House Rule
I won't be tracking the negative hit points of any of the non-hero/boss NPCs. Once they get to -1HPs they are dead. I will have a floating rule for VIP NPCs that they may survive negative HPs.
Sorry I forgot about the spell failure roll!
Also, would you allow prestidigitation to be used to sweep up the caltrops if we can’t get the chain removed?
Yes, if that is all you do I'll say you can clear two 5' squares of caltrops each round.
I'll wait for Tymythy to post then describe the chain, the loot you find on the two bodies, and get the party moving.
I'll post again at the end of today about the rest of the ride to the opera.
I need to prepare the next section of the game so it will be a little while before I post again - should be at least by Monday night (6pm Atl Time) Feel free to rp anything you like before entering the building -though I think you've all mostly touched on that.
OK - another game-within-the-game. This one is called 'Social Minefield'.
I expect everyone to be a part of two interactions.
Step one - Pick a Role:
Life of the Party - This person is trying to be the most interesting person in the room. You can only have one in your group.
Entourage - People who support the Life of the Party. You can have as many as you like in the group as long as you have a 'Life of the Party'.
Fool - This person is either Satirical, a wit breaking down the high-seriousness of the gathering, or Self Deprecating, someone who deflects insults by getting there first. You can have one of each type in your party.
Wallflower - This person tries desperately to not be noticed or called upon. You can have as many of these in your party as you like but the DCs increase for every Wallflower past the first.
Earnest - This person can't help but be themselves which is a novelty in most places. All of the DCs are higher for Earnests but the rewards are likewise increased.
If you can think of other roles please suggest them. This is the first time I've run this mini-game.
Step two - Choose a Room:
I suggest working in pairs at least but I'm not going to penalize anyone for going it alone. Feel free to break into groups, stay together, and change it up between interactions.
Step three - Set the Scene:
I will give you a description of the room you've chosen.
Step three - Read the Room:
Make a 'Sense Motive' roll. The DC will be different depending on which room you are in. If you roll well you will gain insight into what roles NPCs are taking (Life of the Party, Entourage, Wallflower, Fool, Earnest).
Step Four - Posture and Participate:
a) Choose someone to interact with and make a social initiative roll (1d20 +cha mod +1per trait that modifies a diplomacy roll i.e.).
b) Highest initiative makes a skill roll - discuss politics (knowledge geography or nobility), try not to be noticed (stealth or bluff), ask about their possessions (appraise or craft or profession), gossip (knowledge local), talk about the weather (survival), or make up a topic and roll a skill.
c) Go through initiative order until the entire group has gone. If your entire group have finished and the other group still have people left then you begin at the top of your initiative again and continue until everyone has gone.
d) Add up skill roll successes and failures and get a positive or negative value.
Step Five - Successful Night?
One person makes a diplomacy roll (if you have a 'life of the party' person in your group this must go to them) then everyone else makes an 'aid another' roll. Add to the result all successes and failures.
Less than 1 - you can never show your face here again (-4 to any future interactions in this setting)
Less than 10 - Embarrassing display (your next 'social minefield' this season is at -2)
Less than 15 - No one remembers you.
Less than 20 - Didn't we meet at ... (+1 on you next 'social minefield' this season)
Less than 30 - Success! (+2 at your next 'social minefield' this season.
30 or more - [smaller]The night was a resounding success! (expect invitations to exclusive parties and you receive +2 to any 'social minefield' interaction at this location)
Ooh, fancy! I think Tymythy would end up a fool despite what he wants as soon as he opens his mouth, but let's go with Entourage instead - follow closely, make agreeing noises, keep one's eyes open. Wallflower would be safer, but sounds boring, and I think Tymythy will act weirdly enough anyway in this alien environment to attract attention.
Cool! If someone wants to be Life Of the Party, Cairee will try to be Entourage. Or she'll be Wallflower or Ernest.
Do we have to pick different roles? Or should we?
Sounds like we can have as many Entourages as we like, as long as Dounia or Zahra are "life of the party".
Zahra can take Life of the Party if Dounia doesn’t want it
If we're splitting up into smaller groups, is the role life of the party one per smaller group, or one overall for our group?
I'm thinking the 'social minefield' will have bonuses and penalties depending on what role you are and what role the person you're interacting is. A 'Wallflower' who tries to talk gossip with a 'Life of the Party' will have a hard time. There could be advantages in people taking on different roles - covering bases. On the other hand, a group with more than one 'Entourage' player could try 'pile-on' tactics.
Although you can break apart and join back together in different numbers I think you should keep the same role during the same event. This would mean if two of you chose 'Life of the Party' then you couldn't join together for a subsequent interaction.
What do you guys think of doing the first interaction together, and then possibly breaking up?
Cairee will go with Earnest.
Makes sense that we’d do the first one together considering we have no idea what to expect. Safety in numbers :)
My thought is that Dounia is going to think she's going in as life of the party, but is going to quickly find herself out of her depth. Ideally I'd like to try to cycle her through a few different roles, and depending on how they go, end up with her at wallflower or entourage. After all, she has no CHA, but she thinks she has lots. I understand changing role might penalize her, but I think it'll be fun to try, if it's not making your life too difficult.
PS, this is a super cool mechanic!! Looking forward to trying it.
Zahra will be the official life of the party, then :) If no one objects
My thought is that Dounia is going to think she's going in as life of the party, but is going to quickly find herself out of her depth. Ideally I'd like to try to cycle her through a few different roles, and depending on how they go, end up with her at wallflower or entourage. After all, she has no CHA, but she thinks she has lots. I understand changing role might penalize her, but I think it'll be fun to try, if it's not making your life too difficult.
How could I deny an awesome character opportunity like that! Of course, please go ahead. Alternately, you could take the role of 'Wallflower' from the beginning and then do it badly by acting like a 'Life of the Party' by not trying traditional Wallflower skills (stealth, bluff) and attempting LotP skills (diplomacy, knowledge - nobility, performance).
Step 1: Pick a Role
Zahra Life of the Party
Cairee Earnest
Tymythy Entourage
Dounia competing for Life of the Party/Wallflower
Step 2&3: Choose a Room/Set the Scene
The Orrery
- The Pale Family
- Teifling Promenaders
- The Suits
- Gaggle of Debutantes
- Collection of Beaus
- Other
Step 4: Read the Room
I have set the Sense Motive DC's at different levels depending on the room and you have picked the most difficult one. I will be sending PMs or e-mails to each of you.
Step 5: Posture and Participate
a) Pick someone to interact with
Social initiatives are: Zahra 21, Cairee 12, Tymythy 11, Dounia 5
I think Zahra was taken by the Collection of Beaus, so lets chat them up :)
Dounia is side tracked by the pale family and will interact with the one that stepped forward
Excellent, so two interactions? Dounia alone with the Pale Family and Zahra, Tymythy, and Cairee with the Beaus.
Well, Tymythy's job (as he sees it himself and as it was given to him by Haseena) is to guard Zahra, so he'll stick close to her, following wherever she decides to go.
As the pale woman beat Dounia's social initiative, does that mean she gets to speak first? I don't want to jump the gun, but don't want you to be waiting for me either.
Oh, is Cairee supposed to interact now? Or wait?
I think is it Caire's turn now, followed by Tymythy's, but should we first wait to see the result of Zahra's mind-boggling roll? Or do we tally results only after everyone's have a go?
Sorry, I didn't have time to post. We go in initiative order. Thank you for being patient.
The Pale Family interaction
Pale Man: 23
Pale Women: 21
Cairee: 12
Dounia: 5
The Ladies and Gentleman interaction:
Couple D: 22
Zahra: 21
Couple A: 20
Couple C: 17
Tymythy: 11
Couple B: 5
Couple E: 3
I am struggling to figure out initiative for this mini-game. I imagined it like verbal tennis but PBP really requires either the PCs or NPCs go then the other go. Let's play this through and I'll work on the fly.
No hurry! This is a fun new mechanic, and I don't think anybody is in an all-fire hurry. Personally, I don't mind going through the init order as-is, even if it means waiting a bit longer for my turn.
Would Zahra have noticed the coupling before Tymythy goes? Just wondering if you would have allowed her to link her arm with Tymythy’s before he goes as part of her turn?
No, sorry. That would have been part of the 'read the room' check
It is the bottom of the social initiative for The Ladies and Gentlemen? interaction and after Dounia's turn it will be the bottom of the initiative for The Pale Family. I think in this mini-game this means you have a choice: 1) withdraw from the conversation; or 2) enter another round.
If you withdraw please start a new interaction. You can move to another (lower DC) room if you like, taking your 2pnts with you.
I'm going to treat knowledge rolls like performance rolls:
10 Routine performance.
15 Enjoyable performance.
20 Great performance.
25 Memorable performance.
30 Extraordinary performance.
and, in this room, routine performances will just not do.
I wasn’t sure if you were wanting Zahra to go or wait until the Pale Family is finished their round. If you are waiting on Zahra then I should be able to post later tonight.
Let's wait for Dounia before restarting the initiative order. It will make things easier to track regardless of wether people continue with the same conversation or not.
I posted this morning.
I picked the last room and failed miserably so it’s someone else’s turn to choose.
I picked the last room and failed miserably so it’s someone else’s turn to choose.
No way was that a failure - that was exactly how that should have gone.
my vote is ossuary hall
I picked the last room and failed miserably so it’s someone else’s turn to choose.No way was that a failure - that was exactly how that should have gone.
Thanks for that :) It just felt like she failed because it made me feel like I was back in high school :P
Thanks for that :) It just felt like she failed because it made me feel like I was back in high school :P
Yes, sorry if anything was triggering. I loved it because I'd love to have you go back at 5th or 6th level and rule the room. Though some of the interactions would still be difficult at that level you'd probably wipe up the goon squad.
A description of Ossuary Hall tonight (or in about 12hrs)
Do we choose new roles or are we still in the same ones as before? And I assume we make a sense motive check to read the room again?
Sorry, yes, you continue with the same roles which means we have:
Step one - Pick a Role:
Step two - Choose a Room:
Step three - Set the Scene:
Step Four - Read the Room:
Make a 'Sense Motive' roll and I will give the result.
Step Five - Posture and Participate:
a) Choose someone to interact with and make a social initiative roll (1d20 +cha mod +1per trait that modifies a diplomacy roll i.e.).
A note about the plaques:
They are about the size of the top of a cigar box.
The ones in the centre are the oldest and they seem to get dated more recently as they radiate outward.
There are hundreds of them.
There are many blank plaques on the outer reaches of the root system mosaic.
For more about the numbers on them - which you probably surmised are calendar dates - make a knowledge history roll vs DC10 (DC10 can be made untrained).
Cairee, want to pick somebody?
Cairee's hoping to talk to some dwarves if she can recognize any that speak western, or the half elf she tried to smile at, if she shows any interest.
OK - I'm adding some complexity as we got through the first part ok.
Pick a Role -strong skills and weak skills:
Each roll is particularly good at some skills and bad at others. You roll your strong skills at +2 and weak skills at -4.
Life of the Party
(This person is trying to be the most interesting person in the room. You can only have one in your group)
Strong skills - bluff, diplomacy, escape artist (to leave a conversation early), intimidate, perform
Weak skills - acrobatics (to avoid a conversation), disguise, escape artist (to leave an unfinished conversation), stealth
Entourage
(People who support the Life of the Party. You can have as many as you like in the group as long as you have a 'Life of the Party')
Strong skills - aid other rolls to support the 'Life of the Party'
Weak skills - survival (to not get lost if separated from the 'Life of the Party')
Fool - Satirical
(a wit breaking down the high-seriousness of the gathering)
Strong skills - appraise, intimidate, knowledge(smalltalk), perform (comedy - must be observational)
Weak skills - diplomacy, sense motive
Fool - Self Deprecating
(someone who deflects insults by getting there first. You can have one of each type in your party)
Strong skills - intimidation DC, perform (comedy - must be self-depricating)
Weak skills - diplomacy, knowledge(smalltalk), sense motive
Wallflower
(This person tries desperately to not be noticed or called upon. You can have as many of these in your party as you like but the DCs increase for every Wallflower past the first)
Strong skills - acrobatics (to avoid a conversation), disguise, escape artist (to leave an unfinished conversation), stealth
Weak skills - bluff, diplomacy, escape artist, intimidate, perform[/dice]
Earnest
(This person can't help but be themselves which is a novelty in most places. All of the DCs are higher for Earnests but the rewards are likewise increased)
Strong skills - none
Weak skills - all - but receives double the rewards for successes and normal penalties for failures
Fool - Self Deprecating sounds pretty decent for Tymythy - he's not good with Intimidate but he's not really good with anything else on the manu either, and taking blows meant for Zahra is about the only useful thing he could do here. Besides, would be boring to stick to Entourage from start to finish.
OK - I have said no switching roles but let's test it out - you can switch roles between interactions and we'll see how it goes.
I think, in the future, you may have to perform some kind of little feat to switch in the middle of a 'social minefield' as people are already pegging you in your primary role.