Anything But Normal, Sailing the Endless Falls

[Voidrazor]

Thanks Isida, I hope not to disappoint. I'll get an actual character sheet together ASAP. For describing a part of Endless Falls I'd like to cover (in order of preference) 1. Technochitlan, the urban-nightmare world just next door to Endless Falls, dimensionally speaking. 2. The Preservationist Society, a group of lesser para-elementals the royal time elementals used to prepare the way for their coup. 3. The Plateau of the Four Watchtowers, an ancient meeting place now desolate, used for meeting between kings because it is nearly impossible to do violence there. Please let me know which if any of these would be helpful to the campaign.

As for the adventure with the water elemental crime lord previous to the game, perhaps it was smuggling air goblin children for use as slave labor. Oobobooboo, at that time probably had no idea what crime lords or slave labor is. If there is a PC who finds the ooze annoying, Oobobooboo was probably following and imititating him/her, and thought it was just playing a game when it helped.

 

[D20Dazza]

Hi all,

I've pulled together Tempest's opinions of the others, let me know if there are any hassles.

Trebuchet - Strange fellow this one. Tempest gets no end of pleasure from referring to him as Bucket. Got a sense of humour too, and can crack the funniest, most inappropriate jokes at the most inopportune time - a trait that Tempest loves. He also likes the fact that the ironman doesn't eat food and that he normally passes his share of fruit and vegetables the Hadozee's way.

Brightstar Vaukriel, Angel of Splendor - While the winged man gave the appearance of being in control Tempest was wary around Brightstar. He felt that the 'Angel' could loose it at any time. There was something about his eyes that didn't sit right with the Hadozee. He had to admit though that 'Supernova' was a good companion to have in a fight.

Lupaz, the Hound of Ill Omen - It was lucky that this one could communicate telepathically or there'd be some boring conversations. Tempest loves hanging out with Lupaz, one of his favourite sayings is "everything looks brighter when you've got the hound for a companion - there's always someone nearby who feels they're in a worse situation than you". He prefers doing jobs that require stealth and tact without the dog being present though, too many things seem to go wrong when the dog is about (in fact Tempest had a sneaking suspicion that Lupaz might have been responsible for the time he spent in Bluegorge, he vaguely recalled a dog lounging about near where he lost the documents).

Ianissa, daughter of prophecy - Niss was a bit of an enigma to Tempest. He liked her, there was something in her elemental nature that called to him, but she frustrated him. Her insistence on helping those less fortunate then herself meant that several of his plans had been folied and that he had lost a small fortune in 'donations'. But, he couldn't stay angry with her, he was sure she didn't do it deliberately, didn't do it to punish him, her motivations were too simple for that and he didn't think she had a mean bone in her body. He was also wary around her, he knew about her relationship with Ananke and had recently worked out that he had worked on a ship that she had sponsored. He was afraid of how Niss would react once he told her of the connection.

Oobobooboo - If Trebuchet is weird then this dude is out of this world. Tempest couldn't believe that he was travelling, sharing a camp fire and eating with a spineless, gutless jelly. The bumbling jelly man was funny to watch though, and Tempest enjoyed the way he tried to imitate others. Oobobooboo had surprised Tempest one day by stretching his gelatinous body so that he sported wings not unlike Tempest's. Tempest liked being surprised and enjoyed the jelly's unpredictability. He was also pretty sure that BooBoo, as he liked to call him, would prove very useful in helping with a little job he had in mind.

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I've also started working on a loose connection that ties Tempest's past to something in others backgrounds. I'm still mulling over how to introduce elements of BooBoo and Bucket's backgrounds don't worry though, they'll come. These are still draft.

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Tempest was simply reporting to Taala on a shipment of pure element when he somehow lost the ship's manifest. One minute it was there, tucked under his arm, and the next just gone. He searched for as long as he could but to no avail. He backtracked a little way, walking back past the panting hound that lolled against the wall, but still couldn't find the record of the ship's cargo. Fronting up to Prince Taala's court Tempest was reprimanded and ordered to travel to Bluegorge and join the impending fight against the Narfellanax hordes as punishment. During the fight he was instrumental in saving the ..... and for his brave deeds won himself a commission on the merchant ship Earthhawk, captained by Helix Turnbukle, who was in the employ of a mysterious elemental that Tempest knew only as the lady of inevitability.

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One of the first people Tempest grew really close to after leaving the Hive was Aram, a roguish tiefling of questionable scruples. An outsider may have wondered whether Aram was truly a friend of Tempest or if he was really just a con artist taking a young, impressionable, newly arrived teen for a ride. But Tempest could see no wrong in him. Tempest came to worship the ground he walked on, putting up with the bullying and teasing (which grew worse the longer Tempest stayed with Aram) as a younger brother might accept his elder siblings teasings, in an effort to be accepted, loved and respected. Tempest was with Aram when he died, when he was ravaged by the demon wizard's spell. The only thing that remained of Aram was his chain shirt. A chain shirt that Tempest scooped up, tucked under his arm and, with tears flowing from his eyes, fled with. With a curse and a promise of vengeance spat over his shoulder at the evil spell caster Tempest swore to himself that he would find out more about this demon. He later learnt that the spellcaster that had killed Aram was named Garguel, Lord of Perversion and Depravity, Tempest doesn't know much else about him though.

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As to the water elemental crimelord I'm happy to run with that as the event that drew us together. Were we all hired for the same job or did happenstance throw us together and against this crimelord? Were just some of us working together and the others working for/with/against/enslaved by the crimelord. It obviously took some time to take down this crimelord, and we had to chip away at his organisation and flunkies, so how long did it take us to take him down? Was he permanently disabled or his operations just crippled? Is he rebuilding his empire? If we can answer some questions like that it should help us all work out how our pieces fall into place.

So, if nobody protests, then according to my history of Miera (which I can rewrite if people don't want to have this), we at least defeated a water elemental crimelord, though what he was doing and how he did it are up in the air.

I'm struggling to work out who Miera is though, and where the reference to the crimelord is in Niss's background.

Cheers

Daz

 

[Rystil Arden]

I'm struggling to work out who Miera is though, and where the reference to the crimelord is in Niss's background.

Look under her inventory for "Miera, Protective Water Aeon". Oh, and she typically goes by Nissa, but if he's going to call her Niss anyways, I guess that's okay. However, she definitely doesn't rob from the party to give 'donations' to the poor, though, despite sharing her alignment with Robin of Loxley

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

I wanted to make a comment here about elemental binding. Those of you with Eberron books probably know a great deal is made of them, and grafts are used extensively with not only the traveling conveyances of Eberron but also with weapons and personal grafts.

I will also be using elemental binding in this game, though due the the nature of it it won't be elemental binding so much as elemental coaxing. Young elementals often spend a term of service invested in a ship, glider, weapon, suit of armor, or as graft, much like a young person of our world might go to college. It's considered a broadening experience. Because elementals age so slowly, a "term of service" might be decades or even longer, but that's considered normal.

Items for our merry bunch of non-normal delights:

Shayuri with Trebuchet - [sblock]The earth scholars of Taala's court managed to find a curious thing, a gem-studded sphere, that was found in ruins of the same age as him. They brought it back to court and were delighted to find that it fit in a plate on his chest. It's a docent that calls itself Watcher. It's a small mithril sphere with small blue gems arranged around its center like eyes. It claims its job is to keep you from harmful magic, by alerting you to its presence. Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 14. Speaks Common, Terran, Aquan, Auran, and Ignan. Spot +2, Search +3, Listen +12. It can detect magic and detect scrying at will.[/sblock]

Erekose13 with Brightstar Vaukriel, Angel of Splendor - [sblock]I'm going to let you say that Vaukriel has overcome the temptation of the wing's whispers, ordering their words behind runes of his own making, banishing their darkness with the power of light. You've illuminated their words, turning their evil away, and focused the searing light of truth and redepmtion through the runes you've written. Faint golden runes dance upon the surface of your demonic wings, seeming to lighten and illuminate each feather. Scholars amongst Taala's fire elementals helped you learn how to focus your simple bindings into true power. When angered, you can focus the power and hope that sustained you through your trials through the golden runes, blinding your enemies and becoming an Angel of Splendor in truth. Mechanically this means you ignore those nasty graph penalties and have the use the Runic Sun feat from Transcendence pg. 71.[/sblock]

D20Dazza with Tempest Wintersquall - [sblock]As a gift for your service, you were granted a kind of permanent wind about you, enhanced by your elemental nature, that allows you to more easily fly. You no longer merely glide, but can fly in truth, on wind of your own making. You can fly at a speed of 30 ft. with average manuverability, with no need to jump off the crow's nest to do so. You're not as fast as your brethern, but you're not making a controlled plummet either.[/sblock]

Kelleris with Lupaz, the Hound of Ill Omen - [sblock]For one as astoundingly unlucky as Lupaz, Taala had to come up with something both appropriate and effective in the face of his luck. His scholars studied long and hard, intrigued as much as by the novelty of the situation as anything else. They eventually came up with a rune-covered stick, easy for Lupaz to handle. In effect, it was like a tossing of the oracular bones, but a bit simpler. Lupaz found he could use it gain a measure of luck in any manner of odd situations.

Mechanically, once per day Lupaz can toss the bones and gain, randomly, one of twenty lucky benefits.

1. You will known the name of the next person you meet, if you don't already know it.
2. You receive a +2 insight bonus to the next skill check you make.
3. Within the next 1d10 days you will find an additional 10d10 gold pieces of wealth.
4. The next time someone lies to you you will know it.
5. You will be able to understand the next phrase you hear in an unknown language.
6. You receive a +2 insight bonus on any Charisma-based social skill check for the next person you speak to.
7. You can predict the natural weather patterns for the next 10 days in a 100-mile radius from where you are.
8. You receive a +4 insight bonus to AC the next time you're attacked.
9. The next time you're in a potentially dangerous situation you will know it.
10. You receive a +4 insight bonus to iniatiative during the next encounter.
11. You receive a +4 to the next Sense Motive check you make.
12. You will not be surprised during the next encounter you would normally be surprised in.
13. You receive a +8 insight bonus to any Charisma-based social skill check for the next person you speak to.
14. The next time you are about to be struck by a weapon it missed you.
15. You will strike the next blow you successfully land for maximum damage.
16. You receive a +8 bons on the next saving throw.
17. You gain an ability to to detect the next lie you hear, whether or not it's directed at you.
18. You can re-roll the next miss chance you make due to concealment or cover.
19. The next time you would be dropped to negatives, you instead roll with the damage and are left with 1 hit point.
20. You know the next dangerous thing the next person you meet is going to do, and feel uneasy when it's going to happen.[/sblock]


Rystil Arden with Ianissa, daughter of prophecy - [sblock]The water elemental scholars of Taala's court were employeed to given Ianissa a reward for her services, and after much consideration, asked permission to give empower Miera. With much effort, they gave the little aeon several new gifts, including speech, mobility, and a greater ability to protect. Mechanically, she can speak Aquan in addition to empathy, and is now a +4 dancing buckler.[/sblock]

Voidrazor with Oobobooboo - [sblock]A few of the ooze elementals found Oobobooboo to be a perfectly delightful companion. They were asked to create a gift for the sentient ooze for his services rendered. To facilitate some of his more hilarious tricks, they created a small glowing amulet that would allow him to alter his color patterns and transparency. Mechanically it gives him a +10 to Hide checks constantly, and can allow him to turn transparent, giving him a 50% miss chance to be hit, for up to one hour a day, divided up how he likes.[/sblock]

 

[Rystil Arden]

[SBLOCK=Isida]Cool!

Dancing is for weapons, I think--it lets them fly away to somewhere else and keep attacking on its own, but I doubt it would keep the shield AC bonus if a shield did that . Do you mean she counts as an Animated Shield? That's the one where it doesn't take up a hand and floats around protecting you, though it is typically only used by people who want to fight with a two-handed weapon and isn't much use to spellcasters.[/SBLOCK]

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Rystil - Yeah, that's what I mean. That thing. That thing that's useful.

 

[Rystil Arden]

Okey dokey. Because technically, you are allowed to make a Dancing Shield that Shield-Bashes things and stuff--it would just be silly

 

[Rystil Arden]

Hmmm, looking over all the characters for niches, it looks like Nissa is one of many Rogue/skill people who can also cast low-level magic. Unlike some of them, though, Nissa can't really fight, but looking over everyone, and especially considering the 3 more AC she just got (thanks Isida!), it looks like Nissa might be best off, ironically, as party tank (she can't beat the HP of Treb and the others with full 8 HD, but she has 12 more AC than the runner-up, plus a 50% miss chance).

I'm also thinking of swapping out Ship's Mage (I'll get it next level) for Weapon Finesse, so she can hit more easily with her drown attack.

Speaking of which, I just realised that since it's a Su ability, it can't be dispelled, so the Drown effect will pretty much automatically kill its target eventually if they fail the Fort save, unless they don't care about having lungs full of water, of course, which I'm afraid perhaps most of our foes may not.

 

[Kelleris]

Hmmm, looking over all the characters for niches, it looks like Nissa is one of many Rogue/skill people who can also cast low-level magic. Unlike some of them, though, Nissa can't really fight, but looking over everyone, and especially considering the 3 more AC she just got (thanks Isida!), it looks like Nissa might be best off, ironically, as party tank (she can't beat the HP of Treb and the others with full 8 HD, but she has 12 more AC than the runner-up, plus a 50% miss chance).

I'm also thinking of swapping out Ship's Mage (I'll get it next level) for Weapon Finesse, so she can hit more easily with her drown attack.

Speaking of which, I just realised that since it's a Su ability, it can't be dispelled, so the Drown effect will pretty much automatically kill its target eventually if they fail the Fort save, unless they don't care about having lungs full of water, of course, which I'm afraid perhaps most of our foes may not.

I thought nereids only had the 50% miss chance in water, where they can blend in?

And yeah, an at-will death attack does seem like a bit much (the drown thing is at will, right)?

 

[Kelleris]

What Nissa Thinks of Other Characters:

Hmm, I guess I should do one of these myself.

Lupaz--Lupaz has to be the most depressing blink dog Nissa has ever seen. However, he may also be the wisest and most well-traveled. Most Blink Dogs live a carefree life, much like the one Nissa once lived when she was younger, and she remembered playing with some of the cutest Blink Dog puppies who were incredibly adorable when she was little...Why was Lupaz depressing then? He kind of reminds her of herself under Ananke's grasp, exuberant innocence transformed to fatalism and acceptance. Nissa doesn't care one whit about the rumours of bad luck to all those who associate with him--she's vowed to cheer Lupaz up no matter what...but is she really doing it for him or out of some kind of selfish desire to help herself by proxy, a doubting voice whispers to her at night.

Heh, I'm not sure what you'd have to do to get "exuberant innocence" out of Lupaz - he's pretty much the way he is for good at this point, barring something drastic happening like a change from unlucky to lucky. I do like the idea that Lupaz has a somewhat sinister reputation even though he can control the cursing effect now, though. That's actually something he would encourage, in fact, maybe simply by chuckling drily at others' misfortunes (little things only, though - I'm talking about dropping a plate of food, not losing your family here). Anything that helps the old Intimidate check...

As for the adventure with the water elemental crime lord previous to the game, perhaps it was smuggling air goblin children for use as slave labor. Oobobooboo, at that time probably had no idea what crime lords or slave labor is. If there is a PC who finds the ooze annoying, Oobobooboo was probably following and imititating him/her, and thought it was just playing a game when it helped.

I thought a cabal of water elemental alchemists illegally brewing and trading in poisons would be interesting. It should be something that actually requires the island-ship, though, whatever it is. And I'd prefer having only one prior mission together if that's okay with everyone, since we'll wind up exploring each others' characters in play anyway, so I think it would behoove us not to already be best buddies.

Lupaz, the Hound of Ill Omen - It was lucky that this one could communicate telepathically or there'd be some boring conversations. Tempest loves hanging out with Lupaz, one of his favourite sayings is "everything looks brighter when you've got the hound for a companion - there's always someone nearby who feels they're in a worse situation than you". He prefers doing jobs that require stealth and tact without the dog being present though, too many things seem to go wrong when the dog is about (in fact Tempest had a sneaking suspicion that Lupaz might have been responsible for the time he spent in Bluegorge, he vaguely recalled a dog lounging about near where he lost the documents).

For what it's worth, I can also cast tongues. I assume that "the ability to speak and understand the language of any intelligent creature" overcomes little things like not having the right speech organs. And I would think that Lupaz would be your natural companion for stealth stuff, actually, since I have max Hide and Move Silently as well as things like disguise self, scent, Knowledge (local and geography), and the ability to inflict a -13 penalty on Spot and Listen checks without making a sound.

If you want to bulk up the Bluegorge portion of your backstory, remember that I left a bunch of sneaky water kobold saboteurs and disorganized bands of fire ogres to other people. If you feel like your guy could be of decisive use against one of those threats, feel free to elaborate on them.