Arlk: Proficiency Bonus is +2 for third level. I mentioned some boons based on backstory elements in the recruitment to help offset abysmal rolls. I think for Arlk I'll go with the following:
1.) Owing to decades of pain and torture, Arlk gains the Toughness feat.
2.) While wielding your pact weapon, you can treat your Charisma as 18 for the purposes of using warlock class features. That mostly means spell attack/spell DC, but will apply to the Hexblade feature that substitutes Cha for attack and damage rolls as well.
Finally, we'll need to flesh out some details about your patron to adequately attach some strings to these gifts.
Ah, the year discrepancy slipped through the cracks in the re-edit. As to the blade, Thorgrim has forged a new "interim blade" for it. It's an unremarkable weapon currently (not counting its history) with a creepy hilt.
(AC 17, T 11, FF 16) | CMD 17 (+4 vs. bull rush/trip) | Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +2 (+3 vs. poison, spells, and SLAs) | Init +1 | Percept +7
Trap Perception:
+9 (+11 for stonework)
Watch-Captain Kundgen used to boast about a perfect stroke he landed on an ogre many years prior. The old dwarf said he struck the creature so hard and true that that it exploded into a hundred pieces all around him, cascades of innards and sanguine spraying in all directions around Kundgen without getting a drop of it on himself. Everyone figured he was full of it, but it is in this moment that Dargrim wonders if there was truth to the Watch-Captain's telling.
The pronged tip of Dargrim's earthbreaker arcs down square against the orcish bowman's sternum, and the wild eyed dwarf can only look on in wonder as the authenticity of old Kundgen's story rings true in his memory.
______________________________
Move Action: Activate Studied Target on Orc Archer B (+1 attack, +1 damage) 5-Foot Step: to P10 Standard Action: Power Attack vs. Orc Archer B
> Power Attack:1d20 + 4 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 4 + 1 + 1 = 26(Racial Hatred, Studied Target)
>> Confirm:1d20 + 4 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 4 + 1 + 1 = 17
>>> Damage:6d6 + 30 ⇒ (6, 3, 6, 3, 2, 5) + 30 = 55
Calling it a placeholder seems a bit off. 5E seems, to me, like a genuine attempt to reconnect with a largely divided fanbase. While I agree that D&D as an RPG is not the strongest means of generating revenue with the brand (given where Marvel is today, it's easy to see why a company would be chomping at the bit to wade back into films) that's not the same as existing solely to justify other ventures. Hasbro's checks probably aren't as blank as they once were.
In short, I think it's less of a "get something new out there so we can build on it" and more of a "how can we capitalize/expand on this?"
Brand seems okay to me. It may not be dominating in all arenas, but it's still out there and with more things coming down the line. If it was all that bad, I think Hasbro would have shelfed it already.
A light snow whips about wildly as an unforgiving wind lashes the rise upon which Trunau rests. Cloud cover obscures the warmth of the sun, an impenetrable sheet of white and grey stretching out as far as the eye can see in every direction. There is little activity in the lower streets, and even less around the Barterstones and roads leading further into Belkzen or Lastwall. A thin dusting of snow and frost covers the town. In the thick of winter and isolated in the Holds of Belkzen, it would seem a desolate sight were it not for the crowd of revelers and celebrants gathering in the Commons. Normally a staid people, the inhabitants of Trunau seldom find cause for jubilation, but today is one such occasion.
Today is the twelfth birthday of Chief Defender Halgra’s youngest daughter, Ruby. Furthermore, the Councilors seem to have agreed that another has more than earned the right to name themselves a native of Trunau: Qytheerah Reflects-the-Stars. The townsfolk have been busy preparing all day for the hopeknife ceremony, as well as the festivities that will follow in its wake. An impressive throng of spectators move about the town Commons, the air thick with the buzz of their many conversations and excited cries. It is not until their weathered town leader, Halgra of the Blackened Blades, takes the stage that the murmur of the crowd wanes and subsides. After a moment of silence and a proud glance at Ruby, Halgra turns again to the those gathered upon the stone floor of the Commons and begins to speak.
“Many thanks to all of you for joining us this night, so cold as it is. Maybe we can find occasion to warm our community’s bones with such an event. It has long been my privilege to serve Trunau in my capacity as Councilor and Chief Defender. Never am I prouder than on such occasions as these, where we welcome more proud defenders of our home into the fold with a well deserved hopeknife ceremony. I am always gladdened, even overjoyed, to bestow a hopeknife to one of our own. Doubly so when one of those happens to be my daughter.” Halgra produces two simple wooden cases, laying each on the small table before her. She removes the lid to each, producing a pair of small daggers affixed to a silver chain. One of the hopeknives is of exquisite craftsmanship, while the other appears to be a far cry from high quality. Halgra smiles warmly as she turns to regard Ruby and Qytheerah atop the stage beside her. “Ruby and Qytheerah Reflects-the-Stars, by the traditions of our town established since the fall of the Hordeline, we name you citizens of Trunau and defenders of our way of life. This hopeknife represents your responsibilties as a citizen and defender of Trunau. You must be willing to use it on yourself, your fellow Trunauans, and your family—even me, should it come to that. It will be a far quicker death than that which the orcish hordes offer, and it is your duty now as a citizen of Trunau to provide such a release as needed. We must all remember. . .” Halgra pauses briefly, and several in the crowd murmur in unison as she continues, “a hopeknife is given not as a weapon, but a hope that it shall never be drawn.”
“Do you both swear to guard Trunau from all comers, to the bitter end, and to use your hopeknife only for its intended purpose?” Halgra’s face carries a severe weight as she stares at her daughter and Qytheerah, the question hanging ominously in the air. Ruby—dusky skinned, black haired, and painfully shy—nods her head in response to her mother’s question. As Qytheerah offers her own assent, Halgra nods and clutches each of the recipients in turn by their wrists, yanking them forward and exposing them for all to see. “If the orcs come, this is where you cut—here, here, and here.” Halgra indicates which arteries should be severed in case of capture as the pair look on. As she finishes, Halgra sheathes their hopeknives places both necklaces around the necks of their new owners. Giving each a reassuring clap on the shoulders, Halgra turns once more to the crowd below.
“Tonight, Ruby and Qytheerah have been seen and named full members of our community—our family! Let us welcome each, and celebrate their acceptance into our way of life! TRUNAU FOREVER!” The crowd echoes Halgra’s last words in unison, as the ceremony concludes. Several militia men and women begin hustling about the Commons, fetching coils of rope and buckets as they make their way to the center of the amphitheater floor.
And with that, we are off! I’m going to allow people a moment to respond before we get into the next little scene. You can all place yourselves in the crowd wherever you’d like. Skrioth, we’ll say you have just arrived in town today, and decided to check out the ceremony at least for curiosity’s sake (tons of people all gathering in one spot seems worth investigating, I’d wager).
Trunau Natives, or Knowledge (Local) DC 10:
There are typically games and contests held after the ceremony has ended, the most popular being a tug-of-war involving those who have just been granted their hopeknife.
Qytheerah:
Though your dagger is a far cry from the quality of Ruby's own hopeknife, the reason becomes apparent to you as soon as you unsheathe it. This is the first knife you made in The Clamor, a long time ago. It would seem that Sara Morninghawk kept the failure hidden all this time, and even took the time to hone the blade into a serviceable weapon. Etched along the dagger's blade is are two words: "Qyth's Resolve"
I'm looking to roll up a dwarf for this campaign. Of course, I need those rolls to start with rolling up! Could I please get my stat array (and may Desna bless your dice, harhar!).
Currently at work but i have great interest in this AP. Brimley, roll the bones and I'll get a character for the guidelines created tonight after work!
A mighty giant known as The Storm Tyrant rallies giants of all shapes and sizes (but mostly just big) to his banner in a bid to make those below his cloudy perch bend the knee. It all begins in the town of Trunau, a town on the edge of Belkzen lands that has managed to stand against the orcish hordes so far. It is not merely orcs the small settlement must contend with, however. Who will stand AGAINST THE GIANTS? *cough* ahem. . . will Trunau find itself ground to dust beneath the heel of a would-be conquering horde, or will an intrepid band of adventurers rise to the occasion and prove themselves deserving of the title: Giantslayers!
Now that we've got the theatrics out of the way: this is a recruitment for the up-and-coming Giantslayer Adventure Path. A fierce nod in the direction of Against the Giants, that beloved old giant-trouncing, city-liberating skip through the lands of Geoff, one can expect to find a fair good deal of classic sword-and-sorcerying and dungeon-crawling. However, we should remember it's Paizo we're dealing with here. I'm sure it's safe to assume there will be a curveball or twenty tossed into the mix.
As of this moment, I haven't seen the books. They aren't released yet. "Then how? Why!?" one might ask. Oh ho ho, but this is merely a recruitment, my would-be little heroes and heroines. What we do have is the Players Guide, which you can find at THIS BIG CAPS-LOCKED LINK I AM TYPING RIGHT HERE, WOW! Ten campaign traits. Madness! Utter madness! So, for those interested, go ahead and give that a download and a poke. It will give you more pointers about the AP itself than I'm capable of doing at the moment.
What I can do for the moment is go into a little more detail about the type of game this will be:
This game won't be happening at a breakneck pace. I've learned my lesson with past games, so we'll be taking things a little easier this go around. I encourage people to post whenever and as often as they are able, but in general we'll be aiming for a bottom floor of a few posts a week. Prolonged absences or breaks should be anounced ahead of time. If people go dark for an extended period of time with no heads up, they'll be canned and replaced.
I'm going to be shooting for a grittier game for this outing. This will be reflected in a lower point-buy entry and (hopefully) in descriptive text and goings-on in the game itself. Trunau is a town oft-beleaguered by encroaching orcish tribes, where people carry weapons called hopeknives and a knowledge of where to cut themselves so they can die rather than be taken captive—lends itself pretty well to a bleak atmosphere, I'd say. Descriptions are going to trend towards gory. If that sort of thing isn't your cup of tea, I'd recommend giving this one a pass.
Being a slower game, I will be looking for players who are able to greatly expand on posts and give them some meat/heft. Perfunctory descriptions and dialogue are likely to get passed over. The greatest strength of the PbP format is a greater insight into what the players are feeling and thinking. Take advantage!
Leveling will occur at moments I feel necessary, rather than by tracking experience totals. More simply put, I'll keep your group's XP tracked behind the GM Screen and tell you when to level your characters up. Rest assured, you will keep pace with where the adventure assumes/intends you to be.
Before we get directly into character creation goodies: I will show a certain amount of preference to certain persons I have gamed with heavily in the past. Fair or not, their caliber is already proven, and I wish to be as transparent about that upfront as possible.
I will also be making limited use of Roll20. It will mostly just be a place to host maps. Beyond that it will simply be a place to lounge and chat with one another.
Good! Great! Grand! Now let's get into character creation guidelines.
Level: Characters will be starting at 1st Level.
Attributes: Characters have the choice between a 15-Point Buy or Rolling. There's a catch: I will be rolling for characters who choose to do so (4d6 and drop one once, then 3d6 five times). Be cautioned, the Dice Gods giveth and the Dice Gods taketh (but mostly taketh).
Hit Point Generation: Max at 1st level. When characters level, you will be given the choice to take Average+1 or Roll. You will be locked into your choice from start to finish.
Classes: Pretty much anything officially released by Paizo is fine. I will not be accepting any 3PP builds of any sort.
Races: Again, pretty much anything officially released by Paizo is fine. Selecting something outlandish is going to require more legwork to impress me; justify why they are tolerated and explain why they are unlike the rest of their kind.
Alignment: Any, but you should keep in mind this AP revolves around thwarting the machinations of a giant bent on world domination. Also, please remember an evil alignment doesn't mean your character should read and play like a 70s cartoon villain.
Starting Wealth: Average starting wealth or let the DM roll for you.
Traits: Everyone will begin with one campaign trait and one other trait of their choice. Each player may take a single Drawback to gain a third trait. Traits should inform your backstory and feed into your character's overall narrative.
Submissions: Create a profile with relevant info contained within. I'm looking for profiles that are easy to read. If your profile looks like someone vomited a random block of numbers, words, and letters into a pile, I'm not going to bother reading it. Here is a decent example of what I'm looking for. Your profile does not have to be identical to this layout, but it should be similar.
All submitted characters will require the following: Character Description, Personality, and Background. Put some effort into this. As mentioned before, I'm not looking for perfunctory descriptions. A couple of bland sentences is not going to inspire me to consider an application.
In regards to Background, everyone should be considering why their character would be in Trunau to begin with.
One final step, and we're all finished. In order for me to consider a submission completed, I am requiring that everyone respond, in-character, to a few spoilered scenarios below. I'm not going to take a look at crunch or backstory or anything in between until this final step has been completed. I'm doing this so I can get a good idea of what sort of posts to expect from prospective players, as well as provide a little more insight to the characters themselves. And that's how you should all treat these little scenarios; respond to them as if you were responding to a post in the game itself. You can post them in your profile or in the Recruitment thread. Whatever floats your boat.
Scenario 1:
You awaken to a blood-curdling scream that ends as abruptly as it began. You turn to the sound, as much out of reflex as curiosity, but find yourself in strange surroundings. Enclosed in a crude prison, a cage shaped out of the bones of some huge creature, the bars obstruct much of your vision. Further within the cavern, looming above a fiery cauldron and clutching the crushed, spasming remains of what might have once been an adventurer, is a malformed brute twice as tall as any man. Tattered bits of fur and cloth conceal much of its pudgy bulk, but beneath its garb you glean a blubbery, grey hide with a hideous array of pustules.
The giant deposits the broken, bleeding corpse it grips into the cauldron, where it lands with a splash in some unidentifiable concoction. Judging from the stench it kicks up, you would likely rather not know. One bulging eye seizes you as it begins stirring its feast, drool running unmitigated down the rolls of its chin and neck.
"Oi there, another one awake! Another awake. Maybe this one tells Old Brulk'tha a pretty tale. Maybe this one doesn't fill her belly tonight! Hurhurhur!" Her voice is wheezy but booming, and her jowls jiggle with each word.
Scenario 2:
The strange fellow smiles broadly as he takes a seat across the table from you. The bustle of the tavern thrums all around as excited conversations crescendo and wain, only to be replaced by another. His flaxen hair, pale skin, and burly frame mark him as unmistakeably Ulfen. Judging by his garb—and lack of any noteworthy weaponry—he is likely a merchant of some stripe. Without being prompted, he slides one of the two horns of mead he carries across the table to you, raising his own in a toast.
After a modest mouthful of his own drink, he speaks, "Rumors flit about this place like a bee to the flowers. But all seem to agree that your. . . skills are worth every copper and more. Tell me then, friend: what brings you here and how can Ingmund convince you to allow him the honor of employing one such as yourself?"
Scenario 3:
Behind you, the tomb's double-doors slam shut. Try as you might, you are unable to pry them open by any means. A disembodied voice laughs unnervingly as soft blue flames begin to dance to life along myriad braziers lining either side of the room.
"Arlanghar the Brave and Bold; the Wise and Learned; the Sly and Cunning. All truth and lies. Dead and alive, a tomb and a mansion." Another peal of laughter emerges before the voice trails off into silence.
At the center of the square room stands a three-armed gargoyle, each hand grasping a different weapon: a sword, a staff, and a bow. The far wall is dominated by a mural depicting what appears to be three versions of the same hero, each wielding weapons that correspond to those held by the statue.
Recruitment is going to remain open until Feb 25th. After that, when the books have been released, I'll work as fast as possible to get the game formally started. I'm looking to be taking Six Characters in total.
As a final piece of advice from yours truly, I'm looking for exceptional applications here. A few of the slots are more than likely already spoken for, so competition will be tight. I'm not interested in the usual barrage of I built this character for another game, but he/she got rejected, so I'm going to alter their point-buy and submit them for the 7th time. If you're particularly wed to a character like that, at least go back to the drawing board and figure out a way to make them more interesting. I don't mean to be a grumpus about this, but I see it happen in so many recruitment threads, and they seldom get accepted.
You have the same information we do. What you do with that is, ultimately, up to you. Just felt it was worth pointing out that the writing quality and diversity of APs have been admirable since the beginning, even when at-a-glance implied something tame.
Personally, I'm hoping the bit about a Belkzen invasion means an alliance of necessity between the heroes and the orcish hordes. Also find myself longing more for a more generic adventure as time goes by. All of the gonzo and spice is getting so thick I want to wade back to Middle Earth.
If the prospect of fighting a lot of giants does not appeal to you in the slightest, I'm going to go ahead and say an AP called Giantslayer that is an homage to Against the Giants is not going to bump elbows with your various cups of tea.
If the prospect of a new take on Against the Giants being released by Paizo appeals to you, stick around.
Also, a brief glance at the story overview is never anywhere close to estimating the worth of an AP. There's always twists and unexpected encounters, and they tend to (from what I've seen) strive for a high quality in these adventures. An expectation to encounter a simple string of "kill giants at locations A, B, C, D, E, and F" seems horribly premature and historically unlikely, given their body of work thus far.
HP 15/15; AC 13, Flat Footed 10, Touch 13; CMD 13; Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +4 (+2 vs. Enchantment; +2 vs. Poison); Perception +14; Initiative +3
"Worry not, my fellow cypher! You'll be impaled on some sort of horrible trap before too long and worries will no longer be your purview. Or maybe you'll be devoured by a den full of wererats that were unnecessarily tipped off to the approach of a cadre of Shalasti infiltrators who had spent the grand portion of the past two days planning an assault that evaporated in a single instant of impatient ignorance due to an ex-gladiatorial nincompoop I predicted would perform thusly on the day of our first meeting!"
Keeping that 10 feet of breathing room handy, btw; haha!
HP 15/15; AC 13, Flat Footed 10, Touch 13; CMD 13; Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +4 (+2 vs. Enchantment; +2 vs. Poison); Perception +14; Initiative +3
Valko, with a healthy does of snark, calls up ahead to Radyx "Are you sure you were in the Serpent's Run? Sure it wasn't the Serpent's Crawl? The Snail's Tail? Maybe the Turtle's Dash?"
Remaining 10 ft. behind Radyx, safely out of reach of his weapons haha.
Almost as an afterthought, Valko's ears hone in on the wheezing huff and whine of Renfeld making his way up in the rear of their number. Rolling his eyes, the Ustlavian half-elf calls out, "Renfeld, stay with the boats! You're about as useful as a tumor in that shape anyways."
All I know is they have about wrecked the Realms beyond repair (my opinion). I'm tired of every edition bringing "cataclysmic" changes to the campaign setting, I.E., Time of Troubles, Spellplague, etc. In my opinion, the same kind of "earth shattering" events and pantheon shake-ups is what finally killed Dragon Lance for me.
Point being, I really hope that whatever settings they support (whether is just the Realms for the foreseable future or not) is player driven and not NPC/author driven. Golarion will keep a lot of people in Pathfinder.
I just have a bad taste in my mouth with what happened there and hope they can rebound somehow. I know in this new edition they have done away with the Spell Plague, that's certainly a good start.
For what it's worth, 5E Realms seems to be doing everything in its power to bring the setting back to its roots. While they aren't ignoring everything that came before, everything I've heard points towards it being less a soap opera of the Gods and their Chosen (even though it is precisely that plot device that's bringing about this detachment) and more an age of exploration and high adventure for the mortal races again.
Then again, it is the Realms we're talking about. They'll probably have 18 more RSE out the door before this time next year.
I'm still on the fence about Concentration being broken by damage on all Concentration spells. I think for spells like hold person it fits nicely, but on things like stoneskin (especially with a 100g cost per cast) or protection from energy I am a little concerned. I don't think it will be too bad at early levels, but against higher level foes doing a lot of damage on any given attack, it becomes a crit-or-nothing situation, even for players taking pains to maximize their CON saves.
Beyond that, I can appreciate the one-at-a-time limitation on Concentration spells. I also enjoy that a lot of spells have a better home on other characters besides the caster—a rogue is better off with that invisibility typically.
Jacob Saltband wrote:
After readying through the DnD Basic Rules from the WotC web site, I find that I like a lot of the stuff I've read. The stuff that I wasnt to sure about was the way the spells and spellcasters was changed. From what I read a wizard and clerics get a a small number of cantrips they know and thats it.....its not like before when you had your cantrips in your book and chose them each day as you liked. Also they nerfed the shield spell badly. Its now a reactive spell that lasts until your next turn while still being a 1st level spell. Also detect magic is a 1st level spell again.
Cantrips known seem more limited at a glance, but they're also more viable, especially damaging cantrips. A ray of frost begins at 1d8 with a slowing effect, and scales all the way up to 4d8 (that's an endless resource, mind you). While shield is far different than its former versions, AC values don't climb as quick or high as they have in recent editions. My guess is that mage armor + shield boiled down to either too much AC or too much of a spell slot tax. My gut reaction to shield was negative at first, but the more I think about it the more I appreciate it. Given that Wizards likely won't be making Opportunity Attacks often, having something to spend a Reaction on is important.
On detect magic: it is a 1st level spell now, but it is also a Ritual spell. As such, it will likely avoid wasting too many spell slots (memorizations is a different story, however).
HP 28/29; AC 15, Flat Footed 12, Touch 13; CMD 17; Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +3; Perception +10 (+11 to avoid being surprised); Scent; Initiative +3
Our Glorious Czar: I rather enjoy Pyotr's designation as party leader. It's nice to have a moral anchor to keep the rudder right, and Pyotr is far from a boring flavor of Paladin. I think you've done a great job of conveying the teenager aspect of the character. The dynamic between Pyotr and his order has likewise been fun to watch play out.
Bonegrit is kinda like an outside cat I think. He sees the indoors through the glass, and thinks he really wants in on that, but the moment he gets inside he's longing for the freedom of the outside again. I've struggled here and there to adequately represent that outlook. I think sometimes he's a little more altruistic than what I intended with others. In any event, the party's ranger is ill-suited and does not want the leader spot in any formal capacity.
Stupid, Fat Orcses!: No worries on my account. My selection of favored enemy and terrain had more to do with Bonegrit's history than any benefit in play to be wrung from it. I had momentarily considered humans when I was making him, back when I was leaning more towards bounty hunter than tracker-guide extraordinaire.
We'll get to em when we get to em. I have no regrets or complaints thus far, especially about foes. We've mostly been dealing with undead, true, but that's right up my alley if not Bonegrit's. I actually get a lot of player complaints about my heavy applications of the unliving, hah.
New Friend-a-thon: I'd recommend reaching out to Thron if you're looking for a new face. He's a great player and far more dependable than I (so much so that I even have him co-DMing one of my own PbPs).
Subtle Threads: I think both the pace and the plot have been outstanding in this game. This is actually my favorite PbP I'm currently involved with, so you're scratching the right itches. I will echo Pellius a bit here, if I may; sometimes the forgetfulness of the player might pluck away a reference that the characters wouldn't miss. For things of noteworthy significance/importance, maybe a brief refresher or hint would be sufficient.
Beyond that, there's not any recommendations I can think of really. You've done a great job of presenting a rich and fleshed out world for your players. That kinda stuff really goes over well with me. It conveys a real sense of a living, breathing world. The people we encounter seem genuine and have their own opinions, objectives, etc. I far, far prefer that to the alternative of only interacting with specifically relevant PCs or places. In short: keep up the good work.
One of the strengths of Pathfinder in particular is the quality of content independent of system. Even if I were to resolve to stop playing Pathfinder itself altogether (which I doubt will happen any time soon) it wouldn't stop me from continuing to pick up APs and setting guides. There's a lot of inspiration in those, at the very least.
HP 15/15; AC 13, Flat Footed 10, Touch 13; CMD 13; Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +4 (+2 vs. Enchantment; +2 vs. Poison); Perception +14; Initiative +3
"To be fair, if someone offered to hire out my information brokerage with a single coin, it would likely elicit a similar response." Valko sighs, rolling his eyes a bit. The brutes would likely not be satisfied until blood had been shed in some quantity. "Besides, if you plan to badger, bloody, and bruise he and his compatriots regardless of what sense, practicality, or common courtesy might dictate, why not pay him more now and just take it back later?"
Looking around, the young Ustlavian attempts to find a clean enough perch to sit. His "investigation" only produces a grimace and a resolve to remain upright and on his feet instead. "Here I thought we had been granted entry into the cyphermages. Someone neglected to mention the Magnimar Chapter would operate as The Hodunk Back-alley Slum Sweeping Chest Thumpers."
I understand that some people didn't like the immense roster of deities that The Realms boasted or the immense roster of impossibly high level NPCs PCs could never hope to contend with. I even understand why (some of these gripes are ones I've had myself over the years). The wholesale slaughter and consolidation method was too much to bear. I don't know if they just expected people to keep hanging on "because it's The Realms" or what, but the facelift made it unrecognizable for a noticeable chunk of the fanbase. Hell, I thought the Time of Troubles mess was dumb/overkill. The Spellplague era stuff just left me with nowhere to continue buying in.
Granted, I can always continue playing in an older era of The Realms (and do, in fact) just fine. It would be a lot nicer of new content had a purpose for my table, though.
Karm remains where he sits, even as the others scatter below and into the night itself. Finally afforded silence and solitude, he removes his skull-helmet. Long, frayed locks of silver and grey pour down to meld seamlessly into an equally untended beard. His face bears a pained expression, but it is not the injuries sustained this very night that justify the grimace. Past blunders and new blunderers contribute equally to the degradation of the world they dwell upon. All are ignorant of the grand tapestry; all are ignorant of the threads they ruin. As Karm's hands seek to mitigate their blind ruin, the weight of its futility settles heavy upon his shoulders like a mantle of stone.
Each sliver of dawn's void that mingled with that of creation stood out like rent fabric. Like children led by curiosity, they dabble with forces impossibly beyond their ken, rending themselves from the grand tapestry without realizing it. It is a poison the old Hrim knows well, for it's the same poison that flows through his veins. Decades now behind him, and still his mistakes threatened to consume Karm. Would it be any different for those who followed in his wake? Could he alter the course of others as he had his own fate? Or do they only exist to remind him of how utterly cursed he is?
"Rimhildr... is it truly so hopeless?" The old northman looks on the verge of death while strange shapes, words, and patterns undulating beneath his skin. He replaces his helm and continues his work with the loom. "No. Whatever the cost, this path I weave for myself. They will see reason or join the very nothing they seek to command."
Without remark, Karm slides over to where his bed sits—or what's left of it. Propped against the wall nearby sits his loom. Easing himself down onto the shredded mattress with an audible groan, both from age and pain, he props his staff across knee and up over shoulder to begin weaving himself and others a new destiny. His hands perform the labor as if it is a motion he has rehearsed times beyond counting, and he allows a bit of his own blood to mingle into his work intentionally. Karm's gaze remains affixed to Horn and Mandus, a grim and foreboding thing given the countenance of the old Hrim's helm.
The disguise ploy is only a distraction. It doesn't need to hold up to the dragon's scrutiny, as it's not intended for the dragon directly. In a nutshell, we just want its minions to run back home and let their master know that <Random Island Race #4> need to be reminded of who is really lord of the island. Dragon comes out spitting acid clouds and thumping his chest, then we make with the stabbing and spell-slinging.
It also bears emphasizing: we shouldn't be going dragon hunting right now (probably shouldn't be doing things that will rile him up at all, honestly). In-game, we know next to nothing about the island. Meta-game, we know the dragon's CR is high enough to punk us down like a bunch of scruffy nerf herders. It's kinda like a major Plot quest in a game. We know we'll have to get to it eventually, but there's probably a ton of sidequests we can occupy ourselves with in the meantime to better prepare ourselves. Scouting and (H)exploring are the best options for the immediate (imo).
I think sending Arasmes in daily to harass the dragon's neck of the woods isn't a bad idea, but I think it's a bad idea to enact immediately. Best case scenario, we figure out where the dragon lives and... then what? Worst case scenario, it figures out the hobgoblins have some new friends and decides to melt their mountain.
AC: 12/12-t/10-ff | CMD 14 | Fort +2; Ref +2; Will +4 | Init +2 | Per +5 (Crichton Per +12)
Xamarath scoffs and says, "I offered to treat with you, but you decided to be an uppity pain in the ass instead. Besides, claiming this is your domain is laughable. At best, you're a squatter. That pool: I know what it is, what it's used for, and to whom it originally belonged. I'm sure the power it provides has served you well, but that time has come to an end. You're a vagrant and a pest—and an ugly one at that. Soon enough, you'll be back in the Abyss that spawned you, licking dung from the boots of those higher than you on the food chain. A rather tall food chain, I might add."
Xamarath crouches down next to where Kala has the quasit restrained, and begins poking it in the eye repeatedly with his staff as he says, "That is, unless you can offer something worthwhile. Personally, I'm starting to think you're just a demonic little nutter with about as much relevance as Crichton's bowel movements."
Guess I can go ahead and cover some of the established formatting guidelines. One of the coolest things about PbP is that you get to actually explore a character's viewpoint and thought process at any given moment. When we're playing around a table, each person generally has a grasp on what their character is feeling at any given moment, sure, but the rest of the players (and even the GM) probably do not. As I mentioned on the facebook group, Play-by-Posts tend to read more like a story.
Formatting
Talking: When your character speaks something aloud, it should be bold and between quotation marks:
Brimleydower clears his throat and says, "Do what I say or sup well on the pickles of injustice."
Thinking: When your character is thinking something, it should be italicized:
Brimleydower nods as if satisfied with his words. The imbeciles are actually listening to what I have to say. How delightful!
Action Breakdown: Mechanical expressions of actions should be isolated at the bottom of the player's post with qualifiers/breakdowns of their action economy. These should be offered in OOC text (since that's exactly what it is; an OOC explanation of everything that was typed prior). Given that we're doing Savage Worlds and not Pathfinder, this part shouldn't be as labor intensive. I'll do a full mock up post below to illustrate what I mean:
Action Breakdown wrote:
Brimleydower steps into the room with a taco in one hand and his firstborn cousin's manhood in the left. "Are there any here among you who would treat with a walrus?" His mustache flails defiantly in the wind, daring any to approach. They likely wonder why I carry a penis in my hand. Soon enough, a peal of thunder resounds throughout the room. It would seem Steve Buscemi had arrived, after all.
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Movement: Brimleydower moves 6" closer to the gathering of men and women. Action #1: Brimleydower attempts to persuade someone to have dealings with him.
> Persuasion:1d12 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16
>> Wild Die:1d6 ⇒ 4
Now, in order to get an accurate estimation of how you did in the round, you're going to have to hit the Preview button and look at your dice results before you officially submit your post (most of the time, anyways, especially in combat). If a dice Aces/Explodes, just continue rolling until it stops yielding a maximum value, like below:
The initial roll Aced, which is why I included the 4+1d4 in the 2nd roll. If the second had rolled another 4, I would have included a third set and expressed it as 8+1d4.
Any questions, feel free to ask them. I know that's a little bit to take in, but things will flow a lot more smoothly once things kick off. All of the html options are included in the "How to format your text Show/Hide" section below the textbox.
Best of wishes. And for what it's worth, seeing Sean's name on a book cover has been a sort of seal of authenticity for me. Look forward to see any future projects he takes on, Pathfinder or otherwise.
HP 28/29; AC 15, Flat Footed 12, Touch 13; CMD 17; Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +3; Perception +10 (+11 to avoid being surprised); Scent; Initiative +3
Bonegrit is going to change his name to Donnie now. Because the element is so gone, it can never be found again.
Bonegrit Flexy-Time 2.0, Now Starring Pyotr:
After nodding agreement with Pellius' proposal, Bonegrit plods his way towards Pyotr with a relaxed gait. He spares a dirty glance in Khozin's direction before coming to a stop but a pace away from the other half-orc among their number. "I'd like to take the ring, if ya don't mind. I intend on givin' it to Santrian so he can maybe see to getting the thing back into the hands that rightfully own it. Between that and sparin' the goons that ought be left dead in the dirt, maybe they won't pursue retribution against our caravan in our absence."
HP 28/29; AC 15, Flat Footed 12, Touch 13; CMD 17; Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +3; Perception +10 (+11 to avoid being surprised); Scent; Initiative +3
"Perhaps droppin' mention of it to Marshall Oswald would be enough fer now? I'm sure the notion of a child-slayer livin' under his watch wouldn't be somethin' the rat finds too appealing, if only fer his reputation. Not entirely sure he'd smile on our stealing his justice out from under him twice in a single day, either." Bonegrit's eyes survey the far off walls of Freedom Town as he speaks. The thought of some old wretch doing in his own daughter is enough to make the half-orc's stomach twist, but he's equally forced to admit that it is not their problem. With Tharkon, they had a stake in the matter: Dierik Ironcoffer was the victim. There existed no such incentive here, and certainly no justification to vigilante his way through someone else's jurisdiction. "Neh, I'm gonna stay put. If we go sniffin' around where our noses ain't welcome, might be we end up causin' em to rescind their decision to leave Tharkon in our care. Best bet's to tip off the law around here—if they don't know already—and followup after we get our mutual employer back to the wakin' life."
Bonegrit nods assent to Lhairak. "Aye, let's tether the barkers up to the wheels across from Tharkon. I want 'em to have somethin' pitiful to look at while they wait."
At some point after all of the above. . .
Bonegrit manages to track down Lunt after his storming off earlier. Approaching more closely with a casual incline of his head by way of greeting he speaks quietly with the drover. "Listen, guy; if ya want to earn yerself a little payback on the whelps, just do it when the new guy with the big sword is away—which by my figgerin' will be pretty damn soon. Just keep it away from the face to hide the marks, and don't hurt em too bad. Whatever the blighters did, they're little more 'an kids. Deserve a good scare, but not a maiming."
Pausing for a moment, Bonegrit considers letting the second half of what he has to say wither without mention, but ultimately decides to press forward. "An' another thing. I dragged yer bleedin' hide atop my own horse to get you back to health after you let a couple of kids get the drop on you. Then I waded through that pit o' garbage they call Freedom Town to track down the ones who did the deed not knowin' if they numbered two or thirty, savin' yer hindquarters the trouble of payin' Delkaneth back what you lost to carelessness in a back alley. I think that calls fer a fair deal more respect than Vigilant mockery, yeah?"
In regards to Rage Song playing nice with Barbarians, could it not simply extend the Barbarian's own rage pool? That would be a huge boon early on (not so much later, admittedly) when counting rage rounds is more prominent. If this was mentioned earlier, I apologize—glanced through the thread a bit, but may have missed it.
Simply changing around some baseline proficiencies would go a long way towards separating the Skald from a Bard:
Given the ties to viking origins, one would expect axes, swords, and shields instead of crossbows, saps, and rapiers.
Having d8 HD would be easier to wrap my head around if they had medium armor. Barring that, my money's on d10. I don't see the encouragement to wade in with the front line as is.
A Skald with caster friends shouldn't be an oxymoron. No thoughts on this right away, but they need something to benefit the people who don't gnaw on their shields or weapons before the fighting happens.
HP 28/29; AC 15, Flat Footed 12, Touch 13; CMD 17; Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +3; Perception +10 (+11 to avoid being surprised); Scent; Initiative +3
"Whatever those blighters were, they hated orc blood somethin' fierce. I reckon that's why I didn't get volunteered fer duty," Bonegrit grumbles more than speaks, though worry begins to creep into his features and tone as he turns a glance to the protuberance on Delkaneth's chest, "but I don't figger Modoru had any of the enemy's blood in 'im to get a pass. I reckon he's got one of those barkin' stumps growin' out of his chest too, ya get me?"
Bonegrit ponders his navel for a moment before looking at the Chelaxian's gnarled protrusion. "What if it's hungry fer the taste of orc? The glowin' blighters barked on an' on about revenge against the hordeborn." Quite unceremoniously, Bonegrit removes his left glove and sinks one of his sharp canines into the tip of his thumb. Squeezing pressure onto the minuscule wound to coax some blood to the fore, he reaches over to Delkaneth and gives it a smear across whatever it is that is sticking out of his body.
We aren't completely without healing, nor do I wish to contribute to a notion that it's "heals or bust!" haha. Healing-starved games often tend to trend towards gritty, which can be very fun. Our group as is just happens to have been bloodied up quite a bit as of late, so the notion of something other than oppressively taxing our resident Paladin's lay on hands pool is at least mildly humorous.
Reeling from the force of an explosion he never witnessed and the deafening clap of the subsequent fallout, Fenyx clasps hands to ears in a futile effort to drown out the ringing that reverberates through his skull. He has no bearings; no direction. Styvanus' direction and the various warnings and commands being barked out are completely lost on him, the hammering snows and winds blocking out what would have otherwise compensated for the lack of noise. Rather than scurry off blindly into the unknown, Fenyx hunkers down against the weight of Dirge, hoping that the command he voices is received by his minion. "Defend me."
Fortunately for the sin mage, the corpse is not so affected by the thunderstone's clap. Wordlessly obeying, tethered hopelessly to the necromantic energies and will of the one whom bound it, Yvonne poises itself over the struggling form of Fenyx, ready to meet whatever threat emerges to do further harm to the Shalasti wizard.
Owing to deafness, Fenyx will be staying right where he's at for the time being.
Delaying: Holding his action until he gets his bearings and manages to figure out what's actually going on.
As alluded to (and by alluded, plainly declared) in the initial recruitment writeup, Fang and Shackle is going to be a Molthune launched adventure that leaves the story almost entirely up to the Players. While I am providing a decent framework to establish a point of origin, where you all go from here will be entirely up to you. Judging from the submissions as listed, there seems to be a prevalent pro-Molthune atmosphere, which will work wonderfully. While this aims to be extremely sandboxy, I will offer a couple of boundaries to make the experience go more smoothly for everyone:
Cohesiveness: Don't actively seek out opportunities to split the group up or lone wolf it where the current story doesn't encourage it. There will be opportunities for this that crop up, but overall I'd prefer not to have multiple scenarios playing out at all times for the sake of game progression and your GM's sanity.
Kingdom Building: It will not be an initial prospect, but I won't rule it out as a future possibility. I will go ahead and caution that my style tends more towards what serves the story than what serves the mechanics. Kingdom building, if it ever happens, will be presented more organically in the Gameplay Thread as opposed to making rolls, spending BP, and a month later your castle manifests.
Out of Bounds: Technically, there is no out of bounds. I only ask that your characters not give in to dementia and wander off into Nidal or Druma for no apparent reason.
Interparty Conflict: It looks like most of you are all onboard the Molthuni War Machine, but there will be sidestory developments to work in secret against your own party members. I neither encourage nor discourage this (do as your character wishes!), but remind you that getting caught doing so will be hard to squirm out of (especially with a Commissar along for the ride).
Most of you know the drill by now, I'll wager. This thread is for OOC and off-topic discussions. Good rule of thumb is that anything not pertaining to whatever is currently going on in the Gameplay thread should go in here.
Everything happening in-character or relating to the immediate situation in the Gameplay Thread belong there. OOC questions and the like are fine in here so long as they pertain to what's actively happening.
It looks admittedly bare at the moment, and that will change as we progress. I intend to keep an accurate roster of NPCs of note, locations, and noteworthy events/accomplishments. Any battle maps in use will have a link provided both in the Gameplay Thread involving the encounter and in the Campaign Tab. My skill at mapcraft is going to be a far cry short of those in the Ruins campaigns I'm afraid, but my hand-drawn monstrosities should at least serve as decent enough expression of terrains and positions if nothing else. I'm hoping the mind theaters of the group as a whole can do the rest of the work.
I'm allowing it. As everyone does on this matter, I have my own stipulations: I will handle the creation of any cohorts that are picked up over the course of the game. I would greatly prefer if introduced NPCs that qualify are considered. I always hope that Leadership will serve the story instead of some meta-game agenda: pocket-healers, mega-crafters, etc. If you intend on picking it up, feel free to talk with me about it and we can hammer out something that everyone will agree with.
I am going to be borrowing Rob's format from the Ruins of Pathfinder campaign, as they provide everything in a concise, easy-to-read manner.
Formatting wrote:
In-Character Content
_______________
ooc commentary Specified Roll:1d20 ⇒ 20 Move Action: Move to E23 Swift Action: Move to E23 Standard Action: Move to E23 End Location: Move to E23
In-Character posting should generally adhere to the following, though creativity is encouraged beyond such:
Character Speech: should be "Bolded inside quotations like so."
Character Thought: should be "Italicized inside quotations like so." or 'Italicized inside apostrophes like so.'
Any one wishing to use Google Translate to account for different languages, I encourage you to do so. Try to adhere to real world similarities where possible; Skald should be Icelandic while Tian-Min should be Japanese (for example). Please spoiler the translation in the event that you do so.
Rather than prompting players to make skill checks or saving throws, I will make any necessary preempted rolls on your character's behalf as warranted by the situation. If your character would like to try something you feel warrants a skill check, feel free to include those in your post ahead of time. A character who elects to scout the crumbling remains of a tower for treasure would of course roll a Perception Check, while an archaeologist examining the same tower for structural damage would be making a Knowledge (Engineering) Check. Rolling for your characters is a means of expediting an already long process.
I will be containing rolls in spoilers. If an orc clips you with a single blow, you have my sympathies. As outlined in the Recruitment thread, however, there are going to be multiple resources in play to mitigate character death. In general, I don't like characters dying to freakishly bad luck—punished by the dice gods for otherwise great roleplay and decisions. Conversely, I'm not terribly sympathetic to someone who does something outrageously foolish: I'm gonna try to grapple the gelatinous cube...
Experience Points: Don't worry about tracking them. I'll level your characters up as both I and the story's flow dictates. Going by the books ultimately results in sluggish paces—the play by post arena simply isn't fast enough to see characters develop at a reasonable pace. As such, I'll rely on strong roleplay and plot points to set the pace of leveling rather than slogging through multiple waves of gobbos and orcs.
Dying: I don't want players to die, but it happens sometimes. In the event that your character bites it, I'll give everyone one pass—you'll be able to design a replacement character to join back into the game. If that character dies also, I'll be politely asking you to exit stage left and calling on one of the denied applicants to shuffle their character in. Bears repeating: 2 Hero Points allow you to cheat death.
Character Bonds: Part of the reason I'm allowing this game to be open ended is to see how the characters interact with one another; to see what sort of adventures they conjure for themselves with both common and opposed goals. As such, if I feel like certain relationships within the group are very pronounced—be it fond comradery or a mild enmity—over the course of the game, I will begin introducing in-game perks to reflect these relationships. This will require no specific undertaking on behalf of the players; just play your characters out and we'll see where it goes from there.
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Item Crafting: I'm going to put this to a vote here before things get underway. We have two options:
1.) As per the Core Rules. Very clearly outlined and easily referenced.
2.) My own homebrewed variant. Very decidedly vague in terms of what you can create. I'll give a brief overview of that below.
Alternate Crafting Rules:
What’s Different?
The intention of this change is not to make crafting more difficult, but a richer and more rewarding experience. It divorces magical item creation from the mostly-concrete ruleset contained in the Core Rules, replacing it with a system in which the player and DM cooperate to create truly unique items. Crafters are given more direct input and time “in the spotlight” to realize their creation. It is no longer as unimaginative as throwing an adequate sum of gold pieces into the cauldron and stirring until the item is ready.
Overall crafting times will be diminished, especially where “common” items are concerned. Crafters will be given the option of spending less time forging the item and more time collecting the necessary ingredients to craft it. How these ingredients are obtained will be mostly up to the player (pending DM approval, of course). Once a Player successfully crafts an item, they will be able to add that item to their list of known formulae. From this point on, they will be capable of creating that same item in it’s basic form using the same ingredients. The Player might also elect to continue experimenting with their results, using new reagents to attempt and achieve greater results. In short, Players will have two options: crafting an item from their list of Known Formulae, or Experimentation, which will be explained in further detail later.
It is important to note that what is required to create an item will be unrestricted within the realm of reason. In order to craft a Flaming Sword, for example, it would not be necessary to find one explicit ingredient. Rather, crafters the world wide will be able to find different avenues to the same (or similar) results. Perhaps the scale of a red dragon will suffice in one instance, while the blood of an abyssal creature works for another. Ultimately, the quality or rarity of the ingredients in question will yield different results. In game terms, the more difficult the acquisition of said ingredient is, the more rewarding the experimental phase.
Crafting Feats:
All of the Crafting Feats have been consolidated into two. This allows players to craft magical gear without causing significant damage to their feat economy. Furthermore, acquiring the feat adds several basic items to the Player’s list of Known Formulae. It should be noted that players can experiment with these basic items to create more unique items out of the same concept.
Craft Magic Items
Craft Magical Items covers the crafting of Armor, Weapons, Rings, and Wondrous Items. The included formulae are as follows:
Enhancement Bonus to Armor (example: +1 chainmail)
Enhancement Bonus to Weapons (example: +3 halberd)
Ring of Protection
Amulet of Mighty Fists
Amulet of Natural Armor
Bag of Holding
Belt of Giant Strength
Belt of Incredible Dexterity
Belt of Mighty Constitution
Bracers of Armor
Cloak of Resistance
Headband of Alluring Charisma
Headband of Inspired Wisdom
Headband of Vast Intellect
Craft Magic Implements
Craft Magic Implements covers the crafting of Potions, Rods, Staves, and Wands. Players may add the formulae for any metamagic rods for which they have the appropriate metamagic feat.
Crafting Times: (Subject to change)
Common: 4 hours per point of bonus.
Common items are those items a crafter learns upon taking the relevant feat (see above). (Example: a +3 longsword would require 12 hours of crafting time be spent.)
Uncommon: 8 hours per point of bonus.
Most new discoveries will be classified as Uncommon. This refers mostly to the “Basic Items” added to the list of Known Formulae. (Example: a +3 flaming longsword would require 32 hours of crafting time be spent.)
Rare: 24 hours per point of bonus.
Rare items are those items that receive unique qualities. This refers mostly to items crafted through the Experimentation method.
Legendary: 1 month per point of bonus.
Works of wonder rarely seen, Legendary items come into existence seldom. In order to attain Legendary quality on a crafted item, one needs to get a result of 100 or higher on their Experimentation check.
Ingredients and Reagents:
Common: -1 to Experimentation Check.
Common ingredients can be purchased regularly in most cities and large villages. They are relatively easy to acquire by other means, such as adventuring, foraging, scavenging, etc. (Example: powdered gemstone, snake venom, moth dust)
Uncommon: +0 to +1 to Experimentation Check.
Uncommon ingredients can seldom be purchased in most villages or small cities. Larger settlements (such as large cities) sometimes have a very limited selection, while centers of trade (metropolis) sometimes offer a decent variety of reagents - for the right price, of course. (Examples: a manticore fang; basilisk blood; a giant’s eye)
Rare: +2 to +5 to Experimentation Check.
Rare ingredients are exceedingly difficult to come by. If they are to be found in any settlements, their owners are seldom willing to part with them. (Example: scales of an adult dragon; phoenix tears; vampire dust)
Legendary: +10 to Experimentation Check.
Almost unheard of, these ingredients are often the remnants of artifacts, divine powers, or legendary creatures. (Example: Gorum’s blood; a blade fragment of an alara’hai - the 7 Swords of Sin; a perfect scale from a great wyrm)
Known Formulae:
Any time a crafter successfully creates an item, they may add the basic form of that item to their Known Formulae list. Additional or unique effects are typically not reliably reproducible. For example: if someone crafts a +2 Freezing Flail that becomes a +4 Freezing Burst Flail when fighting fire elementals, they would add Freezing Weapon to their list of Known Formulae, but not the enhanced +4 Freezing Burst vs. Fire type creatures.
Experimentation:
Any time a Player attempts to craft an item they do not personally know or have a detailed formula for, they must consult the Experimentation Chart. A Player may at any time attempt to experiment further with known formulae using new ingredients or different methods, although this will typically not result in learning a new formula. At the beginning of the Experimentation attempt, the Player must roll their relevant Skill (a d20 skill check using Craft or Spellcraft) to determine any bonuses or penalties to the Experimentation Check (d100). After determining the modifier, if any, the Player rolls a d100 and consults the Experimentation Chart, adding any relevant modifiers.
The purpose of the Experimentation Chart is not to assign specific qualities or abilities to an item; rather, it is more of a guideline to be followed by the DM in order to come up with a truly unique feature to that specific item.
One last note on experimenting: you will notice that Spellcraft is no longer the only means of creating magical items, although it is still the most surefire way. While Spellcraft can be used as a catch-all for crafting almost anything, individual Craft Skills can also be used. The methods used to create these items are worlds apart, however, and as such someone who has a vast repertoire of magical item formulae created through Spellcraft would be unable to teach said formulae to a blacksmith that relied on Craft: Armor or Craft: Weapons.
Economy and Magic:
This is more of an afterthought than an actual change to the system. In a world where new formulae are unique to any given individual, recipes become closely guarded secrets (likely passed down through a family for generations in many cases) and cornerstones of mercantile ventures. Formulae exchange/selling would more than likely be commonplace, and many dungeons would no doubt contain ancient formulae worth the risk involved retrieving them.
HP 26/26; AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 17; CMD 18 (22 vs. bull rush/trip); Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +1; Perception +3; Initiative +3
Don't worry kids, ole Dwundernuts will be along presently to take charge of the expedition and lead everyone to glory. I've decided we're going to salvage all of the wreckage of Torag's Anvil, Kols' Hammer, and Angraad's Fire and build them into one super-mega-awesome ship with steel plating. Instead of founding a new colony, we're just going to hunt krakens for a living. Deal?
Also, how awesome are we that we skipped Lich to kill Kraken first?
HP 26/26; AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 17; CMD 18 (22 vs. bull rush/trip); Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +1; Perception +3; Initiative +3
Robert Brookes wrote:
...wholly unrelated to all of the Krakenly XP you won't be getting...
How unfortunate. I guess it only makes sense that the entirety of the Kraken's xp hoard be split between only Dwunderbran and Logem. I'm sure the disparity of having two level 9 dwarves mixed in with level 2 s will not be hard to overcome and accommodate. I look forward to lording over everyone with my level superiority.
HP 28/29; AC 15, Flat Footed 12, Touch 13; CMD 17; Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +3; Perception +10 (+11 to avoid being surprised); Scent; Initiative +3
I only recalled that snippet due to an excruciatingly long tangent during a table top session involving a whir of iPads, rule books, and the like. On the bright side, it's a consideration I never fail to remember now!
HP 26/26; AC 20, touch 13, flat-footed 17; CMD 18 (22 vs. bull rush/trip); Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +1; Perception +3; Initiative +3
A look of consternation grips Dwunderbran's face as one of the offered stogies seems to float itself down the table to Kal'tos. His jaw sets firm and the look he shoots the scholar is one of pure, unadulterated disgust. Not wishing to cause another ruckus so soon, however, he seems to master his emotions for a change, instead focusing on the question posed to the table by the Varisian Pilgrim. Reclining as far as his seat will allow, and owing to the intervention of Daelric's much needed restorative efforts on his lower back, the broad and well muscled dwarf locks the fingers of both hands behind his head as he casually enjoys the fragrance and rich taste of his Shadeleaf.
"T'were nae a brawl a'truly, it weren't. Ya see tha' Skuldafn boy-o what's sittin' square 'n tha middle o' tha' table yonder? Vigar be 'is name. 'E did profess 'e wanted us fer ta honor 'is da' right kingly-like, ye grab me? Dwarf-proper-like, even, aye?" He leans forward now, fully invested in the absolutely, undeniably truthful account of what transpired moments prior as he continues the story around the girth of his stogie. "Nie, meself an' Magnus—tha white haired bleeder aside me 'ere—we be dwarves proved, ye grab me? But tha lad Daelric, ye see, 'e 'ad been overindulged on 'is Ma's teet. Nie, 'e wants fer ta bed the good Forgemaster Maven Brewbane an' name 'imself a man, but she'll nae lie wiff a whelp what ain't drank ner rubbed knuckles fierce yet, aye? So we 'ad a good tussle wiff tha boy-o, an' some o' tha other stoutfolk obliged me an' Magnus a'tryin' ta initiate tha Stonelordling proper-like." Dwunderbran nods with a grin, recalling the details with crystal clarity.
"Ah'll be admittin', ah did lose me stones fer a moment when 'e got too close ta 'Soldda Ironbloom—she be me wife-ta-be, ya grab me? But we 'ammered tha' all out, an' nie we're a'brothered true!"
