Well that's kind of a funny way for the arm wrestling to go, given our comparative strength scores. XD Theo, do you want to write up how you beat Charles?
Well that's kind of a funny way for the arm wrestling to go, given our comparative strength scores. XD Theo, do you want to write up how you beat Charles?
It is kind of funny. We could have used 'Athletics' instead of 'Strength' but the results would have been the same. Some sports probably shouldn't use a d20 with that bonus.
A d6 would have given us a much more even match and probably closer to real life.
There isn't a man in the hall who wouldn't arm-wrestle Charles now, and most of them are too old or too young to have fought Grendel, so few Str bonuses.
Charles is trying to not attract attention because "turning into a large three-headed monster" doesn't seem like the kind of talent to show off in the present circumstances.
That's why Valerie had been hoping to let Unferth occupy the time instead, as not everyone wants attention drawn to them. But things have turned out quite well enough. (Very well, in fact.)
Looks like two of the abilities I was unsure of are already paying off.
• Stellar Equilibrium makes me immune to the cold temperature.
• Divine Blessing will allow my first successful attack to inflict damage, despite fire resistance/immunity. Half the damage counts as holy energy.
So what I am doing is resolving one of the problems I've always had with the Beowolf saga. All will be revealed shortly.
No problem. I kinda find it funny that you slammed the E-brake on Nissa right after she tried to rally the troops. If she keeps talking like that, she may need to change her code name to the Eff Bombshell.
So what I am doing is resolving one of the problems I've always had with the Beowolf saga. All will be revealed shortly.
This should be fun. Go for it.
I'm not studied in any of the literary criticism of Beowulf though, so any answers are my own speculation.
No worries. I read Beowolf in college, and this is something that I have, ironically enough, always wondered about.
@Nissa: that wasn't my intent. Verve just believes in not telling everyone your weakness or abilities.
It's funny you say that, because I certainly imagined answers to all sorts of stuff ...
There are some missing parts here and filling them in would deepen the story. I know why MY Grendel has a beef with the Danes. Pissing on the marker for Halfdane, Hrothgar's father, hints at my secret reason. I just didn't think anyone was going to ask.
No worries. I read Beowolf in college, and this is something that I have, ironically enough, always wondered about.
@Nissa: that wasn't my intent. Verve just believes in not telling everyone your weakness or abilities.
I mean the way Nissa was trying to get the Danes to take the fight outside.
(Actually, if what you're doing results in Grendel attacking you, bright side: that still results in fighting outside.)
Nissa's attacks are all fire-based, so she certainly doesn't want to fight inside a wooden structure full of innocent people.
I see. Nevermind then.
@GM, how should I handle odd numbers when I convert fire damage to holy energy? (Divine Blessing: Sarenrae) Can I round up the converted damage and round down the damage that remains as fire?
Also, please note that the ☀️ indicates Nissa is currently photon-attuned. I can Super Nova when fully-attuned. (☀️☀️☀️)
@GM, how should I handle odd numbers when I convert fire damage to holy energy? (Divine Blessing: Sarenrae) Can I round up the converted damage and round down the damage that remains as fire?
Also, please note that the ☀️ indicates Nissa is currently photon-attuned. I can Super Nova when fully-attuned. (☀️☀️☀️)
If you're splitting an odd number, you can choose at the time where the odd point goes.
If you're splitting an odd number, you can choose at the time where the odd point goes.@GM, how should I handle odd numbers when I convert fire damage to holy energy? (Divine Blessing: Sarenrae) Can I round up the converted damage and round down the damage that remains as fire?
Also, please note that the ☀️ indicates Nissa is currently photon-attuned. I can Super Nova when fully-attuned. (☀️☀️☀️)
Awesome—thanks! It will be Holy Energy every time.
If I want my damage to be mostly Fire, I just won't convert it. Then it will be all Fire. (Converting damage from Fire to Holy Energy is optional, but it has to be the first successful fire-based attack in the round.)
I was just checking AoN to find out whether my Super Nova is a full-round or standard action, and I discovered updates. There are new classes and new stuff for existing classes—Stellar Revelations in my case. I haven't looked at Feats yet, but yeah... new stuff, or new to me anyway since AoN is my only source for Starfinder knowledge.
Out of Character Discussion ...
You're in the first of what, I imagine, will be two or three combat encounters. There would of course be much celebration around these encounters and some socializing. This gives you an idea of how long this 'episode' will last before you get into a position where you will probably be jumping dimensions again.
I'm saying "I imagine" and "probably" because if you all decide to become vikings and stay here forever, I'll work with that.
My goal though is to make it to the end of an episode and ask who would like to continue to the next episode. Sometimes people need a break; characters can go off to save the world another way.
During these changes, new heroes could also join.
I definitely like the idea of coming back to our own world as the "hub" world. In fact, I was wondering if the start date of each episode would be the real-life date + 200 yrs, and if we would level between episodes (as if the X-month-long time gaps represent training time).
Also, would we get a salary/funding from Boston Theoretical so we can upgrade/buy items?
Wow... nice roll, Charles! Now I can learn how crits work in SF!
Eh, I don't threaten on a 19, sorry.
I'm a Starfinder newbie, but I believe SF is like PF2. You Crit if your roll is > AC+10. (Val hit with a 17; you rolled 27.)
Critical Hits
When you make an attack roll and get a natural 20 (the d20 comes up 20), you hit regardless of your target’s AC. If the total result of your attack roll meets or exceeds the target’s EAC or KAC (as appropriate for your attack), you’ve also scored a critical hit. You roll your damage twice, each time with all your usual bonuses and including any additional damage from special abilities, and then add the rolls together. Some weapons inflict a special effect on a target of a critical hit, in addition to dealing double damage (see page 182).
I'm afraid not, it's pretty much just on natural 20's.
Ah... well, honestly, this is good news for me. If crits were an exceed-by-ten thing, I'd be afraid to dual wield my guns. (I have the multi-weapon feat.)
I'm a Starfinder newbie, but I believe SF is like PF2. You Crit if your roll is > AC+10. (Val hit with a 17; you rolled 27.)
Val hit Grrendel's EAC with 21.
Ah, so she did.
Aaaaaaand, Grendel dice have been cast. And he did crit. Oh dear.
That's okay, I avenged you!
Yeah, that's unpleasant. Good thing he has some extra eyes. XD Hopefully we'll roll a bit better and Grendel won't roll quite that well this next round.
Sorry I've been slow, folks, it's been a busy couple days. Things will start to lighten up tomorrow.
Sorry I've been slow, folks, it's been a busy couple days. Things will start to lighten up tomorrow.
I wouldn't call this pace slow.
I just finished my marking and putting grades in. Pretty happy about that. Now it's time to get ready for next semester.
Just looked up Stamina. These Starfinder characters are tough!
Also, Verve still has a Round 3 attack, right?
Verve follows up her rather powerful initial attack with another Kinetic Blade infused punch to the gut.
Kinetic Blade: burn 1; can use my telekinetic blast as a melee attack instead of a ranged attack, including making any additional attacks as desired.
Seems like energy, not a blade, or at least not a physical one.
But then, I barely know how my own moves work, never mind other PCs'.
...
I am curious about other immunities. I'm guessing Nissa's attack hurts him, due to the holy energy. I wonder if a godling fist hurts Grendel, even when a mortal fist would not.
Sorry, the info in my bio is me basically boiling down all the rules to as easy-to-digest ability as possible. Here's what Kinetic Blade's actual wording is:
You form a weapon using your kinetic abilities. You create a non-reach, light or one-handed weapon in your hand formed of pure energy or elemental matter. (If you’re a telekineticist, you instead transfer the power of your kinetic blast to any object held in one hand.) The kinetic blade’s shape is purely cosmetic and doesn’t affect the damage dice, critical threat range, or critical multiplier of the kinetic blade, nor does it grant the kinetic blade any weapon special features. The object held by a telekineticist for this form infusion doesn’t prevent her from using gather power.
Since I am a telekineticist, I'm empowering my glove on her dominant hand (we'll say left, since I'm left handed).
Sorry, the info in my bio is me basically boiling down all the rules to as easy-to-digest ability as possible. Here's what Kinetic Blade's actual wording is:
You form a weapon using your kinetic abilities. You create a non-reach, light or one-handed weapon in your hand formed of pure energy or elemental matter. (If you’re a telekineticist, you instead transfer the power of your kinetic blast to any object held in one hand.) The kinetic blade’s shape is purely cosmetic and doesn’t affect the damage dice, critical threat range, or critical multiplier of the kinetic blade, nor does it grant the kinetic blade any weapon special features. The object held by a telekineticist for this form infusion doesn’t prevent her from using gather power.Since I am a telekineticist, I'm empowering my glove on her dominant hand (we'll say left, since I'm left handed).
That doesn't sound like a blade to me, particularly since the shape is cosmetic, it's an energy weapon, and it doesn't get blade-like special features, so it probably bypasses Grendel's immunity to blades.
Oh... the rules update will make my Super Nova far more useful when I level up!
New Stellar Revelation: Distant Burst
I can get this @Lv.4. It will allow me to center my Super Nova 40' away from where I stand. (@GM, this would be more appropriate for the Super Nova with a Subatomic-Bomb twist.)
When Grendel smacked me, I had only taken a move action. My understanding is the AoO stopped my move, but I can still take any remaining actions.
[/ooc]
In case the above means you’re waiting for me, I’m all set. I took my standard action this morning by shooting, plus a swift action to step back 5ft. so I can arc around next round and do my Super Nova right!
LINKOh... duh. Charles is still up. I forgot he hadn’t gone because I didn’t know how stamina/HP worked when I read the GM post.
I'm chaperoning a field trip, so no breaks during work today. Nissa is all for anything the party does, as long as we don't outright betray the Danes (which, OoC, I don't believe Verve is suggesting).
Nissa wants to hang out with the shieldmaidens. (Preferably one her own age. Nissa's 20, but looks like a teenager due to halfling aging.) She wants to learn the culture (I'll put ranks in Culture when my INT increases at Lv.5) and about valkyries. In-character, Nissa is mentally preparing herself for there being no way home, which is why she's so hung-ho about solving the Grendel problem. In her mind, it's necessary for survival. (Not killing Grendel, specifically, but ending the attacks and the misery.)
There aren't many Danes still loyal to Hrothgar. They are slowly turning away from him and the emptiness of the hall is a sign.
With the heroes there and Grendel on the run, that's about to change. The various thanes are going to return as quickly as possible to sniff the wind and assure Hrothgar their loyalty never waivered.
When they do, there will be shield-maidens to chill with and still Grendel's mother to kill.
It sounds like you guys are ready to return to the mead-hall and have breakfast with Hrothgar. Verve's question has an answer; I gave Hrothgar a guilty conscience because I was thinking about the same questions about Grendel's motivation.
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Just got out of a meeting with a bunch of profs about the writing centre at our university.
After the meeting, I asked the one who teaches Beowulf about our story and question of Grendel's motivation. He got very excited about the question. He says that Beowulf is a Christianized version of an older Danish story and the Christianized story assigned a more Christian motivation to Grendel--the mead-hall represents to Grendel the light, community, joy, love, and the presence of God. Grendel, the outsider and unlovable, cannot stand the presence of God's light. The original motivation Grendel might have had disappears with this other religious washing of the text. He agrees that Grendel might have had a different motivation in the original text and he agrees that Hrothgar is characterized as 'guilty'. He gets described as "God-cursed" and Grendel is described as his punishment.
I also told him my idea for the motivation and he said it fit well with other similar Norse tales, some of share all the major plot points with Beowulf.
He also said some interesting things about royalty in the mead-hall. Hrothgar would have been sitting in the center of the mead-hall, not at the end of a table. The Queen giving Beowulf, or in this case Theo, the cup is not unusual. The King and Queen were not spectators on thrones but more active in the sharing of food and drink.
Interesting!
Click to see a Nissa Gingerbread! (The tiny one, bottom-right.)
The Gingerzons:
Top:
• Elsa, Amazon Queen of the North
• Raggedy Anna
• Chun-Li
Left:
• Peppy the K.L.A.W.
• Metro-zon
Right:
• Battlemaiden Pearl the Pure, Wielder of the Empty Scabbard
• Nissa van Donk, the Littlest Valkyrie
The Gingerbeards:
Red-Noses:
• Bowser, King of the Spiky Helm
• Ulfgar the Sneeze
Not-Reds:
• J.J. Handlebar, a.k.a. the Lovemonkey
• Chex McSpecs
And Those Two Stars Also Have Names, So:
• Baby Star Junior the Third
• The Celestial Labyrinth
:D Fun!
Click to see a Nissa Gingerbread! (The tiny one, bottom-right.)
** spoiler omitted **
Ulfgar will definitely have to make an appearance in the mead-hall.
Hrothgar didn't mention any previous attempts at bargaining, but there is a hint some happened:
"There came unhidden
tidings true to the tribes of men,
in sorrowful songs, how ceaselessly Grendel
harassed Hrothgar, what hate he bore him,
what murder and massacre, many a year,
feud unfading, — refused consent
to deal with any of Daneland’s earls,
make pact of peace, or compound for gold:
still less did the wise men ween to get
great fee for the feud from his fiendish hands."
Hrothgar isn't hiding something; I just left this out so that you could be the "Earls" the poem spoke of who tried to bargain with Grendel. You can give it a shot still and we'd make Diplomacy rolls.
Ulfgar will definitely have to make an appearance in the mead-hall.Click to see a Nissa Gingerbread! (The tiny one, bottom-right.)
** spoiler omitted **
He is so nick-named due to his plump red nose, and his dirty-blonde stache and beard which fan out stiffly like straw. The redness is due to Ulfgar's love for the drink, and the strawlike texture is a personal hygiene thing that no one ever talks about, as it would likely result in a heated argument... like that time a friend suggested he change his nickname to "the Strawman." That friend was demoted to acquaintance faster than you could cringe at my implicit strawman-argument pun.
Or... not. The GM's in charge of NPC stories/traits, and my Ulfgar is just going to get eaten at his next party anyway.
Hrothgar didn't mention any previous attempts at bargaining, but there is a hint some happened:
"There came unhidden
tidings true to the tribes of men,
in sorrowful songs, how ceaselessly Grendel
harassed Hrothgar, what hate he bore him,
what murder and massacre, many a year,
feud unfading, — refused consent
to deal with any of Daneland’s earls,
make pact of peace, or compound for gold:
still less did the wise men ween to get
great fee for the feud from his fiendish hands."Hrothgar isn't hiding something; I just left this out so that you could be the "Earls" the poem spoke of who tried to bargain with Grendel. You can give it a shot still and we'd make Diplomacy rolls.
Oh, cool! There is so much I had forgotten from the original story. Been a while. I love that we're playing parts in Beowulf, presumably with the possibility of changing the story.
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Oh, cool! There is so much I had forgotten from the original story. Been a while. I love that we're playing parts in Beowulf, presumably with the possibility of changing the story.Hrothgar didn't mention any previous attempts at bargaining, but there is a hint some happened:
"There came unhidden
tidings true to the tribes of men,
in sorrowful songs, how ceaselessly Grendel
harassed Hrothgar, what hate he bore him,
what murder and massacre, many a year,
feud unfading, — refused consent
to deal with any of Daneland’s earls,
make pact of peace, or compound for gold:
still less did the wise men ween to get
great fee for the feud from his fiendish hands."Hrothgar isn't hiding something; I just left this out so that you could be the "Earls" the poem spoke of who tried to bargain with Grendel. You can give it a shot still and we'd make Diplomacy rolls.
I'm certainly learning more about the story of Beowulf through trying to figure out how the characters would react to the NPCs.
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my Ulfgar is just going to get eaten at his next party anyway.
"The beast has carried off more treasure than we could offer him, as well as our children. He sometimes tosses the treasure aside along the path, as it does not interest him as much as the meat of...," the King stops talking.
You do realize I'm going to have a hard time eating Ulfgar now.
I'll make it easier for you: just imagine him screaming in pain when you bite him, then begging not to be bitten again, then begging you to leave him 'just his arm'. You can even imagine that the milk you're dunking him in is a pool of his own blood.
You're welcome.
I'll probably be drinking red wine. But then, wine isn't a dunking drink. So there's that.
I normally try to avoid things that could be disproportionately upsetting to certain players. I wouldn't normally include dead children in a story, but Grendel, in many representations, eats children. I should probably ask you to PM me if there is anything that you can think of that would be particularly upsetting to you and that might normally be expected in a online, cooperatively told story.