Welcome! The History & Overview thread fills in some more details about Coglinton, but I'm still trying to leave a lot up in the air so there's room for whatever details you all need to flesh out your backstories and play the characters you'd like to play. So please use this thread not only to discuss ideas for your characters but any thoughts you have on what or who else could be fun additions to our world here.

Woohoo, we're here :D

Now seeing the expanded background info, I've given a little more thought to my character!  Veracity is a young tiefling woman who has had a hard life in the caldera.  She was orphaned at the age of four when her elderly grandfather worked himself to death at a JP textile mill, and she was conscripted to work as a chimneysweep.  Tiefling children were sought-after for chimneysweep work, because not only were they small enough to shimmy down narrow flues, but they could also survive heat that would kill children of most other races.  It was a meager and cruel existence, and her only joy was sneaking into theaters to watch stage performances.  She decided she wanted to be an actress and so would practice impersonating the many and varied people she'd overhear about her work in Coglinton as a way to pretend it be somebody else.  It turned out she was pretty good at it.  So good, in fact, that she discovered a knack for a sorcery of guile and trickery she came to refer to as 'the Cunning'.

By her early teens she quit chimneysweep work and fell in with a thieves' guild, leaving her birth name behind to take up the 'virtue' name of Veracity.  The name was chosen ironically, because lies are an actress's trade and she puts them to good use in her ludicrous small-time con schemes.  Though the schemes resulted in disaster more often than not, Baz Cinderhorn took a liking to her and mentored that clever resourcefulness into something useful before it got her killed.  Now she's an angsty young woman with a talent for chicanery, a dislike for exploitative capitalism, and a fierce loyalty to her surrogate father, Baz.

That's my rambly character concept so far!  Left the details vague to leave room for connections with other members of the Cinderhorn crew, which I would be happy to work on with y'all :)  I'm kinda torn between Creation and Eloquence bard, and am also between Urchin and Charlatan for background.

Hi all. Happy to be forging a new character with all you fine folks. Also, some great and inspiring world building from our DM here! I'm looking forward to seeing all this play out.

Here are my initial thoughts for my character:

Pançaronz Proclaatiz is a strong draconic name, which is a stark contrast to his physicality. Not only is he a small humanoid of mostly kobold blood, he has poor health; most likely on account of being born in the most poisoned and polluted of slums, amidst the slag heaps of the lowest slopes.

After a terrible fire in the area, this sickly kobold child was apparently the sole survivor from the little hovel he had shared with his family. He was rescued by a human constable by the name of Ljubina. Childless herself, she took him home and raised the little kobold with her husband Felík.

(The fire could be an old plot hook of some kind. Maybe many were sick in that area and someone set a fire to cover up something?)

Although they had his birth records, the two humans just called the child Procz, which was easier for human tongues, even if his foster father was well-versed in the Draconic language. A historian, small-time mage and sage, Felík knew Draconic well. Many years ago, Felík had helped sort and identify magical treasures from Skakatoa's vast hoard.

(Felík has a secret book that Procz has discovered, to be discussed with our DM.)

Although they were not warm and affectionate people, they nursed Procz to some health. Confined to bed for most of his adolesence, the young kobold only had his foster parents to talk to, and being inquisitive and curious he prodded both with questions pertaining to their lines of work.

As a young adult, and in somewhat better health, he started limping through Coglinton, getting to know it. Inspired by his (now retired) foster mother, Procz wanted to become a constable himself. He was turned away, of course, with a substantial amount of ridicule. Officially, he failed physical tests and health requirements.

Procz did not give up, and stared patrolling Coglinton on his own, looking for criminal activities where he could intervene. He soon came across some thief guild smugglers and warned them to surrender. They did not, and Procz defended himself as best he could (with some minor magic) when they attacked.

He managed to stay alive until some real constables arrived. An officer in the constabulary, who seemed to know his foster mother, debriefed him. Learning about what had transpired, the officer waived the requirements, and let Procz join the constabulary after all. Procz didn't realize the officer had ulterior motives. (Maybe they think Procz can be easily manipulated, or plan to use him for something where they need someone disposable.)

Other notes:
-I was thinking maybe Procz has a police dog which he can ride?
-I also have an idea for a discovery Procz has made in his foster father's library. I'll send a PM to our DM with some notes and ideas we can discuss off the open board.
-I'm happy to discuss connections with other characters, if anyone can find hooks here they can attach to.

Edit: After some thought, I think I'm pretty much determined to go with wizard.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:58, Thu 16 Mar 2023.

Kreovliam (Kreo) was once just another face in the crowd, working a thankless job down in the lower districts. But all that changed when a wildcat strike was called in response to a worker dying at one of the tanning houses. Kreo joined the strike in solidarity, and got the brunt of a guard's club for his troubles, but gave as good as he got, finding he had a taste for the solidarity of the worker. He began organizing, meeting with his comrades and doing what he could to protect them.

Satyr Entertainer, that much is certain. I've two class combination ideas I wanted to try and I want to see what everyone's thoughts are.

Idea the First

Mastermind Rogue/Battlemaster Fighter, running around being support for the party and using skill and technique to overcome our foes. Boosting people, maneuvering, using ranged Help, just getting into the thick of it.

Idea the Second

Cleric (domain to be determined)/Divine Soul Sorcerer. The best healing a character can have! A supporter in the sense of keeping you all on your feet, keeping us all alive, and hopefully managing a few useful spell slings along the way. Currently leaning this direction but either could be fun. Can come in many different domain flavours but I'm leaning away from Twilight and Peace as I've read them and they're almost TOO good on a small dip before sorcerer.

Top domain picks I think are either Life (more healing) or Grave (more preventative healing) though Grave comes with wanting to go more into Cleric for longer.

Lineage question

I briefly considered applying Hexblood to Satyr, thought it'd be cool as I'd keep proficiencies and swap out for some story stuff, but I realized instruments/tools are lost with hexblood (skill proficiency still there so not a huge loss). Entertainer likely provides all the instrument proficiency I need though so what are people's thoughts on gaming the system slightly for my own benefit? Really depends if Mirthful Leap and increased land speed (and being a fey) helps the group out or is going to be a thing I'm just "um, actually"ing about frequently
This message was last edited by the player at 13:18, Thu 23 Mar 2023.

I enjoy satyrs. We don't see enough of them.

I can't recall if Caell previously indicated that Procz was going to be an investigator rogue or something else. If Procz is an investigator, from a group perspective it would make more sense to lean into Cleric rather than rogue and it sounds like you're leaning that way anyway but obviously go with what sounds the most fun to you.

Of the two domains I quite like Grave. Life has always felt like the 'default' to me. My personal favorite is Twilight. I can't really speak to lineages - I haven't used them much. It sounds like you'd still be covered with entertainer, and I'm always in favor of more plot hooks.

I have a complaint: everyone's concept is so good, that I am now intimidated!!! Way to go. Your blasted creativity is psyching me out.

So looking for a little help. Still toying with the Goblin Paladin idea, but not sure how to fit him into this setting. I picture him as kind of an "accidental paladin", or at least one that the establishment wants no part of. So I'm wondering in a place as chaotic as Coglington, do they even have paladins? Is there a group of tall, clean, well-armored humans, strutting around like they own the place? Would they be gnomes in this setting? Or maybe dragonborn?

I may be biased in this direction, but the first concept that comes to mind for me is an Oath of Redemption Paladin champion of the masses. I played one in another campaign DM ran. They're the pacifists of the paladin class and make for interesting roleplaying.

It stands out to my mind that nothing at all has been specified about religion in Coglington when Edge of the World dedicated considerable weight to it. Either its left to our devices to flesh out as we see fit, or religion is a secondary concern in this capitalist dystopia and I kind of like that latter option - the church as a vestigial relic with limited scope and reach. Something like the Church of Ezra in Ravenloft might be fitting. In fact, Coglington lends itself very readily to the trappings of Ravenloft - even down to the point of relegating everywhere outside of Coglington to merely 'elsewhere'. The brothers fit very nicely into the role of Darklords.

Outside of formal religions one could easily imagine a Cult of the Dragon in this setting, or something like a Cult of the Machine God. Miners might leave offerings for the cave spirits, and factory workers might have rituals to appease the gear spirits.

Kreo's not that good, I don't see why you should feel intimidated. You can slum it with me until you realize you're cool like the other people!

Oath of Redemption is tight, only alternate suggestion I can give is Oath of the Ancients, tapping into something deeper than Coglington, something that is granting you power despite your goblinness because it doesn't care, regardless of the societal pressure that puts you under. It helps that much like Redemption, Ancients is a solid defensive buff on your party too . . .

re Kreo: understood on the rogue, oh no, how will I survive being "forced" to play a spellcaster idea I actually might enjoy? I keep talking myself out of spellcasty characters, might as well take the plunge

Grave cleric is pretty tasty, oooooo you twisted my arm! Alright!

Satyr or Hexblood, I think I'll talk with the DM some for it

Clerics are fun, but I've played way too many of them. Wizard is at the top of the list, with Artificer a close second. He is first and foremost a big brain in a small and frail body.

As for a paladin, Fergus, I'm thinking the capitalist powers won't mind religious orders of the people, as along as the orders' main concerns are feeding and healing the sick and poor (it's cheaper for the rulers having someone else take care of them than paying themselves), like the Salvation Army. When religious orders are concerned with changing society, however, that's when the ruling powers might have an issue. Religions that embrace suffering might have a place in this society as a means of control.

Loving all the character concepts!  So let's see what our group is looking like here...  Correct me if I have any of these wrong:

• Opalia : Tiefling Bard
• Caell : Kobold Wizard
• Cora : Satyr/Hexblood Cleric/Divine Soul Sorcerer
• Fergus : Goblin Paladin
• Arvid : Autognome/Warforged Artificer OR Deep Gnome Barbarian
• Sikuaq : Dragonborn Rogue

Fergus:  I came across a memorable homebrew Paladin oath a while back that could be a fun fit for this setting, if you're looking for ideas: https://imgur.com/a/kIa7n  The Oath of the Common Man, aka the Communist paladin ;D  Not even religious, but rather fights for worker's rights and solidarity for all!

Cora:  Veracity and Kreo should be a performance duo, since she's a bard and he's an entertainer :D  Vera's bard shtick is more about acting, dancing and oratory, but she'll play instruments and stuff, too.

Caell:  I love Procz the dog-riding kobold constable ;D  Probably he has arrested Veracity at some point in her criminal career, but maybe we got to be friends afterward.

I'm trying, as much as possible, to avoid race-based social organization along the lines of "all the gnomes are like this and all the elves are like that." The city isn't really run by gnomes as a whole, just by two brothers who happen to be gnomes. Their underlings and managers and such aren't necessarily gnomes. Dragonborn are a little bit of an exception because of their obvious association with dragons, but even they are divided in terms of how much they identify with the former overlords vs are trying to put it behind them and assimilate into modern Coglinton.

I don't know that the city currently has much need for an order full of knights in shining armor. The gnome brothers are primarily concerned about threats from within, an uprising of their workers and whatnot. I could see this being maybe a diminishing band of withered veterans who fought against the dragons and are trying to keep the spirit of heroism alive in an age that no longer values it? So the character wouldn't himself be a veteran but someone who looks up those who were.

Some combination of the two. We can flesh it out or not depending how much your character concepts require it. Here's something I discussed with Cora via PM that might be relevant to others:

I haven't thought too much about gods/religion so there's plenty of space for you to innovate there. The most prominent would probably be:

Gond (god of artifice)
Urbanus (god of cities and civilization)
The Gearlord (god of technology and constructs)

I think theirs would all be relatively modern religions/cults, in vogue only since the revolution. Small churches and cults of any other god could persist, remnants of the pre-draconic world, their worship having been kept alive by slaves who worshiped in secret and passed holy relics down through the generations, so that those inheriting them today have only the vaguest idea what they once represented.

That's just to inspire you, not to constrain you. If you have other ideas, bring them on!

This is a cool idea. Might make its way into the world whether or not it works for the goblin character :-)

I haven't looked at the mechanics but Veracity's Communist Paladin is a fun concept.

Are we starting at level 1? I don't know if that was ever specified.

Good question, we had not discussed. I was going to suggest 5 but that's not a strong preference. Does anyone else have preferences?

I personally like working my way up from as low a level as possible because I can learn what works and what doesn't for my character when I have less options to juggle. With that said, I will gladly start at a higher level if that's what mostatherestaya prefer.

My opinion regarding level, is that there is too high a discrepancy between 1st and 10th, even if they claimed to fix that with 5th edition - with the so-called bounded accuracy. Going from struggling against a couple of rats to slaying dragons over just a few months is a little silly.

I've found that 3rd level is a good point to start. All classes have made their subclass choices by then. In a tabletop game, those two levels can be used for individual backstory tied up to subclass choices. On RPoL, playing through all that backstory can be a little tedious.

Starting at 5th level will most likely mean that the characters are slightly distinguished already. That's beneficial if your character has some notoriety or is an intimidating badass (which is hard to be if you can barely manage those rats).

So, I vote 3rd to 5th somewhere :)

I'm inclined to agree with Caell. 3-5 is a good range. All of the subclass choices have been made by then and the characters have started to come into their own and truly differentiate themselves.

I'm really enjoying what you all have come up with so far. The world is becoming richer and more alive for me with every detail you add. Could we set a goal of getting concepts finalized by next weekend (April 8)? I should be more available than I have been the last few weeks (OK, months) to discuss with you as needed. I don't want you to force anything and I'll bear the brunt of finding ways to bring you all together, but please do keep an eye out for opportunities to create connections with other characters.

Based on feedback so far, I'm leaning toward starting at Level 3, but still happy to hear input if you have a different preference.

Thanks!

I'm away April 1-8. Going down south with my parents and kids. I can make either concept work, although just looking at the numbers we have a lot of clever characters and very few brawny ones so the barbarian might be the better fit from a balance perspective.

Depending on if I take Life or Grave, Kreo could be heavy armour based but an actual big strong bruiser I will not be.



Possibly, or at least he's open to helping you with your performance if you're a friend to the worker. But Kreo's "entertainer" type is more the "negotiable companion" type, if you catch my drift?

We actually did discuss starting levels early in the other game's ideas thread!  We decided on 3rd level back then, too, so we're consistent ;D  Do we get a free feat at 1st level like the last game?


Oooooh, I see :)  I will love to see how the 'By Popular Demand' background feature will get performance gigs for Kreo ;D  But yes, Veracity is from the gutter and all for fighting for the common man and taking down the exploitative fat cats!  Ribald performances will be in her repertoire.

I've been busy lately and trying to manage a wrap-up post for Opalia, but shouldn't be a problem to be finalized here by April 8th.  My next challenge is to find character art!

HA - Goblin paladin Frack won't catch your drift at all, but he will think how nice it is of Kreo to be friends with negotiables (who he assumes are people from the province of Negotia).

Oh, great, thanks for the reminder! I think I'm in favor of doing the free feat again, with the encouragement that you use it to take something flavorful for your character rather than simply something mechanically very strong (not saying Lucky or GWM can't be flavorful, just that I'd prefer if the flavor were the motivating factor). Cora taking Chef in the previous game is a good example of what we're going for here - it was the perfect feat for her, flavor-wise, and I worked with her to make it mechanically competitive with other options so it wouldn't feel like a huge sacrifice to take it.

I've been experimenting with using Bard, Google's new AI chatbot thing, to suggest ideas for the setting. It hasn't done a great job so far, it tends to suggest pretty generic and repetitive things. For example, I copied and pasted the information about the Constabulary and asked for some NPCs to populate it. Here's what it came up with:

Constable Claghorn: The head of the Coglinton Constabulary, Constable Claghorn is a gruff and no-nonsense man who is determined to keep the peace in his city. He is a skilled fighter and a fair leader, but he is also quick to anger and can be quite ruthless when necessary.

Constable Jenkins: Constable Jenkins is one of Claghorn's most trusted officers. He is a loyal and dedicated man who is always willing to follow orders. He is also a skilled fighter and a good shot, and he is always ready to put his life on the line to protect the city.

Constable O'Malley: Constable O'Malley is one of the newest members of the constabulary. He is a young and idealistic man who is eager to make a difference in the world. He is a skilled fighter and a good shot, but he is also inexperienced and can be quite reckless.

Constable Jones: Constable Jones is one of the most corrupt members of the constabulary. He is always looking for ways to make a quick buck, and he is not above taking bribes or turning a blind eye to crime. He is a skilled fighter and a good shot, but he is also a dangerous man who should not be trusted.

Constable Smith: Constable Smith is one of the most loyal members of the constabulary. He is a dedicated and hardworking man who is always willing to follow orders. He is also a skilled fighter and a good shot, and he is always ready to put his life on the line to protect the city.

Constable Brown: Constable Brown is one of the most experienced members of the constabulary. He is a wise and seasoned man who has seen it all. He is a skilled fighter and a good shot, and he is always ready to offer advice and guidance to his younger colleagues.

Constable Green: Constable Green is one of the most feared members of the constabulary. He is a ruthless and brutal man who is not afraid to use violence to get what he wants. He is a skilled fighter and a good shot, and he is always ready to put the fear of God into criminals.

Constable Blue: Constable Blue is one of the most enigmatic members of the constabulary. He is a quiet and reserved man who keeps to himself. He is a skilled fighter and a good shot, but his motives are often unclear.

Constable Red: Constable Red is one of the most hot-headed members of the constabulary. He is a quick-tempered and impulsive man who is always looking for a fight. He is a skilled fighter and a good shot, but his temper often gets the better of him.

It seems like everyone in the constablery is a skilled fighter and a good shot! They must have the best training program in town! :)

With that said, it at least gens up a few different aspects of characters, even if not overly-deep.

...and for the record I never trusted Constable Jones. He has those shifty eyes.

Trying to figure out which of them broke Kreo's horn at a wildcat strike . . . hmmmm

Trying out this portrait. At first glance, it's kind of a menacing look for Frack. I like to think of this as more of a lovable, sheepish grin than a menacing sneer. Like he's thinking,

"I hope it's okay that I ate the last biscuit"
or
"I hope nobody else can smell that!"

Yikes! Those are definitely not the vibes I'm getting from that fellow :-)

All the goblin portraits I could find were pretty much the same (glowing eyes, angry teeth showing). It's almost as if they were trying to convince players that it's okay to kill these guys because they are mean and ugly.

I immediately have a thought about randomly sticking a knife in the goblin at odd moments throughout the story.  "Oh, sorry about that.  The eyes you know." or "Oops, couldn't help myself.  Those teeth!"

mcm287
mcm096
This message was last edited by the player at 13:00, Fri 07 Apr 2023.

I've got my head on a swivel, former Sikuaq! On a swivel!!!

...and Kreo, thanks for those couple less-aggressive recommendations.

Was there any other guidance for character creation apart from level 3 and one bonus feat? Tinkering with dnd beyond at the airport.

Starting equipment? HP? Normal point buy?

Tentative yes to all three. If something different makes sense for your character equipment-wise we can discuss it.

Had most of a sheet done already, just trying to think of a feat . . . too early for Inspiring Leader?

Any sharp eyed picture sleuths find a good deep gnome portrait on rpol?

Seems appropriate for someone who's already had some leadership role in the union.

In reply to Arvid (formerly) (msg # 37):

Mfd 595 568? Grey, gnome, it's not a great variety sadly

The selection of kobolds is also quite limited. I'll use one of them for the display picture, but the linked image is more like a picture him. I like that he's sort of wearing a uniform. I'm thinking that might be close to a constabulary uniform?

I haven't heard any objections so let's do the "everyone starts with a feat" thing again. Two implications of that:

-No variant humans (moot point, doesn't seem like anyone's trying to be human, which is fitting for the setting IMO!)

-No backgrounds that grant feats. If you're interested in one that does, or if you're just struggling to find anything that works for your character, let me know and we can homebrew a solution.

That a fine pic, Procz. Where do you find such things?

I found this image on Adobe Stock. There was a good selection of goblins as well, but just about all of them have a rather mean scowl.

OK I'm still ironing out details with some of you but we've got six great character concepts nailed down and I am excited to get them out into the world! Now it's time to think about how to get you all to the same place at the same time.

Three of you work for Baz Cinderhorn, so that's an easy connection. Can we start a conversation about how the three of you are connected there? Here's a little more background on Cinderhorn's guild, The Spark:


I'm thinking the three of you will be assigned to take advantage of a strike at one of JP Cognelius's factories to steal something from inside, if that works for you? You wouldn't need to have a longstanding relationship with one another - that part's up to you - but you'd know each from around the guild and maybe even have done jobs together before.

As for the rest of you, we've got Procz the robodog-riding kobold constable, Frack the bumbling goblin paladin, and Kreo the sex worker turned union organizer. It's not essential but you're invited to brainstorm possible connections to one another, to Baz's crew, or the scene I described. The strike could be an easy in for Kreo, trying to make a connection with another union. Ideas for the rest of you? Maybe you know one of the workers at the factory?

Oh yeah if there's a strike Kreo's there. Seems Kreo and Verity are known to each other if that's still on the table

My first notion is that Procz comes across suspicious activity at the factory (or receives a tip), and comes to the location to investigate. While The Spark might seek to go legit, corporate espionage and theft is still technically illegal and Procz is not the type to take a bribe and look the other way. He would seek both to prevent the burglary and arrest the perps.

This might seem to put him at odds with the main group initially. Nevertheless, as things unfold, his allegiances could shift, depending on what they find and what happens. I don't want to speculate in the coming adventure, but there might be situations where Procz might have to ignore minor infractions in search of bigger fish (choosing the lesser evil). He could come in debt to certain characters (or be in one already), if someone has done something for him; saved his life even.

An entirely different proposition is that Procz is working undercover, but that is a little silly on account of his poor health and obvious physical appearance. Of course, he could be there for other reasons. Maybe he has been set up or is investigating a lead to something else in the same facility?

If the labourers at old JP's factories are kobolds, being undercover might not be so strange. Or you might be posing as a member of an allied union or association that employs kobolds which focuses on their skills (tannery, waste disposal and laundresses all make use of alchemical agents and wouldn't require overt physical strength over say willingness to do the job and work long hours)

Heya all, I finally found my character art :D  The knives aren't so much Veracity's thing, but the style and attitude are perfect!

I like a worker's strike for a kickoff scenario.  Vera is a fast-talker mistress of disguise who runs cons and thievery, but in a Robin Hood-esque way of focusing the criminal efforts on rich and powerful scumbags :P  She's 18 now and was a ward of the Sparks gang since she was young, so she'd surely know anybody who has been in the gang for very long.  She's super social and always up to something, so she could really know any of y'all.  Always open to solidify some character connections.  I think we could be friends/acquaintances already, Kreo, as I think Vera will run in worker's rights activism circles and would fit right in at any of his 'red light' locales.

I'd be interested to define what the strike is about and what the Sparks gang's objective is, so we can figure out how we approach it.  It would be nice if the heist could be morally justifiable, just so we can find common ground with Constable Procz :)
This message was last edited by the player at 03:01, Wed 12 Apr 2023.

I was hoping to get to this today but my motherboard is fried, rather unexpectedly. I have a service call scheduled for tomorrow to replace it. Hope to be back in business by tomorrow evening.

Sorry to hear about that Baern! Good luck with a speedy solution I hope

Vera, I like the way you think, though I'll say that anyone who wants a connection with Kreo doesn't need to know him from his former/part time job, as he's going more and more into organizing as time goes on (and due to a downturn in business from an injury) so just in general having met at wine sinks and cafes and eating halls can work too

The part is on backorder. I'm at least a week without a computer now. I'm currently at the office, but my access to DNDbeyond is restricted so I can't look at Baern's character sheet. Time permitting though I'll try to get some brainstorming thoughts up for shared background. I need to catch up on work first though.

I added a few more entries to the History thread based on world-building that arose from PM conversations. Full credit to Frack (formerly Fergus) for the write-up of The Shield. I've still got things outstanding with a few of you but since we won't be starting with everyone in the same place anyway, I may get a thread or two started for those who are ready soon. My inclination is to make these public even though everyone's characters wouldn't actually have access to this information, just to help get everyone more engaged in the world and story and characters. Of course you can always put things in Private text if needed, but hopefully you won't be keeping too many secrets from one another, and I don't plan to have you in separate threads for long. How do y'all feel about this?

I support that idea, sounds good to me

I second that.

Sounds like a plan!  I like to see what else is going on even if my character isn't there :)  Other groups might see places and NPCs and such that our characters would be familiar with though, so it gives us all more context for our own RP.

Perhaps I should have asked this earlier, but should we be doing a text sheet on RPOL?  I have Vera mostly done on Beyond and wouldn't mind just using that, but could do a text sheet if needed.  I don't have access to mine.  Even if I use Beyond I'd probably stick a link in there and maybe use it for backstory notes :P

No one has access to sheets yet, thanks for the reminder! But Dnd Beyond is fine, just drop a link in the character sheet section here so I can find it easily.

Edit: These should be good to go now.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:41, Sun 16 Apr 2023.

I'm still lacking a sheet. Just been using the scratchpad for now but just thought I'd mention

I have the same issue as Kreo...

Ok, *now* should be good to go

Still waiting on my computer to be repaired. I have a tentative appointment today - I'm working off a loaner at the moment.

Did the Cinderhorn crew make any progress? I think the other two were Kreo and Veracity, is that correct?

No, actually. I think Kreo is going to have some familiarity with Vera at least but he is not part of the Cinderhorn crew. The third member is Sikuaq's character, who is name TBD as far as I know.

Sikuaq do you need some time still, or should we break off into a PM with Vera to hash things over?

I think I'm ready!

Are you up for just talking it out in OOC? I realize it may include some information not everyone is privy to, but it may also provide some opportunities for others glom on to something.

Still here and still finalizing things, but 90% ready to go. For the sake of starting, I'm trying to think of how a paladin goblin who is dirt poor might know any of the rest of you. Procz, as a lawman (lawkobold?), Frack would hold you in high esteem due to your commitment to law and order.

Maybe we could say that Frack and Procz have met? Some fairly minor incident with a couple of drunkard troublemakers might have been too much for the kobold to handle on his own, and Frack stepped up to help? Procz and Frack could have bonded somewhat over this.

My character is good to go.

Oooh, this would be handy, actually. Procz, I'm thinking that while you may also have had brushes with one or more members of Baz's crew, your proximate cause for being at the factory is actually that a person you're interested in is a worker here. So when you heard there was trouble at the factory, you came in an unofficial capacity, which is why you would have brought Frack for back-up rather than another constable. Does that work for you guys?

First IC post is up! Hopefully we can link up Frack and Procz and then I'll get up posts for them and for Baz's crew shortly.

Yes, absolutely! Sorry, I got wrapped up with other things yesterday.

Baern is roughly 40, still fairly young by the standards of gnomes. I figure he's been on the surface and tied in with Baz's crew for the past five or so years. Baern is exceedingly keen to demonstrate his loyalty to Baz. As an enforcer with the Spark he breaks legs as required of him, but does so with the absolute conviction of its necessity. Being somewhat unusual amongst the Spark's enforcers for his diminutive stature, Baern is quick to put to rest any notion that he can't keep up with the 'big folk'. He tends to receive an outsized proportion of the organization's more clandestine wetwork as he can follow where the more burly enforcers often cannot.

Baern has a gnomish sense of community, but has little patience for laggards and lollygaggers. He believes each should contribute as they are able, and in turn be rewarded according to their needs. He views the Cognelius brothers as parasites that contribute nothing while squeezing the poor and would like nothing better than to drag them off their pedestals. If the Spark is a metaphor for hope it is also the impetus for revolution. Baern may not have been the first to light it, but he is prepared to carry the torch to the very top of the Rim.

In real life I'm having to explain to my roommate what a strike is, how long it generally lasts, etc, as the public service alliance sets to strike tomorrow. All the roommate is concerned about is that he still gets to work (he's contract, so not in the union) and worries the union members he's previously characterized as "lazy" will not see the nuance of him being contract and instead take him for a scab worker.

I recommended he get them coffee. He didn't understand why that would improve their opinion of him

Service visit failed to fix the problem. I have to ship my laptop to Dell. I'm at least another week without my proper workstation although I do have a loaner for the time being.

In reply to Kreo (msg # 70):

What timing!

I've never had to directly cross a line before, so I can understand their concern.  One time I had to cross a picket that was formed at our facility by a union from a supporting company, and I did have training to assume a union position once (warehouse operations - forklift training and that sort of thing) but the strike was averted at the last minute.  That was the closest I ever got.  So good luck to him!

Now, if they'd only extend the tax filing dates...

That sounds good to me. I got some information on a lead in PM from the DM. I'll inform Frack in-character once we get a thread going, if that's okay with Frack's player? I suppose, before we start, I've just asked him to come help me with something without explaining what it is.

That works for me, Porcz. Frack is all for doing what is right! He isn't the brightest bulb on the tree, so he can be hoodwinked into thinking just about anything is right, but I trust none of you fine folks would use that against him.

Very cool start!  I should be able to do an intro post tomorrow.  I still need to finalize equipment first, because we might need some things for the mission :D

For HP levels 2 and 3, you can roll or take average, whichever you prefer. If you roll, you can add 1 HP every other level to put it on par with the average method.

Early inspiration to Vecaal for this great detail. I meant to describe more about the air (literal and metaphorical) inside the caldera in my own posts, but I neglected to do so, and Vecaal nailed it. Of course the steampunk trope is that everything is smoky and sooty and dirty, but Coglinton doesn't actually run on coal, so rust and sweat and sulfur are far more appropriate.

Are weapons allowed to be carried openly in the city? Just wondering if I need to reimagine Baern's warhammer as a heavy wrench or something to that effect.

Only constables are permitted to carry magically and/or technologically enhanced weapons, though of course the laws are rarely applied to ranking members of either Cognelius company. Nor are they applied even-handedly to the city's other residents: possession of even a simple weapon can be cause for suspicion or arrest.

So: it's not against any law, but the laws are not effective limits on what the constables will permit in practice. A heavy wrench would be better when trying to avoid unwanted attention.

So is Kreo causing tension openly carrying a pistol?

It's definitely making a statement, one that could attract the wrong kind of attention. But I think a pistol (as opposed to, say, a warhammer) is small enough to conceal when it's wise to do so, so you wouldn't have to make it obvious you're packing when you didn't want to. Mostly this would be an issue if someone had cause to search you.

On a related note, Baern and I have discussed flavoring his weapons in such a way that they wouldn't present as weapons. So the warhammer is a giant wrench, etc. I'm happy to discuss this with others as well. My intention here isn't to hinder you mechanically, just to add some flavor and authenticity to the city.

I think Kreo's good with making a statement for sure

Procz: Sorry, I need to clarify a few things, and then you can edit your post if you like.

The six "constables" are all pretty close to where you are now. There are more up on the caldera wall but none between you and the workers. The road ahead is mostly empty, with a guardhouse and a few little storage sheds. You haven't detected any movement in or around any of the buildings.

The upshot of this is that, if the constables are going to jump you, they're liable to do it immediately. Anything you communicate to Frack would have to be quick (and subtle, if you want to preserve the possibility of not getting jumped). Whether you have time to cast a spell remains to be seen - we'll need to resolve your communication with Frack and whether one or both of you keep walking past the guards before we see what happens next.

Ah, I misunderstood completely. I'll edit my post.

Great start by everyone!

And thank you Tinkerer for the inspiration nod.  I'm sure it will come in handy against these mock constables.

Thanks. May I now also ask: what would the others see, if they observed you from a distance? How obvious is it you are a constable? Are you in uniform?

I would say uniform and visible badge. Very obvious.

Heads up - I'm going on a weeklong vacation starting tomorrow evening, back the next Tuesday.  Should have access while I'm away, but posting may be slower.

Kicking off both the campaign and the mission with a natural 1!  Cool, cool, cool ;D

Maybe it's out of the way now?  *fingers crossed

It brings the groups together faster :) Who knows, maybe the guards will roll a critical failure on their perception check.

Now I'M the distraction for Procz and Frack :)  Small-Squad, it's your time to shine!

Actually, Baern should be a part of Small-Squad too.  I only now realize that half our crew is small sized :D

Answering Vera's question here because it's info everyone would have: the factory does have some large windows, but they are all a good 40 feet off the ground (more, for those who have descended to the factor's lower, engine room entrance). The engine room group is a long way from the ruckus, BTW. Like, 1000 feet or so.

Well, heck!  time to think of a way to bamboozle a couple of Steel Resolve hardcases and an Iron Maiden... while Procz is getting shot at.  Looks like this campaign might be a speed-run ;D

Clearly we're pipe fitters here to fix a problem in the engine room :)

But we've got big hearts!!!
This message was last edited by the player at 04:12, Mon 24 Apr 2023.

Fell asleep trying to post. Will post tomorrow.

One question in the meantime: Can Frack use his interception fighting style on a ranged attack (life a rifle)? At first I assumed no, but I don't see that explicitly called out.

Fighting Style: Interception
When a creature you can see hits a target, other than you, within 5 ft. of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage the target takes by 1d10+2 (to a minimum of 0 damage). You must be wielding a shield or a simple or martial weapon to use this reaction.

Well, my first roll for the game was a nat 20 (initiative), so that's a promising start (other than just having been shot in the face).

You sure can. And I imagine, if you do, that will keep Procz from going down.

The more things change the more they stay the same! JAWBREAKERS! Sorry for the reaction spell there and the if/then caveats, hope I'm not causing too much backtrack

No, no, this is very good! I was not looking forward to murdering Procz in the game's first week :-)

Good help, Kreo!

I feel a bad for having Frack just charge into battle so outnumbered, but he can be blinded by the cause. If somebody shoots his friend, the time for discussion is over. Some might say what Frack lacks in intelligence he makes up for with foolishness (i.e. lack of wisdom). In short, I couldn't see him doing anything but charging the boss of these hoodlums!

P.S. Is it appropriate for Frack to have a scimitar out in public? I was thinking that as an official Shield of Crimson Dale, he may be afforded permission to carry a weapon freely. However if that's out of line with the law of the land, I'd be willing to switch it to simply having Frack bite the minotaur... actually that would be kind of funny, so let me know and I can alter my post as necessary.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:27, Tue 25 Apr 2023.

Procz lives!

I'll post something new in light of the awesome reactions of the others. Feel free to delete the post where Procz goes down (although I feel confident I'll be writing a new one of those pretty soon).

It's not about permission, there's no formal law against it. It's more that carrying a weapon invites questions about Why do you have that? and What do you intend to do with it? You won't necessarily be seized and made to answer those questions, but that's when many people (most especially, the authorities) will think when they see it. Being a Shield is typically a satisfying explanation. Is there some insignia Frack wears that marks him as a Shield?

At least I've learned to never assume there'll always be plenty of time to cast Mage Armor before we get anywhere near trouble.

Do you need anything from our crew, or are we just waiting to see how things play out in the other thread?

I answered Vera's question in OOC. So now it's a question of whether you all want to ambush the guards at the engine room door, backtrack up to the main road, or something else.

Oh, I missed that! Thanks for pointing it out.

Vera, as the nominal leader for this task, what are your thoughts?

I'm intending on a post to attempt to bamboozle our way past the door guards, but haven't gotten the chance to write it yet.  I'll try to get it up within the next 6ish hours!

Sounds good :)

I'll hold tight.

Nicely done, Vera :)

I like this tension here. Had a fantastic first turn, but realized all the stuff I'm good at in combat doesn't have nonlethal options. It's an interesting situation to be in with a character, where I have to be less optimal to let the enemy live (or I could be smart and use the dang dagger on my belt next time).

I'm already having a blast as Kreo

In reply to Kreo (msg # 113):

Got an LOL from me.

Silvery Barbs turned that Nat 20 into a Nat 1! Between that and Shield, Procz will have just 5 damage incoming, which Frack will have an opportunity to mitigate with his reaction.

Didn't want to just be Python quote, but it was low-hangingest of low-hanging fruit

All these defensive reactions have given Procz plot armor ;D

Frack wears a "pullover" that is marked with the insignia for Shield members (a scale balanced atop a warhammer, as it is for followers of Tyr). His shield is also so adorned, however much less professionally (a friend of Frack did it himself and let's just say he wasn't exactly an artist - it's the thought that counts).

Sketch here, including the bullet hole in Frack's shield.

And for that, you have my thanks. Playing a wizard with negative Con modifier is dangerous.

This is so good! I love his determined little smile.

With Procz initiative at 25 and Kreo at 17, doesn't Procz' Dragon's Breath action come before Kreo moving to melee?

It does, good catch! I'll edit my post accordingly.

Oh my gosh, Frack is such an adorable mini-knight!  It looks like he may have taken a bullet or two through the ear, too, haha.  How can these monsters bear to shoot at that smiling face?

I was fearful of rolling an exhaustion save just now, and it made me think to make a proposal!  The OneD&D playtest has an updated Exhausted condition that's less crippling than the 5e rule but still impactful, and thus easier to use as a more regular factor in-game.  I wonder if we might consider using it in this game?  Here it is:

Just an idea, wanted to see what Tinkerer and my fellow players think about it :)
This message was last edited by the player at 22:25, Thu 27 Apr 2023.

I prefer sticking with 5e as much as possible BUT that's not a half bad mechanic. I vote no for it, but I won't complain if it's implemented

A classic problem in 5e is the long rest (let's not get into the short rest, which is another problem). Players want to replenish their characters' powers when they are partially depleted in case that really tough boss encounter comes along. Sometimes, say if you have a quick series of dungeon encounters, that means a long rest after one quick hour (or even minutes) of adventuring.

A mechanic where you might need several days (or a week) of rest to reset your exhausted level sounds like a pain in the neck! Not a big fan :)

In reply to Procz (msg # 124):

Indeed!  It does suck to get a few levels of exhaustion needing days of downtime to rest, true.  That's also true for the existing mechanic, except that the penalties from even 1-2 levels of exhaustion are much worse and practically require an immediate stop to rest!

Exhaustion isn't nice in either case, but the OneD&D version is a bit less crippling at least :P

In reply to Veracity (msg # 122):

Thanks for the suggestion. It's intriguing but not something I'm looking to experiment with right now. I realize Exhaustion is punishing, especially with multiple levels, and that's built into the circumstances where you encounter it. Note here the low DC and liberal use of advantage :-)

No worries about the exhaustion thing, I just thought I'd put it out there :)

Question for Tinkerer!:  What exactly is a 'scab' in this setting?  From context it seems like a slang word for striking workers, but this half-orc lady is talking about it like it's a faction?  Is it a specific union effort or something?

Oh, sorry. It's real slang (in the US, anyway) for non-union workers brought to replace those on strike. Maybe not so widely used anymore. Your character would certainly be familiar with it, though.

Ahhh, I see.  I hadn't heard the term before, but that makes sense now :)

I just assumed it was a known word . . . but I grew up around unions so my mileage may vary.

Travelling unexpectedly due to family illness.  Will probably be out of touch a couple of days.  Carry on without me and I’ll pick back up when I can.

Sorry to hear! Best of luck.

I’ll try not to do anything too dumb.

In reply to Vecaal Alifras (msg # 131):

Thanks for the heads up, and take care.

Love the blessing :) I'll build it in tonight.

Hey folks, back for the time being at least but my mother-in-law is terminally ill and likely only has a few more days.  So I'll post when I can and keep you updated as to my availability.  Thanks for accommodating!

Very sorry to hear that, but thanks for the heads up.

So sorry to hear that. Hoping there are some happy memories to lean on during such a sad time.

I don't want to rush things, but my intention is for the folks currently outside to enter the factory just in time to see the cranes converging on the folks inside. So if Frack or Procz wants to respond to Kreo's question, could I ask you to get that in today? Then I'll be able to update everything over the weekend.

Thanks!

Veracity beats Baerns initiative and rolls as high as he possibly could have on investigation anyway - can I amend his action after the machines act? It seems largely redundant.

I asked a question? Oh no!

I guess not technically, but it seemed like you were inviting some conversation (at a good time for it!) and I didn't want to step on that if the other two wished to respond.

Yes.

In reply to The Tinkerer (msg # 141):

I edited to spur a more direct question

Out of town until Wednesday with limited access. I hope to keep up but feel free to npc me as needed.

Sorry for the clunky transition but I've put everyone together into one thread and thrown you immediately into Initiative. Veracity has pointed out one opportunity to contribute but you're welcome to consider/explore/attempt other things as well.

Baern is a proud Svirfneblin, thank you very much :)

Can the gears be interacted with apart from damaging them? Could a tinkering check disable them?

I think I'll have Procz use an action on Investigating the mechanics. In-character post coming a little later.

Yes! I'll give you more details if/when you approach them and attempt this.

And sorry, editing now!
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:49, Sun 07 May 2023.

Someone asked about this via PM but it's information you'd all have:

The gears are precisely machined pieces of very hard metal. So, their AC is high, but if you do succeed on a hit, it wouldn't take a lot of damage to render them inoperable.

Sorry to say that's two misses from Vecaal but Inspiration for a gripping post, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see whether he would fall.

Final!y caught up on the other thread. This is a solid little mystery here. With all that said, I just fell asleep twice while writing my own post, so if it doesn't make any sense, I will adjust tomorrow when I am aweker awaker more awake than I am now.

Heya, Tinkerer: I was considering attempting to jam up some machinery in my next post, but I can't tell if this stuff is nearby or a hundred feet up in the ceiling!  What's the distance to these vulnerable components, and what might be required to access them?

Distance would help me too, with my spells and my pistol

Sorry, it was in there but maybe kinda vague/buried:



That's the total distance, they're close enough to the ground that you could hit them if you were within melee range.

Oh gosh, the info was in the very same post I quoted!  Sorry Tinkerer, that's a big reading fail on my part, haha.  Thanks for clearing it up :)

Tinkerer, do you need a fourth roll from me for Climbing to reach the top, or have I given you enough?

In reply to Vecaal Alifras (msg # 156):

A fourth, if you choose to use your action to Dash. That will get you all the way up. Or you can keep your action in case you fall and make your last Climb check next round.

I'm going to wait until after Kreo to post, since we had a little banter going :)

Also waiting because I'm not quite sure what to do...  We came here to pilfer something valuable, not smash equipment and beat up workers!  The ship has surely sailed for a clean and quiet getaway, haha :P

We can leave the way we came in, just with a few extra people in tow :)

I'm hoping I made a decent post but I got lost in what to do

Yes, you gave me something very good to work with. :-)

Delightful! Inspiration awarded!

Hee hee. Frack says that will definitely make the hammer feel better!

Oh geez, two Veracity posts to respond to now!

By the way Vera, not trying to plow past what I assume is a very amazing deception roll, but the DM said Kreo recognized the tiefling from afar (likely to smooth initial trust?) so I'm going with

Yeah, she's in a light disguise that looks like herself after 20 more years smoking and working in a mine, so totally plausible Kreo recognized her :)  Good luck when she gets into deep cover, though!

Oh, and I love Frack's mis-spoken Tyr curse, too!  I'd love to make pals with the two miniature heroes, but they didn't seem to pay mind to Vera talking to them before charging past ;P

That was so rude of Frack to leave you in the lurch, but in his defense, he was distracted by a downpour of shiny metal fasteners! Had it not been for that, you would've been answered by a flourish of bows and "at your service"s and what not. They say first impressions are important. I hope Frack can recover.

At least Kreo had the common courtesy to answer your questions.

With a touch of metagaming in mind, I'm not sure there is any point now in more people going up to the office via the crane? Is there any way out, that way, or do we have to go through the workers anyway?

Also, Procz is still looking for someone...

I don't think any one of you has all this information, but between you you know or suspect:

-The main entrance from which Procz, Kreo, and Frack entered. This is the closest exit and would take you back out front to where the striking workers and Steel Resolved were when last you saw them (which has been not very long at all, just a minute or two).

-Down the stairs, across the engine room, and out the way the other three came in. Last they knew, there were three Steel Resolve out there.

-There may be a train or other means by which workers and/or goods are shuttled to and from the factory. This would presumably be at the rear, where the factory is built into the wall of the volcano, and would require getting passed the workers who are currently fighting a blob of water.

-There are large windows all along the top of the factory and a skylight in the ceiling. These are all accessible via the catwalks where Vecaal currently is. The windows would lead back out front, 100' or so up in the air. The skylight would put you on the roof, a bit higher up but less visible to those below.

The roof exit sounds kinda appealing, now that I see the options.  We don't know what we'll encounter on the way out, but we do know that there'll be some difficulty at any of the other potential exits!

Inspiration for Kreo!

A gnome calling anyone a pipsqueak is good stuff!

Just to clarify, Ilya Gyula is female, but Frack missed that detail.

Baz's crew is aware of a half-orc in the engine room (different name ostensibly). How close are we to Frack? Enough that we could overhear this? I presumed Procz was yelling to get Baern's attention.

Vera heard it, for the sake of comparing our plot notes ;D

Re: Baern's latest question, there are two separate control booths for the cranes, so it wouldn't be possible for Procz to control both at once. Someone else would have to take the controls of the other one, if you were to restart it.

Guv - I love it!

Plus, I also love how Vera describes her voice as super-legit for a factory technician. At first, I wondered how good her disguise actually was, but after I read that it was super-legit and totally legitimate in two seperate, non-biased posts, I am now at ease!

In reply to Frack (msg # 177):

Haha, thanks!  Everyone in the scene just sees an entirely unsuspicious worker, but gotta make sure the reader is aware how amazingly convincing Vera's acting is.  I am having fun writing all this cheekiness, though :)

I get the sense everyone's looking to rush downstairs now, but I didn't want to cut things short unless folks have more questions for Donna. When you're ready, please post an initiative roll and, if you wish to approach stealthily, a Stealth roll as well (keep in mind this will reduce your speed. and you've got a lot of basement to cross - roughly 200' - to get from the stairs to the maintenance bay door). It is an option for some of you to rush in and others to remain hidden - in fact, as long as at least one person is not going Stealth, then anyone who is can roll with advantage, as those charging in will provide a distraction.

Happy to wait on further questions, but Baern is set on going down the stairs and isn't making any effort to hide himself.

Two setting questions:

1. How outlandish is a dragon sighting in Coglinton in the present day and age?  It's extraordinary of course, but should it be impossible because they're meant to be extinct?
   
2. How long has it been since liberation from the dragon empire?

Good questions! Both things I should have clarified before now.



1. Extraordinary but not impossible. Skakatoa's crew chased off or killed their competition, so even when she was alive, other dragons were not really about. Presumably they're still somewhere in the world, but between fear of her and then fear of those who were strong enough to kill her (and whose hatred for dragons is well known), they're never seen anywhere near Coglinton. There are rumors of a secret society called The Descendants who have some interest in bringing dragons back, but there have not been any confirmed sightings in decades.

2. Nearly two hundred years. Some among the longest-lived races would have been alive for it, but for most, dragons are more of an inherited memory/fear.

To be clear, Vecaal is moving ahead at pace with Baern.  This is a lifetime opportunity for him, and he's not going to miss it!   Even if it does end up being the last thing he does...

Baern raises a good point here. The cluttered engine room should be an asset for those of you trying to advance on the firbolg without exposing yourselves to his partner. While in the engine room, anyone can use a bonus action to do one of the following:

1. Dexterity (Stealth) check. This will be contested by yuan-ti's Perception. If you succeed, he'll know your general vicinity but not your exact location. So you'll still be susceptible to Area of Effect spells/weapons but he won't be able to target you without anything that requires seeing you.

2. Wisdom (Survival) check. With a 10 or better, you gain the benefit of partial cover. With a 20 or better, you can gain the benefit of full cover.

Vera,

Since you descended (partway) down the stairs unseen, you have the option to remain hidden and move at half speed if you like. That would obviate the need for a fresh stealth check, and, I'll say, for Athletics checks as well, since you're already moving cautiously.

This applies to the others who are hidden as well. You can move at half speed, no checks required, and maintain your stealth if you like.

Vera chose to break stealth to close the distance faster, because these guys don't get to kidnap our half-orc MacGuffin!  Plus, all of Vera's shenanigans are relatively close range ;P  I'm thankful for the option to duck back out of sight as a bonus action, although I don't expect I hid from anybody this round, heheh.

Sorry, I was vague on this. You don't have to halve your movement twice. If you halve your movement to remain stealthily, that counts as moving cautiously, so you can forego the checks and still move 35'.

understood thank you

Sorry I seem to have little to help with at moment unless some healing might help?

You can pick up Frack under your arm and carry him. Turns out he's very slow in chainmail... especially when he fumbles his acrobatics roll :)

I love how we're in this super perilous scenario with machinery exploding, boiling steam spraying and magical webs entangling us and Vecaal is most upset that the dragon is fake ;D  Inspiration to Vec for the laugh!

In reply to Frack (msg # 190):

Frack is likely stronger than Kreo!

Thank you Vera!  I had to express this player's frustration with the dice roller somehow!  :D

So close to being able to make a melee attack. Five more feet.

I'm not so sure Frack's stronger than anyone, but even if he was, don't expect him to carry  Kreo under his arm ;)
This message was last edited by the player at 03:36, Fri 16 June 2023.

Hi gang. I should have some time to update tomorrow, if I can get actions from Kreo, Vecaal, and Baern in the next 24 hours or so? Thanks and have a great weekend!

Baern was first to act this round. He’s 5’ from the firbolg and failed to hit with a throwing axe (I presume).

In reply to Baern Snagglehorn (msg # 197):

Ah, yes, sorry! I was only looking back as far as my last post, forgot there were actions before that. Just need Kreo then, sorry for the confusion.

I'm sorry guys I had a very depressing and busy week a couple weeks ago, was catching up on posting . . . and for some reason didn't prioritize posting here. My bad.

Sorry to hear that, Kreo, but glad you're back, even if it's only to run into another overhead obstacle. Frack likes the company!

.

And here's to less depressing days ahead!!!

Very sorry to hear that, Kreo. Thanks for bringing good fun to your post despite the frustrating result!

Guys, with DM's permission I'm pointing out an EDIT. As much as it saddens me to lose such a good damage roll, Baern will try for a proper grapple this round. DC 19 to resist.

You're a scholar and a gentleman, Baern! An inspiration. To us all... now grapple the bejeezus outta that firbolg and fight dirty if you have to!!!!

Sorry I'm basically not helping much. It's not very "solidarity forever" of Kreo. Mostly just trying to get where I can help stop these guys (who Kreo mostly I think doesn't know, but you guys so far are anti-steel resolve which makes you Kreo's friends for now)

In the meantime, I've been pondering retiring my taking Silvery Barbs as a spell. Thoughts? I put it on because it seemed smart but having used the spell in an RL game I found it somewhat momentum killing at the table and in PbP it's even more unwieldy as the DM needs to retcon rolls

This scene has been a challenge for this group, so you're not the only one having trouble, Kreo!  I think we've discovered that this group is not at our best at long ranges, haha.

Silvery Barbs is fantastically effective, but I personally find it too unwieldy for me to want to use in PbP.  Not only does it require retcons, but the bonus advantage is easily lost in the posting shuffle and liable to go unused.  If I were playing Vera in a tabletop game she'd surely have it, but not here :P

I guess I should just lay my cards on the table and say this was designed to be extremely difficult. I wanted to give you a chance to stop the abduction, but not a good chance. So, please don't take it as a personal failure if they get away with Gail/Ilya - that was always the most likely outcome!

That said, I'm realizing I may have mistaken "difficult" for "frustrating", and I'm sorry for that.



I often end up having to retcon stuff anyway just because of oversights on my part or reactions or whatever, so this isn't a dealbreaker as far as I'm concerned. I think it can even heighten the drama to see the alternate universe where things go badly and then see SB roll back time and deliver a different result. Which I guess is literally what Procz's chronurgy does.

I might have been able to contribute more if I wasn't captive in the stupid web for the past three rounds.  I think Vecaal will have a healthy respect/fear for any large spiders we meet going forward. :)

The good part is we now have enemies that we can really grow to hate, and then feel satisfied when we eventually get the better of them in the future!

11:25, Today: Baern Snagglehorn rolled 6 using 2d20+1.  Wisdom Save (Magic Resistance).

Baern fails his wisdom save and has to release Crajeon.

Can he use his action to attempt a new grapple? Or do I have to pick a different action?

In reply to Baern Snagglehorn (msg # 208):


The spell ends once you let go, so you should be free to do as you like afterward, guv :D

Also, since Web and Suggestion are both concentration, shouldn't that pesky web go away when the suggestion was cast?  Freedom for Vecaal!

Why on earth would Web be a concentration spell?  But I see that it is...who knew (besides Vera)?

At last, it could mean freedom, horrible horrible freedom for Vecaal!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amWu-idEw-w

When Vecaal or Baern get up into someone's business I'm thinking I'll use Path to the Grave (give that enemy vulnerability to all damage on the next time they take damage). Any notes on that plan?

Yes! One of my all-time favorite episodes. I might have freed you from the web just for that. But yeah, as Vera points out, casting a new Concentration spell frees you. I'm very bad at keeping track of Concentration, though probably the yuan-ti would have done it anyway even knowing it would drop the web spell.

And Vera also caught me out on the wording of Suggestion, so yes, Baern, you're free to attempt another grapple.

What do we think, gang? Is Baern going to try to grapple him again? Or should he attempt to wound Crajeon? For all intents and purposes, the firbolg still believes he's trapped. Although that could change at any moment.

Now firbolg not only thinks he's trapped but if he fails a Wis save he'll be obliged to spend his whole turn dropping Gail!  Seems pretty well locked down to me, so I'd say give him a beating :D
This message was last edited by the player at 18:21, Wed 21 June 2023.

This is a good fight. Kudos, Tinkerer.

Is the web still there entangling Vecaal or has it disappeared?

The web has vanished entirely.

I feel bad bringing this up and possibly forcing a big retcon, but if Crajeon failed his save against Command he shouldn't have been able to move :/  The effect makes him spend his turn to obey and then end his turn immediately after.  I think this was the effect Syntus was hoping for with Suggestion, which is better for longer-term manipulation ;P

Although locking him down would be better for us, his escape attempt seems more cinematic, so I'd be okay if the call is to keep it as is though!

In reply to Veracity (msg # 218):

Ooof. Yeah, sorry, my bad. You did even flag that in your post. I don't really want to retcon this at this point, though. I appreciate your understanding there. I promise you, you're getting a good outcome rescuing Ilga, even if the kidnappers get away.

No worries, understandable :)  I'd rather not make us do all this over, either!

Let's just say that Vera's next Command spell functions as a Dominate Person and we'll call it even, muahaha ;D  j/k

BTW, Kreo: Did you end up casting that conditional Healing Word on Vera in your last post, or no?

Just curious, really.  No particular special reason why I'd be interested in the answer, nope!

have the spell if you'd want it

Dm is there anything left of the iron maiden and the two steel resolve guardsmen posted outside the engine room door? I don’t suppose one of them left their baton lying around?

You'd have to go out there to look around. Right now there's a web, a dragon, various melted debris, etc preventing you from having a proper look.

I belive Spare the Dying stabilizes us (no need for death saves) but doesn't prevent unconsciousness. Without healing that provides hit points, we wake up in 1d4 hours with 1 hp.

Edit: Still - very grateful! :)
This message was last edited by the player at 16:16, Sun 25 June 2023.

In reply to Procz (msg # 225):

Yes, which is why unconsciousness takes you again in this instance

Vera has some some spell slots left that she might be willing to use on healing instead of chicanery, just because she likes y'all ;)

Inspiration for Baern!

Frack still has 4hp remaining in his Lay on Hands pool to give out freely, too. That will at least bring back the unconscious types to standing upright (albeit wobbly).

...now if he can just make that DEX save to prevent himself from falling unconscious!



Update:
...aaaaaaand I missed my save, so also unconscious. On the plus side, I think Kreo's clever Spare-the-Dying-at-a-Range keeps me from making death saves (thank you very much, Kreo).


Update to the Update:
Holy crap, Procz!!! That was close and would have been tragic. I know it's early and it's not like we have years invested in our characters and you would've taken it well and rolled up an equally great new character, but Frack really likes Procz (and so do I). We would've both been devastated if he hadn't made that save!
This message was last edited by the player at 20:47, Sun 25 June 2023.

I am glad to be contributing in the manner in which I can, and I'd be lying if I said "pretty good healer" wasn't a goal for Kreo

The fun thing about Spare the Dying is it allows one to soul-search as if at death's door, but know in your heart of hearts that you're really not dying (at least not yet).

In reply to Kreo (msg # 230):

A cool thing about Grave clerics that may be worrisome for the rest of us... your healing is at its very best when the recipient is at 0 HP!

I'll need to review what slots if any I've left after the two fights to make sure, but I don't think I have much to help with in getting you on your collective feet

Edit: I was being far too conservative. 3 1st level slots and a 2nd. Assuming no hurry three people down get 11 hp and if that's not enough one person could get 19 hp. Neither of my healing spells are from cleric, they're sorcerer spells, so Charisma, woo!
This message was last edited by the player at 20:52, Mon 26 June 2023.

So just to be clear, no one needs me expending slots for some healing?

I believe all the PCs are up but Ilya/Gail is still unconscious (stabilized at 0HP, would need healing of some kind to wake up and talk to you or move under her own volition). I'll hold off on having her respond to Procz until someone either heals her or corrects me on this.

Little hero Frack healed Ilya/Gail 3 HP with Lay on Hands :)

I shall conserve the healing for now then and be glad of the safety blanket if issues arise

That's correct. 3 hp Lay on Hands from Frack should have her up and at em. Or at least sitting upright.

Has it been an hour yet since Vera Charm Person'd Gail? ;D

Nope, maybe 15 minutes max.

This is the door you're at now, the one that's been melted. It exits to a service road that ultimately runs back to the same road.

Essentially, the factory is off on its own at the end of a long road that runs back to the busier part of the caldera. You've got the caldera wall on its west side, the lake to the north and east, and then this road running back south. No matter which door you take, if you exit to the outside, you'll still have the problem of how to get away from the general vicinity undetected.

BTW, I'm open to the idea that the professional criminals among you would have had some contingency plan for this. Of course Plan A was not to create such a scene in the first place, but it's plausible you would have planned some emergency escape with your handler. We can discuss if interested.

Is that a no to the rail cars then?

Ooooh.  What's it look like outside the melted tunnel right now, though?  I think Vecaal took a look out, so he could maybe see.  Gail seems to think we'd have to swim out, but we arrived by a walkable path up to the doorway the Resolve and their Iron Maiden were guarding.  Is any of that still passable?

Would City Secrets (a feature of the urchin background) tell Frack of any sneaky paths to and from the factory? Not sure if it would apply here, but thought I'd ask!

Feature: City Secrets
You know the secret patterns and flow to cities and can find passages through the urban sprawl that others would miss. When you are not in combat, you (and companions you lead) can travel between any two locations in the city twice as fast as your speed would normally allow.

A most clever use of City Secrets if I saw one!

(tipping his helmet and bowing with a flourish) Well thank you very much!

Sorry, I got interrupted in the middle of updating. IC thread coming soon.

I uploaded a little map to the Group 0 map section. There's a main road that leads from the more developed part of the caldera out to this factory, which is known as Owl's End because it's at the very end of the dry ground. Beyond it to the north and east is the caldera lake (see the History and Overview thread for more info on this).

There's a little access road that branches off the main road and leads down to the maintenance/engine room entrance, which is the door you're near now, the one where the Iron Maiden was before the dragon presumably melted it. You're welcome to approach the door to investigate the scene outside but no one has done so yet (or if they did, I missed it - been happening a lot lately!). That just leads back to the main road, it's not another way off this "peninsula".

Essentially: exiting north or east would require crossing the lake somehow. Exiting south would mean taking the main road, it's the obvious route. Exiting west would require passing through the caldera wall, which may be possible with the help of an underground railcar.

I was holding off while the webs were still blocking the entrance, but if the webs are gone Baern would take a look. He wants one of those truncheons :)

Only have time for a short answer for Procz right now - I'll update further tomorrow.

On a totally unrelated note, has anyone ever tried the Mythic DM Emulator? I'm intrigued, and have even tried it myself on a "solo adventure" to test out a couple character concepts. I'm curious if anyone has used it in collaboration with others and if it was successful. I think it might be fun, but I suppose like anything, the success depends greatly upon who's playing and how well they work together.

I hadn't heard of that Mythic DM emulator, Frack, but it sounds handy!  Did Frack survive a run through it? Hehe

I likely won't have time to do an IC post today, but wanted to let y'all know that if you spend hit dice during the short rest you can heal an extra 1d6 from Vera's Song of Rest :D  That's 1d6 total extra healing, not 1d6 per hit die.

I'd never heard of it either! I'll have to take a look.

Thanks, Vera :)

In reply to Veracity (msg # 252):

A reminder on the off chance someone in the party has cook's utensils proficiency, we can augment that healing on a short rest even further (and that one's +1 per hit die spent). I've stopped myself being proficient in them after an RL tabletop character ended up cooking for the party and it became a "meme" in my gaming groups that ALL my characters have this proficiency, but on the off-chance one of you took it . . .



I've never tried the Mythic DM Emulator either

Also never heard of the Mythic DM Emulator.  Will have to swing by sometime.

No cooking skills here, and thanks for the extra HP Vera!

Oh boy, if you think Ilga's a zealot . . . watch out for Kreo!

Can't wait!  :D

Tried to differentiate where Kreo disagrees with Ilga a bit so he's a little less "oh he's just communist all the time, all flavours at once" and has a defined (and hopefully interactable with) philosophy

I'm good with jumping ahead to where Vera has, but it's going to be another day or two at least before I can update, so if anyone wants to do anything else while still in the tunnel, you're welcome to do so.

There also may be some in-game downtime coming up, so might want to think about personal projects or side goals you'd want to advance during that time. Most of this will be resolved OOC with just a few rolls, but we can start side threads if desired.

Thanks for your patience!

This would be a good time for Frack to try a retelling of his encounter with Wikikidiak, King of the Rats. Not required reading. Any useful facts that he may bring up would be entirely accidental.

I feel like we're not quite established as 'a group' yet, so we may need some more to keep us working together.  Probably we can figure something out in the post-Owl's End meeting that seems to be forthcoming.  Also we'll need to know if we have bounties on our heads!

For downtime, Vera would be up for some detective work to find out more about the mysteries raised by this mission, hopefully to dig something to help us in what comes next.  Failing that, she'd be up to usual shenanigans of conning rich folks out of their coin ;P

Definitely going to use any spare time I can get to generate more coin for the funds, as I've just taxed them a bit with my offerings to Donna.

Thanks for your patience. I've had some distractions here but at least I've got something up.

Frack would like to "upgrade" his chain mail into a chain shirt if possible or some other, lighter armor. He's willing to sell the chain mail, but he's only got 10gp to his name over and above that. So unless there is a larger than expected demand for goblin-sized, soot-covered, pungent (Frack isn't fond of baths) armor, he might have to downgrade to leather or hide.

If enough downtime, he will also head home to patch his shield with fish glue and whatever scrap he can find on the slopes to stick over the holes. In the end, it will look like a kindergarten art project gone wrong.

In reply to Frack (msg # 264):

DMed about the armor. Something you'll need to keep in mind about your downtime is that you, Procz, and Kreo are all fairly distinctive even within the eclectic city of Coglinton and are very much on the Steel Resolve's shit list, if not their hit list. So you'll need to weigh whatever you wish to do against the risk of exposure.

Procz is going to propose that Veracity and the others become informants. They would probably not accept, but I'm going to phrase it in such a way that their fraction might get a chance to hamper their opponents. This will also prevent Procz from trying to arrest their crew, finding their activities the lesser evil. Such an arrest would never succeed, of course, but Procz would try nonetheless. And finally, it will create some more bonds to encourage future collaboration between them, in addition to what little they have in common already. We'll see how it goes.

For the coming downtime, Procz will want to contact his superiors and give some kind of report. He'll go into detail about the Steel Resolve posing as constables and the events during that fight, but be vague about events inside the factory, limiting it to include an attempted kidnapping of a factory worker by the Descendants. Knowing that the Steel Resolve might be after them, he will request to investigate additional criminal activities related to the Descendants. He will also talk to Frack about continuing their collaboration.

Based on what response he gets, he'll decide on specific activities for the downtime.

Baern will see if Ilga or any of the Spark's tinkers are able to fix his new truncheon. If he has genuine downtime ahead of him, he'll awkwardly court Melly Copperkettle from his submitted list of NPCs. He presumes halflings like flowers. If he succeeds in asking her to dinner he'll almost assuredly suggest the Last Cart as a choice of venue being his usual haunt, and it will probably be a disaster.

Not if it's my night to serve as the wandering musician between the tables, Baern.  I'll play you a luv song on my shawm and you'll be golden!  That halfling girl won't know what came over her.  LOL

For any decent amount of downtime, Vecaal will likely pick up another bounty to hunt down, and continue his pursuit of real dragons.  Even though he was majorly disappointed by the mechanical one, it still feels like a step closer!

Thanks Vecaal. You should probably use the whispers to feed Baern lines, which he can stumble through broken telephone style. I predict only good things can happen.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:35, Mon 17 July 2023.

Sorry guys I'll try to catch up in the morning

BAERN.  Oh my gosh.

If you want to woo the absolute heck out of this halfling lass then you have only to ask Vera!  With a little work she'll turn you into a rugged svirfneblin Casanova with his own musical accompaniment, supporting characters, and more ;D

It sounds like this is happening. Sorry, DM. We're taking over the game to make "Love is Blind, steampunk small folk edition".

A modern day Cyrano de Bergerac situation!

Famously this ended well, with everyone living happily ever after and not getting mortally shot or killed by falling logs.

I'm worried Kreo is coming off antagonistic when I'm trying to go for "is in it for the cause and doesn't really feel like playing games"

I thought it was a great post and well within character. Kreo ain't messing' around and Frack is duly impressed.

I sanded off a few aggressive tones in it after I made the above OOC post so I'm glad the fixed up one came across well

This is the vibe I got, but always good to clarify OOC when in doubt, so thanks!

Sorry for the delay and the long post, but I wanted to get everybody up to speed while taking the opportunity for Vera to ham it up :)

Well done, Vera. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I hope it's okay, but Frack is starting to develop a bit of a crush on Vera :)

Thanks :D


Of course it's okay!  How could anybody gainsay Sir Frack the Heroic's excellent taste? ;)

Going to be away for a few days - just push forward and let Vecaal simmer in the background. :)

Sorry, gang. Been dealing with a lack of inspiration here. But I put up a thread for downtime activities just to keep things moving a bit, as it seems like we're winding down with Baz (though I do owe you a response there).

Lack of inspiration is a kicker. Let us know if we can help, maybe some short threads with side plots that you'd enjoy, sliding time scale so no pressure? That's what I do no promise it works for you

Out of town until Tuesday. May be able to squeak in a post by phone, but npc Frack if necessary.

Just coming back after a week off. I'll try to get something up in the downtime thread shortly. I get the sense this is list format and not an invitation to write up little vignettes which is fine by me.

My life blew up for a few days there I'll be with you shortly

Either is welcome. I can even create a side threads if needed, it it's anything that entails some back and forth.

Thanks. Hopefully this is what the Downtime thread will accomplish. Sorry to hear about the life blow up :-(

I am behind as well.  Will get something into the Downtime thread later today.

Sorry gang. I havent' abandoned you. Hoping to give things at least a slight nudge tomorrow. Thanks for your patience.

Thank you for your patience with me as well!

I added a lengthy post to the downtime thread. Don't feel obliged to read the whole thing (or any of it). It's just a little background on Frack's chain-for-leather armor transaction.

Got a few in, at least. Sorry for those I haven't gotten to yet. More later.

Loved the post with the long-suffering armorer, Frack!  Can't wait to see that super-effective chicken wire armor in action, haha :D

I doubt it'll make much difference with these poor rolls, but Vera will pep Baern up with all of her Bardic Inspiration throughout his date!  So, you'll have three d6s to add to skill checks.  Also can be used for attacks or saving throws, but let's hope the date doesn't go that badly, lol

Why thank you, Baern! Hopefully I didn't take things too far with my artistic license. I just had time to write this weekend and got carried away. If anything needs to be backed up, deleted, or adjusted to account for needed die rolls or other things, I will happily do so.


And as for the date antics, so much the better that some rolls weren't good. It'll be more memorable that way!!!


Attacks or saving throws?!?!? This date is getting more memorable by the minute!!!

Vera's encouragement turn's Baern's 8 into a solid 13.

09:07, Today: Baern Snagglehorn rolled 5 using 1d6.  Inspiration.

All of a sudden this date is officially better than average!!!

I laughed out loud.

OK hopefully all the downtime is accounted for now. Please let me know if I missed anything. I'll try to get a new IC post up soon.

In the meantime, you can go ahead and level up to 4.

Looks good on my end! Thanks for the save, Vecaal and Vera. Baern is considering this a success ;)

Put my level 4 ASI into Str +1/Con +1, rounding out both to even digits.

Over on the less impressive side of things, I got sorcery points now, and guiding bolt! Plan is to get up to 3rd sorcerer where metamagic comes online then speed my way up to 6th cleric. And we'll see where the game goes from there, that's about as many levels as we got last time

Glad to be of use, Baern!

I'm out of town until tomorrow, so will look at levelling over the weekend.

Frack is leveled up (+1 DEX and +1 CHA) and ready for more noble work with you fine upstanding citizens!

OK, I've got some wrap-up posts up on the Chapter One thread and Chapter Two is open. You're free to keep posting in One if there's anything there you want to respond to.

Unless anyone puts a third suggestion on the table, I'm going to ask everyone to vote on which course of action they'd prefer. Choices currently on the table are:

1. Attempt to infiltrate the Descendants HQ, find out what they're planning, and either disrupt it or beat them to the punch. Of course it will ultimately be up to you how you approach it but this would likely be more of a stealth and combat type operation.

2. Pay a visit to Crock Cognelius's secretary to try to find out what they know. This would likely be heavier on exploration and social interaction, though I have some ideas for how to work combat in as well.

You can discuss as much as you like the Chapter Two thread, but when you're ready, please post your vote here. Baz will railroad you in the event of a tie :-)

I do not mind they are both cool adventures by the sounds of it but in order to have an effect I vote for Crock as Kreo currently lacks reason to go to the island as much (he will, if only to back friend-ssociates Vera, Frack and Procz, and that cute buff gnome)

Oh, tricky. Baern would chose 1, but as a player I’m more intrigued by 2.

Procz leveled up with a feat, giving him one more point of intelligence and telekinetic abilities.

As Procz has already suggested to Lieutenant Ironstrider that he investigate the Descendants, that's what he will vote for. He will not mind option 2, should the others be inclined, where they can hopefully get information without too much conflict.

Sorry I'm late catching up!  First order of business is the level up, which gained Vera the Fey Touched feat for Charisma and additional spellcasting shenanigans :D

As for our next course of action, I'd enjoy either mission, but favor #2 for both IC reasons (beat the Descendents to their goal) and for OOC reasons (Vera is made for social challenges)!

DM, I didn't find a result for how Vera's attempts to reduce the heat from the Steel Resolve went.  Can Procz, Frack and Kreo show their faces in public yet?

Frack votes for #1 because the Descendants tried kidnapping Ilga, so they are clearly not following the Path and action against them is well and just. Of course there's nothing wrong with visiting a secretary, either, but Frack still votes for #1.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:53, Tue 15 Aug 2023.

They're not fully off the hook, but I factored it into their Stealth and other checks where relevant.

Levelled up.  All other things being equal, Vecaal is more interested in the Descendants than Cognelius' secretary.  But he's a dutiful enforcer and will go wherever the majority want to go.  Somebody's got to look out for these dreamers, with their heads in the clouds...

I count Baern, Procz, Frack and Vecaal for option 1.

Vera for option 2.

Kreo has not cast a vote yet.

Kreo voted crock but it looks like we have a majority nevertheless

So he did! Missed that.

Catching up finally. Will post Saturday.

Did we decide that it was inappropriate to travel armed while in Coglinton? I vaguely remember agreement that carrying something like a scimitar would arouse suspicion and be frowned upon at the very least.

It's not against the law. If you were openly displaying a weapon, people would notice and wonder why. If you were also displaying the insignia of a Shield, that would probably satisfy their curiosity.

Did we get any more info about the caldera island base from Ilga or any other sources?  Layout, enemy forces, schedules, etc?  Anything we could use to formulate the attack plan!  Vera would like to do some disguise or other chicanery to get us an advantageous infiltration, even if we do end up in a full assault after that :)

If it matters I've got a disguise kit!

Frack would like to disguise himself as a dinosaur! Maybe not right now, but at some point. He will also mention it whenever disguises are discussed.

You're not making fun of me, are you Frack?  lol

[backpedaling with hands raised before him defensively] Oh no no no, good sir. Your arms are much longer than a dinosaur's.

This is unreasonably funny to me. The idea of this little chickenwire-encased goblin trying to casually be like, "Dinosaur could be a good disguise. Just throwing it out there..." every single time.

Yes, thanks for the reminder. Ilga is eager to get to work with Baz, so she doesn't accompany you, but she does tell you about the base. It's in the ruins of a factory that was abandoned after it flooded. It's laid out similarly to the factory where you met her, though it's smaller and considerably deteriorated. As far she knows, the factory is not powered, so you won't have to worry about hostile machinery this time around.

The factory floor is where they keep the clockwork dragon. The ceiling has collapsed, so it's easy to fly the creature in and out. There are plenty of cracks in the walls, etc, so it wouldn't be difficult to slip in there.

Most of the engine room is flooded. As far as Ilga knows, it can only be accessed from the factory floor. There are stairs leading down - rusted out, but navigable. There are also holes in the factory floor that you could maybe drop through directly, though it would be a long drop.

There's an overseer's office, accessible by ladder, where they keep a few draconic relics and other valuables in a locked chest. The Dragonfather - that's their leader - keeps the key on his person. Ilga doesn't know much about him but she's frightened of him and advises you you should be as well. She's seen him cast powerful magic and also inflict terrible cruelty on those who betray him (which is why she's so eager not to be captured by them). He wears a mask and robe, so she's never seen his face.

Usually there are just a few guards there, but if it's true they're plotting a big move, then there could be as many thirty cultists there, including the Dragonfather.

The island is mostly abandoned and overgrown, so Ilga doesn't think you'll have any difficulty finding a surreptitious place to hide your boat.

Edit: Feel free to ask follow up questions about any of this, as you would if you were still speaking with Ilga.
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:53, Mon 21 Aug 2023.

Love it!  :D

In reply to Vecaal Alifras (msg # 326):

Thanks!

The mobile's explanation?????
That was supposed to say the kobold's explanation.

Stupid autocorrect.

In reply to Frack (msg # 328):

Thanks for clarifying that. I can usually identify an auto-correct error but this one had me stumped!

Great detail here!

No sailing experience in my background, though I'd argue Vecaal would probably be a decent rower even without experience.  Not sure what skill sailing fits under?  Sailor background would apply, of course, if someone had that.

it'd be proficiency in water vehicles, and yeah Sailor and sailor related things tends to be where it lives.

I don't got it, interestingly one of the few times I don't have proficiency in a game set or vehicle on a character. Disguise kit for the win!

Frack's sailing experience amounts to falling into a river and nearly drowning:(

Vera has half-proficiency in every kind of vehicle there is, which grants the confidence to go for it but without the technical knowledge or skill to match.  The swashbuckling costume must grant a bonus to water vehicle rolls, right? ;D

I do have Enhance Ability, though, so I can help our captain do their best :)

Being dressed for the part is half the battle!

Frack will help from inside the smuggling compartment.

Someone was asking about fantasy literature recommendations before (Frack, possibly?).

I was in a bookstore recently and picked up "Legends & Lattes" on a whim. Its the story of what happens after the adventure ends - an orc puts down her greatsword for the 'last' time and opens a coffee shop. Reminded me of Cora.

Good read so far. Very light hearted and fun. I believe the author is working on a follow up in the same setting to be released in November.

Just thought I'd pass it along for those so inclined ;)

Yeah when Legends and Lattes came out I was like "that seems to be the book for me" and then never picked it up. As I respect your opinion quite a bit, I'll work it in as my next reading project (as the universe seems content to provide me no more compendiums of 90s comics)

We'll need to decide how you're going to enter the factory. Three main options:

1. Through the main doors, which are falling/have fallen off their hinges.
2. Through a hole in one of the side walls.
3. Through the ceiling, which would require climbing or flight. This would be a DC 12 Climb check (the wall is brick and there are lots of ledges and holes for grip) but failure would result in 2d6 falling damage.

Front doors seem too obvious, and everyone climbing up to the roof sounds like we're asking for trouble, so I vote for a hole in one of the side walls!

I agree with Vecaal. The roof is asking for trouble. Let’s find a way in in ground level that isn’t the main doors.

Agreed! I'll post when I get some time (and Kreo's not very athletic) but I think the roof leaves us vulnerable

Hole in wall sounds reasonable. If everyone climbs it seems inevitable that at least one of us would fsll.

Bravo to The Tinkerer. I did NOT see that coming!!!

In reply to Frack (msg # 343):

Thanks! I enjoyed the image of Frack trying to massage a good idea into his head.

Sorry guys got distracted at work and then hopelessly lost. I think you're all doing okay, right? Nothing the sorcerer/cleric can add to help?

No worries Kreo!  Jump in when you can, but nothing pressing for you specifically.  :)

I think the only real pressing matter is explaining to Frack how there are TWO CRAJEONS!!!

He's getting a headache trying to figure it out for himself, but he's pretty sure it has something to do with mirrors.

I'm responsible for this bizarre double Crajeon situation, and I dunno what's going on either, LOL.  You know how sometimes in D&D you start with a plan, but then something weird and unexpected happens that turns it sideways, but you carry on anyway?

Yeah, this is one of those times ;P  On the plus side, I get to roast him as himself, and I find that entertaining!

I especially liked the "...because we're both looking at an ugly blue arsehole" line.

Good stuff!

In reply to Veracity (msg # 348):

It's what I love in D&D, epic speeches and cool combats aside, the sheer chaos is so magic

Apologies for a series of delays in posting. I should catch up and post later today.

Getting ready to offer some assistance tomorrow, I got Guidance obvs but I can also assist with Help if it need, either of those worth something for you guys?

I should clarify that the person doing the tinkering will need to make the Climb check or get up to the dragon's head some other way. Helping them would require already being up there yourself. Throwing down a rope for them would give them advantage and also eliminate the risk of falling damage from a failed Climb attempt.

The warding sigils are on the ground so anyone can attempt to dispel those and anyone else can Help them.

If you choose to destroy the dragon instead, you'd probably still want to deal with the sigils first.

Given the below quote, I'm thinking the higher the result the better!
I feel like hot-wiring a clockwork dragon is a worthy usage for that die, buuuut I'm sure you'll get the chance to use it before the 10 mins are up.  Once the dragon wakes up I expect things will get real exciting ;D


BTW, Inspiration for Frack for being an adorable little knucklehead :)  As the player of last campaign's party knucklehead, I'm loving it!

Thank you, Veracity!

Who knows, maybe one day Frack and Opalia will have a crossover episode where they solve all the world's problems with their knuckleheaded antics... or accidentally screw it up even worse in spite of their good intentions.

Bardic die would tip it over into 21.

22:40, Today: Baern Snagglehorn rolled 3 using 1d6.  Bardic die.

Its Canadian thanksgiving this weekend and we're hosting three other families, so its going to be pretty quiet on my end through Tuesday.

Loved the post, DM.