Topics

The new optional spells seem to be pretty awesome, especially the divination ones.  

Is there a chance some new illusion spells could be added too?  (Particularly to round out the lower levels with more than invis and gv.)

What if you could make a Wilderness Survival check (once per day) to rest without a fire vs. a certain DC e.g., 20, (perhaps dependent on the weather, etc.)?

What if for every 5 ranks in Swimming you got a +10% move bonus when underwater?

I have been thinking about this system and would like to see it come up a little more for relatively small bonuses (or chances for bonuses) like these.

Suggestions or comments.

[Aelric Infieri is no more. I had an absolute blast playing this character. I'd been wanting to play a social PC like this for a long time, and I'm glad it finally happened. Infieri would have never been anything without the truly awesome group of players he got to hang out with.Kudos to: BrittanyPanthas, AKMatt, Garem, Kotenku, Daemonic Daz, Talir, Spinefish, TankerNCO, Fong, Stormbringer, and Sobe for fun times, and TRB and JaydeMoon for getting his career started. DMs Germain and Wern for help along the way. Also thanks to the members of Ymphan Arcana, keep it alive!Infieri was a man who came to the Ziggurat with a sordid past. He hoped to make his way as a lawyer and slowly repay a debt he had accumulated earlier in his life. An early Infieri getting advice on how to start his legal career:Cruloch owns 9 PCs. This was one of 3 times Infieri was subdued in PvP and let live...One of very many fireside chats at the Kingsman. Here he meets a dwarf named Kharst. Infieri was upfront from the start:Proverson gives a speech at the Kingsman after the fire in his shop. Proverson was absolutely key to becoming Magistrate. Once Magistrate Infieri started to cut ties with him, not wanting to seem like a pawn.Torvald. Overturning Torvald's exile was somewhat pivotal, but not quite as much as Praxes'.Relations with the Stygians were good after the matter with Praxes was resolved. Here Antivar and Infieri discuss philosophy (read from top):Infieri models his shiny vestments next to Antivar. He took an interest in her. Not long after this they would lay together on the floor of the Courthouse......dying:Infieri was going to leave Magistrate to become a Retainer. Then Martel, stopped corresponding with him...>.>, oh well probably for the better.Torvald v. Praxes:Face-off with Nightriser Archmagus. Things went rather poorly at this face-off. Hard for the paladin to flee with a captive when Bigby's comes down!We plan a rescue with critical input from a Stygian Scout. Fortunately we had the 15th Infantry of Men-at-Arms to aid in the rescue (by absorbing my poorly guided fireballs)There was a small time period where the PC government of House Sharboneth looked something like this, IMO:Then it looked more like this. (Aside: Bilby and Hamuramos bask in the aura of Infieri.)I absolutely loved being Magistrate and overseeing trials. It was never clear what was going to happen, and I always tried to really figure things out which made it difficult. This trial was an odd one....a goblin..The Consul Debate. Great night of RP. Wonder if Kharst would have won if it weren't for the oratory skills of Amortice reading his statement:Loot:Garb of the Bureaucrat:Clammy Ring:Finally, Infieri's strongest skill was always persuasion. He rarely met a PC that he wasn't trying to persuade, influence, or manipulate. Here he is being particularly persuasive:]

[his corpse contorts grotesquely, any thought of restoring life is dashed;  any man can recognize this sight at a glimpse: these are the remnants of a man whose very soul is tormented]

Aelric Infieri is no more.  I had an absolute blast playing this character.  I'd been wanting to play a social PC like this for a long time, and I'm glad it finally happened.  Infieri would have never been anything without the truly awesome group of players he got to hang out with.
Kudos to: BrittanyPanthas, AKMatt, Garem, Kotenku, Daemonic Daz, Talir, Spinefish, TankerNCO, Fong, Stormbringer,  and Sobe for fun times,  and TRB and JaydeMoon for getting his career started.  DMs Germain and Wern for help along the way.   Also thanks to the members of Ymphan Arcana, keep it alive!

Infieri was a man who came to the Ziggurat with a sordid past. He hoped to make his way as a lawyer and slowly repay a debt he had accumulated earlier in his life.

An early Infieri getting advice on how to start his legal career:


Cruloch owns 9 PCs.  This was one of 3 times Infieri was subdued in PvP and let live...

One of very many fireside chats at the Kingsman.  Here he meets a dwarf named Kharst.  Infieri was upfront from the start:


Proverson gives a speech at the Kingsman after the fire in his shop.  Proverson was absolutely key to becoming Magistrate.  Once Magistrate Infieri started to cut ties with him, not wanting to seem like a pawn.


Torvald.  Overturning Torvald's exile was somewhat pivotal, but not quite as much as Praxes'.


Relations with the Stygians were good after the matter with Praxes was resolved.  Here Antivar and Infieri discuss philosophy (read from top):


Infieri models his shiny vestments next to Antivar.  He took an interest in her.  Not long after this they would lay together on the floor of the Courthouse......dying:


Infieri was going to leave Magistrate to become a Retainer.  Then Martel, stopped corresponding with him...>.>, oh well probably for the better.


Torvald v. Praxes:


Face-off with Nightriser Archmagus.  Things went rather poorly at this face-off.   Hard for the paladin to flee with a captive when Bigby's comes down!


We plan a rescue with critical input from a Stygian Scout. Fortunately we had the 15th Infantry of Men-at-Arms to aid in the rescue (by absorbing my poorly guided fireballs)


There was a small time period where the PC government of House Sharboneth looked something like this, IMO:


Then it looked more like this.  (Aside: Bilby and Hamuramos bask in the aura of Infieri.)

I absolutely loved being Magistrate and overseeing trials.  It was never clear what was going to happen, and I always tried to really figure things out which made it difficult.  This trial was an odd one....a goblin..


The Consul Debate. Great night of RP.  Wonder if Kharst would have won if it weren't for the oratory skills of Amortice reading his statement:


Loot:
Garb of the Bureaucrat:


Clammy Ring:


Finally, Infieri's strongest skill was always persuasion.  He rarely met a PC that he wasn't trying to persuade, influence, or manipulate.  Here he is being particularly persuasive:

I was wondering what other players prefer:  a smaller number of large, well-represented factions, or a larger number of minor factions with a few players.  These factions might be DM or player-based, but the main question is about group size vs. number of groups, and what people think leads to the most interesting conflicts, alliances, and intrigue.  Try to pick one extreme for the poll, and then explain whatever view you have below.

Personally, I think the best is both: with large factions driving major plots that are supported or hindered by collaborating or competing with the smaller groups. But if I had to pick one, while I love small groups, I would rather see a few factions with more intra-faction diversity, and near-constant PC representation IG.

It's been a little over 2 months since the move to the surface.  I have been thinking about the change, and was curious about what other people think.  There have been some posts with long discussions.  I would prefer to see really succinct (short) posts listing (1) what you like most about the new setting (2) what you miss most about the Underdark setting.  Try to keep it to two sentences for each.

Like Best: Being on the surface.  It's great to have the EfU mechanics, DMs, players, and all, while exploring outdoor environments with time of day and weather effects.

Miss Most: Sanctuary.  The premise, the history, the layout, and the factions were so brilliant.  Even though you can still log into the UD, for me, there is absolutely no point without that epic city.

The transitions in and out of the map on both sides (E/W) are very touchy.  It is hard to get them to show up.  From West Point is okay, but both ways out of SB and the way in from RS only appear if you hit the right spot with your mouse.

Also some quests seem to be missing >.>

Hi EfuAers.

In light of the recent announcement about the Forgotten Flowers, I wanted to take a moment to address those interested in elven factions.  I have been lucky to be involved in an elven faction called the Ithilcuea.  My intent is not to enlist people OOC, but I wanted to spread the word that we are active and are always willing to consider new members.  We encourage interested players to learn more about our faction by seeking us out IG.  Naturally, some characters will fit better with our group than others.

...in certain wilderness areas.  In these areas I still see my hide/ms bonus, but the tracking bonus score wasn't right.  I checked my char sheet and saw that these skills were 4 ranks lower than on other wilderness maps.

Ones that I noticed so far:

Main Gate
Foothill Path
Wyldwater
Elfwood S (N was okay)
Up the Mountain
Great Falls

I'm Wood elf, Rgr 6.

This idea is something that I have been thinking about in light of the general discussion at the moment.  I am not 100% in love with it myself, and there are some problems, but maybe someone else can work them out below.


Implementation:
The main idea being that if you PvP someone and loot them, then you don't get all of their items.  These items disappear forever. The exact items can be chosen with some amount of randomization.  For instance, some of the consumables might be lost (potion bottles or wands broke in the fight, etc.).  Some armor and weapons might be lost (damaged beyond repair in the fight).  And a random percentage of gold lost, maybe 10-30% (no IC rationalization). Plot items would be omitted.  Nothing so strong as to eliminate the benefits, just like a 20% net reduction to slow the rate that successful PvPers amass loot stockpiles.

Motivation:
The main motivation being that the benefits from full-looting a PC can greatly exceed what you might earn questing.  Especially if you consider the time each might take.  

I understand that PvP is way more dangerous than questing: you may die yourself and open yourself to future retribution at any time.  There are benefits too: you just killed your enemy and you probably intimidated your other enemies.  Toning the loot exchange down a little bit won't unfairly imbalance the high risk-high reward nature of PvP, especially since it would affect everyone on all sides.

Another motivation is that this is in-line with the way the rest of the game works.  If we raid the orc lair we don't leave with 95 great axes, 88 breastplates, 83 spiked helms, etc.  Most of their mundane loot disappears, and can be justified as it being damaged in the battle and so forth.  This just applies a similar (though greatly reduced) penalty to PCs.

The main implementation problem is when to apply the penalty.  It would have to happen when the pack is dropped, before it hits the ground.  Clearly if the PC is being FD'd on the spot, then it would work.  In the cases where the PC is subdued to be dragged off for sacrifice or slavery, and could even be rescued, then it is dicier.  My opinion is that it should apply whenever the fight is serious  including murders, kidnapping, and robbery.  These being the cases where the IC rationalization is more justifiable.  It should probably be a separate damage mode like "Strong Subdual".  In the case where the PC is rescued later then the equipment is still lost, that being the danger of such aggressive fighting.

New Post search fails to list any posts in: DM Q&A or Announcements.

This has consistently been the case for me.  Not sure if any other forums are omitted.

Yesterday two undead used cure critical potions while we were fighting them.  The potions healed them substantially.

The first was the ghoul boss on the barrows quest.

The second was the boss on the Jergalite temple quest.  His healing from that potion was the final blow that made us have to abandon the quest.  :(

Alright, I'll stick my neck out on this one.  It may be intentional, but the dwarf will only give a max of 12 gp for any item.  I would think he'd at least offer Norma type prices for nicer items like scrolls or certain potions.

If the price limit is not a bug, one consequence is:  If you attempt to sell him stacked items of appreciable value, then he offers you 12gp for the pile or 12 gp each, if you unstack them.

Every location I searched returned "You've already searched this location."

Some of which I am certain I have never clicked, ever.

Now his blank map costs 1105 gp.

[but]

Grigorii Malchenko died with many others along the Way about one week ago.  The day he died was exactly 52 weeks after he was created.



I really enjoyed playing Malchenko.  I did far more with him than I ever imagined at the start.  Mostly due to the many opportunities I had to play with a huge number of awesome players, to whom I give thanks.

Actually the first screenie I ever took with Grig about 1 year ago.  Foreshadowing!



And this did eventually lead him to the role that many knew him as, Associate (Lieutenant) Malchenko



What is less known is that he had a brief stint as a Seeker >.>



And later as a Watchman



He wasn't a Montezzi though....but could have been


And who would have ever thought he'd run for Council.  At least -I- voted for him



Here are some of the crew from his early time in the SGA (also pictured the traitor)



Proud servants of the Order, Noble and Dentra:



And Associate buddies Maylun and Ambermane:



The fate of an old friend is sealed:



One night a group of drow slavers attacked the gates.  They carried away subdued Watchman.  A group of SG, Seekers, and adventurers followed them to their camp.  They didn't want to play nice.



We had fun in the Spellguard.  (aka Buff bots Inc.)



Sometimes things didn't go according to plan, but we did have a meat locker in the Associates' barracks:



To illustrate exactly how cohesive the Loyalist forces were, we first meet a week after the overthrow (some of us for the first time ever...):



Three things inspired Grigorii's concept: Simon Belmont, Jurgis Rudkus from The Jungle, and I'll admit Cail Durris.  Once I had the whip from Belmont, I decided to work in Loviatar, and soon I had all the pieces I needed to put him together cohesively.

Worshiping Loviatar turned out to be rather interesting, even though I never took as hard a line with it as I first intended.

Praise Loviatar!


Err, praise...Her...*gulp*


Malchenko was a man forged by his past, to fully understand him it was necessary to understand exactly what made him who he was.  Central to this tale was his wife Anna who perished while they were both slaves at Traensyr:



The conversation that put him in that state, straight from the source:

Mourana Dusk:   ah yes....I have news for you
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *eyes flash eagerly*
  Grigorii Malchenko:   Let us talk somevhere...
  Grigorii Malchenko:   more private.
  Mourana Dusk:   *nods* the Stand perhaps
  Mourana Dusk:   in use it seems
  Mourana Dusk:   too public still
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *nods*
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *follows her along*
  Mourana Dusk:   this will have to do
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *removes his gloves and puts them in his pack, hands shaking slightly*
  Mourana Dusk:   *looks somber* Veilguard Marcato and I have spoken with a servant of The Judge upon the Fugue....not an easy task
  Mourana Dusk:   we have located your Anna.....sort of
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *eyes focused on her lips, hanging on each word*
  Mourana Dusk:   you are prepared for the truth? I will not soften this
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *closes his eyes for a moment*
  Grigorii Malchenko:   The Maiden vill help me to endure.  *nods slowly*
  Mourana Dusk:   *attempts to look compasionate, but fails* Anna indeed died faithless
  Mourana Dusk:   she wandered the Fugue for ten days....at which time no god claimed her
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *mouth hangs open but no words come out*
Door:   *knock*
--Anton Marcato enters the room--
  Mourana Dusk:   she was sentenced to eternal service in the wall
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *shakes his head slowly*
  Mourana Dusk:   her story does not end here however
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *his eyes are unfocused, he stares off blankly*
  Mourana Dusk:   we have determined that Anna's soul was torn from The Wall
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *he stammers* Vot?
  Mourana Dusk:   by a necromancer.....and used to reanimate an unkown foul one...an undead creature
  Anton Marcato:   [nods grimly]
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *shakes his head* No....It cannot be....
  Mourana Dusk:   Veilguard Marcato was able to determine the location of this newly animated creature
  Mourana Dusk:   not exactly...but roughly
  Grigorii Malchenko:   Vait.  Vait.  Give me a moment.
  Anton Marcato:   [nods]  Take all the time you need.
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *stumbles back, bracing himself against the wall*
  Mourana Dusk:   *inclines her head* I will defer to Veilguard Marcato to give his findings when you are prepared
  Grigorii Malchenko:   This cannot be....*shakes his head, voice distant and weak*
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *he slides down the wall, fists clenched tightly*
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *looks up from one to the other* You must have made some mistake....
  Mourana Dusk:   *face deadpan* no mistake...but there is some hope
  Anton Marcato:   I am sorry, but there is no mistake.  As she said, there is still hope.
  Grigorii Malchenko:   Hope for ....hope for vot?
  Anton Marcato:   Hope to free her from the curse of undeath.
  Anton Marcato:   If she can be freed, there is a chance that a deity will accept her soul, and she can live in happiness.
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *he writhes on the ground as if the words lash him*
  Anton Marcato:   To do so, however, you must destroy her animated remains.  It is not your wife that you must strike down, but her husk.  It will be difficult, but it is something that must be done.
  Mourana Dusk:   yes....souls returned from the curse of undeath are often claimed by deities such as Ilmater....for their suffering
  Anton Marcato:   She will live in happiness with Illmater, but in order for that to happen, you must take the necessary actions.
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *he slides back up the wall slowly*
  Mourana Dusk:   you see....we have determined that Anna's soul can be found within an undead being...somewhere near Sanctuary....her fate could be in your hands
  Anton Marcato:   Her zombie is somewhere in the Underdark.  I believe I know where, roughly.  
  Anton Marcato:   I think the drow sold it to a necromancer who's working in the area.  I can't be certain which one, though.
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *he looks ill, he tries to swallow but his mouth is dry*
  Anton Marcato:   Here, drink.  You will feel better.
  Anton Marcato:   [hands him a flask of wine]
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *he waves off the drink and clears his throat*
  Anton Marcato:   We will help you, Grigorii.
  Grigorii Malchenko:   Hem.  Vhere is this necromancer? *he asks semi-lifelessly*
  Anton Marcato:   I hate to see another man suffer like this.
  Mourana Dusk:   *shrugs* that will still need to be investigated
  Anton Marcato:   I'm not certain.  We'll have to kill them as we find them, in hopes of finding the right one.
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *meets Marcato's gaze, and utters with little conviction* Life is sufferink.
  Anton Marcato:   Your wife does not deserve this, though.  No man does.
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *nods* You are right.  Undeath is horrible.
  Anton Marcato:   This is what suffering has done to you.  It has reduced the woman you care about most to a fate worse than death.
  Anton Marcato:   Embracing the idea that you cannot end suffering in life has contributed to this.  I suspect the foul necromancer who animated her may think the same way.
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *speaking to noone in particular* She feels nothink now..
  Anton Marcato:   She does.  She is deprived of happiness and bliss because of this curse.
  Anton Marcato:   You can end her suffering, Grigorii.  You can shatter this idea that all men must suffer.
  Anton Marcato:   It is within your own power to do so.
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *quickly exhales and looks to Marcato* It is different than you think.
  Mourana Dusk:   *watches the two men speak*
  Anton Marcato:   Join us, my friend.  [extends a meaningful hand]  Together we will put an end to this.
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *his breathing increases*  I vill save her.  The necromancer vill know pain for this.
  Mourana Dusk:   *nods* indeed....as he should
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *grasps his hand firmly pulling him close*
  Grigorii Malchenko:   Vee vill make him pay.
  Anton Marcato:   You have my word that we will.
  Mourana Dusk:   then let the search begin
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *releases him and turns to Dusk, nodding slowly*
  Anton Marcato:   Indeed.  I will have my spies scour Lower and the surrounding lands for news of any active necromancer.
  Grigorii Malchenko:   *his eyes glimmer and he looks about the room, tensing and untensing his fists*
  Anton Marcato:   Should you ever feel lost, I humbly suggest asking Kelemvor for guidance.  He will be of great help in this quest of ours, if you let him.
  Mourana Dusk:   *tries to soften her features, again failing* take time....you need to come to understanding of all of this

(Thanks to Scalebane and GFWD!)

And so the journey began to search for zombie Anna, and punish whoever did that to her.  The hunt spanned many months (partly due to a long break from efu).  There were some successes, and at a time we drew close:


But I was a bit too late:


The hunt did not end there.  It ended in an unexpected place with a new understanding.


And once again Loviatar showed him the way.



Grig's shiny loot.  It worked well in pairs.

The Spider's Reach, which quickly silenced the remark, "Are you really going to use a whip?"


The Reach in action (although the whip feats helped too):


Complementary Boots (common):


Substance covered ring:


Ring of Unyielding Loyalty, which did motivate him to stay SGA at rough times:



Thanks again to everyone that I had the chance to play with along the way!  I couldn't have had more fun with Grig.

I used the Config panel to select what was listed as "Solonor ThelandRIA."

I then promptly received a message saying that this is not a valid FR deity.

This may be due to the spelling error on the panel. That is, it is actually "ThelandIRA."

This is known, but as a reminder.  Throughout much of the Forgotten Tower maps the waypoints through doors, corridors, etc. are backwards -- you always come out facing with your back to the room you entered.

Last night I noticed that the Fugue Plane was not a "No PvP" area.

Thought you might want to change this.