The Back Room: Live Tabletop Games

Papayaman1000

1:08 AM

BRB at the end of the hour

Papayaman1000

1:22 AM

I'll be doing my rolls here b/c it's easy and open

Shalvenay

no prob

Papayaman1000

Male High Elf Neutral Wizard. Quarterstaff with a spherical red focus at its head. Explorer's pack and a messily grouped pile of arcane notes as a spellbook.

How do you want me to roll up my stats?

Shalvenay

4d6d1 x6 in any order or point buy, your choice

Papayaman1000

How many points, min/max score for stat?

Shalvenay

stock point buy rules from the PBR

Papayaman1000

1:28 AM

Ok

I'll do 4d6d1.

I'll roll em all up then assign 'em, sound good?

Shalvenay

that's how that works yeah

Papayaman1000

4d6

Dice Service

•

Papayaman1000

16. ooh.

4d6

Dice Service

•

Papayaman1000

1:30 AM

8. Ouch.

4d6

Dice Service

•

Papayaman1000

12. Okay...

4d6

Dice Service

•

Papayaman1000

13. Okay...

4d6

Dice Service

•

Papayaman1000

1:30 AM

17. Niiiice!

4d6

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•

Papayaman1000

14. Not bad.

Final: 17/16/14/13/12/8

Shalvenay

btw, that 8 should be a 7

Papayaman1000

Now to assign

STR 7
DEX 14 (+2 Elf)
CON 16
INT 17 (+1 High Elf)
WIS 13
CHA 12

Shalvenay

not bad at all

Papayaman1000

1:34 AM

So final
STR 7
DEX 16
CON 16
INT 18
WIS 13
CHA 12

That's a lot better than Point Buy

Languages: Common, Elven, (Bonus from High Elf) Dwarven

Equipment...

Wealth...

4d4

Dice Service

3

4

Papayaman1000

130GP

Time to go shopping...

Papayaman1000

1:58 AM

Wizard Starting Gear:
Quarterstaff
Focus (Orb)
Adventurer's Pack
Spellbook

Leather armor (10gp) (10gp)
2 bags of 1000 ball bearings (2gp) (12gp)
Bedroll + blanket (1.5gp) (13.5gp)
5 days' rations (2.5gp) (16gp)
100ft hemp rope (2gp) (18gp)
Lamp + Oil (.7gp) (18.7gp)

Leaving me with...
75.28lbs of crap including 111gp and 3sp.

Oh crap the robes

110gp 3sp and 75.26lbs of crap

Now cantrips...

Mage Hand, Firebolt, Mending, and (High Elf Bonus) Ray of Frost.

Hit points...
6 + 3 CON mod is 9

Shalvenay

guess that just leaves skills and saves then

Papayaman1000

Yep.

I'll also get to fluff now too

Papayaman1000

2:21 AM

Lathlaeril Crakas
Male High Elven Wizard
Speaks Common, Elfish, Dwarfish
170 y/o Chaotic

Eccentric fellow, with platinum white hair tied in a ponytail and burnt orange eyes. A wrinkled but mellow face always invites one for a hot cup of tea. He likes to wear his armor under a comfortable beige robe.

Cantrips:
Mage Hand
Firebolt
Mending
Ray of Frost

Stats
STR 7 (-2)
DEX 16 (+3)
CON 16 (+3)
INT 18 (+4)
WIS 13 (+1)
CHA 12 (+0)

Skills
Arcana
Insight

Saves
DC 14
Arcana 14

Inventory
Quarterstaff

Shalvenay

(5e saves are based on stats btw)

Papayaman1000

@Shalvenay I couldn't find anything in the PRB about saves beyond Arcane

Shalvenay

@Papayaman1000 no, I'm talking about what saving throws your character actually has proficiency in

Papayaman1000

@Shalvenay And still

Shalvenay

(for your char, it's INT and WIS)

Papayaman1000

2:24 AM

Ah

Shalvenay

(as it's solely determined by your class)

alright, ready to start?

Papayaman1000

Yeah!

(I'll memorize Burning Hands and Magic Missile to start)

Shalvenay

alrighty then...so Lathlaeril has come to a small town deep in the elven forests, and was settling in at the tavern when the local reeve came up and asked him for a favor. Turns out, the tax collector was through recently, city-slicker sort by the name of Tharvyrion (he gives you a description at this point)...but hasn't been seen since. He said he was going to collect taxes from "groves and covens"...

Papayaman1000

"Ok, well? Why do you want me to care?"

Shalvenay

which was odd as that's not something that the tax collectors of prior years did. Also, there's been a slight uptick in roguish folks recently...nothing overt, though, and the reeve can't go himself because he has to stay around and look after the town, especially with the roguish activities

Papayaman1000

2:31 AM

"I see..."

Shalvenay

(does your char head out? this was kinda meant as a backstory explanation pre-start-of-dungeon)

Papayaman1000

"Alright, I'll take care of it. Buy yourself a drink or two. (Toss the reeve a silver piece.) I might get to hear something interesting... kehehe..."

Shalvenay

The reeve takes the silver piece with a chuckle as your char heads out, following a road and pack-trail up to what looks to be an old, octagonal castle with a roof over what once was the courtyard. The drawbridge looks to be replaced by a fixed bridge over the old moat, and the gate seems to be permanently open...

Papayaman1000

"Hmm. Spooky. Alright, right on in."

Shalvenay

The entrance is indeed open, with a large, blue-and-tan, hairy spider on the left and an unmanned desk on the right. A coat-of-arms display hangs on the wall behind the desk, complete with sword, shield, bow, and quiver, and a sign on the desk has the name "Ralphie" and a leftward-pointing spider on it. There's also a machine in the back right corner that looks to have a large roll of parchment inside it, with an inkwell and pen atop the roll-container.

Papayaman1000

2:42 AM

"Well that's a big spider, yikes. Hmm... your name is Ralphie, eh? Alright..."
Shut up for a moment and try to sneak over to the machine.

Shalvenay

*The spider gives you a spider-y sort of wave as you pass by, only to find trip-plates underfoot. The machinery whirrs and clatters as a voice announces "Welcome to the Talespinners! Please sign the guest roll"

Papayaman1000

[I jump a bit with shock from the voice.] "I... ah... okay." [Sign the guest roll, why not? With flourish, but perhaps a bit too vigorously, splashing a bit of ink across the ledger.]

Shalvenay

The entrance-hall opens up to a broad, multi-tiered central area, with doors around the outside of the upper ring, a middle ring bisected by walls either side with lecterns and seating in front of the walls and doors on the perimeter behind, and a large...spiderweb? in the bottom. There are ramps front and back connecting the tiers.

Papayaman1000

"Hello? Anyone there?" [Meander towards the middle ring.]

Shalvenay

You see what looks to be a arachnaur (arachnid centauromorph IOW -- anatomically the same category as a Drider) in the web and hear a bright Elven voice "Oh, I think we have a guest!" as a very plainly clad elfess with a hatchet, scroll-cases and pen at her belt comes up to meet you. "Hello there!"

Papayaman1000

2:50 AM

"Erm, hello! If I may ask what sort of business you folks do at this... fine establishment?"

Shalvenay

"Ah. We study the teachings of Arachne, and also offer magic lessons and aid to travellers...what brings you here today?" The elfess has a wooden pendant with a spider emblem on it hanging by a cord about her neck

Papayaman1000

"Hmm. Well, ah, I'd heard a tax collector was, mmm, extending his usual route... and, well, I saw this place and decided to stop by!" [My eyes grow a bit wild.] "Kehehe, I'm happy I did! The spider aesthetic is splendid!"

Shalvenay

"Why, thank you!" The elfess smiles at your compliment "And oh...yeah...we've had a tax collector in here for the past week...has to do with some relatively recent changes the central treasury made. Thing is, none of us can quite figure out what the folks out on the coast meant, and they've been quite...aloof to our request for an interpretation"

Papayaman1000

"Hmm. Well, I'm on my way there anyways... say, if you could point me towards there? The sooner the better, and after I'm done I might take you up on those magic lessons. Maybe spin myself a silk robe. Heh."

Shalvenay

At that, you hear another elven voice, and a city-slicker elf in nice clothes with a rapier and main-gauche at his belt walks up to join the conversation "Oh...I take it you're looking for me eh?"

Papayaman1000

3:07 AM

"Ermfhehesvhawha?" [I blink twice, looking a tad shocked.] "Ah, it seems so. I don't think I've seen you around here before. Say..." [I lower my brows and tilt my orb-topped quarterstaff forwards.] "Care to explain that?"

Shalvenay

"T...the tax...uh...situation?" The city-slicker elf seems a bit nervous about it, at which the elfess pipes up "Would it be better if I took the lead on this?" to which the elf replies "Uh...sure!"

Papayaman1000

[Step back a bit. Squint a little. Something's off.]

Shalvenay

The elfess smiles in her best attempt to be reassuring to both the city-slicker elf and your character. "So. This all started when the treasury redid a bunch of things to try to fix a couple of things that were seen as tax loopholes, or at least that's the best sense I can make of what they were trying to accomplish...

Papayaman1000

[The starting wizard gear is 25.2gp, so I'm down to 85 solid.]

"Go on." [Tilt the staff a bit further. The weighty red orb catches the light a little, and it spreads throughout, giving off a brilliant glow. I barely notice; I've owned it long enough to get more than used to it.]

Shalvenay

Used to be that the lands of groves, covens, temples, and other such things were considered 'reserve' lands by the Crown, which weren't taxed or considered "owned" in a formal sense. But, between a few enterprising folk raising livestock on such land and a bit of a mess in the city with leased lands...the Crown decided to change the way reserve lands work from untaxed and untitled to a long-term leasehold system"

Papayaman1000

3:15 AM

[and no I'm not prepping a magic attack]

"Well, it sort of seems fair... BUT! Don't you think we should, ah, be grandfathered in, considering our... er, ancestral hold on it? I've a mind to go visit the man who made this decision..." [My face lightens up just a tad.]

Shalvenay

There's a shuffling of papers from the elfess as the orb catches the light "Hrm....Oh! There it is." and she presents Lathlaeril a document "This is the lease they sent us. Thing is, they tried to define it over customary lands...best I can tell, that makes the document void ab initio for vagueness" at which the tax collector sighs "Has nobody ever surveyed your boundaries?"

Papayaman1000

@Shalvenay [Do I know the answer to that question?]

Shalvenay

@Papayaman1000 [you can guess, but you don't know for sure]

Papayaman1000

"Well, I'm not certain... but I don't remember seeing any surveyors. I don't leave my study often, though, outside of the occasional visit to the tavern. So probably not, in summary."

Shalvenay

The elfess sort of speaks alongside you "Yeah...nobody bothered with that because nobody's ever cared until now. The forests here are vast enough that as long as no arrows fly..."

Papayaman1000

3:21 AM

[Nod subtly.]

Shalvenay

The city-slicker sighs again, more deeply, looking at the lease. "Still...shouldn't you be treating a Crown document in good faith instead of throwing it away out of hand?" which draws a reply from the elfess "Besides, that High Court case with the Kobold lease you keep trying to apply to us makes no sense on a Crown lease anyway"

Papayaman1000

"Eh, I've never bothered with the crown. They don't bug me, so I keep to myself. Besides, the lass has a point."

Shalvenay

The elfess pipes up again "And, Crown lands can't have a rate set due to the way the tax laws work, right?" drawing a nod from the tax collector "That's what I was told by the treasury folks...this all adds up to too many words and not enough sense for me!"

Papayaman1000

"Well, if you'd like, I could come back with you and try to smooth it over with the crown. At least make it all more digestible."

Shalvenay

"Uh, sure! Let me get some briefs put together. I'd have gone and retained counsel myself, but..." The elfess responds brightly, pulling out blank scrolls and her quill and scribbling madly as she trails off. The city-slicker, in the meantime, looks somewhat relieved even "I don't know why they sent me, this is way beyond my pay grade! And uh...if you'd take me back, that'd be great. Those roguish folk have been quite the bother lately..."

Papayaman1000

3:30 AM

"Oh, no bother! Some cove at the tavern's been pestering me about all this anyways. Any folks with light fingers will find themselves at the spherical end of this stick here. Gather some supplies and we'll get going!"

Shalvenay

The elfess finishes scribbling and offers you a sheath of parchments "Here you go...just make sure not to go around loose-lipped about who you're doing this for. Those witch-hunter folk have like no respect for the rule of law..."

Papayaman1000

[Stretch. Twiddle fingers. Grin maniacally. Sit in a blank-faced trance until everyone's got their stuff together.]

"We're off to see the... well, I'm the wizard. The tax man? Meh..."

Shalvenay

The city-slicker elf runs off for a bit, and returns back with his things gathered "Ready when you are"

@Papayaman1000 [snickers xD]

Papayaman1000

[Snap back to reality.] "And we're off!"

Shalvenay

*You take your leave to a "Good luck and safe travels!" from the elfess, and head down the pack-trail through the forest a ways...until an arrow thuds into a tree trunk in front of you and a dark-clad elven figure steps out in front of you two "Well, well...look at what we have here!" [roll init]

Papayaman1000

3:37 AM

d20

Dice Service

13

Papayaman1000

"Get ready to bash a hooligan. Kehehehehe... Ahahahaha!" [Does this upper-class arse have any combat ability?]

Shalvenay

[the tax collector? xD]

Papayaman1000

[Hey, they see some crazy stuff. Going around, trying to work money out of a guy who could bash your face in with his elbow? There's a reason merchants are god-kings.]

Shalvenay

(shortbow thug at +1, bandit in road at +2, city-slicker at +3)

d20 d20 d20

Dice Service

3:41 AM

18

13

15

Papayaman1000

Well shiiiet

Shalvenay

Init: thug > city-slicker > wizard > bandit

Papayaman1000

Better than last I guess

Shalvenay

The archer in the woods holds, waiting for someone else to make a move "None of you there move." to which the city-slicker immediately produces a buckler and draws his rapier. "Who do you think you are to challenge an agent of the Crown?" at which an arrow flies...

Papayaman1000

"Dammit, you idiot! The man obviously has a plan!"

Shalvenay

3:45 AM

(at a +2, correction -- got his dex wrong)

d20

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7

Papayaman1000

pfft

d20

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5

Papayaman1000

shit

Shalvenay

The arrow whistles by harmlessly and thuds into another tree trunk [btw, what was the d20 out of the blue for? xD]

Papayaman1000

3:47 AM

idunno
"Heh. Bad first impression!"

Shalvenay

The city slicker glares at the bandit blocking the road, who has also drawn a thick, rapier-like blade at all this "Get out of my way, before I make you!" [readied action, your turn]

Papayaman1000

Firebolt the emo archer.

d20

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12

Papayaman1000

wait

d12

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4

Papayaman1000

3:50 AM

duh

uh

I forgot about that just a moment

Okay, it's 1d10. Oi.

d10

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3

Papayaman1000

...dammit

Shalvenay

You hear an annoyed sound from the direction the arrows came from...

Papayaman1000

[End turn.]

Shalvenay

The bandit blocking the road ignores the city-slicker elf with the rapier and tries to put his blade into the wizard instead with a thrust...drawing an attack from the city-slicker

[city-slicker elf attacking at +5]

d20

Dice Service

3:53 AM

14

Shalvenay

[damage at +3]

d8

Dice Service

4

Papayaman1000

Ouch.

Shalvenay

The rapier thrust connects with the bandit's left shoulder, leaving a deep gash as the blade sort of goes through and then cuts its way out [4HP left]

The bandit looks furious at this as he attacks Lathlaeril

[at a +4]

d20

Dice Service

16

Papayaman1000

3:56 AM

FKIN GDMM AHHHH

Shalvenay

[damage at +2]

d8

Dice Service

5

Shalvenay

[you RP what happens with the blow given the dice :)]

Papayaman1000

Lathlaeril throws his staff up to block the blow, but misses. He takes a deep gash in his forearm. He has a bit of trouble hanging on to the quarterstaff as he backpedals from the blow.

Shalvenay

The archer aims at the wizard as well, clearly aggravated by this, and lets fly another arrow.

[at a +2]

d20

Dice Service

3:59 AM

18

Papayaman1000

I get the feeling I'm not going to survive this encounter

Shalvenay

[damage at +0]

d6

Dice Service

•

Shalvenay

[your narration again]

Papayaman1000

The arrow lands right in Lathaeril's neck. It pierces through to the nape. He falls backwards and drops his quarterstaff. The orb shatters as he hits the ground. "Just wamooadhsfilnjcskn" He gargles up blood. He is dead.

Shalvenay

4:01 AM

arrow, but haha

Papayaman1000

d'oh

Shalvenay

The city-slicker, not even bothering to look back at the dying elf behind him, thrusts again at the one foe he can see...

[at a +5]

Papayaman1000

Well that was short...

Shalvenay

d20

Dice Service

15

Shalvenay

4:03 AM

[at a +3]

d8

Dice Service

7

Papayaman1000

HAHAHA

DIEEEE

Shalvenay

...and takes the darkly-clad elven swordsman square through his liver, the rapier skewering him all the way to the pommel to the tune of "No...this can't be...dammit!" The elven city-slicker uses a booted foot to push the body off his blade and takes off, not even bothering to stop and sheathe his weapon...

Papayaman1000

So I basically immolated an emo kid and took a couple hits for useless BDF. At least I hit the emo kid.

Shalvenay

The archer takes a parting shot at the city slicker

[at +2]

d20

Dice Service

4:06 AM

10

Shalvenay

The archer's last arrow whistles by the tax collector's ear as he makes a mad dash for the safety of town

Papayaman1000

Emo kid who's awful at aiming

Shalvenay

@Papayaman1000 yeah -- the thug is not a very good archer haha :P he just got that one lucky shot in on poor, poor Lathlaeril...

Papayaman1000

...who is now at -3...

Shalvenay

well, I'll just RP him as toast for the sake of the oneshot

Papayaman1000

4:09 AM

Yep.

"Lathaeril: Weird old guy who left his town and got shot an hour later. He will not be missed."

Shalvenay

how do you think it went overall? anything I should improve upon? anything you think went well? did you like the theme of the dungeon-side of it?

Papayaman1000

That was good. I get this was short, but maybe make sure that a wizard gets more than one potshot in before immediately dying...

</salt>

Nahh, it was pretty good.

Shalvenay

any suggestions re: my DMing style for that matter? what did you think of it?

Papayaman1000

Good style! Especially for something short-form you obviously had to come up with in a hurry. I like how I wasn't sure if the spider den people were gonna receive a nice chat or a firebolt to the face. Or the tax guy. Frankly I was ready to firebolt just about anyone there.

I'm just glad I finally got around to learning 5e. Aboot what I expected. Ima need to go buy a few books now. [Or illegally download a few PDFs. I need that money for Magic cards. Jk :P]

Shalvenay

@Papayaman1000 thanks! I was working off a fairly extensive crib sheet of notes there, but that's all I had for it -- all the dialog itself was improv'ed

Papayaman1000

4:18 AM

@Shalvenay Not bad.

Not bad at all.

Anyways, I need sleep now. Want to do this again sometime?

Shalvenay

I'm sure you can come up with something sometime :)

so yeah -- if you want to DM me a 1shot sometime, I'm game

Papayaman1000

How about this time next week? D&D 5e oneshot. Maybe get a couple other folks in on it. Maybe I'll DM.

Yeah sounds good

holy...

I just realized...

You have the italics. OF GODLY POWER!

But yeah g'night. Not gonna be active tomorrow. Maybe Sunday. Definitely Monday and beyond.

Shalvenay

I'll probably be at least somewhat around this time next week, yeah -- and if you're picking up the 5e books, I can send you my notes for this very dungeon as it'd be a good test of the dungeon, no?

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The Back Room: Live Tabletop Games