Background
She was a greedy cruel human hunter from the Prime who thought the animals in the Beastlands were the ultimate trophy game. She was trying to hunt a celestial wapiti, unaware that it was actually the Deer Lord. The Deer Lord revealed himself, and she tried to justify her actions by saying that tigers were allowed to hunt them, so she should be, too. The Deer Lord sensed her disingenuousness, however, and told her that if she wanted to hunt prey like a tiger, she must live as a tiger--and transformed her into an anthropomorphic tiger. As she had been very beautiful and vain about her looks, this devastated her.
She tried to return home, but everywhere she went, people thought she was a weretiger or a rakshasa and drove her away. Eventually, she returned to the Beastlands, found the Deer Lord, and repented. She begged his forgiveness, and he told her that she would now hunt for them--hunt those who would do harm to this place, those who would destroy the Good of the wild. She agreed, and has been an agent of the Beast Lords ever since. A few years ago, the Deer Lord offered to return her to her natural form as a reward for decades of service and she refused, saying that this shape allowed her to serve them better.
Background
In his youth Derk experienced what many sorcerers experience while they are young. Luckily for him, the weird events and phenomena were a known ‘issue’ in the family. Just about once every three generations a sorcerer would pop up. The solution was simple: send the troubled kid to a monastery and the priests would take care of it. Normally, these kids would end up as scribe or get some other dusty job, neglecting their powers, but Derk was strong and looked a good soldier. So he ended up getting training as a paladin and his work as a soldier allowed him to develop his sorcerer skills.
Obviously, a paladin developing into an armoured arcanist granted him considerable status in the region and during ten years he was an important leader in the cause of law and good, providing relative peace and protection for the region. To all things comes and end, though, and at some point he decided he had outgrown his job. He had found a good candidate to fill his position and he had become more and more curious about the rest of the world and what lay beyond.
The next three years Derk spent travelling the world, accompanied by several different groups of adventurers. In his adventures and through conversations with fellow adventurers he picked up all kinds of knowledge. He became stronger and more confident in his quests against evil, but somewhere in the back of his head there was this feeling of emptiness. A curiosity that needed to be filled, a longing for a world that may not be as black and white and a craving for a deeper understanding of the source of his power.
At age 30 Derk met a very special man that convinced him to travel together for a while. Soon this new friend exposed himself as being a (relatively young) silver dragon that wanted to learn about humans through Derk. In return he would teach Derk about his ancestry, the source of his power, about the other planes and arcane mysteries. In these last two years Derk matured fully and developed into the man he is now.
Derk still wants to learn more about the balance between good and evil and as soon as he heard of the existence of a place called Sigil, the door to the multiverse, he made work of travelling there. He put all his connections and resources he built up during his life to work in order to reach the next step in his eternal quest...
Description
Derk is a tall and muscular man who has had silvery hair since his birth, a trait that runs in the family. Not only did this give their name, it also hints at a faint ancestry that goes back ages. His face shows a steadfast determination and a zealous passion, but also the understanding and wisdom that typically grows on a man that has been a soldier and adventurer for over 15 years. Friendly, yet stern most would say. When on a mission, he typically wears a shiny full plate armor made out of mithral and a big mean looking flail. He always wears silvery gloves, for some reason....
Personality
In his younger years Derk was a zealous and unforgiving paladin, and what it made worse was the pride running through his veins due to his draconic ancestry. A caring man, a devoted man and a kind man but also relentless towards those that did not live by the law. Fortunately, nowadays he has grown older and wiser. He has learned to understand and appreciate other (good) philosophies and tolerates less straightforward, dishonest, combat tactics to some degree (but will never take part in it). At the same time his grudge versus evil and particularly the undead has grown over the many years as he witnessed more and more evil acts. These days his main drivers are a thirst for knowledge and understanding of the moral side of life. As he learned more about the cosmology and religion, he has become convinced that evil cannot be conquered…it will never go away. Nevertheless, there are places for evil beings to exist and places for evil beings to be eradicated, with threatened creatures that deserve protection.
In combat
In combat Derk prefers to face enemies in the open and fight with honor. He will not lie in an ambush if he can avoid it and he will not use sneak attack tactics. He is able to take quite the beating and will always be at the forefront, offering protection to those that need it and death to those that deserve it. In a typical combat situation, Derk will cast a swift Shield and his lizard familiar will cast Haste while Derk rushes into combat. As soon as he can, he will use his Air devotion, but otherwise you will find him battering the opposition.
Background
The dragon Xiuhcoatl, the Flame Drake, the Desert's Bane, has humble beginnings: on a small, backwater world on the Prime Material, he was born to parents seeking to improve their lot in the multiverse. They rose up, and challenged the gods - and lost.
Struggling as they might, before they died they flung their child - their beloved, singular offspring - to a place where no deity could reach: Sigil, the City of Doors, protected by the entity known only as the Lady of Pain. Here Xiuhcoatl would find peace and safety - at least for a time.
However, the magic that twisted reality to send him failed, leaving him in the Outlands.
The dragon is now approximately fourteen years old, and having amassed a considerable fortune from his time in the planes.
Xiuhcoatl operates under the name Androse Pensive, a young prince of a far-away kingdom who now owns and runs an orphanage for any young who have no family.
Xiuhcoatl dislikes combat, preferring to talk out disputes rather than fight, and even more dislikes to reveal his true form. If pressed, however, or if someone openly and malevolently threatens those he protects, he fights with a wrath only a dragon could produce.
The vast majority of his gear works both as Androse as well as in his natural form, and he focuses on wand-magic as his own innate powers have yet to develop.
Background
Born as the result of a pregnant adventurer helping to end a Far Realm incursion, the woman known to most as 'that weirdo mutant girl what has the unpronouncible name' fled to Sigil in search of people who wouldn't actually flinch just looking at her.
Personality
Strange, secretive and happy to speak to even the weirdest monsters. Prefers the distinctly inhuman to the humanoid, and tends towards discussions of such things as black holes, wormholes, reality inversion, implausable cultures, highly improbable events and violations of the laws of the universe. Any mention of the Far Realm is enough to make her stop whatever she is doing and attempt to form a discussion group.
Description
Snake tail, tentacles, extra eyes and gills make for a woman who stands out even in a Sigil crowd. Blue eyes, pasty white skin and long black hair doesn't really help, nor do the once-fine, now-tattered clothes she wears.
Background
Godot grew up among the Barni, a travelling clan of chaos gnome players and circus folk. As you might expect among an intelligent and capricious group of naturally gifted mages, the Barni began investigating the mystic connections between the building blocks of magic, and the manner in which social interactions and performances can unlock astonishing effects.
Godot's initial training was primarily as an ingenue actor and fiddler, although she did a little bit of all of the myriad of tasks it takes to keep a traveling band of players afloat. Including, as it turns out, befuddling drunks, avoiding corrupt watchmen, and slipping away from bandits.
The Barni's special act was an aerial ballet by a quartet of pixies - Deepti, Ashera, Ashti and Nehra - alternately making themselves visible and invisible, and incorporating objects plucked from audience members into the dance. Godot stood in total awe of the pixies as a child, and grew up following one of the four around like a puppy. She remains close with the four sprites, and some of their fey magic has permanently rubbed off on her.
The Barni do what they can to get out of awkward situations using wit and guile, without bloodshed. Godot has taken this a step further. Even now, a decade after leaving the circus, she takes some pride in the fact that she has never killed a person ('person' being defined as anyone who is likely to talk back when you talk to it, a definition which she has stretched to include clever animals not actively trying to eat her).
She HAS, though, helped negotaiate a treaty between the wandering tribes of the Ashter and the port city of Vista. She has written a play that was performed before King Tsher of Leppo. She has beaten the vampire Troil at cards - and escaped his wrath when he discovered she'd cheated more skilfully than him. She has improvised a song that gave the townsfolk of Umree the courage to take down a necromancer's army of zombies.
All of which has lead her to fear that, in fact, this is as good as it gets. She has an extraordinary range of plays under her belt already, and is the toast of three cities along the east coast. She is, frankly, bored, and worried that life has nothing left to offer her.
In desperation, Godot has wangled access to Sigil, where she has promptly joined the Sensates, and seeks a transformative experience, one that will fuel her muse for years to come.
Background
“Now those memories come back to haunt me. They haunt me like a curse.” -Bruce Springsteen
“They say that Darkstone can twist a person’s thoughts, eat a person’s mind, pull at a man’s soul. They say that Darkstone is the essence of evil bound to rock. But we know better. We know what Darkstone does. It is a depository, nothing more.
So, what would happen, if we were to use that depository, and give it life? Force a soul within it, and give the soul control. It would be the ultimate warrior. A warrior’s soul, within a body of stone.
They would be unstoppable.” -Father Carlos, in his treatise on the production of Darkstone Adepts.
5 Elements
1) Cleric of Heironeous, one of the ones who goes out and smashes evil into the dust.
2) Very protective of his companions, to the point of sacrificing himself for their sake.
3) Agreed to an experimental procedure, wherein his soul would be bound to a Darkstone statue of himself, to afford better defenses in the fight against evil.
4) Experiment went awry, and Simon was placed in a deep sleep for a very long time.
5) Upon waking, the temple to Heironeous had been abandoned, the artifacts left within. Simon took up the weapons and magic items he could find, and left to do battle once more. He made his way to Sigil, the City at the Center of the Realms, to be in a better place to seek out evil-doers.
2 Goals
1) Simon, in addition to fulfilling the orders of Heironeous, wishes to figure out what exactly happened to his brothers.
2) Simon needs to come to terms with the fact that his friends are probably dead. In fact, they almost certainly are. It’s been a very long time.
2 Secrets
1) (Known)Simon knows that the Darkstone material, while excellent for the storage of souls, is also not exactly a good thing. It’s actually a special stone from the Plane of Gehenna, which means its very essence is stained with evil. Simon’s not exactly sure what that will entail for him and those around him, but he’s sure its not good.
2) (Unknown)Simon Shadowstalker is not actually the Simon he remembers. Sort of. You see, the Darkstone the temple of Heironeous had obtained already had a soul within it. The resident’s soul has not been determined, but Simon’s soul was lost in the ritual. Instead, the remnants of his mind were imprinted upon the soul which was already residing within the stone. No magic thus far has managed to cure this, but if such a spell were devised, the results could be disastrous.
3 People
1) Rachel Stargazer-
A bar-maid in the Boar’s Head tavern in Sigil, Rachel is a Zenythri, one of those oddly Lawful-Aligned almost humans. Rachel and Simon maintain a friendship full of biting sarcasm and clever come-backs, but she would always come to Simon’s aid in a pinch. She has a minor bit of magic, and is very proficient in the use of a bottle as a weapon.
2) Micheal Wrathmaker
Micheal is a cleric of Hextor. That’s about all that needs to be said here. Simon and Micheal realize they could never defeat each other in a head-on battle. So, they maintain a non-aggression pact. As long as they stay on their sides of the city, and Micheal doesn’t do too much evil, they stay out of each other’s way. But both plot to find a way to wipe the other from existence. Micheal is a vampire.
3) Ezekiel
The man known only as Ezekiel has followed Simon since his transformation. The robed watcher always carries a notebook with him, and an ever-moving pen writes as its master watches. He never interferes, he never speaks. Occasionally, he motions. Strangely, Ezekiel does not show himself to many other people besides Simon. Whenever Simon goes to show someone the man, Ezekiel has disappeared.
3 Memories
1) Simon remembers his first steps outside after awaking. It was a deeply disturbing event. Simon’s new body prevents him from really feeling sensations of touch. That was the second time Simon wept in his life.
2) The first time Simon wept was early in his career as a crusader in the name of Heironeous. He was working with one of his brothers, George. They were exterminating a nest of undead. George was taken by a vampire. Simon could do nothing to save George. By the time Simon found them, George was a Spawn. Simon did what he had too. Simon never worked along side his brothers in the crusades again.
3) Simon hates what he’s become, and what he fears he will become. He feels that his humanity is slowly slipping away from him. As such, he makes every effort to appear as human as possible. Sadly, this just makes him seems awkward. When he accidentally sticks his hand in a fire, it stays there until he realizes that his hand should be burning, when he quickly pulls it back. Stuff like that. It’s just sad, really.
Background
Rhion's life could be summarized as one word: Adaptation. To put it from the start, his father was a hermit. Yes, a hermit's life is supposed to be lived alone, and this one was going to prove no exception, if he hadn't met a lovely young woman, looking for a cure for her strange illness. The illness was cured alright, but it seems that they both needed a bit more than a cure, which is why they ended up as lovers, and eventually, parents. Rhion was born into a world of motion. By the time her mother gave birth to him, they weren't staying still at one place, but rather spending their whole life travelling, and this didn't change when the little child who they named Rhion joined the "family". It wasn't too easy for him, since children tend to search for aspects of safety and security, and neither had a place in the ever-journeying family of Rhion, at least not in their usual forms. Thus, he did what he had to do, and adapted. Then, as what he was adapted to has changed, he adapted again. And again. But he discovered what adaptation really meant later, when he was 17, as his father who was already well aged, passed away. He understood that one cannot adapt to his new conditions by simply observing these conditions and accepting them as the truth. One adapts (and makes life easier to live) by seeing the world as a whole, and accepting it as a whole, both the negative and positive parts.
With these thoughts Rhion tried to get over his father's death, and gave a "radical" decision, in which he took her mother and persuaded her to settle down at the first town that they'll come upon. She didn't resist, and they took solace in the safety of a community for once in a while, which was a "different change" than they have had before. Rhion tried to take care of them both by using what healing skills he learned from his father for the townsfolk, and to his surprise, he was received rather well by the people, who were apparently in need of a healer in town.
Rhion was content to live there for the rest of his life, if it weren't for one Godsmen monk that was passing through the town. Fate brought them together, and the man told Rhion all about the faction and its philosophy, insisting that his life would be a waste if he would stay here forever, what he *should* do is to ever being in motion, striving for the maximum of his potential. To his surprise, his mother agreed with this idea wholeheartedly, saying that she would rather let him go than keep him with her and prevent him for what he might become. Rhion was both deeply moved and intrigued by the words of his mother and the monk, and after thorough considerations, he decided to heed the monk's word and follow him, to wherever the road leads.
It's been almost twenty years now that the monk has passed away too, but his ideas live with and within Rhion, guiding and shaping his actions this whole time. And his path, while being as long as his own life, finally brought him to Sigil, where gateways into each and every world should exist, if one were to believe the rumors. The perfect place for a traveler.
Short version: Umbriel was born in an eclipse cabal named Blackfrost, hidden in the ice of Ocanthus near the stronghold of Wee Jas called the Cabal Macabre. Umbriel went to study at the Cabal as a girl, and as she grew in power and knowledge was sent on increasingly far-ranging missions, advancing the interests of Wee Jas across the planes. She has primarily worked in research and recovery of knowledge from old libraries and caches (including excavations), but is also well-practiced at dealing with traps and monstrous guardians.
Long version: In the beginning was the Word, and in the Word lay the sum of all knowledge. But evil sought to unspeak the Word, and plunge all again into ignorance and darkness. The keepers of the Word broke it into many parts and fled, to all the corners of their world, and beyond.
Below the turning iron cubes of the Infernal Battlefield, the guardians found a world where darkness lay on the face of the deep, a great sheet of blue-black ice veiling the unknown horrors below. A world where glittering iceshards spun and sparkled in the endless air, in a storm of razor edges to eviscerate the unprepared.
They came through the storm to the fortress of the Lady of Book and Bone, and found shelter there. To the Lady they paid homage and swore eternal loyalty, and the Lady returned her favor and her protection.
So began Blackfrost, sanctuary of the Eclipse. So began our trust. May it stand ever unbroken - until the ice of Ocanthus melts, and the Word may again be freely spoken.
Umbriel rubbed her forehead. Blackfrost had been much in her thoughts for the past day, as she prepared herself for the final stage of her journey to Sigil, and it was impossible to remember her childhood cabal without recalling the soft, dry voice of Loremaster Yeylea reciting the catechism that was the first lesson the little ones learned. Those last words had opened every meal and every formal meeting for the first two decades of her life. That was long ago, now, in another world, and she was no longer who she had been. Still, the memories lingered.
Blackfrost had always sent some of its children to the Cabal Macabre - those who were too restless to submit easily to the rigid disciplines of the Eclipse, or gifted enough that the Jasidans regarded their skills as wasted within the peaceful confines of the cabal. Umbriel had been both, a high-spirited, mind-hungry girl blessed with a boundless curiosity and an intelligence as sharp as the razor-edged Ocanthan ice.
Fifty years later, the restlessness and high spirits had faded. Bitter experience had taught her the value of caution and care, of subtlety over raw power. Of course, exhibitionism still had its place. Sometimes a statement had to be made. And the hunger for knowledge - that would never be slaked while she lived.
She had served the Ruby Sorceress for half a century: teaching apprentices at the Cabal and in strongholds on other planes, researching new spells and the nature of magic, exploring far-flung libraries and old ruins to seek out forgotten lore, and otherwise serving the Lady's interests. But for this last mission she'd been given little guidance, only a final goal. That it was a goal that marched closely with her own desires... she supposed the Lady had done that deliberately. High risk and high reward, success or oblivion. The Lady of Book and Bone, goddess of magic and death, would expect no less. So be it. She touched the ruby pin at her throat and murmured a brief devotion as she stepped through the portal.
A memory from Umbriel's youth, when she first went to the Cabal Macabre:
Spoiler
Umbriel stands before the gateway in the dome that protects Blackfrost. She is motionless and her face is serene, but she radiates a quivering eagerness leashed only by an effort of will. Her sleeveless tunic and knee-length pants are bright crimson, a splash of color contrasting sharply with the white garb of the others her age. Her strawberry-blonde hair is woven into a long, thick braid that hangs past the small of her back. A low hum of whispering from the watchers fills the air.
Yeylea walks forward and hands a bundle of scrolls to the young illumian.
"These are your charge," he says, his voice soft but carrying to the edges of the courtyard. "Deliver them into the hand of the Seneschal. You have one hour from this moment to prepare yourself and make the journey."
Umbriel nods respectfully and inclines her head. Then she turns and runs toward the gate.
She hears a gasp behind her, a stifled cry from someone in the crowd, but she does not stop. She leaps gracefully through the invisible boundary where the bladestorm begins, and as she feels the first prickle of the frosty air, she speaks a single word of power.
The shards of ice whirl around her in an intricate, ever-changing dance, but they do not touch her. The cold kisses her exposed skin, but it will not harm her in this short trip. She runs lightly across the dark ice, graceful as the wind, and does not halt until she arrives, breathless and laughing, in the clear air that surrounds the Lady's home.
The spell she had used had not been one taught to the children of the cabal. She had found its greater version hidden deep in the library's records of the initial arrival in Ocanthus, but it had been beyond her powers to cast. It had taken much of her free time over the past few months to reduce it to this more manageable, less complex variant. But it had been worth it, to hear the gasps from her peers, to overcome the challenge by adroit use of the single perfect spell.
She takes a moment to catch her breath and brush the dark powdery flecks of ice from her tunic and pants. She looks up at the castle, glowing with an eerie bone-white light. This is where she will prove herself, and come to realize her full potential, as she could never do in the quiet, unchanging, confining security of Blackfrost. Within waits knowledge, and power, and glory... and danger too, and pain, no doubt. But even so, she wants it all.
She walks through the great double doors.
Receiving her current mission:
Spoiler
Umbriel enters the audience chamber and drops into a deep curtsey before the ice weird, her black robes pooling on the floor around her as she sinks to one knee.
"As I have been summoned, Seneschal, so do I come," she greets the weird, eyes lowered to the smooth bone-pale floor.
"Rise, Blackfrost Umbriel," the Seneschal says, her voice cold and haughty as always. It is her nature; Umbriel does not take offense. "The Lady is pleased with you."
Umbriel rises and stands motionless, her folded hands pale against the utter blackness of her robes. "I am honored, Seneschal."
The ice weird nods in response, a small smile curving her frost-blue lips. "Yes. You are." She lifts her chin. "Your kin have also served well, for centuries now. Consequently, the Taker desires more followers from among your people." She pauses, regarding Umbriel steadily. "Blackfrost will remain as it is, of course. Our mistress understands the nature of the Eclipse oaths, and would not risk the revelation of the sanctuary. But there are many illumian cabals scattered across the planes. Our Lady desires that Her worship become more prevalent among them."
Umbriel frowns. "I am hardly the best evangelist you could find, Seneschal," she says carefully. "My skills are in research, in the teaching of magic, the gathering of lore, and in spells that reshape the physical world - not in proselytizing, in winning minds and souls to a cause. I know my limitations."
"Indeed. But for the moment, it is information that is needed. Groundwork that must be laid. You do know, do you not, of Illumian cabals that do not follow the path of the Eclipse?"
"Of course." The barest shade of irritation colors Umbriel's voice. "The loremaster of Blackfrost is conscientious and I would not forget his teachings."
The ice weird tilts her head. "Just so. The question was rhetorical. But so it goes: the Lady wishes you to work toward the establishment of a chain cabal in her service. It is hoped that in future the chain cabal will both advance the Lady's interests, and provide an avenue to recruit more Illumians to our faith, without risking Blackfrost."
Umbriel raises an eyebrow. "With me as the sole link. I am glad to see you trust my discretion."
"You have earned trust." The weird shrugs, ripples spreading across the surface of her icy pool. "If you have not betrayed your vows in fifty years of walking the planes, She sees no reason that it should be a problem now."
"Where is this putative cabal to be located?"
"Have you ever been to the city called Sigil?"
Umbriel stiffens. "No. I have not. My instructors told me that the Lady of Pain has powers that the gods themselves might fear, and that egress from the city except through portals is impossible. Consequently, it should be regarded as a trap, and avoided where possible." She pauses, and asks, "Has that situation changed?"
"No. But you are very unlikely to draw the attention of the Lady of Pain or other powerful beings within Sigil - at least, unless you make a serious mistake - and you have the ability to deal with more commonplace threats. It is not necessary that the chain cabal should be in Sigil itself - although if you feel that would be possible, such a site would be useful - but the city provides access to a very large number of planes, and there will be travelers there from all over the Wheel. It should provide a good starting point for you to seek out potential locations, and perhaps possible recruits, while sending back information on events in Sigil itself. And of course, you should remain alert for hints of any stolen works from the Sublime Library, or new spells and lore more generally, as well as any developments that would threaten our mistress' interests."
"Of course," Umbriel replies, only a hint of irony in her tone. The reward for a task well done is a harder task... but she feels a hint of excitement stirring in an old and dusty corner of her soul. It will be challenging, certainly, and dangerous, but to found a new cabal: that would be a worthy legacy. And Sigil! She has read of the city, of course, but never thought to see it with her own eyes. She bows deeply to the ice weird. "I thank you for conveying our mistress' commands, Seneschal."
The weird inclines her head, and replies, "Go and prepare yourself, Blackfrost Umbriel. I will look forward to hearing your reports."
As I already spoilered in the IC thread, Derk would like to speak in DimGray if that is okay with everyone. I like the suggestion of us having met by destiny since we were all on the way to Sigil. Sigil being a strange, unfamiliar and perhaps dangerous place, we would all have a good reason to stick together.
We're a lot of players and high level at that, so good luck Togo managing it . With that in mind, will we be having a tight posting regime (as in x times per y days minimum unless some announced absence occurs) or not? I think this would help keeping the game fluent.
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Very little to no PbP posting from 22/5 till 2/6.
She was a greedy cruel human hunter from the Prime who thought the animals in the Beastlands were the ultimate trophy game. She was trying to hunt a celestial wapiti, unaware that it was actually the Deer Lord. The Deer Lord revealed himself, and she tried to justify her actions by saying that tigers were allowed to hunt them, so she should be, too. The Deer Lord sensed her disingenuousness, however, and told her that if she wanted to hunt prey like a tiger, she must live as a tiger--and transformed her into an anthropomorphic tiger. As she had been very beautiful and vain about her looks, this devastated her.
She tried to return home, but everywhere she went, people thought she was a weretiger or a rakshasa and drove her away. Eventually, she returned to the Beastlands, found the Deer Lord, and repented. She begged his forgiveness, and he told her that she would now hunt for them--hunt those who would do harm to this place, those who would destroy the Good of the wild. She agreed, and has been an agent of the Beast Lords ever since. A few years ago, the Deer Lord offered to return her to her natural form as a reward for decades of service and she refused, saying that this shape allowed her to serve them better.
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Congratulations, you can link to TV Tropes. This does not mean you have special insight into the storytelling process, much less the author's mind. Stories don't need to fit into neat boxes, you know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Giant
Spod has it right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grasilich
You not reading the comic isn't going to make this comic any less awesome for all the rest of us.
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Right, good idea. I will collect all the info (backgrounds and sheetlinks) that appear in this thread in my first post, so it is gathered at the top of page 1.
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Very little to no PbP posting from 22/5 till 2/6.
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Here's my background:
Spoiler
The dragon Xiuhcoatl, the Flame Drake, the Desert's Bane, has humble beginnings: on a small, backwater world on the Prime Material, he was born to parents seeking to improve their lot in the multiverse. They rose up, and challenged the gods - and lost.
Struggling as they might, before they died they flung their child - their beloved, singular offspring - to a place where no deity could reach: Sigil, the City of Doors, protected by the entity known only as the Lady of Pain. Here Xiuhcoatl would find peace and safety - at least for a time.
However, the magic that twisted reality to send him failed, leaving him in the Outlands.
The dragon is now approximately fourteen years old, and having amassed a considerable fortune from his time in the planes.
Xiuhcoatl operates under the name Androse Pensive, a young prince of a far-away kingdom who now owns and runs an orphanage for any young who have no family.
Xiuhcoatl dislikes combat, preferring to talk out disputes rather than fight, and even more dislikes to reveal his true form. If pressed, however, or if someone openly and malevolently threatens those he protects, he fights with a wrath only a dragon could produce.
The vast majority of his gear works both as Androse as well as in his natural form, and he focuses on wand-magic as his own innate powers have yet to develop.
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Pointing out hypocrisy is not disrespect.
RIP Tasha, April 1986 to November 25th, 2008. 22 years and 7 months of being the best kitty ever. You will be missed forever.
RIP Finney Jr., June 1998 to March 18, 2011. Nearly 13 years of being the best goldfish ever. You, as with Tasha, will be missed forever.
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Thanks for pulling together our sheets, Autopsibiofeeder...how do you shorten that?
Whew. A lot of high level characters. There'll be a strong 'herding cats' element to this. I'm hoping we can establish at least some kind of past links, even if it is between a few individuals. Godot, for example, has been kicking around Sigil for a while, so could cross paths with a number of you. I'll have a look through backgrounds and suggest a few possibilities.
Godot will speak, think and orate in purple.
Background:
Spoiler
Godot grew up among the Barni, a travelling clan of chaos gnome players and circus folk. As you might expect among an intelligent and capricious group of naturally gifted mages, the Barni began investigating the mystic connections between the building blocks of magic, and the manner in which social interactions and performances can unlock astonishing effects.
Godot's initial training was primarily as an ingenue actor and fiddler, although she did a little bit of all of the myriad of tasks it takes to keep a traveling band of players afloat. Including, as it turns out, befuddling drunks, avoiding corrupt watchmen, and slipping away from bandits.
The Barni's special act was an aerial ballet by a quartet of pixies - Deepti, Ashera, Ashti and Nehra - alternately making themselves visible and invisible, and incorporating objects plucked from audience members into the dance. Godot stood in total awe of the pixies as a child, and grew up following one of the four around like a puppy. She remains close with the four sprites, and some of their fey magic has permanently rubbed off on her.
The Barni do what they can to get out of awkward situations using wit and guile, without bloodshed. Godot has taken this a step further. Even now, a decade after leaving the circus, she takes some pride in the fact that she has never killed a person ('person' being defined as anyone who is likely to talk back when you talk to it, a definition which she has stretched to include clever animals not actively trying to eat her).
She HAS, though, helped negotaiate a treaty between the wandering tribes of the Ashter and the port city of Vista. She has written a play that was performed before King Tsher of Leppo. She has beaten the vampire Troil at cards - and escaped his wrath when he discovered she'd cheated more skilfully than him. She has improvised a song that gave the townsfolk of Umree the courage to take down a necromancer's army of zombies.
All of which has lead her to fear that, in fact, this is as good as it gets. She has an extraordinary range of plays under her belt already, and is the toast of three cities along the east coast. She is, frankly, bored, and worried that life has nothing left to offer her.
In desperation, Godot has wangled access to Sigil, where she has promptly joined the Sensates, and seeks a transformative experience, one that will fuel her muse for years to come.
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Sorry for all of the games on which I'm behind. Health plus work nastiness. I'm now working to catch up.
Peridot avatar (complete with demon consorts) courtesy of the very talented Telasi.
Despair favours the status quo. It is a luxury we cannot afford. ~ Andrew Nikiforuk
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Toliudar
Thanks for pulling together our sheets, Autopsibiofeeder...how do you shorten that?
Hmmm...I guess Auto will do. Some people use Autopsi, which is also ok, but looks a lot like autopsy which is weird-ish (though it is also the name of a good band).
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Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Sorry for the delay, guys, I was getting Umbriel's spells-prepared list together, which was non-trivial
I will claim Dark Slate Blue for Umbriel, if that's okay, and Dark Slate Gray for her raven.
Couple of questions:
-Is there anyone here who would really benefit from having an extra fighter bonus feat? One step away from the end of a feat chain, or just something you really wanted but didn't have room for? If so, let me know, I can do you an Extended Heroics - you do have to meet the prereqs though.
-Is there someone in the group who considers themselves a skill-based character? Perhaps Godot? I have the Share Talents spell from PHB2, which when cast on me and another person, gives us both +2 on all skills in which any one of us has a rank. I have every Int-based skill except Forgery covered, plus Concentration.
Please feel free to look at my character sheet and request other buffs (in particular, I've never used Polymorph much, but I am a transmuter, so if you have a favorite form that's not ridiculously cheesy, let me know ) My raven familiar will be loaded up with three Hastes, Mass Fly, Mass Fireshield and Freedom of Movement.
Given we've had some time to get to know each other, Umbriel would also offer a Chained Greater Magic Weapon to the party (using her lesser metamagic rod of chaining): she can make 20 weapons +5 for 20 hours, so just let me know how many you want enchanted Casters may also borrow her orange prism ioun stone for the purpose of casting buff spells, although she will watch you like a hawk (and if you're obviously Chaotic based on their interactions so far - *cough* Dime *cough* - she would likely have a counter-spell at the ready to try to stop any attempts to teleport away with it )
Anyone who wants Mage Armor is also very welcome to it, since I can cast that one spontaneously.
Please let me know if I'm stepping on anyone's toes ability-wise, since I can shift my focus pretty easily by changing my spell load-out, and it's harder for most of the rest of you.
Umbriel currently appears as a woman sculpted from air, riding a black phantom horse. Her full current buff list is in the spoiler block.
Current buff spells:
Spoiler
Elemental Body (Air) (CL20): 30ft perfect fly speed (40ft with Heart of Air), [Air] subtype, immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, critical hits, flanking, 60ft darkvision.
Superior Resistance (CL20, extended): +6 resistance bonus on saving throws.
Greater Mage Armor (CL20): +6 armor bonus to AC.
Dragonsight (CL20): 100ft blindsense, 200ft darkvision, can see twice as well as a human in normal light and 4x as well in low light.
Heart of Earth (CL 20): 30 temporary HP, +8 bonus on checks to resist an overrun, trip or bull rush attack.
Heart of Water: 30ft swim speed, water breathing, +5 bonus to Escape Artist checks.
Heart of Air: +10 to Jump checks, +10 enhancement bonus to fly speed.
Familiar Pocket (CL20): safe haven for my raven familiar Valthrax.
Phantom Steed (CL19): AC 18, 26 HP, 240ft speed, can bear rider + 190lbs, fly at its speed with average maneuverability.
Imbue Familiar With Spell Ability (CL20): imbued spells are Haste x3, Mass Fly, Mass Fireshield, Freedom of Movement.
Contingency (CL20) (see character sheet)
__________________ PCs:
Spoiler
Word:
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Snark
I must not argue on the Internet.
Internet argument is the mind-killer.
It is the little death that brings total aggravation.
I will face my annoyance.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
When it has gone past I will turn my inner eye to see its path.
Where the irritation has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
I'm moderately skill-based, being a ranger. I have Handle Animal, Hide, Knowledge (the planes), Listen, Move Silently, Ride, Search, Spot, and Survival trained.
I would also happily take a Greater Magic Weapon, I'm using a +1 swordbow.
I don't think I'd have anything specific for the Heroics, though, so you can give that to someone else.
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Spod has it right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grasilich
You not reading the comic isn't going to make this comic any less awesome for all the rest of us.
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Okay, one GMW marked down for the Huntress. Like I said, there are 20 available (from one casting), and having spares doesn't do me any good, so feel free to include backup weapons if you like
Since I forgot to post it earlier, here is the copy of Umbriel's background:
Spoiler
Short version: Umbriel was born in an eclipse cabal named Blackfrost, hidden in the ice of Ocanthus near the stronghold of Wee Jas called the Cabal Macabre. Umbriel went to study at the Cabal as a girl, and as she grew in power and knowledge was sent on increasingly far-ranging missions, advancing the interests of Wee Jas across the planes. She has primarily worked in research and recovery of knowledge from old libraries and caches (including excavations), but is also well-practiced at dealing with traps and monstrous guardians.
Long version: In the beginning was the Word, and in the Word lay the sum of all knowledge. But evil sought to unspeak the Word, and plunge all again into ignorance and darkness. The keepers of the Word broke it into many parts and fled, to all the corners of their world, and beyond.
Below the turning iron cubes of the Infernal Battlefield, the guardians found a world where darkness lay on the face of the deep, a great sheet of blue-black ice veiling the unknown horrors below. A world where glittering iceshards spun and sparkled in the endless air, in a storm of razor edges to eviscerate the unprepared.
They came through the storm to the fortress of the Lady of Book and Bone, and found shelter there. To the Lady they paid homage and swore eternal loyalty, and the Lady returned her favor and her protection.
So began Blackfrost, sanctuary of the Eclipse. So began our trust. May it stand ever unbroken - until the ice of Ocanthus melts, and the Word may again be freely spoken.
Umbriel rubbed her forehead. Blackfrost had been much in her thoughts for the past day, as she prepared herself for the final stage of her journey to Sigil, and it was impossible to remember her childhood cabal without recalling the soft, dry voice of Loremaster Yeylea reciting the catechism that was the first lesson the little ones learned. Those last words had opened every meal and every formal meeting for the first two decades of her life. That was long ago, now, in another world, and she was no longer who she had been. Still, the memories lingered.
Blackfrost had always sent some of its children to the Cabal Macabre - those who were too restless to submit easily to the rigid disciplines of the Eclipse, or gifted enough that the Jasidans regarded their skills as wasted within the peaceful confines of the cabal. Umbriel had been both, a high-spirited, mind-hungry girl blessed with a boundless curiosity and an intelligence as sharp as the razor-edged Ocanthan ice.
Fifty years later, the restlessness and high spirits had faded. Bitter experience had taught her the value of caution and care, of subtlety over raw power. Of course, exhibitionism still had its place. Sometimes a statement had to be made. And the hunger for knowledge - that would never be slaked while she lived.
She had served the Ruby Sorceress for half a century: teaching apprentices at the Cabal and in strongholds on other planes, researching new spells and the nature of magic, exploring far-flung libraries and old ruins to seek out forgotten lore, and otherwise serving the Lady's interests. But for this last mission she'd been given little guidance, only a final goal. That it was a goal that marched closely with her own desires... she supposed the Lady had done that deliberately. High risk and high reward, success or oblivion. The Lady of Book and Bone, goddess of magic and death, would expect no less. So be it. She touched the ruby pin at her throat and murmured a brief devotion as she stepped through the portal.
A memory from Umbriel's youth, when she first went to the Cabal Macabre:
Spoiler
Umbriel stands before the gateway in the dome that protects Blackfrost. She is motionless and her face is serene, but she radiates a quivering eagerness leashed only by an effort of will. Her sleeveless tunic and knee-length pants are bright crimson, a splash of color contrasting sharply with the white garb of the others her age. Her strawberry-blonde hair is woven into a long, thick braid that hangs past the small of her back. A low hum of whispering from the watchers fills the air.
Yeylea walks forward and hands a bundle of scrolls to the young illumian.
"These are your charge," he says, his voice soft but carrying to the edges of the courtyard. "Deliver them into the hand of the Seneschal. You have one hour from this moment to prepare yourself and make the journey."
Umbriel nods respectfully and inclines her head. Then she turns and runs toward the gate.
She hears a gasp behind her, a stifled cry from someone in the crowd, but she does not stop. She leaps gracefully through the invisible boundary where the bladestorm begins, and as she feels the first prickle of the frosty air, she speaks a single word of power.
The shards of ice whirl around her in an intricate, ever-changing dance, but they do not touch her. The cold kisses her exposed skin, but it will not harm her in this short trip. She runs lightly across the dark ice, graceful as the wind, and does not halt until she arrives, breathless and laughing, in the clear air that surrounds the Lady's home.
The spell she had used had not been one taught to the children of the cabal. She had found its greater version hidden deep in the library's records of the initial arrival in Ocanthus, but it had been beyond her powers to cast. It had taken much of her free time over the past few months to reduce it to this more manageable, less complex variant. But it had been worth it, to hear the gasps from her peers, to overcome the challenge by adroit use of the single perfect spell.
She takes a moment to catch her breath and brush the dark powdery flecks of ice from her tunic and pants. She looks up at the castle, glowing with an eerie bone-white light. This is where she will prove herself, and come to realize her full potential, as she could never do in the quiet, unchanging, confining security of Blackfrost. Within waits knowledge, and power, and glory... and danger too, and pain, no doubt. But even so, she wants it all.
She walks through the great double doors.
Receiving her current mission:
Spoiler
Umbriel enters the audience chamber and drops into a deep curtsey before the ice weird, her black robes pooling on the floor around her as she sinks to one knee.
"As I have been summoned, Seneschal, so do I come," she greets the weird, eyes lowered to the smooth bone-pale floor.
"Rise, Blackfrost Umbriel," the Seneschal says, her voice cold and haughty as always. It is her nature; Umbriel does not take offense. "The Lady is pleased with you."
Umbriel rises and stands motionless, her folded hands pale against the utter blackness of her robes. "I am honored, Seneschal."
The ice weird nods in response, a small smile curving her frost-blue lips. "Yes. You are." She lifts her chin. "Your kin have also served well, for centuries now. Consequently, the Taker desires more followers from among your people." She pauses, regarding Umbriel steadily. "Blackfrost will remain as it is, of course. Our mistress understands the nature of the Eclipse oaths, and would not risk the revelation of the sanctuary. But there are many illumian cabals scattered across the planes. Our Lady desires that Her worship become more prevalent among them."
Umbriel frowns. "I am hardly the best evangelist you could find, Seneschal," she says carefully. "My skills are in research, in the teaching of magic, the gathering of lore, and in spells that reshape the physical world - not in proselytizing, in winning minds and souls to a cause. I know my limitations."
"Indeed. But for the moment, it is information that is needed. Groundwork that must be laid. You do know, do you not, of Illumian cabals that do not follow the path of the Eclipse?"
"Of course." The barest shade of irritation colors Umbriel's voice. "The loremaster of Blackfrost is conscientious and I would not forget his teachings."
The ice weird tilts her head. "Just so. The question was rhetorical. But so it goes: the Lady wishes you to work toward the establishment of a chain cabal in her service. It is hoped that in future the chain cabal will both advance the Lady's interests, and provide an avenue to recruit more Illumians to our faith, without risking Blackfrost."
Umbriel raises an eyebrow. "With me as the sole link. I am glad to see you trust my discretion."
"You have earned trust." The weird shrugs, ripples spreading across the surface of her icy pool. "If you have not betrayed your vows in fifty years of walking the planes, She sees no reason that it should be a problem now."
"Where is this putative cabal to be located?"
"Have you ever been to the city called Sigil?"
Umbriel stiffens. "No. I have not. My instructors told me that the Lady of Pain has powers that the gods themselves might fear, and that egress from the city except through portals is impossible. Consequently, it should be regarded as a trap, and avoided where possible." She pauses, and asks, "Has that situation changed?"
"No. But you are very unlikely to draw the attention of the Lady of Pain or other powerful beings within Sigil - at least, unless you make a serious mistake - and you have the ability to deal with more commonplace threats. It is not necessary that the chain cabal should be in Sigil itself - although if you feel that would be possible, such a site would be useful - but the city provides access to a very large number of planes, and there will be travelers there from all over the Wheel. It should provide a good starting point for you to seek out potential locations, and perhaps possible recruits, while sending back information on events in Sigil itself. And of course, you should remain alert for hints of any stolen works from the Sublime Library, or new spells and lore more generally, as well as any developments that would threaten our mistress' interests."
"Of course," Umbriel replies, only a hint of irony in her tone. The reward for a task well done is a harder task... but she feels a hint of excitement stirring in an old and dusty corner of her soul. It will be challenging, certainly, and dangerous, but to found a new cabal: that would be a worthy legacy. And Sigil! She has read of the city, of course, but never thought to see it with her own eyes. She bows deeply to the ice weird. "I thank you for conveying our mistress' commands, Seneschal."
The weird inclines her head, and replies, "Go and prepare yourself, Blackfrost Umbriel. I will look forward to hearing your reports."
__________________ PCs:
Spoiler
Word:
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Snark
I must not argue on the Internet.
Internet argument is the mind-killer.
It is the little death that brings total aggravation.
I will face my annoyance.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
When it has gone past I will turn my inner eye to see its path.
Where the irritation has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
I would not mind a GMW on my flail and if you have left, I could use one on my bow. I am really bad at archery, though, so please have that bow have the lowest priority on the list.
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Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Hmm, seems I'm a little bit late. Nevertheless, on to the essentials!
Color: Dark Green
Background:
Spoiler
Rhion's life could be summarized as one word: Adaptation. To put it from the start, his father was a hermit. Yes, a hermit's life is supposed to be lived alone, and this one was going to prove no exception, if he hadn't met a lovely young woman, looking for a cure for her strange illness. The illness was cured alright, but it seems that they both needed a bit more than a cure, which is why they ended up as lovers, and eventually, parents. Rhion was born into a world of motion. By the time her mother gave birth to him, they weren't staying still at one place, but rather spending their whole life travelling, and this didn't change when the little child who they named Rhion joined the "family". It wasn't too easy for him, since children tend to search for aspects of safety and security, and neither had a place in the ever-journeying family of Rhion, at least not in their usual forms. Thus, he did what he had to do, and adapted. Then, as what he was adapted to has changed, he adapted again. And again. But he discovered what adaptation really meant later, when he was 17, as his father who was already well aged, passed away. He understood that one cannot adapt to his new conditions by simply observing these conditions and accepting them as the truth. One adapts (and makes life easier to live) by seeing the world as a whole, and accepting it as a whole, both the negative and positive parts.
With these thoughts Rhion tried to get over his father's death, and gave a "radical" decision, in which he took her mother and persuaded her to settle down at the first town that they'll come upon. She didn't resist, and they took solace in the safety of a community for once in a while, which was a "different change" than they have had before. Rhion tried to take care of them both by using what healing skills he learned from his father for the townsfolk, and to his surprise, he was received rather well by the people, who were apparently in need of a healer in town.
Rhion was content to live there for the rest of his life, if it weren't for one Godsmen monk that was passing through the town. Fate brought them together, and the man told Rhion all about the faction and its philosophy, insisting that his life would be a waste if he would stay here forever, what he *should* do is to ever being in motion, striving for the maximum of his potential. To his surprise, his mother agreed with this idea wholeheartedly, saying that she would rather let him go than keep him with her and prevent him for what he might become. Rhion was both deeply moved and intrigued by the words of his mother and the monk, and after thorough considerations, he decided to heed the monk's word and follow him, to wherever the road leads.
It's been almost twenty years now that the monk has passed away too, but his ideas live with and within Rhion, guiding and shaping his actions this whole time. And his path, while being as long as his own life, finally brought him to Sigil, where gateways into each and every world should exist, if one were to believe the rumors. The perfect place for a traveler.
Also, to summarize, Rhion is a multi-purpose fellow. He has low level utility spells, a lot of forms he can wildshape into, passable stealth skills, can follow tracks, can heal a little, etc.
__________________
PbP Game Statistics:
Spoiler
(Updated 16.08.12) Games Joined: 47 Games Dead: 43 Games Successfully Finished: 0 Partially Finished/TPK'd: 1
Longest Game: 4 years and running-ish Shortest Game: Less than 1 day
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ifni
-Is there someone in the group who considers themselves a skill-based character? Perhaps Godot? I have the Share Talents spell from PHB2, which when cast on me and another person, gives us both +2 on all skills in which any one of us has a rank. I have every Int-based skill except Forgery covered, plus Concentration.
Godot is, not surprisingly, strongly focused on social skills, and has bardic knack, so is moderately good at everything. I figured our tigress and druid could take care of the hunting/scouting, you the knowledge skills, and so on.
As noted in the recruitment thread, Godot has the vow of nonviolence feat. It's a fairly important part of her character, and also provides a huge boost to the power of her enchantments. The only imposition it places on other players is that you not kill helpless opponents. With a strongly good-focused group, I'm hoping we could work towards that as an ideal anyway. However, I normally avoid the kind of character that forces other people to adjust their play style, so this is new territory for me. If any of you have major reservations about this, let me know and I'll adjust the build.
Edit: Godot would also gratefully accept a GMW onto her dagger, although any situation that sees her using it for anything more than opening a letter is probably one in which things have already gone horribly, horribly wrong.
__________________
Sorry for all of the games on which I'm behind. Health plus work nastiness. I'm now working to catch up.
Peridot avatar (complete with demon consorts) courtesy of the very talented Telasi.
Despair favours the status quo. It is a luxury we cannot afford. ~ Andrew Nikiforuk
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Rhion would be totally okay with not killing helpless opponents. Actually, any good character worth his/her salt shouldn't kill helpless opponents anyway, barring some extremely specific cases, like, say, killing off Joker instead of putting him behind bars again, knowing that he would get out somehow and endanger all sorts of lives.
__________________
PbP Game Statistics:
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(Updated 16.08.12) Games Joined: 47 Games Dead: 43 Games Successfully Finished: 0 Partially Finished/TPK'd: 1
Longest Game: 4 years and running-ish Shortest Game: Less than 1 day
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Toliudar
The only imposition it places on other players is that you not kill helpless opponents.
As long as we can kill in the heat of battle, and we're not required to take them prisoner in the first place, it shouldn't be a problem.
Are there any exceptions? Demons, devils, undead, constructs? Presumably summoned monsters that are going to go "poof!" at 0 hp instead of actually die don't count.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Giant
Spod has it right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grasilich
You not reading the comic isn't going to make this comic any less awesome for all the rest of us.
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Hard to picture a helpless undead. Turning is extremely temporary, and it's not like imprisonment/rehabilitation is likely to change their mind. Although it would be fun to try for an epic diplomacy check on the BBEG vampire...
__________________
Sorry for all of the games on which I'm behind. Health plus work nastiness. I'm now working to catch up.
Peridot avatar (complete with demon consorts) courtesy of the very talented Telasi.
Despair favours the status quo. It is a luxury we cannot afford. ~ Andrew Nikiforuk
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Toliudar
Hard to picture a helpless undead. Turning is extremely temporary, and it's not like imprisonment/rehabilitation is likely to change their mind. Although it would be fun to try for an epic diplomacy check on the BBEG vampire...
Yes, but if there WERE a helpless undead, would it be a problem? Hold Undead springs to mind.
Also, you didn't answer about demons, devils, and constructs. Hunting demons and devils is a big part of my character's job, so it will probably be an issue if I can't dispatch them, helpless or not.
__________________
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Giant
Spod has it right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grasilich
You not reading the comic isn't going to make this comic any less awesome for all the rest of us.
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Togo, thanks for having given my submission a place in the game, but I think it may be best if I drop out now. I'm already in a few other games and I'm finding my free time limited at the moment. Apart from the two IC samples with Dime, I never got around to formalizing the background, so Belze seems kind of distant at the moment.
Still, it looks like you have a good sized party as is, so good luck guys.
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
I don't have any kind of authoritative answer, SPoD. Here's the relevant text from Book of Exalted Deeds:
Spoiler
Special: To fulfill your vow, you must not cause harm or suffering to humanoid or monstrous humanoid foes. You may not deal real damage or ability damage to such foes through spells or weapons, though you may deal nonlethal damage. You may not target them with death effects, disintegrate, pain effects, or other spells that have the immediate potential to cause death, suffering, or great harm.
Your purity is so great that any ally of yours who slays a helpless or defenseless foe within 120 feet of you feels great remorse. Your ally takes a –1 morale penalty on his attack rolls for 1 hour per your character level. For each helpless foe slain, the attack penalty increases by 1, to a maximum
equal to your character level. The duration of the increased penalty starts from the latest slaying.
You may ask your allies to give you an oath that a helpless foe will not be
slain. If the oath is sworn, an ally who later breaks the oath takes the
penalty for doing so as if you were present. If you leave a helpless foe to be killed by your allies, you have broken your vow. You may ask a defeated
creature to give you an oath of surrender or noninterference in exchange for its life. If the creature breaks this oath to you, you can allow your allies to deal with the creature as they see fit without breaking their oaths or your vow of nonviolence.
If you intentionally break your vow, you immediately and irrevocably lose the benefit of this feat. You may not take another feat to replace it. If you break your vow as a result of magical compulsion, you lose the benefit of this feat until you perform a suitable penance and receive an atonement spell.
Again, I'm not fond of the heavy-handedness of the feat, but it was such a good fit for this character, I wanted to try to make it work. I'm NOT asking all of you for any kind of oath, but Godot would have made her feelings known on the journey to this point.
Mechanically, the passage seems to be referencing humanoid & monstrous humanoid opponents specifically, but it's not completely clear. Certainly, that makes it a much more functional mechanic (taken to its extreme, the feat could be read to force the entire group into a life of monastic veganism). Togo, would you be okay with making this specific to humanoids/monstrous humanoids? Voluntarily, Godot's going to be trying not to kill anybody, but being able to loosen the strictures on golems, undead, illithid, etc would be a big help.
__________________
Sorry for all of the games on which I'm behind. Health plus work nastiness. I'm now working to catch up.
Peridot avatar (complete with demon consorts) courtesy of the very talented Telasi.
Despair favours the status quo. It is a luxury we cannot afford. ~ Andrew Nikiforuk
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Toliudar
Mechanically, the passage seems to be referencing humanoid & monstrous humanoid opponents specifically, but it's not completely clear. Certainly, that makes it a much more functional mechanic (taken to its extreme, the feat could be read to force the entire group into a life of monastic veganism). Togo, would you be okay with making this specific to humanoids/monstrous humanoids? Voluntarily, Godot's going to be trying not to kill anybody, but being able to loosen the strictures on golems, undead, illithid, etc would be a big help.
Yeah, that's why I asked, because I read the feat first and was left confused. The first paragraph references humanoids/monstrous humanoids, but the rest of the paragraphs just say, "foe."
Vow of Peace does explicitly make you a monastic vegan--that bit with straining water to avoid hurting insects is taken from real practices--which would sort of imply that this feat doesn't.
__________________
Congratulations, you can link to TV Tropes. This does not mean you have special insight into the storytelling process, much less the author's mind. Stories don't need to fit into neat boxes, you know.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Giant
Spod has it right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grasilich
You not reading the comic isn't going to make this comic any less awesome for all the rest of us.
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
"Rules As Intended" probably means humanoid/monstrous humanoid for the allies part as well. Otherwise, stating that in the first place wouldn't make any sense. I suggest this interpretation.
__________________
PbP Game Statistics:
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(Updated 16.08.12) Games Joined: 47 Games Dead: 43 Games Successfully Finished: 0 Partially Finished/TPK'd: 1
Longest Game: 4 years and running-ish Shortest Game: Less than 1 day
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Exactly SPoD. There's a reason I didn't take the Vow of Peace feat.
Although I've always wanted to try a two-player game with Vow-of-everything Druid and Bard-or-Sorcerer, just to see how they deal with the challenges of an adventure without actually hurting people. Fun to see them go up against a warren of kobolds and come out with a trade agreement and the key to the city, for example.
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Despair favours the status quo. It is a luxury we cannot afford. ~ Andrew Nikiforuk
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Xiuhcoatl (Androse) has the heart of a paladin, as any Gold Dragon has - he will not kill innocent people, nor helpless people. He will always try to parley first (as he's done so far in the IC thread), and only as a last resort use his full power.
He is something of a wand mage, though presently he does not have many wands - due to his young age and the fact he was just sent to the Planes by his family.
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Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Umbriel is a (Lawful Neutral) pragmatist: if you need this, then provided she feels it's worthwhile to travel with you, she'll deal. She's worked with a very wide range of people (/creatures/things), several of whom had bizarre codes of conduct: she's learned to adapt.
She's not eager to kill helpless foes anyway, but there are a few exceptions. She would be very strongly against letting beings that embody Chaos (such as demons) go free with an oath of non-interference, because she knows from lore and long personal experience that they'll break it as soon as they find it convenient. Also, she will grumble a bit if forced to keep githyanki alive. The humanoid + monstrous humanoid interpretation should be fairly unobjectionable for her.
(That said, if Umbriel does occasionally take the penalty, it's not that bad; a penalty to her attack rolls doesn't really hurt her much, although it would make it harder for her to keep disintegrating people )
Current GMW list:
-Saffron's swordbow
-Derk's flail and bow
-Umbriel's sickle
-Godot's dagger
Total = 5
You guys need more backup weapons
Note that monk unarmed strikes count as manufactured weapons, so I can stick GMW on those as well; unfortunately I don't think I can do natural weapons, so our gold dragon is a bit out of luck
As for Share Talents, I'll think about it and post later today: I'm thinking of linking myself and Saffron and doing another link between Godot and Rhion (I have it as a spontaneous spell, and it's only L2), but let me know if you have other suggestions.
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Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ifni
You guys need more backup weapons
I bought a swordbow so I wouldn't NEED backup weapons!
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Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Share Talents is a quirky spell from PH2 that links two characters, and gives each a +2 bonus to any skill for which one of them has at least one rank. Since Godot has ranks in 23 different skills - including all of the trained only ones - she'd be a great candidate for this, and she'd be very happy to pair up with Umbriel on it.
I just noticed that THEchanger hasn't posted here yet, but has been on the boards. I'll fire off a quick PM.
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Sorry for all of the games on which I'm behind. Health plus work nastiness. I'm now working to catch up.
Peridot avatar (complete with demon consorts) courtesy of the very talented Telasi.
Despair favours the status quo. It is a luxury we cannot afford. ~ Andrew Nikiforuk
Re: Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cespenar
What's Share Talents, if you don't mind me asking?
PHB2 spell, L2, I can cast it spontaneously using my beguiler spell slots. It lasts 10 minutes/level (so just over 3 hours per casting, for me), it links two willing creatures, and both creatures get a +2 bonus on any skill checks for which either character has 1+ ranks in the skill. Furthermore, if you don't have a skill trained but your link-buddy does, you can roll checks with that skill even if it's usually trained-only.
EDIT: Aaaand ninja'ed I'm thinking about doing two separate links to share the happiness, and linking Umbriel with Saffron just because Saffron might (?) be more willing than Godot to come stand next to trapped doors with me and give me assists on Disable Device checks, but I'm happy to shift the pairings around if that makes more sense. Gotta go now, but will be back later.
__________________ PCs:
Spoiler
Word:
Spoiler
Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Snark
I must not argue on the Internet.
Internet argument is the mind-killer.
It is the little death that brings total aggravation.
I will face my annoyance.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
When it has gone past I will turn my inner eye to see its path.
Where the irritation has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
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Togo's Planar Adventure set partly in Sigil (OOC)
. With that in mind, will we be having a tight posting regime (as in x times per y days minimum unless some announced absence occurs) or not? I think this would help keeping the game fluent.
(though it is also the name of a good band).
)
exist.
