In an attempt to protect the integrity of this game, please keep all out of character chat and other unrelated questions/comments out of the game thread.  Please feel free to post them here.  Also, let us please remember to be as respectful to others as possible.  I am a firm believer of the Golden Rule; however I have no time for ignorance.
I reserve the right to edit or delete any post within the confines of this game.
Thank you again for playing!
D.M.
Dungeon Master
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:41, Mon 16 Feb 2009.

Looks like we got our six players; please allow me to welcome you all to the game!
• Abigail Leafwander – Human Druid
• Aigol – Human Wizard
• Bornegar High-Peak – Human Barbarian/Bard
• Ilsa Redeye – Half Orc Barbarian/Druid
• Shirok Rezkala – Half Orc Druid
• Stan Fetchin – Human Wizard
• Roth Daos - Elven Rogue

Humans, Half Orcs, Barbarians, Druids, and Wizards seem to be a common theme out there among the threads of RPoL, huh?  In any case, please feel free to continue playing the characters you have submitted to me; however know that if you do wish to change either your class(es) and/or race (and name) we can take care of this with no problem.

I would like to hammer out your character connections BEFORE we begin play, so if someone would like to make alterations to their character we need to do this now(ish).  Right now, all of your backgrounds work for me and I have already begun spinning my DM’s Web to tie you all to the Main Campaign.  I say ‘Main’ because there will be many underlying subplots and side quests, as ALL OF YOU will be playing important parts within this game.

Let’s talk about backgrounds, shall we?  We have two human wizards; I would like it if they could be acquaintances.  Depending on their ages, I imagine they would know of each other, at least professionally.  Would you two be willing?
We have several barbarians and half orc druids with barbarian upbringings; however they all seem to be from different tribes.  Perhaps some of you could be from the same tribe(s)?  Let's talk it out.

I can be flexible, and I’m sure all of you can be too.  I want to work with you all to make this game the best it can be.  As I mentioned in the game info, this is my tribute to D&D 3.5, a game I hold very dear to my heart and am very passionate about.  Looks like we all have a lot of work to do, so let’s get to it!

Thank you all again for showing an interest in my game!
jklier
Dungeon Master
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:04, Sat 14 Feb 2009.

sounds good I'll talk to Stan about how well we know each other

First of hi all! I'm the resident barabrian/bard on a quest of manhood from the Bear tribe of the frozen mountains to the north. So if anybody's got a similar sort of thing/upbringing do tell!

As I mentioned to the GM in PM, I think that having 2 barbarians is better than having 1.5 Druids. And now I see that we actually have 2.5 Druids. That's overkill. I can easily drop the Druid bit. But I could also go Barbarian/Ranger.

I originally had Ilsa being from an orcish tribe, but I don't know if that matches up with Shirok. Bornegar's would definitely require more rewriting.

Alternately, none of your characters have to match up or have backgrounds together.  But we will hammer out why you are all together (friends or not) before we begin official play.

Shirok was also raised in an orc tribe. My current version of the backstory has him leaving the tribe in less then amicable circumstances though, so being from the same tribe would probably require some rewriting.

Ilsa, I'll PM you my existing backstory and we can see if any possibilities emerge.

It would really suck if one of your guys' orc tribes were the ones that killed my parents.

edit:  Also, may I use a more complete, well laid out character sheet?

edit again:  I don't think I'm as familiar with the dice roller as I thought.  I thought I was dropping the lowest die, but I just managed a 19...

I need some help so I can reroll.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:15, Fri 13 Feb 2009.

In reply to Abigail Leafwander (msg #8):

You may reroll, just remember to type '1' in the box next to the field marked 'Drop lowest'

Thank you.

Now I just need to be able to edit my character sheet.

This has hardly a thing to do with anything but please bear with me :P

"*Age Disclaimer - This game will be marked as Mature and may contain descriptions of graphic violence as well as deal with other disturbing themes such as dementia, catabolism, etc."

According to wikipedia:
"Catabolism is the set of metabolic pathways which break down molecules into smaller units and release energy.[1] In catabolism, large molecules such as polysaccharides, lipids, nucleic acids and proteins are broken down into smaller units such as monosaccharides, fatty acids, nucleotides and amino acids, respectively."

Am I to understand this games mature rating is based on its graphic depictions of PASTA DIGESTION?

(I assume that you meant cannibalism, but I thought I should look up the term anyway to see if I was missing something.)

:)

When taken in context of a world where magic spells cause death in a variety of nasty ways, you know what "breaking down molecules into smaller units and release energy" sounds like to me?

Sounds like lightning bolts streaming out of a person's orifices and blowing holes through everyone around him while the hapless victim slowly dissolves into a puddle of blood and flesh.

...But maybe that's just me.


Did I take my medication today?....I think I took it today. ;)
This message was last edited by the player at 04:40, Sat 14 Feb 2009.

Well I certainly didn't take it.

<<
>>

*runs*

In reply to Stan Fetchin (msg #11):

Thanks Stan, and let this be known to everyone that this is another case where spell check doesn't always save you from looking like an idiot...

Everybody please welcome our final addition to the game: Roth Daos, Elven Rogue!

Let's continue to discuss our background connections (if they apply) and, more importantly, how you all know each other and have come to travel together.  I would like to start the game no later than Monday February 23rd.

Well still working on background connections with Stan but as for why I would be travelling toghether I am pretty much a helpful wanderer and would join up with the first people that asked

Hello everyone.  Long time player, first time RPoLer, so bear with me as I learn the format. ^.^

Just a quick question about the circumstances of the start--Are we going to already be in a group together for some purpose(in which case should we all agree on a purpose--which might just come down to traveling in numbers for safety--or do you want to give one to us) or are we going to be meeting at the start?

Aside: Ouch, the dice roller doesn't seem to like us so far.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:59, Sat 14 Feb 2009.

I think Aigol and I are pretty close to getting our backstory worked out. And it looks like the two wizards have been traveling together for a bit, so Stan is likely to have joined at the same time Aigol did.



I wonder if the DM could help us out with this one, since he knows all the characters' circumstances. Perhaps the Half-orcs had a problem and needed to recruit the rest of us to help, or perhaps a common reason has united us all. With the amount of effort our DM has been putting into this game, I'm willing to bet he's already started to come up with the party's shared goals.

Roth is easy.  Hiding in a group makes him less identifiable, staying in one place for too long is a bad idea, he knows little about survival outside of cities so joining with some nature types is a plus, and he really has no place to be.  He could really have just crossed paths with the party on the road or at a bar and joined up.  Probably bought a few rounds of drinks to talk the group into it. :D

And a quick technical question for the DM:  I am weak and trying to travel light, but also trying to stay prepared.  Use Rope says that with a DC 15 check you can tie a knot that "loosens with a tug."  Could I do this in conjunction with a backpack, and how long would a "tug" take?  Or can I spend extra for a backpack designed to do this?
This message was last edited by the player at 05:21, Sun 15 Feb 2009.

Roth's Character Sheet is complete and awaiting DM's stamp of approval.  Can't wait to start. :D

If anyone needs any kind of help with character creation, just send me a PM.  I've made them all.

In reply to Roth Daos (msg #19):

Do you mean that you wish to tie your possesions to yourself with rope?  I imagine a 'tug' wouldn't cost more than a move action (no more/less taxing than drawing a weapon).  But I guess I'm not sure if I understand you.

Well without giving away too much, I really didn’t plan for a main overlying quest (such as destroying a ring in a fiery mountain, or stopping a crazed warlord threatening the free world); rather several campaign arcs with underlying themes.  I figure that if we roll this way, it will leave me much more room to tailor the game to fit your guys’ playing styles and personally involve each of you within the story.  This might be my ‘world’ (as fantastically familiar as it will seem), but this is YOUR story.  As in any good fiction novel, every character plays a pivotal role in the story; which is why I want to stray away from the “Tank, Blaster, Defender, Controller” style of play.  This isn’t a video game and I’ll not try to make it seem like one.
I want this to be free and full of freedom of choice options.  I want you to say, “No, that doesn’t sound like a sensible quest to take right now,” and play the ones you want; and play the adventures your characters would have.  Does that make sense?

I want you all to begin play together simply because, I’ve been playing and GM’ing games on RPoL for a long time, and I’ve found games that start in a tavern rarely make it out of said tavern.  I want you all to have faith in me as your GM that I will continue the game as long as you are willing to play.  As much as I love cheese sticks and potato skins, I say fuck appetizers!  Bring out the main course, right?  Bad analogy…  But I think you all know what I mean.
Due to the fact that there isn’t an overlying main quest, I can’t tell you all why you’re together.  I think this is a great way for you all to take a little creative ownership of the game, that way we all have a responsibility to it.

So far, it looks like the Wizards have their beginnings hammered out; but what about the Barbarians?  What if you guys were from two different tribes?  The Bear Tribe (Bornegar) vs. The Snake Tongue Tribe (Ilsa & Shirok)?  Maybe Mizrak (Shirok's brother as per Shirok's character concept) knew Ilsa was leaving on her spirit quest and asked her to help Shirok escape the Snake Tongue Tribe’s wrath?  Maybe during their sojourn, the met up with Bornegar in the wilds, also on his test of manhood.  Maybe, despite their tribal rivialries, they’ve decided to work together?  Maybe Shirok, being an exile from the tribe, acts as a “crazy glue” to keep them together?  These are just thoughts…

As far as the rogue goes, Abigail’s background might mesh well with Roth’s.  Abigail fled to the big city in search of whatever the world has to offer, and Roth fled from one city to any other fleeing whatever follows him.  Maybe the fast-talking rogue has charmed the woman from the forest and now acts as a city guide-type-thing?  Again, just another idea…
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:25, Mon 16 Feb 2009.

I definately think something like that could work for me and the other tribal types, perhaps leaping in at the last moment to save Bornegar's proverbial bacon. Old rivalries could well be put aside if you've just prevented his untimely demise and the hands of some mountain critter.

Sounds good to me. If Shirok alone isn't enough to prevent people from going at each other's throats, we could always invoke the stereotypical life-debt: save someone's life, and they have to follow you around until they save yours.

Snake Tongue - Is that what Rezkala means? I honestly just made up a word.

“Will you stop saving my life!” –Sinbad, The Cherokee Kid

RE: Snake Tongue: If you made up the word, I imagine it could mean whatever you’d like.

EDIT: Oh, now I see what you mean.  Ilsa's tribe was called The Snake Tongue tribe as per her character concept.  I just merged the two together.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:20, Mon 16 Feb 2009.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg #21):

Not necessarily rope, but basically yes.  Some DMs allow a more expensive "quick-release" backpack, but I noticed with a slightly customized backpack and a DC 15 check you could potentially get the same effect. (I might even be able to manage it myself, and I'm no boyscout.) XD  It's just tough to be a well-prepared adventurer and not lose Evasion.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg #22):

That could work.  See what we can flesh out.

So we have the city-slickers, the tribesmen, and the wizards.  How do the three sub-groups join up?  Roth and Abagail wander from city to city--Abagail seeing the world and Roth picking its pocket.

Maybe it would help if we all listed our characters' public motivations?  A sort of introduction to each of our characters, since we're all going to start out knowing each other anyway.

Roth is a street urchin with a knack for getting into trouble.  He generally cares for the people around him and steals only from people with valuables to spare--or who he doesn't like.  An elf raised by humans, and then by the streets after he'd outlived them, he is looking for some clue about his heritage.  He's also on the hunt for an assassin who framed him for a diplomatic murder while at the same time fleeing from the law for said murder.  As stated before, just being another face in a traveling group would appeal to him--and if he finds riches or aids the oppressed that's a plus too.

Abigail was raised in a forest near where her hometown was burned down, and raided.  She never new her parents, and was brought up by a hermit, Jinju.  When she was 11 she saved an eagle from hunters.  Her and the eagle, Thorondor, have been best friends since.
Now that she is grown she has decided to go out and see the world in all it's splendor.  From the deepest caves, to the highest mountains.  Deserts to oceans, she wants to learn it all.
Jinju taught Abigail many things, but being raised in a forest had left her a little lacking in some areas.  Since traveling with Roth though, she's gotten quite a bit better about how she acts in and around civilization.
Abigail doesn't mind Roth's stealing.  As far as she's concerned, any gold, or gems he might take belonged to the earth all along, and he's not really stealing anything.  She does not take kindly to killing unless for survival, and wanton destruction.

I'm back from my game convention.

I like the suggest for Shirok and Ilsa. But I definitely don't want to double-up Druid, so I'll just stick with straight Barbarian.

Ilsa never fit in with the the tribe, so it would make sense if the two of them left at the same time and are now a traveling pair.

PM
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:26, Thu 19 Feb 2009.

Okay, how are we all doing?  I still plan to start this game by no later than Monday February 23rd.

Character Sheets:
Abigail - reviewed & accepted
Aigol - reviewed & accepted
Bornegar - reviewed & accepted
Ilsa - reviewed & accepted
Roth - reviewed & accepted
Shirok - reviewed & accepted
Stan - reviewed & accepted

Backstories:
Wizards - Complete
Barbarians - Complete
Rogue/Druid - Complete

How'd ya'll meet?
I would also like to focus on this now.  First I'll allow you guys a little time to throw down some ideas.

EDIT: I have your "meeting up" story formulated.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:12, Mon 23 Feb 2009.

Warning!!!
Lauching Game...

Duck and cover!

They pushed the red button! Dear God, why did they push the red button?!
This message was last edited by the player at 21:02, Fri 20 Feb 2009.

The Preludes are up and the main game thread will be kicked off shortly.  I still have to finish up two of your character sheets.

...ahem,

[8 blank lines suppressed]

W000000000000000000T





That is all.

I know that this begining is a weak; but let's try to bring the party together.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:16, Tue 24 Feb 2009.

On Roth's suggestion:  Maybe if we split into 2 groups, one to see the Kaele[Stan,Roth,Ilsa or another barbarian?], and one to help the fallen[Aigol,Abagail,Bornegar,Shirok] we can all meet up later and as a group decide to act on whatever we found?

Ilsa is not the one to bring on a fact-finding or diplomatic mission. Either Shirok or Bornegar would be better. And given Bornegar's decision to help the people, then Shirok should probably go off to the see the wizard. Ilsa can at least lift rubble.

Shirok's got a decent Heal skill and knows virtually nothing about arcane magic. If his group is heading down there he'll join them, can do more good there anyway.

So is everyone going to the wreckage?

Seems like the barbarian group + Abigail are heading down, the rest are headed to meet some arcane type fellow.

It was my intent for Stan to go with the group to the lower city, but the way the DM has it written is fine with me; no point in retconning it now.

Sorry about that Stan and I appreciate your flexibility. ^_^

Could everyone please let me know the approximate time they check the threads everyday?  I seems like most of you do this later in the day.  Please include what time zone you are in so that I may better prioritize the games that I run.
Thank you,
DM
Dungeon Master
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:30, Thu 26 Feb 2009.

I am in GMT -6 and check the threads off and on from about 10am to 5am

I check it all day, if I see a flag on the main RPOL page. I'm on Pacific Standard Time.

On EST, usually checking it at least once every hour or two, more if I'm at home.

PST.  I think that's GMT-8.  I do tend to check a lot more late at night, but I check throughout the day.  It really depends on what I'm doing that day.

My schedule's too unreliable to peg down a time.  Sorry.

I'm GMT and ussually check between 7 and 1 or 2, weekends can be a bit tricky.

GMT +8, and I usually check in the afternoon. Which means around midnight Chicago time.

(I live in Australia.)    : )

Thank you all!  I live in mid-western United States, and go by Central Standard Time (the same as Chicago time).  It seems like, for the most part, we are all on around the same times.
Moving forward, you all may change your characters' 'biography' lines if you wish.  I simply populated them with your character's race and class for the character creation period.  By all means, customize you characters as you will.
Once you all have avatars, I would like to create a 'Quick Reference' page.  I plan for this page to be used to track basic information about each of your characters; information that anyone should be able to determine simply by looking at you (i.e. if your hurt).
I am very excited to be running this game!  I look forward to our adventures together!
Thanks,
DM
Dungeon Master

I must attend a funeral today.  I may be able to post again later in the day; but in the worse-case scenario, tomorrow will be business as usual.
Thanks,
jklier
Dungeon Master

I am back and thank you all for your patience! I will be updating very soon as I need to review my notes. Also, I am proud to announce that this is our 100th post! In celebration of the event, everyone will be awarded +100 EXP!
Again, thank you all for playing!
DM
Dungeon Master
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:32, Tue 03 Mar 2009.

Nobody posted yesterday, is everyone okay?

Hmm. I checked the thread, saw your post, and didn't want to be the first to reply. Maybe we all had the same shyness?

I don't know. I will go post now, though.

To the DM:

Do you have a preference as to which tense we post in?

I don't, as long as it makes sense.  I know I'm guilty of mixing the current and past tenses.  It shouldn't be an issue.

"Her name is blah" ?

Yeah, I need to fix that...
Hold up...

From your posts, it appears that Roth and Stan want to press on to Godsgate while Abigail and Aigol wish to get something to eat.  What about the barbarians?  Stan suggested that the party could eat at Blackstone Church.  What is the party's decission?

Happy St. Patrick's Day everybody!

Poor snakes.

Ha ha!

You guys don't like to post much, do you?

Ilsa was waiting for someone to admit they were lost. Since she never really knew where they were going, she hadn't noticed. :)

Just letting everyone know I'm having some computer problems right now that may result in less frequent posting.

Roth-
Okay buddy, just keep me posted.  Thanks!

I think maybe we should all state each other's heights so there's no confusion.  I ask this because of Bornegar's comment, referring to Abigail as "little one".

She is in fact 6'9.  I very much doubt that Bornegar is so much taller than her as to refer to her as little one.

If anything, Roth is the little one.

Ah, *looks up*, my mistake...

EDITED

I assume you didn't roll for that height? :P

BTW, I'm liking this dice roller. (aside from my 7 in wisdom...)

While everyone else was rolling 20s, Stan got a solid 8 on his listen check. Apparently he had his iPod in at the time.

Hey guys,
Sorry for the delay in the game since Thursday night, but it was my anniversary weekend and my wife took me out for a surprise vacation getaway.  It was a great time!
Any-who, allow me some time to catch up.

-DM


P.S. Also, I seems we've hit our 200th post!  As an added bonus, everyone will recieve a freebie one time +2 bonus they may add to any roll or check of their choice (except leveling up rolls).  Think of it as a Super Guidance spell has been cast on each of you.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Thanks again for playing!

Combat
Most everyone is doing fine, but I just wanted to touch on this before actual combat started.  First, I will be enforcing the 24 hour rule (please refer to the Rules thread).  On your initiative turn, you will have 24 hours to post your action.  If you fail to do this, I will NPC your character that round.
Second, please post your combat information (rolls, checks, etc.) within and at the bottom of your posts.  Here is an example:


Your combat information my be inserted into a private line to myself if you wish; but if not, please color it Orange.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Thanks,
-DM

If you plan to use terms such as "moderately wounded," etc. can we get an idea of what these terms mean in terms of remaining HP percentage?

Unhurt = Full hit points 100%
Barely/Lightly Injured = Above half health; flesh wound 99%-60%
Moderately Injured = About half health; roughed up 59%-40%
Seriously/Gravely Injured = Below half health; dying 39%-1%
Unconscious = Between -1 & -10
Dead = Current hit point total under -10

---

Does that work?
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:14, Mon 30 Mar 2009.

*thumbs up*

Excellent, thank you.

Oh, and since there appears to be some confusion on the matter, Neya is in fact female. Of course if you're doing the his(her?) thing for the characters that don't know that, it may be esier to just call her an it until it's been clarified IC.

Well, I'm done contributing to the fight. : (

Don't count yourself out.  Once I get that one Raver dealt with, assuming no more get close to Stan, I'll be laying down the Cure Light Wounds.

Abigail, if you want to direct Thorondor to do something this round, please post how you are directing him/her.  Otherwise, it will take no action this round.

Also, Bornegar has until 14:19 today (03/31) to post his action, otherwise he'll be NPC'd and combat will continue.

I hate to bring up the matter of time zones, but they do make deadlines a tad more confusing.

The timestamp on the posts should be localized to your particular time zone, so that shouldn't be an issue.

In this circumstance, when it's 24 hours from last post, yes. But if, for whatevr reason, a deadline needs to be imposed w/ no easy reference point time zones become an issue.

I'll try to be as fair as possible in that event.

Thank you for your concern, but Thorondor will stay right where he is (well, flying at least half his speed around the battle so he doesn't plummet anyway).

I don't have time to check the threads much during the weekend, and in my house rules thread I tried to point that out.  I don't feel it would be very fair to hold any of you to a different standard, as so I will be giving Ilsa a little while longer before NPC'ing her actions this combat round.
According to my time-stamp, Roth posted at 23:31 4/3; so I will be waiting at least until that time today (4/6) before I NPC Ilsa's turn.
Thank you all for your patience!
D.M.
Dungeon Master

Um, I was waiting for the result of Roth's post. Last time, I posted without waiting because it didn't really matter. Now it does. In general, if the rule is that I should post within 24 hours of the previous PC, regardless, then I'll follow it.

I apologize.  In the future, I will be posting results during the enemy’s initiative turns (i.e. just before Raver 4, 3, 2, &1) as to conserve thread space.  If anyone would like a result post before their turn, please just post in the Out of Character thread and I’ll update.
Due to internet settings, I cannot upload images from my office browser to hosting sites in order to provide you with maps.  I work from 7:00 ‘til 17:00 everyday.  I can do this at home; however I commonly drive from work directly to school Mon-Fri nights (and remain at school until 21:30).  I fear if we wait for combat maps to be updated for each round of combat for each encounter, combat will slow tremendously.
If these maps are something this group wants, I will however double my efforts to deliver.  Are combat maps something the group would like?

I can do fine without combat maps but if people want them I am not opposes. However, as someone who has DMed on RPoL before, I know what a hassle they can be to upload and keep updated.

They can be a hastle, but then we could have Stan and Aigol in the middle of a marching order ... so that anyone who rushes them draws a few AoOs from everyone else, at least.

It's a bit ... homely, but maybe something like this, even?
_________________________________________________________________________________

I think we'll do something like this for combat:

    A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
 1 |   |   |   |Jim|   |   |   |   |   |   |
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
 2 |   |   |Bob|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
 3 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
 4 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
 5 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
 6 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
 7 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
 8 |   |   |   |   |   |   |Jed|   |   |   |
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
 9 |   |   |   |Sue|   |   |   |Joe|   |   |
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
10 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
   +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

Unless anyone objects?

Ooo, purdy!

Ilsa I just want to make sure I'm on the same page. You are about to "open" the first (northern most) door on the western wall, correct?

That's right.

It appears that everyone has logged in either yesterday or today.  However, I want to allow every an ample opportunity to take actions in every room of this (and other) dungeon crawl(s).  I plan to wait until everyone has posted--in game--that they are ready for the next room.

And if they don't post, I'll just bash in the next door. :)

Congratulations to everyone, as we have reached our 300th post today!  Every current player will receive +300 EXP!  Let’s keep this up!
I would also like to take the time to ask everyone playing to provide me with a little feedback.  I know that we are still in the Prelude to the main campaign; however I am open to any questions/comments and other constructive criticism aimed to make this game better.
Thank you all again for playing!
jklier
Dungeon Master

P.S. Please remember that each of you still have a +2 luck bonus to any roll (excluding leveling up rolls) as was rewarded for reaching our 200th post.  I do not believe anyone has used this bonus yet.  If you wish to save this bonus, by all means you may.  I only wanted to remind you all that you have it.

Things seem to be going really well, though I sense an odd lack of cohesion in the party. Of course, Ilsa isn't exactly the "let's all be friends" type and has pretty much been ignoring everyone, so I take part of the blame for that.

Well, at the moment we're still pretty much three separate groups working together only because there's money involved. As of yet we simply haven't discovered a reason to keep each other around after this job. The group will come together as time goes on and we end up saving each other's bacon. Then there's the stereotypical "we make a good team" scene, and Bob's your uncle.

Although crushing the heads of fallen foes may delay that a bit. ;)

Hell, I don't think we even know anything about each other IC, beyond a few basics.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:13, Tue 21 Apr 2009.

Thank you for the feedback I've received so far!  Please keep it coming if you feel like you would like to add anything.

I have updated The Cast tab with a few NPCs that you have come across, and updated their Descriptions with the information that you have gathered thus far.  This list will change as NPCs come and go, so please check that tab often.
If there is anything else I can do to increase the playability of this game, please let me know!
Thanks again,
jklier
Dungeon Master
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:48, Wed 22 Apr 2009.

This is one of the better games I have been in on RPoL. I really can't complain.

Just one question about all this EXP: Are we supposed to be keeping track for ourselves or do you the DM have it all written down somewhere?

Like I said, great game so far. Keep up the good work.

Well, lets have a discusion about this.  Do you want me to keep track on the Quick Referance tab, do you want me to keep it private, or do you all want to keep track yourselves?  Maybe some combination?
I have been keeping track, but probably not as close of a watch as I should be.  I will be keeping better track from here on out; but let me know how you all feel about posting an EXP Chart on the Quick Referance tab.
Thanks!

My only concern about the xp is who should update the character sheet when you hand them out. I think you did it once or twice and I know I did it the last time. It can get confusing.

I have spend some of this morning creating a table in my DM Private Thread, and this is where I will be keeping track.  You all will be responsible to keep track of your EXP on your own sheets, and once you have enough to level up, you first need to clear it with me.
We will compare notes, and if you have met the EXP requirements to level, you may do so at that time.  Here is my stance on leveling up:

• When? You may level at ANY time your character meets the EXP requirements.  Rest and/or training is not required.
• Hit Points Your Hit Point pool will increase immediently.  Any damage that you have taken prior to your level increase will remain.  Example - Welcar Thorn has 20hp.  During an encounter with gnolls, he is wounded and takes 7 points of damage, lowing his hp to 13.  After the encounter he gains enough EXP to level-up, and gains 8hp.  His current hp would be 21/28hp.
• Spells If your level increase has caused you to gain an additional spell slot, after you have selected your new spell(s), you may cast them as if you have prepared them at the start of that day.  This does not mean that all of your spells have been restored.  Example - Trixie Firecracker, a sorcerer who has also survived the encounter with the gnolls, and she gains enough EXP to increase her level.  The level increase increases her 1st level spell allotment from 2/day to 3/day, and she has gained access to 1 level 2nd level spell per day.  She may retroactively prepare one additional 1st level spell, and one 2nd level spell; however is she had already cast two 1st level spells, she would still be out those spells for the remainder of the day.
• Skills When spending your skill points and increasing your skill ranks, please submit to me (in a PM) a summary of where you spent your skill points.  In fact, please submit to me a summary of everything gained: hp, feats, skill points, special abilities, Save & Base Attack Bonus increases, etc.

This message was last edited by the GM at 14:23, Mon 27 Apr 2009.

Well, I think Shirok and I are beginning to build a mutual respect for each other.

I have recieved word that both Aigol and Bornegar's players will not be continuing on.  Real life comes first, after all.  They will now be played by me as NPCs, and I have recuited another player who will be joining the party as soon as I can find a place for him to enter.
Everybody, please welcome - Porto "Chubbs" Brandybuck, halfling bard extraordinaire!

Ello everyone. I am "Chubbs" but the ladies may call me "Doctor Love"

Always nice to meet the new rations-I mean, party members.

Seriously though, how's it going?

Good, im a little sleepy, but good

Hey, I'm no longer the little one!

Doctor!  There's a patient in the ER suffering from a broken heart!  What do you prescribe?

My halfling sense is tingling!

Yeesh, if everyone keeps rolling 20s on their initiative, we might end this battle before it begins.

In reply to Abigail Leafwander (msg #113):

Dr.Pepper

Rodents of Unusual Size? I don't believe they exist!

I apologize if I moved from one encounter to the other too quickly; however after I updated the map, I realized that I forgot to show what can be seen of the tower interior.  As I was updating that, I saw that Ilsa moved into the other room, and in my laziness I updated that room too.
Please feel free to post any actions taken before Ilsa entered the Pantry.
Thanks,
jklier
Dungeon Master

Edit Aigol and Bornegar will simply follow the party.  Bornegar will remain near the middle or front of the group as to provide the light.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:32, Tue 05 May 2009.

I definitely apologize for barreling from one encounter to the other. Part of it is character-driven, but I won't hide behind "I'm just playing my character!"* I sometimes get impatient with the naturally slow pace of pbp games.

* I don't know about you, but every time I hear/read that excuse, I want to smack the person who said it. Yes, you are playing your character. But you chose to play an insufferable jerk. If Ilsa gets too annoying, just have Shirok say something (like, "Heel!") to her--she'll listen to him.

Oh no!  It's not your fault, I just didn't want to have to update the map again later today or tomorrow.

How about a knife in the back?  Think that'd make her a bit more sufferable? :D

It depends on who puts it there. Let's just say that she hasn't gotten really angry yet.

Little bit of a dark crowd. I think you could all take a dose of Halfling

Nah, they're just butting heads.  Sure it'll pass once Ilsa gets herself killed. :D

Dose of Halfling? My first thought would be grilled with a side salad, but you can't really go wrong with classic roasted Halfling on a spit.

No love, no love. You need to lighten up toots

I was trying to "lighten up" but halfling is so fattening. Mmm, delicious, though. :)

Shall we make it a potluck?  I can bring some muskrat.  Thorondor could probably get some good fish too.

So, you can get a half-chicken. How does that work with Halflings? Is it a half-halfling or do I just call it a quarterling?

As for the potluck: Summon Monster 1 ?
This message was last edited by the player at 11:08, Wed 06 May 2009.

The monsters go back to their respective plane when they die.

Your worried about a monster but not me the lovable halfling

Not worried about the monster. The problem is, you can't eat summoned monsters unless you eat them while they're still alive. Once they die, they pop out of existence. This not true of most halflings.

I'm not like most halflings...except in this instance

Well, what if we put some sort of planar binding spell on the gravy?

Ah! Now you're getting clever. Mmm, dimensionally anchored gravy... ahhahghghgh! :P

If we're going to that much trouble, why not just hero's feast, and call it a day?

Sometimes its the handmade touch that really makes the difference.

Someday, somehow, my character will make a difference in a fight.

I think.

You are making a difference. Someone has to distract the monsters.

One of these days you'll stand AWAY from the danger and throw spells at it! XD

And it's just too bad creatures summoned by summon monster spells aren't affected by planar binding when their time is run up or they die.  I could spare an Enlarge Person scroll to plump up the halfling, though.

....450 exp for post #400? :D
This message was last edited by the player at 04:40, Fri 08 May 2009.

Wow ... that glass has it in for Roth.

There's a reason why I made a point of not walking on the glass.

I will be unable to post starting Sunday to at least Wednesday, possibly unable for the whole week.

I apologize for the delay of the game the last few days.  It was entirely my fault.

In order for the group to reach the last two rooms, or the entrance to the tower, each of you will need to pass through 10-15 feet of broken glass.  When passing through a square with broken glass, a balance check is required.
To which room are you guys headed?

Lets start with the right, though most of the group will likely die before we get to the end.

sounds good to me.

Ilsa would never suggest this, but how about if we find or cobble together a push broom from the junk in the other rooms and create a path in the glass?

Not a bad idea ... I'll have Roth think of it, since he's smarter than me, if no one beats him to it ... after this next fall, of course.

I'm back.

Shirok's spear for a handle, wrap some rags around one end and we've got a broom. Assuming there isn't something odd about the glass shards the DM hasn't mentioned yet.

Gentlemen, BEHOLD! The power of magic.

(I took the liberty of improving upon your "broom" idea. I hope the DM considers this a legitimate application of my spell.)
This message was last edited by the player at 13:30, Thu 21 May 2009.

In the immortal words of Elan, "I'm participating!" :)

I have a game convention this weekend and probably won't post again until Tuesday. Feel free to NPC Ilsa--it can't be that difficult. :\

Sorry I haven't been around.  My internet went down a while ago.  It's been fixed, but they changed the access code for my wireless without telling me, and when I was told I got the wrong one.  Everything is ok on my end now.

In reply to Abigail Leafwander (msg #152):

No worries.  The group is in the middle of a great discussion about how to avoid the glass to advance down the hall.

glass is a great subject. I come from a lenscrafter family too

Just to be clear, are we now inside the green-circle area on the map?

My home internet's been dead for two days now, and shows no signs of recovery. Hopefully it'll revive itself soon, but in the meantime my posting capability is extremely limited.

I will work to get the map updated today.  Just to make sure, the party is moving into the tower portion?  Or one of the other rooms?
As soon as I hear back from you guys, I will update the map.

Hello again. Net's back up.

Which room are you guys headed into?

It seems if Ilsa isn't bashing in doors, we don't actually get anywhere.

Bash away, my friend. Unless you expect one of us fragile caster types to do it.

I'm still here everyone, just waitin

I just don't want to get chewed out for it, IC or OOC. IC, Ilsa decided to hang back before she bit someone's head off. And she'd do it too.

You and Bornegar are the tanks. No matter how you look at it, one of you is going in first.

Unless we make the sneaky guy do it.

Since we have a lot of rooms to keep track of and talk about, could the DM give them some kind of meta-game numbering system? E.g. room 1, room 2, room 3?

So when someone says "The room west of the dead rat above where we knocked over that table" and I get confused, I can just look at their OOC: room 1 and say "Ohhhh!"

Its halfling time!

what is it about you Ilsa and me being food?

Mostly because I enjoy showing how "off" she is. :)

To let you know, the misspelling of "Halfling is intentional".  It's sort of a phonetic spelling meant to emphasize Abigail's unfamiliarity with the word.

Is Porto purposely being obtuse or does he really want Ilsa to run him through?
This message was last edited by the player at 00:02, Fri 12 June 2009.

Aren't those two not mutually exclusive?

That's for him to decide. But to blatantly and obviously ignore the hulking half-orc with the greatsword when she asks questions is suicidal IC behavior. And rude OOC behavior.

sorry i was actually waiting for someone else to respond to me. Come monday and no one has  then i'll talk

Well, Shirok did just request that you provide a reason not to let his rather large wolf eat you.

true but i wanted the Fey question responded to. If I dont get it by tomorrow i will respond

Ohs noes! Interparty conflict!

well good game guys, that hit just killed me

I suggest DM alters reality so that Ilsa rolled a 1 for damage.

Uh, I warned you. In character. And Out of Character. Besides, it only killed you if you started the game with 0 hit points. Otherwise, you're just unconscious and bleeding.

*cough*

So, did Bornegar actually follow game mechanics or is this just GM fiat?

Bornegar and Aigol are no longer being played by players.  I have begun to phase them out, and in the meantime bring in a replacement, Porto.  To answer your question, it is “GM fiat;” however it was posted to ensure everyone has the same chance to play in my game.  Please take no offense as it isn’t meant to belittle or cheat anyone, but rather as an inclusive action.

Well that's one way to enter a room!

So you know, my net access will be minimal until after Tuesday.

Yikes, sorry for my unannounced absence.  This isn't the only game that I could have sworn I informed of my relocation and loss of internet, but apparently didn't! But I'm back now!

Mr.GM I will be gone from sunday 11:45-ish until thursday 1:30-ish, so NPC my character please.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:28, Sun 28 June 2009.

Im back anybody miss me

Yes, you're a rather small target.

Im here its just that i dont want to post a one liner and thats all I can think up right now

A one-liner is better than a no-liner.

As you can tell by my last post, I have no problems with one-liners. Sometimes they are better than the alternative. I find multi-paragraph, self-reflective, introspective paragraphs far more annoying. In fact, when the pace of game is running along at multiple posts per day, one-liners are really fun.

well i have no problem with that. but all i can think of is. I don't see a hammer. Something that Porto would not point out. I may post later today though so be weary.

Hey all. I'm back. Look for an IC post soon.

Gone for the weekend, posting likely to slow considerably.

I will be away starting today, Friday July 24th, at noon central time, until Monday August 3rd.

I am back!  Thank you all for waiting so patiently.

No problem mr.GM

I had meant to go to D3, but since I rolled a 1 on the attack, it doesn't really matter.

I guess Neya goes to C2 then.

Porto remains in the corner like a coward

Gonna wait to see the results of Ilsa's action before Roth goes.

Forgot we're still working in init order, so I'll just hold the Heal roll until Aigol goes.

You guys can post out of order; but the action takes place in Initiative order.

Dunno if anyone else noticed but by my count, with the xp from the skeleton dogs, Ding!

The parade shall now commence.

Was there 280 xp that I missed?

By my count, there's been 1745 xp given to everyone, plus however much each group got for their starting story thing. (In Quick Reference)

It's entirely possible I'm wrong though. DM?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:52, Thu 03 Sept 2009.

There they are!

Experience Point Log

Start:
1000

Prelude:
150 Mar 21 (The post was edited on Apr 21)
175 Apr  8
275 Apr 27
 50 May  4
120 May 14
100 May 27
475 Sep  3

OOC:
100 Mar  3
300 Apr 21

Quick Reference:
??? Apr  8

Matches my running tally.

My tally agrees with those of Ilsa and Roth.

I am still 5 exp short of leveling, if my calculations are correct.

Not everyone has the same amount of experience.  I will update the Character Creation thread with a guide for leveling up your characters.  I will also start Private threads for each of you to better track level progression.

I am closing on my first house today at noon, CST; so I might not be able to finish updating today.  I will get you guys an update in-game before then.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:49, Wed 09 Sept 2009.

I have spoke with Porto's player, and he is currently having internet connection issues.  I will be NPC'ing him until he is able to return.

Hopefully im back for good so Porto will be mine again

Sorry for my absence lately.  Have been training for my new job, and working open to close has really eaten up my time and energy.

I'm more than a little delayed in getting this map made.  Please bear with me while I try to get this done.  The main problem is, I can't do this at work (where I normally post).  My evenings have been spent working at the new house my wife and I purchased earlier this month.
We can either continue and depend on room/area descriptions, or wait for a map.
What do you guys think?

Description's probably fine, specific maps tend not to matter too much unless/until combat breaks out.

I don't care either way

I agree.

I'm going to have to make up a map for this part...  Please give me this weekend.  I have some time set aside Saturday and will get this done.

Thanks!

Can we clarify exactly which direction we're traveling?

From where I put the group on the map (the green dots), I assumed you would continue heading south, that is, until you discover the spikes.  You can either try to get over them, or try a different path.

In-Character, your characters would see that they appear to have fallen (when the tower flipped) and embedded themself into the flagstone.  Enough of them appear to be far enough apart where a medium sized creature could cross the area without taking any damage, but only if they stepped just right.

Out-of-Character, this will obviously slow each of you considerably.  In order to avoid the piercing damage of the spikes, you will need to travel the affected areas at half-speed (10ft for Porto, and 15ft for everyone else).

I'm going to say that the corridors are 10ft wide.  Any other questions?  I hope that helps!  Good luck! :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:52, Wed 30 Sept 2009.

Right, so Ilsa will just move cautiously through them. If no roll is necessary, can we please skip ahead in time and/or space to something interesting?

Yeah. The marching order is fine.

Marching order is fine with me.

Sorry for the delay!  I will try to post a special update tomorrow, Saturday October 10th.
Thank you all for your understanding.

So, which way do you think you guys will head, East or West?

Neya headed west, and that's where Ilsa followed, so I guess we're going west.

Can we get an update on the map to show where we are now?

I believe we're outside the northern door of the room taking up most of the bottom-left.

Yes, the party is just outside (north) the door on the western side of the map.  I will try to update the map, but am and will be at the office for most of the day today, so it might be awhile.
Thank you all for your patience!

In an attempt to keep this game going, and at an acceptable pace for all of the players, I have decided to begin posting Deadline Dates for combat.  Combat will also be handled slightly differently from here on out.  The first thing each of the players will be required to do once combat has been initiated (either by them or a foe) is to combine their Initiative roll post with their Action(s) post for the first round.  For example, you will post your Initiative roll AND your first round’s action(s) in the same post (see below):

From there, I will formulate the Initiative Order as well as post the action and results for the round.  I will also post the results in the Initiative Order.  At the bottom of my post for that round, I will include a new Deadline Date (generally 24 hours from my post).
A couple of extra things:

• In the event something happens earlier in the initiative that would change another’s post (ex. If a shared target were to die, thus leaving the player with the lower initiative with no target), I will take some liberties and redirect the character’s actions elsewhere, and to the best of his/her abilities.
• In the event a player is unable to post within the Deadline Date posted by myself, I will NPC that character to the best of his/her abilities.

Any other questions/concerns?

Special Note
A new Roleplaying Rule will be implemented on Monday November 16th.  Stay tuned for more details.

Sounds like this might be just what we need.

Question: Is he human barbarian dead?

Note: I've been forgetting to add Porto's Courage bonus.

In reply to Ilsa Redeye (msg #231):

Yes, the barbarian is dead and access to the room is now (for the moment) free.

Don't worry, I've been adding it. :)

Wee!

Okay, I know I said I had something else in the works to be implemented this Monday (yesterday); but I want to get some feedback on our new combat system before I move forward with any more new rules.  Please, take a little time and let me know what you think.

I believe this encounter went a lot smoother then the others before.  I think it plays out more like a novel instead of a bunch of game mechanics or a booklet of stereo instructions.  I feel it allows me to do a little more with the action in the event something goes awry.   I also feel this new rule could allow our fights to be less dependant on battle maps, as long as I provide a decent map of the area and description of the action—but I could be wrong.  What do you think?

I thought it went quite well. I like fast pace and hope it extends to out-of-combat scenes as well. I still struggle without a map, but since Ilsa is almost always in the thick of it, she is usually within reach of something to hit. :)

And on other note, to my fellow players, Ilsa is in not-quite-desperate need of healing.

I agree; the battle went much faster then the pace we've usually been setting, which definitely helps the combat slow-down almost all games experience. Battles like this, where it's mostly close-quarters combat, can probably be taken care of without a map but we would likely still need one once we get to larger-scale battles, or if we fight in an area with lots of stuff that might affect combat; like a dining hall filled with tables or something.


re: healing, I think we were already out of/very low on potions and such. Shirok has Heal skill, but I'm not sure if that actually restores any hit points. So either the crazy dog man had a wand of CLW in his pocket, or we may be forced to retreat/sleep here/hope Bornegar comes back with an NPC cleric.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:38, Tue 17 Nov 2009.

This little haflings got a trick or two up his sleeve. ;)

I'm definitely like fast-paced, and am up for whatever way you want to tackle it, but keep in mind doing it this way really limits options for the characters, as it can be important to know where everything is situated and everyone's status on your turn.  For instance, Shirok may lock in that he's going stabby against an enemy, but by the time his initiative comes around maybe he'd prefer to cure someone.

It worked well for this battle, as our resources and options are very limited and it was a clear-cut Them-Ilsa & Neya-Everyone Else, but it the future it may cause problems and lead to players setting up their gambits for the round(FFXII reference.)  Especially with wizards, what spells they use are very situation-sensitive.

Wouldn't want to inadvertently catch a melee fighter in an area spell.

Thanks to Porto's wand, everyone is at full health.  Does the party want to setup a camp, or continue on?

I saw we send someone sneaky to check out the voices upstairs, assuming we can get them up the inverted stairs quietly.

DM,

 What are your rules regarding scroll scribing? Does it take one day to make a scroll, even if it is level 1, or can I make one in 20 minutes since 12 gp is a fraction of 1000 gp?

Out of curiosity, was there a response to my action?

In reply to Ilsa Redeye (msg #243):

Oh yeah, sorry.  You knocked him the f**k out.

Thanks. That made me laugh.

And just to be clear, the chanting stopped, right?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:28, Sat 28 Nov 2009.

No, the chanting is still going.  In fact it sounds more rushed now...

I'll get an official update for you guys come Monday.

About how old does this kid look? Also, what has the blink dog been doing? Is it acting protective of the kid, just standing around, what?

In reply to Shirok Rezkala (msg #247):

Eek! Sorry!  This should have been included in my posts!!

The child appears outwardly as a gaunt human child, of about 10 - 12 years of age.  Strangely enough, he is also wearing fine cloth garments, studded leather armor, and a rapier hangs from his belt.
The dog, of the same breed found in the second level of the collapsed tower (blink dog), appears to with the boy, but not overly protective.  So far, it has been lying a foot or so away from him; but this latest outburst from the boy has caused it to raise its head, but it remains lying.

DM: I asked about scrolls a few posts back. The question still stands. Thanks!

In reply to Stan Fetchin (msg #249):

Sorry!  I totally forgot about this.  Please give me an hour or so to try to brush up on my scroll scribing while at the office.  I'll try to get back to you later today.
Thanks!

Okay, so they way it is written as per the only online SRD not blocked by my office’s Web Sense:


So, for me to better understand this process (sorry, I have little experience in this field), let’s walk through it with any given level 1 spell, as if you were going to make a scroll of it in a game-show-like segment I like to call: Scribe That Scroll!™
To find the base price, the spell level is 1 x your caster level, which is 3, x 25 gp (1 x 3 x 25 = 75 gp).  One twenty-fifth of 75 is 3, and one-half is 37.5; so in order to ‘scribe this scroll’ as it is written, it will cost Stan 1 day, 3 experience points, and 37 gold pieces and 5 silver pieces, correct?

And I guess the reason you asked this is to determine the time it would take, as opposed to the material and experience costs, huh?  Would it really take a whole day to pen a 1st level spell?  Or how about a 0 level spell, or a 2nd or a 3rd?  Does this process really take 24 hours, or does one simply not have the mental fortitude to complete more than one in a single 24 hour period?  If so, what if the character possesses a high Intelligence score; don’t they benefit from bonus spells per day?  Why not bonus scrolls to scribe?

Personally, I don’t really see a problem in allowing a Wiz/Sor (or anyone else capable of scribing scrolls) to scribe multiple scrolls a day, granted they pay the material and experience costs.  But this does leave us one last question: How long will scribing a single scroll take?  Because so much of the process seems to derive from the base price, I feel this too should take root here.  How about 1/10 x base price?  Applied to the example above, the time it would take to scribe the 1st level spell would take 7 ½ minutes.

Thoughts?

Generally a "day" of crafting is 8 hours.  At base price 1000 GP, you're saying it takes 100 minutes to scribe.  You might try a ratio more near 1/2, making a 1000 GP base price scroll take 500 minutes, or 8 hours 20 minutes.

Crafting can only be done for eight hours a day, so Roth is right. A ratio of 1/2 * base price in minutes is close. (The exact ratio would be 12/25, giving exactly eight hours for a 1000gp spell, but eh.)

When calculating costs, Level 0 spells count as Level 1/2.

Also, Stan does not have to use his exact caster level. It may be useful for spells with effects directly related to caster level, but other times it's just a waste of money. He can lower the effective cater level for the spell on the scroll, but only go as far as the minimum needed to cast the spell. (So 2nd level spells have to have at least caster level 3, but could go as high as Stan's current level)
This message was last edited by the player at 18:26, Wed 02 Dec 2009.

Thanks for all the input everybody. Obviously Stan's not going to sit down right this second and scribe some scrolls, but he probably will do so next chance he gets. It sucks not having anything to do in a fight.

I noticed scrolls at low level are actually a pretty cheap option in both GP and XP, so I might make a few to have around.

Now you know how I feel

Sorry!  I thought I had already addressed this.  Shirok doesn't know anything regarding the statue or ritual he saw as it relates to Obad-Hai or nature in general.  Followers of Obad-Hai (as well as virtually all the other deities) perform rituals, but this particular one isn't known to Shirok--or even if it has anything to do with Obad-Hai.  The statue itself looks completely out of place.

I have added a Calendar section within Msg #1 of the Quick Referrence thread.

Why does winter begin in "November?" This makes winter longer than the other seasons.

In reply to Ilsa Redeye (msg #258):

Eek!  Thanks for the catch!  I'll update this.

Just for the record, I as a player understand Ilsa's actions. But Shirok and Neya have other opinions. So Ilsa, when everyone's fully healed up and we're not in potentially mortal danger, expect Neya to go all alpha bitch on you.

Fully expected.

PM

How's about that scroll, Stan? XD

Eek!  I've goofed again!  Neya should have been knocked unconscious from Ilsa's last attack...  I will be updating this, and provided yet another update shortly.
Sorry!!

!!Messages #650 & 658 have been updated!!
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:17, Thu 10 Dec 2009.

Nooooo!

Oh well. For the record, if my paranoia pays off and one of the halfling's personas is some deadly caster that slaughters us all, not my fault. ;)

Do we want to revise our spat, Shirok?

I still have my 18 Initiative.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:07, Fri 11 Dec 2009.

Re: DM's last post - Ha!

Ilsa - He knows that all you did was knock her out, so I don't think the argument would be appreciably different. Language might have been a bit harsher.

I'm glad you liked it! :)

Forgot a d6 there.
Edit: Of Roth's sneak attack.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:41, Fri 11 Dec 2009.

So are me and stan on the other side of a closed door, If so yessssssss!

The description of Roth's attack was pretty cool.


That's the way it looks to me. I'll hold off posting till we know for sure.

Sorry about that!  Yesterday wasn't my greatest day.  I also found that all day yesterday, I had been referring to the boy as "the halfling," even though he isn't a halfling.  Sorry for the confusion. :\
09:52, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 4 using 1d6 with rolls of 4. Addition to Roth's Sneak Attack.

Porto & Stan Yes, you two are on the otherside, behind the now closed door.

Could we have a map?  I'm REALLY confused as to where everyone is.

Not my best work, but it should do. :)
Let me know if you have anymore questions about the map/placement/etc.
Thanks.

Here's for the AoO the boy provoked.

14:22, Today: Roth Daos rolled 4 using 1d6+1. AoO Damage (nonlethal).
14:21, Today: Roth Daos rolled 14 using 1d20+1. AoO.

His casting may also have provoked an AoO from Ilsa, if she chooses to take it.

The Round 1 combat summary post has been updated.

I honestly wasn't expecting Ilsa'a maternal instincts to kick in quite that hard.

Or the kid managed to pull off a Charm Person.

...do orcs even have maternal instincts?
This message was last edited by the player at 00:58, Tue 15 Dec 2009.

Orcs have maternal instincts. Your mom throws you into a pit with 3 rabid dire wolves. If you live, you have the right instincts. :)

Sorry, Roth. The dice roller is capricious and cruel.

Yeah, you are right about the damage roll. I forgot the two-handed weapon rule for Power Attack.

Truth be told, if the dog was a PC it would technically be disabled (at 0 hp); but I haven't been playing that way with the other 'bad guys' you've all fought up to this point.  I guess I'd be open to it being salvageable if you can get to it for healing within 10 rounds.  How's that sound?

You guys want me to pause combat and switch it up to the melodramatic videogame-esque cut-scene and let those of you get your role-play on?

Well, Shirok isn't going to attack anyone unless forced to, Ilsa has stopped for now, Roth is out, so unless Porto, Stan, or the kid start it up again I think the combat has paused.

Roth is out, but is he stable?

We can drop out of combat for more fluid roleplaying, but I'm not sure it will make the situation any clearer. :)

Stan is pretty much already trying to stop the combat so I don't mind.

Porto has the healing wand, yes? As long as the kid doesn't try to stop him we can use that to fix up Roth and Neya.

I apologize for the rough language.

Just glad the one time Roth rolled well was on his level 3 hit die, or else he'd be dead.

Did anyone save the dog? It'll probably just teleport away, but there's no need to kill it and give the creepy kid another reason to hunt us down.

I'm waiting for the inevitable "What the hell were you doing/thinking?" rant from Shirok.

Oh, it's coming. And once Neya doesn't have half her hp gone in non-lethal dmg, she'll have a few points to add as well.

Do you guys want me to fast-forward it back to Silvervine, or perhaps Blackstone Church?  Or were you planning to stay in the tower for a while longer?

Anywhere where I can prepare new spell overnight!

Well if everything's dead or disabled, the powergamer in me says this is the perfect time to loot the entire place of everything that might conceivably have value.

In-character, Shirok has no reason to stay longer then he needs to. Though I suggest we head to the church to make sure everyone's fully healed up.

And again, did anyone throw a minor heal at the fallen dog? Though if Shirok and Ilsa finished searching within 10 rounds he'll just make a Heal check on it.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:42, Thu 17 Dec 2009.

I don't mind fast forwarding, but not before we've properly concluded the scene. As it stands, there is no reason why Roth or anyone else would want to continue adventuring with Ilsa.

Most of our characters know of the charm person. Stan and Roth for sure do anyway.

Sure, but is that what it was? I'd like some on-camera resolution.

Don't get me wrong. I totally agree. I just wanted to clear up that our characters aren't totally in the dark.

Even if they understand she was being controlled somehow, they still might be pissed about it. Shirok certainly is. He's just willing to not do the ranting until they've left this place, both to do it in a place without potential enemies and so that he (and Neya) have had time to cool off a bit.


On a side note, 1000 posts! Woo!

Yeah, it looks like Ilsa might have to leave.

For me, Thursdays are a very busy day in the office.  I'll read through these posts (1,000+!! w00t!) and get y'all a quality update.
Thank you,
jklier
Dungeon Master

In reply to my in-game update:
I'm actually thinking we might be better served if I slow this next part down a bit, as to really understand what is happening and that we all better understand what will happen.  If that doesn't make total sense, let me explain.

Out-of-character I don't want this party to break, however I feel that in 'reality' (as to say, if this game were real-life) the party members would more than likely split up following this adventure, or most of all the last encounter.  A lot of confusion has been sown through the ranks, and especially during that last encounter; and I feel that we may need to sort some of it out Out-of-Character so that if this party does split, it's for the "right reasons."
Please don't get me wrong, if the party members want to split then that is fine—I'm not saying you guys can't.  There is a bit of in-game drama and that only adds (in my opinion) to the flavor of this game, as I do believe each of you (as players) have engaged in this drama with the upmost integrity for the other players; and for that I want to thank you all.  I don’t feel that any of the players hold grudges toward one another (if this point of view is wrong please let me know!!), but that doesn’t alleviate the in-game stress fractures much.
Earlier Ilsa mentioned an “on-camera resolution” (msg #298) and I must admit I too am eagerly waiting for.  I like all of your characters and I feel that each bring something great to this game and I would like to see them all continue.  It is the characters’ relationships that make any story or roleplaying game great, and that is something I’d like to see more of here!  Coming back the point of this long winded post, I would like to slow the overall game progression down a bit and allow the “on-camera resolution” to play out—if one even does right here in The Glass Tower.

As it stands, I don’t know where Roth is going; back to Silvervine, Blackstone Church, just outside the statue chamber?  I don’t know if Stan and Porto follow him.  Right now I don’t know what’s going to happen between Shirok/Neya and Ilsa.  It’s like the conclusion to a highly anticipated season of a primetime television show—and I love it!  Continue roleplaying here and please be clear in your posts as to what your character’s intentions are, as that will help me guide the game along.
Thanks!

Also, in msg #696, I believe Roth was referring to the urn as trash, not Kaele?

While obviously I'm not Roth, I was under the impression "trash" referred to Ilsa. So many theories...

Yes, the 'trash' was Ilsa.  And Stan doesn't even speak orc. XD  Roth is heading straight to Kaele with the urn to get his gold.

Roth has absolutely no intention of continuing with Ilsa.  Charm Person or not, she's a monster who is proud of what she did, and a loose canon endangering everyone around her.

Right now, Ilsa doesn't know she was under a spell. In her mind, she was defending someone she liked and made every reasonable effort to not hurt the others. She only attacked those who attacked the kid.

But yeah, she is a monster. She's proud of her ability to slaughter people as many warriors (and not a few rogues) are. Left on her own, she is a loose cannon who sees violence (or the threat thereof) as the solution to most problems. But she defers to Shirok for direction. He is her leader and friend. The others haven't gotten to that level of respect yet.

I'm sorry to have my character leave "in the middle of the scene" as it were, but I don't really see how we can play it any other way. I imagine there will still be drama enough after Kaele has been informed and events occur at Blackstone.

It'll work out. Besides, Shirok would prefer to not have spectators when he and Ilsa have it out.

Well, when almost anything Roth says is liable to get him killed again, he's not likely to stay for any kind of resolution.

Alright, here’s the mechanical game-plan:  Because we are still in the Prelude, the PCs will all remain in the same thread; however I will be inserting hard-lines and possibly private messages to divide the action as per the splintering groups.  Following the conclusion of the Prelude (after the Silvervine issue is resolved), any groups formed by the players can/will go there separate ways—if that’s what the characters decide to do by the end of the Prelude.  The overlying story of this game will continue with or without a unified group.

Anyway, I’ll cook up an update soon.

In reply to Roth Daos (msg #309):

I don't see why this has to be the case. Ilsa didn't go after Roth for something he said, but for something he did. He got the same reaction as if he had attacked Shirok. Note that she hasn't continued to go after Roth. She didn't want him dead, she wanted him to stop attacking. But she doesn't like him (yet) well enough to use a non-lethal attack (and risk the -4 to-hit penalty). Now that the fight is over, and the kid gone, she doesn't bear him any ill will.

There was a lot of good roleplaying going on this weekend, and even a strange twist!  Thank you all for protecting the integrity of this game and working through the rough and confusing encounters that together made-up Colrac Hall and The Glass Tower.  As you continue to roleplay, you will find many answers, but also will uncover more than a few questions.  Let's keep this going!!

Following the Prelude, I will roll-out the new roleplaying rule I had mentioned a while ago, which will hopefully enhance the gameplay even more.
Thanks,

jklier
Dungeon Master

I wasn't going to read Ilsa and Shiroks posts, but after what the DM said here I had to go back and look.

PM

Maybe Porto could add something about what was going on in Halfling?

perhaps

Dungeon One - Final Blows
From the Raver Encounter in the Streets to the Showdown in the Chapel


Bornegar
2 Raver
1 Strange Rat

Roth
1 Raver
1 Strange Rat
2 Stone Keeper

Ilsa
1 Raver
2 Strange Rat
1 Skeleton Dog
1 Barbarian
1 Blink Dog
2 Stone Keeper
Neya
Roth

Neya
1 Skeleton Dog
2 Blink Dog

Stan
1 Skeleton Dog

Shirok
1 Blink Dog
1 Stone Keeper
Arroyo

Shirok/Ilsa/Neya (killing blow undetermined)
1 Strange Rat

Ilsa would have had Porto on the list as well, if not for some DM intervention. XD

That's right. You don't mess with this guy.

I get a percentage of each kill that was made while I was singing. So I got like 2 or 3 right now