This is the OOC thread for the game.

I was asked about starting gear and I noted that I hadn't included that in the Character Creation thread, but it is now updated. The update is the last line in the post.

I've corrected the costs of a couple of the racial templates.

Hello everyone. Got a scout, archer, and archeologist all rolled into one character being built. Will have sheet up and such Sunday.

How is everyone else doing?

Hey there!

Ursion here is ready and approved.

Imperial front liner and generalist.

Cool, archers and spellcasters like it when there's at least 1 guy we can shoot people from behind of. lol.

My guy is a Wild Elf, but he doesn't have the same prejudices many other elves have.

Greetings. Totally not a half-shadow elf ninja here.

It's good to meet all of you. I'm looking forward to gaming with you.

As a note for all of you, I'm going to be away all of next week. I realized that _after_ I had set this game in motion. So I won't be on as often as I normally am. I might not be on at all. And if I am on, the wireless keyboard, that's the only keyboard available to me, is a little bit hit and miss. So spelling accuracy goes out the window. Just so that you know.

I know that's not the ideal way to start things, but by the time I realized this, the ball was already rolling.

As we have a character from Arorum, the most magnificent city in the world, I figured I would write a little something about it.

I added information on the naming and length of all the ages in this setting. You can find it at the end of the 2nd post in the Lore thread.

A little information on the culture and traditions of the Imperium. I'm starting with them as Ursion, who is the first completed and approved character, lives there. And I have enough stuff to tell about how things are there. And all things aren't good from our current perspective.

If you find that there are missing details, we can work on filling them in.

Thanks for that.

Definitely helps to paint a clearer picture.

I've added some things that Wild Wood exports in the Lore thread. Some of the categories are quite broad though and may need to be narrowed down a bit more.

And some imports too.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:32, Sat 05 Feb 2022.

How's it going guys?

Harnan? Awfully quite over there. Working on something cool?

Don't know about Harnan, but I'm still here, just wrapping up the character.

Turned in my first draft last night of the character sheet. Not the most knowledgeable GURPS player around so Dragondog might have suggestions.

I'm working on my character in fits and starts.  Have the overall concept but still working on nuts and bolts.

How's everyone doing? Haven't heard a peep in the last few days.

Oh still standing by. Ready to go.

Things will probably pick up once GM returns.

I'm back.

I will go through everything and get my responses too you asap.

So far no healer has joined the group.

For the four of you that have, is that an NPC you'd want in the group?

I added a couple of house rule perks that I always use, but didn't think of when I wrote the house rules thread.

I added a rough map of the continent to the Game Map. Because of the website I've used to create the map, North is to the right and there are other inaccuracies. I also change the name of the capital city of Hothgar as I had different names for that city in different documents. There are other changes, but you'll probably not notice those.

The familiarity information I've included on The Cast page is familiarity with GURPS. That way I have all the information in one place.

For those of you who want to know, three characters are now completed and have started their intro thread.

I have received RTJs from two different healers and I am working with both of them.

I noticed that I hadn't included what Hidden Lore specialties that are available. So I added that to the last post in the House Rules thread.

And as I talked about banishing creatures there, I defined that trait too.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:40, Sat 19 Feb 2022.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 27):

Character is largely finished. A Bedoin priest who rarely celebrates new year, unless it is a religious festival. But he is around helping the poor by providing food, water and healing, in the name of Paye.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:50, Mon 21 Feb 2022.

I think your phone respelled Bedouin for you.

Heh, I was wondering about that.

In reply to Keira (msg # 30):

Yes, it did. it keeps doing that, sorry I don't catch it every time...

No worries. We've got you covered. It isn't the first and won't be the last time phones do that.

It struck me that I hadn't included who the ruler of Dune is, so I identified the Sultan at the end of that post in the Lore thread.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 33):

Nice. Going through the finer details of my character now. Posted ideas for quirks in private. I may have missed it, but how far from Dune are we? I should include a story of how the young Bedouin priest got there...Also, how do priests of Paye usually celebrate the new year...or would you like me to make up that bit?

You can start wherever you want. The group isn't together yet. And I haven't specified those details, so you can make it up if you like.

FYI

I'm not feeling very well.

That may affect the frequency with which I post here and how intelligent my posts are.

Just so that you know.

Sorry to hear that. Take it easy.

In reply to Keira (msg # 37):

Ditto. We can wait.

Your health comes first. We'll see you when you feel better.

Rest up! Feel better!

I'm not back to full speed, but I'm better. Which some of you may already have noticed.

I am still here. Will have a post up sometime tonight. My charger unexpectedly died on me, but I was luckily able to salvage it temporarily, since the new one won't be here until next Tuesday. The joys of using an older computer.

In reply to Talathel Eoleth (msg # 42):

Desktop don't need chargers... though most of my posts are from my phone now, so I can't say much...

I am using a laptop. Haven't had a desktop in over a decade.

I thought I had updated everyone's intro thread, I'm working on that now.

Talanthel is getting busier in real life and won't be remaining in the game. We'll see if we end up with five or six PCs.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 46):

As it happens. Ready to go again when you are

Working with those still in their intro threads. For the majority that have already completed their intro thread, I will be letting you know when we are joining forces by starting a main thread that all of you can see.

Half of you have completed your intro thread. Some of you recently and some of you some time ago.

What can we/I do to keep your interest up while we wait for the rest to complete their intro threads?

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 49):

Is there some transit we have to do to get to the one location?

That is a good suggestion, however, transit will be sorted out in the main thread.

Maybe like a little extra credit exercise?

Write up a little something about your characters background or culture that can help to flesh out the setting as a whole?

That sounds awesome.

If that is something you want to do, feel free to do so.

Hey guys.  I just thought I should introduce myself.  I'm Gurth.  Ogre, gladiator, wanderer, sensitive man (ogre) of the New Age.  Looking forward to getting things going and having fun.

In reply to Gurth (msg # 54):

Aladin, priest of Paye, is the service of the gods...

I'm going to be away over Easter so we'll see how much I'll be able to post on Friday and Saturday. But I'll be back on Monday.

Have fun.

In reply to Gurth (msg # 57):

Enjoy the break!

The main thread is now open and you can all post there directly.

I'm trying to set up language groups for the game, but I get a duplicate group names error even though there are no duplicate group names. Does anyone know what the problem could be?

I noted that I had forgotten to mention Harnan's scars, so I included a short reference in my second post in the main thread.

With a little bit of testing, I fixed it.

The language groups are now set up.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:02, Thu 28 Apr 2022.

The language groups are set up with the same spelling/names as given in the House Rules thread, so eg. Imperium rather than Imperial.

I have also added the Ogre language to honor our friendly neighborhood ogre.

Much appreciated.

As everyone seem to have read the post, I have revealed the traits listed in the first post of the New Traits thread.

Gurth and Harnan, what about you two? Taking a bath?

Gurth is waiting for Keira to finish.  Then the others can go in.

Keira has finished.

As Ursion hasn't been around for quite some time, I'm looking for a new player/character. And if we get one, I'm intending to retcon Ursion out of the main thread. Or in other words, he never arrived with the rest of you, and we can add someone else to the group.

I don't have the intention of doing an intro thread for them, but instead let them join the main thread when they are ready. Which will mean that they would join you in media res.

Please discuss how you want to share your treasures in the Treasure thread so that we can keep it in one place.

Thinking about it, it would be easier to not include Ursion in the group at this time. Unless he shows up, which I hope he does. So let's assume that he didn't show up with the rest and that there are only four of you.

What source books are you using for weapons, armor and gear?
This message was last edited by the player at 06:27, Sat 14 May 2022.

There is a gear thread that should cover everything but the weapons. The weapon statistics are from the Basic Set.

And there is room for cultural design on all items.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:17, Sat 14 May 2022.

Gurth asked: "Are you saying that we see the spatial awareness as similar to a heads go display in an aircraft cockpit or a FPS video game?"

I don't really play either of those kinds of games.

Your Spatial Awareness gives you a 360-degree "view" of everything around you up to 10 yards away. It allows you to see the thing, but also to see through the thing, up to a thickness of one foot. Which is why the thing is both solid and translucent at the same time.

What your eyes see hasn't changed. From the perspective of your eyes, everything is the same today as it was yesterday.

But now, there is another sense. It gives you the same kind of sensory information that your eyes would, but it doesn't use eyes or light to do so. So even in total darkness, you would still have this information.

Please ask more questions about this. I want there to be clarity. Especially, Gurth if I didn't answer your question, let me know.

Keira, yes, everyone else left. It's only the PCs and Bloodfang left.

And the group has discovered two secret passages.

If we're going to check out the secret doors, we should probably start with the one closest to the outside door and work our way downstairs. That way, if we release anything nasty, it's not between us and the exit.

We can stage all of our stuff near the outside door in case we need to leave quickly.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:58, Tue 17 May 2022.

In reply to Gurth (msg # 76):

Good idea. Let's do that...did they leave food on the table downstairs? Can we set the table up as to store stuff, upside down like a sand sled?

Also, can Aladin put a point into Navigation and Cartography? He does not know them...

All three secret doors are in the hexagonal room. So no matter which one you take, you have to go back through that room.

No food remains on the table. Whatever you want to do with the table, you need to do in the IC thread.

And you may spend points on those two skills. I'm assuming you're going with Navigation (Land). As it is more useful than Sea or Air in your situation.

What kind of lighting is here in the hex room? What about the corridors?

There are torches both in the hexagonal room and in the corridors.

In the hexagonal room, the torches are fastened at the center of each wall/secret door.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 80):

Can we finish searching the known areas first?

That is up to you.

Questions



!. Regarding the Spatial Awareness (SA or SPAW for short maybe?)    Can we focus or zoom the awareness?  Like turning off the xray vision and seeing like normal vision so to speak?

I'm thinking that this might give bonuses to opening the secret doors, disarming traps or picking locks since we can see into the mechanisms.  Probably bonuses to some medical skills too since we can see organs, bones, etc.

2.  Since we were outside, what is the estimated time of day?
This message was last edited by the player at 04:56, Wed 18 May 2022.

1. You cannot focus or zoom. You "see" everything. Turning off the x-ray part, if that had been possible, would not make you "see" more or better. It may still give you bonuses though.

2. It's about midday.

That is one weird ability. Wonder if it's permanent or just something tied to this specific location or maybe a temporary side effect of the ritual or something.

It should make looking for and opening secret doors much easier, I think, since we could just "see" the mechanism for that. Anyway, I'm fine with whatever passage we want to check out first.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 84):

Turning it off wouldn't be about more or better, just less distracting. It is what is it is now, I suppose.  We'll just have to get used to it.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:53, Wed 18 May 2022.

When you say that you are going to check them. Are you opening the door? Or what are you doing?

It may be pertinent at this time, if you want to look for traps, you still have to look for traps. Your Spatial Awareness may or may not help you find it, but you still have to sift through your sensory input to determine if you find it.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 87):

I would check for traps, but I am not skilled in that. But otherwise opening doors. So I will open the first without checking, hoping those who are more skilled will check...

let's wait a sec and round up the party, then go down together. That way everyone's skills are available.

sorry for the wait, started a new job this week.

No problem.  Congrats on the new gig.

In regards to Luck, the current scene will likely last until you leave this tomb to travel in the desert.

There are six crypts in this corridor, each with one sarcophagus.

The hexagonal room is less than 20 yards away. And half of the distance is up a staircase.

Thinking some more about Luck and how long a scene is, my previous estimate seems too long. So I'll let you know when a scene changes.

I made a post about Hit Locations in the GURPS Mechanics thread, post 5. It's an amalgamation of stuff posted in Basic Set, Martial Arts, and Low Tech.

I updated my post. For some reason, I didn't see your post Aladin.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 96):

Thanks. Updated my post now too.

Is Harnan trying to open the passage? Keira does have the trap skill if she needs make the roll, but it's not really her strong side.

I believe he's doing some kind of magic thing again.

Ah, then I'll hold off a bit to see what happens before trying to use Keira's (not so great) traps skill.

And I'm holding off a bit too. I'm waiting on something before we continue.

That doesn't sound ominous at all.

I am very much aware of that.


I'll make my update tomorrow.

Even with your Spatial Awareness, you still need to succeed at Traps roll to discover the trap. But depending on the design features of the trap you may get a bonus to do so.

If you want to be observant or stealthy, it is best to let me know beforehand, or I may assume that you are neither.

Observant it is, at least for Keira.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:04, Wed 25 May 2022.

I had made that assumption from your previous posts in the corridor.

Cann Aladdin be both? If not, observant would be preferred.

If you mean both stealthy and observant? Of course. But to move stealthily, you have to move slower than you otherwise could have.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 109):

I figure if we are searching for traps we will anyway. And it is not like a priest knows much about traps.

You're quite right of course.

I added a rule about recognizing various conditions at the end of post 8 in the GURPS Mechanics thread. It was created by the GURPS Line Editor and designer of GURPS 4th edition.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:36, Thu 26 May 2022.

The area behind the secret doors has probably  been undisturbed for a while. How deep isbthe dust on the floor?

Thank you for reminding me of that. It seems to have been untouched for a very very long time.

In reply to Gurth (msg # 113):

I didn't think of that, good call.

Keira.  Just outline the plates in the dust and we step in your footsteps.

Yep, done already.

I was late with that one.

The reason Harnan hasn't been posting is because he is designing a new character. It is my intention that the new character will join the group as if he arrived with them at the beginning and that Harnan never was part of the story.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 119):

He does not like Harmon?

As it turned out, Harnan made very effective use of Modular Abilities. So effective that he could have done almost everything the rest of the PCs could have done, but better. Not at the same time, obviously, but to a sufficient degree that he wouldn't have needed anyone else outside of combat balanced for four PCs.

I had not expected him to use them so effectively when I approved his build, so I talked to him about that, and he decided to create a new character.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 121):

Ah, Nice! He did too well then! He could have created food as well, to make enough for all of us? An ability that would not be bad to maintain...

In reply to Aladin Sufran (msg # 122):

I wasn't aware that he could create food too.  Here I was thinking of taking reduced consumption so that I wouldn't need so much food and water. Oh, wait.  Now I really might need it.

I would prefer general OOC discussions in the OOC thread. You could take the full half-hour for +5. To either Traps or Lockpicking or an hour for the full bonus to both. Or less, if you so choose.

I edited the first post in the GURPS Mechanics thread to add a table with the probabilities to roll a given number or less with 3d6. Which is the kind of rolls you are doing right now.

How big is this room?

Not very large. About 3x3 yards.

OK. So we would have seen everything and spatial would have told us if there were anything behind the walls.

Yes and the walls are too thick.

I guess we're done here then.  THat only leaves the question of door #2.

And the tricky medallion behind door #1.

Which of the other rooms do you want to go to first?

Merchant skill checks put the chests are about 25 each.  The belt around 15.  If anyone wants to wear it, take it.  Probably better served than selling it.  If someone went to all of the trouble to lock it up like that, It's probably special in some way.

I flubbed the big one with the gem even after taking extra time. regular failure, not a crit but close.  Maybe I will get a chance to try again later.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 132):

Door 1 with the amulet

In reply to Gurth (msg # 134):

Aladin happy to take the belt.

I don't think it was going to fit him anyway.

Can Kiera open the door of the room she is in?

This is another locked and trapped door, so it would again take about half an hour to get it opened, if you guys want to join in chasing the amulet around.

Besides that, option two is to check out the barred door that could be keeping something inside. And option three, we just leave.

I'm leaning toward leaving, but I'm fine with whatever we decide on.

It's possible that the amulet just doesn't like Keira for some reason and that one of us my be able to just pick it up.  If she doesn't want to spend the time with the door, that's fine. We could check door #2.  Gurth is wondering what is in there.

If you guys make this suggestion in-character, Keira can pick these doors as well.

I post a lot so I'll give Keira first shot at this.

@GM I was making a joke. I didn't mean for anyone to post it.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:00, Thu 09 June 2022.

No need, just go ahead. My work schedule for the last couple of weeks is a mess, so my posting is a bit spotty right now.

Regarding the barred door.  How big does the room beyond appear to be? Can we see the far wall?  Are there any doors or passageways?
This message was last edited by the player at 23:44, Fri 10 June 2022.

One of the things that you can determine just by looking at each other is that Keira likely will get the best reaction from people in general and Gurth likely will get the worse. Based on general likeability.

If we take influence skills into consideration, things might change quickly. But you don't really know how good the others are at such things.

I do have intimidation.  Keira can make nice with people while I act like a pit bull on a very thin leash.  Make nice with the beauty or deal with the beast.

Harnan, of Voltampier, as he is known now has completed his new character and may be posting IC at any time now.

Consider that he has been with you since you first arrived here. But without the dog.

At the chase of the amulet, it avoided him too.

Voltampier, let me know what stuff that used to belong to Harnan that you want to keep and if there's anything else the group has picked up that you are interested in.

And on Reaction rolls, Voltampier is closer to Gurth's end of the spectrum. But you'll see him soon enough.

Sweet.  Always nice to have more company.

Voltampier isn't interested in any objects or clothing the party has encountered so far. He wasn't interested in the silver coins either, and he has taken no pack or pouch to carry anything. Anyone else can take his share of the coins or other equipment that Harnan had taken.

Voltampier looks more like a dragon than a humanoid, detailed physical description in character details.

During the initial summoning he was very close to attacking the guards. His scales bristled up, exposing the pointed ends, he crouched in a manner similar to a cat ready to spring and you could smell the sharp odor of ozone waft off him before the situation defused.

In the bathing pools he sat comfortably on the bottom of the hottest one, occasionally sticking his nostrals just far enough out to take a deep breathe, doing so at intervals far greater than most could tolerate.

At dinner he seemed unenthusiastic about the food itself, sticking only to meat dishes and grumbling under his breath in what you assume was draconic. He ate a lot, but it seemed a chore rather than a pleasure and he kept taking glances at one of the guards,  with an expression of one who was eating oatmeal while a steak sat on the next plate.

Exploring the ruins seems to pique his interests slightly, but again he has no interest in any material found.

In reply to Voltampier (msg # 148):

Aladin is happy to take his silver for him.

I'm getting the feeling that Voltampier is more like the chinese dragon archetype than a european/traditional fantasy type dragon.  Interesting.

In reply to Gurth (msg # 150):

Have merchant skill, but only at 10.

It seems that you haven't quite decided what your next step is. So please keep posting IC until you do and I'll hold in the wings until I have something to add.

I think who holds the cash and talks to the shopkeeper is more administrative at this point.  That's something that we can hammer out when we get closer to town.

I think we need to figure out if we lift the well lid again and investigate more or gather our stuff and head out for the oasis.

What is the distance from the well to the door?

From the center of the room, which is also the center of the well, it's about 5.6 yards to the door.

We cannot harm the Six but they can't stop us from dreaming about it.

That is absolutely true.

Calling them The Six is becoming a little old.

Any suggestions for a title or group name for them?

Something evocative. Something suitable for a group that will bind others to their will.

The ogre probably has something vulgar, yet unrefined in mind.

What's the plan?

I think Aladin mentioned using the table to fashion a sled of some kind to carry our stuff across the sand.

I know that the bedouin tent is heavy but it gives us a +1 to survival rolls if we can find a way to take it.

Before we leave Gurth goes down to the baths, finds the tank with the cleanest water and drinks until he's can't stand to drink any more water.  Then he makes sure that all of the water skins are bulging full.

Neither the table nor the bedouin tent is listed among the stuff you have taken with you. Is there any more stuff that you want to bring?

And if the brass spider and his gang want to fight you, you have limited time to gather any stuff you haven't already gathered.

The spider is still trying to chase us?

It's no longer in sight, so you don't know. But it was trying to get out when you left it.

So we two choices.

1.  Trust the well lid, the barred door, and the secret door to keep the spiders in and take a little more time to organize and possibly grab some more stuff

2. We leave quickly and take what weapons and equipment that we staged by the front door, just to be safe.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:58, Sat 25 June 2022.

Yes.

And once you leave, you were told what direction to go, but not for how long. So you could deviate from that course. Depending on where you want to go next.

The tent would be nice to have, but it would slow us down, even if we tried dragging it on a table. What we absolutely need is water and food.

From what we have been told:




We each have a one gallon waterskin of water, right? And we had two spares as well. Not ideal by any means, since we probably need 3 quarts of water a day (I'm assuming winter conditions would lower that from the usual 5 quarts for a desert). So we could be out of water in just two days. We could ration it, of course, but that would cost us more fatigue points.

And I don't see any food on our gear lists at all. Do we have any? Starvation will not kill us as quickly as dehydration would, but it will still weaken us and then kill us.

Another problem would be keeping our direction. Wish we had a compass. But maybe Aladin has some desert survival skills? And how good a flier is Voltampier? Could he do some aerial recon for us?

In regards to food and water, Aladin has mentioned that he can provide for five normal-sized people. Your group is two normal-sized people and two SM +1 people. Which counts as a total of 6 normal-sized people for food and water needs.

From the Racial Templates, we know that Dragonkin normally only need to eat one meal per week (or two standard-sized meals per week if they are SM +1), but the characters might not know that.

So far I've only listed that four of the six waterskins have been picked up. So if anyone wants to pick up the others, please let me know.


The following calculations do not take any Reduced Consumption Voltampier might have into account. Assuming you bring all six waterskins and you need 3 (or 6) quarts per day, you will drink 18 out of 24 quarts the first day. And Aladin will provide 15 fresh quarts. That means you will lose 3 quarts of water per day or half your water by the time you reach Razzar. So you're fine with water.


You do not have any food, whatsoever. But you have eaten. That food counts for one meal for Keira and Aladin and three meals for Gurth.

Voltampier, how much did you eat at the brunch?


If Voltampier has Reduced Consumption at normal levels, you only need to provide food for four people, which means the group will be fine. If he needs to eat as much as Gurth, you will need 10 meals today (if Voltampier ate as much as Gurth did) and Aladin can provide 15. The following days, you would need 18 meals per day, which means you would be one meal short on the third day. And you would be another three meals short on the fourth day, unless you get to Razzar before dinner


Fortunately, you do have a compass. One of the changes in being transported here gave you Absolute Direction.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:13, Sat 25 June 2022.

D'oh! I forgot Aladin can create food and water. It would be good if we took the extra two waterskins of water as well, just in case. Can someone do so without encumbering themselves?

And great news about Absolute Direction. In this case, I'd say we are good to go. Hey, what's the worst that could happen?

Do you really want me to answer that question???

Gurth can carry almost everything and still only be at light encumbrance.

Carry what you need but stay at no or light encumberance.  Gurth can carry what is left over.  He has Fit and hiking skill so he can take the strain as well as keep up.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:02, Sun 26 June 2022.

So anything other than the two waterskins that you want to pick up?

And are we leaving quickly or with more stuff?

Voltampier has reduced consumption 4, so he's on for a while.  He didn't really like the food they were served here,  he likes his meals freshly killed and slightly electro-cooked.

Will the items in the sack fit into a backpack along with the tent material?  It would be nice to consolidate everything into one container. Gurth will just carry it by the strap.

In reply to Gurth (msg # 175):

Everything we have collected, plus as much water as we can. Including the contents of both chests.

What items are in the sack?

By "everything we have collected," do you mean the stuff that has been assigned to specific people?

The chests themselves, 15 lbs worth of copper coins, and a feather are the only things from the chests that haven't been assigned to specific people.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 178):

Nah, I was also meaning the unassigned stuff.

Who's carrying the unassigned stuff?

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 180):

In the sack with Girth, unless he objects?

Sure.  Why not. Just remember that it would be best if we can adjust everyone's encumbrance so that we have the best move speed for travel.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:26, Mon 27 June 2022.

Talking about encumbrance, please calculate the weight of all the stuff you are bringing with you.

Working on this. Do you want it posted on our character sheets or the treasure thread or both?

Also.  Is there any difference between the shortswords we were given and the wakazashi in game stats or is it just a style thing?

Likewise. What's the weight of the clothing? Minus the boots, I can find those.

Oh, and that 2000$, that's the total value for both pouches of silver?

Please post it both on your character sheet and in the Treasure thread.

The wakizashi has the same game stats as a shortsword, but it looks different. The shortsword is a straight, double-edged blade. While the wakizashi is a curved single-edged blade. But they have the same weight, do the same damage, and use the same skill to wield. Think of it as a Shinobi cultural or style lens on the Imperial standard shortsword.

The legionnaire clothes you got are a set of standard clothing so they weigh 2 lbs.

Each pouch of silver coins is 1 lb of silver worth $1,000 or $2,000 for two pouches.

What is the ruling on parting out the bedouin tent?  Looking for a side or a roof panel, 2 or 3 poles and few stakes and guy lines.

From LT "A large residential tent made from breathable woolen cloth. Side walls are 5’-6’ tall. The roof is flat or slightly peaked. Gives +1 to Survival (Desert) rolls. A 15’x15’ tent."

A 6' pole is 3 lbs.
A 6' by 5' side panel weighs 5 lbs. This is more of an educated guess than anything else, but I couldn't find anything specific.

Not using the whole tent will not provide the +1 bonus to Survival.

Sounds fair.  4 panels, 4 poles, a few stakes and 100 feet of guylines.  Call it about 35lbs?

The poles will be lashed together with guy lines to make a travios frame for Gurth to drag behind him. The loot bags, spare water bags, etc will be wrapped up with the wall panels and the whole bundle will be tied to the frame.  and.  If any trouble is seen he just drops the ropes and takes care of business.

Could you please update your Treasure post so we have all of it in the same place.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 190):

Ok, I think we are done then. Congrats on 1,000 posts!

Thank you!


When it comes to bows in GURPS, you can usually fire every third turn/second. A successful Fast-Draw (Arrow) roll reduced that to every other second. If you have Heroic Archer, you can, at least, attempt to fire every turn.

These bandits were obviously prepared and had already taken step one, get the arrow, and two, ready the bow, and just waited for step three, fire.

I have a new name for the Six. Of course, they didn't tell you what it was. Just another example of them not thinking things through.

But you'll find out sooner or later.

Voltampier is 10,000 feet up. Even if they did spot him when he is in Chameleon mode, how are arrows reaching him?
This message was last edited by the player at 03:10, Thu 30 June 2022.

In reply to Voltampier (msg # 194):

Aladin is a cleric with a vow not to use edged weapons...

You've never stated that you're flying 10,000 feet up. I have you close to the others.

And if had told me that you were flying 10,000 feet up, you would not be traveling with the others and you wouldn't know where they were, or be involved with anything at all.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:04, Thu 30 June 2022.

10000 feet?  That's almost 2 miles up.

In reply to Gurth (msg # 197):

Yeah, with very thin air...

I thought that I started this encounter with a nocked arrow.   If I knew that I was this far behind, I would have pulled a sword and charged in with Aladin. Gurth isn't an archer and is much better at melee.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:31, Sat 02 July 2022.

That's what you wanted to do, but you didn't have enough time to do that before they attacked. That's why I only wrote that you picked up a bow. I should have been clearer on that point.

But we can easily retcon that if you like. Just let me know.

Yes please.  Drop the bow.  Max move (6) towards the bad guys. Draw his short sword on the way.

I did write that Voltampier was flying "high above the others", so how did you determine speed and range penalties for the attackers without asking how high?

I adjudicated it in the same way I adjudicated what Gurth did. Both of you wanted to do something, but didn't have enough time to do it.

As nothing had been specified, I assumed that the group was traveling together, as a group, without scouts of any kind. You wanted to gain altitude, but didn't have enough time to get out of range.

Edit: I don't recall what range I used, but I remember that one of them missed and the other hit.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:13, Sat 02 July 2022.

The spell the spellcaster is using, is not Water Jet from Magic. It is an Innate Attack with the Jet enhancement. But instead of the more familiar flame jet type of spell, that looks like a flamethrower, this one uses water instead. And as it did Knockback and injury, it does Crushing damage.

And though a Jet has a standard range of 10 yards, this one has also been modified with Increased Range.

I've updated my posts Gurth for the sake of the retcon. And to do what you want to do, you need to draw the sword first. Because when you take a Ready maneuver to draw your sword, you're only allowed movement is a Step. A successful Fast-Draw (Sword) roll would allow you to draw a sword as a free action.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:51, Sat 02 July 2022.

Cool.  I'm good now.

Ok, so that water attack is really, really, really bad news. It looks like he can spam it every round and can pretty much one-shot one of us with it from this point on.

And now there are six bandits between the spellcaster and us. What's the plan here? Just charge them? Keira can take on some of the bandits on her own, but I'm not sure about six of them. And certainly not before the spellcaster takes a lot more potshots at us. If the Firing Through an Occupied Hex rule is in effect, that could help us a bit, as long as we keep the bandits between us and the caster.

Does Aladin have something up his sleeve?

As we're not using a combat map, we are not using Tactical Combat, so Firing Through an Occupied Hex is not in effect.

In reply to Keira (msg # 207):

As long their caster's fatigue holds out.  Hopefully, he'll burn out quickly. Hopefully, Gurth can get in there and get to work evening the odds.


  Did you remember to count Gurth's DR1 when dealing that damage?
This message was last edited by the player at 21:40, Sat 02 July 2022.

Yes, I included DR in my calculation.

As we are using advantage-based magic, spells may or may not use the Costs Fatigue limitation. So FP might not matter as much for spellcasters.

Since this is an innate attack, there's no telling how much fatigue using it costs him - or if it costs him anything at all. I figure he'll take a couple more shots at us before we can close to him, even if we just ignore his buddies in between. And ignoring six people ganging up on you in GURPS is a bit tricky.

To make things worse, Gurth - likely our best fighter - is basically down for at least two rounds until he can get up. I don't think we can even run away without potentially getting him killed until then. So, yeah, I hope Aladin or Voltampier have something up their sleeves, because this does not look good.

In reply to Keira (msg # 211):

Not me. I have no combat abilities...but will go down fighting. All my skills in healing and similar stuff...

Ah. I was hoping he had a spell or something he was planning to use, and that's why he charged.

I guess we could continue on, hope we survive to the next round and then do as much damage to the spellcaster as we can? That might be enough to give the rest of the party a chance. Maybe.

GM, is extra effort in combat available?

edit: One more question:



Since this attack comes from a hand, is it subject to the parrying missile weapons within melee reach rule (Basic Set, page 376)? As in, if I get close enough, can I parry this attack by knocking his hand away with my staff as he tries to skewer me with his jet?
This message was last edited by the player at 16:23, Sun 03 July 2022.

Voltampier went airborne as soon as they left the temple, several hours went by before the ambush, correct? How can you say he didn't have time? He was high in the air scouting the entire time the others were walking.

You all know I was going to spend eight days hiking and summiting a 6k+ mountain. That's not what happened.

Result: Everything went as expected the first three days. Shortly after I arrived at the third cabin everything degenerated to uncontrollable shivering, fever, and puke. Which led to me being airlifted by helicopter from the wilderness to a hospital, more than 12 hours under medical supervision on an ER bed, spending the night at a hotel in Gällivare, follow-up tests the next day, 2.5 hours in queue waiting to talk to customer service to reschedule my train ticket.

I'm going to rest a bit. I might post later today or on Monday. When I feel up to it.

Sorry to hear that. Take it easy then.

Sounds like you had an eventful week. Take your time.  We'll be here.

As nothing was mentioned about scouting, I had him traveling with the others, and made my assumptions, based on that.

But we can change that. If you're flying at 100 yards or so, we'll give your 2hp loss to Gurth.

Extra Effort in combat is available.

I didn't find that parry rule you mentioned.

Ugh, don't have the book with me now, but it's in the Combat chapter, under Parrying, buried in the text somewhere. Could have sworn it was page 376.

I know it states that missile weapons (firearms included) can be parried this way, and gives an example of slapping an arm or a weapon aside. But I'm not sure about spells and the like. Maybe? If he rolls against DX to hit like with any other missile weapon, then it would make sense it could be countered the same way. He points his hand at me, I slap it away and his water jet misses.

If on the other hand he doesn't roll against DX to hit and the jet coming from his hand is just a quirk of his spell / ability, then it probably doesn't matter if the hand is pointing right at his target and parrying it this way would likely not work.

It's up to you. In any case, my plan for this turn is to run straight at the spellcaster to get in range to try this. We started 15 yards from the bandits, moved 6, I'll sprint another 7 this turn and end up 2 yards from where the spellcaster is presumably still standing, which is in reach of my staff. Sounds right?

And if parrying doesn't work (or he just steps away...), hope that dodging (with extra effort) will be enough instead. I'll make a post in a bit.

Instead of just using the search function, I read through the text and found what you were looking for. Yes, you can parry his hand if you are close enough.

In regards to sprinting, as I understand the rules, you don't sprint in combat. You only have your Move. And that's how far you can move.

Huh. I did not see anything about that in the rules, but then I never really tried to sprint before. Not sure if or why sprinting would not work in combat. Can I check out the rules a bit later when I get home?
This message was last edited by the player at 09:07, Mon 11 July 2022.

I double-checked.

Quoting the move maneuver: "Move, but take no other action except those specified under Free
Actions (p. 363). You may move any number of yards up to your full Move score."

So you cannot get the sprint bonus you get from moving in a fairly straight line out of combat after the first second of such movement.

Not good then. Part of the reason behind wanting that extra yard was not just closing with the spellcaster, but also putting an extra yard between us and their own melee frontline, forcing them into move and attack. Without this at last some of them can just step and attack Keira and Aladin.

I'll make the best I can in this situation, but I'm afraid this is not going to end well.

Ok, so I just noticed the Luck entry under the New Traits thread. Does that mean each of us has the Luck advantage now? Or is that just an explanation on how Luck functions in the game, for those of us (if any) that do have it? Because if we do have it, that would come in very, very handy now.

Also:

"5 extra character points to spend on anything, while you are in a restful place."

I realize these are not exactly restful conditions, but Keira could really use another point in her Staff skill right this moment. Could I perhaps put those character points there? Fighting for her life is likely to be a very good training after all.

Luck is listed among your new traits, so all of you have the Luck advantage.

As the extra points only can be spent under restful conditions, you, unfortunately, cannot spend them now.

Alright then, I'd definitely like to use Luck this turn should I fail a defense roll. I'm primarily worried about the spellcaster here, but if I don't end up using Luck against him, then also should I fail a defense roll against the rest of the bandits.

That ok? Not sure how will rerolling rolls you make be handled, especially for things like defense rolls or enemy attack rolls. Pausing the game every time someone might wish to make a reroll or retconning whole posts because of it both sound awkward.

If you let me know beforehand what, if anything, you want to use your Luck for, I'll use it if it's needed and let you know if you used your Luck or not. I think that will be the most smooth way to do it.

Wet and sandy has a very specific connotation to me, I didn't even think about that when I gave the spell caster a water jet. So thank you for getting that image into my head. I mean that, I'm not being ironic.

If you're interested, https://www.gettyimages.com/de...news-photo/526987122 could help. I wanted a better image, but couldn't find one I liked.

I believe they call that the sugar cookie.


Hey Volts, get in the fight.  We could use a hand.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:42, Wed 13 July 2022.

Or a claw, or whatever you have.

GM, got a question. I tried to look it up and have come up with nothing: is it possible to parry an attack directed against another character? Like Sacrificial Dodge, only parrying a melee attack directed at someone else.

There is a Sacrificial Parry perk that allows you to do that, you need to specialize by melee combat skill.

Interesting. I'll have to look it up, thanks.

If you want to find the rules text, it's in GURPS Power-Ups 2: Perks on page 7.

Not sure how the spellcaster is again 3 yards away. Just to clarify something, by next to the spellcaster I meant in the hex next to him, 1 yard away.

This situation is getting a bit messy. With a 8 on 4 (well, 3, really) combat it's getting a bit hard to visualize clearly who is where.

Thank you for the clarification. That's what I counted. And then you retreated twice. So that adds two more yards.

Hmm, not good. My whole tactic was to try to keep as close as possible to the spellcaster to be able to parry his attack if they come.

GM, I know it's extra work but we could really use a map of some kind. Having 12 characters in melee in GURPS is just too much to keep track of without a grid. Like, can Keira now even reach the spellcaster with a step? I just don't know, it depends on where he, Keira and the two melee bandits are.

As I mentioned in the IC post, Keira can reach the spellcaster with a step, she'll be 2 yards away from them which means she can still attack. It also means that she will be 1 yard closer to the two melee bandits trying to get to her.

Alright then. I would still like to suggest a map of some kind for when we next get into a similar mess. Doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a simple grid with some letters on it.

Assuming our characters live through this one, of course.

Which is what I was trying to avoid. Adding a map is not just adding a map. It is also moving from combat to tactical combat. And you have to care about exact distances, facings, movement points, worrying where others are and if they are in your way when you attack, wild swings, what you can see and what you can't see, if you miss your intended ranged target you might hit someone else even an ally, movement in relation to others, special rules for close combat, special rules for multi-hex creatures, and whatever else I may have missed.

This is why I've been providing distances to all interesting targets for all characters, though I missed specifying where on the starting line the blue, wavy energy bandit was.

But if the group prefers tactical combat, we can do tactical combat.

I'm fine with tactical combat, or just using basic rules. But even basic combat includes things like weapon reach, step & attack or move & attack - all things where distances and positioning still matters. And as the number of characters increases, it becomes more and more difficult to visualize the situation clearly. Anyway, I'm fine with whatever you decide on.

In standard combat, distance is much more fluid. I said they started 15 yards away from you even though neither they nor you started on on a line. It's fast and simple (for GURPS combat). You still have maneuvers, but positioning isn't really important the way it is in tactical combat. I'm not keeping specific tabs on where everyone is only the approximate distance to others, so that you know if you can move to them or if you can reach them or how hard a ranged attack would be.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:30, Fri 15 July 2022.

Thank you for bringing up Shock Keira. I usually forget to include that penalty, so it may be easier not to.

Yes, I know I listed it in the GURPS Mechanics thread, but I've still not used it in this fight.

So for the sake of simplicity, I'm house ruling that we're not using it. I'm sorry I'm changing things in the middle of the game, but that is how I actually play. It's easier to remember the changes that I've made an active choice to change, while I may forget some of the things that have been "intuitively" changed.

I hope that works out for everyone.

It's taking me a little longer responding this time, because I'm trying to wrap my head around what a grappled person can and cannot do. I can read the rules, I'm just trying to understand why they are written that way and what they actually mean.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 244):

Yeah, it is tricky. I understand they can dodge, but not party or block. If they dodge, then there is a chance the other person can be hit. But that is how I read it... interested to see your interpretation.

In reply to Keira (msg # 241):

Standard or tactical. Either or for me.  If we're not using a map, standard would be easier.

If we're using a map, it has to be tactical. That's where the map using rules are.

A question about attacking someone who is grappled - are the rules for Striking Into Close Combat in effect then?

How far away are the axe men from Gurth at the start of the turn?  His intention is to catch one of them from behind to ensure a easy hit. Not this turn but the next probably.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:09, Tue 19 July 2022.

Striking into close combat are in effect.
Gurth is about 10 yards from the axe-men.

Then Keira will just attack the sword bandit. Don't want to risk hitting Aladin.

Also, I really have to do something about Keira's damage output, if the party makes it through this mess. This just won't do against anyone with any actual armor.

The only thing I found about Striking into CLose Combat was a -2 penalty to hit. What else are you talking about?

What Aladin has been describing in the game thread, Striking Into Close Combat rules, page 392 of Basic Set. On a miss or a dodge there's a chance to hit a wrong person in close combat.

That's the discrepancy then. That rule is called Striking Into a Close Combat, but yes, it is in effect.

That healer is really annoying. He just doesn't seem to be running out of juice. How far is he from Keira now?

As we're using advantages rather than spells, there may be no cost. As she's been sticking close to the spellcaster, about 4 yards from the healer.

Yeah, I was afraid that was the case.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:45, Tue 19 July 2022.

Aladin, as neither Judo nor Wrestling have defaults, and you don't have either skill, you cannot do a Choke Hold. And as you didn't grapple him by the neck, you cannot choke him either.

So unfortunately, you have to do something else.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 258):

Then I will grapple him by the neck...

Although I seem to remember as a kid a bunch of untrained bullies regularly got me in a choke hold. How can I replicate that, as he is not really fighting back, trying to use magic instead...

You cannot do what GURPS calls Choke Hold without having Wrestling or Judo. But you can still do what GURPS call choke someone.

And if you want to move your grapple from the torso to the neck, you need to make a new grappling attempt at -2.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 260):

Given that was the intent, any reason I cannot apply the last DX roll, 4 under, to that? Or do you want a separate roll?

Not at all. I'm just making sure we're on the same page.

Has Volts ghosted us?  I hope not because he seems to have a really cool character. I was looking forward to seeing what he could do.

He hasn't been around for some time, unfortunately. I sent him a PM and he hasn't responded yet.

It sounds like 3 bad guys are lined up in front of me. Knives, axe 1 and axe 2 from left to right.  is this correct?

You are in attack range to all three yes. But one of the axes is fighting Aladin.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 264):

have you tried getting him on rmail?

Not yet.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 266):

Which one? The left or right one.

If you want to attack one of the axes, I'm assuming you're attacking the one fighting you. Unless you explicitly say otherwise.

Keira, you say you step away from your pursuers. Are you taking a step closer to the healer?

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 271):

Right, away from the sword bandit following her and towards the healer. That ok?

Sounds good.

Almost forgot, Keira is down 4 FP now. Probably should have taken a 5 minutes rest before we headed out in the desert.

Thank you for reminding me about that.

Yes Keira, you're the only one in the group that has used Luck this combat. It's still available to the others.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 276):

I am a bit perplexed at how someone being grappled can continue to use damaging magic without penalty. What will stop someone using magic attacks, if anything?

Huh. You know, I never bothered to look into grappling rules before. According to the "Actions After Being Grappled" section on page 371, ranged attacks should be impossible.

Kinda weird, but that's what is says.

That was one of the things I looked into when Aladin grappled the spellcaster. I thought it was weird too.

At this point, it might be a good for Gurth to use his luck.  I'm also looking forward to Gurth getting a chance to grapple.  With both brawling and wrestling skill, it should be fun.

In reply to Gurth (msg # 280):

Yeah, and I thought that spells would not work either, but magic works differently, hence the question.

Thank you for asking that question Aladin! I have always used the Attack maneuver for Innate Attacks, no matter what the Innate Attack was representing. That may not have been the right way to do things. I'm looking into that.

I've looked into Innate Attacks a bit (something else I never really did before either), and I think Attack maneuver is what is usually used with it, no matter what this attack actually is:



Innate attack is usually a ranged attack, no matter what it actually represents. And so should probably be something that can't be used while being grappled. Unless of course he also has an alternative version of this attack with the melee limitation, which is certainly plausible:



He could use that one, though at -4 penalty for being grappled. Now, why is it be possible to stab someone while grappled, assuming you have a limb not being grappled, but not use the same free limb to shoot them is a bit weird to me, but that looks to be the case.

Oh, and another thing that can't be done is Concentrate, so actual spellcasters have a problem here as well.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:15, Sat 23 July 2022.

Which is why I'm looking into how IAs are supposed to work.

I think IAs work like any other ranged or melee weapon, at least when it comes to these particular rules. Enhancements or limitations may change specifics, but in general using one requires an attack, and a ranged version can't be used at all while grappled. That's the way I read it anyway.

However, there is something about being able to use Concentrate and ranged weapons with a will roll and/or a penalty while grappling, in the Technical Grappling book. Yes, apparently there's a whole book about grappling rules out there. But do we really want to read through it, that's the question?

I know about the Technical Grappling, I haven't looked into it, and we're not using it in this game. At least

I looked into it and Innate Attacks do use the attack maneuver, even when they are spells. So I've done it correctly. Which is good to know. Though that may make grappling less useful on spellcasters, depending on what types of spells they are using.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 287):

Then if grappling him is useless, how does my healing work? What rolls do I need to make?
This message was last edited by the player at 14:45, Sat 23 July 2022.

Aladin, I'm sending the response in a PM.

Oops, somehow I managed to misread how much damage was done to the healer last turn.

My first instinct was to change the healer's action, but if you were in a similar situation, that option wouldn't be open to you, so I decided it shouldn't be open to me either.

Which is why I edited that post twice. So the text may not be exactly what it was, but his action is still the same.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:57, Mon 25 July 2022.

Gurth, moving away as part of your movement, is not a retreat, in the sense that you get a bonus to your defense. Retreat is movement you do as part of your defense. Which in theory could mean that you move more than your movement allows in a turn if you both do full movement and then Retreat as part of your defense.

And you can only Retreat away from your attacker, you cannot Retreat to the side.

So what is your plan here?

If a retreat is restricted to a straight line backwards then that's what I do.  5 hexes.  I want them to have to move and attack which puts them at the -4 penalty.

Retreat is only 1 hex. If you want to move 5 hexes, you can do that as your movement in any direction.

So it doesn't matter what order you do it inn, but if you move first you get the penalty when you attack?
This message was last edited by the player at 21:45, Mon 25 July 2022.

The order you do what in?

For Move and Attack: "Move as described for the Move maneuver (p. 364), but during or after
your move, make a single, poorly aimed attack – either unarmed or with a ready weapon."

Got it.   So both are possible,move and attack or attack and move.  But you still have the -4 penalty if you move more than a step. Is this correct?

I wanted to keep the bad guys moving and missing but a retreat will have to do.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:34, Tue 26 July 2022.

It depends on what maneuver you take. If you take Move and Attack, you can move normally and you get a penalty on attack. If you take Attack, you cannot move more than a step and you attack normally.

If you choose Attack, you can move a step. And if they then attack you, you can choose to Retreat, and you move another Step.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:41, Tue 26 July 2022.

I'm just going to retreat.

Hang on, the healer Kiera is fighting healed the spellcaster I am fighting two turns ago. How come I can't heal Kiera then?

The healer isn't moving. He hasn't attacked anyone. He's taking the Concentrate maneuver every turn. And most importantly, he can heal at range. You have to touch your target. So you have to move to get to her first.

Failed the HT roll, Keira is out.

Good effort everyone. We sure are not saving this mess, but at least we went down swinging. Even lasted long enough to get my hope up.

We might lucky.  Have some faith.

I'm afraid I can't really see it. Keira is out, Gurth is in the negative HPs as well, and the healer went right back to healing himself despite just tanking 20 HP of damage. We could survive one of these things, but all three?

In reply to Keira (msg # 303):

Learning experience. Not sure we could have done more, but it happens.

We'll get to that. I assure you.

Aladin, when you say full defense, do you mean All-Out Defense? If you take that maneuver, you can only move a Step.

If you want to get to Keira this turn, you need to take either Move or Move and Attack. Those are the only maneuvers that give you enough movement to get there.

This should give a little more movement than that, unless this rule has changed. How far away is Kiera?

Yes, that is correct.

However, even at half move, you won't reach her this turn. Adding a Step for your movement next turn will still not be enough to reach her.

Aladin, my advice would be to forget about Keira and go heal Gurth instead. He's the one still standing and fighting, where Keira would need 2 turns just to get up even if she is healed right now. And I doubt we have that much time left.

He is closer. With his current position, you could do half move + step. But if he moves away, which he plans to do if attacked, he will just be out of reach.

So, my suggestion is, no matter who you go for, if you want to be sure to be close enough to heal them next round, you need to Move or Move and Attack this turn.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 310):

In that case I will heal Gurth. Assuming I am not hit this round, which is unlikely. But lets try that. Move to Gurth then.

In reply to Aladin Sufran (msg # 311):

I appreciate that, I'm hurting bad.

@DragonDog.  It has been two weeks since Volts has logged in and tow more since he's posted.   Does he still exist in this world?  Is there any way that you can NPC him or is he just flying along not knowing what is happening?

In reply to Gurth (msg # 312):

Yeah, I would think that the player has sadly gone...

Wouldn't bet money against that statement.

Unfortunately, the player seems to be gone. So the character is not there.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 315):

So he had flown off...

I guess he used those 5 cp to pay off sense of duty: companions.

We're hosed.

It's all up to you now Gurth!

Doesn't look good.

I was this --><--- close to surrendering.  I even had it written up.  I decided to put it off for one more round.

If you had surrendered, you might have seen what happened after all of you became unconscious.

Now you've experienced GURPS combat. You've seen magic in Innate Attack, Afflictions, and Damage Resistance. You've seen healing, both at touch and at range. You've seen grappling, melee, and ranged combat. You have gotten some insight into what the others can do. You have gotten some experience fighting superior numbers. You may have some ideas on where to spend some character points when you get the chance to do so.

This was a warm up. You've lost none of your resources. All your hp are back. So you're good to go.

The problem with surrendering was that the bandits did not offer us this possibility, they just attacked without a word. That made this feel less like a "Your money or your lives" situation, and more of a "Your money and your lives" situation.

I have to say the experience was a bit frustrating to me. That healer in particular did not use anything like the healing in the book, the advantage or the spell. He healed at range, and seemingly ignored both fatigue cost and IQ/skill rolls, including penalties for repeated healing.

I hear ya, Keira.   Hopefully we will get a better handle on how the magic system works in this game.  I was originally going to play a cleric/healer but had trouble wrapping my head around how magic worked as an advantage vs skill.

Don't sweat that battle, I think it was training session for us more than anything.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:00, Fri 29 July 2022.

Which was why I said Gurth "might have seen."



The healer used Healing exactly as written in Divine Favor, with the exception that we're not using penalties for repeated healing. Which seems to not have been included in the House rules.

There are enhancements that add range, remove fatigue cost, and remove the need for a roll, as long as penalties don't reduce the number you roll against to below 3. And all of these enhancements are in Basic Set or Powers.

Edit: I've added the removal of repeated healing penalties to the House Rules thread.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:02, Fri 29 July 2022.

And I could add, Aladin's healing works exactly the same way, only he cannot use it at range yet. He can learn how to do that, but it's expensive.



That's exactly it. A way to get a feel for things. See how things work.

How are we dealing with Voltampier being MIA? Is another character and/or player replacing him?

I am looking into that, so hopefully we'll have someone new.

I noticed that you posted in players wanted. Any bites?

I'm working on that. We'll see how it goes.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:10, Mon 01 Aug 2022.

Cool.

Anything else you want to do here?

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 332):

I am done.

I think I am too.  I can't think of much else to do.

Same. Can't think of anything we could do.

Assuming that there are four of you and that one person is on watch at all times. As each of you needs eight hours of sleep, the group would have to sleep in shifts for almost 11 hours. You could shorten the sleep/watch cycle to 8 hours, but everyone would either lose 1FP that only could be recovered by sleeping more or you could risk not setting a watch.


Gurth, when you asked about nonperishable food, what kind of food do you hope Aladin could produce?

Keira, please make an IC roll against AW or whatever your best skill is to indicate how much you are able to observe while standing watch.

The rest of you can do the same, but you have a -5 penalty for moonlight instead of sunlight unless that penalty is mitigated by Night Vision or Dark Vision.

16:34, Today: Keira rolled 13 using 3d6 with rolls of 5,5,3.  AW (16).

Didn't think about darkness penalties, how does the rest of the party stand with that? Keira could take one of the night-shifts instead, if someone can't see in the dark. Assuming GM allows this, of course.

I have no problems with changing the order of watches, if that's what you want to do.

Alright, but I don't know who lacks night vision or some other way to see in the darkness. They should take the first shift then.

Gurth has night vision.  Not darkvision though.

In reply to Gurth (msg # 341):

Aladin only has Night Vision 1...

Do you want to take the first shift then, Aladin?

As everyone seems to have Night Vision, no one would have less than that.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:09, Sat 06 Aug 2022.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 343):

Yeah, might be a good idea. Or the last one.

Yeah. Considering that you will be down for 11 hours, I would say that only the middle shift has the penalty. Thank you for pointing that out.

Forgot to say, NV is at level 3. Put me on when it is darkest unless Keira can beat that.

She can, so she can take the dead of night.

With Keira in the middle, who goes first and who goes last?

Gurth will go last

Awesome. Then Aladin, please, roll against AW or whatever your best skill is to indicate how much you are able to observe while standing watch.

Gurth, you can do the same and I'll use that when it becomes your turn. And Keira, I'll take the one you already made.

08:31, Today: Gurth rolled 9 using 3d6 with rolls of 1,2,6.  AW - 13  On watch.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:50, Sun 07 Aug 2022.

Aladin rolls 2 over AW. Detect Evil help?

There is nothing that I wanted to do on watch of before we leave.

This may be a good time to spend some of your earned character points, if you know what you want to spend them on. Let me know.

And someone give me 4 1d6 rolls for today's travels.

The rolls didn't turn out too well last time when I did it.

Then hopefully the results will be better this time. And to spread the rolls around, it would be good if Aladin or Keira rolled this time.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 356):

Sure. 05:56, Today: Aladin Sufran rolled 12 using 4d6 ((4,3,4,1)).

What is that for again?

It determines what you will encounter, if anything, during day two.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 336):

For the nonperishable foods, something simple that will last for a couple of days.  Perhaps some kind of jerky or bread.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:27, Tue 09 Aug 2022.

That would be possible. And for as long as there are three of you, you could save three meals per day.

Day 2 was much more uneventful. Are you taking watches tonight too? In the same order? If so, please make a roll to establish how observant you are during your watch.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 361):

Yes, same watches, same order. With 3 over AW, hope no army decides to sneak up during Aladins watch...

Sure, why not.

23:39, Today: Keira rolled 10 using 3d6 with rolls of 1,3,6.  AW (16).

Also, I forgot Keira has the Restless Sleeper quirk from Quirks book, so I probably should be also rolling against that as well. I can only fail at 17 or 18.

23:44, Today: Keira rolled 14 using 3d6 with rolls of 6,6,2.  Restless Sleeper.

23:50, Today: Gurth rolled 8 using 3d6 with rolls of 4,1,3.  AW - 13  On watch.

Keira if you would roll 4 6 sided dice for me, to see what will happen during the day.

18:09, Today: Keira rolled 7 using 4d6 with rolls of 2,2,2,1.  ???

The skill that comes to mind in surviving sandstorms is Survival (Desert).

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 367):

Which I do have, but rolled 3 over the skill...

Is it too late to spend a CP on Desert survival? I had intended to since I think we will be out here for quite a bit of the game. If not I will roll default AW-5.

Right now, would be a little troublesome, but you could do so once things calm down.

Hmm, didn't Gurth end up taking a part of that tent? Maybe we could rig up a simple shelter before the storm hits us. Put up a couple of sticks to hold the canvass up a bit, dig the edges of canvas into the sand to hold it down against the wind. Something like that.

How much time do we even have before the storm hits us? Minutes? Hours? Seconds?

@Keira. That's sort of my plan.  Tent wall panels are 5x6 feet. All we can really make for shelter is a lean-to to make a sun shade.


Default survival roll missed by 1.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:10, Thu 11 Aug 2022.

Unfortunately desert survival is a new experience for Keira. But she does have an ok default, so I can try rolling against that. And maybe Aladin has some actual points in the skill.

Is there anything you want to do during the sandstorm?

So this sand storm. Is it something like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpsvzv231EE

Something like that. But perhaps a little worse. Visibility is definitely not that good.

This is a BAD sandstorm.

Nothing to do but hunker down and keep in touch with each other.

I would agree with that assessment.

In reply to Dragondog (msg # 379):

Yeah, pretty much...

So with that, instead of taking about four days, the trip will now take about five days. Or in other words, you still have about two days to get to town. If you can find your way that is.

Talking about what you know of the route. Its general direction is south, but it meanders, so you would either have to know or be able to rediscover the exact direction. Or take a chance and head out in some semi-random direction. On the other hand, you know exactly how to get back to the ambush site and from there you have a straight line to town, but it will take more than a day to get back there and three days from there to get to town. Or about four days in total.

Yes, Navigation defaults to IQ-5.

Wait, why did we started following the trade route in the first place? We were going for the oasis:



But then we started following a trade route to Lessat Ha:



Does this route lead to Razzar as well? And we were not sure about the direction we were given by the six, so we took the trade route instead? That would make some sense, since "4 days of travel in roughly this direction through a featureless desert" are not exactly the kind of directions that inspire confidence.

But in that case, if we backtrack we are right back to using these dubious directions again.

Yes, the trade route is going to Razzar too. On the way to Lessat Ha. The Marshals mentioned that they are going there too and they are traveling the trade routes. You only told them that you were going to Lessat Ha so that's why they told you it would take you there.

As to why the group or individuals of the group chose to take the trade route instead of traveling in a straight line, I couldn't say.

As long as the six pointed you in the correct direction, and over four days of travel, even minor errors could result in you missing Razzar, you should be fine. But a 14-degree error in the indicated direction and you would end up a day's travel from Razzar, instead of finding it.