[Re-Recruitment] When Journalists Attack!

[Dark Eternal]

DE:

I really like the character. I want to think some more about the details, and some of the hooks you've left dangling, but overall I'm very pleased with this. I'll touch on a few mechanics for everyone, then get back to you later on today with some background thought.

Which works quite well for me. (Glad you like him!)

DE: Argent is in fact correct: boots of striding/springing are 6,000 gp. It's a cool ability that meshes well with your character, so you've got to save 3500 gp.

Doh. I should have known 2,500gp seemed too good to be true. (sigh)

...and after I already gave up on the Ring of Jumping I so wanted...

How can you do that? You can play a little on the dangerous side, and ditch the landing, which saves you all the money you need. Dropping the cloak saves you +1000, and I'll also allow you to downgrade an item: you could take a +5/+5 eye of aware for 1000 instead of 4000. Your choices.

Pah; no contest. I took the armor of landing because: 1) it seemed to fit my character's style, and 2) I'd never seen anyone use the ability before... but if it comes down to 'landing' or my precious boots, guess what?

My personal style meter says it would be oh so fun to sub out alertness and inner strength and instead take psionic charge and up the walls. Running on walls, jumping all over the place: what could possibly be better! You could then sub out spider climb for skate (110 ft base move, or 140ft downhill?), or expanded vision, or sense link, all of which seem useful.

*blink. blink.*

You know, you're rather good at this. *grins*

DE and SixChan: it should be noted that edged projectile weapons are also illegal. It shouldn't be too hard to hide your hand crossbow (although hiding it means a move-equivalent to recover it), but your shortbow is a much bigger liability. I know you're already strapped for cash DE, but gloves of storing are nice for this kind of thing.

Hmmm. I really don't want to try and free up any more money... how about I just carry a sling, instead? Then, if I ever really need the firepower of a shortbow, I can always use Call Weaponry.

Alternatively, of course, I could simply rely on the hat of disguise to keep the bow concealed... couldn't I?

 

[anonystu]

Alternatively, of course, I could simply rely on the hat of disguise to keep the bow concealed... couldn't I?

Good question, which I should know. So, straight from the SRD, something that all of us should be familiar with:


Change Self
The character can make his or herself—including clothing, armor, weapons, and equipment—look different. The character can seem 1 foot shorter or taller, thin, fat, or in between. The character cannot change the character's body type. Otherwise, the extent of the apparent change is up to the character.
The spell does not provide the abilities or mannerisms of the chosen form. It does not alter the perceived tactile (touch) or audible (sound) properties of the character or the character's equipment.
If the character uses this spell to create a disguise, the character gets a +10 bonus on the Disguise check.
Note: Creatures get Will saves to recognize the glamer as an illusion if they interact with it.

So, the answer is yes, shortbows are fine, although people who pierce your disguise are going to see the bow.

By the way, Argent: with all your new skill points, you want to think about lots of disguises. +10 bonuses are nice, but if you want to imitate specific people, you're going to need to go higher.

Synergy bonuses: I think at least one of you (Sixchan maybe?) is missing some of them. There's a handy pdf in here: skill synergy

 

[anonystu]

By the way, Kalanyr, when you create your character, think heavily about glue. Don't sniff it, but instead, that your character might want to have lots of links to other characters, sort of tie people together. Whether or how you do this is up to you, but think about co-workers, siblings, ex-loves, bosses,and all sorts of other standard relationships.

 

[Sixchan]

Okay, I added background feats and skill synergy, and changed equipment.

Regarding weapons, Jewellers have to work with very sharp tools in order to cut gemstones properly, right? So wouldn't jewellers have some sort of licence to have sharp instruments (like the butchers)?

Oh, and Eriel, hun, You can borrow my ring of Jumping if I'm not using it at the time.

 

[Dark Eternal]

So, what's going to stay is the following: you should take 4 points of backgrounds, but take no more than 2 backgrounds. The point value of a background determines its severity, and the danger involved, such that one-three point hunted background means that the people who are hunting you are very dangerous and very interested in you indeed.

You should think about these not just as establishing your history, but rather, you should think of them as what do you want to see in the game related to your character: this is the active part of your background, and it'll be really cool to see issues and backstory developed from your character. For example, DE, your background is really good as is, but I'd consider tweaking it to make some of the questions more unresolved: who killed your master? What was in that pouch?

***

Amnesia: You can't remember certain parts of your life. (The conflictual part of this is in why you're amnesiac, and what groups/parties are responsible/influencing you now).

GM Fiat: You want a plot, but you don't want to know what it's about.

Now THIS is an awesome way to do things! I really like this system; I'd never seen anything quite like this before.

After much, much thought, I think I'd like to assign the 4 points of background as follows:

Amnesia: (1 point) - What causes his mysterious 'blackouts', and what has he done/experienced during them that he can't recall?

GM Fiat: (3 points) - With all the strangeness in his past, Eriel is pretty sure that something big (and, perhaps, quite dangerous) is going on, and he's tied into it somehow. But what? And how is he connected? Who (and what) else from his past is tied into... well, whatever it is?

Hope that you have a lot of fun with this, Anonystu - I know I will.

 

[anonystu]

I would recommend against using Romance as a background: it obviously describes your state (although how far along from crush to boyfriend to husband is still sort of open), but the Romance indicates some conflict, and so as far as I can tell, my ways to do this would be to have one of you have two people you're interested in (one controlled by me). The romantic interest in danger plot is hard to to do ,since the two of you rascals are already in danger all the time, all day long.

In any case, unless they're a specific angle I can exploit, it's probably not a very good background. The secret identity thing is fine, and I'd maybe consider working off your vigilante days a bit if you're stuck for ideas.

Jewelers probably do have rights to carry daggers, and other very small weapons that can be quasi justified as implements.

 

[Dark Eternal]

Oh, and Eriel, hun, You can borrow my ring of Jumping if I'm not using it at the time.

That's so very sweet of you!

I don't know how I can return the favor... want to borrow my Skin? It's got an even better hide bonus than your cloak. (Too bad they don't stack - "This is Sel, my invisible girlfriend..." )

Just a hunch, but I think we're gonna be one hell of a team, Sel...

 

[anonystu]

Spycraft in general has a lot of innovative, interesting ideas crammed all over the place: it's great game design.

(edited: #3 added)

So, there are two ways to interpret your choice of backgrounds:

One is: your amnesia is a cause of something strange, mysterious, and big. This is probably better represented by you taking Amnesia 3 or 4, and just leaving the details to me.

Two: Your amnesia itself was caused by something and people more minor, but you'd like this to be connected to something big and mysterious.

Three: Your amnesia is the result of something fairly small, but your whole background, the disappearing of your master, the safe, the pouch, it's all rolled into one big thing.

Which would you prefer?

 

[Dark Eternal]

Spycraft in general has a lot of innovative, interesting ideas crammed all over the place: it's great game design.

So, there are two ways to interpret your choice of backgrounds:

One is: your amnesia is a cause of something strange, mysterious, and big. This is probably better represented by you taking Amnesia 3 or 4, and just leaving the details to me.

Two: Your amnesia itself was caused by something and people more minor, but you'd like this to be connected to something big and mysterious.

Which would you prefer?

Well, my thoughts on the matter were that putting more than 1 point in Amnesia was just begging to suffer a 'blackout' during some intense scene somewhere down the road someday... I do want the 'blackouts' to affect my character over the course of the game, but I'm alot more interested in learning the Dark Plot behind them (and possibly behind everything else strange in his past, although it's up to you whether or not there's any connection.)

So I guess I'd like to take Door #2, Monty....

Edit: In response to your edit, I'd like to make that Door #3! *lol*

 

[anonystu]

Alright. One large conspiracy, with fries, to go.

The rest of you: unless you have some reason for it to be mysterious, or hidden from yourself, feel free to flesh out some details on your backgrounds: how would you like it to play out? Who's chasing you? What's the object? What did you vow? Why?

etc.

Remember, this is optional, but I've found that doing things like this is always rewarding in the long run.