Old thread was getting full.  Behold the new!

Re Qadar:

From the necromancer's journal:

Otto led us back to the chasm, but the fire took his spell book. We began climbing. Otto fell at once.

Jasmine heard the howls of the white ones. They fear the light, but our supplies were limited.

Jasmine fell. I am alone. But I know the way out! Ha ha ha.

Survival through necromantic preservation.

If Lenny were a detective, he would wonder how a key to that room came to be "lost" in that fountain. Could it have been by design?

~~~

OK, a little more exploring, but I really think it's time to cash out.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:11, Wed 20 Jan 2021.

Fair enough Lenny.  I missed the encounters with undead.

We might talk to him.  I am sure we have a dog collar that might have belonged to him.  I wish we had know alignment to cast on a few people.

This is also an Egyptian-themed dungeon. They were like the original necromancers.

Right, the dog collar.

Conversation could be an option, an intriguing one. But it would be with a mad necromancer, who would be, by definition, evil.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:13, Wed 20 Jan 2021.

Oh c’mon.  That was so Mesopotamia.

There is only so much I can keep in my head :).

Alright, stairs heading down. That's a universal indicator. Shall we call it a day, Sil?

I admire Ati's curiosity about the stairs, but I have to admit I am wary about going down 1 (or more) levels right now.

I updated the map on the Loot thread. There are three areas that could be secret/hidden rooms. And one area that is less likely but possible.

And there is still the monkey statue room. Perhaps the magic spear that Ati now wields is the key?

DM: I forgot ask specifically, the room with the collapsed wall, east of the stirge room...is there an opening seen above the rubble; like another room; or is it just stone/earth?

I was going to say it is weird that in "interior" wall would crumble, but then there is a carrion crawler living next door!

We also have Durmen and Axel waiting (maybe) with Lankios. I know the players are gone, but IC we can walk them out of the story if needed.

After all this ramble, my vote is to check for those possible secret rooms - maybe challenge the monkeys - and then collect the two soon-to-be-ex-colleagues and head back to the Inn.

DM: If we want to cash out our small collection of goodies, including the MU scroll, is the Inn suitable or do we have to head back to Newmarket?

Just stone.



It  has been established that there is at least one merchant at the inn, though you didn't seem satisfied with his offerings when you dealt with him.  Whether avoiding those bad deals is worth another trip back down and back up the Stair is up to you.  At the very least, the inn constitutes civilization enough to let you get your XP.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:01, Fri 22 Jan 2021.

Arcane scrolls, you say?

They might be secret areas, but they could be load supporting walls.

I say we exhaust ourselves on this level. Going down sounds like a good place to start a new day with.

If we get our XP at the Inn, let's "save up" for a trip to Newmarket and make it worthwhile.

Lankios speaks Mythric... we just got an item with that writing did we not?

I think going down is for after a nice rest and resupply.  If we want to finish this level then I'm up for that.

I will note that someone is here.  The "stuff" was set up and there is unevaporated water and oil here.

Yes, we found a rod with mythric writing.  Given a day or two we can cast read magic on the other scrolls.

In reply to Qadar (msg # 9):

Calm down Qadar! :-)

A level 6 MU spell, Bestow Curse - you need to be 12th level to cast level 6 spells! And if you read the descrip[tion for Write you will see that copying it into your book, is not exactly safe at our level.

IF anything, Sil'qian and Qadar should spend some down time comparing spell books. Although Sil'qian's is truly sad!

It sounds like everyone is in agreement to wait before going down the stairs.

Good reminder about the 8 niches in the floor and the water and oil...some kind of trap/trigger/magical device? Perhaps the well turns into a scrying device?

I thought Walker was carrying the spear...he should hand it over IC, I guess.

Durmen has it...

link to a message in this game
link to a message in this game

Our characters shouldn't suffer for our daftness. Right, leave our best weapon with the paralyzed git.

DM, was there any signs of traffic in the necromancer's secret room? If there has been no movement in there for ages, there would be dust on the floor. Was there dust coating the interior of the wall-door? Does the wall-door lock from the inside or only on the outside?

In other words, has he hidden himself there while we muck about? Or is he in some state of stasis until he disturbed by the likes of us?

Did he command that collared zombie to lock the door and then drop the key in the fountain?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:54, Sat 23 Jan 2021.

Hah, this edition is all about your characters suffering because you did something dumb. :p  That said, I'm not the type to undult punish you for someone dropping from the game.  You don't have the spear right now, but I'll be up front and say you'll be able to get it back.



There was a lot of dust but no sign of recent foot traffic.



You didn't see a keyhole inside, but you didn't take a long enough look to know anything beyond that.

I'm more interested in the identify scroll although casting it from the scroll means we don't need the 100 gp pearl.

How long would Qadar need to add Mythric to his languages known, assuming he finds a teacher?

I'd need to think about that.  I don't want to make you take as long as it would in real life (potentially years), but I don't want to make it laughably quick.

Good news! The monkey room is no longer going to be a problem...

https://twitchy.com/brett-3136...egacy-of-oppression/

(sorry to drag this into our game, but I couldn't help myself!)

One way to think about the language acquisition thing is to consider a character has been 'working on it' for some time, and suddenly it 'clicks'... That's how Spanish was for me. I studied it for a couple months and then went to live in South America, and it still took several months after that for it to click and for my mind to be able to process it in a way that allowed me to understand it and really 'get it'.

Plus... aren't wizardy types really really really smart and stuff? ;-)

I have been thinking of tying it to Intelligence checks - say, one check every two weeks to a month.  Succeed, and you learn the language.  Fail, and you either give up or try again (spending the time and paying your teacher accordingly).

Exams are troubling me once again, hopefully the last time. Don't mind if I don't post to the game for quite some time. Thanks.

If debris blocks access to a room, we won't check it (for now). We won't go into the monkey chamber to check that 5' stretch of eastern wall either.

I agree with Lenny.

We should check the accessible walls of the red and green areas on the map on the loot thread, for secret doors; except if debris will require hours to clear.

Then back to Lankios. If you want to fast-forward past the searching (except if we find something) that's OK with me!

If we find nothing :-( we can pick up at Lankios' room for expedience if you like.

Barring further word from any of you I will post tomorrow, on the assumption that you're heading back to the Sign of the Broken Head.

I will take this opportunity to remind the DM of the following: The GM may also choose to award additional experience points in any situation in which he or she feels that the players deserve it, although the authors recommend that such instances should not be overly frequent nor the awards made too large.

I love the way the authors gently advise against undue largess.

I went ahead and marked items in the loot thread we might consider unloading at the inn for exp.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:35, Sun 31 Jan 2021.

Alsmost forgot: The XP post in the Loot Thread has been updated for your most recent return to civilization.

Each share of coinage amounts to: 78 SP and 42 GP. I have removed their entries from the loot thread.

DM, I trust that you have already given us EXP for the straight coin?

Now if we sell some valuables to the merchant, do we get 100% of their GP value in exp even if we get much less back in actual GPs?

We have Brian. Why would we hire a healer?

If one is good, isn't two better? Our expeditions have been high percent lethality
..

Also, I am deflecting from the fact that I forgot Brian. Low level clerics seem like fighters much of the time. Sorry Brian!

That's some seductive logic. Imagine if you applied it to children? Medieval penitents loved it as well.

Looks like we're set on selling the items in Lenny's last post, minus the chain mail. Is the merchant about?

I think we are taking two days - one to see if anything is magical and to read magic on ths scroll and for Sil'quin to copy spells from my book, and day 2 to reload attack spells for the dungeon.  If the armour / sword is magical determines what we do with it.

Qadar needs to buy a backpack and maybe a small metal box to protect his spellbook from fire (unless there is something lighter or cheaper).

Sorry I've been silent for a while; real life stuff happened.  I'll have a post for you guys tomorrw night.

No worries, DM...stay safe and healthy.

Walker do you want the chain mail? Your post has me confused! :-)

I'm thinking there is no point in selling the gems, just get them valued. Since they are easier to carry than coin.

Qadar the spell scroll is too high level to use so I figure we sell it now and get some cash if we can. I looked at the rules for using a scroll higher than you can cast and there are certainly some downsides to it. And it is not really that useful in any case:

Curse Item
Conjuration/Summoning
Level: Cleric 5, Magic User 6, Illusionist 6
Range: Touch
Duration: Permanent
Area of Effect: Single Item
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 hour
Saving Throw: Negates

This spell curses an item (magical or mundane) with a minor malevolent effect. The caster, as well as any other individual or set of individuals (such as "all town guards" or "all halflings") chosen by the caster at the time the item is cursed are not affected by the curse. Only magical items are allowed a save against the spell: saving as 10th-level fighters.

We can sell that scroll.  If we scribe the identify spell and figure out torch treatment we might sell that one too.  I think we have an unidentified scroll in our inventory.

According to the OSRIC rulebook, you actually get their GP value in XP vor simply bringing them back to town: selling them is not required.  The XP value I gave you is thus for coin, monsters, jewelry, and magic items recovered.  There is no more to be had at this time.



The book is frustratingly vague on this subject, so I'm dipping into the 1E DMG and making some personal judgment calls.  I'm going to say that copying a spell from another magic user's spellbook takes one hour per spell level, but doesn't require special monetary or material costs and (luckily) doesn't consume the page as it would a scroll.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:26, Mon 08 Feb 2021.

We still need to cast Read Magic on the spellbook and make our percentage chance to know spells to copy it, or to copy the identify spell.

I need to regain the spell slot to copy spells from Sil'quin's book.  He has permission to freely copy from mine.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:40, Mon 08 Feb 2021.

That is correct.

I'm still going to check under the cushions.

So our only real incentive to sell items would be to generate coin to buy other stuff.

Alright, let's wrap up the spell harvesting and re introduce ourselves to the necromancer.

You know, I had no recollection of that spell scroll from the monkey room! But now I remember it was in front of the first monkey.

I guess we should roll our "chance to learn", whoever makes it, should copy it into their book, and then the other can copy from the book.

I don't recall what the Torch Treatment does it might be in the OOC thread.

Also, Qadar will have to memorise Detect Magic, and check out the pile.

I feel like this is something you guys should keep track of, even if it's just in your ScratchPad.

Brian could also pray for detect magic while Sil'quin copies my spellbook and Qadar casts read magic on the unknown arcane scroll.

If there is no more xp to gain we don't need to sell things unless they are heavy as we just need basic supplies.

Yeah, it was meant to be that way, Walker was trying to make up his mind. I decided to go with the chainmail after all. It's a good upgrade mechanically, and also for the progression of his character in taking Durke's quest as his own. Walker was the squire, the pathfinder, the support, Durke was the knight. Now that the burden of the quest is upon Walker's shoulders, the chainmail feels somehow more fitting.

Walker's Studded Leather is up for grabs or available to sell.

Chainmail has been removed from the loot thread.



We rent the private room for 20 gp (5 pay 3 gp; Lenny pays 5 gp).

We hire a linkboy at 1 sp a day.

How many days do the mages need? Then we can pay for meals.

Time required:
Tomorrow:

• Brian gains and casts Detect Magic on everything.
• Qadar memorises and casts Read Magic for the spell scrolls.
• Sil'qian copies Detect Magic and Unseen Servant from Qadar's book. If he makes his know spell rolls.
• Qadar should roll to know Identify before Sil'qian, as Qadar will level to try again, much faster! IF he makes it he copies it into his book.
• Sil'qian will try the Torch Treatment (a nice adventuring spell).
  
  Day After, head back to visit with the undead guy!

Qadar let me know if you see anything I missed with the spells.

I may need two days - Read Magic for the identify scroll and read magic for the new scroll.  I would cast on the new scroll as the identify spell isn't going anywhere.  Maybe we can find a 100 gp pearl from the merchant.

We certainly don't need a full week.  Qadar will skip the spells from Sil'quin's spellbook for now.

DM: I think we can we memorise our spells in the morning, cast them, and then rest again mid-day for 4 hours, and then cast again in the evening.

What say you?

If so, we can probably get away with a single day.

Qadar, I'm not sure that casting Identify is necessary, as long as we can separate magical from mundane.

Besides, Identify looks pointless at first level: 20% chance to gain an insight into an item.

Poll Time...


Q: What is the name of our new Linkboy?

1. Gus
2. Nob
3. You There! (Jhu'thyr)
4. ???

I knew I forgot something last night. I'll get casting results up tonight (hopefully).

Nob

Since we're on the verge of playing again, shall we agree on a convergence at the lair of the necromancer. If the archers just open up on the skull hounds, do we get a surprise round?

A segment of surprise seems reasonable.

Target  practice, it is, then. Bring out the Gatling guns.

I do not see what the arcane scroll contains in spells from the Pool of Thoth.

Other than that, rock and roll.

I vote "Nob" it's closest to Nodwick!

I added Detect Magic and Unseen Servant to Sil'qian's burgeoning spellbook of near useless spells! :-)

We should probably split up treasure - but that can be done OOC while the game goes on and assume it happened at the Inn?

That's right... I was thinking of Holy Water... Weren't the Necromancer's dogs skellies? If so, I'm not sure a barrage of arrows will do that much damage...

Maybe Walker should buy a flail? Is that too meta? Would he know this or surmise it at any rate?

It's not hard to figure out that a weapon designed to puncture muscle and internal organs won't do much against a creature that lacks both.

Brian is casting Detect Magic.  Qadar is casting read magic on the scroll from the Pool of Thoth.

Whoops, my mistake.  I've edited my post accordingly.

Any excavation tools for sale? Like a shovel and a pick? I don't know. I don't excavate.

Just busier than usual, DM?

Or should we maybe take a longer break so you can recharge?

Very much the former. I'm free tonight, so I'll get things back on track then

Excellent! We have a date with the necromancer kennel master.

Hey, Sil.

We presumed that the necromancer and his guard pups wouldn't have moved between one visit and the next. If they had, we might have sketched out a contingency plan. We certainly wouldn't have waited to figure out a plan of action during our surprise round.

I assume you're just doing a bit of RP before loosing a volley of arrows.

Ati, I suggest you target the necromancer with your spear after saying the spear's name.

Waiting on actions from Qadar, Ati, and Brian.

New post will hopefully be up tomorrow; otherwise I'll get it done on Sunday.

That's too much, too much.

If Brian is still busy with school, could we have him attempt to turn undead in round 1?

Ati, did you take double specialization with the spear?
This message was last edited by the player at 03:24, Sun 28 Feb 2021.

I contacted him via  PM and he's actually leaving. :(  I'll keep him active for this combat, at least, and yes, having him attempt to turn is fine.

Yes indeed.

Then you should get two attacks the first time you attack. I guess you could take them now instead.

Is the spear +2, or +3?

It hasn't been identified. Roll as though it's nonmagical and I'll apply the relevant bonuses.

Also, be sure, when you attack, to note what AC your attack hits, to minimize the busywork I have to do.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:58, Sun 28 Feb 2021.

Will do.  (Slap me good if I forget.)
This message was last edited by the player at 15:34, Mon 01 Mar 2021.

In reply to Ati (msg # 72):

And two attacks on odd rounds for double specialization (+3,+3 to hit/dmg bonus as well).

Do you have a 16 STR?

Def something going on with monkeys.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:17, Mon 01 Mar 2021.

I'm working on a combat post now, and Lenny's post has prompted me to remind you that, when in melee with multiple foes, you cannot choose your target - I'll roll randomly based on how many foes are eligible to be attacked.

Got it!

I had asked earlier about digging supplies...

Are we just talking crowbar and shovel?

Sil, I don't see any harm in doing a quick check on those couple of walls. The area does feel complete to me.

Q, there was a chamber with three hear, see, say no evil mechanical monkeys. We did get some treasure from the room. At a later time, we might return to try to deafen, blind, and silence them.

I would like to figure out the "puzzle" near the "well".

Maybe pour some water into the well and see if it flows into the grid? Or vice versa?

DM: the 8" x 8" sections, how deep are they?

With the vats, I wonder if water + gunky stuff = lamp oil?

About 6 inches.

I'm inclined to think that was a storage area of components used during summoning rituals by the demonologist (later turned necromancer). The journal references soliciting costly assistance from an alien entity.

DM, with shovel and crowbar, how much of a labor would it be to excavate the buried corpse?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:06, Tue 02 Mar 2021.

Unless you've got a pickaxe and a way to get the excavated rubble out of the room, it's going to take a very long time.

I will pass on that. We're not playing DCI Lenny.

I do indeed have STR 16.  Thanks for the reminder about the extra attacks.  I added a note to my sheet.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:15, Wed 03 Mar 2021.

In reply to Ati (msg # 82):

In which case you receive an additional +1 to your damage, so with double specialization, that's +4, plus the spear's magical bonus.

@DM - Are the walls constructed or natural looking? I'll IC a correlative post.

Constructed.

Oh, I forgot to ask. Does that room lock from both the inside and the outside?

Outside only.

Huh. So someone locked them in there by request/order or otherwise.

They are.

So new marching order now that the stairs are done?! :-)

  Sil'qian
Tybalt  Ati
    Nob
Brian   Qadar
   Lenny

Infravision at front and back; melee fighter at back with cleric for immediate backup, fighter in row 2 to save the wimpy elf in front!

Thanks Lenny.  He also gave you the sling.

Before anyone says anything, I know the game thread is giving the "nearing post limit" message.  It still has over 40 posts to go before it hits that point though, so I'm trying to save starting a new thread for when I have something a little more interesting to show.

Also, we have a replacement player for Brian!  Welcome, New Player, and may your stay in Arden Vul be fruitful.

Welcome Brian the newer!

Welcome, and good luck.

Yay! We got our healer again! Welcome!

By the way, I apologize for the map pictures being smaller and lower-res.  The map for this level is scaled much smaller than for the one you just explored, and I have to go to 150% zoom just to get the size I have.  I figure it's still clear enough for Sil to do his mapping.

The Brian is dead; long live the Brian.

In reply to DM Maleketh (msg # 96):

This is fine, doesn't break the site on my small screen now! ;-)

In reply to DM Maleketh (msg # 96):

Works for me...I will post an updated map once shortly, pretty mundane so far!

Silk's in the lead, I say he's the "Caller" for now. I don't think anybody wants to bog down and wait for everyone to post for every 10' of exploration. Carry on, we're in tow!

And this is your healer!

Walker said I should be "caller" for now. So I will pick a door and move forward unless anyone has a better idea!

No real method to my direction choice, simply hoping to circle around to where the stairs were, so we can say that we have explored/cleared a section!!

New map will be posted shortly.

In situations where there is no decision to be made, maybe we should just auto-advance. When we search for secret doors, we tend do it after we have fleshed out the map.

I'm okay with speeding things up in that fashion if everyone else is.

Abset any further input, I will post tomorrow on the assumption that you are heading south (the only available exit that isn't locked).

It looks like both Qadar and Ati may have dropped.  Getting real tired of that, I have to say.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:02, Sat 20 Mar 2021.

I'll ask around in some of my other games.

Maybe we should just NPC the mage for the foreseeable future. It will be a long time before that character is fun to play (beyond RP).
This message was last edited by the player at 20:10, Sat 20 Mar 2021.

I don't really get it. I am playing in 5 other old-school games and this one is, by far, moving along at the best pace.

There's no doubt that single-class MUs pretty well suck at low levels. Far better to play a multi-class to allow for more actions once that one spell is cast. I recommend MU/Thief as a lot more fun.

Like I mentioned before, let's make Qadar a hireling until such a time in the future as someone wishes to take him on. Ati could be the same, we'd just treat him as a hireling like Nob.

I realize it's not RAW OSCRIC, but one of he ways to keep magic-users interesting to play is to give them cantrips. Basic Fantasy RPG has a good method for this called 0-level spells. There are other systems as well that would be easily compatible. Certainly nothing game breaking, especially when our archers are pretty deadly. I would have no problem with houseruling a bit of simple magic for the arcane-inclined in our game. A 1d3 damage Bolt spell and maybe a weak Mage Hand familiar would really add some fun to playing the MU.

As for player attrition, this is a very hard medium to play in. A player needs to have interest, stamina and a sense of dedication. Hard to find in this day when platforms like Discord etc. exist.

Anyway, recruit if possible, but otherwise I vote to just let them fade into the ranks of support cast.

I'm OK with NPC'g Ati and Qadar for the moment. But whatever the DM decides works for me...new players are always welcome.

This will never happen.  New players, as a rule, do not want to take over existing characters.  They'd much rather make their own.



Mid- to high-level casters already outclass basically everyone else.  Their early weakness and high XP requirements are the biggest balancing factors they have.  They aren't necessarily well-done, mind, but I'm hard-pressed to want to make casters better than they already are, even if it means they suck at low levels.



Bah, player attrition has always been a problem on PbP games.  It predates Discord by literal decades.  The closest thing there used to be was AIM, and that wasn't really suitable for RP between more than two people.

Ati, at least seems to be back - he replied to my PM, and that last post was from him, not me.

"Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm a man of wealth and taste.
I've been around for a long long year. Stole many a man's soul and faith..."

Greetings, I am now Qadar with a new coat of paint (Description) and soul (Player). I look forward to offering magical support to the group in the coming adventures within this dungeon. I'm going to try to work within the framework the previous player set up. However, if I miss something just let me know.

Also, I am familiar with the OSR style of gaming. I also started playing at the tail end of 2nd ed. However, this is my first time playing with OSRIC so if I miss something important I'll not be offended if you point it out.

Welcome Qadar the new and refreshed!

I laughed when I saw the new avatar, I took over an MU in another OSRIC game, albeit a 10th level MU, and I chose the same avatar! Great minds...

If you played 2E then you should be fine. 2E was just 1E with coat of paint and some reno's to the bathroom. OSRIC is like 1E with the clutter removed.

Welcome new Qadar! Glad to have you here with us! (psst, remember it was I who tried to lobby for some low-level cantrips... ;-)


I don't disagree, however in a PbP, it could take YEARS of real time to get to anywhere close to the fun levels for MU... By that time, the 1d3 Bolt and Mage Hand (Force pull/push) or 0-level cantrips would be of little significance anyway. The baddies get badder and the spells get better. But between then and now...? Better buy some extra Darts and Daggers Qadar!

To be fair to the DM, I asked to run this character because it would allow me to get into the game faster. Had the party been in a town when the chance came up it might have been different. ;)

Thank you, both of you, for the welcome. Sil'qian, clearly we are both people of taste and sophistication. With luck the posts made under this picture will be worthy of it.

Honestly, I feel that low level wizards, when played by the right player, can be a lot of fun. It becomes more about acting around the spells then worrying about the spells themselves. Just like any other good character it is better to look beyond just what the sheet says. Heck, I'm just happy to play in this sandbox.

So, plot twist: Qadar's original player got in touch with me.  I won't go into any details, but suffice it to say that he had a good reason for being gone and out of touch, and I cannot in good conscience deny him his spot.  That said, I also don't want to boot our new player just as he's getting into the game.  Given all that, I propose that Qadar's original player take over his character, and our new player take on the role of Brian until you get back to the surface, at which point he can create his own character.  I didn't intend to run the game with seven PCs, but I don't think it should be too much of a problem, and it insures us in case real life happens to someone else.

Sound good?

I would never deny someone in this circumstance. I’d be happy to take on Brian with the same gusto I’ve applied to Qadar..
This message was last edited by the player at 00:19, Thu 25 Mar 2021.

Seven is fine.

The more the merrier! That gives us two clerics for the time being. Yay!

And really this seems to be an old-school dungeon, and in the days of yore parties were often 6 to 8 PCs plus henchmen!

Welcome Qadar of old!

Yes, I was going to echo Sil's comments. The old mods didn't strictly restrict party size like the modern ones.

The player limit was entirely for my sake. Games tend to get unwieldy with more than six players or so.

There seems to be a consensus here, but I still want to wait on Qadar Classic before making any calls, in c ase he says something unexpected.  He says he might need another day or two before he can post, so for now I'll just ask everyone to sit tight.

No problem...and while old-school games often needed large parties I get that on RPOL it often leads to attrition as the more players, the less likely they will all be posting at a similar rate.

No problem by me. If anything DM, just kinda usher us along. Maybe we have a Caller and an Assistant Caller for most things. If someone falls behind in the posts a little just jump in where we can. Combat is a little different of course, but much of the RP and exploration can proceed without having to wait for everyone to post each time. Plus another cleric!

Well, I wanted to wait for Qadar to drop in, but it seems he's still indisposed.  In the interest of not letting the game stagnate, I've given him back his character and given our new player control of Brian.

"He's not a Cleric! He's just a very naughty boy!"

Thank you, DM, for making the swap. I look forward to seeing what develops with the current scene as we move forward. :)

So Ati remains Ati.

Brian who was Qadar is now Brian again, but not the first Brian.

Qadar remains in limbo.

It looks like this module was written with real intelligence. We had the literal bloodsuckers on the first floor, the stirges, and they were replaced by figurative bloodsuckers, the extortionist halflings--like a manifestation of Chicago Irish gangsters. If we were evil, we'd be right to kill them here and now.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:43, Sun 28 Mar 2021.

DM: Two questions:

1. Is the humanoid slumped against the wall a halfling?
   
2. Was the halfling corpse we found in the level above, dressed similarly to these halflings?

Lenny: I'm not sure that we need to be evil to kill halflings running a protection racket!

And while I as thinking we might be able to negotiate more reasonable terms (who knows how many of them are here) our stalwart dwarves may have inadvertently made the decision for us, let's see how it plays out!
This message was last edited by the player at 22:27, Sun 28 Mar 2021.

Then I absolutely think we should kill them here and now. You and Walker should let loose the moment they leave to get more thugs.

In order: No, human; and not really apart from having some similar equipment.

So nothing for leverage other than our good looks and charm. And Sil'qian has none of either!!

I was thinking a Sleep spell might take some of them out of the fight to start...

Hm... well, Thertryd's got a 13 Charisma among non-Dwarves, so while she's kind of charming, she wasn't really expecting the Halflings to be too cooperative.  So, thanks for concluding negotiations!  Because all Thertryd was going to do for her part was continue to lecture them on how bad of friends they had until something happened.

"Well, golly, I guess you're right, antsy-looking dwarf lady!  We do have bad taste in friends."
"I know you do.  That's why I'm going to teach you how to make macaroni art.  One picture will be for your old friend, telling them, 'Hey, I don't wanna be friends with you, anymore!  You're mean!'.  The other picture will be of us, as friends!  Doesn't that sound nice?  And, hey.  Maybe they'll wanna learn how to make neat pictures, too, and start to behave, and then we can all be friends!  Wouldn't that be nice?"
"Really?!"
"Really!"
"Oh, boy!"

I'll post something when I get home from work today. I'm about to leave.

I would suggest that the halflings were causing trouble!! :-)

I can't recall ever encountering evil halflings, but these ones must be at least chaotic neutral, so I feel justified in offing the little buggers!

I promise at the next encounter (assuming these halflings are not going to kill us) that Sil'qian will acquiesce to Thertryd - the power of macaroni art should never be underestimated!

Waiting on a combat post from Thertryd.

Ati, you get 2 round 1 attacks (+2 for charge, +3 for specialization, unknown bonus from spear, your str bonus if any).

Life's been a bit hectic leading up to Easter, but I'll have a post up either tomorrow or Sunday.

No worries. Holidays always require work!

New post is up.  The dice continue to favor you.

Also, Qadar still hasn't actually shown himself, so I'm really not sure what to do at this point.  Figure I'll give it another week or so and see whether he turns up.  Hopefully he's okay.

Doesn't matter as the battle went our way in 1 round; but you said that the others reacted before Sil'qian's Sleep spell due to the casting time...it's casting time is 1 segment.

Is is the group attacks before spells? Or something else?

Because the casting time is one segment, you begin casting it on your own segment (2 in this case) and finish on the next (3).  To cast a spell on the segment you begin it, the spell would need a casting time of 0 segments.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:40, Mon 05 Apr 2021.

OK, I get it. So the group all starts on segment 2 and the spell goes off in segment 3 while attacks go in segment 2.

Initiative has always been the bane of AD&D!!

I would say that you have more patience than I would have. Even if he does check back in, it sounds like there is too much instability for him to play regularly which means we might be back to waiting for him again. When I was a teacher, sometimes students would have a serious illness or they would start caring for someone with one, and it just became apparent that they couldn't do both X and Y -- that one was more important and that was that. I would sometimes recommend that the student withdraw: it's a way of acknowledging the primacy of the thing (whatever it might be) that's keeping them from attending class/completing assignments.

While I don't want to say too much about the reason he gave me for being gone, I will say that it's something thatI'd have expected to be a one-off issue.  If it isn't then I agree with you, but he did give me a sign of life and I don't want to kick him over a real life problem if it can be helped.  Besides, it isn't likely to affect much until your group returns to the surface.

I say just keep the character in the background until he returns. Throw some daggers or something. Crazy times we live in.

Ther...tryd was lying about having enough macaroni, glue, and paper for everyone.   :'(  She is no agent of righteousness, she's a liar!  A filthy, filthy liar!  She's only trying to cover up for her mistakes at the expense of halfling lives!

But... I had plans for my macaroni design...  ;)

Brian isn't a righteous jerk either. He just sees murder as evil. However, with the halflings confirmed as evil he is much less bothered by this. We are in a dungeon after all. ;)

I'm glad Brian spoke out, it fits his character! I think Sil'qian would not even consider this course of action, if they were not a few hundred feet underground; with death being likely at each turn.

PC map updated with the what was on the warrior's map.

All of our treasure Lenny! For what might end up being a Bless spell!!!!!!!
This message was last edited by the player at 01:50, Sun 11 Apr 2021.

Alright, scratch one scroll of remove curse.

We have a couple of scrolls or what not with ancient writing on them. Shall we try those? I don't think we got what we wanted from the chest.

I'm not keen on losing the Mythric writing as yet. If we can get them translated the info might be valuable.

We do have the scroll to extend torches to 3 hours. I was planning on trying to learn this spell, and put it in my book, as it might be handy as it affects 3 torches at a time. Cast it out of the dungeon and have torches to last for a couple of days.

We also picked up another scroll from the dead human in this room, I don't think the DM noted if it is arcane or divine or something else.

Uh... I agree, let's not use the mythric texts yet until we've gotten them deciphered. Glad all of our treasure didn't get consumed!

What's it take to create/copy a scroll in Osric? That way we wouldn't lose the torch spell forever...
This message was last edited by the player at 06:19, Mon 12 Apr 2021.

Hey, I'm gonna be in a board game!

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
No, he's not actually named for me. :p

---

I believe you need to copy the scroll into a spellbook and then scribe a new scroll.  I'm ready to be proven wrong though.

I knew you were evil incarnate...but not a lich! :-)

At least you have a cute banshee for a bride!



There will be no scrolls scribed any time soon!!

There is that scroll we just found...but I would prefer to find out what it is before we trash it.

And we have the scroll for the extended torches...which I wanted to scribe into my spell book...but we can just go the oil and lantern route.

Speaking of torches, it's been about a half-hour since you entered the dungeon, so you'll need to mark one off Nob's inventory.

In reply to DM Maleketh (msg # 154):

Walker will have to do that.

Moving on, then, with Silq enjoying a +.001% adjustment to the efficiency of his neural network.

You just about got it right, Lenny! DM said it was OK to advise what happened to Sil'qian OOC as it would be impossible to describe IC:

his WIS increased by 1 point; taking him from 10 to 11!

That's a cool thing to have happen. Too bad its not enough to grant you a bonus. Still, should we have knowledge we wouldn't mind burning it could be a cool effect for a cleric. Assuming that it works more than once that is.

Absolutely great for clerics! If we can find some more less than useful spell scrolls we can see if Thoth is willing to help those that worship other deities! :-)

Updated Nob's Current Holdings, -1 torch.

Good job on the statue Lenny.



When we toyed with the one on top if the pyramid, raising both arms opened the trap door in front of it. Maybe the same will happen here?

Okay, now things have gotten interesting.

Fingers crossed that Walker has some more rope.

50' silk. Hope that's enough...

Is that the large hall we just came from? Is the open chute between the statue and the approaching footfalls? Anyone else see where I'm going with this? Muahahahahaha!

The trap is between the large hall and the statue, but we had to manipulate the arms to open it; and I think we just spiked the arms in place, keeping the chute open.

Are you thinking they might just walk into the pit? Maybe if they aren't using a light source...but if sounds like lots of creatures, that might only eliminate a couple?

And, it also sends them to where ever Lenny and Ati are!

We could stay next to the statue and fire arrows at them for a couple of rounds, and hope we kill a few, and then a couple fall into the pit (and Lenny and Ati kill them) but if there are large numbers of even kobolds we could be in for a lot of hurt...although, Qadar should still have a Sleep spell!

Sil'qian will stand with the others, if they choose to do so, but right now his plan is to get away and then come back and try to fin the missing fighters.

That's some cutthroat thinking Silq. Irrespective of Lenny's predicament, I like it.

It's Walker's idea...I'm just talking possibilities out loud!

OMG Brian! Into the chute? That was an idea when we weren't about to be attacked! And I was thinking more of tying off the rope and having one character climb down with a lantern to see what's what!!

Yoiks! I think Sil'qian is definitely sticking to retreat for now!
This message was last edited by the player at 03:59, Sat 24 Apr 2021.

Damn! Ratmen in formation!? This looks extremely dicey for our intrepid explorers!

Walker and Thertryd, I'm thinking we try to talk our way out of this...and if that doesn't work we revert to plan B and run up the corridor to the north.

Gods! I hope they are not allies with the halflings!

Not at all what I was thinking, but let's go with it! Keep them talking elfie!

I have to assume that they can see the pit in front of the statue.

Still hoping to get them to fall into it?

Not sure how effective Qadar's Sleep spell will be if the troops are wererats.

There was no need to spike the arms anyway - they locked into place pretty neatly.  But yeah, the pit is about 8' square, and the pig and rats are close enough that it's clearly visible.

Gotta say, I admire your courage, Sil.  It takes a brave man to bluff with a Charisma of 6.

I was hoping the Charisma score would be somewhat offset by the brilliance of the lie!! :-)

Let's see if I can elicit some sympathy from our pig-faced friend!

Lol, Silk's ranger sidekick in this scene has a Charisma of 9... Hopefully talking shop will be enough!

Yeah we're getting closer to what may become our signature move, cast sleep nad wade in with swords bared! :-)

I'm not sure why you're being evasive about this. Just come out and say what you're doing. If they were going to try to slaughter all comers, they would do that regardless of whatever pretext you attempted to provide.

Walker is on a noble quest, after all. Lenny was looking for his lost cousin.

Not that there is much to like about the sound of this rumor: The beast-soldiers sometimes visit the kobolds who live in that massive thicket southwest of Arden Vul. It's the best time to ambush them, when they're far away from home. Sometimes the beastmen bring captives from the Thicket to the Halls.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:20, Wed 28 Apr 2021.

I was looking for a rumour about these guys! Didn't see that one for some reason!

Haha, I do not think that sergeant fancies himself a merchant.

Agreed. But maybe someone in his enclave will be willing to sell us a few 50 foot coils of rope if they have it.

Totally forgot to buy rope last time we were at the inn. If we get out this all together, 50 feet per person!! 100 feet for the strong fighters (who of course are at the bottom of the chute this time!)

Work emergency. Out until tomorrow night. Sorry.

You all aren't waiting on me, are you?  Near as I can tell you haven't actually decided on a course of action.

[Redacted by GM] crowd excluded, I presume.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:30, Wed 05 May 2021.

Of course.

I was just waiting for Walker to post.

I will post tomorrow and move the 'upper' group toward the Beastman camp as described by Gaios.

Sorry, been swamped. I misread Silk's intent. I thought he meant to follow Sir Oink and his band, not go to the encampment. Anyway, let's do it!

I’m waiting patiently down below.

I've been busy lately, but I'll try to get a post up within the next few days.

No worries.

No rush.  Just wanted you to know I’m still here.

Unfortunately, Thertryd's player has bowed out due to real life concerns.  I've updates the PW ad in hopes of drawing in a replacement.

Damn! A dwarven cleric was a great addition! Maybe a new player will want to take on the character?

If I can get someone.  I've got one applicant so far and basically all he did was call me an fool and say he was willing to join anyway.

What a great way to start off a campaign!  Insulting your GM is bound to improve your fortunes.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:42, Wed 12 May 2021.

A fool? On what possible basis?

I'm tied up with agriculture for the rest of this week, fertilizing fields. Will post late at night if needed, otherwise Walker modus operandi is scouting as usual.

Whatchoo talkin bout foo?

He said that my house rule on overcoming demihuman level limits was pointless because surely no one has yet achieved that level, nor will they ever do so due to RPoL's high player turnover rate. Truly constructive criticism.

Mmm. If we ignore his obstreperous manner and consider his quibble on its own merits, we could say the same rule apllies to NPC demi-humans whom pc's might encounter at any time.

100% your call Maleketh whether to take him on.

I hope he was making more of a comment about RPOL than you. The rule, btw, is one of the standard house rules to eliminate level limits.

While most RPOL games don't see a lot of levelling it is conceivable that someone hits the level limits as a couple of them are quite low: cleric 4 for a half-orc, fighter 4 for a halfling.

Oh hell no I'm not taking him.  Even if he hadn't been such an ass, he clearly didn't read the RTJ thread, which is an immediate disqualification.

Some people, right? Some people.

I've been thinking that for our next foray we might return to the top of the pyramid--not that it would be a return for Lenny. Maybe we can gather up some exp and loot from there before returning to fight the syndicate.

I believe the room with the statue of Thoth is the one called the Glory of Thoth (see the rumours). If it is, then we are in/under the pyramid.

The question is what is between this area and the entrance at the top of the pyramid? I agree it would be a good idea to try the pyramid next time. I hope we have a couple more PCs before we head back!

I remember someone suggesting we hire a cleric before the last plunge... oh yeah, it was me. :-P

Surely Nob knows a guy...

I'm for avoiding undead. Didn't we lose a companion to ghosts or something in the pyramid? Our first thief?

There were shadows in there...but I think Zuru actually fell to his death. We're not sure because brave adventurers that we are, we fled without retrieving his body!

That was in the tower in the city, and you left because you were being threatened by those very shadows.  Your party hasn't actually been into the pyramid.

I guess we have three points of entry so far:

--ruined basement (necromancer lair) -> syndicate and beast men.

--necromancer tower (fled the shadows/lost magical boots).

--top of the pyramid with its Thoth statue.

So, yeah, I think we should try our luck with the top of the tower. It could be another low-level area.

More good news: the guy who was going to take over Qadar and switched to Brian hasn't logged on in nearly 2 weeks.  So... yeah.

Alas, I think's he's bailed on RPOL. He stopped running his games a couple of weeks ago. He mentioned 12-hr days which should have been a warning sign.

I still think we can run a level 1 wizard as an NPC. It would be good to get a human for our cleric.

We had a good run there with no attrition and then everyone drops like flies. A lot of people have talked about unrealistic work hours and no days off on several of my games. I hope that with the end of the pandemic in sight that life gets back to normal for everyone.

We definitely need at least one more player, and ideally two or more.

If we make it back the Inn we can let things lie for a few days (in real life) while Maleketh looks for some new fodder!

I'm playing in a few other old-school games (BECMI/Labyrinth Lord/2E) is it poor etiquette, or worse a violation of RPOL's rules to ask if anyone there is interested in joining this OSRIC game?

More importantly, Maleketh would you want me to? I don't know anyone personally; just through the game.

It's not a rules violation, as far as I know, but I think it would be gauche to do it without checking with the other game's GM first.  I personally have no objection.

Many times, folks don't want to play low-level clerics. That's kinda why I suggested relegating that role to a hireling. I'd be happy to run an second character, but I'm a little strapped right now, maybe later in the summer/fall if you allow that in your games. I tend to play a lot of clerics because nobody wants to, and my ability rolls at character creation are notoriously poor! Walker is something of an exception for me! (probably why I wanna keep him alive so badly!)

I'll try and get a post up for you guys soon.  Life has been super crazy lately.

The XP post has been updated in the Loot Thread.

Do prime requisite bonuses apply?

Nope.  Despite being mentioned off-hand in a couple places, OSRIC doesn't actually offer any rules for that.

XP Bonus is in the completely illogical chapter, Explanatory Notes and Definitions! p. ix


Each class has the relevant attribute and value under the section titled, "The xxx Character".

Of course, I did not notice the limitation to single-classed PCs...Sil'quian will be 1/1/1/ for a VERY long time!

Also it's left entirely to the GM's discretion, so my discretion will be that there is no bonus.

Greetings: By grace of DM Maleheth, it seems that your former dwarven female cleric Thertryd will become a dwarven male cleric whom I shall be playing. I look forward to joining you as soon as a few practical details are adjusted.

So thaaaat's how dwarves re-populate! I never knew...

Welcome! Glad to have ya!

Welcome aboard, new Thertryd.

That sex transformation could be challenging for Lenny.

But, man, welcome to this crack team of delvers. Do stay a while.

It will certainly make Lenney's mooning over Thertryd in earlier posts look a bit different.

Not that there's anything wrong  with that.(TM)

Perhaps Thertryd might want to make a name change to go along with the sex change? Not that Thertryd sound particularly feminine!

I am way ahead of you on that.

I hope we can at least avoid the usual debate about whether or not female dwarves have beards.

Well, this male dwarf definitely has a beard. I should be clear that gamewise he is not a metamorphized female, he is simply a separate male dwarf character who took over Thertryd's stats to make entering the game move more quickly.

At all events, thank you for your welcome. I look forward to playing with you. I may say I very rarely drop out of a game, so I trust I will be around a while.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:16, Wed 26 May 2021.

Hey, glad to hear that. We can all grow old in the Halls of Arden Vul.

Sil, we have a scroll to identify, yes?
This message was last edited by the player at 00:21, Thu 27 May 2021.

What scroll? Damn I hate my bad memory!

The corpse in Little Italy had a scroll and a potion.

Is this the right place to say "Hello" ?

I'm new to the site, new to this game (obviously) and new to OSRIC but I have played tons of stuff before going back to what these days they call DnD Zero.

So that brings me to introduce Vale, answering the GM's call for a mage (or magic user, depending upon one's era). Vale is an elven mage and fighter who's ok with a shortbow, damn good with a longsword and was apprenticed to a master that taught him the rather unusual pair of spells: Ventriloquism & Jump. Oh well.

So, "Hi, all!" what do I see when looking round at this magnificet collection of heroes?

======
(I'm still figuring out where to post stuff)
This message was last edited by the player at 17:13, Thu 27 May 2021.

Hi Vale, welcome to the game.

Sil'qian's description can be read by clicking on his name. Also, an elf, he is a Fighter/Magic-User/Thief. His name translated from elvish means "Never levels up".

At some point if you ask in character, he will likely allow you to copy some spells from his equally awesome book! At least he has Sleep!

Lenny: I have a vague recollection that was a clerical scroll...or I may be having more hallucinations.

You did in fact find a clerical scroll on the skeleton in the main chamber.

As a heads up, I'm going out of town tomorrow and returning Sunday evening.  It's unlikely I'll be able to post during that time, but you're all welcome to do some roleplaying and integrate the two newcomers into the group before your departure.  Also maybe find some healing for Lenny and Ati, who are in fact injured.

Hey, DM, I thought you had Brian heal Ati and Lenny back to "fighting form"?

Lenny's a basic dwarven fighter, not all that blessed in the attribute department. He sank all of his proficiency points into heavy war hammer.

In Dwarfish, Lenny means "capped at 7th level."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:41, Fri 28 May 2021.

Let it never be said that I am not also forgetful.



Fixed that for you, though I'll grant that yours was snappier.

This message was deleted by the player at 13:24, Fri 28 May 2021.

That should probably go in the game thread. :)

Game thread = "Delving Deeper? or..?

Yes, just cut your OOC post and paste it into the "Delving Deeper" thread.

The Out of Character Chat is for game maintenance, discussion, and chattery.

@Lenny: TY, done.  :)

@Lenny - Thx for the tip to look at Arrivals msg #230. Tremendous graphic, very evocative, like Gygax modules. Super excited!

Yeah, we all liked the art as well. Not much of it in the module, the DM noted.

I was thinking about those old modules (Gygax and otherwise) when I was playing Solasta (the D&D 5 CRPG which got its full release last week) over the weekend. The writing is such dreck--not even mediocre. I don't think it's really so hard to write a decent adventure. Of course, some, like Moldvay, excelled at it. It's just that the "new writing" requires endless dialogue -- something pleasantly absent from the first modules.

But I don't care for the contemporary masters either, the piquant verbosity of Larian or Pillars of Eternity.

Some things are so much better in small measure. I think that's something the original CRPGs got right as well as some of the mobile ones like Etrian Odyssey.

Anyhow, my brain is quite happy with the encounters and party management/development in Solasta. I'm playing on authentic difficulty with the point buy generation.

It occurs to me that our newcomers may be missing some pertinent information.  Both of you would have caught sight of the pyramid already, as it's the most obvious sight in the ruined city.  The Sign of the Broken Head (the inn in which you're currently staying) is located at the fringes of the old ruined city of Arden Vul.  More than likely you ascended the side of the cliff (see the early posts in the Arrival at Arden Vul thread) as part of a larger group, from which you have since parted ways.

If everyone's ready to go, my next post will be your return to the pyramid, as that seems to be where you're headed next.  Don't forget to pony up the cash for a night at the Sign if you haven't already done so.

I did try to map the city as we saw it...but it sucked!

Sil'qian paid for a week in the bunk room and I don't think that time is up yet. Ati is covered for the night and dinner too.

Yes, I think Lenny did the same for the room.

Sounds good. Take us to the top o' the pyramid with your next update.

There was a bit of a locked room mystery in that basement level. We found the bronze key at the bottom of a cistern/well and discovered a skeletal necromancer and his four monkey skeletons locked in his library. That room only had an external lock--no interior one.

How had the necromancer locked himself in his library after having deposited the key in that well? He would appear to have taken refuge in there ages ago. If someone else locked him in, who? And why leave the key near by?

In reply to DM Maleketh (msg # 242):

Munwin will pay for a room at the inn for the night, as well as his supper, and presumably breakfast. What will the rates be? I would note that judging from the Character Details, he does not have a lot of cash.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:30, Wed 02 June 2021.

I'm not sure where would be the appropriate place to post this but Vale did Detect Magic and none of these were magical:
bag of glittering golden dust show as magical, 6 spears, 6 studded leathers, six slings, 1 short sword, 1 leather.

I'd suggest this is worthwhile capturing on the loot list. Perhaps:

item = not evaluated for magicality
item* = non-magical
item** = magical
This message was last edited by the player at 10:49, Sun 06 June 2021.

In reply to Vale (msg # 246):

Munwin says "I thank you for your examination. I suppose these results can be added to the party's records."

He recognizes it as having had some significance within the cult of Thoth, but he isn't sure what.

Just reading the first OOC thread (some fun moments!) and reached Durmen's msg #667 about CHA..

For what it's worth, Vale has CHA 15. I think of this more as how he says things with a degree of confidence and authority rather than any physical aspect (although I guess non-elves might view an elf as exotic). Anyway, might be useful some time.

In reply to Vale (msg # 249):

Maybe it's the bald head...Who loves ya, baby? :-)

Does OSRIC give a pricew for lolipops?

There is a confection supplement but it's out of print and was never digitized.

That's sweet!

Looking at Ati, what do I see?

Boss's daughter in ICU, I'm running ranch for him. Super busy, will try to catch up tonight. Please bear with me.

In reply to Tybalt 'Walker' Aldiron (msg # 255):

Sounds like a real emergency. I, and I expect all of us, will certainly bear with you.

Yes, of course, agree totally.
Well put, Munwin

Do what you have to, Walker. Best thoughts to her.

Trying to send some good vibes her (and your) way.

Hey all, sorry I've been so absent lately.  Life in general has kinda been kicking my ass and I haven't been feeling up for posting much.  I'm working on getting back into the swing of things, though, and I'm going to get to work on a game post now.  Thanks to all of you for your patience.

It's fine. I know I'm just very pleased you're happy run what seems (I'm still a newbie) a rather impressive game. I'd be surprise if everyone didn't  feel something similar.
So, thank you.  :)

P.S. I think a query earlier slipped through the cracks - I'd asked what do I see when looking at Ati. Actually I was trying to figure out his race and profession (class).

He's a human fighter.

Day got away from me. Will IC tomorrow night. Thanks gang.

Oh, man, I completely missed that series of posts somehow.  Take care of yourself, Walker.  We'll be here when you're ready to get back to it.

Pyramid geometry:
Is it square base and trncated top?
If yes, do we know its roucgh dimensions i.e. top, bottom and height?
Thx!

It has a 90' square base, which tapers to a 30' square top at 45' in height.

Thx Maleketh.
So if we're about halfway down then its about 60' square externally.
That hugely helps compensate for my my poor spacial coordination/perception

Forgive my ignorance, Lenny, but who is Mr. Silk?

Sil'qian, which can be shortened to  Sil or Sil'q (Silk).

Thanks.

Just before we head east to see the halflings I want to point out that I made an idiotic error in my last post:

I meant to say west as I am curious about that horseshoe corridor.

Having said that, as I posted any direction is fine with me...I just wanted all those that agreed to east to know it was me not thinking when I typed!

If everyone is still OK, I won't edit my post and we can head east to fight halflings.

Boss's daughter in hospital, I'm running ranch for him. I'm still around, hoping to catch up soon. NPC Walker as needed, please bear with me.

In reply to Sil'qian Nightwind (msg # 271):

I don't want those little buggers to surprise us when we might be in a sticky spot. Who knows how many warbands they might be able to muster? :)

In reply to Vale (msg # 246):

Alright, that's a methodical approach. I can get get behind that.

This message was deleted by the player at 21:38, Thu 17 June 2021.

I was referring to your marking system for items in the loot thread. Anyhow, this is the OOC..

aha. OK, I'll delete previous..

Western door heading north: when we left the dungeon last time, this is the way we left, but we did not get a map update - as Vale said it should be a straight hall to the room marked "Found Thertryd".

I was totally expecting to head into a trap with the halflings, but the metal door makes me think that they are firmly entrenched into this area! My AD&D spidey sense said this is one of those times where you have to run first, ask questions later.

It's possible that if we take the eastern fork at the Ugly Monkey we will circle around the little buggers.

There's still the lit room with statues that we have not visited, and the double-horseshoe too. And I'm guessing that there will be lots of exploring to do that way.

Maybe we can incite a war between the halflings and the beast-men!

Yeah, maybe we should seek out the beastmen now and entertain their leader's offer of work.

@Lenny - Not sure i quite understand what the * and ** are on the loot list.
I'd suggested:
no asterisk for "don't know if it's magical or not",
1 asterisk for not magical,
2 asterisks for magical.

The bag of golden dust did not show magical to Vale's Detect Magic.
The non-magical weaponry & armour seems to have disappeared.

Munwin's identification of the two gods is based on my personal recollections of Egyptian myths. They may be different in this game.

I should have read this before I posted! But it works out, there is a list of the old gods, the current gods, and the halfling gods on the Setting Info thread!

No moving arms on these statues...no secret doors, a little disappointing, but at least no traps to be sprung (hopefully).

Looking at the included info on gods:

• Osiris - afterlife, death, justice, punishment [feather, staff]
• Thoth - knowledge, judging, magic, secrecy, gnosis [ibis, baboon, arcane symbols, staff]
• Wadjet - protection, warfare, snakes and lizards [snake eye, cobra, toothed club]
• Maat - truth [symbols???]

The frescoes don't help me at all: Thoth is passing judgement, is Osiris his boss? And if the feather is Osiris' symbol why is Maat holding it? And what the hell is Wadjet even doing here?

Perhaps these questions are best left to another day? We can instead answer the simpler question, west or north?
This message was last edited by the player at 01:04, Tue 22 June 2021.

In reply to Sil'qian Nightwind (msg # 282):

In actual Egyptian mythology, the feather of truth was Maat's symbol. In the judgement in the afterworld, the dead person's heart was weighed against the feather of Maat. If the heart outweighed the feather (due to the dead person's sins) the dead person was fed to a monster.
As I said before, I do not know how much of this carries over into this game's mythology.

Munwin your explanation might make the fresco make sense...although I'm not sure what it means:

• Maat had the feather in her hands which is used to weigh against the heart of a dead guy
• Thoth is passing judgement which is one of his things to do
• Wadjet could be the monster that eats the bad hearts (does she get heartburn?)
• Osiris runs the afterlife...maybe he is just sitting and watching to make sure that he doesn't get ripped off?

Gods of the underworld are always assuming that they are getting short-changed.

But even if my hypothesis is 100% accurate, what the heck does it mean for the dungeon?  We gave a scroll (gnostic) to Thoth and got a reward; so if we find hearts we give them to Wadjet or Osiris? And Maat gets any feathers?

Hey gang, still breathin'. Will try to catch up on the readin' tomorrow. Sorry for being absent.

Bag=Fixed.
I think we sold most of that so I tidied the list.

---

I think it's safe for now to regard the caryatids and telemons as purely thematic. If there were an offering chest in front of one of them...

I thought the bag did detect as magical?? Oh well. My memory is failing at the best of times.

Lenny, you're probably right about this room. I am expecting that 20 rooms away or even 2 levels down we will need to know something about Maat and Wadjet!

Looking forward to having you back, Walker! It's hard to believe we have not killed your PC yet!! We must be doing something wrong! :-)
This message was last edited by the player at 01:11, Wed 23 June 2021.

I believe you did find another bag of dust that detected as magical, which may be where your confusion is coming from.

In reply to Tybalt 'Walker' Aldiron (msg # 285):

Glad you are back.

Map is updated in the loot thread.

Do we grab the damn feather?

They're carrying them in hand.

In reply to Sil'qian Nightwind (msg # 290):

It might produce a lively result, but Munwin as a priest tends to be cautious dealing with divinities.

Sorry for delayed posting; I've been travelling and net conection varied from poor to nonexistent. Back now.

In reply to Vale (msg # 293):

Glad you are back.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...media/File:Ammit.svg

This is Anmit, the monster that devours the souls of the dead who fail the test when their hearts are weighed against the feather of Maat, goddess of truth.

I forgot that the monster also had the foreparts of a lion.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:43, Fri 25 June 2021.

That's one weird looking being!
(And TY for the WB!)
This message was last edited by the player at 13:47, Fri 25 June 2021.

No, all the walls depict the same thing (Maat giving the humans a feather, and the humans taking it somewhere).

Anybody else who wants to search the walls should probably say so, since searching takes time and I need to know how much time you're spending here.

Still trying to get my head above water. Please assume Walker is on overwatch, he's not easily surprised. Hope to catch up in the next few days.

In reply to Tybalt 'Walker' Aldiron (msg # 299):

Best of luck in getting caught up with life and then with the game.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:08, Tue 29 June 2021.

Yeah, no rush.  Life comes first, and from the sound of it yours has been especially eventful.

Just glad that you are staying healthy, Walker.

Looking forward to your return to the game...if we don't TPK'd first!

This is something that was discussed in the first OOC thread ages ago, but I realized I never put up a proper notice for it.  I've rectified that and added  this to the House Rules thread:

Discord confuses me!

And what good is an over-sized feather if it doesn't bring dead people back to life? :-)

This whole feathers to the dead thing has me flummoxed - and I am trying really hard to not just Google it!
This message was last edited by the player at 05:20, Thu 01 July 2021.

Archontean, and they're male.

Do they have a torch or other light source that we can see from the room?

I feel foolish for overlooking that, but yes, they would.  They seem to be in the pillar room but getting closer.

Quick plan:

• Get into ambush position
• Put out our torch
• Pull the middle lever, hoping they open the portcullises and are in order
• They will see the middle portcullis open and proceed, we parley or attack depending on who it is: kill halflings/speak to beast-man

I said it was quick not good. You can one or the other but not both! :-)

Any better ideas?

Is there room in here for us all to hide?
How many of us can't see in the dark?

As a dwarf, Munwin can see in the dark.

Given that whoever's coming has a torch, they would have to be essentially blind not to notice you in the room - it isn't that big.

I was hoping we would be able to see them before they entered the room, as they will be lit up and we could ambush from behind the dais and possibly the sides of the entrance, if that was the route to take. If it was someone other than the halflings, then we could simply call out and parley.

I have to say this is the first game I have ever played where halfling are evoking a kill first, ask questions later attitude in my PC!!

I should have a post for you folks tomorrow.  Work is always crazy around the 4th.

In reply to DM Maleketh (msg # 313):

Understood.

Map updated.

So, I had a closer look at the rulebook lately, and it turns out that exploring and mapping take a lot more time than I would have thought.  If it seems like you're getting more encounters and burning through more torches going forward, that's why.

As we'd put our light out and they hadn't, do we get any surprise actions?
Or maybe get to go first?

Did you actually put out your light? I remember seeing it suggested here, but there didn't seem to be a consensus or an in-game post, so I assumed you had not.

I'd assumed we had put it out (hence the hiding query earlier) but I'm relaxed about it. On the other hand, never one to miss an opportunity..

Sil, if it's not too late, I'd like to advise against using sleep for this encounter. With our melee and ranged power, I don't think these six wanderers pose too much of a threat.

Just my 2c.

You may be right Lenny, but I'm being cautious...6 of them on 6 of us, Walker may not get his attack depending on GM's generosity, and I think Vale has Sleep also.

And there's always the accursed dice roller!

Vale doesn't.

Well, then; if we survive this battle, we go into full-on exploratory, skulking mode! Mapping and avoiding combat.

Souns good

Of course, we'll survive this battle.

Munwin, there isn't any question about being in melee with the Halfling squad. If they win init, they will move and attack--same for us. With OSRIC, we don't get to pick our melee targets, though.

DM,

I think Ati didn't add his To Hit bonus to his attack roll:

00:18, Today: Ati rolled 9 using 1d6+3.  Dam.
00:17, Today: Ati rolled 13 using 1d20.  To hit w/spear (unmodified).

It should have been d20 +3 (specialization bonus) + enchant bonus for spear + his str bonus (if any). I believe a 16 would have hit one of the little buggers for 9 dmg, perhaps killing it.

Thank You,
Lenny

PS I'm clearly in work correspondence mode.

Which makes it all the more entertaining.
***

Edit: Just read the combat post. Can swapping weapons be done in round? Can anything else be done in the same round? E.g. stab someone.
Thx!
This message was last edited by the player at 01:56, Sat 10 July 2021.

It would have, and that changes things dramatically.  I'll go fix up the combat post



I swear this has come up before, and I can't for the life of me remember what I decided.  That said, it's likely the same as I'm inclined to go with now: you can sheathe or stow a weapon as an action, or drop one weapon and draw another for free.

Combat post is edited.  It's sort of amazing how a minor bookkeeping error can have a cascading effect that results in someone losing half their HP.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:25, Sat 10 July 2021.

Thx for the clarification on weapon swapping.

I just read the edited combat post. If five out of six are asleep and the sixth is now dead, isn't that the end of combat?

Pretty much, yeah, unless you're planning to wake them up. :v

In reply to DM Maleketh (msg # 328):

I'm positive that is the same ruling you used before.

Lenny is probably right, the Sleep spell was probably overkill, but these halflings irritate the hell out of me! I think this will be a dozen that we have killed.

If the the beast-man are not their allies, then we might be able to parlay this into some kind of alliance with the Animal Farm outcasts.

DM: I’m not sure what AC I’m hitting.  I don’t think you ever told me what bonus my spear gets.  Sorry if I’m mistaken.

You haven't IDed the spear, so you wouldn't know.  What you should do is add in the bonuses you know you get (Strength, specialization, etc.), tell me what AC you're hitting with that, and let me add in the magical bonuses myself.

Ah, but in the end, such deliciously cruel efficiency.

Vale, I had thought you had scribed Sleep in your scrollbook from Sil's book. If you didn't, what can you cast, again?

Sil, did you cast read magic to identify the scroll we found last time?


Noted. All the more reason to save searching for secret doors for after we have cleared out any nests. Wandering encounters drain our resources and provide scant reward.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:31, Sun 11 July 2021.

In reply to Lenny (msg # 336):

Lenny, My spell books contains these: Detect Magic, Jump, Read Magic, Ventriloquism.
Was there an opportunity to scribe more? Doesn't that cost? (I have virtually no coin, hence the suggestion to pilfer the halflings' swords. That'd pay for some food & nights at the inn..)
This message was last edited by the player at 18:38, Sun 11 July 2021.

As I recall, there was both the opportunity and an offer to scribe sleep. I don't remember what the cost would have been but we probably would have found the coins. It's too late now.

Exterminating halfling patrols is no way to generate 100 gp -- not that any of us thought this.

Of those four spells, which did you memorize for this delve?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:45, Sun 11 July 2021.

I have  previously posted in the wrong channel in this game, i.e. OOC in the game channel.

I don't object to answering, but don't want to infringe game policy. Fair enough on mechanics but actual spell choice I'm not so sure. Should this discussion be IG ?

Vale, we are free to discuss tactics and whatnot in OOC, the same way we might do around the table. If you'd rather Vale announce that IC, go ahead. I hardly see why he wouldn't have shared this info already.

Yeah, actual roleplay and combat posts belongs in the game thread, but I have zero objection to discussing builds, tactics, and so forth in this thread.  As Lenny says, it's what you'd do at a real game table, and it keeps the other thread from getting too cluttered.