I was waiting for a note about whether Maddock was at the same flophouse as Kegi. I'll assume he's found his own place to sleep.
hey everyone:
Now that we have a cast of regular's and a bit of space for me to either proove or disprove myself, I was wondering if you all had some feedback. Things like, too combat heavy, I'm feeling deprotaginized or disenfranchised, This is awesome but will you stop trying to sound like a pulp novel and play like a horror novel, you suck. Those kinds of things.
oh yeahif you like something, want something of more of the same etc.
Also: Things come and Things go, but as apposed to rolling everything randomly (which can be fun just look at our scrolls) I tend to make wishlists.
Top 3 Items You'd like to make an appearance
Top 3 Plots/Characters You'd like to make an appearance
Top 3 Monsters You'd like or dislike t o make an appearance.the first one should be preety clear, but the second one [ie I want a bit of back story brought forward, or I would really enjoy a good old fashion grimm fairy tale, or I'd like to set up a patron/ally/enemy that is a bit more central to my character and the plot.
Some people really enjoy fighting some things, (like rangers favoured enemies) and some people dont (Phobias, general aversion to some thing) if you want more X and absolutely no Y please let me know. (changing monster selection is probably the easiest thing for me to do at the moment)
So yeah i guess its moment of truth/report card time. How am i doing?
:)
I'm not very good at feedback, but I'll try and get things rolling.
The story really has been unpredictable so far. I like that a lot. The group of PCs we have here are mostly pretty weird and unique. It's going to be fun seeing where things go for them.
There has been a good mix of exposition and of combat, probably just about right.
Combats haven't been too structured or rigid which is kind of nice. I like not knowing what the heck the creatures are we're fighting. Some might not, but I like the mystery and having to change strategy.
3 items I'd like to see?
I don't know. I really don't have a hope or dream for anything special.
Maddock would probably enjoy a bow of some kind, or a mug that makes poor quality ale taste better.
Top 3 Plots/Characters:
I'd like to flesh out the gatekeepers in Sharn a bit more. I can make up some NPC characters on my own to take some burden off.
I'd like to know a little more about what people are doing, other than huddling and barely surviving. Is Morgrave University up to anything, or how about the Wayfinder Foundation, or the Dragonmarked houses? Lyrander with their airships and sea vessels may be trying to grab power. Since warforged can run around in mournland with less penalty, what are they up to? Has house Cannith started upping the production on the hidden forge in Sharn? Or made it public?
Top 3 Monsters You'd like or dislike:
I'm easy on the monster front. I like mystery critters. Of all the Eberron beasties, I really like Dolgaunts, though.
First, allow me to say one of the coolest/weirdest/original starting scenarios I have ever seen!
I'll triple on the Dolgaunts. Tho I've never actually PLAYED Eberron before, when I read about them I thought they sounded cool. (To fight! yeah, that's it!)
I'm also not a big fan of endless confusion/questions. Even Buffy and Angel managed to accomplish SOME things, even tho the bad guys were always around.
I like the 'confusion' so far in as much as it is better than the usual "The DM just described that one guy in detail, so he must be a bad guy, GETIM!"
But I also would like to say that I would like the characters to be able to 'settle in' at some point and live "normal' lives. (As normal as adventuring/nocturnal/vigilante/fighting the establishment-run-by-a-bad-guy-in-disguise people can get anyway!)
In one way I like the off-the-cuff writing of our encounters, it is definitely more engaging than the usual rote combat. And I happen to LIKE writing! BUT, I feel a little lost at times. no clear enemy, no clear distances or targets. (At one point I almost felt like I was in a writing contest, IF I wrote the right thing, I could escape.)It feels VERY pulp fiction-y, but it is also a bit frustrating at times as well.
NOTE- There is also a very good side to this, as the PbP method of play does lend itself to this over structured round-by-round combat.
Don't get me wrong, I would like to keep the FEEL of what you have been doing so far. It is very different than any other game I have been involved in. But maybe you could add more detailed descriptions to SOME of our encounters? Maybe if we make an ID check based on our background or skills?
Example- The very tough people that most of us just faced. They were almost unaffected by the first round of attacks. Would there have been a way for the characters to ID WHY? Magic-users check to see if they can ID spell effects that they are under? Clerics ID to see if they are undead in disguise?, etc. I would even be ok with you rolling for us at the first to save time, so you could tell us what we ID'd in your first paragraph. (Which may be what your doing,...)
All in all, I like it so far, please keep up the good work. And I will try to keep up with you!
As far as the wishlists go,...
Top 3 items?
I'm a sorcerer,...I like TOYS! (IE-Magic Items, especially ones that are useful/flexible. Like a cape of flying or a carpet of flying, a wand or staff of various polymorph spells or shadow magic spells, or devices that can make a sorcerer more flexible by adding meta magic effects, or can trade one spell for another.)[I once saw a 'wand' in Dragon Magazine, it was basically unlimited charges, because the spell it cast was powered by the magic of the wielder. If it was fireballs, you had to cast a spell you had mem'd to to power the wand.]
Top 3 monsters?
For Akallabeth, undead. Otherwise I'm pretty easy about what I fight. I would prefer to fight badguys that I KNOW are 'bad'. I would feel really bad if we have to keep beating up the 'police' because they don't realize that they are working for the badguy!
Top 3 plots?
Again, For Akallabeth,
1) to find the Vampire commander that killed my mentor.
2) to find the @$$-holes that turned traitor and led us into that trap in the first place!
3) (Not listed in my original goals) I would love to find out about the source of my powers! Are they JUST a strange manifestation due to my exposure to the Mourning? Or are they (as I fear) a 'gift' from an otherworldly source who wants to use me for ends I do not know yet?
kewl this is the kind of feedback i need.
As far as some of the lack of details I've been trying to keep mechanics off the IC thread, which leads to some of the lack of detail. Some of it has just been lazy writing on my part (I'm getting this in in between my 4th year honours seminars and essays and applications to grad school etc)
So Dolgaunts eh?
:pgps
Glad you like it, Hope it helps. I am having a good time!
As far as the mechanics go, Might I suggest that we keep the mechanics ON the IC thread? Maybe hidden under a spoiler if they really bother you to see them up front?
I ask this because it helps ME to keep them together. I don't like having to flip back and forth to check on my rolls when I'm writing. And I would think that it would help you to have our rolls in the same post we are writing the action in. Especially when we are all running around individually like we just were!
That's my 3rd two cents!
Thanks!
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Hello. I finally got an internet hook-up in my new apartment. I don't know if you're rejoicing, but I sure am.
hey everyone:
Now that we have a cast of regular's and a bit of space for me to either proove or disprove myself, I was wondering if you all had some feedback.
From my perspective, so far, so good. Every new group has a few rough spots at first, but we seem to be doing well.
One note for the other players: we seem to be addressing all our posts to Logos. I wish there were more interactions between player characters.
Also: Things come and things go, but as opposed to rolling everything randomly (which can be fun just look at our scrolls) I tend to make wishlists.
Items you'd like to make an appearance
Plots/Characters you'd like to make an appearance
Monsters you'd like or dislike to make an appearance.
I'm not so worried about magic items. Within the next couple of levels, we'll probably want a couple magic weapons to deal damage to things with damage reduction. Given that this is Sharn, it might be nice to have some magic flying items.
More seriously, we really need cash at this point. We started the campaign by applying for a job, and so far, that hasn't worked out especially well.
For plots and characters, it's really nice to play in a campaign that isn't a pre-written Adventure Path / Campaign / what-have-you; if we all decide to "join the circus", that's where things can go. You encouraged us to come up with detailed backstories with hanging plot-threads, and I'm looking forward to seeing those come to the fore every so often.
As for monsters, this is a horror campaign, and I'm looking forward to encountering some intelligent undead sometime soon. But, yeah, dolgaunts.
It's a personal preference, but I'll give it up to a simple majority. (Ie one more request )
Third vote: I think the storyline would flow more smoothly if some of the mechanics ended up in the in-character thread.
As for the rest, more magic is coming but i'm also trying to keep the danger feel and avoid the omg its a monster use magic, omg its a trap bring an axe approach to dnd. Its not like pulp is not full of conviences, (Cars, taxi's, travel segways, etc) but its also not full of fireballs so we'll see if i end up achieving synthesis or not.
We're low-level, and this is a spooky campaign, so I'm imagining that we're going to need to solve a lot more problems with our wits than with our spells.
But yeah, is anyone actually concerned about the green and yellow silked, jack-booted, massacre-making baddies being members of the police? I thought that was pretty clear.
The impression I'd gotten was that they'd come in and co-opted the police. The typical Sharn law agent isn't all that keen on tracking us down, but they're like the Gestapo; when they come in, they have special police powers that allow them to take over. Is that essentially right?
I'd be happy with putting rolls and mechanics in spoiler tags on the IC thread, and leaving this thread for OOC descriptions and/or questions.
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Logos, before things go too much farther, there were a couple of questions to which I've not seen your answers:
The 300 suicides at the Oaks, stretch back how far? Years?
Lucienne possesses the Deed to the Inn. Who was its most recent owner, how long did he own the Oaks, and who was the previous owner of record?
According to the gnomes' paperwork, does "sealing an interdimensional rift" require divine or arcane spellcasting, or just knowledge?
Does the gnome's handwriting match the "There is no cake" message? Or, perhaps, might it offer an explanation for the "There is no cake" message?
There are 10 scrolls:
Divine, 1 use, Remove Paralysis (clvl 3)
Divine, 6 uses, Dictum (clvl 13)
Divine, 1 use, Summon Nature's Ally II (clvl 3)
Divine, 2 uses, Fire Trap (clvl 3)
Divine, 3 uses, Gentle Repose (clvl 3)
Divine, 2 uses, Death Ward (clvl 7)
Divine, 1 use, Magic Weapon (clvl 1)Arcane, 6 uses, Mordenkinen's Faithful Hound (clvl 9)
Arcane, 2 uses, Contact Other Plane (clvl 9)
Arcane, 4 uses, Wall of Fire (clvl 7)
Maddock and Lucienne are the only characters who can use Divine spells. EvilTurnip, Maddock should take Magic Weapon; Lucienne already has it in her spellbook. I don't think it really matters who's holding onto Gentle Repose or Death Ward; those spells tend to be cast out of combat.
Lucienne would like to eventually enscribe Summon Nature's Ally II into her spell book, so she'd like to hold on to that scroll. But she's willing to listen to alternate suggestions.
Would Maddock like Fire Trap or Remove Paralysis?
(somebody with good negotiating skills should likely sell the Dictum scroll, at the earliest opportunity, because successfully casting it now would, literally, kill everyone in the party.) (A scroll of six 7th-level spells, cast at 13th level, might fetch something like 13,650 gp.)
Ragadolf, Radavel, how are Akallabeth and Romulus splitting the arcane scrolls?
Logos, what does a magical book of prophesy do?
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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The Jackboots, are not in any way with or containing the police. They don't look like it and they don't fight like it.
As well you haven't seen the police and the jackboots interact yet, but they the jackboots seem to be avoiding the watch.
Re-reading the threads, I think I was confusing the gold-and-green people with the Cult-of-the-Dragon-Below city guard infiltration that Pennyworth was originally hiring people to uncover.
So, the city guard is still rife with a corrupt cult, but the jackboots, led by the Hollow Man, who seems to have assumed Pennyworth's identity, are a different kettle of evil fish.
Chris, Romulus will take the wall of fire scrolls, fire being more of his style.
I had proceeded on the assumption that we would split the arcane scrolls. (I thought I had already posted that, sorry if I didn't, It's been a crazy couple of weeks in the real world.) SO I have already 'taken' half of all the scrolls available, splitting them down the middle. (That gives us each 3 Hounds, 1 Contact other Plane, and 2 Walls of Fire each I believe). BUT, since we/I haven't used them yet, we can re-divide if you want.
Just let me know!
And yes, I will be happy to hide all 'game mechanic' rolls behind spoilers if it is more than "Hit X for X dmg".
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Chris, Romulus will take the wall of fire scrolls, fire being more of his style.I had proceeded on the assumption that we would split the arcane scrolls. (I thought I had already posted that, sorry if I didn't, It's been a crazy couple of weeks in the real world.) SO I have already 'taken' half of all the scrolls available, splitting them down the middle. (That gives us each 3 Hounds, 1 Contact other Plane, and 2 Walls of Fire each I believe). BUT, since we/I haven't used them yet, we can re-divide if you want.
Just let me know!
And yes, I will be happy to hide all 'game mechanic' rolls behind spoilers if it is more than "Hit X for X dmg".
That division is fine by me.
As much as I enjoy in character conflict, lets keep the PC's PG13 aside from cussing fighting spiting and running like badgers. I.E. Althought I am going for gritty, pulpy mash em up fiction, I want strong broads who don't take s*~*. This is made easier when the PC's don't give em s*~* to begin with so don't. If you all can't do this females will mysteriously vanish from the game, and then it wont be a problem.
and yes this is not free, realistic and completely ideological. I enjoy stories that wife, and potential daughter can read without making me feel bad for writing leecherous, misogynic characters .As i don't have control over you please keep it clean or you will be retconned.
I'm not really angry, but i wanted to set clear boundries in case someone wanted to create either a harvy or a blondy type character, later in the game.
No problem at all, As I don't particularly care for PC conflict.
(That's one reason I posted it as his thoughts, so he WOULDN'T get clobbered by the girl who can probably trounce him in hand-to-hand combat!)I also understand the all the other reasons, as I have an 8 year old daughter that is showing an interest in "daddy's games" (YAY! Another generation introduced to D&D)
Allow me to say to ALL that I meant no offense, and if I did offend anyone, I'm sorry, it was unintentional. I was actually trying to be funny.
Thank you for being clear about it up front. Family-Friendly it is!
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Allow me to say to ALL that I meant no offense, and if I did offend anyone, I'm sorry, it was unintentional. I was actually trying to be funny.
Thank you for being clear about it up front. Family-Friendly it is!
Oh, no offense taken at all. Nor, did I take any offense when Logos' intruder tried to, presumably, rape Lucienne at knife-point.
Oh, by the way, Logos, I'd said that Lucienne had tried to see how "Manboy" was doing after she made her way to the ground. Was she able to find his body / impact point?
Thank you 'Lucienne'
GAK! Doofus here just put 2+2 together,...
SInce Lucienne doesn't have any spells, Akallabeth will extend the offer of a Mage Armor to her as well if she didn't manage to grab her armor. (I didn't remember if she wears armor or not,...)
I can cover at least 2 and still have enough slots left over for a decent amount of blastin',...
Just FYI,...
I never planned for Akallabeth to be 'Cussn' N' Fussn' kind of guy.
(OK, He IS EX military, but still,...) My CONCEPT was a Harrison Ford type hero, al la Han Solo or Indiana Jones, with the pessimistic attitude of a down-on-his-luck PI thrown in for good measure.
I'm afraid I haven't been portraying that very well, my only excuse is RL has been quite,...hectic,... lately, and I haven't felt very 'quippy' lately.
I'll try to do better too!
And now, we return you to 'DARK SHARN" Chapter 2-Return to the Oaks,....
I'll talk to him, post as soon as I can.
I've noticed that all the Pbp's I read seem to be suffering from post-turkey or pre-holiday speed bumps, it's not just us!
Personally, I run an Auditorium for a University. End of the semester. Crazy/stoopid busy.
I can usually find time to READ the posts, but I having trouble finding time to POST.
Thanks for the summary of the Nemesis, that's what I was looking for.
Thanks all!
Anytime Logos,
Hey guys, for a would-be detective, I am SLOW.
I think we missed a VERY important point that Logos has probably been laughing over.
Mainly, the fact that Lucienne's backpack currently holds the deed to the Oaks.
As far as the law is concerned, WE OWN THE OAKS!
He's probably laughing over the fact that we're 'breaking and entering' our own property!
My theory is that all of the 'suicide/murders' were caused by the weaking Daelker Seal. But since no one knew it was there, no one saw they were the symptoms of a bigger problem.
I don't wanna park my bedroom over the seal itself, but I think the best way to protect the seal from weakening any further would be to claim the Oaks as our headquarters and guard it ourselves while we try to bring mr Hollow/Pennywise down.
Akallabeth will discuss this with the characters, but I wanted to do it here quickly without taking my usual novel to 'characterize' it.
Whattya think?
and as my wife says and THE FACT THAT YOUR SPOSED TO GO INSIDE THE INN
Um,...yeah. And that too. :P
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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No, guys, our characters don't own the inn. We stole the deed. That doesn't make us the rightful owners of the Oak; that makes us thieves. The rightful owners would be Pennywise's heirs, or whomever else Sharn law dictates.
(And I would be surprised if we could just show up at a notary, with stuff stolen and missing from the scene of last week's spectacular mass-murder, and just ask for them to register it on our name.)
Now, he had a magical Book of Prophesy, so he may have forseen this and made us heirs, or something. But we won't know that till we go have a look at the red glow-y stuff inside the Oaks.
Sorry for posting so sparsely recently.
I got caught up in the drama of the RPG superstar contest as well as being more busy at work recently, and my own Age of Worms game starts tonight.
I'll get back to posting more often, now that those things are smoothing themselves out.
Let's get ourselves inside, already! On to adventure!
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Logos, I'm sorry to do this, but you're presenting Lucienne with intelligent undead --which she's sworn to destroy-- and in fact something vile enough to either possess the body of a little girl, or else disguise itself as one.
I hate situations like this: when role-playing faithfully to the character threatens the campaign, but I don't know how to get out of it. You asked us for Statements of Intent and Refresh, and we're now bouncing off of Lucienne's Statement of Refresh.
Guys, it's likely that Lucienne would side with the Hollow Man against intelligent undead children. It's likely that you may have to kill her before she runs to inform on the Oaks.
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True Enough, However you also know that this is completely unlike any intelligent undead you have encountered so far. She is not a mummy a ghast a ghoul or whatnot, she doesn't feed and appears to have some sense of proprity.
That's why I asked for a Knowledge check, Logos. Can Lucienne tell what kind of undead this is? If all she can tell is "it's kind of like a zombie..." and she knows it's more than that, then how does she know it doesn't feed?
If you run and rat out it will be understandible and I won't hold it against you but it will be the end of your playing the character. I'm looking for an enemy of my enemy kind of feel. I very much feel that you are painting yourself into the corner per se.
Well, I'm looking around, and I don't see a lot of options. You asked us for backgrounds and statements of Refresh. I gave you a background where undead corrupted and killed Lucienne's mother and have probably turned her into a vampire. She hates the undead.And, based on that, you've given the party an intelligent undead that has stolen the body of a child.
I agree we're in a corner. I don't see a way for Lucienne to agree to work with this thing, given her background.
That said, if you wish to kill the first person who wants to give you a hand since you escaped the hollow man by all means take it up that way.Think of all the reasons Buffy didn't stake Spike...
So, you would rather Luciennenot kill the thing? Throw me a bone here, Logos. How do you see that happening?
I'm sure you can come up with something and still keep your statements or you can come up with something and change your statements, or you can attempt to ally yourself with the hollowman, a mass murder who seems intent on killing you.
I don't think I can "come up with something" and still have Lucienne hate this kind of unholy creature. So should I re-write the character's backstory?
Not to mention the whole undying court and alignment not defined by kind of king kaius bit.
Animate Dead is unambiguously an evil-aligned spell.
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After reading Logos' second entry in the campaign thread, and sleeping on the issue, I think I have a work-around. Lucienne is viewing Loo as the victim of necromancy, rather than a self-willed undead herself.
She still wants to either bring Loo back from the dead or else lay her to a peaceful rest, and if Pennywise were alive, she'd certainly thrash him, but I think it's plausible that she'd work with Loo until she can determine how likely it would be to raise her from the dead.
And, heck, if the going ever gets rough, Lucienne can just club Loo over the head for a Refresh action point.
I'll give it a look when I have time. I'm always interested in new websites. As long as they don't try to download spyware onto my PC! (Don't get me started!)
Speaking of time. I'll be very busy at work for the next day for sure. Probably 2. So Akallabeth might be 'unusually moody' & silent for the next day or so.
I'll check in at night if time permits, but you should see me again on Friday.