The Scorched Lands (Inactive)

Game Master wicked_raygun

A Pathfinder Western-styled, Steampunk Adventure.
The Ambush Map


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Well, I suppose I’ll introduce myself first. I’m Wicked Raygun, your GM for this madness. My real name is Ray, and I live in Puerto Rico. That generally puts me 1 hour ahead of EST.

I’ve run this world before for my wife and two closest friends. We won’t be doing exactly what I did with them, but with the experience I’ve gained there, I have a rough idea on what I should and shouldn’t do. Or at least, that’s the hope. The Scorched Lands as of now is a big empty space of possibilities. We’ll fill it in together.

If you feel I can improve somewhere, please feel free to either bring it up here in the Discussion Tab or PM me if you’d rather keep it private. I want to make this an easy going thread where we can communicate freely.

I’m pretty familiar with Pathfinder rules, but I’m only human. If I make a mistake, go ahead and challenge me. I promise to be civil. I only ask that you do the same in return.

So, yeah, that’s it for now I guess. Please introduce yourselves, talk about your characters and feel free to ask me anything you want.


Hey, I'm Ben. I'm from Massachusetts (no, nowhere near Boston). Looking forward to this, haven't been in a campaign like it.

As for Ira, I wanted to make something like the archetypal fervent preacher. He'll be even-tempered most of the time - I don't want to play that character that spends all his time pressing his religion on others. Mainly he will take unkindly to wrongdoers and ne'er-do-wells, condemning them to... well, something horrible. I'm not sure if there's a Hell equivalent, or if there is if that's what it's called. And when condemnation of their deeds doesn't work, he summons in divine dogs and eagles to hunt them down. So more like a bounty-hunting vicar than a fire and brimstone, we-will-all-burn-for-your-sins type of character.

But if he gets the chance to stand behind a pulpit and do some preaching for the downtrodden and god-fearing, well, he most likely won't pass up the opportunity.

Some questions for you, Ray - do you have a map for the Scorched Lands, or just the Big Drop? No worries if not, I'd just be interested in seeing what exactly the layout of the world looks like. I'm also curious about the settlements and whatnot in the Drop, and where people might settle based on their occupations. I just placed Ira's hometown in the south on a whim, but if there's a plains area somewhere else I'd move it.

I'm also wondering if there's any set holy symbols for the gods. I used a noose for the Hangman, just because it seemed appropriate. If you had something else in mind, I'd be happy to change it.

Last thing: can we hear anything on what the premise for the campaign is? What our motivations for staying right here in the Drop are? A divine will be to enforced, perhaps?


Halfling Swashbucker(Mouser) 1, hp 12/12, AC 20(T15/FF16) CMD 14, Init +4, Perc +7, F+3/R+7/W+2 Panche 3/3

Hey folks. Ryan from Canada here. I'm on the west coast and post mostly at night, just so you know.

For the PCs, we should try to make sure we have our knowledge skills covered. Also I second the call for the campaign premise, or at least what the initial adventure hook will be.


Feeling a little groggy here. I got some awesomely timed food poisoning, so I'm awake right now when I should be sleeping.

Anyways, as of now, there is no map. But I envision an area not unlike the video game Red Dead Redemption. So all the various possibilities of the West are represented. From Sandy desserts, to dry beds, to salt flats, to grassy plains, etc.

Basically, whatever I need for storytelling purposes. :-)

The Big Drop in general is about the size of the Mid-west and West United States put together. So there is a lot of room to spread out.

People do what they can in the Big Drop. Mining for coal or adamantine, drilling for oil, ranching, panhandling for gold in rivers, working on the Railroad -- all the live, long day.

You will begin in New Oasis during Carnivale -- A fantasy stand-in for New Orleans, and Mardi Gras respectively. There you hear about opportunity out West in a boomtown called Tin Star. Now boomtowns go bust all the time, but this one seems stable-ish. So your character should be either dumb enough or desperate enough to travel to Tin Star.

And, yes, a Noose was exactly what I used in my campaigns as the Holy Symbol for the Hangman. I basically created holy symbols as I needed them. The Master uses a stylized depiction of the Sun with 8 rays representing the 8 schools of magic. The Madam uses the Crescent Moon, the Shooter uses bullets.

But in general feel free to create what you need for flavor. Also your gear can look however you want it to for the sake of badassery. Instead of cloaks, dusters, for example.


Human Desperado 3 [ HP: 25/25 | AC: 15 (T: 13, FF: 11) | Fort +5 / Ref +6 / Will +1 | Init +4 / Percept +6 ]

I'm super excited for this.

Quick question: Are we able to use Traits/Drawbacks? Are there any custom campaign traits?

Proioxis wrote:
Hey, I'm Ben. I'm from Massachusetts (no, nowhere near Boston).

Small world! I am also in Massachusetts, but actually am in Boston.

I'm drafting a character writeup about my character, which I'll have up later this morning. If anyone ends up wanting to have some kind of prior relationship, I'd definitely be up for that.


Two traits. But no drawbacks. The Additional Traits feat is viable, if you want it though.

I should mention since some here worship The Brakeman. His holy symbol is a railroad spike.


Male Pyromaniac Lava Gnome Alchemist 3
Quick Stats:
[w/Mutagen (inactive)] HP 18/18 (0 NL) | AC 15[18]; T 13[14]; FF 13[15]; +4 Dodge vs. Giants | CMD 13[14] | Fort +3; Ref +5[7]; Will 0[-1] | Init +2[4] | Perc +5[3]; DV 60' | PF 4/4 | Bomb 8/10

I'll resist the urge to say "Howdy"...

Anybody who knows me on the general boards knows me as Dux, so I'll introduce myself that way. I'm in Virginia with either wide-open or extremely limited posting ability during the day depending on my work schedule. I can almost always read and at least keep up with the action, though.

The best way to understand of my guy is to watch his episodes in (only) the first season of The Wild Wild West. My Loveless is modeled on him (with the evilness reined in to suit the campaign). Essentially a pint-sized megalomaniacal mad scientist -- though he is, in fact, wildly talented across numerous domains. (Well, at least the TV version; my Loveless only had so many skill points to spread around!) He'll be pompous, arrogant, and overly confident if I play him right... but I'm hoping you'll find some things about him to love, as well.

He's lacking the beard shown in the forum icon, but it was the closest I could get to how I'm imagining his appearance. Those offended by chibi should look away; for the rest, this is his chibiform avatar and will give you a better idea of how he dresses. (Any resemblance to the notorious criminal Roman Torchwick is entirely coincidental.)

(Note that Arliss Loveless from the movie is a totally different character -- Jim West noted Miguelito Loveless has his own strange sense of honor and commented he would miss him in the episode Miguelito was presumed deceased. I'm also going more for the early Loveless vibe; his character changed quite a bit once the creator of the series passed away.)

Ryan, Doc can cover arcana, engineering, and nature when it comes to knowledge.

Ditto on the "super excited" thing!


Human Desperado 3 [ HP: 25/25 | AC: 15 (T: 13, FF: 11) | Fort +5 / Ref +6 / Will +1 | Init +4 / Percept +6 ]

I’m going with an Anti-Hero kind of character. This Bounty Hunter that’s in her early 30’s, reaching a point where she could be considered ‘aging’, in a profession where one tends not to live a long time. She can feel that she’s only got a few good years left before slowing down, it’s just a matter of time, and she resents it. Resents that her life has been little more than leaving a trail of bodies. She’d be cynical, often drunk, brash and independent. Ruthless to anyone outside of her crew.

For purely fluff reasons, I’ve given her the Perform skill and a violin, thinking of her as being someone who, in another world, could be a lady, could be enchanting, could be pretty. But as it is, she’s brutal, she’s from a harsh and unforgiving world.

Full nerd discretion: She’s inspired by a Keats poem (La Belle Dame Sans Merci) in which a knight meets a beautiful lady, a femme fatale, who attracts lovers only to destroy them, simply because it is her nature to destroy. Beautiful, fascinating, and deadly.


Greetings!

My name is Matthew and I will be playing Caitlyn Browning, named after the rifle manufacturer. Her family owns a rife and munitions company back east and hence the tie in.

I am two weeks away from being a third year medical student, which means I have finals beginning Monday in Pathophysiology and then another Thursday in Pharmacology. I will no doubt be rather scatter brained until then, but I will do my best.

I live in the Caribbean for another three weeks and I can't wait to get out of here. Many people think living on an island in the Caribbean is awesome and I suppose it was for the first two weeks. Now I just want to go home to Atlanta and a life I left behind.

Caitlyn is a young halfling adventuress, having run away from home to join the circus, returning for a short while and then leaving again for the World's Fair. Don't worry if these things don't exist in this world, they're just background.

She likes to blow things up, but not in a bad way. She simply gets excited when things go BOOM! She will focus on making constructs and so will have Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wonderous Item and Craft Construct and will be a support character in that regard. She is a spellslinger however, so most of her daily spells will be shot out the end of her rifle, so in that regard, she's not much of a support character.

I look forward to playing with you all, hopefully from the States.


Male Pyromaniac Lava Gnome Alchemist 3
Quick Stats:
[w/Mutagen (inactive)] HP 18/18 (0 NL) | AC 15[18]; T 13[14]; FF 13[15]; +4 Dodge vs. Giants | CMD 13[14] | Fort +3; Ref +5[7]; Will 0[-1] | Init +2[4] | Perc +5[3]; DV 60' | PF 4/4 | Bomb 8/10
Caitlyn Browning wrote:
She likes to blow things up.... She simply gets excited when things go BOOM!

I think Doc and Caitlyn will get along just fine! :o)

"The very nicest toys are the ones that go 'bang'." -- Miguelito Loveless


Caitlyn Browning wrote:
Caitlyn is a young halfling adventuress, having run away from home to join the circus, returning for a short while and then leaving again for the World's Fair. Don't worry if these things don't exist in this world, they're just background.

I can guarantee that there is in fact a circus in Scorched Lands. And it is awesome. PT Barnum is just too ingrained into Americana for there not to be.

I hadn't thought about a World's Fair type event, but it makes sense there would be. So you're good, don't worry.


Human Desperado 3 [ HP: 25/25 | AC: 15 (T: 13, FF: 11) | Fort +5 / Ref +6 / Will +1 | Init +4 / Percept +6 ]

Did I hear someone say explosions?! :D

Leland Hopkins wrote:
For the PCs, we should try to make sure we have our knowledge skills covered.
Dr. Miguelito Loveless wrote:
Ryan, Doc can cover arcana, engineering, and nature when it comes to knowledge.

Looking at how people are built right now, we've got about half of them covered, and covered pretty well.

Arcana: Doc (+8), Caitlyn (+4)*, and Leland (+7)
Engineering: Doc (+8), and Caitlyn (+7)
Local: Caitlyn (+7), and Mallory (+6)
Nature: Doc (+5), and Leland (+7)
Religion: Leland (+7), and Ira (+5)

*Note that this will dramatically increase when Caitlyn takes Spellslinger at level 2 and it becomes a class skill.

Which means we're not covered at all on Dungeoneering, Geography, History, Nobility, and Planes. I'm not 100% sure how important Nobility or Planes will be with this setting, but there's like to be a good reason for us to grab History/Geography/Dungeoneering.

Caitlyn Browning wrote:
I live in the Caribbean for another three weeks and I can't wait to get out of here. Many people think living on an island in the Caribbean is awesome and I suppose it was for the first two weeks.

That's pretty much how I feel about Florida after having lived there for a year. Lovely to visit, but not a good place to live.


Halfling Swashbucker(Mouser) 1, hp 12/12, AC 20(T15/FF16) CMD 14, Init +4, Perc +7, F+3/R+7/W+2 Panche 3/3

Leland's profile is not set yet. I just copied over my standard profile template from another character sheet.

Leland will only have 3 skill points, so probably going to take spellcraft, diplomacy and UMD. With the exception of the alchemist, most of the PCs don't have that many skill points, so I don't think we can cover all the knowledge skills.

@W_R: How are we doing starting HP?


Now's probably a good time to mention that you guys won't have to worry about keeping track of XP. I'll be in charge of that, and I'll just let you know when you level up.

You seem to be pretty well covered skill wise. A couple gaps, but nothing horrifying. It's worth noting that when I selected everyone it was due to the strength of their backgrounds and interest in playing with the tropes. Not based on building a mechanically strong party.

Puerto Rico is beautiful, but a pain to live in. Infrastructure here is not awesome. And don't get me started on Amazon.com International fees.

Leland - Starting HP will be full value at first level (in your case 8 + Constitution Modifier). And then a set amount every level:

  • d6 = 4 + Con.
  • d8 = 5 + Con.
  • d10 = 6 + Con.
  • d12 = 7 + Con.

In other words, no random rolling for HP.

I understand you guys need a bit more time. I would like to start the first gameplay post tomorrow afternoon, but I can wait a day more than that if needed. I'll take the temperature of the room tomorrow to see how we're all doing.


Halfling Swashbucker(Mouser) 1, hp 12/12, AC 20(T15/FF16) CMD 14, Init +4, Perc +7, F+3/R+7/W+2 Panche 3/3

As long as you don't dive right into combat, I should be good to go for tomorrow.


Male Pyromaniac Lava Gnome Alchemist 3
Quick Stats:
[w/Mutagen (inactive)] HP 18/18 (0 NL) | AC 15[18]; T 13[14]; FF 13[15]; +4 Dodge vs. Giants | CMD 13[14] | Fort +3; Ref +5[7]; Will 0[-1] | Init +2[4] | Perc +5[3]; DV 60' | PF 4/4 | Bomb 8/10

Even dropping Leland off the listed skills I'd say we're in pretty good shape with those, just a 10% odds drop in two cases. The TV Loveless was an intellectual monster and, to remain true to that, I do plan for Doc to pick up some more Knowledge skills, but that won't help us until 2nd level.

For now, I can justify switching his Kn:Nature (it's not like he's a camping enthusiast) to Geography/History (his parents owned a huge piece of property in the area and he's studied the history of the land to help support that claim) or Planes (the TV Loveless built a machine that created demi-planes in paintings, for gosh sakes). Y'all speak up if you'd like me to do that.

I can go to Gameplay any time you're ready GM, but if you wouldn't mind checking my character I'd appreciate it. I'm wondering if I've cheated Doc, because Hero Lab is insisting I have two more Traits coming. I took the Lava Gnome subtype which granted two Racial Traits, and thinking that used up my allocation I took the Additional Traits Feat to pick up two I specifically wanted.

But now I'm thinking maybe since those two racials replaced four preset Traits, either that opened up two Trait slots, or they don't count against the total?

Quick summary: Lava Gnome grants Darkvision and Pyromaniac alternates, dropping Gnome Magic, Illusion Resistance, Low-Light Vision, and Keen Senses. Accelerated Drinker and Pragmatic Activator were "bought" with Additional Traits.

Thanks!

Oh... and just so everyone will know what they're getting into: One of the reasons I went with a Lava Gnome is it fits with TV Loveless' unpredictable temper and behavior:

Pathfinder PRD wrote:
"Lava gnomes are considered hot-tempered and dangerously unstable even by other gnomes."

Bwahaha, etc.


Human Desperado 3 [ HP: 25/25 | AC: 15 (T: 13, FF: 11) | Fort +5 / Ref +6 / Will +1 | Init +4 / Percept +6 ]

I need to double-check my sheet, as I've been swapping a lot of the numbers around trying to find a Stat array that I actually like. (Yay for having a build that's as MAD as possible.) But I can finalise that in the morning, so I'll be ready to start tomorrow.


Dr. Miguelito Loveless wrote:
Quick summary: Lava Gnome grants Darkvision and Pyromaniac alternates, dropping Gnome Magic, Illusion Resistance, Low-Light Vision, and Keen Senses. Accelerated Drinker and Pragmatic Activator were "bought" with Additional Traits.

If by "bought" you mean they were part of the two traits you get at level creation, then it looks like you're fine. It could just be a hiccup with Hero Lab, as you said.


Male Pyromaniac Lava Gnome Alchemist 3
Quick Stats:
[w/Mutagen (inactive)] HP 18/18 (0 NL) | AC 15[18]; T 13[14]; FF 13[15]; +4 Dodge vs. Giants | CMD 13[14] | Fort +3; Ref +5[7]; Will 0[-1] | Init +2[4] | Perc +5[3]; DV 60' | PF 4/4 | Bomb 8/10
wicked_raygun wrote:
If by "bought" you mean they were part of the two traits you get at level creation...

If I'm understanding you correctly, no, that's not what I mean. I mean that, thinking I had already used my two selectable Traits, I took the Additional Traits Feat and used that to obtain Accelerated Drinker and Pragmatic Activator.

So I traded four Traits for two (by virtue of the Lava Gnome swap-out), then burned a Feat to restore the two Trait "slots" I lost. Which I'm not sure is right.

Does that help?


Darkvision and Pyromaniac are 2 alternate racial traits. Unless I've been doing something drastically wrong, those don't count as the 2 traits you can pick at 1st level. In other words, you didn't need the Additional Traits feat to select Pragmatic Activator and Accelerated Drinker. So you can go on and swap Additional Traits for a different bonus feat.


Male Pyromaniac Lava Gnome Alchemist 3
Quick Stats:
[w/Mutagen (inactive)] HP 18/18 (0 NL) | AC 15[18]; T 13[14]; FF 13[15]; +4 Dodge vs. Giants | CMD 13[14] | Fort +3; Ref +5[7]; Will 0[-1] | Init +2[4] | Perc +5[3]; DV 60' | PF 4/4 | Bomb 8/10

That's great news, thanks! I'll see about correcting that when I get home from work this evening.


I planned for Caitlyn to put 1 pt into every knowledge skill and all are class skills for her. She will have spellcraft, craft alchemy, craft golem bodies and craft firearms maxed out.

Caitlyn should have about a 10 in every knowledge skill.


Male Pyromaniac Lava Gnome Alchemist 3
Quick Stats:
[w/Mutagen (inactive)] HP 18/18 (0 NL) | AC 15[18]; T 13[14]; FF 13[15]; +4 Dodge vs. Giants | CMD 13[14] | Fort +3; Ref +5[7]; Will 0[-1] | Init +2[4] | Perc +5[3]; DV 60' | PF 4/4 | Bomb 8/10

We should complement each other nicely; Alchemists have all of Craft as class skills.


How's everyone doing with their characters, so far?


Male Pyromaniac Lava Gnome Alchemist 3
Quick Stats:
[w/Mutagen (inactive)] HP 18/18 (0 NL) | AC 15[18]; T 13[14]; FF 13[15]; +4 Dodge vs. Giants | CMD 13[14] | Fort +3; Ref +5[7]; Will 0[-1] | Init +2[4] | Perc +5[3]; DV 60' | PF 4/4 | Bomb 8/10

I'm good to go. All decisions made, just need to update the character sheet.

Unless the gang wants me to trade out Kn:Nature for something else, but that's a trivial change.


I'm guessing you guys need a bit more time. I'll post tomorrow.


Halfling Swashbucker(Mouser) 1, hp 12/12, AC 20(T15/FF16) CMD 14, Init +4, Perc +7, F+3/R+7/W+2 Panche 3/3

I think I'm good to start.


I'm all right, too... I think. I've been pretty darn busy recently, forgive me if I'm a bit scattered about things.

I might switch some things around with regards to alignment, but probably not. The main issue is whether or not I can construe capital punishment as a good act or not... Typically I play the extremely merciful end of good, but I think this would be a good way to experiment with a harsher interpretation of good. Or at least what's necessary to perpetuate goodness.

Aside from that, I might want to put a rank into Knowledge (planes). But I like all my other skills where they are, so that probably won't happen either.

And I need to make an alias, of course, but that won't take any time at all.

Mallory Lewis wrote:
Proioxis wrote:
Hey, I'm Ben. I'm from Massachusetts (no, nowhere near Boston).
Small world! I am also in Massachusetts, but actually am in Boston.

Neat! I'm west of Worcester. The Pioneer Valley, if you know it.


Human Desperado 3 [ HP: 25/25 | AC: 15 (T: 13, FF: 11) | Fort +5 / Ref +6 / Will +1 | Init +4 / Percept +6 ]

Oh you're way out there, in the land of dragons.


Male Pyromaniac Lava Gnome Alchemist 3
Quick Stats:
[w/Mutagen (inactive)] HP 18/18 (0 NL) | AC 15[18]; T 13[14]; FF 13[15]; +4 Dodge vs. Giants | CMD 13[14] | Fort +3; Ref +5[7]; Will 0[-1] | Init +2[4] | Perc +5[3]; DV 60' | PF 4/4 | Bomb 8/10
Proioxis wrote:
The main issue is whether or not I can construe capital punishment as a good act or not... Typically I play the extremely merciful end of good, but I think this would be a good way to experiment with a harsher interpretation of good. Or at least what's necessary to perpetuate goodness.

Can you perhaps take a "greater good" approach? You know, "The needs of the many outweigh..."? One bad seed can sow misery for thousands; think about how many lives are affected by a single death in the course of a felony, for example. You'd simply be striking hard and fast -- as an instrument of your god -- to protect the masses.

Seems to me this approach could be conceived as "extremely merciful" in the grander view, if your character's mind is warped the right way. Remember: Harsh times in a harsh land!


Proioxis,

If done dispassionately, I would rule it as a neutral act. Your character might see it as not a good or evil thing to do, just a necessary one. So it would fall under the same purview as an act of survival. And that makes it neutral.

So you could stay Lawful Good with no real problem from me. If I ever think you're blurring the line, I'll contact you privately.

I also don't be believe in a single act changing alignment right away. There should be a transition. People make mistakes. What matters is what comes after.

Anyway, I hope I helped.

I plan on posting the first game play thread this afternoon.


I don't understand the issue. I consider myself "good" and yet am pro-capital punishment. I can't honestly see why it would matter anyway. How is this going to be an issue?

Caitlyn is ready to go. I will create her profile as soon as I can but have major exams Monday and Thursday.


I believe he was referring to the usual "D&D Prisoner Dilemma" stuff that occasionally comes up, as opposed to Legal, due process, Capital Punishment.

His character is a cleric of The Hangman, so it is pertinent, as regards to character. As for alignment, like I said, it's safely neutral, so Proioxis doesn't have to worry about it in that regard.

And, yes, good people support capital punishment. But I would rather we not dip our toes into politics. That way lies unpleasantness.

Gameplay thread will be up soon-ish.


Gameplay thread is up. For those who still need to adjust their profiles, that's fine. You can post tomorrow. For everyone else...have fun.


Male Pyromaniac Lava Gnome Alchemist 3
Quick Stats:
[w/Mutagen (inactive)] HP 18/18 (0 NL) | AC 15[18]; T 13[14]; FF 13[15]; +4 Dodge vs. Giants | CMD 13[14] | Fort +3; Ref +5[7]; Will 0[-1] | Init +2[4] | Perc +5[3]; DV 60' | PF 4/4 | Bomb 8/10
wicked_raygun wrote:
Alright, kids, tell me how you woke up from your last night in Carnivale. Did you partake of the festivities, did you exercise saint-like restraint, or were you somewhere in the middle?

"Partook of the festivities," yes; imbibed, no. While Doc does indulge when circumstances warrant, as a general rule he doesn't drink:

Dr. Miguelito Loveless wrote:
I abhor spirits, they make a man less than human.

I didn't post to Gameplay because I didn't know if we're starting with us boarding the train, or if you/someone wanted the opportunity to roleplay the requisite splitting headache/worshiping the nameless porcelain god/waking up in bed with someone you don't recognize, or what-have-you.

(For some reason, this is what comes to my mind when you talk about Carnivale at the edge of The Big Drop...)


However you prefer. One could make a lot of money selling hangover cures. Or perhaps all the drunkenness was the last straw and you decided that you weren't going to be there anymore. There's no wrong way to rp this.


Male Pyromaniac Lava Gnome Alchemist 3
Quick Stats:
[w/Mutagen (inactive)] HP 18/18 (0 NL) | AC 15[18]; T 13[14]; FF 13[15]; +4 Dodge vs. Giants | CMD 13[14] | Fort +3; Ref +5[7]; Will 0[-1] | Init +2[4] | Perc +5[3]; DV 60' | PF 4/4 | Bomb 8/10

Well, I don't want to short-circuit someone else's fun, so I'll hold back from posting for a bit to see how others want to kick it off.

Oh, and: Wow, talk about railroading... literally! :oP


Human Desperado 3 [ HP: 25/25 | AC: 15 (T: 13, FF: 11) | Fort +5 / Ref +6 / Will +1 | Init +4 / Percept +6 ]

Just put my first up, if it helps any. I went with 'starting with waking up' just because it provides a great way to introduce the character, and have her do something less than agreeable right off the bat.


According to Youtube.com I live in another country and cannot view the link, Doc Loveless sent me. For I am unworthy. Curse you, Google. Curse, you.

And .. does it count as Rail Roading, if there's an actual railroad involved? :-)

And love the post, Mal. Kind of reminds me of Saffron from Firefly.


Male Pyromaniac Lava Gnome Alchemist 3
Quick Stats:
[w/Mutagen (inactive)] HP 18/18 (0 NL) | AC 15[18]; T 13[14]; FF 13[15]; +4 Dodge vs. Giants | CMD 13[14] | Fort +3; Ref +5[7]; Will 0[-1] | Init +2[4] | Perc +5[3]; DV 60' | PF 4/4 | Bomb 8/10

Huh. Well I suppose you are, technically. But given that Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States: "Silly YouTube!"

It was nothing of consequence, just the "Red Hour" clip from the ST:TOS episode "Return of the Archons". In which all manner of chaos ensues as people run around shouting "Festival! Festival!" while attacking each other, breaking windows, having wanton relations in the middle of the street, and so on.

Quote:
The only time the people "let loose" is at the striking of "The Red Hour" (at 6:00pm), starting "Festival": a period of violence, destruction and sexual aggressiveness.

And, agreed: Great writing, Mal!


Human Desperado 3 [ HP: 25/25 | AC: 15 (T: 13, FF: 11) | Fort +5 / Ref +6 / Will +1 | Init +4 / Percept +6 ]

Thanks guys :)

wicked_raygun wrote:
Kind of reminds me of Saffron from Firefly.

Not quite what I was thinking, but I'll definitely take it, haha.


Male Human Cleric (Evangelist) 1

All right, so Ira's been aged down and I removed some of his possessions. I'll have a post up soon. And great writing, everyone!

Some responses:

Caitlyn Browning wrote:
I don't understand the issue. I consider myself "good" and yet am pro-capital punishment. I can't honestly see why it would matter anyway. How is this going to be an issue?

When I was writing that post up last night, I actually thought "I hope no one takes this the wrong way..." Because I did not at all mean to be insulting or condemning, I assure you!

Ray pretty much summed it up:

wicked_raygun wrote:
I believe he was referring to the usual "D&D Prisoner Dilemma" stuff that occasionally comes up, as opposed to Legal, due process, Capital Punishment.

And given that it's outside my area of experience, I just want to be faithful to the character I envisioned. That's all. Wasn't trying to make a comment on anyone's personal beliefs.

Dr. Miguelito Loveless wrote:
You'd simply be striking hard and fast -- as an instrument of your god -- to protect the masses... Remember: Harsh times in a harsh land!

This sounds spot on, yeah! And the latter is definitely something to keep at the forefront of my mind.

Mallory Lewis wrote:
Oh you're way out there, in the land of dragons.

Sure, if you count farmers and college students as dragons ;)


I was neither angry nor offended and still am neither. I was simply confused. Everyone believes something different and I try to maintain a "whatever..." attitude.

Thanks for clearing it up however. I was wondering why we were interjecting real world issues into a game.


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Male Pyromaniac Lava Gnome Alchemist 3
Quick Stats:
[w/Mutagen (inactive)] HP 18/18 (0 NL) | AC 15[18]; T 13[14]; FF 13[15]; +4 Dodge vs. Giants | CMD 13[14] | Fort +3; Ref +5[7]; Will 0[-1] | Init +2[4] | Perc +5[3]; DV 60' | PF 4/4 | Bomb 8/10
Ira Kerrigan wrote:
... given that it's outside my area of experience, I just want to be faithful to the character I envisioned.

Oh look, a soapbox.

I've come to the conclusion that, excluding those who can fall if they break code, formal alignment declaration is more a hindrance than a help. It has utility for those playing an iconic character or who are mostly into the hack'n'slash. Or really, anyone needing to know how Thoroughgood McLawful should react in any particular situation. And for working out how the occasional "aligned item" is going to react to any given person.

But for someone into roleplaying... well look, you said it yourself: "faithful to the character envisioned." Ira lives in your head. You may not've discovered everything about him yet and some things might change, but you know who Ira is and what you want him to be. With a great deal more precision than can be conveyed by a nine box alignment grid!

By all means be faithful to your image of Ira. But I say let the alignment on the character sheet defer to what you envision. If there's disagreement, then it's that coarse written alignment indicator that's in error, not the way he's acting or you're playing him.


Every unresolved argument I've ever gotten into over tabletop roleplaying has centered on alignment. Putting it into the game has been a pain ever since I first started playing.

PS: I've written my first post but I spoilered it as it's kind of long. I hope you can make it through it and then hope even more you'll consider it having been worth your time once you do.


Human Desperado 3 [ HP: 25/25 | AC: 15 (T: 13, FF: 11) | Fort +5 / Ref +6 / Will +1 | Init +4 / Percept +6 ]

I generally don't mind Alignment, but I certainly prefer it as a guideline than a hard and fast rule.

I'm excited by how long involved your first posts have been. This is shaping up to be super RP heavy, which I absolutely love. I wanted to get a second post up by now but work has been murder today. I'll be reading everything and getting another up tonight!


I have finals Monday and Thursday, so that will be my last long post for a week. There is just too much riding on these two tests for me to do otherwise.


Male Pyromaniac Lava Gnome Alchemist 3
Quick Stats:
[w/Mutagen (inactive)] HP 18/18 (0 NL) | AC 15[18]; T 13[14]; FF 13[15]; +4 Dodge vs. Giants | CMD 13[14] | Fort +3; Ref +5[7]; Will 0[-1] | Init +2[4] | Perc +5[3]; DV 60' | PF 4/4 | Bomb 8/10

Mal, your opening post was a tough act to follow but I love having that kind of problem! Everyone's writing has been stellar so far and, like you, I'm encouraged. Our posts will likely get shorter and a bit "thinner" once it's not all about exposition, of course. But with this rich a start I see good things ahead!

The first posts were in prose format (third person past tense) which works well for exposition. But the present tense of the two most recent posts makes more sense for narrative intent, and it seems to be the more common choice for PbP besides. So perhaps we should all shift to present tense for consistency as things move forward?

Also, I want Doc to come off as cultured (well more like "ostentatious," really), so he won't have an intense Old West speech pattern (though he'll use the appropriate terminology and so on). In context with his personality, I hope that won't be too distracting for anyone. But if so please speak up and I can work on moderating things a bit.

Let's have fun!


Great post, Caitlyn. Loved it. And, don’t worry. Real life before posting. Completely understandable.


Human Desperado 3 [ HP: 25/25 | AC: 15 (T: 13, FF: 11) | Fort +5 / Ref +6 / Will +1 | Init +4 / Percept +6 ]
Dr. Miguelito Loveless wrote:
Mal, your opening post was a tough act to follow but I love having that kind of problem!

Oh thanks! I'd say you followed it just fine. And yeah, I love that, too. It's really the best kind of problem for a game like this, haha. I'm working on my second now. I'm enjoying the hell out of this already.

Dr. Miguelito Loveless wrote:
The first posts were in prose format (third person past tense) which works well for exposition. But the present tense of the two most recent posts makes more sense for narrative intent, and it seems to be the more common choice for PbP besides. So perhaps we should all shift to present tense for consistency as things move forward?

Tense is actually one of the weakest parts of my writing, and I have a terrible habit of jumping between these two. I'll do my best with it, though!

[EDIT]

Dr. Miguelito Loveless wrote:
Also, I want Doc to come off as cultured (well more like "ostentatious," really), so he won't have an intense Old West speech pattern (though he'll use the appropriate terminology and so on). In context with his personality, I hope that won't be too distracting for anyone. But if so please speak up and I can work on moderating things a bit.

I think it fits him perfectly, and really, it's definitely about what works for your character. Caitlyn is doing similar - an intelligent and learned character, which I think is interesting, especially given the locale.

Besides, more cultured and proper will definitely be a nice contrast for me (and others) to play with. We should be able to do quite a bit with our relationships given how different we are. I'm really looking forward to us meeting up.

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