Level 3

Congratulations on a job well done during yesterday's IRL fetch-quest!  Indeed, congratulations also on attaining Level 3 status!

In addition to checking calendars for July possibilities, I'd like to offer these step-by-step instructions for leveling.  For sake of ease, find your class first:

Mage:

1. Health increase: Gain 1d6+Constitution in HP.
2. Magic Points increase: Gain 1d6+Willpower in MP.
3. Ability increase:  Add 1 to one of your secondary ability scores: Communication, Constitution, Dexterity, Fighting, or Strength.
4. Ability focus:  Pick a new focus for one of your secondary abilities:
1. Communication focuses: Animal Handling, Bargaining, Deception, Disguise, Etiquette, Gambling, Investigation, Leadership, Performance, Persuasion, Seduction.
2. Constitution focuses: Drinking, Rowing, Running, Stamina, Swimming.
3. Dexterity focuses: Acrobatics, Calligraphy, Crafting, Initiative, Legerdemain, Lock Picking, Riding, Stealth, Traps.
4. Fighting focuses: Axes, Bludgeons, Heavy Blades, Lances, Polearms, Spears.
5. Strength focuses: Climbing, Driving, Intimidation, Jumping, Might, Smithing.
5. Class Power: You become a Novice in a new magic talent or gain a degree in a magic talent you already have.

Rogue:

1. Health increase: Gain 1d6+Constitution in HP.
2. Ability increase:  Add 1 to one of your secondary ability scores: Constitution, Fighting, Intelligence, Strength, or Willpower.
3. Ability focus:  Pick a new focus for one of your secondary abilities:
1. Constitution focuses: Drinking, Rowing, Running, Stamina, Swimming.
2. Fighting focuses: Axes, Bludgeons, Heavy Blades, Lances, Polearms, Spears.
3. Intelligence focuses: Arcane Lore, Brewing, Cartography, Cryptography, Cultural Lore. Engineering, Evaluation, Healing, Heraldry, Historical Lore, Military Lore, Musical Lore, Natural Lore, Navigation, Research, Religious Lore, Writing.
4. Strength focuses: Climbing, Driving, Intimidation, Jumping, Might, Smithing.
5. Willpower focuses: Courage, Faith, (Morale--more for NPCs), Self-Discipline
4. Class Power: You become a Novice in a new talent or gain a degree in a talent you already have.

Warrior:

1. Health increase: Gain 1d6+Constitution in HP.
2. Ability increase:  Add 1 to one of your secondary ability scores: Communication, Inte(r)lligence, Perception, or Willpower.
3. Ability focus:  Pick a new focus for one of your secondary abilities:
1. Communication focuses: Animal Handling, Bargaining, Deception, Disguise, Etiquette, Gambling, Investigation, Leadership, Performance, Persuasion, Seduction
2. Intelligence focuses: Arcane Lore, Brewing, Cartography, Cryptography, Cultural Lore. Engineering, Evaluation, Healing, Heraldry, Historical Lore, Military Lore, Musical Lore, Natural Lore, Navigation, Research, Religious Lore, Writing.
3. Perception focuses: Empathy, Hearing, Searching, Seeing, Smelling, Tasting, Touching, Tracking
4. Willpower focuses: Courage, Faith, (Morale--more for NPCs), Self-Discipline
4. Class Power: You become a Novice in a new talent or gain a degree in a talent you already have.

The Story So Far

Having not updated since our second session, here is what took place thus far:

  The party successfully infiltrated the cave hideout of a band of goblins: The Cragmaw.  The party recovered Sildar Hallwinter, a veteran human fighter and friend of Dareth who was detained on the Triboar Trail by the goblins.  The party learned that Dareth (alias "Gundren Rockseeker" among the Dwarves) and his Dwarven half-brothers had discovered the entrance to a long lost cave said to be home of a magical forge near the frontier village of Phandelin. 

Leaving the cave, the party made its way to Phandalin, to discover the town had been overrun by a gang of ruffians, the Redbrands.  In speaking with the townsfolk, they sought out the secret entrance to the Redbrand's lair under the ruins of Trensedar Manor and proceeded to infiltrate the hideout.  Encountering a frightening creature (later learned to be a "Nothic," and called "Frank" by the Redbrands), the party managed to parlay with it in return for providing fresh meat.  Discovering prisoners, enchanted skeletons, and other perils, the party at last learned of the location of the Redbrands' leader Glass-staff.  To Sildar's surprise, it was none other than Iarno Albrek, a member of his order who disappeared under mysterious circumstances.  Nearly evading the party, the mage was captured and his crew ousted from town, while advising the party that the Black Spider, the mastermind behind this endeavor, would maintain order in the absence of political stability.

At this point, Durgash, Lillabelle, Meg, Vi, and Renbar proceeded to explore the remainder of Trensedar Manor, flushing out two Bugbears and rescuing a (pubescent?) goblin named Droop.  The party then sought out the Town Magistrate, who worried about the ramifications for the town from crossing the Redbrands, and took up work from him to clear the trail near Wyvern Tor of an Orc raiding party that had been hampering trade.

Meanwhile, Elemenopi, Selvarius, and Zahra came to the aid of Sister Garaelle in confronting Agatha the Banshee near the ruined town of Conyberry.  Successfully playing on the vanity of the creature, they learned of the fate of the Bowgentle's Spellbook, which Garaelle's order had been seeking out.  They then set out to meet their party members at Wyvern Tor.

Before converging, the former group engaged an Orc band in battle using trickery to disguise their cart and hide their numbers.  Durgash, wounded in the battle, announced himself by name, causing the battle to cease as the Orcs recognized his clan and heritage.  They then informed the party of the true mission of the band: collect all medical implements to combat a terrible plague.  (It turns out, in fighting, Durgash was also exposed to this plague).  In an effort to foment goodwill, the party had the Orcs travel to Phandalin, return missing supplies, and set up a leper colony outside town.  The party then went forth researching means to combat the plague.

In the ruins of an abandoned mage's tower, the party discovered records of a Potion of Time-Stopping, along with a map and coded list of ingredients.  Using their wits, they managed to scout out and procure these elements, combine them correctly, and heal Durgash.  The potion was then transferred to the Orcs as the party returned once again to Phandalin.

It is at this point that the party finds a letter awaiting them...

Interlligence: Religious Lore

Considering the bemusement at Shimu's valediction, I wanted to share what I've thus far developed with regard to religious orders in Påmidgard.  The orthodox position for all orders is that there is a Supreme Being that created Påmidgard and can intervene in its affairs.  However, there is much disagreement between the orders over the character qualities of that Being, and by what means and frequency divine intervention occurs.

Thus far, I've established outright hostility between the Articulate Lion and the Vigorous Loaf, but it's not my intention that each order be at odds with one another.  In fact, many may be in fellowship with one another, but certainly not with all other orders at once.

Should you wish it, you can establish your character as a layperson associated with one of the orders.
(Elemenopi, I'm operating under the assumption that you are in fact a bona fide member of the Vigorous Loaf! Or perhaps a sect therein...)  Implications would largely be for story (and perhaps entertaining roleplaying?), as there is not a Cleric class/specialization in Fantasy Age.

Religious Orders in Påmidgard:
Holy Order of the Articulate Lion; Well-Spoken, Commanding; practiced almost exclusively by humans.

Holy Order of the Benevolent Herder; Graceful, Compassionate; practiced mostly among halflings and humans.

Holy Order of the Conflagrated Conifer; Passionate, Demanding; practiced almost exclusively by orcs.

Holy Order of the Flourishing Vine; Patient, Jubilant; practiced mostly among halflings and gnomes.

Holy Order of the Latching Door; Protective, Discerning; practiced almost exclusively by orcs.

Holy Order of the Steadfast Sheep; Bold, Merciful; practiced mostly among humans and dwarves.

Holy Order of the Unshakable Stone; Strong, Uncompromising; practiced almost exclusively by dwarves.

Holy Order of the Vigorous Loaf; Joyful, Supportive; practiced mostly among dwarves and gnomes.

Level 2 Awaits

As stated on Facebook, all characters (save Selvarius) are about 400 XP away from leveling up.  That being said, I foresee this taking place soon.

Given our pace of play (and insider knowledge as GM), we may not need to worry about this until after next session proper.  Should level advancement take place mid-game session though, here is the gist of it (see pg. 26):

1) Your character's Health increases by 1d6 + Constitution ability.
(Magical characters also increase MP by 1d6 + Willpower ability.)

2) You get one advancement to spend on one primary ability, meaning:

For Mages (Lily & Zarra):
Increase your Accuracy, Interlligence, Perception, or Willpower ability score by 1.


For Rogues (Meg & Vi):
Increase your Accuracy, Communication, Dexterity, or Perception ability score by 1.

For Warriors (Durgash, Elemenopi, & Renbar):
Increase your Constitution, Dexterity, Fighting, or Strength ability score by 1.

3) Pick one new ability focus in one of your primary abilities (see above).  The focuses are as follows (see pg. 10):

Accuracy: Arcane Blast, Bows, Black Powder, Brawling, Dueling, Grenades, Light Blades, Staves
Communication: Animal Handling, Bargaining, Deception, Disguise, Etiquette, Gambling, Investigation, Leadership, Performance, Persuasion, Seduction
Constitution: Drinking, Rowing, Running, Stamina, Swimming
Dexterity: Acrobatics, Calligraphy, Crafting, Initiative, Legerdemain, Lock Picking, Riding, Sailing, Stealth, Traps
Fighting: Axes, Bludgeons, Heavy Blades, Lances, Polearms, Spears
Interlligence: Arcane Lore (Various), Brewing, Cartography, Cryptography, Cultural Lore, Engineering, Evaluation, Healing, Heraldry, Historical Lore, Military Lore, Musical Lore, Natural Lore, Navigation, Religious Lore, Research, Writing
Perception: Empathy, Hearing, Searching, Seeing Smelling, Tasting, Tracking, Touching
Strength: Climbing, Driving, Intimidation, Jumping, Might, Smithing
Willpower: Courage, Faith, Morale, Self-Discipline

4) Finally, there is a Class Power you gain specific to your class:

For Mages (Lily & Zarra): You become a Novice in a new talent or gain a degree in a talent you already have (non-magical only, I believe).

Talents include: Alchemy, Animal Training, Armor Training, Archery Style, Carousing, Chirurgy, Command, Contacts, Dual Weapon Style, Horsemanship, Intrigue, Linguistics, Lore, Mounted Combat Style, Music, Observation, Oratory, Pole Weapon Style, Quick Reflexes, Scouting, Single Weapon Style, Thievery, Thrown Weapon Style, Two-Hander Style, Unarmed Style, Weapon and Shield Style.*

*some restrictions apply; see GM for details...or pgs. 42-47

For Rogues (Meg & Vi): You become more adept at finding the weak spots in your opponents' armor. You can perform the Pierce Armor stunt for 1 SP instead of the usual 2.

For Warriors (Durgash, Elemenopi, & Renbar): You gain one of the following ability focuses: Dexterity (Riding), Intelligence (Military Lore), or Strength (Climbing)

Scheduling next game

(OOG)

Hi all,

Really enjoyed today's session.  Let me know any thoughts you may have over what's going well and what I can work on (knowledge of spells is on my list).

In the next couple weeks or so, please look ahead to November for when we can meet again.  I've started a Doodle poll that you can reach here.  I'm steering clear of Thanksgiving weekend etc. given our own travel plans.  For now I'm keeping scheduling to Saturdays 9-noon, but am open to other options if desired/needed.

Hoping to hear from you soon!

Your friendly neighborhood GM,
Dan

Session #2: PLEASE don't split the party!

Following the cart trail from Haregate, the party made its way down the Triboar Trail, discovering a group of Aelrimcosians camping for the night.  Befriending them, the party shared a meal and lodging, while also gaining a contract for the successful escort of the cart to the nearby town of Phandalin.  A human mage Selvarius joined the party in this effort, adding his knowledge of Lightning & Water Arcana (as well as Linguistics) to the fray.

Coming upon the horses presumed to be those of Dareth Brewmaster and his escort, the party fought back a group of Goblins, interrogating one who revealed the location of a hideout.  Despite considerations for splitting the party, the group at last decided to conceal their cart and follow the Goblin Path to the Goblin Hideout.  At the close of the session, the party had just successfully attacked the sentry guards and stopped a moment seemingly out of danger.

(OOG, what did that hourglass mean?!)

Session 1: Mercury Madrigal

PMG-LLC is off to an auspicious start.

Quelling a bar fight brought about by the poor manners of 4 rider-gang half-orcs (and the poorer manners of the barkeep Renbar Halvardr), the party earned a commission to escort Dareth Brewmaster's Twice-as-Weissbier across the Crystal Lake to Engelstadt for its annual Elfemberfestival.  Perhaps the proceeds of the trip could go towards the remodeling of the bar after its encounter with a raging, axe-wielding Durgash.  (Durg smash?)

Observing the sailors and teamsters loading the ship, Meg noticed that the shipment of beer had been tampered, diluted with (tap the Redstones) Moors Lite.  Having set sail, the ship found itself attacked by a Hawkbear--a being far out of place in the middle of a lake.  Surviving errant knife-throws, a fiery teenager (literally), and planks reanimated to bushes & saplings, the party bested the beast.  Vi thinking fast managed to rescue two of the sailors, providing the skeleton crew needed for the ship to limp to its destination.  Thinking fast, the beer was replaced through the use of a time-altering talisman and sealed for the night.

At Engelstadt, the party disembarked and met the brewmaster's contact, Borya, a rich halfling merchant.  After a time of shopping and window-browsing, the Elfemberfest battle of the brews began.  Thanks in part to the timely magicking of the beer, and the flowery words of Elemenopi, the crowd (and Burgemaster-turned-taster) were won over, proclaiming the "Biscuit Beer" the winning ale of the festival.  Collecting their winnings, the party was aided in their return to Haregate by Borya's connections with a Circle Mage's transportation spell, but not before receiving a notice from Dareth to collect Renbar's Red Ale and meet him in the court of Lord Rotbart the Unrelenting.

Upon returning to Haregate, the party found their humble abode--The Wheat Weevil--burned to the ground.  Placed under arrest by the inept Sargent-at-Arms, the party learned of Dareth's willing his property to Renbar and Cally (for whom Vi holds deep mistrust).  Thankfully, Hugh Beringia, Undersheriff of Slopshire was able to sort out the false accusations and valid alibi of the group for the night in question.  The authenticity of the document was called into question by Vi and Renbar, noting its dating, and being unable to confirm the identity of the gnomic-notary public.

With no other leads, the party set out for the Redstone Mountains, intent on finding Dareth, hoping he made it to the safety of the Court of Lord Rotbart.

Game Day: Saturday, August 29, 2015

9:00 AM

The human/dwarven/gnomic/orcish adventure begins!

Doodle...use your Doodle...Doodle...Do the Doodle Dance!

Ah Day Camp, I love you, but you eat my life for one week a year.  Past that now, and time to plan.

Just sent an email to them for whom I have addresses.  Knowing that we're juggling the schedules of four couples to figure out when to play, I ask that you participate in the Doodle Poll here and mark your availability at your earliest convenience.  Note, I've already omitted Labor Day weekend due to Team Sorenson-Turner's conflicting wedding event.

I cannot tell you how excited I am to see this come to fruition!

Your friendly neighborhood GM,
Dan

Roll a Calendar Check

(TL:DR, check calendars for a game date to begin our adventure, please!) :-)

Okay folks, I've been able to piece together the time needed to draft the first adventure or so for PMG-LLC.  If you haven't already, take a look at your character bios here, first to ensure its accuracy, and second to approve of names/spellings, etc.

If you've not done so already, do try to share with your friendly neighborhood GM any secrets you may have either about yourself or that you know about another party member.  For those having trouble, consider this alternative: what character flaw(s) does your character possess?  Does (s)he follow a creed to a fault, foregoing better judgment, or can't help but try to snatch any shiny things in sight?  Maybe (s)he never backs down from a fight...or betting on one!  You can use your character sheet and stats to help inform this choice.  Perhaps a 0 Communication means that the your character has no filter and will speak his/her mind at the worst possible time.  Or a low Willpower score means your character is incredibly impulsive.

(Dan & Cortney, we can send you stats/character sheets for this purpose.)

Four of us will be occupied with church day camp activities, so this week might not be the wisest choice to begin playing (although the end of it may pan out potentially).  Philly crowd, I'd like to have a technical rehearsal to ensure that Skype or Roll20 will work for our situation.

Anywho, please check your calendars and see when in the near future it'd be a good time to schedule our first game day.

Your friendly neighborhood GM,
Dan

Haregate

In continuing my tradition of using outdated PC games as media development tools for RPG games, here is a composite image of Haregate.  (Easter eggs abound, including some awful, awful matte lines.  Turns out that Age of Empires II: HD Edition does use some slight perspective skewing in game. Who knew?)

I envision the Wheat Weevil Public House as the building 2nd on the right (Trade Workshop, just SW of Town Center) as you come in from the docks. 

Also, bonus points awarded to the player who identifies the awful, awful joke I'm making by naming this place "Haregate."  Hint: homophones and antonyms.

Your friendly neighborhood GM,
Dan

An Unlikely Origin

Thank you to the Swensons & Lakshmans for spending the morning with us hashing out character details.  For your sakes and for Dan & Cortney I wanted to share some details on how your characters all ended up in the same place:

How it all began:

Renbar Halvardr (Dan Sorenson)

Having learned the trade of brewing, Renbar set out from the Uncanny Valley intent on making his fortune as an Innkeeper extraordinaire.  Unfortunately for him, his good name did not echo past the mead halls of any establishment outside of earshot from his hometown in the Uncanny Valley.  Unfortunate also was the level of destitution beset upon the once great Dwarven kingdom—hardly the place for a young hopeful entrepreneur to ply his trade.  He found himself off the coast of Crystal Lake in the seaport of Haregate, running short on funds and shorter still on food.  Applying at all the local Inns and Taverns, it was the Wheat Weevil Public House that at last brought him on as their Thursday night barkeep.  It was not long before a particular Halfling patron, Violet Bywater, stole more than a free drink’s worth of copper pieces…but his heart. (aww!)

Violet Bywater (Cortney)

               Originally a Halfling of Miltonia, Vi (as she prefers to be known) went abroad on a quest for self-discovery, visiting chapels and reliquaries throughout Påmidgard.  It so happened that she was lodging at an abbey in the Kroswain Kingdom when it became annexed by the Albertan Monks.  Fleeing by sea, she made her way through Fraternium to the port of Haregate, intent on returning to Miltonia, where she hoped to drum up support against Prince-Bishop Siegfried and the Albertan Monks.  Finding herself unable to book passage (and likewise unable to stowaway), she set about thieving in a local tavern, the Wheat Weevil. 

               It was there that she caught the eye of the sometimes barkeep, the Dwarf Renbar.  Recognizing a kindred spirit (and a similarly hard-on-luck, poor individual) she set aside her plans of larceny and delayed her travel efforts.  Sharing her plight, she convinced Renbar to get his shift supervisor over and hire her as “private security.”  Puzzled, Brewmaster Dareth questioned how a Halfling would be able to handle a rowdy patron.  Vi demonstrated that it was not so hard to lift a drunken man’s purse amid a drunken brawl, which more often than not paid for what property damage there was and then some.  Needless to say, she was hired on the spot.

Elemenopi Qrst (Eric) & Zarra (Hannah)

               The rise of the Albertan Monks had a greater effect than merely political reorganization.  It also led to the ostracizing of the Brotherhood of Divine Bakers, of which the gnome Elemenopi Qrst was a member.  Using their influence, the Society of the Articulate Lion—the laymen wing of the Albertan Monks—enabled the Baker’s Guild to outlaw the BDB’s products.  Outraged and on a quest to show the world the true heavenly power of baked goods, Elemenopi set out on a trek across Fraternium, gathering the finest flours and confections for use in his esoteric baking.

               Passing by the agrarian community of Fairflax, he chanced upon a human farmgirl Zarra, who bored to tears with the tedium of the yeoman farmer’s life saw her chance to escape her dull fate.  This may or may not have perturbed the gnome, but either way he now had a travelling companion, who he led to the seaport of Haregate.  Knowing the embargo enacted by the Baker’s Guild did not apply to brewer’s yeast, and needing (or was it kneed-ing?) a leavening agent for his current batch of Celestial Sugarloaves, he set about rubbing elbows with the brewers of Haregate, whereupon he met Renbar, who agreed to supply him with yeast…discreetly…among other business arrangements.

Megara Hertee (Julie)

Zarra, having accompanied Elemenopi to the Wheat Weevil regularly, began to notice some of the habits of the regulars, in particular the solitary barstool that had become the favored haunt of one of the few other human female patrons of the bar.  The young lady bounded over, amusing the hooded stranger, and complimented the stranger’s cloak, comparing it to her own.  Striking up conversation, it came to pass that this shadow of a figure, always cloaked and sitting with her back to the wall, was actually a pretty good conversationalist on many subjects—save her past.  Thus, Megara (or Meg as she came to be known) befriended the young farmgirl, looking out for her when other patrons grew unruly. 

Lilabelle Meritink Widgetbauble (Emily)
& Durgash Skullcrusher (Hugh)

Originally a member of the Gnomicorp of Engineers, Lilabelle (Lily) set out from her idyllic homeland of Kinkaidia to voice her concerns over unsustainable and environmentally unfriendly practices in the surrounding realms.  Her love of nature is only surpassed by her love of the Orc fighter Durgash Skullcrusher.  His green skin and height reminding her of her favorite trees, she took an immediate liking to the brute, who to his credit was endeared by this pretty little thing, for whom he would uproot flowers…and occasionally small trees…and present as gifts.  Agreeing to accompany her on her journeys, Durgash looks out for the gnome, guarding her from any perceived harm (however, with an intelligence of 0 though high for an Orc, he sometimes misconstrues the level of danger).

The unlikely pair likewise found their way to Haregate, where Lilabelle confronted the owner of the Wheat Weevil over the wasteful disposal of spent mash and kitchen scraps.  Hearing the argument from inside, Renbar made the acquaintance of the couple, and became intrigued by Lily’s ideas.  Envisioning many potential contraptions that would address the issue at hand, he discussed these at length with Lily and set up the newly minted Wheat Weevil Kitchen Composter (patent pending) within a few hours.  So it came to pass that all seven of the future Påmid-Guardians (LLC) came to unite.

Together

The Wheat Weevil Public House had recently been awarded “best budget beer-hall” of all the Crystal Lake seaports, which was an attractive enough reason to visit its doorstep.  It turns out that it also had a reputation better known by the locals: the brawlingest beer hall of all the Crystal Lake seaports.  On the occasion of Munchking Roland’s Ruby Jubilee, drunken revelry ensued at the Wheat Weevil, which ended with the breaking of much furniture, the spilling of several kegs of beer, and the wearing of the kitchen’s cauldron on the head of Durgash (he had mistaken it for his helmet).

               Though assembled for different reasons, the group found itself united in one purpose: avoiding injury at the hands of other (far more) inebriated patrons.  Noticing the adeptness of the group to handle itself in a scrap…and appreciating that Vi had pickpocketed enough of the brawlers to pay for their damages… Brewmaster Dareth offered them all commission as private security.  He had a particular request in mind...