DreamLyrics™ Play-by-Post Forums Hall of Fame - Latest Top 10 completed games HHE: The Haunted Helm OOC: Pizza

Actually, even though there is no 'real' penalty to the failure to find the optimum path, there is certainly a 'story telling' element that can be just as entertaining ... especially here <g>

Just thought I would point that out <wink>

OK, Neil, I edited in SOPs for Zoltan in the Gallery.

I don't see Weston as being so ... consistent? ... predictable? ... set in his ways as to have a 'SOP'. If you feel that I need something, Neil, I will try to come up some ideas <g>

No, they're not mandatory and Zeim won't want me to use his script if it's obviously detrimental. It's more of a personalised crib sheet for the GM, entirely at your discretion.

Also, I agree on using skill checks to randomise the story. In this case it can set the mood between the hike being rigorous but enjoyable, to being a long, hard slog. Important in itself; message gaming is still role-playing after all.

Yup <g>

Also, more inspiration from the Ardeche. The Sompe, a fascinating and very beautiful cascade hidden away in the middle of nowhere.

<shows image of La cascade de la Sompe>

Oooo, =VERY= nice!!

What time of day is it currently? There has been a suggestion to camp, might be an idea to do so before they find their way into the mountain maybe?

Currently mid-day. You have a hot afternoon of hiking ahead of you, reach the locale of the Titan's Elbow by nightfall. Make camp, and have all day to ascend and put right what needs to be put right.

So Jex may fancy a nap, and he might not be the only one, but that would put you behind schedule.

The next step is to climb up the side of the falls, chache the reserve water in the grotto halfway up, then continue up and following the river.

OK, we have our skill check. Rock climbing.

The route up the cliff face would be considered easy by a rock climber, with frequent, closely-spaced hand and foot holds, wide ledges to rest and abundant, hardy creepers. The cliff face also slopes steadily inwards, making the most ardueous part of the climb probably the first 10 feet.

This is a good opportunity to demonstrate the skill system in 13th Age though, since everyone needs to make the check.

The question is, what background do you use and what ability score?

What I need you to do is explain what background they're using and ability score, in-character, then make the roll in Pizza (to the left).

We'll say that applicable ability scores in this case are Strength or Wisdom, so take your pick.

1d20 + background bonus + char level + most apt ability score bonus

If you don't think you have a relevant background (which will happen sometimes), you don't add any background score but make the roll anyway.

In this way, even a mundane climbing skill check can reveal interesting and creative things about the character's past.

Seyja would go 1d20 + 4(Mountain Woman) + 1(CharLevel) + 5(STR) if I've got that right, so it would be 1d20 + 10

Lets see, following Ex's example ... for Weston that would be (assuming that Rover means what I think <g> ): Rover +2, Lvl +1, Str +4 or d20+7

Zoltan would use his Assassin background. Many times in using this background he has had to climb heights and cling to small perches for long periods of time in uncomfortable positions, This should greatly help in other types of climbing.

So, 1d20+2 (Assassin), +1 (Char Lvl) +5 (Str) = 1d20+8

Aye, so Seyja's Mountain Woman is pretty straightforward. (Her Strength bonus is +4 btw.)

Weston has Rover as a background and is using Strength. That seems like the best fit, but you still need to describe in character how that influences his climb. A 'rover' is someone who spends their time wandering, so maybe this climb is similar to a climb he made back in the north, frex?

Getting creative, MikeD might try Street Hawker, explaining that in evading the law as a wee whippersnapper, Weston and his mates used to scale the sides of the buildings with his. Etc.

Zeim's got the right idea with Zoltan. Most important is that we get to learn something new and interesting about your character's past, so make the posts in-char!

Well in D's case the obvious background is thief. So d20+3 (str)+5 (thief)+1 (lvl)=d20+9.

My bad... I agree Seyja's STR bonus should be +4.

Cool. And yeah, Pandemonium, Thief doesn't take much explaining in this context. Btw, D's Str bonus is +2.

Also, everyone, make your rolls in the Pizza dice roller on the left so we can point, gasp and stare.

Neal - Already posted for Zoltan in the thread and rolled there.

Right, I get it about the description, but wanted to be sure that I was correct about the Rover background ... plus I wasn't sure if we were doing the 'descriptive text' here or in the regular thread along with a roll that might actually influence what I wrote <g>

Going back, I see that I wasn't really as clear about that as I could have been. It certainly seemed clear when I wrote it <g>

Weston climb the cliff example roll MikeD rolled d20+7 and got 22

Clearly a walk in the park <chuckle> Would you like a 'revised' description of the climb post? Here or in the thread? I am OK with either <g>

The descriptive text should be in your game post, aye. After all, that's the entertaining stuff that we all want to read, not get lost in OOC chat.

So MikeD, you don't have to revise anything. Perhaps just describe what the climb reminded Weston of in your next post. Frex, "Weston admired hs improved from higher up, it reminded him of dot dot dot."

Nice one, guys.

So, the skill system in 13th Age is a lot more freeform than in previous versions of D&D, what do you think of it?

I agree that the 13th age is a lot ... 'fuzzier' than D&D, but the whole idea of encouraging 'story telling' has become important in 5th ed too.

But I do like a lot of how 13th age works to encourage/facilitate the story telling <g>

I'll go post now <g>

So, I'm not really sure where to find skills? I guess there are none. I just added his level. With low marks in Str & Wis, I chose Wis with a 0 modifier (compared to the -1 for Str). Jex will be like a rolling stone as he tumbles from the cliffs.

Jex Climb
Neptune rolled 1d20+1 and got 6

I think Jex has more compelling backgrounds for climbing than anyone else perhaps, Neptune.

Drakkenhall Court Jester +6. "Ah, climbing! Jex would like to say he never got tired of it, but at least climbing a rock face was easier than climbing a pyramid of oiled acrobats."

Treasure Hunter +2. "Ah, climbing! The last waterfall Jex had climbed, it was in search of a golden idol at the top. He hadn't found it."

Bandit +2. "Ah, climbing! It made a welcome change to be climbing a cliff without the hounds of the law at his heels!"

Etc.

Also, we might rule a natural 1, fumble, results in a stumble and some minor effect. But since we aren't portraying a nail-biting climb up the side of a mountain here, we'll 'fail forwards' on normal fails. So Jex will still reach the top. He might take a rather long, meandering route that has everyone else scratching their heads and thinking he's mad, but no other effect at present. The effect gets carried over to more appropriate scene later by the GM. <See above post>

Nep - No predetermined "Skills", like in D&D. You make them up as you go and justify them by your background and story-telling in whatever way you feel works.

Very free-form and not for the RPG accountant type players who want to know every +/- and have a list of everything they can do and can't do in advance (and I admit I lean toward that camp).

But, I do like how it encourages using your background in the game. In many RPGs, that are not "Tavern" Games, you write up a background and then it has almost no impact on play. In many cases it never even gets mentioned.

Editing for the bonus I gave D. Should be d20+8.

I think I will stick with my writeup.

25
Dusk Climb waterfall cliff
Pandemonium rolled d20+8 and got 25