This is an OOC thread for discussion of the game, notifying of absences, etc.

Right now you're it Nivor.  I am talking with tkolter who requested this game, he has some medical issues which is slowing him down.  I will now open for recruitment, I wanted to give the folks who were in that thread a chance first, no one requested.

Since you are first, what sort of game do you want to play?  I was thinking a bit of Conan style Sword & Sorcery, with some classic D&D mixed in.  tkolter wanted to start a little above first level, was considering giving 2,500 xp.  That would let most classes get to level 2.

I rolled well enough so will like to play a Fighter ability scores with no modifiers to Comeliness: Str 15, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 11, Wis 13, cha 13, Com 11.

My background skill is Minstrel he was a military drummer and picked up fighting skills there, he opted to muster out with his modest benefit. Although turned down a higher nco posting for another term.

Anyway he's pretty typical and will double specialize in his main weapon.

Fighter is fine with me!  I'll unlock the character sheet.

In the description please put a physical description, any mannerisms that are obvious, style (both dress and weapons) and anything that would be common knowledge or well-known about you.  Build the characters at level 1, I will give some experience later to level up.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:14, Tue 29 June 2021.

And a half-orc I might as well a single class gets a +2 Level boost to cap at Level 12. And will raise his stats a bit. Both his folks are half-orcs if that's okay his mama a pretty lass with a Comeliness of 14!

What deities are in your game.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:31, Wed 30 June 2021.

Whatever style you would like. I am easy.

Okay.  I haven't worked out the religions yet.  Tentatively, we can use Deities and Demigods and parallel cultures.  I'll be using a parallel Earth, sort of like Howard's Hyperborea where areas correspond but the map is different.  May even lean on some names, like Kitai or Mitra.  Current plan is to start in the vicinity of the trading city of Karfan, which sits at a crossroads of the spice/silk road.  The area East is cool desert (like Mongolia), South is badlands (Afghanistan) West is mountains (Urals) and North is cold (Siberia).  The city is built around an oasis.  High Northern latitude, about level with Moscow on Earth.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:00, Sun 04 July 2021.

I think he'll worship Pelor, a nice goodly vibrant deity.

Characters done for the most part.

Great, Slan!

I've added Beha, a thief.  Always handy to have one in the party.  Welcome!

Starting xp?

I was thinking around 2,000 but instead will do this:  everyone can start at level 2, having enough xp to be halfway to level 3.  Some mention of a previous adventure or two should be made in the character description.  Also, the initial group of characters will know each other, at least in passing.

Welcome Oxsidi, a cleric!  Another "always good to have" member of the party.

Hello all, Oxsidi here. A hearty hello to all. Off to complete character generation.

Picked a portrait! Typical mediocre stats, with one really bad one. Sigh. Almost not good enough to be a character! Not an issue. Now I need to find a deity needy enough to accept this loser in to their priesthood.

Tyche Greek Goddess of Luck.

From Deities and Demigods, the Babylonian and Sumerian deities work for the area around Karfan and to the South.  The Great Old Ones from the Cthulhu Mythos are for evil characters only but are worshiped around the game world.  Norse and Finnish gods in the tundras up North.

We've already established that Slan worships Pelor.  I will add Mitra as well, a goddess of fertility and healing.  We can work out religion in the world a bit more, very open to ideas and suggestions.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 17):

I picked the luck god from the Central American mythos, Xochipilli, is that okay?

Sure, there isn't anything in the Deities & Demigods book about him that is specific to Central America, why not?

Pretty happy with the hit points. I hope the character sheet I found works fore you. Filling it in slowly, but getting there.

As we are starting at second level, do we get extra starting cash?

Yes, let me think about it.  I'll edit this post with an answer.

Let's go with 10% of your experience points.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:03, Sun 04 July 2021.

Excellent, thank you. That will help.

Curious, some GM's have a preference for what we put in the biography. AC, or Hit points. Have you something you want to see there, or can it be the typical snarky comments?

Slan put AC, HP and Initiative bonus.  The first two in the second line would be great.  In the first line race and class, please.

More starting Gold?

Yes, just a little bit, since you have some previous experience.

How much?

About that much.

Okay.

I like the template Oxsidi, pretty complete.  I encourage the rest of you to use it.

If anyone is interested in the flavor of it, Bronze Plate is 100 gp and AC4 without a shield, from UA.

I haven't seen any activity from Nivor since they rolled ability scores.  We have one more player coming on board.  Once they are on board I can set a deadline for starting.

Wow, that Bronze plate sounds pretty sweet. Just for flavor can I make the head of my mace bronze too? No change in stats or anything.

Does everyone know where RPOL keeps it's character sheet templates? I used the first one.

Yes, you can have a bronze mace head.

Templates are here: link to another game

There is an index.

Okay, we have what I believe is our last player, welcome Zudaan!

Reminders:

Character level is 2, xp set at 1/2 needed for level 3, starting is base gold +10% of current xp.

In the description field put something about what your character looks like and how thye behave, information the others would know about you or is obvious from appearance.  Slan did a good job of this, use that as a model.

You can use the character sheet template the Oxsidi used or another, as long as it is easy to read and has all of the information needed.

Choose an appropriate portrait, not an anime one, and if you want to link in a better picture in the description your are free to do so.  Just resize it so it is not huge.

Also please review the second post in the Expectations with some notes on how I see the game world as a starting point for world building.

Finally, I'd like to get started soon, end of the week the latest.  You are also free to discuss what your level one adventure was (keeping in mind it would have been relatively low-powered) and how you all met.

Welcome Zudaan, Oxcidi the cleric here. Can't wait to meet you!

Oxsidi's previous adventures:

Oxsidi is a glorified cobbler, a shoe maker dragged from his home when war passed thru his home, and dragged into the faith of The Lord Of Flowers thru a combination of luck, coincidence and fear.

Some of his early experience came from becoming a camp follower, by force, of the band of mercenaries that had wiped out his home city. He tramped around the country, avoiding fighting and fixing shoes for quite some time, until he realized they really weren't watching him as closely as he thought, when he overslept one morning.

The band marched off in one direction, he grabbed his few belongings and went another.

He came across a ramshackle tavern/gambling hall/house of ill repute on a place where several trails crossed, none of which deserved the title road. The one Oxsidi had followed was little more than an animal track, but it had led to Rosie's All-In-One none the less.

They had been welcoming, and let the young man earn his keep, meals and the occasional coin patching shoes, and doing odd jobs around the All-In-One.

What he didn't realize was that he was also being trained. Not right away, anyway. The place doubled as a temple to Xochipilli Lord of Flowers and one of a handful of Gods of gambling and Chance.

Chance being the key word. in Oxsidi's case.

Over the course of a year and a half he learned how to play several games of chance, dice, cards and more. He met, fell in love with and had his heart broken by a well meaning prostitute. And most importantly of all, he became a cleric of that god, the spirit of the Lord of Flowers infusing him with a certain, off beat holiness.

At a random hour of a random night in a random month he was given a pack, and told to pick a path. He was being sent out in to the world to spread the faith. It might or might not have been a coincidence that he was still mooning over his first 'love'.

It didn't matter, getting away was the salve his soul required.

He traveled for several days when by 'chance' he came across an abandoned temple. More wood than stone, more falling down than standing, but he decided to call it home.

He fixed up what he could, corralled a few sheep that had wandered his way, trapped rabbits, caught fish, gathered local nuts and berries, and dug a well. He gathered up a small following who would come and listen to the rambling he called a sermon, ate whatever stew he  had made that day. They always left well before sunset though.

He wondered why, and even asked good mother Glavin, the oldest woman in his congregation.

"This place is haunted, Oxsidi," she said.

He hadn't noticed before, but it did make odd noises. Once he looked for the signs, they were clear.

I will skim over the events of the next few months, but to make a long story short, he fought off the affliction, and cleansed it of its unholy stain. The effort aged him a bit, and weakened his mind but he knew it was a job well done when his god granted him more daily miracles. The god also let him know it was time to move on though, he had inadvertently trained his replacement, and was no longer needed there.

During his struggles, he 'inherited' some aged bronze armor, and mace from a man who would no longer need it, in fact he hadn't needed it for quite some time. With these tools he wandered further afield. Aside from a short encounter with some pushy goblins, that was Oxsidi's life up to the point where he met the others. He didn't pay much mind to where his feet led him, but he had faith that it was the right direction.... for now.

Okay, I put up the first IC prompt (Part 1).  Don't post anything until your character is done and cleared by me.  Once cleared, give a description of your character, what he's was up to today, and what he is doing.  It is crowded enough that you are likely sharing a table, even if you have not spent any time together today; a friendly face is better than a complete stranger, after all.  The only women in the place are the staff of the tavern and a couple of prostitutes with their clients, enjoying some drinks before finding a tent for their business.

Thanks for the add, hello all, working on the PC sheet.

How do you want me to select his spellbook?
This message was last edited by the player at 08:26, Tue 06 July 2021.

First, you automatically have Read Magic.

Do you have the DMG?  If so, there are three lists on page 39.  You can choose one from each list: One offensive, one defensive and one Miscellaneous spell.  That gives you four total spells known, of first level each.

I have all the 1e books

I'll pick charm person,  shield,  and find familiar.

I rolled for find familiar,  first roll was a bust, second try got a hawk. Since it takes a year between rolls I'm hoping that's OK since we are starting with some experience.

Yes, but also note the Material component cost from the extra starting gold.

Nice description Zudaan! Very evocative.

I apologize for not being around. Something bit my leg and gave me an infection.

In reply to Nivor Scin (msg # 42):

Wasn't me, I promise. Hehehe... Glad you're back!

That I know I live in Texas. And in North Texas we have mutated bugs that you can't find anywhere else.

Beha is clear to go, Zudaan is missing some stuff on the character sheet and he is carrying a dagger but seems to be proficient with darts.  Once the sheet is cleaned up you are also free to post.

Kurin Jeth, I still see a blank character sheet; I confirmed it is "User Editable."

I'm nibbling away at the character sheet, apologies for it taking longer than expected.

In reply to Zudaan (msg # 46):

It usually takes me awhile too, for some reason I got right on it this time.

Not being able to post until it was done is a factor I am sure, when the GM is slack on that I might never finish.

Zudaan, go ahead and choose one more first level spell known, as long as it is not one that has a proper name in it, so no Tenser's Floating Disk for example.

How's it going everyone? Getting your sheets nearly done I hope?

I am probably going to polish the sheet a little but all the important parts are there.

You are clear Zudaan.

Kurin Jeth is blank still.  If I don't hear from them soon we will proceed without them.

My apologies. I recently had surgery on my arm and typing was nearly impossible. Still no fun, so catching up. I have the basic character sheet in place and working on it now. Sorry to have delayed things and appreciate the chance to play my favorite edition!

Beha, Slan, you are both clear to post.  Just waiting on Kurin Jeth to finish up, and he's explained the delay already.

I want everyone to get one introductory post up before I move on.  From there it's less structured.

In reply to Kurin Jeth (msg # 52):

Dang, that would suck. Hope you heal up soon! Owy...

In reply to Oxsidi (msg # 54):

Getting there! thanks!

Hi, DM, is Kurin far enough along to post up yet? Thanks!

Yes, it appears so.

All the characters are ready to go, Kurin and Slan need to post their intros and then we are off!
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:58, Sun 18 July 2021.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 57):

Huzzah! I hope Oxsidi managed to get some beans on toast, he's hungry! hehehe...

Kurin, Nivor, no reactions?

Can we move on? Nivor hasn't even logged into the game since the seventh, three weeks ago, clearly they are having troubles of some sort, but they can catch up.

Yes, we can move on.  I am traveling and though I log on with my phone to read posting takes a bit more effort.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 61):

Fair enough, just hate to see a game die so soon. Be nice if there was a way you could post by simply talking in to your phone.

Luckily, right now I'm in the hotel with a dying battery on my laptop.

Post as able, let's not let this one die a premature death!

This! Too many games have gotten off to a good start then died the quick death. Oxsidi is actually a refugee from one of them, but I liked him too much and brought him back here.

I have similar characters, none active just now.

Traveling today, will update tomorrow when I can get the laptop out.

Go ahead and roll initiative,  I will note that the would-be rapists aren’t wielding any weapons.  Bar room brawls are common, killings during them not so much (though out in dark alleys is a different story.)

How do you deal with initiative? Party as a whole or individuals? D6 or D10? Is high or low better? I've seen it all.

Default for 1e is party init, 1d6, highest wins.

15:20, Today: Zudaan rolled 5 using 1d6.  Init.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:21, Sat 31 July 2021.

In reply to Zudaan (msg # 69):

Well that was a really good roll, awesome. Thanks for what the default is, good to know.

Right!  The ruffians rolled a 2 so you guys have initiative.

Declared actions:  Zudaan is casting Charm Person on the biggest of the three, and he failed.  For the duration he will consider Zudaan a trusted friend and ally, to be heeded and protected.  That should be fun.

Oxsidi and Kurin declared standing and drawing weapons.  Anything else you want to do while you have the initiative?

The thugs are wearing leather and padded armor, so AC 8.  The woman is going to try and punch/slap one of them.

Oxidi is all for giving the guys the opportunity to realize the error of their ways and stand down, so he will forgo the rest of this round.

Quick show of hands: who's here? I just spoke with "Oxsidi" recently, I know he's probably in, who else?

Well, I am still here.  Hell of day yesterday with a three hour delay on my flight, didn’t get to my hotel until past midnight

Don't  you hate when that happens? Last time I was in Miami was officially the most time I ever spent there by way of an 8 hour delay, couple cancellations and a hurricane. Not planned, just happened.

Damn! I loved to fly when I was younger, but the entire process has gotten less and less comfortable and more and more of a bother. I will not be unhappy if I never have to fly anywhere again. Ick.

Agreed. Our next big trip will be a big roadtrip!

In reply to Kurin Jeth (msg # 77):

I love driving! Or I did when I was younger, no clue how this old body would handle it now. I would love to live out east, where I could drive to Civil War battle sites.

I have been to many. When I lived in Georgia, I was only a few miles from Kennesaw Mountain and the battle grounds there, ton of civil war sites driving from there out to Chickamauga and onto Lookout Mountain.

Lived out West a while, mainly in the Seattle area, loved it but wanted to head home when the time was right and came back to the South.

Good timing, that part of the country is going through some tough times, fires and all.

I've seen a few battle sites, Waterloo being my favorite, but not enough to be sick of them yet.

I have moved (not just traveled) 10 times, in four countries in the last 22 years, and traveled for business to 13 countries total.  I fly a lot.

Okay, shall we give Zudaan another day to post?

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 81):

I don't know, I'm a bit of a stickler for momentum. My vote is to move on and let them catch up, but I'm okay if you opt to wait.

Any clue why they might have logged in today and not posted?

Not really, though I regularly log in to read on my phone, but I don't post on my phone.  Only when I get a chance with the ipad or laptop, both of which are wifi only.  I expect others are the same.

Zudaan asked his new friend to protect the girl, meaning he will likely interfere on her behalf against the guy holding her.  The other one with the dagger will likely turn his attention to Kurin.  Zudaan may be able to influence the outcome.

Kurin isn't his ancestor, an old PC of mine, but he might be able to hold his own.

Well done Zudaan! Kudos.

That was a clever solution, absolutely.

Indeed it was! You'll find Kurin takes a "hack first" mentality most days.

Sorry for having let the game hang for so long. Been swamped at work lately

Oxsidi asked to be removed from the game.  In private discussion I could not determine what he was so upset about, and he did not feel the hook for this adventure was sufficiently strong.

The hook is designed in the spirit of a good number of Sword & Sorcery stories I have read over the decades.  It is premised on the idea that adventurers are looking for adventure.


Does anyone else not feel a call to adventure in this scenario?

I thought he was just roleplaying!

Let's get going, IMHO.

Hello everyone!

Just thought I'd say hi and I think I'm about ready to hop on

So, hi!

esterday was a terrible travel day.  My 3:30 flight finally took off at 9:30 and I didn't get into my hotel until past midnight.  It looks like we are ready to proceed, I will skip to the next morning and the departure.

Saefrith was contacted separately by Thalia for this adventure, essentially Thalia looking for a woman to watch her back in the wilderness...

Karin Jets is withdrawing from the game as well, the pace is too slow for him.  I can’t help the pace and don’t blame him, though I did put the expectation of 2 to 3 IC posts per week, which I think we’ve maintained.

In any case, for the two remaining players, push o  or recruit more?

Sudan, for the caravan guard you charmed, what are the terms of his employment?  He may consider you a friend right now, but he still needs income.  Use the retainer rules (not mercenaries) for guidelines.  We will call this day 2 of his charm, please help me keep track of the days so I can roll his next saving throw.

I'm easy! I'd say press on and use the characters we have as NPCs but that's probably burdening you a lot long term

I'm ok going on with two, you can advertise for more and meet at an oasis or such.

The guard, he can hire him for around a gp a month + room and board, or more as a personal bodyguard. I'll track the days but will likely just cast the spell on him every other day, depending on if he can choose to fail a ST, and how you would rule multiple charms would work.

What does he have as far as equipment? What is he proficient with?

I will continue and also advertise for more players, then.

As for the guard, he has leather armor with a cap helm that is pointed and has a neck guard in leather, a round wooden shield and is proficient with scimitar, spear, dagger and short bow.  For our purposes he is a 1st-level Fighter.  If you want to inspire true loyalty without having to keep charming him a share of the treasure, even if it is a half share, would go a long way.

I'm going with Charm spells not overlapping but replacing.  That would mean better to cast it once a week or so, until you figure out his INT, as it's pretty clear he won't get a save every day.  Just not that bright.

Let's call him Alperen.  He is this point TN alignment, though has some Chaotic tendencies (not CN as he will abide by a contract signed.)

OK, I'll get him a shortbow and spear, a mule with saddle and saddle bags, four water skins and a weeks rations, all about 60gp

Curiously, who dictates his actions when charmed and hired?

So I can't get the stuff before we leave,  or I can?

I took things as posted, but I'll happily edit to suit if Alperen gets the mount
This message was last edited by the player at 17:34, Mon 23 Aug 2021.

It's fine, I can change the post.  Alperen and the boy also are NPCs, charmed, hired or neither.  However, I expect that he will will be mostly quiet, though his base character is none too good.  Charmed or not he is essentially a "bad person" though I suppose there is hope for anyone.

Okay, edited the post to include the mount for Alperen.

Saefrith can edit her post to take the changes into account.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 102):

Message changed a touch, the core remains the same!

This message was deleted by the player at 05:48, Thu 26 Aug 2021.

Sorry I've been quiet, this week has been a beast of a week for work hours so far and Friday isn't looking better.

Okay, Saefrith rolled a 3 and you guys have initiative.

Missile Weapons go first, followed by spells, then movement, and last is melee.

Alperen will draw his scimitar and melee.  Thalia is moving away but not fleeing, more of getting out of the way for the others to have clear access to the beast.  The boy is doing the same.

No missile weapons or declared spell, then Saefrith can roll to-hit in melee.  I will also roll for Alperen and toad, which chose him for its meal (I rolled randomly.)

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 107):

23:15, Today: Saefrith rolled 10 using 1d20+1.  Roll to Hit!

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 107):

23:15, Today: Saefrith rolled 10 using 1d20+1.  Roll to Hit!

Zudaan avoids melee and refrains from casting, keeping his horse,  pack mule and his boy well clear of the danger.

Was giving Zudaan time to post and then lost track of time myself.  Sorry about that.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 111):

No problem! Eager as I am I know things get hung up sometimes

Welcome to Sin-Nasir, Wadefyr Xyrven and ~thattripletguy (no character name yet)!

New people, meet Saefrith and Zudaan.

New folks all expressed interest in and knowledge of the S&S genre, and are excited to be here.

Great to be here, looking forward to it!

Welcome everyone! Good to have you on the trip!

Hello! I'll try to work some on my cleric this week! Still fairly new to early D&D, but willing to learn.

Howdy, folks! I'm pretty excited to be getting involved here. I'll try to get together a character somewhat quickly, and hopefully I'll be in the game before long. :)

Roll call.

Who is still here and ready to proceed?  I have been waiting for the new folks to finish up.  Wadefyr seems ready to go.

i'm still here but dealing with a family loss. Hoping to get back into things Monday or Tuesday.

I'm around! Don't mind cranking out a few posts to get to a point of meeting the others

Yep, all ready and raring to go!

I had an unexpectedly long and busy week, so I wasn't able to find the time for character creation until now. I've got everything done mechanically, and I'll work on the rest in the morning.

Sin-Nasir, you just need to work up the description.  You can look at Zudaan, Slan, Saefrith or Wadefyr's for some examples, all hit the mark though Saefrith and Wadefyr took it another notch (thanks!)

Also, Sin-Nasir and Wadefyr are traveling together.  This does not need to have been a long time thing or that they know each other especially well.  Some options:

While traveling with a small caravan (together in the same or separately) the caravan was set upon by Orc or Goblin raiders.  They survived (by discretion or luck) and are now lost in the badlands.

OR

Again, either together or separately, thet were non-violently separated from their original traveling group (caravan, whatever) and are now lost in the badlands.

Your choice, I'm happy with another explanation that gets you lost together.

Perhaps Wadefyr was left by his caravan, the other guards ganging together to strand "a damned elf" in the wilderness, where he's been hiding while waiting for another caravan to come along. A caravan that was then ambushed, and although both fought to try and repel the ambush (and failed) now Sin-Nasir and Wadefyr are companions of fate?

I think that makes sense, and I'd suggest also that our attempt to assist might have been poisoned by the suspicions of the caravan guards.

After all, if you scope my description, you'll note that Sin-Nasir is a shady-looking sort of fellow. (I'd like to expand on it, but for now it'll have to do.)

Okay, you will enter together in the next update.

She's actually saying to split you both up because she doesn't know you :P
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 07:04, Tue 02 Nov 2021.

In reply to Saefrith (msg # 127):

Ah, this sounded like a "stick together" alternative:



At any rate, I did agree with us splitting up, if it wasn't super clear in my post.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:13, Tue 02 Nov 2021.

I had a busy few days, sorry for the delay!

By all means continue discussions, just let me know when I can advance the scene.

I'm ready to move along.

I am as well.

Did we lose Saefrith?  Who is still with me?

I'm still here. :)

i'm here still thinking on my character

Awesome!  I was waiting for Saefrith to chime in, but will advance presently as the party makes a dash for the tomb, with Thalia leading the way.

Unless I hear from him soon Zudaan is likely to meet an untimely end, or perhaps a worse fate.  In either case, out of respect to the character, his fate will advance the story.

I'm still here!

Okay, let's pause for the New Year holiday and then take roll call after the 1st.  Wadefyr and Sin-Nasir, if just the two of you guys are left, do you want to continue, recruit more, or call it?

I would be willing to continue, personally. :)

Okay, Happy New Year folks.  Sin-Nasir, Wadefyr, ready to proceed?  Is Saefrith back?  ~thattripletguy, still willing to play?

Yep!

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 140):

of course. sorry for the late reply, been dealing with malware

Sure, let us carry on!

Okay!  I will update tomorrow after work.

Thank you.

Sin-Nasir, roll on your Open Doors on a d6 to see if you can open one of the tomb doors.

Is it possible to attack a gnoll and also keep the animals moving in at this moment?

Yes, there is enough time to swing a weapon, slap an animal’s behind, defend, etc.  Think Conan the barbarían in terms of fight sequences, just no multiple attacks

What is Sin-Nasir doing with the statue?

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 148):

Sin-Nasir is going to try to shift it off, or if it doesn't seem possible, he's going to see if it might break apart.

So which arms will you move?


Also, head's up that I start a one week business trip this afternoon. I will read from hotel and airport wifi and post as I am able. Crossing nine time zones today arriving Tuesday, then have to turn around again on Friday.

I was waiting for Wadefyr to post a reply, but before answering the cleric, Sin-Nasir roll a save v. spells.  I would still like Wadefyr to post a reply and if he was follwing Sin-Nasir closely then he must also save.

Wadefyr would avoid looking too closely if he possibly could, I think. It doesn't look like the most welcoming of places.

No response from Aelfwine since Wadefyr posted last on April 19.  I was a bit distracted myself.  Wadefyr, Sin-Nasir, willing to continue?

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 153):

Sorry, came down with covid and forgot to post here that I had caught it. I'll post tonight.

Oh, well I'm glad you are better!

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 155):

Me too! Sorry again for not saying, it just hit like a truck.

Always, DM.

Okay, I was able to recruit another player, Cassander a half-orc.  A lovely, handsome half-orc in fact.  Anyway, I'm going to minor "glitch the matrix" and put him arriving with Aelfwine.  Both of them were wandering the badlands and came to investigate the sounds of the gnoll fight.  In fact, it would be fine with me if they were part of the same caravan as Wadefyr and Sin-Nasir, lost in the badlands when it was assaulted, the only four survivors.

Of the original group none of the players remain (unless Slan speaks up).  Zudaan and Alperin I will keep around for a while longer.

Does this work for everyone?

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 158):

all good with me

In reply to Aelfwine (msg # 159):

Works for me, boss.

(Not sure if I'm supposed to post yet, but "Hi all!".
Whatever you folks decide, I'll go with).

Let me recap where we are:

Wadefyr, Sin-Nasir, Aelfwine and Cassander were traveling with a caravan heading North to the trade city of Karfan.  About a day’s travel into the badlands the caravan was attacked by gnolls.  During the battle between the caravan guards and you guys on one side and the gnolls on the other, you were separated into pairs.  Your have now been wandering in the badlands, lost, for more than a day.

Meanwhile, Zudaan with his servant boy and a charmed ruffian named Alperin, are traveling with he mysterious and lovely Thalia and her black horse.  They encountered Wadefyr and Sin-Nasir first and those two agreed to join their quest seeking a ziggurat tomb.  They found it just as a gnolls hunting party found them and beat back the gnolls , killing most of them and then fleeing into the tomb.  Aelfwine and Cassander heard the gnolls hooting laughter and followed the sound to the ziggurat.

Inside, Sin-Nasir and Wadefyr found a secret door, opened it and just as Sin-Nasir was succumbing toa magical trap, the other two knocked on and opened the door to the tomb.  Aelfwine moved to help Wadefyr save Sin-Nasir and that is where we pick up the story.

Sounds good, TY. (Which thread for IG posts?)

We are still in the Part 1 thread

TY

Welcome Cassander!

I'm heading off on my holidays during the night, so I'll be AFK for the next two weeks.

I'll be out of town from the 15th to the 20th

Happy holidays!

In reply to Cassander (msg # 169):

thanks

Feel free to bot Aelfwine as needed when I'm out of town.

Happy holidays Aelfwine, and a preemptive welcome back to Wadefyr.

back from vacation, could use a day or two to catch up

No problem on my end.

my laptop is unfortunately on its way out, but I've got a new one coming in Thursday

Well, thank you all for your interest; I don't think there is much point in pushing ahead with this game.  I'll leave it up another couple of days.

 Here and interested!

same

Still here and still interested.

also here, been interviewing with a local company

Aelfwine and Cassander, thank you for speaking up.  Is anyone else still here and interested?

It's a pleasure. :)
Hoping (of course) to encourage you to continue..

Yep, I'm here and, as always, interested in continuing.

Unfortunately, I'm going to need some time. My dog passed away today after escaping yesterday around midnight.

That's awful to hear. :(

Hope you and yours will be just alright, Aelfwine.

In reply to Sin-Nasir (msg # 185):

thanks

Best wishes

In reply to Cassander (msg # 187):

thanks

Aelfwine, I am sorry for your loss.  Please take care.

Cassander, the stairs ended in a small landing with a single door.  That is as far as the passage goes.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 189):

Thanks so much.

Which walls is Cass feeling?  Did they go into the room?

The walls near the door that's still closed. Cass is trying to establish if it's safe to illuminate the landing so that others can see there.

Right.  He does not feel any inscribing on those walls, only the seams between the blocks of stone.

Cassander, who is Otis?

I bet that's a name from another game!

It is, sorry.
It was something before midnight when I posted and I was tired but didn't want to keep you folks waiting again

Cassander, you there? :)

Sure am

How's about our friend Aelfwine? At any rate, I hope everyone in this game is well right now.

In reply to Sin-Nasir (msg # 199):

I'm here, just been busy

This is AD&D, there is no CON save.  You save v. Poison, a d20 roll trying to roll high.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 201):

Alright, thanks!

Can Cassander hear the voice calling to him?

Assuming he is yelling loud enough, yes.

I think I'm yelling loud enough :)

In AD&D there is no way to climb a wall unless you are a thief and have the Climb Walls ability.  Casandar is going to need a rope or something and be hauled up.

Let's work out where everyone is:

Sin-Nasir was on the dais, on a solid part that didn't collapse.
Casandar is down a pit under a part of the dais that did collapse.
Thalia is mid-way on the wall opposite the door, about one step away from the wall.
Aelfwine, where were you when you took a step towards the dais and tripped an acid globe?

Here is the room.  I'll update it as we go.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 206):

I was near Cassander, but I don't think i was on a part that collapsed.

Then let's put you by the wall at the base of the sarcophagus.  I pictured Sin-Nasir at the corner on the upper left, Cassander at the foot of it, and Thalia is to the left of Sin-Nasir against the wall.  That puts you sort of opposite her.

Who has the light?

Well, I think I've got a, uhh, lantern, but I'm pretty sure it might have been Cassander who had the torch...any chance it fell on the steps? :)

Sure, okay.  Te torch fell onto the sarcophagus and is sputtering there.  Dim light throughout the chamber.

How long until we're shut in?

By the end of round 5

We have a new player who is taking over the character Nivor Scin for now.  Nivor is a fighter and we can assume he is just outside the chamber as the door is closing.  Nivor, you have the option to go in, stay out and/or try to block the big stone from closing the door and potentially trapping everyone inside.  Take a moment to read at least the most recent part of the game thread.

Great, if we're very, very lucky we might still get to loot the sarcophagus. :)

 Hey all.

Thanks DM, I should have a post up sometime tomorrow, but want to catch up a little before I do so.

 DM, when attempting to ask you a question in PM, it says I don't have sufficient  access to post. Its only for Private  Messages though.

I don't understand, it is set up the same as the other player characters.

 I've never had this happen before either, but I just tried to post a reply in the Access PM, and got

"Insufficient Access
You do not have sufficient permission to reply to non-players."

That can happen sometimes, not really sure why--simply make a new PM to the DM, that should work.

In reply to Sin-Nasir (msg # 219):



And this is the point where I say "I thought of that," when I clearly didn't.

Trying to hold the block in place is a "Bend Bars/Lift Gate" roll based on Strength.  For Nivor that is 7%.  It could happen...

1. primary goal is to determine if their are runners for the block, and if there aren't how much friction is at play.
   
2. As part of that, how strong is the mechanism that's moving this thing along, how hard would it be to stop it from moving, not real hard, kind of hard, utterly impossible?
   
3. If he can't slow it down any, then he'll toss the rope  that, from the sounds of things got left in the hall, into the room to  help   with the pit problem,  and  try and smash the block some.  I'll roll an attack against the block, and a roll for tossing the rope next turn.

Hopefully this is clear.  The end goal is just keeping people from getting locked in the room, and anything that will buy time is good.

Okay, not really runners.  The block that was the top of the doorway is now coming down.  It's about a foot thick and three wide, who knows how tall, but definitely designed to block the door.  You have no idea what mechanism is making it  move, though the best guess is gravity, meaning in order to stop it you need to hold it up somehow.  Without knowing exactly how big it is, you can't really tell how heavy it is.  Attacking the block is futile.  It's stone.  If you had a hammer and chisel it would take hours to get through it.  You could try wedging something to stop it, you can try catching it (requiring a bend bars roll, meaning 7% chance), you can jump through and into the room, or you can let it fall and stay outside.  In the last two options you can take the rope with you or toss it in before the block completely closes the door.

Still holding out hope that we'll get Cassander out from the hole. :)

Editing last post to reflect new information.

Post edited.

If Nivor  can't stop it from blocking you in, he'll try the statue. If that doesn't work, then he'll try  drilling holes into it and hooking chains into it and raising it with his block and Tackle: if all else fails. There might be another way out in the room itself, but not having us all trapped in the same room seems like a good idea.

You don't have chains, a drill or a block and tackle.

Remember that there is no light except what you bring with you, the torch is on top of the dais, so there is no light out the hall where Nivor is.  Also, the passage back to the room with the statue is trapped, though it is a visual trap, so if he is blind going back that way he won't trigger it.

Nivor, trying to stop it is a d100, a percentage roll, trying to get 7 or less.  You rolled a natural 20, would be awesome for a to-hit or saving throw.  But bend bars/lift gates is a percentage. AD&D uses different dice and different mechanics for different kinds of rolls, sometimes high is good (attacks, saves) sometimes low is good (percentage rolls like this one.)

 I should have checked my PDF before I rolled.   Next time, I'll make sure to do that.

Right, let me reroll, and edit.

DM, I take it that the belt and mace don't knock the floor trap open or reach to Cassander?

The trap door on the floor is open already. The pit goes down 20 feet; at the 10 foot mark is a pivoting plate.  The belt and mace combo is not 10 feet long.

What about the rope tossed in from the hall?        There's enough people outside the pit that if one held, and one held while sitting down, that you might have enough counterweight to climb out.

My two coppers at this point. Anyhow, back to fixing the orignal CS, just need to do saves and then I'll be done.

Standard length of rope on the AD&D equipment list is 50 feet, so plenty long.

 I should have a post up late tonight or ,  early Monday morning EST. The CS is where I'd like it. Finding the saves in the DMG was a bit of a bear, but certainly a learning experience.

Slow down there Nivor, you just posted at least 3 rounds worth of actions.  In the same round of your last action to try and catch the block Cassander, Sin-Nasir and Aelfwine still haven't declared or acted.  Please wait until I advance time to the next round.  For now, you are trying and failing to hold the block up.

Thanks.  And I appreciate your enthusiasm!

 Apologies, I thought I was holding people up.

Aelfwine, when you move you step on another floor tile and release an acid globe.  Please make another save v. Poison or take 1d6 acid damage.  You can edit your last post and narrate the results.

You know, Cassander, I really think that it might be the rope or nothing.

Is Nivor still trying muscles or is he trying to wedge something to hold it up?

He's going to be using the crowbar from out of his pack.  Let me edit the post to include that: apologies, work has been keeping me busy.

merry Christmas. I'll be out of town tomorrow through Thursday

 Motherboard died on me, but up and running now.

Well, Sin-Nadir just dropped out of the game.

Cassander and Nivor posted recently, who else is still here?

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 243):

I'm here.

Looks like we've lost momentum on this game.  I'm responsible as anyone, the constant churn of characters is disheartening.  I'm inclined to end it; if anyone has an objection please say so.

Not sure where "...we've lost momentum..." comes from as at least three players have been awaiting a DM post for just over 5 weeks.

If you don't want to run the game then fine just say so but please don't try and make it some failing of your patient players.

No, I took responsibility.  I recognize that.  Thanks.

Thank you.
If you don't want to run the game then that's the end of it.
If you change your mind, I'm still here.
GL with whatever you decide to do.