In the interest of moving this game along and keeping it interesting, I'm going to import a mechanic from one of my favorite game systems called stunting. Here's how stunting is described in the core rulebook of the Exalted game system:
The rules of Exalted reward players with additional dice for describing their characters’ actions in an evocative manner. The out-of-game rationale for a stunt bonus is that well-described actions keep the game interesting for everyone and help the Storyteller set the scene. In game, stunts represent the capacity of epic heroes to be truly spectacular when they take risks and act like heroes.
At the lowest level, one-die stunts require a good description of an action, adjudicated by the Storyteller. In return, the player gains one additional die, and the character may perform feats that border on impossible (such as running across the heads of people in a crowd, deflecting a blade or arrow barehanded and so on).
Example: Anoria snaps her razor-fan open with a soft click across the guard’s throat. She then watches over its bloody edge as he collapses in a gurgling heap at her feet.
Two-die stunts require that the character interact with the environment in some notable fashion, taking advantage of the scenery that the Storyteller has provided. This can be physical environment or things the character knows about the world, like an enemy’s phobias or a lover’s favorite fl ower. The player gets two bonus dice and may perform limited dramatic editing. No detail of the scene may be contradicted, but minor details may be “revealed” in the context of the character’s actions. For instance, a character might leap off a parapet to escape a hail of arrows, and the player could use a two-die stunt to reveal a banner fortuitously hung on the wall, which the character grabs to save himself. The Storyteller may veto any editing that he feels strains belief or is otherwise inappropriate (such as an edit that contradicts a major detail he has not yet revealed). Players cannot generally use a stunt to draw a “hidden” weapon from nowhere, although some assassins might well have shuriken or throwing needles hidden all over their person, leaving exact placement vague until a good stunt opportunity arises.
Example: Anoria watches the two guards charging her from each side, intending to pin her between them. At the last moment, she crouches and flips back against the wall. In the instant she stands horizontal, her fans fl ash out, catching both men in the face. She then falls through the double arterial spray, landing catlike as her two attackers crash blindly into one another.
Three-die stunts are singular acts of greatness, stunning bravado and visual poetry, defined by their capacity to leave the other players slack-jawed in astonishment. If any doubt exists as to whether a stunt merits three dice, it isn’t a three-die stunt. In addition to providing three bonus dice, these feats allow for the same measure of dramatic editing as two-die stunts.
Example: The demon swings his burning fist at Anoria, and she leaps straight up in a somersault, balancing in a tentative handstand on his massive hand. Her feet connect with the chandelier above, tilting it to pour oil on top of the spirit’s head. As she hoped, the glittering drops burst alight as they land on the creature’s superheated flesh. The flames do not hurt him, but distract him long enough for her to release a hand and grab a fan from her belt. Still balanced on the monster’s swinging arm, Anoria shoves her folded razor into the demon’s mouth, twisting it up through his brain.
Players should note that the preceding examples set the scene as well as providing the action. In the first, the stunt is the description of the attack as something more than “I hit him.” In the second, the stunt is Anoria’s use of the wall as a springboard and arranging for her opponents to crash together. In the final, it is her audacity to perform acrobatic feats while perched on her enemy as she sets him up to expose his one point of vulnerability. During play, the Storyteller should have already set the scene by the time a character acts, so a stunt does not need to be a five-minute narrative. Without exception, short and fl owing is always better than long and clunky. Merely stringing adjectives and adverbs together isn’t good enough. The escription must be interesting, without interrupting the flow of play.
How we'll make this work is as follows: Players may stunt any specific action (an attack, a bluff check, a climb check, etc.), declaring their stunt attempt following the action. I'll determine whether the stunt qualifies as a +1 (one-die) stunt, a +3 (two-die) stunt, or a +5 (three-die) stunt. A +1 stunt will award a +1 bonus on any applicable role, or in the case of spellcasting, a -1 penalty to an opposing save. A +3 stunt will offer a +3 bonus, and a +5 stunt will offer a +5 bonus. These are my own experimental rules that I'm trying out for the first time, so I may have to make changes to this formula as time goes on.
Last edited by Adamant Sunrise : 09-03-2012 at 03:53 PM.
Okay everyone, please start by posting your character sheets here. Then you can post to the IC thread, making note of what you've been doing on the voyage, where you are, and how you react to what just happened. End by rolling initiative.
I'm not going to bother using colored text for dialogue. I've never really understood the point of that. You can use whatever fonts you like, but my IC posts are always going to be in Garamond because I like how that looks.
Wethun, we need to decide exactly how you fit into this scenario. Did you want to be a local town guardsman? If so, you probably shouldn't be on the boat, unless you've been away for some reason. If you're not on the boat, we should introduce you later.
Bryagh, you are here because this is where the Platinum Dragon has directed you in a vision to come. You don't know anything about this frozen coastline. All you know is that the will of Bahamut has guided you here, for some purpose yet to be revealed.
Dagryl, any thoughts?
Spark, I don't think anything new needs to be added to what we've discussed already.
Looking forward to playing with you all. :)
Last edited by Adamant Sunrise : 08-24-2012 at 09:28 PM.
I like the idea of him being on the boat with the others. Being a town guard has it's dangers, as does being a true believing Helmite. Let's say he broke the skull of someone importance son or cousin or uncle. Then was forced to leave. After a few months of trying to find employment. The life of an Artic sherif appealed to him and here he is now. Likely having tried to convert Dargyl and having avoided the redheaded Bryagh. Women are bad luck at see and a red headed one doubly so. So yes. On the boat and posting in the AM
@Adamant Sunrise: I apologize for the long wait on my posting. I will not be able to make a full post until tomorrow night. Place Wethun in town as a guard if possible. This way the rest of the group can continue on in game without me delaying the party.
Last edited by TheFallenSon : 08-25-2012 at 11:56 PM.
Not necessary. He was tossed over and clung to a bit of rigging, and manages to haul himself over a little after the rest of the party arrives on deck (whenever you're able to post). Or he was just in a different part of the ship, at the tiller, with the captain, etc.
Being unavailable for a day or two is fine, but please do give me notice if possible, so we can continue without if need be.
Sorry about my lack of posting yesterday... A calamity that affects my internet access came up, and I'm trying to get it straightened out. I may need to be dropped for a little bit, but not sure.
EDIT: And is saving the sailors a COMPLETELY hopeless task?
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by JusticeZero
The alignment doesn't tell you how to behave, it just tells what gods think you have cooties at the moment.
The ship is stuck on a jagged reef, and waves of freezing water are crashing over the deck. Anyone who wants to brave the dangers is welcome to try, but it looks fairly hopeless from a casual observation.
There is also the fact that the ship itself is listing on the rocks, and could capsize at any minute.
In case it needs to be abandoned, the ship carries two cutters (small oar-driven boats), but getting them into the water under present conditions would be suicidal. The waves would break them into kindling against the reef.
I'm about to post about a round's worth of action.
My plan for this encounter is to have Dagryl heal anyone wounded on the deck first, then secure himself to the ship with a rope. If he can get magical assistance (He wants Spider Climb, Enlarge Person, Bull's Strength, and/or a swimming spell), he will jump down into the water, let the surf carry him onto the reef, climb up, and rescue anyone he can reach, then attempt to push the ship off of the reef (It will be a mighty strength check, but he might be able to pull it off). If he's enlarged, though, he'll instead immediately try to shove the ship off the reef (Which should be an easier Strength while he's enlarged), then attempt to rescue the overboard crew. If he manages to rescue more than two crew members, he'll request a cutter be lowered but not released to get everyone back on board. Otherwise, he'll request a number of people to haul his and the rescued crew's combined weights back onto the ship.
Without magical assistance, he might try to do the same anyway, but be slowed down by extra precautions needed.
Even guidance would help, just a little bit. If the kobold's spiderwalk invocation works on others, that would help Dagryls' chances as well by giving him a decent lifeline.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by JusticeZero
The alignment doesn't tell you how to behave, it just tells what gods think you have cooties at the moment.
A reef will do damage to you, if you try to climb on it. :( Or at least it does in real life, dunno DnD stats. I think Sparks has a few magic spells that would help. With Bryagh's 1 Initiative, I've had her taking her time to get to deck as a non numerical explanation for her tardiness, so not much magical help, sorry.
Edit : Okay, Stormwrack, around page 9-12ish, has rules for shipwreck and stormy waters. Lots of damage to be had, including falling timber, crashing slam attacks from sails, tumultuous waves, hypothermia, drowning, etc. we could even contact diseases such as sea rot or poisons from any animals.
We haven't been tracking movement in the ship in combat time. If that were the case, I'd have asked you to take two rounds getting up to deck, etc. And don't worry about posting in order when battle isn't taking place.
Bryagh can cast helpful spells, attempt to talk the gnoll out of it, etc.
A reef will do damage to you, if you try to climb on it. :( Or at least it does in real life, dunno DnD stats. I think Sparks has a few magic spells that would help. With Bryagh's 1 Initiative, I've had her taking her time to get to deck as a non numerical explanation for her tardiness, so not much magical help, sorry.
Edit : Okay, Stormwrack, around page 9-12ish, has rules for shipwreck and stormy waters. Lots of damage to be had, including falling timber, crashing slam attacks from sails, tumultuous waves, hypothermia, drowning, etc. we could even contact diseases such as sea rot or poisons from any animals.
Isn't being on a boat awesome!! ^_^ <3
- V
Dagryl's somewhat tough (Though low CON and -1 level does hurt the total HP pool)... I expect him to take at least some damage - heroes do get pretty beat up. However, he is armored, with thick hide and a magical vest. This is one of the circumstances where Armor as AC instead of Damage Reduction kinda falls apart. I'm not GM, and don't have Stormwrack on me, but I'd expect being attacked by the reef to require either an unmodified attack roll on attempts to climb before doing damage, similar to Caltrops.
I wish I had Inspire competence as a bardic song, but that's a few levels off yet. Dagryl will need all the help he can get.
Well, at least I now know what potions to add to Dagryl's shopping list next time we're in town!
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by JusticeZero
The alignment doesn't tell you how to behave, it just tells what gods think you have cooties at the moment.
Freeing a 150-ton cargo ship that's run aground with your bare hands is a pretty monumental challenge. Rescuing someone in the water is more manageable, though.
By the way, the ship is beeched, so climbing down onto the reef is possible without needing to go through the water to get there.
Freeing a 150-ton cargo ship that's run aground with your bare hands is a pretty monumental challenge. Rescuing someone in the water is more manageable, though.
By the way, the ship is beeched, so climbing down onto the reef is possible without needing to go through the water to get there.
Next IC update, I'll need to see just how far ashore the ship has been beached. Thanks to his superhuman strength, I think Dagryl has a chance of using the ship's own weight and the outpull of the surf to get it back in the water if it's still mostly in the water. A shame there's nobody on deck to cast Feather Fall on him to ensure he lands safely on the reef below.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by JusticeZero
The alignment doesn't tell you how to behave, it just tells what gods think you have cooties at the moment.
See, this is why I don't like to post my character sheet.
At any rate, Bryagh's reluctance to help is still true, no matter what time she gets to the deck. She is no paladin, and she's guarded when it comes to showing her true colors, especially to strangers. If her immediate life is in danger, or if it helps in her mission, she might be more inclined to help, but she's not a copy and paste adventurer here to save the day. She might get there some day, but she isn't one now.
...This place has become quiet. And Dagryl's in quite a hurry, and if this weren't play-by-painfully-slow-post with an only semi-responsive GM, he would have been on the reef before anyone else even managed to get their armor on, much less on the deck.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by JusticeZero
The alignment doesn't tell you how to behave, it just tells what gods think you have cooties at the moment.
...This place has become quiet. And Dagryl's in quite a hurry, and if this weren't play-by-painfully-slow-post with an only semi-responsive GM, he would have been on the reef before anyone else even managed to get their armor on, much less on the deck.
He'd be on the reef now if you'd posted him trying to climb down to it, but you haven't yet. Your character has mainly been asking for spells that no one can deliver.
The one person Dagryl is in a good position to help right now is Wethun, who is 15 feet away, but it seems he hasn't noticed him hanging there...
Last edited by Adamant Sunrise : 08-28-2012 at 10:11 PM.
Iif your flind-like creature had stayed to talk to Bryagh, she might have been open to casting something on you. I had posted before you did, that she came up and bowed to both the gnoll and Sparks.
He'd be on the reef now if you'd posted him trying to climb down to it, but you haven't yet. Your character has mainly been asking for spells that no one can deliver.
That's because Dagryl is not trained in climbing, and has been trying to get the attention of the crew to help him with ropes - my IC posts are more directed at you than any players. Of course... if the crew continue to ignore his strident screaming for assistance in helping them and go about their business, he might take it personally and do something regrettable.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by JusticeZero
The alignment doesn't tell you how to behave, it just tells what gods think you have cooties at the moment.
RSS Feeds: 
Tales of the North (OOC)
