As for the diplomacy issue it's something that needs to be worked out in character. The other group had a similar problem and managed to work around it.
It's annoying, but I'm willing to suck it up most of the time. Besides the PbP would be far less interesting if Pollux / Merax were to be less Pollux / Merax.
I'm assuming we get to deal individually with each of the actors over the next week or so of rehearsals? - and that we are tainted mostly by own actions rather than those of our peers?
As long as that's true, then I'm happy. If not, then Caldazar will need to have IC words with Pollux after introductions are finished... but I'd prefer option 1.
Which I suppose is part of the point - I don't take umbrage with Pollux and Merax playing their characters, and enjoy their banter - but there isn't really much point trying to be diplomatic around them...
To quote the greatest moral philosopher of my generation. "I will suppress my every urge!" ~The Tick vs. Dinosaur Neil.
Sorry about that boss. Will let you try the sane path first, my bad.
Pollux - now you're making me feel bad :P
Please be yourself.... but if I've made a concious attempt to engage nicely then maybe hold out at least until we see a reaction from the NPC.
As I said above, should be less of an issues moving forwards as I'm guessing we get a chance for individual face to faces anyhow.
*Proffers tea flavoured cheese as a peace offering*
Hold the acting arrangements. I just looked at the script under the Campaign Info tab. Cal has to kiss Tal after Tal professes his love to 'him/her'. Not what Tal had in mind at all. That costume had better be a dandy is all I am saying. Not what I was looking for at all.
I likewise feel that that is going a bit too far. I am warning you Cal, no funny business or you will answer to me if Tal leaves anything left for me to finish with.
Just imagine the seething jealousy meraxilar will feel.
It's ok Tal, Caldazar will only give you some tasteful church tongue....
Cal has to kiss Tal after Tal professes his love to 'him/her'. Not what Tal had in mind at all. That costume had better be a dandy is all I am saying. Not what I was looking for at all.
It's a conspiracy against those of us who follow Gorum!
But if this is what is required to bring the fight to where it matters most... then the show must go on. :-/
Tal - a scroll of unnatural lust might help you get over your stage-fright? I'm sure Mr Ruttle could oblige...
Just a quick FYI - I'll be out of town and away from the internet for about 48 hours from the time of this post. Disappearing into the suburbs for the weekend.
Please take any DMPC actions required to keep things moving along.
Hey, you all realize that if you sleep with Thesing he is much easier on you. It worked for us, you should try it. I am sure that he is so full of himself that he will not realize that one of you is in drag.
Hey, now. What's this WE business? I recall the elf getting along perfectly fine with the fly actress and completely ignoring the lecherous creep.
Maybe I should have Asmodia hook up with Sclivian in some freaky cross over to create an invoice to hand to Arael for services rendered and emotional distress. *laughs*
Ah well, it makes certain aspects of the play fun for me, and it would be fun to continue arousing Thesing's ire. Coz he's a bad, bad man.
And yes I went there for puns.
Pollux - now you're making me feel bad :P
Please be yourself.... but if I've made a concious attempt to engage nicely then maybe hold out at least until we see a reaction from the NPC.
As I said above, should be less of an issues moving forwards as I'm guessing we get a chance for individual face to faces anyhow.
*Proffers tea flavoured cheese as a peace offering*
Why thank you Mr Caldazar sir.
Really though is is no trouble for me to refine Pollux a bit. Not to male him less Pollux but to make him a better Pollux. Pollux is a blast to play. Thinking in Pollux is good mental exercise. Bit of a cross between a good antidepressent and a class b controled substance. But he does tend to skew conversations and make some things harder than they should be. And I have to admit I was slipping more towards madness than method and could use some reigning in.
So thanks for letting me know. No offence taken.
MMmmmmm tea.
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Pucker up Tal *smoochy sounds* - the make-up artistes have worked their magic and Caldazar is transformed!
Thanks. How is Tal suppose to profess love to that? No wonder that Larazod spurned you. Drovalid must have spent too much time in the torture pit if he thinks that is beauty.
Lol@ Merv Pollux
Hey Tark, is Asmodia going to die now?
Or does Bloodless want to redact his statement outting her as a follower of Caydens?
Unless otherwise specified, I assume that all the inter party conversations are being done though the Message spell. Thus, unless someone is very close and has a great perception roll, nobody would have overheard the comment.
You could just pass it off with a convincing bluff.
Asmodia. Convincing bluff. Riiight.
I don't have the Cheliax supplement, so I've only read the entry for Cheliax in The Inner Sea World Guide. (Which doesn't have any hard laws listed.)
As far as I can tell, if Chelaxian nobility overheard Bloodless's remark:
1) Worship of other gods happens, so long as Asmodeus comes first. The CG alignment part will be hard to explain.
2) The far more damning part of the comment is when Bloodless says he wants to liberate Westcrown, especially in relation to "child of the heavens" line. That means that anyone who wants to gain wealth and social advancement could turn in Bloodless as a suspected traitor.
If Thesing overheard that comment, I assume he would "cash in" as soon as possible. Furthermore, as there is a high priest of Asmodeus on hand, (from whom Bloodless has also recently irritated), it won't take very long to do so.
Perhaps we should make the assumption that comment was in private, otherwise this would more or less be a campaign derailing/ending moment.
Depends on when Asmodia decided to call him out really; he's prone to speaking his mind, especially when morally outraged/feeling betrayed once again by a member of his own party...
"... The road to the liberation of the downtrodden and long suffering peoples of Westcrown will no doubt see more of our blood sweat and tears before its glorious completion, and though I shed all of these willingly and throw myself at the blades barbs and talons of the adversaries of justice, do not feel for a moment that I derive some pleasure from the pain and anguish. It is sacrifice, however it is my duty to make those sacrifices by virtue of not only who I am, but also what I am, a child of the heavens. That is the same sense of duty that you no doubt feel in the service of Cayden, a calling to do what you must."
I'm saying that statement pretty much lands both Asmodia and Bloodless in a "special interview" with the authorities, probably the high priest from which Bloodless previously attempted to steal something.
I would expect Thesing's character to suggest including Bejis and LeVash as other candidates for special interviews.
Hmmm apart from hanging about where he shouldn't be I don't recall any theft off hand...
Hmmm apart from hanging about where he shouldn't be I don't recall any theft off hand...
Ah, you're right. Still, he doesn't seem to like you.
He thinks I'm a Tiefling most likely, thats the race they hate a lot :p
Depends on when Asmodia decided to call him out really; he's prone to speaking his mind, especially when morally outraged/feeling betrayed once again by a member of his own party...
So after openly identifying himself and Asmodia to a "witch hunt", Bloodless is concerned about Asmodia betraying Bloodless?
Edit: Betrayal isn't the right word, I mean turning.
Well being an Aasimar isn't a capital offence :p
The point being that Asmodia just pulled a Calla on him by having yet another baseless dig and attack on his otherwise good character - so yeah all the toys came out of the cot. Reckon a witch hunt might be a bit moot, as hes 9/10ths the way to drawing steel on her in a pique of rage, they wouldn't need an inquisitor, they'd need a medium.
hey, a few things here -
Asmodia asked if Drovalid enjoyed himself. If she meant to insult Bloodless, she would have asked if the "great hunter" had enjoyed himself.
Whole reason she brought up being hit, I know it's kinda meta, but Asmodia as a full cleric wears leather armor. She's got only slightly above average physical stats with 14 Con. This is stuff that her casual fling might have picked up on by now. He hit her for lethal damage when she's the only one who can and has prepared lesser restos to keep people alive in this durned mess. She's also rolled exceedingly poorly and has just as many hit points as the average commoner. A single love tap from Drovalid which wasn't even that hard brought her down a third of her health.
If I recall correctly, Asmodia has told Bloodless that her main problem with doing this play is that she as a cleric will have less value to the team because she cannot heal with her channeling. Aerieth still has her magics. Without her holy symbol, Asmodia becomes a freaking NPC class.
And the reason she even started stuff: because Thesing was picking on Calseinica. She figured, "hey, why not try some drama to get this cad from picking on our ally." hence the bluff check attached to her original incendiary comment, and immediately dropping the subject after.
Whole reason she brought up being hit, I know it's kinda meta, but Asmodia as a full cleric wears leather armor. She's got only slightly above average physical stats with 14 Con. ... She's also rolled exceedingly poorly and has just as many hit points as the average commoner.
Actually, 13 hp is too low. Assuming the worst possible rolls:
Cleric HD: d8
Level 1: (8) + 2 = 10 [First class HD is a full roll]
Level 2: (1) + 2 = 3 [Minimum roll]
Level 3: (1) + 2 = 3 [Minimum roll]
Total: 16
Hurray! Thank you Batman!
Now just imagine the trouble the c;eric of Rovagug will have in the other game.
Granted Thesing might wet his pants at even the thought of angering him. In fact that brings up an interesting thought.
*thesing attempts to sleep with Meraxilar*
MEraxilar: Hmmmm yes, you do look like some of the finer specimens I've had in prison. *gets forceful with Thesing*
Thesing: Erm, what, but you are supposed to bend over to-
Meraxilar: *SLAP!* No little b&#~$, you are mine, your new name is wet carcass. Now prepare your bottom to be unmade!
The differences between the groups is what makes running two worth it.
As for Cheliax and religion they are very two faced about it. Legally, the only outlawed gods are chaotic gods. In practice every god but Asmodeus is oppressed. If you recall Arael's status as a cleric of a lawful good god didn't stop him from getting captured and tortured for meeting with a suspected rebel (who was ultimately just a homeless guy who lived outside the city)were he a cleric of Asmodeus there might have been some hesitation.
Think of it like this. You are in Stalin era Russia with the spanish inquisition and a real fear of witches. PAranoia runs deep, neighbor can easily turn out to be on the payroll of the Hellknights, and they are both legally obligated to carve their names in your sensitive areas with a hot branding iron just before they execute you in the slowest most painful way conceivable. This is why even among the Haloran League you'll only find one worshiper of a chaotic god and she plays her faith pretty close to her chest.
Aye, that's why I love that it's not particularly hard to be a cleric of Cayden. Get drunk, oppose evil and people who oppress, and watch out for kids, especially orphans because the formerly mortal GOD has a soft spot in his heart for them. Gotcha! Oh, and Cayden's cool with Calistria, and its a chaotic faith, so you can pretty much do whatever without worrying about some older padre slapping you in the face for doing it "wrong."
I think the only god easier to be a cleric of is Desna. Oh yeah, stars are pretty, sure, and go adventuring!
@ Asmodia - how do you only have 13HP? You should have gotten 8+2 at level 1. If you rolled a 1 for both level 2 and level 3 you would have 16. Did you forget to add for level 3? Or is there some other reduction that is not on your character sheet?
Sorry about the Meraxilar slowdown, had a crazy week.
sure, i'll bite for 2nd level hit points, i suppose.
HAHAHAHAHA!!
*gasps*
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Thanks Asmodia for taking all the bad HP rolls. They free up the max rolls for us fighter types. I mean really, does the healer, the one person the entire party relies on, need that many HPs? Nah ;P
Thats just amazing.
don't be jelly of my awesome HP rolls, now. I mean, think of all the checks I get to roll that end up beneath 5.
Perhaps your name is the limiting factor. If you were Hu20tru, then you might be able to increase your rolls.
oh the ballads I could sing of my diplomancer who not once in 15 levels rolled above a 5 on a diplomacy check.
i just have terrible d20 luck with my clerics.
Right so I was going to deal with this through private messages but I think this would be much more efficiently dealt with in the open.
I've been getting grumblings in the rebels group about other characters and finding difficulty in sticking around.
I would expect this out of characters just getting together, just being introduced, or otherwise not knowing each other very well. However that really doesn't apply to these characters who have known each other for at least a month or more. I'd also typically want this sort of thing to be settled in character. But, alas, things might deteriorate if simply allowed to play their course.
That being said, cut back on the bickering, you should not be calling people out on duels after they implied that you may have enjoyed savagely whipping them a bit much. Also you need to stop baiting one another as well. You are not in a situation that calls for bickering. You currently have the scum of the city (nobility that is) having a great deal of fun watching these adventurers tear themselves to bits for their entertainment. Meanwhile this complete and total bastard is loving every minute of it, and particularly enjoys the bit where you might simply murder one another on stage.
Perhaps what you should be doing is coming together and working to realize that if you separate you are essentially easy meat on the street.
A little bit of poking and conflict is fine but when I'm getting player complaints we need to cut it back and return to the task of not getting brutally murdered in full public view.
In any case giving Sclivian/Csiza until tonight to post somethign before moving on.
Well its just an ongoing pattern of claim after claim of bad behaviour, which I really have to say I find rather annoying.
Continually having in character accusations levelled about stuff which clearly didn't happen on any level (from essentially 'pimping out' a character to enjoying beating their fellows) is a bit much, and I'd have to wonder if a hardened killer would seriously cop to being insulted in such a way each and every time even after jumping through every hoop to prove himself and then many more. Everyone wants to be Mr Black and not back down, but Bloodless just wants to be Mr White.
For whatever reason, despite Bloodless continually going the extra mile and jumping up and down to be the good guy, he gets more crap off his own party than he does Hellknights and Priests of Asmodeus. I get that theres a bit of catharsis and we seem to want to do things full of angst, but at some point we need to remember who and where the enemies are.
So yeah, I have to say, I was hoping it was just Calla that was being an arbitrary pain in the ass and that things moved on and got back to outfoxing the bad guys and being the heroes we are supposed to be, but clearly not.
Happy to see out the end of the play, but think thats probably where I should leave it. Who'd want to stick around to be insulted and diss'd at every turn? One would have to think Bloodless should have signed up with he Hellknights instead for a warmer welcome. Otherwise if you felt so obliging you could GM PC him, or another player could just bot along. I'm kind of over being 'at fault' for other peoples behaviour.
Now if I have the wrong end of the stick, kindly let me know but at this point I see it that people seem quite happy for Bloodless to cop poor behaviour off part members and say nothing, then when he argues back its magically his fault and THEN they chose to say something, and in this case it seems even that isn't up front.
I'd respectfully put it to those having a hard time sticking around that there seems to be an unwillingness on their part to do any leading, but then they dont want to follow either. Speak up a bit and contribute, it makes interaction a bit easier.
I don't think anyone is innocent in this. I do think, however, that this issue can be resolved without players needing to leave as it feels like an in character issue.
What it looks like from my view point is bad reactions to a bad situation made worse by poorly thought out remarks where all parties need to step back and realize that they're doing all this in front of what it essentially the bad guy.
Oh I will 100% freely admit to having my hand in it too, because I have very much allowed myself to get entirely frustrated. I'm more keen to push towards the main plot and go after the bad guys - thats what being the good guy hero is about, and my tolerance for being sniped at on any level by the party went out the window a while back with Calla's endless grind and the party support that seemed to have.
It just gets a little dull being the object of snipes and snips, and when I get cranky about it (after giving a pretty clear warning its going that way) and start dishing back people quietly grumble and start complaining in the background about it being now badwrongfun and trouble with their motivation, like I mean, feel free to jump in early and speak up IC about sticking together and working as a team. Like I mean would an IC 'oh geez soz bro was jk fo realz' have been too hard?
If you are having a hard time working out your motivation then perhaps reflect that in the in-game chat, to be 100% dead honest if I don't know what your motivations are, how exactly am I supposed to be productively working with you as a party member to help you get there?
I'm all for brooding and mysterious or strong silent types, but then thats on you to work out how it fits. Yep I started with quite a lot of monologue and soliloquy at the beginning as a vehicle to not only try and demonstrate why Bloodless was there, but to invite participation and broader conversation as to why the others where there too and what they wanted. What I got back was a lot of 'stop talking so much and can we just execute people already - stop getting in the way'.
I get Asmodia being a Cleric might feel like she can't contribute much during a play yada yada, but last I checked the Ranger hasn't swung a sword or shot an arrow in anger in quite a lot of pages now, ditto the Barbarian. This is closer to Cleric work than Ranger stuff on the basis that a Cleric usually has more raw Cha and cha skills than the average melee'r.
We clearly don't have anyone being the 'leader' and this is significantly problematic. Some of you guys need to step up and provide the direction.