Next session's Checklist

I just realized that the recordings of tonight's session were perfect - EXCEPT that they don't include MY voice?!!! Super sad face :( :( :( I even checked before we officially started to make sure voices and music were coming through - which they were, but for whatever reason (I can't determine yet) it recorded everyone's voice but my own. :( That means this session of the podcast won't be able to be posted to Youtube because it just won't make sense without the DM's voice. So I guess I'll work on making sure I fix that for next time. It's a learning process. We'll just have to an in-depth recap next session for the audience (which we'll be doing for Kirk anyway, so it will be fine I'm sure) They'll just miss out on all the good visuals :/ Here's the checklist for next time: Send me an email or post to the forum with your level 2 character version (which you'll all hit next session without a doubt) Send me your backup character if you haven't yet so that I can approve it Keep an eye on the Youtube episodes and watch them as they are released. Thanks and see y'all in 2 weeks!

DM Rob said: That means this session of the podcast won't be able to be posted to Youtube because it just won't make sense without the DM's voice. So I guess I'll work on making sure I fix that for next time. My gf had the idea that I go in and dub what I would have said in the situations, which I think is a great solution. So all hope is not lost. These sessions will go on!! It will just, you know, take even longer. And I'll still have to figure out why this happened so that it doesn't happen again.

What does everyone have picked out for backup characters? I have built all of the following, so I may just pick from what we need to round out the group based on what everyone else chooses Human Fighter (champion build) Human War Cleric Elven Fighter (eldritch knight build) Dragonborn Paladin Half-Elf Sorcerer Human Barbarian (totem build) Half-Elf Bard Halfling Druid Dwarven Mage (transmutation school) Wood Elf Ranger

I just have the one half elf sorcerer

In the unfortunate and unlikely event the Orryn dies, I have 2 backups that I am deciding between here: Aseir Khalid - Human Fighter: <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/9pd9syyvpt4n2kl/Aseir%20" rel="nofollow">https://www.dropbox.com/s/9pd9syyvpt4n2kl/Aseir%20</a>... Carric Galaondel - Elven Fighter: <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/t4vp1uxd0nbxqpk/Carric%2" rel="nofollow">https://www.dropbox.com/s/t4vp1uxd0nbxqpk/Carric%2</a>... Note their gold is maxed out but I'd roll for it if I needed one of them.

Awesome, thanks Rob. It would be a shame to see Orryn fall. As for everyone's backups, note that the new guy (6th PC) who will not start this session, but the next, has created a human evocation war-caster wizard. as long as you all have one fully-fledged out backup, if your character dies (RIP) we can bring in your new one and then i will simply look it over and double check its accuracy after that session's end.

DM ROB, I have 2 requests. They are small in that they aren't super important to me, so if you say 'no' I'll only cry for 3 or 4 days instead of a week. Can you set tokens to show the player's names? I think that would be useful for people that watch the video and especially for me, who is bad at associating voices and faces, but can do both with names better. Can you set tokens to show player's health? When I am not hiding in another room, it would be good to know who needs bolts shot near them the most, in case someone is in bad condition.

Good suggestions! I'd like to add for all of us to adjust our Teamspeak names and Roll20 names so they match. I want to be sure I'm referring to the right people.

Rob, I will add names under tokens. I was hesitant because they are a bit too large and clunky for my taste, but i will do this thing you ask. I thought I had made all health bars visible, but if they aren't showing for you I will double check. Chris's point, I will now require everyone to change their Teamspeak name to their character name if it is not already that. In the Roll20 chat, I will require everyone to change the "post as" drop down bar to their character name. (This can be easy to miss and I believe you must do it every time you launch campaign) I cannot require everyone to change their actual Roll20 name or image to their character, because, like in the other Rob's case, he uses his Roll20 account for other games. In Sum, I will add names and health and I will now require everyone to make their character name and portrait visible whenever possible, please and thank you!

I have as backup a dwarf fighter and an elf wizard. Dwarf is a hermit guarding an ancient relic captured by jixians and the elf is a researcher of jixia who dug too deep.

Hey guys, I hope you had fun tonight. I did. Sorry if it felt slower than usual ... i thought the entire thing was awesome, so I would love to hear more about why / what specifically you think needs improvement? I was, however, feeling pretty under the weather today. So maybe that came through despite me trying to not let it affect the game. Just the same, you mamade quick work of the Grey ooze, and the drow/intellect devourer. I mean honestly you guys slayed! But the water trap? I thought that was epic... I was confused when I heard some of you say more combat / less roleplay? I thought we had more combat than role play... and if you recall, our first few sessions were 75% roleplay. Just want to hear your thoughts on this if you have an opinion. I want you all to enjoy the game.

I was excited to watch Darvin have a moment to shine, so while I was not actively rolling, the tension of wondering if Darvin would survive was fun for me. I think its important that everyone remember that we all chose not to take the otherwise obvious path up the pipe so any time not spent doing something then was ours to make individually. Also, keep in mind that many of us have specific things we want to do in the future and Rob will certainly give each of us a moment in the spotlight, so even if you didn't do a bunch this week, there may be a week coming where you are doing most of the talking while we sit around and listen, not everyone can tell their story at the same time. We whizzed through a couple combat encounters, and I am sure Rob will adjust the difficulty accordingly as it fits the story we are telling. On a tangent: As a GM in another game, it frustrates me to hear each person talking over one another, we all need to be mindful of when another is talking to not initiate more talking and to give Rob a chance to address an issue in turn before throwing more things at him to think about, and when Rob is talking, we should listen. Something I have asked my group to do is to tell me what action they want to perform, be it look for traps, or swim, or jump hurdles, and then to let me decide the appropriate skill to roll. We should be doing the same for Rob in this game. So, next time we all want to do a thing, tell him what you want to do , instead of what you want to roll .

Honestly I thought it was a great session. We destroyed combat super quick and the water trap was very intense, specally with the tons of missed rolls. I say well done!

I agree with Rob on taking things calmly when relaying directions, because the past couple sessions resulted in a chaotic mash of voices a few times, but last session was more noticeable due to everyone having an idea as to how to solve the water trap. It would be more effective for DM Rob to ask everyone what course of action each of us wants to take so we can take turns speaking. Also I would like to state that all I meant last session was just that there wasn't as much suspenseful combat like last session with the zombies and armor, and the session before that with the rats. This may be a bit of a disappointment to some but I'm really into D&D for the game side of it. I love that you can create the story and outcome as well, but roleplaying is something that has never really drawn my attention. That's not to say that you're doing anything wrong Rob. Just that I'm the kind of person that loves the combat aspect of D&D more than anything else. Especially since combat in 5e is so excruciatingly lethal most times. Nothing gets my heart pumping more than being at the brink of death, then managing to get away by a hair. I still enjoy the puzzles, and the story is great so far, and can only hope that once we get back to Kheir there will still be loads to explore and do.

Rob said: keep in mind that many of us have specific things we want to do in the future and Rob will certainly give each of us a moment in the spotlight, so even if you didn't do a bunch this week, there may be a week coming where you are doing most of the talking while we sit around and listen, not everyone can tell their story at the same time. This is certainly true. Think about the length of the campaign from Lvl 1 - 20 . There will be moments when some of you shine, and some when you don't. A hero needs failures to understand his successes. Moments of doubt to bask in moments of glory. Rob said: it frustrates me to hear each person talking over one another, we all need to be mindful of when another is talking to not initiate more talking and to give Rob a chance to address an issue in turn before throwing more things at him to think about, and when Rob is talking, we should listen. I 100% agree. If you feel like this is an issue with someone in particular, let me know privately. Chris Garrett said: Honestly I thought it was a great session. We destroyed combat super quick and the water trap was very intense, specally with the tons of missed rolls. I say well done! Thank you, Chris. Marco G. said: This may be a bit of a disappointment to some but I'm really into D&D for the game side of it. I love that you can create the story and outcome as well, but roleplaying is something that has never really drawn my attention. That's not to say that you're doing anything wrong Rob. Just that I'm the kind of person that loves the combat aspect of D&D more than anything else. Especially since combat in 5e is so excruciatingly lethal most times. Nothing gets my heart pumping more than being at the brink of death, then managing to get away by a hair. That is understandable Marco, but calling out a session as "boring" is still hurtful when I put hours and hours into the game. There will be times when you have deadly combat, but it's unrealistic to go from one deadly combat to the next to the next. It's not the type of game I run. I made it clear that this campaign will be story-heavy. If you decide it's not for you, very well, we do have players on the waiting list. You are, however, a good player that we all enjoy having. So I hope you stay and can enjoy both the moments that fit your play style and those that might not.

I have added everything that my character gets at level 3 except for my increased sneak attack damage, which I will update when appropriate. Spoiler Alert, I added spells to my spellbook.

I have just a moment to breath and wanted to drop a note about how much I enjoyed the water trap. I loved it and it felt very cinematic. It almost reminded me of the trash compactor scene from Star Wars. I'm probably the polar opposite of Marco in that I love RP'ing much more than combat. So far the campaign has been a good balance of both, IMHO, and I think Rob is doing a great job (better than I could). This is a large party of players and it's going to be naturally chaotic - especially out of initiative, because everyone has something to offer. This makes DM'ing challenging and as players, to Rob's point, we need to practice turn discipline. When I DM these are the golden rules we abide by, and they haven't changed for us for 15 years: When the DM speaks you listen. You tell the DM what you want to do and the DM tells you what to roll (if at all). Out of Combat (initiative) the table is open for cross-talk, strategy, discussion, sharing, etc ... In Combat (initiative) the player's who's turn it is has the table and DM's attention exclusively - unless otherwise engaged. DM interprets the rules and his/her word is final. Rob makes the rules but I'm going to try to be a better player for the group moving forward. See, I've got a bad habit (because I'm still passionate about "learning" 5E) and that is that I like to soundboard rules to the DM during play. My intention is not to influence game-play, ego trip, or otherwise be disruptive, but rather, I find role playing mechanics interesting and I geek out sometimes - I'll stop it, really! :P Rob is doing a great job and he doesn't need me quoting the PHB, hehe. I love this group and the story is amazing - this last session was a nail biter and can't wait until the next one!

I love this group and the story is amazing - this last session was a nail biter and can't wait until the next one! I love this group too. Every group runs into hiccups, but I'm looking forward to the next too and I hope to see everyone. Thanks Trace! That water trap was of my own design and took many hours (including the Fellin Moor aspect). I even forgot to unleash the shark on Darvin when he stayed too long but I didn't want to punish him for being heroic, albeit heroically idiotic :P -- and I didn't notice any of that "soundboarding rules," so I wouldn't worry about that!

Rob said: I have added everything that my character gets at level 3 except for my increased sneak attack damage, which I will update when appropriate. Spoiler Alert, I added spells to my spellbook. Thank you for thinking ahead and being proactive. Just make sure not to accidentally use any 3rd lvl. features until you gain that little remaining XP

DM Rob said: Just make sure not to accidentally use any 3rd lvl. features until you gain that little remaining XP If I accidentally cast any spells that aren't Minor Illusion, feel free to smite me with the wrath of Odin

Is Odin who Orryn prays to? Is there a Nordic deity of trickery, rogues, or shadows? (I don't have my PHB in front of me)

Trace K. said: I'm probably the polar opposite of Marco in that I love RP'ing much more than combat. This surprised me when Marco said it, because his backstory for Tarnach is very in-depth.

Hermod is the Norse Chaotic Neutral god of Trickery so says the PHB, that's probably my best bet because Loki is very seldom seen as good.

I should specify that I absolutely love story telling and reading. That's what drew me to the campaign, and D&D in general. I hate anything that doesn't at least attempt to have an interesting story. I was just speaking about roleplaying in general. You'll notice after the first session I just stopped trying to speak like I was a different character, and the reason for it is because I just can't roleplay to save my life. Something about trying to be or act like a different person just doesn't compute in my brain. You shouldn't take this as a desire for me to quit though, because I do love the campaign and am very excited. All I really meant by what I said last session was that combat and badass moments were pretty low last session, so I wanted to spice things up by making some risky rolls. I just chose my words poorly. Make no mistake though, the session was far from boring.

Also, does this mean we should add in our character's new abilities now, except for stats and such? For example, Tarnach get's a multitude of new spells available once he goes Way of the Shadow. Can I add those in now and just wait till we actually level up to use them?

Marco G. said: Also, does this mean we should add in our character's new abilities now, except for stats and such? For example, Tarnach get's a multitude of new spells available once he goes Way of the Shadow. Can I add those in now and just wait till we actually level up to use them? I have already done exactly that.

Belanor (Tam) said: Marco G. said: Also, does this mean we should add in our character's new abilities now, except for stats and such? For example, Tarnach get's a multitude of new spells available once he goes Way of the Shadow. Can I add those in now and just wait till we actually level up to use them? I have already done exactly that. As have I. In other news, I just read a short and cool article about sharing the spotlight in game: <a href="http://www.tabletopterrors.com/2014/11/13/your-spotlight-the-most-important-thing-you-control/" rel="nofollow">http://www.tabletopterrors.com/2014/11/13/your-spotlight-the-most-important-thing-you-control/</a>

IN REGARDS TO THE QUESTION, EVERYONE MAY LEVEL UP TO 3 BEFORE THE START OF SUNDAY'S SESSION. YOU MAY USE ALL LEVEL 3 FEATURES. JUST MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE-CHECK AND MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS CANON. MARCO G. SAID: " THE REASON FOR IT IS BECAUSE I JUST CAN'T ROLEPLAY TO SAVE MY LIFE. " NOT TRUE, MARCO! TARNACH IS A GREAT CHARACTER AND YOU HAVE REALLY BROUGHT HIM TO LIFE. SOMETIMES ROLEPLAYING IS LESS ABOUT TALKING IN AN ACCENT, AND MORE ABOUT MAKING INTERESTING CHOICES FOR YOUR CHARACTER - IT IS THE CHOICES YOU MAKE THAT DETERMINE YOUR CHARACT'ER'S PERSONALITY, AND THAT IS ROLEPLAYING. Tarnach and Einur have become staple characters of the campaign. And I have a lot planned for Tarnach, his legendary hilt, and his lost twin brother. NO WORRIES, WE ARE GONNA HAVE A BLAST THIS SUNDAY. SEE YOU THERE! THANKS FOR SHARING THAT ARTICLE, ROB!! HERE IS MY FAVORITE PART: "IN YOUR GAME, AT YOUR TABLE, BE YOU DUNGEON MASTER OR ADVENTURER, YOU ARE CARRYING A SPOTLIGHT. And every time you speak, or act you shine that spotlight somewhere. Most gamers have the tendency to shine their spotlight on themselves. It’s human nature. But as I re-watch bits of The Provoker’s sessions, I’ve noticed that each person in the game consistently uses their spotlight to illuminate each other. Let me be less conceptual here. In Improv Comedy, one of the most important rules is: You will look good if you make your partners look good. The better you make other people in an improve scene look, the better the scene is going to be and, as a direct result, the better you are going to look. And if everyone is following this same mentality—then everyone is working to make each other look good (and to return to the Spotlight analogy, no one’s in the dark)."

Well I appreciate the kind words Rob. All this time I thought that that was simply an aspect of character creation, a bit of storytelling for flavor. I didn't know that was roleplaying. I thought roleplaying was all about acting like your character and making the choices they would make. That's why I make all my characters now with an alignment I can relate to. I'm glad to know I'm doing something right.

I wanna back Rob on this, Marco you've got a wonderful character there! I JUST read that we're level 3. Off to level and update my character sheet. Very excited!

Correction* That we're updating to 3 but using those abilities yet :P

So, check this out: It's official, from the Dungeon Master's Guide. "The city sustains brisk trade in information about planes ... particularly command words for the operation of particular portals." Hmm...who here needs to know how to use portals? Maybe that awesome band of adventurers from the Portal Wars. Those elite members of the Drowning Devils and the Half-Deads who overthrew the Blood Crows! They have joined together and are now the Half-Devils. Sigil is on the plane of "the Outlands, which is a plane between the Outer planes ... The outlands is circular, like a great disk ... where it isn't strange to see a celestial and a fiend arguing in a tavern and sharing a fine bottle of wine." For our purposes, I picture this plane exists somewhere in outerspace between Kheir and Jixia. Find the way there, and you could certainly find information on how to return to Kheir. There is also the portals that you came through, which are surrounded by 13-year ravaged war zones and enormous hordes of Jixian armies and campsites. And many, many, other options. I encourage you to be creative in coming up with a "way out." I'm open to all story-based suggestions too, not just character-focused ones!

Good god I wanna meet whoever came up with that concept. It's so perfect it's practically supernatural.

When you guys loot the blood crows stack, you can each "find" 100 gp worth of goods. You can choose these goods from the players handbook as if you were "buying" them. those of you who don't have your "buy" list prepared find nothing of value, so prep this! Can't wait for Sunday it's been too long!!

Should we post our list of found items here or just have them ready for the game?

Fantastic, I'll get started on this! If anybody finds something super awesome for another character in the book, post it here!

and it's definitely been way to long!

Rob said: Should we post our list of found items here or just have them ready for the game? You can do either-or. If you post it here that will save us some in-game time, but as long as you have it ready by game-time you are good. I'll also be randomly rolling for magic items (low % chance)

While looting the Blood Crows' stock, Orryn finds: Studded Leather Armor (Gnome sized and very fashionable) - 45gp Component Pouch (Its a belt and it has a bunch of tiny pockets full of spell components) - 25gp Disguise Kit - 25gp

Tarnach will loot through the cache and find: A curious brazier made of brass that he's sure can be of some use - 25 gp Set of smith's tools - 20 gp A hunk of cordierite - 40 gp 5 waterproof pouches - 1 gp each(because they're waterproof treated)

One of us should also get the Healer's kit. The next time one of us goes down, we don't have to worry about making crucial Medicine checks. After the Half-Devils secure the main drop zone, Wairen Wush locates the Blood Crows' medical supplies and uses 2 potions of healing (50g) on Belanor.

In addition I'll be rolling for each of you on the following table: 00-74: No Magic Items 75-94: Roll once on Magic Item Table A 95-100: Roll once on Magic Item Table B I suggest you ALL begin to read through the dungeon master's guide. Even though you aren't the DMs in this campaign, there are a million ideas for you in there, all of them I welcome to suggest.

For my find in the cache: Studded Leather - 45 GP Long Bow - 50 GP 2 Ball Bearings - 1 GP each (2 GP total) 3 Caltrops - 1 GP each (3 GP total) I already have a bear trap and one set of ball bearings. I like traps.

Thanks Rob! I'll go through the DM's guide today and also post my items when I get home this evening. Can't wait for Sunday!

I'm 100% getting the hooded lantern. Our magic torch hand just got upgraded! Rob, what would the gold cost be for a book similar to a spell book, but instead holds sheet music? Merit needs to record his songs in a real book!

Chris Garrett said: Rob, what would the gold cost be for a book similar to a spell book, but instead holds sheet music? Merit needs to record his songs in a real book! I'd say half the cost of a spellbook, so 25 GP

Marit finds the following in the pile: Bullseye Lantern - 10gp (Mage hand is going to a whole new level!) Bell - 1 gp Crowbar - 2gp Song Book - 25g (10) Oil - 1 gold Navigator tools - 25g Healers Kit -5gp Case, Crossbow bolts (holds 20) - 1gp Component Pouch (Its a belt and it has a bunch of tiny pockets full of spell components) - 25gp Playing Card Set - 5gp Dice Set - 1gp

Oh snap. Little does Marit know that he's about to lose all his money gambling to Tarnach. You can't beat me, a holy follower of the god of luck,at games of luck.

I'd like to add into my findings these items: 100 feet of thin tripwire cord - 1 gp(not sure about the price but many utility items like ball bearings and caltrops cost this) A set of 20 arrows - 1 gp 5 Black metal stakes similar to pitons - 5 sp total A bag of caltrops - 1 gp A bag of ball bearings - 1 gp And I'd like to get with you Rob about setting up traps for these, the arrows being pure projectile traps, caltrops being more like shrapnel, and the ball bearings being more like those ball bearing grenades used for pacification.

Marco G. said: I'd like to add into my findings these items: 100 feet of thin tripwire cord - 1 gp(not sure about the price but many utility items like ball bearings and caltrops cost this) A set of 20 arrows - 1 gp 5 Black metal stakes similar to pitons - 5 sp total A bag of caltrops - 1 gp A bag of ball bearings - 1 gp And I'd like to get with you Rob about setting up traps for these, the arrows being pure projectile traps, caltrops being more like shrapnel, and the ball bearings being more like those ball bearing grenades used for pacification. Awesome, I like the creativity. Everyone can add these items to their character sheets (and I encourage them to do so). We just await Vetari's decisions (I'm very happy with the frequency of posts on here recently!)