Looking for input for an as of yet untitled Daunton mystery

[hafrogman]

I don't know how you'd feel about taking. . .

. . . an unapproved character (fits right in with an unapproved adventure, hopefully they'd be ready at the same time.)

. . . another defender (yeah, I know you're short a striker, but we could just aim to grind the enemies into submission.)

. . . in fact, another fighter (looking over Woe, I think they're mechanically different enough. Different powers, different skills, different emphases.)

But I figured I'd express my interest anyways. Tristan's hooks don't exactly seem to lend themselves to the adventure. I made my hooks a little more long term. He just ran away, it's a bit early for his past to be dragging him back already. But I still think he might fit under the earlier expressed idea of a sterling reputation.

Rather than being known for being honest, it's more a question of being not known at all. Being a stranger, he has never heard of the Screamer, and therefore lacks any personal axe to grind one way or the other with regards to the paper. That could make him a usefully impartial assistant in the investigation.

 

[Graf]

>That works better than the idea I was about to post. Let's go with it.
Great!

hafrogman

Be happy to have you. I'll take a look at Tristan's back story and see what we can work up. There are other story angles that could reasonably work as well.

A party that's 5 controllers is challenging for a DM, but you can really just keep adding defenders on without limit in my opinion. (visa vie say... a warrior in WoW where their power is tied to whether people keep hitting them -> multiple warriors wind up degrading the groups effectiveness because no one warrior has that critical mass of rage (or whatever they call that red bar) that allows them to keep the aggro and keep the monster from going after the second rank of squishies).

In DnD a group that has several defenders just has a different (but still strong) combat profile. IMHO.

 

[KenHood]

When do we play?

 

[Graf]

As soon as I get it submitted and approved...

I know I'm writing for a full party now (more or less) so that makes it a lot easier.

I'd planned to have it earlier in the week but the revival-of-lets-change-the-setting in the general thread is.... time consuming....

But I'll get the summary and breakdown sent to the judges within four or so hours. Once we're approved I'll start. Maybe tomorrow afternoon my time?

 

[Dunamin]

Welcome to the team hafrogman!

It will be nice with another fighter; I’ve noticed that being lone defender can sometimes get a little too deadly if you bite off more than you can chew. Woe and Tristan also certainly look to be clearly mechanically distinguished from each other – about the only thing they have in common is universal fighter features, one power, and two trained skills.

However , I find it more interesting that all the current members of the party seem to be very different personalities. It’s going to be fun to see what kind of social dynamic that results in.

 

[Graf]

hafrogman,

I took a look at your character background. Very flavorful. In some ways you'd have fit perfectly into the other game I was planning (currently on indefinite hiatus).

Lets see if I can square the circle a bit. (this is not my best work it sort of short-circuits your agency so let me know if you don't like it...)

[sblock=Just when I thought I was out...]The services of a trained bodyguard are quite difficult to come by. A discrete master swordsman who's served for a generation...?

You were certain to receive interested requests. But one was particularly rapid.

Within an hour of Alandria accepting your request Consensco, the acting governor, requested your assistance. He met you in his parlor, pale but sober though whether it was because of reports of his drunkenness are exaturated or the early hour of the day you could not say.

You were aware, he was sure, of the "temporary difficulties". And with the news of your current availability he hoped he could prevail upon you for a your assistance.
In the name of the Imperium, of course.

There was a wizard, on the nearby island of Daunton; despite his absurd name he was apparently "quite bright for a provincial". Would you be kind enough to accompany his lieutenant governor to the isle, and assist him as necessary to secure the wizards assistance?

The Imperium, or at least Consensco, would, you were assured, be in your debt.

<<presuming Tristan says yes>>

And so you found yourself, traveling with a most loathsome toady. Lentesco is the sort of temperavir that gives the whole lot a bad name; it's almost impossible to imagine the man is descended from an eladrin, or anything else that walks upright.

The visit to the wizard turned out to bear out every one of Tristan's bad impressions about the half-elf. It quickly became apparent that Lentesco had no money or anything of value with which to bargain (bearing out rumors that the Imperial Outpost is virtually destitute); the temperavir proceeded to assert that Tristan's services should suffice as payment.

The wizard gestured to a muscular dark skinned human man standing nearby and suggested that he already had a "a man of more-than-sufficient marital skills" at his disposal.

Lentesco, apparently quite desperate to not return home empty handed, promptly asserted that this was an offence to Tristan's martial skills and honor. Tristan could easily defeat "this poor fellow" and suggested that you "forthwith to the nearest colosseum or other suitable arena that this honorable warrior be given the chance to demonstrate his skills and clear his name".

The wizard, whose name was Doddoddod, grew quite flustered and assured you that, in fact, he had not intended to insult the gentleman's (i.e. Tristan's) honor.

Lentesco pounced on the opportunity and before anyone, including Doddoddod, really seemed to realize what was going on the wizard had agreed to accept your service as payment for looking into the outpost's "temporary difficulties".
[/sblock]

Again, that's just a rough draft suggestion.

I could set up a more random-encounter type thing, but this has a few advantages for me in terms of requiring less "pressure". (I.e. I don't have to brute force a random encounter between Tristan the party to ensure that you wind up working together).

If we want a more emotionally charged and tightly knit hook we could go with "when you ask Alandria to release you she agrees but begs you to offer your services to assist Consensco so she can get married and go home (not that she says that, exactly, but that's what she means)".

[d]--[/d]

Incidentally, I see Dod*3 as being less slick socially than Nero Wolfe (NW is pretty slick, no?).

 

[hafrogman]

I took a look at your character background. Very flavorful. In some ways you'd have fit perfectly into the other game I was planning (currently on indefinite hiatus).

Lets see if I can square the circle a bit. (this is not my best work it sort of short-circuits your agency so let me know if you don't like it...)

Well, I don't think I'll wait around for your indefinite hiatus game, no matter how perfectly I'd fit.

I like your suggestion quite a bit actually.

Any of the other job offers are heard politely, but since they all involve remaining at the outpost (either working there, or awaiting a return through the portal), they are then politely refused. Seeing as Consensco's offer involves, if nothing else, a way to get off the island, he accepts it. His intention being to escort Lentesco off the island, to the wizard, and then back to the boat, but no further.

When he finds his services being bartered off like so many sacks of grain, he is far from impressed. But nonetheless, he will serve as he has promised. At least he's put some water between him and his past.


As for Doddoddod's social skills, I would imagine it could still be entirely up in the air as to who got the better of what deal. As long as he believes that he got one over on the Eladrin, then I'm sure he's happy.

 

[Dunamin]

The wizard gestured to a muscular dark skinned human man standing nearby and suggested that he already had a "a man of more-than-sufficient marital skills" at his disposal.

"Puny high elf, you’re no match for my marital skills! I could orchestrate a mass wedding faster than you could say “was that a typo?”!"

Lentesco, apparently quite desperate to not return home empty handed, promptly asserted that this was an offence to Tristan's martial skills and honor. Tristan could easily defeat "this poor fellow" and suggested that you "forthwith to the nearest colosseum or other suitable arena that this honorable warrior be given the chance to demonstrate his skills and clear his name".

Heh. If this hook is used as is, you can make certain Woe will bring the episode up and be quite vocal on his own opinion.

 

[hafrogman]

"Puny high elf, you’re no match for my marital skills! I could orchestrate a mass wedding faster than you could say “was that a typo?”!"

That is the funniest thing I have run into today. Of course, as a "A discrete master swordsman", I'm sure that your marital skills not withstanding, you could still carve me up into separate pieces.

Heh. If this hook is used as is, you can make certain Woe will bring the episode up and be quite vocal on his own opinion.

That could be a lot of fun, actually. Because it would of course be far beneath Tristan to react. Sort of like the British palace guards.

 

[Dunamin]

I foresee great potential for entertainment in a developing rivalry among the two, especially because it would also feed into Palindrome's eye-roll disposition to such "acts of the rabble".

Can't wait to get adventuring!