JSL:
How do you want to handle initiative? Other PbP games that I've seen (or played in) had either the DM, or the first PC to post, roll intiative for everyone. That seems to speed it up, so that we don't go through a whole round of posts to determine the initiative order. Just my 2 cents, I'm good however you want to do it.
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And we're off: link
I've never done this before, so hopefully the intros are intro-y enough...
Just at first blush...this is awesome! Good job.
Just at first blush...this is awesome! Good job.And we're off: link
I've never done this before, so hopefully the intros are intro-y enough...
Yep, the intro looks good.
*I updated some fluff and personality stuff on Corran's profile.
Huh, well, guess who sucks at picking up on local info! LOL - art imitating life in my case. Hmm.. not that I could have got above DC 10 anyway, what with being untrained.
And we're off: link
I've never done this before, so hopefully the intros are intro-y enough. I think its safe to say most of you can see one of the other PCs so, if you can figure out who it is, you don't have to wait for me. I'll check in when I get to work tomorrow and see where things are at.
We're off, or "The game is afoot!"
Don't know about the others, but I think that you hit Slidell Spot-on.
Between your intro and the knowledge check, i already have at least 3 more clues than I will probably be able to start trailing down on the first day of the festival, COOL! ( I can already see the smoke coming out of Sly's ears as he tries to figure which clue to start checking out first!)
Thank you, if you can keep this up, I think this will be one of the best games I have ever been involved in!
EDIT-Oops! Forgot, CAN you use an knowledge skill untrained? IF not, Slidell would have used Gather Info, with a +2 bonus, and the roll would still have been 15, still getting the first 3.
Ehlissa's intro did make me chuckle - and one of the comments has got me thinking a lot about her background. Great stuff.
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Thank you, if you can keep this up, I think this will be one of the best games I have ever been involved in!
I don't have a point-of-reference to second this statement, but I would like to say this, JSL. You are a talented writer. I'm reading some of George R. R. Martin's stuff right now, and I think your execution of the introductory material is as engaging as anything I've read from him. If you're not writing short stories or other kinds of fiction, you should be.
I don't have a point-of-reference to second this statement, but I would like to say this, JSL. You are a talented writer. I'm reading some of George R. R. Martin's stuff right now, and I think your execution of the introductory material is as engaging as anything I've read from him. If you're not writing short stories or other kinds of fiction, you should be.Thank you, if you can keep this up, I think this will be one of the best games I have ever been involved in!
Very eloquently put, I think.
And ditto.
If you're not writing short stories or other kinds of fiction, you should be.Wow. That's very flattering. Guess who gets the extra XP. About all the "writing" I do these days is structural drawings. Though some contractors are more than happy to treat them as fiction. :)
MMph! Sorry, cleaning up the coke I just sprayed out my nose when I read this!
I also do technical drawings (mostly lighting designs, nowhere NEAR as demanding as structural drawings), but I swear I've met those contractors!
;P
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Guess who gets the extra XP.
Anyone remember that scene in The Nutty Professor where Eddie Murphy is playing all the family members? "Hercules! Hercules! Hercules!" That was me five minutes ago. "Extra XP! Extra XP! Extra XP!"
Yeah, great intro for Malcolm. You've got a good style.
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Just a side note to let everyone know that I re-checked Vesh's skills and now have properly noted that his Knowledge and Tumble skills cannot be used untrained. The Knowledge (Local) check in the game brought this up, my die roll for Gather Info. would have produced the same result: I only got the first DC 5 rumor listed.
...
I also had the thought today about rolling Spot, Listen, and Sense Motive into one skill called Perception. Yes, I think they are doing this in 4E, but I would keep Search separate. Perception would be a class skill for any class that had one or more of the three skills as a class skill. Alertness would give a +2 bonus and Inattentive a -4 penalty. Would there be any takers for this?
I'd be fine with this, although I'm admittedly biased, as that would both free up some skill ranks for Corran, and also essentially give him Sense Motive ;-)
Not sure what I'd do with the extra 4 skill ranks though... maybe climb or ride or something like that
I'm not fussed really, I'll go with the majority. You can use Knowledge (local) untrained (sort of) - it's just an Int check and restricts you to knowing DC 10 info and below.
Doesn't Gather Info mean that you have to state a concerted effort to find this information rather than just having picked it up along the way? I'd be for keeping the Know (Local) checks, and requiring that people state they'll be using Gather iInfo instead and ask them how... perhaps.
I'm ok with combining search, apot & listen into one general roll (maybe taking into account our current +'s & -'s with bonuses & penalties?)
Here is the way I was going about it for Slidell,...
1) His spot stinks, and that was BEFORE the flaw!
2) Search is the only skill that gets a + from knowledge, so,...
3) I have been playing him that he doesn't "see" things that the average attentive person might, IE-he doesn't SPOT the branch in the street that he trips over. BUT, when he looks at one person or thing, he sees what no one else does,(al-la tv's MONK) IE he "SEARCHes" them, noting clothes style, dirt & mud, jewelry, identifying marks, ect. and uses those clues (al-la Sherlock Holmes) to tell where that person was from, what they have done/about to do, ect.
In other words, his Sense Motive might let him believe when the person says he is a farmer, but when he looks him over and sees his right hand held at a certain angle out of habit, no farmer calloses on his hands, sees the bulge in his shirt, he knows that the person is a fighter, used to weiding a sword, and carrying a concealed weapon.
At least, that is MY plan, hoping that JSL will let me do that,...(using knowledge and base INT rolls to determine what he knows and can match the clues to.)
Other than that, combining is fine, let me know, I'm sure Slidell won't mind TOO much having a couple of extra points into another skill. After all, "If Knowledge is power, Then a (Demi)-god am I."
:)
(Can you "name that quote"?)
Answer:
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For Vesh, the combined perception skill would be a slight negative as the inattentive flaw would apply to any check to sense motive as well as listen and spot. In game, that would have meant that I would have failed the sence motive check I made with Ameiko. I guess that would be in keeping with Vesh's character, but it's kind of a meta-game bummer.
Fabes is right about making an untrained knowledge check (it applies to all kinds of knowledge checks, not just local), it's an intellegence check that limits the PC to common knowledge (DC10).
So...I'll support whatever JSL decides as it doesn't effect Vesh all that much either way.
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So...I'll support whatever JSL decides as it doesn't effect Vesh all that much either way.
Okay, so after sleeping on it, I've decided to cast a more formal vote (to be less wishy-washy).
I vote for changing Listen/Spot/Sense Motive to one skill called Perception. Any bonus or penalty that applied to Listen, Spot, or Sense Motive now applies to Perception instead (for Example, an Elf gets a +2 bonus to Perception and Search checks while a Gnome gets a +2 to bonus to Perception only, etc.) So, Vesh suffers a -4 penalty for a Sense Motive check for the inattentive flaw as well as for Spotting and Listening under this new rule.
However, I am for keeping Knowledge (Local) and Gather Information as written, with all the stuff about untrained knowledge checks maxing out at common knowledge, or DC 10.
Question,
I'm not a big "Rules Lawyer", I normally just make stuff up as we go rather than dig thru the books, (Unless I'm arguing WITH a "rules Lawyer").
Is Gather Info meant to be a catch-all, to get the characters a clue when they cant find the barn with both hands? Or does it have a "Real World" counterpart?
I am reminded of Champions (Hero System) where there used to be a skill called "Investigation", for when the heroes had all the clues, but the PLAYERS couldn't put them together with a map. Then they had a way to continue.
"Oficially", I don't care. It won't affect Slidell either way. I'll still have to pour points INTO the skill,(or the skill combo), just to keep from being impaled on the things that a 4 year would notice, but my character never will! On the + side, I'll only have to put points into ONE skill set, instead of 3, so OK, I vote yes as well!
@ Ragadolf -Gather Information is the skill fo finding out stuff and makign contacts, and has to be actively used by spending time with people, buying drinks, chatting - as opposed to Knowledge (local) which is stuff you've been taught or learnt over a longer period of time and is passive in use.
I agree with santinj - keep Gather Info and Know (local) as separate, but roll the other three into Perception.
DM Question:
Possible Spoilers:
Random thing: Has anyone noticed we seem to have lost Malcom?
Random thing: Has anyone noticed we seem to have lost Malcom?
Yeah, Last I saw he was having a conversation with the sailor, what happened? Did the sea monster attack early?!? :)
Oh yeah! Hmm... all very suspicious... :)
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Random thing: Has anyone noticed we seem to have lost Malcom?
I rolled an 11 on my Gather Information check, and here is what I found out:
Back on the 3rd, Malcolm wrote that he was having company over for the next 5-7 days and wasn't sure how much he'd be able to post. Also, remember that Malcolm is also Arctaris in virtual real life. Dude is DM'ing at least two other PbP's and has more aliases than you can shake a stick at.
So much for not-so-super-sleuthing. If only I had rolled a 15 or more!
Again, sorry for my absence. I should be able to return to my usual posting schedule in a few days. We had company and then we came to town for a few days. Apologies if I didn't post a warning about this for you, I thought I'd done so.
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I'm thinking about writing a book on the Psychology of PbP's. Essentially, it would be an account of the participant's emotional state as he or she plays the game. It would go something like this:
Stage 1: Logging on to see if anyone has posted = heightened excitement and anticipation.
Stage 2: Discovering someone else has posted and that you get to respond with a post of your own = elation and an elevated sense of creativity and belonging.
Stage 3: Having written the post to the best of one's creative ability = satisfaction with a job well done.
Stage 4: Hitting the 'submit' button and seeing the post on the forum = pride in one's contribution to the world. Quickly followed by...
Stage 5: Waiting for the next opportunity to post = a palpable sense of let-down and then (Stage 5b) depression.
Stage 6: Logging on to see that no one has responded to your post yet = irrational panic and the need to see if everyone else has moved their posts to a different forum without telling you.
Stage 7: Staring at the computer for five minutes and hitting your browser's refresh button to no avail = a dawning realization that (real) life goes on and that the preparations for that 1:30 meeting are not going to arrange themselves.
Stage 8: Closing your browser and opening your work email = the feeling of being grounded in reality mixed with a sense of nostalgia over the memories of a past life as a 7th level Human Ranger.
Stage 9: Settling in to do a day's work = the weight of adult responsibilities buoyed by the lightness that comes with the hope of adventure the next time you open your browser.
Two words: Best seller.
Absolutely right in ever particular. *hits refresh*
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Absolutely right in ever particular. *hits refresh*
I think that I'm going to go through this every time Vesh has to wait for a reply from Naelah...a 17-hour time difference? But, I can't wait 'til tomorrow! (Then I remember that that's not how it works.)
BTW, Fabes, I keep meaning to ask you if you live in or around the greater London area. My wife has cousins and second cousins in Putney, Reigate, and St. Albans. Before you start to wonder: yes, I do realize that there's a fair amount of the UK aside from London; I'm just more familiar with those bits. Although I do have fond memories of getting shocked by cattle fencing in the Cotswolds. No trespassing laws, indeed! Ouch.
Nope sorry, not in Greater London, I live in good ol' East Anglia. BUt London rocks.
Absolutely right in ever particular. *hits refresh*I think that I'm going to go through this every time Vesh has to wait for a reply from Naelah...a 17-hour time difference? But, I can't wait 'til tomorrow! (Then I remember that that's not how it works.)
Yep, me too. But fortunately for our meeting, her character is a better listener than mine. ;)
Still, makes it's hard to wait on those replies, I KNOW thier coming, but,..... ARRGH!
;P
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So, I keep thinking about the consolidation of Listen/Spot/Sense Motive into "Perception." (I have already prepared for my 1:30 meeting BTW. Anyway...)
It makes sense to consolidate those three skills into one skill as they are all Wisdom based skills...(I'm not bothering to look that up to make sure I'm right. I think I am.)
However, there seems to be a little imbalance that this creates when it comes to Hide and Move Silently skill checks. Supposing someone had created a character, and they spent 12 skill points on Listen/Spot/Sence Motive. They now only have to spend 4 skill points to get the same abilities under one "Perception" skill. This leaves 8 skill points to spread around. The roguish character still has to spend 8 skill points in both Hide and Move Silently to make opposed skill checks to Perception.
So! If we do decide to use one uber-Perception skill, perhaps we ought to consolidate Hide and Move Silently into one skill called "Sneak" or "Stealth."
I was contemplating throwing Bluff in there as well as it's the opposed check to Sense Motive, but it seems to be a fundamentally different enough skill (CHA based, etc.) to leave on it's own, so the balance still favors Perception over Stealth (or whatever) by 4 skill points.
What do you all think (besides that I should go back to work)?
Yes, good point - I'm advocating the Sneak skill in the OA game I'm running. Monte Cook amalgamated Hide and Move Silently into Sneak in Arcana Unearthed (later Arcana Evolved); so if its good enough for him...
Acknowledgement is the first step... you've been very brave.
We had fun with the company. They're other D&D players so we got to play. I started running RotRL in RL.
I like the idea of combining those skills together. I've been considering doing something similair for my games.
As mentioned earlier, I don't really mind if we combine hide and move silent, as it doesn't affect my character (THIS time) very much.
Cons- I see why they originally put hide and move as separate skills, it makes sense to say that you can be really good at one, and not so much in another.
Pros- BUT there is no reason you can't put them together, it simplifies the system, (and simple is always better in my book), and avoids the "Succeed twice or you fail it all" mentality that seems to be prevalent in most games.
I'm ok either way, but it does make sense to combine them, and free up a couple of points/lvl for other things.
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I'm cool with whatever goes down, none of those skills affect me very much. And even if they did, I can certainly see the value in merging them.
I'll vote yes for the 'Stealth' skill.
Which skills will 'Perception' encompass again? Listen/Spot/Sense Motive? They're all Wis-based skills yes, because that would be important, not to merge any skills that use different bonuses as it will affect class balance.
It sounds like everyone is agreed.
Spot/Listen/Sense Motive all become Perception. If you have any of the three as class skills, then Perception is a class skill. Alertness gives Perception +2 and Inattentive gives Perception -4.
Hide/Move Silently become Stealth. If either is a class skill, then so is Stealth. Size modifiers for Hide are also modifiers for Stealth. Similarly any feats/flaws that pertain to these skills will apply to Stealth.
Feel free to redistribute skill points as necessary. Hopefully this will simplify some things and make the PCs more versatile. I'm happy because Sense Motive is such an under-represented skill and this format, with the ability to use spoilers, gives alot of opportunity to use it. For example, (and I don't mind if you look since you passed the checks) see the Sense Motive spoilers related to Ameiko's receipt of the letter Vesh delivered.
One thing that I'm woried about is that Perception will crimp Malcolm's use of Improved Feint. If that appears to be happening, we'll have Improved Feint grant a +4 on the Bluff check similar to Improved Grapple.
Sounds like you've thought of almost everything.
Slidell is updated.And THIS way I only have to spend points into ONE cross-class skill to raise them up!
Updated my profile... No ranks to redistribute.. :( but easy on the old brain. :)