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08:42, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

D&D: Generations.

Posted by NarratorFor group 0
Mittens
GM, 2505 posts
Tue 6 Nov 2018
at 04:25
  • msg #48

Re: D&D: Generations

Mittens puts up her prestidigitated sign again, though this time it read, "Adventure's Allies."

"Well yeah.  There was the story of the guy plagued with violent nightmares who'd blank out then wake up naked and near a mutilated cow.  He was a werewolf, but dismissed it as bad dreams resulting from too much drinking.

"But then there's the other tale of the guy who was just passing through trying to get away from his crazy ex wife, daughter of some noble with influence in the region.  When the locals questioned him and he dodged the questions for fear of his ex's dad no matter how hard they pressed, they assumed he was the werewolf and shanked him to death with all the silverware they could get their hands on.  Sometimes people are afraid to talk because of the potential for lynch mobs.  'Well yeah I know that my cousin's the culprit, but if I tell anyone the town will kill me too because any blood relative of the culprit is clearly an abomination that must be killed with fire.'

"Hence why problems like these can go on for months or even years before adventurers come along and catch the badguy."


Because adventurers have no qualms with breaking and entering and looting everything not nailed down so the mayor's wife screams at the unexpected intrusion into the manor, gets shot with a magic missile, transforms into a werewolf, and the adventurers are praised as heroes when they 'defend themselves' from the 'monster.'  In catfolk aren't to be trusted world, mommy cat tells little Mittens bedtime stories about the adventurers that'll getcha if you're not a good little kitten.  Not that Mittens will ever admit to being raised on the notion that Humans are monsters.

"And it's stories like these that catfolk will point to to prove that Humans are monsters you should never trust."

Welp.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:27, Tue 06 Nov 2018.
Narrator
player, 1323 posts
For narrating
and convenience
Tue 6 Nov 2018
at 23:24
  • msg #49

Re: D&D: Generations

Liberty says, "Don't know if you noticed, but Joe and I are humans, Mittens. Are you saying you don't trust us?"

Timothius says, "Of course she isn't saying that, Liberty. She's just saying that's what many catfolk would say."

Jamie looks over at Mittens, then back to the road and says calmly, "Racism is for those who don't want to take responsibility for their own monstrous behaviors. Everyone is capable of being a monster, whether you are a human or a catfolk. And everyone has the potential of being a hero. And those who say to never trust one race may some day find their lives depend on it, but would sooner die. Which is foolish since that is like saying you would rather die than be killed."

Tam thinks about racism and how it applies to the more fell creatures. How far does redemption go? Are monsters ever capable of being not-monstrous?

Jamie waves to a villager, beckoning him over. "Jarl! C'mere! I have some nature experts who want a look at your scratches!"

A bearded man walks over to the group and displays the scratch marks on his forearm. To Rocky, they look canine in nature.
Rocky
player, 13 posts
Envoy Warforged
Circle of the Moon Druid
Wed 7 Nov 2018
at 00:13
  • msg #50

Re: D&D: Generations

Rocky knows there are exceptions to the norm and adds to Jamie's comment, "Just as anyone can be a monster, not all those we could call monsters are monstrous. I have heard of a creature called the cuddle monster that is harmless. Although that might have just been someone's nickname for a pet kitten... I'm not sure."

Rocky then turns and inspects Jarl's scratches saying, "They look canine but it would be difficult to determine the exact species. As the attacks haven't been restricted to nights of a full moon we can rule out werewolves."
Joe
player, 852 posts
Wed 7 Nov 2018
at 01:40
  • msg #51

Re: D&D: Generations

  Joe wouldn't be surprised if lycanthropes can sprout claws whenever they want, but is too lazy to roll the metaphorical dice in his memory to check.

  "It's also better for business, Gold is gold regardless of who is holding the coin purse.  Would probably be faster to appeal to that across the land, rather than manners."
Mittens
GM, 2506 posts
Thu 15 Nov 2018
at 07:14
  • msg #52

Re: D&D: Generations

"Faster, yes.  Also more expensive.  I like the 'cuddle monster' idea.  C'mere, Liberty!"

Mits rawrs and reaches to cuddle the girl.

To Jarl she adds, "We haven't ruled out the un-natural entirely.  Was there anything else about the attack that might be distinctive?  A gust of wind?  Ghostly giggles?  The sudden smell of a damp cellar?  Or maybe the taste of copper in your mouth?"
Narrator
player, 1324 posts
For narrating
and convenience
Fri 16 Nov 2018
at 02:18
  • msg #53

Re: D&D: Generations

Tam giggles when Rocky mentions the cuddle-monster kitten.

Then Mittens rawrs and glomps Liberty who squeals and giggles, "No-hohoho!" the big smile on her face betraying that her objection is fake.

Tam copies Mittens and glomps Rocky. "People just call cuddly things cuddle-monsters sometimes. It isn't a real monster." she explains.

Timothius just smiles at the sight. He thinks about giving Joe a hug, but feels he hasn't earned enough camaraderie with the man yet and might be seen as - oh screw appearances. He glomps Joe and says, "Rawr!"

Jarl answers Mittens, "A sound. For just a second, I thought I heard a quiet growl." he glances at the children and frowns. "This isn't a joking matter!" he says in a scalding tone.

Jamie says, "Jarl, calm yourself. They are children and are here with these adventurers to help. That already puts them braver than most of this town and probably more helpful."

He then looks at the group, "A couple reports are consistent with that. But I hadn't thought to ask such a question, so I don't know if it is the case for every incident."
Rocky
player, 14 posts
Envoy Warforged
Circle of the Moon Druid
Wed 21 Nov 2018
at 04:13
  • msg #54

Re: D&D: Generations

Rocky's only reaction to Tam 'glomping' Rocky is to shift his weight to keep his balance as he tilts his head at Tam's explanation.

Rocky then turns to Jarl and says, "A quiet growl being associated with the attacks would be consistent with canine activities. But there are a number of reasons why a canine would issue a soft growl as opposed to a bark or howl..." Rocky turns to Jamie with Tam still glomping the Warforged as he continues, "A map of where all the attacks occurred in relation to each other might help reveal a pattern. It may be possible to limit the search area for where a possible den for the creature is located."
Joe
player, 854 posts
Mon 26 Nov 2018
at 22:04
  • msg #55

Re: D&D: Generations

  "So many things try to kill adventurers, that tone jarring amounts of levity is taken whenever possible."

  Joe somehow manages to keep a straight face as a fluffy catboy hangs off him.  "Like so.  Also much easier to deal with than screaming civilians clinging to my arm while I try to shoot zombies."
Mittens
GM, 2508 posts
Thu 29 Nov 2018
at 00:28
  • msg #56

Re: D&D: Generations

"Cuddle Monster so happy that glomp dispels suspected racism."

Soo many retorts Mittens wants to voice to "This isn't a joking matter:"  "Your FACE is a joking matter." or, "How is a cuddle monster not a joking matter?" or, "I have yet to hear a single matter that hasn't been made into a joking matter.  Did you hear the one about how to kill a poor widow?..." or even, "What else isn't a joking matter is our fee for dealing with this matter."

But to object more to the huffy villager that's already been so handily shot down would be to revive a dead topic.

"I'm getting the distinct impression that this is all a pixie's practical joke.  If it were truly nefarious, we'd have corpses piling up by now.  I won't be surprised if we discover that there's a lumber mill in this neighborhood that's run by an obstinate man who's especially disrespectful of nature and fey."
Narrator
player, 1325 posts
For narrating
and convenience
Thu 29 Nov 2018
at 07:52
  • msg #57

Re: D&D: Generations

Timothius is easily intimidated by the barking adult and hides behind Joe immediately. But he watches in some awe as Jamie stands up for the "outsiders" to one of his own townsfolk. (This guy is lucky this isn't the Scales of War Timothius. Or any version of Raichel, for that matter.)

Liberty turns with fury in her eyes at the man and looks like she was gonna tear into him. She barely contains herself long enough to watch the example Joe gives, closes her eyes, and turns her back to Jarl, and takes a few deep breaths. The adults are handling this conversation like adults and Jarl did only use words. Lib seems to be calming down.

Tam looks disappointed at Rocky's lack of reaction to her, and looks at Adrian, Doc, and Buzz. She goes to give them each hugs. Both so they won't feel jealous, and to gauge how each of them would react to it. "Love may be light-of-heart, but it is no joke." she comments to Jarl with a soft smile.

Jarl is unimpressed with anything anyone said. But doesn't have comebacks either.

Jamie shrugs. "Town's too small for a map. I could walk you around the whole town in under half an hour. The attacks have happened almost everywhere in the residential area. Even the church. Admittedly, that was the attack that really freaked everyone... if you aren't safe in a church, where can you be safe? The only areas the attacks have not happened is where you were entering town, and that is probably because it is the shopping area, so... during the day, too many people are there to bother with an attack, and at night, there is nobody there to attack."
Rocky
player, 15 posts
Envoy Warforged
Circle of the Moon Druid
Fri 30 Nov 2018
at 21:17
  • msg #58

Re: D&D: Generations

Rocky asks, "And there have been no signs of the attacker around any of the sites? For example, no footprints found in dirt or mud. No fur or fragments of a tooth or claw stuck to anything. Just the wounds on victims? This isn't much to go on and we have little information on how to try to lure the attacker into an ambush." Rocky is confused by this at it would seem to be some form of incorporeal canine but doesn't feel that is right.

Adrian responds to Tam's hug by saying, "Don't feel disappointed in a lack of reaction from Rocky, he's a bit preoccupied at the moment. Although remember to be careful of my branches."

Doc nuzzles Tam after being hugged as he says, "I'd hug you back, but I don't have the limbs to do so."

Buzz reacts to Tam's hugging by glowing a bit brighter for a moment but he doesn't say anything as he looks around pondering if there is a threat nearby given how stealthy the attacker seems to be.
Joe
player, 855 posts
Thu 13 Dec 2018
at 02:42
  • msg #59

Re: D&D: Generations

  Times like this Joe does wish he wasn't superficially a ranger at a glance so he could offer more than 'shoot it with arrows? Forage snacks?'.

  Hah, shows what he knows.  Nature is INT in this edition.

  "It would be a much more kind world if 'incompetent monster' was ever a likely suspect, yes." World's worst wererat gang, for example.  But the party Driud has already ruled out attempted lycanthropy infection.

OOC: See that carebares! Apathy IS a useful skill for teenagers!  Liberty would have suplexed that man in half... Oh no, the Carebears were right all along! We could have seen Liberty suplex a man in half!
Mittens
GM, 2509 posts
Wed 9 Jan 2019
at 06:55
  • msg #60

Re: D&D: Generations

Mits smiles at the adorableness.

"Mittens is guessing that the lack of 'well now that you mention it' is confirmation that this town doesn't have any especially nature-defiling citizens.  Which doesn't preclude my hunch, but I was hoping for a simple 'ahah' to go on.  At this point, there's little left but to investigate the sites of the attacks to see if we find any clues.  Starting with the church since it's the most recent.  Would you be so kind as to lead the way, sir?"

(( Player is unsure if the character can have the option to track by scent, but a member of the team with that ability could be really handy at this point. ))
Narrator
player, 1326 posts
For narrating
and convenience
Sun 13 Jan 2019
at 00:56
  • msg #61

Re: D&D: Generations

(Seth says Rocky can wildshape for scent. And since there is apparently no other way to have scent, I'm gonna say no to Mitts/Timothius having the scent ability.)

Tam gives Adrian's branches a gentle slide of her finger with a smile, as if to assure without words that she won't harm Adrian's branches. "Thanks for the sentiment, Doc." she responds to the limbless hug comment.

Jamie leads the bunch to the church. It is a church of Eldath, goddess of peace. "Have at it."

The group finds the same clues they were told. No sign in the church of there having been an altercation of any kind.

Timothius suggests what Mittens was thinking, "Maybe we could search for a scent?"
Rocky
player, 16 posts
Envoy Warforged
Circle of the Moon Druid
Wed 16 Jan 2019
at 17:43
  • msg #62

Re: D&D: Generations

Rocky nods and says, "That is doable. I can turn into a Brown Bear or a Tiger and sniff out a scent. The Bear is able to climb and is a more reliable attacker in a fight, but the Tiger is better at stealth and can see better in the dark. Although once I wildshape I'd probably remain in that form until I need to turn back for one reason or another so if I find a scent to follow I'll point in that direction and make motions for you all to follow me. And we'll see where the scent would lead us." Rocky waits to hear back what the others think in regards to which form he should take since he isn't sure if the group wants to try a stealthy approach or just go in and wreck stuff.

Buzz, Doc, and Adrian remain quiet since they don't have anything to say regarding this situation.

(OOC: In 5e Scent is pretty much called Keen smell and is auto-advantage on perception checks using that sense. In both forms, Rocky would have a survival check of +5 for tracking and a perception check of +7 with advantage. The Tiger form gets a +6 for stealth though, but the bear has a higher to hit attack roll by +1 and does more damage per hit and has multiattack, but the tiger has darkvision and can pounce. So both could be useful. They are both at the upper limit of what forms Rocky can take at CR 1 and have the same AC and similar hit points.
Joe
player, 856 posts
Sat 19 Jan 2019
at 12:37
  • msg #63

Re: D&D: Generations

  See, this is part of why Joe is a Fighter instead of a Ranger.  So he can pretend to be surprised by nature facts viewed through the lens of game mechanics.  Most animals have no real sense of smell, DC20 lore check to know cave bears live in caves, the usual.

  "Given stealth is no good if you have no idea where you want to sneak, go for the convenient tracking." that and it's a coin flip if any stealth would be ruined by townsfolk screaming 'It's a kitty! I want to pet the kitty!'

  ...Joe's company has apparently skewed his initial thoughts on how people would react to a tiger.
Mittens
GM, 2510 posts
Wed 23 Jan 2019
at 05:38
  • msg #64

Re: D&D: Generations

"An excellent suggestion," Mittens commends Timothius.

"My pick would be tiger.  Not that I think we should let our guard down at all, but I'm expecting that bear would be overkill in the inevitable fight at the end of all this.  And I'm also expecting that stealth and perception will be more useful for finding our elusive quarry."

Mystery prankster:  There's a bear in town?!  Best to just steer clear of town till it goes away.

Mits proceeds to do arcana junk to try and find any tell-tale magical stuff lingering in the area.

Meanwhile she also nudges Timothius and suggests, "Maybe you could pray to this church's deity for some divine guidance."
Narrator
player, 1327 posts
For narrating
and convenience
Wed 23 Jan 2019
at 07:21
  • msg #65

Re: D&D: Generations

Timothius blushes, ears ducking down. "I don't think one prayer from a stranger, a kid at that, is going to make a difference where the residents' heart-felt prayers have already been made..."

Mittens' arcana checking gives her the fact there is residual magic in the area as if a spell had been cast.

Liberty says, "Great. So Joe says go with Bear. Mittens says go with Tiger. Looks like it'll be completely your call, Rocky. But if it were my vote, I'd say bear because overkill is just in my nature. I'm not a stealthy kind of person."

Tam says, "I think both options have merit. Joe and Mittens both have good points."
Rocky
player, 17 posts
Envoy Warforged
Circle of the Moon Druid
Sun 3 Feb 2019
at 03:16
  • msg #66

Re: D&D: Generations

Rocky nods and says, "Then I'll go with the brown bear." Rocky's body then 'transforms' into a Brown Bear and he starts sniffing around the area trying to find a clue.

Buzz, Doc, and Adrian stay back and out of the way since they can't really help with what is going on and wouldn't be of use in a fight.
Joe
player, 857 posts
Sun 3 Feb 2019
at 04:55
  • msg #67

Re: D&D: Generations

  Clearly Timothius still has an NPC's mindset to not expect slightly better results than desk clerk grade clerics... Okay yes, they are an NPC so that could take a while.

  Joe settles in to look uncharacteristically bored about following a bear.  The only thing more effective than looking like you know what you are doing.
Mittens
GM, 2511 posts
Mon 4 Feb 2019
at 04:18
  • msg #68

Re: D&D: Generations

Mittens is also not freaking out about the bear in the room.  Why would she?  This isn't the first time she's seen a sentient construct transform into a hulking animal...  Doesn't mean it's not still amazing.

"As expected, I sense there was magic used here.  Nothing extremely powerful."

She reaches to give her lil bro a loving pet.  "Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  And in this case, 'tis a small risk with a potentially great reward.  Who knows?  Perhaps it'll be your earnest little prayer that is the last straw that breaks the barrier to the heavens, opening the floodgates for all those other heartfelt prayers to go rushing to their destination, no longer hindered by the malignant magical muting spell that was cast upon this place!"
Narrator
player, 1328 posts
For narrating
and convenience
Thu 21 Feb 2019
at 20:00
  • msg #69

Re: D&D: Generations

The people in town do give Rocky a lot of LOOKS, but seeing him surrounded by cat people, a couple humans, a half elf, a DEER, a giant bug and a walking shrub... ALONG with Jamie... the people of town seem more weirded out and curious than troubled. Joe acting bored *rather* than knowing what he's doing? Probably more likely it keeps the curiosity seekers from bothering the team than anything at this point.

Timothius relents to what Mittens said and once in the church, he prays.

Liberty at first tries to sniff around to see if she can help Rocky with tracking by scent, but then shrugs and joins Timothius in that prayer thing he's doing.

Rocky discovers the scent (which smells canine) ends suddenly, along with some weird ozone-like scent. But continued attempts to "sniff around" helps Rocky discover the scent picks up again at a different spot that would make for a good hiding spot. Then suddenly ends elsewhere, again, with an ozone scent.

What is soon discovered is that the scent of the creatures keeps vanishing and reappearing in spurts. The "vanishings" seem to have a maximum distance of about 30 feet, but is only ever shorter than that because an ideal hiding spot was a shorter distance than 30 feet from another ideal hiding spot. The creature always remains in concealed areas and the spots where the attacks happen is in concealed areas.

With some searching, Rocky is eventually able to track the scent out to the woods, where he is finally able to put actual tracks to the scent of the creature. It is, in fact, a canine. (Scratches like a canine, smells like a canine, and has canine tracks. Maybe it's a canine!) It doesn't quite match what wolf tracks look like, but it does appear to be a big dog.

Tam says, "Wow.. looks like we're getting somewhere."

Liberty looks up at Joe expectantly.
Rocky
player, 18 posts
Envoy Warforged
Circle of the Moon Druid
Thu 28 Feb 2019
at 02:20
  • msg #70

Re: D&D: Generations

Rocky continues to track the trail of the 'dog-like canine' in his 'brown bear' form as he is careful to try and track down the den of the creature.

Doc speaks up, "I just hope whatever it is Rocky is tracking is alone... for all we know it could be a large pack and they are using some trick to mask their numbers, or maybe the attacks were by different members of the pack."

Adrian continues following the group as she says, "Possibly but not likely. Odds are it is just a single creature since a pack would probably have been spotted due to the impact on the area around them."

Buzz seems to sigh, and says in a low tone, "We probably should be quiet since the creature might hear us and try to ambush us. Since it seems to like to stick to hiding spots, it may prefer an ambush over frontal confrontations."
Joe
player, 858 posts
Thu 28 Feb 2019
at 04:25
  • msg #71

Re: D&D: Generations

  At the druid based reveals of 'Probably teleporting' and 'Is a dog', Joe's player flipped a coin and decided the character can make an educated guess.  "So, are Blink dogs usually assholes?" It's NPC based nature, so the answer there is quite often 'yes' or 'Yes, but you're intended to be sympathetic'.
Mittens
GM, 2512 posts
Fri 1 Mar 2019
at 07:58
  • msg #72

Re: D&D: Generations

Mits continues to go with the theory that cuteness can trump prejudice and is all smiles and tail-wags.  After Timo prays and a trail is picked up, she gives him a "told you so" smirk and wink.

To Joe's question, Mits answers, "Depends on your source.  If legends, they're lawful and good.  If games of any kind, they're usually monsters.  At least they all agree that they're intelligent dogs that can teleport.  So there's at least a chance it can be reasoned with."

Meanwhile, she's fully expecting that the blink dog will give some tragic backstory of being so cruelly mistreated by the town that it's little scratch pranks will seem like child's play in comparison.  Because "In Soviet Russia, puppy kick YOU" would be way too good a story to be true.
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