In reply to Eri Sato (msg # 653):

I wouldn't say no if you wanted to.

I will give it until morning for anyone else to jump in and then update. Off to bed!

Aye Eri. If you want to doodledraw, who am i to stop you!

At some point, Sul will bring up wanting to go see this oracle, time permitted. And perhaps check on these artifacts that are mentioned on the rumor board. >.>

Cool! I'll get on that this weekend :) Also, you have a pretty good description already in your character details but what about hair length and facial hair? Is it similar to your avatar or different? I know rpol has limited ability to match what we imagine. Just want to make sure I have something in the ballpark of what you pictured. Thanks!

Thanks for the assist Wrenn, but it went even worse :(

This is probably a bad time to say that Arizima is a charisma focused character with Lucky and proficiency in Intimidation.  >.>

Just as a reminder don't forget Arizima's question once this is resolved.  She really is asking earnestly about who to go to report a further wrinkle in the trial.

You’ve had a bad spot of luck with charisma checks, Griswold. Sorry.

Meh, it happens :P

Its just a little annoying that he is meant to be this charming and charismatic character, but the dice just refuse to let that him be even average.  He's had his fair share of good rolls though.  But they've mostly been for history.

@Arizima, yup I'm sure you're much better at all things charismatic than Griswold, but it made more sense for him to make the roll in this situation.

I hope it turns around soon. It’s never fun to have the dice against you.

Wrenn's not charismatic at all. At all. He's pretty good at pushing buttons and pissing people off, though.

Just make sure you don't piss off the wrong people. ;)

Also, Eri will be joining the group thread for Research Opportunities. Be nice as she gets acquainted with the group!

And afterwards we get to be as mean as we want, right? :evil:

Hahahaha! Of course! One must only be nice in the beginning! Isn't that how it is with marriage too? ;P

Speaking of, quick poll for the group.

Which would you prefer for the future of this game:

A more classic D&D adventure or stay true to the E6 foundation we started with?

I like the general idea of acknowledging how impressive the average adventurer with a handful of levels is to the average commoner.  People that can survive forty foot falls without serious injuries before cleaving through hordes of Orcs or incinerating them with a fireball are scary superhuman entities.

To be honest though from a fluff/conceptual level I'm not quite sure what the difference between the two approaches is if our levels are uncapped?  I'm fine with that and I agree with that choice I just don't know if there's a big difference.  From what I read quickly on E6 it's general divisions of play seem to map pretty closely to 5e's tiers of play.

Is there something I'm missing?

5E is designed to be focused on Tier 2 anyway. If you do the math on the experience points required per level, you'll notice T2 has the biggest gaps between levels compared to available experience rewards. In a typical 5E game, you'll spend more time in levels 5-10 than any other bracket.

I'm fine doing it either way.

Nothing is missing, it just alters the flavor and variety.

In the E6 direction, you're not likely going to see any truly strange monsters, but the monsters you do see are going to be tough and deserving of facing level 6 and above characters.

Example: In a classic D&D game, your group could take on a manticore and come out victorious pretty easily if the dice treat you well. In an E6 game, that manticore is likely a unique monster and has the skill, intelligence, and toughness to back it up.

Right now, so you can meta-game slightly, the Grandmasters on the Knightly Council sit at about 8th level and the Roses roughly sit around 12-14th level. Delius was likely in the 17-18 range.

I was going to ask what the difference exactly was, but I think you've described it well. 5e has its 'Tiers of play', but I can see how that is contradicted by a 'seemingly easy' manticore (although it likely still wrecks a farmers life and livestock).

I'm all for what makes the best story, and what fits best within your world. If that means that you upscale a monster to make it a more dangerous foe worthy of its reputation, go ahead!

I think you've picked up by now that I am not a fan of the dungeon crawl. I prefer the story and roleplay more than how many dice you can throw to damage a monster. That said, the tomb was a good test run for how I want combat to go. I have some tweaks here and there that will get introduced eventually for a pbp format, but for now it's fine.

Back to the point though, I would throw more than just a jumped up monster. Unusual situations, political gambits, and gut-wrenching choices are part of the E6 experience. Things that are not tropes like "catch the villain or save the village" but something more along the realm of the dilemma you have with the Lord of Stories.

Perhaps there is a way to combine the two? I really enjoy a good story, but I also like to throw dice at a monster :)

I'm fine with that.  I enjoy the non combat stuff quite a bit and personally like it when combat has stakes beyond just the combat itself.  I don't have a problem with combat in and of itself I just think its more entertaining when the stakes are more involved than just removing a general obstacle.

As for monster selection I'd just say do what you like.  I'm fine with whatever you enjoy there and want to do since that should result in a better game for everyone.

Certainly. There is no reason not to expect combat; I just don't like dungeon grinding for the sake of dungeon grinding. If y'all came a cross an abandoned ruin, it might be filled with a few beasts and the like more so than a horde of demons. If you are facing a true monster though, expect it to be a hard fought battle.

Also, intelligent baddies(aka sentient) will likely cap unless they are along the same lines as your group. That means that joe shmoe knight will likely cap at 4th level if he does his normal knightly duties. Battle veterans will cap around 6th. That orc warlord that has fought tooth and nail(literally) to get where he is? Likely higher than 6th. Face off against the Minotaur(not just a minotaur)? Expect a double digit CR equivalent.

I hope that helps.

Sorry for the delay in posting. I've been working on my taxes the last two days. I think I'm done though, yay! :)

No worries. I would like everyone to join up in the research thread and discuss future actions. The Caged Bird plot might become a major one depending on the actions taken. If so, it will cut downtime significantly. I want everyone to be introduced to Eri and the future of the party discussed.

Sorry if I seem pushy, but I don't want to rush ahead if people are not ready.

As for timeline, just to clarify, the research thread takes place the day before the Caged Bird and a week after Griswold declared for the Argonauts.

Everybody okay?