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The Abyss: An AIMHack campaign in the world of Avernum/Exile!


Sarachim

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Click to reveal.. (Marra)
Name: Marra
Race: Nephil Female
Occupation: Scout
Alignment: Vengeful
Description: Tan fur with a few white spots about the ears, lithe and somewhat short. Wears a sleeveless tunic and dark trousers.

HP: 30/30 [+1]
STM: 10/10
Armor: None

Missile (Bows): 10 [+1]
Stealth: 6
Perception: 6
Melee (Shortswords): 5
Acrobatics: 5
Athletics: 4
First Aid: 4
Nature: 3
Composure: 2

Banked Skill Points: 0
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we are basically the best party

 

Click to reveal..
Name: Chadat Eye

Race: Gazer

Occupation: Mascot

Alignment: Scheming

 

HP: 16/16

Stm: 6/10

Spd: 5

 

Force Magic: 11

Deep Magic: 11

Nature: 4

Perception: 3

Melee (Bite): 3

Arcana: 1

Stealth: 1

 

aaaand a new spell that just might come in handy

 

Click to reveal..
Mass Suggestion (Deep, 2 STM): Broadcasts a telepathic message to a large group, along with a subtle mental influence. If successful, the targets will be predisposed to believe and act on the content of the message, although they may or may not do so depending on their individual personality and strength of will.
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Click to reveal..
Name: Pepper Grinder
Race: Human
Sex: Female

HP 10/10
STM 4/10
SP 5/5

Acrobatics: 6
Alchemy: 5
Arcana: 3 (+1)
Material Magic: 12
Perception: 5
Stealth: 5 (+1)
Stored Points: 2 (+2)


Spells:
Stone Warrior: Create a stone creature that fights for its summoner.
Earth Manipulation: Change stone into metal and metal into stone and shape it during the process.
Rock Maze: Reshape the ground to form a four foot tall spiked maze over an expanse of ground 30 feet long and 10 feet wide extending from the caster.
Stoneskin: Form the ground around a target and meld it to the surface of their body, allowing them to move and melee attack while coved with stone for 2 rounds.
Liquid Stone: Caster is able to tune a small spot of ground into a deep pool of liquid stone and the harden it once more.
Grind: Quickly erode a bit of stone or metal over a few seconds.
Basilisk's Gaze: Turn target into stone for 2 round. Cost 1 stamina per cast.
Mass Effect™: Can make stones or metal lighter and weaker, or heavier and stronger.
Rock Stomp: Stomp on the ground to cause a small tremor.

Inventory:
Thread worn brown robes and leather boots
1x Energy Potion (-1)
0x Healing potion (-1)
Two days worth of mushroom bread
2x healing sprigs
1x poisonous toadstool
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A wild Life Magician appears!

 

More seriously, I've been considering Life Magic for some time, and since every bit of healing helps (especially now), I decided to dump some points into it.

Click to reveal.. (Yemirrr, XP-156)
Yemirrr

Smitten Semi-Unfettered Male Nephilim Bandit Chief

 

Physical Description: Dark fur, large muscles, dark-colored eyes. Has tattered ears and a large scar from his left shoulder to his chest. Wearing ratskin pants, slightly damaged heavy plate mail, and a small, tribal-reminiscent necklace.

 

27/40 HP / 10/10 STM

21+2 DEF / 15 WIL

5-1 SPD / 000/156 XP

ARMOR: Heavy (+2DEF/3Encumbrance/-1Speed)

 

Melee (Axes) - 11

Magic (Force) - 5

Magic (Life) - 4 [+4]

Athletics – 8

Perception - 4

Thievery – 3

Stealth - 4

Composure - 2

Acrobatics - 1

First Aid - 1

Arcana - 1

 

Click to reveal.. (MISCELLANEOUS TECHNIQUES (1))
DEFIANT BRACE - Defensively maneuvers and braces so that the character's armor and natural hardiness absorb the brunt of the next wave of attacks, reducing the effects and damage of attacks that hit the defender that round. The better the character's armor and Athletics, the stronger the effect. Stamina can be spent to enhance the technique's power. This technique does not require a roll.
Click to reveal.. (AXE TECHNIQUES (6))
UNFETTERED FURY (1PD 1STM) - All attacks gain a notable bonus to hit and do extra damage and all incoming attacks deal slightly less damage/have slightly reduced effects, at the cost of defense. The effects last until the end of the current battle.

 

CRUSHING CLEAVE (FRAct 1STM) – As a full-round action, winds up and performs a massive cleaving attack, striking up to seven adjacent enemies in one hit. An improved or critical will in addition knock the victim back and prone. Each additional enemy targeted inflicts a -1 penalty to-hit, and the character takes a flat -2 penalty to defense that round if targeting more than 4 enemies.

 

WRATHFUL RETALIATION (MAct) – Retaliates against an enemy who struck the character in melee that turn as a move action, at a slight penalty to hit and to the character's main action. Requires 1STM if the character's main action is a second attack.

 

WAR CHARGE (FRAct 1STM) – Charges in a straight line up to twice the character's speed, then lands an attack with the character's weapon. If the character charges a distance greater than his normal movement speed, the damage done gains a +1 bonus and will potentially knock the target back.

 

HAFT STRIKE – Strikes the target with the haft or blunt side of the weapon, doing less damage but also penalizing the target's actions and defenses that round. If a target is reduced to 0HP by a haft strike, the target is simply rendered unconscious instead of killed/bleeding out.

 

GUARDIAN BREAKER (FRAct) - Lands a strike aimed to cripple the target's defenses, reducing their defense for several rounds. The penalty starts small, but repeating the technique slowly causes the penalty to stack.

Click to reveal.. (FORCE MAGIC (4))
SMITE – Hits the target object with a lance of cold and magical energy. This spell is capable of doing limited damage even if the target is immune to cold damage. Multiple lances can be fired at a cost of 1STM per additional target.

 

FLINGPULSE – Creates a pulse of force, capable of deflecting, knocking back, or throwing enemies, objects, or the caster. It can be focused on either a single target at long range or spread out over short range. Stamina can be spent to increase the power of the pulse, or increase the area of effect.[/color]

 

DISPERSION – Creates a temporary shield around the target tuned to a specific element or form of energy (heat, electricity, cold, etc.), deflecting and dispersing it into the recipient's surroundings. This reduces its damage/effects while also potentially dumping it into nearby creatures or objects. Stronger castings can disperse greater amounts of energy, and multiple energy types can be shielded against at 1STM per additional type.

 

AETHYRFIELD - Creates a frictionless barrier of force around a targeted creature, object, or part of an object, capable of blocking and deflecting any physical objects that come in contact with it. Typical use is as a shield around a creature to deflect physical blows and reduce physical damage, but it's useful in any situation a frictionless force barrier might be useful in. The caster has the option to make it impermeable to air as well, though if the barrier blocks the being's breathing organs, it limits the being's air supply. The field usually lasts a half-to-full hour. Depending on the use, stamina may be required. Stamina can also be spent to boost the shielding effect or duration.

Click to reveal.. (LIFE MAGIC (2))
(???)

 

(???)

Click to reveal.. (INVENTORY)
Bandit King's Plate Mail [Damaged] – Plate mail that once belonged to to the former bandit king Stewart. It's slightly damaged.

Ratskin Pants – Pants stitched together from ratskins. There's a few pockets for storing things.

Fine Steel Helmet – A sturdy steel helmet looted off of an Empire Captain.

Round Shield – A non-encumbering round shield. Protects one from blows.

Battle Axe – A nasty-looking steel battle axe that Yemirrr wields one-handed.

Bone Necklace – A necklace made of rat bones.

Pack – A slightly-frayed pack that was looted off of an adventurer.

 

PACK

Dried Meat x6 – Portions of dried lizard meat.

Bread x5 – Loaves of bread.

Potion of Battle – Provides a boost to accuracy and defense for a short time.

Massive Halberd - A massive halberd.

Industrial Axe - A heavy axe meant for industrial use.

Knife – A small tool knife.

Gold Pieces x20 - Currency. Yemirrr does not see the allure in it.

Demonology Scrolls - Scrolls on demonology. Someone more knowledgeable needs to examine them to learn more.

Chainmail Armor - Basic chainmail armor looted off of an imperial captain.

Click to reveal.. (NPC Bandits)
13 NPC Bandits Total [5 Human Warriors, 3 Slith Warriors, 1 Human Archer, 4 (+1 Absent) Nephil Archers]

 

Sieberr [Female Nephil Archer/Scout | Healthy] - Second-in-command, Yemirrr's mate.

Porrom [Male Nephil Archer | Healthy] - De facto leader of the nephilim in the bandit group.

Jarvin [Male Human Warrior | Healthy] - Has a major feud with Arabella. Appears to be the de facto leader of the humans in the bandit group.

Giffen [Male Human Archer | Healthy] - An older bandit. Seems fond of Pepper. Talented with artifice, particularly wagon repair.

Xavier [Male Human Warrior | Healthy] - A friend of Jarvin's.

Russos [Male Slith Warrior | Healthy] - A large slith warrior. Appears to be the de facto leader of the sliths in the bandit group.

"NewSlith" [Male Slith Warrior | Healthy] - A young and inexperienced slith warrior who joined two weeks ago.

Mrren [Female Nephil Archer | Absent] - A thin nephil. Lurks near the back of the group. Trying to contact the Scimitar.

 

Also, what happened to those potions (Three Healing Potions, Two Stamina Potions, One Speed Potion) Pepper was going to pass out? She said she was going to pass them out discretely, but she didn't say to who, and they've sort of vanished into ether. Those potions could wind up saving someone's life, and we're going to need everything we can get our hands on.

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Originally Posted By: Nioca
Also, what happened to those potions (Three Healing Potions, Two Stamina Potions, One Speed Potion) Pepper was going to pass out? She said she was going to pass them out discretely, but she didn't say to who, and they've sort of vanished into ether. Those potions could wind up saving someone's life, and we're going to need everything we can get our hands on.


True. One hp, stm, and sp pot to Yemirr. One stm to Chadat. One hp pot to Marra. Last hp pot to Arabella to keep our healing alive and healing. If that doesn't work or you think of someone better to give them to let me know.
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For reals, Nioca? I mean, yay more healing, but it's kind of out of character for Yemirr to just suddenly decide he wants to become adept at healing magics, considering he's been heavily focused in dealing damage up to this point.

 

(edit: also how many points did we get last time?)

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Originally Posted By: SereNikki
For reals, Nioca? I mean, yay more healing, but it's kind of out of character for Yemirr to just suddenly decide he wants to become adept at healing magics, considering he's been heavily focused in dealing damage up to this point.

Not really; Yemirrr tends to be something of a natural caster. That is, no spellbooks or notes, he just goes by instinct and observation. I figure Yemirrr's been around Arabella enough to pick up on a few things.

(Also, while one of the spells is straight healing, the other has a decidedly more brutal spin on it.)

Quote:
(edit: also how many points did we get last time?)
Ten.
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Being a little low on stamina and having nowhere to store a potion anyway, we immediately swallow the stamina potion vial that Pepper offers whole, and bring it back up unstoppered and empty.

 

amusing fact: chadat has spent 11/13 of their skill points, or nearly 85%, on Force Magic or Deep Magic, and is still only just keeping up with the rest of the party (who have mostly spent about half their skill points on combat skills). this is what it takes to keep a hybrid viable at higher levels. being able to target both physical and mental defences helps a lot: without Deep Magic they'd be significantly worse off

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Originally Posted By: Dialog this morning, Neighbor & Myself (heavily paraphrased)
Me: Hiya neighbor!
Neighbor: Hey [Nioca]. Guess what? I'm finally moving!
Me: Really? Great! When are you moving?
Neighbor: Two days. [That's Wednesday].
Me: ...
Neighbor: You're still going to help me move, right?
Me: ...yes.

...yeah. I should be able to finish that little task before 8, but that assumes everything goes smoothly. So if I'm running late, well, now you know why.

EDIT: Nevermind, false alarm. Apparently she's going to do it this weekend instead. Possibly.
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Originally Posted By: Homage
Originally Posted By: Nioca
Originally Posted By: Dialog this morning, Neighbor & Myself (heavily paraphrased)

Neighbor: Hey [Nioca]. Guess what? I'm finally moving!
Me: Really? Great!


Nioca is the master of social skills tongue
And this surprises you? tongue

(More seriously, it sounds like a nasty reply, but it makes sense and is reasonable when you know the context; namely, she's been wanting and trying to move for the past two months, but keeps getting jerked around. So it's not "Really? Great that you're getting the heck away from me!", but "Really? Great that you're finally getting what you wanted!")

Anyway, we're a day out from what might possibly be the most epic finale of an AIMHack yet. Be there!
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Originally Posted By: Nioca
(More seriously, it sounds like a nasty reply, but it makes sense and is reasonable when you know the context; namely, she's been wanting and trying to move for the past two months, but keeps getting jerked around. So it's not "Really? Great that you're getting the heck away from me!", but "Really? Great that you're finally getting what you wanted!")


oh, so it's not that you don't like her...
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...Well. I've never been so insulted in my life. I guess I'll just keep all these logs and quotes to myself.

 

...

 

Nah, just kidding, it's fine. smileold.gif

 

But I'm not kidding about logs and quotes! The 6-10 Log has been updated with Sessions 9 and 10. And I have quotes from both!

 

 

(Session 9: Someone think of the baby Nephilim!)

 

 

Arabella: "Well, its refreshing that somebody realises I'm better than the riffraff we've recently allied ourselves with."

 

Marra: "Perrrsonally, I'm hoping for something a little morrre violent, and involving more Empirrre rrrats."

 

Yemirrr: "It is becoming quite apparrrant. With the Empirrre invading the Abyss, no one can surrvive alone. Not us. Not the Scimitarrr. Maybe not even Errrika herrrself."

 

Erika Redmark: "I remember the first time I summoned such a fine a golem. It was the highlight of my sixth birthday."

 

Porrom: "I don't want to serrve the witch. They say she feeds baby Nephilim to her demon servants."

 

Pepper: "Gazers must really be hungry. All they talk about is devouring stuff."

 

Chadat: "Oh, and do not hesitate to call us a monster. Monsters are beings that are feared for their power by your kind, yes? This is as it should be. We accept the term with pride."

 

 

(Session 10: Well that's not ominous at all.)

 

 

Pepper: "No one escapes the Empire."

 

Serssano: "We are in the wrong profession for sleeping well."

 

Arabella: "I would just like the record to state that I really don't want to attack, because I'm a coward, and we could be sitting in the Tower of Magi within an hour."

 

Chadat: "We admit to unfamiliarity with human culture, but we do not believe that gifts are the usual response to the killing of one's underlings."

 

Devos: "I'm tired of being hunted. If we keep on like this, the Empire is bound to kill us eventually. Even if this offer is dangerous, it's our only chance of winning."

 

Yemirrr: "I do not believe that resisting the Empirrre is pointless. Even if it does not end as we would like."

 

Marra: "Use the Empirrre's own soldierrrs against it. I like that idea."

 

Porrom: "You'rre a crrazy bastarrd, Yemirrr, but if this worrks we'll be legends."

 

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Very last minute level:

 

Click to reveal..

Lady Arabella of Felannis.

Human. Female.

Travelling Healer/Saleswoman.

 

HP: 19/24

ST: 6/10

 

Life Mg: 11

Melee: 8 (+1)

Composure: 4

First Aid: 5

Arcana: 3

Streetwise: 3

Stealth: 2

 

I was gonna be a real jerk and bump something completely out of character, but more HP makes sense, and so does being somewhat handy with a knife.

 

New technique, too. Erm. When I think of one. 1 and a half hours to go. tongue

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Also, Arry has a new technique!

 

Knife Shower (1 Stm): Holding her knife high above her head, Arabella brings it down onto her foe multiple times in quick succession. Her blows leave her foe dazed, despite them not being quite as powerful as an individual thrust.

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Click to reveal.. (Character Sheet)
Name: Serssano
Occupation: Shaman
Race: Slithzerikai
Alignment: A bit bitter at this point.

HP: 21

Banked: 1 (+1)

Martial(Slith Spear): 5
Athletics: 3
Alchemy: 6
Arcana: 5
First Aid: 6
Nature: 5
Perception: 3
Force Magic: 7 (+1)[/color]
Deep Magic: 4
Material Magic: 6
Life Magic: 4


Click to reveal.. (Abilities)
FREE
Lay on Hands(First Aid)(1 Stamina) - Serssano magically bolsters his First Aid skill to close wounds, purge poisons, and cure disease. Requires physical contact, an inactive target, and time.
Primal Tongue(Arcana) - Serssano uses his knowledge of language and a touch of magical lore to talk to an animal. Easier with reptiles.
MARTIAL
Threaten - Serssano uses the superior range of his weapon to keep a foe occupied and at bay for a turn.
Trip - Sersanno trips a foe with his spear, knocking them flat on their face.
Pilum (3 Stamina) - Serssano mightily heaves his spear, gaining a large bonus to attack and damage and potentially impaling and immobilizing the target.
FORCE
Lightning Spray - Serssano shoots lightning out of his hands, frying targets at short to medium range.
Fireball - Serssano throws a head-sized ball of exploding fire that damages everything in a wide area.
Telekinesis - Serssano telekinetically controls an object or person. Anything beyond the direct creation of a simple momentary force requires significant concentration, giving a combat penalty to such actions.
Orb of Protection - Serssano conjures a spherical shield around the target, which repels anything attempting to pass through.
DEEP
Hypnotize - Serssano gazes into a target's eyes and drones on and on, eventually making the target very susceptible to commands and questioning.
Fearsome Aspect - The target is cloaked in the illusion of a large, fearsome monster, in the hopes of discouraging or frightening attackers.
MATERIAL
Flight - Serssano sprouts large dragon-like wings from his shoulderblades, and is capable of flight for about an hour. Flying requires concentration and physical control, giving a large penalty to any actions attempted while in flight.
Doppelganger - Serssano summons and controls a demon that takes his form and is able to convincingly impersonate him.
Summon Spirits - Serssano summons and controls a slith ghost or ghosts of appropriate power.
LIFE
Detect Life - Serssano feels the presence of all living or undead things in his surroundings.
Wound - Serssano magically strikes at a single creature's life force.


Click to reveal.. (Inventory)
Runed Slith Spear
Lizardhide Armor
Crude Jewelry
Loose Robe
Magical Equipment (Candles, tomes, chalk, incense, and doohickeys for magical rituals)
Alchemical Apparatus
First Aid Kit
Cave Lizard Mount
Food(5 days, includes mount)
15ft rope
Stone Knife
Flint and tinder
Healing Herbs (1) (+1)
Spiritual Herbs (1)
Energetic Herbs (1)


Click to reveal.. (Backstory)
Serssano is a slithzerikai of average height, about two meters, with shiny, bright green scales and crests. He wields the traditional slith spear with a number of small, enameled runes on the shaft and blades, and wears a loose, open robe over lizardhide armor. About his person are a number of small amulets or fetishes made of feathers, bone, or scales and attached with small loops of hide or leather.

Serssano is a shaman, a position usually revered in slith culture as the voice of the gods and ancestors. They serve as healers, priests, historians, teachers, alchemists, mages, and more. And while he was in his first two or three tribes, Serssano really took pride in that. These days, not so much.

Serssano was born in a moderately large tribe in the underworld, the Burning Crests, in a remote corner of the caves beyond Avernum's dominion. He was chosen from birth to be trained as a shaman, even though the current shaman was nowhere near death. His tribe was growing, and so was their ambition. Even as a hatchling, Serssano took to his role happily, showing great talent with the sometimes bizarre and arcane roles that shamans are required to adopt. Meanwhile, his chieftain was steadily increasing the size, frequency, and risk of their periodic raids on Avernum's settlements and other barbarian tribes.

This of course had repercussions, and they turned out to be too great for the Burning Crests to survive. They were attacked, overrun, and either murdered or absorbed by a rival clan, the Stormclaws. As Serssano was still young and a holy man (Well, almost, he was still in his teens), he was fortunate enough to avoid butchery, along with his mentor. He served his new clan just as well, and learned much from their somewhat dissimilar traditions. But they were, if anything, more aggressive than the Burning Crests, and Serssano soon found himself aiding in their raids, and cleaning up afterwards. But too many of these were against Avernum, and soon Serssano lost his second tribe.

A party of adventurers took it upon themselves to destroy their village - more of a camp, really - and loot the remains. Serssano's mentor, who had been a constant presence in his life, was struck down by a single bolt of purplish fire as Serssano watched through the bars of a Forcecage. They came and left so fast that Serssano was still trapped by the time they were long gone. He thought about seeking revenge once he was free, but he couldn't track the adventurers and doubted he could defeat them. So he wandered for a while until he was caught stealing a cave cow and exiled to the Abyss.

There, he wandered for a while, and venturing into cities for the first time. He learned, somewhat, of civilization. Eventually, he found a small tribe of slithzerikai that took him in, and enjoyed the abundance of arcane talent that another shaman granted them. Unlike the Burning Crests or the Stormclaws, his new tribe, the Silverscales, had no violent ambitions, which was a strange but welcome change to Serssano. He had always been fascinated by the underground world of Avernum, and now free to investigate what he wished, Serssano soon flourished as he helped the tribe to flourish.

The Empire came and killed them all, of course, except for Serssano. He had had the wisdom to flee and the good fortune of being able to fly and summon cannon fodder. As the sole survivor of three different slithzerikai tribes, he has learned the futility of being a lesser power before greater ones, and the value of cowardice, and the bitter taste of desired vengeance.
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And I've completed the final log. I'm posting all of them here in one convenient spot.

 

Abyss Logs 1-5: Invasions and Ambitions

Abyss Logs 6-10: Striking Back

Abyss Log 11: Death and Glory (Will also contain Aftermath and Epilogues once they're done)

 

I figure I'll post some thoughts on the campaign, but not right this second. It's late, and I'm tired.

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Okay, after campaign thoughts. I don't have a lot of them; the campaign was fun, and I had a blast. NPCs, Atmosphere... it was pretty much getting high marks in everything, and it really felt like Avernum. There's probably a lot more I ought to say here, but to be honest, praise is not really my strong point.

 

However, there was one major thing that stood out. I didn't really notice it at the beginning, but as time went on, it became more and more apparent. And I think this quote from the Aftermath PM pretty much sums it up:

Quote:
Honestly, I'm having a hard time figuring out what I'm going to [...] do next.
Yes, that quote is out-of-context, but I think it's applicable to pretty much the entire campaign: There was nothing actually driving it along, and nothing to actually help us make our own choices. About 75% of the campaign consisted of nothing but wandering semi-aimlessly and dealing with random encounters. There was nothing to actually push us into making real decisions or doing, well, anything other than wander, and while we were given choices, there was little to actually differentiate between those choices. It basically boiled down to the rest of the party tagging along with a single PC's whims for a seeming lack of anything better to do (in the beginning half, Urgdnebbot. In the latter half, Yemirrr), and there was never any real motivation to break out of that mold.

 

To use a metaphor, imagine helming a sailing ship during an overcast night on an uncharted sea. You can change direction, but you can't see far enough to tell whether or why you should alter course, or whether you're actually getting any closer to any sort of goal. And thus, you just sort of drift along with the tide.

 

=====

 

Oh, another thing. I feel kinda vindicated:

Originally Posted By: Nioca
My point is that being effective in combat with Material Magic requires either being situationally lucky, or burning a lot of stamina. Since about 80% of Material's combat uses just got hamstrung (healing, direct damage, most buffs or debuffs), and most of Material's remaining functions can be handled by the other three schools (albeit in different ways), it leaves Material as the weakest school.
I mean, no offense to Rowen, but in mechanical terms, if we had dropped Pepper for any other sort of mage or fighter, we probably would have been much better off. Despite having one of the highest magic bonuses in the party, it seemed that Pepper was still struggling to pull her own weight in a fight, and was frequently resorting to using stamina to make a difference. And this was considering she had the advantage of being able to select spells that were always applicable, thanks to the setting. Can you imagine Pepper trying to survive on the surface, or on Mote?
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Originally Posted By: Nioca
Yes, that quote is out-of-context, but I think it's applicable to pretty much the entire campaign: There was nothing actually driving it along, and nothing to actually help us make our own choices. About 75% of the campaign consisted of nothing but wandering semi-aimlessly and dealing with random encounters. There was nothing to actually push us into making real decisions or doing, well, anything other than wander, and while we were given choices, there was little to actually differentiate between those choices. It basically boiled down to the rest of the party tagging along with a single PC's whims for a seeming lack of anything better to do (in the beginning half, Urgdnebbot. In the latter half, Yemirrr), and there was never any real motivation to break out of that mold.

To use a metaphor, imagine helming a sailing ship during an overcast night on an uncharted sea. You can change direction, but you can't see far enough to tell whether or why you should alter course, or whether you're actually getting any closer to any sort of goal. And thus, you just sort of drift along with the tide.


I'm a little surprised to hear you say this, since, as you pointed out, you were the one directing things for much of the campaign -- at least in the sense that your leadership of the bandits gave you a pretty good amount of veto power over any of our plans. And you didn't seem to have a shortage of goals to pursue, either in the short or the long term. So I'm not sure I fully understand why you in particular are complaining here.

One thing I'm picking up on from your post that I agree with, though, is that once we joined up with the bandits, the Empire no longer really felt like an everpresent threat that was forcing us to respond to it. We were heading for Erika to find protection and possibly a way out of the Abyss, but since we pretty handily slaughtered every Empire patrol we came across, there wasn't a sense of urgency to getting out. We turned from desperate refugees into fearless resistance leaders very quickly. I don't think that's entirely a bad thing, though: we took our destiny into our own hands, came up with a plan to strike back against the Empire and saw it through to the end, and I don't think we'd have done that if the Empire had remained an overwhelming, unassailable terror.

I think part of the reason for our lack of direction was down to our own decisions, too: we'd probably have been able to learn more about the Empire's plans sooner if we'd captured and interrogated some of the Empire soldiers we defeated instead of killing them. Especially that wizard.

Quote:
I mean, no offense to Rowen, but in mechanical terms, if we had dropped Pepper for any other sort of mage or fighter, we probably would have been much better off. Despite having one of the highest magic bonuses in the party, it seemed that Pepper was still struggling to pull her own weight in a fight, and was frequently resorting to using stamina to make a difference. And this was considering she had the advantage of being able to select spells that were always applicable, thanks to the setting. Can you imagine Pepper trying to survive on the surface, or on Mote?


She did make a difference when she wasn't critically failing rolls. Liquid Stone and Rock Maze were both quite effective for impeding groups of enemy melee fighters. Still, I think overall you're right: merging Force Magic and Material Magic into a single school makes thematic sense (there's already quite a bit of overlap in what they can do, despite Sarachim's best efforts to minimise it) and on balance I don't think it'd make either of them too strong.
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Originally Posted By: Lilith
Originally Posted By: Nioca
Yes, that quote is out-of-context, but I think it's applicable to pretty much the entire campaign: There was nothing actually driving it along, and nothing to actually help us make our own choices. About 75% of the campaign consisted of nothing but wandering semi-aimlessly and dealing with random encounters. There was nothing to actually push us into making real decisions or doing, well, anything other than wander, and while we were given choices, there was little to actually differentiate between those choices. It basically boiled down to the rest of the party tagging along with a single PC's whims for a seeming lack of anything better to do (in the beginning half, Urgdnebbot. In the latter half, Yemirrr), and there was never any real motivation to break out of that mold.

To use a metaphor, imagine helming a sailing ship during an overcast night on an uncharted sea. You can change direction, but you can't see far enough to tell whether or why you should alter course, or whether you're actually getting any closer to any sort of goal. And thus, you just sort of drift along with the tide.


I'm a little surprised to hear you say this, since, as you pointed out, you were the one directing things for much of the campaign -- at least in the sense that your leadership of the bandits gave you a pretty good amount of veto power over any of our plans. And you didn't seem to have a shortage of goals to pursue, either in the short or the long term. So I'm not sure I fully understand why you in particular are complaining here.
My point isn't that our characters didn't have goals. Each and every member of the party clearly had its own goals and ambitions. It's that our PARTY didn't really have any sort of goal that's bugging me: It was never really clear what we were actually supposed to be doing, other than an extremely vague "Survive", and that resulted in about half the campaign feeling like it was spinning its wheels; it felt less like the party was following Urgdnebbot/Yemirrr because they agreed with them, and more because there just didn't seem to be any better options.

(Speaking of which, with the leadership position, I was desperately trying to strike a balance between Yemirrr's character and ambitions, the position's IC responsibilities, and not running roughshod over the party. Judging from the tone of your post, I'm guessing I failed in that regard. frown )
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I think part of the point was that we were expected to set our own goals, which we did. The Same Page Tool set this out pretty clearly, I thought: Sarachim's job wasn't to provide us with goals or plan out events for us, it was just to have NPCs react to whatever we came up with in interesting ways. And I think for the most part he did that, barring one or two filler sessions where we basically just did some travelling and fighting.

 

I do think some of the PCs felt a bit like they were along for the ride sometimes, but I also think that was largely a consequence of their not being proactive in speaking up and discussing the party's goals. Maybe we could have done more as a group to give the quieter players something to play off, though. I'm currently working on a rule for Nibiru that I hope will encourage quieter players to speak up and take a part in decision-making, at least a couple of times per session.

 

edit: oh, I should add that I don't feel like you abused your character's authority -- just that it was there, and that deferring to you seemed like the natural thing to do if I didn't particularly feel strongly about what to do next.

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Originally Posted By: Lilith
I think part of the point was that we were expected to set our own goals, which we did. The Same Page Tool set this out pretty clearly, I thought: Sarachim's job wasn't to provide us with goals or plan out events for us, it was just to have NPCs react to whatever we came up with in interesting ways. And I think for the most part he did that, barring one or two filler sessions where we basically just did some travelling and fighting.
Hmm... I mean, it's kind of interesting you bring up the Same Page Tool. Save for one exception, the SPT answers for Abyss and AtCT were identical, and that includes "The GM has no plan – the GM simply plays the NPCs and has them act or react based on their motivations". Yet, arguably, both campaigns played out very differently. AtCT definitely had some direction and a goal set out for the party, while Abyss did not. Personally, this suggests that the SPT isn't actually getting people on the same page, and needs to be revamped and have its options more clearly delineated.

Quote:
I'm currently working on a rule for Nibiru that I hope will encourage quieter players to speak up and take a part in decision-making, at least a couple of times per session.
eek

I mean, I guess it's good to nudge quieter players into action, but on the other hand, I'm getting this knee-jerk "DO NOT WANT" reaction to having a rule in place to enforce that. But I suppose it's too early to make any real judgements on it.
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I did say encourage, not enforce. I'm thinking something like a bonus Stamina point, a maximum of once or twice per player per session, for taking a risky action that fits your character -- something big enough to be an incentive but not so big that you can't refuse it. It wouldn't really be too different from how some perks work now, just baked into the system for everyone.

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  • 1 month later...

You forgot about this, didn't you? Well, surprise! We have epilogues!

 

 

Click to reveal.. (Wondering what the heck happened at the end? Keep reading!)

 

 

Sarachim: More fighters follow Corporal Renfry and Theresa into the fort. Under their direction, they disarm the survivng Empire soldiers (including Lyle's troop), lock them in the barracks, and post guards. Renfry directs his people to search the fort for hidden enemies, supplies, and documents. Curiously, nobody finds Albert or his body. Meanwhile Theresa and a few ragtag Scimitar warriors quickly exchange their story with yours:

 

Mrren snuck back toward Erika's tower after she left your group, correctly guessing that Erika would have some way of contacting the Scimitar. None of their cells in the Abyss answered her messages, but she did get ahold of one which had been sent to Fort Saffron immediately after the Empire invasion to negotiate a Scimitar-Avernum alliance. Theresa, their leader, convinced the commander of Fort Saffron that the situation merited checking out, and soon after a mixed force of Scimitar fighters and Avernite soldiers slipped through the Empire's front line. When they heard the fighting inside Fort Spire, they made a spur of the moment decision to launch a diversionary attack on its south wall, which succeeded because almost all of the fort's defenders were busy fighting you.

 

As far as she knows, none of the Empire soldiers escaped to the south to warn the main Empire force there, but a battle of this magnitude can't stay secret for long. She and Renfry plan to loot the place, knock down its outer walls so the Empire can't use it for defense, then slip away to the south again.

 

"Unless you've got a different plan," she adds. "But if you do, we'd better make up our minds quick."

 

 

 

Click to reveal.. (Chadat)

 

 

Lilith: Chadat surveyed the battlefield, their eyestalks scanning slowly, almost wistfully, over the fort. "This would make a fine territory for us... if circumstances were different. We cannot defend it alone from all who would wish to reclaim it, and we cannot demand our allies' assistance when we have no compensation to offer."

 

The young gazer fell silent, throbbing and gyrating alarmingly for a few seconds before settling down and continuing to speak. "We feel the urge of our kind to claim land of our own, where we may grow in power and indulge in our own private contemplations, but we have also come to see the strength and security that can be gained by working with others. We cannot deny our nature, but we can use it to our and your mutual advantage. Therefore, we offer a bargain to anyone who would have our aid in fighting the Empire. Cede to us a pass or a tunnel of strategic importance, one that we can call our own and defend against intruders, and bring us gifts of food or magic whenever you need to pass through. In return, we will ward it against discovery by interlopers and destroy any agents of the Empire who penetrate its defences."

 

When the Scimitar left Fort Spire, Chadat left with them. Both Chadat and the Scimitar stayed true to their word: Chadat claimed their territory, warded it against discovery by interlopers and reported on the movements of Empire soldiers in nearby areas, while the Scimitar kept Chadat well-fed and comfortable. A few Scimitar mages dared to travel to Chadat's lair to study, offering any scrounged-up magical items bizarre, useless or dangerous enough to be of little practical value to the resistance, in return for a chance to observe and learn from the gazer's unusual spellcasting techniques.

 

Relaxing in their lair, content at last despite the war still raging on around them, Chadat mused:

 

"We have heard the humans say, 'there is no Eye in team.' We have proven them wrong."

 

Sarachim: After the battle, Chadat was confined in Fort Saffron for a while, as much to keep them safe from the Avernite soldiers there as vice-versa. After a top-secret debate among Avernum's leaders, Chadat was given a hidden base in the Waterfall Warren for their domain. Later in the war, a group of Avernite soldiers that retook the base from the Empire saw no sign of Chadat. We don't know if Chadat survived the Empire attack.

 

 

 

Click to reveal.. (Arabella)

 

 

Nikki:Arabella's desire to be safe in Avernum, away from the fighting, was somewhat difficult, considering she had already been exiled from Exile for her crimes. Heading back into the Abyss and continuing to fight the Empire wasn't an option either - she'd come a long way from the brashy, bolshy young woman who had found herself sharing a Gazer's cellar with several other undesirables.

 

In the end, she tried to find a medium - she wanted to remain close to the people with whom she had travelled, people she felt she had actually grown close to, for the first time in her life, but she also wanted to not face constant death at the swords of an Imperial platoon. Eventually, her path became clear; she wandered the roads to the south of the Abyss, healing those she could, and only slightly fleecing those she couldn't, before she finally took up a home in Dharmon, where she used her talent for healing, as well as her streetsmart, to find a life that she was almost comfortable in. Almost.

 

Sarachim: Presumably, Arabella didn't die in battle, since the Empire never attacked Dharmon. Still, knowing Arabella, she could easily have met her end in any number of other ways. . .

 

 

 

Click to reveal.. (Marra)

 

 

B.J. Earles: Marra stood amid the recent carnage of Fort Spire. Gazing upon the dead and wounded, she felt strangely distant. It was a kind of empty coldness she had felt once before. Then it had been after taking her first revenge against the Empire. Marra took another, long look at the pile of dead Empire soldiers. Here she had gained her vengeance again, and yet there was no release. Her ghosts still cried out for more, for her to do it again, and again, and again.

 

Marra shook her head and tried to understand what she was feeling. Looking up, she caught the eye of one of the Empire soldiers as he was hauled away. The look on his face was one of hatred, a look Marra knew she had worn all too often. It wasn't a pretty sight.

 

Marra spent the next few hours alone, trying to decide what to do next. She couldn't stay in the Abyss, that much was clear, and she didn't want to stay with the bandits. Revenge was all that had been driving her before, and she knew nothing else. It was time to find something else to live for.

 

She said her goodbyes, making it a point to tell Yemirrr that she still thought he was a fool but that he should watch his back anyway, and then left for Avernum. She didn't stop until she was as far from the Empire as she could get. Then she turned around.

 

A few months later, an Empire supply convoy was ambushed by a small, ragtag militia group. Marra lead the attack, but it wasn't about revenge this time. Now she was defending her home, Avernum, and she would keep on defending it for as long as she drew breath.

 

Sarachim: Our informants disagree about what happened to Marra during the war. One says that she eventually joined the regular Avernite army and was killed in the battle of Cotra, but another says that after Cotra fell Marra was still alive and hunting Empire infiltrators around Fort Draco. The third says she and a few followers were last seen heading west through Fort Remote, possibly to look for Yemirrr. Whatever the truth is, we don't know where she is now.

 

 

 

Click to reveal.. (Yemirrr)

 

 

Nioca: A little ways north of Fort Saffron, as the light of moss dimmed into evening, a small group stood around an obelisk. One of their number, a female human, seemed to be shivering and shaking, as if from cold. The others stood perfectly still, taking in every detail of the obelisk.

 

"C-c-can I go now?" Pepper asked, stammering from a combination of exhaustion, cold, and fear.

 

"You may." Yemirrr growled, his eyes not leaving the obelisk. A series of fading footsteps behind him told him that Pepper didn't need to be told twice. As repayment for the damage she had done, Yemirrr had told Pepper in no uncertain terms that she would use her skills to fix some wagons for getting the (rather considerable) amount of loot to Fort Saffron, and assist in repairing their damaged equipment and making a proper burial for the fallen. When she protested at the drain on her energies after the repairs, Yemirrr had told her that she could either honor the dead or join them. He was rather unsurprised she wanted to leave, and, as he considered Pepper's numerous mishaps, he decided he preferred it that way.

 

The group was silent after that, simply eyeing the obelisk. The stone was perfectly smooth, as if grown right out of the cave floor, with small flecks of quartz giving it an odd, ethereal sparkle. Each of its four faces held etchings; one side was marked simply with four symbols. A sun, a scimitar, and a rat skull formed a triangle around the fourth symbol, a broken crown. The other three sides had immaculate writing. In the dim light, Yemirrr's eyes focused on the south side, where large, flowing letters proclaimed:

 

'ON FROST 22 816, THE RATBANE RAIDERS, BACKED BY SCIMITAR AND AVERNITE FORCES, LAUNCHED A DARING ATTACK AND SUCCESSFULLY SACKED THE THEN IMPERIAL-HELD SPIRE FORT, STRIKING DOWN ONE OF THE EMPIRE'S GENERALS AND WAR HEROES.

 

THIS MONUMENT STANDS WATCH OVER THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES STRIKING A DEEP WOUND AGAINST A SEEMINGLY INVINCIBLE FOE, AS TRIBUTE TO THEIR INCREDIBLE BRAVERY.

 

MAY THEY REST IN PEACE.'

 

"It's no less then they deserrve." Sieberr said, one arm in a cast and the other around Yemirrr's waist. An avernite officer grumbled nearby, but was soundly ignored. Yemirr paced around to the west side of the obelisk. A rat skull sat atop a list of names, glimmering gently in the fading light. Names of both bandits and rebel soldiers adorned the obelisk, each name flanked by a short message about them from those who knew them best. Yemirrr's eyes found Lyle's name, lumped in with the brigands and rebel soldiers. Yemirrr had to suppress a smile when he read Lyle's inscription: "Without you, this would not have been possible."

 

No doubt, Captain Lyle was rolling in his grave. No one had told the rebel imperials that had joined Yemirrr that Lyle had been enthralled when he had led them to rebel, and Yemirrr was making sure to keep it that way. The Ratbane Raiders (the name Yemirrr's bandits had finally settled on for his group) had already been whittled down to dangerously low numbers; they needed the two dozen or so soldiers that had rebelled against the Empire, regardless of how the Scimitar felt about it. Especially with what was to come...

 

Yemirrr's eyes flicked up to Theresa and Renfry. They were busy reading the names on the other side of the obelisk, ones of fallen Scimitar and Avernite forces. It was a mark of how strange times were getting that humans, non-humans, surface dwellers, soldiers, and outlaws were all buried and honored side-by-side. He supposed he was going to be getting well-acquainted with Theresa; While Avernum's forces were going to be taking Imperial forces head-on, the Ratbane Raiders and Scimitar were going to act as strike forces against Imperial supply caches, caravans, and other targets of opportunity. It was a role Yemirrr was extremely content with, as were most of the remaining bandits.

 

"Not that I want to interrupt," An Avernite commander stated brisquely as he approached the group, "but we need to talk about our next move." An Avernite commander approached the group.

 

Yemirrr nodded. "Yes. This is a glorrrious opporrtunity for all of us," He said, turning to face the commander. "We must take advantage of it beforrre the Empirrre can recoverr; they will regrrret everrr setting foot in these caves."

 

And so Yemirrr led the Ratbane Raiders back to Fort Saffron, thoughts of what would come tomorrow spinning through his head. But as they left, Yemirrr took one last look at the list of fallen Raiders. There was one name reminding him there was still a long and bloody road ahead; the only name that had Yemirrr's own words adorning it.

 

'PORROM - It worked. You're legends.'

 

Sarachim: A few weeks after the battle at Fort Saffron, Empire troops were spotted in the tunnels west of Fort Remote. Yemirrr, Sieberr, and the other Ratbane Raiders were sent into the maze of narrow, uninhabited tunnels to operate independently, disrupting the Empire's operations however they could. Their eventual fate is unknown. If any of them are still alive, I hope someone told them the war is over.

 

 

 

Click to reveal.. (Pepper)

 

 

Rowen: Pepper wanders aimlessly in the lands of the Great Cave for a few months before someone from the Castle takes pity on her (or just got annoyed with her, its hard to tell sometimes) and sends her to Patrick's Tower. There she is assigned a duty that she is told is of utmost importance to the safety of Exile: cataloging the different minerals formations of Exile's caves.

 

Sarachim: Near the end of the war, Patrick and some of his colleagues attempted to create a spell that would make it easy to open and close new tunnels through the rock walls of Exile. Pepper reluctantly agreed to test the spell. She managed to open the tunnel successfully, walk in, and close it behind her, but that was it. Patrick assumed that she'd been trapped in the rock and died, and the project was cancelled. Personally, I suspect that Pepper emerged on the other side and decided not to come back.

 

 

 

Click to reveal.. (Serssano)

 

 

Sarachim: As for Serssano, we know he went to Fort Saffron with the others, but that's it. Members of the Saffron garrison we interviewed don't even agree about whether he left through the north gate or the south.

 

 

Once again, thank you to everyone who played, followed along, or helped with the campaign. I had a great time, and as soon as my nerves are fully recovered I'm going to do another one.

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