General OOC

[rogueblade0729]

Hey everyone, thank you for your patience! I'm still getting my new apartment set up, and I won't have Internet until Wednesday (writing this off mobile data). Once I'm all set up with that, and I've finally gotten into the swing of things with the military, I'll figure out a new posting rhythm. Hang tight!

[Papa Bear]

No worries, mate... unless you kill Orn... who, of course, is 'Doomed to Die'... bad choice on my part!!!

[rogueblade0729]

On 12/11/2023 at 9:08 PM, Papa Bear said:

No worries, mate... unless you kill Orn... who, of course, is 'Doomed to Die'... bad choice on my part!!!

Heh. Well, a major part of the Middle-earth game is characters either aging out, dying, succumbing to Shadow, or retiring from adventuring, and having the next generation step up to take their place. That's why there's the emphasis on your "heir". This doesn't necessarily have to be a blood relative, but if you want your character's story to continue, having someone to directly follow in their footsteps, and carry on their legacy, is important. It happens all throughout the legendarium: Bilbo to Frodo, Gloin to Gimli, Barahir to Beren, Elrond to Elrohir and Elladan, Tuor and Idril to Eärendil, and basically every royal lineage.

For example, you could have Orn invest both time and money into one of his younger cousins in the Blue Mountains, or depending on how you want his story to go, he could start a family of his own. If you want to do this while running with Orn's very grim nature—assuming we don't resolve that plot point first—I might suggest taking inspiration from Al Pacino's PTSD-plagued veteran from Scent of a Woman. As far as personalities go, his very much gives off that "death is just around the corner" vibe, but allows for his "heir" to prove the quality of their character as well.

Otherwise, when the time comes for you to make a new character, you're just starting with someone totally separate from your original character. None of your weapons, armor, plot threads, or anything really passes on to them.

Edited December 13, 2023 by rogueblade0729 (see edit history)

[rogueblade0729]

@codexgigas So I've given some thought about how to resolve Fletcher's command, and I want to leave it at your discretion.

Would you rather:

1. Be given command of some NPCs to use in combat, all of whom act on your turn;
2. Have a permanent, negative debuff / curse applied to Grór, even if he escapes; or
3. Force all enemies to make a DC 18 Charisma saving throw, causing all who fail to flee, except Grór who is instead paralyzed with fear for several rounds?

Edited December 13, 2023 by rogueblade0729 (see edit history)

[codexgigas]

19 hours ago, rogueblade0729 said:

@codexgigas So I've given some thought about how to resolve Fletcher's command, and I want to leave it at your discretion.

Would you rather:

1. Be given command of some NPCs to use in combat, all of whom act on your turn;
2. Have a permanent, negative debuff / curse applied to Grór, even if he escapes; or
3. Force all enemies to make a DC 18 Charisma saving throw, causing all who fail to flee, except Grór who is instead paralyzed with fear for several rounds?

I like option number 3. It feels like it fits thematically, and it's also simpler mechanically than 1.

[rogueblade0729]

The Battle of the Black Barrow

For overcoming the brigands, each hero gains 300 XP.

For saving both Tomas and Nick Heatherton from folly and death, each hero gains an additional 200 XP.

While looting the dead is frowned upon in this game, as most enemies don't carry anything of wortha and is generally seen as greedy, confiscating Gror's weapons after taking him prisoner is perfectly fine. He was wielding several very fine items:

• x1 Dwarf-forged Broadsword
• x1 Dwarf-forged Dagger
• x1 Archet Hunting Bow

Dwarf-forged weapons, hailing from smiths either in Erebor, the Iron Hills, or in the Blue Mountains, grant a +1 nonmagical bonus to all attack and damage rolls. To commission even one weapon of such quality requires a hefty sum: 2 gold pieces + 3x the listed base cost of the weapon. Gror must either himself be wealthy, or gained these from a wealthy patron. Orn may know someone who could tell them more.

Archet hunting bows, renowned among the people of Bree, allows the wielder to add their Wisdom modifier to all damage rolls for one encounter, once per Long Rest. These Short Bows cannot be bought by outsiders, but instead must be earned and gifted by the Men of Bree, usually with the blessing of the Royal Forester. Given Gror's disposition, it seems more likely that he stole this weapon from its original owner. Fletcher may know someone who could tell them more.

@codexgigas @grimlock @Papa Bear @BobtheWizard

Edited December 15, 2023 by rogueblade0729 (see edit history)

[rogueblade0729]

 

I felt this was relevant :)

[Papa Bear]

in all of those systems!

[BobtheWizard]

@codexgigas Fletcher should take the Archet Hunting Bow. I'm planning on taking the Heirloom virtue for my Feat at level 4 for the Woodland Bow, a +1 bow that allows one free attack when we roll initiative, as long as she's not surprised.

[codexgigas]

@BobtheWizard That sounds great. Thank you!

[BobtheWizard]

Leaving the roll for you @grimlock since you have +3 athletics. You can roll with advantage.

[grimlock]

12 hours ago, BobtheWizard said:

Leaving the roll for you @grimlock since you have +3 athletics. You can roll with advantage.

Thanks! Unfotunately I cannot seem to roll high enough!

Edited December 21, 2023 by grimlock (see edit history)

[rogueblade0729]

Using Aelfric was not something I predicted! The DC 13 was meant for humanoids trying to lift the tree, but a warhorse dragging it should certainly benefit you as well. We can say Aelfric's added support grants you another +2 modifier to the check, which is how I typically rule 3 or more people working on the same thing, so you succeed. :)

[grimlock]

On 12/21/2023 at 8:12 AM, rogueblade0729 said:

Using Aelfric was not something I predicted! The DC 13 was meant for humanoids trying to lift the tree, but a warhorse dragging it should certainly benefit you as well. We can say Aelfric's added support grants you another +2 modifier to the check, which is how I typically rule 3 or more people working on the same thing, so you succeed. :)

Awesome!

[BobtheWizard]

Would it be ok if we went back to the cave to try to dive for more treasure? Or is that too greedy for this setting?