Scales of Shadows (Inactive)

Game Master OnelungBL

Roll20 map
Calendar: 4716
Home brew-ish game.


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Sarenith 29, 4716

You find yourself within Magnimar, a coastal city within southern Varisia.

A warm summer day graced with a cool sea breeze allows for comfortable visits to any of Magnimar's markets, reading of books in one's apartment, pursuit of employment or any other activity one can dream to pursue.

When you return to your lodging, you find a note waiting for you. You've seen the handwriting before and recognize the neatly flowing script as belonging to Navaan Davik, a half-elf clothier who has given you opportunities to make coin before.

Each letter begins with your name, as if the author has taken the time to craft each missive individually.

Note from Davik wrote:


Dear [character],

Your assistance is once again requested.

Please meet me at the Frock and Frolic in the Bazaar of Sails tomorrow after sunset. The door will show the closed sign, but remain unlocked.

Let yourselves in.

ND

PS. I know how it is when trying to get started in town. Meals will be provided.

Over the last few months while working closely with Davik, your handler into the Consortium, you have noted that he ends his letters with a small hand-drawn snake below his initials.

Strangely, it is missing now.


URogue 1 | HP 10/10 | AC 18-14-15 | F +2 R +6 W +1 | Init +8 | Per +7 |

Dura muses, maybe Navaan is under duress ... or our relationship has changed? I'd better collect the others.

Dura walks to Tiegantm's room and bangs on the door. "Teig! We've got work."


Elsewhere in town, a halfling slits open a similar envelope with one fingertip and peruses its contents. She reads the note once, swiftly, then again, more slowly, eyes narrowed. Well. That's interesting.

The halfling gathers her few possessions quickly out of the tiny, dingy room-- more like an attic crawl space-- she's rented. There's not a lot to grab, and with things bundled on, Tris makes her way to the street and building in question.

The little halfling tries to slip between the shadows as she goes, using her small size to her advantage-- staying in the wake of a merchant's wagon, then hurriedly ducking into an alley when the wagon passes on. It's not the fastest way to travel, but it's the way she prefers.

Stealth: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30 Ha, good way to start the game. Well, for the other PCs: if you make a Perception check with a difficulty (DC) of 30, you can see Tris! If not, you can't. ;)

As she goes, Tris looks sharply to left and to right, trying to notice anyone who might be observing her in turn.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11


Male Rakshasa-Spawn Tiefling Rake|HP 10/10 | AC 17-13-14 | F +2 R +6 W +0 | Init +4 | Per +4 |

Tiegantm lays sleeping in a plain windowless bedroom. His armor lays well organized in the corner with a backpack on top. He hears a banging on his door and his eyes open.

Dura Adustum wrote:
"Teig! We've got work"

he hears through the door.

"Fantastic" he says to himself with zero emotion. He stands, and walks to the door.


M Tiefling (Asura Spawn) UMonk 1 | HP 11/11 | AC 20-14-20 | F +3 R +7 W +4 | Init +5 | Per +8

Mudball reads the letter quickly, excited about the prospect of a new job. Now as much as ever he lusts for money. He packs up his bedroll before grabbing his gold pouch and pack off the table-stump.

I don't expect to bed here again any time soon.

He rushes off leisurely to wait near the meeting place. In the meantime he puts an ear to the ground, listening around for any interesting happenings.

Knowledge Local: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23 Do with this what you will DM. I assume I have time to wait around. We were given until tomorrow after dark.


Sarenith 30, 4716

DM stuff:

Riffraff: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
Dura: Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Mudball: Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Tiegantm: Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

For Mudball:
As you walk through the city, people who see you walking down the street move to give you extra berth. While people are hesitant to speak to you, you do hear a few tidbits of local happenings while walking down a crowded market.

An elven tapestry merchant laughs as he tells the story to anyone who will listen of a crazy dwarf making advances on a statue of a human woman elsewhere in the city.

A woman explains to what appears to be a boyfriend that the Couturier Coast is having a sale on a lady's overcoats, and that after meeting with his parents, he should do something nice for her.

A butcher explains to his coworkers that another man was found dead last week, on the night of the full moon. This is the second full moon where this has happened. Both men had their throats cut. The Princess of the Watch is sending her goons out to try and investigate, but they keep bumping heads with the local watchmen.

Tris:

No one seems to notice you as you slide through the city, dodging tall folk, wagon wheels and the eyes of the watch.

You arrive at the Frock and Frolic early.
Your stealth is so high, no one knows you're there yet, play that out as you will.

Tieg and Dura:

Feel free to post what conversation you may have had leading up to this, but I'm going to push us forward a bit.

You all arrive at the road on which the Frock and Frolic is located. Tieg, Dura and Mudball arrive to the area within minutes of each other.

Before you stands a small two story building. It shares a wall with a confectioner and an accountant's office. Through the Frock and Frolic's windows you can see an array of bolts of cloth in all sorts of colors. Clothes and mannequins are on display, showing the finest of dress for upper class shoppers.

The street lacks the bustle of a busy crowd but there are still a few late shoppers wandering the street. Various shops in the area are closing for the night, or have already closed. The sign on the Frock and Frolic's door indicates it will open again at sunrise.


Tris lurks...

for GM:
Tris is basically going to find a spot out of sight, preferably on a rooftop, and squintily watch people coming and going until nearer the meeting time. She wants to see if anyone else comes in or leaves the building. If needed:

Per: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9


M Tiefling (Asura Spawn) UMonk 1 | HP 11/11 | AC 20-14-20 | F +3 R +7 W +4 | Init +5 | Per +8

I personally feel like this is a bad idea but...

As mudball arrives, wondering about who would be joining the job this time, he reads the sign over quickly. Not wanting to be held up much longer, he glances around the street for any passersby that may notice him before testing the door, attempting to crack it open an inch to make sure it works before entering.

roll:
Note that I'm just checking up and down the street and maybe glancing at some noticable offstreets to make sure there aren't any pedestrians who care too much about me. Also since you just rolled perception on us noticing Trin I didn't know if you wanted another perception roll for this (which is basically happening at the same time) so I'm putting another here but if you didn't need it that's fine. Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14


Male Rakshasa-Spawn Tiefling Rake|HP 10/10 | AC 17-13-14 | F +2 R +6 W +0 | Init +4 | Per +4 |

Tiegantm meanders casually around the Frock and Frolic taking mental note on any means of ingress as well as anything suspicious.
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Then he enters the building.


DM:

Eyes: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17

Mudball:

You do not see anyone paying you conspicuous amounts of attention. You enter a few moments before the rest of the party. Inside you see a man you recogonize as Davik's assistant, Corland Marson, sitting at a desk.

"Ah! You must be here for Master Davik. We've been expecting you. When the rest of you arrive, I'll take you all to see him."

Tris:

You watch as a man in monk's gear glances around and then slips inside the Frock and Frolic. Minutes later, a small figure in leather walks in alongside a scary looking tiefling. You've worked with each of them before when working with Davik.

Tieg and Dura:

The only noticable exits are the door you entered, the windows on the same wall, and a staircase on the far side of the building.
Mudball waits on the bottom floor with you.

A blonde haired man waits behind a desk. Dressed in a fine robe covering what appears to be a fine-fitting and expensive tunic. He stops pouring over a ledger to greet you. Behind him, a circular stairwell ascends to the second floor. What appears to be changing rooms line the northeast corner of the shop. Clothes, measuring rolls, bobby pins, and all the tools of trade for a tailor lay around behind the desk, signs of a busy and profitable day for the tailor.

"Ah! more!" says Corland Marson, whom you recognize as Davik's assistant. "The master waits upstairs." He glances around over your shoulders and between the knees of the taller folk. "When the last one gets here, I'll take you all up to meet him. In the mean time, might I get you any refreshments, or I can try to answer any questions you might have." He smiles, "Or, you can peruse the shop if anything interests you. We might be closed, but there's always time for a sale."

I've put up a map. If everyone could sign into it on Roll20 (link on top of page), I'll work on assigning tokens to players so they can move them around!
I'm still new-ish to Roll20 but I'm making slow progress. Lets see how it works!


Male Rakshasa-Spawn Tiefling Rake|HP 10/10 | AC 17-13-14 | F +2 R +6 W +0 | Init +4 | Per +4 |

Tiegantm signals out the window for Dura to enter, then walks to Corland. "Refreshments would be nice. Do you happen to have any tea?"


GM:
stealth attempt: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

Perception DC 15, anyone:
A halfling is trying to climb unnoticed through the same window that Tiegantm signaled through a few minutes ago.

Tris emerges into the room, brushing herself off. She is a halfling dressed in a battered chain shirt, with a small buckler and a gladius, such as arena fighters use, worn over her back. A whip is coiled at her belt. Her nose is a little crooked, like it was broken at some point, and a brass brooch in the shape of a wasp fastens her ragged cloak at her throat.

"Well!" she huffs. "If we're going to wait, then I guess I'm here."


GM:
eyes: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12

For the new players, using Tris' post as an example, when you see something like "Perception DC 15, anyone:" go ahead and put a perception roll in your post, preview your roll to see what you got, and if you "qualify" to view the spoiler - read it and type out your response.

"Tea. Sugar? Crackers? Would anyone else like..." his voice trails off as the presence of a fourth person startles him. His arm lurches reflexively under the desk, but stops short when he recognizes the halfling.

"My! Don't do that!" he shouts, fear fading into anger. A moment later, relief spreads across his face. "I can see why Master Davik has chosen you... but for gods sakes, could you not scare me out of my skin next time?"

He collects himself. "At least you're all here. The master waits upstairs. I know you adventurer types like to know who you're working with, so go ahead and chat. When you're ready, follow me. I will provide refreshments upstairs."

He stands upon the bottom of the stairs, motioning you over to follow him.

You are all together, for the first time. Go ahead and do whatever character introductions you feel are necessary, and any first-meeting conversation you would like to have. If you're ready to move on, go ahead and indicate as such.


Male Rakshasa-Spawn Tiefling Rake|HP 10/10 | AC 17-13-14 | F +2 R +6 W +0 | Init +4 | Per +4 |

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23 Tiegantm smiles slightly, then looks away as to not draw attention to the master class ninja who is gracing us with her presence.


Tris grins a bit at Corland's response and nods to the others.

" 'Lo there. Tris is the name. Some of your faces look familiar to me! I'll patch your skins up if you don't get 'em hurt doing something too dumb. Calistria's my sacred lady, so don't badmouth her, or make short jokes, and we'll get on alright."


M Tiefling (Asura Spawn) UMonk 1 | HP 11/11 | AC 20-14-20 | F +3 R +7 W +4 | Init +5 | Per +8

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

I see youuuuuuuu.:
Mudball notices a halfling be sneaky-like through a window. He takes note of this.

"Hello again." He says before gesturing at himself. "Mudball, if you've forgotten. Davik's waiting so let's be fast about this."


URogue 1 | HP 10/10 | AC 18-14-15 | F +2 R +6 W +1 | Init +8 | Per +7 |

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Dura says "Evening all, I'm Dura. I can handle locks and traps for you".


Male Rakshasa-Spawn Tiefling Rake|HP 10/10 | AC 17-13-14 | F +2 R +6 W +0 | Init +4 | Per +4 |

"And my name is Tiegantm. I look forward to working with you through a smooth and profitable job." Says Tiegantm, extending a gloved hand to Tris and then Mudball like the most genuine and sincere politician there ever was.


Marson nods at each of you as your introductions are made. Smiling, he produces a cup of tea from a small serving tray nearby.

"Here you are, Tiegantm, as requested." he hands the tiefling a porcelain cup upon a small plate.

"If everyone would follow me upstairs, I will announce your presence to the Master."

Walking up the stairs, Marson leads you into an upstairs apartment.

A spartan room, it contains only the necessaries for occasional rest. A well-sized bed takes up a far corner, as does a writing desk. In the center of the room is a table, surrounded by a a few chairs. Some notes scrawled in various handwriting litter the table.

A person sits at the writing desk, his back to you, writing ferverently with quill and ink.

Marson clears his throat, "Master Davik, your guests have arrived."

"Thank you Corland," the person responds. He crumples the paper he was working on and tosses it into a wastebasket already overflowing with crumpled paper. It rolls off the top of the pile and lands with a silent grace on the floor. "If we need anything, we'll shout down for you. Now off you go." Marson bows his head and slips out of the room gracefully.

The person at the desk stands, and turns to survey you. A half-elf, Navaan Davik is the purveyor of The Frock and Frolic. He stands tall, with a lithe build, dark hair in a mess atop his head. Blue eyes and beaming smile greet you.

"Welcome friends." he says. A hand brushes away some string left on his tunic. The act seems futile, as the string seems persistent in staying attached. Other signs of a busy day of tailoring are visible on the half-elf. A measuring tape sticks halfway out of his pocket, and some bobby pins are latched through a sleeve as if forgotten.

"Please. Take a seat." Grabbing onto the chair at his desk with an ink-stained grasp, he hefts his seat and lifts it from the desk. He walks over and places it at the table. "There, now we can all sit comfortably!"

"Now, as you all know, we met through our mutual being used by our... benefactors." He pulls out a bronze badge with a serpent on it. He puts it back under his tunic as you all realize he is speaking about the Apsis Consortium. "That's not to speak ill of our organization of course, it is through our being used that we get purpose and exercise a life of adventure!" He smiles. "But today, I've gathered a small set of you here to ask a personal favor. You do know that the world runs on favors, yes? Good."

"Perhaps you've heard news that the Couturier Coast is having a sale? Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. That b!&!$ of a seamster, Alistan Marouk, stole a shipment of mine that was heading out to an Absalom boutique. Now, as you know, I'm an honest business-man-elf, and I can't afford to have word get out that I lost a shipment of goods. And the Princess is so damn distracted that she is refusing an audience with me over some" he scoffs "petty argument. Why! I won't let him profit off my good works! That's where you lot come in."

He leans over the table, trying to get closer to everyone. You can smell the breath of someone whose had an onion at lunch and probably a drink since then. "I will deny it if you get caught. But I want you to stop Marouk. I don't want you to hurt him or anything like that, at least not physically. And I don't want you to steal my goods back, if they arrive back at my shop they'll be noticed and someone might think I'm... copying his style. I'm the trendsetter damnit! I don't want that. No... I want you to steal some of his gold, just enough to recoup the costs of my material and effort. Say... 500 gold. He should be good for it. Anything else you can think of to deter customers or make his life slightly more complicated I leave to you."

With a nod to himself, he jumps out of his chair and stands behind it, gripping it... ink smearing along the seat's backing.

"And for those of you who don't believe the world in favors, I'll pay you with a cut and a deal. For my vengeance, you may keep the majority of my profits, and deliver to me only 100 of the 500 gold. I'll sell you fine custom outfits at material cost, and put in a much needed good word for you with..." and he taps his tunic where the sigil lies beneath.

"Questions?"


Male Rakshasa-Spawn Tiefling Rake|HP 10/10 | AC 17-13-14 | F +2 R +6 W +0 | Init +4 | Per +4 |

"One question: how does it feel to be my new favorite customer? Tiegantm asks confidently.


URogue 1 | HP 10/10 | AC 18-14-15 | F +2 R +6 W +1 | Init +8 | Per +7 |

"Sounds good. But what was your argument with the princess?"


Tris settles down on a bolt of fabric and listens. "What'd he steal from you?" she asks curiously. "How about we dump those goods in the harbor? Ruins his plan to use 'em."


Davik's response to Tiegantm is a most ostentatious of smiles.

"I didn't have an argument with the princess, Dura. The Princess of the Watch is supposed to be the benefactor of businesses in the Sails. I requested an audience to have her deal with the theft inside the Sails but my request was denied. 'Too busy' they said. The nerve!"

He turns to Tris, overly-dramatic grief overtaking his demeanor. "Just a portion of my livelihood! I dreamed up some fantastic women's overcoats. I gathered some pricey material, and threw in some effort with a dash of dreams... only to have my reward taken from me. How you make him pay is up to you, though I'd advise you that getting a coat wet isn't the way to ruin them."

"Now I have to dream up a whole new line! I don't doubt I could do it, but it would be easier if my grief was eased." he pauses. "Grief... Yes!"

Bolting to a stand, the chair he was sitting in skitters across the floor. The half-elf runs to his desk and grabs a quill and the first piece of paper he can find. He begins to make scribbles and notes.


Tris arches her brows at the rejection of the plan to harass this merchant, but shrugs. "Alright. Job'll get done. Do you have any information on his shop, whether he has a hired guardsman or anything like that?"

Tris tries to think if she knows anything about this Marouk fellow in her own right.

Knowledge Local: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

(As Tris doesn't have Knowledge: Local trained as a skill, that sadly caps at a 10 for her. But if there's anything to know off that 10, I'll take it. ;) )


Davik stretches an arm behind him, with his pointer finger extended towards the air. He takes a few more seconds to finish scribbling some thoughts on his paper and then turns to respond.

"Ah. Well, I know he has an assistant, much like my trustworthy Corland. But I don't think he has a 'guard' per se."

"Businesses in the Sails are under the protection of the Princess, however. Each Starday, her lackies visit the businesses for their protection fee. It's quite reasonable, and up until this industrial treachery, I haven't had cause to be upset about it. Some of her Watch patrol the streets. They blend in fairly well too, seeing as their mostly thugs and street types, not constables of any sort. Keep an eye out for them."

Today is Oathday. Starday is the day after tomorrow.

"You'll find The Courtier Coast near the entrance of the Sails".

Tris:

You haven't heard much of Marouk himself, but recognize the brand's name on many of the upper-class's fashion items. Much more than that of The Frock and Frolic.


Male Rakshasa-Spawn Tiefling Rake|HP 10/10 | AC 17-13-14 | F +2 R +6 W +0 | Init +4 | Per +4 |

What does Tiegantm know about The Courtier Coast?Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18


M Tiefling (Asura Spawn) UMonk 1 | HP 11/11 | AC 20-14-20 | F +3 R +7 W +4 | Init +5 | Per +8

"No questions here boss. "


Perception is usually used to notice details about your immediate surroundings; a Knowledge check is usually used to see what your character knows about various businesses, people, etc. Unless our GM is choosing to run it different. :P

"Hm," says Tris, rubbing a thumb against her small chin. "Alrighty, then."

She looks to the others. "What say we do a scout of the other joint, 'fore we crack it?"


He caught the mis-type, I got a text yesterday. Thanks for clarifying though!

Tiegantm Knowledge (Local):

The Courtier Coast is an upper-class rival of The Frock and Frolic. It sits near the entrance to the Bazaar of Sails. It is a three storied building. The top floor is a high-class tailor/fitting room, the middle floor displays noble-wear for both genders, and the ground floor is filled with accessories and light-catching baubles to bring in the window-shopper.

It is situated on a street corner, adjacent to an art store, and a sauce vendor.

While the business itself is older than you are, it changed ownership about five years ago.


M Tiefling (Asura Spawn) UMonk 1 | HP 11/11 | AC 20-14-20 | F +3 R +7 W +4 | Init +5 | Per +8

Knowlege Roll:
Knowlege (Local): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18 On Courtier Coast of course.

"I'm for scoping it out. Any plans?"


Mudball:

The Courtier Coast is an upper-class rival of The Frock and Frolic. It sits near the entrance to the Bazaar of Sails. It is a three storied building. The top floor is a high-class tailor/fitting room, the middle floor displays noble-wear for both genders, and the ground floor is filled with accessories and light-catching baubles to bring in the window-shopper.
It is situated on a street corner adjacent to an art store and a sauce vendor.

While the business itself is older than you are, it changed ownership about five years ago.


URogue 1 | HP 10/10 | AC 18-14-15 | F +2 R +6 W +1 | Init +8 | Per +7 |

Now that his teammates are speaking of action, Dura is sitting up straight for the first time tonight. "Agreed. We should case the building, and if only one or two of us do it we're less likely to be noticed. If we're lucky, we can get the gold tonight. If not, we can think of something more fancy for tomorrow."


Tris nods. "Suits me. So who's eyes and ears, then? I can be pretty quiet, and my eyes are alright, but not great at night."

(Tris has a stealth of +10 and a perception of +6.)


Male Rakshasa-Spawn Tiefling Rake|HP 10/10 | AC 17-13-14 | F +2 R +6 W +0 | Init +4 | Per +4 |

"I am not bad at sneaking, but my real specialty is intimidation."

Tiegantm has a stealth of 8, and an intimidation of 12 with a +2 bonus while wearing his armor and dealing with locals and a +2 bonus while demoralizing


URogue 1 | HP 10/10 | AC 18-14-15 | F +2 R +6 W +1 | Init +8 | Per +7 |

"I can be quiet, and my eyes are okay, but I can't see far at night." Dura looks out a window. Dura has +13 stealth, +7 perception, and darkvision 60ft.
What time of day is it?
Is The Courtier Coast likely to be open for business when we get there?

untrained knowledge(local): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
That'll be a 10.


It is mid-evening, about 9pm.

Dura:
You're not too sure about the hours of the The Courtier Coast, but you imagine most businesses in Magnimar that don't cater to night-life activities close by 8pm.


M Tiefling (Asura Spawn) UMonk 1 | HP 11/11 | AC 20-14-20 | F +3 R +7 W +4 | Init +5 | Per +8

"Not bad at sneaking here either and I can see pretty well at night." Mudball has a stealth of +9 and a perception of +8 with 60ft darkvision.


Tris thinks a bit. "Well, you can all see better in the dark than me, I think. Maybe Dura as the lead scout, and the rest of us close by to rush in if he gets in trouble? "


The plan then is to have the party lurk about outside, and then do an evening infiltration with Dura scouting ahead?


Yep, sounds like. Does anybody have the 'message' cantrip? I don't.


Male Rakshasa-Spawn Tiefling Rake|HP 10/10 | AC 17-13-14 | F +2 R +6 W +0 | Init +4 | Per +4 |

I think you are the only one with any casting at all at the moment.


URogue 1 | HP 10/10 | AC 18-14-15 | F +2 R +6 W +1 | Init +8 | Per +7 |

Reluctantly, Dura says, "Alright then. I will scout. Is there anything else we should discuss before we get started?"


Male Rakshasa-Spawn Tiefling Rake|HP 10/10 | AC 17-13-14 | F +2 R +6 W +0 | Init +4 | Per +4 |

"Sounds good to me"


Not feeling well AND busy at work. Will have an update after I get home tonight though.


Davik grins as your plans come to an end and you all pile out to put them into action.

I have created a map and activated it in Roll20, let me know if you have any problems with it.

Go ahead and place yourselves where you'd like to be. For the moment, I have you all on top of a nearby rooftop, watching.

You all manage to find The Courtier Coast without much issue. Finding a safe place to hide, you begin your vigil on the comings and goings of the extablishment.

The stars twinkle above, and the torchlight in the streets below does little to fade their twinkles from your rooftop vantage point. A light sea breeze comes in from the west, cold now that the sun is not out to soften it's wet and icy edge.

For the next few hours, you watch as nighttime shoppers enter and exit the Sails. Upper-class, and those flush with coin occasionally stop into the building. Groups of women out on the town, a few couples whose men are trying to impress their lady. Even a handful of couples whose lady is dragging along their reluctant man.

Dice!:

Dura Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Dura Sense Motive: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

Mudball Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Mudbal Sense Motive: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

Tieg Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Tieg Sense Motive: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (10) + 0 = 10

Tris Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 6
Tris Sense Motive: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
[/spoilers]

[spoiler=Dura]You notice some less than well-dressed individuals walk down the street every once in a while, occasionally stopping into random businesses.

Mudball:
You notice some less than well-dressed individuals walk down the street every once in a while, occasionally stopping into random businesses.
It appears that they are on some sort of patrol, and keeping an eye for trouble.

About 10pm, you hear a voice kindly announcing the closing of his store. You hear a group of ladies laughing as they exit. Dressed in new coats, they talk about each other's choices and how many outfits they can match with the purchase. At the store, the sign from inside turns to "closed", and you can hear the door lock click into place.

Fireday, Erastus 1
The night turns into the morning.

While public foot-traffic has mostly stopped, rough-looking types are still occasionally seen wandering the streets. Whoever locked the door from inside the establishment has not yet exited.

Dura, Mudball:
From the third store, you can hear the faint sound of repetitive soft thuds, and then something falling.

Firstly, apologies for the delay. Sick, work is ridiculous, school.
Second, we have options.
I'd like to use Critical Hit's (a podcast) Skills Challenge System. I'll put it's rules into a spoiler. If anyone doesn't want to see how that goes, we can roll with the "everyone tell me what you're doing."

The Skills Challenge:

A skill challenge works like this.
The DM will determine from players, and communicate what 'The Goal' is.
The DM sets a particular DC for skills checks.
There will be a set number of "Success"es required before a set number of "Failure"s
The players roll initiative. (for PbP the DM will likely roll this for everyone).
Whoevers turn it is in initiative, can state what skill they want to use, and describe how their using it (to show why it's a viable choice).
A player cannot use the same skill as they did in their previous turn.
A player cannot use the same skill as person whose turn it was before them.

As an example, in this instance, I would say the goal is to "Infiltrate the building undetected" The goal is 4 successes before 2 failures. The DC is 14.
The initiative order is Dura, Mudball, Tieg, Tris.

Dura's turn, he announces he will use Acrobatics to "leap from rooftop to rooftop, and then drop down in front of the Coast so he isn't seen by people on the ground". He rolls a 15. Success

Mudball's turn. Dura has used Acrobatics, so that's not available to him. He chooses to use Perception to "see the activities of the roughians and maneuver around their movements. Ducking when they turn, running across when their facing away, etc". He rolls a 9. Failure

Tieg's turn. He cannot use Perception since Mudball used it last turn, so he chooses to use Acrobatics, uncreatively mimicking Dura's action. He rolls a 14. Success.

Tris's turn. She cannot use Perception, and chooses to use Stealth to hide in shadows while the roughians pass by. She rolls a 15. Success.

We are at 3: 1. The next turn decides the outcome.
Dura is back up in initiative. Stealth is not available because Tris used it last turn. Acrobatics is also unavailable because that is the skill he used in his last turn. So he chooses Disable Device, to open the door and hide inside the building before the guards notice him.

Depending on his roll, this could go either way. On a success, the party succeeds in their goal, and has secretly infiltrated the building.

On a fail, any number of things could happen. I might say something like "the roughians have spotted you, and come to question you about your presence." it might turn into a fight, it might be that you need to regroup and come back another time. It might even be that the guards don't react, but something else happens that you're not expecting.

While I recognize this might be slightly slower on PbP, I find this method encourages creative descriptions and allows people to explore how their skills are used.


Skills Challenge: Covertly entering The Courtier Coast

Goal:To get inside The Courtier Coast undetected
DC: ?
Success Needed: 5
Failure Threshold: 3
Dura's Initiative: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Mudball's Initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
Tiegantm's Initiative: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13
Tris's Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
Initiative Order:
Mudball, Dura, Tiegantm, Tris.

Mudball is up!

The Skills Challenge System:

(If we don't like this how this works, we'll try something else)

A skill challenge works like this.
The DM will determine from players, and communicate what 'The Goal' is.
The DM sets a particular DC for skills checks.
There will be a set number of "Success"es required before a set number of "Failure"s
The players roll initiative. (for PbP the DM will likely roll this for everyone).
Whoevers turn it is in initiative, can state what skill they want to use, and describe how their using it (to show why it's a viable choice).
A player cannot use the same skill as they did in their previous turn.
A player cannot use the same skill as person whose turn it was before them.


Uncreatively, and shamelessly, copying this because it's basically exactly what I'd do anyways, just worded more eloquently than I have time for. I like my high perception rolls.

Mudball uses Perception to see the activities of the ruffians and maneuver around their movements, ducking when they turn and running across when they're facing away, as he gets closer to the building.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13 Oops.


URogue 1 | HP 10/10 | AC 18-14-15 | F +2 R +6 W +1 | Init +8 | Per +7 |

Dura quietly drops down and skitters into the alley beside The Courtier Coast.

stealth: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (1) + 13 = 14 derp


lol Lamphobic

Waiting on Tieg and Tris.

Having seen this in (slow) action so far... for the purposes of online play, I'll remove the stipulation of not using an action someone before you has used. This removes the need for an initiative really.
Actually, this is very similar to how it's normally done, except it's not done in piecemeal.

Success and Failure would then be measured in completing X rounds before Y failures. That should work better.

Updated Skill Challenge Spoiler forthcoming


Male Rakshasa-Spawn Tiefling Rake|HP 10/10 | AC 17-13-14 | F +2 R +6 W +0 | Init +4 | Per +4 |

Tieg watches Mudball and Dura to make sure no one sees them. perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

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