Post all things OOC here. Knock yourselves out.
This message was last updated by the GM at 01:01, Wed 22 Apr 2020.

Hey all, MU concept here.  It might possibly morph into an Elf, who knows .. let's see what the dice gods have to say

Hello Everyone,

Post your die roll results here, if you'd like. I would like to move out of the private messages thread as soon as possible.

I have also added an extra entry to the house rules about dying and negative hit points.

I will be adding a copy of a character sheet for everyone tonight, as soon as I open them all up to editing.

Contemplating mystic (involves some stat manipulation) or thief (taking the dice as they came).  The dice were very much *not* kind to me.

Mystics look interesting .. but that AC 9 .. I dunno ..

Does anyone need access to the rules pdf?

I'll change everyone's name to their characters at some point tonight, or perhaps tomorrow, depending on how much time I find.

I have opened everyone's character sheets and made them editable.

Feel free to adapt your sheet to your liking, keeping the general structure for ease of reading.

Don't forget to add a description and light bio for everyone else to read, and pick your image token.

Please discuss your class choices if you wish to have a party with many options - fighter, rogue, mage, priest, plus bonus classes - what they call a "balanced party". I don't believe we have either a dedicated rogue (not rouge) or priest yet.

So far there are six of you. The game is now closed to applicants.

There is now an old school hex map for the area of Emberdell and its surroundings. You are not travelling very far: the hexes are 1 mile each.

Still leaning mystic.  Will the names be changed to character names?

Yes, they will. Haven’t gotten to that yet. Will do later today.

Hello all. What is everybody/what do we need? Wizard? Hi MelJill, I was in your game for a bit. I didn't write well enough for you.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:59, Wed 22 Apr 2020.

Definitely looking at an elf after the dice roller was really kind :)

Memory test?  Which game?

Your zero level, kidnapped and shipwrecked.. I posted often but wasn't too deep in content.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:07, Wed 22 Apr 2020.

Quick Update:

I've renamed your player names to your chosen character names, except for Zagy, who has not yet picked one (as far as I can tell).

When you have your characters ready, please transfer the stats into your character sheets. I will refer to those as the definitive draft.

Don't forget to pick weapon skills at first level: fighters get 4, and everyone else gets 2.

And your skills: 4 + INT bonus skill at first level.

Let me know if you have any questions. We'll get started as soon as everyone has their characters ready for posting. =)

Top line of rtj Black Angus

 Greetings,

 I am going to be playing, your friendly dwarf. Look forward to rping with everyone.

 Thanks for having gm.

Do you go by Hag?   *runs and hides*

Indeed! I missed that. My bad.

Trying a new-to-me class (mystic).  Will be finishing up sheet this evening after work (I am working from home these days).

In reply to Aila (msg # 20):

Just a wizard. ;-)

DM, can you give me feedback on my sheet? As far as I can tell, equipment is about all that's left. But I know I'm missing a few things?????
This message was last edited by the player at 18:35, Wed 22 Apr 2020.

My character has been fleshed out a bit more:  he's not a mysterious forest fey but instead was born near a human city and raised in one.  He's a herbalist and a sage of forest lore but ironically hasn't spent much time in the woods himself beyond the 'burbs.

Depending on how the homebrew views elf lifespans, that might mean that he knows several fellow PCs either from childhood and/or teenage years and they "arrived from the eastern road" together.

Well, it looks like we have lost the dwarf. His player didn't feel he had any way to receive the rules via PDF, seeing as he was cell phone bound for his internet travails.

He has gracefully bowed out.

I shall reopen the game for more monster food brave adventurers to find their way to us.

Ok, summarizing real quick, we have...

- Alia, a human mystic
- Angus, a human wizard
- Liriel, an elf
- Marille, a (beefy) human fighter
- Petar, a city elf

So far you have the front line very well taken care of, with four melee capable characters. Magic is also plentiful with one wizard and two elves. But healing and skulduggery is conspicuously absent.

I will see what else we can find out there. A party of six would be a good size for successful adventuring.

Looks like a great party, even without Hag  :P   Petar is going to shoot things if he can, leaving the melee to the beefier HP-wise.

But healing and skulduggery is conspicuously absent.

I can't speak for the 'duggery but in case people are unfamiliar with the Cyclopedia ruleset, the Healing skill is a wonder: restores 1d3 on a success, legal for every hit (requires a modicum of book-keeping).  Just beware the nat 20s :-x
This message was last edited by the player at 21:53, Wed 22 Apr 2020.

While every hit would be lovely, it is actually per combat session, a "single set of wounds", or all the damage incurred in a single combat encounter.

FWIW, as a mystic, I have a few ...er ... skullduggery type talents.  *whistles innocently*

*Slaps forehead*

That is true. I completely forgot. Yeah, to a degree, the mystic can do some thieving work. And with a high DEX, she will have a bonus to some skills.

In reply to Petar the Elf (msg # 25):

And I will stick the pointy end in some goblins and orcs.

And if we can also rely upon you to help locked doors ... unlock?  Being able to close again afterwards is optional.

Heheh... if closing is optional, I am sure Marille's foot will do just as well. =)

I have a question ... would you permit items of apparent decorative design to function as daggers?

For example:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/7...llery-1-44&frs=1

Like these, only metal:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/7...&frs=1&cns=1

https://www.etsy.com/listing/5...llery-1-16&frs=1

I once had a character who was very fond of hats and had quite a collection of hatpins ...  hatpins, if you haven't seen some of the vintage ones, can be quite scary when wielded as a weapon.)  I'm just picturing Aila doing her hair up with such a lovely accessory which also happens to be a weapon.  If such hair daggers would be ok, how would you like to price them compared to a normal dagger (or a silver one, for that matter, since the metal and the decorative nature kind of run together)?

Interesting question:

That leads itself to many different concealment opportunities.

I am throwing a few loose ideas here for now...

So, probably relatively cheap, since these are made of wood and are not designed to be actual weapons, although I am sure you can poke an eye out with one irregardless.

If you want these to be weapons for you, I would suggest putting a Weapon Skill slot into them, and then have a set of custom pins made for you. Probably going to cost less than a real dagger, since you are not creating a pommel or keeping an edge. It will be just a pointy metal stick with light decorations on the other end. I can't see this doing more damage than a dagger, or dirk, to be more specific, and they do 1D4 as purposeful weapons.

I am going to throw down an idea that they will do 1D3-1 (minimum 1) damage if they are wooden non-weapons (actual hair pins) with a 50% chance of breaking on any solid hit that does damage. 1D3 damage if they are actually built as concealed weapons (made of metal, sharp tips). I would say that if you want plain and utilitarian weapon pins, they ought to cost 1 gp each. Easy to forge, nothing more than a point or two and some decorations. If they are crafted with finer details the cost will go up. The regular wooden non-weapon ones are most likely going to run for 1 sp a pair, since they are decorative and will fetch a handsome price from the ladies who desire them, and might even be cheaper if you are willing to forego the "pretty bits".

If they are silver, they will probably run around 10 gp for the weapon ones, and maybe around 3 gp for non-weapon ones. Again, they are small, not much metal to them.

I think that sounds reasonable.

Thoughts?

And... they can't really be thrown. They aren't weighted or built like that.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:18, Thu 23 Apr 2020.

Well, I was definitely thinking on the metal (actual weapon) version .. kind of a punch dagger (stiletto).  I'd be willing to pay double "book price" (6gp for standard, 60gp for silver, which with what I rolled for gold she can't afford the silver one) with the decorative bit being a functional grip and regular dagger damage but melee only.

That sounds fine to me. What you describe sounds large, probably heavy, and evidently dangerous, so it will better kept hidden in your hair. =)

You will be paying the premium to have it look like a hair pin, with the decorations of your liking.

Oooh .. found these:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/7...ed_listing&frs=1

Set of three, two of them are admittedly forks, but imagine as daggers (single blade, not two) and made of metal.

edited to add:  with that, I think my sheet is ready for review
This message was last edited by the player at 04:45, Thu 23 Apr 2020.

Too bad, maybe we'll get a dwarven rogue/cleric! ;-)

17 int, how many skills does he get?

It's by the book. No special rules on the total quantity of skills slots available.

Found it, 4+2=6

I think I'm done, want to check him out DM?

I just ordered the Rules Cyclopedia print on demand from Drivethru. I'll have it in a few weeks.

I sure would like to.

I am presently managing a small crisis at work. We were supposed to broadcast a small service video to a large audience, but the recorded file didn't arrive on time. I got out past 9 pm last night, and feel a bit fried. This morning I am here early, and still needing to manage the fallout.

So I will be paying attention to work details here. I should be able to get back to paying more attention when this situation concludes.

Doughty GM by day, fearless TikTok revolutionary by night ;P

Fantastic! Hope it comes out in a good format and clean print.

I think Liriel is now complete.

$26, wasn't cheap, I'm poor, disability. I already had an excellent pdf copy.

At $26 it better be a good copy. =)

But be that as it may, I happy to say that the crisis at work is over. I feel deeply fried, and am looking forward to the weekend.

I will take a look at the character sheets over the coming days. Should not take long. I will probably finish all of them today (assuming they are up).

I believe we have one more player requesting access.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:16, Fri 24 Apr 2020.

Sweet!

Hello
Phelan here. Thanks for letting me join the game. Still have to work some details out for the character. I was wondering, what kind of character do you need to round out the group? Phelan is a human with some dwarf in her (she doesn't like to admit that). Is that allowable GM? She can be a Cleric, Rogue or Fighter. What would help the party the most?

My vote is for a cleric, but thief if you find them more fun.

Yes, from a roleplay and flavor perspective, sure. But when you choose your character class the system currently has either human or dwarf. No racial combinations yet. Up to you.

Welcome :)   "Last seat at the table has to play the Cleric" is the usual rule, right?  :-P

Ok so she is a Dwarf with some human in her. From what I see in the rules cyclopedia a dwarf is a dwarf not a cleric or a rogue. Is that correct? Are race and class separate? Haven't played the Cyclopedia rules so am not sure. Sorry, a little guidance from the GM please. I am leaning towards rogue so I can use a light crossbow. Clerics can't do that correct? Just blunt instruments?
This message was last edited by the player at 20:10, Fri 24 Apr 2020.

Unfortunately, that is correct.

In these very basic rules, the only race that has class options is human. They can be fighter, cleric, wizard or rogue. There is no multi-classing. Humans also have two special optional classes: mystic and druid. These two are available in this game.

The "demi humans" are a specific class, which is their race. Dwarves are good warriors, elves are a decent fighter/mage mix, and halflings have special outdoor abilities, some combat bonuses, and excellent saving throws.

If you wanted to be either a cleric or a rogue, you would have to pick "human".

In this game, the light crossbow is usable by all classes, with the possible exception of the cleric, if their particular deity forbids the use of piercing weapons. But that is based on each specific deity. I have not fully fleshed them all out, so assume blunt weapons only for the moment. We'll retcon any corrections later.

Not a problem. Phelan is a dwarf. I will equip her as such.

Thanks. That is what I thought as I have played Moldvay before and that is how class works there as well.

I have my numbers rolled but have to distribute them yet. I just used a random roller online..

Thanks!

Ok.

A dwarf is neither a cleric or a thief. Just checking. =]

Oh, and please roll your numbers here on this site. The roller is fair-ish. XD

That way we can keep the numbers official. At 4D6 drop lowers you will get a nice set. No worries there.

Liriel,

Looking good on the character sheet.

I do have a question on the Weapon Mastery slots. I see spear, long bow, dagger attacks. As an elf, Liriel only gets to choose two mastery slots.

Which ones are they?

Everything else looks fine.

Petar,

Looks good. Give some thought to the two languages you still needs to pick.

I see four weapon attacks. Elves only get two weapon mastery slots.

The reason I mention it is that any weapons outside of the selected Mastery Slots only do half damage. They are essentially "untrained". Let me know which two you pick.

Interesting purchase accounting, but it works. =)

Otherwise looking good.

You can clean the bottom of the sheet, if you like. The rolls are all official. =)

Aila,

Looking good. Nothing to comment on. Ready to go.

Angus,

Wizards get two weapon mastery slots. You don't have to carry a second weapon if you don't want to, but it would be good to have the skill selected. (Although having a light crossbow would not be a bad choice, and would give the wizard an alternate way to participate in combat after burning spells and without risking melee.)

Otherwise I had a snicker on your equipment list. I suppose Angus likes to... cook? =)

Let me know what you pick.

Phelan,

Still needs to get his rolls in, so I will wait for that.

Marille,

Would you copy your background details into the character description/bio? This gives them an entry in the "cast" page.

Go ahead and check your bonus experience, as well as finish the entries for the bonus values on the stats. Little details.

Marille, being a human fighter, gets four weapon mastery slots. You don't need to carry the weapons but they should be selected at the beginning of the game.

It also looks like the accounting of equipment and coins needs to be completed.

Let me know when that is ready.

Ok, we have a few ready now.

Those of you who are ready to go, please go right ahead and post your impressions/reactions of sitting at the newcomers table in the Sleeping Owl. You have arrived that very day. There are five others sitting at the table with you, that is, everyone else here.

Knock yourselves out. =)

And... one final note: as the GM I get to adjudicate and direct a story with all of you. But I am also human. I can make mistakes. If you notice something I missed or got wrong, please bring it to my attention. I will check it with you and correct it if it is broken, or confirm it if it is exactly what it is supposed to be.

With that said, let's play D&D. =D
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:14, Sat 25 Apr 2020.

I see four weapon attacks. Elves only get two weapon mastery slots.

Apparently demi-humans get basic in all weapons (p.75 under the Weapon Choices heading), but I've got no issue with the human limit as a table rule, lemme know.

I was holding out on the languages until there was a bit more world info, no rush though. I usually end up with dragontongue and dwarvish as standard picks but there may be something more interesting out there .. are there going to be Human dialects?

I see! Thank you for correcting me. I clearly didn't read that part. Indeed, any other comments I may have made about everyone else's demi-human weapon selection is hereby withdrawn. All demi-humans have Basic Mastery with all weapons available to them.

Normally I do make different languages for different cultures/nations, with a mixed pidgin called TradeSpeak that carries basic communication between them, but that is for more complex and indepth campaigns. For this one I am going to keep it simple with a "common" tongue that almost all humans speak. There will be regional accents and variations, but they will not truly influence the language selection.

But let's see where the old noggin' takes me on this game. I know I'll be spending a few hours just free-writing for this world. Probably will start with fleshing out pantheons and the human lands first.

Ok, got the stats rolled. Took me a minute to figure out the drop lowest part but got it. Still need to put in the bonus points that those numbers create.


Need some help on movement. Couldn't find that in the rules and haven't figured out thaco yet if you can help with that.

And yes, I understand about the dwarf being just a dwarf. No problem there.

I rolled for my gold and noted that. I will equip her and then subtract whatever she paid for her gear.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:16, Sat 25 Apr 2020.

I think I have everything figured out. Still haven't subtracted for the gear I purchased but will get to that later. Let me know if there is anything I need to change or add.

Ok...

Nice gold roll. =)

Movement you can find on Chapter 6: Movement, with encumbrance on page 88 of the book. Once you have your gear all bought, you can add up the totals and see how much your character is slowed down, if at all. Remember to add the extra allowance for greater STR, as mentioned in the House Rules. I am going to surmise your character will mostly likely fall into the 120'/40' movement rate, seeing as he's quite strong.

I would recommend buying strong armor for good survivability, since at 1st level life is truly dangerous for an adventurer. Something more than leather. With the house rule expansion of the shields it is possible for a heavy warrior to make herself very hard to damage, e.g.: plate mail and large shield. For your character, with the +2 AC from DEX, your armor class will easily go into the negatives (Plate: 3, Large Shield: +2, DEX: +2, for a final of -1 AC). If combat is a concern, this would be a strong way to go.

Thac0 is always 19 for 1st level characters. It is modified by STR or DEX, depending on the weapon used. Thac0 details for all character classes can be found on page 106.

Sweet, I'll be able to use a lt. crossbow when I have some money.

So, as a general habit, I will post on weekdays, leaving the weekend free. I may post a final post on Saturdays if something needs to be closed or I am feeling particularly inspired. Either way, you are not required to post on the weekends. Take a break.

I will most likely use the weekends to update the world entries, add special details, background, personalities, geography, and create dungeon maps. It will be a long term project. =)

Love what you've done so far.

To be honest, it is much easier for me to post on weekends (which for me are defined as carrying through Monday--my work week is Tuesday through Friday).

I'm working from home these days, and may be able to type something while I'm taking a break/having lunch, but I live so close to where my workplace (when it wasn't my living room) is, the difference in commute is fairly trivial, so I'm not much less busy than before.  I live perhaps a 5 minute drive from my driveway to the parking lot of the workplace, but it usually took me about the same amount of time (even longer, if I ended up catching what I called "the local" elevator) to get from my parking spot to my desk.  Of course, right now, it's only a few feet from my bedroom to living room (and I don't even have to get dressed--some days, I don't even bother, others I finally get dressed when it's time to go across the street and feed my son's cats.  (He works 1-10, and so he doesn't have hangry cats when he gets home, I feed his at the same time I feed mine, which is around 6pm).

I don't work any more, disabled the last 12 years. I can post any time. Well, while I'm at my computer, about 8 hours a day give or take a bit.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:59, Sat 25 Apr 2020.

I hear you all. I was assuming that most of you would want your weekends to yourselves, family, friends, going out (when possible), etc.

I certainly enjoy the weekends to crash and veg out.

But if everyone agrees that weekends are fair game, I'll include them. Although I do reserve the option to take a break myself.

On another subject, I've added a good amount of material to the "World of Karanos" thread. If you haven't been there lately, take a casual look.

And... I haven't seen Marille post yet, although the player logged in last night.

Ok,
I think I have Phelan's character sheet all set. I beefed up her armor at the GM's suggestion and calculated the amount of gold she has left along with her encumbrance.

GM, let me know if there is anything I should change.

Phelan

Questions!
Reading the gazetteer briefly, is it safe to assume Emberdell is within the borders of Laria?

Can my character hail from Blackrock?  Or would you prefer another, smaller city (I can make one up as needed)?

Good question. Emberdell is in the area of north of Tharumar, but that has no bearing on where your character hails from. You can be from Blackrock, or any other town.

I am working on a larger continental map at the moment so you guys can have an idea of the geopolitical realities of this world. I would say I am about halfway done with a first draft. I may have something ready for you to see by next weekend.

Hopefully finishing the entire thing won't take more than a month or two. =)

Alright.

Please take a look at the World of Karanos thread. I have added a new set of spells for wizards and clerics. This will be of special interest to PC wizards and elves.

There are new "Zero Level Spells". I am copying the idea of Cantrips and Orisons from D&D, because I feel that wizards and clerics ought to have a bit more flexibility at their first levels, and also more versatility in daily matters.

For wizards and elves, please roll 1D4. This is the number of Charms you have in your book at the moment. Once you have the number, select the Charms you prefer. Yes, if you roll a four, you have all of them.

Clerics are granted access to all spells available to their patron deity, and this includes all existing Boons right now.

I'll be creating more spells as the need arises, and common sense (my common sense) dictates.

And if you haven't been to the Karanos thread lately, please also note all the expansions to the kingdoms and other information stuff.

I'll keep letting you know if there is new stuff in there since an updated thread does not register as "a new message".

THANKS!!! Awesome! I got 3 of 4!

Thank you for the new toys :)

I am going to give Liriel's player a bit of extra time to post.

I will be working on the larger map first, then on demi-human gods, and finally on Nagara-ash and the domain of Xaramandus, since they both feature in the world prominently.

Ok, Sunday. This is actually a half-work day for me.

I'll post in the later afternoon with your formal bounties and more information.

Too bad Liriel's player wasn't able to post yet. I hope they are doing well.

Might be a Covid worker.

I'll post in the later afternoon with your formal bounties and more information.

My character would love to explore the town and meet all the local colour :)  Did you want to get into this or did you want Emberdell to just a be a backdrop for now

Well, you may certainly do that, if you like, and I would be more than happy to show you around. But everyone else may not necessarily agree, and if the party is split - and they go out and you are not there - then you may miss the core encounters.

I suppose what I am saying is "yes" go ahead, but check on the consequences. =)

Yeah, I think she is. She mentioned to me that she was considered "essential", but perhaps not like me, where I work in IT. She might be in healthcare.

Nothing but respect for them, but I am tired of the lockdown BS, we're adults and free citizens with unalienable rights.

But everyone else may not necessarily agree, and if the party is split - and they go out and you are not there - then you may miss the core encounters.

True, without some kind of time dilation that won't work in play by forums!

I'm torn--traveling around town a bit might be fun, but don't really want to bog down too much ..  maybe a high view of the town for now, and if there's something in particular that Petar (or anyone else) wants to accomplish, we can work with that, and then move on to  adventures.

I've been working from home since my state started the stay-at-home (well almost, I was in the office through March 25th and then started with the home stuff), but I am *so* over the tyrannical overreach.  Sheriff here has flat out said he's not enforcing the governor's orders (governor seems to think that we're all like Chicago, and we're not .. hospitals here are running between 40-60% capacity.) I'm connected to the healthcare side (my piece is making sure insurances pay correctly .. they are such weasels).

Well, since you are all first level, in my mind I figure something like this will happen:

Step 1: you go out and search for your bounty targets
Step 2: you find them, get into a fight, get hurt but grab some heads
Step 3: you return to town to heal, rest, plan for the next day
Step 4: back to step 1

This will probably happen anywhere between three to a dozen times, depending on how far you want to take it. But Between Step 3 and Step 4 there is some time to explore the town, if you want to.

And you still have the option of visiting Doromas for some extra stuff to do. That will take you to the west of the town, into the fields.

If you haven't checked on the game map, you can get a reference of locations there, old school style.


How interesting. I tend to be pretty reclusive, a consequence of my energy sensitivities. But from my perspective, life has barely changed at all. I only have to wear a face mask when I am within the boundaries of Beverly Hills, which has ordered strong safety measures. Other than that, it's life as usual for me. =]

As a matter of fact, where other people might be losing their jobs, I just got hired by the company I was contracting with for two years. Nice big raise, benefits, but now am exempt. =)
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:14, Mon 04 May 2020.

Congratulations GM! Nice to be employed! I'm disabled in PA. The Liberals shut the whole state down and MUST wear a mask to go anywhere. Problem is you can't FIND a mask.

My Rules Cyclopedia should be here tomorrow or Wednesday! WOOTTTTTT!!! Printed and shipped!
This message was last edited by the player at 14:41, Mon 04 May 2020.

Excellent. I personally prefer having a printed book over a PDF anytime, but the times, they are a-changing. Fortunately, yes, you can always do a "print-on-demand" for any PDFs you own.

On another note, I have added a few notes on the orcs, the dragons, and the undead on the "World of Karanos" thread, for those who are interested in the larger socio-political structure of this part of the Karanos.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 19:54, Mon 04 May 2020.

I just got hired by the company I was contracting with for two years. Nice big raise, benefits

gz :)

added a few notes on the orcs, the dragons, and the undead

Awesome, can't wait to roll a 20 when entertaining a draco-lich ... :P

I agree. An undead bard would be a welcome addition to that court. =D

It has been brought to my attention that I missed answering Petar's question in the last post with Master Garrel. I will make an update to that post at some point today, no later than this evening.

Game on! =)

Hello Everyone,

Work's been a bit busy lately, so I am a bit delayed. I will get a post up today, at some point, no later than this evening. Tomorrow should be an easier day.

D&D Rules Cyclopedia comes today, out for delivery according to USPS!

Great! It will keep you reading for a while.

On another note, this weekend is Mother's Day so posting will be scarce. =)

My mother passed 22 years ago, I'll be here.

On another note, this weekend is Mother's Day so posting will be scarce. =)

Indeed Happy Mother's day :)

Looking at the game map, it's 4 hexes SW to a thorp or farm?  Is that right, or is that actually a larger settlement like a hamlet.

Also, does the river need to be crossed at a bridge (I assume the roads cross at bridges), or is it more like a stream that can be waded across anywhere?

In any case, I think we're gobbo hunting to start

Yes. The smaller "urban" icons represent farm settlements that are a short part of a day's walk on trails. How large they are you'll find out when you visit. =)

The rivers have some bridge crossings, but at some points they are wider than others. In drier seasons the water level lowers, and you can theoretically find a fording point. But in spring, the water is high and the currents are stronger.

Gobbo' huntin'!

Happy Mother's Day! if we don't post before then. =)

Looks like we have our marching order and are ready to go. Anyone going to do any shopping before we head out? Phelan is ready but will wait for everyone to return.

Snowing here...sigh... Northern Michigan in May.

Happy Mother's day!

Beautiful book! It came in the mail yesterday as they said and it is awesome! 304 pages! This game lasting until 36th level DM? ;-) I hope so! I want to be in a serious campaign that runs until I die! I'm 59 now, so that could be a short time, or it could be a decade or longer!
This message was last edited by the player at 13:52, Sat 09 May 2020.

Happy Mother'a Day to all of the mothers here.

Sorry, Angus. We are not likely to make it to level 36. Perhaps to high single digits or early teens, but this story does not go that high.

Then again, it will take a while to make it even to there. Let's see how it all turns out. =)

Oh my. Snow. I live in LA, and it is sunshine for as far as the eye can see. It is unfortunate that now that the roads are filled with cars again we cannot see the sky anymore, but for a few weeks it was such a delight to wake up in the mornings and see a clear, clean, blue sky. And clean air.

;-) It can take a year to gain a single level in pbp.

I assure you it will NOT a year to make one level in this game. A month or two, perhaps. Advancement will be a bit accelerated precisely because it would take years if we were to do this like around table.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:53, Sat 09 May 2020.

I daresay one has as much fun (if not more) at L1 than any other - it's about the journey and the people you meet goblins you slay along the way!

In reply to Game Master (msg # 110):

No smog in LA... is like no TexMex in Texas It just goes hand in hand.

Edited my roll result into my post.  I will say that since the dice roller has been scientifically proven to hate me, I think I will love any system that requires low rolls  :lol
This message was last edited by the player at 23:33, Mon 11 May 2020.

I missed Aila's post offering to sneak over. I deleted Phelan's last post. Sorry for the confusion.

I think solo scouting has its place but not in wilderness where we've already seen one lion :)  If someone gets in trouble we just dont have the flexibility and mobility to help quickly

Low level OSR and scouting don't really go together, on the other hand I trust our DM not to kill us in Gygaxian fashion  *gulp*  I think my character made the Perception check though, so some more info forthcoming perhaps

LOL. I don't do party kills, not if I can avoid it. I don't play as an adversarial GM. I am usually on the side of the players in telling a good story and everyone having fun.

Well, there's always some middle ground.  Besides, what's the worst that can happen?  "Roll a new character"  Although I think hair daggers are going to remain a thing.  (I am also prone to using scenery as weapons when necessary ... put a cabinet full of over-ripe dead game next to the room with the giant snake, and one of those dead rabbits is going to be thrown at the snake's snout.)

Agreed. There is a measure of risk. That's part of the game. Some of your characters may perish. That's always possible.

But you have plenty of help right now. =)

I've updated the map with a small red "X" to show where the party is currently at.

Let me know what direction you wish to go. =)

How about one hex directly south west?

That's one vote for straight into the woods.

Sure, the woods sounds like the place to go.

Aila doesn't have a strong opinion, so I'm game.

"Lead on, need to collect a few heads!"

Just point and the tank will follow.

Today is starting out a bit rough. I will post later in the day. Work promises to be pretty non-eventful, which is typical on a Friday, so I am aiming to finish things there.

Petar, it appears that your interest in choosing directions and making suggestions (decisions) has put you at the forefront. The party appears to follow your guidance.

Therefore... off to the closest forest you go. =)

No problemo; I think people will speak up as soon as they disagree with anything ;)

As long as our path doesn't take us right through those beetles, let's hit the woods!

Yeah, Aila's not keen on trying to fight beetles, especially since there's no bounty listed for them.

"Let's try to avoid fights that don't pay. No beetles or wolves if they can be avoided. Goblins should be nearby."

For those with the "Alertness" skill, does that eliminate surprise entirely or reduce it by some measure?

Alertness. Fantastic. Forgive me for not yet knowing all of the skills every character has. Feel free to keep reminding me of them. =)

After reading it I understand that it may help in preventing surprise for the individual with the skill. So go ahead and roll for the surprise anyway. The party may not be surprised after all, and if they are, Petar gets to roll his Alertness skill to see if he can avoid the surprise on his own.

I will simplify this greatly by having a single Initiative roll, then alternating between "party" and "opponents" every round.

On that note, since you will be rolling for Surprise (1D6), please also roll for Initiative (1D6). Since there are so many high DEX characters in the party, I will give the party Initiative a group average of +1.

Thanks for the clarifications, post updated with Init roll as well as Alert skill roll

The march order was discussed in posts #42 and #44 of the 001 thread; I think we settled on the #44 version.  No big deal for this fight; Petar usually tries to end up walking beside Camille ;)

Thank you. To think it was only two posts below what I spotted.

I shall correct that order as soon as I can.

He's in love! ;-)

Angus,

FYI, in this game spell caster do not gain spells whey they level up. They have to find them, or spend time and gold researching them.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 138):

Let's find some spell books and scrolls then! ;-) Lot's of gold for research too!

Just curious, any reason for this house rule?  I was under the impression from how things have been portrayed that Karanos is quite high magic .. and my character was also looking forward to 'pestering' Doromas one day for more spells  ;)

edit: typo
This message was last edited by the player at 17:37, Mon 18 May 2020.

Wow. I've been wrong about this the whole time. After you posted your question, I double checked to see if I had made a mistake, and indeed I have. I've been doing the new spells per level quite wrong.

Petar, you are correct. You do get a new spell when you go up a level, assuming you go visit your teacher for them.

I stand corrected.

No big deal, a lot of the rules are scattered in OSR books although the Rules Cyclpedia does a very good job compared to some others!

My problem is I'm in like 10 or 15 OSR games using different systems. Hard to keep track of which is which.

re: the skull incident

I think there's a good RP opportunity here between the "lets investigate this" wizard and the "evil! destroy!" cleric ;)

Personally, my character would be fine with turning the skull over to Doromas for Detect Magic so we can learn more.  However, only if Camille can be talked out of destroying it.

One of the joys of playbyforums are cross posts like this where some creative edits/retcons can help shape the story even better than if posts had happened sequentially

Time to use your charms, Angus! :)

What's charm, I'll turn her into a newt!

Heh... yeah, that would be fun. You do have to remember, though, that since the retcon changed the timeline, that outburst never happened. You don't know she might react like that.

And Camille is an NPC.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:16, Mon 18 May 2020.

You do have to remember, though, that since the retcon changed the timeline, that outburst never happened. You don't know she might react like that.

Gotcha; it is a reasonable inference but my character is a bit aloof .. posting up a reply

Editing my last post, there was some confusion regarding the red X on the game map and the X the necromancer map is referring too

In reply to Petar the Elf (msg # 148):

how many desiccated skulls are there?

There are five bodies, three goblins, two orcs, from which you can take five heads.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 150):

Okay, thanks, I'm lazy ;-) I bagged them to display on the city wall. time to get more.

Ok, I believe these language groups are set correctly, to the best of my understanding. Since this is my first try with this language system, I need feedback from you to check that they work. As a GM, they all look like English to me.

The first set of sentences is in Goblin. The second set is in Orc. If you have those languages, you will see the right text. If you do not, you will see some computer generated random syllables.

Please let me know if you have the right languages but do NOT see the correct text.

It works! We live in a time of wonders ;)

Questions regarding theatre of the mind for this encounter:

I'm envisioning a situation where we can't really see much, but could, with a few steps, see everything, i.e., enter a clearing or similar.  Is this right?  How much movement?

Once we move*:
Do we all have line of sight on all targets for using arrows?

For sleep spells, if I was trying to get the most goblins but avoid Aila and the Bear, how many could I get (240' range, 40' square area of effect)

*If necessary

All good questions:

Yes, it is a "jungle" setting, so to speak, with fronds, brush, and tall undergrowth preventing you from seeing far. It is quite dense.

For the purposes of distances and line of sight, you will need to be one "move" close to your targets to see them as a general solution.

At this moment, you are all two moves away from Aila, meaning that she is not in sight to any of you. You are also three moves away from the large group of goblins and orcs, so you would have to move two "moves" closer to begin to target. Of course, those goblins after Aila will beat you to the distance since they are moving towards Aila (and in general towards the party).

Every one can move one "move" action (your general movement distance in a fight) per round.

You can take a move to go behind cover, as there are plenty of trees and brush around.

Hope this makes sense.

And to be clear==Aila is now moving back toward the party.

Yup, that was evident. =)

On another note, I have uploaded the master-map-in-progress. This is the area you all know as Karanos. This map is incomplete. It is missing secondary cities, roads, geographical feature names (mountains, rivers,n islands, etc), little details like that.

But it will serve to give you a rough idea of the larger area.

Now, Emberdell is located north of Tharumar. It is in the hex to the left of the top most hex that is still in Tharumar's borders.

The scale is 1 Hex = 24 miles, or roughly one day of walking.

Oh, yes... the Emberdell map has been moved to the Group 0 map.

That's a fiiiine map :)

The scale is 1 Hex = 24 miles, or roughly one day of walking.

Alrighty, may I place Petar's "start city" about a ride south-east of Blackrock?  Say 3 hexes?  That puts it in that forest hex where the 2 rivers meet.  Seems like a likely place where a Wood Elf might have moved to all those years ago ;)

Sounds good to me. Both of those forests have a wood elf settlement in them. You can come from either one.

As a matter of fact, many of the forested areas have wood elves in them. They are the most common type of elf. The settlements are not very large, between a few hundred to a few thousand elves at most, but they are frequent enough for elves to be known just about everywhere.

Working on a small encounter map to help with the fight. Should be done soon. It's a weekend. I have time.

Sounds great... anyone else can't sleep?

Great map, that will help a lot :)   Assuming for simplicity we're treating all squares as normal movement, i.e., no "difficult terrain" then it looks like my character can move 20 feet per round (4 squares) and still attack, or run 60 feet per round (12 squares).

Editing post

That is a pretty map -- what program is that?

And for the most important question: what's going to happen to Bessie, the mule?

I'll post an update for round 2 in the evening. Or perhaps Monday morning.

The trees and background were done with RPG Map Maker II. That took about 5 minutes.

The icons I created using Token Tool from the MapTools collection. Looking for images and prepping them: about half an hour.

Putting all the images together on different layers so they could be moved around later and edited at will is the good old stand-by, Photoshop. This part took the longest: about two hours or so to get all the pieces right, setting up the layers, and so on.

With the foundation set, this will allow me to make edits to the map in about 10 to 20 minutes per round.

I run 2 games here, I don't map. Makes it a pain.

Nice, I used GIMP (I have no idea if that's still a current thing) for maps back in the day.  It used to take forever but I loved the dynamic lighting and stuff.  Token tool tokens were pretty but I vaguely recall spending WAYYYY too much time on tokens.

But these days I just make them in roll20 and then screenshot: steal a battlemap, upload to roll20, overlay squares or hexes, icons are free in the resources database, and screenshot/upload to imgur or something.  20 minutes sounds right, once you factor in moving 20 monsters around and all the die rolls, more like an hour per round .. while PCs just post in about 37 seconds :P  Number one reason GMs disappear right offa RPOL and never come back!   Don't over do it!!  :)
This message was last edited by the player at 18:02, Sun 24 May 2020.

Gimp is an excellent tool if you know how to use it. It's still around and probably always will be.

I used to do the maps on Roll20 as well. As a matter of fact, I used to have everyone make an account in Roll20 then just point them to the map on the site. But I stopped doing that when I noticed that record of the battles would get lost that way. Now I just create the maps and put the images on my storage account. That way when you look back, the images are not lost.

And I used to do screenshots off Roll20 as well, but on larger maps, the details gets lost. I was hoping they would implement a "export image" feature, but I think it would be too easy to give all the assets away that way (take screen shot of all tokens, import to GIMP, crop, copy, give them away).

I am very familiar with this. I overdid it once so much I burned out just making the world. Never did start that game.

Never did start that game.

Cautionary tale :)

It's more fiddly but you can also use googledocs, and folks can move their tokens around the battlemap

I've never heard of that. How does that work?

Super easy, using drawings.  I upload a battlemap, some tokens and anyone with a link can move them around

Example

https://docs.google.com/drawin...iM4/edit?usp=sharing

the downside is making the grid on there .. but if the battlemap already has a grid (easy to do in roll20), then its faster
This message was last edited by the player at 21:06, Sun 24 May 2020.

Ok... I see a bit more. I think you may not have set the permissions level right. You may have to allow a default of edit.

Done!

Yes, that made all the difference. I can now move the tokens around.

Thank you. =)

On another note: I've fleshed out the halfling towns a bit in the "World of Karanos" thread, and added the "Halfling Crossbow" to the weapons list on "House Rules".

There's also a bit more on the dwarven gods, halfling gods (or god), nature spirits, and spirts of life and death, as they manifest on Karanos.

Check them out when you have a moment. It's part of the world culture so it will be part of your character's common knowledge.

Angus,

I am working to establish every character's movement rate, but your list of equipment is mixed with what the mule is carrying.

Would you please separate what the wizard carries from what is on the mule? This will help me establish what your final movement rate is.

I tried ;-) hard sometimes.

Ah, yes, nice.

I have two requests for you:

- please finish the encumbrance accounting on the equipment for Angus and the mule
- can you tell me how you get to AC 8? I only see the dex bonus so I believe it should be AC 9. Did I miss something?

In reply to Game Master (msg # 181):

You may be right, I might have erred.

Thanks. I'll update that in the combat summary.

encumberance 122 coin

I hate encumberance ;-)

In reply to Black Angus (msg # 184):

Happy Memorial Day, God bless the USA.

Hope you all had a good Memorial Day.

It was busier than I expected.  I’ll aim for a post tomorrow, work allowing.

For Rules Cyclopedia sleep, we used the following: roll 2d8 hit dice then multiply by 5 = total hit points that fall asleep, then assign sleepers from lowest HP total to highest

Example:  roll 2d8 = 10, multiply by 5 = 50 hps fall asleep (but sticking with the spell description: 4+1 HD max, no undead)

Moldvay interestingly has more details:

I will follow up on the red book. That is interesting. Otherwise, I am all in favor of directing the spells with freedom.

Personally, I would do an expanding burst from the center point, lowest level creatures first, but I would not do a hit point count.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 188):

As the DM, feel free to rule as you see fit. I just cast the spell! ;-) Thanks!

I am not keeping track of everyone's spells. Does anyone else have another Sleep spell?

1st level Read Magic, Sleep is it

0 level Wizard's Hand, Flash, Spark

Yup got that one memorised.  Mandatory ODD!

Just checking, thank you.

Too bad Liriel is not here. She might have had one more. Between all those spells, I am thinking you could put the entire camp to sleep.

This message was deleted by the player at 16:02, Thu 28 May 2020.

Premise:
The average stat is 11, numerically speaking, although from a human perspective it probably goes from 9 - 11. Hence, for our purposes, 11 is the middle point for this operation.

Thumbs up!  From a design perspective, I'm curious why you chose 11, and not 10 .. 10 would be in line with newer editions, and also make for easy math :P

*grin*

It's the difference in direction:

In systems that go "up", like 3.x and above, 10 is used to gather a basic 55% chance of success. 10 or above is 55% on a D20.

On systems that go "down", the same chance is achieved with an 11 or less - 55%.

I wanted to keep the basis of the concept in that range.

Of course, it all depends on whether the PC in question has the stat or not. All the math in the world will not help the PC is their stat is 7 and that's what they have to roll. =)

On an unrelated note, I realized I made a slight mistake in placing Emberdell in the RTJ document. I stated there that Emberdell was part of Laria, but it is clearly not anywhere near close to it.

My bad. =)

Can Phelan see the Orc that just came out of the bush?

Small update: made a few changes to the borders of Karanos, where I thought they made more sense based on how far a patrol can range and what is feasible to hold. This mostly applies to Tharumar right now.

There will be one more border change for Ragalia. They will be ranging further to the East, once I am done with them. I will also need to break down the subject states, everyone they've conquered.

No. It is too far into the green to be visible to Phelan. (It is just over 50' away from Phelan.)

So is everbody determined to make a getaway with news of the numbers? Or are we going to try and kill em All metallica style

I want to see what this "Metallica Style" is all about. =)

Meh, party wipes are part of complete OSR breakfast  ;P

Just waiting to see what the outcome of the sleep spell is ...

On that note, it's been very busy over here with work... and riots. Yes, there are riots in LA. Great. And they are all concentrated around my office address, right in the middle of the city. While that doesn't bother me much, I would rather not get picked up for violating the citywide curfew. Yeesh. =)

Anywho... I owe you guys a post. Let me aim for tonight or tomorrow morning.

No worries. Things are crazy all over. Here we have riots, pandemics and add in the dog almost died, the washing machine definitely died but not before it ruined the flooring underneath. I applied for a new job in November and am still waiting to hear if I got it or not. Emailed them today and they said they hoped they would know next week. (long process, long story). So, don't know if I have to pack up my whole house and try and sell it or if we are staying put. I may need a stiff drink before all of this is over. Sure hope this isn't the new normal.

In reply to Phelan (msg # 206):

It probably is for a while. Jobs will be back thank God, unless the economy gets turned over and collapses under heavy taxes. Be patient grasshopper. My fridge just died last week. Life sucks.

Woohoo 500th post!   Not bad guys :)

Prior to Phelan's shot, I saw two rats .. were both "in play" and are the remaining goblins still in the fight or running for the hills?

At the moment, all Aila can see are goblins that are either passed out or dead, and the one visible rat in her sight was just skewered with a bolt from Phelan's crossbow.

Aila can tell that there is more motion and the presence of more goblins from the noise and chatter, but they are just outside her visual range: too much green in this dense growth.

However, it is very likely that these goblins will turn and bolt, having lost more than half their force, and if the orcs were in the lead, they may also have lost their "motivation".

I'll get a post together this afternoon. =)

My character doesn't have any inclination to skin the bear, either.  People can tell now that they've spent the day with him that he is a 'city slicker' - everything about the wilds he's learned from stories and of course, books and study.  He does have a good grasp of nature lore and has studied herbalism and can point out this plant and that ... but the more practical stuff such as dinner?  Forget it :P

Questions
1) Since there is a missing cleric (and quite possibly an entire adventuring band wiped) out there somewhere, do any of the orcs have strange items or trophies on them?
2) Are the goblin arrows serviceable, or junk?
3) Any valuables on the orcs?  My character is not searching the bodies but I assume the head collectors would notice rings and so on
4) Any orc armour/weapons worth a trade in at the local smith?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:43, Sun 07 June 2020.

In reply to Petar the Elf (msg # 211):

I would search the bodies of the ones I take heads from, and assume everyone else will too. Money is money!

Good point, any of it serviceable or is it junk?

Good questions. Thank you for reminding me.

Let's see:

1. The orcs don't appear to have anything "extraordinary" on them. This set of orcs carry small colored adornments on their armor, and a few tattoos. But nothing that seems to say "does not belong" here.

2. The goblin arrows are crude at best. The heads are made of flint, cracked stones made sharp, and the shafts are very poor at best. Still, they are able to poke a hole if pulled back strong enough from a serviceable bow. If collected, you can recover about 110+2D6 short bow arrows from the defeated goblins.

3. Overall, the orcs carry 2 silver pieces and 23 copper pieces on them. They are old coins, but still in use by the tribes to the far east. The goblins don't have any coins on them.

4. The orc armor is mostly several layers of soft leathers under one stronger layer of boiled leathers. It looks like they have been used for years. They are greasy, dirty, and filled with little vermin. They also bear the marks of many cuts from various edged weapons. Their weapons, though, are surprisingly good: two well-crafted steel battle axes, and a curved two-and-a-half foot long single edged steel blade (a saber). These are weapons of good craftsmanship, even if they have not been well maintained lately.

The goblins wear a mix of crude leathers reinforced with patches of fur. These are just as dirty as the orc ones, but have even more vermin taking hold in the fur. They are too small for anything but goblins or smaller creatures to use. Their hand weapons are rough iron knives, and their bows are uncured wooden hand bows, also very small. They are good enough for goblins, but no human bowyer would use these for much (unless there was no other choice). However, despite their inferior craftsmanship and small size, they still work, especially when used in large volumes.

Overall, though, you notice that the group only has minor rations among them, and some water skins. Not enough for a long trek.

Going to wait a bit to see if Phelan catches up.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 214):

Sorry, had to put the dog down this morning so we haven't been available. I will try to  post when I can but feel free to NPC me whenever you need.

Oh my. Sorry to hear that. Having had to say goodbye to a few pets myself, I know this can be hard.

Hope you are doing well.

We'll keep on trucking.

In reply to Phelan (msg # 215):

Sorry for your loss. I lost my Mary Jane, a 16-17 year old pussy cat about a month ago. She died in my arms.

I'm so sorry.  I know how deep those furry folk can get into your heart.

Hey...

Still here. Been quite busy lately. Having a bit of a rough time with some headaches. Just a dull experience. It's been keeping me away from the game.

I'll aim to create a simple post tomorrow to move the story onward.

Thanks guys. He was a great dog and had a very very long life. To add  insult to injury, I found out I didn't get the job I had applied for. I was the runner up though and may have my foot in the door to do some online classes for them. Good news is I don't have to spend my summer packing.

Now, sabers are not part of the weapons that mages can normally use. However, I don't believe in the logic that some weapons are just not "usable" by classes

Yup, I like how the RC makes it possible to build your Gandalf: picks at L1 are limited by class lists (which this game has already nicely expanded on) but then once new mastery choices unlock you can learn anything.  Better yet, for Black Saruman Angus, he can learn sword from a fellow party member with Basic at a 60% chance of success!  Score!

In reply to Petar the Elf (msg # 221):

Thanks, I intend to get it to 0 instead of -4 anyways ;-)

Still here. Work's been busy, and I am feeling a bit ... s-l-o-w.

I'll catch up tomorrow.

I will be out of town where there is not even cell service for a couple of days. Please npc me when needed.

In reply to Phelan (msg # 224):

"Me gruw up un a furm. No bouys jus we gurls. Me sis wus strunger dan meself. Can pluck a cow te hur shulders.

ROFLMAO You are hilarious Marille!!

We'll take care of things.

Yeah I probably need to tone it down some.

Why?  As long as you're having fun.

I know you're making it fun for me! ;-)

No, no need to tone down anything. This is great roleplay. Keep it up! =)

On that note, I will post this evening. Weekend and Father's Day were busy. Good think I don't have to work today. Gonna be resting all day long.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:38, Mon 22 June 2020.

Yup my character would definitely donate to a "buy Marille some mail" fund ;P
Also borrow from the party share that's what it's for.  Or maybe your two new pals will give you a present?  :P

I can buy Marille a shield if she wants one.

Or the DM can keep fudging rolls  :P   hehe

In reply to Black Angus (msg # 232):

No it's no big deal.

I do tend to favor the PCs, specially at the beginning when the risk is higher than usual. =)

However, as the game progresses, and risk escalates, things won't be as easy.

Now, sorry for the absence lately. It's been busy at work and I've not been feeling that great, but I have been keeping an eye on the game and answering questions in OOC.

The last Phelan post was mine, NPCing her. I haven't heard from the Phelan player yet, not since they announced they would be absent for a while. So I will wait another week and see what happens.

I happen to have a four-day weekend coming up, so I will be sleeping a lot to catch up with what I've missed, and hopefully be more present with the game over the weekend.

Let me know if I've missed anything. =)

One vote for opening up the game for a round of recruitment: we're at a good spot to add some new party members and I think people who may have passed the first time might like what they see :)

I'll vote for that too.

It's fine by me, also.

Happy Fourth of July!

Ok, more people then.

There was one gent that wanted to come in as a cleric. I don't think there would be anything bad with two clerics in the party.

I'll use this coming week to contact Phelan's player and get an idea of their plans. After that I'll open the game up if nothing comes of it.

Sweet. Happy 4th everyone!

Happy Fourth Weekend! =)

Same to yo...but I am an essential employee...

In reply to Marille Ughari (msg # 243):

No holiday for you Marille? :-( Sorry to hear it, have a Blessed day and thank you for doing what you do.

Thank you Angus.

I survived July 4th weekend ... very boring outside of work.

I survived the boredom too, pretty inactive on here.

Only thing is the young people having covid parties or blowing off an eye this weekend. Insane pool party with almost 100 people at a private party. I wonder how many got infected?

Yeah, I suppose they will learn in time.

As for me, this weekend did not quite pan as I expected. I didn't get to post anything in the last few days.

I'll aim to make a post tonight.

Well, this weekend was just difficult. Too much energy bursting my head. I am posting from work, where I am actually finding that I can collect my thoughts better.

We can take the conversation with Sowen and Olagh aside, as they talk about what they know of the "birds", and your arrival to Doromas' "shack".

Ok. Busy at work. Coming home a bit tired.

It's been several days, but I am still here.

I'll aim to post today, where I can, although the day promises to be full of meetings. Yuck. And on top of that, it's going to be all about COVID-19 protocols for the state.

Fun, fun, fun.

Alright, back to work for me. =)

Best laid plans and all that.

Well, I got the post ready.

Let me know what you folks decide.

I'll reopen the game for one or two more PCs when I have a chance. I haven't heard back from Phelan's player, so I have to assume they are done with the game.

I'll look for an opportunity to guide her out of the story.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 252):

She just stays in town.

Petar has the right idea. It is now time for you as a group to decide where you want to go, what you want to do, split if you need to for investigation and other purposes.

And yes, Phelan will most likely stay in town, but I may have her remain with the group while suitable replacements are found.

Ok. Petar's player is off on vacation.

I am looking for a vote on what you guys want to do next.

Petar have voiced a preference to return to the spot where the party first encountered the goblins and orcs. It is his impression that group could not have walked far, since they didn't carry enough with them for a long trip. It is possible they may have more answers as to the skull and the log book, since finding the original orcs bled dry by the stirges were so close.

What other options do you fellas want to pursue?

Camille is willing to go anywhere, since any information is better than none.

Finding her sister is still paramount to her.

Yes, it is. But without any further clues as to where she might be, any direction is better than none. And with the risk of orcs in the field, strength in numbers is important.

Yup, I'm game for anything. No preference.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:01, Sun 19 July 2020.

We'll be taking on orcs either way? Might as well investigate.

Fun in the sun has ended for now .. time for frolics with trollocs

Welcome back. =)

Quick Update

Map's coming along just fine. Almost done. I ran out of time tonight. I should be done with it tomorrow and I will have a post with it to discuss positions and starting points.

Ok, did not quite happen tonight.

Had to work late tonight supporting home users.

I will have another chance tomorrow morning.

The "bad gateway 404" seems to be gone (for now?!), but I caution everyone to copy their posts to the clipboard before hitting the post button .. lest it all be lost.

Again, a nice map :)  Are those 5' squares?

If yes: counting from where my character's token is placed, it's 17 squares distance to the first orc = 85 feet = 28 yards.  Given short bow ranges are 50/100/150 yards, that looks like short range?

Please confirm, also if there is any cover or penalties to shooting.  Looks like we can start missile fire right now?

I see a lot of trees in between Petar.

Yup me too, but are they small or tall?

Also, where are the two NPC guards, O and S?

OOC: About half an hour after making the post, I remembered that I had completely forgotten about them. As a matter of fact, I had completely forgotten about all the NPCs and was working only off the tokens I had art for.

I will make an update tonight with their positions. In the meanwhile, you can still work on your approach. =)
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:49, Thu 30 July 2020.

I received a message today from an account naming itself flapjaxx. It said that RPOL had banned them and that they would not be able to play Marille any longer. I am going to assume this is her player, and they are using a secondary account (which will also get banned very fast) to communicate with us.

I definitely need to bring in more players then. =)

Good thing it is Friday. I may have some time this weekend to get that moving.

And the last thought for me is: what ever did this player do to get themselves banned? (Other than multiple accounts).

The world may never know. =)

I've been threatened on numerous occasions. It isn't hard. That sucks! I loved Marille.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:01, Fri 31 July 2020.

Anyone know if bans are usually permanent? Or do they have time stipulations? Like banned for a week, month, year?

I should read the RPOL guidelines.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 270):

I read them about 10 years ago, but they changed a little and I'm old so don't remember what I read anymore. That's why I almost got banned, I'm not allowed to post to the DM game thread any more. I posted links to another game.

Hmm... if you 'almost' got banned, you must have been pulling some borderline crap.

But you're still here... so I have to assume it was not borderline enough. =)

In reply to Game Master (msg # 272):

I posted links to get banned from the DM thread and I was warned of banning if I discussed trading pirated PDFs again.

Oh, that is unfortunate. But it makes sense. They could possibly face legal charges if people were pirating openly on the site. They are definitely not going to tolerate that at all. =)

Ugh .. hopefully this will get sorted out and we will be able to continue "Bouldering"!

That would be nice. If we don't hear from her soon I will have to 'park' her in town and get new players.

Posting now

Hmm... it just occurred to me that I have been thinking of this movement system as 3.X, meaning that movement underground is the same as movement above ground. Which is supposedly not the case. Above ground you are moving at yards, or three times the distance. I will have to break my thinking into the two different sets eventually.

But I might as well begin right now. For this fight we will use the distances as the game defines them: you are moving at "wilderness encounter speed".

This means most of you will get close to them in two rounds, instead of what might have been three or four.

Aila will be taking over Phelan for the moment, until we gracefully move the character out. To answer your question, Aila, Phelan has a wilderness movement of 90'. Movement rules apply as usual: 5' squares, every second diagonal counts as 10'. I suspect it will take Phelan two rounds to close the distance, assuming the orcs don't move.

You are right now in the surprise round. Take your actions as needed.

Will pretty much only be doing combat posts until we get back to town and Phelan will have some reason for taking a path away from the party then.  Only slightly less unlucky than Petar, though.  Must be the letter P.

Hmm... it just occurred to me that I have been thinking of this movement system as 3.X, meaning that movement underground is the same as movement above ground. Which is supposedly not the case.

Yup it's like 1E but also not quite, which always struck me as strange.  However they also make up for this a little by ascribing a generic "difficult terrain" modifier to all outdoor movement (see Tables on the middle of page 88); which means in a forest we've got "2/3 normal" movement (and, bizarrely, on even a rough road the rates can be 150%!)

Personally, I would vote to keep things consistent with the cyclopedia where-ever we can, but really don't mind if we stick to one scale for all combat encounters to limit confusion.  That also avoids the problem of needing truly massive maps once people get more mobile or mounted etc.

Aside
It seems quite odd that hustling down a city street is three times "faster" than hustling down a long, wide hallway ... but maybe that's just my own problem :P

We should probably decide who has the 3 healing potions at this point ;)

How about Aila, Marille and Angus?

Question: does Petar have a clean shot (no penalty to attack roll) on Orc 2 from his current square?  If no, perhaps a slight move to say, 6 squares due north of Camille?

Yes, I do think that Aila had taken one.

Wow, 1 in 400. Going for broke for that 1 in 8000? =)

Nothing surprises me with the rpol rng  :/

If it weren't for bad luck, we'd have no luck at all with these bows.

That sounds good to me, if everyone else is in agreement.


There are no 'firing into melee' rules, but there are 'cover' rules. I will say that for situations where a team mate covers an enemy in melee, I estimate the cover value (1/4 to 3/4) and that is the 'chance of hitting' your ally. If the attack misses by a number that falls within the cover value, a new unmodified THAC0 19 roll is made, and, if attack hits, the ally is struck in an unarmored spot and takes regular damage. (This, incidentally, also means that if the ally has enough AC, there will be practically no chance to hurt them.)

I will add this to the 'optional rules' write-ups soon.

So, as of the moment I write this, orc 2 is facing both Marille and Camille, and effectively has 3/4 covers (-6 AC) in his favor from Petar's direction. It would be an easier shot to fire at orc 3, for which Petar would only have 1/4 cover from the tree before the melee.

Thanks, I was asking about the bushes/shrubs/trees as I can't tell from the map what icon means what with respect to cover and everyone has a slightly different mental image.

I see. Yes, you can fire through that. It is a tree top, so you only have to deal with the trunk.

Whoops, my bad. I will make a correction on the map very soon. Although from what I read on the text, it was only four squares.

Doh .. my bad as well.  (Our bad? hehe)   In any case, if Petar is short a few squares and can't actually get to the square he wants to as posted, then anywhere adjacent to any orc will do, please feel free to pick one!

I was able to update the map to reflect your current positions,

Yikes, I trust my character's turn was not mooted or otherwise ... see post#149?  I can't lose that turn! The die roller might now let me get above 1(0) again anytime soon :P

It was 'Fantasy Hero', for those of you who might have played it, during the heyday of the 4th edition.

Fun .. I vaguely remember that, from sooo long ago  hehe.  I believe the original H.E.R.O. was a supers game?  For that, we played Champions and V&V in those days, and RIFTS and so on.  Alrighty, enough nostalgia, on with the show, by Crom
This message was last edited by the player at 18:15, Thu 06 Aug 2020.

Oh wow. I see I missed that. No worries, I will fix it. Please remember I am human, I make mistakes and oversights. But I trust you all will point them out to me as they happen. =)

Today I left my computer on at home, so I should be able to remote into it and make updates from work to the map.

Replacing Marille GM? Or are you just going to NPC her? She's a great character!

I will run her until the party's return to town. After that, she will go her own way and find her own destiny. I'll open the game up to new players then.

Ok, Petar,

I have corrected the map for your movement. You are there now, and I will post the results of the PC round at some point today, if things all go well and timely.

I've been very distracted lately, with a lot mental fog, but I am doing a better job at clearing it. Still, there is a lot of it. So, I have been quite casually skimming text, and hence, missing crucial details.

I need to slow down and fully read and comprehend what I am looking at.

Alright. Back to work for me. =)

Well, had an interesting morning. My antivirus has flagged my recently acquired mapping image program as wanting to deploy ransonware on my computer. I need to check that out.

Anyways, will be updating at some point today.

I need to go and find myself another easy way to make those field and forest maps now.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 294):

My computer opens a pop-up window and tells me I have malware, ransomware and trojans all the time, the pop-ups are trying to SPREAD the ransomware, trojans etc because I have no virus. I know where I go and only open certain things. Been on a computer for over 34 years!

A lot of it is McAfee and Norton trying to sell their crap to me.

My antivirus has flagged my recently acquired mapping image program as wanting to deploy ransonware on my computer.

See, there's no limits to what the orcs can do once they learn wizardry!  :P

Seriously, that is scary and hopefully "fake news", as I can't see mapping programs being priority targets for cybercriminals.

I don't actually think that the developer included any viruses, but people may have become subject to secret hacks. It may be possible the developer used a library with a compromised code base, or the repository itself may have been secretly hacked. Often times it is just a parasitic silent invasion.

Looks to be an epic battle ... hope we win init!  *coin toss*

Hehe... we are not doing round-by-round initiative. In order to get the battles moving at a decent pace we are rolling initiative once and then just alternating from it.

Yes, the battle is going to be big, but I have every confidence you guys will be taking care of this bunch of gobbos just as easy as the last one.

You do have two spell casters in the party, after all. =)

Looks like according to Order of Combat (checklist, p102), hand-to-hand happens after Magic, so I'll post my character's antics after Angus' Sleep spell gets adjudicated.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:19, Fri 14 Aug 2020.

I understand. I am not using the formal order of combat. It would make posting actions take a very long time. The order of actions is the order in which things get posted.

As it happens, Angus posted his sleep spell first. so I will have to make it happen first anyway.

Your request makes a lot of sense. I will get that done tomorrow morning.

I will update the map for Petar to act this evening. =)

No need, I just wanted to confirm a decent die roll for the Sleep spell .. if the 2d8 result had been very low then I may have considered using another one.

Posting now ...

Yup I will change my post ...  no time now but a little later on today

Nice ... 1/256 chance to get 16 on 4d4.  Can you roll for my character always??  hahaha :P

I credit the die-roller! =)

Ok.

Stupid stuff. My sink is backed up, the whole darn disposal machine. Had to do some major cleaning and clearing. Trying to make easy food. Without a sink this proves a challenge. I will have to see what plumber can stop by on short notice on Monday. I have to go to work tomorrow for part of the day.

So, no post right now. But I can tell you that everyone falls asleep except for the little fellow far to the bottom who is out of the sleep spell area. He runs for his life, assuming you let him.

There is no one else here opposing you. You have control of the battle field, and access to the barrow entrance.

The combat is over... unless you wish to chase the goblin down.

My sink is backed up, the whole darn disposal machine.

Ugh .. last time this happened to me it took a lot of Drano and a plunger; what a pain.  Hopefully it's just a block and not a broken pipe or similar issue in the depths that you can't get to.

The combat is over... unless you wish to chase the goblin down.

Awesome.  My character won't be pursuing, he's just not fast enough in armour.

My vote: take one Orc prisoner, binding and gagging, for questioning
This message was last edited by the player at 16:33, Sun 16 Aug 2020.

In reply to Petar the Elf (msg # 307):

agreed! we need a priest/cleric to heal our wounds.

I think I might just pay for a plumber to disassemble the unit and snake out the pipes deeply. I think it will make sure the pipes won't clog for a loooooong time.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 309):

Smart to let the pros do it sometimes! In my dotage, I can't get up and down any more so I have to call them.

Ok, super busy at work right now. I am aiming at getting a story post either tonight or tomorrow.

I am typing this as I am listening to a meeting right now. I am not very critical in it right now. =)

I am aiming at getting a story post either tonight or tomorrow.

Awesome :)

In the interest of efficiency, can my character be presumed to use the Healing Skill on those who lost hit points in the battle?  This would happen after the lone prisoner is secured and all the other sleepers are slain.  Posting something along these lines as well.

The semi NPC (Phelan) was injured pretty badly but I forget how much the fountain water bottle will help.

In reply to Phelan (msg # 313):

I forget too, 6 or 8 but I'm not sure. Only 3 of us left DM? Should we recruit a few more? Or not?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:59, Wed 19 Aug 2020.

The fountain water is a light blessing: it can heal 1 hp and stabilize. It then cannot do more for you until the next day. The stabilizing part is the more important one.

Ahhhh, good to know! We need a priest to adventure with!

Yes, I will open the game backup to recruitment, but once you are all back in town (or close to it). I think we can use another three PC, and we can let Phelan and Marille go.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 317):

Unless someone wants to actually assume them. They probably won't.

I am assuming they won't. It would be hard to replace "Marille" in her full boulder-throwing, farm-loving glory, and Phelan is well... Phelan.

I am thinking new players will want their own characters.

But I will certainly leave the door open to that. Crazier things have happened.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 319):

God they played them great!

In which case Phelan now has 3 of 8hp left. (8-6+1)

Perhaps Angus was just daydreaming ... I trust Angus will be never seen again if he actually enters the barrow alone :P

I won't have a chance to post again until later today, but before we enter the barrow we need to sort out the hit points/healing as well as take care of the prisoner interrogation.

I don't think there's any debate about the prisoner's fate?  Do our characters, who live in this world, have a feeling for this; I can see Chiress being compassionate but not towards orcs that threaten a whole village and so close ..

I know in later editions, there's some discussion about the "always evil", but as far as I know, orcs and goblins qualify as "always evil" and should be dealt with accordingly (in-world view).

Aila may be wrong about the 'leader' but even though she doesn't speak a word of the orc tongue, she recognized that he seemed to be the one giving orders and others followed the direction, so it's the reasonable conclusion.  Definitely would want to question him before going traipsing off into the barrow.

OK so Marille 7/9, Phelan 3/8 and Sowen down 7.  On it!

Camille also offers her supply of flasks. She has eight left. They are good for 1 hp per person per day.

Posted.  It's a bit long, and might look like my character is dominating the questioning, but I just wanted everything in there to avoid a lot of back and forths.

Ok...

So work has been a beast. Been busy all week with several projects, taking all of my time.

I am hoping this Sunday will be the conclusion of the planning and rehearsing, and the biggest project will be out of my hands and into production.

I'll aim to post at some point tomorrow, Saturday.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 327):

No problem. RPoL has been down about all day.

Yeah, I noticed. Been having issues almost all day.

In reply to Game Master (msg # 329):

I'm working on starting a Mongoose Traveller game, can't update the page, only ever worked about 3 minutes at a time so far.

I couldn't connect at all since Friday.  Posting now ...

Yup, been out for a while.

Back to normal it seems?

Yes, there was a brief window when I was able to post before, but for now I think whatever it was has been fixed.  *whew*

OOC: So, what will it be?

Yup, my character's suggestion for the orc's fate was an attempt to get the orc to hopefully answer questions as Petar guessed (rightly or wrongly) that the orc did not want to be humiliated.

Once Petar learned the Orc might know something (again, rightly or wrongly!) about the mine or Exidamarall, he figured Daramas might be interested and more capable of getting the orc to talk.

However, if the majority want to dispose of the creature now, he will take a neutral stance and not object.

Orc to Town:  Petar, Aila
Kill Orc now: Phelan, Marille, Angus(?)
Abstain: S&O

Angus, looks like a swing vote?  What say you, sir!

Did anyone search the orcs and goblins while we were dressing wounds and tending to the prisoner?  Maybe Marille?

In reply to Petar the Elf (msg # 335):

"Take the time and search them. I just cut their heads off, never thought they might have treasure. I'll help."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:14, Wed 26 Aug 2020.

Aila was uninjured, so while Angus was chopping heads and Petar was tending the injured and getting the prisoner tied up, she could do that and come back to listen to the questioning.

I am hunting for a march order that includes our intentional NPCs, and not finding it.

Going into the barrow, I would put Phelan first (short and vision ability), followed by those who are using melee weapons, followed by Angus, followed by missile weapon users.

Aila would be in that first grouping behind Phelan as would Marille.  I think Camille is also melee, and Petar and S&O can be either (but I think at least one missile weapon user behind Angus.

Good plan, Aila!

Suggestion:

Name                   Loadout
Phelan                 melee
Marille                melee
Aila                   her choice
Camille with Torch     torch & shield
Angus                  his choice
Sowen                  melee
Olagh                  missile
Petar                  torch & shield (can switch to bow or draw sword as needed)

I hope I didn't miss anyone!

In reply to Petar the Elf (msg # 339):

I can hold a torch so Camille can be armed.

Updating ...

Also

the entrance to the barrow is enough for two people, shoulder to shoulder

So, single file:

Name                   Loadout
Phelan                 melee
Marille                melee
Aila                   her choice
Camille                melee
Angus with Torch       torch
Sowen                  melee
Olagh                  missile
Petar                  torch & shield (can switch to bow or draw sword as needed)

and two abreast aka "normal" movement in safe/cleared areas:

Phelan.....Marille
Aila.......Camille
......Angus.......
Sowen......Olagh
......Petar

Looks good to me! ;-) Safe in the middle!

Aila is melee whether she's using her 'big stick' (quarterstaff) or hands only.  The hair daggers are more for coup de grâce or hold-out where other unarmed wouldn't work.

Angus,

It looks like there is another person wanting to organize a Traveler 2nd Ed game. =)

In reply to Game Master (msg # 344):

Probably the game I'm starting. Thanks for the heads up though, I lost 3, GM disappeared!
This message was last edited by the player at 15:54, Fri 28 Aug 2020.

I lost 3, GM disappeared!

So, just another day on RPOL, then ..

Did Camille respond?  Jus' wonderin'

No, this was from another GM. We can read the player names, and it wasn't yours.