OOC Thread

Welcome new players!

Hi friends, looking forward to our game!

Hello! Thanks for the invite, GM.

A quick note: I complained a little in my application about over-long RPing the "meeting in the tavern". To be clear, this is a minor nit, and I'll be perfectly happy to RP my cleric indulging in ale and comraderie at the tavern. A couple of games.I started un didn't get much past that, so it was something that came to mind. Whatever the GM and the group wants is fine with me.

Question about divine magic:

How do the people and the government view divine spellcasing? Arcane magic is licensed and controlled. Does divine spellcasting worry the government? Do they seek to control, discourage, or encourage it? Are divine casters of different faiths viewed differently? What percentage of clergy in the two main churches can actually cast spells vs those that are just mundane religious leaders?

The Duke's Stance on Matters of Faith

It would be politically unwise for the Duke to interfere in religious matters. The Church of Thyatis is a well-established and influential institution with many many millions of followers beyond Karameikos. As a wealthy and powerful organization with armed holy orders directly accountable to the Holy Father, the Church operates independently of the Duke’s authority. The Church is also the state religion of the Empire of Thyatis, arguably the most powerful human Empire in the known world. Any attempt to interfere or regulate the Church’s activities would be met with severe consequences. Even the hypothetical denial of the Duke’s right to confess and perform penance could place his soul in jeopardy, leaving him at risk of eternal limbo.

Regulating the Faith of the Taldarans is equally inadvisable. The Taldarans comprise 95% of the population, repressing their beliefs would only create unrest and provide a rallying point against the Duke’s rule. The Taldaran Faith is also largely regarded as peaceful and benign. When the Duke first arrived in Karameikos, there were no zealots rising against him. The Faith is non-confrontational by nature. Unlike the strict and hierarchal structure of the Church of Thyatis, the Taldaran Faith lacks central authority or hierarchy, making it inherently difficult to control.

On a personal level, the Duke has no desire to meddle in spiritual matters, preferring to leave religious choices to individuals—as long as their teachings remain non-hostile to his rule. Presently, he does not perceive any such threats from either the Church or the Taldaran Faith.

Interfaith Relations

The Church of Thyatis views the Taldaran Faith as a collection of superstitious idolaters. Thyatian doctrine holds that all Taldarans are destined for limbo unless they repent and join the "one true Church." This belief has driven aggressive proselytizing efforts among the population, though these efforts have yet to yield significant conversions.

In contrast, the Taldaran Faith takes a more accepting stance toward other religions. While its followers see the Church of Thyatis as authoritarian and repressive, they respect individual Thyatian priests who demonstrate compassion, devotion, and genuine goodwill. The current Patriarch, Olliver Jowett, is particularly well-regarded and even admired by many Taldarans. The Faith emphasizes judging individuals by their deeds and generally maintains an unbiased perspective.

The Elves, however, view both religions as misguided. Their isolationist approach to spirituality keeps them largely uninvolved in interfaith matters.

Spellcasting Among Clergy

Determining the exact percentage of clergy capable of spellcasting is tricky. According to the Gazetteer, any noteworthy priest is presumed to possess spellcasting abilities. That doesn't imply that all clergy are spellcasters. Many serve as mundane religious leaders or have low-level spellcasting abilities.

As a general rule, I'd say approximately one in four clergy members is likely to cast spells. Those who can cast spells are often considered truly devout, occupying significant positions within their respective faiths. The majority of clergy, however, contribute in non-magical roles.

You can use this thread to roll for your character abilities.
I'm searching for a character sheet template we can use for this game. I didn't like the one in the Public Repository all too much, so I might end up creating a new one. It will probably take me a few days to get around to it, however.

So, for a human that's 4d6 seven times, drop the lowest, arrange to suit? Here goes nuthin'...

Well, now. That there's a nice set of average rolls. And away we go.

William Winter, Human Fighter!

Str 15 (16) (17) (18)
Int 11 (9)
Wis 14 (12) (10)
Dex 12
Con 11
Cha 8

AC 17
Hp 8

Languages - Thyatian, Traladarn

Proposed Skills - Armorer (Int), Hunting (Wis), Military History (Int), Riding (Dex)

Armor - Plate Mail, Shield
Weapons - Sword, Mace, Dagger, (4) Javelins
Other Gear - Backpack, standard rations, rope, lg sack, tinder box, (6) torches, waterskin, 10 gp

I got rid of the clutter on the main forum. There was an issue that prospective players couldn't see the subforums and all the setting threads, so I had to move them out of the subforums. but now that the core group of players are part of the game that is no longer a problem.

Im still working on a char template. Will post something basic tonight.

Good Morning everyone! Glad to be joining, I will be playing Anton Rybakov, Human Apprentice Mage with the Magicians Guild of Karameikos. Going to roll some stats, wish me luck!

Edit: So looks like

STR: 9 (11-2)
DEX: 14
CON: 14
INT: 16 (15+1)
WIS: 9
CHA: 11

Ascending or Descending AC?

I grew up on THAQ0, but I don't want to go back to it ;)
We will use Ascending AC.

Thumbs up.

I created a character template and posted it on the char creation thread. It is...ugly, but functional. If anyone wants to take a stab at it and try to improve it, they'll be most welcome. I see some of you have already rolled for your attributes, if there is anyone who is unhappy about his roll, don't hesitate to PM me and we will figure something out.

I am trying to wrap my mind around Skills, are there a set limit to these? Also, what does this mean, "and are always tied to one specific attribute" does this mean that if I choose a skill based on Intelligence, that all my skills have to be based off Intelligence?

Might ‘strength bows’ be a thing in our game? And if so, would they have a cost over and above list price of a regular bow? Asking for a friend.

Another inane question sincere inquiry please, are we using what the system calls ‘variable weapon damage’? Meaning, sword does 1d8, dagger does 1d4, etc, versus what is evidently the default, which seems to be that everything does 1d6 on a hit. I want to say that’s a throwback to very early editions of the game.
Neat to get back with all the retro stuff.

Starting gold

Question: Does a cleric have a holy symbol as part of being a cleric? Or do they have to buy one for 25 gp?

Hi All,
I will start by rolling the dice and follow up by posting a character sheet.

Character name: Nightshade
Class: Thief
Race: Elf Vyalia
Languages: Traladarn, Elvin
Alignment: Chaotic
HP: 4
Base Movement Rate: 120
Encounter Movement Rate: 40
Level: 1

Ability Scores
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 18
Constitution: 14
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 13
Charisma: 14

Saving Throws
Death/Poison: 13
Wands: 14
Paralysis/Petrify: 13
Breath Attacks: 16
Spells/Rods/Staves: 15

Thief Skills
Climb Sheer Surfaces: 87
Find, Remove Treasure Traps: 10
Hear Noise: 1-2
Hide in Shadows: 10
Move Silently: 20
Open Locks: 15
Pick Pockets: 20

Okay, first question: how will we handle starting money and equipment?
It's been quite a while since I've played the basic edition, but it's coming back to me. In this edition, thieves are as squishy as magic users, so I'll have to be extra sneaky.

I just noticed I bungled the dice rolls let me try that again.

Strength: 15
Dexterity: 18
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 13

Another question, the rules state that the Referee can choose which spell I have in my spellbook, or they can give the player the choice. How would we like to proceed :)

@Madclergy - you start with 4 skills, plus additional skills according to your bonus languages (+1 for intelligence 13-15, +2 for intelligence 16-17, +3 for 18). Every skill is tied to a specific attribute. They don't all have to be tied to the same attribute. So Gambling might be tied to Intelligence, Riding to Dexterity, and playing an instrument to Charisma. You are free to choose which spell you start with.

@WhiteDwarf - no strength bows, sorry. We're also using the 'firing into melee' optional rule, which means if you're targeting someone engaged in melee, you might hit one of the targets surrounding him (random chance). The weapon damage we are using is per the SRD, which shows different damage die per weapon (sword is 1d8, dagger is 1d4, etc). There are different weapon qualities as well.

@timplausible - you can assume to start with a holy symbol. Also, priests of the Faith's holy symbols aren't nearly that expensive, reflecting the more down-to-earth nature of the religion. Of course, more expensive versions are also available, if you want to spend the money on it.

@nepets - Your character starts play with 3d6 × 10 gold pieces. You may spend as much of this money as you wish to equip your character for adventure, consulting the equipment lists under Equipment & Services. There is no need to choose an alignment either. Vyalia elves are more freedom-loving, but 'Chaotic' in OSE describes a character who is extremely selfish, and who 'lies and uses others as is expedient to their own ends, with no concern for the good of the group'.

I submitted my character sheet, though I still need to get an avatar image for him.

How are we doing encumbrance?

Also, would a healing or folk medicine skill have any use? Im nor looking to game the system; I like the idea from an RP perspective, but wonder if it would ever come into play as a secondary skill.

Tracking encumbrance is usually a hassle that doesn't add much fun to the game. We're not going to track it, but I reserve the right to tell you that you need a couple of mules if you're trying to carry several chests worth of treasure.

Healing, or folk medicine, could come into play. Some illnesses or minor injures would be simple enough for you to treat, and won't require you to spend precious spell slots.

Morning,
This is a quick check-in before I start my day. I'll use neutral as my alignment. I'll get back to you on the four skills and my equipment. Let me see if I can get the syntax right for rolling gold.

It seems the dice roller doesn't know how to multiply so that's 160gp

I will kick off the game tomorrow. Yes, it will be a tavern scene (sorry, @timplausible), but I will time-frame it to no more than 2-3 IRL days. You will all be starting at the town of Threshold, on the edge of the wilderness. You can decide to have known each other prior, or not, as it suits you. There will be some adventure leads provided to you as part of the scene, and we can go from there.

Anyone want to team up with my handsome (I switched my dexterity and charisma scores), intelligent, book nerd who who slightly looks like Milo from the movie Atlantis from back in the day? He also enjoys recreational running, calligraphy, and while he does not enjoy fishing he knows alot about it.

The short answer is I just submitted a character. Let me know if there's anything I need to tune. For skills, I'm just going to use the Pathfinder skill list. That way, I don't have to reinvent the wheel. The funny thing is that back in the first edition, elves didn't have a dark vision. It's been decades since I've played AD&D, but the deeply worn neural pathways remember. That takes me back. It was a different time, a different place, different people, or maybe it was just me is different. I can't tell anymore. The fun thing is I found it much easier to pull together an OSE character than creating a character in one of the modern editions. All right, enough rambling out of me. I'll meet you guys tomorrow at the tavern.

OK. So I think you have enough leads to go on. I will keep the tavern scene alive for anyone who still feels like posting in it, but we can start a new thread for the following morning in parallel, where you will start your adventure in earnest. The only question is - where will you be heading to first?

I am all for slaying some goblins :)

Yes, gob,Ins seem the most straight forward and easiest start.

Agreed on the goblins. The castle sounds more interesting, but it also sounds more deadly. Maybe better to get a level under our belts first.

It's almost like I'm in a different time zone or hemisphere than you guys regardless the adventure has officially begun.

CST here and I check in early morning, evening (after 9pm usually) and randomly throughout the day.

I'm on GMT+2 myself.
@Madclergy - can you indicate on your character sheet which languages you know?

Regarding the various adventure leads - these aren't random placements of dungeons and quests. Most if not all of these tie into the Grand Plot in some way or another, but it will probably be a long while before you see the connection. Do be patient.

I'm in California myself, or 8 time zones west of Greenwich. Most days, I'll only be able to check in in the evening, but occasionally, I'll have a day when I'll be able to ride the message boards.
As for the grand plot, based on the breadcrumbs we've gotten so far, it appears that the goblins are the limbering-up exercise, the archaeological dig is a plot point, and The wizard Bargle is a level boss.

Rolling for some languages

Edit: Sheet has been updated. The sheet is saying 3 languages for a 16 int. So I think the calc is off.

I'm on the U.S. east coast, but I'm not consistent at all about when I check the site.

East coast U.S. for me as well. I’m on daily, typically, but I’m flexible and patient.
Hope everyone’s well today. :)

@WhiteDwarf - The initiative dice is 1d6 in OSE, making dex modifiers that much more impactful.

sry, rerolling

The goblins rolled '6' for initiative as well, and since none of the remaining PCs have a dex modifier, all actions take place in parallel.
You can each take your actions. The goblins have an AC of 12, and 3 hp, so you can narrate the result of your attack based on these stats.
They are also fighting in sunlight, which gives you a small advantage.
@nepets - you got the modifiers mostly right, except your bonus to initiative, which places you first to take an action. Unfortunately, your attack missed...

Round 1 is concluded, Anton and Brother Yakov has taken some blows from the goblin's spears, but are still up on their feet.
The goblin that attacked Yakov is down, so he is under no threat at the moment, and the goblin that attacked Anton didn't pursue him deeper into the forest, but stayed to attack Will, ganging up on him with his friend.
So that leaves Will facing two, and Nightshade one.

The goblin that fled disappears out of sight

Edit: you can take an action for Round 2.

Are we playing rules-as-written for character death? (i.e. death immediately at zero hp)

Asking for a friend.

I think we would use a more lenient rule, else the adventure might end before it begins for some of you. It sucks losing a character over an unlucky roll you can't control.

@WhiteDwarf Will eagerness to kill another goblin would have to wait till next round (assuming there are any left alive) @timplausible has yet to take his turn, and the only remaining goblin is standing right next to Yakov.
@nepets - I think you're right that you can retreat backward and take a shot with your bow. I haven't seen though that swapping a weapon takes your action for the turn anywhere in the rules, though I might have missed it.

I've read through the OSE rule book's chapter on combat and you're correct it doesn't say anything about drawing weapons. The Pathfinder rules make a point about this issue. But I suppose that's the point of this whole old school revival thing is to return to a simpler rule system with less grit and grind.

Let each of you say how they would prefer to continue. You haven’t defeated all of the goblins who took part of the raid, but you did kill a bunch of them, plus captured one for interrogation. With some of you being injured on the last fight, it does make it more risky to continue. Let me know your preference, and we will take it from there.

Anton is torn, he knows he can't possibly go into combat with his wound, but also doesn't want to leave the farmers pigs to be eaten by the goblins. Plus now the Goblins know they are coming from the one who ran away, so if we give them time they may run, or set up traps for us.

That being said, the dead fish catches no worms.

Anton votes to go back to town and pursue information from the prisoner goblin, and to take the Goblin bodies we have now to turn in, but I also think we need to see if any will join us in the hunt.

Yakov doesn't really want to break off the hunt, but it seems like the practical solution. We can better help the community if we survive to hunt another day than if we kill a couple more goblins but die in the process.

Sadly, us OSE clerics don't get spells until 2nd level. No curing wounds today.

I'm leaning toward returning to town and restoring the party to full health before venturing out again. Even at full health, we're very fragile at first level. He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day. Once we return to town, we can find out what the Baron has to say.

Back to Threshold it is! There will be an opportunity to rest and heal, as well as try to find someone who can speak goblin. Maybe stock up on healing potions for your next foray. And then, of course, there is the town meeting with the baron later that evening.

Sounds good to me! I hope we have enough gold for a healing potion *fingers crossed*

I'm wondering what the cost and availability of healing potions are in this system? Is it the standard 50gp per potion?

They are probably more expensive than you can afford, but the Church will donate a few, for 'the cause'. Everyone has an interest in helping the adventurers deal with the goblin problem.

I want to proceed to the next scene (the town hall with the sheriff and the baron). There are a few hours before the meeting, so you have the time to do something else in the city, if you feel like it (I'll open another parallel thread for it if it's something that requires roleplaying). I'm assuming you allowed the goblin to go, with a message to his tribe. Let me know if you're not OK with any of the above.

I moved things forward a bit, I hope you don't mind. The baron has already left, and the Sheriff soon after, neither staying long enough to carry a conversation. But if you do want to talk with one of the other NPCs, do let me know, and I can rewind the thread, or open a parallel one.

No problem, reads well. :)

Each of you is welcome to make a skill roll to see what clues you can uncover. I believe all of you have one useful skill or another (survival, hunting, folk medicine, etc). Reminder - roll 1d20, and you need to roll below the associated attribute.

Edited post.

Unfortunately, you will only be able to follow the tracks back to the main road, and no further. There are multitude of people walking the main road every day, so the tracks has either gotten erased by now, or mixed up with all the rest. There is no need to even attempt it - all (or most) of you should know it is pointless.

The sheriff and his men aren't near by - the are walking along the other side of the main path, searching through the river's bed. You CAN ,eventually, find him, but if you do go out looking for him, I need to know what you are doing with the body first. Are you all leaving? someone stays to keep watch? carry her with you?

Party’s thoughts on all that? I feel like the Sheriff’s not going to be much help.

I suspect WhiteDwarf is correct, and going after the Sheriff will be a wild goose chase. Plus, that gives us the unpleasant choice of splitting up the party or leaving the body unattended.
To recap our situation as I understand it. it's still the middle of the night, we're doing all of this by torchlight, the Baron didn't accompany the search party, and he's still back in town.
I think our best option is to return to town with the body. What does the rest of the group think?

I tend to agree with all that.

I agree that we should take the body back to town, and then if the search party hasn't returned we can maybe go in search of them.

Taking the body back to town seems fine, but it does leave a bunch of people out there searching for something they'll never find - and maybe getting into trouble themselves. Did the Sheriff have any kind of instruction to the various search teams for what to do if someone found her? Maybe we can yell out some signal as we start heading back?

Hey, this is just like real life. No matter what we do, there's the potential for negative consequences.
Okay, so the group's conscience is to return to town with the body.
In the meantime, it's likely that the Sheriff and the mob of townspeople will have gotten themselves in trouble and will need our help, so after we get back to town, let's decide if we need to return to the forest and inform the Sheriff/townsfolk and help them out of whatever mess they're in.

makes sense

We don't need to play out what you tell the sheriff, unless there is some information you want to withhold.
Let me know how you want to proceed. The sheriff and his men will take care of the young woman's body, so you are free to do as you wish.

I'm thinknig turn in for the night, then decide on a course of action in the morning. Possibly investigating the castle, or maybe trying to pursue the murder investigation.

Agreed, at this point, the best lead we have is the castle. We could get a meal in the In's common room to see if there's more gossip.

Castle reads well.

Don't read Anton's fervor to mean I don't agree, I think we should rest and gather information before heading to the castle. :)

If you're all set to start investigating the castle, you have three options:
1. Get some information from the Scruffers, another adventuring party who scouted the area around the castle.
2. Talk with Humphrey, the representative of the Magician's Guild in Threshold.
3. Scout the area yourself (it's about a day journey from Threshold)

Let me know where you want to start, and I'll set up the next scene. That's assuming none of you have been convinced by Anton to continue the search for the murderer ;)

I should have thought to look for a representative from the Magician's Guild in Threshold! Anton would definitely want to do that :)

Threshold reads well with me. Will won’t have much to offer, but can give moral support.

It seems to me that we have two adventure paths to choose from, the first being we could continue on to the goblin castle, and the second is we could play this like a murder mystery. I think it's a good idea to get a little more information before we finalize our decision. Let's talk to the Scruffers and see what they have to say about the castle. And we can hang out in town long enough for Anton to meet with the Magician's Guild. Question, how big is Threshold? Is there a representative of the Thieves Guild in town? This may be an issue if we want to play the murder mystery route. I suspect the girl's murder is a red herring trying to draw the town's attention away from something. And when we eventually make it out to the castle, I think it's a good idea to scout the surrounding area before going into the dungeon.

Reads well to me, but I encourage we take anything the Scruffers say with a grain of salt.

I'm in for talking to the Scruffers and having Anton check in with the Magician's Guild.

I opened both threads for your investigation. Feel free to post in both of them. Anton might not be the only one who wants to visit the Magician’s Guild.

As for the questions asked: Threshold is a big settlement (by Karameikos standards) of 2000. Finding a representative from the thieves guild (if one exist) will require some legwork.

I'm content to table the Thieves Guild idea. Nightshade has been using his woodsman archer persona and has not openly revealed himself as a thief/rogue to any of the townsfolk, so I'm happy to keep it that way.

Am I correct that there is a church of The Faith in town? Is it a large organization or just a priest and a room? Something in between?

The Faith is not an organized religion. Balan is one of the priests of the Faith in the city, and he goes where he is needed. There are a handful of other priests as well. No single structure of worship exists, but there are multiple small shrines scattered all over the city, as many as one at every street, and most people have one at the privacy of their homes. If you want to contact one of the priests of the Faith, just let me know. You are one as well, so you should know how to easily get in touch with them.

mostly I was wondering if there was a central place for prayer and offerings. sounds like the answer is no central place, but small shrines. Got it.

Hey guys, is there anything else we want to do in town? Are you, or is everyone ready to start heading toward the castle?

"Have fun storming the castle." The Princess Bride

I'm sort of curious to know how the Sheriff and town are approaching the issue of the murdered girl. That leads me to a broader question about the size of the town and how often murder happens. Is this a situation where murders are rare and this this is a big deal? Or do people get murdered in alleys often enough that this is just news of mild interest to most townsfolk?

Threshold is a town of 2000. This is the first murder that occurred in many years.
The Sheriff and the guards have never investigated such a crime. They will start by questioning the farmers outside of Threshold (those are the people most likely to travel the roads near where the girl was discovered), but those are alot of people, and will take a while.

I like the idea of checking in with the sheriff and seeing if he has anything to say about the murder investigation or is planning any response to the goblin problem. It sounds like the sheriff is in over his head, and if we want to do a proper investigation, we will have to do it ourselves. What do you guys think of leaving to check out the castle at dawn tomorrow? Since it's midday, we'll still have time to check in with the sheriff today.

Just a side note; you guys are the heroes of this story. The NPCs (usually) will not be able to resolve the problems without your help. So the murder investigation will never be concluded without your assistance, no other adventuring party will ever clear Mistamere castle, etc, etc.

The funny thing is that it turns out that law enforcement and the administration of justice is an expensive, time-consuming, and thankless enterprise. So if we as characters want loot and XP, the castle is our best path forward.

+1 on the castle.
The scene with the Scruffers went better than I expected.

OK. So unless anyone has a different preference, I will kick off the castle scene

I kicked off the new thread.
You are left with quite a bit of open-ended quests from the previous threads, and you might want to come back to them at some point.
For now, you each get 25 xp, and 20 gold in total.
Also, let me know if you went up to Mistamere on your own, or if you decided to party up with the Scruffers, or with Hunter/Natasha, who also expressed interest in exploring the ruins. It would definitely be easier with more adventurers, but the spoils will also be needed to be split.

I was a bit busy over the weekend. We'll say that while others were investigating, Yakov was visiting a local shrine. He'll follow the group's lead.

Hey guys,
I'm going to be traveling and visiting family next week. I'll be able to check in most days but not as frequently as I would like, so I may miss a day here or there.

For the stealth roll as a quick hack, we can multiply the d20 role by 5, giving us a d100. In the future, I'll make an effort to use the proper dice. It's been decades since I played the first edition, so there may be a bit of a remembering curve here.

Enjoy your trip. I hope we will be able to conclude the fight until then.
I want to proceed and assume Nightshade filled everyone in on what he found, so you can start strategizing and decide what to do next.

None of you speak Goblin. You can bring someone from Threshold who does, if you want (we will skip forward in this case), just be aware that it IS risky, and if the negotiations don't go well you will lose the element of surprise.

I don’t feel like we’ll fare well trying to fight them all, surprise or not. Might be well that we retro having a goblin translator. One way or other, we need into the Keep.
Other thoughts?

We can either retro a translator, or retro one of you picking 'goblin' as your bonus language (if you have any). Whatever works for you.

Hey, all. It's been a rough couple of days for ol' Tim. I'll get caught up tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.

So right now, we have two viable options; fight the goblins with the element of surprise, or try to negotiate with them (no secret doors leading inside, unfortunately)

Let me know which option you prefer, and I will move us forward.

Regarding bonus languages, because I chose my languages after we started the game I didn't want to 'meta-game' and choose Goblin, so I rolled for them. I am happy to switch one out for Goblin if we want to allow that.

You can go ahead and swap. It's not metagaming to select languages more commonly used in the setting. If anything, it was my oversight not to include that information in the Setting threads. You're unlikely to ever encounter a gargoyle ,for instance. Goblins are much more common, and the Goblin language is also used by Hobgoblins and Bugbears.

Ok switched...what about Kobold's is there a better language option?

That reads well to me.

There ARE kobolds in Karameikos, though they are less ubiquitous then goblins. Other languages you can consider are Halfling (the Shires border Karameikos to the west), and Sylvan (spoken by all fae-like creatures inhabiting the vast forests of the land)

I'll be working a convention Thursday-Sunday. I'll keep tabs on the game, but my posts will be few & brief. My character will mostly follow the lead of the group.

You have no idea. You will have to engage them to get some answers.

I'm all for trying to bluff the goblins. Who in the party has the best charisma? My character is a dexterity build.

It doesn't matter all that much, since anyways it is all going to be filtered through your interpreter. Best to not overthink it, so we can move things forward.

Hey, @Delirium. My life is getting turned upside down because I work for the federal government in the U.S. I probably won't be able to post for another couple of days at least. Do you mind waiting on me? If not, I can drop out.

Don't worry about it @timplausible, we can wait for a few more days. I hope everything will be sorted out with your work.

I for one am okay slow walking the game until we all adjust to the new normal.

After my last post, I got laid up for days with a nasty viral fever. 0/10. Do not recommend.

Now that I am mostly well, I am taking my son on a promised birtday trip over the weekend. I will try to catch up with things next week. I'm rather fond of Brother Yakov, so I hope to get back into this game.

No worries, @timplausible
In the meantime, I'm waiting on you guys to decide what to do. Someone needs to take charge and decide if to open any of the doors, or explore the rest of the castle (up/down the stairs, or the corridor to your left).

It turns out that the crazy around me has sapped all my mental energy. I think I need to step back from all my games until I can get back in a good headspace.

Sorry all. Thanks for the game.

I'm sorry to hear that, @timplausible. I hope the situation improves, and you're always welcome to rejoin the game at any time, when it does.

Everyone else; I'll open the game up for new players. And let me know how you would like to continue - there was one other door on the first floor, and a corridor heading west. There are also stairs heading up, and stairs heading down.

@timplausible My thoughts and well wishes go with you. I hope you feel better soon. It's been a tough time for all of us.

Hi all! I'll be joining the game. Happy to be here! Rolling some dice...

Oops! I did 7, not six, so I guess I'll take the first six. Unless I decide to go Human! Hadn't decided yet... I guess I will!

Hi Drgwen, welcome to the game ;)

There is lots of information on the setting thread, if you're not familiar with the setting (and even if you are - there are some differences between our Karameikos and the official one from the gazetteers). The current party consists of a Human Magic User, a Human Fighter, and an Elven Thief. Since there are so few classes, we don't mind an overlap. You can consider playing a multi-class as well.
And do let me know if you are unhappy with your attribute roll and want to make some adjustments, or if there is anything else I can do to help you get started.

Hi! Thanks for having me! Well, I rolled very blandly, but I can't say the numbers are bad. Two attributes with a +1, the rest a 0. It's fine!

I think I'll go with a human cleric! I've worked one up and submitted the character to the game. Let me know if you see anything I need to change?

@Drgwen # Your character sheet looks fine. I accepted it.
Is she a Traladaran , a Thyatian, or of mixed heritage? Is she a follower of ‘The Faith’, or a member of the Church? These are two very different religions. Anything you can share about Boudica’s upbringing, and general outlook on the world would also be of great help, because I can then include elements from her background into the game.

Lastly, let me know how you prefer to be introduced into the game. Our adventurers are currently investigating the haunted castle of Mistamere. We can assume your character have always been a member of the party, or maybe she also arrived to investigate the ruins in the company of some other adventurer(s), that have either succumbed to the horrors within (or maybe some of them have survived and are still with her). Or you can come up with your own ideas too.

Welcome @Drgwen.

Yes welcome!

Hi, all. I'm also joining, though I'm not certain as what just yet. GM, could I play a human from the Atruaghin clans? She will be a human fighter, in any case.

STR 16
DEX 16
CON 15
INT 11
WIS 13
CHA 13

Welcome @WhtKnt.

Welcome!

Thank you for the welcome! Please disregard the request to play an Aturaghin, GM, I will be Traladaran.

Welcome to the game, WhtKnt!

Like I've asked Drgwen, do tell us a bit about your character. And let me know if you have any preference on how to join the rest of the players. Right now, the party is exploring the haunted Mistamere ruins. You could have arrived together with Boudica, or maybe you have been a member of another adventuring party. You can come up with a suggestion of your own too.

That sounds great, @Drgwen. I will introduce your character soon, within the upcoming day.

I will give you a little more background as soon as I finish up the sheet.

Rolling for cash.

Miyana Dradov grew up in a relatively typical environment on the outskirts of Kelvin. Since she could walk, she learned to fire a bow and often accompanied her father on his frequent hunting expeditions. He taught her the art of creating a bow and fletching arrows, and she created the bow she currently uses, having carved it herself from yew wood. She was only 16 when she left home to seek her fortune in the world and left with her parents' blessing. She visits them whenever she is in the vicinity of Kelvin.

In her travels, she has honed several skills and has learned the value of a well-placed compliment or flirt. She is unafraid to use her sexuality to get what she wants, though she seldom carries through with her flirtatious promises. Her father has an intense dislike of Thyatians, which has manifested in his daughter. Miyana considers the Thyatians boorish and loud and does little to hide her distaste for them. In her eyes, they are invaders in her beloved country.

I'd like to introduce her as a fellow explorer who has come upon the ruins and entered out of curiosity, avoiding encounters through pure good fortune.

Great job on the background write-up, @WhtKnt. Kelvin is a solid choice for Miyana’s backstory. Baron Desmon Kelvin (yes, they renamed Lavv—the home of the legendary King Halav*—after Desmon’s father) perfectly embodies everything that both Miyana and her father despise about the Thyatians. He cares far more about perfecting his swordsmanship, horseback riding, and war strategy than about actually ruling. On top of that, he's a member of the militant Crystal Order and a zealot to boot.

*Incidentally, the name of the hero 'Halav', literally means 'from Lavv' in Traladaran

*nudge* *nudge*
@nepets, @Madclergy, @WhiteDwarf; waiting on you to keep the action going.

Regarding the "Potion of Heroism" is that these rules? If so I am guessing I gain nothing from it because I am not a non-magic casting class? Or do I fall into the "Normal Humans" category?

I would have you fall under the normal human category. I dont like it that an average joe could benefit from this potion, while a 1st level magic users could not.

Awesome, so would I take max 1d8 and then roll 3d8 for the 'temp' hit points? Or would it be roll all 4? Would I add my con mod to those temp hp?

I think Boudica's best contribution here will be to stand behind the front person trying repeatedly to turn undead. And alas as a level 1 cleric I don't even have any healing yet...

Madclergy - You would roll 4d8 and add constitution modifier for each die (you will be considered a 4th level fighter). It’s a very powerful short-term boost, and since it seems like you have a handle on the battle after all, you might consider saving it for later.

@Drgwen – I think you’re right. A single successful turn undead could easily end the fight (though you have been unlucky with the dice rolls so far, unfortunately)

I’ll pick Will as the one holding off the Zombies, as he is the only one who didn’t say he is retreating back the stairs. You can decide to swap on round 3.

Ah1 There we go! A 10 on Turn Undead.

Great! You should roll 2d6 to see how many HD are effected. Each zombie has 2 HD, so even a minimal roll will turn at least one.

I'm assuming you're venturing forward, yes? And does anyone *cough* *cough* plans on looting the bodies of the zombies? (former adventurers, yes?). This IS old-school dnd...

Me! Well, actually I’ll leave it to someone else. It feels a bit most of character for boudica.

A steel sword is just a regular sword. The weapons and armor you found in the ruins were all bronze, but this sword was found on the zombie's adventurer's body.

Ah, that’s right, thx.

Whoa this is a very not good location we’re stumbling into here!

Can Will take a parting strike at the skeleton as it flees?

Yes, as part of your action this round. Plus you can move to follow it. The skeleton-warrior is very keen on stopping Miyana right now, so hitting him might be even easier

What's next?
Do you want to search the room, or the rest of the floor now? Go back and try to deal with the goblins?

The only room you haven't 'searched' yet, is the dinning room with the poltergeist. You can go back there safely now and pick up some silverware. The big question now (assuming you've dealt with the goblins), is how you're going to carry all the treasure down the mountain and all the way back to Threshold.

How many days' travel is it back to Threshold?

About a day and a half. More if you're encumbered. There's lots of treasure to haul, and you didn't bring any beasts of burden of sacks in which to carry it all.

Ok good to know. Well here is what was in the two chests upstairs:
So, take the pouch of gems, the sapphire ring, the silver brooch, and perhaps the goblets, then whatever gold coins we can carry without becoming overly encumbered. Boudica would happily dump all but 3 days' rations, waterskin, and holy symbol, leaving slots for goodies.

Characters more OK with carrying obviously malevolent items might also ant the blackened blade, bone amulet, unnaturally cold diary, and vials of weird liquid, not to mention the evil book and blade fro the basement, but Boudica will pass on those.

Planning on coming back. Base of operations?

There is some silverware in the dining room, but that would be more complicated to carry. You will probably need to leave some of it behind and come back later. You DO need to decide what to do with the goblins. The task you were given was to reclaim the ruins, and that includes dealing with them, but you could satisfy yourselves with the treasure you've already found and putting the ghosts to rest, and just try to leave.

I'm game for dealing with goblins.

Same!
A reprieve from posting this weekend, I’ll try and get back on track tomorrow.

Could we perchance make a sled from the bed upstairs, using the sheets or blankets to bundle up the treasures and the bed posts or wood from other furniture to fashion the rails of the sled? I know it might take a little while, but if there isn't anything pressing.

As for the Goblins, they may become more of an issue of the sinister nature of this place dies down due to the undead having been taken care of. Maybe we can run them off some simple theatrics? Spooky noises, some random lights, possibly one of us running out and faking injury with tale of an evil worse than all else?

I’m happy to try all of the above! I’m concerned if we are too over encumbered headed back, though, that we would be an easy target.

We should deal with the goblins first, then worry about how to get the goods back. As much of a problem as it is going to be, I recommend that we deal with the goblins (and for the record, Miyana is fine with putting them to the sword or scaring them off), return to Threshold, procure some beasts of burden and bring them back to collect the goods. I'm also wondering along the same lines as WhiteDwarf. What would it take to make this place livable?

Assuming you have the proper tools to build a sled, getting it down the forested mountain isn't going to be any easier.
@WhtKnt - how livable the ruins are is a matter of perspective. You could close one of the inner doors of the castle, and forage for food at the surrounding forest. It won't have any of the amenities of a bigger human settlement. The ruins could be theoretically restored (the walls rebuilt, furniture replaced, craftsmen invited to take permanent residence), but it would cost a large sum of money both for the initial investment, and in maintenance. Much less than building an entire keep from the grounds up, but still a sizeable sum.

heh Boudica is happy to give up her "share" of the castle in exchange for a greater portion of the gold. Maybe she'll open an orphange.

Now that the ghosts are gone, you can go up to the second floor and pick one of the narrow windows overlooking the courtyard. It will take time to reposition in case the goblins decide to flee, but I don't think you would mind in that case (unless you're set on killing each and every one of them). I'll give @Madclergy a chance to say if he wants to make any preparation before the fight begins, and then we will kick-off the battle.

Anton is not going to be very helpful in a straight on fight, chucking daggers and all that, but if we set up some fortifications inside, that might help. Maybe we flip over some tables to provide cover?

Does anyone know how to fashion traps?

Will does not. Good idea though!
Arrow slits also seems like a great idea. Will just has a few javelins to toss. Do we have bows and arrows, from PC’s or any loot?

Re- Traps etc, I’m thinking about the movie Home Alone lol.

There are close to a hundred goblins in the courtyard, but only about a dozen or so can put up a fight. The rest are either women/too young/half-starved and in no condition to fight. It IS noon right now, but once the sun sets and there is no sign of the ghosts the goblins might decide to risk it and venture into the ruins.

Wow ok. So if we attack them through the arrow slits and they enter the building, can we position ourselves so that they have to come through a narrow choke point? So we can barricade it and continue to shoot at them? Perhaps at the top of the stairs?

Also, does anyone have oil? We could put oil in the stairs, making them slippery, until we ignite it…?

Yes, you could barricade the top of the staircase using some of the furniture.

Whoa! Nice opening shot WhtKnt!

Yes!

Thinking if there’s any reason we can’t just keep it to ourselves, that the castle is cleared. Maybe return with a couple carts to do another big haul to get more treasure out, and then announce our success.

You will need a couple of mules to carry all the treasure back to town.
There are also a few decisions you will need to make.

1. Threshold is a small town and not particularly wealthy. You won’t get anything near full value for your treasure here. The people simply don’t have enough coin to buy the gems, silverware, and other valuables at their full price. If you want a better deal, you’ll need to travel to Kelvin or, better yet, Specularum. However, that is a long journey, which will take time.

2. All merchandise brought through the city gates is taxed. Some of the items you have might only be bought or sold through specific guilds. You can choose to pay the Duke’s taxes, but doing so will take a chunk of your profits. Alternatively, you could risk smuggling your treasure into the town and find a fence willing to buy it on the black market. While this could help you avoid paying taxes, it comes with the associated risks.

3. Baron Theodorou is offering the deed to the ruins of Mistamere Castle and surrounding lands at a bargain (since the castle is in the mountains, far from fertile farmland or any major trade routes). It’s not a place of immediate value, and it’s a long-term investment. If you purchase it, one of you could rise to the rank of lesser nobility, even though the castle is in ruins and would need restoration before it becomes useful. This could be a strategic move, but it will cost you a significant portion of your treasure.

Each of you also gain 5000 XP. This should put you comfortably at Level 3.

Yay level 3!

HP Rolls!

Will gets two levels and is a better person by it. :)

I'll admit I am a little shaky on how Wizards in this edition learn magic, I looked through the SRD but I guess couldn't quite comprehend. Is it just time to copy spells into my spellbook through Magical Research? I assume I have to have access to the spell to do so (via another spell book or scrolls?), although I see something about creating spells?

Any guidance would be appreciated. Papa needs a new magic missile lol

You can either copy spells from a spell book or a scroll you've found, learn it from a mentor, or conduct your own spell research (which is costly, and time consuming). Your best options right now are either go to the guild house and talk with Humphrey, or delve into the secrets of the tome you found in the ruins.

Any decision if to sell the goods in Threshold, or hold on to it? (or part of it?)

Looking at the map, if you follow the Duke's road, it is almost 200 miles to Kelvin, so the journey would take you about a couple of weeks. Its roughly another week from there to Specularum. This is assuming optimal travel conditions (is would be much slower during the fall, and in winter, travel isn't recommended at all). The pouch of gems is the most valuable treasure. There is no one in Threshold that can even gauge how much they are are all worth. The sapphire ring and the brooch can be sold to one of the traveling merchants (300g and 150g respectively, and the merchants will take 20% from that).

Don't stress too much about taxes, unless you're planning to sell through the black market. By law, merchandise can only be sold to the specific guilds who control the trade of those goods, and the guild pay their dues in turn directly to the Duke. So, as long as you stick to the 'legal' route, you can use the price I quote without any concerns. The black market might offer higher prices for some items (especially illegal goods, like dangerous magical items, etc), but you will have to get your hands dirty to find out by how much.

There is still lots to do and more adventure opportunities in Threshold, so it is up to you if you want to stay or leave.

Ok Boudica will propose selling the ring and brooch for 450 GP, minus 20%, for a total of 360 GP. There are four of us, so she would give 90 GP each to Will, Anton, and Miyana, and keep 90 GP for herself. She’s also willing to hang on to the pouch of gems, since we wouldn’t be able to sell those for a while.

If you would rather we not fixate on how much loot we got, that obviously cool. But if we are going to track that, how much coinage could we have carried out, and can we sell the silver goblets and other items we might have looted?

HUMPHREY! Man I am going to write myself a note. Generally how much would Anton expect to pay for Humphrey to teach him a few spells? Or how much would spell scrolls cost? I am hearing I might come into 90 gold soon :)

Will’s gonna need someone to train him up in sword fighting. Weapon specialization Longsword.

Anton doesn't need to pay Humphrey to teach him some spells, but the selection can be rather limited. Scrolls are pretty expensive, you can assume ~100 gold per spell level.
@WhiteDwarf - Will doesn't need anyone to train him in sword fighting. We can assume he trained on his own.
@Drgwen - you didn't find any coins at the castle, but gold and silver 'pieces' [ref]. There was no one to mint coins during the Taladaran Dark Age. You can sell the gold and silver as precious metals, or maybe barter them for something else (properties in Threshold, the Deed to Mistamere, etc)

I opened the new thread for your next adventure in parallel, which will start with an offer from Darius. Don't feel pressured to agree to what he is proposing, there are plenty of other adventure seeds in Threshold (plus some that you haven't yet concluded).

I have the read magic spell, am I able to determine what spells are in the book(s) we found at Mistamere?

ah ok understood!

The Mistamere tome had the following spells:
1st level: Darkness, Sleep
2nd level: Continual Darkness
3rd level: Clairvoyance
4th level: Curse
5th level: Animate Dead, plus a dark Ritual to turn yourself into a Ghost

So can I use the mistamere tome as a spellbook to memorize spells from or do I need to copy them into my spellbook?

I don't think it matters all that much, so you can do either.

I’m sorry - can GM kindly remind please, what’s the take on Will’s sackful of silver?

Will picked up the silverware, right? There is too much of it to fit into one sack, but if you want to sell ALL of it in Threshold, you can get as much as 250 gold for it.

Cool. Trying to work out the best way to resolve all that.
Yes, Will took as much as his sack would carry.

I'll admit I am a bit lost on Treasure, I haven't added any gold to my sheet since we came back, can someone fill me in on what Anton's cut would be?

I think it 90 gp each.

I will open up a group treasure thread to make tracking easier tomorrow (a bit hectic over here today).

@Madclergy, let me know if you want to learn some spells from Humphrey. It takes about a week to learn a spell from a tutor, so lets say you can learn 2, unless you want to extend your stay. Any spells you have in the tome from Mistamere can be cast as well directly from that spellbook.

I would be interested in seeing what spells Humphrey can teach me?

Any spell from 1st or 2nd level, excluding 'charm person' (the spell is considered 'dangerous' by the guild, and they will only teach it to people that they are sure will not abuse it).

Posting for Will over next 24 hours. Busy work day today.

Thanks! I appreciate that.

Anton would like to learn 2 spells

Magic Missile (1st Level)
Knock (2nd Level)

I have added the 90 gold to my pack as well, I see a lot of other treasure listed, but no prices, and I don't think we have sold it all?

Re treasure, I don’t think we’ve yet even devised a way to haul it out, let alone got sales done for it.

We will assume you hauled the treasure out by renting a few mules (the next thread starts about a week later, so that gave you ample time to go back and forth). Selling it all is more complicated, mainly because there isn't much of a market for most of these items in Threshold.

Is there anything we can sell from the haul here to get more coin?

You can sell the weapons and the armor to passing adventurers, for about half regular price (no one would want the bronze weapons, though).
The goblets can be sold for 200 gold.
The candlesticks for 100 gold.
Everything else will be tricker.

Well that’s a good start, at least.

Goblets 200
Candlesticks 100
300
4 PC’s, right? So, we want to call it 75 each?

Edit - Will will also claim the steel Longsword (as a spare, unless someone else can use it), and also the bronze sword just for flair.

Sure thing.
I'm assuming we can move on to the next scene? I'll start it later today, if you still have more things to ask/say to Darius, you can do it on the previous thread.

I’m good to go. :)

Adding 75 additional gold to my character sheet.

Sorry if I asked this before, but are there scrolls available to purchase?

You can buy a 'Protection from Evil', and a 'Detect Magic' scrolls if you want, for 100 gold each.

I'm ready to move on as well!

I will purchase the Detect Magic Scroll for 100 gold

I'm assuming you're entering the barrow? Who is going in first?

Boudica had volunteered (perhaps foolishly) out of religious zeal

Obv she will be looking for traps, ambushes, hazards, etc

Will can go first.

thanks!

FYI, I have a surgery in a few hours that may prevent me from posting for a day or two. No worry, though-- the surgery is a happy thing--it's a gender affirming procedure.

Congratulations!!! And best of luck!

Congrats and good luck!

Congratulations. Hope everything will go smoothly.

A Mule, according to the book, costs 30 gp. So a sheep should be 10-15 gp. You have more then enough treasure between you to afford it, if you wish. It will take around 3 days to get back to town.

Ok, so we spend like 100-150 gp and six days to have these goblins let us pass... How many goblins are we talking about? Can we get a sense of that?

I'm, willing to do it, but I am also open to fighting. Perhaps Boudica thinks they are despoiling this sacred place or some nonsense.

Yea, I am not about murder hoboing but that does seem like a terrible inconvenience. Maybe we could convince them to take another piece of treasure? Or maybe they have a service otherwise that some big strong adventurers could take care of?

Miyana would just as soon kill them. In her eyes, goblins are a pox on the world. I personally have no issue with giving them the sheep, but Miyana would definitely resist the thought.

No way we’re giving up good sheep. I say we fight ‘em.

I don't really feel like parting with gold, sheep, or the time necessary to fetch them personally. But Anton would not be the one primarily doing the fighting here, so he will yield.

I'm fine with a fight!

Apologies... Boudica is gonna quiet down after this post.

Whelp. I tried.

You did, a couple times.

I didn’t wanna monopolize the game by making all the decisions, you know?

This knight’s tests remind me of group work in school…

Yeah, my bad folks.

I don't think that you were monopolizing. Miyana just had nothing to add, is all. She dislikes goblins.

I don’t think any of us did anything wrong. I think the idea of trying to herd ten sheep through several days of wilderness is unreasonable.

100%.

Yes, it was an unreasonable request by design, though not something which would have been impossible for you to fulfill, had you set your minds to it. Anyways, it is a minor setback, all in all.

It’s true. Boudica will get over herself eventually I’m sure. She will just drop the whole "on fire with the faith" thing and be quiet for a while.