Well folks, I am sad to sign off for a few weeks. I will post when I return. Please bot my characters as needed. Thanks!
DMHW
I can bot if needed.
Seriously contemplating running a skull and shackles game. I've been on a heavy alestorm kick lately and I saw that it was done mostly by Richard pett who has done such wonderfully torturous thins like Hangman's Noose, the Skinsaw Murders, and the Sixfold Trial.
Enjoying VoV's session immensely, would be good if the posters came in a bit faster though, five minutes in and we have already gone from six to four, then again thats PBP for you!
Maybe you could JOIN a game eh? ;p
S&S is definitely good fun - but from a DM perspective it can be very management heavy up front. You've got the entire crew that you've got to try and track attitudes of and give some degree of colour and character to.
Having run through the first few days I'd probably change up a few things to help with the general flow of events and whatnot though.
It's a worthwhile experience though :)
As above!
Party cohesion is still a bit slow though, suppose that happens when you have a group of WIIFM Demon/Devil blooded bad guy desparate gritty loners put together. Still, they are starting to bond slowly and should come together eventually.
Maybe you could JOIN a game eh? ;p
And miss out on a chance to have players face a terrible battle with scurvy, rats, and their own horny sex starved minds driving them to desperate insanity? PSHAW SIR! PSHAW!
Party cohesion in our campaign is literally streets ahead of others though. And that's one thing that I think could be changed up.
That way you overcome the rats as a group, and Scourge has a couple of days seeing you bond before he thinks it's time to act against it.
We aren't doing too bad, just slowly :P
Cedrick is keen on bringing people around, and working on doing just that.
I will bot Celestra for DMHW - someone else will have to run his other DMZZ characters as I am not in those campaigns.
Mark, I am enjoying your campaign. It is much more detail oriented than most, so it is tough remembering each NPC's disposition. I probably should have been taking notes on more stuff so that I can remember who needs what and who likes who.
As a side note, if anyone is interested in playing in a Golarianized Pathfinderized Temple of Elemental Evil (updated from AD&D), I will probably be posting a recruitment in about three weeks. Working on the background for the campaign at present and figuring out a few more details. If you are interested and want to work up a background, it will be set in northern Taldor. Most of the Monster's as PC's races are ok, but not the Dragon Empire ones. As far as classes go, I am not a big fan of Summoners or Gunslingers. Also, I think that Cavaliers are unlikely to be a good fit due to the amount of dungeons.
One tricky part in converting this module - in addition to changing the nemesis - is making it so that even if people played way back when or played one of the computer versions of the game, it wil be new and exciting and they will still be able to enjoy it.
We aren't doing too bad, just slowly :P
Cedrick is keen on bringing people around, and working on doing just that.
Obisyth is still working on figuring out the others. She has been fatigued half the time and with a Charisma of 8, social skills are not really her forte.
8 isn't completely socially retarded, just awkward :P
17 Wis + 8 Cha = quiet (I am not very good at this), but willing to speak when necessary.
17 Wis + 8 Cha = quiet (I am not very good at this), but willing to speak when necessary.
How about knows what to sya, but not how to say it? What we in my family call "foot-in-mouth syndrome." 8 is just "below average", not "really poor." Lots of ways to play a slighty below average cha. (a little too quiet, a little too loud, awkward in particular situations, some personality "tick," . . .)
Hmmm, anyone think that I might need to scale this one down a little. This is the 3.5 conversion of the 2nd most powerful nemesis in ToEE.
Large Outsider; CR 32; Face/Reach: 10/5;
Hp 661; Init +5; Spd 40, Climb 20; AC 41 (Touch 11, Flat-Footed 40; +32 Natural, -1 Size, +1 Dex);
Atk +56 Melee (1d8+7, 4 Pseudopods);
SV: Fort +35, Ref +27, Will +34;
Str 25, Dex 13, Con 28, Int 26, Wis 26, Cha 24;
SA: Spell-Like Abilities, Spells, Improved Grab, Constrict 2d8+7, Trample 1d8+7, Call Fungi, Call Demons;
SQ: Damage Reduction 40/+6, SR 42, Demon Qualities, Telepathy, Darkvision 60’;
Feats: Blind-Fight, Brew Potion, Cleave, Combat Casting, Craft Wondrous Item, Forge Ring, Great Cleave, Improved Initiative,
Maximize Spell, Power Attack, Quicken Spell, Silent Spell, Weapon Focus (Pseudopod);
Skills: Bluff +56, Climb +64, Concentration +58, Diplomacy +56, Intimidate +56, Jump +56, Knowledge (Arcana) +57, Knowledge (Nature) +57, Knowledge (The Planes) +57, Listen +65, Search +57, Sense Motive +57, Spellcraft +57, Spot +65;
She can also cast spells as a level 29 sorcerer and a level 29 cleric.
LOL whaaat the fuuu?
Yeah umm tone down.
Remember that 1st and 2nd ed revolved around a 6+ man party concept, as opposed to PF which is rolling with around 4-5. Makes a big difference.
I have been dicking about with some re-writes of the 1st ed modules and they dont balance well between editions as the fundamentals of encounter design were very different...!
I just like the +56 on Melee and all the +50+ on all the skills. 661 hp is not bad either.
My plan is to replace her with some type of a nascent demon lord or something of that type and then go from there. We will see how it plays out, but I hope to keep the party to level where she would be impossible (if the party is dumb enough to have to face her at full power). You have to remember that in AD&D as I recall Bahamut, the Platinum dragon, only had like 150 hp and the most powerful demon, Demogorgon, only had 199 hp, so they were possible to kill with a reasonably well equipped party. With the arch-devils, demon lords and great wyrms, let alone the god of dragons, in PF, not a chance in hell.
Yeah PF really kicked them up a LOT.
Considering TOEE is supposed to take them to a relatively low level still at the end.
I was going to do a rebuild of the Slavers/Giants/Drow arc from 1st ed, but it made me almost cry.
Instead I'm plotting out a rebuild of B2 Keep on the Borderlands for giggles. Its falling behind my Beginner Box Module and my Orcs Only mini-campaign.
Depending on what level the players finish at, I might continue into either the Slave Lords (which I have) or the GDQ series (which I would have to buy). Both of them could be worked fairly well and is a reason why I chose Taldor.
Remind me again in the runelords game do we sell items off we own at half cost or full cost?
Half is what we have been working with, like other loot.
yes
Imagine you were 16 again and back in high school:
What would you like to read in your Englisch class (the teacher is pretty cool -__-)
Nick Hornby - Slam
lord of the Flies - William Golding
Falling Man - Don de Lillo
Saturday - Ian McEwan
Mountains of Madness - Lovecraft
I'll do one of these next year, but I'm still undecided...
Darn - you require your students to be able to read in Germany. We don't put our kids through tough learning requirements like that here. As long as they can use their Iphone, know how to play video games, and eat themselves into oblivion, we figure they are ready for the real world here in the good old USA.
Darn - you require your students to be able to read in Germany. We don't put our kids through tough learning requirements like that here. As long as they can use their Iphone, know how to play video games, and eat themselves into oblivion, we figure they are ready for the real world here in the good old USA.
ROFLMFAO. Yeah, it does seem like that with some schools.
Schools? Wait, some countries actually make their kids go to school? Here in the states do we not only hold more value in what Tirion pointed out but the kids dont even have to go to school. Parents can keep them home and teach them whatever they fancy. Its pretty cool actually.
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yeah, cool . . . that parents get to teach their kids that people lived with dinosaurs, the earth is 6000 years old, and evolution is "just a theory." greaaaaaat.
Indeed, indeed. Thing is though, if my kid wasn't Autistic, I'd home school her without a doubt. I would probably use a site like K12 or some other at home correspondence training. I would do this for 3 main reasons: 1) Public schools are a joke and private schools are too pretentious, 2) Kids are f*cking cruel and 3) Just because a person earns a degree and can teach does not mean that they aren't going to abuse my child. And so help me gods, if I found out a teacher was abusing my child...
Bree - you forgot the main reason. You live in the bible belt. All the stuff that Vaughn posted is actually taught in public schools where you live most likely. (At least I think you live in Mizzou or somewhere in that region.)
We have mandatory schooling from 5 - 15 & 9 months (where at that age the child is allowed to leave to begin a job with consent of parents). Until then the kid is required to be in school...
The good news is that our State school system is free of religious influence (unless you want your kid to go to scripture). There are 'religious based' schools, but they can only teach curriculum approved by the State... none of this 6000 years busines. Funnily enough all the Religious schools here are fine with Darwinism.
In much of the Bible Belt(ie the south) I think the Core Curriculum is Creationism, Bible Studies, Right Wing Rhetoric, and Brainwashing.
Separation of Church and State is in our Constitution.
Funding of school chaplains has just been found unconstitutional, which means no more Govt money can be spent on any such initiative. The challenge came in response to the Christian Lobby complaining that Ethics classes should be removed from schools because they werent teaching religious based ethics. Bet they regret starting that fight now...
Bree - you forgot the main reason. You live in the bible belt. All the stuff that Vaughn posted is actually taught in public schools where you live most likely. (At least I think you live in Mizzou or somewhere in that region.)
I live in Wichita, Kansas and they most certainly DO NOT teach that in public schools here, it is against the law :) Amazingly.
EDIT: Correction, I'm not sure about the legal specifics other than that I know that teachers are not suppose to ask the class to pray, or talk about the religion unless a student specifically asks. Students are able to create student run bible study groups and the like but teachers are not etc. Unless that's all changed in the last 11 years but I don't believe it has.
Separation of Church and State is in our Constitution.
While I agree with you, the Religious Wrong will say "Where????"
My answer is typically "a few amendments behind where it doesn't say you have a right to privacy"
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116. The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth.
Thats pretty much the most basic one.
And then supported by the HighCourt of Australia (Highest court in the land) Williams v Commonwealth of Australia
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/2012/23.html
From there on in the references are laced through just about everything you can imagine.
So yeah... its covered :)
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You're right, Vaughn, the US Constitution does not expressly say that there is a separation of church and state but the First Amendment says:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
In my opinion, that is pretty much the same thing and I don't begin to understand how anyone could see it as not being so.
We go a step further and make the point that religion (or the lack thereof) shall not be a barrier for entry to public office or any other Government position (at ANY level, from Ministerial to postal stamp licker).
First Amendment doesn't seem to give you guys such protections, and whilst it appears to give freedom of speech it doesn't give the opposite which is a right to privacy :)
We don't have a right to Privacy enshrined in the Constitution, however we have a lot of Acts of Parliament giving us loads of protections.
Article VI of the US Constitution says this:
All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation.
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
And no, a right to privacy is not in the constitution.
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yay!
You're right, Vaughn, the US Constitution does not expressly say that there is a separation of church and state but the First Amendment says:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
In my opinion, that is pretty much the same thing and I don't begin to understand how anyone could see it as not being so.
I love the first part! The govt seems to forget it though since half of our laws are based on the dominant religion. It is the main argument against allowing gays to get married as well which is a shame that no one has pointed that part out yet.
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I didn't mean to start a discussion about educational systems :) I just wanted to know what you would like to read!
Lord of the Flies - all the way ;)
Tirion, oh it has been pointed out but the result is always something to do with the majority vote and since the majority are Christian... yeah you see the problem.
ZZ, sorry love. I just don't really have any input because I'm ashamed to say I haven't read the books you posted except for Lord of the Flies and that was a very long time ago.
Actually ZZ, I think it may have been my commentary that has taken us down this rather interesting discussion. As far as the books go, I do not know which if any of them I have read. I cannot say that I recall any of them, although I read a ton of books in school and for years after (before work and life got in the way).
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I didn't mean to start a discussion about educational systems :) I just wanted to know what you would like to read!
A much as I would love to shout 'Lovecraft', I would recommend Hornby - his language and stories still fastgrip the attention (and interest) of many teenagers today, often leading to interesting discussions, sometimes about plotpoints I (the old guy) wouldn't have spent that much attention on.
He grows on me as a modern day Kerouac and I could see reading something of that old gua later in school to find similarities and understanding for a very different generation.
Tirion I still read tons and tons of books... just not so sure they're anything he'd want to have his class reading. Mostly fantasy books, primarily to do with vampires in one form or another and some erotica. Don't judge me.
I miss being able to spend time reading. Used to get through a three hundred page book in about four hours...
Currently reading Dresden Files, which is pulpy and nice :)
Yeah, I already feared no one would shout Lovecraft...sigh...another year without a book I'm really interested in :) BUT I force my lower grade English class to read the Hobbit, heh!
I've not read the Dresden Files books but they're on my incredibly long to read list. I watched the show they made of them awhile back and was very disappointed that it only had one season. I didn't even know that they were based on books until sometime later.
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And no, a right to privacy is not in the constitution.
The Supreme Court has interpreted the 8th amendment (protecting against unreasonable search and siezure) to be a "right to privacy." I forget which case that was. But folks who claim "There ain't no seprashun 'tween church and state!!!" don't realize that privacy isn't there either.
and the Dresden Files are great. Highly recommended!!