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Bieeanshee posted:Forced feminization is a big component of the campaign, too. This isn’t a red flag, this is a goddamn Chinese New Year parade.
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May 1, 2018 12:39
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Forced fem is an instant dealbreaker. Creepy as poo poo.
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May 1, 2018 12:53
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the_steve posted:JFC, we need a massive infusion of Tanicus or Funhavers, or literally anything else STAT. Would this be a bad time then to mention that my Fighter came down with a slight case of lycanthropy this weekend?
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May 1, 2018 12:57
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CobiWann posted:Would this be a bad time then to mention that my Fighter came down with a slight case of lycanthropy this weekend? Is it funny lycanthropy?
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May 1, 2018 13:17
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Pollyanna posted:Is it funny lycanthropy? Yes, Krowe is now a werelagamorph.
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May 1, 2018 13:52
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CobiWann posted:Yes, Krowe is now a werelagamorph. 👍
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May 1, 2018 13:53
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Bieeanshee posted:Forced feminization is a big component of the campaign, too.
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May 1, 2018 14:46
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Yeah that's a soviet mayday parade. I could post my stories when I organise and type them up, but a) not sure when that would be, and b) I don't think they're either particularly good or bad, just kind of there. Will if people are interested though.
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May 1, 2018 14:55
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Ichabod Sexbeast posted:Yeah that's a soviet mayday parade. Oooh, oooh, is it my turn to do this?!? 
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May 1, 2018 14:58
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My weirdest magical realm moment came from another player. It was back when I was in high school, and we had decided to try out Genius: the Transgression since the pitch of "mad scientists in wod" seemed neat. So one of my online friends decided to run it, and all the other players were people I knew from previous games too. I was basically playing The Doctor, complete with sonic screwdriver. I don't remember any of the other PCs, except that another player was playing a furry wolf-woman. And then he, quite unprompted, shared an image of his character. I forget which virtual tabletop we were using, but it allowed players to drop in images and displayed them full size for everyone else. And so, in high enough resolution to obscure everything else until it was minimized, all the players suddenly got a picture of a naked wolf furry woman, totally nude except for the SS cap and swastika armband she was wearing. Now, like I said I had played with all of these people before. I knew this guy was a furry, but in every previous encounter it was just harmless "I like playing animal people", which while not my thing isn't really horrible. This took me completely by surprise and I spent the rest of the session messaging the DM with variations on "What the gently caress is this" while he responded "I didn't know about this either, this isn't okay I'm having a word with him". Fortunately, the horrible mess that is Genius mechanics ground the game to a halt after the first session, and I never played with that guy again.
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May 1, 2018 14:59
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Yawgmoth posted:Out of all the fetishes in the world, it's interesting that this is the one I see pop up the most in magical realm stories. Both FF and poor GMing involve exerting a measure of control over individuals or a group. It’s an abusive power fantasy.
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May 1, 2018 15:13
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Ichabod Sexbeast posted:Yeah that's a soviet mayday parade. If there's one thing the gaming stories thread doesn't need, it's more gaming stories. 
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May 1, 2018 15:36
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CobiWann posted:Would this be a bad time then to mention that my Fighter came down with a slight case of lycanthropy this weekend? CobiWann posted:Yes, Krowe is now a werelagamorph. If you could just inject this straight into my veins, that would be great.
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May 1, 2018 16:08
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CobiWann posted:Yes, Krowe is now a werelagamorph. 
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May 1, 2018 18:27
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Bieeanshee posted:I politely asked him to never contact me again and hosed right off Always the correct answer.
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May 1, 2018 18:53
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Noir Orleans Session 7 The Cast: -Doctor Delphi, the leader, with the powers of local precognition and short-range telepathy (though he dislikes using the latter power.) -Click, a hacker extraordinaire whose skills are enhanced by cyberkinesis. He can speak to machines, and they generally do what he asks them – though for some reason, his powers don’t work when he’s outside of structures. He can also induce what he calls his “ice cream headache attack” – basically a very minor psychic blast. -Snarl, the muscle. Born and trained on Mars, she’s blessed with super-strength and invincibility. She has some pretty serious anger issues. -Baskerville, the ghost. A G2 (second-tier engineered life form – in his case, a human-dog hybrid) with ability to phase himself and other objects/people through non-moving objects - though this is about to change... -Gateway, the rookie. Also from Mars, she has the power to create two-way teleportation portals. She’s also a skilled investigator. Previous Sessions: Session one Session Two: part one, and part two Session three Session Fourpart one and part two Session Five Session Six It’s a lot to take in; while there’s always been capes who claim to get their powers from magic rather than (partly-understood) science, most people just assumed they were either utilizing a gimmick for PR purposes, or else just kinda deranged. Yet Swashbuckler made a compelling case for the idea that not only is magic real, but that it’s a real and present danger to Noir Orleans. (Though Click was still fairly skeptical.) quote:Doctor Delphi: “I’m not sure I understand, yet, not completely. Where does the Grendel fit in with this?” Swashbuckler was beginning to delve further and further from things he could state as certain and into the realm of speculation, so the Crimson Key let him go and returned to their base. Though not before Snarl makes an odd request of a teammate... quote:Snarl: “Baskerville! Take this knife and cut up my back.” * * * * The Crimson Key regroup and strategize; the Malice issue seems bad, and Doctor Delphi still wants revenge against Grendel for hurting his friend, but they feel a little out of their depth with all this mystic mumbo-jumbo. Doctor Delphi contacts the Cache Cowboys and asks them to keep an eye out for Grendel, and leaves it at that for now. In the meantime, they decide they still have other issues that need attention. For a while now, Click has been digging into the strange disappearance of Dr. Caroline Vandever, a former employee of the cloning/gene therapy services company Eugenix Inc. A world-class biochemist (though a baseline), she disappeared about a year ago, an event that made a couple headlines and then was quietly forgotten about. After rescuing Dr. Joel Gabbert (see session one), who was abducted by a megacorp and forced to research their projects, Click figured something similar might have happened to Dr. Vandever... And he wasn’t too far wrong. Between his own hacking attempts and some investigations by Gateway, they discover that the same day Dr. Vandever went missing, some out-of-town villains (a now-defunct all-women team that called themselves the Divas, each of whom styled themselves after a classic pop/rock song) raided the Eugenix Inc building where she worked. Click was able to track down one of the ex-Divas, a villain who called herself Black Betty, and eventually convinced her to divulge that sure enough, the Divas were hired to do that job that day as a distraction. Their clients? The Alumni. The Alumni are one of the big players in the world, a network of mad scientist tinkers and thinkers who exchange ideas and resources in order to allow each member to better pursue their ambitions. Despite this mission statement, individual members are notorious for allowing their egos and schemes to ruin the short-term alliances with each other. Still, the organization persists despite this, largely based on mutual professional respect, and it has ties with any number of other big players on the villain side of the cape divide. Some additional investigation on Click and Gateway’s part confirms a long-standing rumour: That the Alumni have a hidden research base in Noir Orleans, and it's located beneath an unassuming, nondescript data centre at the northern edge of the Mid-Town district. Though the team is wary of potentially angering such a big organization, Click is adamant about seeing this through, so they embark on a rescue mission and hope that if they get caught, the atomized nature of the organization will mean that they’ll piss off individuals rather than the Alumni as a whole. * * * * The hidden Alumni base is protected by science that even Click can only begin to understand, with the entire complex beneath the data centre floating in some kind of strange pink gel. Although this gel no doubt does any number of unhealthy things to anyone that touches it, the Crimson Key have the ultimate infiltrator in Gateway, who simply creates a portal that allows the team to bypass all the outer layers of security. Once there, Click hacks into their systems and gets the lay of the land; the complex is divided into a number of different wings, with each wing having its own scientific focus. There’s one wing that seems dedicated to biochemistry experiments, and it’s an easy guess that’s where Dr. Vandever is being kept. To get there, though, they’ll need to sneak through most of the complex and all its security, both automated and not. At one point, while sneaking through a wing dedicated to experiments in manipulating antimatter, Baskerville encounters what seems to be a negotiation between a blue-skinned man dressed in an old Soviet-era general’s uniform and two members of the Dagon Society: Scylla and Rorschach the Octopus.  Scylla  Rorschach quote:Doctor Delphi: “poo poo, that’s the Dagon Society...” The Dagon Society was once the name for the squad of underlings who worked for Madame Squid, a villain who was widely believed to be a jobber (that is, a villain-for-hire who takes dives to make paying heroes look good.) She was an over-the-top villain with a decidedly aquatic theme, the ability to take the shape of just about anything batrachian or Cthuloid, and the arch-nemesis of a B-list hero named Astroblade. She was one of the original graduates of the Aeon Society’s cape-training academy, before turning to villainy soon after graduating. Something of a joke and not particularly popular, one day she just seemed to snap – she killed Astroblade and revealed that her shapeshifting powers don’t seem to have much of a size limit – ever since then, she’s been an A-Class villain, and her Dagon Society went from the name for six guys in frog suits who did her bidding during her jobber days, to an international terrorist network full of capes and baselines alike, all dedicated to doing her mysterious bidding. These days, with her Society backing her, Madame Squid is considered a top nemesis of world-class heroes like Ascendent, Xenotech, and Ultra. For whatever reason (most speculate it’s because Madame Squid keeps a primary safehouse somewhere in the Big Easy), the Dagon Society has always maintained a presence in Noir Orleans, but never really gets involved with local matters to any great degree. The presence of the Dagon Society disturbs the team almost as much as the fact that they seem to be negotiating with the Alumni about some kind of antimatter weapon. quote:Gateway: “By the way, I'd like to make a suggestion. If we find a nuclear generator, this time let's not trigger a meltdown?” The negotiations end at the worst possible time, and the team’s presence is almost discovered by Rorschach as the two Dagon Society members leave, but for some quick thinking by Baskerville (who quickly phases his team out of Rorschach’s line of sight). Eager to make the best of a bad situation, Doctor Delphi orders Gateway and Snarl to collect some antimatter power cells from the wing before moving on, thinking the equipment might be handy for restoring power to their territory. There are another couple close calls with security-bots, but Click is able to talk his way through those, and soon enough they’ve located Dr. Vandever – busy plying her skills in creating strange new life forms in the biochemistry wing, no doubt part of some mad tinker’s plans for world-domination or the like. She’s initially wary, but when Click explains that they’re there to rescue her, Dr. Vandever doesn’t put up a fight; getting out of the complex is much easier than getting in, as Gateway creates a portal leading straight to the surface. Dr. Vandever is grateful for her freedom, but doesn’t linger long – she knows that Splicer, the Alumni member she was forced to serve, will be looking for her before long, and she wants to find her daughter, and then get into hiding before that happens. Doctor Delphi tells her to contact the Crimson Key if she needs help, and hints that they have a place they could send her to that would be safe from the Alumni (though he neglects to mention that this would involve sending her to Mars...) * * * * The run against the Alumni very nearly went sideways multiple times, but in the end they were in and out without anyone the wiser, so the Crimson Key reconvene to discuss their next move. Some of them want to lay low for a while, just in case, but Gateway had been keeping tabs on the Nuclear Hellhounds and gets word that there’s a massive shipment of Cybercorp International-manufactured cybernetics that’s bound for the Nuclear Hellhounds from the corporation’s factory in Berlin. While they could all use the rest, they eventually decide that keeping the Hellhounds from rearming and recovering is too important. Of course, the Hellhounds need this shipment badly, after the number Click did to them (see session four), which means that once the jet touches down, it’s going to be under very heavy guard. And the factory is too hard a target, too. That only leaves hijacking the shipment in mid-air... Click is able to get the jet’s flight path with some clever hacking, and the Crimson Key head out of town to intercept it via one of Gateway’s portals – it requires some incredibly precise timing given the speed the jet’s moving at, but with Doctor Delphi’s precognition powers that’s entirely doable. The hardest part is waiting for the jet to get into range, but once it is the Crimson Key find themselves inside the jet’s cargo hold, filled with stacks of wood-and-metal crates. Unfortunately, the cargo is not unescorted, as three Nuclear Hellhound elites – so decked out with military-grade cybernetics that each is an eight-foot-tall monstrosity, more metal than flesh – are soon alerted to the villains’ presence. quote:Snarl: “Remember, our goal here is to get the weapons off the jet. Not to destroy the jet, not to beat up the people on the jet, just to get the stuff.” Click messes with the Hellhounds’ implants to keep them busy, while Snarl just punches away – even with all their enhancements, she’s stronger, tougher, and faster than any cyborg; they make a good show for baselines, but soon they're knocked unconscious. Baskerville makes his way to the cockpit and knocks the pilot unconscious, with the intention of taking over the controls, when Alloy T-1000s up out of the floor behind him.  Alloy is a small-time mercenary villain with a simple but very versatile power – her liquid metal body lets her shapeshift parts of her body into a variety of versatile and deadly melee weapons. As soon as Baskerville notices her, he unloads his guns into her... without effect. quote:Baskerville: “You really don’t want to tangle with me right now... If nobody’s piloting the plane, we’re liable to crash.” Meanwhile, just as the last of the Hellhounds are knocked out, the fighting in the cargo hold has gotten the attention of the other mercenary villain apparently hired by the Nuclear Hellhounds to help escort this shipment to its destination: Devil Girl.  Devil Girl is a B-List villain who’s been around for decades, seemingly unaging, with powers of enhanced durability, strength, and the ability to convert her body fluids into flame. In fact, over the decades she’s switched multiple times between heroics and villainy – never a particularly heroic hero, nor a particularly dastardly villain, she seems almost purely motivated by whatever strikes her as the most entertaining. While her popularity has waxed and waned over the years, she has a sizeable VidStream following owing to her devil-may-care attitude, as well as her infamous “leaked” sex video back in 2035. Devil Girl stumbles out of the bathroom, a mostly-empty bottle of whiskey in hand, obviously drunk. “Oh poo poo,” she exclaims as she smiles wide. “I thought this trip was gonna be boring!” Then she leaps on Snarl and begins pounding the latter’s head into the floor. quote:Gateway: “We should’ve brought a killdozer.” Snarl’s still stronger than Devil Girl, but Devil Girl’s tougher and she's got experience on her side - she proves more than a match for the younger villain. In order to keep the jet under control (or at least prevent it from crashing), Gateway pushes herself to create a pair of massive portals in front and behind the jet, to keep it basically “in place” until they can get better control of the situation. Doctor Delphi tries to assist Snarl with Devil Girl, but he ends up flattened when the latter kicks a crate into him. quote:DD: “Ugh... Just wanted to let everyone know, this was the best outcome in that scenario.” Baskerville is getting sliced up by Alloy, his weapons useless against her. In desperation, he leaps at Alloy, grabbing hold of her and phasing them both through the floor, out of the jet. They’re both left free-falling from thousands of feet in the air... Baskerville radios Gateway for help. quote:Baskerville: “Hey Gateway, uh... think you could lend me a hand?” Gateway portals out of the jet after them, then grabs hold of Baskerville’s waist. quote:Gateway: “Baskerville, are you trying to get both of you killed?” With the knowledge that Alloy’s safe from the fall, Gateway kicks them apart, and portals herself and Baskerville back onto the jet, leaving Alloy to make her way (the hard way) back to the ground. quote:Gateway: “How did you do that, anyway?” Snarl is doing her best to keep Devil Girl occupied and away from Click (“You look like a nerd! I’mma break your arms, nerd!”), when Doctor Delphi gets a message from Scrawl of the Cache Cowboys – apparently Grendel’s been spotted at an abandoned church in a particularly desolate part of Cowboy territory in the Lower 9th Ward. Scrawl explains, “One of my drones spotted him. My team’s busy right now, so if you want to get this guy, best act quick. No telling how long he’ll be there.” lovely timing. Or was it? quote:Doctor Delphi: “Baskerville, get back to the cockpit. I need you to take control of the jet, for real this time.” This time, Baskerville takes the controls unimpeded, and Gateway drops the portals that were keeping the jet stationary (“Just in time, I’ve never bled from my ears before.”) Doctor Delphi links everyone’s minds up with his telepathy for extra coordination as: -Gateway portals a few of the crates to the surface (for later resale) -Baskerville aims the jet at the church, puts it at full speed -Snarl throws Devil Girl off of her, grabs the unconscious Hellhound goons -Everyone but Baskerville escape through a portal -Baskerville goes intangible a moment before the crash The jet obliterates the church, and every other building on that city block, and the next block besides. The Crimson Key stand before the rubble of the church, chunks of jet everywhere, surveying what they’ve wrought. They hear Devil Girl’s voice calling out from the distance... quote:“Of all the loving places you have to crash into, you choose a loving CHURCH?! When I get feeling back in my limbs, I’m gonna murderize all of you!” Suddenly, the church rubble shifts. Grendel, bleeding from some massive wounds along his torso and head, comes crawling out from beneath a chunk of what was once the steeple. He’s not the only one, though: They also see Swashbuckler, bound in glowing chains, and a stranger in a black-and-yellow costume with a large, flowing red cloak. They’re both contained in a glowing purple bubble that seems to have protected them (but not Grendel) from the crash. The bubble disappears, and the cloaked individual floats over toward the Crimson Key. quote:Malice: “Strange. I wasn’t aware I had any enemies left who hadn’t fled the city, besides Swashbuckler. And yet you... crashed a jet into me?” Malice throws an empty leather pouch on the ground before them, as though it were worthless. The meaning of the gesture is lost on any observers, but it seems to dishearten Swashbuckler. quote:Malice: “No matter. I am known as Malice, and the Grendel is mine now. I won’t let you--” Snarl charges at Malice and, taking him by surprise, hits him with a haymaker powerful enough that the force of the impact causes the ground to tremble slightly beneath her feet. Malice goes flying into the ground, skipping twice before coming to a rest eighty feet from his initial location. And he’s completely unharmed. Malice touches the point on his jaw where he was hit, at first tenderly, then with greater confidence. “That was... intense. But it seems my ritual worked.” Incredulous that he’s still not only intact, but conscious, Snarl charges at Malice, who strikes her unconscious with a blast of golden energy he launches from his fingertips almost casually. He then mumbles an incantation, and asphalt tentacles rise up from the ground, binding the rest of the villain team. quote:Malice: “Let it not be said I will be an unmerciful god. This time, I will chalk this up as ignorance on your parts. My servant hurt your friend, now you have hurt my servant – you are even, as far as I am concerned. But my plans for Noir Orleans are just beginning. Leave this city, and do not come back, as I will not spare you a second time...” With another incantation, he and Grendel disappear. The tentacles crumble into ash. He’s still processing what just happened when Doctor Delphi’s phone rings. “Hey, Hodge...” Boudicca says at the other end of the line, her voice weak, “Just woke up. Guess I missed some stuff. Think you could stop by for a visit?” Next Time: Nightclaw resurfaces! And some intra-team ~*~romance~*~! Falstaff fucked around with this message at 02:20 on May 5, 2018 |
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May 2, 2018 16:42
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CobiWann posted:Yes, Krowe is now a werelagamorph. I was going to make a joke about hair on his palms, but this is much funnier.
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May 2, 2018 17:31
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Falstaff posted:...some out-of-town villains (a now-defunct all-women team that called themselves the Divas, each of whom styled themselves after a classic pop/rock song) raided the Eugenix Inc building where she worked. Click was able to track down one of the ex-Divas, a villain who called herself Black Betty... I love this concept for a villain group SO drat much. Jenny's-Gotta-Gun Cinnamon Girl Goldust Woman Good Golly Miss Molly Sarah Smile Sweet Caroline Mustang Sally
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May 2, 2018 18:05
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CobiWann posted:I love this concept for a villain group SO drat much. You know, I didn't bother fleshing out the rest of the team, the concept (and the character) I just made up on the fly to resolve a successful investigation roll. I think I'm gonna make a few notes based on your post, just in case they ever reappear.
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May 2, 2018 18:15
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CobiWann posted:I love this concept for a villain group SO drat much.
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May 2, 2018 18:22
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Falstaff posted:You know, I didn't bother fleshing out the rest of the team, the concept (and the character) I just made up on the fly to resolve a successful investigation roll. I ask only that they're sponsored by a female villain named "The Big Money" because it's one of my favorite Rush songs. I like the concept of Devil Girl as well. The idea of a bad guy who somewhat lives and dies by Youtube/social media views is fantastic.
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May 2, 2018 18:24
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Rape Slugs was a fascinating tale, I must say. I wouldn't be surprised if the DM sold that one player on picking the Gargoyle race for his character. He just wanted to see scorpion slug men gently caress "trap" gargoyles with sculpted butts, man, while a brain in a jar watches. What a ride. I've had some Roll20 experiences that as you described "bad choice and X", and everything you do fails or leads nowhere. Homebrew settings need a lot more "yes, and" to work. E: Also, not being able to use voice chat to call him out is huge. The power of that implication is such a factor in this whole story. Firstborn fucked around with this message at 18:34 on May 2, 2018 |
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May 2, 2018 18:31
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It's a deal, thanks! Honestly, I'm just gratified that some people actually read the session write-ups I post. Every time I type one up, I get worried that they're just overlong and tedious.
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May 2, 2018 18:34
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I sit down with a nice cuppa or  and thoroughly read those overlong posts with joy
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May 2, 2018 18:35
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CobiWann posted:I love this concept for a villain group SO drat much.
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May 2, 2018 18:47
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You forgot Strawberry Fields.
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May 2, 2018 19:05
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Previously on Tanicus: Shattered Realms – In the course of seeking out the headquarters of a notorious bandit, the party frees a wizard and several other prisoners from a devil dedicated to the demigod of gluttony. ***** The tower of Theoduir the Inscrutable vanishes behind the party as they head deeper into the Brandywine forest in search of the bandit known as the Red Wolf. The party follows the Brandywine River until it changes direction and flows away from the forest into the vast steppes that lie to the west, home to several tribes of hobgoblins and their ilk. The party’s destination lies where the forest turns to the east just before the southern mountains. According to the information given to us by a bandit leader in exchange for his freedom, Brokenspire Keep, headquarters of the Red Wolf, lay just beyond the forest’s edge.   The sky is slowing growing overcast as the party begins to set up camp for the evening, roughly a day’s ride from the keep’s rumored location. Kynwal uses Unseen Servant to set up the tents while Krowe takes care of feeding, watering, and tying up the horses. As the rest of the party goes about their tasks, Hale and Aya notice some sort of activity coming from a grassy mound near the forest’s edge. The loose dirt parts as an insectoid head appears.  A wasp. A giant wasp. A giant [BLEEP]-off wasp. The wasp darts over to the party and stabs Hale. Aya manages to land a solid blow on it, but then the drat thing vanishes. When it reappears to sting Typhomine, paralyzing him in the process, the wasp isn’t displaying any wounds. It disappears once again, managing to miss Biff when it reappears but now showing the same wounds Aya had inflicted upon it.  The wasp continues to flash back and forth, appearing wounded and unwounded as it does so. It’s not until Kynwal burns the hell out of it with Aganazzar’s Scorcher, causing it to emit a high-pitched screech, that its swarm mate phased back in and we realized we were dealing with two phase wasps, not just one. quote:Typhomine – ”I use my breath on the wasp! I’m sorry Krowe!”  After managing to take them both down, Typhomine does his best to remove the wings while asking Aya to try to remove the stinger from the other one so he could obtain a sample of its paralytic poison. Aya looked up from where she had spent the past several seconds stabbing the hell out of its corpse and extended the tip of her greatsword, green ichor dripping from the tip. Typhomine attempted to pull the stinger from the corpse he had been examining, only to fail both his Dexterity and Constitution saves and spend ten minutes paralyzed. After Kynwal expended the rest of his spell slots burning the hell out of the nest underneath the mound, the party rested for the evening and continued on their way the next morning. The skies overhead had turned a gray the color of slate, and off in the distance a line in the clouds heralded the arrival of the incoming storm behind it. As the forest turned east, Aya sent an owl from her Bag of Tricks into the sky to join Kynwal’s familiar to scout just beyond the forest’s edge. It didn’t take long for them to find the outer walls of Brokenspire Keep.   The broken spire in question was the right hand tower, giving the castle its name via a large hole in its upper portion and roof. The storm broke just as the party approached the keep. The torrential downpour helped aid in their attempted to be stealthy, shielding them from the view of a group of four outriders that were approaching. The party managed to quasi-get the drop on them, taking out two and capturing one almost immediately.   One of the riderless horses disappeared behind a tree…and didn’t reappear. Krowe jumped on a horse in an attempt to chase after it, wondering if perhaps the horse has vanished behind some sort of magical effect such as Illusionary Terrain.  Nope. Pit trap. Krowe huddled up behind his shield as two horses, legs broken, kicked and screamed in the twenty foot hole. From the broken tower emerged a flock of stirges emerged. Sensing the blood of Kynwal’s familiar, they quickly surrounded the falcon and drained it before diving for the next closest source of warm blood – Kynwal himself.  In an effort to remain quiet by not firing off a gunshot, Hale reached into the Bag of Weaponry in the hopes of removing a weapon that didn’t make noise. What she removed (pulling a Ten of Diamonds from the deck) was a weighted net, which she used to drag down the unhorsed outrider. Typhomine cast Friends in an attempt to do a battlefield interrogation of the bandit. quote:Typhomine – ”Can you tell us if there is some sort of hidden passageway or secret entrance to the castle?”” Luckily the downpour covered up the bandit’s screams. Aya helped pull Krowe from the pit trap as Kynwal came walking over to Biff. quote:Kynwal – ”Biff, little help here please?” After placing the bodies in the pit and providing last rites, the party decided that the best way into the castle was through the broken tower. We were betting the bloodthrushes had left the broken tower, the familiar having been bled, and since no one on their right mind would sit inside a tower full of bloodthrushes it would be empty. Aya drinks a Potion of Climbing before heading towards the tower. A thick wall of green moss covered the wall, except that it wasn’t green moss as Aya found out but rather acidic slime. Aya cursed as her hand was burned by the slime, just loud enough to be heard over the pouring rain.  quote:Goblin – ”Who’s there?” Biff reacts by throwing a Silence spell into the hole in the tower as Aya made a hasty potion-assisted climb with Krowe following behind using just his Athletics. Aya pulled herself into the tower to see the goblin frantically pulling on a rope attached to a massive bell. She could feel the vibrations from the bell reverberating through the stone, but luckily for the party no sound was in accompaniment. The barbarian easily cleaved the goblin in half and with Krowe’s help brought the bell to a halt. As the pair threw a rope down towards the rest of the party, Aya yelled out a warning about the acidic slime. quote:Typhomine – ”I will use Flame Bolt to burn the slime away.”    The DM breaks out more pieces of the castle as we explore it. The castle consists of four walls, with towers on the northern most corners and a large gatehouse sitting in the middle of the southern wall. In the courtyard sit several houses, their outlines barely visible through the downpour along with the outlines of both a large trebuchet and a row of training dummies. The party carefully creeps through the corridors, the DM moving, removing, and sliding pieces when needed. The sounds of guards can be heard as the party approaches the gatehouse.      Aya decides to utilize the element of surprise. Dripping water, rain falling off of her leather armor and soaking her tattooed skin, she steps into the second floor of the gatehouse. ”Wow,” she says as she shakes her blonde hair and goes to squeeze the water out, ”it is really coming down out there! I am soaked!”  (Artist’s recreation) A Natural 20 on Aya’s persuasion roll allows the party a surprise round where they absolutely decimate the guards without allowing them a chance to retaliate. The second-floor hallway leading around the castle continues through the room, but there’s no way down to the ground level except through a grate meant to be used to facilitate the application of burning oil to any invaders. The interior arrow slits are only wide enough to allow passage for the smallest of our party – our wizard and our dwarf.   Kynwal and Hale rope down to the ground and open up the gates from the inside as Aya and Krowe lift the grate in the floor for Typhomine and Biff to pass through. Being in the courtyard allows the party a better view of the houses. The buildings themselves appear to be of older construction, probably dating back to when the keep was in active use. The hay and thatch on the roofs are fresh and the shutters look to be recently repaired and re-attached. It’s almost pitch black by this point with the only illumination the distant flash of lightning as Hale carefully approaches the biggest house, a two-story affair, and peers inside. She can make out two forms walking back and forth, keeping an eye out through the windows as best they can through the condensation. A plan is hastily made – Typhomine will use Disguise Self to appear like one of the gatehouse bandits, getting the bandits inside to open the door and allowing the party to barge in without making too much noise.  The party splits to flank the house. Aya had traded her owl for a lion by this point, but as she and Krowe are sneaking around the side of the house closest to the wall the lion comes to a sudden stop and begins to growl. Suspecting a trap, Aya and Krowe carefully back up. Typhomine meanwhile has knocked on the door. It opens to reveal a woman with a red cloak who glares at the “bandit.”  quote:Woman – ”What are YOU doing here? Shouldn’t you be in the gatehouse?” Having realized that the bandit in front of her didn’t smell right, the woman’s body grows fur and muscle as she lunges forward and pins Typhomine to the ground.  At the sounds of combat, Krowe assists Aya in smashing her way through the window. She engages one of the bandits…but as she brings back her greatsword for a second strike, the weapon known as Moonbreaker suddenly pulls towards the werewolf that’s trying to maul Typhomine. Krowe uses his Action Surge to take out both bandits to free up Aya, and while she charges the werewolf along with the rest of the party Krowe decides to check upstairs really quick, just a peek, in case there are more bandits up there preparing to attack. Advancing towards the stairs, an axe in hand and a bow slung over his shoulder, is the splitting image of the drawing on the wanted poster – Reinard Lenfaux, the Red Wolf. And he’s being flanked by two dire wolves. Krowe’s plan (”Nice job aggroing the boss Cobi.” “I’m the tank, that’s my job!”) is to retreat back down the stairs and bottlenecking them at the bottom while the rest of the party deals with the werewolf…  …and that’s when Reinard’s clothes rend and tear as he shifts into a large werewolf. He reaches out as Krowe retreats and proceeds to Suplex City him back into the room. ”Feast,” Reinard growls to the dire wolves who close in on the fallen Krowe. quote:”No.”  An older woman, wizened with taut skin, sits in a nearby chair. She’s wearing fur armor and covered with an array of tattoos. As she stands up, she motions to Krowe. ”I know this one. He is married to one of the tribe. Keep him alive.” Reinard’s response is to flash a toothy grin…and bite Krowe on the forearm. And Krowe fails his Constitution save.  Armed with her lycanthrope slaying greatsword, Aya is finishing up carving the female werewolf in half when she hears Krowe scream as he’s being bitten. She races upstairs alone with Hale and Biff, Moonbreaker at the ready, and immediately attacks Reinard. Hale and Biff follow, while in the courtyard Typhomine is getting to his feet and Kynwal is climbing onto the roof of the hut across the way in order to get a better look at what’s going on with the second floor. Krowe, Aya, and Biff go at Reinard with their magical weapons and a bit of Channel Divinity while Hale blows the dire wolves away, with somewhat of an assist from Kynwal, who in his role as artillery accidentally catches Biff with some friendly fire. The old woman, seeing her allies fall, utters a word in a language only Aya understands. A moment later, where an old woman once stood was now a tiny rat that quickly scurries through a nearby hole in the wall.  quote:Aya – ”The witch has turned into a rat! Do not let her get away!” Making his Perception check, through the open doorway Typhomine sees a rat scurrying through the rain. He charges outside, winds up and throws a Fire Bolt. One natural 20 later the rat is a smear of blood and fur against the side of the house. On the other side of the house however, Typhomine catches sight of a large Earth Elemental rumbling from around the corner before it dives into the ground and disappears. quote:Typhomine – ”I killed a rat. I do not believe it was her.” With the combined efforts of the party the Red Wolf soon falls. Biff studies the bite on Krowe’s arm. quote:Biff – ”If I was a little more powerful, I could definitely take care of this. For now, all I can do is try a Lesser Restoration tomorrow morning and see if it helps. Fortunately, we have several weeks until the full moon to get you to a dedicated healer.”  One short rest later the party moves to finish their patrol of the castle. The only bandits left were a trio of bandits huddled in the foot of the broken tower, arguing over what to do. Surrender was demanded. Two of them dropped their weapons and put their hands behind their heads. The third took a shot at Kynwal with his crossbow, much to his immediate dismay and fiery demise. That particular bandit had a ring of keys on his belt, keys that probably fit the door at the bottom of the spiral steps. The two bandits told the party that Reinard was the only person who had been allowed into the room beyond upon pain of very painful death. Not even the keybearer or the druid has been allowed inside. Beyond the door and down a set of stone steps lay a series of prison cells with wooden doors and eye slits. Several of them had skeletal figures locked inside, however scratching and mumbling came from inside one of cells. A key on the ring opened it, and once Aya entered a dirty, disheveled figure shuffled from the darkness. As Biff held up the Torch of Invisible Flame in order to get a good look at the figure, Krowe stepped forward and offered something very rare form him – a formal, sweeping bow. ”Your Grace.” As standing before the party was the older brother to Count Kennet Greywinter, Kolton Greywinter, thought dead in the Red Wolf’s ambush several months earlier. As the party, especially the noble-bred Krowe and Kynwal, ponder this revelation, Kolton walk past the party, intent on getting aboveground for fresh air. At the top of the steps he sees the two bandits, hands still behind their heads. quote:Kolton – ”Why are these men still alive?” The bandits and the party follow Kolton out into the courtyard. The ground is saturated, water and mud mixing together, as he turns to the two bandits. quote:Kolton – ”One of you will die today. The other will be allowed to leave with your life to spread word that the Red Wolf has fallen. Begin.” With that, Kolton stepped forward and stabbed the first bandit in the chest, killing him instantly. The second bandit barely had time to raise his weapon before Kolton swung his sword and caught him in the side, pulling the blade from his ribs with a large gush of blood. quote:Kolton – ”They’re guilty. Consider the sentence passed.” The party retreats to the house, where loot is divvied up, the fire is stoked, lunch is cooked, ale is poured, and Kolton begins to tell his story.   quote:Kolton - ”My family was ambushed by the Red Wolf and his bandits. While the rest of my family was slaughtered, I was merely knocked unconscious. Apparently two of my family’s guards were paid very well to assist the Red Wolf in betraying my family, as when I woke up in that dungeon they were standing next to Renfaux…who swiftly turned and killed both of them in front of me. Apparently I was supposed to die in that ambush as well but Renfaux saw me as some sort of insurance policy…why do you carry the Vindicator?” Kolton pauses for a moment before motioning towards the window. quote:Kolton – ”This place once had a different name - Woodlawn Keep. It was meant to be the heart of a brand new barony, until the Third Incursion of Kaos threw everything into confusion. By the time Az was defeated the supplies meant to develop Woodlawn were dedicated towards rebuilding the Eastwyld, and this place fell into ruin before being forgotten… ***** quote:DM – ”So concludes ‘Shattered Realms, Book One: Prologue – The Sword of Fallcrest.” CobiWann fucked around with this message at 11:49 on May 4, 2018 |
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May 2, 2018 19:10
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Splicer posted:Sunny. She doesn't quite fit the theme but nobody's brave enough to risk their name on her list. Brandy, the meta seductress. And Red Headed Girl with flame powers?
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May 2, 2018 19:25
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Samizdata posted:Brandy, the meta seductress. Or Cherry Pie.
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May 2, 2018 19:28
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Firstly, thanks to both Falstaff and Cobi for enjoyable updates. Falstaff, genuinely not trying to be pedantic, but this paragraph shows up in your update twice in rapid succession: quote:There are another couple close calls with security-bots, but Click is able to talk his way through those, and soon enough they’ve located Dr. Vandever – busy plying her skills in creating strange new life forms in the biochemistry wing, no doubt part of some mad tinker’s plans for world-domination or the like. She’s initially wary, but when Click explains that they’re there to rescue her, Dr. Vandever doesn’t put up a fight; getting out of the complex is much easier than getting in, as Gateway creates a portal leading straight to the surface. As for Cobi's update, I think that that might have been the first time in this thread where a gaming story involved urine and it was actually context-appropriate and not at all disgusting.
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May 3, 2018 00:38
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First time I've seen "go piss up a rope" as an actual advised action.
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May 3, 2018 00:44
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Good, Bad, I’m the one with the Krowe-Piss.
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May 3, 2018 01:21
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CobiWann posted:I ask only that they're sponsored by a female villain named "The Big Money" because it's one of my favorite Rush songs. When they finally unmask The Big Money, the whole group turns out to be special ops for The Black Queen.
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May 3, 2018 01:36
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CobiWann posted:Good, Bad, I’m the one with the Krowe-Piss. I always look forward to your updates, and I appreciate the extra effort you seem to put into the miniatures photography. Such amazing kit deserves the appreciation of tens of grognardy neckbeards! NinjaDebugger posted:When they finally unmask The Big Money, the whole group turns out to be special ops for The Black Queen. Who is actually a front for the insane AI, the Red Queen.
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May 3, 2018 03:42
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JustJeff88 posted:Falstaff, genuinely not trying to be pedantic, but this paragraph shows up in your update twice in rapid succession: I have zero clue how that happened, thanks for pointing it out. 
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May 3, 2018 04:32
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Samizdata posted:I always look forward to your updates, and I appreciate the extra effort you seem to put into the miniatures photography. Such amazing kit deserves the appreciation of tens of grognardy neckbeards! Considering the array of pre-paints, paints, and kitbashes my DM has, it's the least I could do, although Aya's player deserves credit for the hallway shots. quote:Who is actually a front for the insane AI, the Red Queen. No...not the Red Queen. The Dancing Queen. Folks, we are going ALL the way down the rabbit hole with this one. The Divas run Noir Orleans!
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May 3, 2018 12:18
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Continuing the streak of my DM being incredibly dedicated to his craft, he posted to our Facebook group some pieces of artwork he had commissioned from a D&D group he's a member of. ***** The Twelve Great Kæri Noble Families, designs and art by Ariana Hirsch.  House Griffinwing, House of the High King  House Dragonhall, House of Krowe Dragonhall  House Starkweather, House of Kynwal Starkweather  House Alderbough  House Featherstone  House Hammerknell  House Oathsworn  House Silverbrook  House Steelhilt  House Stormchapel  House Thornwood
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May 4, 2018 15:25
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Those are really cool. Do you have any idea how much they cost him?
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May 4, 2018 15:57
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I know a guy who does all sorts of heraldry digitally. If you've ever looked at something recent by Columbia Games (i.e. all of the Harn stuff), it's a safe bet that he probably designed and rendered the coats of arms. If you're interested, I'll ask him if he's taking commissions.
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May 4, 2018 16:58
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MadDogMike posted:we were all laughing out of character at how this PC almost doomed a lot of the duchy just by being "catty" No no no, this is the Catpiss thread, not the Pissed Cat thread. Seriously though, thank god for more stories (Noir Orleans tied for my fav to read about atm). Binging Rapeland after two weeks away was p bad. I was halfways considering offering up some positive initial experiences from this Deadlands game I recently got into but I think I'll let that one percolate for now.
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May 4, 2018 21:19
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.