For general talk, questions, comments, etc.

I suppose introduction are in order. Lathalan, High Elven Wizard who spends way too much time in the forest studying. Nature is his primary inspiration for studying transmutation.

Hi everyone!

Glad to be on board.

So I didn't have any solid character ideas going into this game; thought I'd see who/what/where everyone else was at first. So aside from our Wisardy friend Lathalan, what's in everyone's noggin?

Hi all, I'm playing Masque, a mysterious masked Half-Elven Cleric of Grigor, the Rat. Masque is trying to uncover secrets and lost magical lore partly because that is just what Clerics of Knowledge do and partly in an attempt to find a way out of the doom all Half-Elves face.

Ooh, ok, so that's two scholarly types (after a fashion!). Anyone thinking of taking a more blunt-force approach, or are we gravitating toward a party of intellectuals?

Hi Masque! I did consider a similar character to yours, myself, so I'll strike it from the "maybe" list.

Hey GM, quick question. From the introductory blurb, I gather none of us are supposed to really know one another at game start. Is that correct? If not, are you happy with us making connections before we start playing in earnest?

Just so everyone knows where I'm at, my preferred character idea at the moment is a Gnome something-or-other; maybe something in the Rogue-Bard-Ranger idiom. I could fall down in the Warlock or Paladin stripe; aiming at all the outdoorsy/fey themes here! Gonna have a little chat with our illustrious GM before firming up any notions I might have, though. If any of that steps on anyone elses character ideas, let me know. I'm happy to go in even a wildly different direction!

I wouldn't say I'm a scholarly type, but I'm a bit of a pilgrim and a wanderer. No halls of learning for me. I'll take notes and have fun in the wilderness. However, definitely a wizard.

A library does not a scholar make, any more than going to the gym makes you an athlete. You don't have to have ever visited any seat of academia to be a scholar. Only an open and curious mind and a desire to learn.

; - )
This message was lightly edited by the player at 13:58, Tue 22 Sept 2020.

Hi all, looking forward to the game...

... Once I've figured out my character. I'm leaning towards a noble dragon sorcerer to act as (one) of the party's faces.

But I could also play as a Half-Orc looking to get in touch with her Orc side.

So many choices.

And Placeholder 2, I've played a Forest Gnome arcane trickster in a previous game, and it's probably the most fun I've had. Minor Illusion + mage hand + sneaking + being able to chat up the woodland critters = awesome.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:06, Tue 22 Sept 2020.

Hi everyone. No firm ideas here yet either, though I'm seeing some similar tracks of thought to my own- great minds think alike, I guess :)

What I'm favoring at the moment is a halfling or dwarven druid.

Though out of curiosity, would our current Cleric mind another type of Cleric in the party (more str-based, Light or Life, maybe Nature)? Or prefer to stand alone? Either is fine, just thought I'd ask before assuming something off-limits. If I pursued this, I'd probably go gnome or half-orc for this one.

I'd also be down for making connections with others if the GM allows it, even if it's just meeting on the way to Sarambar.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:45, Tue 22 Sept 2020.

I definitely wouldn't mind an additional Cleric. :)

Actually in some ways Masque being a Half-Elf is more important that Masque being a Cleric. I thought the idea of a Half-Elf trying to find a 'solution' to avoid dying was interesting in this setting and I liked the write up of Grigor the Rat (the whole reason Masque's gender is unrevealed is because Grigo's isn't defined - well that and I liked the picture I'm using.) I could in theory re-write him (or her) as a Rogue (Arcane Trickster?) with a religious streak.

Not all of us will play scholars! I’m envisioning a Human Bard who found her education on the road with her family of choice.

A bard? What college?

I’m deciding between Eloquence, Lore, & Swords.

No more indecisiveness, it’s the College of Lore for me!

For my benefit, if no-one elses, it looks like we have so far...

Lathalan - Elf Wizard (Transmuter?)

Masque - Half-Elf Cleric (Knowledge) of Grigor OR Rogue (Arcane Trickster)

Optimus - something Sorcerer (Draconic) OR Half-Orc something

P1 - Halfling/Dwarf Druid OR Gnome/Half-Orc Cleric (Light-Life-Nature)

P2 - (probably) Gnome something (Rogue-Bard-Ranger-Warlock-Paladin)

P3 - Human Bard (Lore)

Does that look about right to everyone thus far?

---

@ Optimus : Have you considered merging your ideas and playing a Half-Orc Sorcerer? I don't know if you'd decided on a Race for your Noble Sorcerer, but the Draconic Bloodline added to the Half-Orc Chassis could make a good Gish style character and you could easily either refluff the Draconic traits as "original Orc" ones (making it an Orc Bloodline, so to speak), or tie in your quest of self discovery as an Orc with your Dragon heritage simultaneously.

No reason why you can't still be a Noble Orc, either. There's a couple of options for backstory there;
- Adopted orphan. Add you own brand of how/why you're an orphan.
- Mix-race parents, one of whom is Nobility. Your choice of whether you're legitimate or not.
- Orc Nobility. No-one said you have to be part of a so-called civilised nobility. Having a Draconic heritage could go a long way towards explaining why your family is head of the tribe, too...

---

@ Masque : I think I prefer your concept as a Cleric than as a Rogue. If the core conceit of the character is searching for a solution to your untimely and explosive death, then polling the divine for answers seems like a better angle than a dedicated programme of self-improvement (the latter of which is largely what being a Rogue is about).

---

@ P1 : Nature Clerics area very solid alternative to Druid if you don't want Wild Shape, though there's definitely a lot to be said for Land Druid as a more "pure caster" also. I like both Classes a lot and I still might put them up for consideration myself. Is there a reason you'd prefer Gnome/Half-Orc over Halfling/Dwarf if you went Cleric? Just curious.

---

Whichever way we look at this, we're definitely looking at a very caster-heavy party. Something to consider when picking your spells, guys!
This message was last edited by the player at 09:11, Wed 23 Sept 2020.

To everyone: I'm still waiting on an answer from the DM on something and unfortunately won't be able to be more definite about race/class until I hear back.

How comfortable do we all feel sharing spell picks? With the exception of Thunderwave, most of my spells fall in the Enchantment, Divination, & Illusion schools so far.

Depends on the spells in question, really. Multiples of summons and buffs can often be a little redundant, for example, but damage is damage and many control effects stack or are capable of synergising well (particularly illusions and other concentration effects).

Is it bad that whatever Class I settle on, I'm considering naming my character some variation of "Peetoo"?

Hi everyone, given the number of casters, I'll make a beefy warrior type to act as the bad-guy punching bag :p

Good points. Even without the Rogue class I do definitely see Masque as a slightly shady character what with serving the god(dess) of secrets and all! Maybe the Charlatan or Criminal (or Spy) background.

Anyone with experience in playing Clerics any suggestions for magic?

Yes. Remember the spells in your Domain are permanently prepared and don't count against the number of spells you can prepare. Knowledge has a few good ones, so just go for the things that interest you.

Otherwise, Aid is a much better "Healer" spell then I initially thought. It's non-concentration, lasts 8 hrs and doesn't provide Temp HP. The best healers are preventative, not active. Also, that means you get to take a lot more of the fun cleric spells. Remember that you prepare spells, so if you don't like them, just switch them on our next long rest. Your whole list is available to you.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:54, Wed 23 Sept 2020.

Guidance is always a useful cantrip.

A good attack cantrip is a must- which, if we're not using Xanathar's, I guess means Sacred Flame.

If you're the sole cleric, I'd go with a decent number of healing spells. If I (or someone else) were to bring in another cleric, or a paladin or druid to join the bard as a secondary healer, you could probably have a little more freedom in that regard.

But that's just me :)

Xanathars is allowed on a case by case basis. I ran some of my spells by the DM, and they were approved, so just keep the DM in the loop and let him give his say before grabbing them, but they are flexible on this.

I will disagree with you on needing to pick up a lot of healing spells simply because healing in the middle of battle, except at 0HP, will never keep up with damage. Healing outside of combat is mitigated by using hit die and a short rest. Hence why grabbing something like Healing Word, Lesser Restoration and Aid would be more than enough for an adventure and the cleric is not the only one with access to those spells. Bard can pick any of those as well if they so choose. However, taking down the enemy will allow us to rest and recover better than using valuable spell slots first. Don't sweat over healing to much. It a common cleric trap, unless you are a Life Domain cleric, but then all your Domain Spells are healing spells so it's a moot point.

P2, first you could always play "Pete-o, the friednly kleptomaniac". Second, feel free to make connections as you like. The "pull" toward Sarambar has been there for a couple of years, but always a low-level tug. Some of you may have journeyed in this direction together, or simply run across each other by fate or fortune.

In reply to Lathalan (msg # 24):

I guess that's kind of what I meant by a "decent number" or healing spells instead of "a lot". Good point about the hit dice, though. I tend to forget that's a valid option.

Worth bearing in mind the bonus healing from Song of Rest too, given we have a Bard on the team.

“And what do I get in return for playing ‘The Singing Nurse’? I’ve bills to pay, too, you know!”

In reply to Basilisa (msg # 28):

"A tune for a tune would settle the boon.
Ask no more from the folk of the fayre,
lest always your back ye'll have to beware."

I think I've settled on a Gnome Warlock (Chain Pact), playing heavily into Fey themes.

“A gold coin seems so little to pay
For he who would draw breath another day
Tho’ you urge me to beware
Even the Fey would agree
Wages for work is only Fair.”
This message was last edited by the player at 00:43, Thu 24 Sept 2020.

Alright, I would like to play a blue Dragonborn Tempest cleric with a sailor background.Name of Rethsiren. And that's my final answer.

(unless there are valid objections- speak now or forver hold your peace:) )
This message was last edited by the player at 09:50, Thu 24 Sept 2020.

In reply to Placeholder 2 (msg # 15):

Right. Forgot to confirm this. Yes, I am a transmutation wizard.

Edit: with the Outlander background.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:33, Thu 24 Sept 2020.

"For those who make money from tale or song,
Copper and silver that's thrown into a hat,
Is great, fine and dandy, ne'er too wrong,
But payment in kind is far greater than that.
For a tune or a saga, whe'er shiny or old,
has value untarnished, far greater than gold."

“Aye, great song has value,
These are facts
But let me assure you,
Cheers & ‘Thank you’ ne’er paid tax.
From further guesspertise you should refrain,
Heed my heeds,
And stay in your own lane.”

"My people have been here longer than thine,
with the songs of the river, forest and coast.
This lane, you'll find is verily mine,
and I'll thank you to see it, or else you'll be toast!"

On a more serious note; Backgrounds. I was originally going to take the Outlander background myself, but with Lathalan playing an Outlander, I feel that might be somewhat redundant. So I'm looking to the group for suggestions. On the table for me are; Entertainer, Folk Hero, Guild Artisan/Merchant, Hermit and maybe Charlatan or Sage. Does anyone want to lay specific and unique claim to any of those before I really start entertaining the idea of them? I'll be customising skills & tools/languages anyway, it's mostly the theme and Feature I'm concerned with.

@ Basilisa. As a Bard, you'll probably have the most cross-over with me (an Archfey Patron Warlock), with regard to Spells in particular, but also Skills/Role to an extent. So we don't end up treading on each others' toes, shall we confer? We can take the conversation to PM, if you prefer not to share details with everyone, or we can discuss here; I'm easy either way. Here's my first draft for my spell picks;

Cantrips     : (2) Mage Hand, Prestidigitation + Minor Illusion (Gnome)
Spells Known : (4) (1st) Hex, Sleep (2nd) Misty Step, Calm Emotions + (1st) Find Familiar (Chain Pact)
Invocations  : (2) Eldritch Sight (Detect Magic at-will), Voice of the Chain Master (enhanced Familiar interaction)

Before anyone chimes in with "Whut? No Eldritch Blast?", I'll be glad to point out that until 5th level, Eldritch Blast is not significantly better than a Crossbow, if at all (even with Invocation investment). Not to mention character style and theme. I'll freely concede to having a noticable lack of offensive magical capability, but I'm really not aiming at too heavy a focus on combat for this character.

I'd be glad to accept advice and/or criticism from any and all!

“Rivers and mountains stood longer than you and yours
And though my people live shorter lives
The human race will stand when your people sail to the distant shores.

Sorry about it.”

I chose the Entertainer Background.

Our Cantrips definitely overlap. I chose Mage Hand & Prestidigitation. I’ve got Calm Emotions, too.

Cantrips overlapping isn't much of a problem; between all the spellcasters on this team, I'm sure bases will be covered, but Mending and Dancing Lights are both very good Cantrips that I can't access if you didn't want to duplicate.

How tied to Calm Emotions are you? I ask because it's not a great spell to duplicate on the team, I've a smaller list to choose from than you and it's one of my Patron spells. It's also likely that your Charisma is better than mine (the best I can get at this stage is a +2), so you've a better shot at getting a single target spell like Hold Person or Suggestion to stick. With Calm Emotions being multi-target, my lower Cha isn't as much of an issue (it's bound to stick to someone, if I target enough!).

edit: are you averse to my also being an Entertainer?
This message was last edited by the player at 12:19, Thu 24 Sept 2020.

In reply to Placeholder 2 (msg # 35):

If it helps narrow down your choices, I picked Folk Hero as my character's background.

Ok, thanks. It definitely helps narrow things down!

I'm starting to think that I might switch to Wizard. I like Warlock, particularly the ability to have a Sprite and/or Pseudodragon familiar from Chain Pact. Buuuut, it looks like I'm getting some serious overlap from/with Basilisa and I don't want to rain on her parade. With Lathalan playing Transmuter, I've got plenty of wiggle room to avoid the same kind of niche infringement and I can still snag Find Familiar as well as playing heavily into Fey themes via Conjuration and Illusion (or I could go down a very different route; Necromancy could be an interesting subversion, perhaps?).

Would you object to playing alongside another Wizard Lathalan?

I could go with Suggestion, but I hope you’ll go with another Background, because it feels like you really wanted to be a Bard.

It's less that I wanted to be a Bard and more that I'm concerned you'll feel like I'm muscling in on your territory. Like my earlier comment about scholars, you don't have to be a Bard to want to sing a song, any more than you have to sing or play a lute to be a Bard. Given the strong Fey ties of Gnomes in this setting, I want to lean into it; which means a certain lyrical tendancy and a prediliction towards rhymes, misdirection and to an extent, mischief, as well as a tendency away from directly offensive actions (hence the spell list).

If you feel like that's going to tread on your concept as a "typical" Bard too much, I'm happy to gravitate away from that a little. I'll still be leaning heavily into the Fey themes I mentioned, but I can stray into a more scholarly tone by playing Wizard or perhaps Druid if Lathalan isn't condusive to some Dual Wizard action.

Depends on what you want from your vision. I'm playing a Wizard who takes inspiration from nature, so having a Druid would be very compatible with my concept. Playing a high and mighty Wizard would also mesh well with my concept, simply because we would be studying the same ideas from different points of view. Potentially different positions for the same thing.

However, if you were looking to lean into the Fey elements, you could ask the DM if you could use the Circle of Dreams since that draws heavy inspiration from the Fey. Otherwise, I feel your Lore Bard concept is perfect. Since you gain access to Magical Secrets early, you can pick a Fey spell normally restricted to Druids or Clerics and change it out at later levels if you want. That and we always need more Scholarly Bards in the world.

If I do go Wizard it would be as one who doesn't take inspiration from nature so much as is an intrinsic and inseparable part of it; learning not by studying it, but by alowing it to teach him (if the difference between those makes any sense to you). I'm talking a rune carved staff, festooned with fetishes and tokens, topped with a decorated skull and dressed in ragged furs and rough cloth in place of a traditional leather-bound spell book and gilded scholars robes. Granted, if I went Druid it'd be largely the same deal!

As you say, Bards make remarkably good "druids" too; particularly Lore Bards who can cherry pick a choice few Druid spells on top of the ones they already have access to (e.g. Animal Friendship, Speak with Animals, etc.). They also have the enviable Expertise and Bardic Inspiration in their favour, on top of full spellcasting. Bards in 5e really are too good! I have, however, been down that road before and was really trying to avoid doing the "druid Bard" thing again.

I'm differing on one aspect, really; Wild Shape vs. Familiar. I mean, I could play Druid and pick up either Magic Initiate or Ritual Caster for Wizard, or multiclass Wizard, to get Find Familiar to get both, but I'm not 100% I want to lean into the shapeshifter thing so much. I'm also conscious that our front-line is a little sparse at the moment and a Moon Druid could go a long way towards bolstering that aspect of our party right now, albeit at the cost of being a little lacking at later levels compared to Land Druids' superior and more versatile spellcasting. If we can survive with a weaker front-line until level 5, though, the Conjure X line of spells start coming online.

Oooor...as I've hinted at, I could go super creepy and delve into Necromany as a subversion of the Gnome-Fey connection and/or as a potential devotee of Nurgle Xyr.

One last thought for the moment is whether we have a locks and traps guy yet? As far as I can tell, we don't and while not necessary, it's nice to have one on hand. I could certainly steer my concept toward a street rat, urban gnome. I do have a concept that's been bouncing around my head for a rouguish scoundrel type but as a Druid (Class); using the Underdark Circle spells in conjunction with Wild Shape to be a superlative scout/thief. It might take some finagling to get the concept to fit the character I have in mind, but it could be fun!

Any and all opinions welcome! Who do you want on your team, is the question?
- A lyrical Warlock and his Spritely companion?
- A hedge Wizard that's more hedge than wizard?
- A roving (and potentially unstable) Druid with an alien mindset?
- A disgusting practitioner of the dark arts and foul anathema of his race?
- A slippery rat of dubious faith, but handy in a tight spot. Like, really. Mostly a rat. Literally.

I'd cast a vote for a rogue, myself. You can have fun with arcane trickster and the gnome thing. Mischievous, but not too shady to work with a team.

If you're worried about our front line, we will have Optimus' warrior and my cleric will definitely be able to hold his own in a melee. So 2/5 isn't horrible. Especially if we do add a rogue.

I'm aiming for a barbarian, so between her and the tempest cleric, I think the frontlines will be well-covered (and noisy).

I like your ideas, Peetoo. Maybe a Druid with a Criminal background (a Druid spy, perhaps) could be fun. Sneaking is fun, sneaking as a rat, even more so. And you wouldn't have to be a Moon Druid. Wild Shape is so useful out of combat.

I played a sly Lightfoot Halfling as a Fey Warlock with a criminal background and it was heaps of fun. At-will Silent Illusion and Minor Illusion kept the bad guys all mixed up while he was safely hidden behind taller allies, and when he was cornered, he'd just charm everybody and run away... And then blast them to pieces with eldtritch blast.

I mean, all someone need do is take the Criminal background and we'll be good for traps/locks, since it's just based on thieves' tool proficiency. Get expertise on that and, boom, trap and locks guy. I'd say go for the rogue only to add some diversity, but we're going to be diverse outside of everyone being 20 years old, so... moot point. Currently, we have a lot of magic in the party. Two clerics, a wizard, and a lore bard means no shortage of magic users out here.

I was thinking Urchin rather than Criminal, but yeah, that's pretty much exactly where I'm going with that one. Now add the Underdark Circle spells and you have a really very good infiltrator.

Oh and it's Raelan now! :D
This message was last edited by the player at 20:01, Thu 24 Sept 2020.

I'm all set and ready to go as well. It's a shame I can't have all the spells I want yet, but there are just so many of them out there... I'll just have to wait... No, I'll just have to sit on my hands and wait.

Quick question: What Encumbrance rules are we using? Standard (carry up to 15xStr) or Variant (encumbered at 5xStr etc.)?

Decided to mix'n'match a bit as an Urchin Druid/Warlock in the end. Let's me play with some Patron/Pact Magic fun while indulging myself with Wild Shaping sneaky business (I am and always will be a Rogue at heart). It means waiting a little longer for some of the more entertaining features (like a swim speed, a familiar and Invisibility), but they say that good things come to those that wait...

Also, I'm a bit grubbier and more foul mouthed than eloquent now.

I’ve finished my sheet, other than some character description & brief background teasers on the way. Did our characters acquire any magical items between Levels 1-3?

I don't know about magic items, but I rolled a trinket and was happy with the result...

I generally handwave encumbrance systems. Just keep it reasonable. I don't enjoy counting individual pounds and never met someone who does. And, as a DM, I don't enjoy having to come up with weights of random objects off the top of my head.

No magical items by 3rd level.

I should be ready to start this weekend. Most people are finished or finishing.

Barely started, but this is my sole project for the night once my finger stops throbbing. Protip, kids: when hitting a door at the mall, decide whether to use knuckles or open palm before you reach said door end up crushing a couple fingers with the open palm.

Sorry for the delay guys, it's been a busy few days. Will try and have sheet finished tomorrow.

In reply to Rethsiren (msg # 54):

Prefer to just push or pull the door instead.

Ouch!

Never hit a door, because the door always wins!

(Unless you’re an Orc or Ogre)

I’ve finished my sheet.

Sheet's done- just waiting on DM nod of approval before I jump in on the rp.

So, to clarify things for a moment. We witnessed a gnome hop off a cliff than a giant spider just came up the side without any warning and go for the throat of the thugs we're trying to disable/knock off balance? We're not trying to kill them at the moment, right? Did we catch sight of the druid turning into the spider beforehand so I'd know not to get him caught in any spells? I get that that might minimize or eliminate the potential for a surprise factor on the thugs, but I also want to be clear on how we are going to run this next bit and moving forward from here on out.

To an extent, yes, you have it about right. My intention was not to be noticed as a gnome, either changing into spider form, or going over the cliff from a hiding spot.

If you didn't spot me going over the cliff/changing (which I'd be happy for you to choose to or not), then all you've seen is a giant spider come over the cliff, loom threateningly and attack. I'd expect others to act accordingly!

In the metagame, I'll point out that giant wolf spider venom is non-lethal and that you particularly, Lathalan, might know that...

Of course, but the question is only for the thoughts as to whether or not you intended to be viewed as a wild animal/potential threat, or if this was supposed to be a kind of con that we would be aware of. I have a few cone spells, and since I'm not an evoker, I don't exactly have the ability to shelter some spots within the cone. Even if we could just get a retcon where you wink before moving off or something so we are in the loop about this. It's more just to set expectations for how we get to mess with people in the future than right now. That, or we can roleplay Lathalan making a mistake and needing to talk about that after we deal with these thugs. I'm more looking at this as a way to decided how he would choose his spells.

My question for Raelan is which one did he target? To my understanding, Reth's is prone and Thalla's is not. And what Reth does next is a bit dependent on whether he had to challenge a giant spider for its prey.

Because I guarantee you he was too action-focused to notice the shape-changing. Not even going to roll for it :)

The intention is that the first anyone in this encounter is aware of me is as a giant hulking arachnid. Like I said; act appropriately. Even if you did suspect I was a shapeshifting gnome and not just a giant spider, you don't know me. There's certainly no "nod and a wink, say no more" between any of us (to my knowledge), yet.

@Reth: If one was prone and the other not, I'd target that one (hence the "I'm not sure" advamtage roll). If both were prone or neither, it makes no difference. I wasn't sure if either were prone or not, hence the optional advantage.

In Dungeons & Dragons, “act appropriately” might include an option for  “Kill the  unsolicited giant spider.”
This message was last edited by the player at 23:36, Sun 04 Oct 2020.

In reply to Basilisa (msg # 64):

Which was why I was asking. Fortunately, Wild Shape would only result in him getting knocked out and not his actual health taking the hit, so... you know.

Yeah, the Marvel Superheroes “Classic Misunderstanding” trope.

Um, yes? I'm not sure what you think it has to do with Marvel, but Lathalan has the right of it; unless anyone can deal 50-odd damage in one hit, worst case scenario for me is that I start taking death saves (and even then you'd have to be dealing 30-something damage). More likely is that I drop out of Wild Shape and revert to a spluttering, indignant Gnome if I take enough damage, or I run away and introduce myself later.

Either way, this is not a particularly risky play for my character and having a poisoned, unconscious prisoner to interrogate is worth the small risk to himself. Compare this to riskier attempts to subdue the thugs like hitting them with a big hammer or a pointy thing or some kind of mind-bending or flamey death spell, which could easily kill them "by accident".

It's worth bearing in mind that as much as we're all playing characters, we're all Players here too. "It's what my character would do" is a defence that usually only goes so far. To clarify; I'm giving explicit permission to anyone that wants to attack me in this scene to do so as a "it's what my character would do"; I've presented a scenario where I think it might be appropriate. All I ask is that you don't abuse that permission and act appropriately as both a character and a fellow player.

I do have a question for GM; are we playing this as a "strict initiative order" style game, where we wait for whoever's next in line to post and for you as GM to post results to each character turn, or would you prefer us all to post our actions for the round in whatever order and you post all the results after, or some other method? We seem to have stalled a little waiting on Reth, who might in turn be waiting to see what happened to the thug I attacked. Just looking for some clarity on what's expected. Cheers.

Marvel heroes often fought the first time they met, happening enough that it became a cliche referenced in numerous comics, plus a few films & TV shows in years following.

To everyone else: Anyone pool together for that 50+ Challenge? ;)
This message was last edited by the player at 16:18, Mon 05 Oct 2020.

Okay, sorry for being gone all weekend.

To address a few things here:

Raelan rolled Stealth and got 22, which (without checking) I assumed was higher than everyone's passive perceptions. Meaning that none of the characters saw Raelan go over the edge. The players did, however, which is why I didn't hide the fact in my post.

Character-on-character violence is acceptable as long as everyone is okay with it OOC and we try to generally get along. Some suspension of disbelief is okay if it means the game runs more smoothly.

Please post whenever you feel like it and I'll arrange the actions into initiative order. Just don't post twice before I get the next round up, please. Combat is chaotic and best laid plans of lower initiative characters may not line up. I'll try and ask what you want to do, or have your attack target the next likely enemy.

We didn't see him go over, but he did reveal himself in quite the stunning fashion.

Thanks for the clarification on the other subject though. Good to know we can just post and you'll help organize the stuff.

To clarify, Rethsiren isn't leaving melee range (if the bad guys are still capable of attacks of opportunity), just backing up a couple of steps.

Also, feel free to post OOC if you aren't sure of something IC like whether the thugs are standing or prone. You can also make an assumption and I'll probably roll with it. Since we aren't using maps there do need to be some assumptions.

So... to clarify, the thugs surrender before we cast our spells?

Correct. So you need not cast your spells if you would like to keep the spell slots.

I’ll hold onto the spell slot, then.

As will I.

Thalia, you have a 1d6 bonus if you need to question our captive.

I doubt it, but Reth doesn't see any symbols of the Drowned King anywhere on the two, does he? As a deity known for having followers who throw sacrifices from cliffs.

In reply to Basilisa (msg # 77):

Unfortunately,Thalla is the 1% of barbarians not skilled in intimidation :)

Does Reth need an Athletics check to haul around the unconscious/dead thug? And does he notice which it is while he's at it?

In other news, the mad gnome is the only one with the lad who was almost tossed off a cliff. That... might not be ideal, lol.

Reth...are you a renegade priest trying to reform your brutal and bloodthirsty religion? 'Cos if you are...er...awesome!

Hmm... I wouldn't say that. He wouldn't see it that way. It might turn into that in play, though, for all I know. We'll have to see :) But as someone who found Holmgar when pirates tossed him overboard, he's a bit twitchy about stuff like that. Much prefers offerings of animals or nonliving objects- it doesn't actually say 'sacrifices' in Holmgar's deity desc, after all.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:19, Sat 10 Oct 2020.

So have we officially lost our knowledge cleric, then? Reth's wanting to trade out some spells tomorrow if we have.

We had a Knowledge Cleric?

I'm afraid we have. I'll reach out to make sure but I think we have lost Masque.

Does Thalla still have him grappled or not? I mean, Reth will happily take a shot at him before he reaches Basilisa and has probably been waiting for the opportunity, but if Thalla's closer it should probably be ladies first, right? ;)

Ah, I had forgotten about the grapple. Let's assume he wriggled free? Looks like Thalla has it pretty close to handled with her hammer.

And Belsara means nothing to us, or me? No prominent figure?

I'm afraid not. I'm sure it will come to mean something soon enough, but for now it is just a name...

Hi everyone, just checking in. Seems to have been a bit of radio silence over the weekend...

I can't tell if you are waiting for me to post again, but if you are, I will. I was just waiting for the DM. If you want me to respond to the strange forces, I can.

Sorry, guys. Weekends alternate between easy to post and almost impossible. So I try to catch up on Monday/Tuesday if I can't post the weekend. I should have something up in a bit.

Take the time you need. I'll just keep that in mind moving forward.

This weekend was crazy for me and then my mother's birthday was yesterday, so I'm jsut now getting caught up. Still here, though.

Is Thalla the only one who notices the twitchy elf? Reth's passive perception is 14, if that does anything.

Is there a DC for spotting the elf?
This message was last edited by the player at 02:07, Fri 23 Oct 2020.

I gave it to Thalla as she had the idea to elicit a response. But it's fair to assume that anyone who wants to has noticed him.

Rethsiren:

https://memegenerator.net/img/...5478159/squirrel.jpg


(didn't mean to steal Thalla's thunder or anything, but if no one else is going to, Reth's gonna go for that squirrel :) )

Are we waiting on anything from me? I've been waiting on the players to take action...

We do appear to have hit our first speedbump (for which I don't consider myself blameless, don't get me wrong) and unless rectified swiftly could mean the death of this game. I can't speak for everyone, but if you wanted to move things along, GM, I certainly wouldn't complain. Politely waiting, in my experience here on RPoL, is the primary cause of the majority of games dying.

Still here. I was waiting to see if Thalla would come back at first, and then I forgot about it. If we're still going, I can get something up for Reth tomorrow.

I was waiting for someone else's question to get answered since I wanted to know too. Didn't want to clog up the thread with a bunch of posts all saying I'm "Listening intently".

Looks like this game might be done for. If anyone wants to try and revive it I'm here, otherwise I'll probably delete it.

I’ll play if others stay.

I'm still available.

I'm back. Was out for a long time with COVID (not fun, would not recommend), but feeling more or less better. I'm here if you want to revive the game.

I'm still game if everyone else is!

I don't have anything to add to this scene at the moment, if we want to move it along.

Still here! I 1) dropped off for the holidays and 2) lost the game in my list of old/new games. I've now trimmed down that list- I think a post from Reth will help move things along in the scene.

Also, DM, if Reth wanted to walk up and knock the guy out (but not kill), would you still want an attack roll of some kind given that Thallia *is* still sitting on him? Or a medicine roll, maybe, to pull off unconsciousness-but-not-death?
This message was last edited by the player at 03:12, Tue 16 Feb 2021.

Thalla has the guy pretty much controlled. A medicine check would make more sense to me.

Presumed success with a 19, but I can change it if need be.

I too am presuming success. Will be happy to change my post if he's still up and wriggling around.