Jeff
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Post by Jeff on Mar 7, 2014 10:33:29 GMT -4
Mike: It's cool, I'm not asking you to do the base work. Just asking you to look over what I've put together for Syrdan. I'm still calling him an avenger, and his class is built around the paladin but modified to make him a divine assassin/pursuer. Still goes without armor, speaks softly, and carries a big sword.  Less healing spells, more offensive spells. As for wrapping your brain around the system, go here for a sec. Darren: Look for me on Facebook message. We need to chat about sorcerer options.
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Mike
Syrdan Sar Dathiel (Elf)
Syrdan
Posts: 863
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Post by Mike on Mar 7, 2014 18:39:44 GMT -4
Thanks. I'll give it a shot again later tonight. It's frustrating because on paper Next is a game I should probably like a lot - and I wish I did - but it's something I've had an extremely hard time drumming up enthusiasm for. (That's also somewhat reflective of my overall take on gaming of late - namely, a complete lack of enthusiasm - which is doubly frustrating.)
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Jeff
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Post by Jeff on Mar 8, 2014 9:53:43 GMT -4
Alas, I can't address that over-arching problem for you.  DE is a gaming thing. For me what system we're using is secondary. I just like being able to interact and be creative with you guys, despite us all living too far away from one another. This isn't tabletop, even though we'd rather it be. This is doing our best to get around that fact and have fun anyway. |
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Dave W.
Adamant (Warforged)
Adamant
Posts: 4,643
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Post by Dave W. on Mar 8, 2014 13:09:37 GMT -4
I have a certain degree of sympathy with you Mike. My group did a bit of playtesting on Next and the group as a whole weren't greatly impressed. I had a sense of nostalgia that was pleasant, but I think if you weren't playing D&D in the 80's some of the appeal is lost (which strikes me as an odd decision for WotC: to appeal to us old farts). This isn't fair because we only had playtests; not even the alpha that Ken and Jeff are generously sharing. But the old grognards in the group found it familiar and the younlings who cut their teeth on Savage Worlds, Marvel Heroic, and the new Star Wars thought it was kind of creaky. OTOH, I completely agree with Jeff, the system is secondary. Read though our old posts and how much is expressing the characters and moving the story and how much is system? Are the mechanics even 20%? I think it's even less than that... And remember, 4e wasn't perfect either... it had warts too. If running Next makes it easier for Jeff, I'm all for it. I miss our characters... I want to get to the scene where professor Larest is sinking in quicksand and only Kal is there to save him... I want to fight next to my sword brother Condign. I want to hear what mad poetry Belarin comes up with next. I want Syrdan to put on the scary mask and chase down his target. I want to sing to the morning sun with Streko. And I want to see Shorak lead professor Larest to quicksand and leave him with Kal... We'll deal with the creaks; have faith. (that sounds a bit like Adamant already!) |
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Ken
Belarin Malizia
Belarin
Posts: 5,691
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Post by Ken on Mar 8, 2014 13:22:45 GMT -4
Dammit, Dave! I promised myself that you wouldn't make me cry!
I can't wait.
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Post by Dave B. on Mar 8, 2014 13:29:19 GMT -4
(sniff) Ditto!
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Jeff
Administrator
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Post by Jeff on Mar 8, 2014 20:20:33 GMT -4
Is there a button that lets me "like" a DE post?  Thanks for that post, Dave. |
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Darren
Kalarian d'Deneith (human)
Kalarian
Posts: 7,310
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Post by Darren on Mar 9, 2014 6:26:42 GMT -4
It turns out there is, now!
I forgot all about Larest. I'm going to have to find time to go back and read old posts.
Of course, I also have to find time to do my actual work. It's 6:30 am on Sunday and I'm still at the office.....
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Dave W.
Adamant (Warforged)
Adamant
Posts: 4,643
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Post by Dave W. on Mar 9, 2014 8:47:34 GMT -4
Of course, I also have to find time to do my actual work. It's 6:30 am on Sunday and I'm still at the office..... but is it 6:30? or 7:30? Lord how I hate daylight savings! sympathies Darren... |
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Brian
Melethos (tiefling)
Melethos
Posts: 5,085
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Post by Brian on Mar 10, 2014 7:48:26 GMT -4
Well said, Dave! I, too, am looking forward to getting back to business. As for the failed professor....
I've been reading the recent chapter to get up to speed. Still want to see Kal deal with his debut on "Dancing with the Half-orcs." LOL
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Joe
Streko Tavven (halfling)
Streko
Posts: 3,518
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Post by Joe on Mar 10, 2014 12:22:31 GMT -4
Streko never liked Larest and would happily feed the kindling of Kalarian's rage. Good times. Dave, it would seem that your feelings are echoed throughout the rest of our community...unanimously! I, too, eagerly await the day our story continues to unfold.
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Jeff
Administrator
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Post by Jeff on Mar 10, 2014 14:27:15 GMT -4
Can you guys give your character sheets a look? I haven't finished 100% but I'm nearly there. Ken, I still have to take a closer look at Belarin but I've given it a cursory glance and it seems solid. I'll confirm later, and get to the pact dagger thing soon. Joe, have you seen Streko's? Here's the link again to the character sheet page. For now I'd rather not post the link in my signature. Please bookmark this so you can readily jump over there: docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtwGqtveCtxmdE1jeVpUdDVEdUZGV294THNWTlF6WlE&usp=sharing |
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Dave W.
Adamant (Warforged)
Adamant
Posts: 4,643
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Post by Dave W. on Mar 10, 2014 19:36:17 GMT -4
Adamant looks good. I don't know how to figure hp but I'll assume that's right. I need to pick spells and drop some gear (I'm encombered).
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Ken
Belarin Malizia
Belarin
Posts: 5,691
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Post by Ken on Mar 10, 2014 20:38:16 GMT -4
Thanks, Jeff. I may change one of Belarin's 3rd-level spells, Counterspell, because I see that it's on Kal's character sheet, too. I may go with Fly or Hypnotic Pattern instead, as they seem more Belarin-friendly. Hey, do you have any opinions out there, friends? Other possibilities in the Warlock spell list: Gaseous Form, Haste, Slow, and Vampiric Touch, all of which work pretty much as they did in earlier editions. Or maybe it's okay to have two spellcasters with Counterspell...? (The visual notion of Belarin taking flight and cackling is pretty tempting, I'll admit.) |
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Dave W.
Adamant (Warforged)
Adamant
Posts: 4,643
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Post by Dave W. on Mar 10, 2014 21:18:26 GMT -4
Both Counterspell and Hypnotic Pattern are probably better strategic choices but a mad, flying, poetry spouting warlock? That's both awesome and terrifying! |
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Jeff
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Post by Jeff on Mar 10, 2014 21:30:14 GMT -4
As I was telling Darren, I think Counterspell, when it's useful, will be super useful. But it probably won't get as much mileage as, say, Dispel Magic. But I agreed with him that Counterspell is more Kal-style than Dispel Magic, which in general has more applications. I think you probably won't be fighting spellcasters in every battle. But they're there, certainly, and Counterspell is potentially helpful. Still, tough call.
Ken, am I looking at the spell list for warlocks right. No level 3 spells? It goes from 2 to 4? I still have yet to take a close look at warlocks. Sorry, I'm still clawing through things on my plate as I work away at these.
But I must say, everyone: I've begun rereading Chapter 11 and while it's massive, I'm really enjoying it. You guys did some awesome roleplaying. I really am looking forward to when we start again (soon! maybe by next week!), and I already have some ideas on how to proceed from where we left off.
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Joe
Streko Tavven (halfling)
Streko
Posts: 3,518
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Post by Joe on Mar 10, 2014 21:36:32 GMT -4
Can you guys give your character sheets a look? I haven't finished 100% but I'm nearly there. Ken, I still have to take a closer look at Belarin but I've given it a cursory glance and it seems solid. I'll confirm later, and get to the pact dagger thing soon. Joe, have you seen Streko's? Here's the link again to the character sheet page. For now I'd rather not post the link in my signature. Please bookmark this so you can readily jump over there: docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtwGqtveCtxmdE1jeVpUdDVEdUZGV294THNWTlF6WlE&usp=sharingThis looks pretty amazing. Again, kudos and highest acknowledgments for all the hard work. I am pretty sure all those numbers fit with what I had (but didn't I have about 10 more galifars?). :-) Also, after looking over the other charts, I have to say this...we are one heck of a charismatic bunch of guys. I mean, we're all pretty sexy like that. Right? |
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Ken
Belarin Malizia
Belarin
Posts: 5,691
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Post by Ken on Mar 10, 2014 21:51:27 GMT -4
Ken, am I looking at the spell list for warlocks right. No level 3 spells? It goes from 2 to 4? I still have yet to take a close look at warlocks. Sorry, I'm still clawing through things on my plate as I work away at these. But I must say, everyone: I've begun rereading Chapter 11 and while it's massive, I'm really enjoying it. You guys did some awesome roleplaying. I really am looking forward to when we start again (soon! maybe by next week!), and I already have some ideas on how to proceed from where we left off. No, the Level 3 spells are there, Jeff, but there was a copyediting boo-boo, where the words "Level 3" are mixed in as regular type (i.e., not a subhead) as part of the Level 2 column. Half of those "Level 2" spells are actually Level 3.  Yeah, I've been re-reading just the last month of Chapter 11 posts and it's dense and awesome! |
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Jeff
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Post by Jeff on Mar 10, 2014 21:53:30 GMT -4
You're not kidding. The lowest Charisma in the party is Syrdan's, and that's just average. But don't pick a fight with Syrdan's Wisdom.
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Ken
Belarin Malizia
Belarin
Posts: 5,691
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Post by Ken on Mar 10, 2014 21:55:26 GMT -4
And I just read Dispel Magic's description. Sold. Yeah, that's as much in Belarin's wheelhouse as Counterspell is in Kal's, and it offers much potential for poetry!
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Dave W.
Adamant (Warforged)
Adamant
Posts: 4,643
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Post by Dave W. on Mar 11, 2014 2:53:30 GMT -4
My F2F group just started playing 13th Age which is based on the d20 OGL but obviously modified. One of my favorite changes is that they name the spell levels for the level you get them. So there are 1st level spells but the next batch are not called 2nd level spells, they're called 3rd level spells cuz you need to be 3rd level to get them. It's another one of those "why did it take so long for someone to figure this out" moments...
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Mike
Syrdan Sar Dathiel (Elf)
Syrdan
Posts: 863
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Post by Mike on Mar 11, 2014 7:28:19 GMT -4
13th Age looks like a great game. Hope to play it someday. |
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Jeff
Administrator
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Post by Jeff on Mar 11, 2014 14:34:13 GMT -4
As you can see, I made a new post in the main thread! Sooner than I expected, but we can start slow. No big rush. You'll have forgotten a lot—especially Darren!—but I'll try to recap more and more things as we go.
I may be tinkering with the board as a whole, so bear with any craziness.
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Brian
Melethos (tiefling)
Melethos
Posts: 5,085
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Post by Brian on Mar 11, 2014 14:36:37 GMT -4
Yay!!
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Jeff
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Post by Jeff on Mar 11, 2014 15:01:14 GMT -4
Test roll. (1d20=10)Invisible Castle seems to be working just as it used to. Good! With the number system scaled down a bit, I'm going to try and make more of my DM rolls public. Which just means I'll ask you guys to limit how much metagaming you do as a result (i.e. calculating how dangerous an enemy is based on its attack modifiers, etc.). Hit point damage is an acceptable thing to assess, though!
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Jeff
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Post by Jeff on Mar 11, 2014 15:09:03 GMT -4
Guys: The "Workstation" link in my signature will bring you to our character sheet doc, and the first sheet on that document will display hit points and any conditions in effect (stunned, intoxicated, etc.). And that's also where I'll track XP. I'm going to make sure everyone's as close to their next class level as they were in 4E. Stay tuned.
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Ken
Belarin Malizia
Belarin
Posts: 5,691
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Post by Ken on Mar 11, 2014 15:59:10 GMT -4
Huzzah! HAPPY DANCE!
Jeff, thanks for the People, Places & Things info. Also, Invisible Castle has been... twitchy in recent months. Don't be surprised if it sometimes goes dark for days at a time. Speculation is that they're sometimes late in paying the web-rent. Unfortunately, they're still by far the best option for keeping track of rolls in PbP games.
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Jeff
Administrator
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Post by Jeff on Mar 11, 2014 17:44:52 GMT -4
So I decided to give everyone 75% of theirmax hit points possible. From here out, we'll roll for hit points oldschool style.
Also, there's a proboards app ($2.99) that I got and I find it quite handy to interface with. Not good for technical dice stuff but easy for reading or making brief posts like this one. This is how it looks (attempting to attach through the app):
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Ken
Belarin Malizia
Belarin
Posts: 5,691
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Post by Ken on Mar 11, 2014 18:54:49 GMT -4
Is that an Apple version? I have the Android app, which looks a bit different, but I agree it's worth the $2.99, especially if you're a GM.
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Post by Dave B. on Mar 11, 2014 22:00:02 GMT -4
Yaayyyy!
The app won't do me any good. I don't own a smart phone of tablet.
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Less healing spells, more offensive spells. 
DE is a gaming thing. For me what system we're using is secondary. I just like being able to interact and be creative with you guys, despite us all living too far away from one another. This isn't tabletop, even though we'd rather it be. This is doing our best to get around that fact and have fun anyway.
