Same here.
Wanted to let you know that this is my first PbP and that I have not been a player for a long time.
Also I hope that being on GMT+0 won't be a problem.
Hello!
I have found that PbP is a great way to get back into playing. Hopefully, you will find it the same, Thorgirm.
I am also looking forward to exploring this new setting.
How is Shadowlands handling associations? I am writing Gezzo's backstory with him as an inquisitor for the Brotherhood, but is that allowed? Or should I just leave him as a "prospective" agent or maybe he just has dreams (or illusions?) of being part of the Brotherhood?
Hi Everyone, looking forward to the adventure
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How is Shadowlands handling associations? I am writing Gezzo's backstory with him as an inquisitor for the Brotherhood, but is that allowed? Or should I just leave him as a "prospective" agent or maybe he just has dreams (or illusions?) of being part of the Brotherhood?
That is allowed. The Brotherhood is composed of arcane spellcasters, but they have to employ other classes to take care of...messy things. You will be actively recruited by them as a prospective agent.
Heya! I'm here. *salutes*
I finally got here! Ready to adventure!
Hey there! If you need any help, just feel free to ask! I know I'd be more than glad to help you out.
Welcome to all the other players! Are we ready for adventures?
Thorgrim, I love your portrait!
@Story Master: Yeah, I haven't had time to pick out equipment. I'll fill out AC when I've kitted out.
I was hoping to work on Argyros' history.
What year is it currently and is there any special information I should have regarding the keeping of time? (month names, year names, etc.)
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I was hoping to work on Argyros' history.
What year is it currently and is there any special information I should have regarding the keeping of time? (month names, year names, etc.)
Very good questions. I had not thought of time frame, other than it is late spring/early summer. I may have to do some background research to give you a definitive answer. Saemyyr is around the same diameter as the planet Neptune (that's huge!), and working out lengths of internal and external planetary rotation, presence of moon(s), etc. is still a matter under discussion and world building. Finite answers to those questions will determine the length of a day, week, year, etc.
To give you a small sense of scale, Gnyr Shalorn, the island located off the eastern shore of the main continent, has a land mass about the same size as the continental United States. So, we're dealing with a massively huge planet and campaign setting.
The event known as "The Blasting," happened about 10,000 years ago, resulting in a regression of the planet's inhabitants. We are now just re-evolving back to the technology equivalent of the middle ages in earth terms. All of these little details will be worked out soon, as they will be part of the campaign setting book that was funded by this year's Kickstarter campaign. The net result is, when exploring something very ancient, adventurers may run into techology that existed before the blasting that is now lost and not understood (and therefore, "magic").
Its quite fascinating actually. The physics of a planet that size could let you play with all sorts of things.
Speaking of geography, is there a rough idea of racial homes and areas of Saemyyr?
I left my last post as "I came from the west." just because its general enough to leave the future backstory evolution open for more specifics, once I find out where is the homeland of the Svarog.
Or did I just miss it in the Conversion Guide?
Just out of curiosity on the rules side of things.. With a planet that big, the day would probably be more than 24 hours. Does that mean that people need less sleep than normal(fx. 8 hours out of 30)? Does it mean that people tend to sleep multiple times during the day(siesta style)? Or would it simply mean that an 8 hour rest would be converted to it's equivalent as a third of the longer day(fx. 16 hours out of 48)?
tl;dr: is the standard rest period still the same?
I believe everyone that is playing has been "tapped". If I missed you, please speak up and we will get you into the conversation.
Just so everyone understands where my RP-ing is coming from, read the inset on pg. 11 in the Conversion guide (particularly the last paragraph).
With that description in the guide, I would assume that nearly everyone in Seamyyr knows or at least has heard about the Brotherhood of Magus.
Story Master can expand on this or correct me, if I am wrong.
I would like to know if PCs that are arcane users are considered automatically part of the Brotherhood?
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You are correct, nearly everyone knows of The Brotherhood, and they are the most powerful organization on the planet.
Arcane spellcasters are not automatically considered part of the Brotherhood, and those who are discovered to have such talents are located by the organization and "encouraged" to become part of the Brotherhood. Those who refuse are "stilled" or removed from societal contact.
An individual who is capable of pointing a finger and launching an elemental bolt of destruction at someone else is a danger to society, and would be the modern equivalent of someone pointing a gun at someone else and pulling the trigger. That's why the use of arcane spells is regulated by The Brotherhood, so that they know who has such talents, and so that they can be schooled about the laws and regulations concerning when and where they can be used.
That being said, there are always a few, especially in remote areas, that may have the talents but either not understand why, or who do understand and actively try to hide it from the public. And, when something is illegal, there always seems to be black markets that pop up to provide such services (many of which are under the control of the Black Hand criminal organization). There are also isolated factions (such as several groups within The Tainted) of arcanists who detest the restrictions imposed by The Brotherhood, and who conduct their operations underground.
Since casters of divine magic receive their calling from a diety, they have a church, rather than The Brotherhood, which sets its customs and beliefs on its practitioners (domains, etc.). Divine casters are revered on Saemyyr (especialy those who can cure maladies), whereas arcanists are held in suspicion by the average person.
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I might add, to my last post, that the attempts by The Brotherhood to control all arcane practitioners is fraught with difficulty. There is a big difference between a wizard, who learns spells by reading and practicing, and a sorceress who happens to have arcane skills because it's in her blood!
The wizard must have a high intelligence, be literate, and find someplace to hone his craft - an easy proposition for the Brotherhood to locate and train.
Sorcerers may appear at random, and exist as tribal shamans, witch doctors, or whatever name their society brands them with. And, since they more likely evolve on the fringes of "civilized" areas, present a bigger challenge.
Finally, The Brotherhood frowns deeply upon any magic that is used to control another creature's mind, including enchantment spells and psionics. That will be a big part of the universal Brotherhood laws about magic use.
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Speaking of geography, is there a rough idea of racial homes and areas of Saemyyr?
I left my last post as "I came from the west." just because its general enough to leave the future backstory evolution open for more specifics, once I find out where is the homeland of the Svarog.
Or did I just miss it in the Conversion Guide?
There is no racial "home" per se. You could be from just about anywhere mountainous, particularly those regions in Nastrond or Valgaard.
agreed. What is the expected time limit to post? If I going to be away from the computer for a few days I will let you know.
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Well, I would hope folks would check in once per day. I don't think that's asking too much. In a situation like this, it would allow an encounter to progress at least one round per day.
And, if you're going to be away from the keyboard for a certain period of time, says something so we don't all sit here holding our breaths. Sometimes I have to go on business travel. I take a netbook, so can usually update daily, but will always give you folks a heads-up that the pace may slow down.
ok great. I will certainly let you know. I will be moving in a few weeks and during that time I my not have access to a working computer for a few days. Ipad access, but i may be a bit distracted. :)
Can I move now when it is not my turn to get ready for my next attack or do I have to wait until the next round?
@Imowen, here is a link that explains the different options during a combat round in detail.
In summary,
In a normal round, you can perform a standard action and a move action, or you can perform a full-round action. You can also perform one swift action and one or more free actions. You can always take a move action in place of a standard action.
Hope that helps!
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Feedback:
You just went through a modified encounter, in which the two sides acted and moved as a group, alternating back and forth. I adopted this method awhile ago, as it seemed more fluid and rapid than waiting for everyone to act in a specific order before you can do something.
So, did you like or dislike this method? I think it works better for play by post games, but I am decidedly biased, so would like your feedback.
I think it works good. Its different in a table top where you can make eye contact and might need to maintain order to prevent mayhem. Here one delay and waiting on someone could result in other delays as someone else loses a window of opportunity to log onto the game.
good rule. my 2 centavos.
Yeah, I do like this method for PBP. While it's kind of a downer for characters who invest or depend on their initiative (because they find it important to go first), it's decidedly neater and has less delay which I find is more worth it.
Thanks for the info, Gezzo, it helps.
And yes, I like this method of acting and moving as a group rather than as an individual in initiative order. Seems more natural and moves the story along much better.
I am on the fence with this "block" style to handle initiative. I been in a couple campaigns that used it. All in all, it works, but has some draw backs.
I don't like how this system discounts players that build around initiative. There is definite advantages to make sure your initiative is as big as possible; just as there is disadvantages if you have a low initiative. It shouldn't be discounted; the surprise round is huge for some classes.
I am not sure how you worked out the overall initiative for the group, but some people were "carried" by others. That's not always bad, but there should be some penalty for low skills/abilities.
That's one thing I don't really like about block initiative.
But, it does speed things up a lot and feels more realistic. If more open communication in between rounds, the system would work better.
The last PbP I played that used this system, modified it a bit. It looked like this:
Initiative Rolls:
Player 1 - 16
Player 2 - 5
Player 3 - 12
Player 4 - 18
Player 5 - 8
Bad Guy - 10
The line up would be:
P1 P3 P4 Bad Guy P2 P5
The first group would go first, then the Bad Guy and then the second group of heros.
This recognized players with good initiative rolls and penalized those with poor rolls. It also allowed for a players to "win" a surprise round and not just get pulled along.
Initiative is totally separate from skills/abilities. It is pure chance, whereas skills/abilities are chosen, learned, developed.
Initiative is totally separate from skills/abilities. It is pure chance, whereas skills/abilities are chosen, learned, developed.
I am going to have to disagree, Initiative bonus is just like skill bonus. It uses dex modifiers, feats, traits, spells and racials to adjust the final roll.
A PC can be trained and awareness developed to increase their initiative over time, just like a skill.
And for a rogue, getting the jump on an opponent can be very advantageous. ;)
Initiative can be invested into with class abilities, traits and feats.
Gezzo has a point in that regard.
I like this system they way we are running it, but it does make feats and traits used obsolete and maybe allowing characters to adjust feats & traits for this will help.
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I like the idea of keeping groups, but separating them into initiative groups, per Gezzo's suggestion. This would allow those with initiative traits, feats or bonuses, etc. to float toward the top of the round.
By the way, doing the encounter in grouped format does not exclude the possibility for surprise rounds, which are primarily based on Perception vs Stealth opposition rolls. Surprise rounds can occur, and are resolved before the standard sequence begins.
Initiative is totally separate from skills/abilities. It is pure chance, whereas skills/abilities are chosen, learned, developed.
Not always pure chance.
The archetype I am playing could potentially have an initiative modifier in 20's starting in the mid levels and eventually have a non-variable initiative in the mid 40's.
I am not planning on building towards that extreme, but I will be able to apply my intelligence bonus to initiative at level 7.
That being said. I have no issues with the current format. I seems to progress more smoothly than waiting for everybody to post in turn.
Well, perhaps I am using the term Surprised Round a little too broadly (more likely I am just using it incorrectly), but what I am eluding to is that opponents are flat-footed when they lose an initiative roll; which is a big deal for a lot of players.
Thanks for the consideration and correction . Now, to get back to hitting the books. One day I will get all these rules and terms down!