bigrig107's page

My apologies for the delay ladies and gents, life is still on and off busy for me, there will be days where I have just run out of energy and need to rest. Thank you for your patience through these past few months, and for what patience you still have yet to give!

I have hand-crafted a wonderful depth chart map for our use both now and as we continue through the game, and copied your tokens so we can do 3D underwater combat much easier. Just move your tokens on the Roll20 map on both the depth meter and the top down map as you move around.

The trip down through the water is surprisingly serene, once you get your breathing situation together that is. A handful of small fish flutter by here and there, but there doesn't look to be anything larger predator wise like the shark you fought earlier.

Two halves of a sunken ship (presumably the one you're here for) lay on the ocean floor, sixty feet below the surface, split in half as if by some titanic ancient force. The sun shines through the calm clear water, illuminating the entire area in much more light than you'd expect this deep. You can see that the southern half seems to be mostly upper decks and not likely to contain the treasure you seek, although the northern half looks to have the captain's quarters and a handful of other interesting rooms that are worth a look.

Post up! Apologies for being a day late, busy weekend. Feel free to post any preparations you made for the day you decided to make the trip to the sunken ship site.

Sometime in the weeks after you cleared out the strange Azlanti tower, the party gathers to chase after the story the water elemental told you: a tale of an ancient Azlanti ship full to the brim with treasure of that nearly forgotten empire. Will it be as exciting as you expect it to be, leaving your pockets full of Azlanti gold? Or will it be a tall tale, a lie or misinformation from the water elemental? Only one way to find out, you suppose.

The party chooses a fair weather day to make the several hour trip to the eastern shore of the island, heading towards the spot the elemental gave you. You've taken one of the ship's smaller rowboats with you (with Ramona's permission of course) and plan to use it to ensure you can make it to the water above the ruined ship below. Ramona has also provided you with

The sun is high above you in the sky when you finally arrive at the spot, and the sea is thankfully smooth sailing. A slight breeze drifts over the water, creating calm but steady waves. Rowing the small boat to the spot, you can just barely see the remnants of something deep beneath the waves. Whether or not it's the sunken ship remains to be seen, and will require a little bit more effort to reach than just swimming down, as it looks to be more than just a dip into the pool in terms of water depth.

A little bit of investigation shows it's a little over 50 feet down to whatever you see down at the bottom of the ocean here. The water is calm at the 'surface', and does not require any Swim checks to navigate; at least, for now. Might be different once you reach the bottom of the depths.

Aaaaand we're back! Sorry for the extended wait, things have been extremely busy and hectic what with the move and all.

I aim to get a post starting us back up tonight but if I can't get everything together it will definitely be done tomorrow afternoon.

After she's settled in (as much as one can settle in with only hunting gear and a pair of bedrolls, anyway), Nerissia does make good on her promise to meet back up with the rest of the party later that evening at the Witch's End. She doesn't leave Alocer at the manor either, instead taking him with her and glaring at anyone who dares speak up against her companion joining her in the tavern.

She walks up to the table just as Hannelia mentions their hunting trip, laughing quietly about it. "That she did. Wasn't that bad with a bow, I'll say that much. Could use a bit of work on the actual hunting part before you fire the arrow, but we'll have plenty of time for that I'm sure." she says, smiling towards the bard. When someone comes to get her drink order, her face pales a bit before she orders a water. "With lemon, if you have one."

Thereafter, she sits and listens to the conversation between the two women, simply observing without giving her own input. When Hannelia stands up to hug Emma, she scoots her chair out of the way and looks away, ostensibly under the excuse of seeing who's in the tavern that night. She's not sure she'd even recognize any newcomers or strangers other than herself, given how little she actually spends in places like this, but it can't hurt to see if anyone looks out of the ordinary for tavern-goes. Current company excluded, of course.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

"It appears that one of Thrune's thugs tortured a little girl to summon a gang of tooth fairies."

"Oh, how delightful!" Blosodriette calls out, cackling. "That is just diabolical. Was probably that b$*%@ witch who is always trailing Barzillai, wasn't it? She seems the type to be that crazed."

"Before we go, Blosodriette? Did you see anyone paying this place undo attention or anything else worthy of note?"

"Nope! It was extremely boring all day, had nothing to do but sit here and scratch at the walls. While you're out, do you think you could find me something to do? Books to read at least, I'm bored as Hell." she says, before breaking out in a fit of cackling laughter again at her pun.

Leaving the base and heading towards the Tooth and Nail, you discover that unfortunately the rain has only gotten worse. Though perhaps it's for the better, and will make your nighttime cemetery raid easier to accomplish without being caught.

The single-story Tooth and Nail is marked by nothing but a wooden post outside, four bent and rusty nails and six wolves’ teeth hammered into its weathered face. The tavern shares the building with a confectioner’s shop, identified by the words “Sweet Tooth” painted at its entrance on Tuce Alley. Inside, the Tooth and Nail carries the stink of stale beer, tobacco smoke, and less discernible odors hovering in the air like clouds of gnats. Narrow windows, stained yellow, allow in little natural light, and a few sputtering candles do little to disperse the gloom. The furniture is dilapidated, and was of poor quality even on the long-ago day it was fashioned.

The Tooth and Nail is also where you first met Rexus, and Setrona, the patron of the bar, remembers you as a friend of the people and welcomes you with a grin and some drinks. "Heya, good to see you again! We don't often have newcomers, but with the Thrashing Badger burnt down on the...night, more people have made their way in. What can I get for ya?"

The lizardfolk retreat back down the northern passage, keeping steady eyes on both you and the single gnome that remains behind as the rest of the svirfneblin slip back towards wherever their kind is located in this district of the city.

"Name's Gurnik Ironvein. Though the surname means nothing now, I suppose. Ever since those gods-damned trogs showed up and enslaved all of us." he says, looking nervously towards the direction the leftover troglodytes fled after combat. "Cmon, I can tell you more once we're safely hidden. They won't go after us in lizard territory." he says, quickly ushering the group through the front doors of the Gateside Inn.

The door opens to reveal a relatively intact inn front room, complete with only slightly rotting benches and a seemingly well-stocked bar. If the bar holds any suitable drinks is another matter entirely, and would require a bit more investigation. Gurnik waits until everyone is inside and at least somewhat comfortable before making his way over to a fireplace settled into the eastern wall. The way he moves makes it clear that he's used this place as a safe haven quite a few times, and within a handful of moments he has a nice warm fire going from a stack of logs set next to the fireplace. You hadn't realized it somehow but you've all felt damp and cold since you stepped through the gates of Brazenthrone, and the warm fire does a lot to help push that back.

"Now that we're all a little bit more comfortable, why don't you tell me a little bit about why you even decided to come into this awful place? It can't have been to trade or speak to any of the dwarves that built this place, they've been gone for some time now."

I am still around! Apologies for the extended absence, it has been one hell of a month. Working on getting things in order, should be back within the next week or so.

My mother is mostly better and in the recovery phase. We got her into a nursing recovery center, and she has been making great strides forward.

Thank you so much for your understanding, and patience.

Apologies for the silence, guys! My mom was put into the hospital with some serious health issues and my route changed my off days at work which has thrown me off completely, what with learning new things.

Will get a post up tomorrow afternoon after work! Thank you for your patience, sorry for any inconvenience.

Question: Does Kelpa’s +1 CL apply to water/swimming potions Ankha brews too, or just to her extracts?

Just the ‘casting’ of extracts.

Becky tries to discern Rayland's intentions toward Ramona/leadership of the colony

Unfortunately Rayland is a bit of a strange silent type, which only seems to have been pronounced by his mind control ordeal. He doesn't talk much outside of his time working on various projects, but he also seems to genuinely have the best interests of the colony and its people at heart. Becky can't detect any nefarious plots or conniving schemes to get back into control of the colony.

Eliza is obviously overwhelmed by Ankha's assault of words, and barely manages to get a word out. When she does, her voice is slow and methodical, as if she were recovering from some great ordeal. And perhaps she was.

"Ever since that elf took over my mind, I've had these...powers. They're magic but more emotional than I've heard about from other spellcasters. Not studied like wizards or from my blood like sorcerors, just all in my head. He must have messed something up in there, done some real damage...I'm not sure what's going on but you're right. I'll go speak to Ramona and Rayland, see if there's something they need help with. It doesn't help for me to mope around like I have been. Thanks, Ankha!" with that she does in fact leave to search Ramona out. Hopefully next time you speak she will be feeling better.

he stops by the tower to ask the robot ladies how they would feel about coming back to the settlement

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Braxton spends some time talking to the clockwork servants inside the tower that has recently become yours, and actually does manage to convince them to return to the colony with him. It'll take a bit of work and a lot of time to reprogram them away from their previous delicate ioun stone work, but in time they'll surely become valuable members of the colony.
The book doesn't come up with a reward or other benefit for recruiting the clockworks, but I'll give it a bit of thought and see what I can do.

Want to explore the sunken ship now, then? Once that's done we can head into the events of book 2 proper.

Sylthara rolls her eyes at all of the pomp and circumstance for their little band's maiden voyage, as it were. She has spent most of the party slinking around the edge's of the party, knowing just how most of the people here would likely treat her anyway.

When her clan had sent her away to be their 'representative' in this little adventuring band, she had known it was an honor. She was the Prophet of Flame, after all! She was here to spread the glory of flame amongst the lands that didn't have the enlightenment she could provide. But these people, all these self-serving cowards hiding behind the walls of the fort? They were so foreign to her, so strange. She had spent all of her life in the muck and mud of the marsh that all of this pretentious ceremony seemed beyond her.

And yet, she still mingled when appropriate, to the right people. They may be foreign, but they certainly weren't useless. More supplies, more help, you never knew what people would be willing to give to appear good in the eyes of others.

She had seen several of the others in their lucky band floating around through the hall before dinner was served, but hadn't spoken to them yet. All of those introductions and pleasantries could be taken care of after the food was served. And holy fire, was she hungry.

Maybe you could give me an upper gp limit and I can only generate up to that amount of potions/gold?

This is the solution I have landed on, yeah. I actually came up with an interesting idea (in my mind, at least) in the form of tying the gathered ingredients to the 'treasure per encounter' numbers' as a guideline for expected amounts of extra fake gold in ingredients to use for potions and other alchemical items.

For this specific first instance, I'll say the colony has enough spare time to spend on searching for ingredients to equal two CR 4 medium encounters, or 2,300 gp for these six weeks. This system allows me to scale the gold awarded in ingredients to your level and the circumstances of the colony.

I'll continue to use this system in the future to supplement the treasure the AP assumes you'll have.

For ‘selling’: I believe we can trade stuff for its gp value in raw materials for crafting.

You can! The next supply ship will return three weeks into the six weeks of downtime, and you can sell any big ticket items you don't want to trade for materials. Can also place buy orders with the ship, so that a little bit after the second book starts you can get anything you specifically want to buy from the mainland. There are also a few crafters in the colony for goods beyond just alchemy (Luetin can make any basic weapons or armor you might want to purchase, there's at least one cleric with Scribe Scroll, and Alba can help make alchemical things for a price).

Is there anyone in town that knows about robot ladies that Braxton might talk to about reprogramming them?

Yeah! A blacksmith by the name of Luetin Calewick came with the ship you all rode to the colony on, and he might be of some help working with the clockwork ladies to reprogram them to help you with menial tasks around the colony.

I am working on a longer post on Ramona's interactions with Rayland, Eliza's waking up, and the six weeks downtime period. They have a few side quests we can go on, if any of them sound good to you. I didn't quite get to finish it in time (gotta work tomorrow so it's bed time for me), but I'll have it up tomorrow afternoon. Apologies for the delays, and I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!

Shaggar pushes open the gate after just a little bit of effort, the decades since its last use obviously having weakened its strength as a defense. He shortly learns why the harpy hadn't tried to make the city proper its home, however, as the door opens upon a terrible horror.

Map updated.

The strange visage of a horrible tusked beast leers out from the darkness in front of the group, presenting a fearsome grimace as you stare into its empty skull-like face. You prepare yourself for the inevitable strike, only to realize that it isn't skull-like, it actually is a skull. The tusks of the skull are as large as greatswords, and appear to be as sharp. The badly damaged bars of an ancient portcullis have smashed through the giant skull, leaving holes as wide around as Shaggar's arm in the bone as it pins it to the floor. There doesn't appear to be any way to open the portcullis from this side, but the damage from the hardened skull has left an opening wide enough for a small character (such as your local friendly halfling perhaps) to squeeze through and hunt for a lever, and you can see four different doorways set in the wall.

The tusked skull sits at the head of a massive snake-like skeletal outline, but that isn't even the worst part. You can see the pile of bones nearly to Shaggar's waist covers the floor on the other side of the skull, and a serpentine skeleton connected to the giant skull weaves through the hoard of bones scattered in the entrance hall. There must be hundreds of skeletons in all, most of them seeming to be intact.

A persistent haunting quiet drapes over the entrance hall, broken only by the faint sound of wind now entering the tunnel from behind you and your own noises.

Apologies friends, have been recovering from a nasty infection I received as a Christmas present from the universe. Good to go and back up and running!

Once you've told Ramona everything you want to, asked her any questions you may have, and dealt with Eliza, we'll probably skip through the six weeks of downtime with a few events here and there, then get started on book two!

The eggs don't put up a fight, and no other crawling things come out of them. Seems as if the mother worm was a relatively new mother.

With the harpy slain and her hoard cleaned out, you're free to investigate the rest of the small trading post. Unfortunately for Rutilux and his elegant tastes, the rest of the buildings are in a similar state to the silk shop and main building. The rest of the larger buildings include a shrine to some dwarven god that has obviously seen better days (area 4), a handful of other traders that have unfortunately been raided for all they had (areas 8, 11, 12, and 13), and a large warehouse that has remained locked and closed throughout the many years since its last use.

With the trading post finally explored to the fullest, that leaves just the path forward to the several story tall gates of Brazenthrone.

For specifically crafting, you can only spend 8 hours per day crafting, no matter what you make. You don't know this yet (but soon will so it's okay to tell you), but you'll be getting six weeks of downtime to interact with the colonists before book two starts in earnest. You'll work on the colony, and although we won't be using the full Ultimate Campaign rules, there may be a handful of tasks that Ramona assigns you or certain colonists might ask you to do.

I am more than willing to handwave past those trips to the celedons (and it is spelled celedons, not caledons) from Ankha, letting her study and craft and rest during the downtime.

I'll be getting a longer post (detailing Ramona's reactions and what the colonists have to say) up in a little bit, my family is doing Christmas a day early because my parents are visiting family in Florida tomorrow.

With the manor and farmhouse plundered of that which you want to take, you walk through the town and gather the more important people left over after you cut the head off of the cult. The villagers aren't super quick to believe you, but after you display the evidence you gather (and take some of them to see the ruined cornfield maze) they swiftly accept that maybe you have a point here.

A chorus of cawing ravens rings out over the village as hundreds of the birds descend on the maze feast’s remnants. The birds gorge themselves on the spoiling food, and not a single soul stirs within the village. Shops remain closed, rapped doors go unanswered, and even the ferry does not cross the Lampblack this morning, so you'll have to wait a few hours for the village to fully process what has happened and been happening to their town and their visitors for decades.

Even before word spreads of the massacre at the Chenowitz place, the people of Ravenmoor can feel a difference in the air—their lives have changed forever. Many of the villagers find it difficult to believe that their beloved mayor had anything but the town’s best interests at heart, but that too passes with the overwhelming evidence.

Rajuna, following up on the trail of the mayor's brother, talks to the proprietor of the ferry and finds that he took the last trip across the river the previous night, before the full 'festivities' happened to and around you. Seems as if he escaped before things went sideways, although you get the feeling that you haven't seen the last of him quite yet.

With all that business done (and any other loose ends you want to tie up before leaving), the villagers draw up a small breakfast for you as you wait for the ferry to leave. Although they of course understand that you might not want to eat anything from there, they also allow you to take the loot you've gathered from both the cultist's farmhouse and everything you took from the manor without a fight.

And that's that! If you have anything else you wanna do feel free to ask or remind me about, but you're good to leave and get on going towards Lepidstadt!

Ah apologies my friends, thought I had posted earlier, but I got sick and felt awful for a bit. Am much better now, will catch up and get a post up tomorrow!

The elevator continues its descent into the darkness below the stirge, leaving them far behind you for now. The rest of the journey down is uneventful thankfully and takes nearly a full 8 hours, plenty of time for the group to rest and recover from the extremely eventful past few days. Finally, the grinding sound of gears below you wakes any of you who have slept and you discover that the metal disk isn't moving anymore.

As the elevator groans to a halt and its massive doors creak open, a breathtaking sight unfolds before you. The cavern stretches so far that its edges blur into darkness, and the air is filled with a strange, serene warmth. Overhead, golden rays of sunlight cast soft radiance across the vast expanse in small amounts, illuminating fields of green and gold that ripple with unseen breezes. Neatly arranged rows of crops blanket the cavern floor—wheat, barley, and unfamiliar leafy plants sway gently, their colors unnaturally vibrant for such a subterranean place. Farmers prowl the fields, ensuring both that they are protected from intrusion and tended to properly.

Ahead, towering gates of carved stone dominate the landscape, their massive cylindrical towers etched with countless narrow windows like watchful eyes. Statues of grim dwarves, stoic and eternal, stand guard on balconies high above, their golden accents glinting in the warm light. The gates themselves are flanked by intricate pillars and crowned with vaulted arches that seem to touch the heavens—or at least what passes for them here.

Slightly off in the distance, at what appears to be an hour walk through the fields of crops, stands a small collection of buildings that looks to be some sort of trading post, or farmstead? Hard to tell exactly, but you can see figures moving around over that way.

And we're back! Apologies for being away a little longer than I expected, took a bit more time off than I thought I would. Excited to get us moving again!

Hey guys, I’ve got a week of vacation from work coming up starting Sunday, and I’m going to be using most of that week as a small break/vacation from my games as well. Just feeling a tiny bit of burnout and don’t want it to escalate into making the game worse for all of us.

I’ll be around through the end of Saturday, but from Sunday to around Friday-ish the plan is for me to be ‘out of the office’. If I feel rested and refreshed enough to get back into it before then I will, but plan for this week to be downtime.

I’ll get a post up this evening detailing some info from the man, who he is and what happened etc.

In other news: book 1 finished! Which means you’ve hit level 4, and coincidentally a perfect place to take that break of mine.

Finally, Ankha manages to take the skum down, her cleaving blade slicing into his chest and leaving the beefier thing dead on the floor.

The man doesn't strike at Braxton as he moves past and the daring swashbuckler is able to swiftly knock Eliza out; she falls to the floor out cold.

Skum killed and Eliza knocked unconscious. Combat over!

Becky does miss, but is close enough to hitting Eliza to cause her illusory double to disappear.

Ankha hits the skum squarely again on the shoulder, but this one appears to be tougher than the others you've met so far and takes the deep strike in stride without too much trouble, though he is certainly bloodied and severely wounded.

Total damage to skum: 41. Good lord Ankha does a lot of damage!

Got birthday celebrations today, so gonna take the day off from most other things. Will be back tomorrow!

Luckily, Maccha's expertise with keeping hidden allows the group to maintain their secrecy and avoid any untoward patrols (and there are a handful of CCG bands roaming through the streets). Believer's foresight to use her magical ability reveals the hidden cache among the rubble.

A small coffer hidden away in a nook in the walls survived the fire, with each of the potions and scrolls contained within being properly labeled. The scrolls in the coffer are a scroll of cure moderate wounds, a scroll of daylight, a scroll of remove blindness/deafness, and a scroll of remove disease. The potions include three potions of lesser restoration and four potions of cure light wounds. Beyond the hidden away cache of supplies, there isn't much to be found here either.

As Llewela returns from her information gathering, she collects yet another rumor. The people are extremely talkative, it seems!

“Looks like Thrune’s bringing public excruciations to Kintargo. I can’t imagine that’ll increase his popularity around these parts, even if the criminals he punishes deserve it. This ‘doghousing’ thing sounds particularly frightening!”

"I think it best if you speak with Lady Silvermoon. We'll be back to help tell the rest later."

Verik looks somewhat disappointed at the answer, but nods and doesn't object. "I think I'll go do that now if you don't mind. Is she recovered from her illness, I wonder? Hope she's taking visitors." he says, obviously trying to keep the mood high but clearly failing. Unless you have anything else to say to or ask of him, he moves off towards her manor.

The gnoll begins looking for fresh 'Lucina' tracks.

Unfortunately even with the gnoll's heightened senses, he can't catch on any specific tracks from whatever it is that the group is now hunting. That leaves just heading to the Lunar Well, and after taking a small stop at the general store (run by a lovely older couple, Clara and Clive) for supplies you make your way over to the forest to the northeast of the town where Verik told you the well was.

As soon as you enter the forest and pass under the canopy the trees create, it almost feels as if you're back under the 'curse' of the moon-filled sky. It's so dark and eerie here but somehow there isn't any feeling of dread, instead being replaced with a calm tranquility. The clearing with the well itself is right ahead, a break in the trees showing off just how large it is. The well is nearly 20 feet wide, and the area surrouning it is still shrouded in moonlight even though the bubble has been broken. As you come into sight of it, you can feel a presence almost absentmindedly watching over you as you observe what is ultimately a relatively unembellished stone well full of perfectly clear water. This time it is not as malevolent, however, and you feel somewhat safer even being in the clearing than the rest of the Glade.

A cool refreshing breeze sweeps through the group as you take your first few steps towards the well, and a voice rides along with the breeze that can only be described as ethereal and distant, almost like the soft echo of the wind through the trees or the faint chime of distant stars. It is soothing, calm, and layered with a gentle power that feels both reassuring and ancient.

"My children of the mortal world... The darkness you’ve lifted from this sacred glade has not gone unseen. For your courage, for your kindness, I offer you my thanks, and grant you a small favor. Walk in the light, and may the moon ever guide your steps."

Once per day, each of you may reroll a single d20, even after you've seen the result. In addition, you may lose the power of this boon permanently to treat any d20 as natural 20 on said dice.

Apologies friends, been a bit sick lately. Moving on!

You know from Ankha's knowledge check that they likely won't follow you away from the tower, as they've been programmed to defend it from the likes of you. If you want to run, you can.

Kiley is adept enough at musical theory to understand which keys are which, and after singing the notes she is confident enough to play the tone on the piano. A bright silver flash of light explodes from the piano, but this time there is no accompanying shock of holy energy. A loud grinding sound comes over from the fireplace as it slides away from where it is into the wall, revealing a set of marble stairs leading down into the darkness.

A quick frown flies across Gix’s face as the fireplace disappears, and he drops whatever wood he had gathered while you dealt with the piano puzzle.

As you find the level down, you level up! You’re all now level 3!

Hey guys I’m sorry to do this, especially during this sore ofc story moment (though it feels in character for Lir), but I’ll be stepping down from this game. Feel free to have her stick around as an NPC until it makes sense for her to disappear.

Both my GM and work duties have increased as of late, and I don’t have the time to devote to everything I want to do. It’s been great fun, and I really am grateful for the chance to play her. Thanks, GM Peachbottom!

Oh, and be sure to kick Bartelby’s ass for me, would ya?

Nerissia isn't immediately happy to hear the footsteps of new arrivals heading towards the devil she hadn't managed to deal with yet. She knew what it was, but not much more than that. Would have to consult the books again now that she had seen it.

But that was a thought for another time. Not knowing how many people were in this new group, she didn't really want to engage in any sort of interaction with them but at this point it wasn't worth trying to remain hidden: they'd find her little impromptu 'safe room' soon enough. Didn't really want to put Alocer back into the fight so soon after his injury, but needs must. A single clear and loud command issued from her lips brings him up to attention from where he was resting, immediately right back into alert mode.

Gathering her weapons and immediate combat gear, Nerissia pushes the door open and comes face to face with Emma (an interesting first contact!). She sees an obvious tiefling woman, a pair of ram horns curling over raven dark hair combined with her pink-tinted skin giving it away a little too easily. Her black armor is inscribed with a five pointed star on each shoulder and what looks like a dragon-like creature pierced by several spears sits in the middle of her chest, behind a ruby jeweled pendant in the shape of that same five-pointed star. In her hand is a mace elegantly crafted from a dark black metal and sharpened to exquisite points on the flanges, and a small buckler is strapped to her left hand.

Her eyes glance up and down the figure before her in an action that could be construed as checking her out, but is actually the hunter sizing up the newcomer. "What are you doing here?" are the first words out of her mouth to the paladin, more of a demand than she meant for it to sound like.

"Alocer, heel." she follows the first sentence with an order to her fennec companion behind her, as his hackles had started to rise.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9
Knowledge (Planes): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

You don’t need to use a hero point reroll, Trevor. The first roll is high enough to activate the scroll and the second roll (using the caster level of the scroll) is enough to dispel the curse.

I think we did it!

Oh, just noticed he missed the DC by 1, thanks for the assist Henrika!

Verik chuckles overly loud at the jokes about Shaggar's preferences, his boisterous laughs shaking both his frame and the table.

I hope you will speak well of me - discreetly - to any lady wolves in the village who may be interested.

"I suppose that is something that I could do for you, friend."

"If not for you, I might be dead right now."

"Presumably you mean the fight with the worg? I can't imagine how harrowing that must have been for you." he says, shaking his head in both disgust and disappointment.

"I also don't know how we let a monster like that live in our glade for so long either. We shall learn soon enough, however, as I intend to do a ton of research in my archives tonight. With the new information you've brought me, it should be easier to pinpoint what's useful and what isn't."

And she's done! Excited to join you all whenever I do show up.

"Do not be so quick to pawn away your keepsakes. Decisions made in grief can be rash and sorely regretted later."

"I...thank you. So much." Rexus says, his hands shaking as he reaches out to take back the signet ring. "Trust me, it is not out of grief that I offered it. I just wanted to show you all how serious I am about this entire ordeal. We will succeed, or die trying." he finishes, trying to sound dramatic and enthused, but coming off more like someone who most certainly is out of their depth. He means well, that's for sure!

"Thanks a lot for your help, Rexus. If there isn't anything more to discuss, I'd like to rest for today and we can stake our target early in the morning tomorrow."

The man nods, almost seeming like he didn't even think about that. "Of course, of course. It's been a long day already, I'm sure. Take as much time as you need, I'll see all of you in the morning." he says before heading back out front and making sure everything was arranged for your overnight stay.

I'd have to read the rules and familiarize myself with them, but seems like a good idea yeah. I like it! I had asked earlier if the group wanted to use the Ultimate Campaign rules, so I'm down.

Believer, with her memorable chant and appearence, garners some recognition from the crowd. They recognize who she is, and move out of the way when she walks to join the mint advocates.
Believer gains a +1 on Charisma-based checks for the next 24 hours, and the crowd no longer counts as difficult terrain for her.

Maccha attempts to use Believer's chant to silence some more loyalists, but they don't seem to listen or care about the mint issue. Must not be tea-drinkers, she thinks.

Tessa, working with Llewala, finally manages to spot the contact that they've been sent to find at about three minutes after the third hour of the protest passes. They start to make their way towards him, but the loud ringing peals of the bells of the Cathedral of Asmodeus chime three times, drowning out any protests on both sides and drawing the attention of the entire crowd.

A moment later, a figure on the opera house balcony throws the curtains open and steps out to address the crowd. It's obvious who this figure is that's been watching from the opera balcony: Barzillai Thrune. Thrune is an imposing man dressed in red, orange, and black clothing and an ornate breastplate, all emblazoned with the pentagram of Asmodeus and the cross of Cheliax. Middle-aged, with short, dark hair and a diabolical mace cradled in his hands, the lord-mayor of Kintargo addresses the crowd with a condescending sneer. The gathering swiftly grows quiet as he clears his throat and speaks to the crowd.

“Ah, my adoring little chickadees. I am sorry to say I have not yet adapted to your quaint, country ways, being accustomed as I am to the sophistication and learning of Egorian. Nonetheless, know I have heard your concerns, and that I appreciate your valued feedback, and I know we shall eventually find a mutual understanding in the fullness of time. I take pride in updating Kintargo’s quaint, outdated laws to the modern standards the city deserves, and strengthening its ties with the empire in these cruel times, but obviously I have approached my duties too aggressively."

“You say you chafe at the presence of nonnatives in positions of power. That authorities not of this city have no place as its leaders? That you will not be yoked by intruders? Your lord-mayor hears you. And so it is with a heavy heart that I issue this proclamation, in response to your demands: all ships’ captains are hereafter barred from leaving their vessels and setting foot on Kintargo docks or streets, under pain of...let’s say... squassation!”

So I had a thought while reading the proclamations and did a little search and discovered I'm not the first person to have this thought.

James Jacobs says it's a coincidence, and while that makes sense, given the rebellious themes tied up with tea in general... it makes me ponder. Given we are an all female party, and with ties to herbalism, is this an angle we want to pursue?

My guess is that I might be the only one who actually identifies as female behind the screen, as this has happened to me before. XD

I do recognize that this might draw too many real world parallels and end up being too politically/religiously charged for comfort, but I thought I would put it out there and see what my fellow rebels and the GM thinks... No worries if you think it's a bad idea! ^_~

I can certainly appreciate the message that interpretation would add to the game, but I think I'll stick with the 'intended' interpretation.

It's one of those things that's just too close to real life issues that people face today (from either side), and I don't see it significantly adding to the game compared to Thrune just banning having tea at night. I am not one to say that politics cannot have a place in my games, but I will be avoiding this specific topic.

Thank you for your understanding!

It's only been a tenday since the previous lord-mayor, Jilia Bainilus, abandoned Kintargo and fled on a ship to Arcadia. Since then, Barzillai Thrune was appointed the interim lord-mayor. He acted quickly to secure his hold over the typically more freedom-oriented city, enacting his sevan proclamations shortly after his appointment.

Then, seven days ago, in an event now known as the Night of Ashes his agents struck at suspected rebellious centers. Several dissident groups (including the church of Milani) found themselves waking to a day without leadership, and are still reeling from the losses incurred that one single night.

Feel free to roleplay with each other a bit before heading to the protest if you so wish, I know you had discussed the group knowing each other ahead of the game starting.

At the protest:

Even with the cobblestones of Argent Avenue and the foliage of Aria Park still wet from the morning’s light rain, dozens of Kintargans have gathered along the facade of the opera house to protest the city’s new lord-mayor, Paracount Barzillai Thrune. The city’s new leader was appointed by Her Infernal Majestrix, Queen Abrogail II, in the wake of the previous lord-mayor’s sudden flight from the city—an event that still has local rumormongers whispering furiously. In a scant seven days, Paracount Thrune has instituted martial law, a curfew, and seven outlandish and polarizing proclamations. These actions and more have called many of Kintargo’s dissatisfied citizens here on this overcast morn. There’s been no sign yet of Barzillai Thrune himself, and the opera house’s doors remain tightly closed—as they have since the man chose the landmark as his new home—but judging by the growing sound of the protesters, he surely can’t ignore the scene on the streets below much longer.

Place yourselves anywhere on the map linked above. As the protest begins, the citizens of Kintargo begin filing in (the unhappy faces).. During the protest you will each have the option of performing a task or two (listed below). Feel free to meander about the park and interact. You may perform one of the listed tasks now.

The black shapes on the map represent the crowd, and will be difficult terrain to move through should you need/wish to do so.

This was one of the hardest recruitments that I have ever had to make decisions for, but I did it! Thank you so much, everyone, for your wonderful submissions. I genuinely enjoyed all of the creative ideas out there!

Now, with that being said, will the players below report to the discussion thread.

Believer
Tessa Sarini
Maccha Licinus
Llewela Oakfield

Welcome to the rebellion!

Wow, a shot at a Hell's Rebels game! Looks like I'm waaaaay behind, but still have a chance to sneak in a submission before tomorrow.

I'll try to get an idea put together tonight. If I can't, just pretend this post isn't even here.

If you can get it all together (or mostly so) by the end of tomorrow CST, you'll count!

From what I see in your application, Adam, that’s more than plenty for me to consider you. The fleshing everything out can be done after selection, if you make it.

I won’t let the schedule change (from me getting a ton of submissions) impact players them in that way, as long as it’s mostly complete.

I made a post asking whether my build plan is legal at your table. While I think it, I wanted to check with you on it.

I replied in my last comment, looks all good to me! It works the way you want it to, as far as I can tell.

1. From age.

2. There is some rock, I’ll allow a survival check to hide your tracks. Plenty of large trees around, hanging the totem in one of them is easy enough.

Also, I forgot! For defeating the worg and uncovering the secrets of the totem, you earn one Hero Point! Here is an explanation of what you can use Hero Points for. One of my other games (that I’m a player in, actually) is using them and they really enhance the game. So I figured we’d use them!

Thanks for the answer. I have a follow up, where does high bonuses to skill checks play in your analysis of power gaming?

For example: I build a character that is exceptionally good at Disguise and Bluff.

Definitely not power gaming imo, I love skill use in games. Just don't expect them to be auto-win buttons in every situation.

I appreciate the question! I, as a GM, am heavily in the “RP over combat” corner. If you’re looking to power game and solo encountered this might not be the game for you.

Not that there’s anything wrong with wanting that, just not my personal playstyle.

I just don't opt to use it as a GM because I learned how to use sheets and am also old and set in my ways, lol.

I'm not quite old, but I am set in my ways! No need to spend time learning something new when I am comfortable with what I have.

I am not sure about owning a home yet, I will look into that.

Also, content warning! I forgot to mention this at the start and I do apologize, but this AP deals with certain violent subjects (the most common one being punishment by torture but is certainly not the only one), so if you are not okay with that you might want to sit this one out. I don't believe any of the PCs will be subjected to torture, but I cannot be sure on that as I have not read every book quite yet.

Is that something you can work with, GM?

Yeah, all of that sounds good. Do note, however, that if you go with tiefling that Cheliax will not view your heritage as a positive thing. I'm sure you know cause you mentioned it but Chelish loyalists will see your existence as a weakness in dealing with Hell, not a benefit.

GM, would you be alright with the Soulbound Summoner archetype?

Absolutely, I don't discriminate on material just because it's in an AP. There may be other problems with said material, but not in this case.

I'd like to politely ask for any discussion about everyone going for a single class (bard in this case) or a single race to stop.

I appreciate the sentiment, but for everyone here just know that I don't intend to take any "all one class" or "all one race" party. You won't be at a disadvantage for your choice of class/race for that sake (although some ideas just won't fit, but that's normal), and I won't feel any pressure to take any of those team comps.

Question for GM, what map solution are you planning on using?

We'll be using Roll20. I've tried a few others but Roll20 is the one I'm familiar with and don't particularly have any interest in learning a new one.