JSL's Runelords - Discussion

[Dreamer]

Slidell wrote:

"The reason I ask is, while your execution of the 'detect magic' cantrip was technically flawless, it was very, stiff. Textbook. And it seemed like you drew on far more power than was required for the spell. Like you learned how to cast from a proper set of instructions, but not from a person who could explain the subtle nuances of how the mana flows and how to achieve balance between the power your pulling and the spell your focusing."

He stops, and turns to look Vesh in the eye. "Don't get me wrong Vesh. This is not a criticism. If you are self-taught, then you have already achieved more than most apprentices master in their lifetime. And I'm not asking you to let me mentor you. That would be a disservice to you, I'm still learning myself. But I have had very good training. From several experienced wizards. I'm just saying that if you have questions, I'd be happy to pass along some tips I've picked up from my teachers, that's all."

I apologize for "eavesdropping," but I can't not say anything here.

@Slidell:
I'm confused; is this the kind of combat situation you had in mind?

Were Slidell this forward with Salome, if she was in a good mood, he'd still have to walk back 10 feet to retrieve his left hand. If she was in a bad mood... Maybe Shayliss' father would have another trophy on his mantle.

[Ragadolf]

Um,... no. Not really. :(

Slidell is probably being a bit too obnoxious, (Big surprise), which is why he points out it is NOT a criticism, but mostly I was just spinning my wheels and thought that this might be a good time to 'discover' VEsh's abilities, if he'll tell me about them.

Slidell hasn't seen anything to give away the spell thief powers yet, and he mainly just wants to know if Vesh is just dabbling in powers beyond his ken, or if he has 'serious' intentions of mastering magic.

All the rest was just fluff, it sounded good when I came up with it, and gave 'Slidell' a reason to talk to Vesh, point out what he noticed about his technique, that sort of thing.

Um,... Just a note, In case you haven't noticed, I don't do 'subtle' very well. :)
At all. :(
NO, if Slidell were trying to pick a fight, (Which he won't do, cuz I don't like that sort of thing as a general rule.) It wouldn't be a veiled insult in a commentary of spellcasting technique.
It would be something classy, like a beer in the face followed by a magic missile! ;)

Again, no. Slidell is just trying to figure out what's up with Vesh. Unfortunately, despite his higher than average CHA, he still has that good old innate talent for ticking people off without trying!

Also note that if he/I DO happen to do something that would annoy your character, (even if it wouldn't bother YOU) run with it. Just give me a chance to duck before you remove my hand!

EDIT- Ah, you're talking about the 'physical contact'? I was thinking the commentary!

(And Sli isn't STOOPID, putting his arm on Vesh's shoulder he feels pretty safe about. Touching Ehlissa IF she needs help, ok, THINKING about touching Salome,..,... Did I mention he isn't Stoopid?!?)
:D

[Dreamer]

Ragadolf wrote:

Also note that if he/I DO happen to do something that would annoy your character, (even if it wouldn't bother YOU) run with it. Just give me a chance to duck before you remove my hand!

Depends on if I'm in a good mood or not. ;)

[santinj@]

Okay. I'm posting IC assuming that Naelah is gone, left Sandpoint, in a coma, whatever. I guess we really don't need to decide anything right now as a group (Psi isn't posting, so what's there to decide?), but I do think we'll have to cross that bridge if Psi is able to rejoin us at some point. If that does happen, I think we need to establish some way of knowing whether he's back on a permanent (and regular) basis or not. Don't get me wrong, I want him to come back; I've always thought Naelah to be a great character idea--she just ain't ever around.

[Dreamer]

Re: antitoxin

Great idea -- but I'm out of gp. I'd be happy to exchange a CLW potion. Also, I will have plenty more CLW spells to cast this time around, assuming we don't run into too many wounded people/animals on the way to the glassworks.

Also, I'm trying to fill out my 1st level spell prep. I now have items enchanted with Shield of Faith and Protection from Evil. Knowing that the spells will probably be turned into CLW spells, does anyone have a special request for a defensive or other 1st level cleric spell (i.e. one you would like to be "blessed" with)? Would it be worth it to prep Inflict Minor Wounds?

[Ragadolf]

Re: spells,
"Bless" is always good, gives your entire party +1 on to hit, (dmg I think) and saves for a decent duration.

I wouldn't think 'Inflict' wounds would be very good for you, seeing as how your pretty handy with the scimitar. PLus, they are usually counted as evil, and most good clerics won't cast them.

General rule, (Correct me on this if you think I'm wrong guys) You almost can never go wrong with a 'Buff' or 'boost' spell, because those affect you, and can't fail.
Anything that affects others, (which is most of Sli's repertoire) are prone to fail when you need them most if they allow a Saving throw. (Most do.) Those that do NOT allow a save are the best choices, and even then they are still vulnerable to MR (Magic Resistance)

Example, Good old Magic Missile. Never misses, allows no save, and is a force effect (no miss chance on incorporeal creatures) but you try it on a 1st level Drow (Dark Elf) and *FIZZLE*.
(I hate magic resistance). :P

So,... Um,.... about Vesh,...
How do I say this,....?
Oops?!? ;)
OK,Santinj~ please clear up one thing for me, I need to make sure that it's SLI that has annoyed VESH and not RAGS that has annoyed SANTINJ~

Yeah, NOT the reaction Sli (Or I ) was expecting. I honestly didn't see THAT one coming. So much for wondering If Vesh would open up about his abilities.
If you wanna throw me a clue here, great. If not, You are a great writer, and I'm sure waiting for the 'reveal post' will be well worth the wait. But I am curious, because I just didn't think that I was writing Slidell as THAT annoying, so I'm guessing he touched a nerve??

Just fishing for clues, see you all tomorrow. :)

[santinj@]

Ragadolf wrote:

OK,Santinj~ please clear up one thing for me, I need to make sure that it's SLI that has annoyed VESH and not RAGS that has annoyed SANTINJ~

Yeah, NOT the reaction Sli (Or I ) was expecting. I honestly didn't see THAT one coming. So much for wondering If Vesh would open up about his abilities.
If you wanna throw me a clue here, great. If not, You are a great writer, and I'm sure waiting for the 'reveal post' will be well worth the wait. But I am curious, because I just didn't think that I was writing Slidell as THAT annoying, so I'm guessing he touched a nerve??

You're fine. Vesh is being evasive. His abilities have caused him no end of troubles up to this point (booted from family; booted from Riddleport), so he's more than a little reluctant to 'open up' in this particular area.

[Ragadolf]

santinj@ wrote:

You're fine. Vesh is being evasive. His abilities have caused him no end of troubles up to this point (booted from family; booted from Riddleport), so he's more than a little reluctant to 'open up' in this particular area.

Oh thank goodness. I mean, Thank you! ;)

I figured it was something like that, BUt I wanted to make sure!

(Dang what a worrywort I am,....) :P

Good call on the antitoxin and heal skill, etc, Santinj & JSL.
(Not that Sli has any skill to speak of,...) :P

Thanks all, nighters

[santinj@]

Ragadolf wrote:

Thanks all, nighters

If you've not signed off yet, I'll be posting an interaction mostly directed towards Sli that'd probably be good to resolve before dungeon delving. But I guess you aren't on the west coast, so I'll understand if you're tucking in.

[JSL]

Ragadolf wrote:

General rule, (Correct me on this if you think I'm wrong guys) You almost can never go wrong with a 'Buff' or 'boost' spell, because those affect you, and can't fail.

Yes, but always spending the first round buffing the party and the second and subsequent rounds healing casualties can get old after awhile. Sometimes it's nice just to hit the enemy, too.

It's hard to find good cleric spells sometimes because there is so much overlap. Just looking through the SC, I see 2 or 3 spells that give bonuses to saves, for example.

Here are some useful cleric spells and why I think they're good.

zero level
guidance a good spell to use before combat or in a surprise round when you don't otherwise have a good target. Also very useful in non-combat situations.

light better than a torch

first level
bane I like bane better than the other first level nerf spells because it affects all enemies in a burst; you can use it in close quarters without harming your allies and, with luck, at least a few enemies will fail the save - better odds than an all or nothing spell like doom or command.

bless good because the +1 to hit is genuinely useful, it affects the entire party, and has a big enough range that special positioning is usually not required to cast it; i.e., if you are in the room, you benefit.

divine favor attack and damage booster that increases in strenth pretty quickly (+1 per 3 levels) and is the only way a high level cleric is going to be effective in combat.

light of lunia like light, but with some combat potential; can do total of 4d6 damage to undead or evil outsiders (requires two ranged touch attacks and SR applies, but that is great damage for a first level spell.)

nimbus of light similar to light of lunia, but cannot double as a light spell - the duration is too short; However, it can potentially do more damage (1d8 + CL, with no cap on CL given). It requires a full round action to fire, though, and so is probably the inferior option.

shield of faith/prot. evil both good situational spells. Shield is better as your level increases and can make a well armored cleric very hard to hit. Protection from evil is better vs. outsiders because it completely hedges out outsiders and summoned creatures.

second level
bless weapon technically a paladin spell, but Salome has access through the Glory domain. It is as good as align weapon + half the effect of magic weapon. In fact, on a mwk. weapon, it is practically as good as both of those spells combined (you are only losing out on the +1 damage from magic weapon). Furthermore, with a scimitar, which has an 18-20 crit range, there is a good chance of getting a crit with it once per encounter.

close wounds stabilize an ally as an immediate action (so you don't have to waste your turn casting a cure spell or risk them dying before you can get to them.

light of mercuria similar to light of lunia, but put 8d6 points of hurt on an undead or evil outsider. At 3rd level - ouch!

quick march another swift spell, this one grants the party +30 speed for one round. Ideal if used during a surprise round or any time when combat is opened at long range because it allows the party to close or encircle the enemy; it is also good for a sudden retreat - like swift expeditious retreat, but affects the whole party.

resist energy it's pretty obvious why this is useful.

spiritual weapon since this spell uses your Wis bonus to attack, there is a sweet spot between levels 3 and 8 (at level 9, you get some good damage causing spells) where spiritual weapon is probably better than attacking personally. Also the spell's range lets you sic it on someone halfway across the battlefield without putting yourself at risk. You don't lose an attack to cast it, since it attacks in the first round, and it allows you to continue attacking while casting spells in subsequent rounds.

Also, a housekeeping note. Since using the turn undead causes damage rule makes disrupt undead a rather pointless spell, I think it is fair to replace it in the Glory domain with light of lunia. In general if we house rule something that ends up making a class feature pointless or worse, useless, let me know and we'll fix it. Since adopting the turn for damage rule, I've noticed feats and rules popping up left and right that potentially do not mesh with it. Also, there are some Radiant Servant class features related to Maximized cure spells that we'll need to tweak for Salome when we get there. (Because she can already maximize cure spells if cast out of combat).

[JSL]

My recommendation for Salome might be:

0: guidance, light x2, resistance

1: bless x2, iron guts, light of lunia(D)

2: bless weapon(D), close wounds, spiritual weapon

I would use guidance on the first round of a fight where you win the initiative and are not in immediate danger or when you have surprise.

Bless is a good first round spell in any combat, as is resistance.

Use iron guts on the party member with the weakest Fort save either right before a fight with wrathspawn (it has a long enough duration that you can do that) or after that person is poisoned - it will help them shake the poison faster.

Bless weapon and Spiritual weapon don't play well together, so plan to use them in separate encounters.

Light of lunia is best cast before a fight so you can discharge it on the first round if you want. Note that it has a long enough duration that you don't necessarily need to use it in the first fight, but can save it for the next.

[Arctaris]

santinj@ wrote:

Okay. I'm posting IC assuming that Naelah is gone, left Sandpoint, in a coma, whatever. I guess we really don't need to decide anything right now as a group (Psi isn't posting, so what's there to decide?), but I do think we'll have to cross that bridge if Psi is able to rejoin us at some point. If that does happen, I think we need to establish some way of knowing whether he's back on a permanent (and regular) basis or not. Don't get me wrong, I want him to come back; I've always thought Naelah to be a great character idea--she just ain't ever around.

Yeah, I'll miss Naelah and PsiFox if he leaves us permanantly, but I don't think that we can reall just continue on half-pretending she's still with us and just being very quiet. I hope he's okay this time around.

Speaking of not around much, sorry for my lessened rate of posting recently, but I've been busy doing school and I'm about to apply for an internship at a law firm and this weekend a friend's doing an all nighter for his birthday so I might continue to be a slow poster for the next week or so. Sorry for any nconvienence and I'll post as much as I can.

[Dreamer]

I've updated my spells and I'm ready to go. (Thanks for the suggestions!)

[santinj@]

I know that this has been on the boards and in the news for the past few days, but I'd like to acknowledge the passing of E. Gary Gygax. I must say that though I'd never met Mr. Gygax, I was honestly saddened at the news. Without him, we would not be (virtually) gathered here playing this wonderful game. Much of the happiness I found during my less-than-enjoyable teen years came from playing AD&D with friends. Here's to Gary *hoists a coffee cup.*

[Arctaris]

Yeah, here's to you Gary. Without his work I would have a much more boring and myopic life. I would know fewer people, including the people on these boards without the game he created. Its certainly made my life better. Thanks Mr. Gygax.

[JSL]

For all the flak this game has taken over the years - from people who assume it is for "geeks" or "nerds" who can't get a date to the folks who assume we're all casting spells and worshiping Satan - it has really done alot of good and had a pretty profound impact on a lot of lives. In olden days, young boys (and girls) played sports (such as hurley - I'm talking really old here!) to prepare for the rigor of warfare.

Now that we don't all need to defend ourselves from the Huns every month, we have other career options like teacher, accountant, engineer, etc. And what better game is there to prepare kids for the social interactions, improvisation, mental stress, and even math skills needed to succeed in modern life?

Yes, you can do half the same stuff in many computer games, but with the computer enforcing the rules and doing the "hard" work, there is little opportunity to exercise anything but your thumbs. And let's not start on the muddle that adults have made of youth sports.

In short, I think D&D has been great on many levels. And even though the evolving game mechanics have largely obsolesced Mr. Gygax's original, I think he and his collaborators deserve a ton of credit for creating a medium that has allowed so many people to learn, make friends, and express themselves in such diverse ways.

Gygax will be missed; but on the other hand, I think he accomplished more in his life than a lot of people and, despite his passing the game will go on.

[FabesMinis]

Before reading these view posts, I'd already typed up my last IC entry. It's probably cheesy, but it's from the heart. The most beautiful tribute, I've seen is the Order of the Stick strip.

[Dreamer]

I don't have a lot of personal connection to Gary Gygax (Is that his real name? I've always wondered...) or the history of D&D, RPGs, etc. But I understand the sentiments. I'm still grieving over Jim Henson's passing for many of the same reasons -- a man full of endless ideas who had a great impact on multiple generations of creative people deserves a moment of appreciation and honor. And recognition of the long shadow he cast.

[FabesMinis]

I saw a great video clip on YouTube in which EGG says "My name is Ernest Gary Gygax, or in Switzerland its pronounced "gi-gax" from the Latin "gigantus" because we're supposedly descended from Goliath."

A giant indeed. :D

[Dreamer]

I'm rather disappointed. I fully intended to post something in the IC thread, but there's really nothing left for me to say.

Anything I could add in character at this point would likely come off as odd, out of order, or sarcastic, so I think I'll stop here. :(

[Ragadolf]

Yah, I didn't care for his articles in Dragon, but whatever you do or don't like about him, he certainly started something that I'm glad to be a part of!

And the tribute in OotS was awesome! :)

[Dreamer]

Rags, we need to sort this out.

Slidell wrote:

When they make their way back to the junction, Slidell, (having seen the blood streaks once they were pointed out by Salome), shines the spot of his lantern around, and searches the area once more,... quickly.

Salome wrote:

Ahem... I don't think I divulged what was in the spoiler yet. I have an appointment to get to right now; I will post later tonight.

Slidell wrote:

Um,... Oops? Sorry, I sometimes fail my spoiler will saves by a large margin. It seems this time it was so large I didn't even realize it WAS a spoiler! Sorry, My bad. (How much GP will it cost me to increase my RL will save?!?)

For me, the issue isn't the spoiler. I don't think there's a high expectation of spoiler privacy, beyond what's necessary to keep the game (a) interesting and (b) going. For me, it's easier to keep track of what my character knows or doesn't know if I don't immediately read spoilers, but I'm just as likely as the next guy to read one for which the statute of limitations has expired.

The problem is this: from my perspective, you usurped control of my character. Yes, I was going to tell the group about the bloody streaks. So why not give me a chance? I'm an active player; it isn't like I've fallen off the end of the earth and haven't responded in a week. In fact, my next post came less than 20 minutes after yours. But by then, there wasn't a single logical response or statement I could give that would make sense. ("Oh look! Streaks of blood leading down the passageway! Oh, wait. You already said that, didn't you?") And, rather than give into my baser instincts and say something mean or sarcastic, I was left with a turn, and nothing to do with it.

By analogy, what if I cast a spell for you? "Salome stands, briefly mesmerized at the wall of light Slidell produced," when you had done no such thing? It would leave you out of the interaction, out of the game, and out one spell that you were hoping to use at some point in the chapter. That's not cool.

I like playing with and off of Slidell; he's a fun character, and yes he has some larger-than-life qualities. But when a character gets larger-than-himself, and starts invading other people's roles and actions, it makes the game less fun. If you can play my character, than what do you need me for?

Slidell's carrying the lantern, but I think everyone deserves a turn in the spotlight.

Response?

[Ragadolf]

You are correct, we need to discuss this. I will try to be brief, as that is not my strong point.

You are probably correct about the spoiler expectations, BUT I usually do a better job of resisting the urge to read them, AND of keeping what I read out of my actions until it has been 'revealed'. I will continue to try to do better, both for everyone else, AND for the fact that it's really only cheating myself if I read them all willy-nilly. And I am having too much fun to cheat myself (and everyone else), of all that.

Now, onto what is obviously the more serious problem. The fact that you feel that I usurped control of your character, in however minor a way, because of my post.
Let me make this clear, It was not intentional!
No matter my reason (posting quickly/late/tired/etc.) AND I apologize for upsetting you. Now, I have excuses, (Crazy week at work & home, tired, reading too fast, posting too fast, all the above and more), But I'm sure that doesn't change how you feel, please accept my sincere apology, and the following thought,...

I confess, that my first response was, "I think that Dreamer is overreacting just a little". BUT, it took me all of 5 seconds to realize that I had been told this once before, by Fabes. Because of a post i wrote involving a nonverbal response from Ehlissa to an outlandish statement from Slidell. It was very similar to this, I had posted a 'look of shock' as Ehlissa's reaction, so that I could continue writing my evening's novel length post. And he obviously felt the same way about it.

SO, Problem;
1) If you feel that I have usurped your character, even for a round, then I have done so. No matter how unintentional or harmless I may have thought it to be at the time.
2) While I don't believe that I make a habit out of it, it is obvious that I have done it at least once before.

Answer?;
1) Apology- I repeat that I sincerely apologize. I have never had any intention of ruining yours, Fabes, or ANYone else's fun through my actions. (Going for the cheap laugh?=OK, Being slightly annoying?=sometimes, (rarely, and for a short duration) OK, Injuring feelings or ticking people off?= NOT ok!)

2) Promise- I promise to TRY not to repeat the mistake that led to me injuring your feelings. If this means that I need to try and curb my enthusiasm for over-long posts, in order to actually ALLOW a reaction, instead of presuming it, and THEN continue, (Or alter my writing style to make my loooooong speeches more speech and less 'book'), Then I will try to do so.

All I ask in return is your patience IF it does happen again. I think that 2 instances (that I am aware of! If there are others , this all is extended to you as well!) in almost 6 months of gaming with a group of people that I have never actually met is proof in itself that I am not doing it maliciously. IF it does happen again, please please bring it to my attention, so I can rectify it.

This was the first Pbp I ever joined, and it was so much fun that I have over-extended my self into TOO many others since then! But I can honestly say that this group will always mean the most to me (newcomers included!) because of the fantastic people who are playing it with me, and the characters that they bring to life!

Thank you for sharing it with me. I hope we can continue this game for many modules to come. But that is difficult if there are hurt feelings involved, as that can only hurt the wonderful group dynamics that this pool of players has shown. And that never was, and never will be, my intention.

As I have already obviously FAILED in my attempt to be brief, I will now cease, as it is 1:30am here, I just worked a 15 hour day, and I can JUST catch 4 hours of sleep if I log off NOW.

(Please note that this post took over an hour for me to write, and that I felt it was important enough to lose that hour of sleep to write it!)

Thank you, I will see you all tomorrow.

[Dreamer]

Rags -

So you know,
1) I'm not mad
2) I didn't mean for you to lose sleep over it
3) I didn't ascribe any malice to you
4) I'm glad we could get this settled quickly.

I did feel like it was important to point out that there was an issue here so that--as a group--we could all be aware of a potential PbP snag and do what was necessary to prevent it. (Much better to deal with a problem directly than to seethe and build up resentment about it -- or expect people to mind-read in order to solve problems.)

I understand
1) crazy life (don't get me started!)
2) enthusiastic character-writing
3) honest mistakes

As we're making up our game and story together, we're also making up some of the rules as we go along, especially as they pertain to making the PbP format work for us as a group. Since we're not sitting around a table in real time, able to get instant reactions and responses (actually, you wouldn't get instant responses from me in real time -- I'd still be saying, "What do I do now?"), we have to be more explicit about what's OK/not OK in the discussion thread.

I appreciate and accept your apology.

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but PbP'd here
While these discussion threads did appear.
And this weak and idle theme (no offense to DMs!)
No more yielding than a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend.
If you pardon, we will mend...
...Give me your hands, if we be friends,
And Dreamer shall restore amends
(Or at least offer a CLW or two).
(Apologies to Bill Shakey!)

Now, back to the game!

[FabesMinis]

We're the fifth most active discussion thread!

...

I thought it was exciting.

:D

[santinj@]

FabesMinis wrote:

We're the fifth most active discussion thread!

...

I thought it was exciting.

:D

How did you find that out, Fabes?

[FabesMinis]

One can sort the threads by clicking on Topics (sorts them alphabetically) or Posts (lists them from highest to lowest) or Date.

[santinj@]

FabesMinis wrote:

One can sort the threads by clicking on Topics (sorts them alphabetically) or Posts (lists them from highest to lowest) or Date.

Oh! That's cool. I didn't even see that option. Our game thread is eighth. Nice.

[Ragadolf]

Um, yeah, cool, I STILL don't see that option! :P

Where is it at?

[santinj@]

Just opened Pathfinder 7. It's got a cool article on Varisians, and I'll try to incorporate some of it into Vesh's character. One cool thing I read was on Varisian tattoos: Vesh's answer to Salome about them was not far off (there are more specific descriptions of particular symbols in the article) and nothing in the article contradicts Vesh's description of the Scarzni. Not that it's a big deal if we come up with our own stuff; I thought it was just interesting and...congruous.

[FabesMinis]

Just left-click on the words Topics, Dates, Posts, and it will do it for you. :D

[santinj@]

FabesMinis wrote:

Just left-click on the words Topics, Dates, Posts, and it will do it for you. :D

Fabes is talking about the headings on the page where the boards are listed:

http://paizo.com/paizo/messageboards/community/gaming/playByPostDiscussion

You'll see the words he describes along the top.

[santinj@]

Don't forget XP day, today (and I don't mean Microsoft, neither!!!).

EDIT: "Hey, Mister, can I borrow ten xp? I gotta level-up, but I lost my job and my wife left me..."

[Ragadolf]

AH! found it! Thanks!
Hey, that is pretty cool!

[Dreamer]

Now, it would be interesting to see which are the most-viewed campaigns, and even more to compare player-views vs. lurker/visitor-views.

Ever feel like you're being watched?

[Arctaris]

santinj@ wrote:

Don't forget XP day, today (and I don't mean Microsoft, neither!!!).

Did you know that they're getting sued by the UK for some obscene sum of money. Violated their position as industry leader apparently.

EDIT: My calculations put me at 3050 XP (2370+680+100). Is that correct? Do I have the wrong values or did I miss something?

[Ragadolf]

Dreamer wrote:

Now, it would be interesting to see which are the most-viewed campaigns, and even more to compare player-views vs. lurker/visitor-views.

Ever feel like you're being watched?

NO! NOT AT ALL! WHY DO YOU ASK!?! (looks over shoulder worriedly)

;P

Arctaris wrote:

Did you know that they're getting sued by the UK for some obscene sum of money. Violated their position as industry leader apparently.

Nope, hadn't heard that yet. Course, they'll just pay a fine and STILL make more money this year than last,...

Arctaris wrote:

EDIT: My calculations put me at 3050 XP (2370+680+100). Is that correct? Do I have the wrong values or did I miss something?

Hm, I think that Sant and I had the same #, I was at 2990 after today's XP weekly add on as well. Unless WE missed an XP handout?

[JSL]

I think Santinj@'s count is accurate. If in doubt, just round it to 3,000 and call it good. Salome should catch up very shortly; I think she is only 2-300 behind.

BTW, I've really tweaked this part of the adventure to avoid long PbP dungeon crawls (and for a few other reasons). However, it is my impression that most parties go through this part of the adventure sooner; i.e., at the beginning of second level or even the tail end of first level.

I don't feel that your level or XP are unjustified, however. You have had to do a lot more work to piece things together than is necessarily written in the module. And I consider it bonus that the party is more robust.

[Ragadolf]

Cool! Thanks!
Yeah, I like how we had to actually work at it, and not, "Oh look, here is a map case with maps showing where Shelob's cave is, a map of Shelob's lair itself, and a schedule of her daily routine!"

Not that I have ever had a DM that made it THAT easy, but sometimes when the group is more into the ROLL playing than the ROLE playing, it can feel like that!

OK, Slidell is 'advanced' and ready to go. (Though he doesn't know it yet.) As I see it in my head, the 'reveal' of his 3rd level should be appropriately,.... 'Slidell'. ;)

(Be afraid, be VERY afraid!)

:D

[Arctaris]

Mal's updated to 3rd level.

[Dreamer]

So, after everybody recovers, how are we going to get past this thing?

[santinj@]

Dreamer wrote:

So, after everybody recovers, how are we going to get past this thing?

I'm tempted to go the other way.

"Run away!"

[Ragadolf]

Paizo boards kept kicking me off all day.

I don't know. I can't help but remember another module I DM'd once, where a poem on a wall was actually a passkey to three traps lining a hallway. I wonder if the strip of large letters that Slidell was reading could be similar. OF course, he was mumbling them out loud, he may have set it off in the first place!

;P

[Arctaris]

santinj@ wrote:

Dreamer wrote:

So, after everybody recovers, how are we going to get past this thing?

I'm tempted to go the other way.

"Run away!"

Sounds good to me. Once was enough for Mal.

[Ragadolf]

Yah, I got pretty toasted there too. Sli is definitely going to try and outthink this one! Not out-maneuver it!

(Ah, the joys of playing a character that is smarter than the player!)

[FabesMinis]

I'm fine with the other way. I hate puzzles and traps. Damn crazy Thassilonians.

[Ragadolf]

FabesMinis wrote:

I'm fine with the other way. I hate puzzles and traps. Damn crazy Thassilonians.

Hear! Hear!

Actually my CHARACTER loves this kind of thing. And I enjoy it too. For about 3 seconds. ;P
Seriously, I like puzzles ands such, but I am seriously RL skill-point-deprived when it comes to actually figuring them out! :)
Every once in a while you get one that works the way you actually think, then it ain't so bad! :D

Any ideas?

EDIT- This is NOT to say that our diabolical DM should consider taking out the traps/puzzles from the adventure! Far from it! Just a note that after he sees us banging our heads against the wall for a while, he might allow us a roll to see if our characters are smarter than we are! (Since I know mine is smarter than I am!)

(Actually, I think we had this same posted conversation about 4-5 months ago,..NM!) :P

[JSL]

Ragadolf wrote:

EDIT- This is NOT to say that our diabolical DM should consider taking out the traps/puzzles from the adventure! Far from it! Just a note that after he sees us banging our heads against the wall for a while, he might allow us a roll to see if our characters are smarter than we are! (Since I know mine is smarter than I am!)

(Actually, I think we had this same posted conversation about 4-5 months ago,..NM!) :P

Yeah, and I think that time I said roll first and bang your head later. My expectation *is* that the characters can solve the puzzles just as I expect the characters to kill the badguys, not the players.

Funny thing, that. I think the Gygaxian model has trained us to think that the players need to solve the puzzles - because most of Gygax's puzzles were so stupidly impossible that the player would be on his 10th or 12th character by the time he guessed it right. On the other hand, we have no such disconnect when it comes to killing the monsters. That is to say, for some reason we understand that only the character can kill the monster, but we forget that only the character can disarm the trap/solve the puzzle/etc. Weird.

[Dreamer]

Umm... I like puzzles and problems to solve. But I don't feel like I have the D&D "foundation" that would allow me to solve them effectively. For example, I wouldn't automatically connect purple eyes and half-angels. But once I know the pattern, or some kind of framework from which to operate, I'm pretty good at putting the pieces together in a way that fits.

So, what are our "edge" pieces (givens)?

- Evil archmage bad guy - "Wrath"-themed power
- Wall that shoots out fire when... read? spells cast on it? just generally pissed off?
- Inanimate object imbued with intelligence, or at least a spell
- (Very logical) DM who believes in game balance and presenting players with a challenge equal to their abilities

Some member(s) of the party must have something (spell, ability, knowledge, weapon, tool, etc.) that will get past this. They just don't know it yet.

[FabesMinis]

Well... if it can't be smote down with 1d8+4 damage, I'm out of ideas... ;)