A Hot Opportunity OOC

1. Clicker said "You stay, Orryn. They leave." . I leave.

2. I do have impression the job we were hired for is done and already looking forward to start new one

Did I get it all wrong?

1. Okay, if you want =)

2. Not really. The clicker wants to keep the forge and will kill for it. Grusk bought it and hired you.

There are conflicting interests at play here... A stubborn, "dead" dwarf turned construct. A half-orc blacksmith who bought this place and wants it safe. An adventurer has already been killed. No one else had the idea or the ability to negotiate with the construct before.

What do you do? =D

OK, anyhow it is enough to have one person talking. Three talking at a time only makes it harder to communicate.

Besides I have a morality issue I totally agree with the dead "what is in the vaults below - belong to the dead, or perhaps to his legal heir, not the person who purchased the building above the vault

You can side with the dwarf and support him against Grusk. That's one way to resolve this dilemma and the adventure =)

There are a few other ways to end it as well. One of them would be to destroy the construct without ever talking to it. We've already burned that bridge. =)

By the way, feel free to gather information and talk. Once you all, as a group, have a plan of action or a preferred solution, if it is using diplomacy, we should start a Social Conflict to convince the involved parties (NPCs).

This is a task for the characters, not the players, with your help/guidance of course =)

Personally, I am loving that this hasn't been a murder hobo run. Such a refreshing change. The conversations, the possibility of the constructs violence but a willingness to chat creeates a really tense dynamic.

I think we have some more discovery in dialogue to do before the social conflict engages. Just my 2 cents so far.

I'm glad you're enjoying it. When I first drafted this adventure, there was always the risk that the party wouldn't be able or willing to talk their way through the situation.

Before Orryn's "word list", I used the exact same words that the party said in the dungeon, with the same voices. There was always the risk that the vocabulary available wouldn't be enough for you to understand the Clicker and the situation would end with a Big Boss fight and, hopefully, its death. I was prepared for that, but personally I prefer these more complex situations. =)

PS: You could also have "stolen" something from the Clicker... That would probably start a fight, long before he had the willingness or the words to say anything to you. Fortunately, and thanks to your great choices and roleplaying, that didn't happen. =)

It was once described of me, "He's very much about the character and the story, rather than winning D&D." Not only was it a lovely compliment, but I think pretty accurate. I typically play kindhearted/helpful characters, and if we were to stick me in an alignment trend. I would probably be lawful good most the time. In general, I will attempt to talk folks down first, if it seems possible. The Clicker showed many signs of intelligence, and the lack of being attacked as we progressed gave Orryn enough hesitation to avoid outright attack in return.

I think I just need to grow up and accept dice sometimes tells the story not the players.
Social encounter it is then

Not all conflicts in this adventure are solved with swords or spells — sometimes, words carry the sharpest edge.

Social Conflicts work like combat: they're important, dynamic, and potentially world-changing. You don’t resolve a major argument, negotiation, or crisis of faith with a single roll. Instead, we zoom in on the scene, playing it moment by moment.

When Legolas confronts Hornrock, he's not making a quick Persuasion check and walking away. He's challenging Hornrock's entire identity, his sense of self, and his fate. That’s as significant as any battle.

Here’s how it works:

✅ Like combat, Social Conflicts unfold over several exchanges (posts/rounds).

✅ Progress isn’t binary — it's a buildup. Think of it like wearing down an opponent’s resistance or bolstering your own resolve.

✅ The GM tracks the emotional "state" through progress bars representing WP — Hornrock’s doubts, Legolas’ momentum, and other factors evolve as the scene unfolds.

✅ Stakes are real: success can lead to character breakthroughs, shifting loyalties, or even freedom for a trapped soul. Failure might harden their stance, deepen delusions, or close off peaceful resolutions entirely.

✅ The Whole Party Can Participate: Everyone can get involved, even indirectly — support, challenge, reveal insights, or push their own agenda.

✅ Multiple Goals Per Character: Each character can have one or more goals they’re working toward with the NPCs. Convince Hornrock to accept the truth? Sow doubts in Grusk? Uncover hidden agendas? All valid goals.

✅ Track Progress Separately: We track progress for each goal individually — some may succeed while others stall or fail.

✅ Roleplay Every Roll: Just like combat, every skill check comes with roleplay — your words, body language, tactics, and emotions matter. It’s not about spamming Persuasion dice; it’s about playing the scene.

As you can tell, my character would fall in the Chaotic Neutral alignment. Live and let live and if it's best for me, then what a little crime hurt anyone really... Earlier in the adventure I felt the Clicker to be very powerful and the fact that it was acting more as an observer, it gave me the idea to leave anything of value we found until later. Anything of value is noted in my charts and notes on the traps and releases with a covert code. It was also that I value my life right now more than I value any of the shinny trinkets we have discovered so far.

I'm not sure if I should have rolled or not for my last post...

I plan to work on a post later today. In general, Orryn does not see things as Legolas does. He would rather push for an agreement between the Smiths that benefited all parties. He is less morally concerned about the implications of abandoning one's mortal form. Especially if the process did not claim innocent life in the process. I'll probably either suggest Zyra fetches Grusk, or that we all go find him. But first, I'm gonna go pass out!

I am constantly amazed at how perfectly @htech is reading my PC and able to recap that better than I would have.
Yes Legolas isn't doing Persuasion, but indeed challenging Hornrock's entire identity, his sense of self, and his fate.

Just as DM described other PCs could challenge Legolas and push their own agendas instead and I will accept my PC failure. But I'm grateful for opportunity to role-play . As mentioned before it is more important than winning for me as well.

I pushed a post early to hopefully make up for my delay last night. Last thing Grusk had said, he was going upstairs. I assumed it means still in this shop. If nobody disagrees. That's where I'd be headed.

Just to clarify, by the rules, you had at least 4 more tests to roll before reaching 0 WP... It's like retreating from combat after loosing 1 hit point. A possibility, but not a real obligation, okay?
Okay them =)

I'm retreating from combat where other PCs took enemy side

htech and Gearspark, I'm heading out of town in the morning and will have no access to internet until I get back on Sunday. Feel free to advance the discussions... Right now, Orryn's goals align with Zira's and unless the negotiations descend into armed conflict. She will be able to find some common ground with both blacksmiths for future interactions...

Alright, thanks for the heads up!