Welcome to the Out of Character Discussion Thread - the place where you can let loose and talk about all the things that don't quite fit into the realm of Ardentia. Here, you can share your funny stories about your adventures in the game, or just chat about random nonsense while the Dungeon Master plots to destroy your characters.

Whether you want to talk about your latest loot haul, debate the finer points of magical incantations, or just share your favorite recipes for dragon steaks, this is the place to do it. And who knows, maybe you'll even come up with some crazy ideas that will make their way into the game itself.

Just remember, while you're busy discussing the latest episode of "Dwarfs Gone Wild", the Dungeon Master is always lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash his devious plans. So, keep your wits about you, adventurers, and don't forget that in Ardentia, danger is always just around the corner - even in the Out of Character Discussion Thread!

I will kill you all and sacrifice you in the name of the great goddess Help!

Welcome to all new players, and some players from my other games.
Will likely have some fun with this game, as you can see I already use the wise cracking town crier to make announcements.

I will likely also generate a personality for the Dungeon Master, mostly because I remember the old eighties cartoon where he would pop up.  His appearances will be limited to the OOC thread and he will probably be very Doctor Doom-ish.

Looking forward to getting familiar with the system again and having some fun.

Hey everyone! Eager to get started on character creation but I'm unsure of what to build. I'm thinking either a Half-elf Mage/Cleric, or Elven Mage/Thief. Does anyone have any idea what they're making yet? I don't want to step on anyone's toes with their preferences if at all possible.

Hey Mordecai and everyone, Calgarvin is a human druid.

I'm likely going to be a fighter/cleric of Hel

Considering a bard progression but need to check the stat requirements, or maybe even something out of the ordinary like a barbarian.

As far as I know, we're only allowed to use the PHB for classes, so Barabrian might be out of the realm of possibilities. It would be interesting to have a Bard though, if your rolls are amazing! You need at least 3 15+s which is difficult to say the least.

Do you have the bard stat requirements? I honestly wouldn't mind the fighter/cleric since it was in mind to start, but I've never had a bard.

In reply to Morbid Woundcleanser (msg # 8):

Greetings all! I have not decided yet on a class, I am leaning towards a thief.

To be a bard, one must first be a fighter to at least 5th level then dual class to thief for at least 6 levels AND:

BARD ABILITIES
A bard must have scores of 15 or better in the following abilities: strength,
wisdom, dexterity and charisma. Furthermore, a bard must have at least a
12 score in intelligence and o 10 in constitution.

THEN: be accepted and attend the local bardic college. I never saw anyone make a legit Bard and I failed on all three of my attempts.

So, best of luck!

In reply to Ponder (msg # 9):

I actually have the stats for a Bard, never played one.  Hmmmm.  I was planning a thief but maybe something different.  Decisions, decisions.

I was leaning thief if you want to knock out the fighter levels. Best of luck with it!

And: with the original Ponder, he retired as a thief and became a rather mediocre MU, preferring tricks and personal magic to fireballs and the like. Maybe if you dual, Ponder will dual class around that time and perhaps do something else monumentally stupid.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:20, Wed 03 May 2023.

We could also all be thieves.  Take out a rival gang and get paid for it.  Win-Win!

Sounds good! Take over and let the novice thieves take all the risk while we drink.

Might be getting ahead of ourselves a bit but one needs goals.

Oops, I misread, thought I only needed 3X 15+ but you need 4X 15+ for Bard.

And we don't need to all be thieves so much as a party the thieves.  :)

You could start as fighter and hope for magical intervention, I suppose. Tough to get the scores with traditional rolls.

With the number of players joining I may be running two campaigns in our little city.  Otherwise there will be twenty seven of you trying to accomplish the same goal.

Greetings one and all. What do we have? What do we need? Yngvar the Mad here. I can post everyday, many times if needed. I might miss a day every now and then due to doctors and such, but I assure you I'll be here. If I have a problem and can't play, I will inform you, I don't ghost. If we get along, we might have years of fun ahead! Housejohnson has a game with 171,000+ posts, so he's here to stay too!
This message was last edited by the player at 17:27, Wed 03 May 2023.

Hey GM, I need a place to put my character, no place for the sheet, can you open it? Thanks!

I rolled quite well, 12, 13, 13, 15, 16, 17.

In reply to Yngvar the Mad (msg # 18):

Done.

Verily, I care not how many games thou mayest run, Dungeon Master, but let it be known that the recovery of my stolen property is of utmost importance.

Thank you DM.

Wizard? Fighter? Or Fighter/Wizard? Sounds like there is a rogue, a druid. Is there a cleric? I usually play humans, but could play an elf Fighter/Mage.

Hi all, looking forward to gaming with you! :)

No firm plans about much yet classwise (I have a character idea but beyond 'adventurer' it could fit any class) though I had been considering thief. What do we have so far?

I rolled 14,14,12,15,10,13. No amazing attributes but not a bad spread.

In reply to Rowan (msg # 23):

But above average, decent for AD&D! Sounds like it might be two parties. I'm trying to figure what is needed too.

Right now no one knows what is needed.  Just make whatever you want to play and I'll figure it out, or we will figure it out together.

Basically somehow it will get figured out.

This message was deleted by the player at 20:39, Wed 03 May 2023.

Can't say what other people are doing, but you've got a Paladin in me.

A corrupt city you say? It is the corrupt place that needs light the most.

I've played Paladins in every edition, though, so I'm pretty good at not being a jackass about it.

...I've also played Jedi and Samurai (L5R) for fun, so I'm pretty used to codes :)

I'm not Xenk, after all. I rather like my jokes and puns, among others.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:01, Wed 03 May 2023.

Salochin the Ranger checking in!  Excited to be coming aboard, gang.

In reply to Luthien (msg # 27):

Greetings. I used to run them, I hate the codes though,  more power to you. I go generic now. Easier to RP! ;-)
This message was last edited by the player at 20:23, Wed 03 May 2023.

In reply to Yngvar the Mad (msg # 29):

Easier, sure.

But challenges bring their own joy. :)

In reply to Luthien (msg # 30):

;-) No doubt true! Looking forward to adventuring with you guys.

Was just looking through my PHB again, it's been awhile since I perused it. Multi-classing slows progression so much as it has to be divided, but it is a serious option, I got very good rolls on my character, so it opens options. Elf, Half-Elf, maybe something else. I first got AD&D mixed with D&D thinking there were caps on demi-humans. I play everything a far as versions, sometimes I get confused!

Availability - I'm online from approximately 4:00am to 6:00pm Eastern Time, I'm in Pennsylvania. I respond between those hours, I check the boards at least once an hour as well, so you won't wait too long for a reply.

In reply to Yngvar the Mad (msg # 32):

I saw your question before it was deleted, the answer to that is yes, we will be following the book rules for demi human level caps.

Unless someone can make a decent case against it, I know it was intended to create balance but I do not have a lot of experience with how it works in practice.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 34):

I've never seen the practical side of it. When you play together a lot and the demi-humans cap out, the party becomes less fun, unbalanced as there are weak characters trying to keep up with increasingly powerful human characters.

May I suggest the following: Impose a 10% XP penalty to slow down advancement when they hit the cap to balance out demi-humans. It works and is a reasonable compromise. A lot of people simply ignore the cap, though.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 34):

Thanks. I won't always be a pest. I hope.

Can we get editable character sheets, please?

If this game continues long enough that caps become an issue, we are blessed indeed. Especially if we're starting at 0 XP and level 1.

So I'm now strongly considering Magic-User for Rowan. I've guess I've been spoiled by 5e though since the idea of relying on one spell a day is a little terrifying. :)

Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards. Wizards who survive bend reality. Warriors just have +5 weapons. Or a Holy Avenger in my case.

I'm almost certain it was designed for balance. In 1e you can be an 11th level fighter, or a 10/10 Fighter cleric. A 12th level magic-user or an 11/11 fi/mu etc. It's hard to say no to all those levels in a second class for the sacrifice of just 1 level in your own without some sort of fee or cap.

Importantly, it disadvantages single classes who really only had unlimited progression going for them.

I also agree that the chances of one of us reaching a level cap is slim.

I also agree that if someone did reach a level cap it would detract a little from (but not ruin) their future fun.

My best guess for a balanced approach that would fit the bill is the following:

1) remove all level caps, AND
2) remove all bonus xp (for high primary stats) for all classes, AND
3) give single classes a flat 10% xp bonus.

It's not that single classes get unlimited advancement, it's how fast.

A double class must divide XP in half...

If I have 1000 XP as a Paladin, a dual class has 500 xp in both their classes. A triple class half elf or elf has 333/333/333.

That's where the balance against multiclass comes in.

Demihuman caps are there to balance the racial abilities demihumans get...humans walk around with jack all, after all.

Thus, it is perhaps better if humans get an XP bonus or something like it, rather than capping demi humans. Demihumans live much much longer after all. Without a cap, a 600 year old elven hero might be old, but he's a triclass fighter 20/Thief 20/Magic User 20. Compare that to a puny level 20 human who doesn't even have elven bonuses.

I might propose a 10-20% xp bonus for humans only. If you only live 1/10 as long...
This message was last edited by the player at 23:47, Wed 03 May 2023.

Or ... and hear me out ... we don't change anything.

The classics are classics for a reason.  I for one enjoy getting into the 'old school' spirit of things as it were.

Honestly speaking ... given the pace of PbP, it will be 2028 before any of the demihumans would find themselves level capped.

We may as well be planning what effects our Wish spells will be limited to.

---

EDIT — fixed typo
This message was last edited by the player at 23:54, Wed 03 May 2023.

That is also fair. I find it highly unlikely I even get my holy avenger, let alone hit a level cap :P

I've been in HouseJ's other game for well over a decade off and on. The only thing that's going to stop you from advancing levels is going to be if you stay in the game or not. Personally I think the level caps are a horrible inclusion in the game (as well as the whole 'you only get so many hit dice until you start gaining X hp a level' thing) and it only incentivizes you to not bother going any further than ~9th level. Just because it's a 'classic' part of the game doesn't mean it's right. I would suggest simply abolishing them. Having to split your XP and HP is enough of a penalty to people who multiclass.

I may play a Monk.  I have never played one but have the stats for it.  An intriguing idea.  It has the thief skills I like, so that is a plus.

I am a little torn on this issue.  I do love the classic first edition game, it was my first RPG I played as a ten year old kid in a year that I am not even going to mention.  I understand the drawbacks but I also like the traditional approach.  Honestly I would say let's reevaluate if anyone actually gets to the level cap.

If you need your character sheet opened state it here so I can get it, I will never remember who is open and who isn't.

I am going to create the first in character thread so people who are ready can begin mingling in the city.  Not quite ready for adventure and what not but you can at least get a feel for your character.

Yeah, sure, that's fair.

Another question that needs clarification. By the way the book reads, it states that a Magic-user who multiclasses can use the armor of the other class with no restrictions. They fixed this in 2nd Edition, but there's nothing in the 1st Edition book stopping me from playing a Cleric/Mage in full plate mail.

I believe you can wear it, yes, but won't it still interfere with your ability to cast?

In reply to Mordecai (msg # 48):

Cleric/mage doesn't even work in 1e I don't believe. Unless you're wearing elven chain.

I'd like my character sheet opened please. :)

In reply to Rowan (msg # 51):

Done

In reply to Morbid Woundcleanser (msg # 50):

No, only half-elves can go C/MU and they can wear any armor allowed to the cleric:

PHB p. 32: Cleric/Magic-user: This combination gives the character a great variety
and selection of spells, as well as the use of armor and more weapons. Hit
points are somewhat better than those of the magic-user class alone.
Half-elves may be cleric/magic-users.

Of course, the half-elf is severely capped in cleric, with good rolls, he will probably cap out at around 5/7.

On the other hand, wearing magic platemail and tossing out a fireball is kinda cool in 1st Ed.

In reply to Morbid Woundcleanser (msg # 50):

Not so, cl/mu can cast spells in armour. It mentions it in a roundabout way on pg32, but for 100% clarity it spells it out unambigiously on pg33 under fi/mu... "Obviously this combination allows excellent armour protection, the use of weaponry, and spells". It's a very neat combo :)

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 49):

Nope, not according to the rules in the book. In 2nd they changed it so that armor had arcane spell fail chance but that doesn't exist in this edition.

Also I'll need my sheet opened. It might be worthwhile to go through the cast and just open up everyone's sheet at the same time (you can do it from the character description page).

In reply to Mordecai (msg # 55):

I'll do that.
In my other game I have assistant GM's that handle all that, I damn near forgot how to do it.

Yeah, I know, I'm one of them lol

Awkward.

Hello all, new to the game. Gonna play a straight thief.

Curious though, what bard rules he will used, in standard 1st ed AD&D there is no bard in a first level party, you have to go up in levels in several different classes to become one. Sort of the first prestige class.

I would also argue for keeping the level caps, not just be cause I am old school, but because that is the trade off for being human. Other races get nice bonuses and abilities, humans have no level cap. The core idea, as I understood it, was to ensure a human-centric world.

Unless I am mistaken the bard class wasn't in the core Players Guide.  Right now I am trying to stay mainly with the classes in there as I have not played this system in awhile.  Didn't you have to go up several levels before you could become a bard?  It might take awhile before anyone has that opportunity.

It's up the back in the appendices. But yeah, many years of play until we'd have a bard in the  group. I think 7th level is the earliest level a bard could be a bard, but in effect he would be a 5/1/1 fi/th/dr (in 3.5e speak).

P.S. just looking at it, the thief bit is a bit confusing, I'm not positive that it's cumulative. Still, a very long road!
This message was last edited by the player at 03:32, Thu 04 May 2023.

Got a portrait, and even half-way decent rolls, only one single digit stat. Woot.

Curious, can my background be local? I would like to have been a street urchin raised in a local guild if possible.

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 62):

Sure.

Sure, some racial bonuses are nice, but it doesn't make any logical sense for a race that lives longer than humans to be capped significantly lower than them. For instance, if I were to play a Helf-elf Cleric/Mage, I would gain a whopping 30% immunity to sleep and charm effects (woo), some bonus languages, and a 1 in 6 chance of automatically detecting a secret door. Meanwhile, I would be capped at level 5 for a Cleric, affording me 1 whole 3rd level spell, and 8th level for a Mage, which would give me 2 4th level spells. I would essentially be useless for the rest of my longer lifespan. Meanwhile, human characters can go up to level 29 (or beyond technically) even though they live for less time. I get that multi-classing can give some cool bonuses, like being able to be a Mage in armor with a mace, but I'm still going to be pretty squishy and severely handicapped as far as my highest level goes because of having to split XP.

If the caps aren't removed, I'll have to seriously reconsider my character concept, which sucks but I'll live.

In reply to Mordecai (msg # 64):

There was quite a nice article on it in the Dragon years ago that  explained Gygax's thinking.

It really isn't about logic though, it's about personal preference. Most games do without it. To be honest I find it refreshing to be in a game that uses it. It's not like you can't find unlimited leveling all over the site.

New name and a portrait.  In the morning, a description!

Unfortuately, I believe the Aasimar Race, a favorite of mine, wasn't introduced till 2E. It's a beast though, and would make me a much stronger character. Also the only nonhuman race capable of being a paladin because of celestial blood.

Did Aasamir show up in 2E? I dont think I saw them until 5E, but I did buy all the supplements and such.

Sadly I did roll the stereotypical dirt poor, 1/3 max. LOL.

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 68):

Planewalkers Handbook, page 70 wrote:
Members of this race add a +1 bonus to Strength and Wisdom and have a -2 penalty to their Constitution score. Aasimar have infravision to a range of 60 feet. Because of their catlike, keen senses, they add +1 to surprise checks. Though in many ways the aasimar are light of build and even somewhat frail, their celestial heritage protects them from half of the damage normally delivered from heat and cold attacks. Additionally, they gain a +2 bonus to saving throws versus any sort of magical charm, fear, emotion, or domination effect. All nonwizard aasimar have 10% magic resistance on top of all that. PC aasimar may be of any nonevil alignment, though most will be lawful, neutral, or chaotic good.

And all of those could be pure 19s, letting you have hill giant strength if you had an 18 to burn. Aasimar can skip percentile strength. If you do the 19 wisdom thing, you get all the low level charm immunities too. They rocked.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:29, Thu 04 May 2023.

In reply to Luthien (msg # 69):

Wow. Yeah, one of the books I never saw. 2nd edition really exploded, supplement wise. No clue how many they ended up having.

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 70):

Sadly, still 2E, however.

1E, you're stuck being human. However, your antievil aura is improved to being full protection from evil, permanently. 2E nerfed it down to a -1 to evil attack rolls.

Other than magic spells known (which I think the DM rolls for) Rowan is pretty much done. :)

She's an ambitious, sharp tongued, short tempered apprentice Magic-User who used to be male but after slight accident with a Girdle of Masculinity/Femininity is now female. She's mostly fine with it now and hardly ever uses Magic Missile on any man who happens to look at her in a tavern these days.

I'm here now, what do we have figured out? Anyone decide exactly what they are running yet?

Paladin! Sure, it's a light in a dark place, but it's all good!

But hey, if you put Captain America in a corrupt society, well, it's not too different from the MCU is it?

Yes please.

I need a sheet opened too.

In reply to Calgarvin Woodwill (msg # 61):

12th Level Calgarvin, 5th level fighter, 6th level thief before you can become a 1st level bard! It's in the back of the PHB I believe.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:19, Thu 04 May 2023.

I did in the post literally just above yours! :D

In reply to Rowan (msg # 78):

Saw that! I got good scores so can be most anything. Most. Deciding if I want to go single class human, or multi-class demi-human. Maybe a vanilla fighter?

Hmm, if we have a Paladin I might need to adjust Rowan'alignment and personality a bit. :)

Originally I envisaged her 'accident' as being down to being down to basically being greedy and trying to steal some of her master's magic lore but I could soften that into more being too curious and confident for her own good and finding the belt via other ways!

In reply to Yngvar the Mad (msg # 79):

Fighter is good! A Magic-User needs a meat shield... um I mean well armored and valued friend to take all those arrows!

You don't have to soften your past. Redemption is also on a Paladin's to do list. It's Lawful Good, after all.

I have issues too, but it makes for creative RPing to work around it.

True. :)

I posted in the character introductions thread.

Yngvar might need a romantic interest as well! ;-) A magic user would make a great friend! I have a doctors appointment at 9:30 this morning, after that. I'll get to work on him. Might freak Yngvar out if he ever found out you used to be a man!

In reply to Yngvar the Mad (msg # 85):

Eep! I hope Yngvar is at least more of a charmer than his avatar suggests! :D

Got a description and a post in the intro area, ready to roll.

So:

Akira    : monk
Amalfy   : thief
Calgarvin: druid
Luthien  : paladin
Rowan    : magic-user

Morbid   :
Mordecai :
Ponder   :
Salochin :
Vanomir  :
Yngvar   :

Oh I don't think vanilla will be much of a worry, perhaps you should concentrate on humanoids and dragons? ;)

Actually I don't think this game is the right fit for me, I won't be staying around. I hope you all enjoy it though! HouseJ is a great GM and aside from being a tad forgetful, he really does a great job, so don't be afraid to pester him every so often if he leaves you hanging.

Think I have opened everyone's character sheet.  If not bump me, I tend to forget stuff from time to time.

Sorry to hear that Mordecai. Best of luck and I hope I get a chance to roll dice with you some other time!

DM should I roll for Rowan's spells or do you want to?

In reply to Rowan (msg # 92):

You can.

'Push', 'Ventriloquism' and 'Comprehend Languages'.

I can't help but feel calling 'Push' and 'Ventriloquism' Offensive Spells and Defensive Spells respectively is rather generous.

In reply to Rowan (msg # 86):

He's just a little insane, above average charisma, but not super high, 12. I want in your party in any case! Just for fun! ;-)

In reply to Yngvar the Mad (msg # 95):

Fighter! Working on Yngvar!
This message was last edited by the player at 16:06, Thu 04 May 2023.

We need to figure out if we're under Greyhawk or Forgotten Realms.

I'm not currently sure what the deities are around here.

In reply to Luthien (msg # 97):

I grew up in Greyhawk! I'm from Nevond-Nevnend in the Duchy of Tenh, that's what my Face Book profile said last time I was there! ;-) There are hundreds of gods in Greyhawk.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:54, Thu 04 May 2023.

Sure, but if we're in Greyhawk we need to know that so I can talk about the Temple of Heironeus, etc.

If we aren't, and we're in Forgotten Realms, I need to talk about Torm instead.

Etc.

Dragonlance fan here! :) Sadly I don't think we're on Krynn.

In reply to Luthien (msg # 99):

We're not in either one, custom. What gods we use are up to DM.

Hi all. My stat roll was mediocre, 9-14, which precludes anything but the basic 4 classes so I'll play a half-elf cleric/fighter/MU.

In reply to Vunder Welt (msg # 102):

When in doubt, play everything!  ^_^

In reply to Akira (msg # 103):

Mostly done, got to equip him yet. We using the 'weapon apecialization' rule for fighters? 3 attacks every 2 rounds.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:00, Thu 04 May 2023.

Um, that's an interesting question.  As I am more familiar with Forgotten Realms maybe we should use the deities from there.

I have 'Old Timers Disease' too, forgive me if I miss things in posts sometimes, I do. Eyes aren't what they used to be. Just pm or yell and I'll get to it. How about if any god is available, just as long as he's documented for approval?
This message was last edited by the player at 18:26, Thu 04 May 2023.

We using non-weapon proficiencies, I believe they were in 2nd edition but not first, cook, brew, astrology, hunting, etc.?

I believe Yngvar is done. Ready for inspection. The empty spaces, I had no clue what they are.

I'll be here until 6:00 and then gone until a little past 4:00 in the morning.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:46, Thu 04 May 2023.

Not that familiar with Forgotten Realms, do I need to pick a god? Or can I be very casual in that regard?

As to world knowledge, I suspect Amalfy wouldn't know much outside the city of his birth, which is this one. Kind of hoping the GM will allow me to post about the city as if I know the place, as long as I don't abuse the privilege. Not a fan of GM's who have to fight me over trivial details and such.

Should be finished with my sheet in the next hour or so, fingers crossed.

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 109):

Greeting Amalfy! I only know a few FR gods, I'll just pray to Kord anyway, god of strength!

I'll almost certainly be playing a human cleric of Hel. I just went away for a week though, so it might take a while to get the character sheet up and running.

Greetings Morbid, Yngvar is a fighter.

What language groups do we get? I have 6 language slots.

Correct, introduced in second edition.

Vanomir is an elf Fighter/Magic-user, tried and tested. Or tried and testing.

DM - do we use the age adjustments as per the DMG?

Weren't they just broken down into human and non human?  I am at work and do not have my books.

Yes, father time comes for all of us, even the fictional forum ones lol.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 117):

Good night all! I'll be back around 4:00 am.

I got the opposite side of the draw...

Charm Person, Jump, Identify

I'll take that any day.

Non weapon proficiencies are 1e, in the survival guides. 2e just put them in the phb.

And I think they were in 1e Oriental adventures first
This message was last edited by the player at 22:24, Thu 04 May 2023.

I have a couple of tweaks to make to encumbrance but I think I'm ready. It's getting near to midnight here though so I'll opst IC tomorrow.

Language groups? Is that a thing? Usually I just take Elf, dwarf, Orc or Goblin

I think my sheet is done, I would appreciate a look see from the GM please.

Looks good but the THACO section is blank, which as long as you know it for combat I don't necessarily need to.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 124):

It's 20, and will be for a long time. LOL. Adjusting the sheet, thanks.

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 125):

I thought it was blank because of an intention to avoid all combat lol.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 126):

That would be smart actually. LOL.

Thanks for the background information! Other than playing Baldur's Gate, I know nothing about the Forgotten Realms.

So:

Luthien  : paladin        Yngvar   : fighter
Salochin : ranger         Akira    : monk
Ponder   : thief          Amalfy   : thief
Vunder   : fi/cl/mu       Morbid   : cleric
Calgarvin: druid          Vanomir  : fi/mu

            Rowan    : magic-user

I loved those games! :-)



One group of five and one of six maybe?

I decided to pursue f/t. I enjoy the multi-class options and love scouting ahead.

So:

Luthien  : paladin        Yngvar   : fighter
Salochin : ranger         Akira    : monk
Ponder   : fi/th          Amalfy   : thief
Vunder   : fi/cl/mu       Morbid   : cleric
Calgarvin: druid          Vanomir  : fi/mu

            Rowan    : magic-user

In reply to Calgarvin Woodwill (msg # 132):

I’m going to let you guys decide whether you want a ten person party working on one campaign or if you want me to offer two options.  I’m in favor of two options because if you were in a village that would be the militia.

I'm not sure what two options means, do you just mean two separate groups? I don't mind either one big group or two smaller ones, though with the nice spread and balance of the 11 a single big group might be fun. Certainly it's been a long time since I've played in one, and it would allow then for Rpol attrition.

In reply to Calgarvin Woodwill (msg # 134):

I mean two separate campaigns and split the group up into two parties.
I’m fine with one big group and the same adventure.  Really depends on what everyone else wants.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 135):

I'm for splitting in two, at least. Parties over six or seven tend to bog down in my experience.

How about we all join the guild and all adventure here, in two groups if you like. That way we can interact with each other, work with each other sometimes, or switch parties if we want??? It is a big city, right?

Do you have a map?

Good morning everyone. Been here a few hours, be here until evening.

My vote would be for multiple groups, but I’m happy to be part of the mega-group if that’s the way it goes.

I think the ‘guild’ ideas could be neat.  Folks being able to drift in and out of groups throughout the tale, I mean.

These last few days, I've been having an extremely good time! Thank you for the game DM, and thank you for inviting me! It appears we have a few very good roleplayers!

Two groups is fine by me.  A group over 6-8 gets pretty slow and unwieldy.

No map, not yet at least.

I have been on the road all day for work and barely made it to my concert tonight on time, I will catch up the thread when I am done with the event.  Will also probably generate the second story hook so everyone can decide what they want to join in on.

I like you guys creating your own guild though.

Whoa!! don't go spreading that 'round! We might want to operate out of the mainstream.

In reply to Akira (msg # 141):

Looks like two groups will be the go then (even if it turns out to be a guild). Try to make sure that one group doesn't get both the thieves, or both the clerics ;)

In reply to Calgarvin Woodwill (msg # 145):

LOL, good plan. This thief wants to stay in the city when possible, so being able to switch between groups sounds good to me.

I'd originally planned making Rowan Neutral Evil (certainly not muahahaha style evil but certainly selfish.) I guess I'm lucky I made it nicer or she'd be squirming just sitting at the same table as Luthien!

In reply to Rowan (msg # 147):

But oh what fun!

So, anyone have any thoughts on which group should have what characters?

In reply to Ponder (msg # 149):

I'm sticking with Rowan is all I know. Protector and meat shield, until I die! ;-)

Haaken a nice name for my inner friend? The name of my wife's friend is Frank, drives her absolutely crazy, it doesn't stop. She's been schizophrenic for 15 years or so, truly sucks.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:36, Sat 06 May 2023.

In reply to Yngvar the Mad (msg # 150):

SSee you tomorrow between 4 & 5am. Good night.

The antievil effect is legit. It's worded, in this edition, as a -2 to enemy attack rolls. It's not deflecting a sword, like it does in later editions. It screws with the heads of evil so much they miss attacks.

And that's why the aura is oppressive to evil even if no blades are drawn and I'm just sitting there eating.

Sorry Amalfy didn't mean to neglect you. Rowan did notice you and will be happy to talk in her next IC post. :)

In reply to Ponder (msg # 149):

If we help both groups to be reasonably balanced, then we have to keep separate:

Luthien and Yngvar (the 2 tanks)
Vunder and Morbid (the 2 clerics)
Ponder and Amalfy (the 2 thieves)

....while it might be fun with RP, it will be a pain for the group with no healer, no thief or a fi/mu for a tank.

So:

Luthien  : paladin        Yngvar   : fighter
Salochin : ranger         Akira    : monk
Ponder   : fi/th          Amalfy   : thief
Calgarvin: druid          Rowan    : magic-user


Morbid   : cleric
Vanomir  : fi/mu
Vunder   : fi/cl/mu
Aksel    : ??


With the above groups, the right hand group is already formed basically. Move Luthien to start the new group (say the disease one). So both groups have their tank and thief.

The four down the bottom haven't entered yet. Morbid and Vunder have to be separated, the other two could go wherever. That's a balanced approach, if not perfectly ideal rp-wise :)

My only concern is staying within the city, and if you have been reading my posts, you know I am specifically following those pursuing the theft. So I guess I am in the right group.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:51, Sun 07 May 2023.

Greetings to all the new guys, and old! Please everyone, I see where many check in from day to day, but don't post. Please, please, post. Post to the ooc to just say hello if you have nothing to add IC, hopefully, you'll post IC, if just to order an ale and say you have nothing to add. We're here to have fun and make friends, and we can't do either if we have nothing to react to. Please, welcome and introduce yourself! ;-) Let's have fun! DM is working very hard to create a great game, let's reward him with good role play and a clap on the back now and then, as it is nice to show your appreciation!
This message was last edited by the player at 11:09, Sun 07 May 2023.

In reply to Yngvar the Mad (msg # 156):

And if I might suggest, read other peoples posts, and work what they do and say into your own if it makes sense. Weaving a story is so much better then a bunch of disconnected threads.

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 157):

If I don't respond to a post, and it was meant for me, please pm me and nudge me if I fail to respond, sometimes I look, but don't see. I fail to perceive sometimes. yell at me, I won't take offence, and I don't mean to offend.

In reply to Yngvar the Mad (msg # 158):

Wasn't aimed at you, just a continuation of your already excellent thoughts.

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 159):

Thanks, I knew it wasn't aimed at me this time! ;-) But it might be later, because, like I said, sometimes I'm not too observant or I'm having a senior moment. I'm 62, disabled with major depression, married to my wife for almost 30 years who is schitzo-effective bi-polar. Our roommate is a walking dead man, he just got cured of cancer, has stage 4 kidney disease, type 2 diabetes for 30 years with a lot of complications. My wife and I have diabetes too, but we're early stages.

In reply to Yngvar the Mad (msg # 160):

Also, I tend to edit posts sometimes. Sorry, I rethink it.

Do we want unbalanced teams?

Ponder appears to have bowed out of disease to join the look for items team.

(Similarly, if the cleric manages to go IC, I'd expect said cleric to pick disease, even if the druid is already on my team)
This message was last edited by the player at 16:04, Sun 07 May 2023.

We have some players with characters still in development, and, I ran a thief after reading the classes that don't fit well post, so I don't think the DM really cares about balance. Frankly, what's a thief going to do against a disease anyway?

Hello all.  New cleric here.

I like the idea of an adventurers guild/group.    I’m good to work with any group, but would prefer not to be clumped or catagorized by a fellow player into a group that needs a heal bot.   Does that make sense?

In reply to Rytel Phorza (msg # 164):


Greetings, glad to meet you! I like it too, between adventures, you can even switch parties! If you want to. Most will stick with what they know, some work better with others, give us some wiggle room. Glad to have another cleric, can always use a heal bot ;-) kidding!

In reply to Ponder (msg # 163):


It's true, neither thieves nor fighters are going to do anything against a disease, unless the cure is found and stolen or something.

Oh! No one said anything about stealing a cure! That sounds fun.

Greetings! I’ll also be joining you soon, Aksel is a halfling fighter/thief, I’m happy to join either group wherever he would best help. Hopefully I’ll have my character sheet done tonight or tomorrow, and I’ll post IC then. Nice to meet you all.

In reply to Yngvar the Mad (msg # 161):

Just let us know in the OOC when you do edit posts please.

At the current pace, might be more than two parties. As to 'stealing a cure', seems to me that with the path to success an unknown, any skill set might be useful.

There doesn't seem to be any dwarves yet, so I will link you all to the most famous of dwarven hymns to Moradin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytWz0qVvBZ0

Good stuff.

Rather than trying to equitably split party members, how about those who are in the Tavern and posting set off on the Stolen Item quest.  We can always add/subtract people later.

So Akira, Amalfy, Calgarvin, Luthien, and Ponder.  Add Aksel if he's ready?

My team is hunting disease. Presumably we'll collect divine casters first, along with the nature people.

The Cure Disease powers of Paladins is limited to 'per week' in this edition, so it's not as simple as curing random guy A. Even Lord Brightblade will only have 2, maybe 3 if he's REALLY high level.

I suspect that curing the disease will be more about finding who/what is causing it than actually healing people, but what does Akira know?  'Nothing' according to the sensei.  ^_^

Rats. It always has to be rats!

That's actually a good point. We're playing D&D, not Trauma Center, so it's likely we're gonna have to kill something.

My line of argument for making Cloudkill a first level spell. I lost the argument, btw.

Pity, I would have joined you for that discussion. :)

I'm happy to go along with anyone who'll have me.

Vanomir the what?

Are you tri-class? It's a unique thing elves get to do with Fi/MU/Th

In reply to Ponder (msg # 178):

See if you can research the reverse. CloudHeal could be very useful. LOL.

The original Ponder (me from another game) did a lot of spell research. That might bear looking into someday!

In reply to Ponder (msg # 182):

I envy you, I have a hard time finding GM's willing to allow spell research. The last one I played with who said he would turned out to be lying.

I'd say that other than a couple of face to face DM's, he was the best DM I've been around. Detailed, balanced, fair and not afraid to let the players get deep into the roles. No critique of our DM, I haven't been around him enough to see yet. So far, so good.

In reply to Ponder (msg # 184):

Always nice to find a gem. I have a few pet peeves, but running our characters for us is pretty high up there. Also fighting the players over insignificant details. I have my fingers crossed for this game.

I do not do either of those things.
Games should be about player enjoyment not the DM's control.
I am usually pretty open with players on things, I just want to craft a good story and have something everyone enjoys.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 186)

Same here, though I don't let players run amok. One has to get some gaming done, after all.

Character sheet and description done.   Been drained after traveling home.  Nice to finally be back.

I totally agree there, there needs to be some constraints, but as was mentioned some GM's want to argue of the most minor of details.

In reply to Rytel Phorza (msg # 188):

Welcome back Rytel!

Curious, is Ardentia a city-state of sorts, does it own fealty to a larger geographical area? What are the landward defenses like, if any? Are we on an island?

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 191):

That's a good question, I envision it as a city state.  You are not on an island.
As for the defenses, the military, I would have to generate that.  They would surely have one.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 192):

Massive gates between granite cliffs? Large stone walls? Ancient and crumbling stone walls? No walls at all? I assume a hefty area of farm land to help feed the city.

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 193):

Those are all good questions.  I will get a city writeup done today sometime.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 194):

No rush, just idle curiosity.

I almost abbreviated it to Cal. Too much Jedi Survivor.

The Curious? The Vain? The Almost-Ready-for-Breakfast?

Sorry, the Fighter/Magic-user. There are Thieves everywhere, better watch out.

Updated my bio to make it clearer.

In reply to Vanomir (msg # 197):

Thieves? Here?!? Surely you jest! They didn't tell me he was funny.

Coming home from my holiday today. Can't wait to sit down at the screen and catch up/create a character :)

We have moved passed the point at which Akira can reasonably greet or invite people.  So I am just going to hang until whomever else is going to show up shows up.

Griff just showed up.  To be fair he wasn't even a thought this time yesterday, but he'll make up for it.  So.... here we are again, hi everyone.

Hello Griff and anyone new to the party.

Been busy today, but will work to be a bit more active.

In reply to Akira (msg # 201):

There has been a lot of people coming and going in the bar.

I'm feeling sick after my holiday, so haven't gone through any of the back posts.

Happy to join whichever party, but I agree that it's probably not a great idea to have both clerics in the same team!

There's actually 3 clerics now, thanks to Rytel :)

Welcome aboard Griff, and Woundcleaner. And anyone else I might have missed.

This many characters, we could form 3 parties.   That is a different option.

In reply to Rytel Phorza (msg # 208):

Seems like it. Worth waiting to see how many people stick around maybe...

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 209):

Hi Amalfy.  I'd agree that waiting to see how many stay after the first flurry of posts would probably be wise.  Two largish parties might even need to amalgamate by the end if previous rpol experience is anything to go by.

In reply to Griff (msg # 210):

Agreed. I've seen parties of twelve dwindle to two once that first flush of posting dies off.

Yeah I am also waiting to see how we dwindle down once it starts before breaking into a third group.  Once the two groups get on their own I will get them divided up into different threads so it won't be quite so busy.

Team disease fix is gonna have to get out of here soon...we can't really investigate with nobody down with the sickness in the Kraken.

In reply to Luthien (msg # 213):

Down with the sickness?

O-WAhAhAhAhAhhhhh.....

LOL

In reply to Luthien (msg # 213):

Maybe head over to the All Night Temple and Leechery.

In reply to Luthien (msg # 213):

If things here are anything like Greek mythology, plagues and diseases were Apollo's bailiwick. What does a Paladin do when the plague is literally sent my the gods? And a Good God at that?

Indeed.
And if you hang around there long enough you’ll probably end up in a fist fight, especially you in that shiny armor.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 217):

Don't worry, if things get too rough, Akira will come bail you out, even if you all bailed on her.  ^_^

I'm not sure how well "Team Disease" will go down on any recruitment posters...

You should call yourselves the Med-Pack.

There are better marketing strategies I am sure.

Anyone else interested in Eurovision? I want my team to be called Blood and Glitter!

Usually end up watching it but I'm actually out tomorrow night so will miss it this year.

Akira would rely on Amalfy to pick a meeting spot.  He knows the area.

 Greeting fellow players, I am the new blade bait.

Welcome Deverick :)

In reply to Calgarvin Woodwill (msg # 226):

 Many thanks. Dev is a fighter.

Welcome Dev, the bigger the meat shield, the happier I am.

Would it be possible to only see the threads in which we participate? I don't know about anyone else, but I don't read the threads that don't pertain to me, and it would keep the game looking neater.

Would it be possible to get a map of the city and surrounding area?  Just to get a sense of geography and where things are.  From the description, I took it as a salt-water sea port but most such ports are also on a river.  Akira specifically wishes to bathe somewhere and as per her discussion last night, I assume the sea is the only place to do so?

EDIT:  Typos-a-plenty.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:22, Sat 13 May 2023.

In reply to Akira (msg # 230):

If someone knows of a map generator online sure….

With the number of characters here, plus with more coming in, I’m not sure I want to keep up with all of that.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 232):

Basically everyone in the diseased party goes in Group 2 and everyone in the stolen artifacts party goes in group 3 and the threads are in one or the other.  Then we only get notified when there is something new in our group or the general group.  Otherwise, an indication in the thread title helps at least sort out which is for which party.

In reply to Akira (msg # 233):

When I get back on my desktop I’ll see if I can get everyone sorted out.

https://inkarnate.com/

In reply to Akira (msg # 233):

As Akira said, super easy, RPoL is designed for it. You would still see everything, but we would only see the threads we are in. It would make the gaming experience much nicer, frustrating when the game pops over and over, and none of it is for me.

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 236):

Well, I mean I know how to change group numbers for characters but it’s more a matter of going through each character and remembering who is and who isn’t in what story.  Then changing the thread groups.  Not a lot of work but maybe more than I want to do while running two, possibly three campaigns with a lot of characters.

Someone is welcome to become an assistant DM and handle minor administrative duties like that if they want, however.

I am happy to help if you would like assistance.  Groups (and languages) are pretty easy when done up-front.  The biggest hurdle is when people are switching from one group to another.  If you don't want people to see what happened in other threads, then you need to add more groups at the start of an adventure if players are switching, but it is not a big deal as long as there are no more than 30 groups.

In reply to Akira (msg # 238):

I’ve never grouped people unless I wanted something hidden, and I’ve never been asked before to divide people in groups so people don’t see notifications from other groups.  If you’re willing to do it I’ll give you the ability.  It’s not something I’ll do, however, because I have enough going on with storylines and PMs.

It does seem like a lot of unnecessary work for very little gain.

In reply to Luthien (msg # 240):

Makes no difference to me, just a suggestion to deal with an issue someone has.

It starts to become more of a big deal with multiple parties.  I am in a game with twenty different parties running and if not for groups you would lose your threads from the front page regularly.

Groups also help when you look at the cast list so you can tell who is in which party.

I am not sure how things are going to work going forward, if people are going to move from party to party based on mission?  It seems somewhat difficult in that it would require missions to finish somewhat together and if the stolen-artifacts party gets an adventuring house, it seems like they would all stay together as a group as they have common property.  OTOH, it seemed like all the healers went into the disease party, and I don't know if that will work long term.

Just my random thoughts!

Carts before horses.

Let's build the game to the point where people are legit getting confused, then we'll worry about it. Really, the parties we have are more half parties than full parties.

As you say, I collected all the healers for my mission, but none of the arcanists or thieves.

I think the PC ranger dropped.

In reply to Akira (msg # 241):

I appreciate the thought Akira, but apparently it doesn't bother anyone else. I hate getting fifteen alerts a day, and only one refers to a thread I am in, but I guess it's not an issue for others.

Funny, I have done it in all my games, and it never once seemed an effort, much less a burden.

In reply to Luthien (msg # 242):

I run six games one which is gigantic.  I have no issue with it being separated however you guys want.  I’m just not going to do it.  I have enough other stuff happening.

Plus, maybe people will switch parties.  I’ve always been loose with time in games, maybe there are side quests or other adventures.  Everything doesn’t have to be so black and white and organized and fit into compartments.

I assigned Akira GM powers, make all the group changes you want.  I’d rather put my time into crafting stories.  Hell even in my almost 200,000 post game I don’t do any of the administrative stuff.  I don’t open character sheets, add new players, none of it.  I just run the game.

But you all are welcome to do whatever you want behind the scenes.

I have generally let people post on different time lines and then we just figure it out when every story ends.
All that matters is that we craft good stories and everyone has fun, I don’t want to get bogged down in details.

I have just found that the best stories pay attention to the details.

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 246):

I guess we just have a difference of opinion on what makes a good game then.
Either way we’ve probably spent too much time debating something trivial.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 247):

Probably, but I've been waiting for my reply in the Shepherd's thread, and have nothing better to do.

In reply to Akira (msg # 241):

Don't forget that OOC would still turn your game red on your sticky list even with groups. Constant popping comes down to personal responsibility. It is very annoying when one or two people decide to have a conversation in the OOC thread which most or all of the rest of the cast aren't interested in and it makes the game pop 20 times in a day for no added content (P.S. present discussion excluded).

Also, the disease group haven't taken all the healers. As of last update there were 3 clerics in the game, the disease group has 1, the stolen items group has 1, and 1 (Vunder) has logged in today and may be close to entering. The Stolen Items group, however, has probably taken all the thieves :)

As DM said we can wait until we get through an adventure at least to decide about switching groups etc, but I think by then I'd prefer to have stable groups that don't change. Switching out sounds romantic, but due to balance issues there would be a lot of pressure on many players to either not switch, or to make the switch with specific players to keep teams somewhat balanced. I would personally prefer to just roll with the groups we find ourselves in (even if both groups continally worked concurrently for a higher purpose i.e. a guild or benefactor). Mixing them up loses a sense of group unity, regardless of how much players try to avoid it.

Sorry, long, but just 1 post :)
This message was last edited by the player at 00:14, Sun 14 May 2023.

In reply to Calgarvin Woodwill (msg # 249):

I agree with you on the OOC, sometimes a few people can talk a lot and it can blow up with notifications.  In truth I have considered not having OOC threads in games as sometimes they tend to be more trouble than anything.

Off to get everyone caught up....been at the zoo with my granddaughter all day.

Sorry 1 more post, I thought I'd post where everyone is, as there's been some uncertainty this morning :)


  Disease Group          Stolen Items Group
  -------------          ------------------
Luthien  : paladin        Griff  : fighter
Rytel    : cleric         Morbid : cleric
Calgarvin: druid          Akira  : monk
                          Ponder : thief
                          Amalfy : thief
                          Vanomir: fi/mu



Unassigned PC's
---------------
Aksel   : fi/th
Vunder  : fi/cl/mu
Deverick: fighter
This message was last edited by the player at 01:15, Sun 14 May 2023.

I've only ever played in games with groups.  Having said that if the DM doesn't want to do it, no big deal, I'll adjust, it's his game.



I'd say that is natural selection at work, and given the character write ups below you should only rarely expect to have a thief in the Paladin's party, if you can find the rare one that is neutral good.



If I was playing a Paladin (and hats off to Luthien for doing so) I wouldn't want one in the party given the risk of committing evil or causing chaos by association.  His whole character class status could be at stake.  It's hard to do a good job role playing a Paladin.

The DM has waived strict alignment rules for the paladin. I checked before joining him (because druids as true neutral would otherwise be limited to a single quest with a paladin).

In reply to Calgarvin Woodwill (msg # 253):

I did, but even without that I agree with the principle that the Paladin would not associate with thieves.

In reply to Calgarvin Woodwill (msg # 249):

Healers, not Clerics.  Healers includes Ranger, Paladin, Cleric, and Druid, the four classes with healing at some level.  Not sure what happened to the Ranger but you had 4 of 5.  And since thieves can't be with the Paladin, it is more a case of the thieves having no choice as to which party they are in not choosing one party over the other.  :)

In reply to Akira (msg # 255):

Well, it's not necessarily the thieves choice but it would be someone's choice.  If they wanted to join the disease quest then the paladin would be the one who needed to make the decision whether he wanted to be in a party with them or not.  The paladin could choose to go on his own if the thieves wanted to stay or they could wander off on their own.  It would be a fun dynamic to watch that scene and see how it played out.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 256):

Thieves chasing the Paladin from one party to the next.  :P

Greetings

I would ultimately expect there to be a Robin Hood (or Zidane, FF9) type Thief eventually. The double and triclass characters probably also have it easier with their possible alignments.

Of course, Robin Hood better be able to prove Prince John is very evil and stole from the townsfolk to begin with before he enlists me to come along.

You need to find yourself a lawful good monk.  They have all the skills a Paladin would want without any of the negative connotations.  Good luck with that.

In reply to Griff (msg # 260):

Blink I didn't think monks had an at will detect evil ability.

Not that it is relevant to this campaign but my Thieves are never Evil and normally are scouts more than thieves.  It is a useful skill set for adventurers, with pick-pocket being the main robbing  function.  It annoys me that D&D wants thieves to be Evil rather than Chaotic.  I think thievery is more Anti-Law than Anti-Good.  Shrug.



Welllll, seems there is at least a Lawful monk here,  maybe she is Good.  Hard to tell as yet.  (-_-)

In reply to Griff (msg # 260):

I do think the demihuman multiclasses are less likely to behave as 'true thieves'...

But it's the GM call.

It is a shame weapon specialization is out, though. Would've helped everyone out a lot.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:27, Sun 14 May 2023.

Alignment in the DnD system is something that has always irked me, I understand their thoughts behind it but it tends to pigeon hole people too much and creates differences like this.  I would rather people play their character the way they want and their alignment be selected to fit in with their actions rather than crafting your actions to fit into your alignment.  It's not something I pay a great deal of attention to, alignment.

Now, in the Paladin's case, for instance, if he was associating with someone that broke his own code of conduct I might have someone in his order speak to him about it.

Higher up you go, the weirder that gets.

How responsible, exactly, is Lord Brightblade for all the political people he must deal with as a ruler?

You also don't want to open back door pvp by letting some do something obviously evil, thereby forcing me to react appropriately, which might result in me turning their character over to the authorities or even direct combat, depending on how bad it is.

I can't control the actions of other PCs, and other players in theory could do things on a whim to put me in a bad spot.

I believe that is where the term "handlers" comes into play.   Aide de camp, Handler, Consigliere, and many other terms used.

People who "do your dirty work" and or find information so that it was not you directly that is tied to it.

Sooooo, baiting the Paladin is frowned upon then?  Is that what you're saying? :o)

In reply to Griff (msg # 267):

That is what I'm trying to say, yes. This isn't PVP.

I think I could go into overtime casting Charm Person just on PCs.

"Do not bait the paladin."

"No, dear paladin, those are not insults, they are actually paying you compliments. Take it kindly."

"So I'll tell the thieves not to pick pockets within fifty yards of us..."

I guess that qualifies as 'Handler'? :)

 New guy here. My character will enter the city, and interacted with you guys soon. The poor clueless bastard.;0)

In reply to Deverick (msg # 270):

Welcome Deverick. Phew I'm no longer the newest newbie...

grin
This message was last edited by the player at 01:46, Mon 15 May 2023.

In reply to Justin Haveslane (msg # 271):

And I didn't attack you within your first two posts so that's probably a good thing lol.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 272):

A double DM blessing... smiley face motif
This message was last edited by the player at 02:21, Mon 15 May 2023.

 It has been some time since I did this. Deverick is doing the dance of death with a Dire wolf. I have to have  roll initiate. Yes?

In reply to Deverick (msg # 274):

Yes, but there will also need to be a surprise roll.  Dire wolves don’t hunt alone.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 275):

Better a Dance of death with a dire wolf than dancing with a dire dingo

Sucks to be you Deverick.  Is this your punishment for arriving late?

 I hope the Gm meant wolf instead of Dire wolf.

Either way, when you're 1st level one against a pack isn't convivial to a long life.

Plot Twist: The high priestess I am about to see if going to teleport my party on a moon beam teleport to assist Deverick!  =D

Look out Deverick here comes the god squad!!

He did not, he meant dire wolf.
Often times I use encounters to set up other stories down the road, and I do not kill off characters in battles they typically cannot win.  The main reason for an encounter may not always be for you to win said fight, it can be to set up something later on.

Like why he is missing his left arm?  -_o

Maybe he is getting turned into a werewolf.

Maybe 'he' is going to find out Deverick is a 'she', and carrying wolf-children.

Are Alalfy and Akita having a name mis-spelling showdown? Certainly seems like it!

This message was deleted by the player at 16:06, Mon 15 May 2023.

Fixed.  I blame the keyboard . . . or something.

I even doubled checked on Akira's first, before I goofed it. Fixed it now.

So none of the reasons suggested are the reason for this encounter but there were some good ones, maybe I’ll switch the story up.
Werewolves always make things more exciting.

That's definitely a matter of perspective!

 Waiting on me?

In reply to Deverick (msg # 292):

Kind of, need a series of rolls from you.
First a surprise check.
Then we need to start with initiative, an attack roll, and a damage roll.  Just post the rolls and I will narrate.

Combat in all systems on a forum can be time consuming, the more rolls you give me in the first post the easier it is for me to narrate.  I don't want any of us to spend a week while we go through each individual roll.

Greetings, might be a bit late to get rolling, but a wizard is never late, he always arrives precisely when he intends to.  But I'm not a wizard.

In reply to Achan (msg # 294):

LOL. Welcome.

In reply to Achan (msg # 294):

Sooo, did you arrive precisely when a wizard wanted you to?

Welcome either way.

So I am a bit confused, was there someone else we were expecting in the Market thread, or should we proceed?

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 297):

I do not have an encounter set for you in the Market, I assumed you guys were waiting on someone else before beginning your investigation.

Thank you for clarifying. I thought we had more people, somehow.

We know people don't post for a number of reasons, time zones, busy in real life, nothing to say to add to what has been said, along with many others.

The meet up the next day in the market square was planned in a pub when drink was flowing, and given the apparent lack lustre response to people gathering I don't see any reason why we should hold any longer.

For me it's now 4 days since this thread was opened, which (for me) seems like ample time for someone to have logged into rpol to post a line or more.

Others can join in, or not, I don't care.  The DM is accomplished enough to tailor the settings to those who are present, and we'll know when to pull back if it looks like we're walking into a situation that is more than we can chew.  Let's roll.

Fair enough. We have five now, with Morbid, let us see if we can get the ball rolling.

In reply to Griff (msg # 300):

I don’t generally hold threads for people, I give people one day and then we move the story.

Sweet that's good to know.

Not sure where to slot in a artisan crafted vanilla bean fighter, but I should be able to finish off my sheet when I get off work this evening.

In reply to Achan (msg # 304):

 Will post later this evening.

Are dire wolves larger then man sized.

In reply to Deverick (msg # 306):

They are.

Glad the guard was around.  Deverick had a mountain to climb with those wolves.

They regularly patrol the street leading to Ardentia.  The purpose of the encounter was to introduce the wolves, and a threat on the road, for later use.  Deverick would have needed rolls blessed by the gods to beat those two wolves alone, it was never intended to be that type of encounter.

So, how do most DM's handle experience for DnD on a play by post game?  I am not in favor of doing it purely by combat encounters because it could be months in between them real time.

I am more in favor of doing a monthly XP reward based upon the entirety of your role playing of your character.

Oddly enough the most common method I see is not the one I prefer, but that was what you asked for.

The majority I have seen tend to pick benchmarks in the action to give everyone in the party a level.

Next most common is a system where they give everyone the same amount on a monthly or every other week. This works better with AD&D in my mind, because different classes are meant to level at different speeds.

My preference is personal XP based on roleplay and combat. XP for treasure is pretty common, though I have always felt treasure was a reward in and of itself.

If you do do individual XP, I find keeping it private prevents resentment, I've seen games fall apart, sadly, when better players get better experience.

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 311):

You made some good points,  my personal preference is also personal XP.

Monthly XP sounds fine by me. That keeps people participating so they can hit level 2 and more.

There's also, in this edition, modifiers for high ability scores and multiclasses having to divide it between their classes.

Also, different classes have different XP totals to level up in this edition.

As a game with definite levels, it would actually be interesting to see your take on how long you might expect characters to reach certain levels. I've been in one game now for years, and still only level 4. I might actually die in real life before I cast anything like teleport!

I don't know if it's worthwhile considering plotting it out in your mind and thinking how you would divide 20 levels into an appropriately long period of time, and then think about a system that would achieve that for all players in that period of time.

...Hmmm. Because different classes level at different rates, I might set a specific XP value per month...maybe 1000 XP...and then people level up as their character classes+xp bonuses for high stats-multiclass divisions dictate.

Of course, if there are bonuses for participation or clever ideas, those can be given out individually.

Yeah I’m leaning towards something like that.  I think a thousand a month plus bonuses here and there, maybe 50 at different times, would be good.

The problem with 1,000 per month is that dnd levels are not linear. At that rate, you'll have a bunch of level 4 characters very quickly, but then wait for a year for level 5 to kick in, 2 years for level 6 etc etc.

In games I run, I either give XP on a regular schedule (e.g. every month IRL) if it is more story driven or at the end of each mini-adventure.  I usually give everyone base XP based on what the group accomplished and add individual XP based on what they added to the story or how interesting their posts were.

In reply to Morbid Woundcleanser (msg # 317):

Well honestly that’s probably about right.
There would be additional xp for battles though, the 1,000xp a month is base, not a cap.

Well, yeah. If you get 1000 XP per month, but then kill a dragon, you might get 51,000 xp that month.

Cleric table as an example:


At 1,000xp per month, 4th level in 6 months is simple. But then everyone is waiting for an absolute age for level 7 (more than 4 years). 9 years for level 8 and my life expectancy in RL will be over before level 10 (30 years)

Rightio, thats fine if there's additional XP for battles. I thought it was just going to be flat XP plus minor xp at 50 per time.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 22:26, Wed 17 May 2023.

Basically, 1000 XP per month keeps people from being stuck in the lowest levels for long, so PCs are more durable when they're sent out to do battle.

Right.  First four are kind of gimmes.  After that you have to earn it a little more.

Anyways, when Rytel is done in his own temple, I mean to next seek counsel with my temple, as the Tormite order is naturally going to have most of the Paladins...the same Paladins that can't get sick, no matter where they go.

We're uniquely suited in that way for investigating diseases, which is why I switched tasks immediately.

In reply to Luthien (msg # 324):

No problem, I’ll get a temple generated.

 Still here. My PC Decided to take an authorized maintenence  break. But now back on the job. Game on!

Marital exercise? Thanks a lot, Calgarvin. Now I'm trying to imagine what a Lawful Good orgy looks like. Particularly sponsored by a god of loyalty.

In reply to Luthien (msg # 327):

:)

Dev, if you would like, I'm reasonably sure we can get you as the new Watch recruit to join us on disease patrol.

Gonna have to give this city the nickname of the town of ten thousand blades, for all the taverns named after weapons. LOL

...ouch. A high priest passed away. Which is always interesting, because reviving that guy is the temple's first priority if he's willing to come back.

In reply to Luthien (msg # 331):

Wow, did be die of the disease you guys are trying to deal with?

.....and survives the system shock roll if raise dead is used.

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 330):

And one giant sea monster lol.

That will be an answer / adventure for a later date, much much later.

For the record I have no rule against PvP.

Every Paladin should remember the Code.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQXy84W2AZU

Inside the table's circle,
Under the sacred sword.
A knight must vow to follow
The code that is unending,
Unending as the table—
A ring by honor bound.
A knight is sworn to valour,
His heart knows only virtue,
His blade defends the helpless,
His might upholds the weak,
His word speaks only truth,
His wrath undoes the wicked.
The right can never die,
If one man still recalls.
The words are not forgot,
If one voice speaks them clear.
The code forever shines,
If one heart holds it bright.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:43, Mon 22 May 2023.

In reply to Luthien (msg # 337):

n brightest day, in blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight. Beware my power...

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 338):

You skipped a line...

In brightest day, in blackest night
No evil shall escape my sight
Let those who worship evil's might
Beware my power, Green Lantern's Light!

In reply to Luthien (msg # 339):

Beware my power, Great Luthien's might!

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 340):

Wars not make one great.

Yeah well, that's just like your opinion, man.

My opinion?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MYi2YVrsjY

Always makes me think of this:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9t-slLl30E

Mkay I need to pick the brains of folks smarter than me. On the CS, what does No Att stand for?    Does it represent the bonus to hit from a certain strength score?

This CS is a bit  different from what I'm used to, so I have to double check, thanks.

Number of Attacks. Which will be one.

Thanks.

I’d personally abbreviate that Nu att, not no att.   I might be crazy though.

“No.” is a common abbreviation of ‘Number.’

It'll only be higher at level 1 if you are specialized in a weapon. Fighters Paladinsand Rangers also get additional attacks by level
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 23:39, Tue 23 May 2023.

I go with #Att, seems pretty unambiguous.

In reply to Luthien (msg # 349):



I'm not a fighter, at least not with this character, but thanks. I've played Advanced D&D before, but the CS was different, and to make matters worse, I'm blind, and have been so since birth.  So,  when I say I've never heard No, used as number, I mean it literally. Never encountered it in braille either.

Everything else on the sheet is clear, but that wasn't. Also, I'm going to be starting the game very poor it would seem from my roll. I can work with that .

_{We meet again?} says Lionel :D

In reply to Morbid Woundcleanser (msg # 352):

You are aware that there was no battle, until you started one, right Morbid?

The whole warehouse raid kind of went sideways honestly.

In reply to Dungeon Master (msg # 354):

Unless I missed a post, I still had a little hope for my bluff. I did throw out some information that should have startled them that I knew it.

Curtsey
We do indeed.

In reply to Amalfy Scroggins (msg # 355):

Sure, but it also made them realize that you can’t leave the warehouse.  That’s their first reaction, they can sort out how you know what you do later.

I'm kinda hoping that we get them stuck in the doorway and aren't surrounded. Maybe we can toss in some fire. Griff will be alright as he's under the smoke level. Right?

:)

Not thinking that setting the wharves on fire is a good option, in fact it would probably get us hung. LOL