Welcome again everyone to what will hopefully be another fun game. You know what to do here.

;)

Shane

For frame of reference, since the conversation has carried over from elsewhere: This is Former Inas.


I'm thinking some form of spellcaster, but am rather flexible on its details so will wait because Former Ben had something specific in mind and I want to not accidentally get too close.

Plus, we may need a thief, and if nobody else does it . . .

I'm fine without being a caster.  Other than that, I have no immediate preferences.  My rolls came out pretty good.

That's not the way to do it.  The way to do it is come up with a character concept that depends on certain rolls, get really excited about/attached to the concept, then roll, then cry/curse because you didn't get what you needed.

:)

Gamma, you speak from the heart!  I've done that like a bunch of times!

I thought the standard method was just to keep rolling until you got what you wanted?

Then misunderstand the 2 for 1 swap rules and forget how to add properly.  If you're sloppy and bad at math, it's not cheating, right?

Does anyone want to be a charismatic mouthpiece for the party?  Then everyone else can dump stat it?

Uncharismatic mouthpieces are more fun for everyone.

I put together a fighter without any ranged weapons other than a hand axe.

I was reminded that this was the version with the uneven gold conversion scale.

200cp = 20sp = 2ep = 1gp = 1/5p

As usual, I'm having trouble deciding on a character. I have a couple high scores (15 and 17) and a couple  low scores (7 and 6). I can qualify for most classes. I was shying away from a magic-user due to low spell capacity, but the house rule to allow bonus spells and spontaneous casting makes that much more appealing.

I'll probably wait a bit to see how others' choices shake out, so I'm not stepping on anyone's toes.

I'll check in tomorrow morning.

(Former Rath here, by the way.)

Yeah. There is a bunch of goofy things about 1st edition AD&D. I started playing this edition in 1984 and just last night I either learned something new, or re-learned something I had long since forgotten concerning monster saving throws.

The way monster saves are computed in 1st edition is quite byzantine and totally representative of the scattershot nature of the game.

Nostalgia...

I am late to the party, but I will catch up. I was thinking cleric/mage, though I can be just a cleric too, Gotta roll my stats, see what it looks like.

Mediocre stats, but nothing really bad, which is a nice change of pace. I think I will just be a cleric though.

Drat, I wanted to be a dwarven cleric, didn't remember that they were not an allowed option.

Are we using racial level limits? I was thinking about a 1/2 Orc cleric, but they cap at level 4.

For this game, I am willing to do way with racial limitations altogether, unless any of you have strong objections?

This might open up new race class options, especially for those of you who may be struggling for new class concepts.

I am not concerned about any supposed "balance", I am more interested in fun.

Thoughts?

I am good with abandoning racial limits, and allowing things that are forbidden.

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 16):

I have no objections to removing racial limits.

Yeah I could the logic at the time but I’m good with flexible fun

Obviously I am all for it. Considering a half-Orc cleric sounds like fun, though the Wisdom cap is 14, I could live with that. Or maybe a dwarf.

I'm hovering between MU/Illusionist and Thief.  With those who are hovering closer to MU realm I'm leaning thief because we need it -- which I am happy to do -- but will wait a bit to see how things shake out.

In my experience, the race/class and level limitations did not often became a factor because so few of the AD&D games I played had characters ever reach a level cap. Characters died so often and the highest level character, legitimate character played in an actual campaign, I ever saw was 8th. The vast majority of campaigns fell apart before characters even reached 5th level. This is just my experience though, others likely have quite different experience.

But, for the purposes of this game, we won't get to high levels either. I have no interest in high level play, as you are all aware.

I have read articles and interviews where the game's designers said the limits were also put in place to reinforce the idea of a human-centric world. This also is no longer a concern for me. The world is whatever you want it to be and I don't need arbitrary, hard-coded game rules to dictate what the fantasy world looks like.

Time is fleeting. Life is already hard. Let's play the characters we want to play and have fun!
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:45, Tue 05 Oct 2021.

Oh yeah, we previously discussed bringing the 2nd edition Bard over to 1st edition. I have included that class in the House Rules thread for your consideration.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:15, Tue 05 Oct 2021.

Bard sounds like fun, if no one else grabs it, I might try that!

Maybe a Dwarven cleric/bard with a bag-pipe among his instruments.

I’ll commit to a magic user (but I’m willing to change if someone else has their heart set on it — or we could have two).

I got permission for cleric/bard, this should be interesting.

So -- Cleric/Bard, MU, and Galadel's a fighting type.

And I'm dithering around.  We still need a thief, could use a pure cleric . . .

Or cleric/thief? Just a thought.

I think it's:

Fighter (Zeta)
Cleric/Bard (Beta)
MU (Delta)

Alpha and Gamma both dithering around still :-).  So, my rolls were decent, but not enough to be a Ranger.  Busy day but I'll take a close look this evening and commit to something.

I'm working on another fighter, these 1ed adventures always needed a front line.  We called them sponges in the day, I guess cause they could absorb damage, buy time for the spellcasters to work their magic.

Sorry you didn't get those ranger numbers you wanted. That would have been fun.

No worries, like yourself, the fun is in the playing something of interest.

In that case . . . we have a cleric/bard, which kinda covers thieving and clericing.

Do we want another one of those that focuses on one, or another damage sponge (fighter)?

I don't get a lot of thief-skills, we could still use one. I don't get to pick locks, or check for traps.

What's the background on Alpha half-orc in town?  Is she from town?

Zeric is the Tanner's third son and lived there all his life.

So it is written, so it shall be done.

Sharn's parents run the finest graveyard at the edge of town.  She grew up there but was mostly kept away from townsfolk.

In reply to Sharn Thanatol (msg # 38):

That is very cool.

I can picture it now.  Polishing the gravestones, reburying the skeletons and zombies that kept getting out, chasing off those damn kids...

"You kids get off my graveyard!"

So -- playing a thief with a 7 wisdom: fun, or foolish?

Discuss.

Dangerously fun? As long as you have the party to back-up your mis-steps.

Not great that Wisdom affects perception, but . . . why not?

(If he was wise, would he be a thief in the first place?)

Poor impulsse control.

From a role play point of view, I'm hoping Corian selected the thief to come with them.  Crafter's sons don't usually like those that steal from others.

He's not a thief--he's a gentleman of leisure, a rogue, an opportunist, businessman, etc.

:)

In reply to Zeric (msg # 40):

Hahaha... too funny.

I remember one campaign I played in years ago, where we were all evil, and my character's occupation was maker of headstones. With full artistic flourish, sculpture skills! That was a wild campaign, we got mighty evil.

This message was deleted by the player at 02:20, Wed 06 Oct 2021.

I'll be Clatsi Clatterstone, gnome magic-user.

Details to follow.

Look like everyone is making great progress on their characters and mostly just finalizing details at this point. This is usually the point in a new game where some players start getting antsy to get going, full speed ahead, but just wanted to let everyone know I will be going tent camping with my family, leaving Friday and not returning until Monday.

All this to say, still plenty of time for you to finish up your characters, discuss potential characters links beyond "We all met at the Starving Stirge, total strangers, weird, right?" I mean, that works, but always nice to think one step further.

Here are some prompts to get you thinking:

• Sibking of…
• Saved by…
• Served with…
• Protected by…
• Adventured with…
• Friendly rival of…
• Childhood friend of…
• Magically bound to…
• Survived with…
• Escaped with…
• Apprentice of…
• Acolyte of…
• Idolizes…
• Drinking buddies with…
• Business associate of…
• Lost a bet to…
• Indebted to…
• Trained by…
• Dueling partner of…
• On the run with…

Seems likely someone or another of the party might have met me singing ballads and sharing sagas in an inn. I wouldn't be too popular, working for a meal and cot. My musical instrument had gotten destroyed, and I was just using my voice, which is strong, but less than lovely to the human ear.

I might have done a few days in a jail cell for pick pocketing.

Obviously the chance for employment, once it comes along, will be very welcome.

Sounds like most everyone will know of the bard.

Zeric is the tanner's energetic third son always looking for someone to spar with.  It isn't a surprise he's looking or any way to test his mettle against all odds.

Folly's background, before he went to seminary, was as a trapper and furrier.

He might have subsidized his income by bringing Zeric's family furs and skins for tanning. We could have met that way.

If you want, we can say that Corian asked me for suggested recruits, and I would know of your interested in escaping your third-son status, and mention your name.

That sounds good.  Those two will definitely know each other.

Sharn's family is well known in Bard's Gate, running a very successful mortuary on the edge of town, as well as contracting with local businesses for items of the trade.  Sharn was mostly shielded from the town as a youngster, but by the time she was 13, she was known to slip into town to buy a few things, grab an ale, catch an act or two.  She would have kept a low profile, but its possible she would have met several of you if you are locals.   You'd certainly know her family name.

I think I'm about done with the character sheet now, maybe one or two small details to round out.

I have the essential mechanics done, but I'm still working on my background and I have yet to tackle the joyless task of equipping the character, but a wizard magic-user doesn't need much, right?

I believe Clatterstones will be an outsider, a stranger to all at the outset, but eager to join in on Corian's expedition to the ruined keep. It's almost as if that's what he's here in Bard's Gate for in the first place and the posted notice is just a happy coincidence!

My name will be Ullian Greyheart (pronounced oooh-lee-un).  Ullie (ooh-lee) for short.

I think I will also be a stranger to all but eager to join an expedition that could lead to riches.  (My funds are running low, as I was excused from my last job for engaging in light pilfering.)
This message was last edited by the player at 01:43, Thu 07 Oct 2021.

Good name! Btw if any want to play up racial distrust of orcs,  I’m okay
With that , it’s built into 1ed , I don’t like parties at each other’s throats but
If it makes sense in the game,  I as a player won’t be offended

Does Sharn have any visible gear?

Is she taller than Zeric's six feet?

She’s 5 foot six

Not sure what ypu mean by visible gear?

Visible gear like a chain mail bikini, pink sword, bows in her hair?

In reply to Sharn Thanatol (msg # 57):

By the book, gnomes and half-orcs hate one another, but I'm not interested in going that far. Clatterstones would be too intimidated to act on hatred anyway.

I am willing to play Follow with his racial distrust of Orc's and their kin, despite his many unusual traits for that usually taciturn race. It is a nice faucet to the party dynamic, and allows for the short story arc of Folly coming to trust Sharn over time based on her actions, assuming she deserves it.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 17:11, Sat 09 Oct 2021.

There are conveniently 20 ideas that Shane laid out for possible connections between one another.  We already have a basis for who's from town and who isn't, but wouldn't it be interesting, and a role playing challenge, if we each rolled a d20 to see if we could work something from his list in with one of the other characters?

It doesn't have to kick in right off the bat, but if somehow Sharn came to idolize one of the other characters, that might get interesting?  Perhaps Clatsi is a strangely related sibling to the dwarf that only becomes apparent at a crucial moment in the future when a blood transfusion is needed and only the gnome's blood type matches?

Zeric rolled 15 using 1d20.  random character association.

Business associate of...

Fortuitously, that already seems to have happened, but we'll strengthen that bond and make it official.

During their transactions of Trapper and Tanner, Folly and Zeric formed a close business relationship and often discussed expanding their trade relationship.  As Zeric wasn't overly thrilled with remaining a tanner, they considered how they could start something bigger.  If only they had a stake to start their new business venture.

In reply to Zeric (msg # 63):

That works for me.

Let me roll...

2, saved by. Anyone want to have saved me from something? Maybe from being falsely accused of a crime?

We may find that we have two many criss-crossing or conflicting.

I got "Friendly rival of . . . " for what it's worth.

Anyone else a circus performer, or more broadly an entertainer?  Or a thief?  Or a gambler?

I got childhood friend of, but I'm not sure that works for me. Let me think about it.

Clatsi is 102 years old.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:26, Sat 09 Oct 2021.

In reply to Ullian Greyheart (msg # 65):

I'm a bard, so yes, I think entertainer fits. We could be friendly rivals, easily.

It would be nice if Sharn saved Folly from something as he already has a bond with Zeric.  Perhaps someone had proposed burying him after a late night drinking session and she pointed out that he wasn't dead, yet?

Ullian is 116 years old . . . So, could be Clatsi's childhood friend, and then dump the one I rolled since Folly might be covered by Zeric?

Okay, how about this?

Clatsi's parents were lapidaries. A young Ullian broke into their shop, an even younger Clatsi caught him in the shop and "helped him out" by pointing to the "really valuable stuff" -- which turned out to be silvered lead and glass crystal.

I'm open to other ideas. Maybe you stole a locket from Clatsi's mom at the circus and Clatsi followed you to convince you to give it back, since it was of little value, but he had made it for her himself.

I'm fine with Sharn simply being known of based on her parents business and her own part in it. She's only just turned 16, if anyone played games at the local pubs, she might have been curious enough about that to ask to watch and learn.

I like the first one, but leave it to you.

First one it is, then.

Back from a great unplugged weekend filled with tubing, swimming in the river, hiking, mountain biking, and just hanging out with family free from the distractions of modern life.

Looks like you've discussed some possible character connections a bit further and will review character sheets, respond to PMs, and look to get this game underway.

Thanks,

Shane

Sounds like you had a great time. Welcome back!

I think we should try to work in tubing, swimming, hiking, and whatever that last thing was, into the adventure!

I'm looking forward to this!

And, off we go!

Query. Are we expected to color text? I generally don't, unless asked it. Also, everyone in blue, or each pick a different color, or something else, if it is required.

It's just a habit for me. I don't care if other don't use color, and I'll refrain if it bothers anyone.

Doesn't bother me, but thanks for asking. I just like to know what the GM expects.

In a similar vein, I wonder if there is any expectation on what we put in our biography fields. Some GM's like pertinent info, others don't care, so I usually toss a movie quote or something in.

I like your introductory post by the way Clatsi, this is shaping up to be something really special I hope.

I modeled most of the posting guidelines, conventions, etc., to include use of colored text to denote speech, off a highly organized DM who served as my first introduction to play by post about 12 years ago.

Over time, I have dropped some of those conventions, after I found better game management methods, but I have always kept color conventions because I think they make it easier for me to sort information while reading posts.

Having said that, black is a color. If you want to use black for speech, fine. It's not a deal breaker for me.

Re: Background info...put whatever info there you want. I tend to keep it brief myself, a couple of sentences providing a brief character sketch, but I have seen some players provide much more info.

Okay, good to know.

Sweet, a child's cry, very cool, and nicely evocative. I can't hear it, but I appreciate it. May steal it for my own game.

Rather than waiting for party consensus, or even a majority, folks should just do stuff on their own and let the other party members react to it.  Just don't get too far ahead that someone can't jump in and stop you.

DM: You hear a creak in the floorboard outside.

Bob: I glance at the others and quietly move to open the door.

Stan: I put my hand up to stop Bob from opening the door.

Problem player: I throw a chair through the window, climb out, run around to where the creak was and attack with my dagger.  I rolled a 20!  Damage is 1, bummer.  Maybe I shouldn't have tried to use my only Magic Missile spell to start the fire earlier.

Bob: How long are combat rounds again?

DM: Six seconds.

Bob: So how much of that chair throwing mess actually happens?

DM: There are no chairs in the hut.  Nor are there any windows.

Problem player: Can I keep my 20 roll?  As a compromise, I'm willing to reroll the damage.

Horrid Beast of the Night:

In reply to Zeric (msg # 85):

This group is pretty good about avoiding the analysis paralysis and "Should We Go Left or Right?" syndromes that are fairly common in PbP games, especially those involving a large cast. But, Zeric's points are well taken.

These points contributed to why I kept the cast small and specifically recruited this group of players.

The adventure set-up for this game is a bit heavy-handed, but hopefully everyone is willing to go along for the ride and see where it leads.

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 88):

I’m here for the ride.

Problem player:  I punch Conan in the balls, grab the amulet, and throw it as far as I can into the lake!  I rolled another 20!  Sweeeet!

No way I can play a first level character as anything but terrified of what is going on, but you played it well making sure we were out in the wilds before revealing what we may be facing. Still, gonna be shitting myself.

In reply to Zeric (msg # 90):

"Godsdammit, Corian. I knew you were gonna lose the amulet!"

So we are heading east, and the riders were heading west? That's less concerning.

The party is headed west. The three riders were also headed west.

I thought this whole post was hilarious! :)

Thank you! Glad to hear that. I am trying to tread the line between how frustrated Folly is, with the fact that I am enjoying things.

Vortigern and crew were already positioned for an ambush and take action as soon as the party indicates non-compliance. In this case, as soon as Clatsi tried to cast a spell, that would have triggered their response.

The party is free to act now, given the new circumstances.

Well, darn. Sorry, folks. I guess I should have seen that coming.

Don't apologize, I think unless this was going to be renamed, we surrendered and were killed in captivity in the shortest adventure ever, a fight was bound to happen.  Sharn hoped she'd draw the crossbows to her.  C'est la vie.  C'est la mort.  Time to see what this band of misfits is made of.  Don't forget your Action Points, they can be huge in a battle like this!

Right, and it’s not as if I have more than one trick. If I can’t cast sleep, I can’t do anything!

Talon's tranformation...

Wow, an awesome picture! I hope we manage to kill it's master toot-sweet. Someone quick, slit his throat!

Says the NG bard/cleric...

Of course not, the NG cleric would never say such a thing. Now the chaotic evil player, that's a different matter.

So -- am I correct in thinking that we should not react to the fact that the skeletons were turned during the round they were turned?

Do what you think makes sense for your character and the situation. Time is fuzzy in AD&D and even moreso in play by post.

So....
 Ullian shouts at it: "I have more daggers."

Cracked me up, thanks for the laugh!!

Game has been going for a couple of weeks and wanted to check in and see how things are going from everyone's perspective.

From my standpoint, game has gone well. Posting rate has been steady and haven't had any issue keeping up or having to prod to spur game to action. Much appreciated, thanks!

I also have enjoyed your posts, characterizations, and interactions with the other players/characters.

I mentioned before, but the adventure setup here was a bit heavy-handed and took some liberties assuming your characters would go along for the ride with the young wizard without giving you the opportunity to tease out the fact Corian was in a rush to leave town because of the circumstances surrounding his exceptional acquisition.

My rationale was I wanted a strong start with a readily identifiable hook and motivation--not sitting around in a tavern talking about going on an adventure.

At any rate, open to feedback.

Thanks,

Shane

Smooth sailing so far.  Other than Corian falling off the boat, that is.

Is this a DM cue that Corian must die?

Just wanted to clarify this as I find that players sometimes assume something is happening because it's what the DM wants to happen.

Bob: Well, I think we're done with this dungeon.

Stan: What about that door with the "Do not enter!" sign on it?  We haven't been in there.

Bob: If the DM wanted us to go in there, he wouldn't have put the sign up.  Duh!

Stan: That makes sense.

DM (returning from the bathroom): OK, breakfast burrito taken care of.  What do you want to do next?

Bob: We head back to town and check local gossip at the tavern.

DM: So you're just leaving to return to town with what little you've found?

Stan: Yep, it's obvious there's nothing more to be gained here so let's skip to the next scene.

DM: If that's what your characters want to do.  (DM flips over 16 pages of notes, maps, and handouts to reach the next section)  Back at the tavern...

PC and NPC death always remains a possibility. Corian's death was not predetermined--he died as a consequence/result of actions that occurred during play. The NPC provided the hook, but the adventure was not dependent on him living or dying.

Corian had something a rival wanted. The rival caught up to him and asked for it, or else. Actions indicated we needed to explore or else. We did. It didn't end well for Corian. He failed his saving throw vs. poison. In AD&D, that generally means you're dead.

As it turns out, his rival didn't have time to secure the amulet, due to what unfolded during play, and needed to go into survival mode. But, the amulet also wasn't the adventure. It's the scenario and the consequences that will result from it, regardless of how it turns out. Corian alive/dead, Vortigern alive/dead, amulet gone/secure...everything is fair game.

This game has no pre-determined outcomes. I will throw scenarios at the players and we'll see what happens. I can roll with anything and that is the whole point of this game.

Hope this helps,

Shane

Loving it as always, and can't help but smile at Zeric's excellent summary.

I'm enjoying the game. It's taking some adjustment to get re-oreinteted to the AD&D system.

From my perspective, the opening scenes did not come across as heavy-handed. We (players) want to play the game, we made characters who want to adventure, and we headed out of the road to adventure.

I'm only sorry that Vortigern and Talon got away. I'm concerned that the imp will kill more of us before this is done.

Enjoying it, I don't feel any heavy handed and usually, that seems to work in online games, weeks can go by debating simple things and dang near stall a game.  Love this group of players who roll up what they have, and instantly dive into playing (role playing) their personalities, wants, likes, dislikes, quirks.  Makes for a fun game.  My home modem/router died and we are just getting back online.  So I'm about to cause trouble, sorry, not, yes,not, yes....hmmmm

Thanks for the feedback, all!

Re: AD&D familiarization...yeah, takes a bit to adjust, especially if you've been primarily playing more modern games e.g., 5e, PF, etc. where you have more hard-coded character options and a bit more resilient characters.

Having now run two combats in this game, I am reminded of why I prefer AD&D/Basic D&D games for PbP--there's far less moving parts to be concerned with and it's a bit easier to manage. On the downside, some things about AD&D are a little annoying (descending AC, discrete saving throws, etc.) but overall, it's still easier for this format.

At any rate, you are all excellent players and the main reason I wanted to run this game, for this group of players, is because I knew it would be interesting...and, it has!

So, yeah. Thanks!

So it sounds like there were 2 sets of manacles, and each of them are wearing a pair behind their backs?

Sure, if that's how you wanted to do it.

Just updated XP. Congratulations to Ullie, who has now earned enough XP for 2nd level!

Ullie: Please level up your character and update your character sheet accordingly. Thanks!

Grats to Ullie!

Q&A / Interrogation scenes are really difficult in this medium due to trying to balance the delay between posts and the potential post avalanche that can occur if a few parties are online at the same time.

Around the table, we could knock this out in 10 minutes; however, that same period could stretch out for days, even weeks in play-by-post.

We won't let it though!

Either Folly is going to lop off some heads or Rock and Nog will join the cast. Interested to see which way it goes!

:)

If no one stops me I'm gonna lop of heads. These two are sketchy as fark.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:55, Fri 05 Nov 2021.

Half-orcs just can't catch a break...

To be honest half orc doesn't weigh into my decision.

thanks!

Mix and match adventurer's activities book for ages 15+.  Learning to adventure is fun!

Page 14

Match the following with their appropriate alignment.

• Killing people that are hard to deal with solves problems.
• People die, it's going to happen anyway, so does it matter who kills them?
• Who dies isn't my problem.
• Do your best!
• It's not our job to judge, but it doesn't mean folks should just let it happen.
• The strong rule the weak.

<answer key>

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
4
1
3
5
6
2

---

Alignment/ethics issues are always interesting in RPGs, particularly when sentient beings are involved.

I am currently watching the Last Kingdom television series in Netflix and it's interesting to see "morality" through the lens of the 9th century, especially as it relates to what happens after a battle has been won.

All this to say, I think you guys are doing a great job in this scene!

Hey Clatsi, I've played a few gnomes, and had fun with them too. I love their ability to speak the language of burrowing animals, I've gotten a lot of use out of that. Shocked a few GM's too. Have you found use for that ability?

Storytime...because I am bored.

I first played D&D in the summer of 1984. It was the summer vacation before I would go on to junior high. By the end of summer vacation, my friends who had introduced me to D&D moved away and I didn't know anyone who played D&D anymore.

At the beginning of 7th grade, I met a kid in school named Nic who also played D&D. At that time, I think I had a 1st edition Players Handbook and maybe the Red Basic D&D boxed set (classic Red Dragon Mentzer version). Nic had EVERYTHING! Nic was also very generous and let me borrow books on the condition I DM for him.

And I did.

One of the campaigns he wanted me to run for him was essentially D&D Fight Club for his Epic level munchkin character. The character's name was Hiryu, an Elven Ninja/Assassin. Super high level (20+), max'd out stats, and loaded to the gills with magic items.

The campaign he wanted me to run for his character was basically his character going to slay the Gods. He let me borrow Deities & Demigods and I went and plotted out a campaign that involved him going to Valhalla to fight the Norse pantheon.

We played that campaign for a couple of months, often during school lunch break, and Hiryu slayed all the Norse gods. By the end of 7th grade, Nic and I grew apart and I didn't play much D&D anymore, because the role-players I knew all played Twilight 2000. So that's what I played pretty much all through junior high.

The only time I ever laid hands on that Deities and Demigods book was when Nic let me borrow it. I never owned the book.

For the past 10 years or so, I have been watching eBay trying to find a cheap table quality Deities & Demigods for a reasonable price. I have only wanted this book to read again, not as a collector's item. Just something fun to read. The price I was looking to pay for this book was around $20.

The problem is this book is highly collectible, and very expensive, especially the 1st printing which contains the unauthorized Cthulhu and Melnibonean mythos. These mythos were purged from later printings, but even these later printings are quite expensive.

I have been watching eBay on and off for the last 10 years. Never found anything close to $20 for this book and the price has gone up and up and up.

About a week ago, I saw a 'Buy It Now' for this book: $59.99 for a book in really good condition. No bids. No auction. This is a reasonable price for the non-Cthulhu version of this book, so I said, "what the hell" and bought it.

It arrived today. Great shape. Clean pages. No markings. Intact cover and binding. I started reading it and what do I see?



I picked up a 1st printing Deities & Demigods for $60 without even trying! I didn't know that's what I was buying and I am pretty sure the seller didn't know what they were selling.
These books normally go for double or more than the price I paid.

I am not a collector, but it was kind of cool to get this unexpected surprise.

At any rate, just wanted to share.

That is awesome, grats of the great find.

That's a great purchase! I have the expurgated Dieties and Demigods. Not my favorite book at all, but I'm glad I held onto it over the years.

In reply to Folly Stonethroat (msg # 127):

Not yet in this game, but in others, yes, the burrowing animal thing is sort of cool. I don't often get much actionable intel from voles and such, but it's fun.

And sorry for being away from the game. I'm catching up now.

I've read up to the Greek mythology section since yesterday. It's an interesting book. Not really anything that would be immediately useful to me during games, but there are glimpses and snippets of interesting writing within the deity descriptions.

One thing I have found interesting is the inclusion of many of these real world deities in fantasy pantheons--Mielikki, Loviatar, Ilmater, Oghma, Silvanus, Tefnut, to name a few I have run across so far.

Also interesting is the fact my friend's character defeated any of these gods with his munchkin character. 12-year old me clearly didn't understand how to DM yet, because I can't even imagine how he managed to defeat all of Valhalla with a single character. Granted, I haven't gotten to the Norse deities yet, but if they follow the same logic as all the others I have read, well, clearly I did something wrong :)

So...

What's the plan now?

Is the party continuing on to Fairhill? Returning to Bard's Gate? Something else?

Not sure, myself. I suspect the others will have more of an idea that I. I doubt we have the wherewithal to save Corian, without him, I don't know if anyone has any urge to still go to the tower with the Lich possibly living in it. Vortigern seems to be someone we might want to try and off.

Is this the kind of world where Nog and Rock might have had a price on their heads?

Check the in game thread ;)

Can I add the treasure to the treasure list.

I added the mercenaries' coins to the treasure list.

***

Okay...

Table huddle.

It looks like our little moral dilemma may have caused some intra-party (hopefully character and not player), conflict, so I wanted to check in real quick before moving on to the next scene.

Thoughts?

It does seem like there has been some dispute. Alignment is a tough issue, I know my character likes to stick by his, but he isn't lawful, so dealing out justice to child-murderers falls, in my mind, well within the confines of being good. He had not doubts, but their confession, and wanted posters, only makes Folly more certain he was in the right.

Given that they were wanted, Dead or Alive, might sway a Lawful character to accepting things, might not.

Not sure if that is what you were looking for, but that is my way of thinking.

I'm fine.

And Ullian is/was fine.  But then, Ullian is Chaotic Neutral, so . . . yeah.  He was mostly curious as to whether they were responsible for what happened at the farmhouse because if they weren't that would mean there's another threat out there.

Ullian was also  wondering if there is really any difference between us as mercenaries and them as mercenaries, other than the fact that we beat them.  But he isn't wondering too long because, again -- Chaotic Neutral.  And child-killers.

Character conflict only, but Zeric is lawful.  Unfortunately, I think it's too late to recover his trust.  He's headed home in the morning to look for more reputable companions to adventure with.

I'll roll up another character with a more conducive alignment to the cutthroat nature of the current party.  I expect they'll start with 0 XP and find an opportunity to join the party at an appropriate time.

Okay. Thanks for the feedback.

Definitely understand if you believe Zeric would be uncomfortable traveling with an ethically ambiguous party and am willing to work with you to quickly introduce a new character.

Excellent! Maybe we can meet up at Hobb's Ferry, if he gets wrapped up quick enough.

Not sure about the ethical parts,  I like when parties have to work through things as long as it doesn't drag out for too long, or can be explored over time. Any new group is going to disagree on tactics, but I'd rather they work it out and learn from each other, come to understandings.  In this case, what is the "law" of the land when dealing with murderers, is it required they be found guilty by trial.  Worlds and different cultures and times within the same world might consider what lawful is to be very different.  Sharn doesn't necessarily think what she did is right, she lost her temper, something she will have to learn to deal with. She's never killed a man before, and it will affect her.  I find that interesting.  As for Folly, for all his words, he actually didn't kill anyone who was bound, Nog broke free and armed himself and planned to do us harm, so the dwarf really isn't in the questionable area Sharn is.

Well said.

Rock and Nog are wanted men (dead or alive) by the both the City of Bard's Gate and the Duchy of Waymarch, so there are no legal issues here. Now, the party didn't know this at the time, but that's neither here nor there.

As far as the law when dealing with suspected murderers, well, that probably depends on the magistrate and the circumstances. None of the characters were acting on any lord or magistrate's behalf, so they do not have the right to serve as judge, jury, and executioner.

In this case, Sharn's actions were the most questionable. She killed a bound captive. True, that captive happened to be a wanted man, which likely shields her from any legal repercussions.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:44, Wed 10 Nov 2021.

I rather like the idea of becoming bounty hunters for awhile. Though I suspect momentum will take us to the tower, I, for one, would like to gain a level or two first. But we shall see what we shall see.

Someone should post who is carrying the amulet.  Unless it was intentionally left hidden at the farmhouse.

Or slipped into Zeric's pack without his knowledge.

Clatsi wouldn’t leave it behind. I’ll carry the amulet and work that in to my next post.

Clatsi retrieved the amulet from Corian and gave it to Folly. This is the last record I have in the amulet's chain of custody, so unless Clatsi asks for it back, it is still with Folly (assuming he still has it...)
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:31, Thu 11 Nov 2021.

Just didn't want to put Shane in the position of having to rule on "Clatsi would have obviously not left it in the farmhouse" when it's such an elephant in the room that not posting about it might have meant for it to be left behind.  Especially if it's later realized that leaving it behind was the best option.  Then the ambiguity of where it is can be clarified in the party's favor.

It falls along the lines of the "party loot bag that no one and everyone is carrying".  A magical bag that each party member carries that can be accessed for whatever's in the party loot list at a moment's notice by anyone.  All you have to say is, "We'll say I was carrying the <time critical item> and I use it."

Folly hid the amulet in the farmhouse (message #144). Clatsi’s going to have a fit when he finds out.

By my calculation, 200 divided by four is 50 gold pieces, each, but perhaps there is an in-game reason why your characters think it's 40 each?

Fifty, even better.

And thus, the Gods quashed Ullie's plans to divvy up the loot in his favor.  Is it really evil to take advantage of those bad at math?

But . .. but  . . . I count 5 (and yes, I have been drinking):

Clatsi
Folly
Rigya
Sharn
Me


Link back to this game


(And I posted this knowing full well I might further prove I've done something stupid.)
This message was last edited by the player at 00:33, Sat 13 Nov 2021.

If one of those is the replacement Zeric, they wouldn't be included in the math as we haven't met them yet.

I considered this possibility, but I thought it more likely Ullie was counting Rigya as receiving a share...and it seems I was correct.

I actually thought about doing the math wrong on purpose -- and then did it accidentally. :)

Feel free to play it up as an in-character mistake.

I need to pull out my ad&d books to remember how writing new spells into a spell book works in this edition. I just realized I have no idea. Too many rule sets in my head.

I will be interested in learning that as well. I will get spells when I level. (If I level!) Save me any of the book you don't want, please.

Corian's spellbook contains the following spells:

magic missile
dancing lights
tenser's floating disk
write
read magic

The write spell describes the process fairly well, through the lens of High Gygaxian, of course.

The special ink you will need costs anywhere from 200-500 gp per vial. There is a 10% chance of finding these special inks in a town/village and 20% chance in a city. Each vial is sufficient to scribe 2-4 spells.

Okay, it sounds like the party is headed to Fairhill, so I will post accordingly.

I am going to handle Fairhill a bit differently and provide a fairly large info dump (hopefully not too large!) as a Notice thread, as I suspect we may end up using Fairhill as a base of operations for a while. If not, it will be available to reference later ;)

I will include info in the Notice thread that would be generally discoverable as soon as your party enters, finds accommodations, and engages in some light carousing. I am going to use this method to avoid the piece-meal back-and-forth of describing every nook and cranny of the village. Just give you a broad overview and then we can go from there.

Curious, per the PHB, Write is only needed for spells the player can't know, spells they tried to learn and failed the int. check, or spells that are too high level.

Is he house rule that it is needed for all spells?

I assume the ink in.

Not sure if folks are waiting on a new thread or someone to conclude their previous one.

Dusk is falling and I suppose they need to find somewhere to stay for the night.

Either or both in my case.

Hmm. Weird. I am trying to imagine a situation where a magic-user would want to write a spell they cannot cast (because they already failed the Int check) into their spellbook. I can understand writing a higher level spell into the book, one they cannot cast due to not being sufficient level, but can't really see why the first case would even be worth the effort.

1st edition AD&D is a strange game...

All this to say, I looked in DMG and didn't see any useful guidance on copying spells from others' spellbooks, other than a strange Gygaxian passage of text where talks about not encouraging players to share spells with one another and the fact NPCs will ABSOLUTELY REFUSE to share spells with PCs. DMG p. 39 Spells Beyond 1st level, if you're interested.

I don't really remember how I handled this situation in the past. It never came up in Stormhaven because we didn't have any MUs. I looked to see how OSRIC handled it and will take a look at 2e next.

A new find, buried within Unearthed Arcana, p.79, it seems the cost of copying a spell into a spellbook is 100 gp/level. This would be for a spell the caster knows. This value seems right to me, as in, seems like what my groups used back in the 80s when I first played 1st edition.

So, let's go with that. It costs 100 gp/level to copy known spells from one spellbook to another. Scrolls can be cast directly from the scroll into the spellbook (assuming it's a spell the caster can know), and write is useable for situations when the caster does not or cannot know the spell yet.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:41, Wed 17 Nov 2021.

Works for me.

Good news everybody. Folly has opted to retire from adventuring. Best of luck in your future endeavors.

Okay. Looks like Folly will be parting ways with the party in Fairhill. Hopefully we'll get Rigya into the group here, so that will put us at four.

***

On a related note, please understand I don't always catch Private/Secret messages (especially when they are contained within in-character posts), so if I don't respond to your private/secretly declared, action, intention, or question, please send me a direct Private Message to bring it to my attention or, even better, put it in the OOC Table Talk thread.

The OOC Table Talk thread is the equivalent of us sitting around the table and you asking me a question, rather than whispering it my ear, passing me a note, or asking me to go outside for a walk. Unless it is something you really would rather keep private from the rest of the party, OOC works great and there is a better than average chance I will respond to your question.

For whatever reason, I often miss secret messages buried inside of in-character posts, especially when trying to merge the actions of all the players into a post that moves the game forward. But, there is a chance I will miss stuff in the OOC thread as well. Know it is not intentional. I miss stuff when I run face to face games as well.

Just so you know, my PbP GM workflow is generally as follows:

1. Check OOC thread (if any)
2. Respond to OOC thread
3. Check Private Messages (if any)
4. Respond to Private messages
5. Read IC thread (this is the step where I will often miss private messages)
6. Merge all of the above into an in-game post that resolves stated player actions and moves the game forward.

Thanks and as always, please let me know if issues come up.

Shane
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:37, Thu 18 Nov 2021.

OK . . . so . . . let me recover from the whiplash here . . .

Sorry to see Folly's player leave the game.

I'm travelling tomorrow and will be less available throughout next week, but I'll be able to check in on the game. Posts may be short and badly formatted since I'll be using a phone to post.

I'll try to get something posted today.

In reply to Clatsi Clatterstones (msg # 174):

Thanks for the heads-up. I suspect you won't be the only one with disrupted posting over the next few weeks. Thanksgiving and Hanukkah are next week and then we roll into Christmas and New Years. All this to say, I expect holiday slowdowns.

For myself, I will be around through most of the holidays, but we will be out of town the week before Christmas. Headed to Big Bend National Park!

One of the politest rage quits I've seen.

I'll be around all the time.

Holy s***! I forgot about Hannukah!

Probably doesn't matter, but if anyone knows which character Folly played in the old game, please shoot me an rmail.

I don't know anything about who anyone played.

Are we all veterans from Realms of High Adventure?

Might be fun to have a guessing game. :)

In reply to Ullian Greyheart (msg # 179):

I was not in Realms, but I played in Stormhaven: City of Adventure.

Oh yeah; I was there too.

Still good for a guessing game. :)

Let me guess . . . Rath?

(I know Delta was Rath, but lost track of who became what . . . )
This message was last edited by the player at 22:23, Thu 18 Nov 2021.

I am Rath.

I was Inas.

Yeah, Hanukkah is early this year.

For the holidays, I would like more in character posting, please.

I guess that's a bit more doable than world peace. :)

In character posts are pretty nice...they are like the gift that keeps on giving, or at least keeps a game moving ;)

Sorry for the quiet, despite distancing, handwashing, sanitizing and all, I got a dang miserable head cold that put me out of commission for 3 days.  Glad it wasn't something worse.

Not 100% but I think Folly was Ben.

Going to add a fifth character, Lowel (Cleric) to the cast to replace Folly. Details still being flushed out, but we'll look to get them integrated into the party soon. Thanks!

Just as a new character note, we've already had one lawful good character leave the party.

I'll be out for 6 hours or so.  Don't expect anything more until then.

Maybe the new cleric will be a dwarf and we will be able to fill out every racial category.

I'd like to thank Shane and the academy for this nomination to be cleric of the party.

Unfortunately, I already had Lowel sketched out as a human, so no dwarf to round out the party.

I'm an old gamer that likes immersive role playing rather than trying to recreate the tabletop experience in OOC. So forgive the cleric if he seems to be ignoring all of the plans made in OOC as he only lives for the moment.

Eager for you all to find me, but there's no need to rush, either. Ive just posted his description and I did get some good ability scores.

Looking forward to gaming with you.

In the meantime, I'll be catching up on your exciting adventures so far.

Welcome!

Hopefully our adventures don't scare you away. :)

Should we be waiting on Clatsi and Sharn to post anything?

Or can we assume that when we see a login and no post that they're letting us know they have nothing to add and to carry on?

Just trying to get the feel of when to push forward or slow down.

Weekends tend to be a bit slower posting rate for many, as they have other stuff going on. While I would certainly love for all players to post every day, I know it's not always tenable. For this game, the expectation is one post every one to two days. Clatsi posted yesterday. Sharn posted Friday. Posting rate seems decent to me.

Please post if you have something to add. Don't wait on others. If you see players log in and not post, assume their characters have faded to the background and have nothing to add.

Tales from another table:

Last night was kids' D&D night (5 players, ages 15 to 12, me as DM) and we were playing the 7th installment of a Waterdeep: Dragon Heist campaign.

During last night's session the party were hired to infiltrate an Asmodeus cult to steal a MacGuffin from the high altar. Numerous gates to Hell, the works. During their mission, one of the party members, Tinkles Bloodfist (a halfling rogue) tried to climb inside the extra-dimensional space within another party member's Magic Bag o' Useless Party Curiosities, Favors, & Tricks.

I told the player his character knows this is probably a really bad idea given the close proximity to gates to Hell. The player didn't take the hint. As a result, his character ended up mutating into the following:



Two other party members (Drow Warlock and Half-Orc Fighter) decided to try their luck, hoping for a different result and ended up as:




Later, one of the party members found the MacGuffin:



And decided to strike a deal with the devil trapped within the idol...and traded away his soul for 25 gold pieces, due to a poorly worded request.

All this to say, just an average night of D&D for this particular group.

Introduce them to the Deck of Many Things.  You won't need a dungeon for the night

Only had one experience with a deck of many things (1987-8ish). It showed up in a treasure hoard and basically ended the campaign about an hour later.

If I remember right, the players pulled a couple of beneficial cards, got greedy, and pressed their luck too far. After a couple of draws, a player pulled the "Defeat Death or be Forever Destroyed" card. I believe death took the form of a Nalfeshnee Type IV demon, an 11 HD creature, which was more than enough to kill a couple of characters (they were about level 7-10 at the time and wounded from previous fights, down on spells, etc.).

I think we may have been playing one of the Slaver modules, but can't remember which.

What is the party's intent at Three Kegs and Drunken Cockatrice? what do you hope to accomplish at each? How much of each do you wish to narrate through?

Knowing the answers to these questions will help me frame my next post(s) without having to tease it out over multiple back and forth posts that can potentially span days, weeks, and even months.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:29, Wed 24 Nov 2021.

Sharn's is simple, she's never been much of anywhere so she wants to try this good ale at the Kegs, and then go to the Cockatrice to try the food and spend the night.   I guess they need to board their horses somewhere too.  I was hoping to find Clatsi to join us.

For the next day,  she wants to visit:

Baran or Lauriel and let them know about finding, the burned waystation, then the dead farmers/Hallas' family, burying them, and then being attacked by the 2 brigands, the skeletons, and the imp/bird under control of the evil mage Vortigern.  Of meeting Sir Rodegar at the next waystation and how he paid the bounty on the dead brigands and burned them.  How he related they had tried to track down the gnolls who took pilgrims and burned the waystation, gnolls in service to Ga-awoo-tarr but lost the trail and were heading back to Fareme.


To Shandril, she will relate most of the above without the details of the brigands, more of the pilgrims fate.

For the smith, she will let others talk as the dwarf may not like orcs on a good day, if those that abducted his daughter were orcs, probably best to keep a low profile.

Ullian is happy to be someplace better/more lively than the Cask and Flagon: that is sufficient for him.

Beyond that, he will stay with Sharn because he thinks it unwise for her to be alone, lest the townsfolk cause trouble -- although the next day he will remind her of the plan to go to the blacksmith if she seems to forget. :)

Rigya is staying put where she is and will meet up as she proposed in the morning to go to the smith.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Same to all!

I'm back home and I will get back to regular posting. Thanks for your patience with my absence.

Great to have you back...and...welcome home!

:)

I left some space at the end of my last in-game post for any potential follow-up queries at either Three Kegs or Drunken Cockatrice. I see that all three players with characters that wanted to check these locations logged in today, but none posted. This either means players were too busy with holiday festivities to post and/or they had nothing further to add to the scene.

In any event, tomorrow, I will advance the game forward with a similar post addressing: a potential meeting with Baran, captain of the town guard, a meeting with Voril the blacksmith, and a visit with Shandril at the Temple of Pelor.

Shane

<Insert Thumbs Up Emoji Here>

Rigya is fine until the morning meeting with the blacksmith.

I'd like to clarify the placement of people and the order of things, Shane.

I gathered that interpreted the plans as all of us meeting with Baran, Voril, and Shandril, in some order, and that you happened to start with Baran?

Re: order, placement, etc. I asked for and received a list of items the party wanted to accomplish in the OOC thread (message #200) and I addressed the first item that was on the list Sharn provided in message #201.

I thought about hitting all items in one post, but it would have likely been a huge wall of text, unwieldy, and potentially confusing.

Speaking of confusing, it looks like there may have been some confusion/cross-talk in the in-character thread as well. The party agreed to meet in the morning to visit blacksmith. There was a comment about not putting all eggs in one basket and visiting captain of guard as well.

In game, maybe we can chalk it up to tiredness? (Your characters had been walking all day long and then went on a whirlwind tour of all three of the village's inns) Or something else?

That's just the way play by post goes. We'll work through it.

Although i don't feel the need to over ic roleplay most of the town stuff, I would like to say during our dinner with Sharn, Clatsi, and Ullian,  Sharn shares that she got a good feeling about the fighter woman, but prefers not to include Lannet in a future adventure, someone who doesn't pay their bar tab, is a bad sign, and she did not much like him.

I am trying to strike a balance between providing space for in-town roleplay and not having the game turn into a play-by-play of mundane conversations ordering food, drink, etc.

It's less of an issue in a face to face game, but find town scenes can quickly become a drag in play by post. Basic conversations tend to take a really long time to resolve and in the process can really sap a game's momentum.

Anyway, that is my intent. I want to give you actionable info without having the game grind to a halt.

Not that I'm there, but nothing ever works perfectly the way you planned it.  Just look at the bumps as unexpected opportunities to role play.

Did anyone else want to post something at the Tower of the Guard?

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 216):

No, I'm just tagging along for now.

There is nothing significant to be gained from purchasing adventuring supplies, so let's just assume your characters can accomplish these tasks without incident. All standard equipment is available at standard PHB prices.

I also want to give you an opportunity to wrap up any in-character dialog about the providence of foregoing a trip to the wizard's tower in exchange for searching for the smith's daughter.

Please let me know when you have completed the above items and I will layout the next scene.

:)

Shane

I get the feeling like there's no significance in your guys bothering to purchase adventuring supplies. Like it's a premonition or something from the gods.

I know I'm not even there yet, but it's a gut feeling Lowel has.

Adventuring supplies could well be important. I just don't want to devote game/writing time to shopping activities.

At most I'll be buying some more rations. No time to do that this morning, so you may get the adventure underway. I assume we'll be travelling to find Lowell first.

Ha!  I thought the halfling Rigya was asking about was Clatsi, not Lannet.

Whoopsie!

I like to play through errors and add them to the role play.

So it sounds like the elf thinks gnomes and halflings are interchangeable...

I agree with the first sentiment, and confess to compounding my errors via the second.

But I have an IC way out of it, for when it comes to play through the error at the end. :)

Making the whole thing more fun is that Ullian took a somewhat instant dislike to Lannet, and here's has inadvertently helped bring him back in the fold.

I wonder what Melora has to say about wandering owlbears?

...

I'm sure there's a chapter on it in the holy text.

I know!  Isn't a red dragon a natural creature and it's nature is to burn villages to the ground, not sure Melora and Sharn would see eye to eye on that one :-).  But if we stick with bears, sounds reasonable enough.

I had a dim memory from decades ago that owlbears were the result of a wizard's experiment gone awry -- but as I say, it's a dim (and therefore probably wrong) memory.

I believe that is correct, because I have the same memory. Just checked and this is indeed one of the prevailing views on their origins. However, some elves, in the infinite wisdom and long livedness, claim owlbears may predate wizards and be of the Feywild.

So, chicken or the egg?

That's how you get different sects or branches of a religion.

Things tend to slow down around these parts over the holidays, but wanted to let you know I will be headed out of town tomorrow for a family getaway to Big Bend National Park. We'll be out of town until next weekend, but staying in a fully furnished house with wifi and I intend to bring my laptop for streaming movies, etc.

At any rate, I will be around and likely have time to post, but understand if others are tied up with holiday stuff.

All this to say, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Seasons Greetings to all of you!

I'll be able to post during the holidays.

I will post too, although at erratic times.  Extended time away from work messes up my RPoL routine a little.

Just a regular week for me. Happy holidays to all who celebrate!

Great time was had by all at Big Bend National Park. Beautiful part of the country and was just what we needed to get away from it all for a bit.

I will read posts tonight and see about pushing the story forward.

Thanks,

Shane

Happy New Year everyone!

Is there a baseline retcon policy?

For instance:

Bob: My thief opens the chest.
DM: A poison needle slips into your finger and your character dies immediately.
Bob: But my character's a thief!  He would have checked for traps!
DM: In the future, please specify that you'll check for traps.
Bob: So what's in the chest?
DM: You haven't opened it yet because we retconned that.
Bob: Oh, I check for traps.
DM: You don't find any.
Bob: ...

My preference is for players to live with their posted actions unless the DM forgot to include a vital detail in the description.  Such as a wall of flame between you and the enemy mage that you just declared you were charging at.

But if it was just a lack of player focus when they cast their spell without reading the fine print to understand that a 1st edition spell didn't work the same as it did in 5th edition, let it play through as the character must have paid as little attention to the details of the spell as the player had.

If the magic user forgot the actual fireball radius was much larger than expected and engulfed the ogre as well as 3 nearby party members?  Oops, play through.

If the dwarf opens the door before everyone's ready and a horde of trolls catch the rest of the party by surprise?  Oops, play through.

One of my least favorite player tactics is for a player not to post for days in a critical situation, especially if they've been logging in, just to declare a retconned action after the DM has pushed forward and revealed the enemies secret weapon.  Then the player argues that they would have been ready for that exact secret weapon.

I don't know that I have a baseline retcon policy.

I try to give players (and characters) the benefit of the doubt if something screwy happens, but at the same time I also don't like doing huge retcons involving multiple changed actions just to get to a solution to address a) "my character would have known better" or b) "Oh crap, I never noticed the huge wall of fire!"

In the end, we're playing a game and I try to keep things as fun as possible. Sometimes that means just letting things play out as they will, even with errors, and other times it means we need to go in and address something with a retcon.

I guess I try to play it by ear and do right by the players, characters, and the game.

Now I want to know what happened with Bob. Did he bite the bullet and open the chest or try and metagame his way out of doing what he already said he was going to do?

Are we discussing something specific that has happened, or are we just curious?

(Asked as I frantically check my post from this morning .  .  . )

And off the wall question (pun intended) . . .

Hero's Luck can add 1-6 (or 5-30%) to an attack or saving throw.

Can it be used to add 5-30% to a climb roll?

In reply to Ullian Greyheart (msg # 241):


Sure. Go for it.

Heh...I did same thing and didn't notice anything.

It was enough to make me read the featherfall spell very carefully.

I've read the spell a few times now and still don't really grasp what it's supposed to do. It definitely doesn't work how I thought it does/should. It makes my head hurt just looking at it.

Let's put this way if Ullie falls, and Clatsi is prepared to cast featherfall the moment he sees this happen, I would rule the spell will prevent the certain death that would otherwise result.

That seems like a fair adjudication of this spell.

Edit: just read the spell entry again. We'll call the drop that would result 120 feet (or 12" in AD&D terms) and that will cover it. We'll also rule that Clatsi can get within 10 feet of the wall while waiting for Ullie to climb.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:39, Tue 04 Jan 2022.

In reply to DM Pawn (msg # 245):

Great, thank you!

Okay. Let's assume Ullie makes it back and reports what he has seen.

I believe Ullie did ask in his post about how the chain was secured to the damsel?

Oh. Sorry. Arialle is bound by a thick chain attached to a manacle at her left ankle. In game message #63

Waiting on Ullie to return and report.

Did Ullie think he could open the manacle?  If he doesn't feel up to it, Lannet can take care of it.

It will be an open locks check. So, yes, possible.

I may have misunderstood something.  I thought the only way to release her was by releasing the chain at the boulder . . . but I can unlock the chain at her ankle, correct?

Yes. They are manacles attached to a chain that is attached to a slab of wall. Several different ways to approach this challenge.

In that case . . . [see in character post].

Just to keep things moving, the DM has preauthorized Ullie to safely return and report.  So if Ullie or Clatsi would like to post their return and report, it is foretold.

I love Clatsi's introspection on magic.

"All my magic sucks. I should have been a baker like my father wanted me to be."

Yeah. I figured I would cut to the chase on the cloak and dagger stuff so other characters can get involved rather than be observers.

Just so we don't bog down, this is the point where everyone states an action the DM can execute.  I often find this is when everyone stares at one another waiting for something to happen.

Does Clatsi reject Sharon's idea of getting a language spell cast upon her?

Does Lowel go with the tower crew?  Does Ullie lead off with the tower crew?

Does Sharon dislodge the gnome from his musings of uselessness and force him to be useful?

These questions and many more will be answered in our next installment of Stoneheart Valley.  Where everyone's heart is made of stone, and chopping off a woman's leg is a reasonable solution to a simple problem.

Just so it's clear, Lannet's objection is not me as a DM trying to sway you one way or another. This is a character action consistent with his personality, rather than just having an NPC blindly go along with the flow.

I did mention in character a few days ago that the language spell only works on me.

As Clatsi is the only magic user in the group, I think it's great role playing for the other characters to have little understanding of how magic work or even understand the gnome's explanations of how it works.

It's not like our characters can scroll back to see exactly how it was explained.  If they had intelligence that high, they'd be magic users.

In reply to Rigya (msg # 261):

And if Clatsi had a higher Charisma, he'd probably be a better explainer!

I think we're dependent on Ullian steering the boat at the moment.

Yep. Waiting on Ullie to declare an action. Hopefully he will emerge soon and declare an action so we can move forward. I believe he has better RPoL access while at work and with it being a 3-day weekend...we'll see.

I'm sorry . . . I thought we were waiting for Sharn.

Let me see what I can do . . .

But is his back now to the door?  And while he sounds closer, is he at a different angle, such that getting to the chain on the first floor is more viable?

The ettin is within periphery view of both the window and front door.  Either option presents the risk of being heard, seen, and/or smelled.

One probably has a better chance of getting to the chain on the first floor unseen/unheard, then three individuals do of picking up a ~500 pound chest filled with coins and tossing it out of a window to try to splat the giant.

But the Wile E. Coyote aspect of the plan is so tempting!!! :)

Just checked; Ullian has a bad wisdom.  That seals it.

If I try the first floor, should I roll move silently and hide in shadows, then pick locks?
This message was last edited by the player at 14:44, Tue 18 Jan 2022.

Sure. Go ahead and roll all three.

Please also roll Open locks. I will adjudicate accordingly.

To save time, Lannie is not going to be able to to pick the lock either:


20:48, Today: DM Pawn, on behalf of Lannet, rolled 100 using 1d100.

Tough roll!

Maybe Arielle can hang tight until we level. :)

So just for a realism sanity check.  How much would the length of chain weigh if they did manage to unhook it from the rock, but left it all attached to Arialle?

I suppose if she could carry it, it would be difficult to move silently?

Averagely thick chain? A good solid whack with a heavy blade would likely sever the chain. Or several not so good whacks :)

But yes, it would be possible to move without it making racket, if one were careful.

Does a long sword qualify as a heavy blade, or does it need to be bigger/heavier/more axe-like?

You can try it with a long sword, but wrong tool. An axe will definitely be more effective.

Just checked character sheets. Sharn uses a bardiche, a sort of polearm axe, as her main weapon. Would probably be effective at hacking a chain.

Apart from the issue of permission from Sharn, is there an issue with someone else using it in terms of strength or training/know-how?

Anyone can pick up a heavy axe and attempt to hack through a chain.

As I had indicated that I was rejoining everyone, I have presumed that we have all gathered together.

Sharn hasn't posted in a while, but let's assume she would agree to allow its use to attempt to cut the chain.

Disregard. Sharn has posted :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:23, Wed 26 Jan 2022.

Ullie: Go ahead and roll 3d20s and 3d8s.

09:52, Today: Ullian Greyheart rolled 8,8 using d20,d8.

09:52, Today: Ullian Greyheart rolled 1,7 using d20,d8.


09:52, Today: Ullian Greyheart rolled 10,4 using d20,d8.

Bummer. 3 fails to "hit" AC 10 and a 1 in there too!

This should be interesting...

:)

Since we haven't covered this before that I've seen, what kind of flasks does the oil come in?

Breakable clay flasks that break when struck against stone or other hard surfaces and also has a 1 in 6 chance of breaking in a character's pack from a 10' fall?  Adding an additional chance of breaking for every additional 10' up to 100% with a 60' fall?

An ecofriendly refillable metal flask with a plugged top that doesn't break?

Either version requires a round to prepare as a lightable thrown weapon and may not be prepared beforehand without a means to carry them without spilling?  Such as one in each hand?

Probably clay flasks. Assuming a ready fire source (lit torch, etc.), a PC can light and toss a flask in the same round.

Question . . .

I'm confused, so just to clarify: . . . I get that the 1 missed, but the other d20s were above 3.  Are you saying that there were more misses, or that I needed three hits?

Ullie did not score a single "hit", i.e., a damaging blow, against the chain (AC10). You needed an 11 to damage the chain. You hit the chain each time, but not with enough force, right angle, etc. to break the chain.

I had you roll three times because I didn't want to drag out the process of rolling one at a time and figured you had at most 3 attempts to break the chain before the Ettin would wake.


Make sense?

Absolutely!  Thank you very much.

And now for something different...

A few years ago I made a concerted effort to paint all of my fantasy miniatures. I had figures that remained unpainted for like 20 years and decided to spend a winter break painting miniatures. Nothing fancy, just slop n' go. Tabletop quality.

I was recently organizing my office/guest room, which also happens to house all my RPG stuff, and decided to figure out a better storage solution for all of them. The metal figures were all stored pretty well, but the plastics were just sort of thrown into one huge bin with no rhyme or reason. I separated them out in preparation. Here are the plastic and metal figures, respectively:




After I sorted all the figures out, I decided I would create a spreadsheet with everything I have. This turned out to be quite time consuming and difficult because many of the figures were hard to identify maker's mark and year on the base, but I did the best I could do.

It turns out I have 439 miniatures. I found four unpainted figures in my collection (2 yuan-ti and 2 medusa), which I will paint this weekend. The rest are all painted.

The oldest miniatures I have are three Ral Partha models from 1977: a Viking warrior with a sword, an armored knight with a polearm, and a ghoul.

Here is the scene...

The Year is 1977. Holmes D&D just came out. 'Cold As Ice' by Foreigner is playing on the transistor radio. Two Fighting Men are locked in a pitched battle against a Ghoul, the only thing standing between them and buried treasures.


This message was last edited by the GM at 13:01, Wed 02 Feb 2022.

Ah, those take me back.

There were two guys in our group who were really into painting; I was not because I had no talent for it.

But those Ral Partha figures trigger so many memories!  I even remember who used the fighter with the two-handed sword.  (The other figures were used for bad guys in our games.)

I loved looking at the catalog, but realized quickly, I hadn't talent for the painting of them.  Well, maybe the talent, just not the patience.  One of my friends brought one over and on the flat blank shield had painting a tiger, striped, whiskers, roaring with teeth and claws, I realized then I was pretty lame at it.

I am no longer feeling hopeful, and regret not insisting that Sharn climb up the rope to wield the axe. :)

I didn't have miniatures until 1998, when I purchased all of the metal figures, pictured above, from a local game store running a clearance sale. I bought most of the plastic ones in a similar fashion a few years later.

Re: talent. I can paint reasonably well, but for tabletop miniatures I go for "good enough". They just have to look decent at arm's length. They don't have to be art gallery quality.

:)

I never personally painted miniatures, but I was big into assembing and painting plastic models.  Planes and ships, mostly -- and I spent a lot of time on the painting.  But anything as small as a miniature was beyond my patience.

Waiting on Sharn, Clatsi, and Lannet before Ullie gets smushed.

Trying to keep a positive mental attitude here . . . :)

Before Ullian gets lightly dinged up.

That's the spirit! :)

Lannet's probably already out the window.

He's not saving himself, he's ensuring you have a safe and secure line of retreat by testing it himself.

I would like to succeed because the circumstances justify then shoving Arielle out the window for a hasty exit and relying on Clatsi to feather fall her.

I just like the image of that, as well and giving DMPawn a chance to have some fun with her reaction.

I think we can figure Clatsi is waiting to drop the first person falling out the window.

Yep. Busy past day or so. Will get a post up today.

I am such an IDIOT!!!


One of my first rolls was a 10 . . . I should've used an action point to add a d6

I'm rooting for the Ettin to beat itself to death!

I think everyone that wants to post has posted.  Time for the ettin to eat Ullian sit down and have a family discussion with itself while everyone escapes.

Thank you for the edit re: the ettin's actions. :)

I have a question for DM Pawn; I'm 99% of the answer but want to make sure before I post.

Ullian is not a wizard and doesn't know how magic works. Make a post and see what happens :)

I cursed out loud and raced across the room to find my AD&D 1e PHB. Yes, featherfall can affect more than one person. Whew!

The cursing was exactly the reaction I was looking for.  :)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:21, Sat 12 Feb 2022.

I suspect the axe was left behind in haste.

I can picture Ullian trying to jump out the window like a dog with a stick being stymied when it won't fit crosswise.

Or he could do the 10' pole thing and stick it in his pack.

I purposely omitted mention of the axe because Ullian cares far less about the axe than he does about staying alive.  If I were editing to specify, I would specify that he dropped the axe and left it behind to insure his escape.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:06, Sat 12 Feb 2022.

It looks like Sharn is rolling a d8 to hit and Rigya rolling a d6.  Action Points aren't going to save those rolls.

Sharn Thanatol rolled 8 using 1d20.  attack.
Sharn Thanatol rolled 8 using 1d20.  attack.
Sharn Thanatol rolled 7 using 2d20 with rolls of 6,1.  attack.
Sharn Thanatol rolled 2 using 1d20+1.
Sharn Thanatol rolled 7 using 1d20+1.  attack.

Rigya rolled 6,6 using d20,d6.  Short Bow Thunk!
Rigya rolled 6,4 using d20,d6.  Short Bow Thunk!
Rigya rolled 4,5 using d20,d6.  Short Bow Thunk!

I know, the positive note for the archers is that the Ettin probably doesn't even know we are around at all.

Maybe the noise will frighten him! :)

As a reminder, it is now night, in the wooded hills. The only light sources are:

The stars
The glowing coals of the campfire in the courtyard
The burning oil at the tower's threshold
Lowel's torch

Ullie, Clatsi, Lannet, and Sharn have infravision. Lowel, Rigya, and Arialle do not. The ettin's night vision is unknown.


Arialle and Ullie are at the bottom of a steep cliff, separated from the party. The ettin is heading off after Rigya as she retreats into the darkened woods.

I've had a rough several days and I've fallen behind. I'll read the thread and post tonight. Apologies for the absence.

Ettin is shot by arrow.
Ettin turns around and sees two people with bows.
One person with bow runs away.
Other person with bow is now closer to angry ettin.

We'll assume 50% cover (+4 AC bonus, i.e., -4 due to descending AC) if Rigya devotes the entire round running around the tree to stay away from the ettin.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:00, Wed 23 Feb 2022.

Can one use Action Points while unconscious or dying?  Or perhaps even sleeping?

I wasn't sure of the thematic nature of the Action Point.  As they're based on Charisma, I thought they might need to be invoked with a shout or grand gesture in order to be effective.  Especially when used to Inspire another.

Or perhaps only when used to Inspire another?

A character needs to be conscious to use their action points; however, one may use their action points (healing word) on another unconscious, dying, or sleeping character.

Just checking in for periodic feedback. This game has been underway for about 4 months and wanted to get a feel for how it's going from the players' perspective. I know, strange time to ask such a question when your characters are facing off with a foe who can splat your characters with a single blow, but such is the peril of older editions.

At any rate, welcome any feedback so I can try to make this game as enjoyable as possible. What's working. What's not, etc.?

Thanks,

Shane

I feel that our approach to this particular challenge (that is, splitting the party) reduced my enjoyment of the procedings. Not much the DM can do about that, though, and it was the right thing to do in-character.

Thanks for the feedback. Agree with you on the splitting the party bit. It ended up sidelining several characters it's never ideal, particularly in a medium that already moves slow. I tried to speed through it as best I could, but it still doesn't change the fact we had characters waiting.

I think the timing of the party split contributed; things always slow during and coming out of holidays, and we started going after the smith's daughter in December.

But things have been picking up, and I'm sure they will continue to do so once we join back up.

The game itself is, as usual, excellent.

I'm fine waiting on the sidelines to let others take the lead. Not everyone can be the star in every scene.

I like how things are going and look forward to seeing how the story unfolds.

I like how we're playing it all in character and don't mind splitting the party.  It's not very challenging when there's no sense of urgency.  Splitting the party to search or capitalize on unique skills makes sense.

GM: If you split up to find the starving children, you think you'll be able to finish by nightfall.

Bob: Never split the party!

GM: If you stick together, the search will most likely take you 5 days.

Angel: That's just searching during the day, right?

GM: You'd have to rest sometime unless you wanted to push yourself or split into shifts.

Bob: Never split the party!

Neve: Won't they starve if we take too long?

Bob: Its a forest, they'll eat berries and stuff.

GM: So you're not splitting the party and spending the 5 days?

All: YES!

GM: (rolls) On the third day, you find the dead children.  They've all died of exposure.  Probably on the first night.

Bob: That wasn't fair!  We never had a chance!

Thanks for the feedback. Yeah. Holidays are rough on posting availability and your point is well taken regarding party split during this period.

Thanks for the feedback and appreciate your understanding on the whole sidelining bit.

In reply to Rigya (msg # 328):

Yeah. Once the party decided to try to sneak in to rescue Arialle, it made sense to do it the way you did. Unfortunately, it meant several party members were sitting around watching. Thanks for your feedback.

Looks like we're waiting on Sharn to reveal her harping technique.

Luck ran out for Rigya. Rolled a crit.

There is not way for Sharn to know where others are or what is going on, so I won't change her actions.

Fair enough. Go ahead and make a Charisma check (d20) to see how well she can play and sing :)

Can we who see the ettin at the edge of infravision see Rigya?

In reply to Ullian Greyheart (msg # 336):

Probably not. The scene is somewhat chaotic and you just climbed off the rocky trail. The only reason you can see the ettin is because they are large, loud. and smashing trees, etc.

Rigya is lying on the forest floor, unconscious and dying, beyond the ettin.

The only member who saw her go down was Lannet, who had been pelting the ettin with sling stones. Everybody else was off somewhere else.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:42, Mon 28 Feb 2022.

I suspected as much.  But was hoping for a reason why Ullian would go to the ettin's current position.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:54, Mon 28 Feb 2022.

Waiting on Clatsi to post?

I don't mean to be the post police, but I always worry that someone is waiting on someone that doesn't know that someone is waiting on them and we just sit and stare at one another for days waiting for that someone to post that doesn't know they're the someone everyone is waiting on to post.

I will post tomorrow morning. Hopefully Clatsi will have had an opportunity to post by then, but if not, will post anyway. Thanks

Just want to make sure . . . Ullie can see Lannie?

I had to look up infravision to remember how it works in 1st edition, but yes, I think it will now be possible for Ullie to see Lannet. I also had to verify how halflings work in this edition. In Basic D&D, halflings have a 90% chance of "disappearing" in the woods, but the ability works a bit differently in 1st edition.

Also complicating the issue is the fact Lannet is trying to remain unseen (due to the ettin being nearby), which is hard to do with infravision if you're not near a heat source or a very cold spot to mask body heat.

I never really liked the way 1st edition handled infravision and think darkvision is a much better implementation. But that's neither here nor there for your question...rambling.

Yes. Ullie can see Lannet.

;)

In an alternative universe where I GM games, making infravision darkvision is a rule I would institute because it's just so much easier.

I might then say, for magical reasons, that darkvision doesn't work on undead (because that seems to be so damn important in First Edition).

Yeah. Infravision is dumb. It presents a bunch of unnecessary issues. Oh well, nobody knew different back then. It's one of the many proud nails one finds throughout earlier editions of the game.

As long as folks remember that daylight and darkness are two different things, I'm fine with whatever infravision/low light/darkvision rules there are.

Daylight - everyone can see the horizon miles away.

Darkness - those with night style visions can see maybe 60', after that, you're vision is just as bad as a human's.

Also, I think monsters generally have 120' infravision unless otherwise noted.  Twice that of characters.

Yes. The ettin can see much better than the characters and they are quite angry now.

:)

I am reminded of the following scene from Conan the Barbarian:

https://youtu.be/WywM0pgnlQM?t=40

One of the oft-quoted scenes from my youth.

I've always understood Second Wind works only one oneself and can't be used on others . . . this seems like a good time to ask if I'm correct.

Second wind only works on self

How far away from the tower and the ettin is the group with Rigya?

And I think the fire died down enough that there are no light sources around besides the one fleeing in an altogether different direction.

Within one round of movement.


The campfire is now just coals, so it is dark in the woods. Ullie and Clatsi have infravision. Arialle does not, which accounts for the racket they made on the way to the tree where Rigya fell.

You could use the language styles if you wanted to play with that.  I think they're fun to use when no one speaks the language someone else is speaking and everyone has to guess what's going on.  Even if no one speaks the NPCs language, the DM can keep track of what they said for later.

Can we assume Clatsi stands around with the others?

I have a bit of a question . . .

The ettin is speaking its native tongue, which contains elements of orcish, enough for Sharn (a native speaker) to pick up bits and pieces. I made this ruling for roleplay purposes. Technically, nobody should be able to converse with the ettin, as there is no shared language.

For roleplay purposes, Ullie doesn't understand what is being said, as he is some distance away, sound dampened by woods, and not a native orc speaker (does understand the language...but orcish is not being spoken).

Hope that helps.

It helps a lot -- even though it's not the answer I'd hoped for. :P

Looking around, he singled out the strongest members of their party.

"Gnome, halfling!" he ordered heroically.  "Take the human woman in chain and get her to safety.  You may be small in stature, but I know your hearts are strong!"

Each taking a leg, the two began dragging her away, discarding her pack, shield, and weapons to shave weight.  They started out poorly coordinated and quickly discovered that they could not choose to go around either side of a tree while dragging their load between them.

I was going to send a message to DM Pawn, but really this is for all of you.

We've had some major complications in our lives here at home, which means that I need to bow out of the game. I just can't keep up, and it's not fair to all of you to tolerate my indefinite absence silence. I'd love for an opportunity to rejoin at some point, but I will understand if Clatsi needs to go. I'd also enjoy lurking, if you all don't mind, so I can keep tabs on my adventuring comrades.

I don't want to say more in a public forum about the nature of the complications. We're alive and healthy, so don't worry about me.

In reply to Clatsi Clatterstones (msg # 359):

Sorry to hear about your life complications, but definitely understand being unable to devote time to gaming and writing when life isn't cooperating. Thanks for letting us know.

Hope things turn around for you soon and just know you are always welcome to rejoin if/when things become less complicated for you.

Take care,

Shane

LOL...

Clatsi and Lannet both have Strength scores of 6! Both are less than 3 1/2 feet tall.

Rigya probably weighs about 200 pounds, including armor, shield, weapons, gear, etc.

They definitely can't pick her up and carry her away, but they might be able to drag her body through the woods, with a lot of effort. Will definitely be slow going...hopefully she survives the ordeal :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:10, Sun 13 Mar 2022.