This is a non-Campaign to Test Stuff

Game Master Tacticslion

hhhmmm, headed to work so I can't post a lot but I wanted to comment. At best wolverine would have to be 'gestalt' druid bla bla :-) and fighter or slayer or ranger or something...

Be back on in a couple!

ok, random thoughts,

Yeah, the Cyclops in the movies was a weenie, but comic books awesome. related dates, I sold my comic collection in 82 to buy wedding rings

I realize all of the 'mutant traits' can only be imitated by casters. But the characters themselves aren't casters. Wolverine was a soldier/assassin with mutant powers that an in game druid could imitate, Cyclops was a team leader who's mutation can be imitated in game by a blaster.

Visions ability to change mass and density allowed him to do some very interesting things physically, I have no idea what class could imitate it. I like the "Hey reality: shut it."

Let's face it, "Pahtfinder" is not the rule system to attempt to play superhero's/mutants with any way.

I attempted to follow the rant on gaming mechanics... I played AD&D in college (80-82) and then started playing pathfinder here in 14, so a lot of the discussion was lost on me.

The totally separate topic that it made me think of:
I read the rules on D20Modern and several of the books that were printed with it. I thought it was an interesting system and was disappointed that 'Wizards of the Coast' discontinued supporting it.

I would suggest that PF is a pretty great system for super-hero play (really for most any genre), but you have to calibrate your expectations as to what it looks like, or be willing to use the d20 system as a general basis without the PF-specific rules baggage.

"Godzilla" for instance (the Tarrasque with a template; at least before the Kaiju King whatever his face is came out) isn't really all that big, comparatively.

Comics (and their related properties) have no sense of scale.

Cyclops is a perfect example of this. He gets his powers (much like Superman) from absorbing sunlight. Tell me: how much mass-to-energy (and the reverse) conversion does his body do, exactly, to allow him to this, and then continue to use his powers for the rest of the film.

I speak as one who read them a looooooooot and loved every minute of it.

Incidentally, the Cyclops you and I speak of as being "awesome" is the same dude. He changed sometime after "the Twelve" story-line/around the time of the "black suit" X-Men... i.e. when Joe Quesada - you may (or may not) recognize him as the man behind the One More Day debacle.

In any event, I do wish to clarify that he's probably not a bad guy, but I haaaaaaaaaate what his run did to Spiderman, Cyclops, and Nate Grey (see Shaman of the Mutant Tribe), and I strongly object to his tendency to ruin and break comic peoples' happy lives because it adds more drama. But that's just me. He's also made good decisions, so... eh.

Know jack about comics - only know movies. Cyclops I would roll as an Aether Kineticist, I think.

The problem with marvel is with so many different timelines my head gets screwed over even should I try to Wiki it up these days. Urgh. I don't think my brain is very big...

I spent most of my kittenhood playing computer games (wing commander, Heroes of might and magic series, Baldurs Gate, Neverwinter nights), read a whole lot of books, but didn't start watching movies till highschool.

Even so - I watched movies far less then I do now. I suspect my BF is somewhat of a marvel fan.

BLARG

I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I CAN ACCESS THE DAGGUM SITE

I keep assuming the issue will get fixed, but so far, no dice, and every time I come here, I work on trying to do an update, then the site freaks out, and I suddenly can't access anything anymore, and I lose most everything!

I'm so sorry, you two!

I'm going to try, but I can't guarantee... I don't know why this is happening, but I can't access the thing on either my phone or home PC, whether connected to Internet or just using my phone's data.

Sorry!

Saving, just in case I can't post...

I'll try to send this as a copy/paste PM, too...

BLARG...I'll try to send this as a copy/paste PM, too...

And you were successful! Well done.... don't mind me, I'm just enjoying being able to post something again

At long last, I can post!

... and now we go to TKD for 2-ish hours.

... then we get dinner.

... then we put the boys to bed.

... then we finish packing.

... then we collapse into unconsciousness.

... then we go out of town.

>.<

I have not abandoned this game!

I plan on updating, but I've been trying to do this before-hand for... well, a while, and it's not been working.

Anyway, I'm giving you a heads up: I will try to update the daggum game.

(Also, I totally had it copy/pasted into a different document, once. Unfortunately, my computer turned itself off - updated at a point I wasn't expecting - and one of my son's more-or-less accidentally clicked on a thing, meaning that the computer erased my post from the document. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~!)

ARG AND A THUNDER STORM

Q.Q

TL, I'm still waffling around. The recent board difficulties have been hard on me too. I will be going to a con this sat - and Robert knows I've been on a constant state of zip ever since my exams were over.

Mort ninja'd me!

ARG AND A THUNDER STORM

Q.Q

You have my sympathies sir,

But honestly, you had me feeling really bad for you until you said

'my son's more-or-less accidentally clicked on a thing'

and then my brain went 'Toddlers, I love toddlers. Do they have squirt guns?' and I started thinking how wonderful kids are. So you have both my greatest sympathy and my envy...

Take your time with the game, we're not going anywhere. Well, Usawoti and Inarus are trying to go to the elevator entryway, but, I mean Mort and I are patiently waiting :-)

Three days.

Today: Sunday
Tomorrow: Monday
Post: Tuesday

I am going to enforce a free time clause on Tuesday to make a post and keep this thing moving. I apologize for my absence: I've been out of town, into town briefly (celebrating my anniversary and doing TKD), and out of town.

Even if it has to be on an iDevice in a distant location, I am unwilling to leave this alone anymore. My apologies.

To respond to you, my sir: no squirt guns well, none functioning, anyway), but we have had lots of fun with such devices in the past! Kids are awesome!

My brother-in-law and his wife stayed in a hotel room with the four of us for the last few days. Wonderful time! My kids love them, too! Good family week.

TL - it's my nephews birthday and chalet. I just chased him for about a km or so on foot(at a jog), while he was zipping around with his scooter skate. (I can keep up with him). I was like, the chalet area is too small, so let's take him out to the cycling track!

Good thing I've been diligently jogging at the gym. At least I'm in decent condition to chase him. I joked he'd run out of stamina before I do. Once we start teaching him how to cycle I won't be able to chase him on foot. Can't run fast enough.

Congratulations to him! Woohoo!

Well done, to you! That's really well done!

Ours are impressively active (a good thing), but can crash pretty hard - especially if they don't have their naps! (Though it becomes a much more emotional day without said naps!)

yes, naps for everyone!

UPDATE COMPLETE!

So, uh... anyone remember exactly how many mephits you guys got?

... 'cause I don't...

Also: yes, yay naps for everyone!

I think it's 11 ambered mephits, 3 surviving mephits out of our mephit army, with 2 crippled that we need to fix one per day, and 12 smoke mephits that joined us later. So total of 28 mephits.

I'm going to agree wit h28 just so I don't have to go recount them...

Going to go read the game thread now...

I get the impression that I have to 'fight the current' every step of the way, and since I'm incorporeal - holding onto others is going to be problem.

What are the ways we can go from where Usawoti is currently at? I am bad at maps etc.

I get the impression that I have to 'fight the current' every step of the way, and since I'm incorporeal - holding onto others is going to be problem.

Correct!

Though, do recall, you can become corporeal. My point in reminding you of your current state is to note that, whether corporeal or incorporeal, the walls are solid, and the wind affects you. Thus, you can easily hold onto others in that way.

What are the ways we can go from where Usawoti is currently at? I am bad at maps etc.

There are several ways:

- unexplored elements beyond this (though there aren't that many, and you know that, ultimately, these are relative dead-ends; see the next two entries for examples)

- - the "loop" areas nearby... it has not been explored (though it's unlikely to produce much in the way of usefulness, as, from what you can tell, it's just a few loops and dead-ends where the dragons lived and reigned)

- - the "heaven" level... you have not headed up there, yet (you have basic directions)

- the other side of where the eternal seeds once layered... apparently, it was filled with many destructive elementals

- the "hell" level... there are many areas down there (though you'd have to dig your way back down)

'What the heck is all this?' Inarus curses at the fiendish winds, even though he knows they can't answer him. 'This is not good news - if I have to bring along passengers - would the wind sweep them away?'

Perhaps!

Would the wind sweep my passengers I'm ddooring around away? Basically - is it safe to bring along others? Knowledge whatever necessary to find out.

Well, I mean, you know, tornado-force winds (well, I suppose, in truth, hovering somewhere between tornado and hurricane) and all that...

As he retraces his steps, he wonders to himself, 'Is that the nature of sin, that it is so easy to sink in rather then get out off?'

That is, in fact, the nature of sin!

'If I can't get anyone except myself out - what will happen when the level finally destabilizes?' He thinks to himself worriedly.

A fair question! :D

======================

Anyhoo, I was glancing over what you guys could do, and I noticed Usawoti happened to have a sixth-level slot undeclared. I tried to think about how this could be useful, and, I came up with a - perhaps unusual - idea: a variant spell, made sixth level.

This unusual combination would definitely create spiritual winds that apply both to the physical and incorporeal worlds, simultaneously...

Having opened this door (really, it's a door that was opened long ago - chained lightning, according to old D&D lore, was simply a lightning bolt spell researched to automatically have metamagic applied), I figure I should make a few notes.

First, if you do this, I don't mind the idea of +0 SL-adjustment metamgic feats being researched for this particular spell (other instances may vary).

Things like:
- eclipsed spell
- merciful spell
- teneborous spell

... all provide a +0 to the spell level. While mostly these do little, the application of them implies something about the nature of the spell, and I, for one, would be willing to work with you, if you wanted to research such a unique spell.

Next, of course, is the (3rd party) fleeting spell feat - this actually reduces the spell level by 1, and can't be combined with things that increase its duration.

This lets you create a fourth-level variant (though I wouldn't combine this with the 0-level increases, above), or, perhaps, increase the reach of the spell, or perhaps some other +2 metamagic feat, though the spiritual drag of those winds would still be... strong.

I didn't immediately notice anything on Inarus' sheet we weren't currently using, though I may have missed something (though, perhaps, a wind wall could give at least a minor temporary shelter, if, say, Inarus needed to hide out somewhere along the way, to let people recover, though, of course, being purely corporeal, said wind wall might only affect half of the drag-on* people...

* Hah! It never gets old!

Bear in mind, that with such a powerful and unusual ability selected, you'd probably have to, say, sacrifice a prepared spell slot to have such an unusual ability - i.e., you'd effectively have a "once prepared, always prepared, at least once per day" effect. All-told, despite your separation from your spirit animal, your unusual situation, the normal research time, and similar, with the help of the Lady - your jewelry - and Inarus' and the (currently-sleeping) dragon's Aid Another checks (both would auto-succeed) such an unusual effect could be created in the span of a day. Faster, if important (and magical) things were sacrificed (ala ritual sacrifice). The mephits might even be able to pour in their energy, or something, I'unno.

This is not going to be a regularly-granted leave - it simply wouldn't be feasible, normally.

Of course, it's always possible that there is another exit - either from the "Hell" level or the "Heaven" level, or somewhere else that is, as-yet, unknown - or some other way of overcoming things, or even an unusual or unknown treasure or method of assisting in those levels. Who knows?

All that said, I'm not saying that you should do this, merely that it's an option that I, personally, as a player, looked at the situation, and came up with, checked with my GM-self, and went, "Hm... it shouldn't be common, but, yeah, sure, I could see my way into allowing it."

what do you think Inarus? should we head to heaven and find an exit or try to create a spell/once a day ability to control wind to get out?

GM TL Have we been in this area long enough to call it another day, and re-do spells?

Ooh magical theory. Shiny! You mean there's a spell called control wind?

I didn't know. Lol.

I think it's good to drop all NPCs into centre area. Its as safe as we can get it.
They're definitely safer there then with us.

Then we can explore further if we want. I don't want any more dead mephits.

I'm still edgy of going to heaven because of what the Lady told us.

I'm not sacrificing any living creatures or draining any mephits to exhaustion in order to power any spell casting.

I'm still edgy of going to heaven because of what the Lady told us.

For my personal knowledge - what, exactly, is that?

I'm not sacrificing any living creatures or draining any mephits to exhaustion in order to power any spell casting.

Hah! Sacrificing living creatures was not even on my radar when I mentioned that as a possibility, before. Mostly, I meant magic items. This does include the possibility of permanently strengthening the spell, so you'd have to think about what is valid.

With the mephits, they might be fatigued, but it is a ten-minute kind of fatigue, plus the consumption of their limited daily supernatural abilities.

GM TL Have we been in this area long enough to call it another day, and re-do spells?

Yes, it has. :)

heaven

Last few quotes

this

Heh.

er, I mean...

Fair, fair.

Inarus why don't you ask the jewelry what it is about 'heaven' that makes her feel that way... You can talk to her...

”Inarus, would the ‘Lady’ prefer to be back with you,

Good sir, we're not on talking terms!

Hell no!

I didn't say take her back, I said ask her about the heaven level!

Heh.

sorry GM TL I wasn't expecting you back on this quick, I was working on my post for later on in the morning

You're good, my dude!

I love the back-and-forth!

Also, I'm now (2:29 EST) working on a post/update.

I've been working on it since 12:47.

Look, I'm not saying it's super-big and you should all fear it.

... out loud.

I might break it into three or more posts...

See, it's a post that works like a "Choose your own adventure" novel.

the problem is that the interactions are too complex to make separate posts with any sort of reasonable feedback time (as I don't know when I'd have the free time after TKD today to do that), while, simultaneously, it's difficult to make everything flow, properly.

I think - hope? - you two might, maybe, enjoy it... hopefully...

That said, I might not get this one done before TKD... so, maybe soon, maybe a later tonight... but it should be up within 24 hours from now!

Bah! TKD, family dinner, power storms... too much stuff!

Skipping today: "life reasons" pretty much.

Hopefully will update tomorrow. Sorry for the delay!

take your time, life reasons are a completely valid reason to not wake up the bronze dragon...

So much tired/headache... >.<

yuck, get better...

edit:
Let me just say that I find the 'cartoon emotes' very entertaining!

TL - gimme a bit - I've just gotten sick and I'm sitting around feeling sorry for myself ^^

Oof! Feel better, Mort! :(

(I feel ya. Headaches, headaches, every single day, 'round here.)

All right, I passed a will save and managed to take an action! On a more serious note I was running a temperature of 38 degrees celsius yesterday and spent most of the day Zzzing.

Oof! No bueno! Mort, feel better, soon! Take care of yourself!

:(

HOLY CARP. Your heal check was 38 - thirty eight! - which is about twenty points higher than I thought. Yes, she is female, though secondary characteristics (already mild on scaled creatures) are extremely blunted, even compared to normal specimens of her kind. Sorry. It was hard to see well, last time I posted and I just reaaly missed your thirty eight for an eighteen. GM's bad! I'm stuck out of the house, for now, but I'll try to post tonight at some point!

Ugh. Internet suddenly took a drop for the horrid. I don't know why, but I'm hoping both this post and my other go through! Sorry!

yeah, I feel your pain. Thunderstorms here all day, internet/cable didn't come back on till late...

hey GM TL, I forgot to change Usawoti's spells, do you mind if I swap out one of the third level cure spells for Create food and water?

Also, was the heal check high enough to tell what kind of shape the dragon is in? does she need healing?

Sure, go ahead.

She will be fine.

Uh... okay, guys. Honestly not sure what's happening in Gameplay. Are you waiting on me to respond to anything, or are we still guessing where things should go? Or anything else?

...Inarus answers the dragon. "I don't think we were ever properly introduced. My name is Inarus, and my partner is Usawoti. Those are his mephits - Chandruu, Yalagch and Agaar." Out of curiosity he asks the mephits, "What have you had to eat thus far?"

Not wanting to interrupt the dragon introducing herself and interested to see what the Mephits have actually eaten, Usawoti waits to see if Inarus wants to speak to the Eternal Seed before they determine their route.

Then after your post Inarus started talking to 'the eternal seed'

But, having said all that, I am ready to continue on toward 'heaven'. I just need to adjust Usawoti's HP for resting and cast morning buff spells. Which I am happy to retcon.

I'll drop heroism on you and that's about all I can do I think. There's nothing I need to buff for myself. I'm still stuck away from the weave...