
Brindle Ghostfur |

I guessed correctly it is Team Fortress 2. After googling the character in question, the resemblance carries from the head being hidden under a helmet...

Sprig Snaggletooth |

I also see similarities in facial hair and general jaw shape, not to mention the game's customizable headgear. It's given me a good laugh at least a couple times.
Fortunately our Saraon isn't like TF2's Soldier in terms of personality.

Saraon Duskdragon |

Also I've been meaning to ask, does Saraon's avatar remind anyone else of TF2's Soldier? I can't unsee it.
This was the only masked avatar I could find that looked marginally like a half-elf. All the other ones looked TOO elfy or didn't have a good indication of how I wanted the mask to look.

GM Coyote |

The jawline, covered eyes, and the dragon masks’s similarity to some TF2 hats are an interesting coincidence.
Now I’m imagining Saraon with that drill marshal personality.

Ralrae Arkmir |

Agh. I misread this: As they run towards the party the priest raises her arm as a shield of magical distortion comes into being, nearly blocking them from view. They stop just in front of the party."
Saw "distortion" as "darkness". Newborn has not been sleeping at night so this new parent is very very tired! Will get a post up. Thank you for clarifying!

Sprig Snaggletooth |

Ralrae scores again with the crits! Don't forget to roll to confirm! Looks like we're on a bit of a hot streak. Saraon got his moment to show off too.
Heck, I think we're working pretty well as a team here. The bandits either have to take attacks of opportunity or risk falling into the pit. Good positioning guys!

Javell DeLeon |

Hey, folks, as a heads up, if you crit and roll a 'confirm' crit roll, please roll your damage with it as well. If it's a crit, Coyote will use it. If it's not, he won't. Simple as that.
I mean, that's how I've done it forever on these boards.
Anyhow, it just keeps things rolling and avoids adding more rolls to Coyote's plate. I think we all can agree the DM has enough on his plate to deal with.

GM Coyote |

Though I am generally fine to roll crit damage, it does definitely make my life a little easier if the players handle it.

Sprig Snaggletooth |

Alright, so I think we should discuss this before we go much further. If any of you IRL are uncomfortable with fictional cannibalism, it's best we bring it to the table so to speak. Don't worry about spoiling anyone's fun, it's best to just let us know. Let's all work together to have a good game, ok?
Personally, I'm okay with it as long it's not needlessly graphic or indulgent.

Javell DeLeon |

Nope. Not interested in it at all. It's twisted in RL and it's twisted in Fake Life.
Having said that, if the majority wish to play it that way, I can bow out of this one. No harm no foul and no hard feelings. And I mean that. I will NOT take offense in any form or fashion if y'all prefer me to roll on out of this one. It's just not my cup of tea and I have no desire to be a part of anything that involves such.

GM Coyote |

I’d say that unless it’s graphic, I’m not perturbed by it given that it is fitting with the character. That said, I want to make sure that everyone is comfortable in this game.
Though I am frequently hesitant to draw the line, I do not hesitate to draw it when somebody’s enjoyment of the game is at stake, so I’ll be nixing cannibalism from PCs in any form.
I think this is a good opportunity for a conversation about what people are comfortable with going forward, as the post-apocalyptic nature of the game can lend itself to some of the darker themes out there.
Barring any other input, I will never include explicitly graphic or sexual content or any sort of cruelty to children.
If anyone else has things they want me to steer away from, I am happy to take that into account. The nature of homebrew allows me to make this the game that you all want to play.

Brindle Ghostfur |

Yep, sorry for the stress. Brindle will be a carrion-eater and protein fiend but steer clear of consuming sentients.

Ralrae Arkmir |

@ Sprig:
Thanks for correcting my rolls and throwing that out there. The little one has been overtired and protesting by screaming for hours straight, so my apologies to the group for both my delayed posting and the inaccurate rolls.

Saraon Duskdragon |

Sorry for kind of contributing to the issue by having Saraon try to go to bat for Brindle's culture. He's trying to be respectful of the different cultures of the wasteland, including that of the gnolls, and I ended up making Saraon seem a heck of a lot less NG than he probably should...

Sprig Snaggletooth |

Hey hey, no worries Ralrae. I figure you got a lot to worry about and the last thing you need is to stress about the things you do for fun right?
Saraon, it's alright. This is why we brought it up, so we can discuss it. It's great role-play, though the subject matter can rub people the wrong way. Heck, if you want to dive more into other parts of gnoll culture, that'd be pretty cool I think.

Brindle Ghostfur |

Historically DnD gnoll "culture" has been based on slave-taking, laziness, craven bullying and demon-worship. So take your pick. ;)
GM Coyote and I haven't delved too deep into Brindle's highland gnoll tribe, but I figured what "cultural mores" pre-existed have been smashed clean by the apocalypse and they have reverted to a subsistence level scavenger tribe with a lot of animism and ancestor veneration. More primal/druidic than organised religion/fiend devotion.

Sprig Snaggletooth |

All sentients have some kind of culture, especially at a base tribal level. There's all kinds of things a gnoll might do because it "pleases the spirits". Their history isn't written down, and is most likely told in story throughout the generations. At the very least they should have some kind of legend about the apocalypse and how it was brought about.
For example; Brindle might believe that the sun is some ancient gnoll spirit being chased by his jilted lover, the moon. Through certain offerings or perhaps a form of dance the gnolls ask for his favor.
Before scientific reasons pervaded the world, we still tried to explain how and why everything worked. and in Pathfinder, maybe it does!

GM Coyote |

The subsistence scavenging with animism/ancestor veneration had been generally how I imagined the gnolls. The tribes would be almost universally matriatchal, though the tribe mother's mate would often take the role of the shaman for the tribe.
There would be a fair amount of variation between gnoll tribes though, with those in harsher regions being closer to the typical depiction of gnolls.
I see the gnolls as utilitarian to a fault, with every part of their lives dictated by a sort of grim pragmatism of what is needed for survival.

Saraon Duskdragon |

Right, that's why Saraon was so chill about it: I seem to remember one of the 1e books stating that for gnolls consuming the dead was an honor, taking the deceased's strength into yourself, while the ultimate insult was to declare someone's carcass not worth eating, and I thought that was where our gnolls were coming from, so Saraon was like "She's not murdering people to eat them, so I don't think I should complain. It'd be racist."

Brindle Ghostfur |

Yep, pretty much where I was coming from. And I didn't think Saraon veered at all from NG. I guess respecting cultural mores is difficult when one culture thinks eating the dead is ok and others think it anathema and vile. Moving on...

Sprig Snaggletooth |

I like to think that this is the classic scene where we form the band, that we truly become a party. I'm honestly pretty excited for our adventures to come! Should we come up with some kind of party name?
Unless I'm overstepping my bounds? Sometimes I worry that I come across as trying to hog the spotlight. So if you feel that way, let me know and I'll dial it back.

Brindle Ghostfur |

Given Sprig's boisterous, wheelin and dealin gregarious personality, he's ideal to bring our band of misfits together - Saraon is a little dedicated, Bas is a damaged ex-bandit, Casey seems the lone wolf toothpick type, Ralrae hasn't said a whole lot and Brindle is not a leader given the group is only barely tolerating her odd culinary desires. So really, Sprig is the glue...plus he has a caravan.

Javell DeLeon |

Oh! One other thing. That CLW potion, Saraon, adds a +1. It's 1d8+1. That's the minimum for a CLW potion.
I know some folks got injured but I only have 7 potions left. We are obviously going to have to find more potions somewhere. There's no way those are going to last us. Or possibly a wand.

Sprig Snaggletooth |

Alright, so how do we want to divvy up the loot? I'd probably take the animal feed, but otherwise nothing really jumps out at me. I could always use cash, of course, but I'm not really too worried about it. Here's the list again.
513 gold in assorted coin
Longsword, Harry’s Special
Four gems
Silver locket
Cloth package
Two Opals
Shining crystal
Fine Battle-axe
20 bullets
Magical Face Paint
Three bags animal feed
Haexius Icon
Wood carving of a two headed mule
Bag of jerky
Poor quality weapons we weren't interested in

GM Coyote |

Totally understandable. I'm in a very similar situation myself at work, so I know that feeling.