I'm interested in seeing how Martika reacts to Kara's...boldness. :)
Hey Craig,
I was just entering Martika's stat block into my new game profile, and it occurred to me that her secodary attack with the Madu should be at -6, shouldn't it? I think the same penalties for its use would apply as with any other two-weapon attack. Unless I'm missing something...
You are correct. I had reversed in my mind the penalty levels for having only TWF and for having a light off-hand weapon. I doubt I'll be doing any TWF until I get a little better at it!
And, I'm really enjoying the game, and I like how you are using the DM alias to manage information, and including the pictures and everything. Your representation of the npcs is very engaging! Good Work!
I never really thought about it before, but PbP has a real advantage for adventures that allow the PCs to follow multiple leads simultaneously.
Valkyrie: You know, I'd say it's very likely that the Roveshki family's business dealings in Katapesh would quite likely include some slave trading. In that city, it's just one more commodity to be bought and sold. Now, as to whether or not she ever bought or sold one of the PCs...that's another thing. It seems at this point, that might be a little uncomfortable to shoehorn in...if that's even where you were headed with this. Maybe I'm reading too much into your question. One other thing to keep in mind is that as a representative of the Pactmasters, Almah also has the authority to free a slave if she so wishes.
I hadn't actually thought of that, but that's something for me to mull over(especially Almah being able to free slaves). :) I was actually wondering if slaves were in the works for the trade Almah wanted to open up on this route again, in case it was something our characters might try to influence, if it even comes up. Of course, there's plenty of more pressing matters to worry about for the moment. ;)
Also, super thanks for the information you're keeping in the DM alias!
Why are you getting the combat stats ready? Surely we won't need those any time soon.
You never know... ;)
Valkyrie: You know, I'd say it's very likely that the Roveshki family's business dealings in Katapesh would quite likely include some slave trading. In that city, it's just one more commodity to be bought and sold. Now, as to whether or not she ever bought or sold one of the PCs...that's another thing. It seems at this point, that might be a little uncomfortable to shoehorn in...if that's even where you were headed with this. Maybe I'm reading too much into your question. One other thing to keep in mind is that as a representative of the Pactmasters, Almah also has the authority to free a slave if she so wishes.I hadn't actually thought of that, but that's something for me to mull over(especially Almah being able to free slaves). :) I was actually wondering if slaves were in the works for the trade Almah wanted to open up on this route again, in case it was something our characters might try to influence, if it even comes up. Of course, there's plenty of more pressing matters to worry about for the moment. ;)
Also, super thanks for the information you're keeping in the DM alias!
All right then! I hadn't really considered what might happen as far as opening up a trade route through Kelmarane. Will slave trading also be included? I'll have to give that some thought. As you said, it will be quite some time before that comes up...you all have a lot of work to do first! :)
Hadrah just gave me family reunion flashbacks.
My hands can't stop shaking. ;)
Hadrah just gave me family reunion flashbacks.
My hands can't stop shaking. ;)
Ha ha ha!
Sorry, VP, didn't mean to trigger any post traumatic disorder, or anything! :)
Hey y'all, hope everybody had a nice weekend. I want to say that this game is off to a smashing start, and you've all inspired me to really raise my game as DM, thanks to your excellent posting. I like that everything so far has revolved around role-playing and skill checks, because it's given your characters the chance to establish a convincing personality. I've tried to do the same with the NPCs.
But, as we all know, this is D&D, and sooner or later the weapons are going to be drawn. Now, my experience is that combat can be a real mood killer for PbP adventures. They can really just tend to drag on too long, and take people away from thinking about characterization and storyline. For me, that's a bad thing.
So, I have been kicking around some ideas in my head for how to handle the inevitable combats, and I wanted to throw them out to you for your thoughts. Here they are, in no special order.
1. I'd like intiative to be less random. To that end, I propose that intiative rolls be made with a d6, rather than a d20. I thought a bit about running initiative order on a fixed basis, relying only on the INIT modifier itself. But, it seems that will likely be too predictable, and get a bit stale. With a d6, there will still be some randomness, but a character with a high INIT score should have a pretty good idea that he will likely act earlier than later.
Also regarding initiative, I propose that when combat begins, characters roll their own initiative and post it along with round 1 actions. Yep, that means that for the first round, you won't know exactly when your action will take place. In my mind, it helps create a more chaotic battlefield, which is more exciting.
2. I propose that, for the most part, we run combats without battlemaps. I want combat posts to be cinematic and descriptive, not all about five foot steps and little squares on a map. It worked well enough for older versions of the game, so why not for us? Granted, there are elements for which you'll need to trust me. I could hose you with opportunity attacks with every move you make this way, but I don't want to do that. I'm not one of those guys who notches his belt with every slain PC. I want to tell a collaborative, exciting story with an engaging plot and characters that develop over time. This is best served if we don't have to go creating new characters every other day. It doesn't mean that PCs cannot die, just that my goal is to challenge them, not indiscriminately kill them.
EDIT: For combats that are very involved, or have confusing terrain, etc., I would consider making maps.
3. I want combats to be tense, dangerous, and short. Combats that are nothing more than miss after miss after miss are boring enough in real life. In PbP they are tedious beyond belief. My proposal: If your attack roll is a 1, it's still an automatic miss. If your attack roll is less than ten, it counts as ten. If 10 or greater, it's still equal to the die roll. This would go for PCs and enemies alike. Obviously, this will result in attacks succeeding a lot more often, which will make combats go faster, and should also make things a lot more gritty.
That's it so far, please read these ideas carefully, and let me know what you think. I'm not dead set on any of these (although I can tell you that making combat maps slows me down a lot, so that may impact the pace of the game). And, if we do try something and it doesn't work well, we can change it again later. This is our game, and I want it to be fun for all. Please share your feedback.
Thanks!
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1) Interesting idea. Never heard of it before, but I'm open to trying it.
2) This is pretty much exactly how I run my own PbP campaign. For the most part it makes it feel a bit more like 2E D&D, which I think is a good thing. There are situations that call for a map, but even then I don't think we need to grid it out and call out coordinates like a chessboard.
3) I don't have a strong reaction one way or the other to this one - I can see the reasons for it (it sucks when one encounter takes over a week in real time) so I'll go with however everyone else feels on it.
Thinking them over now. I'm not really very rules-oriented, so I probably wouldn't have as much valuable insight on any of it, but it looks good to me. ;)
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Sorry that I was out of the loop for a couple of days. I was travelling, to DM a game for Craig and others.
I like the initiative rule.
I'm good with trying without maps, tho I will need some clear encounter descriptions.
I'm not sure how I feel about the modified rolls, but I'm certainly willing to try.
Hi everyone,
I'm traveling today, so I'm not sure I'll have time to get any posting in. Keep on talking to one another IC, it's great!
And, I appreciate the comments so far on my combat ideas. Keep 'em coming!
IC updates tomorrow, for sure. Thanks!
Feel better, Craig!
Take care.
Craig, Dryder, Larcifer....
Any thoughts on my proposed house rules above?
1 an 3 I am cool with, Initiative with a d6 is a good idea, we are going to have some bloody combats I am worried about my Hide armor lol, but I "should" hit a lot....
#2 I do like battle maps, but they are not always needed, maybe use them for large battles, and once in awhile for special occasions...I will miss the battle map tho...my 2 cents
Hey guys, sorry it was such a quiet weekend. I actually did try to get on and post yesterday, but the boards seemed to be down. Anyway, I'll have a new post up in a little while.
On another note, Craig, how are you feeling? Martika's voice is missed in the game.
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Ahh, poor Kara, can't seem to do anything right. Dragged about by animals, had a charm spell backfire, got embarrassed trying to sneak away....hmm, maybe Kara's the plucky comic relief character?
By the way, Kara's done some things that I know aren't exactly the ideal or smartest things to do...but I'm trying hard to have her do what she would considering her abysmally low Wisdom score.
Ahh, poor Kara, can't seem to do anything right. Dragged about by animals, had a charm spell backfire, got embarrassed trying to sneak away....hmm, maybe Kara's the plucky comic relief character?
Because you are getting a supportive hug as soon as Ikethru finds out what Kara's deal is!
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Or the Woobie. ;)Because you are getting a supportive hug as soon as Ikethru finds out what Kara's deal is!
The problem with her being The Woobie is her potential to then become Woobie Destroyer of Worlds.
Actually, I had already considered the fact that while I intend to take her in a positive direction, depending on her environment and events unfolding, she could just as easily turn the other direction, becoming spiteful, hateful, vicious, and evil. Hey, could be fun!
For what it's worth, Count, I've really enjoyed your portrayal of Kara so far. :)
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For what it's worth, Count, I've really enjoyed your portrayal of Kara so far. :)
Thanks! To be honest, I'm really having a blast with her too. She's a very different sort of character than I usually play, so it's quite the breath of fresh air. And a bit of an extra challenge, which always makes things more interesting for me.
Hi all,
Real Life kicked my butt something fierce today, so I didn't have time to post. We'll move forward tomorrow morning. Thanks!
The problem with her being The Woobie is her potential to then become Woobie Destroyer of Worlds.Actually, I had already considered the fact that while I intend to take her in a positive direction, depending on her environment and events unfolding, she could just as easily turn the other direction, becoming spiteful, hateful, vicious, and evil. Hey, could be fun!
Note to self: No short jokes!
Eager to see where she goes though!
Hi all,
Real Life kicked my butt something fierce today, so I didn't have time to post. We'll move forward tomorrow morning. Thanks!
It happens! It gives everyone a chance to get caught up too!
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Ahh, poor Kara, can't seem to do anything right. Dragged about by animals, had a charm spell backfire, got embarrassed trying to sneak away....hmm, maybe Kara's the plucky comic relief character?
By the way, Kara's done some things that I know aren't exactly the ideal or smartest things to do...but I'm trying hard to have her do what she would considering her abysmally low Wisdom score.
I love the way things develop. Its great to have a party who must find its way together, and which is not "best friend" from the start on. Mirama and Kara might become big, big friends!
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Hey, Mal, looks like real life must be giving you a hard time. I totally understand, same thing happened to me a few months ago. Don't let this game add to whatever other stress you've got going on - take care of yourself and get back to us when things calm down - we'll still be here.
Good luck, and hope everything's all right.
I'm here, guys. Update is coming, I promise.
I was talking to Craig yesterday.
He is just about over the bug, but now he has to catch up on all of the writing that was on hold.
He hopes to be back here after a busy long weekend.
That's good news! Craig has been missed.
Of course, after the week I've had, he has missed less of the game than he might have otherwise. A couple of important deadlines got moved up on me, and so I was really left short on time this week (unexpectedly).
Anyhow, things are better now. There's a new IC post up!
Thanks for your patience, all.
I was talking to Craig yesterday.
He is just about over the bug, but now he has to catch up on all of the writing that was on hold.
He hopes to be back here after a busy long weekend.
Great news!
And don't get discouraged Mal. Bad weeks happen!
...probably shouldn't put so much cheer in that last sentence considering how bad they can get, but, you know...
Nice interaction between Ikethru and Kara! Good job, you two.
All right, new post goes up in a while, assuming everybody is ready and willing to accompany Dashki out of camp on the Pugwampi Hunt. (I'll assume that's the case, if I don't hear otherwise.)
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Nice interaction between Ikethru and Kara! Good job, you two.
All right, new post goes up in a while, assuming everybody is ready and willing to accompany Dashki out of camp on the Pugwampi Hunt. (I'll assume that's the case, if I don't hear otherwise.)
I'm really not trying to hog the spotlight, but nobody except Valkyrie and I were posting....let me know if I need to tone it down a notch, please.
Same here! If you ever need me to pipe down, just let me know! :)
No, no, don't tone down anything, please!
I love the strong characterization, and encourage it from all players, whenever possible.
That said, I realize that time is sometimes at a premium (for me too!), so don't feel bad if you aren't able to hold to that pace.
Can we assume that Kara's leather armor is part of her current attire? I'd like to leave her as is, looking rather vulnerable if possible. If not I can certainly have her change.
Sure, that works for me.
Is it a clear night? Is the moon out?
No, it's cloudy. Anybody without darkvision is going to have trouble seeing anything, without a light source. Not good in rocky terrain, with lots of cacti, etc.
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Is it a clear night? Is the moon out?No, it's cloudy. Anybody without darkvision is going to have trouble seeing anything, without a light source. Not good in rocky terrain, with lots of cacti, etc.
Yeah...I don't even have low-light vision, much less darkvision. I have in my possession...a candle. I think I'll let someone else handle the light situation here.
Yeah...I don't even have low-light vision, much less darkvision. I have in my possession...a candle. I think I'll let someone else handle the light situation here.
There are probably torches available in the camp's supply wagons...just sayin'.
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Yeah...I don't even have low-light vision, much less darkvision. I have in my possession...a candle. I think I'll let someone else handle the light situation here.There are probably torches available in the camp's supply wagons...just sayin'.
Yes, but if I'm not holding a torch, it'll be much easier for me to slip unnoticed into the shadows when we're ambushed ;)
Javeed has a lamp and oil LOL