hai guyz

Well, I’m not sure how much use we’re going to be getting out of Obsidian Portal—y’all seem to have abandoned the quest log and I’ve been lax in updating my NPCs. It’s still a great place to have all my notes together but I’m disappointed that nobody else is using it. Do you still get emails when comments are posted?

Anyway I wanted to talk about the rash of new rules coming with the D&D Essentials line, and how the tools are being updated with changes to the core rules that can’t be simply switched off by deactivating books in the campaign settings. Even if I restrict building options to PHB1, according to the new updates dwarves can choose to have +2 CON and +2 STR, and Magic Missile deals auto-damage with no attack roll. This is disappointing as it seems like an all-or-nothing approach to the rules. Some game mechanics have been removed entirely, such as the limit on daily item powers, which only functions if the new restrictions on item distribution are implemented.

Effectively I have a decision to make: either I run the rules as written, or the rules as revised. A hybrid approach won’t work, as PHB3-system characters are too tough for MM1-system monsters, and PHB1-system characters are too weak for MM3-system monsters. I’ve already seen in our sessions these effects: remember the Ashfrost elementals, the ones that kept shifting and sliding around? Those were from MM3 and they were much more dangerous than the higher-level Helmed Horrors from MM1. Similarly, in Graham’s game, the combination of the Battlerager Vigor fighter and Staggering Note absolutely clobbered a MM1 gelatinous cube.

I’ve decided that, given the restrictions I’ve placed on your characters, I’ll only be using materials from 2008-2009 and not implement most of the revisions from the Rules Compendium or the Monster Vault for the remainder of this campaign. I should be able to take everyone to level 30 and complete the story using what we have on hand. Once the campaign is over, all bets are off; who knows what WOTC will be doing then.

I’ll be glad to see everyone on Saturday, but I’m a little intimidated by the size of the group. I propose we set up in the back room where we all have space to stretch out. See you there about 4:00!

Peter, I accidentally gave Tobias Young to you and can’t edit him. Can you give him back please? Thanks!

How come Bones character sheet looks coded correctly while mine has all it’s words crunched together

Where are my Adventure Log updates?! You guys are gonna level up without telling the world how!

Note to self: cameo from Royal Equestrian Ovum Reassembly Team.

Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

I’ve done another round of updates here—you’ll find oodles of additional information on the locations, points of interest, and their denizens. There should be enough there to fuel lots of adventure ideas. Happy reading!

Hey guys. I want to thank you for letting me run that dungeon to its completion; it’s something I’ve been wanting to do the over a year and I’m really glad it was brought to its conclusion. I’m glad you all had fun as well!

I just got my assignments from work… I’m gonna be busy well into 2010. I estimate I will be done in April at the earliest, and will most likely not be ready to DM again until May, so you folks have PLENTY of time to wrap up Heroic Tier. Depending on the circumstances I may be able to drop in for a session now and again but storywise that’s a wrap for the next few months.

I do have a plan, though, to keep things moving and to keep everyone involved. All it requires is that you check in here (Obsidian Portal) at some point once a week. It will develop your characters and the environment even during this down time, quite independent of what adventures your characters may have. If you don’t want to you don’t have to, but it will allow you to keep your place in the epic story arc even if you don’t actually sit down at a table at all.

In the next couple days, I will be posting a page about the Act I Interlude that will describe exactly how this will work out. I’ve run a few things by Graham and we agree that this is an exciting opportunity for you folks outside the normal D&D Combat Encounter framework! Once the page is up I’ll post here and you can see for yourselves.

One final note: the item set that belonged to the Brothers needs to be surrendered to the Church. They are, after all, artifacts that have deep ties to the city, and there’s gobs more loot that would be perfectly suited for a Paladin. You should all have enough gold and sellable items to fully gear yourselves up, even without that set, provided you all have a little charity towards the group as a whole. Just because a character is selfish, doesn’t mean a player has to be. You know who I’m talking about.

I’ll be in touch. Peace!

OK! Updated! Sorry it took so long! Hope its good enough. I know its just a little longer than what you usually do. Cant wait for Saturday!

Magnificent. You’ve earned 100 xp. :) It’s nice to see a native of the feywild here.

Also importantly, I’ve noticed you’re lagging behind in the equipment department. I’ll see what I can do about this on my end, but you should be aware of that yourself. Some items I’ve given out like belts, boots, bracers, and headgear can be used by all classes, so don’t let yourself be deprived when it comes to dividing up the loot.

That’s really awesome, Matt. Very nice background! You’ve earned your 100 xp.

If you don’t mind, I’d like to be a little more specific as to the WHERE and WHO of your background. I would suggest your home city being the city of [[Mulmaster]], on the eastern [[Moonsea]], with the [[Zhentarim]] filling the role of the Assassin’s Guild. The city is “a decadent sprawl riddled with crime and corruption” which I think would suit your story, and the Zhentarim hold a fortress ([[Zhentil Keep]]) on the western shore. I would be pleased to work in your characters and events into the regional history.

As for the who, I can see a couple organizations that would have agendas dealing with Aranis. If there’s any particular characters who might show up looking for you, make a page for them on the NPC Tracker and outline their relationships. Thanks!

NEWS FOR 12/5/09

Hey gang, great game tonight. Please start logging the journal in the Adventure Log section.

I am awarding bonus XP to anyone who fills out their PC biographies. Read up on Jett, that’s the kind of thing I’m looking for! You can read through the first few chapters of the PHB for some ideas on how to give your roleplaying character some personality.

You’ll find a whole lot of information on the Wiki: everything from bios on all the NPCs to crucial information on the nearby towns. If you have additional information, please enter it! The more we can collaborate the richer and fuller this world will become.

Finally, I’ve given Brahm, Ian, and Sterling their loot, so you can find it on their pages. Divvy it up and add it to your character pages!

We will be playing next week (12/12) to deal with the aftermath of this week’s encounter. This will be our last game of the year: Metropolis is having an art show the 19th, followed by Christmas and New Years, then I’ll be out of town again. So, next week’s going to be low key, but I will be making some announcements for how this game will continue in 2010.

Thanks for playing!

Pete