Here is the illo of our intrepid scout, Dram Cicaeda. http://www.superunicorn.com/diamond_lake/dram.jpg
I'm with Jeremy on the hat..!
*wondering about armor bonus...*
I've got an artist in my group who sketches during the game (sort of like a court sketch artist covering that week's drama)... but the credentials aren't even close... :-P
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Tonight's session I shall subtitle "I Should Have Spent the Hero Point."
Vyth, my 2nd-level ninja (yay, we hit 2nd level!) mostly hung out and got ready for an ambush. And ambush he did! When the half-orc barbarian stepped out and threatened Dram (Kyle's character) Vyth tossed a shuriken, got his sudden strike damage, and rolled max on both dice: 10 points of damage. To the eye! Yeah!
The next round he used his ghost step ability (oh yeah!) to turn invisible, ran over to the corner of the roof he was on (how ninja is that?!?!) and jumped down to bring Xan Yae shadow warrior silent assassin ninja skilz ass whoopin' to the other bad guy. Everybody was totally into my plan (Erik was pumped up on the super cool ninja factor of it). I rolled a 3. Add in all the modifiers and I got a 10.
I should have used a hero point!!! ::sob::
Quotes:
Erik, as a stupid NPC explaining the throwing knife game: "A lot of places paint it [the center of three circles] red, but this place paints it green."
Sean, as Taan: "That's got to be confusing for a lot of people."
Erik, as stupid NPC: "I don't know. I'm color blind."
Erik, as long-faced bad guy to Taan: "Stay out of your fu-- Stay outta my business!"
Tyrlandi, after Vyth took 14 points of damage the round after he failed his almost cool ninja attack: "The gardner ninja is down again. Poor little guy. He tries so hard..."
Pictures when it's not late at night!
Multiple NPCs to Sean, as Taan: "Don't look like any elf I've ever seen."
(I think that's the catchphrase for his character now.)
That would be because Taan is a 6' tall Valley Elf.
Sean, OOC: "This is the last time I forget to cast mage armor on myself."
This, unfortunately, would not be the last time I utter that very quote.
This is an amazingly cool thread. I cannot wait to read the character journals.
Mike, I gotta ask: how in the world do you effectively roleplay a mute character? I mean, I know he is a sneaky ninja and all... but mute?? Do you talk OOC? Use hand signals? Just act all mysterious? :P
I am also playing a Ninja- specifically a Ninja/Cleric of Xan Yae- as a nihilist. Fun stuff. Great class- trickier than a rogue, but more satisfying when the ninja-goodness works out.
I am curious how you game pros interpret ghost step (invisible) btw: since it says "1 round" instead of "as invisiblity spell" we presume that the effect does not end after an attack action. Is that how you are playing it?
I always wondered if the editorial staff for Dungeon gamed. Very cool--I love Greyhawk, I switched to 3.5 last year and re-started my original Greyhawk campaign from 1982....2 returning players (weighing twice as much, more than twice as old, and with a heck of a lot less hair) and 4 new players....restarted my Dungeon subscription too....
Can't wait to see Kyle's illustrations for the rest of the party.
Oh, and Kyle, you still have my Scott McCloud book, dude. : |
- rob
Creative Director
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Mike, I gotta ask: how in the world do you effectively roleplay a mute character? I mean, I know he is a sneaky ninja and all... but mute?? Do you talk OOC? Use hand signals? Just act all mysterious? :P
I'm not Mike, but I can answer for him since he can't talk.
He uses hand signals and facial expressions to communicate in character. He talks plenty when he's telling Erik what his character's doing, or chatting with other players, or telling other players what his character's doing. But he doesn't talk. He doesn't even write messages, cause that would be cheating, apparently.
OH! And I'm happy to report that tonight, the mute ninja finally came into his own. Not only did he not get knocked out, but he got to use his ninja skills to pretty effectively ruin two of the bad guys. Well done!
In the Less Cool category, my character got her first chance to try to usurp control over some undead. She tried six (6) times to command a simple single lowly skeleton, and the highest she rolled on her turn checks was an 11. Since there was some filthy necromancy stank in the air or something, this wasn't good enough.
Oh well... at least no one in the party yet knows she commands undead rather than turns them. Which means I can put off that bit of inter-party distress for another day...
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He uses hand signals and facial expressions to communicate in character. He talks plenty when he's telling Erik what his character's doing, or chatting with other players, or telling other players what his character's doing. But he doesn't talk. He doesn't even write messages, cause that would be cheating, apparently.
Yep, James covered it pretty well there. It's a TON of fun playing a character with a huge drawback like that, and it's even more fun to see how the other PCs interact with him and try to explain him to NPCs.
OH! And I'm happy to report that tonight, the mute ninja finally came into his own. Not only did he not get knocked out, but he got to use his ninja skills to pretty effectively ruin two of the bad guys. Well done!
For the first time ever, Vyth took a hit and didn't fall down. I was shocked. ;)
So I enjoy putting up quotes from the night before, but unfortunately many of the funniest quotes are not PG or even PG-13. We're a pretty rowdy bunch, and Kyle's character is humorously foul-mouthed. That means that many of the quotes I put up here are the sometimes slightly less funny but family friendly quips and notations. With that said, here are a couple quips from last night (we were in a battle most of the evening so not a lot of hilarity ensued).
• Kyle, as his character Dram lay paralyzed next to the dying necromancer (dying from a shuriken in his neck, I might add): "The necromancer and I spoon."
This relaunched the topic I had brought up earlier in the evening about funny but inappropriate comments. Kyle staunchly held the position that this comment did not cross the line, and so I include it here. ;D
• Sean, as Taan: "Are you guys done hacking those zombies to death?"
There were zombies. Tyralandi and Tassilo (Wes's new character) were bashing them. Taan wasn't helping. Taan is kind of a jerk. That's pretty much all you need to know for this one. ;)
In addition to Vyth (my character) not falling down in combat (a campaign first) there were a few other memorable moments (for me, at least) last night.
• Jeremy's character Demon Boy threw himself in front of a zombie to save Tyralandi (James's character) and to keep James from spending a hero point.
• When Vyth went to shuriken the necromancer I was chanting "Come on twenty" and then flinging my die all over the place. After it fell on the floor twice (much to the annoyance of James and Erik) I rolled it like a normal person and it came up natural 20. Sean stood up and gave me a high-five and he and I pretty much led the 20-second celebration of my good fortune that culminated in me rolling a 2 on the confirmation roll. ;D
• There was a long discussion about how to pronounce "necromancer." Apparently, I pronounce it incorrectly (with the accent on the CRO), but the way everyone else pronounces it sounds like fingernails on chalkboards to my ears. So I put up with their teasing because I can't bring myself to pronounce it NEcromancer. ;)
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To answer your other question, Rowport, the ninja's invisibility works like the spell but it only lasts 1 full round. If you go invisible and just move around, the invisibility wears off just before your turn the following round. If you go invisible and attack, you become visible right away. However, the benefit of it is that creatures that can't see invisible are flat-footed to you, and so you get to use your sudden strike damage (which is how I brought down the neCROmancer last night).
Talk about cool timing: literally minutes after posting my message last night, I went to check the mailbox, and found copies of both Dungeon and Dragon had arrived- both with Erik's editorials talking about this campaign! Serendipity. :)
Props to you, Mike, for sticking to the letter of the vow of silence. That would be tough to maintain.
Re: ghost step (invisible): if the effect does end after an attack action, I might have to ask my DM to change my character- the problem in his case is that he is a Ninja/Ranger/Cleric (I know, I know... multiclass caster...) using the two-weapon fighting style with the expectation that he got two sudden strikes (within the 1 round duration of effect). If it will only apply to the first attack, that fundamentally changes my combat strategy!! Anyway, thanks for the info!
• There was a long discussion about how to pronounce "necromancer." Apparently, I pronounce it incorrectly (with the accent on the CRO), but the way everyone else pronounces it sounds like fingernails on chalkboards to my ears. So I put up with their teasing because I can't bring myself to pronounce it NEcromancer. ;)
Actually Mike, I think you might be more correct - as opposed to those who say Neeh!-cromancer. According to the Oxford dictionary it should be pronounced nec'-ro-manc-er where the "ne" sounds like the beginning of 'nemisis' or 'neck'. Of course if you are 'coughing' out the "cro" like high a high-schooler who doesn't want to get caught swearing that would be pretty wrong too. D&D pronounciation is pretty easy compared to the stuff in the old World of Darkness. Just remember your Greek "CH"s and your fine.
So I enjoy putting up quotes from the night before, but unfortunately many of the funniest quotes are not PG or even PG-13....
Boy Mike, I can hardly wait for the pictures!
Or is that your other game?Greet Green Gode, dontcha know.
So I enjoy putting up quotes from the night before, but unfortunately many of the funniest quotes are not PG or even PG-13.......
I feel your pain, man.
M
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Props to you, Mike, for sticking to the letter of the vow of silence. That would be tough to maintain.
Thanks for the props, but really it's a lot of fun. Actually, I tend to dominate games I'm in (though I don't mean to), so this is my super-extreme way of not doing that. So it's fun to sit back and do the support thing. :)
Re: ghost step (invisible): if the effect does end after an attack action, I might have to ask my DM to change my character-
I've had to rework characters when I found out what I was doing didn't actually work in the rules. I know your pain. ;)
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Taking GGG's subtle hint, here are pictures:
Image 1
The "t" is Tyralandi, the "DB" is Demon Boy, the "V" is Vyth, and the "d" is Daejin. Vyth is on the roof, not inside (remember, 1337 ninja skilz).
Image 2
Erik's cool and elaborate Dwarven Forge setup. The picture is oddly stretched on my monitor, but I hope it isn't on yours. :\
...and that's it. Sorry. I was slacking a bit on the pictures the last couple weeks. I'll do better in the future, I promise! ;)
Taking GGG's subtle hint, here are pictures:
Image 1
The "t" is Tyralandi, the "DB" is Demon Boy, the "V" is Vyth, and the "d" is Daejin. Vyth is on the roof, not inside (remember, 1337 ninja skilz).
Whoah, I think you guys need Christopher West in your gaming group...
Chris - "Okay, how large is the room again, Erik?"
Erik - "Twenty by thirty."
Chris - "Okay why does it look like a triangle?"
Those aren't the maps we're getting in AP2 are we?
No spooning pictures? I feel robbed. Sure this is free but I still feel robbed.
-GGG
PS Erik, nice Dwarven Forge layout. How do you cover the bits the characters aren't supposed to see? It can be such a pain with my Dwarven Forge set (I don't live in the two places that games are normally held).
Yep, James covered it pretty well there. It's a TON of fun playing a character with a huge drawback like that, and it's even more fun to see how the other PCs interact with him and try to explain him to NPCs.
One of the many reasons GURPS was so cool...
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Whoah, I think you guys need Christopher West in your gaming group...
The other option that night was to put together the whole Feral Dog tavern/dogfighting hellhole with Dwarven Forge, and I didn't have the time. My chicken-scratch worked well enough.
Those aren't the maps we're getting in AP2 are we?
Um, no.
PS Erik, nice Dwarven Forge layout. How do you cover the bits the characters aren't supposed to see? It can be such a pain with my Dwarven Forge set (I don't live in the two places that games are normally held).
Generally, I don't tend to worry about the players "seeing ahead." For instance, last night they assaulted a three-floor "abandoned" observatory, and I just built the entire thing. They didn't know which floor led to which (but they're smart and probably had a good guess), and I decided that it didn't really bother me. For a room-by-room dungeon crawl, I'll build the rooms as the PCs get to them, but the "surprise" generally isn't worth the hassle of slowing the game to a crawl to set up.
--Erik Mona
Editor-in-Chief
Dragon & Dungeon
I was wondering if you pros each use diffrent voices for your characters? And Erik as a DM, do you make use of varied voices for the NPCs that are introduced?
I have been GMing basiclly the same group for years and havent yet been able to grasp the whole voice/acting thing.
Just curious.
I was wondering if you pros each use diffrent voices for your characters? And Erik as a DM, do you make use of varied voices for the NPCs that are introduced?
I have been GMing basiclly the same group for years and havent yet been able to grasp the whole voice/acting thing.
Just curious.
Oooh... sore point. As a DM I try to do voices. My group collectively refers to them all as either the barkeep, or Meepo. Which I guess gives me a total range of three voices.
My brother (who also DMs) says he has a lot of success with adding verbal mannerisms rather than feebly trying to do voices - since he is no better at it than I am.
- Ashavan
I used to only have regular voice andd tough voice. But practice in dming agve me a whole range of voices from the terrorised kibold to the seductive dragon (dont ask). If you get over the fact that you feel a bit ridiculous it will be fine and players love to recognise a voice. Just make sure you dont get them confused (its happened to me once or twice)
I used to only have regular voice andd tough voice. But practice in dming agve me a whole range of voices from the terrorised kibold to the seductive dragon (dont ask). If you get over the fact that you feel a bit ridiculous it will be fine and players love to recognise a voice. Just make sure you dont get them confused (its happened to me once or twice)
Practice hasn't helped me, I'm afraid. 25 years of DMing, and still only the two voices.
- Ashavan
Since Age of Worms is reportedly an undead-heavy campaign, I'm curious about whether you're sticking with the rules-as-written regarding turning undead, since they're widely regarded (e.g. by Sean K. Reynolds) as lousy.
If you are using the rules-as-written, how well are they working? If you're using a variant, what variant are you using and how well is it working?
This is one of my biggest concerns about the Age of Worms campaign I'll be running starting in June. I'm trying to work out some variant undead-turning rules myself, but it would be nice to see some "tried and tested" rules, especially if they have been tried and tested in the very campaign I'll be running.
Erik is really entertaining as a voice actor, and has a seemingly endless variety of styles. I can't do it as a DM or a player. I tend to think of my character as more of a video game avatar, and I'm more comfortable acting in the third person. It is inelegant though, to have to couch everything in "he goes . . ." or "Dram's all . . .", so I am now able to speak in his voice (which is my voice).
We had a tough go of it when Wes rejoined the party with a new character. The party was stymied, as some of us were more suspiscious of the Temple of Hieronious than others, though out of game, we were all eager to have Wes play again. Things had ground to a halt while our paranoid party was trying to parlay with Wes's cleric. My greatest role-playing moment was low-charisma, blunt bumpkin Dram's in-character tirade about what a @#$!-hole Diamond Lake was that managed to get the ball roling again. Turns out I can role play low-charisma pretty well after a few beers.
That being said, I'm by far the worst improv actor of the bunch. Jason uses a different voice for his dwarf, but I think he's the only one. Jeremy role plays the hell out of Demon Boy as well, but maybe that sticks in my mind because the chracter is such a weirdo.
I used to only have regular voice andd tough voice. But practice in dming agve me a whole range of voices from the terrorised kibold to the seductive dragon (dont ask). If you get over the fact that you feel a bit ridiculous it will be fine and players love to recognise a voice. Just make sure you dont get them confused (its happened to me once or twice)Practice hasn't helped me, I'm afraid. 25 years of DMing, and still only the two voices.
- Ashavan
In my case, practice HAS helped me; I used to only have a horrible 'Cockney bartender' accent to use for pretty much everyone, but I've grown several decent impressions to amuse the players with.
It's also a big help to not have to use PG-language, once the kids go to bed.
M
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I only occasionally use an alternative voice when I play. Typically it's for a gravely voiced dwarf or a lithping gnome. That's essentially the entirety of my alt.voice abilities.
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Here's an update of last night's game. Sorry to interupt the cool discussion.
Last night marked two momentous events for me and my alter ego, Vyth.
First, I failed (for the first time) to get across my intent with gestures and facial expressions. James knew what I was getting after, but since his character was unconscious at the time, he couldn't help.
Second, Vyth wrote something down. Only Dram saw it and since Vyth wrote it in the dirt and then stomped it out, nobody else in the group knows about this little turn of events. (Dram didn't tell anyone, and I assume it's because he didn't think it was a big deal. Whether or not it is a big deal has not yet been revealed.)
Anyway, on to the quotes:
Erik, describing the bottom floor of the observatory: "There's a hallway there and whatever." (Yeah, that was the whole description. Then again, that's all we needed, since we could remember the layout from the previous session.)
Kyle, as Dram (or maybe just as Kyle): "Fistfights are all right."
Erik, as bumpkin NPC: "The hill's on fire! I seen it!"
Kyle, as Dram, to the monk of the Twilight Monastery: "I just need a little bit of sap."
Kyle, as Dram, to the evil necromancer: "Is it sap [the weapon] or sap [the drug]?"
Wes, as Tassilo (a cleric of Heironeous), to the party, during interrogation of the evil necromancer: "Keep in mind my god is also the god of war." (Both a subtle threat and a subtle offer.)
There was a hilarious exchange between Taan (Sean) and Gar (Jason) while they were interrogating the evil necromancer, but I didn't write down all of it and the punchline (that I did write down) doesn't really make sense out of context. Suffice it to say that when Jason and Sean start roleplaying together it is worth the price of admission. :)
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Last night we finally played again!
As usual (it seems) Vyth set off the combat encounter and went down in two hits. Now, I wouldn't mind getting attacked twice before my initiative (once in a surprise round and once in a normal round) if I didn't spend a feat to get a +6 initiative modifier. If I could just roll better than a 5 when Erik calls for initiative I'd be the happiest person at the table. Alas...
Quotes:
Sean, as Taan, to a cleric: "I was bit by an undead creature made of bones and spellstuff."
(This, of course, set off a short chuckle-fest as we admired the word "spellstuff.")
Erik, as Allustan the name-dropping seer, about a book: "I'm surprised that stodgy old Iquander would let it go."
(That, of course, brought a round of laughter to the table. This was after Allustan made a reference to Tensor and called him his "old friend.")
Jason, as Gar, to Tassilo: "What's yer name again?"
Wes, as Tassilo, speaking slowly: "Taaaassssilllloooo."
Jason: "I punch him in the face."
Kyle, feigning respect: "What do I see, oh Dungeon Master?"
Jason, as Gar, to Vyth: "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"
Mike, after nodding, counts out 1, 2, 3 on his fingers. When I hit 3 Jason and I turn to Erik...
Jason and Mike, in perfect unison: "We jump in."
Erik, as a spirit, to Vyth (the mute ninja): "Speak my name."
(This brought forth a mischievious wink from Erik and a o_O expression from Vyth. Fortunately, Gar was nearby and...after messing it up the first time...spoke the spirit's proper name.)
Erik, exasperated, after Jason failed several assisted Strength checks: "It's DC 10 dude."
If you want to put this in context and know what we fought and what Gar and Vyth jumped into, make sure to check out "The Whispering Cairn" in Dungeon #124. I think we're near the end of the adventure. :)
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No, no pictures from this campaign. The best ones end up on the editorial page of Dungeon.
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So last night Vyth (my character) died for the third time in the campaign (see earlier posts how that is possible) and for the third time he was brought back to life by generosity and pity.
We were pretty much done with the Whispering Cairn. We were, in fact, in the process of leaving. Then, on a whim, Taan took Tyrlandi's hand in his and pressed it against a magical stone egg the size of a horse. As you might imagine, something happened. Something terrible. Something with Great Cleave.
Vyth, having rolled maximum hit points AGAIN, took two blows from the behemoth. The second one dropped him to -9. He bled to death 2 rounds later (Erik house-ruled that you survive until negative your Con score). Half our party lay bleeding, bled, unconscious, or dead when Gar spent a Hero Point to cut that monster right in twain. A mere second later (i.e., later in the round) Tyrlandi made an extremely selfless gesture and spent her Hero Point (her one and only) to bring Vyth back from the dead (since he had died in that round about 12 initiative counts before her).
If I recall correctly, in the heat of the battle and the realization that my poor character had died (again) because of the foolishness of Taan, I think I called Sean a bad name for getting my character killed. That was before James's most excellent generous act.
No, I didn't take back what I said to Sean. ;D
After the fight with the big baddie Dram decided he was pissed off and attempted to subdue Taan with a nonlethal punch. Dram didn't appreciate that and replied with a potentially lethal swing of his sword. It seemed to be getting out of hand when Gar (who had enlarged himself to Large size earlier in the battle) knocked out Taan cold and turned his attention to Dram. Dram dropped his sword and said he was done with the shenanigans, but then swiftly kicked Taan's unconscious body. Gar just shrugged.
So...it was an interesting end of the evening...but Vyth still lives!
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Quotes:
Kyle, as Dram (early in the night): "He's like no other elf I've ever seen."
(Yes, like Star Wars's "I've got a bad feeling about this," this is apparently the mandatory campaign quote.)
Sean, as Taan, in a discussion about Vyth's muteness: "You don't put a bell on a ninja."
Sarah, to me, after I rolled poorly in the battle: "You suck as a ninja."
Me, in response, after a sigh: "It's true."
James, as Tyrlandi, after bringing Vyth back from the dead: "You have been supercharged by Wee Jas. I don't know what that's going to do to you."
Mke, ever the unbiased diplomat, has painted an undersaturated account of Dram's squaring off with Taan. Let me illustrate the incidents that precipatated this melee.
1) No one knows Taan. He was just "there" when the Diamond Lakers met serruptitiously to infiltrate the Whispering Cairne. No one knows where he came from. Dram and Taan had a Mexican standoff upon his inroduction to the campaign. I'm still not sure where he came from. "He's like no elf. . ."
2) When entrusted to liquidate some of the party's treasure, Taan boldly resorted to gambling after his pride got the best of him at the market. Honestly, despite a reckless plan, it only cost us 10-20% of the haul. Taan seems to have a gambling problem. Humans work hard for their wages. Only someone who lived hundred of years would treat concrete resources with such abandon.
3) Dram is no stranger to foolishly cocking off in dangerous situations. It was his mouth that turned Gar into a cold-blooded murderer, forcing him to dispatch the half-orc goon Cullen. However, Dram paid through the nose, and was nearly killed in the encounter. He is keenly tuned in to the danger of impetuous actions. Dram's learned his lesson, and gets more lawful every day. Taan is a crazy elf. Perhaps Dram was excorcising some of his guilt over that encounter. We should do better by Abillard.
4) It was Tiralandi who was ultimately victimized by Taan. He forced her hand onto the relic, endangering her life. Dram has a thing for Tiralandi, and the other women in the campaign. What can I say, he's 17! As far as I know, Dram is the only one who's noticed, but Tiralandi is not at all well. She seems to be dying before my very eyes. Strange . . .
So someone needed to confront this psycho quasi-elf. Like a typically violent teen, Dram wanted to serve up a knuckle sandwich. We were all surprised when Taan responded with lethal force. I'm glad Gar had my back. I'm glad Taan didn't kill me. But after all, I spared the bastard's life. NG vs CN. It's the story of my life.
Oh, and the best part was Jeremy's Demon Boy goading us on. "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
The little creep was surprisingly effective at blasting that earth elemental.
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So in case you hadn't realized it, Erik's Thursday night game is the Age of Worms playtest game. Just thought I'd throw that out there for you. ;)
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So we just got done playing. I started off the evening by leveling an artistic insult (inadvertantly) at one of my favorite artists... to his face. Sorry Kyle! :(
Later, my character Vyth went down... again. He was at 1 hit point from death, and if not for the timely application of a healing potion from Taan (Sean's character) he would have had a 10% chance of surviving. Sarah, as is her wont, swooped down and began tossing barbs at me and Vyth for our complete ineptitude. ;D
After the game I talked a little with the fellas and we came up with a new strategy for Vyth to employ in the future. Hopefully he'll stay up in combat a little longer...
Anyway, quotes!
After discussing what to do with Taan...
Gar: "Maybe you light people on fire with your face!"
Tyrlandi: "That's Demon Boy."
Gar: "Sorry, I got confused."
After discussing how badly hurt we all are...
Taan: "We're all horribly wounded."
DaeJin, sounding chipper: "I'm not!"
Gar: "Well you know what? Stupidity's a crime!"
{beat}
Demon Boy, looking sad: "Ooooh..."
Nogura: "For the stupid are of no use to the Bronzewood Lodge."
During combat...
Erik: "Are you playing chess or Dungeons & Dragons?"
Jeremy: "Chess. This is a very important rook takes queen move."
After DaeJin killed a goblin Gar kept missing...
Gar: "Oh, nice."
DaeJin, huffy: "You're welcome."
Gar: "Oh. Uh. Thanks."
After a goblin charged Demon Boy...
Jason: "Midget fight!!!"
Mke, ever the unbiased diplomat, has painted an undersaturated account of Dram's squaring off with Taan. Let me illustrate the incidents that precipatated this melee.
1) No one knows Taan. He was just "there" when the Diamond Lakers met serruptitiously to infiltrate the Whispering Cairne. No one knows where he came from. Dram and Taan had a Mexican standoff upon his inroduction to the campaign. I'm still not sure where he came from. "He's like no elf. . ."
2) When entrusted to liquidate some of the party's treasure, Taan boldly resorted to gambling after his pride got the best of him at the market. Honestly, despite a reckless plan, it only cost us 10-20% of the haul. Taan seems to have a gambling problem. Humans work hard for their wages. Only someone who lived hundred of years would treat concrete resources with such abandon.
3) Dram is no stranger to foolishly cocking off in dangerous situations. It was his mouth that turned Gar into a cold-blooded murderer, forcing him to dispatch the half-orc goon Cullen. However, Dram paid through the nose, and was nearly killed in the encounter. He is keenly tuned in to the danger of impetuous actions. Dram's learned his lesson, and gets more lawful every day. Taan is a crazy elf. Perhaps Dram was excorcising some of his guilt over that encounter. We should do better by Abillard.
4) It was Tiralandi who was ultimately victimized by Taan. He forced her hand onto the relic, endangering her life. Dram has a thing for Tiralandi, and the other women in the campaign. What can I say, he's 17! As far as I know, Dram is the only one who's noticed, but Tiralandi is not at all well. She seems to be dying before my very eyes. Strange . . .
So someone needed to confront this psycho quasi-elf. Like a typically violent teen, Dram wanted to serve up a knuckle sandwich. We were all surprised when Taan responded with lethal force. I'm glad Gar had my back. I'm glad Taan didn't kill me. But after all, I spared the bastard's life. NG vs CN. It's the story of my life.
Just curious but assume the "Stone" Egg was the earth elemental? Why would it hurt the cleric? Just don't understand the statement that she seems to be dying before their eyes? Does the dying bit have something to do with putting your hand on the stone or with the some of the Wee Jas cleric's specific character traits.
BTW - I am sure that all of us that read these posts would love to have some insight from Erik about what worked in the game and what didn't.
As well as some specifics from the players, or even a general Character Sheet. I think that these characters are even more "iconic" than the actual iconic characters in DnD.
I have enjoyed reading about them and their adventures through the Cairn.
Also I had one other quesiton - did you guys have a new player for the cleric of Herinous (sp?) or did Gar's player switch out for another cleric cause you folks need some more cleric power in the adventure?
Cheers for now,
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Contributor
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Also I had one other quesiton - did you guys have a new player for the cleric of Herinous (sp?) or did Gar's player switch out for another cleric cause you folks need some more cleric power in the adventure?
This one I can answer pretty easily. Wes (F. Wesley Schneider, my fellow assistant editor over at Dragon) lost his first character early in the campaign. Tassilo, the cleric of Heironeous, is his second character. Jason still plays Gar... with reckless abandon. ;)
So what's the deal with demon boy anyway? Is he a tiefling, or perhaps a diabolus from a recent dragon article?
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Creative Director
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Just curious but assume the "Stone" Egg was the earth elemental? Why would it hurt the cleric? Just don't understand the statement that she seems to be dying before their eyes? Does the dying bit have something to do with putting your hand on the stone or with the some of the Wee Jas cleric's specific character traits.
The Stone Egg was the earth elemental, but jacked up to super power level. It hurt all of us pretty equally, actualy.
The "dying before Dram's eyes" is a reference to the fact that he's the only PC so far to see through Tyralandi's Disguise checks to hide her skin condition from the rest of the party, a skin condition brought on when she reached 3rd level and took the Tomb-Born Fortitude feat from Libris Mortis. That feat gives her a 25% chance to resist critical hits and sneak attacks and makes her immune to death from massive damage, but makes her skin take on a corpse-like pallor. And as a cleric of the goddess of vanity (among other things) she's doing her best to hide her shame, but that Dram guy's got keen eyes...
As well as some specifics from the players
Well, a good place to start would be the campaign journals that James and I have been writing. You can read all about Demon Boy's past as well as a few other things.
You can find them in the Campaign Journals forum. Demon Boy's journal is here and Tyralandi's journal is here.
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Contributor
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This picture shows what the people of Diamond Lake think of our impetuous little comrade.
Yes, despite being professionals in the field, we're still just D&D players... beer and cookies and swearing and all the other things groups often indulge in while playing also get indulged in by us. The painted finger nails knocking back a beer on the right side of the pic belong to Sarah Robinson, our graphic designer. ;D
(Nobody show Sarah this thread!) ;)
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Director of Game Design
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Also I had one other quesiton - did you guys have a new player for the cleric of Herinous (sp?) or did Gar's player switch out for another cleric cause you folks need some more cleric power in the adventure?This one I can answer pretty easily. Wes (F. Wesley Schneider, my fellow assistant editor over at Dragon) lost his first character early in the campaign. Tassilo, the cleric of Heironeous, is his second character. Jason still plays Gar... with reckless abandon. ;)
I wouldn't call it reckless abandon...
I would call it a heroice spirit, heedless of danger and full of.. well.. umm... Gar-ness
Well thanks to Erik, and most importantly to the two players that have been posting such great posts! I keep up the journals, and the Wee Jas cleric has inspired me for my own campaign. I love that character - and will have to run out to get the Undead book now.
Keep it up, you guys rock!
I would still like to hear the DM's perspective on how the players handled the challenges, and any deviations from AWAP as written, such as side treks, etc.
Cheers for now,
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Creative Director
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Well thanks to Erik, and most importantly to the two players that have been posting such great posts! I keep up the journals, and the Wee Jas cleric has inspired me for my own campaign. I love that character - and will have to run out to get the Undead book now.
Keep it up, you guys rock!
I would still like to hear the DM's perspective on how the players handled the challenges, and any deviations from AWAP as written, such as side treks, etc.
Cheers for now,
Tyralandi's turning out to be a really fun character to play. I just wish there were more Tomb-Tainted feats to choose from... Oh well. Glad to hear her exploits have inspired a new campaign... cool! Hope it turns out well! :)
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Contributor
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I just wish there were more Tomb-Tainted feats to choose from...
If only you worked for a company that put out such things as new feats every month... :|
If only you were the friend of the editor of the magazine section where most feats appear... :\
If only you knew how to write new and balanced feats... :(
Someone should mention that Diamond Lake seems increasingly like Deadwood. Hookers! Gambling! And oh, the profanity!
I've been thinking the same thing for weeks now, Mr. Hunter.
The Diamond Lake background info seemed very much like Deadwood. I think it was the spy hooker ripe for some payback that sent the flare up for me.
What kind of Hero Points are you guys using in this campaign?
*snip* The painted finger nails knocking back a beer *snip*
Is that......dare I ask....is it Kokanee beer?
*sob* I've missed it so...
As an expat Canuck currently living in Tampa, I have searched high and low for some Kokanee down here in the States, to little avail.
Shall I assume that your proximity to British Columbia is what allows you to purchase that liquid gold?
Or are my eyes playing tricks after all? ;-)
Cheers,
Colin
P.S. Sorry for being so off topic, but beer is close to my heart (and possibly my liver) ;-)
I love to homebrew and I think you might be able to find a recipe for homebrewing an approximation of Kokanee beer...I'll look for the recipe, but I think I saw it on the 'net a few years ago. I didn't try to make it, as I'm a Stout/Porter/India Pale Ale kind of guy. Any real beer lover should try homebrewing at least once in their life. A gaming buddy of mine got me into it in '93...it's cool to quaff your own concoction while gaming (don't drink the yeast at the bottom of the bottle, or you'll be vanquished from the gaming table)
Heh :)
If I only had the time, I'd be a homebrewing machine, but regretably, real-life barely leaves me time to even game these days, much less spend the necessary amount of time to properly get the brew going.
I would usually only go for the pale ales too, but my personal favourite (Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale) is likewise unavailable down here in the South...I get visiting relatives to bring a few cases across the border when they come :) :)
Cheers,
Colin
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As an expat Canuck currently living in Tampa, I have searched high and low for some Kokanee down here in the States, to little avail.
...
I am afraid that you have located yourself in the wrong part of the US. Out here in the northwest, you have to go out of your way to find a store that does not have Kokanee. In anycase, I sypathize with your plight. I have relatives in South Carolina, and if I want to drink good beer when I am out there, I need to bring it with me.
What kind of Hero Points are you guys using in this campaign?
*bump* :)
What kind of Hero Points are you guys using in this campaign?That's a good Erik question. I forget everything they're good for. Mostly we use them to keep the ninja Vyth from dying . . . again.
That's a good Erik question. I forget everything they're good for. Mostly we use them to keep the ninja Vyth from dying . . . again.
I'm just wondering which rule you're using, since there are several. I know of the Eberron rule, the Unearthed Arcana rule (which seems a little too high-owered for my taste) or the d20 Modern rule. But then these are all called Action Point. Only in Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed/Evolved I found something called Hero Points, which works quite differently, though.
Since I want to use something like one of these rules in my upcoming next campaign, I'm looking for other players' experiences.
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Creative Director
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There isn't really a set of house rules for the hero points. Generally, they'll let us turn a poor roll or a sudden death situation into something good. For example: Mike's character got creamed and bled out before my character could reach his. I got there a round after he hit -10 hit points, but by casting a cure light wounds on him and spending a hero point I was able to bring him back to life.
At another point, Jason's character spent a hero point to auto-crit a bad guy. He's actually done that twice, come to think of it.
They're pretty undefined, but on purpose. Hero points in this game are for getting out of impossible situations, mostly, and since there's an infinite number of impossible situations PCs can get themselves into, it's impossible to quantify them before hand.
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Contributor
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For example: Mike's character got creamed and bled out before my character could reach his. I got there a round after he hit -10 hit points, but by casting a cure light wounds on him and spending a hero point I was able to bring him back to life.
Yeah yeah, Vyth falls down a lot. :(
On the plus side, we faced something like 20 bad guys all at once last night and not only did Vyth not even get hit, he actually took down two of the baddies. NINJA'd!
Quotes!
So, Jason's character Gar went into town to try to talk to his uncle. Instead, he met the extremely gregarious Galith Grobador, who was larger than life and very talkative. When they decided to go out for a drink we got this...
• Galith Grobador, to Gar: "The Hungry Gar it is Gar! Ha ha ha! The Hungry Gar! I never thought of that!"
Later, as we explored a mine and were wondering about what might await us...
• Gar: "How bad could it be?"
After Vyth cheap-shots an annoying shift manager and knocks him out with one punch...
• Sarah, to me: "Finally! Finally the ninja acts like a ninja!"
• Wes, to me: "You're gonna die now."
Down in the scary weird temple place at the bottom of the huge mine shaft we encountered a bunch of baddies, including a big piggy. Jason, it seems, was unhappy...
• Jason: "Next time I see Mearls... kick to the nuts!"
Then later...
• Jason: "Let me see your quotes page. Yeah, after the end of that one, where I'm gonna kick Mearls... add 'Twice.'"
After the defeat of the piggy and its 18-billion allies Gar started chomping on pig flesh while Taan interogated a prisoner...
• Gar, to cultist prisoner: "Mmm... what do you feed this pig?"
• Cultist: "I'm sure I don't know."
{beat}
• Cultist: "But it wears shoes."
{beat, Gar turns pale}
• Dram: "Horse."
• Gar: "Oh yeah."