Hey Chris,
Looking at Nidaq' background, it sounds like we would have met early on while he was robbing the Tomb of Abysthor maybe he recruited me to help him, as I had heard about the same wizards journal, possibly referring to clues about the Army of Light. I would say we are pretty close friends since we met early on like level 3 or so, and this is after she started displaying her sorcerous talents.
What do you think?
Rasina, that sounds great to me.
Let me give the new folks a bit of background about the Tomb of Abysthor.
North of the city of Bard’s Gate, in the hills of the Stoneheart Mountains, lie the ruins of twin shrines dedicated to Thyr and Muir—the God of Justice and the Goddess of Virtue and Paladinhood. Near the ruined shrines lies a series of catacombs used as burial halls for the followers of Thyr and Muir. Long abandoned, these catacombs are now home to various evil creatures. The complex has come to be known as the Stoneheart Mountain Dungeon.
In ages past, two vast temples to Thyr and Muir were erected in Bard’s Gate at the founding of that great city that still stands today. The priests of these noble gods erected smaller temples in a secluded valley to the north, known as the Valley of the Shrines. In the nearby hills they carved burial halls to house their fallen heroes. For years the worship of Thyr and Muir thrived, producing heroes and paladins of legend, some of whom are entombed in the burial halls.
But new gods came. And the worship of Thyr and Muir—both demanding deities— waned in favor of the more liberal gods of song, craft and commerce. Unable to maintain both the twin temples in Bard’s Gate and the complex in the Valley of the Shrines, the priests of Thyr and Muir returned their worship to Bard's Gate. Abandoned, the burial halls remained sacred places, and small groups of pilgrims continued to the sealed temples to pay respect to their fallen predecessors. As the years passed and the worship of Thyr and Muir declined further, the shrines in the northern valley fell to disuse and ruin. Only a handful of devoted priests, led by the high priest Abysthor, were left to continue the services. In his final years, Abysthor spent his days —bent with age and infirmity— in the main temple in commune with his deity. Declaring he had received a great vision, he traveled alone to the Valley of the Shrines, claiming he would return soon and that the glory of Thyr and Muir would be restored. Abysthor was never seen again. Many groups of priests followed after him, though none could brave the staggering corruption that had infested the abandoned burial halls.
Abysthor’s failed quest was taken as a sign of final decline of the faiths in Bard's Gate. For the last twenty years, no more paladins were ordained to Muir, the once-shining lady of virtue; no more priests entered the worship of Thyr, the once-great god of justice. Only a handful of acolytes now remain in the temples in Bard’s Gate, the cavernous temples falling to ruin, empty of worshipers.
The physical ruin of the shrines and burial halls is by far the least of the corruption of the once-holy sanctuaries. In the great caves beneath the burial halls, the tsathar, inhuman priests of the foul god Tsathogga, had raised a temple to their hideous demon-frog god. More vile still, a contingent of priests of Orcus—the god of the undead—recently came from the legendary Rappan Athuk to corrupt the burial halls and exploit the location as a base of operations. The followers of the two evil gods reached an uneasy truce. Both, however, sought a power darker still—the power of a legendary Black Monolith hidden somewhere in the caverns, sealed away long ago.
You were able to kill a gray slaad who claimed the rank of "the Most Foul of Tsathogga" and rout most of the tsathar forces, and break the foothold of Koraashag, the high priest of Orcus. (A nasty piece of work, that one. He memorized slay living as a common tactic, and had a word of recall contingency that kept foiling your chhances to take him out.) (You also turned him against both his lieutenant, the advanced wight Draeligor, and their erstwhile ally, Xarrr’x the Beholder.)
You faced “Dark Natasha,” a renegade drow sorceress, who sought refuge from the sun and a place to practice her demonic conjurations. And you temporarily allied yourself with Balcoth, an undead rune mage from another plane, before banishing him as well. (Balcoth had 21 rare tomes in his library; feel free to use this as justification for high knowledge ranks, or Nadeq's interest in the shadowrealms.)
Eventually, you found the "Tomb of Abysthor" himself, which supplied you with a key that teleported you to an inner sanctum, where you found an ancient construct known as the Black Monolith, the source of all the evil energies in the place, which all the other inhabitants were tapping. A sacrifice of 22 life levels from characters dedicated to Law and Goodness was necessary to break the Monolith's power.
There are still traces of evil and corruption in the shrines, but you've broken the major power blocs and the source of evil magics. You probably lost a few friends in the process, and you might well be reduced in power yourselves.
Rasina, that sounds great to me.
Let me give the new folks a bit of background about the Tomb of Abysthor.
** spoiler omitted **...
Yeah, sounds good. I am a little confused, was this something the other original party members did, or was it just Nidaq and me who were the only survivors?
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Yeah, sounds good. I am a little confused, was this something the other original party members did, or was it just Nadeq and me who were the only survivors?
Nadeq, you, Richard, perhaps Mikka if Mike thinks it's appropriate for her, and perhaps a half-dozen other brave souls that never made it out alive. It's not something that the original party members worked through.
Nadeq, you, Richard, perhaps Mikka if Mike thinks it's appropriate for her, and perhaps a half-dozen other brave souls that never made it out alive. It's not something that the original party members worked through.
Yeah, sounds good. I am a little confused, was this something the other original party members did, or was it just Nadeq and me who were the only survivors?
Ok Thanks.
I like it.
BTW obviously I changed my avatar, it ties into the backstory I'll be posting tomorrow.
Richard, I really like how you use your traits in your character's backstory.
I don't see anything worth commenting on that hasn't already been covered. I'll take a look at your equipment and encumbrance tomorrow.
Cheers, I tend to tie the traits into all my backgrounds, since imho that's what they are ...
Looks like we had a victorius adventure ;)
"Thyr guide the brave souls who died trying to defeat evil."
Perhaps it's a good idea for my background story that I joined Rasina, Nadeq and Mikka after I had setup a chapel to Thyr.
And upon returning from our quest to take down the ancient black monolith, my temple was razed in my absence.
Do you folks have any feel for how long that adventure in the Tombs took? I would suggest at least two weeks, but that would be at "adventuring full-bore" speed the entire time.
A couple of questions for each of you:
What did your allies learn about:
a) your attitudes towards such maleficent evils?
b) your attitudes towards something else?
c) your signature fighting techniques or spells?
What piece of equipment do you now use, that others find notable?
Just chiming in to welcome you into the group.
I'm our friendly neighborhood paladin, who is likely about to get filleted. Glad to have you all joining us and I look forward to seeing everyone in action.
Rasina when she was younger was pretty carefree and really had no worries in her world, but ever since she started manifesting her bloodline abilities, she has grown more conscious of what it means to be a warrior in the battle of good and evil. She also has lost close friends in the battle so she knows how serious it is.
Her combat tactics are to try to assist the front line warriors in any way possible, either by ranged sneak attacks, or flanking opponents when ever possible. She does like using shocking grasp spells, and also bleed targets as well. If she cannot hurt someone she will aid another for assistance.
She has UMD so using cure wands is always an option, and heal her friends as well when ever needed.
I imagine Nadeq and Rasina would do a lot of tag teams, he he.
EDIT Thanks, artimus, glad to be of assistance :-)
Glad to be in. I've added spellbook and equipment. You might want to recheck my calculation for the added spells in his spellbook. Not sure i did it right.
I will change hp and skills a little later.
As for background the Tomb of Abysthor story sounds fine, and i'm all up for Rasina and Nadeq to be a little closer connected than the rest.
I just realized that the tactic he is build around doesn't work because i lack precise shot.
Would anybody mind if i changed his race to human to get an extra feat for point blank shot, and changed his rogue talent to combat trick to get precise shot? If it's a problem i will just change the rogue talent to point blank shot and take precise shot as rogue talent at lvl 8.
It's a shame because i really like the flavor a halfling brings to the concept. Plus i miss out on 4 points in stealth and 2 in acrobatics and climb.
Another solution, if i can't change the race, is if you Chris Mortika would allow me to take point blank shot instead of combat relfexes as a prereq for the shadow dancer. But that would be pushing it a bit.
- - -
On another note, i counted my skill ranks and i get 50 as I should have.
- - -
What did your allies learn about:
a) your attitudes towards such maleficent evils?
- Nadeq is pretty cynical in his view on life, and does not interfere with peoples choices in life. As such he has nothing against evil humanoids. That being said he is not evil himself, and he doesn't like evil non-humanoids. He is not about to throw himself into a dangerous tomb for the sake of good itself. If the tomb has some valuables in it, or someone is paying him that is another matter.
b) your attitudes towards something else?
- Strongly religious persons annoy him no matter what deity they serve. He tends to view the most lawfull good celrics as the ones most likely to try and preach their religion, and thus be the most annoying. Preaching or forcing ones religion on someone else is very wrong if you ask him.
He would rather share his life with an evil person leaving him alone, than a good person trying to change him.
c) your signature fighting techniques or spells?
- He starts most fights by casting expeditious retreat on himself and then blend into the shadows. From here he stays near his target and shoot arrows at it, allways moving after every shot. He knows that melee fighting isn't his strong side, and avoid it when he can, using acrobatics to get out if necessary.
He uses his spell to get around or over obstacles, and not so much in combat.
What piece of equipment do you now use, that others find notable?
- His slippers that can make him climb on walls, and his rope that can make him transport a lot of people over obstacles.
Nadeq,
Since he does not like melee combat, Rasina would offer herself as a target for melee attack, since many of her attacks are touch or close range.
This would allow him to take pot shots at her melee opponent.
I think that would work well because it would keep him from going after you, he he.
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Another solution, if i can't change the race, is if you Chris Mortika would allow me to take point blank shot instead of combat relfexes as a prereq for the shadow dancer. But that would be pushing it a bit.
I'm okay with that, as long as Nadeq takes Combat Reflexes as his next feat.
Nadeq,
Since he does not like melee combat, Rasina would offer herself as a target for melee attack, since many of her attacks are touch or close range.
This would allow him to take pot shots at her melee opponent.
I think that would work well because it would keep him from going after you, he he.
Wouldn't that still cost the -4 penalty because the target is in melee?
@ Chris
Deal :)
Do you folks have any feel for how long that adventure in the Tombs took? I would suggest at least two weeks, but that would be at "adventuring full-bore" speed the entire time.
A couple of questions for each of you:
What did your allies learn about:
a) your attitudes towards such maleficent evils?While usually extremely good natured, facing such evil and witnessing the defilement of the natural order inspires a grim rage within her that would otherwise seem quite out of character.
b) your attitudes towards something else?
Mikka possesses an interesting outlook on the trappings of civilization, accepting the social norms that make sense to her and disregarding the rest.
c) your signature fighting techniques or spells?
In part due to her devotion to a warrior goddess who values swordplay, Mikka is quite fond of the Flameblade spell. Another common tactic of hers is to cast Shillelagh on her staff before wading into battle. Against more powerful opponents she favors pelting them with the battering cold of an ice storm.
What piece of equipment do you now use, that others find notable?
Her unique staff seems to be made from a single piece of wood that has grown in a naturally twisted circular pattern, indicating the influence of nature magic.
Background and description are up, as well as an image, adjustments made to stats etc, (I put the point in Con) animal companion all set, ready and rarin' to go.!
If you have not yet read through the "Mortika runs Slumbering Tsar" thread, I'd recommend doing so. It looks like we'll be able to bring you in, two in-game days after finally leaving the valley and burying your dead, sometime tomorrow.
Looks good, looking forward to meeting up with these brave and intrepid adventurers.
Wow very intense read. had trouble figuring out what happened to Charyssa, but i figured it out, he he.
I am reminded of the old adage, which also happens to be the title of the new OOTS book
DSTP!
Seeing as now I am the new female rogue, I must follow that advice.
I should be able to answer the last questions, his description and favorite/memorized spells today.
But I'm swamped at work, so I hope I can free up 30min to read through the IC thread.
-TDL
I should be able to answer the last questions, his description and favorite/memorized spells today.
But I'm swamped at work, so I hope I can free up 30min to read through the IC thread.
-TDL
Ugh ... Bloody work is keeping me from reading :P
I've spent all day trying to fix one!@&*!@$#*(!$ problem ... and still have only managed to create a work aorund fix :P
So ... Let's hope today proves to be a bit more quiet ... then I can finish the character and we can get going.
Sorry for the delay ...
-TDL
Not a problem, TDLoCC. (Incidentally, what does that stand for?)
All right. Let's set the stage:
As the mopping-up work at the Tomb continues, a few acolytes of Thyr arrive from Bard's Gate. They're not prepared at all to combat any of the horrors you've seen, but they're more than capable of sanctifying the crypts, hauling out the slain monsters, and beginning the tedious work of reclaiming the area for the cause of righteousness, now that you've broken the power of the Black Monolith.
You spend two or three days helping them. You bury your allies, make arrangements to send tribute to the governor of Bard's Gate and to the kingdom coffers, and come to grips with how powerful you've become. (If you're good-aligned, you might have sacrificed a couple of experience levels to break the Black Monolith. )
But Richard grows restless as the days go on. He abandoned his mission in The Camp, and he longs to get back there and try to establish some kind of foothold for justice there. And the rest of you feel a stirring for Tsar, the fabled lost city of Orcus that lies beyond.
Each of you has heard something about the Camp, and the Desolation that lies beyond:
Mikka
One of the acolytes met up with some merchants who had traveled to Camp, although the didn't actually make it into the wilderness beyond. He passes along: “There’s something out there in the Desolation that hunts in the night. It devours travelers and even comes to the Camp sometimes in its hunts. It looks like a giant wolf, they say, but seeing it means your death!”
"The Camp's main inn is the Sip of Blood Tavern, and it's run by a vampire. His name’s Lucky Bjorc and drinking other people’s blood is how he stays so lucky. Likewise, the town's undertaker is a ghoul, who simply eats the dead."
“There an area out there called the Ashen Wastes. This mage I know described it as a desert hellhole of choking dust and evil spirits. If you die there your soul wanders forever without finding rest. The Dead Fields out in the Desolation get their name from the bones of the dead that are stacked like cordwood across the whole plain. Sometimes they get up and walk.”
Nadeq
Once, not long ago, you ran into some loot that had curious, coffin-shaped iron coins, completely worthless. A colleague explained: “You can’t use gold or silver in the Camp. You’ve got to go to their moneychanger and trade it in for ‘bits’, coins made out of iron. That’s all that will spend there.”
“A fellow was seen heading into Camp a few months ago, intending to cross out to the Desolation. I recognized him from my days as a bandi…er, I mean merchant. Yeah, that’s it, a merchant. Anyway, this guy was dangerous. He’s wanted in several cities, and I’m sure there’s a nice reward for him.” With a little pressure and a few drinks, you wrung out the bandit’s name: Bartileus, the Butcher of Eamonvale.
Rasina
When the acolytes helping you clean out the Tombs reach the temple where you fought the High Priest of Orcus, one of them broaches the subject of Tsar. The conversation turns to the trackless wastelands that surround the place.
“If you travel the roads of the Desolation at night, you’re sure to run into the Lost Caravan…all that’s left of the unluckiest merchants to ever try crossing the wastes. You’ll see and hear things that can’t be explained, but that’s to be expected. Just step aside and let ‘em pass, and they’ll more than likely go on by — though a few people do disappear. Those that bother the Caravan, though, are doomed to join its cursed journey forever.”
“The guy in charge of the Camp is the Usurer. I’m not sure what that word means, but it sounds official. He’s also the local moneychanger and blacksmith.”
“Nobody ever goes to the old ruins of Tsar and lives to tell of it. They say its walls are still guarded by ancient defenders who kill anyone who comes within a bowshot. How would I know that if nobody who went ever survived to come back and tell? Well, I hadn’t really thought about that…”
Richard
Need supplies or other such things? The place to go is the Celestial Emporium. It was established by angels and has heavenly prices.
Need armor or weapons, or money turned to "iron bits", the local currency? Talk to the Usurer.
Need horses? Finn’s Livery.
A cold drink or a bit of company? Head on down to the Sip of Blood Tavern.
If you’re hurt or sick and need help, go see Mama Grim. She’ll fix you right up. Just don’t feed the dire bears.
Gurg the hill giant and his ogres run the best protection service in town.
The common wisdom in Camp runs: “Don’t go out on the Desolation. There’s no better way to get dead.”
One of the acolytes from Bard's Gate is something of an amateur scholar about the great war that took place at Tsar. She relates: “The last Justicar of Muir died in the Battle of Tsar and is buried out in the Desolation. Anyone who locates his tomb and helps him finish an uncompleted task will gain a powerful boon from the gods.”
You can certainly tell your allies what you know about Camp and the Desolation,
You each have a riding horse or pony. The trip to the Camp takes a little more than a day. As you settle in for the first night, a safe distance from the road, you look up and see a shooting star passing the meridian zodiac between Vertilaus the Tree and Accipite the Eagle. It's a good omen for journeys and transitions.
You arrive in Camp before noon the next day. Richard, your chapel has been torn down, and there seems to be a scuttlebutt of concern around Camp. The Usurer himself was called out of the smithy to deal with some visitors who've been causing havoc. According to some, they killed Gurg the giant. Others say they've slain the Bender brothers who run the local boarding house.
Will be mostly absent tomorrow, anniverary.
TDLoCC, we're active over on the in-game board. Come on over, combat is about to begin.
Alrighty :)
I just have to feed son #2 and put him to bed ... will be there asap.
-TDL
In regards to the AoE qustion, I think a spellcraft check is in order, the DC to be determined by the GM (that's you Chris) and also modified by buying the GM pizza or soda...just kidding on that last part.
Bribing a GM is not acceptable in any way, manner, or form. (he he)
Yeah, lacking meta-game-currency like pizza & beer does complicate it, huh... ;-)
Having a difference between targetting an AoE on non-meleeing targets (like the Usurer and Gnome) and targets engaged in melee (with people you don't want to hit) seems reasonable to me, it's more just a matter of something that wasn't known before-hand, though I'm fine with the outcome. I was also making some assumptions based on your description of it that it was a Large creature.
Maybe a Spellcraft check? Or a move action required to aim?
I kind of like the Move Action, given Spellcasting mostly seems to not care about half the Action Economy, and this would make that an influence. Maybe in these situations (mixed-up melee) the center IS 'vaguely targetted' (random corner of square) but a Move Action lets you re-roll once for best result??? Or maybe a Move Action gets rid of randomness completely, but gives those on border a +2 (but not an extra periphery w/ +8)...?
BTW, if you were interested in how best to do mapping stuff, I found two free graphics programs which might be good for you:
Seashore, a bit-map focused program (think Photoshop) that apparently uses some of the 'guts' of the GIMP program, but with a more simpified and Mac-like interface.
Inkscape is a 'vector' program (like Illustrator) that could be better for map-making purposes. (I think there's a plug-in for making grids that you have to activate specifically, but is available thru the program itself)
Getting a generic grid together which can then be cut down to size for specific encounters, and have terrain added as needed would be an efficient way to work, and 'icons' for each PC and monster can be moved around on top of the grid in a separate layer. I could probably help you get such a 'generic' base grid together so you could customize it for different maps, if you want.
Yeah, lacking meta-game-currency like pizza & beer does complicate it, huh... ;-)
Having a difference between targetting an AoE on non-meleeing targets (like the Usurer and Gnome) and targets engaged in melee (with people you don't want to hit) seems reasonable to me, it's more just a matter of something that wasn't known before-hand, though I'm fine with the outcome. I was also making some assumptions based on your description of it that it was a Large creature.
Maybe a Spellcraft check? Or a move action required to aim?I kind of like the Move Action, given Spellcasting mostly seems to not care about half the Action Economy, and this would make that an influence. Maybe in these situations (mixed-up melee) the center IS 'vaguely targetted' (random corner of square) but a Move Action lets you re-roll once for best result??? Or maybe a Move Action gets rid of randomness completely, but gives those on border a +2 (but not an extra periphery w/ +8)...?
BTW, if you were interested in how best to do mapping stuff, I found two free graphics programs which might be good for you:
Seashore, a bit-map focused program (think Photoshop) that apparently uses some of the 'guts' of the GIMP program, but with a more simpified and Mac-like interface.
Inkscape is a 'vector' program (like Illustrator) that could be better for map-making purposes. (I think there's a plug-in for making grids that you have to activate specifically, but is available thru the program itself)
Getting a generic grid together which can then be cut down to size for specific encounters, and have terrain added as needed would be an efficient way to work, and 'icons' for each PC and monster can be moved around on top of the grid in a separate layer. I could probably help you get such a 'generic' base grid together so you could customize it for different maps, if you want.
Well, there is always Fedex, he he.
In one of my old RL games, we got into several arguements about this, seeing how the GM thought you could not be precise enough targeting a spell in melee, since he thought the melee was abstract and the grid was concrete, in other words the melee was fluid and shifting too much so you couldn't pinpoint a particular corner anyway. I do see his point, but the rules say you have to do a grid.
How about a Concentration check DC 20 as a move action)? Otherwise the spell goes off where you point it.
BTW I was thinking of trying to revive one of the PbP games which has died, and I was looking for some mapping programs, thanks for the heads up
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I wanted to apologize for my own silence this weekend. I had a kind of unexpected net outage at home and with the holiday yesterday I wasn't in at work. Hopefully things will be working smoothly again within a couple days, but since I can post from work things shouldn't be further affected.
Going to be posting now as I catch up on all my PbPs.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Two questions:
(1) As of now, Necromancer Games has published only the first of three parts of Greg Vaughn's "Slumbering Tsar," and the published material runs out as soon as you hit Tsar. (Or come out of the north side of the Desolation, if that were your goal...)
Should I begin working on a homebrew version of Tsar, or should we ask Greg to take over the campaign? Or should we close down the PbP until such time as Necromancer decides to develop and release the next part?
(2)In a previous PbP, I recruited players specifically for people who thought they'd be able to attend PaizoCon, so we could have an in-person session. That didn't come together, but we did have a four-hour long play-by-chat session over Lilith's DM-Toolkit site. (As Quandary could testify, we got through a great deal of storytelling during that chat, approximately equal to a week or two of play-by-post.)
(2a) How many of you think you might be able to attend PaizoCon or GenCon this year?
(2b) How many of you would be interested in a play-by-chat special occaision?
Two questions:
(1) As of now, Necromancer Games has published only the first of three parts of Greg Vaughn's "Slumbering Tsar," and the published material runs out as soon as you hit Tsar. (Or come out of the north side of the Desolation, if that were your goal...)
Should I begin working on a homebrew version of Tsar, or should we ask Greg to take over the campaign? Or should we close down the PbP until such time as Necromancer decides to develop and release the next part?
(2)In a previous PbP, I recruited players specifically for people who thought they'd be able to attend PaizoCon, so we could have an in-person session. That didn't come together, but we did have a four-hour long play-by-chat session over Lilith's DM-Toolkit site. (As Quandary could testify, we got through a great deal of storytelling during that chat, approximately equal to a week or two of play-by-post.)
(2a) How many of you think you might be able to attend PaizoCon or GenCon this year?
(2b) How many of you would be interested in a play-by-chat special occaision?
1) Well, I've only just joined ... So I'm all good either way.
2a) I'd LOVE to attend ... except I would have to fly to the US ... So I don't think that would work ;)
2b) I'm living in a complete different time zone ... That sortof rules me out.
Two questions:
(1) As of now, Necromancer Games has published only the first of three parts of Greg Vaughn's "Slumbering Tsar," and the published material runs out as soon as you hit Tsar. (Or come out of the north side of the Desolation, if that were your goal...)
Should I begin working on a homebrew version of Tsar, or should we ask Greg to take over the campaign? Or should we close down the PbP until such time as Necromancer decides to develop and release the next part?
(2)In a previous PbP, I recruited players specifically for people who thought they'd be able to attend PaizoCon, so we could have an in-person session. That didn't come together, but we did have a four-hour long play-by-chat session over Lilith's DM-Toolkit site. (As Quandary could testify, we got through a great deal of storytelling during that chat, approximately equal to a week or two of play-by-post.)
(2a) How many of you think you might be able to attend PaizoCon or GenCon this year?
(2b) How many of you would be interested in a play-by-chat special occaision?
This is my "off" year for Gen-con, and can't plan on Paizo con at this time. I would be up for a chat session however.
As far as continuing...any option works for me. Have you any idea how long we have to go before running out of current material? Any feedback on when further material might be introduced.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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As far as continuing...any option works for me. Have you any idea how long we have to go before running out of current material? Any feedback on when further material might be introduced.
Well, that depends. There's a lot of the Desolation that is really exciting material, but not really on course between Camp and Tsar. So, there's a great many pages devoted to the Boiling Lands, but it's all dross if you decide to make a bee-line for Tsar.
As for new material ... well, the first book was delayed for, what, two years? ("On the boat from China" in Fall, 2007. Available in PDF format in Fall, 2009.) Since Necromancer Games hasn't even announced Parts 2 and 3, I would be surprised if they were available as soon as we were to need them.
In that I have no idea when or if parts 2 and 3 will be released, I would not recommend waiting before running this one.That said, part 1 is extremely sandboxy, so that shouldn't be a problem. Your players just won't be able to proceed into the city itself (unless you prepare one on the fly or convert something already existing--maybe the Myth Drannor box, or the old 1e module Dwellers of the Forbidden City or something). Part 1 is entirely concerned with the countryside around the city of Tsar, so as long as they stay there it shouldn't be a problem. Getting into the city requires defeating a pretty high CR monster (which is why the first adventure allows the accumulation of XP and treasure in order to prepare the PCs).
I wish I had better news on that front, I just don't know anything about a release for parts 2 and 3. I would liken it to the old adventure T1: The Village of Hommlet. It was like 10 years before its sequel/continuation The Temple of Elemental Evil was released. So T1 was a great adventure to run, and everything was just fine as long as the PCs didn't go to the Temple itself.
Two questions:
(1) As of now, Necromancer Games has published only the first of three parts of Greg Vaughn's "Slumbering Tsar," and the published material runs out as soon as you hit Tsar. (Or come out of the north side of the Desolation, if that were your goal...)
Should I begin working on a homebrew version of Tsar, or should we ask Greg to take over the campaign? Or should we close down the PbP until such time as Necromancer decides to develop and release the next part?
(2)In a previous PbP, I recruited players specifically for people who thought they'd be able to attend PaizoCon, so we could have an in-person session. That didn't come together, but we did have a four-hour long play-by-chat session over Lilith's DM-Toolkit site. (As Quandary could testify, we got through a great deal of storytelling during that chat, approximately equal to a week or two of play-by-post.)
(2a) How many of you think you might be able to attend PaizoCon or GenCon this year?
(2b) How many of you would be interested in a play-by-chat special occaision?
1) Chris, if you are up to it then by all means you can homebrew the Tsar city, but if not then that is understandable. Who knows when Necro will release it, he he.
2a) I wish I could go, it is possible, but VERY unlikely.
2b) That would be more likely, he he
Two questions:
(1)Should I begin working on a homebrew version of Tsar, or should we ask Greg to take over the campaign? Or should we close down the PbP until such time as Necromancer decides to develop and release the next part?
According to the PC knowledge, going straight for Tsar will pit them against a big blue dragon, which is suicidal right now. So I think we still have some time before entering the city.
Thinking further, I'm not sure the two next volumes will ever be published so when we reach Tsar, I'm all for going forward. I know the time it takes for developing your own material and I think the next steps will be up to you. I've seen how you write and what you can come up with so I would be happy playing in one of your settings.
(2a) How many of you think you might be able to attend PaizoCon or GenCon this year?
I'm afraid with my two little ones and as I am in Lyon, France, travelling all over the world is not doable right now. Plus I have to do it for work sometimes and that's enough for me.
(2b) How many of you would be interested in a play-by-chat special occaision?
I would love to do that, but for the same reasons, finding four hours to sit on the computer alone is not really feasible. Except in two weeks time, where my wife is going to visit her sisters with the kids. So I'll be on my own from Sunday the 21st 7 PM GMT to the next Thursday.
For the following months, I have no visibility.
(1) As of now, Necromancer Games has published only the first of three parts of Greg Vaughn's "Slumbering Tsar," and the published material runs out as soon as you hit Tsar. (Or come out of the north side of the Desolation, if that were your goal...)
Should I begin working on a homebrew version of Tsar, or should we ask Greg to take over the campaign? Or should we close down the PbP until such time as Necromancer decides to develop and release the next part?
I don't think this should stop the game.
If Greg Vaughn himself was running the game, possibly 'play testing' the material in a PRPG setting that might be very interesting (you could bring back in that Dragon Disciple/Barbarian PC). Do you know what exactly the status of the 2nd and 3rd volumes is? Are they completely done and ready to print, or are they in an intermediate stage? There might be a possibility you could persuade Mr. Vaughn that sharing the pre-publication manuscripts to be play-tested (with you as GM) in a PRPG setting could be useful for their eventual publication. Or he might have some sort of material that could make it easier for you.In any case, though Durnast would be all for heading straight to Tsar, it seems there's going to be a decent number of speed bumps before then, so it should take some time before we get to this point. If we run into Gurg, he may know where the Rangers' camp(s) are, and we HAD wanted to talk with them, and I suspect they would end up delaying us further. Again, Durnast would be motivated to avoid any interruptions, but if we CAN'T avoid them, there's nothing to escape them. Fully preparing for this Blue Dragon would be a serious matter as well, and even aside from that I feel like at some point we will be having to return to Bard's Gate, if only because we all have some information that we should probably share with our sponsors before potentially getting ourselves killed and taking that knowledge with us.
(2a) How many of you think you might be able to attend PaizoCon or GenCon this year?
(2b) How many of you would be interested in a play-by-chat special occaision?
(2a) Not I. I made it last year and it was fun, but I can't swing it this time around... Maybe 2011.
(2b)This might work sometime. I probably have a more flexible schedule than Llaelian, so I'll wait until we get some potential times in mind before saying which would work best for me.
I'm all for going forth, (that is if I Mikka lives through this encounter of course) once we get past printed material.
I doubt I'll be attending either con this year, and between working and going to college both full time, my schedule isn't the most conducive to putting aside 4 hours. I've even moved the tabletop I DM to bi-weekly.
BTW Chris
About the Animal companion. Well it sucks that Windrazor's dead and as per the rules Mikka can call another companion with 24hrs of meditation. However if I went with my initial idea of something combat hardy, I step on our ranger's companion's toes since druid's companion is always tougher.
Also, in game Mikka may not want to go through losing someone due to her fault again.
Mark,
I understand the concerns you placed under the spoiler. I would encourage you to let the other PCs console Mikka.
There are some ... unusual options for a druid's animal companion out in the Desolation, with gifts that might make them more useful than just another damage-dealing quadruped, as well as provide role-playing opportunities for Mikka.
Or are you looking to adopt a clerical nature-based domain?
Or, have you considered reincarnating Windrazor?
Hmm.. all three options have thir appeal, especially since although completely unintentional, it seems that fire is Mikka's preferred method of channelling her rage.
Thinking about it, those "other options" would be interesting to explore.
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Mark,
Let me dig up the notes on that, but we're pretty much looking at desert animals --gila monsters, snakes, vultures-- and a sentient cactus creature. There are also some fiendish and celestial animals available, due to the centuries of interplay between the forces that still ply the Desolation.
Unless we worked with a very different chart, Reincarnate doesn't seem like a viable option.
All things considered I think the fire domain works well and fits in with Mikka's evolution and feelings. At this point she utterly haates Desolation and wants nothing more than to scour the taint of evil from it's surface.
The Reincarnate chart is specified for humanoids. The rules ask us to develop our own charts for other lifeforms. (In this case, avian).
But the fire domain works for me, too.
The Reincarnate chart is specified for humanoids. The rules ask us to develop our own charts for other lifeforms. (In this case, avian).
But the fire domain works for me, too.
I think that's what I'll go with. I'll play it out in-game.
I think it would be a shame to stop as soon as we reach the city, but i can understand the challenge in home brewing the rest. So if you want to do that, have greg take over if he wants to or have a crazy portal teleport us into another story is up to you.
2a
I live in Denmark and don't have the money to go
2b
if we can find a suitable time i'm up for it.
How would you like to handle the picking up the domain? I've started laying the ground work for it in character. I know if she was going to call another companion there's be a 24 hour ritual, do you want something dramatic or does she simply wake up the following morning with her prayer for the tools of vengance answered?
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Oh, I think we've already had something dramatic.
My take on the gods is that they manifest through things like new domains, rather than tansfiguring apparitions, unless something campaign-ending is happening. For example, throughout all of the Tomb, your characters never saw ether nor ectoplasm of an actualdivine being.
But something of Orcus himself likely waits at Tsar.