Yackity-Yack

[ChainsawDooM]

You could say that. I've met her in person 3 times. Her and her family.  

[ChainsawDooM]

I'll be completely honest, though. I honestly can't remember much about some of the people from the guild who either joined up later or near when I left, or who I simply didn't talk to much, for whatever reason.

I mean, I remember names. Like, for instance I remembered your name, but I can't place anything about you in my head. Nothing about personality, quirks, likes, dislikes... not a darn thing. Even when I read some people's profile, I just get a kind of... like... "I've read this person's profile" vibe.

Makes me kind of sad... to know I know certain people but be like... how do I know you?

It's even worse when people change their names. Then I feel totally lost.  

[ChainsawDooM]

Have you ever randomly lost a whole lot of hearing in one ear for no reason before? Like... not completely deaf, but like how your hearing is when you're all congested and your ears are pressurized, and stuff. Mine will randomly do that... and have this ringing sound... for no reason. It'll only last for like, 10-20 seconds, though.

Still, it freaks me out.  

[lil4fingers]

>Oh wow. I would definitely say you knew her.

No worries, it happens. I really wasn't active here. I was just here for TnCo. Then I found time, and she left.
Yeah, the name changing is really hard especially when people change and then leave for a long time, and then come back, expecting you to know the names.

As to the hearing loss, yeah, it happens. It's just your ears equalizing the pressures when an imbalence occurs.

 

[ChainsawDooM]

I don't have much to talk about again, today...  

[ChainsawDooM]

DMed my second game today. Royally messed up important NPC dialogue session. It was pretty freaking bad. It sucks, because I had it all planned out in my head, too... but I just couldn't pop it out right... frickin' dumb.

I guess I'll write out what's going on in that campaign, since it's not too complicated right now.

Ooookay. Backstory first. Planet is called Cestus, continent is called Celexia, and the current country the players start in is called Tannyth.

Tannyth is a fairly average feeling fantasy country. It's ruled by an aristocracy, and it mainly prevails as a port hub and such. It has good natural resources, but its biggest strongpoint is its absolutely fantastic geographical borders.

Its bordered on the east by an ocean and a cape thing, with its countries to the south being very benign countries anyway. Its bordered on the south by the Garren Marshes, which, due to magical taint, are absolutely horrifying to pass through. Think the worst bayous of Louisiana if everything was warped, evil, poisonous, acidic, and not unrarely horrible undead monstrosities. It's also bordered on the north and east by a mountain range called the Wishbone Mountains.

Going to history, about 500-800 years ago (I haven't decided), an extremely powerful necromancer tried to take over Celexia. He was stopped by 6 heroes. I don't reember what I named the necromancer. He's... I guess not important to the story right now, but he will be later.

Anyway, the players started off last game in a town nestled in the wishbone mountains that mainly dealt with lumber and stuff. They had grown up there and have known eachother for quite a while. About five years ago, a guy calling himself Lucky showed up in town. Apparently, he was hiding from a thieves guild from the town Caldera that's.... fairly close. about 5-8 days travel.

Yeah, Caldera is called Caldera because it is built on a dormant volcano's caldera. It's pretty much run by a thieves guild whose leader is known as Lady Lizbeth. Their influence stretches throughout most of Tannyth, and a little it outside it.

Anyway, during the 5 months Lucky stayed in town, the players families were pretty much the only ones that took him in, so he became fast friends with the players. He always dies his hair black, for some reason... and so frequently noone in the town has any idea what his natural hair color is.

Well, the Players talk to Lucky alot, and after hearing about his adventures, decide that they are bored, and want to go out on an adventure and see the world. That's good, too, because Lucky is tired of sitting still and he's set up to run a little lumber run to the nearby city of Bellz (2-3 days travel).

They've saved up 50 gold for the trip, but they need more stuff. So, while leaving, they check their families storage places (attic, basement, etc). All of the players families have these chests in there that have an item in there that kind of evolves with the character, and 2000 gold worth of stuff I let them pick. I started these characters off at level 1, fyi.... and level ones are lucky if they even get 50 gold at the start. Oh yeah, the families don't know where exactly the chests came from or when they came from. Only that they've been there for a long time and never opened for anyone until now.

...
That's the end of the backstory. I'm tired, so that's all I'm gonna write for now. Oh, and I've made up this world and these characters. So that's good. I'll probably write more about this later. Next time I post it'll probably be about what happened in the first game.  

[lil4fingers]

>Sorry, I'm extremely confused: what's "DM'ed a game" mean? Is this a game you've created?

 

[ChainsawDooM]

DM stands for Dungeon Master, who is basically the guy who runs the game. He plays all the NPCs and enemies in the game and sets up the plot and setting.

The game is Dungeons and Dragons Edition 3.5. I did create the universe and plot we are playing in, but I'm using those rules.  

[lil4fingers]

>Whoa. I'm having intense images of guys huddled around a board game and you striving to thwart them at every turn. Dungeons and Dragons is still pretty big? I had thought it fizzed our quite a while ago.

 

[ChainsawDooM]

You can find people who play it fairly easily if you try. And there isn't so much of a pre-made board anymore (although you can get them, but I think they are dumb) as much as a laminated grid that I draw the encounter map on.


Also, I've started playing Eve Online. It's fun as hell, for me. Takes a little bit to get used to the interface, though. Hell of a learning curve. Fun though. I can't stop playing it.  

[lil4fingers]

>I would suspect as much. There are fans for everything nowadays. Oh. So, you really do basically set the whole thing up. How long does that take?

No idea on what that is, but I'm glad you're enjoying it :3

 

[ChainsawDooM]

That depends. I just set up my next game today. It took about 2 hours. You have to kind of try to plan loosely unless you're really good at railroading the players. Railroading is keeping them on a set plot. You have to set a fine line between letting them do what they want and keeping them in your story. It takes a hell of a lot of finesse.

Anywho, depending on what you're doing, setting up a session, for me anyway, since I've been playing for so long, probably takes only 1-2 hours if I don't have to build and stat any big enemy bosses. It takes about... 20-30 minutes per 5 levels of the boss for me to actually make the statistics for a really good boss. minions and stuff are cakewalks. 3-5 minutes regardless of level for me to make the stats for them.

That being said... thinking up how to make a boss challenging and not just the run-of-the-mill blasty mage, shanky rogue, run-up-and-hit-you-in-the-face-with-a-big-weapon fighter, etc... now that can take a while, depending on how unique you're trying to make the boss fight. I've got some good ones for later set up, but they're for a much higher level.

I can actually post my plans for the next game I'm doing so you can see what I do to try and plan.

... But basically, I guess I should say what kinda happened. They met this guy named Eddison Trent who apparently has some history with Lucky. Trent set up Lucky and is what got him hunted by the thieves guild. Trent says he "learned from the best, eh mate" and that Lucky left him for dead on his first mission for the thieves guild, and that if the players stayed with him, he'd likely betray them, too. Lucky denied this, and the players think both characters are telling the truth, i.e., someone's lying, but they can't tell who.

After deciding to fight Trent, Trent kills the players oxen that are hauling their cart full of lumber. The players defeat Trent's lackeys and wound Trent, however Trent escapes, while lucky is severely injured (1 hp, left). Thus, Lucky is in dire need of healing, and they are left with no way to move their lumber into the city which is just ahead. Also, it's getting dark and a storm is coming.  

[ChainsawDooM]

Notes:
PC= Player Characters
DC= Difficulty Class (how high Players need to make with a roll and whatever applicable bonuses in order to succeed in what they are trying to do)
Current player party all level 3
Human Female Wizard - Rita Mordio
Human Male Fighter - Valus or Vexus or something
Human Male Fighter - can't remember his name
Catfolk Male Rogue - Tabby
Elf Male Ranger - Rain... I think

* PCs use gold as collateral to rent oxen to move wood, so they can sell the wood to pay for healing.
>Lucky says a fighter and the ranger should stay to watch the cart so stuff isn’t stolen. He should go to the inn because being out here is just asking to be shot by another bolt. Other fighter and Rogue should go do the talking. Wizard should come with him for protection. It begins to rain.

* Lucky buys room in inn. Pulls out gold pouch and pays, goes up to room with Wizard. Lucky says he has to take a piss, and leaves for outhouse. Does not return.

* Fighter and Rogue have to give pretty much the entire party gold as collateral because guy who has oxen doesn’t trust adventurers for s**t. And is allergic to cats (catfolk rogue...). And hates kids... and tall people... And is a dwarf and hates beardless pansy-assed elves. He's quite a surly little man.

* PCs return to inn to find Lucky gone

* After 1 hour of searching cries of murder and alarms draw PCs to alley.

* Find guards and corpse with nearly identical clothing to lucky. Guards won’t let close.
-Spot DC low to see it is a stabbing
-Spot DC high to see it isn’t Lucky

* When PCs return to inn, they find the door locked and jammed from the other side. Muffled, unidentifiable voice challenges who is there.

* PCs find lucky there, fully healed and slightly lounging, but very alert.

* Lucky explains how he decided helplessly waiting around in a windowed death-trap killing room while barely clinging onto life by a thread while Trent might still be trying to kill him was a bad idea, so he left after taking a piss to go get healed by trading some of his stuff. He thinks that at least moving around on the streets with patrolling guards, and with his devilishly good luck, it’d be less likely Trent would try anything, especially if he kept close to the guards.

* PCs sleep

*Next day, PCs meet Franklin Ripley LaMoire in tavern downsairs. Giant gold “!” over his head that only they can see. Private in joke referencing wow. Later revealed to be divine intervention by the god Zelibuth.

*Frank explains contract all battle medics have to have people sign in order to join their party. PCs sign.

*Woman wanders in. Looks completely out of place, worried, and concerned etc. We'll name her... Sharon.

*Explains her lover (let's go with... Dirk Grayson) was arrested for the murder that happened yesterday. His dagger was found at the crime scene, and he couldn't give an alibi for where he was because he was with her that night... his best friend's wife. Asks PCs for help to clear his name. PCs should agree. Lucky says “It’s a waste of time. It’s obvious Trent did it, since the man was dressed like me.” Woman begs more. PCs agree. Lucky reluctantly agrees, and decides to pay for another inn stay on him, since he caused the recent trouble for the group. Some coins fall out of a rip in his coin purse. Says that one of the arrows that hit him the night before must have done it.

* Clues are at Coffinmaker, Guard Station, Scene of the Crime, Dirk’s house, First Witness, Healer.

- Coffinmaker
*Heal DC 10: Man stabbed with dagger from the FRONT

- Guard station
*Diplomacy 10: Location of crime scene, info PCs already know. Basic details of crime
*Diplomacy 12: Where the body is at right now (coffinmaker)
*Diplomacy 15: Access to murder weapon
* Diplomacy 17: Access to the three witnesses
*Diplomacy 20: Gives the above information without prompts, and clues PCs in that the local guards may have some work for them around the outskirts of the town afterwards.

-Witnesses
* Witness one (Jack Orr) ( usually hangs out at the cheap tavern, “Boars head.” Says saw whole thing, but lying. Keeps requesting PCs buy him ale before he continues his story. Says man stuck up from behind victim, victim turned around, and assailant stabbed him and robbed him, then ran to the south. Says he saw currently accused man’s face, and that he’s glad that man is behind bars because he’s a no good wife-stealing scoundrel. (Info unlikely to be gained)-> Victim also happens to be woman’s husband.
* Witness two (Margaret Baker) is a doddering, slightly senile, elderly human who works as a seamstress at the tailor shop. Won’t talk until PCs buy clothes. Rambles often and keeps switching subjects about pretty dresses for Rita and how much she loves kitty cats. Also a story about a love affair with an elf man when she was “not but a girl then.” For example: Well, yesterday, I saw this bloody man when I was on my way to buy some flour for my grand-nieces 13th birthday party, my how my niece looks like you, young girl *ramble.* Oh yes, I was on my way to buy flour before the general store closed for the night, so I could bake a cake for my grand-neices birthday today. I also made her this beautiful blouse, I think it complements her very splendidly. I but I could make YOU an amazing blouse, young lady*tries to make Rita buy pretty clothing while rambling.* Anyway, what she was was a bloody man fleeing north from scene (healer is north). She went to investigate and was the one who shouted the alarm.
* Witness three is the blacksmith. He is a dwarf. Saw man approach victim head on, stop, some shouting, a struggle, and then stabbing the man from the front. Witness didn’t want any part in it because he thought it was thieves guild business, and he ain’t gonna lie because of his dwarven honor for no dirty thieves guild, but he ain’t stupid, so the smart things ter keep yer mouth shut…until the murder weapon was found and the guy was almost guaranteed to be the perp, then he decided to say what he saw because why the hell not.

- Scene of crime
*Survival DC HIGH- tracks show one man approached another man head on, he was bleeding, they scuffle, stab, ran to the north.
*Search DC HIGH- find gold coin and some leather bits heavily trampled under the dirt. Bits too small and trampled to tell what they are.

-Dirk’s house
*No obvious signs of forced entry.
*DC search Med: Some blood outside by door and some inside.

- Healer
*Says saw Lucky, but not Trent. Lucky says aside that she was probably bribed to say she didn’t see him.
*Diplomacy DC LOW- offers for PCs to inspect gold. Some are dirty. With MED survival, is same dirt.

*PCs have to fight Lucky when they finally find out he is the murderer. Turn him into Guard, guards congratulate. If they didn’t mention it before, they mention the jobs for the guard outside town. However, "it’ll be too late to start now", and they'll recommend PCs go back to inn and start tomorrow.

*When PCs get back to in, they find Sharon has left money for them and a sincere thanks, and while she knows the money isn’t much, if they ever need something within their power when they’re near town again, that her and her NEW HUSBAND will be happy to help. Signed Sharon Grayson.

*Bartender also says that there was another letter left for them. It’s from Trent. Stop there, because I want to write a good letter.  

[ChainsawDooM]

I've still got several huge, glaring plot-holes i need to iron out of this, though. Such as, Why did Lucky risk doing this in the first place? ... and some others.

I'm thinking of having Lucky not come back, faking his own death, and making it even harder for the PCs to find out who the actual victim was by having him be buried already. Then, the whole time Lucky will have killed a person to act as a decoy for both them, and Trent. I can make the guy a bum, and Lucky switched his clothes... No... I really want Lucky to be a murderer and Trent to be clean at this point. Besides... Trent's job was to bring lucky back alive... so the master of the thieves guild, Lady 'Lizbeth could take her time with him.

I like that route better... of lucky killing a guy as a decoy... But I'll have to change the third witness's story around a bit. And some other stuff. Plus... that leaves Lucky as a loose end, and will make it even better to use Trent as their contact in the thieves guild later.

I'll just have to nix the whole gold purse thing, and find a way to make it harder for them to find the "true" truth. And find a way for them to convince the guards. Not too hard to do.

Also, I think I'll make Jack Orr NOT Sharon's husband... just a drunken a*****e, since no one in town is supposed to know about the affair.  

[ChainsawDooM]

The biggest hint to this whole thing is that the man was stabbed from the front. Meaning that, Trent couldn't have done it, because he would have noticed by looking into his face that the man wasn't Lucky. So, once the PCs figure out that the man who was buried wasn't lucky, but some other traveler (I'm changing it from a bum to a traveler, right now) in Lucky's clothes, they'll know Lucky was using a decoy, but they'll think Trent killed the decoy. Once they find out that the man was stabbed from the front, they'll know Trent didn't do it.

My biggest rewrite is the blacksmith's story. I'm betting I'll make Lucky have traded the man his adventuring clothes and gear for gold, went and bought healing and new threads, and then went back and stabbed him in the alleyway from the front, then left.

I could make him stab him and then change his clothes, I suppose... hmm... yeah...

If I have the blacksmith see the actual murder, while lucky is still in his gear and the traveler in his...... and the woman show up only after Lucky leaves after switching clothes with the traveler and planting the dagger, while going off to go get healed... because his clothes are already full of holes and wounds, so it wouldn't be so suspicious...

I think it could work, and be complex enough to be somewhat difficult to piece together what happened...

AH, DUDE! I could even make Rita get knocked out in the room by an arrow! She was really low on HP, last game. I could make it so she doesn't know where it came from, and when the others get to the room, Lucky's just gone, Rita's unconscious and the window is broken, and Lucky could have set the whole thing up to make the party think Trent went after him, and killed him while he was running through that alleyway. F*** man, this is perfect!