Buddha's New D&D Thread is Groovy, Man.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

Played the Red Hand Of Doom thingy last night. we continued on from the barracks we had been in (months ago real time, a few seconds ago game time) where we'd cut down a silver dragon who had been used for some kind of weird ritual, and killed a horde of hobgoblins and other beasties in a torture chamber...

where we camped out for the night, finally getting to replenish spells etc.... we found our way to a big cavernous room where we saw our OG nemesis from the beginning of the campaign, the Orc general known as Zargath Human-Bane. and that annoying little gnome arms trader Girn who'd also stabbed us in the back a few times, they were addressing a council of chromatic Dragons. (Red, Blue, White, Black, Green, all Large some older than the others) as we blundered into the room behind our invisible Drow rogue Xendrick. some sort of anti invisibility spell (Purge Invisibility we later discovered)  was at work, so we were quickly spotted though not before Xendrick could tumble past Zargath and give him the olde backstab special.

Zargath pleaded that he was "on our side" but Smokey (my char) didn't buy it (Zargath beat me in a fistfight way back at 6th level) and filled him with three flaming arrows, one of which hit some organs or something doing triple damage. and Zargath crumpled into a pile of burning orc flesh and his little buddy Girn dimension doored outta dodge soon after.

No parlay with the dragons either as they started breathing crap on us, and spells, oh the spells. magic missiles from the Green one actually caused me to lose a few hp. untenable! I don't like taking damage, so I used up most of my arrows, and we struggled through each of the dragons, mostly taking them down one at a time... two of our party including the healer (and a half orc barbarian we saved from the torture chamber, and healed up.. Cradle the healer even "restored" his Johnson)  went very close to "dead". not just unconscious but dead.

eventually through a lot of luck, and cacophonic blasts we made it through all the dragons. the blue was the oldest and thus toughest, and hardest to take down. (all those evasion class feats in the party came in handy I tellyawhat)... we then searched the obviously well used sacrificial altar to Tiamat, and the room, we found two secret doors, one going back the way we came, and another behind the altar. we aim to cause as much trouble as possible, so went deeper in behind the altar, where we found a huge Cavern with a pit that flames were seen licking up from as we entered. Smokey used his weak tracking skills to find the footprints of some really big creature and a bunch of Hobgoblin feet prints as well. The Big thing wouldn't fit through any of the doors, so this is it's home... where we broke and will continue hopefully next week.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

Definitely going to play the Pathfinder game next for my regular D&D game, I've been playing for a few years with three of four different characters, most recently Smokey (and his animal "companion the wolf - Bandit) who I topped out at nearly 13th level Ranger - archer track - Dragon slayer many times over. Orcbane, Giant killer. It was a very fun character.

This next game .. since there's only ever two of us who show up every time, we convinced the DM that we should each (as experienced gamer) run two pcs, so that there's not more NPCs than PCs. I don't like running npcs for the DM when I'm playing.... but I don't mind farming them out to willing players as a DM. hmmm.

I made up 3 1st level pairings of Pathfinder PC classes. (depending on what the other player (or god forbid player"s")  rolls up.

I have an Elf Sorcerer (which are finally done right in Pathfinder imo) and a Rogue (elf)
A half elf Magus & a Half Orc Monk
A Dwarf Fighter & Human Alchemist ( a class I think might be fun.)

My 1st pick is the sorcerer & Rogue combo as I've been itching to play either lately.
2nd would be the Monk/Magus as I already have their tragi-comic graphic novel already written in head. lots of backstory ideas.
3rd would be the fighter/alchemist... one's easy, one's hard to play, both seem like fun though.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

So we played the first bit of our new Pathfinder game. The DM is trying to play a bit more within the rules i think this time. wouldn't let us loot the bodies of thugs we killed/captured... as some are of "good" alignment. I don't care, but for the other guy playing, a huge part of the game is the body looting. I don't think he's going to be happy with this more city based campaign... (a pathfinder game  set in Monte's Ptolus.) at least we are on the fast advancement track.

We are using the "traits" from the adv. PH for Pathfinder. I like it... adds a bit to the backstory ideas. It's weird playing 1st level chars though. I got hit? oops I'm unconscious. But overall it was fun.

I'm playing a Female elf sorcerer, and a half elf Rogue, while the other guy is playing a human Barbarian (who's going fighter at 2nd level)  and a dwarf cleric.

I really like the guys I play with, but afaic they both are too caught up in the rules lawyering. It takes away from the sense of swashbuckling, or adventure if instead of being able to describe your cool maneuver you have to consult 3 or 4 charts. I'm being as nice about it all as possible, and just rolling as it were with the punches though, if I leave, that game is over. But It's sticks in my craw a bit that these guys don't have the same free form attitude to gaming I do.

I really do enjoy DMing my own game much more. I've been thinking of GMing a Mutants and Masterminds game, actually. I have a whole universe sort of ready to go. I'd start off with a WW2 campaign, Nazis, occult, sidekicks, the whole 9 yards.

[Neil]

Nazis are always fun.

[Syt]

Starting a new Serenity/Firefly adventure with friends today. They recently messed up a bounty on a war criminal - they took out the target, but then managed to get caught and spent a few months digging in the mines before they could escape. In the meantime, their ship was impounded and sold, including most of their equipment.

Theyre now sent to a small border moon, to the town of Sweetlake. Two factions vie for control of the town: farmers and ranchers - both groups are killing each other, and each group is led by a friend of someone in the party, so they'll have to choose sides. Mercenaries and bandits add a bit of spice.

What they don't know until the next "episode", though, is that the fight between the two factions is just a front - the two leaders want control of the town, because there's rumors of a treasure from the Unification War hidden there; and they want to get rid of the competition before searching in earnest.

They will eventually get to the treasure (a freighter sunk in the town's eponymous lake), but it'll turn out to either be a bunch of hostile combat robots or a biological agent - not sure which to pick yet.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

Starting a new Serenity/Firefly adventure with friends today. They recently messed up a bounty on a war criminal - they took out the target, but then managed to get caught and spent a few months digging in the mines before they could escape. In the meantime, their ship was impounded and sold, including most of their equipment.

Theyre now sent to a small border moon, to the town of Sweetlake. Two factions vie for control of the town: farmers and ranchers - both groups are killing each other, and each group is led by a friend of someone in the party, so they'll have to choose sides. Mercenaries and bandits add a bit of spice.

What they don't know until the next "episode", though, is that the fight between the two factions is just a front - the two leaders want control of the town, because there's rumors of a treasure from the Unification War hidden there; and they want to get rid of the competition before searching in earnest.

They will eventually get to the treasure (a freighter sunk in the town's eponymous lake), but it'll turn out to either be a bunch of hostile combat robots or a biological agent - not sure which to pick yet.

very nice.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

sent out an email to the group I DM'd briefly in the late spring, early summer. Hoping to get that one up and running in a week or two. I think I'm going to send them on a daring Pirate mission in the middle of a Dragon War. Just coz' . :p

Playing Pathfinder game Thursday, and my Cthulhu-esque M&M game on Sunday. gonna be a dicey weekend.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

My M&M current game will end it's current arc in a few sessions (couple of months) and we are doing a version of the same setting but in the present day instead of the 20's.

I came up with a new character already... this is my first draft of Buzz Bronx.

Character for the next M&M game.

A (superpower-less) vigilante named Buzz Bronx wakes up one morning. the last thing he recalls is seeing a strange tire fire in the middle of the street while on patrol.

He wakes in a motel bathroom in a tub of ice. There is a metal disk screwed onto his chest, he notices as he checks for scars near organs. Just this coaster sized dull grey metal plate (that reflects no light) attached (apparently with bolts.)  dead centre in the middle of his chest. It somehow looks natural, like it had always been there, grew that way; bolts and all. but He's pretty sure he would have noticed that before now. :p

Buzz has been patrolling the streets of Arkham for just over 5 years. He has stopped a lot of muggers, rapists, and the occasional drunk driver, and even one high tech bank robbery that got him some small amount of "quirky news item" fame. He started getting dudes challenging him to fight all the time after being outed as a vigilante. So he taught himself how to be a bit more discreet and stealthy with his crime stopping. Even so he still mostly stumbles onto most of his "busts", while on "Patrol".

Buzz was trained by his father who was a Kung fu student of Bruce Lee's and had invented his own fighting style that meshed Jeet Kune Do and Capoeira, the Brazilian/African Martial art masquerading as a dance. To the untrained eye his movements are unstable and he almost flutters as he moves, he got the nickname "Buzz" (because he buzzed like a bee and stung like Ali) from his dad, and never goes by his own real name, often failing to hear it, if it's called.

His father was shot down (in a coma now still) by some muggers when Buzz was in school winning martial Arts tournaments and studying to be a criminal lawyer. Wanted to be a DA... now works day job as a paralegal... paying medical bills is expensive. At night he avenges.

So waking up like this was weird... He went to the hospital, after going to his drop and changing into his day clothes as he like to call his not costume wear. The hospital kept him overnight, but couldn't find anything wrong with him, he was if anything healthier than ever, which in fact he was. They sent him home and told him that they had notified the police. and that the cops would be coming by later to see him about it.

He instead went to the police station where he knew a cop who was an ally in his war on crime, mostly by looking the other way a lot, and not arresting someone he knew to be engaging in criminal behaviour, obviously) and gave his report there to that cop, who called the cop assigned and did some cop wheeling/dealing. He left hoping that it didn't happen again tonight. he really was jonesing by this time to get back out, but he wanted to check his house to make sure things were safe there too...

As he came up the back alley to the fire escape he used most of the time to enter hi apartment, he saw two uniform cops nosing around in his kitchen window. Buzz climbed the fire escape as quietly as possible and they somehow never heard him. He waited under his window till he heard his door close. Buzz clambered in and saw that they did only a very cursory lazy search. He found his weapons/body armour  stash was untouched since he was there last. He had it booby trapped.

He was putting on his mask when the two "cops" burst back in the door. The were wearing cop uniforms he saw, but they appeared to be some kind of fish men, or were wearing very elaborate and realistic fish men costumes? They rushed him and the next thing he knew a beam of what could only be called "Ruby" energy burst through his kevlar and burnt the fishes quite badly. There was a drone and a definite buzz as the beam dissipated. The fish men were standing, but horribly burned. It smelled horrible. He took out his machete and lopped off both their heads, in what seemed like one stroke. he was healthier than before. and ummm he had laser beams coming out of his chest.

he disposed of the bodies and what he now saw were cheap store-bought "Cop" costumes in a barrel nearby that was always on fire. 24/7 there was always a fire there to warm your hands or dispose of things that needed disposing of. The whole area stank of tuna from HELL gone off .

Over the next few weeks Buzz learned to control when he used the Ruby Beam. which was only sparingly when he came across something big. (two times he's run into fish/lizard type men who were dressed otherwise normal. while trying to kill or harm at least some locals) Fighting them was hard they shrugged off a lot of his moves, but the Ruby fried them good. The victims as usual when he showed up never stuck around to say thanks, or even acknowledge his help. They mostly ran away as scared of him as they were the people(creatures?) attacking them.

he's also discovered a second beam from his chest, a psychedelic rainbow beam  that can at times "dazzle" those who see it.  there seems to be a bubbly synthy sound to this one, less of a buzz.

The last few weeks also Buzz has been trying to gain some contacts who have knowledge about things like Fish men and chest lasers.

level 8

Buzz Bronx

abilities (18)
str 14 (4) +3
dex 18 (8) +4
con 14 (4) +2
int 10  +0
wis 12 (2) +1
cha 10 +0

saves 12
toughness  4 (2 flat footed) (+2 from feat, +2 con)
fort 4 (+2 con = +6)
Reflex 4 (+4 dex = +8)
will 4 (+1 wis = +5)

Combat 24
attack +6/+8 melee (12)
grapple
damage +3 unarmed
Defense  +6 (+2 dodge = +8) (12)

initiative +8

Skills 12 (x4 = 48)
acrobatics 8  (+12)
concentration 6 (+7)
notice 6 (+7)
sense motive 6 (+7)
stealth 8 (+12)
gather info 6 (+6)
Knowledge: streetwise  8 (+8)





Feats (16)
attack focus: melee
Defensive roll 2
dodge focus 2
Elusive target (1)
evasion 2 (2)
grappling finesse (1)
improved critical (1)
improved grapple (1)
Improved initiative (1)
Instant up (1)
interpose (1)
Luck 2 (2)
power Attack (1)


Powers 38
Strike 5  (Razor kick) (5)
Thrown Strike 5 (5) (Razor Blades)
Device 7 (28)
(Ruby Buzz Blast) Blast 6 (12)
(The Freaky Rainbow) Dazzle 4  (16) 4/rank - all senses.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

my 3.5 D&D campaign is going to be back up and running next monday evening. I've got a few options for where they are going. We've done the "training missions" time to get into the story, which is all about sky cites, sea hag coveys and dragon wars.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

Played my Pirate-ish 3.5 game the other night (made a really good chili for it that was a big hit) ... Haven't quite got to the Pirating yet as i wanted to re-introduce my inept vampire character again "Erbain" ... I had the group do one last mission in the city, or rather at the outskirts of the city in the Necropolis...to fetch a vampire who resides there and of course it is old Erbain( who the gang thought they killed.) ... On the way I had them roll for a random encounte  in my head a "1" was a fight... a "20" some sort of non combat encounter to advance the plot.... They rolled a 1.

So I had them fight some mysterious thugs (actually halfling rogues in disguise)... I think I may have overarmed my group. going to have to up my CRs for all the fights. They're 6th level as they seem to be having their way with most things I throw at them. I need the fights to be a but closer. (and as the evening went on I got better at this)

They killed off all but one who dim. door'd his way out... leaving behind some clues about why they were rousted that the team completely ignored despite all my over-acting re: said clues. :sigh:

They get to the crypt to find that Erbain is who he is and that he will only peaceably (he has a host of undead and living servants at the ready) accompany them (as small revenge for temporarily "killing" him) only if they will play enough "Harrow" (pathfinder deck of many things minus a few of the more retarded/complicated cards)) with him so as to relieve him of the deck. (How I make the deck work is that once you've drawn a certain number of cards... (more than 3 is greedy) you have to carry it until you can con someone else into it. The deck itself brings misfortune to the holder pretty constantly in a "trouble magnet" sort of way, as it needs to be passed on or used a lot or it gets bored (yes it's intelligent, but I doubt any of the players will guess that, unless I tell them, but in case, i'm leaving that option)

The Rogue/Swashbuckler did lots of choosing and kept getting suckass cards (including losing a level, which turned the player into a real whiner) except for "get to pick one of two initiatives from now on" card. I think he picked 6 in all.

The Barbarian picked a couple (from one of the rogue's cards that forced him to give cards to an ally) and gained the enmity of a Demon (one I've used before conveniently, with a different party) as well as a sweet "horn of Fog".

The Ranger got an ability score bump out of it and quit while he was ahead. But now the deck belongs to the rogue who got into a fistfight before leaving with a Dwarf servant of the Vamp. The dwarf cleaned his clock. Halfling vs. Dwarf? Dwarf wins every time.

They got back to the Ship (it's as big a Pirate ship as there ever was, fast and black as the night, btw) it's called "The Scary Mary". It's got 12 cannons aside, and one weird mystical steampunkish cannon that shoots up to six balls at once in the actual crow's nest.

For some reason the gang decides to always have someone guarding their loot, gear and whatnot while everyone else goes up for dinner, and a bit of relax time on their first night out, despite The Pirate Captain "Bess The Blood Red's" assurance that no one on this ship would dare steal anyone else's stuff, as she'd make them walk the plank, as penalty.

So I had to come up with stuff to happen to that guy while the others went in search of plot threads in the galley (which looked like a pub more than a galley) The ranger took the first watch and I had him have a run in with the purser, a half orc who has the room directly below the Ranger's. Apparently there was a leak of some weird oily substance leaking from the ceiling. the Ranger would only talk to the npc through the door! He looked and saw that leaking from one of their footlockers seemed to be some oily substance it was a big stain under the box... The NPC said that below the stuff is taking the form of a man or creature of some sort. They decide that the Pursrer will find the Captain or someone in authority to check it out.

Meanwhile upstairs the gang meets some of the NPCs - The dwarf from earlier, The Cleric tells of how she had an inadvertent sex change through a similar Harrow deck, and had to marry her husband the Djinni first mate of the ship Creel O'Riordan. They find out that Skull island is where they are going, and whatnot, until the ship starts rocking as if there was a sudden winter storm, or that they are under attack. sure enough the alarm goes out and they are under attack... it seems a dragon or multiple dragons... big ones. Here I got to use a bit of the Stormwrack narrative combat. (they were fighting a three headed dragon (Blue/Red/white) that was hitting with breath weapons from pretty far off. ) I let the players rolls affect most of the damage, rolling once for the "ship"... It was a fun combat.

Bess had to almost sign an oath to get the ranger away from the room, after they found out they had what Bess called "an oilmen" infestation. (the trouble magnetism I mentioned earlier, at work) just as she felt the attack, and tried to get them all upstairs into the battle.

The opposite number to the Ranger in terms of caution it seems is the halfling Rogue who scampered up the mast to help the Gunner load the weird mystical cannon. He kept rolling really well while trying to use it, so I let him. Everyone got to have a few hits in at the Dragon as in came in closer. the Rogue eventually jumping on the dragon successfully, but on the middle head as he forgot that it had three, I think. :p he got chomped a bit, but in the end was okay. the Ranger realized that he had it pretty sweet fighting dragons as they are his main favored enemy. a really fun melee. the Barbarian got to use his horn of fog to some effectiveness, and managed to deal the death blow in close.

We ended there. all in all, a fun game. And, next game I'm getting one of the gals who was playing in the spring (half orc Druid) back in the game I think/hope. She came into my work and asked if we were playing again. She's the same level as the current gang, and a fun player.

I'm excited for the future of this campaign that I'm mostly making up as i go along.

[jimmy olsen]

Just read the corebook for Fvlminata, pretty awesome. It's set in a powerful 3rd century Roman Empire with muskets and magic.

[sbr]

 

[jimmy olsen]

What's your problem?

It has one of the most detailed and well thought backgrounds for an rpg I've ever seen.

The only thing that might be iffy (I haven't played it, so I can't judge) is the mechanics. You use 8 sided dice to simulate Roman knucklebone dice. Two 1s, 3s, 4s and 6s.

Also, initiative goes by social status.

The magic systems are really detailed and go by how Romans and other ancient peoples thought magic worked, really interesting.

As for the gunpowder, a friend of Pliny the Younger survives the Vesuvian eruption here (he died in our timeline) and becomes obsessed with vulcanism. He becomes an alchemist and tries to recreate what he saw and eventually comes up with gunpowder. Since gunpowder was actually invented by Chinese alchemists searching for an elixir of immortality, I think this is pretty realistic.

[Darth Wagtaros]

A mithril bow already at the 4th level? What kind of gear are you guys gonna be packing when you hit tenth!

The DM kind of buffed us up a bit with magic weapons, as we've somehow missed all the gold so far and we all rolled horribly rolling up our characters (no array old school dm) and playing 2.0 you don't get any hit/damage bonuses unless you have 16+ on the appropriate ability. Of the three PCs only one has a 16 (the elf on dex)

last night we delved further in on this adventure that is a bit of a riff on White Plume Mountain. killed hella lot of Goblins, and got closer to "the gold"

Aside from the comedy gold that can result from the roll on comeliness, what's the benifit of playing 2.0 over 3.5?

It is a better game for one.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

Pink warning box can piss off. so I haven't updated my thread in awhile. big whoop.

I'm updating now, because I have my new game logs on a blog here:

http://josierpg.blogspot.ca/