Roll 2 Dodge: Invictus

AerynPierre wrote:I love the way you incorporated everybody's actions together. Did a good job catching the "chaos" of battle in this manner, etc.

Thanks! Things always get more interesting where each player's action has a lasting impact beyond what they intended. If one rolls each player's actions separately, than the roll would either have enormous logic gaps (you knock down the soldiers, but this is not mentioned anywhere else), or would be dreadfully boring and get rid of the teamwork aspect.

AerynPierre wrote:Only problem I have...is well I'm having trouble keeping up with the names of all the NPCs.

Yeah, I can see where that could be a problem. I do have a lot of NPCs at the moment. I'll write up a spoiler with the names of the friendly NPCs as well as their primary weapons and known information about them.

EDIT: It has been written. Hopefully this will clarify things a bit.

EDIT2: Updated to include Friendly/Party/Neutral/Enemy clarifications. Talkal's roll also slightly updated.

Stop making me double-post, guys Let's get some more life in here.

First of all, a few bits of info about what's going on. The magic system is looking a LOT better than it did when I first envisioned it. I'm excited to see what everyone will do with it!

Magic and related skills WILL rely on you learning from teachers or other sources of knowledge, but the real meat of it is your creativity. You'll have to make inferences, leaps of logic, or just reason out how you can accomplish a certain spell with your level of expertise. I don't want to give anything else away yet.

About the State of Flows and Adrenaline Rushes and player-formulated skills I had in the last game... I was reluctant to bring those back in, as they can unbalance the d20 system, so I've come up with an altered substitute.

Whenever a player gains a 20 out of combat, they'll gain information or co-operation more easily.

Whenever a player gains a 20 within combat, they'll perform a critical combat maneuvre, as well instantly gain an insight depending on what they were doing.

This could be a magical insight, causing them to be able to discover more information about their particular school of magic in order to form new spells or upgrade their abilities.

This could be a combat insight, causing them to be able to decipher new combat tactics. Generally a +1 (+2 if upgraded) to an ambient (used automatically), general combat method or a +2 (maybe +3 if upgraded) bonus on a specific ability.

This could be an informational insight, perhaps on an enemy's weak-point, high-level concepts to be applied in the future, etc. A lesser example of this would be AerynPierre's action, where he rolled a 19 and discovered the Commander's magical weapon and the fact that he was wearing the Reik family crest... Which meant, if you looked on the NPC tab, that he was of the Reik family.

On a different note:

Talkal, you have yet to post an action. I know you've been on the forums since I've rolled and have read my PM. If you do not post by Friday the 17th, I'll have to NPC you for this turn and then perhaps remove you from the game. Mostly because you have not notified us of any absence or anything of the sort.

This may seem rather strict, but honestly I'm very tired of waiting a week for players to post an action -- especially so early in the game. It hurts the players as well as the GM's reputation if rolls go so slowly. Expect this standard in the future -- for unexcused absences, one combat roll to be NPCed (out of combat doesn't matter as much) and then you're out of the game. This gives you two weeks to at least let me know that you won't be able to post an action for a while.

Sounds good and fair, Kahuna.

Man, this forum needs more activity! We should reboot that old "Advertising Needed" thread...

Talkal is going to be NPCed next roll. I almost considered throwing him out of the game already...

Because he's been on the forums, he's received my PM, and he posted this message on the day of the deadline... Rather ticked off.

Crunchtime - you can start posting in that thread then

I already was the last post in that thread, and no one replied that time. I think a bigger name than mine is needed to actually revive that.

Actually, I'm the last post in it.

If there's no interest to create a game like that, then I don't see a way to revive it... It just hasn't caught on I suppose. I have another idea that I might share sometime.

OKAY NO MORE OFF TOPIC

Sorry, sorry, I'll try to change.

Get a second sword from a dead soldier, and attack with both swords the nearest enemies.

Spoiler:

8680:
Take out my pamphlets, study them...

Relieved at having discovered a purpose and defeated that crippling indecision- and yet dreading the thought of the pain sure to come- you focus on your course of action.

You calm yourself with the techniques you've learned from the magic pamphlet and the more naturalistic pamphlet entitled "Finding your Inner Strength". You've never really put much faith into these methods, besides their calming and focusing value, but... in your mind, there's something else. Something just beyond the surface. Something that you can feel and can almost tap into and-

It's gone again.

Preparation. A plan. Mental is just as important as physical, if not more so. With that in mind, you take your combat pamphlets out of your satchel and begin perusing them frantically, hoping for some insight that could prove useful in the fight.

But you've read these all before. Of course, a review on the traditionally accepted parry stance and a diagram of the human body- with highlighted vital areas- is always helpful. But each moment wastes more valuable time. One theme is clear throughout all of these pamphlets, however. Know thine enemy.

...and study also the real combat, analyzing the chaos and noting any peculiarities of offense or defense in the combatants.

11

It's hard to formulate any clear strategy, what with half the soldiers still collapsed on the ground. And there's also the magicians- the unknown factor. What abilities could they hold? You can pick out a couple of patterns and fighting styles, though.

The two enemy archers have taken cover behind tables, and are shooting at combatants whenever visible. However, they are taking care not to shoot when there is a chance that their own soldiers could be hit.

The soldier in plate armor seems to employ brute force tactics. His armor is very strong, and it's only weak point currently found is the joint where the two leg plates meet below the knee.

---

Rulyon:
Find cover and reload my crossbow while doing my best to stay low and out-of-sight.

5

Looking for the nearest cover, you duck behind the counter, recently vacated by Roald, and sporting a broken arrow, ominously dripping with blood. You start to reload your crossbow while croached below the boards, and hope that the wood is strong enough to withstand arrows... Just then, you get a tap on your shoulder.

"Kyric!"

Spinning around with your crossbow in your hands, you nearly shoot... "Atem?"

"Is it clear? I'm waiting for the right moment."

You'd rather not look- after all, you're trying to maintain your cov- OH GODS! A crossbow bolt was embedded in the baseboard of the counter between you and Atem. You back up against the wall, hoping not to get skewered by anything extruding from the boards-that-are-definitely-not-strong-enough-to-withstand-bolts.

AerynPierre:
Continue my head on assault on one of the standing soldiers, using the sword as an attack/distraction.

...this guy is extremely fast. Armed with only a rapier and wearing extremely light armor, he's managing to fend off both you and Lieutenant Rupin, while the other soldier is doing his best to simply deflect Roald's attacks -- Roald may have an arrow wound in his shoulder, but he's swinging a tree trunk around, for the gods' sake!

...he also has an infuriating smirk, which he maintains while flitting between you and Rupin, all the while stroking his ridiculous beard. It has to no more than five inches long- tapering down to a point that looks like it could stab through plate armor.

You agree that this is profoundly relevant. This could be a weakness. Know thine enemy and all that.

Seeing you pull the knife out of your shoulder, the soldier- practically dancing now- flicks his rapier at you with a twist of his wrist...

15

...and you deflect it back towards him with a strong, decisive hit. The light weapon rebounds to the man's side, and the effort to stop its momentum is enough for you to be prepared, even as he swings it back around with lightning speed. Almost using your sword as a distraction, you angle your sword upwards to where his chain mail ends and his neck is only protected by a piece of leather- even as Rupin takes a full swing from behind him-

19

...the soldier attempts to compensate mid-swing, but your sword intercepts the swing and knocks it upwards, cutting the man with his own weapon.

Lieutenant Rupin:

Seeing the opportunity provided by the courier's improvised parry- excellent technique, indeed- you take a swing at his unguarded back.

Trading defense for speed has been your undoing, it seems.

But in doing so, you've turned your back on your incapacitated enemies. With a groan of pain, the tall soldier with the war hammer staggers up on his uninjured leg and grabs yours for support...

13

But your balance is impeccable. In fact, your instructor said that- nevermind.

You don't manage to shake the man's grip of iron off your leg, but you shift your weight to your unhindered leg and continue to let the swing take you...

10

...and your sword cuts into his back... at the waist. The soldier's belt takes some of the impact, but your blade still strikes true, and the man's back arches in pain.

13

...And you finally shake the man off as an arrow whizzes past you.

Curses. The first rule of swordplay: Never turn your back on your enemies.

And confound these couriers and their demented fighting techniques! Complete rubbish! Tackling men to the floor?! It worked, of course, but... Bah.

AerynPierre:
If an opportunity presents itself, strike at a weak point in armor (preferably neck) with the dagger I pulled from my shoulder.

Seeing Rupin's blade cut through the no-longer-smirking-mustached man, you seize the initiative and prepare to stab him with the throwing knife that was... passed to you by one of your comrades. A bit of an unwieldy weapon, considering it's usually thrown, but...

15

As the man rears back in pain, you thrust the knife into his neck- the part not occupied by his rapier. The man sinks to the ground, his eyes glassy, the twin wounds bleeding profusely from twin blades. If he's not dead yet, he soon will be.

The large man in plate armor groans- whether in pain or grief you cannot tell- and is attempting to rise, but at the moment cannot be more than half risen without supporting himself on a beam. You turn on the soldiers in the center of the shoddily formed circle. They were already starting to recover- the commander is back on his feet, the mage assisting one of the other fallen within the circle.

7

Cursing, you jump back as you dodge yet another arrow. It was hard enough getting past those soldiers without those DAMNED ARCHERS skinning you alive. You take cover temporarily behind a nearby table.

Talkal:
Get a second sword from a dead soldier, and attack with both swords the nearest enemies.

Seeing a soldier fall from Lupin and Earnan's efforts, you break from your cover and rush into the center of the battle. You stow your buckler in your pack, and run to the fallen soldier, ducking to avoid being hit with any arrows or collateral damage from your allies.

The large soldier leaning into the central beam does not take your intrusion kindly. He tries to stagger up, but fails, and so he simply pushes himself off the beam in your general direction. It wasn't thought out very well, but it seems to be an action made more out of rage than strategy.

4

You're unprepared for that method of attack, and he takes you to the ground, knocking the wind out of you. You try to get up, but there's a corpse on one side of you, and the soldier doesn't appear like he is in standing condition at the moment either. You raise your sword, trying to bash it against his side...

2

...but he knocks it out of your hands. He begins to throttle you- bare hands closing around your neck, the heavy weight of metal and flesh constricting your breathing, and the impassionate gaze through the slits in the man's visor...

Rulyon:
Pop out of cover, shoot at one of the enemy archers, and duck back down.

Sneaking back over to the side of the counter, you peek around the corner and aim your crossbow at one of the archers, ready to duck back at a moment's notice...

3

...but it seems that in your haste, you miscalculated. The bolt ends up within the wall above the archers. However, as you note with satisfaction before you take cover again, it seems to have thrown off one of the archer's aim.

Lieutenant Rupin:

One of the couriers is taken down by one of the soldiers. He appears to be being asphyxiated. You would rush out there, but the archers are covering the spot- waiting for someone to break cover but not willing to risk hitting one of their own.

Never turn your back on...

Oh, by the gods.

My combat instructor must be rolling over in his grave.

You rush to the courier and the soldier, locked in mortal combat, and hack at the man's heavy armor.

6 CLANG

Your first strike fails to break through the armor. Your right hand, the one pierced by the knife, is beginning to bother you. Speed healings don't always work fully.

thwing 8

A bolt narrowly misses you.

6 CLANG

You can't find purchase in the armor. Maybe it's your hand throwing you off... you don't have much time...

whoosh 4

AGH!

A tearing sound... in my chest... AGH

2 CLANG

You try one last time ...but the pain is too overwhelming... you almost hit the courier just then... you have to take cover.

Shakily uncorking a health potion, you haphazardly splash almost half of it on your chest. The effect is immediate -- the skin slowly knits itself back together from the outside in: pushing the arrow shaft out of the exit wound in your back, and leaving a bright red mark where the wound had been. You almost pass out from the pain, but when you ingest the rest of the potion it subsides some.

Talkal:

You start to see spots. You flail around for something- anything...

14

...and your hands lands on someone's head. And then a blade.

The rapier!

Roald:

You take care to keep the soldier between you and the archers. Won't do Selma any good if you get shot. Again. The blasted man is hacking your shield to pieces. Yes, it's a serving tray, but you had to improvise somehow.

You block again, trying to get a swing in...

7

...and the hit finally breaks your makeshift shield, blasting chips of wood over everything and cutting your arm.

Okay. That's enough.

You step back and swing your bouncer's club at his head, used to playfully crack more than one rowdy's skull on occasions.

2

But this soldier is no drunk lumberjack, and he sidesteps the swing as if it were simply a falling tree branch. ...which it is, essentially. But that's not saying anything for your combat abilities.

ENOUGH!

You take another step back, accessing the flow of your magic. You try to do this as one fluid motion, concentrating on some arbitrary poem as you do so. You've heard that enemy magicians can read minds and steal secrets, and you'd rather not share any of yours.

"ULDUR!"

4

For the second time, the soldier sidesteps the attack- this time he dives out of the way though, looking more fearful than normal. The blast continues towards the back of the inn, and flies towards Terrell, recovered from being blown against the wall and attempting to retrieve Selma.

13

Luckily, he manages to throw himself against the floor in time.

I've got to work on that.

Summary:

Character Sheets:

NPC Character Sheets:

Unabridged Player Character Sheets

Bigkahuna wrote:Relieved at having discovered a purpose and defeated that crippling indecision

I haven't yet; apologies if I was unclear.

I'm now regretting making this character; I think she'll often freeze with indecision and hide, and it'd take too much time and too much character development that I'm not sure I'm capable of to fix that. I may or may not join the fight, but I don't think I'll join the party, thus freeing up a slot for JackBarber's hopefully more useful character.

You could also simply have a life-changing epiphany.

8680 wrote:I'm now regretting making this character; I think she'll often freeze with indecision and hide, and it'd take too much time and too much character development that I'm not sure I'm capable of to fix that. I may or may not join the fight, but I don't think I'll join the party, thus freeing up a slot for JackBarber's hopefully more useful character.

Warning: Critical Breach in Fourth Wall! Evacuate Immediately.

Don't let an imaginary character get in the way of you as a person enjoying a role-playing game. If you don't like Aranna's personality or you believe that she would harm instead of help proceedings, change her personality. You're in charge here.

If you really want to keep your character as she is...

Rulyon wrote:You could also simply have a life-changing epiphany.

I have sympathy for people with these mindsets. IMO, what your character is looking for and needs is a purpose -- if she believes that she is fighting for some purpose- grander than herself, transcending her simple existence to work towards a greater purpose- than she will leave indecision behind.

Just my thoughts.

In other news...

Adding the Character Sheet link to the bottom of the roll. Sorry for omitting it.

8680 wrote:Also, how did I damage the fourth wall?

Hah. Just the conversation in general.

I repeat what I said earlier -- a made-up character should not keep you from playing the game. If you think that your character would do more hurt than harm, change her personality.

I'm not really that good of a role-player. I think that I've gotten a bit better at it, but not much. Maybe enough to predict what a character will do in a certain situation.

That said, I am not strict whatsoever on character development. Do what you will with your character. I don't want you to leave so early in the game!

1. People should really balance how they roll because with some games two people will get a "Mega-Success!" kinda thing and yet one gets a far greater result than the other, and the same goes for lower numbers where one can be completely destroyed versus the other one getting a head-ache...
1 1/2. Along/related to the first, try and build up health systems, or continuity bonuses to both sides, be it the players or the NPCs, good or bad. Like if someone gets multiple numbers under 5, the action that takes place should probably continually get worse (At least in games using the 20-sided die.) Injuries and such WOULD limit you more, if you were stabbed once, sure you'd probably survive if treated properly, but stuck through the chest or belly 3+ times? That probably wouldn't end well no matter how you treat it, even if you survived the character would likely be crippled or handicapped in some way, although with games that include magic alternative methods to things such as walking can usually be used.
2. CUT THE FREAKING STRAPS THAT HOLD THE ARMOR TOGETHER! Stop simply trying to jab into point where they are disconnected, even if the outcome is judged by the roll it at least would make sense to expose ALL of the body, when aiming for a very small exposed area people should get like -1 through -3 to that roll based on situations like that...
3. Speaking out of character has nothing or little to do with the fourth wall unless the player uses it to Meta-Game, although most of the time that requires co-operation from the creator of the game...

Yes, this kind of does apply to quite a few of the games that go/have gone on, on the forums here although at the moment I'm only really watching two of them (since I'm only playing/waiting on those two.) but, even so, I just though I'd post this... (Since most the stuff seems kinda relevant.)

Thanks for your advice, Jack. I'll address some of it, since it seem's you're a bit worried...

JackBarber wrote:1. People should really balance how they roll [...]

Spoiler:

JackBarber wrote:1 1/2. [...] try and build up health systems, or continuity bonuses [...]

Spoiler:

JackBarber wrote:2. CUT THE FREAKING STRAPS THAT HOLD THE ARMOR TOGETHER! [...] PENALTIES PENALTIES

Spoiler:

About the out of character thing... I was just messing around. I like to yell at players for breaking walls whenever possible

Egh... Nevermind, maybe I'm just confused or annoyed or something...

But 1. I think you should tell just how much damage is done instead of just telling someones location in the summary.
2. NPC's HP should also be shown unless they are SOOO Important that them dying would completely go against the story of the game.
3. I think getting a low roll should do more than "Bother" someone, you're in the middle of a freaking battle, have an arrow get him in the bicep, or have a loose lantern on a shaken beam fall near the guy and maybe catch his shoe on fire or something...

JackBarber wrote:Egh... Nevermind, maybe I'm just confused or annoyed or something...

No, it's honest criticism.

Damage Report -- I do tell the player's damages in their character sheets.

NPC Character Sheets

Spoiler:

Low Rolls

Spoiler:

Everyone's actions have been posted! It would have been a record time... if I was able to roll.

I will be gone until Sunday. Sorry, everyone. For now, I have to catch up on a bunch of work before I leave.

While we're at it, let's have a player vote here. Are you guys fine with the Google Docs character sheet situation, or would you rather it be on the forums for easier access? And do you think that NPC statutes/character sheets are necessary?

NPC sheets and damage done to them was more what I was thinking, I was already pretty sure you did Player damage...

If you're thinking of what to put on them, I don't think you should put things like skills or weapons in the NPC sheets unless they are Allied/Friendly, but I think Health should be shown for all, Enemy and Friend.

While I'm not technically a player, I am on the waiting list, here to bestow my opinion wherever I choose!

I prefer the sheets on the forums, though if you do choose to keep the google docs, perhaps a link at the bottom of each roll would help streamline the process of checking a different site for your character information.