Every game needs one

A question has come up about buying a horse. As a military unit you are infantry. You will not be able to use a horse in your normal day to day operations. If you decide to buy one anyway, it can be used as a pack animal in the rearguard on your current march (you are approaching Sun City on the banks of the Inland Sea), but when you get to town you will have to make your own arrangements to stable and feed it.

Beep boop, I am Marathon. I shoot things and am good with animals.

As you tell me where you want to be on the battle map in the Ambush thread, I will place you on the map. When I have heard from everyone, we can get going.

Oh, right then.  I'm Valeria, I cook, I clean, I drive and I'm pretty good at being sneaky but I don't do tracking, foraging and healing.

Greetings, all!  I'm Kesta.  I mostly stab things - especially those thrice-damned Turanians - but I'm also pretty good at surviving in the wilderness.

Right Kesta... remind me to have you along if I'm ever lost in the woods

Okay... thoughts.

1. Valeria's not a fighter and so she'll look for somewhere to hide before the bandits get there.
   
2. If she was a bandit, she'd be rolling rocks down from above so she won't hide under the wagon, but, with the steepness of the hill, it seems likely that any rocks will bounce if she can find a hiding place close to or actually on the hillside, preferably hidden by rocks that are part of the hill.
   
3. Her plan is to ambush one of the ambushers when said ambushers are paying attention elsewhere.  Backstabbing is her friend

What does anybody else think.
Statswise I have:  initiative +6;  AC14;  attack +1  except ranged attack +2 aremed with daggers and sling.

Marathon has Initiative +3, AC 16, Melee Attack +2, Ranged Attack +4.

In a regular fight, he will find a nice vantage point and rain pointy death upon the enemy.

If he has to protect someone, he will drop his buckler and switch to his large shield and his short sword/gladius. In this case, his AC goes up to 17.

If at all possible, Marathon will try to avoid fighting by talking the enemy down. Mostly by telling them that it's better if they both live, i.e. Intimidate. :)

Kesta has init +8, AC 17, Melee +3, Ranged +5

She'll always prefer action to waiting, so she's likely to charge the first enemy she sees - though she will fight defensively (AC 18, 19 against one foe) until the situation becomes clearer.  She will advise that the group focus on taking out one enemy at a time.  Each dead or disabled foe weakens the attackers, and makes them more likely to turn and run.

She will also try to hold the attackers' attention, letting others fire from range or sneak around.

Is there a standard, "GTFO of the way," message for the Aquilonian Imperial Army? Or is this fine?

It raises a question of languages -- do they even understand you? And you have been fighting guys like this almost every day as you moved forward. These guys are not going to back off. They want you dead and the contents of the wagon.

Nice form though.

Good point, but it doesn't hurt to try. Might save arrows and gain a few recruits who want to join the "Good Guys."

If she survives, Valeria could reach Turanian

See.  She speaks fluent Turanian swearwords

Posting on phone. Site isn't very cellphone friendly. Will format later.

Attack and Damage assumes point blank Shot applies. If it doesn't, subtract 1 from Attack and damage rolls.

Hmm, not so sure.  They were very rude you know.

Marathon, I don't think you can see the fight Valeria is in from where you are, so I'm assuming you are shooting to kill off the wounded bandits you can see. Please confirm.

I will shoot whichever hostile are in range.

There has been a lot of posts since I last posted so I may have missed some.

All of the PC's speak Common -- which for our purposes, as you are all in the Aquilonian army, means the language of Aquilonia. If you're not from Aquilonia, you have an accent, but you are all fluent enough to get by. You also speak your native tongue -- from whatever land you hail from. These are at no cost and part of the base build.

For characters with higher INT scores, the option for more languages is possible. You might consider learning Turanian -- you are in Turan and have been for weeks at least. It is the language the bandits spoke and will be useful.

In considering languages and home lands, this link will be useful:

https://hyboria.xoth.net/races/human_races.htm

Until you tell me you have learned it, you will not understand the locals, only the Aquilonian speakers -- army command, traders, etc.

Ooh does this mean if I made Valeria a native speaker of one of her other languages other than common, then she could have another language?

As long as you're prepared to live with the consequences of where you choose to come from - Zingaran Dog! (Actually I had zingarandog@hotmail for many years as a gaming email.)

https://hyboria.xoth.net/rules/languages.htm

Might be better for languages :)

 New player here. Hello folks. Demius is a Pict scout.

Welcome to the party Demius of the Wester Mark

I was thinking of Cimmerian rather than Zingaran so that'd be Barbarian Bitch but thinking about it, she has enough for now.

Next question about languages... if she comes across people with different languages and spends skill points on Linguistics next round (even as a cross class skill) does that mean she's learned the language?

I have a free language slot so I'll use it for Turanian. It'd make sense for Marathon to learn the language so he can communicate with the locals.

In general, I hope that when you level up you will advance skills that you have actually had an opportunity to learn as part of the play. If you learn a new language, for instance, there should be someone who speaks that language to teach you.

I had already taken Common (which I now know is Aquilonian), Hyrkanian (Kesta's native tongue), and Turanian.  Since I get the first two free, I'll add Hyperborean.  Geographically, it makes the most sense for Kesta to have picked up.

I have already taken Common, Argossian, Cimmerian, Hyrkanian and Turanian but I hadn't really thought about her origin.  I based her on another Valeria who was a pirate on the Inland Sea but this Valeria is a cook.  I could have her as Aquilonian but I wonder which origin would match the picture on her description?

 Hello,
 New player to the game, here. I will try and mest
h ASAP with the rest of you.

 Is Kesta a known officer or nco?

We're we not supposed to assemble?

Kesta is indeed your squad leader and the muster is for squad leaders -- I wasn't going to turn you away, first day confusion, etc. But she's right. She declared herself squad leader and no one objected.

Welcome to Sun City Thread Message 5:



Message 6:

Ah that is fine.  I was confused I thought we were mustering for assignments.  Guess I missed that part of returning to the barracks :)

Another newbie...  Currently waiting on character approval.

Bretan's parents are Turanian, so, I see his starting languages as Turanian and Aquilonian.

So he speaks Aquilonian with a slight Turanian accent.  We'll see what trouble that gets him into.

:)

On vacation for a few days. Wil post again next week

Goodness gracious. Is Bretan a spy then?

All:  just a note to say that I recognize that Kesta is fairly abrasive.  Her past has led her to be frustrated, and she wants very badly to make a difference in this war.  Despite her bravado, she has very little experience in war, or leadership, so she's trying very hard to enforce what little authority she has.  She will probably make many mistakes before she learns how to lead properly.

If your characters would challenge her authority, either to her face, or to those above her, please feel free to do so.  That could be fun to play out.

But if as players, I am making your game less fun, please let me know and I would be happy to back her off, and/or alter some things about her, so we can all have fun here.  Feel free to provide open feedback at any time.

In reply to Kesta of Makkalet (msg # 39):

Actually it's not you. I know you're roleplaying.

I missed that post and didn't see it because it was sandwiched between my post and the battle grid.

---

We're just wasting a lot of time on the minutiae of placing ourselves on the battle grid. My character will always be where he's supposed to be unless there's some plot-related circumstance that changes his location.

If it's not plot-relevant, I would rather we handwave things. If it puts me into an awkward spot, then I'll fight/RP my way out.

I'll have to redo my post.  According to 'She...' The assumption that I based it on was flawed.  Will have to wait.  :(    Got one of those nasty 'Jobs'.

I've been biting my lip for a week or so cause Valeria isn't in the patrol thread and so she's not there to ask 'Which one's Will?'

The one they're all firing at, right?

Dang did you watch Zulu with my father as well?

Just wondering if there's anything I can do to improve your enjoyment of the game and perhaps encourage more posting. Some of you post often. Others have gone (no posts in a month, I figure you've just lost interest). So maybe there's something I can be doing to engage you better?

If there are things you enjoy from other games, I'm keen to hear any suggestions.

Meanwhile, we've got a dying man on the ground in front of most of you, and a chase out of sight. (You can see it in the posts, but not in character.)

 I have no complaints, I am enjoying myself. Anything Hyborian I am going to enjoy it.

 As for the dying man, honestly Demius would not even care, He is following his orders. But  as a player, chasing these jokers after having separated up a blind alley, is begging to be ambushed, But Demius does not think that way, perhaps to his ill luck.

 Regards

I'm happy thank you and thank you for the Easter Egg.

Hmm, could be the end for Valeria.

Just thought I'd post this for fun. Earlier in the same night the main group is having their encounter while on patrol, Valeria has been accosted in an inn. She's managed to free herself from the thugs who had taken her captive, and told them to piss off, so I decided that I should roll an old-school reaction roll using this chart I found online at https://yumdm.com/reaction-rolls/



Her rolls:
_{08:56, Today: She Who Must Be Obeyed, on behalf of Valeria the Cook, rolled 10 using 2d6.  Reaction Roll.
08:57, Today: She Who Must Be Obeyed, on behalf of Valeria the Cook, rolled 6 using 2d6.  Second roll.}

I read this as -- the bad guys leave her alone.

Anyone else have tools they use to help them run their games?

Truth be told, I've never run D&D.  I prefer to run less complicated games like BTVS or PbtA.  That in itself makes the GMing simpler.

On the other hand, if I AM running a complex game (like A-State) then if I can get away with it, I throw away the dice for most actions and just method act, letting the players' rolls influence the NPCs' reactions.

PS... If she had heard of them, Valeria would be wishing for an AK47 right now.

Just a quick note to let you know that I will be travelling for several days. I should be back online early next week. Thanks.

Thanks for hanging tight. I'm back online and ready to keep the stories going.

In different parts of Sun City, at slightly different parts of the night, Valeria is on a roof top watching a gang of drug dealers who want to harm her, while the warriors have cornered a wounded thug who just murdered a religious cleric in the street.

Hopefully that's enough to kick off some responses.

Oh yes it is.

 Welcome back, GM.

This this game still breath? I hope.

Oh yes it does fer Shure.

It seems that I thought I was waiting on you. We have an unresolved combat going on in a blind alley -- waiting for Damius Bretan to decide if he wants to keep the man alive or just kill him -- and a freshly killed priest whispered something to Demius of the Westermark just before he died.

Valeria is busy elsewhere in the city.


I will post to restart the scene near the docks for the dawn patrol.

OK, we've had some attrition here, and worse, I've passed on clues to someone who hasn't even logged in for almost 3 weeks. So much for subtlety!

Here's what Damius Bretan heard from the dying man when he stopped to check on him:

Private to Damius Bretan: The man on the ground has been stabbed in the gut at least twice. He's dying with maybe moments to go. You realize his bloody robes are those of a priest. He grabs your hand and whispers hoarsely. "The fools have brought it here, into the city. The Eye of the God. The end of days are upon us.

Find the hidden temple of the One Eyed God! Before it is too late."

OK -- we are down to just 3 players who have checked in recently: Valeria (parallel story line, going well), Kestia and Demius of the Westermark.

Feng Shu, Marathon and Zoramel are long gone. I'm happy to run them as NPC's for the rest of this scene, and then I'll open the game up again for new blood.

We do have one combat scene in limbo. Demius must decide if he wants to capture the wounded thug for questioning. If they just kill him, it's a done deal. If they want to keep him alive, he will get one attack each on Demius,Marathon and Zoramel.

Let me know if you're still interested in keeping the story going.

 Just a thought GM. Perhaps the active players could form a group .

Perhaps we could, but I seem to be somewhat elusive.

Most tales set in Hyboria, usually involved two or perhaps three main characters. Perhaps we might be used as Recon for scouting for this or that, Again just a thought.

Right now the only active player is the cook.

Let's just finish the scene -- all I need is a decision about whether you want to keep the guy you caught alive for questioning or kill him. If you try to keep him alive, he will get a strike at each of the three fighters who have him cornered. If you kill him, he just dies.

Then you have a clue: The missing eye of the One Eyed God has been brought back into the city. What does that mean? The murdered priest thought it was a big deal. Who will you tell? How will you try to learn more? There's a holy symbol on the murdered priest. That might lead you to his temple -- and maybe they know more? You might get something out of the man you have cornered as well, if you keep him alive.

Not sure what to roll for Init.

All,

I apologize, but life has gotten complicated for me recently, and I just can't give this the attention it deserves.  I need to bow out.  Sorry for bailing, and enjoy the game!

-Kesta of Makkalet

1d20 plus your Initiative modifier (+2 for your character)

OK, we're down to two players, each in different scenes (for now). I'm going to finish up the scene with the dawn patrol and keep the scene with Valeria moving forward until we get to a joining point. In the meanwhile, I will advertise for new players, unless you both are happy moving forward as solo players. I will have to split you up completely. The logistics of having two solo threads interact is a nightmare.

Let me know by the end of the weekend and I'll either post for new blood or reset the structure.

Either way, thanks for gaming with me.

 Greetings,

 I am a huge fan of Anything to do with Hyboria and R. E. Howard.

 I am good with whatever.

I'm easy either way... But I'm really enjoying Valeria's adventures

We have some new players, and I have weeded out some of the non-posters -- assigned elsewhere in game terms. I like Kesta (her player has bowed out on her own) and I have taken her over as an NPC to be the squad leader for the rest of the group. This allows me to have some more hands-on direction of the action while maintaining a cool character that I would like to develop.

Valeri is off on her own adventure, though I understand she does plan to report back to Kesta at some time.

For the rest of you, here's where we stand:

The Aquilonian army is occupying Sun City as part of their successful (so far) invasion of Turan. Sun City is a port on the Inland Sea, the gateway to one of the most important shrines/temples in the region -- the Sun Dome -- where legend says that the sun god came to earth in ancient times. The Sun Dome is about 120 miles inland, on the border with the Waste Lands. Sun City is an important place for pilgrims and there is a steady flow of ships and caravans bringing the faithful to travel inland, especially on high holidays.

Unable to suppress this travel without causing major uprisings by the faithful, the Aquilonian invaders have opened the port and manned it with a large military presence. Your characters are newly arrived recruits in the Aquilonian army just arrived in town.

Kesta and her original squad have just come off their first patrol, during the dawn shift at the docks. They interrupted an assassination of a priest. The priest is dead, but he passed on a warning to the patrol as he lay dying on the street.

"The fools have brought it here, into the city. The Eye of the God. The end of days are upon us.

Find the hidden temple of the One Eyed God! Before it is too late."

Then he died. He was wearing a rather unusual holy symbol, which Kesta took.

One of the assassins has been wounded and captured, currently held at the stockade on the edge of town, near the animal pens. Kesta's plan as she wakes up after a few hour's sleep is to go and visit the stockade and question the prisoner.

This is where we are now. Those of you who are new arrivals are newly assigned to her squad. We can play that out as she asks who you are and what you do. Then we can go look for clues. And probably kick some butt along the way.

I will start a new thread today: The Plot Thickens -- you should all feel free to post in it even if you are still working on your characters. (You'll find that most of my gaming is narrative rather than rules-based anyway.)

Welcome aboard to all the new recruits.

Thanks for the warm welcome, Amaya is your new archer/scout if you were wondering. Are there any other scouts in the team?

I'm not sure whether I'm on the team. I'm a cook. Still, as the boss says, I do plan to visit Kesta and pass on some information I gleaned that could conceivably bring Kesta a further promotion (on the other hand, I may end up as a pirate queen like Howard's own Valeria - who knows?). Of course, I have to survive what I just drank first.

I say all the above to say welcome Amaya and others

Thanks, Valeria, and I hope we meet soon - Amaya is ready to kill for a good meal ;)

Need a few questions sorted out before I can post in the new thread but I'm looking forward to it!

Dawn is on her way :)  Cloistered Cleric of Mitra.

Hello Dawn. See you soon.

Hello Dawn, thank the gods we have a cleric on board :D

greetings all, I'm going Ranger. More a lightly armored fighter than a protector of the wilderness sort.

Welcome Adentare, guess that means we will work together scouting ahead. Amaya is focused on the bow, you too - or are you going two-weapon-style?

Ooh, welcome Adentaire.

Hello all, grateful to be here.

Hello Cormac and welcome.

Hello and welcome Cormac :)

Would it help Amaya to know that Valeria's five foot one inch tall and the thing she does best by a long way is cook.  Although that might well change when she finally reached level 2.

It's just my way of fun roleplaying. She'll get used to you :)

Any chance I can use some or most of my starting 900gp for potions &/or scrolls?

The Hyborian World of Conan is very poor in magic. You do have some divine spells at your command as a cleric, and you can find various scrolls and potions to cast these same divine spells whenever you want, but the effective price is 10 times what it says in the book. So 0 level divine spell scrolls cost 125 per scroll, 1st level scrolls start at 250 GP and go up to 1000.

Adjusted for the setting.  I do see Dawn having something miraculous with her but nothing world breaking for sure.

Sorry, super busy irl, going TWF, twin short swords. Put pathguy generated sheet in PM
This message was last edited by the player at 22:41, Sat 27 May 2023.

Switched to rogue, swapped out the sheet.

So, what's the decision?

Of course, if anyone DOES take Valeria up on her suggestion, we'll have to fade to black.

Moving into a new house. Going to be a couple of weeks at most before things are back to normal.

I'll do my best to keep scouting short, so you guys don't have to wait too long to get back to posting. :)

I may be gone for 24 Hours or so, starting now.

Um... Valeria, it's your turn.

If she hasn't posted by tomorrow (Friday) I'll move ahead anyway.

Sorry, I missed it on Saturday and then never realised it was my turn.  On it now.

*nudge nudge* reminder to post :D

Demius, I think you forgot to add your strength bonus on the damage roll.

 GM, we are waiting for the  signal to spring the ambush, yes?

Too late now!

I think that may have been the signal.

Oops...

Not the first time a soldier has fired too soon

It really only applies if your opponent cannot apply their DEX bonus to their Armor Class. If they we running away full tilt, that might be the case. but starting to slink away from the back of the group -- I don't think that's valid. They will be watching their backs and they will have their DEX AC bonus in effect.

Nice try though.

Will you throw your knife anyway?

The range increment on your knife is 10 feet. The closest one of the bandits is about 25 feet away from her -- so your attack will be at -4

Well, DnD is quite clear about it, you can move 30ft in one round, 60ft if you use your standard action for a second move action. Everything else is the Run action where you cannot apply Dex bonuses. Thus they get away 60ft (80 if they are barbarians) each round. A bit far for a thrown dagger.

Amaya will shoot at the retreating bandits, using her move action so they don't get out of reach too fast. Longbow reach is 400ft maximum but it is not accurate anymore after 200ft. She will stop then or when survivors decide to engage her because she appears to be separated too far from her comrades.

Valeria: You might want to consider the 'Far Shot' feat which doubles ranges for thrown weapons. So, a dagger's 10ft become 20ft. It is on the list for Amaya, even though it increases missile weapon accuracy by 50% only - 150ft is still a good improvement ;)

Again, they're not running away. They're starting to back up as their leader just got pincushioned by two arrows, the guy next to him got shot with an arrow and someone else got smacked in the head with a sling bullet -- all without them being able to see anyone but an extremely irate washerwoman standing up in the wagon, cursing at them.

Cautious retreat, not a rout.

In reply to Amaya (msg # 105):
I haven't thought through what feats Valeria may need going forward but doesn't farshot require point blank shot? Eventually Valeria could become an invisible blade if I follow that path.

From what I've seen of Valeria thus far, I'd say she focuses on daggers in both melee and ranged combat. So, improving range seems a logical choice, point blanc shot will add +1 to hit and damage up to 30ft, which will be Valeria's usual range. Another idea is Quickdraw or Precise Shot.

I'm not sure if our GM allows non-SRD supplements and Invisible Blade, I'd advise clarifying first.

For Amaya my ideas vary, on the one hand side she needs to continue improving her Survival skill and Rapid Shot, on the other hand one or two extra feats from 1-2 fighter levels is appealing, too. Last but not least Evasion and 2d6 sneak attack from Rogue levels are nothing to ignore either. But it's still a long way to go.

So do we have Cormac, Kesta and Adentare still to go?

Kesta already went this turn. Cormac and Adentare are hidden in the wagon and will jump out for their action this round.

And now we're back to the Initiative sequence as already rolled for the encounter:

Amaya - 22
Dawn - 22
Valeria - 17
Bad Guys - 16
Demius - 15
Cormac - 12
Kesta - 10
Adentare - 8

Amaya will follow up with the bandits, getting off some more shots, as many as possible.

The sign in but not post issue: rpol shows you as 'signed in' whenever you log in to rpol, though not your game in particular. So, I would say it is safe to assume who ever is not posting is not intent on posting in this game again. - Just my two cents.

I asked the question in the technical thread and I am assured by Big Bad Ron that the log-in dates are game-specific. So Amaya and Valeria are logging in and posting. Dawn is logging in but not posting (I've been posting for her since she has a missile weapon). Demius is also logging in but not posting.

I'm asking because I plan to thin the crowd here a bit -- initially by taking over some of the no-shows, and then by sending them to other duties within the army. (Also as cannon fodder!)

Amaya is giving immediate chase. Kesta will join her with a blood-curdling whoop. Valeria is moving the wagon around for better advantage.

Dawn and Demius -- will you join us?
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:18, Fri 15 Sept 2023.

I'm not posting EVERY time I log in.  But usually I find something I can post.

Going on vacation for a couple of weeks. Traveling overseas, so unlikely to be posting. Hope you're still here when I get back in October.

I'll be here, not intending to go anywhere. :)

Ditto

Sorry just don't have the time to take part in the game as I'd like.  Please feel free to NPC or Drop Dawn from the roster.

Dang it, that's a pity, Dawn :(

Still here.  Not going anywhere.

Valeria: I think it was meant we stay the night and move on the next day. At least that is how I interpret the GM's post.

Yes, you will stay the night at the inn, and head out in the morning.

But I'll take your rolls for observations during the night. Can I get rolls from Amaya and Demius (I think you are the only players still active)

Oh, silly me... what dreams we have!

On the road again -- just a week this time. Should be back online by the end of next week.

Who knew there was such a thing?

Good for you. 14,000 words is impressive. Get back to it!

Next week you can tell us all about it -- with a link to our novel, I hope.

No link as yet.  14,000 words is a fifth of a novel but 14,000 words of a first draft is umm... well I don't know but mostly chaotic ramblings I imagine.

It's a process and you have to start somewhere. :)

But here's one I did earlier.

https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-A...-ebook/dp/B011EIE26O

I see you are in another game with me, Cousin Em.

Yeah.  That's a stage name I've used IRL... although I haven't looked in that game for a while.  I suppose I'd better in case dad is waiting.

Absolutely loving these pictures. Are they AI?

No AI, CGI. Using a software called DAZ Studio to render 3D models. Basically like a digital Barbie, apply suitable morphs to a basic figure, add hair, wardrobe and gear, pose to taste, then add environment and lighting/effects then render.

Amaya and Kesta is fine with me :)

Wh'evs. I'll play the guys but I'm hoping to get to play Valeria again later. I'm still planning for her to have the reputation of a fierce pirate queen on the Vilayet Sea.

So yes Dawn and Cormac is fine by me.

Hmm, Cormac seems not to have filled in a character sheet.

He has one now -- just one I had lying around, you know, the way your do after many years of doing this stuff

Excellent.  Now let's see what happens when he meets this winged darkness.

I'm at a loss of what to do at this point. Going into melee sounds like a death-sentence, breaking down the knives into arrow heads seems sensible but also puts the responsibility on the shoulders of the archers and with the dice roller dealing enough damage to bring the creature down is questionable, as I assume sneak attacks will not work and Amaya doesn't get the favorite enemy bonus either. Last but not least daylight is fleeting, so time is of the essence.

Happy holidays to everyone! - Sorry, I'm caught up in family visiting, will take a couple of days to get back to normal :)

Sorry, lots of family business but after the new year I'm positive things will calm down and allow me to get back to posting.

Heh, I just realized it is not the monsters that kill characters, it's the dice roller refusing to roll above '10' ;)

Just as it's not guns that kill people, only the bullets and the falls.

It is not the fall but the abrupt stop at its end ;)

You might call it an abrupt stop at the end of the fall.  I call it being punched by a fist the size of a planet.

*giggles* You could call it that.

On a different note, I believe it is just the two of us active players left, right?

I feel if we leave at this point, we waste a perfectly good sun rod.

A fair point well made. Maybe Amaya should READ the scroll while we have plenty light

Esteemed boss-GM, is my understanding correct that tree and creature are currently cowed and we don't need to worry about attacks (unless we try to recover the items from the dead man)?

Cowed may be an overstatement, but at this point in time, you have seen what is in there, recovered the scroll, and managed to drive the Thing back into its den. It is uncertain how long you might be able to contain it by just jamming the door shut, but you will buy at least some time to study the scroll. A look through by Dawn will reveal it is not a magic spell in scroll form, but an actual document that needs to be studied.

The blaze of the sunrod has diminished the power of the tree and repelled the Thing, but it has not defeated them. You will have a better chance at retrieving the other magic items by the body while the sunrod burns, but it is by no means "safe".

We have three players currently accessing the game, though one has not posted in a couple of weeks. Two of you are frequent posters and I have run both of you in separate scenes that have moved along at a much brisker pace than the group stuff. I'm happy to do that again as the plot continues to unwind.

What would your preferences be?

Thank you for the clarification, I'm not a native English speaker, so it's good to know the strength of the word cowed :)

I was not under the impression that retrieving the other items would be a walk in the park. In fact I had wondered if they would be helpful in defeating the creature, however, the man wielding them is dead, so the items did not prevent that ;)

Still, Amaya's roguish side is clearly interested in obtaining the items and with the creature held in check or it's powers diminished, the best time to get them might be now. After the sunrod has burned out it will only get more difficult. Obtaining a new sunrod will be impossible, given the time constraint (1d4-1 days). Although we might be able to find more obsidian blades - this time we should put them on 10ft longspears, reducing the risk for the spearbearers. Perhaps the tribe elders have another way to destroy the thing or perhaps there's a prayer to the sun god that can destroy it, but that is for a bardic lore check (which Dawn can do as a cloistered cleric).

To put this in less words we can:

- Grab the stuff now, only Amaya taking the risk
- Leave and hope for the best, coming back another day. (Though there is a good chance we might not be able to recover the items later)

By the by: I'm voting for Valeria to get the same xp as the other (n)PCs get for confronting/defeating the creature. It would not be fair otherwise.

To be fair, I could continue on the other thread but it feels like a side thread and I've not been putting in the effort I should.

Well, I don't see Amaya as a leader type character, personally I'm already playing two characters in other games that are leading/driving the group. However, whoever picks up this role should post more than once or twice a week (IMHO). I can do it until we get back to an outpost but would prefer someone else taking the drivers seat.

We've reached a juncture where the game can go in different directions. Valeria has safely (well, with one casualty) conducted the pilgrims to the next town with an Aquilonian garrison. Amaya, Demius, and the others have managed to retrieve the scroll and magical artifacts that the cleric, Dawn, believes will help contain the Winged Darkness -- a particularly loathsome horror that has been imprisoned for many generations. Kesta, the nominal leader of the squad has died in the process, along with several bison rides who seem to be allies in the quest to destroy or contain the Winged Darkness.

Amaya, Demius, Dawn, and Cormac will make their way to the garrison in the next town to report what they have seen and what they have captured. Furthermore, Amaya knows the location of a bandit hideout that the squad was initially sent to disrupt.

Dawn is an NPC -- she will stay at the garrison to puzzle over the scroll Amaya rescued. She will keep the magical implements recovered as well and hopefully find a way to more permanently banish the horror in the tree. A group of soldiers will be sent to accompany the pilgrims the rest of the way to the Sun Temple. Valeria will likely go with that group as the driver of the wagon.

Amaya can go with Valeria as part of the Aquilonian legionnaire's honor guard, or she can lead a squad of other soldiers against the bandits in the caves by the river. Demius has the same decision to make -- go with Valeria or go with the raiding party. Adentare and Kesta are dead. Dawn is committed to her scholarly pursuits. Cormac will guard Valeria if Amaya chooses to chase the bandits, or go with the raiding party if Amaya stays with Valeria. Demius must make his own decision.

It may be a time to open the game up for other players as well, but I'd like you to make your own decisions first.

May I make a suggestion? I think Amaya would be best placed in the group going up against the bandits, her skills best used in the wilderness. As far as I could tell Valeria's focus lies on interaction, and subterfuge so I guess she is best suited to keep the obnoxious pilgrims in line. After both separate missions are completed, we meet again to take care of the winged darkness. How does that sound?

Also, yes new blood sounds good to me :D

I just got laid off today so there may be a slight pause in our game while I figure out what is next. There's also a good chance I'll be back on tomorrow with my own laptop -- but, just in case . . .

Damn, sorry to hear that. I'll keep my fingers crossed that something else will come up for you soonest. Which profession do you work in? I started as a forwarding agent but eventually drifted into IT.

In reply to She Who Must Be Obeyed (msg # 155):

Sorry to hear that boss.  I hope it turns out to be a blessing in disguise. I wish you all wisdom and all luck in figuring your next move.

This has given me time to look around a bit and I found this:

https://www.daz3d.com/tetracov...-fur-and-accessories

These would be awesome to have as mounts, or to draw a cart/wagon :D

Holy moly! That's gawjuss. I wonder if there are any in Turan.

Wouldn't it be cool if these were a reward for putting the winged darkness to rest (eventually)?

Anyway, glad to see you're back boss. Still keeping my fingers crossed your job-hunting goes well. Makes it difficult to type though :P

Hello, all. I'll be playing Tuka, a Ranger from Vanaheim. I cannot see any thread except this one and 'The Plot Thickens', so I have no idea how many points I have for ability Scores, or any House Rules. Anyone up for a quick recap so I can get started on creation?

Welcome on the team, Tuka. Amaya is a ranger, too, focusing on the bow. Copied from the 'Creation' thread:

And continued...

In reply to Amaya (msg # 162):

Ummm I see lots of notes about races, but nothing for Humans, and no sheet templates. I'll stick with something from Gaming Resources then.


Any idea what restrictions there are on Favored Enemies?
This message was last edited by the player at 11:59, Wed 21 Feb.

The first of the two links in the last post lead to a site with details on the different human 'races', and yes, I don't recall seeing a specific sheet template.

Favored enemies: There was no limitation given, though Amaya took 'Humans' for the simple reason that most opponents will be humans in the setting. We did encounter one monstrosity, an abberation I'd say, but I don't expect to see that many others. Aggressive animals maybe, though I don't recall encountering one thus far. Perhaps you want to contact the GM about suggestions.

Welcome to our new players. I have added them all to group 1 now so they should be able to see the Character Creation thread and I have placed editable Character Sheets in their details. However, my offer stands to use the Pathguy generator and I will format the resulting output.

All sentient beings (that you're aware of) are humans in Robert Howard's Conan tales -- and it is a very low magic setting. So Favored Enemies will not work quite the way it is designed in the high magic D&D setting.

Perhaps Class could be used? Pick a Favored Enemy from Barbarians, Fighters, Clerics, Rangers?

The rules say: The ranger gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against creatures of this type. Likewise, he gets a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against such creatures.

This implies an advantage based on having studied tactics and likely behaviors. I would also allow you to pick a type of predatory animal: Bears, lions, snakes, crocodiles. In terms of usefulness in the game setting, however, the Class option may be better. If it gets too crazy (this is a snap decision) I reserve the right to modulate the advantages.

Let me know what you think.

BTW: The new players will be joining the group at Five Eyes, the town the rest of the squad has just reached. They will all be assigned to the mission to route out the bandits Amaya discovered about a day's journey south.

I believe class may be a bit difficult to judge, but I have seen the option of Organizations. Ie. specific cultists, criminal organizations or religious orders? One could include military from different countries.

Edit: I don't really believe the game will benefit from over-regulating such abilities. The favored enemy is a corner stone of the ranger class, curbing it by limiting it further would be a bit like a barbarian's uncanny dodge does not work against beasts and the cleric's turn undead ability works only on a full moon. - But that is only my point of view.

Note: The organization option (above) only works in a regular DnD setting with lots of different races, ie. half-elves, elves, gnomes etc. being part of such organizations.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:12, Wed 21 Feb.

Greetings everyone.

Yet another Ranger at your service.

I may end up TWF with spiked chain instead of bow specialist.

You have four arms? - Spiked chain is a two-handed weapon :)
This message was last edited by the player at 08:11, Thu 22 Feb.

Yes, and it can be used for TWF (all that extra length gives both Reach and the TWF capability).

 Where did you find that? - the SRD entry for spike chain reads: "Chain, Spiked

A spiked chain has reach, so you can strike opponents 10 feet away with it. In addition, unlike most other weapons with reach, it can be used against an adjacent foe. You can make trip attacks with the chain. If you are tripped during your own trip attempt, you can drop the chain to avoid being tripped.
When using a spiked chain, you get a +2 bonus on opposed attack rolls made to disarm an opponent (including the roll to avoid being disarmed if such an attempt fails). You can use the Weapon Finesse feat to apply your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to attack rolls with a spiked chain sized for you, even though it isn’t a light weapon for you. "

What did I miss? - Asking as I've got a PC with spiked chain, too. Or is that from Pathfinder?

On forums it's universally accepted that a chain weapon (like spiked chain) can be wielded in 2 hands, either as a two-handed weapon, or as a primary/secondary weapon for TWF.


Is there a spell-less variant for Ranger? Not sure I can put higher than a 10 in Wisdom.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:03, Thu 22 Feb.

Couple of issues with the spiked chain. It's an exotic weapon, so you will need to take a Feat even to use it. It's very definitely a two-handed weapon, so if you decide to go the two-weapon fighting route with it at Level 2, I see that as allowing you to make two strikes in the same round, but both strikes will be at -2 each at 2d4 damage -- 10 ft range. Of course, you will not be able to use your shield when using the spiked chain.

If you take the Weapon Finesse feat, you can use your DEX modifier rather than your STR modifier with the chain even though it is NOT a light weapon.

As my Str will be higher than my Dex it will not be an issue. With 13 Int I can go for the Improved Trip Feat at level 3 (level 1 will be Exotic Weapon Proficiency and Combat Expertise). Might be able to use a buckler until level 2.

In reply to Tuka (msg # 173):

The spell-less ranger is from a different book, not sure if the boss will allow that. Amaya didn't put more than a 10 into wisdom either, focusing on INT for the skill points (you never get skill points for increased intelligence retroactively, you do get bonus spells etc. with a higher wisdom at any time). Just a thought...

With max starting wealth, are we allowed to replace leather with chain shirt and small shield with buckler?

Favored Enemy (Human) is too broad. Are 'Picts' or 'Shaman' too narrow?

I really don't like the favored enemy feature being cut back retroactively. We've played with it in effect and it's not like it is breaking the game.

What has yours been? Favored Enemy (Human)?

We all start at level 1?

Max hp for level 1, or roll?
This message was last edited by the player at 08:59, Fri 23 Feb.

Exactly. Thus far there were no complaints and the PCs are only level 2, it's not like they are invincible superheroes or carry legendary swords or bows.

So PCs (originals) are level 2, and I'm starting at level 1? I can live with that.

New players may roll up characters at Level 2. Max HP level 1, roll HP level 2. Roll for gold as level 2. Buy your gear plus army issues: Gladius, leather armor, wooden shield.

Price list here:

https://www.d20srd.org/indexes/equipment.htm

The racial bonuses listed in this link are also valid:

https://hyboria.xoth.net/races/human_races.htm

I've never heard of Rolling for gold at levels higher than 1. It's usually WBL. Where do I find the formula for this roll?


WBL is 900 gold for level 2. Was that what you meant?
This message was last edited by the player at 03:03, Sat 24 Feb.

At this point I am working on equipment. Knowing what I have to work with at level 2 is what I am lacking.


We are militia? So no horses to carry us or our belongings?
This message was last edited by the player at 03:28, Mon 26 Feb.

Yeah, Boss said no horses for us. Horses are for officers.

Can we buy a mule for excess equipment? Or are we limited by how much we want to carry?

You have a wagon driven by your cook, Valria -- though in the upcoming sequence, you will be making a fast raid to storm an underground bandit lair, so you will be moving quickly with just the gear you need to fight.

Hey boss. So how much wealth at L2? Use the WBL chart (900 gp)? Or some method of rolling llike you suggested?

OK, money is an issue in whatever reality you live in. Here's what I had in mind for new characters: The PHB (page 111) gives starting gold by class:



It then goes on to say that 2nd level characters get 900 gold. That does not compute for me. Way too much money for grunts in the army. My thinking for these guys is that they roll for their gold at each level but the multiplier at level 1 is 10 and the multiplier at level 2 is 20. So a Barbarian character would roll 4d4 twice. The first roll gets multiplied by 10 and the second roll gets multiplied by 20

MAX: 160 + 320 = 480
MIN: 40 + 80 = 120

Sorry about the confusion.

Also remember that this world does not have magic for sale -- no potions, scrolls, magic items, etc. They MAY exist (as they may in 21st century USA) but if you buy one, you are probably being fleeced.

I'm hoping to get a post up today to get us all on track with raiding the bandit lair Amaya found.

So we new guys joined up at Five Eyes before the raid?

New guys will have been in the fort at Five Eyes and will be sent as part of the raid.

OK, hopefully, we can get the game rolling again. We have two new recruits and three existing players. Adentare and Cormac are NPC's though other players have been pitching in through our last encounter. They should feel free to post for their second characters if they wish or pass them back to me.

This encounter is a fairly straightforward small labyrinth with traps and bad guys, but these can often be difficult to play at RPOL -- the detailed action bogs down quickly. I will try to keep things moving, but I welcome feedback on how to do it better.

Your characters are foot soldiers in the Aquilonian army. You each have your own pictures of what you look like, but at a glance you look like Roman legionaries with leather armor, a short sword (gladius), and a shield. Some of you carry bows, others spears.

Spiked chain and sling here. Chain Shirt and Dastana.

Does a whetstone only work on slashing weapons, or does it affect piercing weapons as well?

From my point of view, a spear is a dagger on the end of a stick, an arrow typically has a triangle shape (at least the war arrows) which are essentially sharp edges narrowing up to a point. Not sure if this is the same for a rapier, but that's not available in this campaign anyway.

I was wondering if the spikes on a spiked chain could gain the advantage of whetstone sharpening or not?

What benefit would that be?

Sharpening with a whetstone adds +1 equipment damage to the first attack that you hit with that day. Although now that I think about it I think that was an adjustment made by Pathfinder, not D&D 3.5.

That sounds like Pathfinder, yes.

Will Amaya get access to some special materials? Some alchemical stuff to maximize smoke creation (ie. used for smokesticks) or fire accelerator (ie. stuff used for alchemist's fire). She did mention the idea to make the rear entrance too hot to pass through and drop stuff into the bandit's campfire to force them out.

Um... may I ask for a reply to my question above? Please?

Character types such as alchemists do exist in the Hyborian Age, but they are very rare and Five Eyes is a remote fort. I will allow that the small town has a herbalist where she can ask for what she wants in character.

Very cool, thanks :)

I seem to have missed quite a lot of action. Am I still around? I've lost track somewhat.

1 gold crown = 10 silver shillings = 100 copper pennies

1/3/6 is 1 crown, 3 shillings and 6 pence
2/3 is 2 shillings and 3 pence

After a night spent in the barracks at Five Eyes, the Aquilonian legionnaires are back on the road again, headed back down the way they came to stage a raid on the hidden camp Amaya and the late Kesta of Makkalet discovered when they tracked the bandits who had waylaid the pilgrims at the ford. On the way they will pass the village of Hompton where they all stayed that first night after the encounter with the bandits.

At the time, Kesta had suspected that someone from the village was helping the bandits.

It will take almost all day to reach the village and another two hours beyond that to the hidden camp. The commander of the troops at Five Eyes has also sent Valeria with the wagon to carry supplies and help with any wounded on the way back.

Amaya has a plan to smoke the bandits out of their underground lair. There seem to be two distinct entrances, one in the woods, a narrow cave, and another onto the river's edge, two wider caves. There is also a fissure in the rocks above the likely location of an interior cavern where Amaya and Kesta smelled smoke from a cooking fire.

That's the setup. Cormac is asking what the plan is as you travel back down the road towards the village and the bandit lair. Feel free to make suggestions.

You have a couple of new soldiers from the barracks assigned to make up for your losses against the Winged Darkness. And Dawn, the cleric, has gone ahead to the Sun Dome Temple to present them with the scroll you found in the cave of the Winged Darkness yesterday afternoon.

Traveling this week. Will post as I can.

Guys, there has been very little action in this game for a few weeks now. I think I am going to close it down. I have downloaded all the threads (210 pages in a Work doc -- so we did pretty good!) If you want a copy let me know and I'll find somewhere to post it.

I was under the impression we were waiting on you.

I know you posted about the plan, but no one else has. Are you interested in continuing in an effectively solo game?

Hyborian Age? Hell yes!

Sorry, part of it was my fault but with just two active players it is very difficult to continue an adventure - at least from my point of view. I like Amaya very much, even though she is very low level compared to all other games I participate in. I'd be sad to see the game go.