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Another Nail in the Coffin


Resistance

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House Beaumont

Magic is Life

 

[hide=History]

The Hammerhand struck swiftly that day, for the wizard's guild was slow to rouse and powerful when enraged. Before the fighting had concluded, the revered towers of old had fallen and the great libraries had collapsed into themselves, as their demiplanes were torn asunder. But according to Boccob's will, magic would not be defeated so easily; balance would be preserved. For a lesser-known event had also occurred on this day, the founding of House Beaumont by Lady Master Jen Caedmon the Wise, messenger of the Great Beyond and Sage of all lore, both Arcane and Divine.

 

Initially proposed as a self-funded expedition by Lady Caedmon to expand the control of House Caedmon in the eastern provinces, the main part of the expedition left Steinbyr numbering a few hundred. They were joined by workers hired from other Caedmon-controlled provinces and Jen's most faithful followers. They made their home in the mountains and built three mighty strongholds inside the three tallest snow-capped mountains. The three strongholds represent the three passing eons of the world, balanced with one another. The first, home of an ecclesiastical union and keepers of divine truth, represents the unchangeable past. The second, home of a wizards guild and practitioners of modern magic, represents the established present. The third, home of the alchemist and engineers guilds, represents the mutable future.

[/hide]

 

[hide=Religion]

While polytheistic like the other lands of the world, Beaumount centers on the worship of Boccob, the god of arcane knowledge, balance and magic, and Pelor, the god of the sun, healing, and divine magic. Emmantiensien, treant god of hidden magic, Titania, goddess of the magical fey, and Wee Jas, god of magic and death, are also venerated as a main part of the pantheon. As an important center for commerce and gateway into the interior, Beaumount has shrines located on the canal waterfront dedicated to Fharlanghn, the god of travel.

[/hide]

 

[hide=The Noble Court]

In each of the strongholds, the cathedral/throne room are located within the peak of the mountain. Lenses close to the top of the mountain direct light into many narrow channels cut into the mountain. These beams of light reflect and refract on a carved ceiling made out of ice (to serve as prisms and lenses) to illuminate the chamber below in a dim and shifting light. At night, a continuous flame spell is slotted into the ceiling to light the chamber, but on exceptionally clear nights, when the dimmest celestial objects are visible, the flame spell is not cast, to allow starlight to fill the chamber.

 

Within the noble court, bards are tasked with providing continuous musical entertainment. As Master Jen the Wise was initially a celestial, she brought her musical tastes with her, and her strict directions for courtly entertainment and etiquette are still preserved today. Performers are required to play softly and in gentle tones, while singers use mostly vowels. All speaking conducted by courtiers is in celestial and use of the language by foreign diplomats is looked upon favorably. Despite this, most common people still use common in their daily lives.

[/hide]

 

[hide=Whispering Vale]

The mountain strongholds are surrounded by untamed wilderness lands, at least according to human standards. As much of the excess food grown for export is farmed on terraces cut into mountains bear the stronghold, a thick forest has been allowed to grow in the surrounding area. Cris-crossed by hidden forest trails, a small druidic order cares for the land. While certainly not as beautiful as the old-growth forests of the treants, the woods function adequately in funneling merchants and traders to the paths along the canal waterfront.

[/hide]

 

[hide=Stronghold Defenses]

The main entrance to the stronghold consists of a waterway connected to the canal that flows into the stronghold. Small rowboats and slightly grander sailboats are available to ferry people in and out of the stronghold, as the larger ships traversing the canal cannot fit themselves. Within this cave containing the waterway are also alcoves of dry land that jut out of the walls (or rather, they are cut out of the walls) that act as docking stations or market stall locations for quick transactions, though most trade still occurs in Steinbyr. Merchants can travel in shallow-bottomed rafts or canoes from alcove to alcove. Above and surrounding the cave are tunnels. Arrow slits and observation holes cut into the sides of the cave allow guards in the tunnels to watch the entrance below.

 

Similar protective alcoves of tunnels leading into interior parts of the stronghold, but lined with watching guards and arrow slits, are found throughout the stronghold.

[/hide]

 

[hide=The Canal]

The Canal, connecting the ocean to the rivers flowing through Steinbyr, was a large engineering achievement. Fifty feet wide and winding through the mountainous northeast region, the canal is the quickest route for cargo from much of the world into Steinbyr, bar teleportation and flight. At the time of its construction, the canal represented more than a 25% reduction in trip length. The canal was constructed by funding from House Caedmon, Lambert, and Beaumont, but currently Beaumont has taken over most of the operations and become majority stakeholder (along with breaking away as a dependant of Caedmon, though the two are still on friendly terms) in order to preserve a neutral stance and preserve free commerce along the canal.

[/hide]

Master of your domain? I am Lord of the manor, Queen of the castle, King of the county!

 

Former moderator of the original Dungeoneering

Former moderator of Ye Olde Hegemony

Moderator of the remake of Dungeoneering

Former Empress of the Lichten Empire (Hegemony)

Former President of the United States (Hegemony)

Former Emporer of Imperial Japan (Hegemony)

Czarina Catherine of Imperial Russia (Hegemony

 

 

The only difference between a disagreement between friends, an argument between strangers, and a feud between enemies is the ability to reconcile.

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For the first time in nearing thirty years, the self-proclaimed king of the Wildlands, Lord Ansehelm has left his eremitic lifestyle to proclaim the birth of his son; Hortensius. The wife who birthed him, Stana Magnus has died during Child Birth.

In celebration for the birth, King Ansehelm has ordered the deaths of the two clan leaders living on the outskirts of Calodic Hold; Berahtraban Fulbert and Adelmar Hugleikr as fealty to his named heir. While this barbaric practise seems shocking to the humble people of Gis, execution to mark a great birth is a common tradition in the Wildlands which House Ansehelm has adopted.

 

-

 

In the late hours of yesterday morning, House Rouselle reportedly attempted to assassinate Baby Hortensius. Members of the Ansehelm court, Dame Ingeburg Courvert and Laird Ercanbald Genovefa have given eyewitness accounts of the attempted assassination.

Reports claim that poisoned darts were fired at guards, members of the gentry, King Ansehelm and his son who was being held in the court by a wet nurse by an unseen assassin. The two-hundred year old King leapt from his throne and picked up the invisible assassin, then grappled and crushed the assassin's throat. The assailant was only seen after his death.

 

-

 

The Witch Hunter's Guild has published an article detailing illegal magic use by House Rouselle in an attempt to assassinate Hortensius, King Ansehelm's heir. Senior Witch Hunters suspect that members of the house have been consorting with devils.

House Ansehelm and the Knight's Guild have agreed to put past accusations of necromancy and forbidden alchemy behind them to help combat the Rouselle threat.

 

House Belsky have proclaimed that they would be supportive of House Ansehelm.

House Caedmon has said that any attacks on House Rouselle will result in the standing armies of Gis, as well as the armies of Magnus, Courvert invading.

King Ewin Torbern III has not made a comment yet on the rising tensions.

 

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For non wizard/sorcerer I will update the banned spell list soon.

 

-

 

They are essentially vassals of Ansehelm, but are not under his direct control. He kills leaders occasionally as a show of his power and to prevent uprising.

A majority are outlaws.

 

 

So far:

 

Fireball

Endure Elements *

Delayed Blast Fireball

Meteor Swarm

Create Water

Create Food and Water

Raise Dead

Ressurection *

Detect Magic

Detect Charm

Comprehend Languages

Phantasmal Killer

Commune *

Greater Invisibility *

 

 

* Exists as powerful artefact

 

 

Standard spells that become full-round can be readied.

Casting Time increase does not affect direct damage or healing spells.

 

-

 

I'm going to start giving reroll dice for RP.

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I'm having qualms about roll20 and whether it will really benefit the game in any meaningful way.

 

Restricts players from leaving a hundred block space of each other.

Unplanned combat feels mediocre.

Promotes an endless dungeon crawl.

 

This takes a million hours and is unbelievably ugly.

 

yXOyfzP.png

3ji7Ipk.png (this took like 10 minutes-ish)

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Yeah, even just using the chat with the roller is better than before. The map can just be used occasionally to describe positions, if you need.

 

We can just stretch the chat screen all across the page, and it becomes an IRC with a dice roller

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Master of your domain? I am Lord of the manor, Queen of the castle, King of the county!

 

Former moderator of the original Dungeoneering

Former moderator of Ye Olde Hegemony

Moderator of the remake of Dungeoneering

Former Empress of the Lichten Empire (Hegemony)

Former President of the United States (Hegemony)

Former Emporer of Imperial Japan (Hegemony)

Czarina Catherine of Imperial Russia (Hegemony

 

 

The only difference between a disagreement between friends, an argument between strangers, and a feud between enemies is the ability to reconcile.

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There's a thing for Skype that lets you roll dice there, only one person in the chat needs to have it for it to work:

http://sourceforge.n...icerollerv20fo/

Yes but that requires Skype

10:53 PM - retech9691: I feel the need
10:53 PM - retech9691: To include many chasms in my story arc
10:53 PM - Resistance: You mean plotholes?

 

Remember, Remember, the 4th of November

RIP Dawngate ;-;

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Yeah, even just using the chat with the roller is better than before. The map can just be used occasionally to describe positions, if you need.

 

We can just stretch the chat screen all across the page, and it becomes an IRC with a dice roller

 

this

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Grid-based combat takes a ridiculous amount of time anyway.

Nothing can be done about people being rewarded more for optimising other than intentionally punishing them. "A dragon with SR 26 attacks you"

 

We could switch to Savage Worlds (no need to board the rage train, it's a very simple system and probably wouldn't take too long to sort out. I know it's another change, but I don't want to end up with power creep)

Char-gen takes like 10 minutes.

 

More realistic health and combat, but not gritty. A few commoners with pitchforks could gank a guard, and would be outmatched but succeed.

 

The optimisation window is very small.

Practically Dungeoneering with crunch.

No classes, stats are like point buy.

Tavern is capable of intrigue, it's just powergaming ruined that. Hegemony was fun, until people started playing to win.

 

E6 is a pretty depressing way to cap power IMO.

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Grid-based combat takes a ridiculous amount of time anyway.

Nothing can be done about people being rewarded more for optimising other than intentionally punishing them. "A dragon with SR 26 attacks you"

 

We could switch to Savage Worlds (no need to board the rage train, it's a very simple system and probably wouldn't take too long to sort out. I know it's another change, but I don't want to end up with power creep)

Char-gen takes like 10 minutes.

 

More realistic health and combat, but not gritty. A few commoners with pitchforks could gank a guard, and would be outmatched but succeed.

 

The optimisation window is very small.

Practically Dungeoneering with crunch.

No classes, stats are like point buy.

Tavern is capable of intrigue, it's just powergaming ruined that. Hegemony was fun, until people started playing to win.

 

E6 is a pretty depressing way to cap power IMO.

What you're doing

 

Stop it

 

Hegemony was good when we had people who weren't the people that are here now, then they left, now it isn't

10:53 PM - retech9691: I feel the need
10:53 PM - retech9691: To include many chasms in my story arc
10:53 PM - Resistance: You mean plotholes?

 

Remember, Remember, the 4th of November

RIP Dawngate ;-;

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Hopefully get away from the fact that the game is just an overland dungeon crawl.

 

Making a load of ridiculous nerfs doesn't address the issue. D&D lends to a lack of story, a lack of tactics and a lack of anything beyond killing dragons or raiding dungeons. Sunday night dungeon delve is also good, but continuing with the current campaign which was intended to have story is not so fun.

 

Forced party-games are not as fun. People want to be able to split up from the party occasionally.

 

 

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Hopefully get away from the fact that the game is just an overland dungeon crawl. But yes, I think you're right.

 

Making a load of ridiculous nerfs doesn't address the issue. D&D lends to a lack of story, a lack of tactics and a lack of anything beyond killing dragons or raiding dungeons. Sunday night dungeon delve is also good, but continuing with the current campaign which was intended to be story-based is wrong. Hopefully more freedom means more RP?

Furthermore, I like the idea of realism. I know from past discussions and votes that this is the preferred of others as well.

 

 

Forced party-games are not as fun. People want to be able to split up from the party occasionally.

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Too much freedom can be a bad thing too, though, as can splitting the party. The last few sessions should attest to that, where we ended up accomplishing very little other than providing you with more actions than you could account for at any given time and occasionally murdering things. We had no goals or responsibilities, and we didn't manage to accomplish anything.

 

For what it's worth, there's not really much room for roleplaying if we don't have at least some connection to the world. Having a stronger plot might be a good starting point.

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