Wow, Jonah. That is quite the mess you landed us in! Any thoughts on how we should get out of it? ;)
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Well...I really didn't think that far ahead. :)
But the attacking spirits are small, so we could Skirmish through them using our pointy, harpoon charms. Is there an equivalent to a shotgun/scattergun/sawed off blunderbuss? Maybe one of us thought bring one of those along with some of Lolo's electroplasmic buckshot? That could clear a path out of the room. Prowl our way out staying low, using the banquet tables and other displays as cover?
Or how about Survey or Hunt to discover the actual spirit that has been leading us into these situations and pulling up these memories/fears. Is it the general, the governor, the groom, the missing bride, someone else? Find it, and maybe we can then drive it off (Command or maybe Compel) or distract it (Sway?) long enough for us to escape and get to our destination?
Or since this is a manifestation of Jonah's own guilt for the part he played in this attack that ended up killing lots of innocents and ultimately not really doing much to help the war effort, maybe it is some sort of Sway/Consort/Command action to get him to move on or face up to the kinds of things he and others did during the conflict? Or maybe he didn't actually know what was being unleashed. Instead he and his team had just been given the device and ordered to deliver and set it. It is a moment when he suddenly knew neither side was right or better and started down the path of becoming the more cynical, criminal minded person his is now. Maybe it is a confrontation with his younger, idealistic and much more fanatical self?
We've had a mold outbreak in our archives, which is very bad when you are the department head of an archives. So sorry, but I am again rolling with more than I can deal with. Hope to be back soon.
@Lolo - sorry to hear that. Thanks for keeping us posted.
GM is the ball still in our court? Are we rolling Actions or just Prowess/Resolve/Insight?
Hi all, sorry about the last few days, I've had a buseier week than usual so I had to hold off on posting. In terms of dealing with things, I like JOnah's suggestions - this scene is a memory and so are the ghosts. I think prowess/rewsolve/insight is still the way forward.
Using prowess to shoulder a path through to the door for us.
...or, you know, not.
To battle through his emotions and confusion long enough to see through the illusions and spot an exit.
I *love* reading your posts, Jonah. keep them going :)
Fin, you press forward to the door but you aren't in time to get there brfore the wall falls in and blocks your way out. I'm adding in a 4-clock called "find the way out" that you need to fill in before you can leave. Jonah's success fills in 2 ticks on that clock, but with a complication which sshould be obvious once I've posted it in gameplay.
@Cas/Lolo - I know Lolo has a lot going on right now in RL so I will work on brining you back in at a later pont if nothing happens there.
Using Prowess to take the fight to the enemy.
I *love* reading your posts, Jonah. keep them going :)
Thanks. Glad you're enjoying them.
And thanks for running the game. I have to say, I think the BitD/PbtA system is now one of my favorites. Really digging the storytelling focus and the general simplicity of the rules.
Been busy this last week, will try to get a new post up today or tomorrow.
Yes, it's difficult to go back to PF1 or 2e afterwards, isn't it?
@Fin, your roll is success with consequences, so you get less effect and you're now at Desperate postion.
I'm fine with the knife having limited Effect but I'm going to Resist the shift to Desperate Position, things are bad enough as they are!
zero stress, nice.
Since weapons aren't doing much I will shift to using a ghostbane charm, and use Resolve to power it.
To see through the ghostly manipulations and help get us out of here.
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@Fin - yuo succesffuly protect Jonah from teh Butcher, but the complciation is that's *all* you can do. This is his fight and he has to win it.
@Jonah - you succedd in understanding how to defeat this foe that your own imaginiation has created. You can win the fight against the butcher, no more rolls needed. I have some ideas on how to do that, but why get in the way of your own creativity? :)
Teh complication is that your own identity/self-image/whatever is changing as a result of this internal struggle. The outward sign of this is that your spirit mask cracks from side to side and is completley broken. You can use a downtime action (no roll needed) to get/make/buy/find a new one
Teh complication is that your own identity/self-image/whatever is changing as a result of this internal struggle. The outward sign of this is that your spirit mask cracks from side to side and is completley broken. You can use a downtime action (no roll needed) to get/make/buy/find a new one
This is so clever, and +1 on what Jonah said: trying to do something like that in a d20 system (5e, PF1, PF2, take your pick) would basically involve actively fighting the rules rather than playing into them.
Hey y'all, sorry I've got to drop. Things just keep coming and I'm finding no time to keep up with games.
I've had a lot of fun gaming with everyone and you're all wonderful writers and imaginative players. It isn't fair to you for me to keep holding things up.
Sarah, thanks for running this game - you've been awesome at keeping things twisting and turning and imaginative, and I've appreciated the opportunity to play in your game and with everyone.
Take care all - I'd like to keep following along with the Mites' exploits as I'm able, if that is OK.
I'm sorry to see you go, it's been fun. Take care!
Aww that sucks, I realy liked waht Lolo brought to the game. I'm sorry things are bad for you and I would love it if you keep lurking to read waht we get up to :)
@Fin/Cas/Jonah - I'm good to keep going if you are, I will bring Cas back in now and we'l take it from there?
Lolo, sorry to see you go, but totally understand. I hope things calm down for you soon.
GM: I'm totally fine continuing on.
Sorry to see you go. We all have to find that work/life balance in different ways and those ways are different for each of us. Good luck in your future gaming.
Thanks for reminding me taht Lolo had the watch! I will fix that. I said earlier that your rituatl was basicly held together with spit and duct tape (or whatever Duskvol uses instead of duct tape) so we'll say that it is starting to fail and has dragged Lolo out of the gohst field. She's back in your HQ with waht feels like a bad hangover but will be Ok. That way if her player returns then she can come back into the game.
(I leave it to you to decide whether you raelise this is what's happend, or not - seems unlikely Fin or Cas would know but Jonah might)
I'll let the fates decide because that seems like maybe it would be an Attune roll simply to detect/feel whether she is still trapped within the ghost field or escaped.
Hrrmmm...seems like he would know she got pulled back, but maybe not that she is back in the hideout safe and unharmed. Or maybe he know, but the effort cost him a point of Stress. Unless you want to tick another clock because it takes time to figure it all out.
Well by accident rather than design we seem to have recreated the traditional triumvirate of fighter/mage/thief from old-school gaming! Gygax would be so proud.
Ha! Maybe his benevolent ghost will lead us out of the ghost field. :)
Ha! Maybe his benevolent ghost will lead us out of the ghost field. :)
Yeah, I'm totally going to trust the guy who wrote Tomb of Horrors
Ha! Very true. Well at least BitD doesn't have a "Save or Die" mechanic. Save or Be Totally Hosed, yes, but outright Save or Die, no.
Tomb of Horrors
Now that brings back memories. I purchased the first printing in its shrink-wrap for all of $7.00 back in the late seventies.
Ran it many times over the years with the warning to other players that characters would die capriciously. It never seemed to deter them.
Ah, the joys of youth.
I'll *never* fotget the look I got at WW's tabletop group when I asked who Gary Gygax was :O
Unless you want to tick another clock because it takes time to figure it all out.
Yes, let's go with taht. I'm filling in the clock about teh gohost field becoming aware of you.
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I'll *never* fotget the look I got at WW's tabletop group when I asked who Gary Gygax was :O
Ouch.
Now I really feel old.
I'll *never* fotget the look I got at WW's tabletop group when I asked who Gary Gygax was :OOuch.
Now I really feel old.
*hikes up his suspenders and puts in his teeth.*
Don't worry, you're not alone in feeling a bit old, but we'll still show these young whippersnappers how this RPG stuff is done. :)
I too had an original hard copy of the original Tomb, loads of GMing fun at the time. Alas it disappeared long ago. I do however, still have my original Star Frontiers boxed set (tattered, but still intact) and all the AD&D hard covers books. Unfortunately my Deities and Demigods is the second early printing, so it lacks the Mythos entries.
Unfortunately my Deities and Demigods is the second early printing, so it lacks the Mythos entries.
I have both printings of that in a storage tub ... somewhere ... along with all the other 1st Edition AD&D stuff. I'm pretty sure the tub's in the garage.
I'm confident that when I eventually die, my kids will go through it all, thinking, "What the hell is all this crap?"
Ha! That, and in my case, "What are all these %$#^&*^! unpainted figures!"
*Looks askance at Reaper Kickstarter boxes.*
Going to use Resolve to not run away screaming and to try and convince the waking spirit to either go back to sleep or focus its attention elsewhere within the ghost field. Don't really care where as long as it isn't on us. :)
If we aren't still using Insight/Prowess/Resolve, then I guess it would be with either Attune or maybe Sway (if Sway then, I'd spend Stress to get an extra die for sure.)
I'll try to get a post up tomorrow morning. GM, I'm not completely certain how much of the above I can actual affect/do, so just say the word if none of this works, except maybe the not running away piece. ;)
Yup, still useing Insight/prowess/reslove.
You can definitely makea roll not to run away! Trying to get it to foucus its atention somewhere else is going to be tricky, this is the ghost field reacting to you because of that clock that filled up. What you can do is move its atention away a bit to distract it, meaning that your position just went from desperate back up to risky. That might not sound like much but it could save your lives.
Unfortunately my Deities and Demigods is the second early printing, so it lacks the Mythos entries.
I still have the Immortals boxed set from D&D basic (the "red box" edition) somewhere... the metaphysics and explanation of the dimensions was actually pretty good.
Back to the game: using prowess to fight it. I'm a cutter; it's what I do.
@Casia, i take it you aren't making an action roll then? This game's not like D&D and there aren't "turns" in teh same way, so it's fine to not roll if you aren't felling lucky ;) I jsut want to check with you before I post.
I don't think I'll roll unless I have to. The dice have not been my friend in this game so far. XD
That's fair! So I jsut need to resolve Fin's roll. JOnah put your position back to risky from desperate and that makes a BIG differeince to the outcome. You get 2 diferent complications: the first is that Cas grabs your arm which disrupts your aim - you still hit it, but you get limited effect. Teh second complication is that while you are distracted, the leviathan disarms you.
You can resist either of those as per usual.
So once Fin acts for his resist, or not, would it be possible to tap the other side of this harpoon equation? By that, I mean the original crew who actually used the harpoon and killed the beast. Since we are within the ghost field could Jonah use Cas' harpoon fragment to conjure a few of the crew ghosts to fight the beast? Unless Cas can use it to stealth us a way out and to our destination which would probably be much safer. :)
Sorry! Crazy week. Plus my hard copy of Court of Blades has arrived and it's amazing.
Anyway, I'll resist the disarm but not the reduced effect.
Meh. 3 stress, but I keep hold of the harpoon.
@Jonah - Cas lost her part of the harpoon as a complication on one of her rolls. I think Jonah still has his though?
@Fin - if you're making an action, you need a roll.
I used my fragment to create the distraction, so that idea is out.
Hrrrmmmm....if I remember correctly there isn't actually a ghost of the leviathan here, but instead it is the ghost field reacting to fragments of the beast's existence trapped in the bones. Is our belief in the beast actually making it manifest further and more powerfully?
What if Jonah tries to Sway Fin and Cas that to fight or to run is futile? After all we can't defeat or escape the actual Ghost Field. Instead we need to regain our focus and concentration on reaching our goal along the docks without disrupting the field any further. Or would trying to calm the Ghost Field directly using Attune be more appropriate?
IIRC, this is a memory of a leviathan that was butchered here and its bones used to build this district rather than an actual leviathan.
EDIT: just gone back and checked, and that is correct. Also, the road that it is "anchored" to is right next to the place where Lolo shot the ghost we're here to collect. Can I suggest that Finraeth continues to occupy this thing and draw its attention while Cas and Jonah head in to "collect" the ghost? Then we can skedaddle.
Using Prowess to dance around and jab the beast to give the others time to do their thing.
Yes, Fin is right, and sorry again for taking so long to post here.
@Jonah - that roll gives you an incomplete understanding (reduced effect complication) but it's enough to know that this thing is bascially acting as a "guardian" - it was sumoned (or created, or whatever) by the ghost field once that clock filled up. It's an obstacle that you can't avoid as part of your dream-quest, although you don't all have to engage it.
@Fin - that roll will allow *one* of you - and only one of you - to get around it and onto your actual quest. The other one is stuck here with you and has to try and deal with as best you can.
OK, choice made, it was the obvious one really :)
I'm assuming that doesn't need another dice roll as I'm just writing up the outcome of the previous one; but I'm sure you'll let me know if I'm wrong.
Indeed it has been. ;)
Then I guess my next roll is Prowess to slip past the leviathan and find the girl's ghost.
OK, that works and of course you roll a 6.
I'm not sure how to play the "catch the ghost" part of the game. I don't think it's as simple as one dice roll but I don't want to get bogged down in "roll again, roll again, roll some more" - this isn't a d20 game and I don't want to turn it into one.
So I've thought about the question a bit. I would propose two rolls within the same turn. The first is a Resolve roll to overcome the fears, reservations, power of the ghost to even attempt to put it in the bottle. I picked Resolve because the ghost reminds Jonah too much of Naty and while intellectually the plan makes sense, doing to this ghost what he dreads could happen to Naty causes a pretty solid conflict.
The second would be an Action to actually capture the ghost. A Sway (if Jonah can sell an idea to the ghost and get her to willingly go inside) or Finesse to forcefully draw the ghost into the bottle using his Lightning Stick. I suppose if he really fails on this roll he could make a last ditch Desperate different action to try and succeed assuming he survives whatever consequences occur.
Just my two cents.
That works for me, so go ahead and make teh rolls