The Back Room: Live Tabletop Games

1:09 AM

I don't have a spoil lair, I just squat here or in Shalv's

@DoktorJ We could have used another player :) Next time, you must join! :D

Well it's not not really spoil-lair-y... lol

So anyway, my Dragonborn is a Blue Dragonborn Battlemaster - Tobrinn (Toby) Norfall. He was a commander in the Dragonborn Cavalry, but unfortunately led his men to their deaths in a marsh, where they all drowned.

Unbeknownst to him, the souls of his men inhabited his body, so he was (almost literally) carrying the deaths of his men with him on his travels.

After meeting with his adventuring party, he helped root a siege on a nearby Barbarian Kingdom, wherein he learned the fate of his men, and attempted to have them extracted. However, the sorcerer turned them against him, and he received some grievous wounds from the fight - the most notable is a large, disfiguring scar over is left eye.

He also carries one last soul with him - he broke the sorcerer's spell before all the souls could be extracted, and is now in search of atoning for his men's deaths

@Ben Cool, what do you want the story to be about?

And what's the last soul?

Well when I left him he was sitting unconscious outside the Boss's den, but he's looking to try and atone for his men's deaths. So maybe that would be a good story arc?

@daze413 I can't remember exactly who it was - I think his 2IC? Female, if I remember correctly. No idea of colour or anything.

Tobrinn is also Neutral Good - His abandonment of the Dragonborn army changed his overall perspective of the world.

OK, I think it's easier if we just distance ourselves from the last campaign (the boss and everything) because I have no idea what was going on there. Maybe focus on the atonement?

@daze413 Yeah. I don't think the boss thing is happening. Was thinking maybe he can just wake up somewhere... no idea what happened.

1:24 AM

@Ben What kinda game were you looking to play? (i.e. of the 3 pillars of RPGs, exploration, combat, social interaction)?

because it's an atonement thing, I was expecting social interaction first?

@daze413 No idea. I like combat, but that's usually because when I play it's already the end of the day, and I'm winding down etc.

but could be wrong, depends on you :)

Honestly I do like a good balance :)

ok, so, so long as we're stil looking for more players, a good duo game could also do

Awesome. Could get some good character development going :)

1:42 AM

I should post an LFG in GitP or something, to look for more players for the west marches game

Should also say, I know little to nothing about West Marches haha

Hmmm...any preferences for characters?

@Ben no worries. It's just a mode of play where attendance is not compulsory and players can come and go as they please

in my RL games, so far with this method, no 2 groups have had exactly the same members.

a major noticeable difference in normal games is that- we must begin and end the session in the safe zone, a session cannot extend to the next one.

@daze413 Yeah ok. That's cool.

"West Marches" is a name for a play tactic, or a game, or something specifically D&D related?

@Ben arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/78/…

it's a type of campaign

1:50 AM

Ok, so it is kinds system agnostic

some people would call them sandbox or hex grinds, too. So, really, the only thing defines west marches is the irregular attendance and the whole begin-and-end-in-safe-zone requirement

Yeah

It does sound interesting

It would likely require a lot more prep though.

@Ben a hex grind and sandbox, yes, but I've modified the west marches to be easier to prep and run

In summary: there are 4 major areas outside the safe zone (The Hamlet) you can explore, they're all filled with all manner of eldritch horrors, murderous brigands, raving cultists, and some creatures specific to the area.

For instance, one area, called "The Ruins of the old manor", are being held currently by 2 colleague necromancers (used to be 3, but 1 died already IRL game folks killed him), so it's swarming with undead that have... some intelligence left in them.

well, not really necromancers, coz they're both dead, so they're technically liches.

but without a phylactery

Fair enough. Should be good to get exploring :D

My players have, frustratingly, avoided an area called "The Warrens", a criss crossing series of canals running underneath the manor and filled with Swinefolk.

2:02 AM

LET'S INVESTIGATE THE WARRENS

I think the Swinefolk are one of my best work in creature design. But I haven't playtested them yet, so I might be overestimating myself

Shalvenay

sends Miss Piggy to investigate The Warrens ;)

@Shalvenay [Miss Piggy sends Kermit to investigate the Warrens]

For @Shalvenay and @Miniman, The Warrens is where you'll find the swine prince :D

eventually

@daze413 Heh.

2:43 AM

Tobrinn Norfall

I'm pretty sure I've posted him up several times now lol

3:08 AM

@daze413 Incidentally, how do you feel about Unearthed Arcana? (Totally fine if you don't want it in play, it's just a matter of some things I might do if it is, but not if it's not)

3:47 AM

@Miniman UA is fine, I've been allowing a Lore Master Wizard to wreak havoc IRL, anyway.

@daze413 Heh, I wouldn't go that far.

But I've been wanting to play a Warlock with new invocations for a while.

So my character will probably be a Blade Pact Fiend Warlock, probably with some multiclassing to make melee survivable.

Oooh

Sounds enticing

4:07 AM

On the subject of enticing...

in HotDQ discussion (warning spoilers!), May 1 at 3:25, by Miniman

And now I'm back in the age-old loop. "Why not dip a level of Fighter for a Fighting Style?" "Hey, if you're losing a Bard level anyway, why not dip 2 levels of Paladin for a Fighting Style and Divine Smite?" "Hey, you don't want to lose those all-important ASIs! Better make it 4 levels!" "Hey, Aura of Protection is only 2 more levels of Paladin..." "For one more level you could get Aura of Warding! "You still don't want to lose ASIs, buddy. Better make it 8."

4:21 AM

Lol

@daze413 @Miniman I'm home now, so just ping me when we want to start chatting and such