Visitor Thread

[BigRedRod]

As per the tradition set on these fine boards by Kahluah, anyone who isn't playing should keep their filthly hands out of the other threads and leave their abuse and death threats here.

Translation : anyone who isn't playing but wishes to comment upon the game should do so here. Praise is welcome, criticism isn't discouraged so long as it is productive

[The Alcotroll]

This DM is crap.

[SponkleofInfini]

In a shameful display of sucking up I say he is fantastic. :nervous:

[BigRedRod]

It would seem the players can't read. If I Was a little more grumpy this morning and may delete your worthless posts and then stand over their charred corpses laughing

[itches]

My thread! Mine! Out! All of you!

[itches]

Don't melee units usually go in front anyway? Whats the point of putting rogues in front?

It may look that way at first, because you have this line up in combat.

W= Wizard. C= Cleric. F= Fighter. E= Enemy

W C F E

However, what's missing is the rogue, who is here. R= Rogue.

W C F E R

Remember, flanked enemies are subject to sneak attack!

[Gralhruk]

Remember, flanked enemies are subject to sneak attack!
I keep forgetting that.

[itches]

And you play how many rogues?

[Gralhruk]

I can't count that high. And my earlier comment was dripping with that which some call sarcasm.

[itches]

Damnit people. Use the sign!

http://atlas.walagata.com/w/itches/sarcasm.GIF

[The_Friendly_Fiend]

The utter evil thing to do right now would be Alcotroll posting that his character leaves the others to their fates, or turns traitor and helps the armored guy dispose of the one remaining character. Imagine them doing the pretend clanking of fighting and the bad guy saying a curse as he expires. Alcotroll goes into the other room bloody from the ordeal and reports to the last character, "I've done it; they're all dead. Now come help me tend to our wounded." As the mage walks out, he runs into the evil dude and Alcotroll behind him. Together they cut the helpless mage down and split the booty.

Now how cool would that be? Plus it has the benefit of not requiring BRR to find a replacement player for the character who's player disappeared. Of course the game would then be over, but what a battle!

[BigRedRod]

I've given on the direct player-character replacement ideal these days (as I'm sure I must have said in my replacement ad), so I can kill as many as I like so long as I've always got three to five new concepts with players ready to insert

[SponkleofInfini]

You're one evil bastard.

[The_Friendly_Fiend]

You're one evil bastard.
Thank-you, I thought it was a wonderfully evil idea myself. :evil:

Bloody buggering hellfire! Why are you so fucking stupid? Why can nobody listen to plans? Does anybody understand the concept of teamwork?
You misspelled teamwork. There's an "i" in the middle. You spell it like this: Teamiwork. It's an easy thing to miss since the "i" is silent, hence the non-replies you keep getting. :fun:

[SponkleofInfini]

No i was talking about BRR...yours is lame...so very lame ;)

[hedgeknight]

You know what I like most about your game? You start off each new chapter with combat! Hell yeah! I love it!
It is also interesting to note how your roster of players has changed since the game began.

-g-

[BigRedRod]

It is rapidly approaching an all new cast. Three players is a bit light actually, I may have to recruitment a couple more.

[hedgeknight]

Well, you can use the dead-end game thread to find some good players. ;)
-g-

[BigRedRod]

I don't see "complaining about players who drop out" as the hallmark of being a good player yourself. I'm tempted to do it publically actually, 7DS needs some time to see whether it'll stay or go too, so I can just have a new member dance off to separate wheat from chaff.

[itches]

7DS needs some time to see whether it'll stay or go too
Never!

[Gralhruk]

Do we have time to hide the bodies before the funeral?
You just don't hear that often enough.

[elmer_jok]

Why are you all listening to the knight? Don't you all know this course of action will lead to your DOOM!?!

Just joshin' with ya'... Can't wait to see what Link and lechess's new characters add to the quest. This game is a great read. I will donate 4 silver penny's to the cause, keep up the good work!

[itches]

With 3 out of 4 of Orp's Admin's involved in the game, you better think it's a great read. ;)

[elmer_jok]

Yes, yessir! I don't only think it's a great read. I think it's the GREATEST read. Does that increase my brownie-point earnings by 50%? It always works in my f2f campaign...

Okay, maybe not my favorite read on the boards, but one of them!

Edit: And why don't we ever see you in the Labrynth of Little Lies itches? BRR is doing all the work it seems.

[itches]

I do some stuff behind the scenes, but not nearly as much as I should. It's on my list of new years resolutions under "get more involved in Orp". Plus if I get more involved BRR has to bring back 7ds.

[elmer_jok]

7ds?

[itches]

Seven Deadly Sins, one of his other games.

[elmer_jok]

Aha, I'll have to peruse that one. Sounds like my kind of game ;)

[BigRedRod]

I still need a system to bring back 7ds with.

[itches]

I suggest an informal series of d20 rolls.

[elmer_jok]

The old James Bond 007 series? I've never seen the rules, but heard alot about it. I like percentiles :)

[Linklegacy77]

Chaosium CoC!

[BigRedRod]

Those are just words!

I just seem to keep coming back to having to write my own d20 thing for it and that fills me with despair as I really don't have time. Who would have thought that only two monster catching/raising RPGs would exist and they'd both be useless!? Surely pokemon or digimon should have gone for cash in by now.

[itches]

Well the new d10 thing looks somewhat promising.

[BigRedRod]

You didn't actually link me to that. And would a whitewolf derivative really be all that useful for this?

[LuneMoonshadow]

A d20 base with a couple of variants (like to initiative to mimic action points and armor to mimic DR/AC) should work fairly well I'd think.

Of course you'd still have to come up with the abilities the monsters have, which where most of the work would come in anyway.

[BigRedRod]

Yeah, such is my problem. No matter what it always comes down to me having to design lots of monsters and their potential growth. Plus I want to have some kind of two front system of natural growth for the species and then growth dependent on the training style.

Possibly I could get the players involved.

[itches]

Plus monster growth and evolution.

[LuneMoonshadow]

Design an system that automatically levels up monsters.

Give each monster at least a physical and magical attack (more physical/magical depending if its naturally inclined to one or the other). Using a physical attack levels up the move and its physical stats after a set number of uses as does the magic attacks. After a certain number of "level ups" the creature could evolve using one like... 3 upgrade sets. One could be x1.5 str, x1.5 con, x.5 dex etc. That would give the player a bit of freedom in customizing the monster as it levels up as well as makes much of it automatic.

Of course, this system does not introduce new moves, so you'd still need to do that.

[itches]

Also making it more complicated is that the system needs to be designed around the pre-existing game and game monsters.

And then once he had that done, he needs to find players who will play this weird system.

[LuneMoonshadow]

A rough idea of how I'd do it.

[BigRedRod]

Well the name certainly works, I'll give it a read at work tomorrow.

[elmer_jok]

Wouldn't that be great lune... you all sticking up for the enemy... maybe even killing good folk in the name of the enemy. Ah, what fame and infamy stem from... such little decisions as the ones you're faced with now. Careful, he's emotional... unpredictable.

[Gralhruk]

FATE :).

On the monster side there is some sort of option that basically lets you say this monster is Strong, and that grants you like 3 bonuses which you don't need to define in advance. During a fight, you can just pick an appropriate feature and call it as a usage of one of your bonuses.

So, if I'm Smaug during the fight I can just call upon my great size to crush you. Then I check off one of my bonuses and get extra damaage when I sit on you or whatever.

[BigRedRod]

I like FATE(in fact I was talking about in CY just yesterday) but I don't think it would sit well with the monster raising aspect.

Lune, I looked over that .doc. It has some quite nice ideas. I have stroked my chin in thought.

[elmer_jok]

Link! Where is your character? I'm curious to see your bard. I had a bard concept as well, but with my busy schedule and you volunteering I decided to gracefully bow out (rather than just not being picked I'm sure.)

Is it just me or does diplomacy have too many synergy bonuses? Add that with the warlocks whatever skill that makes them so charismatic and it's near unstoppable.

[LuneMoonshadow]

zomg I'm someone's sig.

As for your diplomacy comment it boils down to this: the normal rules suck horrifically and must be modified to be playable. Too many synergy bonuses and spells/abilities that allow a character to boost their diplomacy high enough to make friends out of the worst of enemies - even at low levels.

[BigRedRod]

Yeah, the social rules for D&D are terrible. It's something I hope they sort out for 4e.

[elmer_jok]

Yes Lune, that line rocked me to the floor in a fit of laughter (probably more than was appropriate) and felt like I'd share it with some others that would have never seen it.

I agree with you both whole-heartedly. I wasn't aware of the two extra synergies that added to diplomacy when I switched from 3.0 to 3.5 and started a game which I allowed a warlock to enter with some skill that added a further +6 to it. Luckily it didn't get out of hand as I just adjudicated that some synergies don't apply to some situations, then the game subsequently died when all but one or two character disappeared.

[Tashalar]

I apologize profusely (*tries a bow*) for invading your OOC thread. "If I were less lazy", I'd have looked and found this visitor's thread which I will use from now on if I have anything to contribute.

...

I wanted to write 'if I have something meaningful to contribute' at first but thought I'd swap it for 'anything'. Yeah.

And now I need to check if the chat room really works.

[elmer_jok]

Would it be too much of a pain to allow me to see the private thread pertaining to the two new comers? I'm an avid lurker of this game and am dying from the mystery.

Pretty please?

[BigRedRod]

That thread isn't actually an IC thread, all that it contains is me asking Link and Danny to hurry up and get their characters finished and then we all ponder how we can introduce the new characters.

I'll add you though since you asked.

[elmer_jok]

Oh, that's hilarious. I may have an idea or two on how to introduce them... lemme see what ya'll been brainstorming about first though.

[Tashalar]

Hm... staying up and becoming fatigued? Well, if I were awake for 36 hourse, I'd still be able to run at least. The -2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity would make sense though.

A Fortitude save would be the obvious choice, but as far as I know, there aren't any rules for this. Actually, I'd consider making it a constitution check.

a DC 5 constitution check after being awake for 24 hours
+3-5 to the DC for every 12 hours that have passed along with a checkI'm sure you'll think of something though. ;)

[BigRedRod]

I'm sure there are actual rules, I just can't find them in the SRD. I know that after 36 hours awake I can do fairly little that's useful, but maybe that is just me.

[Linklegacy77]

As far as I know, it's just automatic fatigue after missing a nights sleep.

[Tashalar]

Ha! Since I was reading lots of Iron Heroes stuff due to being entirely excited about he Klotho game, I stumbled across the following in the Iron Heroes FAQ:

Rest Deprivation
Q: I can't find anything on what happens to my PC if they go without rest for a day or greater.

A: There are no specific rules in d20 or Iron Heroes
for this. I'd suggest using the forced march rules,
but basing the DC on the number of hours of rest
less than 8 the character gets. The Endurance
feat bonus should apply to these checks.

[elmer_jok]

I'm pretty sure the RAW is that they are fatigued after going a 24 hour period (or shorter if it was a particularly strenuous day) without 8 hours of rest. In my games I've made a house rule that states fatigue sets in after the above mentioned time period, then hourly constitution checks are made with the DC getting harder as times go on. I assign bonuses and/or negatives to this check depending upon what the character is doing (+2 for standing, -2 for sitting, -4 for laying down, +2 for recent near-death experiences, etc.). Yes, it is possible to fall asleep standing up. Endurance of course helps in this check. Also, I assign cumulative fatigue effects for each 24 hours afterwards.

I'm not particularly sharp after staying up for 36 hours either, but I definately don't have a heroic constitution score (nor the luck to go with it) and have myself stayed up over 50 hours with the help of staying busy at work and energy drinks and warcraft III when I got home. As I said, I don't have the greatest constitution. I know others that have stayed up longer, but they had extenuating circumstances in all those cases.

Doesn't it stand to reason that a very tough dwarf with endurance should be able to stay up a couple weeks if pressed to and kept busy, but should suffer cumulative effects of doing so?

Just my thoughts on the matter. Hope they help.

[itches]

Doesn't it stand to reason that a very tough dwarf with endurance should be able to stay up a couple weeks if pressed to and kept busy, but should suffer cumulative effects of doing so?

After a little over 10 days with no sleep, you tend to die. It's not about constitution at that point, it's a mental thing.

[Tashalar]

Can't find your keys? Hold person. Don't know what to have for dinner? Hold person. Late for work? Hold person.
Lol, I was thinking of posting something along those lines as well.

Tuesday - my final exam - my prof asks a question that I don't know an answer to... hold person! :roll:

[The Alcotroll]

Raargh! Go Harald! Kill the bard first!



...sorry Link...

[elmer_jok]

After a little over 10 days with no sleep, you tend to die. It's not about constitution at that point, it's a mental thing.

I've heard of people going longer, although, I admit I wasn't present to witness it. Besides, we're heroes!

[Linklegacy77]

I think the world record is something like 11 days...

Of course, he suffered permament brain damage.

[elmer_jok]

Ah... how cute! Look at you guys go!

"Group hug!"

[elmer_jok]

Anyone know where Flagg has gone off to? I see he hasn't been on in awhile...

[BigRedRod]

Nope, I'm guessing he's fallen down a well and we can't hear his calls for help.

[elmer_jok]

Alas... he heard me. If I hadn't called out his name when I did, he might have been lost forever!

You're welcome as always ;)

[Tashalar]

*goggles at the latest posts*

I am here to collect your souls.

Oh. My. That was plain awesome.

[Tashalar]

*hustles into the visitor's thread*

[Tashalar]

Doesn't shooting into melee cause an AoO?Yep, if he shoots while threatened, RB1&2 would get an AoO vs. Finn (not M1 due to cover) - not something Finn would want I'd wager.

You're wasting your attack bonus by shooting blindly and from memory...Imo Finn has no trouble at all at shooting from the edge of the mist. There's only a 20% miss chance if someone is 5' away from you and inside the mist. He can stand at the edge and look out and attack normally. Or he might get the 20% miss chance - depends on how BRR sees this. :)

The good part is that if the rats attack him, they do suffer a 20% miss chance as well.

Edit: Btw, I really like those maps.

[Tashalar]

The rat only took a 5' step, itches.


Btw... I'm getting the feeling that this is one hell of an encounter. :paranoid:

[itches]

Wait until the rats start shooting up with their super arrows again.

And does the 5ft step still avoid an AoO if you end up inside a threatened square?

[BigRedRod]

5ft steps never cause AoOs

[itches]

I could have sworn that they did if you ended up in a threatened square, but someone has gone and edited the book while I wasn't looking.

[BigRedRod]

Damn those coastal wizards and their dark magics.

[Tashalar]

Indeed, damn them! :nod:

[hedgeknight]

"I damn thee!"

Sorry, just had to jump in on the damning of the coastly wizards. :)
-g-

[Tashalar]

Less planning, more doing.
Read: Go, go, go!!

I can only support this. I want to see how you get out of this alive. :nod:

[BigRedRod]

If this game has taught us anything, it's that there is always a fresh supply of talented heroes with troubled pasts and motivated to join the fractured remnants of the party.

[Tashalar]

Wth were you up to before going to bed yesterday, itches? :paranoid:

[itches]

The day was only about 24 hour long, most of it taken up by high stress then once the stress passed there was a lot of de-stress rum.

[BigRedRod]

Bundaberg rum?

[itches]

It mixes well and isn't that expensive.

[BigRedRod]

It's expensive over here. I'm just not very knowledgeable about rum as I don't drink it very often.

[itches]

Well considering it's been shipped halfway around the world, I guess it would be expensive over there.

[Tashalar]

Sometimes things which get shipped half-way across the world are less expensive there. That's when I get the feeling that something's wrong (even though I am aware of reasons why that would be so).

So. How's your head, itches?

[itches]

It needs coffee, apart from that fine.

[Tashalar]

rouge carefully withdrawls
Hehe, me likes. :yum:

[Tashalar]

You have way too many plans. How do you even know what the original is anymore?
The good thing about that is that he can always say that everything is going according to plan. Right?

And when something comes up like you people being 'out-gunned', then that perfectly fits that other plan you had earlier. So you are simply the most adaptable characters out there. You are bound to survive. Adapt and survive or don't adapt and get killed. That's evolution! :roll:

[Tashalar]

Eh, I'll get something up tonight. Probably will end up just being filler but we'll see.
Hey, not every post has to be like the 'gatekeeper' post that I remember rather vividly.

[Tashalar]

I really don't have anything noteworthy to add to the IC thread. Mostly just a "Hmm... fine. Let's go." while looking badass. The usual.

That sounds like me in RL. Yeah. Ha.

[Tashalar]

Hey, wait. This is... like... the fifth post only by me. It's lonely being the only fish on the moon, really. :?

[itches]

Just join the game already

[Tashalar]

Hrhmm... I'll actually think about it.

[BigRedRod]

You do that.

[Tashalar]

Know what... I think I'd like to join if you'll have me. I don't know much about the story - I've just been following along now and then.

Concept-wise, I'm considering a 'northern' barbarian gone thug (http://www.systemreferencedocuments.org/35/sovelior_sage/unearthedCoreClass.html#thug) after adapting to civilized/city life. Mercenary-type. Maybe. I'm open to suggestions though.

The group has an arcane caster, a divine caster, a rogue and an old man, so I guess another tough guy wouldn't be bad.

I'm open to any suggestions or outright refusal. :)

[BigRedRod]

We can always use the token Aart in the group. If you fancy it, Tashalar, that would be super. I'll chat to you about the story and concept and stuff soon (Although as I mentioned in the ooc, I'm busy until Thursday with a new type of busy arriving at the weekend. From Monday it should hopefully settle down though).

[Tashalar]

After checking with BRR what the Aart are - yes, that sounds good.

Concept will be worked on at some point starting Monday. :)

[Stringbean2142]

I was told if I have an interest in the game to post here, and after reading I do indeed. It sounds like you've got burly men with muscles covered between Kjetil and Lade, so I was thinking of running a druid. I checked, and it looks llike no one else has run one yet in this game so I can play around with that a bit.

The basic concept is that, given the severity of the problems currently overrunning the world, the druidic brotherhood is almost destroyed. What druids that are left are scattered, devoting their energies to combating the unnatural forces entering the world as they judge best. My character will see raising the thirteenth obelisk as a worthy effort to combat the rat invasion, even to the poiunt where staying in a city for an extended period of time is tolerable. From there, we'd just have to play it out.

[BigRedRod]

The only druidic traditions I've considered are the ones who lurk on the Jedaart(isle of burly men) in the Bomen(large forest)

Bomen : A man of the Aart admits to fearing very little, yet even the bravest will not enter the Bomen without a very good reason indeed. Occasionally a rash youth will charge into the woods seeking honour, only to be devoured by the very forest itself.
To the druids of Aos, Bomen is a sacred place, the seat of the Elder Druid. An ancient man (or possibly elf, or possibly something else. Non-Druids aren't privy to this information and Druids do not tend to concern themseles with whatever the Elder was in the beginning, if ever he was something else) sits at the centre of the Bomen on a throne of living wood which was grown to seat him. So in touch with nature is he, that his body has grown roots with mingle with the trees of the forest.

Which was written back in the early stages of this game when I did that foolish thing of over describing the world. Feel free to run with whatever tickles your fancy. I also see that my terrible maps have not yet arrived.

Druid looks like there is lots of scope to work with though, as the rats are horribly unnatural from most perspectives.

[Stringbean2142]

Druid looks like there is lots of scope to work with though, as the rats are horribly unnatural from most perspectives.

That was my impression as well. Of course, I think natural rats are hideous and unnatural, with the pinnacle of rat evolution being the New York City rats. There's a reason I throw rats at my players when I'm upset with them...

The Bomen is actually a good background tidbit. What if NoName McDruid is a member of a small sect of druids who have sworn to not step foot in the Bomen again until they can stand in front of the Elder and tell him balance has been restored to the world? NoName is a younger druid, and has never been there at all; it is his greatest wish to prove himself worthy of entering the Bomen before he dies. By saving the world. He apparently doesn't think small.

The sect itself is darn near dead, mainly because they keep trying to solve the problems, which puts them out on the pointy tip of things. NoName hasn't seen a sect member alive in several years. He also has no animal companion as they keep dying on him and he's afraid to see another death. He'd overcompensate by being very, very gentle towards animals and overly aggressive against those who hurt animals.

[BigRedRod]

That sounds quite interesting. I do always like more half dead factions (the moon bringers themselves are an excellent example, with Malkanus being the last of the group who called themselves that name and worked out of Hollowfaust with rather more noble intentions than the current and more numerous red robe wearing types).

I'm writing a game advertisement for character acquisition, so we'll see if we can't fish up another player or two.

[itches]

With a Druid, keep in mind that this game does take place in a city. A city recently abandoned by all of its people and ruined by a gateway to hell, but still a city.

[BigRedRod]

He mentioned that himself, and I think it gives good roleplaying potential for him to be a fish entirely out of water.

[BigRedRod]

Okay, Stringy.

Looks like I've got a fourth. So even if the CA ad comes to nothing we can roll out.

Level 5, half starting gold, and one of the Brucey-bonuses in the OP (I'm flexible on boosting the gp for the magic item one). Lets start putting the mechanics together and flesh out the concept.

We'll need some kind of recent interaction with the Cathedral within the last couple of days that have seen him assigned to oversee the raising of the locks (in particular the thirteenth).

[treehouse]

-wave-

I was dreaming up a barbarian 1/scout 4 yesterday who uses a long spear and takes lots of AoO-related feats, but it looks like Tashalar already kind of has the market cornered on that style.

BRR, are warlocks acceptable to you?

[BigRedRod]

I've never really looked at the 3.5e warlock. We'd need to work out how whatever magic it is they use fits in with the grand scheme of things (such as the two Wizarding colleges I've established- The Magewright's Guild, the elusive wizards who entirely shut up shop when the world ended. And Hollowfaust, the isle of the necromancers.)

[treehouse]

I was thinking perhaps have their source of power be directly related to the current cataclysm affecting the world.

Where is the best place to go to learn more about the world of NoS? I've read both of the threads in World Info and I'm working my way through People and Places, but it seems like there is more.

Also, how quickly do I need to have a sheet posted?

[BigRedRod]

So much more. And it all LIVES IN MY HEAD. And the IC threads. Reading through all of the IC threads would be an epic ask though.

Really, it would help if I was a bit more organised.

I don't think there's a huge rush for sheets. Since Tashalar suggested Stringbean, he's vanished. So I need to track him down. It was him that got things moving again.

[treehouse]

I'll try to think of a good power source for warlocks, but I think that will require some reading through IC threads, which I don't mind doing since the writing looks good. So it may be a while. Their default power source is their own demonic heritage.

Or if you don't like warlocks I can try something else. Essentially, they are a spellcaster who chooses a few spell-like abilities that they can use all the time (called invocations) instead of once per day a la the Vancian system. They live in the Complete Arcane; I've DMed for them before and they are fairly balanced. They suck a little bit at the high levels compared to sorcerers or wizards but it's their trade off for never running out of things to do at the lower levels.

I'm not going to throw a tantrum if you say no warlocks. They do look like fun though.

[BigRedRod]

When you say the cataclysm, do you mean the lack of a moon (So the ambient spirits)? As we had a wu-jen who did that although he quickly dropped out. Or the hole in the world (And associated storm)?

There's potential there, having a goal to sabotage your own source of strength is quite interesting.

[treehouse]

Yeah, it would make him rather useless if the campaign goes on after we 'win', but the idea is that he was one of the bad guys (or just a bad guy, not necessarily plot-central or anything).

Maybe he was originally in the magewright guild. When the hole appeared (or whatever), he accidentally ran across a strange anomaly in the threads of magic that bind everything together. He learned that he could manipulate these anomalies to create new threads, or destroy old ones, pretty much at will, but only in specific ways. Still, he noticed that he could do these pretty much at will, without becoming exhausted after a few alterations (a typical problem for his peers).

He used this ability to create and destroy threads instead of altering them to do some (undetermined as of yet) terrible things, and learned too late that there was a price. He was slowly losing his mind.

The obvious weakness of this is the time involved, if it really only has been four days since the hole appeared (unless I'm reading your thread in CA incorrectly).

An alternative would be for the 'warlock way' to always have been there for those foolish enough to try, but something about the hole's appearance is making warlocks both more powerful and more unstable.

There's probably tons of stuff wrong with that, but the basic idea is:

1) guy discovers and masters forbidden magical techniques (warlock)

2) something about the hole has made warlocks much more powerful (maybe before it appeared, none of them could use eldritch blast? this part doesn't really matter if the campaign ends after the hole is sealed)

3) the same thing that makes them more powerful also makes their minds deteriorate rapidly every time they invoke

4) guy isn't really remorseful for the bad things he has done, but he realizes that he is basically fucked if he doesn't help out with the hole-sealing thing

5) guy joins party to save his own miserable hide

I don't really like playing bad guys who stay bad, so depending on party interaction and other factors he will probably slowly lose his cool evil vibe.

Also, obligatory OOTS reference (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0276.html). "The Holey Brotherhood believes in the right for holes to exist! You shall not seal this one!"

[Tashalar]

Hey Stringbean, hey tree - welcome to the game (hopefully)! :)

Just droppin' by really quickly... off on a trip until Monday.

Cheers!

[treehouse]

-wave- have a good trip!

[BigRedRod]

Ah, you're still alive. Good work.

Treehouse, I'm all up in your PMing business.

[treehouse]

Cool, I've gotta get ready for work so it may be an hour or two before I can hit you back.

[Stringbean2142]

Yep, I vanished for a few days there. Sorry about that, but I wasn't expecting things to jump as fast as they did. Last night, I actually thought about jumping on the board but couldn't muster the energy. I hate when the weather gets all cold; makes me want to hibernate.

So, I'll need to do up the mechanics once I get home tonight and have the book in front of me (stupid firewall at works blocks the SRD), but concept is something that's been rolling through my head for the past few days. Here's what I have thus far for a background.

Renaltus of the Guarding Thorns, known as Ren to his friends, was raised by his uncle Pollar. Pollar was a trapper living just outside the outskirts of a medium-sized village. Growing up, Renaltus was much more comfortable walking the trails with his uncle than in the town, and Pollar seemed to understand. When Renaltus was seven, Pollar introduced him to a friend he knew who leaved even further from the village. The friend's name was Thorian, and he was an aged druid. In Renaltus he found a spirit who was deeply in tune with nature, and with Pollar's blessing he began to teach young Renaltus of the natural world around him.

When he came of age, Renaltus was accepted as a junior member of the Guarding Thorns, an informal druidic order tasked with defending Aos from any unnaturalness. The initiation to enter the Thorns was very tough (return a kidnapped bear's cub to its lair without harming it or the mother), and Renaltus actually failed at his first attempt. After healing from the bear's mauling, he tried again and while still outclassed overcame the obstacle with sheer determination. He became a Thorn, and for a time lived with Thorian while his real training began.

When the Red Moon ceased to rise, the Thorns swore to not set foot again in the Bomen until they could kneel before the Elder Druid and tell him that the Red Moon has risen again and order has been restored to the world. Of course, they had absolutely no idea how they would accomplish this, and the informal nature of druidic orders meant information was shared slowly. Renaltus, like most, began travelling the land, searching for some clue of why the Red Moon would not rise. Advancing into the world alone or with a single partner, the order took heavy losses from a combination of the increasing danger in the world, the lack of support for the druids, and their willingness (or foolishness) to walk places that ought not to be walked. Renaltus himself bears several scars from the last few years of searching, and he had to bury his long-time mentor and friend Thorian along the way.

And then the storms of Edinway began, and Renaltus knew that this was an unnaturalness that left unchecked would sweep through his beloved world and destroy it. When Renaltus joined the Thorns, he gave up the traditional life he could have had for one of service to Aos. When the Red Moon disappeared, he gave up all but a small hope at ever walking through the Bomen, a dream of any druid. Now, he feels compelled to do what he can to help in this fight against the rat invasion. He gave up the freedom of the wood for the cramped, decaying confines of Edinway, the largest city in the islands and a place now of death and despair.

Once in Edinway, he found the city a warzone. Rats outnumbered the rest of the inhabitants, and they seemed to know it. Twice Renaltus was faced by hostile rats on his way through the damnable buildings that squatted around him. Eventually he found his way to the Grand Plaza, one of the relatively safe places in the city, and learned of the Cathedral's locks. Their numbers were few and the rats were growing increasingly bold; feeling much older than the 37 years he actually had, Renaltus volunteered to hold the line while the locks are raised. After that, he feared his time in this accursed prison of worked stone and dead earth called Edinway was just beginning…

[BigRedRod]

Sounds good, Stringbean. It was Tashalar I was accusing of vanishing incidentally.

Maybe if you come up with a few (brief) asides about his wandering adventures or encounters with other members of the Thorns in and around Edinway it'd give me a few juicy plothooks for down the line.

Are you planning on the Guarding Thorns having originated on Jedaart or the mainland? The smaller northern isle is quite Viking inspired and community based. Whereas the larger main island is more of a traditional medieval setting. The Bomen being in the wilder, more hostile, northern isle of course.

[Stringbean2142]

Yeah, I'll write up a few quick stories about his adventures and local Thorn activities for you. It'll give you your hooks, and let me get into his head more.

The Guarded Thorns are a mainland group, but like all druids on Aos they all speak of journeying to the Bomen at least once in their life. It's a bit like going to Mecca for Muslims. The Thorns live in the gaps between settlement clusters; if you wanted to be nasty, you could describe them as the druidic cockroaches of Bashir, always scurrying around the edges and out of the light of the settlements.

[Merbak]

With my genius and looking at multiple threads at once I placed my character concept + questions in the Character Aquisition thread instead of here. Should I copy and paste it to here + delete it there or just leave it as is?


EDIT: quick note, in case the answers to my questions in the other post include: no geezers! no exalted! and no poverty! I do have a (far less developed) younger, more like an average shiney cleric concept I can make.

[BigRedRod]

With my genius and looking at multiple threads at once I placed my character concept + questions in the Character Aquisition thread instead of here. Should I copy and paste it to here + delete it there or just leave it as is?

I ok'd Stringbean and treehouse for playing, hence why they're in the OOC thread. As to why they posted here though - String was posting here because he was interested in the game before it was cool, i.e. before I made an advert, and treehouse is a rogue agent who came from strange directions.

[Tashalar]

A rogue agent with a beard! Or so I've read on one of these forums one of these days...

So. I'll definitely stick with Kjetil, but I'll have to take a close look at him soonish. When do you think we'll be starting again, BRR?

... quick online visit...

[BigRedRod]

Once the two new characters are done, we should be good to roll. Next week sometime?

[treehouse]

-rolls around the corner, firing an imaginary gun and making 'James Bond theme song noise'-

Pew pew pew!

Do do do dooooo do do dooooo, do do do do, do do dooooooo

[Stringbean2142]

I'll have Ren's sheet up today for you to ok, as well as have at least a few previous adventure tidbits.