Here you can chat away OCC to your hearts content. Rules for the game will be posted shortly.

Welcome one and all to The Dalelands. Mystery, intrigue, fame, fortune, disaster, happiness and sorrow await you in equal measure. Enjoy the story you are about the weave!
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:30, Thu 28 Oct 2004.

I have been DM’ing tabletop for five years, playing for fifteen and running an RPoL campaign in the Realms for well over a year. My style is descriptive and as detailed as I can get. I try to give you a feel for what you do, where you and how you do it so that you can emersed yourself in the Dales and get a feel for its unique beauty and dangers. Here the environment is a bigger killer than those that lay within.  Preparation is the key and thinking on your feet the best survival mechanism.


Please take the time to read and understand below. It seems like a lot but becomes second nature quickly enough!

Here's my set of rules:


1
This is a story being played out by your actions. But like a story it needs to be written in third person. I would like to see Sir Anthony cries out a warcry and plunges into battle OR Sir Anthony cried out a warcry and plunged into battle rather than I call out a warcry and plunge into battle. While it may seem a minor point it reads the way the game should be played. This is RPoL not tabletop.


2
OOC chatter in-game ruins the read and makes it confusing to follow (as I have found out when reading the thread to this point). If you want to ask something then do it in character i.e. Dorn turns to Joshua and asks curiously ”What was the name of that dwarf king we saw?”. If you want to talk OOC then do so on the OCC thread or private lines. Know however that if you don’t ask in game your character can’t act upon it. This means no meta-gaming occurs (where player knowledge outside of game affects the character in game where it shouldn’t). That is what it is for. I am a stickler for this after seeing several adventures ruined by meta-gaming.


3
If you want to ask me something privately then you can send via an inserted private line (if there are other things you are doing in the descriptive post that you want others to see) or by PM if you don’t want anyone else to know.


4
When talking in a different language than common put it in orange like this:

(Dwarven)"Pumilia, how are you?"

5
With rolls for anything (attacks, damage, skills, saves etc) insert the rolls into a Private line to me with your descriptive text so that it doesn’t show to others in game. Once again this is purely because all I want you to see is the descriptive text so that this reads like an ongoing novel not a dice convention. It actually makes it quicker for you to read multiple posts and not lose the feel for the game. For me it makes no difference as I’ll be seeing the roles but I know you will enjoy reading it more. Trust me!


6
Combat: Always fun, sometimes confusing. Tell me what you are doing descriptively and then place the initiative, attack, damage etc and your actions (charge, bull rush whatever) in a line privately to me in the same message. Remember the basics and let me handle the details on full round, step, move, standard, partial, move equivalent, free actions etc. You’re to get into combat and enjoy, not get bogged down.


7
I also use a mapping program called Dundjinni to create great maps to avoid the confusion of RPoL. I will be posting a map for each combat round (or environmentally danger being handled like a chasm, abyss, rope bridge falling apart etc) on a Yahoo website called RoA: The Dalelands. They really do help you (and me) keep track of what is where and visualise the situation better. No more text maps… full colour jpegs with each of your Portraits as counters (thanks to Adobe Photshop!)

Here is the link:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/roadalelands
Press the Join button to send me a RTJ and use your characters name. Makes it easier for me to know whose who and not get a spammer coming in! There in files - maps is a demo map from a another game I play. Check it out!


8
I live to post. I will do so at least every day and I hope you can keep up. If I haven't heard anything within 24 hours I'll NPC the character. By keeping the pace up the fun keeps up. I am sure you'd agree it is hard to keep focused on things when you can't get the information you want quickly. RL is always there but if it gets too much don't go silent - PM me and I'll take over until you get back. I am here to help.. use me!


9
Lastly, here is an example from my other campaign the give you an idea of combat and how I tell a story.

The players are being attacked by a group of Wyverns on a fallen tree bridge across a gaping chasm. One of the parties has fallen from the bridge and is now levitating thanks to some quick magic. Another has heroically jumped on the flying Wyvenrs back that is attacking his levitating friend.  Meanwhile several other party member are attacking a newly arrived Wyvern on the ground.

This is what I sent to them after they sent me all their actions for the last round.

Round 2 results:

Hacatio moved like a stalking cat through the shadows of the ravine. Distracted as it was by Balaedriel the Wyvern did not see nor hear the Sembian’s stealthy approach. It was to cost it dearly!

Hacatio took up position close to the west face of the ravine. Taking a moment or two to steady the heavy crossbow he lined his target up and gently squeezed off his shot. His weapon kicked forward slightly as the thick bolt flew across the thirty feet between himself and his draconic prey and the swordsman watched with a small smile of satisfaction as it pierced its thick skin and sunk completely into the gap between its wing and ribs.

The monster reared in surprise as the bolt struck it from behind. It had no time to turn upon its unseen attacker however as Balaedriel struck from the front. This time it was not with something as brutally efficient as Hacatio’s crossbow bolt but a ray of scorching fire that erupted from the centre of her hand as she cried out ”Ram en’ naur”

The magical ray enveloped the left side of the Wyverns face, searing away skin and flesh. It flapped its wings in hatred as the sight in its eye was scolded away then hissed as it looked with it’s only remaining eye at the tiny prey that had caused it so much pain.  Its sting was poised to strike down up Balaedriel at a moments notice, weaving and bobbing as if it had a mind of its own.

Nearby Strya was faced with an immediate dilemma. Elias and Jasper lay below engaged with the first Wyvern, Elias clinging to its back and Jasper now mysteriously bobbing in mid air like he had suddenly sprouted wings. In front of her lay the second Wyvern engaged with Hacatio and Balaedriel. Which should she attack? Returning to the words of her teacher Thruod she made her decision. She pulled her bow up and fired twice at the one closest to her.

The first shot went wide and nearly took Balaedriel in the chest as it flew past her target. The second sunk deep into the Wyvern’s throat, embedding in the hard hide that covered the vital area. The arrow cut its vocal cords and the creature hopped up and down on its two massive taloned legs making gagging sounds as it tried to deal with yet another wound. Strya reached for another arrow and took better aim. This time both would strike true.

Across the other side of the ravine Rizzen had reached the position where the other horses were tethered before the battle had begun and he tied Old Stodgy to his horse. The war pony was absolutely terrified - Wyvern’s were not things it was trained to fight against - and it washed over to the two horses he now stood beside. Rizzen whispered a few quiet words that calmed them all and then drew two short swords from his belt, one slightly bigger than the other. Assessing the situation quickly he moved forward to join the battle.

As the older elf began to move his young comrade loosed another arrow at the Wyvern flapping chaotically below in an effort to keep itself in the air. He knew a little something about these creatures, most elves did, and the fact that it could hover so was particularly strange. Normally they were poor flyers who struggled to keep their bulk in the air at that best of times. Even as critically wounded as the one below was it still managed to hold its place. He made a mental note to talk to Icenshrike about the mystery later. He nodded as he watched the arrow strike true, embedding itself deep in the monsters right wing joint. The Wyvern’s cries of panic increased as he nocked another arrow.

Elias managed to get his legs locked into place to stop himself falling. As he propped himself upright behind his opponents wings he felt several of his ribs move and a small trail of blood dripped from the side of his mouth to stain his chin red. Through his pain he cried out ”If I am to die then you shall die with me!”

He rose his bastard sword high above his head and struck down with all his might, burying the entire twenty six inches of steel into the Wyvern’s exposed neck and severing its spinal column. That was enough to kill his enemy outright. It wasn’t however enough for the Helmite. He withdrew the two inch wide blade in a spray of blood and struck down again. Then he and the Wyvern began their plummet to the ravine floor. Elias said his final prayers as he toppled off its back and let calm descend upon him. He knew he was going to a better place, just as he knew the wyvern wasn’t!

Jasper had other plans. Having already prepared for such an eventuality, though this wasn’t how he pictured it was going to happen; he began to incant again from the same scroll he had just used to levitate himself. The magic flowed forth as Elias came within range and just as it had done for the gnome the human stopped in midair, protected now by the comfort of a levitation spell. The Wyvern however continued its path to the rocks below.

Somehow sensing its mate had just died the Wyvern engaged with Hacatio, Balaedriel and Strya surged forward and struck out with all its fury at the closest target – the elf maiden. Balaedriel tried to fend off the large predator but in the end its rage was too much to contain with just dexterity and a two bladed sword. The monsters beak ripped a massive gash in her leg that slowed her down enough for it to cut across her face with one clawed hook on its forward wing joint. Reeling from the attack she didn’t see one of its claws snake out and grab her like she was a piece of wood. It wrapped her up in its grasp and the longsword length talons slashed her back as she struggled to break free. It was useless, the beast was to strong and she was quickly weakening from her wounds. This was not looking good.


OOC combat rolls
Hacatio’s Move Silently roll successful!
Hacatio’s Hide roll successful!

Hacatio D'Salacion (Crossbow, heavy MW) hits!
Hacatio D'Salacion uses item Bolt (heavy). 18 are left.
-----------------------------------

Balaedriel uses skill Concentration. Successful!
Balaedriel casts spell
Balaedriel hits!
-----------------------------------

Strya starts a Rapid Shot.
Strya (Longbow, mighty composite MW) misses!
Strya (Longbow, mighty composite MW) hits!
Strya uses item Arrow. 20 are left.
Strya uses item Arrow. 19 are left.
-----------------------------------

Young Elf (Longbow MW) hits!
Young Elf uses item Arrow. 17 are left.

-----------------------------------

Elias Helmfist (Sword, bastard #1) hits!
Elias Helmfist (Sword, bastard #2) hits!
Wyvern 1 has died.
-----------------------------------

Jasper Mirrorgem: Levitate
Jasper Mirrorgem uses item Scroll of Levitate (arc) (1), Darkvision (2), Magic Mouth (2).
Scroll of Levitate (arc) (1), Darkvision (2), Magic Mouth (2) casts Levitate on Elias.
-----------------------------------

Wyvern 2 (bite) hits!
Wyvern 2 (wings, #1) hits!
Wyvern 2 (wings, #2) misses!
Wyvern 2 (talons, #1) misses!
Wyvern 2 (talons, #2) hits!

Wyvern 2 rolls a grapple check:
Balaedriel rolls a grapple check: Fails!
Grabbed and Helded!



Wyvern 1 is INJURED!
Wyvern 2 is CRITICAL!
Balaedriel is HURT!



Round 3 actions please. :) New Map posted.


The next part is the actions of Hacatio D'Salacion, a rapier wielding rogue/fighter.

Seeing the beast latch on to the elf, the Sembian tossed the arbalest to the ground and raced forward, drawing his rapier…






I hope that gives you an idea of how I can describe combat as well as how it runs. We’ll muddle through together until we get the right balance.

Last rule. HAVE FUN! If there is a problem let me know. I am obliging, friendly and impartial (at least my other players tell me <blush>) and happy to try and make the game better for all.

Folks,

We have three more people on the way. We should be launching ahead within a week max. I'll post adventures for votes today so check out The Dalelands: ARP's in about two hours.

So enough you will all be making your mark in the Realms! Enjoy!

Hi guys.  I just wanted to introduce myself and say that I'm looking forward to adventuring with you guys.  *bows*

Jump right in, then? ^^

Hi there everyone,

Well things have begun in Taverns and I thank you all for a great start... I can tell a lot by the quality of writing and you all have a great flair and style. I like it!

I have posted a picture of the White Hart (from the outside) on the Yahoo site. For those that haven't joined that sight I highly recommend it. Pictures and words together paint a more poignant picture in this time of game and I use maps for combat that are very detailed because it is, at times , the most complex of things to run and enjoy (both for you and I). So please take the time to join and have a look at the sample combat map I have placed there and the picture of the White Hart.

Once again great start, and I look forward to swelling your ranks with more players in the coming week. Don't forget to vote for which adventure you want as well (thanks  Hidari for being the first).

:)

Uh...two questions:

1. What time of year is it?  I thought I read in one of the posts about the chill in the night air so is it around winter or fall?

2. I can't seem to find the map on the Yahoo group.  Can you tell me where it is?  Thanks.

The Humbly Challenged,
Hidari
:0)

The date is Fifthday, Eleint 25, 1375

Heading into Autumn and the weather is turning. You get a lot of rain in the Dales this time of year.

*wants a Travel Cloak* *thinks she knows what her next few earnings will go into*

A wise investment for sure <grin>

Folks,

Just FYI - you will be receiving a little special something for joining RoA during it's first year celebrations. I will notify you of those in the next day or so.

Thanks for choosing RoA as the place to roleplay, we appreciate it.

:)
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:53, Sun 31 Oct 2004.

Hi all,

Wellwe have a couple more people on the way and then we'll be off on the first adventure.

Can I ask that each of you picks a colour and sticks to it when speaking in character - anything but black (used for descriptive text - not sppech) and green (used for OOC comments ingame). It makes it a lot easier to read what is what for me and better I bring it up now rather than later.

BTW excellent starts. I also wanted to let you know I give XP every second Sunday and you will get PM with the amounts which you need to add to your character sheets. XP is awarded as follows:

Posting Frequency and RP: This is pretty self-explanatory. A minimum three times a week If roleplay your character well you will get the higher end award. Total possible XP: 100

Bonus Weekend XP: For each Saturday and Sunday you post, you get 25 XP.  Total possible XP: 50

Bonus Mechanics XP: This depends on how much you do your rolls and post them in the game.  Award can be up to 100 XP depending on how many rolls were required.

Top Roleplayer XP: This is a special 50 XP bonus to the player who posts and interacts the most.

Ideas/Logic/Skill&Ability use: This is an open ended XP award for those special circumstances when a PC uses exceptional logic, has a unique idea or uses a skill or ability in an exceptional way.  XP award varies but usually around 50.

Standard XP: This is as it sounds, based on monsters defeated, quest completion ect. Biggest chunk of XP and given as per DMG guidelines.

Speaking of XP.  I just read on the ROA: OOC board that all players (not characters) just got awarded 1,000xp to distribute as they see fit.  Woohoo!!  I just thought I'd pass that on so update your character sheets cause the offer is only good for as long as the post isn't deleted.  Happy Birthday ROA!

Just so you know you guys update all your character sheets... saves this ol' DM a lot of time!

Enjoy the 1000xp everyone.

Hello! I am Laeren Soothsayer, Writer, Dancer, Lute player or just plain Bard. It's always a pleasure to meet such and exquisite lady! And no I didn't mean you Humorous! *takes Melisandre's hand and kisses it*

*snerk* *settles back to watch the fireworks*

Don't mind me - I'm just playing the tracker.. ^.~

So close to having a DM thunderbolt in the head there oh bardic one ;)

Welcome, welcome. A teller of tales is always needed for a new party. Who else would sing their praises?

One more on his way and then we are a go for starting the adventure (I can't imagine it being any later than Friday)... enjoy each others company in Taverns until then!

Watch this space.

Uh...Am I OK with the bold text?  Technically that's black so I just wanted to make sure. :0)

just something different is good.. makes it a LOT easier to read, especially if you have multiple posts to read..
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:57, Mon 01 Nov 2004.

Erm. Could I use dark green, then? I don't mind sharing a speech-colour with Laeren, but it occurs that that /could/ get confusing. ^^;

nah ladies first so i guess i will have to ado with Humorous a lot of times again. I'll just find another color.

I'll take blue.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:42, Mon 01 Nov 2004.

Thanks everyone.. I do appreciate it...!

;)

OK, I'll take that as a "yes" and stick to the bold type.

Sorry.. it was a yes.

BTW the votes are in (even though we have one player still to come in - their vote won't change the majority however).

The adventurer that everyone has chosen was No#1.

"To escort and to protect"

High Priest pf Tyr Nerval Watchwill requests a law abiding group to  escort a young initiate and holy relic to an undisclosed location near Tangled Trees. The church is prepared to pay each PC 500gp to complete the task and ensure the relic’s arrival at its destination.


R, C, PS


Roleplay to that one from now on. We'll get started on it fully when our last player arrives through the doors.

Silly question - why not do the voting process in game? I thought Meli made fairly clear which way she'd like to go; if everyone else was to do the same, we won't need to "modify" the roleplay.

If you think it'll workout then why not. However the problem exists that two choices are always voted upon in RoA and the proces of roleplaying it can bog the game down.

If you can make it work - excellent but it is not something I want to take four weeks to decide upon (you might think I am kidding but it has happened before)

I leave to you all... I will put the brakes on if a decision is looking like bogging down though. DM's perogative.

Hidari takes one big step away from Melisandre so as not to get hit by a great big DM lightning bolt to the head.  Just kidding. :0)

A strange rain cloud appears above Hidari and it begins to pour

;)

Awesome drawings.  Where did you get the one of The White Hart's exterior?

It's from Sword and Sorcery's Book of Taverns.

Very handy wee book!

Ok.. I admit it... the roleplaying in the game to decide the job is working nicely.

<slinks away and cries in a corner>

No need to cry - after all, it's probably a lot more fun for all readers to watch that get sorted in roleplay anyway.

Yeah plus it moves a lot faster when we all know what the vote came out to be anyway. :0)

Personally, my suggestion for the next time would be "RP it out. If no consensus has been reached within (a week/3 days/some other reasonable timeframe as the ref decides), the vote counts."

<sniffle>

Your all absolutely right. It's something I might bring up in the Dm's forum actually.

All is coming along swimmingly... well done. And I did like the reference to the cleric and druid. Nicely done!

:)

Anyone know the tipping policy in Faerun?  Is it 15% like the US or "whatever you feel like" like most of Europe?  :0)

Hello All

I finally got my act together and joined RoA after lucking in the OOC Forum for nearly a year.  None of the gmes that came up seemed worth the hassle of applying.

But I love the Dalelands.

And I'll be your last!

Half-Elven Fighter-Rogue (Seems a common mix thesedays!)

Excellent smoothtalker and moderate tank.

Glad to be in!

Jump right in... the more, the merrier.

Welcome everyone.. I think we have one fo the biggest groups in RoA and I thank you all for applying. I hope I can make the Dalelands live up to your expectations :)

We do have one more person coming in .. Valinor. He'll be with us by tommorrow/friday and then we are away on the first adventure.

Now I'm off to answer some of your IC posts...

Wow you people post profusely!

I can usually read a "page" of posts in RPoL in a few minutes.  Each page in the Taverns thread is taking me the best part of an hour.  Evry one of DM Humoru's posts is practically a short short-story!

LOL - ok so I'm exagerating, but I won't catch up to 'current' until tomorrow at this rate.

No problem... the night is young (in game)

I probably post more than most as I work from home most of the time and spend a lot of time in front of the computer. My wife says I am a born writer but I say I am a frustrated computer teacher with a little imagination. I can only help make a story memorable with all your help... a lesson I learnt early on DM'ing table top games.

I agree!

Certainly took me a good while to read through the five pages before my first posting and I'm still re-reading it to make sure I missed nothing I should know about.

PS. I've stolen pink for my speech.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:36, Wed 03 Nov 2004.

By definition, you shouldn't know about anything before your entry? ^_-

I use blue in all my games - I'm using blue here too.  Since I won't be speaking for other PC's - it shouldn't be too confusing.

Knew someone would say that.

Thing's I would like to know.
-Tavern Description
-Current patrons / number of patrons
-PC's descriptions
-Number of staff (NPC's)

Among others which are all neccessary for a decent opening post.

well

not knowing what went on in the tavern before I got there is totally different than not knowing a huge amount of backgroud that is hiding in the storyline.

I realize that - this is where the wink comes in. I /know/ how much of a pain in the keister it is to join a running game without knowledge of that kind of background.

I don't get those wierd line-smilies. You're just confusing me!

I thought it was a frown... lol

I prefer this for the winking smile

;)

Yes! For sure, that one's much easier to understand.

The other one just looked angry...

^_-


*shivers*

Nah... the angry one would be >_<

I'll try to stick to "standard" smileys here, though - wouldn't want to precipitate misunderstandings.

*chuckles*
It's habit for me to use the non-standard ones, but I'll try not to - except for this once, to demonstrate /my/ version. ^.~

Anyway - welcome to the mayhem. :}

Yes...welcome newcomers!  By the way, Tamika are you talking to me right now?  There is a "cloaked man" in one of the semi-private rooms and I wanted to make sure you aren't talking to him.

I actually am talking to him, but don't worry your turn will come!

:)

I hope this posting pace slows down?

I simply can't keep my end up at a rate of 10 posts per person per day.

Hi Vella,

I don't expect you to keep up with my post (nor anyone else for that matter). One a day M-F is preferred, and weekends give you bonus XP. It usually slows down when you get into the adventure as there is alot more going on and I have to do a lot more background work. At the moment this is just fun rp'ing.. setting the mood you might say

;) You'll be fine

Plus it's about to dry up from my end as I am off to bed in 15 mins .. 12.20am

I'll be back around 7. You can keep each other going while I am snoozing...

Great, the DM leaves just as I post a question to an NPC

LOL

I'm still here

12:20AM?  Are you located in the Middle East?

Yep.. in a place called Al Ain. An hour and a half from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. I am and New Zealander working over here.

Ah...marahabun....quay falhal?  I'm sure my romanization sucks and I haven't used my arabic in over 12 years but it's close enough.

Alright folks.. see ya in 5 hours 10 mins.. give or take

lol

bye Humoru

who exactly are you talking to about outfits Tamika?
I may not have siad it quite right in my description - but Vella is sort of - uh - hefty, but in a pleasingly plump, cheerful way.

Melisandre actually.

I read your description. :)

Hello all!  I'd like to say that I'm quite excited to be joining you in this adventure.  As a dwarf I think brown might be a suitable color for speech.  Let's see:  "Brown," he said.  That'll work.

We're glad to have you, and brown does seem like just the right colour for one of the Stout Folk.

May your axe be ever sharp and your enemies neck ever soft!

Welcome!

How many's that now Humoru? 8?

Wow Vella that's such an awesome little pic you have in your description!

:)

Yep and one more to come in a few days.. however I am happy  to push towards the adventure by COB Friday as discussed. It looks like the first adventure option is the prefered option for the majority.

Oops, I didn't read Humoru's post IC before posting myself.  I think I just raised a non-existant stein in salute.  Oh well, won't be the first time.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:51, Thu 04 Nov 2004.

lol... not had a drink and already hallucinating Valinor?

argh - school!

I'll be off now for the next 8 hours or so.

*laugh* Not going to touch the possibility raised to deal with more than one problem - while we're going northeast anyway? ^_-

And while I think of it, don't expect too much in the way of posts out of Maeva or me today - we're going into town to pick up my work permit. The joys of immigration proceedings...

trust me when I say I know how you feel... going blind on paperwork lol

BTW you can do both adventures if you wish.. I can handle it just fine.

I really like how this story is developing.
I'll try to post some later - but don't have time now.
No one's talking to me anyway :)

And Hidari, I think someone likes you :)

And we emerge from the INS dungeon... discovering we get to go right back on next Wednesday - some data entry op found himself incapable of distinguishing between the 1's and 7's in my handwriting. >_<

Yeah, when I visiting Romania they gave me a hard time because I didn't put the slash-ie things on my sevens.  I can hear them now.  "No wonder those crazy Americans have such accounting problems in their corporations.  They can't tell their ones and sevens apart!"

Just be glad you didn't end up like that guy in the movie, Terminal.  That's based on a true story.  And Vella, I think you're right but since it's an NPC I'm not getting my hopes up since the DM's prolly a guy anyway, lol.  A group of eight+ adventurers with 4 females (characters anyway) and I get hit on by the NPC.  Story of my life. {:(

Hey Mel (or is it Meli),
To answer your question go to pg. 117 of the FRCS and look just NE of Ashenbenford (that name always reminds me of Fletch and his aliases) along the road.  You'll find it right there tucked just inside Cormanthor.

Yupp... should be possible - grab the initiate, park him with the dwarves while their cattle issue is dealt with, then escort him over to Tangled Trees. At /that/ distance, a few days more or less shouldn't matter, heck, weather probably accounts for these /anyway./

It's a lovley wee place, filled with possiblities. Glen is not too far away, about fifteen miles. Filled with farming dwarves, a unique site for sure.

And the weather this time of year is not the best, never is. Spring and Summer will bring tears to your eyes. Just wait.

Oh and Hidari, I am a guy but I have a great wife who gives me all the best advice about playing NPC love interests... who knows what may happen. Heck, she may just be intimidated by your presence. Ony time will tell.

<a little DMsmile appears on Humoru's face>

:)

Ha...I look forward to the future no matter what it may bring.  I read one of the character descriptions in the ROA: OOC boards and this one female elf is 7 months pregnant with 4 months to go.  Not the player, the character.  Now that's a bit weird for me but I have to admit.....it's very interesting.  I have to say, this is the first time I've had such a blast and I haven't killed anything yet.  Although.....I am starting to get a bit itchy to get on the road and see some action. :)
This message was last edited by the player at 04:43, Fri 05 Nov 2004.

I understand.. wait until Knitsu comes in and then we'll cut to the next morning.

And there the adventure begins.

BTW have posted map of dales and of Mistledale. Givne you have two people who live in the Dalelands there is no need for my to be vague on maps. They have first hand knowledge. It has Glen and Tangled Trees relatively well pin pointed too.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:59, Fri 05 Nov 2004.

Folks,

I have to head out for the night, seeing friends and a little catchup on sleep, but I will post a 'move along' to the adventure tommorrow.

Now this will mean the Taverns thread will close and stay that way until the adventure comes to a close. OOC will still be running and I suggest you check here after you see the Dalelands: "To serve and protect" thread opening as I will outline some rules for combat and some odds and sods so you know what to expect.

Well done everyone on an excellent session in Taverns.I really enjoyed it and I can tell you all did too.

Now I'm off. Keep yourselves amused while I'm away and tommorrow The Dalelands opens up for its newest band of adventurers!

Folks,

I am awake again and have posted the adventure thread - "To serve and protect". Post away, you'll find a wee surprise waiting for you. Hurry over.

Now that you are back here's a couple of things:

Combat
When we get into combat I always ask you to roll initative, descibe your actions and then insert a private line to me with your actions/mechanics. Roll everything that is applicable i.e attack, damage, skills, saves etc and include in that private line. You need only roll iniative once and I will post the order in my first round wrapup.

If your action becomes redundant because of an action (or actions) by other PC's higher in the initiative then I will send you a PM to allow you to alter your post and actions. In php there is too many times where actions are lost through no fault of the player(s) in question and I like to give you an opportunity and flexibility to change things accordingly just as if you wer eplaying in a tabletop game where you see what is going before you act. It makes it more fun.

That said, once all the actions have been posted then there is no changes that can be made!

When all actions are closed I will potentially send each of you a PM to ask you do roll something extra based on NPC (or even PC) actions. Respond to them quickly. Once that has been done I send a wrapup of results to you, post the map on yahoo and onto the next round. This is why I give 24 hours to post and 48 hours over the weekends.

If you don't roll initiative then all I do is add you relevant initiative bonuses to 1 and use that instead. The less rolling for me the better, I have enough to do with NPC's.


Non combat
If you are trying something describe it and then insert a private line telling me what you want to do, what skills/feats/magics etc you are using and the dice roller results.


General
Ask questions of me in PM or inserted as private lines in descriptive text. If you ask something OOC this way it'll be up to you to inform the others in game of the results if applicable and you so desire. Sometimes secrets are the best defence ;)

AND HAVE FUN! Once we go through a few things like combat or environmental challenges a few times it all becomes second nature.!

OK stupid question probably but I don't use groups, if that's what you mean. Could I have a small run down of how to see these maps?

Thanx

Humoru,

I went back to the beginning of this thread and re-read the guidelines, but could you please give us an example of a combat post?  This is all still pretty new to me.

Thanks!

Go to http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/roadalelands/

join the group - it will send me an RTJ and I can then give you access. Once inside the webpage you will see a section on the left called Files.. there I have combat maps and pictures to enhance the gaming experience.

Let me know if you have any problems.

Here you go. Hope this helps. It is a recent combat I did with my RoA Underdark group. I have posted a combat map we used to help make things a little clearer.

As Lazarus slowly moved to his feet on Yupa's command the party tensed, weapons ready and pointed toward the darkness just outside the magic glow of the sunrods. The light cast weird, twisting and undulating shadows in the cavern and the drip, drip, drip of the water falling from the stalactites only accentuated the feeling of dread that began to descend upon the group. Each in their own way felt the weight of the Underdark closing in on them.

Then the skittering was heard just to their right, near the cavern wall where their light just barely touched. A massive shadow suddenly appeared there; hunched and four legged, with a huge head and wide fangs.


OOC
Roll Initative everyone.

Insert all OCC stuff i.e rolls and mechanics to me in a private line.

Distance:
Enemy is 60 feet

Remember for those with normal vision and using Sunrods 0- 30feet is full light, 31-60 feet is shadowy (so miss chance exists on attacks - I will roll for these)

Those with Lowlight vision double the range i.e 0-60ft full, 61-120 feet shadowy

Those with darkvision have perfect vision to 60 feet (shadowy not effecting them) but nothing more.


Now it is the posts from the players to me about what there actions are.



Aegis, upon seeing the creature, runs up to it, flail at the ready, armor clanking. Running, his armor clanking, and his flail waving menacingly, Aegis's image of terror was perfected. His companions, who had seen his face beneath the mask, had trouble realizing that this charging menace was the same man who had spoken to them before about comeraderie.

[Aegis rolled 11 using 1d20. Initiative.]

[Aegis runs at triple his speed, which is 20, to a total of 60, bringing him right up to the beast. I'm hoping it's not too bad, or that Ianthe covers well with her bow :)]


Vintar Morin
Coming out of his semi-reverie, Vintar is suprised by the enormousness of the cliff rising before them all. A small frown is apparent upon his face, though he does not make any more the the situation. I knew those last two days were too easy... he thinks to himself. He is again suprised as Azzedar, who he had thought was not paying close attention to the situation at hand, suddenly announces the presence of a possible hostile. Vintar twirls around, trying to discern the creatures location, but stops himself as it reveals itself. Well, this doesn't get any better. He closes his eyes and prepares before launching himself, in much the same fashion as Aegis, at the fanged menace, his fists striking out for it's body.

[Vintar Morin rolled 8 using 1d20+2. Initiative.
Vintar Morin rolled 18 using 1d20+6. Attack (+2 from charge added).
Vintar Morin rolled 3 using 1d8+2. Damage.]


Azzedar
Azzedar slowly detaches from the shadows, which he had grown so accostomed too, and slowly makes his way toward the creature. He aims the bolt directly at the creature, but it seems the light got in the tieflings eye and messed with his concentration.

[Move: Move toward the creature until he can see it or he has walked 30 feet, whichever comes first.
Standard: Fire Crossbow
Free: Detach from shadows
Azzedar rolled 2 using 1d8. Light Crossbow Damage.
Azzedar rolled 7 using 1d20+4. Light Crossbow Attack.
Azzedar rolled 23 using 1d20+4. Initiative.]


Ianthe Silversong
Ianthe smiles darkly as the fanged creature comes into sight - not a pleasant smile, but an angry one.

"Begone, foul creature," she says, her voice clear and strong, a warning.

She lowers her bow and seems to be casting a spell. Those who can see far enough into the darkness suddenly notice a sword spring into being and attack the creature. It shimmers silver as it dances around the fanged head in the shadowy light of the sunrod.

Ianthe looks on with a fierce expression. Her eyes glitter with intense concentration, seeming to reflect the sword that is prodding the creature back into the darkness.

"You have been warned."

[Ianthe casts Spiritual Weapon. The sword takes the shape of a Bastard Sword (Eilistraee's favored weapon) and attacks with a +5 modifier (+2 BaB, +3 cleric's wis), Dmg (1d8+1/3 cleric levels). It lasts for 3 rounds.

Ianthe Silversong rolled 4 using 1d8+1. SW Damage.
Ianthe Silversong rolled 16 using 1d20+5. BS Attack.
Ianthe Silversong rolled 14 using 1d20+2. Initiative.]


Clarus
Clarus picks up a rock and casts light on it and throws it in the general direction of the creature.  This should give those without darkvision the ability to fight the creature.




Pumilia Tundar
"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Pumilia, following her intricate battle plan, the same as every one of her intricate battle plans, charges at the beast, knowing that as she approached, her eyes would reveal more of the creature, and it's weakness would reveal itself to her. Her shield and axe already out, she makes a final leap just as she nears the beast, hoping the extra lung will drive the axe deeper.[Charge the beast. Knowledge: Dungeoneering of 17 to identify the beast. Jump the last 10 feet, success at 12. 9 to hit with Garurtundar, not Kurikosj] Although her lunge is accurate, her axe blow is far from it, and it barely misses the carapace of the beast, but just barely.


Yupa
Yupa attempts to get Lazarus to move faster.


Kotty Rubius
Kotty draws his dagger and weaves into the shadow to prepare for a later sneak attack.

[Kotty Rubius rolled 35 using 1d20+16. Hide. ]
[Kotty Rubius rolled 19 using 1d20+14. Move Silently. ]
[Kotty Rubius rolled 15 using 1d20+4. INIT.]
--------------

After they had given me their actions (and seeing that none of their actions were made redundant by players higher in the initiative order I asked some of them in a PM to make will saves and those who were moving more than normal speed to make balance checks.

What they did not know was they were fighting a Silent Image, an illusion of a creature, and by attacking it they were interacting with the weak magic and had the potential to disbelief it. As it turned out none did so they all thought it was real.

Also, due to the uneven and rocky floor, anyone who moved faster than normal would potentially put their foot in a crack and stop dead or fall over completely. Several of them did as they failed their balance checks.

Once I received these last special rolls I did my 'wrap up' of the round. See below
------------------


Azzedar once more became visible, his crossbow raised ready to fire. With a gentle squeeze of the trigger the bolt flew straight and true towards the deadly looking shadow. Then he watched in dumbfounded surprise as the bolt flew through the creature, shattering against the wall behind it and apparently causing it no harm to it at all. What devilry was this?
[Attack successful. No damage. Will Save failed!]

Kotty ducked into the darkness, his home away from home. With gentle, slow steps the halfling tried to move through the cavern using the stalagmites as cover. He moved like a predator stalking its prey, steady and silent. Perhaps he might be able to come up on their enemy unnoticed and strike deep and quick into a vital spot with his dagger.
[Move Silently and trying to remain hidden limits your speed to half. If you want to move full speed it’s a -5 penalty. At the moment I will assume you are moving at half which means it will take you until the end of round 2 to reach your target. Then you can strike. Will Save not applicable due to current circumstances]

Ianthe’s gift manifested itself into a brilliantly crafted spiritual bastard sword, the blade twinkling as if a thousand stars on a moonlit night had been trapped inside its length. The blade rose and fell on her command, cleaving through the blackness of the shadow but she, like Azzedar moments before, was struck dumb by the lack of damage her attack did to the creature. In fact it seemed to have done none at all, as if the force weapon had no strength to harm it. It was unheard of! Even those of the spirit realm felt the bite of such a divinely infused blade. Somehow this monster resisted its effect and that made it more dangerous than ever.
[Attack successful. No damage. Will Save failed!]

Aegis took off as fast as he could to reach the monster, his armour slowing him but his eagerness to battle their now visible enemy forcing him along. He did not see the large crack in the ground as he began to run forward, at least not until it was too late. He barely got five feet before his plated boot slipped into the crack and he stopped dead in his tracks, the steel of his leg armour screeching horribly as it took all the forward momentum of his run. It was only that steel that saved him from breaking his leg. The fighter struggled to free his foot as the others joined the battle around him.
[Balance check failed! You can’t move this round but will be free for the next. Will Save not applicable due to current circumstances]

Vintar also charged into battle, unencumbered by armour and nimble as a fox. Not nimble enough, as he found out a few seconds later. He felt his foot give way as it hooked on a small outcropping of rock in the floor and the monk plunged to the floor face first, his only saving grace was that his reflexes were good enough for him to cushion his fall so he didn’t hurt himself.  Somehow it was becoming clear to the party that speed was not an asset in the uneven floored chambers of the Underdark!
[Balance roll failed by more than 5. Fall! Prone!. Will Save not applicable due to current circumstances]

Across the chamber Yupa managed to get Lazarus moving with a certain amount of speed up the slick cliff face. The large beasts sticky feet latched on to the rocky surface and hauled its bulk up the wall with a remarkable ease, even given the nearly three hundred pounds of weight on its back. Unfortunately Yupa, with no saddle to hang on to or rope to tie him in, was not strong enough to hold onto Lazarus and fell off the back of the lizard onto the hard cavern floor. Lazarus continued to make his way up the cliff face as ordered.
[STR check failed! Ride check successful!]

Pumilia got a lot further than Aegis did but her jumping strike was going to be her downfall, literally. As she pushed off with one foot it slipped in the water of a puddle as she leapt forth. It was just enough to send her careening off to one side and, as she spun in mid air, she lost her sense of perspective for a moment. Suddenly floor became ceiling and ceiling became floor. Then her body hit the hard surface of the cavern floor and the wind was knocked right out of her lungs. Worst still was she was still a distance from her enemy and flat on her back.
[Balance roll failed by more than 5. Fall! Prone! Will Save not applicable due to current circumstances]

Clarus watched all this chaos even as his reached down to pick up a rock and cast his magic upon it. The glow was not as strong as that of the sun rods but it would do much to banish the shadows from around the even blacker shadow of their enemy. He pulled his arm back and threw. It was still in flight as the battle continued apace.
[Will Save failed! BTW: Picking up stone is a Move equivalent action and casting a spell is a Standard. To throw would be another Standard, so it’ll have to hit next round. You'll have a full round of action in round two just to make it easier.]

The beastly shadow simply stood there in a threatening crouch as silent as death. For some reason it did not attack, a blessing perhaps for those who were caught in cracks or on the ground from slipping.


OOC combat rolls:
Initiative order (highest to lowest):
Azzedar
Kotty
Ianthe
Aegis
Vintar
Yupa (and Lazarus)
Pumilia
Clarus

Map has been posted on yahoo. The bright area you see on it is the 30 foot full light. There is a second glow around Clarus as that comes from the 20 foot glow of his ‘light on rock’ spell. The slightly darker areas are shadowy illumination.  Outside of that is complete blackness (or full visiblity for the remaining limit of anyone's darkvision.)

The rises with slightly different, coppery look are stalagmites (coming from the floor and rising to ceiling).

The glow stick at the moment is on the ground. Decide after this combat who will carry it for the rest of your journey. Otherwise I’ll simply assign it randomly.

Vintar you’re the one with lowlight so treat upto 60 foot as full light and 61-120 foot as shadowy. Lucky for you , with a light source you have the best vision in the party.

Round 2 actions please :)


Hope that helps show how combat run. Don't stress.. we'll muddle through them just fine :)

Thanks.  That was exactly what I needed to see.

By the way, thanks for the sword.  Happy Birthday ROA!

Thanks for the lighter armor.  Now I'll be able to heal folks without as much fear of failing!

No problems.. we DM's at RoA are grateful to have such great players!

Valinor: ? I thought Spell Failure is limited to arcane spells.

Yep your correct Melisandre. Divine spellcasting has the wonderful ability to ignore armour failures. One of the reasons I play a lot of clerics.

Was that what you were talking about Valinor?

Hi all,

I'll wait for Vella to post and then move you along.

Well then, that's good to know!
Valinor starts wearing a name-tag.  "cleric newbie"

Hi again

If Vella hasn't posted in the next eight hours I'll move everyone along anyway. I'm not sure where she might be.. perhaps RL got in the way (as it sometimes does)
Hang in there...

In response to your IC question about roleplaying some scenes out I, for one, don't mind at all.  But I'd like to keep everything in moderation.  The NPC interaction and the interactions among the group are top notch and I love it.  I just don't want to spend too long in one place (not that we have).  That being said Hidari buys the following items:

2 Daggers:               4gp
Cold weather outfit:     8gp
Winter Blanket:          5sp

Travelling on an adventure with friends: Priceless

Sorry, I couldn't resist.  :0)

lol...

If everyone lets me know about rp'ing with NPC's (shopping etc) asap I will get a good gauge on how much interaction is good for the overall enjoyment of the game.

No problems with buying those items.. adjust your money if you haven't already

:)

Depends. If it's a major undertaking (someone commissioning a new magical item or something of the sort), I imagine that it should be RP'd out. Obtaining standard PHB goods probably doesn't need to be.

Now, Meli would go for cold-weather clothing and leave it at that. Updating the sheet.

Valinor already has a winter blanket so he buys some cold-weather clothing (fitted for dwarves of course).  Can I get a break on weight or price considering only 1/2 the material is used?  :-)

my encumbrance is now over into the next category :-(

Unfortunately no break in price or material. Though dwarves are not on average as tall as humans or elves they are stocker. They are still considered medium sized thus same prices.

Sorry

hehe, that's ok I was only being 1/2 serious anyways.
(get it? HALF-serious.  i crack myself up.  I guess it would be funnier if I was a halfling)

lol :)

Sorry Folks

I had an attack on Thursday night, and went into the emergency room on Friday morning.  Had an operation, and now I am without a gall bladder.  I got out of the hospital on Sunday evening, but RPoL was down for me until just now.

I am fine, healing well, and will go back to have the staples holding my lyposcopic incisions together removed next Monday.  Again - I am fine and am already eating solid food.

Welcome back Vella.  Good to see you are recovering well.

Thanks.

I haven't caught up again on the IC threads, I'll try after school tomorrow, as it is to late tonight.

Hi Vella,

You keep yourself well rested and well fed. Keys to healing!

Glad to hear everything is getting better :)

I wish I could cast a 'heal light wounds' on you but that's just make-believe (or so my shrink says).

Thanks all.

I wish I could have had the CLW on Thursday.  The slight discomfort from the staples is nothing to that.

And I'm finally reading the adventure thread here.  I was banished from RPoL for 5 whole days, and this is my newest game, so it's the last one I tried to catch up on.

Unfortunatly, it's also MUCH the fastest-paced - you people post up a storm!

Hopefully now I can catch up and keep up.

well!

I finally finished reading the thread, and I really wish I'd been around to post, because now all your characters seem more real to me than my own.

I posted some stuff to DM Humoru, but now I have to figure out a good 'opening' post, almost like I'm new again.

*real life sucks, especially real life with 'full liquid diets' and 'no heavy lifting'

well, maybe that last one isn't so bad...

No! You got that sweet pic! Your's is more real than mine ever could be. (Unless I learn how to draw real quick!)

Thanks Tam, I never really check the pics.
You are all great writers.

I made a proposal IC - here's my reasons.

OOC: I think the party is:
Hidari
Knitsu
Laeren Soothsayer
Maeva Brightleaf
Melisandre d'Elbraec
Tamika
Valinor
Vella Mlennan

Melisandre alrady has a horse, and Knitsu can easily ride with any one of us.
(sorry Hidari, but a pony would slow us down alot, if the horses arn't overloaded)
Six light horse with riding saddles comes to 510 gp, almost the same as the 400 cash Nerval was offering - and I bet he wouldn't have to shell out the 510 gp either.
I for one couldn't get a horse and saddle even with the extra 50 gp.

This message was last edited by the player at 04:30, Thu 11 Nov 2004.

OK, sounds good.  But you know I have a light warhorse, right?

nope
I missed it if you said anything in all those pages of dialog.

Knitsu's the short one - and I don't think he'd be a big fan of sharing a saddle with someone. (Call it a hunch.)

Maeva's never been on a horse in her /life/ - although she's probably got a better chance of convincing the beast to 'play nice' with her than most.. Maybe. If I get /really/ good Animal Empathy rolls..  ^^
And Humoru? I'll sort out a shopping list. Excluding the possible horse. I'll get that to you in a day or so ...

OK gang.  Going to Montreal tomorrow for the next couple days.  It's for work so I will be bringing my laptop and will be able to post but not with as much frequency as I'd like.  I'll do my best to keep up.  If I don't it will be in keeping with my "strong silent type" image.  :)

Hi all,

We'll it was abusy day posting for you all yesterday wasn't it. Well done!

I have replied to all and just read some of the stuff above.

As for general riding it never becomes a problem until you have to do something unusual with the your mount. You can have some roleplaying the first few days of saddle soreness though :)

Any shopping lists need to be to me for final approval before you head off. Otherwise you won't get them. I leave that with you. Send asap and I'll check over them.

Hidari, I'll leave the 'strong silent type' thing going and won't answer for you in game as you seem like you can post on the odd occassion while your away. Enjoy Montreal!

dang!  I spent 20 minutes writing a post, only to be upstaged by an NPC!

Oops...

The wonders of play by post...

Mind you, yours was a lot more specific :)

Could have been worse, Vella - you could have been upstaged by another PC! ^.~

Sorry, never played a dwarf before.  Do I like horses?

Maybe with some ketchup.

Just kidding...I crack myself up sometimes. :0)

Depends on the dwarf? As a group, they do tend to prefer to go by foot, but I've yet to meet one who /didn't/ ride or choose another, swifter, mode of transportation than walking, if the occasion calls for it.

Yes, the typical dwarf is keen on the foot but they, for the most part, don't mind warponies or warhorses. Both will carry them with ease.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the GM at 16:54, Thu 11 Nov 2004.

I think it's 5 horses and a pony.
Didn't you say Melissa had a horse already?

Melisandre, Meava, Laeren, Vella, Valinor and Tamika... one pony for Knitsu.

I can't remember seeing mention of anyone but Hidari having a horse.

Was there?

EDIT - I see where the confusion. I put Melissa rather than Melisandre.. my bad!
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:05, Thu 11 Nov 2004.

I thought Melisandre said she had a horse

that might do it.. oh well.. can always correct ;)

Folks,

Before you head off for the adventure you might wanbt to consider the following:

Marching order.

Watch order.

Let me know asap. I think you worked out marching but if someone could just email me OCC a list that would be great. Same for watches.

Thank you!

OK.  I think the marching order is going to look something like this:

1. Me and Tamika about 75 - 100yds in front of main body and on either side of the path of travel of the main body

2. Melisandre, Valinor, Maeva, Vella, and Melissa in main body

3. Knitsu and Laeren about 75 - 100yds rear and on either side of the path of travel of the main body

We can do watch in the same order in groups of two for two hours.  This will give everyone about 6 hours of sleep.  The other option is one hour shifts for each individual which would give 7 hours of sleep but I don't recommend this option.  What do you guys think?

That depends on how rigidly "rest" is interpreted - remember, a spellcaster needs 8 hours thereof to regain spells. If it interferes with "watch", then there's a problem.

What about individuals for two hours, and exempt the casters from watch duty so they can sleep?

I'm OK with that Knitsu.  Sorry Mel, forgot about that little issue with casters.

I guess I didn't make myself too clear here - Humoru? Does standing/sitting watch interfere with getting rest?

Rest:
To prepare her daily spells, a wizard must first sleep (this should really say rest) for 8 hours. The wizard does not have to slumber for every minute of the time, but she must refrain from movement, combat, spellcasting, skill use, conversation, or any other fairly demanding physical or mental task during the rest period.

If the character does not need to sleep for some reason, she still must have 8 hours of restful calm before preparing any spells.

Now the question then becomes is taking a watch restful activity and the answer is No.. because ultimately taking watch involves a skill roll(s) - listen and spot. However there is nothing to say they cannot rest for 6 hours , get up and take a watch, then go back to sleep for two hours. It states nowhere in the rules that the 8 hours of rest be consecutive. However it does state that spells if a wizard has cast spells recently, the drain on her resources reduces her capacity to prepare new spells. When she prepares spells for the coming day, all the spells she has cast within the last 8 hours count against her daily limit. That is why most people take 3 hour shifts at watch (when an average party is 4 people) to ensure that the 8hour limit doesn't apply.

There are rules saying a wizard must have at least 1 hour of uninterrupted rest immediately prior to preparing her spells., a bard/sorceror 15 minutes concentrating (A bard must sing, recite, or play an instrument of some kind while concentrating) and a cleric/druid etc chooses and prepares spells ahead of time, just as a wizard does but does not require a period of rest to prepare spells. Instead, they choose a particular part of the day to pray and receive spells. But that is all.

I have always played it with watches as I put above.. rest for a period, take watch and then back to rest. Thats how it is here.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:42, Fri 12 Nov 2004.

OK.  If that's the case it looks like we should take Plan B and let all the casters crash for the night, which is cool with me.

Or make sure they get their 8 hours of sleep, at least.

Vella will stand a watch.  She gets up an hour before dawn every day to pray and prepare for the coming light.  So She usually likes to get to bed early.  But like Humoru said - the 8 hours doesn't have to be continuous (within reason I guess)

Hi all,

I'm heading for some well earned rest so will be back in about 6-7 hours. Any equipment lists need to be to me by then and I will move you along (i.e Nerval will return with horses) and try and settle march and watch orders too.

See you then. Have fun without me :)

Well I am awake and I have posted the move along.

All equipment that was sent to me has been fully approved. Can you please adjust your charcter sheets accordingly and don't forget your horses/pony.

Hidari - an order has been placed for your item. It will be ready by the time you return fromt his adventure.

You have to collect your winter clothes and be on your way. I have posted thge Dalelands map to give you some sense of the direction you'll be heading.

Don't forget the marching order and watch.

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES!

Note: Valinor is in the habit of getting his prayer/spell-time in at dawn.

So is Vella.
In fact Lathander requires dawn prayer for spells.

I see both of you kneeling side by side and praying... what a beautiful sight ;)

Thank you.

I'm glad we could take yoru mind off the thought of Melissa, naked, running lithely through the snow.

When are there going to be cute, interesting male NPC's in the dales?

What... you didn't see them running naked across the snow next to Melissa?

nope

Valinor averts his eyes and awaits the neked dwarves.

no dwarf is ever naked.. too much hair. They have permanent winter clothes

Stop, you might be turning him on.  I bet Valinor likes his women short and hairy with beautiful dwarven beards.

if she did i'd be willing to... wha? why are you all staring at me? dont tell me you didnt think of that too? Just joooking.

Woill Endure Elements have any benefit to my horse or anyone in the pary, since we are now dressed correctly?

Horses yes... party no.

Mind you horse do get Endurance Feat bonuses but still... its a long ride.

I'll save it for if the weather gets really bad, or an emergency.

I have just done your Xp - check the adventure thread.

Enjoy!

What is the wind direction?  if it's blowing into our backs, it'd be a lot more pleasant than if it was blowing in from the north

Very good question...

East to west

:)

Making camp at Highsun, Hidari? Noon's a time for a break, yes, but not to settle down for the night...

D'oh.  I misread that.  Are we there yet? :0)
This message was last edited by the player at 20:28, Wed 17 Nov 2004.

*chuckle* No, we aren't. ^^

Humoru, Yahoo is pitching fits at me about download limits. Considering Maeva and I are running a small web server anyway, we could offer you space to put the RoA files. Without pesky download limits and other pains in the hindquarters. Interested?

Sounds great ... what do you want me to do?

Hi all I'm going to be in the mountains of Pennsylvania this weekend.  Internet connection will probably be nil.  Have a good one.

Damage done - so we might as well get as much info as we can, ne?

Agreed.  No worries here.

Hi folks,

Just a quick note to say I like to give everyone at least a chance to post once in a 24 hour period before I do... except weekends where its 48 hours. Given it is thanksgiving for some I am working weekend times so do be worried if things are a little slower - I try to accomodate without losing too much pace as much as I can.

Cheers

Put the temple map up on http://www.turriff.net/roa/mdtemple.png

Hmmm... I don't see my picture on that map of the temple

It's there.. to the right of Hidari. I used the bigger picture you had in your character description rather than the portrait in your profile area.

ah!
I feel silly for not recognizing it.

lol... happens to all of us. ;)

My nephew is visiting us for Thanksgiving, and I was trying to get him to notice that my character's name in this game is part of my real name cleverly reaarranged.  He looked at it for a second and said, "U Stink.  Very funny."  My mouth dropped open.

I hadn't intended that.  For those of you who have already noticed it, I apologize.    For those of you who hadn't noticed yet, keep moving.  Nothing to see here.

That's funny.  Speaking of names, I've been wondering if the DM Humoru is DM Humor U.  Any comments Mr. H?

haha, drunk and passed out.
that'll teach me to check the boards more often...

happy thanksgiving all (anyone who celebrates it that is).

The name actually came from my constant mispelling of the word Humour with my tabletop group. We invented an entire character called Humoru around it... the fat god of humour and his celestial assassin kangaroos...

AH....HA!!!!!!....._{I was close......I think....}

Don't forget I am waiting for you to confirm spot/listen checks for watches before doing a move along.

Send them through ingame or OOC asap...

thanks

:)

Back, i was left without computer acess for a week all of a sudden.

Valinor is passing on the spot check right?  He wouldn't be much of a lookout tonight.

I would say that is a fair estimate of the situation oh imbider of the holy ale

Hm. Laeren, you playing the Commando Mouse in another game?

Folks...

Just to let you know Tamika will be NPC from now on and may be out of the game for good. RL things have come up for her. I wish her well and hope she is able to return in the near future.

Cheers

Hi all,

Just waiting for Laeren to post. If he hasn't in the next three hours (the 24 hour limit) I'll NPC him and we'll move on.

:)

Laeren, we need to coordinate, because my Inspire Allies ability from the Nobility domain does the same thing as Inspire Courage, only for more things and at +2, but it is also a morale bonus and doesn't stack with Inspire Courage.  I'm too busy to use it for now anyway, but for later, we should all compare abilities and tactics...

oh yeah sorry, and yeah i play the commando mouse. Hehe sorry Humorous i just dont know where to come in. I dunno what happened so im pretty confused and i couldnt read that much yesterday. I was pretty tired pretty stuffed and almost ganna puke. christmas parties, ahhhhhhh.....

Thought that was you, Laeren. *grin*

Sorry folks.. a last minute çover another's workload'thing has come up and I will be unable to post until Friday. Only just found out about it and incredible apologises to all, especially in the middle of a battle.

Rest assured come Friday I will be back with a vengance (so to speak)...

See you then!

work comes first - how else are you going to be able to buy new d&d books?

Gah....oh the suspense!!  Just kidding...do what you gotta do, we'll be here on Friday.  :)

It looks like everyone has posted.
Laeren stopped singing and cast a spell, and the rest of us have posted.

I changed my action because my audience was attacked, but I was told as long as the DM hadn't posted, this was OK?

Oh Great DM Humoru, is there a chance for another round of combat this weekend?

Speaking of which, what does Perform: Oratory do anyway?  I must admit, it was an interesting tact.  Just wondering.

Was using the Enthrall spell.
The perform check was just to help me compose my speach.  It was pretty bad, but the quality of the speach really has no effect on the spell.

It's pretty clear to me that you guys are great posters. Given I am all for majority rule weekend combat will go to once a day like everything else from now on!

New round coming out in about an hour. Oh I can here the groans of suspense from here!....

I just wish Tamika would wake up.. but when you fail the rolls you fail the rolls..

A question:

How did they manage to close the door without using a move action, with the dead dwarf in the way?

The only ones to close the door was the one fighting with Hidari in the south of the room. They did use a move action to close door and traded their standard action for another move action to tumble away. As for the other door with the body its not closed.

Hrh. Wondrous.

Sorry - I thought it was clear enough in the post. Bottom door closed, top door blocked and open... go get em.. or water... or help... or a magazine...

;)
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:38, Sun 05 Dec 2004.

For the moment, help and water. Probably in that order, too - I have this mental picture of Meli running down the temple halls screaming bloody murder.

lol... don't forget everyone that we are still in initiative (combat)... unless you want me to just assume they got away... hint, hint, nudge, nudge.

I think we have more important problems than chasing them down. Certainly, Meli is /not/ going to look for a fight.

Oh BTW Meli.. you do remember Volamtar Steeljaw mentioning wash rooms etc to the west...
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:58, Sun 05 Dec 2004.

/After/ I know help is coming. No, I'm not silly enough to /follow/ our attackers.

There's that high intelligence shining through

:)

I hate to see them get away with murder, but we have a person down, spells used up, and a fire to control...

I wonder if the celestial dog has the track feat?

It's celestial and a dog so has SR - ER, Darkvision, Scent and Track.

Nice really :)

Sic 'em boy....go get em!!

That's the problem with celestial dogs.  You take the time to get to know them and love them and train them not to pee on your floor and then they are gone in "Duration: 1 round/level."

yeah
not alot of time to track something down.

Are we using the Variant rule about summoned creatures?  where it is always the same specific being when you cast a certain spell?

Actually I never heard of that rule? Any DnD book 3.5 that includes that variant? If so point me to it and I'll bring up at DM Council.

:)

BTW folks,

I wasn't kidding about whether you want to let them go or not. It'll make the difference in the next post... especially for Maeva. You tell me, I'll run by rounds until you tell me to stop. I have had issues with players in the past that I stopped combat with fleeing enemies before they wanted me too so I don't want to have history repeat.

Let me know :)

It's a sidebar on Page 37 of the 3.5 DMG

Excellent Vella..

<DM Humoru heads for the tomes, a glint in his eye!>

Vella is busy with Maeva, so I'm out of any pursuit.
But like I said, I hate that they are getting away.

I totally agree Vella but I wouldn't want to cut off my nose to spite my face.  DM Humoru could you please be a bit more specific on the size of the fire and what it will take to get it under control?  If everyone has the fire under control I'd give chase but I don't want to do it at th expense of a party member.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:47, Sun 05 Dec 2004.

Never mind.  We got two unconscious and at Death's dorr.  I'd say that warrants our attention.  What's with the dwarf....that's the second time he's passed out tonight?  Just kidding, hang in there Valinor I'm on the way.

And someone already /is/ going for help - no sense sending 5 people to get assistance.

I am waiting for Laeren to post (he still has a few hours) and then we'll break from combat. Good news is you'll get XP. Bad news is the baddies get away. Such is the decisions we make and those thrust upon us...

Meli - where are you going to look for help?

Since we're going out of battle, I'll trust the healer(s) in the party to be able to stabilize Maeva and Valinor in time and go alert the neighbours. With any luck, there'll be enough hands to extinguish the fire in time...

cool.. just helps me with the write up...

Cheers

:)

I'm looking forward to the condition summary in that post as much as anything.

Before I made my post, I read the description of the web spell.  I think a strength check of DC20 is required to pull those guys out of the web.  But it's the DM's call ultimately.

Good point.  However, I thought the lightning bolt lit the webs on fire, which burnt them down and disolved them to some degree.  I'm not sure if they can be on fire and retain their integrity but as you said, it's the DM's call.  Speaking of lightning, did Tamika sleep through the lightning bolt and accompanying thunder?  If so, I don't want to be the one to try and wake her up!!! :-)

I think the webs are gone, according to the DM description, they burnt away.
I think those caught in the web tooks some extra damage from the burning?

I can only be sure of Maeva - but I would say it's probably a safe bet. ^^

*tilts head* I think Maeva is going to have /issues/ with spellcasters in red after this debacle... O.o

Oh I think we are all looking for some payback.  Especially you two guys.  I'm sure Valinor would like a piece of that caster.  *Hidari pokes Valinor*...wake up man....this ain't funny no more :-)

Ooooh yeah.  It's personal now.  If Valinor mistakenly catches a glimpse of red riding hood and starts pounding on her, you'll know why.  "sorry miss, thought you were someone else..."

Edited for nonsense.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:42, Tue 07 Dec 2004.

Haha...I like that.  I've been there, where the fingers move faster than the brain.

lol.. me too.

Whats the deal DM Humoru?

You log on, but ignore us?

*crys buckets*

Sorry everyone for the delay. It was my wifes birthday yesterday and our one year anniversary of moving to a new job in a new country and my mother sprng a big surprise on us on Wed. She took us away to a six star resort as a pressie. A private villa that could only be gotten to by boat, all the luxury's you could hope for (except to my eternal disappointment internet connections) and a great big bed you could fit fifty people in with feather pillows bigger than I (thats 6 foot 3)... all  of which occured with a hours notice and no time to notify ytou all.

For that I give you all 300XP for being so patient. I feel great, as does my wife on her special occassion, so I feel like sharing the love!

My brother is in Iraq, and gets to go to some isand once a year or so (he's been there almost 3 years now)  Baharan?  something like that?

Is that where you went?

Bahrain is a great place! Haven't had a chance to go but would liek to soon.

Where I went was a private island of the coast of the UAE. The hotel was brilliant and the weather perfect. I need a week to recover from the weekend (our weekends here are Thu/Fri).. :)

No worries.  If one cannot enjoy himself once in a while....what good is he after all.  But I will take the xp nonetheless.  :0)

Hi folks,

I am going to use the variant rule in the sidebar page 37 that Vella pointed out. Read up on it and use from now on. I think it adds some flavour and flexibility to things.

Excellent.  I will dub our celestial dog Monte, after my real-life dog.
:-)

Yay Monte


what a gooood doggie.  yes you are...

For a moment I thought you were going to say you were naming him Monte after your favorite RPG author...

for the record
Vella is not a fighter, and doesn't carry herself as one.  She swung once in the last fight, and got lucky, rolling a natural 20, which she wasn't even able to confirm as a crit.

She has no fighter levels, barely knows how to use her staff as anything but a walking stick, and she is as weak as a kitten, which would be obvious too all IC as her mithral shirt and winter clothing actually put her over her limit for the 'light' weight category, and slow her down by a third.

gah...I better go change my post.

What would be scary is if I named my RL dog after Monte Cook.  (which I did not by the way).

That's to whom I was referring.  I hear conflicting reports on whether or not he's a nice guy.

Everyone:  I will be away from my computer Wednesday through Sunday, attending a professional conference in Chicago.  If the hotel room has one of those internet-on-your-television thingies and it isn't too expensive, I might possibly post while I'm there.  (I'm pretty cheap, so don't count on it.)

PM

Let me know if you want me to move along - that is if you don't want to do it ingame by saying goodbye etc etc. Also let me know which path you want to take specifically so I can write it up correctly.

In game might be better than OOC discussion here but I'll leave up to you.

:)

I wanted to make sue I wasn't able to tell the girls apart after then did thier thing, with the 22 roll I had

Nope, the job is more than a match for the keenest eye - if they didn't speak you'd never tell...

I wouldn't mind moving along but I still need those vials identified by somebody......anybody....Bueller?

I tryed to ID them for you Hidari, but no go.
I'd like to see the game move on.  Is there any more business we need to do here with the dwarves?

No problem.  I'm sure the powerful dwarven clerics at this temple could identify them for me.  *hint...hint*

I also vote to move on.
Restik is the Clan elder, I'm not sure he's a magically inclined person (I could be wrong).  Also aren't we back at the Inn now?

No arguments here..

That's cool with me but I still have a few vials of.......????

Hi,

Sorry about delay in XP - I had a brain fry and forgot the day. Xmas parties are addling my brain.

Speaking of which I will fully understand if posting rates reduce slightly over the Xmas/New Year period. Here though the country I live in doesn't celebrate Xmas all the ex-pats do and I have a few lined up myself. That will mean that perhaps, just perhaps, I might be a little late on posting each day - I usually post twice a day if I can - but I shall keep things ticking along. I don't expect the same of you given the bigger celebrations I suspect you all hold compared to ours.

Still, Xams and roleplaying while egg-nogged to the eyeballs can sometimes be quite fun so feel free :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:04, Thu 16 Dec 2004.

Hi all,

Just FYI

In game I am typing for Melissa under Melisandre's name because that's who she looks like.

Meli is typing her speech as Melissa.

:)

*grins* And Maeva's just going to refer to them both as 'Mel' until they reach wherever they're going... ^.~

Can we replace the spells cast in the battle?

I just got through praying the morning...

I had a look at the time for everyone when the attack occured and I'm going to allow the spells to be refreshed as you did get the rest you needed.

Enjoy - I'm in a Xmas mood today and pressies all around...

thanks

Hello everyone.  I'm back from Chicago.  The pizza is good but the weather is crappy.  Glad to see you are all still alive.  See you in the IC thread!

Mmmmmmmm....piiiizzzaaaa

So if I undertand the positioning correctly it looks something like this:

-----------------------------------

Road

-----------------------------------


                 X hooded figure





                 O Us




                 X Something making noise

 So if we cut to the right and run parallel to the road we will be running parallel to them without engaging them.  Is this correct?

I think this is the layout...
(not really sure)

the lone figure is to our right - between us and the road?
the footsteps are ahead?

hehe Hidari
simul-posts

I think you map is pretty close - I know the "dozen making noise" is in our path of travel - which I thought was parallel to the road?

Actually Hidari has it right.

Let me put a map together to help.

Give me twenty!

who is our designated "meat wall"?  I have some buffs for him/her.

Either yahoo's playing silly buggers again, or you've removed the file - either way, no map on Yahoo... o.O

yahoo's toast...trying again

'mutter, mutter.. friggin yahoo, mutter mutter'

If no one else is claiming it I think it might be me.

Looks like your needed Meat Wall...

I prefer meatshield myself but what the heck...I probably won't survive this encounter anyway.  :)  I'm too tired to think straight right now(it's 1:10AM where I'm at).  I'll post my actions first thing in the morning.

I've never had a problem looking at the maps and pics in the yahoo group

I find it works better when the file I want to look at is /there/ - which it wasn't last night. *shrugs*
Yahoo...

Maps up... wohoo!

Yippie!!!

I still do the same action, only add "stand from prone" as a move action.

My post has been edited too.  It basically says Hidari is calling this #@$%$#%#5 every name in the book as he just sits there paralyzed.  GRrrr.....

those creeps have some sleep and ghost sound coming right up.

*Hidari mentally cheers from the sidelines as the action happens around him*

Sorry about that Hidari... mentally impale them all you like!

Valinor - can you just confirm your actions for me. Are you sticking with the same actions or something else... cheers :)

Just a quick note to say Happy Holidays everyone. Have fun!

Yes...Happy Holidays everyone!!

Knitsu didn't understand the strange holiday custom, but he could tell it was significant to those for whom it held meaning.  Why they considered "Frosty the Snowman" or "Jingle Bells" to be Christmas songs when they never mentioned Christmas or Santa eluded the misplaced Ghostwise.  The mysterious connection between Santa Claus and the baby in the manger must be one of the religious mysteries he, as an outsider, would never learn.

Firm to his committment to fit in, he held his breath and forced down another glass of the thick pasty substance curiously named Egg Nog.  With great effort, he smiled and looked at everyone. "Delicious."  [02:08, Today: Knitsu rolled 0 using 1d20-1. Bluff ]

HEY! knock it off or i am making you one of the easter bunnies helpers... oh wait that would make you dm humorous' helper.

I'm not a hundred percent sure how to take that Laeren.

As for combat just waiting for Maeva and Valinor to post (no rush given Xmas and Boxing Day stuff - and weekend to boot) and some clarification on another persons actions.

Then the fight moves on! <evil grin>
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:11, Sun 26 Dec 2004.

You should take it as a compliment. I've always been a big fan of mr Bunny.

Alright then... compliment it is

Hi all, I'm back from vacation (I told DM Humoru in PM I would be gone I swear).  Doing my best to catch up on reading and posting while unpacking and checking work emails!  argh.

Valinor my friend, blame not yourself. I have founbd a number of PM's gone a missing after being sent to me. All is good - though I am checking with RPOL about it..

Welcome back :)

I think I might have handled my crit threat damage roll incorrectly.
Assuming the threat was a success and I made a crit I think I should x2 my original damage roll instead of rolling twice like I did.

Anyways, theoretically that = 22hp of damage I did to the retreating dude for my AoO.

If only that was the the case Valinor. But...

A critical hit means that you roll your damage more than once, with all your usual bonuses, and add the rolls together.

but differently if you play from D20 system to D20 system, for an example in SWD20 a critical hit just goes directly to your wound points.

It's New Year's Eve where I am, so if I don't chat with any of y'all...  Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone!

Happy New Year

Happy new year.

Happy New Year

Happy (hic) New Year!!

Hi everyone,

XP has been posted - I have given two lots as we missed one of the Xmas period and I want to start the Xp off right on the first Sun of Jan so I can keep track of it.

Enjoy!

thx for the level humorous! What a lovely christmas present! Does it come in green?

PM about XP

Hi everyone,

It seems in a total brain fart your good old DM has accidently screwed up your XP. It seems I have doubled up on the temple battle XP. Apologises, sorry, shoot me now!

Here is the new XP (including the Cormanthor XP) - sorry for the hassle!


Now that I have fixed my frontal lobotomy everything should run smoothly! Please double check if you like. If you have already leveled yourself and these figures drop you back - please do not change. Simply tell me and I will reduce the next XP lot accordingly until you are even again. I caused this problem and I don't want you to rework anymore than you have to on your characters... it's easier to fix a XP change than a level change - hope that makes sense.

duh!
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:18, Mon 03 Jan 2005.

Hi everyone,

I wanted to let you know that I have decided on a change in the ways the battles run.

There are a few players who have spent a great deal of their development so far increasing their abilities to respond quickly in combat i.e initiative and I believe (upon discussion with them) they are losing out in the way I play average party initiative. Accordingly I would like to return to individual initiative.

Unless someone has a rabid objection to that I will begin this change effective next battle. Please PM me if that is the case to discuss. It will add some more work to me and a little more 'fog of war' to the PBP type game but can and does work so I am happy to take it up.

Cheers
DMH :)