Much appreciated!
Search Posts
Traveler casts Raise Dead Thread! Helllooooo! Anybody here? I think if people are still checking from time to time we could keep going.
Any better service where you are now, DM Caleth?
Any update on your progress, DM Caleth?
Not a problem, DM Caleth. Waiting to see what happens!
Just to let you know I have a "working weekend", so I may not post much.
Not a problem, I rolled with it. I get the feeling DM Caleth was throwing out fishing lines at us, anyway.
The goblin jumped up and grabbed the glass book from Traveler's shirt. "Hey!" he protested. No time to do more than argue; the reptilian dog-things appeared to be coming closer. "It'd be nice if we had more fighters ready." the redhead muttered to the others.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Traveler tossed Hegar his +1 deep crystal longsword. "Here. I can manage, for this battle." he told the hobgoblin. He felt the familiar psychokinetic force of the Inertial Armor wrapping around himself. When everyone's minds started hearing the deep music emanate from the sword, Traveler was quick to say "Sorry about the music - it's inherent to the forging. It lasts less than three minutes." Traveler prepared to fire an Energy Ray of Fire at the incoming dogs, if that was what they were.
"Can you handle a longsword?" Traveler asked Hegar quickly.
Direction's Perception check:
Traveler looked at the floor level from his elevated location. "Where's the old man? Why is it getting darker? he asked everyone. I do not know. I do not sense a change in lighting. Direction said from near the doorway. Traveler heard the sound of a pack of dogs. Eyes narrowing, Traveler cancelled his Scorn Earth and Personal Gravity powers, making a jump to the floor. "I hear a large pack of dogs approaching." he loudly warned everyone. I do not. Direction objected. Beyond your range. Get over here. Traveler demanded. The gemstone left its post and began moving back to the center of the room. The redhead bent down and picked up the book with the glass pages from near Jerrie, putting it inside his shirt. "If you want a book, grab it! Then get in a defensive circle," Traveler commanded, looking at the still-hovering Trifling and the goblin, "or a spot where you think you can fight best!" The man held out a hand, sideways, and intercepted the leaping psicrystal. Traveler put his hand at his chest, and the lapis lazuli worked itself back into the man's gold necklace, the pseudolimbs evaporating afterwards. The Elan put the point of his sword, Chaos Bringer, up. "This place is too weird." he muttered. He started manifesting his Inertial Armor power.
Traveler tossed the books, one-handed, to the waiting Akasha, who was willing to catch them, at least. He noted Hegar's tale in passing. A gun. I knew that object looked familiar. the Elan passed on to his psicrystal. A deadly weapon, it fires projectiles. Those are slow compared to energy blasts, but accurate enough to kill. The best tactic when faced with one is to hide and then attack from the flank.
"How's your literacy down there? Anything look promising? Traveler called out. "The one with the sword appears to be a mystery. And I have yet to run across anyone using glass for parchment." Although he had spent time with those using crystal for building material. He would have to memorize the pages of those later, just in case.
Seeing blank stares from the others in the room, save the goblin and the old man, Traveler tried again. Taking his lapis lazuli gemstone out of the necklace around his neck, he tossed it at the nearest exit in the multiple-arched room. The blue-and-white gemstone grew spidery legs in mid-flight and landed gingerly on the stone floor. "Don't mind Direction - he can watch one entrance for us. He's a construct, so he never sleeps." The gemstone scuttled to an archway. Don't tell them everything - you are not a Telepath. the psicrystal reminded him. Traveler turned back to his new companions. "All right, if no one else is going to tell each other who they are, I'll start. I come from the Outer Planes, and have traveled the Astral Plane often for the Elans, my masters. I have never seen a place" he said, looking around, "like this before. I can levitate myself, you hear my translation power, I can defend myself and heal myself and others. My job was to transport people to other worlds as needed. My death was doing that assignment when we were...overcome by daemons from the Astral Plane itself." Traveler kept Chaos Bringer at his side. He could not release the crystalline longsword without the mental chorus starting again when he picked it up afterwards - better to keep it in his hand. "So no, I had no reason, divine or otherwise, to expect waking up here." Traveler told them, looking at the dark grey stone around them. He activated his Scorn Earth and Personal Gravity, rising off the floor. Traveler walked on air, keeping close to the wall of the room. "I'm going to look for books higher up." he told the others.
I think it's just the Christmas holiday. I'm also trying to not dominate the conversation IC, and go "around the table" before Traveler talks again. But if no one responds after several days, I'll post again IC.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
This game is not at all what I was expecting. I thought we would wake up, meet some epic-level wizard that would give us an adventure in return for resurrections, and put us off on our merry way. Since we seem to be doing a Riverworld (Philip Jose Farmer), or a Labyrinth (movie), we might want to see how self-sufficient our characters are. I thought I saw a Ring of Sustenance among one of the characters. Traveler can feed 3 people once, after which time we're in trouble. Traveler can feed himself, of course. Barring any direct questions of our ancient guide, like "Where's the food, old man?" I haven't looked at everyone's character, so does anyone have Create Water, or better yet, Create Food and Water? Just so this doesn't turn into the Donner party while we wait for the Plot Train to show up. Unless exploring this city-labyrinth is the plot. Which it could be.
"All right." Traveler said after everyone had finished talking. "I think our dark elf has wandered off." "If you find that I or anyone else cannot understand you, just motion to me and I'll use my power again, until I run out of power. In the meantime, we should watch the entrances and perhaps read some of these books for clues as to why we are here." Traveler tilted his head at the goblin. "Without endangering those books." he said warningly. "We don't need food or water yet, and I can help a few people with that, if we don't have any divine conjurers among us." Traveler reassured everyone. "But in the long term, we need the basics of life."
Sorry to see you go. We're just warming up. I guess Xor'zel wanders off in the city-building, never to be seen again?
"I have not heard of those names before, Wazoo." Traveler admitted. -------------------------- After memorizing his new location, Traveler made a reach for the books, only to be rebuffed by the old man. The goblin, Wazoo, went for the books on the nearby shelves with aplomb; Traveler hoped destruction was not his goal. Mentally counting down the time of his active power, Traveler turned to the others. "It looks like our guide is not as competent as he first appeared. While I don't recommend we separate, my power to translate languages is only going to last another half-glass, or half-hour. We need to find out what this city-building is, if we can find food, and what our immediate goals should be, after waking here after our apparent deaths. I am Traveler; the goblin calls himself Wazoo; our dark-skinned one is named Xor'zel? The halfling calls himself Jerrie Yrrum; our large hobgoblin is Hegar; and the woman with the lizard is Akasha, and Hrrsskk, respectively. Our horned friend with the floating snake has not named himself yet, but I believe he understands Planar Common and the language of demons. After my power fades we should find out if we can communicate with each other, and perhaps set a watch on this room?" "None of you are psions, correct? I have seen magic" Traveler said, with a nod to the Tiefling, "but not powers of the mind, other than myself. So we should talk, to see if anyone other than me knows a language you speak. This situation is bad enough without being able to understand one another."
Traveler stopped when they actually went through one of the doors, quickly acquiring psionic focus and then expending a power through the point in his mind. He also memorized the information given to him about their direction and location at the doorway. "It looks like we are leaving the chamber of resurrection platforms." Traveler cheerfully called out to the people following the old man. "Don't fall behind! Our guide is not stopping!" he warned. "I'm not sure who could have made this city-building." Traveler answered the woman with the little lizard. He admired the sunset-like coloring of the light outside. for DM Caleth: Traveler's Nomad-specific powers allow him to make a "save point" at various places. Useful for teleportations later, and planar travel. I won't overuse the descriptive text, so Traveler will only do it at "important" spots. His psicrystal can also provide a continuous memory of where they have been.
"Writing is how intelligent people convey ideas farther than word of mouth, and keep records for posterity. Goblins may not like writing, but the rest of the civilized world could not function without it. If someone wrote down your name, Wazoo, then they wanted to tell others about you." Traveler said defiantly, looking down at the green goblin. After Jerrie commented on how he had died, Traveler added "If the names have always been written on the walls in this chamber, then were we predestined to die and be retrieved here? I think there may be gods at work here."
"Our goblin friend appears to be upset that someone wrote down his name on the wall." Traveler told the others, for their benefit. He looked around at the names as they walked. "If our names are on these walls," he mused, "then they are there deliberately. I wonder if all our names are on these walls then, and what the difference in color means." Traveler continued to memorize the names as they went past, just in case. Autohypnosis: Memorize (to make sure to get the section with Wazoo's name)
for DM Caleth:
You are right about the DC on Autohypnosis. Elsewhere in the Psionics Unleashed book DC 15 is given as a Concentration "base". I think the lack of a DC means you just have to not roll a 1 on the skill check in order to make it. I have no problem with you hand-waving Traveler's memorization and just saying he remembers seeing a name, grey, silver, or gold, before in this chamber. So you don't have to generate names until it is necessary. Not that at some point Traveler is going to buy a blank book and write all these names down for the others to read. And secretly add Wazoo's name at the bottom. :)
"If you are ready to see more then follow us, my levitating friend! The more the merrier. It beats staying here and starving." Traveler called out to the Tiefling.
Traveler ignored the black elf, the one who was trying to be threatening, but added his language with an insurgence of his psionic power within himself. "Everyone." Traveler called out to the others. "He says for us to follow him. Maybe he knows the way out of this place. It beats staying here." The halfling with the dagger, Jerrie Yrrum, has not made any other moves. Direction reported. Runner changed his orders. Tell me if anyone falls behind. he mentally told the psicrystal, thinking to himself. What a diverse group of people. Maybe I should watch my back. Traveler started walking behind the old man. (Perception check: ) Traveler started to notice the names on the walls. Thinking it prudent, he began memorizing sections of the walls as he walked past them, starting with his location. Autohypnosis: Memorize (800 words at a time)
Traveler faced the new arrival, and heard the goblin pipe up in Planar Common, surprising him. A planar-traveling gobin? he thought to himself. The half-human, a Tiefling?, talked about the names on all the walls. I would like to know what those are as well. Traveler told Direction. The one calling himself Hegar asked a question about what the old man had said. "He said we are visitors. Seven of us today." Traveler replied, loud enough for the woman Akasha and the hobgoblin Hegar to hear him. He addressed the old man again, keeping a nonthreatening pose. "Do you know how we got here?" Traveler asked, one arm indicating the stone platforms and walls. "Or where this is?"
Xor'Zel's already noticed Traveler has spoken Abyssal, Elven, and Terran, and he does have Common, so that's not a problem communicating. Traveler will be more than satisfied to let Hegar talk to Wazoo. :) I'm hoping by Traveler speaking Sharrim for Akasha, Byarsh will notice, and take over the translation responsibility when not in battle. Natural Linguist is not that expensive for Traveler to do every day, but the psionic power only lasts 60 minutes at his current level. More than enough for a battle, as well as time after, but costly if Traveler runs out of power points. I'm more than willing to spend the skill point myself to pick up Sharrim for Akasha. Which of her languages is the most widespread? Roleplaying-wise, Traveler has had to translate between his planar-traveling party and denizens of different Planes before. If DM Caleth doesn't whisk us off immediately, Traveler will try to read the names on the walls. He hasn't had time to do that yet. He can also memorize 800 words at a time using his Autohypnosis skill, and I was going to have him start memorizing left and right, if it's important to the plot.
I'm flexible, DM Caleth. Like I said, fascinating roleplay opportunity. I was choosing languages a little at random. I just have to re-do Abyssal. Macedonian looks good. I'd like to keep Celestial as Swedish, and Terran as Kannada. Other first-users can choose what they want from Google Translate.
Communication is going to be a problem! I haven't actually listed each language for each character; I'll try to do that later. But this is the reason I'm playing my psionic character the way I am. Instead of the Tongues spell, Traveler is using Natural Linguist, so he can add another language at a time. Just start talking. Maybe DM Caleth will ease this for us; otherwise, everybody will need to learn at least one language by the next level, or we'll have to use a relay method among the various translators for the party. Oh, what a roleplaying opportunity! :) Edit:
Akasha - Camthi, Djet, Sharrim, Xaidan, Planar standard Wazoo - Goblin, Planar Common, Canvarian, Orcish Byarsh Gyvualinn - Abyssal, Aklo, Auran, Celestial, Draconic, Infernal, Orcish, Planar Common, Sharrim, Sylvan, Terran, Undercommon Hegar 'Omir - Common, Goblin, Draconic, Infernal, Orc Jerrie - Common, Halfling, Elven "Traveler" Andrezi - Common, Planar Common, Abyssal (Russian), Celestial (Swedish), Dwarven (German), Elven (Greek),Terran (Kannada) Planar Common - Akasha, Byarsh, Traveler
So really everyone but Akasha has Common, and Akasha has Planar Common, which DM Caleth could rule is Common with either a different syntax or parameter. Not too hard, after all. Byarsh can actually relay translations for Akasha, since he knows Sharrim without a magic or power.
Traveler kept his attention on everyone else. "Let's introduce each other." he said. "Call me 'Traveler'." He saw the half-human start to levitate on his own, still peering intently at the walls. Interesting to know. Direction murmured to his red-headed master. Then Traveler finally turned around and saw the strange old man coming into their midst. "Well, hello, friend." he told the latest stranger. "Are you newly arrived like we are?"
Traveler added the language the woman was speaking to his translation power . "Well," he said to everyone in Planar Common "let's see if we can figure out why we are here. This is not the afterlife - I still feel alive - but we were brought here from some reason." Traveler pointedly ignored the gobin talking behind him. He touched his Headband with his free hand, and looked down at himself. "And where is all of my equipment? I had more than this." Traveler added.
Nothing against you, Wazoo. I'm not an English teacher, I'm a computer programmer. I found your mistakes quaint; Byarsh was commenting on tenses, so I thought I'd mention spelling mistakes. Just wait until I spell quite instead of quiet. :)
Traveler turned away disgustedly. Ignore it for now. he thought to himself. Everyone else on the stone platforms was awake now. The goblin's singing was still distracting him. The heterogeneous mix of people were alternating between looking at him, the goblin, the walls, and each other. They all appeared dangerous. His power still active, Traveler took the initiative. The hobgoblin yelled at the goblin to shut up as well; Traveler could communicate with him, good. "Can all of you understand me? Does anybody know why we are here?" he asked in Planar Common. The woman mumbled something, her lizard-like pet at her side. "I need you to talk before I can translate your words with my power." Traveler said gently, looking at her. His right hand still held Chaos Bringer pointed at the floor. I need a scabbard and a sword belt. Traveler thought.
You're complaining about tenses? Read Wazoo's profile page. He constantly drops "h" from nearly every word possible until he's re-done the writing three or four times. Little red lines under misspelled words, people! They're there for a reason! ;)
Traveler put his hands over his ears as best he could, with one hand still holding his longsword. "Shut up!" he yelled at the annoyance on the stone platform. When the caterwauling continued, he tried his other languages. "Halt die Klappe!" he tried in Dwarven. No response. "σκάσε!" in Elven next, then "Håll käft!" in Celestial. Still the little green creature kept screeching. "Заткнись! ಅಪ್ ಶಟ್!" Traveler tried in Abyssal as well as an Elemental tongue, Terran. The redhead turned away and began looking at the walls, the other...people beginning to stir on the platforms. You try. Traveler told Direction. Not feasible. If the goblin does not understand Common, nor any of your other languages, then I will not be able to telepathically communicate with it either. I suggest using your translation power. "Not yet." Traveler mumbled. The half-breed next to him was already off of his stone platform, looking at the names on the walls around them. Others were starting to stir, one man down the line giving them all a wary look, holding his dagger ready. Watch that one for me. the Elan told his psicrystal, getting an affirmative in response. Dropping his hand with Chaos Bringer to his side, to appear less threatening, Traveler said loudly in accent-less Planar Common "Is anyone a mage? With Silence? To stop this goblin from...whatever it is doing?" The redhead with the silver headband turned back to the creature on the stone slab, and concentrated, manifesting his translation power "Itzali gora!" he yelled over the goblin's screeching.
Ninja'ed by the stupid goblin. Traveler pulls out a blank book, conjures a pen into his hand, and begins writing down "The Further Adventures of Wazoo the Great", adding actual quotes from the goblin.
Traveler awoke with a start. He opened his eyes, but instead of the vastness of the Astral Plane, a normal world, or even the Chamber of Second Chances in the Elan enclave, Traveler was in a new place. A stone arch became a ceiling high above him in the dim light. Traveler felt he was resting on a stone platform or bench. The red-headed, human-appearing person sat up, noticing both his Headband of Vast Intelligence on his forehead, and the blue-white crystal the size of a child's fist in a golden necklace around his neck. "Well, Direction, where are we now?" Traveler asked his psicrystal. Location unknown. Time unknown. This is not a place we have been before. came the answer in Traveler's mind. Runner's right hand brushed something, and a familiar cacophony filled his mind . Traveler looked down, and saw what looked like a jagged piece of red-brown crystal with a exquisitely decorated wrapped-gold hilt and pommel lying next to him on the stone. "At least you're here too." he told Chaos Bringer as the weapon's music blared in his head. "Some help you were. You didn't even scratch those astradaemons." the redhead accused the sword as he gripped it. Wait. His charges. Traveler had died, releasing the hand of the other psion in his Astral Caravan chain, dropping the people into a random demiplane so that the astradaemons who were fighting them could not kill them nor follow them. Traveler had been by himself, fighting the horrific creatures in the hope that he could keep them from following the others. His last memory was feeling the astradaemon rip into his chest and touch his soul with the same vicious contact... Traveler looked around him, and he was surprised to see other stone platforms similar to the one he had awakened upon. To his left and right, stone blocks of various sizes extended beyond his sight. Those nearest him, however, held what appeared to be live beings. Traveler saw what looked like a goblin on one side and a human...no, a human with thornish protrusions growing from its forehead. A half-breed, then.
The goblin on the platform began screaming in a high-pitched keeling.
I seem to recall DM Caleth promising each of us a big bag of gold because we had to choose our "Big Three" up front for our resurrections! So after the introductions, Magic-Mart here I come!
I'm still wondering how DM Calelth is going to bring us all together....safely. In the opening scene. And just what we've gotten into.
Uh, I'm getting a little nervous here. A drow with a cursed intelligent blade, a guy who thinks he's dead, a goblin and a hobgoblin, a conniving liar, aaaannnd a CN witch. At first I was worried I might be too exotic for this crowd; now I'm worried I'm the (one of two) Good-aligned character(s) in a Suicide Squad! Yikes! Is this "sleep with one eye open" time? Or bring the Prozac?
Nooooo, not my precious power points! :) Actually, that's probably less harsh than applying a Concentration check to using psionics, or a limit to gaining more power points, or another type of penalty. Losing a soul (but having enough fragments left over for resurrection) is hard to define for future penalties. 1d4, 1d6, or 1d8? (considering he just leveled with 1d8 hit dice) Edit: just a reminder, DM Caleth, but "Traveler" is an Elan, not Human. He was made Elan from a Human, however, and looks like a Human with a little exotic red hair. So Traveler can get around needing to eat, does not age, sleeps like an elf, can reduce a little damage done to him, etc. I chose Elan to get "the basics" out of the way, and because it's a psionic race.
Your Elan (psionic) Astral Guide and Transporter re-dotting here. Jack-of-All-Trades and Knowledge Expert for the party. He slices, he dices, he heals, he picks locks, and he's got a psicrystal for the night watches! He's a team player, freely gives gifts away, and with a level or two he can change his psionic powers to whatever is needed.
Thanks, GM Caleth. The cost of the psionic tattoos totaled more than 6,000 gp, so I deleted one and added a less expensive tattoo to get the total to 5,250 gp, just under the limit. I'm curious to see how/where/when we wake up. Hopefully it's not a race to a score of demiplanes - Traveler's only good for a single trip until he levels and gets some tattoo-making materials!
Your Jack-of-All-Trades Elan Psionic Astral Transporter is ready for inspection. DM Caleth, I'll need a GM call if Andrezi awakens with all 20 of his psionic tattoos on his body. His big three are his psicrystal, his Headband of Vast Intelligence +2, and his +1 longsword of deep crystal. But his tattoos would be like allowing someone to wake up with 20 potions. I'm trying to discover the boundaries of your magical resurrection. :)
DM Caleth, I'm using OGC SRD online, which has all of the first Dreamscarred Press' Psionics Unleashed in it. I have also bought the PDF version of the book. Elans
If you need anything else, just ask.
You start with only the three items, since you begin with your characters being resurrected on a distant plane. Thus you only have the few items which are most integral to you. Argh. Re-doing the equipment list to reflect that ruling. More questions, because I desire to play an Elan Psion with a psicrystal and a body full of psionic tattoos: 1.) I'll go ahead and count the psicrystal as one of my three items2.) Do I get to keep the tattoos on my body? 3.) I'm guessing a filled-to-bursting Handy Haversack is against the "spirit" of the three items. :) HP: + = 38 for a 7th Level character. Lousy. Edit: the other problem is my character has the psionic power Call Item, which lets him "borrow" anything off the equipment list, given a 10/100/1000 gp limit. Is this against the rules, or just a lucky quirk for my character? Will you allow it?
Recycling a character from a failed campaign, dotting and rolling for interest. 11 (1 point)
Choosing an Elan Psion Nomad Elocator from Dreamscarred Press. Andrezi will be your party Transporter via Astral Caravan and psionic tattoos of Astral Traveler. (Gate being so high-level and expensive.) Give me a few hours to make up his character sheet and backstory. I am very interested to join and see who makes up this team. |