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Grahf and Roberts walk down the steps while Snerp and Eikka check out the alcoves...
The Room:
This small room looks like it was the living and sleeping quarters for four people. A wooden table and four chairs stand at the east end of this room. To the west are four alcoves containing moldy straw pallets. The wood of the table and chairs are rotted and do not look like they could support much way. The straw pallets are all but rotted away. At the north end of the room, the hallway continues, curving around to the west.
The Alcoves:
Two crypts have been hewn from the earth. The stone slabs mean to seal them are open, leaning against the walls. The one to the east is blank while the other has the name "Walter Durst" etched into it. Both crypts are empty.
Basement (updated):
Second Floor Map:
Third Floor Map:
Attic Map:
Player Summaries:
Eikka - 17/17 HP - 16 AC - Channel Divinity: ⬤ | Relentless Endurance: ⬤ | Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
Grahf - 14/14 HP - 10 AC - Spell Secrets: ⬤ | Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⬤
Roberts - 19/20 HP - 19 AC - Action Surge: ⬤ | Second Wind ⬤
Snerp - 12/13 HP - 13 AC - Bardic Inspiration: ⬤⭘ | Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
Player Sheets:
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(Well, it's the issue of the one character that doesn't have darkvision having to use a free hand, reducing their AC, to hold a torch, but I think we found a good solution. No worries).
The group heads down the eastern hallway. To the south, they see a small branch which reveals some alcoves. To the north, the hallway curves, leading to a small staircase that descends into a room.
Basement (updated):
Second Floor Map:
Third Floor Map:
Attic Map:
Player Summaries:
Eikka - 17/17 HP - 16 AC - Channel Divinity: ⬤ | Relentless Endurance: ⬤ | Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
Grahf - 14/14 HP - 10 AC - Spell Secrets: ⬤ | Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⬤
Roberts - 19/20 HP - 19 AC - Action Surge: ⬤ | Second Wind ⬤
Snerp - 12/13 HP - 13 AC - Bardic Inspiration: ⬤⭘ | Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
Player Sheets:
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@Buddamoose
(It can be passive, yes. And you'll often see Investigation paired with Perception in this regard. But they can both be used actively as well. Basically the passive mode is what level of reasoning and perception you have without actively trying. The issue of passive skills is still one that's hotly debated and has a lot of people confused, and many people don't use that aspect. But I certainly exploited the existence of passive investigation to kind of drop a hint as to something your character might have noticed even if the player did not)
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@Buddamoose
(Insight is pretty valuable. Investigation is pretty situational)
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@Buddamoose
(Getting info out of the kids would be persuasion, but I would have only made the roll if they were inclined to resist in the first place. I'm pretty lenient when it comes to whether a roll is needed or an act just succeeds.
The only checks that could really "compel" someone to do something would be Persuasion and Intimidation, but I caution against treating these skills as a form of charming or mind control. Even if you "succeed" that doesn't necessarily mean the target is going to act in the manner you desire. For example, persuading or intimidation a hostile creature might get them to talk, but they could lie, lie by omission, only obey you temporarily or begrudgingly, etc.
Performance, basically says how well you can act, dance, play music, tell a story, or in general entertain someone. Some practical examples could be:
- Attempting to win a music contest;
- Pleasing a grumpy King who demands you tell him a story to lighten his mood;
- Performing for money;
Now, you could use these in conjunction with each other. For example, whether or not you succeed on a persuasion or intimidation against a character depends on their disposition toward you (friendly, indifferent, hostile). Their disposition (roughly) sets the target number you have to roll, and limits the degree to which they are willing (at all) to act in your favor, or at least not act against you.
A sufficiently adept performance could alter their disposition toward you and the party, making them more willing to help you later or provide information. Either by lowering the difficulty of success or by granting you some form of situational advantage, or simply by making it so they help you of their own accord.
All of the social/charisma-based skills are somewhat wishy-washy. If you want my opinion, persuasion and intimidation would be more practical from a mechanical standpoint than performance, but it is up to you whether or not you want to optimize your character for mechanics or choose the skills that are appropriate for them in a thematic sense.)
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@Buddamoose
(Since enthrall is not a concentration spell, you can use both it and unearthly chorus. So you could cast either in either order.
Enthrall forces affected creatures to make a Wisdom save to resist, while the bonus action from unearthly chorus forces them to make a Charisma save to resist; you don't have to make any checks to induce these effects. The spells simply says if you're making a Performance check for any reason, you have advantage on that roll.)
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@janesix
The traditional perception of time is the "A-Theory" of time. That things in the past were once real, but are no longer real, that things in the future don't exist yet, and that the only thing that really exists is the present.
The "B-Theory" of time basically says that the past, present, future and the flow of time is an illusion and that events and things in the past, present, and future are all equally real.
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@Earth
(Here is the last game-related post for your convenience:
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@Buddamoose
(You play the music for 10 minutes. It then has two separate effects:
- For the 10-minute duration, you have advantage on all Peformance checks.
- For the 10-minute duration, you can use a bonus action to try and charm a creature in line-of-sight that can hear the music.
Creatures that you charm using the second effect remain charmed for the duration of the spell + 1 hour after you have finished the music. While they are charmed, you have advantage on Deception and Persuasion checks against them.
The spell does not inflict the deafened condition.)
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(No worries, I love the questions. Makes me think, lol)
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@Buddamoose
(Prestidigitation is not really a combat spell. You have vicious mockery which does damage and inhibits their ability to attack)
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What is your world-view?
A complex question. I believe in the B-theory of time. I disbelieve in Free Will. I'm an absurdist. Ethically, I think I adhere to a mishmash of different principles.
How did the universe come into existence?
This presumes the universe "came" into existence. I do not know that this is true.
Is there any purpose to existence?
Only that which you make.
Why do you believe what you believe?
A lifetime of introspection and selecting what seems most true to me.
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@secularmerlin
(By default there is no mechanism for failing a save to a spell. There are some exceptions (like polymorph), but I think you've guys have hit on a better solution with mage hand + torch)
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@Buddamoose
(No. The spells you know are the spells you know. You can't swap them out)
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(Mage hand is a cantrip and can indeed hold the torch if you wish. I guess when you guys get another cantrip, somebody will have to invest in the light spell, lol)
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@secularmerlin
(Now you have me thinking. The fundamental idea here, I think, is sound, but the limitations of minor illusion make it impractical. Since some of you can see, you could indeed make illusory doubles of things you see and then Roberts would be able to see those illusions (that is, instead of making an illusory torch, you are simply making illusory duplicates of things you want Roberts to see). But minor illusion limits the range to 30', the size of the illusory objects to no bigger than a 5' cube, and the illusions are static. You'd have to recast it every time something changes. It also only lasts for a minute and Roberts, knowing that they are illusions, would see them as translucent, rather than solid.)
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@secularmerlin
(Does the illusion of a torch produce real light?)
(Fuck that's a deep question. Obviously the illusion creates some form of light, because it's seen and doesn't exist merely in the mind. However, I don't think it can illuminate things that are otherwise hidden or obscured.
1. To illuminate what is currently hidden, you'd have to know what is there to begin with. Since you can't see what is there, you can't create the illusion of what is there. You could, however, make something that you do know is there appear to be illuminated.
2. The current range of minor illusion is a 5' cube, so is currently impractical for that use.)
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I believe in the B theory of time and that Free Will doesn't exist.
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(Obviously we cannot control who posts in the thread and some people just like to kick over sand castles. I request that everyone simply ignore them and, if they become a nuisance, I'll address it with the mods)
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@Buddamoose
(Ah, gotchya. Currently, you do not see anything of the sort.)
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(No, other than Roberts' torch, there is no source of light.
Also, I'm assuming by "right" you mean the right passageway as you are looking at the map)
The hallway extends further to the east and west. At the east end, it curves around to the north, at the west end it opens up into a small room before continuing west and curving north.
Along the north and south edges of the hallway, there are opens leading off to some alcoves.
(We should probably let Earth catch up a bit)
Basement (updated):
Second Floor Map:
Third Floor Map:
Attic Map:
Player Summaries:
Eikka - 17/17 HP - 16 AC - Channel Divinity: ⬤ | Relentless Endurance: ⬤ | Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
Grahf - 14/14 HP - 10 AC - Spell Secrets: ⬤ | Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⬤
Roberts - 19/20 HP - 19 AC - Action Surge: ⬤ | Second Wind ⬤
Snerp - 12/13 HP - 13 AC - Bardic Inspiration: ⬤⭘ | Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
Player Sheets:
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i am against migrants coming to seek refuge in the usa. their culture is the main reason i am against it. but i always said we can help other countries who do decide to help them. you might even call it 'bribing' them. we see there are only so many migrants out there.
Interesting, I wasn't aware there was some singular, monolithic "migrant culture." Can you elaborate on this culture and how it conflicts with coming into the USA?
what if we paid whatever country that takes them, two dollars a day to pay the refugees who can then spend the money? that quote that i think that there are only between one and two million migrants per year. the math comes out to maybe one or two billion dollars in cost. the payments can be temporary until those economies can assimilate the migrants.
Well, of all the plans I've heard to "solve" the migrant "problem" this is perhaps the least thought out. How would paying another country change anything? The migrants that come here want to come here. The USA isn't their second choice. They're not trying to go someplace else that has closed borders and then snapping their fingers, going "ah shucks" then coming here.
Bribing another country to take them only works if there is another country they want to go to that is turning them away. If the USA is their first choice, paying another country to loosen their borders won't change their mind; they'll still want to come into the US!
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As one, the group returns to the junction in the basement that heads east and west. All except Roberts can see in the dark, and the Fighter must use his shield arm to hold a torch for visibility.
Second Floor Map:
Third Floor Map:
Attic Map:
Player Summaries:
Eikka - 17/17 HP - 16 AC - Channel Divinity: ⬤ | Relentless Endurance: ⬤ | Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
Grahf - 14/14 HP - 10 AC - Spell Secrets: ⬤ | Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⬤
Roberts - 19/20 HP - 19 AC - Action Surge: ⬤ | Second Wind ⬤
Snerp - 12/13 HP - 13 AC - Bardic Inspiration: ⬤⭘ | Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
Player Sheets:
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The cat curls up in the pouch with its head peeking out of the bag, watching as they explore the house.
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@Buddamoose
(You do - Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘ - You have 2 unused and 1 used. You leveled up after you long rested, so the new spot you gained hasn't been reset yet)
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After finding the creepy ass basement, Roberts returns to the group and relays his discovery. They then huddle together and rest up, planning their next move while Snerp performs the Song of Rest.
[Eikka Hit Dice Roll: d8 (2) + d6 (4) + 2 = 8]
[Grahf Hit Dice Roll: d6 (5) + d6 (4) + 2 = 11]
[Roberts Hit Dice Roll: d10 (3) + d6 (2) + 2 = 7]
[Snerp Hit Dice Roll: d8 (2) + d6 (2) + 0 = 4]
Basement:
First Floor Map:
Second Floor Map:
Third Floor Map:
Attic Map:
Player Summaries:
Eikka - 17/17 HP - 16 AC - Channel Divinity: ⬤ | Relentless Endurance: ⬤ | Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
Grahf - 14/14 HP - 10 AC - Spell Secrets: ⬤ | Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⬤
Roberts - 19/20 HP - 19 AC - Action Surge: ⬤ | Second Wind ⬤
Snerp - 12/13 HP - 13 AC - Bardic Inspiration: ⬤⭘ | Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
Player Sheets:
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@secularmerlin
In 5e, there are long rests and short rests.
Short Rest
- At least 1 hour;
- May only perform light activity;
- May spend Hit Dice to heal;
- Resets/Activates certain abilities (Chanel Divinity, Arcane Recovery, Spell Secrets, Second Wind)
Long Rest
- At least 8 hours long;
- May only perform light activity for 2 of the 8 hours, and sleeps/trances for the rest;
- Regains all hit points;
- Regains up to half of the total Hit Dice;
- Resets all abilities (unless otherwise stated)
- Can only be used once in a 24-hour period.
You guys just long rested, basically so you only have a short rest available to you at the moment.
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@Smithereens
a moderator should have no further role than enforcing the ToS
Then I question the idea of having a specific moderation style at all. If the moderator simply enforces the ToS, no more, no less, then there is no sense in having a moderation style. Either they enforce the ToS, or they step down as a mod.
However if they, like police officers, have a high degree of discretion in determining what kind of behavior is a ToS violation, then style comes into play and we can weigh the pros and cons of lax or strict moderation.
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Resting
Every character has a number of hit dice equal to their level. The size of the die depends on the class: Cleric (d8), Wizard (d6), Fighter (d10), Bard (d8). When you take a short rest, you may expend a number of Hit Dice to regain hit points. The hit points regained equals the roll of your hit die plus your Constitution modifier. You may use as many or as few Hit Dice as you want.
When you take a long rest, you regain a number of Hit Dice equal to half your level (rounded down) up to your max.
Also, if you are within earshot of Snerp, you regain an addition +d6 hit points when you use a Hit Die to heal.
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(The group wanted to check out the mirror first, so you haven't rested yet. A rest takes at least an hour, so I didn't know if you wanted to wait at the bottom of the stairs for an hour, if they were going to meet up with you and rest down there or what)
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@Smithereens
There is a problem with too laissez-faire moderation in the sense that it can spiral out of control. Simply put, no power structure remains stagnant. It will necessarily drift in some direction. In DDO, it drifted in the direction of being too hands off. Then we end up with things like the Weekly Stupid and the Drama Farm that was allowed because of high production values, the laffs, and the seemingly untouchable nature of the members involved. None of those should be factors in determining acceptable behavior.
When you have certain members getting away with stuff because they happen to be charming on camera, people will lose faith in the system anyway. In order to have faith in a system, it must actually do something to begin with.
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Who's-Best-At-What Sheet (* - updated)
- Acrobatics (Snerp +4)
- Animal Handling (Eikka, Roberts, & Snerp +2)*
- Arcana (Grahf +7)*
- Athletics (Roberts +3)
- Deception (Snerp +4)
- History (Grahf & Snerp +3)*
- Insight (Eikka & Roberts +4)
- Intimidation (Eikka & Grahf +3)
- Investigation (Grahf +5)
- Medicine (Eikka +4)
- Nature (Eikka, Grahf, & Snerp +3)*
- Perception (Eikka & Roberts +4)
- Performance (Snerp +4)
- Persuasion (Grahf +5)
- Religion (Grahf +7)*
- Sleight of Hand (Snerp +3)*
- Stealth (Snerp +3)*
- Survival (Roberts +4)
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The primary issue with moderation on DDO was there was no accountability. And this was Juggle's fault. They basically gave airmax a single rein, and let him do whatever he want so long (presumably) as he didn't break the site or the law. They held on to the other rein, but simply tied it to a tree and went to take a nap.
As a result, some mods got a little too comfortable with their moderating powers, since they had no higher direction nor oversight. This did result in some level of minor abuse.
That really doesn't apply here. Mike is here, active, and has full control over the site. He has a vested interest in maintaining its integrity and, rather than simply tossing responsibility to someone else because he doesn't want to deal with it like Juggle did, he is simply enlisting volunteer help. This means we are likely to avoid the issues of DDO's moderatorship, regardless of whoever the specific mod is.
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(A note on Ritual Spells. Some spells have the "Ritual" tag meaning that, in addition to casting them normally, you can choose cast them as a ritual. This adds 10 minutes to the casting time, but the spell doesn't use up a spell slot. So it is useful for conserving resources when time is not of the essence.
Snerp may cast any spell he knows that has the ritual tag as a ritual. (Illusory Script)
Grahf may cast any spell in his spell book that has the ritual tag as a ritual, without having to prepare it first. (Detect Magic, Identify)
Eikka may cast any spell she has prepared for the day that has the ritual tag as a ritual. (Identify is currently the only ritual spell prepared, but other ritual spells on her spell list include: Ceremony, Detect Magic, Detect Poison and Disease, Purify Food and Drink)
I'll assume that Grahf has cast identify as a ritual in this case.)
Eikka and Snerp bolster Grahf as he mutters the mystic incantations to identify the weird mirror in the nursemaid's room. And discovers...
...that it is a plain, simple mirror.
Meanwhile, Roberts stands at the top of the cramped, spiral staircase. Chilled air rises up to meet him, sending goosebumps down his arms. It is pitch black and he must light a torch to lead the way. The narrow spiral staircase is made of creaky wood and is contained within a 5-foot-wide shaft of mortared stone that that descends through the house to the basement level. Thick cobwebs fill the shaft and reduce visibility in the staircase to 5 feet.
When he reaches the bottom, he finds himself in a narrow tunnel that stretches southward before branching east and west. The walls and halls here have been carved out of earth, clay and rock. They are 4 feet wide and 7 feet high with timber braces at 5-foot intervals. The floors have a number of ancient footprints laid over each other heading in all directions.
From the moment he arrives in the basement, Roberts can hear an eerie, incessant chant echoing throughout. It's impossible to gauge where the sound is coming from, nor is he able to discern the words.
Basement (new):
First Floor Map:
Second Floor Map:
Third Floor Map:
Attic Map:
Player Summaries:
Grahf - 8/14 HP - 10 AC - Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
Roberts - 12/20 HP - 19 AC
Snerp - 8/13 HP - 13 AC - Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
Eikka - 10/17 HP - 16 AC - Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
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@Earth
You gain lore master (double proficiency in Arcana and Religion)
You gain spell secrets (can swap out spell damage types; 1/rest can swap out spell saves)
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@Greyparrot
If you are interested in what policies and stances you are voting for, then the specific individual is most certainly relevant. The idea that voting for Ocasio-Cortez is the same as voting for Joe Manchin is just stupid.
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@Greyparrot
In the US you don't vote for parties, you vote for individuals.
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@secularmerlin
@Buddamoose
@Earth
@TheDredPriateRoberts
YOU ALL ADVANCE TO LEVEL TWO
secular/Eikka
- +7 HP
- +1 level 1 spell slot
- Channel Divinity, 1/rest, use to Turn Undead or Knowledge of the Ages (gain proficiency in any skill or tool for 10 minutes)
Earth/Grahf
- +6 HP
- +1 level 1 spell slot
- Choice to Make: Arcane Tradition (http://dnd5e.wikia.com/wiki/Wizard#Arcane_Tradition)
- Choice to Make: Add 2 level 1 spells to your spellbook (http://dnd5e.wikia.com/wiki/Wizard_Spells)
Roberts/Roberts
- +8 HP
- Action Surge, 1/rest, gain additional action during a round of combat
Budda/Snerp
- +5 HP
- +1 level 1 spell slot
- Song of Rest, creatures that use a hit dice to heal during a short rest heal +1d6
- Jack of All Trades, add half proficiency bonus to all non-proficient skills
- Choice to Make: Choose a 1st level spell to add to your spells known (http://dnd5e.wikia.com/wiki/Bard_Spells)
Player Summaries:
Grahf - 8/14 HP - 10 AC - Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
Roberts - 12/20 HP - 19 AC
Snerp - 8/13 HP - 13 AC - Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
Eikka - 10/17 HP - 16 AC - Spell Slots: 1⬤⬤⭘
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@sadolite
You're asking the question. You pick one.
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Rose: I dunno. I guess all the bedrooms have a mirror.
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Rose sighs and rolls her eyes. We're dead. We've been locked in this room for ages. I'm ten. I don't know any of this.
Thorn: More music! More music!
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Rose: In the nanny's room? Yeah, she has a nice big mirror. Mom and dad had a book club. Some of the people were the same, but they would always have new members that only showed up once.
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Rose: Our parents told us about a monster that lives there. We would hear its howls from time to time. I always thought it sounded like people, but they said it was a monster. She shrugs. I don't know anything about a magical mirror.
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Cheat Sheet (who's the best at what)
- Acrobatics (Snerp +4)
- Animal Handling (Eikka & Roberts +2)
- Arcana (Grahf +5)
- Athletics (Roberts +3)
- Deception (Snerp +4)
- History (Grahf +3)
- Insight (Eikka & Roberts +4)
- Intimidation (Eikka & Grahf +3)
- Investigation (Grahf +5)
- Medicine (Eikka +4)
- Nature (Eikka & Grahf +3)
- Perception (Eikka & Roberts +4)
- Performance (Snerp +4)
- Persuasion (Grahf +5)
- Religion (Grahf +5)
- Sleight of Hand (Snerp +2)
- Stealth (Snerp +2)
- Survival (Roberts +4)
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