Welcome.
We only have three players so far, so I'll update the call under a less confusing thread title and see if we can get at least one more (preferably two).
So far:
Lazaro / Gran Rey / Human Paladin (defender)
Dragonvan / / Rogue (striker)
Moonglum
A controller (wizard) and a leader (cleric, warlord) would be helpful, but not absolutely necessary.
Again, you're welcome to use either a pregen from whatever WotC source or, if you have the resources, make your own. If you make your own, use the standard array for stats, to keep everyone on par.
More soon.
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I don't have the material for playing a rogue for the moment! Do you have any idea when you begin the game?
I'd like to begin with a couple of days. If you don't mind sending me an e-mail at this name at yahoo, I can e-mail you the halfling rogue character sheet. When the books come out, you'll be welcome to rebuild to taste.
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Basic/skimpy background:
Realms, both wondrous and dire, border the world. One such realm is the Shadowfell. Although not inherently evil, the Shadowfell is fraught with dangers, and the barrier between worlds can be thin. Sometimes the darkness breaks into the light.
As the adventure begins, you find yourselves traveling down a road that hasn't been maintained in nearly a hundred years. You know each other and are traveling through a dangerous wilderness toward the small town of Winterhaven.
Marla of the Great Church, an earnest young priest of the good deity Pelor, had contacted you. She has been studying the history and activity of various demon and death cults. According to Marla's research, witnesses saw a small group of death cultists traveling toward Winterhaven about a year ago. She has since learned that the head of this group is a dangerous and twisted priest named Kalarel. Marla fears that Kalarel has set up a sceret cult in the area and is conducting unholy ceremonies. She asked you to travel to Winterhaven, determine if there is any death cult activity in the area, and, if so, to stamp it out. She has offered a 250gp reward for bringing back proof that the cult has been destroyed and its plan disrupted.
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Hey there.
Looking into the DnD Experience characters for inspiration.
I am drawn to the non-human races and I am currently considering the
Half-Elf Warlock (female character that I would shift to male gender) and
the Tiefling Wizard. I think both would qualify as controller.
Does that sound correct?
Would these options be acceptable?
I could always play the Human Wizard, but the fey and non-human are more intriguing (to me).
The Eladrin ranger is also interesting but I think we need a magic user.
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Hey there.
Looking into the DnD Experience characters for inspiration.
I am drawn to the non-human races and I am currently considering the
Half-Elf Warlock (female character that I would shift to male gender) and
the Tiefling Wizard. I think both would qualify as controller.
Does that sound correct?
Would these options be acceptable?
I could always play the Human Wizard, but the fey and non-human are more intriguing (to me).
The Eladrin ranger is also interesting but I think we need a magic user.
Warlock is a striker, actually, as is Ranger. The main difference is that a striker deals a lot of damage to one opponent, while a controller can do things that neutralize several opponents (or at least several minions).
But it's not hard-and-fast to have one of each. I really hope we have a fourth -- the scaling rules are easy to apply in the 4-6 player range, but 3 would be definitely missing some things.
If you will take a newbe who hasn't played a PbP (haven't played D&D in a long time either) I would be interested in joining. I would play a Warlord.
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Excellent, we've got a quorum.
Grailhawk, a warlord would fill the leader niche nicely, especially if Moonglum goes wizard. PBP experience not necessary -- just have patience with how excruciatingly slow it can be. But it has its rewards, too. And not playing D&D in a long time could be an advantage!
Again, if nobody wants wizard, you don't have to have one of everything (not sure why they published three strikers and only one controller in the first volume).
Oliver, you're more than welcome. We won't be doing anything but getting acquainted before Monday, anyway -- and the niches look to be covered.
Does anyone still need a character sheet or quickstart rule summary e-mailed to them?
I'll probably go ahead and start the game thread later today -- all that's really necessary for now is caracter names and races.
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Oh, don't you all fret, I am indeed taking the Wizard.
Still weighing the benefits of the Tiefling vs. the Human.
At the moment the Tiefling from DnD Experience is winning.
I thought that the Human pregen would be the best option,
as it was obviously tooled up from the adventure.
However, the new Tiefling offers a new slant..
Pat, do you have any preferences on racial make-up of the party?
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Pat, do you have any preferences on racial make-up of the party?
Not at all. The pregens are in no sense tailored to the adventure, so play whichever you like.
So we've got:
Lazaro - human paladin
Dragonvan - halfling rogue
Moonglum - tiefling(?) wizard
Oliver - eladrin warlock
Grailhawk - (?) warlord
Sounds good to me.
Lazaro has already done this, but please create profiles under your character names and transcribe the key information. Even if I have a copy of the character, it's much easier for me to flip back and forth in Paizo tabs than find the sheets.
Look for the game thread in a few minutes, though it's mostly to give you a chance to introduce yourselves at this point.
Tiefling Wizard it is!
I'll start typing the stats under a new profile.
Cheers!
New Character: Dyrnwyn
Still need to complete background, but framework is there.
The stats of the halfling rogue are finished. The background is a work in progress.
Where I put the background of the character? At the PbP or at the PbP discussion?
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The stats of the halfling rogue are finished. The background is a work in progress.
Where I put the background of the character? At the PbP or at the PbP discussion?
Lots of "y"s in this party . . . Please put the background in the profile, but go ahead and put what the other characters would know (either because it's obvious or because you speak freely about it) in the introduction post in the game thread.
Eladrin Warlord stated up and in need of a background I'll have that done soon though.
Well I got my background and personal info up. I hope it's ok(again not used to doing this yet).
BACKGROUND
Rey's life in service to the Raven Queen started when he was 16. It was a cold spring morning. A young Rey found himself running for his life. Just a few hours ago he was with his family setting camp when it attacked.
With ease it buthered his parents, and Rey found himself running blind into the forest. Maybe it was luck, maybe fate; But as the boy ran he found himself plunging into an opening in the ground.
As he opened his eyes, he saw something outlined in the light coming from outside. It was the beast.
It was large pale creature. Where its hand should be were two huge claws, both easily bigger than the boy.
"Seems like our game has come to an end, Poppet." The creature raised it cruel hooked claw and slashed forward, the boys eyes closed shut.
There was sound. Like the wing beats of hundreds of birds. When he opened his eyes again the monster stood impaled. A large curved blade sticking out from it's chest. In an instant the blade was removed and the it's body meet the ground with a wet thud. Standing behind the creature was something. Another monster, no an angel. The "angel" stood in the light. It had wings were black and crimson, and it wielded a massive scythe. It looked at the corpse and than at the boy, it's eyes burning red.
"Death comes for all", it said before disappearing. When Rey finally exited the cave he found something waiting for him. At the mouth stood a jet-black raven, with the same burning eyes as the "angel". When he got closer the small bird dropped necklace. Emblazoned on it the mark of a raven. It was at this point Rey accepted his fate.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION & PERSONALITY
Spoiler:
Gran Rey stands 6'2" and weighs 206 pounds, with dark-brown eysyes. He has a well muscled frame. Depending on his mood, and how long he's been on the road, he has little or no hair. And tries for the latter as much as possible.
He is very humble person. Taking little or credit for things he's done. A daily ritual of his is to meditate one hour, every night at mid-night. He's very relaxed, even in the most stressful or life threating situations. This coming from his belief that "Death comes for everyone. You might as well take it all in while you can".
One of his favorite past times is playing cards. It's been documented though, but not seen, that Rey is not above cheating at games.
Looking forward to it!
Me, too!
Couldn't get on the boards all day, don't know what was up ...
I've been reviewing the Tiefling info in Races and Classes, pretty vague stuff, really.
I am working on my background but with the "Points of Light" concept, there isn't as much to base your character around (as contrasted with the Pathfinder RPG). Not necessarily a negative aspect, simply an observation.
Graded papers all day, should have something together shortly.
Sweet map.
Thanks for all the effort!
Cheers!
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Looking forward to it!Me, too!
Couldn't get on the boards all day, don't know what was up ...
I've been reviewing the Tiefling info in Races and Classes, pretty vague stuff, really.
I am working on my background but with the "Points of Light" concept, there isn't as much to base your character around (as contrasted with the Pathfinder RPG). Not necessarily a negative aspect, simply an observation.
Graded papers all day, should have something together shortly.
This is not a heavy-RP adventure . . . They seem to mean it mainly for people to learn different mechanics.
And yes, the boards have been pretty bad today. Sometimes I'm able to get in on one browser but not another -- but it's not always consistent which!
Seems to be better this evening.
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Pat, before I post on the game board, how long have Gran and the others known, or been traveling with each other?
Unless some subset of you want to know each other longer, let's say Marla recruited you as individuals and brought you together six days ago. You spent two days preparing, and this is the afternoon of the fourth travel day.
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Pat, before I post on the game board, how long have Gran and the others known, or been traveling with each other?Unless some subset of you want to know each other longer, let's say Marla recruited you as individuals and brought you together six days ago. You spent two days preparing, and this is the afternoon of the fourth travel day.
Thanks
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I've been studying up on the rules, and am looking at the custom characters.
Gran: Your to-hits are too low -- you add your STR to the weapons Proficiency (accuracy) bonus, so your various glaive attacks should be +5, I think. Also, I think you have one too many at will powers; if I'm not mistaken, you start with two.
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I've been studying up on the rules, and am looking at the custom characters.
Gran: Your to-hits are too low -- you add your STR to the weapons Proficiency (accuracy) bonus, so your various glaive attacks should be +5, I think. Also, I think you have one too many at will powers; if I'm not mistaken, you start with two.
The reason my to-hits are so low is because I'm taking a -2 to hit from power attack. It sucks, but I get a +3 to damage from it.
For the at-wills human gain an additional at-will power. So two from my class, one from my race.
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Gnah! I missed, that k3 was already down => No Misty Step => still target for the kobold with the sling. => he wouldn't been able to hit at all... double drat!
Pat, if an opponent goes down, can you include his designation, so i can check, if he had the curse on him or not? Since frivry's attack was spoilered and on the previous page, I did not trigger my teleport to safety.
Let it stand now as it is, just for future reference.
Rhiannis, everybody started with 100gp. You've spent 40 on armor and sword, and most characters spend 15 on an adventurer's kit.
A non-magical implement doesn't do you any good until you enchant it, but if you want to pick it up rods are 12gp and wands are 7gp.
Then I don't need one... hands and pointing should suffice, Adventurer's kit is bought OTOH.
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Gnah! I missed, that k3 was already down => No Misty Step => still target for the kobold with the sling. => he wouldn't been able to hit at all... double drat!
Pat, if an opponent goes down, can you include his designation, so i can check, if he had the curse on him or not? Since frivry's attack was spoilered and on the previous page, I did not trigger my teleport to safety.
Let it stand now as it is, just for future reference.
Ok, will do. Sorry -- still working the bugs out!
Lazaro, thanks for the clarifications.
I have missed three times with my At Will Magic Missile!
How lame is that?
I figured that would be my greatest offensive weapon.
I am still mot prepared to give up on it.
Anyone else get the books this weekend?
I have all three but have had no opportunities to really check them out. Two birthday parties, Saturday and Sunday. But I did get to see KungFu Panda as a result of Saturday's party. Awesomeness.
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Dyrnwyn: You should only have one encounter power. Also, you left off the cantrip Prestidigiation. Finally, you should also select three level-1 rituals that you know.
I'll look into this, I just copied the information from the Dnd Experience Character Sheet. Didn't have any Ritual information and didn't mention Prestidigitation.
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Ok, first combat over. How did it go?
You fought a level-one artillery, five level-one minions, and two level-two soldiers. Total xp is 475, so right about on-target for a level-one encounter for 5 PCs (xp budget of 500; so technically there might have been one more minion).
One thing that happened is my to-hit rolls were a lot better than y'all's. These things just happen, and they go both ways.
Another thing that happened is that some of you burned encounter powers on minions (the spear-wielders). Should the players have meta-game knowledge that certain monsters are minions? It becomes obvious soon, as they are the only ones who drop in one blow, usually. But it would have probably played out a bit differently if you'd known they were minions from the start. I'm not sure what the assumptions are supposed to be, but my general preference as both GM and player is to minimize metagame influence.
I'd point out that the "shifty" power probably makes the kobolds, including the minions, somewhat overpowered relative to their technical level. It's what was allowing them to shift as a minor action, so they could attack, shift out of opp-attack range, and then move further away, all in one round. They also had the advantage of working from ambush, of course, and being set up to take advantage of the terrain.
It took us 12 days to play out the fight (with y'all posting promptly on weekdays), which is not out of line for a "big" fight (in terms of numbers of antagonists) in a PBP, but fights with lots of antagonists are the standard in 4e, rather than the exception.
The "initiative cloud" I was using -- having y'all post in bunches between turns of the bad guys -- probably sped that up by a couple days, but requires more finessing of the system in a 4e pbp than a 3.5e pbp, because things are so interactive. I see the interactivity as a benefit in tabletop games, but it's harder to manage in asynchronous online games.
Feedback: I would encourage y'all to not use so many spoilers next time; it just makes it a little more difficult to respond to everything happening. Spoilers are primarily for things that not all the characters are aware of; die rolls and such can certainly be in the open.
Also, it would be helpful if you put in your post what defense the attack is against (especially if it's not against AC).
Otherwise, I think things went pretty well.
Feedback, please!
Also, as noted, feel free to retool your characters now that the books are out; just let me know.
Thanks!
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Nice DMing with the new system.
It played out more quickly than I thought it might have.
I was not entirely impressed with my character's performance but
much of that may be attributed to poor dice rolling.
Really poor dice rolling.
I am going to roll my health check now but I am inclined to let
the pregen die and roll a new character.
Perhaps he could meet up with the party on the road or at
our destination.
I am not really attracted to Tiefling and would prefer an elf or eladrin.
Would that be acceptable?
I would still play the magic user role. Wizard.
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I am still a bit unsure about powers or class features with immediate reactions. They should work well in combat with an RL group, but here in PbP they tend to complicate things more than they should (i.e. resolving Warlord's Curse). My dice rolling was poor, very poor (and that is being diplomatic about it), but I will keep my Eldarin warlock. Pat, this was really good and intelligent DM'ing in the combat from your part. The kobolds (minions and heavy hitters) gave us a good run for our money.