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

[beowuuf]

Sadly, even with Westian's help, the fountain will not be budged!

Apologies to money for the sheer volume of posts he will have to wade through on his return!

[ian_scho]

He'll have a hangover to worry about anyway

[money]

Morning, quick suggestion for trying to budge this fountain... can we use the polls? I'm conscious there are 2 different sizes, perhaps we could use them in a levering fashion to try and budge/break the fountain?

I'm happy with the allocation of 'stuff' - I will use the small knives though as it will leave my other hand free.

[beowuuf]

It would have been an interesting idea perhaps worthy of another +1 or even +2 bonus, but Ian's roll is too low for it to matter I'm afriad. DM hint: Any small hints and so forth you might get from the fountain are not worth the effort of several hours trying to loosen the thing

You can carry the other ;arger knife in your belt, just incase

[Ameena]

If no-one can ID those leaves then Ameena will probably keep them on her. She'll also want to point out that mouldy stuff too, in case anyone knows what's going on with that (does it actually smell like mould?). Those are things still on my "to do" list, as well as Ameena actually taking her loot (I like to actually IC these things rather than just assume them OOC - I always play these kinds of RPGs like I'm writing a story so I write stuff as though someone would be reading it like a novel and try not to skip bits or whatever else might make no sense from that PoV).

[oh_brother]

Without the right skill identifying the leaves is a simple intelligence test, getting only common knowledge (DC 10) and I assume that the DC is going to be higher than 10 so that probably won't work. Westian could try a knowledge check using arcana (in case he recognises them as magical) or religion (in case they are used in religious ceremonies). Long shot, I have no idea if there is any chance that either of those would work, but just in case I will roll a dice.... a 7. Okay, unlikely to have worked, I will just mention that he takes a look at them in my next post.

[beowuuf]

Well, you can luck spotting if it looks deadly or harmless with a semple intelligence check

Yeah, not to spoil the effect but you could have lucked it on a different intelligence check (much higher DC). Not with 7 though

[beowuuf]

Ameena, as far as I can tell the narrative isn't waiting for anything, so there should be no problem with ICing anything you want to start an IC bit about. IT's probably best to stagger a couple of IC bits in the same post, I'm sure everyone can sort out the narrative in their head. It will be very easy to stretch the conversational bits if everyone has to wait for me to resolve checks and then everyone posts a reaction each step of the way. Grouping comments and checks together then sorting out the narrative with a final update post by me would probably work best.

[beowuuf]

Oh, the mold - everyone would probably smell the mustiness of the room if pressed. The fountain, if anyone really smells it, would smell damp and moldy despite the lack of water. Ameena will find she can't stand being too close to the fountain, there will just be an odd clogging sensation in her nose.

[beowuuf]

Anyway, so it sounds like a few more character beats are wanted here before descending. Decide as a group if, at the end of sitting with food and talking, you then want to grab a power nap (with Haynuus sitting watch) or if simply sitting with food for a few moments are enough. Everyone will, despite the odd start recently, feel tired but able to carry on.

I don't think anyone has disagreed with the items stuff, thought it sounds like Falkor's large knife is up for grabs if someone else wants it.

Let's say tonight and tomorrow during the day are free for IC posts (and money catching up activities if he wants Falkor to say a few things!) and then we can move onwards don the stairs.

I'm busy-ish at work tomorrow, so can only answer questions at lunch probably. Here all night tonight

[money]

ok, I'm out all day tomorrow - but will post when i get in (probably about 7.30)... Happy with all decisions thus far.

[oh_brother]

A rest sounds good, mainly because I am currently extremely tired. I might take an OOC power nap also!

But in addition to that it seems like a resoanbly safe place, and we don't know when we get a chance again. And who knows what is down those stairs...we might need all the power we can get.

[beowuuf]

I don't think I have fallen asleep before 2-4am in the last three days, which is not good for the end of month. So if everyone is happy I might have that OOC power nap too! Much as I'd like to hear about Ameena's latest RL RPG exploits! Umm, I mean the tabletop group she plays with, not that she goes into a real dungeon or anything.

Anyways...update tomorrow evening/night then!

[Ameena]

Ameena is nearly done sorting her stuff...since she's now already asked everyone about the leaves, the next thing on her agenda will be the mould. Oh, and she hasn't picked a knife yet. I'd better remember to do that. Ooh, just for erm...what do you call it...flavour text, I suppose, what do the knives look like? The smaller ones, I mean - the ones Ameena will be looking at. Actually I think Falkor may have already taken one, I can't remember. But the ones that are left...are the blades shiny or dull, or are they nicked or chipped, and what are the handles made of etc? Just so I can have Ameena looking them over carefully and deciding which one to take, since she has time to do that.
She hasn't been near the fountain yet, maybe I should do that soon...hmm maybe the source of the fountain is below somewhere, and there's some kind of blockage down there which we'll discover later...

[beowuuf]

Imagine the knives look like a wooden handled version of one of the small sharp knives you'd use in the kitchen. They are really for preparation and repair, but will act as suitable weapons for Ameena and Falkor. They are in suitable condition, obviously used but still shiny and sharp as obviously one of the two whetstones in a bottom drawer have been regularly used on them. One of the knives has a slightly wobbly handle if you really tug at it, but they are all much and such the same (one slightly wider of blade and the other two have thiner blades, including the wobbly handled one).

As I said in the main post, Ameena will be uncomfortable getting too close to the fountain. Unlike the mold and smell in the room, which is oddly slight in texture and smell, the fountain seems greater in presence, certainly cloying. She will feel as if her nose is 'swelling' or irritated getting too close to it.

You may very well be correct about the source / blockage of the fountain. If the source is below then the fountain must be magical to pull the water upwards to it. If the water runs to it normally, then certainly a break or interruption would be most likely coming from (or visible) below.

[Ameena]

Maybe it's some kind of plant (or plant-creature...hey, Screamers! ) growing on/around the source of the fountain, and the "mould" isn't mould but spores or something, sent up by the plant...

[beowuuf]

O.O

Player knowledge is not character knowledge....

[Ameena]

I know, but she could still have that thought .

[beowuuf]

She could!

Actually, has she been a big dungeon diver? Screamers themselves might be obscure, though basic mold blockage could be suspected. Falkor might try a high DC knowledge(dungeoneering) check. Anyone else could only attempt an intelligence check on common mold knowledge

[ian_scho]

Maybe it's some kind of plant (or plant-creature...hey, Screamers! )

Heeeey thaat'sss iiiiitt!

The mold thing was bugging me. When can we go down? Can we? Can we?...

[beowuuf]

One could perhaps suspect that if one went down roughylu below where one is now, there might well be something that would explain the lack of water and also hint at the dungeon going awry.

One could suppose that breaking behind the fountain might have revealed something that would have firmed up this supposition.

However, one will not know for sure until one goes down there. Although I have a sneaking suspicion a cool little build up and evil surprise might be spoiled. Oh well! I have too clever a set of players

Just so you know, I will assume your party is tracking approximate locations, so if Haynuus etc are noting this fact for later, I'll warn you when you suspect you are in the area below the prep room. It might be a delayed pay off though...

[money]

Can we use the canvas sheets in some way to line the broken bota? Might help it keep a little water (or stem the leak)? Not that there is any water here though!

[beowuuf]

The bota has a small top, so you can't really stick the canvas sheet inside the bota. However, I'm sure hidden around the canvas sheets at the back of the drawer might have been a solid needle stuck in a cork and some catgut thread. You could always spend the rest/eating time sewing on a patch. Too late to contain the water that escaped, but if you find more (or some other liquid) you'll have an empty bota. It might hold something for a while if you get the stitches tight enough and don't stress the container.

[money]

ok - sounds like a plan.... I've not been upto much lately!

oh - and as soon as everyone is ready let me know. I'm ready to start the next chaptor!

[beowuuf]

I'll update later in the evening, kinda putting a line under the resting (thought you can still ahve the occasionakl conversational snippet) leading to you gearing up for going downstairs tomorrow lunchtime/evening

Tactics for tomorrow - will Ameena be going down first (it looks black down the stairs) or will Westian/Haynuus lead the way? Will Haynuus still be carrying the torch in his off-hand, or will someone else take up the torch (hahaha). The fighters sound like they will have clubs out, will Falkor and Ameena have their knives, or not?

[money]

definite knife in hand for me.. just the one in hand though (and one of the smaller ones)

[beowuuf]

Knife in main hand, offhand free, standing behind the fighters while still able to look around I'd guess Obviously to start with staying a step or two back on the steps themselves would let you look around and over the other's heads.

Anyway, remember that if you need to know how to defeat the large red dragon, you can roll a dungeoneering check. Did I say dragon, I meant... tiny house spider....

[Ameena]

I don't know if Ameena will have been in dungeon-type places before. Let me check what Dungeoneering skill I gave her...hmm, okay, she doesn't have that skill at all. That's alright - she doesn't mind dark spaces (small caves/tunnels, burrows, and the like), being what she is, but she's not the kind of dungeoneering/adventuring type. She doesn't deliberately venture into scary-looking caves/temples/tombs etc in the hunt for treasure or anything. Murafu aren't particularly materialistic and have no interest in honour and glory or fame or whatever. They are curious about unknown things/places/people, but not recklessly so. They have some similarities with kender, but there are certainly boundaries!
Still need to pick a knife - must remember that. And also (try to) sniff around this fountain that Haynuus is so obsessed with .

[beowuuf]

One could almost assume she might have been persuaded to enter this dungeon because it would have been something she never saw before..?

What was said in the above post still stands, Ameena would find it difficult to get that close to the fountain, it would feel cloying. Especially without any dungeoneering, I don't think she'd be able to tell anything more than 'worse mold'

[Ameena]

Yep, I know - but I want to have her actually try and sniff the fountain anyway, because she hasn't done so yet (Haynuus was in the way).
And what do you mean, "persuaded to enter the dungeon"? Hrmmm, they came here of their own free will? Dun-dun-dunnnn, the plot thickens :O.