Mhar "Mharo" the Spirit Dragon's page

Thread for the curious!

Baby boy: get!

Baby incoming today!

Jez is currently in the hospital. Don't worry: we're all fine, and things should return to normal soon, but any lack of posting is due to real life interruptions! :)

Prayers are always appreciated! :D

Hahah! That's great!

I went through very intense training sequence or three in an extended montage scene you guys weren't part of (as you were gathering information or preparing to perform). Now, secretly I have what it takes to be the best!*

* WARNING: INCOMING PUN

I cast miracle and fix everything for everyone!

I am!

Ysanne is awaiting Mhar and Jez.
Mhar and Jez are awaiting the Braeth and Jian's info, and also how common sorcerers and oracles actually are, to their thinking.
Braeth, Jian, and Vem are awaiting on what they learn and/or what jobs are available?

Does that sound right, so far? Based on the information they get back, Mhar and Jez are likely going to go to the governor's manor and work diplomacy-magic; their specific strategies and words depend on the other information gained.

Good idea, Jez!

"Agreed. I would suggest our first order of business is to get to know the full extent of his business. We come to him with the desire to get to know him, and help, where possible. We can explain our history in as much or little detail as we like. We should simply be careful in the presentation."

Spirit, how common are PC-class'd characters in this world? Are they fairly common? Fairly rare? Etc. Similarly, how common are oracles or sorcerers? Have most people heard of them, or are they rare? I'm afraid I've forgotten by this point, if you've mentioned them before. I ask because having such abilities may - may - lend additional weight or credence to their arguments.

"Regardless of aught else, I could get a job as his armorer. Perhaps make excellent-looking ceremonial pieces - functional, but with a critical flaw exploitable only by those who know them, and easily fixed by me, should I wish to do so... which, should he agree to end any corrupt policies, and act on it, I most certainly would."

Mhar continues to Jezelyn. "Of the two of us, you are the more skilled diplomat. I've watched you over the last year and recognize your talents in that regard."

He thinks for a few moments. "Let us go together. We will combine our talents and persuasiveness. I hardly look like a threat, and you look like the perfect person to invite to a party."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 9 + 2 = 13 Using Enhanced Diplomacy
EDIT: Pffft~! Good thing this was to persuade allies and not people that didn't already like him! But seriously, I should use Enhanced Diplomacy more often than I have. I keep forgetting that it's an at-will kind of thing.

He is waiting on Jez to decide if she likes the "together" idea, and is waiting to take the information given by Braeth to formulate a more precise idea of what they're going to do... and how.

Well, one is a ranger, not ninja. But similar enough - sneaky skill type - that I grouped them, especially with his (not abnormal) build (focus on stealth, sleight of hand, perception and movement). The big difference is that the ranger gets full BAB and favored enemy instead of sneak attack and ki. Regardless, the point is: our tanks aren't, really. (Though a ranger is better at tanking than in 3.5!) Also, at this time, I can say: masterwork armor is definitely available, Vem...

... so that leaves us... with three ninjas and three spellcasters? ... no tanks.

... right. SO! Spirit, remember that whole thing that I used to have about Strange Revelation and Nature's Whispers... does that bonus feat we got earlier allow us to waive the requirements or...? ;p

Oh, no! Rai! :/ I'll miss you, man, and here's hoping that the whole work thing works out! God bless you man!

:(

Miss you Zayne!

Finally got something written. Heh, that code is harder to work through than I thought. I had to consider how Mhar would hand it, handle this situation, and handle people in general. Sorry that took so long!

After thinking for a few minutes, Mhar responds to Jian, "No, I'm fine. Thank you."

He turns to Jezelyn. "I see it as several different ways that we could do this. We could work together, and combine our persuasive talents and choose a singular story, or take two stories and go as individuals. In the latter, we have the option of plausible deniability."

He pauses, considering, before continuing. "I, for one, will not speak untruths in the cause for peace. If it is based on a lie, it will not be peace, as all lies are discovered eventually. However, I will also state that I am here, not for the monks, but for the betterment of the land itself. This is true: my fate has brought me here. They have simply given guidance. To that end, we may find other avenues of employment at the manor. The monks need never be mentioned. I am here for the people, for the land, and for the spirits. All else is secondary."

Oh, you're fine! It's very nice of you, that's for sure! It's seriously just a combination of factors, not any one thing. I suspect had it been any two of those I might be fine. By the time all three hit... heh. Mhar's comments, by the way, effectively mirrors my own, when Jez mentioned that to me: "Wait, what?" :)

I would have been okay with how things sussed out, regardless, vote-wise. I do appreciate the statement of confidence! It was just surprising to me:

Ysanne: "here's an idea"
Mhar: "yeah, she has a good idea"
Several: "Mhar for leader!"

Which I found fairly funny, if humbling, and surprising. But right now, not being Mhar, I'm going through Continuity Swirl, trying to retcon my mind around everything. Add that to GMing, a couple of real life things, and other game stuff, and I'm just kind of having what amounts to a case of writer's block. You've done nothing that would normally make things difficult. We're cool. :)

I'm sorry for my lack of direct response.

It's been difficult getting into Mhar's head due to a combination of things. With the complete drop of so many folks that're so deeply tied to his personal character growth over the past year, the retcon (a fine decision, but it changes his feelings on the situation substantially), and the nature of how he's being focused on (... didn't see that coming), it's a little hard to grasp how he'd respond... and even what to respond to.

The few things I've come up with either no longer function in-game (due to altered social dynamics and characters present) or really aren't appropriate, hence I'm having difficulty zoning into the current game dynamic and character interactions. I apologize, as I understand it's not fair to my fellow players. I will try to post something soon.

"... huh. Okay-then." Mhar says, not entirely sure when this whole conversation got away from him. Or rather when it became about him, and then it left him. All without his input.

... why was he one of the "speakers" again?

:(

"Wait, what?" asks Mhar.

Aaarg! It's not letting me post! EDIT 1/2: why does it only let me post if I complain about it?

Aw! :( I'll miss you! But I do understand God bless you, and I hope that your RL things get easier soon, Cookie! Peace to you!

EDIT: Thorrpe, I don't think you're a poor part of the team. But I think we can all work together. C'mon, all, let's just focus a little and maybe use proper metagaming to drop the IC arguments that lead to OC frustrations. Okay?

"Wait, what?" asks Mhar.

"I must say," says Mhar, "I have to agree with Ysanne on this. Er, no, not the bath house, nor the shopping. I mean the coordination leader or leaders. A kind of authority we can all look to, and follow, and the final arbiter of decisions." he explains. "Organization, communication, and working together is going to be key, I think." he says.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16
To persuade characters to choose a leader, not to force players to do so. Feel free to disagree. :)

We all live... in a yellow submarine...?

Anything from my earlier post, as well as anything to assist the rest of the party's quests for knowledge. I'm sorry my post above was so... gamey. I'm working at it, but not coming up with good in-character descriptions at present. Writer's block (or something similar), I suppose.

Mhar is certainly willing to help with stuff.
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24
Knowledge (history): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9
Knowledge (nature): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Sense Motive: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
That's about what Mhar can help with!

I'm going to go with Fleet after having spent the last year getting used to my new broken form and training with the monks.

Hey, guys, instead of a cure light wounds, since Spirit let us have spirit healing (basically infernal healing without the [evil]), I'd suggest that we should get one of those. It's worth noting, however, that I kind of blew my gold to make said spell, unless I misunderstood something, or someone is really interested in throwing some in there. EDIT: to be clear, again, unless I'm misunderstanding something, I think I researched it for all of our spell lists.

Hm... dodge (not enough DEX, nevermind!), fleet, scribe scroll, or combat casting?

Aaaaaaaaaah! I see. No, unfortunately, although any one of those are better than a masterwork "closest second" of the same AC, I don't really have much time to make a masterwork versions of much... I could get, maybe, three, I think? (I'd have to dig into calculations to know more.) Now, if you would buy me a single casting of fabricate, then we could talk (or, you could purchase a casting of masterwork transformation... <for 210 gold>).

EDIT: I'll try to see how many I can make, but I'm not certain. You'd have to help me out, though, to make it faster.

EDIT 2 3: It's an additional five weeks per masterwork component. Nope, nevermind, dang it, Craft skill, why are you so fiddly?!

420 silver per week.
1,500 silver total.

That means 3 weeks and 4 days.

357 silver per week.
1,300 silver total.

That means 4 weeks and 4 days.

Total: 8 weeks and 1 day.

I finished it all for you guys quite some time ago... :D

:D

Oh! Actually... with all the profit I made... I actually paid for it! If you read the details of the post, since it only costs 1/3 the listed price (so about 7 for anything else), and we made extra money, it didn't effectively cost you anything. Which is much of Mhar's: helping others to get the right thing done! But that's cool: I'm just glad you have some, now. :D

Okay, looking at researching and designing spells, the spell infernal healing, alchemist stuff (including discoveries, formula, and the like)... I can think of no valid reason for that spell not to be on the alchemist list. I dunno, it really fits quite well - flavor, style, and thematic elements (including the ingesting of dangerous, weird, or esoteric components in order to produce a mystical effect).

Weird.

So, if Spirit doesn't allow us to research a non-[evil] version that allows Alchemists to use it, here's my secondary proposition (my fall-back plan, as it were): we research two spells, one a transmutation spell for alchemists, druids, and rangers; and one a conjuration spell for those who normally gain benefit from the infernal healing. While expensive in theory, in the long-run it more than pays for itself. It'll cost 1,000 gold plus 1 week each (sorry Jian, no weapon-crafting, alas). We can easily make the DCs, especially if we help each other. I'm willing to outright pay for ours. I'll just shove my 1k directly into it for the good of the group, though I'd ask someone - probably Jezelyn, Thorrpe, or Ysanne (or two of them) to help me make the DC (if both of them help me with Aid Another, our variant can require neither somatic component nor material component). That means that everyone else can divide the cost of the wand(s) and/or other spells among themselves.

SPIRIT!

I've a question: could we research a variant of infernal healing in which it lacks the [evil] descriptor? Call it celestial healing, or spirit healing or, oh, I dunno, just throwing this out there: vigor*? ;D

Anyway, that would be my preference, and I'd love to later learn said spell, eventually.

If we wanted, we could even purchase a page of spell knowledge (1,000 g), which is exceedingly useful, as then each one of our casters could use it. We could literally give the page to anyone, let them hold it, then activate the wand without fear. Plus, it means that we have even more healing... just in case it really becomes necessary. Since infernal healing is both arcane and divine, I'd presume that any similar version would be the same. EDIT: I've been told that my interpretation is incorrect. Upon re-reading it, it seems you don't need the spell as a spell known, only that you are powerful enough to cast it. Hence, the page of spell knowledge doesn't matter for a wand, considering it's a first level spell. That said, I'd still suggest a page of spell knowledge in general, as that permits those without knowing it to use healing magic. Yes, I'm aware that, generally speaking, in-combat healing is not optimized. But out-of-combat healing is quite potent. Added to that, the ability to get about ten per day at no additional cost seems pretty great, to me. It's less necessary, however, than I thought, so it's not as important a purchase.

* In case you guys don't know, vigor was the closest to infernal healing (basically a low-grade fast-healing with a duration based on your caster level) in the 3.5 Edition.

I did craft your new armor, remember? It's right here (or at least that leads to them). You said you didn't want it (for some reason). I really don't know why, though. :D

EDIT: I'm pretty sure you want the +4 or +3 armors.

EDIT 2: your current DEX is +4, and you've got no spells.
leather: [+2 AC, +6 max DEX, no acp, 10% asf, 15 lbs., 10 gp, normal speed]
piecemeal 3: [+3 AC, +5 max DEX, no acp, 15% asf, 13 lbs, 29g, normal speed]
piece meal 4: [+4 AC, +4 max DEX, no acp, 15% asf, 13 lbs, 21g, normal speed]

There is no current reason to choose anything other than the piecemeal 4. If you get magical armor at some point, sure, yeah, okay. If you want me to make a few... we have time. Use the type 4, then later upgrade when you improve yourself (which is a nice three levels away, on average).

EDIT 3: If we want, we can craft other things as well, though it gets time-intensive - we can only do this for a few things. With my spiffy new masterwork tools, we can try to craft masterwork weapons at half cost. Unfortunately, as I don't have enough skill points (never enough!), so I don't have ranks in craft (weapon), however I can make a DC 18 by taking 10; masterwork exotic weapons require a DC 23; with three people providing Aid Another, we can exceed that.

I need to purchase equipment, but otherwise am set up.

I'm interested in the idea of pooling our resources for one or two big-ticket items, but I'm unsure what. While I like the idea of a bag of holding or handy haversack, I'm not sure we want all of our valuables in one place. What do the rest of you think?

EDIT: Also, though she didn't request this specifically, I know that Jezelyn would be interested in returning to this game, if she ever has the free time (which is severely lacking for her in real life at present); hence, if at all possible, can the way she be written out have a door, as it were, to bring her in at a later date, should she so desire?

I've spoken with Jezelyn, and she is unfortunately unable to continue at this time; she is currently swamped by real-life, and barely has time for her current game (singular) that I'm running. She wishes to apologize, but she's really exhausted and time-crunched at present.

Also: super-excited about this starting back up!

EDIT: and Monday works for me, too!

FOREVER I SA-, oh! uh! hi! spirit. I totally wasn't planning on usurping your power over the world or anything. Nope. Not 't'all. Even for a second. (Oh, yeah, and I'm in.)

Never give up, never surrender! (I've not forgotten, yet!)

FOREVER!

(Unless I forget.)

I think he had great plans and at the time he could handle the immensity of this campaign, then all of sudden work side swiped him and of course unnecessities such as gaming are the first to go.

And lo, for my multitude of words, this is what I really meant. Well done. (It'd be pretty funny if it's all just a test, though, and I won't pretend that my paranoia doesn't make me ask sometimes.) :D

Also, Thorrpe, I am, too. :D

It's quite possible... but perhaps, given enough time, effort, and energy, I could come up with something. I don't think it would be like what Spirit had planned, at all, but I could give it the old college try. My suspicion is that, frankly, Spirit got overwhelmed and/or burned out. That happens.

Whether it was the large number of players, real life, my own weirdness in accidentally disengaging with GM hooks (by Mhar's insistence on the "not necessarily killing" assassination-thing), breakdown in communication with the player-base in general, something(s) else entirely, or some combination of all of the above or none of the above, but I'd put my money down on him simply unable to keep up focus, drive, and energy. And I'm here to say: it happens. I understand that entirely.

After checking out his posting, the last time he posted with us (on July 12) was the last day he posted in the forums (he posted earlier as a character in a PbP). He has a number of aliases that simply... stop, sometime around August of 2012 and a few all the way to October. Hence, I'm guessing he goes through something of an annual cycle, probably ebbing and flowing with the needs and demands of work, real-life, and/or schooling.

Please note: this is just a guess. And ultimately, by continuing to post here, as I do in another seemingly-abandoned PbP that I was a part of, I'm not attempting to place pressure on Spirit, or demand that he get back here to GM. Instead it is my silly, silly way of showing support. Because life sucks sometimes, and sometimes life doesn't suck, but we get tired or distracted or unable to focus or unable to continue for all sorts of reasons, legitimate or (seemingly to ourselves or others) not. I thoroughly understand this. As one who has ever-increasing attention deficit as I age, and strong dyslexia (I'd never consider myself 'suffering from' these, though: my life is pretty great! :D) I heavily empathize.

I've started many dozens books, novels, novellas, short stories, essays, campaign settings, game ideas, art projects, and more. Most of those lie fallow and incomplete. Life has a way of doing that, sometimes - in my case, regularly. It sucks.

So instead of griping, I'll show my minor support in my silly way. I like the idea of this game. I want to play in it. I think it's a brilliant idea, and I love the start of the game. There are a few rough spots towards the (current) 'end', due entirely to the GM being rushed, frustrated, and obviously having pressure from real life interfering with his great ideas and desire to run an awesome game. That sucks. But I don't mind. I think he came up with a brilliant idea. If he returns, and I have the ability, I'd be all about taking this up again. If not... then not. It is something that will be missed... but something I appreciate the opportunity for, nonetheless. I enjoyed the RP, if nothing else.

What I do expect, however, is that life will go on, and be good. God bless all of you, if you stay here or not. And I, like the webcomic addict that I am, will continue checking these threads likely long after it's clear to all but myself that there's nothing going on. And I'll enjoy it. And if... though with no guarantees... it seems both like he's never coming back, and I have a strong idea... perhaps I'll take it over, and continue to run it from where he left off. Maybe. Or maybe (and more likely) I'll do no such thing. We shall see! :D

FOREVER, I SAY!!!!

Muwahahahahah! FOREVER! (Maybe.) :D

[serious] But more seriously, I'm sorry to see you go. I understand. [/serious]

[silliness] But I'll just be here. Me and my Samurai buddy, Rai. With our awesome armor! Booyah!

Q.Q,

Et tu, Zayne?

(Totally understand, good sir. Hopefully, good news will be forthcoming... but I, at least, understand.)