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

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Originally posted by Malacandra

A light cavalry archer is easy enough to accommodate. A Human (which someone from Rohan would be, obviously) can begin play knowing the feats "Mounted Combat" and "Mounted Archery". It's possible to specialise further in archery as you progress. Alternatively, you could pay more attention to your archery at the start, with a view to factoring in the mounted part later. You can build this onto the standard fighter chassis and still keep enough all-round ability to be useful when you're not on your horse or the circumstances don't suit archery. As I said to glee, any amount of assistance is available on request. :)

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Sure. I haven't played much 3.5 or Pathfinder, but I seem to recall that there are progression trees for feats, and outside of that it doesn't make a huge difference what order I take feats in in the long run? I like the notion that I'll focus on foot archery at first, before getting an Animal Companion at level 4. Perhaps we might assume that Arewe (Old English for "arrow", since Rohirric is heavily based on Old English) lost her horse in battle on her journey up to Dale, and is currently on foot? That way we can roleplay the acquisition of the horse as animal companion.

Yes, or indeed that her determination to focus on archery rather than lance and sword has led the Rohirrim to say "okay, go off and prove the worth of this idea, and when the time is right, the horse will choose you".

What Exit?, dwarves make perfectly good fighters, but humans inevitably make very good anything, so it comes down to which concept you prefer. There's nothing at all wrong with playing a Beorning and, as I say, there are even ways for him to grow bear-claws in time of need and use them very effectively -- but you can stick with "rather large and hairy man, but that's as close as he ever gets to actually looking like a bear" if you prefer.

I was already confident this would be fun, but these three points particularly made it certain. ;)

1. Malacandra has been really helpful in developing my character (especially considering how little I knew about Pathfinder.)
2. "there is more for 1st-level characters to do than there was in AD&D and you don't have, for instance, the poor magic-user faced with the prospect of trudging back to camp after he's fired off his one spell for the day."
How true. I remember when my 1st level MU had cast Magic Missile and then for the rest of the day had the choice between bandaging any prone member of the party or looking after the pack mule. :mad:
Now my 1st level Sorcerer has many spells to cast - not too powerful, but interesting choices. :cool:
3. "If you would like your Beorning to be in touch with his inner bear..." Fur enough - after a paws, I could barely contain my amusement!

So lets just go with a strong Great Axe using Beorning built to take and give out damage in melee.
I have no interest in natural weapons I guess.

No problem, I'll stat you one up. Probably Str>Con>Dex>Wis>Int>Cha. And a Great Axe is a mighty fine weapon for bringing bad news to people really quickly.

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Originally posted by Malacandra

No problem, I'll stat you one up. Probably Str>Con>Dex>Wis>Int>Cha. And a Great Axe is a mighty fine weapon for bringing bad news to people really quickly.

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Sounds good, I was think a gruff mostly loner. Not great with people. So low Cha works well.

Wow, this thread has certainly grown since I last took a look! Glad to see several other players have now come aboard, although I haven't heard anything else since my last report from the other Doper LOTR fans I twice PM'd.

Please roll me up a Hobbit scout/thief, Malacandra, if you please, at your convenience. I have a name in mind already.

And if you post the name I can include it in the character sheet :)

12-13 hours time, it's breakfast time here in the UK and I will be off to work in just over an hour.

HI All, So I'm heading down the Druid route with some sort of Animal companion and aiming to be pretty robust if needed for front line duty while holding a decent range of party buffs and utility spells as the character develops. Not too sure about polymorph but it may be too good not to get involved so will have to see how how the characters background develops as I think about it some more and do what makes sense... I'm not much of a 'min / max' guy but prefer to create interesting characters with some personality / background drivers that keeps it interesting as the campaign grows.

I know pathfinder pretty well (Not as well as Malacandra) but have never played a Druid before so looking forward to giving that a bash.

Quick question--first, hi everyone, and thanks to Malacandra and EH for helping me to play. The group's knowledge is impressive and a bit intimidating, but I know everyone has to start somewhere. I'll learn from watching y'all.

My Q is: Would it benefit me to read any of the previous campaigns, if this is related to one of them? I'm hoping that Malacandra will help me craft a character who's nearly as ignorant as I am (admittedly a tall order), but if knowing some background info for the era would make things easier, I'd be happy to read up.

choie,

first of all it's good to have another player - experienced or not. :cool:

I think it would help you to read some of a previous thread, just to see what sort of responses players make.
Also if you've read 'The Return of the King' or seen the film, you would have an idea of what is happening in the World we're adventuring in.

But it's certainly not essential. :)

As mentioned earlier, in 'The Hobbit' Bilbo Baggins has never been on any adventures and knew almost nothing of the World outside his neighbourhood.
He found himself in exciting and dangerous situations, meeting interesting allies and dangerous monsters ... and got through (sometimes by skill, sometimes guesswork and sometimes pure luck!) :eek;

Enjoy the ride. :bravo:

Hear, hear! You're most welcome here, choie.

For some broader Middle-earth context you may wish to read the "Some background" portion of the first post here: http://www.mellophant.com/forums/sho...n-to-the-Quest

And then, don't ever be afraid to ask about what you don't know or don't understand. Post here, or I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have via PM.

^^ What they said ^^

And if you want any guidance on how the world works, or how to fit into this game, you couldn't ask for better advisors than these two (though the other players are no slouches either and What Exit's long-running game was the stuff of legends).

Stebb is working on his own character sheet as he knows the system well, so I can promise that his single post in this thread isn't his sole involvement so far. We should be ready to go soon. :)

The introductions in the Session Zero thread are wonderful! Malacandra, do you want to write them for each character, or shall we write our own?

Glad you're enjoying them! I have some ideas for Arewe and hope to have time to work them up this weekend. :)

If Stebb doesn't get his rear in gear I shall probably kick off Session One anyway and it will be easy enough to ring in a wandering druid when he's ready. He's had a reminder (and will be worth the wait when he gets here, I can vouch).

I need to prep for a table game tomorrow, but maybe I'll work up something for Bruno.

Yes I'm greatly enjoying the intros/prologues, Malacandra! Really well written, colorful and engaging. I'd love to work on one for my gal, if we can do it together? It'll help me design who she is, backstory, personality, etc. EH can probably confirm I'm better at character development than plot, alas!

And many many thanks to all of you who've welcomed and encouraged my participation. Now I just have to translate my way through the Sanskrit that is my character sheet. :angel: As I mentioned to Malacandra, it took me an embarrassingly long time merely to work out that "CG" did not stand for "Character Group" or something along those lines. T'was only thanks to my OOTS readership that let me figure it out at last, heh. And that's basically the first line! Hoo boy. But I'll get there.

Choie,

Yes, you should certainly brief Malacandra on how you see your character. :)
To give you an idea how good he is, I just mentioned that my Hobbit Tom:

- lived near the Anduin before coming to Dale
- liked cooking + gardening
- wanted to be a Sorcerer

and now look what I have as background. :cool:

The character sheet will seem rather formidable (there's much more detail on there than in the 1st Edition game I'm used to.)
But there are just a few key points to get the character started.

For example, I play a Hobbit Sorcerer.
This class is all about spell-casting - because I am poor at both melee and missile (e.g. sling) combat.
So I have a short list of spells that I can cast each day and I've studied them carefully. ;)
I can Detect Magic on items, then use my Skill of Spellcraft to try to identify exactly what they do.
I can cast a Ray of Frost at an opponent up to 30 feet away (if they are in combat with a party member, I have less chance of hitting (as I don't want to damage my colleagues :o)
My best spell at present is Magic Missile - it always hits the intended target and has a range of 110 feet.

I also have several useful Skills (we all have a lot of these, although we may not be very good at most of them.) My best ones are Knowledge (Arcana), Spellcraft and Use Magic Device.

The rest of my sheet does help, but the above is enough for me now.

So do ask Malacandra about your key abilities. :bravo:
(I believe you are a Bard, so I imagine you have some spells, some weapon abilities and some song stuff...)

Once the party are ready, I imagine we'll all explain our best qualities and how we can work together.
Enjoy the game!

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Originally posted by choie

Yes I'm greatly enjoying the intros/prologues, Malacandra! Really well written, colorful and engaging. I'd love to work on one for my gal, if we can do it together? It'll help me design who she is, backstory, personality, etc. EH can probably confirm I'm better at character development than plot, alas!....

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Horsefeathers.

And as I've mentioned in PM, if you know how Order of the Stick goes then you already have a good grasp on what should be happening in this game. I've cast only a brief eye over the Star Trek threads (while I have been a Trek fan for upwards of fifty years, I never felt confident about joining an ongoing campaign, so Replicator Technician Onsott will still exist only as a sideline in the chess games from years ago) but anyone as experienced as choie should slot seamlessly into place. The game system is only there to provide a framework: the story is the thing, and if you understand what you should be able to do (glees Hobbit sorcerer should not be charging into the thick of a swarm of Orcs any more than What Exit's Beorning axeman should be trying to blast them with magic) then things should work out well enough.

And finally, just ask if you have questions. Playing with this bunch was my first introduction to D&D (something like thirteen years ago now!) and everyone was very understanding and helpful.

Reading Arewe's introduction (which is great, by the way!) I note a reference to her brother Deor, a wizard's apprentice and my player character last time around. If this game begins in the year 60, Fourth Age, it's actually about three years prior to the beginning of What Exit's game the last time around, which I think began in FA 63? So Deor is an apprentice (in Minas Tirith) at this time already, and actually left home before Arewe. I think we also know that their eldest brother is Theogrim, a Rider of the Mark, though it's possible that he has not yet joined the Riders but will before Jim's game starts.

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Originally posted by Malacandra

(glees Hobbit sorcerer should not be charging into the thick of a swarm of Orcs

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If you see Tom Gamgee cooking a pleasant meal, then relish the chance to sit down.
If you see Tom Gamgee casting Detect Magic on a captured item, then there could be a nice bonus for a party member.
If you see Tom Gamgee casting Magic Missile into combat, then he's doing his bit.
If you see Tom Gamgee charging into the thick of a swarm of Orcs, then the end is nigh. :eek:

Makes sense to me!

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Originally posted by Appleciders

Reading Arewe's introduction (which is great, by the way!) I note a reference to her brother Deor, a wizard's apprentice and my player character last time around. If this game begins in the year 60, Fourth Age, it's actually about three years prior to the beginning of What Exit's game the last time around, which I think began in FA 63? So Deor is an apprentice (in Minas Tirith) at this time already, and actually left home before Arewe. I think we also know that their eldest brother is Theogrim, a Rider of the Mark, though it's possible that he has not yet joined the Riders but will before Jim's game starts.

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Glad you liked the intro! Yes, we're three years before the start of Jim's campaign. Among other things this means that Sam Gamgee, though no longer Mayor, is still in the Shire a little longer (though I don't recommend you beat feet to the Shire to go see him; you'll never make it by Mid-Year's Day) and Eomer down in Rohan has not yet asked for Master Holdwine to come and see him one final time, so he (Merry Brandybuck) and Pippin Took are still at home and exercising the office of the Master of Buckland and Thain of the Shire respectively. When that happens, they will leave the Shire and give up their offices to their sons; but they will have a few years of retirement in Minas Tirith awaiting them.

Stay tuned!

Apparently Stebb is still having issues posting here - I don't know if there is a minimum quota before his posts don't have to be individually approved. I have a name for his character and if necessary he can enter from offstage when the time comes, but let's get the ball rolling. :)

Woo-hoo - we're off!

It's pleasantly amazing to me that having played 1st Edition from 1979 onwards, I'm still jolly enthusiastic about starting with a 1st level character!
(Of course it helps that there is a mix of well-known and beginner allies under the care of a highly descriptive DM. :cool:

Stebb should be able to post now. Just saw one post in the queue and approved it, and I've promoted him to a usergroup that doesn't need modding. My apologies for missing that.

Thanks again everyone for your extreme generosity and friendliness. And hey, Duck Soup to you, EH! ;)

Really good job on the Rowena piece, Malacandra. It's unusual to have my character speaking with someone else's "voice," as it were, but it read very well and was definitely a pretty close match for the background I imagine for her. Thank you so much for that! Speaking of which, I'm only now remembering that for the ST:RPG game we wrote backstory/biographical info and shared it with EH (our GM) before our characters were introduced. Is that something we should be doing now? Or, um, am I the only one slacking on that?

I went through the sheet armed with a tutorial (or two) on TTRPGing, and I kinda understand at least what the acronyms mean. The part that makes me fling up my hands in hopeless confusion is... what do I do with all these numbers? Am I supposed to have a die or dice? Be prepared for a character who is the personification of blithe ignorance. Which, come to think of it, isn't all that different from one of my Trek characters. (Except she's anything but blithe.)

OH and just FYI, Appleciders, she and your former character Rangin are in a tortured on-and-off love story. <3

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Originally posted by choie

Thanks again everyone! And hey, Duck Soup to you, EH! ;)

Stebb should be able to post now. Just saw one post in the queue and approved it, and I've promoted him to a usergroup that doesn't need modding. My apologies for missing that.

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*curses the lack of a "like" button* :)

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Originally posted by choie

I went through the sheet armed with a tutorial (or two) on TTRPGing, and I kinda understand at least what the acronyms mean. The part that makes me fling up my hands in hopeless confusion is... what do I do with all these numbers? Am I supposed to have a die or dice?

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Choie,
in a face-to-face game, you would be rolling dice regularly. And those numbers would be adjustments whenever they counted. (For example, Tom Gamgee has +3 on Spellcraft, so whenever he rolls a dice for that Skill, he adds the +3.)

But the beauty of an Internet game is that the DM does all that for you!
So as far as you are concerned, you have some bonuses on various Skills and you may like to use those Skills more often (if you see what I mean.)
No doubt at some point, the party will want somebody to do something involving a particular Skill - and then we can compare and see who is best at it.

As an example of making a choice (in the thread) when Tom was confronted by a Giant 'Bird', he chose to use Knowledge (Arcana) - one of his best Skills - to see if it was a Giant Eagle (probably good for him) or a Monstrous Roc (not so good, especially if it was hungry!)
Now I didn't have to roll any dice to see if Tom succeeded. Malacandra stated that Tom recognised the Giant Eagle.
(I don't know if I made a good Knowledge roll, or whether Malacandra felt that Tom's background meant he could recognise such creatures. And it doesn't matter which! Tom did a sensible thing in using a Skill and the DM smoothly moved things along.)

So if we get into combat and start using weapons and spells - all we have to do is say which weapons to use (and perhaps which opponents) and the DM will do all the rolls and announce the results.

May I finish by amusing you with some of my D+D history?
I've had the pleasure of playing with all sorts of players (cautious, thoughtful, eccentric, rash etc.)

Now you've seen that when Tom was confronted with a Giant 'Bird', he stayed calm and tried to identify it.

If my mate George has been in that position, he would have attacked the bird with a Magic Missile. :eek:
(If he got eaten, he would claim that he had warned the party!)

Alternatively, David (a pupil at my school) would have tried to use his Skill of Fly to get on the back of the bird and shout "Giddy-up!" :woowoo:

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As an example of making a choice (in the thread) when Tom was confronted by a Giant 'Bird', he chose to use Knowledge (Arcana) - one of his best Skills - to see if it was a Giant Eagle (probably good for him) or a Monstrous Roc (not so good, especially if it was hungry!)

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Raptors Of Unusual Size? I'm not sure they exis*whap!*

And yes, that's exactly it. Knowledge (Arcana) would only identify magical beasts, which the above might not be covered by - but even if the character doesn't have the relevant skill, the DM can make a call based on what's been agreed about the character's background. Tom is less acquainted with hobbit history than most, because he's been stated not to have been brought up where most hobbits live and so doesn't hear the usual run of hobbit stories - but he has spent some time with the nearby Elves of the Greenwood (formerly called "Mirkwood") who will have entertained him with some parts of the adventures recorded in The Hobbit that passed either in their realm or quite close by and which they know about.

Had Tom tried to magic missile this bad boy he might have had his first experience of flying, maybe to be dropped into the nearby river from enough of a height to sting, or else into the web of one of the large spiders that still have not been eradicated from the Greenwood. :D

On behalf of Tom, I'd like to clarify something to the rest of the party. Although it clearly does sound like Tom is emitting 'distressed squeaking', in fact this is a combination of:

- rumbling tummy (Tom has not had his 'second breakfast')
- passing of wind (Tom is slightly regretting his first breakfast of milk + oats, followed by lentils, cabbage + cheese)
- nervous squealing (well it is a very large Eagle!)

I was thinking more in terms of "Help! Help! Medic! We have a wounded Eagle here! No, really!" but whatever works for you :)

Um, Tom would like to combine the two options above, please. (blush)

Right, then. Meet Eli Proudfoot!

And "the wicked worm from the North" - heh.

Choie,

I hope you won't mind a gentle nudge, but here's your chance to get started. :cool:

Having met up with a group who intend to follow a 'tourist trail', Rowena is looking to shoot some meat for the communal pot. (Apparently coney is good for this ;) )
Suddenly she hears the hobbit Tom cry out "Help! Help! Medic! We have a wounded Eagle here! No, really!"

So you can now post in the game thread what Rowena does next...

Exactly. I've just fielded an email query from Stebb so we should be hearing Gade responding to Tom's panicky squeaking soon. :)

Aside to choie: Rowena knows that not long after the Dragon was slain, there was a massive battle over the Dragon's hoard. Originally this was the property of the Dwarves, but Bard claimed that some of it at least should go to the Men of Lake-town, since (a) some it had doubtless come from Dale in the first place; (b) the Men of Lake-town had fed and helped the Dwarves when they arrived in town penniless and starving, and (c) the Dragon had destroyed their town and they needed a share of the wealth to provide for themselves. While there looked like being a battle between the Men and the Dwarves (along with dwarven reinforcements from the nearby Iron Hills), with the Elves of the nearby Mirkwood rather on the side of the Men, the sudden arrival of a large army of Goblins and Wolves made dealing with them a far higher priority. In that battle, a host of capital-E Eagles arrived late in the day when the Goblins and Wolves were winning; and because of that the Eagles are regarded locally with something close to hero-worship to this very day.

I've always wished Don Henley and the rest of the band would record a song about that.

And a biggie why the Dwarves should have helped Lake-town - Bard actually slew the Dragon!

Some potential Eagles tracks:

- Desperado (Bard, just before the thrush whispered in his ear)
- Take it to the Limit (Bard's miraculous bowshot)
- Last Resort (Bard's miraculous bowshot)
- New Kid in Town (Bard the Dragon Slayer)
- Lying Eyes (Thorin's, when he refuses to help to Lake-town)
- Peaceful Easy Feeling (After Lake-town was rebuilt)

Thorin had fallen under the curse of the Dragon Hoard though, specifically in lusting for the Arkenstone. Classic mythic concept of course.

Aw you guys are the best!

https://i.makeagif.com/media/5-17-2017/-41IzI.gif

I was sort of waiting for my fellow bow-woman to react first, since she seems more likely to take action, vs. a mere wand'ring minstrel. But all this is very helpful, and knowing that Rowena is aware of some potential coinage (thank you, Malacandra!) makes her participation in this event quite understandable/well motivated. :) Thanks all! And sorry if I'm holding things back.

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Originally posted by choie

Aw you guys are the best!

https://i.makeagif.com/media/5-17-2017/-41IzI.gif

I was sort of waiting for my fellow bow-woman to react first, since she seems more likely to take action, vs. a mere wand'ring minstrel. But all this is very helpful, and knowing that Rowena is aware of some potential coinage (thank you, Malacandra!) makes her participation in this event quite understandable/well motivated. :) Thanks all! And sorry if I'm holding things back.

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No worries. We're all a little bit in the awkward early phase, where acting in character means not fully trusting our comrades, who we've just "met". A lot of that is going to develop pretty quickly.

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Originally posted by Elendil's Heir

I've always wished Don Henley and the rest of the band would record a song about that.

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Best April Fool's Day I've ever seen.

I like the character descriptions and actions that are being posted in the main thread.
Clearly we have a sensible party that don't just 'rush in' - and also approach the unknown with some caution.

I also reckon that Tom will have a relatively high charisma compared to the party average! ;)

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Originally posted by Appleciders

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Originally posted by Elendil's Heir

I've always wished Don Henley and the rest of the band would record a song about that.

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Best April Fool's Day I've ever seen.

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Heheheh.

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Originally posted by glee

I like the character descriptions and actions that are being posted in the main thread.
Clearly we have a sensible party that don't just 'rush in' - and also approach the unknown with some caution.

I also reckon that Tom will have a relatively high charisma compared to the party average! ;)

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Sorcerer. It's pretty much a given. Rowena is on a par and Elendil's Heir wanted Elihu's to be bumped a bit whether or not it's optimal for a Rogue. The other three... are all definitely deeds-not-words types.

Note: Although Eagles are not precisely "natural animals", their close connections with the world of nature make them extremely well-known creatures to those who are students of nature; their origin story, along with that of the Ents, is one of the first lessons that a student Druid would be taught.

I encourage any to follow Stebb's example in mentioning any skills that they think might apply to a situation, and better yet if they remind me what their skill level is; "Knowledge (Nature) 6" tells me more than "Knowledge (Nature)". In view of what I mentioned above, Gade received a large "circumstance bonus" to confirm his Knowledge check. I also applied his Heal skill to evaluate the wound severity. choie may care to know that Bards are considered to have level-0 proficiency in all Knowledge skills (normally you cannot use Knowledge unless you specifically have the one you are trying to use), their Intelligence bonus affects this normally and they also receive half their Bard level as a bonus. Training as a Bard gives you a very broad education.

You can, if you like, wrap OOC: tags around any such mention to confirm that you are speaking out of character. :)

Its been so long, I'm trying to remember what special format tags we had added to Mellophant.
strikethrough tags work [ del ]
[ Yellow]
[ blue]
[ red]
[Green] [ green][/green] Oh well, never done.

Thanks for the extra details on bardic knowledge, or the lack of it, heh, Malacandra. Suits me fine to learn on the way and it makes good character sense for someone with Rowena's background.

Though I've been involved in the ST:RPG game for nearly 10 years (!), it's much less system- or game-based, more a sort of shared story with a Storyteller (I hope you don't mind my characterization of that, EH?). In that context, we've kinda learned the parameters of how much we can presume our characters are experts (or not) in their respective areas of knowledge/experience. But that's been honed over a decade of back-and-forth exploring of our world and characters, and in a set of guidelines that are pretty flexible and stretchy courtesy of our generous GM. :)

I wouldn't dare be as confident of what I know, or what Rowena knows, over here. Rest assured I'm gonna err on the side of not making assumptions about Rowena's capabilities being anything but rudimentary. In other words, I'll try not to write anything that makes Rowena seem over-powered. (Though there's a needle to thread here... Rowena is a bit overconfident in her skills, even if I'm not similarly deluded. So while she might seem to believe she has X, Y or Z skills, that doesn't mean I expect her confidence to be justified. I suppose every now and then her cockiness pays off--she wouldn't be cocky if she didn't have some successes--but that's serendipity as far as I'm concerned.)

ALL THIS SAID: I'll probably ask several OOC questions as I figure out what you (Malacandra) allow us to do on our own. For example, in my next Rowena post, I'd like her to have heard the exchange between Gale and Westerly, as well as Westerly's request. Problem is, while I indicated that she 'edged' toward Tom's direction, I neither expressly stated that she would continue until she reached him, nor did I see any indication from Malacandra that Rowena, or any of the others aside from Tom, Gale and Astor (and maybe Bruno?), were within listening distance.

So what direction should I take, given the above info? Do I take for granted that my character's having stated a goal was enough for her to reach it, at least unless gain-said by the GM or blocked by another character? Or should I double-check that each time? I'm absolutely fine with checking regularly like that, make no mistake! I just want to know if that's what you'd like us to do, unless otherwise stated.

Does any of this make sense? :)

What Exit?--I just added the [ OOC ] [ /OOC ] tag, that will turn your text white-on-green to indicate what you're saying is, well, out-of-character. You can see it at the bottom of Malacandra's post, though it wasn't a code then. :)

Typing:

[ ooc ]This is how you use it, but without the spaces after the brackets. [ /ooc ]

Results in:

OOC: This is how you use it, but without the spaces after the brackets.

(Notice that you don't have to type "ooc" a second time; it's part of the tag automatically.)

OTOH, does anyone prefer the OOC tag to simply change the text to green, rather than affecting the background-color and font? FWIW, in the STRPG, we just use green text to indicate OOC stuff.

I like it this way.
Green text doesn't need a tag anyway.
OOC: But OOC text is pretty clear cut.

The Red, Blue & Yellow tags might be useful for our Ref. I usually put them to light use. I like Yellow for Magic Items.

choie, I'm happy with the idea that when Westerly spoke, everyone was near enough to hear. If I'd wanted to specifically exclude anyone, or include only a few, I would have said so.

You don't need to assume that your bardic knowledge does work on any occasion -- just announce ooc that you want to try a Knowledge check and insert the flavour text of your choice such as "Something tugs at Ro's memory...", and you'll get feedback on whether it does or doesn't work when I update ("... but the elusive ghost disappears as Rowena tries to pin it down"; or "the bard's brow unfurrows as the notion forms fully").

Thanks all for the tags and colour suggestions! I will [ooc]ooc something[/ooc] the first chance I get :)