Welcome to the Rotter Campaign!

This thread will be for any out of game discussion.

Let me tell you a little about me.  I was born in the 70s and my dad was part of the initial generation of gamers running 0E.  He introduced me to 1E while I was in elementary school.  I played a ton of 1E for about 3 years, then my group broke up and I only dabbled in RPGs for the rest of the 80s.  I got back into gaming in 2007 having missed 2nd and 3rd edition D&D entirely.  I looked at what was available in the mid-2000s and liked C&C the best.  It's basically 1E, but better, without all of the crunch of 3E+.  There's nothing wrong with those crunchier games, but they aren't for me.  C&C is about as crunchy a game system as I want to run.

I've been running face to face C&C games for 3 or 4 years and have run C&C at Gary Con for the last two years.  I've tried running DCC RPG as well, but found it to be too crunchy for my GMing tastes (I would love to play it, though).  I've also been looking at Dungeon World and Risus in recent months.

My play style tends to be beer and pretzels hack and slash.  I don't use much published materials and don't really run a sandbox.  Instead, I throw adventure hooks at the players and develop the game based on what the players latch onto.  For face to face games, that ends up involving a fair bit of improvisation.  I won't precisely be improvising running a PBP game since the game pace will be a lot slower, but the adventures will be driven by player choices.

This is my first time running a PBP game.  I played in a Labyrinth Lord PBP a few years ago and have wanted to run my own PBP ever since.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:20, Tue 06 Sept 2016.

Hi all, Khaaven here checking in a friendly or not so friendly half-elf depending on which side of the blade you are on.

I just got added and am creating Len. Lookin' forward to playing!

Do you have a sheet you want us to use. If so we need to get them added so we can finish them up.

Hello everyone.

I will be playing a human monk. Never played a monk before, so this will be something different for me.

A little bit about me. I was introduced to RPGs in 1984 through my friend's older sister's boyfriend, who treated us kids to D&D. I believe the game was 1st edition AD&D, but I don't really know because there were no books that night. Just strange looking dice, things called character sheets, and lots of little miniatures.

We found and purchased 1st edition AD&D and Basic D&D books shortly thereafter and began playing our own games, freely mixing and matching editions. I played different RPGs all through the 80s, mostly D&D, Twilight 2000, Rolemaster and MERP, but many other games as well.

I drifted away from RPGs through most of the 90s and then got back into it through 2nd edition AD&D. 3rd edition came out a couple years later and I played that for a little bit. Drifted away and back toward the end of 3rd edition's run and rolled into 4th edition D&D for a few years. Got burnt out on mechanical complexity and stumbled upon C&C in 2011 and have been playing it ever since.

I've done PbP for the last 7 years, both as a player and GM. I ran a year-long face-to-face C&C that ended last April, but most of my gaming experience for the last decade or so has been through PbP.

My gaming style is pretty casual. I mainly play for the story and don't really like the mechanical, numbers-crunching side of the game. I like simple rules that keep the story moving without the game breaking down into rules discussions.

At any rate, looking forward to gaming with all of you.

Hugh

I don't have a character sheet for RPoL.  This is my first game using RPoL, so I'm unfamiliar with a lot of the logistical elements.  I believe I checked a thread on character sheets and did not see any for C&C.  Here is a suggested template (please let me know if you think I missed anything):

Character Name:

Class:

Level:

Race:

Hit Points:

Bonus to Hit:

Experience Points:



Class Abilities:

Racial Abilities:

Languages:

Spells Known:



Weapons:

Armor:

Equipment:

Treasure:
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:28, Thu 08 Sept 2016.

This message was deleted by the player at 20:59, Wed 07 Sept 2016.

So gentlemen am going to be playing a half-elf rogue

Will be 3rd level.

My equipment is looking like Leather armor and coif, Medium steel shield, Light crossbow and 24 bolts, Broadsword, shortsword, and a dagger I will buy. Thieves tools of course and a classic adventurers pack.

new to the system, looks like this Half-elf will have a very low Cha. I want to play it as very low to no social skills as was raised in hiding and had very little interaction with others. Want him to be decent to good looking just rubs everyone wrong way type to reflect the low Cha. His empathy gives him a +2 to Cha based so he is in that way about average to slightly above.

For a rogue to cast a level 1 spell which he purchased what would be the # needed to succeed i understand failure is destroyed scroll. Int is one of my prime stats to get better understanding of a target number

My understanding of rogues is they cannot cast arcane spells, only decipher them with a successful INT check. At least this is how it works by the book. There may be an optional rule in the Castlekeeper's Guide or the CK may have a house rule allowing rogues to cast arcane spells.

Another option, if the CK is playing it by the book and not allowing rogues to cast spells, would be to multiclass or use the Class and a Half optional rules, listed in the back of the PHB.

Really it depends on the CK is handling the game though. C&C rules are pretty sparse, making every game a little bit different than the next, since most CKs have their own house rules to fill in the gaps, etc.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:27, Wed 07 Sept 2016.

Thanks how does multi class or class and half work. since i am new to system.

I would be interested in being rogue main with a wizard secondary if allowed then.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:47, Wed 07 Sept 2016.

In reply to Khaaven (msg # 11):

Again, these are optional rules, so I am not even sure the CK will allow it. But I will lay out the basics here so you have an idea.

Multiclass: Basically you come up with a character concept combining 2 to 3 classes. If the CK approves it, you gain the abilities of those classes. To level up, you combine the XP values needed for each class and small amount over that depending on the level you are going for, and you level up all classes at the same time. So for example, a rogue/wizard would need to gain 4051 XP to reach 2nd level.

Class and a Half is a bit different. Basically you choose a primary class and supplement it with the abilities of a second class (supporting). Your supporting class abilities will always be at a lower level than your primary class. Leveling up requires the full amount of your primary class, plus 1/2 the value you need for the supporting class. In this case a rogue/wizard character would need 2,551 XP to be a Level 2 rogue/Level 1 wizard. Your next level up would come at 3,801 XP and would allow you to gain the abilities of a 3rd level Rogue/1st level wizard. Basically you will gain two levels in your primary class, everytime, before you gain a level up in the supporting class.

Hugh is right about rogues casting spells.  They have the ability to decipher scrolls to see what kind of spell is on them, but they cannot cast the spell.

I've never had a player run a multiclassed PC or use the class and a half rules, but I'm open to it.  Those rules were added to the PHB with the 5th or 6th printing.  Ideally, if someone wants to run a PC using those rules, they'd get a copy of a printing of the PHB with the multiclass rules included.  I can try to work with someone who doesn't have a more recent printing if they really want a multiclassed or 1-1/2 classed PC.

It sounds like Khaaven might like the class and a half option.  He would basically be a rogue with limited wizard spell-casting abilities.  At 2nd or 3rd level, the PC would be able to cast spells like a 1st level wizard.  He would add one-half of the XP necessary to level as a wizard to the rogue's XP requirement.  Thus, to reach 2nd level as a rogue with wizard as a supporting class, he would need 2,551.5 XP.  He would use the rogue Bonus to Hit and have d6 for hit dice.  He would not be able to cast spells while wearing armor.

If Khaaven multiclasses as a rogue-wizard, he would have all of the abilities of both classes at equal level-strength (i.e., he would have a single level that applied to the abilities of both classes as compared to a reduced effectiveness for the supporting class using class and a half).  He would still not be able to cast spells while wearing armor.  The XP required would be the sum of the XP required for each class to level plus a little extra as specified in the PHB.

great thanks am interested in the half class method id CK will allow Assassin/wizard
This message was last edited by the player at 21:58, Wed 07 Sept 2016.

In reply to Khaaven (msg # 14):

Class and a half assassin supported by wizard is fine.

With some help from Hugh I got character sheets set up.  Please fill in your character sheets under the Character Details menu.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:32, Thu 08 Sept 2016.

Ty,
 Hugh, will need some help for sure now.

Am assassin / wizard have 2601 experience. Where am I level and ability wise in assassin and wizard.

If I understand correctly I have assassin list of weapons but restricted to no armor due to wizard .

In reply to Khaaven (msg # 17):

As an assassin with wizard as a supporting class, you will need 3,051.5 XP to reach level 2.  At 2,601 XP, you should hit level 2 pretty quickly (I'll be accelerating XP gain to accommodate PBP).  The PC can use all weapons allowed for either assassin or wizard, but cannot wear armor and cast spells.  The PC will function as a 0 level wizard until the PC hits level 2.  That means the PC can cast 2 0-level spells per day.  Once the PC becomes a level 2 assassin, it will be able to cast spells like a 1st level wizard and will have the spell selection of a 1st level wizard.  Basically, the PC will operate as a wizard of one-half of the PC's assassin level (rounded down).

My thanks understood and will work on my sheet in a little while.

As an assassin we get poisons so we might need to work some of that out.

My important level 1 spell will need to wait until.more funds so I have about 1k Exp to gain some.

On 0 level spells do we know them all but only cast limited number a day. Or we know ? How many and limited casting.

Since we can learn lots of higher level spells but only have several prepared and castle a day. Makes sense we know all Cantrips yet limited on how many in a day.

In reply to Khaaven (msg # 20):

As an assassin-wizard (1/2), the PC would start knowing 2 0-level spells and be able to cast up to 2 0-level spells per day.  Once the PC hits level 2 (and therefore casts spells like a 1st level wizard), the known 0-level spells will bump up to 4 and the PC will also pick up 1st level spells based on what's in the house rules and based on the Wizard Spells Per Day chart from the PHB.

The PC will not need to memorize particular spells each day. Please read through the house rules thread for details on spell slots.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:25, Thu 08 Sept 2016.

Thanks will pick my 2 0 spells.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:57, Thu 08 Sept 2016.

Am thinking about dual wielding at times, was reading up on it.

Nothing said about weapons sizes though so can any two 1 handed weapons be used.

I understand that the penalty is -3 main and -6 off which can be offset by the Dex mod. Str Mod is still used in the to hit as is a BTH if you have one.

My sheet looks to be done, but for some more mundane gear.

In reply to Khaaven (msg # 22):

Sounds good.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:41, Thu 08 Sept 2016.

I think my sheet is done as well.

Pm

I updated the House Rules thread today to clarify how spell slots work and to explain what I do with infravision as a replacement for C&C's fiddly night/dark/deep/dusk vision.

We've got 5 players so far.  I'm working with a 6th on her character concept.  There is one more person who has expressed interest and should be RTJing shortly.  With any luck, we should have the game up and running by Monday or possibly this weekend.

I plan to start in media res -- i.e., in the middle of an adventure as opposed to roleplaying out everyone meeting each other for the first time at the proverbial inn and deciding to adventure together.  You can assume everyone knows each other, has adventured together in the past, and wants to continue adventuring together.  I'll give more specifics on the adventure the party has undertaken once the characters are all finalized.  The "railroad" ends with your first posts.  I'll start the world spinning and you decide where to take things from there.

I intend to design adventures to be smaller/shorter than what you would normally encounter in face to face play.  Running through a standard published adventure module using PBP could take years.  My plan is to present shorter challenges focusing on the best/most interesting stuff and to give high XP awards to allow for character advancement.  We'll see how it goes.

I've spent a lot of time reading Dungeon World over the last few months.  I really like a lot of the concepts it sets out for GMing.  In particular, I like the way it encourages player agency in establishing the game world without neutering the GM.  I plan to ask all of you at various times to tell me information about the game world (e.g., I may ask you what rumors your PC has heard, why an NPC is acting a certain way, etc.) and do my best to incorporate it into the fiction (maybe with some tweaking/negotiation).  Hopefully, this will help all of you feel more engaged while adding an interesting dimension to game play for me as the GM.

As we go, please let me know if there is anything you particularly like or don't like about the game.  Positive feedback will signal what to keep doing and negative feedback will give me a chance to possibly change the way I am running things to make sure everyone is having a good time.

If anyone wants to drop out of the game, please just let me know.  No explanations are necessary (although they will be welcome).  Letting me know you are out will avoid chaos as far as running the game and knowing when to solicit more players.  Of course, my hope is everyone will really enjoy things and we'll be playing indefinitely.

Similarly, if you are going on vacation, swamped with work, or suffering from some other life mis/fortune that will prevent you from posting at the regular pace, please let me know for how long you expect to be out of action so I can NPC your PC without worrying about you.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:59, Sat 10 Sept 2016.

I am all done but minor equipment, sheet has been looked at by ck. Will do description area tonight or tomorrow but this assassin wizard is looking forward to adventure with you all.

My guy uses a heavy crossbow for range work and has two broadsword s for full battles and a nice Shiney dagger for wet work.

Hey all, I'll be playing a wizard. So far it looks like we'll be a group who could pass for robed pilgrims. :) Looking forward to the going on an adventure. I should have every together this weekend.



Actually the Str modifier only applies to the damage applied. I have a dual-wielding rogue on the table top game and learned this midway. As far as using two broadswords (or any one handed weapon) that's totally up to the CK. I know mine was pretty stringent about the weapons I could use in the off hand.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:30, Fri 09 Sept 2016.

Vecivious Lex is right about the application of strength modifiers.  When you dual-wield, you only apply a strength bonus to damage, NOT to hit.  Your bonus to hit applies with both weapons.  You take a -3 to your to hit on the primary weapon and a -6 on the secondary, but your dex modifier also applies (so, if you have a good dex bonus, the penalties for dual wielding aren't quite so bad).  The rules as written (RAW) don't specify what weapon types can be dual wielded.  I'm going to aim for common sense here.  It obviously has to be restricted to one-handed weapons.  For the off weapon, I'm thinking nothing bigger than a short sword for human sized or larger PCs.  For the shorties, we're talking daggers as maximum size for the off hand weapon.  If you're not sure about a particular combo, just ask.

Looks like I'll be the odd one out.  Greetings everyone,  I'll be your cleric,  a humble servant of the all powerful, all-wise Flyspamon.

I will fix my weapon selection a little. The reason I asked about the str mod and to hit is it is used in the rules I have the 2007 printing. On page 114

Angthar, a 5th level barbarian with 14 strength, attacks the goblin with
his battle axe. The player rolls a d20 and the result is 12. Angthar adds
his basic attack bonus (+4) and his strength bonus (+1) to get a total
attack roll of 17. The goblin’s scaly hide imparts an armor class of 12.
Angthar’s attack roll of 17 exceeds the goblin’s armor class of 12, thus
Angthar has successfully hit the goblin with his battle axe. A battle axe
inflicts 1d8 hit points of damage, so Angthar’s player rolls a d8 and adds
Angthar’s strength bonus (+1) to the roll. In this example, Angthar
rolled a 6 for a total of 7 hit points of damage. The goblin only had 4 hit
points, so Angthar has defeated it in one swing of his mighty axe.


From my reading and understanding the Str mod is used for damage from any melee or thrown weapon attack.  It is also used in the to hit for melee and dex is used to hit for thrown or ranged. This is talked about more on 116 and 117 under melee and ranged combat.

If I am wrong or using an updated rules which fix it just let me know. As I said new to the system and just got these rules to help me understand the system better.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:56, Fri 09 Sept 2016.

In reply to Khaaven (msg # 34):

The strength modifier normally applies to both to-hit and damage rolls.  Fighting with two weapons is a special case that trumps.  In the latest (6th) printing, the details for two weapon fighting are at the end of the Combat Maneuvers section and immediately before the Narrative of Combat section.

For two weapon fighting, the strength modifier only applies to the damage roll.  The dexterity modifier applies to the to-hit roll instead of the strength modifier.  In addition, the PC takes -3 to hit with the primary weapon and -6 to hit with the secondary weapon.  The PC's bonus to hit (BtH) applies as well.

Thus, a PC with a strength mod of +2, a dex mod of +1, and a BtH of +2 would roll as follows if using a long sword and dagger for weapons:

Long sword attack: 1d20 +0 (the -3 cancels out the dex modifier and BtH)
Long sword damage: 1d8 +2 (+2 for the strength modifier)

Dagger attack: 1d20 -3 (-6 for the off hand attack, +1 for dex mod, and +2 for BtH)
Dagger damage: 1d4 +2 (+2 for the strength modifier)
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:37, Fri 09 Sept 2016.

Kewl, now I can understand whether to use it and when thanks.

I plan to start the game on Tuesday.  We've got 2 more players who have expressed interest, but haven't followed up for a few days.  Rather than wait on them, I'm going to start things off and we can roll them into the game if and when they commit.

Please have character sheets completed by the end of Monday.

I updated the house rules to address spell components and to make it easier to find information by topic.

I'm adding a druid to the mix!

Are we supposed to reply directly to the Chapter in character or are we supposed to pm you first with what we want our character to do and you will add it to the chapter?

In reply to Cole Hiller (msg # 40):

You post what your character is saying/attempting to do and then, once everyone has chimed in, I'll narrate the immediate outcome.

Please use third-person present tense -- i.e., "Cole throws Chisel into the fireplace and ignites him" as opposed to "I sat down and scratched my armpit uselessly while danger approached".

Are we allowed to use colorful terms, ie. Swear, etc. In dialogue. With moderation of course. Or is that completely off limits?

In reply to Cole Hiller (msg # 42):

Try to keep profanity to a minimum.  The occasional colorful language isn't a problem (I believe I've already used "rat bastard").  The game needs to be viewable by minors, so imagine an 8 year old is reading.  This is one of those cases where wholesale violence and murder-hoboing is perfectly acceptable, but an emphasis on profanity can set the internet on fire.

You should hear my 8 and 9 year old talk sometime! ;)

My kids don't say "bad" words very often, but boy do they love talking about poop, farts and other body functions. We call it "yucky talk" in our house.

It dawned on me that I am the only female character in a bro fest, apparently.

Another question to our fearless CK...Is it possible to put a little compass on the maps?

In reply to Dreya (msg # 46):

Whoops.  North is to the top.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:05, Tue 13 Sept 2016.

I edited the House Rules thread to clarify how hero and luck points work.  I also updated everyone's character sheets to include hero and luck points.

CK: previously you indicated you would roll all of our attacks/damage/etc. Is this still the case, or are we rolling for ourselves?

Oops.

In reply to Hugh (msg # 49):

I'm rolling everything.

Question,

If our character is speaking in a particular language, do we just send those few lines of dialogue as "Private to the Castle Keeper", or do we draft up some gibberish each time we do so and then send the translation to the castle keeper privately?

Or, is the reveal of all languages that may be known to other players only done by the castle keeper?

Hopefully that makes sense.

You can use the insert a private line area to get speak in languages and use it those who understand it will and the rest will just see gibberish

In reply to Khaaven (msg # 53):

When I go to that "Insert private line" drop menu, all I see is list of the people in the campaign to send a private message too...no other choices.

For now I have crafted my own orcish gibberish until I figure out the nuances of this site a bit more.  LOL!

In reply to Khaaven (msg # 53):

Khaaven...I see it now.  I am not sure what is different this time when I use that drop down menu because I was not seeing language options prior, but I see them now!  I will be able to post something in orc.  Thank you for the advice!

[Language unknown: O leofes eklaom]
Np

I hope folks don't mind the accelerated posting I have done today.  With the orc speaking in a language only 2 PCs can understand, I'd like to keep the "negotiations" moving as quickly as possible so the other folks don't get bored waiting.  Normally, I'll wait until everyone has posted before I chime in, but sometimes I think it's a good idea to speed things along.

Works for me!

me to good game so far

I have updated the game map to show where everyone/everything is located as the orcs rise and Dreya steps outside.

Do you use the CKG rules for holy water created by the Bless Water spell?  Meaning, the water only remains holy if the cleric handles it, unless the cleric casts the spell on consecrated ground.  It looks like we'll be dealing with a lot of undead, and I'm wondering if I can create holy water and pass it to others.

In reply to Elwood (msg # 61):

The only rules I use from the CKG are hero and luck points.  I'll take a look at the holy water creation rules and get back to you.

I edited the house rules thread to explain how I handle spell interruption.  Spell casters, please take note!

I don't know about the rest of you, but as this is my first ever play by post, I am wholly addicted. I even have a bookmark saved to the home screen of my phone and only check it like a hundred times a day. And then get rediculously excited when I see that flaming little rocket symbol indicated a new post.

Have bookmark on phone so can check and post easily even if on the road

I'm glad folks are enjoying the game.  :-)

I am really excited to see how our the story of our adventures and exploits play out.

This is my 1st play-by-post, and there was a little bit of a learning curve on how to describe my character's actions, but this is really fun.

Yeah, me too. I am a writer, so I tend to write things up in a long winded fashion.

Now me i wish i could write better can come up with awesome stories or story ideas just weak in the actual writing aspect.

Writing is like a muscle, I've found. Get's stronger the more you just keep doing it, and atrophies when you let it go too long. This I know...because when I take a break too long and then try to write a scene, I'm like "Crap! This is all crap!"

Hey all, looking forward to joining the fun soon as your eccentric old man.

Like Gandolf old?

She is only asking because she has "Daddy" issues but if Gandalf old is ok because no "Grandpa" issues.

Just be careful, you know how druids get all clinging. These bandits are finding that out now first hand.

Ack! Dreya doesn't have Daddy issues! Ah ha ha ha! That made me crack up. Actually, with the character past I have created for her, she doesn't even remember a dad. Or parents at all.

Oooh oooh oooh! What mysteries surround our weird and odd-ball druid?

You know, I was trying to google some pictures of hide armor for a good example of what Dreya's armor kind of looks like, and all that came up is scantily crafted armor people created to mod for Skyrim.

But I was thinking, she should totally have this missmatched armor...like it was pieced and hodge-podged together as she went along. Even her boots don't match.

Lex glad you are old also, means you need your beauty sleep so maybe I can copy some of your spells from your spellbook later when i finally get some.

I'm going to be on the road Wednesday through Friday.  I probably won't be able to post an update until this weekend.

Torture! The torture!

Travel safe!

Welcome Lex!  It's good we have an old man in the party - now we know who'll be getting up at 3am for the early morning watch ;) (don't ask why I know that).

Hey as long as we break adventuring around 4 so I can get my dinner in, I don't mind getting up at 3am! Dreya, don't worry about having "daddy" issues, Vecivious doesn't mind having a daughter. :)

I saw in here that Lex is a player, haha. So I changed Len's post. Then I see Lex was on, too, and edged me out on the timing. Sorry, Lex, for having Len race at you with his battle axe. :)

Not a problem, it'll be interesting to see how the GM handles my indiscriminant casting of sleep!

At the start we were told that we knew each other, and had done some previous adventuring together.  Does that include Lex, or is he a complete unknown to the rest of us at this time?

Everyone knows everyone.  You have all adventured together in the past.

I updated the house rules thread to clarify how I handle aiming a spell's area of effect.

Is the CK tracking each characters XP they gain too? Or how does progressing to a new level work in a play-by-post game?

I'll be tracking XP and will post an XP update once the party reaches a major break in the action (e.g., going back to town).

Ok I leveled, what do I roll for hp and what new stuff do I get. Believe I get 2 more Cantrips and my spells now anything else.

In reply to Khaaven (msg # 89):

Khaaven rolls a d6 plus con bonus for additional hit points.  He picks up 1st level wizard spells (3 of them).  Please note his starting spells are different than the wizard starting spells from the chargen thread.  The chargen spell allotment assumed a second level wizard at the start of play.  You can pick any 3 1st level wizard spells you want from the PHB.

So d6 Plus con and my 3 spells and 2 cantrips. How do we work Read Magic, is it a normal spell slot or free etc since you need it to learn other spells.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:39, Tue 11 Oct 2016.

Correct on the hit points and spells.  Read magic is not technically necessary to learn other spells since you automatically learn new spells when you level.  However, it is necessary if you want to cast spells from scrolls or learn spells from scrolls or spell books.  It's a good idea to take read magic as one of your spells (it is not "free").

Rolled my HP did real well maxed it out so not a total wimp anymore.

Spells taken, Prestidigitation, mage Hand, Shocking Grasp, read magic and summon familiar.

In reply to Khaaven (msg # 93):

Ha! If anything Dreya is the resident total wimp.

I only had 7 hp for the first fight now have 14 so feeling much better now

In reply to Khaaven (msg # 95):

And Khaaven stepped in front of Dreya to protect her ass?!? Brave man.

What else was this noble young man to do. Chivalry and all that rot

PM

In reply to Khaaven (msg # 98):

PM?

Just to make sure I'm interpreting the house rules correctly, as a cleric: I don't need to select spells for preparation.  I can cast any 0- and 1st-level spell, as long as I don't go over my allotment of spells/day - Correct?

Wow - if I knew you only had 7hp, I would have cured your wounds sooner.  I forgot that you were only at 1st level.

In reply to Elwood (msg # 100):

Correct.

In reply to Khaaven (msg # 97):

Anyway, Khaaven is doing far better than Dreya at 2nd level...I only have 10 hit points! Even if I my maz my roll when I level, that would only bring me to 18 HPs at 3rd level. Talk about weakling.

And so clingy, quick to get all thorny. With a bit of tempER too trying to drown people.

Well, since Dreya has a -1 to strength mod and casting spells is going to be her MO, she was testing out uses for those simplistic 0 level spells.

I may be a wizard now but effectively only have 1 spell, until I find some more or trade for some.

My daughter was pointing something out to me, hopefully the CK will agree with her. If he does my guy will be doing ok. Will even make it worth being so slow to level.

My one spell is a nice one at least for me being combat minded. Shocking grasp once cast it is good until used. 1d8+1 damage plus my normal attack will be very nice. May try to talk Lex into trading spells

Traveling with limited internet connection through Monday. Please NPC my character as necessary.

I threw in a post before everyone had a chance to take action in the Chapter 2 thread.  I won't be able to post again until Sunday, so I wanted to give you something else to chew on for a couple days.

PM

Update post will go up tonight or early tomorrow morning.  Sorry about the delay, folks.

In reply to Castle Keeper (msg # 110):

No worries! Addicted to our story...waiting with bated breath.

In reply to Castle Keeper (msg # 110):

No problems - life happens

Vecivious let me know he needs to drop out of the game.  Real life is intruding to the point he can't keep up with our posting rate.  I told him to let me know if/when things improve and we can see if I can reintegrate him back into the game.

In the meantime, the party just lost its wizard.  Khaaven can fill in somewhat, but his advancement as a multiclassed character will be slower than Vecivious would have seen.  We can keep going with the remaining 6 person party or I can try to recruit another wizard player.  My inclination at the moment is to stick to just the 6 players (it's easier for me to manage as GM), but I'm open to input.

Well, if it is easier on you, I say we stay with the dynamic of the party that we have and all try to keeo Khaaven alive. Because once he does get up a few levels, he should be scarily powerful.

Should we end up finding that we are dropping like flies, we can cross that bridge then. Derek, Mona Wright was interested in this when I described it to her. So should we need it, finding that extra player won't be all that hard.

I hope all is well with Vivacious Lex.

Those are my thoughts on it, anyway.

Sorry to hear about losing the wizard, any chance I get to steal his spellbook or read it before he goes I am sure he has some nice spells that I could copy and cast. I know he has sleep for sure which would be useful plus what ever else he has I am sure I can find a use for them.

My recommendation is to stick with 6 players. Four to six seems to be the sweet spot for PbP.

I am open to taking on the wizard character if the party feels we need an arcane spellcaster in our group, rather than a monk. Let me know.

Sorry to hear about Vicivious Lex.  I can go either way.  If someone is interested, as Dreya mentioned, then I would be fine with letting that person join.  That sleep spell could be very useful depending on how the next few posts go.

I would love to get his spellbook or copy them at least would have sleep and what ever at our disposal for later. Might be a slow wizard but I do cast spells and will catch up.

You guys have your fun lined up for you outside, I have mine in the dark with a nice large wolf spider type of hunting spider. Should be real fun, at least it isn't a humanoid or no way could I get a sneak attack off. Love the rules in this game for sneak attack, just has to be a surprise type of attack so most animals don't know about weapons enough to anticipate an attack. I can be seen, heard anything just make the attack itself a surprise.

Wonder if I can get any useful poison from it when I finally kill it. I know my combat will be done before yours is if you have any. Figure mine will be 2 or 3 attacks at the most before it or I am down.

In reply to Castle Keeper (msg # 113):

I am fine with keeping our current party and seeing how we fair. The sleep spell can be nice, but I have played campaigns without a wizard before. It may be rough and tumble, and if we are getting whomper stomped we can always discuss adding the extra player or having Hugh switch at that time.

In order to keep the game moving, it would help if players would make an in-game post even if their PC isn't doing anything but watching or waiting.  Just post something like, "__________ is waiting/watching" (or whatever else would be appropriate).  That way I can know right away when it's time for me to post another update.  In the absence of a post, I will wait 2 days from my last post before updating.  Depending on what is going on with the game, I can frequently post daily or more often.  I don't mind waiting 2 days between updates, but don't see a need to go that slow if everyone is able to play faster.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:58, Wed 02 Nov 2016.

Okay. I am able to post at a frequency of every 1-2 days. We seem to have a few prolific posters capable to doing multiple back-and-forth posts per day. I cannot post while at work and can only post after work at night for my timezone (UTC -10), which is typically when most of the other players are likely sleeping.

In reply to Hugh (msg # 122):

No worries on not being able to post constantly.

No worries, Hugh!

yup NP I am willing to wait for those that need time to post.

Just giving a head's up that I will be on vacation and away from my computer(s) November 9th through November 17th.  I will try to get in an update on November 8th and will resume ASAP upon my return.  I will continue to post updates as per usual through the weekend.

In reply to Castle Keeper (msg # 126):

Have a great trip!  I hope it's someplace sunny, warm, and dry (this comment is probably influenced by the fact that I'm in Seattle)

Safe travels! But not too safe...make sure to have an adventure or two of your own!

So, I was thinking...I believe we will all want to go take care of whatever is beneath the cabin. Well, Dreya is just going to go with the flow.

But, even though our three magic users have not expended ALL spells, we have all used some spells, however.

I suggest that the party rests overnight, either in the cabin with watches set up throughout the night, or set up a temporary overnight camp in the woods surrounding the cabin.

This will allow the party to have all three magic users fully rested and recharged before we use the fireplace entrance.

How many spells are our spellcastors down?

In reply to Cole Hiller (msg # 130):

Right now, Elwood can cast 1 1st Level Spell and 3 0-level spells.  When fully rested, he can cast 4 0-level spells and 3 1st-level spells.

We need to retrieve the 2nd sack that Elwood left outside (a promise is a promise).  Elwood will ask Len or someone to help him retrieve the sack and bring it into the cabin.

Are we curious wht is in the sacks? What if it's babies or something?

Anyway, Dreya can only cast two out of the 3 1st level spells she has, and 3 of the four 0 level spells she has.

I'm back and ready for action.  What's everyone doing?

As in what our characters are doing? I am ready for action!

Personally, I am trying to convince everyone to rest overnight before entering the fireplace.

In reply to Elwood (msg # 131):

Cole will leave the decision to rest the night up to the spellcastors as they will be most effected by it.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:55, Tue 22 Nov 2016.

Elwood doesn't mind exploring what's below the cottage right now, with the possibility of making a tactical retreat back to the lodge if needed.  Although the spell casters aren't at full strength,  he and Dreya have some 1st level spells between them.  It's more upto Khaaven,  who's a little bit worse for wear.

Elwood is still trying to get someone to help him drag the 2nd sack back to the lodge.  Although he's slightly curious about what's in the sacks,  he feels honor bound not to open them up.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:34, Tue 22 Nov 2016.

Dreya still thinks they should look in those sacks!

Hugh is remaining vigilant while listening and looking for activity either outside in the woods or below the cottage.

This is the OOC (out of campaign) thread.  You should repost this in the Back to the Lodge thread.

We may have lost Khaaven.  He hasn't logged into RPOL since November 6th.  I'm going to give him to the end of the week, then I'll drop him and try to recruit another sneaky and/or wizardy PC for the party.  Hopefully, he'll be back.  I know he started playing in another C&C game shortly before going dark and hasn't posted in that game in a good 3 weeks either.  I'm not optimistic.

Oh no! He was really active!

Sorry to hear that.  I also saw that he wasn't paying in that other game and was wondering.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  If you're in Canada, then Happy Thanksgiving ~30 days late!

I really hope that at some time the CK can provide some more insight about the comment regarding Jim Ward.  How often were you able to sit in any games that he GM'd?

I have sat in a couple of his ladies only games. It is such a damn honor getting killed by Jim Ward. Once, my character found a ring, and I thought, "Why the hell not, so he kills me."

HerebI turn into a dragon, and find a cave full of treasure. So I decided to curl up and sleep on my treasure. But Jim kept prodding me about this noise I was hearing off in the distance (where the rest if my traveling companions were fighting). So, I woke up and flew over to there, only for everyone, good and bad guys alike  to temporarily team up and work together to slay the dragon.

And I died.

Best game ever.

In reply to Elwood (msg # 145):

I played in one of his games at Gary Con 3 or 4 years ago.  It was a systemless sci-fi adventure.  Everyone died eventually.  Jim's game heavily emphasizes player skill to the point your character sheet doesn't really matter.  He describes the situation and you have to make choices that won't get you killed.  His voice is great.  He sounds like a disappointed kindergarten teacher every time someone does something stupid and gets themselves killed.  I had a lot of fun.  Everyone should try to get to one of the old school cons (e.g., Gary Con, North Texas RPG Con, Gamehole Con) and play with some of the Old Guard (folks like Frank Mentzer, Jim Ward, Tim Kask, and friends) before it's too late.  I've been very fortunate to play with just about all of them, particularly Frank Mentzer (I played in his home face to face campaign for several years).  I learned a lot from all of them, especially Tim Kask.  I don't think I'd like playing again with Tim, but he blew my mind with the way he runs his games.  Very, very enlightening.  (Tim's a great guy, btw, I just like a little more structure in my rules sets).

I agree. I love Tim Kask, but probably wouldn't sit in another of his games.

As for Jim, not only does he sound like a disappointed kindergarden teacher, but he has you hand him your character sheet or character name card (sometimes just a note card), and in that same disappointed voice, will slowly rip your character sheet in half.

It is fantastic.

Ugg...you know what sucks! I had this really nice, descriptive post typed up in our game feed that didn't have Dreya doing too many actions. And it was funny as hell. But I kept getting cock-blocked (so to speak) by this site with this error message saying "Do you really need to post more than 120 characters?"

It didn't bother Elwood's post, which is longer than mine.

Rude! Ah well, epic writing for the next post Dreya makes, then! Lol!

The party seems to be having a difficult time reaching a consensus on what to do in terms of heading down to the dungeon versus resting, etc.  I suspect that is in large measure due to the nature of a play by post.  If you were all sitting around a table, you'd discuss and reach a decision within a couple minutes.  Here, it seems like everyone is trying to be very respectful of everyone else's opinions to the point no one wants to take charge.

I'm not sure what the best way to handle this PBP-based hesitancy of the party to reach collective decisions.  My first thought is for the group to designate a player to take the lead as a caller and rotate that role periodically.  For example, you could designate Bob as the temporary leader.  Everyone would post their thoughts on what to do next and Bob would make the call.  If anyone objects to Bob's decision, they can voice that objection and then a more democratic discussion could follow.  Using this procedure could save a lot of time when there is a variety of opinions on relatively unimportant decisions (or at least decisions people don't have strong opinions about).  We could rotate the temp leader with every new chapter or maybe once every one to two weeks.

What do you all think?
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:13, Wed 30 Nov 2016.

That works for me! I think a leader every two weeks would be good.

I agree, we do need someone to make decisions for the group.  I also really like the idea of it rotating around.

Hello, everyone! I'll be your party wizard.

And if it helps, I'm pretty good at being decisive.

FYI, I added two players to replace Khaaven and Lecivious.  Anthony is coming on board as a wizard while Seline is a rogue/illusionist.  I expect we will be weaving Anthony into the story by the end of the weekend.  Seline's character sheet hasn't been completed, so there will be a little more delay there.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:13, Wed 30 Nov 2016.

I would have no problems being the decision maker...but considering my character's background, I don't think Dreya would be in a leadership roll. So I have been playing, or that is writing, her in character. Which is why she never steps up to make the big decisions for everyone else.

But this is also my first play-by-post game ever, so I didn't want any of Dreya's decisions to seem like I was bogarting our actions from what others wanted.

I like the rotation plan.

I envisioned this leadership role as belonging to the player, not the PC.  Thus, Len would be able to make intelligent choices for the group even though his PC is a bit slow.

I think rotating is fine. However, being a player with strong opinions, I would only have a problem if a strong wish of mine is overridden.

In reply to Anthony (msg # 157):

I think that sort of concern is easily addressed.  If the temporary leader declares the party is doing something your PC won't go along with, chime in and let us know.  The party can sort it out from there.

In reply to Castle Keeper (msg # 150):

Assigning leadership every 2 weeks or so would be fine by me. Perhaps you should choose the leader for that duration so there isn't needless chatter deciding who it should be. And we just clarify who the leader is in the OCC chat everytime it's switched.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:11, Thu 01 Dec 2016.

Assigning a caller/leader is fine by me. My preference would be to have it be a single person, rather than a rotating responsibility, which might end up being needlessly complicated. I will go with whatever the group wants to do though, even if it ends up being a merry-go-round caller situation.

I, like Hugh, will go with the flow.

:)

Okay, let's try out the temporary leader thing and see how it goes.  I'm going to designate Hugh as the first temporary leader.  I'll designate someone else probably on the 15th and 1st of each month.

Everyone except for Len has pretty much chimed in.  Time for Hugh to make the call on what the party is going to do next.  If anyone can't live with the decision, please chime in and the party can discuss options further.

Okay. Let's double, even triple wrap that sack of weirdness for now and head down to the dungeon. We can decide what to do with them later, after we have possibly learned more about what they are.

It might even give us leverage when dealing with orcs...but I am still not sold on handing them over to the orcs without knowing what it is.

As a side note, I will be traveling the next week on a business trip. I should have internet connection at the hotel, but my posting availability will be limited to the evenings after work.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:29, Fri 02 Dec 2016.

Ironically, that's precisely my situation next week as well--available early on Monday, late on Tuesday-Thursday while on the road.

Do we want to assume, folks, that I know you all and just joined up? I'm open to a joint background with someone if you like, or we can just hand-wave it and assume I joined you all somehow.

Also, you will need to put me in marching order. I would like to be in the middle somewhere, all the time.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:33, Fri 02 Dec 2016.

Anthony's character sheet looks good, so I want to incorporate him into the party before we head down to the dungeon.  I'm happy to just have him be part of the group without any explanation, but feel free to go for a more realistic in-game explanation.

Coming out of the bunkhouse after waking from a nap seems to be par for the course for our wizards.  There's some strange continuity in that which I like.

Travel day today--I may be able to post later, but if I don't, that's why; you can look for a post tomorrow in that case.

In reply to Anthony (msg # 166):

Safe travels.

Len hasn't logged into the game since November 28th.  I'm going to give him a few more days to resurface, then retire the character.

I forgot to add +1 to the party's to hit rolls (due to Bless), but it didn't affect whether monsters were hit this round.  Sorry!

No word from Len, although I rMailed him to see if he intends to drop the game.  I am going to retire his character.

This fight is looking a little grim.  Don't forget your luck and hero points!

In addition, if Snarg is to be believed, you can return to the surface by touching the wall behind the spell casters.

I was considering that as well, that we all flee to live another day, which is always a viable option.

I'll give Cole until tomorrow to post a clarification on his action, then I'll post the next update.

In reply to Castle Keeper (msg # 174):

I just texted "Cole". Not sure she realized you were waiting on her to post something. She will post soon now.

Just to clarify, did Dreya have to burn that hero point? Just want to make sure to adjust my records if so.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:08, Wed 28 Dec 2016.

In reply to Dreya (msg # 176):

No hero point needed.

Could you clarify who is where and who can see whom right now in the party?

I am fairly certain Elwood and Dreya are somewhere in the clearing surrounding the cabin with the building in sight. Everyone else should be in the main common room of the cabin with the magical fireplace.

In reply to Dreya (msg # 179):

That is correct.

I'm going to designate Elwood the temporary party leader through January 15th.

I don't know...I set the bar really high as the inaugural party "leader", by nearly leading us to a TPK.

Don't flub it Elwood!

:)

We need guns ... lots of guns

Sorry about the delay, folks.  I'm sick and trying to get some rest.

I'm hoping to have an update with XP awards and in-town action tomorrow.

In reply to Castle Keeper (msg # 184):

Rest well and hope you get better soon.

In reply to Castle Keeper (msg # 184):

Fully understand - been battling it myself the past few days.  Rest and get well soon.

I'm feeling much better than Friday.  My stomach is still a bit wonky, but I'm functional.  Looking forward to seeing what direction you all decide to go next.

I have added an NPC thread to keep track of the NPCs you encounter/hear about in your adventures.  I know I need it (it's tough to remember NPCs from 2-3 months ago), so I'm guessing it will help all of you as well.

I'm considering starting a game of Cheat Your Own Adventure on RPoL.  It's a free 2-page game that allows a group to create/simulate a Choose Your Own Adventure story as a game.  Players trade off being the narrator with other players writing options (e.g., to look down the creepy well, turn to page 65) at decision points.

Chime in here if you're interested.

In reply to Castle Keeper (msg # 189):

I actually backed out of another similar project do to the rising pile of writing projects building up for me, including the sequel to Winds of Fate!!!  Yay!!  So unfortunately, I shall pass on this.  Sounds like a great idea though!

I'll have to pass on this too.

Wow,  a real writer in the group.  Please forgive my mangled grammar and improper punctuation.

In reply to Elwood (msg # 191):

Technically, two, as "Cole" is my co-author. But don't worry. You are quite safe. SELINE, however, (who is someone I know) makes my OCD grammar side go crazy, and I edit those posts. LOL!!

So because I can't help but pimp the book, anyone interested in epic fantasy adventure should check out Winds of Fate. It is out of stock in print at the moment, but can easily be found on Amazon Kindle. (Easiest to find by searching for Brooke Koenig or Roz Diedrich, as there are other identical titles out there.)

Technical difficulties--substantial post tomorrow.

In reply to Dreya & Elwood (msg # 192 & 191):

The hardest thing for me as a writer is switching styles for this play by post. I know our castle keeper has pm'd me a few times chiding me on verb tenses! Alas, I am slow getting the hang of the constant active sounding verb tenses when writing, but I am getting there I think.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:47, Wed 11 Jan 2017.

Elwood is going down into his basement to search for his copy of Strunk & White.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:52, Wed 11 Jan 2017.

It looks like the party wants to break up the child slavery ring.  I need to do an update on Seline's interaction with the Gambini crime family so that you have a better idea of the resources available and options.  I should have something put together by the end of the weekend.

That is precisely right.

OOC'ly speaking, folks, Anthony has a 14 cha. Anyone able to do better?

In reply to Anthony (msg # 197):

Yep.  Dreya has a 16.

Elwood has 14 too, but a successful Charisma check depends more on Charisma being a prime ability (it is for Elwood).

I'm glad we came to a group consensus in a relatively short time.

Yeah, we seem to just be hammering out details right now.

Dreya's charisma IS one of her primes...though that might make it far better for her to serve a different role.

And yay!  This site uploaded the image I sent in that I really wanted for Dreya!  You can all now see how I actually envisioned her in her character description.

In reply to Anthony (msg # 197):

Seline has boobs lol

In reply to Dreya (msg # 200):

I am a little confused.  I think Anthony is thinking about which one of us will do the talking to Oswald to convince him in letting us join his merry band of slavers.  I don't see Dreya in that role,  and I think you weren't suggesting it by being 'bait'.

Anthony,  I'm fine with you being our spokesperson.   Elwood can join Cole in looking surly and being the muscle, and you being the devious mastermind.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:18, Fri 13 Jan 2017.

Yeah, it just seems that Dreya is the best one for the 'bait' that Seline suggested.

Do you guys know about the RPOL notifier app? It is pretty sweet. Check out "RPoL Notifier [Unofficial]" - https://play.google.com/store/...knights.rpolnotifier

I think my last post summed everything up, correct? We really need to make sure about our exit plan.

Yeah, sounds good. I just realized Dreya probably looks the part well, what with her armor being all missmatched pieces. Even her boots are different, like a different boot on each foot.

I'm assuming Seline will clue us in when she gets a solid lead :-)

You sir are correct

So those of us who are the bait, Dreya and Hugh, only have to act the part once we know where Oswold is, right?

Just making sure I have all our details right.

You, Ma'am, are correct.

In reply to Elwood (msg # 211):

Awesome. Thanks!

This message was deleted by the player at 01:19, Wed 18 Jan 2017.

So...I can post a reply in Chapter 3 from my phone, but not my computer??  Probably some sort of user error I don't even know I am doing.  As soon as I figure it out, I will move my OOC post to the game thread.

Blonde moment...sorry all!  Figured it out.

Picking up the books is a simple matter in Rotter.  Figure 4 gp for the pair.

Ran out of time today--update tomorrow.

Okay, so I am a might confused. Is the plan we are preparing to set out on to the Orphan's Guild just to get info? Or is it with the bait in two to get close the the slaver we are trying to stop?

How you proceed is up to the party, but approaching the Orphans Guild as slavers seems like a rough way to go about things.  Orphans are getting kidnapped, reportedly by slavers.  What kind of reception are party members who look like slavers likely to get if they go straight up to an Orphans Guild hideout?

Yes. I realize that. I know about a plan, and I thought we had a good plan, posing as slavers and bait to take down a slaver ring, all our characters sat down around a dining table and hashed that out. It was really fun "in character" stuff, actually.

Beyond that, I guess I am confused what is actually going down. What approaching the Orphans Guild is actually going to do to? Is it to stop this slaver? So, color me confused, and I will just go with the flow with what is actually going to take place, and post in character when I can.

The current plan as far as I'm aware is:
1.) that we collect information from the orphans on where to find Oswald and what to expect.
2.) Approach Oswald as slavers with Dreya and Hugh as bait
3.) Find a way to get into his inner circle
4.) Destroy the slaver and his ring

Am I missing anything?

I have the same understanding as Seline:  Approach the orphans in our normal guise - "Hi we're heroes and we're here to help."  They give us some type of info about other orphans being taken by Oswald.  With this knowledge we then have an idea where Oswald is, don our 'slavers and slaves' disguise, and try to infiltrate his group.

In reply to Seline (msg # 221):

I think that is accurate.  At this point, you don't have a way of contacting Oswald, so you're not ready to try your plan of posing as slavers.  You need to talk to the Orphans Guild in hopes they can point you in the right direction to find Oswald.  You are, of course, welcome to try other means of locating Oswald (the Orphans are just a logical first step).  The Gambinis weren't able to get you onto Oswald's trail, but they were able to direct you to the Orphans.  Rotter is a big city.  There may be others you could talk to to get leads on Oswald.  You might consider consulting a sage (the usual generic repository of information).  You might also try the law enforcement community.  I don't believe we have discussed the legality of slavery in Rotter yet.  If it's illegal, the City Guard may know something (they may know something even if it is legal -- kidnapping orphans certainly sounds sketchy at best).  You might try talking to another crime syndicate.  There may be magical means of locating Oswald.  You might want to hire a wizard to use a spell to find him.

If you don't want to go the Orphans route, just let me know what you would like to try and we can see how it turns out.

A city-based campaign can sometimes be difficult for players because you don't know what resources and contacts you have at your disposal.  You may feel like you don't have any options because we haven't establish you know the right person or entity.  If you find yourself feeling like that, just ask.  For example, if you are interested in hiring a wizard to find Oswald, but you don't know where to start, just ask me if your character knows a wizard who might be able to help and we will take it from there.  Similarly, if you want to try the City Guard, you could ask me whether your character has a contact person with the City Guard and we will fill in the blanks as appropriate.

In the worst case scenario, where you have absolutely no idea how to proceed and feel stuck, you can always ask me whether your character knows anyone who the character thinks might be able to help in the situation.  We can work from that.  Rotter has lots of resources and your characters know lots of people beyond the NPC list we have established so far.

Well, I know Dreya doesn't have any contacts.

I was just confused and it wasn't coming out clear in the game feed after a certain point.

I am fine with the plan that our characters all hashed out. I was just confused. Thank you for lining it all out.

Concur with the plan.

I think starting out with the orphans is fine.  One question; assuming nabbing orphans for slavery is illegal, wouldn't the Gambinni's know something?  They may not be involved, but wouldn't the crime families at least keep tabs of all under world activities (somebody knows a guy who heard something from his cousin...)?

What about Hugh's contact?  I think that got us started on that, but I haven't looked back on that post.

As for legality of slavery, even if it was (were?) legal, there could some sort of beauracracy involved - there are sanctioned slavers that are allowed to conduct business, but slaves can only be gathered from outside Rotter, there needs to be a bill of sale, there's registration and paperwork (and more importantly taxes to be collected). This would be similar to a letter of Marque distinguishing a privateer from a pirate.  What Oswald is doing could be outside any sanctioned slave trade.  Of course slavery could also just be illegal.  I don't know if I'm overstepping my bounds by suggesting this.  If so, just let me know (subtly,  like "Elwood, we are all dumber just by reading this post").
This message was last edited by the player at 05:01, Fri 20 Jan 2017.

On to the warehouse!

I hope people don't mind me "forcing" them to go all the way into the warehouse.  I thought about stopping at the elevator and asking who is getting in, but we could end up spending a week just getting you to the RP encounter with the kids.  A little railroading seemed to be a better option.

Works for me!

A lot of GMs would have just said "You followed one of the youths as he took you to his leader."  I liked the added descriptions.

Agreed, no arguments.

Yep! Loving it over here!

So, kind of a funny story...I keep having Dreya stumble over Elwood's god's name because that shit really happens to me. Every time it comes up in a post, I swear my mind stutters over that damn word. In fact, I did growl out a "For fucks sake!" the other day.

So I decided to make it a character thing. Trust me, the poor wee druid isn't being intentionally rude.

Long work day. Post tomorrow!

Sorry about the name.  When I asked the CK about deities, he more or less let me make up my own.  Heaven help me the only thing that popped in my head was Flying Spaghetti Monster (I really, really suck at making up names).  Next time I'm just going to name my deity Bob or Buster, or just completely rip off one of the gods from Steven Erikson's/Ian Esselmont's Malazan series.

As for the name Elwood, I had just recently watched "The Blues Brothers".  You know, my character's a cleric - he's on a mission from God.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:35, Fri 03 Feb 2017.

In reply to Elwood (msg # 235):

No need to appologize AT ALL. You have given my crazy mind great fodder to work with for Dreya, since it helps me make her even more socially awkward and just plain weird.

The band, Elwood. The band!

Hugh has decided to drop out of the game.  He said he has enjoyed the game, but real life distractions are preventing him from putting in the time he thinks the game deserves.

I will be putting out a call for a replacement player on the TLG forums.  In the meantime, I will run Hugh as an NPC until the encounter with Oswald is completed.

Oh no! We are dropping like flies! No worries, I, for one, fully intend on sticking around. It is addicting!

I'm still here, myself :-)

I say we engage Oswald. No time like the present.

I'm in a couple other RPOL games,  but this one is my top priority.

Yay that Anthony and Elwood appears to stay for some time to come!

I know I am totally hooked. You guys couldn't get rid of me so easily even if you tried, lol! I am really enjoying Dreya and all her idiosyncracies. Never expected to have a white knight swearing an oath of protection, that's for sure!

Considering she has a -1 to her strength mod, I can't wait until Dreya gains enough XP that she can throw her weight around a bit more by flinging spells about rather than always having to hide behind a meat shield. But...thus is the role of a support character and not a tank, right?

But, I like playing characters with flaws... It feels more realistic. I don't overly enjoy power gaming.

I'm sick at the moment.  I'll try to get an update to you by the end of Saturday.

Get hale soon!

And no rush.

By all means get well.   I don't know of you have the flu, but the strain going around is pretty serious.

Hope you feel better!

I'm still assuming we want to take Oswald alive so we can question him, or am I making the wrong assumption?

No idea. But I thought we had promised the orphans his head on a platter. But I would be all for the capturing and questioning. I just need to know so I can adjust Dreya's game plan.

Crap! Forgot about that deal.  If it's fine with the CK, I'm going to delete my past and change it - I plead that is due to my faulty memory, not Elwood's.

Eh, just leave it and see what plays out?

Editing your action is fine by me.  Just confirm whether you are sticking to your earlier action or making the change.

I am being crushed at work through probably Wednesday.  I don't know whether I'll be able to update before the end of the week, although I will try to do so ASAP.

In the meantime, a new player is stepping in as Hugh, so I won't be NPCing him any further.

Yay! Welcome new Hugh!

We're going to be traveling down to Portland later this week,  so I'll also have issues posting.

No worries--good luck at work.



Welcome new-Hugh!

Safe travels, Elwood!

Well, I'm recovering from Hell Week at work and was all set to update when I discovered Hugh has been deleted as a character after I assigned him to his new player.  I need to contact the site admins to figure out what happened.

I probably won't have a chance to post until late tonight or tomorrow morning.  I need to look at spells first.

I had to update my post.

In reply to Elwood (msg # 259):

Not a problem, Elwood.  You should see steadier updates from me until Gary Con at the end of the month.

I really am sorry about the disruption over the last week.  Real life demanded all of my attention for a while.

Adulting sucks! Seriously though, nobody should worry about delays. That is what I am liking about this play by post stuff. The story picks right back up whenever we are all ready.

Wish I could be there.  Figures I'd get back into rpg's after we moved away from Madison.

Okay, so Hugh is dead.  He vanished into Hell and the site admins have not responded to requests to please resurrect him.  Our new player will now be playing Jack, a half-elf fighter.  Please welcome Jack!

Welcome, Jack!

Howdy everyone!

I've been following along and enjoying the story so far. Good posts!

Greetings Jack!

Hello, Jack! Welcome!

Sorry about the delay again.  Real life is a struggle.  I caught the crud again and have been having problems shaking it.  Work is still intense (although not as bad as it was a couple weeks ago).  I'm going to be unusually busy at work through mid-June.

Trying to figure out my next post.   Is Seline in positive hp territory,  or is she still unconscious?

In reply to Elwood (msg # 270):

Seline is conscious with 4 hit points.

I'm a little worried about you guys.  The dice roller seems like it is out to get you.  What did you all do to develop such bad karma?  You must be awful, awful people in real life.

Either that or our DM is evil!

It's the dicebot. It's basically evil in code.

Both are certainly true, but all dice are rolled in the open.  There's no fudge in Rotter (although they do have some lovely caramels at Sweet Irene's).

In reply to Anthony (msg # 274):

Oh, that is good!  The Dicebot is absolutely going to show up in my games as a monster.

I know...I was just teasing ya!

I guess I missed something there. I thought I was good with my AC (of 17 + 4 evasion = 21) but I got hit with an 11 to hit roll.

It would seem that Oswald is something more than your typical 4 HD ogre

Yeah, Oswald is definitely more than your typical 4 HD ogre.  I did factor the +4 to AC into the to-hit roll.  If you check the dice roller log, I rolled it as 1d20-4.  That came to a modified 11.  When you add Oswald's hit dice, it was enough to hit your 17 AC.  Nasty stuff.  The dice roller really has it out for y'all!

In reply to Dreya (msg # 277):

I know.  :-)

OK, got it, thanks.

Elwood, did you meant the Temple of Pain? Just clarifying since isn't that the temple we chases Oswald into?

No - Sorry for the confusion.  I meant Flyspamon's (or as Dreya prefers, Flapsman's) temple

I was just pulling Elwood's leg a little.

I'm off for Gary Con, so there won't be any updates on my end until next Monday or Tuesday.  Have a great week!

Hope you enjoy the convention!

Questions for the CK about the cellar, which I hope he'll have a chance to answer while he's having fun.

1) Is it an actual stairway leading down from the hatch or a ladder which we could possibly pull away (using a rope) from the attackers as they descend?

2) Elwood is tired and frustrated, and will no longer play Mr. Nice Guy, and is seriously considering chucking flasks of burning oil.  However, he does have a certain amount of wisdom, and probably wouldn't do such a thing if it would lead to burning down the place with the group in it.  Is it a stone/dug earth cellar, or basically framed with a bunch of wood and timbers that probably make better kindling.  Essentially, when Elwood makes a quick assessment, will that little voice inside his head say "Don't do it, Stupid"?

In reply to Elwood (msg # 288):

1. It is an actual stairway.  There's a hatch at the top so the whole set-up sort of resembles a storm cellar, except it's a flat hatch at the top of the stairs as opposed to a set of doors on an angle.  You could theoretically try to damage the stairs so they collapse when someone comes down.

2. The cellar is mostly dirt, but there are timber supports spaced along the walls and in the middle of the floor.  Your little voice is more on the "That's probably a bad idea, friend" end of the spectrum as opposed to calling you Stupid.

XP will be updated within 24 hours.  Some PCs are going to level.

1000 posts! Woot! Thanks, CK!

Does anyone in the party have a 10' pole, perchance?

Whatever for?

Old school - use it to check for traps.

Oooh. That makes sense. Dreya doesn't have one on her person currently, but she is sure she could find a pretty long stick from one of the trees in the city! If you like, she will dart out to get one.

I do not have a 10' pole.

CK, you closed the prep thread too soon. I have purchase ideas now. Do you want to re-open that thread or do you want to handle that here?

In reply to Anthony (msg # 297):

I'll reopen the thread.

If you don't have anything you want to do in response to my latest update post, please post that.  For example, at the moment the party is doing thiefy things to the tomb entrance.  If your PC is just hanging back and doesn't have anything to contribute immediately, post something like "Fred the Useless Adventurer hangs back and keeps a look out for wandering monsters."  That will let me know the party is ready for another update instead of waiting for someone who doesn't intend to take an action.

The standard posting rate is once per two days and I'm happy to give people as much time as they need, but I'm also happy to blitz through some of the technical stuff that only involves one or two PCs as fast as possible so we can get to action hopefully involving everyone.

In addition, there is a strong chance a work project will keep me hellishly busy starting at the end of May to the point I may be able to post once per week at best.  I'd like to get as much accomplished before I drop off the face of the internet if possible.  I feel bad leaving the game dormant for that length of time.  You guys deserve as much attention as I can give you.  Right now, I can easily post at least once per day.

I always try to post SOMETHING every other day or so so you know I'm alive :-)

And no worries on pace--this has been a fun game, so do what you can. I'll be here.

Traveling right now,  so checking in will be sporadic.  The hardest thing is trying to figure of there's a spell I could use.  Still still try to keep up with the others.

Going to be busy over the Easter weekend--you will likely not see a post from me until Monday.

What Jack said--I'm good with the Party Leader's Plan^TM

For everyone who does Easter, hope you had a happy Easter! (Or are having a happy Easter--I celebrate it for eight days :-))

I have been spared from the work project that was going to keep me hellishly busy for 3 weeks starting at the end of May.  The lead-up has left me exhausted.  In the short term, that means I may not be posting an update before Monday.  In the long term, it means I will not be offline for 3 weeks so the game can continue at its normal pace indefinitely.

All good! Hope you rest well.

Everyone, which of the many secret doors do we want? Pick a number from 1-6? I have no preference.

In reply to Anthony (msg # 305):

There are 7 secret doors, not 6.  3 are on the west wall, 3 are on the east wall, and 1 is on the north wall.

We're going north.

Can Anthony see the orc?

In reply to Anthony (msg # 308):

Let's say yes, at least parts of it.  Your view is largely obstructed.  Firing a melee weapon would be highly reckless.  A spell that only requires sight of part of the target will work fine (e.g., magic missile would work in these circumstances).  On the other hand, if you had a spell that required you to lock eyes with the target for a period of time, that would not be viable since Dreya and Cole are moving around and intermittently blocking your view.

Magic Missile was where I was going with it. Thanks!

Can I change my last action, and do something different than the dagger jab??

In reply to Dreya (msg # 311):

Sure.  Why not?

Awesome! Thanks!

So, are we facing 'been through a lot of tough times but lived to tell the tale' Snarg, or 'the spider got me but something about that cabin in the woods makes dead orcs undead' Snarg?  Just trying to plan my day.  I guess the more appropriate question would be:  Knowing that Snarg was taken by that giant spider in the woods, is there something about Snarg facing them now that would indicate that he is undead?
This message was last edited by the player at 03:12, Fri 28 Apr 2017.

Personally, no idea. I changed Dreya's action from stabbing to flinging goodberries on a wild, crazy idea because it seemed like a more accurate Dreya thing to do. Ha ha ha.

Believe it or not, I was going to have Elwood shout to Dreya to throw out good berries!

Great minds think alike! Awww...Dreya and Elwood are such adorable dorks!

Though, the award for most eloquent way of saying "I want to stay alive!" goes to Anthony with his fondness for perpetuating life.

Thank you! Roleplaying a squishy with a high INT score can be fun :-)

---

I assume Anthony sees the new secret door?
This message was last edited by the player at 02:11, Sat 29 Apr 2017.

In reply to Anthony (msg # 319):

Everyone can see the secret door to the southeast.  However, there isn't a "new" secret door.  There are and have only ever been 7 secret doors: 3 to the east, 3 to the west, and 1 to the north.

With Cole, Dreya, and Snarg filling up the the one to the north.

Nit-picky. I meant the secret door that was just opened. Without a map, it's hard to be clear of line of sight.

For the record, super sorry if I kill us all! But hey, at least Dreya got us through the door.

Sorry for the late posts.  I started a new job this week and I've been pretty busy.

For the Cole/Dreya team, is there a way to get Snarg around us? Like do-see-so with the crazed orc so he is on the door side?

In reply to Dreya (msg # 325):

You can try!

In reply to Elwood (msg # 324):

No problem.  In the future, if you can see it coming, please post something letting us know you are about to be swamped and your posting may become a little sporadic.

Revealing an OOC weakness: I suck at puzzles. Anyone good with them?

This evolved into an extraordinarily busy weekend--post from me Monday!

Maybe, if I have some time to think about it.  This is probably a lock to open the door to get inside (all the rocks were thrown back).

The numbers are all primes - maybe the it's some sort of combination lock.  I'm not too sure if the mathematical symbol is a '+' or not.

Bow in Awe, Dogs
And Disturb Not His Eternal Rest

10 words total; 1st line has 4 words (12 letters), 2nd line has 6 words (27 letters) - not too sure if this means anything, just rambling thoughts
This message was last edited by the player at 22:38, Sat 06 May 2017.

I'm afraid I've got nothing. Anthony, being bright, might IC, but nothing from his player.

Dreya is busy trying to stab an orc in the face.

Elwood only has average intelligence  (10), so although he may be wise enough to intuit that the dial is somehow connected to unlocking the door and maybe turn off the ticking, he's not clever enough to figure out how to do it, other than make the simple connection between the 'dog' mentioned in the plaque and the dog rune on the dial.

Plus I really don't have a clue.

Is the tomb all solid stone?  Or do you see earth between the placed stones?

Elegantly crafted large stone blocks with thin lines of mortar in between.

Where are we all right now in relation to the ticking room?

Anthony and Seline appear to be dropping off the radar.  Time for folks to come up with a plan for what to do next or to ask Elwood (the current temp party leader) to make the call.

Sorry for the sparatic replies. For those who don't know I'm an advisor for a youth group and facilitate a group teenage boys trying to organize a 4 day 4 night youth event and this year it is eating up more time than it has before. I will do my best to keep up. I don't plan on falling off and will give it a renewed effort

Going to be tied up until Sunday--major family events the next couple of days!

Sorry for the unexpected absence--things have been busy! Trying to ease back in with a couple questions to the CK first.

So to clarify...we do have a path that continues onward along the west part of the cavern, correct?

In reply to Dreya (msg # 341):

Yep.  Check the map for a hopefully helpful illustration.

No update from me 'til tomorrow due to family event today!

In reply to Castle Keeper (msg # 342):

When I look, it says "there is no game map". 'Twas why I asked about the path for clarification.

In reply to Dreya (msg # 344):

It's there.  Click on the "Game Map" link at the top of the page.  When the game map page opens, use the drop down menu to select "View the main game map".  Then click on the View button to the right of the drop down dialog.

Got it. So the statue is like a pseudo bridge across the stream?

You assumed that we had a light source.  When we first entered the tomb,  Elwood cast 'Light' on his shield,  which should lay 30 minutes.  Is it still in effect?

Next question:  Can we gave how fast and how strong is the current?
This message was last edited by the player at 00:27, Wed 24 May 2017.

Well, Dreya should have infravision, not sure if that helps at least her.  And the tunnel itself had glowing orbs in the wall along the route like lights, from what I remember.

The light spell is still up.  The current is moving at a good clip, but not exactly torrential.  Assuming a depth of 1-2 feet, you are confident you could stand in the stream without being swept away.

The statue does not bridge the stream.  The other side of the stream is a vertical rock wall.  There is nothing to cross over to.  The head of the statue is submerged in the stream.  You could walk along the portion of the statue that is above water and go 2-3 feet over the stream before running out of "plank".

Sorry for taking so long to post...I am usually on that like white on rice. But with the recent events surrounding our characters, I actually had to puzzle around what the hell to try.

Can the party crawl as Dreya suggested? Or swim?

Actually, probably just have to stay lower than the heads of the statue since my entangle only stretches down enough to snag them about the head. So maybe a stooped over run?

In reply to Dreya (msg # 352):

The party could avoid being entangled by the roots either by crawling or crouching as it moves forward through the entangle spell's area of effect.

Then that's what we're doing.

I'm gearing up for my oldest daughter's graduation party Sunday, so I will likely only get one (or two, if lucky) chances to update today, tomorrow or Sunday. I propose that Dreya make the party leader decisions if needed if I delay too long until I'm back in the proverbial saddle on Monday.

Anthony's post reminded me that summer is now upon us,  and vacations could affect posting.  I'll be completely incommunicado the week of July 10.

In reply to Elwood (msg # 356):

Please post a reminder as July 10 approaches.

Unfortunately with work and the youth group I'm losing time and losing track of time sorry guys. I'll do my best for the next two weeks to keep checking in. After July 9th I'll be done with the youth group

Been busy with oldest's graduation and visiting relatives, but will try to post tomorrow morning.

What is the name of the boy heading up the orphans' guild? (Could look it up, just being lazy)

In reply to Elwood (msg # 359):

Henry.  NPC thread has been updated.

The game is bogging down again.  I'm not sure what's going on.  Post rates for many players have been dropping precipitously.  Only one player has posted since my last update.  I can't tell if that is because people aren't enjoying the game, they don't have anything to contribute at the moment, or what.  I can't post another update with the contributions provided by the party at this point.  There has been discussion about possibly giving the kids' goodberries and possibly leaving them behind.  There has not been any discussion about what to do with the kids since the boy refused to provide information unless he is immediately released.  Do you want to discuss what to do some more?  Do you want the party leader to just pick a course of action?  Do you want to shut the game down at this point?

Sorry, for me it is because I just started a new job and it has been one heck of a whirlwind. I will post more often. I know sometimes I wait a bit to see what others are going to do, but I will just punt that idea and post as soon as I see you updated.

I know I have been wanting to look in my book and see if light was a low level druid spell too or just for the wizard. Let me do that after work, and I will post ASAP. Because either Dreya is going to cast light on something and chuck it down into the dark hallway, or throw fairy fire down the hallway. One of the two!

Also, I had been getting notified for new posts by a RPOL app which allowed me to respond quickly...but that app seems to no longer be working.

Sorry! I will also put a bug in "Cole" and "Seline's" ear.

Looking back,  it seems that things lag a little when we actually have to "role" play (trying to figure out in character how to tell the little twerp to shut up and do what he's told if he knows what's good for him) as opposed to "roll" play (I swing my mighty weapon at the big ugly bad guy).  At least for me, the first one takes a little more thought, so it might take a little more time to post (but I still try to post at least every other day at a minimum, which I think was the original request).

I think there will be natural ebbs and flows in posting rates, but that doesn't mean the game should shut down. Perhaps nudging the temporary pro temp group leader of the fortnight?

By the way, it is totally not the game. I am very intrigued about how everything will play out. It is captivating!

Ha, I think that is me. I will update after work tonight.

In reply to Dreya (msg # 362):

Yeah, doing the new job thing too.  I wondered about the RPOL notification app.  Looks like it's completely busted.

In reply to Elwood (msg # 366):


Oh good! It isn't just me...kinda feared it was some sort of user error on my part, some how.

I hope it gets working...that app really helped a lot with my speedy replies.

Now I am back to "Oh yeah! I haven't checked the game in a few days...I should really do that." mental notes.

In reply to Castle Keeper (msg # 361):

Sorry. I had to cover my boss at work because he was getting married, so the game took a back burner and I forgot to post that I might be longer than usual with posting.

Last question first: why on earth would we want the game to be shut down? You're scaring me. Don't talk that way unless you're not going to run it any more, 'kay?

I have been waiting for other PCs to answer my last post IC, and I assumed Elwood would answer the child (which he just did) as Dreya did as well.

And I would actually be a bit annoyed if the party leader picked a course of action right now as we're roleplaying out the interaction with the kids.

Things seem to slow down when we don't necessarily agree on a course of action, or when we're discussing what to do. There's a lot of 'post then wait to see what the other's say' and then a bit of a lull while we wait for the party leader to decide what to do.

I think it's just a natural thing when there are decisions to be made and we don't feel too strongly about our positions.

When we know what we want to do I think can can post decisively, but roleplaying discussions on PbP can take a while.

I'm going to be on vacation through July 11th.  I will have limited internet access during that time, so my next update will probably be on July 11th or July 12th.

Is the door locked or simply latched?

If I had more than one first level spell left, I'd kill the kid with a magic missile.

In reply to Anthony (msg # 372):

Are you referring to the door to the cage the twit is in?  If so, I think it's locked and Seline just found the key.

In reply to Castle Keeper (msg # 371):

A)  Hope you have a great vacation, or at least a relaxing one.

B)  As you'll be coming back,  I'll be heading out.   As I mentioned earlier, I'll be out July 10 - 15.  We'll be camping up in the mountains, so I won't have any Internet access.  You're free to NPC Elwood as needed.  I'll make sure the number of Spells he can cast is up to date.

C)  To everyone, happy 4th of July,  or belated happy Canada Day if you're Canadian,  or an early happy Bastille Day if you're French!