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[5E OOC] Before the Darkness - "Who Watches the Poopmen"

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  • MeldingMelding Registered User regular
    oh yeah, i should fill out the trait stuff.

  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    edited March 2018
    every last one of our characters owns a rapier

    this is what happens when there's one real choice for a finesse melee weapon

    Doobh on
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  • BrainleechBrainleech 機知に富んだコメントはここにあります Registered User regular
    As a prize? As a thing to say you belong to group A?

  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    wait what

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  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    also we're 100% training Bobo to fence, right?

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  • MeldingMelding Registered User regular
    if my character could reliably talk to animals, she'd probably treat bobo as the leader of the pair, so yes, we are teaching him to fence.

  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    so is being small in 5e ONLY a detriment? because that's kinda poopy

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  • MeldingMelding Registered User regular
    yeah they got rid of the +1 ac and stuff, i think the ac bonus was fine because hitting a toddler with the agility of an adult would be difficult. but the +1 to hit was dumb.

  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    the +1 was to partially balance out the AC bonus against other small characters, relatively speaking it's like a medium creature attacking another medium creature

    been doing some poking around and folk are mentioning that the slightly smaller damage dice isn't that a big a deal - but they were using that in favor FOR heavy weapons being a thing, while I'm thinking it's a better argument for the opposite

    like, maybe the weapons are just sized for you and that's the end of it

    GMs were pointing out how often they've seen people playing small characters multiclass into rogue just to help balance out the damage difference a bit

    which tells me that while it was well-intentioned, it's a completely unnecessary penalty

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  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    imo heavy weapons should have a penalty for all characters

    like a -5 movement speed when wielding one or something

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  • MeldingMelding Registered User regular
    Dubh wrote: »
    imo heavy weapons should have a penalty for all characters

    like a -5 movement speed when wielding one or something

    most heavy weapons aren't worth that. the idea of weapons sized for characters was a thing in previous editions, but a greatsword for a small creature was a d10 instead of 2d6. i think they removed it largely so there isn't feats that let you us elarge weapons as a medium creature so no one can get a 2d8 greatsword, then use monkey grip and what not to dual wield them.

    size is just one of those things where they try to do some kind of "realism" where the rest of the game doesn't support it. cause i do agree a child sized halfling wouldn't be able to effectively use a 10 pound sword designed for a large man, but this is the only section of the game they decided that mattered.

  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    it's pretty inconsistent with how the rules for carrying capacity changed over the years, too

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  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    @The Hanged Man

    you need to check your e-mail asap

    I need help

    you'll see why

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  • MeldingMelding Registered User regular
    so, in my current bout of insomina, i've come to the conclusion that i am having a hard time coming up with ideas for the asmr character, so i am scraping them and coming up with a completely different idea. which actually crosses a few things off my list of wanting to do, and might be at least slightly different.

    but mostly i wish i could sleep right now.

  • Desert LeviathanDesert Leviathan Registered User regular
    Bad news, I've been reminded that there's an event on the 5th that I rsvp'd to months ago. Going to see what I can do to juggle the schedule today, and I'll keep you all updated. Sorry to be doing this one whole week into being a substitute DM. I will also try to find out today what the schedule looks like for the rest of the week, for possible alt dates. I can almost certainly play tomorrow instead, if you're all up for it. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, less certain as family will be in town, and also I've got at least one terrible Tinder date expected in the ongoing "Who gets my other Hamilton ticket" contest.

    Realizing lately that I don't really trust or respect basically any of the moderators here. So, good luck with life, friends! Hit me up on Twitter @DesertLeviathan
  • iguanacusiguanacus Desert PlanetRegistered User regular
    Wednesday is my irl game night, so that's unfortunately a no go for me, and Saturday night I'm going to the Phillies opening night game.

  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    I'm clear every evening after tonight. Better to schedule sooner than later, because I'm trying to get a good date night in with a partner before the weekend.

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  • MeldingMelding Registered User regular
    i am available all nights

  • Desert LeviathanDesert Leviathan Registered User regular
    How do you all feel about Friday then? I've got nothing else going on, but if you'd rather just skip the week that's cool too.

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  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    I gotta check with my partner, first, but it will probably work

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  • MeldingMelding Registered User regular
    i am available friday

  • iguanacusiguanacus Desert PlanetRegistered User regular
    Same

  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    yup, Friday confirmed to be free

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  • Desert LeviathanDesert Leviathan Registered User regular
    All right, let's go for it then!

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  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    @Melding need any help brainstorming a character

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  • MeldingMelding Registered User regular
    Dubh wrote: »
    @Melding need any help brainstorming a character

    I think i actually have a fairly solid idea while trying to think of things i've never played before but still interest me.

    i almost made a drow of all things. But ended up with a much, better idea. Trying to figure out what wizard school to go with though.

    oh, right they're a wizard.

  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    Wizard Wizardly's Workshop of Wizardry

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  • MeldingMelding Registered User regular
    i was thinking transmutation.

  • Desert LeviathanDesert Leviathan Registered User regular
    While I regret rescheduling, I want you to know it was worth it. I haven't been this full of BBQ Ribs since PAX South.

    Realizing lately that I don't really trust or respect basically any of the moderators here. So, good luck with life, friends! Hit me up on Twitter @DesertLeviathan
  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    curse you and your dietary freedom

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  • MeldingMelding Registered User regular
    i think i am prepared for tonight, i am never sure what stuff a spell caster needs, cause i can cast my spells, i don't need armour, i guess i can bring a lot of rope?

  • MeldingMelding Registered User regular
    So, what are the chances Mitzy can be a member of the wizard college? maybe a former student, or on like a third extension for her dissertation for her doctorate of transmutation

  • Desert LeviathanDesert Leviathan Registered User regular
    edited April 2018
    I'll try to keep a summary posted within a day of each session, more to keep things fresh in my own mind than anything else. Remind me if I forgot any details.

    Tales from the Barracuda's Bones: Part 1 - The Midnight Watch

    Important groups:
    The Regent Council: The governing body of Kulshedra. There are ten seats on the Regent Council, and anyone may challenge for one of them by obtaining signatures from citizens on a formal petition to join. This petition will then be examined by Wizards in service to the city with special bureaucracy-enhancing divination spells to determine if all of the names belong to recorded citizens, and if any of the names are duplicates of any previously pledged to another Councilor, in which case they are reassigned. At the end of the tally, whoever has the least pledged citizens backing them loses the right to sit on the Council. Most long-seated Councilors represent some large interest group, and then pick up additional pledges in whatever way they can without losing the support of that core group. By law, a census is taken every three years, and the pledge counts adjusted, but most Councilors send representatives around for fresh signatures annually to make sure their numbers are holding steady.

    In addition to the ten Council members, there are three others who attend Council meetings in non-voting capacities: the Shieldbearer General (head of Kulshedra's civil defense force, and also privileged with breaking tie votes between the 10 councilors), the Crown Chaplain (a representative of Kulshedra's religions, which are forbidden from formally backing individual Councilors and required to offer equal guidance to all of them), and the Verdant Speaker (an ambassador from the Conclave Incarnadine). Also noteworthy, regardless of numbers one of the ten seats is always held by the Goliaths who predate all inhabitants of the region, and who dwell apart from the city on the highest parts of the mountain.

    After being conquered by the Panjandrum Empire, the Regent Council was allowed to continue as a political maneuver to pacify the citizens, but it is being heavily interfered with - the Shieldbearer General was dismissed and replaced by a subordinate who appears to have been promoted solely because he was willing to swear fealty to the Empire, the Crown Chaplain grew suspiciously ill and has yet to be replaced, and new petitions were written treating Panjandrum soldiers, military support staff, and military families as Citizen groups, by which means three of the ten council seats are now filled by direct representatives of Panjandrum.

    The Conclave Incarnadine: A politically independent but closely allied region bordering Kulshedra, also now a conquest of the Panjandrum Empire, but ruled with a lighter hand. The Empire has no traditions of Nature Magic and doesn't seem to perceive the Druids and Firbolgs who lead the Conclave as enough of a threat to be worth suppressing.

    The Shieldbearers: Kulshedra's civil defense force. More cops than soldiers, they were ill-prepared to defend the city from the Panjandrum Empire. They were permitted to continue operating, on the condition that their old leaders were replaced by officers willing to swear fealty to the Empire. This didn't sit well with the lower ranks, but the organization as a whole is aggressively Lawful Neutral, and dissent hasn't become more than quiet grumbling yet.

    The Panjandrum Empire: A military theocracy ruled by a succession of reincarnating god-kings. The Saints of Panjandrum, often called the Young Gods by outsiders, are allegedly reborn into the populace at regular intervals, and children who show traits that could indicate being a new incarnation receive special training, often winding up as Paladins pledged to the specific ideals most strongly represented by the Saint they were mistaken for.

    The Empire has advanced technology, including steam engines and black powder weapons, but guards it extremely jealously. Panjandrum recently conquered Kulshedra, and seems to be building up an invasion force there for further incursion into the north continent. Although Panjandrum officially recognizes Kulshedra as a client state free to maintain its own laws and customs, in practice Panjandrum seems very comfortable brazenly subverting Kulshedra's institutions.

    The Empire has a strong pro-human bias, and only humans occupy most high offices, with exceptions almost always being plane-touched humans like Tieflings, Genasi, and Aasimar. On the other hand, non-planar mixed humans like Half-Elves or Half-Orcs are discriminated against even more strongly than full Elves or Orcs.

    The Resistance: Much of the resistance is informal right now, and by necessity very underground. A few large clusters of dissent have started to form, particularly around the disenfranchised Lady Octavia, formerly of the Regent Council.

    The Hospitality Alliance: Every member of the Regent Council needs a strong group backing them up. Lady Octavia united the proprietors and employees of the city's Inns, Taverns, Restaurants, Gambling Halls, Brothels, Music Venues, Theaters, Race Tracks, and licensed Gladiator Arenas, and secured a place on the Regent Council six months ago. And then was booted back off shortly after the Empire invaded. The Hospitality Alliance still exists and sees Lady Octavia as its leader, and hopes to regain a seat on the Council. For now, they are her eyes and ears in every part of the city.

    Important people:
    Lady Octavia: A Water Genasi of middle age, proprietress of the Barracuda's Bones inn, and leader of the Kulshedra Hospitality Alliance. Formerly a member of the city's Regent Council, she lost her position to one of three representatives of the Panjandrum. Her story was a subject of infamy and scandal during her early years - she rose up as a courtesan and had a whirlwind romance with a famous champion gladiator, Luna of Serpent's Arch. With Luna's financial backing, Octavia was able to buy out her contract as a courtesan and open her own pleasure house, eventually putting her old employer out of business. Further savvy business decisions put her in a position to exert tremendous influence over the Regent Council, which she used to agitate for better legal protections for sex workers, eventually raising the industry out of the shadows and into a legitimate branch of Kulshedra's economy. She has since retired from that work, and focuses her business empire on inns and information peddling. The Barracuda's Bones is her favorite inn to tend to personally due to its adventurer-heavy patrons, but far from the most profitable one she owns. Lady Octavia has displayed capacity with Water Spells beyond what is expected of her Genasi heritage, but it's unclear what tradition of magic she adheres to, if any. She certainly seems to have the Mental Stats needed for a career in any spellcasting class she damn well pleases.

    Luna of Serpent's Arch: A former gladiator grand champion. She defended her title five years in a row before retiring to run an inn with her lover, Lady Octavia. Luna is a human (probably), and famously fights with a brutal barehanded style that doesn't match any known martial art school, where she channels bursts of potent crimson lightning into her strikes. She initially bankrolled Octavia's rise to prominence, but Octavia's wealth quickly eclipsed her own, and she has since been content to serve as the unspoken threat backing up all of Octavia's polite political maneuvers. Luna still has contacts in the world of bloodsport, and was responsible for bringing the Arenas and Gambling Halls into the Hospitality Alliance. She takes monster hunting bounties outside of the city more as recreation than income source, and is a major donor to the city's largest free medical clinic. According to rumors, Luna was married before she met Octavia, to one of the most successful Pirate Lords of the Amaranthine Archipelago. Some stories say her husband was lost in a hurricane, others that she had him killed for revenge over some offense, or even had to have him put down because he'd been bitten by a Were-Shark. Either way, she wore a widow's black for a year before going public with her relationship with Octavia, and the Barracuda's Bones Inn allegedly used to just be the Barracuda, the lead ship in her dead husband's armada.

    Deadeye Drakke: A one-eyed brass dragonborn who manages the Barracuda's Bones when Lady Octavia is busy elsewhere. Naturally suspicious, meticulously tidy, and kind of an overbearing busybody... but by Lady Octavia's authorization, he is extremely generous when hiring freelancers on her behalf, ensuring that Adventurers come to the Barracuda's Bones first when looking for work.

    Starfall: A mysterious figure in a vibrant purple cloak, only two points of white light could be seen under their hood. Probably an Aasimar? A member of the other Adventurer crew watching the warehouse during the day. Lady Octavia vouches for their reliability, and also for their gender-neutral pronouns, but claims she has only communicated with them through the Fang Brothers as intermediaries.

    The Fang Brothers: Snarl and Sneer (not their actual names), Half-Orc siblings who work with Starfall, and are watching the warehouse during the day. Snarl is the more cool-headed and well-educated of the two, formerly a member of the Shieldbearers who left when the Empire took over, and fights in heavy armor with a shield and mace. Sneer is more friendly, but a notorious hothead, who wears leather armor and carries a frankly unreasonable number of knives, hatchets, throwing stars, and javelins.

    The Rootrot Fishing Consortium: A Goblin business employing a sprawling extended family, whose cold storage building is across the street from Lady Octavia's warehouse. Employ at least two spellcasters capable of casting Ray of Frost.

    Story:
    The Barracuda's Bones is an inn built from the remains of an old pirate ship that was hauled inland. Lady Octavia, the owner, keeps an area of discount bunks in the basement for adventurers to rent out long-term, and has other policies including regularly bankrolling generous bounties that keep Adventurers using her inn as a major activity hub. The party are regulars at the Barracuda's Bones, and have a good working relationship with Lady Octavia and her employees.

    Recently, there were attempts to break into a warehouse Lady Octavia keeps just outside the city walls, in an industrial neighborhood sandwiched between the city walls and the swamps of the Conclave Incarnadine. Deadeye Drakke approached the party with a proposition - a team had been dispatched to stand guard over the warehouse during the day, and a second team was needed at night. They could earn 15 GP each a day for standing watch, with a bonus of 50 GP each for whichever of the two crews was first to figure out exactly what was going on and prevent it from happening again.

    The party arrived before sunset, while the first team (Starfall and the Fang Brothers) were still finishing their shift. The party interrogated the Goblins of the Rootrot Fishing Consortium across the street, and investigated their seafood cold storage, but the only clue they found was that whatever was happening at Lady Octavia's warehouse seemed to be during a gap in the Rootrot warehouse's activity hours.

    After Starfall and the Fang Brothers left, the party took up positions on or near Lady Octavia's warehouse. At the stroke of midnight, a creature appeared who didn't seem to notice or care about the party, even though a couple members weren't very well hidden. This creature looked like a long-limbed humanoid covered head to toe in filthy bandages, and moved strangely, like a puppet with tangled strings. It seemed to flash-step through the darkness rather than moving fully through intermediary space. It approached the front of the warehouse and began to fiddle with the lock, producing a quill of congealed magical force with which it was able to scratch gouges into the iron of the lock.

    The party was able to swiftly defeat it, revealing that the rags were empty, and seemed to be animated by unnatural force. But four other rag creatures appeared, these ones made out of tent canvas, burlap vegetable sacks, brightly colored tailors scraps, and arena banners. The party defeated these as well, suffering only minor wounds. Investigating the empty heaps of rags, the party discovered that each one contained a lead coin with a hole drilled into it, as though intended to be worn as a pendant. Detect Magic showed that these coins had been the center of spells... of the Divination school! Detect Magic on the discarded quills that the rag men used as weapons and lock-destroying implements also revealed that they were Conjurations, magical force shaped into a poisonous spike. Attempting to use the quills to further damage the lock revealed that either the rag men were pushing with a lot more force than even Mr. Bobo the Gorilla could muster (which didn't match their agile but not particularly forceful combat style), or else they'd been scratching at it all night on previous nights, to make furrows so deep. Also, the warehouse only had the one entrance, which was protected by an Alarm spell, but there was evidence of bricked up windows and a sealed chimney elsewhere on the building.

    The party returned to their watch positions for the rest of the night. Shortly before dawn, they sighted a figure a few rooftops distant in a billowing cloak. The figure vanished almost immediately on being noticed. Investigating the rooftop where it had been seen, two spent matches and a stubbed-out hand-rolled cigarette were found, as well as residue of Illusion Magic.

    The party waited until Starfall's crew arrived to take over the day watch, then returned to the Barracuda's Bones, where Lady Octavia herself was tending to the breakfast crowd. They told her about their findings, and received their pay for the day. Lady Octavia took the banners that had previously been one of the Rag Men, recognizing them as belonging to the City Arena, denoting past Gladiator Champions. She promised to ask Luna for more information about them, as soon as Luna returned from a meeting in the Conclave Incarnadine.

    Desert Leviathan on
    Realizing lately that I don't really trust or respect basically any of the moderators here. So, good luck with life, friends! Hit me up on Twitter @DesertLeviathan
  • Desert LeviathanDesert Leviathan Registered User regular
    Melding wrote: »
    So, what are the chances Mitzy can be a member of the wizard college? maybe a former student, or on like a third extension for her dissertation for her doctorate of transmutation

    It's pretty much a sure thing. The Academy also teaches a lot of non-magical subjects, like it's the best place to learn about mundane medicine, so that even accomplished Wizards might come back to it to broaden their horizons.

    And even graduates are still allowed library access for free, and lab space for experiments at a rate that's mostly just to cover housekeeping needs. The Academy tries to be at the center of its alumni's lives for as long as possible, just to keep an eye on them and make sure none of their grads are getting up to world-destroying shenanigans.

    The only real access problem is that the whole caldera is lousy with Shieldbearers and Imperial Troops both.

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  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    so arly is thief guild, mitzi is mage college, that means bruno has to be fighter guild it the law

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  • MeldingMelding Registered User regular
    have you heard of the high elves?

    Arr

    Urgh!

    unph

  • iguanacusiguanacus Desert PlanetRegistered User regular
    Dubh wrote: »
    so arly is thief guild, mitzi is mage college, that means bruno has to be fighter guild it the law

    Nope, Mister Bobo.

  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    at the end of the adventure, we find out Mister Bobo used all his free time to rise to the top of fighter's guild

    because that's how guilds works

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  • Desert LeviathanDesert Leviathan Registered User regular
    Everybody on for tonight, normal time?

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  • DoobhDoobh She/Her, Ace Pan/Bisexual 8-) What's up, bootlickers?Registered User regular
    heck yeah

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