles here. But yeah, America's having a rough time economically. If I described this to my friends back in Argentina - who are doing REALLY well if they have ONE 19" TV! - I honestly have no idea how they would react! Not to mention people in other countries even worse off, starving to death and such. Yes, America is on hard times economically speaking. Okay, ... sorry, got off on a rabbit trail there. All done now.
Maybe your landlord isn't suck a d###head after all.
I have been to a lot of third world countries and I know what you mean about people in wealthy countries having no idea what it means to be poor. Although there are a lot of homeless people in America and Australia that I suspect have a fair idea.
And as I understand it the economic malaise of the last decade has affected the poor far more than the rich. Making the unequal division of wealth, which was extreme anyway, even greater.
Not only does he go buy a brand new TV, but it went up from a ?35" to a 40" AND its a SMART TV! So where as before I had no HDMI port for my PS4 and had to buy a converter from Radio Shack who robbed me of $38 for a little thing less than 6" long! Now I have 2 HDMI ports and built in wifi. The remote actually has a button that says Netflix, another for Amazon, one for Vudu, and one for Youtube! Besides all kinds of other options built in to the TV! He says when he's had renters looking before they would ask if the TV was smart or not and since he doesn't have cable to the rooms he figures giving access to Netflix and such with a smart TV helps increase the 'rentability' of the room. So from a business point of view it makes sense. I just don't understand his completely different attitude about late rent this time. I guess I should just count my blessings and move on huh?
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Yep, very poor country I live in. :P
And like I said, "MOST" Americans. Because yes I realize there are homeless people in the USA and there must be in Australia as well, as I am sure there are in EVERY country.
And yes, the economic hard times always affect the poor the most.
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I would like to read more posts from the rest of the party - Aldhranhald and Tangar - giving opinions as to what to do or what before moving on please.
And yes, the economic hard times always affect the poor the most.
In that they are closest to having nothing yes.
However, in terms of where money was lost, in the Great Depression most was lost by the rich. In the Global Economic Crisis of the last decade, most of the losses, at least in the USA, was lost by the poor.
The cause of the GEC in the USA was sub-prime lending. Lending of money at high interest rates to people who did not have enough income to service the loan, or would not have been considered to have normally.
When the GEC hit, the banks were bailed out by the government. No money was forthcoming for the poor, incl. those affected by these loans.
Banks financial planning includes the likelihood of being bailed out by government if risky practices result in catastrophic losses. In contrast to previous collapses nobody in the USA was jailed for criminal conduct in this collapse.
A small lesson in how the world works generally.
Sorry, RL Tangar told me via Facebook that he had a really rough day at work. Unable to post today. But since 3 of the players have said seeing Lord Royst would be a good idea, I'm going with the majority decision.
On the question you raised in the game thread, who should talk to Royst, probably the one with the best diplomacy, party face.
The message is simple I think. The Spire, or at least the 1st level is all magically dark. Many of us can't see in it, meaning you can't see foes. It is just too dangerous to explore w/o some way to give the rest darkvision. We can't succeed in what you want us to do if we are all dear, could we please have a scroll or something else that will do the job? Pretty please.
On the question you raised in the game thread, who should talk to Royst, probably the one with the best diplomacy, party face.
The message is simple I think. The Spire, or at least the 1st level is all magically dark. Many of us can't see in it, meaning you can't see foes. It is just too dangerous to explore w/o some way to give the rest darkvision. We can't succeed in what you want us to do if we are all dear, could we please have a scroll or something else that will do the job? Pretty please.
That sounds perfect. I fully support it, and I absolutely believe Royst is our best option as he has the resources, and also wants a detailed map and description of the Spire. You could even take Aldhranhald's first attempt at a map and tell Lord Royst that it is so bad because it was extremely difficult to make a map only being able to see things in 5' increments. :D
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Or we could just tell Lord Royst that Tamlara needs help getting through the tower, but she's tired of having to drag these light-dependent clunkers around in the dark. ;)
Looks like we agree. Who has the best diplomacy? Hopefully not me with +2. :(
I checked everyone's diplomacy. Sadly, it appears that Boudacia's +2 is the best diplomacy among the PCs. But the best diplomacy in the party is the NPC Alex, bless him.
Stormstrider- if you want a player to actually write our request, I can do it and post it here. You will have to make the post in game though, I don't think i can post as Alex.
Yes, I would suggest then that you go ahead and write/post it here. Now, I'm not saying I will use what you write necessarily, I may use it as is, or may modify it, or use my own - just because of DM knowledge you know. I will also give a chance for others to chime in with their thoughts as well.
On another thought ... not sure if the game is slowing down to a lack of decisions or boredom or RL or what. Any chance we can try to pick up the speed here?
And I should be talking to RL Tangar in person tonight to get an update from him as to what is going on from his end.
Well, how about something like this-
Having re-entered Fort Inevitable the party makes it's way purposefully to the House of Abernard Royst. Having gained admittance, Alex speaks to the older former adventurer on behalf of the group, saying:-
"Lord Royst, we have been to the Spire and encountered a serious problem. When we entered the Spire we found that the whole construction, or at least the level we entered on, was enveloped in magical darkness. I would be grateful if you could inform us if this was the case when you adventured there. We were able to light our way to a degree with dancing lights. But we can only see in the immediate area lit. As most of us cannot see in total darkness, it is just too dangerous to try to try to adventure there.
So we ask if it would it be possible for you to provide us with some means of piercing the darkness. A scroll would be sufficient if it is only the first level.
We would much rather have returned with a map for you and ideally with the skymetal statue you seek. Hopefully we will have more next time we return from the emerald Spire."
Sounds good to me.
Yeah, that sounds good to me too.
YAY! Tangar's alive! - And in a mischievous mood apparently! Hahahaha! That was funny! RL Tangar actually told me about his post in person tonight, describing it while doing all the motions and everything! It was funny! Especially since I know the RL Tamlara fairly well and can imagine her reacting to all this! Hahahaha! GREAT fun for me at least! And a happy DM is a GOOD thing right?
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Okay, so you all have your Dark-vision scroll , I believe a UMD check will be needed to activate those right? Whose doing that? - Obviously not yet! But just be thinking/discussing/planning for it.
Are you doing anything else while in town? Or heading right back out for the Spire? I'm ruling that you all got up fairly early, and that after spell prepping, breakfast making, into town walking and with Lord Royst talking, it is just passing 8AM. Do you want to head for the Spire to make sure you get there early and don't get caught in the woods at dark? WARNING! Getting caught in the Echo Woods at dark - BAD IDEA! Or what are you all doing?
Not only are you sillying[/b, but also aliterat[b]ing, and I am joining ining.
My UMD is +6.
Yeah, I figured that would get some sort of response from Boudacia! Hahaha! :D
Yes, I got a good laugh out of Tangar's post. However, even if he does ruffle Tamlara's feathers again, she will do her best not to let him know. Maybe. She may even attempt to ruffle some feathers herself, and just end up embarrassing herself. As far as what to do, where to go, I vote we head straight back to the Spire. We haven't made nearly enough progress (both my opinion and Tamlara's).
... We haven't made nearly enough progress (both my opinion and Tamlara's).
That's Alex's and Stormstrider's opinion as well! :D
I am fine with that.
Tamlara has Feathers?!?!?!?!?! haha
sounds fun.. we'll see what happens along the way..
I agree... back to the spire..
Yes, Tamlara has feathers. She just hasn't shown them to you yet! ;)
Yes, Tamlara has feathers. ...
Hmmm ... this comes as news to the DM! I don't recall approving anything with feathers! ;) Hahahaha!