On the Wild Wilderness

Beedo wrote a post here, decrying the difficulty of wilderness encounters.

Since the encounters are so infrequent the players can just expend all their resources against each encounter!

Primarily my experience has been with 1st edition and the encounter tables therein. This cannot address his issues with Tsojcanth. But it can explain why wilderness encounters are interesting.

Number encountered and % in Lair: Both these values are astoundingly important. First, if the monster is in their lair, then it's not just a random beast, it's a decision about crawling in a hole in the ground. Second, being that these are random encounters, the full brunt of the number appearing tables from the monster manual come into play. Which leads us to our second point. . .

Distance and surprise: Have you noticed the encounter distances are longer? Elves do not like trespassers. Elves are all proficient with ranged weapons. Say you encounter (2d10x10) 90 elves at a distance of, lets be generous and say 10".

What party can survive 90 short bow attacks per round.

In fact, in what world can going nova allow any party to survive that encounter.

Let's look at some common number encountered for wilderness encounters.

Elves: 20-200
Bandits: 20-200
Hobgoblin: 20-200
Berserkers: 10-100 (I'm sure parley will work great with these guys.

Science forbid you run into a buccaneer! 50-300 of those guys.

Ok, what about non-humans?
Wild Boar: 1-12 . . . with a movement rate of 15. An enemy that does 3-12 damage that you can't escape from?
Bugbear: 6-36
Crocodile: 3-24
Dragon: 1-4; You come across 4 black dragons. Nova that, bitches.
Eagles, Giant: 1-20
Preyton: 2-8; No, doesn't seem like much for creatures that are immune to normal weapons, attack at +2, have 4 hit dice, fly at 21" and do 4-16 damage (average of 10) per round.
Stirge: 3-30

All of this leads to the final factor, which is Pursuit.

Thankfully, because this was actually used in play, encountering something faster then you isn't instant death. You have an 80% chance to evade something chasing you.

-20% if they are faster
-50% if you're on a plain, desert, or open water
-30% during daylight.

Just, wilderness encounters are terrifying. Some things are easy (Dinosaurs), many things are not.

On a Masterwork Illusion

I've used illusionism in games before -- I've run a game built on the very ideal of that.

It was so entertaining that at one point we had upwards of 10 people showing up to watch.

It was a different time.

The real question is how did it work?

Why was it successful?

Is there anything from this that can be used or adapted for use in an illusion-free high-agency game?

Might some of the techniques be useful in a game that allows players to actually influence it?

Here is how this would normally work. The games took place within a single city. The city was a Space Structure. A real world map was used. Usually I ran the game in the city we actually resided in. The characters had their own goals and were within a Power Structure, containing all the relevant NPC's and factions.

During the week, I would come up with the idea for three or four scenes.

And then, during the game, no matter what the players did, those scenes would happen. Often, if I needed some particular behavior from the players, or perhaps them to visit a specific location, I would spend the preparatory time figuring out how to manipulate them to that location. I would design increasingly manipulative scenarios to cause them to accomplish the tasks I needed to set up the scene.

I'm a much different person today.

There are some things to note:

• I would design the scenes in such a way that they were very easy to trigger. They would rely as little as possible on player choice.
• I would start with the most subtle manipulation. It was not heavy-handed, just the small things I required were mentioned as reasonable options.

The downside? No matter what the players did, these scenes would occur. They could not avoid them or stop them. At best they could cause the scene to be delayed.

I had 'my story' and I was going to tell it.

Was it as bad as all that? No. Each session started in a 'virtual sandbox'. ("It is evening, you awake. What do you do?") And they would go about trying to accomplish their goals. Within the scenes themselves they would do anything they wished. But much like a quick-time events in video games, the choices in scenes were simplistic, telegraphed, and of minimal consequence to the final result of the story.

There were two reasons this design functioned as well as it did.

1. Theatrics: The game was designed around being entertaining. NPC's were interesting, and portrayed to break stereotypes. Those involved were encouraged to play up their thespian skills. Character voices, atmosphere, ritual, and setting were of paramount importance. 
2. Illusionism: The game was designed on two levels. The players were all trying to accomplish their own goals. These goals were only tangentally associated with the actual overarching 'story' that was being told.

Even though it worked, it lacks the virtues of my experiences in the last five years. Here are the problems.

It was entertaining in the same sense that a movie or book was entertaining. It was fun to experience. Sometimes. Because it was a game that actually involved physical people, sometimes people were tired, unmotivated, or generally uncreative. This meant, as much as the atmosphere and setting were enjoyable there were long periods where things might be boring and uninteresting.

This is generally ok if there are other things involved that are engaging. But if this is the primary activity and source of entertainment, then 'boring and uninteresting' are serious problems.

A description, no matter how long, detailed, engaging or entertaining cannot replace engagement. It can make a good thing better, but it cannot make a bad thing good.

{Long description of creepy forest, history of the forgotten keep, and the approach to the keep}
"What do you do adventurer?"
"I explore the keep!"
"Roll"
"16"
"You are victorious!" {Long description of the victory}

This is just an example to show that description does not make an unengaging roll any more engaging. If the system is 'chunked poorly' no amount of fancy presentation will make it fun.

You cannot, ahem, polish the proverbial turd.

As for the illusionism? The time spent during character creation designing their background and creating their character and their character's goals was only as useful to me as it allowed me to have tools and hooks to insert them into my plot.

Most of the actual game-play between my scenes was very reminiscent of OSR play. Players would try to accomplish their goals and problems would appear in their way. They had freedom within this structure only as it didn't actually interfere with the overarching story.

When they did try to affect the outcome of the story, it was a brick wall and magician's switch apocalypse. Why? It had to be.

I wasn't a player in this game so I can't speak to 'if it was worth it or not'.

I can say we had fun then. I can also say that my current players (some of whom are the same) appear to be much more engaged in the current game.

After all, it's one where they can smash the head of the boss in and be rewarded for it rather than punished.

On Decisions & Delvers

Did you hear? We're playing D&D.

There's no sense in calling it something different. Because it is D&D -- there's not one part of this that can't be implemented in the game you're playing now.

What are our virtues?

• Lucid Agency "Player Agency + Informed Choice"
• Negotiated Rulings ("stakes") and Negotiated Fictional Positioning
• Simple to start, easy to learn
• Quick, abstract, resolution of combat
• Focus on play for the players
• Pleasure-Convergent Significance (game-play)
• Strong Fictive Structure (associated mechanics, logical and natural consequences, and verisimilitude)
• Player skill focused
• Simple flexible classes that are "philosophies of problem solving"
• Impartial Adjudication

What a mess of buzzwords! Bullsh*t and double-talk you say!

Me too. How about in English this time?

Lucid Agency: The players have an idea of consequences before they perform actions and they are free to perform or attempt any actions they wish. This includes unspoken consequences such as, "Things inside dungeons are dangerous and can kill you without warning" as well as explicit ones presented before characters declare actions.

This also means no mind-reading, pixel bitching, palette-shifting, or illusionism.

Negotiated Rulings: The players and the DM discuss the rules before action is taken. The players are given options of actions and the consequences for those actions are made explicit. They player may then choose to take the action or not.

Negotiated Fictional Positioning: Where the players are actually located within the game world is not always immediately apparent. When there is some question as to the location of the players, their locations are determined as a group. The metric the group uses to decide the location of the characters is one of verisimilitude.


Simple to learn, Easy to start: No big rulebook. Random non-gaming friends should be able to join with little difficulty. Game play is focused on easily enumerable choices (7 +/- 2) with clear consequences presented in plain language.

Quick, abstract, resolution of combat: This is not a wargame, nor a study of tactics. The interesting part of this game is the problem-solving and decision-making. That is the focus. Combat remains very abstract in structure.

Focus on play for the players: The game requires no activity from the players outside of play to be successful at it. They do not have to worry about builds or spend time outside of the game thinking about the optimum advancement path for their character. They may choose to spend time outside the game engaged in thinking of ways to further their characters goals, but time spent in this way will not cause one character to be more successful than another in the play of the game.

Pleasure-Convergent Significance: I know, right? Bzzzzzzzzzz. All this means is the metric by which we decide what we do at the table is 'which of these things is an interesting and significant choice with interesting consequences'. What is interesting is constantly in flux and dependent on the people involved.  Obstacles are not put in the way of players who wish to reach these activities at the table.

Strong Fictive Structure: This means that the game is focused and set within a flavorful fantasy universe.

Lords of Shadow and Darkness manipulate things from their ruined lairs. Malign Titans absently rule all men, distant Autarchs ensconced within abstruse acropoli. Hideous Tarragons take form and seek to rend the world open to the elder realm. Dragons, hideously deformed beasts from elemental forces terrorize the land. Strange arcane crossbreeds stalk the hidden wilds.
The Gods are absent, gone or long dead, for what use is a heavenly lord when amaranthine titans stride tediously upon the earth, leaving only their perpetual selves to praise man.
Death stalks the world, astride a bacchanale of winged terrors from antediluvian nigh-black ruins and serpentine buried temples of forgotten demons. A hideous terror behind silk-hung walls that humanity cowers from, trusting in the uncaring extrinsic titans.

This fictional structure provides a grounding for the play. This isn't a mechanical numerological masturbatory fantasy -- it is a game based off conversation, imagination and fantasy.

Player Skill Focused: Your success at the game has little to nothing to do with how many plusses are on your sheet. The numbers on your sheet merely relate to your philosophy. Your skill at problem-solving, critical and lateral thinking, and creativity will define your success. Impulsively act, actively ignore information, and try to solve every problem the same way and you will be rolling up new characters often, no matter how high your bonuses.

Simple Flexible Classes: You should be able to play your ideal character, within seconds of starting play. No needing mechanical things in order to make your character work. Your characters are abstract (Fighting-man, Sage, Expert) to allow you to color and characterize them any way you wish right from the start. And what's more, each class exemplifies a method of solving problems (Respectively: Strength and brute force, Planning and resource management, and Smart risky and bold heroics). Specialized classes involve specialized methods of play (Psionicist is creativity; Alchemist is craven manipulation)

Impartial Adjudication: The people playing the game are more engaged in auguring the reality of an unknown realm rather then 'attempting to win'.

On Interesting Treasure: The Goldmani Maikp Ornament

The Goldmani Maikp Ornament

This is a miniature emblem made from gold in the shape of a panther head. It once was said to dwell on the Rhyton of the lord of panthers, though this claim is much contested.

It maintains a relatively high polish and the eyes are embossed to shimmer and appear alive.

Perhaps the lord of panthers watches through this emblem, or perhaps it is just a trick of the light.

It is worth 25 gold, perhaps 100 to an interested sage.

On Alchemical Items, Powder of the Convulsive Cachinnate

Powder of the Convulsive Cachinnate
BSC:	40%	(R)gp:	100 gp
DC:	20	TTC:	2 days
CC:	4	CGP::	35 gp
NWP:	-1	XP:	- xp
D100:	+15%	Weight:	- / 20
D6:	3 in 6 / 4	Difficulty:	Difficult
Rarity	Uncommon

Materials: Rare Earths (2 drams), Cannabis Sativa (4 drams), Powdered Nickle (2 drams), Powdered Khat leaves (1 dram)
Description: When a target is dosed with this powder, they are seized with an overwhelming compulsion to laugh. Everything becomes hilarious. They may save versus petrification to avoid the effects (Will Save DC 16). If the saving throw is failed, the target(s) begin laughing uncontrollably, falling prone on the ground. This only lasts for 1 round. After this round they may stand up again, but they continue to laugh for the next 2-5 (1d4+1) rounds. While laughing they receive a -2 on all attack and damage rolls.
This only affects targets of intelligence 4 or higher. 



Rules are here.

On The Thursday Trick, Detection of Triggers: Part the Second

Mechanical Triggers
The following is the text from the Empty Room, Tricks, and Traps document. The additional information is added to increase agency. 

Tripwire: These refer to strings or wires stretched taut that will trigger the trap of their tension is altered. Although difficult to see against a varied background, these can often be detected by careful observation and bright light. In addition to being strung across corridors, they may be attached to the inside of lids of containers, behind doors, along stairs, or to objects on pedestals. 

The most important thing about detecting these is lighting. It is quite easy in good light to miss a low strung tripwire. The material the wire is made from is an important fact, as well as how it is prepared. If the characters are carrying a light source and state that they are inspecting the floor, they should discover any exposed tripwire.

If the wire is made from metal and not covered in some sort of non-reflective material, it may reflect the light from a sun-rod or torch. If the line is made from rope, cord, or twine, wetness, mold, rot, and decay may cause the trap itself to be triggered if left alone long enough.

A tripwire, over time may sag, stretch out, and eventually be laying on the actual floor itself. These will still trigger the trap, however there should be a reduced chance (~25%) of actually triggering it for each character that crosses the trap. 

This category often covers snares also. These and other types of tripwires are often camouflaged and hidden from view. In this case, the object hiding the tripwire can be described.

• Leaves choke the hallway ahead
• Rubble is lying all about the hallway
• Mist swirls about the floor 
• A curtain hangs in the hallway

If the delvers ignore the obstruction, then they trigger the tripwire. It is a good idea, as always, to have lots of instances where these items are present without traps. 

Lids: These “mechanical” triggers are very simple - any object that covers a pit that doesn’t look like the top of a pit is a lid. This may also refer to false doors that open into walls that spring traps. Prodding and tapping are very effective at detecting these kinds of traps.

 This is mainly about how to detect non-visible pits. Note that pits, like pressure plates, usually have a 50% chance to not be triggered. Since lids are literal covers for holes, water usually tends to be very effective in detecting these traps.

Breakaway pits are usually camouflaged, but any sort of testing or prodding will indicate either that the floor is not solid, or that the covering has some give to it. You must also consider the terrain and the substance used to cover the breakaway pit. Leaves and sticks outside, and a carpet indoors.

Latch pits have moving parts. There is some support for the latch, and usually some way for the latch to reset. This means a wheel or gear hidden nearby. Also, it is more difficult to hide the seam of a latched pit.

Teeter-totter pits are easy enough to detect by prodding, but as a side effect from heavy use, may not center correctly. One side may be raised up an inch or more, while the other is low. Or if it is poorly made, the wrong side of the pit could be present.

On a Strategy Guide for Legendary Grim Rocks

The LEGEND OF GRIMROCK comes out today, and by science you should get it!

It's old school dungeon crawling in the vein of Dungeon Master or Eye of the Beholder. It has a selector on game start up for which dungeon you want to enter! Think of the re-playability!

A superb engine for endless dungeon crawling fun!

Here's a strategy guide for surviving in the depths of the realms. This Strategy guide for the Legend of Grimrock will be updated over the coming weeks. Expect non-spoiler clues to tough puzzles. And if you like Legend of Grimrock and this FAQ/Spoiler light walkthrough, take a look around the blog - it's a bit of the old school dungeon crawl and how to do it right at the tabletop.

If you have any advice yourself, comment!

General advice:

• Your party formation is a 2x2 square; 1 and 2, in the front left and right respectively, and 3 and 4 in the back left and right. When you turn to the left, your party members 2 and 4 are now facing the direction 1 and 2 were. Remember this when you're turning away from monsters. The 1-4 keys also open up the character sheet for the respective party member.
• 2x2 rooms are great for fighting single enemies in, you can strike and move away before they can turn and retaliate. 
• Enemies are tough. If possible, you should attempt to pull them in order to take them on one at a time.
• There are only a limited number of tile-sets. This is by design, not because their wonderful art team couldn't create more tile-sets. Many of the secrets are noticeable because of small differences in the walls. (Real player agency secret detection! Imagine that!!)
• It can be pretty easy to miss things. Remember that you can resurrect at resurrection stones on each level.
• The magic system is rune based, which means you can discover new spells by playing around with the runes! The runes are, in order:
  Fire, Life, Air,
  Spirituality, Balance, Physicality,
  Earth, Death, and Ice.
  You don't have to wait to discover the runes to learn new spells, but you may need to get your skill mastery high enough!
  Shock: Air (Air Magic 4)
  Lightning Bolt: Air + Spirituality (Air Magic 14)
  Fire Burst: Fire (Fire Magic 3)
  Fireball: Fire+Air+Physicality (Fire Magic 13) 
  Freeze Bolt: Air+Ice (Ice Magic 13)
  Poison Cloud: Earth (Earth Magic 3)
  Poison Bolt: Air+Earth (Earth Magic 7)
  Ice Shards: Earth+Ice (Ice Magic 3)
  Light: Balance + Life (Spellcraft 5)
  Darkness: Balance + Death (Spellcraft 5)
• Remember that the back row needs either magic, a ranged weapon, a thrown weapon, or a weapon with reach. Don't handicap yourself by arming them with weapons that they can't attack with. 
• You can change your party formation by dragging the portraits of your party. 
• Don't forget about your other character sheet tabs!
• If an item slot is red, that means you don't have enough skill points to use the items.
• The characters that damage the monster most receive the most experience! Use this to control your development.
• You'll be eating the flesh of monsters to sate your hunger. 

Level 1: Into the dark (Minor Spoilers)

• Just get into the dungeon? Look behind you!
• In the small cell where you find the eye, triggering the plate before finding the hidden stone will help you escape. 
• IRON DOOR: To open the large Iron Doors on the first level, there are hidden switches right in the room the door is located in. Take the opportunity to open it before descending. 

Level 2: Old Tunnels

• Torches are the key to the "shelter left/cells right" room in the south east corner. 
• You will find a teleporter to some cells in the northwest corner. Inside these locked cells are a skeleton, and a bag. Some switches on the wall will teleport items between cells and down to the end of the corridor. Playing with them will allow you to access both the bag and the skeleton.
• The section with the crows requires a bit of a button loop to find the first key.
• The second key involves a bit of lateral thinking. Find the hidden switch and perform a feat of speed to bypass the teleporter (walking backwards mightmake it easier), and then send something over the pit before traveling over yourself. 
• Late in the level is when you first get the mortar & pestle to produce alchemical items. 
• There is a room where when you hit a switch, you are ambushed by some mushroom men. Don't miss the nearby sling. 
• IRON DOOR: This is as it appears. You must be patient for the door to open. Just step on the pressure plate and wait. I would be ready for a surprise. 
• TREASURE: In the spider area, in the room before you find the note, you'll find a switch on a pillar. . .
• You are probably becoming near encumbered at this point. Take a moment to find a safe place to stash some items. 

Level 3: Pillars of Light

• The first room has the clue by the door. The entrance room has a pillar in the center. It should be easy to figure out what to do from there.
•  The room with the skeletons can seem overwhelming, but you can lure them onto the pit and drop them down. You may have to fight them later if you want to access another skull.
• You'll notice two pits in an early room blocking access to a gate with a pressure plateIt appears there's no way to trigger it. There's a secret in the bypass around this room, and another secret inside that secret. Then facing the correct direction will allow you to throw a stone that will trigger that hard to reach plate, for your second missile weapon. 
• The rotating transporters can be a bit imposing. There's a pressure plate to the left of the room that will close the center pit. Move to the right, and face that pressure plate and throw something to have it trigger. Then, once the pit is closed, you can stand on it to manipulate the room. Duck over and drop a rock to open up the gate. Run through quickly before the teleporters drop the rock at the entrance.  
• Secret: Sacrificing more often than you need to never hurt anyone. 
• IRON DOOR: This is your first one that's not given to you on a platter. You'll find a second chamber with a pillar that has no torches in it. If you put torches in the wall sconce, and not the pillars, you'll open up the iron door for a very nice cloak.
• The spiders are deadly and numerous. Ice magic to freeze them is helpful. Watch out for being trapped and cornered, and use antivenom only after taking out a group of spiders.  
• Seriously, the spiders are dangerous.
• For all your trouble with the spiders, don't forget to grab the gold key after they are all dealt with. I found it in the middle of a hallway.
• The spectral relay may give you pause, but remember that you can trigger pressure plates by dropping something through a grate. 
• Don't miss the secret entrance to level 4, it contains a hard fight against green slimes for a secret treasure. (There's a symbol for door, and sometimes it is on the wall).

Level 4: The Archives

• This floor starts with a difficult combat. Once completed, pick up the key and move on. 
• There are 4 sections here, the iron door, and a gate between the stairway and you. There are also 4 cubby holes, with text clues for items that go in them.
• Trails of thought
• The first puzzle in this section is a 9x9 grid. The teleporters act as walls. The trick is to follow the pattern in an indirect sequence. A bit of trial and error will get you through this no problem. If you're having trouble with the sequence, write down the order you're going in to try different paths. 
• You may see no way to both get the key and move forward, but remember, you can step on the closed pit to get the sequence of opening pits to align. 
• In the side passage here, you'll find a small switch. This gives you seven seconds to walk down and hit a switch over the closed pits. This gives you only a short time to dive in the hole where the teleporter is, for an IRON DOOR key.
• Time and Tide
• Why did they give you throwing daggers instead of rocks? Because they are weapons, and should be used like them to solve the puzzle. 
• Of course, now that you can cross, I wonder where that teleporter leads?
• In the long hallway where you have to step by step navigate the temporarily closed pits, there is a switch on the right hand wall. It opens a passage, giving you access to the second piece of insect armor - the Chitin Mask.
• What to do about the pit corridor? Across the two pits with no lids, there's a bit of a pressure plate in plain sight. Remember those throwing daggers?
• Beast Gardens and Menagerie
• This may seem endless, and indeed they are. No matter how many you kill, more will arrive. Will you starve to death in endless combat? Put some of them on display as centerpieces of the cells.
• The Catacomb
• Some fights that provide a bit of challenge. Nothing difficult here, just release the pressure plates to pass.
• IRON DOOR: grab the key from Time and Tide 
• When you finally put the scrolls in their correct spot, be ready for a bit of the rough and tumble. This is a tough fight. I found myself crafting potions to keep up with the damage from the little skinks. Afterwards you have access to a resurrection stone and a stairway down.

Level 5: Hallways

• Right at the start, you must find a hidden button to progress. Don't be too hasty, check for a another button on a wall in the room right past the button for a cloak made from mysterious scales. 
• Near the caged crabs, there's a switch on a wall that leads to a hidden dagger. 
• The pit room follows a regular pattern. Once beyond, you have several tough fights. You eventually find a room with a key, where a major combat will take place. After the dust settles, if you're still stuck in the room, perhaps leaving a gift where the key was will grant you freedom. 
• Don't miss the switch on the far wall. It raises a platform worth investigating.
• On the other side in the abandoned hallways, there's a switch and a pressure plate. The teleporter flashes on to knock items off the pressure plate. When you hit the switch, the gate opens to your left, and the teleporter flashes on. The plate opens the nearby door right past the gate. You can't reach the pressure plate in time to trigger it with your body, perhaps there's some way to trigger the plate from down the corridor so you can make it past the closed door in time.
• IRON DOOR: And the clue says to rest where the Dragon(s) gaze. There are more than one of them. Perhaps where their vision intersects will point you to the place.  

Level 6:Trapped

•  The maze of madness isn't so maddening, you just have to be on the lookout for some hidden switches. Pay close enough attention and you can gain access to a necklace that gives bonus experience. 
• In the Halls of Fire you will find a mage's entrance that works like you expect, being that you find a fireball scroll nearby. If you can't cast fireball, there's a nearby hallway with a hidden switch. Hitting that switch will give you a little hidey hole which may allow you to reach the end of the hallway. There you might find a tool that will give you what you need to cross. 
• The walkabout is a walkabout. Go round once (Click/Click/Click) and get a stone. Keep walking for some bones and then a sack. 
• There is a lot of fighting on this level, especially against ranged fire throwers. Use ranged weapons and quick dodging to slay your opponents. 
• There are secrets within secrets near the hallways with the heads that shoot fire, both of them. After three secret switches, one leads to plate (seen on a level above), the other to a challenge for fighters. 
• IRON DOOR: This isn't too difficult, there are four keys, one in each section.  Find them all and open the iron door.

Level 7

• Lots of fighting on this level, but you should be powerful enough to handle it
• To find a dagger fit for slayers of men (Assassin's Dagger) look for five switches. Only three of them make noise. Playing with them should do the trick. 
• Near the Crystal on this level is a hallway with two doors. There is a pull chain to get into a room with two pressure plates. One raises a gate, and the other fires a missile. A bit of quick stepping will get the missile in the bucket. Prepare for a difficult fight. Afterwards, don't forget to walk around, to find a powerful Earthbound Staff. 
• Stuck in the room where the floor opens and shuts? There's a switch hidden on a wall inside the room, in addition to treasure in a cubby hole. Remember, your body can block the spectral ray. 
• IRON DOOR: Three demon faces. Any ball makes it to the goal and you get to start over. Your reward? Chitin Boots and a Scroll teaching you the Fire Arrow Spell.

Level 8

Skull Locations

• North section of the Old Tunnels, There is a switch where you find the key in the fungus rooms. Pulling this switch opens a secret chamber nearby with a skull on the ground next to some Nomad Boots.  
• This second skull is technically in the archives, but can only be reached from Level 3. Fall down into the pits, and in the back corner, you'll find this skull on the ground. You'll have to do a bit of fighting first.  
• Near the 'real' entrance to Level 8, right past the room with three faces and three pits, you'll find a skull in a wall cubby hole. 

On Transcripts: Character Creation

After some discussion, Character Creation.

This is an example of the speed at which character creation takes place. One player, Garth, has already created a character in this system. Rachel has played and ran many different role playing games, but has not played this one.

With bullshi&&ing, explaining each choice in total, and goofing around, both characters were rolled up and geared up in 25 minutes. The first thing the player did was grab dice and start playing.

It is nine in the morning on a Sunday.

DM: Me
Rachel: Creating Female Sage
Garth: Creating Male Alchemist
Jordan: Grant, Male Sage

DM: Ok, So, um, uh- What we're going to do is 4d6, droppin' the lowest, switch any two.

Garth: I would like to roll dice.

DM: Down the line, of course, so like you're gonna get to switch two.

Rachel: Ok. I'm very slow this morning, so uh--

DM: That's fine, there isn't-- there isn't-- no reason to hurry

Rachel: 4d6 drop the lowest, that's what we're doing--

DM: 4d6 drop the lowest.

Rachel: {Continues} I don't even need to know anything else right now. Ok.
 {Dice Clatter}

Garth: 13 Strength.
{Dice Clatter}

Rachel: 18!

DM: What!

Rachel: I got an 18.

DM: No kidding! That is exciting.
 {Dice Clatter}

Rachel: That's not as exciting.

DM: No, but it's a good start to the morning to get an 18.

Rachel: Actually it's not as bad as I thought.

DM: Even with drop lowest it's still like 2%, the chance of an 18.

Rachel: Oh, I was talking about my next roll. Uh, I'm too slow to even explain myself.

Garth: 14 Int.

Rachel: You know what--

DM: Don't you get up this early normally?

Rachel: Yeah, but I'm not feeling well this morning.

Garth: Hey 17.

DM: Wow, you guys are rolling really well. It's a lot more forgiving than 3d6, with the average being 12 instead of 8.

Garth: 13.

Rachel: All right.

DM: Ok, Ok, You can pick two and switch 'em. So you can basically put that 18 anywhere you want.

Rachel: Can I decide what I'm going to be first?

DM: Yeah, yeah, ok. So there are five classes. There are three basic classes and two advanced ones. Um, There are 4 races. Non-human races include Elf, Dwarf, and Gnome.

Garth: Are they their own class?

DM: No. They pick from the three basic classes, and then the multi-class. So you can have an Elf Fighter/Thief {Sic: Expert}, or an Elf Fighter/Mage {Sic: Sage}or an Elf Fighter/Thief/Mage {Sic: Expert/Sage}. But the thing is, these classes have a lot of options and as the racial classes, they don't get to pick any of them. Like Elf doesn't get to decide what kind of little things their fighter gets because elves are all fundamentally the same. So if you're human, you just pick one class and it has no limit. Uh, there are, the five classes are; Fighting men. Fighting men are tough letting them jump in and lead on the action. Obviously they hit things really well and they get feats every level. They get some special fighter ability. The get automatic cleave at first level and they use the fighter experience point table. Sages are fragile and have to plan all their spells in the morning. Sages get a d4 for hit points. Uh, they are restricted to gear as a magic user. They use the magic user saves. They pick from at first level, three categories. Thaumaturgy, Ordained, and Aboriginal. Thaumaturgy gives them 3 random first level spells like a wizard, Ordained lets them Bless, Heal, and Turn Undead. And, uh, Aboriginal gives them a familiar. Like, uhhhh, I dunno a cat or a wolf or uh hawk -- Grey Ooze, I don't care.

Rachel: Wizard, Cleric, Druid

DM: Yeah, but the thing is, at second level then if they have picked Thaumaturgy, they pick a school. And the school can be a couple of -- I have like a list of 100 different things. Like Thunder or Time or I don't care. And then if they are Ordained, they start picking spheres, uh, areas of influence, Fire or Diplomacy, and then they will get a selection of spells from under that. If they are Aboriginal, they will get nature oriented primal powers, so they'll get things like Druid spells and the ability to shape-change. But it's very specific. It's going to be very specific about where you're leveling up.

Garth: What about tree ability. Can you turn into a tree? Summon trees?
{Laughter}

DM: Humans get a lot of freedom, now if you're playing an Elf Sage or whatever, you're not going to get to pick between those. You're going to have a specific thing that they do. We're using the Memory Cell Chart for spell-casting.

Rachel: Wouldn't that kind of screw you guys?

DM: What?

Garth: What?

Rachel: Like if we're being attacked -- *poof* I'm a tree.
{Laughter}

DM: Who cares, about them, really? {Indicates the other players} "I turn into plants". Shrubbery!
{Laughter}

DM: We use the memory spell chart which means that each spell has a shape, and you can cast any spell that's equal or less then your level. So if you're fourth level, you can cast fourth level spells if you can fit it in your brain and if you know it.

Rachel: Ok, I understand.

DM: Ok, and then there's Experts. Experts are lucky but not good at fighting. They have a d6 for hit points, they get five skills. They can have a skill at expert when they start. They every level, automatically get a new skill. Per level they get a mulligan. So a second level expert can re-roll a die they've already rolled like twice a session. Like a saving throw, or an attack roll, or a damage roll they get to re-roll once per their level. They can trade out one of their first level skills for Backstab or Poison Use. Uh, they are restricted to gear as a thief. They use the thief saves and experience. Every even level, they can also gain a +1 to hit, a +1 to AC, or an ability like a fighter. Nobody else increases in their ability to hit but fighters. So like if you're a sage, you're always going to have a +0 attack bonus. Unless your spell requires an attack roll and then you'll add your level. Um, and then there are two specialist classes. Alchemist and Psionist. Which is in the other supplement that I wrote. Did you see? Did you see? This is the playtest draft. *Thud* {163 page document hits table}

Rachel: I did start doing some rough drafts of art for you.

DM: Yeah.

Rachel: Mostly at work while I'm waiting for queries to run.

DM: So like I wrote that. It's like 163 pages.

Rachel: It's huge.

DM: It is huge.

Rachel: It needs some art.

DM: Yeah, yeah.
{Laughter}

DM: I have I do have about 40 pages of art that I've done. The only piece that's in there is the one right behind the cover.

Rachel: I've seen this one before.

DM: Have you? Yeah.
. . .
DM: So there's that, and then there's the other class, the Psioncist. Alchemists are dicks. They create toxins, powders, potions, and poisons to punish and sicken their opponents. They are weak and opportunistic. Lacking natural skills they goad other members of the party into keeping them safe and free from harm.

Rachel: Can they make healing potions?

DM: Yes. Yes. Psionicists are physically weak --  Alchemists can make any potion in the Dungeon Masters Guide, plus, I don't know, about 500 I made up. Psionicists are physically weak with few powerful mental powers. They have a few abilities and they must be very creative in the way they are used. It's basically like a spell-caster with spells that they can cast at any given moment. They have a lot more flexibility then spell-casters than the effects of spells, but the effects are not particularly powerful.
You know there are a lot of limitations into Hypnotism. It sounds great, you can force somebody to do something, pretty much at will. But they have to have an intelligence within a pretty narrow range and they can't have more hit dice then you, and you can only affect so many hit dice at the same time. So when it comes up it's super-powerful to be like "Look, we have a thrall! And we're going to make him walk into traps!" But like, finding the thing that you get to do that to and keeping him, it's challenging. Like there's in game -- you've got to be creative.
The idea is that each class matches the actual play style that you'll be engaging in. Sages require a lot of planning. Fighters are tough and they can get out there and do stuff. Experts can take big risks because they get mulligans and can deal with a bunch of different situations. Psionicists have to be creative and alchemists have to hide behind people and make other people sick and do their shit.

Garth: And read a lot.

DM: Yeah and look through a book. Oh, yeah. If you're doing Alchemist again we're going to get a sheet of paper and we're going to write down everything you have and everything it does.

Rachel: Yeah, that was my next question. I thought you already had a character.

Garth: Yeah, he died.

Rachel: Already?

Garth: He had the best Alchemist name. Ambrose Whithers-Grigsby. It was a good Alchemist name.

Rachel: How'd he die?

Garth: Well, he took a -- he came down with a case of sword through the lung.
{Laughter}

Garth: He made it out, barely, because he was carrying a little healing kit, so uh, the other characters grabbed that, barely healed him, I think I had a 15% chance.

DM: 15% chance. I think Hawley rolled like a 6?

Garth: So she kept me alive, dragged me out of there. I had to recover for 40d6 weeks --

DM: No, 10d6. From Organ Damage.

Garth: With a 10% chance of death per week, which equals death. If it were descending, I think that would make more sense. 10% the first week, 9, 8,

DM: Definitely, it should have been lowered, but it was like week 3 when you finally kicked the bucket.

Garth: And I rolled an 8 which means I would have still--

Rachel: It took 3 weeks to get to town?

DM: No, he recovered in town. He was like "well, I'm not going out again." So he was rolling to see how long -- I just don't feel that the ability to recover from a punctured lung in a fishing town I describe as --

Garth: You're right, you're right.

DM: Decrepit fishing village.

Garth: The only thing is that the rule for the recovery. It should start at maybe higher than 10%. But it should descend 1% at a time. Because it doesn't make sense to make it 39 weeks and be like "Hey, I think I've got the hang of this -- OOPS Instant death!"

DM: Ok. I think it should probably only be like 10% for the first 6 or 8 weeks and then done. When you get 0 hit points, nothing bad happens except you start taking criticals.

Garth: So the hit points are just our buffer. It's petty handy.

DM: Before you get to actual wounds.

Rachel: {Sigh}

DM: What's the deep sigh for?

Rachel: I'm thinking Sage.

DM: Ok.

Rachel: What do you think?

Garth: I think I'm going to go back to Alchemist, try that. I will choke the rivers of this land with dead Alchemists.
{Laughter}

DM: Which one do you want? The spells, the blessings? Ordained? Thaumaturgic, or uh, Aboriginal.

Garth: We could use an Ordained.

DM: You let her do whatever she wants.

Rachel: I'm trying to decide. I definitely don't want the last one.

Garth: The Shamanistic

DM: The familiar?

Rachel: Yeah.

DM: It's not really the best first level pick I don't think. Because then you're like "What can you do?" "Oh, I have a dog." {ED: this has been addressed}

Garth: Wait, they have no spells?

DM: No, just the familiar.

Garth: What?

DM: Well, later on they get to turn into animals and stuff.

Garth: That's not a class, that is a choice at the pet shop on the way to the adventure.
{Laughter}

DM: No, it's a faaaamilllliar. You get to have it be special. It's getting to take two actions a round.

Rachel: If you can make healing potions. . .

Garth: I will hopefully. Now are basic healing potions common? Potions of cure light wounds?

DM: No, No, Uncommon, elixirs, uncommon.

Rachel: So you said that there was a fire sphere. How does a blessings person have a fire sphere?

DM: Well, when they get first level, all they can do is Bless, Heal, and Turn Undead. Anytime. There is no limit. They don't need a spell sheet. They are just like "now is blessing time", everyone gets a +1 bonus to saves versus fear and +1 to hit.

Garth: Do they have to check to be able to do that?

DM: Or they can bless water. Yeah, same thing with turning undead. Light healing. When they hit second level, it's just like wizard. Instead of picking schools of magic, they are picking spheres of influence. Like a sphere is Chaos or Diplomacy or Travel or, you know, it's almost identical to a school, except it's {mostly} cleric spells instead of wizard spells.

Rachel: I guess I'll do the healing one. It'll keep us alive better, because we have a warrior.

Garth: Plus, this is a lot more free-form, so you can just come up with some cool spheres.Now do they only have one sphere? Because the old gods used to have --

DM: No, but if you pick from different ones, you'll keep getting low level spells. You have to pick the same ones to get the more powerful spells. So specialization is rewarded. Then again, the lower level spells don't take up as much space in your brain. So you can have a bunch of low level spells.

Garth: I have swapped my Dexterity for my Wisdom. All right. The only thing I know about this character is that his initials are going to spell out PBAU.

Rachel: Why?

Garth: Because that's the symbol for lead and gold.

DM: Not healing potions, but there is a common curative tonic that heals 1d6-2.
{Jordan arrives}

DM: I'm sorry, I'm wrong. The elixir of healing {Ed:Elixir of Cure Light Wounds} is common. Purified water, Rare earths--

Garth: Purified like, blessed?

DM: There's a recipe for pure water. Troll blood/Healing Essence one dram, Powdered Pearl one dram, Powdered Silver one dram.

Garth: What? What's the crafting gold cost?

DM: So you need that stuff. 10 gold.

Garth: So it must be tiny amounts of the stuff.  Because healing potions are relatively common.

DM: Yes, anything you can convince me you can get a healing essence from.

Garth: Is that a creature or dead--

DM: Something with fast healing or regeneration or life oriented.

Garth: Is it possible to buy items.

DM: Like buy drams?

Garth: Like buy something that can be dissolved or concentrated into  --

DM: Yeah, a living creature that you can convince me  -- you have to extract the healing essence.

Garth: What about from fish.

DM: You can get cold, and you can get water from fish that have full hit dice. But I don't think you can just be like "Salmon!". Who signed up for the obsidian portal?

Garth: It's weird, because if you sign up, it won't show your name on the player list. Just the list of other players.

Rachel: But is still shows up on your list of games, right?

DM: Percentiles. When you add a picture, I will give you 500 bonus XP.

Rachel: A picture of my character?

DM: Any kind of picture associated with your account so you don't have the simple default face.

Garth: My picture looks just like me.

DM: It doesn't have to look like you at all, it just has to be a photograph that's not the basic head.

Garth: 15. What am I rolling for.

DM: 15 is coins, this is your bonus for signing up on Obsidian Portal. Roll again
{Some rolls later}

DM: You get 20 hard silver. You can keep the same equipment list for your last character.

Garth: I think that the Alchemist -- I mean you've got a class that's a person with a dog so I don't think the Alchemist deserves a ton of starting stuff, but uh, I think it's very fun to start with a little bit of everything. So you might have a random pack of beginning alchemical items.

DM: That is an excellent idea.

Garth: They could even be themed. Like roll 1d6. You get a 4. That's the outdoorsy, the other one was the tomb-robbery.

DM: That's an excellent idea. Done. Sold. Are you waiting on me?

Rachel: What am I supposed to be doing, I thought you were working on his character?

DM: So you're sage and you decided to go ordained. Your stat bonuses are at 13, 16, and 18.

Rachel: But I need to probably move Dex, to like Wisdom? And you can only make one move, right?

DM: Wisdom is going to be the stat cap -- I mean the spell cap for Ordained.

Garth: Do you get bonus spells?

DM: No, you get the brain size. But it affects the maximum number of spells she can know. She can know twice her level plus twice her bonus. So right now, she can know 8 spells.

Rachel: Ok, that's done.

DM: Which at this point, I'm not going to give you a sheet, because you -- how many slots are there? Five? So you have five 'battle healing spells' because you can bless at any time.

Rachel: Do I write these abilities down anywhere?

DM: No, don't worry about it.

Garth: You start with those special abilities and additional spells.

DM: No. Just bless, turn undead, and heal.

Garth: But each of those abilities have to take up a slot.

DM: No. Only for combat.

Garth: The druid is still super weak.

DM: It's not really a druid - it's a familiar.

Garth: That class choice is still pretty weak. It's a person who happens to have a dog.

DM: It's not a dog.

Garth: Whatever it is.

DM: If you picked dog, that would be 'dire wolf'. Does a dire wolf do more damage than a magic missile? I bet it does more damage per round. On average.

Garth: I still think their should be spells. Especially Duridic things that would function like those abilities.

DM: {To Rachel} I'm sorry. It's a D4 for hit points. So you do that and you add your constitution modifier.

Rachel: 4!

DM: Congratulations! You said your Constitution is +1? That means that weird little trapezoidal shaped box right there is your system shock. It's 90 + Three times your Constitution modifier. I have some gear sheets for you. Roll 3d8.

Rachel:  Ok. 21.

DM: 210 gold

Rachel: Where do you put gold? Do I put that somewhere?

DM: Yeah, the back, the bottom, I didn't print of equipment sheets again. Your base bonus to attack is 0. Your melee is strength and your ranged is dex.

Rachel: What about my movement?

DM: You're movement is going to be 12"

Rachel: My race?

DM: If you're going to be picking Ordained, you're going to be human.

Garth: Because only humans are the gods chosen people.

DM: If you picked Dwarf Fighter/Sage; the first level Dwarf Sage automatically gets ordained. They don't get to pick, that's just what they get because they are Dwarves. You pick Elf Fighter/Sage/Expert the first level sage would get animal companion. Because they don't pick, they just automatically get whatever.

Rachel: Ohhh! I can get an elephant!

DM: You can afford an Elephant?

Rachel: Yes I could.
{Laughter}

DM: "What do you have there?" "Oh, nothing, just a pachyderm."

Jordan: Ok, I'm signed up for obsidian portal now and have a picture.

DM: Ok, Jordan is like "Bonus!"
{Some rolls}

Rachel: Are we doing stuff like blankets that we have to pay for?

Garth: There's a master kit that's got all the-

DM: She's got them.

Garth: There's the kit selection stuff. Where if you select the kit--

Rachel: Ok there.
{Jordan finishes his rolls}

DM: You have a 50 gold piece pair of silk trousers. They are embroidered -- and where are the other things?

Jordan: I sell them.

DM: They are silk. There's little buttons on the side made from rare crystals. Rare furs. Trousers worth 50 gold pieces!

Jordan: I sell them.

DM: Why would you sell them!? They are fancy pants!
{All Laughter}

Garth: You can have a middle name of fancy pants!

Jordan: I'll be ok. I'll take the gold.

DM: You cannot buy pants like this anywhere.

Garth: You probably cannot sell them to fishermen {All laugh} who's yearly income taps out at like 10 gold.

Jordan: Fine, I'll keep the fancy pants.

DM: Are you going to wear them?

Jordan: Yes. I'm going to wear them.

DM: That is awesome.

Jordan: Of course I'm going to wear them. I'm not keeping them for show. I can't be called 'fancy pants' if I don't wear the fancy pants.

DM: "Two hours later, Your pants are torn".

Garth: I like to imagine that everything is just rainbows and laughing as you're walking along with your fancy pants. And then like we camp for the night and wake up, we're all happy. And you come out of your tent. You're not wearing the fancy pants and just sadness. Rain.
{Laughter}
{Hawley speaks up}

Hawley: Wait, we get points for doing things on that website?

All: Oh yeah.

Hawley: You didn't tell me that part.

DM: That's right, I didn't. It's a surprise.

Hawley: I just signed up.

DM: Well then you get a roll. You too may have a pair of fancy pants!

Garth: {deadpan} You may have already won.
{Laughter}

DM: There are stat bonuses on that table. 2400 is the experience point total for second level sage.

Rachel: All right?

DM: Can you just show Rachel your sheet so she can copy your saving throws?

Rachel: The modifiers aren't the same as his, right?

DM: No, the modifiers are based off your stats. It's just the numbers in the circle you're concerned about.

Rachel: Ok, I got the numbers. Now what about the modifiers. Poison/Death is what? Constitution?

DM: Yeah, what is he have modifiers next to.

Rachel: There's saves and then there's a line with modifiers.

DM: Yeah, yeah, uh.

Rachel: Poison, Death, Constitution? Do you take the 14 into account or not?

Garth: 14 is a +1

DM: You roll a die, and you add the number that's the modifier and if it's over the number in the circle you get it.

Garth: Those are both +1, those are 0's

Rachel: Oh a 12 is a 0?!

Garth: It goes 13, 16 and 18.

Rachel: Well, that's annoying.

DM: That's the statistical bell curve.

Garth: Nobody likes that.

DM: I like it.

Garth: they want a +1 for a 12 and a +4 for an 18.

Rachel: So annoying.

Garth: You see? You see?

DM: I see that her 18 is really special.

Garth: It would still be special. It would be an extra +1

Rachel: Anyway. So what do I put in my modifier column.
{Adding save modifiers}

Rachel: All-right Garth. Should I just take the master kit and the expert scholar's kit, or do I need other stuff? I don't know. I don't want to think.

Garth: Then just start with the elephant.

Jordan: You don't want to think. No thinking! Hack!

Rachel: I'm not getting the elephant, that will take all my money. And it's probably a work elephant, not a war elephant.

Jordan: So? That thing can still trample people.

Garth: Do you know the difference between those?
{Laughter}

Garth: One overzealous slap.

DM: One panics a whole lot?

Rachel: Can I just write master kit?

DM: Yeah.

Rachel: Maybe I should just write all this crap down. Unless I can look at this whenever I want.

DM: You can keep that. You want to keep that? You can keep it. This is not "exercise your writing hand for an hour in the morning". Just write down master kit and keep the sheet and then you can look at that. I won't need it.

Garth: This is brilliant. I'll just keep making alchemists and each one will will the accumulated horde to the next one. Eventually I'll reach critical mass.
{Laughter}

On Six Things You Don't Know About Save or Die

Recently, there was some discussion about Save or Die. Yesterday's post gave an example of Save or Die in action. I'm just going to lay out all the misunderstandings about Save or Die in old school games.

1. The saving throw versus death, especially at low levels is a roll called for when the player has already made a poor choice that results in certain death. It is a chance to avoid death caused by a bad choice.
2. When the threat of death from failing a save becomes something that is commonly encountered by players (Power Word, Kill, Medusa's Gaze) player characters are traditionally at or near name level. Assuming they received experience for gold, they should have enough treasure, equipment and levels to succeed on a save 90%+ of the time, as well as the resources to raise or heal anyone who does get taken out of the combat. 
3. Modern games increase the difficulty of the save, meaning that this isn't true for players of modern games. This does not mean that the mechanic of save or die is broken in old school game.
4. Again, the idea that Save or Die can destroy a gaming session due to luck is immensely ignorant. At what point are the people you are spending your recreation time with so insensible that they willingly commit suicide? This 'destroyed' gaming session due to luck is a strawman. Is the argument that the monster manual should only be filled with creatures that can be beaten in a straight fight? Why would you want every enemy to be a tedious numerical challenge?
5. The immature idea (because it stems from a sense of entitlement -- a hallmark of those who lack maturity) that saves versus death should only apply after a threshold of hit points are reached creates a gaming environment where choice is divorced from consequence.* This reduces the engagement, meaning, and value of the game. There is an excellent example about game-play founded on this kind of design -- the success of 4e stands on its own merits. 
6. Not allowing casters access to save or die spells creates needlessly long high-level combats, another problem exemplified by the poorly working model where this was implemented! The reason it's not a problem for PC's is covered in my point above.

*Why am I so direct here about how the idea is immature? Because it contains the arrogant presumption that every monster should be fought and killed by the PC's. If you fight a Medusa without taking steps to protect yourself from the gaze, then you deserve to die. Is the supposition that the  characters to just walk up and fight the Medusa in safety?  Who is the person arguing that this is something the players should be protected from? They should be safe until they are hurt? I cannot find one single coherent point in this argument and yet it is being made.

Is the argument that the game should lack challenge? That there should be nothing we have to worry about? Who is the person who wants to play a game where they say "I try really hard!" and always be told "You win!" If you are that person, I would only interact with you if I worked with you, and I certainly wouldn't let you sit at my table.

I do not have a problem with people deciding that save or die isn't for them or doesn't fit the type of campaigns they want to run. But to be so ignorant about the factors involved in save or die is  embarrassing.

On Transcript: The Unfortunate Death

In which player death occurs, fictional positioning is addressed, and a live play example of how adults resolve conflict.

Of particular note is how one trap was discovered and navigated successfully and a second one was not -- all without dice rolls.

You may also examine what they roll for (convincing the hirelings of their confidence and strength and listening at doors) and what they don't roll for (searching, traps).

DM: What now?

Jordan: You successfully looted buckets and mops from that room. {Garth had just recently failed to kick open a broom closet in a shop in town}

Rachel: Let's go down towards that road towards a bigger town and see if we can see anything that way, or we can go to the Alchemist's house and try to find the way they do the ships.

Garth: I want to check the top floors of the Alchemist's house.

Jordan: How's your foot doing there buddy?

Garth: It's fine!

DM: Your movement is 1" shortened.

Rachel: One inch?

DM: Yeah, normally it's 12", you're wearing chain mail, I mean 9" and now it's 8".

Garth: Ok.

DM: Now you can still make an appointment, or break in at night, or murder everyone in the pie shop.

Rachel: Let's just let everyone forget this for a while.

Garth: We'll give it a couple of days.

DM: "You again!?" "This time we just want to make an appointment." "I don't believe you!"

Garth: Guards! Guards! He's holding the crowbar!
{Laughter}

DM: {Map is accidentally displayed for a second} Woah, Don't look at that!

Garth: We go wherever that is.

Jordan: I will later that day go back and schedule an appointment.

DM: For when?

Jordan: For the following day, in the morning. Probably the afternoon actually, so that I'm not interfering with his morning baked goods.

DM: For the following day. That's brave of you, thinking you're going to survive.


=====================================
They return to the Alchemist's house.


DM: You are at the Alchemist's house

Garth/Jordan: Ok.

Garth: In the front door.

DM: You enter the front door.

Garth: Up the stairs.

DM: you are standing in -- that is the wandering encounter sheet --

Jordan: Bladebladebla. We go upstairs.

DM: You are standing in the musty entrance room, there are stairs.

Garth: Up the stairs.

DM: Ok, you travel up the stairs.

Garth: Have we explored every room to our right?

Jordan: yes

DM: You see that there is a hallway that goes to the east and west. The space to the left of the stairs is open, allowing you to look down on the musty entrance way.

Garth: Have we explored every room to the right?

Jordan: Yes we did.

DM: I'm not going to answer that question.

Garth: Were there two doors?

Jordan: There were 3 doors. We hit all three.

DM: There are 3 doors to the east.

Jordan: We hit all three of them, the last one contained the bound guy.

Rachel: And which direction is the ocean, sea?

Garth: Behind us?

DM: It is behind you.

Garth: Left!

DM: You turn left. There's a balcony railing, uh --

Garth: Carefully move across making sure the floor is sturdy.

DM: When your moving across, you notice since you're testing the floor, that it is in fact not sturdy. And that there is a section that looks like it will collapse if any weight is put on it.

Garth: Ok.

DM: It is between 4' and 7' long.

Garth: That's a lot.

Jordan: Move on past it.

DM: Somebody almost fell.

Garth: Can we, uh, can we get around it?

Rachel: Is there anything on the -- are we on the balcony?

DM: Yeah, ahead of you, since it's lit, and light is coming in from the windows, is an intersection. There is a path to the left, which you can clearly see because you can just look across the balcony, leads to a window that is on the front of the house. The path to the right leads to the rear of the house. The path straight ahead past the intersection has two doors on the left hand side.

Jordan: There's no edge where we can walk that's like safe? It's the entire floor?

DM: Yeah, there's a spot between four and seven feet that's fragile. You have to jump it.

Jordan: A four to seven foot jump? That's a long jump.

Garth: Four isn't bad.

Jordan: Seven is.

Rachel: Is there any other way to get to the other side of the balcony?

DM: You could go down to the ground floor and climb up?

Garth: Is there a bannister?

DM: Yeah.

Garth: Is the bannister loose?

DM: Not really?

Garth: Is bannister sturdier?

DM: Then the floor?

Garth: Yes.

DM: Maybe? Probably.

Garth: Does it have a wall beneath it?

DM: No, No it's freestanding over the entrance.

Rachel: Ok, how sturdy is the wall? Can we put one of those spike things in it and just swing across?

DM: Yeah, it's a wooden wall. It's maybe -- uh, you know, it's wood, so if you're looking for a stud in your house, it's that sturdy. Maybe a little sturdier because it's thicker.

Garth: If we're using the crowbar to pry the bannister off, can we lay it across the, uh, ground?

Rachel: Why don't we just get a table if that is your plan?

Garth: Sounds good. Is there a table nearby?

DM: In the hallway?

Garth: Is it sturdy?

DM: No, in the hallway? There's not a table in the hallway. There's probably a table in one of the rooms.

Jordan: We'll need a seven foot table. Little longer. 

DM: you don't recall seeing a seven foot table, except maybe in the basement.

Garth: even if it's not seven feet, when you step on it, it will disperse the weight a whole bunch.

Rachel: I dunno, I think it's easier to go outside and climb back up.

DM: Or just jump. I don't think anyone would have a problem just jumping it.

Jordan: Fine, I'll run back and jump it. We'll find out.

DM {to Jordan}: Except for you. {laughter}

DM: The hirelings aren't sure about the jump. They want to stay back.

Garth: I'll make the jump first.

DM: You clear it pretty easily.

Garth {to hirelings}: Easy guys, come on.

DM: Yeeeeahhhhhh, uh, roll a d20 and add your charisma modifier.

Garth: five.

DM: Yeah, no.

Jordan: Here. Toss me a rope. I give them the end of it. "If it collapses, I'll pull you up."

DM: What's your Strength?

Jordan: Well, I'm not on the side pulling them up. Not yet at least.

DM {to Garth}: What's your Strength?

Garth: I'll also tie it to the strongest part of the bannister.

Jordan: and I'll jump across too, we'll both be holding it.

DM: You jump across.

Rachel: My Strength is 14.

DM: yeah, what are you doing?

Rachel: Can I throw them?
{Laughter}

Rachel: I can jump across. We can just have them go downstairs and climb up. 

DM: You jump across. Ok. They follow you over.

Garth: Ok, so there are two doors on the left here?

DM: Mostly because they didn't want to be left alone.

Garth: There are two doors on the left here?

DM: You are standing in an intersection. The hallway goes north. At the far end, it looks like it opens up into a room. There are two doors on the right. The hallway goes south, it ends in a window, and the bannister is on the left hand side of that hallway. And it goes to the west, straight ahead, and there are two doors on the south walls.

Garth: West! First door! Listen!

DM: Uhh, Ok. Roll your listen.

Garth: What is that? 20.

DM: Silence

Jordan: Try the door.

DM: It's unlocked. You open it. Inside the floor is covered with rubbish. That's pretty much all you see, except for back, against the back wall is a eight and a half foot tall cupboard. Like a wardrobe.

Rachel: I check it for traps!

Jordan: Uhhh, why don't we check the floor to find out if you're going to fall through it first.

Rachel: Ok, go for it.

DM: The floor appears stable.

Garth: Anything moving in the refuse?

DM: No. Not that you see.

Rachel: Are there any doors out of here?

DM: The door you entered. There are two windows on the other side of the room.

Rachel: I look through the windows.

DM: You walk across, knocking the rubbish out of the way. The windows look out the south side of the house onto the Ardent Sea.

Jordan: What is most of the rubbish?

DM: It's trash and broken wood and torn clothing and dirt and leaves.

Rachel: What's out in the sea?

DM: Water.

Rachel: That's it?

DM: For now.

Jordan: How do you -- How does the clothing thing open?

DM: Its' got two handles in front. The doors run the full length of the thing.

Jordan: Can I use my quarterstaff and pull the door open with it?

DM: Sure! You pull the door open. Inside it's empty, except for on a hanger, there is a dark cloak that looks like it has a gold lining.
{Silence}

Garth: Is it uh, decayed at all? Like everything else in this house?

DM: No, it looks fine.

Jordan: I take it.

DM: When you reach out and grab the cloak, um, the first thing that seems strange is that you're confused about why your vision is blurring. When you touch it and grab it, yellow dust just sort of *poof* out in the little ten foot area outside the cabinet, I'm pretty sure where you two are standing. {Points to Garth} Where are you?

Rachel: I'm stepping back as soon as I see that.

Garth: . . . Probably behind them?

DM: It happens, almost as soon as he touches-- It just rolls out. I'm gonna need everybody -- The first thing that happens is that everybody takes 8 damage. {0 hit points just means you're subject to criticals -- it doesn't mean death}

Jordan: What?!

DM: And then everybody needs to save versus poison.

Rachel: How do we do that?

Garth: First save up there.

DM: Whoa, whoa, before we start rolling saves, I redid--

Garth: 5

DM: you are going to choke the land with dead alchemists.
{Laughter}

DM: I redid the save tables, all saves

Garth: By the way, I didn't mean directly behind them.

DM: Ten feet, were you within ten feet of the cupboard?

Garth: I wouldn't have said I was -- whatever.

DM: I asked you, before we rolled anything how far away you were and I said it billowed out for ten feet. I would have accepted any answer. Before, uh, saves, either Constitution bonus or Wisdom. Wisdom applies to every saving throw.
{Dice roll}

DM: What did you roll.

Jordan: I rolled a 12, and my modifier is +1 and I needed a 14 or better.

Rachel: I got a 15 with my modifier.

DM: Ok, so you save. Just so everybody knows I'm going to double check the actual effects of yellow mold.
{Looking up in book}

DM: Mold, yellow, when touched, yellow mold produces spores in a 10' cube choking cloud. Any creature within this cloud will die, unless it successfully saves versus poison. A character who fails his or her saves will require a cure disease and a resurrection to be made whole again. Ok. It is suceptable to some things, light spells and other things.
{Book closes}

Jordan: So that's just it, you save or you die?

DM: Yep. Pretty much. So there were no other bonuses or situational modifiers. Somebody said when it was billowing out that they were backing out, ducking out of the way.

Garth: I would like to pull him {indicates Jordan} out of the way.

DM: No, we're past that, but I do remember someone saying "As soon as something appears, I duck down".

Rachel: I didn't say duck down, I said backing away.

DM: Oh, uh, did anyone else say that? {Indicates Rachel} So your saving throw is actually like a 19. {Indicates Jordan} You're the one who grabbed the cloak, so there's no way you're escaping from the wrath of the cloud of spores.

Jordan: Unless there's another way I could get a +1 which I don't see.

DM: I don't -- I don't think there is.

Garth: I had intended to be at the opening of the thing, but I rolled, so whatever.

DM: You had intended to be at the opening by the door?

Garth: Pretty much, yeah.

DM: Well, when I asked, what was it that you said?

Garth: You said, "Where are you?" and I said "Behind them."

DM: Ok! Well, I mean, I'm asking because of the fictional positioning before the save. I mean like, cause I didn't know where you were. I knew where they were, because she walked across the room and looked out the window. And he walked over to the wardrobe. So what would your character be doing?

Garth: I hadn't intended on going in, but I feel like that's a cheaty answer now.

DM: I'm interested in what honestly your think your character does while they do that. You know that instant death can happen at any time? So it may happen in like the next thirty seconds, so I'm not too worried about you being-- when you said behind them, what did that mean exactly?

Garth: I hadn't meant stacked up swat style ready to --

DM: The room is -- the room is, it's a full, it's a, it's a full 45 feet to the wall. So, unless you're right up next to them.

Garth: I don't think I was.

DM: Ok, so let's not worry about your save, because you're outside of the range. {Turning to Jordan} You die clutching the yellow mold covered cloak.

Rachel: Can I try to heal him at all?

DM: Yeah, what are you doing? Uh, I'm going to let you know you can't. But, uh, you're welcome to try not knowing that?

Garth: Curative tonics?

DM: What I would do is get away from the cloak if it were me.

Garth: Do we know anything about this?

DM: Yes, it is Deadly Yellow Mold. It is mold. It is yellow. And it puffed out in a cloud that murdered you to death.{To Jordan} You are going to get to roll up a new character, that's so exciting!

Jordan: Not really. {To Rachel} You just watched your brother die.

DM: Oh s*&t, and Hawley's psychic friend.

Jordan: Yeah, yeah that sucks.So it requires Resurrection and Cure Disease, huh? That's too expensive.

DM: Well, the path to glory is littered with corpses.

Rachel: Yeah, so I heal myself.

DM: Yeah, the damage doesn't cause any sort of -- you just take the damage from bleeding lungs. She can heal you after.

Garth: You have fewer than 8 hit points so how does that work?

DM: Well, when you get down to zero, you roll on the table to see the critical. You roll a D6

Rachel: 3

DM: 3+3 so six.

Jordan: Because you went 3 below 0.

DM: You are shaken for one round by the experience. So for one round you're at -2. Then you can heal yourself. It takes about a turn to do that. The hirelings are like "Holy S*&T that guy died!" {Smiles, but no laughter, still too sad over dying death}

Jordan: 14 is the save right? I hate to fail it by 1 point.

Garth: There's not a system shock check or anything?

DM: Poison save is 14. And you know if there was anything, but you were the one who reached out an grabbed the cloak.

Jordan: I opened the cupboard with my quarterstaff, I should have just touched the cloak with the quarterstaff.

DM: Yes, yes, you should have been paranoid that things might kill you, it's true. You guys almost walked right into the weak floor, you're like "Oh, yeah, we cleared this place out! There's nothing dangerous here!" It's cool. You can roll up another character.

On Interesting Treasure: The Idol of Ilkos

The Idol of Ilkos

This ancient electrum amulet shows the feline incarnation of Ilkos, resting upon an Aegis representing the chaotic planes of death, disorder, and entropy.

The bearer of this amulet often finds that cats stop activities and watch the bearer. Any attempt to approach and they flee. If ignored, they just stare at the bearer as if awaiting something.

It is worth 200 gold to a collector, or 15 gold as a curiosity, but rapidly degrades in value as bearer after bearer attempts to sell or dispose of the piece.

On Alchemical Items, Oil of Eternal Flame

Oil of Eternal Flame
BSC:	25%	(R)gp:	150 gp
DC:	23	TTC:	2 days
CC:	7	CGP::	80 gp
NWP:	-4	XP:	25 xp
D100:	+0%	Weight:	- / 20
D6:	2 in 6 / 5	Difficulty:	Hard
Rarity	Uncommon

Materials: Salamander Scales/Light Essence (2 drams),  Powdered Diamond (1 dram)
Description: When a torch is soaked in this oil and lit, it will burn eternally. Furthermore, the torch burns cool. It does emit heat, but not enough to burn, nor to set things aflame. You could grasp the lit end of this torch and it would be no hotter then a shield left in the sun.
After one round the oil soaks into objects and then if lit aflame will burn forever. It does not really last for all time, but for several years at a minimum. Certain enhanced formulas are said to burn even longer. It does eventually damage items, causing them to decay faster then they would otherwise.


Rules are here.

On The Thursday Trick, Detection of Triggers: Part the First

Mechanical Triggers
The following is the text from the Empty Room, Tricks, and Traps document. The additional information is added to increase agency. 

Pressure Plates: These may have a variety of resistances, each pressure plate requiring different weights to trigger it, or they may even keep a tally of the amount of weight that has crossed them. Note that prodding the floor with a 10’ pole will be less and less likely to discover pressure plates the larger and more weight that is required to trigger the plate. Pressure plates may be any size, from that of a small dime to the size of a large room. They are often the width of a corridor or on the threshold of a door. They may also be triggered, not when stepped on but when the weight leaves the plate or the plate may even disable the trap.

Pressure plates cannot be completely integrated with floors. There is always a crevice between the pressure plate and the rest of the floor. These crevices can be covered in plaster but this measure only lasts until the floor is triggered. Once triggered, the cracked plaster could provide a clue to the location of the pressure plate. Water when poured on a floor will travel down these crevices. It is possible to cover a pressure plate with a permanent illusion. The magic aura is detectable via magic and by thieves that can detect traps.

Pressure plates do not consistently trigger. There is only a percentage chance, usually 50%, that it will trigger as each person crosses it.

Because the design is a plate that rests over something depressable, the plate is often detectable by the fact that it is unsteady or wobbles.

Pressure plates are often covered by carvings or integrated with mosaics designed to hide them from detection.

Whatever they trigger will often leave marks, discoloration, or other indicators.

Latch or Switch: These refer to any device that triggers a trap based on the stated action of the player character. (e.g. “I open the chest,” or “I sit on the bench”). It often consists of a literal latch or switch. A latch is detectable by looking for where it is attached or where it connects to the trap. A switch is detectable by some give or looseness in the object to the point where the switch is triggered. This type of trigger also includes gear and lever triggers, though the players should be unaware they are triggering a gear or lever.

These are often located in doors and hinges. However more complex latches and switches are attached to objects, such as books, chairs, and torch sconces.

There are several methods to detect these. The object is usually a false object, detectable due to discoloration or structure. Sometimes real objects are used (such as a real book in a bookcase) but constant use eventually causes damage. The objects are often hid among several actual real items to increase the illusion.

Because the objects don't usually move (except to trigger the switch). They may be covered in dust, or show differing signs of wear compared to other similar objects. If the object is freestanding, it often must be attached to a surface with a hinge or nails. The latch is often triggered by cables or ropes hidden within the walls.

If the object moves against another surface, such as a torch sconce that rotates against the walls, it will leave marks from the use.

Cheap latches will have visible hinges, making it very obvious.

Objects that contain cables that are attached to switches and latches, such as a decoration on the ear of a chair, will have to have the cable run down the length of the stile and leg into the floor.

In a high quality latch or switch with a well made object, the presence of something unusual can be detected by noticing that the area where the cable runs is hollow upon a close inspection.