The Sunless Citadel - 5th Edition (Inactive)

Game Master spinningdice

Opening for Discussion.

Hello!

Awesome!

1) Does anyone want to do anything in town, or would you rather just start at the entrance and get straight to dungeon-plungin'?

2) Anyone object if we do group initiative?: I'll average out the party and monster initiative modifiers and roll once for each side.

3) if you don't post for a whole week, I'll send you a PM....

4) Each Player round in combat will last 24 hours...

(Gonna post here because I hate seeing a billion posts in a Recruitment thread that is already closed. =)

Question the First) I spent my gold so I'm good. If I do anything else, the longer we remain in town, the greater the chances are that I'll do something that involves the word 'brothel'. ;)

2) That is by -far- the best way to do initiative. Well done sir! =D
I can't understand why any game would do individual init. If they guy that posts at 7 am is waiting for the guy who posts at 8pm, then everyone after them is gonna lose a whole day just for a sword-swing.

3) Rational. I'm expecting my 3rd child...literally any hour now, so I may be Lost Beyond Time and Space myself. =)

4) See #2.

Addendum: One good rule I've found is the Rule of Two: If two of the party agree on an action, that action happens. This is helpful for forks in the road where either one choice is so good that further debate is just time-wasting, or neither choice has an obvious benefit, and we just need to make a decision.

First post is up, don't feel you have to rush to get involved, feel free to take some time finishing up characters etc.

Added some basic notes to the campaign tab, I had more elaborate notes but I foolishly typed it directly in and then my browser locked up when I tried to post, so brief version for now.

As a note I am tracking XP, but will just update the spoilered bit on the campaign page, rather than hand it out, I will notify when you level up (which will only be done on resting), so it's semi-invisible XP.

XP will be the same for all party members initially, though I am tracking it individually.
Provided you all stay together you all get XP for everything, if you split up for any length of time (scouting ahead is not splitting up) then I'll track it seperately for each group and anyone who has gone awol and has been sent to camp/town will not earn xp for that duration.

I do not typically grant roleplaying awards to XP, as that's what Inspiration is for. Though I am notoriously bad for giving out Inspiration (and similar awards in other games) so if another player does something that you think warrants it, feel free to call me on it.

Here's me alt....arrr.

posting in gameplay momentarily.

As a note, TPJ is swapping out his gnome wizard for a Druid, in order to cover some more healing for the party.

And TPJ is here. I missed that we'd moved on to this thread, so here's the skinny on Guillermo Arkha from the recruiting thread:

He wanders the woods and hits things with a big stick. He's also curious about the apples. And opportunities to hit things with a stick.

I'm cool with starting in the dungeon, and likewise I'm good with 2-4.

I wonder how the elves will get along

I was wondering that as well, since I'm not as up on the lore for 5e as I was for 3.5. I presume that there is still (as if it'll ever end?) a conflict between the surface and the Underdark?

There's always a conflict between everyone and the drow. Because drow are jerks.

Greyhawk doesn't have the advantage of a public Drizzt figure to make people think better of Drow.
That said a drow will generally raise less eyebrows than a Goblin for most folks, as few are familiar with Drow whereas many have encountered goblins. Elves probably have a bit more familiarity, and contempt for the drow.

Goblins are jerks, too.

I'm on a mission to correct that image. :)

bugbears are..well bugbears...'nuff said

I have been up since 123- this morning with a bad case of food poisioning

Ugh. That's the worst. Feel better, man.

How are you doing ammo retrieval? Does 5e have a way for that?

You get back 50% of ammo fired by spending one minute searching the battlefield.

PHB 146 under ammunition.

Going with the default, as per !Ko, if you fight some fire elementals or something I'll let you know you can't recover ammo.

Hmm, collating info on Init bonuses, Jack has an advantage on Initiative rolls. I see no reason to not let any group he's with get this bonus since we're grouping initiative. You currently average at +2.5, so I'm rounding up because it seems fairer.

Using a map for this one as it seemed easier than describing where everyone is. I may shift between maps and no-maps depending on feedback. Apologies for the quick-and-dirty map, but I'm not on my main machine at the moment.

Huh.. There was space enough to act? Cool.

Sorry, I'm not feeling the dungeon slog so I'll withdraw. It feels more like a number crunch. Just have Cassadar disappear when they weren't looking, please.

There's number crunching? Where?

I thought it was pretty clear it would be a dungeon crawl, there is the opportunity for more talkie bits later (provided you don't just hack everything to pieces), but you've only been through two rooms so far.

Also I'd like to point out that it was originally designed as a beginner adventure, so it's a little on the simple and easy side.

If people want more of a challenge let me know and I'll start ramping up the difficulty a bit, or if you'd rather emphasise certain areas.

I am fine with how things are going.

mystics are the psions of the 5E game correct?

Yes, I must confess I've only a vague idea of how they work, but they have a points pool instead of spell slots, still get Cantrip-like effects for 'free', but seem to have more tightly themed flexible power-suites instead of actual spells. I keep meaning to make a couple of builds to get a better grasp of how they work.

I thought it was pretty clear it would be a dungeon crawl, there is the opportunity for more talkie bits later (provided you don't just hack everything to pieces), but you've only been through two rooms so far.

It's more a fault of mine, I'm afraid. With the story starting in media res as it were, there's little chance to apply personality to the characters. Add to that the potential enmity that may exist between characters by virtue of long-standing biases (earned or not), the number of players in this format, and I'm finding it easier to depart from this game to aid in streamlining than remain and try to shoehorn motivation into a character .

I'm still uncertain whether or not the "boardgame" feel of the system is just my feeling or just the nature of a dungeoncrawl (To be fair, it's leaps and bounds over 4e, that I've experienced). However, functioning within this system/format seems flat, and it's easier for me to opt to voluntarily reduce complexity than remain out of a sense of obligation and woodenly walk through this as an exercise— doing you a disservice in the process.

Would it help if I changed out the drow for a high elf?

No worries, I promise not to take offense. I intentionally started with a large group in the theory that at lease one or two people wouldn't gel and would drop out.

I kind of feel the need to balance letting people play out as they want and preventing a single adventure lasting so long that everyone loses interest - I have fond memories of this adventure, but I don't want it to plod on for years...

In the meantime feel free to follow, should the game develop more to your tastes later I'll rule that you stayed in the area.

Starting a new post to seperate this off a bit.

If anyone wants to explore some of their backstory any within the limits of the game, please let me know. !Ko and Gregek's combined backstory seems to be easiest to hook onto.

Perhaps some ongoing dialogue in the discussion thread may keep up interest while you wait to stumble on some of the more interesting bits...

Thoughts on a goblin civilisation:
1) I can't find any official hints to a prior goblin civilisation, but I'm only nominally running greyhawk anyway, so I'm not too concerned about that.

2) Hobgoblins seem to be the most 'cultured' of goblins and their depictions often have them in Middle-eastern/Mongolian style style dress, so could tie the Goblin pre-historic civiilsation to those cultures?

3) I'd almost like to keep traditional conflicts out of it, so maybe have the Orcs as being the foe that brought down their civilisation, perhaps give an ancestral aspect to them using goblin slaves (an ancient imperitive to keep their old foe in the gutter). Several thousand years of slavery by orcs have given them similar persona's in a lot of ways, making them somewhat barbaric?

To be clear, I completely made up the ancient Goblin civilization. It's part of why I put, "so far back even elven historians have forgot." The thinking was that elves are the longest lived race, so their historians would have the furthest memory back.

I also picked the name I did because if you sound it out, one could easily see it become the word "goblin" over time.

Would it help if I changed out the drow for a high elf?

Not so very necessary. I've already withdrawn from the game, and while that would remove an IC concern, I'd still rather make it easier for the DM to conduct the game by decreasing the players.

I've noticed that I am becoming more and more character driven, which really does hamper me in a game such as this, as I find myself wondering, "Why would this character go adventuring with a Drow, Hobgoblin, and Goblin?" Knowing that would let me know why "Elrond Bowie" the Acrobat-Entertainer would venture into the Citadel, especially with his primary motivation being curiosity towards the tree that keeps disappearing from the town, with no mention of the Citadel (though the ravine ~is~ mentioned).

To be clear, I completely made up the ancient Goblin civilization. It's part of why I put, "so far back even elven historians have forgot." The thinking was that elves are the longest lived race, so their historians would have the furthest memory back.

I also picked the name I did because if you sound it out, one could easily see it become the word "goblin" over time.

I was presuming this, just added item 1 in case I'd completely missed a reference somewhere (I'm no scholar on the history of D&D worlds). Just theorycrafting really, I don't expect definitive answers, but even if I only end up reskinning a generic magic item to have a goblinoid heritage it gives your backstory out of the background.

Mmmmrpmph. It's hard to complain about the sloginess of a crawl when a character has literally said no words.

I'm having a great time. Hitting on Kenzi, starting some light verbal sparring with the bugbear and goblin with wacky hijinks to later ensue, hitting on Kenzi... ;)

My point is that PbP is what you make of it. The greatest RP comes with other characters. The DM can't do everything. The greatest DM in the world can't make a game fun if the party has no chemistry. (Srsly, this just happened to me. A DM that I know is good had to cancel a game with a party full of fighters, each one set on "dour, serious, brooding". The wacky hijinks of an uncomfortably attractive halfling just couldn't save it. =)

Anyway, SpinningDice, don't take it too hard. You were absolutely right to take too many, and the future is only proving the past.

(Indeed, I've often been a big advocate of taking just a bit -too- many players. Then after a few inevitable drops that game actually gets better, instead of dragging and waiting a week or more for recruitment. =)

IMHO. YMMV. XD

Is the website acting up again?

There was an issue with gameplay and discussion threads for a few hours today. It appears to be fixed now.

Don't know if it's just the times I've had to look at it, but Paizo site just hasn't been working whenever I've tried it over the last couple of days (though I've been limited on time to check as well - Easter being the time every random family member decides to drop in).

Sorry for the lack of updates, will jump over to the gameplay thread to update now.

Yeah, it's been hit and miss for me, too.

me too but
Happy Easter!

How did you guys like the memory sequence I did for !Ko? It's the first time I've tried to explore character history in such a fashion on pbp.

Normally, I'm not fond of thought bubbles, since other characters can't interact with the thoughts, but I've also heard that some people like it because they want to read the story regardless of whether they can interact.

So I'm looking for input on this style of writing.

I liked it, though it's the sort of thing that's hard to respond to, in thread, as it's not exactly doing anything in the situation.

As a note it may be worth adding a remark as to whether you've recounted this to the others in the past, so they know whether to bring it up in conversation.

Also possibly to call it out a little more. Maybe a series of stars or dashes between memories and current events, so if someone would rather not read through you thoughts they can still see what you're doing in the now.

- - - - -
Happy Easter everyone, my daughter spent last night throwing up after too much chocolate, so yay for holidays of indulgence.

It was certainly well written !Ko!

Now that's some vomit that was honestly earned. =)

Yeah, !Ko, if you could work it into the passive conversation, that might be better to play off off. "As the party marches down the hall, !Ko muses on the past...."

I've found that unless you really try to make past stories as some kind of soft hook, they really don't go anywhere. Kinda like careful details in a back story. You gotta harp and mention it more than once or just no one cares. IMHO. YMMV. XD

My goal was less about creating interactions for other PCs and more for creating backstory for the readers.

Not long ago I was in a conversation with someone who mentioned how they hated it when people on pbp just repeated attacks with no story interwoven. "Entertain me, damn it!" is what I remember from that conversation. They wanted a story to read regardless of whether the story was spoken by the PC or in a thought bubble.

So I was going for a style of story aimed for the readers rather than for PC interaction.

(As for me, I've always skipped over stuff like this, but I'm intentionally going against my typical style of posting and storytelling).

Apologies on the knowledge check, I should have probably have rolled the check and given you some time to process before starting the combat.

Going forward, is there any objection if I roll relevant knowledge every time you encounter a creature and let you know what you know about the creatures?
Alternatively I can put the DC/roll required in a spoiler and let you look if you beat the check?

Obviously most humanoids you'll probably recognise anyway, I'm not going to roll every time you encounter a goblin.

Also Guillermo, I had it my head that Shillelagh was a 1st level spell, I see now that it's a cantrip (I don't play druids often), shall I just assume you cast it just before a new door is opened each time?

Any other 'standing orders' I should be aware of?

I've found putting info in a spoiler with a DC/roll to be pretty effective, especially passive checks (knowledge, perception, insight, etc.).

I'll post it in play when relevant, but yeah, Guillermo is pretty much constantly casting Shillelagh, unless he occasionally remembers he should cast Guidance. :)

I've found putting info in a spoiler with a DC/roll to be pretty effective, especially passive checks (knowledge, perception, insight, etc.).

That's always a good choice. Only works with planned checks, though.

I'm also not sure if 5e has ever resolved the creature identification thing yet. Technically, from the PHB, there isn't a roll to identify creatures. It's all DM territory.

In combat what I would recommend is giving people a 24 hr from the point that the post was made to be able to respond. We live in different times zones and sometimes things just come up but 24 hours is not an unreasonable time frame to be be able to respond. If after that there is no response then the DM can do what needs to be done.

No, but I think it's reasonable that folks would have a chance to know something.

So knowledge checks behind a spoiler in first encounter post and 24 hours for initial response to combat for kicking off for round 1 actions.

I'll also assume Guillermo has Shillelagh up except when surprised or if a combat ever lasts over 10 rounds

It's also worth mentioning the you can cast shillelagh as a bonus action.

No, but I think it's reasonable that folks would have a chance to know something.

Yes, yes, yes. I completely agree with this. Waaaaaay too many PbP games on here suffer not from going too fast, but from going much too slow. Hence, since you, SpinningDice, have the perfect pace, I would vehemently oppose any modification that would slow it down, and rob us of this perfect, perfect gift that you have bestowed upon us. =)