This is the OOC thread.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 1):

I think this is the best way to share characters sheets, but you have to let me know if it works for you and your Boeing-ness:

https://www.dungeonmastersvault.com/pages/login-page

Login: tornflannel
Password DandorD

https://www.dungeonmastersvaul...cters/17592207500675
https://www.dungeonmastersvaul...cters/17592207527296
https://www.dungeonmastersvaul...cters/17592207543984
https://www.dungeonmastersvaul...cters/17592207525970

Works while logged out.

I hope to not edit your characters ever, but I guess it is good to be able to.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 3):

For HP tracking, I imagine it would be useful. But whatevs. They are there enough.

In reply to TBD (msg # 5):

I've thought of a "move" that might be fun: A monk (or not) with athlete (or not) who is fighting in melee uses part of their movement to drop to the ground, removing cover for a backline ranged readied action against the melee opponent, then the monk (or not) with athlete (or not) stands back up and only their movement is lost (or not entirely).

Ok, so what’s the deal with these characters. I don’t see backgrounds. What’s the story?

In reply to The Mists (msg # 7):

Try this on for size? I'm fine with changes.

Edwin Milner
Edwin Milner, human wizard, was considered a prodigy in his village when he was discovered reading behind the wood shed at the age of four, rather than doing chores. His parents, seeing that he had a chance at a better life, did they only thing they thought they could and abandoned him at a monastery that had, a few years prior, taken in another orphan in much worse shape.

At the monastery, Edwin received his education and, with some help from an elderly monk who had traveled abroad for some time before retiring, discovered that he had a talent for magic. Edwin's interest in magic was driven by the depiction of wizards in adventure novels that had less to do with the arcane and more to do with the ambitions of boyhood. He was known to get into trouble with his friend, Imondo Vonse, for playing "adventure" which primarily consisted of Edwin pretending to shoot flames at Imondo and Imondo acrobatically avoiding the blasts. Occasionally, Edwin would hit Imondo and, while Imondo always forgave Edwin, Edwin would be wracked with guilt for days.

Imondo Vonse
Imondo Vonse was the orphan adopted by the monastery prior to Edwin. Imondo had been abandoned by his parents due to his disfigurement. Imondo was born with a deformed face and crooked body. The monks took pity on the boy and raised him as best they could. Eventually it was discovered that the boys ailments were physical and cosmetic, but he had a fine mind for learning. The monks made a project of Imondo. By applying the techniques they use to train their own bodies, the monastery was able--with effort--to help Imondo to walk, albeit with a limp and a slouch, by the age of 2.

The boy was delighted, and would only suffer his lessons on reading, writing, and the trades if his ability to physically train with the monks was held back as a reward. Finally, one of the monks suggested that they stop pretending Imondo had a place he would love outside the monastery, and they initiated him to the order. Over time, Imondo's passion for improving his body and abilities led to the limp fading until it was gone, and Imondo became one of the more naturally agile monks within his order.

It would have been a lonely existence if it were not for Edwin, which made Edwin's decision to leave with Ritin Durko all the more terrifying. Only Edwin and the monks had been able to see Imondo through his deformity. Townsfolk, despite knowing Imondo for years, still found it easy and comforting to pick on Imondo for his looks and (undeservedly) for his intellect. When the monks found Imondo's bed empty a few days after Ritin Durko and Edwin had left, they were saddened, but not surprised.

Ritin Durko
Ritin Durko arrived at the monastery by chance, but Ritin didn't believe in chance. Ritin believed he arrived at the monastery because the hand of fate wanted him to be at the monastery. In reality, Ritin arrived at the monastery in the middle of the night because he and Sen (of Nybul) both thought the other was leading the way as they walked through the countryside well into the night. Sen wasn't much for conversation, so Ritin had stopped trying to converse and they had just walked in mutually acceptable silence--This kind of thing happened occasionally.

Ritin was happy to do as the hand of fate saw fit, but only in the service of the light. He wanted to be a hero, and all the heroes worth reading about were dedicated to the service of the light. He told the monks this and he seemed so earnest that they allowed him to stay the evening, where he met Edwin and Imondo. Edwin was so enamored to meet a real adventurer that he didn't see that the only difference between he and Ritin was that Ritin had taken that first step on the road. After seeing Edwin perform some magic, Ritin pointed that out. Edwin packed his bag that night and set off with Ritin and Sen before sunrise.

Sen of Nybul
Ritin had med Sen in Nybul. Sen was the clergyman assigned to Nybul to administer last rites and generally tend to the business of the dying. What would have been an uneventful meeting changed when Ritin asked about purchasing holy water. Sen didn't keep holy water on hand -- He had long since dispensed with any of the nuisances that require holy water for the city of Nybul and was enjoying his semi-retired life. Sen, never much for conversation, simply asked (in a gravelly voice): "What for?" to which Ritin replied that he had heard that there was a place called Ravenloft that needed the light. Sen simply looked at Ritin and said "The light doesn't shine in Ravenloft." Ritin was able to get no more from him, but when Ritin was leaving his lodging the next morning, Sen was waiting outside for him in full gear.

The townsfolk of Nybul had long whispered that Sen had a troubled past. He had never taken a wife, never showed interest in any festivals, and had no friends. When Sen's replacement arrived in Nybul, he brought one additional rumor about Sen: That Sen had been assigned to Nybul for his own safety. Something about a tragedy as a younger man.

The people of Nybul were briefly intrigued, but quickly forgot about Sen -- He was an unhappy, unpleasant man that they were not sorry to see leave.

Do you want multiple characters to post from? If just one, what do you want it to be called?

In reply to The Mists (msg # 9):

One is fine for now, and you can just call it Orme or whatever

How about sire, or rise, or ires, or something.

In reply to TBD (msg # 10):

I'm rather pleased with the name Imondo Vonse, I have to say. ee-Mondo Vaughn's. I'm thinking Sen has a personal loss in his backstory, that he is motivated by revenge, and that you can fill in the details of that tragedy.

I expect Ritin (Written) and Imondo are going to get the most action. I'm also contemplating Oath of Heroism for Ritin. So you are looking at:

- Paladin (Heroism or Devotion) 6 / Hexblade 4 / Sorcerer 10
- Monk (Open Palm, or whatever it is) 20
- Wizard (Divination) 20
- Cleric (Grave) 20

Sire works fine.

I can work with this.

What are your characters' understanding of Ravenloft? In other words, what is the totality of your understanding?

I will not be correcting anything so don't assume one way or another that something is correct or not.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 13):

I don't know what Sen knows. His background can be loose for you to feed information or disinformation. Only Ritin knows anything else, and what he knows is just that he has heard that it is a dangerous place, full of foes. As a person with more courage than sense, that's enough for him. He isn't even certain how to get there, and let's say he's on his way somewhere to ask.

In reply to SIRE (msg # 14):

Can you make a Character Macros thread for me, please?

In reply to SIRE (msg # 15):

Just thought of a minor house rule that I like, but am not proposing:

Magic Missle should not be able to reduce a creature to 0 hit points.

But why tho? Because no defense?

In reply to The Mists (msg # 17):

Yes

I mean... The same can be said for spells with saves. You still take some damage (almost) no matter what.

Level 3 fireball vs. level 3 MM:

Fireball
Failed: 28 ave
Saved: 14 ave

MM
17.5 ave

Maybe unconscious, but stable.

Are you annoyed by the pace of the conversation? Or just Sen?

In reply to The Mists (msg # 20):

Just Sen. I'm having fun.

In reply to SIRE (msg # 21):

https://drive.google.com/open?...VeB3-8pRCkej1SVooWob

Can you bold Sen's gray?

Or is that too much hassle? Seems like it would be on a phone.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 23):

I can do it. I'm on a PC now and I have a custom dark background set.

In reply to SIRE (msg # 24):

No way to pump the woman for information about what she meant by?:



It struck an unexplained ominous tone.

Will edit a response.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 26):

Am I missing things, or do the exposition breaks feel more significant because of the forum?

No, I don’t think so. I am figuring this thing out too. Soon, you’ll have more options than you know what to do with I think, but it starts off a little railroady.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 28):

All adventures do. Just making sure that the statues were decoration, mostly.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Do you like the images, or do you prefer theater of the mind?

In reply to The Mists (msg # 31):

I like them, but more for scenery than characters and not enough to hassle with if it is a hassle

Super easy, barely an inconvenience.

Maybe.

If I buy CoS on dnd beyond, will you buy me lunch sometime? I think it will make things a lot easier for me, like with player maps and textblocks, etc.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 34):

Why don't I just buy it and we share a log in?

I think there is a way to share content among accounts if the GM owns it. I will figure that out and let you know. I'll but it and you can give me money later if you feel strongly about it.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 36):

I'm just saying I think it is more likely that I pay you for it than that I get a chance to take you to lunch any time soon, and that I am reaping the benefits primarily as the player.

Meh, I have been using a pirated pdf this whole time anyway.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 38):

We should play D&D

So, the whole mapping deal is a tough situation. I think maybe we will go back to your idea of exploring the whole floor using some algorythim, since exploration has turned out to be pretty boring over forum.

I think it would still be worthwhile to post maps, but the whole secret room thing will just have to be a thing we suspend disbelief for. Besides, we have already seen how it becomes obvious when most of the map is uncovered.

Actually, let's still take it room by room, for now...

I will get back into this. Probably this week. Maybe even today.

I think that from now on, what I want to do is the following for initiative:

Nat 20: Character may take a bonus action, as well as an object interaction, an any free actions, but not a move action or action at the start of combat.

Nat 1: Character cannot take a reaction until his or her initiative count.

If there is a tie of naturals, it is settled by dexterity. If that is a tie, it breaks in favor of the player. If it is between two players, or two npcs, then whoever controls the character decides.

In the above case, Inmondo would not have had to use a Ki point to disengage, but Ritin would not have been able to take the dodge action before the ghasts went. The ghast rolled a 15 and a 10 (+5), I think the 15 was 'first' but that is all kind of nonsense because it is the dice roller and they were rolled 'together'.

I think this favors characters since I think they often have more bonus actions than npcs, and will probably exploit the flat-footedness of a Nat 1 more. I guess we'll see.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:41, Tue 30 Mar 2021.

The issue I have with that stack exchange, is that it doesn't include that the other square has a creature (Ritin, in this case). So, if you have two square that are blocked on two adjacent sides (one by a wall, and one by a creature), but the corner touches the target square, that doesn't seem like enough to bypass all cover.

Imagine you standing at your door, fighting someone on your porch. Granted, your door is probably 36" maximum, if you have a big door. But imagine someone next to you trying to attack past you. Maybe not impossible, especially with 12" more on both sides, but if you can adjust in your square, then so can the defender. At the very least, it would be 10% more difficult to score a hit with risk of injuring your companion.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 43):

No no, I agree. RAW seem dumb.

In reply to SIRE (msg # 44):

Also, I think you taught me a thing: I didn't know it was possible to ready a move AND attack. I thought it had to be a single thing ("action" is a loaded term I'm avoiding)

The ready action was a move, she just happened to have her turn right after. You were right. The ready action is just one thing.

I believe you declare inspiration before the roll, because iirc it grants advantage, which is something that is rolled with the roll.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 47):

Do my doorway/bottle tactics bum you out for being boring?

No. Maybe at first I felt thwarted, but I didn't set up these encounters and when I think of your team like some Greek fighting unit, I really like it.

At some point your enemies will be smarter and calculating.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 49):

I really wrestled with the degree to which coordination could/should occur while we were playing in Questland. For maximum realism, I wanted to limit my actions (and everyone else's in the party) to just the information that our characters could share. That was the reason behind almost every character I played in that setting (not Zann) having a way to communicate surreptitiously--Fergan being the best, with telepathy. I suspect this is among the reasons that Allan specifically called out telepathy as a reason he does not like 5E.

On the other hand, there's SO much off-camera time that it makes sense that the characters could be able to coordinate intuitively, or in short hand, or with simple gestures or whatever, that some level of coordination among the players in control of those characters seems like it is adding realism, not detracting from it.

I had these characters yell things to one another for now, because they are relatively new to combat together and are inexperienced. I expect that they will continue to yell things at one another for a while, unless that yelling draws the attention of a nearby threat--because combat (and tactics) are so much more effective when everyone is singing from the same hymnal, and singing from the same hymnal is hard not to do when I am in control of the whole choir.

If I ever over-coordinate relative to the information that the characters would have, call it out and we'll rewind.

And Inmondo can re-center himself and recharge his ki.

There is no check for spotting mimics.

But I should probably have said something like Edwin realizes this is the first door they have come across in the dungeon complex. It shares the same worn look as the tunnel bracing.

But mimics exists to take away fun and make players hate DMs. I wouldn't want to stand in the way of that.

I was thinking that after death house I am not only going to not have mimics, but no invisible cubbies with monsters. Even thinking that trapped doors/chests will be somehow obvious, and the challenge is in the approach to disarm/bypass.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 54):

It makes sense that there be clues, at least. Maybe there was on the ghasts if Sen's beliefs allowed for looting graves without reason.

Heads up - I am going out of town for a couple weeks, so posting will be spotty.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 56):

No problem.

Have you read The Many-Colored Lands books? Apparently the is a character named Elizabeth Orme.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 58):

I have not read those books.

I am back to work and it is your turn.

Added Village of Barovia to Game Map section (the link above, not the thread).

Before we proceed, I need to know whether or not you knew "dig through the ditches and burn through the witches" was a reference, or if you thought it was not worth acknowledging.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 61):

I recognized it, but was ashamed of my inability to double down without looking up further lyrics, since those are the only ones that were ever memorable to me without the song playing other than "Do it, baybay! Do it, baybay!"

Rob Zombie is a unique lyricist and singer. His diction is fine, but his iambic meter is madcap, so it seems like you understand the words, without understanding anything.

BTW, his interview on Rogan is interesting, about him moving to NY when he was very young and seeing a lot of casual violence. And from... growing up around carnies? is what I want to say? And how there was a lot of craziness associated with that.

He talks a lot about film making and the horror genre, and how he won't work on bigger productions anymore because you lose creative control.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 63):

My birthday present from you could be you posting.

Haha! I have been busier at work because they moved me back to 1st shift on a boondoggle of a project that some fancy-ass manager cooked up. And now that people can get a hold of me they have me doing all kinds of things.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 65):

Oh no. That is the worst. I used to transfer teams every time that happened.

Have you seen Dorohedoro on Netflix? I know this is cliche to say stuff like this, but I thought it was very imaginative. Like, surprisingly unique. Madcap. Gritty.

Also, surprisingly good music. Like I don't think I skipped the intro once, and I listen to it and the end credit music on the reg. I think each ep has a different end credits song, or every couple.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 67):

I haven't even heard of it. Having now watched the dubbed trailer, I can safely say that I will never make it through that because I will be the only one watching it, and that will only happen after everyone has gone to bed.

Also, dubbed anime hard-ass man voice always strikes me as sounding staccato to the point of sounding constipated.

Haha. Working second shift begets a lot of watching things by myself. I have gone back and forth better dubbed and undubbed. What anime have you watched and liked. I feel like it is mostly garbage, and after a decent first season it either disappears or gets sucky.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 69):

I enjoyed Bebop and Trigun enough to recommend them to people, Beserk enough to watch it again, Hellsing and Beserk enough to watch them again, and Now and Then, Herr and There enough to think of it fondly whenever anyone asks this question. Movie-wise, I thought Ninja Scroll was popcorn fun, Vampire Hunter D and Ghost in the Shell were overrated, and I couldn't understand why Akira was so revered--but I liked Mononoke and Spirited Away quite bit.

Also, Dragonball sucks in all of its incarnations

I have not heard of most of those. Recently watched Ghost in the Shell, I was confused that it was supposedly critically acclaimed. Kind of felt the same way about Mononoke, but I still think of it fondly from like a million years ago, so there's that. I liked Ninja Scroll.

Heard of Bebop and Trigun from you, haven't seen them.

I liked the first season of Death Note, but it was all too long. It's not that it was slow, just long. The live action movie was pretty true to the spirit of the series and has William Defoe (great casting, IMO), if you like that sort of thing. I guess I appreciated that they took something long and tightened it way up.

I liked Sword Art Online conceptually, but it is mostly typical anime fare.

Castlevania is a bit past the level of gore, disturbing darkness, and sexy than I would ever be comfortable recommending. Each season has a slightly different feel, so I didn't hate that they didn't stop after 1 season.

Attack on Titan is overrated. I can't tell you how much I hated that show, and stopped watching it kind of deep into the first season when it was supposed to be really ramping up. I think what makes me so mad is that I kind of liked it, but they are trying to force an animated series to BE manga. They might as well have had still frames that switched every few minutes. It was not just slow, but they would show, tell, then have an existential crisis about everything that ever happened and talk about it over and over. Just awful. Some episodes could be compressed to some sad music and a look of despair. It's just bad craftsmanship.

I suspected as much about Dragon Ball, and it seemed like they suffered from the same thing I was just describing. But it seems like what AoT has that DBZ doesn't is stakes, if I understand the story line.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 71):

You should watch both Cowboy Bebop and Trigun, but you have to let Trigun run to the point that it is clear it isn't just Japanese Looney Tunes, which takes a minute. I think it has very good themes and villains. It's imagery is very Japanese.

Bebop has amazing music, and a very interesting--but very small--subplot that runs through the series that, upon its resolution, ends the series very well. It's kind of episodic, otherwise. Very much a character drama.

Beserk culminates in rape. It evokes the feeling it is supposed to. I don't think you should watch it, but the everything up to the culmination seems very much up your alley, so that's kind of a shame. It also never got an ending, so maybe best to leave it even without the rape consideration.

Hellsing is fun--and I'm talking the original one. I haven't seen what came after, but what came before was a great concept and fairly well executed.

N&T,H&T I remember as both sweet and sad. I also remember a mop of some significance.

I am surprised you haven't heard of many of these. It makes me think that the anime I knew in college might be trapped in that time, when I was under the impression it was universally known--like I was talking about the Beatles.

I basically know what's on Netflix.

Been watching bebop, pretty good, but can be kind of slow sometimes. A little moody for me.

Also mostly done with Beserk, forgot that you said anything about it. I fast forward sex scenes and a rape at the end makes sense, I guess. Problem is that I don’t identify with Guts’ melodrama. I am not as anti-melodrama as I use to be, I recognize that it is a form of performative art, it’s just not for me.

Noticed there is a live action bebop. I assume it will make some cool scenes neat, but suck the life out of it in search of wide appeal and woke compliance.

Been watching WoT, which I know you don’t plan on watching, just wanted to round out my report. As I’ve mentioned, I think a series is ideal for these books sense RV shows tend to add a bunch of side quest nonsense for character and pacing purposes, but Jordan already did that in the books. I try not to compare movies and tv to the source material because they have different constraints and strengths so far I generally agree with the changes but am annoyed with others.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 74):

I think a reason I liked Guts so much because, on some level, he reminds me of Garin--and I actually think there's a line to be drawn between Garin, Guts, and Spike, but I can't talk about it until you are done.

I will not be watching the live action Bebop. Great things don't need re-made.

Re: WoT -- I decided firmly against it at the line in the trailer which suggested that any of the five kids, who are not kids, could be the Dragon -- as that both flies in the face of Moraine being competent (it's about saidin, stoopids) and ruins the impact of those two Forsaken changing genders but maintaining their channeling ability. Also, Rosamund Pike is no Moraine. I've heard that Perrin gets a real extreme pivot AND that they have already re-cast Mat for the second season.

The whole thing is clearly in the shitter, and probably won't finish. That's not inside info -- It's just incredibly expensive and the press is just not there. GoT burned everyone so badly that nobody is optimistic. Shoot -- They didn't even do a good job with LotR and LotR is WAY more filmable than WoT.

I was just commenting to Emily about what they have done with Perrin so far. They started him out married (apparently) and while fighting trollocs with her in that first attack, he was in a battle rage and accidentally turned and axed her in the gut, wasting her. I actually prefer this as it gives an actual reason for always being worried about hurting other people and letting go in battle rather than being ‘big and clumsy’ which always just made him annoying.

Yeah, I mean, I’d be lying if I said I liked the casting decisions, but meh. It is dumb that they didn’t just stay with being Egwene to train at the white tower. At one point in another scene/group there was reference to men and women claiming to be the dragon reborn through the years. I think it goes into the hand wavium of saying that people interpret the prophesies differently. It doesn’t matter to me if the story makes sense with what I know from the book because it only needs to be make sense internally to the show.

I guess to repeat myself, I look at it as it’s own thing. Do they look like I thought they would?, no. Is Mat as likeable as he should be?, no. These things don’t matter to me.

The kids thing is weird because they are definitely not portrayed that way. It is clear that they are all about 20 and they and very adult in their relationships, etc. in fact, the thing I dislike the most about it is how immoral they are out the gate in the Two Rivers rather than being ruined by the world (with the exception of Perrin, and probably Nynaeve).

I wouldn’t read into the any of the kids from the two rivers thing. I strongly suspect that whoever was in charge of making the trailers forced dumb things into those scenes. In fact, at one point when we were watching it, I almost pointed out that the reason the scene was so dumb was because it was make to be the trailer.

Not trying to convince you to watch it, to be clear, just defending my honor.

I made a thread for the fortune reading.

I am not sure what all I said about these, but the first three pertain to things that will help you, the 4th to a person that will be and ally, and the 5th is Strahd.

Each card reveals a place in the Dread Realm you will find these things and people. You may see the people other places as well, but you will see them in the place the card reveals.

I posted as you so you can add any notes or rearrange the info within the post. I would prefer to not have a bunch of posts after the ones I created to keep the thread clean.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:49, Fri 15 Apr 2022.

I just want to say that I didn't remember who or what your fortunes pertained to when I created that thread and stuff and didn't know if anything would come up in this town.

Although one of the cards is a special ally, there is no reason you couldn't recruit anyone to your cause, if they are willing.

The way that it works is that there are 3 items that will help you and one ally. the items are placed in barovia based on the cards you pull, and the ally is chosen by the cards and it is pretty much set where you will encounter most anyone in the game, though they do move depending on timing of events.

Oh, and I didn't intend to tip you off with the 'cards' reference, but I did notice it after I wrote it.

Oh, and level up for finding one of the fortunes and for the information gained from Van Richten.

Quick reminder, RvR is staying at the inn, and your wine run earns you room and board. He has a private room which is where he keeps his notes and such. You have an almost dorm style 4 person room. Though the rooms share a wall, they are accessible in totally different ways. Not very convenient.

For in depth information, you could always exchange letters. Also, once the tavern patrons leave, you could have the run of the ground level of the inn.

Oh, So, hearing the voice at the alter scene. RvR assumes it's Strahd. The irony is that this cult used the alter to sacrifice people and then you used it to destroy their shambling corpse demon. It also technically would satisfy their demand for 'One must die'. I don't recall if the house was supposed to stop being hostile after you killed the shambling mound or not, and I have read other dm's/players talk about the different ways they satisfied the demand. If you sacrifice a player, then you are free to leave. Theoretically, you could do that and find someone to raise dead, or something.

Oh, while I am at it, there was a room with a statue of Strahd holding an orb (non-magical, worth 25gp, usable as spellcaster focus). If you touched the statue or orb, 5 shadows would have appeared and attacked you. That would have been a rough, if not fatal, fight. There would be no bottle-necking them. Probably fatal.

In reply to The Mists (msg # 81):

We went in that room, I think? I recall a staircase up to the library. At that point, I was very much under the impression that I should not eff with Strahd, so touching anything to do with him seemed like a prudent course of action.

No problem on you being busy at work -- I'll just annoyingly ping from time to time and read about vampires in the interim.

It was in the dungeon area, but above the alter/prison cell level.

Yeah, smart.

That is an interesting topic. I think it speaks to the DM relying to strongly on the conceit that protagonists can be counted on to protag. I think for this game, what a good dm would do is make the players feel a little desperate to look for allies and to make it more clear that everyone is suffering some hardship and needs help. And, you know things more specific to the characters.

One of the reasons I wanted to post about the fortune telling is because it should be kind of an investigation game looking for clues about where to find things.

BTW, there is a book I want to write, that I am been thinking about for years. It more of a joke/farce, so the challenge would be to give it real moments and a plot. The idea is that it is from the point of view of henchmen (2e style) to a dnd party. So, from their POV, the world and everything is real. Everyone knows that adventurers and insane, some say touched by the gods, how else could they do what they do? So, there would be a lot of things like bursts of conversation and enthusiasm, then the adventurers going silent and robotic during travel, travel, travel. Or like before traveling they declare what they are going to do during the trip. "I am going to sharpen my daggers. Yes. The whole time." "I am going to teach myself to juggle." etc. then they just do that for days. And like lots of references to things that don't exist.

I mean, it's not really workable, but I think about it a lot. The actually plot would be taken from a couple old dragon stories and the henchmen would be who the reader identifies with. The other thing is just a gimmick to make it fun.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:03, Sat 28 May 2022.

PING

In reply to The Mists (msg # 85):

Pong.

Finally caught a minute and remembered. Going to try and catch up and post, here.

whoa, it's like you raised from the dead

I thought this was the busy time of year

In reply to The Mists (msg # 87):

It has been, but this week and next end up with a lot of down time. Most of the work is done at this point, so now everyone just is crossing their fingers and making blood sacrifices in the hopes that they don't get paged on Christmas morning because some software error ruined Christmas.

What do you mean by this question? Are you asking about the person he is burying?

In reply to The Mists (msg # 89):

Yes, and Imondo is taking note that death seems to be the only release from Strahd.

In reply to SIRE (msg # 90):

I came up with a neat idea for this setting, using Prestidigitation: Have someone close their eyes and create the impression of the sun emerging from and then hiding behind a cloud with a little warmth and a little light. Thought it might be a way to inspire some hope in these yokels, but Edwin does not have Prestidigitation.

Something I always try to remember to give out for free to characters is that Wizards/bards/sorcerers get prestidigitation, Druids get druidcraft, and clerics get thaumaturgy.

Merry Christmas!