The fire crackles, lighting up the dark.  A crescent moon hangs in the sky.  The trees surrounding your camp prevent the glow of the fire from spreading too far.  There is safety here, and comfort.  So long as you don't stray from the fire.  Stay a while, and listen.

Feel free to discuss your characters here, I'll be doing quick prologues to discuss what brings you to Clayshire once we're just about ready.

Hello fellow adventurers!

I'll be playing Ehrendril, a fey Star Elf Wizard who is overmuch concerned with charting the course of celestial bodies, and convinced that the darkness has been caused by some inscrutable cosmic event, a harbinger of even worse things to come.

Hi Ehrendil and others! Let's go adventuring, shall we?

Syndelia the Unseenis your (more or less) friendly local rogue. A Dusk Elf from a tribe of the Grimlock Woods, the rebellious youngest daughter of the clan. She's been pushing it for years, one day she pushed it a bit too far with the shaman; she was banished for some time until she learned her lesson, but she raised an elven middle finger to the clan and went into exile on her own.

On the road she fell in with bandits and robbers, learning a few tricks from them, and discovering her skills had more uses than hunting. At first she was just too proud to go back to her clan with her tail between her legs, but lately she's just been having too much fun out there. She's heard tales of great cities and riches in the west, so she's heading that way, fancying herself a cool, amoral free agent, too sassy and greedy for her own good.

Physically she's a lean but muscular woman of about 180 cm, with forest green eyes, black hair and the obligatory pointy ears. She's (almost) dressed in tall boots, loincloth and top, all in leather, the better to show tribal tattoos all over her body, which state (to the initiate) name, lineage, clan, spirit invocations, most important deeds and misdeeds, and shopping lists if there's some free skin. Incredibly fast and athletic, she has an unnerving way of moving around unheard and unseen. Which she does often. Because she can, and because she likes unnerving people. She's handy with a long curved knife and deadly with her composite bow.

Ehrendil, since Syn is quite outdoorsy and you sound more urban, I'm thinking maybe you (maybe both of you Wizards?) hired her to guide you through the forest? Just an idea.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:00, Fri 30 July 2021.

How are you characters coming along?  Does anyone need help building their character?

Hi, working through it at the moment I am hopping to be done soon. Will let you know if anything trips me up.


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In reply to Syndelia the Unseen (msg # 4):

Yes sounds good!

I'm thinking that Ehrendril was likely from some sort of underground Elven barrow, exiled because of his insistence that the Mistress of the Court take his theories of the darkness seriously, which she found an affront to her power.

In any case, while familiar with plants and the natural world or whatnot, he has little idea of how to survive outside of the barrow, and so that would sense for him to hire Syndelia as guide.

I'm going to be backpacking from tomorrow until Sunday night.  I'll check in during the morning before I leave.  Go ahead and finish your sheets, talk about how you might know each other IF you do.  Hopefully we'll start up early next week.

So Trog is a Cave troll who has been on the surface for a handful of years so I'm not really sure what the connection would be with more "civilized" folks ?



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You might just be in the right place at the right time.  Or, depending on how you look at it, the wrong place at the wrong time.

Hey all, High Man Wizard here. I am still working on the background, it will come to me as I generate the character. Jerec has been wandering the darkened world for some time now, doing who knows what, so he might have procured the services of Syndelia at some point or the other.

Or perhaps Syndelia tried to rob him on the road and Jerec gave her a lecture about everyone banding together against the Raven King to bring Light back into the world rather than all the races fighting amongst themselves?

Why don't those with Magic Lores discuss which ones they're choosing here?  It could help focus your characters.  And since I assume most of us are new to the game, it would be an opportunity to learn!  And learning is fun.  I swear.

Sure, for me it's:
- Detections
- Healing
- Lore of Nature
- Master of Animals
- Miracles
- Sounds & Lights
- Spell Songs

Paran is a Firbolg Champion. He is mighty warrior from the artic. The Animist of his tribe had recently began to see portents and signs of a dark event. Being young and capable combatants, he and some other firbolgs from his village were sent out to try and combat the dark portents.

He is rather tall, standing at about 260cm, and deceptively muscular, his body being rather portly. On his head are two horns that flair outwards to either side of his head and are about a foot and a half on both sides. The furs he wears are from various artic animals. His face is covered by a very large fish skull that has various runes carved into it along with many pigments creating strange patterns. He wields a spear with a white wood carved with more runes and topped with a pale blue stone head.

His magic lores are:
-Chanting
-Weapon Master
-Heroic Defense

Narrator, I’m assuming we’re starting (in or close to) this Clayshire place? And that we all have already met and are traveling as a group? Syndelia is coming from the Grimlock Woods in the northeast. With that in mind:

@Ehrendril: Sure, let’s go with the hired guide story. She’s a Dusk Elf of the forest, so she probably sees you as some weird cloistered nerd. But she must like you in some way, since she hasn’t slit your throat yet. Perhaps more people joined the group and she thought it’d be too much hassle. Is your barrow in Grimlock, or do you come from further away? It was Clayshire you wanted to go, or are you going somewhere farther?

@Jerec: Escorting two Wizards? Well, sure, double payday. Are you traveling with Ehrendril? And you’ve been giving Syndelia the talk about fighting the good fight? I can guarantee you’ve woken up with your shoestrings tied together more than once :P

@Trog: Are you from the area? If so, perhaps you’re an old acquaintance of Syndelia’s tribe, always making a racket as you move around the woods and scaring the game away when we go hunting.

Azariah and Paran sound like they come from far away?

In reply to Syndelia the Unseen (msg # 15):

Given my woeful hunting skill, making noise in the forest is probably all Trog can do.


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Don't tell anyone but my Hunting is pretty low too. Too narrow to be any use - how isn't hunting included in Nature? Feels like they needed to pad out the 'Adventuring' skill category - particularly since Wandering and Nature sound like they must overlap a lot. Three skills that should be one. My 2 cents.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:06, Sun 01 Aug 2021.

I'm not an expert at hunting but somewhat decent, and reasonably good at wandering myself.

What flavor of elf are you, Azariah? You wouldn't be a fellow Dusk Woad?

Spell Lores:

Eldritch Frost
Eldritch Tide
Eldritch Visions
Illusion
Mind Control
Sound and Light (2)
Spell Song (2)

If anyone (particularly Jerec with regards to the Wizard-only lores) thinks there's too much overlap I can change some stuff, the only thing I see thus far is both Azariah and I having Sound and Lights and Spell Songs, which I could change, but since they come from my Kin and Culture I don't have too much choice with that, though Elven Lore is also good and I can take that instead of Spell Songs.

Nope :)
Well, she does look like she could be half Dusk though.

@Syndelia: I didn't mean currently, I was thinking maybe we came across each other some years in the past. Maybe it was Jerec's influence that led Syndelia to eventually leave her band of bandits and robbers and move west without them? So we run into each other again after many years...which could result in an interesting reunion?

@Ehrendril:I am still finalizing my lores, but Eldritch Tide and Eldritch Visions were two of the ones I had selected. I'll likely switch out Eldritch Tide but maybe keep Visions; we could try out the Overcasting rules (Ritual Magic) to cast a Eldritch Visions spell above our level for some fun during the game perhaps? :)

All right, I just got back home (and haven't eaten yet).  It was asked if the party would start already knowing each other.  That's up to you!  Every good epic story has some early situation that brings the unlikely heroes together, but quite often a few are already companions or have come across each other in the past.

We will be starting in Clayshire.  You may live here, have arrived recently, or you might be walking up to the village limits at the first post!  There's information about Clayshire in the Locations thread, but basically it's your classic village with an abundance of clay deposits.  There is a healthy mix of all kins here, though Man and Halfling seem to be more dominant.

@Jerec: Yes, that could be fun, she changed her ways but will never, ever admit it was because of you. She just got tired of hanging out with those losers. Yeah. So you're going to be a sort of Gandalfesque character, right? Wandering around and telling people to fight the good fight?


Since Syndelia has been wandering about for the last few years, let's say she's been to Clayshire a few times. Convenient place to restock and sell off some of the things she 'comes by' in her wanderings, until she grows tired of the company of men and halflings and heads back into the forest.

She has a shady reputation, that strange, barely dressed elf with the tattoos who drinks at the Hero and Spear, you see her, and then she's not there any more. Until she's there again. Somehow. All sorts of rumours, naturally, but she doesn't 'work' in town (not much loot to be made in such a small place?) and you don't tell her to her face anyway, have you seen her shooting?

I think that this is Paran's first time in Clayshire. He might have met up with a few of you on his way into the town.

I think Trog probably has done a few jobs here and there, heavy lifting and the like. Having a troll walk up to the village for the first time probably would not be a good idea.


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Welcome to the gig economy, Trog.

Here's another question, one that is much more based in roleplay.  Is your character old enough to have ever seen the sun?

So, let me get this straight before I start cranking out prologue threads.  The following is a list of the party members and their very rough goals.  Let me know if yours isn't quite right, and I'll update it.

• Azariah, Fey Star Elf Animist: Find way to lift personal curse and find/save family.
  
• Ehrendril, Fey Star Elf Wizard: Find proof that the Darkness was not caused by the Raven King, even if that puts him in danger himself.
  
• Jerec, Fey Man Wizard: Very classic attempt to stop the Raven King and restore the Sun.
  
• Paran, Arctic Firbolg Champion: Another classic attempt to fight evildoers, which may lead him straight to the Raven King.
  
• Syndelia the Unseen, Woad Dusk Elf Rogue: No goal other than to get paid for services rendered.  Unfortunately, those services may include acting as a guide in very dangerous circumstances.
  
• Trog, Deep Troll Warrior: You're hungry.

That's correct, although I'm not sure that'd make for a good Motivation? Maybe I should pick up something like "Find a way to be accepted by her tribe again," or at least show them they made a huge mistake casting her out, before she gives them the finger and leaves again, this time for good?

Nature and Motivation I think I can come up with, but Allegiance is harder. She's not really loyal to anyone.

Re:the sun: The dice have spoken - Syndelia is 21, so I guess not? Never seen it, and not wild about it. By all accounts it was some sort of excessively bright and hot version of the moon? That just made it harder to hide? Which burned your skin? And made the weather unbearably hot? Nah, hard pass. Syn's a moon sort of girl.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:37, Mon 02 Aug 2021.

Oh, right!  I knew I was forgetting something.  I've been running around so much lately, I plum forgot about Passions.

So!  We can talk about those.  We will create Natures (who you are, the code by which you live), Allegiances (loyalties or enmities), and Motivations (goals, either long-term or near-future.

Syndelia, as a guide/scout for hire, are you loyal to those who pay you?  Given that you aren't just robbing them blind and leaving them in the woods to die, which would be so dang easy, it shows some sort of commitment.

Yes, she's a nice gal that way :P That would be her... Allegiance, maybe?

• Nature: "Never waste a chance to show I'm smarter, stronger, more capable or just meaner"
• Allegiance: "My loyalty doesn't come cheap - but once bought, I stay bought"
• Motivation: "One day I'll show my tribe what a big mistake they've made"

How're those?

Those sound good Syndelia! And yes, that's kind of what I am goign with Jerec, except he doesn't go about saying that to everyone, only those he feels have potential

And here are Jerec's Passions (subject to tinkering or change):

• Nature: "I always trust in my magic to protect and deliver me, especially when all else has failed."
• Allegiance: "I will oppose and seek to destroy any servants of the Raven King that cross my path!"
• Motivation: "I will use my Art and my mastery of the Secret Lore to restore Light to the world."

Are the above good enough to earn a point of Drive or two when needed? Or are they too vague or too difficult to put into play?

So far so good.  Jerec's look like they came straight out of the Dark Days, Raven Nights handbook.  And that's a good point, you should consider how you can use your Passions to gain a point of drive.

Syndalia, your first two are good.  Your third might be harder to utilize, though you might just prove me wrong!  Remember, you can all suggest to me when you feel someone has risked their lives in line with their passions.

• Nature: "Food nice, friends nice."

• Allegiance: "If you feed me, I your friend"

• Motivation: "Raven King bad, his army bad, they poke Trog with sharp sticks."

Trog, let's flesh these out a little more.  Right now I feel like they might be difficult to utilize to gain Drive.



With this in mind, I think you have a good baseline, but they need some work to be usable.

For your Nature, I like that you're keeping it simple.  Trog only cares about friends and food.  Given your more savage nature (being a troll and all), what if we take it a step further?  "Will fight for food, but fight with friends."  Or perhaps "Nothing will get in between Trog and Food or Trog and Friends."  Makes the Passion a little more dynamic, but keeps the same idea.

For your Allegiance, I actually like where it is.  This could lead to some questions of loyalty when the enemy figures out the key to your heart is through your stomach.

For your Motivation, we should make this dynamic AF!  Take this hatred of the Raven King and his sharp-sticked forces, and send a message.  "Trog not take shit from Raven King or army with sharp sticks, Trog stab back."  This still has the implications that you're doing what you do because you're sick of the Raven King's status quo, gives a goal of sorts, and gives you something to struggle towards.

That being said, this should be a group discussion.  Thoughts, anyone?

As Long as no one has anything more to add, I am happy with those options.

• Nature: "Nothing will get in between Trog and Food or Trog and Friends."

• Allegiance: "If you feed me, I your friend"

• Motivation: "Trog not take shit from Raven King or army with sharp sticks, Trog stab back."

I guess it's not very usable, unless Syndelia's tribe features prominently in the story, which I'm guessing won't be the case. I'm trying to come up with something that feels a bit more personal than e.g. "Amass as much loot as possible", but which at the same time is not as character-specific as to never appear in the game ("Kill her aunt Elfelia who was really mean to her once").

Paran's Passions are the following:

• Motivation: Seek and destroy whatever is causing the evil portents.
• Nature: Be like a hearth to family but like the tundra to enemies.
• Allegiance: My loyalty to my tribe and people lets me push forward.

I think his motivation and allegiance can lend themselves to joining a group, as long as he is achieving is overall goal. As for his nature, I envision it that he is sort of indifferent to most people when he first meets them. But as he gets to know and trust them he begins to include them into his tribe and family. he treats his enemies in a harsh, indifferent way. He tries to be as efficient as he can.

OK, I was looking at the NPCs searching for inspiration, what about this:

Motivation: "I'm looking for the treasure of Dralda's Bastards, even if I have to kill the woman."

Dralda used to lead a gang aptly called Dralda's Bastards. Shortly after Syndelia left the group, the whole gang was slaughtered, only Dralda managed to escape. Each time they bump into each other in Clayshire, their looks could kill: Dralda is convinced Syndelia orchestrated the massacre, and Syndelia would like to find the gang's stash for herself, now that Dralda is alone. It's a game of cat and mouse and none of them wants to openly start a fight in town.

How's that?
This message was last edited by the player at 17:23, Tue 03 Aug 2021.

That could be a good one for now.  Very immediate, and very roleplay-able.  I like it!  I'm curious to see how to try to collect the bounty.

Glad you like it! Thanks, adding it to my description/story now.

That's almost all of us.  Just waiting on the last two.  I should have prologues up in the next few days; sooner, if we get the final Passions.

And ofcourse, poor Dralda doesn't know it was Jerec's motivational speeches that led to Syndelia defecting from the gang ;)

Sorry it's been a bit hectic over the past couple days, but I should have everything ready now.



Yes that'd be good! The rules for overcasting are kind of intense so I mostly put down one rank in spell lores, apart from the ones from kin and culture.



I don't think Ehrendril will have been to Clayshire before; he's fairly new to the world outside of his fey seclusion, and hasn't really travelled much as yet either. I'll say that it's not even been a year since he left the fey barrow.



Absolutely, since the star elves are immortal and his community has been sheltered for so long, most of his kin are centuries old - Ehrendril himself is fairly young at under two centuries, but has never spent much time in the outside world. He does of course know of the sun, and has spend much time poring over astronomy, but has decidedly different reasons for being upset by its disappearance than most.

---

As for his passions:

Nature: Caution in all things, prudence and patience are the most sure route to success.

Allegiance: An exile of his court, Ehrendril is an outcast to any star elves of repute.

Motivation: The stars portend disaster, the world must come to understand and combat this threat.

Ehrendril, good choices for your Passions.  Your Allegiance might be tougher to pull off, but I'll make sure to make your life a little difficult with it.

After thinking about it for a bit, I might change Paran's nature. Given his low mental stats, I think he might be more cheerful and naive. Having lived his whole life in an isolated and group oriented tribe, he probably is pretty ignorant of the troubles that plague most cities. He is seeing this as a grand adventure in the making.

These pesky wandering wizards and their honeyed words...



Welcome to Syn's Wilderness Trekking Adventures! What's that you're wearing, sandals with socks?

First of all, as a proud PNW-er, socks with sandals allow for warmth of feet, breathability, and protection from sharp rocks and discarded needles.  Don't knock the combo, it's part of my culture.

Second, we haven't heard from Azariah since Monday, but this part of the game is often a little slow.  I'm posting the prologues, and these are meant primarily for us to get into character, find a posting rhythm, and to discover who are character is in play.  Don't worry about making strong choices or anything, that's not the point here.

So is my prologue before or after (or during?) the Ehrendril gig? I'm between Steamwind and Clayshire if I'm reading it correctly?

You know, that's up to you.  I would assume after you've met Ehrendril.  And yes, you're between the two places, out in the wilderness.

Just out of curiosity, would day be considered the time when the moon is in the sky and night when the moon sets? Or is it the reverse?

Yes!  Due to the lack of the sun, the brightest object in the sky is the moon!  Days are now when the moon rises, and nights when it sets.  Yes, I do know science.  But in this case, a wizard did it.

I should be putting up the first post for Chapter 1 early this coming week.  The prologues aren't meant to be extensive.

Looking forward to it, though we can always keep the prologues going concurrently as they take place in the past. Really helps in fleshing out characters and motivations. :)

Agreed. And I (probably) won't shoot Paran anyway :P

This is absolutely true.  You can keep exploring these, though I'm itching to see you all in action sooner rather than later.  I want to see Syndelia sniping ghouls from three miles away.  I want to see Trog staring down smaller giants.  I want to see Jerec calling the lighting down to turn his foes to ash!

As long as I'm paid for it. And there's an extra surcharge for every mile of sniping, after the first one.

Damn. I just noticed there's a resident Firbolg in Clayshire, so Syn shouldn't have acted so surprised to see another Firbolg. Rats.

To be fair, Firbolg are pretty dang rare.  They aren't like Elves and Dwarves.

Maybe that day Syn wasn't in town and/or totally smashed.

I have a doubt: is the older dude with the beard Jerec, or an NPC? And the hooded stranger is NOT the dwarf who has left to snitch to Dralda?

Right.  Basically, Jerec is chilling at his table.  Trog sits alone.  A strange, hooded man sits in a corner.  Dralda's thugs are at another table.  A few other patrons sit scattered around.  Syndelia, Paran, and Ehrendril are at a final table.

Gotcha. So basically just the hooded guy is left to interact with :)

Pretty much.  However, I'm going to be gone Friday and Saturday.  Feel free to chat until Sunday at which point I'll advance the plot.

Thanks for the heads up, I won't bother the NPCs for now then :)

Time to get wasted, boys!

I don't know if this question is too meta to be answered here: can we/are we allowed to buy something in town? Other than dinner and drinks at the inn, I mean.

Asking because I'm eyeing the prices in the manual, and wondering what can I afford.

I'm going to say no for right now.  You folks are all happy go lucky, and what you have is what you've found you need in your day to day life.  Plus the book says so.

I'm finally home, but I'm absolutely exhausted.  I'll post something in the morning.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:16, Sun 15 Aug 2021.

Welcome back!

Small edit to my last post, the Perception should be made at a -20.  Syndelia, you're good.

That was close.

Any windows in the inn?

There are windows, but they're all shut and shuttered.  Not necessarily boarded up, though.

Well, I'm going for the door anyway.

I don't want to get too far ahead with just you, I'd like to see what the rest of the cast is up to.

Naturally, happy to wait for the team to get ready for the dance :)

All right, so I'm noticing that this game must be a beast to run life.  So many charts to consult!  I have ideas on how I'd do it; basically by giving players copies of the attack and crit charts to allow for distribution of work.

Syndelia, go ahead and add a crit roll to your attack.  Just a 1d100.  If it needs to be modified, I'll account for that on my end.

Given how easy it is to crit, we should add those to each attack roll, and I'll calculate it all in.

Yeah, it's based off (read, ripped from) the old-timer MERP; I remember trying to master it as a teen back in the day and giving up in frustration :P

I've rolled a 45 (updated my post) and that should be a Pierce critical, but for hte final result we need to know what armor is the guy wearing (and I'm not sure if his DEX bonus applies, since he's surprised...)

For this situation, I'm counting the creature as not surprised, since the arrow is coming from a door to which it is heading.  It's also on edge, so somewhat prepared for attacks coming from obvious directions.  If you had snuck out the back and all the way around, then absolutely it would be surprised.

As for rolls, I'm happy to just receive the attack and critical, and I'll handle the rest on my end.  I know it can sometimes be faster to give the players all the info in these types of games, but I like a little mystery in my games.

All right, so I want to clarify a few things.  You should all post what you plan to do this round in combat.  For this particular combat, we won't be worrying about movement too much, unless you're moving zone to zone.  If you share a zone with a combatant, we will assume you can engage them.  You should declare your action, and then provide the necessary rolls.  Once each of you have made such a post, I will take all of them and describe how combat happens, including the damage and criticals you deal and receive.

Make it clear which weapon or spell you're using, if you want to parry or defend, which enemy you're targeting, etc.

If you are using a ranged weapon or casting a spell, keep in mind that you have two phases.  You may need to spend one loading your bow or cranking up that heavy metal magic hoodoo that you do.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:52, Wed 18 Aug 2021.

Can I move to Zone Two, jump on a table and table dance all night shoot my bow from that second row?

You can do all of that!  Movement is movement.  You can move to Zone Two and get on a table (though I'll ask for an Acrobatics check to see how well), load your bow in the first ranged round, and then fire (albeit at a -20 due to taking a Half Action- Move along with a Full Action- Ranged Attack).  But you're amazing at both acrobatics and ranged attacks, so this should go off without a hitch.

Trog, go ahead and include a Crit roll (1d100) with your post.  It'll just speed things up.

Sure I'm just ready through the rules now and trying to get a handle on it in my head. Thanks.


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Is that from the "Impact Critical Strikes" tables 7.9 ?


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It will end up being from there, but since you don't know the creatures defense, you don't know what to add to your crit (if anything).

But yes!  In a live game I'd tell you to, hypothetically, roll 1d100+20 for whatever kind of crit on the impact table!

Yes, got that now. Thanks.


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Quick question: Is making a skill roll like Cultures a free action or a half action?

edit: Ok I assumed it was a Free Action.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:37, Thu 19 Aug 2021.

Jerec, go ahead and add your spell to the post.  To simplify the combat, I'm having you all put all your actions and rolls together, so I can go and narrate how the round goes.

Also, give me a minute and I'll respond to your PM.

In response to your question about skill checks, I would put something like Cultures where you're trying to understand or remember as a free action, but using it to influence someone would be either a half action or a full action.

Paran, yours was clearly a half action.  If you want to take another half action or a full action (with a penalty) this turn, go ahead.

Jerec, if I don't hear back from you regarding the spell by the evening, I'll make a roll for you.  Just in the interest of keeping this moving along.

Given that we have lost at least one character and probably a second, does anyone mind if I run Barakus as a regular character in combat, albeit one who is not designed to steal the spotlight?

Ehrendril, you mean? Is it confirmed?

I'm fine with you running Barakus, although I guess he's more Jerec's brainchild :P Shall we make a call for someone to take over Barakus and/or Ehrendril?

@Narrator: Jerec is 'Concentrating' (pg 129) casting a spell without concentrating means he takes a -10 penalty, but it can be cast this round. With concentrating he gets a +10 bonus per round he concentrates (other bonuses/penalties may also apply) but casts the spell next round.

I would prefer Jerec concentrate for this round to get the bonus and loose the spell next round; MPs are very precious, and Jerec would prefer to avoid attracting the DMs eye via Resonance rolls so he will try to keep spellcasting only for emergencies; so basically let the others do the grunt work and also rely on his sword & staff. Oh and also Barakus ;) By the way Barakus will maintain his position so as to prevent any undead from passing if possible and interrupting Jerec's spell; its likely a way of fighting the two have worked out before.

It's your call though; if you want to go ahead tell me and I'll make the roll or you make it.

Are we sure we lost Ehredril? Its only been a few days, and RL can always come up out of  nowhere; I lost my internet for 2 full days (posted earlier from a someone elses ISP) and only just now got it back. I say NPC Ehrendril for now and wait on the player to return.

Regarding Barakus, well he is both Narrator's and mine braindchild, but sure Narrator, run him as you wish. He will likely be a warrior (a bit on the brash side) who fights with sword/shield & Axe/shield; if you want to be daring he can also use a 1H sword two handed when he wants to go all out. He is also good with a bow and most importantly, has good Wandering & Nature skills. Kind of a pseudo Ranger. Who knows, he may be the real hero of this story! :)

(You could even recruit another player to play him, but NPC him until the other player joins)
This message was last edited by the player at 18:18, Thu 19 Aug 2021.

Trog, you were able to roll well enough that your 8 to Crit actually got a +50 to the roll.  Granted, that's still in the lower ranges of a critical, but your troll is still beastly enough to turn a low crit into a much higher one.

In retrospect Jerec probably should have aimed at the dwarf wearing metal armor...but oh well. Plus the dwarf would get defence due to its armor while the skeletons are unarmored.

Speaking of which @Narrator I forgot we are not supposed to roll on Attack tables & Criticals since we don't know the creatures defence, so feel free to edit my post if you wish. :P

No, I actually want you to make your rolls.  Just leave your crit unmodified, so that I can handle it with the defense once I make the combat rounds post.

Oh my goodness, I'm finding myself with several RPOL tabs open and flipping through the book like crazy during these combats.  It would go much more smoothly if I were to copy some pages and print them out, but ink ain't cheap yo.

Anyways, Trog!  You nailed that skeleton!

As with most weekends, I'll be backpacking Saturday and Sunday, but I'm planning to be back much earlier on Sunday.

In reply to Narrator (msg # 97):

LOL same here, this is why it took me ages to make my PC. This really helps you grok the rules though as does playing, so eventually if we play long enough we should know the rules by heart (just like many know D&D, Pathfinder etc)

Till then however, during stuff like combat it could be useful to have multiple PDFs of the bok open at various points (like the appendix with all the tables). You can rename the pdf to be able to open multiple copies.

Yeah, combat is giving me Vietnam flashbacks bringing some memories of playing MERP a LONG time ago. Complete with projectile weapons being next to useless. I never learn.

I'm really enjoying Syndelia's character! :)

I think missile attacks show their true power when you use the Aim action...

Absolutely.  You have the relative safety of distance, plus you can aim.  The problem is that you almost have to aim if you want to do real damage, as the damage table doesn't effectively start until 91-95 (allowing superficial crits).  You just need a little luck.

Also, I just noticed that there are two sections in Combat that talk about flanking.  One gives you a numerical bonus (+15 or +30), while the other gives you length to your weapon for having a positional bonus.  /cue minor grumbling.

Thanks, glad to hear that! :)

As for Aiming, first time didn't exactly work. And if I have to reload now, then aim until I get to the full +40... see you on Round 8, I guess?

Syn: "Guys, guys! I hit it, I hit the dwarf!"
Syn: ...
Syn: "...Guys?"
The guys, a mile away from the village: ... And I think we should follow this lead, yeah. Anyone has seen the tattoo girl, btw?
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 12:26, Mon 23 Aug 2021.

Hold on, gang, it would seem my Round Four summary disappeared.

---

Edit: I remembered how it went down, and recreated it.  We're good to continue.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:11, Tue 24 Aug 2021.

Cool! Am I on time to intercept the crowned dude as he goes for the door, jump from the table and tackle him? Or is he already out of the building by the time Syn can react?

I think you can try to intercept him.  That would be a Knock Down action, from combat options.  Opposed Brawl checks.

Opposing a 77, by the way.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:38, Tue 24 Aug 2021.

I kicked his ass big time.

So, let's see: I'm still trying to Grapple him, right? That's Brawling, +20 because he's prone? Am I forgetting something else?

It's tricky, because you're effectively prone as well.  I mean, Syndelia definitely isn't standing, but she also isn't "knocked down or laying down".  For this, let's go without the bonus, since it's two people grappling on the floor.

Well, but we're not just wrestling, I had him pinned down, hadn't I?

Found this at the bottom of the Grapple Critical Strikes page.  To stick with the rules, go ahead and roll a Critical Hit (Superficial) to see what you actually grappled, and then a contested Brawl.  The critical may give him a penalty to escaping.

Today: Syndelia the Unseen rolled 54 using 1d100 with rolls of 54.  Grappling crit (Superficial).

Manual:
"Shield arm grapple. If the target has a shield: -50 To all actions until drops shield or breaks free. It the target does not have a shield: Stunned, -30 To all actions while held."

Does he have a shiled? If no, can he try to escape while Stunned?

Hmmm... the way I'm reading it is that for that first few seconds he's stunned, as he doesn't have a shield.  After that period of time (effectively one round), you can maintain the hold and he will take a -30 to any actions, including his escape attempt.

OK, so do I need to do anything to keep holding him right now, or can use the turn to put a knife to his throat? Sometimes that makes people pay attention.

It's a full action to maintain the grapple, and a contested roll when the grapplee tries to escape.  So you would need to make a brawl check to hold him.

OK, so I make another Brawl roll, he gets -30, do I get anything?

Sorry for the constant questions, it's a bit muddy.

I'm glad we're working through it!  Rules like this can be pretty complicated.  It sounds like you don't get a bonus, but he gets the penalty.  That's to represent him being pinned in some manner.

Do I keep goading the crown dude, team? I'm supposed to be sassy and standoffish, but he sounds like a questgiver. Probably shouldn't, right? :P

Quick question: What skill roll would be needed to try and identify the 'dwarf' creature? Arcana, Cultures, something else?

I'm assuming its not a regular member of the dwarven species ofcourse. :)

Either Cultures or Songs and Tales.

I've been pretty swamped with work and social engagements, so my posting is going to be a little slow this week, and perhaps this week.  Thanks for your patience!

I guess taking a look wasn't the best idea.



-

Well, it was supposed to be the crowned warrior, so...

So do we need a roll to squeeze out of a window?

Syndelia, Jerec, and Ehrendril (whom I haven't decided what to do with) would not need to roll.  Barakus and the Crowned Warrior would.  Paran and Trog won't fit out the window.  Acrobatics seems the best skill to use.

Stay put, humans, you're going to spoil my sharpshootin' :P

Sorry about that Syndelia, but given she will be aiming for a couple of rounds (unless it moves) I figure Narrator would have auto rolled to see if the creature spotted us anyway, unless the inn was between Jerec & Ehrindrel and the creature (if we found a window at the rear of the inn)

@Narrator: How heavy does the mallet in the creature's hand seem? Also how far away from Jerec is it approximately ?

Joking, naturally you want to get as far as possible from that brute.

I'll see if I can do some serious damage to it, and if not, maybe I can distract it and outrun it while you guys get out of the building.

The mallet is big.  Its haft is just a hair shorter than Jerec.

As far as the window, I did miss that you were looking for one towards the rear.  There are none in the absolute back, but some were far enough back that you'll get significant bonuses to stealth (I'll calculate them in).  From where you are, I'd say you're close to 35 meters away from the creature.

Have I reached +40 yet?

Also, can you guys kill the Crowned dude for me while I take care of the giant? Pretty please?

Oh yeah, you've been sitting there for a hot minute and have this creature solidly within your aim.

OK, here goes nothing...

...I think it was an OK shot?

Would you say facing the giant alone, and one-shotting him, is hitting this:

Nature: "Never waste a chance to show I'm smarter, stronger, more capable or just meaner"

for Drive?

Yeah, that seems pretty reasonable!  Don't forget to remind me about Drive, folks.

Perfectly! In fact I would say it qualifies for more than 1 PT.

Cool, ta! :)

Goodness, I'm pretty swamped.  I'm not trying to neglect you all, but I need a minute before I can jump back in.  And by a minute, I mean I should have a post on Friday at the latest.

And please poke me if I'm missing a response to someone.  I totally spaced on Korag, but I like to think he's more concerned with his bar than anything else.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:31, Wed 08 Sept 2021.

Oops, missed this earlier! Don't worry about Korag, I had a feeling he wasn't going to be terribly grateful anyway :P  Unswamped? Can we do something to help? I suppose we all need to go see the Loremasters, so I'm gonna go a little soft on the crownbaby for a second, if that helps :)

Although he deserves an arrow in the ass, truth be told.

Trog was not advocating that we kill the "crown man", just that should it happen the crown would then be able to be removed.


-

I know, Trog, but Syn's very much pro-smashing the crownbabe :P

We're closing in on a chapter break, and I'll be handing out XP soon.  Continue to roleplay, but know that the times they are a'changing.

XP sounds nice!

How do we go about handing out coin or the like? I know we make wealth rolls to purchase stuff but what about say, if like Jerec wants to see if he has the coin to give a shady party member with suspect loyalties to the light? ;)

My loyalties are not suspect, but very clear: you get what you pay for :P

I would say that hiring her services is Fare 1.  So if you have an equal fare to the cost, you can afford it but your wealth drops by one.  If you have a higher fare, you can just afford it.  Syndelia, I'll do something similar.  If your wealth is less than one, you'll gain one wealth.  If it is equal to one, you stay the same.  Once you gain levels, you can start charging more.

The gig economy follows me even here.

Nice! So we all level up, right?

You do indeed!  How exciting!

Given that this is a new game for most of us, I'll also allow a one-time offer of making small tweaks to your character.  If you put ranks somewhere you wish you hadn't, feel free to move those around.  If you put Vocational Bonuses in the wrong skill, go ahead and fix that.  I want us to be having fun, and success can be pretty fun.  Leave your Attributes and Backgrounds alone.

If you missed it, your character should have started with the gear options from their Culture and Backgrounds, as well as the Starting Equipment list on pp. 99, and nothing else.  This includes a sidearm of your choice.  Please take some time and ensure you did this properly.

OK, so:

Combat 3: +10 Ranged, +5 Blades
Adventuring 4: +10 Athletics, +10 Wandering
Roguery 5: +5 each
Body 1: +5 HP
Spells 0

And finally transfering Lore 1 and Armor 1 to get a final +5 on Nature.

Am I forgetting something?

You also get another +5 to your TSR and WSR.

Going to update my sheet before posting IC as well. Thanks for the new formatting Narrator, looks really nice!

You can thank Syndelia for that.  I made a few small modifications, but they did the brunt of the work.

Heh, glad it helps :) I had no idea you were using mine as template.

I have Wandering 30 now. Shall I lead the Camping roll, or does anyone have better stats?

Looking through the sheets, yours is the highest!  Except for ol' Barakus, of course, but I'm not going to have an NPC do all the hard work.  He'll just be Helping.

Check out chapter on Camping.  Your group size gives you a -20 to your Wandering roll.  You are currently in Normal Terrain, which has no modification.  You only really need a 75 for a Partial Success, but that will come with some inconveniences.  Barakus just rolled a Partial Success to Help, so you get a +10 "But" to your roll.  So as it stands, you rolled a 31.  +30 for Skill, -20 for Group Size, +0 for Terrain, +10 for Barakus Helping.  51 total so far.  Don't forget that you can spend your Drive if you want a reroll, or bonuses for an entire scene.

We should have booked a motel online, guys. We're clearly not the camping type.

Hello hello?

Hey, I thought I had posted on Friday, but it looks like it didn't take. I said that you should roleplay over the weekend, as I'd be backpacking, and I'd push the story along on Monday.  I was hoping Jerec would have posted...

Apologies for the delay in posting folks, but I had a sudden RL surge over the past week that also gobbled up my weekend. Something personal; it'll take another day or two to clear up fully.

Jerec, do you have your rolls set to Secret? I can't see them in the Dice Roller.

Yes i have them set to secret, just to add more mystery to Jerec. :)

However, I did make a mistake in my last roll, I didn't notice the -20 to modify the Athletics roll.

@Narrator: However even with that Jerec should pass correct, as he would have an Athletics roll of 103, meaning Jerec doesn't lose anything from his inventory?

It seems we have run into old friends of Syndelia, hopefully this means we can talk our way through this. If not, Jerec may have some tricks he can use to even the odds.



Lol yes, I guess Jerec's eyesight is failing him in his old age. :D
This message was last edited by the player at 22:02, Thu 30 Sept 2021.

Could I sneak around and try to flank them, or are we too exposed for that?

@Jerec: Don't worry about the roll, it looks like you succeeded.

@Syndelia: You can definitely try to sneak around, with a -20.  As your group walked up the road, it's very likely that Dralda's group was watching you from afar.  They saw you hop off to the side of the road, but you're also dang good at sneaking.

"Old friends of mine" as in "killing her is literally one of the goals of my existence" :P

Don't worry gang, we aren't technically in combat yet.  You can start a fight if you want, but we also have a ninja in the woods waiting to strike in an ambush.  Is nobody brave enough to take the crown?

Seeing what it did for Miss Congeniality? Naaah, hard pass. Incidentally, I apologize for being so tardy, IRL is getting very intense these days. I expect this will be over soon and you'll get more Sassy Dark Elf representation soon.

Wow, this is indeed a brutal system! Thanks for the GM fiat, I would hate to lose Jerec so quickly. Just from a rules perspective though, doesn't the foliage provide any type of cover?

I'm going to wait for Syndelia to post first before taking action (but if she is still busy I'll go ahead and make a move).

Another thing, isn't there a tree trunk nearby Jerec can take cover behind? And now that a bolt was fired can he at tell how far away the shooter is (in movement)?

It would be Dralda's Bastards that would get the cover from foliage, as they're the ones hiding behind the fallen trees.  And even if the Crowned Warrior had gotten cover, it wouldn't have been enough to stop the fatal blow.  Dralda rolled that well.

As for Jerec, now that he has a point of reference, he can totally see the visual clues.  The ambushers are still in hiding, but he can make out where they are.

A question about positioning: the two Bastards that are have been sent to find Syn, are they actually headed in my direction, or are they moving away from me? To know if I need to further lure them away, or I can stay where I am, nock a shaft and and send my warmest regards to Dralda.

Dralda and two of her Bastards are still hiding in/behind the tree in the middle of the Old Road.  Her two other Bastards went off in different directions.  There's only one near you, and he doesn't seem to have noticed you.  But if you make an attack, there's a good chance you'll be in the fray before long.  Bows are quiet, but not silent, and this person is actively searching for you.

If you make an attack, you'll get the better end of the Surprised Condition as well as either Flanking or Rear positional bonus, depending on where you think you are.  I imagine that you're parallel to Dralda now, which would be Flanking.  You'd have to leave the tree cover to get a Rear attack.

I'm in the process of making a post but have another question: As we knew we were under threat then could Jerec hypothetically have cast Magic Shield as a quickened instantaneous spell (page 129) and if so, could he have survived?

I think you misunderstand just how well Dralda rolled.  Penalties are taken out before determining the maximum roll for a weapon.  She was well in the 200s.

No time to Aim, then?

You said you've been busy, so I won't hold that against your character.  Based on the timing, I'd say you may have been aiming for a few rounds.

Thanks for your understanding.

Also, roll above 200, you said?

Wait, uh, she has arrow immunity?  Yeah!  Dralda is totally immune to arrows.  I had this planned from the beginning.

Silly me, how could I forget the electromagnetic repulsion field of her chainmail?

Syndelia, for the sake of story, I'll allow you to spend a drive point to select a different, lower critical strike.  If you intended to take her alive, I'm sure you would have aimed as such.  As it stands, Dralda will be dead before too long and none of you are capable of saving her.

And since that would be pursuing my Motivation (Finding Dralda's stash), wouldn't that give me some Drive too?

Is Dralda wearing a helmet? If so, I'd lower it to 130:

Strike to the forehead. If the target's wearing helm: +8 Damage, knocked unconscious for 30 minutes. If not: skull fractured, target unconsious and dies in 10 minutes.

If she's not, then I think my best option is 131-136:

Strike to the rear of the knee tears ligaments and damages muscle. Target's Prone, -60 activity, +8 Damage, 3 Bleed, and Stunned.

Which would mean she's unable to get up from the floor and participate in the fight or flee, right?

@Narrator: How far away are the bandits from where Jerec is standing in meters?

Dralda was not wearing a helmet, nor are any of her companions.  If you take out her knee, she'll be down for the count.  And with bleeding, she won't last long.

Jerec, you WERE about 25m away, so I'd say you're about 15m away now.

Crikey, this is much harder than just killing people... How long will she last with Bleed 3? Is that a wound we can dress with a torn piece of shirt once the fight is over?

So if I'm not mistaken, it was Dralda + 4. Dralda suffered The Skyrim Fate, two of his minions quit on the spot (are they staying, walking out?). The remaining two were looking for me - Jerec fried the one that was getting closer, and the other one went into the forest.

About that last one - shall I roll Perception to find him? Stealth to stalk him from behind? Or is he already long gone?

Gang, I hate to do this, but I'm going to be closing down this game.  I'm sure some of you are already part of the other Against the Darkmaster game currently being run, and I hope to see you all as players in other games!

FWIW, I'm not in any other AtD game. May I ask why are you closing down the game? Have we gone off the rails that badly?

I've noticed for a week or two now that my heart just hasn't been in the game, and I'd rather focus my energies elsewhere.  You guys weren't off the rails at all!  Maybe not taking the route I expected, but heading in the right direction.

Well that was unexpected......

I'm loving the game but its your choice Narrator, but perhaps take a short break and come back to it? In the meantime you can advertise for a new player or two to pick up for the ones who dropped off earlier (it would add vitality)?

Again, your choice. Its your right to end it completely if your hearts not in it (and/or if RL is getting in the way)

Care to elaborate why your heart wasn't in the game? Maybe we're moving too slow or too fast? Is there anything we could do about it to help you find that spark again, so you have fun too GMing?

Naturally, if your decision is firm then that's it, but tbh personally I think it'd be a shame, I was having a lot of fun and I think all the characters are super interesting and I'm keen on pursuing that plot.