New OOC chat.

Hello, everyone. Looking forward to playing with you all. This will be my first experience B/X. My character is Gael. He is a cleric serving Ky, the god of nature.

Welcome Gael!

Hey, welcome, good to have another player.

Hello Gael! Hopefully you have a wonderful time.

Welcome Gael. Check out the game wiki for some background. There some adventurers currently exploring Modnar's Cellar and Kara is wandering around town.

In reply to DM (msg # 6):

Thanks everyone! Ok, I have had a look over the wiki and I have written a basic character description. I'm happy to join in anywhere or perhaps Gael would be at the inn seeking to enlist the help of a retainer.

The Moorland Magpie Inn is a good place to start. You’re free to do whatever, the only thing that gets difficult for me is having two groups in the same dungeon at the same time.

There are adventure spots available all around the area. However exploring on your own would be dangerous, I don’t scale anything up or down its for you to assess the risk and make your choices.

It worth discussing ideas with the other players to see what they suggest as they have some played experience.

We might just try to finish this encounter, get the glyph rubbings, and skedaddle on back.

Kara is just trying to finish her shopping trip before your return.

Wyndham is likely to suffer grievous wounds while attempting to get the rubbings. A sprained wrist or broken fingernail will send him on a perilous journey to the brink of death.
...or something like that.
We'll be back soon.

Gael has bee living as a hermit in the surrounding woods. He would likely be traveling into town and visit Millie's Inventory General Store to restock on supplies.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:49, Fri 06 May 2022.

I have no objections if Gael wants to encounter Kara while in town. She is focused on her shopping right now, for specific items, but that has her running all about town, and as she has adventuring dress/equipment, he could well try to talk with her, either as prelude to his forming a group, or to see if she knows one he can join.

That would be excellent. Gael has heard rumors about the undead inhabitants of Stonehell Dungeon. He would be eager to join up with any adventurers to investigate this matter.

I've posted a thread for Kara and Gael to meet up in the inn if they so wish.

I moved Kara to that thread.

Would we be interested in investigating this bandit issue further? If the supply lines are affected it could affect the stock available in store. Plus those bandits might have some items or tools that could be of use to our thief.

We are fairly familiar with the bandits, having had some dealing with them. Kara tried to create an economic alliance with them- supplies and goods that they could not get on their own in exchange for free passage- but was rebuffed angrily after making the suggestion.

The cons: The bandit leader is interested in stories about rats and has paid us for information about them (so hopefully the others have a chance to tell this most recent encounter, but also remember to talk about the rats that guarded the room to the earlier bandit.) If the bandit problem is dealt with, that source of income goes away. Also, we have run into quite a few bandits outside Stonehill, so their numbers might be a bit much to handle. We also are unsure how to get to their hideout save going through Stonehell itself, so might be weakened when finally reaching them (although there is a secret room available not that far away for resting and healing if enough supplies are brought).

The pros: They control an entrance and exit from Stonehell proper. While it would be nice to not have to pay the exorbitant toll they charge for using it, if they are removed, we would have nobody to operate the elevator (I am uncertain if Wyndham could climb up to use it). Still, leaving a hireling behind to operate the lift it would be far cheaper, or perhaps it could be left in a lowered state, or the lift removed and a rope left in its place. It would also provide ready access to the slime room, which we know is a very valuable commodity that has not been tapped to the extent it should have been. Simply going up and down to collect and sell it would be very lucrative, as it covered an entire cave wall.

I see, it certainly sounds we will need a larger force if we were to deal with the bandit issue. Has our group made any effort talking with the wardens? Although it does seem this issue may be best left as is for the moment.

We did not speak with the Warden Rangers in term of assistance against the bandits, no, just Athalgrim the town guardian (there is no town guardhouse), who said it was not the town's problem. Kara also asked him about bounties on bandits, but the response on the ghost/checkered bandit gang was also no.

msg #354 in the 'In search of Modnar's Tower' thread
"The fighter Athalgrim complained of a group of brigands known as the Ghost Beggars that lurked near to Stonehell. However he offered no reward saying they kept themselves away from Fourtower Bridge and he liked it that way. For problems outside of town it was the responsibility of the Warden Rangers, not his."


The only bounty available was on one separate, solo bandit named Harry. We brought back his head, but while gold was awarded for it, no xp was given for the bounty, so you might or might not consider it worthwhile if future bounties come up.

Thanks for that information. It sounds like if the supply lines continue to be interfered and it begins to severely affect the town then Athalgrim may be convinced to support the wardens. However if there is no guardhouse it sounds that there are not many other guards in the town that can be of assistance.

Gael does not have enough money to hire Eglantine. Perhaps he would be able to hire Preston and Kara would be able to hire Eglantine. Or if the rest of the party makes it back tonight another member could hire Eglantine.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:53, Tue 10 May 2022.

While we wait for the others, there is nothing but to share information. *L*

Preston is less expensive, but might also be out of your range until you find your first haul (Kara had to go in and out about 3-4 times before she had enough to hire him, but she started with the game with the absolute minimum of gold, so maybe you have a better starting egg?)
As it was, Preston was 12 gold per day. (Although he has was given a bit above that at times.)

It is clear I am not a good fit here. Rather than continue to try to force things, it is best for me to depart.

Thank you all for everything.

Thanks to the DM for putting in the time and effort to create and run all of this. It is an underappreciated job and I do not want to make it harder.

Thanks to my fellow players for putting up with me, my characters, and for the RP interactions. A pity there were not better farewell presents for you. ^_^;
This message was last edited by the player at 07:29, Wed 11 May 2022.

It’s a shame to see you go.

The only rule I really set here is that everyone is welcome to play whenever they want. I want the game to be open so that someone can come along, roll up a character and then play them as little or as much as they want to.

Sorry to hear that, hope i dint do anything to interrupt your game. I would have enjoyed the opportunity to roleplay with you more. I understand, I have had lo leave IRL groups before due to it not being a good fit. Hope you find what you are looking for.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:36, Wed 11 May 2022.

I feel like I missed a thing or two. First I was surprised to read that Kara had stayed behind but then she posted that she had wanted to anyway. So fine, no big deal, we'll head back at the next opportunity and all that. But then she skedaddles anyhow.

Gael, no, you interrupted nothing at all. I enjoyed our brief interaction. But the realization had come even before you joined.

Derry, it is not that you missed anything, but that you were not privy to it. I just came to the game with different expectations and beliefs. The DM and I had an extensive set of PMs discussing a few of those things. He was kind in his responses, but ultimately the fact remains that his vision and my anticipations do not align with that of the game, and are not likely to align, so it is best to step away.

Wyndham, good luck on the giant ring!

DM, thank you again. Best of luck to you and your game, and I hope it continues well for many years. At this point though, please remove me. Thank you.

My 2c: Intelligent, principled people can often fall prey to stubbornness.

DM, can Devin use his roll from last round for his turn attempt this round?

Question for the party, we have 4 possible retainers offering to join. If everyone is maxed out on retainers, Gael has enough charisma to recruit all 4. 3 are asking for a half share of the treasure. The added carrying capacity and protection seem to be well worth the price. What does everyone think?

There is also Eglantine, she is asking for 20gp per day and no shares of treasure. Gael is however about 6 GP short to be able to hire her.

Also, I was wondering, have we explored the hexes surrounding fourtower bridge? or Just the hexes leading to Stonehell dungeon?
This message was last edited by the player at 23:23, Sun 15 May 2022.

In reply to Gael (msg # 29):
Wyndham can take on Eglantine, if he survives the cuuent outing. He has no other retainers.
He's also fairly new to the group -- he's been to stonehell once and the tower a few times now. Derry and Devin are the veterans.

There really hasn't been enough space to take advantage of a large party. We're going to sorely miss Kara's sleep spell.

Once Gael levels up he can take the light spell to blind enemies. Though this only works on a single target. I bet you are often encountering groups of enemies in the dungeon. Perhaps the healing spell would be more useful to the party?

Maybe we can check with Dagunn Rakel to see if she has any underlings who could assist.
Have we been looking only for fighter types?

In reply to Gael (msg # 32):

Singles that can squash all of us or groups that can annoy us. We're all first level and have been playing for years; I would measure any expectations you might have about level 2.

Aha, thanks for the heads up. I assumed everyone else here was at a higher level. No matter, low-level adventuring is just as fun. There's no rush.

If by low-level, you mean first level, then, yes. Devin and Wyndham might not be all that far away.

In reply to Wyndham (msg # 33):

The current retainers available were due to Kara's advertisement. She did not specify that we were recruiting any particular type of retainer. Though we could try next time.

In reply to Derry the Dwarf (msg # 36):

Ah, I noticed that oddity going through the B/X rules for the first time. I wonder why they made each class level up at a different amount of XP. Perhaps somehow it is for game balance?

In reply to Gael (msg # 38):
Wyndham's about 1/3 the way there.

In reply to Gael (msg # 38):

They must have thought that, yes.

It's probably just me but I'd like to see Valerian removed from the cast. I'm still bitter about any exp he diverted away from me.

Gael, you don't have much gaming experience? However did you find your way to this esoteric den?

Well, I played a bit of 5e IRL. I never was satisfied mainly due to the lack of difficulty and linearity. I became interested in older rulesets after I was recommended some videos on YouTube about B/X DnD. I did a search for B/X here on rpol and found this game. I'm thankful for all the work the DM does to put this together. I ask for your patience as I am learning. What's everyone else's experience like?
This message was last edited by the player at 00:37, Sun 22 May 2022.

What do you mean by lack of linearity?

I don't know that old D&D is hard while newer flavors are easy. New is certainly harder to keep track of mentally -- so fiddly. It's much harder to kill PCs. Without expounding, I find the new to be too chewy and prefer OSRIC or some of the other variants. I no longer play older versions.

With B/X, we want to avoid encounters as often as we can. Stonehell is also deliberately designed to live up to its namesake. It will mock PCs with bags of copper. It will drop green slime on them at every opportunity. There is a pronounced scarcity of magic items, even consumable ones. One of the first things we found was a useless enchanted cloak that kept off the rain. It's in a frog's stomach now.

I do think this game needs to make some concessions to PbP. Maybe in a few years, we'll reconsider adding them once again. It's not a big deal either way.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:54, Sun 22 May 2022.

I guess most of it comes down to the DMs style rather than the system itself. For the 5e games, I've played in PC death was not a possibility. The DM would simply fudge dice so that it would never happen. I don't mean the 5e games I played lacked linearity. They were very linear as if the DM is telling a story, and the PCs are along for the ride. This style never appealed to me because exploration is my favorite aspect of these games.

Yes, going through the B/X rules for the first time I was impressed by the simplicity. At the same time I was impressed by the rules for dungeon and wilderness exploration. The crunchiness of 5e is probably why things like light, distance, encumbrance etc. end up getting handwaved away. But Id rather play with these aspects of the game. The 5e games that I have played end up being too combat-focused for my taste.

Thanks for the tip about B/X combat. I am on the same page and won't go rushing into combat and cause an issue for the party. That's fine for me I think having multiple approaches to combat, run, hide, fight, etc. will probably make for a more interesting game. Combat is the least interesting aspect of the game for me anyways.

Well now your cloak is soaked in-game, I guess that magical one isn't looking so useless now, is it :)

What concessions do you think are necessary? I want to take a cautious approach but I wonder if it will really slow down the game with the PbP format. I guess I'll wait to see how it goes...

That's why we want torches in front and in back for a party this size. That's why copper's there for mockery.


There is creativity and ... lots of burning oil.


None that you would have to make if you're not a berserker.

I think in 5E death should never really be a possibility if the PCs are reasonably competent. In B/X, the wrong centipede can end you.

Oh, you can see a current map of Modnar's Basement in the maps sections of the wiki. That I have mapped. I'm overwhelmed by Stonehell.

You have something you want to try in the ring room, Wyn?

Yup. Wanna spin the rings and see what the magic words bring us.
If we survive that Wyndham wouldn't mind a quick dip at the spa.
And if he survives that, he wouldn't mind checking out somewhere different.
That's all just Wyn, though.

Alright. Why the hell not? We'll deviate from our inch by inch progression.

In reply to Derry the Dwarf (msg # 46):

Thanks, Derry The map looks good. I'd be willing to try mapping Stonehell next time. That is if there's a next time...

So If I am following this correctly we can use these magic rings to produce a random magic effect?

No, they'll open up a portal to some place or other, I would surmise. But I we might be missing a ring segment or two. I don't remember.

Oh got it, feel free to use Gael as the guinea pig. He has the least to lose.

Hirelings are guinea pigs -- not PCs. And Derry has his own individual guinea rabbit.

Per the B/X rules: If abused in any way, retainers will typically warn others of this and the PCs will soon find it difficult to hire other retainers.

But I will default to whatever the majority of the party decides.

Oh, we haven't abused them in any manner. They clamor for our employment.

Devin, the DM said the rat was surrounded, so I didn't think there was room for another melee attack and I wasn't going to fire into melee.

Hey, Gael, would you mind maintaining the encumbrance and equipment of the retainers, so we know who is holding what? We have 4 bags of electrum to tote about.

Yes, I can. Are we using detailed or simple encumbrance? I know the armor and supplies of Gael's retainers. I would need to know what the others are wearing and carrying.

Detailed encumbrance. Here's a list of what all the hirelings are carrying.

Eadwynn Haute, Chainmail, shield, shortsword, shortbow
Preston Chandos, Leather armour, shield, sword, sling
Eglantine Basset, Chainmail, shield, shortsword, shortbow
Bosley Cosin, Leather armour, shield, sword, sling
Garrick Cely, Chainmail, mace, sling, backpack
Aylmer Montfort, Leather armour, helmet, whip, warhammer, backpack

Whos carrying the electrum bags? Preston and Wyndham are each carrying one I think. Are they considered a sack, large for encumbrance purposes?

Eadwynn Haute
Body: /1600
Chainmail - 400
shield - 100
shortsword - 30
shortbow - 30

Preston Chandos
Body: /1600
Leather armour 200
shield - 100
sword - 60
sling - 20

Eglantine Basset
Body: /1600
Chainmail - 400
shield - 100
shortsword - 30
shortbow - 30

Bosley Cosin
Body: /1600
Leather armour 200
shield - 100
sword - 60
sling - 20

Garrick Cely
Body: /1600
Chainmail - 400
mace - 30
sling - 20
backpack: 0/400

Aylmer Montfort
Body: /1600
Leather armour - 200
helmet - ?
whip - ?
warhammer - 30
backpack: 0/400

Thanks very much, Gael!

Mr DM, About how heavy are these sacks of electrum?

In reply to Wyndham (msg # 62):
No problem, I can maintain this list as we proceed. It takes up a bit of space. Would it be ok to post it periodically in the game thread?

Wyndham, did you copy the glyphs from this ring?

In reply to Gael (msg # 64):
Yes. They translated to "Journey, Star, Moon, Travel, Gate, Fast, Way, Door, Luna
" whatever that means.

Sounds like it will open a portal of some sort? Maybe it will open a portal in one of the doors?

In case it's needed I've posted a new thread to record what people are carrying. There are 2 sacks of 600 ep each and 2 sacks of 400ep each.

Would the massive ring be able to be rolled about?

The ring is on a stationary stand

Could a couple of the hirelings toss the dwarf over to the other side of the pit?

No.

I thought the grappling hook would help us traverse the pit but it looks like it's not necessary.

Have the rats been backing away from lit torches?

Yes the rats retreated when a torch was thrown over the pit. However their attitude seems to have changed when Wyndham killed one of them

Oops.

I said I was going to toss the grappling hook to the "far side of the pit." OK, not the most precise language, but where else but the edge of the far side of the pit, would I toss it? Nowhere else makes sense. I can't think of anywhere else for it to go.

You are free to throw the hook anywhere, I was asking if you threw it over the pit to describe what it would be attached to and what purpose it would serve?

In my mind a grappling hook is only useful if it has something to hook onto, otherwise you pull on it and it just comes back.

I feel like we're going in circles here. As a player, this is what I would like from you, the DM.

If there is no good place for the hook, just say so.

If there is only one good place for the hook, just have Derry spot it and use it. Derry, after all, knows how to use a rope+hook. I, on the other hand, know about social services.

If there are two or more good places for the hook, then maybe list them for Derry.

I think you mean well with your questions but this feels obtuse to me.

I'll try and answer your question.

In the current situation I don't think there's anywhere that the hook will catch, you are just throwing it horizontally at the floor from what I understand from your description.

To my knowledge grappling hooks are generally used to board ships.

However if you explain what you are trying to do and how it will work I will work with you. My intention is to allow you free rein of the world and choice of what you do, then my role is to determine the odds of success or failure.

Ok. Good. So Devin will need to help Derry climb out of the pit and into the rat-infested part of the room. Meanwhile more missile attacks can occur.

Devin, can you help Derry up before you drop down?

I think one of the problems we're having with this game can be exemplified with this encounter which has turned into a cumbersome slog with no resolution in sight.

This is true for a number of reasons:

(1) it was never intended to be resolved by PBP.

(2) the B/X ruleset just isn't right for adjudicating this encounter.

(3) the only quick resolution would be "sleep" which we don't have.

(4) lack of timely response from other players (see #1).

We just can't spend 1 to 2 months resolving an encounter with 5 (now 4) rats. We just can't.

I propose we let the DM sim the encounter in some fashion or other, so we can return to enjoying the game. Perhaps, d4 random characters suffer rat bites before the rats are killed.

I know this throws player agency out the window but this isn't working.

From my side I don't see the problem, as in PBP we can spend as long resolving an encounter as it takes as we don't have to worry about time.

Is anyone else experiencing a problem?

Other note, I've been really busy for the last couple of weeks and I'm really busy this weekend too. So I won't be updating anything until tomorrow at the earliest.

I'm happy with how things are progressing.

In reply to Devin Harper (msg # 84):

Perhaps you and I have a different sense of the word progress.


I have a few responses to this.

First, if my wife thinks I have a problem with drinking (It's the other way around, I swear!), then there is a problem. Not everybody in a relationship has to recognize X as a problem for it to be so. It's also a touch disingenuous to frame the issue in those terms; others have had a problem with the progress, so they left.

Second, yes, we can spend as long as we like to resolve an encounter -- but that doesn't mean that we should. I suppose I could spend as long as I like chewing a piece of gum, but I wouldn't. Why would we draw out a low-stakes, low-tension encounter like this indefinitely?

I have a simple remedy for this. Cap encounters like this at some arbitrary number of rounds (say six) and then use your DM powers to resolve the encounter when we reach that limit. There are such things as rat holes, after all.

--Derry

If you don't want to fight rats, don't fight rats.  Unlike it's successors, there is very little motivation in old school to kill everything we meet as the experience is negligible.

There are plenty of other directions we could go in.

C'mon, Devin, rats are a top 3 occupant of the first level of these dungeons, next to skeletons and slimes, and as such frequently block avenues of exploration. We had to get past Harry's rats, remember?

They must be dealt with. We might be able to frighten them with fire next time, but, for now, an encounter that began in early June will proceed into July.

The whole experience of experience is a trifle negligible for a dwarf or fighter. I am focused on the enjoyability of the game, not the extrinsic awards of exp.

I hear what you are saying but I agree with Devin the choice to enter combat and when to leave combat is yours. So if you find combats boring then avoid them. Any well planned dungeon will have multiple ways around it, multiple entrances and secret doors too. You just haven’t found the way around yet if you felt you had to fight Harry’s rats. You shouldn’t ever feel forced to go only one way. Combat can be very swingy there is no guarantee. I don’t think I’d ever be in a position to call it and end it one way or another. I’m open to suggestions to aid in PbP but over the years in which I’ve played with this medium I’ve not seen many good ways to make thing go any faster.

As example of how swingy the game is I was playing in a game only last weekend, we had a party that consisted of two 5th level characters, two 2nd level characters and two 1st level characters. It was I guess two random encounters in a row in a part of the dungeon we knew well. The first was giant spiders then followed by stirges, both classic and entry level monsters. However even with an experienced set of adventurers one of the 1st level characters died, no could have predicted that, it was just the way things went. Right at the beginning of our delve! We packed up, went home, restocked and started again a few days later with a new recruit.

We need a rent-a-wizard to sleep the trash mobs.
Maybe Wyndham should do a pit-dive and get reincarnated as a m-u?

Nah, maybe a wizardling will show up one fine day at Fourtower.

I don't doubt there are secret doors aplenty and navigational workarounds. At some point, we should have enough of this tower mapped out to have a better idea of where they might be. Without an elf, we pretty much have to know where to look to find one.

Yes, the choice to enter/end combat is typically ours. Actually, is that even true? Sometimes it is. It wasn't with the cube and the berserkers (mobs that can match our movement speed). It has been with the ape. It could be with the rats. Probably not with the skellies. In any case, we chose to enter this combat to save a retainer.

As for bringing this encounter to a resolution, we could try processing multiple rounds at once: everybody hunkers down in the pit while the 3 ranged attackers plink away at the 3 remaining rats. With a boost, Derry could get to the rat-side of the pit, but it's better to attack them from range for now. At least, this would be using the pit to our advantage.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:11, Mon 04 July 2022.

Let's change our exploration tactics such that we advance down corridors in the following formation:

 H2  Gae Der

                      H1

 H3  Dev Wyn

H1 carries a torch and taps ahead with a 10' pole.
H2 carries a torch and a weapon.
H3 is fully armed.

When we reach a door we wish to investigate, Wyn will ply his trade and then return to his spot in the formation.

Gae, you can be in charge of which three retainers we bring back to the tower.

For our return, I was thinking of trying the first western hallway off the southern corridor, the one where we first encountered the ape. Derry will buy 3 bags of apples and some planks for crossing a pit.

DM, do we get exp for pacifying the ape?
This message was last edited by the player at 16:38, Sun 10 July 2022.

Actually, DM, I'm the one making things more cumbersome currently. Please scratch Derry's stated plan of retrieving the tails. We will all return to 4 Tower and leave the tails for another day.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:37, Tue 12 July 2022.

Have we explored the hexes in the surrounding area. Perhaps we should as we wait for everyone else to heal.

I don't think we want to make this game a wilderness crawl just yet. It's better to keep expanding our knowledge of one particular area. In the wilderness, we might just encounter large gangs of bandits or dangerous wildlife.

Gael, how long we wait depends on how many retainers/hirelings we wish to bring. It was the consensus that we brought too many last time.

In reply to Derry the Dwarf (msg # 94):

Well, it is a matter the whole party should have input on. In game, Gael should probably manage the retainers because I think he has the highest Charisma stat. How about we keep Aylmer and Bosley. They have some XP and are at full health. Then we will try to add a mage later. Sound Good?

Sure, those two parasites can siphon our exp :). We'll put one in the front and one in the back.

In reply to Derry the Dwarf (msg # 96):

Think of it as an investment. It'll work out. I think...

In reply to Gael (msg # 97):
BYW, how much for henchlings & equipment?
Wyndham will chip in.

DM, the consensus would appear to be travel with Aylmer and Bosley and leave the others behind.

In reply to Wyndham (msg # 98):

Thanks! It was 120 gold for 2 sets of plate mail. Do we have anywhere to stash our extra coins?

In reply to Gael (msg # 100):
The town has a vault. You can store whatever you want in there but if you die, it becomes the property of the vault owner.

We didn't reach the spa, Wyndham. We have an array of rat nests before us. I was thinking that we light more torches and see if the rats will keep away from us.

Sorry, jumped the gun. Updated my post.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:54, Sat 23 July 2022.

DM?

Hello. I've been away from home, camping and larping. I'll catch up soon.

oh, alright, carry on then.

In reply to DM (msg # 105):

Are you at Pennsic by chance? I am there this week myself.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:29, Mon 08 Aug 2022.

I was at Empire, but that was a week ago. Then I had to catch up with work then I had a day of playing Barrowmaze, then back larping on again on Sunday and last night was playing Traveller. I'll make an effort to catch up here now. As advance notice I will be away for another week of larping on the 24th.

Retreat is the first response that comes to mind and then return another time when it returns to its dormant state.

That"s what I was thinking, too.
Get out, shut the door, be on our way.
Otherwise, someone gets hurt then we're back to town for another recoup.

DM, I trust that all three of us don't need to chime in that we're going to do our door routing when we encounter a fresh door. We're in exploration mode atm with no particular destination in mind.

DM, if we don't hear anything alarming, we will always proceed with our door opening routine.

I think we could see what the kobolds are up to and maybe establish neutral to friendly relations with them. Kobolds are usually intimidated by fully-armored warriors.

In reply to Derry the Dwarf (msg # 113):
How well do kobolds and dwarves get along? If poorly, Wyndham can give it a go. Knock first?

I don't think anybody knocks in these parts. Go ahead and attempt to parley.

Way to choose the wrong level of vocabulary for kobolods, Wyndham! The tone was more important anyhow.

We're also looking for the wizard's wand.

Everyone's a critic!
Let ol' Wyndham handle this. By sundown you'll be up to ypur waggly beard in gold coins, mark my words!

DM, I wonder if when we conclude this expedition if it might be a good time to float another Players Wanted ad. There are so few decent ones these days that you might get a better response. There is the substantial chance that we'll get someone who plays for a few weeks and then slips away, bogging the game down in the process.

In reply to Derry the Dwarf (msg # 119):

If we could find an elf or mage with a sleep spell... life would be grand.

I've added a new advert, I'll see what response I get. It made me realise that this game is nearing its 2 years anniversary.

In reply to DM (msg # 121):

Haha, yeah, hopefully we're past our growing pains.

As a reminder, Derry gets a +1 to reaction checks because of his 13 chr.

Welcome 2 new players

Lady Chessintra, the elf

and

Eskaton, the veteran

Hey, hey everyone.

Glad to be coming aboard, gang.

Salutations

I can't wait to see what adventures await.

Welcome, Lady Chessintra and Eskaton!

Likewise!

DM, I know you have the new post for the two new pcs, but I have these two options in mind:

(1) Through the power of narrative retcon, our two retainers vanish and the two new PCs take their place. We've earned zero exp so far this run.

(2) If (1) is unpalatable, we'll wrap up this parley with the kobolds and return to town. I'm fine with that.

Otherwise, this expedition could last weeks or longer. That's not the best way to integrate new players into the game (even though you're very accommodating with multiple parties).

I'm easy with running the groups as split for now and joining up whenever fate brings them together.

Alright, we see how it works out. We might get mauled soon enough anyhow.

Heya, folks, "Brilliance", here.  I'm your magic-user, kitted out with charm person, daggers to chuck, holy water to also chuck, and... oil to chuck.

In reply to Brilliance (msg # 130):
Welcome Brilliance! Chuck all you can (but not up!)

Greetings

Yah what he said.. lol

In reply to Brilliance (msg # 130):

If you'll permit a word of advice from a denizen of these parts, Senor Brilliance, that word would be "sleep" -- not "charm person" -- although "charm person" would be the second word of advice.

In reviewing the encounters within the first level of SH and Modnar's Cellar, almost all (save for the skellies and slimes) could have been most efficaciously concluded with the first word.

In reply to Derry the Dwarf (msg # 133):

Second the choice of "sleep" spell. There's a *lot* of rats down here.

Yanno, I was gonna go with that, but figured since there was a ruling about sleep everyone'd taken it.  How-ever...!

 *scratches charm person out, writes sleep in, looks forlornly at Delsenora's Malevolent Steamroller*

I didn't buy any erasers at the magic shop, I had to use magic marker.




No promises.   :(


I was in this game a while back as Brandli the Halfling Veteran, but got Real Lifed upside the head.  Now, I'm back as Brilliance the Medium.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:42, Mon 03 Oct 2022.

Welcome to your second life!

In reply to Wyndham (msg # 136):

Wouldn't you know it, when I asked the gods if I could come back cool-looking like Glorfindel and Gandalf, they said no!  They said I could be taller and a mage, though, so I took it.

By the way... languages picked aside from Common are Elvish and Goblin.

In reply to Brilliance (msg # 135):

Yes, I remember Brandli and her +1 dex modifier. Shame that she had to be snatched away by RL for more than a year.

I think we've mapped about 70% of the cellar, depending on the secret areas. When we can map no further, we should have a clearer idea of where to search.

That's cold, Derry.

Did you think I had picked up the rabbit for some other purpose? He doesn't yet have access to danger bot technology.

Oh, Labyrinth Lord!  Is there anywhere we can look for hirelings?  Brandli had one, and I remember she was, as Brandli might say with her 05 INT trying to say "efficacious", "eff-ect-gray-shus".

If you'd rather Brilliance get right to things, that's fine, too.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 02:54, Thu 06 Oct 2022.

Yes you can recruit hirelings. Link to guide below.

link to a message in this game

What do you kids think?  Brilliance's got 49 gold to rub together.  More heads is more better, but more heads is also less money to rub together for us.

We've already enlisted two hirelings. I think we're good.

The halls can easily become overcrowded, so we've been leaning towards leaner parties of 6 or so.

We might check out a couple more areas before heading back. We're getting close to the point where we need Elven eyes to help spot secrets. I'll post the current map soon enough.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:53, Thu 06 Oct 2022.

Oh, yeah, I never even thought about fire safety!  And, jeez, I just had to put up notices on the elevators at work...

EDIT: Are we waiting for anyone in the new player thread?
This message was last edited by the player at 23:57, Fri 07 Oct 2022.

Here is the current annotated map of the basement. After we finish monkeying around on the moon, we'll duck around that corner before heading back -- unless the new players would prefer to form their own expedition.

In reply to Brilliance (msg # 146):

The DM to move things I'm guessing.

There's nothing that is supposed to happen. The game is wholly in the players/characters hands. Characters do something, I respond. For example, there's a mega dungeon Stonehell close to the town however the party are currently exploring a cellar in the forest instead. There is no right or wrong.

Wyndham, do you want to try to pull the lever while the rest of attack the battered battle droids? Maybe that will deactivate them.

Or we try to flee outright? What do you think, Devin?

Wyndham's closer to the lever, so he'll give that a shot. If the rest of the party could keep the orbs busy, that'd be grear.

I would expect, the battle bots having activated, that their articulated limbs would not be dangling below. And if we've observed anything in this basement, it's the air of neglect and decay, neglect and decay which the bots would be subject to as well.

Wyndham, the rope is still tied to the lever. You should be able to operate it from a distance.


There is plenty wrong, I assure you.

Sure. He will if he can. Not sure how the physics works--if Wyndham pulls, wouldn't that move him closer to whatever he's pulling against?

I think the physics has been abstracted into the attribute adjustments in the chamber.

I guess it would depend on the initial position of the lever. From a distance, it could be pulled down.  If it's in the down position (and the rope were taut), you could be able to jerk it up.

I was just kinda waiting for some waitstafff to pick up my orders and show me to a table.

DM, can we attack around corners? I forget. It looks like we can't because Bosley could have done so, but maybe that was an oversight.

Wyndham, since you can't backstab, you should switch spots with an armored warrior.

Dang! Send in the pods! We're hopeless at rats but bring out a hunk of metal and you guys are battle lords.

DM? Are you waiting on any of us?

No just had busy weekend. Will update soon. As forewarning another busy weekend coming up too.

Kk

DM, wasn't there enough room for Aylmer to get in there and get a swing in last round?

Alright, Brilliance, you should be able to light up our party soon enough.

Uh, guys? What are you all doing? We don't want to fight four wolves right now.

They are 120' feet away -- out of melee range.

Even our characters know that wolves can be frightened away with fire so long as they aren't starving -- which they wouldn't be with all of the forest around us.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:43, Sun 06 Nov 2022.

Sorry - read that as 40 ft.

Yards and feet are interchangeable. Everything is in yards outside the dungeon. Everything in the dungeon is in feet. So range and movement is effectively tripled in the wilderness.

In reply to DM (msg # 166):
Sorry, still confused. (I blame it on me being Canadian :) )
How far away in feet are the wolves from us?

You said feet and yards are used interchangeably but that range is 3x when measured outdoors(?)

40 yards = 40 ft indoors
40 yards = 120 ft outdoors?

(I won't even bring up the metric system.)

Outside is measured in yards.
Inside is measured in feet.

So for example if your movement is 30 yards outside then your movement is 30 feet inside. This is the same for ranges.

Oh, I'm gonna light things up, alright, those bad guys are gonna find me more dangerous than a fire in a gnome burrow!

Unfortunately, even 3 wolves might be more than a match for the five us, two of whom are severely injured.

We've encountered animals on the way back/to Stone Hell but have always skirted them successfully before. Oh, well.

OOC A wolf weighing 100lbs is going to be about 1000 coins in encumbrance. Who's carrying each wolf?

How about we put the two corpses on Derry's ladder, enabling equal distribution of the weight amongst the five pall bearers? We could be the mobile wolf corpse brigade.

Ding, ding, "Bring out your deadwolves!"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:14, Tue 08 Nov 2022.

Everyone new and old adventurers can mingle in the inn, then let me know what your next plans are, and we'll start a new delve.

In reply to DM (msg # 174):

Whoo!  Do I move my activity to the Sad Dwarf thread, too?

Yes

So let me know when you're ready and we can skip to the morning of Day 32 and the next adventure. Any plans of where you are heading and what you want to do?

Back to the cellar and then head towards that corridor that was continuing north around the battle arena.

In reply to DM (msg # 177):
Were we able to get anything for the gems?

Wyndam, weren't you going to look into getting some arsenic for the ape?

Looks like we're all set for our return now.

As if to impersonate one of the great bards... "Hey, Lady!"

Glad to swap spells, once we've gotten back to town and safe.

Hey, Brilliance, B/X has friendly fire rules. You'll want to attack in person to avoid having a chance of hitting a friend.

In reply to Derry the Dwarf (msg # 183):

Oh, yeah.  I mean, most of 'em do, but it's nice to see a GM avidly pay attention to those.

LL, if I can, I'd like to delay that throw... coming up to those guys, unarmored, is a bad idea.

Lady, centipedes have AC 9 which means you need to roll a 10 to hit them.

I would recommend everybody attack them, so as to dispatch them as quickly as possible.

It was a slip on my part; we've already encountered centipedes feeding on corpses.

In reply to Derry the Dwarf (msg # 185):

Thanks.

I placed in a Damage roll to my post.

For the new players, there is a cave pirate captain near Stonehell proper who seems to have an obsession with giant rats and has promised to pay a bounty on any delivered tails along with accompanying yarns. This is the long game that Derry is playing.

I was wondering if there was a map of this place. Seeing that you seem to know where your going did you ever get it written down somewhere?

There's a wiki where you can record notes and maps

https://wiki.rpol.net/75834

In reply to Lady Chessintra (msg # 188):

I'll upload the latest map of the cellar tomorrow.

No, no, Lady, save your magic missile. Devin will most likely turn the undead and if he doesn't, we'll break their bones.

Here it is for quick reference:

Nice map! Thanks!
We're in the 5 rats room in the bottom-left corner.

Question: would reading a scroll of healing count as strenuous activity for Devin?

My ruling would be yes if he's casting on someone else, no if on himself.
This message was last updated by the GM at 14:56, Sat 03 Dec 2022.

In reply to Brilliance (msg # 184):

Hey, Brilliance, it looks like I was doing some rules importing. B/X appears to be pretty friendly as far as ranged combat goes.

There is a soft cover roll (-1 per intervening body?).

There is a bonus to attacking at short range (5-10 for your dagger) and a penalty for attacking at long range.

We found a couple of dead bugbears near the vivisection room a while back. Looks like we've had the misfortune to have found their hangout and to have been found by a wandering one.

Doing anything right now would seem to be too risky. I think we need to readd Bosley to the party as well.

Lady, will you be able to learn Sleep when we return to town?

Ah, yes, so beyond our means -- until we can lay claim to Fiene's fortune.

DM, were we able to discern if the coin creature was a living creature and thus susceptible to sleep?

I’m not rich like that and time is long.

Alas, none of us is rich like that. But I figure we would all contribute for the greater good.

It looks like it would be one week of game time should the time come. I don't know if that's all that long. Things take longer here.

The time is a small factor. As healing takes time they'll usually be a few days between delves and making it into a week between delves doesn't really add much time.

The cost is the big factor and is another motivator to go in dungeons to get gold!

We're trying, DM. We're trying. But as soon as we take a knock or two, we have to recover or risk ruin.

Years back, you did say that Stonehell was stingy with loot, and I have noticed that it seems more interested in creating encumbrance problems with heaps of copper and silver than actually rewarding PCs. We'll just keep on plugging.

That said, Fiene did well for himself until he got risky with the giant frog.

Yes it's not a generous dungeon. Once you get started with one good haul they usually get bigger every time after. As the party gets better prepared and they start levelling up. I think you're nearly there now and the cellar is looking well explored.

In reply to DM (msg # 205):

What is this "leveling up" of which you speak? :) Derry is into his 2nd year of play and has 875 exp (out of 2200 required).

But, yes, the cellar is looking well-explored. I'm looking forward to having a better idea of where some of its secret areas might be.

Should Devin reach 2nd level that will be a boon to our travels, with his automatic turning of skeletons.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:44, Thu 22 Dec 2022.

The first level is always the hardest, it gets quicker after that. Devin's not too far off level 2.

Granted. But it's important to remember that we're talking in terms of years here, not months.

You might consider giving us exp for parleying with monsters such as the kobolds and bugbears if you had not already been doing so.

~~~

Hiding out with the kobolds in the room just to our south was an option.

Staying put for ten+ minutes was an option.

But it's also important to see who else might be roaming these halls (although I'd prefer to exit without an encounter).

Yes I give XP every opportunity I can.

Welcome back to the game Valerian.

The available characters for the next delve is;

Brilliance, Derry, Devin, Lady Chessintra, Valerian and Wyndham.

Let us know you plan for the next delve and what hirelings you want to take along, if any.

Wyndham has been wearing the magical leather armour long enough now that he can identify it as +1.

In reply to DM (msg # 211):
Thumbs up.
Welcome back, Valerian! We got us a nice crowd now!
Looks like we have magical firepower again. Maybe Wyndham will hire Bosley for some meatshield protection.

In reply to Wyndham (msg # 212):

Only if this incarnation of Valerian has been allowed to choose a new first level spell :). I think the original had chosen shield? Was it that one? I don't remember. If it's the same Valerian, I wouldn't want to see his bar tab...

DM, Derry and Ms. Eadwynn Haute, and any others who wish to join them, will return to the cellar, specifically the unexplored corridor to the north of the anti-gravity battle arena.

That would be up to the GM. I believe he found a Levitation scroll on his last foray which he could trade for a Magic Missile and cover his expenses during his absence up til now, if it pleases the DM…

Did we get a scroll of levitation? I don't remember that. Do you remember where we got it?

I do remember that there is still a wasp/bee hive in the ruined gatehouse to Stonehell with sleep as a possible remedy.

In reply to Derry the Dwarf (msg # 215):

I think Sleep only works on humanoids? And I don’t think it could affect an entire swarm. Maybe use a torch and Affect Normal Fires to smoke them out or a flaming arrow to burn the nest from a distance?

There’s no magical scrolls available to the party that I know of. Kara left 2 spellbooks in the vault with Athalgrim.

The spellbook of Magus Aphonse Stonehurler: Read Languages, Detect Magic, Locate Object, Phantasmal Force, Detect Invisible

The spellbook of Modnar’s apprentice: Detect Magic, Floating Disc, Read Magic, Ventriloquism, Locate Object, Mirror Image.

Sleep works on any creature except undead. It's limit is how much Hit Dice it an affect.

can he access either of those books to use Read Magic and add spells to his own grimoire?

So hear me out - Floating Disc filled with honey to lure the bees away.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:50, Wed 28 Dec 2022.

Yes Athalgrim will allow adventurers to access the spellbooks





Valerian has about 3 weeks of in game time, but is short of the gold pieces needed. Not sure if the other adventurers could pool their funds to help him.

Wyndham will generously donate 1,400 EP (700 gp?) to finance spell research. Hopefully that will cut down on the back-and-forth to town.

I have 344 GP which with Wyndham’s loan will give 1044 GP, enough for a first level spell with a week of study.

So that would be learning Sleep with a 15% chance of failure, or one of the spells in the two grimoires with NO chance of failure.

He takes the chance, and a week later…

11:25, Today: Valerian rolled 71 using 1d100.  Learn Sleep spell. – 71

SUCCESS!
This message was last edited by the player at 16:27, Wed 28 Dec 2022.

Excellent. Now we just need to save up for Lady.

The answer has almost always been sleep.

Derry's not as rich as Wyndham but will donate 300 EP.

Derry: 150 GP
Valerian: 344 GP
Wyndham: 506 GP
This message was last edited by the player at 16:29, Wed 28 Dec 2022.

Yes that's how it works. Recreating an known spell without a scroll/book to copy takes 2 weeks and I waiver the chance of failure as the spells are well known. Failure chance will only apply if creating a new spell not in the Basic or Expert books.

Valerian has enough time and money to add Sleep to his spellbook. Well done everyone!

Good morning all,

I've started a new thread ready for the next delve. Let me know if there's a preparations you want to make such as shopping for supplies and/or bringing along hirelings.

Otherwise post whenever you're ready.

 *blinks* Oh, heeey, I've... been forgetting to read Out of Character threads.  Boy.  Boy, boy, boy, boy, boy.

Allow me to get back up to speed, here...I like this mage.  We're on the same page.

Don't think Brilliance is going to do much shopping outside of a meal, a bed, and... ehh, that's about it.

Got some oil and a lantern, if anyone needs an extra light, by the way.  I like chucking lit-up oil, but sometimes it helps to use it for what it was sold for!
This message was last edited by the player at 11:18, Fri 06 Jan 2023.

"battle bot area?"

In reply to Valerian (msg # 227):

ah, yeah, it was an anti-grav chamber with murder bots. Modnar wasn't a good guy.

Okay, the spa that Derry just referred to allows a 3d6 reroll of one attribute. I seem to remember an unexplored area at the bottom of the well of rejuvenation?

We haven't dealt with the monster in the NW chamber. I think it can be slept.

That leaves the question of where Modnar's personal chambers are. I suspect somewhere in the NW quadrant. There is that dead end in the SE quadrant (just before the arena).

Hey, as long as the bottom of this well doesn't have a bunch of grabby arms in it...

I think there was a door at the bottom beyond which we hadn't explored.

Dad-blessit, I knew I'd forgotten to buy something!  A crowbar!

Derry has you covered:

Pet Rabbit -- "Hazel"
3 sacks of apples
Backpack
Oil Flask (4)
Rope 50' + Grappling Hook
Iron Spikes (12)
Tinderbox
Torches (3)
10' Wooden Pole
Hammer
Crowbar
2 Large sacks
Ladder (150)
Rations, ten days

Sorry Derry, we posted #43 and #44 at about the same time and I missed your post.
Are we all now in the well room or in the silver liquid ceiling room?

Silver liquid ceiling room afaik.

Yes everyone is in the room with the liquid ceiling.

Alright, Wyndham, you're the eyes, ears, and fins of the party.

Maybe we need to put a floater in there!

Yeah, same here, but so long as it is a "creature" and has no more than 4+1 HD, it should be susceptible. This is pretty much the last known room in the cellar. It's in this NW area where I think the wizard's chambers are to be found (given the empty space and the location of his personal lift).

I sure hope that's not a HD roll for the coin worm!

I'm thinking we might attempt to camp in that NW chamber after this encounter and a bit more poking around (provided we're in a condition to do so).

It has one entrance.

It's in the NW corner.

The wandering monsters would have learned to avoid it.

Curious that we didn't hear any sounds of combat from the south. There are only two known rooms that way -- both a short distance from our location.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:22, Wed 01 Feb 2023.

Chess says, "Hey, let's parley!"; Devin says, "This was senseless..."; Brilliance says, "Wonder what a kobold mage'd look like*?".

* - Refer to Rules Cyclopedia, page 215.

I shall be away this weekend so my activity on Rpol will be limited.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:27, Thu 23 Feb 2023.

I shall be away this weekend so my activity on Rpol will be limited.

Sorry I've been a abit absent lately. What's the next plan for the party? Any days resting or straight back to delving? Back to Modnar's Cellar, Stonehell or somewhere else?

I can't think of anything else to try in Modnar's Cellar unless you want to provide some hints.

I think we need a day for the wizards to regain their spells.

Otherwise, Devin was keen to return to Stonehell. I wouldn't mind if he did the navigation for this.

Did we get any exp for selling the skin for 300 gp?

50 GP for each player from the sale of the skin.

DM, do we also get 50 EXP from that?

And in case I haven't been clear, I'm not going to direct the next delve. If no one else is going to do that, then we won't be going anywhere.

My character is new to this group and she don't feel that she has any knowledge of where to direct the team.  Best that someone who has been part of it from the beginning to do that in her eyes.

Can we fast-forward to when the spells are learned? Then we can pau up the inn fee and head out.

I need to sit out the next adventure for IRL reasons.

Yes deduct the costs and let me know how long you stay in town.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:21, Mon 27 Mar 2023.

Did you catch my question about the 300 GP from the sale of the coin worm skin, DM?

Yes I'll allow XP for the sale of the coin worm corpse.

Sorry, lost track of our hireling situation. If we're headed to Stonehell, we might want 1 or 2 fighter types to bring along. Who's available?

Ms. Haute remains in Derry's employ.

The cost learning new spells is 1 week of game time and 1,000gp per level of the spell.

In reply to DM (msg # 256):

Chess, do you have any secret rich relatives that would be willing to fund our Information Exchange?

LOL

looking over to Derry and Devin....

In reply to Lady Chessintra (msg # 258):

Wyndham has about 350gp he can share.
We might need to do some more treasurer hunting first.

I do agree.  Back into the dungeon for more gold.

Hmph, so much for breaking cultural barriers through magical exchanges when money is involved!  To compensate the kobolds who are going to give their lives during this fundraising event, after this adventure has concluded Brilliance will teach those who win a shell game with her, magic.

In reply to Brilliance (msg # 261):

Ooooo! Wyndham loves shell games.

In terms of institutional knowledge, we did clear out (most of, maybe) the gatehouse once upon a time -- not all that long ago in game time, though. There was the wasp/hornet hive that we skirted on the 2nd level.

In reply to Derry the Dwarf (msg # 263):

OK. Well, in case something crawled/slithered back...

Hi all!
Since Wyndham is heading off into the sunset, it seems time for me to take my leave as well.
It's been great playing with you.
Happy travels!

Sorry to see you leave.  I hoped we could all get deeper into this adventure and gain a lot of wealth.  LOL