Okay, XP is up and I've updated the Calendar and Places and People threads.
It looks like the goals of the next chapter will be: 1) Test the cannon, 2) Set sail to Draska 3) Deal with Penta/Naishe
The party average of XP is around 31.8k, and the arc ends at 40k. So we're nearly there.
Here are my notes for the chapter:
Title and Theme
The title of this chapter, "There and Back Again" is a reference to The Hobbit. But it also references the fact that the party returned to Narin, then went to Mond, then went back to Narin a third time, before heading to Mond once more. 'There and back again,' indeed!
Forgotten Gems and Gnomes
The party never did get those gemstones appraised back in Narin. They could always try and find someone in Draska, but as it is a den of pirates, smugglers and cutthroats, I'm not sure how wise it would be to advertise they're filthy rich.
Also, as xelphyn has not logged in for 3 1/2 months, his character has been sort of hanging in limbo. Last time xelphyn vanished, it was for two years, so I shouldn't hold my breath. Nevertheless, I'm going to assume that Dahn AKA Grey AKA Granite is still on the Bullring and accompanying the party, just in case his player returns. He just isn't saying or doing much otherwise.
Alignment Conflict
The clash between Naras and Otaya is one largely of alignment. Otaya is Lawful Good, and so believes the law exists to help and protect people while Naras is Lawful Neutral, so believes in following the law to the letter, regardless of intent or whether it helps or makes things worse.
However, I think the fact that Naras specifically wants to use the money that was going to go to Agnas' estate to build her own little armory plays a big role, too. The previous kohen nearly bankrupted the temple by paying for his own pet projects (archeology), and Otaya probably sees history repeating itself a bit here.
The conflict between Naras and the party is also probably partly related to alignment. I did point out to Chris when he created Naras as LN that the rest of the party was overwhelmingly Chaotic Good (in general). So here we have Law vs Chaos and Good vs Neutrality. So obviously there is going to be friction, if nothing else. I think another problem was Naras became used to being obeyed and having authority; her recent promotion to kohen went to her head, and she started barking orders at the party and making demands of them, which really rubbed them the wrong way (especially Jocelyn, who has been the de facto leader since very early on).
Naras does appear to be trying to learn humility now, though as she tries to get on the party's good side. This goes back to what Otaya was trying to say. Gonto is the goddess of law, but she is also the goddess of community. A community needs law, but it also needs cooperation. Cooperation cannot always be demanded. Naras may have a lot of pull in Narin as a kohen, but beyond that, she has nothing. Although her backstory doesn't mention it, it has been implied quite a bit through dialogue and action that Naras is incredibly sheltered and may not have ever left Vaneil before now (she claims she had never met a follower of Octhanus before Jocelyn, despite it being the biggest faith in the islands). She may not have ever even visited a place bigger than Narin before now (which only has 1,000 people). I'm curious to see how much of a cultural shock she's in for. She seems to be learning quickly, though.
Dinner with the Captain
This is actually the third time the party has had dinner with Sierra and Terra. Each time, the party grows larger and larger. Although this one was, by far, the least successful. The reason Sierra interpreted Gallath's request for dinner as a group thing is because they've done this twice before, but also because her current relationship with him is only Indifferent (11). He'll have to really get to know her and get on her good side before she becomes receptive to romantic advances.
Crisis of Faith
Jocelyn is also struggling with her own faith. She joined the clergy under false pretenses and 'faked it' for a long while. She is now trying to become legitimate, but just doesn't seem to grasp the proper mindset. When the planetar pointed out that her plan to kill the pirates by hiring someone else to do it for her doesn't mean her hands are clean, she began to doubt she was doing the right thing.
But another big problem Jocelyn has struggled with is compassion. She is often cruel or mean to others, believing that 'tough love' is often needed to force people to grow stronger and less dependent on others. However, this is in opposition of Octhanus' teachings. Indeed, it's actually a core tenet of her old faith, Renos. Renos teaches that needing others is a weakness, that strength can only be acquired alone. Octhanus teachings that the bonds of love and friendship between people is real strength.
This has been the source of her conflict with Ouragana. She has been trying to 'toughen up' the mage, and make her stronger. But every attempt to do so has backfired and made Ouragana feel worse than before. But perhaps now Jocelyn has learned a different way and has patched things up with the mage. Time will tell.
Her therapy session with Saren was hopefully helpful, though.
How Ouragana Got Her Grove Back
They often say that once you hit rock bottom, there is no place to go but back up. After being cursed and losing her powers, the mage seemed ready to give up altogether. But she seems to be getting better now. The curse was lifted, and she learned some new spells (including Fireball; I was surprised she went with that one, giving her pacifist tendencies). Val gave her a ring that enhanced her powers further. She managed to identify the items Naras found (which she had earlier believed was beyond her ability to do). She made an interesting discovery about the cannon of light. She used her magic to help others (and got a free magic scroll out of it, to boot) by repairing a loom and some fishing skiffs, and also creating some magical lanterns.
Hopefully, she continues on this path and becomes more confident in herself and her abilities.
Sidequests
I noticed that some of the PCs were a bit behind the others in XP, namely Val, Gallath and Naras. So I came up with some brief solo-sidequests for them to catch up. Val's was very straight-forward. It was just some underwater combat to save Mist. I used just enough sahaugin so that their combined XP was enough to help Val get caught up. Although Val did not defeat all of them, so she's still a little short. Well, better than nothing, at least.
Naras' was fairly simple, too. Straight combat, but with some exposition thrown in, as well. The idea was for Naras to fight and slay the slaad by herself. But Chris pointed out that the holding spells don't affect more than 4 people, and so she had two helpers. So XP was divided three ways, meaning she's still a bit behind the others as a result. I suppose it couldn't be helped. But she managed to get some intel, including the fact that there might be a spy among the group.
Gallath's was far more complicated. But I wound up cutting most of it out, because it was taking too long and everyone else had finished their scenes and were waiting. Originally, it was much more involved, with Penta and Naishe fighting each other and the one that Gallath didn't choose to help would run off. They would follow to a hideout, that was covered in locks and traps (giving Gallath a chance to earn XP that way). Ultimately, I wanted to see who Gallath would choose over the other. He had just met Penta and she didn't give a great impression. But she was a demon hunter, which means she could be a very valuable asset and teacher for him, as he hates demons, as well. On the other hand you have Naishe, who he has some history with, but as it turns out, is secretly a tiefling. Can he overcome his own prejudices and accept her? Or is she just another demonspawn that should be put down before she has a chance to hurt him or others?
Anyway, that's it. If you have any questions, feedback or thoughts you'd like to share, feel free. I'll get the new chapter up tomorrow, hopefully.
As a thought, wouldn't the xp be divided between surviving characters? (I think that's the guideline, but of course GM can do it as he deems so as to include Raised characters..)
Anyway, if the latter, is saving the life of the 4 that were affected by the Hold Person worth some xp (maybe based on their xp value or alternatively the act of 'building a bridge' between Naras/Gonto and that bunch of 6/Octhanus)?
Hopefully this spreads by gossip/osmosis to Octhanus worshippers on the ship.
PS: seeing the notes helps a lot. struggled a bit in this session tbh. The alignment thing is more obvious in hindsight but felt really, really difficult when working through it. Thanks for the help. Great game.
Edit: I see that it's possible to gain xp from spell casting. Am I allowed to know what spells are so favored by Gonto?
Edit (1/5): Thanks, that's fine. The gossip comment was aimed at gaining acceptance, so if word spreads that Naras has done a good thing (in standing her ground to try and save the patrol) it might help smooth out some of the alignment conflicts and possibly lead to a better sense of community.
Last edited by Chris1234 on Sun May 01, 2016 3:02 am, edited 3 times in total.
The DMG specifies XP is divided among surviving and resurrected characters.
I'm not sure saving lives warrants XP. Not for a LN character, anyway (maybe if you were Good, you could make that argument). Plus, you got two of them killed by asking they help you, despite them being way below the creature's level.
I'm not sure what you're getting at about building a bridge or spreading gossip/osmosis. Are you saying Naras is hoping that saving those sailors would cause them to convert to her faith?
Anyway, at best, I could offer you some XP for completing the sidequest. I had forgotten about that anyway. I'll add them to the totals.
Clerics gain XP from spellcasting that supports their ethos. You've actually asked me that before. Spells that further Gonto's ethos would include divination (as she's the goddess of knowledge), spells of control (goddess of fate and order), cooperative spells like Combine (goddess of community), spells that further crafting or commerce at all, etc.
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Also, I'm working on the next chapter, as well as the end of the arc. I'm trying to compile a list of all of the PCs' current goals to help me come up with an outline. This is what I have so far. Please let me know if any are wrong or if I left out any.
Jocelyn
1.) Become a better follower of Octhanus
2.) Stop the Poison Curse from coming after her
Ouragana
1.) Romance Thaddeus
2.) Rebuild her confidence
Val
(N/A)
Baeros
1.) Romance Jocelyn
2.) Romance Terra
3.) Romance Leena
Gallath
1.) Find his missing sister, Arya
2.) Confront his old lover, Sable
3.) Romance Sierra
4.) Sort out things with Penta and Naishe
Dahn
(N/A)
Drav
(N/A)
Naras
1.) Get the temple in Narin back on its feet
2.) Thwart the Son of Crizza
Hi,
You can scratch out 2. and 3. of Baeros. And add saving Jocelyn from being murdered.
Edit:
I thought we will be able to find the survivors in the city... seemed like a good adventure lead and something important enough for the group to insist on.
For me, you can add these:
1) Find the Blacksmith
2) Go East
3) Come to terms with missing 40 years (Although short in the long run, it's long in the short run).
JadedDM wrote:
How Ouragana Got Her Grove Back
She tree-asoned with the people holding it.
Characters:
Drav - Lost Souls: Octhania
Elf - Fighter/Thief - Smith The Dragon The Phoenix The Eagle
BishGada wrote:I thought we will be able to find the survivors in the city... seemed like a good adventure lead and something important enough for the group to insist on.
Well, if you remember, the attack on Deimos happened over two weeks ago. So anyone who would still be stuck in the city by this point would be dead from thirst, if nothing else. And since having Baeros' dogs dig up some bodies seemed like a downer...
I actually had hoped Baeros and Drav would use the opportunity to get to know each other better. There has been minimal interaction between those two characters, despite the fact they have quite a bit in common (both dual-wield long swords, both have ties to nature, both are loners, etc.). Baeros only seemed interested in coyly bad-mouthing Drav, though, and speaking with Rumari. Drav didn't seem interested in talking at all, to anyone. It's a shame, it was a great chance to do some roleplaying and flesh out your characters more.
chese780 wrote:For me, you can add these:
1) Find the Blacksmith
What blacksmith? Do you mean Drav's mentor? I had no idea he was interested in finding him. I also have no information on him. Not even a name. You'll need to flesh out Drav's backstory to have any chance of finding him, as I have nothing to go on even if I did introduce him into the game.
chese780 wrote:2) Go East
I was talking more about in-character goals. Drav doesn't even know there is an east, much less wants to go there.
chese780 wrote:3) Come to terms with missing 40 years (Although short in the long run, it's long in the short run).
I thought he already did, to be honest. You haven't roleplayed any psychological effects that he might be suffering from. I keep bringing up the fact he was alone for 35 years, but Drav doesn't seem to have had any problem rejoining civilization so far. So I assumed you were just going to gloss over his recovery.
chese780 wrote:She tree-asoned with the people holding it.
Ah, damn typo. That was supposed to be 'groove.'
chese780 wrote:(OOC: I can't wait for the equivalent of July 7th, year 343.)
That depends on how early Naras woke up; breakfast began at 10 AM. But you're right, it takes 10 minutes per spell level; so 10 minutes for a 1st level spell, 20 minutes for a 2nd level spell, and so on.
I would have talked more, but I was kindof busy with testing and stuff. Also, he didn't seem to reply to me much *shrug*.
A - Will work on it. Also, it was worded that way to become a Markiplier joke.
B - Oh, whoops. Well, I could have the old blacksmith have had some relic sword from a distant land. That may help. Drav has a thing for craftsmanship, so artistic weapons, armor, etc will make him loose his focus.
C - He's doing it his way. In other words, not talking about it/avoiding talking about it, looking to find his old home, and finally being quiet in general. Why do you think I've been looking around so much.
D - Grove sounds better.
E - Bungie day. On 7/7/7^3 (7^3 = 343)
How about we change it to:
1) Find the Blacksmith
2) See all the artistic metal objects
3) Go back home, fill in the gap.
F - Everything will make sense about all 3 of those goals, my roleplaying, and just about everything I say. I don't type things up as I read, I have a general path for just about any situation*.
*Does not include surprise Beholders, Dragons, or certainly deadly situations.
Characters:
Drav - Lost Souls: Octhania
Elf - Fighter/Thief - Smith The Dragon The Phoenix The Eagle
I thought that was what bad charisma means... bad relationships, bad conversations, bad first impression (and second and third...) That's how Baeros acts not only to Drav, but also to Brock, Shima, and sometimes also to the ladies. Gallath and Val were exception since they talked about training animals. And also with them Baeros mocked them many times. He doesn't do it on purpose, sometimes he think he is funny and in others just speaking straight his mind with no tact. On the other hand, if he stumbles into active conversation he might add his own opinions knowledge and so on. That's if his interaction won't kill the conversation. But I didn't feel it is reasonable that he will initiate such conversation, be polite in asking about the others and so on.
I know it makes the game more difficult in some aspects, but also more close to what will happen in reality for such group described by the ability scores we have.
@ Jaded
Revised Spells:
Last night Naras cast 3 Cure Disease on herself (just in case of anything latent from the slaad) and cleared a Silence out over the waves. New spells prayed for in bold; total list for GM copy/paste convenience; (takes 2h 20 mins, so I think this shouldn't be a problem):
1st Level: Command, Cure Light Wounds, Cure Light Wounds, Detect Evil, Detect Magic
2nd Level: Cure Moderate Wounds, Detect Charm, Find Traps, Hold Person, <+1 blank>
3rd Level: Dispel Magic, Water Breathing, Water Walk
@Oura
Short version: A blue genasai ("air-elemental/plane-touched") had a Gonto acolyte kidnapped and killed and plans to bring war and ruin to Narin. (Potentially caused the ruins we just left, but that's speculation). He visited there to find the location of a book that was key to his plans.
--Please feel free to add to this Jaded--
