The Paladin grins, a rare action with a similar effect to the sun coming out from behind cloud cover.
"Why thank you, a pleasure to meet you my lady."
OK guys, we need to get this show on the road. Contrary to expectations I think there are more of you than Mahaffy that could be of assistance with the traps. You're making good progress and there are things of interest to be found in the tower, so your efforts aren't wasted.
That said, the game is slowing to a crawl and I'm considering other options. My suggestion is that we run some information gathering in parallel. Either some of you could go downtown and ask around some more, or we can just assume that it already happened. As long as you don't get into a fight there shouldn't be a problem.
Or you could simply go dungeon crawling for a change of pace. As Gregori can affirm, the demons have in fact been spotted coming out of the sewers, even if the claw marks are a gratuitous embellishment.
Does this help?
OK guys, we need to get this show on the road. Contrary to expectations I think there are more of you than Mahaffy that could be of assistance with the traps. You're making good progress and there are things of interest to be found in the tower, so your efforts aren't wasted.
That said, the game is slowing to a crawl and I'm considering other options. My suggestion is that we run some information gathering in parallel. Either some of you could go downtown and ask around some more, or we can just assume that it already happened. As long as you don't get into a fight there shouldn't be a problem.
Or you could simply go dungeon crawling for a change of pace. As Gregori can affirm, the demons have in fact been spotted coming out of the sewers, even if the claw marks are a gratuitous embellishment.
Does this help?
I'm fine with investigating in parallel. Roylenna would like to remain with Mahaffy providing what assistance she can.
If there are class abilities/feats that we are forgetting about that you think we could be using to aid the rogue in his investigations, perhaps you could spoiler a reminder to the player -- I know when the pace drops off in a PBP, I have trouble remembering what my characters are capable of. Basically, if there's character knowledge that the player is forgetting, can you provide a boost? Or an opportunity (INT check?) to get a boost?
No, I was thinking of quite ordinary trapfinding techniques, like casting Detect Magic, prodding the ground with Ka'kara's longspear, summoning monsters to open doors or set off traps or just using Aid Another. Or just giving some advice to Mahaffy. The rogue is still going to do the major trapfinding and disabling, but there are some little things that might go a long way.
Of course these are wards that were placed by a high-level wizard, so you're right to be wary, but you need to either tackle them or leave them alone for now. Right now it looks like a good idea to leave them for a little while to do some investigating and let Mahaffy can level up. That would give him at least a +2 on finding and disabling traps.
Yeah, I have been thinking the same. At least we were already at least suggesting most of the ideas you suggest. Off to the game thread to put a bug in a certain dwarf's ear...
Just to be clear, I know you have. That's why I've been saying that you are doing well. Your play has been excellent, and I mean it with no sarcasm intended. It's just that the post rate has dropped and I understand that many people feel redundant (which you are not).
This is my first PBP after all, so there will inevitably be some false starts. But I suggest you take a small break from the traps and go kill something. Just to keep the pace up. You can always return to the tower.
By the way, nobody else about to level? How about Lyria and Tika?
I know I'm the new guy, but Ithink you hit it on the head. As a DM myself I can attest to the fact that it's hard for a dungeon crawl not to turn into the "let's all get some popcorn and watch the rogue" show.
Not your fault at all, just traptacular dungeons are very rogue heavy and the elongated pace of PBP can make that painful for people who designed killing machines. Imagine 300 with trap disarming. Ok now that you're done laughing I'm sure you get it.
Good call on balancing things. My 2cents
Mahaffy's warning looks stopped Ka'kara (at least for the moment) from trying to do anything crazy like poke traps with a spear. Funny thing is I posted Ka'kara suggestion of hunting demons before reading BT's suggestions in this thread (though I was thinking more of hunting on the streets at night than the sewers).
By the way, nobody else about to level? How about Lyria and Tika?
If my calculations are correct, Lyria should have 7865xp now - a few more encounters and she'll level.
As you said Black Tom, I'll pitch this dark paladin idea over here.
The concept is that Canvy Mardrain was a member of the city guard, city militia or the military for the town where the adventure takes place. He is an honorable man with a distinguished military career, making the rank of Sargent. He has always shown remarkable common sense for a fighter, though not greatly intelligent. He has several commendations and medals for bravery, taking the lead into affrays, although many thought him reckless in fights, he continued to be admired and respected both within and outside the force. The town might even have bestowed minor awards for his defense of the town.
It all went wrong after he led a mission against the crypts of Abbey Thainfell, to clear the ground of the gathering undead. The mission itself was a success, however since then Canvy has never been the same. In his recklessness he led the attack on the Lich priest of Lamushtu, but it went badly wrong for Canvy and the touch of the lich and the other undead in the fight left Canvy close to death. Those who saw the fight saw the ghastly green breath of death leave the Lich and encase Canvy before he fell. It was only with the constant effort from the priests of Sanarae that weeks latter he was brought back to life, or as normal a life as he will have from now on.
It was several months later that he was demobbed from the military, the stories are shrouded in mystery. Rumors have it that several times leading his men he madly and recklessly took them into situations that left many more dead or injured than would have been acceptable. His decisions were more and more irrational. Yet despite that, he is rational and lucid for 99% of the time, and his superiors had to think long and hard before medically retiring him from service.
Since then, the bottle has seen more of him than it should, he now searches to join adventurers and start fighting again. It was whilst telling the stories of conflict to any who would listen for the price of a drink, that he was introduced to our lady of madness by a cleric of Lamashtu. That began his conversion into the cult, secretly he has drowned deeper and deeper into Lamashtu's godly devine powers, until today he is a total follower.
He still looks to join adventurers to sate his madness, lust for blood and craving for companionship.
So you get a crazy fighter with some divine powers granted by Lamashtu.
No, and I don't see him working with a paladin of any religion. Sorry.
OK...thought that would be the case....he's a difficult one.
That's why I think he has to enter in a new campaign.
Yup a smackdown would ensue before opening pleasantries were finished.
Paladin's make it hard to be a bastard.
Okay, thought I should post my concept here. Erine Wintyle is a gnome witch, with a goat familiar.
Evalt raised her well enough. She left Erine alone, fed her, and taught her the art of witchcraft. Erine was free to essentially do whatever she liked.
One day, while exploring, Erine found a tattered journal in a tree's knothole, cleverly hidden. It was Evalt's log.
Erine discovered the dreadful truth: She was being raised to be Evalt's weapon, when the hag made her grab for power. Once Evalt succeeded, she was to be dealt with.
Horrified, Erine attempted to escape, but was caught by the hag's wards. The hag found her, trapped, and realized that Erine knew her plans. She locked her in her closet, to dispose of later.
But there never was a later. A band of wandering adventurers, seeking to force Evalt to answer for some crime or another, attacked, and in the chaos the wards slipped. Erine managed to break out of the closet, and fled the swamp.
On Goat:
Goat was the only 'pet' the hag had, used to feed Erine with her milk (she never saw what happened to the kids, though). Originally the hag wanted Erine to choose a toad as her familiar, and was surprised when Erine instead chose Goat. She went along with it, grudgingly.
And personality and appearance:
Unlike most gnomes, Erine Wintyle is not a people person. She talks to herself and her goat frequently, but barely says a word to others. Often, in fact, she communicates through her goat (for instance, if somebody asked how she was, she would respond by saying to the goat, "He asks how I am doing, Goat, tell him I am doing fine")She is perfectly sane, though many might assume otherwise, and simply dislikes other people and has not bothered to learn their ways.
Her pale cyan hair (or are we using D&D rules? In which case, it's just black)is ragged and unkempt, and she generally wears a hood.
Her goat really is named Goat, because she sees little point in giving him some elaborate and meaningless name. Despite this, she is very fond of Goat.
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OK...thought that would be the case....he's a difficult one.
That's why I think he has to enter in a new campaign.
Deevor here....
He's sort of a paladin.....of.....Lamashtu. That would make him lawful good, right? I think he is a cool concept Deevor, good luck with finding a home for him.
If only Lamashtu was that alignment, he's actually Chaotic Evil God of nightmares, madness and monsters....
If your campaign is in need of a good cleric, I have a Cleric of Pharasma with a good background ready, that didn't quite make it into another game. Although made for Golarion, he could easy step into another setting, by changing the city. Meet Parneth Servais, His ability attributes were set up with a different system, I will change to 20 points.
In case anyone is wondering, I usually enforce a day of downtime to level up, but I'm not that strict about it (vide Mahaffy). But if Lyria and possibly someone else wants to level up, you'll have to leave the dungeon for now and maybe rest for a night or so before coming back. So whenever you feel you are done, you can go home and level up. Just wanted to make that clear, especially for the new players.
Keep up the good work! We'll have you all killed gruesomely in Rappan Athuk in no time at this rate. ;o)
In case anyone is wondering, I usually enforce a day of downtime to level up, but I'm not that strict about it (vide Mahaffy). But if Lyria and possibly someone else wants to level up, you'll have to leave the dungeon for now and maybe rest for a night or so before coming back. So whenever you feel you are done, you can go home and level up. Just wanted to make that clear, especially for the new players.
Keep up the good work! We'll have you all killed gruesomely in Rappan Athuk in no time at this rate. ;o)
Of course we remember! I check it daily! Not that there's much to see, mind you, but I check!
Lyria, I compared your xp breakdown to mine and we were both missing one. I didn't have the demons at the inn, and you are missing 400 xp for the second trap at the wizard's tower.
Artival, I don't have time to investigate when you joined our merry band, but the xp that I know you and I should share comes to 6185 xp. The xp I have from prior to that point is 7808, so even if I wasn't the high-xp character at that time and that's when you joined, you should have 3904 in addition, to you would have at least 10089. If you joined earlier than where I'm looking, you'd have more because it would be halved.
That seems like a pretty high difference from where you think you are -- refresh my memory about where you started with us and I will correct my numbers, but at this time, I think you should be leveling up.
I won't be back online until this evening, but I'll look at it then. Later!
Looks like I started about a month roughly before Lyria, so I am assuming I should have at least the same amount of exp as she. It's my fault for not keeping an accurate count, so if it's all right, I will just change my exp to the same amount as she has (so I won't screw up in the future either!).
Uh since were checking Is my characters xp about right? 8134 I have at the moment.
Looks like I started about a month roughly before Lyria, so I am assuming I should have at least the same amount of exp as she. It's my fault for not keeping an accurate count, so if it's all right, I will just change my exp to the same amount as she has (so I won't screw up in the future either!).
That is, of course, the DM's call, but I'm pretty confident that you have at least 10000 xp. I think you started with the party at the point where my Rewards list is broken by "New Game!" and my previous numbers were based on that assumption.
Regardless, I'd say you are plenty due for a new level.
Uh since were checking Is my characters xp about right? 8134 I have at the moment.
Well, that's harder for me to ascertain. Did Tika start at 0 or did she inherit some of Felicia's xp from previous adventures? If she started at 0, I'd say she's got at least 10000, also, because I believe Tika's first post was very near Artival's.
But if she got credit for some of Felicia's prior adventures with our fine group, it's harder for me to figure up because at least some of those adventures with with Clark rather than with Roylenna.
My suggestion is to do whatever Artival does, assuming Black Tom agrees, of course.
Yeah, I will wait for BT to decide what we should do. I am cool with whatever he rules.
As I said, new characters start at half of what the character with the most experience has. That applies to both Tika and Artival, so you should both be levelling up by now. If you can't be bothered with digging through old threads, just go by Ainvar's estimate, which looks fine to me.
Yay! Fourth level all around!
I suggest we go topside to confess to Ard(?) what we've done in our ignorance of local history and get the door fixed (and rest for leveling purposes) before we return to see what awaits in the rest of the crypt.
As I said, new characters start at half of what the character with the most experience has. That applies to both Tika and Artival, so you should both be levelling up by now. If you can't be bothered with digging through old threads, just go by Ainvar's estimate, which looks fine to me.
I am nothing, if not lazy, as shown by my inability to keep an accurate exp total. Therefore, I am just gonna take the same as Lyria and go from there. New level...huzzah!
And, if the group wants to go fess up about breaking the valut door, Artival is cool with that, too.
So what should I have started with?
So what should I have started with?
6035 xp according to Roylenna's calculations.
I'm hoping for a little change of pace right now, so feel free to lounge about town and do anything you like. You have several options where to go next, but there is no hurry.
Artival, Lyria and Tika should be levelling up at any rate. Congratulations! I am hoping to see Gregori and Roylenna gaining another level soon too.
Hp for lvl
+1 hp from favoured class.
I'm hoping for a little change of pace right now, so feel free to lounge about town and do anything you like. You have several options where to go next, but there is no hurry.
Artival, Lyria and Tika should be levelling up at any rate. Congratulations! I am hoping to see Gregori and Roylenna gaining another level soon too.
Hear, hear! I'm hoping to see us gain another level soon, too!!! :-D
Guess it's time to start my traditional examination of next-level options if the DM thinks I'm close...
Well I can just not say it: it is absolutely hilarious that when you get back to town the rogue wants to inform the authorities about breaking into a tomb while the paladin goes for a private massage. Got to love this party...
I hope you are all still having fun and that if you're not you'll let me know so that I can address the issue.
Things are going fine as far is Artival is concerned, BT.
I'm happy with the pbp as well (and even more so as it continues and doesn't break apart like so many others).
Yeah, all good here! It is kind of a bummer -- when this one gets a little quiet due to RL, my others do, too. Haven't figured out why that happens yet. Feast or famine, I guess.
But I have no complaints with the game, that's for sure.
I'm enjoying it so far, glaad you like my non traditional take on Paladins, like I said, Roland is the Paladin prototype, and if he can be imperfect then why not?
Hmmmm, Ka'kara doesn't think there are enough fights.....definitely need more fights.....oh, and drinking.....and drunken fights.....and fighting drunks.....I think if we just started at the bottom level of Rappan Athuk and had to fight our way out it would be good.....
I think if we just started at the bottom level of Rappan Athuk and had to fight our way out it would be good.....
Hmmmmm.... now that's an idea... *starts evil DM machinations*
I'm quite content with the game as it is ...
And while he might have rogue skills , Mahaffy is not a rogue is his mind , he is just a normal ex member of the dwarf army/culture which has been taught some skills useful to the progression of a unit in enemy territory
Hey guys,
I just got the Advanced Player's Guide pdf, and it looks like tons of fun. I don't want to deny you the fun of all these options, so I will give you the opportunity to retcon your characters if you find a class variant or something that appeals to you.
The only restrictions are that I want you to keep the flavor of the characters that I know and love, and that, since I haven't nearly had time to peruse all of it, I reserve the right to veto anything that I don't like. That said, everything I've seen so far looks balanced, so I don't think there will be a problem.
I want to make all the changes at one time, so when you know if you want to make any changes or not, let me know and we'll implement it when you rest or something, as soon as everyone has decided.
Living in France , I should get in 6 months or so . We'll see then ...
Hey, robin, I'd be happy to use researching on your behalf as an excuse for looking into things in the book...
EDIT: As for me, I don't see anything I want to retcon for Roylenna. What does interest me would involve too much change. I'll save it for a later character.
I have ordered mine thru Amazon, so shipping is expected at the end of next month, so it will be a while before I get it.
Spending 3 hero points for hit point roll:
Spending hero points for hit point roll, like my sister:
Ouch!
LOL, old habits. I did everything for the leveling up and totally forgot in Pathfinder that I'm due a new feat!!
Other than that, the process is complete. Not that my hit point total shows it.