Tommy Boyd's page

Expand the first spoiler in my post above, everyone.

@Critzible, is the first or second spoiler in my last post the relevant one in reponse to what Gloin said?

I am ready to continue on.

@Critzible: I am working with there are ample woods not far from the river, as we continue traveling by the river. If that is the case, then the first spoiler below is Tommy's response to Gloin. If that is not the case, the second spoiler is Tommy's response to Gloin.

"I vote yes to using extra torches to help keep the animals safer from predators. If they die, it increases the chances our provisions will run out before we have a chance to properly resupply ourselves."

After getting the pot secured above the flames, Tommy moves over to help attend to the animals, attempting to soothe them.

Animal Handling: 1d20 ⇒ 9 DC 13 or lower

After calming the animals, Tommy replies to Bharaz, "The flora and fauna here are sure to have some differences to the what we are used to back home. Maybe setting a ring of torches around the animals might discourage the wild animals from approaching, whether by ground or air. Extra torch expenditure was something I did not think as a possibility, but would be worth it to keep our supply of milk and eggs alive."

Tommy looks around and asks, "Should we vote regarding using extra torches at night for that purpose?"

Canada (Second Monday in October)

Earlier harvest: Canada's colder climate means the harvest season concludes sooner, so celebrating in October aligns with the gathering of crops.

Official date: The date was officially set by the Canadian Parliament in 1957 to the second Monday in October to acknowledge the end of the harvest.

Historical roots: While influenced by American Thanksgiving, it is also rooted in European harvest festivals and a 1578 celebration of Martin Frobisher's safe return to North America.

United States (Fourth Thursday in November)

Historical event: American Thanksgiving is strongly linked to the 1621 feast shared by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people, which occurred after the harvest.

Established date: It was officially declared a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, and the date was later set by Congress to the fourth Thursday of November.

Later season: The November date reflects the later harvest season in many parts of the United States.

Tommy retrieves his sling stones and looks for other pebbles on the ground that might work as decent ammo for his sling.

Tommy goes to the river and fills up a pot to boil some more water to replenish the drinking water he used to rouse some of his companions.

Thanksgiving in Canada is in October, not November.

When some WWE stars did an episode of The Weakest Link, Booker T answered "October" to the question, "Which month is Thanskgiving in?" There were at least 3 Canadian wrestlers on that episode. The British host should have been voted off as the weakest link when she told Booker T he was the weakest link for his 'wrong' answer. It was disappointing that none of the Canadian wrestlers pointed out that there was no "American" or "Canadian" qualifier in the question, so Booker T was not wrong.

Canadian Thanksgiving was the first Thanksgiving (1578) while the first one to occur in the U.S.A. was 1621.

"Linden, wake up!!!"

Sling speed factor is 6.

"Gloin! Linden! WAKE UP!!" Tommy shouts as he loads his sling and flings the stone at one of the bats.

sling: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

I am almost 100% sure a 17 means only -2 to Init when playing 2e.

Thanks for the catch. I like how they changed things in 3e when they came up with actual formulas to determine bonuses/penalties. (and not needing to have all the saving throw tables on hand).

BECMI (3) -3, (4-5) -2, (6-8) -1, (9-12) +0, (13-15) +1, (16-17) +2, (18) +3

Tommy has a 17 Dex, so that gives us a -3 to our initiative roll. As I doubt any of us have a -8 modifier, the bats are going first...or rather, they already did, since they attacked the animals. The round they started attacking Tommy acted - waking up Akkramar and Bharaz. Did the bats continue to attack the animals or have they not acted yet for the 'current' round?

"Wake up!! We're under attack!!" Tommy throws some of the water in his cup onto Bharaz's face and dumps the rest of the water in his cup onto Akkramar's face. "Wake up!!!"

At 3rd level Tommy will be able to identify plants, animals and pure water with 100% accuracy. His NWP proficiencies include Animal Handling (wis-based) but no specific animal knowledge skill (unless I missed something when I just checked), so base Int it will be.

Int check: 1d20 ⇒ 14 vs DC 15 (or lower) (his Int is 15) success!

"Wake up!!! Something's attacking the animals. Wake up!!!" Tommy yells to rouse his companions as he gets his sling into hand and stone in the other to load it.

Wis check: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (17) - 2 = 15 vs DC 13 (or lower) (Wis score)

"I don't mind taking the witching hour watch. It would be nice to be able to gaze at the stars without my feet rocking back and forth from the tides."

Good to continue as well.

"What rumours have you heard that might be the reason for what caused the changes at the quarry? Even if they are ridiculous theories, we'd appreciate getting an idea of how the grapevine around these parts work."

Tommy offers the river a merchant a pour from his private stock. "I brewed this myself before crossing the sea. Do you think once my friends and I have sorted out things in these parts and have set up shop, if you might like to sell some in your travels? With a fair commission to you for doing so, of course."

heads up: homefront situation is going to make posting as frequently as I have been a bit difficult for the at least the next two weeks. I will still try to make sure I am checking daily, but it might only be once per day instead of multiple times throughout the day until homefront stuff is more managaeable to return to checking multiple times throughout the day.

"Pleasure to meet you, Dahmer. I'm Tommy Boyd. How long have you been plying your trade on this river for?"

Tommy's Weather Sense: 1d20 ⇒ 2 DC Wis - 1 = 13 - 1 = 12 (need 12 or less) => Success

Tommy's Fishing: 1d20 ⇒ 19 DC Wis - 1 = 13 - 1 = 12 (need 12 or less) => Failure

Tommy's Cooking: 1d20 ⇒ 10 DC Int = 15 (need 15 or less) => Success

Tommy's Herbalism: 1d20 ⇒ 12 DC = Wis - 2 = 13 - 2 = 11 (need 11 or less) => Failure

Tommy's Brewing: 1d20 ⇒ 12 DC = Int = 15 (need 15 or less) => Success

I am thinking the herbalism and brewing checks would make more sense just finding herbs/plants/berries/etc. as part of the foraging Tommy is doing during traveling/breaking for lunch/camptime....and would need more of a downtime-style day to make checks to see if he successfully turns his gathered ingredients into viable brews and poultices. Is that how you want to handle it, Critzible?

Unexpected stuff on the homefront came up, that took up most of my free time today and will take up some of my free time for the next few days. Will still try to check and post daily.

I suggested 2 hirelings per PC for traveling from the city to the quarry, so that with some of the hirelings being left to attend to the quarry while we go check out another lead, we would have (at max) 1 hireling per PC travelling with us when we leave the quarry.

So are you taking the whole group with you? Or anyone aside your group as more people will be more days

Are some of the less adventursome halflings open to watching our lot and tending to some of the livestock Tommy would leave in their care (3 milking goats and three hens)? That would be milk and eggs (fresh food) that would help to nourish them while the more adventurous halflings accompany us to the quarry.

What do the rest of you think? Two halfling hireling for each of our PCs? Having half of the traveling (with us) hirelings to remain at the quarry after we take care of what needs to be done there to keep it maintained while our group goes to check out one of the other leads with the remaining traveling hirelings?

@Critzible: Were some of the less adventurous halflings willing to watch our lot outside the city gates (and have some fresh milk and eggs as upfront/ongoing payment while our PCs are exploring?)

Tommy would want to take a break for lunch meals, as he does not want to risk losing any of the halfling hirelings who might not mind a bit of danger but might insist on stopping for lunch, so they can better enjoy their mid-day meals.

Tommy will use his weather sense (60%) and fishing (60%) to try to make sure we set up tents before any heavy downpours that might occur during the week of travel, and making decent meals [cooking] (75%) for the group. He will also look out for any herbs/plants that would be useful for his herbalism (55%) and/or brewing (75%).

"Walking by the river would indeed save our water supplies as we make our way there, particularly for the animals that will be coming with us. I will see if some of the halflings by the gate would mind watching our lot and some of my milking goats and hens while we head off to investigate the quarry."

Are some of the less adventursome halflings open to watching our lot and tending to some of the livestock Tommy would leave in their care (3 milking goats and three hens)? That would be milk and eggs (fresh food) that would help to nourish them while the more adventurous halflings accompany us to the quarry.

"The reclaimers?"

Tommy closes his eyes as he envisions a possible future homestead he and his friends will found...a lake and river, plains on one side of the river, hills at the foot of a mountain on the other side of the river, with a thick forest on the opposite shore of the lake...the sounds of the small waves reaching the shore, the faint echoes of dwarven forge hammers, and the sounds of gulls above small fishing boats, the feel of the wind on his face...

"What about..." Tommy pauses to enjoy the vision for a few seconds more, "The Founders?"

"We should. We need to decide on a name for our group first. Any suggestions for what name we want to be known as? I would suggest one that does not include one of our names, so as not to give the impression that the rest of us are expendable."

Tommy lifts his mug and sips his ale slowly as he waits to hear suggestions from his companions.

"The Unexpendables?" Tommy suggests without any emphasis to indicate he likes the suggested name, but wanted to do his part and at least make a suggestion for the group's registered adventuring group name.

"The fellow who was telling me about it said a couple dwarves were went out to excavate it." Tommy looks around for the fellow that was telling him about the dwarven site, "Maybe he's still in here and can tell us more than the bit he already told me."

Does Tommy spot the source of the info?

After chatting with the fellow patrons at the bar for a bit, Tommy moves over to join the new friends he made on the ship at their table, carrying a large pitcher of ale in one hand and a stack of glasses in the other, and places them on the table, "A pitcher of ale for us to use to make a toast to our future adventures, my friends."

After Tommy gets himself arranged in his seat, he starts to fill the empty glasses with the ale, "Pass them around but don't quaff them yet, as you're going to want to toast to the the news I gathered."

After the glasses have been filled and each of his friends have one, Tommy continues, "I take it you would like to have your names immortalized as the dwarves who reclaimed an ancient dwarven site that does not appear on the old Dwarven Kingdom maps."

Tommy raises his glass, "To the future glories you will earn, my friends!"

Gather Info: 1d10 ⇒ 6

Tommy clambers up onto a bar stool to stand on it and extends his arm out to shake hands, "Pleased to meet you, Falco, Gap. I'm Tommy. Nice place you have here. How long have you been set up here for?" Tommy then sits down on stool, "The lot of us are going to be looking for a place inland to claim. Do either of you have any suggestions which direction from town we might have better luck finding unclaimed land?" As Tommy starts to wait for a reply he quickly adds, "I'm a fellow brewer. Are there any particular local flora you would advise to avoid or acquire for brewing?"

"Ah, it is a good for a brewer to sample what other brewers have come up with. Falco's sounds good to me."

"Ah, it is good to be on solid land again." Tommy states as he makes his way down the ship's wide plan holding the leads for his two donkeys, one which is loaded up with a pack saddle and the other without anything aside the lead and halter that keeps it beside the other donkey. The saddlebags-laden donkey has leads trailing behind it that connect to the halters of seven goats (1 billy, the rest nannies) and seven chickens (1 rooster, the rest hens).

"Sounds like there are some potential hirelings for us by the northern gate house. Shall we get a room at an tavern for the night and start our exploration tomorrow, gents?" Tommy asks the fellow ship passengers (the other PCs) he befriended on the long sea voyage, who like him, made the sea journey to found a new home somewhere in the unclaimed lands of the continent the ship docked at.

Tommy inspects his livestock, and is satisfied all of them are still healthy.

I was refresshing each day to see if the other tabs were activated yet, but they were not showing up.

I am doing some reorganization on my computer today, and made an extra desktop for PBP, and the other tabs showed up.

Apologies for the delay.

Well, we're all level 1, and we all want better armor. Luckily, you dwarves are one size, and I'm a different size, so any small armor we find can be all mine!

The halfling of the party raises an eyebrow, then offers the gnome a cup of his latest brew.

Small metal armor and shields are all yours, as Tommy prefers the non-metal versions.

I added in the new gear quickly (and the spoken languages), but did type the money spent on the new items, so removed the money (but not the encumbrance) of all the items so it his profile is looks more organized.

I still need to update his profile with the updated gear;

Though we can do Languages spoken and NWP bonus. Thiugh just spoken languages

Okay.

So bonus spoken languages as well as bonus NWP.

Tommy's Spoken Languages: Halfling plus Druidic. Int bonus spoken languages are Common, Dwarf, Gnome and Elf.

I will swap out his Hunting NWP (warrior, 1 NWP slot) for Read/Write (Halfling) (Priest, 1 NWP slot).

If yes to farming as secondary skill, which would give him the equivalent of the agriculture NWP, will shift animal handling as the first free homesteader kit NWP (instead of agriculture) and put hunting back in for the non-free slot that animal handling was using.

Think just need to spend the additional gold - journeyman carpentry tools, swapping fishing hook for fishing net, and adding additional animals (and related gear) so he has enough to breed the goats and chickens.

So Do you want to learn to Read and Write.

as in Second Edition you have to use Proficiency slots into Languages and Reading Writing Seperately

I did not add the languages from my notes to my profile, which I chose Common, Halfling (to gain literacy in his racial tongue), Dwarf, Gnome.

Clarify for us, please.

On page 16 of the Player's Handbook, the blue 'sidebar' for Intelligence has "also indicates the number of extra proficiency slots the character gains due to his Intelligence."

Are you treating the extra languages as two separate bonus allotments like the wording suggests: a number of bonus languages equal to the Int bonus and a number of bonus NWPs equal to the Int bonus?

If yes, how are you handling the bonus languages? Just for speaking and not reading/writing; you can use one to gain speaking fluency and another if you already have fluency in a given language; or you can only gain literacy in the language by taking the modern languages NWP?

I had originally used two of my Int bonus proficiencies on weapon proficiencies because the sidebar in the Intelligence write-up only refers to proficiencies without distinguishing between WP and NWP.

With Tommy's 15 Int, that gives Tommy 4 bonus languages....so which of the following options is the way you are using with NWP:

Option 1: Tommy has 4 bonus langage slots and 4 bonus NWP slots. He can use his extra language bonus slots to gain full fluency in a language he selects (including literacy in the language). He can also spend NWP slots to take the modern language NWP, read/write NWP and/or ancient language NWP.

Option 2: As Option 1, except the bonus language slots can only be used to gain the ability to speak/converse in the language and must spend NWP slots to gain literacy in a language he can speak.

Option 3: As Option 1, except the bonus language slots can only be used to gain literacy in languages the character has gained speaking fluency in from NWPs.

Option 4: The number in the bonus languages column is only used for bonus NWPs and the only way to gain fluency in other languages (and literacy in your native tongue) is to take the Modern Languages NWP.

If you are using one of the first 3 options, are we starting with the bonus languages already known or are they open language starts that we fill up via the campaign?

I will adjust his NWP as needed after your clarification.

Regarding Secondary Skills, the homesteader kit states farming is the secondary skill most necessarily to the homesteader. Should I just take that instead of rolling for a secondary skill? 

If yes, as the farming secondary skill covers basic agriculture, for the bonus NWP between agriculture or animal handling (which I chose agriculture for) I will use for animal handling and I will used the freed up NWP slot to gain the Read/Write NWP for the halfling racial tongue.

Would the journeyman's carpentry tools fit in the pack saddle bags on the mule?

As for the 4 adventure options, my vote of which one to investigate in descending order is as follows:

A Dwarven Expedition

Quarry needs investigated about its night crew

Investigate the Old Shrine to a long forgotten God

A Kobold Hold

How much do carpentry tools cost?

I have to pick my extra two NWP and spend the additional 20 gold Tommy has for being a fighter/druid instead of a druid.

As well as whether or not I want to move any of my ability scores around.

I will have the above done by tonight for you.

edited:

Going to keep his abilities as down the line.

Caught a mistake: Farming (which I had as a NWP) is for using secondary skills, not NWP, so slotting in Agriculture where I had Farming listed as a NWP.

I have to say: I have a lot of respect for you to take the rolls in order. And to then pick a class that doesn’t use charisma as a main stat.

Thanks.

As for taking the rolls in order, "down the line" is part of the character creation rules the GM posted.

So is it stats down the line?

It does not seem people are adhering to that except GM_Drake:)

Thanks for noticing. :)

Thanks for the catch.

I will go Fighter/Druid for Tommy then.

Tommy's height, weight and age random rolls.

Height Base 32" + height modifier: 2d8 ⇒ (3, 3) = 6 = 38" = 3'2"

Weight Base 52 lbs + weight modifier: 5d4 ⇒ (2, 1, 3, 2, 4) = 12 = 64 lbs

Age Base 20 years + age modifier: 3d4 ⇒ (2, 3, 4) = 9 = 29 years

Tommy's Gear

Total money spent: 69.40 gold
money in belt pouch: 5 silver, 10 copper

Tommy's total encumbrance carried: 31.1 lbs
Tommy's unencumbered threshold: up to 45 lbs
Tommy's unencumbered speed base move: 6