I wasn't able to update today, but just to keep people engaged - how have folks been doing? Watched the DnD stream last night (ICEWIND DALE)? Any feedback on the recent encounters?

looking fwd to watching it today, I hope.

alles ist gut here.  very tired from early rises because little one, but having to onehand type b/c little angel snuggled into daddy rocks!

Well done intro on Baldur's Gate.

~
Initial impression:

Excellent cut scenes, and I like how they have the chat options.

Not certain that I'm overly impressed on the live movement/exploration - it looks very WoW primitiveness, but that may improve with their programming.  I hope.

The skills/display is nice.

The combat they showed looked decent too, and nice to show movement/terrain issues/tactical movement for height/using abilities.  Examples, mapping movement up ladders v. abilities like Misty Step, setting up Thunderwaving/pushing melee attacks to knock down archers sniping down upon the party.

I enjoy Deb's streams.

That being said, I felt the group was very tepid about doing anything.  I appreciate most of them were quite new, but... excepting Matthew Lillard, they were all non-presence in the stream.  The wizard not knowing any of her spells, the rogue not knowing her potions, the fighter not fighting, the druid not really doing anything except his funniest bit in not wanting to be forced to shapechange for entertainment/party use... and promptly doing it.

Part of the issue, I think, I Lillard drowned out the other players in terms of the strength of his RP persona, and the others really didn't step into the game.  You could tell he was a little frustrated at being AOEd, knocked over, not supported, not protected.. all by his own party :)  No one tried to figure out what they were fighting, regularly ignored/conflicted Lillard's suggestions and Deb's hints to the party.  I will give the latter two props,however, as they introduced both IC, and helped the game move forward.

They could have used a session zero before streaming.

All in all, still enjoyable, but dragged a bit, and made it a DM & Lillard show in contrast to Deb's Relics and Reliquaries.

While Critical Role has been on COVID hiatus, I recently started watching Colville's Chain stream - quite enjoying it.  Good mix of new/older players, and they have fun, all are involved.

The brutal wake-up of the first scene-setting fight - oi.

I really miss Critical Role.  >_<  I'm glad they got all their fundraising stuff and contracts for their comics/cartoon/WoTC affiliation squared away ahead of time; I feel like they might not have survived this as a company if they didn't have all that established prior to the pandemic upending everything.

I haven't been able to get into any other streams or podcasts despite trying.  I might be spoiled on Critical Role but it's tough for me to jump over to a new group and production style.  There was one called "Roll in the Family" that got suggested to me, though I haven't been able to sit down and watch it as of yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xnfQ4KjfSg

FWIW I love the Colville Streams. The Chain is quite fun.

... and this is why the scouts should never be off on their own. :p

In reply to U'lin (msg # 15):

But that's literally a scout's job?  To go ahead on their own and find danger?  Ideally not challenge said danger on their own, admittedly, but what y'gonna do when the plot kicks in?

Minor horror/humor story: Back in my own 3.5e tabletop games with my local group of friends, we spent more time rescuing or fighting our local Rogue because he loved to stealth off ahead of the group and poke hornets' nests.  He was constantly under this misunderstanding that stealth = invisibility and would ambush entire groups of enemies on his own, only to get crushed into the floor the very next round by overwhelming numbers.  He also loved to poke magical things and gleefully shoved every magical ring he found onto his finger, which ended up with him being cursed and possessed so often that it became a running gag for the table.

Pausing to see if Thente has anything to add.

Still here!   I've just been getting run ragged at work and legitimately forgot to be checking in on the game!

Uh, Major Task: Collate the notes, figure out what was stolen, and figure out any possible countermeasures?

Not sure what a minor task might be though.

Major I would say is anything you might want to do to reinforce the town. Stuff that need like a good 8 hours solid work.

Collating notes can be a minor task, depending on how far you want to go with tracking it. You can make it a Major task if you like, though there's a limit to how much you can learn in Red Larch.

Oh, I quite agree, Moira

Just fun jest

Great post btw

These sort of social scenarios with magical creatures are always super stressful.  >_<  Gives a nice character beat moment for Moira's recent feelings of helplessness in facing the increasing threat levels though.  Increasingly helpless, but not at all hopeless.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:32, Mon 22 June 2020.

Minor Task then, Major Task I would see...

Darn, I don't know if there's any useful things I can contribute with magic?  Wizards have a hard time with persistent effects until later on, and most of Zaiya's skills are in intellectual stuff.

U'lin would certainly take assistance with efforts to magically protect the battle wagon, or with any arcane analysis of the magical items he is trying to repair.

Hmm, actually if U'lin is willing to let Zaiya look at the adamantine pieces he obtained, along with the gem dust and whatnot, I'll say researching it and the nature of the spells on the fragments would qualify as a major task.

This would basicaly be Zaiya spamming the identify spell while trying to recollect her notes on the wards in the vault + any scribblings she might have taken.

Give me a Arcana and History check then Zaiya, and an IC post on what exactly you're trying to learn.

Good to know!  Book bonus applies on the Arcana check presumably?

Additionally, is this all within a single 'Long Rest' period, which means I'd have my Portents?

We've presumably been staying in town for a few days by this point, so more than one Long Rest has surely passed at the very least.

In reply to Zaiya Alvina (msg # 25):

Interesting point on the portents. The intent was to have a single check represent work over multiple days- so its not an exact fit for the portent.

Assuming the party stays for about 3 days, that would be 6 portents. But the checks aren't daily...

Lets go with best 2 of 4 rolls (i.e. roll 4 times, then pick the best 2 to assign to the Arcana and History) - sort of a super-advantage to represent the effect the portents are having on your research. Fluff-wise, this is Zaiya's diviner specialization kicking in for information gathering.

EDIT: No need to come to a decision yet on whether to leave (you guys probably want info from Zaiya's checks and SEERs letters), but I figure Moira/Thente would want to discuss what they encountered with the rest.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:46, Tue 23 June 2020.

Moira's really out of her depth as far as fey stuff is concerned, so she's not going to want to touch that with a standard issue dungeon-diver 10' pole.  At most she'll want to inform Orna of what happened, get some extra context for what sort of relationship the town might have with the Red Dryad, and maybe help set up some sort of response.  Like if the town needs to make an offering or gift or whatever.  But that's largely an internal thing for Red Larch and not something the party should really get involved in, as far as she's concerned.  I figure Moira probably has a hard "Well, best just leave the fey alone and give them a very wide berth" approach in general.

Assuming we've done all the good or damage we can do to Red Larch, we should get back on to our Yartar destination sooner than later.  I can only imagine poor Miss Stoor watching the group from the afterlife, impatiently drumming her fingers and throwing things every time we get distracted with some side quest.  ^^;

sorry, I was out of pocket yesterday, but well handled on the fey lady :)

I would have bungled it, but done it in sylvan where no one else would understand until it was too late.

I'm trying to get caught up tonight. I will report to SEER for a few days worth of stuff.

Did Zaiya take one of the paper birds that first night?
This message was last edited by the player at 23:50, Tue 23 June 2020.

So... everything ok with everyone?

This game's been really quiet this week.

Fine here.
Fun couple days home with daughter.

I think DM is waiting on Thente/Moira to discuss the dryad encounter?
I'm holding on DM/Zaiya info re U'lin's items, and what we manage to do in studying/wagon work, though that may depend on what y'all decide on staying time in town.

Yeah, I've been getting run ragged by work this rotation, one of our veterans got sent home due to riding the edge of a breakdown and I've had to pick up some of the slack during a shitshow of organization.

But thanks for the info, I'll get those rolls in right now.

EDIT:  27 on Arcana, 40 on History.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:47, Thu 25 June 2020.