LSO OOC Thread III

[JadedDM]

Invisibility lasts for 24 hours, or until the recipient attacks (which instantly negates it), the caster negates it, or the recipient negates it. So yes, he can choose to end it if he wants, as can Ouragana.

[spyguy1503]

Which ship is Oura on?

[JadedDM]

The merchant ship.

[Chris1234]

{OOC: Jaded - Ok, so this gives me a problem. I'd heard of dragons and hydras before this game was published. Jason and the Argonauts etc. I've always assumed that characters had heard 'round the camp fire' etc whatever the player knows (without looking anything up) although the char may certainly be wrong. The other extreme is if the char hasn't fought a giant rat or a goblin then is the char not allowed to know what it is. Coming back to this, I'm now conflicted. So, if you think she would run away, then she does. If you think she'd stand her ground then she will.}

[JadedDM]

Whether you run or not is up to you, but of course running means no XP, obviously.

Yes, you've heard of hydras and dragons before. You have grown up in a modern society with the printing press, internet and school systems. None of these things exist in this world.

Giant rats are described as "Common" in the MM, but even if Naras had never encountered one before, I'm sure she'd know what a rat is. So being able to identify a rat, but larger, isn't a stretch. Likewise, as a dwarf, even if she's never seen a goblin before, I'd assume she'd know what one is, as her people would have filled her in on the blood feud between their races (otherwise she shouldn't get a +1 to hit against them).

It's about using logic. For instance, Gallath has dedicated his life to killing fiends. So if he were to know the difference between a balor and a pit fiend, I'd buy that. If Val did, though, I'd wonder how the hell that's possible. Likewise, Baeros is a forest ranger. So if he knew what an ettercap is, and how poisonous they are, I'd buy that, too. They are forest creatures, after all. But if he was intimately familiar with say, a tako, despite having no seamanship skills or experience, I'd wonder about that, too.

In your own words, Naras grew up incredibly sheltered. So what 'campfire stories' did she have, and with whom? What veteran adventurers has she spent time with that would make her so knowledgeable about such an obscure, rare creature? It would be one thing if she identified it as a hydra. That seems unlikely in itself, but the fact that she immediately identified it as a pydrohydra specifically?

Also, what gave you the impression that the character always knows what the player knows? That is the literal definition of metagaming and no game I've ever played in or run or even heard about has been okay with that. What games have you been in where it's acceptable to crack open the MM and read up on the strengths and weaknesses of any monster encountered and then use that knowledge in-character? You might want to double check with the other DMs here at Planet that you're gaming under, because I'd be honestly surprised if any of them were cool with that.

[Chris1234]

You misrepresent me. I said "...(without looking anything up)..."

Literally I looked at the pic and thought 'What? An f'ing pyrohydra? He's taking the piss.' So that is what I reflected in the comment which was intended to have a dig at you. Perhaps ill judged and should have been an OOC comment.
But I had the dwarf peg it anyway.
I did not, as you suggest, look at any books or reference any stats.
During the course of the day I remembered that she had a RoFR (which I had forgotten). That plus a) reflecting it having declared IC that it was a PHydra, b) dwarves tend to stand their ground, c) she has little legs, d) doesn't like water made me edit to turning round to face it.

Now, let's fix this:
1) You dont like my comments? I can't unmake it. You can regard it as an OOC comment. I thought it was witty to do IC. Clearly I failed on that.
2) You said I was looking at books. You're just wrong on there.
3) Metagaming? Not sure what that is. Poor RP? Yes, ok, I'm a crap roleplayer. But I have fun trying but just not at this minute. If it's trying to get an unfair advantage, then no, that's just wrong. See #4
4) I told you I'm conflicted but you refused to make the run or fight call. OK. I will do this then to clearly demonstrate no unfair advantage sought. Naras had her RoFR in her beltpouch for some reason. She runs to face the creature cos shes ashamed she ran and hates the water. She takes the first full round to get out her weapon. I will edit this up tonight.

(Edited - Nov, 17:40): Main thread now edited for post prior to round #1. Round #2 thread posted also.

[Nuke]

(OOC - Really? I asked if we were gonna run. At this point I am kinda at a loss.)

[JadedDM]

It seems Naras is sacrificing herself to buy Val the time to escape. So Val can mount Mist and ride away, return and help Naras fight, or try and retrieve Naras so they can both escape.

[JadedDM]

Chris, what cave are you talking about? I never mentioned a cave anywhere...

[Chris1234]

You're right, oops. I retained the memory of a cave here:

Val and Naras (Undine Community/Sardonx 24th, 5:00 PM)
About twenty four hours later, the two wake up again in the undine air cave.

And introduced it here:

Naras looks around, in particular for any tracks on the beach.
If nothing she shrugs, glances at Val and then heads for the cave, stopping to listen at its entrance.

which wasn't, so far as I can see, picked up until now.
I'll edit it up.

[Breila]

(OOC: Just how many pirates are there on the Poison Curse? They must have been seriously short of staff to accept our group so willingly.)

[JadedDM]

Ouragana wouldn't know the exact numbers, but she would know the average crew capacity of each ship. The Poison Curse itself is a caravel, just like the merchant liner, which has a crew complement of 20-40 (20 being the absolute fewest needed before the ship becomes hampered, 40 being the absolute most before people start getting in each other's way). The two companion cogs have a capacity of 8-20 each.

Assuming both the pirates and the merchants have optimal numbers, we're looking at around 80 pirates vs 40 marines--two to one odds in the pirate's favor. But the pirates have the bonus of having multiple crewmen with moderately high levels (a level 6 ranger, a level 6 thief, a level 5/5 fighter/thief, a level 4 fighter, plus whatever Scourge and Sable are) while the merchant ship only had a single level 3 captain and the rest were all level 0 marines.

As for why they accepted the party so quickly, keep in mind that pirates have a very high fatality rate (they lose at least some crew every battle, even the ones they win), so they're always on the lookout for new crew. Plus, it's not like they have any reason to suspect non-pirates would infiltrate them. You want to kill people and steal their stuff? You're in! If you're bad at it, you'll get killed early on and later replaced. There's no need for a resume with references or anything.

[Chris1234]

@Jaded: Want me to post a provisional 'When she wakes up...' for Naras? (I can include desired spells to save a round of postings.)

[JadedDM]

If you want, sure. Or wait until she actually does wake up. It really doesn't matter.

[JadedDM]

So the chapter and the arc are pretty much being wrapped up as we speak. My hope is to get it all finished by Christmas, since I imagine posting activity will drop around that point anyway.