Well, we might consider some form of transportation things like wagons and such, but without knowing what we will be doing here in town, we might wait on that idea.

Sounds like we are set with cure-thing wand thingies.  So I think we can go ahead and divide, and do individual purchases at this point, and maybe chip in for the transportation things later.

-K

OK, everyone but Dark please add:

23 g, 4s, 3 cp

to your character sheet.  I will put 7 g, 4 s in the group fund (heh).

As you may already be aware, DM Steel has reappeared.  We haven't really got anywhere substantial and if you'd prefer to get back to your other game, I won't be upset.  That was the idea in setting up this area, after all.

Just let me know whether you want to pull the pin.

However you and DM Steel prefer to handle it is fine in my eyes.  You are both doing us a service DMing, I will accommodate whatever works best for you both.  Thanks!

In truth, since we've only just begun this adventure, it might make most sense (from a chronological point of view of our characters) to go back to Savage Frontier, despite the stuff we did to cross over here.  However, since DM Fletch expressed a wish to DM, not just twiddle his thumbs administering the Orphanage, it might be nice to have a go at his adventure as well.  I leave it up to the wiser folks.  Who haven't just eaten half a king-sized bag of Skittles.

Oh man!

Good to meet you, Fletch... at least, I don't believe we've met previously.  Thought I would go ahead and drop in here for this discussion since all concerned parties are involved and I don't think pms are really necessary.

I've only just returned to occasional online activity after some recent bouts with RL.  Not all bad bouts mind you, just time consuming.  I couldn't honestly describe what my posting rate or availability will be like over the next few months but it will likely be slow at first.

That said, I mentioned on the original game board for this group that I have no problems with this alternate game running at the same time.  It might be better for all of us overall that it does.  Having run these players for some time, I can attest that they are a lot of fun to DM for.  Having this game alongside will allow them plenty of opportunities to play their character while I try to gradually move myself back into a decent pacing.

That said, I offered that my ideas were along the lines of having this game be an alternate timeline.  Your Yartar might be different from my Yartar just as what this group experiences or has experienced will be different from the other - even though the same characters.  There wouldn't really have to be any relation between the two.... but there exists quite a few interesting possibilities should we want them to.

I'll leave it at that for now... I've just noticed how long I've let this post get.  I have a tendency to just go on and on and on...


and on...

Well, besides, we don't want to disappoint DarkChylde, do we.

-K

Hi, Steel.  I doubt we've met as I've only been on RoA for a month or two.

What you've suggested sounds good.  It would be nice if our Yartars could coincide and I'm happy to take on board any plans you have for the town, but the group will be moving out again soon (even if they don't know it yet) and, as you say, it doesn't really matter.

Does that mean I don't have time to put some spells into my spellbooks? :(  It takes 1 day/spell.

Makes me a sad panda.

-K

Yayyy, this is great! I get to play a Cleric, woot!

Ahem, yes good day old chap, its good to have you back DM steel :-)

So it seems that we will be getting to know each other, I look forward to it :)

Something is certainly amiss! The Paladin who oozes charisma and has a high diplomacy gets lambasted, while the eerie genasi with no social skills gets treated like a king!

I agree, something is strange here!  Obviously they don't want anyone to uncover the Dark Secret of Yartar!

Or, maybe it's the pants.

-K

Zyphen will have to chew out the paladin more often, if it earns him great service despite his charisma! ;)

... are you going to scan her with detect evil??

>> ... are you going to scan her with detect evil??

But remember that there are ways of getting around Detect Evil.  So if she doesn't come up as being evil, that must *really* mean she has something to hide!

My first BBEG had a wine cabinet full of potions of conceal alignment, or whatever the spell is called, right in his office.  No, wait...  They were on shelves all around the room!  The innkeep might even be serving such potions in her ale!

Or, maybe she really wants you.  You know, girls often do mean things to boys they really like.

-K

That must have been a rather stupid Big Bad Evil Guy!  He should have at least put the potions in wine bottles and labeled them as wine. :)  Doesn't help much to conceal your alignment if you don't conceal your alignment concealers!

This entire "evil = smite" stuff is so Realms anyway.  Eberron makes much more sense.  Evil people are extremely selfish and/or cruel, etc., but it doesn't mean that they are doing something wrong at the time.  I can think of several people I work with that might technically qualify as evil, but are perfectly jovial people and act within the law--you just don't expect them to help you out unless there is something in it for them.  (In some ways, it is refreshing to know exactly where they stand....)

I think paladins should be able to, like, "detect evil plotting" or "detect dead baby evil" or something more significant.

Or it could just be that Cuaglar all but accused her of overcharging - in her inn and to her face.  And you then proceeded to insult all of Yartar, which, to her, is arguably worse.

DM Fletch,

Valid points.  He also wears pastels--another mark against him!

Could you, when you get the chance, explain how you handle the Diplomacy skill in situations like the above?

Thanks,

- Z

Well, I just thought 20 gold was a bit expensive for wine, considering that the typical day laborer earns (I think) 1 silver a day, and that would mean that bottle of wine cost 200 days of labor.  But, I don't know about wines, period.  Maybe they sell certain vintages for $100 in places.   I just don't know.  I was having fun with conspiracy theories though.  :)

That's easy to explain: It's DnD's approach to adventurer economics.  To try and balance the obscene amount of loot that adventurers wind up with the costs in the PHB are closer to an exponential scale than a linear progression.  Another example would be your lodgings.  2gp for one night's stay in a private room is 20 days labourers' wages.

Just so you know, 10gp is the list price for a bottle of fine wine.  I simply doubled that for very good, hard to get wine.  Another indication is in the PGtF.  It says that in Tashalar "even the worst vineyard produces wines worth 100gp in Waterdeep" p.105.  This isn't Tashalar, but you get the idea.

As for Diplomacy checks:  The poorly chosen words lowered the innkeeper's attitude from Friendly to Unfriendly.  Everyone else went from Indifferent to Unfriendly.  Strictly speaking Atalakis' 26 is just sufficient to move from Unfriendly to Friendly (DC 25) but I figured a -2 circumstance penalty was appropriate (in other words I felt Indifferent was more appropriate and fudged it).

I view Atalakis as being gallant, heroic, idealistic, a bit narcissistic, but not stupid. He does all he can to help the good people of Faerun, and would not make a habit of insulting those people.

I certainly did not intend my comment to be insulting to the innkeeper--I meant it to be more tongue in cheek. The bottom line is Atalakis wants to to find out if there is good to be done, and he knows he might need to talk to people to find that out.

In the future I could reword things if necessary. I wasn't certain how heavily you factored wording into the equation. I suppose I assumed with Atalakis' diplomatic skills, he would be able to gauge approximately how others might react to what he says (especially if it was going to be a severe enough reaction to drop someone from friendly to unfriendly), and modify what he says or how he communicates with others appropriately based on those skills. If he thought was going to insult someone, he would have chosen his words more carefully.

Is it reasonable to assume with his level of diplomacy (and a good roll), that he would be doing this?

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0122.html

-K