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Thread: Middle-Earth roleplaying (Fourth Age, roughly contemporaneous with Jim's)

  1. #101
    Administrator choie's avatar
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    Thanks, that's very helpful info. Sorry to need so much handholding. I'll try my best to just blend in.

  2. #102
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    I'm debating with Bruno, I might treat him like Silent Bob to some degree, and once in a blue moon actually make a long impassioned speech but otherwise keep things short and curt or even just convey ideas with body language and facial movement.

    But that speech should speak volumes for a man like Bruno. An empathic person should probably pick up on a potentially murderous anger in him. He considers himself a friend of animals and has great respect for the Great Eagles.

  3. #103
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    I'm sorry if Tom comes across as a nag (he does like to have a plan!)

    But I think organisation is vital for any party.
    I've seen several times that a group where everybody just 'does their own thing' is a party with many casualties (usually a spell-caster dies first, followed by a front-rank Fighter...)

    What Exit?, of course roleplaying quirks are interesting (and add to the atmosphere ), but in combat nobody is going to look at Bruno's face to see what he wants us to do next!
    My motto is "Never apologise, never explain."

    Sorry, I should say that I got that from Colin Hoult...

  4. #104
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    It makes a lot of sense to plan, glee! And being a bit OCD seems like an interesting character trait for a Hobbit. I'm guessing What Exit? means for Bruno to be a man of concise speech in battle, not total silence, heh.

  5. #105
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    choie, I appreciate the support.
    I decided that Tom's background was gardening and cooking (and Malacandra cleverly added peat-cutting) ... and all these require planning and precision. (Tom is only very distantly related to the Gaffer Gamgee, but shares some traits with him.)

    I hope I didn't criticise What Exit?'s idea for Bruno wrongly - I know he is an excellent roleplayer and so Bruno will be a valuable member of the party.

    The party is shaping up really well - thanks to all for their ideas.
    My motto is "Never apologise, never explain."

    Sorry, I should say that I got that from Colin Hoult...

  6. #106
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    So my Acrobatics is a -7. is that good or bad? My survival is a 3, I assume that is woodcraft and tracking?
    I realize I don't seem to understand how the skills work in Pathfinder.

  7. #107
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    -7 is terrible. You're a little above average DEX but have not invested in the Acrobatics skill and are wearing bulky, awkward armour (but you have sound reasons for doing so!). Tumbling graciously about the battlefield or leaping across a chasm is not what Bruno is all about. He is a bit better at Perception (not great, but a positive modifier helps). Some other skills are also penalised for your armour, and if (say) you had to swim across a river, your skill check would improve a lot if you unarmoured yourself first; you just need to allow reasonable time for suiting up again, which is not something you could likely do during combat.

    Yes, survival (your score is 5, breaking down as 1 (skill point spent on it) + 1 (bonus for a 12 WIS in a WIS-based skill) + 3 (because it is a "class skill" and you have spent at least 1 point on it) means what you said and also finding food, drink and shelter. The bigger the positive mod, the better.

    How skills work: to achieve some task you would roll a d20 and add your relevant mod and the DM compares that to an assigned number, the Difficulty Class (DC). This is much like rolling to hit in combat. Many routine tasks have a DC of only 10 or even 5, and in many situations where you are not immediately threatened you can "take 10" -- deliberately just do an "average" job and see if that is good enough. Where you have time, and no consequence for failure or material cost, you can even "take 20": try repeatedly until you have done your absolute best. But I will try to make the process as invisible as possible while assigning due weight to what characters are supposed to be good at: thus Rowena has some "Perform" skills and can sing a fair tune or play a jig on a fiddle, whereas Bruno couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.

    An example: If Bruno were stranded in the wild with no supplies, he could normally feed himself if the terrain was at all hospitable. If he needed to travel as well, he would need to hit a DC10 Survival check to do it (which on average he would succeed in 80% of the time since he has a +5 mod, meaning he fails only on a 4 or less). Were he to make the check, he could spend half the day travelling and only the other half on finding necessities. For every extra 2 by which he passed the check, he could feed and water one other person. And if you weren't being actively pursued nor trying to chase someone else, I would rule that a low-stress situation in which you could "take 10", which would mean he auto-succeeded and could provide for two others as well as himself.
    Last edited by Malacandra; 24 May 2021 at 02:54 PM.
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  8. #108
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    Excellent, thank you.

  9. #109
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    Glad to help. Fighters are not normally skill monkeys anyway. They're there to be damage sinks and, for that matter, damage sources, and the clever stuff can be left to people like wizards, rogues and bards (rangers have a few extra, too). If the answer isn't "Hit it with a big axe until it falls over", it was a silly question and someone else can deal with it.
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  10. #110
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    As I understand it, Skill adjustments depend on several things:

    - characteristics (Tom has a decent Dexterity, so gets bonuses on e.g. Stealth; but is weak on Wisdom so has a penalty on e.g. Sense Motive)
    - race (as a Hobbit, Tom gets a bonus on Perception etc.)
    - Skills chosen (at 1st level, Tom put a Skill point into each of Knowledge, Spellcraft and using Magical Devices)

    Tom wears no armour, so suffers no penalties. Of course that makes him easier to be hit.

    I assume we get more Skill points to allocate as we go up levels...
    Last edited by glee; 25 May 2021 at 07:48 AM. Reason: correction

  11. #111
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    That you do. Rangers, bards and especially rogues get lots, druids less, sorcerers and fighters less still. Intelligence nets you extra skill points and you always have the option of taking one more, or one extra hit point, or some other small benefit, when you level up in your favourite (or only) class. You can never put more than one point into a skill at any given level. Some traits give you a one-off bonus and some feats benefit one or more skills that you have.

    For Tom it will make sense to advance his Spellcraft at every level because he will need it, among other things, to grant his bonded staff extra powers. Anyone who is any good at Perception should push it as often as possible because noticing things is a skill check that comes up so often. Most other things will be case by case.
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  12. #112
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    Thanks! Good to know.

    On a family trip now - may be able to check in only intermittently.

  13. #113
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    I know I already wished you well in the STRPG thread, but it can't hurt to repeat: safe travels, EH.

    More questions from the ignorant noob. FYI I'm trying to go through various tutorials elsewhere; it's been surprisingly difficult for me to find any for FIRST-TIME UTTER VIRGINS to the RPG system, esp. Pathfinder. But I keep plugging away.

    1) I was reading the first What Jim? adventure thread over at the SDMB and got to thinking -- How does spell preparation work in the game system here, exactly? Do PCs need to announce what spells they prepared, if that's a thing? I have very few as yet, although there are several cantrips. (Does one have to "prepare" cantrips?)

    2) Posting etiquette: After we post, are we encouraged to wait for everyone to respond before posting again? I'm assuming that's ideal, but not everyone can check in every day and that might extend things if others wait for all PCs take a turn. Is there a usual length of time we have as an approximate deadline? A day? Two? I realize I posted twice without everyone else having already played a turn, and I feel bad about that.

    Thanks everyone! To be continued (no doubt!)...0

  14. #114
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    Choie,

    you ask good questions!

    Malacandra will undoubtedly answer everything to your satisfaction, but here's some 'guesswork' on my part.

    1) I reckon Wizards (for example) do have to prepare (and announce) their spells at the start of each day.
    N.B. I chose a Sorcerer because that class does not have to prepare. (In exchange for that benefit, Wizards have more spell choices etc.)

    I think Clerics also have to prepare - but they can suddenly exchange any prepared spell for a curing one. (Quite right too.)

    2) Obviously everybody has very different amounts of spare time (especially during the crisis.)

    I'm retired and 'vigorously' socially distancing (i.e. staying at home almost all the time.)
    So I can check the game threads several times a day.

    I try to strike a balance between helpfully moving things along and overdoing my excitement.

    I would encourage you to do the same - Malacandra will politely let us know if we're overstepping the mark!

  15. #115
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    choie, Bards do not prepare spells - they are what is known as "spontaneous" casters and any spell that is on their "known" list can be cast whenever they like until they have used up their daily ration. Cantrips can be cast as often as you like. We have (at present) just the one "prepared" spell caster, Gade, so Stebb has to choose his spells every day (but can choose to drop any memorised spell in order to cast summon nature's ally instead). But druids, like clerics, have access to every spell that is of a level they can cast, whereas wizards have to research during downtime, or trade with another wizard, or find a spellbook or scroll in a treasure hoard.

    So glee guessed almost everything correctly - and should he wish to Google anything about Pathfinder, he will find out all he could ever want to know (although there is a lot to take in ).

    As to posting, if I need to ask anyone to rein it in I will, but we're a long way from that at the moment.
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  16. #116
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    Thanks as ever, Malacandra and glee. That's extremely helpful.

    Sorry for the length of the last Rowena post. I'm wordy, like she is. Trying to let everyone know her stats in a story-organic way. (E.g., she has 7 "performances.") Also wanna see if I can get to know the gang.

    One frivolous question that I've been meaning to ask: What's with the emphasis on "DEW" in the title, i.e., "DEWy-eyed"? In-joke? Acronym? Teaser about something we'll understand later?

  17. #117
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    Stebb might be able to explain. It's kind of an in-joke for people who play the "War of the Ring" board game (and he has a lovely set with a pile of hand-painted figures and a beautifully-sculpted Mount Doom, ISYN). One strategic area in the military campaign is near northern Mirkwood: Dale, Erebor and the Woodlands Realm, a frontier known as the DEW line.

    I am more than fine with your roleplaying and am happy to give players a chance to respond before I advance the action further. One thing to note: Any use of "bardic music" for something that has essentially no in-game effect doesn't count against Rowena's daily allowance. For example, a song that actually did help the party march faster* would use up some of her performances; one that just adds the flavour of "the bard keeps everyone's spirits up" does nothing.

    *and there is such a thing. But we can discuss that later. It uses a round of performance for every hour it lasts.
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  18. #118
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    Choie,

    I liked Rowena's chatty post.
    This is roleplaying after all!

    (I focus on organising and preparing for combat, so it's jolly pleasant to read Malacandra's backgrounds and player conversations.)

  19. #119
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    Please can I clarify that:

    - when Tom says someone is 'responsible' for the body, he means 'violently responsible'
    - 'looking around' means 'gazing around whilst staying very near the main party'

    Tom is both excited and nervous by this adventure.
    Will the 'body' suddenly attack?
    Will something erupt out of the ground?!
    Will something small appear in the sky (either a normal bird very close ... or a dragon much further away?!!!)

  20. #120
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    Hey, I know! Let's ask that Eagle for a lift!

    https://www.oglaf.com/ornithology/

    Or... not.

  21. #121
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    I assume that Tom (a local lad) does not recognise this fearsome plant. (If he does and it's dangerous, he will call out to the party "Danger a insert name here attacks!" and fire a Magic Missile at it.)

    If he doesn't recognise it, he will use his Skill Knowledge (Arcana) to see if it is a Magical creature.

    If Tom doesn't know for sure that this is a threat, he will take his lead from Gabe as the Druid.

    In any case, Tom is pleased that he considered that something might erupt out of the ground.

  22. #122
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    Just thought I'd add a little Easter Egg for any Monty Python fans. Hope that's okay.

    But hey, Malacandra, is it all right to include a check or throw or whatever inside the narrative without breaking the, um, fourth wall, as I did in the 2nd paragraph? Feels more immersive to me. (And it helps since Rowena's in denial about magic.) Or do you want the requests/commands separately so they're easy for you to spot?

    Or here's a possibility... if I can put it in the narrative, I could use a different color font for the relevant text to make it stand out. Maybe green or blue or purple? Sorry for the daily haranguing.

  23. #123
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    Oh, I like the idea of a color for in-narrative check requests. Using green is a holdover from the original SDMB campaign, and we also used to use blue for magic items or effects. Purple is close enough to blue that I'd prefer to use something else-- perhaps Red? The stock red is dark enough to show up well against a white background for easy reading, but won't get confused with blue.

  24. #124
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    Cool! The only reason I didn't include red is that it seems more like a warning or emergency color, if that makes sense. Let me see, how does this look? It's "darkred." I could create a tag for "check" (assuming that's a good umbrella term for whatever actions we do--I know they're not all checks but I can't think of another word. ).

    FYI had some fun with this... I'm a visual gal and so I found some pics to get a feel for what Rowena sorta looks like, although she's on the 'cuter' side of pretty.



    (Renee O'Connor, aka "Gabrielle" from Xena. I swear I didn't come up with the "bard" choice because of Gabs, it's just she's really the image I now have in mind. Also, I'm definitely not thinking of the hotter version of Gabrielle in later seasons.)

    I know it's silly but hey.

  25. #125
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    I think the [ooc]ooc[/ooc] tags are fine if you want to make a short reference to game mechanics, and also that choie's approach of using suitable in-character phrasing is also fine. Additionally, if you mention a specific skill but I know that you have another more applicable skill then I will try to remember to apply that instead.

    Should you want to give longer but detailed instructions, then something like this would also work:

    OOC: begin:
    Arewe will concentrate fire on any members of the opposition not directly in melee, using Rapid Shot, and preferring targets in the following order: (a) leader types; (b) obvious spell-casters; (c) enemy archers; (d) anyone else. She will stay on any target until it is down. If an enemy appears to be able to reach her for melee, she will move away and take only a single shot (DM aside: because using Rapid Shot or any other means of taking multiple attacks requires you to stay in one place on your turn) at that enemy.
    OOC: end
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  26. #126
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    Choie,

    I fully approve of using demure Renee as your image for Rowena.
    (I know Xena was rather hokum, but I enjoyed it anyway. )

    Also Rowena's use of 'windwhip' added to the roleplaying atmosphere for me - under stress, folk often can't remember the exact name!

  27. #127
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    It strikes me that in times of stress Rowena is likely to use Buffy Speak anyway. This might detract a bit in a FTF campaign, but in a play-by-post I don't think it's likely to cause harm
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  28. #128
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    When you're my age (67), you often use Buffy Speak in real life!

    Seriously, I think Rowena is being jolly well played and I am happy to hear malapropisms from her (and anyone else)

  29. #129
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    Oh, wow, thank you glee, that's very kind of you (and a relief to me). I'm going to be feeling my way around and leaning on Rowena's youth and lack of real hands-on life experiences (other than those she's heard through stories) to justify my goofs as hers.

    And Xena was a guilty pleasure for me, with a stint of strong episodes that drew me in. The whole Dahok/Gabrielle's blood innocence/Hope/The Rift stretch was my first exposure to the show and I was surprised by how dramatic and character-driven they were. Wasn't keen of it toward the end, but I was hooked from season 3 up to the time jump, blech. Goofy but with moments of quality.

    As for the Buffy speak, heh, that's as good an explanation as ever for her mode of speech. At least it lampshades my inability to emulate Tolkien High Speech as the rest of you do. My in-character defense would be that Rowena's traveled from city/village/camp most of her life, eventually training with a mentor.

    So she can speak High Speech in stories, since that's how she learned them, but otherwise her Common is very... common. Most of what she's picked up in various inns and pubs, wherever her mentor took her to help her learn, um, Bardery. And as Malacandra very helpfully suggested, I love the idea that she gets even more flustered under stress. And this way I don't embarrass myself with a language I would probably mangle. Win-win!

    It makes a nice change from my first character in the Star Trek RPG. Girlfriend's formal speech (she won't even use contractions, and so neither do I in her posts) is both to be expected from someone with a royal background, and also a defense mechanism to keep her distanced from others. Because... well, reasons that EH knows well. Meanwhile, my second character is older, smart, sharp-tongued, experienced and, uh, earthy. Rowena's somewhere in the middle. It's a privilege to be allowed to develop such different characters.

    All that said, I hope my less formal style doesn't break immersiveness for everyone else, though. Is that what you meant by not working in a FTF context, Malacandra?

  30. #130
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    More or less. It's not even a question of immersiveness in a FTF context, though, so much as spending too much time on your character's foibles and proclivities when everyone's waiting for their turn to get on with the action. But for this medium it's a net positive. I'm enjoying Rowena a lot
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  31. #131
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    I'm really so grateful you're tolerating a noob, and not just tolerating but being so encouraging and helpful.

    Moi, get caught up in my character's foibles and proclivities? Why, I would never! It is to laugh! choie performs a quick Distraction spell on Elendil's Heir to avoid any bitter laughter from interrupting and disproving such claims.

    No but seriously, I'm only this loquacious in written form. If this were a tabletop game with a real-live group, I'd be concise if only out of shyness at speaking with an audience. In my younger years I trod the stage in musicals and operas, and never suffered any stage fright. But without a script I am tongue-tied. (And there was much rejoicing.)

    Onward ho!

  32. #132
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    Sorry for the double post, but hey here's an OT question that just struck me, thinking about Malacandra's screenname and the author behind it. Have you played/run any Narnia-based games? I don't think I've seen/heard of that world being used in an RPG, at least as I've looked casually and peeked in on SDMB games.

    But it must be, right? There's much less lore and worldbuilding in the series vs. LOTR--but that's not saying much, since there's much less lore and worldbuilding in a library's worth of fantasy novels vs. LOTR!

    Hm, is it less popular due to copyright reasons? It'd be harder to base a for-profit RPG book/game that riffs on the Narnia realm, firstly because it uses scores of pre-existing legends and mythological creatures that are kinda generic (no offense to CSL), and second because the Lewis estate or publishers might be less forgiving of such things. But there's nothing to stop private games like these.

    Going back on Topic: I know this is my most picayune point yet, but... how should we be addressing one another? I'm trying to think of a way to refer to other PCs in a relatively formal manner, since I don't feel Rowena's on a first-name basis with anyone but Tom. (Wait, is she even that familiar with him? It's just Tom just seems like a chill guy who would introduce himself as "Tom." The others, not so much.)

    It feels untoward for Ro to say "Hey Arewe," although she might think of her that way. But Arewe has no last name, so "Miss Everdean" (if they even use "miss" here?) is out. I'm not sure how else one would refer to her other than "Lady of Rohan" (as Ro's already used), or maybe when referring to her in thoughts, Ro might think the Rohanian" or "Rohirrian" or whatever Rohan's inhabitants are called.

    There are presumably Gondorans (or are there?) and Beornings and Hobbits (well those are races, they don't specifically refer to those who live in different places, e.g., Hobbiton. Ha, and as an aside, for the first time I'm realizing how silly that latter name is, albeit appropriate for the children's novel that began the series. It's like a parody, as seen in Order of the Stick's Gobtopia. No offense to Tolkien, but y'know, c'mon.)

    Eh, blabbing away as usual. Since we jumped into the story in medias res, without a stock introduction scene (and yay for that, it cuts to the chase!), I'm just curious if we wanna decide how each of our characters would a) introduced themselves, whether they invited people to call them by their first names, or b) how they'd refer to others, given each's formal demeanor and manner of speaking. Is this something we can talk about or is that too meta?
    Last edited by choie; 02 Jun 2021 at 12:39 PM. Reason: Sweet lord, I am a bore. Sorry.

  33. #133
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    Long ago I had a friend run a Narnia campaign. Someone else tried a Belgariad campaign but The Land from Thomas Covenant was quickly shouted down. No one wanted to try that.

    Right after my Honeymoon in Scotland I did a 7 month Scottish Campaign. That was fun.

  34. #134
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    An interesting painting of the Valar: https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Valar?f...vhbo1_1280.png

    From here: https://lotr.fandom.com/wiki/Valar

    Quote Originally posted by choie View post
    ...Moi, get caught up in my character's foibles and proclivities? Why, I would never! It is to laugh! choie performs a quick Distraction spell on Elendil's Heir to avoid any bitter laughter from interrupting and disproving such claims. ....
    Must... not... respond... here... in setup... thread....

  35. #135
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    Quote Originally posted by choie View post
    ... how should we be addressing one another? I'm trying to think of a way to refer to other PCs in a relatively formal manner, since I don't feel Rowena's on a first-name basis with anyone but Tom. (Wait, is she even that familiar with him? It's just Tom just seems like a chill guy who would introduce himself as "Tom." The others, not so much.)

    It feels untoward for Ro to say "Hey Arewe," although she might think of her that way. But Arewe has no last name, so "Miss Everdean" (if they even use "miss" here?) is out. I'm not sure how else one would refer to her other than "Lady of Rohan" (as Ro's already used), or maybe when referring to her in thoughts, Ro might think the Rohanian" or "Rohirrian" or whatever Rohan's inhabitants are called.

    There are presumably Gondorans (or are there?) and Beornings and Hobbits (well those are races, they don't specifically refer to those who live in different places, e.g., Hobbiton. Ha, and as an aside, for the first time I'm realizing how silly that latter name is, albeit appropriate for the children's novel that began the series. It's like a parody, as seen in Order of the Stick's Gobtopia. No offense to Tolkien, but y'know, c'mon.)

    Eh, blabbing away as usual. Since we jumped into the story in medias res, without a stock introduction scene (and yay for that, it cuts to the chase!), I'm just curious if we wanna decide how each of our characters would a) introduced themselves, whether they invited people to call them by their first names, or b) how they'd refer to others, given each's formal demeanor and manner of speaking. Is this something we can talk about or is that too meta?
    It's an interesting point about addressing each other. I think Malacandra's back stories are helpful, but perhaps players could post here if they have a preference.
    Tom is quite happy to be called 'Tom' by everyone.
    Remember that his background was largely a simple riverside life (gardening, fishing, peat cutting etc.) Only much later on did he arrive in Dale, take a position cleaning and cooking for a Wizard and discover he had Sorceror powers. So he has picked up some more sophisticated habits and vocabulary from the Wizard - but is still a straightforward Hafling at heart.

  36. #136
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    Makes perfect sense, glee, thanks as always!

    Speaking of addressing... I tried to sneak the question via Rowena in-game, but I might as well just ask here: Is our Druid pal "Gabe" or "Gade"?

  37. #137
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    Quote Originally posted by choie View post
    Speaking of addressing... I tried to sneak the question via Rowena in-game, but I might as well just ask here: Is our Druid pal "Gabe" or "Gade"?
    On the character sheet Stebb emailed me it is Gade so I have been running with that.


    Could everyone let me know more or less where they are situated as Tom goes up and knocks on the door?
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  38. #138
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    Quote Originally posted by Malacandra View post
    Could everyone let me know more or less where they are situated as Tom goes up and knocks on the door?
    Ah, this brings phrase back memories!

    I've heard it as a player and used it as the DM.

    Something is going to happen.

    My 'naughtiest' DM moment was having a 'Mimic' (as the name suggest, a monster that can disguise itself as almost any object) impersonate the door itself ... and swallow the unfortunate adventure who knocked.

  39. #139
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    This has gotta be an incredibly old joke to all of you, but I still kinda want Rowena to ask "Eli, what did your Hobbit eyes see?"

    Edited to add: I'm glad we got the rewind courtesy of our needing to wait for the results of Eli's search. I wasn't happy with Rowena's choice anyway. Still tiptoeing around to get a feel for her character (and class, for that matter). It's all Greek to me. Or Elvish, perhaps I should say.

  40. #140
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    Waiting on Elendil's Heir...
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  41. #141
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    Eli did say that after completing his scouting, he would retire to a safe distance...

  42. #142
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    I know. But I have PMed him something about what he saw while scouting, and last time I anticipated what he would say and do he complained, so this one's up to him (which I'm all in favour of).
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  43. #143
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    Aha! The plot thickens ...

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    "Complained," forsooth. PM sent, with my thanks, O great DM.

  45. #145
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    Well, very reasonably objected that you wanted to compose your own responses, then. PM seen and replied to
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  46. #146
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    :: bows ::

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    Erm, please let us all remember that Rowena is very much a neophyte as a Bard, and her first works are... not exactly... polished.

    Edited - Sorry, I wrote a 'song' for Rowena to get carried away with while composing it, but it struck me that it was bad for the atmosphere for the group and story in general, and wasn't sure it was right to interrupt the mood; it feels selfish. Maybe some other time.

  48. #148
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    Choie,

    I think it's a fine idea to have Rowena tell a tale or sing a song:

    - she is a Bard
    - Tolkien himself scattered songs and poetry throughout the Hobbit (and there are references to stories being told in inns or around campfires.)

    It's just a question of timing and I can certainly see why our DM wants us to focus on the plot right now. ('creepy'* danger! )

    But once the party are relaxed and in no apparent danger, then please do add to the atmosphere with your Bardic skills!
    Warning: Tom thinks he has some skill with words and may join in.

    *I thought I'd just 'plant' that reference and let it take 'root' in your minds...

  49. #149
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    Would it be possible to go for a knock the foe unconscious swing? I don't want to get near the plant controlled figure and be infected but I would like to not have to kill him? So grappling is out.

  50. #150
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    It's possible, even if you're not deliberately built for non-lethal melee, to deliberately make non-lethal strikes; you must declare the attack as such and accept a -4 attack penalty. If someone goes down through a combination of lethal and non-lethal damage, they don't die unless the lethal damage alone was enough to kill them. It doesn't matter whether they take the lethal or the non-lethal first. A few creature types could be immune to non-lethal damage, but there is no way of knowing if this is one.

    Archery is always lethal unless the archer has special blunt ammunition for the purpose of doing non-lethal, and spells do lethal damage unless the spell description says they do non-lethal, though there are some ways to turn lethal spell damage into non- (Tom does not know how, not yet).

    No-one here has the ability, but improved unarmed strike, as used by monks, can be lethal or non-lethal as the character wishes and takes no attack penalty.
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