tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68784838781636798042024-02-19T04:47:23.865+01:00Virtual Table Topping<b>Campaign logs and discussions around D&D Next, GURPS, Roll20, spelling mistakes and other role-playing topics.</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-52819358053828935532014-06-11T20:43:00.002+02:002014-06-11T20:53:12.371+02:00WB2, Session 24: Closure<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Session 24: "Closure"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And so the companions were heading south toward the Sun Palace, pushing hard in a race against time as the Black Mist now filled the cavern entirely, constantly draining the life energy of whoever was still alive.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Monday 3rd, May, 1001 AC</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(destiny token 1)</span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Companions</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Urist, dwarven cleric of Kagyar (level 4)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Danik, human scholar mage (level 4)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rurik, dwarven fighter (level 4)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Serrin, human bounty hunter (level 4)</span></li>
</ul>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Lost companions</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Grom, half-orc druid, went missing during dragon attack.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Adran, gnome bard, fell to his death after being dropped by a Drahie.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Zao-rin, human monk who decided to stay with the Semphiwe and help Samshira as long as needed.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">On the second day of their journey, a massive rumble echoed from the north, soon followed by a wave of dust and winds strong enough to send some mushroom trees flying past. Protected from the worst of it the cover of a nearby forest, they pushed on even harder than before, determined not to rest before having reached the entrance to the Sun Palace itself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">There, after a long rest, the companions descended once again into the dark ruins as the temperature seemed to be dropping steadily. There, things seemed different, quiet, and soon Danik and Rurik noticed that the magic sealing the access to the Throne room from the staircase had dissipated. Entering carefully, they found the room empty and no traces of the Drakkin Specters that Danik had mentioned previously.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">In the middle of the room however was a pool, once empty, now almost overflowing with the same strange black oozy liquid that they had found in the Pyramid some weeks before. Out of it, dark tendrils of life energy were reaching out, trying to escape, or trying to pull others in and immediately.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Unsure, the companions stayed clear far from it as whatever was in the pool seemed unable to reach further than 10 yards or so. As they entered further into the room, a whirlpool started to slowly grow out and above it. As moments passed, the companions carefully searching along the northern wall, the whirlpool connected with the ceiling and suddenly, as Rurik was trying to open one of the other silver doors in the room that Danik confirmed was safe and non-magically sealed, something slammed into him with tremendous force.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Above the pool, a large elemental form stood, dark as tar, with waves of ghostly forms passing through it like currents, some of Drakkins, some of beasts, some looking humanoid. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Battle began. Serrin rushed behind cover, using his newly crafted silver-tipped bolts with great efficiency. Urist stayed with Rurik, backing up the fighter with well placed Radiant flames, burning tendrils with each attack. Meanwhile, Rurik threw himself onto the Entropic creature, slashing left and right, tearing up patches of it as more and more tendrils slammed into him and draining his very life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">On the side, Danik suddenly rushed near pool and the base of the elemental, and unleashed two Thunder-waves back to back. This seemed to grab the attention of the creature immediately and it slammed into the mage with enough force to send him flying back, unconscious, but not before he could shout to the others: </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">"The well! Break the well!".</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KeR10WnXCSTJwFHEvclWLP8608vDFsTqYJYwQtMPfyw-wPRi93cj__Ab7F9Wu6QeXI6SXF3U3cN4-mOiS8Shg3_02YBDMlZgE3XXe-WUIyDpPh5QwMTlzCfuxLtWloJ063grHD1IkRU/s1600/picture_93.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8KeR10WnXCSTJwFHEvclWLP8608vDFsTqYJYwQtMPfyw-wPRi93cj__Ab7F9Wu6QeXI6SXF3U3cN4-mOiS8Shg3_02YBDMlZgE3XXe-WUIyDpPh5QwMTlzCfuxLtWloJ063grHD1IkRU/s1600/picture_93.JPG" height="328" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">But the pool was already collapsing, weakened by the first Thunder-wave, and shattered by the second. Dark ooze poured out of it and, as it touched the floor, dissipated into nothing. As seconds passed, Rurik, Urist and Serrin still fighting the elemental, it's form was collapsing onto itself, as it the emptying of the pool drained it of substance. Soon, it was all over and with a quick divine prayer, Urist brought Danik back to consciousness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Around them, the black mist had simply stopped to exist and once again the area was bathed in the diffuse dim light in the air that was so characteristic to the cavern.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">What followed was a short rest and long search through the Sun Palace during things two things happened:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In what looked like a treasure room, Urist found a light hammer that turned out to be the very hammer of a young Kagyar, before he went onto his quest for immortality, and became one of the Immortals. As the dwarven cleric touched the hammer, a radiant light enrobed him and Rurik could swear he heard a voice in the room, welcoming Urist and announcing that it required his services for an urgent task. Then the dwarf disappeared, leaving nothing but the hammer and a journal in dwarven, telling the tale of the young adventures of Kagyar.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In what seemed to be the king's sleeping quarters, Danik found a fossilized Drakkin body under some debris and nearby, a massive crown. Within it, he found another crown, smaller and finely crated, with crystals mounted on it. This was clearly the Crown of Submission they were looking for but when Danik put it on his head, something took possession of his body for a short time and savagely attacked Rurik, shouting to be released.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Overall, they found:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">10x 1 lb small gold bars each</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">20x 1 lb small silver bars each </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">about 300 valuable ancient gold and silver coins each.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Light Hammer of Kagyar the Young (radiant light hammer with a couple of passive abilities)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Kagyar the Young diary (in dwarven, contains early adventures of Kagyar, as well as his very first investigations into the immortal path)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Crown of Submission (artifact of unknown powers for now)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Black Dragon Scale studded leather armor (needs refit since it was for a Drakkin, but overall human size)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Various ancient tomes in Old Draconic (Treatise on Dragons, History of the Empire, Treatise of Entropy, a collection of Drakkins War Journals)</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After a couple hours, the companions amassed and packed up whatever they could from their findings, and departed the Sun Palace, heading straight north. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjcMj8EoGLPM4DC4TQ2lqxJxFaYEjeDyFkc55IRHWqPCUhYaAdPzQsvF1KGW5obFdFV_SDgmiJj0kqblBOy1AEEcvSXil-qbMgJM4NMmrVt9ON6BYwnOWdrz0HD8HwvGd9JlfeBmk530/s1600/picture_94.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmjcMj8EoGLPM4DC4TQ2lqxJxFaYEjeDyFkc55IRHWqPCUhYaAdPzQsvF1KGW5obFdFV_SDgmiJj0kqblBOy1AEEcvSXil-qbMgJM4NMmrVt9ON6BYwnOWdrz0HD8HwvGd9JlfeBmk530/s1600/picture_94.JPG" height="152" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For three days they pushed on as the temperature around them now reached almost freezing levels. The land they found in the northern half of the cavern was one devastated by a massive collapse, grasslands and forest buried under newly formed mountain of rock and stone. Then, they were walking on snow, climbing toward a bright blur on the horizon where the ceiling of the cavern was supposed to be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And suddenly they were out. Cold winds they hadn't felt for more than a month burned their exposed skins as a bright sun greeted them. Around them was ice and snow, but they were out, finally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Before Rurik, Danik and Serrin could gather their senses, figure out where the hell they were in the Mengul Mountains, a voice called out nearby. It was Themba, and behind him a couple of Semphiwe survivors hiding in a freshly dug up snow cave.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">-<i> "You did it, you came out! You break the sky!"</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf4bqBRfDdMFTY8hg59ez4cyYhEzRmSekoxl5Mrscmmo05avemecK0ZlmeSlJmnKCYQIY8rQwvHx81R3p6Zd1n87tX9q4jcs3Uc8YV3dWBYXZCadRvGJNnaUJ7Ad8IGZwcQhSevjE-Qos/s1600/picture_95.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf4bqBRfDdMFTY8hg59ez4cyYhEzRmSekoxl5Mrscmmo05avemecK0ZlmeSlJmnKCYQIY8rQwvHx81R3p6Zd1n87tX9q4jcs3Uc8YV3dWBYXZCadRvGJNnaUJ7Ad8IGZwcQhSevjE-Qos/s1600/picture_95.JPG" height="406" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><br />..Far on the horizon to the north, a large reptilian creature glides between the Mengul peaks, it's dark and old scales glistening under the cold morning sun.<br /><br />Finally, after 3000 years of thinking the cavern was the limit of the world, after 60 years of doubts and pain trying to break rocks and earth above, finally, the words of the shadow elf female and these other creatures proved true. Finally, it had found a way......and it too, was now free.</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>SESSION NOTES:</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Good session and overall I'm happy with the wrap up of things, though it was a bit rushed here and there due to lack of time, lack of players (2 out of 4) and the need to finish this bit before we take a 3 weeks break.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The fight against the elemental was interesting and they took quite a beating, but as usual with D&D Next, things are fast and brutal. Danik blowing up the pool almost by mistake helped a lot though.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">D&D Next really proved during this entire campaign (played with the latest playtest package) that it keeps the rules in the background while still providing a good basic structure for game-play mechanics. With the coming release of the PHB and DMG, will be interesting to see what changes and how it'll affect how we play.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Otherwise, this session concludes WB2 "Legacy of the Drakkins" and starts WB3 "Seeds of Tyranny". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Since we got another player who had to leave due to conflicting work schedules, we'll see what we'll be doing once we start again early July: either push on with this campaign, or start fresh.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-47003083697129479852014-06-05T17:20:00.003+02:002014-06-06T16:47:36.667+02:00GURPS on roll20 Sheet: NPC stat block<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As usual when I'm presented with a new toy that involves lots of weird code and tweaking around, I spent some more time last night improving the GURPS character sheet I submitted on roll20 (available as GURPS Style #2 in the sheet listing). While there should just be some fixes and various updates to make the sheet more generic today, here's a sneak peek into what's coming next for this sheet.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>NPC STAT BLOCK</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">First, a disclaimer: This new tab will be for GM only.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Most emote macros involved will be using the /emas command available only to GMs on roll20 (allowing them to assume the identity of the selected token) and regular players can't use that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now, why an NPC Stat Block?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The regular sheets are simply too big for GMs and contain information that's only relevant to players (and maybe very special NPCs) and that are completely irrelevant to a GM who's just looking to quickly set-up a bunch of monsters and others enemies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">How does it work?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Basically, it duplicates some of the fields from the PC tab and presents them in a condensed form, allowing the GM to shrink down the sheet way down, keep a good view on core stats, use macros, all the while keeping an eye on the board.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAfzispFnR8a475DFdKHewyjmuclvY8Hd-CXEKMcPC6h0zUTPvGNYHF-ScKFIweo2p9udp3K9ju94khTbKQhza4Au7Gbm-d9SpVoc7lvPrQ4JbHk_SxiQEZMIvhXV0v-zYND7JbZDTT4/s1600/picture_92.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAfzispFnR8a475DFdKHewyjmuclvY8Hd-CXEKMcPC6h0zUTPvGNYHF-ScKFIweo2p9udp3K9ju94khTbKQhza4Au7Gbm-d9SpVoc7lvPrQ4JbHk_SxiQEZMIvhXV0v-zYND7JbZDTT4/s1600/picture_92.JPG" height="320" width="289" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NPC Stat Block (updated)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This is the exact size of the NPC tab, resized to fit proper. As you can see at the top, I added "PC" and "NPC" tabs. The "PC" tab contains ALL the normal tabs and information for PCs (players) that was available before, but the GM can just click on the "NPC" tab and sort thing out from here if he wants to. Since these are stored, the tabs will be remembered every time you re-open the sheets afterwards.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There are a LOT of stuff in there and it's tighly packed. It's not finished yet but here's a brief list:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">All core stats and macros to use them.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Torso DR and Area DR references (useful for generic monsters and whatnot)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Condensed lists for melee attacks, ranged attacks and skills, with GM versions of the macros for each.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">/as and /emas macros (buttons top left). Just select the token and click these, it'll ask you what you want to say or emote, and will display this as if you were the token itself. Great for fluff, INSANELY great for NPCs with complicated names and whatnot.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Chat option (top middle). By default, this will be /ooc (which means all rolls will be public) but you can type in whatever you want in there. For example, type in /w gm instead and all rolls will be sent to you (the GM), which makes all your NPC rolls private.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Fully compatible with the Maneuver declaration system as presented in the PC tab. All the macros will follow the same format with same options.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Note field for everything you need to remember about your NPCs during play.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Quick damage calculator, just like the one in the PC tab.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Almost done and it's working very nicely so far. Since all the fields here are ones already existing in the PC tab, there's not additional data load either and you can switch back and forth as you want.</span></div>
<div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If all goes well, this should be added during the week-end or early next week, depending on how the roll20 team handles the pull requires from Github.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And that's it...for now.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-32285593817799912362014-06-04T17:21:00.000+02:002014-06-04T17:41:56.320+02:00GURPS roll20 Character Sheet: All done!<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Posted about my draft custom roll20 character sheet for GURPS <a href="http://virtualtabletopping.blogspot.fr/2014/06/gurps-d-next-roll20-come-into-bar.html" target="_blank">yesterday</a> and what do you know, I actually finished it, polished and all that!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'm very, very satisfied with the result and while I still have a couple ideas for things to add, it's almost perfect for what I wanted a character sheet to do on roll20 and the look'n feel of it is decent enough.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Update: </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>The sheet has been accepted by roll20 and is now available to all under the name GURPS Style #2. Quite happy about that!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>The feedback is kept over on roll20 forums <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/902845/gurp-sheet-gurps-style-number-2#post-902845" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The whole sheet is divided in TABs so that you don't have to scroll up and down forever to look for things. Not idea why this is not used more since, in actual play, this is great I think.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>MAIN</b></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFRu9qIhqx7AxeDVCbawoUkTKZDIeD1McryaYEZrxe72DT4KcJn8drr9kY77EmDdRkDKbgJkEDAlOVxy78y0R5AMA4fJadRn1KlzpcGOJ0cfvZ4ILiWEWO7M9OiAnUST6D-aGlCmrMlI/s1600/picture_85.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFRu9qIhqx7AxeDVCbawoUkTKZDIeD1McryaYEZrxe72DT4KcJn8drr9kY77EmDdRkDKbgJkEDAlOVxy78y0R5AMA4fJadRn1KlzpcGOJ0cfvZ4ILiWEWO7M9OiAnUST6D-aGlCmrMlI/s1600/picture_85.JPG" height="174" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Main tab</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Attributes, load and load-outs infos, Active Defense rolls, Attacks, DR table and tons of little goodies in there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I integrated most Macro buttons into the labels, which works great, looks great and saves quite a bit of space.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Also added tons of secondary information for rolls, like all senses, fear check and others.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The encumbrance & max load bits are just for quick reference but should be clear enough to read very easily.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The load-outs, I really like. Basically you got two (combat and hiking), which you link to their respective encumbrance level via a simple radio button. Once done, these automatically link up to your Combat Move field, as well as your various Dodge macros.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Active Defense panel is decent and allows for 3 potential entry for parries, reference DB and quick access macros for Dodges (naked, combat load-out or hiking load-out). On top of that, you can indicate your Active Defense Option (retreat, dodge & drop) via a select field, which will display it automatically when a AD macro is used (that and the Maneuver you're declaring). Love it :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Maneuver and Combat Options panel is just pure love for people who play like me on 100% text-based roll20 sessions. The Maneuver button itself is to announce your maneuver for the turn, and links with all attacks and whatnot as well within their respective macros. It does NOT calculate anything, it's just for reference, but that's what I like about it: No more "what are you doing btw?", it'll be right there, ready to go on your turn!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The DR table is simple but does what it's meant to do. I added the Area field as well in there, so you can sort it out BEFORE the session begins and be happy about it when you get hit in the back by an exploding boulder...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Attack and Ranged attack is standard, nothing special, apart from formatted in a way I really like, including your select Maneuver, Target location and Combat option. Love it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Damage Taken Calculator is a simple trick, but so good to use. Just put your Base Damage, DR, select options and press the macro button. It'll send YOU (to prevent spam to others) how much damage you actually took from the blow. Simple, love it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And finally, a quick tracking system for injuries. Nothing fancy, but why not right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>SKILLS, TRAITS & SPELLS</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The skill panel is quite simple. Just list what skills, the stat, level and press the macro button. Done.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplEZ5gQM7KBekXXlWo4XVsEhVvB8cVWfxS1INzY0JI1XgLzsRNKoHowY9Ls2suSRCOG_qqVMFgbsLfUzYkD3V1g1z3s9TLwsYIxVk9pJrChW0-QYRm0GSglxUlEY-FkpO_hGsS9GQg_w/s1600/picture_86.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhplEZ5gQM7KBekXXlWo4XVsEhVvB8cVWfxS1INzY0JI1XgLzsRNKoHowY9Ls2suSRCOG_qqVMFgbsLfUzYkD3V1g1z3s9TLwsYIxVk9pJrChW0-QYRm0GSglxUlEY-FkpO_hGsS9GQg_w/s1600/picture_86.JPG" height="108" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">skills</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The trait panel is for advantages & disadvantages. Useless I think, but why not. Very simple to use but no real in-game purpose.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now...the spell panel!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Similar to skills in many ways, but there are Macro Emote and Macro Effect fields. These will link up with the macros for each spell, so you can specify exactly what your PC will emote (in character emote via roll20 /em) AND the exact effects of the spell with macro calculation if needed (out of character, via /ooc, and it works with inline rolls in there for damage for example).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If you play text based like I do, this is awesome and I'm so glad I could make it work proper.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6gCfsHN_ZFJ5BQkJcL6kk0XDWghOCU00H5vKy5s_Xwf05f9VPKXDQvR7iG9SE0NQzuMqSohGrhvz9AcYhEPuZU0pVEcaFISnHMUf31RXuJBjE3XPDe13pAuYjV8cQnVn1l8WNJywvZE/s1600/picture_89.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6gCfsHN_ZFJ5BQkJcL6kk0XDWghOCU00H5vKy5s_Xwf05f9VPKXDQvR7iG9SE0NQzuMqSohGrhvz9AcYhEPuZU0pVEcaFISnHMUf31RXuJBjE3XPDe13pAuYjV8cQnVn1l8WNJywvZE/s1600/picture_89.JPG" height="92" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">spells</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>INVENTORY</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Quite like that one as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Simple in appearance, you'll find your Coin tracker at the top (Silver being equivalent to the GURPS dollars usually), and the normal inventory sorting stuff at the bottom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There is also a quick inventory field, for mundane stuff or if you can't be bother to track everything. Just received 2 letters that are important for the scenario but don't need an actual inventory line, just put it in there.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_xTwzKFlDlvF0XmJR7qfEjYtd0uALUZZwPkq8bqx7MsVNxpXN9oUvek9j4KIjl6qKL3zm1wWkzPo-bv0xKnz0DagNDm8dJ4VvanJbsUvT1Gkmo2qwWr48a9YjJ4hjKdZc6z5HckLZGQ/s1600/picture_88.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU_xTwzKFlDlvF0XmJR7qfEjYtd0uALUZZwPkq8bqx7MsVNxpXN9oUvek9j4KIjl6qKL3zm1wWkzPo-bv0xKnz0DagNDm8dJ4VvanJbsUvT1Gkmo2qwWr48a9YjJ4hjKdZc6z5HckLZGQ/s1600/picture_88.JPG" height="118" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">inventory</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In the middle however, your consumables. This is for all resources you need to track because they vary often, such as various ammunition, potions and whatnot. There is also a macro button in there however as well as a Macro Effect field.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Best use, apart from the obvious like arrows, rations and whatnot, is for potions. Put something like "heals for [[2d6+2]]" in the Macro Effect field, name it "Healing Potion" and voila! With a simple button push, you'll get an emote and the effect calculated automatically. Simple, stupid, love it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>VARIOUS</b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyvTbFJ5uhbpdlFd8fk8mlG5VLKwU6RrSAcHv5I1H299fmWPQHgTPAxFXRJUfYuV09XgbcqpmLxyIwO7hBtAJC3Flr6QzM6M0y8d_CTb9bU0xA-JUcNIyhiTg_hHVNGwjypX9JhKmPxA/s1600/picture_90.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyvTbFJ5uhbpdlFd8fk8mlG5VLKwU6RrSAcHv5I1H299fmWPQHgTPAxFXRJUfYuV09XgbcqpmLxyIwO7hBtAJC3Flr6QzM6M0y8d_CTb9bU0xA-JUcNIyhiTg_hHVNGwjypX9JhKmPxA/s1600/picture_90.JPG" height="136" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">various</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Useless stuff, appearance modifiers and whatnot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There is a quick note field, just because why not. Put stuff in there that you want to remember from session to session or something.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The nifty beat is the contact tracker. This is to help keep track of all NPCs you know and met, not only via character creation (contacts, etc) but also during the game. Simple, stupid, but also love it, so it's there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And that's it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As far as I could test it, it works perfectly. Heck I even submitted it to the github for roll20 but I don't think it'll get approved (and I don't know if I did it proper either to be honest).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">But who cares, I'll use it and it does what I want it to. </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-10204493856711590272014-06-03T23:04:00.001+02:002014-06-03T23:09:16.285+02:00GURPS, D&D Next & Roll20 come into a bar.<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've been delving massively into the latest update from roll20 and after making my own variant of a Character Sheet for my campaign (D&D Next is somewhat easy to handle), I decided to give GURPS a go....</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To be honest, I've been doing so great with macros personally that I'm still not 100% convinced that the new Character Sheets actually serve any purpose. That said, I'm a sucker for this stuff and I just HAD to give it a try, so I did: Mentor + Hours...oh yea...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Here are a couple shots from my revamp D&D Next Sheet first</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoFF-ZPV18NuEmWM-rJH9S5H32NmiWbiz90ZT_Z_OlfZM61gwL5YonYEzFtl0S_CHvZwEs9bgzgJ1Pr68hZaUON0fLrLKVfQxSRV5Y3mkuEl9Esx_xl3wQzVyltarBJhhHQgRz1upvwk/s1600/picture_80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHoFF-ZPV18NuEmWM-rJH9S5H32NmiWbiz90ZT_Z_OlfZM61gwL5YonYEzFtl0S_CHvZwEs9bgzgJ1Pr68hZaUON0fLrLKVfQxSRV5Y3mkuEl9Esx_xl3wQzVyltarBJhhHQgRz1upvwk/s1600/picture_80.jpg" height="161" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1kAs6g6DSXQBjlfsPGr1J4ydR6m7RfQ2flQCaWcM9jU324s6DouJZqCPtGjDY5LuNp65ZR8gl8ZtxwwWsW9BpSNskX4NWrYpMU60CMjRt8Hw9fhIrZxcPjDHUwFQYErImMJ-lk9Q5wc/s1600/picture_81.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1kAs6g6DSXQBjlfsPGr1J4ydR6m7RfQ2flQCaWcM9jU324s6DouJZqCPtGjDY5LuNp65ZR8gl8ZtxwwWsW9BpSNskX4NWrYpMU60CMjRt8Hw9fhIrZxcPjDHUwFQYErImMJ-lk9Q5wc/s1600/picture_81.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For my GURPS version, I decided to make one of these sucky videos everyone hate to watch, just to give a small presentation because I actually think it's kinda cool.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Be warned though: sounds sucks, quality sucks, my accent sucks, everything sucks!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The sheet's nifty though, even in it's early draft version :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Anyway, the video</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ks1drUBiAfs?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And some shots with a bit better quality</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SdrCig0qj_xQCCQXdV-l0qsG5eC-cWD0c4uaHroWkwlnJQQIVngmqkuMAs4qbvBiy7FlRJPIDSl-9Lkp635Qy37idmou5R3joaDlGHQrqHno3OjldxGjreU52wHzGL6cRLXvf7g9Xmc/s1600/picture_82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SdrCig0qj_xQCCQXdV-l0qsG5eC-cWD0c4uaHroWkwlnJQQIVngmqkuMAs4qbvBiy7FlRJPIDSl-9Lkp635Qy37idmou5R3joaDlGHQrqHno3OjldxGjreU52wHzGL6cRLXvf7g9Xmc/s1600/picture_82.jpg" height="200" width="188" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrz1UdQNcQArei8c7utvRx0UZKBBQBh_kmMwg9xUitVkkH891njPufnj2LErOjZ8DlMIgzfCiYUt-14v5Tq2wRuHuxToGRLZ_rwfEWJqzmE8cpEgMwWhqSOA10rmd92pJq9gxaRabDTJk/s1600/picture_84.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrz1UdQNcQArei8c7utvRx0UZKBBQBh_kmMwg9xUitVkkH891njPufnj2LErOjZ8DlMIgzfCiYUt-14v5Tq2wRuHuxToGRLZ_rwfEWJqzmE8cpEgMwWhqSOA10rmd92pJq9gxaRabDTJk/s1600/picture_84.jpg" height="72" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">That's gonna keep me busy for a bit...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As a note, thanks for the sheet design ideas and bases sheet design by David L. Hawkins (@The Story Teller)& Aaron C. Meadows over on roll20. I still have no idea what I'm doing or what is CSS and whatnot, but I'm a copy/paste tweaking god, so thanks again!</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-463266668921013532014-06-01T12:09:00.000+02:002014-06-01T23:16:08.160+02:00GURPS: Dire Stirges<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Following a comment about the <a href="http://virtualtabletopping.blogspot.fr/2014/02/monster-of-week-dire-stirge.html" target="_blank">Dire Stirge</a> creature that I've been using in my current D&D Next Campaign, here is an attempt at converting it to GURPS.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I didn't really check any of the cost for this, since it makes no sense to me when designing a creature. Instead, I just went for what I thought a Dire Stirge should have, and should be able to do. They are a bit different from D&D Next but more accurate in terms of what I wanted from this monster.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXfXOjUnbvpAItFjf_V-Qm04yyE7wVUGOPnHCg8x8MZUQJWEwM5Kzy9zCNfmspX5Rc0bii-Weoz_901faMZNnCFY9E6LD20b15UVIi2RuXUP1vXynuFF9uV3JBozm7BQFa3zeEahNhvE/s1600/10-stirge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuXfXOjUnbvpAItFjf_V-Qm04yyE7wVUGOPnHCg8x8MZUQJWEwM5Kzy9zCNfmspX5Rc0bii-Weoz_901faMZNnCFY9E6LD20b15UVIi2RuXUP1vXynuFF9uV3JBozm7BQFa3zeEahNhvE/s1600/10-stirge.jpg" height="200" width="190" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Overall, it's a tough little bugger and that's what I wanted. The usual Modus Operandi for these is to Rush into Close Combat, Grapple with it's 4 Talons (Claw Grapple), then once they have a good grip, plant their Proboscis somewhere (Proboscis Impaling Grapple) and start draining until full (Limited Capacity) before retreating to safety.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Adults (or youngs against smaller targets) might decide to Claw Grapple, then Fly off (Lifting ST) before dropping their targets in order to weaken it before draining.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Blood Drain is a follow-up attack from a successful Proboscis Impaling Grapple and causes automatic HP damage each turn. The only way to stop it before is to stop the grapple itself or kill the creature.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To add to the "fun", I put an Affliction: Hemophilia linked to the Blood Drain ability. This Hemophilia effect is ONLY linked to the Proboscis Impaling Grapple damage (not other damage the creature will take).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When playing with these, remember that they do NOT fight to kill, but they fight to feed on blood, unless defending a nest or something of course. Once satiated, they just leave.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Anyway, here they are, both in Young and Adult versions.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Dire Stirge(Young)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>ST</b>(6), <b>DX</b>(12), <b>IQ</b>(3),<b>HT</b>(8)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Will</b>(10),<b>Per</b>(14),</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Speed</b>(6.25),<b>Move</b>(6la/1sw/12fl)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Dodge</b>(9),<b>SM</b>(-2)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>BL</b>(13 - 26/39/78/130)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>DR</b>(1/tough Skin)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Attacks</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Proboscis Impaling Grapple (14): 1d-1 imp (C)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Blood Drain (follow-up): 1 spec (C)</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Affliction: Hemophilia (30 minutes)</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Claw Grapple (12): 1d-3 imp (C)(*4 arms)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Claw Swing (12) : 1d+1 cut (C)</span></li>
</ul>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Skills</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Brawling(12),</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Aerobics(14)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Advantages</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Claws (Talons)(Cannot Parry)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Damage Resistance 1 (Tough Skin)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Extra Arm (2, Short)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Flight (Small Wings)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Night Vision 2</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Peripheral Vision</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Scanning Sense (Sonar)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Striker (Proboscis)(Impaling Grapple, Cannot Parry, Limited Arc)(Accurate 1)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Blood Drain (Proboscis Impaling Grapple, Follow Up)(1 spe)</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">In effect each turn as long as Proboscis is Impaled in Target</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Affliction: Hemophilia for 30 Minutes, Only current wound from Proboscis Impaling</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Limited daily capacity: 8, Cannot drain more than 8 HPs a day</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Striking ST (4)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Lifting ST (2)</span></li>
</ul>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Disadvantages</b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Bad Smell (dried blood)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Dependency (Blood)(Very Common, Daily)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Restricted Diet (Blood)(Very Common)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Short Lifespan 3</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Uncontrollable Appetite (Blood)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Wild Animal</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Adults are just slightly bigger and meaner versions. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The main differences are increased DR, increased ST (and lifting ST) and High Pain Threshold. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Due to their increased potential Lifting capacity, they adults are more likely to Grapple then Drag their preys before letting them fall.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">Dire Stirge(Adult)</b></div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>ST</b>(8), <b>DX</b>(12), <b>IQ</b>(3),<b>HT</b>(10)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Will</b>(12),<b>Per</b>(14),</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Speed</b>(6.25),<b>Move</b>(6la/1sw/12fl)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Dodge</b>(9),<b>SM</b>(-1)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>BL</b>(29 - 58/87/174/290)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>DR</b>(3/tough Skin)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Attacks</b></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Proboscis Impaling Grapple (18): 1d+2 imp (C)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Blood Drain (follow-up): 2 spec (C)</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Affliction: Hemophilia (30 minutes)</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Claw Grapple (16): 1d+1 imp (C)(*4 arms)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Claw Swing (16) : 1d+3 cut (C)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Skills</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Brawling(16),</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Aerobics(16)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Advantages</b></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Claws (Hooked Talons)(Cannot Parry)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Damage Resistance 3 (Tough Skin)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Extra Arm (2, Short)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Flight (Small Wings)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">High Pain Threshold</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Night Vision 2</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Peripheral Vision</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Scanning Sense (Sonar)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Striker (Proboscis)(Impaling Grapple, Cannot Parry, Limited Arc)(Accurate 2)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Blood Drain (Proboscis Impaling Grapple, Follow Up)(2 spe)</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">In effect each turn as long as Proboscis is Impaled in Target</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Affliction: Hemophilia for 30 Minutes, Only current wound from Proboscis Impaling</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Limited daily capacity: 10, Cannot drain more than 10 HPs a day</span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Striking ST (4)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Lifting ST (4)</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Disadvantages</b></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Bad Smell (dried blood)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Dependency (Blood)(Very Common, Daily)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Restricted Diet (Blood)(Very Common)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Short Lifespan 3</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Uncontrollable Appetite (Blood)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Wild Animal</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">How do they play? I have no idea!</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'd imagine they are very nasty when encountered in small groups, especially if they start swarming one or two specific low armor/defenses targets. They are not really meant to kill however, but be very scary for a while, before they leave you alone.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If you actually get a chance to try them out, give me feedback on them please. Otherwise, I'll just update once I give them a test ride.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-79224334473897733862014-05-27T16:39:00.001+02:002014-05-27T17:01:37.628+02:00GM Musing, How would I: Zombocalypse<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Zombies, the walking dead, infected...Done and done. And yet, I still can't get enough of that stuff, despite the genre being flooded from all side for the past decade of so. How would I do this in an actual RPG campaign?</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">When seeing such Zombocalypse from a GM perspective prepping a campaign, it's, I think, one of the hardest genre to get right and to actually play meaningfully (properly?) in an RPG. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In my mind, it's unique in that there is no need for plot, no grand story to tell. There isn't a big bad that, by his death or demise, will solve all problems. No cure, no "big evil". No exploring, no money to be made. There is no reasoning, no victory either. Zombies are brain dead stupid (literally) and they don't give a damn about anything. They're not even really monsters to fight or overcome in any meaningful way. They're just the inevitable, never in front of the camera, but always lurking just out of sight, ready to end you as soon as you make a mistake, stop paying attention, become bored or careless, weak or desperate. All you can do is fight tooth and nail to delay this inevitable, to survive just another day, another hour...and that's what makes it awesome.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">That's my premise when I think about a campaign for this genre. Zombies are NOT important...until you screw you somehow. As a GM, I'd just keep them in the background, like describing the wind and weather outside. But as soon as you fuck up, they'll be there and make you pay, no matter what.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">You didn't check all rooms before scavenging or didn't lock that door behind you?</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> They're here!</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Didn't reload or clean your gun?</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> They're here!</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Decided to push on to avoid camping in the valley and broke your ankle?</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> They're here!</span></li>
<li><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Taking a piss alone in the woods or sleeping unprotected in the open?</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Oh yea, they'll be here too!</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">But otherwise...they're just..around.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">What's the dangers then? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">People...dangers to others, dangers to themselves.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This genre in RPG, to me, needs ultra pro-active players (and GM of course) who know how to fill the shoes of their PC properly and understand the core concepts of what it means to create and manage drama.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">By that I mean players who understand that expressing little things such as your PC body movement, expressions, side looks, little grins, even clothing, hygiene or cooking and whatnot, serve a greater purpose within the drama happening. Pro-active doesn't mean you spam meaningful actions all the time or are hyperactive per se, but that you can express properly, interestingly and constantly who your PCs is and how he's developing within the given situation, even if he's a blind introvert mute or a seen-it-all military veteran who doesn't give a shit about anything anymore.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">That's the basics...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now let's dig into some of the specifics. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">For now, it'l be the Where and the Who. Tomorrow, I'll see about the When and How.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As a note, this whole thing was "thought" through the lenses of using GURPS as the system used in the campaign.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>THE WHERE</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The US are done, out, kaput. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Nearly every single zombie related stuff out there happens in the US and while it's good because of the common references it generates, it's bad because of the restrictions and expectations these same references bring to the table.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So no, I can't do this in the US, but then where. Well, as a GM, I need to bring some knowledge and realism to the table, so I'll use Europe, mainly France, as a starting point.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now, France brings many very interesting things to the table in contrast to the US and that can and must have real consequences in the campaign, which will help a lot in keeping the genre fresh and exotic, despite it being over-done already.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>First: guns.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">According to Gun Policy.org, The US has a rate of civilian firearm possession per 100 population of 101. We're used to this right? There's always TONS of guns everywhere in Zombocalypses. France? 31 per 100! On top of that, these guns in France are not military grade, but just hunting rifles and handguns.</span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GJflK-efnRL4G_YRseo3tJpMnd6LMQ-hEuJV7c_PG3hP2JDj3gJO9i4biIZE18vIBkppqWiVIC-X-w27pBKCWRVqzAm0WZtHf9K_vZjGVsLXwkwF_bXDwd9-NYRRIyvgaRNeN_L0rfU/s1600/picture_77.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1GJflK-efnRL4G_YRseo3tJpMnd6LMQ-hEuJV7c_PG3hP2JDj3gJO9i4biIZE18vIBkppqWiVIC-X-w27pBKCWRVqzAm0WZtHf9K_vZjGVsLXwkwF_bXDwd9-NYRRIyvgaRNeN_L0rfU/s1600/picture_77.jpg" height="147" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">yea...not here, sorry...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Just taking that into account, this means that out of military structures, no assault rifle/modern big shotguns anywhere, and 1/3 of what you usually "expect" to find when thinking Zombocalypses in terms of firearms and barely any stockpile of ammunition of any kind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Immediately you just changed the entire narrative of the genre.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I mean, I live in a city of 350.000 people and from what I could find out, there are two gun shops, both 100% hunting related with very little actual stock. I'm sure it varies from region to region but still, that's something to take into consideration when planning such campaign.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">French police force isn't hardcore either, so while it might offer some basic weaponry, it's not gonna be what you'd expect, even in Paris, compared to what the New York police force is using.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Military wise, France seem to have some crazy stockpile of weapons for some reason, maybe 2nd world war stuff. Seeing our current military force, I'm assuming that most of these stockpiles are really hard to find however, probably buried bunkers everybody forgot about by now, or too costly to get rid of. Finding such would be a big deal, but I don't expect it'd be top of the line weaponry.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Second: population density.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The US has a population density of 34/km². France? 116/km².</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Of course there are wide variations between cities and countryside but overall, we just don't have huge stretches of land with barely anyone in it in France. Taking as is, that means you'll encounter at least three times more zombies for any given zombie encounter than you'd think you'd get, based on our common references of things happening in the US.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This also means there is no real "safe remote area" anywhere. The most remote places in France are barely 100km from big cities usually. If you look in GoogleMap, The Alps or the Pyrenees are just 100km from Marseilles, Grenoble, Perpignan and Barcelona and whatnot. At best, that's 4-6 days away from random walking zombies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This confirms what I mentioned previously: they're everywhere potentially.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Third: cultural differences and details.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I have to admit, this one is really hard. We all know the clichés of what "Americans do in a zombie apocalypse", but I have no clue what "French do" or what "Italians do". Beyond just the firearm thing (which is huge in itself when you think about it, even culturally), we have different histories, different political tendencies, different religious debates, different social issues. It MUST impact a campaign, but how...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">...I'm not sure, I have almost no references. This is really the hardest thing to brainstorm about. I'll come back to it at some point in studying the WHEN, but for now, I have no real idea for that yet.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There are also little differences that are still important however. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For example, France doesn't really have a "survivalist movement", or "preppers". Sure, they are a couple but it's not really a thing anywhere. This has an impact I think on what you can find at your local sports goods shop and personal houses, etc.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">France also has different system for Animal Husbandry and Agriculture. Bretagne is a bit hardcore like in some parts of the US (mass production, etc) but otherwise, lots of old school stuff. Same for Agriculture in many ways. Bretagne is also quite polluted (same reason), but otherwise, France has somewhat strict regulations and, to some extend (I could be wrong on this) less soil and water pollution. This isn't really important per se, but it could be if you play the long game. No real GMO agriculture (pretty much outlawed in France) may also have some kind of importance somewhere, somehow. Overall however, this is fluff to bring some exoticism to the setting, not core.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Another thing is that we have pretty much no animal predators whatsoever in France. Well, didn't until we started re-introducing one or two bears in the Pyrenees and some wolves from Italy migrated in the Alps some years ago. We also got a couple lynx and pumas I'm sure but really, this isn't even a thing in France, at least not for the first couple years or even decade after the Z day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We got tons of dogs however and to me, the "leftovers" of all our domesticated animals could become a MASSIVE threat to survivors. I've seen videos of the packs of abandoned dogs in the streets of some Eastern Europe city and a pack of 50 roaming around is way scarier (and potentially more dangerous) than zombies, that's for sure. Since officially there is about 17 dogs to every 100 people in France (yep, that's 10 million dogs!), that's either a lot of food, a lot of problems or, seeing how differently and emotionally people react to and connect with dogs, lots of drama :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Overall, I think France is a good and interesting setting for a Zombocalypse in a RPG. Brings novelty and unknown, differences and yet similarities as well. It removes some expectations, and frees everyone from the binds of tv-shows, movies, novels and comics, while still respecting the genre.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As a GM, I can use what I know (being French) to paint the world properly, even if players never set foot in France. This introduces, on top of the zombie and survival layers, an interesting social aspect, as well as simple exploration and discovery of a foreign land.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>THE WHO</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Almost immediately, I realized that if there's one thing that must not happen to keep things interesting is to not let the players take their PCs as simple representations of themselves...in a Zombocalypse. They must play roles, otherwise it can not only get really personal, but it also limits the PCs to their own moralities and taboos.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsgGehTej9QSWSzxfkgk-NaOG930ZB2CRjF6_88JktNKwRDs2bG6Tf8xk2Ac2PXu8_Pa6HhM6K4pIY5jHv0lqOgiU9NicLcX3clsTEXpkeZrrcxsIgU_O-yq4QcoZ6AM6C08PkEyZiGU/s1600/picture_76.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsgGehTej9QSWSzxfkgk-NaOG930ZB2CRjF6_88JktNKwRDs2bG6Tf8xk2Ac2PXu8_Pa6HhM6K4pIY5jHv0lqOgiU9NicLcX3clsTEXpkeZrrcxsIgU_O-yq4QcoZ6AM6C08PkEyZiGU/s1600/picture_76.jpg" height="145" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">he did it, he took my teddy!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Next, I realized that unless you get caught in the initial outbreak when crazy shit happens or get really unlucky, anyone with half a brain and his health can survive for a very, very long time. There are INSANE amounts of canned and dried/powdered food reserves, plenty of materials to really keep the dead at bay pretty easily, tons of land and animals. There are rivers big and small everywhere and as said previously, not that polluted. A very temperate climate that does not really bring any extremes, tons of woodlands. France also has a very stable and robust infrastructure, mostly underground and therefore protected to some extend. All in all, not the worst place for when the dead come knocking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To make things more interesting and to emphasis this disconnect between the player and the PC, I decided that the WHO would be kids between 13 and 15, doing a Euro-trip of various historical sites with a couple of adult teachers, hiking along the Napoleon's Way for a week when the shit hits the fan (South East France, between Cannes and Grenoble pretty much). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This group would have about 25-30 kids and 2-4 adults. The PCs would be kids themselves (from the US or other countries) between 13 and 15 with existing connections with other kids and among themselves. They'll also all be at "broken" in speaking and reading French by default.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This gives:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">No one man army, more emphasis on group play. Even a tough kid is still a kid in an adult world.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Careful planning and wits are more important than blunt force overall.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Personalities that will need to develop in game, more than before the game.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">PCs (stat wise) will also develop during the game, not that much before. What the PCs do, practice, learn and study will matter a LOT during the campaign.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Lots of potential drama, I mean, what's better than adolescents to go full scale drama from nothing right? :)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Suitable for the very, very long game.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Aside from that, I'd ask the following from each PCs at Character Generation:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">One "sense of duty" toward another PC and two other NPC kids in the original group. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">This can be "feel the need to protect him" or "I owe him for something" or "he's like my little brother", etc. It doesn't have to be reciprocated either but it must be strong, people you will not left behind easily.</span><br /><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">One "secret" toward all other PCs and NPCs. but known by one PC and two other NPC kids in the original group.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">T</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">his can be "I'm the one who put ink in his trousers last year when everyone laughed at him" or "I kissed her boyfriend" or anything that matters socially within the group. Likewise, it must be strong, though these are kids so it's relative of course.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The exact who and what will be up to them, but this will, via game mechanics, form bonds between some PCs and, also via mechanics, form tension between PCs. How they develop all that afterwards however, is all up to them.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqWubkAVHNYh6cOAIcT7NZJ7dp1IX5Sj-dKSfwxYlxpJnmqFkON5XgWaeagXTrBdf8hhrOVLBVS2RkouyyFwSPPBAWUosSZMDi_SViG6iPf_V47On7wBuohH7h9gppgYWLU5YYBMz9MM/s1600/picture_78.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnqWubkAVHNYh6cOAIcT7NZJ7dp1IX5Sj-dKSfwxYlxpJnmqFkON5XgWaeagXTrBdf8hhrOVLBVS2RkouyyFwSPPBAWUosSZMDi_SViG6iPf_V47On7wBuohH7h9gppgYWLU5YYBMz9MM/s1600/picture_78.jpg" height="188" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There you have it.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>"Bunch of adolescent kids and their history teachers, far from home and country, travelling through Europe for a couple weeks, and who happened to be hiking in the low Alps of France along the Napoleon's way, when the big Z day happened."</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This should be fun to GM. More of the same, more of the totally different and unexpected, though you need proper role-players for that or it'll all fall flat very quickly. That's my kind of style anyway, so it's all good :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tomorrow, I'll brain-storm more into this "what if" campaign, especially regarding the How of a Zombocalypse in France and it's development and consequences, and the When of it as well, studying what would be required to make it both more realistic and relevant, while keeping it interesting.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-70357902017469950942014-05-25T12:12:00.000+02:002014-05-25T12:15:06.351+02:00WB2, Session....Damnit, wake the fuck up! <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ok, so that happened during our last Saturday session...</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />As some might be aware, I've been running a D&D Next weekly Campaign for about 6 months now, using roll20 and only using the chat system, no voice whatsoever.<br />Last Saturday, by the time we were supposed to start, some kind of festival was getting really annoying due to tons of noise outside, then things finally started 20 minutes late because of some random delays, which annoyed me further. Not a good start and the "mood" was hard to get back into, especially since the screams and music were getting louder by the minute.<br /><br />Anyway we started, epic stuff happening, life and death situation progressing. After another 30 minutes, and I couldn't shake that nagging feeling that everyone was either bored to tears, afk or asleep. Why? Because as a GM, I need feedback, near constant feedback, from the PCs.<br />10 minutes later, that feeling was not just nagging at me anymore, it was fully chewing down on my brain and finally, I popped and told everyone to "wake the fuck up for next week session", then closed the interface, leaving them there...<br /><br />...for 10 seconds, as I scrambled to re-open the session and re-connect.<br /><br /><br />What followed, after my apologize of course, was a calm discussion I felt was needed and overall, I'm hoping we'll be better for it as we continue playing week after week.<br />So, what caused my outburst? Aside from the screams and loud music outside that is. Well, if you're interested, here are the three main points we discussed.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Feedback, feedback, feedback!</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">As a GM, I try to provide as much feedback as I can regarding the world around the PCs. NPCs constantly emote what they do and talk among themselves, even for mundane things. I describe the world, the wind, temperature and time passing even as PCs are discussing things. Not matter what, I try to keep the flow going, breathing life into it all as I go. It's all background stuff of course, like things you see in the background during movies, things the camera doesn't focus on, but are happening nonetheless on the edge of the actual focus, bringing life into the whole thing.</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJApPRT7J7EcD9iDW2h9KJonOc8jdZuPR48buz5bxXS28Y_rb2esRmP7y0BKnA8BvWIkAgNgc0xN8lwdIwOzScoIfarIanlE2vxiw4U3X955xx_4gAHyJeMe0kBXLFdGu12M-tJ_CMdEE/s1600/picture_74.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJApPRT7J7EcD9iDW2h9KJonOc8jdZuPR48buz5bxXS28Y_rb2esRmP7y0BKnA8BvWIkAgNgc0xN8lwdIwOzScoIfarIanlE2vxiw4U3X955xx_4gAHyJeMe0kBXLFdGu12M-tJ_CMdEE/s1600/picture_74.png" height="240" title="Express yourself! unknown artist" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Express yourself!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Where I get lots of my fun, as a GM, is getting that kind of feedback as well, but from the PCs. I need them to do shit all the damn time to get my kick, get involved, play their PCs to the hilt for just 3 hours. And it can be the most mundane stuff you can imagine, expressing their PCs current emotions or lack of, cleaning their weapons, shaving, whatever! </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Having emotions and conflicted feelings or confusion for your PC is great, but only if it's expressed and shared with others. If you keep it to yourself, who the hell cares in an RPG...</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Text you see doesn't prevent you from being your PC, ever, that's why I like it so much. Unlike voice, when if someone is doing something, you kinda stop being your PC until it's your turn to speak again, you can have dozens of things happening at the same exact time via text and I need players to use that, or I start going crazy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It's silly of course, and as far as I can tell, players are far from bored and are loving the campaign, but since a good deal of my fun when GMing a session is that same feedback from them, it's harder for me when it's not happening, and a GM can have some fun too right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Anyway, that happened, was discussed and overall was agreed upon to give it a go from now on. I'm still massively pissed at my knee-jerk reaction, but really glad that I immediately came back on and that we could discuss this calmly. I should probably have explained this clearly some time ago, but better now than later in any case.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Acknowledgment and action declaration</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">That point was raised and discussed on the side because of the issues explained above.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />As a GM, I'm what I call a Total World Control GM. By that I mean that the ONLY thing I don't control are PCs intents. I try to NEVER describe PCs taking actions, unless the player declared his PCs intents to actually take such action, in which case I describe the outcome if needed. That's a rule for me, THE rule really.<br />It may seem very restrictive for the players but think about yourself and how much control you have on the world around you. Managing your own intents is a huge deal already, hardly limiting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">What that means however, in a roll20 chat based session, is that I do not make PCs do anything they didn't intend to and therefore, if a player wants his PC to do something, he need to express it clearly, otherwise the PC is just standing there, doing nothing whatsoever, like a puppet forgotten by it's controller.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeA8R45JsCnYQf6Q5CGc3nBMJuUTPACoOOaGf3NsmWqGD4qUWgtxUehbAAdzZEzM3udvAT2SqB6O-WvcqcCrDEmeHEoYkiSLkfmiXUIeil5evBt6CIVwhcKHirLRX4Y9tgtyqioQsrSbk/s1600/picture_75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeA8R45JsCnYQf6Q5CGc3nBMJuUTPACoOOaGf3NsmWqGD4qUWgtxUehbAAdzZEzM3udvAT2SqB6O-WvcqcCrDEmeHEoYkiSLkfmiXUIeil5evBt6CIVwhcKHirLRX4Y9tgtyqioQsrSbk/s1600/picture_75.jpg" height="480" title="the pupeteer, unknown artist" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Players are PCs puppeteers, keep moving them fingers!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The most common thing is for example this:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The 4 PCs are outside a ruined temple. 2 declare (via emote for example), that they enter, but the other 2 don't declare anything specific. I will NEVER automatically consider that the 2 outside simply follow inside without some kind of acknowledgment from them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Sounds silly right? I mean, of course they'll follow right? NO! Not to me as a GM. When you run a game where you as a GM control everything but the PCs intents, you gotta respect that boundary, or you might as well go play alone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">What that means is that there needs to be acknowledgment in some way, shape or form, for anything your PC intends to do. The issue is that sometimes, because player are not used to it, it doesn't come, or only comes after being asked directly. Hopefully that was made clear and we'll get more active intent declaration from now on.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Leadership</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Another point raised, not by me but relevant.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />Big stuff have been happening all around the PCs, and couple of their plans didn't work out so good. There is some confusion, lots of unknown and some conflicting PC personalities.<br />The issue is that this sometimes create some kind of paralysis or passivity, where things feel too complicated and PCs end up just following whatever seems to be the most obvious path.<br /><br />Even after 23 sessions and pretty much the same PCs we started with, there is no clear (or somewhat accepted) leader in the party. While not a problem in itself, it does lead sometimes to this paralysis I mentioned above, where ideas get somewhat shut down because they appear (and sometimes actually are) risky or uncertain, or at least not clear cut and self evident.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After some discussion on this, it was agreed to try and give a go to a more pro-active decision making and to try and find compromises into doing something, even slightly risky, rather than not doing anything specific. We'll see how this goes and it's almost 100% in the players' hands, but it's good it was discussed.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><br /><br /><br />Anyway, that happened and from a silly outburst came a good and interesting discussion.<br />The guys I'm playing with are very open to talking about this stuff, which is great, and I also tend to be open about this. Call it group therapy or something, I'm quite glad that after 6 months playing together, we all could talk calmly and wanted to try and keep going for more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'm sure other GMs (and players) had this kind of stuff happen to them before and will again at some point. And I'm also pretty sure it's because I'm a bit OCD on all this, but my feeling is that if I'm gonna spend 3-5 hours a week on something, especially with other people, I better care about it and give it proper respect and attention, otherwise I'd go and do something else :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As a note, the pod-cast <a href="http://www.feartheboot.com/ftb/index.php/archives/category/podcasts/regular-episodes" target="_blank">Fear the Boot</a> have a couple interesting episodes related to the situations I described. I'm not gonna list them here but it's always interesting to hear other people experience and thoughts on something so if that interests you, I suggest checking it out.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-68856979001615375332014-05-23T12:31:00.004+02:002014-05-23T12:52:24.477+02:00Blocking and Parrying in GURPS, my way.<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/115382874006654180362" target="_blank">+Peter V. Dell'Orto</a>, on his very good GURPS blog <a href="http://dungeonfantastic.blogspot.fr/2014/05/blocking-heavy-weapons-with-shields.html" target="_blank">Dungeon Fantastic</a>, has been posting a couple of his own rules about Parrying and Blocking, especially regarding doing so against very powerful attacks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Posting all this in the comment section was a bit clunky so I figured I'd just do my own post as a reply/comment since I've been commenting and testing on this.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXsH2eBZtAN08kuqfaewyyg-mxkDZhi1lh6jULdgwPm6HnAs6N7RAjrKoDdwgnhSgJacwcTW_SuS1qDR4Oi718gs7lsOlMeRMEH3CbXdfmvN9lIgYFpNx9wFW7SKGLKVaugUGb5Goh_JM/s1600/72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="http://viviphyd.deviantart.com/art/Link-195854556" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXsH2eBZtAN08kuqfaewyyg-mxkDZhi1lh6jULdgwPm6HnAs6N7RAjrKoDdwgnhSgJacwcTW_SuS1qDR4Oi718gs7lsOlMeRMEH3CbXdfmvN9lIgYFpNx9wFW7SKGLKVaugUGb5Goh_JM/s1600/72.jpg" height="133" title="art by Viviphyd" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The BL option for both blocking and parrying is interesting and fast to handle in play I bet but I'm having issues with any "you just can't" or "automatically fail" rules. The more I thought about it, the more I've also been having issues with Parry and Blocking being treated so differently, each with their own rules, and the overall binary feel of attacks and defenses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For the past week or so, I've been playing with another option to handle all this the way I'd like it, and while it's somewhat cinematic and requires a bit more tracking, the basic concept is there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The goal:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Attacks and Defenses have qualities based on how good or bad the rolls are, and this matters.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The damage roll represents the actual energy put into the attack. A very strong </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">creature doing </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">7d+2 cr damage can still put very little strength in a blow once in a while (low damage roll). This energy is what matters in damaging shields and weapons when parrying, not the actual BL of the creature (since it's too static).</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It goes like this:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Critical Hits/Misses tables are ignored. Crit Hits do max damage on attacks, min damage on Defenses and normal damage if both are critical successes. Crit Misses means weapon/shield is unready for both Attack and Defense ones. Done.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">All weapons/shields have Base DR/HP. This is based on their Weight, Material, Quality and Reach/Size (ie: (W*M*Q) / R), long reach weapons made of wood having a lower DR/HP than short iron made ones. Not sure about the "realism" of it, but feels right.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">All weapons and shields are treated as Homogeneous.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Any Parry or Block can cause damage to a weapon or shield. The Base DR is modified as such to give Effective DR = Base DR - (Attack Margin of Success) + (Defense Margin of Success). Damage left over is taken off the parrying weapon or shield. And yes this can get negative DR, which simply adds to the damage taken by the weapon or shield</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Any Attack parried or blocked can cause damage to the weapon used in said attack. Effective DR = Base DR + (Attack Margin of Success) - (Defense Margin of Success). Damage left over is taken off the attacking weapon.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Armoury skill is critical to ensure "healing" of lost HPs for Shields and Weapons. Didn't expend much on this yet, just applying some form of the first aid rule to it seems easy enough.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In practice, this gives something like this:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Joe attacks (11 vs 15, MS:4) with an iron broadsword (DR12, HP24) against John who tries to block (9 vs 11, MS:2) with his small wooden shield (DR6, HP30), for 8 cut damage.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Joe's broad sword DR is 14 (12+4-2), taking no damage from the block.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">John's small wooden shield DR is (6-4+2) 4, taking 6 damage ((4*1.5)).</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The actual calculation is easy to make and just requires damage to be rolled no matter what. It adds another layer of HP tracking (for weapons and shield), which is kinda cool in theory I think, but not for everyone in practice even though it's quite easy to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">What I really like in this is that attacks have qualities (based on the roll, high roll meaning a poorly made attack, low roll meaning a really well executed one) and are no longer binary hit or miss, power (via the damage roll, indicating how much strength you put in the attack) and defenses have qualities as well, going beyond the simple binary system. That's the feeling I really wanted to get, you can get a very good attack technically (attack roll) but not apply much force to it (damage roll) and the opponent can also make a very good defense (defense roll), all varying in quality based on the Margins.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As for Knock-back, it's simple, I apply Knock-back to EVERYTHING cutting/crushing, even if parried or blocked. Since with the above, damage is rolled anyway, it flows nicely and gives a little "dragon-ball" vibe to my otherwise low fantasy/low cinematic setting if there's a "big hitter". A perfect block against a massive giant attack is possible, but you'll still fly a couple yards back because of it, same for parry. Not realistic, but I like the idea.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63rgjaSp3USwV9Q435BxGBVTFAPKC0KDyq0GcqaHHbEQhRHXeTcRNbruVVxo-H9hFDGZguktwSiuEL6b6h6fFlCDaNvviKd2Rux7sxNBDYkzYfsnr6ookUTBxhJWUJYEzn-hDBdzwGO4/s1600/73.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img alt="http://digital-art-gallery.com/picture/big/5074" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg63rgjaSp3USwV9Q435BxGBVTFAPKC0KDyq0GcqaHHbEQhRHXeTcRNbruVVxo-H9hFDGZguktwSiuEL6b6h6fFlCDaNvviKd2Rux7sxNBDYkzYfsnr6ookUTBxhJWUJYEzn-hDBdzwGO4/s1600/73.jpg" height="246" title="art by Timza" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've only been doing about a dozen solo test battles with this since last week and overall it performs how I want it too and it gives the feel that I wanted. The main variables to work on still are values to use for materials and quality and that's probably gonna take some time. It also slows down the fights a bit of course, but not that much I feel once you get the hang of it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Of course, only did this for a purely low fantasy setting and this idea most likely completely implodes on anything >TL3-4 (and probably does anyway no matter the circumstances). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I won't be using this house rule at first once I run GURPS over roll20 (to avoid overload on players), but I'll most likely go with it once the basics are assimilated.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Also thinking of adding some form of HT check if you're being knock-back as you parry or block an attack, on top of the DX check to stay standing. Maybe HT check, -1 per yard pushed or something, and on fail, limb holding the weapon or shield is crippled or something.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And finally, I'd like to apply this concept for armors as well somehow, therefore adding "damage to armor" as part of the overall combat flow. That'll probably come later though.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-80330155731663527252014-05-22T19:38:00.001+02:002014-05-22T20:01:38.394+02:00WB2, Session 23: The Legacy of the Drakkins<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Session 23:</b> "The Legacy of the Drakkins"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">And so the Simphiwe had migrated north, running from the ever growing black cloud. Reaching the cliffs marking the limits of the cavern after four days, Zephriz, daughter of Nozizwe, ordered a camp to be made. They had outpaced the cloud for now, but were out of places to run to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>Sunday 27th, April, 1001 AC</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>(destiny token 1)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Companions</b></span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
<li>Urist, dwarven cleric of Kagyar (level 3)</li>
<li>Danik, human scholar mage (level 3)</li>
<li>Rurik, dwarven fighter (level 3)</li>
<li>Serrin, human bounty hunter (level 3)</li>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><b>Lost companions</b></span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
<li>Grom, half-orc druid, went missing during dragon attack.</li>
<li>Adran, gnome bard, fell to his death after being dropped by a Drahie.</li>
<li>Zao-rin, human monk who decided to stay with the Simphiwe.</li>
</span></ul>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Fearing for the worst, desperate for answers and options, the companions pushed on, to the east along the cliffs, hoping to find something among the rock walls stretching hundreds of feet up toward the cavern ceiling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As Danik was getting fatigued, they approached what seemed to be the scene of a massive carnage near the edge of a mushroom forest, with bodies of the Grey Apes everywhere, cut open and dismembered....And that's when the forest came alive in a dire cacophony of shrills!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The fight was fast and brutal, as is usually the case. Swarms of shrillers lunged at them on all sides from the cover of the forest undergrowth and soon Urist was overwhelmed, the little buggers finding cracks in his armor multiple times. As Danik was running to reach them in time, Serrin and Rurik moved around the cleric of Kagyar, trying to protect him from the onslaught, clearing dozens of the tiny shrillers, each quickly replaced by even more of them!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoKmBnmScSyWxf3hna3J4wAZpW1Ho9cvylsmiOnhoWXaM3BISaDTQlKQpsy_X9HJ-xTl171mcta9rFeWigNVCxMvfENy_t7K7IQ88Pm6K8aMSyTfQ0WnjT3eFX3kNdlSv7TfFqr8xa_U/s1600/picture_71.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoKmBnmScSyWxf3hna3J4wAZpW1Ho9cvylsmiOnhoWXaM3BISaDTQlKQpsy_X9HJ-xTl171mcta9rFeWigNVCxMvfENy_t7K7IQ88Pm6K8aMSyTfQ0WnjT3eFX3kNdlSv7TfFqr8xa_U/s1600/picture_71.jpg" height="388" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">desperate battle against voracious shrillers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As the mage finally arrived and entered the battle, he unleashed Thunder-waves after Thunder-waves, remembering that when faced with such an enemy as swarms, wide damaging spells were much more effective than precise striking. With little bodies of shrillers flying around, Rurik and Serrin managed to clear whatever had chewed through Urist's armor, but as the cleric emerged from under the hundreds of tiny blue carcasses that had submerged him, his eyes locked onto the mother of the little beasts, a couple yards away, as it was emerging from it's hiding place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Immediately, Urist went into shock, as the mind of the Voracious Shiller tried to bore a hole into his. As the fight continued around him, as if in slow motion, he was fighting for his survival in a battle of minds...and lost. His entire body collapsed suddenly as Danik was also overwhelmed before Rurik and Serrin could clear the swarms off him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The last two left standing immediately went into a battle frenzy and soon dispatched the last swarms surrounding them. The Voracious Shriller, seeing all her children being killed up, recognized defeat and ran off, soon disappearing into the mushroom forest. With two of their companions dying on the ground, Serrin and Rurik didn't argue, quickly patched Danik and Urist as best they could and carried them off the forest, hoping to reach the Simphiwe camp before fatigue forced them to surrender...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The journey took hours. When they arrived, Serrin couldn't stand anymore and Rurik was breathing heavily, exhausted. What followed was a blur for them, as Manelesi, Themba and Zephriz took care of the wounded and the tired. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It took two rests (equivalent to days, for a place without a sun, counting in long rests basically) for the companions to fully recuperate, Serrin having pushed himself to his limits while carrying Danik to safety.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />By then, the black cloud had become visible on the horizon and the Simphiwe were getting very anxious. Leaving them behind, the companions went south to investigate the event occurring and try to determine it's nature and effect. <br />Closing, the massive cloud, expanding from ground to the ceiling hundreds of feet above, seemed to be slowly, but surely, filling the entire cavern. Not 500 yards from it, there didn't seem to be any actual edge, but a fog made of black tendrils, moving and weaving like ink in water, ever expending, and beyond it, pure darkness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Unsure, doubting, they moved back to the camp and spent the next couple rests recuperating and training. Serrin and Urist sparred together, sharing fighting tips and keeping busy. Danik was silent mostly, lost in the study of the arcane pages of his spell book and the drakkin one as well. Meanwhile, Urist prayed and focused on helping the Simphiwe best he could, using his divine power to provide clean food and water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">On the third rest, the cloud was now almost in reach and the villagers had now cluttered at the base of the cliffs, when finally, a dozen stood and started walking straight toward the black fog, some with children in hand.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As Urist tried to persuade them to stop, Zephriz explained that they believed the cloud was a punishment from their god, the great black dragon Ziphozonke, for the audacity of the Chosen one Nozizwe to dare question the beast's motives. The young druidess seemed herself doubting, lost about what to do.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The dozen Simphiwe stood waiting, ignoring Urist's plea, and only one ran away from it at the last moment. The cloud drew closer...and closer. As it slowly engulfed them, tendrils lashing onto them and pulling them inside, they disappeared in the darkness beyond and all went quiet for a second. Then screams of terror and pain erupted from within and all was quiet again...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Suddenly, two of the Simphiwe women who had gone in emerged from the cloud, running away, a horrified look on their face. Their bodies were pale, as if drained, and they stumbled, mumbling and screaming incoherently. Instantly at the ready, the companions suspected foul play and prepared for another undead attack, but the women seemed very much alive still, and, ignoring Serrin, then Rurik and finally Urist, just ran as fast as possible away from the cloud behind them, only to finally reach the cliff walls. There, trapped, they stood, almost catatonic, lost in their own terrors as other Simphiwe tried to comfort them.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Another minute passed and the cloud was 10 yards from Urist, as the other companions had retreated to the base of the cliffs. Another minute and just as the dark mass submerged the dwarf, a radiant glow surrounded him, before vanishing in the dark mass.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkVnFF5sX7CgpXfMtpoPLua94f-OaJNUPzyrQCHvmY_YiwfXamS3XL308DLBmz0GX3Y9_EKA-QMZ5APnMjWKbyU8CYYjFm5jaIxkjYMFrnBCuOGCcX7fLqSSocdEY7EU3w2Q5BjtZC0Q/s1600/dark-fairy-black-clouds-31001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkVnFF5sX7CgpXfMtpoPLua94f-OaJNUPzyrQCHvmY_YiwfXamS3XL308DLBmz0GX3Y9_EKA-QMZ5APnMjWKbyU8CYYjFm5jaIxkjYMFrnBCuOGCcX7fLqSSocdEY7EU3w2Q5BjtZC0Q/s1600/dark-fairy-black-clouds-31001.jpg" height="283" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Urist!!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">With Danik nowhere to be seen, Serrin and Rurik could only stand and look in horror as Urist vanished.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Another minute, then another. Time seemed to stretch toward infinity as the black tendrils weaved and floated around the companions and the Simphiwe, heralds of the incoming inevitable. The villagers now hugging each other against the cliff walls, Serrin suddenly found himself among them, and barely reacted as Manelesi took his hand in her and Themba nodded at the bounty hunter.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rurik's stood alone away from the group, as a battle between fear and courage was happening inside him. His dwarven brother was gone, taken by this...black thing. He'd fought goblins and other terrors, why was he paralyzed now? With a roar, he suddenly leaped forward, axe in hand, screaming "Kagyaaar"! as he charged straight into the cloud, resolute that death would come on his terms!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And he too vanished from sight, as whispers of despair floated among the Simphiwe, the cloud not 20 yards from them now...</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">..Then all was darkness...then all was pain...</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Serrin collapsed on the cavern floor as his own life force was ripped from his body. Around him, the Simphiwe were screaming, trying to hold onto their own energy as it was leaving their pale bodies. The screams of hundreds of women, men and children, knives of pure terror, in pain, searing into the hunter's brain as he was fighting for his own life.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Suddenly, as he was on the border of losing consciousness in this new world of gray where all colors and lights had been snuffed, he saw a light in the distance, slowly closing toward him. Urist and Rurik emerged finally, the cleric holding a small divine light ahead of him. Re-united, they contemplated the loss that had occurred...</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Out of the five hundreds and twenty Simphiwe, 62 were still alive, barely. Manelesi was dead, mourned by the young warrior Themba who looked pale as a body himself. Zephriz was alive, weakened.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As minutes passed, all walked around the drained bodies in shock. Around them, the world was now cold, shades of gray. Gone was the light permeating the air that had been so useful and intriguing since they had arrived in cavern, gone was the mild temperature that made living in the cavern appreciable. It was now cold, dark...and dead.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">More time passed..and survivors, each battling with their own emotions, barely realized that something was still pulling at them from the south, faintly. Something still wanted whatever was left of their life energy...</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>SESSION NOTES:</b></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This was a short (well, 3 hours, which is the official time for our sessions, not not that short really) but pretty awesome session. The battle at the beginning was fast paced and a couple good rolls made it quite tense. I used a slightly modified version of the <a href="http://virtualtabletopping.blogspot.fr/2014/02/monster-of-week-voracious-shriller.html" target="_blank">Voracious Shrillers</a> (I'll update later) and it worked better though I'll need some kind of Save check for the adult Mind-Stab ability.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Not sure if players just didn't know what to do, if the PCs didn't know what to do, if shit's just too big to process or whatever, but the whole "back to camp and rest" was like one of these cheesy and yet perfect montage sequence before the "big thing". Serrin reached exhaustion 4 carrying Danik back to the Simphiwe, and while the cloud was closing, they decided to rest and train, finally reaching level 4 in effect. They could potentially have gotten level 4 many </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">sessions ago, but since I require an actual rest and training for at least a couple days by the PCs to do so, and they never stopped moving, it never happened, until now.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The black cloud is draining HDs. Not HPs, HDs, as in Hit Dice. Serrin failed his check, so he lost permanently (for now) 1HD out of 4. Yea....and it's still draining. I'm hoping they get the memo here because I used big enough stabilo boss here.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I rolled for all the villagers and NPCs and ended up with only 62 alive, Manelesi dying (sad face!) while Themba and the daughter survived. I'll keep rolling normally, see how that goes. Fate is sometimes heavy handed indeed.</span></li>
</ul>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-31922596886788194362014-05-22T12:02:00.000+02:002014-05-22T12:14:56.627+02:00Having fun with GMing styles<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'm pretty comfy in my own GMing style and while I appreciate others do things differently (and don't mind even though I don't really understand it), I was having my morning coffee reading a couple threads over the WoTC forums when versions of the same scene began popping into my mind, handled using different GMing styles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This is a parody of course and the names are totally made up since I'm really not up to date with the established nomenclature for these.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Don't go and rip my head off :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>TOTAL WORLD CONTROL</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: The zombie slowly shambles toward you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) looks for something heavy to bash the zombie's brain in!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) rolls Check(PER): 13 (success!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: You look around quickly and your eyes land on a large heavy lamp on your right.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: Knocking down tables and chairs as he goes, the zombie is closing in on Rangus!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) tries to grab the lamb and bash the zombie!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) rolls Check(DEX): 6 (failure!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: You grab the lamp and try to smash the zombie but you hit the torso and the lamp shatters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: Knocked a few steps back by the impact, the creature quickly recovers, looks at Rangus and resumes it's slow walk, trying to grab him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM rolls Check(STR): 17 (critical success!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe)tries to roll away from the zombie and create some distance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) rolls Check(DEX): 3 (critical failure!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: Rangus is grabbed by the arm as he tries to escape and, after a quick struggle, the zombie manages to overcome him, then rips his throat open!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>PARTIAL WORLD CONTROL</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: The zombie slowly shambles toward you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) grabs the nearby heavy lamb and bashes the zombie's brain in!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) rolls Check(DEX): 6 (failure!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: You smash the zombie but you hit the torso and the lamp shatters.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: Knocked a few steps back by the impact, the creature quickly recovers, looks at Rangus and resumes it's slow walk, trying to grab him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM rolls Check(STR): 17 (critical success!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) roll away from the zombie and create some distance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) rolls Check(DEX): 3 (critical failure!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: The zombie grabs Rangus as he rolls away and manages to overcome him, then rips his throat open!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>SHARED NARRATIVE CONTROL</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: The zombie slowly shambles toward you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) backs up from the creature and grabs something heavy then bashes the zombie's brain in!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: You smash the zombie and it collapses, it's skull exposing the corrupt brain inside it, and suddenly, you sense something else behind you!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) turns around quickly, noticing the other zombie, and rolls away before it can grab him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) rolls Check(DEX): 3 (critical failure!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: Rangus rolls away and his left foot gets caught in the sofa and the zombie lands on him, then rips his throat open!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>LOST NARRATIVE CONTROL</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: The zombie slowly shambles toward you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) backs up from the creature and grabs something heavy then bashes the zombie's brain in!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: You smash the zombie and it collapses, it's skull exposing the corrupt brain inside it, and suddenly, you sense something else behind you!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) turns around quickly, noticing the other zombie, and rolls away before it can grab him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: Rangus rolls away but his feet gets caught in the sofa and the zombie lands on him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) struggles with the zombie and pushes it aside, then stands and makes a run for it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: As Rangus starts running, more zombies appear behind the windows of the room: the place is surrounded!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) pauses, making sure the zombie behind him is out of reach, then looks up and notices the ladder to the attic, then pulls it down quickly!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: As Rangus pulls down the ladder, zombies crash into the room through broken windows and slowly close in on him!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) pushing aside the closing zombie horde, he quickly climbs up the ladder to the Attic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: As Rangus reaches the top of the ladder, rotting hands suddenly surge forward and grab him by the shoulders!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) reacts instantly, head-butting the zombie in the attic, knocking it back, then climbs up and closes the attic door behind him!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: ...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) seeing that the attic is clear, quickly moves the massive shelves over the attic trap-door to make sure zombies cannot climb after him</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: ...Yes, and...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) then notices something in the corner, a shotgun! fully loaded with three ammo boxes next to it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: ...Yes, wait, what?...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) then escapes through the attic window as all the zombies are trapped inside the house, and runs toward the airport, knowing his trusted Cessna 182 is there, ready to go.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: ...wait, no! crap, yes and...Oh!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: ...Yes, and as Rangus finally sees the airport ahead of him, a nuclear bomb dropped by the army suddenly explodes in front of him, finally ending the zombie threat! There!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rangus (Joe) leaps into a nearby discarded fridge, barely escaping the nuclear blast and radiation because...fridge!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GM: ..really?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There, that made me chuckle all morning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And in case you had any doubts....</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xpu8OxCanS0F7RBKOxcOwdSP3hOYUUNY1gim_mlFg6wKJgnT4je8tE0kjy36M4VPSxvND6Ok2YZujaRuOrch_OX63mQGtYpOI9LEw47l4uYiJOVezRrRm6LtQ3yN03H5Qxox9iocUn0/s1600/gamemaster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xpu8OxCanS0F7RBKOxcOwdSP3hOYUUNY1gim_mlFg6wKJgnT4je8tE0kjy36M4VPSxvND6Ok2YZujaRuOrch_OX63mQGtYpOI9LEw47l4uYiJOVezRrRm6LtQ3yN03H5Qxox9iocUn0/s1600/gamemaster.jpg" height="521" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">very close depiction of myself GMing, so close it's actually scary :)<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-59241931753137604592014-05-19T18:12:00.000+02:002014-05-19T18:19:00.702+02:00Why I love 100% text based sessions<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Below is the last 15-25 mins or so of the last session of the Sunday D&D Next campaign in which I've been playing for the past 6 months or so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This is a simple cut'n paste from our logs on roll20, without any edit but removal of players' names and addition of some coloring to ease the reading. I could have taken many other (both our Saturday's and Sunday's sessions are very heavy IC and RP stuff usually, most of the OOC is in combat), but this was a scene I really enjoyed, had a perfect pacing, and being able to re-read through it now is good fun :)</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSxpA8lTi5hIo2hduhpRxuUum3Avc0vUXIMeBmCWiq9l8ayaWMbd4YMTNvsAycv3iH-636eUP9-feFiVEkEEq5X0fWauZ-hJSZuc8eZMD0CoSBaS3SFrgkEynYySAbI6uusRRkKPXNGU/s1600/picture_70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="no idea who' the author of the image is" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSxpA8lTi5hIo2hduhpRxuUum3Avc0vUXIMeBmCWiq9l8ayaWMbd4YMTNvsAycv3iH-636eUP9-feFiVEkEEq5X0fWauZ-hJSZuc8eZMD0CoSBaS3SFrgkEynYySAbI6uusRRkKPXNGU/s1600/picture_70.jpg" height="200" title="mock-up Module Art cover" width="155" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I also find that it's a good example of why I love text over voice, despite typos and whatnot...Constant flow from all parties involved, no interruptions, no need to hold the "talk baton", which helps immensely in handling very tense and dynamic situations without everyone trying to out-shout others to explain what he's doing, or the GM requiring a complete freeze so that he can do an around the table check on PCs actions. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">On top of that, and this is just me personally, I immediately could conjure up images of the situation in my mind and really take over the role of my PC, something I never can do properly when voices are involved for some reason.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As a note, our tokens were just dropped on a map with the small council designed but we didn't really use it apart from knowing who was here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Okay, everyone is in the room, and the party's plan is explained to Rodrik and his councilors,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: grey;">Ragnar (OOC):</span> ragnar see the point in Raln plan.. and as a friend he will follow him.. if he had been alone.. he would just fight till the end..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Rodrik looks lost in thought.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He speaks to the party, "So...you plan to leave and gather aid?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller makes sure his shield is visible as he stands tall</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> Yes my lord, at least that is mine, I cannot speak for the others. Rallying support now is the only chance I see for the realm of man and we proved ourselves capable of this I believe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> He nods slowly, still seemingly ost in thought. "You understand the implications though...?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Raln Miller nods</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> I thought long and strong about this, for the past few days. There are things at stake here...bigger than just this city...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Astidios Argentus nods encouragingly at Raln.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> He sighs, "You would open our borders to Geldorne...In earnest...I can't say I disapprove, but I was not ready for this yet..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ast, you hear shouting from in the hallway.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> The future, our future, can only matter as long as we survive the present...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> The sounds of the guards arguing with someone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Astidios Argentus frowns and looks at the door. He walks over and opens it, looking down the hallway.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> Care about the consequences of surviving the orcs invasion...after we survive.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>My lord</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> He eyes Ralns sheild, Rodrik does.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"So you wish to be my man in truth?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller dropping to a knee</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> Yes my lord, your heritage is known by all across the realm and it would be my honor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Ragnar Kordfjord rolls his eyes</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Ast, past the two guards, you see who they are trying to block. It is an older man, long bearded and white haired with a bat clinging to his robes. YOu have seen him before.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: grey;">Raln (OOC):</span> heritage? legacy?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>whatever :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Rodrik nods in determination. He pulls his sword from and tells you to kneel.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller closes and kneels, head lowered</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Astidios Argentus frowns as he sees the man. He doesn't say anything yet, as he's waiting for Lord Rodrik to finish with whatever he's doing. He closes the door quietly, but stands near it.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Rodrik speaks to Raln, "Do you pledge your loyalty to me and mine, swear obedience and freely give the oath of your sword and the swords of yours into my service?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> I do</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Nessarien Calenduin seems more interested in what Astidios is doing than in the ceremony.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> He nods in finality, "Then I take you as my man. Hence for your obligations are to me and mine, and mine alone."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> Thank you my lord Rodrik.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Finally the old man pushes past the guards, who now seem frozen in place...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The man enters the room.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He glares at Raln, "Yes thank you "MY LORD' for making such another splendid puppet."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Ragnar Kordfjord:</span> not that guy (as he sees the mad wizard enter the room)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller eyes the old wizard angrily</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> You!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">Nessarien Calenduin:</span></span> This should be interesting...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller stands and stay near Rodrik</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Rodrik glares, he speaks quietly to Raln..."We will discus your obligations at a later time..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> As you command (goes and rejoin the others)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Malzar speaks to the party. "So, your plan is to settle some nice lands and haul crops to this windbags castle for the rest of your days?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> Caligio barks a laugh, drinks his wine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">Nessarien Calenduin:</span> I am no one's man. Just cause the human swore allegiance doesn't mean he has mine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> What are you doing here mage? Keep your empty words and speak your piece, if you have one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Malzar's eyes light with anger. "In case you forgot goodman Miller... you have prior obligations. Obligations to me! And this Plane! We have witnesses, Rodi heard all."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> There's an orc invasion army right outside fool! With a dragon!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> He responds, "Ha...Dragons... I fought a dragon or two before, they get way too much credit if you ask me."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: grey;">Raln (OOC):</span> completely forgot wtf he wants btw, can't find it in my notes :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">Nessarien Calenduin (OOC):</span> (To stop the cult of Asmodeus.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> "In any event, there are larger things at play right now."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: grey;">Raln (OOC):</span> wasn't there something more precise than that? That's a bit vague compared to a bloody army with dragons :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> "Too large to get tangled in this fools politics. Are you prepared to be a lap dog?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: grey;">Ragnar (OOC):</span> he would contact us when he knew more</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> Indeed, glad you came to some senses...can you help us?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Rodrik Shouts at Raln, "NO, he is NOT welcome here!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> Watch your words mage, you might wield powerful magic, but a morning star probably can still hurt you. What do you want?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>My lord?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller puts his hand on his morning star, ready for anything</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller eyes the others, bit unsure of what to do</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Astidios Argentus frowns and his hand shifts to his mace as well.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Malzar eyes the party, Raln in particular. "I came here to stop you from making a massive mistake....But it appears I am too late. YOu have gotten into bed with a viper. A gilded pig. It will bite you you know. As pigs tend to do. Or is it vipers?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Nessarien Calenduin sighs.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> Watch..your..words...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller eyes cold as ice now..</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Ragnar Kordfjord:</span> (sigh) If all you guys want is to fight each other I'm out of here.. we have enough problems with orc, dragons and cultist .. to fight each other too</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller eyes Rodrick, then Malzar, then the others..</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> "Anyway....I had a mysterious and ominous warning for you.. But I can't recall it..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Malzar nods at Ragnar, "I always said he was the brains of this outfit."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Ragnar Kordfjord small smile</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">Nessarien Calenduin:</span> Indeed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Malzar speaks to Raln - "Well, I guess this will do... Leave Eastvale at your peril. There is much to do yet, and time away may not have the desired effect you hope for."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> We need to rally more support, troops from other cities, Geldorne...what are you talking about...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ragnar Kordfjord: that guy never gives a straight answer (to himself)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> He shrugs. "I have told what I can tell. You may be needed here in the coming days, and if you are not here, then things will play out different then I have seen."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"Just be ready for the outcome of your actions."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> What? Is that all you got? There are realities here, not...words and guesses!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> He shrugs again, "Well, I have some research to continue. I will be in touch."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> Wait!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> He nods at Raln, "Precisely! Now you are getting it."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Raln Miller looks puzzled, and tries to hold the mage's arm</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> He waits for a moment</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> Tell us more, you can just..leave</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Rodrik grits his teeth and holds his sword at the ready</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: grey;">Raln (OOC):</span> can't*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller eyes Rodrick</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> My lord? You know this mage, can he be trusted?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Rodrik growls, "No...."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> (to Malzar) Then you stay here, and tell us all you know mage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Issalla throws her hands up in frustration, "YES."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Raln Miller strengthen his grip on the mage's arm</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Malzar looks darkly at Raln. "Am I mistaken or are you threatening me?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> I...just...My lord? Issala?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Astidios Argentus frowns at Malzar.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">Astidios Argentus:</span></span> (to Malzar) You cannot expect us to act on your word alone, magus. We are simple folk with simple understandings of the world. You must give us concrete information if you wish us to act upon it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller nods heavily at Astidios</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Rodrik draws more near sword held at the ready. "He is a dark hearted bastard."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">Nessarien Calenduin:</span> Enough of this. Let him go. What does it matter?!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> (to Nessarien) He knows something, why would he come otherwise? threatening us?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(to Rodrik) What should we do with him?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Nessarien Calenduin snorts.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: grey;">Raln (OOC):</span> as a note, constant ready action: mace to the face, if malzar does anything fancy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Malzar looks startled at Astidios. "A man of god, a man of thought?! The world is full of contradictions. I simply fear that you are entangling yourselves in a conflict that will pull you away from the true threat to the realm. The one I have enlisted your aid for. That is all."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">Astidios Argentus:</span> (to Malzar) And what, in exact and simple terms, do you believe we should do?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> (to Malzar) The orcs and their blasted stone are the real threat, not rumors of gods and whatnot from a crazy old man.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Rodrik Speaks to Raln, "He was a foll to come hear. To the dungeon with him, I say."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller nods at Rodrick</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Astidios Argentus raises his hands for peace to Rodrik and Raln.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Ragnar Kordfjord: </span>let the poor man go... he might not be the most sane person in this room but.. he has kept his word so far.. and has come to warn us.. in however strange way.. but not atlease he has warn us.. now it's up to us to either act uppon it or not</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">Astidios Argentus:</span> Wait, let us hear if he can tell us something useful.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> (to Malzar) You heard him (looks for guards)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>(to Ragnar) Why is he not telling everything then?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">Nessarien Calenduin:</span> This is madness! I will not fight over an old grudge!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Malzar speaks with Astidios, "You should remain here! Defeat the Orcs if you must, But my warning is meant to aid. Leave this conflict at your own peril, and the peril of those you work with. I doubt there will be much left standing when you return."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Ragnar Kordfjord:</span> I don't knw.. he is magician and not complety sane.. what do I know of magic and that sort.. maybe he can't maybe he won't ... the gods most know..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">Astidios Argentus:</span> (to Malzar) There is a horde out there! With a dragon! How do you expect us to defeat them? YOU solve that problem and we will do whatever you ask.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> (to Malzar) What hope is there against such an army, such power with their damn stone and dragons at their command?! This is why we need to rally support!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Malzar speaks, "I can show you if you like.... Give you a glimpse of the future..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller nods at Astidios</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">Astidios Argentus:</span> No! No future. We are trying to discover the solution to the present problem. If you seek to solve the future then you must give us the answer to the current issue.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> He responds to Astidios, "But that is what I mean!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"Allow me to show you.."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Ragnar Kordfjord getting more and more confused by every word that is said</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Rodrik shouts, "LOCK him away now!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> (calling out calmly) Guards? Chains and manacle, and something to cover his mouth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">Astidios Argentus:</span> We cannot see what you can see, and you have given us no reason to be motivated to solve your future problems. You must understand that unless you give us a reason to trust you and understand this issue then we will follow the directions of someone who can. (points at Rodrik)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Astidios Argentus shouts "No!" and stands between Malzar and the others.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">Astidios Argentus:</span> (to Rodrik and Raln) Let him show us. If it is not convincing then we can lock him away. Or try.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: grey;">Raln (OOC):</span> don't tell me he just tried to cast a spell</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Ragnar Kordfjord:</span> (snorts) Malzar has been more true to his word that him..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> (to Astidios) You, not me, he's not touching me. You can see anything you want however once he's restrained?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Malzar sighs. "I can tell you that the power of the Lode is far beyond the abilities of this Orc Chieftain. Any hold he has over Dragon kind will be weak and tenuous."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller goes silent and listens now</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">Astidios Argentus:</span> (to Malzar) That is lovely information, but still not helpful. There's still a horde between us and the chieftain.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> "I can tell you that if you leave to get aid...Rodrik will be dead before you return. Perhaps your staying will not even stop his death. But leave and he will die."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">Astidios Argentus:</span> Careful, mage. That sounds like a threat and Raln here is getting twitchy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> (to himself, loudly enough to be heard) But they already called a dragon...if they can't control it for long...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Astidios Argentus pauses and looks at Raln</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Rodrik's face goes bright red and he shouts at the wizard, "I will SEE you DEAD for that threat you fool! The past will not stay my blade this time!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Rodrik advances a bit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller hesitates for a moment, releasing his grip on the mage</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">Astidios Argentus:</span> (to Raln) If they can't control it... then we need to get them to use it again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> Lord rodrick..if the mage is true...we just need..maybe to hold long enough?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Astidios Argentus ignoring Rodrik, he turns back to Malzar</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Malzar looks to Astidios, "May I?" he asks quietly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Astidios Argentus considers for a moment, then nods to Malzar.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> "I believe your friend is preparing to assault me..."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>he nods toward Raln.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: grey;">Raln (OOC):</span> I calmed for now, hesiting</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> (to Malzar) No..no tricks mage..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Rodrik continues on blade raised as Isalla tries to block his approach.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller goes in between</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> Lord Rodrik...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Astidios Argentus looks at Ragnar and then indicates Rodrik, hoping Ragnar will help Raln calm the lordling.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Ragnar Kordfjord steps in between the wizard and the lord</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Ragnar Kordfjord shacking his head to Rodrik</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Ragnar Kordfjord</span>: not going to happen.. my.. lord</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Raln Miller tries to get Calligio's attention and nods him over for some help or something</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #d9d2e9;">Raln Miller:</span> (hesitating even more) Ragnar?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> Malzar winks at Astidios.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Nessarien Calenduin stands to the side. Not getting involved.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Ragnar Kordfjord:</span> no one is going to kill anyone in this room today, not on my watch...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM) :</span> the wizard's eyes glow brightly as he shouts a deafening incantation. the world seems to slow, and time screeches to a grinding halt just as Rodrik begins to raise his sword.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: red;">GM (GM):</span> And.... we have to stop!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: grey;">Raln (OOC):</span> nooooooooooo :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>drama!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-8196658580350846152014-05-19T16:43:00.000+02:002014-05-19T16:52:58.108+02:00GURPS over Roll20 experiments: Final stretch, setting up the game.<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After much delay, I'm almost done setting up my GURPS over roll20 and getting ready to run my first scenario. The plot and whatnot for the one-shot are not a problem and irrelevant to roll20 in itself, so I won't go into that, and instead focus only on the mechanics I've decided to go with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The goal I had was to streamline play as much as possible, especially for new players and for combat situation. Non combat is not a problem and I know how to handle all that already.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Warning...wall of text and horrible Blogger formatting :)</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The PC Sheets</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">GURPS is very simple at it's core, but the details matter a LOT and I realized that trying to keep an actual GURPS PC sheet on roll20 was simply not viable, so players will have to use something else. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To make sure everyone's on the same page and the PC sheets are properly up to date, I made my own, available via G+DRIVE. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uc4FLg-NHwhw7zDqOcmEBsoNXYuBXj4fT2R_7L5HbjSwj6iK2UVMX2Y2QycpE54xlbaZCJjFmiJsK-dNyDYg_kmyVE4L15qCaxfCPEObJmtAo71tTcxeoQOBJ9yMuR24taVIGoMTaWo/s1600/picture_69.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uc4FLg-NHwhw7zDqOcmEBsoNXYuBXj4fT2R_7L5HbjSwj6iK2UVMX2Y2QycpE54xlbaZCJjFmiJsK-dNyDYg_kmyVE4L15qCaxfCPEObJmtAo71tTcxeoQOBJ9yMuR24taVIGoMTaWo/s1600/picture_69.jpg" height="200" width="181" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Yes it's an external tool, and yes it's a problem, but I simply couldn't find a way around it: <i>player will have to keep this sheet open during play, somewhere, and check it as we go for skills and whatnot.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If you're interested, I keep a full access copy here that I update when I make changes on my own copy of it: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_Hd7GASBHuR8B3NjlAHmjOyw8k90Z9O-G6093ufutxw/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank">GURPS Mut's PC Sheet</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">On roll20, I ended up with only what I thought would be the most important during play to help keep a fast paced session.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>ST/DX/IQ/HT, Will, Fear:</i> Mainly because they are quick access macros for these, but to be honest, I don't even think they're needed in there since players can simply look up the Base Level for these on their G+DRIVE sheets at any time. I'll keep them in for now, but might just remove them later on.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>HP/FP/ER:</i> Useful in game for tracking. This will be done only via roll20, not on the G+DRIVE sheets since they'll be changing all the time. What will be tracked on the G+DRIVE sheets will be the actual injuries and crippling/major wounds.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>Basic Speed:</i> Used for INITIATIVE macro.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>Encumbrance:</i> This is probably gonna change as we go. The idea here is to just keep track of the current encumbrance level as you pick up and drop stuff. Used as reference for Dodge checks and DX checks.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>Defensive Bonus:</i> Like encumbrance, just there as a reference automatically included as a note in some macros.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>Dodge, Parry, Block:</i> The most common level for these, in normal circumstances. Just used for quick access macros.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>Attack_xx:</i> These are for the most usual attack. First column is the Base Skill, second column is the name of the weapon or attack.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>Damage_xx:</i> That's for the damage, Damage_01 being for Attack_01, etc. First column is the actual damage (ie: d6+1) for calculation and second column is for the type (cut, cr, pie+, cor, etc)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">And that's it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">To be honest, Attributes can probably go as well but for now, I'll leave them in for quick macros during play. The idea is for players who, for example, want to do something that might involve DX, they just push the DX macro (which will roll 3D6 and list the Base DX value), then we'll sort things out if needed. If the rolls are low or high enough, we won't even need to look things up anyway, so rolling first saves time in the end.</span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Non-combat </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Macros</span></b></h4>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">These will be on the PC sheets in roll20 and after some thought, I just went with VERY simple ones after all.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Check(DX) macro for example is just:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">/ooc CHECK (DX) /ooc > [[3d6]] vs Base of [[@{DX}]]<br />/ooc > Encumbrance: @{Encumbrance}</i></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i><br /></i></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Instead of skill specific macros, I also put a generic custom macro that offers how I want the game to go: Emote your PC intents, then roll the dice!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">/em ?{emote|tries to do something!}</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">/ooc CHECK (Custom)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">/ooc > [[3d6]] vs Base of [[?{Base?|10}]]</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Why put the emote in there and force it for this macro? Remember I play 100% chat based roll20 sessions, emotes are key to state your PC's intents. Also, with such macro, you do not need to type any command: press the button, type the emote, put in Base Skill value, done.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It also keeps things formatted properly across all players (and myself), which is also important in 100% chat based stuff, especially if you need to scroll up and whatnot.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Combat Macros:</b></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This is were things gets...meaty. Combat is THE time killer in GURPS from everything I've seen so far and since I'd like ~10-20 seconds turn per player/actor, had to find ways to try and streamline stuff.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A "turn" for an actor (that includes PC and NPC) should go like this:</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Actor declares his chosen Maneuver.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Actor declares his intents.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Actor resolves his non conflicting intents (move, change posture, etc).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Actor and GM/Player resolve the conflicts (attack, defense, grapple, skill checks, etc).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">GM describes the outcome.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Player and GM keeps tracks of what needs to be tracked (HP lost, shock, ammunition, etc).</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">All of this should be done in 10 to 20 seconds. Yea...</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">So let's see how we can do this...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Maneuver Macros</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">After much testing, I've finally come up with something that is suitable to what I'm trying to do: Fast to use, clear and to the precise, formatted properly for 100% chat based sessions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Basically, I set up <i>13 GM token action macros</i>, one per Maneuver possible, then made them automatically available for ALL TOKENS on selection, even Player ones. This means every single token in the game now has 13 token actions to declare maneuvers properly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Macro name: M(Move)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">/ooc @{selected|token_name} chooses </span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">/ooc > MANEUVER: Move</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">/ooc > Move allowed: Full</span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Simple, just declares that your Maneuver is a move, period.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Macro name: M(Aim)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">/ooc @{selected|token_name} chooses </span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">/ooc > MANEUVER: Aim (@{target|token_name})</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">/ooc > Move allowed: Step</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Press this, click on the target token and there you go, everyone instantly knows what you're maneuver is for the turn and you're aiming at, which can be double checked later on by just scrolling. Time to use? 1 second.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Macro name: M(Ready)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">/ooc @{selected|token_name} chooses</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">/ooc > MANEUVER: Ready (?{Ready what?|})</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">/ooc > Move allowed: Step</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Clear, everyone knows what it means, takes 1 second to use and because it follows a proper formatting, can be checked very easily if needed later on. Press this, type in what you're readying (shield, long-sword in right hand, potion from belt, etc) and you're good to go.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Macro name: M(AllOut-Attack)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">/ooc @{selected|token_name} chooses </span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">/ooc > MANEUVER: All-Out Attack (?{DT, DB, FT, ST|DT})</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">/ooc > Move allowed: 1/2 Move forward</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Simple, but what are DT, DB, etc?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Basically, I assigned tags to all Combat Options (there's a handout available but they're pretty self explanatory anyway). DT for AllOut Attack is just Determined, DB is Double, FT is Feint, ST and Strong. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Simple but keeps things clear and DT is faster to type than Determined.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Macro name: M(AllOut-Defense)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">/ooc @{selected|token_name} chooses </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">/ooc > MANEUVER: All-Out Defend (?{DB or dodge/parry/block|dodge})</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Same as above, DB is double, or you can just type the type of Active Defense you want to boost.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0jTrOKC8HJAMr7Yt3qZM-VH6priPRM_xju0w5WU775ojBufe1pIj-W0Ov1ZETbjD6gWVczmsEOZZinrO_YoVYThev5mK2jbwJPU7a3q7thO41eNaxE4e03GmoBVskZhyO_CV48cBjlcY/s1600/picture_68.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0jTrOKC8HJAMr7Yt3qZM-VH6priPRM_xju0w5WU775ojBufe1pIj-W0Ov1ZETbjD6gWVczmsEOZZinrO_YoVYThev5mK2jbwJPU7a3q7thO41eNaxE4e03GmoBVskZhyO_CV48cBjlcY/s1600/picture_68.jpg" height="438" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">some macros and token actions for maneuvers as well as the token cheat sheet at the bottom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Attack Macros</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">These will be on the PC sheets directly and by default, there's a setup for 3 of them, using the Attack and Damage fields _01, _02 and _03. I keep them on the PC sheets because players can just add more should they have dozens of attacks (add attack/damage fields and copy/paste, etc)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Here is the Attack_01 macro</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">/em ?{emote|attacks!}</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">/ooc ATTACK (?{option: DA, TA, RS, FT, normal|normal}) (on @{target|token_name})</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">/ooc > [[3d6]] vs Base of [[@{selected|Attack_01}]] </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">/ooc > @{selected|Attack_01|max} at the ?{option: hit location / wild? |torso} </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i style="background-color: #eeeeee;">/ooc > for [[@{selected|Damage_01}]] @{selected|Damage_01|max}</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The emote is the intent and in my chat based games where role-play</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> and IC actions are critical, it matters a lot. If in a hurry, the default can be used but you can go crazy and heroic if needed.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">2nd line is for the Attack description. The options are tags again, DA being deceptive, TA being telegraphic, etc. In my game, for now, These default to -4/-2 and +4/+2 but nothing's preventing anyone from just typing DA2 or TA2 and whatnot.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The @target allows the player to click on his target and this will print the name automatically. No more "what you're attacking btw?", just click and be done.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">3rd line is simply a 3D6 check against the Base Skill related to the attack. This is Base, which means no modifiers are involved! I do NOT want players to start listing every single modifier before rolling, I want them to state their intents and roll, period. As a GM, I'll do the math if needed and simply use /desc to give the result.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">4th line is the weapon used (or whatever is listed in the 2nd column of the Attack) and the chosen hit location. By default it's torso of course, but you can type in head, or wild (I got random location tables ready for that).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">5th line is for damage and damage type. Simple enough. Why roll now? Because it saves time. If the attacks hits, then we already got the damage and saved time. If it doesn't, who cares.</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">And there's 3 of these (more can be made as said before), handling all attacks possible that a PC (or NPCs since I have the same available for all my NPC sheets) could ever do. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">All attacks will be formatted properly and consistently, require no command typing from players or myself (therefore no errors, etc), be usable instantly (since no modifier calculation is required) and easily readable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The output would be something like this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;"><i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">"Joe Smith brings his long-sword down on the bear!"</i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">ATTACK (DA) (on a bear_03)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">> 7 vs Base of 14</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">> long-sword at the right arm</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">> for 4 cut</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Seeing this, everyone instantly knows that Joe is attacking the bear_03, with a DA attack (-4) to the right arm (-2) and Base Skill of 14, rolling 7, which hits.</span><br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Active Defense Macros</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Pretty much same stuff. Got 3 pre-made for each AD.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Dodge:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">/em ?{dodge emote| tries to dodge!}</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">/ooc CHECK (Dodge, ?{RT, DD|normal}) </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">/ooc > [[3d6]] vs Base of [[@{Dodge}]] (+DB: @{DB})</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">/ooc > Encumbrance: [[@{Encumbrance}]]</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Emote, because IC intents matter. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Type of AD and Combat Options (RT being Retreat, DD being Drop and Dodge). </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The roll against Base Dodge and DB value just as a note if relevant. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Encumbrance, just because it's Dodge and therefore is relevant.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Parry:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">/em ?{parry emote| tries to parry!}</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">/ooc CHECK (Parry, ?{RT|normal}) </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-small;">/ooc > [[3d6]] vs Base of [[@{Parry}]] (+DB: @{DB})</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Self explanatory really. Players can just copy/paste in additional macros if needed for multiple available parries (if dual wielding, etc).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Other Macros</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>- Damage Calculation: </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">This one is for GM only and allows me to quickly calculate the actual damage done with some quick notes for the most used wounding multipliers required.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">/w gm Damage taken [[(?{damage|0}-?{DR|0}) * ?{cut(1.5), imp(2), pie-(0.5), pie+(1.5), pie++(2)|1} * ?{vital(3), neck(1.5), |1}]]</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Press this, type the damage done (from an attack, fall, whatever), type in DR for location, first wounding multiplier based on weapon type, then wounding multiplier for location and whatnot. Huge time saver in my man to man tests.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>- Quick token say and emote: </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Bear roars, Orc yells, something happens and you need to fluff it up? In chat based games, who says what matters a lot I feel and constantly doing /as or /emas then typing the full NPC name can be a massive pain, especially for long names or the ones with spaces.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To solve this, two simple macros. One for quick token say</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">/as "@{selected|token_name}" ?{say what?|}</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And one for quick token emote</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">/emas "@{selected|token_name}" ?{action emote|}</span></i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Other goodies</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- Rollable table for whatever you can, such as hit location (humanoid and some non humanoid), critical hits and misses so you don't have to type everything.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>- A Cheat Sheet token! </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">First you make a cheat sheet image for usual maneuvers, modifiers and whatnot. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Then you set it up it as a normal token (just like for your PCs, etc), set up it's proper size so it's readable and link it to a Character Sheet that you make controllable by everyone, making sure you checked "All player see Light" and "Has sight" if you're using Dynamic Lighting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The result? A cheat sheet token you can just drop somewhere on the board that EVERYONE sees without revealing anything around it and can move around if needed. Sounds silly? It's awesome! Way better than handouts that clutter your screen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>- Special tokens: Prone!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Make a PRONE token with some simple graphics, put it into a sheet and grant access to all and voila! a quick to drag'n drop token for prone position that everyone can use freely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>- Special tokens: Light!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Token with default lights set up similar to a torch or lantern, link it to a sheet and grant access to all. Once again, very easy to use, already set up, light sources that players can move if they want to (and can of course).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- Special tokens: Effects!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Set up a token with visible auras, link it to a sheet, once again available to all. Your player wants to line up a big Cloud Gas spell somewhere? Just drag'n drop this sheet to make a new instant of it and let the player sort the placement and whatnot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And that's it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've tested many solo man to man using this setup and overall, I'm pleased with the result. Combat is fast paced, everything is formatted clearly and ease to use.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'm pretty sure after just a couple rounds, any player can feel comfortable with it and never mess up commands or play with macros afterwards, allowing the game to flow properly.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-39760308508615362652014-05-17T13:25:00.000+02:002014-05-17T13:26:49.381+02:00GURPS over Roll20 experiments: Testing the water<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Finally had my first proper GURPS session last night over on roll20. A low fantasy attempt to replicate the old D&D modules of the early '80s. It was all voice, first on hangout then Skype - something I'm really not used to - and lasted for about 4 hour and a bit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I came to the session with an approach very close to that of a researcher. My goal was to see first hand how things were actually done, identify potential pacing and interface issues, all of which so that I could tweak my own games properly later on. Oh..and of course, have some fun while at it, which I had but in a very different way than usual (I'll come back to that later on).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The group was overall somewhat experienced with GURPS, at least the basics. One thing I noticed immediately is that despite never having played before, I felt quite comfortable with the rules and knew what to do, even during combat. My only doubts/pauses were related to what rule options the GM was using, not what to actually do as a PC. At no point did I feel lost in the rules, nor had any paralysis, and understood all the mechanics of what others were doing as well. That's a good start.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Compared to sessions I run weekly (and play in weekly) using D&D Next on roll20, the game lacked a bit of structure as a whole and, most likely due to the voice communication, reminded me a lot of an actual "around the table" session. The narrative flow was very often cut and I'd say there was about 90% OOC communication and 10% IC communication (there was a lot of combat, but don't think that explains it). Again, compared to my usual 100% text based sessions, that was a massive change, most likely due to voice communication once again, but that's debate for another day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The pacing itself was very slow. In 4 hours and 30 minutes, we did about 15-20 turns of combat against 5 skeletons, a quick search of the room while I was healing and recuperating (I was playing a cleric/healer type) and that's pretty much it. Now, there were lots of cuts in the narrative as I said but once again, that's not something I'm used to. When I see what we accomplish in about 3 hours during my other weekly games, it's a bit crazy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Finally, the "art style" was just not there. For someone a bit (a bit? HA!) OCD like me who enjoys providing an experience more than just a game session, that threw me off a bit at first but I can easily get past it if needed. What was more problematic I think was that the strength of what roll20 can offer was not used. Simple thing such as tokens with facing indicators is I think quite important and easy to do and instantly remove any doubt/question about that later on. Sheets and macros to structure play would also have helped I think, but again, it was played a lot like a normal "around the table" game, with roll20 not really being used to it's fullest.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0hOlUTf0bvlcOv_vSusDT0hta0u6m-9sP5BM5La0dfOuiKnywQoLxlzfLmp_-IYuNBcVXdqIgoAiP-UlRvnZCWrhxOUMidL7ZE4Tcqt8OHbZrhbvDyo7XtOndicNIbVBno1UeVrxMs3c/s1600/picture_67.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0hOlUTf0bvlcOv_vSusDT0hta0u6m-9sP5BM5La0dfOuiKnywQoLxlzfLmp_-IYuNBcVXdqIgoAiP-UlRvnZCWrhxOUMidL7ZE4Tcqt8OHbZrhbvDyo7XtOndicNIbVBno1UeVrxMs3c/s1600/picture_67.jpg" height="422" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Every GM and player I think have different ways of doing things, preparing things. I'm not talking plot and whatnot here, I'm talking props and notes that help keep a good pace. I'm personally a very heavy prop/note GM and really try to push roll20 to provide, as I said above, an experience. Lots of people don't care and I'm cool with it, though that might be why it results in much slower pacing as a whole, as I've experience yesterday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">But did you have fun you might ask? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Well, yes I did and will most likely join again next week. I'm really not the kind of guy to just waste his time without purpose so if I didn't like it, I'd have simply excused myself and left.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It's very different from what I'm used to but I think pushing your own barriers is a good thing, if just to see how things are done, learn from it and adapt what you liked and make it your own. Part of my reason for joining was, as said, for research, and I learned a lot. Other than that, as a whole, the players were pretty cool and we had a good time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It's NOT how I'll run things, nor what I really look for in a RPG session and I don't like voice chat much, but I didn't feel like I wasted my time, had a couple laughs and finally got to actually play GURPS!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So, what did I learn from it that I can use for my own GURPS game?</span><br />
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Good, clean and organized off-roll20 PC sheets are a must. GURPS mechanics are very simple but details matter a LOT and PCs need to be able to keep track of these details fast. I'm almost done customizing my G+Drive PC sheet but after this session, I'll add something to help players keep track of some of the details, especially in combat. These sheets MUST keep some kind of page reference somewhere for Advantages, Disadvantages, Skills and Spells.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I'm more than ever convinced that converting most of my round based tokens to hex based tokens with facing markers was a good thing. Took a bit, but since I already bought tons of tokens, it's clearly not time wasted.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">"Owning" the game world, NPCs, setting and mechanics is paramount for pacing. If in combat, I must have quick access to a very organized and clear NPC sheet somewhere and I must know every single rule involved with what they are and what they can do. Looking up for stuff is a time killer.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Dual screens are INCREDIBLY useful for roll20 sessions. Already been using them for other weekly games but with GURPS, I had all the core books opened on the side, my GDRIVE PC sheet and whatnot as well, while never having roll20 itself leave my sight. Never even had to use any of my hard copies!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">As a GM, nothing I do or react to must take more than a couple seconds. Enemies turn should take 10 seconds total to resolve at the most and reacting to PC actions (ADs, damage, effects, etc) should likewise be as transparent to players as possible and not pause the game. Once again, organized prep is key there. Once I get a good NPC tracking system sheet, using it will speed up play a ton.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Spending a couple hours preparing proper PC sheets, NPC & event tracking sheets, macros and whatnot as a GM before the game, will end up saving hours during actual play. I'm mostly done on that part now, but I'll try to at least take 30mins here and there when I can to finalize everything and make sure they're easy to use and clear to read.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Listing how a combat turn should flow as well as clearly defining all options available before-hand will most likely help keep up the combat pace as well. I'll start with limited options at first for combat, that I will list somewhere easy to access, then once everyone can constantly do their turn in 5-10 seconds, slowly expand.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Aside from that, I'm finally in proper "scenario design" mode for my GURPS roll20 GMing attempt. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Campaign is created, sheet templates are done with all the macros. GDRIVE PC sheets are done for the most part and my GDRIVE tracking sheets are almost done as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I wrote a long post with examples if new players join later on and at first, I plan on just having players run Pre-Gens (that I created) and read through GURPS Lite only. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To help further, I'm writing a short "story/example" post for each of the Pre-Gens, that I'll post in separate threads, each with examples of what the PC can do, what are the game mechanics related to that as well as how it should go in roll20.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For now, I only proposed the GURPS one-shot scenario to my usual weekly players, treat it as a "dream sequence" that would be based off our current D&D Next campaign. Since we know each other by now and are all used to 100% text based roll20, it'd be easier I think. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If they're not interested, I'll just try and find players some other way. The goal is just to do a one-shot GURPS GMing test anyway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In any case, that's pretty much my thought from last night. Just another brick in my GURPS on roll20 obsession :)</span><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-88146049247699761192014-05-08T21:13:00.002+02:002014-05-08T21:29:17.319+02:00WB2, Session 22, The Long Walk<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Session 22:</b> "The Long Walk"<br />Sunday 25th, April, 1001 AC<br />(destiny token 1)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Faced with an ever growing menace to the South, the companions are looking for answers wherever they can, but answers can sometime create unexpected chains of events...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><b>Companions</b></span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
<li>Urist, dwarven cleric of Kagyar (level 3)</li>
<li>Danik, human scholar mage (level 3)</li>
<li>Rurik, dwarven fighter (level 3)</li>
<li>Serrin, human bounty hunter (level 3)</li>
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<br /><b>Lost companions</b></span><br />
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<li>Grom, half-orc druid, went missing during dragon attack.</li>
<li>Adran, gnome bard, fell to his death after being dropped by a Drahie.</li>
<li>Zao-rin, human monk who decided to stay with the Semphiwe and help Samshira as long as needed.</li>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And so Rurik and Serrin had explained the situation to Manelesi and while she seemed confused by some of it, she understood the potential threat to the village. Serrin and Rurik then agreed to go and find her companion, Themba, who was still living as an exile on the outskirts of the village, while the young woman and Zao-Rin would take care of Samshira.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As they left the hut however, Serrin heard Danik shouting and the two headed there to see what was going on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Meanhile, outside the old crone's hut, Danik was still menacing Nozizwe's daughter, asking for answers she did not seem to have. As they asked finally where was the old woman, she arrived at the scene, clearly not happy to see her daughter treated as she was. Her appearance had changed however and she now stood tall and strong, despite still displaying the signs of her old age.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As Nozizwe ordered her daughter to leave, Serrin and Rurik arrived. Not wanting to talk in public, they soon all move into her hut and discussed:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Apparently, Nozizwe had went to see the black dragon after their last conversation and the encounter did not go well. From what she said, both voluntarily under and resisting the Zone of Truth spell from Urist, the Dragon was indeed "trying to break the sky" and did not seem to care one bit about it's servants/slaves anymore, to the consternation of Nozizwe.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">She confirmed as well that she was attacked by Drahies after being "dismissed" by Ziphozonke, the Black Dragon. She somehow managed to escape however.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">She didn't seem to be aware of the growing black cloud in the South, nor about the conflict about the Sun Jaws or Rock Claws. At best, she seemed to think that they were part of a race that died a long time ago and that only thing that remained of them were the various trinkets the locals had scavenged around the land through the years.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">She indicated that she did have the ability to fly somehow after Serrin picked up on something she had said, though did not look comfortable at the idea of "carrying" someone while doing so. The how was left unresolved.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">While the effects of the Black Cloud are unknown, she confirmed that she's sensed the "Wild" moving North, something the companions had seen on their way back to the village. After some discussion, she decided that the entire village should migrate North, as far away from the Black Cloud as possible.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After the tense discussion, Nozizwe ordered preparation and some hours later, more than five hundred men, women and children were gathered outside, carrying baskets of food, pots of water and various tools. The companions had meanwhile finally fetched Themba, while Urist made sure Samshira would be fit to travel. The shadow elf was in some kind of catatonic state, but Zao-Rin and Manelesi would accompany her along.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">As the crowd was ready to depart, the first signs of the Black Cloud appeared far in the distance to the South as it was slowly growing, filling the cavern as it did. Tension mounted and some panicked for a moment but finally, Nozizwe roared a command and the Simphiwe slowly started walking Northward, following the Inner Sea shores. As her daughter took command, the old crone suddenly shape-shifted into a small black dragon, much like a Grom (their long lost half orc druid companion) had done when shifting into a wolf form, all clothes and items subsuming into the new shape.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Hours passed as the Simphiwe marched on North, the companions following. Finally a rest was called and the passive villagers slowly gathered in a loose circle for a time. Serrin took some time to craft some bolts while Danik, Urist and Rurik did their best to keep some watch organized, but with so many people, it proved difficult.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The long rest passed without any problem however and about 8 hours later, Zephriz, Nozizwe's daughter, gave the command to march on. While Danik kept busy trying to mingle with the locals, Serrin and Rurik, on watch, noticed that from time to time, a large group of Great Grey Apes walked parallel to their own group, about a mile or so inland, amidst the grasslands. Without any sign of hostility from either side however, both groups just pushed on for hours, always north...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Finally, rest was ordered once more and camp was organized, while the Great Grey Apes kept going and soon disappeared in the distance to the North. The camp itself was quiet as a tomb, with only children crying here and there breaking the silence. All Simphiwe seemed very tired, even more passive and submissive than before, and even through they had out-paced the growth of the Black Cloud for now, despair was clearly setting in many of them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">During rest, Rurik picked up odd noises coming from around the camp and soon realized that some of the Great Grey Apes had come back and were now circling them slowly, about 100' away. As he informed his companions, others noticed as well and scared and worried whispers grew in the crowd gathered on the beach.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Soon, the Great Grey Apes were now a couple dozens, still circling around the camp. Zephriz mentioned that without a Patriarch, they shouldn't be too dangerous nor attack, she did indicate that they seemed to block the path North mainly, as if they didn't want the villagers to go there.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80j5GH6nLYteW_Cqm-mgtbg0G7y0zqc6I0tuJUjYdXIYSLkAlN4Dh7lh3bJEVD5rcX-OjMbXcZ_rhtpgAh4leXJqtV4976V_IYZ_TcGKX-BwDL3T4WY9gN7_RP_vDKsSQJsRXRiBQ5wQ/s1600/picture_66.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80j5GH6nLYteW_Cqm-mgtbg0G7y0zqc6I0tuJUjYdXIYSLkAlN4Dh7lh3bJEVD5rcX-OjMbXcZ_rhtpgAh4leXJqtV4976V_IYZ_TcGKX-BwDL3T4WY9gN7_RP_vDKsSQJsRXRiBQ5wQ/s1600/picture_66.jpg" height="200" width="135" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Suddenly, a larger specimen jumped out of the pack and charged full speed toward the companions. As he closed in, Serrin let loose a bolt that went wide, and Danik summoned an illusion above the camp of a Black Dragon, roaring and rearing, trying to scare the beast away. While nobody else seemed to notice the illusion, the Great Grey Ape did and while trying to backpedal, collapsed not two feet from Serrin, then ran full speed to join his retreating companions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Afterwards, quiet returned to the shore and hours later, the rest ended. Zephriz, Nozizwe's daughter, seemed unsure about what to do now. Her mother had ordered her to lead the villagers North along the shore before leaving, but she had yet to return and from what had happened recently, it seemed that every single creature in the cavern had the same idea and was also moving North, away from the growing Black Cloud.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After a quick discussion, it seemed clear that Zephriz was way over her head and had no idea what to do once their had reached the Cliffs on the northern limits of the cave. Short on suggestions and themselves with more questions than answers, the companions could offer little however, and in the end, all decided to keep pushing North, hoping for the best.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The day's march went uninterrupted but for a skirmish between Shrillers and what seemed to be Great Grey Apes, somewhere east in the Grasslands. While the shrills and sound of carnage was terrifying, nobody engaged nor investigated further, letting natural preys and predators handle their own problems, and some time later, the group resumed their march North along the shore.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Finally, at the foot of the Northern cliffs, on the shore of the Inner Sea, camp was called. They had reached the limits of the cavern and now, all they could do was wait. The area was as secure as could be, danger only able to come from one side but a refugee camp is a refugee camp and the morale was at a new low.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Not satisfied however, the companions decided to push on East, leaving the Simphiwe behind for now, Zao-Rin also staying to take care of Samshira. After a couple hours pushing though the Grassland, looking closely at the cliffs for any possible sign of tunnels or ruins, they closed the edge of a Mushroom Tree Forest and as Danik felt fatigue set in, Serrin hear wimping noises in the distance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />Carefuly investigating, the group soon discovered a scene of pure carnage as body parts of Great Grey Apes littered the forest floor, blood everywhere on the mushroom trees, the air reeking with blood and death. As Urist hurled whatever little food he had in him, Serrin noticed something move in one of the carcass, something small, blue...Then another, and another.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As he shouted "Weapons!", a loud shrill echoed nearby and suddenly, the entire forest exploded in a cacophony of shrills, blue forms flashing everywhere around them....</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">POST SESSION NOTES</span></b><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Short session but quite important story wise I think, as PCs start seeing some of the bigger consequences of previous choices and actions. Lots of confusion I think but I'm ok with that, answers are there, world is coherent and consistent.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Zone of Truth was interesting during the discussion with Nozizwe. Urist caught me a bit off guard there but I rolled with it without problems and even played with it a bit since she actually made her save and yet, decided to submit to the spell. The spell states that the caster knows if you resist or not, therefore I told Urist that while she resisted, she volunteered to it anyway, at least for a time. Very interesting experience, though little result really.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I had cooked up some "random encounters" if/when chains of events led to something like this. Kinda glad it did, as the scale of them (since the ENTIRE wildlife is migrating north now!!) makes it interesting to deal with. I was ready should thing escalate as usual, but I never force an event one way or the other and was quite satisfied with the Great Grey Apes just being scared off for now.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Zao-rin is out sadly, player had conflicting work schedule. We're back to four PCs and I think I'll run with that for now, try to stabilize the group at least through the current events.</span></li>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-14170829670993533862014-05-02T23:09:00.000+02:002014-05-02T23:25:34.303+02:00WB2, Session 21, The Battle of the Sun Palace<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Session 21:</b> "The Battle of the Sun Palace"<br />Wednesday 23st, April 1001AC<br />(destiny token 1)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After a week off due to Easter festivities, the party is back and kicking!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Urist, dwarven cleric of Kagyar (level 3)<br />Danik, human scholar mage (level 3)<br />Rurik, dwarven fighter (level 3)<br />Serrin, human bounty hunter (level 3)<br />Zao-rin, human monk (level 3), keeping watch at camp</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Grom, half-orc druid, went missing during dragon attack.<br />Adran, gnome bard, fell to his death after being dropped by a Drahie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And so the words of the fading Shade of Tranur-Kur echoed in the small room as more bizarre forms of whirling black filaments emerged from the walls: "...we were thousands..". As Serrin, Urist and Rurik prepared for more battle, Danik arrived down the stairs, ready for anything, while Zao-rin remained upstairs, making sure the area was safe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Urist radiant flame made good work on the aberrations that appeared through the walls, but a couple managed to touch Serrin, draining his life force away and weakening him severly. While Urist kept watch for more near the staircase, the rest of the group pushed east through the massive silver doors and soon found what looked like old soldier quarters. There, they quickly searched the place, under the constant lamentations and words of despair of an ever fading shade of Tranur-Kur, who seemed to have lost all will after his entire clan's force was destroyed somehow, despite Urist offering some of his own life force to sustain him for some time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In the barracks, the companions found:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Many weapons heads made of silvers for Handaxes, Spears, Javelins, Staves, Urumis and Halberds. While only the heads remained and were overall of crude design, their shaft long rotten away, their silver nature itself made them interesting.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There were also basic armors (made of some kind of bronze metal) and shields of all sorts (made of silver), including a large Pavise. All would need some work and refitting to use properly.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Serrin grabbed 15 silver bolt tips as well, suited for future crafting.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Not wanting to waste too much time, they grabbed what they found useful and moved south toward where Urist sensed potential presence of undead or life energy. A glyph that the cleric had found made the group warry for a moment. Danik quickly realized that it was a warding glyph, that was apparently not crafted to ward against their own presence, and they crossed safely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There, in what seemed to be an old kitchen quarter, they found three spectral Drakkins. Two were soldiers, wielding shields and weapons made of the very life energy that gave their physicality. The last one seemed to be a priest and he was focusing on casting a ritual at the western wall when the battle erupted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">While Urist and Rurik kept the soldiers occupied, with Serrin keeping his distance, shaken by his very weakened condition, Danik rushed onto the Priest itself. A well placed Thunder-Wave exploded and pushed the Drakkin priest through the wall (a secret passage!) and the two went into a brawl, Danik charging fist first. That shook the priest who tried to run through the newly opened corridor, but Danik was hot on it's heels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Finally, Danik was ready to throw another punch at the spectral drakkin, when he realized he had emerged into a throne room with many other enemies! Alone, he didn't waste any time and turned tail, shouting for retreat at his companions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">They reached the surface soon after, leaving the chasing drakkins and the ominous chanting behind and decided to journey North to Samshira's home as fast as possible. As they reached the forest, they noticed that a cloud of black smoke was rising slowly somewhere South, probably the ruins of the Sun Palace. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The elf woman was ecstatic to see them return and offered all she could. The party rested there for some time, Serrin slowly feeling his body strong once again but Urist, who needed very little rest, noticed that the cloud was now no more than two miles south of them and seemed to be filling up the cavern south of the them from the ground to the ceiling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Without wasting any time, they traveled back to the Simphiwe village as fast as possible, dragging a near catatonic Samshira behind. Reaching it after only a quick rest on the way, the village itself seemed to be once again as normal could be, with the Simphiwe people doing their daily routine as if nothing happened. This was a sharp contrast with the few animals (and other monsters) they had spotted on the way back, all fleeing north from what they could tell.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Serrin and Rurik rushed to Manelesi's hut with the elf to see to her comfort. There, they spent some time trying to explain to Manelesi that the area was not safe for them and the young woman seemed to understand most of it, even through none could actually say what the black mist would do once it reached the village.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Meanwhile, Danik and Urist proceeded to the old woman's hut, Nozizwe. There, they found the hut empty and decided to search for anything useful, finding:</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Another box made of bone and warped in black leather that contains more pages, quite alike the ones Serrin and Danik had found previously, adding to the researching Spellbook.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">About 5 pounds of silver trinkets.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">4 Flasks of Silverine.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Some decorated Barbed Spears and Barbed Nets.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As they were pocketing some of what they had found, a young woman, obviously from the village but wearing the same kind of blue cloak that Nozizwe wore, surprised them and ordered them to leave the hut. As tension mounted, Urist realized the woman was quite afraid, despite trying to appear confident, but Danik jumped into action as he noticed her eyes shifting between human and reptilian (much alike Nozizwe), and patches of her skin darkening like black scales...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The mage then dragged the woman out of the hut, asking questions, knife drawn....</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-30019671532794804752014-04-16T18:01:00.003+02:002014-04-16T18:02:17.658+02:00WB2, Session 20: Southland Tales<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Session 20:</b> "Southland Tales"<br /><i>Wednesday 21st, April 1001AC<br />(destiny token 1)</i></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><b>Companions</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Urist, dwarven cleric of Kagyar (level 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rurik, dwarven fighter (level 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Zao-rin, human monk (level 3), keeping watch at camp</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Danik, human scholar mage (level 3), focusing on his personal research</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Serrin, human bounty hunter (level 3)</span></li>
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<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Lost companions</b><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Grom, half-orc druid, went missing during dragon attack.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Adran, gnome bard, fell to his death after being dropped by a Drahie.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />And so the companions took a long rest in the village after their last encounter. The following morning, after Urist was giving up on his glyph idea, they discussed what to do next. Despite all that it entailed and the recent activity of wraith Drakkin since the release of the Bound, they agreed that finding the Crown of Submission was the good move and that, once in their hands, they could decide what to do with it.<br /><br />Following the Shade of Tranun-Kur's information, Rurik took the lead of their journey toward what the Drakkin has called the "Sun Palace", home of the Sun Jaws High King and depository of the Crown itself.<br />The day was spent exploring first the south corner of the Inner Sea, then the group headed South East toward where the trails of Black Mist had disappeared. When Danik asked for a break, they had reached the high grounds of a rocky hill chain past low grasslands. A quick camp was organized as well as the usual watches and while the long rest was uneventful, the two Dwarves noticed that the entire area was most likely very rich in Silver veins.<br /><br />The following day, they pushed further South East, soon reaching the edge of an stone flatland. As far as eyes could see, the ground was somewhat large flat stone slabs, as if a paved desert. Almost completely flat, time had however taken it's toll and the landscape was dotted by fallen blocks of rock from the ceiling...and the Sun Palace should be somewhere there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />As Rurik was about to lead the companions through the flatlands ahead, Urist noticed a hooded figure pacing back and forth on the edge a mushroom forest. Approaching, it proved to be a female elf, her features almost completely hidden by her heavy blue leather cloak, with only parts of a face visible, revealing a beautiful gray and white skin.<br /><br />For a time, the elf seemed to completely ignore the group and their calls, even shouts. As she kept talking to herself in elvish, only Serrin understood but most of it made no sense.<br /><br />Finally, the woman left toward the north, entering the mushroom forest, still ignoring the group. As Urist used his Channeled Divine power to try and heal a limp in the elf left leg he had noticed, she suddenly jumped in combat readiness, as if completely surprised by what had just happened.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The woman was called Samshira Niasmalissar and clearly a shadow elf, one of the very recluse elf races whose homeland was far to the southwest of the Heldannic Territories, somewhere under the Khanates. Apparently, she at first believed that they all were simply illusion of her mind but when Urist's powers had some actual effect on her, she realised that they were real.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Inviting them to her home (a giant hollowed mushroom tree nearby), she revealed that:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">She arrived in the cave about 60 years ago with four companions (two named: Ololen and Fentumal). Apparently something happened and she's been alone for a very long time now.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When She removed her cloak so that Urist could Restore her left leg, it was revealed that her entire left side was completely burned and melted. Her face showed skull bone in some places, left arm almost completely gone with only a charred stump left, her left leg just a melted piece of bone and flesh holding together with a mushroom hard bark harness.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Because of her injuries, she seldom travel far from her home. She seems however well versed in trapping and managed to survive alone despite this for quite a long time.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">She mentioned that the Black Dragon leaves her pretty much alone this far south.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Finally, she seemed desperate for company and begged the companions to stay and live with her, getting angry and cursing them when the group decided to resume their journey south toward the Sun Palace.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After another long rest near the edge of forest, the group finally stepped onto the stone-lands, heading south. Quickly, the cliffs in the distance revealed that they would reach the southern limit of the cave, but after a couple hours, Urist once again noticed something odd in the distance, like a massive statue poking out of the ground. Closing in, they discovered that:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The ground had collapsed on itself here, leaving a chaotic mix of rock and debris everywhere.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A massive Dragon Head poked out of the ground, at a slightly bent angle. The statue was complete stone, usual white with slim veins of black and was in poor condition. In the dragon maw however was a large stone representation of a Sun and soon Serrin noticed that the Sun itself was hollow and contained a stairwell going down, big enough to fit a grown man.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The entire Dragon Head statue seemed to have been some kind of observatory, though now at ground level and mostly broken down.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Making sure the area was stable, the companions began their descent into the Dragon Maw stairs. After a couple minutes, they finally reached a slightly larger room. There, they found Tranur-Kun, his spectral form lying on the ground, the black filaments giving him form whirling around and unstable.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tranur-Kun revealed that the Bound and his sons were gone, trapped by the High King Aman-tas and his priests. Despite having thousands of Rock Claws wraiths on his side and the Sun Jaws having only a limited force of what he called Guardians, the priests' magic had apparently drained them and caged them within the Throne Room.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">He indicated that he still felt his sons and his brothers behind the door, but that the Priests were preparing something.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The western door, the one Tranur-Kun indicated would lead to the Throne Room, was surrounding by a mass of whirling Black Filaments, forming a black aura around it.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">As Urist heard this and the companions were quickly investigating, dark forms started appearing through the walls and doors and battle erupted! The creatures did not have body's per se, but were masses of filaments, black aberrations with vaguely Drakkin shapes. As Urist, Serrin and Rurik slashed and bashed the few that had appeared, more came through the wall, their touch so dreadful it weakened the body more than any blade could.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As seconds passed and more creatures appeared, the dissipating shade of Tranur-Kun warned the companions: </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">"They'll keep coming! They'll hunt you down! All my brothers..my sons! They'll use them against you! They'll all come and go back to them! </span></i></blockquote>
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<i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We were in the...thousands..."</span></i></blockquote>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-63632468411414325732014-04-16T17:54:00.001+02:002014-04-16T17:56:11.533+02:00WB2, Session 19: Conversation with Dead People<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Session 19:</b> "Conversation with Dead People"<br /><i>Tuesday 20th, April 1001AC<br />(destiny token 1)</i></span><br />
<div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><b>Companions</b></span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
<li>Urist, dwarven cleric of Kagyar (level 3)</li>
<li>Rurik, dwarven fighter (level 3)</li>
<li>Zao-rin, human monk (level 3)</li>
<li>Danik, human scholar mage (level 3)</li>
<li>Serrin, human bounty hunter (level 3)</li>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><b>Lost companions</b></span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
<li>Grom, half-orc druid, went missing during dragon attack.</li>
<li>Adran, gnome bard, fell to his death after being dropped by a Drahie.</li>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />And so the shade of the Drakkin Herald of the Rock Claws, Tranur-Kun, and his son had left the chamber of the Bound and the companions now found themselves in the deep silence of the pyramid underground.<br />A quick check revealed nothing of interest apart from the silver chalice that held the life energy of the drakkins only moments ago and moments later, Rurik appeared around the corner, looking worried: Clouds of black mists had appeared all over the cavern's skies above.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />After a quick discussion of past events, the party decided to go back outside. As they emerged, they indeed noticed the sky filled in all direction by small black cloud patches, moving south. Suddenly, Urist noticed the dragon flying slowly toward them from the North and all but Danik immediately climbed the rope back down into the large chamber below.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />As Danik studied the black dragon, noticing that he was flying in odd patterns, unsteady, the others pushed into the northern stairs. Soon, Danik joined them as he saw that dark patches of mist were whirling around the dragon, surging into it as it tried to dodge.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The stairway walls were melted by a powerful acid. It also seemed as if something larger than the width of the corridor allowed pushed it's way through it.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rocks blocked the top of the stairway but the dwarven senses of Urist and Rurik soon revealed that the rocks were put there, as if to block the passage and that this should lead outside.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Above, the dragon had arrived.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After some time, the rocks blocking the exit were cleared up. After a time, it seems that the dragon had also left and things were calm once more. As the companions emerged from the pyramid not far from the mushroom forest's edge, they noticed dozens of Basidiomids coming up behind them, slowly shambling up the stairs and toward the exit.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Unsure what to do at first, the companions took defensive positions but the diseased Basidiomids only seemed to want out. As they found the path blocked by both dwarves however, a short combat erupted as the creatures went into panic, trying to push their way through. Spores exploded from their heads, trying to blind and intoxicate everyone but after a time, everyone moved aside and the mushroom men rushed toward the undergrowth of the forest, some too weak and dying as they reached the surface.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After making sure that the creatures were no threat, the party journeyed back to the Simphiwe village. There, they found the streets empty and even the circle in the middle of the village where women were always chanting, was deserted. All the inhabitants had found refuge in their huts and coming to Manelesi's hut they learned that:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The young woman was in a complete panic and seemed terrified, lost in a ritualistic prayer, on her knees, body rocking back and forth.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">She thought the world was ending because of the recent awakening of what she called the "old people". Apparently the elder shaman, Nozizwe had said the same and had recently left to meet with Ziphozonke himself (the black dragon) to try and get guidance for her people.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After some discussion about what was happening and the consequences of having released the Bound, Urist noticed that, outside, there were still patches of black mist surging from all directions, though somewhat less now. As he looked about, he also saw a patch of the clouds just outside the village. In it were shapes of drakkins fighting each other, spectral black apparitions of the reptilian men in armor and wielding ghostly weapons, locked into a battle that seemed to ignore everything around them.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />Calling upon the others, they all closed the battlefield to get a better look. There, they cleared saw that some of the drakkins had Rock Claws symbols while others wore the Sun Jaws one. Suddenly, one of the later, slightly more massive than the others, noticed the companions and came closer to them. Suddenly, he seemed to sense something and pointed his finger at them.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />As nothing seemed to happen, the specter appeared confused for a moment, then suddenly cries of pain and surprised erupted from some of the closest huts and black filaments exploded out of them, then surged into the drakkin itself, it's shape becoming stronger.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />As combat erupted, this new power seemed to be very effective at killing it's own kind and the creature cleaved through two of the ghostly Rock Claws before the companions could react.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">During the battle, a Sun Jaws drakkin soldier tried to drain some life energy as well but the range of this ability seemed smaller than on the other one. However, he did drain Danik, leaving him slightly weakened and that seemed to grant him some strength for a short time.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As the drakkin commander form dissipated, Serrin managed to drain the life energy that remained for a moment. His body was covered by a black filaments aura as well as his blades and while it lasted, his attacked seemed more effective than usual against the spectral enemies.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">One of the Rock Claws drakkin soldier also tried to drain some life energy from the nearby companions but immediately noticed that it could hurt them and only accepted the energy giving freely.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As the Sun Jaws drakkins were dispatched, the black filaments form dissipating into nothingness, the remaining Rock Claws thanks the companions, acknowledging them as the Saviors of the Bound.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">He mentioned a "Call" to the south, where the battle would happen. He seemed unable to resist it for long.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">What had happened with the draining of life energy from living creatures was very important to him, especially since, once "strengthened", even the spectral drakkins seemed to gain quite an advantage in combat. He mentioned that he would have to report this to the Herald Tranur-kun and that he should decide what to do next.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As the ghost disappeared, joining other black mists on their travel south, the group gathered back near Manelesi's hut and discussed what to do next.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Urist indicated that, in order to protect the Simphiwe, they might be able to draw the glyph that he had copied from the Dragonbone temple that seemed to pushed back ghosts though. With more than 500 inhabitants and 70 huts in the village however and that would take a very long time and a lot of silver, without any idea if it'd work at all. He decided to focus on Manelesi for now.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Danik, rebounding on Urist's idea and his copy of the glyph, remembered that the old drakkin spell book contained something about the making of glyph, a ritual of sort. After a quick check, he found what he was looking for though the process seemed costly and complicated.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As their inner clock reminded them that the end of the day was closing, all noticed the last trails of black mists in the cavern skies above far south of their location...</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Notes</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Completely forgot to actually press the Publish button so this one is a bit delayed, sorry about that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-59078099509635496142014-04-03T21:06:00.005+02:002014-04-03T21:07:53.687+02:00WB2, Session 18: The Shade of Tranur-Kun<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Session 18:</b> "The Shade of Tranur-Kun"<br /><i>Tuesday 20th, April 1001 AC<br />(destiny token 1)</i></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></b>
<div>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Companions</b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Urist, dwarven cleric of Kagyar (level 3)</span></li>
<li><i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rurik, dwarven fighter (level 3), holding the rope up there.</span></i></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Zao-rin, human monk (level 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Danik, human scholar mage (level 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Serrin, human bounty hunter (level 3)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><b>Lost companions</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Grom, half-orc druid, went missing during dragon attack.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Adran, gnome bard, fell to his death after being dropped by a Drahie.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />And so the companions were back at the Simphiwe village and, after a good night rest to wash away the weariness of their recent travels and encounters, found themselves once again in Manelesi's hut for breakfast, sharing algae biscuits around a small fire.<br />After some discussion among themselves regarding maps and the possible location of the pyramid mentioned by Ziphozonke, the black dragon, they finally asked the young woman. According to her:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The only Pyramid she knew of was something she called "Mthunzi Dingane" not far from the village.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Pyramid had apparently some significance to the Simphiwe and Manelesi indicated that the Nozizwe, the old woman they had met previously, would not appreciate them going there.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Mustering her courage, Manelesi offered to lead the group to her lover, the now exiled Themba, who was living on the outskirts of the village and have him be their guide to the Pyramid itself.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">She also indicated that Nozizwe had not left her hut since their last encounter and that only her daughters were allowed in to bring food.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After some menial tasks ordered by Danik (as in, having her cleaning up the scholar's clothes) and a quick search for food rations, the group had the young woman lead them to Themba. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIYo9mSL69l8OpixqS2THCaZmJ3Wdszl8QV7iKZJj7bpaYFJMeqlsYz2fm8fs1Sdnh1Lceo8TyoATMemX1mWZJxhbRZfJD2glOB1txnNo7sjuZoxM7jThf4F9efxSTo4EaKtLdvGerZo/s1600/picture_60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIYo9mSL69l8OpixqS2THCaZmJ3Wdszl8QV7iKZJj7bpaYFJMeqlsYz2fm8fs1Sdnh1Lceo8TyoATMemX1mWZJxhbRZfJD2glOB1txnNo7sjuZoxM7jThf4F9efxSTo4EaKtLdvGerZo/s1600/picture_60.jpg" height="122" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There, barely a mile northeast of the village at the edge of a mushroom tree forest, the young man was explained the situation and quickly agreed. With Manelesi safely back at the village, the companions resumed their journey east, led by Themba who seemed to know the path quite well. After a couple hours, they finally arrived in a large clearing in the middle of which stood a large pyramidal structure, made with the now usual crudely worked white stone:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Themba refused to go too close, obviously reaching the limit of his rebellious intents and finally retreated back into the forest. Before doing so however, he informed them that the black dragon sometimes came here, for something called "Dingane" and that they should be careful, this was not a good place.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">While the base of the Pyramid was covered by the usual moss found in the area, the structure itself seemed quite clean, as if often maintained. Standing about 100' high at the top with large steps leading up, there was no obvious entry passage to be found.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The area around the Pyramid seemed devoid of animal life and plunged into an eerie silence overall.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqwzuPWwFGeLBX5KsbCJDpJQTIwzisc-C3bXUHp5hqhi7n_nTcfdd96N8HlMtkUpUstQEKXXqxhbCi41fX-fIFU1YdXT06GBe1FhPxtPhVlzwJo_RDDEuL-lQkEvdPq_N57hFu6Nv6SM/s1600/picture_58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqwzuPWwFGeLBX5KsbCJDpJQTIwzisc-C3bXUHp5hqhi7n_nTcfdd96N8HlMtkUpUstQEKXXqxhbCi41fX-fIFU1YdXT06GBe1FhPxtPhVlzwJo_RDDEuL-lQkEvdPq_N57hFu6Nv6SM/s1600/picture_58.jpg" height="342" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After some time discussing their options and how to approach the structure, they finally climbed the well used large stairs all the way to the top. There, they found a 30' wide platform, with a large hole in the middle and apparently leading down about 100' below, inside the Pyramid itself.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To scout the area below, Serrin went in first after they had secured ropes together. He was quickly joined by a worried Zao-Rin though after a quick reconnaissance and word of warning from Serrin, they both climbed back up the rope, to discuss what they had found:</span><br />
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The large chamber was in very poor condition with mushroom trees growing oddly all around. The mushroom trees were in bad shape as well, their bark grayish and dried up. Serrin immediately perceived that something was wrong with most of the smaller ones and indeed, a large number were actually Basidiomids, mushroom men, though they seem dormant for now.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">On the floor were multiple fossilized skeletons, easily recognizable as dragon bones, as well as remains of what seemed to be shells of large eggs, fossilized as well in their broken condition.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The walls of the stairs going out of the chamber seemed melted and pushed through, as if something large forced it's way in the passage and up the stairs.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There was a set of silver bars leading to another passage, most likely controlled by a mechanism nearby.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Finally, all but Rurik went back down, ready to fight the Basidiomids should they wake up. Nothing happened however, the chamber remaining plunged in silence as they went about and investigated further. Serrin made quick work of the mechanism and the silver bars lowered into the ground, revealing a narrow corridor, walls covered with carvings and drawings of battle scenes.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Following the corridor as it seemed to loop around on itself corner after corner, they finally reached a large sivler door with a Sun Jaw symbol on it and writings in Old Draconic quickly translated by Danik:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The carvings on the door show the binding in servitude of the Rock Claws families, both in life and in death. Above a Sun Jaw symbol, the following is written in Old Draconic: "Here lies the last Herald of the Shamed, forever Bound with his Sons but never Forgotten"</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After some debate about whether or not the door was trapped and how it was locked, Serrin and Zao-Rin justed pushed the door and, oddly enough, it opened. Not two steps past the entrance, the bounty hunted noticed glyphs on the walls ahead, faded but perceivable. Past them, a small room with an altar in the middle on which stood a large silver chalice with black filaments flowing in and out of it, as well as a number of Sarcophagi.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The glyph was taken care of as most glyphs seemed to be taken care of: with a "PSSHT" followed by a massive "BANG!". Serrin used the wall corner to protect himself however and only the nearby walls suffered damage from the thunder-wave that resulted after he scratched the glyph.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As the dust settled, kilek, Danik's trusted raven familiar, suddenly went into panic and flew back the way they came while Zao and soon after. Danik reported something brushing past them. Apart from a spectral form noticed by the monk, none could pinpoint what was the cause.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As the group entered the room, the black filaments flowing around the silver chalice went into some kind of frenzy but couldn't go further than about 5' away from it it seemed. Suddenly, a torrent of them surged into the northern Sarcophagus, the only one among the 8 that was made of pure silver, and out of it appeared a large Drakkin spectral form: </span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The specter introduced himself as The Shade of Tranur-Kun, herald of his clan. He also seemed to speak Common though later, as Danik spoke Old Draconic, implied some kind of Comprehension spell had been used.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tranur-Kun welcomed the companions as "Saviors of the Bound" and seemed quite honest about it. During the entire conversation, he seemed quite eager for them to finish their task and cast down the silver chalice, that was apparently some kind of prison for himself and his sons. The group mixed reactions were met by confusion by the Shade, since he indicated that they had broke the "Seal" already, therefore must be here to release them.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Urist detected no evil demonic or fiendish presence around but a large concentration of Life Energy, or Souls, within the Chalice.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Asked about the Crown, Tranur-Kun indicated that it was in the hands of "the enemies" which seemed to be the Sun Jaws (while he was of the Rock Claws). He could feel it still in it's resting place, even in his weakened and bound state. He mentioned that the Crown of Submission was a legendary artifact for his people, used to control Silver Dragons, their mortal enemies back before what he called "the Great Cataclysm", and thus ending their age long war against them. He called it a "Legacy of the Drakkins" that only the high priests of the Sun Jaw knew in details, but that he himself had little use for. Finally, on a personal level, he believed that the Crown itself was just a vessel for something more powerful inside it and not just a magical artifact of some kind.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Apparently, worldly matters also don't seem to matter much to him. The Simphiwe, he ignores as weaklings of no use and the black dragon, he refers to it as the "last survivor of the birthing who killed his brothers and sisters trying to survive the pyramid" but concluded that it's mind was no longer with the Drakkins legacy and therefore not a concern whatsoever.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The glyphs on the walls are apparently rituals done by Drakkin Priest in the past, binding magic into them to perform certain actions should some conditions not be met. The art of glyph drawing is an arcane knowledge and while it's easy enough for the artist himself to cancel the glyphs, it's apparently much harder for others to do so...unless of course you just explode them...</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After much talk, pressed by the Shade to cast down the chalice and release the Bound, Danik suddenly poured the black content in his mouth, trying to drink it all. The other companions immediately readied for action, not sure about the results, while the Shade seemed more annoyed than anything and kept on pressing the matter of their release.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisznnWdTEPPkkz938c7p-SzBY03ve_8Q17DV9RKNdJaOEXyqoxJXMG8kxgb5aqG6r5Ukl2ORUe2JkD_5em0h7LwBCX1qp3ZHi7xHXSnyIXQlbN_Oqbwe-hYlOI0bQHs4o8BInAP7QX3FQ/s1600/picture_59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisznnWdTEPPkkz938c7p-SzBY03ve_8Q17DV9RKNdJaOEXyqoxJXMG8kxgb5aqG6r5Ukl2ORUe2JkD_5em0h7LwBCX1qp3ZHi7xHXSnyIXQlbN_Oqbwe-hYlOI0bQHs4o8BInAP7QX3FQ/s1600/picture_59.jpg" height="377" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Danik himself remained paralyzed, as if in trance, for a moment, as visions of an empire past flashed before in his mind. Exhausted as he regained conscience some time later, finally, the chalice was cast down and the binding broken. The black filaments contained within exploded around the scholar and the room, surging in all directions and into the remaining sarcophagi. Finally, the "Sons of Tranur-Kun", more Drakin shades, emerged from them and all saluted the companions briefly, before leaving the room to find the clan and release all the Rock Claws.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Shade explained that the Crown itself was kept in it's resting place, to the South, in the great Palace of the Sun Jaws itself and that they will not let it go easily. Finally, saluting them once more as the Saviors of the Rock Jaws, the Last Herald left.<br /><br />Searching the room quickly, Zao-rin discovered that all the sarcophagi were devoid of any possession or even burial honors apart from a symbol of the Rock Jaws carved onto them. As they were discussing their next step and the consequences of the release of the Rock Jaws, Rurik stepped into the room...</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-62255697821749087172014-03-18T14:20:00.001+01:002014-03-18T21:48:45.460+01:00WB2, Session 16-17: Hic Sunt Dracones<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Session 16-17:</b> "Hic Sunt Dracones"<br /><i>Sunday 18th, April 1001 AC<br />(destiny token 1)</i></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><b>Companions</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Urist, dwarven cleric of Kagyar (level 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rurik, dwarven fighter (level 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Zao-rin, human monk (level 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Danik, human scholar mage (level 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Serrin, human bounty hunter (level 3)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Lost companions</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Grom, half-orc druid, went missing during dragon attack.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Adran, gnome bard, fell to his death after being dropped by a Drahie.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And so the companions were camping in the tall grassland after the fight against the Shrillers. During the long rest, Serrin, who was feeling better and had managed to track them down, arrived and joined them.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />The next day, the party pushed North-East for a time, around the swamp and it's dense fog. Following the cliffs marking the border of this region, they found the rubble left by the black dragon's efforts to try and destroy the rock ceiling (see <a href="http://virtualtabletopping.blogspot.fr/2014/02/wb2-session-14-fist-on-furies.html" target="_blank">session 14</a>). The entire area was hills of fallen rock and debris, most melted by the acid breath of the beast. Above, the ceiling was like an inverted crater, massive in scope and depth, as if this was not the dragon's first attempt at the task.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Logic dictating that a black dragon would sooner find a lair in the swamp itself then on rocks, the companions then headed South East, down into the deep fog surrounding the bog for miles. There, moving from earth patch to earth patch, avoiding stepping into the murky waters, everything seemed dead or decaying. Nothing grew but lichen and moss, husks of mushroom trees dotting the waters. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Hours later, they arrived at what appeared to be a large body of water at the foot of the cliff walls. Going around it, they soon reached a massive structure that seemed to be mostly buried into the cliff itself, only the entrance visible. Made of white granite stone, with the now common veins of black and crudely worked, the archway and the stairs leading further in sat oddly in the open, as if misaligned with the ground.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jJoa4HhP2P2oD_h-nfXf29EDPnSOPhXo_ym-j7Ronj1ldSiwVpJWNJhHoSmoaUVDcTM7MLni64cCo0Ks8nD9Iu-jQspqQwxW090pDswa5lG3_c7An64u58WZZSvodrG-qUe8D4zF-Sw/s1600/picture_57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Hall in the buried ruins, unknown author" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jJoa4HhP2P2oD_h-nfXf29EDPnSOPhXo_ym-j7Ronj1ldSiwVpJWNJhHoSmoaUVDcTM7MLni64cCo0Ks8nD9Iu-jQspqQwxW090pDswa5lG3_c7An64u58WZZSvodrG-qUe8D4zF-Sw/s1600/picture_57.jpg" height="200" title="Hall in the buried ruins, unknown author" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Carefully entering the structure, they stepped into a colossal hall, completely in ruin, buried by thousands of tons of rocks, the ground clogged by infiltrating waters and covered by a thick layer of moss, with every step making a "plosh" sound. Exploring the hall, they found steps leading to a massive silver statue of a reptilian humanoid standing in the middle of a large alcove with the walls covered by carvings.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Pushing the exploration further, Serrin spotted one of the glyphs on the walls leading to silver doors and the party soon found out that they behaved quite like the ones from the Dragon-Bone Temple ruins (see <a href="http://virtualtabletopping.blogspot.fr/2014/01/session-10-ruins-of-dragon-bone-temple.html" target="_blank">session 10</a>). As soon as the glyph activated, an ear-splitting noise exploded in the buried ruins, awakening a pack of Dire Stirges that was nesting atop the mushroom trees of the large hall.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhDhkGBii_5qzMsP_5yywBDGQ3nB14makYhjwsZ1tB7vikN_6YHHX9qviWNiKEyqwvWNtI8GoAq1yiT8f9fMepZdNi3aMD2g953kFnpIrH1KbNCnTGYiKmKqADCsTIhEDvRwwURKsL3w/s1600/picture_54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Fighting the Dire Stirges" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhDhkGBii_5qzMsP_5yywBDGQ3nB14makYhjwsZ1tB7vikN_6YHHX9qviWNiKEyqwvWNtI8GoAq1yiT8f9fMepZdNi3aMD2g953kFnpIrH1KbNCnTGYiKmKqADCsTIhEDvRwwURKsL3w/s1600/picture_54.jpg" height="182" title="Fighting the Dire Stirges" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As Serrin destroyed the glyphs, making them explode, combat erupted against half a dozen young Dire Stirges and two large adult ones. The fight was bloody, with Urist and Danik being grabbed and thrown around, but in the end the companions prevailed and Zao-rin managed to chase down the last hiding young Dire Stirges. Near their nest, he found a hole carved out in the mushroom itself, filled with some kind of bloody substance and quickly left as he realized that odd emanations were coming from it.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Finally, they decided to rest for a short time in a room they had discovered:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rurik found two Sun Jaws silver pendants, each about palm-size and depicting a reptile jaw around a black sun, like the one Urist had found back in the Dragon-Bone ruins.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Danik grabbed a couple of Silvery lidquid in flasks.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A ruined bone box like the one Serrin had found, most of the leathery pages inside destroyed by time. Danik however managed to link some of the symbols to the other pages and determined that this was actually a Spell-Book of some kind, with a kind of magic he never heard of!</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Later on, they resumed the exploration and the ruins and Serrin found a secret panel at the base of the Silver Statue, leading to stairs and further inside the structure. Going carefully from room to room, trying to find a path and some details about the nature of the ruins, they found:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rooms with large stone Sarcophagi carved with the same Sun Jaws symbol as well as other drawings on them. Opening one, Zao-Rin found a mummified body of a reptilian humanoid inside and a strange weapon, worn by it as a belt. Later, Danik deciphered the name of the weapon carved onto it in Old Draconic: <i>Long Claw of Hratun-Kur</i></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Urist, while keeping watch in the rear, noticed that some of the carvings here were in much better conditions and after some time studying them, isolated two ceremonies being depicted:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Pyramid Ceremony: </b>Atop a pyramid, stick figures with bat-like wings and all wearing a Jaw around a Black Sun symbol are gathered around a black oblong object that is almost as big as themselves and seem to be performing some kind of ceremony or ritual. Above the pyramid is a large flying reptilian, all black.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Submission Ceremony:</b> A group of stick figures with various symbols on their chest are gathered around a larger one with a Jaw around a Black Sun symbol and some kind of large helmet with filaments coming out of it. In front of him is a large reptilian creature, painted in paler colors, that seems to be submissive. In the background are more of the reptilian creatures.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Deeper, they reached an area were even the walls were coated by some kind of silver painting, mostly ruined and in very poor condition due to the massive water infiltration. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As Serrin moved to investigate various doors there, Spectral creatures, shaped by black filaments immediately attacked him. During the battle, the ghosts kept howling at the companions in Old Draconic but despite their incorporeal nature and weak attack by a nest of Giant Centipedes thinking they had found good preys, the party prevailed. Afterwards, Danik revealed that the Specters kept calling Urist and Rurik "traitors", calling others "blasphemers" and "infidels". A link with the Sun Jaw Pendants some of the companions had was then made since only Urist and Rurik had one. </span></div>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_a4_3TLBaVqxITnbhDWaN8A8a7OgCeU_ccsni1utWqadaDkrZ1d7dr5hOes944hYCn1ByojtU-d9hPAW13XNGlI2gCujx8dRnD9uhgtBo6LPjMNjctXW2TCPMrOAP0WJqC6_Ky12k7g/s1600/picture_55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Sun Jaw Specters" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_a4_3TLBaVqxITnbhDWaN8A8a7OgCeU_ccsni1utWqadaDkrZ1d7dr5hOes944hYCn1ByojtU-d9hPAW13XNGlI2gCujx8dRnD9uhgtBo6LPjMNjctXW2TCPMrOAP0WJqC6_Ky12k7g/s1600/picture_55.jpg" height="428" title="The Sun Jaw Specters" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In the various Sarcophagi of the Spectral apparitions, they found them filled up with the same silvery liquid that Danik was collecting in various flasks and he ditched some of his oil to grab some more, hoping it'd come useful at some point.</span></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Pushing further and following an acidic smell into the underground tunnels carved by the infiltrating waters, they left the ruins themselves, only to reach, some time later, a massive cave system. The smell of acid there was almost unbearable, each breath burning mouth, nose and lungs.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbryyRtnolp_WvFYqshVLtUx0G6cUSQLo-fjJvTGCkUhsWIiKGAIGV8wuenujjB9Wsuq4dXD2peQ9Xf-O-jFbT9l652iLufZAd5Cuvn6ge8Sdpyau7hKtUaL1Ay4nJ7oDXnnzv4EOaBys/s1600/picture_56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Meeting Ziphozonke, the Black Dragon" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbryyRtnolp_WvFYqshVLtUx0G6cUSQLo-fjJvTGCkUhsWIiKGAIGV8wuenujjB9Wsuq4dXD2peQ9Xf-O-jFbT9l652iLufZAd5Cuvn6ge8Sdpyau7hKtUaL1Ay4nJ7oDXnnzv4EOaBys/s1600/picture_56.jpg" height="408" title="Meeting Ziphozonke, the Black Dragon" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There, near a large body of water in the cave, they met the Black Dragon, Ziphozonke himself, as he emerged from the water when Danik called him out. Serrin, his draco-phobia hitting once again in full, was nearly catatonic when Urist dragged him out of sight. Meanwhile, Danik and Zao-rin worked out a plan to try and dupe the Dragon into revealing more than it should and while Ziphozonke saw right through the illusion of Danik in an instant:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The beast behavior was odd, sometimes apparently talking to himself, or something else.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Zao-Rin noticed many injuries and scars on it's wings, scales and neck. Some recent, some very old and healed over many times. The dragon also seemed to have trouble breathing his acid, at one point trying, when Danik annoyed him, but soon stopping.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The beast seemed to accept Zao-Rin and Danik's submission and while at first laughing at their offer of help, he finally mentioned a artifact, a Helm, that would allow him to fight the "old enemies" once he had "broken out the skies". He hinted at a "Pyramid" he knew a long time ago, and that the Simphiwe should know about it.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As Danik and Zao-rin were finally dismissed by the dragon, they found Urist, with Rurik and Serrin, in a foul mood, weapons at the ready. After some time explaining that it was all a ruse to have the dragon reveal information, the companions finally decided to fall back to the village of the Simphiwe as soon as possible.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A day and a half later, they finally reached the village and, spending the "night" resting, now find themselves around breakfast, in Manelesi's now familiar hut, discussing what comes next...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Post Session Notes:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Way too crazy and busy last week to keep things updated so this should encompass both weeks sessions.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://virtualtabletopping.blogspot.fr/2014/02/monster-of-week-dire-stirge.html" target="_blank">Dire Stirges</a> were pretty fun to play with. I was not 100% sure on how to balance them but the encounter was interesting, not overwhelming and yet dangerous enough. All in all, they can be a nightmare (especially as flying creatures), or just a fun little encounter.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">How to handle insanely big and powerful beings properly? Not sure. Usually I just lay down basic behavior, knowledge, experience and goals, then go with that, hoping I'll keep things coherent. I was a bit limited by the fact that English is not my first language but overall, think that encounter went decently enough.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The spell-book is actually related to a new school of magic I've been working called School of Entropy. It's based on manipulating life-force mainly. As Danik researches it, I'll post details here as well.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'll post details about the Long Claw of Hratun-Kur (an exotic, martial, silver urumi) later on this week.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-47365462891344693832014-03-05T12:14:00.000+01:002014-03-05T12:32:18.070+01:00WB2, Session 15: Climbing the Food Chain<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Session 15:</b> "Climbing the Food Chain"<br /><i>Saturday 17th, April 1001 AC<br />(destiny token 1)</i></span><br />
<div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><b>Companions</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Urist, dwarven cleric of Kagyar (level 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rurik, dwarven fighter (level 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Zao-rin, human monk (level 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Danik, human scholar mage (level 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Serrin, human bounty hunter (level 3), still recuperating in the village</span></li>
</ul>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Lost companions</b><br />
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Grom, half-orc druid, went missing during dragon attack.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Adran, gnome bard, fell to his death after being dropped by a Drahie.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And so the companions had made it back to the Simphiwe village. There, they found Danik up and awake though Serrin would still be out of commission for a bit.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />After a rest, they shared breakfast in Manelesi's hut, discussing their situation. Urist, still perplexed by many of the recent events, asked the young woman to clarify a couple things:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Her low chanting is apparently a form of prayer she does when someone mentions something she's not used to hear, to re-affirm her respect and submission to "He We are Of", the black dragon they call Ziphozonke.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">They don't seem to use any herbal medicine, relying instead of the someone called Nozizwe, who can heal apparently, and lived in a large hut near the middle of the village</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">They seem to use leathery scarf to protect themselves against the spores of the "walking mushrooms", also called Basitiomids. According to Manelesi, the small ones are not dangerous but the bigger ones are.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Wanting to learn more, the group then went out to see if they could meet this Nozizwe. Near the center of the village, passing the group of five women doing their strange rituals in the charred circle, they soon arrived at the woman's hut, of the same making of the other but slightly larger. Outside, near the entrance, were a lot of tools and ornaments made of silver, very old and crudely worked and clearly not made by the Simphiwe themselves.<br /><br />Urist was the first to cross the threshold, pushing aside the heavy leather curtain. All followed but Rurik who stood guard outside.<br /><br />The inside of the hut was quite different from the almost non existent decorum of most of the huts in the village. The walls were covered with large animal skins and leathery curtains, mostly charred black. In the center, was a large chair facing the entrance, with bits and pieces of silver all around it. On it, an old woman half covered by a hooded cloak made of some kind of blue leather that also had been charred on the outside. <br /><br />As the companions took their place in the hut, Danik and Zao-Rin noticed something odd about the old woman: Here and there on her exposed skin were small dark patches, similar to very small black scales.<br /><br />Urist spoke first and soon Danik and Zao-rin joined in, each with their own questions, and looking for their own answers. The old woman was apparently waiting for them and answered most of the questions, though not always in words they could understand.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">She seems to consider that the Simphiwe have always been in this place and belong to the black dragon though the meaning of this "belonging" was left vague.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">She seems very interested in the "other places" the companions talked of, having a hard time believing them and yet apparently forced to admit it due to their obvious different nature and uniqueness in the cave, as well as their recent arrival.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">She considers the cave ceiling as their "sky" and while Urist tried to explain what a sky was and the nature of the cave, Nozizwe mostly dismissed the notion.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">She seemed strongly devoted to the black dragon called Ziphozonke and apparently considers it as the absolute master and ruler of the land.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As the discussion went by and the companions tried to explain the nature of the cave they were currently in and the world above, the fact that the ceiling was not a skin, but more like a roof, the old woman suddenly seem to come to the realization that the black dragon was actually trying to "break the sky" and that alarmed her greatly. <br /><br />She urged the group of leave immediately. As they reached the outside of the hut, Nozizwe looked up to the cave ceiling, toward the northeast of the village and Rurik noticed something odd with her eyes for just a second: They changed from human eyes to reptilian eyes, then back.<br /><br />For a long time, the group stood there, outside Nozizwe's hut, and loudly debated on the nature of divinities and what it entailed, The rational of Danik clashing with the Divine mind of Urist while Rurik and Zao-rin tried to calm them. Many of the villagers seemed distraught at the discussion that was disturbing their peace and quiet and soon they were all making wide circles around the group, as if hoping not to get caught in the middle.<br /><br />Finally, Zao-rin suggested that if the black dragon was indeed trying to get out of the cave, maybe they should go and talk with it and even combine forces for a time. That took some convincing but in the end, Urist also agreed and the companions gathered their gear and left the village, heading East.<br /><br />The journey took about 10 hours. First east toward the lake and while at one point Rurik apparently spotted a hooded figure walking into a nearby mushroom forest, the journey was uneventful. Once at the lake, the companions pushed north once again.</span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3x8yXbB9FPd6zHo_DrFGnZJScbdXNvHMeQMfvMQH_jyJOMjFCJXdHlESPx8JnHmZY_RSkqqgOb73fyeqiky6-ADHGlI6h6-Wa2PaHeXAlFGTs7h9veptfW0fSrB4WUQoZcZ0ePPAwjk/s1600/Displacer_Beast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual, Gary Gygax, 1977" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3x8yXbB9FPd6zHo_DrFGnZJScbdXNvHMeQMfvMQH_jyJOMjFCJXdHlESPx8JnHmZY_RSkqqgOb73fyeqiky6-ADHGlI6h6-Wa2PaHeXAlFGTs7h9veptfW0fSrB4WUQoZcZ0ePPAwjk/s1600/Displacer_Beast.JPG" title="Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual, Gary Gygax, 1977" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><br />As they were reaching the end of the grassland hills, Rurik, who was keeping watch, sensed that they were being stalked and immediately the group took defensive positions. As Zao-rin moved about in the middle of the tall blades of the strange grass, he was suddenly attacked by a large black feline, with two tentacles on it's back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">As combat erupted, the feline's form seem to blur sometimes, making it harder to hit though that hardly phased the monk who hit it in a rapid fire of hand strikes within seconds. With Danik releasing Kilek and funneling magic through the bird, Rurik wielding his large battleaxe and Urist unleashing Radiant Flames, the tentacled black beast clearly realized the mistake it had made but as it seemed ready to bolt, a cacophony of shrills came from the east, sending the big cat in a clear state of fear.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />Soon, the battlefield was pure chaos. Swarms of tiny blues creatures emerged from the tall grass all around the companions, threatening to overcome Zao-rin, Urist and Rurik. The feline, who had disengaged and was running south, was attacked by something and was now backtracking at full speed, heading north, completely ignoring the companions, thinking only about survival.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />Fighting the swarm with weapons proved a challenge, their very diffuse nature making blows less effective while they could hinder and overcome you easily. Realizing this, Danik jumped in and let loose a couple of spells. Thunder-wave proved the most efficient as dozens of the tiny blue shrilling creatures exploded.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />From the south, after the feline, came a large creature, blue as well but the size of a big dog. Standing only on two back legs, it had a horrible maw made of three massive jaws. It rushed after the big cat first, but realized that the companions were the the current threat and turned on them then. As it let loose an ear-splitting shrill sounding like "TWEEEEK!", it's eyes locked onto Danik's and immediately the mage fell to the ground, convulsing for a moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It was bloody but in the end, the group prevailed, injured but alive. The swarms had been dispatched and the large blue creature now laid dead, taken mid-run by Urist's Radiant Flames as it was trying to escape. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />As silence returned on the grassland, the companions decided to find a safe place to take some rest and bandage their wounds...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Post Session Notes:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After being dogged by them for about three or four sessions now, party finally met with the <a href="http://virtualtabletopping.blogspot.fr/2014/02/monster-of-week-voracious-shriller.html" target="_blank">Voracious Shrillers</a>. Was designed as a tough encounter and think it was so quite happy about it. Danik and Urist used a lot of spells and Thunder-wave proved, once again, to be a very good spell. Bit too many "effects" slowed down pacing a bit, but that big combat was barely an hour long despite it's complexity so I'm good with that.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I usually handle all "random" things during prep, before session. Things like weather, random encounters, dragon events and whatnot, I sort through them before we start and keep a list ready by area. I had this double encounter cooked up a long time ago and glad it finally came up. The idea of a Displacer Beast AND Voracious Shrillers stalking the PCs, and competing for them was good fun in my mind and it turned out to be. I giggled like a little girl when I had the Displacer Beast appear scared by the shrills and Rurik said "That's a bad sign".</span></li>
</ul>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-4968136200872287712014-02-27T20:28:00.000+01:002014-03-01T19:19:53.497+01:00Monster of the week: Voracious Shriller<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This week's creature is another home-brew for my current campaign: the Voracious Shriller, both in young swarming form, or the quite dangerous adult form.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In many ways, it's behavior is akin to the Velociraptor from Jurassic Park, with a twist to it. It's above intelligence (for an animal) and innate Psionic abilities make it quite dangerous for any party wandering the countryside.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>"What the hell is happening!?</i></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>" </i></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(A young adventurer caught in the middle of a Voracious Shriller swarm's Cacophony)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>Voracious Shriller(swarm)</b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSspql_8GdP0qLUjlgyaGR_9JAV-bCavS5bE_xGEnSPgm5RtGRj9a34HGO9eyQm44zLNi72o3BLGoPuMmraNewMsv9b6yS_skGWBxSnx_T6HHRc92Jz_GzULCyil6RS2_Y_g79jxOZHQ/s1600/M_LEAPER_SWARM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Leaper Swarm, based on Devlin Nigh Etheral Marauder token" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSspql_8GdP0qLUjlgyaGR_9JAV-bCavS5bE_xGEnSPgm5RtGRj9a34HGO9eyQm44zLNi72o3BLGoPuMmraNewMsv9b6yS_skGWBxSnx_T6HHRc92Jz_GzULCyil6RS2_Y_g79jxOZHQ/s1600/M_LEAPER_SWARM.png" height="200" title="Leaper Swarm, based on Devlin Nigh Etheral Marauder token" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Large Swarm/ Tiny animal</b><br /><b>Armor Class</b> 10<br /><b>Hit Points</b> 25 (3d10+3)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Speed </b>30' (6 squares)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Initiative </b>+2</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Senses </b>ultra-vision (60')</span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">STR</b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(14/2) </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">DEX </b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(14/2</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">) </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">CON</b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(12/1</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">)</span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">INT</b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(6/-2) </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">WIS</b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(14/2) </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">CHA</b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(8/-1)</span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Alignment </b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">unaligned</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Languages </b>basic, animal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Traits</u></span></b></span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
<li><b>Swarm Resistance:</b> A swarm has Resistance to all single target damage and has Advantage to all saves due to it's diffuse, overwhelming and chaotic nature. </li>
<li><b>Swarm Vulnerability:</b> A swarm is Vulnerable to any area effect damage and has Disadvantage to all saves against Area Effects.</li>
<li><b>Swarm Form:</b> A swarm can squeeze through gaps fitting it's smallest member, usually a tiny creature.</li>
<li><b>Swarm Dynamics:</b> When an enemy creature within 5' ends it's turn, the Swarm will gain an immediate Reaction. This action can be one of the following:</li>
<ul>
<li><i>Overcome:</i> Large and smaller creature. The Swarm tries to overcome and topple the creature. Make a STR vs STR context. On failure, the target falls Prone and takes d6+2 damage.</li>
<li><i>Disengage:</i> The Swarm tries to move away from the creature. It gains Disengage and must use it instantly.</li>
</ul>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Actions</b></u></span></span></div>
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<ul><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
<li><b>Melee Attack - Hundreds of Teeth:</b> +5 to hit (reach 5', one creature). Hit: 8 (2d4+2) piercing damage. On hit, the target is Hindered (as per Combat Action rule).(<i>"The swarm moves onto you, climbing your body, trying to pierce armor and skin with hundreds of razor-sharp teeth!")</i></li>
<li><b>Range Attack - Cacophony (5-6): </b>(Cloud 60', anyone who can hear it, Mind Affecting). Each Creature in range make a WIS save DC12. On failure, it is Deafened and Paralyzed for 1 minute (10 rounds). Make another save at the end of each affected creatures turns. On success, the effect ends and the creature can act normally on it's next turn. (<i>"The deafening shrills from the swarm overwhelms your senses, as if thousands of needles were plunged into your brain at the same time!"</i>)</li>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Encounter Building</b> Level (3) Experience (80)<br /><b>Description</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Female adult Voracious Shriller can lay 50-150 (10d20) eggs a year, during which the male (usually smaller and weaker) is killed. These eggs will take about a month to hatch. From then on, the young will behave as one entity, linked together by a collective mindset (Psionic in nature) under the control of the adult female. For about 2 years, they will gain very little mass nor grow much in size.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The swarm will often be left by the female to hunt and feed on it's own though, if the female senses trouble, either directly or via the mind feedback from the swarm, she will order the swarm to retreat to the lair while she goes and deal with it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After 2 years however, they will gain individual consciousness and a fierce competition will erupt among the young, during which most of them will be killed. The few survivors will then be chased away from the lair by the Female, and repeat the cycle elsewhere, as adults.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Swarms hunting patterns are to stalk, confuse, then ambush their preys. When the attack is decided, it will use it's Cacophony attack (which is actually Psionic; the shrills just adding some effect to it) then move in and try to overwhelm the target as fast as possible.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Environment</b>(rare/1-4)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">High grasslands, Dense forests<br /><b>Behavior </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Chaotic, Territorial, Predator (stalker), Omnivore</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Load-Out </b><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">n/a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Treasure</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">n/a (see Note on Lair)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><b>Voracious Shriller(adult)</b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEu25mhMpaW6IKxn0YFXEZu3y_uPE0rrNKEIkbGJ5jJNlmfm2OY6-ZBxIdtVwwrr6xISe6TusvUcvHn0sv1YkLHp3SXwoAm6mCXMUtTiffMGI3zamiK-JUDOgwHHbAPhL9ltzgglv_Y7s/s1600/ad27aa1f197dd786b86434f71f330594-d2yt2gl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEu25mhMpaW6IKxn0YFXEZu3y_uPE0rrNKEIkbGJ5jJNlmfm2OY6-ZBxIdtVwwrr6xISe6TusvUcvHn0sv1YkLHp3SXwoAm6mCXMUtTiffMGI3zamiK-JUDOgwHHbAPhL9ltzgglv_Y7s/s1600/ad27aa1f197dd786b86434f71f330594-d2yt2gl.jpg" height="135" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Large Animal</b><br /><b>Armor Class</b> 14<br /><b>Hit Points</b> 50 (6d10+6)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Speed </b>40' (8 squares)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Initiative </b>+4</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Senses </b>ultra-vision (60')</span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">STR</b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(16/3) </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">DEX </b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(14/2</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">) </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">CON</b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(16/3</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">)</span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">INT</b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(10/0) </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">WIS</b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(12/1) </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">CHA</b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(8/-1)</span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Alignment </b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">unaligned</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Languages </b>basic, animal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Traits</u></span></b></span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
<li><b>Shelled Mind:</b> The Voracious Shriller's mind is protected against all mind affecting spells and it receives Advantage on such Saves.</li>
<li><b>Cunning Reflexes:</b> The Voracious Shriller's instincts allows him to take a second Action on each of it's turns. This action can only be used to Disengage, Hide or Hustle.</li>
<li><b>Mind Invasion: </b>A creature targeted by the Mind Invasion effect is considered as Unconscious in respect to anything happening but the Mind Invasion. At the beginning of each of the target's turns, Make an INT contest check between the Shriller and the target. Whoever wins the contest inflicts d6 + INT modifier between the two as temporary INT damage to the other. Temporary INT is restored after a short rest.</li>
<ul>
<li>If the Shriller reaches 0 temporary INT first, the Mind Invasion ends and the Shriller is Stunned until the end of it's next Turn.</li>
<li>If the Target reaches 0 temporary INT first, it's mind is destroyed and falls into a coma (see note: Coma).</li>
<li>On a critical failure by either the target or the Shriller, the lost INT is 2d6 + INT modifier instead. </li>
<li>On a critical success by the target, Mind Invasion ends immediately and the Shriller is Stunned until the end of it's next Turn.</li>
<li>If the Shriller suffers Stunned, Charmed, Deafened, Intoxicated, Paralyzed or Unconscious status during a Mind Invasion, the effect automatically ends.</li>
</ul>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u><b>Actions</b></u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>(When the Voracious Shriller uses the Attack Action, he can choose to make another Bite or Claws Attack as part of the current Action)</i></span></div>
<div>
<ul><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
<li><b>Melee Attack - Bite:</b> +5 to hit (reach 5', one creature). Hit: 10 (2d6+3) piercing damage.(<i>"the Shriller tries to bite you!")</i></li>
<li><b>Melee Attack - Claws: </b>+4 to hit (reach 5', one creature). Hit: 8 (d8+3) slashing damage. On hit, make a STR vs STR/DEX (target decides) Contest check. On failure, Target is Prone. ("the Shriller leaps onto you, claws forward!")</li>
<li><b>Range Attack - Mind Lash (6): </b>(30', one creature, ignore cover). Make a INT save DC 14. On failure, target is affected by Mind Invasion (see traits). A Voracious Shriller can only maintain one Mind Invasion at a time but can keep attacking normally otherwise.(<i>"the Shriller let loose an ear-splitting cry as it's eyes lock with yours for a second, and you feel something entering your mind!"</i>)</li>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Encounter Building</b> Level (6) Experience (600)<br /><b>Description</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Voracious Shrillers are large bipedal beasts with disproportionate jaws that open three ways, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. They usually have a thick bluish hide that earned them the name of "Sapphire Devils" in some regions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To the experienced adventurers, they look quite alike the Ethereal Marauders but while they might have a common ancestor, the Shriller and the Marauder only have in common their looks and their intelligence.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Most of the adult Voracious Shrillers are females, the male being very shy and usually dead within a year or two of reaching adulthood. The females are very clever predators, stalking and ambushing preys, sometimes for days, waiting for the correct time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">During combat, it will try to weaken it's prey, rushing in to bite and claw at it, then running away using it's Cunning Reflexes. Against multiple opponents, it will use Mind Lash on the most obviously dangerous one, while focusing it's physical attacks on the apparently weaker ones.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As a note, the Female Voracious Shriller is automatically aware of anything happening to it's infant swarms if within a 5 miles radius.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Shrillers live for about 20 to 30 years but remain quite rare due to their voracious nature and tendency to kill each other.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Environment</b>(rare/1)</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">High grasslands, Dense forests<br /><b>Behavior </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Chaotic, Territorial, Predator (stalker), Omnivore, Ultra Aggressive, Intelligent Hunter</span></div>
<div>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Load-Out </b><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">n/a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Treasure</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">n/a (see Note on Lair)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><b>Note </b>Coma<br />When in a Comatose state, you are considered as Unconscious and you need others to take care of you, feed you and all that it means.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For each full week in Coma, roll a DC10 INT Check. You awake after 3 successes, critical successes counting for 2, critical failure removing 2 success and normal failure removing 1.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If you go below 0 successes at any point, you die.</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The Spell Lesser Restoration can be used once per day to grant an additional automatic Success.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The Spell Greater Restoration can be used to immediately leave the comatose state caused by Mind Invasion.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><b>Note </b>Lair</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The lair of the Voracious Shriller will usually be a small tunnel system dug up directly under the earth somewhere within it's 10 miles territory. The passages will be about 5' high by 5' wide and quite steep at first, leveling after about 30' and leading into a main chamber around 40' by 40'. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There will be the eggs or the very young Shrillers and the remains of whoever and whatever the Shriller brought home for dinner.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Quick Plot Hook</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The PCs are hired as bodyguards to the local Lord's son during the spring hunting party and after a couple days travelling through the old forest, people start going missing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">First it was the maid who disappeared without a trace during the night. Then it was the cook who went to collect water from the river and never returned. Then, one night, the hunting party is attacked by swarms of bluish shrilling creatures, leaving barely anyone alive and fit....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A Voracious Shriller recently established it's lair in the local forest and since then, game has been scarce and people have gone missing. Another swarm just hatched recently, bringing the number to four now, and the mommy is on the prowl as well, glad to see so many tasty creatures so close to it's lair.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Hunted, with many injured or comatose, the PCs must bring the lord's son back to safety at all cost, the nearest village being 3 days through thick forest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-25572028246548206692014-02-25T21:02:00.001+01:002014-03-05T12:10:28.818+01:00WB2, Session 14: Fist on Furies!<i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Session 14:</b> "Fists on Furies!"<br />Tuesday 13th, April 1001 AC<br />(destiny token: 1)</span></i><br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><b>Companions</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Urist, dwarven cleric of Kagyar (level 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rurik, dwarven fighter (level 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Zao-rin, human monk (level 3)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Danik, human scholar mage (level 3), still recuperating in the village</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Serrin, human bounty hunter (level 3), still recuperating in the village</span></li>
</ul>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Lost companions</b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Grom, half-orc druid, went missing during dragon attack.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Adran, gnome bard, fell to his death after being dropped by a Drahie.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />And so days passed...<br />After weeks being cut off from civilization, the peace and quiet monotony of the village allowed the companions time to rest and train, their bodies and mind finally feeling fully reinvigorated.<br /><br />The young woman who offered you shelter is preparing crabs nearby. In the corner, Danik is sleeping, his body not fully healed yet. Yesterday morning, Serrin also got sick while tasting some local herbs and he's also sleeping on his bedroll.<br />Time in a place with no sun is not a simple thing to keep track of, but the party found itself in Manelesi hut at the end of their day, sitting on the floor around a small fire while having dinner, pondering what to do next.<br />Most of the evening was spent discussing the bizarre customs of the villagers and commenting on what they had noticed the week past. Their basic knowledge of the local language helped somewhat communicating with Manelesi and they learned that:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Themba</i>, the young man the companions had freed from the Drahies, is Manelesi's partner but seems now to be an outcast, living alone outside the village. He does seem to come here and there, discreetly, to see Manelesi.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Zao-rin learned that the Simphiwe consider the Drahies as somewhat sacred, as belonging to to something or someone they call "He, We are of". When pushed on the matter, Manelesi simply pointed at the sky north-east, then whispered a name: <i>Ziphozonke, the Black Shadow.</i> This might be the master of the Drahies somehow.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">By the end of the evening, Urist suggested going back to the Drahie lair they had assaulted previously and check on the buried passage Rurik and himself had noticed behind the statue of a winged reptilian humanoid. All agreed, and went to bed.<br /><br />Most of the following day was spent travelling with Rurik taking on to himself to try and map the area, while Zao-Rin kept an eye around for danger and Urist, as usual, foraged whatever he could. After a couple hours going through the now familiar tall grassland, Zao-Rin spotted something to the north-east. A flying creature, massive and dark as night, circling below the cave ceiling some miles north-east of them.<br />Immediately, Rurik recognized the creature to be a black dragon, a good 100-130' long. Urist yelled "Get Down!" as he dove to the ground, trying to hide between the tall blades of grass. Perplexed, the monk lowered himself slowly into the grass.<br /><br /><i>...hidden in the tall grass, time passed...</i><br /><br />Suddenly, a loud roar echoed through the massive cave, followed by a pandemonium of sounds. Looking up, the companions witnessed a scene of pure chaos, miles to the north-east:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The black dragon was launching waves of acid onto the ceiling rocks, then circled around before ramming it full speed.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tons and tons of rock exploded with every go at the ceiling that the dragon did. As they fell hundreds of feet below, a massive cloud of debris began to form, making things hard to see.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After about half a dozen attempts, the black dragon suddenly seemed to go limp after hitting the ceiling and fell straight down, disappearing into the dust cloud below as more rocks collapsed from the cave ceiling.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Once the calm and quiet came back, the companions discussed the recent events before resuming their march north-east, after agreeing that while it would be out of the question to face such a beast, they might have to pass it somehow if they were to find a way out of the cave and back to the world above.<br /><br />About 6 hours later, they finally reached the cave thanks to the map Rurik had make on their previous trip. Everything was completely quiet and a quick investigation revealed that the bodies had been cleaned up and the weapons collected. The only thing left were the tents, abandoned apparently, despite Rurik finding many very recent tracks.<br /><br />Not wasting any time, the party then set up to remove the debris blocking the passage into the buried structure behind the cave and an hour later, finally took a step inside. Sadly, the area was old, and completely abandoned for centuries. Amidst more debris and very meticulous investigation by Urist, only Rurik managed to find anything, an old map, somewhat protected from the damage of time in a stone chest:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The map is made of leather and is painted over. Most of the coat is gone but what's left still has some mapping symbols.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The area from the map seems to be a swamp, hundreds miles wide and with clear borders on all side which could indicate that it was a domain or realm of some kind. Not a place that any of the three companions present knew however.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There are various symbols, easily identified as Mines (One to the north, one to the south), Houses and Villages (most around the middle of the map) and even a Pyramid and what seems to be a Palace (around the south of the map).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Many of the houses and villages symbols have symbols of Reptilian Jaws around a Blackened Sun, like Urist's pendant. Others have the symbol of Claws around what seems to be a Rock or a Stone. The first symbol can also be seen above the Pyramid and the Palace icons.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-5zcfyD-unyK17MTyc45_0n7Rw5IY2jAGC5DqDyOD_LGl3duZVAtSk-Ht8LhVM3Y5eFTLDCkMvCZnkVkA8579QR6CSSUf4YFv1IxOn-AmaHd-At6sq4J5XSWEyBVNwe52WXC5hCP5-E/s1600/picture_51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP-5zcfyD-unyK17MTyc45_0n7Rw5IY2jAGC5DqDyOD_LGl3duZVAtSk-Ht8LhVM3Y5eFTLDCkMvCZnkVkA8579QR6CSSUf4YFv1IxOn-AmaHd-At6sq4J5XSWEyBVNwe52WXC5hCP5-E/s1600/picture_51.jpg" height="422" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">While Urist was checking another area, Zao-Rin heard something outside and as he came close to the exit, a Drahie appeared! Soon battle erupted outside the cave between the party and a flock of Drahies. Feeling rested, the monk struck many with deadly precision while Rurik cleaved left and right. Urist, faithful to his Radiant Flames, also engaged combat. The Drahies kept charging with their barbed spear, before disengaging and flying a bit away, before spitting their nasty acid onto them. Finally, Zao-rin prowess as he instantly killed on the Drahies, sent the creatures into retreat.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />Not wanting to waste any more time here and risk being once again attacked by the flying distorted harpies, the party immediately began their march back to the village. The journey was uneventful overall, though they did once again here the damned shrills while they were travelling in the grassland.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />The next afternoon, they finally arrived. Serrin was still severely sick, something even Urist's divine magic did not seem to be able to cure, but Danik was up and apparently in much better shape than before.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<b>P<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">ost Session Notes:</span></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Couple missing players and short session, mired with small problems. Still good fun but can't wait for the whole group to be there once again.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The interactions with Manelesi at the beginning of the session was quite interesting. Really like mixing meaningful and mundane NPC/PC interactions, especially when everyone stays 100% in character as everyone does. Add onto that the fact that we play 100% text based sessions via roll20 chat interface, it creates really nice scenes and discussions.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The party had finally found a place to rest last session, so we agreed that they'd spend a week there and gain their level 3 finally. I have a house-rule that makes leveling more important overall in the PC's lives. I don't really track down the XP per session (still keep somewhat of a count) and instead go for the "feel" of it. If the PCs accomplished something after some sessions, they'll be ready to level. Once there, they'll need to find (or establish) a place for them to rest for at least a week or two. Basically, no "ding" in the middle of the dungeon and whatnot.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Monks hurt...a lot. I knew they had high DPR potential but man, Zao-Rin kept critting and at one point he did 38 damage to a Drahie in a single Attack Action (ki strikes, 3 attacks, 2 crit hit). I'll see how it goes for the coming sessions.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-8694444829978931422014-02-19T19:56:00.000+01:002014-02-20T02:02:53.691+01:00Item of the Week: Deployable Pavise<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've always been a huge fan of the Genoese Crossbowman style, using a huge Siege Crossbow, while taking cover behind a Pavise. Since I've toyed around a PC concept based on that style, lately, a Fighter specialized in Archery, I wanted to polish my <i>Deployable Pavise</i> idea and make it somewhat official for my Campaigns.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>edited:</i></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>(02/20/2014) Corrected cover definition to fit D&D Next nomenclature.</i></span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Deployable Pavise<span style="font-weight: normal;"> (Shield)</span></span></h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83rsl1FnUwEBx2wVHfonl1K2_6SECBdaZvRWbiocJvWvrRbl0AqeHwYR4xnj7HqCsgMEmXU-Vvbh6GcX9D75oqzuhet9KIZZNkosSoXjpDM1GcqdBLPZ-_3iP1fgfSK1NeqYWdrexPx4/s1600/picture_43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83rsl1FnUwEBx2wVHfonl1K2_6SECBdaZvRWbiocJvWvrRbl0AqeHwYR4xnj7HqCsgMEmXU-Vvbh6GcX9D75oqzuhet9KIZZNkosSoXjpDM1GcqdBLPZ-_3iP1fgfSK1NeqYWdrexPx4/s1600/picture_43.jpg" height="200" width="147" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Price:</b> 30gp</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Weight:</b> 15 lb</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Availability:</b> Specialist, Rare (5-6)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Properties:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When Wielding the Deployable Pavise in combat, you have the following effects:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Armor Class: +3</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Speed: -5 feet (Cumulative with other Armor Speed properties)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Stealth: Disadvantage</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">You suffer Disadvantage to all DEX Checks and Saves</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">During your turn, if Wielding the </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Deployable Pavise, </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">you can do "Use an Item" Combat Action to Deploy the </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Deployable Pavise</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> anywhere in a 5' radius around you, for the following effects:</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">You lose all Wielding effects from the Deployable Pavise.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Pavise acts as Three-Quarter Cover (as per rule).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Large and smaller Creatures consider the Deployable Pavise as Impassable Terrain. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Huge and bigger Creatures ignore the Deployable Pavise and can Knock it down as part of their Move Action if they enter the same square.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Any Creature within 5' of the Deployable Pavise can do "Use an Item" Combat Action to Re-Deploy it around (5' radius), Wield it or Knock it down.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Crafting Corner </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Deployable Pavise</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Tools</b> Artisan Tools (Carpenter or Blacksmith)</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Material</b> 5gp worth of raw material, nails, etc</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Process </b>(DC15 DEX Check, 4 Successes)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Once the artisan has all the material gathered, he can make a DC15 DEX check once per Long Rest, with Proficiency bonus from the Artisan Tools if he is proficient in them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The entire process requires 4 successes.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Critical Successes count as 2 successes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Critical Failures count as 2 failure.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">5gp worth of additional raw materials are required for every 2 failures before reaching the required number of successes.</span><br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-64447166549982671432014-02-18T14:05:00.003+01:002014-02-18T14:20:31.026+01:00WB2, Session 13: Like Women Scorned<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Session 13:</b> "...Like Women Scorned"<br /><i>Friday 2nd, April 1001 AC<br />(destiny token: 1)</i></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><b>Companions</b></span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
<li>Urist, dwarven cleric of Kagyar (level 2)</li>
<li>Danik, human scholar mage (level 2), captured by the Drahies.</li>
<li>Serrin, human bounty hunter (level 2)</li>
<li>Rurik, dwarven fighter (level 2)</li>
<li>Zao-rin, human monk (level 2), captured by the Drahies</li>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
<br /><b>Lost companions</b></span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">
<li>Grom, half-orc druid, went missing during dragon attack.</li>
<li>Adran, gnome bard, fell to his death after being dropped by a Drahie</li>
</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />And so the group had pushed east after the odd roar they had heard. Danik, exhausted, fell to the ground, in high need of rest. Urist agreed to give up the search for the creatures that were stalking the group previously and, after some backtracking, the companions continued their long rest.<br /><br />Hours later, feeling reinvigorated, the group was preparing for the journey ahead when, suddenly, a Dwarf came crashing down through the tall grass, almost ramming Urist at full speed. Immediately weapons were drawn, but the Dwarf asked for help and before any-more could be said, a group of flying creatures, looking a lot like Harpies but with a reptilian feel to them, not avian as it's usual with Harpies. Their winged arms were bat-like, their lower body covered in black scales, feet with sharp claws, their upper body was greyish and their face distorted by hateful intents.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyN2hWX97B8nGGDPP3j29AKa5nd2VmadQVgXYBPpc3r9qzGxoHuquiuAFJs6_IQ-D4_PBfLe3blnFD_JAjfGGY6okRmkAJxDut1SLSdeNzc0RVSIVMdRJ4cRFo2k62iU4w9kX8YYcYY0/s1600/picture_45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyN2hWX97B8nGGDPP3j29AKa5nd2VmadQVgXYBPpc3r9qzGxoHuquiuAFJs6_IQ-D4_PBfLe3blnFD_JAjfGGY6okRmkAJxDut1SLSdeNzc0RVSIVMdRJ4cRFo2k62iU4w9kX8YYcYY0/s1600/picture_45.jpg" height="211" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Battle erupted as one of the Drahies (as they were called) ordered her sisters around. Rurik, the dwarf they had been chasing, was pierced by one of their nasty weapon, a barbed spear that caused as much damage to the skin it pierced going in, as going out. Serrin jumped into action, using the tall grass around him as cover, while he unleashed bolts after bolts into the beasts. Rurik slashed left and right at the Drahies who had landed around them while Urist focused his mind, sending Radiant Flames onto the creatures.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />Suddenly, a couple more creatures arrived and flew over to Adran and Danik who were somewhat isolated from the fight. With ease, they grabbed them both between their powerful claws then circling around, heading East toward the small mountain range. Adran seemed to struggle intensely for a moment, then suddenly, the Drahie carrying him screeched and gained some more altitude and suddenly released him, sending the gnome crashing to his death, a hundred feet below, as the ones carrying Danik disappeared on the horizon.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />Meanwhile, Serrin, Rurik and Urist were still tangled in a brutal melee. Noticing they had lost the upper-hand, one of the Drahies seemed to call for a retreat, and sent a Barbed net onto the companions, before flying away, leaving one of her sister to die under the blows of the dwarves, caught mid-air by one of Urist's flames.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />Once silence came back to the camp, the companions discussed the recent encounter, and inquired about Rurik while Urist studied the corpse of the Drahie:</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rurik is a Dwarven Fighter. He travelled with a monk called Zao-rin who was captured by the Drahies, just like Danik. He's been on the run for hours since then. How both of them got to be in here remained...confused for now, something about a tribe of Wild Goblins, an Earthquake, ruins, an old spell-book and a shimmering portal...</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Urist noticed that there was some kind of compound powder in a gland at the back of the Drahie's throat. Mixes with liquid, it seemed to become some kind of Acidic substance, that indicated the Drahies could probably spit it out to devastating, if very localized, effects. He collected a small sample of the powder in a vial.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Barbed Spear and the Barbed Net looked like deadly and cruel weapons, but their weight was off and they would require some training to use properly.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Resolved to rescue their captured friend, the companions agreed to have Rurik accompany them and the group began their journey east, toward the small Mountain Range. There, with no traces of the Drahies, they decided to follow a small river they had found toward a massive lake further Southeast, hoping to find refuge and supplies, the mountains being mostly devoid of life.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwtj7UclOJgkhtabfOXhRWAo9-MvkiF2gq9lAST72bk2rGdMdpxSDWjBIwXxPqlv5FHWfr7GoqAztyLY-RvPmGvvIL7EnDlZzOuc5HzxWctdg-42bzlDdzvx-kEhJspqA3cj29fWomiQ/s1600/picture_44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXwtj7UclOJgkhtabfOXhRWAo9-MvkiF2gq9lAST72bk2rGdMdpxSDWjBIwXxPqlv5FHWfr7GoqAztyLY-RvPmGvvIL7EnDlZzOuc5HzxWctdg-42bzlDdzvx-kEhJspqA3cj29fWomiQ/s1600/picture_44.jpg" height="99" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">About 8 hours later, they arrived at the lake, nested at the foot of massive cliffs that resembled the ones they had climbed previously. The light cloud cover allowed them to see, past greyish blur caused by the ambient dim light in the air, the same cave ceiling, hundreds of feet above.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The water from the lake was almost transparent and revealed no real lifeforms that could make fishing practical. It however tasted as pure and clean as water can ever be, remind Urist of the RockHome sources, filtered through miles of rock and earth. Urist and Rurik, focused on foraging whatever could be, also did find some small crab-like creatures, that later on proved tasteless, but edible.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Serrin meanwhile noticed a small canoe pulled up on the shore line, quite similar to the ones they had used to cross the other lake outside the cave. There, he found a small camp-fire pit, with provision and some hide clothing next to it. The companions decided to make camp there, hoping that whoever the camp belonged to would come back.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Later, during Serrin's watch, a young woman approached, carrying a basket full of vines and crabs. Her skin was pale, almost grey. Small and thin, her face was odd, traits lacking symmetry, her ears too wide, her nose bent slightly, her skull a bit too big. She was otherwise human however, or at least humanoid. She wore light clothing make of tanned hide of some kind, and had many small piercings made of silver. Around her neck was a necklace, palm size, that seemed very old, a carving of a <i>Reptilian Claw around a Sun</i> barely visible on it, just like the one Urist had picked up from the fossilized corpse back in the large buried structure.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Scared at first, speaking a language none present could understand, Serrin's calm manners and gestures managed to establish some form of communication and soon she did not seem to consider the companions a threat. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Her name was <i>Manelesi </i>apparently, and in many ways seemed both daring and submissive, an odd combination. After some discussion, Manelesi indicated what might be a village of some sort, to the Southwest of the lake, something called "<i>Simphiwe</i>".</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">At some point, noticing some of the weapons of the companions, she started doing screeching noises, flapping her arms around and pointing toward the small mountain range to the Northwest, repeating "<i>Themba Gania</i>" while tears appeared in her eyes, holding her necklace against her chest. Frustrated that Serrin did not seem to understand her plea, she suddenly tried to grab his weapon but the quick reflexes of the bounty hunter stopped her hands.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Finally, it was decided to go where Manelesi indicated and she followed Serrin closely during next the couple hours. With Serrin exhausted, the group made camp and spend time resting, with Rurik's watch only disturbed a couple times by some of the Drahies flying about in the skies, far to the north west.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Later, the group reached what seems to be the lair of the Drahies, a cave near the top of one of the smaller mountains. With Manelesi left behind, hiding, the companions moved in slowly, trying to keep the surprise on their side.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The attack on the lair was brutal but the few Drahies there did not seem used to fighting trained and organized opponents. Urist and Rurik felt the burns of their Acid Spits however, and one managed to escape, flying away with her torn apart leg dangling. In the lair itself were many humanoids, all tied onto small beams. Danik and Zao-rin were also present, rendered unconscious by whatever tortures the Drahies had enacted onto them. Most of the humanoids, all looking quite like the dead one they had found in the first mushroom cave, were unconscious as well, or panicking about what had taken place, lost into chants and trance.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">One of them however, who called himself <i>Themba Gania</i> and wearing the same necklace Manelesi had, proved to be more daring than the others and helped during the battle, even though he was clearly not used to it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After the battle, the group did a quick check of the lair, finding more Barbed Spears and Nets and some silver bits. Urist and Rurik, after investigating the statue of a reptilian humanoid with bat-like wings that seemed out of place, also noticed a possible structure behind one of the cave wall. Time was of the essence however. More Drahies could come back and they had to bring Danik and Zao-rin to safety.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Leaving the prostrated and unconscious humanoids behind, Serrin grabbed Danik while Themba grabbed the monk and they departed. Later, meeting with Manelesi once again, it became clear that the two were in a relationship, spending long minutes into embraces.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For the next couple of days, the group, accompanied by the two humanoids and still carrying their comatose companions, travelled South West. Finally, they reached the village Manelesi had mentioned. Themba said goodbye to the group on the outskirts then Manelesi brought them to what appeared to be her house. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There, the companions spent some time recuperating and taking care of Danik and Zao-rin. After a couple days, the villagers seemed to ignore them mostly as they were allowed to roam freely.</span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The monk woke up two days later, his trained body recuperating faster than normal humans could. He remained very silent for a couple days afterwards, mostly in trances, focusing on his inner strength to heal both body and mind.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The mage however had a harder time. He awoke two days after Zao-rin and even though he had lost consciousness very quickly under torture, he still felt the cuts in his flesh, the vile laughs of the Drahies, and had trouble concentrating, staying mostly in bed.</span></li>
</ul>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">With the language barrier, communication was hard, but Manelesi was a dedicated and open young woman, unlike many of other locals and after a week, most had some basic notions. According to Danik, the language used was some form of Old Draconic, a language not even dragons still used today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And so the companions had found a safe heaven for now, spending time healing, training and preparing for whatever was ahead of them..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Post Session Notes:</b></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Two new players (Rurik and Zao-rin, who will join fully next session), one missing a couple sessions (Danik) and 1 player gone from the campaign (Adran), that's a lot of things to handle within a campaign. Was a bit rail-roaded (finding Manelesi, fast tracking at the end to reach the village in time so that PCs could level in-between sessions) but great fun.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Close to 5 hours session I think but we managed to handle two combats (one quite massive at the end) and tons of exploration and PCs interaction. Said it before but I really like how Next allows for fast paced battle, taking less time overall, leaving more time for other things, within the same session.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Really liked <a href="http://virtualtabletopping.blogspot.fr/2014/02/monster-of-week-drahies.html" target="_blank">Drahies</a> in play, not only how they handled in combat, but the vibe they have. Nasty and yet not over-powered, can be very tricky with their Fly movement if you're not careful and with a real "that's pure evil" feel to them, while fitting perfectly with the lore of what a very old and powerful Black Dragon corruption is.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">More hex-crawl exploration. Less description but I still want to give some for every Hex traveled, to give a sense of time and space, even if it's just weather and whatnot. Hard to find a good balance between Feel and Pacing, push your setting in while not becoming plain boring.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">AC18+ dwarves are tough nuts to crack. Had to use a couple <a href="http://virtualtabletopping.blogspot.fr/2013/11/help-hinder-new-take-on-combat-actions.html" target="_blank">House Ruled Help Actions</a> in the last fight to try and have the Drahies land a couple blows on them. Acid Spit in their faces worked though, Urist almost went down, which doesn't happen often!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">First time actually putting my <a href="http://virtualtabletopping.blogspot.fr/2013/12/a-new-take-on-critical-hits-and-lasting.html" target="_blank">Critical Hit house rule</a> in play, twice this session! Urist managed his Save, saving him from being knocked unconscious but one of the Drahie failed and Serrin's bolt mangled her left leg something nasty.</span></li>
</ul>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6878483878163679804.post-83436488105639615602014-02-18T02:48:00.003+01:002014-02-19T19:57:57.725+01:00Out of the Box: The Warlord<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Most of the Warlord talk happening around D&D Next lately has been derived from the Warlord concepts as seen in D&D 4E, basically making him some kind of Motivational Speaker. While I like the idea, and it probably works very well in play, it's a bit too close to a Bardic archetype to my taste, many of the abilities feeling very magical in nature.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Wanting to get away from that, I tried going back on what a fighter is, at it's core, and what he becomes when he's not the ultimate weapon-master but instead a leader of men.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The following is the first draft of, I feel, a more of more historical Warlord concept, as a leader of mercenary bands and the like.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Edited</i></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i><i>(02/18/2014) </i>Clarified proficiency for Personal Retinue</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Corrected a mistake in </i></span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">All around Defense (Infantry) Tactic</i></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Path of the Warlord</span></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(Fighter sub-class, level 3)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9i3oxDplKX5YxD1YwzcHlt0eCLEY5YrIwXFrAlLfBK_uzWyXCAbD0wnGX9gKozl68TMk7iWk6a_pT9Y79SlxgRXWuVgZsKeN5zE808ASUeYefarm24ejnItFFE-fYHlkf79_lESr05tY/s1600/picture_48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="by Joseph Anton Koch (I think?)" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9i3oxDplKX5YxD1YwzcHlt0eCLEY5YrIwXFrAlLfBK_uzWyXCAbD0wnGX9gKozl68TMk7iWk6a_pT9Y79SlxgRXWuVgZsKeN5zE808ASUeYefarm24ejnItFFE-fYHlkf79_lESr05tY/s1600/picture_48.jpg" height="287" title="by Joseph Anton Koch (I think?)" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">While some prefer pure physical prowess of the individual, you view things on a grander scale. As a warlord, you take upon yourself to become a real military power, with the dream of having your own armed forces with which to conquer your own lands. As time passes, you build the foundation of your future, training and expanding your personal retinue, future lieutenants of your armies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Warlord Features</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(3) Personal Retinue</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(5) Simple Tactics</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(9) Specialized Troops</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(12) Leader of Men</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(15) </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Advanced Tactics</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">(19) Master of Armies</span></li>
</ul>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;"><br /></b>
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;">(3) PERSONAL RETINUE</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As a Warlord, you can find the men with potential for greatness, train them and make sure that they perform in battle, at your side, and under your command.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Your Personal Retinue consists of a number of men up to your Proficiency Bonus. These can be hired and replaced in any city or village you find yourself in for at least a day. They can be of any race and gender available and are modified according to the Races rules. The GM can limit the availability of some races, depending on your current location.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Each member of your personal retinue has a Base Type: <i>Infantry Solider</i> or <i>Artillery Soldier</i>. There are different specialization for each Base Type, available at different level range. You can choose the Base Type and Specialization when you hire them.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Each member of your personal retinue has a monthly expenditure cost that must be paid, in full, at the beginning of every month. Unpaid men will remain under your command up to a number of months equal to your CHA modifier, but will expect back pay as soon as able. This cost is 5 gp per Hit Dice, Per Month, per Member of the retinue.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Members of your personal retinue can be ordered around by you but the GM controls their behavior, feelings, reactions to what is happening and the like. In combat, you can control them fully in regards to their Move and Actions.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Members of your personal retinue will use their salary to replace equipment and handle their daily life as they see fit, unless ordered otherwise. You can decided to upgrade their equipment as you wish (and at your own expenses), though for their Specialization to work, you must stay within the base concepts of each and therefore keep their Specialized Gear.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Every time you reach an even level (4, 6, 8, etc), members of your personal retinue will also gain a level. They otherwise have no special classes but their Base Type, nor any special abilities but the ones listed here.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Once members of your personal retinue reach level 3 and every 3 level afterwards, you can distribute 1 bonus attribute points to them, as you gain a level, or as you hire them.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Infantry Soldier - Shield-Bearer</i><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Armor Class</b> 13 (15 w/ Shield)<br /><b>Hit Dice</b> 1/2 your current Hit Dice, rounded down<br /><b>Hit Points</b> d6+1 per Hit Dice<br /><b>STR</b>(12/1) <b>DEX </b>(10/0) <b>CON</b>(12/1)<br /><b>INT</b>(10/0) <b>WIS</b>(10/0) <b>CHA</b>(10/0)<br /><b>Skills</b> Athletics</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Proficiency </b></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Simple weapons, </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Up to</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Medium Armor, Shields</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Specialized Gear</b> Shield</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Equipment</b></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />Adventuring kit, Studded Leather, Weapon (Mace or Hand-axe)</span></div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Artillery Soldier - Crossbowman</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Armor Class</b> 12<br /><b>Hit Dice</b> 1/2 your current Hit Dice, rounded down<br /><b>Hit Points</b> d6+1 per Hit Dice<br /><b>STR</b>(10/0) <b>DEX </b>(12/1) <b>CON</b>(12/1)<br /><b>INT</b>(10/0) <b>WIS</b>(10/0) <b>CHA</b>(10/0)<br /><b>Skills</b> Athletics</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Proficiency </b></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Simple weapons, Light Armor</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Specialized Gear</b> Light Crossbow</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Equipment</b></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />Adventuring kit, Leather Armor, </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Weapon (Mace or </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Hand-axe</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">)</span></div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>(5) SIMPLE TACTICS</b></span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5Stt_Ru-qgCCM7f32aJ-r4n4F8OThQOtctjSSwzQmp_yRhUPvV6fFkhZa1VscPX7NmU_Hui8Jve7yk9JWhrSwt2IUP2xz1n6Mb1Nf2WCHfXI-TiKq3rui7R3_AKhJdEDlg67EGUuhgs/s1600/picture_49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="art from Medieval Total War II" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5Stt_Ru-qgCCM7f32aJ-r4n4F8OThQOtctjSSwzQmp_yRhUPvV6fFkhZa1VscPX7NmU_Hui8Jve7yk9JWhrSwt2IUP2xz1n6Mb1Nf2WCHfXI-TiKq3rui7R3_AKhJdEDlg67EGUuhgs/s1600/picture_49.jpg" height="240" title="art from Medieval Total War II" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">At level 5, as a Warlord, you can order your troops around during battle, granting them abilities via special tactics that you put in play. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Using a Tactic is an Action and requires you to be able to take an Action and Speak in a language they understand.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If you declare one of the following Actions, you can use a Tactic as part of that Action: <i>Charge, Coup de Grâce, Dodge, Disengage, Help, Hinder, Use an Item.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To be affected, members of your personal retinue must be within 60' of you, able to hear you and able to take Actions.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>All around Defense (Infantry)</i> Designate one friendly creature for each Infantry Soldier affected by your Tactic. This creature gains +1 AC until the beginning of your next turn as long as it remains within 5' of his designated Infantry Soldier.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Volley Fire (Artillery)</i> Until the beginning of your nex turn, All Artillery Soldiers under your command, able to take Actions, gain Advantage on he's next Ranged Attack but cannot use a Move Action during his turn.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Shield Wall (Shield-Bearer)</i> Until the beginning of your next turn, Shield-Bearers gain +1 cumulative bonus to Armor Class, to a maximum of +3, for each friendly Shield Bear that is within 5' and able to perform the Shield Wall tactic.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Supporting Fire (Crossbowman)</i> Designate one friendly Crossbowman and one target. This crossbowman can make an immediate Ranged Attack against the designated target as a Reaction. If the Crossbowman's Ranged Attack hit, this target cannot take Opportunity Attacks until the beginning of your next turn.</span></li>
</ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlhtf6blGTS1zrxWzuzKqJbsR6oMzF4WF_Wkk3LJO-3pucYj_ABCqIoImCwFo3FkRuZb9Asv5BjR2vZthX6FKjLFU5WY9AL9M4B-WTSYOoyRBCy3IE52di4sZCp2AeYw2QhIoZqngOp4/s1600/picture_50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="The War Lord (1965)" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhlhtf6blGTS1zrxWzuzKqJbsR6oMzF4WF_Wkk3LJO-3pucYj_ABCqIoImCwFo3FkRuZb9Asv5BjR2vZthX6FKjLFU5WY9AL9M4B-WTSYOoyRBCy3IE52di4sZCp2AeYw2QhIoZqngOp4/s1600/picture_50.jpg" height="200" title="The War Lord (1965)" width="131" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>(9) SPECIALIZED TROOPS</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">At level 9, your own experience allows for a better training of your personal retinue and specialization.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For each members of your personal retinue, you can choose a different specialization if you want to, according to it's Base Type. This can usually only be done in cities or where basic equipment are available.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Infantry Soldier - Halberdier</i><br /><b>Armor Class</b> 14<br /><b>Hit Dice</b> 1/2 your current Hit Dice, rounded down<br /><b>Hit Points</b> d6+1 per Hit Dice<br /><b>STR</b>(12/1) <b>DEX </b>(10/0) <b>CON</b>(12/1)<br /><b>INT</b>(10/0) <b>WIS</b>(10/0) <b>CHA</b>(10/0)<br /><b>Skills</b> Athletics</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Proficiency </b>Simple weapons, Halberd, Up to Heavy Armor</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Specialized Gear</b> Halberd</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Equipment</b></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />Adventuring kit, Ring Mail, Dagger</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><i>Infantry Soldier - Skirmisher</i></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Armor Class</b> 14<br /><b>Hit Dice</b> 1/2 your current Hit Dice, rounded down<br /><b>Hit Points</b> d6+1 per Hit Dice<br /><b>STR</b>(10/0) <b>DEX </b>(12/1) <b>CON</b>(12/1)<br /><b>INT</b>(10/0) <b>WIS</b>(10/0) <b>CHA</b>(10/0)<br /><b>Skills</b> Athletics, Acrobatics, Stealth</span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Proficiency </b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Simple </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">weapons, Short Sword, Up to Medium Armor</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Specialized Gear</b> Two Light weapons (Short Swords)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Equipment</b></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />Adventuring kit, Studded Leather, 10 darts</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /><i>Artillery Soldier - Scout</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Armor Class</b> 14<br /><b>Hit Dice</b> 1/2 your current Hit Dice, rounded down<br /><b>Hit Points</b> d6+1 per Hit Dice<br /><b>STR</b>(10/0) <b>DEX </b>(12/1) <b>CON</b>(12/1)<br /><b>INT</b>(10/0) <b>WIS</b>(10/0) <b>CHA</b>(10/0)<br /><b>Skills</b> Athletics, Acrobatics, Stealth</span><br />
<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Proficiency </b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Simple </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">weapons, Longbow, Up to Medium Armor</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Specialized Gear</b> Longbow</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Equipment</b></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />Adventuring kit, Studded Leather, Dagger</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">You also gain the following Tactics:</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Flanking Maneuver (Skirmisher)</i> Until the beginning of your next turn, Skirmishers gain +1 cumulative bonus to Hit, to a maximum of +3, for each friendly creature that is within 5' of the target.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Take Aim (Scout)</i> Designate a Scout that can be affected by your Take Aim tactic. This Scout gains Advantage to it's Ranged Attacks and ignores any Half or Three-Quarter cover until the beginning of your next turn.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Brace (Halberdier)</i> Until the beginning of your next turn, Each Halberdier affected by your Brace tactic gain the Reaction: Brace, that can be used against any creature that moves into a 10' radius of the Halberdier, granting them an immediate Attack against it, with Advantage. On hit, the creature must stop moving for the rest of the turn.</span></li>
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<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;">(12) LEADER OF MEN</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> (TODO)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>Most likely something that allows the Warlord to assign Types/Specialization to other PCs so they are included when using tactics.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">(15) ADVANCED TACTICS</span></b> (TODO)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Probably more extra available Reactions here, maybe Saving Throw stuff as well.</i></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: large;">(19) MASTER OF ARMIES</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> (TODO)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>Thinking of keeping this for some kind of Warfare rules that might come in future D&D Next rules.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Anyway, lots to do still, but you get the idea. I'll do update posts as I test it out and come back to it.</span></div>
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