Oct 22, 2015 4:22 pm
Got table talk? Let's hear it!
Or, uh, read it. You know.
Or, uh, read it. You know.
General OoC discussion
Be sure to read and follow the community guidelines.
Oct 22, 2015 5:24 pm
Out of sheer boredom I am going to roll stats here where it doesn't matter! Just to prove that GP dice hate me for rolling characters!
Edit: 16, 13, 9, 14, 14, 10
Edit: SEE? I told you so! Show Keleth, here is my proof that it hates me
Sorry, felt the need to vent :P
Edit: 16, 13, 9, 14, 14, 10
Edit: SEE? I told you so! Show Keleth, here is my proof that it hates me
Sorry, felt the need to vent :P
Last edited October 22, 2015 5:26 pm
Rolls
Stats that don't matter - (4d6, 4d6, 4d6, 4d6, 4d6, 4d6)
4d6 : (1466) = 17
4d6 : (6512) = 14
4d6 : (5122) = 10
4d6 : (3365) = 17
4d6 : (4456) = 19
4d6 : (4421) = 11
Oct 22, 2015 6:23 pm
Hey, this is a Dungeon Busters adventure in a classic module. Chances are fair that you'll get to roll more sets of average-to-horrible stats before the adventure is over. But that's why humans are so popular, right?
Oct 22, 2015 6:38 pm
So true, I will likely die more than once in this thing. And I have found that your stats really don't have as big an effect as you'd think once the game actually starts moving along, it just looks bad at first.
Oct 23, 2015 3:52 pm
I ran a small (probably too-small) party of newbie roleplayers through this module recently...maybe "through" this is too generous a term, as they didn't get to see much of it at all. The entire party succumbed to a trap in the first encounter, were captured, and then died in a long, exciting and fun escape attempt. I know AD&D tournament modules were brutal (Tomb of Horrors, etc), but I don't think any of were expecting that level of difficulty.
That said, it was mostly on them. The PCs acted very rashly and over-confidently in the game, seeking combat at every opportunity, even when grossly outnumbered. That, combined with unlucky enemy attack rolls (several crits) and the fact that they avoided all interaction with NPCs and went straight into the lion's den as their first action, pretty much meant that they were doomed.
That said, it was mostly on them. The PCs acted very rashly and over-confidently in the game, seeking combat at every opportunity, even when grossly outnumbered. That, combined with unlucky enemy attack rolls (several crits) and the fact that they avoided all interaction with NPCs and went straight into the lion's den as their first action, pretty much meant that they were doomed.
Oct 23, 2015 10:42 pm
I look forward to being mashed. Thanks for letting me in on this one - love the classic module feel
Oct 24, 2015 6:30 am
Quote:
The PCs acted very rashly and over-confidently in the game, seeking combat at every opportunity, even when grossly outnumbered. That, combined with unlucky enemy attack rolls (several crits) and the fact that they avoided all interaction with NPCs and went straight into the lion's den as their first action, pretty much meant that they were doomed.Last edited October 24, 2015 2:56 pm
Oct 27, 2015 5:21 pm
So as you all are putting the finishing touches on your characters, you can start in the game thread with activities/interactions in Hochoch. Cecily has led you to expect that Hochoch will suffice as a base of resources until you can find/create a new source for supplies/class training elsewhere. But since not all of you (?) are familiar with Hochoch, you'll probably want to scout out those places here.
Oct 27, 2015 6:08 pm
Once I've got my background basically formed, I'll chime in -- but I don't want to presuppose (or not suppose) relationships without hammering a bit more. Otherwise, aye aye, cap'n!
Oct 27, 2015 11:47 pm
You said this could continue on to further modules, right? If so, what are you going to do for people playing UA classes that only go to level 5?
Oct 27, 2015 11:55 pm
Personally I plan on multiclassing into a martial class. Fighter or ranger most likely. Although I could go Wizard maybe
Oct 28, 2015 8:23 am
falryx says:
Once I've got my background basically formed, I'll chime in -- but I don't want to presuppose (or not suppose) relationships without hammering a bit more. Otherwise, aye aye, cap'n!Oct 28, 2015 8:26 am
Naatkinson says:
You said this could continue on to further modules, right? If so, what are you going to do for people playing UA classes that only go to level 5?
Oct 28, 2015 8:27 am
With character relationships, I do sometimes find it fun to sort that out as you play. So, I think, I'm going to go on the working assumption that Sara knows three other characters, one of them well. As we play, banter, jousts and conversations will reveal those connections. I mention this, because this works best when other players know - and occasionally decide for themselves that 'they know Sara'.
EDIT: Posted, and my post is also an example of what I mean
EDIT: Posted, and my post is also an example of what I mean
Last edited October 28, 2015 8:34 am
Nov 1, 2015 12:17 am
Question about NPCs and portraits:
A cool feature on Gamer's Plane is the ability to upload character portraits, which allows one to post in character and the forum thread shows the picture of the character, so that people reading it have a visual clue as to which character(s) have been active.
What's really cool is that GMs can do this: make an NPC, upload a picture for the NPC, add the NPC to the game, and then post in character as the NPC.
That's a great tool for us DMs to use...except it may be a bit overwhelming in cases where there are a LOT of NPCs. As players, it may result in confusion in distinguishing PC posts and NPC ones (as the visual clue is a major mechanism for distinguishing PCs from NPCs). Since we are in Hochoch right now, and Hochoch is the home base and training location for all of the PCs, it is rife with NPCs: Devane, Tap, Soraya, Fantikaflar, Goom, as well as class trainers for each of you and a half dozen others. I could post separately as each of these characters when they appear, but I could also just post as me, and just include a picture of the character in the post when they are speaking.
Which would you prefer, if you even have a preference? From your perspective - the one I'm interested in - it's just a presentation difference.
A cool feature on Gamer's Plane is the ability to upload character portraits, which allows one to post in character and the forum thread shows the picture of the character, so that people reading it have a visual clue as to which character(s) have been active.
What's really cool is that GMs can do this: make an NPC, upload a picture for the NPC, add the NPC to the game, and then post in character as the NPC.
That's a great tool for us DMs to use...except it may be a bit overwhelming in cases where there are a LOT of NPCs. As players, it may result in confusion in distinguishing PC posts and NPC ones (as the visual clue is a major mechanism for distinguishing PCs from NPCs). Since we are in Hochoch right now, and Hochoch is the home base and training location for all of the PCs, it is rife with NPCs: Devane, Tap, Soraya, Fantikaflar, Goom, as well as class trainers for each of you and a half dozen others. I could post separately as each of these characters when they appear, but I could also just post as me, and just include a picture of the character in the post when they are speaking.
Which would you prefer, if you even have a preference? From your perspective - the one I'm interested in - it's just a presentation difference.
Nov 1, 2015 2:34 am
Sometimes it is easier to look back and visually associate an NPC's words with their avatar. Ideally the avatars are distinct enough that we won't confuse one for another, and if that's the case then I think I prefer it when NPCs are posting in-character.
Nov 1, 2015 6:19 am
Both work fine for me, though I certainly prefer the in-character NPC posts as I find it more immersive. :-)
Nov 1, 2015 7:20 am
I much prefer seeing the avatars, but agree that means more work.it could be something you do for reoccurring NPCs or important ones. If we just meet a turnip farmer and move on, he doesn't need a character sheet, but the class trainers make sense. Of course the downside is that an avatar then signifies an important NPC that maybe you don't want us to know is important. So in the end do what is easier for you.
Nov 1, 2015 3:30 pm
I'll put in a counter-vote that I find the NPC thing a little confusing sometimes -- since I expect to see NPCs run through the GM portrait. But I don't care enough to have a strong opinion. :)
Nov 1, 2015 4:18 pm
I don't have a strong opinion. If you want to put the effort in, go for it.
In my games I use NPC portraits only for NPCs that travel with the party (as it helps remind everyone periodically that they do have a 'follower' or 'guide' NPC in the group to be aware of and interact with).
In my games I use NPC portraits only for NPCs that travel with the party (as it helps remind everyone periodically that they do have a 'follower' or 'guide' NPC in the group to be aware of and interact with).
Nov 1, 2015 4:59 pm
I think what I'll do is a combination: I'll put the picture in the post when you first meet them (as I've already done). If, in the course of adventuring, you meet the NPC again, then I'll make a sheet and post as the character.
Nov 1, 2015 5:31 pm
I should have added to what I said above that though I like post-as-NPC, I like in-post images even more! The avatars are sometimes too small to see and even if the character sheet is in the library it doesn't show the portrait anyway.
Personally I always try to make my first post in any game thread an introduction post with a PC portrait. My co-players will probably know my PC's background from character creation but anyone reading along will know nothing.
So yeah, awesome call, Spaceseeker! :-)
Personally I always try to make my first post in any game thread an introduction post with a PC portrait. My co-players will probably know my PC's background from character creation but anyone reading along will know nothing.
So yeah, awesome call, Spaceseeker! :-)
Last edited November 1, 2015 5:32 pm
Nov 3, 2015 4:31 pm
So, as we get closer to getting equipped and heading off on the expedition, I wonder how you each feel about side quests.
There are some mini-dungeons and side encounters that I have; I can easily provide hooks to them in this adventure, to provide opportunities for faster adventuring and/or easier XP. But I don't want to do so without checking in with you all first: how do you feel about additional quest material being added?
There's two reasons I like the idea:
1) they're fun, and
2) I've run several parties through this adventure, and none of them have completed it yet. I feel like anything that can help get to level 2 faster greatly improves chances of survival.
But I presented this as "module N1," not "N1 and a variety of other stuff." What do you think?
There are some mini-dungeons and side encounters that I have; I can easily provide hooks to them in this adventure, to provide opportunities for faster adventuring and/or easier XP. But I don't want to do so without checking in with you all first: how do you feel about additional quest material being added?
There's two reasons I like the idea:
1) they're fun, and
2) I've run several parties through this adventure, and none of them have completed it yet. I feel like anything that can help get to level 2 faster greatly improves chances of survival.
But I presented this as "module N1," not "N1 and a variety of other stuff." What do you think?
Nov 3, 2015 4:33 pm
I'm up for anything. Honestly, not having read any of these modules (and forcing myself not to peek), it will all feel like one big campaign.
Nov 3, 2015 4:33 pm
I'm totally fine with side quests, they're a fun diversion that give a sense of progression and accomplishment outside the main story
Nov 3, 2015 7:30 pm
I'm fine with deviation from the module. I wouldn't even know it wasn't part of the core story if you didn't say anything.
Nov 5, 2015 4:56 pm
OK, another logistics question: it's been more than a week since Biscuitfiend has posted on the site (that I've seen). I've been running his character, Morgran, as a particularly passive NPC.
Should I continue to run the one healer (not to discount our paladin) as an NPC until he returns (which might be a while, or could be never), or should I phase out the character and invite another player to join the game?
Biscuitfiend hasn't given direction or notice about vacation or anything that I've seen - have any of you read anything about it?
If I knew with certainty that he was coming back, I'd run Morgran as an NPC in the meantime without hesitation. But if he's not coming back, or if his absence will be extended...how long should I wait before I give another player a slot in the game?
Should I continue to run the one healer (not to discount our paladin) as an NPC until he returns (which might be a while, or could be never), or should I phase out the character and invite another player to join the game?
Biscuitfiend hasn't given direction or notice about vacation or anything that I've seen - have any of you read anything about it?
If I knew with certainty that he was coming back, I'd run Morgran as an NPC in the meantime without hesitation. But if he's not coming back, or if his absence will be extended...how long should I wait before I give another player a slot in the game?
Nov 5, 2015 5:03 pm
His avatar hasn't got the "ZZZ" icon, although I can't recall if that's caused by a week w/o logging in or a week without posting.
In any case, I too have noticed his absence (I'm in one of his games, and he's in one of mine!). My approach has been to wait until a player goes "ZZZ" and then to recruit a replacement (and, if that player returns, I will just run a slightly bigger game and be more lax about temporary absences. In fact, I usually recruit 1 more player than I actually desire for a PbF game on the expectation that one player, on average, will be absent for a given arbitrary interval).
In any case, I too have noticed his absence (I'm in one of his games, and he's in one of mine!). My approach has been to wait until a player goes "ZZZ" and then to recruit a replacement (and, if that player returns, I will just run a slightly bigger game and be more lax about temporary absences. In fact, I usually recruit 1 more player than I actually desire for a PbF game on the expectation that one player, on average, will be absent for a given arbitrary interval).
Nov 5, 2015 7:46 pm
Too much ale? Sure, that works.
Fascinating! I'd never noticed the "ZZZ" icon; I'd only seen people profiles that show a person as "Inactive," which shows up after a month of not logging in (I believe). I learn something new every day!
I think I may probe to see if there are still people interested in playing in a D&D5 game; I know Szemely expressed interest. I'll check with him first, before I open it up to the wider user base.
Fascinating! I'd never noticed the "ZZZ" icon; I'd only seen people profiles that show a person as "Inactive," which shows up after a month of not logging in (I believe). I learn something new every day!
I think I may probe to see if there are still people interested in playing in a D&D5 game; I know Szemely expressed interest. I'll check with him first, before I open it up to the wider user base.
Nov 5, 2015 10:18 pm
"Inactive" and "ZZZ" are the same - the "ZZZ" turns up beside the users avatar (but not in their profile, so you have to look at forum posts to see it). I think it might be 2 weeks... there's a thread about the feature in the news somewhere.
It might be worth it just to have an extra character floating around (as I said, I find it useful to have +1 character so that if someone drifts we don't have to stall).
It might be worth it just to have an extra character floating around (as I said, I find it useful to have +1 character so that if someone drifts we don't have to stall).
Nov 6, 2015 6:04 am
Man, I'm so glad I as a player don't have a monk's vow of teetotalism. My dice will be the death of my liver at this rate.
Nov 6, 2015 9:53 am
Here's the post about the sleep ('zzz') icon.
Nov 8, 2015 7:05 am
Sorry for the silence...been incredily busy...will post later today. Thacogygax is just following along wherever most of the group has gone. (The mill, I think?)
Nov 9, 2015 5:38 am
Sorry that it's taking me so long to respond; I'm drawing a map and have been out of town this weekend, so it'll be a little while before I can scan what I've drawn. Later tonight, pacific time.
Nov 9, 2015 8:52 pm
Try again; I had to teach myself all over again how to embed Google images (the sharing link never works).
Nov 10, 2015 7:16 am
CancerMan says:
DM note: I apologize; I wanted to put a roll in here to give a hint that it was opposing your roll, but I forgot the bug/undesirable feature that my edits lose your character attribution.Nov 10, 2015 7:53 am
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
CancerMan says:
DM note: I apologize; I wanted to put a roll in here to give a hint that it was opposing your roll, but I forgot the bug/undesirable feature that my edits lose your character attribution.It's a known issue reported over a month ago; I'd just forgotten it.
That said, it's kind of an edge case, and I can avoid it by just posting new messages, rather than piggybacking on others'.
Nov 10, 2015 8:10 am
Oh, I totally misread that! I thought that was CancerMan sending you a (not secret) note! My bad!
Nov 10, 2015 8:18 am
Ah, that is poor grammar from me. From now on, I'll write it as "Note from DM." Better?
Nov 10, 2015 3:07 pm
Hey Everyone! Newbie here. I'll be joining you guys in the adventure, though I'm not exactly sure how...
Nov 10, 2015 3:12 pm
Well wait for the Dm to give the go ahead, but if you want to have Durren show up right now it would make sense, maybe you were just delayed catching up to the group.
Nov 10, 2015 10:05 pm
Note from DM: I'm going to try editing the subject lines of the two different threads: the party at the mill and the wanderer in the woods. Let me know how that reads for you all; I'd rather not do separate threads.
Nov 10, 2015 10:47 pm
Just a quick note: I'm basically not spending too much time on what Durren does until he meets the group. I'm trying to get through it ASAP and join you guys; so spaceseeker you'll only be doing two threads for about three more posts max if I join the others right away. Right now, the Kobold is watching you people attack the mill; I'm thinking I take him out and then I watch you, then join you at some point.
Nov 11, 2015 12:38 am
Are you saying he isn't, or are you saying that in recognition of the fact? I tried to stick to the map.
Nov 11, 2015 3:41 am
If I understand correctly:
In the room where Ogbar and Xana entered, there are, among other things, "a trio of men wrestling."
In the room where Klak and Quest entered, there are, among other things, "four grim men: two are running to get behind the table on the right, while the other two flip their table on the left over, making a bit of cover for themselves."
And for now Sara, Thacogyygax and Aanbo, who are all outside, are unaware of what's going on inside. Did we see them enter, at least? Obviously Sara saw the others enter, but did Thacogygax and Aanbo?
In the room where Ogbar and Xana entered, there are, among other things, "a trio of men wrestling."
In the room where Klak and Quest entered, there are, among other things, "four grim men: two are running to get behind the table on the right, while the other two flip their table on the left over, making a bit of cover for themselves."
And for now Sara, Thacogyygax and Aanbo, who are all outside, are unaware of what's going on inside. Did we see them enter, at least? Obviously Sara saw the others enter, but did Thacogygax and Aanbo?
Nov 11, 2015 4:15 am
I apologize that I wasn't more clear. I'll amend the post to explicitly include you all, as you can hear Quest's challenge and see them enter.
Nov 12, 2015 10:04 am
I figured a double move would be it for me this round. Let me know if there's any sort of check I should be making to assess the situation.
Nov 12, 2015 10:08 am
I think you've already role-played yourself to deduce what's going to happen; an Insight check at this point would just add a chance that you changed your mind.
Nov 13, 2015 1:54 am
Is it to late to declare the use of my reaction to use Intellect Fortress? This would impose disadvantage on Thug 4 and if he still manages to hit me he takes an equal amount(2) psychic damage. I should leave standing orders to do this on the first attack against Quest each round. If it is to late, I can accept that and will be more explicit with my actions in the future.
Nov 13, 2015 2:27 am
No, that's fine, we can retroactively say you were concentrating on Intellect fortress this round, since you did not spend any psi points and concentration on additional damage with your mind thrust. My read of the discipline, though, is that he would take half your level rounded up in damage, which is 1. Do you have a bonus to damage that would apply that I'm forgetting?
I heartily welcome standing orders for characters that apply to different situations. If you wish to default to concentrating on Intellect Fortress each round unless you say you're concentrating on something else, that works. I'll prompt you to make a save to maintain concentration for this round, if you are hit.
I heartily welcome standing orders for characters that apply to different situations. If you wish to default to concentrating on Intellect Fortress each round unless you say you're concentrating on something else, that works. I'll prompt you to make a save to maintain concentration for this round, if you are hit.
Nov 13, 2015 2:30 am
Xana's standing orders are to distract and confuse the enemy whenever possible in order to save her own hide. When all else fails, run!
Nov 13, 2015 3:05 am
spaceseeker19 says:
No, that's fine, we can retroactively say you were concentrating on Intellect fortress this round, since you did not spend any psi points and concentration on additional damage with your mind thrust. My read of the discipline, though, is that he would take half your level rounded up in damage, which is 1. Do you have a bonus to damage that would apply that I'm forgetting?I heartily welcome standing orders for characters that apply to different situations. If you wish to default to concentrating on Intellect Fortress each round unless you say you're concentrating on something else, that works. I'll prompt you to make a save to maintain concentration for this round, if you are hit.
Nov 13, 2015 3:06 am
Durren's standing order is to try to cleave through enemies when (1) he is fighting multiple enemies or (2) he is fighting a powerful enemy.
Nov 13, 2015 8:42 pm
It's whatever your spellcasting DC is, which I figure is based on charisma like any other warlock. That'd make it 12. But the half damage was enough to kill everything except the man anyway.
Nov 14, 2015 3:47 am
This round, before I act, I'm waiting to see resolution on Quest's latest Mind Thrust attacks to see if both Thug 4 & 5 have had their brains melted. Is there enough space in here to catapult those barrels if needed?
Both Quest's Intellect Fortress and Thacogygax's Frostbite impose disadvantage so foolsmask and I definitely need to keep track of each other's actions. Anybody else got any disadvantage abilities?
Also, I misunderstood the building's architecture. I thought that interior wall between the two rooms had a connecting door in it. That's where I thought Sara and I were hehe. So apparently that is not a door but a window, and it is further into the room than the melee. So I think we're good where we are. :-D
Both Quest's Intellect Fortress and Thacogygax's Frostbite impose disadvantage so foolsmask and I definitely need to keep track of each other's actions. Anybody else got any disadvantage abilities?
Also, I misunderstood the building's architecture. I thought that interior wall between the two rooms had a connecting door in it. That's where I thought Sara and I were hehe. So apparently that is not a door but a window, and it is further into the room than the melee. So I think we're good where we are. :-D
Nov 14, 2015 3:56 am
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
This round, before I act, I'm waiting to see resolution on Quest's latest Mind Thrust attacks to see if both Thug 4 & 5 have had their brains melted. Is there enough space in here to catapult those barrels if needed?Quote:
Also, I misunderstood the building's architecture. I thought that interior wall between the two rooms had a connecting door in it. That's where I thought Sara and I were hehe. So apparently that is not a door but a window, and it is further into the room than the melee. So I think we're good where we are. :-DThere IS an interior door connecting the two rooms: it's between the two stairways and it's closed.
Nov 14, 2015 4:11 am
In my head I did enter the room, but only because I misunderstood the layout inside. So I'm good with where we are now.
You're right about the barrels. Too heavy. I guess I'm spamming Frostbite. That is, IF there are still foes standing (it looks to me like Klak and Quest have already taken out their opposition). Yes, Thacogygax is ahead on the initiative order, but he's always going to be a little gunshy.
You're right about the barrels. Too heavy. I guess I'm spamming Frostbite. That is, IF there are still foes standing (it looks to me like Klak and Quest have already taken out their opposition). Yes, Thacogygax is ahead on the initiative order, but he's always going to be a little gunshy.
Nov 14, 2015 4:33 am
Spamming? No, that's how cantrips work in D&D5! They're basically one of the few call-backs to D&D4, referencing the At-Will Powers. You're expected to use your cantrips constantly.
Nov 14, 2015 5:02 am
spaceseeker19 says:
Spamming? No, that's how cantrips work in D&D5! They're basically one of the few call-backs to D&D4, referencing the At-Will Powers. You're expected to use your cantrips constantly.Nov 15, 2015 3:33 pm
What happens to a readied action if the trigger doesn't occur? If the round is about to end can I jump in with a different action? How does that work? Unless I'm mistaken, the PHB doesn't address this.
Nov 15, 2015 4:05 pm
Moofsalot says:
Oh shit. I have one last failed death save before I'm dead dead. :(Jabes.plays.RPG says:
Trigger: Trapdoor opens and hostiles attempt to shoot through it.Nov 15, 2015 5:14 pm
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
What happens to a readied action if the trigger doesn't occur? If the round is about to end can I jump in with a different action? How does that work? Unless I'm mistaken, the PHB doesn't address this.What's left downstairs with me, anything to kill? or just Durren, who tried to get in way of a very angry barbarian
Nov 15, 2015 6:04 pm
GM says:
The trap door is open; it took a character's full turn to haul it open. There's just a square hole in the ceiling, maybe 6' square.Naatkinson says:
If a trigger doesn't occur then you don't do anything that round. And a ready action only allows you to use an action, not a bonus action or a move. This is RAW, mileage may vary based on DM.Last edited November 15, 2015 6:05 pm
Nov 15, 2015 6:37 pm
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
Naatkinson says:
If a trigger doesn't occur then you don't do anything that round. And a ready action only allows you to use an action, not a bonus action or a move. This is RAW, mileage may vary based on DM.Nov 15, 2015 6:40 pm
Naatkinson says:
What's left downstairs with me, anything to kill? or just Durren, who tried to get in way of a very angry barbarian
- the groaning guy on the ground by Aanbo
- the human warrior in the strange antiquated studded leather armor, who was just yelling in various languages
- the four guys with bows above you, half seen through the trapdoor opening in the ceiling
Nov 15, 2015 7:03 pm
spaceseeker19 says:
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
Naatkinson says:
If a trigger doesn't occur then you don't do anything that round. And a ready action only allows you to use an action, not a bonus action or a move. This is RAW, mileage may vary based on DM.Nov 15, 2015 7:51 pm
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
spaceseeker19 says:
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
Naatkinson says:
If a trigger doesn't occur then you don't do anything that round. And a ready action only allows you to use an action, not a bonus action or a move. This is RAW, mileage may vary based on DM.Nov 15, 2015 7:59 pm
spaceseeker19 says:
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
spaceseeker19 says:
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
Naatkinson says:
If a trigger doesn't occur then you don't do anything that round. And a ready action only allows you to use an action, not a bonus action or a move. This is RAW, mileage may vary based on DM.Nov 15, 2015 8:03 pm
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
Ok, I'll let the post stand then. Thanks!So, are you:
- doing the Thunderwave now, on your initiative, and then floating up to observe, then floating down again
- doing the Thunderwave now, on your initiative, and then floating up to land upstairs
- doing the Thunderwave now, on your initiative, and then seeking cover downstairs
- reserving Thunderwave as a triggered action, to go off if an enemy appears and attacks you before the end of this round?
Nov 15, 2015 8:08 pm
The last. Thanks!
Only added a snippet of dialogue to the post.
Only added a snippet of dialogue to the post.
Last edited November 15, 2015 8:11 pm
Nov 15, 2015 8:32 pm
Oh, BTW spaceseeker, I've decided that durren looks almost exactly like the guy in his picture. That is what my armor is like - does that affect my AC at all? I'm also going to make a few minor changes to my stats/characteristics to fit better with his I'm playing him; I'm going to run those by u asap.
Nov 15, 2015 10:50 pm
FYI: that's appears to be what they'd call "banded mail" in AD&D. Since that doesn't exist in D&D5, it would be scale mail (medium armor, AC 14, max 2 for DEX mod, DISADV on Stealth checks).
Nov 15, 2015 11:20 pm
As my original plan was to do a medicine check on Xana, but she's been healed, I'm now waiting to see what Durren does before acting (just informing you about the reason for my delay, as I'm usually keen to post early!)
Last edited November 15, 2015 11:20 pm
Nov 15, 2015 11:24 pm
This is, thankfully, the one time I can actually wait. I have to decide whether I'll check on Xana or rush upstairs with the barbarian (which might be suicide since I'm down to 4 HP).
Nov 16, 2015 2:42 am
OK, my modifier for DEX is 2; I have proficiency in stealth, does that make any difference? But yes, I think I'll keep the heavier armor as opposed to the studded leather
Nov 16, 2015 3:44 am
CouchLord0510 says:
OK, my modifier for DEX is 2; I have proficiency in stealth, does that make any difference? But yes, I think I'll keep the heavier armor as opposed to the studded leatherAs you can see from the example, you can still be stealthy with disadvantage. Target numbers are often secret, but for tasks you're likely to engage in at first level they're usually 15 or less.
Rolls
Stealth with DISADV - (1d20+4, 1d20+4)
1d20+4 : (12) + 4 = 16
1d20+4 : (16) + 4 = 20
Nov 16, 2015 4:35 am
CancerMan says:
This is, thankfully, the one time I can actually wait. I have to decide whether I'll check on Xana or rush upstairs with the barbarian (which might be suicide since I'm down to 4 HP).(edit: that was wrong. My memory played tricks on me.)
Sorry about that wait, folks! I realized this morning that I only had a sketch of the remaining floors, and I want to post a map as Ogbar runs up there. I'll have it for tomorrow, or possibly later tonight.
Nov 16, 2015 7:56 am
CancerMan says:
Ah, my bad. I thought that first attack was a miss!Aanbo is, as you calculated, at 4 HP.
Nov 16, 2015 5:55 pm
Yay! I'm still alive! Assuming that we're following the PHB guidelines of always rounding down?
Edit: I should still be up even if we round up! I'm so gonna die here in this mill, but Ogbar doesn't surrender!
Edit: I should still be up even if we round up! I'm so gonna die here in this mill, but Ogbar doesn't surrender!
Last edited November 16, 2015 5:57 pm
Nov 16, 2015 8:10 pm
Was Thunderwave my Round 4 action? I thought it was my Round 3.
Round 1: Dash
Round 2: Frotbite
Round 3: Thunderwave
Or did I miss Round 3 because of readying?
Round 1: Dash
Round 2: Frotbite
Round 3: Thunderwave
Or did I miss Round 3 because of readying?
Nov 16, 2015 9:42 pm
spaceseeker19 says:
(at this point, covered in blood, I'd use CON, just because he's inspires dread by taking more damage than a human should and has kept going)Last edited November 16, 2015 9:42 pm
Nov 16, 2015 10:29 pm
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
Was Thunderwave my Round 4 action? I thought it was my Round 3.Round 1: Dash
Round 2: Frotbite
Round 3: Thunderwave
Or did I miss Round 3 because of readying?
Round one: Dash
Round two: Frostbite
Round three: Frostbite again (and Shield)
Round four: Readied action: thunderwave
Nov 16, 2015 10:35 pm
Naatkinson says:
spaceseeker19 says:
(at this point, covered in blood, I'd use CON, just because he's inspires dread by taking more damage than a human should and has kept going)Nov 16, 2015 11:00 pm
spaceseeker19 says:
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
Was Thunderwave my Round 4 action? I thought it was my Round 3.Round 1: Dash
Round 2: Frotbite
Round 3: Thunderwave
Or did I miss Round 3 because of readying?
Round one: Dash
Round two: Frostbite
Round three: Frostbite again (and Shield)
Round four: Readied action: thunderwave
Nov 18, 2015 2:37 am
How wide is this staircase? Would it be possible for Thacogygax to breathe lightning past Klak (or Klak & Ogbar)?
Nov 18, 2015 2:54 am
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
How wide is this staircase? Would it be possible for Thacogygax to breathe lightning past Klak (or Klak & Ogbar)?Nov 18, 2015 5:14 am
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
How wide is this staircase? Would it be possible for Thacogygax to breathe lightning past Klak (or Klak & Ogbar)?Nov 18, 2015 5:18 am
CouchLord0510 says:
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
How wide is this staircase? Would it be possible for Thacogygax to breathe lightning past Klak (or Klak & Ogbar)?But so far, no one in the larger group has said anything about Dungeon Busters, and Durren hasn't either, so they have no sense of common cause, despite Durren's efforts at peace-keeping so far. So they might not treat you as an ally.
If you want to roll that check on Sara this turn (turn five) rather than take a different action, you might recognize her as being from Dungeon Busters, which might then become a topic of conversation...
Nov 18, 2015 7:10 am
I don't know if you guys saw it before I got the chance to delete it, but I posted out of turn by mistake. Was just drafting a move for next round and clicked "Post" by mistake :-) It's gone now.
Nov 21, 2015 2:49 pm
Candi says:
"We have a half-dragon." I shout, matter-of-factly, as the human pushes open the trap door.[/b]Nov 21, 2015 3:00 pm
I think she actually intimidated the wrong person. My character doesn't know this, but my guess is that the girl, Shalla or whatever her name was, was the one who said that. xD
Nov 23, 2015 8:44 am
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
We are currently still proceeding in initiative order, yes?Nov 23, 2015 3:32 pm
Quest says:
If I can see him I can hurt himNov 23, 2015 5:44 pm
Candi says:
I was rolling well when I wanted to kill things, and when I want to do something cool... the dice fail me.Nov 23, 2015 5:51 pm
CancerMan says:
Candi says:
I was rolling well when I wanted to kill things, and when I want to do something cool... the dice fail me.Nov 23, 2015 5:58 pm
I just thought of that, too. I could see Sara's bad roll occurring in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Nov 23, 2015 9:43 pm
CancerMan says:
I just thought of that, too. I could see Sara's bad roll occurring in Pirates of the Caribbean.Last edited November 23, 2015 9:43 pm
Nov 27, 2015 9:04 pm
Just a note about the verisimilitude of people jumping out of windows: stress can make one choose poorly. Jumping out of windows often does seem like a viable option to people in distress, and I don't need to look as far as the people leaping out of high rise buildings in the world trade center plane crashes to find examples. While I was at university, our dorm had a fire in the middle of the night. My room mate and I got dressed in a hurry and left out the stairway that wasn't on fire, but there were other students who lost it and leaped from their windows, breaking their legs and spines, while others ran through the burning stairway and were hospitalized and horribly scarred.
The only reason I was as (relatively) calm about it is that I had already been through a house fire at that point, and knew in retrospect (from personal experience) that panic does not help as much as measured action.
But my guess for this thug is that he'd never really been threatened for his life before.
The only reason I was as (relatively) calm about it is that I had already been through a house fire at that point, and knew in retrospect (from personal experience) that panic does not help as much as measured action.
But my guess for this thug is that he'd never really been threatened for his life before.
Dec 3, 2015 3:34 pm
From where Thacogygax is standing on the dock does he hear any of the goings on upstairs? The arrival of the mob, for instance?
Dec 4, 2015 9:15 am
spaceseeker19 says:
Why, that sounds like a perception check, Jabes!Dec 7, 2015 6:25 am
I'm sorry if the open-endedness of my last post is holding things up! I meant that to fade into a cut to the inn with everyone there including Thaco.
Dec 8, 2015 6:13 am
I have a (minor) question for the players: do you prefer to continue the action in the same game thread, or do you prefer to have separate threads for each "section" of a game? I don't have a strong preference, and I thought some or all of you might...
Dec 8, 2015 6:54 am
I think if there's a clear-cut distinction between this phase and the next, then a separate thread might be fine. As it stands now, I'm not sure where the group is going to go after convening at the Inn; presumably we'll discuss that in-thread, and when we decide what to do, we can also see if a new thread is in order.
Personally, I have no preference. Thanks to GP's unread-post feature, I can easily follow along wherever the action takes us.
Personally, I have no preference. Thanks to GP's unread-post feature, I can easily follow along wherever the action takes us.
Dec 9, 2015 10:47 pm
Hey Everyone! So my internet is fritzy, so I may leave for day long periods. If I'm gone and my action is needed, just do what you think my character would do. I'll try to be here as much as possible.
Dec 10, 2015 12:21 am
Everyone: at this point, there's a few things that I can suggest as next courses of action. PCs can:
* continue role-playing through the celebration. Xana is fleecing Klak of coin, after all.
* attempt to ferret out clues relating to Black (though here's a freebie: each PC has already got the sense from the townsfolk that they've been actively hunting for Black for some time, and have come up with nothing concrete, so they're on quick alert status to respond to any threats, and expect to only get leads indirectly, through seemingly unrelated activity)
* seek out and find class trainers so you'll know where they are later. Note: I was going to introduce each class trainer during this party, but then I realized that not everyone is necessarily going to train in the same class they started in, so I'll let you drive seeking out which class trainers you want to meet. So far, we have seen Cormac (fighter trainer), Diana (cleric trainer), Tuan Vo (monk trainer), Njall (paladin trainer), and Mironund (mystic trainer).
* work on setting up the Dungeon Busters office
* investigate the rumors you've heard about Orlane (which brought you to Hochoch in the first place)
I'm sure you have other ideas.
* continue role-playing through the celebration. Xana is fleecing Klak of coin, after all.
* attempt to ferret out clues relating to Black (though here's a freebie: each PC has already got the sense from the townsfolk that they've been actively hunting for Black for some time, and have come up with nothing concrete, so they're on quick alert status to respond to any threats, and expect to only get leads indirectly, through seemingly unrelated activity)
* seek out and find class trainers so you'll know where they are later. Note: I was going to introduce each class trainer during this party, but then I realized that not everyone is necessarily going to train in the same class they started in, so I'll let you drive seeking out which class trainers you want to meet. So far, we have seen Cormac (fighter trainer), Diana (cleric trainer), Tuan Vo (monk trainer), Njall (paladin trainer), and Mironund (mystic trainer).
* work on setting up the Dungeon Busters office
* investigate the rumors you've heard about Orlane (which brought you to Hochoch in the first place)
I'm sure you have other ideas.
Dec 10, 2015 5:55 am
Klak, a dwarf of action, except when he's not, will hearken to the idea of looking into this Orlane place,
Dec 10, 2015 8:48 am
Sara is also keen to pursue the rumour they came to investigate in the first place, especially as Black appears to be an enigma. If he's a genuine problem, his influence will resurface. With respect to trainers, as my class is only 5 levels deep, I'll be following it until its stopping point (so I'll eventually need to find the ranger trainer, although that will be some time from now as we're still 220ish XP short of a level; so I haven't prioritized doing so).
Dec 10, 2015 11:19 am
Morgran will greet the strangers around him, and ask what they know about the man called Black.
"Who be th'villian Black? What ye of this villiage know of him?"
"Who be th'villian Black? What ye of this villiage know of him?"
Rolls
Persuasion - (1d20-2)
(6) - 2 = 4
Dec 19, 2015 3:27 am
I'm going to be absolutely slammed over the weekend working on an epic Star Wars - The Force Awakens birthday cake. Won't be able to post, sorry!
Dec 23, 2015 6:47 am
Sorry for the long delay, everyone. I will endeavor to resume my practice of daily posting.
Dec 27, 2015 7:52 pm
Moofsalot says:
Jabes- where's that cake at? :-pDec 28, 2015 9:24 am
Thanks, guys! :-) Here's a little sneak peek at the Poe Dameron X-Wing cake topper.
Dec 29, 2015 6:00 pm
Moofsalot says:
OOC: does one 'train' to be a better warlock?
Jan 2, 2016 3:55 pm
I don't even have to roleplay Thacogygax as awkward - the dice are doing it for me! :-D Is someone going to tell him his tail is sticking out? Haha!
Jan 11, 2016 9:12 pm
An aside: I'm trying to write this farmer exactly how people in Austria talked when I was there, touring Wien and Salzburg. Coming from the United States, this use of hyperbolic honorifics for everyday people like me seemed ridiculous, and provoked suspicion that the people were being sarcastic. "Most Grand Lord? Who, me??!" Nope, not sarcastic; it's just part of the culture.
Jan 21, 2016 3:08 am
Quest, Morgran, and Aanbo can each try Perception and Medicine checks, in addition to the investigation that Aanbo has undertaken.
Jan 21, 2016 3:48 am
I hope you don't mind. I've added the Perception and Medicine rolls to my original post.
Jan 21, 2016 5:24 am
Yes, that's good, CancerMan.
I laughed out loud at this. Great interplay between characters!
Moofsalot says:
I give Ogbar a wink. I'm certain that will set his mind at ease.Jan 22, 2016 10:06 pm
I tried to ad lib a little what a 0 perception roll means. Needless to say, Klak has no clue what may or may not be coming.
Jan 29, 2016 6:09 am
Folks, I'm going to run Morgran as an NPC for a bit, until Biscuitfiend returns. He's the only healer, and will be needed even more soon.
Jan 29, 2016 4:32 pm
Hex:
Don't forget to choose an ability. I suggest CON. ;-)
Quote:
Choose one ability when you cast the spell. The target has disadvantage on ability checks made with the chosen ability.Jan 29, 2016 4:47 pm
Moofsalot says:
Yeah, I'm not sure which saving throw is most useful at this moment. WIS?Jan 29, 2016 4:55 pm
I didn't realize Hex doesn't affect saves. Oh well.
Yeah this is going bad real fast. Thaco is thinking of running, too. Same as the owlbear, he also thinks there's a dragon about (nobody let him in on Xana's trick).
Yeah this is going bad real fast. Thaco is thinking of running, too. Same as the owlbear, he also thinks there's a dragon about (nobody let him in on Xana's trick).
Jan 29, 2016 5:02 pm
Ogbar's too bloodthirsty to run away lol, I may be rolling a new character along with Klak
Jan 29, 2016 5:16 pm
Moofsalot says:
Xana will tell the others of your brave sacrifices.Alas, my beloved Olga will never know what happened to her lost love!
Jan 29, 2016 5:30 pm
FYI: Thaco unhitched the 'horses' (by whcih I assume he meant 'oxen' but they all look the same to Thaco ;) ); so the oxen should be free to bolt.
Jan 29, 2016 5:33 pm
From my calculations, we've done 34 damage to it already (5 from Sara, 15 from Ogbar, and 14 from Thaco). We might not all die (Though I'm expecting the beast to turn on Ogbar and slay him now)
Jan 29, 2016 8:20 pm
Quote:
So far, it hasn't paid much attention to the party, as it still seems to be searching for the dragon it heard;Feb 2, 2016 9:38 pm
I get the feeling that Ogbar is going to get himself killed, but he will not let an enemy escape!
Feb 8, 2016 3:17 am
Travelling Monday - Friday this week. Please play unconscious Klak accordingly. Upon revival he will begin to consider how best to defeat owlbears at the next opportunity.
Feb 9, 2016 6:14 pm
I'm really torn. Ogbar is only missing 4 HP, so I'm not convinced that I want to spend my Hit Die on that, but I might die in the next combat if I don't... Ahh, screw it, I'll do it
Feb 24, 2016 12:50 pm
It worked out well before, with the owlbear. Plus, the alternative option is to A) convince the farmer he's nuts, or B) bring Davek back to possibly a trap. Seems like splitting is the way to go.
Feb 24, 2016 4:21 pm
What I'm seeing is that splitting the party is not so bad when the party is the size of two normal parties as this one is.
Feb 24, 2016 4:33 pm
Really, whether or not party splitting is bad ultimately depends on the adventure/GM. It's probably also easier for you to manage us as two groups of 4/5 than one group of 9 (especially in PbF format where you don't need to actively split attention as you would in a face to face game).
Feb 24, 2016 4:35 pm
I don't mind party splitting in a PbP game. It sucks most of the time in a face-to-face game, but this is a good format for party-splitting.
Feb 24, 2016 4:43 pm
Party splitting makes sense here the way the story has unfolded. I was just kidding with my comment. That old superstition, y'know? :-D
Feb 26, 2016 2:43 am
CancerMan says:
Sheesh, something wrong with goats? :)Mar 3, 2016 9:49 am
I am loving Xana's barnyard antics! And now it looks like Klak may have made a furry friend as well! :-D
Mar 3, 2016 6:33 pm
CancerMan says:
Aanbo was about to rush ahead for the wagon, but hearing the large barbarian, of all people, advise stealth actually stuns him into compliance.Mar 6, 2016 7:11 am
Note: I've been trying to keep the three groups (!) somewhat linked chronologically, but at this point I'm willing to diverge, as I don't want to start throwing encounters at the group heading back to Hochoch just for the sake of maintaining this synchronicity. Would you players prefer if I kept that in the same thread, or would you be willing for me to start the group arriving at Hochoch in the thread for the next sequence (1.3)?
Mar 7, 2016 5:54 pm
Is anyone in the group that's gone back to town one of the character's that had gone to the townhouse? Because if not, the hunting party made a tactical error sending only the people who have only a vague idea of what's wrong / going on to bring the boy back to town...
Mar 7, 2016 6:00 pm
True. Aanbo did say that he suspected a ruined building in the woods is likely the source of Devek's condition, but unfortunately that's all he knew, and there's no hard proof aside from the bruise on the lad's hand.
When I think back on it, though, nobody really had an idea of what's afflicting the boy.
When I think back on it, though, nobody really had an idea of what's afflicting the boy.
Mar 22, 2016 12:19 am
This is the first rest Klak has had since he was treated with a healer's kit by Elista. Even though that post was long ago, in Klak's life it was pretty recent and still applies: yes, he gets to use his hit dice for the short rest. In addition to that healing, he gets any other benefits of a short rest as usual.
Mar 22, 2016 2:52 am
Diana says:
"If you can find the source of the material, or even just a sample of it, that would help greatly."Mar 22, 2016 3:59 am
Jabes.plays.RPG says:
Diana says:
"If you can find the source of the material, or even just a sample of it, that would help greatly."CancerMan says:
How far are we from the farm? If we're really far, Aanbo would rethink his suggestion.
Apr 29, 2016 6:21 pm
Going to step out of the game for now to save space on my forum list. Please re-invite me if it gets started back up.
Apr 29, 2016 6:25 pm
I'm stepping out of this one as well. Not just to save space on the list, however, but also because I need to prune my obligations and so if it did start again I'd have to step down anyway.
It's beenfun!
It's beenfun!
Apr 29, 2016 11:43 pm
Also stepping out to tidy up my game list. If it starts up again, please let me know -- Klak would welcome the opportunity to continue his adventures.
May 2, 2016 10:20 am
Me to: I'm clicking "Leave Game" now but if there should ever be a continuation of this story, Thacogygax and I would very much like to be part of it. Cheers!
Nov 27, 2023 9:00 pm
The game is resuming in this thread.
Nov 28, 2023 12:54 am
WhiteDwarf says:
I think the thread is still locked.Nov 30, 2023 6:15 am
I was very late with today's post - late enough that it's tomorrow for some of you. So to try to make up for it, I made an extra long post this time.
Tomorrow I should post closer to midday.
Tomorrow I should post closer to midday.
Dec 5, 2023 12:51 am
Just realized I misread the part on the stone piece... for RP purposes maybe Xana just looks over Aanbo's shoulder while he's studying it and comes to her own conclusions- haha
Dec 6, 2023 6:24 am
I've been off the site for a long time, and am only slowly coming to grips with all the new features of the site.
When I started this game, the custom dice rules feature wasn't available. Now that it is, I've finally updated the game to make them available.
FYI, what this means is that, when you "Add new roll: Basic," you can include the text "DC##" (for a skill check) or "AC##" (for an attack roll) in the "Reason" field, and the roll's result in your post will include a little graphic to indicate whether the roll was a success (a green checkmark) or not (a red X). It's not a big thing, but I like it, mostly because it adds a visual dynamic to the in-game rolls.
So, if Morgran was talking to a farmer, trying to persuade him to sell Dungeon Busters some land, and he knew it was a DC 15 check, he'd type
"Persuasion check DC15" in the Reason field, and "1d20+4" in the roll field. The result is shown below: a failure. Note that he rolled a *1*, which is underlined and highlit in red. It's not relevant to a skill check, but if it had been an attack, it would be a critical failure, and the red/underline makes it easy (and somewhat melodramatic) to see.
Just letting you know that this little feature is available in this game, too.
When I started this game, the custom dice rules feature wasn't available. Now that it is, I've finally updated the game to make them available.
FYI, what this means is that, when you "Add new roll: Basic," you can include the text "DC##" (for a skill check) or "AC##" (for an attack roll) in the "Reason" field, and the roll's result in your post will include a little graphic to indicate whether the roll was a success (a green checkmark) or not (a red X). It's not a big thing, but I like it, mostly because it adds a visual dynamic to the in-game rolls.
So, if Morgran was talking to a farmer, trying to persuade him to sell Dungeon Busters some land, and he knew it was a DC 15 check, he'd type
"Persuasion check DC15" in the Reason field, and "1d20+4" in the roll field. The result is shown below: a failure. Note that he rolled a *1*, which is underlined and highlit in red. It's not relevant to a skill check, but if it had been an attack, it would be a critical failure, and the red/underline makes it easy (and somewhat melodramatic) to see.
Just letting you know that this little feature is available in this game, too.
Rolls
Persuasion check DC15 - (1d20+4)
(1) + 4 = 5
Dec 6, 2023 7:14 am
Nifty :) I haven't really used this feature yet, but it looks pretty cool. Thanks for all the energy you're putting into this game, spaceseeker!
Dec 6, 2023 8:56 pm
Just to be clear: a game has to be set up/edited to use these dice rules, or any other special rules. I only just edited the game code to allow this particular optional feature; this DC and AC checking now work in this game, but the extra functionality may not necessarily appear in any others you're playing. It all depends on what the GM has set up.
There's some interesting stuff that's been developed since we last had combat in this game regarding game maps...I may try that, rather than the more primitive "inserting letters to represent combatants" that I used in the past. We'll see.
There's some interesting stuff that's been developed since we last had combat in this game regarding game maps...I may try that, rather than the more primitive "inserting letters to represent combatants" that I used in the past. We'll see.
Dec 6, 2023 10:39 pm
As a DM, I got pretty exhausted by the On The Fly Battle Map stuff and other new features, to be honest. It sure can look pretty, though.
Let us know if you need any help!
Let us know if you need any help!
Last edited December 6, 2023 10:39 pm
Dec 8, 2023 1:54 am
Len says:
As a DM, I got pretty exhausted by the On The Fly Battle Map stuff and other new features, to be honest. It sure can look pretty, though.Let us know if you need any help!
I can easily continue with the hand-drawn maps as simple images (as I have done in the past), I can use the maps with On the Fly Battle Maps, I can use the maps with roll20, or I can try something else that you prefer. My goal is to have the exploration and encounters also be a fun, lightweight, and hopefully immersive experience for you, the players. What would realize that best, for you?
Dec 8, 2023 1:59 am
spaceseeker19 says:
Len says:
As a DM, I got pretty exhausted by the On The Fly Battle Map stuff and other new features, to be honest. It sure can look pretty, though.Let us know if you need any help!
I can easily continue with the hand-drawn maps as simple images (as I have done in the past), I can use the maps with On the Fly Battle Maps, I can use the maps with roll20, or I can try something else that you prefer. My goal is to have the exploration and encounters also be a fun, lightweight, and hopefully immersive experience for you, the players. What would realize that best, for you?
Dec 8, 2023 2:13 am
I'm fine with all of the above. I do like the hand-drawn stuff quite a bit - evokes that being there at the tabletop feeling for me - but only if it is less work. If you find the new tools are fun and efficient, I'm into it.
Last edited December 8, 2023 2:13 am
Dec 8, 2023 2:14 am
I agree with Len about centralizing things on GP. I'm perfectly fine with hand-drawn maps, Excel spreadsheets, or fancier apps like OtFBM. If anything, I'd prefer whatever makes your job easier.
Dec 8, 2023 1:39 pm
DMing is work. Fun work, but still work. I favor whatever makes the work easier for you.
Dec 9, 2023 4:28 am
I'm trying to get one substantive game update posted each day. I didn't expect that opening the gate would be a big delay, and I don't consider my clarifying who could be making the Athletics check I asked for yesterday a substantive post. But I also understand that not everyone can post once a day (life happens!), which is why I tried to make it clear that, if they wished, the small PCs could fit through the opening just as Devek did, as a hint that the adventure isn't being blocked by this one roll.
That's all to explain why I haven't posted a real update today: I'm waiting for player input/actions before I do. But I have my next post mostly ready to go (with variations based on how the roll goes, and where people end up so that I can update and post the map), and I guess I'm just eager to continue. I will be posting soon, regardless of moves...but I've got an engagement tonight, in just a few minutes, so at this point I probably won't post my next update until just after midnight (~4 hours). So you have that long to declare what you'll be doing next and/or do any rolls.
That's all to explain why I haven't posted a real update today: I'm waiting for player input/actions before I do. But I have my next post mostly ready to go (with variations based on how the roll goes, and where people end up so that I can update and post the map), and I guess I'm just eager to continue. I will be posting soon, regardless of moves...but I've got an engagement tonight, in just a few minutes, so at this point I probably won't post my next update until just after midnight (~4 hours). So you have that long to declare what you'll be doing next and/or do any rolls.
Dec 9, 2023 12:57 pm
Enjoying our game thusly, friends. Great interactions and scenes, and the pace is perfect.
Dec 10, 2023 2:24 pm
Sorry for my mishap yesterday on Attack roll. I have a good tutorial now, for propagating those rolls from my character below the Rolls section, and will be doing those rolls correctly going forward. Sorry for my learning curve.
Dec 14, 2023 2:44 pm
Spaceseeker, do you mind people rolling pre-emptively, or do you prefer us to wait until you ask for a roll?
Dec 14, 2023 3:26 pm
Len says:
Spaceseeker, do you mind people rolling pre-emptively, or do you prefer us to wait until you ask for a roll?But here's a question for everyone: if a different skill applies, I'm inclined to use the roll (plus the appropriate skill modifiers) as is, rather than asking for a new roll. Is that acceptable to everyone?
Dec 14, 2023 3:40 pm
I can honestly say that's why I usually don't roll preemptively... my idea of what fits the situation may not always mesh with the DM. (Although sometimes I do it anyway, because I'm quite sure only one roll would fit. And sometimes I'm still wrong. Lol)
That said, I'm perfectly fine with rolling what I think fits, and you can swap out modifiers as you see fit.
That said, I'm perfectly fine with rolling what I think fits, and you can swap out modifiers as you see fit.
Dec 14, 2023 3:40 pm
spaceseeker19 says:
But here's a question for everyone[/u]: if a different skill applies, I'm inclined to use the roll (plus the appropriate skill modifiers) as is, rather than asking for a new roll. Is that acceptable to everyone?Dec 14, 2023 3:45 pm
Same. Whatever makes things easier and keep the momentum going. Better to leave an OOC note that we changed the skill modifier (if applicable) and post results, rather than wait for the back-and-forth to get a new roll which might take a few days.
Dec 14, 2023 11:15 pm
Yep, totally fine with that. Also fine with you discarding the roll entirely if you didn't want one.
Dec 17, 2023 5:17 am
Another question, this time about measurements. The past couple of weeks, I've been experimenting with describing measurements - particularly distance measurements - in terms that your PCs might recognize: the height of a character, a certain number of paces, so many hand's breadths, etc. I was preparing to add some entries to the world book about measurements and how they compare to real-world metric and Imperial measurements, but then I realized: this kind of thing might not be as fun for you players as it is for me.
So I ask: would you like me to return to the standard D&D measurements of distance, volume, etc (feet, yards, miles, gallons, etc) rather than analogs that might exist in a fantasy world with a different history to our own?
Yes = normal, real-world measurements
No = new, different measurements
So I ask: would you like me to return to the standard D&D measurements of distance, volume, etc (feet, yards, miles, gallons, etc) rather than analogs that might exist in a fantasy world with a different history to our own?
Yes = normal, real-world measurements
No = new, different measurements
Dec 17, 2023 3:16 pm
I'm good with more creative units of measure. If I'm truly unsure, and it affects something in game, I'll just post an ooc question asking for clarification.
Immerse us in your world!
Immerse us in your world!
Dec 18, 2023 7:04 pm
MaJunior says:
How many people are inside? Was it 3? šDec 18, 2023 7:06 pm
Ominous!
I'll start working on my next character. š¤£
I'll start working on my next character. š¤£
Last edited December 18, 2023 7:07 pm
Dec 23, 2023 4:10 am
Just a gentle reminder that some of you may have inspiration, and you might keep in mind when you want to use it.
No particular reason; I just haven't mentioned it in a while.
No particular reason; I just haven't mentioned it in a while.
Jan 8, 2024 9:12 pm
Aesthetics question: do you players have a preference between my posting the maps hidden as a "spoiler" that can be revealed/hidden by clicking a button, or just as an image in the thread?
Jan 8, 2024 9:14 pm
I like it in the spoiler dropdown, so I can read through the whole post without looking at it if I choose. Then I go back and look when I have all the other details.
Jan 10, 2024 5:22 am
I am leaving for vacation tomorrow and I will be gone until January 18th. My ability to post may be inhibited until then. The games in which I'm a player will take priority in order to not slow them down.
Jan 10, 2024 2:46 pm
Naatkinson says:
I am leaving for vacation tomorrow and I will be gone until January 18th. My ability to post may be inhibited until then. The games in which I'm a player will take priority in order to not slow them down.Jan 15, 2024 5:16 am
Heh; I just realized that I included in my description of the short rest a call to declare how many hit dice you will use...of course at first level, you each have only one hit die at maximum, so the option is really more "Do I spend my hit die now or not?"
Jan 23, 2024 6:47 am
I want to make sure I'm reading this correctly: it seems like Albertus, Theran, and Aanbo are making their way upstairs while the trap is resetting, but the others are staying downstairs?
Jan 23, 2024 3:48 pm
Sorry for the confusion. Kragga will head up, he just wants somebody with more hit points to go first :D
Jan 24, 2024 2:49 pm
OK, now everyone except for Xana has explicitly said they're going up the stairs. @Moofsalot I'm going to assume that Xana is going up, too. Let me know if that's not what you wanted.
Jan 28, 2024 4:06 pm
Sorry for not posting yesterday; our whole family has been sick and taking care of my recovery and everyone else has cut down on the normal amount of time that I spend on the computer.
Jan 29, 2024 1:59 am
Hope you feel better soon!
I should have mentioned earlier, but I am on vacation this weekend so may be a bit slower to respond through Tuesday.
I should have mentioned earlier, but I am on vacation this weekend so may be a bit slower to respond through Tuesday.
Jan 29, 2024 2:29 pm
Get feeling better! Family is always the priority, so take care of you and yours. Don't worry about us.
Jan 29, 2024 5:17 pm
I realized that I haven't updated the "Maps and Other Resources" thread since I started the game up again. It now has maps of what you've explored of the three floors of the Forest Ruin, for easier reference. You can find that thread here.
Feb 7, 2024 12:32 am
Sorry I've been a little slow for posts in the past week. Semester turn around time has caught me off guard. Thanks for being understanding, everyone! Things should be clearing up now.
Feb 7, 2024 12:55 am
spaceseeker19 says:
I feel like there have been a number of "I didn't know that was happening" responses in my games recently. If there's a recommendation anyone has for how to present my posts differently so that players don't miss the important details, let me know!Feb 7, 2024 1:04 am
I agree with WhiteDwarf.
I don't think it's a GM issue... I would posit it's more likely a player issue. It can be surprisingly easy to read something wrong or miss something and not realize it.
Or forget. I usually try to reread some posts so I'm in the right frame of mind to post IC...but I'd be a liar if I said I didn't sometimes trust my own memory because I don't have the time to reread things (unless I want to leave everyone hanging till the next day or whatever).
I don't think it's a GM issue... I would posit it's more likely a player issue. It can be surprisingly easy to read something wrong or miss something and not realize it.
Or forget. I usually try to reread some posts so I'm in the right frame of mind to post IC...but I'd be a liar if I said I didn't sometimes trust my own memory because I don't have the time to reread things (unless I want to leave everyone hanging till the next day or whatever).
Last edited February 7, 2024 1:07 am
Feb 7, 2024 4:24 pm
spaceseeker19 says:
I feel like there have been a number of "I didn't know that was happening" responses in my games recently. If there's a recommendation anyone has for how to present my posts differently so that players don't miss the important details, let me know! For the record, I am really enjoying the game and think you're doing a great job in the DM's chair!
One thing people do nowadays is run a discord chat for OOC questions. It provides a "live" element for above-the-table discussions. Often it is quicker to pop into discord for a player to ask a question or for a DM to give a reminder to a player. This might seem like extra work to check two places, but I find it smooths things out so much that it's worth it.
Feb 7, 2024 10:18 pm
I agree. Nothing you've done wrong. PbP is tough in that way. The passage of time and the lack of verbal clues can sometimes muddy the waters. As Len said, dungeon crawls are especially susceptible to that. You're doing fine :)
Feb 16, 2024 6:58 am
Just FYI: I'm going to be at DunDraCon 47 on and off all weekend, so my posting may be sporadic after the turn five post for the next few days.
Feb 16, 2024 3:27 pm
FYI Iāll be on vacation starting Wed. 2/21 but will try to keep up with posts when not passed out from jetlag.
Feb 27, 2024 5:26 pm
FYI: some of you may know already from other games, but JoshuaMabry has made the hard decision to step away from Gamers Plane, due to new work and life commitments. Coincidentally, the party's rogue, Joseph, is unconscious but stable at 0 HP.
There's a couple of questions this raises: the short-term and the longer-term.
In the short term: if you as the party want to revive Joseph, Albertus can use an application of his healer's kit and Joseph will roll his hit die (if he hasn't already today) and I will run him as an NPC as you explore the rest of the Ruins for information that could help revive Devek (and maybe treasure, though the party has been pretty content to let the treasure go so far). If you don't revive Joseph, you'll have an all-player party, but no rogue. Which is OK.
In the longer term: Do you want to continue as a 6 PC party, or should I open the game up to new PCs when the party has returned to Hochoch and resolved the Jarls' problem? 6 PCs is plenty for now, but probably the minimum for surviving later parts of this classic AD&D adventure. I certainly would want to get more PCs if the number ever drops below 6. We don't have to answer this question right away, of course, but I wanted to start you thinking about whether you will want to invite more people when we get to that point.
There's a couple of questions this raises: the short-term and the longer-term.
In the short term: if you as the party want to revive Joseph, Albertus can use an application of his healer's kit and Joseph will roll his hit die (if he hasn't already today) and I will run him as an NPC as you explore the rest of the Ruins for information that could help revive Devek (and maybe treasure, though the party has been pretty content to let the treasure go so far). If you don't revive Joseph, you'll have an all-player party, but no rogue. Which is OK.
In the longer term: Do you want to continue as a 6 PC party, or should I open the game up to new PCs when the party has returned to Hochoch and resolved the Jarls' problem? 6 PCs is plenty for now, but probably the minimum for surviving later parts of this classic AD&D adventure. I certainly would want to get more PCs if the number ever drops below 6. We don't have to answer this question right away, of course, but I wanted to start you thinking about whether you will want to invite more people when we get to that point.
Feb 27, 2024 6:05 pm
OOC:
The healerās Kit - does Joseph have one? Bc Al does not. I canāt view Josephās sheet to know for sure.Iām all for continuing into the ruins to find more useful info. And if Iām dense and just missing details, Iām sorry, but I also donāt think we want to not be claiming treasure all along the way either.
Edit - Sry, I totally DO have a healers kit, dunno how I got in my noggin that I didnāt. All good now!
Last edited February 27, 2024 6:32 pm
Feb 27, 2024 7:16 pm
I'd prefer Joseph being played as an NPC until we return to Hochoch or other reasonable spot to part ways. Otherwise, I was going to play Aanbo as carrying Joseph the whole time, or creating a litter to transport him. So if Albertus is fine with spending a use of his healer's kit to revive Joseph, I will forego my own HD recovery.
Feb 27, 2024 9:27 pm
CancerMan says:
I'd prefer Joseph being played as an NPC until we return to Hochoch or other reasonable spot to part ways. Otherwise, I was going to play Aanbo as carrying Joseph the whole time, or creating a litter to transport him. So if Albertus is fine with spending a use of his healer's kit to revive Joseph, I will forego my own HD recovery.Last edited February 27, 2024 9:28 pm
Feb 27, 2024 9:42 pm
Aanbo is currently at 12/19 HP, having gained some due to leveling up, so I think he's fine for now. He also already spent his 1 HD when we rested after a battle with the priests on the second floor.
Mar 12, 2024 8:33 pm
Naatkinson says:
OOC:
Sorry, it's been a hectic few days. Applying for a mortgage and trying to decide if I want to apply for extra to get an addition put on my house, so I've been looking at possible floor plans for new rooms!Mar 23, 2024 12:24 pm
I have given this some thought and I've decided that I'm going to bow out of this game. I have a lot going on and 5e really isn't my thing anymore, so I think this is my best choice for games to drop. It was fun playing with you all!
Mar 23, 2024 9:01 pm
Thanks for the memories, Naatkinson! It's been a fun several years!
Like the other PCs whose players have bowed out, Ogbar will continue as an NPC back in Hochoch after the party resolves the crisis with Devek.
Like the other PCs whose players have bowed out, Ogbar will continue as an NPC back in Hochoch after the party resolves the crisis with Devek.
Mar 25, 2024 7:01 pm
Sorry for the spotty participation lately, I've been having some health troubles for the last week and a half. Sick kids, sick wife, and sick me. Hoping for recovery soon, thanks for your patience.
Mar 29, 2024 11:54 pm
"Also, we've been trying to reach you about your wagon's extended warranty."
Realized I wasn't sure of day/month/year, so if it's relevant I can edit that bit of the letter... but I'm ok with using placeholders. While I appreciate lore and storytelling as much as any of us, it's less important that today is a particular day... and more important that the day was included in the letter so the man has an idea of when we were there should it ever become relevant to our story.
Realized I wasn't sure of day/month/year, so if it's relevant I can edit that bit of the letter... but I'm ok with using placeholders. While I appreciate lore and storytelling as much as any of us, it's less important that today is a particular day... and more important that the day was included in the letter so the man has an idea of when we were there should it ever become relevant to our story.
Mar 30, 2024 3:15 pm
It's a wonderful letter; I love the idea that Theran documents things this way.
May 4, 2024 2:27 pm
Sorry for the slow posts the past couple of days: travel, and birthday celebrations in the family.
Which character wants to administer the potion to the sleeping Herald, if you choose to do that? You could have one of the now-NPCs do it, if you're concerned about risk.
Which character wants to administer the potion to the sleeping Herald, if you choose to do that? You could have one of the now-NPCs do it, if you're concerned about risk.
May 4, 2024 5:24 pm
No worries about slow posts, and thanks for all the effort you put into the game.
May 9, 2024 5:21 am
Every one of the PCs should have enough XP to advance to level 2 now. But remember that you'll need to train with a trainer to advance that far; you might need to sell some of the loot in order to afford it. You can sell it yourselves, or you can take the loot to Olpert and he'll pay you what he thinks is a fair rate for it.
May 9, 2024 3:53 pm
Ah, yes, I'm sorry - I was getting (slightly) ahead of the narrative. As this is a classic AD&D adventure, there is also XP to be earned by cashing in treasure, which should take each of you over the 300 threshold when it happens.
May 9, 2024 6:44 pm
Hey folks, now that we're at a logical place to diverge, I am going to take a break from our game. I have been having trouble keeping up, largely because of RL work demands. I have really enjoyed playing with you all. Spaceseeker, I appreciate your thoughtful and well-written posts and your commitment to keeping the game on track.
Story-wise, I think it would be logical for Kragga to leave the town to pursue wizardly training, but ultimately I am happy with whatever works for your story, Spaceseeker.
I'd like to make a few more posts before I go. Kragga is going to investigate the scrolls, and then he would like to bequeath them and the glowing orb to the Dungeon Busters.
Story-wise, I think it would be logical for Kragga to leave the town to pursue wizardly training, but ultimately I am happy with whatever works for your story, Spaceseeker.
I'd like to make a few more posts before I go. Kragga is going to investigate the scrolls, and then he would like to bequeath them and the glowing orb to the Dungeon Busters.
May 9, 2024 10:25 pm
Friends, I must take this opportunity to withdraw from our game. Itās been a pleasure gaming with all of you.
All my best.
All my best.
May 12, 2024 7:15 pm
Thanks for the invitation Spaceseeker! And hello to the other players already in the game: Iāve had the privilege of playing with CancerMan in the past, but I think I havenāt met with the others.
Excited to be joining you, and sad to be seeing Len and WhiteDwarf leaveā¦ Iāve played with both of you, and I had a great time.
Excited to be joining you, and sad to be seeing Len and WhiteDwarf leaveā¦ Iāve played with both of you, and I had a great time.
May 13, 2024 6:16 am
I apologize for the wait, everyone: I am writing up a training montage for the two (?) characters who are training (I need to hear from @moofsalot which training Xana is going to seek before I write that up). In parallel, I'm trying to recruit some more players to fill out the group a bit more. I think the Mother's Day holiday has slowed down activity on the site this weekend, and we'll probably get more interest tomorrow again...but if you know any players you think might enjoy joining us, send them to the recruitment thread.
May 14, 2024 3:47 pm
@spaceseeker19 Do you want to have Joseph go through a training scene to level up?
May 16, 2024 5:17 am
@JoshuaMabry - yes, of course. Would you submit Joseph back to the game?
May 16, 2024 6:41 am
Just an update:
Reptile and Myrtha can arrive to report in to Olpert at the Inn of Eternal Rest now.
I'm waiting to see if Xana is going to train.
We have three others players who are making characters and will be joining soon (well, just two if Joseph rejoins the party).
Regardless of the status of these things above, I'll be posting about other loose ends and story hooks tomorrow morning.
Reptile and Myrtha can arrive to report in to Olpert at the Inn of Eternal Rest now.
I'm waiting to see if Xana is going to train.
We have three others players who are making characters and will be joining soon (well, just two if Joseph rejoins the party).
Regardless of the status of these things above, I'll be posting about other loose ends and story hooks tomorrow morning.
May 16, 2024 7:54 pm
spaceseeker19 says:
Just an update:Reptile and Myrtha can arrive to report in to Olpert at the Inn of Eternal Rest now.
May 16, 2024 9:58 pm
matmaisan says:
Reptile and Myrtha can arrive to report in to Olpert at the Inn of Eternal Rest now.
I'm not quite sure I understand how to do that. Can't find a thread in which to introduce Myrtha IC. I must be missing something.
May 17, 2024 7:02 am
Moofsalot says:
Xana will continue down the Warlock path!
May 17, 2024 10:37 pm
Im camping this weekend.
I'll try to submit Karliel the half-elf bard by tuesday.
Sorry for the delay things have been hectic on my side in the last week.
I'll try to submit Karliel the half-elf bard by tuesday.
Sorry for the delay things have been hectic on my side in the last week.
May 18, 2024 3:46 pm
GeneralET says:
Im camping this weekend. I'll try to submit Karliel the half-elf bard by tuesday.
Sorry for the delay things have been hectic on my side in the last week.
May 21, 2024 5:48 am
Sorry, everyone! I didn't quite get the next post completed today. I will post tomorrow morning with the L2 characters coming out of training and some "suggestions" from Olpert on what the Dungeon Busters can do next.
May 21, 2024 5:46 pm
Sounds good! I didn't want to interrupt the introduction of the new players with me just strutting into the tavern. I can wait until there's an appropriate time for everyone to gather.
May 21, 2024 11:02 pm
Moofsalot says:
Xana will continue down the Warlock path!Jun 10, 2024 5:56 am
Just checking in with everybody, since we've had some turnover with players recently. Now that you've had some time in the game, how are you liking it? How is the pace, and the balance between role-play, exploration, and action?
On a tangential note, I'm happy to play out the interrogations...if that interests you and you're having fun with them. If you wish to, you can all post your questions for Jonbon and/or the bandits and I can write their responses (under the Zone of Truth) at once...if you want this to go faster.
On a tangential note, I'm happy to play out the interrogations...if that interests you and you're having fun with them. If you wish to, you can all post your questions for Jonbon and/or the bandits and I can write their responses (under the Zone of Truth) at once...if you want this to go faster.
Jun 10, 2024 8:29 am
I've been enjoying this thoroughly. No notes.
As to the interrogation, I'm in no huge hurry but I agree it takes far more time to do so IC through PbP. I'm happy with the way its being handled at the moment.
As to the interrogation, I'm in no huge hurry but I agree it takes far more time to do so IC through PbP. I'm happy with the way its being handled at the moment.
Jun 10, 2024 2:35 pm
I'm enjoying the game immensely.
As for the interrogation, I'm fine with listing questions in order to speed things up. I'd also like the opportunity to post follow-up questions based on the answers we're given.
And don't feel like Aanbo should be leading the interrogation. If anyone has something they'd like to ask, please do so!
As for the interrogation, I'm fine with listing questions in order to speed things up. I'd also like the opportunity to post follow-up questions based on the answers we're given.
And don't feel like Aanbo should be leading the interrogation. If anyone has something they'd like to ask, please do so!
Jun 10, 2024 8:25 pm
How ever you want to do it GM. I'm good. Reptile is not there to do any questioning.
Last edited June 10, 2024 8:26 pm
Jun 13, 2024 4:37 pm
While it makes sense for a character to not want to question the prisoner, I don't want to make it feel like the players have to sit around idle. Feel free to add a question that hasn't yet been asked, and we can work it in.
Jun 17, 2024 2:16 am
I'm back! And I am sorry!!
The past two weeks were an absolute cluster... I had double shifts with no cellphone signal, my "other mom" had multiple strokes and hospitalizations, pet euthenasia, almost had to shoot someone at 5am last Sunday, my mom's birthday, and a highschool graduation.
I'm hoping this week goes back to normal. I'm burned out on excitement.
The past two weeks were an absolute cluster... I had double shifts with no cellphone signal, my "other mom" had multiple strokes and hospitalizations, pet euthenasia, almost had to shoot someone at 5am last Sunday, my mom's birthday, and a highschool graduation.
I'm hoping this week goes back to normal. I'm burned out on excitement.
Jun 17, 2024 4:38 pm
Thanks. I think this may be her new normal, but we'll see how she handles rehab. Weakness on her left side, some intermittent memory issues/confusion. My best friend since we were 15 passed just over two years ago (due to multiple strokes, ironically), and this is his mom. I felt pretty obligated to go visit and check on her. He isn't around to do it, so...
Jun 19, 2024 5:58 pm
Hi everyone, its been a few rough week and I don't foresee much change in the upcomming weeks.
I'll unfortunately will have to drop this game to focus on other things.
Enjoy!
I'll unfortunately will have to drop this game to focus on other things.
Enjoy!
Jun 19, 2024 7:20 pm
I'm sorry to hear that, and I hope that things do get better over time. Thanks for playing!
Jun 22, 2024 5:17 am
I've started a new job, and unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to keep up with this game (especially as I've been having a horrible time keeping up as it is.) Thanks for running, spaceseeker! I hope we'll have a chance to play together again in the future.
Jun 22, 2024 7:02 am
Oh, no! I am happy that you've started a new job (assuming it's a happy development), but I'm sad to see you go; Xana has been such a fun part of the team for years. Good fortune to you!
Jun 24, 2024 4:57 pm
FYI, I will be offline from Wednesday 26 June through Sunday 30 June. Please NPC Aanbo as needed.
Jul 2, 2024 3:40 pm
matmaisan. I really do like that picture of Martha. Has a touch of intrigue to it.
Jul 2, 2024 8:59 pm
I like it quite a bit myself, GeneCortess, it encapsulates nicely the general feel I wanted for Myrtha. I have difficulty finding portraits for characters that are not stereotypically over-the-top fantasy representations of an adventurer. I prefer a more naturalistic style, and this image ā of a character from song of ice and fire ā was the best I could findā¦
Last edited July 2, 2024 9:01 pm
Jul 4, 2024 5:36 am
Sorry that Iāve been off for a few days; Iām on a trip and the PC I brought to continue my posts has proved unreliable. Iām typing on a handheld now, so my posts may seem a bitā¦terseā¦over the next few days.
Jul 16, 2024 1:44 pm
Sorry I took a bit longer to post, I was quite hesitant about Myrtha's action. Simultaneity can do this : her preferred outcome would stil be to avoid fighting a bear, but with what she can see and deduce, she is forced to take action...
Jul 17, 2024 11:47 pm
Having been there already, Theran can retrace his steps on his own - or show others the way, if he cares to - in a matter of moments.
Jul 18, 2024 12:21 am
Oh, he's not showing anyone. Just checking that if it was too close, he'd probably find somewhere further out for the night.
Jul 18, 2024 3:44 am
I keep track of my experience earned and next threshold in the Notes section of my character sheet.
Jul 18, 2024 6:38 am
It hadn't occurred to me to offer it until now, but if some or all of you would like it, I could post a chart with the XP totals for each character, which I could update after each encounter.
Jul 18, 2024 12:12 pm
Ditto. I just added to my PCs GP sheet, but it mihght be easier, and more transparent to have a shared document.
Jul 19, 2024 4:38 am
OK, here it is.
Jul 19, 2024 12:35 pm
Awesome drawing of Orlane, @spaceseeker19! And thanks for the XP table as well!
Jul 24, 2024 8:54 pm
See this post for currency conversion!
Basically Eagles are gold, Seals are silver, and Cubs are copper.
Basically Eagles are gold, Seals are silver, and Cubs are copper.
Jul 25, 2024 12:51 pm
@spaceseeker19 Would you prefer that I stop using color for Myrthaās speech? Iām used to using blue, but not bold. But I wouldnāt mind using bold like everyone else if it makes things easier / clearer.
Jul 25, 2024 6:59 pm
Not at all; I appreciate two things:
- consistency
- some sort of visual distinction between speech and narrative text
I arbitrarily chose using bold for dialog in my own posts years ago, but that's just my convention. Your using the blue for speech satisfies both criteria, for me.
- consistency
- some sort of visual distinction between speech and narrative text
I arbitrarily chose using bold for dialog in my own posts years ago, but that's just my convention. Your using the blue for speech satisfies both criteria, for me.
Jul 31, 2024 6:38 pm
I feel like I've been letting the momentum slow down a bit the last few days, in part because only half of the players have been active; life circumstances are fluid, of course, and stuff comes up. But I'm going to try to keep to the regular daily posting rather than wait until everyone has posted. For today, that means that I'll be rolling the CON saves for the players who don't post in the next several hours, so that I can post the outcomes/development for the benefit of who are active.
Jul 31, 2024 7:27 pm
Iām used to far less regular posting paces here on GP, so Iām not especially perturbed by the occasional slow down. And during the summer months I kind of expect things to slow down as people take vacations and such.
As far as Iām concerned, you have my blessing to roll and/or post for Myrtha whenever my absence or tardiness might endanger the pace youāve set for the game. Shouldnāt happen often, and if it did, it would force me to rethink my presence in the game; in any case, Iām perfectly fine with your proposal.
As far as Iām concerned, you have my blessing to roll and/or post for Myrtha whenever my absence or tardiness might endanger the pace youāve set for the game. Shouldnāt happen often, and if it did, it would force me to rethink my presence in the game; in any case, Iām perfectly fine with your proposal.
Last edited July 31, 2024 7:28 pm
Jul 31, 2024 8:37 pm
I am also fine with you rolling for me if need be. Gene hasn't posted on any game in awhile. Hope everything is alright.
Aug 2, 2024 7:24 pm
This situation - getting drugged in the Inn - is one of the first really dangerous parts of the adventure. I apologize to those of you whose characters have been knocked out; I expect that the encounter will be resolved (one way or another) pretty soon, so there shouldn't be too much more downtime. Separating the party members may actually have been a blessing in this situation, as the people in the Inn don't know where half the party is on their own. Myrtha's is a particularly interesting situation, as she is all alone in a distant location...
Aug 2, 2024 7:51 pm
Iām perfectly fine for her to be sleeping for the next ten hours in a ditch, or on the altar to the Unnamed Oneā¦ just let me know when I need to roll up a new character. I was totally blindsided by this development and am deeply intrigued to see what happens next. Iām happy to take a back seat and watch how the others get out of this situation!
Last edited August 2, 2024 7:51 pm
Aug 2, 2024 9:36 pm
Sorry, I forgot to apply the -2 penalty to my initiative roll. Aanbo will go at initiative 20.
Aug 2, 2024 10:13 pm
CancerMan says:
Sorry, I forgot to apply the -2 penalty to my initiative roll. Aanbo will go at initiative 20.Aug 5, 2024 4:42 am
A quick note just to let you know Iāll be travelling from August 6th through 13th, and will have little time for gaming. Iāll try to check in and post, but if Iām holding things back, please NPC my character.
Aug 7, 2024 4:17 pm
At least Chase doesnāt have to carry Myrthaās pack, or her shield. They remained at the inn. When she wakes up sheāll want to recover her affairs, in particular her smithās tools. Thereāll be another reckoning with Bertram soon enough.
Aug 7, 2024 7:05 pm
I have been offline for a week or so but back now. :) Hope to get caught up soon.
Aug 13, 2024 12:29 pm
I realized it isn't on my list, but... Theran has to have seen a spider, right? Not a giant spider or anything, but a normal run of the mill house spider?
Aug 13, 2024 4:43 pm
Hope you'll forgive me, MaJunior. I'm not trying to be willfully obtuse; I just don't remember Theran shapeshifting, so I'm playing Aanbo like he hasn't seen it. Or if he has, he's forgotten in the excitement.
Aug 14, 2024 4:30 am
MaJunior says:
I realized it isn't on my list, but... Theran has to have seen a spider, right? Not a giant spider or anything, but a normal run of the mill house spider?OOC:
Sure, absolutely. All kinds of insects, too (though I guess, mechanically, he can't beast shape into a flying insect yet).Aug 14, 2024 5:50 am
Awesome, thank you.
That's the problem with the animal lists for Druids... no matter how thorough you try to be, the breadth of the animal kingdom will always have more.
That's the problem with the animal lists for Druids... no matter how thorough you try to be, the breadth of the animal kingdom will always have more.
Aug 23, 2024 4:35 am
MaJunior says:
That's crazy. Wildshape sucks.Here's what I've been trying to convey:
- the spider is tiny, and moves slower than Theran in his natural form
- the spider climbs on walls and ceiling to avoid being stepped on
- I've had the spider automatically succeed on Stealth checks
- the spider can move through closed doors, regardless of whether they're locked, by squeezing through gaps
- spiders don't see very far; they primarily use their vision to ambush prey or escape predators if they come within a few body lengths. So it takes time to examine and identify everything in a large space. My take is that they excel at infiltration, eavesdropping, and ambush, but are not as ideal for thorough searching (because they're so small and have non-flying-bug vision).
- Theran has discovered the precise layout of two previously-unknown rooms and found a few details of interest: Bertram's location, Bertram's condition, a locked chest in Bertram's room, and a stack of crates behind a locked door, as well as confirming his way out of the Inn
- I narrated the results of the search for the key based on the roll; you can continue searching and then revert back to Theran's original form to interact with the objects once you find they key (though you'd have to roll a low DC Stealth check to avoid waking Bertram), or you can leave as a spider and report back to Reptile what you've found
Mea culpa; I should've asked you whether you wanted to perform a "quick scan" of a space or perform a detailed inspection of everything in the room. I'm sorry.
Do you want to say that you did a quick scan of one/both of the rooms, to get time back to search further? A quick scan would take half the time, say, so you'd get back 10 minutes per room, but Theran wouldn't know as much detail about the contents of the room(s). Does that seem fair? Let me know what you think would be.
Aug 23, 2024 5:03 am
MaJunior says:
It does say you keep your INT, WIS, and CHA while transformed. Would it be the spider's +2, or Theran's +3? Rolling the +2 but it might be one higher. Not sure if it will even matter. Also: 40 minutes has passed already? That's 400 turns. I'd honestly have thought with 20 feet of movement in a turn and the ability to Dash I'd have accomplished a lot more than three rooms.
This may have been a much worse plan than I anticipated.
You're right; it doesn't work that way in 5e. The Wild Shape is not an actual polymorph - you're not turning into the animal - you're adopting the shape of the animal and some of its abilities (the physical ability scores). So you have Theran's natural eyes and ears, no matter the shape (unless there is a specific animal ability like tremorsense or keen senses), and you don't have to perceive the world like the beast whose form you are emulating. I'll amend the entries in the 1.7 thread.
Aug 23, 2024 1:18 pm
Are you sure? We don't need to retcon anything. Wildshape is a new thing for Theran, we could let everything stand and chalk it up to learning curve. I'm fine with that.
I was just seriously rethinking my plan, possibly for future events.
I was just seriously rethinking my plan, possibly for future events.
Aug 25, 2024 3:24 pm
@MaJunior - because there's so much to potentially explore, I haven't just said "Here's everything that Theran sees as a spider" in one post, because you won't have time to explore everything on all the levels of the Inn AND get all the way out again in the time remaining. At the same time, though, I'd rather not take days and days and days of posts exploring room by room while everyone else is waiting for Theran to return and report. So how about this? Let's assume that Theran DOES go past the door he found in the kitchen two days ago. Behind this are stairs leading down to a basement.
Here, Theran has a choice. Nearly a third of his Wild Shape time has elapsed. He can:
a) Return to Reptile now, revert to humanoid form, and find the others to report on what he's seen so far,
b) Go down and explore the basement, going as far as he can, then turning back when he has just enough time to get out in spider form, return to Reptile, revert to humanoid form, and find the others
c) Go up and explore the second floor of the Inn, going as far as he can, then turning back when he has just enough time left to get out in spider form, return to Reptile, revert to humanoid form, and find the others
d) Go down and explore the basement and at some point revert to humanoid form while still in the Inn if it takes that long to explore it all
e) Go up and explore the second floor of the Inn, reverting to humanoid form while still in the Inn if it takes that long to explore it all
Here, Theran has a choice. Nearly a third of his Wild Shape time has elapsed. He can:
a) Return to Reptile now, revert to humanoid form, and find the others to report on what he's seen so far,
b) Go down and explore the basement, going as far as he can, then turning back when he has just enough time to get out in spider form, return to Reptile, revert to humanoid form, and find the others
c) Go up and explore the second floor of the Inn, going as far as he can, then turning back when he has just enough time left to get out in spider form, return to Reptile, revert to humanoid form, and find the others
d) Go down and explore the basement and at some point revert to humanoid form while still in the Inn if it takes that long to explore it all
e) Go up and explore the second floor of the Inn, reverting to humanoid form while still in the Inn if it takes that long to explore it all
Aug 25, 2024 5:14 pm
MaJunior says:
Let's start with D, and we'll see how that plays out?Aug 26, 2024 11:24 am
Probably whichever is closest, to start with. Trying to be systematic and not leave a lot of gaps. I suppose, all else being equal, sticking to the left path is doable.
Aug 29, 2024 2:10 pm
I just wanted to assure you all: next time the party splits, I will split the narrative into two threads, so each will be easier to follow. It had occurred to me to do this with this split (Theran and Reptile going to investigate the Inn while the others explored the area), but I didn't because I thought that the time apart would go a lot faster. Sorry about that.
Sep 8, 2024 1:20 am
Note: I will be posting more about the results of each of those rolls shortly (it's a busy day today). Sorry for the wait.
Sep 8, 2024 1:24 am
spaceseeker19 says:
Note: I will be posting more about the results of each of those rolls shortly (it's a busy day today). Sorry for the wait.Sep 16, 2024 5:06 am
Sorry I've slowed down the past few days; it's been very busy with my wedding anniversary, a new housemate moving in, and my wife's birthday. I will post more tomorrow.
Note, however, that I will be out on a trip Friday - Sunday (next weekend), so I may be sporadic then, too.
Note, however, that I will be out on a trip Friday - Sunday (next weekend), so I may be sporadic then, too.
Sep 22, 2024 7:30 pm
Very sorry for the slowness of my response. Iāve had a rough work week, followed by my daughterās birthday and a huge amount of family activities over the weekend. I should be in a better position to post regularly starting tomorrow.
Sep 25, 2024 4:25 am
Sorry for the wait, everyone. I've returned from my trip. Thank you for your patience.
Oct 2, 2024 6:23 pm
Wow those double 1ās Gene!! Good thing youāre getting them out of your system now, when the combat is just beginning.
Oct 4, 2024 9:49 am
Well, the probability of us getting 6 ones in sixteen d20 rolls is quite something! Apparently we've been all getting those rolls out of the way...
Oct 4, 2024 3:27 pm
MaJunior says:
It's not as uncommon as you might think 'round these parts.Oct 4, 2024 4:01 pm
matmaisan says:
MaJunior says:
It's not as uncommon as you might think 'round these parts.Oct 16, 2024 4:00 pm
If there needs to be an extended discussion of whether to stay or flee, we can talk about it here.
As I mentioned, Aanbo feels as though he should stay because he doesn't want our absence/silence to be a tacit agreement of the setup. He believes that the villagers will make up reasons for the presence of the troglodyte and it's better if someone is present to say otherwise. He's willing to split from the group if the others think it's better to flee.
As I mentioned, Aanbo feels as though he should stay because he doesn't want our absence/silence to be a tacit agreement of the setup. He believes that the villagers will make up reasons for the presence of the troglodyte and it's better if someone is present to say otherwise. He's willing to split from the group if the others think it's better to flee.
Oct 16, 2024 11:38 pm
Chase would stay as well to see what Ramne has to say about us killing one of the green men. Also can't leave Aanbo by himself.
Oct 17, 2024 12:58 am
I was thinking of telling the villagers that the rest of the party went to hunt more of the troglodytes, as a way to explain their absence.
Oct 17, 2024 1:27 am
That sounds good I will stay for back up. Hopefully Ramne is upright and helps us out.
Oct 17, 2024 2:17 am
'Hang them high' seems to be a common thought among the villagers probably. Seems that they have already dragged off Jospeh. (Shorter life of a NPC)
Last edited October 17, 2024 2:18 am
Oct 17, 2024 3:47 am
The time pressure here is doing wonders to increase the narrative drama of the scene. I love it!
Strategically, I think we should either all leave or all stay. Splitting the party here seems like a dangerous proposition. Do we at least all agree we have to get rid of the incriminating body?
If the two of you get captured, weāre down to half our numbers and less able to set Joseph, or you two, free. I fear youāll end up just like the dead guy Myrtha and Reptile are getting ready to carry away.
Reasoning with the villagers isnāt a lost cause, but a highly risky one. Assume 10% of the mob are actually in league with Bertram, with their talking points all prepared in advance. Their intent is to sow doubt and suspicion, poison the well. Even if there are mostly honest folk in the mix, weāre still a bunch of strangers who picked a fight with nice olāBertram and nearly killed him for no reason ā and thereāll be plenty of testimony in that sense ā and then, after spending the day loitering around for no good reason, came back for some more bloodshed the next night, probably in league with the lizard people. Itās a very deep hole we have to talk our way out of.
And our most likely ally, Ramne, made clear he hides his real persona because he ā a local person well-known to the other villagers ā is suspicious of all of them and is trying to remain unnoticed by the bad folk infiltrating his community. I wouldnāt expect him to want, or to be able to do much to help us in these circumstances. He clearly wanted us to prove our commitment by leaving town and defeating some reptiles, rather than staying here and killing some villagersā¦
Strategically, I think we should either all leave or all stay. Splitting the party here seems like a dangerous proposition. Do we at least all agree we have to get rid of the incriminating body?
If the two of you get captured, weāre down to half our numbers and less able to set Joseph, or you two, free. I fear youāll end up just like the dead guy Myrtha and Reptile are getting ready to carry away.
Reasoning with the villagers isnāt a lost cause, but a highly risky one. Assume 10% of the mob are actually in league with Bertram, with their talking points all prepared in advance. Their intent is to sow doubt and suspicion, poison the well. Even if there are mostly honest folk in the mix, weāre still a bunch of strangers who picked a fight with nice olāBertram and nearly killed him for no reason ā and thereāll be plenty of testimony in that sense ā and then, after spending the day loitering around for no good reason, came back for some more bloodshed the next night, probably in league with the lizard people. Itās a very deep hole we have to talk our way out of.
And our most likely ally, Ramne, made clear he hides his real persona because he ā a local person well-known to the other villagers ā is suspicious of all of them and is trying to remain unnoticed by the bad folk infiltrating his community. I wouldnāt expect him to want, or to be able to do much to help us in these circumstances. He clearly wanted us to prove our commitment by leaving town and defeating some reptiles, rather than staying here and killing some villagersā¦
Oct 17, 2024 4:07 am
Reptile will run with Martha with the body for sure. Might be hard to convince them otherwise. Neither appears to want to be fingered with the placed dead body and rather risk running with it then the 100% get nailed with it being there.
Oct 17, 2024 5:27 am
The player in me also dislikes splitting the party. But in-character, it feels like running will only make things worse. We'd have absolutely no support and everyone in town, innocents included, will be after us. And us potentially fighting our way into the Golden Grain Inn will look as though we're acting as they think we are. We'd have a harder time explaining ourselves after they've all gone some length in thinking otherwise.
I wouldn't expect Ramne to vouch for us. He has to protect himself lest the entire village turns on him. And he might have to consider that with our absence, maybe we were in league with the troglodytes and left because one of them was killed.
All this makes me think that someone ought to stay behind and lend a voice in our defense. I don't expect it to be easy and like people have said, the villagers may be unreasonable and may not understand what's going on. But even if Aanbo is put in jail or something, maybe that will buy you all some time to infiltrate the inn and find something that implicates Bertram's Buddies instead of us.
I wouldn't expect Ramne to vouch for us. He has to protect himself lest the entire village turns on him. And he might have to consider that with our absence, maybe we were in league with the troglodytes and left because one of them was killed.
All this makes me think that someone ought to stay behind and lend a voice in our defense. I don't expect it to be easy and like people have said, the villagers may be unreasonable and may not understand what's going on. But even if Aanbo is put in jail or something, maybe that will buy you all some time to infiltrate the inn and find something that implicates Bertram's Buddies instead of us.
Oct 17, 2024 9:12 am
I understand your reasoning and I think it is quite sound, but I fear for your character.
It sure is a good thing that you will at least put a different spin to the whole situation by being there and explaining what they'll see. And I think the absence of the bandaged body and teh presence of the reptilian one might undercut the narrative of the infiltrated folks in the mob.
That being said, this whole kerkuffle puts into question the strategy we had hammered out : we thought we'd handle the whole thing through violence (first by ambushing folks in the barn, then by striking the GG inn), and it is now obvious that the wrong-doers have at least one hostage, and that the villager (+some troublemakers) might get a hold on two more hostages.
If we go into the inn and start bashing heads, we'll be reinforcing the narrative according to which we're foreign troublemakers come here to shed the good people's blood. But I think we need to go into the Inn to see what there is to be seen and, eventually, to grab the culprits. That being said, we've given them an entire day to clean up their operation at the Inn, so we might run into a situation that doesn't resemble Theran's experience at all. Going there might be, in itself, a trap. Then again, we suppose they don't know that we explored the Inn's underground and secret portions, and therefore would have no reason to clean up their base of operations.
It sure is a good thing that you will at least put a different spin to the whole situation by being there and explaining what they'll see. And I think the absence of the bandaged body and teh presence of the reptilian one might undercut the narrative of the infiltrated folks in the mob.
That being said, this whole kerkuffle puts into question the strategy we had hammered out : we thought we'd handle the whole thing through violence (first by ambushing folks in the barn, then by striking the GG inn), and it is now obvious that the wrong-doers have at least one hostage, and that the villager (+some troublemakers) might get a hold on two more hostages.
If we go into the inn and start bashing heads, we'll be reinforcing the narrative according to which we're foreign troublemakers come here to shed the good people's blood. But I think we need to go into the Inn to see what there is to be seen and, eventually, to grab the culprits. That being said, we've given them an entire day to clean up their operation at the Inn, so we might run into a situation that doesn't resemble Theran's experience at all. Going there might be, in itself, a trap. Then again, we suppose they don't know that we explored the Inn's underground and secret portions, and therefore would have no reason to clean up their base of operations.
Oct 17, 2024 9:17 am
On a related note, and assuming that the splitting of the teams is going to happen, I have to say I'd rather not have the slightest idea of what goes on with Aanbo, Chase and the villagers. Don't know if it is possible to split the threads, or to hide the threads from the different groups, just to ensure that we don't rely on OOC information to strategize IC (unless, of course, we overhear stuff IC, or get second-hand accounts of what went down with the other party). I'll be fiercely tempted to check out what's going on with the other team, but I think that would compromise my ability to stay in fiction, in Myrtha's (now enraged) mind.
But I would love to read the other thread once all of this is over... :-D I'm easy to please this way...
But I would love to read the other thread once all of this is over... :-D I'm easy to please this way...
Oct 17, 2024 3:09 pm
I will happily create two new threads; I think the conclusion of the battle in the abandoned farmyard is a good occasion to wrap up that thread anyway (it's grown quite long).
Sorry I haven't posted yet; I'm doing work that I should have done previously, in figuring out who all is in the search party that comes in the night. One of the fun and celebrated things about this adventure is that information about every single resident of Orlane is provided, including their location, disposition, profession, etc. So I've been figuring out who all the specific people are that could hear the magically-amplified yelling and would come running. I'll be posting in the threads soon.
Sorry I haven't posted yet; I'm doing work that I should have done previously, in figuring out who all is in the search party that comes in the night. One of the fun and celebrated things about this adventure is that information about every single resident of Orlane is provided, including their location, disposition, profession, etc. So I've been figuring out who all the specific people are that could hear the magically-amplified yelling and would come running. I'll be posting in the threads soon.
Oct 18, 2024 4:44 am
OK, so the people running away with the body - Reptile, Theran, Myrtha - should read and post to the Getting Away with It thread.
The two PCs who are staying to face the villagers - Chase and Aanbo - should read and post to the Suspicion in the Starlight thread.
The two PCs who are staying to face the villagers - Chase and Aanbo - should read and post to the Suspicion in the Starlight thread.
Oct 24, 2024 4:30 pm
Hey, I just want to apologize for the change in my posting behavior (particularly for the people in the "Suspicion" thread); normally I like to make separate posts as each NPC, with pictures, so that you get a better sense of who's doing the talking. But there's TWENTY NPCs here, and there's a LOT of talking happening. So I've decided that, for this stretch, I'm going to post in blocks of text as me, rather than individual posts from each speaker. It just saves time and page space.
Oct 24, 2024 5:10 pm
No worries from me. I can appreciate the work required, so whatever makes things easier for you!
Oct 24, 2024 10:04 pm
Same here, I think it is working well and thank you for all the work you are putting in to it.
Oct 25, 2024 11:14 am
I'm eager to peek in there, but trying to avoid it for now.
Last edited October 25, 2024 11:14 am
Oct 31, 2024 4:07 pm
Sorry for the slow posting rate this past day; each thread had the possibility of affecting the other, so I was waiting to see what each was doing.
Nov 12, 2024 6:09 am
After losing hours of creative writing on characters multiple times, I just can't see using this site as I have noted. I'm exiting this site.
Nov 12, 2024 2:50 pm
Haven't heard from him, but another player in a mutual game with Gene said he's run into an issue where sometimes you preview a post or try to post, and there's some sort of error and your post is just gone.
It sounds like Gene has run into this a few times, and is understandably frustrated.
It sounds like Gene has run into this a few times, and is understandably frustrated.
Nov 12, 2024 7:51 pm
Dang, that sucks! But heās been a super consistent player here on GP for a while, Iām sad to see him goā¦
Nov 13, 2024 10:22 pm
If you've been in games with him like me, you may have noticed that Gene has rage quit many games in the past, both games where he's the player AND games that he was running. So this isn't a surprise, though I wasn't expecting that he'd exit the site entirely. Nevertheless, I've enjoyed his contributions in the various games I've seen for as long as he's participated, and he will be missed.
But what matters for us right now in this game is the decision on how to handle the Reptile PC now that his player is gone. Generally speaking, in RPGs, there are four ways to handle an absent player:
1) The character just fades away or makes an immediate exit.
(I generally don't like this option for the story difficulties it presents: "He was right here - what happened to him??" That said, this is what I've done with many of the characters who have left in this game: they are NPCs now, but mostly back in Hochoch, so removed from the action here. But I only did this because the players left/didn't return in between adventures, so the exit was less of a shock. That's not the case here, though)
2) I run the character as an NPC until such time as the character can leave or is replaced
(I have done this when a player has announced that they will be absent for some amount of time, and are expected to return. For example, in this game I did this at different times as Ogbar, Xana, and Joseph this past year.)
3) The group of remaining players collectively runs the absent player's PC
(Doing this is my strong preference for real-time games, though I haven't tried it yet here on GP. Would you all like to run Reptile?)
4) We find another player who takes over playing Reptile
(Again, this is something I've done in real-time games which I haven't seen on GP...yet. I'd be willing to try it, if there was a player interested and it was OK with the rest of you.)
What are your thoughts? Do you have a preference, or other options of things you've seen work in the past?
But what matters for us right now in this game is the decision on how to handle the Reptile PC now that his player is gone. Generally speaking, in RPGs, there are four ways to handle an absent player:
1) The character just fades away or makes an immediate exit.
(I generally don't like this option for the story difficulties it presents: "He was right here - what happened to him??" That said, this is what I've done with many of the characters who have left in this game: they are NPCs now, but mostly back in Hochoch, so removed from the action here. But I only did this because the players left/didn't return in between adventures, so the exit was less of a shock. That's not the case here, though)
2) I run the character as an NPC until such time as the character can leave or is replaced
(I have done this when a player has announced that they will be absent for some amount of time, and are expected to return. For example, in this game I did this at different times as Ogbar, Xana, and Joseph this past year.)
3) The group of remaining players collectively runs the absent player's PC
(Doing this is my strong preference for real-time games, though I haven't tried it yet here on GP. Would you all like to run Reptile?)
4) We find another player who takes over playing Reptile
(Again, this is something I've done in real-time games which I haven't seen on GP...yet. I'd be willing to try it, if there was a player interested and it was OK with the rest of you.)
What are your thoughts? Do you have a preference, or other options of things you've seen work in the past?
Nov 13, 2024 10:59 pm
I think I'd prefer option #2.
Maybe we can come up with a reason to send Reptile back to Hochoch, such as reporting to Olpert with whatever evidence we've gathered. This assumes we find enough to make a compelling case, of course, and right now we don't have much. Heck, best case scenario is we find Joseph and Reptile takes him back to Hochoch?
Maybe we can come up with a reason to send Reptile back to Hochoch, such as reporting to Olpert with whatever evidence we've gathered. This assumes we find enough to make a compelling case, of course, and right now we don't have much. Heck, best case scenario is we find Joseph and Reptile takes him back to Hochoch?
Last edited November 13, 2024 10:59 pm
Nov 13, 2024 11:17 pm
On that note, I'll also point out that soon enough some of the PCs will have enough XP to train to the next level, which could be another good reason to return to Hochoch.
Nov 13, 2024 11:21 pm
Going to second CancerMan's idea. That said, I certainky could pilot the character for a ahort while, until he takes a pendant and a full accounting of everything that's happened here back to HQ.
Nov 14, 2024 2:17 am
I would agree with the others on the second option unless there was someone who wanted to join the game as Reptile.
Nov 14, 2024 9:29 pm
I share everyoneās preference. You roleplay the former playerās characters very well, and if it isnāt excessively demanding, I think itās the best short-term solution, until Reptile can be replaced.
Nov 15, 2024 2:59 am
Wow, unanimity! It's great to see. Great; I'll continue to play Reptile and Joseph in Orlane until such time as they are retired from the action, and the other Dungeon Busters when/if the party returns to Hochoch. Thank you all for chiming in!
Nov 26, 2024 2:10 am
Just a scheduling head's up: I have a busy weekend this week, and may not manage to post every day.
Dec 22, 2024 3:15 am
Quote:
"Good form," murmurs Aanbo as he watches Theran attempt to deadlift a grown man with a stick.Dec 24, 2024 5:39 pm
Sorry for the slow-down folks: I've been working on preparations for Christmas, and that, coupled with the family being ill the last several days, has interfered with my posting. I should be back to daily now.
Jan 15, 2025 2:39 pm
OK, if you all could stop dying that would be great. Myrtha was my last spell slot.
Jan 15, 2025 5:47 pm
MaJunior says:
OK, if you all could stop dying that would be great. Myrtha was my last spell slot.Jan 15, 2025 6:25 pm
Assuming he gets to 3rd level, I was going to have Aanbo take the Way of Mercy. He'll punch some hit points back into you!
Jan 15, 2025 8:46 pm
Myrtha should have stayed in the corridor, her AC is probably her best quality under these circumstances. She can soak more attacks without risking the collective hp pool. But these dudes are pretty rough: Derek one-shotted Reptile, H.A and
Traver attacked twice per round and took over 30hp to take down, etc.
Traver attacked twice per round and took over 30hp to take down, etc.
Last edited January 15, 2025 8:46 pm
Jan 23, 2025 9:01 pm
As we enter into an interrogation scene, Iāve gotta say we shouldnāt neglect checking out Derekās torture chamber as well. Might find all sorts of incriminating evidence there.
Jan 23, 2025 10:25 pm
It wasn't exactly a "torture chamber."
It was a bedroom where he kept a victim bundled in linens that he seemed to just stab a lot with the stilleto we found on him. Maybe some blood, but I don't think it's going to be too overwhelming.
It was a bedroom where he kept a victim bundled in linens that he seemed to just stab a lot with the stilleto we found on him. Maybe some blood, but I don't think it's going to be too overwhelming.
Jan 24, 2025 5:31 am
Oh, Iād thought Derek had pimped his torture cave. Anyways it might be worth a lookā¦
Jan 24, 2025 6:48 am
Yeah, I'm somewhat to blame for that. I called it "Torture Location" in the post in the map thread. Those names are from what Theran's crazy-fast spider scuttle revealed of the various rooms. Derek had rented a normal room (albeit a little on the larger side) and when Theran first saw it, Derek was in the act of sadistically killing someone. But the party has since returned to that room; it's where Theran got the lockbox.
Referencing the maps in that post, Theran is currently in the "Dining Room" on the second floor, Myrtha and Chase are in the "Barracks" with Lhari (with the adjoining door open so that Theran can run in and help if necessary), and Aanbo is in the "Common Room" on the ground floor.
Referencing the maps in that post, Theran is currently in the "Dining Room" on the second floor, Myrtha and Chase are in the "Barracks" with Lhari (with the adjoining door open so that Theran can run in and help if necessary), and Aanbo is in the "Common Room" on the ground floor.
Jan 30, 2025 10:30 pm
Also, I just wanted to let you all know that as soon as it is clear that you are heading back to Hochoch to train/gain levels, my plan is to re-open the recruitment thread to see if we can add 2-4 more players/PCs to the party, so that we have some more Dungeon Busters ready to join you on the return trip.
Jan 31, 2025 8:49 pm
Reinforcements would be good, indeed.
But before we set off for Hochoch, weāll need rest. And Myrtha wouldnāt want to rest at the Inn, or stay too long there. There are still the tunnels spreading from the cellar. Perhaps the party could hole up down there, and seek another exit. Either that, or we head out, with the prisoners, and take them all to the mayor, before leaving the town.
But before we set off for Hochoch, weāll need rest. And Myrtha wouldnāt want to rest at the Inn, or stay too long there. There are still the tunnels spreading from the cellar. Perhaps the party could hole up down there, and seek another exit. Either that, or we head out, with the prisoners, and take them all to the mayor, before leaving the town.
Jan 31, 2025 9:28 pm
I admit, Aanbo doesn't feel like returning to Hochoch with so much unfinished business. I fear for the safety of Alan and the Mayor, too, as well as anyone else that hasn't yet been kidnapped/converted.
However, I do realize that we're such a small team and Orlane's corruption is very deeply-rooted. If we head back to Hochoch, I'd feel better if we could at least talk to the Mayor and Alan about trying to get more help.
On a meta level, I'm all for recruiting new players.
However, I do realize that we're such a small team and Orlane's corruption is very deeply-rooted. If we head back to Hochoch, I'd feel better if we could at least talk to the Mayor and Alan about trying to get more help.
On a meta level, I'm all for recruiting new players.
Last edited January 31, 2025 9:28 pm
Jan 31, 2025 10:27 pm
Seconding what CancerMan said, because that's pretty much where Theran is at. As a player, leaving makes sense. As a character, leaving now is a terrible idea.
Feb 1, 2025 12:37 am
I know I am unconscious but yes it does seem like a bad time to leave Alan and the Mayor and Ramne. Maybe Joesph headed back for reinforcements.
Last edited February 1, 2025 3:04 pm
Feb 1, 2025 7:11 am
Iām afraid Joseph has been kidnapped. I thought of speaking to the mayor because we have these prisoners we donāt want to kill, but canāt carry along with us, and canāt just leave behind. But IC I donāt think Myrtha knows anything of what transpired with Aanbo and Chase, so this is metagaming on my part. In her mind we split away from the party to hide the body, got into a fight in the taproom, got Reptile killed, you guys showed up, turning the tide of combat, and then itās been one long skirmish till now.
Last edited February 1, 2025 7:12 am
Feb 1, 2025 9:44 pm
So it sounds like you want to interrogate the prisoners, get out of the Golden Grain Inn, find a place to take a long rest, talk to the Mayor (not necessarily in that order), and then eventually head out to Hochoch to check in with the Dungeon Busters and train.
All that said, how would you all like to proceed?
With regards to the prisoners, I'd offered to summarize the outcome of the dialogue, but if it would help more, I can create a side thread for the conversation/interrogation. That would allow us to conduct the question-and-answer with Lhari (and Hamiff, if he wakes) in parallel with the group trying to find a different place to rest. Any other ideas?
All that said, how would you all like to proceed?
With regards to the prisoners, I'd offered to summarize the outcome of the dialogue, but if it would help more, I can create a side thread for the conversation/interrogation. That would allow us to conduct the question-and-answer with Lhari (and Hamiff, if he wakes) in parallel with the group trying to find a different place to rest. Any other ideas?
Feb 4, 2025 9:23 pm
Do you all want to tell each other in character what happened since you split up, or do you just want to summarize?
Feb 4, 2025 11:38 pm
I can't speak for everyone, but Aanbo would tell the others everything that happened to him and Chase. He'd identify people that did not appear corrupted, such as the Mayor and Alan. He'd also say what happened to the Constable and how they left them alive, yet disarmed and bound, hopefully to sow confusion as to why the "outsiders" didn't kill indiscriminately as accused.
So with that in mind, I'm okay with a summary. We can RP the discussion if people feel like hiding something, of course.
So with that in mind, I'm okay with a summary. We can RP the discussion if people feel like hiding something, of course.
Feb 5, 2025 3:31 am
The summaries would be helpful for ideas of people/places to look for now, when the party is trying to find a place to rest in the middle of the night. The NPCs that were met and locations scouted by each group will be a good starting point for that discussion. Of course, the group could try going back to the barn to wait out the night...it's up to you all.
Feb 5, 2025 5:21 pm
...do you want ME to provide those summaries? I can, if that is your preference. Let me know. I want to help, but I'm not sure what the sticking point is.
Feb 5, 2025 5:40 pm
I can do it but it will be after work tonight. Yesterday was 14 hours, got home in time to go to bed. Today won't be as long, but my jobsite has spotty internet.
Feb 5, 2025 6:36 pm
I'll try to get some more answers out of Lhari if we can. Aanbo would want to get as much information about these cultists as he can, so that he can at least pass along this info to allies.
Feb 5, 2025 8:25 pm
Sorry, Iāve been overwhelmed by work and have barely managed to catch up.
Myrtha would also share all their group had discovered, and impart her curiosity regarding the tunnels leaving from the cellar. Sheās also concerned with Reptileās body being just left there on the taproom floor. She would like to hand the prisoners over to the mayor before getting out of Orlane to report back to DungeonBuster HQ.
Myrtha would also share all their group had discovered, and impart her curiosity regarding the tunnels leaving from the cellar. Sheās also concerned with Reptileās body being just left there on the taproom floor. She would like to hand the prisoners over to the mayor before getting out of Orlane to report back to DungeonBuster HQ.
Feb 7, 2025 12:50 am
Hello? You might guess that I'm a target problems.
Last edited February 7, 2025 12:51 am
Feb 7, 2025 6:31 pm
By now you may have seen the Timeline thread; if you haven't, it's https://gamersplane.com/forums/thread/36031/.
So far, I've only gone up through chapter 1.7, as the characters are in the process of telling each other what happened in 1.8 and we're still playing 1.9. Let me know if these high-level summaries have left out anything that you feel is particularly important.
So far, I've only gone up through chapter 1.7, as the characters are in the process of telling each other what happened in 1.8 and we're still playing 1.9. Let me know if these high-level summaries have left out anything that you feel is particularly important.
Feb 7, 2025 7:09 pm
Wow. Epic fight. Dungeon Buster Manthis is ready to meet up with the group when the DM wants.
Feb 7, 2025 8:17 pm
So just to be clear, the newbies wont be starting from the beginning of the adventure?
Feb 7, 2025 8:27 pm
DireHalfling says:
So just to be clear, the newbies wont be starting from the beginning of the adventure?Feb 7, 2025 9:06 pm
Those are excellent summaries, @spaceseeker19. Thanks for all the work you pour into this game! Itās a privilege to be here.
Feb 7, 2025 9:30 pm
Fantastic summary. I don't tend to be one that reads other's stories, but that was very well done and very helpful. I can't wait to get thrown into the adventure.
Feb 9, 2025 3:06 am
I apologize for the late posting; I was running a Strontium Dog RPG one-shot today, and it took a lot more prep than I had scheduled. More to post after supper.
Feb 10, 2025 2:17 am
@DireHalfling
How are you? Looking forward playing with you. Maybe you didn't notice, but our game thread is up here.
Thanks,
How are you? Looking forward playing with you. Maybe you didn't notice, but our game thread is up here.
Thanks,
Feb 10, 2025 8:30 am
@spaceseeker19
Thanks for the nice posts.
Two questions please.
1. About the temple, can we see from which god it's or it's too dark?
2. Is it ok if Arya present to the DB boss a letter of introduction from her temple/high priest as well? I thought that usually cleric carry with them their credential, as there's many fraud in the world. Just roleplay, i don't expect it to do anything except connect with the NPC. Thanks.
Thanks,
Thanks for the nice posts.
Two questions please.
1. About the temple, can we see from which god it's or it's too dark?
2. Is it ok if Arya present to the DB boss a letter of introduction from her temple/high priest as well? I thought that usually cleric carry with them their credential, as there's many fraud in the world. Just roleplay, i don't expect it to do anything except connect with the NPC. Thanks.
Thanks,
Last edited February 10, 2025 9:10 am
Feb 10, 2025 2:47 pm
@Nebula
I look forward to playing with you too. Yeah, sorry. I'm away from my computer most weekends. However, it's a growth during the work week.
I look forward to playing with you too. Yeah, sorry. I'm away from my computer most weekends. However, it's a growth during the work week.
Last edited February 10, 2025 2:48 pm
Feb 10, 2025 3:43 pm
DireHalfling says:
@Nebula I look forward to playing with you too. Yeah, sorry. I'm away from my computer most weekends. However, it's a growth during the work week.
Feb 10, 2025 7:24 pm
Nebula says:
1. About the temple, can we see from which god it's or it's too dark?Nebula says:
2. Is it ok if Arya present to the DB boss a letter of introduction from her temple/high priest as well? I thought that usually cleric carry with them their credential, as there's many fraud in the world. Just roleplay, i don't expect it to do anything except connect with the NPC.Thanks.
Edit: I can see that you'd already done both of these things before I responded! Brava! That'll teach me to post before checking all the threads!
Feb 17, 2025 2:40 pm
Nebula says:
The bard Jonbon is still in prison right? Who captured him?As to who captured him, the short answer is the Dungeon Busters. The specific answer is that it was Ogbar and Aanbo who caught up to the wagon as the minstrel was taking the drugged Jarl family east and beat him down. They then took the victims and their captive back to the Jarl farm, where they met with Xana, Durren, and Quest. Quest and Durren took turns watching Jonbon, who was tied up in the Jarls' barn, and the next day the four heroes (Quest left early) took the kidnapper back to Hochoch. He's been in custody waiting for his trial ever since.
Feb 19, 2025 12:33 am
Hey, everyone! Sorry for the delay. I'm back from Dundracon 48 now and posting regularly again.
Feb 20, 2025 2:53 pm
Hey, dumb question but it's been a while... we found our actual missing gear, didn't we?
I admit, I didn't want to go page by page to try and dlmake sure, and figured one of the other players might remember.
I admit, I didn't want to go page by page to try and dlmake sure, and figured one of the other players might remember.
Feb 20, 2025 5:42 pm
MaJunior says:
we found our actual missing gear, didn't we? Feb 24, 2025 3:10 pm
Sorry I wasn't online a few days. I got sick and, as a rule, I don't access GP outside of work. Weird I know.
Feb 26, 2025 5:09 am
Please what is the best regional map for the campaign where we can see where Hochoch and Orlane fit in the world?
Thanks
Thanks
Feb 26, 2025 6:39 am
I like Mike Schley's maps. Here is his map of Hochoch, and there is an inset which references nearby locations; Orlane is labeled "F" and is east of the town. The caveat is that I don't know if N1 follows the same map, but it's at least useful for reference.
As for where Hochoch is in the Greyhawk world, we're on the western part of the world map between Geoff and Gran March.
As for where Hochoch is in the Greyhawk world, we're on the western part of the world map between Geoff and Gran March.
Feb 26, 2025 7:24 pm
The world map is good to give you a rough estimate of where nations are in relationship to one another. But know that Orlane, Hochoch, and Hookhill are actually in a roughly straight line - which is Cecily's Road - and both Orlane and Hochoch abut the same river, the Realstream.
The Hochoch map is nice. It is clearly heavily-inspired by the map of Phlan from the Forgotten Realms (and originally from the "Pool of Radiance" video game), which is a fun call-out. I know no one is suggesting we are using this Hochoch map, but I will point out that it incorrectly portrays a riverport city rather than the much-smaller market town that Hochoch is (at least in this module; maybe Hochoch grows into a metropolis over the course of later Greyhawk history).
I drew the map of Hochoch that we're using for this game when I started it; I haven't been able to go back and re-ink it yet simply because I cannot find it!
The Hochoch map is nice. It is clearly heavily-inspired by the map of Phlan from the Forgotten Realms (and originally from the "Pool of Radiance" video game), which is a fun call-out. I know no one is suggesting we are using this Hochoch map, but I will point out that it incorrectly portrays a riverport city rather than the much-smaller market town that Hochoch is (at least in this module; maybe Hochoch grows into a metropolis over the course of later Greyhawk history).
I drew the map of Hochoch that we're using for this game when I started it; I haven't been able to go back and re-ink it yet simply because I cannot find it!
Feb 26, 2025 8:08 pm
Yeah, that's why I added the caveat that the map(s) may not be 100% relevant to our game. Schley's maps are obviously very recent and may not reflect the context of N1, either through lore or just artistic license.
Feb 26, 2025 8:30 pm
Also not sure if this regional map fits with the exact geography in this game (I suspect not, given the Dim Forestās distance to Orlane), but Anna B Meyersā GH maps are highly appreciated by the fandom.
Last edited February 26, 2025 8:32 pm
Feb 27, 2025 12:52 am
WanderOne says:
I couldn't record of play before 2.1b for us. Was it removed?This entire game is public, so everyone should be able to read all the threads even if they're not in the game.
If that's not what you were talking about, please elaborate.
Feb 27, 2025 2:17 am
Completed Adventure sub has nothing about Manthis in it. It is all before his time but current does. I need to learn to read better. LOL. False alarm as I try to push the fire alarm switch back up in the right position.
Last edited February 27, 2025 2:22 am
Feb 27, 2025 4:09 am
Folks: I had four slots open for people to join the game, and three of them were filled weeks ago. However, I missed a fourth person while I was away at Dundracon 48. That person may still be joining us; if so, I'll be working with them on how to introduce another character into the narrative, and at that time I'd love to hear your ideas, too.
Mar 13, 2025 1:25 am
At least one undead destroyed another undead, so we are not totally unlucky. :D
Last edited March 13, 2025 1:25 am
Mar 13, 2025 2:07 am
Yeah. I forgot that the fire was in the fog so there is total darkness outside the fog now. Would make escaping the Undead a bit harder. Sorry for the failed rescue Rosemary.
Mar 13, 2025 3:37 am
That's why Arya spent the time to cast light on herself.... she can't run away effectively otherwise.
Last edited March 13, 2025 3:38 am
Mar 13, 2025 1:30 pm
One thing I would love is that, if Manthis does survive, the party calling him Mantis becomes a running gag. Like he politely corrects people that his name is "Manthis," and they're mystified because "Yeah, that's what I said" (everyone else keeps calling him "Mantis" because they can't hear the difference).
Mar 16, 2025 2:03 am
Please if i understand properly, in DnD 2014, a cleric level 1, can only cast twice a level 1 spell? There's no bonus for wisdom? Thanks.
Mar 16, 2025 2:40 am
Nebula says:
Please if i understand properly, in DnD 2014, a cleric level 1, can only cast twice a level 1 spell? There's no bonus for wisdom? Thanks.Mar 16, 2025 11:48 pm
@spaceseeker19
Please in my post. Arya tried to get her armor anx thing by the camp fire as the folks dragged Rosemary.
Did she managed to do so? :) thanks
https://gamersplane.com/forums/thread/36047/?p=1826628#p1826628
Please in my post. Arya tried to get her armor anx thing by the camp fire as the folks dragged Rosemary.
Did she managed to do so? :) thanks
https://gamersplane.com/forums/thread/36047/?p=1826628#p1826628
Mar 17, 2025 4:01 am
Nebula says:
Arya tried to get her armor anx thing by the camp fire as the folks dragged Rosemary.Did she managed to do so?
Mar 17, 2025 4:51 am
Originally, i based my post with the understanding that the fog didn't cover all the camp in the latest version, so i thought she could do it maybe? Wishful thinking? :)
But going back IN the fog with the zombies, no thank you :) She left her armor behind if its the case. Thanks.
But going back IN the fog with the zombies, no thank you :) She left her armor behind if its the case. Thanks.
Last edited March 17, 2025 4:52 am
Mar 17, 2025 5:15 am
With all that's happened, I'm going to assume that the party won't soon forget the location of this campground, so you each know that you'll be able to return later if you wish to do so.
Mar 19, 2025 12:25 am
I just wanted to take a moment to apologize to the rest of the party. I joined this site as an introduction to D&D. I think my character may be doomed from my poor character creation, but I feel as though I need to play this out. I also wanted to thank the DM for being patient.
Mar 19, 2025 12:45 am
Well, I can't see your character sheet but I can tell you very few characters are "doomed." Your character may be sub-optimal, but that's not really a bad thing. The only time you need an optimized character is if either 1) all the other characters are optimized, or 2) the GM is running an unforgiving and lethal game.
Neither of those situations are true for this game.
Neither of those situations are true for this game.
Mar 19, 2025 1:48 am
KidEnnui says:
I just wanted to take a moment to apologize to the rest of the party. I joined this site as an introduction to D&D. I think my character may be doomed from my poor character creation, but I feel as though I need to play this out. I also wanted to thank the DM for being patient.Mar 22, 2025 2:26 am
For critical hit, natural 20, we roll twice the dice?
Last edited March 22, 2025 2:39 am
Mar 22, 2025 3:14 am
Roll the damage dice again, then add modifiers; so your damage roll would be 2d8+3.
Mar 30, 2025 1:07 am
Quote:
I will not-so-subtly remind/point out that characters need to pay their trainers when gaining levels.Mar 30, 2025 7:46 am
Could the GM give us an ideal of the cost to get training? And the ability to sell magic items and how much that might bring? Just tp get headsUp on the situation.
Mar 30, 2025 4:25 pm
CancerMan says:
Cost-wise, training is 15 eagles (gp) and 1 day per level.I realized recently that this wasn't explicitly described in the first post of the rules thread, so I added it as a note under the rule "Training to gain levels." Before that, we'd discussed it in the game thread, but that was months ago now and is hard to find (you'd have to know when Aanbo and Theran advanced to level 2, and nobody expects that).
Mar 30, 2025 5:31 pm
WanderOne says:
Could the GM give us an ideal of...the ability to sell magic items and how much that might bring?1) finding a buyer. With many common items (such as weapons), this will be very easy and there are many possible buyers. With rarer items, there are probably fewer people who want to buy them, and some of them might be willing to buy for a lower cost.
2) Arriving at a sell price. The NPC will make an offer, which the PCs can accept or try to negotiate. This negotiation could be strictly role-play, or it could involve mechanics if you want to haggle quickly without so much conversation (this would be a CHR (Persuasion) check).
3) Making the sale.
More about sell prices:
The value of mundane items should be fairly clear, though the offer price may differ based on whether the person wants it for themselves (usually a higher offer) or they want to resell it (usually a lower offer).
The offer for most common items (such as weapons, armor, etc) will usually be less than the normal purchase price for a new item of that type (a beat-up, old glaive is perceived to be worth less than a shiny new one), while the offer for rare or unique items might be more than the purchase price of a comparable new item (an heirloom medallion, or a historical statue).
Magic items are interesting, assuming you can find a buyer. Some people will buy unidentified magic items on the hope that it's something good; this may mean that the offer price is much lower than the actual value (if it turns out to be a beneficial magic item) or much higher than the actual value (if it turns out to be a detrimental/cursed magic item). Identified magic items will sell for much more money than nonmagical items (of course, you might not want to sell them if they're useful to the party), but identifying the magic item requires someone casting Identify, and if that person is an NPC, that costs money, too. Still, it's likely that even a single common magic item will sell for more than enough money to cover the costs of training one or two Dungeon Busters.
Mar 30, 2025 11:51 pm
spaceseeker19 says:
CancerMan says:
Cost-wise, training is 15 eagles (gp) and 1 day per level.I realized recently that this wasn't explicitly described in the first post of the rules thread, so I added it as a note under the rule "Training to gain levels." Before that, we'd discussed it in the game thread, but that was months ago now and is hard to find (you'd have to know when Aanbo and Theran advanced to level 2, and nobody expects that).
Mar 31, 2025 3:27 pm
Nothing I claim is just for me. Jonel has extensive experience working with a team. He would definitely split any gold from loot.
I rather like the paying for levels rule. Gives us something to work toward rather than just taking the next step.
I rather like the paying for levels rule. Gives us something to work toward rather than just taking the next step.
Apr 2, 2025 12:40 am
Sorry, i might had miss that point, but is there an obligation to share magical items with Dungeon Busters leadership? Sorry, might had forgot about this when the NPC "onboarded" us. :)
Apr 2, 2025 5:01 am
Nebula says:
Sorry, i might had miss that point, but is there an obligation to share magical items with Dungeon Busters leadership?Apr 3, 2025 7:24 pm
DireHalfling says:
Do Dungeon Busters have badges or anything identifiable so we would know this group is part of the same organization?That said: let's get some suggestions on what the Dungeon Busters would have as its coat of arms/collection of symbols that identify Cecily's adventuring guild! What do you think should be included?
Apr 3, 2025 7:50 pm
First suggestion would be a question if Madam Cecily had a crest of her own. We could base it off of hers to honor her founding the organization and add any extra flairs.
Apr 4, 2025 12:01 am
Question please, six just casted a divine spell right? Arya is not taking kindly competition. :D
Apr 4, 2025 12:03 am
Nebula says:
Question please, six just casted a divine spell right? Arya is not taking kindly competition. :DApr 4, 2025 12:13 am
CancerMan says:
First suggestion would be a question if Madam Cecily had a crest of her own. We could base it off of hers to honor her founding the organization and add any extra flairs.Apr 4, 2025 1:03 am
No decoder ring? Kidding. But rings are way to take note of membership.
Last edited April 4, 2025 4:08 am
Apr 4, 2025 4:07 am
Just as a first pass, I'm thinking of something like an eagle/raptor silhouette with a downward-pointing blade. Something like this stock image found online, which seems simple enough to be made into a pin, yet detailed enough to be unique:
Apr 4, 2025 7:17 pm
Cool image. I wonder if people not given authority by local nobility use insignia of this kind in Keoland? Branding oneself as a collective (armed!) force could be seen it suspicion, in some historical contextsā¦ maybe the Dungeon busters have a special status as a mercenary company?
Apr 4, 2025 7:39 pm
matmaisan says:
I wonder if people not given authority by local nobility use insignia of this kind in Keoland? Maybe the Dungeon busters have a special status as a mercenary company?Apr 9, 2025 2:39 am
So I've read through the Sorc section of the PHB pretty extensively, and I must say, I'm not in love with the class.
Apr 9, 2025 4:07 am
Does Manthis an AOO on bandit four as he moved away? Revenge for Mythra!
Last edited April 9, 2025 4:07 am
Apr 9, 2025 6:16 am
WanderOne says:
Does Manthis an AOO on bandit four as he moved away? Revenge for Mythra!Apr 9, 2025 10:50 am
WanderOne says:
Oh. Such a cunning thief!Last edited April 9, 2025 10:50 am
Apr 10, 2025 12:16 am
Arya and Myrtha can enjoy their new splattering of blood sent special delivery by Manthis. And even the dwarven monk gets his share of splatter.
Last edited April 10, 2025 12:19 am
Apr 13, 2025 1:40 am
KidEnnui says:
Is Reptile dead dead?If that wasn't enough, Reptile's player had quit Gamer's Plane months earlier, swearing that he'd never return. This simultaneously abandoned this game and half a dozen others, including games he was running. If the party really wanted to scrape together the money to pay for Diana to Raise Dead on Reptile, they could. But we have a full party of eight PCs (so no one to play Reptile) and about a dozen former-PCs that are now NPCs (so enough for me to run) back in Hochoch; I don't think there's a need or even desire to bring him back outside of roleplaying character relationships.
Apr 13, 2025 7:39 am
Considering how much coin it takes to level and Manthis is closing in that, every coin is a blessing. So perhaps making a pulling device to place the mass of weapons and armor on that is cumbersome to carry would aid? Manthis feels the need. Looting down to the lion/cub (copper) coin.
Last edited April 13, 2025 7:41 am
Apr 13, 2025 1:42 pm
Nebula says:
Merikka is a lawful good goddess of agriculture in greyhawk. Does Arya knows?And everyone, please do point out if there are items that you think are relevant missing from that list. I don't want it to be an exhaustive list of everything Greyhawk, but I do want it to include everything relevant to this game. So if there's a faction, organization, or faith that you've encountered in the game or that is part of your character backstory, it should be there.
Apr 14, 2025 10:12 pm
I am by no means hording the items I take. Intent would to be to split the gold I get from haggling among Manthis, Arya, Rose, and I.
Apr 15, 2025 4:52 am
Just thought I would bring this up. I noticed Jonel is listed as a criminal in the World Book. My criminal background is more of a spy or undercover guard. Experience with criminal skills and tools because of the nature of his work, not literally a criminal.
Apr 15, 2025 5:45 am
KidEnnui says:
Just thought I would bring this up. I noticed Jonel is listed as a criminal in the World Book. My criminal background is more of a spy or undercover guard. Experience with criminal skills and tools because of the nature of his work, not literally a criminal.Apr 15, 2025 8:04 pm
spaceseeker19 says:
KidEnnui says:
Just thought I would bring this up. I noticed Jonel is listed as a criminal in the World Book. My criminal background is more of a spy or undercover guard. Experience with criminal skills and tools because of the nature of his work, not literally a criminal.Apr 15, 2025 9:36 pm
May I just gush for a moment and say how delighted I am with everyone's role-playing? You guys are great.
Apr 16, 2025 4:56 am
spaceseeker19 says:
May I just gush for a moment and say how delighted I am with everyone's role-playing? You guys are great.Apr 17, 2025 4:57 am
Sorry about this, everyone. The adventure has random encounter tables, with an encounter indicated when rolling a 6 on 1d6. Believe it or not, I've rolled a 6 five times in a row now.
Apr 17, 2025 8:39 pm
Also, split parties = statistically higher chances for random encounters. At least if these are standard zombies, Chase should have a good chance of outrunning themā¦ we werenāt warned that Orlane was the village just recently hit by the zombie apocalypse! We have much to report at headquarters!
Apr 17, 2025 9:49 pm
I should get away pretty easy I think. But there does seem to be a lot undead in these here woods.
Apr 19, 2025 7:23 am
This is turning out to be an unusually busy Easter weekend. I'm going to be pretty busy Friday - Sunday this week. I'll try to post when I can.
Apr 19, 2025 9:38 am
Is this available in Hochoch?
Armor Maintenance Kit (1 gp, 1 pound): Composed of polishes, rags, replacement fasteners, wire brushes, and leather strips, this kit is indispensable in keeping armor in top form.
Nothing mechanical wise, just something appropriate to own with armor.
Armor Maintenance Kit (1 gp, 1 pound): Composed of polishes, rags, replacement fasteners, wire brushes, and leather strips, this kit is indispensable in keeping armor in top form.
Nothing mechanical wise, just something appropriate to own with armor.
Last edited April 19, 2025 9:38 am
Apr 21, 2025 2:57 am
WanderOne says:
Is this (Armor Maintenance Kit) available in Hochoch?Apr 24, 2025 5:55 am
Folks, I apologize. I only just realized something that had been nagging at me for a while but I couldn't quite put my finger on it...I'd forgotten to properly portray the Jarls' rustic Keolish speech patterns. That practice is to shower strangers and guests with hyperbolic honorifics so extravagant that they verge on being sarcastic. This is either not sarcasm or it is sarcasm but it is so widespread and universal for rural people living for generations in Keoland (and now, since the Grand Duke took over the region, including Geoff) that everybody in the land is sarcastic...and that's not likely, is it? It just seems that way to outsiders.
I've amended the last few posts to add in the outrageous honorifics; you do not need to adjust your previous responses, as your PCs all have been exposed to enough of this behavior that it hardly registers for them anymore (or it does but it's not worth making a fuss over, as that doesn't turn out well).
I've amended the last few posts to add in the outrageous honorifics; you do not need to adjust your previous responses, as your PCs all have been exposed to enough of this behavior that it hardly registers for them anymore (or it does but it's not worth making a fuss over, as that doesn't turn out well).
Apr 24, 2025 8:32 am
I was hearing their overly-honorific jargon as implied in the narrative. It lakes great demands on your time to write in that prose all the time, so to me it can become a background element of the culture, only to be mentioned when it is absent, or excessive.
Apr 30, 2025 10:19 pm
spaceseeker19 says:
MaJunior says:
Did I miss something? It's entirely possible... but I have Theran at 804xp, just shy of the 900 needed for level 3. So I don't think he needs to train?OOC:
He doesn't need to train, but he does have enough XP to do so if you want.Apr 30, 2025 10:26 pm
Correct.
But I trust our GM. If Spaceseeker is sure I have 902, then I do. I trust his math over my own. Wouldn't be the first time I've forgotten to make a note or change a value (even IRL). It won't be the last either, I'm sure.
But I trust our GM. If Spaceseeker is sure I have 902, then I do. I trust his math over my own. Wouldn't be the first time I've forgotten to make a note or change a value (even IRL). It won't be the last either, I'm sure.
May 5, 2025 9:30 pm
KidEnnui says:
Is golden/blonde hair common in the area?May 5, 2025 10:06 pm
I had a certain item in mind which is on a character that hasn't posted in a while.
May 10, 2025 4:30 pm
WanderOne says:
Taking time off due to real life.May 14, 2025 3:09 pm
matmaisan says:
OOC:
Myrtha is looking for detection and/or identification. I might be missing something, but what are imperial dragon coins? And where did Theran run into them?May 14, 2025 3:33 pm
I had totally forgotten those! Awesome loot.
@spaceseeker19, In fiction, is this Keoish coinage? What empire minted the coin?
@spaceseeker19, In fiction, is this Keoish coinage? What empire minted the coin?
Last edited May 14, 2025 3:35 pm
May 14, 2025 8:45 pm
Manthis left us?
I vote we take his share of the loot and that's what we donate to the Jarls. Makes the math super easy -- it stays the same for the rest of us. And it lets us do something a few of us mentioned doing in game.
Two birds, one stone.
I vote we take his share of the loot and that's what we donate to the Jarls. Makes the math super easy -- it stays the same for the rest of us. And it lets us do something a few of us mentioned doing in game.
Two birds, one stone.
May 14, 2025 8:51 pm
I know. But, players come and go -- just part of the package with PbP. It always sucks to lose a good player and/or an enjoyable character, but you learn to roll with it. It's all you can do.
May 14, 2025 9:24 pm
Manthis is being changed out for Morton a newbie DB. I'm still around. Mwaa ha ha.
May 15, 2025 12:39 am
We could still do what Ma Junior suggested though since Manthis is an npc now.
May 15, 2025 4:56 am
Yeah, I guess we should give Manthisā share to the Jarls rather than recalculate.
May 15, 2025 9:03 pm
KidEnnui says:
Hey, come on now. NPC's deserve equal treatment. /jokeMay 16, 2025 10:53 am
Sorry, im catching up.
Please why did Mantis left?
Please how much gold Arya got? 20 Imperial Dragon coins? What does it worth, its not listed in the coins glossary.
Thanks,
Please why did Mantis left?
Please how much gold Arya got? 20 Imperial Dragon coins? What does it worth, its not listed in the coins glossary.
Thanks,
Last edited May 16, 2025 10:56 am
May 16, 2025 11:14 am
Nebula says:
Please why did Mantis left?Nebula says:
Please how much gold Arya got?3 seals (silver)
1 cub (copper)
- That's the current total per character. There may be more coming from selling equipment.
Nebula says:
20 Imperial Dragon coins? What does it worth?May 16, 2025 1:50 pm
matmaisan says:
(referring to the "dragons")In fiction, is this Keoish coinage? What empire minted the coin?You wouldn't be far off to think of them as $1,000 bills: they're worth 1000 of the common currency (the copper lion, or "cub") and they're still legal tender, but they haven't been minted in your lifetime, and most people have never seen one because they're so rare.
May 16, 2025 4:11 pm
Which might mean that it'd be difficult to use as payment, if my personal experiences with using US $2.00 bills or $1.00 coins are any indication.
May 16, 2025 4:27 pm
CancerMan says:
Which might mean that it'd be difficult to use as payment, if my personal experiences with using US $2.00 bills or $1.00 coins are any indication.May 22, 2025 10:07 pm
@WanderOne - Morton has just arrived in Hochoch. Would you pick two of the Dungeon Busters that you trained with previously, before they were sent out here? That way your new character has a bit of connection with the people here, and we don't have to deal with all (or at least as much) of the suspicion that Jonel has received. Of course it would be preferable if at least one of them was a PC in the party now.
For the rest of you: any of you feel like your characters would have hit it off during Cecily's orientation?
For the rest of you: any of you feel like your characters would have hit it off during Cecily's orientation?
May 23, 2025 2:20 am
So it looks like for about 91 eagles we could each outfit a horse. This would be very useful and cut down our travel time.
May 23, 2025 11:28 am
Thinking more about it though I guess it wouldn't do us good to have horses going back to Orlane. We need to sneak back in there and would have no place to keep horses.
May 23, 2025 2:01 pm
Also, I surely am not going to keep rolling the ~16.5% (1 in 6) chance of a random encounter!
On a different note, I'm realizing that I haven't handed out XP for some of the treasure you brought back to town. That's incoming.
On a different note, I'm realizing that I haven't handed out XP for some of the treasure you brought back to town. That's incoming.
May 23, 2025 11:44 pm
Horses are a bit expensive right now, though those days of walking are pretty rough.
May 24, 2025 3:43 am
spaceseeker19 says:
Also, I surely am not going to keep rolling the ~16.5% (1 in 6) chance of a random encounter!On a different note, I'm realizing that I haven't handed out XP for some of the treasure you brought back to town. That's incoming.
May 24, 2025 3:45 am
Quote:
Also, I surely am not going to keep rolling the ~16.5% (1 in 6) chance of a random encounter!May 24, 2025 7:44 am
Nebula says:
Please im not sure what is Arya's total, its been hard to track. Thanks.May 27, 2025 2:29 am
I feel like it's pretty dangerous to be hauling around mass amounts of coinage.
May 27, 2025 3:06 am
Does Olpert have lockers or some kind of safe deposit box that we could stash excess coins in?
May 27, 2025 3:48 am
Purchasing fine jewelry or expensive gems is a fine way to easily convert lots of troublesome coins into something quite easy to handle and conceal.
May 27, 2025 10:04 pm
At this point, I'm becoming a bit concerned about the state of the game. We have the one apparent ghosting coupled with the fact that the party has been in Hochoch since the end of April. I am losing interest. I would rather just be honest at this point than quietly discontent.
May 27, 2025 10:22 pm
This is the nature of PBP, in my opinion. We had several objectives to complete in Hochoch that could be roleplayed or not. We have been stating that we're not interested in RPing some activities (selling gear) while RPing others (training, funeral).
The disparate nature of our party also means we're not on the same page, plus it seems that some of us are pursuing our own agenda. That means different posts of back-and-forth engagement between us and the DM, which can translate to several real-life days depending on how active we are on the site. In-game we're spending at least three days in Hochoch, but there's no correlation of how quickly we'd actually get through those days, especially when we have different things to do.
Maybe we can do better in our agreements to skip time and move forward, or communicating when we're done and ready to proceed. I can understand how we're left twiddling our thumbs doing nothing while someone else is actively doing their own thing. However, I also don't want to deny another player the chance to RP or further develop their character beyond the numbers on the sheet. So I don't know if there's a convenient answer or solution to speed up the game, at least as far as how PBP is the venue for our participation.
The disparate nature of our party also means we're not on the same page, plus it seems that some of us are pursuing our own agenda. That means different posts of back-and-forth engagement between us and the DM, which can translate to several real-life days depending on how active we are on the site. In-game we're spending at least three days in Hochoch, but there's no correlation of how quickly we'd actually get through those days, especially when we have different things to do.
Maybe we can do better in our agreements to skip time and move forward, or communicating when we're done and ready to proceed. I can understand how we're left twiddling our thumbs doing nothing while someone else is actively doing their own thing. However, I also don't want to deny another player the chance to RP or further develop their character beyond the numbers on the sheet. So I don't know if there's a convenient answer or solution to speed up the game, at least as far as how PBP is the venue for our participation.
May 28, 2025 12:00 am
I am happy with the pace and the opportunity to rp some. Getting the training and being able to get equipment checked for magic are very important. I think when we are ready to move on( which I am ready now) we need to talk as a group if we are going to stay afoot or maybe at least take a pack mule with us to carry goods.
May 28, 2025 12:32 am
Arya is up for anything that involves smithing the villains in the next town. :)
May 28, 2025 1:29 am
CancerMan says:
This is the nature of PBP, in my opinion. We had several objectives to complete in Hochoch that could be roleplayed or not. We have been stating that we're not interested in RPing some activities (selling gear) while RPing others (training, funeral).The disparate nature of our party also means we're not on the same page, plus it seems that some of us are pursuing our own agenda. That means different posts of back-and-forth engagement between us and the DM, which can translate to several real-life days depending on how active we are on the site. In-game we're spending at least three days in Hochoch, but there's no correlation of how quickly we'd actually get through those days, especially when we have different things to do.
Maybe we can do better in our agreements to skip time and move forward, or communicating when we're done and ready to proceed. I can understand how we're left twiddling our thumbs doing nothing while someone else is actively doing their own thing. However, I also don't want to deny another player the chance to RP or further develop their character beyond the numbers on the sheet. So I don't know if there's a convenient answer or solution to speed up the game, at least as far as how PBP is the venue for our participation.
May 28, 2025 1:31 am
mathias0077 says:
I am happy with the pace and the opportunity to rp some. Getting the training and being able to get equipment checked for magic are very important. I think when we are ready to move on( which I am ready now) we need to talk as a group if we are going to stay afoot or maybe at least take a pack mule with us to carry goods.May 28, 2025 5:00 am
So I'm ready to continue with the party setting out on their next journey. I think that Rosemary is going to hang back with the other NPC Dungeon Busters, however. The player has been absent all month, and hasn't responded to private messages. So for now the party will be 7 PCs, not 8.
We could invite another player to join the narrative in flight, with the party meeting the character on the road like Jonel, or we could be content with just 7 players/PCs. Either way, I'm not going to hold up the party. Do you have a preference between inviting/not inviting another player?
We could invite another player to join the narrative in flight, with the party meeting the character on the road like Jonel, or we could be content with just 7 players/PCs. Either way, I'm not going to hold up the party. Do you have a preference between inviting/not inviting another player?
May 28, 2025 2:09 pm
Will we be needing rations for going forward with the adventure. Morton being new and no coins hardly can spend the rest of what little coins he has on rations. Morton has 1 gp, 5 sp, & 5 cp currently.
Rations are 5 sp each. That or sell some gear: Healer's Kit, Disguise Kit and or Forgery Kit
Rations are 5 sp each. That or sell some gear: Healer's Kit, Disguise Kit and or Forgery Kit
May 28, 2025 2:53 pm
Rations are necessary. We've consumed rations during our rests. Chase has supplemented us with game when he can, but that's assuming he manages to find any during our travels.
But you're a Dungeon Buster, and we look out for each other. Aanbo will buy you a seven-day supply of rations.
But you're a Dungeon Buster, and we look out for each other. Aanbo will buy you a seven-day supply of rations.
May 29, 2025 3:25 am
Hello, folks. Thanks for having me. I am working on a character even as we speak, but it is late where I am, and my body craves sleep even when my mind wants to stay up and play. So, I will have a character posted tomorrow, but I just wanted to meet everyone and say thanks for inviting me.
May 29, 2025 4:23 pm
This is at least a four day journey, right?
Edit: Pretty much two full days at normal pace, I think.
Edit: Pretty much two full days at normal pace, I think.
Last edited May 29, 2025 4:28 pm
May 29, 2025 11:57 pm
KidEnnui says:
This is at least a four day journey, right?Edit: Pretty much two full days at normal pace, I think.
May 31, 2025 12:54 pm
I just realized ā thanks to your superb summary, spaceseeker19 ā that Myrtha has been holding on to Bertramās documents since she took them. I would assume that she would have read through them and handed them over to Olpert, at least during the two days of training. Assuming itās too late to retcon those actions into the narrative, Myrtha will be studying these documents at night, before going to sleep or keeping watchā¦
May 31, 2025 2:18 pm
I'll note it in the game thread so it doesn't get lost in this OOC thread (for future reference).
Rolls
Secret Roll
Jun 16, 2025 2:11 pm
Question about notifications: I've noticed in some games that people are having a hard time noticing when they should be posting. I'm not sure I understand the nature of the problem (and it might not be one problem). For my part, I just keep a tab open with the "Latest Game Posts" page open, which I reload each day, and that seems to work pretty well. But I also want to ameliorate any difficulty in the games that I'm running. So far, I'm trying to do that with listing the initiative in each post and mentioning @names of the players when it's their turns (so they get a notification in e-mail as well as a notification on the GP top page). That said, is there more that I could be doing that would be helpful?
Jun 16, 2025 3:27 pm
It may be related to database issues we've been experiencing for the past week or so, and some people have experienced slow load times.
For what it's worth, my workflow is almost the same as yours; I have a bookmark to (https://gamersplane.com/forums/search/?search=unreadPosts) which lists all the unread posts I need to see, and it includes any games I'm in. I'll admit to refreshing the page more than a few times to get the latest. I also do not subscribe to public games, so the number of unread posts for me is quite low. I'm able to easily see when D Busters has an update.
I'm not sure what else could be done to expedite posting rate. I think the @-notifications are a good idea, so keep doing that.
For what it's worth, my workflow is almost the same as yours; I have a bookmark to (https://gamersplane.com/forums/search/?search=unreadPosts) which lists all the unread posts I need to see, and it includes any games I'm in. I'll admit to refreshing the page more than a few times to get the latest. I also do not subscribe to public games, so the number of unread posts for me is quite low. I'm able to easily see when D Busters has an update.
I'm not sure what else could be done to expedite posting rate. I think the @-notifications are a good idea, so keep doing that.
Jun 16, 2025 3:45 pm
The @-notes work well.
My biggest issue is real life of late. I go a week and a half with no issues whatsoever, and then out of the blue an easy day turns into a double and the next day I pass out as soon as I get home from work. Suddenly I haven't been here in two and a half days, with no warning.
My hope is once the boss finishes merging her business with her new partner and that all gets sorted, things will go back to the usual boring day to day. Unfortunately... they aren't there yet.
And there is nothing you can do to help with that. š¤·āāļø
My biggest issue is real life of late. I go a week and a half with no issues whatsoever, and then out of the blue an easy day turns into a double and the next day I pass out as soon as I get home from work. Suddenly I haven't been here in two and a half days, with no warning.
My hope is once the boss finishes merging her business with her new partner and that all gets sorted, things will go back to the usual boring day to day. Unfortunately... they aren't there yet.
And there is nothing you can do to help with that. š¤·āāļø
Last edited June 16, 2025 3:45 pm
Jun 25, 2025 3:40 pm
Note: I've updated the timeline thread up through Chapter 2.3, when the party left Hochoch on the current expedition.
I'm really enjoying the party's discussion as to how to enter Orlane. Some of the details are still up in the air, but I think these are the solid elements so far:
- Right now it is morning of the 27th day since the first Dungeon Busters arrived in Hochoch. The party is 3 miles west of Orlane, in a camp not far off of Cecily's Road.
- the party will ford the Realstream River to enter Orlane via Ramne's Grove to communicate with Ramne and get a sense of the state of the village (the WHEN and WHO is still being determined)
- after that, the party will sneak into the cellar of the Golden Grain Inn and make their way into the secret tunnels (the WHEN is still being determined).
Is that correct?
I'm really enjoying the party's discussion as to how to enter Orlane. Some of the details are still up in the air, but I think these are the solid elements so far:
- Right now it is morning of the 27th day since the first Dungeon Busters arrived in Hochoch. The party is 3 miles west of Orlane, in a camp not far off of Cecily's Road.
- the party will ford the Realstream River to enter Orlane via Ramne's Grove to communicate with Ramne and get a sense of the state of the village (the WHEN and WHO is still being determined)
- after that, the party will sneak into the cellar of the Golden Grain Inn and make their way into the secret tunnels (the WHEN is still being determined).
Is that correct?
Jun 30, 2025 6:36 pm
FYI: I'm going to be on the road 4 - 9 July, so I'll be posting slowly or not at all during that time. In such times, I give priority to the games I'm running, but there's no guarantee that I'll have internet access and time to post.
Jul 1, 2025 4:44 pm
Enjoy your travels, spaceseeker19!
Iāll be pretty absent for most of August, but will try to post semi-regularly nonetheless.
Iāll be pretty absent for most of August, but will try to post semi-regularly nonetheless.
Jul 3, 2025 2:33 pm
I'm going to try to move things along, but if you need more time to discuss, you can tell me to butt out!
1) When will you go? (now to the barn, or go into the woods to wait all day before moving)
2) Where will you go? (The Golden Grain Inn's front door, cellar door, or back door)
3) How will you go? (all together, or have Chase scout ahead solo first)It seems like the answer to the first is that "the party will go back into the Dim Forest and wait out the daylight hours and then come back into the village at night." Yes?
It also sounds like the answer to the second question is "through the Golden Grain Inn's cellar door into the basement" (with the possibility of a quick reconnaissance of the back door in the moment). Correct?
For the third question, though, I'm not seeing a decision yet. You've suggested crossing the river in the Dim and coming back into town via Cecily's Road, but you also have crossing the Dim under the bridge, as well as sneaking across the bridge. Jonel has offered a Fog Cloud, and Theran has hinted at something similar to provide cover/increase stealth. I'm going to present these as a poll (which you are all welcome to do as well when the need arises). I'm not going to include the Jonel and Theran options; they can choose to cast spells as the situation demands, but you need to decide on a route in order to begin.
spaceseeker19 says:
The party has to decide three things:1) When will you go? (now to the barn, or go into the woods to wait all day before moving)
2) Where will you go? (The Golden Grain Inn's front door, cellar door, or back door)
3) How will you go? (all together, or have Chase scout ahead solo first)
It also sounds like the answer to the second question is "through the Golden Grain Inn's cellar door into the basement" (with the possibility of a quick reconnaissance of the back door in the moment). Correct?
For the third question, though, I'm not seeing a decision yet. You've suggested crossing the river in the Dim and coming back into town via Cecily's Road, but you also have crossing the Dim under the bridge, as well as sneaking across the bridge. Jonel has offered a Fog Cloud, and Theran has hinted at something similar to provide cover/increase stealth. I'm going to present these as a poll (which you are all welcome to do as well when the need arises). I'm not going to include the Jonel and Theran options; they can choose to cast spells as the situation demands, but you need to decide on a route in order to begin.
What path should the party take to the Golden Grain Inn tonight? Public
Ford the river in the woods, enter by the road (the "long way")
Swim the river in the village (the "wet way")
Walk across the bridge (the "exposed way")
Jul 3, 2025 4:22 pm
If we have a fog cloud cover we could pull back just outside Ramne"s grove and use the bridge. It would be quicker.
Jul 3, 2025 5:01 pm
One issue with Fog Cloud is that we also cannot see. We could certainly orient ourselves for the bridge before the spell is cast, but once we're over the bridge we'll be moving blindly.
I think if we are to cast Fog Cloud, we'd do it when we're about to enter the west door and place it on the road so that we're just outside the area of effect. That way it shields us from view and gives Ember time to unlock the door.
I think if we are to cast Fog Cloud, we'd do it when we're about to enter the west door and place it on the road so that we're just outside the area of effect. That way it shields us from view and gives Ember time to unlock the door.
Jul 3, 2025 5:03 pm
Except a sudden cloud of fog could potentially draw attention in and of itself, depending on weather conditions.
If we hide out in the dim, cross the river away from town, and slink in using cover and concealment then our plan isn't thwarted by good weather.
Also... from a meta standpoint if we can save the resource we probably should. Don't know that we'll land too many long rests once we hit those tunnels.
Edit: I was typing while CancerMan was posting. Valid point about our lack of vision as well.
If we hide out in the dim, cross the river away from town, and slink in using cover and concealment then our plan isn't thwarted by good weather.
Also... from a meta standpoint if we can save the resource we probably should. Don't know that we'll land too many long rests once we hit those tunnels.
Edit: I was typing while CancerMan was posting. Valid point about our lack of vision as well.
Last edited July 3, 2025 5:05 pm
Jul 4, 2025 8:05 pm
Seems like we have a near consensus for approaching from Cecilyās road. If we do so late at night there will probably be fewer watchers, but this is a rural community, so Iād expect a lot of dogs or ducksā¦
Also, if Myrtha were leading a militia to secure a town such as this, there would be permanent guard posts on each main artery, so weāll probably run into that kind of defensive arrangement as we approach. We should avoid any light sources, and perhaps have scouts slightly ahead to make sure that we see any guard posts before we are spotted.
Also, if Myrtha were leading a militia to secure a town such as this, there would be permanent guard posts on each main artery, so weāll probably run into that kind of defensive arrangement as we approach. We should avoid any light sources, and perhaps have scouts slightly ahead to make sure that we see any guard posts before we are spotted.
Jul 13, 2025 3:30 pm
Note: KidEnnui silently dropped out of the game. I followed up with him, and he admitted that it was not a mistake; he's backing away from PbP. So for the time being, I will be playing Jonel as an NPC while I open the recruitment thread to see if anyone else wants to join.
Jul 22, 2025 4:47 pm
I know that we've since progressed on the underground map, but I just want to say that ever since we first stepped into the Orlane tunnels with this map, I've had "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees in my head.
Jul 25, 2025 8:01 am
What is the color code used in posts?
Blue is for PC's and I started to use green for NPC's and red for hostiles, but I would like to be consistent
Blue is for PC's and I started to use green for NPC's and red for hostiles, but I would like to be consistent
Jul 25, 2025 3:12 pm
For me, I have done different things over the years. But in that time, I've settled into a fairly consistent use of the following text formatting conventions across my games:
- blue for PC names
- brown for NPC names
- red for antagonist names
- red and underlined for successful attacks/damage to PCs
- green and underlined for beneficial effects applied to PCs
- underline for locations, areas of interest, and interactive items
- underline for successful attacks/damage to NPCs (both hostile and neutral NPCs)
- italics for names of deities, spells, special abilities, and organization names
- "bold between quotation marks for spoken dialog"
- ::purple italics between colons for internal/mental dialog::
But I have no expectation that anybody else engages in my formatting conventions. I just do it in the hopes of making what is often a LOT of text more readable.
- blue for PC names
- brown for NPC names
- red for antagonist names
- red and underlined for successful attacks/damage to PCs
- green and underlined for beneficial effects applied to PCs
- underline for locations, areas of interest, and interactive items
- underline for successful attacks/damage to NPCs (both hostile and neutral NPCs)
- italics for names of deities, spells, special abilities, and organization names
- "bold between quotation marks for spoken dialog"
- ::purple italics between colons for internal/mental dialog::
But I have no expectation that anybody else engages in my formatting conventions. I just do it in the hopes of making what is often a LOT of text more readable.
Jul 31, 2025 4:24 pm
Just a heads up: Iām travelling starting this Saturday, August 2, and cannot guarantee regular posting for the next three weeks. Assuming I have decent internet connection, I might be able to post, but should you need to move things forward, please NPC my character as needed. Iāll be back on the 25th of August and will be able to catch up swiftly after my return.
Aug 1, 2025 1:36 am
I'm also travelling to America 4th august for two weeks, but should be online almost daily.
Aug 2, 2025 12:20 am
Hello -
Sorry for this notice, but I will be leaving the game for personal reasons.
Work had been successful, but increasingly demanding. I also plan to get married by next year. So basically, less time for gaming, game over probably. I want to stay but everytime i open the browser, i feel like rushed and i can't write anything of quality.
The game is very good, congratulations, spaceseeker, you are probably one of the best in this community.
Take care all of you!
Sorry for this notice, but I will be leaving the game for personal reasons.
Work had been successful, but increasingly demanding. I also plan to get married by next year. So basically, less time for gaming, game over probably. I want to stay but everytime i open the browser, i feel like rushed and i can't write anything of quality.
The game is very good, congratulations, spaceseeker, you are probably one of the best in this community.
Take care all of you!
Aug 2, 2025 12:40 am
Congratulations on your successes! I completely understand the need to drop out when life gets too busy, though I am sad to see you go. Best of luck in your future endeavors, your marriage, and I hope that you find a good game group when everything settles down. Since this is a public game, you can check in to read our progress periodically, or years down the line.
For the time being, I will run Arya as an NPC.
For the time being, I will run Arya as an NPC.
Aug 2, 2025 7:19 pm
I totally agree with spaceseeker19. I'm sorry to see you go, but I'm happy for you
Aug 4, 2025 9:14 pm
runekyndig says:
"I have discussed the problem with Ramen and I will be assisting you with my wizard abilities for the time being."[ +- ] Lyrel discusses next steps with Ramen
(Sorry; I couldn't resist.)
I could have changed the NPC's name, but it honestly never occurred to me how close Ramne is to Ramen.
Aug 7, 2025 8:56 am
Aanbo : hill dwarf monk
Theran : wood elf druid
Myrtha : human fighter
Chase :human ranger
Arya : human cleric of Pelor
Morton : wood elf warlock
Ember : human rogue
Lyrel : high elf wizard
Theran : wood elf druid
Myrtha : human fighter
Chase :human ranger
Arya : human cleric of Pelor
Morton : wood elf warlock
Ember : human rogue
Lyrel : high elf wizard
Aug 7, 2025 2:51 pm
Yes, I maintain the list of current and past party members in the first post of the character creation thread in every game I run.
Aug 18, 2025 1:27 pm
Sorry for the less than stellar posting pace: Iāve entered my last week of my stay on the other side of the Atlantic and am having a sort of social-obligations-crunch that is curtailing my free time massively. Iāll try to post when I can, but donāt let me slow you down. Iāll be back home a week from now, and will be able to resume a regular posting schedule
Sep 19, 2025 8:03 pm
All that said, a number of the L1 PCs have enough XP to train to level 2...something that does require taking a trip back to Hochoch. So it would make sense to return, train, and come back...if you think the value of gaining levels offsets the cost that a 6-day delay (the round trip plus training) would take...
Don't think Morton is one of those Lucky Level 1 PC's. I think Morton is at 235 EXP of the needed 300 EXP for level 2.
Don't think Morton is one of those Lucky Level 1 PC's. I think Morton is at 235 EXP of the needed 300 EXP for level 2.
Last edited September 19, 2025 8:05 pm
Sep 19, 2025 10:59 pm
WanderOne says:
...a number of the L1 PCs have enough XP to train to level 2...Don't think Morton is one of those Lucky Level 1 PC's. I think Morton is at 235 EXP of the needed 300 EXP for level 2.
Don't forget that, as one of the key rules to emulate more of an AD&D experience for this classic AD&D module, we're using the optional rule of "milestones for additional XP."
Sep 20, 2025 6:31 am
According to my notes, Lyrel is at XP : 165/300 to next level, currently 55 % of the way
Sep 20, 2025 11:08 am
Ah. Hard to find but I'm fairly sure to level took time & coin but can't find the spot for it. I did note that Morton is able to multiclass into anything except a wizard. Guess that I need to be thinking about this soon if he is to multiclass or remain in his class.
Sep 22, 2025 3:09 pm
WanderOne says:
Ah. Hard to find but I'm fairly sure to level took time & coin but can't find the spot for it.Sep 23, 2025 5:54 pm
I've asked elsewhere, but I'll ask here, too: have any of you heard from or about MaJunior in any other forum or site (such as the GP Discord chat)? He's been gone for weeks, and I'm starting to worry. I don't mind playing Theran during his absence, but I don't want to keep playing a party member as an NPC if the player is just gone. I'd much prefer to have all the party members played by players, naturally.
On a related note, don't worry - I am preparing a somewhat-graceful way to extricate Arya from the party so another player can join in Nebula's place.
On a related note, don't worry - I am preparing a somewhat-graceful way to extricate Arya from the party so another player can join in Nebula's place.
Sep 23, 2025 6:49 pm
In another game that I'm in, MaJunior is on the list having action taken as his absence has already been noted.
Woot.
spaceseeker19 says:
OOC:
Note that, regardless of who carries, uses, or ends up selling what, the experience points for this treasure will be divided equally among all the party members.Last edited September 23, 2025 6:52 pm
Sep 23, 2025 6:57 pm
Sorry to say I havenāt heard from MaJunior either. Then again, Iām not a very active member of the GP community so I wouldnāt be aware of anything.
Sep 27, 2025 9:46 am
Who would Morton believe would aid him in training for a Warlock? Seems that time has come.
Last edited September 27, 2025 9:46 am
Sep 27, 2025 4:49 pm
WanderOne says:
Who would Morton believe would aid him in training for a Warlock? Seems that time has come.Sep 28, 2025 8:18 am
Quote:
Larissa the Shadowed, Hochoch candlemaker and student of the arcane. Wizard trainer.Oct 3, 2025 2:24 pm
Quote:
What remains for the party is to determine whether they are going to:- confront these people
- hide from them
- try to sneak away before they arrive
- make a run for it
or something else that's not occurring to me
There is the possibility that the people from the Inn may not enter the trees to look for us after all. Whether they do or not is probably coming down to a Reaction roll, unless we attract their attention further. So it could work out for us to just hunker down and not move/make any noise. Or we'd just be sitting there if they do come.
If we do want to consider moving further away, I'll point out that, while we have a couple of people who are generally good at sneaking around - Chase and Ember - Theran is not good at being Stealthy (straight d20 roll), and both Myrtha and Arya are actively BAD at it (DISADV from armor). With a sneakier group, we might try something clever like climbing up onto the roof of the wine house to hide, but it seems unlikely to work with so many clanky characters. We could try hiding behind the mill or even break inside - the sound the wheel and the river makes covers a lot of noise - but we don't know whether people live at the mill. If people do, how will they react to people breaking into their home? As a party of experienced adventurers, we could intimidate/negotiate with the drunks from the Inn, and are likely able to best them in a fight. But they could raise the alarm - which they haven't yet - and Aanbo's point about them maybe not being evil like Lhari and Hamiff is true; we probably don't want to support the cult's accusations by harming innocents. If we run for it, they will know that we were here; they might raise the alarm, and they might give chase (though we could probably outrun and/or evade them as they are tired and drunk).
What do you think we should do?
Oct 3, 2025 4:23 pm
I am for hunkering down in the wood or sprinting to the trees by the lake shore with the wheel covering our noise.
Last edited October 3, 2025 4:26 pm
Oct 4, 2025 7:47 pm
Myrtha has more or less decided that sheāll provide a distraction dāos so the trest of the party can move on. As she canāt help but be noisey, she vācould easily lead any villagers away. Havenāt figured out how sheāll meet up with the party after that.
Sure, staying out might allow the party to avoid dĆ©etection, but if it doesnāt, the party will be sitting ducks, with the lake behind them and angry villagers ahead.
Sure, staying out might allow the party to avoid dĆ©etection, but if it doesnāt, the party will be sitting ducks, with the lake behind them and angry villagers ahead.
OOC:
Dang, the autocorrection butchered my post! Should have taken more time to edit, sorry. Last edited October 5, 2025 6:58 am
Oct 5, 2025 4:13 am
So far it seems like there are two choices that people are suggesting: hide (letting the noise of the river/mill help), or run (with Myrtha delaying pursuit). For the sake of making a group decision, I'm posting it as a poll. Neither Arya's or Theran's players will vote, naturally. So it's up to the six other players to choose.
Which option do you choose?
Run for it
Hide
Oct 5, 2025 7:01 am
I voted to hide under the idea that Myrtha will cause a distraction if it looks like the party has been detected. If the whole party moves out, sheāll bring up the rear
Oct 5, 2025 5:10 pm
Morton isn't one Keen on stealth so Running was his choice but whatever the party in general does, he will go along with that over his personal thoughts are.
Oct 6, 2025 8:02 pm
Nebula has announced that she's dropped out, and it's been over a month since MaJunior has posted. Unless there are serious objections, I'm going to invite others to generate new characters to take their places.
I'm particularly sad about Theran - losing one of the old timers both eliminates some of the continuity for the Dungeon Busters but also means one fewer L3 PC in the party. But there's no sign MaJunior's coming back, as far as I know. The loss of Arya will be keenly felt, too: maybe the new players will choose to make PCs with some healing capabilities.
I'm particularly sad about Theran - losing one of the old timers both eliminates some of the continuity for the Dungeon Busters but also means one fewer L3 PC in the party. But there's no sign MaJunior's coming back, as far as I know. The loss of Arya will be keenly felt, too: maybe the new players will choose to make PCs with some healing capabilities.
Oct 6, 2025 8:26 pm
There have been a major slowdown and drop off the last few months, I hope this trend ends now we are facing darker winter times
Oct 7, 2025 10:28 am
Sad news, for both players. I donāt have objections to you beginning recruitment, attrition is inevitable in PbP. A 6-year old game Iāve been in since the beginning of has ground to a stop because one of the original players has had to stop gaming. Weāre all kinda hoping things work out for him and that he can come back at some pointā¦
Oct 9, 2025 11:22 pm
Referencing my post, on a meta level I totally understand that being level 1 and entering what seems to be the boss lair is daunting and extremely risky. I know that hit points are earned immediately, but skills and class features must be learned through a trainer, and I completely get why the lack of those features makes characters feel insufficiently-prepared for a dungeon.
If I think through the eyes of my character, however, I can't justify another departure from Orlane. The first group got their asses kicked and had to retreat to Hochoch, and we DID take that opportunity to train and level up. Unfortunately, we've also seen the consequences of our absence: more patrols, more people killed, and Aanbo still wants to find Jonah Joseph (or at least confirm his fate). That's why I personally feel that I must continue to the temple and investigate, and if it means that I go by myself, it's what Aanbo would do at this point.
By no means am I deciding for others whether to stay or go, which is why I chose Aanbo's words to try and convey the fact that you can all decide what you want to do.
If I think through the eyes of my character, however, I can't justify another departure from Orlane. The first group got their asses kicked and had to retreat to Hochoch, and we DID take that opportunity to train and level up. Unfortunately, we've also seen the consequences of our absence: more patrols, more people killed, and Aanbo still wants to find Jonah Joseph (or at least confirm his fate). That's why I personally feel that I must continue to the temple and investigate, and if it means that I go by myself, it's what Aanbo would do at this point.
By no means am I deciding for others whether to stay or go, which is why I chose Aanbo's words to try and convey the fact that you can all decide what you want to do.
Last edited October 10, 2025 1:09 am
Oct 10, 2025 1:06 am
I agree with you and am right there with you. We need to know what happen to Joseph one way or the other he is a Buster and I would do the same for all.
Oct 10, 2025 3:23 am
One of the great things about this classic adventure is that there are no obviously flawless choices. Every thing the party can do has advantages and potential drawbacks.
The adventure is designed for L1 PCs in AD&D, and the XP thresholds in AD&D are much, much higher than in 5e, so the expectation is that most characters who survive to the end would be L1 all the way through. At most a really fortunate character (who maybe had played in another adventure before this one) might reach L2 over the course of the whole module. But advancing in a class requires traveling back to Hochoch to train (and in AD&D training takes a lot longer than what I've set out in this module), and the cult explicitly continues to advance its goals over time, whether the PCs are there or not. So the adventure might get easier with L2 PCs, but the situation might get more difficult, too (though there is a finite number of cultists/monsters, and you all have been whittling them down).
"Do you hurry and risk getting overwhelmed, or do you play it safe and risk the cult advancing its nefarious plans?" is a key tension all through this module. So either choice could be the right one, and neither is incorrect.
All that said, I'm able and willing to run two threads for different groups; I've done it before now in this game and can do it again. So don't feel that you're choosing to leave the game or abandon the others if you choose one path over another.
We'll also be introducing two new PCs into the mix very soon; if the party does split, I'll have to decide which group each one meets initially.
The adventure is designed for L1 PCs in AD&D, and the XP thresholds in AD&D are much, much higher than in 5e, so the expectation is that most characters who survive to the end would be L1 all the way through. At most a really fortunate character (who maybe had played in another adventure before this one) might reach L2 over the course of the whole module. But advancing in a class requires traveling back to Hochoch to train (and in AD&D training takes a lot longer than what I've set out in this module), and the cult explicitly continues to advance its goals over time, whether the PCs are there or not. So the adventure might get easier with L2 PCs, but the situation might get more difficult, too (though there is a finite number of cultists/monsters, and you all have been whittling them down).
"Do you hurry and risk getting overwhelmed, or do you play it safe and risk the cult advancing its nefarious plans?" is a key tension all through this module. So either choice could be the right one, and neither is incorrect.
All that said, I'm able and willing to run two threads for different groups; I've done it before now in this game and can do it again. So don't feel that you're choosing to leave the game or abandon the others if you choose one path over another.
We'll also be introducing two new PCs into the mix very soon; if the party does split, I'll have to decide which group each one meets initially.
Oct 10, 2025 4:33 am
Note that Ember has every intent to reunite with the group, if/after she loses her pursuers.
Oct 11, 2025 3:02 pm
WhtKnt says:
Note that Ember has every intent to reunite with the group, if/after she loses her pursuers.In the meantime, I'll continue with the rest of the group.
Oct 18, 2025 6:50 pm
Oh, for cryin' out loud...the Dungeon Busters' random encounter luck continues!
Oct 18, 2025 7:03 pm
So encounters are on a 6ā¦ I always considered that the lower results were worseā¦
Oct 23, 2025 11:54 pm
This is tense; it's always alarming when it comes down to a single roll for a character that is isolated and without anyone nearby to help them like this.
Edit: whew, that's a relief!
I got a tarantula on my leg as a child, and did exactly this: I ran away from it. In retrospect, this wasn't that smart - it was on my body, so how did I think I was going to get away from it? But it worked for me just like it did for Ember here: I ran so fast it was thrown off. When I calmed down at last, I stopped, looked down, and saw that it was gone!
Edit 2: Aw, crap.
Edit: whew, that's a relief!
spaceseeker19 says:
But she runs so fast that they drop from her pumping limbs.Edit 2: Aw, crap.
Oct 26, 2025 3:49 pm
mathias0077 says:
Chase will look at the halflingsOct 27, 2025 9:26 am
We have 2 stable, but unconscious characters laying out in the dark somewhere, with cultist and zombies milling about.
Is there a way within the narrative where we can find and heal them, so we can get away together?
We do need a healing magic of some sort, right? They will regain conscious after an hour, but chances are that another zombie or something similar, will happen by them first.
Do you have an idea to how we save your character @WanderOne ?
Is there a way within the narrative where we can find and heal them, so we can get away together?
We do need a healing magic of some sort, right? They will regain conscious after an hour, but chances are that another zombie or something similar, will happen by them first.
Do you have an idea to how we save your character @WanderOne ?
Last edited October 27, 2025 9:32 am
Oct 27, 2025 3:28 pm
From my perspective, nobody knows how the others are doing. Ember doesn't know that both Arya and Morton went after her, nor that they were intending to return to Hochoch. And the rest of us are equally blind.
Actually, I don't remember where Theran went. It's possible he might be able to take care of the unconscious characters once the danger has passed.
Actually, I don't remember where Theran went. It's possible he might be able to take care of the unconscious characters once the danger has passed.
Oct 27, 2025 4:18 pm
CancerMan says:
Aanbo looks around for a reasonably-secure location to discuss things. The trees are good, but difficult to gather around. "Is Lindun's house close by?"Oct 27, 2025 9:44 pm
Yeah, we have no idea where you guys are even at or Ember for that matter. And where did Theran go? I remember he went with them but don't remember reading what he did.
Oct 28, 2025 1:00 am
Recap for the players:
Lyrel the high elf wizard has been compelled by visions to travel in search of the "Wizard" of someplace called "Orlane;" she has been traveling for years. She finally reached a faraway land where someone had actually heard of Orlane. She's been following clues traveling across Keoland for the past couple of weeks.
Eugenios the gnome investigator was given a punishment detail, sent to the hinterlands (ie, Keoland) to review Ansola Behir. He's been traveling for weeks.
Ferranzo the halfling entertainer heard from a traveler that his mentor, Lindun, was missing from Orlane. He set out to find out what happened.
Four days ago, Ember the human criminal fled Hookhill to lay low across the border in the podunk town of Orlane until the heat dies down.
Three days ago, the Dungeon Busters - Aanbo, Arya, Chase, Jonel, Morton, Myrtha, Theran - were sent by Olpert from Hochoch to Orlane to find their teammate Joseph and stop the cult. That same day, Eugenios finally arrived at Orlane, renting a room at the Slumbering Serpent to wait for the reeve Ansola Behir. In the days since, he's been hearing a lot of contradictory stories about adventurers kidnapping people.
Two days ago, Ember arrived in Orlane, where she was welcomed by a kindly carpenter and his wife. Ember was assaulted in the middle of the night by hooded figures and barely escaped, running into the Dim Forest. There, she met the Dungeon Busters party and helped them with some goblin trouble.
Yesterday, the Dungeon Busters convinced Ember to accompany them back to Orlane so she could get some payback. They talked to the crazy old hermit, Ramne, and found out that the town constable and the priestess of Merikka have been working hard to turn the populace against the adventurers. They decided to leave the village and wait in the forest until nightfall.
While the Dungeon Busters were waiting in the Dim Forest, Ferranzo arrived late in the day and went straight to Lindun's house. He found signs of foul play, but no clear indication of where Lindun was or whether he was even alive. Ferranzo tidied up as he considered what to do, and then night was falling, so he decided he would rest for the night and then start asking around in the morning.
Last night, the 7 Dungeon Busters and Ember snuck into town. At the same time, Lyrel arrived at the Grove at last and had a conference with the Great Wizard of Orlane: Ramne. Ramne directed her to assist the Dungeon Busters, and shared with her that they had planned to enter the Golden Grain Inn's basement. Meanwhile, the Dungeon Busters were creeping through town but scattered when a watch patrol appeared. When they reassembled, Jonel was gone. They proceeded into the Golden Grain Inn, hoping to find that the tunnels underneath led to a headquarters or lair. Instead, they found a pack of ghouls. Lyrel joined them there, and helped fight off the undead. The Dungeon Busters, feeling very jumpy and suspicious in what they still thought of as a secret HQ, insisted on stripping and having Lyrel strip to demonstrate that none of them bore the spiral markings of the Cult. After they got dressed and continued through the tunnels, they came to understand that the tunnels were not a transit route, but rather a way for the cult to dispose of evidence: valuables are stored in chests, which are guarded by the ghouls who eat any inconvenient corpses. They resolved to check out the Temple of Merikka next. Morton argued that they should return to Hochoch to rest and train, but the others felt that they couldn't spare the days this would take. But as they moved through the town, they had the bad luck of being overheard by the Slumbering Serpent's proprietor, Ollwin, who roused a bunch of late-night clientele from the Inn to help him catch the 'murdering adventurers.' This noise roused Eugenios upstairs, who started equipping himself. The party hid by the Mill.
At around the same time, people tried to break into Lindun's home to meet/confront/accuse/lynch Ferranzo. Ferranzo fled out the back door before they boxed him in, and he fled through the fields to find some help in the village Orlane proper and clear his name. Meanwhile, back at the Mill, a whole bunch of Millers emerged to help look for the 'dog-killing bastards.' Ember offered to make a distraction to draw them away so the others could continue; she ran off and started howling. The others ran off, but then they were concerned that Ember would be caught by the mob. Arya, Morton, and Theran ran back to help her. Eugenios emerged from the Inn and, with his darkvision, easily followed Aanbo, Chase, Lyrel, and Myrtha as they went to the Temple. Ferranzo climbed the low hill to see if there were any lights of people who might help him, and he saw the four heroes instead.
Arya threw a stone glowing with Lyrel's magic, and that drew some of the search party away. But one of the Millers was suspicious, and led a group back the way they'd come. Theran offered to hold them off while Arya and Morton rescued Ember. Ember, meanwhile, had jumped into the Realstream River and swum with the current downstream back into the Dim Forest. Looking for Ember, Arya and Morton entered the Dim Forest, too, but they chose the wrong side of the river. Then they and Ember had bad luck with random forest encounter rolls. Ember got away; Arya and Morton didn't (yet).
Lyrel the high elf wizard has been compelled by visions to travel in search of the "Wizard" of someplace called "Orlane;" she has been traveling for years. She finally reached a faraway land where someone had actually heard of Orlane. She's been following clues traveling across Keoland for the past couple of weeks.
Eugenios the gnome investigator was given a punishment detail, sent to the hinterlands (ie, Keoland) to review Ansola Behir. He's been traveling for weeks.
Ferranzo the halfling entertainer heard from a traveler that his mentor, Lindun, was missing from Orlane. He set out to find out what happened.
Four days ago, Ember the human criminal fled Hookhill to lay low across the border in the podunk town of Orlane until the heat dies down.
Three days ago, the Dungeon Busters - Aanbo, Arya, Chase, Jonel, Morton, Myrtha, Theran - were sent by Olpert from Hochoch to Orlane to find their teammate Joseph and stop the cult. That same day, Eugenios finally arrived at Orlane, renting a room at the Slumbering Serpent to wait for the reeve Ansola Behir. In the days since, he's been hearing a lot of contradictory stories about adventurers kidnapping people.
Two days ago, Ember arrived in Orlane, where she was welcomed by a kindly carpenter and his wife. Ember was assaulted in the middle of the night by hooded figures and barely escaped, running into the Dim Forest. There, she met the Dungeon Busters party and helped them with some goblin trouble.
Yesterday, the Dungeon Busters convinced Ember to accompany them back to Orlane so she could get some payback. They talked to the crazy old hermit, Ramne, and found out that the town constable and the priestess of Merikka have been working hard to turn the populace against the adventurers. They decided to leave the village and wait in the forest until nightfall.
While the Dungeon Busters were waiting in the Dim Forest, Ferranzo arrived late in the day and went straight to Lindun's house. He found signs of foul play, but no clear indication of where Lindun was or whether he was even alive. Ferranzo tidied up as he considered what to do, and then night was falling, so he decided he would rest for the night and then start asking around in the morning.
Last night, the 7 Dungeon Busters and Ember snuck into town. At the same time, Lyrel arrived at the Grove at last and had a conference with the Great Wizard of Orlane: Ramne. Ramne directed her to assist the Dungeon Busters, and shared with her that they had planned to enter the Golden Grain Inn's basement. Meanwhile, the Dungeon Busters were creeping through town but scattered when a watch patrol appeared. When they reassembled, Jonel was gone. They proceeded into the Golden Grain Inn, hoping to find that the tunnels underneath led to a headquarters or lair. Instead, they found a pack of ghouls. Lyrel joined them there, and helped fight off the undead. The Dungeon Busters, feeling very jumpy and suspicious in what they still thought of as a secret HQ, insisted on stripping and having Lyrel strip to demonstrate that none of them bore the spiral markings of the Cult. After they got dressed and continued through the tunnels, they came to understand that the tunnels were not a transit route, but rather a way for the cult to dispose of evidence: valuables are stored in chests, which are guarded by the ghouls who eat any inconvenient corpses. They resolved to check out the Temple of Merikka next. Morton argued that they should return to Hochoch to rest and train, but the others felt that they couldn't spare the days this would take. But as they moved through the town, they had the bad luck of being overheard by the Slumbering Serpent's proprietor, Ollwin, who roused a bunch of late-night clientele from the Inn to help him catch the 'murdering adventurers.' This noise roused Eugenios upstairs, who started equipping himself. The party hid by the Mill.
At around the same time, people tried to break into Lindun's home to meet/confront/accuse/lynch Ferranzo. Ferranzo fled out the back door before they boxed him in, and he fled through the fields to find some help in the village Orlane proper and clear his name. Meanwhile, back at the Mill, a whole bunch of Millers emerged to help look for the 'dog-killing bastards.' Ember offered to make a distraction to draw them away so the others could continue; she ran off and started howling. The others ran off, but then they were concerned that Ember would be caught by the mob. Arya, Morton, and Theran ran back to help her. Eugenios emerged from the Inn and, with his darkvision, easily followed Aanbo, Chase, Lyrel, and Myrtha as they went to the Temple. Ferranzo climbed the low hill to see if there were any lights of people who might help him, and he saw the four heroes instead.
Arya threw a stone glowing with Lyrel's magic, and that drew some of the search party away. But one of the Millers was suspicious, and led a group back the way they'd come. Theran offered to hold them off while Arya and Morton rescued Ember. Ember, meanwhile, had jumped into the Realstream River and swum with the current downstream back into the Dim Forest. Looking for Ember, Arya and Morton entered the Dim Forest, too, but they chose the wrong side of the river. Then they and Ember had bad luck with random forest encounter rolls. Ember got away; Arya and Morton didn't (yet).
Oct 28, 2025 7:00 am
spaceseeker19 says:
Recap for the players:...
This is very helpful
Last edited October 28, 2025 7:01 am
Oct 28, 2025 3:11 pm
Everyone is doing great role-playing. But I want to point out some meta considerations:
First, unless he's changed his mind, WanderOne wants Morton to go back to Hochoch and train, and Arya's player has left the game. So this separation is a way to extract them from the party so those things can happen. I would encourage you to consider letting your PCs assume that Arya and Morton have continued to Hochoch as they said they wanted to do, rather than splitting the party again.
Second, they've had their random encounter for the day, so they're no longer in immediate peril. The remaining zombie has wandered off to kill something else, and will not return until after they've revived from resting (if it returns at all). As players you know that the undead in the Dim Forest are active only at night, so they'll be safe and able to recover as they head back to Hochoch. As PCs, you can assume that they got separated, and either they're continuing on to Hochoch or they've been captured. Either way, by now each PC realizes it's not safe to go off in smaller groups while bands of scared citizens are actively searching to get revenge on anyone who isn't a local.
@WanderOne - if you've changed your mind and WANT Morton to rejoin the group without training first, let us know!
First, unless he's changed his mind, WanderOne wants Morton to go back to Hochoch and train, and Arya's player has left the game. So this separation is a way to extract them from the party so those things can happen. I would encourage you to consider letting your PCs assume that Arya and Morton have continued to Hochoch as they said they wanted to do, rather than splitting the party again.
Second, they've had their random encounter for the day, so they're no longer in immediate peril. The remaining zombie has wandered off to kill something else, and will not return until after they've revived from resting (if it returns at all). As players you know that the undead in the Dim Forest are active only at night, so they'll be safe and able to recover as they head back to Hochoch. As PCs, you can assume that they got separated, and either they're continuing on to Hochoch or they've been captured. Either way, by now each PC realizes it's not safe to go off in smaller groups while bands of scared citizens are actively searching to get revenge on anyone who isn't a local.
@WanderOne - if you've changed your mind and WANT Morton to rejoin the group without training first, let us know!
Nov 5, 2025 2:49 pm
Gotta say, these villagers are really well organized. They obviously don't want strangers hangong around butchering their dogs and their neighbors. Not sure we can make it into the temple without the whole town surrounding us.
Nov 10, 2025 2:52 pm
It will seem cold, but I do encourage you all to consider taking care of the watchmen rather than trying to get down/over the wall to stabilize Arya. I didn't plan in advance to remove her in this way (the situation and dice determined that), but since she is an NPC that will leave the party one way or another, this could be that way. I think it makes sense that the heroes deal with the threats in front of them.
Nov 10, 2025 8:29 pm
Sorry for the long delay in posting. Iāve hit a RL speed bump and am having a hard time posting the last few days. It should be over by Thursday, but Iām sorry for holding everyone back for the last few days.
Nov 11, 2025 3:37 am
spaceseeker19 says:
It will seem cold, but I do encourage you all to consider taking care of the watchmen rather than trying to get down/over the wall to stabilize Arya. I didn't plan in advance to remove her in this way (the situation and dice determined that), but since she is an NPC that will leave the party one way or another, this could be that way. I think it makes sense that the heroes deal with the threats in front of them.Nov 12, 2025 6:25 am
Odds were that Ayra probably was going to live the fall anyway. Morton is just being sure of it.
Last edited November 12, 2025 6:25 am
Nov 17, 2025 2:03 am
On November 29th, I am making my bi-annual trek to Walt Disney World. I will be gone until December 8th, and will likely be unable to post or check in during that time. If I am in your game, please bot me as necessary. If you are in my game, sit tight, and I'll pick up when I return. I should be able to post fairly regularly right up until leaving.
Nov 24, 2025 7:27 am
@spaceseeker19 are all the deities listed here available for worship?
Greyhawk Online
Greyhawk Online
Last edited November 24, 2025 7:29 am
Nov 24, 2025 4:18 pm
rpgventurer says:
@spaceseeker19 are all the deities listed here available for worship?Greyhawk Online
Nov 24, 2025 4:42 pm
Giving you all an early heads-up that I'll be away for the later half of December, from the 19th through the 31st. Feel free to NPC Aanbo if need be.
Dec 10, 2025 12:57 pm
Morton is planning to go to level two in his present class that he has enough exp for, so he would receive advance HP. Would that be a rolled amount or is that the class standard and in his case 5 HP +1 CON for 6 HP of life existance?
Perhaps he can survive one hit and take two or three to do him in.
Perhaps he can survive one hit and take two or three to do him in.
Last edited December 10, 2025 12:57 pm
Dec 15, 2025 4:25 am
I just want to explain what I did here in this post: a player's PC is getting killed by an NPC enemy. That PC attacked, hit, and did enough damage to take out the PC after another PC had done damage. The injured PC's turn was out of sequence, but I decided to post the results out of sequence, too. I don't think it's particularly satisfying when half of the PCs in a party all attack the same target when only one attack is needed, and that's particularly true in play-by-post, where a player posting a turn but later finding out that their turn couldn't happen (because the target was already dead) so they have to post a new, corrected turn all could take 3 days of real time before you see a result from that one turn. So I decided to let everyone know: Lyrel will be eliminating Look on her turn, without any additional help from any other PCs. So they can do something else with their turns.
Dec 17, 2025 7:27 am
Ack! Arya down again. "NO!" yells Morton. His healer's pack to the rescue!
Last edited December 17, 2025 7:28 am
Dec 29, 2025 8:11 am
Can Ferranzo climb to the top of the statue and wrap the acolyteās sleeve around its eyes like a blindfold? Would that be a DEX check?
Dec 29, 2025 4:12 pm
rpgventurer says:
Can Ferranzo climb to the top of the statue and wrap the acolyteās sleeve around its eyes like a blindfold? Would that be a DEX check?Dec 30, 2025 11:36 pm
I'm back from my trip, though I still need a day to recover, and then there's the New Year. Thank you for running Aanbo in my absence!
Jan 2, 2026 1:00 pm
Happy new years, folks! I hope you all had some time off and could enjoy a good time.
Jan 8, 2026 10:02 am
I'm down with some food poisoning, so I'm not as active as I would like. I'll try to catch up
Jan 8, 2026 4:20 pm
runekyndig says:
I'm down with some food poisoning, so I'm not as active as I would like. I'll try to catch upJan 10, 2026 6:35 am
OOC:
Arya the NPC that should have left the party two chapters ago is eager to move on, get reduced to 0 HP, and soak up more of the party's healing again instead of being allowed to gracefully die...for the fifth time.
So much fun!
Arya the NPC that should have left the party two chapters ago is eager to move on, get reduced to 0 HP, and soak up more of the party's healing again instead of being allowed to gracefully die...for the fifth time.
So much fun!
Jan 10, 2026 12:29 pm
spaceseeker19 says:
runekyndig says:
I'm down with some food poisoning, so I'm not as active as I would like. I'll try to catch upJan 11, 2026 4:35 pm
Are any of us players in the UK? I just read about a problem with image hosting in the UK, so if I have players in the UK, let me know and I'll amend how I'm posting images so that everyone can access them.
Jan 13, 2026 5:42 am
Yeah, it shouldn't affect any of us not in the UK; it's the result of some new content restriction laws that went into effect on 1 January 2026. If no one here is in the UK, I can continue posting images the way I have been.
Jan 24, 2026 5:31 am
Is the light on Aryaās shield considered "radiant light"? If so, would damage from being hit with the shield count as "radiant damage"?
Jan 24, 2026 8:25 am
rpgventurer says:
Is the light on Aryaās shield considered "radiant light"? If so, would damage from being hit with the shield count as "radiant damage"?Jan 31, 2026 7:46 pm
Wow. Unlucky us are fully against evil master bowmen skeleton. They just can't miss it seems! I hope for bonus exp!
Feb 1, 2026 6:13 pm
matmaisan says:
OOC:
1d8 bludgeoning damage, whichā if these are standard skeletons ā should be doubled because they are supposed to be vulnerable to bludgeoning damage. Feb 4, 2026 3:58 pm
Nope, I used it during the fight with the monks @mathias0077, and we havenāt had a short rest sinceā¦
Feb 11, 2026 3:11 am
Just letting you know that I may be slow to post (or may miss posts) this weekend (Friday - Monday), as once again I am attending the longest-running RPG convention in North America, DunDraCon. I may be able to post briefly on those days, but I can't guarantee it. I should be back on my regular posting starting Tuesday.
Feb 15, 2026 4:19 pm
Is Morton trying to move out of the temple complex by himself, hauling Aryaās dead body with him? If so, has he made his plan clear to the rest of the party?
I mean, Iām not here to judge but in Myrthaās eyes this would sound both suicidal to Morton (when he tried to leave with a healthy Arya, random encounters stopped him) and endangering to the rest of the party (to leave, Morton will have to remove all the barricades weāve set up to avoid village people coming in; and if Morton is then caught by the villagers and reveals our presence, the cultists could encircle the temple and capture/kill us when we try to escape).
If Myrtha was aware that this was Mortonās plan, she might try to talk him out of it. Or at least make sure to close and bar the doors after heās leftā¦
I mean, Iām not here to judge but in Myrthaās eyes this would sound both suicidal to Morton (when he tried to leave with a healthy Arya, random encounters stopped him) and endangering to the rest of the party (to leave, Morton will have to remove all the barricades weāve set up to avoid village people coming in; and if Morton is then caught by the villagers and reveals our presence, the cultists could encircle the temple and capture/kill us when we try to escape).
If Myrtha was aware that this was Mortonās plan, she might try to talk him out of it. Or at least make sure to close and bar the doors after heās leftā¦
Last edited February 15, 2026 4:20 pm
Feb 15, 2026 5:02 pm
matmaisan says:
Is Morton trying to move out of the temple complex by himself, hauling Aryaās dead body with him? If so, has he made his plan clear to the rest of the party?But he is having trouble moving her body (see this post), because he can't lift her body by himself without removing her gear and armor.
Feb 15, 2026 5:26 pm
Thatās where my confusion is coming from: Morton has stated three times after the combat that we canāt leave Arya here, and Aanbo has suggested that he, and any others who canāt move onwards retreat to the first floor and wait for us.
So in Myrthaās mind it is obvious that we arenāt leaving without her body, but that we must deal with the head priestess first.
What I donāt see in Mortonās word is any suggestion that he intends to leave the temple with Aryaās body, on his own, and immediately. That, in Myrthaās mind, is the thinking of a person in shock: and the gods know that Morton has seen enough this day to be in shock. But to her martially-minded thinking he canāt be allowed jeopardise the partyās sliver of a chance of stepping out of Orlane alive later on today.
So in Myrthaās mind it is obvious that we arenāt leaving without her body, but that we must deal with the head priestess first.
What I donāt see in Mortonās word is any suggestion that he intends to leave the temple with Aryaās body, on his own, and immediately. That, in Myrthaās mind, is the thinking of a person in shock: and the gods know that Morton has seen enough this day to be in shock. But to her martially-minded thinking he canāt be allowed jeopardise the partyās sliver of a chance of stepping out of Orlane alive later on today.
Last edited February 15, 2026 5:27 pm
Feb 15, 2026 6:27 pm
Yep, that is why we suggested he go back to the dinning room or study. He can barricade the door there. We surely don't want him opening the front door. They will not survive a trip back to Hochoch. What is the likely hood that Arya would be raised as undead? The necromancer would have to be present wouldn't they?
Feb 15, 2026 7:25 pm
Barred door to the temple is only a delay as any intending on coming on in will. Barred door notwithstanding.
It will not take any time or effort to determine that something is wrong as the party has not taken enough effort to cover its tracks. It is only a question of time and probably not much of it either. Who knows if the gig is already up even by the time Morton arrives at the barred door.
It will not take any time or effort to determine that something is wrong as the party has not taken enough effort to cover its tracks. It is only a question of time and probably not much of it either. Who knows if the gig is already up even by the time Morton arrives at the barred door.
Feb 15, 2026 9:52 pm
Retreating to the first floor was the suggestion, but it was clear to me (as Aanbo would interpret) that Morton felt it was not enough and too close a proximity to whatever evil is keeping undead in a holy temple. That's why Aanbo reiterated the intention of whether or not Morton wanted to leave Orlane entirely and travel to Hochoch, to which Morton basically answered yes.
Feb 15, 2026 11:40 pm
Morton was the only one who put any initiative to take care of Arya's body.
What the party doesn't seem to understand the "Between a rock & a hard place". The only way out is the temple barred door. The longer that the party stays inside, the more power will build up at that barred temple door. If the party takes a short rest then there is about 100% chance those outside the temple will be on full alert. And they will know from witness exactly what the composition of the party was at entering.
Party currently does NOT have the punch power to proceed much further without a total party wipe or losing more members. Going forward will only insure that the party lacks power to deal with the temple doors if power has built up there.
So, 1HP Morton does what is best for Arya's body and the view point that DB would have for a fallen priest. That is to get her corpse out of this temple before it can't be done easily. It doesn't take a genesis to tell that the party isn't going to stop.
What the party doesn't seem to understand the "Between a rock & a hard place". The only way out is the temple barred door. The longer that the party stays inside, the more power will build up at that barred temple door. If the party takes a short rest then there is about 100% chance those outside the temple will be on full alert. And they will know from witness exactly what the composition of the party was at entering.
Party currently does NOT have the punch power to proceed much further without a total party wipe or losing more members. Going forward will only insure that the party lacks power to deal with the temple doors if power has built up there.
So, 1HP Morton does what is best for Arya's body and the view point that DB would have for a fallen priest. That is to get her corpse out of this temple before it can't be done easily. It doesn't take a genesis to tell that the party isn't going to stop.
Last edited February 16, 2026 12:05 am
Feb 16, 2026 7:00 am
I understand Mortonās concerns, but the priestess is probably the source (or a source) of the undead in the Dim Forest. Leaving her here to continue her activities pretty much ensures that there will be more reanimated bodies roaming around. Also, Morton tried leaving on his own already, both he and Arya were relatively healthy when they tried, and they were knocked out. What makes Morton think he will have greater success on 1hp and hauling a dead body all the way?
Regarding the time pressure with the village Morton is right: the longer we stay here, the greater the chance villagers will realize that something is wrong and come investigate. But Iād like to recall that (1) we took out the temple guards quietly, without raising the alarm; (2) we did so at dawn, and perhaps an hour has gone by, not much more (though it has been three months in real-world time); (3) even if they are initially alarmed , they will probably be confused before mounting a coordinated siege.
Regarding the time pressure with the village Morton is right: the longer we stay here, the greater the chance villagers will realize that something is wrong and come investigate. But Iād like to recall that (1) we took out the temple guards quietly, without raising the alarm; (2) we did so at dawn, and perhaps an hour has gone by, not much more (though it has been three months in real-world time); (3) even if they are initially alarmed , they will probably be confused before mounting a coordinated siege.
Feb 16, 2026 8:59 am
If it is clear that he will not be dissuaded from leaving the temple complex on his own, things might turn ugly IC.
Iām not in favour of intra-party conflict breaking out into actual fighting in the narrative, but Mortonās insistence on leaving immediately, all precautions be damned will be understood as psychological shock, as I mentioned, and would elicit an unpleasant response from Myrtha.
If the DM prefers that such scenes and conflicts be avoided, I will defer to his preferences at the table. In that case, Myrtha would escort Morton out and block the doors on the way back in, as the lesser evil.
That would go quite counter her personality, however (itās a huge waste of time, and if we had time ā which we donāt ā we should be healing up, rather than splitting up). From her perspective, a shell-shocked green recruit is jeopardizing the entire mission because he canāt get his shit together. Worst still he is setting the well-being of a corpse over that of an actual DB who might still be alive and rescuable. Itās either cowardice or insanity, and in both cases itās a threat to the DungeonBusters and their mission. Morton has been fleeting and unreliable, trying to get away from Orlane nearly as soon as he got here. In her assessment, heās looking more and more like a liability, rather than an asset.
To make this abundantly clear, I have no problem with how you, @WanderOne, are playing or have played Morton. This is all IC. I see this as just more material to roleplay with and I enjoy gaming with you here (and elsewhere in GP). Just want to be clear about that if anything goes south IC in the next few posts.
Iām not in favour of intra-party conflict breaking out into actual fighting in the narrative, but Mortonās insistence on leaving immediately, all precautions be damned will be understood as psychological shock, as I mentioned, and would elicit an unpleasant response from Myrtha.
If the DM prefers that such scenes and conflicts be avoided, I will defer to his preferences at the table. In that case, Myrtha would escort Morton out and block the doors on the way back in, as the lesser evil.
That would go quite counter her personality, however (itās a huge waste of time, and if we had time ā which we donāt ā we should be healing up, rather than splitting up). From her perspective, a shell-shocked green recruit is jeopardizing the entire mission because he canāt get his shit together. Worst still he is setting the well-being of a corpse over that of an actual DB who might still be alive and rescuable. Itās either cowardice or insanity, and in both cases itās a threat to the DungeonBusters and their mission. Morton has been fleeting and unreliable, trying to get away from Orlane nearly as soon as he got here. In her assessment, heās looking more and more like a liability, rather than an asset.
To make this abundantly clear, I have no problem with how you, @WanderOne, are playing or have played Morton. This is all IC. I see this as just more material to roleplay with and I enjoy gaming with you here (and elsewhere in GP). Just want to be clear about that if anything goes south IC in the next few posts.
Last edited February 16, 2026 9:39 am
Feb 17, 2026 3:25 pm
Yes, I would like to make it very clear that this party conflict is purely from an in-character perspective. It is NOT a reflection of player style nor is it about the player themselves. I wouldn't expect the Dungeon Busters to be in agreement 100% of the time, and I think normally everyone would try to resolve the situation to reach a compromise, but in-game events and the perceived time crunch are definitely factoring into our decisions and actions.
I'd like to thank and congratulate everyone for roleplaying extremely well, and letting their character's personality traits shine.
I'd like to thank and congratulate everyone for roleplaying extremely well, and letting their character's personality traits shine.
Feb 17, 2026 6:42 pm
spaceseeker19 says:
Just letting you know that I may be slow to post (or may miss posts) this weekend (Friday - Monday), as once again I am attending the longest-running RPG convention in North America, DunDraCon. I may be able to post briefly on those days, but I can't guarantee it. I should be back on my regular posting starting Tuesday.I had a lot of fun; thank you all for your well-wishes!
* - It should be said that I've very rarely had an outright poor game at a convention; good games are default, in my experience, with the occasional absolutely stellar game that gets talked about for decades. The ones that weren't good were very, VERY bad, but thankfully they have been vanishingly rare (and are also talked about for decades, honestly).
** - I am convinced that comedy games like the Monty Python Co-curricular Medieval Re-enactment Programme do not/would not fare well in play-by-post, unfortunately. They're extremely fun, but too much of comedy performance depends on timing. If I run that at some point in the future, it will be in real-time.
Feb 17, 2026 11:29 pm
Glad you had a good time and got plenty of play time in. I love Monty Python. Glad you are back though because you run a stellar game. Loving the Dungeon Busters.
Feb 20, 2026 5:59 pm
As I recall, this encounter, along with the ghoul fight that you've already done, is one of the toughest in the whole adventure. If your PCs survive this, I think everyone other than Aanbo will be ready to advance a level.
Feb 21, 2026 8:40 am
Gotta say, Iāve never seen a DM roll so consistently well on his attack rolls, in my many years on GP. In between the skeletons and these goblins, itās been really impressive.
Feb 21, 2026 4:59 pm
I suppose if there's any argument in favor of joining Her cult, it's the bonus to attack rolls.
Feb 21, 2026 5:17 pm
Agreed, use all your skills friend you are our only hope. No pressure. hahaha
Last edited February 21, 2026 5:17 pm
Feb 21, 2026 6:03 pm
LOL... Here's a table with all the combat rolls since entering the Temple of Merikka, so we can see the DM's average and ours (whenever SpaceSeeker has rolled for us, I've added it to our column). I've included initiative, death saves, attacks and saving throws, but not skill checks.
The first two column refers to the combat with the monks and the acolyte, the third and fourth relate to the skeletons, and the fifth and sixth relate to the goblins.
The DM has a higher average only in the skeleton fight. However, Spaceseeker has rolled 55% of all rolls, of which 25% were equal or lower than 10, 30% were higher than 10. PCs rolled 45% of all rolls, of which 21% were 10 or lower, and 24% were 11 or higher.
But the deviation from the norm (each number should on average show up 5% of the time) is where SpaceSeeker's rolls shine: the ten Lowest possible results are far less frequent in his rolls (the total deviation from the norm for 1-10 is -5%, whereas fr the PCs it was -3,6%), whereas for the ten highest possible results (11-20) his deviation is positive at +5%, whereas the party's was just +3,6%.
Basically, our rolls tended more to the statistical norm, and SpaceSeekers didn't. But above all his didn't in a skewed fashion, with high rolls over-represented, and low rolls under-represented.
I should probably do the table but only with attack rolls, because a 19 initiative is not as important as a 19 attack roll.
The first two column refers to the combat with the monks and the acolyte, the third and fourth relate to the skeletons, and the fifth and sixth relate to the goblins.
The DM has a higher average only in the skeleton fight. However, Spaceseeker has rolled 55% of all rolls, of which 25% were equal or lower than 10, 30% were higher than 10. PCs rolled 45% of all rolls, of which 21% were 10 or lower, and 24% were 11 or higher.
But the deviation from the norm (each number should on average show up 5% of the time) is where SpaceSeeker's rolls shine: the ten Lowest possible results are far less frequent in his rolls (the total deviation from the norm for 1-10 is -5%, whereas fr the PCs it was -3,6%), whereas for the ten highest possible results (11-20) his deviation is positive at +5%, whereas the party's was just +3,6%.
Basically, our rolls tended more to the statistical norm, and SpaceSeekers didn't. But above all his didn't in a skewed fashion, with high rolls over-represented, and low rolls under-represented.
I should probably do the table but only with attack rolls, because a 19 initiative is not as important as a 19 attack roll.
Feb 22, 2026 5:21 pm
Ember wakes up with 1 hp! She could sneak attack and spread fear among these awful goblins. Or she could discreetly run away...
Feb 24, 2026 3:26 am
I dunno; could it be that maybe Aanbo was right in pushing on into the dungeon past when anyone reasonable would have rested? These goblins can't seem to hit HIM at all.
It will be glorious if the party survives this after all.
But I can't help wondering: if it happens, will Aanbo relent and let people recover, or will he keep going on his own?
I can't wait to find out.
It will be glorious if the party survives this after all.
But I can't help wondering: if it happens, will Aanbo relent and let people recover, or will he keep going on his own?
I can't wait to find out.
Feb 24, 2026 2:43 pm
For a moment, I thought that was referencing Daffy Duck:
Ho! Ha ha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust!
Ho! Ha ha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust!
Feb 24, 2026 7:39 pm
If Ember survives this, she will certainly stay with Aanbo, regardless of whether he presses forward or not. She wants to save her companions, but knows that if she and Aanbo fall, everyone will die. Better to go down fighting.
Feb 26, 2026 5:10 am
So there is still a remote possibility that one of the three dying characters - Aanbo, Chase, Ember - may roll another crit death save and come awake with 1 HP.
But you might want to consider the other possibility: that this will be a defeat of the entire party. If you want to continue, you can roll up another L1 PC that will join a party of Dungeon Busters that Olpert has sent to Orlane (post rolls to the character generation thread as usual). The new party will arrive within a day of this party being defeated.
If you don't want to continue, I understand.
But you might want to consider the other possibility: that this will be a defeat of the entire party. If you want to continue, you can roll up another L1 PC that will join a party of Dungeon Busters that Olpert has sent to Orlane (post rolls to the character generation thread as usual). The new party will arrive within a day of this party being defeated.
If you don't want to continue, I understand.
Feb 26, 2026 5:16 am
I'll keep a backup character in mind, but I won't do anything about it until I know for sure that Aanbo has perished!
Feb 26, 2026 10:27 am
It probably is not a bad thing to think about, will roll some dice and have a think about who is next.
Last edited February 26, 2026 11:05 am
Feb 26, 2026 10:51 am
I should have had spaceseeker roll my death save. Hahaha I will also wait just in case I have become a little attached to Chase.
Feb 26, 2026 1:15 pm
Iām definitely continuing.
I was waiting for confirmation that Myrtha is dead, or retired from play, before rolling a new PC.
I thought the cult might have a use for our characters, alive. But if youāre telling us that unless a miracle intervenes, Myrtha is out of play, Iāll start working on her replacement.
I was waiting for confirmation that Myrtha is dead, or retired from play, before rolling a new PC.
I thought the cult might have a use for our characters, alive. But if youāre telling us that unless a miracle intervenes, Myrtha is out of play, Iāll start working on her replacement.
Feb 26, 2026 2:42 pm
This will have been my first TPK on GP, for what itās worth. Old-school adventures are brutal, I was still playing this with a 5ed mindsetā¦
Feb 26, 2026 2:46 pm
I'm holding out for a miracle save (or that the cult will find us useful and bring us back from the brink), so I'll not roll just yet, but I am up for a retry if necessary.
Feb 26, 2026 3:00 pm
I am attached to my character too, but I am willing to roll a new character if needed.
Feb 27, 2026 9:21 pm
There is one more task for you all before you decide whether to make new characters: rolling saves as described in Chapter 3.6: Interlude.
Feb 27, 2026 9:37 pm
I have the beginning of a concept of a character. Iām going to roll stats just to consider my options.
Feb 27, 2026 10:36 pm
matmaisan says:
Pity that Ember didnāt make it. She was a cool character, @whtknt.Feb 28, 2026 7:16 am
What a great final scene youāve concocted, @spaceseeker19 ! Thanks for this great game.
Feb 28, 2026 11:01 am
I echo Matmaisanās words @spaceseeker19 š
We doomed ourselves with a troop of head strong characters, maybe next time we will be more balanced šš»
We doomed ourselves with a troop of head strong characters, maybe next time we will be more balanced šš»
Mar 1, 2026 12:24 am
It probably doesn't need mentioning, but just in case, I want to encourage you all to consider figuring out ways for your new characters to want to take the actions that you as players know they should take: rests when they're out of resources (hit points, healing abilities, and spell slots in particular) and training to gain levels when they're ready. The characters will be very aware that the previous adventurers have all disappeared, which (in addition to the specific circumstances of the encounter) should give them a reasonable amount of caution.
You shouldn't find yourselves in the situation again where a higher-level PC's confidence in their ability to survive overrides the common sense of L1 PCs, but if there ever is that spread of levels again, know that I fully support your saying "<Your character> might be OK with this, but <my L1 character> is not. They're really badly hurt, and any one of the attacks that we saw in the last three encounters could take them out with a single hit now. They're not going along with this until they're rested/ready." Again, that's a hypothetical, given that all the PCs are L1 now (and equally vulnerable), but consider it advice for any game, PbP here on GP or real-time anywhere else, in which you find yourself in a similar dilemma.
You shouldn't find yourselves in the situation again where a higher-level PC's confidence in their ability to survive overrides the common sense of L1 PCs, but if there ever is that spread of levels again, know that I fully support your saying "<Your character> might be OK with this, but <my L1 character> is not. They're really badly hurt, and any one of the attacks that we saw in the last three encounters could take them out with a single hit now. They're not going along with this until they're rested/ready." Again, that's a hypothetical, given that all the PCs are L1 now (and equally vulnerable), but consider it advice for any game, PbP here on GP or real-time anywhere else, in which you find yourself in a similar dilemma.
Mar 6, 2026 9:53 pm
My PC is going from the mountains to Dimgate as a caravan guard, and from there to Forestville then Hochoch as a wagon driver. Iād be glad to meet up with anyone while traveling this route (or another if it fits someoneās story better).
Mar 6, 2026 10:55 pm
Ugh, I completely forgot to mention this, but I'll be out of the country from March 13 through March 22. Please NPC Amnestria is needed!
As for meeting up with the new PCs, I have to admit that I'm completely unfamiliar with the Greyhawk setting. I figured that Amnestria started off in Gorna as that's where her immediate family might reside, and she wants to travel to Hochoch by way of the road to Javan's Crossing and onward through Woodborough. In my head, she is not a seasoned traveler so her parents would likely pay for her to secure a seat on a merchant caravan or with other travelers headed in the same direction.
As for meeting up with the new PCs, I have to admit that I'm completely unfamiliar with the Greyhawk setting. I figured that Amnestria started off in Gorna as that's where her immediate family might reside, and she wants to travel to Hochoch by way of the road to Javan's Crossing and onward through Woodborough. In my head, she is not a seasoned traveler so her parents would likely pay for her to secure a seat on a merchant caravan or with other travelers headed in the same direction.
Mar 7, 2026 8:50 pm
I think Antonius would talk his way into the escort for Amnestria being a capable fighter, and who wouldnāt want a Cleric to help in an escort.
I feel after the fight with the Skeletons he would seek to travel in company of others, safety in numbers and all that š.
I feel after the fight with the Skeletons he would seek to travel in company of others, safety in numbers and all that š.
Mar 9, 2026 5:21 am
We've already said that Dell and Amnestria met in Gorna, I believe.
Antonius and Berthold are both from Keoland; do you think they met during the journey from the Kingdom, or did they possible have some awareness of each other before they left?
Kazzak is coming out of the Crystalmist Mountains to the north of the Duchy, and we know that the Earthshaker Abbey is somewhere in the mountains. Where do you think the Abbey is? Do you think that Sora would have met Kazzak on the journey south to Dimgate, too, or is he coming east past the Hornwood from the mountains?
Antonius and Berthold are both from Keoland; do you think they met during the journey from the Kingdom, or did they possible have some awareness of each other before they left?
Kazzak is coming out of the Crystalmist Mountains to the north of the Duchy, and we know that the Earthshaker Abbey is somewhere in the mountains. Where do you think the Abbey is? Do you think that Sora would have met Kazzak on the journey south to Dimgate, too, or is he coming east past the Hornwood from the mountains?
Mar 9, 2026 10:03 am
Sorry I just saw the new thread this morning before leaving for work so will post later today when I get home.
Mar 9, 2026 1:04 pm
spaceseeker19 says:
Antonius and Berthold are both from Keoland; do you think they met during the journey from the Kingdom, or did they possible have some awareness of each other before they left?Mar 9, 2026 3:59 pm
spaceseeker19 says:
We've already said that Dell and Amnestria met in Gorna, I believe.Kazzak is coming out of the Crystalmist Mountains to the north of the Duchy, and we know that the Earthshaker Abbey is somewhere in the mountains. Where do you think the Abbey is? Do you think that Sora would have met Kazzak on the journey south to Dimgate, too, or is he coming east past the Hornwood from the mountains?
As for the Earthshaker Abbey, I apologize for not being specific in its location. I only decided that it'd be in the mountains. Please feel free to nail down its location if it help your character's origins.
Mar 11, 2026 2:02 am
spaceseeker19 says:
Do you think that Sora would have met Kazzak on the journey south to Dimgate, too, or is he coming east past the Hornwood from the mountains?Mar 11, 2026 3:23 am
@WhtKnt Sounds good to me. Do you want Sora to be one of the passengers on the wagon to Javan Crossing?
@spaceseeker19 what is the travel time (by wagon) between Forestville and Javan Crossing?
@spaceseeker19 what is the travel time (by wagon) between Forestville and Javan Crossing?
Last edited March 11, 2026 3:24 am
Mar 11, 2026 5:49 am
rpgventurer says:
What is the travel time (by wagon) between Forestville and Javan Crossing?Mar 11, 2026 2:23 pm
rpgventurer says:
@WhtKnt Sounds good to me. Do you want Sora to be one of the passengers on the wagon to Javan Crossing?Mar 11, 2026 3:36 pm
I am enjoying the role-playing of everyone meeting and traveling, but I also want to check in to see how everyone is doing. Do you want to continue role-playing your introductions and conversation during the journey first, or would you prefer to do that in parallel with another thread that takes place after all that, with the party at Hochoch and meeting Olpert?
I don't want to skip ahead and short-change your roleplay if everyone is having a good time, but I also don't want to delay the adventure/encounters part of the game if any of you are tired of waiting for those opportunities. So I'm checking: what would you rather do? Either way, you can continue playing out your PCs meeting each other. The only drawback to having two threads in parallel is the potential that updating both is more effort and you might taper off in the first one before you feel like you've finished the roleplay.
I don't want to skip ahead and short-change your roleplay if everyone is having a good time, but I also don't want to delay the adventure/encounters part of the game if any of you are tired of waiting for those opportunities. So I'm checking: what would you rather do? Either way, you can continue playing out your PCs meeting each other. The only drawback to having two threads in parallel is the potential that updating both is more effort and you might taper off in the first one before you feel like you've finished the roleplay.
Mar 11, 2026 4:05 pm
I'm inclined to continue with the introductions, if only to flesh out character personalities. I'm finding Amnestria's voice through these interactions, trying to play her like a headstrong teenager that hasn't found the balance between acceptance of her family connections and achieving her own independence.
Of course, if everyone would rather describe themselves OOC in order to move ahead to Hochoch, I'm fine with that, too. I already have the basic idea of Amnestria so introductory RP is just fine-tuning the character. I'm sure with this group, it will be easy to integrate everyone's characters to form a party.
I do understand that continuing the intro scene means Morton is left in the wings, even if there's a private thread going on that documents his return to Hochoch with Arya's body. That's another possible reason to skip ahead to where the group gets together.
A reminder that I'm out of the country starting Friday March 13 and won't be back until Monday March 23, so whatever is decided, Amnestria will be an NPC during that time. If we're still in the introduction thread, she'll be conversational but will try to keep her affiliation with the Raptor name quiet as much as possible. She doesn't want to be treated any differently than anybody else, even if it means difficulty for the group.
If there is a need for magic, Amnestria's only "attack" spell is Fire Bolt. She prefers battlefield control such as using Sleep or Fog Cloud to disrupt opponents, or Minor Illusion to provide distraction. Her favorite illusion is a 4-foot-tall halfling assassin suddenly appearing in peripheral view, while her second favorite is any type of concealment that can help a warrior/rogue get into position to strike. Otherwise, her character sheet is public so everyone can see her spellbook and prepared spells; use whatever fits the need.
Of course, if everyone would rather describe themselves OOC in order to move ahead to Hochoch, I'm fine with that, too. I already have the basic idea of Amnestria so introductory RP is just fine-tuning the character. I'm sure with this group, it will be easy to integrate everyone's characters to form a party.
I do understand that continuing the intro scene means Morton is left in the wings, even if there's a private thread going on that documents his return to Hochoch with Arya's body. That's another possible reason to skip ahead to where the group gets together.
A reminder that I'm out of the country starting Friday March 13 and won't be back until Monday March 23, so whatever is decided, Amnestria will be an NPC during that time. If we're still in the introduction thread, she'll be conversational but will try to keep her affiliation with the Raptor name quiet as much as possible. She doesn't want to be treated any differently than anybody else, even if it means difficulty for the group.
If there is a need for magic, Amnestria's only "attack" spell is Fire Bolt. She prefers battlefield control such as using Sleep or Fog Cloud to disrupt opponents, or Minor Illusion to provide distraction. Her favorite illusion is a 4-foot-tall halfling assassin suddenly appearing in peripheral view, while her second favorite is any type of concealment that can help a warrior/rogue get into position to strike. Otherwise, her character sheet is public so everyone can see her spellbook and prepared spells; use whatever fits the need.
Mar 11, 2026 5:04 pm
I was wondering where Morton had gone to! I had the impression Wanderone had dropped, since he doesn't appear in the player roster for this game...
Mar 11, 2026 8:24 pm
I prefer finishing introductions before starting a parallel thread, but Iām fine with whatever the decision is.
Mar 13, 2026 8:32 pm
Even taking @CancerMan's absence into account, it feels like the introductions have tapered off. So I will start the next thread; as I said before, there's plenty of room in the Chapter 4.0 thread to continue in-character interactions concerning the journey to Hochoch and the first arrival, in parallel to the conversations with Olpert.
Mar 16, 2026 2:09 am
rpgventurer says:
How does Olpert want to addressed? Master Razorsson? Lord Olpert?Mar 16, 2026 3:37 am
Thanks. In my mind, Dwarves would use a personās title as a sign of respect and expect the same.
Mar 16, 2026 4:23 pm
I have to admit that I enjoy the shtick that the PCs keep referring to Olpert with grand titles that he finds embarrassing. Keep it up!
Mar 21, 2026 7:28 pm
I was expecting that I would do a lot more with the PCs-turned-NPCs, but I think that would just prolong this build-up. Instead, for now I'll leave them in the background unless/until a PC explicitly interacts with them.
Mar 25, 2026 3:47 pm
rpgventurer says:
So Rufus is the wainwright? Is his last name Loudonson?Mar 28, 2026 3:37 am
@spaceseeker19 How long is a "watch" during the night so we know how to divide the group?
Mar 28, 2026 6:09 pm
rpgventurer says:
@spaceseeker19 How long is a "watch" during the night so we know how to divide the group?Mar 31, 2026 5:28 pm
Hello there everybody,
It's been fifteen days since I last posted. Not for lack of wanting, I assure you, but because what appeared like a temporary increase in work and family duties turned out a lot rougher, and longer, than expected. My sincerest apologies to all of you, and in particular @spaceseeker19.
I'm catching up with the threads, and preparing a post. But I am also wondering if it would be preferable to bow out now, or if you are ā an in particular if the DM is ā ok with my returning after such a hiatus. Berthold is supposed to be an extroverted , social character; his total absence in the last scenes is most uncharacteristic of him IC. We can obviously hand-wave my absence as him being busy in the background with unimportant, secondary things, but I don't want to presume you're all okay with this, or that he can just be reintegrated into the plot without further ado.
As a practical matter, @spaceseeker19, if I am to post as Berthold should I assume that his retinue is coming along with the party or that they are left behind in Orlane ? We can easily find reasons to narratively sideline three NPCs, if needed. But I would have though that the Baronet goes everywhere with them, and that they can be useful while we adventure (keeping watch, setting up camp, fetching would, tending to the animals, cooking, etc.).
It's been fifteen days since I last posted. Not for lack of wanting, I assure you, but because what appeared like a temporary increase in work and family duties turned out a lot rougher, and longer, than expected. My sincerest apologies to all of you, and in particular @spaceseeker19.
I'm catching up with the threads, and preparing a post. But I am also wondering if it would be preferable to bow out now, or if you are ā an in particular if the DM is ā ok with my returning after such a hiatus. Berthold is supposed to be an extroverted , social character; his total absence in the last scenes is most uncharacteristic of him IC. We can obviously hand-wave my absence as him being busy in the background with unimportant, secondary things, but I don't want to presume you're all okay with this, or that he can just be reintegrated into the plot without further ado.
As a practical matter, @spaceseeker19, if I am to post as Berthold should I assume that his retinue is coming along with the party or that they are left behind in Orlane ? We can easily find reasons to narratively sideline three NPCs, if needed. But I would have though that the Baronet goes everywhere with them, and that they can be useful while we adventure (keeping watch, setting up camp, fetching would, tending to the animals, cooking, etc.).
Mar 31, 2026 5:45 pm
While the Side Conversation thread held a few planning points for our arrival into Orlane, in my imagination I'm almost certain that Berthold filled the remainder of the journey with a variety of benign topics. My question would be if he's the type to coax true feelings and goals from strangers during his chats with others, because I'm happy to reveal some of Amnestria's history or personal plans if that's the case. I assume he's not incessantly persistent in personal questions, which would instead make people close off, but more the type of social butterfly that seems to naturally make friends with everybody or at least get people to open up.
Mar 31, 2026 6:18 pm
Oh, he would definitely be interested in learning more from each of his travelling companions, but would have a particular interest in Amnestria, for more reasons than one. First because she is an elf, and though Berthold will not speak of it easily, he is deeply in love with an elven noblewoman from 'back home' and is very curious about their language, customs, values, and so forth. Second, because she is a scholar, and though Berthold's education was quite middling for a nobleman, he has great curiosity and interest in the wisdom of sages and learned people everywhere. Third, because she seems a bit out of her element in this 'adventuring life', pretty much as Berthold feels right now.
He would not be persistent or intrusive: he is nothing if not courteous in manner and in speech, used to the social conventions of nobility, and quite at ease with dialogue that is allusive or indirect. He would take any cues regarding subjects as off-limits very strictly; it is something his knightly background would demand of him.
He would not be persistent or intrusive: he is nothing if not courteous in manner and in speech, used to the social conventions of nobility, and quite at ease with dialogue that is allusive or indirect. He would take any cues regarding subjects as off-limits very strictly; it is something his knightly background would demand of him.
Mar 31, 2026 9:38 pm
matmaisan says:
I'm catching up with the threads, and preparing a post. But I am also wondering if it would be preferable to bow out now, or if you are ā an in particular if the DM is ā ok with my returning after such a hiatus. Berthold is supposed to be an extroverted , social character; his total absence in the last scenes is most uncharacteristic of him IC. We can obviously hand-wave my absence as him being busy in the background with unimportant, secondary things, but I don't want to presume you're all okay with this, or that he can just be reintegrated into the plot without further ado.matmaisan says:
If I am to post as Berthold should I assume that his retinue is coming along with the party or that they are left behind in Orlane ?Apr 1, 2026 1:50 am
Welcome back @matmaisan, family and RL always comes first.
We are happy to have the Noble Knight back with us š
We are happy to have the Noble Knight back with us š
Apr 1, 2026 7:43 pm
@matmaisan The more the merrier (and safer)!
@spaceseeker19 May I spend the 2 GP for traveler's clothes for Kazzak? I just checked the description for common clothes and it is, well, too common.
@spaceseeker19 May I spend the 2 GP for traveler's clothes for Kazzak? I just checked the description for common clothes and it is, well, too common.
Apr 2, 2026 12:06 am
rpgventurer says:
May I spend the 2 GP for traveler's clothes for Kazzak? I just checked the description for common clothes and it is, well, too common.Apr 6, 2026 10:04 pm
From the adventure thread:
"I gotta admit," a masculine voice comes from behind the trees, "You guys were right. I thought for sure he was heading back to town and we'd never see him again." This person - Hider One - sighs, and the party members can pinpoint his location by his voice and by a half-glimpsed shape behind a tree.
I almost missed this. I believe Hider One thinks Dell is Chase.
"I gotta admit," a masculine voice comes from behind the trees, "You guys were right. I thought for sure he was heading back to town and we'd never see him again." This person - Hider One - sighs, and the party members can pinpoint his location by his voice and by a half-glimpsed shape behind a tree.
I almost missed this. I believe Hider One thinks Dell is Chase.
Apr 8, 2026 12:28 pm
Can we assume that friendly NPCs are subject to the same death rules as PCs? Berthold can either try to catch #4 or try to stabilize Olyena next round. If I could presume she has at least two rounds of death saves ahead of her, Berthold will try to dispatch the opposition. If he isnāt sure, heāll head back and try to save his servant.
Apr 8, 2026 2:27 pm
matmaisan says:
Can we assume that friendly NPCs are subject to the same death rules as PCs?Apr 10, 2026 5:19 am
spaceseeker19 says:
@WhtKnt - you can finish round one with Sora's action, now that you know the layout of the field at the start of her turn.Apr 14, 2026 12:25 am
Mathfuric says:
"This will hurt." With one controlled motion, he pulled [the bolt] free...Apr 16, 2026 3:47 am
Just a note that I am going to be absent from Monday until the next Monday. My wife has been trying to get to see the International Flower and Garden Festival at Disney World for five years, and we finally found a chance to go when it was happening.
Apr 16, 2026 4:52 am
WhtKnt says:
Just a note that I am going to be absent from Monday until the next Monday. My wife has been trying to get to see the International Flower and Garden Festival at Disney World for five years, and we finally found a chance to go when it was happening.Apr 17, 2026 6:24 am
@spaceseeker19 can Antonius have in his possession a couple of items used for burial rites?
Such as ābone-white dust and a shard of polished obsidianā, these are items her Priests use for burial rites.
Such as ābone-white dust and a shard of polished obsidianā, these are items her Priests use for burial rites.
Last edited April 17, 2026 6:25 am
Apr 17, 2026 2:22 pm
Mathfuric says:
can Antonius have in his possession a couple of items used for burial rites? Such as ābone-white dust and a shard of polished obsidianā, these are items her Priests use for burial rites.
Apr 17, 2026 9:27 pm
spaceseeker19 says:
Mathfuric says:
can Antonius have in his possession a couple of items used for burial rites? Such as ābone-white dust and a shard of polished obsidianā, these are items her Priests use for burial rites.
Apr 23, 2026 11:20 am
@rpgventurer the plan is more to draw them out, if they arrive and there is no guard and the place is quiet, they would be more suspicious.
If they think their friends have just been lazy, they are more likely to just be angry and storm in without thinking.
Once they are close enough to recognise their friends are the bait, trap is sprang š
If they think their friends have just been lazy, they are more likely to just be angry and storm in without thinking.
Once they are close enough to recognise their friends are the bait, trap is sprang š
Apr 27, 2026 4:19 am
WhtKnt says:
Leaving for Disney tomorrow. See you in a week.Apr 27, 2026 3:36 pm
It was very enjoyable, thanks! We stayed at Kidani Lodge in the Animal Kingdom Resort Area, with a view of the savannah from our balcony! We arrived Monday afternoon and went to an After Hours event that night at the Magic Kingdom. Instead of thousands of people in the park, there were only about 5,000 total. All snacks and non-alcoholic beverages were free, and the longest line we waited in was for Snow White, which was only about 10 minutes. Tuesday was a resort day, and we went to Disney Springs for the day. I picked up several new trading pin releases (I'm a trading pin aficionado), as Tuesday is new release day. We spent most of Wednesday at EPCOT, taking pictures of the flowers and topiaries and eating around the world. On Thursday, we returned to EPCOT to finish catching all the topiaries and to take both the Tea Tour in the United Kingdom and the Behind the Seeds tour of the greenhouse at The Land. We left early to return to Disney Springs for dinner at the Paddlefish and to pick up the Star Trek NCC-1701D Lego set at the Lego Store. Friday was our last day, and after lunch at Portillo's, we went to the Character Warehouse. We spent Friday afternoon at the resort pool, sipping margaritas and pina coladas. Saturday started with breakfast at Steakhouse 71 at the Contemporary Resort, then came the 8-hour drive home. I spent yesterday at a mini-convention put on by the local library system.
Apr 27, 2026 9:28 pm
Welcome back mate,
Sounds a great weekend, especially the short lines š š¢
Sounds a great weekend, especially the short lines š š¢
Apr 28, 2026 9:26 pm
Hey @spaceseeker19 and fellow Dungeon Busters,
Just a quick note to let you know I will be traveling with the family to Japan from 18 May to 1 June. I will be very unlikely to be posting during this period, so if you could please role play Antonius for me would be greatly appreciated š.
I will put up a reminder closer to my departure.
Just a quick note to let you know I will be traveling with the family to Japan from 18 May to 1 June. I will be very unlikely to be posting during this period, so if you could please role play Antonius for me would be greatly appreciated š.
I will put up a reminder closer to my departure.
Last edited April 29, 2026 9:25 pm
Apr 30, 2026 3:34 pm
Mathfuric says:
Just a quick note to let you know I will be traveling with the family to Japan from 18 May to 1 June. I will be very unlikely to be posting during this period, so if you could please role play Antonius for me would be greatly appreciated š.Apr 30, 2026 3:36 pm
Folks: I was intentionally NOT posting a map of the Jarl farm because I was thinking we might play this encounter with just descriptions. But let me put it to all of you: do you want to play this encounter with a map, or without one?
With a map, or without? Public
I want to try it without a map
Vote to view results.
I prefer a map
Vote to view results.
May 2, 2026 12:25 am
Shall Sora and Dell wait until the bandits are up by the front porch before we use our range attacks?
May 2, 2026 8:34 am
mathias0077 says:
Shall Sora and Dell wait until the bandits are up by the front porch before we use our range attacks?May 7, 2026 10:05 pm
I was hoping one of our three tanks would attack Abe and hopefully finish him off because he attacks first in the round and will be able to attack Sora.
May 8, 2026 2:23 am
@mathias0077 That's a good plan. I wish I would've thought of that -- not that it mattered with my roll. I'll consider the initiative order in the future.
May 8, 2026 2:56 am
We can chalk it up to our relative inexperience. We're all level 1 and never worked together before this.
May 8, 2026 5:40 pm
On a normal turn, a player has Movement, an Action, and a possible Bonus Action. Players also have a possible Reaction that can take effect on your turn or on another character's turn.
Movement allows you to move up to your speed, and you can also break up your move around your actions, eg move 10', shoot a crossbow, move 20'.
Actions can be one of the following: Attack, Cast Spell, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help, Hide, Ready, Use Object, or something else that the DM determines might take up the entire round like searching through a bookshelf.
Bonus Actions are specified by an ability or skill. 2nd-level rogues, for example, can use a Bonus Action to Dash, Disengage, or Hide. The monk can use a Bonus Action to make an unarmed attack IF they take the Attack action with a monk weapon or unarmed strike.
Reactions are an instant response to some kind of trigger. For example, the Shield spell can be triggered by taking damage; the other character hit you with an attack, so you spend your Reaction to cast Shield to increase your AC and hopefully turn that hit into a miss. You can only take one Reaction until the start of your next turn.
The Ready action is a special case. You basically set a condition or circumstance that will trigger either an action OR movement (not both). You must use your Reaction to accomplish this. So you might say, "I wait until the bandit enters the room, then I will attack them with my sword," or, "If my friend appears at the intersection, I will move 30 feet into the alley." Then your turn basically ends and you wait to see if that condition is met; if it is not met, you don't do anything (NB you can also choose to NOT do what you said you would if the trigger is met).
The tricky part about Ready is that because you're spending a Reaction to do it, sometimes you don't get to perform other things you normally would. Using the Monk as an example, if you take the Ready action to strike the bandit with your fist, you're technically NOT taking the Attack action, which means you can't use your Bonus Action because 1) the rules say it has to follow an Attack action, and 2) BAs are taken on your turn, not someone else's.
The same goes for warriors with Extra Attack making an Opportunity Attack; you're spending a Reaction to make one melee attack, but by rule you don't get to use Extra Attack because you didn't take the Attack action.
Movement allows you to move up to your speed, and you can also break up your move around your actions, eg move 10', shoot a crossbow, move 20'.
Actions can be one of the following: Attack, Cast Spell, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, Help, Hide, Ready, Use Object, or something else that the DM determines might take up the entire round like searching through a bookshelf.
Bonus Actions are specified by an ability or skill. 2nd-level rogues, for example, can use a Bonus Action to Dash, Disengage, or Hide. The monk can use a Bonus Action to make an unarmed attack IF they take the Attack action with a monk weapon or unarmed strike.
Reactions are an instant response to some kind of trigger. For example, the Shield spell can be triggered by taking damage; the other character hit you with an attack, so you spend your Reaction to cast Shield to increase your AC and hopefully turn that hit into a miss. You can only take one Reaction until the start of your next turn.
The Ready action is a special case. You basically set a condition or circumstance that will trigger either an action OR movement (not both). You must use your Reaction to accomplish this. So you might say, "I wait until the bandit enters the room, then I will attack them with my sword," or, "If my friend appears at the intersection, I will move 30 feet into the alley." Then your turn basically ends and you wait to see if that condition is met; if it is not met, you don't do anything (NB you can also choose to NOT do what you said you would if the trigger is met).
The tricky part about Ready is that because you're spending a Reaction to do it, sometimes you don't get to perform other things you normally would. Using the Monk as an example, if you take the Ready action to strike the bandit with your fist, you're technically NOT taking the Attack action, which means you can't use your Bonus Action because 1) the rules say it has to follow an Attack action, and 2) BAs are taken on your turn, not someone else's.
The same goes for warriors with Extra Attack making an Opportunity Attack; you're spending a Reaction to make one melee attack, but by rule you don't get to use Extra Attack because you didn't take the Attack action.
May 9, 2026 1:18 am
Correct; this all means that Sora could make her Martial Arts attack as a Bonus Action whether or not she moved (although in this case, she doesn't have to, as Dhit is still right next to her). It also means that Dell cannot Attack and Hide on the same turn, as both are Actions (though he will be able to Hide as a Bonus Action if he advances to level 2 as a Rogue).
May 12, 2026 6:32 pm
Iām travelling with the family from Wednesday to Sunday. Canāt guarantee Iāll be able to post, NPC my character as needed.
May 14, 2026 11:04 pm
CancerMan says:
The thought occurs too late to her that it could have been one of her companions or Berthold's retinue that came crashing through, and she shudders at the imaginary result.May 20, 2026 6:04 am
To quote a character from Monty Python and the Holy Grail: "Letās not bicker and argue over who killed who."
Jun 16, 2026 5:01 am
Sorry for the long delay; it's been non-stop for me all weekend and today until now.
Jun 16, 2026 5:59 am
Want to bet the party doesn't bury the dead. Morton remembers those undead. Been there. Done that. Guess you might know why Morton doesn't want to bury Arya. Orlane is in Dim Forest.
Last edited June 16, 2026 6:04 am
Jun 19, 2026 6:29 am
Quote:
Dina CON save DC11 - (1d20+3)(20) + 3 = 23 ā
Dina CON save DC10 - (1d20+3)
(16) + 3 = 19 ā
Dina CON save DC19 - (1d20+3)
(16) + 3 = 19
Most of the time, that's fine.
But it really depends on the die rolls. One run-through, that single encounter took all of a four-hour session and half of the next session afterward, because the zombies kept making their Undead Fortitude rolls. You all are just facing six zombies; hopefully the rest of them won't keep making their rolls in this encounter like Dina has been doing!
Jun 19, 2026 9:47 am
Damn, that is crazy. We have knocked the crap out of this damn zombie. Was hoping it would be down the door comes crashing in. hahaha
Jun 19, 2026 3:47 pm
I don't remember if we technically had a short rest before we began our overnight stay in the farmhouse. If we did, would Amnestria be able to utilize her Arcane Recovery feature and recover a 1st-level spell slot?
Jun 19, 2026 8:44 pm
Well, dang it. I was hoping for at least 4 or 5 rounds of survival for Berthold. Didn't expect a natural 1 on the first try!
Jun 20, 2026 5:51 am
Yeah, that was unfortunate. If Berthold has inspiration, Iād definitely reroll that death save. Cause his chances of surviving the next three rounds are pretty low.
Jun 20, 2026 8:54 am
I second that. We should all have one inspiration each.
Not having a full rest is brutal š«
Not having a full rest is brutal š«
Last edited June 20, 2026 8:55 am
Jun 21, 2026 8:40 pm
Mathfuric says:
I am really torn here between moving away and giving an opportunity of attack to cast āSpare the dyingā, or disengaging and waiting a turn hoping for the best. With only 3 HP taking a hit will put Antonius out.
OOC:
@Mathfuric - are you inviting discussion from the group, or are you just observing that it's a tough choice?Jun 23, 2026 12:10 am
If Sora has movement left this round you should disengage and move. This seems like a fight we can't win at the moment. If you can get to the loft I can try and draw them off so our captives can join you. Then I can double back and join y'all. Hopefully.
Jun 24, 2026 3:37 pm
Sheesh, we should see if these zombies can come with us to Orlane. These guys are super tanks.
Jun 24, 2026 3:50 pm
Yeah, the number of crits I've been rolling for Undead Fortitude is ridiculously unlucky.
Jun 24, 2026 10:14 pm
CancerMan says:
Sheesh, we should see if these zombies can come with us to Orlane. These guys are super tanks.Jun 24, 2026 10:35 pm
Heh, a lot of times, my character's goals often change due to in-game events. Aanbo was supposed to be just a regular martial arts monk, but after witnessing all the suffering I changed to focus on mercy and the struggle between who lives and who dies.
I was intending to pursue the school of Abjuration or Enchantment, but maybe Amnestria becomes a necromancer, instead?
I was intending to pursue the school of Abjuration or Enchantment, but maybe Amnestria becomes a necromancer, instead?
Jun 25, 2026 1:44 am
@rpgventurer maybe it is best to disengage and shut the door, one of us grab Sora and drag her inside.
One of us can hold the door shut and filter the Zombies in through the other door.
One of us can hold the door shut and filter the Zombies in through the other door.
Jun 25, 2026 3:04 am
My mind's eye blinks an awful lot, and I was wondering if per chance that perhaps Morton witness the fall of Sora to the undead? And if so, did the undead leave her drop body yet or has Morton seen which way it went? Just getting notion on what Morton will do next. Thinking ahead Morton is about say 70' from the house, how far is he from the barn where Sora is trying to avoid her demise?
Ah. For this game what is the procedure to use Morton's Healer's Kit that he has 8 uses left on it? I can't recall if some dice rolling is needed as well to use it besides an action.
Ah. For this game what is the procedure to use Morton's Healer's Kit that he has 8 uses left on it? I can't recall if some dice rolling is needed as well to use it besides an action.
Last edited June 25, 2026 3:20 am
Jun 25, 2026 12:31 pm
rpgventurer says:
@Mathfuric Good thinking.No point in losing the advantage give by CancerManās Owl, and if we are lucky we may even get one š¤š»
Jun 25, 2026 2:22 pm
WanderOne says:
My mind's eye blinks an awful lot, and I was wondering if per chance that perhaps Morton witness the fall of Sora to the undead?But of course it hasn't worked out that way, with the zombies both a) getting up close with the heroes despite their much slower movement, and b) making TEN Undead Fortitude saves so far. So here's a quick sketch, to give a rough idea of the layout:
The orange rectangle is the farmhouse. The red one is the barn. The grey circle is the well. The green rectangle is the garden, and the blue rectangle represents the fields of crops going to seed. At this moment, Antonius, Grallaria, and Kazzak are to the right of the house, in between it and the fields. Morton is about 70' (28 paces) directly east of them. Berthold and Amnestria are on the second floor of the farmhouse, not visible to anyone conscious outside. Sora is on the ground south of the barn, at the moment blocked from view from all but Amnestria (if she were to look out the second-story bedroom window in that direction). Dell is in the middle of the barn, currently in a stall and not visible to anyone except the two prisoners in the stall with him (and even that dimly because the only Light is coming into the barn from a spell on a coin that is next to the wagon). The green wavy line represents the edge of the Dim Forest that surrounds the farm.
WanderOne says:
Thinking ahead Morton is about say 70' from the house, how far is he from the barn where Sora is trying to avoid her demise?WanderOne says:
Ah. For this game what is the procedure to use Morton's Healer's Kit that he has 8 uses left on it? I can't recall if some dice rolling is needed as well to use it besides an action.Jun 25, 2026 9:11 pm
mathias0077 says:
OOC:
I will go out the back and try to draw them with me away from the captives and Sora. Hoping someone can get to Sora or I can lead them away and come back for her.Jun 28, 2026 5:26 pm
If I'm correct, Morton now has a clear few of the house & the barn areas with that current movement. Guessing he is about 70' actually from Sora now, but I don't know if Morton with all that going on takes note of her dropped body near the barn. I gave you a generic perception if it is needed.
Last edited June 28, 2026 5:27 pm
Rolls
Perception to take note of possible Sora's body - (1d20+2)
(5) + 2 = 7
Jun 28, 2026 9:25 pm
An interesting point noticed. Amnestria Elyphara has a possible chance of ID'ing Morton Canith. Both are raised in Gorna. Morton can change his color of hair & other stuff but not his basic face.
[ +- ] Possible Connection Info
Although in lesser reason, Morton fled away from Gorna. Could be that Tal Alkern, childhood friend of Morton, who lived there burst into flames, dying in screaming agony with Morton right there near him. Suspicion was extremely high. Morton had a bit of bad rep about not paying back money loaned as well his swindling and coning games.
Suppositively an Elvish Ambassador was to pay his debts off & vouch for Morton's integrity, but that person disappeared same time Morton did. Somewhere in the middle of that mess is a young woman named Mala. She was a traveling merchant & is involved.
Suppositively an Elvish Ambassador was to pay his debts off & vouch for Morton's integrity, but that person disappeared same time Morton did. Somewhere in the middle of that mess is a young woman named Mala. She was a traveling merchant & is involved.
Last edited June 28, 2026 9:41 pm
Jun 29, 2026 1:06 pm
If thereās a window upstairs, perhaps Berthold should shove the zombie out of it, and down to the ground? That would involve coordination with Amnestria, whoād have to open the window, and get out of the way so Berthold could bull-rush the zombie out the windowā¦
Sounds like a strategy, or am I just delirious from all the pounding Berthold received?
Sounds like a strategy, or am I just delirious from all the pounding Berthold received?
Jun 29, 2026 4:08 pm
The window is already open. Amnestria did so at the beginning of the battle so she could throw a Light-infused coin outside and Grallaria could take flight. She would just have to get out of the way, or assist Berthold is pulling the zombie through the window.
Jun 29, 2026 10:30 pm
I will lead the two zombies into the dim for about 100 yds before I double back.
Jun 30, 2026 12:05 am
rpgventurer says:
Let me know if you still want Kazzak to Disengage then lock the door.Jun 30, 2026 1:16 am
Mathfuric says:
It maybe best, as you may have another zombie dropping from the roof on Kazzak šJul 1, 2026 1:19 am
Mathfuric says:
rpgventurer says:
Let me know if you still want Kazzak to Disengage then lock the door.Jul 1, 2026 8:30 pm
OOC:
@spaceseeker19 So how far do I have to go into the Dim to lead them away and they keep going? I just want to get them away from us. If that isn't an option I will probably move a safe enough distance to get a shots off.Last edited July 1, 2026 8:38 pm
Jul 2, 2026 1:11 am
mathias0077 says:
OOC:
@spaceseeker19 So how far do I have to go into the Dim to lead them away and they keep going? I just want to get them away from us. If that isn't an option I will probably move a safe enough distance to get a shots off.OOC:
The most certain way is to lead them into the Forest and then double back when they can't detect Dell any more. If, at the end of Dell's turn, he is more than 100' away from them, they won't be able to detect him even if they happen to move and Dash in his direction (they have a speed of 20, so can move a max of 40' on their turns, and can sense creatures within 60'). Of course, you could lead them a ways and then circle back without completing losing them to buy everybody a couple of rounds, maybe hit them with a couple of arrows in the process, if that seems like it will take too long.Jul 2, 2026 9:37 am
OOC:
@spaceseeker19 So I could move and dash (90') three turns and be far enough away from them To circle back without being detected? If 90' is correct. Last edited July 2, 2026 9:38 am
Jul 2, 2026 1:18 pm
mathias0077 says:
So I could move and dash (90') three turns and be far enough away from them To circle back without being detected?Jul 2, 2026 8:46 pm
OOC:
@spaceseeker19 Gotcha, I thought when said move/dash it was move and dash. I thought it was a bit much. But Dell wants nothing to do with fighting these zombies. They dealt way to much damage to one of the ones chasing him. So 4 dash turns would get me far enough away from them to double without them detecting me?Jul 2, 2026 10:24 pm
If Morton makes a move & dash toward the barn doors that would be 70'. What/who would Morton be seeing while doing this? Trying place and put this all together. Obviously, he would be leaving the field.
Last edited July 2, 2026 10:25 pm
Jul 4, 2026 11:50 pm
Happy Independence Day to those of you in the United States!
To answer that question, I'm going to assume that you want Morton to go to the southern barn doors, rather than the northern ones. His first move will bring him out of the field near Dean the zombie, but there are no non-zombies in view. Morton watched first Antonius (round seven) and Kazzak (beginning of round eight) leave and disappear inside the farmhouse. The interior of the farmhouse is completely obscured by fog. When Morton takes his Action to Dash around the farmhouse, he will arrive at the southeast corner of the barn. At that point, he'll be able to see Antonius kneeling over Sora, 10' further away.
Of course, this is based on where people are at the start of round eight; it's possible that Sora, Amnestria, and/or Antonius will change position before Morton's turn.
WanderOne says:
If Morton makes a move & dash toward the barn doors that would be 70'. What/who would Morton be seeing while doing this? Trying place and put this all together. Obviously, he would be leaving the field.Of course, this is based on where people are at the start of round eight; it's possible that Sora, Amnestria, and/or Antonius will change position before Morton's turn.
Jul 5, 2026 5:31 pm
GM: If I'm correct Morton is now like 0' to 10' range from the open doors after the sprinting of 70' to the barn after leaving the field area, but not close enough to the barn doors to see into the barn in search of Sara. Did Morton arrive in the area soon enough to view Antonius pick up Sara from the front of the barn and head/disappear into the fogged farmhouse area? I'm unsure of the timing as to what Morton actually sees.
Last edited July 5, 2026 5:34 pm
Jul 7, 2026 6:36 pm
Sorry for the two-day delay, everyone. I found myself unexpectedly busy with helping pack for a move, and wasn't able to get back to a computer for gaming until late last night.
Jul 25, 2026 5:19 pm
Those badges were an idea that still needs funding and production. I think we came up with a possible design involving a silhouette of a raptor and a sword, but that's about as far as we got. Olpert doesn't have the money for it, given the focus on building us a proper guild hall.
We were given the veteran DB names, so "Morton" would be familiar; we just weren't told what they look like.
We were given the veteran DB names, so "Morton" would be familiar; we just weren't told what they look like.
Jul 26, 2026 1:14 pm
Dell nods wondering if Morton is telling the truth. Has he seen or met Chase? Everyone except those really close to the brothers can't tell them apart. There was no recognition in his eyes. He will keep this to himself and keep his eye on this one.
To be sure, I haven't spent hours reading the previous info. That is something that should have been mentioned if it was to be important earlier. Like when Dell made his first appearance to Sir Morton. Not to mention if their voices are alike.
With lack of earlier informing, we can assume Sir Morton notes them as two different people.
To be sure, I haven't spent hours reading the previous info. That is something that should have been mentioned if it was to be important earlier. Like when Dell made his first appearance to Sir Morton. Not to mention if their voices are alike.
With lack of earlier informing, we can assume Sir Morton notes them as two different people.
Last edited July 26, 2026 1:21 pm
Jul 26, 2026 4:11 pm
Not hours just character creation. I am a geek that way though. I like reading the adventures. Dell is Chase's identical twin brother.
Jul 26, 2026 9:13 pm
Dell will take his dagger back then look to Morton"Her name is not Sara it is Sora and it is Dungeon Buster not Dragon. You make yourself look worse every time you open your mouth."Dell will shake his head. He will look to Berthold and Antonious and shrug."You deal with this double talker. I am done with him but my eyes will be on him at all times."
Excuse me as I have a rotten memory problem. It is easy for me to make mistakes. Such these are examples of such. Please do not associated such to the character.
Excuse me as I have a rotten memory problem. It is easy for me to make mistakes. Such these are examples of such. Please do not associated such to the character.
Jul 26, 2026 9:40 pm
As I have mentioned to the GM. If you didn't want me to play Morton again cool. I can drop.
CancerMan (Amnestria)
Mathfuric (Antonius)
mathias0077 (Berthold)
rpgventurer (Kazzak)
WhtKnt (Sora)
Each of you have went out your way with your characters as much as you can to prevent him from rejoining. Each of you have said statements as such. Done your best to illustrate that he shouldn't rejoin. I haven't heard a single positive statement.
CancerMan (Amnestria)
Mathfuric (Antonius)
mathias0077 (Berthold)
rpgventurer (Kazzak)
WhtKnt (Sora)
Each of you have went out your way with your characters as much as you can to prevent him from rejoining. Each of you have said statements as such. Done your best to illustrate that he shouldn't rejoin. I haven't heard a single positive statement.
Jul 26, 2026 10:03 pm
I apologize, I am roleplaying Amnestria as being ignorant of who Morton is. She wasn't paying attention to what people were saying outside during the battle (evidenced by her reports to the retainers), and she was upstairs when any introductions were made after the battle.
I also don't like using OOC to inform my character's intuition. I *know* OOC that Morton is a Dungeon Buster, but until actually meeting him Amnestria can only infer who he is based on limited information. All she saw was him running through the field with the bandits and saying something. Whatever was spoken of downstairs, including the name-drops of Cecily and Olpert, were out of her hearing.
That said, I don't recall Amnestria interacting with Morton prior to her coming downstairs and asking everyone to tone it down, so I'm not sure where the idea of "preventing [Morton] from rejoining" came from. If you're referring to her inner thoughts that Morton might be a bandit, I'll remind that those are inner thoughts and that she's simply formulating a hypothesis, and hasn't yet seen evidence to suggest she is right or wrong, so reasonably she would wait and see.
Be that as it may, I'll remind everyone else that English is not WanderOne's first language. So please be patient and give a little room for error when reading their in-character posts. Perhaps treat Morton's Imperial/Keolish as a foreign dialect.
I also don't like using OOC to inform my character's intuition. I *know* OOC that Morton is a Dungeon Buster, but until actually meeting him Amnestria can only infer who he is based on limited information. All she saw was him running through the field with the bandits and saying something. Whatever was spoken of downstairs, including the name-drops of Cecily and Olpert, were out of her hearing.
That said, I don't recall Amnestria interacting with Morton prior to her coming downstairs and asking everyone to tone it down, so I'm not sure where the idea of "preventing [Morton] from rejoining" came from. If you're referring to her inner thoughts that Morton might be a bandit, I'll remind that those are inner thoughts and that she's simply formulating a hypothesis, and hasn't yet seen evidence to suggest she is right or wrong, so reasonably she would wait and see.
Be that as it may, I'll remind everyone else that English is not WanderOne's first language. So please be patient and give a little room for error when reading their in-character posts. Perhaps treat Morton's Imperial/Keolish as a foreign dialect.
Jul 26, 2026 10:05 pm
You came in like you were in charge so I believe our characters are acting appropriately.
Jul 26, 2026 11:04 pm
I don't have an issue with Morton rejoining. Sora, however, is a bit offended by his forward attitude.
Jul 26, 2026 11:51 pm
WhtKnt says:
I don't have an issue with Morton rejoining. Sora, however, is a bit offended by his forward attitude.Jul 27, 2026 12:46 am
Happy for Morton to join up, he has great experience our group requires š
Unfortunately Antonius is a little out of it to be involved in the conversation.
Unfortunately Antonius is a little out of it to be involved in the conversation.
Jul 27, 2026 4:28 am
I too am happy for Morton to join the group. The PCs were warned that not everyone could be trusted and Iām role playing Kazzak to be initially suspicious of everyone. Kazzak did thank Morton for healing Antonius.
Jul 27, 2026 9:27 am
Same here, @wanderone, Iām happy that weāve all finally met, and that you are rejoining the group. Whatever comes out of Bertholdās mouth is what a person whoās never seen Morton might think, under the stressful conditions in which we have met (Berthold has been downed twice this day, once by the bandits and once by the zombies, you could assume heās a bit on edge).
EDIT: As a lone traveller aware of many of the dangerous things that lay ahead, Morton has much to share to increase the partyās chances of survival. But if he comes across as evasive, arrogant or bossy heāll alienate the people who stand in the way of him getting some much needed rest and perhaps easier passage to Hochoch.
I guess Morton feels very alone and exhausted. But he canāt expect to be greeted as a saviour, or even as an innocent traveller, given the circumstances in which he has met the new party members. For his own safety and future prospects, heād do well to be forthcoming and direct in his answers, unless he suspects us of being bandits, or in league with the cult. But if so, can he afford to be evasive or disagreeable with these people heās just met mid-combat, and who might decide heās a risk not worth taking?
EDIT: As a lone traveller aware of many of the dangerous things that lay ahead, Morton has much to share to increase the partyās chances of survival. But if he comes across as evasive, arrogant or bossy heāll alienate the people who stand in the way of him getting some much needed rest and perhaps easier passage to Hochoch.
I guess Morton feels very alone and exhausted. But he canāt expect to be greeted as a saviour, or even as an innocent traveller, given the circumstances in which he has met the new party members. For his own safety and future prospects, heād do well to be forthcoming and direct in his answers, unless he suspects us of being bandits, or in league with the cult. But if so, can he afford to be evasive or disagreeable with these people heās just met mid-combat, and who might decide heās a risk not worth taking?
Last edited July 27, 2026 10:54 am
Aug 7, 2026 9:22 am
mathias0077 says:
Dell looking through the dark and feeling very cold can only call out in his own mind "Chase I need you. Help me one last time brother!" He then fades to black.OOC:
Wow, can't roll a ten in three rolls. That is bad.Aug 7, 2026 6:15 pm
matmaisan says:
mathias0077 says:
Dell looking through the dark and feeling very cold can only call out in his own mind "Chase I need you. Help me one last time brother!" He then fades to black.OOC:
Wow, can't roll a ten in three rolls. That is bad.Aug 11, 2026 4:06 am
OOC:
Per the Healer's Kit dependency rule, any PC who still has their Hit Die can roll it now to heal back some HP. Then, after the next long rest, they will regain their Hit Die.For everyone else that is hurt, those PCs will also regain their Hit Die after a long rest...at which point they can use a Healer's Kit application to roll their Hit Die to heal back some HP.
And do I add CON modifier to that roll?
Last edited August 11, 2026 4:07 am
Aug 11, 2026 2:44 pm
Mathfuric says:
Just to clarify, as Antonius did not spend his HP dice previously he can roll it now before the long rest to gain HP?And do I add CON modifier to that roll?
Second: yes, when you roll hit dice, you add the character's CON mod to each die you roll.
Aug 11, 2026 7:42 pm
No, no, no - no recriminations! That was three months ago! I had to look it up, because I didn't put it in my notes as I should have.
Aug 14, 2026 10:26 pm
Sorry for the slow post, everyone. There's a massive post incoming with Morton responding to all your questions, but I keep getting interrupted by work and life stuff. I should have it up later this afternoon.
Aug 18, 2026 8:12 pm
I count three votes for returning to Hochoch. We need to decide if we want to spend another night at the farmhouse. I assume our corpse disposal will take most of the day.
Aug 19, 2026 6:47 pm
@spaceseeker19 posted that disposing of the bodies would take three hours if everyone helped. And that if we left immediately after that we could reach Hochoch shortly after nightfall. If we abandon looking for Antoniusā hammer, we could be back to safety todayā¦
Aug 19, 2026 10:07 pm
I agree and Dell could even follow Ene's trail for a bit to see if she dropped it. Not to much danger in the woods in the daylight except the normal the he could beat feet to catch up.
Aug 20, 2026 12:39 am
If the team pitches in with Dell doing some tracking for the hammer, sounds a plan.
Burn the bodies and leave immediately with or without the hammer.
Burn the bodies and leave immediately with or without the hammer.
Aug 20, 2026 2:57 am
The sooner the party gets to Hochoch, the better. Woe to any bandits on the way.
Aug 24, 2026 6:02 pm
FYI, starting tomorrow, I'll be travelling on vacation for the next two weeks. I'll have limited time/internet access, but I'll do what I can to keep up.
Aug 31, 2026 1:28 am
Sorry for the delay, everyone: the power company replaced one of the poles in our neighborhood yesterday, and there was no electricity until pretty late.
Sep 2, 2026 5:37 am
A vague plan: we attack the bandits with spells and missile fire, draw some of the bandits away toward us, ambush them, then go after the rest.
Question: Should Kazzak get back on the wagon and take the reins? Otherwise, he can move up with his crossbow.
Question: Should Kazzak get back on the wagon and take the reins? Otherwise, he can move up with his crossbow.
Sep 2, 2026 2:23 pm
That's quite a few targets and mostly ranged attack capable. By the time Berthold closes the distance to his first adversary, there'll have been 8 ranged attacks against the vanguard. Our experience with the skeletons back with our older party suggests that we'll be pincushioned into a halt. So yeah, splitting them might be a good strategy, but as we do that, they might just slaughter the travellers.
If we could cover a part of the distance moving through the woods undetected, we might take them by surprise. Then close on a pincer move, flanking them from both sides: a couple of melee combatants on the left (say, Berthold and Sora) and a couple on the right (Antonius and Kazzak) , supported by ranged attacker -- Amnestria (left), Dell (right) and Morton (on either side).
If we could cover a part of the distance moving through the woods undetected, we might take them by surprise. Then close on a pincer move, flanking them from both sides: a couple of melee combatants on the left (say, Berthold and Sora) and a couple on the right (Antonius and Kazzak) , supported by ranged attacker -- Amnestria (left), Dell (right) and Morton (on either side).
Sep 5, 2026 8:40 pm
I think these travelers could be monks. Robes and quarter staves. They might be able to help once the fight starts.
Sep 6, 2026 3:28 pm
Thoughts: starting a fight with the bandits might endanger the robbery victims and we might have to deal with hostages.
Sep 6, 2026 3:42 pm
If most of the party doesnāt want to go, Iām fine waiting to see what happensā¦
Sep 7, 2026 9:31 am
What if we are the next victims? We have to travel through them to carry on, with the three travelers we have extra numbers.
Sep 10, 2026 9:28 pm
@spaceseeker19 Are the cultists going to or from Orlane? If any cultists survive, we should ask them where the trogdoltyes came from.
Also, it seems the cultists are not allied with the forest bandits. As a long term plan, maybe we can recruit bandits to join us in freeing Orlane.
Also, it seems the cultists are not allied with the forest bandits. As a long term plan, maybe we can recruit bandits to join us in freeing Orlane.
Sep 11, 2026 1:02 am
FYI: I'm going to be celebrating my anniversary this weekend. I'll be away from my normal system. I'll still try to post daily, but I probably won't be able to update maps until Sunday.
Sep 11, 2026 3:56 pm
Happy anniversary!
This combat has just turned completely tits up! We need to focus on the trogs, theyāll take us down very quickly, so letās use the bandits as fodderā¦
This combat has just turned completely tits up! We need to focus on the trogs, theyāll take us down very quickly, so letās use the bandits as fodderā¦
Sep 12, 2026 8:01 am
Also, this might turn out to be a singular opportunity to contact Blackās bandits in a cooperative setting, maybe an alliance for more than just this fightā¦
Though Ben has Antoniusā hammer, so weāll have to see if he is willing to relinquish it.
Though Ben has Antoniusā hammer, so weāll have to see if he is willing to relinquish it.
Sep 15, 2026 4:59 am
Note that more modern versions of D&D have leaned into the idea that an owlbear is literally a cross between an owl and a bear, but that's not how the creatures originally were presented in Greyhawk/AD&D. The owlbear comes directly from a set of cheap plastic toys that many people in the USA during the 70s (including Gary Gygax) found at bought at any drugstore: "Prehistoric Animals." The name owlbear, just like my description, was an attempt to describe the strange creature:
The creature came first, and people struggling to come up with a name called it an "owlbear," even though it contains the parts of neither owl nor bear.
This is the full set of toys you would get in the Prehistoric Animals bag (I had all these as a kid myself).
You will probably recognize at least a couple of other iconic D&D monsters there, too, whose designs/depictions have varied even less than the owlbear's.
The creature came first, and people struggling to come up with a name called it an "owlbear," even though it contains the parts of neither owl nor bear.
This is the full set of toys you would get in the Prehistoric Animals bag (I had all these as a kid myself).
You will probably recognize at least a couple of other iconic D&D monsters there, too, whose designs/depictions have varied even less than the owlbear's.
Sep 15, 2026 6:38 am
Oh, thatās where the design of the rust monster comes from, then!
Well this encounter just went double tits upā¦ my gamer minds says itās time for a well managed retreat, Bertholdās paladin mind says "Aha! Time to show virtuous conduct!"ā¦
Well this encounter just went double tits upā¦ my gamer minds says itās time for a well managed retreat, Bertholdās paladin mind says "Aha! Time to show virtuous conduct!"ā¦
Sep 15, 2026 7:02 am
Yeah, I think weāre outmatched against the owlbear. Anyone have any ideas on how to distract it away the party (and our cart/retainers/oxen)?
Sep 15, 2026 10:38 am
If it feels there is no challenge to its primacy in the territory, wonāt be happy to gorge itself on a couple of hapless bandits or cultists and go back into the woods? In any case,when we are better prepared we could use the horn to bring it backā¦. That requires us to be able to control the field once it has leftā¦
Sep 15, 2026 4:50 pm
I'm taking some liberties that spaceseeker19's descriptions of the owlbear's actions are observable by everyone, and thus we can at least surmise that it showed up because of the horn. Maybe we don't know if that was intentional or not, but Amnestria will reach that hypothesis and try to use the same horn sound to draw the owlbear away.
Sep 16, 2026 8:35 am
Well, the cynic in me says that we should let the bandits deal with the ownlbear as we fall back prudently, Amnestriaās distraction hopefully leading the creature away.
The thing is, Berthold is a knight. Heās vowed to defend the defenceless, to be brave in the face of difficult odds. It happens to be his character ideal too. Heās also just seen the bandits put their lives at risk (perhaps for the wrong reasons, but that is immaterial) to attack the creature.
In other words, it would be most shameful for him to retreat now, so against my better judgment, heāll join Ben in attacking it in melee. He might survive a round if the creature splits its attacks, or misses once.
The thing is, Berthold is a knight. Heās vowed to defend the defenceless, to be brave in the face of difficult odds. It happens to be his character ideal too. Heās also just seen the bandits put their lives at risk (perhaps for the wrong reasons, but that is immaterial) to attack the creature.
In other words, it would be most shameful for him to retreat now, so against my better judgment, heāll join Ben in attacking it in melee. He might survive a round if the creature splits its attacks, or misses once.
Last edited September 16, 2026 8:36 am
Sep 16, 2026 9:45 am
I will stay to range and put as many arrows as I can it. I will cover any retreat. With it being attacked I don't think it will go to the sound now. Maybe it will see the last trog and take care of it for us.
Sep 16, 2026 1:15 pm
Mathfuric says:
Antonius is very hurt, so I think heāll play a support role in this one.Sep 18, 2026 1:04 am
matmaisan says:
Donāt forget to fetch your hammer and take the sleeping bandit as a prisoner when Berthold is dead!!šSep 25, 2026 5:21 pm
I will be on vacation from Oct 3 to Oct 10, visiting the Grand Canyon (and other nearby areas), and I will not have my laptop. I will be out of contact during that time.
Sep 26, 2026 11:51 am
Enjoy your trip WhtKnt.
I too will be away for a few days from the 1st to 6th of October, as I am on Scout Camp with my son. So will be difficult to post regularly.
I too will be away for a few days from the 1st to 6th of October, as I am on Scout Camp with my son. So will be difficult to post regularly.