Shilsen's Eberron SH (Finished - The Last Word : 9/20/15)

[Furby076]

I had a feeling, a premonition if you will, that one of the Guardian Angels was going to die. Maybe my DMing skills aren't truly gone, just buried after several years out of the driver's seat.

I'd really hate to see any of them go. Here's to hoping for a lengthy resurrection quest. Or at the very least, a botched reincarnation!

You know, if not for the action point/card system, we would have had many more deaths. In fact, in almost every game where combat was involved a PC was dropped below -9. Shil is vastly ruthless. The action point/card system is not to protect the PCs from Shil, it is to protect Shil's game from being deteriorated to "The Chronicles of Sharn: Who Will Die This Week"

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

You know, if not for the action point/card system, we would have had many more deaths. In fact, in almost every game where combat was involved a PC was dropped below -9. Shil is vastly ruthless. The action point/card system is not to protect the PCs from Shil, it is to protect Shil's game from being deteriorated to "The Chronicles of Sharn: Who Will Die This Week"

Oh, I know. I've been paying attention.

But no matter how you truss it up, it's not a death unless the character dies. You could drop to -437 hit points but if House Rule 22 Section A Paragraph 4 prevents that death, then it ain't no death.

Of course, taken to its logical extension, one could argue that death isn't really death either, what with raise dead and resurrection and all. But I don't stand by that opinion myself.

 

[Vorput]

The remaining Angels stand silent and stock-still in the middle of what was so recently a raging battlefield. Nobody spares a glance for the mutilated corpse of their recent enemy, all eyes remaining focused on the form lying beside it. There is no blood on this figure, besides that which dripped from its killer, but there is no doubt about its state. What beholders, mindflayers, dragons and rakshasas could not do has finally occurred. Death has finally come for one of the Guardian Angels.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ::sniffs:: Why?!?!

Anyway- was that a normal ochre jelly? Or was it advanced? or...?

Also- opprobrious? Now you're just showing off shilsen

Curious to see what the heck these half ooze things are...

Vorp

 

[shilsen]

Ah, the promise of death in the morning. Smells like... agony.

Yes, it does. Pretty, ain't it?

You know, upon reading this, I was reminded of WoW's dancing bears. Here's a partial clip of it to commemorate the moment.

Yeah, bears dancing in a fashion vuagely reminicent to broadway showgirls hilarious, I know.

Okay, now that's just wrong!

Someone has been enjoying their Lovecraft a little too much, methinks.

That's an oxymoron. You can never enjoy your Lovecraft too much. And since I introduced the ooze + tentacle angle, a little squelching is to be expected. I'm reliably informed that I like gross things in my campaign way too much. When I described the final guy they fought, Luna's player started gagging and told me to stop before she projectile vomited. Those are the moments you feel your job is well done

I had a feeling, a premonition if you will, that one of the Guardian Angels was going to die. Maybe my DMing skills aren't truly gone, just buried after several years out of the driver's seat.

I'd really hate to see any of them go. Here's to hoping for a lengthy resurrection quest. Or at the very least, a botched reincarnation!

No, none of them gets away that easy. A reincarnation is what they're most likely to try, I believe. As far as botched, well - when does anything ever go wrong for the Angels?

You know, if not for the action point/card system, we would have had many more deaths. In fact, in almost every game where combat was involved a PC was dropped below -9. Shil is vastly ruthless. The action point/card system is not to protect the PCs from Shil, it is to protect Shil's game from being deteriorated to "The Chronicles of Sharn: Who Will Die This Week"

Well, you know I aim to please. And I'm not ruthless. Just sensitive about the plight of NPCs. In most campaigns, including ones I run PCs in, they exist only to have the crap beaten out of them and have all their stuff stolen. They should have just a little respect. So I let them earn some in this game. Sure, he may just be a CR 4 demon-worshipping human savage in the middle of the Demon Wastes with a stick and a rock with some dung smeared on it, but when he's hitting a 10th lvl PC over the head and doing 20+ pts of damage per hit, he gets some respect.

I, you see, am a humanitarian. Human, in this case, meaning everyone who's an NPC.

 

[Rackhir]

I, you see, am a humanitarian.

Yep, you certainly are. And if the police ever get a look in your refrigerator, you'll be doing 25 to life for it.

 

[shilsen]

Oh, I know. I've been paying attention.

But no matter how you truss it up, it's not a death unless the character dies. You could drop to -437 hit points but if House Rule 22 Section A Paragraph 4 prevents that death, then it ain't no death.

Of course, taken to its logical extension, one could argue that death isn't really death either, what with raise dead and resurrection and all. But I don't stand by that opinion myself.

As I've already posted way too much on the General Discussion and Rules boards, the more time I spend with this campaign the less I think permanent death in the game is a necessary thing. As far as I'm concerned, the only person permanent death really affects is the player. Since the PC then ceases to be affected by going out of play, it's no longer affected by anything, and the player is the one who gets to stop playing a character that he presumably enjoys running. If a particular player thinks a particular PC death would be cheapened in some way by returning from it, or simply wants to run another PC, then I think permanent death is fine, but otherwise, I really don't see any advantage to it. The main way most people tend to use it, or so it seems to me, is to underline that there are repercussions for PC failure. As long as you have other repercussions, as I strive to make sure I have a lot of in this campaign, death really isn't needed any more.

And, though I often joke about it, permanent death is often easier on the PCs. Having to live with the repercussions of one's actions, and especially one's failures - now that's hard.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ::sniffs:: Why?!?!

Because making the PCs suffer in this world isn't enough, and one inevitably needs to extend it into the next, so that they can be sure that even death is not an escape?

Anyway- was that a normal ochre jelly? Or was it advanced? or...?

Advanced to 18 HD, which made it huge in size. 300 hit pts.

That still only makes it a CR 9 critter (though I'd consider it more like CR 10) by the advancement rules, which seems about right since it has some serious weaknesses also. The players cracked up when I told them that it had an initiative of -3 (-5 bonus and I rolled a 2) and that it's AC was -7 (-5 Dex -2 size).

Also- opprobrious? Now you're just showing off shilsen

Alas, I'm sometimes inebriated by the exuberance of my own verbosity.

Curious to see what the heck these half ooze things are...

Remember, I'm big on taking existing mechanics and using them with completely new flavor, so you don't have to look very far afield. I especially do that when dealing with creatures that are exceedingly rare or significantly metamorphosed in some manner, like these guys.

 

[Solarious]

Okay, now that's just wrong!

If I ever have the time to waste, I will endevor to create a video. It will have 3 dancing bears, side by side. It will be inside an open-air inn, on a bar. The inn itself will be filled with purple elves with extra-long ears. And all three bears will be dancing in synchrony.

I will then use cheesy broadway music for the background. I will name this video: "Luna's Happy 'I just got to Flame Strike something' Bear Dance". I shall then post this video. On YouTube and Google Video. I shall then put a link to both in my signature.

And I will dedicate this video. To shilsen. To Luna. To Gareth, Korm, Nameless, and Mithril Six of Six. And especially to the faces behind those names. You will -ALL- be honored.

Why? Because it will be worth it.

Worth what? I don't know. But I'm sure I can find a reason when I do get around to it.

 

[Vorput]

The remaining Angels stand silent and stock-still in the middle of what was so recently a raging battlefield. Nobody spares a glance for the mutilated corpse of their recent enemy, all eyes remaining focused on the form lying beside it. There is no blood on this figure, besides that which dripped from its killer, but there is no doubt about its state. What beholders, mindflayers, dragons and rakshasas could not do has finally occurred. Death has finally come for one of the Guardian Angels.

Alright, I'm going to speculate... The fact that the body has no blood leads me to believe that it could be Six... but that feels wrong somehow. So my guess is the "Ooze monster did it to with a death effect in the Kitchen*." Dunno who though...

Vorp

*Aka forgotten Cavern.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

Six is like a linch-pin of common sense in the group. It'd be a shame to see him go. But like I said, I'll be disappointed to see anyone permanently leave the group.

As I've already posted way too much on the General Discussion and Rules boards, the more time I spend with this campaign the less I think permanent death in the game is a necessary thing.

I generally agree with that sentiment. I don't like killing PCs. But I think removing death entirely removes an important element of drama. Dropping to -11 and stabilizing with an action point or swashbuckler card just doesn't mean the same to me as "You died." On the flip side, if you kill a PC every other session and allow resurrection with little (read: monetary) consequence, you've effectively done the same thing.

Seems to me we're basically in agreement about how to approach the situation.

 

[Rackhir]

Six is like a linch-pin of common sense in the group. It'd be a shame to see him go. But like I said, I'll be disappointed to see anyone permanently leave the group.

Mithril Six of Six. A warforged. Barely Alive.

We can rebuild him. We have the magic.

We can make him better. Stronger. Faster.

THE SIX MILLION GALIFAR WARFORGED!

DANANAH! DANANANANAH!