I also thought it was you Willa or Ceba. I wasn't too sure.

Sure, I'll do it - np.

Making this post here so you can see the time stamp for it before I make any rolls (trying to avoid delaying things by waiting for a response since it seems simple enough) - Willa is going to try and aid another for the first objective instead of contributing to it herself otherwise, but only if failing to aid another does not count as her failing objective one.  If failing to aid another does count as failing objective one, she will not risk it and the attempt should be ignored (even if my subsequent roll turns out to be a success).

Thanks :)

Oh no, Aid Another doesn't count against the objective.

Hmm - have we not passed the test?  We got three successes in a row on objective 1, I think.  Or did we accrue a failure at some point?

@Willa: Oh no thats for a single round.  You need 5 successful rounds before the encounter ends.

So, 15 successes total?

Actually, rereading the rules again, I did goof, you should technically be finished.  However I have delayed you by one round (thankyou scratchpad) due to the critical failures suffered in objective one rolls which doesn't negate your success on a round but doesn't grant you a pass either.  So all you need do is pass this last round and you should be good.

Don't forget to place yourselves on the battlemap grid in the green squares.

Sorry I haven't updated but I feel like absolute brain fog has come over me from this thrice damned flu.  :|

Feeling a good bit better, and less sickness fogging my mind.  Craig I'd like to work with you on this next bit with Willa.

So the description of Noetic Flexibility does not describe what type of action it is.  I assume it would be an 'immediate interrupt' (i.e. the one per round type.  No the once per turn opportunity action), but is it a At-Will, Encounter, or Daily ability?

Considering how rarely the Dominated status comes up and that it only works approx. 50% of the time, I would argue that At-Will makes sense (and not just because it may come in useful right now ^^)


Thanks :)

Hmmm, but the nature of the text, "-you are dominated-" it is a trigger/reaction ability but yes it would be at-will as the design intent was to have it be useful every time some afflicts you with the charmed/dominated status.

Max (Phelan) is presently moving so I'm giving him a chance to settle in before we continue at our usual pace.

@Craig: A warning Craig, this is do or die time, in this rp encounter Willa can die.  So choose her actions carefully, she's at the critical moment where her next choice will determine victory of defeat.

@Author - I'm a simple person.  I fail all the time at reading between lines, comprehension and inferrence.  I need things to be explained.  Otherwise I wont understand or more likely (and worse) will completely misunderstand, the things someone is trying to confer.

For example, I haven't the foggiest what "You have to overwhelm it," means.  With words, logic, magic power, herself, the room?

So, I struggle with situations like this.  Having my character isolated and thrust into a surreal situation without obvious direction (to my poor insight anyway) is very difficult for me.  I spend literally hours (time I don't really have) writing each post I make, pouring over the previous posts and even previous threads for anything that might help.  But even then, in the end it still all comes down to luck over judgement.

Because of this I really struggled with the scene at the stone slab and the dream-like sequence in the shadow temple.  And I am struggling here too.  I am very grateful that you are giving Willa the opportunity to have her own narratives from time to time, but there is a reason why she is 'simple'...and its not her low Wisdom stat.  Its mine.  I simply cannot write a character with more insight than my own.

Now this isn't some weird plea for Willa's life.  If her actions lead to her death, that's fine.  I just want you to understand that if I end up doing something incredibly stupid compared to what you had intended, it is not because I am purposefully throwing her under the bus, or testing you in anyway.  It is just because I have no idea what the fuck I am supposed to be doing XD
This message was last edited by the player at 19:43, Mon 11 June 2018.

@Craig: I had thought we could have a private conversation which I could pepper with hints if you were stuck.  But given the post I just read that's a moot point.  Where conscious of it or not you had absorb the needed knowledge over the course of either this little segment of the story or the whole to do what was necessary. So well done, Willa beat it!  Oh there will be a little explanation of why in the story soon enough.

Well...that's unexpected.  Better to be lucky than good, I guess :D

(I had already started thinking about a new character)

And thanks :)
This message was last edited by the player at 10:34, Tue 12 June 2018.

As a rule I don't mind clarifying things for players.  Afterall a GM provides not just the world but also context for the player's interaction with that world.  Though rarely, in situations like this it is a test of character.  At do or die, at that moment you must achieve self-actualization on your own.  Craig, you managed that for Willa sterlingly.  By 1) constructing a system of value, 2) transforming suffering and internalizing meaning and 3) confronting evil in a meaningful and sympathetic way attaining synthesis and choosing to remain yourself in the process.

TL;DR version (or translating the klatchian): Willa took the attempt at coercion by the Nemesis and not only saw it for what it was but intuited the nature of the entity itself and saw not an enemy but instead someone suffering who needs help.

I see, well thank you for the explanation.  It helps a lot. :)

@Craig: Did you update your character development threat for Willa within the last year?  Because I tend to plan out item rewards when y'all level and I get a new set of magic items levels to dish out.  So I swear it was what I had written down in my notepad before.  Considering its changed, either I made a mistake (which can happen when it comes to these notes) or it was changed.  I just want to know which.  XD  Because now I'm a bit paranoid I got the list wrong and need to go over it again.  Either which way you're supposed to get a new rod so the Blast Scepter you have in the Character Dev thread should then be your rod instead.

Your notes are probably fine. I removed the accurate rod at some point, specifically because I realised it was going to be absolutely ages before I would have a chance to grab the feat for it (When I first penned the list I did not realise how long levellling would take).  I should have said something, but I assumed you would refer to the forums.  Never crossed my mind you'd keep separate notes on character progression.  Sorry :(

EDIT:

So it seems I've been a bit dense.

It's been a while since I looked at magic items and have gotten vicious and deadly muddled in my head.  Vicious is a type of magic rod, where as deadly is a superior implement quality - I was thinking they were the other way around and thus you had given Willa a rod with two superior implement qualities.

A Vicious rod actually increases Willa's curse damage to D8s, so that will work fine for her.  As well as still carrying the +1 enhancement.  That means the base rod is basically a straight swap for the rod of corruption (in terms of gold value at least).  Willa can 'grow' into the accurate property at some point.

I should mention though that Willa was meant to end up duel-wielding the two rods together, since the rod of corruption could be wielded in her off-hand and still activate its property.  Whilst, I loved the story involving it, I'm now a bit stuck with its loss.  Not sure what to replace it with, as it would be weird for her to just get another.

EDIT EDIT:

I do review WIlla's progression post every now and again (like once every 3 or 4 months).  I don't always change anything and will try to remember to tell you if I do going forward, but you might want to double check your notes against what's there.  In case I made any other amendments.  I may have forgotten a modification or two made over the years.

Again I am really sorry for this :/
This message was last edited by the player at 16:44, Mon 02 July 2018.

Another rod of corruption is not out of the question just one of a different sort.  You made the last one from the influence of a very vicious curse (see Nemesis).  That came to bite ya in the bud.  Corruption in and of itself isn't evil.  But the source of corruption Willa drew on for her first rod was.  You could find a source of corruption that is not malign.

Okay, thanks :)

What about Willa's cloak?  Is it back to normal?  If not does the new one provide any mechanical advantages/disadvantage (for example, its description implies it might be bad for sneaking around in).

@Willa: Oh no the cloak was part of the mindscape.  It does not persist into the material world.