DM Bigrin's Second Darkness (Inactive)

Game Master bigrin42

OK, ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard.

Please take this time to create your character profiles (if you haven't done so already) and make sure everything is accurate.

The next step is some ground rules.

1) I'd like to keep this campaign moving. I expect each of you to check the campaign at least once per day (as needed, excepting weekends). If you cannot post for more than 48 hours, please let me know in this thread so I can NPC your character or hold the story as necessary. On a related note, keep your sheets up to date at all times...especially immediately following a combat update. If I need to DMPC you for any reason, I want to make sure I have all available info.

2) Please stay in character. I know we have a variety of alignments in the mix. You don't have to play lawful stupid, but I do expect some confrontations. That's okay, but remember that your survival and success depends on each other and perhaps some compromise (however distasteful) may be in order.

4) Please Do not read spoilers directed at other people. They contain in-game knowledge that is specific to that person. If they choose to share that, it is up to them, but I'd rather not have to fire around 40 PMs every time someone notices something that the others have missed. I'll just let you RP out the info as you choose. Occasionally I may indeed PM you info that I do not want others to know unless your character specifically chooses to tell them.

5) I'll roll all initiatives and passive checks for you guys to keep things moving. We'll do combat as: group before monsters, monsters, group after monsters. After the first round, the after and before groups will post as one chunk. I'll merge everything together for combat update purposes. If you need to wait on another character's actions before you post, please say so in this thread so no one is waiting for you and wondering what's going on.

My ultimate rules:

1) Thou shalt not engage in PVP: The goal is for everyone to have a good time, and PvP only sours everyone’s experience.

2) Thou shalt not bully other players: Again, everyone is supoosed to be having a good time. Just because you CAN bully others in game doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Extreme forms of character harassment will not be tolerated. By their nature, Pathfinders take in characters with various backgrounds and alignments. You still have to cooperate with each other, regardless.

3) Thou shalt keep thy character sheet updated: All the time. Period. HP, conditions, AC, modifiers, gold, Xp. If I need to DMPC your character for a fight because you haven’t posted and we need to move on, i need to know what your capabilities are. If your sheet says you have 3 hp left and you get nailed by a crossbow bolt, don’t come crying to me the next day that you really got healed to full before the combat. Keep it on your sheet.

4) Thou shalt post regularly: Taken from above, you should be posting (or at least checking to see if you need to post) at least once per day, minimum. I give leeway on weekends, since that is my family time, but still I don’t think that is too unreasonable. Short delays lead to longer delays which lead to dead threads. If you need to be gone for more than a day, let me know in advance so I can DMPC your character.

5) Thou shalt have fun: Isn’t that the point?

I think that is everything from my end right now. I'll get the IC thread up in a bit.

Does everyone have access to the Second Darkness Player's guide? If not, shoot me a PM and I'll see if I can't connect you with one.

The adventure will start in the town of Riddleport, on the coast of the Varisian Gulf, at the Golden Goblin gambling hall. A big event is underway; "Cheat the Deveil and Take His Gold" looks to be the gambling event of the decade, and the owner of the Golden Goblin has gone to every length to see that it is.

Please let me know why you're there -- you may arrive as a gambler, a curious observer, or someone just looking for work. We can determine if your characters know each other (or anyone in the village) here too, or if you're all there separately. Whatever you think works best for your characters is fine with me.

Please feel free to ask any questions.

Once we get everything settled, we can get started, hopefully today or tomorrow.

DM Assigned traits:

Quick check in before lunch. Thank you DM Bigrin for having me aboard, I'll fix up her character sheet, add spoilers, missing stats, etc.

I think Belana would be there to gamble, perhaps spread the word of her god a bit too.

Thanks, and glad to be aboard. I'll update Calla to first-level inquisitor by the end of the day, and figure out what she's doing at the tournament.

Bigrin -- I do NOT have the player's guide for Second Darkness.

Also, as I mentioned in the recruitment thread, Calla can be a bit abrasive. Please don't take this as *me* being abrasive to you, but I'm going to try to be true to that part of the nature (while also not making it so she can't work with everyone else's characters, of course). Just let me know if anyone's got a concern with anything. : )

I be here! Let the games commence! Bruendor's not a very good gambler - he's got no pokerface, so he's probably not interested in playing. The tourney is something to get him out of the house, and maybe find some gainful employment.

I also don't have the Second Darkness guide, but I found a link to something online somewheres.

I can see this being interesting, and Calla wont be Belana's biggest concern. Having a beardless dwarf as the party scout, she might have a hard time trusting him. Chelixian half-elf or beardless dwarf dishonored by Torag, Cayden is clearly testing her.

Hero Lab and I went to work. Downside of it is that my version (I went cheap) doesn't have the trait you gave Lefrik. It shouldn't be any trouble as I just put it in the profile with a notation.

Lefrik is very likely the gawking tourist. He's in Riddleport to make his mark, but he means to as a warrior, not a gambler. Despite that, he's never seen anything like this big gambling event, certainly not on this scale. He wants to see what the fuss is about. He figures the 'Devil' reference is just braggadocio like Skalds use in their sagas and will be very surprised (and spooked) if he learns anything to the contrary. If, during his watching of the event, he should make contact with someone who needs an honorable axe for hire, so much the better.

Hero Lab and I went to work. Downside of it is that my version (I went cheap) doesn't have the trait you gave Lefrik. It shouldn't be any trouble as I just put it in the profile with a notation.

The traits I gave out are specific to your character. They don't necessarily exist (in that exact form) in the Paizo canon, so they would not appear in the Hero Lab program. See if Berzerker of the Society trait is there. It is equivalent to the one I assigned you.

As soon as Anklebiter shows up, I am ready (almost) to kick this thing off.

How about a beardless teetotalling dwarf as the party scout, O cleric of Cayden? ;)

I've updated Anklebiter with the trait you provided. ^^ I'm going to say he's at the Golden Goblin out of pure curiosity; he's never seen a Goblin with a golden skin, nor a Goblin statue made of gold. He'll be a little disappointed when he sees there is no actual Goblin, but he'll stay because all the excitement about the gambling piques his interest.

And a goblin, why, O Cayden why! :)

The traits I gave out are specific to your character. They don't necessarily exist (in that exact form) in the Paizo canon, so they would not appear in the Hero Lab program. See if Berzerker of the Society trait is there. It is equivalent to the one I assigned you.

As soon as Anklebiter shows up, I am ready (almost) to kick this thing off.

Found it, but I don't have the data package for it (and at this time I won't be buying it) . I hope just having it in the profile is okay?

And a goblin, why, O Cayden why! :)

Living proof that the Southlanders are mad :)

And a goblin, why, O Cayden why! :)

Maybe he's trying to tell you it's high time you let go of old preconceptions. ... That, and possibly your eyebrows, as soon as Anklebiter can purchase an alchemist lab! :P

Found it, but I don't have the data package for it (and at this time I won't be buying it) . I hope just having it in the profile is okay?

By all means. I never want anyone to feel like they have to buy a software package. i just want to have fun. Most of my characters are still in myth-weavers-sheet land.

Okay, the Gameplay thread is up. Feel free to mingle, gawk, ask for work, or whatever your characters would do in such a place. Once everyone's had a chance to get the feel of the place, maybe meet another PC or two, the tourney will begin!

Oh, and keep your hands off the succubi. They're just barmaids in cosplay and they don't get paid enough to put up with that! ;-)

I still do all my characters by hand. (Calla's almost updated, though I still have to redo equipment and will probably tweak her background slightly.)

As far as starting points go, I was thinking perhaps she was brought in to the tournament simply to keep an eye on things. After all, people are less likely to cheat if they know a priestess of the goddess of revenge is on the premises...

Also, did you want one of our traits to be a campaign trait? I've currently got Suspicious, which fits, but I could pretty easily adapt Scouting for Fiends...

Calla - Congratulations. The owner of the Golden Goblin has hired you as a guard for the big event. You have a brooch on your left shoulder in the design of a golden goblin (surprise) that identifies you as event staff.

As for traits, you are free to pick your personal trait (which does not have to be from the AP. You also get the one I assigned to you based on your background and future goals.

For bad rhyming alone, Belana now knows she is cursed! I almost feel like that no PVP rule was in palce to keep belana's blade at bay. Fear not, mu healing will come to all, be they stinky goblin, pointy eared elf, or beardless dwarf. My only salvation is the raging wildman from the north........

You mean the one that looks upon women as possessions, and wants to know if you're a dwarf, why'd you shave off your beard?

yup, salvation....she's trying to be positive.

Character sheet should look better now, just need to add in all the skills she has no ranks in, and adjust armor penalties. Did a fair amount of copy and paste on abilities and her trait descriptions are in there now.

Nonsense, the Ulfen respect and honor their women...

OTHER culture's women...well, as long as mother doesn't find out, that might be another matter ;)

For bad rhyming alone, Belana now knows she is cursed! I almost feel like that no PVP rule was in palce to keep belana's blade at bay. Fear not, mu healing will come to all, be they stinky goblin, pointy eared elf, or beardless dwarf. My only salvation is the raging wildman from the north........

'Stinky'...? |:( ... Oh, well. Here's an opportunity for you, Belana! Anklebiter is into new things, so here's your chance to introduce him to the wonders of warm baths with lots and lots of soap. ^^

A small note for those who look closely at Anklebiter's face; he has been branded with words in a script you may or may not recognize. Those who can speak Goblin may recognize the words as... complete gibberish. ;)

Creating a new 1st level spell, Unwanted Bath: creates a tub of soapy water that makes a trip attempt. If you fail your save, you are knocked prone in the tub..

Counterspell. :P

see.... they can't be trusted, mark my words, o god of mine!

see.... they can't be trusted, mark my words, o god of mine!

Oh, now! That is just too harsh, not to mention untrue! You can always trust a Goblin... to be a Goblin. ;)

Personally, I wouldn't trust a goblin any further than I could spit a rat.

Personally, I wouldn't trust a goblin any further than I could spit a rat.

Oh? What's your best distance? ;)

About 10 feet for a common black rat

I know you want to keep things moving, and want me to post at least once a day, but Lefrik is kind of frozen until he finds out the results of checking his coin purse

Sorry, I thought I had posted that. Coin purse is intact.

No problem. I just didnt' want to hold folks up :)

For those of you who are here to gamble, buy your chips and let me know what games you are interested in. I have a way to DM-quick the gambling results. but I also can let you place individual wagers on certain games and play things out with you. Let me know if you have a specific game in mind.

Dragon poker - similar rules to 5 card draw, played against other players. I cannot run an individual game for this.

Spinner - Similar to the Wheel of Chance. You pick a slot, make your bet, and if the spinner lands on your spot, you win 10x your bet. I can run an individual game of this, using a d12.

Bounder - Similar to craps. You place your bet and roll 1d20, then the dealer rolls 3d6, then you roll another 1d20. If your rolls lie on either side of the dealer's roll (bounds the roll) you win double your bet. I can run an individual game of this.

Skiffs - A combination of Blackjack and Farkle. The player bets his stake. Each player takes turns rolling the dice. On your turn, you roll all six dice. A 1 or a 5, three of a kind, three pairs, or a six-dice straight earn points. You must select at least one scoring die. You can then hold, or risk the points earned this turn and roll the remaining dice. If none of your rolled dice earn points, you go bust. you continue rolling this way until you hold, or go bust. Dealer holds when only 2 dice are left to roll. If you beat the dealer, you win double your bet.

Scoring

1 - 100 points
5 - 50 points
3 of a kind (2-5) - 100x pip number points
3 ones - 1000 points
1,2,3,4,5,6 - 1000 points

Example: Your first rolls shows 4,2,2,3,2,3. You keep the three 2's for 200 points. Your second roll comes up 1,3, giving you a total of 300 points. The dealer rolls 1, 2, 3, 3, 5, and 6. He keeps the the 1 and the 5 for 150 points. He then rolls the remaining four dice. On that roll he gets 3, 4, 4, and 5. He selects the 5, giving him a total of 200 points. His next roll comes up 3,4,6. That is a bust. Player wins!

I can run an individual game of this, but it would require a lot of dice. Your call.

Forgive me, but I'm going to listen to my inner paranoid and not pay to gamble when someone mentions that my character's soul is in the pot. ;)

Bah! Where's your sense of adventure. Besides, you already signed the contract...I mean, registration form.

Meetings all day sorry, Was working on a post during lunch and ran out of time. I believe Belana would like to play Bounder

Dang, wish Calla was a gambler. Seems like it'd be fun to play. Oh well.

That's okay. You can watch, and probably will get the chance to knock a few heads together if you're lucky.

Wait for the first sore loser to blow his gasket :)

I'm enjoying the goblin and barbarian's conversation

I'm enjoying the goblin and barbarian's conversation

Lefrik strikes me as a talker. He doesn't always know what he's talking about, but that's neither here nor there.:) Plus, Anklebiter is making it quite easy to bounce off of right now.

Personally, I am enjoying the lot of it.

I'm having fun, too. ^^

to be clear, I am enjoying it all, but the commentary by those two struck me as very entertaining. Especially becasue i get to see it as a player, while my character is clueless of the goblin she will be fated to adventure with.

Lefrik gives sage advice, "As a rule, pissing yourself will not get you into the sagas of legend. I advise against it from now on."

Too Funny......

Thanks. I figure that's about as sage as a Wis 10 gets :)

Maybe we should both take some ranks in Perform (buffoonery)? ;) We could make a killing whenever we stop at a tavern -- and I mean in spending money.

NEVER... a true warrior is to be feared, respected, and admired...

how much money? ;)

Enough for beer and stew at every inn. If there's any left over, your friendly Goblin manager will keep it safe.

And trust me, no one will want to steal from the Goblin who uses 'downtime' to brew alchemist's fire. :P