Norschtalen

ONE PUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH

Alright, I'll try to post something soon.

Edit: Finished my post. I understand that illusions can be one of those hit-or-miss powers a lot of GM's might not like because it relies on people strengthening their minds, which unlike the body isn't something that can be measured. The easiest way to break an illusion two methods: The first is to simply ignore it. A sharp mind can point out inconsistencies and flaws that might let them know that an illusion has been cast on them, and those who are really perspective or even better, illusionists themselves could even clearly see what is an illusion and what isn't. The other is simply trying to "interact" with the illusion physically, since illusions are all in your head and don't have physical forms.

What Sweet Demon did however is trickier because she's relying on the sedative to have put Dreadlock into a sort of sleepy, quasi-dreamlike state, thus it'd be even harder for Dreadlock to discern what's real and what's not. As I mentioned in the post itself, even if Dreadlock thinks it's all a dream that alone wouldn't break the illusion. She'd have to really question Sweet Demon and figure out who she is and what she can do before she can realize that this may all be an illusion, unless someone else can wake her up or get inside Dreadlock's head too.

The Chronicles of Dosei: Sands of Blood, A Dungeons and Dragons Roleplay. (Reboot)(Full)

Kessel the Gnome Artificer

Appearance:


Standing at exactly three feet tall Kessel is a gnome through-and-through. From her natural-but-odd colored hair, her strange looking eyes, and her knack for crazy inventions. Have grown up in the tough streets of Luskan, Kessel prefers to dress both sensible and “tough”. She hates dresses and fancy shoes, but she also believes that wearing armor and protection will convey an image of weakness, as if she’s trying to hide something. So instead she wears a fashionable, sturdy, but otherwise simple leather jacket, pants, and boots. They keep her warm, protect her from the elements, and offer her some dignity.

Kessel carries her tools in a large backpack that looks way too big for her. However thanks to a series of straps and harnesses that only she has the know-how to make sense of, she can easily wear the backpack for long walks. She carries various tools on her person such as alchemy kits and a few wands, but her signature item is her Rune Wrench, which she’s named after. This masterwork tool allows her to fix up various types of ancient machinery and if need be, give someone a solid thwack.

Name: Kessel Rune-Wrench

Age: 56

Race: Gnome

Class: Artificer Lv 3

Biography: Kessel was an orphan in the wretched hive known as Luskan. Luskan was rampant with all sorts of thieves, thugs, assassins, and lowlives, and they were ruled by corrupt wizards lords. Kessel was “adopted” and raised to be a test subject, but after an accident when she was 12 years old she was able to escape the wizard experimenting on her. She was forced to join the various local gangs and learned how to fight and steal from them, but one day she came across a wizard’s journal. Inside the journal was all sorts of spells and schematics about magical crafts, which Kessel was somehow able to understand. It was kind of like a puzzle: the individual pieces didn’t make sense, but once she got the bigger picture she was able to put everything together and make it work.

Inspired by what she could learn from the book Kessel tried to be a wizard’s apprentice, learning how to use magic to craft spells and objects, with lots of mad experiments that tends to be dangerous to everyone involved. She grew fascinated with golems and technology, believing it to be a logical progression of magical craft, but neither her teacher or her fellow students shared her interest. They were all more concerned about gaining more power and alliances to rule Luskan, something that never really interest Kessel. So she spent most of her time trying to make a golem, and one she did she left Luskan to look for more knowledge and lore to improve her golem as well as discover what other potential she has.

Other: Kessel has an iron golem named “Rusty”. It’s stronger than ten horses and very durable to boot, however Kessel hasn’t quite worked out how to make it more combat able, and thus all it can do for now is take hits and move around. It has one monowheel and two arms, but it needs those arms to move forward. It can stand still on it’s wheel if it needs to use both hands but it will have a hard time moving and balancing itself.

Kessel’s true talent lies in magical crafts. She can brew potions easily, but her best ability is her Infusions. They allow her to give temporary magical enchantments to objects or constructs. While the enchantments are not permanent, she can apply them to just about anything in a pinch. Kessel can also make magical equipment and weapons if she has the time and money, with the latter that’s hard for her to get. Kessel is a big spendthrift.

In combat Kessel relies a lot on her rune wrench, infusions, and scrolls for combat. Whenever she has some downtime she takes the time to scribes scrolls in case she needs them for a fight or a tough puzzle, and often stockpiles them for later, or sell them if she can get a good deal out of a sucker. These are the usual scrolls she prepares for battle:

Combat Scrolls

Level 1:
Color Spray
True Strike
Shield

Level 2:
Glitterdust
Locate Object
Invisibility

Given time she cal also craft other scrolls of other spells if she knows what spell is needed. It would take her at a minimum of one hour to scribe a level 1 scroll, but it gets much longer at higher levels.

Shayle the Dwarf Barbarian

Appearance:


Shayle is practically a living legend: She’s a female dwarf! Born deep in the Ironfist Clanhold, she has light skin and almost pinkish hair. However the pink tint only came after she started living on the surface: before it used to be white. She has a stocky and strong build, but with child-like facial features that make her oddly cute. She has dull yellow-green eyes like topazs and two streaks of warpaint going down from her eyes, which she applies daily.

Shayle likes wearing armor and finds it more comfortable than your usual dress or clothes. She wears a breastplate with pauldrons, gauntlets, and even chainmail underneath. She often has her helmet on her head at all times, even while asleep, though she does take it off when she wants to bath. She has a small backpack to carry essentials like food and drink, but her most important possession is her greataxe. It was her great-great-grandfather’s greataxe, and he gave it to her so she could make her own future. The axe has no notable magical enchantment, however it is made out of Adamantium, allowing it to sunder through stone and steel better than any pickaxe.

Name: Shayle

Age: 60

Race: Mountain Dwarf

Class: Barbarian Lv 3

Biography: Shayle is a simple woman, and her past isn’t much different. She was raised in the Ironfist Clanhold and like many woman she was taught some basic things: how to smith, how to fight, and how to raise a family. And for the most part she did all three of those things rather well. It wasn’t until she was still a young lass that her father wanted to marry her off to the son of one of his friends because he thought they’d like each other. Only that Shayle had no idea who that person was, and she had no interest for traditional married life. She always looked up to her great-great-grandfather’s tales of adventure with his wife, and she wanted to meet the man of her dreams the same way. Not through some arranged marriage, but through adventure and danger.

So before Shayle could get married off, she packed up her things, donned her armor, and found her great-great-grandfather’s greataxe. She confronted her father and the rest of the clanhold and told them she was leaving: she thanked them for raising her but she was going to make a future for herself with her own hands. And her axe, of course.

Other: Shayle is a skilled warrior and a decent smith, but to the surprise of some she is also an excellent chef. She likes to cook monsters and other dungeon creatures for cheap and delicious meals. There's nothing that Shayle wouldn't eat as long as she gets to cook it. Shayle is also very comfortable in her armor to the point that she often sleeps in it, and only gets out of her armor when she needs to clean herself off. Aside from food essentials, the only other thing in Shayle backpack is money and tools to maintain her equipment. Unlike some barbarians Shayle is literate, and can read and write both common and dwarf very well.

ONE PUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH

@Emuxe

Just so you know I'm waiting on you before I post for Sweet Devil again.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Kyra didn't bother to look at Parum when she tried to change her mind. What Parum doesn't understand is that unlike her, if the villagers of Greenest just run away there wasn't anywhere else they could go. At best they'd be refugees and try to live in other villages or cities. But without the supplies to make the journey, many people would die just trying to reach the other places to settle down. And there was no guarantee for their futures either. Most of these people weren't adventurers or skilled laborers, they were farmers or foresters without their tools, wealth, or possessions. Even their guards only had whatever armor and weapons they had. Chances are if the people of Greenest really did just run away from all this army, they'd either die off in the wilderness or turn to banditry just to survive. And there was no way in the hells that Kyra would allow her people to fall so far.

Soon after her rant more soldiers started moving. Soldiers who Kyra thought were dead, but it was worse. The wounds they were inflicted was so horrible, even Kyra's magic healing wouldn't save them. They had lost limbs, burnt so horribly that she could see their bones, and somehow they were still alive. They were alive and suffering. Parum ran off at the sight of it but Kyra steeled herself. She knew that this was exactly what she would expect after the dragon's attack. And it was her duty to make sure these brave warriors got their treatment. For now however, the best she could do was organize them from the living and the dead. Once she goes back inside she can go about trying to treat the wounded.

As Kyra was piling definite corpses together, she spotted a familiar face. It was Edward Longwater, one of the militia captains. Although he wasn't much older than Kyra, he was an experienced mercenary. She wasn't sure why someone of his ability would settle down in a small village like Greenest, but he had made large contributions in training and protecting the village. Still, even his skills would fall short of a dragon. "Edward. I see you're... You're counting the casualties. I've organized the survivors from the others the best I can... Most are too disfigured for me too recognize them." Kyra said solemnly. While she does look up to Edward to lead the militia, part of her wanted to ask him if he knew how they could slay this dragon. While Kyra disagrees with Parum's instance that they flee, Kyra also knows that she doesn't have any means to slay that dragon right now. A trap maybe, or possibly even poisoning the massive beast. But she didn't have any ideas and hoped that perhaps Edward, being the experienced warrior he is, may have a few suggestions.

"What should we do? We can't run away from this battle. We can't run away from our home."

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

I'll try to post today too. I'm off today but I have a few things around the house I need to take care of.

Brave Frontier: A New Legacy [Started/Always Accepting]

"Tch. I'm not a 'ma'am'. My name is Rochelle. Remember it!" The gunslinger poured the two another around of whisky and were not halfway through the bottle. She even took a bit of a swig straight from the bottle. "So you're a healer, huh? I've bet you've been to a lot of fights then. Seen some nasty injuries? I once saw two men rip another in half. Crazy!"
Rochelle teased Claire as she continued to hold him close to her chest. If he was a healer Rochelle hoped he could stomach any sort of injury they get. Rochelle does not make clean kills.

@cloudystar

Brave Frontier: A New Legacy [Started/Always Accepting]

Rodger dodger! I have today off so I'll try to work up a post.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

You two bring up some good points and I honestly don't have much of an argument to dispute them. But what I am worried about is that Hekazu would have to make the call to give inspiration to others or not. Acting our your character and developing them is a great reward, but as long as we're adventuring I think that might happen a lot. Right now I can see plenty of ways our characters could have a big revelation or do something that both makes sense IC, as well as show how much they've improved in both the short and long term. But I also don't want to put any more pressure on our GM to judge our characters for their actions either. Like dealing with a paladin who may have done something that could cause him to Fall, it's a very subjective case that really can only be considered in relation to your character, which makes judging all the more difficult. A fighter can get away with stealing a sword to fight a greater evil, but a paladin can't do that and must make due with what he has.

If I can be honest, I'm not surprised that Orchid did what he did, I just know it wasn't a good idea in practice. In character that makes sense, and I'm honestly surprised he made it as far as he did. It also does show a lot about his character: he's not a loud-mouth barbarian who talks big and can only fight enemies smaller than himself, but he's willing to take on enemies who outclass him simply on principle. For him, this makes sense for his character. But let's say someone else tried to do what he did. Let's say Parum was the one who chose to face the dragon. Now hear me out: Yes Parum was scared of the dragon in the first round, and she didn't really move from her spot since it showed up. All she was able to do was cast a few spells, granted very helpful spells. But she also mouthed off at the dragon and even tried to give everyone else hope when things seemed hopeless. Without her help Orchid may have not been able to make that climb onto the dragon in the first place.

And while it's in character for Orchid to be courageous and take on difficult challenges, for Parum she was able to muster up some bravery herself to stay and fight. Sure she wasn't able to do much, but none of us were. Yet despite lacking Orchid's confidence, she still faced her fear and took on the dragon instead of running away. If Orchid could get inspiration for acting as bravely as he did, what about Parum? Being brave is not the same as being fearless, because Parum had to overcome her fears of the dragon to face it. It's this sort of questions that I know might be hard for Hekazu, because it's certainly hard for me too. I don't want to seem harsh and say Orchid gets inspiration because he's the only one who risked his life, because to me that feels like I'm punishing the others for being scared. Alternatively, I also don't want to punish Orchid if later Parum is able to convince the mayor or some other powerful authority figure to give them a favor or clear them of guilt. Even if Orchid does something fairly impressive despite his low charisma and intelligence, like give a convincing defense for his case or point out a flaw in the opposing argument.

The trouble I foresee is trying to measure out these things like skill, bravery, or intelligence relative to our characters. Who should be rewarded for bravery above and beyond their station, the skilled warrior or the cowardly commoner? Who should be rewarded for their cunning wit, the intelligent scholar or the folksy peasant? Trying to weigh one or another can be difficult work, and trying to reward everyone only diminishes it's value.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

While I mostly agree with you @The Harbinger of Ferocity, and I really do think everyone here has been very mature so far (I was a bit afraid that Lucius was actually going to throw a fit if he doesn't get to kill the dragon but he handled that gracefully), I can understand why inspiration shouldn't be used. In my last group we had something of a gloryhound who always went out of his way to do "crazy stunts" even if we had a good plan already. And most of his stunts were just needlessly complicated and too reliant on all of us supporting or saving him afterwards.

I'm not saying that what Orchid did was bad or what Lucius wrote wasn't good. But I do think that he was taking a very big risk, and it was a good thing that Kyra was there to patch him up. That sort of thing is awesome, sure, but I don't want to always have to do that. I understand that the group is still very new and hasn't exactly gotten around to coordinating as a team, but I also don't want to promote the idea that trying to take a risk at the expense of your wellbeing would reward you. There's taking a gamble and just risking your life. Orchid risked his life to scale that dragon even though I'm pretty sure none of us could kill it together, let alone him doing it by himself. A gamble would have been something like us rallying the soldiers on the wall to focus fire on the dragon while also making sure they take cover or are protected by the dragon's breath, since that would be somewhat difficult for us to do, but more effective than just trying to stab at it.

The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion - Crimson Skies

Rinori watched the city of Krvatch burn. She couldn't say she felt any strong emotions about it. On one hand, it was horrible and frightening to see what sort of power these daedra had, that they could lay siege and destroy a city in less then a day. But Rinori has never been to Krvatch, knew no one there, and was far from the fighting itself. She simply kept watch, waiting for the right moment to strike. Granted, that time could have been whena bunch of heroes went into the city and saved it from the daedra.... But they were doing such a good job Rinori didn't think they needed her help. BY the time they got to the oblivion gate itself, Rinori knew they didn't need her help.

That being said, she also wasn't sure what might happen once they're inside. Even if they close the oblivion gate, there was still more daedra in the city itself. What they were even doing here in the first place, Rinori didn't know. But if they tried to leave the city for whatever reason, she'll be here to shoot them down. She just hoped that these heroes could close the gate before it's too late. The last thing Rinori wanted on her conscious was seeing this city and it's people die because she chose not to act.