No rest for the wicked! I've closed the the OOC2 and moved on to the Next Chapter. Seemed like a good break in the action to do so.

Again, a warm thank you to Uthecar. Good player, good Rpol friend. I still dream of visiting his land someday and maybe getting a game going while sipping ale from a horn.

The roster now looks like this:
Bruno and Kullonar, Gildan, Myrrick, Ulrich. I will be posting XP at some point today. Hopefully some of you will advance a level.

As always, thank you for playing!

Sorry to see you go, Dwarf Brother!

RL has to come first and it seems as if you've got a great scene to go out in. I'll be lifting one in your honor tonight.

You know where to find us if you're eventually able to return!

XP awards up: Check the Rewards notice top left of the main screen. Not everyone will level up, but a few of you will. Myrrick and Gildan at the least, perhaps Kullonar as well. Bruno has a bit to go.

I'll help those of you who aren't particularly proficient in 1st Edition Ad&d tonight or tomorrow.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:17, Tue 06 Oct 2020.

Well shit, Eddie Van Halen died. The guy was a maestro. Had some of the greatest licks of the 70s & 80s.

Another Rocker down: Glen Frey, Tom Petty, Prince (yes, Prince, don't give me grief) Now Eddy Van Halen. I'm getting old. Bummer.

Sir, I saw Prince live. I saw Billy Idol, Metallica and a few others. Musically, none of them could touch Prince musically. Phenomenal musician and showman.

and I updated my sheet, really just the HP roll, which worked out nicely. but necessary :)

Prince was awesome, I mean Purple Rain come on.

I'm sorry to be leaving as well, but the amount of Rpol I enjoy has been weighing on my mind a fair bit lately.  There is an opportunity cost to everything and I've been closing my eyes and ignoring other things I could/should be doing that are more time bound due to physical ability.

I need to do those things now whilst I still can, there will be plenty of time for more Rpol in 10, 15 or even 20 years time.

Thanks so much to you all for being a part of my enjoyable online gaming experience, I hope to bump into you all in the future.  Graeme

The little gal lead singer of the Cranberries another talent lost. She reminded me of an elf.

Nice epilogue, Uthecar. Feel free to lurk if you've the inclination.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 8):

Need 545 xp +/- to level. ;-) Oh well!

You'll get that easy next go around.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 10):

I figured that.

Gives you something to look forward to! LOL.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 12):

Yup! ;-) We get a new player?

I am working on it. Hopefully the guy who played Zan picks up the new character.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 14):

Zan coming back? good!

Zan's dead. But I reached out to the player this morning to gauge his willingness to continue playing. We'll see.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 16):

Unscheduled death, I hope he's ready to move on again! We need you Zan.

Wow! Bruno's ready to get back at it. Let's do this!

I'll be in out all day, so if you don't hear from me, I'll touch base tonight to push things along. If I haven't mentioned, everyone is healed up via the potions and Nimea's healing.

Uthecar, I'm answering the question you asked in the IC thread in response to my earlier OOC post, which I probably should've put here to begin with... ;)

I'm 3rd lvl Fighter / 4th lvl Cleric (I just made 4th with these xp).

When The Seer returns he might just correct everything I've said about this, because I'm just guessing about everyone's levels and am bad with math and numbers generally -- I presumed that if I was 3/3 that means everyone else is 6th because I was splitting xp gained between both classes until recent days when I decided with The Seer's grace to focus on Cleric.

Still, your level isn't the issue. If I'm correct in the assumption that I made when writing what I wrote, The Seer knew that you were 4th and presumed that each of us were actually at whatever level we're supposed to be.

Zan has noted in the fairly recent past that he had failed to level his character and he's been in the game as long as me, so if he is supposed to be 4th or 6th, but is actually playing as a 2nd or 4th level character things are going to be off.

And THAT's my point. The Seer has warned us in the past that it's our responsibility to take care of this stuff, so if we don't the resulting situation is on us. (Having said this, please note that I understand we get busy in RL and it distracts us sometimes until too late to manage things here, so I'm honestly not trying to beat anyone up here, just trying to point out that things might be differently dire than they seem.)

Like The Seer says in the title of the current IC thread: we're learning things! ;)

In reply to Bruno Rhunthane (msg # 19):

That's cool. I started a little later than you guys too, maybe a level behind. Seer has his reasons for everything, I'll be 5th with 500 or so xp so no big deal. I'm just happy to be here, great game!

Let me say this: I started Ulrich at 4th level because that was appropriate. He missed the entirety of Quesqueton, and I couldn't in good conscience start him at first or second level. I could have started him at third, but I chose not to because he's specialist and at 4th level he gets a warhorse.

Having explained myself, I will add: I've found as a player that taking care of my own business is enough work without worrying about every one else. As DM that's my job. Trust me when I say: I look at your character sheets frequently and when I see something that needs correcting, I PM you. None of you have the same amount of Experience points. It's impossible for even longstanding characters to have the same amount of XP. Class is the biggest reason - get a hold of the PHB and scroll through the various classes - this ain't 3.5, if you'll forgive the slang.

Finally: The recommended levels as per the author of this module indicate 3rd-5th level. So all of you are peers. And I think all of you are at 4th level or above, except where Bruno notes that he's got seven total levels as of right now and that's because he's multi-class - and he's chosen to forego advancement in fighter to focus on Cleric.

All I ask is take care of your own character and don't worry about anything else. You have enough to worry about with all these undead critters trying to kill you.

Peace.

Question for everyone. I have an old PDF of the PHB that has no bookmarks or OCR. Does anyone know where to find THAC0 tables? I looked in the class description and combat and I didn't see it anywhere.

Question on the augury. This is a magic ability that will provide shortterm answers to questions we may have about whether to go forward? So we could ask it things like: What is the most effective way to harm whatever is inside this barrow? What is the way to destroy the undead inside this barrow without entering it? Etc.?

In reply to Gildan Stalker (msg # 22):

Page 74-76 in the Dungeon Master's guide gives you all you need to know about combat stats. It's broken down by class. It is a bit unwieldy, fwiw. For whatever reason, I can't copy and paste the tables directly from my PDF. I'll try to scan and email my Dungeon Master's Screen and see how that works.

Ah, that would explain why I can't find it in the PHB. Luckily, I have the DMG as well. Thanks.

In reply to Gildan Stalker (msg # 23):

Augury is a 2nd level Cleric spell and, yes, it works as you describe.

The caster asks about an a question and there is a 70% +1/level of an 'accurate', response indicating whether the action asked about will be benefential or harmful in the following 3 Turns.

Ah, so we can only ask yes/no questions?

Basically. From the spell description:

For example, assume that a party is considering the destruction of a weird seal which closes a portal. Augury is used to find if weal or woe will be the ultimate result
to the party.

So, we're going to have to finess it a bit. Something along the lines of...

"If we reenter the barrow in which our friends were slain would the creatures we fought before be more strong or less strong", or something like that. See, this is why I'm asking for help. ;) It's not quite a wish spell, but a poorly worded and/or ill-considered question isn't really going to be very helpful.

I'd like to help you with this one, but I've never been good at Augury.

Well, yeah, that's YOU as player, Seer.

But here you're GM, so you'd be inherently better at getting us the perfect question. ;)

So now I'm ready to play and y'all disappear. What's up with that? Slackers.

I hope I'm not telling anyone how to suck eggs but the DMG has always been a good place to look to see additional guidance on some spells.  From page 41.

Augury: This is a general future determinant with only a half hour maximum, so you (meaning the DM) need not be too exacting with regard to your vagueness. When the augury is cast, simply compare the knowledge you have and give the character general impressions of the question asked. "Will we do well if we venture onto the third level?" Answer: "Those who survive will be rich!" Basis: You have a terrible troll near where the character will enter the level (if he does), but the probable party is strong enough to beat it after a hard fight, and the monster guards 10,000silver pieces and a +1 shield.



You run the danger here of the Augury coming back with the simple answer 'yes' Bruno and then you've only grown wiser in regards to how not to ask the question.

Perhaps something like, "Will the power of undead we face if we reenter the barrow have increased?"

Best of luck to you!

Uthecar comes to the rescue once again. Ain't he sweet.

Funny story: My dad loved games. board games, games of chance, whatever. But he never played them (except chess - he was ferocious player). Anyway, his favorite pastime was playing spoiler. Take Trivia pursuit: Dad would sit in the living room while the rest of us were in the kitchen playing. When someone read a question, he'd yell out the answer. And darned if he didn't get it right 90% of the time. By the end of the game we would just be reading the questions and he'd be answering them. The guy was brilliant.

You jumping in like that gave me a flashback. Thanks for a memory remembered. I miss the old guy.

Heading to bed. I'll post something in the morning.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 33):

I miss my dad too, been gone 20 years now, mom's been gone 22.

I'm fortunate, Ulrich. I still have my Mom. Spent a week in September with her down in Florida. She is a font of wisdom and a kind woman.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay gang, we're gonna get started again. I'll post a short message in the main thread: you guys have some decisions to make.

Sorry, all, but I have stuff that I've got to do this morning and won't be able to post what questions I'll be asking until later this afternoon. Mea culpa!

In reply to Bruno Rhunthane (msg # 36):

See you later. No big deal. We be good.

I thought you did that well. I liked the preamble with shield.

Your answer is in four parts, a kind of pseudo-riddle. Looking forward to seeing how you interpret it.

Thanks! I figured that even if this Gift from Moradin doesn't require the ritual of the spell there should be something reflecting prayer, etc. He also wanted to play up the gravitas of the event. ;)

Also, I wasn't actually expecting such a fullsome reply, so that's great.

Does Bruno hear the answer in his mind or does everyone hear it? It only matters in terms of how I describe Bruno's reaction.

That's specific to him, so play it up to the others all you want.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A second item: I did touch base briefly with Zan's player. However, as of yet he has not given me an answer. If you guys can ask around, that would be great. That said, I'll NPC Selene until someone takes over for her.

I'm going shop for a thief on RPol, see if that gets me anything.

I will be posting an answer tonight after church in answer to Bruno's query. In the meantime, post in and out of character as you see fit, including tactics and strategy and anything else on your mind.

As always: thank you for playing.

Intermission: Let's all go to the movies, let's all go to the movies.

Please stop at your nearest concession stand for popcorn and beverages.

I don't see any holy water in Kullonar - I suspect he used his stash up at some point. You may wish to give him a couple and put him on turning duty.

Also, recall that a splash is a 1' radius, and full hit with a vial is 10'.

Let me know if you have any questions, otherwise let's get it on...

Here's my suggested Marching Order:

Uthecar -- Bruno
Kullonar -- Gilden
Gregor -- Myrrick

I figure Gilden can shoot over Bruno's head and I'm uncertain whether or not Myrrick's Ranger senses will protect us from sneak attack.

Uthecar is dead. Perhaps you were thinking of Ulrich?

In reply to The Seer (msg # 45):

Yup. Sorry, Ulrich! (You don't know how much trouble having two of you with 'U' names caused me over the months!)

He has 9 vials already marked on his sheet.
I highlighted them in aqua blue.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:40, Wed 14 Oct 2020.

In reply to Kullonar (msg # 47):

I miss Uthecar, great warrior!

Fair enough - I missed that! Ma' bad...

That was "I just spit my coffee onto my computer screen" funny.

Just catching up here. Should I add 3 holy water vials to Gildan's sheet? Just want to make sure the division went as suggested.

Seems reasonable. I won't argue the point.

Official warning: Open enrollment for Medicare starts tomorrow. I will be grumpy most of the next 7 weeks. Bear with me. Once it's done, I'll be my usual flatulent self.

I am reflecting this morning on the art of retreat. Apropos to nothing, except that maybe later in the adventure there will be another onslaught and you guys will make quicker decisions instead of trying to lay waste to another horde.

Then again, what's the fun in that? LOL.

I can tell already that my job is going to interfere with my gaming. I will try to post daily, even if its just "here I am."

Today is the second day of Medicare Open Enrollment and I'm already stressed.

Wa-Wa-Wa...enough bitching on my part. Most people have to bust humps everyday. I have 3 months of hard work, than cruise control. Life ain't so bad...

In reply to The Seer (msg # 54):

I need to check my enrollment for me and my wife. Maybe I'll stress you some! ;-)

I'm appointed in the state of South Carolina. If you live there, I'll happily come to you to get you situated.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 56):

I'm in PA, guess I can't stress you! ;-) Good luck and have a fine time signing up old dotards like me.

I forgot you were in PA. Great Commonwealth. You probably recall I matriculated at Penn State.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 58):

Ahhhh, I went to Shippensburg University and Cameron University in Lawton, OK. Went distant learning at the University of Maryland when in the Army. I never graduated though.

I meant to respond to you. I took the 5.5 year plan to get my bachelors degree. I finished while I did my four years in the Navy, did correspondence courses during two trips to the Persian Gulf.

I was a smart kid but lazy student. That was reflected in my grades.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:08, Sun 18 Oct 2020.

Good morning. Seems like a good day to observe the Sabbath. Cold here (relatively speaking). Gonna take a couple of naps before all's said and done.

Post actions if you have any. Otherwise enjoy a quiet Sunday.

Oh, and the artist formerly known as Zan is in negotiations to take on a potentially permanent role as a dashing rogue. Seems I've heard that story before...

Whatever you do, enjoy!

The bad news: This first week has been a trial. The good news, I'm almost done with calling my book of business, which should offer much more time to goof off and game.

Thank you for your patience. Loving how efficient you guys are now.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 61):

Just keep us posted, Seer!

Good morning! I should be done with my call backs today - thank goodness. Looking around the RPol landscape, I'm noticing a big drop off in participation, though not in this game, thankfully. I would have thought that with things being grounded like they are, folks would use this as a resource to forget about all the bad and focus on a little good.

That said, several folks have come out in other games and shared covid stories, tales of the the loss of a parent, a sibling, a friend. The worse thing about this is for me is the feeling of helplessness.

But we cannot despair. This too shall pass, even if we don't see it right now. And I want all of you to know that I'm in the same boat as you, trying to figure things out, taking one day at a time.

You're my friends. I pray for all of you. And if you are sad, I can tell you, so am I. If you need to talk, I am here. If you are angry, I will listen.

God bless.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 63):

That's cool and sweet. I just lost a friend from my one game I run, I annoyed him because I copy and paste the adventure too much.

I'm sorry for your loss. I recently found out a client of mine passed away. He was about 40 years old. I was shocked. I knew there were some health issues, but he never let on how serious it was. He always had a smile on his face, good natured guy. I guess this is part of the new reality.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 65):

He quit, he didn't die. Sorry about the confusion. Sorry your client passed away, 40 is way too young! Heck I'm all but 60.

Oh, well, I call that a win - he didn't die. LOL.

I consider myself lucky, because nobody in my direct familial/social circles have yet died, though friends of friends, etc. have. I agree with your thoughts on both the sense of helplessness and the greater importance even 'shallow' connection through these games (i.e., it's not as if we're seeing each other's faces, etc.) and similar contacts.

Very much appreciate what we've got going on here both for that and a challenging adventure we're sharing. Thanks, Seer!

In reply to Bruno Rhunthane (msg # 68):

No doubt, this is an excellent game. Just wish I were worthy to participate. I'm not a good role player

In reply to Ulrich Aelgrimm (msg # 69):

Well, Ulrich, I suspect you know whether or not you're a 'good roleplayer' better than anyone, or at least me, because I'm only in this one game with you.

On that basis, I would say that you are actually a pretty good roleplayer. To my mind being a good rper is about being consistant in the character you're playing as much as anything else and letting the character you created originally evolve through interaction with other players, npcs, and events in play. It would be easy to have a sense of this for everyone if we were playing a. face to face and b. in longer sessions.

Because we're not it is easy to forget past events in the game each time we sign in and also to 'feel' as if each time we do post it's sort of like the first time we've done so. Admittedly, off the top of my head I can't think of ways in which Ulrich has evolved through play so far I can't really do that with Bruno either; nevertheless, I do have a sense that the way Ulrich responds to others pcs and npcs is somewhat different than when you were first introduced and that seems like good role play to me.

Thanks, I'll take the compliment! ;-) I like Bruno too. I miss Uthric

Well, the good news is that the artist formerly known as Zan is in Yngvar's keep. Interesting character. He should provide an element of fun and he brings some needed skills to the table.

Along with Zan's remake, I've an NPC mage that will join the party as well. Hopefully I can find a player for her.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 72):

Cool, so we have to go back to the keep first? We can report back with Gregors and return that beautiful spear, if we have to.

seems like someone suggested that a while back ;)

In reply to Myrrick (msg # 74):

I'm slow!

Yeah, well, was that when the discussion was to decide what to do and we decided to use the Augury to affirm or deny that we could handle things as the party we are without other characters. Given what Augury said and what we've seen so far it seems as if we're okay.

Granted, there's probably a boss somewhere within, but it seems as if it would not occur to us at this point to leave again, go all the way back to Yngvar's keep, and then return to finish what we've now started twice.

Seer is obviously busy, so let's wait until he can come back and clarify what he was meaning in his post.

Otherwise, welcome back (?), player of The-Character-Formerly-Known-as-Zan!

In reply to Bruno Rhunthane (msg # 76):

No doubt, it is GREAT that he stayed! This is a great game IMHO!

Thanks, still getting a new character tweaked out.

Everyone bide a moment to say hello to Dugger Naderwash, Halfling Adventurer and raconteur. He is the artist formally known as Zan. We wish him far more success than his forebear.

Welcome back, Dugger

Test

Welcome, Dugger Formerlyknownaszan!

Feeling like an out of body experience.   I'll see if I can keep Duggar alive a bit longer than poor ole Zan

In reply to Dugger Naderwash (msg # 82):

Hey Zan/Dugger! ^wave^
This message was last edited by the player at 11:20, Fri 23 Oct 2020.

This should be a pretty evenly matched battle. Keep in mind: light sources are still on dim.

As always: good luck!

So I find myself still disgruntled over the whole Critical roll thing. What about 1.5 damage instead of just max damage. For instance, if the max damage on a long sword is 8, but you score a critical hit, you would score 12 pts of damage.

Does that seem fair?

I'd like a vote on that. And I hate the idea of rolling a critical, only to have to roll again  just to make sure it is a critial. Something like that should be simple. I don't feel like pulling out my abacus to figure it out. I'm not that good at math anymore.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 85):

Works for me.

I'm happy to go with whatever you decide, but since you asked:

x1.5 sounds like, great, now I'm going to have to do math. (Also, are we rounding up on this number?)

I don't mind the 5e 'max die damage' plus bonuses, because there are simply more bonuses to be had in that system and the rolling to assure a Critical on a roll of 20 only makes sense to my mind if the success will really result in big numbers. (I'm not sure that I know why they added that to the process to begin with.)

We're still playing AD&D here and all of my games in the olden days simply gave double damage to a Crit and left it at that.

I'll table it for now and give it some more thought after this part of the adventure.

Also, waiting on the others - I'll prod them in PMs.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:19, Sun 25 Oct 2020.

Waiting on Kullonar. I pm'd him yesterday, he will probably post today. If not, I'll move things forward this evening.

LOL,   How about Max dam + Level?

Edited my post to take out the bless bonus.

Good Morning. Graeme aka Uthcar has officially left rpol. He has some dreams he wishes to follow. He's reached out to all the games he's played in. One in particular I wish he would've stayed for, but when you have an itch, it's best that you scratch it.

My great pride is that I've gotten published. My great regret is that I haven't finished the third story yet.

At some point I want to get down to DMing one game and playing two. Once my day job slows down, I'm going to deep dive into finishing this story and one other before working on a full length novel.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 92):

Sad news and awesome news! You have my permission to write about Ulrich! ;-) T'will be sweet!

4800 posts fellas. Check the rewards thread for you gift.

Alright, gang. Let's roll some bones.

Looking forward to some combat: I've charted the bad guys actions already. Got a couple of ringers, Gonna be tight.

I'll post later today - have an appointment at noon to prep for.

Nice!

Hedge - nice to see you about. I was worried about you.

Thank Seer > it's been a crazy few weeks.
School/work is a bitch with all of the screening, rescreening, running here and there, covering classes for teachers who are out, etc.

As one lady said in our Sunday School class this morning, it's like see a light at the end of the tunnel and then realizing it's another train!

One day at a time.
Thanks again, for the game, and for keep Kullonar going.

I'll be around today. I'd like to get this portion of the game finished this week, if possible.

Don't forget to vote - I don't care who you vote for, but do your civic duty.

Peace.

I second and the voting note. Here's to train dodging and keeping our pint glasses half-full!

Indeed & well said. You've got the spirit of a poet.

You guys might want to read the Round 2 post to get up to speed. Round 3 is starting.

Crit rolls are really a quandry.

How about max dmg + 2x your level. A 4th level fighter with a longsword would do 16 points of dmg. The further you advance in level, the more dmg you do. I like that. Very easy.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 105):

Sounds good, too bad it never happens to me ;-) I'm cursed by the die roller!

We all have those moments. You seem to have more than most. LOL.

I like the effort, boys. I'm gonna be gone most of tomorrow. Will try to catch up tomorrow night. Try not to kill all my monsters...

Wait... You're asking us to leave some alive?

Well, okay, since you asked so nicely!

Thanks, Ulrich. I keep getting my editions confused and thought it was safe. Crit it was but only on 3 damage. Oh well.

In reply to Gildan Stalker (msg # 110):

DM said damage was max + level for damage on a critical hit.

In reply to Ulrich Aelgrimm (msg # 111):

+1!!! I had forgotten.

In reply to Gildan Stalker (msg # 112):

You're not first level! ;-)

Gents: Sorry for the delay. Busy as hell, which is a good thing. I think I'll be able to post Friday. In the meantime I'm working my ass off. Thanks for understanding.

Glad you're busy! Cool with waiting, etc.

busy is better than no work

You guys are great - thanks for your patience. Enjoy the downtime - I'll have something for you tomorrow night or Saturday. Promise.

That was a good round. Sux that I didn't get any rolls, but that's the way the dice roller goes. That sheet, if it would've hit, would have rocked Bruno's world. Still have two baddies left, plus the skeletons guarding the front door. Those won't be a problem, though.

One other thing: nicely done on the critical rolls. Both killed a baddie. Hat tip to Gildan and Bruno.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:06, Sat 07 Nov 2020.

Bruno, at least your fumble probably isn't fatal. And you only have two baddies left to finish off. I call that a win/win.

Oh, yes! I'll accept that happily. Things are good so far! ([SO FAR.))

Let's finish this off. You got a pretty scary beast, but he just took a tumble (natty 1) so you have 2 rounds to finish him off. Let's see what you got.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 121):

I already blew my wad, I could do nothing! Ulrich is cursed by the dice roller! Give me aid Lord Pelor!

December 7 the last day of medicare open enrollment. will get back to normal gameplay probably after Christmas. thx 4 playing!

In reply to The Seer (msg # 123):

I enrolled in a new Humana plan yesterday.

congrats! health care for another year.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 125):

;-) Thanks!

Again: two attacks for everyone on the critter due to his fumble. Some of you only have one shot left - make it count.

Sorry about that, Seer. I've edited my last post adding a second attack... The roll was awful, but I included damage as well on the off chance that the Boogerman is prone and that might help me out.

In reply to Bruno Rhunthane (msg # 128):

I rolled a 14, which is above a 2, so I rolled damage!

my day today: got up at 7am and am now going to bed. I like the fact that I've brought in a significant amount of business this year, but, man this time of year wears me out.

As always, thanks for sticking around. I'll try post on Saturday.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 130):

Glad you'll see something good from the effort. Here's to a well deserved rest!

9 days left in Open enrollment. Can't wait till the clock runs out. I've been burning the midnight oil at both ends...to mix a metaphor. Been a good year though. Excited to see my book of business thriving. Hard work, but I genuinely help people make good decisions on their medicare. Heck of a lot better than some of the jobs I've had.

Thanks for hanging in there with me. We will start ramping up in a couple weeks, with some posting here and there in the in between.

Good job guys...

XP is listed in the rewards thread. Some decent loot for those so inclined - Gildan likely will be happy.

For the record, I always figured this would be a good stopping point until the end of open enrollment (December 7). I'm going to fast forward on the trip back to Yngvar's keep...save a few steps. Once you arrive back at the keep, you're introduced to Dugger, the new resident treasure finder.

Let me know if you have any concerns or questions. Looking forward to a peaceful Christmas.

And as always, very thankful for my RPol friends who keep me entertained.

:)

In reply to The Seer (msg # 133):

Agreed and thank you for DMing. I leveled to 5th level paladin.

that's great - congratulations!

Hope everyone in the US had a great holiday! (I know Ulrich was in New Zealand, but I'm uncertain whether anyone else is not in the US.)

Seer, am I recalling correctly that there is still more of THIS barrow to investigate or have we been through it completely now? If we were to repair the damage wrought by the enemy in a given barrow does that require a specific spell or ritual? It is sort of background stuff, I guess, but Bruno would not want to let their perverse actions in these places fester once we have destroyed whatever evil we've found.

In reply to Bruno Rhunthane (msg # 136):

Ulrich lives and stays in Pennsylvania.

Hallow works.

Yes... And I did that thing again. I meant Uthecar. Sorry about that!

In reply to Bruno Rhunthane (msg # 138):

Ulrich should be updated DM, check my figures. I rolled a 9 for hp.

"Hallow" is not a first edition spell. FYI.

To answer your question, some mixture of chant, Bless and Prayer and perhaps purify would do the trick. Probably take a series of rituals that would likely take a full day. That said, should you guys win out, you'll have a whole host of lower level clerics to consecrate each of the tombs.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 140):

Hallow isn't 1ed? Oh well, I'm no expert on 1st Ed. Glad you are.

OOC: Why doesn't everyone list whether or not they need healing and Kullonar and I can pass it out as necessary?

I've taken 15 points of damage myself.

Ulrich, go ahead and heal yourself as you're able (and let us know when you're no longer able to do so) and let us know if you need further help.

In reply to Bruno Rhunthane (msg # 142):

I'm good, have just enough!

Lay on hands!
This message was last edited by the player at 14:17, Mon 30 Nov 2020.

I just posted a little something for you to chew on. Enjoy!

8 days and counting.

couple things: don't use up the scrolls - you'll need them down the road and you have enough healing to get you to the keep. The journey is long, but mostly uneventful. There will be some downtime as I finish my work stuff, but I will be more active now and moving forward as I set the scene and offer up opportunities for role playing.

Again, can't thank you enough for you patience.

Cheers!

No new level for Gildan

If no one wants them, Gildan will take the two +2 arrows

lol: I'm thinking that's a foregone conclusion, though I wouldn't want to step on anyone's toes vis a vis the arrows.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 147):

I'm not an archer, so that's fine by me!

A couple of house keeping items: Myrrick gives back the spear to Yngvar and is gifted a fine long Sword of some worth. In the days ahead, each of you is gifted a boon by the Jarl.

Bruno: Prayer beads add +1 to any score except damage. So you can use the beads to hit, saves and turning undead, for instance.

Gildan: Given a Great Yew Recurved Bow of master craftsmanship: +2 damage and to hit.

Myrrick: A finely wrought Long Sword

Kullonar: Gauntlets of Ogre Power (18/00 strength)

Ulrich: Flame Tongue Long sword.

Selene: Ring of Wizardry, Bracers of defense (AC4)

Dugger: He's got some tricks up his sleeve.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:14, Tue 01 Dec 2020.

Oooh! Thanks!

I am so late posting, I am embarrassed.
Kullonar doesn't deserve those gauntlets...but he'll keep 'em :)

I like fancy swords.

Myrrick: your long sword is very ornate. It has a basket hilt, though the tang and the blade itself are sturdy and without rust. You can feel the aura of the blade, a subtle thrumming that you didnt feel with Ingolf's spear.

Kullunar: You just feel strong, stronger than you ever have. Effectively you've become a Justicar in service to Cuthbert. Not only are you stronger, but you feel braver now as well.

Bruno: You feel closer to Moradin than you ever have, almost like his avatar stands next to you.

Ulrich, the first time your swing your sword a swath of flame (horrible mixed metaphor!) flies out, heating the surrounds.

Gildan: you hardly feel the pull of the Yew bow you now carry, almost like it's an extension of your will.

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

I am excited folks. 2 days and a wake up. Then I'm done with medicare until Oct 2021. Looking forward to getting started with our campaign again. Thanks for your patience

I will have some posting tonight when I get back from my appointments unless they go longer than I expect.

2 days and a wake up!

One Day and a wake up. Thank goodness.

Okay gents, Yngvar is all on on the party after having some initial hesitation. The death of your comrades apparently was a call to arms for him. Once again, you'll have Gregors as a guide - he is now 3rd level and hero among his folk in his own right.

Along with Gregors, there are some supplies that the Jarl will provide:

2 potions of healing for each character
2 potions of extra healing - one carried by Bruno, the other by Kullonar used for emergency triage.

Along with that are 20 vials of holy water - disperse as you see fit.

Furthermore, the Jarl offers 5 hand grenades, one each for the surviving 5 party members (Bruno, Kullonar, Gildan, Myrrick and Ulrich). A direct hit will cause 2d6 points of damage on a direct hit and burn like napalm for two rounds. Half damage if the grenade is off target up to 10' - if greater than that the other players may want to duck!

Fair warning: make sure you keep your books properly - some of you didn't keep track of your stuff - now's the time to mark it on you character sheets.

I begin some downtime Tuesday. I'm ready to get back on track. I can't say it enough - many games would've faltered under these circumstances. You guys have been rock solid. Thanks for hanging in there.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:52, Sun 06 Dec 2020.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 155):

You kept it going too. You've done well Grasshopper!

Can you give me the numbers for the Flame-Tongue sword?
This message was last edited by the player at 14:56, Sun 06 Dec 2020.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 155):

I took 3 holy waters, 2 CLW and a grenade

Kullonar takes the same.

In reply to Kullonar (msg # 158):

Who is Selene again? I'm not remembering at all.

Ulrich would not know her as she has not been present since the party came North. You may have overheard some talk much earlier as Zan having had his heart broken by her when she informed him she was going to marry the Curate Toran Lucius Crevellar, who WAS with us when we first arrived.

Howdy gang. I'll post tonight. Finished three courses for my continuing education which is due in January, so I am happy about that. 3 more to go, then I'm done. I'm doing one a day, so that gets me to the end of the weekend...if all goes according to plan.

During this quasi downtime I'll be throwing tidbits your way. Hope you liked the upgrades I sent. And give a warm welcome to Dugger. I suspect he'll have more than one trick up his sleeve.

Until later...

The Seer

Wow! I don't think that I caught you were taking classes as well as your day job, Seer. Well done, sir. Congrats on getting stuff done!

Continuing Ed is part of maintaining my certifications. Kind of a pain in the ass, to be honest. But I usually get a tidbit or two from the training that I use later.

Welcome aboard, Dugger!

In reply to Kullonar (msg # 164):

It's welcome BACK Dugger!

Okay, so Selene's ready.

:p

Alright, gang, as soon as we wrap up the final roleplaying, I'll be starting a new in game thread titled, "Into the Breach Once More."

I hope you all have a great Christmas, or whatever flavor you ascribe to. For my part, I love Christmas. I hope Old Man Covid keeps staying away from my house. Much better that St. Nick pays a visit instead.

Peace on Earth, y'all and pray for our country.

The Seer.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 167):

Amen!

Preach it!

ReRend!

Merry and Happy to everyone and thanks for a great game despite a crap year, Seer.

A toast to 2021. Can't come fast enough.

Folke and Ingolf. Ingolf was the second one.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 172):

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. No, I'm not PC, I hate PC!

I believe we've shared out most of the magical stuff (arrows to Gildan, scroll to Kullonar), but can't recall who has the Potion of Extra Healing. If someone doesn't already have it on their 'sheet', I think it should go to Myrrick since he's often front line and can't heal himself.

Anyone else have an opinion?

Otherwise,is everyone agreed that we sell the rest and split the coin?

So, that would be 1,600/5= 320 GP ea? [Assuming my math is correct.]

Sounds good to me.

Kullonar has the potion, but will gladly give it to Myrrick.
I'll mark it off his sheet :)

And I'll add the gold...question Seer > can we leave our gold/coin here? Lugging it all over the Vale seems unnecessary.

Jarl Yngvar has a vault that the party can use.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 177):

Ulrich will keep his in the vault too.

Gildan will take those +2 arrows, thank you very much

I offer two marching orders for a quick discussion with the caveat that we still haven't clearly indicated everyone's character classes, so aside from Ulrich, Selena, Gilden, and myself, I am relying upon my bad memory and the lack of search function here to rediscover what has been posted previously. (Could we just list this info in one of the pinned threads?):

1.
Myrrick -- Ulrich
Dugger -- Bruno
Gilden -- Selena
Kullonar -- Gregors

*It seems to me that AD&D Thieves probably shouldn't be in the front row, but this lets Dugger move ahead easily. I think both Myrrick and Gregors are Rangers, so this gives us surprise-resistance fore and aft, the Wizard safely tucked in the center and Clerics fore and aft.

In case I am wrong about Thief placement and Gregors is actually a Thief rather than a Ranger how does this work?

2.
Dugger -- Gregors
Bruno -- Ulrich
Gilden -- Selena
Kullonar -- Myrrick

PLEASE everyone, post here indicating whether or not you're okay with one of these or if you'd rather different placement. Once we get a final decision it's what we'll use moving forward (and I'll create a single-file order based upon it too, Storyteller).

Dugger be a liberator of items.  (Thief)

no problem with being in the front for checking things out.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:25, Fri 18 Dec 2020.

In reply to Dugger Naderwash (msg # 181):

I did recall that our newest colleague is a non-multiclassing THIEF! ;)

Right, so that's a vote for #2

#2 looks good to me.
As long as Kullonar is in the back, he's fine. :)

Gregors is a fighter with tracking capability. Not that it matters - he'll be spending most of his time in the hidey hole now that you've got a full contingent of characters.

The rangers in the party are Gildan and Myrrick. FYI.

Marching order 1 seems better to me, but that's your call.

Let me know when you're ready.

1 suits me, I can detect evil.

So... Myrrick and I are the only PCs not to have voted, but here's the tally so far:

2 votes #1
2 votes #2

To my mind when the GM indicates a 'disinterested' opinion I tend to pay attention, so that'll give 3 votes to #1.

Let's go with that order and since I incorrectly placed Gregors in the draft version here's what it'll look like now:

Myrrick -- Ulrich
Dugger -- Bruno
Gilden -- Selena
Kullonar

When we're riding double-file It makes sense for Gregors to be in front, since he knows the region much better, so he'd take place at the top of the 'right' line and everyone else would move back one step. (In single-file he'd just go to the front spot.)

I suspect as we play and get used to having a focused Thief and distill our tactics we might change things, also, there may be situations in which we do something different, but just so we have it all in one place, here's a single-file as well, Seer!

Ulrich
Dugger
Myrrick
Gilden
Bruno
Selena
Kullonar

Excellent! You guys did good. Are we ready to take on the vale once again?

In reply to The Seer (msg # 187):

Yup! Ready and rarin' to go!

Yup!

Flame damage: what we figured out is that the bonuses for flame damage was included in the plusses given, per the DMG. I will double check that just to be sure and give you an update.

I was indeed correct about that (nice to get one right sometimes...).
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:53, Mon 21 Dec 2020.

I'm going to edit this as it's been an ongoing question that I haven't fully clarified yet.

Regarding magical weapons: If you have a +1 magic sword, that's the magical bonus you get in addition to your normal rolls.

If, however, you have a magical weapon that has multiple functions, two things happen: first, you get the bonus as listed. For instance: If you have a flame brand, you have ascending bonuses as listed in the DMG. +1 allows for setting small fires, burning paper, etc. In other words it works like a normal +1 sword except that it burns flammable items.

+2 is for avian creatures (birds and birdlike monsters); +3 is against cold monsters (Frost Giants, Winter wolves, etc.) and +4 vs Undead. When you have multiple bonuses that stack like that, the sword effectively becomes a higher level sword.

What do I mean by that? Well, when a monster is attacking and has certain attributes that allow for resistance against lower lever weapons, but the character has a flame tongue which has ascending bonuses, the sword - AS I PLAY IT - becomes a +5 weapon, which means you can hit all infernal (devils), demonic, monsters etc. that you otherwise would not be able to hit.

This rule applies to all swords. Now, Let's say you have a straight up +2 sword - that's what you got, and can attack and hit any monster with resistances up to +2 against that particular foe.

Another example is a Mace of Disruption. Techically it's a +3 weapon, but because of it's ability to 'disrupt' an outerworlder, it effectively becomes a +5 weapon.

That's a lot of stuff, but I want you guys to understand these particular rules so there's no confusion later on. FYI> I'll put this in the game menu as well.

One thing about combat in this campaign: No one gets cheated. A lot of action going on.

I will be around this week. Holler if you feel like it, otherwise have a Merry Christmas. Or a shitty one, if that's your flavor. LOL. Oh and Happy 2021 - can't come soon enough!!!

Thanks, Seer!

Merry Christmas, y’all

Merry Christmas!

Sometimes my sense of humor gets ahead of me. I wish all of you a happy, healthy Christmas and New Year - or whatever holiday flavor that suits you.

Merry Christmas

In reply to Dugger Naderwash (msg # 196):

It's Boxing Day!

I'm getting a bit frustrated with the multiple types of calculating To Hit and Damage. So I'm going through this again, because I've done it before.

When rolling in combat I want three lines as follows:

1 initiative - YOU ONLY ROLL THIS ONCE PER COMBAT
2 To hit (or attack if you prefer - it's the same thing)
3 Damage

If you have multiple attacks, list them in order like so:
Attack 1
Attack 2
Attack 3

Damage 1
Damage 2
Damage 3

A good example of this would look like the following:
Bob the fighter is 7th level and gets 2 attacks every 3 rounds (2/3)

So first round he rolls initiative and scores a 5. Not too shabby.
Then, because it's his first round of action, he swings his mighty sword to hit the ogre standing there with it's club. He hits with a 15 'To hit'.

His mighty sword is a long sword, and he rolls damage for 1d8. The dice roller is feeling generous, and he scores 7 points of damage. The following round, Bob would get 2 attacks with his mighty sword.

In this case, the player would write it up like so:

Initiative: 5
Attack: 15
Damage: 7


What I DON'T like is one line with all the information on it. Something like: 6, 17, 2d6+2

This template allows me to quickly process attacks and damage without resorting to using an abacus. Please stay within these lines. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, and your help is much appreciated when it comes to high math...like addition and subtraction. Thank you.

:p

The Seer
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:26, Sun 27 Dec 2020.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 198):

Ahhhhh, I ain't sharp either, sorry, I'm guilty too.

Part 2 of my little rant:

critical hits and fumbles. Fumbles first: If you roll a natty 1 in combat, you lose a turn. Very simple.

If you roll a critical hit, you maximize your damage score and then multiply your current level by 2. So In Gildan's case, his critical hit would look like this:

max damage + 2x your current level.

So in Gildan's case, assuming no magic, the total damage would be 6 + 2x4 otherwise calculated as 14 points of damage. If you are using magical weapons, don't forget to add that to the total.

I've considered capping the critical roll, but haven't made that determination yet. After all, as the levels get higher, the opponents get tougher.

And thank you all for playing. I know that I can be a rules curmudgeon, but I am having a lot of fun with this game, so please don't take anything I say too seriously. You all are really good players, and I am privileged to be your DM.

Seer...I really like this rule.
I just might steal...erm...borrow it for my 5E game :)

In reply to Kullonar (msg # 201):

As I'm old and my memory sucks, forgive me Seer, I'll not remember.

In reply to Ulrich Aelgrimm (msg # 202):

Thats why I have a fairly extensive 'Game Rules' section, so that forgetful old farts like myself can reference said rules.

:)

Feel free to steal anything not nailed down or copyrighted. LOL!

Got you on formatting, boss. I use orange for all OOC text including dice rolls. That's just what I've always done on RPOL but I'll try to remember to do it differently. And the formatting was because I cut and pasted on mobile from the dice roller. I'll keep this in mind for the future.

I appreciate everyone's input, so thank you. It is a help to me and allows me to focus on the game and not so much on the game mechanics, if that makes sense.

I'll be posting something tomorrow, with updated combat rolls.

Happy New Year, Yo. I'm repeating myself, but I hope that all of you have a safe, healthy and productive 2021. God Bless.

Here's to it. Happy New Year!

As we settle into the post holiday malaise, and finish all the remnants of the various turkeys, hams, chickens, figgy puddings, etc, etc, I want to say that I am excited to continue on as your earnest DM. Not it was ever in doubt, but I just wanted to reaffirm my exalted status. With that said, and again, let's hope that this year is better than last. From now on we shall call the past year 'The Year that Shall not be named.'

The new year shall be called Prometheus. 500xp for the first person to get that reference.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 209):

Prometheus was a Titan. but I'm not sure what you refer too, bad luck for me.

Yeah, Prometheus... He stole fire and gave it to humanity, no? (Look ma, no Google!)

And then spent the remainder of eternity having his guts plucked out by cosmic vultures or something as punishment?

So... He inspired creativity and whatnot in humans and became the hero for us Type 1 Diabetics who have a real animosity for bits of our guts that just stopped working for some reason, so they may as well be torn out, because we continue to carry them around with us like suckers!

Or something like this? (Look ma, I really should've just confirmed this on Google!)

Whatever the case, I think Prometheus is a fine name for the last dumpster fire as we move into the next one.

Onward!

In reply to Bruno Rhunthane (msg # 211):

That's it Bruno!

While technically correct, that's not the answer I was looking for. Keep trying.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 213):

2001 A Space Odyssey?

Frankenstein, "The Modern Prometheus" was not the subject of the book. The man who created him, Dr. Frankenstein, was the catalyst. But our pity and love went to the monster, to Viktor as he was sometimes named. Viktor roughly means "he will win." And we will win against this fucking pandemic. We humans mess things up more often than not, but we are survivors, and there will always be a remnant who will win the day.

You guys are coming up with some great answers, but so far NO GO! lol!

The only other thing I can think of is the movie Prometheus in the Alien series. :)

The story was written by a female author.

Keep in mind, there's still a battle to be fought. Priorities!

If you guys don't get it by tomorrow, I'll let you know who it is. I thought for sure a couple of you might remember her. Still some time.

The twelve days of Christmas - more than just a silly song. We are currently on Day 11 for those interested.

Humm....   good to know

To me Prometheus means impending doom.      lol
This message was last edited by the player at 02:10, Tue 05 Jan 2021.

Prometheus is supposed to have brought civilization to humans by giving them fire, the first tool humans used on our path to modernity (or modernity for Greeks living 2500-3000 years ago) so maybe we're about to stumble upon some D&D version of the monolith from 2001. A great relic that will advance us through the evolutionary scale, as represented by a sudden jump to 20th level? That's my guess.

Let me start by saying thank you for playing. Unfortunately no one won XP Award.

The correct answer was Ayn Rand, the story was called Anthem, and it a dystopian story about a man and woman who broke their bonds as servants of the state and ran away to start their own culture, one that repudiated the status quo.

Those of you who don't know who Ayn Rand is, you should do some research. She's a fascinating woman and novelist, although a bit wordy. Her claims to fame include 'The Fountainhead' & 'Atlas Shrugged.' She is known as a fierce capitalist and Rand Paul, current Senator as well as Paul Ryan, former speaker are counted as devotees. Oh and she fled the specter of socialism as young woman and came to the US.

FWIW: She was also a stout Atheist.

That was the Socialist upbringing. She didn't know God. Not a topic for here though. ;-)

Not a big fan of Rand's writing, the thought that went into it, and I find her influence on the culture at large problematic.

Great puzzle, though! ;)

I thank you all for playing. It was fun for me. I thought for sure one or two of you would have caught the reference. I read anthem in the 9th grade. I loved it and read it every few years.

My great complaint via her teachings is that she refuted vociferously the idea of a God. I am a Christian, so that always bothered me. But, there's no question that she was brilliant.

She also had really bad teeth. LOL!

LOL

I will post tomorrow at some point. Carry on smartly, gentlemen.

I'm familiar with Ayn Rand, though I've never read her. I'm also playing Bioshock for the first time, which takes place in an objectivist "paradise"

Question, what's the latest battle update? Are we still fighting two bearded devils? Are any undead still alive?

Good question: Yes, Bearded Devils are still alive, though wounded, and the undead are either dead or turned. Waiting on the others to catch up.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:44, Fri 08 Jan 2021.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 230):

I think I'm caught up, let me know if I'm not.

you're good.

Was there any commentary on the last round? Did I miss it?
Per usual, I have no fucking clue as to what is going on...sorry Seer, it's just not that clear as to what is happening.

You guys are still fighting the two bearded fiends, although I don't expect them to last too much longer. Basically the party has initiative except for Selene, and her spells are bit depleted except for a fireball that's she is afraid to use for fear hitting members of the party.

Gildan hasn't posted yet. Once he does that'll bring us into round 5. Hopefully that clarifies things a bit.

Please refer to the Game rules for Critical hits and fumbles. Max Damage + 2x your level. So a 4th level character would add an additional 8 points of damage. A fumble causes the opponent to lose one round of action.

Alright, let's put an end to this. I hate wandering monsters.

So I have some continuing education courses hanging over my head, probably take a day or two, I'll post as I can, but it is a work think and I have hard deadline. Keep on roleplaying, though and I'll pop in now and again. After this, I am good for 2 years.

Go forth and pass, Seer!

Good news: I am finished for another two years and I am compliant with my license. I'll be back at it tomorrow, I think.

Well done, sir!

Thank you!

congrats

I appreciate the accolades, but really, it's just part of my job. You are good folks tho, so thanks for the nice words. Now, back to the skirmish.

Hi gang. I am happy to play at any pace that suits everyone. I know I've been distracted a bit this month, which has slowed down the game. But I'm ready to rock and roll again. One of the bad things about wandering monsters is they tend to slow down unexpectedly. Anyway, I'm ready when you guys are. Thanks for playing!

I'll have a post up tonight to set the stage. Congrats! Even victories count!

This is where it gets a bit complicated. I have to look over the maps and make sure that I have a good idea of the spaces you might encounter. I'll be done by tonight or tomorrow. Just FYI.

Not bad on the arrows. 75% is a passing grade!!

Yes it is!

Please take note, I've put together a new, more accurate Game Map. You still have to scroll right and left because I have no idea how to shrink the image and don't feel like spending an hour to figure it out. It is, however, a cleaner image, and closer to the real map than the other one.

Enjoy.

Another thing: I'm keeping track of which tombs have been raided. Right now I have the Long Mound (F: Larva), The middle mound (G: Shadows), The small mound (Nimae).

Ingolf's tomb follows (The horde and the fall of Zan & Uthecar). If I missed one, let me know.

Ah, under the game map link at the top.

If you right click and open it in a new tab (assuming not on mobile) it reduces it down.

Can I get a reminder of where on the map we are? Just like X number of tombs up and to the left of the lake?

Gildan: You are officially hired as my tech guy.

In answer to your question, you guys are approaching from the north, atop the long ridgeline that borders the vale. You're taking stock right now, looking down to see what you may - there's not much to see beyond the gorecrows. You do hear the sound of running water...it is the stream that runs diagonally through the vale.

Let me know if you have further questions.

I have to say, I really appreciate the synergy you guys bring to this game. Bruno, nice recovery. Well played! LOL.

Kullonar, every time you open your mouth, I laugh.

And the new guy, already making a mark.

So all my stuff is done (I think), so we should have about a month until I go on vacation. That's a lot of RPol to be played. Let's have at it, fellas!

In reply to The Seer (msg # 254):

VACATION!

It's in March. We got plenty of game time before us!

Just a clarification: the party is moving down from from the ridge, then right away from the water fall. Once at the first tomb, you're 60' away from the waterfall. I kind of flubbed up that description.

That was funny Ulrich! LOL!

Sorry for not posting. I am mentally and temporally under water at the moment but I'll try to get back to it as soon as I can.

In reply to Gildan Stalker (msg # 259):

8-| Don't drown!

No worries on your part, Gildan. I've got real life stuff I have to handle through the weekend, so I'm gonna be tied up during that period as well. I will make every effort to get a post or two out this weekend.

since the start of Covid, my work has been in a covid frenzy.

I was underemployed prior to the pandemic and seem to be even further from finding sufficient employ today. (Saying this aloud in an effort to inspire the fates to gainsay me.)(Who says I'm not helpful?)

Longwhineshort: deep breaths and enjoy the hassles ya got, believe it or not it's possible to miss them once you've been liberated from them.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, I realize what a blessing it is to be employed during all of this mess.

Hopefully, you'll find one that is a good fit for you soon.

Good morning, gamers. This week has become busier than I expected. Game play is going to be intermittent. I'll try to get some posts up this week, but probably won't be to active until the weekend. Sorry for any inconvenience.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 265):

tsk, tsk, tsk!

Busy. My next post will be this weekend. No help for it...gotta make the donuts.

When the lady says duck, then duck! LOL.

Hi, guys. I expect to have a post up sometime today. It will detail your current position, as well as things like taking stock of how many spells remain for casters, how many arrows remain for archers, and the like.

I do want to reiterate how awesome you guys are for not bailing on me. Many players wouldn't be so tolerant of my waywardness. I call it "Lifus Interruptus."

I think I will be able maintain some consistency moving forward.

Cheers.

Sorry for the delay - I fell asleep in my chair. Woke up about 4am and climbed in my bed.

Hell, I do that all the time :)

This encounter made me laugh. I guess you could say they lost their heads.

Badum-PAH!!!

I'm here all week, folks. Try the chicken. Waiting on Myrrick, fyi.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 274):

Give him time then NPC him. ;-)

Well that was fun little encounter. LOL!

Knee deep in work. Post tomorrow.

Agreed > makes no sense whatsoever. According to 1E, you're supposed to roll UNDER your ability score. Can't get any more under than a 1.
And then that's an automatic fail, when a "2" would have been a success. Fucking ridiculous.

In reply to Kullonar (msg # 278):

Agreed. I'd say it was a success on the save. but I'm not DM. ;-) Thank God! I'm having fun here regardless of the crazy rules! :-)

I know a few of you have DM'd, so you know where I'm coming from. At the end of the day, DnD was still a stroke of genius. I just think that EGG left a lot to the discretion of the players when he created his masterpiece.

It is what it is...let's move on.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 280):

yippee!

I know that I'm late to the conversation on a "1".  Don't have a problem with a 1 always being a failure.  But there is always different levels of failure for an action.  I'd leave it up to the DM to determine the level of failure, or even a second roll to help determine the severity of the failure.

I actually like that it is opened ended as it is.  Allows for wiggle room.

Bruno: yes 7 skeletons. Four in the niche area, three in front of the bone screen. The skeletons in front of the bone screen were effectively pushed out of the way by the ghasts. They are still considered to be turned, so will not effect the current melee, unless it goes 10 or more rounds.

Here's why I'm still confused by this scene:

In post #290 I clarified that I was attacking the 3 in front of the screen in Post #281. (Again, mea culpa, for not doing this in #281 when I rolled the dice.)

I attacked them because of Selene's warning in #277 that there was an opening behind the barrier AND there your description in #270 that the skeletons had spit up in their appropriately terrified of The Soul Forger retreat, so while I didn't know the actual numbers I was wading into I knew it would be fewer than the original group.

I believe that Gilden and Ulrich's attacks were in support of that move, so we attacked these 3 before the Ghast burst out and at least one of them ought to be un-Turned?

Or... Are you saying that we are ignoring the attacks we made against skeletons between posts #281-293? Maybe this is what you were saying with your warning in #285?

Whatever the case, I don't intend to change my current action (Bless spell). I just wanted to clarify my clarification to have better clarity on a scene that I have obviously muddled thoroughly.

I'll have a post up tomorrow. Taking a personal day for plumbing repairs. Lucky me.

The dice are fickle, folks, but keep plugging away. The dice roller has to turn sometime...doesn't it?

LOL!

Keeping tabs. A few of you haven't rolled yet.

I'm going to try to space out each individual's attack and damage rolls so that the matrix isn't so busy. We'll see how it goes.

Waiting on Gildan, which is fine - not like he's late or anything. In the meantime I've fleshed out some of my matrix ideas. Nothing extravagant, but I think it will be useful.

If I do this right, I'll be able to basically cut and paste all actions and conditions and other pertinent info from the matrix directly to the game thread. Should add an element of organization that has been lacking in my DMing. Again, we'll see how it plays out.

Thanks for playing.

No problem!

I got a bit confused and rolled an additional attack and damage yesterday thinking that I'd not done so for the next round. Assuming that I attack with my blade next round I'll re-roll them.

Hey! Congrats. None of you are dead, and you have earned a bit of gold for your efforts. Just fyi, the Big Baddy was given mummy stats per the author of the module. I really thought that would be just a really big time scrap. The party however has some aces in the hole. I can point out all of you at various points making a difference. Well done, indeed!

On to the next chapter!

One last thing: I'm going to spend the day working on the matrix. You guys enjoy your Easter feast, remember the Passover as well as the Risen King. And for those who don't worship, I hope enjoy a hearty and happy feast wherever you are.

Peace!
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:59, Sun 04 Apr 2021.

Good morning! My editor has informed me that I am a lazy bastard, and that I still have a ton of work do on story #3. So, per his instruction, I'm going to take a couple days to get my shit together. That should give you a nice breather while I pretend to be an author.

In the meantime, Dugger's been kind enough to open a dialog for roleplaying. TBH, the editing won't take too terribly long, and I'll be around if you have questions. I'm thinking by Friday I'll be good to go.

Slainte'

Glad to hear your editor is doing his job! Go forth and conquer!!!

did they change the rule on posting images?

was trying to post this image

http://sj2.us/images/Abs.jpg

Not that I know of. That's quite a six pack. What is the relevance? Did you start working for Calvin Klein as a super model?

Nevermind, I got the gist of it.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 296):

Dugger is ripped!

just trying to establish that Dugger has a tone body that the ladies might find appealing,  it goes with the character.  He can be quite the charmer. ;)

I'm working on completing the character description.

Also, the new armor helped drop his AC by 2
This message was last edited by the player at 03:50, Fri 09 Apr 2021.

Good morning, folks!

What a game. This has been a lot of fun for me. I hope you guys are enjoying it as well. I will be starting a new thread and shutting down the most recent one. You are on the cusp of some discoveries as well as the most difficult portion of the adventure. I suspect some casualties, but with patience and courage, most of you should survive.

My challenge right now is figuring out the name of the next chapter. Something suitably dark and scary, I think!

As always, thank you for playing. And remember, it's not the DM's fault when you all die!

Mwahahahahahahahaahha!

In reply to The Seer (msg # 299):

It isn't? Oh dear.

Thanks and have a great weekend off, Seer!

I am back. gonna take a couple days to get situated, so bear with me. I suspect that Thursday I'll kick things off. Thanks for your patience.

I will be starting up again tomorrow. Looking forward to it. Cheers.

rest and recharge,

I need an inventory of your current spells, as well as your primary weapons, please.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 305):

MEMORIZED SPELLS: Bless x1*, Detect Magic, Light, Remove Fear, Speak w/Animal, Resist Fire, Chant, Spiritual Hammer

*I've cast one Bless spell and used The Gift of the Soul Forger so far.

WEAPONS:
+1 Short Sword
Battle Axe
Hammer
Crossbow, HVY

In reply to Bruno Rhunthane (msg # 306):


Flame Tongue Long Sword:
+2 VS. regenerating creatures, like trolls

+ 3 VI. coldusing, inflammable, or avian creatures,

+4 vs. undead,

Sheds light only when its possessor speaks a command word or phrase, and this flame
illuminates the area as brightly as a torch. Note that the flame from this sword
easily ignites oil, burns webs, or sets fire to paper, parchment, dry wood, etc.
Cold-using creatures are those whose attack mode involves cold (ice toads, white
dragons, winter wolves, yeti, etc.)

+2 Dagger

Divine Spells:
1st (5) > Command, CLW, Create Water, Resist Cold
2nd (3) > Hold Person, Slow Poison, Spiritual Hammer

Morning Star +1

Guys: I just bought a van gogh print and am putting it above my headboard in th emaster bedroom. I promise that once that's done I will pick up where I left off. This was my wife's idea, not mine. But it is an interesting picture and I was getting tired of the oval mirror over the bed. I'm not so pretty that I need to look at myself every day. I know what I look like!

LOL. TTYL.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 310):

LOL

I understand your impulse here, but, Seer, if you are putting The Scream up to replace that mirror, I think we need to talk. (Particularly if this was your wife's decision.)

In reply to Bruno Rhunthane (msg # 312):

I like the Scream!

My wife pointed out that it wasn't a van gogh. Shows you how much I know about art...

:p

I love The Scream too! I just don't think it's the correct signal over one's bed... ;)

I'm glad you guys have a sense of humor.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 316):

Screamer?

You haven't met my wife...

I am going to assume that the party will accept the lore of Moradin and retreat back to Gregor's haunt. If you have something else in mind, let me know.

Gang: we come to the crucible. Everything will be decided here. If you make good decisions, you will prevail. If you choose poorly, you will fall into the cracks of time, warriors forgotten in the dark.

No holds barred! Good luck.

Just checking in, because I'm not sure whether we're just going to pick up the next morning after a night's rest back at the camp and we should post our actions for then or we're waiting on something to set things up from you Seer.

I am giving you guys a bit time to roleplay?  Un, yeah, that's what I'm doing...

LOL.

A couple of things: I'm actually taking time to work on the story arc for the vale. I think this will play out nicely...if you guys are able to win out.

Good stuff!

I should have an in game post sometime today - there won't be any lag with Gregors. In fact, Gregors is going to be part of the party after cooling his heels in the redoubt.

I cannot stress this enough: this is going to be a huge challenge! As always, good luck!

However the dice falls, let 'em fall.
These characters are just a document that can be erased and created again.
Good game, Seer, either way.

Okay, gang. We come to the crucible, the fulcrum upon which the campaign will swing. Only you will determine the outcome of this journey. Best of luck to each of you.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 324):

Hopefully, I'll survive, but if I don't, it's a good month to die. I turned 60 today!

Well, happy birthday. Let's try to keep you alive, yes?

In reply to The Seer (msg # 326):

I hope so, but we'll see. The last time the dice gods were against me.

turnabout is fair play...

On a side note: my editors sent me a note saying that they were ready for me. I can tell you that means that I'm going to be a bit more intermittent than usual. As this story combines with the first two, it will call for a lot of careful review of the rough draft.

It is a lifelong dream to be an author. I need to take it seriously. Forgive me if things slow a bit.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 328):

Good luck!

Go forth and conquer!

Happy 60th Ulrich!
I thought I was the oldest (58) > this game sure has kept us going for awhile, hasn't it?

Good luck Seer!

Yes, Happy New Year, Ulrich!

Wow, I'm 54, so here's to we who are no longer kiddos are well represented here. ;)

In reply to Bruno Rhunthane (msg # 332):

Yes we are all seasoned veterans of a thousand and more battles.

I want a copy of the book boss!
Push, get that dream boss. I became a professional athlete/fighter at 38

You take your time, if we can help let us know!

I guess I'm the baby, I'll be 41 in september.

Myrrick, I'd go back to 41 today!
Definitely would take better care of my health and hopefully not be in the shape I'm in now.
I've a long road to recover with my back. Ugh...

In reply to Kullonar (msg # 335):

19 years! I'd take it in a heart beat.

I have to admit, I don't look back very often. I like who am today, better than I liked my younger self who was short-tempered, often arrogant and drank WAY too much whiskey. I feel very blessed in that regard. Growing up has left it's mark on me. There are a ton of people that would say 'I am sorry' to if I had the chance...starting with my family.

Well.... I REALLY liked my 40s.

This probably reflects that with hindsight I was sort of wanting to be middle aged my entire life. Getting to 40 meant that I had FINALLY arrived. No one could seat me at the kids table, etc.

Yeah, there are lots of jokes to be made here, but what was really unexpected for me was how awful I felt turning 50. I'd spent my entire life wanting to be older and suddenly... I was. It was the first time in my life I became truly conscious of my age.

Luckily, I've many friends who're older than me, so I've been give lots of perspective (whether I wanted it or not) and have come to terms with things. Onwards!

Congrats on the book deal

in me fifties as well

A little, big thing

I'm a coffee drinker. I wasn't initially, but the Navy put its stamp on me - we drank a lot of coffee out at sea, especially in colder climes. What a shock when I got home to find almost every coffee mug was produced in China, the Philipines, and assorted other locales.

It almost became an obsession with me. I would go to a Bed, Bath and Beyond and not find any coffee mugs that were made in the USA. A few years ago, my wife got me a mug from starbucks that was made in America. Unfortunately, I hate starbucks for multiple reasons, not the least of which is the fact that their coffee tastes like motor oil. But at least I had coffee mug made in the USA.

Well, eventually got tired of collecting coffee mugs from everywhere but the US. And I didn't want to support a business that I have no interest in supporting. So...

I went online and found Stoneware Coffee Mugs, hand made with a capacity of 14oz. I just got them today and I'm thrilled. They're in the dishwasher right now. I'm gonna brew up a pot just I can enjoy my 'made in the usa' coffee mug.

Always remember: It's the little things in life that give us the greatest pleasures. I'm gonna go drink my coffee now.

I too love coffee. I also love a big (re: proper) coffee cup. That said, I have a surprisingly low capacity for it. Unless I'm under a lot of stress, etc. I can actually only handle more than 1 or 2 cups a day. Go figure.

Funny you mention that - i get sour stomach sometimes. Usually away in a day or two and I'm back to normal, but in the interim I'm miserable because of the sour stomach and the fact I can't have coffee until my settles down. LOL.

no coffee for me  thanks  never liked the stuff.

I have a particular mug I only use on Saturdays > its my Rocketeer mug; had it so long the color has faded.
And on the rare occasion I need a cup of decaf at night, I use my Batman mug from the 80's movie.

Other than that, it's whatever mug hits my fancy at the time.

But, lately I've become a coffee snob.
I don't drink Starbucks > like Seer said, motor oil....and I don't like to support Starbucks anyway.
I don't drink lizard piss > like the swill they serve at McDonalds, Hardees, etc.

We have a some local shops that serve a strong brew and then I spend a few extra $$ on good coffee in the grocery store.
Right now, my favorite is Cameron's > nice robust blend.

Where do you usually get Camerons? Specialty stores? Or can you get them at the grocery store?"

My problem with Starbucks is that it's burnt, acidic blah. (I generally love a cuppa unsweetened mud and keep your milk in your cow, fer cryin' out loud!)

I'd just assume spend 3/4 the price at a bodega for a cup a thin, but efficient acid blah without having to learn a new frickin' language to get a cuppa. (Get the VENTI outta heah!, aka VENTI my ass, chump!)

PS: Also, rather than add a post about this in the IC thread: Bruno cast light upon his helmet, not his hood, so that if necessary he can pull his hood up over his helm.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:28, Wed 12 May 2021.

In reply to Bruno Rhunthane (msg # 346):

I just don't drink coffee.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 345):

They sell it in our grocery stores here in Wilmy.
They also sell it on Amazon (like everything else) but it is expensive; I normally wait until it goes on sale then buy up several bags.

https://www.amazon.com/Cameron...French/dp/B002ESSASK

thanks for the tip!

I will take any coffee so long as its one part whole milk to two parts coffee. Starbucks is fine except now with the new COVID restrictions where you can't pour your own milk they never give me enough milk. Never!! Even when I ask for a bit more they never do.
Which is to say I don't like coffee. To paraphrase Ad Rock, I like my milk with a bit of coffee.

Coffee drinkers call that chocolate milk...LOL!

Also a tasty drink!!

Waiting on a few folks.

Gang: FYI I have a new game up. There was a request, the formatting is giant sized, but you can scroll back and forth to get an idea of what you're looking at.

Thanks for playing.

The Seer.

In reply to The Seer (msg # 354):

Got a link? ;-)

Are you talking about a new game MAP?

today was one of those days that you think are gonna be sedate and they turn out to be a ball buster. I'm probably not going to post or work on the stupid map until tomorrow.

Sorry for the delay.

The Management.

Ah! There's my map. I hope that helps.

:)

I meant a game MAP. That's what happens when fatigue sets in. Pardon my idiocy...

I've uploaded the second level of the game map. FYI

In reply to The Seer (msg # 360):

Thanks! We coming out of room 5, or 6? In room 7, it is BIGLY!

I'm going to pause hear to wait for a few more folks to have a chance to post.

I'm looking at the map...both levels...where are we exactly?
the only throne I see is on level 1.