D&D 5E [OOC] Uller's Out of the Abyss

JustinCase · Oct 3, 2015

Thanks.

Uller · Oct 3, 2015

itcomeswithamap said:
[MENTION=413]Uller[/MENTION], RE: Questions in the IC thread...what level of meta-gaming are you comfortable with?

NO METAGAMING!!!

Just kidding.

I have no problem with applying player knowledge once your character would have had a reasonable chance to learn. Obviously we aren't going to sit here and have an in character dialogue about the various properties of quaggoths. In interacting with Derendil, you'd probably learn much about them. Just not the Thonot and poison immunity stuff because he doesn't seem to know that either.

Let's say you're fighting a ghost. Maybe you (as a player) might recall it has some vulnerability to radiant damage but can't remember...once someone uses radiant damage and I describe the effect, I have no problem with you looking it up and honing in on the specifics (often I will give them to you if it's glaring). Once you take a couple swings at something I don't care if you look up ACs or HP...At the table, if someone swings at a monster and gets a 15, I often say "ooo...close...it's AC is 16". And from then on the players all know what the AC is and account for that in their tactics. I tend to give clues about monster HP like: "15 damage? That's enough to bloody it in one swing!" indicating it has less than 30 hp.

So short answer...Just probe the creatures first with some interaction and limit your PC knowledge to what you could have learned and understand that in this format, I'm all for short cuts. Also, doing this is totally fair game:

OOC:

Does my character know that fire and acid disrupt a troll's regeneration? I have Arcana trained...maybe that will help

[roll0]

notice that I didn't include a modifier in that roll...as the DM, I will decide what skill/ability will be applied if you aren't sure.

Uller · Oct 3, 2015

Oh...and as DM I reserve the right to modify monsters. I usually don't but if combat seems slow I may increase damage and decrease defenses to move things along. I do often modify NPCs and BBEGs to make them more interesting in combat.

Uller · Oct 3, 2015

itcomeswithamap said:
She sits quietly, back to the wall, to watch the new arrivals acclimate.

The vibe I am kind of going for here (and you all can tell me if it's working) is something like I experienced in the army. I was part of the intelligence cell for an infantry company. When we arrived on the battlefield it was myself, my company commander, our 1st sergeant, our comms guy and one other member of the intel cell as part of the "advanced party" to the little security outpost we were taking over. We found some room to unpack our gear and make our new home, we met with members of the unit we were replacing (NPCs!), we were shown around the outpost and briefed. Then over the next few weeks more of our brothers arrived. Platoon leaders and Platoon sergeants, then drivers and squad leaders and other headquarters folks, then the rest of entire platoons one at a time as the unit we replaced withdrew their people.

No one arrived and explored the whole place (and honestly, it wasn't much bigger than Velkenvelve) and talked to every important NPC all in one go. If someone did, they would probably be considered annoying at best and insane at worst. It was very much "sit back and watch others acclimate" at times.

Anyway...I know it's a bit of a slow start but I hope that vibe is coming through...

New turn will be posted shortly. Ranger20 is finishing up his character now and will have it posted before he goes to work later today and will respond either tonight or tomorrow AM.

Zansy · Oct 3, 2015

So what you are saying is, [MENTION=6801671]itcomeswithamap[/MENTION]'s character is arguably the sanest character here?
You realize your anecdote just doomed her to die first?

Uller · Oct 3, 2015

Zansy said:
So what you are saying is, [MENTION=6801671]itcomeswithamap[/MENTION]'s character is arguably the sanest character here?
You realize your anecdote just doomed her to die first?

Well she did roll a 19 on a madness save...so....

SunGold · Oct 3, 2015

Well it didn't feel like a slow start to me, but that's probably because I'm the one who got to act.

(It felt particularly not slow when you posted your response and I had to go read the result of that 1. I cringed through that whole parahraph.)

The vibe is definitely interesting. It's claustrophobic and terrifying and sort of oh-man-don't-touch-or-do-anything. This is hell's boring waiting room, and all the doors are locked. Do nothing? Get beat up. Obey? Get beat up. Play with your cute mushroom friend? MADNESS CHECK. So yeah, Surana feels like it's time to shut up & sit down at this point...

[MENTION=6788194]Zansy[/MENTION], hah, no way is she the sanest! Her CHA & WIS are meh. I built Surana to be a damage-eater (should she survive to level 3, the plan was to go Totem Warrior/Bear), but in restrospect, I think I was worried about all the wrong kinds of damage.

Uller · Oct 3, 2015

Don't worry...things will open up...I'm purposely keeping things a bit constrained until at least the bulk of the party is in play.

...as Gandalf would say...It's the deep breath before the plunge...

SunGold · Oct 3, 2015

Uller said:
Don't worry...things will open up...I'm purposely keeping things a bit constrained until at least the bulk of the party is in play.

Figured as much.

Question about yesterday's post...

"It is our task to train you today to be obediant slaves. Listen well and you will be rewarded." All the drow laugh at this obvious lie.

Does "all the drow" include Jorlan?

Uller · Oct 3, 2015

itcomeswithamap said:
Question about yesterday's post...

Does "all the drow" include Jorlan?

Yes. He seems to relish in the suffering of slaves as much as anyone (perhaps more). If any of the current PCs would like to make an insight check regarding this or his interactions with other drow, feel free.