>>/quest/351064 Quest thread link

test

So the normal way to identify yourself on these boards is to put a # after your name, then a random jumble of characters after it. It gets hashed into !etcetcetc. Only you know that jumble, so nobody can impersonate ya.

testing

>Everzig, you want a character/voice too?
Sure. (I am interested in how the commenter as character thing will work out.)

>Male or female? Discussion thread. :D
Either would work.

!Ac/akrMPao is now Thakenja Summerdreamer, a female bookcaster of the illumi race and Magnus' most powerful follower, before he absorbed her (and all his other followers) into his being for an indefinite duration thanks to the Crown of Unlimited Power.

Just throw the character name in the Subject field when you post in the quest.

So what are the illumi like, since my character is/was one?

I would like very much to be part of this noble endeavor. My IP should be static so I shouldn't have to put on a trip.

I'm curious about my character as well.

If it's easier, just put the character name in the subject field rather than the name field.

>>353029

Illumians - A race descended from humanity, they sought truth and perfection through a magical ritual that transformed a language of arcane power into their essence of life.
Several illumians have managed to ascend to godhood on their dying breath as the illumian language leaves their body.

Physically they're very much like humans, but complete baldness is common. If not bald, their hair is typically short and coloured red, blonde or grey. Sigils of the illumian language float around their heads. Each illumian has a favoured sigil that provides constant affects on their life - this sigil features prominently when their sigils are visible.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rod_gallery/86297.jpg
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rod_gallery/86305.jpg
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rod_gallery/86296.jpg

>>353038

Spellscales - As illumians could be considered a wizardly race, so spellscales would be considered a sorcerous one. Normally a sorcerer is descended from a dragon, though many generations back. When sorcery becomes particularly strong in a bloodline then spellscales can be born. A rather carefree and chaotic race, one can trust spellscales to be unreliable, perhaps even flippant to the average responsibilities of social creatures.

They have a purple hue to their skin, and their very soft scales glitter like gold in the light.
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rodragon_gallery/94123.jpg
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rodragon_gallery/94131.jpg

>>353036

c7b6c2 is now Barasegaaruma Falethan, Female Gnome of Darkness - trained in the arts of making people dead before they can realise you're there.

Whisper Gnomes are more reclusive than other gnomes; they tend to stay away from other races unless they have to. The have an unparalleled natural aptitude for stealth, but are more generally more respectful of the property of others than halflings. The happy nature of normal gnomes is absent from the typical whisper gnome personality, but they still produce less evil members of their race than humans.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/ros_gallery/83303.jpg

>Ex-humans coated with runes and filled with enchantments
That does sound like the kind of thing I would do. Well, that or gnomes (like my current ADnD character, who has plans involving multiple decanters of endless water and clockwork).

(I would imagine the floating head-runes would be inconvenient for sneaking, though...)

Does 'bookcaster' just refer to casters using spell-books, or does it involve books in other ways (using their magic language, or shenanigans with multiple spell books, or something else)?

>>353054
The illumian race was created a while ago, now they breed true like other races do. No crossbreeding is possible though.

The floating sigils can be turned on and off like a light switch.

Book caster - you have two books, one for wizard spells, one for divine spells. Lots of versatility.
Being an illumian, you also had a lot of abilities relating to magic sigil-based spells. Bypassing them, detecting them, reading them. Fun things like that.

35e1a0 is now Naramis the Ashbringer, male soul-tainted human. He was Magnus' second in command, and lived and breathed evil.

As for his race...
Azurins are humans tainted with soulstuff before they are born. They are the candle that burns twice as bright and lasts half as long. They have almost no patience, they don't have time for it. An azurin has a life expectancy about 75% of a human, so they try to embody their beliefs at every opportunity.

They appear to be almost the same as humans, except for the whites of their eyes are a sky blue instead.

Hey, count me in. Always wanted to take part in this sort of project. Looks like it could lead to some really interesting things.

>>353036 What happened to you, mate?
>>353243 Juroko is the voice of Xerxes (of) Melchior, xeph shaper and explorer.

wait, is Naramis a dragon or an azurin?

Naramis is an azurin that can breathe dragon breath and shape excess soulstuff.

Feel free to update the wiki entry!

Don't know how much I'll actually suggest things for this quest, but I might as well sign up. I'm sure I'll have something to say at least once.

>>353345
Don't think you'll suggest much?
I have the perfect character for you! :D

Pick one (male named Lorrid or female named Ilen).
Race: Dark Skulk.
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/rod_gallery/86339.jpg
Skulks are vicious former humans that turned themselves into non-people millennia ago. Hairless, slightly androgynous and able to change their skin colour to match their surroundings, they are perfect for moving unseen; they use this to raid (i.e. steal from, violence optional) human settlements for their own survival. They hate all other humanoids, especially humans.

Always on the periphery, they have very subdued personalities and weak wills.
--
Static ID or trip?

OOC
It has come to my attention that some of my suggesters would prefer to know the abilities, skills, powers and fighting styles of their respective personalities.

I totally DO have the time to do this, so if this helps you get into character just post a request in the discussion thread. I'll post links there and on the wiki page. They will be to rich-text format documents on dropbox, wikifying or converting to HTML is too much of a chore. Perhaps I will write a conversion script some day.

To anyone thinking of joining, we've got the more powerful former characters (i.e. pre-statted) out of the way now, so there won't be predetermined races/classes assigned to you.

Just request a race (defaults to human)
and optionally a class set (e.g. Wizard//Warlock) or fighting archetype ('wields two swords' or 'casts spells').
You can go into as much extra detail as you want.

The only thing I'll be judging requests from now on is the quality of the name given. 'George', 'Bob', 'Marianne', etc. are not really what I'm looking for.

That's the intended unique feature of this quest, the protagonist should know you all by name, and have opinions about you. I'm looking forward to the challenge.
END OOC

I definitely wouldn't mind knowing more about Kothar.

Kothar: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12865946/MQ/Kothar%20Vhir%20Majak.rtf
Naramis: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12865946/MQ/Naramis%20the%20Ashbringer.rtf
Xerxes: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12865946/MQ/Xerxes%20Melchior.rtf

This version of DnD has lots of rules...
(The only DnD game I have played is my current one which is ADnD first edition.)

What are the difference between (Su), (Sp), and (Ex) abilities?

>>353462

copypasta to the rescue!


Ex: Extraordinary abilities are nonmagical, though they may break the laws of physics. They are not something that just anyone can do or even learn to do without extensive training.

These abilities cannot be disrupted in combat, as spells can, and they generally do not provoke attacks of opportunity. Effects or areas that negate or disrupt magic have no effect on extraordinary abilities. They are not subject to dispelling, and they function normally in an antimagic field.

Using an extraordinary ability is usually not an action because most extraordinary abilities automatically happen in a reactive fashion. Those extraordinary abilities that are actions are standard actions unless otherwise noted.


Sp: Usually, a spell-like ability works just like the spell of that name. A few spell-like abilities are unique; these are explained in the text where they are described.

A spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, or material component, nor does it require a focus or have an XP cost. The user activates it mentally. Armor never affects a spell-like ability’s use, even if the ability resembles an arcane spell with a somatic component.

A spell-like ability takes the same amount of time to complete as the spell that it mimics (usually 1 standard action) unless otherwise stated. Spell-like abilities cannot be used to counterspell, nor can they be counterspelled. In all other ways, a spell-like ability functions just like a spell:

Using a spell-like ability while threatened provokes attacks of opportunity. It is possible to make a Concentration check to use a spell-like ability defensively and avoid provoking an attack of opportunity. A spell-like ability can be disrupted just as a spell can be. Spell-like abilities are subject to spell resistance and to being dispelled by dispel magic. They do not function in areas where magic is suppressed or negated.

A spell-like ability usually has a limit on how often it can be used. A spell-like ability that can be used at will has no use limit.

For creatures with spell-like abilities, a designated caster level defines how difficult it is to dispel their spell-like effects and to define any level-dependent variables (such as range and duration) the abilities might have. The creature’s caster level never affects which spell-like abilities the creature has; sometimes the given caster level is lower than the level a spellcasting character would need to cast the spell of the same name. If no caster level is specified, the caster level is equal to the creature’s Hit Dice. The saving throw (if any) against a spell-like ability is:

10 + the level of the spell the ability resembles or duplicates + the creature’s Cha modifier.

Some spell-like abilities duplicate spells that work differently when cast by characters of different classes. A monster’s spell-like abilities are presumed to be the sorcerer/wizard versions. If the spell in question is not a sorcerer/wizard spell, then default to cleric, druid, bard, paladin, and ranger, in that order.

Some creatures are actually sorcerers of a sort. They cast arcane spells as sorcerers do, using components when required. In fact, an individual creature could have some spell-like abilities and also cast other spells as a sorcerer.

Su: Supernatural abilities are magical and go away in an antimagic field but are not subject to spell resistance, counterspells, or to being dispelled by dispel magic. Using a supernatural ability is a standard action unless noted otherwise. Supernatural abilities may have a use limit or be usable at will, just like spell-like abilities. However, supernatural abilities do not provoke attacks of opportunity and never require Concentration checks. Unless otherwise noted, a supernatural ability has an effective caster level equal to the creature’s Hit Dice. The saving throw (if any) against a supernatural ability is:

10 + ½ the creature’s HD + the creature’s ability modifier (usually Charisma).

>copypasta to the rescue!
Twice as good as regular pasta! My thanks.

Except invocations are 'special' (Sp), and thus armour DOES cause % chance of failure.

Rules rules rules rules rules.
Buffalo buffalo buffalo? :p

1854db is Kalchen, male dwarf.

>>353379
Static, but I will use this trip, I guess. I might end up moving or something at some point.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12865946/MQ/Thakenja%20Summerdreamer.rtf

>>353638

um. that file is broken.

>>353638

Maybe I was updating it at the time. Is it still broken? I download it fine.

>>353640

it's fine now.

When we get access to spells again, how will spell slots work?

>>353642
You've got ideas about this?

>>353651
A lot of it is balance issues about whether we are going to use prepared spells per day or a mana/psionic energy system.

If we go with a system (justified in-universe by weird crown abilities) of using spells like psionics or mana points rather than the # spells prepared per day, would make Magnus more versatile (and therefore more powerful), but also be much less of a headache to manage and keep track of.

(If we go with the energy system, we could have things be less unrestricted by making each soul having their own energy pool which is needed to cast their spells, rather than having a single energy pool which can be used for anything in any proportion {though that would be the simplest}.)

So the general options that I can think of at the moment:

* Classic system of # spells prepared per day: Less abuseable and arguably more strategic, but a pain to keep track of on a large scale
Varieties:
** Magnus has a set number of spell slots and they are decided through some sort of vote process: Likely extremely hard to implement.
** Each soul (which can use magic) has its own set of spell slots (possibly reduced from normal): Possible, but hard to keep track of.

* Energy/mana system (with cost based on spell level): Makes the spellcaster more powerful / potentially broken, but much cheaper to keep track of (and less confusing for people who don't know the rules of what all the spells do).
Varieties:
** Magnus has a single energy pool which is used for all spells: Even cheaper, but even easier to abuse.
** Each soul has a energy pool which is used for spells they know: A bit harder to keep track of, but encourages using a variety of spells rather than using the same spell to solve all your problems (*cough* fireball *cough*).
** Spells need energy from both the relevant soul and from Magnus's energy pool: Like the previous option, but with a less nebulous limit on how much we can cast.

(These are listed roughly in order of my preference, from least to greatest)

Well, what we're looking at so far is
* Power points - pooled (Magnus' and Xerxes' + a tiny bit from Ilen) This is the easiest to track, and there's a lot of them too. I can just write % available.

* Spontaneous spells from a set list (Magnus) - Only the spell levels available need to be tracked. Mostly like PP but you can't use lots lower level spells to get a higher level one. Still easy to represent as % available - maybe split into two or three tiers, e.g. [%L, %M, %H=%avg] (weighted average).

* Prepared spells (Thakenja) - The annoying part. Perhaps a % chance could be rolled to see if a specific spell is available? Often used spells would start off with a high % chance of being available, but that % chance would drop each time it's successfully used. If the % chance fails there are no more of that spell.
And spells that are not used everyday would have a (possibly MUCH) lower % chance.
-----
Thakenja's prepared spells are the only ones of importance, the odd 1st or 2nd level spell scattered here and there won't have much impact.

For Magnus, it's pretty easy to boil it down to the following broad categories of effects:
Psi: Addle mind LVL[1-9]
Arc: Addle mind LVL[1-8]
Arc: Create Illusion LVL[1-8]

I can just pick the most appropriate power or spell for the suggested level.
-----
How does your opinion change when the only complexity is from the character you're controlling?
Magnus is not an experienced prepared caster and has a preferred style already, so he's
1) Not going to double up on enchantment/illusion prepared spells.
2) going to be very open about spells to learn/prepare.

I'd be happy to hand over as much complexity to you as you think you can handle, or let you come up with a simplified system that's no more powerful than already exists. How good are you at the base system?

Having just one person using spell slots will definitely avoid most of the confusion.

I am willing to go with the system of prepared spells per day, but I have not actually played a game with it yet. (I was in favor of using the classic spell system in my current ADnD game, but out mage wanted to keep his magic missile spam...)
The rules for spells we are using ate the same as those found at http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/magicOverview.htm , right?

We could keep track of the list by having a section on the wiki and making lots of minor updates (which I guess isn't much worse than re-writing ad erasing). I think other people should probably be able to vote on the use of Thakenja's spells if I am not online at the time.


In a more minor question:
The spell Wall of Force creates a barrier that is invisible, completely inflexible, and (being made of pure force in a direction) perfectly smooth.
Does this mean we can cast a horizontal one on the ground as a frictionless surface, and laugh as hilarity ensues?
(And does it have to be rectangular or can we shape it so it has a hole in the middle?)

(It is too bad that Thakenja does not use illusion magic. I have been wanting to try this hilarious trick involving Illusory script.)

>>353665
Ok, that sounds fine. Those are the correct rules.

* As for wall of force, it's pretty clear that it can't have holes in the middle or be horizontal. It also not impossible to climb, just very difficult. ;)
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/wallOfForce.htm
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/skills.htm

* As for Illusory Script, I can make sure that's available through Magnus. ;)

* If you want slippery areas, try grease. http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/grease.htm

* I've updated http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12865946/MQ/Thakenja%20Summerdreamer.rtf again. I've put in a nice bit of polish and a summary of her capabilities.

* So you'll manage prepared spells, but what kind of input will you take from the others regarding casting those spells?

this is why sorcerer is my favorite class.

Maybe we will use spells the same way we use the other souls' abilities? (Which I think is something like a vote with veto power.)


Will we be using material spell components?

(Am I right in thinking that I don't start with spells other than the ones listed in the document, and all new ones will come from books/scrolls rather than memories?)

>>353680

>Will we be using material spell components?
We will be using the "ignore spell components" item.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/goodsAndServices.htm
Spell Component Pouch A spellcaster with a spell component pouch is assumed to have all the material components and focuses needed for spellcasting, except for those components that have a specific cost, divine focuses, and focuses that wouldn’t fit in a pouch.

>Am I right in thinking that I don't start with spells other than the ones listed in the document, and all new ones will come from books/scrolls
Yeah.. the old spellbooks are gone, so we get the chance to play "Gotta learn 'em all". ;) Picking 16 character levels of spells, twice is a lot of boredom, so spreading it out as much as possible makes me happy.

>>353677
>this is why sorcerer is my favorite class.
This is why psion is my favourite class. Int-based > Cha-based.

Clairsentience
Level:Seer 9
Display:Mental, olfactory, and visual
Manifesting Time:1 hour
Range:Personal
Target:You
Duration:Instantaneous and 1 min./level (D); see text
Power Points:17, XP
You elevate your mind to a near-universal consciousness, cogitating countless impressions and predictions involving any creature you have seen before, whether personally or by means of another power such as remote viewing.

This process gives you an uncannily accurate vision of the creature’s nature, activities, and whereabouts. When you manifest the power, you learn the following facts about the creature.

Its name, race, alignment, and character class.
A general estimate of its level or Hit Dice: low (5 HD or lower), medium (6 to 11 HD), high (12 to 20 HD), very high (21 HD to 40 HD), or deific (41 HD or higher).
Its location (including place of residence, town, country, world, and plane of existence).
Significant items currently in its possession.
Any significant activities or actions the creature has undertaken in the previous 8 hours, including details such as locales traveled through, the names or races of those the creature fought, spells it cast, items it acquired, and items it left behind (including the location of those items).
A current mental view of the creature, as described in the remote viewing power, which you can maintain for up to 1 minute per level.
Metafaculty can defeat spells, powers, and special abilities such as screen or mind blank (or even a wish spell) that normally obscure clairsentience powers. You can attempt a caster level check (DC 6 + caster level of the creator of the obscuring effect) to defeat these sorts of otherwise impervious defenses.

Metafaculty is defeated by epic powers, epic spells, and epic special abilities that obscure divinations and clairsentience powers.

XP Cost
1,000.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/metafaculty.htm

Woah! Update delayed due to sudden intense food poisoning. SORRY!

I'd like to continue this quest some time but it would have to be changed from "trying to put a crappy image in for each post" to "write well and add an image where it helps".

Is that ok?

EveryZig!Ac/akrMPao 2011/12/05(Mon)21:26 No. 46753 ID: b6edd6
File 132314920361.jpg - (119.87KB , 640x480 , 131457767098.jpg )

That can work, though I would be in favor of pictures like [pic], as they can be fairly simple while still efficiently conveying information.