It’s a bad time in the kingdom of Tarwyn. A few years ago a war with the nearby land of Raenor ended, and the people looked forward to a period of peace and prosperity, time to recover from the horrors of battle.
But it was not to be. Six months ago things took a turn for the worse, and nothing has gone right since. Crops are blighted, disease runs rampant among the villages, and people have been disappearing left and right. Rumors abound of horrible creatures being sighted in the woods that surround the kingdom, and of the resting places of the dead being desecrated.
The superstitious peasantry was quick to cry witchcraft, and have begun lynching anyone they suspect of being responsible for their plight. King Brian tried in vain to calm his subjects, but in the end was forced to make a compromise; he allowed them to appoint a “Witchfinder” to investigate their claims, hoping they would choose a reasonable man who would rein in the insanity.
They chose Farkus Dun, a dodgy “holy man” who had recently surfaced, claiming that the trouble was the work of demons, and that many were in league with them. His appointment did nothing but throw oil on the fire of hysteria, as he accepted the flimsiest of evidence and wildest of accusations as proof. Dozens have already been burned at the stake after brief and insubstantial trials, and you three are next in line.
Three days ago Dun burst into the inn you were at, along with a retinue of soldiers. He wasted no time in pointing you out, ranting about your obvious “impurity” (claiming that your somewhat monstrous features were signs of fiendish heritage) and demanding your arrest. The soldiers complied, and at your trial townspeople you have never even met claimed to have seen you performing acts of horrendous evil and debauchery. You were immediately found guilty.
Now you sit imprisoned in the cells beneath a local keep, awaiting your fate. The hours pass by with nothing to do but talk, wondering why the world seems to have suddenly gone mad. There was a fourth prisoner with you up until a day ago, a big brute of a man who was apparently also accused due to a rather abnormal appearance. Farkus collected him and took him for “interrogation”. He hasn’t returned. All seems lost until the night before your scheduled deaths, when all of the sudden you hear two thuds from outside the iron door of your cell, followed by a small click…
System: Dungeons & Dragons 3.5
Setting: The World of Imbrius (homebrewed setting)
Current Players: Galliard, Magnetbox, Jack_Simth
Software: OpenRPG (or possibly Maptool)
Game Time: Saturdays, 8am Pacific Time
__________________
Terrible avatars throughout the ages! (All by me.)
How to Play Rogues Properly:
Spoiler
Like this:
Last edited by Starscream : 08-20-2010 at 06:39 PM.
4 dire rats - 400 xp for each of you.
1 half-fiend large monstrous spider - 400 xp each
3 goblin warriors bluffed into submission - 600 xp each
Farkus (5th level favored-soul of Nerull) + half-ogre zombie - 773 xp each.
Story goal achieved: escape the keep - 1000 xp each.
Total - 3173 xp each.
Just goes to show how CR is only a vague guideline. The rats and spider were the same encounter level, yet you toasted the rats in a round and the spider took quite a while and did serious damage.
But one fun advantage to the free levels is that you can take on tougher encounters, even though you are still ECL 4 for xp purposes. So you'll level pretty quickly.
Loot:
Money/Goods:
A diamond worth 800 gp
A silver backed mirror worth 350 gp
A golden bracelet worth 450 gp
Antique silverware worth a total of 950 gp
150 platinum pieces
Mundane items:
A weeks worth of food each
Torches, flint and steel
3 sets small leather armor
3 small daggers
Magic items:
3 potions of CLW
A +1 Scythe
An Amulet of Natural Armor +2
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Terrible avatars throughout the ages! (All by me.)
So... the Scythe probable out to be sold (nobody's proficient), the diamond is the eventual component for Raise Dead, so we probably want to keep that as party loot.
The amulet... probably ought to go to whoever has the lowest AC... but then, it is rather pricey for what it does, and selling it could pay for some nice stuff.
So... how do we split up the loot?
As for the battles....
The rats took two or three rounds, but there's a couple reasons they seemed so easy:
1) They lost initiative, badly - Luck.
2) One of the PC's used a strong (for the level) 1/day ability, that affected them all (Breath Weapon - 6d6 fire is harsh at this level) - a nova effect.
3) They all blobbed together, making good bait for area effects (which the party had in plenty, and which are more effective on groups than they are on individuals) - partially tactics, but mostly a matter of terrain and starting position.
If, instead, the rats had one initiative, the Half-Dragon Monk had kept the breath weapon in reserve, and the rats had coalesced on the party from the four corners of a room once the party was in the room, things would have gone much, much differently.
The half-fiend spider, on the other hand, went the other way on most things - no Nova left, it's got a nice set of defensive abilities that happens to coincide with most of the party's attack forms (Fire Resistance, SR, and DR vs. Ornald, DR vs. Rick) that we weren't set up to penetrate. There was only the one of it, so area effects aren't particularly effective in the first place.
The Goblins were circumstance - they weren't immediately hostile, had very poor sense motive checks, and got Bluffed into submission.
Farkus... we got off lightly with him due to a few missed standard actions when he was getting up, and some poor spell choices on his part - spamming Spiritual Weapon would have been the death of us all at that point. Especially with the duration on that encounter.
But yes, there's a lot of luck in it, and certain things are stronger or weaker than others of the same CR vs. particular tactics. At this level, though, CR's actually pretty accurate.
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Of course, by the time I finish this post, it will already be obsolete. C'est la vie.
Yeah, I had a feeling that luck would play a big part in today's battles. It always does at lower levels; the squishier characters are only a crit or two away from death, and the amount of damage that occurs is more from the dice than from bonuses, so its less predictable.
So I specifically designed some of the encounters to be avoidable, in case things got hard and you needed to bypass a battle or two.
The rats you could have slammed the door on and avoided. No diamond, but partial xp for quick thinking.
The spider was pretty much mandatory. You could have waited for the next shift of guards, but then you'd just be trading one encounter for another.
The goblins were inebriated, and not really looking for a fight anyway, since they knew they'd lose (no armor, swords they could barely heft, general drunkenness). I figured that unless you just charged in there swords drawn you'd avoid them somehow.
As for Farkus, he was entirely optional. Put a nice little sign up so you'd know he was there, and freedom lay mere feet away. I figured there was a good chance you'd be pretty battered by this point, as well as low on spells, so I wasn't sure you'd be up to facing a 5th level spellcaster right at the end. Did fine though, he wasn't very well built or very smart. Spiritual Weapon wasn't even on his list of Spells Known.
Of course, if you hadn't fought him, He'd have probably shown up later, and more powerful. Because I wouldn't begrudge you the opportunity to pound the guy who tried to have you burned at the stake.
__________________
Terrible avatars throughout the ages! (All by me.)
So I have some questions/ideas I want to run past you, along with some bad news. The bad news is I will be a couple hours late to this week's game. Apparently I have a wedding to go to. Sorry about that, but such is the way with Saturday games.
As for my questions, all of these are things you can totally disallow or whatever. I am trying to add some diversity in the combat of my character without having to waste every single feat on neat tricks. If you have any other suggestions I am more than open to them.
1. Skill Tricks - Don't know if you were thinking I would use these (from Complete Scoundrel), but they are a good time and add some certain diversity to the actions I am able to take.
2. Uncanny Trickster - PrC along the lines of skill tricks. Give me more skill tricks, while not hindering my advancement in Factotum too much.
3. Master of Masks - PrC also from Complete Scoundrel. Basically all I am really considering is a one level dip to gain the Gladiator mask (which gives proficiency with all exotic weapons). I realize this is a bit more of a stretch, and tends to munchkinism, but there are some fun weapons I would love to try out, and I am really trying to save on feats.
1. Skill Tricks - Don't know if you were thinking I would use these (from Complete Scoundrel), but they are a good time and add some certain diversity to the actions I am able to take.
Skill tricks aren't noticeably overpowered at all. Feel free to use them.
Quote:
2. Uncanny Trickster - PrC along the lines of skill tricks. Give me more skill tricks, while not hindering my advancement in Factotum too much.
Again, not overpowered. You basically accept one (almost) Dead Level for a slight boost on your next two levels. It's a pretty much even trade.
Quote:
3. Master of Masks - PrC also from Complete Scoundrel. Basically all I am really considering is a one level dip to gain the Gladiator mask (which gives proficiency with all exotic weapons). I realize this is a bit more of a stretch, and tends to munchkinism, but there are some fun weapons I would love to try out, and I am really trying to save on feats.
I like that PrC a lot. If you don't mind spending all the skill points you need for prerequisites, go ahead. It even fits in with the fluff for Chameleon, as you can basically change your persona whenever you want.
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Terrible avatars throughout the ages! (All by me.)
Hey so I hate to be a bother, but a couple of things. First, I made a couple of small changes to my character since I now know a little more about playing a Factotum and what is allowed. Second, I was wondering if you would allow this spell: http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Summon_Weapon_(3.5e_Spell)
I realize this spell is similar to Call Weaponry, though I can do spell-like abilities if they are spells, not psionic powers. So yeah, it would just help me use fun weapons if I get the Gladiator mask without having to carry them around all the time.
Eh, that's not too powerful. The enhancement bonus made me think that it might be better suited as a second level spell, but then I realized that it has a 1 round casting time, and that makes a big difference to a combat spell. So I'll allow it as first level.
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Terrible avatars throughout the ages! (All by me.)
Yeah, I noticed that. If you would prefer it to be a second level spell with a standard action activation, that would work for me as well. In fact, that would actually fit my needs a bit better, however honestly either way works just fine.
Yeah, I noticed that. If you would prefer it to be a second level spell with a standard action activation, that would work for me as well. In fact, that would actually fit my needs a bit better, however honestly either way works just fine.
If you want to do it that way, alright, but keep in mind that if it's a 2nd level spell then A) You won't get access to it until next level and B) You can only prepare one spell of your maximum level per day. If you pick this spell every day, it'll be the only spell of that level you have until you hit level 8.
__________________
Terrible avatars throughout the ages! (All by me.)
Successfully made contact with the person who freed you from prison, tracked an evil cult to its local hideaway, beat the crap out of the cultists and their undead minions, and found out just how they are plotting to end the world.
Experience Points:
*2 Skiurids (killed), and their rogue 2 / ninja 2 leader (driven off) - 500 xp
*1 advanced wight, 3 human skeletons - 633 xp
*4 level 1 clerics of Nerull - 400 xp
*3 skeletal dire rats (easy) over a perilous pit of green slime (less easy) - 500 xp
*Story advancement reward - 1000 xp.
Total - 3033. Should put you all well into 5th level.
Somewhat easy encounters today, since I knew we'd be down a player for much of the game.
Treasure:
*Potion of Lesser Restoration (given by Jaerin, wasn't used because Midila only had 1 point of strength damage, and was able to get rid of it by resting)
*Wand of Command Undead (16 charges)
*Four golden chains (value 300 gp each)
*Three light maces
*Three breastplates
*An antique bracelet found on a skeleton (475 gp)
*Numerous old books (750 gp)
*Scroll of Water Walk and Scroll of Water Breathing
If you have any questions about leveling let me know. There will probably be an opportunity to buy/sell some things next session, so figure out what treasures you are keeping and how they are to be divided up.
__________________
Terrible avatars throughout the ages! (All by me.)
How to Play Rogues Properly:
Spoiler
Like this:
Last edited by Starscream : 08-28-2010 at 06:48 PM.
Suggestions for 'party' loot (fixer-uppers and party-level utility effects, mostly):
Potion of Lesser Restoration
The two scrolls (Water Walking, Water Breathing)
The wand of Command Undead I'm a little torn on - not on any of our class lists - does anyone have UMD? That's a remarkably useful effect in this strand of plot.
As for the rest? Sell it (or use it as cash in the case of Trade Goods).
As for Loot Last Session:
Potions of CLW: One per person, just so everyone has some method of healing.
Diamond: Keep as party loot, due to eventual use as a spell component for Restoration, Raise Dead, or similar 'oops' spells.
Amulet of Natural Armor: Give to whoever happens to have the lowest AC.
Rest: Sell it (or use it as cash in the case of Trade Goods).
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Of course, by the time I finish this post, it will already be obsolete. C'est la vie.
Last edited by Jack_Simth : 08-28-2010 at 07:35 PM.
The wand of Command Undead I'm a little torn on - not on any of our class lists - does anyone have UMD? That's a remarkably useful effect in this strand of plot.
Rick has some UMD. He can also cast Sor/Wiz spells, so it's technically on his class list, although he can only prepare any given spell 1/day.
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Terrible avatars throughout the ages! (All by me.)
Well I think I have the lowest AC, and I also can use that wand (as was mentioned above). I agree that it is probably a wand worth keeping in this particular plot line. I really don't need anything else so we can sell whatever.
Traveled to the town of Dagger Rock to investigate Lord Russet. Learned quite a bit about him, none of it good. He overtaxes his subjects, punishes them for criticizing him, treats his employees like dirt, and may be behind the poisoning of several people. He employs multiple soldiers, a gnomish alchemist, and a new bodyguard (possibly because he is getting increasingly paranoid about something). And he used to send lots of cash to some guy who calls himself "Dr. Ghastly" (also apparently an alchemist), but no longer does so. You also sold your excess treasure, bought some new gear, helped cure a young man who had been poisoned into paralysis, and confirmed that there is a thieves guild active in the town.
Experience:
1 Advanced Dire Lion slain and butchered: 1000 xp for everyone
1 Level 5 Rogue sent packing: 750 xp for Ornald and Midila
Story advancement: 1000 xp for everyone
The only treasure acquired this session was the necklace and platinum coins you got from the belly of the lion, so that's already been added to your wealth. The woman whose son you cured also insisted on paying, although she couldn't afford much, but she made sure your inn stay would be free. And you made a little bit of money selling cantrips and religious advice to the locals.
Could everyone please post approximately how much wealth (including magical gear) you possess? I know you are currently below WBL, but that will be corrected eventually. I just need to figure out how much correction is needed.
It's just a little side effect of the "three free levels" house rule. Because you are taking down encounters more appropriate for higher level characters, but being treated as lower level characters for xp purposes, you level quite fast. But because you are being treated as level 5 (rather than 8) for xp, you are also being treated as 5 for appropriate wealth, to keep things a little easier to balance. And because the amount of money an encounter is worth isn't affected by the level of the party, like xp is, you'd be getting a lot more.
So you'd have the wealth of a level 8 character, but be treated as level 5 for all other purposes. This doesn't cause too many problems at low levels, but the difference between, say, a level 20 character's wealth and a level 17's is a bloody fortune. And a level 8 character is expected to have 3 times what a level 5 is.
I ran into this problem last time I did this. Wealth is one of the factors in determining appropriate challenge ratings. It's assumed that at a certain level you have a certain amount of magical gear. A CR 1 monster is appropriate for a group of ECL 1 players. If the ECL 1 players all had +5 swords it would no longer be challenging. By keeping you at the lower ECL for wealth, I can more easily justify keeping you there for xp rewards as well. And who can honestly say they wouldn't rather have more xp than more treasure anyway?
Problem is, I overcompensate a bit too much and it may seem I'm being rather stingy. This is unintended. You'll get what's coming, honest.
__________________
Terrible avatars throughout the ages! (All by me.)
How to Play Rogues Properly:
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Like this:
Last edited by Starscream : 09-04-2010 at 06:56 PM.
for wealth purposes, i have ring of featherfall, wand of clw, bracers of armor+1, backpack and bedroll and immoveable rod, and maybe a handfull of coin
Cash: 1382 gp
Items:
Cloak of Resistance+1 (1,000)
Heavy Wooden Shield (Starting package, in use)
Handy Haversack (2,000)
Backpack (Starting package)
Waterskin (Starting package)
1 day of rations (Starting package)
Bedroll (Starting package)
Sack (Starting package)
Flint&Steel (Starting package)
10 Crossbow Bolts (Starting package)
Wooden Holy Symbol (Starting package)
Three Torches (Starting package)
Masterwork Full Plate: 1650 gp
Masterwork Light Crossbow: 335 gp
Masterwork Morningstar: 308 gp
Potion of Invisibility*2: 600 gp
Potion of Cure Light Wounds: 50 gp
Wand of Cure Light Wounds: (44 charges)
Spell Components Pouch: 5 gp
Extra Spell Components Pouch: 5 gp
Extra Wooden Holy Symbol: 1 gp
50 foot silk rope: 10 gp
10 days trail rations: 5 gp
Week's worth of food (well, more like 4 days, now)
Torches, Flint, Steel
Scroll of Water Breathing
Scroll of Water Walking
Total value: 8774.73 gp
Quote:
Originally Posted by Galliard
woo.. i believe that takes us to 18956 xp?
I'm counting 14,956, 44 points short of level 6 (where I pick up the next building block for my Trapsmith Cleric build, Magic Sensitive).
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Of course, by the time I finish this post, it will already be obsolete. C'est la vie.
Last edited by Jack_Simth : 09-05-2010 at 01:02 PM.
I agree with jack on the xp. That is what mine says (minus 750).
As far as equipment goes I can't check right now, but I have:
Hat of disguise (1800)
+2 amulet of natural armor (8000)
+1 chain shirt (1250)
Wand of control undead (21840)
Wand of summon weapon (4500)
Bard starting gear (80 or so)
Mundane weapons (90 or so)
868 gold
That totals 38428 gold, however most of that is from the 16 charges in the control undead wand (as you can see above). For the record, we could totally sell it, but who knows when it might come in handy.
Last edited by Magnetbox : 09-06-2010 at 06:00 PM.
That totals 38428 gold, however most of that is from the 16 charges in the control undead wand (as you can see above). For the record, we could totally sell it, but who knows when it might come in handy.
Please note, it's a wand of Command Undead, not Control. Control is a 7th level spell, and too high level for a wand. With 16 charges it's worth about 1440 gp.
Yeah, I get those confused as well. Blame the creators who keep coming up with similar names. When I last played a druid I constantly mixed up Shapechange and Shapeshift.
__________________
Terrible avatars throughout the ages! (All by me.)
Well maybe I am squishy, but I can... errr... what can I do again? A half-ass job at a bunch of different skills? Guess that will work.
(In reality it is probably more like a three-quarter-ass job at least)
Ah, but think of it in relative terms. Jack gets 4 skill points per level. Galliard gets 6. You get 11. You are all at level 5 now, which means you have 56 total more ranks than Jack and 40 more than Galliard.
Keep playing until level 20 and (assuming everyone's Int stays the same, and it probably won't; yours will probably go up) and you will have 161 more ranks than Jack, and 115 more than Galliard.
And both of your teammates have inordinately high Int scores for their classes (monks and clerics aren't typically the sharpest knives in the drawer). In a less exotic party the gap would probably be even wider. At the moment you are spreading yourself pretty thin, putting ranks into almost every skill. Keep that up and soon you'll be a certified expert in pretty much everything imaginable.
A high level factotum can have 20+ ranks in over a dozen skills, or 10+ in almost every skill there is. Jack will probably be able to max out 4 skills, with a smattering of ranks elsewhere. And three of them almost have to be Spellcraft, Concentration and Knowledge(Religion). Not a ton of freedom for the average cleric, and he's got more ranks to spare than most.
Three-quarter-ass job? You'll soon have asses to spare.
__________________
Terrible avatars throughout the ages! (All by me.)
How to Play Rogues Properly:
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Like this:
Last edited by Starscream : 09-10-2010 at 10:00 PM.
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