Post your OOC here.

Welcome to Dungeons and Dragons! I am one of the veteran players that Gamemaster spoke of, with 30 years of D&D myself. My name here will change once I decide on a character, but I'm looking forward to playing with you all.

Also welcome from myself. A recent acquaintance to the GM and Psy, I also have had 30+ years experince in D&D....but only a few in this edition.

I will also change name once we finalize characters.



....should be fun

If anyone needs some help deciding what character you want to play, just give us an idea of what things you want to do, which character from a book/movie/comic inspires you, or which of the party roles from the character creation thread sounds fun to you, and we'll be happy to make suggestions.

What characters are you all interested in playing?

We have 5 players, let's start rolling out those characters, I know Psy and Rai will find a way to cover the gaps, so tell us what you want to play.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:41, Wed 13 Apr 2022.

Akrai and Rainy, are either of you wanting to be healers with those characters?

hey quick question, do you have a Party Face already? if not, I'm down to be that.

In reply to Psynister (msg # 7):

Yes, I would hope so, it’s the first time I’m playing dnd in a while tho, so I would have to understand more.

Either you or Rainy, based on class choices. No one has spoken up about which roles that want to take, though, so you're the first one to mention it. If you're going to stick with Rogue, that means you'll have our traps and locks covered as well.


Sounds good. If you've got heals covered, then I can look at filling a different gap in the party. Bards are good at a little bit of everything, and all of the bard's normal healing comes in the base class so you can take whichever subclass you want. Lore Bard can get you access to new spells, so that's one to consider if you want to really focus on healing.

In reply to Psynister (msg # 10):

Sounds like a plan

With the Tiefling Life Cleric in the group now too, you won't need to heal as often, so you can prepare healing spells but not feel like you have to use your spell slots only for healing.

In reply to Psynister (msg # 12):

Thank you !

Plus, there are many classes that can heal.  As said earlier, bards can heal, as well as druids and artificers (Which i am)

For those playing spellcasters, it's generally a good idea to have at least one person who can cast the Guidance cantrip, and one person who can cast a spell that provides light (Light, Dancing Lights, or Produce Flame).

If anyone plans to take any of those four spells, let us know. It's alright if multiple people take Guidance, but we don't want more than 1-2 people taking light-producing spells.

The only cantrip that should really be avoided, in almost every situation, is True Strike. Blade Barrier is also generally considered to be pretty bad.

---

Those of you who are playing races that give you a bonus feat from level 1, there are some feats that are really bad, and some of them actually sound pretty cool until you use them a few times. If you want to know whether or not a feat is good before you take it, just ask.

Planning to start this next weekend, let's get those chars ready to go by Thursday this week

All right, some chars still need adjustments, but let's get this thing moving this week-end

Coifrish and Zuchinni, if your chars are not completed by tomorrow, you will not start with the others.

Mike, with that much dex, you would be better off as a fighter, dex barbarian lose the +2 bonus to damage that they inflict with strength base weapons while raging. you also don't have any weapons equiped.

The rest is pretty much ok, so we'll start with Rainy, alistair, geno, brankx, lerissa, vyn'al and tentatively mike

Mike, if you're wanting to be a tank, then a Dex Barb is actually pretty good (and the only time I would suggest Dex over Str for a Barb). Take a Rapier for your martial weapon, and then spend 10 gp on a Shield. That should give you a 17 AC with your current build, and a +5 Attack at 1d8+3. You will always miss out on the damage benefits from Rage using a Dex build, but if you're doing it to be a tank then Dex is the only semi-reliable way to do that and -2 damage for +2 AC isn't a bad trade for a tank to make. If you want more damage, then any time from level 3 onward you can take some levels in Rogue for Sneak Attack damage, which you can use every round if you activate Reckless Attack (level 2 Barbarian feature). If you go that route, then I would suggest taking 4-6 levels of Barbarian before taking more than 1 level of Rogue.

If your priority is to deal damage, don't go for Dex on a Barb. You want all the Strength you can get and a nasty two-handed weapon. If you want to play a Dex character that deals damage, then Fighter, Rogue, or Ranger would be a better class option.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:19, Fri 22 Apr 2022.

OK guys....game will be starting soon according to the GM.

I have already helped Alistar (Jmash) with his character.

With most of the others, you may need some tweaks.

All right, let's start this joy ride. Psy and Rai have given you all great advice on how to tweek you chars, I will still allow some minor changes to the char make up even if we are playing, as this is a first time for most of you. Mistakes will be made, don't worry about it.

The name of the game is to have fun all together, so let's get to it, the first IC post is out!

I'm railroading a little for starters, since I can't customize your starts without a background, but basically you have been hired by two churches in Neverwinter for the missions: find a young paladin and investigate a rumor.

Lets get ready to RUMBLE PLAY!

Nice start Mash! Welcome to the world of forum roleplay! ;)

Thanks! means a lot.

Thanks for participating Lerissa! Welcome to the new roleplay addiction! ;)

BTW, Alystair is a Dragonborn, not a Dwarf ;)

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 23):

thank you!
(also i'm very sorry for mistaking Alystair as a dwarf ;v;)

It's alright, it happens

I think that's my fault. I checked the group and saw Alstadin (Brank) playing a dwarf and my brain made Alstadin = Alystair.

We have 4 players that participate so far, where are the others? I know Rainy has understandable circumstances to not have posted yet, but Coifrish, Zucchini, Geno and Mike, show us signs of life or you will be dropped. Sailor was a late addition, you need to build your char and start posting too

How do you do a perception check? I googled it and saw that you roll a dice or something and rolled mine. But I don’t know what comes after that. Thanks for your time and consideration!

Sailor.  You roll a D20. Add the result to your skill in perception and thats your total. For example, Brankx has a meagre perception of +2. Say if i rolled a 10 on teh d20, it would then be 12 (1d20+2)

Sailor, Brankx explanation is right, but he forgot the first part, you need a character first. Perception is one of the skills a character can take, that is based on Wisdom. Once your character is built, you will have a basic bonus consisting of your Wisdom modifier+proficiency bonus (if you are trained), to add to your D20 throw.

If you need help to create your character, please ask!

I'd like to welcome Vang, that is experienced in D&D and RPOL, she will also be able to coach you.

I give another week to those that have not manifested to start getting involved or you will be removed from the game.

Hello fellow storytelling enthusiasts...  I've been playing longer than most of you have probably been alive...  I started in the late 70s with Basic, AD&D and 2e until real life interjeted its cold, slimy reality. I got back into gaming in the last 5 years with 5e and Pathfinder.

Feel free to ask me anything and I will do my best to answer.. =)

Welcome Vang

I am guessing that is 200gp for the entire group?

Yes it's for the group, based on the smallest maximum reward of 250 gold for only the 2 signets rings

And it is mid afternoon for the timing

Do they have healing potions here? They're standard equipment that can be made with proficiency in herbalism kits, no magic required.

I'll reply IG for that

where are all our newbies?

All right, I've been patient enough, I am removing from the game all that did not participate yet. Andy, please clean up the dndbeyond campaign as well. We have 2 new players that I'm sure will do well.

I suddenly have a road trip to take in a few hours, so I'm going to be largely out of pocket until Saturday. I'll do what I can with my free time between now and then, but I might not be able to post again until Saturday evening.

It is mid afternoon,  and the ruins are a day away, you need to decide if you leave now or wait for the next morning

Hello all.

With the new roster of players and leaving of others, I have Changed Brankx. He no longer is a tech savvy dwarf (artificer) and is now a more stoic suited to him (now a warlock)

Some minor changes to gear, but he'll have the same persona he had

G'day.  Keely's done, pending review, and ready to roll.

Early Barbarian, late multiclassing into druid.

Um...  Where did our initiative on the list come from???

GM rolled for us, its in the ooc part of msg. 112.

In reply to Rorek Stormcrow (msg # 46):

Ok..  missed that and didn't see anything in the dice roller so it threw me

Me too at first :)

I roll my physical dices at home, much faster than typing on that damned rpol dice roller. And if I fudge dices, its 90% of the time in your favor ;)

In reply to Gamemaster (msg # 49):

Don't get me wrong, i totally trust you...  it just threw me off that you had us roll perception and then suddenly we had initiatives...  my headache addled brain was having trouble making a connection between the two...  lol

Yeah I wanted to save some posts by rolling your init, it won't always be like that

For the record, I don't mind if it is.

If you tell me everyone's bonus to initiative, I can make you a dice roller link that'll roll everyone at once.

In reply to Vyn'al Ethinos (msg # 53):

You should see everyone in the campaign

I actually kind of like rolling my own dice...   If the DM (or your dice roller) rolls a 1 initiative for me, that is more annoying to me than if I roll the 1 myself...  i know that may sound weird because rolling a 1 is the same no matter who rolls it, but if it was my own fate that rolled the 1, it seems to be easier for me to swallow...  My $.02

I also like rolling my own....that way if I mess up I can incorporate it in the post

I'm in a game where the DM rolls all the dice, for everything other than Death saves. It bugged me to start, but actually lead to increased RP since nobody knew their results when they posted. If someone has crap rolls, they tend to drop one-liners or put almost no effort into it, so not knowing the rolls gives you a clearer view of what the character is thinking and trying to accomplish in the moment, with an in-the-moment perspective from the character.

I think we all enjoy rolling dice. Initiative is quite a hold-up PBP format, though, so I'm happy to save time on that one. It only really effects the first round of combat anyway.

Initiative

I have no problem with it.

The mobs had the drop on you guys, so this is an exception,  you will 99% of the time roll your own rolls

Actually...  and maybe this is just me, but I tend to put MORE effort into a failed roll... There's all kinds of fun ways to describe the role of the fates in a failure... lol

i post either way - my quiet posts tend to be if i'm busy or tired.

So I guess from now on we should check all wood before bringing it into our camp...  lol

Going to turn me into a pyro if we keep that up.

Hi All,

Apologies if you receive this multiple times through multiple venues.  I'm going to be away this weekend (Queen's Birthday public holiday means a long weekend).  I'll have my laptop and internet access, but my activities are unplanned, so my posting may be unreliable.

Feel free to NPC my character until I return (evening 13 Jun Sydney Time); I will cheerfully deal with any IC-decisions upon my return.

Cheers!

Oh, that hurt to RP those questions, which I'd never ask IRL.  It therefore needs to be said that's a separation of player and character...

In reply to Keely Navila (msg # 65):

😂😂😂

That’s what d&d is. I am very much a chaotic spirited woman irl.

A female rope??? How gender inclusive!  =D

In reply to Vang (msg # 67):

Une corde, in French, objects do have gender... I was tired when I wrote this, I'll edit

I was only teasing..  lol

I did an investigation on the rope...  any info on reliability?  Nat 20...
This message was last edited by the player at 04:49, Sun 19 June 2022.

it's a little slick because of the rain but still sturdy, the knots will be helping

Sorry about the extra rolls there...  Was trying to figure out how Keely was rolling the advantage check...

Um...  did I miss something?  Where did it say there were only 4 rats? And what platform are they on - lowest only or both?

Fred, check your latest post in the main thread.  I think you've missed a closing tag somewhere, because the layout of all the posts after yours is broken.

Note: not seen on the responsive site (r.rpol.net), but you can definitely see it on the classic site (rpol.net)...

In reply to Keely Navila (msg # 74):

I do have a table in the GM private, it looks ok on the r.rpol... but I do see that every words after that is orange in your posts. Trying to fix it

EDIT is it ok now?
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:51, Tue 28 June 2022.

Yeah, looks good now.

Private and Secret tables are messy, I know.

well you guys did short work of those rats...

After the second platform, there is a third one, with some scratching on the wall that look like the writing you couldn't read on the pillars, and you can reach the bottom, no more interruptions. Tell me what you are looking for if you want more details ;)

Yes...  A Phantom of the Opera reference...   lol

In reply to Vang (msg # 78):

Lol, love the Phantom of the opera, I did see it at the theater, seated 6 rows from the scene, I was signing along under my breath with the performers lol.

Les Mis, Phantom and Cats are my three favorites. I've seen Les Mis in various theaters over 25 times...  Cats about 10...  And Phantom once (but only because it has rarely ever played in an area when i was living there)...

So...  Seriously...  Everyone is going to ignore the cat who passed out with an arrow STILL sticking from his side?  Y'all are just mean! =p
This message was last edited by the player at 11:58, Wed 10 Aug 2022.

Just rub some dirt in it....it'll be fine!

;P

just a query for all...are we having a long rest or short? I was under the impression a long rest (Hence i used the spell)

If short, i would not have used it

Either is fine with me

i don't mind short since i can use hit dice to recover most of my currently missing hp but, in all honesty, i'd rather have our healer at full capacity... And, as i said in Discord...  if we do a long rest, we all completely recover our HP which saves our HD for a future "oh shit" moment; we currently have the safety of the small, single entrance room whereas we have no clue where we'll find a safe spot again; and, based on travel time and our encounters so far, it is probably late afternoon or early evening so a rest would apropos...

Short or long doesn't matter to me. We didn't have any discussion about it, so I assumed it was short. If we need it to be long though, nbd.

i can continue with a short, but i have one healing slot left - and as Lissa said, this place is defendable

Apologies, for some reason I thought I had posted.

A classic line. If you know, you know.

"I would like to Rage."

very classic line

So polite, it must be a Canadian barbarian lol

Canadian barbarian

'I would like to rage, ei'

"I would like to rage, eh?  Soory!"

ROFL

Not sure that the additional rats wouldn't make it a challenge...  We had some extremely good rolls the last two combats while your rolls were rubbish...

But you can always increase their hp on the fly if you think a given battle is going too easy...

I could, or really roll their hp instead of using the average in the book. I do try to follow the module though, since its the first time all of you play it

Occasional easy fights are part of the game. I wouldn't worry about it. If bosses seem too weak, give them more hp, increase their damage, giving them a new spell, etc. There's plenty of stuff you can do to make things harder if you need to. You're supposed to have 4-8 encounters per day, including some easy ones like this, to make the resting system actually function correctly.

Is there a map to all of these rooms?  Otherwise, I'll have to do some sort of write up to keep track of all of these rooms.

I cut the relevant parts of the maps and post them in discord in the game thread

I don't think we have an official cartographer in the party.  :)

I'll start some minor record keeping toward that end.

Well, tried doing this by tracking descriptions in the IC posts.

Difficulty Level:  Very

But, helped me get a good sense of how you guys got to where we are, though.

I'll try stitching together the images from Discord.

So far ...

https://docs.google.com/drawin...LQs/edit?usp=sharing

I'll try and post this on Discord as well.  In case the Google Drawing link doesn't want to play nicely.

Question about the Repeating Shot Artificer Infusion.


Can this be used with a Bow?  Technically, one does not LOAD a bow.

I would say yes.  That "ignores the loading property" line is followed by "if it has it", indicating to me that it's not a prerequisite property for the infusion.

But it's the GM's final word, always.

It says simple or Martial weapon with the ammunition property. Bows have that so I'd say it's allowed

yes, repeating shot would work with a bow.

Wow, I've got a whole conversation to catch up on. I've got some time after work again tonight, so I'll try to get caught up.

No worries. I'm pretty sure we aren't going anywhere.

Hey, you just hit 1000 posts, BEAR!

Erky is referring to that circle with the furry things around it in the center of the big circular room on the map.  What is that?

I will give the room description when I can, doing a yard sale today, I won't have too much time to post, sorry!

Another one?  You, sir, are a glutton for punishment.

It was a profitable day at least, we sold lots of stuff... my saving grace is that I don't need to bring it back in the house after. We moved from a 2500 square feet rented house with a garage to a 1680 sq feet duplex, had sold/thrown out lots of stuff before the move and still have too much, now we need to reduce further to make something livable with the basement

And the wife works about half the weekends doing trade shows, thats how she makes her money. I help her with those because I prefer that to be with the teenaged kids.

So I might be a glutton for pu ishment like you say... the worst punisment is to hear the kids complain when we ask them anything, that drives me nuts. 5 years before the youngest is 18, my steel-toe boots are ready...

Please tell me that there is Coup de Gras in 5e.

If you want to kill them, I won't stop you lol

TTYTT, I meant as a game mechanism.  I did some research, and all I could find was info on performing a Coup de Gras on unconscious opponents.  Ones that had been reduced to zero, and were therefore into their Death Save spiral.

In Pathfinder, there is a Coup de Gras rule that allows you to kill any character who has the Helpless condition.  That would include sleeping characters as well as characters that are, say, paralyzed.

I didn't want to try the Coup de Gras, and inadvertently, lets say, wake the hobgoblins up thus restarting combat.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:01, Mon 17 July 2023.

Erky dropped a torch down the hole.  Should be there with you.

Wasn't sure it was still lit... but if so, the area should be lit up enough for me to see.

Yes the torch is still there and lit

Everyone will need 2 acrobatics or athletic checks to go down

grave cleric.....hates undead.


what did you expect?

Whoa!  That was unexpected.  But very cool.

I was waiting for you to long rest to give your level up, so you can roleplay your char waking up with new knowledge

Leveling up is always appreciated.

yay....level 2 spells

Yay!

And at Level 3 some of us get a Path or Archetype or, in Erky's case, a Specialization.  I'm going to have to think about that.

I think that in honor of BEAR, I'll go with the Battle Smith specialization.

Nice! x)

BEAR has been training to be a thief, but has gained confidence with all the murder hobo-ing so I chose assassin instead.

Keely's even more tanky now.  Totem Warrior + Totem of the Bear.

Question about the Battle Smith specialization of the Artificer class.  It says that the character gains proficiency in smithing tools.  I can see that.  It also says that the character can create a Steel Defender.  (Ostensibly with the smithing tools.  Or so I'd think.)

But does the character have to HAVE the smithing tools?  Or, christ on a pogo stick, a full shop, in order to create one?

Oop.  Just re-read things.  Yes, you have to have smithing tools.

Wait.  I figured it out.  Use The Right Tool for the Job to create some smithing tools.  The create the Steel Defender.

I have to say, I know why I see a lot of games that do not allow the Artificer class.  The mechanics are exceptionally hand-wavy.  Good thing this sort of magic fits Erky's vibe.

Exceptionally hand-wavey.  I've got no problem with artificers in my games, but I do try to impose a sense of realism (ha!) into them.  I encourage them to spend a lot of down time researching stuff before their inventions come to fruition.  Try to cut down on the technological leaps.

But this is Fred's game.  Erky's cool.

We can say that your time in your cell/cage allowed a lot of time to think and that the designs are all in your head already... technology leap problem solved ;)

Weird ideas I have no problem with.  Erky's pulling weird ideas out of his ass left and right.  The hand-wavy stuff is conjuring smithing tools out of thin air.  Then, after that, creating a Steel Defender without the availability of any steel.

But, hey.  Is it weirder than anything else in this world?  Maybe it's because it's too too close to something that might be real that makes it seem weird.

Who needs steel when you've got magic?

We just killed a whole lot of goblins, in their 'village'. They'd have steel.

If you are willing to climb back up to get it, sure

Maybe your steel defender isn't made of steel right now, but has the durability of steel (thanks to ya know, magic).  It can always be refined and improved to actual steel later on.  I think of Artificers always tinkering with their stuff, trying to make improvements.

good point. There is lots of plant matter down here. You do that and then 'upgrade' later

in my artificer i'm starting with a homunculus, and once i get level 3 he will be upgraded to the steel defender.

That *is* a good point.  I had considered stone.  I'd considered returning to the Magma Hole for material, but didn't want to take liberties with or to make assumptions about what dangers might be roaming out there.  Erky hasn't officially dubbed Ken a Steel Defender by stating it IC.

OMG.  I just had a terrible idea.  I mean, we're all still eating, right?  And that implies digestion and its inevitable results.  How about a Poop Defender?

(Though, idea aside, I DON'T think I'll be doing that.)

Seems like it would make for a crappy defender, but who knows?

<chuckle>

Good for guarding the toilet.  :)

Fred's infected all of our dice.  I just hope it stays contained to this game on rpol!  :P

Canadianly sorry! Lol

Starting today - actually, starting two weeks ago - I'm going to be elbows deep in a directing a production at our theater.  This will be eating up a lot of my time as well as a lot of my mental bandwidth.  Apologies in advance, therefore, if I don't respond with the speed or frequency that I have in the past.  We open March 15, and at that time a lot of my responsibilities will drop away.  At that time, I will be able to take things up as before.

Who knows.  I may be able to keep up despite all of this.  But, once again, apologies if I cannot.

No problems, IRL first, if you can check once a week, that is plenty. I'm not the most diligent GM myself
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:28, Mon 05 Feb.