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City of Brass: Author Playtest Notes
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<blockquote data-quote="bowbe" data-source="post: 3750337" data-attributes="member: 6328"><p><strong>Part 3: The Tax Man Cometh</strong></p><p></p><p>SO the intrepid adventurers make it into the City of Brass, the Fire Giant Guards let them right in and they take a moment to bathe in the spectacle of the upper city with its minarets, ziggurat, towers, palaces, and spires. Ok... actually they don't. They goof on me for reading the description and have lots of side bar conversations, just like every other group of gamers when faced with a DM giving a description of a place they think is REALLY cool and deserving of a flavor text montage. </p><p></p><p>Of course, these guys are ready to go shopping and find a place to stay, and maybe test out the extra planar ale and wenches to see if its really "different" than ale and wenches back home. They get about ten steps onto the Sultan's Boulevard when they are approached by the Tax Man from the SRS (Sultan's Revenue Service) and his flanking bodyguards (A quartet of Fire Giants).</p><p></p><p>After casting detect magic, identify, detect metal and the like, the tax man informs them that they owe an annual tax of 15% of the value of all their carried loot. Since most of these guys have bags of holding crammed with things both mundane and fabulous, that amounts to a VERY large tax. TO make matters worse the tax collector refuses to take their payout in gold and jewels, and insists on Brass Pieces... which of course they don't have. Grumbling and very P.Oed the PCs are escourted to the money changer who skeeves them for another 5-15% based on diplomacy, intimidate, or charisma rolls. </p><p></p><p>They get their ivory chit, (to avoid getting dinged again in the near future) and ask the Tax man where they can find a job or a place to stay now that a sizeable amount of their left-over fortune is gone! Not wanting to be a total bastich, the tax collector informs the PCs that there have been issues with squatters out in the Plane of Molten Skies... being wizards, dragons, formians and the like who have set up a residence in the Plane, but have yet to file their tax papers with the Bureau of Taxation, and are thus breaking the Sultan's Law. </p><p></p><p>Feeling the need to kill something and take its stuff after having their stuff taken, the PCs agree and get their first (and last) assignment from the Tax Man and become temporary agents of the SRS. </p><p></p><p>They head back out into the waste lands, no longer having money to buy the extravagant loot they think they need at prices they can't afford. </p><p></p><p>Destination: The Tower of Jhedophar. </p><p></p><p>K-- I won't go into every detail of the 3 session excursion to the Tower of Jhedophar. I wrote it and it fit nicely into the framework of the adventure, as I had left some tie ins from TOJ to the COB when I wrote it. The batte with the Glass Wyrms had sorta given these guys a bit of a pause to think they maybe "weren't tough enough" at my suggested level of play so as one guy put it "Lets go Dragon Warrior and Kill some Slimes to level up". </p><p></p><p>Quick Recap of What Happened at the TOJ</p><p></p><p>Elandrin the Cleric Died at the Hands of Nazoj the Demiurge. PCs had to use the one wish from the ring of wishes in the dragons lair to resurrect him. </p><p></p><p>Ard Leader of our People Died from a Finger of Death Spell... Elandrin had to Raise him. I used the alternate rule for the Roll to avoid losing XP and he made it. </p><p></p><p>Glandrin the Dwarf's lucky +3 dwarven waraxe desintegrated by a spell gorged zombie. </p><p></p><p>Sam Quenton 1: Teleported to a chamber full of shadow rats and shadows, swarmed, and reduced to 2 strength (belt of strength +2 saves his life, but he cannot move and is trapped in the room, starving to death). His player informs me his job is sending him out of state for several months and he prolly wont be back but is enjoying himself. My buddy brings his own rogue... who we name Sam Quenton and presume that its the same guy with a split personality with totally differnt skills when he is located sometime during session 2. </p><p></p><p>In Session 2:The PCs make the back-and-forth deals with Exeterus and Jhedophar, first taking the dragons deal, then the Liches, kill the dragon. Quenton two rolls something like 6 natural 20's in a row, with his bow against the dragon. It's so much sick damage I can't even fathom it, especially since the first shot was a sneak attack! Egads man, your twice the rogue Quenton 1 was!</p><p></p><p>They go back to claim their taxes from Jhedophar and he's skipped the tower, taking most of his really good stuff (including the Mandrake Staff) with him. He is gracious enough to leave the PCs a note telling them that 50% of the dragons horde should make up for the taxes he forgot to pay, and thanks for taking care of the dragon for me "Love, Jhedophar." PS. I have a swank new place in the City of Brass, come see me sometime. </p><p></p><p>Rhy ends up with the +5 tower shield AND the uber magic sword. His AC is now pushing the limits of my sanity, but hey, I put the crap in the book, so I get what I payed for. Downside is the sword has more ego and wits than he does. I don't want to play that card on this particular player tho, as he seems a bit testy as it is what with the big AC and all that. On his own he begins to think... maybe I should be a paladin so that the sword will work better for me. </p><p></p><p>I print up some stuff about paladins, oaths, honor, piety, humility, and so on from my standard campaign spiel, as a guideline to help him out, figuring he can take the paladin prestige class if he can follow the basics. Of course he wants to level up a couple more levels in fighter first for the feats... strike 1 there eh? Hahaha. It gets better when he starts talking about taking his cut of gems and coin to have it enchanted as a flying shield so he can go two handed with the bastard sword. Some players I tell ya. But he works at the shop we are running at so i'm taking it easy and not letting any of the cheese bug me too much. Hell I'm happy to be running COB right?</p><p></p><p>All told, the PCs do get some good loot, and some decent magic items + the taxes and recoup their loss from the tax man. The dwarf wants to switch to a maul as he ran across a few things that didnt take damage from slashing weapons and didn't care too much for that. The dwarf os showing some of his nearly unkillable nature but the player is really likeable and RPs his character VERY well!</p><p></p><p>Everybody levels up, gets their cheese on, and it's back to the COB. </p><p></p><p>Until Next Time.</p><p></p><p>Case</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="bowbe, post: 3750337, member: 6328"] [b]Part 3: The Tax Man Cometh[/b] SO the intrepid adventurers make it into the City of Brass, the Fire Giant Guards let them right in and they take a moment to bathe in the spectacle of the upper city with its minarets, ziggurat, towers, palaces, and spires. Ok... actually they don't. They goof on me for reading the description and have lots of side bar conversations, just like every other group of gamers when faced with a DM giving a description of a place they think is REALLY cool and deserving of a flavor text montage. Of course, these guys are ready to go shopping and find a place to stay, and maybe test out the extra planar ale and wenches to see if its really "different" than ale and wenches back home. They get about ten steps onto the Sultan's Boulevard when they are approached by the Tax Man from the SRS (Sultan's Revenue Service) and his flanking bodyguards (A quartet of Fire Giants). After casting detect magic, identify, detect metal and the like, the tax man informs them that they owe an annual tax of 15% of the value of all their carried loot. Since most of these guys have bags of holding crammed with things both mundane and fabulous, that amounts to a VERY large tax. TO make matters worse the tax collector refuses to take their payout in gold and jewels, and insists on Brass Pieces... which of course they don't have. Grumbling and very P.Oed the PCs are escourted to the money changer who skeeves them for another 5-15% based on diplomacy, intimidate, or charisma rolls. They get their ivory chit, (to avoid getting dinged again in the near future) and ask the Tax man where they can find a job or a place to stay now that a sizeable amount of their left-over fortune is gone! Not wanting to be a total bastich, the tax collector informs the PCs that there have been issues with squatters out in the Plane of Molten Skies... being wizards, dragons, formians and the like who have set up a residence in the Plane, but have yet to file their tax papers with the Bureau of Taxation, and are thus breaking the Sultan's Law. Feeling the need to kill something and take its stuff after having their stuff taken, the PCs agree and get their first (and last) assignment from the Tax Man and become temporary agents of the SRS. They head back out into the waste lands, no longer having money to buy the extravagant loot they think they need at prices they can't afford. Destination: The Tower of Jhedophar. K-- I won't go into every detail of the 3 session excursion to the Tower of Jhedophar. I wrote it and it fit nicely into the framework of the adventure, as I had left some tie ins from TOJ to the COB when I wrote it. The batte with the Glass Wyrms had sorta given these guys a bit of a pause to think they maybe "weren't tough enough" at my suggested level of play so as one guy put it "Lets go Dragon Warrior and Kill some Slimes to level up". Quick Recap of What Happened at the TOJ Elandrin the Cleric Died at the Hands of Nazoj the Demiurge. PCs had to use the one wish from the ring of wishes in the dragons lair to resurrect him. Ard Leader of our People Died from a Finger of Death Spell... Elandrin had to Raise him. I used the alternate rule for the Roll to avoid losing XP and he made it. Glandrin the Dwarf's lucky +3 dwarven waraxe desintegrated by a spell gorged zombie. Sam Quenton 1: Teleported to a chamber full of shadow rats and shadows, swarmed, and reduced to 2 strength (belt of strength +2 saves his life, but he cannot move and is trapped in the room, starving to death). His player informs me his job is sending him out of state for several months and he prolly wont be back but is enjoying himself. My buddy brings his own rogue... who we name Sam Quenton and presume that its the same guy with a split personality with totally differnt skills when he is located sometime during session 2. In Session 2:The PCs make the back-and-forth deals with Exeterus and Jhedophar, first taking the dragons deal, then the Liches, kill the dragon. Quenton two rolls something like 6 natural 20's in a row, with his bow against the dragon. It's so much sick damage I can't even fathom it, especially since the first shot was a sneak attack! Egads man, your twice the rogue Quenton 1 was! They go back to claim their taxes from Jhedophar and he's skipped the tower, taking most of his really good stuff (including the Mandrake Staff) with him. He is gracious enough to leave the PCs a note telling them that 50% of the dragons horde should make up for the taxes he forgot to pay, and thanks for taking care of the dragon for me "Love, Jhedophar." PS. I have a swank new place in the City of Brass, come see me sometime. Rhy ends up with the +5 tower shield AND the uber magic sword. His AC is now pushing the limits of my sanity, but hey, I put the crap in the book, so I get what I payed for. Downside is the sword has more ego and wits than he does. I don't want to play that card on this particular player tho, as he seems a bit testy as it is what with the big AC and all that. On his own he begins to think... maybe I should be a paladin so that the sword will work better for me. I print up some stuff about paladins, oaths, honor, piety, humility, and so on from my standard campaign spiel, as a guideline to help him out, figuring he can take the paladin prestige class if he can follow the basics. Of course he wants to level up a couple more levels in fighter first for the feats... strike 1 there eh? Hahaha. It gets better when he starts talking about taking his cut of gems and coin to have it enchanted as a flying shield so he can go two handed with the bastard sword. Some players I tell ya. But he works at the shop we are running at so i'm taking it easy and not letting any of the cheese bug me too much. Hell I'm happy to be running COB right? All told, the PCs do get some good loot, and some decent magic items + the taxes and recoup their loss from the tax man. The dwarf wants to switch to a maul as he ran across a few things that didnt take damage from slashing weapons and didn't care too much for that. The dwarf os showing some of his nearly unkillable nature but the player is really likeable and RPs his character VERY well! Everybody levels up, gets their cheese on, and it's back to the COB. Until Next Time. Case [/QUOTE]
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