I'll be away from the internet from 18th-24th.

"I'm off!" cried the madman. (Aka Azzedar)

Here is the xp for everyone. Sorry I've been so far behind in getting this out. If anyone levels up please let me know. I'm also sorry to not be able to update each of the indiviual sheets this time. Pleas make the updates. I appreciate the help.

With only 50 XP to go, I will level up when I get the XP for 7/7 to today, especially after resolving the fight with the

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scorpion horde

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This message was last edited by the player at 20:48, Sat 17 July 2004.

Hello everyone. This is your DM appologizing that he is too covered up in RL work to get a post in. I have two guys on vacation this week, and though I thought I could handle it, I am in fact about to drop over dead with fatigue. If business is slow tonight, I will get a post in. Please be patient.

I know what you mean, I work from 3 pm to 3 am in a factory.  I am sore a few hours into Monday afternoon, and I can't walk without pain until Sunday.  But, then it's time to go to work on Monday agian :)
Fatigue sets in earlier every night, to the point where starting the carts rolling is such a good thing that you wish you didn't have to stop it in ten feet.

Since we are about to level up, if any of you have extra skill points you could spend them to learn the drow silent language.  This would benefit Azzedar the most, as he is the only other person that could see me in the dark.  It might come in handy if we ever need to communicate without talking, and in the dark.

Glim, you may be leveling up, but I just joined and it will be a while before I can level. It is a great idea and I will probably spend some points to learn the language.

Capn, for future reference how many crossbow bolts can you poison with one dose. I have had some DMs say only one, but others as much as five.

I guess you and Mungo will have a few encounters more to level up, but with the way the XP system works you should catch up quickly.

Hi all,

Khazar is going on a small family vacation, will be back on Sunday evening.  Capt run his as you need, to keep the game rolling along.

Khazar the Rider

XP will be coming out sometime today. I know some of you that have been in the game longer will be leveling up. If so, please send me a pm with the changes to your character sheets.


I'm going to try and hurry things along now. My wife has had me house hunting all week and I haven't had time to think. The more I look for a houe, the less I want to buy one.

I understand perfectly, the more I shop with my wife, the less I want to go.

Khazar

Have fun house-hunting.  A few tips based on experience (not trying to scare you or anything):

1) Make sure the house inspector and pest inspector do a thorough job!

2) Ask if the previous owners had pets, and how many (I discovered that a reported 'small stain' under the carpet extended the width of the house and appeared to meander around where furniture had stood.  Such nice hardwoods ruined by about 20 cats and some dogs.) Were the previous tenants the owners? or renters? (Believe me, I have found that can make a difference.)

3) Make sure you have as much knowledge as possible about the location of utilities access and services, i.e. location of septic drain line access, water cutoffs, oil tanks/lines, electrical, etc.  Can these things be easily replaced/fixed if you have a problem?  How old are these things and what are they made of...are your drain lines cast-iron or pvc?  Are your pipes copper?  Do you have fuses or breakers, and do you have the proper fuses/breakers for the wires that will carry the current?  Do large trees/vegetation grow over or near your service/septic lines. Oak trees are not so bad as they send down deep tap roots, but other kinds of trees, like maples, can send out evil tendrils looking for water sources near the surface.

4) Even if you don't suspect flooding/backup problems, make sure you get as definate answer as possible.  Has the house had backup flooding problems? Yes or No, and what has been done to fix any problems.  Don't let them get away with 'unknown' on the disclosure statement if you can possibly help it.

5) How old is the roof?  If they tell you is is new, check to see if they completely replaced the old one, or just put a layer of roofing over the old one.  If it's the latter, you'll have to remove two layers in about 20-30 years.  Also check the gutter/drainage system.  If it's not set up well, it may have dumped water down next to the foundation, causing possible leaks/cracks, etc.

None of these things should be a deal breaker, but they do give you bargaining options if you like most of the other aspects of the house.  Owning a house can be a very frus...er..satisfying experience.  Good Luck!


EDIT:  Also, if there are any appliances or furniture in the house when you inspect it, make sure you move them to look under and behind them for damage/problems with floors, walls, outlets etc.  This is where my inspector failed me.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:28, Thu 05 Aug 2004.

What the hay, lets all pile on with advice..

Look at a topo map of the house location, note your large scale drainage pathways, as well as the distance between the house and rail, highway, and other high noise producers.  Don't trust the flood map alone, they change from year to year, and are used to convince you that it is ok to buy a house where common sense might say otherwise.

Try not to get to excited when you start finding houses that match your specs very closely, it interferes with critical judgement.

And a personal opinion, there has never been a better time to buy a house on a 15 year note.  Depending on your down payment you could be very close to 5% or possibly even lower; that means a good chunk of your payment is going straight to the principle balance.

I suppose it makes me a bit of a psycho in todays world, but a lesson from my grandfather sticks in my head... There is nothing, abolutely nothing, better than a paid-off house.

Thank you for the tips Vikko and Aja'nesir, I'm a first time buyer so I will definately keep those things in mind.

Please keep in mind that when leveling up you can increase any class levels that you already have and any skills. Feats are also not a problem. Anything that would require a teacher or specialized training must wait till tavern time between adventures. I'll let you know that this one is nearing its close. For any questions on specific situations, just pm me.

Here are the xp totals. Each is given in a pm. Please make changes to characters as necessary. This is xp from 7/21 and 8/4 including the most recent combat.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:41, Thu 05 Aug 2004.

Hey Capt.

If you do place an offer, ask about the one year insurance policy, paid by seller to repair anything that may break. (forget the name of it)

When I sold my last house, I put one with the package, cost about $480, in 1997.  The new owner had the HVAC to go out on him about 6 months later, it paid for a new one.  He never called about the system going bad on him.

It could be a live saver if you have a major repair that first year.  Ask your representative about the policy and put it in your offer.

Khazar

Did you find a house yet, or are you just busy Capn?

Well the house hunt continues. I must appologize for my unexplained absence. I went to a friends house for the weekend and I could have swore he had internet access. After I got there I learned that he did not, and I had no way to warn anyone that I would not be posting. I will try to move things along today.


As soon as I finish my list of Honeydo's

If anyone understood what that slaver said, please translate it for the rest of us :)

Hi all, I have been having pc problems and have been unable to stay connected for long. I hope to have this fixed by tomorrow. Sorry for slowing things up.

Have you heard anything from Selvaera's player recently?
I have a feeling we will need more than one cleric with the large number of us that we have.

Bahhhh, who needs magic.  Hot soup and a nice place to rest will do just as well.

Which scorpion man is which?  My brain is a bit addled ATM...

Well, I am so very happy that everyone has such confidence in Khazar the Rider.  However he is not able to doctor on poisons yet, so perhaps there is some weakness the party needs to overcome.

Don't come to me crying if you die.  :)

Khazar the Rider

To clarify the scorpion men. Scorpion man 1 is the one who is in the middle of the cavern taking a beating at the moment. Scorpion man two is the spell slinger who is over in the direction of Azzedar. Scorpion man 3 is battling with glim, and Scorpion man 4... oops you didn't know he was there now did you.


The group has learned earlier that the venom of the scorpions tail can be used to make an antitoxin and they have collected some, yet they have not found the person who can make it.

I have not heard from Selvaera yet.

Uh oh. Azzedar will be taking a vacation between 9/7-9/10. You may ask 'why after labor day' it has a reason. Too bad I don't know why. :) Hopefully I'll be back before anything important happens.

I'm off cried the mad man