Gifts of the God Mages - Pathfinder e04

Gifts of the God Mages

May 2012 - ongoing
June 6th Game Session

Pathfinder

Episode Four: The Princess Nuala

As my fourth session of the Indigo-Entertainment Pathfinder games commences, I learn that two more players want to join the game.  It has been a while since I've had a game this huge so I'm pretty psyched.

In this game session, the following players were present:

The dwarven paladin Alcarin Dominus, whose calling to faith remained unclear.  He had yet to truly understand which deity had inspired him down his road.

Jazintho, the half-elven wizard, remained attached to the dark Demon Child.  Its whispers continued to haunt him.

Lyus Baequiundlin, the druid, was learning the natural importance of combat and began to comprehend the need to be willing to shed blood in battle.

Yenrry Dragonsbane, the Human Sorcerer began to understand his Draconic lineage had a far greater role to play in all things.

Caishn Riverend, the halfling rogue, still desired to find a chance at greater wealth.

Galvindir, the priest of Erastil, finally found time once more to join the questing.  His ponies was sorely missed by most.

And lastly, Kalder Regulus, a human rogue who was an old friend of Yenrry.  The two during their childhood both were being enrolled by their parents to Sorcerer schools, but Yenrry actually failed to pass the enrollment process while Kalder found it boring and instead turned towards a life of thievery.

In this game session, numerous plot points were to be explored.  While the game generally was to be serial in nature, with each session composed of a quest to retrieve an artifact for Dwalimer Omen, this game session was to touch on many plot points that have been introduced.  These included:

The Realms Master and its crew.
The lizardfolk/draconians.
The White Dragon.
Princess Nuala of the bloodstone.
Erastil's growing presence.
And the Paladin's unresolved Deity.

The game opened with Dwalimer Omen informing the crew that they were making a stop at the city of Doranth, a Market City, and that they were free to either accompany him as he went to meet an old friend, go shopping in the city, or stay on the ship and keep it safe.  Naturally, each decided on their own what they wanted to focus on.

Alcarin and Lyus opted to accompany the wizard Omen, anxious to learn what the old coot was up to.
Jazintho alone opted to stay on the ship, claiming to desire to have more time studying his spells.  In truth, the whispers desired to see the chamber of the artifacts and the wizard hoped to find a way to find the key that opened the locks.
The rest opted, naturally, to go shopping.  Galvindir, however, hid his real reason:  he had slowly began to sense a growing presence of something disturbing from the rogue and his companion.  And while he did not believe Caishn was evil, he had his concerns and wished to keep an eye on them.

Omen, as it turned out had come to the city to speak with one of, if not the greatest living magus in the Realm, Elminster.   What at first seemed like a battle unfolding (with Alcarin being polymorphed into a pebble and Lyus being flung onto the ceiling as gravity shifted around him) turned out to be the unconventional challenge of hello that the two wizards often greeted each other with!   With things normalizing, Lyus and Alcarin realized they were soon suddenly thrust into a new challenge:  The wizards LOVED to drink.  And they had to drink as much as well!

*

While out shopping, Yenrry and Kalder make their way to separate shops, with Yenrry hoping for magical items and Kalder seeking a good magical sword.  Yenrry mistakes a con artist for a real shop but thanks to his truly convincing Charisma, bluffs his way into getting the con artist's real Ion Stone.  Kalder on the other hand meets a dwarven fighter named Greta who claimed to have once been a heroine of great renown.  Greta offers to sell Kalder one of the many swords she had found, a sword of immense magical sharpness that when held and the word Infernis is invoked, is sheathed in flames.  She does warn him of another sword she owns, a blade of pitch blackness that she claims is a cursed blade that hungers for blood.

Outside, Caishn is amused at Nuala's antics as she seems oblivious to the time frame she now lives in.  Even something as simple as a lantern seems like a magical device to her!  Galvindir takes the opportunity to try to ask him some questions about her, but when she notices him, she starts asking if they can get married!  Caishn learns from Galvindir that a wedding ceremony would cost him 500 gold and the rogue quickly attempts to case a good target.  Galvindir discovers Nuala does not even know the halfling's name, but neither seem aware of a robed figure watching them in the streets of Doranth.

*
Back on the Realms Master, Jazintho shares some moments of conversation with Jasmine, who relates to him how she gained her wings.  She speaks of a magical city called Sigil that exists like a central hub of various magical planes.  She admits that she hates the wings, feeling they make her look strange and cursed.

When a row boat approaches the Realms Master, Jasmine flies off in a hurry to welcome old friends back.  Minder identifies them for Jazintho, describing the oriental woman in exotic red armor as Ishi Barasume - a former samurai from the Oriental Lands, the halfling rogue as Foxilon Cardluck - whose understanding of Spellcraft has him actually helping Dwalimer Omen cast spells properly when he fails to prepare the right components, and lastly an Elf named Vartan Hai Silvar who is wrapped in blankets and seemingly sick.  The Elf claims to worship an Elven God named Labelas Enoreth, a God of Luck, but Jazintho silently muses that no such deity exists in the Realms.  Minder shares the concern, since Vartan's divine magic clearly is being granted from somewhere.

Jazintho's first impressions of the crew are not too favorable.  Ishi barely gives him notice.  Foxilon nearly steals his gold, clearly displaying his innate ability to use Mage Hand to pick pockets, and Vartan sneers at the wizard, clearly not showing any brotherly affectations towards the fellow Elf.

Realizing there is practically no chance to steal away into Omen's chambers, Jazintho tries learning more from Jasmine about the others.  He learns Jasmine and Ishi once fell in love with a Paladin and that man had died.  Before he could learn more from her, however, a visitor arrives at the port side and calls out for Dwalimer Omen.  To Jazintho's surprise, the woman is a Drow elf who is the splitting image of Nuala.  Calling herself Surea Luna, the elf demands to see Omen claiming he is the father of her child.

*

The three scenes then quickly shift in pace as events unravel faster.

Omen and Elminster, too drunk to care, begin slipping information that the others find interesting.  Elminster asks about the elven Princess and ponders if Omen ever learned if she was pregnant.  Omen presses to try to learn from Elminster where the fabled Dragon Orbs are.  But poisonous darts force both wizards and Lyus into unconsiousness.  And before Alcarin could dispatch the Assassin, the assailant intones, "The God Mages know your names.  Dahak, claim me!" before slicing himself with his poisoned daggers.  The man, like the halfling trap in the previous quest, exploded and unleashed a deadly poisoned gas upon those in the room.

Struggling to lift them, even as the gas began to overwhelm him, Alcarin sees a bright light burst the doors open.  A maiden dressed in white armor reaches out to him and asks him if he is ready to be of service to her.  When asked who she is, she tells him she knows her name.  He cries out a different name and she says that is not it.  She whispers her name and tells him if he does intone it, she will help.  But she can only save one of the two men he is trying to carry.  One must die, for the rest of the world to live.  Looking down at Omen and Lyus, Alcarin embraces the burden and calls out her name.

In the streets, Caishn and Galvindir hear Nuala call out in panic.  They see a robed figure dragged her to an alley way.  Rushing to help, Galvindir summons (yes of course) a pony and Caishn rides it to take chase.  Not too far away, Yenrry and Kalder emerge from their shops to hear the commotion.  Kalder runs up the nearest wall and from roof top to roof top makes his way to the scene.  Yenrry rushes on foot.  The robed figure casts Hold Person to freeze Nuala, but Caishn launches a bullet that misses its mark!  Galvindir launches an arrow and strikes the robed figure on the shoulder.   Yenrry follows through with two Magic Missles and the robed figure drops to the side.    As Caishin closes in to strike again, the robed figure attempts to cast another spell.  Missing his attack of opportuity, Galvindir succeds with another arrow and strikes at the figure.  The figure falls backwards and yields.  He turns out to be an elven priest of Eristel and when questioned, admits Nuala is the splitting image of one of the old foes of the temple, a God Mage called Nuala eSur.  The priest offers to show them the ancient tome he keeps, one his grandfather long kept as proof of the God Mages' treachery.  He tells them how the God Mage used the Dragon Orbs to command the dragons to raze 90% of the Elven Nations.  Yenrry, Kalder, and Galvindir agree to return to his temple with him (after Glavindir heals the priest's wounds with a channeled energy release) while Nuala and Caishn opt to return to the Realms Master.

In the Realms Master, Jazintho is intrigued by this look-alike of Nualla  Surea flatters him with her knowledge of arcane magic and shows off her Ring of Telekinesis.  She asks him if he would like to talk about the Demon Child, and slowly reveals she too has a "birthmark" like his, only on her right breast.  She tells him about the true secrets of magic and suddenly unleashes Magic Missles upon him! Before he could react, she launches more at the others in the crew and tells him she merely wants to take back the Demon Child... and get her vengeance on Dwalimer Omen.  Just before Jazintho is felled, he ponders on how this woman casts Magic Missles seemingly without effort:  no somatic, verbal or material components at all.  No pause even to concentrate!

And to end the session, Alcarin awakes in the streets, alive and weak.  Lyus is nearby.  The people in the city are trying to kill the flames that consume the tavern.  But many swear they saw a massive silver beast take to the air before they arrived.  A silver dragon, long thought extinct for many centuries.

*

This game session definitely pushes the plot forward.  The God Mages are now more prominently mentioned in the game, and Erastil is hinted as a possible ally against him.  Is Dwalimer Omen dead?  Is Elminster?  What of the rest of the Realms Master crew?  And lastly, who is the white maiden armed with a lance that Alcarin has embraced to follow?

The answers will follow, in the next episode of The Gifts of the God Mages.

Gifts of the God Mages : Pathfinder e03

Gifts of the God Mages

May 2012 - ongoing

Pathfinder

Episode Three: The Scales and the Moon

As my third session of the Indigo Entertainment Pathfinder games commences, I realized some minor errors I made in the earlier games.  For one, the Sorcerer of James was not supposed to have flight yet. That was an Elemental Bloodline power gained at level 15.  Another MAJOR error was I totally forgot to remind players to add their Strength modifier to all damage rolls! That explained why it took a while for these fourth level characters to drop goblins down.  So to make up for this, I gave all the players a free magical item to balance things out.  To permit the Sorcerer the scenes earlier established, I gave him Boots of Flying.  Others got appropriate magical items to round things out better.

In this game session, the following players were present:
Tofie was playing Alcarin Dominus, a Dwarven Paladin, and he continued to serve as a wonderful example of how to play a character.  Sticking to his accented portrayal through-out the game, here was hoping other players learn to "speak in character" naturally.  With his new Dwarven Plate, he definitely felt ready to face any new dangers.

JP was the half-elven Wizard named Jazintho.  Tempted by the Demon Child, JP was now two full levels higher than the rest.  I felt I wanted to challenge him on playing an anti-hero, and this game presented such an opportunity.  With a Pearl of Power and the secret levels he gained through the Demon Child, he felt more powerful having now the power to cast Lightning bolt more than once.

David was the elven Druid named Lyus Baequiundlin, and this time he had a Spear of Wounding to assist him in battle.

Ric was the Human Sorcerer, Yenrry Dragonsbane, who lost his hands in the last game.  With the limbs replaced with magical iron forearms from Halruaa, the City of Wizards, the Sorcerer hoped his two Ion stones would help him survive better.

Jigs played the Elven Fighter Ramza, who found a Scabbard of Keen Edge ready to help empower his sword for battle.

Jam was the Halfling Rogue Caishn Riverend, whose Ring of Chameleon Power provided him with stealth whenever he needed it.

And lastly, James played the Half-Elven Sorcerer Rondo, and his Boots of Flying would provide him mobility whenever he needed it.

In this game session, I had one goal:  Let the players experience an encounter with a dragon.   Dungeons and Dragons, after all, was the roots of Pathfinder.  It felt only appropriate that the players finally get an encounter facing with one of these mythical beasts of legend.    Tasked to retrieve the Moon Arc, a lost artifact that has long been forgotten in the Temple of the Moon all the way in the far northern lands of ice.  Expecting it to be a breeze, the group was surprised to find something waiting for them at the front of the ancient temple whose entrance stood at the foot of a frozen lake.  Carefully stepping onto the frozen lake, Rondo, Ramza and Caishn made their way towards the entrance.  The body of a halfling seemed to be hanging upside down on the temple's facade.  Lyus soon identified the ropes holding the body to be Assassin Vine, and tried to call out to the others to warn them.  Sadly his voice did not carry.  Hoping to help, Alcarin leapt on the frozen lake, forgetting how his mass and the plate mail he wore might be too much for the ice to bear.  Cracks spread out from where he landed and the dwarf quickly dropped to his knees and tried crawling forward.

As the other half of the group made their approach, Jazintho began to hear a message being whispered to him from somewhere.  The wizard scanned the surroundings and caught a glimpse of a massive white thing with a golden eye staring from the cliff's edge.  The message was simple, "Have you brought me offerings?"  When Jazintho answered, "Maybe." Both Lyus and Yenrry overheard him and wondered what the wizard was muttering about.  The wizard merely replied, "Just practicing my monologue."

As the first group neared the halfling, Rondo launched a Mage Hand guided dagger across the sky to slice the halfling down.  The halfling was alive, it seemed, and quivered and moved.  On the last instance, the group realized the halfling was struggling to motion, "Stay away!" but the warning reached them too late.  The body of the halfling erupted, unleashing a Stinking Cloud of miasma upon the three.  Caishn reacted fast enough to tumble out of the way.  But both Rondo and Ramza fell to the ground, with nausea taxing their systems.

Alcarin saw his friends in trouble, and before he could get to them to help, realized a massive thing was moving under the frozen lake.  Dodging out of the way, the Dwarf evaded the initial attack of whatever that massive thing was under the water.    It was at that moment, Lyus thought to help and using Longstrider, quickly closed the gap between him and the dwarf.  Jazintho heard the whisper once again, asking if his companion was his apprentice.  Jazintho turned to the Sorcerer and without warning, launched a Lightning Bolt at the poor man.  Thanks to his Draconic Bloodline, the Sorcerer survive the initial onslaught.  In hopes of buying himself time, Yenrry casted Charm Person back in retaliation.  But the Wizard's Half-Elven blood and intense will saved him from being overwhelmed by the spell.  This time, in an attempt to disable him, the wizard struck the Sorcerer with a Blindness spell.  Yenrry resisted the effects, but wisely Bluffed his way into pretending he had been disabled.

As the first group attempted to regroup, Assassin vines reached out to attack.  Ramza sliced away a few, giving Rondo the precious seconds he needed to recover from the Stinking Cloud, and fly them both out of reach.  Caishn felt the frozen lake begin to melt and quickly launched himself to the temple wall, using his grappling hook to pull himself to safety.  Neither Lyus and Alcarin were lucky however.  The ice melted and both plunged into the icy depths.  Lyus was immediately rendered unconscious by the cold.  Alcarin struggled but his armor proved too heavy for him to try to swim against.

A bridge formed across the icy waters, allowing Jazintho to bring the disabled Yenrry across with him into the temple.

*

Lyus and Alcarin awaken to find themselves naked and hanging upside down inside a massive ice pit.  At the center of the bowl-like floor, a hoard of armor, weapons and gemstones was present.  Lyus embraced his Wildshape and transformed into an Eagle in a bid to escape.  Alcarin used his massive strength to shatter his own icy manacles, and the two quickly used teamwork to find weapons to arm themselves.  In the pit with them, the massive golden eye emerged, and they soon learned to their horror that the thing was a serpentine white dragon that lived in the pit with them.

Jazintho with the "disabled" Yenrry find an audience with a chief priest of what seem to be reptilian humanoids.  The priest converses with Jazintho in Draconic, a language Yenrry sadly never learned.  As the two discuss, the priest warns Jazintho that it is aware the human is pretending to be blind.  So the reptilian figure draws a blade, and takes action to pull out Yenrry's tongue.  Yenrry panics, and tries to use Diplomacy on the two, hoping they would let him go.   The priest, now speaking in Common, demands that Yenrry prove he is blood of the Dragons, but lacking his hands which can turn into claws, Yenrry feels his bid for freedom has failed.  The reptilian man slashes at the Sorcerer, tearing away his iron limbs.

Caishn, Ramza and Rondo find Jasmine arriving as they contemplate on how to rescue their friends.  Jasmine questions whether or not the others need saving and recommends they abort the quest and return to the Realms Master.  But the three stand their ground and insist they try to find their friends ("...and the loot," Caishn intones.)  Jasmine tells them she will return with the others, but tells them they probably only have an hour.  Maybe less.  To find their friends.

The three enter the long hallways whose walls are filled with murals of lizard folk and dragons.  At the end stand a pair of double doors.  Not finding them locked, they enter to find themselves in a massive chamber, with a circular pit in its center.  Towering over it is an 80-foot tall statue of a dragon with golden eyes.  On its head, like a crown, stood the Moon Arc.    The cultists all turn around, alerted to their arrival by the sudden light that disrupts the gathering when they opened the doors.  Ramza, perhaps guided by extremely accurate gut feelings, orders Caishn to tie his two ropes together with the grappling hook and hand them to him.  Rondo casts Detect Magic and begins to see numerous points of power.  The chief priest in the other side of the room surges with an extremely powerful aura of abjuration magic.  The most powerful source of magic emanates from the object atop the 80-foot dragon.  Yet other points of magic exist (which he later discerns to be the presence of Jazintho, Yenrry, and something deep in the pit.)

As Rondo attempts to parlay with the chief priest, using his Boots of Flying to walk over the very pit, the chief priest levitates as well and walks towards the Sorcerer.  Both begin to discuss options as Rondo silently casts Charm Person to sway the conversation in his direction.  Back at the foot of the dragon statue, however, Jazintho is warned that the party may learn of his treachery and is to pretend to have been Charmed or Dominated by their foes.  But Jazintho at first thinks it would be better to eliminate any witnesses, and launches a second Lightning Bolt at Yenrry.  Yenrry falls down into the pit, practically dying from the final assault.   Down below, Alcarin and Lyus attempt to face the dragon, with the poor Druid being the first recipient of the White Dragon's Cold Breath.  Alcarin rushes close to strike, but the Dragon's reach works to its favor and with a swipe of its tail, launches the Dwarf across the pit to the other side.

Caishn slips into the shadows, using his Ring of Chameleon Power to make his way to the 80-foot Dragon statue unmolested.  The cultists close in and Ramza decides to use the rope to descend into the pit.   Seeing the dragon attacking his friends, he draws out his Sleep Arrow and considered stabbing the Dragon with it to knock it down.  But his first two attempts to do so fail to penetrate the Dragon's immense armor.   When the negotiations between Rondo and the priest don't seem to go anywhere, Rondo then flings a vial of Alchemist's fire onto the priest's open mouth!  The priest plunges down the pit, screaming as the fire eats as his face.  The cultists panic, and they rush to exit the temple in fear rather than stay to fight.  Alcarin slides to the side of the dying Sorcerer and uses his Paladin abilities to bring him back from the brink.  Lyus dispels his Eagle form to pull out a Healing Potion and recover from his grievous wounds.  Yenrry too draws out a potion to heal himself, but only seconds later realizes his stumps have somehow regrown what seem to be strange fingery protrusions.  He begins to wonder if he has somehow gained the regenerative properties of reptiles as well.

Atop the Dragon Statue, Jazintho finds the Moon Arc, but as he touches it he feels the Demon Child scream in agony and demand he let go.  The Moon Arc, as it turns out, is a powerful artifact of goodness and the Demon Child cannot abide its touch.  Jazintho pulls away, allowing Caishn instead to come forward and draw it.  But as he pulls it free, the temple begins to share and the magical wards that keep the White Dragon from leaving the domain break apart.  As the Dwarf and Lyus anticipate another deadly blow from the dragon, Ramza kicks off the rope, Quick Draws his bow, and launches the Sleep Arrow into the White Dragon's open maw.  The Dragon seems unaffected, and blasts the flying Rondo with another surge of Cold.  Ramza survives, and just as the Dragon was about to strike the fatal stroke, it drops to the base of the pit and falls asleep.

Debris from the temple begin falling down, and many of the heroes consider their means of escape.  Initial attempts of both Jazintho and Caishn to scale the walls and reach the ceiling from atop the statue fail.  Rondo flies to Ramza and lifts him towards the sky, slipping through the broken ceiling to escape.  In the clouds, still on its approach, the Realms Master makes its journey to them.  Rondo flies there, hoping to have enough time to fly back.  But on his return trip, only Jazintho can be seen at the roof of the temple, and before he could make it any closer, the whole structure collapses on itself and vanishes beneath a cloud of ice cold shards.

*

On the Realms Master, Rondo feels distraught, having failed to rescue the others.   Dwalimer Omen walks up to him and tells him, "Not all is lost.  If your friends were as devious as I expected them to be, then I suspect they have found the means to survive despite themselves."  When asked by Ramza what he meant, Omen casts a simple Locate Object spell and brings the Realm Master to the lake.  A golden bubble breaks the surface and inside, the rest of the party can be found alive and well!  As both Ramza and Rondo begin to ask what is going on, or how this happened, they notice the Yenrry, Alcarin, Lyus and Jazintho are all staring  instead at Caishn, and the new person who seems to be with them.

"May I present to you, the Elven Princess," Dwalimer Omen pronounces, and the beautiful naked Elven woman whose lap Caishn is resting against, smiles in response.  "Hello Omen," she mutters, "I never thought I would see you again."

"She has a thing for rogues," Omen admits, and shakes his head.  As if to prove his point, the Princess pulls Caishn closer and tells him, "You are going to love me... forever.  Right?"  But all Caishn can think of that moment is that Dwalimer Omen just admitted he used to be a rogue as well.

*

As you probably noticed, this game was my first step into developing the presence of an ongoing story arc.  The Blood Stone which Caishn first stole from the Tomb of the Elven Princess returns in this game with an unexpected twist.  The gem wasn't just a gemstone.  It was some kind of prison or vessel for an Elven Princess.. one which Dwalimer Omen happened to personally know.    Also in this game, the ongoing story of Jazintho's seduction into evil continues, and how this will eventually clash with Alcarin's Paladin vows is definitely something to look forward to.  Yenrry's Draconic Bloodline too begins to give hints of an ongoing tale.

As to Ramza, Rondo and Lyus?  One will just have to wait and see what direction their stories will eventually take.  But one thing is for sure, there is time to learn all their tales.   Assuming they survive long enough.

Gifts of the God Mages : Pathfinder e02

Gifts of the God Mages

May 2012 - ongoing

Pathfinder

Episode Two: The Demon Child

As my second session of the Indigo-Entertainment Pathfinder games commences, I find myself starting to enjoy Pathfinder's tactical system again.  Admittedly, I'm more of a story - drama - character focused kind of guy, so trust me when I say to be really enjoying Pathfinder is a new feeling for me.  As I mentioned before, I've borrowed liberally from the Forgotten Realms comics of Rags Morales, Dave Simons and Jeff Grubb.  And in this case, I took the opening sequence of the fifteenth issue of the comic series.  But rather than bring the Avatar war into the plot, I just focused on them gathering what I felt was a nicely diabolic new artifact into the game.  If things would go my way, one of the players would find themselves tempted by its promise of power.

Boy was I right!

In this game session, the following players were present:
Tofie was playing Alcarin Dominus, a Dwarven Paladin, and boy was he playing it to the hilt!  He used this fun gruff accented voice all through-out the game, it was really amazing!

This issue inspired the opening sequence.

JP was the Half-Elven Wizard named Jazintho, who was an old friend of Alcarin and has a deep-seated desire for power.

David was the elven Druid named Lyus Baequiundlin, whose had a penchant for travelling weaponless and whose wolf companion showed a loyalty unexpected of beasts.

Ric was the Human Sorcerer named Yenrry Dragonsbane whose charisma was great and whose past was linked to a small line of humans who carry dragons blood.

Mark was an Elven Cleric (whose name I forgot) who was infamous for summoning Ponies during a battle.

The group had been directed by Dwalimer Omen to retrieve a strange artifact: a mummified fetus that held dark infernal powers known as the Demon Child.  The artifact had been long in the hands of a community of goblins, who worshiped it as one of their own.   We opened the game with the initial quest of finding and retrieving the artifact as practically done, and the group was working on their return to the Realms Master.  Of course, that's when things would not go as planned.

Minder was chatting with Jazintho about the new recruits (Lyus and Yenrry) and was wondering aloud if the group was doing okay.  Minder mused, "The group is composed of a Paladin, a Sorcerer, a Cleric and a Druid.  Without any Rogues, I wonder how they plan to steal the artifact?"  The entrance to the goblin underground community seemed quiet so far.     At least until Yenrry appeared at the entrance with his hands holding the artifact.  With Yenrry on a full sprint, Jazintho and Minder realized something was definitely up and as Minder headed below the deck to contact Omen, Jazintho took one of the smaller boats and made for the shore.

Soon enough the others emerged from the cave, also at a run.  Goblins were chasing after them! Clearly their plan to stealthily take the artifact had fallen apart.  The cleric summoned another pony to serve as an ally, while the Lyus commanded his wolf to strike at the nearest Goblin.  Jazintho closed in as quickly as he could hoping to get within range to throw a necromantic Scare at the goblin horde.  But deep within the underground caverns, the Goblin King and his people rushed to join the fray.

When the Wizard found himself within range, he quickly threw the necromantic spell and forced the other goblins to disperse.  Believing they were now safe to reach the ship, the group made their way forward towards the shore.    The Goblin King drew out components and casted a spell, causing two gigantic leeches to emerge at the shoreline.  One destroyed one of the three rowboats, while the other prepared to strike!  Lyus, moving swifter thanks to his druidic spell, Longstrider, and hoped to Warp Wood the ruins of the boat to serve as a suitable weapon.  But the leech had reach and struck Yenrry before the Sorcerer could act!  Plunging its spinning row of fangs into the human, Yenrry felt his strength ebb away with his very life.

As the others combined their efforts to take the leeches down, Yenrry heard a voice whispering to him, asking him to choose:  Destroy or Devour.  Choosing Devour, Yenrry finds his hands merging with the artifact and the artifact's mouth extending into a massive maw filled with shark-like teeth.   With a single chomp, the artifact severs the leech in two.   Minder calls out to the party as the golem steers the Realms Master to get the party onboard.  The golem throws a massive net down the side of the ship for the party to grab hold and climb aboard.    Alcarin, hoping to help the Cleric get onboard, throws the human to the ship but finds his strength faltering at the last minute.  Embarrassingly, the Cleric smacks into the ground.   As the group hurry to board, the Goblin King charges outwards, hoping to take the group down with a final salvo.  Missing both arms (they were transmuted into the Giant Leeches), he begins casting a spell to bring them down.  But his attempt fails as the Pony comes to everyone's rescue and clobbers the king with its kicks.

On the Realms Master, Minder sees how Yenrry is taken over by the Artifact and tells the Druid to hand him an axe.   The artifact, not wanting to be separated, asks Yenrry to choose and this time Yenrry chooses Destroy.  A Disintigrate ray fires from the artifact's eyes and strikes Minder, but the golem shrugs it off and pins the Sorcerer down.  Taking the axe, Minder tells the group to be ready to help him - but only after the Sorcerer is freed from the artifact.  Without hesitation, Minder amputates the Sorcerer's two hands.

When Dwalimer Omen arrives, he explains that the artifact is a dangerous thing, and asks the Wizard Jazintho to place it in the extra-dimensional space where they store all the gathered artifacts.  But Jazintho fails to keep his hands from touching the artifact and failing to have a strong enough will, succumbs to the temptations of the artifact and hides it.  The artifact slides into his body, with only one of its hands appearing like a birthmark upon his chest.

*

Never underestimate the Pony.

The second game was filled with hilarious moments and awesome heroism.  Everyone celebrated when Mark had his Cleric once again bring a pony into the battle.  Laughter abounded when Tofie's Paladin failed to toss the Cleric, rolling a one on his strength check.  And fear-filled gasps erupted when Ric's Sorcerer first  used the artifact in hopes of protecting himself, grew into impassioned exclamations when the golem had to amputate his hands, and finally into "Oh My Gosh" screams when JP's Wizard Jazintho failed his Will saving throw and was seduced by the artifact.

To give the seduction an even better touch, I threw in this as a temptation for the player himself:  The artifact would grant him TWO whole levels if he accepted it and kept the artifact's presence within him as a secret from the other characters.  Finding the twist an interesting challenge to role-play, and definitely a source of more fun, JP accepted the plot twist.

Definitely, the players more and more got into their roles and there was no denying this was going to be a chronicle that was going to be more and more fun!

Legacy e01 : Houses of the Blooded

Legacy - Episode One

May 2012 - ongoing

Houses of the Blooded

Episode One: The Puzzling Party of Lady No

After what seemed like months of mapping out schedules, our first long-term Houses of the Blooded game is finally underway.  While I have run John Wick's Houses of the Blooded before as a one shot game, those games were not able to utilize the system's bountiful options to the hilt.  This chronicle aims to explore the many facets of Ven life.

The game currently has four players, though only three have fully created their characters.  The original idea was that all the players were siblings, but I realized that too quickly reduced their available number of houses to two.  (I will not say more on this matter, or to do so is to ruin a plot I already have in mind.)

Mahar plays Aesil Yvarai, Blooded of the Fox.  Her attention to fashion is matched only by her subtlety in manipulating others to do what she desires.  They say she is as Beautiful as she is Wise, but never someone to rely on when it comes to strength.    Her husband, Corin, is known to Love His Wife absolutely even if the Party Never Ends for him.  Her barony is Everbower, and her dreams of gaining more prestige are quite well known.

Rocky plays Tempkin Mwwr, Blooded of the Snake.  His penchant for sensing trouble seems matched only by his fascination for information on the sorcerer-kings.  Some whisper he is Wise and Cunning more than anything, so long as you do not ask him to wield a blade.    Prominent is his silver-finger sheath called Scythe, which adorns his right pinky.  Unlike most ven, Tempkin Mwwr has proudly taken a husband rather than the expected wife, and most know of Piotr to be surprisingly Bureaucratic in his interests.  Piotr, however has leanings towards Court Gossip and has been known to subtly manipulate others to achieve his goals.  His barony is Arakeen, and his hunt for more knowledge is whispered in the courts.

Urim plays Alexai Burghe, Blooded of the Bear.  His love and fidelity to his wife is matched only by his frightening temper; something quite common among young ven.  The man's Strength serves him well and his Prowess in battle is just as dangerous, though at times he can be quite slow in worldly matters.   His blade, which he calls Dragonfang, is always sheathed at his side.   Sittydeth, his wife, is quite the Life of the Party, and has been known to Love the Shoes of those who know their fashion sense.  Surprise does come to many that she Loves her Husband so much.  His barony is Huenadora and his idealism is quite the topic of many wagging tongues.

The three were invited to a party being held by Lady No and each quickly mapped out gifts they were to bring.  For the game, I told them to assume they spent the last year preparing for this party, and knowing it was a Rank two party, each player quickly came up with interesting gifts.  Aesil resorted to two Seasons worth of fine wine.  Tempkin brought two satchels of rare herbs.  Alexai believed that his two cartloads of various minerals would be deemed acceptable.      What they knew of the party was this:  Lady No is reputedly looking for a fourth husband.

Lady No, Countess of Ival, Blooded of the Elk.
Her three things that the players knew:
She is a poison teddy bear.
She has three dead previous husbands.
She has a "special" relationship with Zsanosz, Count Kether.




Wisdom wagers were called for on what else they knew of the party, and resulted in the following added details:
(Mahar, 2 wagers) The party was to be held at a garden.    It is to be a debut for the new ven.
(Rocky, 1 wager) Tempkin Mwwr is invited, but clearly not a candidate.
(Urim, 1 wager) Lady No is looking for someone who has always been single.
Clearly, the players were still afraid to get their toes into deep waters, so I approved the facts.

Wanting to let the players get a feel for the system, I then asked them to make Beauty Risks to see how they prepared for the party.  Amusingly, all of them failed their rolls which I decided meant they all arrived later than everyone else.

As Tempkin (who rolled highest among the three) arrived at the gates of Ival, he found another guest impatiently waiting as well.  Piotr, being the gossip that he is, recognized the man and quickly whispered to Tempkin what he knew of the Count Kether.

Count Kether, Zsanosz Yvarai, Blooded of the Fox.

His three things:

He is honest, loyal and honorable.

He is the most ruthless bastard you'll ever meet.

He never breaks a promise.

Tempkin quickly tasked Piotr to gain more information on the Count, which the young husband easily achieved by gaining Count Kether's trust and interest with a few carefully intoned words.  The two retired to a nearby camp outside Ival, which suggested to Piotr that the dear Count had been waiting outside for at least a night.

Aesil arrived and was welcomed in.  She ignored the noisy tent that was shaking by the entrance to Ival, and quickly attempted to regain some lost face for arriving so late.  In the party, she found her cousin Tempkin in line in front of her, and quickly attempted to offer some fashion advice.  Cleaning him up a bit just before he was given an audience with Lady No, Aesil felt she had gained a minor victory until someone slipped into the line ahead of her.  Of all the ven, it had to be the one ven who had seemingly marked Aesil to be a rival:  Janus.

Janus Q'n, Blooded of the Fox.
His three things:
He is prettier than most female foxes.
He is devoted to fashion.
He knows how to pull the strings of others.

Aesil gained 3 wagers to add facts she knew of Janus and declared:
He is a childhood friend of Aesil.
They were once so close as to have almost been together.
He prefers men.

Alexai found himself lost.  And upon arriving at the party, Count Kether accompanied him inside and found his wife to be quite impressive.  He offered to have her Blooded into his House, but Alexai found a way to rebuff his offer without insulting him.   As he went on his own way, Alexai reached the grounds of the garden and found it to be practically quiet.  As he looked around he discovered the ven all deep asleep.  Something had happened before he arrived.

When Tempkin found his chance to speak with Lady No, he found her actions to be strange.  Facts he had added regarding Lady No included the detail that they had just met a Season ago in another affair.  For Lady No to seemingly not recognize him quickly aroused Tempkin's suspicions:  There was Sorcery involved.  Quickly deducing this was no Tulpa, he suspected she was a victim of The Puppet and retired to one side of the room to try to trace the Sorcery.  He declared the fact that a special candle molded from certain herbs burns a smoke that trails to the source of the Puppet sorcery.  Following the trail, he discovers a man wrapped in dark robes hiding in the chamber behind the throne of Lady No.  Recalling another ven named Marcus who had uncovered The Puppet before, Tempkin suspected the robed figure was that man.

Aesil found herself in a verbal sparring with Janus, as Janus attempted to humiliate his rival by pointing out how her clothes were an old form of fashion.  Aesil countered, but sadly failed in this risk of Beauty.  As Aesil withdrew in shame amidst the laughter of other ven, she made the additional mistake of admitted she brought a candle to the debut, not a rose as most female ven would have.  To Janus' credit, however, he did not bring the matter to a point of Insult, and no stigmatized Aspect was branded on Aesil.

Janus meets with the Lady No and presents his gift:  An otherworldly perfume that captures a scent none have ever smelled before.  Aesil finds herself obsessed with it and quietly muses that Janus had overplayed his gift.  For a simple debut, such a gift was clearly too grand.  But Janus knows the game of Beauty and gives Lady No merely two swipes of the perfume upon her neck.  Foiled again, Aesil hoped to regain some face when her turn came to meet with the Lady.

A quick jump back to the future has Alexai coming face to face with a impassioned attacker.  The man cries out demanding to be brought to his "Sir" and after taking the nearest sword from a sleeping ven, attempts to strike Alexai with it.  But Alexai draws Dragonfang and with a quick motion Injures the veth with a single stroke.  Demanding an explanation, Alexai kicks away the other sword and pulls the veth closer to his blade.  Alexai recognizes him to be Piotr and realizes his cousin is somewhere in the party as well!  Quickly searching the grounds, he soon finds Tempkin slumped against a wall and unconscious.  With a hand raised, Tempkin attempts to slap his cousin awake.

When Aesil finally met the Lady No, she finds her falling asleep in front as she presented herself.  Tempkin attempts to chase after the robed figure he assumes to be Marcus but then sees a sliver of flesh left on the floor.  Pulling close, Tempkin sees in horror that it IS Marcus' face on the ground.  Fearing the robed figure to be some kind of orc in the grounds, Tempkin attempts to close in but feels a heaviness overwhelm him.  At the center of the garden, Lady No lies unconscious... and very quickly all the other ven begin to fall asleep as well.  Aesil succumbs quickly.  Tempkin remains awake only long enough to see that the robed figure has a finger sleeve much like his own - but on the left hand instead.

Tempkin awakes to see Alexai's worried face.  The two trade notes on what just happened and Tempkin wonders if the party will still push through.  The two discover the gift table to be empty and deduce the assailant must have orchestrated events to steal away Lady No's presents.  Lady No recovers, still heady from the sorcery, but insists the party should push through (She did spend a few Seasons preparing for it.)  But when Count Kether emerges, he simply walks past Lady No and waits for her at a nearby tower.  Lady No cancels the Party and informs everyone it is time to leave.   Tempkin wonders where his other cousin has gone to, but decides she probably has run off to spend some time with her husband.

Aesil, however, is not with her husband.  Aesil awakens in a room filled with mirrors.  Hundreds of them in all shapes and sizes distort the surroundings as she struggles to make her escape.  Stripped of her clothes, Aesil fights against the growing fear and somehow manages to escape what she learns is a Puzzle House in one of the regions just beyond those she already controls.   Quickly, she runs home traumatized by the event but vowing to investigate at some later point in time.


End of Episode One: The Puzzling Party of Lady No

Gifts of the God Mages : Pathfinder e01

Gifts of the God Mages

May 2012 - ongoing

Pathfinder

Episode One: The Tomb of the Elven Princess

As my latest game for the people of Indigo-Entertainment, I've borrowed liberally from the Forgotten Realms comics of Rags Morales, Dave Simons and Jeff Grubb.  Given how the games will be held every (or at least we try to every) Friday, I've decided to make each game session a self-contained quest where the players are tasked to help Dwalimar Omen, Minder, Foxilon Cardluck and Vartan gather up all the artifacts they can to lock them away in the extra-dimensional portal that exists inside the flying galleon known as the Realms Master.

This move would allow me to have a different mix of players with each game, without too greatly sacrificing the sense of continuity with each session.

So far, the players are a mix of mostly first timers to the Pathfinder/Dungeons and Dragons system and some who have tried it before.  As of this blog post's writing, there are seven players already interested, and I'm expecting around four more to join in!

Currently, the cast has a mix of the following classes:

An Air Elemental Bloodline Half-Elven Sorcerer.
An Elven Fighter.
An Half-Elven Necromantic Wizard.
An Elven Cleric.
A Halfling Rogue.

Soon to join are the following:
A Dwarven Paladin.
A Human Rogue.
An Elven Druid.

And I've heard of talk of someone hoping to be joining as a Monk.
Oh yeah, they haven't decided on names yet.   HEheheh!

In this first game, I had the players hear of a supposed long ignored Elven Princess Tomb that they decided to try raiding.  They found the tomb quite easily, and its stone door was marked in Sylvan with a message that stated: She is Within.  The entrance was at the base of a hill, and when the Sorcerer flew over it to look around, he found a pit filled with humanoid bones stripped clean of any meat and metals.

With the rogue picking the lock, the group made their way inside.  The Cleric shot a lit arrow into the catacomb in hope of scouting ahead.  The group slowly made their way inside, none of them noticing how the tomb did not bother to have any torches or light sources along the staircase leading down.  At the bottom, the group found a series of square metal boxes that had a button each and Sylvan writing.  While some members decided to move deeper into the tomb to investigate, others stayed by the boxes to try to discern what purpose they served.   The Sorcerer tried a Detect Magic spell and it nearly blinded him with the results.  The whole tomb, it seemed, was magical in nature.   The only part that didn't reek of magic was some rectangular area at the center.   The door behind them silently slid shut, with only the Rogue having noticed since he alone could not see in the darkness.  Using a Rogue Trick, however, he learned a bit of magic and cast Dancing Lights to serve as a light source.

As they looked around, the Wizard tried pressing one of the buttons and an illusionary image of an elven maiden appeared and began addressing them all like a welcoming host to an event.  Further exploration of the tomb began to suggest it was some kind of an auditorium with four pillars at the center of the chamber, flanked by rows upon rows of seats.  At the center of the pillars, a massive rectangular stone structure that bore some other Sylvan markings as well.  The Fighter found himself trying another button which seemed to be labelled Sponsors, and from that another illusionary host appeared.  However, this one spoke of the Kingdom of Tor and on cue, four fiery hounds manifested flanking the stone structure at the center.

The group grew alarmed as a second host appeared, this time speaking of coming from the Kingdom of Erus and two tree-like things manifested as well in the center area.  The fighter released his hand on the switch to interrupt a third host that appeared that was about to speak of the Hordes of... something.  The Sorcerer cast Detect Thoughts and to his horror sensed evil thoughts emanating from the tree-things.

The Wizard's knowledge of Spellcraft made something apparent:  These new manifestations were not Illusions.  And his warning cry coincided with the four Hell Hounds charging forward to attack!  Quickly the Sorcerer tried to direct the group to gather back at the entrance, but the group splintered in response to the attack.  The Wizard ran towards the tree, thinking of using it perhaps as cover only to find it launching a tentacle strand at him with paralyzed him upon contact!  The two trees, it seemed, were monsters as well, and a massive toothed maw erupted hungry for the elf.

As the fighter struggled to take the Hell Hound down, the Cleric summoned a Viper to help turn the tide of the battle.  The Rogue leapt behind the seats and used his Stealth to conceal himself, hoping to find a perfect moment to use a Sneak Attack on the closest possible target.  The Sorcerer flew towards the tree-monster and used his Mage Hand to drop an vial of Alchemist Fire into its maw.  As the tree-thing howled in anger, the Sorcerer followed through with a Burning Hands spell directly into its mouth!

The tree-things cried out in Sylvan, "Yield" and vanished in a display of magical light.  Freed from his paralysis, the Wizard used the spell Scare to force the Hell Hounds to dart away.  Silence once more filled the tomb.  The group convened at the center and investigated the rectangular "tomb".  The writing on its surface bore a strange message:  Incomplete Repairs Yet.  Finding a break in the tomb's structure, the Sorcerer and the Fighter broke the thing open and the Rogue slid inside to check what was within.  The Sorcerer picked up the first thing closest and found it to be a paintbrush made of ivory.  The thing looked brittle and old.  It seemed to suggest the structure was just a temporary waiting shed of a construction crew that probably worked in the tomb.

A crack of light alerted the group that the tomb's door was opening, and as it slid open, a robed figure stood at the entrance and addressed them all. Questioning if they were tomb raiders and what business they had with the tomb, the group readied themselves for another possible fight.   The man identified himself as Dwalimer Omen and explained to them he is here to claim an artifact "that would best be kept safe from falling in other's hands."  The Cleric questioned if he can be trusted and the Wizard demanded that he would best explain what he does with these gifts of the god mages.  Omen invited them to join his quests, if they were willing, and admitted, "I would rather you worked for me than be someone I have to deal with."

The Rogue, inside the structure, found more and more old tools such as pigments, nails, hammers and more - lending more evidence that the structure was merely a construction shelter.  Just before he opted to leave, however, he saw a purplish clear diamond and felt a compulsion to take it.  Failing his Will saving throw, the Rogue slid the rock into his pocket and made his way outside, choosing to keep it secret from his allies.

The group gathered outside the tomb to see a flying galleon waiting above.  Pulling out a small tube from his pouch, Omen lays it down on the ground and asks it to unfurl. A portable hole expands and begins to swallow the whole hill away.  "That," Omen explains, "Is how I gather them."  At Omen's call, a stone Golem named Minder brought the ship down and the group were welcomed aboard the Realms Master.  Omen explained how through the ages, god mages mad with power crafted these artifacts in their bid for control.  With those wars long past, their artifacts remain scattered through out the realms and Omen feels it is his duty to ensure they do not fall into the wrong hands.  When questioned on how many he has retrieved, he gives the number 453.  When questioned on what he does with them, he showed them a particular door in the ship locked with numerous normal locks and sealed with numerous magical ones.  Opening it, the group sees a massive realm filled with varying artifacts floating in silence.  Airless, timeless and secure, the pocket realm was where Omen stored each and every artifact they have found, "And it is there where they will stay forever."  He asks them if they are willing to join him on his weekly quests and tells them to simply be at the port if they wish to.   A winged woman arrives and teases Omen about new recruits.  She asks them if he warned them of how high the mortality rate of every new group gets and Omen tells her to be quiet.  The winged woman introduces herself to them as Jasmine and promises them the experience will be worth it.

Omen ends the meeting with a gift giving.  He asks Minder to bring him "the bag" and from the bag, each adventurer drew out a gift which was intended for them.  The Wizard finds five scrolls worth of new spells!  The Fighter draws out a chain shirt which visibly can adapt to look like other clothing.  The Cleric finds a Ring of Protection.  The Rogue finds an Amulet of Natural Armor.  And the Sorcerer draws out a massive Staff which he accidentally tests and nearly causes the Elven Wizard to fall asleep (but Elves being immune to such easily break the spell's effect.)

"You can tell your friends," Omen informs the group, "And if they are interested they can join when I return next week.  The rules will be simple, the artifact in question will be mine.  Any other spoils are yours to keep as you see fit."  And with that, the Realms Master takes to the air and leaves.

*

Clearly, the weekly mention is in relation to the fact this game will be run every Friday night after work at Indigo-Entertainment.  I warned the players that this game will not "save" the players from death if they do something ill-planned.  And in many ways, I am excited to see how this game will turn out in the passing months.

Running Smoother Games

from Gimme Some Oven

Running Smoother Games
by Tobie Abad
May 2012

A friend of mine once lamented how his games tend to bog down after a few sessions, with players arguing more among themselves rather than dealing with the story that was unfolding.  Debates on systems would be thrown around, and dice rolls slow down into tremendously tedious moments where individual dice are thrown rather than quickly resolved.  The first thing I asked him in response seemed to me to be a simple question.  But to my surprise all he could do was stare back as a response.  The question was this:

What did the players say they were interested in playing in?

Smoother games happen when everyone is having fun.  The joys of smoother games are not the providence of diceless role-playing games.  Nor are they something you will only find in games where all the players are writers or theater actors.  Preparing for everything with enough world notes to fill your own version of wikipedia will not bring a game that flows without effort either.

The fact is this:  if the game is fun for everyone, everyone will naturally do things to keep the game going.  Here are some basic ways to help make this happen.

1) Ask the Players What They Want
Regardless of gaming system or gaming style, if you aren't clear with what the players want to explore in the game, you will end up throwing scenes and challenges at them which most likely won't tap into what they are interested in.  Even the most creative player will find himself frustrated if the game he wanted to play was one where he could explore human drama, and all you do is throw him a tactical battle that focuses on the bigger picture.

from Otama

A common practice of mine is to ask all the players to list down three things that interest them or things they would want to explore in a game.  From these lists, I then collate them into one grand list and take note which ones can work well or be strung together into a good story.    Many times, you will find that many of the items they list down would nicely interact well with each other.  And guess what, you've already got some story arcs ready even before the characters have been created!

2) Decide As A Group What Gaming Style Is Expected
There are many kinds of gamers out there, and admittedly, just as many kinds of Storytellers.  A table-top game is an investment of time, so to make sure that everyone is in the same boat of what the game will be like is vital to smoother sessions.   Take watching a movie for instance.  If you and your friends hit the theaters and don't discuss what to watch before buying tickets, you most likely will end up with a group that has some people loving the movie and others wishing you chose something else (and possibly making that point audibly clear while in the theater.)

Discuss what kind of game is preferred and if there are contradictions, consider with the group on what steps can be taken.  If you have two players who want a narrativist game where the story is paramount, and two others who just want to chuck dice and have fun exploring combat, then you'll have to find with their help a good middle ground that explores both.  Or, if that seems impossible, discuss with the group what approach you plan to take and clear with them if they want to play that or not.

In a group with mixed expectations, here are some suggestions on dealing with that issue that worked for me.

a) Suggest having each game session focus on a style.Just like how some shows have an episode that feels different than others, ask the group if they are willing to alternate gaming styles between sessions.  Or perhaps even between story arcs.   While this does have the risk of some players enjoying more than others in some nights, it at least is a commitment to them that you plan to make sure everyone has their moment in the spotlight.

b) Combine the preferred gaming styles.Just as shows like Ally McBeal surprised us back when they first launched by mixing what was once felt to be independent genres, consider exploring how you can turn the game into one that combines the traits of the different gaming styles that they prefer.    This might not work for all, but it doesn't hurt to try.

c) Offer a third approach as a challenge.So one group wants to try a dramatic game, and the other just wants to have a comedic romp.  And mixing doesn't seem probable.  Then why not suggest to them to take a stab at something tactical and action-packed for now, while you spend the free time between sessions to map out an eventual game more directly linked to what they prefer.  This could be a one shot game, or even a short limited session run.  This would be a last resort because ultimately you are suggesting they try something they didn't ask for.  But it would buy you time to prepare for something they like more.  And if you're very lucky, this could make them realize that something they haven't opted to try might actually be fun!  Trying something different from what they're used to might actually be more interesting for them afterwards.

by Tobyotter

3) Lastly, decide on certain House Rules early
While this sounds like a given, you'd be surprised how many people don't do this to the fullest extent.  Many make house rules on what elements of the game are ignored or what aspects of the game's setting are overlooked, but few actually make things clear on some more common causes of delay such as when dice can be re-rolled, how to deal with dice that fall off the table, or whether or not reading other books (or using one's laptop) during one's turn is welcome.

Amusingly, in our group there is this thing we call "The Curse."  At least twice in a game night, a player will have his or her turn interrupted by an important phone call, or a matter that requires the said person's attention.  We've had everything from a player's wife calling at the start of his turn, to someone at the door ringing the doorbell the moment I start a turn with my partner (and since the other guests aren't living in the house, they can't really answer the door).  The most amusing manifestation of the curse?  When a player only feels the moment his turn starts the intense undeniable need to use the bathroom.

For the Curse, we've decided on a simple house rule:  When it strikes, I just move to the next player.  And once the first guy is back, I can come back to continue his turn.   It removes the delays caused by the unnecessary need for the player to apologize and explain the interruption, and it makes the other players aware that they should stay alert for their own turns the moment the curse hits.

Decide on the small stuff sooner, and it will remove the small incremental delays that not discussing them brings in your game.

Here's to having smoother games!

Soundtrack Suggestion: Silent Hill 2 - Akira Yamaoka

Silent Hill 2 - Official Soundtrack

Composed by Akira Yamaoka

I will this early admit a huge soft spot in my storytelling heart for the soundtracks Akira Yamaoka composed for the Silent Hill series of games.  As much as the first album was filled with lots of tremendously jarring and disconcerting tunes, the soundtrack to the second game has a much more melodic approach.  This approach seems apt given the second game explored the story of James Sunderland who visits the mysterious foggy town of Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his long departed wife who says she is waiting for him in their "special place."

A large number of the album's tracks make use of a synthesized tunes, occasionally mixed with various sound effects such as footsteps on broken glass and similar disconcerting things.    Silence was even utilized in some tracks to give stark contrast to the moments of unsettling explosive anger, making the soundtrack an experience worth visiting even outside the atmospherics of a role-playing game.

The soundtrack has thirty-one songs in total, and lends it well to mood and atmosphere build-up in games.    There are gems in this soundtrack however; songs that I have used in so many games, I at one point literally had to buy new music to force myself to play other tracks instead.  The soundtrack is a wonderful addition to any gamer's sound collection, and yes, I would not recommend any of you listen to it alone at night.

If you're interested in listening to some tracks, check them out here.

My personal favorites would have to be the following tracks:
Ordinary Vanity (Track 05) is a haunting melody that hints as something sinister just lurking at the edges of one's vision.  It is eventually played with the accompaniment of what I can only describe as a large metal pipe being banged at with a hammer, and the over-all effect is a definite heart-thumper of a calm beat.

Promise (reprise) (Track 06) is a delicious chime and piano tune that reminds one of an introspective moment just before the horror strikes.  Part of the genius here is how they kept this track as a loopable tune suggesting the protagonists were slowly uncovering the truth... and how if allowed to flow to the next track, Ashes and Ghosts (Track 07) the beat shifts into a horrific wave of percussions and drums to announce the arrival of danger.

Magdalene (Track 15) is definitely my FAVORITE track in this whole soundtrack.  I've used this lonely piano piece in so many games that it has become a staple song of choice I play if pressed to suddenly support a dramatic moment.  The song has a nursery rhyme quality to it, that almost sounds innocent and morose, but an underlying current of horror just awaits within its echoes.

Notably, UFO Ending Track (Track 31) is the craziest track in the game, being the audio of the spoof UFO ending from the Silent Hill game.




Silent Hill 2 OST track suggestions
WTF moment: Block Mind (Track 14), The Reverse Mill (Track 21), Black Fairy (Track 26), Pianissimo Epilogue (Track 29), UFO Ending (Track 31)
Introspective/calm moment: Theme of Laura (Track 01), White Noiz (Track 02), Alone in Town (Track 10), Prisonic Fairytale (Track 17), Love Psalm (Track 18), Laura Plays The Piano (Track 22)
Tense/mystery moment: A World of Madness (Track 04), Ordinary Vanity (Track 05), Promise (reprise) (Track 06), The Darkness that Lurks (Track 11), Silent Heaven (Track 19), Terror in the Depths of Fog (Track 23)
Combat music: Ashes and Ghosts (Track 07), Betrayal (Track 25)
Hopeful moment: Heaven's Night (Track 09), Angels Thanatos (Track 12), Femata in Mistoc Air (Track 16), Theme of Laura (reprise) (Track 27), Overdose Delusion (Track 28), Promise (Track 30)
Drama/sad moment: Forest (Track 03), Null Moon (Track 08), The Day of Night (Track 13), Magdalene (Track 15), No One Loves You (Track 20), True (Track 24)

Best Used In: Games set in a modern, or post-apocalyptic setting. A lot of the tracks have a very modern feel which can be jarring if used in games set in medieval or fantasy settings.  However, the tracks can be a good counter-point to the typical strings and horns used in fantasy games to represent infernal or daemonic influence.

The Long Forsaken Kingdom : cWOD : Changeling the Dreaming

The Long Forsaken Kingdom

June 2011 to May 2012

cWOD : Changeling the Dreaming

Once Upon a Time...

there lived a city that never slept.
There lived a statue that never moved.
There lived an enchantment that was never broken.

Once.
Upon a time when things were young.
There lived a servant.
A sword.
And a secret sleeping.


Once.

But that time is over.
This is now.

The game began with Rocky playing a pooka knight named Sir Felix Southpaw, Urim playing an Eshu wandering storyteller named Flynn Wordweaver, Mahar playing a Fiona Sidhe Baroness named Lady Songbird and Victor playing an amnesiac Redcap named Rendsever the Steel Gnasher.   All the players, save for Urim, were new to Changeling the Dreaming but they had played Changeling the Lost, so it wasn't too hard to get their minds around the concepts of Chimerical versus Real, Glamour and the haunting beauty and dangers of the Dreaming.

While I have most of the story (yes, still haven't finished updating the game blog) the game concluded a few days ago with a surprising twist.  While most of the game was inspired by the tales of Asterlan, the Kingdom of Willows book (which includes the treachery of King Meilge), the War in Concordia book, and lastly, the Time of Judgment stories, I had the following key plots as major threads in the story:

The fall of High King David, and the search for a successor.

The relationship of Caliburn to the Gray Sword of the Dauntain.

The hidden past of Joseph van Noceti III.

The disappearance of the Crystal Circle.

The Fomorians and the Triumph Casque of Sorrows.

And the truth behind Arcadia's exile of the Changelings.

I created a myth of three swords: Caliburn, the Gray Sword, and the Silver Dancer - as three swords whose fates are locked to the Kithain kingdoms.  With the Silver Dancer as the mediator, the two other swords were to represent the Seelie and Unseelie Courts.    Little did Sir Felix know, the Silver Dancer in his hands was so important in determining the fate of the Courts.  From an adventurous lynx pooka, the young knight eventually uncovered lost memories of his membership to the Scathach House, a membership which entrusted the blade to his care.  And in that past, Joseph van Noceti III was both his fellow murid, and his loving partner.

Lady Songbird's tale danced around the political arenas, more so when she befriended Faerylith, the Eiluned beauty who was to be the Queen to High King David.  When Meilge's treachery placed Faerylith in opposing camps against both Princess Lenore and the Dame Morwen, Songbird delicately played the courts to maintain a place of security.  She helped uncover the presence of the Shadow Court, and despised the unveiling that her true court was that of House Lheanan.  But the biggest twist was when she learned she was not truly Sidhe.  Instead, she was a Fomorian "changeling" that the White Court sought to manipulate for their kin to enter the Autumn World.  But the Red Court opposed this, knowing her truest nature:  She was the living Triumph Casque of Sorrows, and hers was the role to give birth to the Fomorians in the world.  When her audience with the Green Court opened their eyes to the Arcadian's treachery of the oaths, the Green Court rose up from the Silver Sea and retook the Dreaming, understanding the Dreaming must have a sense of intelligence... a Wyrd to guide it.

Flynn Wordweaver's tales explored the finer levels of how the political machinations affected the rest of the Kingdoms.  With David's fall, Caliburn fell into his hands and from that day, his misadventures became unexpected steps towards finding the missing King.  Eventually, it would be his capacity for stories empowered by the Art of Talecraft in the Deep Dreaming that would turn the tide in the battle against the fomorian hordes.  And when his destined steps lead him to the entrance of Arcadia, it would be this knowledge that has him bring the Oathcircle to the finale as they faced the True Fae lords.

Sadly, Rendsever barely had story time as his player was overwhelmed with real world responsibilities.  His was to be tales of the Crystal Circle's experiments with Banality, the whereabouts of the legendary Asterlan, and a more direct confrontation with the Red Courts as they unleashed the Adhene to the world, ushering the purge that the Arcadians wrongly decided to unleash.

The game ended with Arcadia's walls being breached.  The Kithain escaping into the Autumn lands, believing safety has come for them.  And the True Fae being driven mad by their losses that they hid away in far corners of the Dreaming, reinventing themselves into Gentry that now seek to abduct those they can.

The Changelings of the Dreaming have ended.

All that remains are those who the Gentry feel are Lost.

The game's chronicle blog is found here.

Game Idea: Leave the Dice to the Storyteller

by cal harding

Game Idea:  Leave the Dice to the Storyteller
System: Practically Any
by Tobie Abad
March 2012


Gamers love rolling dice.  That is a basic given fact.  Gamers love rolling dice so much, many have their own unique sets or collections of dice.  (I still fondly recall how when one of my partners first got into gaming, the gaming group gave him his own set of dice as a welcome gift!)  But yes, players and their dice is pretty much as expected as peanut butter and bread.

But guess what, they don't have to always be the ones rolling.


Leave the Dice with the Storyteller

Many of you are probably already screaming at the monitor:  What?!? How is that supposed to be fun?  Well, consider real life and all the memorable things and experiences you've had.  How many of them involved you being aware fully of the odds of success and rolling to make it happen?

Leave the rolling to the storyteller and focus instead on deciding your actions and portraying your role.  The moment you have dice in your hands, the tendency is to have your brain zoom into your hand and think about rolling good.  That, quite frankly, is a step away from playing your character.  Focus instead on how you'll act, what you'll say, and what manner of plot twists you can embrace to enjoy the game.

Stop Thinking Of How You Can Roll Better

I've known players who have devoted time to "rolling perfect rolls."  With a twist of the wrist and a calculated toss, these players are known to have rolled consecutive 20s during our Dungeons and Dragons games (and for those curious, that was waaaaay back during our Dragonlance campaigns in the late 80s and early 90s).  They we're used to the weight of their own dice, and skilled enough to literally call out what they plan to roll.

by fireflythegreat

Now, there's nothing wrong with having such a skill.  Frankly, I'd love to see them make full use of such talents at a casino or some other similar cash earning venue.  But in a table top role-playing game, I feel such practices are not just unnecessary, but quite frankly, sad.  A table top game is a social event where friends can gather, embrace roles, and create a story as a group.  The storyteller is not the antagonist.  The fellow players are not rivals.  So to train oneself to remove the excitement of what a random roll brings, just to have a character who always succeeds in his actions is sort of like playing any video game at Godmode from the very start:  It defeats the purpose of having real fun and reduces the game into just a sporting match of who can keep rolling the best.

Embrace the randomness that dice bring.  Relish the unpredictability that can arise whenever a roll is needed.  Combat sequences come adrenaline rushing, rather than a tedious task of making that good roll.  Challenges become moments that test your creativity rather than just another roadblock where rolling high is all that matters.

There Is A Reason It Is Called Role-Playing.

Table Top role-playing games are not about winning every single challenge.  They are about co-creating a fun experience that you can share with friends.

So try it for a chronicle.  Ask your storyteller/game master to handle all dice rolls.  You'd be surprised how liberating it can feel to focus on role-playing instead of roll-playing.