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[Mark]

The way I see it, once you begin actively looking for something, it requires a Search roll. Spotting is something that happens when you aren't participating actively (you simply "notice" it). Anything I describe without you asking is the result of Spot Check, anything that you see by you asking, is the result of a Search Check.

The modifiers that you bring to bear when actively Searching (as you were) are based on your Ranks in that Skill adjusted by your Intelligence Modifier and whatever Circumstantial Bonus or Penality I deem is in effect.

Bonses and Penalities can be enhanced by your own description of how you engage in the activity of Searching (how specific you describe the activity), I.E. "Merchant", "Fat Purse", "Back Turned", "Holding a Tray of Sausage Samples", etc. Searching for a merchant with a fat purse, could well lead you to miss Spotting the guard who has walked up behind you. The one who is in your party is familiar with your family history and certainly will have bonuses to Spotting you if you do something untoward, and greater bonuses if he is actively Searching for you to do something illegal...if you decide to do so.

Remember, too, that you are out of your element. You are unused to being in this crowded of an environment. All things new have a tendancy to distract and, possibly briefly, beguile you. This ain't your turf and that's gonna hurt your chances at various things, while those in opposition (should you get into opposing situations with others) will have advantages.

That's my take on it, for what it's worth...

 

[Mark]

Personally, I'd rather not... Partially because, I'm using my regular username for my character's name... Partially because, when I post in In-game threads I purposefully avoid using signatures. They tend to unecessarily clutter up the thread.

But let me think about it...

PS. Well that's kind of neat, it automatically updated all my old signatures... How does this format look?

Nice and neat...and handy! Not too much clutter for how useful it is. Plus it saves you having to look up the modifiers, you simply say "Using Intimidate!" or whatever it is you "jack"-booted town guards do to gain info...

Perhaps you could start a screen name that is simply "Haggerty" for this game and use that sig for "Haggerty"? Then you could go back to your regular sig for "Jack Haggerty"? Just a thought.

 

[Mark]

Something like this?

STR 10 (0), DEX 8 (-1), CON 14 (+2), INT 12 (+1), WIS 16 (+3), CHA 14 (+2)
REF -1, FOR +4, WIL +7
HP 10, INIT -1, AC 13 (-1 DEX, +3 studded leather, +1 small shield)
Attacks: +0 morningstar 1d8 x2; Feats: Combat Casting, Iron Will
Sp. Abilities: Healing and Protection domains, Turn Undead 5/day, Spells (3 0-level, 2 1-level, 1 1-level domain)
Skills: Concentration +6 (4), Diplomacy +5 (3), Heal +7 (4), Knowledge (Religion) +4 (3), Spellcraft +3 (2)

Oh yes! That's useful as all hell, ain't it? And it is easily tweaked as you gain levels. Much nicer than having a seperate thread.

 

[Mark]

"Holding a Tray of Sausage Samples"

I crack me up sometimes, ya know?

 

[Jack Haggerty]

Nice and neat...and handy! Not too much clutter for how useful it is. Plus it saves you having to look up the modifiers, you simply say "Using Intimidate!" or whatever it is you "jack"-booted town guards do to gain info...

Cash.

Perhaps you could start a screen name that is simply "Haggerty" for this game and use that sig for "Haggerty"? Then you could go back to your regular sig for "Jack Haggerty"? Just a thought.

Nah... I needed a new sig anyway. I can just turn it off when I don't want to use it.

Ashrem - You can always work some examples into your RPing... When Jack goes into the bar to look for Mr. Chandler, he'll probably ask the bartender a few specific questions. After that, however, it might be something like...

"Jack makes his way from table to to table listing in to any conversationists who don't have the sense to quiet down in the presence of a town guard. Here and there he drops a question, and perhaps a few coppers if necessary, inquiring into the whereabouts of Mr. Chandler... How much he had to drink last night, who he was drinking, when he left the bar, and which direction he was headed in.

Gather Information +1"

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

The way I see it, once you begin actively looking for something, it requires a Search roll. Spotting is something that happens when you aren't participating actively (you simply "notice" it). Anything I describe without you asking is the result of Spot Check, anything that you see by you asking, is the result of a Search Check.

Yes. Ok.

The modifiers that you bring to bear when actively Searching (as you were) are based on your Ranks in that Skill adjusted by your Intelligence Modifier and whatever Circumstantial Bonus or Penality I deem is in effect.

uh-huh

Bonses and Penalities can be enhanced by your own description of how you engage in the activity of Searching (how specific you describe the activity), I.E. "Merchant", "Fat Purse", "Back Turned", "Holding a Tray of Sausage Samples", etc. Searching for a merchant with a fat purse, could well lead you to miss Spotting the guard who has walked up behind you. The one who is in your party is familiar with your family history and certainly will have bonuses to Spotting you if you do something untoward, and greater bonuses if he is actively Searching for you to do something illegal...if you decide to do so.

I understand how you get your bonuses and penalties. Your going to modify the DC depending on how detailed I get. That's fine, but when I wasn't very specific, you didn't give me a roll at all. A -4 or -6 or whatever would have been fine, he wasn't trying very hard. He wasn't looking for a specific thing, he was looking for anything of intrest. You could have just said he didn't see anything of note.

I'm not sure how the difficulty of the check came into the discussion. I'm not worried about the DC, just the fact that the check was never made. It just seemed like a simple Spot check (with modifiers) to me since he wasn't looking for anything specific. He was just paying attention to his surroundings. Maybe it should have been a Search check. Your the man, whatever you want. Spot or Search, regardless of modifiers, I didn't get to perform either.

Again, give me an example of how I should have worded the action. That seems like the simplest way to straighten this out.

Remember, too, that you are out of your element. You are unused to being in this crowded of an environment. All things new have a tendancy to distract and, possibly briefly, beguile you. This ain't your turf and that's gonna hurt your chances at various things, while those in opposition (should you get into opposing situations with others) will have advantages. [/B]

I'm not sure why this isn't my element. I was under the impression that he came to the town pretty regularly. He didn't get a +6 in Pick Pocket by stealing milk from cows or a +6 Disable Device by freeing possoms from bear traps.

His skills point in almost every way at being an urban thief which was my intention when I created him.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

Ashrem - You can always work some examples into your RPing... When Jack goes into the bar to look for Mr. Chandler, he'll probably ask the bartender a few specific questions. After that, however, it might be something like...

Yea. Thats what I plan to do. However, in the scene in question, he wasn't doing anything specific. He was just looking around.

I could have said:

Shade slips through the crowd of people, quickly running his eyes over them, searching for their coin.

[Search Check]

Seeing the fat merchant he slips up behind him and follows for a few paces to make sure he isn't being watched.

[Search or Spot Check]

Slipping a dagger from his sleave he quickly catches up to the merchant and bumps his shoulder as he attemptes to cut his purse strings. He does this as someone approaches from his other side so that it appears that he brushes him while trying to avoid the other person.

[Pick Pocket Check]

"Excuse me sir. I seem to be a tad more clumsy then usual today." he says as he deftly tucks the purse away.

[Bluff chack maybe, but I beleive this is part of the Pick Pocket check. Especially since you get a synergy bonus to Pick Pocket from 5 ranks in Bluff.]


I think that is what Mark wants for something like a Pick Pocket attempt. But when your just looking around for nothing in particular, how detailed can you be?

 

[Lichtenhart]

Mark, if you don't mind, I'll keep this username and I'll show the stats as my new sig, because continually log in/log out isn't handy at all.

I think it is useful to keep track of spells (3** mean I've already cast two of them), hps (4/10) and some modifier, while we keep equipment and treasure on the other thread.

Good idea!

 

[Lichtenhart]

Ash, I think you are in the wrong town to catch someone off guard; dull people simply can't survive here (look at master Chandler)

 

[Jack Haggerty]

By the way, Mark...

Is it a bother to you, if we add in details (that don't really affect the game) you may have left out?

Giving Ponulia's father and the longshoremen names, for example...