I work in finance for a pharmaceutical company.
But really, I've been unable to reliably come to the site for anything for the past two weeks. It's probably best if I close this game. I apologize, but I've got too many other obligations.
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Or a GM who gets absolutely swamped time and again. Many apologies.
Sorry, the weekend and work backlog took up more time than I expected. I'll be moving things forward from here.
Marroar takes point as the party descends into the cavern. The entrance is small, tight, and the party can only squeeze through single file. The tight quarters do not last long, however. The passage leads turns to the right and opens into a large, rough-hewn chamber. The passage slopes downward toward the floor of the chamber, some 10 feet below. Littering the slope is scree, rocks, and jagged boulders, making for a loose climb downward. To Sydney's trained eye, it's as if someone shattered stones all over the floor. Across the chamber, you see two goblins frantically cutting at ropes suspending a boulder, another four at the base of the cavern, rusty swords out, and one more on a ledge, shouting at them all. Actions?
Lucien lights a torch. How are you going to enter?
Sorry guys, I've been out for the weekend and had a couple busy days of work before that. I'm getting back into the game now.
The goblin doesn't see it coming and Dlatha expertly takes out the goblin.
The party approaches the first potential ambush point carefully. You enter the diamond formation, and take the vantage point that Rission pointed out. The light from the waning moon shows that yes, there is a cave entrance by here, some 60 feet away from the main path. Rission spies a single goblin standing guard, wielding a crude bow and arrow.
Rission identifies several points that would work as ambushes for someone coming up the path, and a series of other points that would work as counter ambushes.
Everyone gathers their belongings, and heads forth to examine the trail ahead. The last leg of the trail to Mulmaster is rocky and steep. The city itself sits sandwiched between the shores of the Moonsea and the northern spires of the Earthspur. The path of the trail itself switches back on itself multiple times creating a number of blind corners and the occasional opening into a small cave. You reach the first potential ambush point described by Rission.
"It's up to you. My advice is that everyone should stay right here. If a whole warband attacks us, it's better is happens here where there's open space than in the badlands where they'll have a tactical advantage." Kyrell chews worriedly on the leather strap of his gauntlet. "I can't, in all good conscience, send a scout team off to see what to find of the goblins. Buggers already ambushed you once, who knows what they have planned ahead? But I also can't deny the value of dealing with the pack before the main body of the caravan gets there." He pulls out a map of the trails heading to Mulmaster from here and hands it to Rission. "The way I see it, there are two options. First, we could send a team out now to scout out the goblins and see what they're up to. See if they can prevent an ambush come daylight. It's dangerous. But there are plenty of noncombatants here in the caravan, this would keep them safe. Second, everyone could stay here and head forward in the daylight. We'll probably be ambushed, but we'll have the strength of all the guards. It's safer than being a member of the scout party, but there will be casualties among the caravaners." Swallowing, Kyrell finishes, "I can't ask you to grab some men and scout ahead. But if you're successful, it would do everyone here a great service."
Kyrell wakes and joins the group. "Honestly, if there are goblins ahead, we'll be better off moving onward in the daytime anyway. The sunlight's too bright for them, they don't like it."
Round 2: Segment 4: The remaining goblin takes off in a run. Sydney's first attack happens immediately, hits AC 13 and misses.
The first runner already has disappeared around the corner, into the rocky terrain of the path to the north. The rest of the party wakes up at the sounds of attack and the calls. The goblins have filthy, skinny hides as armor, rusty short swords, and a total of 18 sp between them. The dropped sack is filled with rotten cloth, wrapped around the decaying head of an owl.
Not anymore.
The encounter is happening far enough from the camp (180 feet) that Rission cannot reach the battle this round.
Segment 5: The second goblin attacks Sydney and misses.
The goblin that ran, continues to run away and does not engage. He disappears further up the path.
GM:
Sydney heads over to the sack, and picks it up. Suddenly, from behind the outcropping the first figure appeared, two goblins jump on her!
But neither can get through her armor.
Sydney spies the small figure, and as she leaves the campsite and cautiously approach, she watches as he steps out from behind the rock, carrying a sack, but then runs away, up the path, dropping the sack behind him.
Marroar finds himself awake and energetic as the sun sets below the horizon. He looks out into the forest. He sees a bear who followed the scents to the camp, but the bear turns around and leaves when he sees the level of activity around the caravan. There's nothing much to notice, and his watch ends peacefully. Kyrell wakes Sydney up for her watch, not long after midnight, and leaves her on lookout. Soon after midnight, she notices some movement to the north, still far from the caravan. From this distance, she can see what looks like a small head peeking up above a rock outcropping near the trail ahead.
"We won't be extinguishing our fires," Letráne explains. "Most of us are human, we'll want the light, it will be chilly tonight, and our greatest defense is not hiding, but our numbers. Goblins can see the heat of our skin and horses anyway, thanks to their infravision. Dousing the fire won't solve that problem." Looking around, he finishes, "Looks like it's time to settle in, then. Marroar, thank you, you're welcome to help with evening watch. Kyrell will manage the midnight watch, and Sydney, you have morning. Rest well, and wish us a clear path tomorrow." DM rolls:
Feel free to keep talking things out right now, I don't want to interfere with the storybuilding. I'll move things along when it feels like people are ready.
"I am Lucien Malgus, son of Hadrius, and should either of you have any questions regarding Mulmaster, I will answer what I can." Just a quick note on how I DM: It's perfectly acceptable to me for players to make up their own details about the world when it isn't specified. So, if, for example, Lucien says, "Oh, yes, the Steel Sigil is the top place to stay in Mulmaster, if you can afford it," then suddenly the Steel Sigil appears as a luxury inn in Mulmaster. Just a few guidelines about doing something like this: 1. It can't make a sweeping change to what has been shown before. So, for example, no plopping a major city down in a new place, but if Rission wants a small elven outpost within a day and a half's travel of Mulmaster in the Cormanthor, no problem, that's reasonable. 2. It can't contradict what has been created already. So, once the Steel Sigil is the top place in Mulmaster, then Dlatha can't say, "No, it's the Ruby Dagger, a yacht stationed in the harbor." That's not to say that the Ruby Dagger can't also exist, and some people might prefer it to the Steel Sigil, but no wiping out anyone else's words. 3. It should be within your field of expertise. Lucien knows more about the nobility in Mulmaster, Sydney knows the local dwarves, that sort of thing. 4. It can't get you any benefit you aren't already entitled to. No saying, "Silmaril's this guy who's been tracking me down to deliver me a suit of elven chain." Now, if we've already established that you're getting a suit of elven chain, I don't mind if Silmaril's the guy who gives it to you and you two go way back. 5. If things become a problem, then I'll clean things up again. Don't let things become a problem. Basically, the reason behind this is so that we don't have to wait for me to give you a detail that's important to your character's background. I'm still running the plots and the action. So if Lucien names a few of the unnamed Council of Blades, or Dlatha describes the small shrine to Lathander in town, or Marroar describes a cultural norm from the north, that's fine, and I'll run with it.
"The caravan makes the trek from Mulmaster to Procampur," explains Letráne, as people start heading off to sleep. "It crosses the Vast and makes stops at Calaunt, Tantras, and Tsurlagol. Many people just go by ship to all these places, but there are a few small villages like Maskyr's Eye that you don't reach if you just sail past." He looks out to the west and the rapidly fading dusk. The trees of Cormanthor put on a display of reds and yellows. "This will be the last caravan before the snows set in," Letráne adds. "Mulmaster's a forbidding place in the winter, but everyone knows how to survive it. Some years, if it gets too cold for snow, you can cross the Moonsea on foot. Got to be quick, though. You wouldn't want to be caught in the middle of the meltwater come spring." Pointing a thumb to Dlatha, he finishes, "And if you ever need work as a guard, I usually hire four for the travels. Some go part way, some finish the trip. Kyrell, here, he's been with the caravan for years. Knows the Vast like the back of his hand, he does."
Marroar, could you please post your character's crunch in your profile? I want to be able to see the full character sheet from the profile alone. Thanks!
I just realized that this morning. Sydney, I'm going to have to drop that Dex by a point, sorry.
Soft start to introduce yourselves, but otherwise, everyone is in the caravan, a day's travel from Mulmaster. (Gives you a chance to get some coin before arriving in town.)
A day north of the village of Maskyr's Eye, a team of merchants, travelers, and guards, with assorted oxen, wagons, and wares, gathers for the evening. As Letráne, the caravan lead, checks the maps with Kyrell, the guide, they check their location. Skirting the eastern edge of the vast Cormanthor forest and the western reaches of the Earthspur mountains, the land shatters into a series of narrow ravines heading north. These are the landmarks. The caravan hosts about thirty people, from guards, a noble, a small band of elves from Cormanthor, a number of merchants, and sundry travelers who all know of the safety in numbers. There have been rumors of a new goblin tribe calling themselves the Screeching Owls surfacing in the badlands south of Mulmaster. But with a blessing from the gods, this will not be an issue. For tomorrow, the caravan will be in Mulmaster!
Because of the way different classes treat experience points, I'm going to keep a running tally and let you know how it all calculates out. It's not entirely straightforward.
If you liked the theme, check out the whole video. Or perhaps the Assassin's Creed trailer. Okay, quick note on rules: 1. For the most part, I will be using the standard ruleset. 2. The following optional rules will be in place:
There may be changes (adding optional rules on overland movement and things like that that don't normally come up), but I will strive for consistency. Racial level limits will be in place, but if that becomes a problem, it's a problem I'll be glad to have. Play can be very slow at times--reaching level limits can easily take years.
You don't have to post at any specific time. The idea of one post a day is just to make sure that the action keeps moving forward.
Okay, so that will be how it opens. The southern road to Mulmaster is treacherous, having to cut through mountainous terrain. Travel in caravans is common. So there's clear reason for Lucien, Dlatha, and Rission to be in the caravan. It doesn't matter that you're traveling to Mulmaster for different reasons, just that you're traveling. We just need to pull Marroar and Sydney into the caravan now. What might be the reason? Temporary guard for pay? Travel into town?
I was planning for Lucien's background as a member of a Blade's family be the reason for the party being in Mulmaster. Also, there is a shrine to Lathander in Mulmaster, even though the largest temple in town is to Bane. And yes, put the background in the profile. That will be important. And feel free to discuss background points between each other, building connections between you.
All right, it's decision time! The party will be: Norgrim Malgus, Human Patrician Mage
Discussion page is Here! This was a really tough decision--the sort of thing I didn't enjoy. I needed to make sure we had a group capable of covering the bases in a few different ways. Check into the Discussion thread and we'll make sure we have everything ready to play!
Welcome to the game! First order of business, let's get this set up for everyone. Everyone make an alias for your character. The alias's profile should contain the character stats and background for your PC. Second, background. The group is diverse, and I'm not going to use the "you're all in the tavern when..." open. I want to make sure we know how the group works together. This shouldn't take too long; I'll get the game started on Monday.
"# levels" is the number of levels it takes to get one slot. Multiclass characters use best progression, so Fighter for weapon, and Mage for nonweapon. Nonweapon: Yes, you gain a +1 bonus to proficiency rolls for each additional nonweapon proficiency slot you devote. Weapon: It depends. There are things you can do in the Complete Fighter's Handbook using weapon proficiency slots.
Okay, so here's the list now: Norgrim Malgus - Norgrim Malgus, Human Mage
Players who have rolled, but not completed a character yet: Spazmodeus -
I'll be making my choices tomorrow. If you would like to see your PC adventuring with any specific other PC, please PM me and let me know! Best of luck to everyone! If you still have any questions, I'll make sure they're answered for you first!
Add Phantasmal Force and Fist of Stone (Tome of Magic) to your book.
I did post my character back in post #70, but here he is again. I waited with the spells in case you wanted to choose them or something? I need to read up on events for that year and the years immediately previous so I can come up with a background that meshes into the story well... or maybe I'll wait with that 'til I know if I get chosen. I understand that the elven Retreat was canceled, though? That might be an interesting jumping-off point. Thanks, Krisam! Got your character.
Thank you! Found it. Meridith, Dwarf Champion, is added to the PC list.
Where do bards fit? Don't get caught. (Evil city, they do crap like that) Still, they'll probably turn a blind eye for the first two levels of spells anyway.
No, but the specialty priests from Forgotten Realms Adventures are. ...Everyone keeps asking about Faiths and Avatars. I just checked, I had stopped buying AD&D stuff in early 1995. I bought Skills & Powers and went, "Hm... no." Stopped for a while, with the exception of Ravenloft. Got tons of Ravenloft. Love it. But not for this adventure.
Right... Regarding the Cloaks, only Cloaks are allowed to cast arcane magic in Mulmaster. However, to become a Cloak, you have to be at least a 4th level Wizard. So, it's still officially illegal to cast 1st and 2nd level spells in Mulmaster, but the Cloaks won't bother you as long as you're otherwise behaving. But if they discover you're into bigger illegal activity, then they'll use this as an excuse to trump up the charges. It's a crime, yes, but there's a lot of disorganized crime in Mulmaster. And when it becomes clear that you have mastered 2nd level magic, you'll be asked to become a Cloak. How that will affect your background, I'll leave to you. You certainly can say you study with the Cloaks, or are a member of a noble house in Mulmaster. If you want to go the noble route, I'll recommend you look at the Patrician kit. Also, although Mulmaster is presented as an evil city, it's not an anti-good city and you'll be generally unmolested by the authorities if they don't think you're a threat. Mulmaster's greatest enemy at this time (two years after the Time of Troubles, but before the Spellplague) was the Zhentarim. They'll gladly accept the help of anti-Zhentarim good guys.
Rission's additional spells are Scatterspray (FR Adventures) and Message. Marroar, your spellbook contains Read Magic, Detect Magic, then choose three spells. I will give you two more afterward. Does anyone have any more questions about their characters? Possible kit choices, Equipment questions, Proficiencies, Background, anything?
Do not Bard cast with intelligence in 2e? Bards use Intelligence to cast, yes, and will (starting at 2nd level) have a spellbook with Wizard spells.
List of prospective PCs: Norgrim Malgus - Norgrim Malgus, Human Mage
Players who have rolled, but not created a character yet: Spazmodeus -
Let me know if you've done more and aren't on this list! (If you've said you withdraw, I've removed you from the list)
I don't think I have that book anyway. FR Adventures, which I have, has specialty priests, but no kits. I know I owe everyone guidance, but I'm going to have to turn in for the evening. I'll get cracking on organizing everyone tomorrow.
Regarding spell components, some DMs track the dross religiously, others handwave it. For the most part, as long as they're items without value, I will handwave.
I'll review everyone tonight again, just to be sure.
I will allow the Humanoids book with review, just be aware that many humanoids won't be welcome in town. You probably don't need a reroll if you do that, then, because you'll be far from average enough. No Ninja's (I don't have that one), and no Player's Option books.
Add Chromatic Orb (Complete Wizards) and Murdock's Feathery Flyer (Tome of Magic) to the spellbook.
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