Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
You know the bit in Douglas Adams' Life, The Universe and Everything where the court witness swears to testify the whole truth? Pretty sure Bufer's player knows that bit as well.
Ptolus: Midwood - "The Dark Waters of Moss Pond"
- Thread starter Whizbang Dustyboots
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Gnome Quixote
First Post
Heh. Guilty as charged.
I actually put a great deal of thought into how Bufer--a natural-born trickster with max ranks in Bluff--would act and speak within a zone of truth. That "strange sensation" he feels as he steps into it is several decades' worth of carefully-cultivated pretense dropping away and leaving him, essentially, naked. He's totally unaccustomed to being completely and absolutely honest.
No one but Whiz ever commented on the radical shift in Bufer's behavior--the loss of his country-bumpkin accent, his suddenly much-improved vocabulary, etc. I suspect it's because most assumed he'd just stepped it up for the Baron's sake, but that in itself would have been a duplicity. The idea was that this is who Bufer really is deep down, even if he himself doesn't fully realize it.
I actually put a great deal of thought into how Bufer--a natural-born trickster with max ranks in Bluff--would act and speak within a zone of truth. That "strange sensation" he feels as he steps into it is several decades' worth of carefully-cultivated pretense dropping away and leaving him, essentially, naked. He's totally unaccustomed to being completely and absolutely honest.
No one but Whiz ever commented on the radical shift in Bufer's behavior--the loss of his country-bumpkin accent, his suddenly much-improved vocabulary, etc. I suspect it's because most assumed he'd just stepped it up for the Baron's sake, but that in itself would have been a duplicity. The idea was that this is who Bufer really is deep down, even if he himself doesn't fully realize it.
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
So, Khenemet-Apep was relying on being able to tell the truth in the zone of truth -- and controlling his own testimony so he wouldn't have to disclose anything he didn't want to (he's much more of a rat bastard than he presents himself as being, as we'll see in future adventures), but he's also relying on the fact that a geas spell works in a very specific way, as will be mentioned shortly.
Emus Graymullet
Explorer
Huh. I never picked up on that. Neat.Whizbang Dustyboots said:
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
Jecture, of course, is the head of the school of divination at the Redhurst Academy of Magic, available through Human Head/Green Ronin. Anyone interested in running a Harry Potter-style game (or just a D&D fan who also digs Harry Potter) should definitely check it out.
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
I wanted to create a non-evil opponent for the player characters. Bishop Lehmann isn't evil -- he's a Lawful Neutral cleric of Lothian -- but he genuinely believes his faith is the only true faith and he strongly desires to be the Archbishop of Grail Keep.
From his perspective, the player characters are absolutely in the wrong: What hurts Maidensbridge is the residents turning away from the light of Lothian, to the Old Prustan Gods and to the gods of dwarves and gnomes. So his opposition doesn't come from malice, but from a passionately held religious conviction.
And, of course, he's a consummately skilled player in the church hierarchy, where the player characters barely know the rules. And, as you'll see, he plays hardball in a big way.
From his perspective, the player characters are absolutely in the wrong: What hurts Maidensbridge is the residents turning away from the light of Lothian, to the Old Prustan Gods and to the gods of dwarves and gnomes. So his opposition doesn't come from malice, but from a passionately held religious conviction.
And, of course, he's a consummately skilled player in the church hierarchy, where the player characters barely know the rules. And, as you'll see, he plays hardball in a big way.
Whizbang Dustyboots
Gnometown Hero
And that's the end of that. Next up we have a brief interlude written by Katadid's player and then we start the campaign in two new directions: The heroes of Midwood attempting to stop the plan of the Tiamat-worshipping kobolds (whatever it is) along with navigating the political waters of the barony and church while the fugitives run for safety beyond the long reach of the Tarsisian Empire. (The latter being aided by still-existant technology like the Grailwardens' heliograph system.)
For the sake of speeding up the story hour, I cut the introduction of a very unusual kobold who will show up in the abbey adventure in a week or so. There will be more to say about the kobold named Flower at that point.
For the sake of speeding up the story hour, I cut the introduction of a very unusual kobold who will show up in the abbey adventure in a week or so. There will be more to say about the kobold named Flower at that point.
Renraw Kem
First Post
Jerk!
Actually, Trench's piece will be a fine introduction.
Actually, Trench's piece will be a fine introduction.
Renraw Kem
First Post
Actually, looking back at what we actually wrote, it looks like you skipped a bunch of those epilogues...Kat's notes to everyone, Hazel's bit, Tucker's girlfriend...the contents of Tock's and Renraw's notes, Emmerson's note...I don't know that any of them were essential to the story, but they did add a little more flavor and background, I thought.
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