This is the spot for all of the Out Of Character questions, comments, etc.

Let's keep it civil, folks!

Hey - more people!

I'm Radwa, your somewhat friendly wright, busily trying to build a transport cart for us before we all leave.

*waves*

Artor, sometimes called Greythane, urchin-turned-explorer

Hello everyone! I'll be playing Derrick: a Glaive. I expect I'll be taking a lot of hits for the team. I'm still putting together my backstory, but I'd like to tie Derrick into the party. Does anyone feel like they've had a stalwart brother watching their back their whole life?

Literally just posted in the Connections thread, I would welcome a connection: his backstory is delving beneath Srithal, in Malevich

"Well met, friends.  'Peace be unto you.' "

Looking forward to playing with you all.

I will add my own offerings into the Connections thread immediately...  :)

Ok, everyone who's given me a character sheet so far in RTJ should have an editable character sheet they can work on.  Please fill it out.  (fancy boxes optional).

We've got a couple more players in the process of joining, and that will take a bit of time.

Once the characters are done with backstory, character sheet, cyphers, etc., I can start introducing them to the aldea, each other, etc.  Radwa is on a bit of a mission and I'm sure I can figure out some way for one or more of you to help.

Once everyone is up and running, we'll figure out the best path to moving forward, be it fast forward or more RPing to get there.

Also, I turned off the Requesting Players flag for the time being.  If you have a super-duper friend who would be just a totally and completely awesome addition to the game, we'll talk.  If the applicant is an employee of Monte Cook Games ... well, that would weigh heavily in their favor.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:28, Sun 09 June 2019.

waves diplomatically

Hoa Sen is a tertiary of the Order of Truth, trained at the Durkhal in Qi in public speaking after repeatedly failing the exam to become a proper Aeon journeyman. She was meant to be the advance team for a semblage of Aeon Priests coming to study the Shimmering Veil, but that semblage is now long overdue.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:54, Mon 10 June 2019.

I'm continuing to review the character creation process for folks, but we're getting closer to having a full complement ready to head out for the Shimmering Veil, or at least work to finish preparations for that departure.

If you feel that your character is ready to engage in Canthus (or the approach thereto), let me know and we'll figure out a way to make that happen.  You do not need to have all your connections established and/or Numenera assigned to do this.

Assuming I understand everything, I think the only thing Derrick is missing is his final Cypher. Is it ok to just roll for it?

Each player can pick one of their cyphers.  (see post in other thread I wrote recently).  If you want to roll for it, that's fine, too.  If you want to include cyphers from Destiny, you'd roll a 1d140 (roughly).

If only you could pick your Oddity.  Oddity #49 could be quite useful...

Lots of Oddities can be useful.  It all depends on the circumstances.  I did try to choose the Oddities with some care.

I like mine! And it was fun to design some aesthetics for it.

In other news: I think Hoa Sen is more or less ready to start.

A anthropomorphic red squirrel steps into view. His clothing is stylish and allows for easy movement. He has no armor except a pair of synth vambraces. A bow is visible on his back along with his pack. As he speaks, he removes his dashing feathered cap with a bow.

"Hello all! I am Mayhew, a Graceful Delve that Needs no Weapons! That said, I do carry a bow as it is useful from time to time."

Well met, Mayhew!  BTW, how tall are you?  :)

"Excellent question! I'm a giant of a squirrel. I stand just shy of one and a half meters and weigh forty kilos and only some of that is in my tail."

In English units, he is 4' 10" and weighs 90 lbs.

Sadly I need to head off-line for the night. I will get my description posted tomorrow.

Before we begin in earnest:

I am not always right.  I do not always make the best choices.  If you feel some decision I've made for your character (or another) is too harsh, too generous, or otherwise unfair, PM me.  State your case.  I am open to self-improvement.

Mayhew, Agatho, and Derrick can post in The Way In thread when ready.  They're coming from different directions, but we can keep it straight, I'm sure.

To clarify, Mayhew approaching from the west.  Agatho and Derrick approaching from the east or southwest.

Also, if you have any ideas for Cyphers, Oddities, etc. or want to include some from sources other than Destiny and Discovery, please let me know.

Ok, I think everyone has completed their character creation process, including all assigned cyphers.  Let me know if I missed anything.

We have one or two still deciding on the way they want to enter the game.  Everyone else should be cleared to post in character at will.

I'm not able to post today. I will get something up tomorrow.

I've been offline for hours, so I will post late tonight or tomorrow morning...  :)

In the interest of transparency and information sharing, is there any information you want posted or questions you want answered?  This could be game mechanics, "house rules", or whatever.  I just want to make sure that everyone has what they need.

Also, please make sure your character sheets are updated, including cyphers.

Wow, not bad.  Artor responded to one of my posts in six minutes, and Derrick responded to my next post in five minutes...  :)

Quite cool!

The mutant generation guidelines are there for reference, mostly so I don't forget them.  I realize they won't likely be useful to anyone currently playing anytime soon (unless you are now so jazzed to create a mutant that your currently lovely character becomes an NPC or a poinant cautionary tale)
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:55, Sat 15 June 2019.

Apologies for the somewhat pithy posts, been a week

Unbelievable. First dice roll I do - at difficulty 1 so 3 or higher - and the dice roller gives me a one.

Frustrating yet hilarious.

Are we allowed to spend XP on re-rolls if the roll is a natural 1?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:17, Tue 18 June 2019.

You can spend 1 XP to reroll any roll.  It doesn't have to be just a natural 1.

Good - I just did.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
I had no idea you could even make a spoiler until Radwa did.

Learn somethin' new every day!

---

I have just posted.  Sorry for the delay.  It has been a busy few days...  :o

Should we all just go ahead and hop (back) in on the Radwa's Creation thread?

Excellent idea!

Post in Radwa's Creation thread when you arrive at the Scouts Camp.

Thanks, Hoa.

Well, we've passed 200 posts.  Is everyone enjoying themselves?

Yes!  :)

Off to a good start!

In reply to Mayhew (msg # 39):

Indeed, having fun so far!

Yup!

Absolutely!

Definitely having fun. The flavor so far is hitting Numenera just right for me.

Unrelated: Speed task to grab the crystal from the ceiling and throw it at the fire?

Yeah, works for me.  Difficulty 3 to do it in 1 action.  If you take two actions (one grab, one throw), difficulty is 2 each action.


Also, wonderful!  Glad things are working so far.  Good players make it easy.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:19, Wed 26 June 2019.

Are there any game mechanics, rules, or point costs that anyone wants laid out, even just for reference?  I can add it to the Game Info thread.  Just let me know.

Just to flag I’m feeling a little more invisible than the hood and mask requires. Realise I’ve not been posting as regularly, but the last three have been roundly ignored

My last IC post included a response to Artor, fwiw.

Are there any preferences as to how I note the difficulty for a roll?

a) DC 1-10

2) # on d20

3) Both

4) Some easier way I haven't thought of


I'm just looking to provide efficient clarity.

I'd probably just do it like they do in the bestiaries: 4(12), for example. It's pretty clear and gets both the level and the target number in there.

In reply to Hoa Sen (msg # 49):

That seems fine.

Ok, I'll do that.

Sorry, RL overfloweth.  I'll post ASAP...  :o

Alright so I'm not sure how this should work, but I want Derrick to 'Draw the Attack' of the arms on its next action.

Basically, just describe an action you think would draw the attack.  For this creature, it's an automatic success (unless you do something so silly it couldn't possibly work).

FYI due to real life considerations I won't be able to post until Monday. I will try to get one last post up today, but can't promise it.

Thanks for the heads up.

Scouts Camp folks can continue to post as warranted.

I'll be on vacation with limited posting until Monday the 15th. I'll try to get something useful up in the camp thread before I go, but no promises (juggling children to the airport).

I would pay to see that act.

Please update character sheets to reflect recovery rolls used.  Rolls must be taken in order (action, 10 min, 1 hour, 10 hour).

Thanks

I'd like some feedback on an idea:

I'd like to skip ahead in the prelude to the point that Regent Aldrege meets with the group to review the mission objectives, special equipment, etc.  After that meeting, we can skip to the part where the group leaves for the Shimmering Veil.  I would summarize the outcomes of the building of the cart and recovery of the aneen.

Does anyone have anything they wanted to have their characters do before or in addition to the above scenes?

A jump forward sounds like a good idea.

That sounds good - Radwa's going to be spending all of their time building anyway, so they're not going to get up to much in the interim.

Sounds like a plan!  :)

Happy to skip, some repairs to Artor's clothing would be a priority for him

Ok, I'll start a new thread for that, then.  I'll leave the old ones open a few days, just in case.

(I'm home now. I'm also totally cool with the skip forward.)

So for the purposes of equipment, are you thinking like camping basics? There are a lot of things that in my mind Derrick would already have from the trip to Canthus that aren't included in character creation.

You are going out exploring an unknown area.  Aldrege has prepped for some of these needs.  If you want to wait until after the meeting to submit the list, just say so in character.

Also, you can arrive singly or in one or more groups as you see fit.  Whatever makes the most sense in character.

Aiming to post early tomorrow, sorry!

I hate to do this, but real life has taken a bad turn. I need to drop out of the game. Sorry all - I was having fun.

Thanks for the notice, Mayhew.  Enjoyed having you.  Hope it all works out.

Stop by again, if you find time.

Quiet Sunday.  Hope your day was full of rest and renewal.

I will try to get my next post up by tomorrow morning.  If you have something to add before then, you have time.

I'm gonna wait about another day or so for questions for the Regent.  Hearing none, I would wrap the scene up.

If you have something you want your characters to do in the last day before departing, let me know either in character or in PMs.

Thanks!

I continue to wonder why none of you players have asked a question I have seeded.

No matter.  You'll figure it out eventually.

Statements like that...trouble me. If it's important enough that we need to ask it before we go, reseed it (because we clearly missed it). If it's not that important, I'm unsure what's gained by posting speculation here...unless you're really trying to prompt us to spend time digging back through the thread and guessing about stuff.

I once had a Scion game that almost died because the GM refused to remind anybody for weeks that visitations were waiting on submission and approval of birthrights.

This is not important to the characters or the story.  Nothing to worry about.

I've just hidden a few Easter Eggs.  A modest reward will accompany discovery and deciphering.

The eggs will continue (periodically), regardless.

...

Why would I sabotage the story?  That's ... counterproductive.

I guess I wonder why mention it in that particular way if it's not important?



I'd never accuse a GM of trying to sabotage the story, but I've seen too many examples on RPOL and at the table of GMs responding to what they think the players should do rather than what the players are actually doing. The vagueness of:



...could be read pretty easily, I think, as "why haven't you done this thing I think you should do?" which goes back to the idea mentioned above of hanging the story on certain (GM) expectations of how it will go.

I'm fine with Easter eggs.

Personally, I'm wondering what exactly our good Regent has to do that necessitates him leaving a meeting about the potential salvation of his people.

Congrats to Artor for post 400!

Unless anyone has anything pressing to address IC, I'd like to skip ahead to the departure at this point.

Woohoo!

I'm happy to skip on

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 81):

I'm good too.

Me too.  :)

Onward!

Great!

Also, everyone gets 1 xp for the planning thread.  Keep your own sheets updated, please.

Ack!  Looks like I forgot to award the XP for the other Prelude threads.  I thought about it, I swear!

2 xp for those threads.

That makes a total of 3 xp for the preludes.  You may have additional XP from chargen or a GM intrusion, also.

Please update character sheets appropriately if you have not already done so.

Posted!  Sorry for the delay.  Work has been crazy busy these days...  :o

BTW, what is a canarium?  Would Agatho know?  Would it likely escape if he opens the basket lid?  :o

If I understand correctly, "canarium" is a concept, not a specific type of creature.  A "canary in a coal mine", to be more precise.

Feel free to correct me, Artor, if I have misunderstood.

Dead on, boss; I wanted to suggest the conceptual drift

How close is the group "camping" to the Veil?

Perhaps a few hundred feet?

sort of arbitrarily nominates 200 meters

We know it moves, after all...Hoa wouldn't want to be closer than that.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:59, Tue 10 Sept 2019.

Works for me.

Ok, that works.  Carry on.

Og-whirric description from Radwa's first thread:

"stout beasts with six legs and thick scales, piggish noses on blunt faces"

Thanks, I was going to ask!  Akin to a reptitilian binturong?

Slightly.  No visible tail, though.  I imagine a cross between a pig and a pangolin.

Binturong is a cool creature, though!

They're pretty rockin' ... though a piggish-pangolin seems not one to mess with either

Reminder: once activated, a Reality Spike is effectively immovable, regardless of it's position.  It will "float" in mid-air for centuries if you leave it alone.  It can only be dislodged by a higher level force.

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 101):

I don't think Derrick really understands that. If it was explained, I'm going to say he's forgotten.

Ok by me.

Is there a test to climb this wall?

Nah, it's rough and irregular.  No roll for this.

Ok, that's the last Easter Egg for this round.  Figure out what they all have in common for a little XP bump.

All I got is duck.

makes a mental note to keep her head down

PM me with your answer (guesses?).  No fair giving it away.

There are 5 eggs.  Gotta connect 'em all.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:47, Tue 01 Oct 2019.

POST NUMBER FIVE HUNDRED!!!!! :D

And for reaching 500 posts, everyone gets 2 XP.

Thanks for hanging in there, all.  I'm enjoying the game!

Woo hoo!  :D

For reference, the climb down would be DC 2:6.  Ropes and spikes would be an asset.

Did I miss a cue?

Sorry that I have been so AWOL.  My deadlines runneth over...  :o

Please provide Perception or Navigation/Geography rolls.

I edited my last post to include my roll.

Got it.  Thanks.

Well. Hoa's apparently too busy thinking ahead to diplomacy with strange species:

19:30, Today: Hoa Sen rolled 1 using 1d20.  Perception - Trained.

Once per day per target, you can make a roll to heal another character/creature.  The challenge level is the number of points you are trying to heal.  Training/Specialization in Healing and other assets can apply, as can Effort.  This is an Intellect task.

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 119):

Hoa, how many points are you down?

Sorry for being AWOL.  I can use Healing Touch on Hoa...

That's better than me just rolling. I say go for it.

I am deferring to you in character, so I'll wait until you either finish or invite me in...  :)

Given that I have scanned Hoa, how injured is she?  How many points is she down?

5 points down.

(And while I appreciate the collective devotion to the fiction, she did in fact pass the Might save for the poison.)

Hehehe, all Artor could see was the substance

Plus he’s a bit weird

You're heading directly toward the trees and towers beyond, right?  Not altering course for the path?

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 128):

Aye, that's Artor's plan

There's an awful lot of holidays happening this time of year, so I'll join in the celebration and give you all 1 XP, so feel free to update your character sheet accordingly.  (also, we passed 600 posts recently, and that's pretty cool, too!).

Woo hoo!  :D

Wishing you all a Blessed Christmas.  :)

Woo hoo! Merry Christmas :)

Wishing you all a Blessed 2020!  :)

Sorry to be so quiet.  I've had beginning of semester work crunch plus laptop issues.  :o

Hopefully things will slow down and work right for you.

Sorry this character is so verbose, guys! I also, as a player, totally get Artor (the character)'s suspicion!

I am enjoying myself reading it all!

Need to crash, sorry, so will have to respond in a few hours

Anyone in the courtyard/plaza can make a Perception check, if they care to.

19:49, Today: Artor rolled 19 using 1d20.  Perception - Trained

Derrick rolled 7 using 1d20.  Perception (trained).

I apparently need to stop rolling perception when I don't have an asset:

19:33, Today: Hoa Sen rolled 1 using 1d20.  Perception - Trained.

Just like last time...

Burning an experience point to undo the free intrusion.


19:34, Today: Hoa Sen rolled 6 using 1d20.  Perception - Trained REROLL.

:)

But the free intrusions are so fun! It's fine though, we're distracted.

Last time I rolled a 1 on perception, Hoa Sen's leg got chomped. This seems like the sort of high stakes encounter that's maybe (maybe) complicated enough without giving the GM extra opportunities to make things difficult for us. ;)

Party pooper.  :P  ;)

Anyone planning on telling Hoa more about the voice they heard outside of Canthus?  Or is she just winging it?

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 147):

Yes, sorry.

Sorry for the delay; I'm just now emerging from a 40-hour headache that kept me from sleeping well and home from work today.

Oof!  Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better.  No worries on the delay.

I'm going to be a little slow this week, probably, as I hustle to get the grading period wrapped up. Breathing room resumes next week.

Any chance we could set Aix as a language? It'd give those not on the PMs at least some sense of how long the bits of dialogue are, and the tags aren't any more complicated than PMs.

Yes, there's a chance.  And the odds will improve significantly if you give me directions on how to do this.

GM Menu-->Edit Private Groups

That will let you name any groups and assign players to them.

To use the language:
Use [Language unknown: <nteai>] rather than "Private to group" to have the text visible but automatically scrambled for people who don't speak the language (i.e. aren't in the group).

So once you've set up Aix, you can tag things like [Language unknown: "Not undad fo na nceproers'omeith wheth oveicasan arli preproare rotelich ioniouday tinpa icasomateint"]

So after I've set it up, I write it like this: [Language unknown: Derdi conpe tiomi ain der?  On dilifi thularrom an?]

And it should be readable by only people in that group, yes?

Ok, that's pretty cool.  I will retcon the last IC post accordingly.

It's pretty cool, yeah. You can also put tags inside: [Language unknown: "Is Si becaes atine tiurnall, plivho derdaythu tene werstaest newh."]

(GMs, incidentally, always see everything without the scramble just like they see all private lines.)

Thanks for the lesson!

Through the worst of the grading for a while, so I should be able to avoid slowing us down. Once we get some more shared communication capacity, things will hopefully open up and give y'all other things to do than watch Hoa Sen talk!

Well, you do have a comprehension graft among the supplies provided by Canthus.

... although those may be back at the vehicle with Radwa.

Yeah I don't think we brought any of that with us unfortunately.

Please continue to use Language: Aix where appropriate, as this may matter in terms of keeping some things from the Aix or delineating between other groups.

I am slowly ret-conning prior Aix language exchanges into something readable by all people who know that language.

Cool!

Now you'll get to see all the nasty things I said about you. ;)

FYI, those with the comprehension graft can speak Aix as well as their native tongue.  Hoa has been role-playing a lesser facility with the language as she is learning it on the fly (and doing an amazing job of it).

*tips hat*

I edited my post, thanks!

I teach high school English and get to see lots of language acquisition firsthand. :)

The population of Canthus is about 2,400, including about 100 lattimors.  This is information you would have been given before heading out.  They've got about 30 aneen and about 200 other livestock they they hope to bring with them.

My profuse apologies for being AWOL...  :(

This semester has already been wilder than anticipated with a course lecturing overload plus some new material plus busier admin, but with the virus-related adjustments needed in the coming days and weeks, I will have to crank it up another notch.

I do not know how often I will be able to check in on things here, so please feel free to do whatever is needed to advance the story without me.

Sending you all virtual hugs and prayers...  :)

Thanks, Agatho.  Best to you, also.

Reading back through the old thread, we were given three weeks from our departure to return to Canthus, so we're not yet pressed for time. We do need to find a site with arable land and we also have a collection of seeds of Canthus's more important crops to test (treated for fast growth). That stuff will be back in the walker and/or trailer.

All of that is true.

That's why Derrick is against pressing our luck with an investigation. We have to get escorted to the site, then get back to the cart, drive back to the site, and finally test the crops. He's probably a little over cautious, but he'd rather have identified a site with time to spare.

We're only three or four days after our departure, I think; we can poke around for a week and still have ample time to get back to Canthus.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 20:44, Sat 28 Mar 2020.

I think you're actually in the afternoon of the second day out of Canthus.  Day 1 was drive to the Veil.  Day 2 was drive to the rim of the Great Bowl (not super far) and walk to this village.  So you're now, say, late afternoon of day 2.  Lots of time before the deadline (thank you Radwa!).

Oh, wow. Somehow I imagined the drive here took a lot longer.

Do we want to start a new thread for the upside down river? Is there stuff we still want to do with the Aix beyond "keep a close eye out as they escort us"?

Two points:

1) It's approximately 20 miles from the Veil to the rim of the Bowl, so that didn't take the cart more than a couple hours in a 28 hour day, and you started out shortly after dawn.

2) It was my understanding that the Aix are escorting you out of the Bowl directly, roughly in the direction you came from.  From there, finding the area outside the bowl where the river exits is simple, just by driving eastward along the rim.

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 180):

I actually thought they were going to take us to the place by following the river out of their territory, but either way works really. One way or another, Derrick doesn't really have anything else to ask the Aix about.

I tried to present it as they would understand it, how they knew of a place outside the Bowl that might suit.

The escort was to make sure you left *smile*.

I hope you are all well and safe.  I do appreciate you hanging in there with me!

Thanks for keeping the game going. I feel like I somehow have less time lately, but it's good to have some reliable games to help unwind.

The more-well-trod path up is about 5 miles or so westward along the rim from your current location.  If you leave for that now, it will likely be dark by the time you reach it, or certainly by the time you reach the top.

So climb the dangerous place with the light that's left or do an easier climb in the dark.

Pretty much.  Or make some other radically different decision I'm not seeing as obvious at the moment.

I'm just trying to provide info you'd be able to figure out without having to think about it much (distance, daylight)

Hoa and Artor, please roll initiative.

20:09, Today: Hoa Sen rolled 6 using 1d20.  Initiative.

03:41, Today: Artor rolled 2 using 1d20 ((2)).

Hey just to clarify, should we be posting another round's action right now, or just reacting to the Melstrel's attacks?

My apologies for the lack of clarity.

Yes, it is now your turn (and the Aix's turn).  No one's initiative beat theirs (except Agatho).  Derrick's move was to draw the attack this turn, so Artor and Hoa can still act.  Dialogue is still possible, of course, whenever.

Attacking them is vs. Speed Defense 5:15.  Defenses against them are vs. 4:12 (for future rolls).

Let me know if you need any additional information.

That's what I thought, just wanted to be sure. Thanks.

Good so far.  Malstrel 1 is freaking out for a round and Malstrel 3 is at -5 HP.

Three 1s we've rolled this fight.

There are many things I like about the Cypher System, but the swinginess of the "raw d20" mechanic is not among them.

Given their design choice on a single D20, the intrusion vs XP mechanism works well enough to balance it... mostly ;)

You can always re-roll for an XP.  It isn't just for Tier advancement.  You can buy an artifact, too, if you like (3 xp).

Derrick, your strike is enough to kill the Malstrel, so you can update your post to describe that, if you like.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:10, Thu 28 May 2020.

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 197):

Sweet!

Despite my best efforts, I've never been able to just go with spending short term resources. I am totally one of those players who ends most CRPGs with a bag full of potions I've never used.

Well, please use your cyphers.  You'll find more!

Heck, you may even need to swap out cyphers so you don't carry too many.

I was kicking myself when I realized I could have used the gas bomb when I first saw the Malstrels before they reached us or the lightning wall to break up their charge.

Los Angeles County is a hot spot, but we are still alive and kicking.  Spring 2020 semester is done, after abruptly shifting online mid-semester.  Fall 2020 is just around the corner, and I need to prepare for face-to-face, online, and whatever shifting between them that may be necessary.  Between working online and periodic hikes in our walking-distance hills and mountains, I am still sane.  :)

I don't suppose anyone can give me an executive summary of the IC action?  :o

We've been hiking back toward the rim and were attacked by winged monsters. Many 1s were rolled, but the fight is over. Agatho has been healing the Aix who bore the brunt of the attack.

Hello, new player here. Fairly new to Numenera as well. Pleased to meet you all.

Well met, and welcome aboard!  :)

Hello! Welcome to the game.

Questions:

(*) Does Rainfall need more healing?
(*) Agatho needs to use a recovery roll after all this effort-driven extra healing.  How long have we been resting?  Which recovery roll is appropriate to use up?

Rainfall does not need more healing.  He's just sore (and traumatized).

Recovery rolls are used in order: Action, 10 min, 1 hour, 10 hour.

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 208):

Aha... so after you have taken a 10 hour recovery roll it resets?

Ok, so I spent my 1 Action and 10 Minute rolls. Restored 9 point in Might and 2 in Speed.

Derrick rolled 11 using 2d6+2.  Recovery rolls.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:01, Sat 06 June 2020.

Yes, after the 10-hour recovery, it resets.  It is basically sleeping for the night in Numenera's 28-hour day.

Thanks to Hoa for the reminder about Aix language.  I'll try to edit the past posts as I have time.

Well met!

Well, we crossed the 1,000 post mark and the one-ish year anniversary of the game at around the same time.

1 XP for everyone for sticking with me and making the game a joy to play for the past year.

Thank you!

Woo! Thank you for running.

+1!  :D

Yes, please make an intellect roll, Agatho.

Is that successful or unsuccessful?  O_o

She made no effort to conceal, so yeah, successful.

Hey, will be going away for a couple of days (probably just the weekend) and will probably not have an opportunity to update. Just to let you know.

Thanks for the heads up.

Alyssa can describe the route she took, including the distance, which is several miles from where she found the vehicle to its current location.

Artor will trace back to where she left the vehicle, then back to where they left it. His hope is that knowing his way around at night will mean he can move fast and his clear confidence will keep trouble of most mundane sorts away

Ok.  This backtracking will take several hours and require a few rolls.  Want to just make the rolls and we can flash forward to results?

And I'm back.

Thanks.  Hope you enjoyed your trip.  Chime in wherever you see fit.

Please continue.  I'm enjoying your writing.

Would you prefer to fast-forward through the search for Radwa or play it out while anyone remaining at the shelter ... does something else?

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 228):

Could probably fast-forward it in my opinion.

Fast forward is the right move here, I think.

+1.  I suspect that those left behind will be getting what rest they can anyway...

Works for me!

Same from me

Anyone need to do anything before leaving the Bowl?

Did everyone make needed recovery rolls?

I did mine now. Rolled a 7 :) So I'm all the better.

I did actually forget. I also got a 7 which was just enough to top off my pools.

Hoa, Derrick, and Agatho would be able to use all their recovery rolls up through 10 hour, and be reset for the next day.

Because Alyssa and Artor went looking for Radwa in the night, they haven't had that rest, so can use up to the one-hour recovery rolls, as needed.  If you want to strategize a way to rest while the cart is moving, we can try to figure something out.

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 237):

So since I was fully rested after my first roll, does that mean that I have only used the first roll then?

Correct.

I'm not I have expended anything to need rest, bar a little slepiness

So this game hasn't managed to break me of my hording tendencies, does anyone have room for an extra cypher? Otherwise I'm going to toss this:

Gas Bomb (Lvl 3): Handheld projector (long range), hits all at immediate range, living creatures suffer 3 intellect damage.

I can take it, I'm still beneath my cypher limit.

It's all yours!

Who's driving?

And if it's not Alyssa, is Alyssa sharing her experience from last night?

It's definitely not Derrick.

This message was deleted by the player at 04:15, Thu 16 July 2020.

Since Hoa asks so nicely, Alyssa will drive unless someone objects.

Would it be a perception test to help direct Alyssa?

That's one viable option, yes.  And knowing more precisely what to look for would likely help, too.

Just want to say that I enjoy this game immensely. :) One never knows what one will discover!

Thank you.  Glad to hear it!

Apologies for lack of posting this week, it's been a bit mad. As mentioned to the GM, I will be out for a couple of weeks from today so going to hold off in the current scene with the turtigrades. Artor will continue to forage and check out the plant life, so feel free to have him close by or off on his own until I'm back

Thanks for the heads up.  Safe travels!

When you are ready to head east again, just hop in the cart.

If you have some other diversion you'd like to engage in along the way, let me know.

Minor announcement:  I have gotten the Extreme Cyphers document (in pdf) and had a chance to go over it.  I will be adding them to the game in a very limited way.  The mechanism will work like this:

If you are Salvaging Numenera and get a Major Effect (roll an natural 20 in most cases), in addition to your regular Major effect, you will roll an additional d20.  If that result is also a natural 20, you will have discovered 1 Extreme cypher among your treasures.  Rolling a 1d40 will yield which extreme cypher you get.  So, you've got a 1:400 chance of getting one each time you Salvage.

Let me know if you have any questions.

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 255):

So won't happen very often then :) So extreme cypher means immensely powerful? And maybe dangerous?

Immensely powerful.  Examples:

Certain Attack: lvl 10,
For the next round, when the user
attacks a target with an ability, weapon,
or device, regardless of the range or
any barriers separating them, the attack
succeeds (treat as a routine task). The
user can attack any target, but only if she
knows that the target exists; the GM will
decide if she has enough information to
confirm the target’s existence.

Indestructible Item: lvl 10,
Effects with a level that is less than
the cypher’s level can no longer harm
a designated object no larger than the
user within immediate range

Instant Tower: lvl 10,
Expands into a complex twenty-story
structure with entrances, windows,
and stairs connecting each level. The
structure is permanent and immobile
once created.

Power Shift (Intelligence): lvl 15,
For three days, the user gains a
power shift to intelligence, which
reduces the difficulty of any Intellect
defense roll and all knowledge, science,
and crafting tasks he makes by one step.

Replacement: lvl 10,
Target within long range disappears
for one hour, while the user gains the
target’s features, general mannerisms,
and trivial surface knowledge (such
as the names of friends). This lowers
the difficulty by four steps of the user’s
attempts to pass himself off as or
disguise himself as the target.

Volcano: lvl 15,
Over the course of thirty hours,
a volcanic dome grows beneath the
point on the ground where the cypher
is activated, which likely destroys most
structures in the area over time. When
finished growing, the upthrust area is
6 miles (10 km) across at its base and
has an elevation of 4,000 feet (1,200
m). When the growth phase ends, the
dome erupts as a volcano for ten hours,
threatening to destroy an additional area
up to 5 miles (8 km) in radius around
the base.

Just a casual instant volcano.

Yes, hence the rarity.  I didn't even list all my favorites.

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 259):

When have I ever felt: "Hmmm... think this requires a volcano to solve" :)

When you really don't like a town.

When you absolutely must make a mountain right here!

Clearly y'all have not played much Exalted. wink

I love Exalted! Easily one of my favorite game settings. Frustrating rule set though. I've actually hacked it to run in Cypher because I prefer these mechanics so much more.

In reply to Derrick (msg # 264):

Wondering when this ability comes into play. Have I spent a day with you yet?

Nurturing: Allies who have spent the last
day with you add +1 to their recovery rolls. You
also gain this benefit if at least one other ally
gains it.

Sure, close enough.

Wow...  O_o

BTW, sorry for my AWOL posting rate.  My to-do list is melting down... :o

No worries.  Thanks for checking in.  The world is very weird right now.

Well, my test came back negative, so I am now out of quarantine.  :)

But I have less than two weeks until the semester starts, and I need to give my lectures both in-person and live-streamed at the same time, and one of these four courses is brand new to me, sooooooooo...  :o

In reply to Agatho (msg # 269):

Urgh. I have to do something similar if a lot of my students would be ill. Otherwise we've decided that we are distance teaching them every third week so that public transportation won't be so full in the mornings.

So much education! I'm at the high school level these days, which is it's own set of complications. I'm missing higher ed even less than usual this year, although public education is it's own kind of nightmare right now. My district is at least starting the year 100% virtual. Right now, we're scheduled to resume in-person for some students after Labor Day, but given the positive test rates in Texas, I don't see that happening.

Are you looking for/trying anything in particular as you move toward the tree line?

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 272):

If there's nothing obviously dangerous Alyssa will just walk calmly along.

Derrick's on guard for danger, but that's it.

Pretty much the same for Hoa Sen. She's also looking (mostly out of curiosity) to see if anything marks the transition from the grassland/scrub to trees.

Agatho keeps a figurative eye on his empathic senses...

Back, a little later than hoped for. Will be catching up on the IC thread shortly, and hopefully posting!

Gotta get me one of those volcanoes :)

Glad to have you back safe and sound.  No promises about the volcano.

If the group keeps up Perception rolls like those, a "Fell" tree might be a legitimate danger to the lot of you!

If a tree falls in the Ninth World, and (almost) nobody passes their Perception check, are they still pinned under it?

A question for another day ...

Just cause it falls like a tree in the forest, doesn't mean it's not actually an eldritch nanotech horror ready to subsume you into the datasphere ;)

Edited my last post wit ha bit more information.

Well, I think my dice thinks that I'm playing a system that you should roll low :)

Which thread and message number contain the beginning of the previous word association quest?  O_o

Order is not important, per se.

There are clues to the first quest:

Near the end of Prelude - Radwa's Creation
Early in Prelude - Planning, and later in that thread
Toward the end of Prelude - The Way In
In Outward Bound, a few pages from the beginning

5 clues in all.

Oh exciting. If I think I have a solution should I PM you?

Yes, please.

Sorry I've been slow. Work's been wrecking me--distance teaching is awful, and we've had to make some major adjustments on the fly.

No worries.  Thank you for teaching.  We need all the dedicated teachers we can get right now.

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 288):

Don't we always? I'm happy to only be teaching distance every third week.

Yes, we always do.  Sadly, we do not always treat teachers with the respect and support they deserve.

For better and for worse, my lectures are face-to-face and remote at the same time this semester.

Most students have opted to attend face-to-face, but a few are remote.

Adjusting to hybrid lecturing with new technology while looking through a face shield has been an adventure.

Ditto for carrot-and-sticking these university students into keeping their noses inside their masks...

My new tagline: "The MASK... can't do the TASK... for THOSE... who EXPOSE... the NOSE..." ;)

BTW, given the real-life challenges folks are facing, can we slow down the IC hike a bit?

It seems like our tour guide is rapidly progressing to the portal, whereas I think the PCs would have had enough time to comfortably discuss what four questions to ask and proceed with the Q&A before our arrival...  :)

Yeah, that's fine.  Also, until you unlock the door, they're still a captive audience *smile*

Are we comfortable around our questions OOC? It's not exactly metagaming, but it'd likely be faster than pushing through the whole back and forth IC when there's an adventure to be had.

Hoa Sen's questions would be the following:

-Who are the Aix's "Wise Voices"?
-Which groups of sapients, if any, live inside the Veil but outside the Great Bowl?
-Are there entities within the Veil that consume numenera for sustenance?
-Where are the closest possible salvage sites to the river?

Hoa's most attached to that first question, because she's thinking about societies and hierarchies and who has to be satisfied for any significant changes.

Yes, you can decide on questions OOC.  Let me know when you're ready for answers.  Also, do you want to ask them one at a time or all at once?

I am most interested in question(s) along the lines of: "what site(s) inside the Veil would you choose for refugees to settle safely and prosperously, and what are their respective strengths and weaknesses?".

I think that we should prioritize what we want to ask, then ask one by one.  It may be more of a pain that way, but we might hear something important in an earlier answer that we deem sufficiently important for followup to bump a latter planned question...

In reply to Agatho (msg # 296):

Alyssa doesn't really have a preference. She's still trying to find her bearings in the wonderous place she has found herself. :)

Happy with Hoa Sen and Agathos suggestions

I would modify Agatho's question to: What site(s) inside the Veil and outside the Great Bowl would you choose for refugees to settle safely and prosperously, and what are their respective strengths and weaknesses?

I would modify Hoa's second question to: Are there sapient creatures other than the Aix who live inside the Veil?

I'm not sure what the goal of you third question is Hoa. It seems strangely specific to me, but if you have something in mind then I'm ok with it.

I think the only other question that I personally feel we should ask is something along the lines of: Do you know anything about an invisible entity that speaks to travelers in the Veil? It might be possible to combine it with Hoa's second question, but regardless I really think we ought to ask about the voice.

I would rank salvage as last in the priority.

Asking the second question that way leads to a yes or no answer, and I'm pretty confident our answerer will not provide much elaboration.

Totally forgot asking about Edgewood Dirk when I was drafting questions; it should definitely be one of our four.

(The numenera question is aimed at a particular kind of threat to a settlement, especially a new one that has limited resources.)

So if the questions perhaps included something along the lines of:

(*) What site(s) inside the Veil and outside the Great Bowl would you choose for refugees to settle safely and prosperously, and what are their respective strengths and weaknesses?

(*) What sapient creatures live inside the Veil, and how can they be befriended or peacefully coexisted with?

What would the other two be?  And are the two above keepers, or would you vote either or both off the island?

In reply to Agatho (msg # 301):

I'm pretty curious about the disembodied voice, since Alyssa actually met it when she found hereself in the Veil. Who knows it might actually object if a larger settlement of humans moved here. Then again it might not.

Agatho's being suitably sneaky and doubling up on questions. What are you, a professor? ;)

Hate hate hate hate it when my high school seniors ignore the 'why?' part of a short answer question

Yes, I think Agatho's got two good questions there.

My rewording of your second question Hoa was just to get rid of the "but outside the Great Bowl" qualifier. We want to know about any sapient societies other than the Aix regardless of where they are. Totally agree on avoiding a yes or no answer.

If we add the question about Edgewood Dirk/the invisible speaker, then that's three, but someone should write something up for it. Assuming they're legal, then Agatho's essay prompt style questions seem like the best way to ask :P Maybe something like:

"What is the entity known as Edgewood Dirk and what are their motivations, loyalties, and goals?"

Of the remaining three suggested questions for the last slot, I'd rank them as:
1) Threats to the settlement (expanding on Hoa's question about the things that consume numenera).
2) Salvage opportunities within the Veil, but outside the Great Bowl.
3) Aix society (expanding on the question about the Wise Voices).

The nevajin begins to sweat profusely, just listening to this debate.  (The odor is reminiscent of a ruben sandwich at a diner.)

Nah, I casually touched each of the rest of the PCs soon after we started walking.  All these deliberations are taking place telepathically via Mental Link as we walk... ;)

Can someone please summarize what questions are being asked, in what order?  I'll have the nevajin answer one at a time in case you want to change a question based on a response.

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 307):

I guess we could try one of those essay type questions, but it wouldn't suprise me if the Nevajin would see that as multiple questions.

This is my proposal:

1) What site(s) inside the Veil and outside the Great Bowl would you choose for refugees to settle safely and prosperously, and what are their respective strengths and weaknesses?

2) What sapient creatures live inside the Veil, and how can they be befriended or peacefully coexisted with?

3) What is the entity known as Edgewood Dirk and what are their motivations, loyalties, and goals?

4) What are the five greatest threats to a new settlement founded within the Veil, but outside of the Great Basin?

If the nevajin treats the first question as two separate questions, then the final two questions are as follows:

3) What sapient creatures live inside the Veil?

4) What is the entity known as Edgewood Dirk?

In reply to Derrick (msg # 309):

I think we could go with your suggestion.

I'd like to move the Edgewood Dirk question up to number two. A meddlesome being that we've encountered both outside and inside the Veil seems like a priority.

Aside from that, I'm fine with this list.

That works for me.

Someone can ask and the nevajin will be more than happy to answer!

It doesn't really make sense for Derrick to ask these things in character.

Artor, give me an Intellect Roll, DC 5:15 if you're trying to indicate that your comment isn't an official question.

00:23, Today: Artor rolled 12 using 1d20.  Subtlety

That's enough for one other person to react before the nevajin does (if they choose to do so).

Hoa, do you want to go ahead and ask the next question?

Yes. Work and sleep deprivation are spending too much time hand-in-hand right now.

No worries.  Just checking.  Be well and take care of yourselves.

I think we do actually need a shovel, incidentally, unless somebody else happens to be packing one.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:28, Wed 30 Sept 2020.

I can chime in with a later question IC, but Hoa Sen had a special interest in this question, so I figured that I should leave it to her.

Meanwhile, my inbox runneth over as well, so no hurries and no worries from my end... :)
This message was last edited by the player at 03:17, Wed 30 Sept 2020.

Given the questions and answers thus far, any updates on preferences for the last question?  :)

RPoL Dice Roller:

19:10, Today: Agatho rolled 3 using 1d20.  DT2 Healing Touch w/Extra Healing Effort.

Ugh.

Am I able to try again?

Do I have to use Effort to try again?

If so, does that mean I can't use Effort for Extra Healing?

Would another attempt be at DT2 (since the first wasn't successful), or at DT3?  O_o

You can use Effort to try THAT roll again.  However much Effort you use is limited by your Effort level and Pool points.

Or you can just make the second attempt for the day at Difficulty 3:9.

RPoL Dice Roller:

22:29, Today: Agatho rolled 11 using 1d20.  DT2 Healing Touch w/ Repeated Attempt Effort.
22:29, Today: Agatho rolled 2 using 1d6.  Healing Touch on Artor.

Sigh.  Used twice the effort to get half the healing... :/

Artor, is 2 points enough, or does your wound still need more healing?
This message was last edited by the player at 05:32, Sun 01 Nov 2020.

He took 3 Might and 3 Speed, but happy to limp on and save your Effort in case we need it inside :)

If people are just looking for cyphers, etc., it would be a Salvaging Numenera roll. If you're looking for something else, let me know.  You can help each other.

Derrick is looking for potential threats rather than loot.

Then you can make the appropriate Perception (or other applicable skill) for that.

Alyssa keeps behind Derrick for now. When it's safe she wants to understand what kind of numenera there is here.

Artor is searching for numenera and novels or small sculptures

Preferences noted.  Please roll for Salvaging Numenera, Perception, or some other pertinent skill.  Effort can be applied as usual.

Clearly distracted...

23:14, Today: Artor rolled 4 using 1d20.  Perception - Trained. – [roll=1604445271.12381.329590]

23:14, Today: Artor rolled 5 using 1d20.  Salvaging Numenera - Trained. – [roll=1604445250.76583.329590]

Yeah, seems like I am too.

Derrick rolled 5 using 1d20.  Perception - Trained.

Just a reminder that you can spend a level of Effort to retry a failed roll (or spend XP to just straight up reroll it).

Spending effort and ... bah

06:18, Today: Artor rolled 4 using 1d20.  Salvaging Numenera with Effort. – [roll=1604470712.47407.329590]

Is Understanding Numenera pertinent for this?  Even if my trained skills don't apply, this roll is more hopeful...  :)

RPoL Dice Roller:

22:55, Today: Agatho rolled 16 using 1d20.  Understanding Numenera (Trained).

In reply to Agatho (msg # 338):

That's a nice roll. Don't think I've rolled higher than 10 yet :)

I'm going to accept that this isn't Derrick's element and stand pat.

I will work out the results in the aggregate, since there were so many bits and pieces to work out.  Give me a bit.

In reply to Immortal Eye (msg # 341):

How big is the ring? Can it be worn on a finger? Is the heat / cold pleasant?

Finger sized.  It is cool and warm, so no extremes.  Pleasant enough, if that's what you like.

What is "Orbital Amor, lvl 1d6"?  O_o

Sorry.  It's from the Technology Compendium.

Orbital Armor (level 1d6)

Three small clear balls attached to each other with stretchy synth.  One ball has a simple push button.

When activated and thrown into the air, the balls set up an orbit around the user, protecting her from incoming piercing, striking, or other physical damage for ten minutes.  The device provides Armor equal to the cypher level, but it doesn't protect against Intellect damage.  Activation is an action.

Can Artor see anything in the darkness?

Given the angle, not much.  But there appears to be shelving with some boxes and crates, tables/counters.

Thanks

Thanks for the encouraging squeeze!... but you will have to wait until you descend the ladder before you can reach me... :)
This message was last edited by the player at 05:03, Sun 08 Nov 2020.

Will edit!

Again, you can do more searching and exploration with pertinent rolls.  Effort is available to use, as always.  You can also help another PC to give them an asset or two.

If I describe what I observed as I scanned to the others, would that provide them an asset?

Would my scan count as an asset for me?

I would say yes to both.

We have this new stuff, plus whatever we were carrying when we got here.

I already have:
Cypher - Teleporter (Traveler) Level: 1d6 + 4
Cypher - Force Shield Projector, bracelet, lvl 5 (so +4 armor for 1 hour)
Cypher - Stim, lvl 6, eases next action by 3 steps

What stuff do you folks think would be most useful for the party, and for any specific folks therein?

I am inclined to keep my Teleporter, but I could be persuaded about what else I keep and give up...  :)

Just for clarity: the graft, once used, does not count against the cypher limit.

I have a Healing Grenade - lvl 10, and a Lightning Wall Projector - lvl 5.

I think both of those are more useful for me than any of the new stuff.

I have an open slot an would be happy to carry either the needle bomb thing or the VDD.

In reply to Hoa Sen (msg # 357):

Guess we need to be a lot more liberal in using them, but can't really say that any situations have arisen when any of mine could be used.

Other things you can do with cyphers include Salvaging them for Iotum and parts or storing them to retrieve at a later date when they are needed.

Oh! Guess we could destroy what we can't take with us then :)

Given many of the cyphers we have are naturally hovering, that’s one that worth salvaging. Perhaps a natural response from Derrick to his new knowledge?

Is anyone else doing anything?  What's the plan?

Done once we’ve distributed the cyphers, I think; happy to move on and divide them OOC when I have a moment to look back through notes

That's fine.  Just wanted to know what the next step is for the group.

Visual Displacement Device - Hoa Sen
Salvage Graft - Used by Derrick
Hover Module - Fuse with Remote Viewer
Needle Sphere - Salvage
Remote Viewer - Artor

Any takers?  :)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:47, Sun 22 Nov 2020.

If no-one else takes it Artor will push his cypher limit

I am assuming you are remaining on the current (subsurface) level until it is indicated otherwise.

*starts perusing bestiaries ... just for funsies*

Would being Trained in Understanding Numenera be useful in perceiving what is threatening Artor (and the rest of us)?  :o

Not in this particular case, no.  Sorry.

Apologies for the quiet--holidays and family emergencies and a really fun night tonight writing an exam. I should have something up tomorrow.