DM themed play-by-post D&D game : OOC thread

[beowuuf]

So, we've reached two pages, and been at this a week already! Woohoo!

Any comments, things you don't like, things you enjoy, things you think are missing, etc? Still happy to go on?

[oh_brother]

Not sure if you will need it but I rolled a diplomacy check for talking to Drommal: 18 + 13 = 31

We could open a separate thread if people want, but for me the OOC thread is fine for general discussions. You don't annoy us that much!

[beowuuf]

I'm just very aware it's hard to look back and find previous discussions! And lol, I guess I need to up my annoying factor then

Diplomacy is good - funny, the one you botched was the one I'd rolled for you that day which was good. Combined with your naturally high score, and you are manging to get soem degree of credibility. Well, either that or staying below the threshold they would behead you. So hard ot tell with inscruitable soldiers!

[oh_brother]

Ok, I see what you mean. A potential discussion can be lost very easily as soon as something new is posted. I will change my stance to "neutral" for now, lets see what the others think!

[beowuuf]

Oh, I've realised that now you are actively trying to get information by using innuendo to get it (name dropping Gholst, playing on your unknown status because you aren't in ropes, and also saying how great the soldiers are) then its going to be a bluff check not diplomacy. Not much will change given your high natural roll, just the exact reaction of the captain will be much less spectacular on a DC20 success than an epic DC30 success!

Yeah yeah, I know technically speaking it's opposed rolls, but it's been easier to set a level of gullibility and suspicion once then modify that than to keep having the circumstances change for spurious reasons to die rolls. Just so you know!

[beowuuf]

Ok, so the party will be moving. The inital charge will only last @1 minute, so tomorrow's update will be only a few moments after the last and you won't need to worrk about the next bit (aside fron the party order map). So you can still connect the dots and follow up anything referenced in this one.

After that, it will be 5 - 10 minute blocks of movement with basic descriptions. Wisdom or wisdom based checks will let you get a feeling for where you are going, knowledge (dungeoneering) checks will be needed to try and intelligently work out where you might be. Either will let you potentially map where you have been incase you need to get back.

While the soldiers in full plate are slow, they will start to travel at a hustle. Because of this, I will start to ask you for constitution checks after the next update to see how well you can keep up without getting exhausted.

Party order looks like this:


Interesting fact - the map is a 5 foot grid, and I think of the character circles as more or less real sized representations of the people#s size. So in one way, it would seem odd how much space you get between each person during combat. In another - can you imagine swinging a sword of moving around with anything less?

And yeah, five foot step is a few rushed steps, not a single five foot stride!


The map of the new parts you have seen (for your information) is here:
http://www.dmjump.net/marchedthrough.jpg
You will be travelling down the indicated branch.

[beowuuf]

@OB - you won't actually need a diplomacy check for the flask thing. Basically, your comments and rolls have been good enough now and the logic sound enough that you will either get the information you require or not. As you may have noticed, it will be based on the answer to Drommal's question

Funnily enough, the party have potentially missed out on a rune previously because of the soldeir's arrival. It is still possible to get however...

[Gambit37]

It's really quite exciting to have a DM adventure described in such detail I'm enjoying following this immensely.

Typos galore in your last post though Beo.

[beowuuf]

Yeah, at lunch and had the test engineer interrupt half way through, not condusive to my bets work (and the standard wasn't high to begin with!)

Will correct it later on, and meanwhile glad you are enjoying it!

[oh_brother]

Posted now because I am off to London for the weekend in a hour or so, won't be back until late Sunday night.

I was happy to see that Westian's comments were enough to even give Falkor doubts about his allegiance! Hmmm, was not expecting Drommal's question though....

And I would have typos galore in my posts too except I have a spell-checker add-on for my firefox - couldn't cope without it!

[beowuuf]

I know, I love it...but my work and now this new one doesn't have it yet installed, so I have to rely on my hurried editing skills. I knew I relied on it too much!

And man, if someone asks you if you support a god, you say: YES! AN EVIL ONE!

Though as always, you aren't punished for any action, just one door closes, and yet another one unexpected might be opening...

[beowuuf]

I have a friend over this weekend, so no update again until Sunday I'm afraid! Still, I think you've done this room to death, so you shall be moving on on Sunday in a bid for FREEDOM!

[Lord_BoNes]

It's all good man. Could you squeeze in a brief update now (just an extention to include the post that I've not long done)? Then I can update my character sheet inventory,

[beowuuf]

Everything is good, you can tell that both potions are YA potions - drinking them will temporarily give you additional hit points for one encounter.

Sorry, friend right here, will do one later on before bed

[Lord_BoNes]

I shall be waiting your highness...

[Ameena]

Just wanted to make a little comment regarding Haynuus - Ian, I love some of your posting . That bit about Thinpas being an "expert in getting in the f*cking way" was most amusing .

[Gambit37]

Haynuss is great, definitely the comic relief

[beowuuf]

And yet on a dime Ian will turn to having a great emotional beat or warm character quirk.

Then again, I love all my players equally, cause they all do or say such bloody cool things!

[Gambit37]

Ever the diplomat

[beowuuf]

Lol, no, seriously, everyone brings some cool beats to the game. Lucky to have such a cool group!

*i makes killing them off son all the sweeter*

[beowuuf]

*sigh* and friend is gone, so feel free toupdate whenever!

[Lord_BoNes]

Can I copy any scrolls onto the blank pieces of parchment?

[ian_scho]

Agh. Rolled a d10 instead of 20?!

Here's what it would have looked like... would attempt to toss the flask into the back of Westian's rucksack (1d20=20) ... Whippie!

[Ameena]

Gawd...I've started writing myself out a sort of summary thingy of everything Ameena knows so far (since she knwos considerably less than I do, of course). I started it shortly before 3pm (maybe at about ten to), and it's now 4:35 and I've got to page five of the IC thread. I'm basically re-reading it through and noting down any info that Ameena picks up, as well as keeping a very brief summary of what happens so I have something I can look back on regarding the order in which various events take place. I think I'll give it a break for now, though, and maybe do a bit here and there over the next few days. Damn that most of us make such long posts .
It's sort of surprising the things that come out, actually. For example, at the point I've got up to (they've just arrived in the supply room and Falkor's about to trigger that trap thingy by putting his hand in the print in the wall), I've noticed that at no point does Falkor say he's a wizard. He's cast a couple of spells (voices in the head of a troll, and a flash of light at the one they end up killing), but has basically said sod all about himself apart from his name. Actually, most of them have said sod all about themselves, though Ameena did tell a few things to Haynuus about the murafu. But like I said, I'm only up to the end of page five right now, so a wlong way to go yet. Still, I think the mummy fight lasted a couple of pages by itself, so hopefully I can skim through some of that quite easily (like I did with most of the descriptions of the carvings around the alcoves in the second room, which Ameena didn't look at).
And I'm only keeping track of the things Ameena knows - good luck to anyone (Wuffy? ) who wants to note down stuff from everyone's PoV .

[beowuuf]

That's exactly the reason to keep track of player versus character knowledge But also, it's a good reason to not try to play every beat in IC. sometimes thigns get missed. That's why I gave you lot a few 'open' breaks where you can assume a certain level of familiariy. I do believe Westian assumed Falkor a thief until the display of magic skills, and there was the bakc and forth about talking over runes.

still, it's a good point. anyway, ameena is doing her own, I keep trying to get a general summary done for the story and the characters, except as shown I do need a free weekend and my weekends seem to get taken one way or the other recently! Ensuring the story carries on forwards before going backwards is also a consideration

Anyway, it's definitely a good to generally think about how the group will come across to outsiders. For example, none of you I believe have any destinquishing marks as to be anything. You all woke up in plain 'evening/night' clothes, so Westian does not look particularly priest like (is my understanding) and similarly Falkor does not look mage like. Obviously Haynuus looks like Haynuus, a little more badass but not so stylinsh wearing an old breastplate

I'm not going to discourage you from only caring about your own POV Ameena, but you might find it easier to integrate your writing with others if you sort-of know what the general story is and also what other players/characters might know. Just because Ameena doesn't know a story or a tactical move, is no reason for you not to know and point out something another player has missed.

While I think you're all managing to guess ahead of the puzzles and plot points for now, I'm throwing alot of information at you lot assuming that as a group you'll form a gestalt OOC and be able to sift through it as a party. And there is always the occasional PM of private knowledge for fun just to give characters some personal perspective and uniqueness.

Right, anyway, I seem to recall I had to answer a question or post a clarification or something...

[beowuuf]

Heh, that was it! I was waiting for Westian's post, since as you can see your new companion Helm is either a good or a lucky thief, and had taken the flask for Westian. Still, the lol co-incidental actions of Haynuus meant it was too funny not to play hot potato and have a switch around. Ameena, you may now suspect what the perception roll was for

Anyway, trying to place the item in Westian's backpack might have bene a stretch for a half-orc with no actual trained Sleigh of Hand (you guys can all attempt concealing and passing as DC10 checks, Ameena is the only player currently who can do fun stuff if she needs to). However, to roll not only a natural 10 on the worng die but also a natural 20 on the real die, I do believe the gods of D&D and DM are sending me a message, which is to allow you uncontested to slip the flask into Westian's bag. So done!

Oh, and the flask isn't empty - there is a small amount of liquid inside it. OB, if you get the chance to examine the flask, roll me a knowledge (religeon) check please!

[beowuuf]

I assume the idea would be to get more information by having more space with the scrolls copied to thinner paper? An interesting idea, but too time consuming and tricky. You have to roll some serious diplomacy to get the knight to both hang around while you copied alot of papers, then carefully keep them all in his pack!

What Aurek could do is only sketch out relevant looking diagrams and try to recreate the alphabet of small significant passages in a coupel of scrolls. If you can roll me a pure wisdom and a pure intelligence check, this will represent the task of both spotting subtle items in the drawings/text, and being able to recreate the scrolls in a hurry. The better your wisdom rolls, the more information you will ahve, and the better the intelligence the more useful the scroll will actually be Also, you may find you will remmeber certain things you wote out even without the scrolls!

So doing that will let you actually have both 10 good scrolls, and an equivalent number of extra scrolls that your int/wis check allows!

That will become an undisclosed bonus that you can then get on intelligence and knowledge checks when you think you might need them (yell in a situaton where something pictorial, especially with an elemental bias, might help. If you get lucky and the bonus helps you make the DC, that shows one of the scrolls was useful and the remaining bonus will be reduced.

I may also have specific instances where a scroll or picture from a scroll will be useful and I'll tell you that Aurek should onsult a scroll without you needing to prompt me for a check first.

Sound good?

I'll let you know what the mechanics of this was once you have exhausted their usefulness or are getting cloe to them being done!

[Lord_BoNes]

If I get that right, I get 10 + (wisdom 1d20 = 16) + (intelligence 1d20 = 14)... or will it be some factor of the previous formula EG: 10 + (16 / 4 = 4) + (14 / 4 = 3)...
I think that the first is more fun, however, the second option is more realistic.

[beowuuf]

More fun until you get left alone by the knight, your torch runs out and you work by cell-light, then a squad of grak-graks comes after you.

Did I say grak-graks, I meant... blackskulls. *whsitles innocently*


Heh, the formula is for me as DM to know and you as a player to chance your arm over! By which I mean that if the way I'm doing it is a little stupid, I will simplify it in your favour and you will never know!

Edit: cool, see you made a post. Don't worry about the disguise roll - you only need to make it if you are actively spotted by anyone who is suspicious, and I'm sorry to say but at that time I'll make it for you. It's one of those ones like certain bluff rolls where I won't let you know if it has worked or not

For now though, I think you guys will look convincing enough. Are you leaving a weapon drawn or not?

[Lord_BoNes]

Mine drawn, and I'm gonna ask him to sheath his.