Questions

[RagallachMC]

My character is done-ish. I just have some questions about equipment.

I can take a Shortbow +1 for my uncommon item? Does that count against the starting gold?

I paid for a double sized rowboat (50gp for a standard, so I doubled it to 100gp), But I think he should have something a bit bigger that could sail. a keelboat is 3000gp in the DM's guide, but that's like a full on ship. What do you think about 300gp for a 20', single mast sailing boat. It would have a small cabin and a couple storage lockers. Sound fair?

 

[Kamishiro_Rin]

8 hours ago, RagallachMC said:

1. I can take a Shortbow +1 for my uncommon item? Does that count against the starting gold?
2. I paid for a double sized rowboat (50gp for a standard, so I doubled it to 100gp), But I think he should have something a bit bigger that could sail. a keelboat is 3000gp in the DM's guide, but that's like a full on ship. What do you think about 300gp for a 20', single mast sailing boat. It would have a small cabin and a couple storage lockers. Sound fair?

1. Your starting equipment at 5 gives you one uncommon, non-consumable magic item. You may purchase consumable magic items with the 500 gp you start with, but not non-consumables. If you’d like your uncommon, non-consumable magic item to be a +1 shortbow, that’s fine with me. If you already have an uncommon, non-consumable magic item chosen, then you cannot purchase another one.

2. Alright, just to save you a bunch of starting gold that can better be used elsewhere, you’re not going to have any real opportunity to use that boat in this campaign. There is ONE small hand-waved mention of the characters taking a boat to a location, but it’s implied that they’re ferried there and dropped off along with a whole lot of other people—so your 300 gp small boat wouldn’t be big enough, anyway.

   • Maybe the reason your smuggler has all that extra gold to start with is because he sold his smuggling boat?

Edited March 19 by Kamishiro_Rin (see edit history)

[Ayeba]

 

@Kamishiro_Rin I have a character concept I want to explore, and in that regard I have questions.

1. Does the feats Adept of the [Black/Red/White] Robes require that the character has spent years at the relevant organizations? I.e. Can I make a character concept where the character has been taught in the relevant organization, but spent their later years elsewhere while keeping somewhat up with their studies? Will that be enough to qualify for those feats?

2. Do you have any opinions on the spell "Pass Without Trace"? I know some GMs loathe this spell (even more than invisibility!) as it almost trivializes stealth checks for the group.

 

Edited March 19 by Ayeba (see edit history)

[Kamishiro_Rin]

1 hour ago, Ayeba said:

1. Does the feats Adept of the [Black/Red/White] Robes require that the character has spent years at the relevant organizations? I.e. Can I make a character concept where the character has been taught in the relevant organization, but spent their later years elsewhere while keeping somewhat up with their studies? Will that be enough to qualify for those feats?

2. Do you have any opinions on the spell "Pass Without Trace"? I know some GMs loathe this spell (even more than invisibility!) as it almost trivializes stealth checks for the group.

 

1. No. As long as you meet the prerequisites listed in the feat, then you can take them. Characters with access to 3rd-level spells must take the Test of High Sorcery and become members. There is currently a black-robe candidate, Hunni, who will be taking her test, soon.

2. There is a character, Merituuli, who is using the spell right now, to help the other big-metal-clanky types sneak about a fort. So have at it, hawss.

 

[Ayeba]

34 minutes ago, Kamishiro_Rin said:

1. No. As long as you meet the prerequisites listed in the feat, then you can take them. Characters with access to 3rd-level spells must take the Test of High Sorcery and become members. There is currently a black-robe candidate, Hunni, who will be taking her test, soon.

2. There is a character, Merituuli, who is using the spell right now, to help the other big-metal-clanky types sneak about a fort. So have at it, hawss.

 

I have seen paladins successfully pull of stealth missions with Pass Without Trace... Great that someone has it, then I can focus my efforts elsewhere.

 

[Kamishiro_Rin]

3 hours ago, Ayeba said:

I have seen paladins successfully pull of stealth missions with Pass Without Trace... Great that someone has it, then I can focus my efforts elsewhere.

 

 

Edited March 19 by Kamishiro_Rin (see edit history)

[Ayeba]

An entirely different question. I'm looking at the 6. Inventory in Applications, and you may color me confused. Some parts are pretty clear, but the prices elude me. For example, say I want a scroll for a 1st level spell. The price is (1d6+1)x5gp. Can I decide I want to look at a specific scroll (say, Sleep), roll the price, and then decide if I want to buy it or not? And if I don't, can I roll again for a different scroll (say, Shield)? Or do I have to buy a scroll if I roll for its price?

This becomes particularly problematic when it comes to high-level scrolls. 1d6*50gp gives a variance between 50gp and 300gp. I'll gladly give 50gp for a level 3 spell, but 300gp is quite expensive for a level 2 spell.

Edited March 19 by Ayeba (see edit history)

[Kamishiro_Rin]

11 minutes ago, Ayeba said:

An entirely different question. I'm looking at the 6. Inventory in Applications, and you may color me confused. Some parts are pretty clear, but the prices elude me. For example, say I want a scroll for a 1st level spell. The price is (1d6+1)x5gp. Can I decide I want to look at a specific scroll (say, Sleep), roll the price, and then decide if I want to buy it or not? And if I don't, can I roll again for a different scroll (say, Shield)? Or do I have to buy a scroll of I roll for its price?

This becomes particularly problematic when it comes to high-level scrolls. 1d6*50gp gives a variance between 50gp and 300gp. I'll gladly give 50gp for a level 3 spell, but 300gp is quite expensive for a level 2 spell.

Yes. Roll for each item. If you decide you can't afford it, you then don't buy it. If you decide you can. Go ahead.

And yep. That's how the dice roll.

The prices are taken out of Xanathar's. And keep in mind that you've also got to pay the cost of copying it into your spellbook.

[Ayeba]

More questions from yours truly as I am piecing together a character.

1. I want to take a background from Strixhaven. Can that be refluffed as
a. A subdivision of one the mage orders. Most likely (but not necessarily) the Order of the Red Robes?
b. A subdivision of the Mages of High Sorcery, but not directly under one of the three big orders. Still under the jurisdiction of the Conclave, though.
c. A small mage division that is unconnected to the Mages of High Sorcery, if such a thing exists.
d. A mentorship under a senior (or perhaps renegade) mage from one of the orders, which for reasons do not see the need to bring his/her student into their order itself?
If none of the alternatives work, I may have to drop that background and take the Mage of High Sorcery background instead.

2. In your setting, how loud do verbal components have to be? Are we talking whispering, normal dialogue volume, or does it cause the voice to be reverberating or otherwise be extremely easy to pick out for anyone even remotely awake?

3. Flying races are not allowed. What about Aasimar with Radiant Soul? Flight 1/day for 1 minute.

4. How common is it that Gods in this setting contact mortals more or less directly? Are we talking "yeah, that happens from time to time", or "You must either be joking, or you're a prophet"?

5. Are goblins hunted on sight in this setting, or just if they go out and do stuff like plunder, steal, kidnap or kill? 

On 3/15/2023 at 12:34 PM, Kamishiro_Rin said:

Loyalties. You are either being courted by or are a recent initiate of a faction, an organization on the continent of Ansalon for numerous purposes. See below for faction information. Why did you join the Faction? Who acted as your mentor?

6. I can't find the factions writeup that you're referring to. I assume that the Mages of High Sorcery, or more specifically the three orders are part of them.

 

Edited March 19 by Ayeba (see edit history)

[Kamishiro_Rin]

5 hours ago, Ayeba said:

More questions from yours truly as I am piecing together a character.

1. I want to take a background from Strixhaven. Can that be refluffed as
a. A subdivision of one the mage orders. Most likely (but not necessarily) the Order of the Red Robes?
b. A subdivision of the Mages of High Sorcery, but not directly under one of the three big orders. Still under the jurisdiction of the Conclave, though.
c. A small mage division that is unconnected to the Mages of High Sorcery, if such a thing exists.
d. A mentorship under a senior (or perhaps renegade) mage from one of the orders, which for reasons do not see the need to bring his/her student into their order itself?
If none of the alternatives work, I may have to drop that background and take the Mage of High Sorcery background instead.

2. In your setting, how loud do verbal components have to be? Are we talking whispering, normal dialogue volume, or does it cause the voice to be reverberating or otherwise be extremely easy to pick out for anyone even remotely awake?

3. Flying races are not allowed. What about Aasimar with Radiant Soul? Flight 1/day for 1 minute.

4. How common is it that Gods in this setting contact mortals more or less directly? Are we talking "yeah, that happens from time to time", or "You must either be joking, or you're a prophet"?

5. Are goblins hunted on sight in this setting, or just if they go out and do stuff like plunder, steal, kidnap or kill? 

6. I can't find the factions writeup that you're referring to. I assume that the Mages of High Sorcery, or more specifically the three orders are part of them.

 

1. Yes. Mages of High Sorcery would be in charge of whatever institution you learned your magic at. I'm not intimately familiar with the setting, enough to say where such a college might be, so I'll leave it up to you. A mentor/student thing could also work. I feel like all of your suggestions wouldn't be a problem. Ultimately, it's going to be fluff that you can tell your new party members if you're chosen.
2. A verbal component will be audible to anyone within reasonable hearing-distance, say about 100 feet, assuming that other noises aren't drowning it out. I don't really want to set a specific number and lock myself into something I'm going to have to change later. Suffice it to say, a Stealth check will be required to try to whisper a verbal component and not be heard. In other words, it will work exactly like hiding. Again, this is assuming that other noises, such as rushing water, conversations between enemies, etc., etc., etc., don't render it a non-issue.
3. That's 1/day for one minute. I'm not disallowing the fly spell, or even magic items that let you fly later on in the game. I'm just disallowing races that literally just fly around at will without any caveats. I mean, if the Aasimar flies for 10 seconds, they and doesn't use that fly again for 50 seconds, their fly is gone. They gotta long-rest before they can fly again.
4. The module started with the gods contacting the cleric player.
5. Hunted? Not so much. Hmm . . . well, they've certainly thrown their lot in with Takhisis, so they're going to start being hunted pretty soon as the war ramps up. Probably not by the party, but certainly at this point, they're going to have to prove that that they're NOT working for Takhisis before anyone lowers their weapons, and even then, they'll have a hand on the pommel the whole time.
6. That was a hold-over from when I stole the app form from Gregorotto. But essentially, there are three available: The Mages of High Sorcery, The Knights of Solamnia, and The Kalaman Military.

[Kamishiro_Rin]

11 hours ago, Ayeba said:

An entirely different question. I'm looking at the 6. Inventory in Applications, and you may color me confused. Some parts are pretty clear, but the prices elude me. For example, say I want a scroll for a 1st level spell. The price is (1d6+1)x5gp. Can I decide I want to look at a specific scroll (say, Sleep), roll the price, and then decide if I want to buy it or not? And if I don't, can I roll again for a different scroll (say, Shield)? Or do I have to buy a scroll if I roll for its price?

This becomes particularly problematic when it comes to high-level scrolls. 1d6*50gp gives a variance between 50gp and 300gp. I'll gladly give 50gp for a level 3 spell, but 300gp is quite expensive for a level 2 spell.

Though, now that i've had a good night's rest, it does make sense that a 3rd-level spell scroll really ought to cost more than 2nd-level. I think I'm going to play with the numbers and post some harder numbers, with some variance built in. You'll still be rolling, but the base number for each will be more sane.

[Ayeba]

5 hours ago, Kamishiro_Rin said:

Though, now that i've had a good night's rest, it does make sense that a 3rd-level spell scroll really ought to cost more than 2nd-level. I think I'm going to play with the numbers and post some harder numbers, with some variance built in. You'll still be rolling, but the base number for each will be more sane.

That makes a lot more sense, even if it hurts my money pouch.

@morgan_ I hope you don't me borrowing (cloning) your excellent formats from your character application. I know we're competing against each other. You're just so much better than me at making everything neat and pretty.

My character is not done; I'm going to rewrite a lot of stuff in the initial post and I have some hard decisions to make on spells and shopping. Even so, I'll be jumping into the IC thread because I want some of that juicy roleplaying!

Edited March 20 by Ayeba (see edit history)

[PureChance]

5 hours ago, Kamishiro_Rin said:

Though, now that i've had a good night's rest, it does make sense that a 3rd-level spell scroll really ought to cost more than 2nd-level. I think I'm going to play with the numbers and post some harder numbers, with some variance built in. You'll still be rolling, but the base number for each will be more sane.

Could simply use average with the justification that as the characters have not been time pressured they've simply shopped around till they found a reasonable price.

Alternatively could leave as is and use the justification that for the cheap items they just got lucky and found someone who really needed cash right now whereas the expensive items were from sellers who didn't need to sell and where buyers didn't have other options.

Though I imagine most scroll sales would be regulated by the Towers. Maybe the cheap seller was unsanctioned and needed to shift stolen goods quick.

[PhoenixSlayer]

2 hours ago, Ayeba said:

@morgan_ I hope you don't me borrowing (cloning) your excellent formats from your character application. I know we're competing against each other. You're just so much better than me at making everything neat and pretty.

I wouldn't worry so much about this part, posting templates get passed around and edited like hotcakes around here 😆. I also find if everyone in a game uses a similar posting template that it makes things feel cohesive, but that's just me.

[Ayeba]

1 minute ago, PhoenixSlayer said:

I wouldn't worry so much about this part, posting templates get passed around and edited like hotcakes around here 😆. I also find if everyone in a game uses a similar posting template that it makes things feel cohesive, but that's just me.

Good manners and asking never hurts. I'm not quite as uncouth as my character 😜