We'll get to character creation specifics tomorrow...

My first thought is that we'll make ten 3d6 rolls, drop the lowest two, and assign the rest to your abilities as desired. If the aggregate of your modifiers is less than +8, you'll get points to improve your modifiers until that +8 aggregate is reached (with limits on max modifier for any one ability)...this is still fluid, and if you two have preferences, please let me know here.

Please roll for your Background Table choices and any other subsequent choice that offers a random roll (which may only be your starting silver).
This message was last updated by the GM at 15:01, Fri 09 June 2023.

Thanks for adding me.

I hear jamat wants to play a mage so I'll skip and make a Warrior instead.
Would Fost be an appropriate name for the character?
I wanted to play a devote religuius fellow, maybe aiming for Templar but since jamat make an apostate mage I'll come up with something different.

Have to work today to minimize personal contacts because if COVID-19, so will only be able to read up tonight/tomorrow.

Am at UTC+1, btw... at least until the end of the month, then summertime sets in, UTC+2

The above is good.

Perhaps he could be a Templar he the church could actually have a idea that my character has magic but it could also be devine power your character could have been sent with mine to the village three years ago mine to tend the flock yours to protect mine and find out if he is a heretic or his powers come from devine sources

Alternatively I'll just play a dwarf lol
This message was last edited by the player at 08:01, Sat 14 Mar 2020.

Templar requires Magic 3... I am not exactly willing to put that high a value on something that hardly seems to have any use for non-mages.

Character ought to be finished, opted for Dual Wielder and Thrown Weapons... but Need to check if I am ever able to choose a new style as Shields look very nice ^^. Maybe change Thrown ?
Alos hoping for someone else to pick up Archery ^^

Also, I obviously have some skill with horses as I know how to ride and drive ^^, should flow into the Background

More tonight/tomorrow/latest Monday

Ok will finish my monk today then :)

Character pm'd for approval

Quick question.
The Weapon Groups one chooses are effectively Focuses, right ?

That's how its always been played in games I've been involved in

Hmm, actually p.77 says otherwise.
You get penalty without Weapon Group Training.

Well you learn something new every day lol

The GM's I've played with always said it was a focus but I'm happy to play it as is so no wpn group you get a penalty fine with that

I was wondering, you see, why the differentiate between weapon groups and not just call it focuses...
Of course, I sure wished I already had a focus in my main weapon ^^

Perhaps the GM can make a ruling on it for us

In reply to jamat (for now) (msg # 12):

Nah, why?
That would seem like quite a huge change to the system.
Hmm, but admittedly I have not yet seen how you gain focuses...

Edit: found it, p.32... so I can pick one on gaining Level 2
This message was last edited by the player at 15:04, Sat 14 Mar 2020.

See  page 32 for gaining levels you get a focus on each even level on a primary ability and on odd levels one for a secondary ability
This message was last edited by the player at 15:05, Sat 14 Mar 2020.

Boy, you folks were active last night.

FYI, I'm in UTC-7 (we've already hit our Daylight Savings Time), or, as we used to say in the Navy, Tango-minus-7. :)

I'll look at the rules on weapon groups vs. focuses to clarify, but expect that I will stick with RAW whenever there's confusion.

I'm in London so GMT +0

So, yes, p.77 states that using a weapon without proficiency in its group imposes a penalty of -2 attack rolls, half damage (round down after adding in Strength), and, for missile weapons, half range (round down). Also note that if your Strength is less than the minimum strength of the weapon, the weapon's damage becomes 1d6-1.

I've posted in the Wanted - Players forum. We'll see if there's any interest.

I'm working on a couple of things and will put out the first post later today or tomorrow.

In the meantime, do you gents have any questions or thoughts?

Still busy reading up.
Very nice weather here will likely force me to postpone ^^.

Hello there, everyone. New guy here, time zone GMT -7.
Debating between playing a Force Mage or a Spirit Warrior. Would love to hear your thoughts on this. I'm definitely feeling a stronger pull to the Force Mage, but I also kind of want to know if you are looking for anything in particular.

I want to welcome christopherscottc and dragonrider912 to the game.

dragonrider will be playing a character named Mikhail, though he's deciding between his original mage concept or a warrior concept. I told him both will work for the campaign.

christopher will be playing a rogue archer who has yet to be named.

Glad to have you both aboard!

So, I would like the four characters to have known each other for a bit, and be on friendly terms (if not friends); friendships based on rivalry would also be acceptable, as long as the friends part is stronger than the rivals part. Feel free to discuss among yourselves the dynamics.

And, please share tidbits of public knowledge about your character here. :)

My characters name will be Richard. I am PST time Zone. Live in Washington State in the USA.

Cool. Three of us on the Left Coast (tm). :) I'll get your character name updated.

Welcome on board.
I'm a faithful servant-to-be of the chantry and the Templar still looks the most interesting of those warrior specializations. The Magic 3 is a bit of a problem I guess, still... then again, this might clash too much with the mages?

Mikhail, regardless of my concept, I think- without previous experience in DA - that two warriors might be a better choice than two mages, but I'm perfectly fine with everybody playing what they want.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:56, Mon 16 Mar 2020.

Well, it would be two rouges, and two mages by the sound of things. If you're going to be a Templar, the Spirit Warrior would complicate things, seeing as the Chantry does sort of view them similarly to apostates. It also is sounding like the other mage is leaning towards healing, so it might be nice to have one of us not doing that.

I have two rules questions at the moment.

1. Does the DEX Penalty from Armour apply to Defense ?
   E.g. a Rogue in Light Mail will suffer -2 to Speed, Defense and to any and all DEX tests (which includes his attacks with Brawling).
   I would say yes but am not 100% sure
   
2. On Dual Wielder Style, can the secondary weapon just be a Shield ? Or is the Shield not considered a weapon (shield bashing Comes to mind, hence my question).
   I would say no but again am not 100% sure

I guess I'm ready to go, sheet is set up, background (well, a basic one) has been added, goals have been outlined.

The only thing that is missing is connections to you guys.

Regarding the mage vs. warrior question, I think 1 warrior, 2 rogues, and 2 wizards will work as a party. 2 warriors, 2 rogues, and 1 wizard will do well, too.

Regarding the spirit warrior, yes, that can cause problems for the party as a whole. I won't disallow it, as it won't be any more trouble than you could already get into by having an apostate with you, but, it could exponentially increase your chances of detection by someone who might care.

Onto Fost's questions.

1. Looking at the Armor Training talent text on p.58, it explicitly states that the penalty applies to "all Dexterity-based tests and calculations (including Speed)." While the Armor Penalty entry description on p.76 only states that Dexterity is penalized if you aren't trained in the use of your armor, it doesn't contradict the p.58 entry.

So, yes, you give up Defense to get a reduction in damage. (Heavy mail, though, provides 2 extra AR vs. -1 penalty over light mail, and heavy plate does the same over light plate.)

2. No, a shield isn't a weapon, especially given that there's a separate Weapon & Shield Style talent.

Goals
Yes, please develop your character's Goals, as per p.44. Three are sufficient.

Hello all! As Yet Unnamed Surface Dwarf here! I'm building out my character today, but I'll be playing a Rogue (more melee-focused, as I think I saw we have an Archer Rogue already.) I'm in EST time zone, but I'm around throughout the day and evening.

Looking forward to joining everyone!

Welcome


This message was last edited by the player at 15:32, Mon 16 Mar 2020.

Oh, Brother Loren is an Apostate already. Well then, I just didn't want to have two Circle Mages in the party. In that case, I will definitely be playing the Force Mage.

Yes brother Loran is an apostate but he doesn't really know it he believes his abilities to heal are given to him by the maker

Okay, the dwarf has a name: Orlin.

Looking at character sheets we have the following completed:

Character Sheet
Brother Loran
Fost
Mikhail Loren
Richard

Goals
Brother Loran
Fost
Mikhail Loren
Richard

We're not in a major hurry (it's giving me time to script out a couple ideas), but I'm looking forward to the finished character sheets and seeing what goals you each pick.

That said, if you want to start making connections between your characters, you don't have to wait 'til all sheets & goals are done. As I stated before, I think, all of the characters are either friends, or on friendly terms (which could mean friendly rivals).
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:25, Tue 17 Mar 2020.

Regarding how we know each other, is anyone else from Redcliffe? Orlin is a scout (among other things) there in town, so if anyone else is local, that's an easy connection to make.

Brother Loran has been in the village for three years he was sent there by the chantry to be their spiritual guide and bring the words of the maker to them

I just finished up my character!

I am playing a ranged, stereotypical rogue style character. Wants to be rich, and live lavishly. He is very ambitious and is always looking for the next score, the opportunity to make money, make a name for himself, and start something to leave behind a legacy.

Because of that, I can see him liking Brother Loran, wanting to be part of his journey hoping it will bring him fame as well.

He would also like traveling with Fost, a big man like that can get things done, and makes for a great "meat shield" and traveling companion... of course.

I think I would see Orlin as a rival, friendly about it, and not necessarily open about it but in his mind, he wants to be a better thief them Orlin, and also secretly enjoys the competition, he needs friends like that to build his dreams.

Mikhail has recently completed his Harrowing and is taking every opportunity he can, now that he's a full mage and proper member of the Circle, to leave the tower and learn by helping others. Also, it's expensive to visit family, so any kind of money he can make to make those trips the better.

He's likely staying in the local Chantry; praying at the shrine, trying to make Templars laugh again and generally being a very inquisitive guy, poring over the books there. He's the son of a Bann, but being a mage means he can't hold a title. So, while his last name might draw some recognition, it's not that important.

He's definitely got that new face in town vibe, and he's a very visible mage, so he's also got all the common misconceptions that comes with the territory.

I didn't realize what Mikhail was... with that knowledge Richard is interested in him. A brand new mage, perfect, *smiles mischievously*

I actually rolled really good things for his background. Normally, Heraldry wouldn't really make a whole lot of sense as a focus, but as the son of a Bann it was perfect.

Also, I'm pretty sure I can't just pick up and run to Redcliffe as soon as I finish the Harrowing. Let's add a year or two to route those approval forms...

Seems legit. Mikhail will definitely draw some attention.

And thank the Gods Richard is a proper thief, because Orlin isn't so much. He has some talent for it, but he's much more scout/recon than actual thief. I don't know if he will even live up to "rival" in Richard's eyes. It might be more "Awwww, that's cute..." :P

In reply to Orlin (msg # 39):

I think its more an ego-stroking then anything. Someone to compare himself to and know he is better than, Orlin has no clue Richard is really thinking this or doing I think, other then suttle pokes at Orlin's fumbles. lol :)

I'm good with this!

One other thing on character creation. You may, if you have the funds, purchase 1 (and only 1) lesser healing potion for your character for 30sp.

Fost has been ranging at the foots of the Frostback Mountains and has sold his skills to fight the raiders who plague Ferelden citizens time and again. He has grown some fierce hatred for the attackers and seems to be quite obsessed with the barbarian tribes. Fost has visited Redcliffe several times before but had never stays for long, mostly just to recover from injuries and to spend his money for drink.

The Warrior knows the litanies of the Chantry very well and often prays and calls on the Maker, though he does include religious allusions in his expletives and swearing. Clearly he has been raised to be devout but it's not quite clear if he truly is. Even so he has found some bond with the healer who has become a regulär resident to the settlement.

Fost dourly frowns at Elves but again it is not clear whether he disappproves them or their situation in the kingdom. A traveling merchant passend Redcliffe and rumour-mongered about Elf slavers (the Elves being the slavers not the slavers) and Fost has shown a lot of interest triggering a couple of frowns in the Redcliffe citizens especially since he is close-mouthed about his motive. Ever since that event, though, he seems to be in edge.

Fost has a tentative bond with the Dwarf Orlin, mostly because of his terrain and regional expertise. He clearly wants to forray into the Mountains but so far he has been persuaded not to do so time and again. Something clearly burns in him to set forth but he is still hesitant.

The relation with Richard is tentative, the easy banter of the Rogue make him feel a bit uncomfortable. Only rarely does Fost actually contribute to the banter. Still, ever since Richard had cheated at playing dice with some rough mercenaries from further east Fost had been helpful to thwart them from teaching Richard a lesson. Richard seems to have confused Fost's motive, however, as he now treats Fost like a buddy. Fost's own feelings to the man don't seem to be of like kind, though but he does not seem to feel the need to contradict the rogue.

Only recently a mage has come to Redcliffe and Fost has not yet made any contact.

---

just suggestions, of course. Feel free to build in this
This message was last edited by the player at 19:18, Tue 17 Mar 2020.

That is the specialisation that becomes available on Level 6, yes ? Or did you mean to imply something else ?

I think the most immediate "power boost" come with Level 2, when one can choose a Focus for one's main weapon(s) or Arcane Lance... if we presume that combat will play a big role

Yes, that's a specialization. I like to plan out my builds early so I can focus on the roleplaying aspect.

Personally, I'll be taking Spirit Magic focus as hitting those high TN spells will be important. Last thing we need is for me to miss a roll for telekinetic weapons or something equally important.

Orlin would happily take Fost as a client looking for a guide/scout. If he took the assignment freelance, he would be happy for having a client who seems capable of defending himself if the occasion calls for it, and if the assignment came from the Castle, he would find it amusing that the Castle thought Fost needed someone to keep an eye on him.

This message was deleted by the player at 19:13, Tue 17 Mar 2020.

https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Redcliffe_Village

That's a good resource to use, by the way, to read up on the setting. I'm not using any storylines from there, outside of the occasional cameo, so there are no spoilers to read.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:59, Tue 17 Mar 2020.

In reply to Evil GM (msg # 48):

yeah, saw that, was surprised that it is only 200 people :D

So brother Loran will be working out of the chantry house in the village

He spends some time up at the castle listening to confessions and taking prayers of the nobles. So if you have an a connection with the castle you will know him

He also has a morning clinic at the chantry house tending minor ailments and the like but if you've been in a fight etc you will know him as he's the one who will have stitched you back together

Are you actively hiding your abilities or are you just oblivious to the nature of your healing talents? I'm just trying to feel these things out in here to avoid going crazy and trying to send you the Circle out of the gate. Obviously, this is just hyperbole, but I would like to know what it looks like to a Templar versus what it looks like to a regular Joe.

He believes he has a natural talent to heal and thinks it's from the maker but not magical just that the monks who raised him had taught him well.

Other spells will come to light but he believes he is a conduit for the maker and that they are devine not heretical magic

"Magic exists to serve man, and never to rule over him. Foul and corrupt are they who have taken His gift and turned it against His children. They shall be named Malificar, accursed ones."

It's pretty clear that only those who corrupt magic by using it to subjugate others, or tap into Blood Magic that are heretical, but all magic stems from the Fade, and thus the source of all magic is the Maker. Unless you also were partaking in a little hyperbole yourself.

Would a single thread to use as a repository for all of your PC connections be useful to you folks?

Like a notice thread? Sure, that could work.

Richard, I see that you also have rolled for STR (Driving), maybe this could be an additonal connection between us ? Like wagoners or something. I take it (war)chariots is not a cultural thing in this setting ?

They aren't, especially in Ferelden. (They may have been in ancient Tevinter at one point, as Tevinter is "Rome", though I don't know if that has been explored.)

Okay, beginning connections. If you folks don't mind, please give me a 1-2 sentence blurb on how your character sees your connection with each of the four other PCs. I'll compile them into a notice.

Brother Loran: has cared for my injuries when I fought off raiders in the region
Mikhail Loren: has only recently arrived in Redcliffe, no connection yet
Orlin: has advised on the defense versus raiders from the Frostback Mountains with his intimate knowledge of the region and terrain
Richard: I helped him against some thugs, now he thinks we are buddies

Fost: A devote weapon of the maker he tended his wounds so he could carry on the makers work

Mikhail Loren: though a registered mates with the circle he is weary of him.

Orlin: the dwarf is the first of his race Brother Loran  has met and would like to get to know him and his culture better. The monk has tended his wounds and met him at the castle a number of times

Richard: brother loran sees a rogue in the man but also underneath a good soul he would trust him if they were friends

Confirmed:

Fost: Fost has retained Orlin's services when passing through. Orlin respects his self-sufficient lifestyle.

Brother Loran: Orlin has been to his for healing before. Orlin has seen Loran's powers, and while he isn't sure he believes in the Maker or that Loran's powers come from such, he doesn't question a good thing.


Suggested:

Mikhail: Being incapable of performing magic, Orlin is both fascinated and slightly terrified of a Circle Mage, not that he would show either outwardly. Instead, he would try to remain on Mikhail's good side by offering his services if the mage needs anything while he is in town, but would otherwise maintain a safe distance.

Richard: Orlin is amused by Richard's light-hearted jabs and jokes. He may have even approached Richard on behalf of his employer about a job or two in the past.

As the new face in Redcliffe, he hasn't had much opportunity to get to know people as a whole. Outside of the Chantry and perhaps a castle visit on the whims of the Arl or his family. In general, he doesn't feel comfortable heading into a tavern during peak times, but he still finds a way to get a drink during the low periods.

Bother Loran: Mikhail holds the Chantry in high regard, but he assumes that trust will only come given time. So, while he won't avoid Loran, it's not like they see each other every day.

Other than this, I think he doesn't really have enough feel for the people and area yet to have any connections. However, I am open to almost anything. I just can't yet square ties with his background yet. Going on an adventure to forge those ties... that's another story.

Edit: As I was in the process of posting, Orlin's was posted first. If you are going out of your way to do things for Mikhail, even just to stay on his good side (increadibly easy thing to do), then maybe he's his only drinking buddy in town.

That works for me. I figure Orlin would know about Mikhail, even if most of the town doesn't yet, just via his line of work. He wouldn't necessarily know much about him, but at least who he is. Maybe they've had a drink here and there and Orlin has come to realize he doesn't have to be afraid of ALL mages.

Mikhail, all I can think of is meeting before Redcliffe, maybe years before. You are human, yes?
Maybe my devout mother was at the Chantry of your location (as Fost's Hamlet was too small to have one permanent resident priest) several times to listen to the Chant. And Fost was with her, maybe seine his very first mage... and the apprentices,  one of them being you.
Need not be a close relationship just more a bit like "Hey, I know you!"

I looks like all character sheets are in, so I'm going to post the first scene for the first story tomorrow (Friday).

Richard, could get your connections to the other PCs in today?

Sorry I will get them in soon I got bronchitis and have not been feeling well.

Ooh, yuck. No worries. Heal first, and we'll be here.

What is a 'nug' ?

Sort of like a cross between a rabbit and a mole.

Much obliged

Richard by DnD standard Alignments would be Chaotic Good. His choices ultimately are good, he desires the world to be a better place. But, laws don't apply to him, and he is self-centered everything he does as an angle to put himself in a better position. Though, if he has friends or family he will be loyal to them, they just need to prove themselves to him.

I as a player love the Connections you all have made regarding Richard. They are great, I like that you all are embracing the cocky sarcastic rogue persona I am creating for him.

Brother Loran: Richard sees a story, rather than sit and watch, he wants to be there while it unravels. If Loran really is a heretic Richard can be the one to help take him down. If he truly is blessed by the maker, Richard will be friends with him.

Fost: He and Richard are buddies, linked, like peanut butter and jelly to a sandwich. After Richard had his back in a fight, that Richard started, they have been inseparable.

Mikhail: A new mage to town, Richard honestly is scared of magic. He finds is useful, but terrifying. It also would be useful to have a friend that is a mage.

Orlin: A good man, needs to work on his skills, not very good at what he does, in Richards opinion, but a useful contact to have and seems loyal.

As Opposed Rolls may depend on the Dragon Die for resolution we ought to tick the "Record Each Die" box when rolling dice.

Agreed, but in my case, it recorded a stunt, signifying how many stunt points which is the dragon die.

Folks, Orlin's player has to back away due to the current environmental effects to his RL schedule. We'll temporarily NPC Orlin until his player is able to return.

Bummer, I hope all is well.

He's just much busier than he expected to be; to my knowledge, he isn't ill or in any exceeding danger of becoming so.

I have a certain dilemma which - I believe - originates in the unfamiliarity with the system.
Essentially: I don't know yet just how deadly the game is ^^.
Especially that crossbow. I have played only systems in the last couple of years where ranged combat is very dangerous, so I balk at the idea of charging these fellows... especially now that the second melee combattant Orlin is absent ^^
Typically I would not attack, on the other hand they are clearly distracted (maybe as 'bonus' from my stunt points?) and we might get at them.
Just for learning a combat at this point might be good ideed, but I fear the repercussions for the actual 'plot' are too tough.
I wouldn't want to raise a "shitstorm" by attacking without some considerations, Fost is not a reckless fellow... chuckle
I cannot yet evaluate what it means that a Tevinter Lord is hanging around here. Even if I (the player) knew, I wouldn't want Fost the character to know. Still, I get the notion that a large force is just waiting around the bend. Heck, the fellow even brought his slaves !
Again: Fost would not know.

That is - of course - meta and apologies for discussing this in the ooc.

As is I will wait some more until Richard and Mikhail post...
This message was last edited by the player at 09:56, Tue 31 Mar 2020.

Brother Loran would never charge a group of armed men after all he's a man of peace

That's why he's back with the girl he will protect her if he has to but he's not a fighter

You're quite the diplomat Fost, I did not expect this of you.

If they fall for this I do expect you and Orlin to follow them secretly and learn just how many there are. And what kind of threat they pose.
On the other hand... if any of you decide a combat is now in order I will join

A crossbow is definitely dangerous, but even a 1st-level mage can absorb a couple hits by one before going down; of course, you can also only fire a crossbow once every two rounds. The mauls, however, are also pretty hefty, and can deal almost the same amount of damage as a crossbow, but every round.

Hit rates seem a bit higher than other RPGs, so you should expect damage here and there, but that also means you're dealing damage faster, too.

So, all told, you probably have the advantage in such a skirmish, but you'll need to take some care. Running away is always an option.

That said, I'll have to craft a response to Fost's excellent attempt at diplomacy.

What armour do they wear?

They're in leather. The crossbowman is wearing a lighter version.

I see you are still busy crafting a repsonse :)
Quite a good roll there :)

Yeah, today got away from me. Work stuff. I'm working on it now. :)

I’ll consider my wink to the elf as introduction enough for Richard. She is just an elf.

In reply to Richard (msg # 86):

This.
Plus: we don't have time for this

There will be plenty of time during the trip to listen to her. Especially if she starts talking about her master. Blood magic is always a possibility with Tevinter.

Quote:"Only the most powerful mages form the Magisterium, and Blood magic is often the quickest path to power."

Fortunately, I've got a good anti-magic spell, but it does only target me.

Also, I can see the vagueness in my post. I was only stopping briefly to be proper, not to stop moving entirely. Besides, the town is still expecting the nugs. A Tevinter noble traipsing through the trees will most likely be cause for alarm.

Since we are about to separate (briefly) your post did suggest that you wanted to stop and talk.
No issues at all to chat while making haste for the village.
The nugs might quickly become utterly forgotten^^

We were going to hunt the Nugs right? For food I assume? Richard and Orlin can defiantly get some, do we know how many were needed?

It was for the wedding feast, and there were traps that we were just supposed to pick up from. Unless I read that wrong.

In reply to Mikhail Loren (msg # 91):

Thanks, I couldn't find where it was said.

In reply to Richard (msg # 92):

Lol, in the very first IC post ;)
I don't exsctly expect tjat to be a major Campaign Plot.
Sorry, could not resist :D
This message was last edited by the player at 18:45, Fri 03 Apr 2020.

Way to call me out man! I didn't look very hard...lol

Yes, the traps you're to check (which, incidentally, you also set out yesterday) are ahead, and not far, actually. And, the butcher asked you to bag any others you can find along the way.

If you all are ready to move on, I'll create a thread for each group.

Sure, if you'd like. I'll delay talking to Sexta until you are ready for me to move forward.

I guess the question is, would Mikhail prefer Orlin and Richard to remain while he talks to Sexta? That's the moving on I'm talking about (Richard and Orlin following the men-at-arms and checking on the nug traps).

Oh, it doesn't really matter. We can always get them up to speed at the Chantry latter, if we don't need to take the information straight to the Arl. Honestly, Mikhail wouldn't wait before asking some questions. Tevinter has put him on a more alert state of mind.

Does Sexta have any visible tattoos? Anything that might signify she's Dalish?

Going to answer this in the story thread. :)

Heads-up: Nothing to contribute at this point :/
In case anybody wondered ^^

Well... I was. I tend to think I post too frequently and then hold off on posting. Thanks for the heads up, but are you sure you're not interested in asking about the Tevinter Mage? ;)

In reply to Mikhail Loren (msg # 103):

I am very interested to learn more but feel that you and Loren are far better suited to talk to her.
Fost is an uneducated person. He only heard Tevinter as some old realm to the far far north, he definitely knows more concerning the history, i.e. mor er less the founding of Ferelden as that would have been a story told by his devout mother, he doesn't know about Blood Mages except from bad stories. Fost has no sense of the implications about meeting someone in Lothering. Same about Dalish... I don't expect Fost to know that kind of thing, Fabian tribal tattoos etc.
I intend to develop that, not assume that an ignorant warrior knows it all.

Maybe... hmm... GM some advise appreciatwd if this is a wrong approach of viewing the (un)common knowledge? Would the thibgs we habe learnwd so far be common knowledge? Would Dalish be everyday knowledge?

Malificar, apostates and blood magic is talked about extensively in the Chant of Light, so there's that. I'm thinking I will be telling you what to say to the Arl at some point just so he'll actually listen to someone. Elves and mages are not exactly trusted in this world. Maybe they'll listen to a priest though. One who is not outed as an apostate yet. ;)

In reply to Mikhail Loren (msg # 105):

Fost's mother would have been a layman, though, not actually part of the Chantry. So it's maybe more like "The Evil Sorcereres use Forbidden Magic." or "Sorcery is evil." as opposed to "Blood Mages are called Maleficar, the unsanctioned Magic-users are called Apostates".

And yes, Fost can well do the talking in front of the Arl if briefed suffciently :D

I think you're playing it perfectly for Fost. Not everyone's a scholar, and what might be "common knowledge" in one place (the Circle) may be completely foreign in another (farming or fishing village).

That said, Fost probably knows the basics of many things -- Dalish are tattooed tribal elves who stay away from civilization (maybe even described as savages), and Blood Mages are horrible, scary monsters...he may even have been told that all Tevinters are blood mages, and scary.

That said, feel free to play him as knowledgeable or ignorant as you desire about "foreign" things...even stuff dealing with Fereldan nobility can be foreign to a commoner. You know your arl, and you know the king, but the structure of the bannorn and arlings may be baffling.

You talking is all but required. Well, I mean Richard could just as easily use his silver tongue that he claims to have for things other than wooing pretty women out for a turn in the hay. ;)

In reply to Mikhail Loren (msg # 108):

But would he use his silver tongue for anything other than wooing pretty women?

Oh god. Yes, I had to say it. Teryn Loghain is still currently a *swallows heavily* nice guy. It hurts me to even write that.

Are there clothes that I could switch into, and mud to dirty up my face and clothes. It will give me a disguise, not sure how that will work with this system.

Both Disguise and Deception are Communication focuses. So... roll for Communication would be the best guess for the base idea of things plus or minus anything our beloved GM decides.

okay, awesome, other than the fact that I got a shitty roll. So this is fun as a player I know my disguise is lame, as a character I am the Master of disguise.

Sorry about the silence, folks. Yesterday was a bit busy and I couldn't get to this. I'll post later today or tomorrow.

Going to give Fost a bit longer to post before I respond.

In reply to Evil GM (msg # 115):

Apologies, slipped disc issues again, hardly able to sit at all

Am a bit startled to be known by this Knight, did not presume that we would be that 'famous'
This message was last edited by the player at 05:59, Tue 21 Apr 2020.

You're a fellow warrior, and this is a small village. He's actually more on your level, his knighthood not withstanding.

Once we resolve Richard & Orlin's trek, we'll move back to a join thread upon their return to Redcliffe.

Huh? Sexta is with us? I kind of assumed she would be with the Chantry or the castle...

Actually, it's up to you gents. I figured that, since Loran is with you and you've also been charged with her safety, she could be with you for things like meals and such in the village and considered guarded. But, if you'd prefer her to remain within the chantry, that is just as reasonable.

Honestly, it could go either way. She's an elf, so she probably has the same accommodations as me. Maybe less, seeing as mages have a lot more superstition instead of just prejudices. It's not that big of a stretch. I mean, if I'm there as well, the tavern could be mostly empty. Too much crazy in one location.

Fost, I love your character's reaction. I was perfect. I laughed so hard!

In reply to Richard (msg # 122):

That was the intent.
Glad you took it right, was a bit daring :), you know, with only written words

All you needed to do was slam your hand on the table and draw the attention of every patron in the tavern to make it even more comical. I think what you did was perfect though.

Hear, hear. I'm enjoying the interplay between the characters. :)

I'm working with Richard to resolve what he may have observed during a period of downtime he had in the Crossroads.

Now that I think about what you said, the capitalization of Crossroads is leading me to think that this is a specific place nearby. Do we know where such a place would be located? Perhaps a better way to say this, are the Crossroads common knowledge to all of us?

Yes. For those familiar with Dragon Age: Inquisition, it's where you first meet Mother Giselle early in the game.

For those not familiar with that game, it's in an area called the Hinterlands, just south of Redcliffe, and is where the East-West roads around Lake Calenhad meet the road to Redcliffe.

The Crossroads are part of the Arling of Redcliffe; the farms in and around it supply the village. The core of it is four homes, one of which is let out by one of the farm families (who live up the hill to the east) to visitors who don't want to travel all the way in to Redcliffe to sleep.

https://dragonage.fandom.com/w...ssroads_(Hinterlands)

No, I get that. Just making sure things are matching up. It's been a hot minute since I've played Inquisition, although I did recently start up Origins again. The Spiffing Brit did and exploit video on that game and I couldn't believe it until I tried it myself.

I have been at a business conference all day, Zoom call in, and will post soon sorry everyone

No worries. Work is important. :)

Once Fost answers, we'll move on to the next scene.

Sorry, been busy, will post latest in 12h

I wasn't sure if Mikhail or Richard wanted to say or do anything before the others head to the chantry, so I kept it short.

That said, what does everyone plan to do for their evening/night?

Let the lady finish her meal...

I'll post tomorrow morning what I'll try to do, if the plan will work at all.

Just how big is the local Chantry ?
How many templars are there etc

I put up a map on the main map page.

The building is roughly 70x60 in a cross pattern. The area to the right is the foyer/standing room only/etc., and is roughly 20x30. The center area is 15x20 and is altar and pews (for the arl and his retinue).

The area above is the reverend mother's area, and is roughly 20x20. The area below is for storage, and also roughly 20x20.

The area to the left is the first floor of the rectory and where you can find access to the second floor (where the clergy reside). This roughly 25x20. Loran sleeps on the first floor in a small room he shares with one other lay brother.

Two templars are assigned to the Redcliffe chantry and work directly for the Reverend Mother.

Mikhail, the templars are Ser Elias and Ser Faustine (named after the divine who named the current age). Ser Elias generally bunks with you on the second floor, while Faustine bunks with the chantry sisters.

Right, so actually Loran and Mikhail have perfect reasons to go there ad they live there.
Where is my (typical) lodging? The Inn?
So I'll be accompanying them and then return

In my personal opinion, I think that you could actually live here. I have to stay at the Chantry due to being a mage outside the Circle, and it makes sense for that to be at the Chantry. Brother Loran does so because he's a priest. However, if you've lived here this whole time, it would make narrative sense to have some sort of home or at the very least some permanent room situation. You and Richard both, now that I think about it.

That's entirely up to you.

Staying at the inn for several weeks is definitely the more expensive option, even with working steady jobs. It's possible that one of your jobs led you to an opportunity to rent a room with one of the merchants or families in the village. That could take the form of living in a room over a shop, with reduced rent exchanged for Fost providing overnight security. It could also be in the form of staying with a local family Fost helped at some point, possibly someone who you rescued from raiders, for a small amount of rent (but you're invited to eat with them).

Alternately, Fost could have rented a small shack from one of the fishing families or the chantry itself (which may have been gifted a home here and there over the years). It's less expensive than staying at the inn, but requires more upkeep than the others.

I'd say staying at the chantry itself is less likely, but we can work out why they'd rent out space to long-term lodgers. (It'd be more likely they'd offer you one of their small homes. Maybe Richard and Fost share one?)

Okay, I keep forgetting that we are all in this town for some time already.

Fost is devout, but not as devout as to stay at the Chantry all th time.
Also, he would indeed not be able to raise enough money to pay for the inn all the time.

I like the idea of having rescued a family member and they in turn offered not coin but a place top stay. Even so, Fost would not have overused their offer, so we still have some time and lodging to cover.
Renting a room all by himself seems a bit off for the Longstrider. He would not have anticipated to stay long in one place. Indeed, I think he is quite suprised himself about the long stay.
So I do indeed like the idea of Richard and Fost staying in one place. Maybe they spent a night heavy drinking and had crawl 'home'. And it sort of lead into Fost taking his share of paying the rent.
But that needs Richard's okay.

Sorry for my lack of posts. I will make a better post today soon. :)

Looks like Richard got busy again. I'll move forward a bit and he can join in when he's able to rejoin us.

Sounds good. I hope everything is okay, Richard.

I am so sorry everyone for my lack of posts, not cool of me. But, thanks for letting me hang around.

I think Richard would have a small house/shack that kind of a studio if you will. He uses a curtain to decide his "bedroom" from his "office." A small fireplace where all the cooking is done, and a small table that is his "dining" room. Maybe, he is paying rent on it from another local. The front room his "office" is where he has a nice desk and chair where he conducts his business. Unlike most other commoners he travels a wide range of the area doing odd jobs, steel this, blackmail that person, fence an object, track down a person, etc.

I love the idea of Fost becoming his roommate, in his mind his first Thug in his rising thieves guild. I think Orlin would also be a regular, seeing how we are good friend, maybe he even helps me out with jobs from time to time.

Just some thoughts.

***

I will post in character, I PMd something to the GM for clarification first.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:22, Thu 21 May 2020.

gosh, what a rotten week.
Will Post regularly again as of tomorrow

Sorry to hear about the bad week, Fost.

Just post yourself at the chantry door, having been awakened by a guard sent by Ser Perth. :)

Post is up, folks. An official search will not begin until morning; however, Ser Perth will not forbid folks heading out on their own sooner. In fact, it's almost like he's expecting it. ;)

Okay, gents, go ahead and post yourselves to the start of your searches, and give me a rundown of your path and what you're looking to find. I'll give you the tasks you'll need to attempt.

Just wanted to check in. Are you all enjoying the story? Am I keeping your interest?

Is there something I can do to help keep things interesting for you?

It's all good so far. The game is still in that infancy stage of development, so I don't really see anything needing to be improved on yet.

You're doing a great job, enjoy it a lot.

Strangely, I cannot find any rules for assisting another character on a test. So, I think I will treat it like a circumstance modifier; competent help will reduce the task by one category (effectively reducing the Difficulty by 2).

I'll give Fost another day to post and then move on.

Does Mikhail want to take the lead on the search test? If so, please make 3 Perception (Tracking) tests to reflect your search.

Sorry that you have to keep ob waiting on me.
Job is crushing me lately, will try to squeeze in on weekend.
But if you wait on me and I bog down the game bust remote play Fost.

No worries. :) And thanks for the update.

Bother :/
Didn't manage after all, 'weird' plans of wife occupied me the whole frigging Weekend.
Apologies.

It's all right. I didn't have the opportunity to post, either.

And so the plot thickens

Am unclear about where the tracks lead.
I take it we follwoed them for some time at least to see they get out of town.
When exactly were they joined by the bootprints ? I had previously assume somewhere along the way, but seemingly when we went back (did we lose the tracks or just decide to get back ?) we saw the boots were there right from the beginning ?

So, the tavern is just up the hill from the chantry; they're not that far apart.

The boots come up the hill from the area near the lakeside shacks (where a footman would be known to patrol) and join the footprints not far from the tavern, near the pathway that heads toward the windmill and the way out of town.

So, you folks didn't go to the edge of town before you found the boot prints joining the bare footprints.

Regarding going back, you were looking to see where the bare footprints came from, and found they just appeared behind the tavern, with no obvious origin.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:38, Fri 12 June 2020.

Good to know. Now we still need to find her, but this is starting to sound like we'll need to wait until morning for any further answers.

Ah... now I get it.
I was quite confused about those boots at the tavern ;)

EDIT:I deleted that part of my IC
This message was last edited by the player at 10:06, Sat 13 June 2020.

Owen?
Am I that confused with namens???

Oops. Typo. I meant Lloyd. I'll fix it.

I'm going to give Richard and Loren a chance to respond on their end before I have Ser Perth answer.

Do we join up/meet up again ?
Are Mikhail and myself back at the Chantry ?

Richard is good, he is in the tunnel anyway.

Nope. Mikhail, Fost, Ser Perth and Adric had not left the area of the tavern. For the convenience of the plot, they've moved around the side of the building to talk (so as to all Lloyd to go back to sleep).

I'm about to post to that effect.

Ser Perth comments on the nature of magic?
Is he a Templar? Must have missed that.

Not a templar. Just a knight.

His nod is more about acknowledging the subject matter expert's comment on the matter. Fost knows him well enough to know that he has little knowledge of the nature of magic, so his nodding was likely, "Yes, that sounds like you know what you're talking about."

Okay, folks, before we proceed in thread, let me know a few things:

1. What are each of you bringing with you on the search? Arms, armor, ancillary items?

2. How do you folks want to proceed?
a. Will you slowly work your way toward the Crossroads, searching every possible hiding place along the way?
b. Make for the Crossroads straight off?
c. Keep an eye out for obvious hiding places (that a non-local would more likely use) as you head toward the Crossroads?

3. Any questions for me (whether or not I can answer them)?

All my gear, I don't have that much not to be able to carry it all and not be slowed down :D

Loren, Mikhail, do you gents have any input in thread?

Richard, Loren, and Mikhail, please let me know what you're carrying with you in this thread.

I’ll have all my traveling gear with me.

Yes. I'll post tonight. I have my gear with me. Will include in post.

I'm answering a question for Richard regarding a private line in the last post. Hang tight.

Fost, Mikhail, and Loran, how are you all faring? I know Loran has been dealing with some RL stuff getting in the way of posting, but I want to make sure that everyone's still able to post and wanting to continue.

Sorry guys, too much work, will try to catch up over weekend

I'd like to roll Heraldry or something similar to try to identify what region their clothing comes from. Is there a specific focus you would prefer I use?

How many? Am asking because of longbow range

It's hard to gauge from here, but probably 35-40 yards at this point. Within long range, but it's a fair distance.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:18, Wed 22 July 2020.

rolled 16 using 3d6+2 with the AGE System with rolls of {3}, 6, 5.  PER,  identify fighters

Sadly we never really got an official Statement from the Arlmor the Senchal what to do about the Tevinter.
Essentially we are chasing the thief Sexta. She stole stuff from the Chantry. Could this be anything thst might be used by her Lord for some nefarious plan?
I currently don't find the passage about the Tevinter's plan to meet someone at Lothering:/ Found it
Dare we attack?
And if not, what else?
I don't think a ruse will work, not with a knight and four warriors present.
Crossroads is a village of a few houses, right? Where are the villagers? What did the entourage of the Tevinter Lord do to them?
Richard, how about sneaking in to learn that? If they harmed the villagers we have every right and obligation to attack them.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:35, Sun 19 July 2020.

Our warriors don't have ranged weapons, right?

Three of the foot soldiers are carrying only swords. One has a shorter sword and a crossbow.

The Crossroads (so named because it connects the village with the roads east and west around the lake) is just one small thorp within the Arling of Redcliffe, and is directly subject to the arl's jurisdiction.

I think I got to the other questions in the OOC part of my game post.

Is Gemma’s house within Bow range of them or do I need to get closer still?

The house is in the 20-30 yard range. If you're firing from behind it, you'll be just outside short range with a longbow. If you're firing from within the front door or around the front of the house, you'll be just inside short range.

I'd say let's attack... if only for being a warrior ^^
If we had fought the three before it would be easier now ^^
Naturally I would have preferred a fight after grabbing a specialisation... hehehe... those fighter are very likely more experienced.
Any other ideas?

Not really. I'm pretty set on combating the mage so long as I can successfully get my spell shield going. Of course, if they have a mage, they wouldn't necessarily attack me, but I'm not going to take chances. Besides, it's a prerequisite for other spells.

Richard ?

(I believe he is doing his own thing again...)

In reply to Fost (msg # 190):

Haha, thanks for the vote of confidence bud.

Richard is following your leads hidden with Bow at the ready. If fighting starts Richard will find his mark.

Though, could we not avoid a fight be simply telling this the truth? Just a thought.

Possibly, though isn't that kind of your thing, Richard? Convincing people?

This.

I somehow often have the feeling not everything is there for everybody to read. When Richard goes off and suddenly returns with Gemma in tow for example.
Separate threads, private links, private messages, secret messages all kind of make sense as other characters may not be present. But it is a p.i.t.a. for anybody to follow if the absent character does not truly share his findings. I, for one, am rather confused where the hell Gemma came from. She is just introduced out of a sudden, a name, is all.
It is nice of Richard to take the initiative and forge ahead but the rest of us have no idea whether there has been no post or whether it's been secret. So I wait, then everybody waits, the game stalls, no one but GM and the character in question notice any progress. Worst case: one believes the game has died and does no longer observe as there is no noticeable progress.
I personally do no longer use private posts exactly for those reasons.

Well, that's what I meant by 'doing your thing'. It has zilch to do with any confidence or trust but simply with not knowing at all whether you are actively posting or whether you fell in a RL hole (like I just did).

So, as for the current situation there's this undefined "we should do something else" but without clear idea what or who. And we do neither discuss this in IC (preferable) or OOC. So we hang there and the game stalls. Have not read anything from Loran, busy RL, I know. Still: what do we do? Just for progress' sake I suggest to attack. I have no better idea myself either. There's been suggestions, I am not opposed to these ideas... someone has to do it, though. And talking is likely to be Richard's thing:D

EDIT
One suggestion was to send Perth as representative of the Arl looking for a thief. That, however, dumps action, initiative and responsibility to the GM and thus is to be evaded if possible as we are not reading a book but playing the book as main characters
This message was last edited by the player at 05:33, Tue 21 July 2020.

Gents, Fost has a good point, and I think it's mostly my fault.

This is my only game on RPoL, and I have to admit I enjoy the ability to split folks into groups (and hide them from each other), something I don't do in games on other sites. In general, this isn't part of the face-to-face RP experience, unless you have a really conspiratorial GM. ;) And, the people encountered in each group are likely people everyone knows.

So, from now on, I think it's important that the players, at least, know the whole story, and that I should trust you gents won't use plot elements your character isn't privy to. It also allows us to just write a line to "retell events" when one or more members of the party are away from the others.

Tomorrow, I'll open up the group threads to everyone; it won't necessary help things for this scene, but, if you gents have an opportunity to read them, you'll have a better idea about things.

Exactly :D

I find this a sensible and reasonable approach and just like to add that if you feel the need to keep stuff secret for story reasons than by golly do it. The norm ought to be 'open read' and that's about it:D

Cheers

I can take some blame too. I am sorry.

I’ll be honest. I can hog a game sometimes. I enjoy playing, and will take initiative to move a game along, example the push to examine and explore the chantry, Richard took charge there and told everyone what needed to get done. I recognized this and decided in this instance I would push it back on the group, ask you what to do next and how to approach this, so Richard slipped into the shadows, which is also his thing, and waits on your guy’s lead. If you want me to be the face and talk I will. I also just didn’t want to seem like I was Hogging the spotlight.

I am fine with everything that is “private” going public, I see the advantage on that no one is out of the loop. I can only speak for myself , it was never about hiding something from anyone.

I hope we can Fix this Fost and keeping playing well together.

That's not where I was going with that statement. I was just saying that Richard is probably the most like a party Face that we have.

That or he just lies about how he schmoozes all the women in town. Both are possible.

As for separate groups, meh. I could go either way. I tend to over post when I play other games, and the pauses in gameplay in this one has caused me to focus more on the other games. Now that the momentum is going, I'm starting to pick things up here as well. I personally don't mind private stuff going public, as long as we can separate it for our characters.

That being said.
What do we do :D?

Well, I'm going to lob magic to at them and try to knock them into submission. Hopefully not kill any of them. We want to talk to them to find Sexta, after all.

So we attack, yes?
We need Richard's and Loran's Initiative, though.

The Arcane Lance has 16yards range.
I know that Loran's spells are at most 20yards range (Weakness).
I presume Mikhail does not have significantly longer range?
Mind Blast at 50yards probably is the longest?
So we need to close?
This message was last edited by the player at 19:14, Tue 21 July 2020.

Mind Blast has a range of 50 yards. That's what I was planning on. Knock prone, even on a success. Knock prone and they lose their action if they fail.

Prone are easier to hit in melee, yes? What about ranged attacks?

Melee attacks are +1 against Prone characters.

Oh, please check if you can access both 101.A and 101.B. (I think I did access correctly.)

Also, I'm going to create a fresh thread for when we start combat.

Yes, I can

I can access everything.

Do these come into play on Initiative rolls, too ?
I don't think so, but thought I'd ask anyway :D

Not really, but it can be kind of fun to say that you have stunted on some rolls.

Essentially, worthless by the rules unless the GM wants them to mean something.

Like he said, for Initiative, no; however, Roleplaying (i.e., personal interaction) and Exploration (searching, examining items) both have stunts available, as does Spellcasting (and certain types of Spellcasting). Look on pp. 432-3 for those, and Combat stunts on p. 429.

Tiebreakers in Initiative rely on the Dragon Die result first and the higher Dexterity modifier second. It otherwise counts as simultaneous action, though we could say earning Stunt Points (not the value, since the Dragon Die is already accounted for) on the Initiative roll counts as a third tiebreaker.

If it does have an effect, i.e. tiebraker, than I'm perfectly cool with this.

As for describing... any chance for a map ? I checked briefly the i-net for any top-view of the village but did not find anything.

I expect to close slowly as the footmen and Perth draw attention.

I presume 55yards distance at the moment.
I will leave Perth & Co to approach within 20 yards of the foes.
Then I plan to move stealthily (12 yards, i.e. 43 distance) and aim.
rolled 16 using 3d6+3 (3 stunt points) with the AGE System with rolls of {3}, 5, 5.  DEX (Stealth).
Depending on whether combat already starts or not I will either make a long distance shot or close further (move and aim as before, should bring be to around 31 yards or more due to bee-lining or cover-grabbing)
I try to keep within 20 yards of Richard at all times, prefearbly so we can crossfire and have a better overview.

Just about when he is likely to go off to sleep (if he has any common sense, lol).

I just added a new map. It's the best I have of the Hinterlands from DAI.

You can link to the map directly here (allows you to blow it up in your browser): https://game-maps.com/DAI/img/The-Hinterlands.jpg

If you look to the right of center on the map, you'll see a compass rose next to a red box labeled 02. That's the Crossroads area. The three blue dots above are the huts on the right side of the road (from your perspective), and the bottom right corner of the merchant wagon covers the house where the Tevinters are staying.

Your current position is at the bottom row of trees just below the black box labeled 13 (just beneath the puzzle piece), up and to the right of the compass rose. I'm going to revise my initial estimate, and call that 35-40 yards away from the Tevinter house.

I keep forgetting that the giant statue of Andraste is in the middle of those three huts. It's also a place to hide.

So, taking some measurements, using the assumption that the pathway (the dark line to the right of the red 02) is approximately 2.5 yards across:

Hiding in the doorway to the Hunter's Hut (left of the three dots around Andraste): 25 yards. Level with the Tevinter's House.
Hiding Behind Andraste: 25 yards. Level with the Tevinter's House.
Hiding near front edge of Gemma's House (top of the three dots around Andraste): 29-2/3 yards. Higher elevation than the Tevinter's House.
Hiding in the doorway to the third house (owned by Owen Giles): 25 yards. Level with the Tevinter's House.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:52, Tue 28 July 2020.

I actually have no idea where each of you lives. I don't recall if I ever asked. :) (In case I haven't shared, I'm on the US West Coast, in the People's Republic of California. At least for now. I've applied for a job in my native Kansas City, Missouri. Still waiting on a call for an interview.)

https://dragonage.fandom.com/w...ssroads_(Hinterlands)

This may also help. If you look at the picture on the right, you'll see the Tevinter house on the left side of the image, and Owen's hut is the nearest hut you see on the right.

Apologies for the delay just posted

Just to clarify something, Brother Loran's healing capabilities are still being explained away as just being healing good at patching people up since he doesn't believe it is magic himself, right? I just reread Fost's speech and he called it your healing powers. Does this mean that people do recognize something unnatural about your abilities, or am I just overthinking things.

Loran, you have DEX+1, you forgot to add that to your Initiative roll.

Fost would call anything he is utterly incapable of as 'power', especially if it is a divine/holy/religious thing.
Still, I quite simply forgot about Loran's concept :/, apologies.

Where is Redcliffe supposed to be on that map?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:24, Wed 22 July 2020.

I don't know if we ever established if Brother Loran has shared with the rest of the party anything of his awareness of the nature of his gifts.

Of course, "healing powers" could also just colloquially mean his talent and skill as a mundane healer (as far as anyone else knows). No one would think a Chantry brother an apostate; that's just too far afield... ;)

That's why he has his maker signing his hand if he uses the arcane lance he will believe its the maker using him as a conduit for his powers.

I imagine your staff looks like the staff Malcom's Honor from DA2. My favorite staff, actually.

Your explanations make a bit more sense to me. Then again, it has yet to actually come up in game, so it's not like it's canon yet, so maybe no one has actually bore witness to one of your spells. I'm certainly going to say the Mikhail hasn't, but I do want to know if you want me to find out. Things like this can get taken in a completely wrong direction, and I'd like to know if and when you want this to become an issue. I can wave away and write that Mikhail doesn't notice your spells as you cast them, or I can write that he does start to take notice and confronts you eventually. Whatever you feel more comfortable with.

Heh, of course, given that Loran and Mikhail will be in the same general area, no one may notice that the brother is also throwing the Arcane Lance. :)

"Man, that Mikhail is fast with that spell!" :D

Expect Loran to be praying a lot to the maker in the combat holding his sign up like a shield of devine protection

Who's to say the maker didn't answer his prayers by shooting a bolt of devine retribution from it :)

As for healing its a natural part of being a healer I as a player knows the spell being cast but he wouldn't its more of a natural act

By the way he also has daze and weakness spells

Okay, just so I have this in one place:

Initiatives

This message was last edited by the GM at 16:33, Tue 28 July 2020.

Lol, I sure assumed it started already, i.e..during my sleeping cycle ^^.

Btw, you can make Easy Tables

|= Character|^= INI|^= DD|^= MOD|^= S
|Sir Perth|^ 16|^ 2|^ 2|^ S



This message was lightly edited by the player at 04:48, Thu 23 July 2020.

Yeah, I was just being lazy... :)

Okay, thank you, Fost, for showing me the chart. I've added in all the initiatives, and I'm going to move us into combat rounds as soon as I post.

That said, since there are a lot of NPCs here, I would like you gents to each take one of Ser Perth's soldiers, in addition to your characters. That'll give us a little more practice in this first combat, and I won't be dominating large swaths of each round.

Fost, please act for the Redcliffe Crossbowman when it's his turn.
Richard, please act for Redcliffe Footman 1.
Mikhail, please act for Redcliffe Footman 2.
Loran, please act for Redcliffe Footman 3.

The post will go up shortly, and you gents will have a chance to post your reaction to what you see/hear before the fun begins. (BTW, you all succeeded on a Perception (Hearing) check.)

Okay, setting "problem" here.
How usual, how common are Tevinter in Ferelden? I assumed they are enemy and not tolerated. Same opinion on Orlesians coming to think on it.
So actually it is not uncommon to find either in Ferelden?

Also, I speak Orlesian. Do I recognize any of the words as Orlesian?

Fost, I think I can answer to that a bit. Orleis is still viewed with mistrust and the people from there more so. That being said, Arl Eamon's wife is Orlesian, so it's not as uncommon as people from Tevinter being here. Remember that Andraste came from Fereldan and overthrew the Imperium preaching the Chant of Light. Seeing Tevinter in Fereldan at all is a big surprise for anyone. Hope that helps a little bit, as I'll leave the rest to GM here.

Thanks, did not remember (or never knew ^^) about the Orlesian wife.

I guess I am having one trouble rating the  guards, they are Tevinter, no? Are they able to speak our language or is Perth able to talk theirs? I forgot, I believe they did talk to us in our tongue before.
Anyway, I am a bit confused about the civility of it all.

Yes, the conversation is taking place in the Trade Tongue. See 3, below.

And, no, Mikhail couldn't make out the words; it was unintelligible noise from his vantage point.

Building on what Mikhail said:

1. Ferelden only successfully regained its independence from Orlais less than two decades ago; it's likely that there are a number of Orlesians who stayed in Ferelden after the occupation ended (becoming Ferelden subjects), and any character closer to 30 than 20 would likely have heard the language spoken in their youth. Orlais is also just on the other side of the mountains from Ferelden, so movement between is common.

Given that, Redcliffe is an occasional, if uncommon, stopping point on the road east from the Frostbacks. Orlesians are known.

2. Tevinters travel, but are definitely rare away from the Waking Sea coastal cities (like Denerim and Amaranthine); to see one in Redcliffe is notable.

3. The Trade Tongue is the common tongue of Thedas. Pretty much everyone speaks it; even Tevinters. In Ferelden, the Trade tongue just happens to be the official language.

4. Regarding the civility, part of that is my dramatic license. Ser Perth wanted to give you gents a chance to get into position, so he saw politely asking about seeing an elf as helping prolong the conversation until you all were ready.

Also, civility is a virtue, and, even though Dragon Age is dark fantasy, I think men of rank and honor would tend to act with civility first, even if that civility is followed immediately by attempts at killing the other in the most efficient way possible. Even Tevinters.

(You'd have to guess at why the Tevinter men-at-arms were so civil.)

5. I can't recall, but I think Mikhail originally noted that their accents were Tevinter; and their accents are certainly different from an Orlesian accent, which most of you would've heard at least once in your lifetime. The Magister just mangled a Tevinter accent, and it's obvious that Orlesian is his native tongue.

Got it. I just wanted to remind you that I do speak the language incase it is a big deal. This is one of the few time I've actually been excited about playing a polyglot as I intend on taking a ton of languages when no magical talents excite me.

Also, I don't remember if we made backstories that important, but I did state in mine that my father breeds, trains and sells Orlesian horses, so Mikahil's very familiar the language. However, this is Mabari country, so horses are kind of viewed as a commodity.

I do want to take advantage of his broad knowledge of language as we continue playing.

Thanks.

As clarification of sorts. I ammall for Perth's manners and attitude, he us a knight after all. I was referring to the "enemy".
Ahhh... you spoiled me :). I was wondering where the Master is

Will we be getting the data of these footmen or do you prefer we just declare move/actions and roll without correct modifiers?

I'll post their info for you to use.

So... what are we waiting for.
Pre-combat descriptions of everyone?

Yes, I'd like to give Loran, Mikhail, and Richard to respond to my last post before we start with combat rounds.

Yeah, thought so.

Come on guys, what's up ?

Wait, what did we actually see/hear? I'm a bit confused based on your description.

Sorry about that.

You hear the whooshing sound of magical energy being summoned from within the house. You don't see anything, but you hear it. Then, you hear a pop and a sizzling sound.

I forgot to add that, to Mikhail's trained ear, that's the sound of a spell failing to go off as planned (i.e., someone failed their Magic check). (I was trying to describe the sound of a spell fizzling out without effect.)

I modified the post for clarity.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:09, Tue 28 July 2020.

Got it. I thought there was an Abomination forming for a moment. That makes much more sense now.

Mechanically, the hidden spellcaster would've had a mishap, except that the spell being cast didn't have a prerequisite, and, as such, cannot cause a mishap. I actually got excited for a moment when I saw a mishap was a possibility. :)

How strictly do you intend to stick to initiative ?

On Forum-based this can be a huge delay as one waits on the next player to post.

I have found that the "Us-Them"-Approach makes sense, however adapted to the Initiative packages.

I.e.
Footman 2 (Mikhail)
Footman 1 (Richard)
Richard
can all post before a foe hs the initiative, e.g. Richard does not need to wait on Mikhail to post
Any detailed 'mistakes' caused by initiative are handled by the GM.
E.g. Mikhail posts after Richard, but Mikhail/Footman 2 knocked down the same foe that Richard/Footman 1 attacked. GM applies the relevant modifier ad hoc and thus Footman 1 actually hits (he would have missed without the prone modifier)
This message was last edited by the player at 07:12, Wed 29 July 2020.

No, I'm not a major (or even minor) stickler on who posts first when players have initiatives together. I do prefer that players wait until they don't have opponents ahead of them in the initiative, but I'm not going to chastise anyone who posts their actions early.

I like the map (Group 0), size limits for Map Uploads here on RPoL can be a constraint for fancy maps like ones might see in VTT applications.
Yours shows everything that is needed.
I checked distances and realized only today that I am within short range of my longbow, hooray. Might even hit someone ^^. Somewhat funny Richard is just outside short range. 'Funny' because he advanced first :)

Guess RL is strangling both Mikhail and Richard to prevent them from posting. I seem to recall you're all from the US (except Loran and myself, that is). I sure hope it's not COVID-19 that is keeping you guys busy.

---

Sometime during 17th Aug - 30 Aug I'll be in France (one week being the current plan, unless COVID-19 intervenes...). Will not have i-net access (it's a remote place), so won't be able to post. Will keep you informed when I will be absent for real.

You all will hate me for this. My wife and I started a new business, we have been building up to this point for a long time, and it has taken off, a great thing for our family. But, this leaves me with no time. I need to leave the game, to take away this distraction, which often pulls me away from my time with my family and the growth of my business. I hope you understand and again sorry. Real life as we all know needs to come first.


Thanks for an amazing time gaming, truly has been awesome and this choice is very difficult for me.

All the Best!

Richard, we were glad to have you with us, and we wish you the best in your family endeavor.

Folks, we'll NPC Richard for the remainder of the fight. I'll get his actions together while we wait on Mikhail to post.

Did not realize you were waiting on me. Sorry about that.

I can offer to play Richard for the fight...

If you like, and I can take his footman.

yeah, you can just shove him over to me, might be the easiest.

Apologies for not reading close enough. Somehow I thought the Master was standing outside

61h passed since last IC post
Just curious, do we have some pause that I missed ?
The ball is in GM's field, yes ?

1. Lord (mm)
2. Fost (F) #105
3. Tevinter Footman 2 (t2)
4. Mistress (ms)
5. Ser Perth (p)
6. ...

Sorry. A rough couple of days on my end. RL bit me in the backside.

I'll get back to it tomorrow.

Ah, okay, thanks for the headsup

Could I jump down the ledge to hasten after Sexta... or rather how difficult di I assess this as regards taking damage or falling?

If Easy (9) I'll try it, otherwise I take the stairs
This message was last edited by the player at 04:29, Wed 05 Aug 2020.

Working on a post. It's getting a bit tedious. :)

Edit: Wasn't able to finish it tonight; will get it tomorrow.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:05, Thu 06 Aug 2020.

Question
T crossbow used last round to move and ready the crossbow

This round he aimed and shot. Did he not need to load the crossbow first and thus not be allowed to aim?

Am asking because crossbow R is exactly same situation...
This message was last edited by the player at 17:48, Thu 06 Aug 2020.

How far away is Sexta in comparison to everyone else, and who can see her?

In reply to Mikhail Loren (msg # 259):

Use Pythagoras ;P
The arrow points straight south...

Deleted the post, fixed it, and reposted.

At this point, (before Loran, Mikhail, and Fost act in the round), only Richard can see Sexta. She is off the map, 23 yards "down" from the left side. Richard himself is out of view of the others, as well, as he's right at the bottom of the map in the same place. In the context of the DAI map, she's running up the path that follows the base of the hill (on which the initial Inquisition camp (Outskirts camp) is located).

True, and I get that, but I was wondering if I could theoretically knock her to the ground with a spell to slow her down. Mind blast has a range of 50 yards, and with her off the map, I can't check to see if she is in that range.

yikes, oh yes, major action

Mikhail can't see her from his position (about 35-40 yards from the corner of the left side of the raised lot the house), and would have no idea where she is to be able to target her effectively.

That's all I wanted to know. Thank you for that.

Brother Loran, what is the footman you're controlling doing? I need his actions before the Magister can respond.

So we all heard them speak in clear Orlesian, or is it just the ones in or near the house?

You were told the servant women were Orlesian. You gents haven't heard them speak, though.

The yelling that filtered out upon your arrival was impossible to discern as any language; nothing was intelligible enough to make such a distinction; however, the false magister and his mistress (the woman in the back of the house) are definitely Orlesian.

You don't know whether or not the Tevinter warriors speak Orlesian.

I'm referring to your msg#119 in the thread. You have a note there stating that they said "die" in Orlesian. I'm asking if Mikhail heard that, or if he's too far away.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:09, Mon 10 Aug 2020.

Oh! Yes, Mikhail definitely heard that, and it was a woman's voice, for certain. If he had to guess, it likely belonged to the magister's mistress, since she was suspected of being a mage in her own right (it didn't sound like Sexta's voice).

Seeing as how I have no real relation to the concept of distance, even when I try to measure things out on the map. Sorry about that, but let me know if I'm out of range as it doesn't look like I moved last round when I did.

A few yards in R1
Half move in R2.
A move in R3
I guess "a few" is 1-3.
half move is (10+DEX)/2, so 5-7 yards?
And another 10-14 in R3.
Cannot recall where you started.
3+7+14=24
Arcane Lance is 16yards.
You better not have started more than 40yards away...
This message was last updated by the player at 20:15, Mon 10 Aug 2020.

I handled it.

I don't know. I've been doing most of this in the theater of the mind. In my head, I didn't start out crazy far away, but that's why I was trying to get some clarification. If I knew I would miss anyway, it would have changed my choice of action entirely, but I didn't know the distance here. In my mind, I would be standing a decent distance behind the soldiers by this point, not an extreme one, but decent enough.

However, it seems that the situation is resolved.

I have been updating the Group 0 map throughout the scene, moving character icons consistent with what was told to me, and had a bar scale at the bottom to help you folks gauge distances.

Is there something different or additional that you'd like me to do to help you keep track of such things? Would giving a general distance to major items/opponents for each PC be helpful?

The map just isn't helpful when I'm not at my computer. There are times when I'm on my phone and trying to update a post. It's not that often, but it happens. Really, if I have questions about things, I'll just ask you directly. Otherwise, I think I can figure it out. It could be that I just didn't see my marker that represents me move.

I like the map and it is providing all the information I need. Yes, I agree, not while on the mobile, though (frim wguch I do most of my posting.
I only re-check the map at the end of a round, though. Maybe should do so more often

Current plan: absent 16th Aug - 24th Aug

Sounds good. Where in France, if I may ask (I saw a bit of the Riviera in my Navy years)?

Just Alsace, near Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, or ~60km south-west-west from Strasbourg

What are Mikhail and Loran doing?

Mikhail doesn't have any specific instructions, but he does have two apostate mages and their gear.

Loran has one of the Redcliffe footmen relaying Ser Perth's desire to have the Tevinter footmen stabilized, and Richard is calling for him to aid Sexta first.

... I was waiting on Loran's action first, seeing as Ser Perth has the mages well in hand. I'll be talking to the Templars when we get back.

Looks like Loran is delayed in posting. Unless otherwise told, he'll continue running toward Sexta (since that was his last declared action).

Gents, our lone lurker (Finlos) has agreed to take over Richard for the remainder of the scenario. They may or may not be creating a new character after we finish up with the false magister and his cronies.

Welcome, Finlos!

Hello everyone, I will be taking over Richard, your party rogue.

Did I lose everybody? Too much exposition?

Haven't lost me Loran is treating the wounded

Am back from vacation.
Welcome Finlos

I'm working on a post right now. There's a bit of exposition, so I apologize for the delay.

I'll give Loran the rest of the day to respond before I move on.

I believe I'll keep the rogue.

edit: I would like to trade-in for some heavy leather however.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:34, Wed 02 Sept 2020.

In reply to Richard (msg # 291):

trade-in ?
Maybe get half-price for Light Leather, 7sp
Heavy Leather is 30sp
We only got 11sp... you lack 12sp :D

I also would have liked to purchase Mail...
Sell my Heavy Leather for 15sp... not enough :/

I can borrow you 8sp at most...

First, a helpful soul pointed out to me that I may have misread the amount of experience you folks should've received. The example on p.315 notes that each character receives the full award, rather than it being split amongst the party. So, that said, instead of 113XP, you each receive 450XP. Please note that change on your character sheets.

Regarding "trading-in" the armor:

The short answer is, yes, you can attempt to sell your old armor or use it as a barter piece for the purchase of better armor; however, you will not get full price for it...your return value will be closer to a quarter of the original price, although good bargaining (i.e., winning an opposed Communication (Bargaining) test) will increase that incrementally.

Owen in the village is a blacksmith and can make metal armors, but doesn't really specialize in leather armors; there's only a small chance he has one in his inventory.

That said, the arl has an armorer and, well, you now have the arl's favor; the castle armorer may be able to assist you where Owen cannot. Given that the castle armorer has more important work (taking care of the knights and soldiers of the arl's house) to attend, his price will probably be a little higher than normal to finish a special piece, but he will also be more likely to take your old armor as part of the barter. You'll certainly have an opportunity to haggle the value of the old armor as a way to lower your out-of-pocket expense.

If you want to roleplay this out, I'd be happy to do so. If not, I'll set up the appropriate rolls for you & we can get it over with. :)

Not me, Mail is at 50sp way beyond my funds even if I were to sell my Heavy Leather at purchase value.
I assume Richard cannot take mine either. Quite different physique ;)

As far as coin, remember, you folks had coin from character creation. Not everyone spent it all. (It looks like Richard's original player only got what was given to him. Of course, that means he needs to buy some lockpicks if he wants to practice his Thievery talent.)

It would take some reworking to tailor the heavy leather to Richard's physique. Not impossible, but it would probably be at least a quarter of the cost of the armor to perform the work.

What is DA's rule on arrow wasting? I shot twice and assume these are gone and need to be replaced

That's a good question. I couldn't find anything in the rulebook.

In the absence of that, we'll go with what other fantasy RPGs rule, which is that you recover half your ammunition, round down, after a fight, if you have time to police the area afterwards. (Situations like a running skirmish, or enemies chasing you immediately after you defeat some would prevent you from recovering any.)

Yes, I had some coin saved from character creation which means I really should go shopping before we set out on our next adventure.

I don't mind roleplaying out the smithy conversation but only if it won't take away time from the adventure.

What would be required of me to send a letter to a Senior Enchanter at the Circle Tower? Do you want me to write out(type IC) the letter as a better part of roleplaying? Want me to roll Communication?

If you wish to put something together, feel free; however, I'll only require a Cunning (Writing) test vs. TN11.

Would Communication (Etiquette) also work?

Edit: I mean using it in order to properly address my teachers and convey my concerns.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:46, Thu 03 Sept 2020.

Do we have daily expenses listed somewhere? You know, lodging, food, drink, ...
If it's only an issue about the 'party' then I'll spend a total of 70cp

Etiquette is specifically noted as "knowing the social niceties of various cultures," whereas Writing is "expressing yourself in the written word."

If you were writing a letter to ingratiate yourself to the recipient, then I would say Communication (Etiquette) would have some bearing. In this instance, though, you're looking to spring the Circle into action regarding the two apostate mages; that, to me, describes the command of the written word.

I supposed that we could go with a combination of Communication (Persuasion) and Cunning (Writing), taking the aggregate of a test on each to determine success or failure. I'd say a TN20 for the sum of the two rolls is appropriate. If both rolls get stunt points, only the higher of the two Dragon Dice will apply.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:03, Thu 03 Sept 2020.

I think I misrepresented what I was trying to do. I'm not trying to spur the Circle into action as much as receive guidance on what is expected of me as a Circle Mage dealing with potential runaways or apostates. Seeing as my whole life has been spent there, this is likely my first run in with a rogue mage. I'm not asking for help as much as I'm asking for instruction or guidance.

I hope that makes more sense, but I will do whatever you deem appropriate and I will roll as you tell me to.

Just rolls twice those 3d6:D
And add the mods later.
Discussing the details with time lag etc seems... overdoing it?

You make a good point there, Fost. I'll roll and just leave the modifiers blank for the time being.

Quick Clarification: Are both the false magister and his mistress/fiancé mages? I reread the whole fight, and there are a few times where it looks like they both cast spells, but I want to be sure.

By the way, yes, I will write out the letter.

Yes, both are mages.

Lol, just saw Richard's contribution to the drinking... that runs down for 7 rounds in total! Quite a party ^^... oh, and let's not forget Loran who does not join in the merry-making
I was assuming pints of half-litres each.

Nice letter, Mikhail, I like it.
Are your references canon or did you come up with namens, titles etc yourself? I expect the former but thought I'd check. Did not play the computer game.
One thing though... what will happen when it will become obvious that Loran is a mage... and clearly not circle-raised. Interesting development.

<jayne>Well, that'll be an interesting day...</jayne>

I came up only with the name of my teacher. All the titles are correct, and done to the best of my knowledge with where in the timeline we are. I nearly put it as Wyne, but I thought it would be better to put a little distance from the games. Also, it makes it easier to maneuver behind the scenes with a blank slate.

Does Fost want to do anything for his coda?

In reply to Evil GM (msg # 312):

I choose to having spectacularly failed my CON roll and feel truely awful the next morning ^^.
As soon as he is able to walk straight again he'll be trying to learn any other news or indeed what people think has happened.
Nothing that needs to be played out though

Aye.

First, though, let's see how messed up poor Fost is. We'll call this a TN17 Constitution (Drinking) test.

Then, we'll follow up with a Communication (Investigation) test vs. a hidden TN which will be informed by the result of the CON test. :)

Fost rolled 13 using 3d6+2 (1 stunt point) with the AGE System with rolls of {1}, 5, 5.  COM (Investigation).

Fost rolled 12 using 3d6+4 with the AGE System with rolls of {3}, 4, 1.  CON (Drinking).

Fost was certainly well lit by the end of the night. :) I'll post the results of the inquiries in the 101.C thread.

Once everyone has paid for the things they want to purchase, we'll advance the timeline three weeks (to just after Richard receiving his new armor) and start the next story on the 21st of Bloomingtide.

https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Calendar

Asking again because of three weeks...

Heh, I was just looking for this in the rule book, trying to figure out if the game addresses it. After some significant search fu activity, I can't find anything to indicate a cost for daily or weekly upkeep, even in the few third-party supplements I occasionally pilfer.

That said, if you're living in the common room of an inn, eating a bowl of stew for each of two meals, and drinking two pints of ale with your meals and a pitcher otherwise, it's going to cost you 60cp per day (a little more than 4sp per week). If you instead have your own room, it'll be 255cp per day (almost 18sp per week).

Someone who has their own place and is buying food at the market (and probably keeping chickens/waterfowl for eggs and such), will probably have upkeep costs as little as 1sp per day. (You could do a deeper analysis, based on medieval food consumption and the prices listed in the food & lodging to get something more "accurate." I might, because I'm just that big of a nerd.)

On the other hand, both Loran and Mikhail have the Chantry providing them room and board, so their living expenses are, generally, nil. Loran has more restrictions about private wealth than Mikhail, though mages generally don't have money, either, within the Circle. Mikhail has greater freedoms in that regard, as he's allowed to "study abroad."

Of course, none of this happens in a vacuum. You gents aren't sitting around, waiting for the next adventure to happen.

Fost, besides being a warrior (who can work as a guard or bodyguard), is also a teamster (Strength (Driving) focus), and can find employment in that regard. It's safe to say that either of those professions would grant him a place to stay and enough money to cover his weekly expenses.

Similarly, if Richard decides to go legit, he also can rely on his teamster (Driving) focus. Of course, he could also use his Thievery specialization and work as a locksmith, when he's not doing his more...roguish work. In either case, again, he'd probably make decent enough money to pay for a common lifestyle.

For right now, we'll go with the hand wave, and say that Richard & Fost make just enough to offset their living expenses during their downtime. If I feel like I can get a good handle on basic living costs, I'll put down a more concrete set of rules later (that will also need to include a system for determining wages).

(And, I got distracted and figured out some numbers, based partly on medieval diets and housing expenses...a "cottage" (like the stilt houses in Redcliffe in DAO) would cost about 10cp/day in rent, and a "craftsman's house" (like the larger Redcliffe buildings in DAO) would cost about 2/3sp per day (or ~5sp/week).

A human needs 3-4 lbs of food and a gallon of fluids per day. So, given that, if you set that bowl of stew to about a pint in volume (weighs about 1 lb.), you can say two of those count toward your 3 lbs, and a pound of bread to go with it (which, it turns out, is about a fifth of a medieval loaf). That gives you 11cp for the food, but 67cp for the ale. So, it'll cost you about 75-80cp per day for eating (which we'll call 5.5sp per week).

Combine that with the lodging, and you have 6-7sp/week living in a cottage, or 10-11sp/week living in a craftsman's house. But, I'm still not decided on the value of my methodology, so I'll study it a bit more.)

I can freelance for both options although I have a suspicion that the locksmith option earns significantly more coin.

Right now, however, my take-away is 'no living expenses'.

And with that, time to go shopping before we leave.

There, that should be a list more suitable for adventuring, including lockpicks!

At some point Richard will likely expand his skillset to dual wielding but he can pick up an extra weapon at that point.

Ready to advance time and go adventuring!

Yeah, handwave approach is probably best at this point. I was also asking to get the reward in relation.

Yea, also ready to proceed but I take it Loran wants to talk to Sexta

I'll start the new story soon and allow Loran to complete his coda on the side.

New story post is up, everyone; please feel free to contribute.

Loran, please continue the Story 101 coda thread until you're ready to wrap it up.

Going back and reading, Richard was indeed flirting with Gemma.  I'm going to have to add that to my posts.

Sorry, folks. I had a rough day and didn't get to writing for either game threads. I'll work on it tomorrow and Monday.

Weekend, I certainly don't expect you to post on weekends as I rarely do so myself

How did I know we'd be rescuing Alistair.

Well, he was a Ward of the Arl until he got sent to the Chantry for Templar Training at the behest of Arl Eamon's wife. So... I figured we'd either meet him or we would have been there after he had already been left. This does mean that his Andraste amulet was shattered, either now or soon... does this mean we get to fix it?

:D
Just checked on Valena, yup, she's too young, my bad in my post about 'Richard's fancy turning elsewhere'

Yes, Valena's interest is purely one-sided and teenage fantasy on her part. :)

I had forgotten about Alistair's amulet (been a while since I've played DAO); I'll have to look at wiki notes on it and see if it, perhaps, comes into play.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:30, Mon 14 Sept 2020.

It was more a throwaway thing. By the way, Loran, when would you like me to become aware that you are an apostate?

About that cart.... why ? Is it any good for us ? I think it will only slow us down.

That being said.
I take it everyone's STR is worse than their DEX, so I expect everyone to ride rather than drive ?
If we take the cart Fost can manage it (and of course for those who prefer a save journey: you can sit in the cart and just take a ride :D), if we do not take it I would ride a horse, too.

Hmm... if it is horses and not mules, ponies, donkeys or what not, ^^

I kept Richard unaltered so he has str (driving)

Part of the issue is the big difference in speeds between a riding horse (18), a mule (10), and a draft horse (8); this translates into daily travel speeds of 25, 13, and 11 miles, respectively.

Riding horses aren't meant for heavy burdens, so trying to lug four weeks' worth of food, drink, and other camp supplies for five (including the boy) will tax them. Mules & draft horses are used for such heavy burdens. I added the cart to give you folks a place to put all those things without having to manage a string of mules (driving a cart pulled by a pair of mules is easier than trying to lead a 3-4 along).

It's up to you, gents. If you want to forgo camp supplies (tents, bedrolls, etc.) and take only rations (which are still somewhat bulky) and a couple water skins each (which will each need to be refilled after a day's use), you can take five riding horses and test your luck. While you'll nearly double your daily travel, you'll also have to worry about finding water along the way...so, greater risk for greater speed.

What do you want?

I prefer being prepared out in the wilds, and that involves supplies.

It does raise the addition concern of how to care for them (cat, horses, etc.) should we have to go on foot however.

There's a cat, too?
Mwuahmwuah.
Ok, a bad one, Pardon.

Let's see.
First of all: 4 weeks? How ever did they end up with that assessment? That's a frigging long time.
Okay, okay, all that gear, yes, we'd better take that cart.

So 2 wheels, 1 mule, right?
You said 2 mules, i.e. 4 wheels?
Either way, are we assuming that two sit on the cart while the others walk? Or that then others ride horses?

Protecting the animals and cart may prove troublesome, yes, but I don't think we have muchnif a choice.

Hey, you never know when you need a good mouser on the trip. There's nothing like a good mouser, and the cat that's joining you is nothing like a good mouser. ;)

2-wheel cart & one mule is fine. I was thinking 4-wheels, but 2-wheels will carry the equipment just fine.

So, the idea is that you have three riding horses & one cart. The cart will have a driver, the other characters will ride on a mount. When you have the boy, he can ride on the cart, also.

So, based on the map of Ferelden I have, Lothering is about 86 miles (based on my measurements) along the West Road from Redcliffe. Bournshire was never placed on the map (being a throwaway line in DAO), so I placed it about a 54 mile trek inland from Lothering (passing through another bannorn village about 36 miles north of Lothering). The 140 mile trek is 11 days with the cart setting the pace, giving you a 22-day round trip, not counting the time spent looking for the boy, giving you a 6-day buffer. There's also 10 days' worth of food that will be included for the boy, although you'll also have about a hundred silver for incidentals (expecting you'll pay for rooms in Lothering and other towns; they'll want anything unspent back, of course).

On a side note, it's interesting watching older shows and seeing actors you recognize. We've been running through Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes series again and, in consecutive episodes from the early 90s, saw a very young Jude Law and the actress who voiced Aveline (Joanna Roth) in DA2.

Letting the Arl outfit and feed us sounds good to me.

Right.
Let's go.

This question is becoming increasingly important as we have seen on the reaction of the Chantry Mother.
It is indeed time to ponder this, I agree fully with Mikhail

BTW, that was one of the roll-based benefits of a Ferelden Freeman, the only actual choices the player made was to pick either Constitution (Stamina) or Willpower (Courage) plus any one of Contacts, Scouting or Thievery talent... apart from allocating Abilities.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:02, Thu 17 Sept 2020.

Sorry for the short response and lack of activity. I have a job interview coming up in a few minutes, and I've been going over my notes for it for the last couple of days. I'll get back to more regular activity after... :)

We are on our way, yes?

That's what I'm writing up, yes. Still working on it. Getting you to the next morning on the road.

Guys?

This is the one issue that I have with the AGE system with regard to magic. It's entirely focused on combat spells or spell to be used in combat encounters. I wish there was a more soft magic system to help with this, but I digress.

Riding on the right side of the cart, about 10 yards ahead

Walking on the left side of the cart

Is Loran leading his mount, or is the horse tied to the cart?

I'll be riding in the cart with Richard, if possible. If not, I'll be trying to get back into riding horses again with this character.