To quote one of my real life players, someone make a "knowledge: what the hell is this?" roll.
Well, it's 6:30 AM Christmas morning here. I just filled the space between my tree and the floor with toddler treats.
Merry Chistmas, friends!
Looks like Radik left our characters a little present back there. That's the sort of thing that DMs bring back to haunt you. Hopefully it liked the taste of his blood well enough to hunt him. Or Beeler's just gonna let that one slide....
...he, he, he. Funny, that one.
|
Well, it's 6:30 AM Christmas morning here. I just filled the space between my tree and the floor with toddler treats.
Merry Chistmas, friends!
Looks like Radik left our characters a little present back there. That's the sort of thing that DMs bring back to haunt you. Hopefully it liked the taste of his blood well enough to hunt him. Or Beeler's just gonna let that one slide....
...he, he, he. Funny, that one.
I collect plot hooks. I've begun to stencil them onto the back of my laptop screen. Pretty soon, I'll be a Plot Ace. No typo, seriously.
Don't feed the bears!
Merry Christmas!
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. The Internet connection at work died and it seems that everybody from the IT department went home for the weekend and won't be back until Wednesday. One of the other plant operators solved the problem. Let's hear it for blind luck and determination! I'm heading over to the IC thread to catch up now.
For mwbeeler
Just a couple of things:
I would like to add the following to Malaki’s background if it meets with your approval:
MalaKi is a slave catcher from Raam. The reason MalaKi is in the desert in the first place is he was chasing a run away slave. Said slave was also captured at the Oasis and subsequently died before the Tyr storm. I had toyed with the idea of being on the trail of Aso but decided I didn’t want any reason for that mini-reaver to take a dislike to MalaKi. ^-^ After escaping capture MalaKi thought to himself “It is good to be free.” He then had an epiphany. For the first time in his life he thought of himself as a free man, not as property. He is struggling with that idea right now. He is looking at the members of the group with the “need” to identify a leader; someone that he can follow. He is used to working independently, but only so far as accomplishing the task that was given to him. He is also torn about weather or not to go back to Raam.
Once I read your short description of Raam I decided MalaKi would choose “undead” as his favored enemy. Is that OK?
With MalaKi being from Raam and getting most of his ranger training in the surrounding desert, is it possible for him to use his knowledge to guide the group towards “more fertile” desert?
Happy Yuletide!
For mwbeeler
All right by me, you can almost never have too much flavor. I’m good if the rangers want to step up and look for some desert vegetation or scorpions to eat on the way to wherever it is you all decide to head with survival rolls.
Hope everyone had a nice Tuesday. :)
By the way, how can we use action points? I've heard a lot of house rules, but I've never looked at the action points RAW.
Each player has 3 action points to spend.
I'm gonna save mine for Radik.
j/k
=)
Two Men Enter! One Man Leave!
Two Men Enter! One Man Leave!
Two Men Enter! One Man Leave!
By the way, how can we use action points? I've heard a lot of house rules, but I've never looked at the action points RAW.
There is a write up of it on the Hypertext D20 SRD site (which I can't link to atm because WebSense will give me the smackdown if I tried), but essentially it is identical to what is in Unearthed Arcana.
By the way, how can we use action points? I've heard a lot of house rules, but I've never looked at the action points RAW.There is a write up of it on the Hypertext D20 SRD site (which I can't link to atm because WebSense will give me the smackdown if I tried), but essentially it is identical to what is in Unearthed Arcana.
I can't seem to get that site from China, but if it is SRD, I'll check my SRD.
Open Content from
Unearthed Arcana:
Action points give character the means to affect game play in significant ways, by improving important rolls or unlocking special abilities. Each character has a limited number of action points, and once an action point is spent, it is gone for good.
Metagame Analysis: Action Points
Action points give players some control over poor die rolls. Although this has little effect in an average encounter, it makes it a little more likely that characters will survive extremely challenging encounters and less likely that a single character will fall to what would otherwise be a balanced foe because of bad luck. A reserve of action points lets even careful players expose their characters to more risks, heightening the game’s tension and opening the door to even more heroic action. This variant also makes it less likely that an entire adventuring group will fall victim to one powerful effect, such as circle of death or cloudkill.
Action points also make it more likely that the use of a character’s most potent abilities will be successful. For example, although its overall effect on an encounter might be minimal, few things frustrate a paladin more than missing with a smite attack—an event that becomes less likely when using action points.
That said, action points can also lead characters to routinely get in over their heads (relying on action points to save themselves), and for GMs to unconsciously increase the difficulty of encounters (since characters are more likely to succeed against foes of equal power). This is as fine as long as the characters have a reserve of such points to spend—but if they run out, encounters that would otherwise be merely challenging can become incredibly deadly. Keep the number of action points available to your characters in mind when designing encounters.
For GMs who are worried that action points increase the power level of characters without an offsetting cost, there’s an easy solution. Just think of each action point as a one-use magic item with a broad range of possible effects. With that analogy, it becomes easy to justify reducing the amount of treasure awarded to balance out the accrual of action points. Note that this is merely a tool for GMs interested in carefully monitoring character power levels; action points should never be for sale.
An action point is roughly equivalent to a magic item worth 100 gp per character level (since the higher a character’s level, the more potent the effect).
Acquiring Action Points
A beginning (1st-level) character starts the game with 5 action points. A character above 1st level starts the game with a number of action points equal to 5 + 1/2 his current character level.
Every time a character advances, he gains a number of action points equal to 5 + 1/2 his new character level. Some prestige classes might allow a faster rate of accrual, at the GM’s option.
Action Points and Existing Games
Adding action points to an existing campaign is easy, since characters don’t need to make any special changes. Each character simply gains a number of action points equal to 5 + 1/2 his character level.
NPCs and Action Points
Most NPCs probably shouldn’t have action points, due to the added complexity this would create. In the case of important villains or other significant characters, however, the GM may award them an appropriate number of action points to use against the player characters. A number of action points equal to 1/2 the NPC’s level is a good baseline.
Using Action Points
You can spend 1 action point either to add to a single d20 roll, to take a special action, or to improve the use of a feat.
You can spend 1 action point in a round. If you spend a point to use a special action (see below), you can’t spend another one in the same round to improve a die roll, and vice versa.
Add to a Roll
Character
Level Action Point
Dice Rolled
1st-7th 1d6
8th-14th 2d6
15th-20th 3d6
When you spend 1 action point to improve a d20 roll, you add the result of a 1d6 to your d20 roll (including attack rolls, saves, checks, or any other roll of a d20) to help you meet or exceed the target number. You can declare the use of 1 action point to alter a d20 roll after the roll is made, but only before the GM reveals the result of that roll. You can’t use an action point to alter the result of a d20 roll when you are taking 10 or taking 20.
Depending on character level (see table), a character might be able to roll more than one d6 when he spends 1 action point. If so, apply the highest result and disregard the other rolls. A 15th-level character, for instance, gets to roll 3d6 and take the best result of the three. So, if he rolled a 1, 2, and 4, he would apply the 4 to his d20 roll.
Special Actions
A character can perform certain tasks by spending an action point. In addition to the actions described below, some prestige classes or feats (see below) might allow the expenditure of action points in order to gain or activate specific abilities, at the GM’s option.
Activate Class Ability
A character can spend 1 action point to gain another use of a class ability that has a limited number of uses per day. For example, a monk might spend an action point to gain another use of her stunning fist ability, or a paladin might spend an action point to make an additional smite attack.
Boost Defense
A character can spend 1 action point as a free action when fighting defensively. This gives him double the normal benefits for fighting defensively for the entire round (+4 dodge bonus to AC; +6 if he has 5 or more ranks in Tumble).
Emulate Feat
At the beginning of a character’s turn, he may spend 1 action point as a free action to gain the benefit of a feat he doesn’t have. He must meet the prerequisites of the feat. He gains the benefit until the beginning of his next turn.
Extra attack
During any round in which a character takes a full attack action, he may spend 1 action point to make an extra attack at his highest base attack bonus. Action points may be used in this way with both melee and ranged attacks.
Spell Boost
A character can spend 1 action point as a free action to increase the effective caster level of one of his spells by 2. He must decide whether or not to spend an action point in this manner before casting the spell.
Spell Recall
Spellcasters who prepare their spells in advance can spend 1 action point to recall any spell just cast. The spell can be cast again later with no effect on other prepared spells. This use of an action point is a free action and can only be done in the same round that the spell is cast. Spontaneous spellcasters such as sorcerers and bards can spend 1 action point to cast a spell without using one of their daily spell slots. This use of an action point is a free action and can only be done as the spell is being cast.
Stable
Any time a character is dying, he can spend 1 action point to become stable at his current hit point total.
Improving Feats
The use of action points opens up a whole range of possible feats. However, it’s easier on characters simply to improve existing feats to take advantage of action points—that way, characters needn’t spend their precious feat slots simply to gain the ability to use their action points. Below are a few examples of how action points can be used with existing feats. Unless otherwise stated, each effect requires a free action to activate and lasts 1 round.
Blind-Fight
You can spend 1 action point to negate your miss chance for a single attack.
Combat Expertise
You can spend 1 action point to double the bonus to Armor Class granted by the feat. For example, if you take a penalty of -3 on your attack roll, you gain a +6 dodge bonus to AC.
Dodge
You can spend 1 action point to increase the dodge bonus granted by the feat to +2. The effect lasts for the entire encounter.
Improved Critical
You can spend 1 action point to double your critical threat range. Since two doublings equals a tripling, this benefit increases your threat range from 19-20 to 18-20, from 17-20 to 15-20, or from 15-20 to 12-20, including the effect of your Improved Critical feat. This benefit stacks with the benefit from Improved Critical, but not with other effects that increase threat range.
Improved Initiative
You can spend 1 action point to double the bonus on initiative checks granted by the feat, from +4 to +8.
Metamagic Feats
You can spend 1 action point to add the effect of any one metamagic feat that you have to a spell you are casting. The spell is cast at its normal level (without any level adjustment because of the feat) and takes no extra time to cast.
Heighten Spell automatically raises a spell’s effective level to the highest level of spell you are capable of casting. For example, if a 7th-level wizard with the Heighten Spell feat casts burning hands and spends 1 action point to heighten the spell, the spell is treated as if it were a 4th-level spell in all respects even though the wizard prepared it normally (as a 1st-level spell).
Power Attack
You can spend 1 action point to double the bonus on damage rolls granted by the feat. For example, if you take a penalty of -3 on your attack roll, you add +6 to your damage roll.
Spell Focus
You can spend 1 action point to double the increase to save DCs granted by the feat, from +1 to +2.
Spell Penetration
You can spend 1 action point to double the bonus on caster level checks granted by the feat, from +2 to +4. The effect lasts for the entire encounter.
The text on this page is Open Game Content, and is licensed for public use under the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a.
Write-up courtesy of the Hypertext D20 SRD.
Open Content...
Thanks Beeler
Sure thing. Sorry it took me so long to catch up, was dead beat after we came home this morning.
I was watching a special of some sort once where they mentioned that was ad libbed. They kept redoing the take because it sounded too corny, when Ford finally just came up with that and they loved it.
|
|
Two Men Enter! One Man Leave!
Two Men Enter! One Man Leave!
Two Men Enter! One Man Leave!
This is interesting. I'm getting the impression that, while Radik thought (rightfully) that he was hot s@&!e back in the pits of Draj, the desert has proven to be an equalizer, and his ego can't seem to keep up.
I'm liking this.
It couldn't take the heat.
Oh hey, don't feel compelled to head to Raam if you'd rather go somewhere else, by the way. It might be the best option, but hey, when has that ever stopped anyone before?
Yeah, I mean, Radik will yield more than enough meat to head north.
He can see the deadly choking silt sea to the southeast, and the equally perilous dragon’s bowl to the northwest. Far to the west, the city of yaramuke fills his exoskeleton with a nameless dread, and the equally distant Forts to the east still ring with a sense of unease following his recent abduction. Three days hard walk to the southwest lays Raam, replete with danger, but also water, civilization and shelter, of a sort. Lastly, at the very northern edge of his new perception are three tiny elves passing Shazlim, en route to the Silver Spring, with a fourth elf not far behind in dogged pursuit.
You know I'm a spatial type, Beeler, so in a moment of Christmas boredom I was checkin' out my Athas map and I can't figure out where the f$&& we are from your description, and I mean I am totally confused. The Dungeon/Polyhedron map has North to the right page edge--that's the one you have--according to the dismembered hand compass rose, and from the looks of the original campaign map--well from that I'm just as f&@*ed up.
Not that it matters because Aso is not too savvy about directions, but I'm still curious.
If we are east of Yaramuke that puts us off the polyhedron map.
Forts are to the west.
Therefore we are somewhere between the forts and Yaramuke, except most of the forts are south of Yaramuke... unh.
Oh for the love of crap. I only brought a portion of the map with me to my mother-in-law's (namely, the part without the frickin' compass). Serves me right for assuming up is north...
Based on party facing, the corrected text ought to read:
"I'm for the direct route. Desert, anyone?"
If you use a USB keyboard, then get an old keyboard, any kind, and use two: one for Kirish and one for everything else. Then rip the offending keys out. Now that would be role playing dedication, eh?
If you use a USB keyboard, then get an old keyboard, any kind, and use two: one for Kirish and one for everything else. Then rip the offending keys out. Now that would be role playing dedication, eh?
I'll do that if you go get some fleas/lice/other vermin as Aso research. I guess I should also stop bathing to get my pheremones nice and noticable, too.
Dude, I already have fleas.
And you haven't ripped your lips off, yet, so I'm winning.
*Grabs claw hammer, rips off lower lip* Gasshtt 'ut ooo tink! Sssree ecks'ee, 'ere I 'um!!
Free xp, here I come!!
Not until you find and eat an elf!
Ugh, up early filling in at work...little bit drag-arse, but I'll come around in a few diet cokes.
Updating things now, but holy crap, so tired...don’t be surprised if mid-desert trek I wander off into a discussion about why we should employ the homeless as a food source.
You guys are great!
I'm traveling, will post when able, Should return to 'normal' by mid-late next week!
Thanks!
Still here. Playing with my favorite computer program... checkin' in.
Hey Beeler, have you seen the really lame map of Raam at athas.org that doesn't even have an arena?
Muahahahahaha!
I just need a couple of more hours... but sleep first I must.
Sometimes I like to make the encounters harmless, just to screw with your mind. This probably isn't one of those...
|
|
Hey, Shiny--I don't mean to mess with you or nothing, but I tend to get carried away, so I'll quit jacking with you if it's obnoxious.
I don't want to escalate the oneupmanship to the point where people get pissed off or anything; I've actually been known to be a bit of a dick in the past, so I'll lay off.