OOC Conversation

Welcome to the game! I'll be creating a forum shortly for character creation with everything you need to know to make your characters. Later on I'll create another thread with a primer for the basic rules of play. Let me know if you have any questions. I'm looking forward to a fun game!

The character creation rules are up now.

Hi everyone! Thanks for the invite DmBrainiac. I've played SotDL a few times but not this rule set. Looking forward to playing with everyone.

Hello @Dmbrainiac! Thanks again for the invite. I am looking forward to finally playing Shadow of the Weird Wizard. What is everyone planning to make as their character?

Currently mulling over some form of wizard or fighter, dependent on what I want for their future paths. May consider randomly rolling everything for the luls and see what aberration of circumstance I end up with.

I might do that too. It can be a lot of fun.
Decided to go with a Human Forester Rogue as long as that fits the group. Happy to consider other options if needed.

Hello all!

I'll create a character to fill in any gaps the party has. Or if folks have decision paralysis, I'll go ahead and cobble something together.

I am gravitating towards the mage or priest. Lets see, what others make.

I've started posting some of the game rules for those without access to the PDF. I'll add more over the next few days.

Much appreciated.

Would it be alright if I elect to make a Clockwork fighter, GM? My idea is that he was resurrected from dormancy as the last vestiges of a half-failed contingency system designed by the Weird Wizard himself to contain the Wizard's own experiments and creations, should they ever get out of hand.

Basic Outline:

R3N-L3
Atts:
Fighter Array #5 +Made for War
Str 13+2
Agi 10
Int 10
Will 10

Age: Very Old(51-150)
Purpose: War(To Contain the Weird Wizard's creations)
Form: Humanoid(No size difference)
Appearance: Well-made, as he was preserved for most of his interim existence.
Background: He has awoken from dormancy with a sword grafted to one of his arms. Unusual, but expected.

Personality: He certainly didn't ask for his new ersatz life or his orders, but he'll make the most of it while he can.

Professions: Sworn Bodyguard

Battle Training: Battlefield Experience

Novice Path: Fighter

Sure, that sounds like a cool character concept, Lcythas. :D

@Lcythas here are the details of the clockwork ancestry. Note that it features its own novice path. You may choose to pursue this path instead of one of the standard novice paths.

Hmmm, I think I'll remain with the Fighter novice path in my case just so I can specialize a bit more before moving into more general territory with the expert and master paths. Is there any particular template or character sheet you want us to use?

Nope, feel free to design your sheet in whichever way makes sense to you. The most important thing for me is to easily find your Defense, Health, and Damage.

Rolling for attribute spread.

I've submitted my character into the game, please feel free to check it. Since my character is reliant on sets of spare parts to heal, rather than healing naturally, how many sets would you say he starts with? I've put in 2 to begin with.

I'll let you start with 2 sets. Going forward, each set costs 1 sp, as outlined in the equipment chapter which I'll post here later.

Hi everyone! Thanks for the invite DmBrainiac! I'm excited to try SoWW at least! Yesterday I've spent quite some time thinking about my PC concept (I always start with concept and art...). I think I would like to go with Human and Mage. As far as I understand this - without refreshing the rules that I plan to do soon - the Mage can choose two traditions to have spells from it, for my character it would be: Technomancy and Psychomancy. I would like him to be someone that looks quite ordinary on the surface, being older man himself but in case of emergency someone that is using futuristic/steampunk-ish gadgets/gear/artifacts that looks for others more like magic then technology. All of this staying more in fantasy themes, rather than sci-fi. Would such concept work in our game and for you DmBrainiac?What do you think guys? From what I have "scanned" the previous posts, there shouldn't be huge overlap with others?

Yes, that sounds like a fun concept for your character, Pedrop. (Including what you sent in the note. :) )

So far our party's shaping up like so:

Lcythas: Clockwork Fighter
Pedrop: Human Mage
Windyridge: Human Rogue

I am thinking about making a mage too. As for tradition, I will be going with Alchemy and Hydromancy.

Ah right! In my case, I elected to take one of the preset equipment packs over the 2 gp to buy your own things. If we do that, do we get any pocket money for personal expenditures?

Here's my dude. Working on character sheet now.

--------------------------------

Name: Aazim Azar
Race/Path: Jann
Profession: Philosopher

A jann born into the Magi caste, Aazim wanted for nothing growing up. His family lived on a respectable estate, and there were plenty of servants to attend to his every need. Aazim accepted all this without complaint, despite the obvious plights of the lower castes, and the rigidity of the caste system in general. Why rock the boat when life was so idyllic?

That changed when he turned 18, and was sent off to the Arcanum Collegium [or whatever mage-training place the janni have], as was expected of someone in his caste. At first, his life continued much as it was, although the nuances of magic and the often difficult training tasks caused him some irritation.

That changed when he took a course taught by the infamous Omar Sandaleev. Though also a member of the Magi caste, Omar seemed unconstrained by protocol and tradition: he could regularly be seen conversing with those in the Common or Unclean castes, shockingly treating them as equals...and he always had a witty, self-deprecating comment about the "superior" classes. While many grumbled about Omar's "seditious nature," such was his skill (both as a teacher, and as a practicing mage), that the Collegium tolerated him.

Aazim was drawn to this teacher, though he couldn't explain why at first. Wasn't his life already destined to be one of respect and relative ease? Why was he now questioning the entire system that had nurtured and supported him?

Omar had an answer: "You've been hit with the ideals of freedom, equality, and fellowship, which are as strong as our most potent spells. Yet despite their strength, most of our kind deflect those ideals, instead capitulating to our supposed 'eternal' system. But others...well, they cannot brush aside these things so easily...."

Encouraged by Omar, Aazim began reading "controversial" books, and even talking with the lower castes, doing his best to treat them with respect. Yet every answer only beget more questions...and try as he might, Aazim couldn't completely shed the mental framework he'd developed as a Magi.

But Omar also talked often about a faraway place called the borderlands. A troubled land, to be sure, but one filled with humans, who seemed free to forge their own destinies...at least, relative to the janni.

And so after graduating from the Academy, Aazim stunned everyone (besides Omar) by announcing he was traveling to these borderlands. Will he find what he's looking for? Or will he only run into more unanswerable questions? And does he even want to escape his caste...or will he embrace it, as he once did?

Personality: Though polite and usually mild-mannered, Aazim doesn't exactly express warmth and generosity. As noted, he's never been able to definitively alter the aloof (some would say arrogant, especially humans) mien of a Magi...though he's made many clunky efforts to do so.

He's a deep thinker, though not necessarily a practical one. Even Omar accused him of "getting lost in a sea of words, when you should be living life."

The borderlands and the (to him) free-wheeling nature of humanity has also upended his sensibilities. Perhaps he wasn't ready for this grand self-revelatory journey....

Aazim does show flashes of anger, and he'll occasionally treat others as he used to treat Commons who disappointed him. These often come about due to personal failings and confusion, not because the target deserved it...but Aazim knows that intimidation has its place, and is learning to control and refine these outbursts.

I don’t believe you get extra money if you choose a starting package.

I'll play a Human Priest of the High One. :)

Alright, so it looks like we'll have two mages, a priest, a rogue, a clockwork fighter, and a janni. :D

Are we waiting on anyone else?

We still need TheForsakenEvil's priest. I'll go over the character sheets today and post a few more rules chapters (Equipment, relevant magic traditions). I'll get the gameplay thread up either later today or tomorrow.

All of the character sheets look okay to me. I've opened up the gameplay thread so you may begin posting at your leisure. I've assumed the six of you have recently joined together as a party, so you probably know some basic info about each other, whatever you'd be willing to share.

Sorry for the delay, she's submitted now.

Lauretta Shoemaker



A woman in her 40s that has been victim to much, but carved her own way through life. As a former mercenary soldier, she knows how to fight and will put those skills to use. However, her skills in the art of war are now only a tool she wields to remove evil from the world and prevent harm to others. The Church of the High One gave her a life of purpose, which she intends to fulfill.

I'll be out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday. Posts will resume on Monday.

Have a good holiday!

Enjoy!

👍👍🍗🍗

Enjoy your holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate! And for those, that don't: Happy Thanksgiving! ;)

Character drama is getting so intense! I love it. Figured I'd go ahead and make Lauretta's backstory public since I know I've enjoyed contextualizing character interactions with others. :)

Lauretta was born to a humble family of cobblers out on the Borderlands. Life was simple, but it was hard. Still only a young girl at the time, an unknown plague swept through their village. She lost her mother, Leeah, and a sister, Taylor, to the disease, but she managed to survive alongside her brother, Elliot, and father, Winston. The stress this caused her family was terrible, but the true schism formed over faith. Winston and Elliot were pious worshipers of the Old Gods, resulting in their decision to leave customary tribute to the Pale Lady in hopes that no such affliction would ever spread again. Lauretta, however, grew to hate the faith in her grief. In a village still loyal to the Old Gods, this alienated her.

Fantasies of leaving to start over elsewhere became frequent occupants of the young girl's mind. She was practically estranged from from her brother and father while they openly carried their sorrow. Teenage angst mixed with grief and a desire for rebellion. The dangers of the Borderlands weren't lost on her, as she began to save up coin for weapons with which she could defend herself. By the time Lauretta came of age, she was ready to turn her fantasies into reality, risking everything. As the wagon with the village's trade goods left to go to the next town over, a brazen stowaway hid herself aboard.

Although still only a young adult, the garb and leather armor her years of savings afforded her allowed Lauretta to pass as someone that was actually prepared to handle themselves. Chance had it that she was offered coin, safety in numbers, and additional training by a recruiter for the Red Banners. Swayed by their sales pitch, she agreed to join the mercenary company. Battle and war were no place for someone of her age and background, but she swallowed down these horrors while reminding herself of the ones she already endured during the plague. Mercenary work paid well, which she proceeded to do for years as she stayed with the Red Banners. Unfortunately, the maturity of adulthood only brought on guilt for abandoning her family in their grief that would never leave her. Inquiries about her home village revealed that it was abandoned.

It was in her travels that Lauretta was exposed to the influence of the Church of the High One, but it was on blood-soaked battlefields that she found succor from their Hospitallers. Desiring more from life and drowning in the void of guilt from death and abandonment inside of her, her skepticism for religion was easily conquered. A skepticism she carried from her youth was no match for the emptiness that grew from seeing fields of bodies in exchange for coin. Instead, the High One offered her a purpose in life that could fulfill her and heal old wounds. It was then that she dedicated years to training for priesthood, leaving her friends and found family of the Red Banners behind. Now, Lauretta aims to live a life of virtue by serving as a guide for others, particularly the lost and the broken. She never wanted to see a field of bodies again, but fortunately her skills as a warrior could still be used to protect the weak and smite the wicked.

Awesome backstory!

Naturally, you know what R3N-L3's vote is, so I don't think he needs to make a post affirming it xD

Me watching the interparty drama play out:

This is so much fun.

Today was busy, I hope to have time to post tomorrow morning.

It is a busy season, so activity being more sporadic is understandable.

Busy, indeed! It was crazy at work this week. I'll do my best to catch up and post on Monday.

Hi, sorry for delays on my side... :( I have a little epidemic in my house, with some nasty virus, still lurking from previous week :( My youngest one is currently in hospital, but everything should end good. Realistically I will be able to post the soonest on Friday... But will try earlier. Please bot Gabalan until then, he would fallow Aazim and R3N discussions for now.

😢

Flu? I should probably get a shot, but there's a 99% possibility I won't....

Oh no! Hoping for a speedy recovery for your family.

Between the holidays, going out of town, and family visiting, my schedule for the next few weeks is going to be very busy. Expect sporadic posts until at least January 6th or 7th.

The same might hold true for all of us. GP will probably slow right down for most if not all games. Thanks for the heads up!

Yeah, there will likely be days where I do not get a post in with everything going on either.

I expect the second party of people will simply continue to follow until the Silver company reveals their cards?

@Windyridge will you take the initiative or let the enemies go before you this round?

Oh I'm so sorry. Didn't realize you were waiting on me. The enemies can go before me.

Alright, I will post on Monday when I’m back at work and have access to all my PDFs again.

@Stalker05 is up for this round if he wants to take the initiative. If he rolls well, he may be able to finish off the last zombie before it can attack again.

I was wondering if any remained. I will take the initiative.

We are close to the party being reunited!

@Lcythas I noticed on R3N-L3's attack roll he had a +5 to hit. Max you can have at level 1 in an attribute is 14 iirc. Humans being the exception due to their extra +1 from A Cut Above.

Ah, that's what you mean! I don't recall reading any such maximum, is there a page number to reference for that?

@Lcythas So in character creation on page 20, there's the two methods of determining your character's attributes. The first method is to choose/roll one from your path's array table. The second method is to begin with 12, 11, 10, and 10, but you can move a point from one of those numbers twice. If you went with the default array table, the highest attribute provided is 13. For custom scores, the highest you can achieve is 14 by moving one point twice to your 12. So at level 1, the highest you can have in an attribute is 14 unless your character is a human.

@Stalker05 R3N-L3 is a clockwork, but he didn't take the Clockwork Novice path. He took Fighter. The sword attached to his arm is flavor, unlike the benefit from Level 1 Clockwork.

Also if anyone gets annoyed by me clarifying stuff, please let me know. Fun is most important, so I don't have to if it's unwanted.

Ah, I see. Well, if fighter path is chosen, you get access to combat training which on critical success lets you roll damage twice and take the highest one.

That's true! I got hung up on the attribute score and forgot to doublecheck how critical successes work in the most recent version of the game.

I believe that the arm-blade, among other things, is from his ancestry, and I believe I chose a clockwork array over the fighter one, which I believe was allowed by the GM. Oddly enough though, I can't find any mention of anything in the forum. Did the GM archive/hide some channels after we were done?

I didn't alter any channels. On the first page of this thread, I think you had indicated you were taking the fighter array and novice path. But if you wanted to take the clockwork array instead, that's fine, too. :)

I believe we are still waiting on Gabalan's actions for this round.

Oh there might be a few errors then. So your build for R3N-L3 is posted on page 1 of this thread. As far as I'm aware, there was just this one and the actual Character Creation thread used. (Correct, Brainiac ninja'd me!)

So for the arm-blade, if it's not a flavor thing, are you referring to the Clockwork Upgrade talent from Level 1 Clockwork? If so, I'm assuming you chose the Clockwork Novice path over the Fighter Novice path? If that's the case, then Stalker is correct in that the built-in weapon comes with a weapon trait. It's listed at the end of the talent. That would also mean you're correct in that you don't have access to a Critical Success effect.

As for the attribute array, the one for the Clockwork Novice path is 12, 9, 10, 12. That array is fixed, meaning it can't be altered. Even if it could, that would still leave the highest score you could have as 14. Looking on the first page of this thread, you said you chose Fighter Array #5, which has the 13. However, you added +2 to your Strength that I'm unsure where from. You didn't move it from your other attributes (which wouldn't work with that array anyway), as those are still at 10 like the array. So, assuming you stuck with Fighter, R3N-L3 would just have 13, 10, 10, 10.

Edit 1: Some other things caught my eye as I started looking over your initial build post.
"Fighter Array #5 +Made for War" - I'm not sure what Made for War is. I can't find any references to it in either the core book or Weird Ancestries.
"Form: Humanoid(No size difference)" - Form in Weird Wizard is your purpose/profession, such as Artisan or Soldier. It's not your clockwork's literal shape. There also isn't a table for clockwork shape, and it doesn't affect your size in Weird Wizard by default. This makes me wonder if you were looking at Shadow of the Demon Lord instead? That's the game where size is affected by clockwork form.
"Profession: Sworn Bodyguard" - So like I mentioned in the last line, clockworks actually only get a choice of one of the 6 professions listed in Weird Ancestries. Those are Artisan, Assistant, Entertainer, Laborer, Servant, and Soldier. Unlike other ancestries, they do not pick their profession from the one's in the core book. If you went with Soldier, R3N-L3 would start with a spear and shield, as opposed to the brigandine from Sworn Bodyguard.

Edit 2: Alright, I looked over my books and I think I see where some big issues happened. Did you try to use the clockwork tables from Shadow of the Demon Lord for your Shadow of the Weird Wizard character? Clockwork Purpose in SotDL has results that increase your attributes. "You were built for war. Increase your Strength or Agility by 2". This would explain your "Made for War" and +2 to Strength line in your build. Additionally, your clockwork form being humanoid and mentioning size is also from SotDL. These tables are not compatible mechanically as these are two very different games.

That was a lot, sorry. If you need help with fixing things, let me know. I can't remember how to do it, but I know there's a way on GamersPlane to give everyone in the game access to your sheet.

Ah, yep, I think that's the issue. I've got my books for Schwab's works under my "Shadow of the _" folder, which includes Demon Lord. I'll need to go quickly adjust it to Wizard. Shouldn't be any radical changes from what R3N-L3 is now.

Yeah, SotDL and SotWW don't have that high starting attribute. Also, most weapon traits (brutal, disarming, nimble) don't have a critical success effect, but the piercing and slashing trait has a critical success effect.

Yeah, it's basically just fixing his attribute array and double-checking professions/equipment. For clarity, did you stick with Fighter from the WW core book or did you go with Clockwork from Weird Ancestries? The whole arm-blade confusion still has me wondering. One of the common mistakes I see in new WW players is applying both ancestral Novice path and core Novice path when it's really one or the other.

Hmmm, I don't have Weird Ancestries, although I do have Secrets. GM, would you mind slinging the clockwork ancestry from Weird over so I can take a look?

Ah, I think I understand now. I originally used Demon Lord to make the prototype, but then applied the changes from Weird onto it. So this variant of R3N-L3 has 1 less str and has 1 less int as well. He's still got his armor with monies, so no changes there. Wrist-blade is simply blade. He took the fighter path.

Glad we got it figured out. For your sword, slashing does give an extra d6 on crit success, but Combat Training from Fighter also allows you to roll all of your damage a second time and take the better of the two outcomes on crit success. Btw you can add rolls to a post when you edit.

Lauretta won't be taking the initiative this round.

@Windyridge may still act before round 2 ends.

Has the new round started?

No, not yet. I will update later today when I have some more time. Assuming R3N-L3 is taking the initiative for round 3, I'll include his latest posted actions for next round.

Indeedy, R3N-L3 is murder-botting around

Incidentally, would R3N-L3's programming classify the spiders as a Wizard Creation to be put down, or merely as natural fauna?

"People blame the New Lands’ strangeness on the Weird Wizard, but he can’t take credit for all the odd things there. Giant ants, spiders, beetles, and other bugs have infested the lands since long before people laid the foundations for their first settlements."

They are natural fauna. :)

@Pedrop,@Totes_McGee Will either of you be taking the initiative this round?

I am really surprised at the rolls for this game. I don't wanna jinx it, but this feels so different. @Dmbrainiac,@TheForsakenEvil

You definitely jinxed it now. :P

But yeah, there has been and continues to be some great luck going around with the dice this adventure. SotWW is already more heroic fantasy than SotDL, so the added vibes of our performance is lending to a very different game feel. That could easily change at the drop of a hat (say, when a mess of spiders get their turn to attack us), but we'll have to see how it goes.

NOOOOOOO! THOU HAS TEMPTED FATE! We're screwed xD

Note that the poison did not do damage but instead reduced Aazim's Health score by 6, so it is currently at 8 instead of 14. If your damage total reaches your Health score, you go down.

I'll give everybody some more time to post if they want to heal up or do anything else before proceeding.

@Pedrop may still choose to take the initiative or not

@Pedrop Gabalan is still up with potentially 2 actions pending. I’ll roll for you tomorrow afternoon if needed to keep things moving.

I’ll give it another day, as I’m sick and not really up to posting at this moment.

Feel better soon!

Take all the rest you need!

Take rest and hope you get well soon!

@Totes_McGee did you want to take the initiative this round?

Nope, not taking initiative.

Wow, I already posted the spell damage. Wait, hasn't R3N-L3 taken enough damage? Won't further damage destroy the clockwork?

Nah, he should be a long way from being destroyed. His post said he'd only just now become incapacitated, so he has plenty of health to lose still. Taking damage in SotWW while incapacitated causes your health to decrease instead. As a clockwork fighter, he easily has more health than any of us.

Okay, will change the post then.

Yep, R3N-L3 took exactly the amount of damage needed to incap him

Now that the first adventure is over, it's a good time for me to leave the game. Later all!

Working on a farewell post now.

Aww, dang, I've enjoyed playing with you and Aazim. Seeya around!

Thanks for playing with us!

For everybody else sticking around, you may now level up to level 2. :)

@Pedrop, are you still interested in continuing?

@Dmbrainiac Once again, I enjoyed the adventure under your awesome GMing! Thanks to you for running the game; it was a blast. Now, let's see what we have for the next mission.

Yay, level 2! Also echoing Stalker05's sentiment! It was a great time, as always. :)

Yes great fun. Wolfram is discovering he's a better person than he thought he was. Has a way to go though yet. 😄

Loot:
- Sword (?)
- Quiver + 4 Arrows (wanted by Lauretta)
- Elixir of Healing (Suggested for R3N-L3)
- Crystal Orb of Climbing (Suggested for Tzal, Wolfram, or Gabalan)

Lauretta would like the quiver and arrows, as she will likely be investing in a bow in between adventures. We all seem to be doing well on melee weapons, so the sword can go to whoever wants it as a backup weapon. Alternatively, we can probably sell it. The elixir of healing is probably best given to R3N-L3, as he is a frontliner and struggles more than others with healing damage.
The orb could be well-used by a ranged character. Climbing into a position that keeps out of melee is a great strategy. Tzal, Wolfram, or Gabalan fit that description.

As for coin, it's likely to be split up 4 or 5 ways, depending on how many PCs we still have. I'll be operating under the assumption that the people of Traveler's Rest, such as Marya, can help us split up our coin evenly.

Total Coin:
- 2 gold pieces
- 27 silver pieces
- 36 copper pieces
- 5 silver pieces per character (20 or 25 total)

If divided in 4 ways, then three PCs would receive 1 gold, 7 silver, and 6 copper while one PC would receive 1 gold, 7 silver, and 8 copper.
If divided in 5 ways, then four PCS would receive 1 gold, 4 silver, and 1 copper while one PC would receive 1 gold, 4 silver, and 2 copper.

Since silver is far more common and useable than gold, it's more likely that you'd subtract the gold and add 10 silver instead.

Lauretta hasn't taken notice of Wolfram's more suspect characteristics, which I'm finding fun in!

R3N-L3 could definitely benefit from the potion of healing, but would GM allow Clockworks to heal from potions? Holy lubricant oil of the Weird Wizard?
R3N-L3 pretty much only wants a Breastplate as his end-goal armor, since full plate would be dramatically expensive and likely not something he'd get unless he kills a knight........Murderous Clockwork noises. So for now, he's quite content to save up to that point, and of course, he doesn't have greed programmed into him.

Technically, there's no rule that says clockworks can't use elixirs. :P It was the same in Demon Lord. I always just assumed the magic of the liquid repaired them thanks to the magical nature of the clockwork.

As for full plate, R3N-L3 could definitely afford it as long as we get that far. Typical quest rewards ramp up a lot in Master tier. Even then, there are some outliers among the published adventures. I was running an Expert adventure for some friends the other day and they found 100 gold pieces.

I plan on beginning the next adventure on Monday, so you have some time to level up if you haven't done so already. We'll pick up a month or two later, in a village called Two Forks. You can write a little bit about what you get up to during your downtime if you wish, but it's not necessary.

Alternately, there is a table in the GM's book for random happenings during downtime, some good, some bad. You may optionally choose to take a random roll on the table and I'll tell you what happens to you. :)

Exciting! Shall we roll those and write descriptions in the Chapter 1 thread or here? Also, as a priest, would it be possible for Lauretta to craft Holy Water during downtime?

You can write it in the chapter 1 thread.

Yes you can craft holy water.

I am thinking Tzal will spend the downtime working and earning.

Level up done for R3N-L3! He took the Brute style for even more health and defense, so he's now sitting at 40 health and 18 defense

Wow! That's over double Lauretta's new health of 18! Her big acquisition this level is two novice spells.

I am still away until the 13th. I'll try and find the time to level up and keep posting.

Ok I am leveled up and added a fighter style of brawler, so he's good at range and melee.

One question, though: Do I ignore the bane from making an unarmed attack? In other words, does the boon cancel the bane, or is the boon in force since the bane is being ignored?

Yeah, Brawler both removes the bane to unarmed attacks and gives you a boon to them.

Thanks!

I have leveled up and am more or less ready. I have a question: Can Tzal use blank book pages to write inscriptions? Also, the rule that I read regarding inscription is that you can spend one of your castings to write spell inscription. But then it can be used until it is expended. Does that mean I can get back that casting once I rest and still use spell inscription?

Pages from a book are used as an example twice in the rules, so they should work fine.

And yes, you still recover your expended castings as normal.

I was wondering why I thought the name Two Forks familiar. This is an adventure I've ran before. I will do my best not to meta-game.

Ah, okay. I trust you!

Glad to hear it! :) Sorry though, putting that information forward earlier on in the game would've been the smart thing to do. I didn't think of it though. Better late than never! Here are the other adventures I have experience running:

- Desperate Measures (Novice)
- Season of Hunger (Novice)
- Not Today, Death (Expert)

DM could always alter the adventure a bit. Stick in a few twists. 😄

I don't expect anything like that just for me; it's no worries. It'll still be fun regardless. :) It actually adds a different dynamic for me because I get to see how other GMs might run the adventure differently while possessing the same information.

I will be out of town next week from March 16th through the 23rd. I will not have internet access during this time so I will not be able to post until I return on March 24th.

Have a safe trip!

Happy and safe travels!

R3N-L3's personally just hoping that by charging into the middle of the goblins, they'll turn their attention on his considerably up-armored hide rather than the squishy organics who have organs and lives to lose.

Yeah, that's a solid idea for sure. His high defense and also absurdly high health for this level makes him a great tank. Shield of Righteousness will only make it even harder for him to be hit.

@Windyridge is up if they want to take the initiative

I don’t have my rulebook on me until tomorrow morning, so I’ll roll for the oddity then.

@Lcythas which eye are you touching? The big one with the black membrane or the small one with the unpainted iris?

Did you want to check the room with the niches or go back and down the stairs that were revealed?

Back and down the stairs was my intent. The niche room didn't appear to have a way forward, and the skeletal remains and sacks wouldn't have inspired much confidence.

Lauretta would have went along with the party if they wanted to go for the niche room though.

Another vote for down the stairs, although R3N-L3 himself doesn't have an opinion. He has very few opinions, except on chicken and war.

Hey, gang.

Just wanted to clarify how things are supposed to interact really quick because there are a lot of passive effects going around and it is confusing. Spells aren't considered attacks in this system, but are merely attribute rolls. All attacks are attribute rolls, but not all attribute rolls are attacks. What makes it an attack is that you are using a weapon.
This means that in this encounter, spells will get a bane from the undead's Protection from Magic but not from its fear. The fear ability only mentions attacks, so spells aren't affected.

In short:

+ Battle Blessing cancels bane from fear on attacks
- Spells or magical attacks (such as from Battle Blessing) have 1 bane from Protection from Magic
+ Battle Blessing gives a boon to attacks

= Spells are left with 1 bane against the undead, but attacks are left with 1 boon

That's right. However, retroactive changes can be frustrating to deal with, so it's probably best to just keep in mind for the future and let @Dmbrainiac determine the best way to interpret any of the recent rolls.

Ah, okay, there are lots of weird intricacies in this Weird Wizard game!

I'll go back and sort things out tomorrow morning but with Lauretta's big hit, the skeleton is probably destroyed. Its Defense is 16 and I think its Agility is 13 but it might be 12 so I have to double check to see if Tzal's spell hits.

Yeahhh, I really love what Schwalb has done with it, but spells not being considered attacks is one of the most easily confusing rules imo. Essentially, spells don't receive any benefits or drawbacks from effects that specifically mention attacks. As such, the only thing affecting Tzal's spell here is Protection from Magic. As for attacks, here are the following effects:

- Attacks receive 1 bane from Fearsome.
- Fearsome is canceled by Battle Blessing.
- Attacks receive 1 boon from Battle Blessing.
- Attacks receive 1 bane from Protection from Magic because of Battle Blessing.
= Net 0 Boons. This would be a net 1 bane if it weren't for Battle Blessing.

This does mean that I was wrong in that Wolfram would not receive an a net boon from Battle Blessing, my bad @Windyridge. However, the lack of banes does mean he would still get his Trickery boon and damage.

Spells aren't affected by Battle Blessing or Fearsome, so they are stuck with 1 bane from Protection from Magic. That part is fortunately easy to explain.

So about that enchanted dagger, it gives 2 boons to attack with it!

On page 72 under Trinkets, we have this line at the end of the first paragraph:
Superior items are talked about under Item Quality on page 55, which has this to say:
So, that's one boon from being superior and one boon from being enchanted! Superior items cost 10x their price or 1gp, which ever is higher. An enchanted weapon takes that price and adds 5gp to it. So, they can be very expensive.

Ah, nifty!

What's the availability of items looking like between adventure 2 and 3?

You can find anything common or uncommon.

I'm eyeing possible paths to diverge, but at the same time, I do kind of want to make R3N-L3 as gloriously hard to stab as he can be.

How are tradition-unique talents handled? If you learn a magic tradition, do you immediately get a talent for free or something? I've seen no reference to how they are actually acquired.

It's on Page 20 under Tradition Talent. You get one whenever you discover a tradition, as you guessed. :P

I'm going to make R3N-L3 an order mage on the side, being able to use Order magic seems extremely fitting for a Clockwork. Plus, it's really good at anti-magic

I don't see any advancements for my newly minted level 3 human forester rogue. What am I missing?

We get expert paths at level 3! They begin on page 164 and confer benefits at levels 3, 4, 6, and 9. @Windyridge

Oh yay! Thank you.

Inheritor seems like a fitting Expert Path if we can say the enchanted dagger is a relic. Would that work? Then he gets a bonus 1d6 die.

Sure, you can give it a name and a backstory!

Great, sounds fun. Thanks!

Assuming there's downtime between the adventures, would it be possible for Lauretta to use that time to join the Hammers of the High One (The Preceptors) as outlined on page 14 of the Glory to the High One supplement? It would be fitting considering her expert path.

That works for me.

R3N-L3's done

So is Wolfram.

Alright, for the next adventure I've chosen one called "Drink Deep from the River of my Hate." It involves followers of the High One so it seems like a good fit for Lauretta's choice of expert path. I don't believe Lauretta's player has played this one yet, but let me know if I need to change it. :D

👀

I have not played that one, no. Exciting!

This is an awesome change of pace. I never expected to get such a tactical approach to things. Between her former military experience and position in the Church, this adventure almost feels like it was made for Lauretta!

The forces at your disposal include Sir Reginald (a knight), 2 crusaders, 5 soldiers, 10 archers, and 20 conscripts. How many of them are you taking with you for your ambush? I assume you'll send the other ones to the village to start preparing defenses there unless you want to do something else with them.

I still need to know if you have any of these forces with you for the ambush or not. :)

I am done with prep. This is new; I don't know what to expect fighting so many raiders. I am looking forward to it.

Sorry I was going to respond to this and then totally forgot. I'll look over it within the next couple hours.

There's a lot of factors here. >_< But I think I've got my recommendation.

We take all of them except the conscripts. The Crusaders and Archers have the most significant ranged weaponry, which is what will make the most of this ambush as it's designed to unload on them while they're slowed down and trying to cross. Sir Reginald, the Soldiers, and R3N-L3 would be best for holding the front line and keeping them locked down at the river for as long as possible. They have high defense, which is what will be needed there.

As for the conscripts, they should head back to the village and prepare defenses. With so many of them, they bear the largest risk of exposing our ambush early. The smaller our forces, the less likely the raiders will see this coming. Their ranged weaponry isn't all that impressive, and they're going to be squishy on the front line. The best thing for them to do is to prepare the town while we buy them time.

A much bigger question I have is where should Lauretta be? Her spell, Shield of Righteousness, will be a massive defensive benefit to the troops she is placed with. She has a bow, so she could be with the archers and crusaders. They would be even more protected from ranged fire and unleashing as much as possible. They should already have some cover though. Alternatively, she could be on the frontline with Sir Reginald, R3N-L3, and the Soldiers. This would make sure we hold for as long as possible.

Tzal and Wolfram are flex units who can go wherever they like, really.

I suggest that the conscripts return and start digging moats and constructing pit traps back in Auxen Vale.

That's a great idea, conscripts digging in back at the Vale.
Wolfram will go where his skills are best used and is flexible as Lauretta suggests.

Since this is a massive combat, do you want to offload any of the allied NPCs onto us to lessen the amount of things you need to manage? @Dmbrainiac

Or do you just wanna go wild with it?

It's okay, I can handle the rolls. I'll probably make a separate temporary thread for those rolls so the posts in the gameplay thread don't become insanely long. I'm at home today taking care of my sick daughter so I likely won't post until tomorrow or Monday.

Okey doke, that makes sense. Hope your daughter feels better soon!

Best wishes for your daughter. Hope she gets well soon.

Feel free to take your time, IRL matters take precedence

@Stalker05 12 hits their Agility exactly! :)

Great!

Yay, a resounding victory! I am a bit lost on the current round at the moment, however. Lauretta supports the capture of the commander.

I've just posted so it's a new round and everybody can act. The raiders are all fleeing. R3N-L3 is in melee with one of the commanders.

Ah, of course I said something about being lost right as you gave us an update, haha. Thank you for the recap!

@Windyridge would you like to take the initiative this round?

Just confirming that you want to head to the shrine to try to intercept Invidian and their forces? Are you bringing all of your current forces with you, too?

Yes, Lauretta is wanting to intercept Invidian and their forces. Do y'all think we should send back some troops to the village to help give them some more support for defenses later? The midnight assault will hinge on those.

Also, would Lauretta know anything about fallen angels with her Preceptor of the High One profession?

Leaving some troops to protect the village is a fine idea. The rest to the shrine.

Sure!

The High One created the seraphs to serve and thus expects obedience from them all. If any show any deviation from the purpose for which they were made, such as the adoption of a name, a display of some quirk or mannerism, or, rank disobedience, the seraph becomes a pariah, stripped of their wings, and cast out of Paradise to wander the face of Erth for the rest of their days. Being immortal means their suffering lasts until slain or destroyed by mishap.

Archons, as they are called, resemble their seraph kin despite their lack of wings. The trauma of losing their wings and their exile from Paradise might not end an archon’s dedication to the High One. They might hope for redemption and serve their creator in the mortal world as they did in Paradise. For most, though, the pain, anguish, and shame poison their hearts and lead them into darkness, where they become effective and deadly agents of evil. One can find these fallen angels leading bandits or orcs, consorting with fiends, or, even, at the head of undead or demonic armies.

Awesome, all very good info for Lauretta to have. :)

@Windyridge, Wolfram may still take his actions this round!

Ah. I rolled dice and felt like I took my turn. Lol

R3N-L3 might actually start believing in gods again if that 39 damage hit connects xP