Oxana's blast strikes true, but only catches the shoulder of the creature, bloodying it.
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The strange humanoids continue their running assault into the party, but the elven man with the dart gun manages to strike one of them solidly in the chest, bloodying it. Despite the damage, though, the monster continues as if nothing had happened.
Rolls:
Wayfarer:
All you know about this place is that there was once a tribe a humans that called this place home many years ago. Nothing had been heard from those humans since the rumor of monsters in the area, however. Only three of the creatures were able to get within range of the party. Viciously, they unleashed attacks using whatever bodypart they could slam against them.
Khazad lines up a shot with his rifle to shoot one of the creatures attacking Baird.
Blowing his brains out all over the car behind him.
As the party reaches their respective covers, a group of seven strange looking humanoids burst from one of the alleys. They seem emaciated to the point of almost looking skeletal and their skin hugs tightly to their bones. They are wearing what appears to be very old scraps of what was once clothing. As they run out from the alleyway, they begin looking around as if whatever they had been chasing was now gone. Instead, however, they spot the party and begin moving as quickly as they can toward them. Cassandra:
It looks to you like these things are not undead, but rather crazed humanoids caused most likely by some elongated exposure to radiation. Elongated enough that you know you are not in danger of the same source of radiation that turned these people into what they are. Wayfarer:
These things are human and you do get your favored class bonuses against them. That was round 1, round 2 has the Wayfarer at the top of the round to act. Followed by the irradiated monsters, followed by everyone else.
It's cool, I was just wanting to know that where I placed you was adequate. I'm waiting on Oxana as well.
Yes, but I've been waiting on you and Oxana to say you're ready to post anything further.
Probably not, the issue with climbing over the cars isn't so much finding handholds and such, it's more or less vaulting yourself onto them. That's why it's an acrobatics check instead of a climb check.
The places not colored still exist, I just didn't fill them in because I didn't think you'd need them. I will if you decide to move into those spaces though. The slightly lighter gray on either side of the road is the side walk. That's fair game. The buildings can be entered (and are fairly bare on the inside), but otherwise impassable (might add where doors and windows are in case it matters). The red squares are junked cars and are impassable unless you make a DC 10 acrobatics check to treat them as rough terrain instead. You can stop your movement in those squares, you're just standing on the car. If you decide to move off of the car, just note that moving into a car square is what triggers the acrobatics check, not leaving it. So you can jump down from atop a car without a check. Anyway, I think that's all you need to know about this encounter so far. XD
I can indeed.
Op, yep. I meant to say that. The red bits are ruined cars. They are cover and count as difficult terrain if you pass a DC 10 Acrobatics check. Otherwise they're impassable.
DM Rolls:
Cassandra actually finds that the density of cars on the interstate is too much for her ability to maneuver reliably on the motorcycle. As a result, she is currently still with the main group. Baird:
You notice that Mister Saturday has cast a spell, but it is not the same kind of spells you are used to. Wayfarer:
You notice something odd happen with Mister Saturday's shadow. It was like it moved despite him, its movements did not match his if not for just a moment. You're not sure if its enough to tell anything is amiss, but you definitely take note. Mister Saturday: You receive a message from your shadow not a minute or two after sending it forward 110 feet. It sees some very strange looking humanoids, but before being able to give you any detail, it tells you it has been spotted by one of them and is about to be in danger. (You have the equivalent of one round to decide how to react before combat begins).
Khazad seems to get along with the five wanderers surprisingly well, seemingly a well-meaning man. He takes well to Chann and can't hide being impressed by Cassandra's motorcycle. However you want to spin it, the four hour walk was actually relatively uneventful. You would have had to have been unlucky to get jumped by bandits in such a short walk, but many of you have known it to happen. Nashville was finally in sight. As the group approached the city, the density of ruined cars on the interstate grew and the city, just as promised, looked like a ghost town. As the group walked down the exit ramp, finally crossing officially into the city, Khazad spoke seriously. "Be ready, friends. And try not to make too much noise. I ain't sure what we gon' find in here. Maybe you should push that bike." He unstrapped the rifle from his back and held it in front of him for whatever unexpected foe he might find.
Alrighty, guys. Just waiting on Mister Saturday it seems. I hope things are still a-go for him.
Fixing his boots and getting his hat readjusted on his head, Khazad slung his rifle over his should like he had the night before and headed for the door. "Alright, fellas. Come along then." Swinging open the door, he continued outside nodding toward the elf waiting out there. He lead the way out of town on the interstate, walking between the ruined cars and over the rubble - something you all are more than used to. Interstates were main paths between the big cities and even now they saw traffic (albeit foot traffic). The difference here being that rush hour didn't exactly exist. You'd be lucky to see another soul walking on the interstate in a day, or unlucky. Whatever the case may be. It was early morning, just as you had planned, but the heat of Tennessee in Summer was already beginning to rear its head. The sky was clear and blue with no sign of clouds anywhere.
Wayfarer: You only recall that AT&T was a large phone corporation before the fall. This building was likely one of their HQs before it all went to Hell, but that's just common knowledge for anyone who lived that long ago.
I know what that's like (moved not a couple of weeks ago myself). That's fine. Once every couple of days is what I expect. If this week you can manage that, everything should move along... swimmingly. Times when I wish I had set the beginning of this game in Boston:
1. When someone wanted to be a pirate.
Anyhow, carry on.
As he finished eating, Khazad addressed the elf first. "What you'll need to know once we hit the road? You look like you've been around the block a time 'er two. Between here and Nashville we could run into bandits, but it's a short trip. Running into them between here and what's supposta be a ghost town would be plain bad luck. Once we're there, we'll be looking for a big-ass building. That A-T building, tallest in the city. Well, people nowadays call it that. It's actually called the AT&T building, read that somewhere believe it or not." As he finished up the last bite of his breakfast, the dwarf was next to receive his attention. "Straight to the point. I like that. You an' me gon' be good friends." Standing up and dusting himself off, Khazad tips his hat to the catfolk in the room. He seemed particularly impressed by her mechanical abilities assuming everything that she had said was true. "That does sound mighty useful. Might have to get you to do that depending on what we're 'bout to deal with in Nashville."
Your dex was originally 16 (+2 race), right? So now 15 (+2 race) That's a net gain of 3 points. Strength 11-13 is a net loss of 2 points (so you need one more) so you raise 12 (+2 race) charisma to 13 (+2 race). Checks out to me and, since none of it has officially come up, I don't mind. In light of my friend Baird having gone to visit his family for a few days, I will post without his asking any questions. I'm imagining anything he says in response to you guys will answer any questions he has. Just let me know when you've roleplayed to your heart's content and are ready to move on.
No problem. As I said when I started the campaign, I want the post rate to be relaxed, but not straight slow. If you can't post for a couple of days, I'll understand. Much over 48 hours, though, and I'll begin to worry.
So... I noticed I said Muster Saturday. Not sure how I feel about that.
As the older looking elven man finishes his request of Khazad, he swallows his food and clears his throat to answer, but just then Baird walks through the door carrying a rather impressive piece of game. Laughing, Khazad responds. "Looks like bear fella' over here was a couple a' steps ahead a' both of us. Shoulda waited for my meal I guess." As the party spoke amongst themselves, Khazad finishes up his meal and stands, sliding his chair across the wooden floor once again (the scraping noise not getting any less irritating than before). Dusting himself off, he addresses Oxana. "Actually, I figured once y'all had yer fill, we'd be off. Nashville just a short walk aways, but I think we'd be better off if we can get there n' back before nightfall. Figured y'all'd have questions for me in the meantime. Finally, after a moment, he addresses Cassandra. "Ah, you got a bike? Bet a mighty lot a' people want to get their hands on it. It's a shame we don't all have one, it'd make the trip a helluva lot faster."
The night felt long, but those used to the wasteland were used to it. The night was calm and the sky clear. With the lack of light pollution so familiar to those who were alive before the fall, the Milky Way was perfectly visible overhead. To anyone who didn't know better, you could almost swear it was like magic looming overhead. Perhaps looking out at it would be the closest thing anyone would have to a religious experience. The wasteland was a wasteland, but it still had its beauty. Eventually the party all found their respective beds and eventually fell asleep there. Almost as soon as they fell asleep, however, it was dawn. The sun on the horizon was shining in through the windows of the inn and upon those camping outside. It was by this time that Khazad had already shown up in the lobby of the inn. When the first of you arrive, you can see him with his feet propped up on a table as they were the night before, this time he has a plate on his belly with a half-eaten breakfast surely prepared by the inn-keepers. As he continues eating, he tips his hat at the first of the party to arrive.
So all we're waiting on is Oxana and Muster Saturday to say what they're doing for the night and we'll move on to dawn.
Same. Pretty sure I'm just going to call Stryke 'Yogi' from now on. XD
Also, because this will come up sooner rather than later, I'm thinking three options on how to do initiative: Option 1: Everyone goes in initiative order. This is how it would work at the table, but it may cause combat to take a while. Option 2: I take the average of the initiative rolls of the party and the enemies, then the two of you go as a group. Option 3: I average the initiatives of the enemies, every party member who goes before that initiative goes before all enemies, every party member who goes after that initiative goes after all enemies. Well, if there's more than one type of enemy, I'll have separate initiatives for each. (Mostly worth noting for 'boss' vs 'minions', whatever the case may be. Any preferences?
So now you all can just post what you decide to do for the night. Just let me know with ooc when you're ready for it to be dawn.
Khazad takes a puff from his cigar before taking it out of his mouth and, with a grin, nods his head. "Well looking here went better than expected. See y'all here at dawn. You all sound like an excellent addition to my expedition." And with that, he took his feet down from the table and slid his chair out and stood. Walking over to the bar, he lays down an old-world gold dollar and nods toward the stairs. The woman tending the bar crouches out of sight before coming back up with a set of keys, one of which she gives Khazad. "Keep the change, hun." And with that, he began walking upstairs to one of the upper stories of the building. "Room 342 if y'all need me."
"Not the hand shaking typed, eh? Don't blame ya." Khazad walked confidently into the inn, his boots clicking against the wooden floor almost echoing into the room. He half-heartedly pulled out a chair and dropped himself into it. Throwing his feet up onto the table, he leaned back in the chair and retrieved a cigar from his coat and an old zippo from his belt. "I'll be honest, I'm not sure what exactly it is I'm looking for. I'll just know it when I see it." DM Rolls:
Sense Motives He put the tip of the cigar into his mouth and flipped open the lighter, lighting the cigar. "I've only heard rumors of what's in Nashville. Not many who go in escape. Some sort of monsters from what I hear, no way to know for sure." The Wayfarer: From what you can tell, Khazad isn't lying to you. However, you can tell that he is hiding something.
Oh, and here's where you are. I'll just share here. It doesn't look apocalyptic at all, but you're in a town called Franklin, Tennessee. This hotel is a few blocks from the WalMart area.
My tabletop group began calling this NPC K-dizzle almost as soon as they met him and I'm not 100% sure if I thought it was more funny, or more ridiculous.
The man smiles as he looks around the room. He has evidently gotten the response he wanted from at least someone. He shot Oxana a quick nod before continuing. "Simple really, there's something I need in Nashville and I need help getting it. The place I'm going, there's supposedly a stash of weapons and valuables to make any man drool. I hear Nashville is a nasty place, though." DM Roll:
He parts the rifle from his shoulder and holsters it over his back, then reaches out his hand for someone to shake it. "Allow me to introduce myself. The name's Khazad Morunghul. What do ya say? We'll split the stash, I'll get what I'm looking for, and we'll be on our merry way. I figure we'll leave out 'bout the time the sun rises." Baird: Nashville is about a four hour walk from WaMat, so quite close. It's a very large city, especially compared to many in the area. You know that no one has re-colonized there since the fall and this is strange to you since many of the large cities were the first to be populated. You're not sure why this is though (that would be a knowledge (local)).
Right, thanks. I'm getting caught up PMing you guys and finally getting this show on the road. Great idea with Google Maps. I'll have to give that a try. Perhaps next post I'll include that.
Oh, and it's probably worth asking; would you guys prefer a google docs map for combat, or a more abstract view based on description alone?
A few hours into the merriment, the bustle within the inn finally began to die down. Many of the locals have finally been weeded out by exhaustion or by alcohol sickness. A good number of the wasteland wanderers who had found themselves in refuge there had either moved on or decided to get a room to retire in for the night. Only a handful of locals and a couple of inn workers were left in the bar along with the last five of the wanderers. The scene was much more peaceful now that night had set in. The poster on the wall had been removed and the inn workers didn’t seem to mind the holes that had been left there by the knife throwers, there were many mugs scattered throughout the room on tables that were being carefully collected, and light chatter could be heard from a handful of humans not yet inebriated enough to pass out like many of the others. It was almost soothing, which could be the only reason the wanderers were still here. WaMat had a certain aura about it that could only be described as soothing. In a world full of hate, war, and theft, WaMat was calm and friendly. Suddenly the door to the bar swung open, startling everyone present. It had been at least an hour since the last person entered the bar and only half that long since the last person had left. Standing in the doorway was a stoutly built man standing just over six feet tall. Like something straight out of a western, he had a belt lined with bullets, a duster that hung inches above the ground at the bottom, and a black cowboy hat with small knives held in place by the band of the hat. His jaw was square and covered with 5 o’ clock shadow, his skin was very tanned (no doubt by a great exposure to sunlight over the course of his life), and his skin aged slightly only seeming to indicate experience. Over his shoulder he carried a large rifle. Craft Firearms DC 15:
This is a rifle rarely seen after the purge known as a .30-06, it is known for its power as a hunting rifle (though it can work wonders on people too). This man is well prepared for altercation. After taking a moment to look around the room, he points to Baird. ”You there. And anyone else in here interested in making some money or getting some supplies. I have a proposition for you.” The man seems almost like he’s in a hurry, but he also seems adamant in convincing at least one of you to speak to him. It seems strange that he would rush into an inn in the middle of the night expecting someone to help him, but he either got lucky or knew exactly where to look to find wasteland wanderers.
Congratulations, guys. I'm excited to see where your characters take my story. For now, though, there is discussion. First, I would like to see your initiative, perception, saves, HP, AC, CMD, and anything else you might think I will find helpful in the class/levels section of your profile. Next, I will be discussing with all of you individually any small changes to your characters that might be needed. And this will be all of you over the next day or so, so just a heads up. Anything I'm missing? Don't think so. Carry on.
So, even after some last minute debate, I've finally come to a decision. Let me begin by saying that this is one of the more difficult decisions I've had to make regarding any game I've ran. All of the characters were great in their own right and it's a shame I have to narrow it down to only four of you. I appreciate all of the hard work everyone put forward. That being said, here's the four who will be taking this story forward (in no particular order): Mister Saturday - Voodoo Man
And, of course, my friend Baird Bearskarn. Thank you again. I will be starting a discussion thread shortly and my first post of the campaign will be very shortly afterword.
I'd probably ignore the 'of her choosing' clause. It replaces the ones listed. That's just me and doesn't make much sense as written.
Correct. For 10% listed price. 5% if you can craft it by taking a 10.
Mundane Characters
Arcane Characters
Just over 12 hours until I announce who will be in the party. I must say, I've been thinking about this decision for several days and it isn't getting any easier. Keep up the good work!
I am announcing the final cut tomorrow at midnight (about 40 hours from now). Until then, everything is fair game. I would just submit with enough time to post some in the gameplay thread to be really considered.
That's not me. You'll find I'm a solid blend of simulationist, gamist, and narrativist. Throwing fire AoE around in a forest and having no chance of anything happening is low simulationism. XD
Op, my apologies. I wasn't 100% sure.
Mundane Characters
Arcane Characters
Just a couple of days until the decision is made! I've been loving the gameplay, keep it up. Even though it's just making the decision process that much harder. And, as always, here's the current list of applicants. Let me know if I've forgotten anything or gotten anything wrong. I'm hoping not this time. XD
Question Oh hey, sorry I missed the question about healing. Both are feasible. There will also be a lot of traveling in the campaign. The game is gritty and random encounters will happen quite a bit. Times will be hard (if what I've planned goes as... well, planned), but don't be fooled by the 'connection to the weave has been lost' and all that. This campaign will have magic in it, and there will be magic items. I'm just leaving how and the frequency a secret. So resting for days at a time is possible, but divine casting will prove useful to the party.
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