Polymophed and Confused

[bmkbobcat]

It is very late and I am very tired, so please accept my apology if I sound crass, but I need a clarification on a rule.

Gvhe is a Wemic Druid.  She is not accepted in towns as a Wemic (except for Vehl so far), because of her monster race.  I totally understand that and agree with that from a RP stand point.  So, before entering towns, she now polymorphs into the innocent black cat form so that she can get where she needs to go.  However, she must remove polymorph in order to sell/craft/ect, so she changes form back and forth as to follow the rules.  I can work through that no problem, though it does get a bit confusing if I think about it too hard.  So, well, I just try not to analyze it.

But now I have a new problem.  As I polymorphed before entering Hempstead tonight, I was reminded by a GM that, as a cat, I would not be able to open the door.  I had truly not even thought of that, so I turned and left.  But now, as I think about it, it is causing me difficulty in how I am supposed to play my character.

I cannot go into town unless polymorphed, but while polymorphed I cannot get in.  Doors, gates, what have you, will be closed to me until someone happens to go through so that I can follow?

The thought of that sucked the fun right out of my night.

It is very difficult playing a non-common speaking character, but I have worked through that and have been having a wonderful time.

It is very difficult playing a good aligned monster race where her appearance would frighten the local folk, but I have worked through that and it added much fun to my RP and gaming experience.

But how I will work through this, I just don't know.  It will greatly hinder my joy of this character if all she is allowed to do is follow others, and otherwise be outcast from buying/selling/crafting/interacting where everyone else communes.

I was very much up to the difficult challenges of this character, and have enjoyed every minute with her up to this point.  Now I fear that it has gone from hard to impossible, and I am very frustrated.

I am sorry if this has become less of a question and more of a rant, that truly was not my intent.  I just feel I need more clarification on the rules for this type of character, because at the moment I feel that I keep stubbing my toes on the do's and dont's as they come up, and now my foot is sore.

[stragen]

When did gates ever keep cats out of anywhere?

They roam through my backyard inspite of the full enclosing fence.  They have fights on the roof in the middle of the night.  

A large city gate, even the city wall will have plenty of gaps and scramble holds a cat can slip under, climb over and get around.

If someone asks how you opened the gate, just tell them you slipped under a crack in the gate.  You didn't actually open the gate.  Also there would be plenty of foot traffic in a busy city that you can follow.

Just put a picture of the city in your imagination and use that.  You can even use *emotes* to roleplay actions.

As to the merchants, there are merchant in fort Vehl.  Have a look there.

[Serissa]

As a work-around, you could RP that the guards just love you and let you in and out whenever you miaow at the door.  hehe

[Tanman]

As to the merchants, there are merchant in fort Vehl.  Have a look there.

Stragen is right. What you can do in Hempstead in terms of buying things, you can do in Vehl too.

[Pen N Popper]

It seems unlikely that my brownie PC would be able to open those large gates either.  It's a busy city, though, and there is no end to unseen NPCs coming and going.

The only time I ever even consider the aspects of size vs. the environment is for RP purposes:  If there's a chance at a bit of entertaining RP as the tiny brownie tries to even reach the doorknob, then I'll play off it.  Otherwise there's no point in letting game mechanics slow anyone down.

[bmkbobcat]

I do understand that I can use the merchants and such in Vehl, and I have been.  Merchants, etc, was not actually my point of issue, rather the what and where I am allowed to be, and in what form I can do that without breaking steadfast rules.  I see now that not all the rules are steadfast, as long as I RP my away round them.  I guess I need to think more outside the box, while trying also to stay in it, so to speak.

[jan]

i always thought there would be a very small door in the gates for brownies and halflings *smiles* i'm sure a cat would fit through that aswell.

[Fatherchaos]

Anyone who says cat's can't open doors has not owned cats for very long. While I could certainly understand a gigantic portcullis or something, cat's can easily scale over the wall, enter via the sewer, slip through the gate openings, etc.

I've also had cat's that learned to open latch type doors pretty easily. The cirular doorknobs not so much

[Lynn1020]

We have a cat I have to put up in the laundry room every night because he gets into everything.. Well he can now open the door so we have to put something heavy in front of the door to keep him from opening!!! O.o  Cat can do the oddest things sometimes.

Maybe those big gates have cracks in it that a cute little kitty can get through.  :p

[bmkbobcat]

Thank you for the comments and suggestions, everyone.  I was feeling quite disheartened, and now my spirits are raised once again.

I seem to have gotten stuck in the 'not allowed to do that' thought process.  Perhaps the comment was just a suggestion to RP, and not a slap on the hand.  More information at the time would have been a good thing, but I think I may have over-reacted because I was tired.

To that end, I'm sorry if I misunderstood.

Let the games commence!

*spies a large crack between two of the marble stones that make up the city's wall - smiling mischievously at the guard, she slips through*

[kuchida]

I don't know that the GM was correct to tell you this..  While you are a cat, you don't have a "cat brain." You still have your character's (presumedly average)  intelligence and could conceivably open a door, as you do understand how the knob works... It would be clumsy but it could be done.

Furthermore.. We are supposed to pretend these are bustling cities with thousands of NPCs.. Which would lead me to think the doors to shops and crafting halls would be swinging open and closed all day long. All a cat would have to do is wait a moment and slink in after someone enters or leaves. In the absence of another player coming or going (which might not happen if there's only a few people online) it should be only fair to let you "open" the door; after all if the game could show the activity of a busy city that door would not remain closed for as long as it does..

Though..  It is entirely likely someone in the shop or crafting hall would tell the cat to shoo (at least if they weren't an animal lover, though I would imagine in a medieval-style city cats and dogs running loose would be quite normal-- which would also possibly explain why the cat gets "hide in plain sight", they just fade into the roaming packs of alley cats.. )

[Rowana]

A small suggestion: It's always okay to ask the GM at the time. Sometimes we are doing several things at once and come off a bit more harsh then we intend. It is something we truly try to avoid, but alas it still happens. We also love to see your creativity and when we are able try to reward for it.

~row

[Stephen_Zuckerman]

The "Polymorphed in town" bit really just applies to the unusual, monstrous shifts; spiders, umber hulks, deaders, snakes... I don't think a stray cat would cause too much trouble... 'Cept in Prantz. The occasional pixie would be an oddity, but... *Shrugs.* More likely to get caught and stuffed in a jar than anything.

Shapechanged while crafting, on the other hand, is a bit exploitative; the ability changes don't usually fit whether or not the form can actually, for example, hold a smithing hammer to pound out that tiny little dagger.

[lonnarin]

Keep in mind that if you sneak up to a shop owner and A) try to purchase something as the cat or B) turn into a giant catbeast in front of him and start trying to make a purchase, the most logical course of action at that point would be a witch-hunt via mob with torch & pitchfork.  If this kitten was seen in the crafthall using the tables, it would either be accused of witchcraft as well, or kidnapped as a present for some Dorandite cleric's neice.

[Drizzlin]

I do understand that I can use the merchants and such in Vehl, and I have been.  Merchants, etc, was not actually my point of issue, rather the what and where I am allowed to be, and in what form I can do that without breaking steadfast rules.  I see now that not all the rules are steadfast, as long as I RP my away round them.  I guess I need to think more outside the box, while trying also to stay in it, so to speak.

I can't speak for the DM or why they said that. Maybe they were just giving you a hard time, who knows? As far as getting into the city, as long as you are a cat, and not panther/lion/big cat, I don't see any reason why you can't enter the city. IF anything the streets should be full of stray animals, ranging from cats and dogs. All of which didn't get permission from the guards to walk into the city.

[bmkbobcat]

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions, they are greatly appreciated.  I do think though, that we have nicely hashed out the boulders of this issue and are now down to smooth cobblestones.

The confusion I felt is now gone and the boundaries are more clear in my mind.  I had not done anything against the rules, and most likely, the GM was just giving me a reminder to RP a situation I had not truly thought out.

Although I wish there had been a bit more information at the time, I also could have asked for more information if I was confused.  It was late, we were both tired, and the GM was most likely multi-tasking fingers to the bone. Therefore, no harm - no foul - just miscommunication on both our parts.

*tucks this thread tightly into bed before it gets cranky*

[AeonBlues]

Just to put two cents in here.

I don't have any expectation that a DM has to have a high RL nature knowledge understanding, nor do I assume they have owned pets and understand that small black cats are highly evolved escape artists, that will go anywhere they please regardless of any humans determined efforts to confine them.

That being said, I don't argue with DMs when I disagree with a ruling.

Except that time one told me that birds can't talk when my character was in dragon wyrmling shape.

AeonBlues

P.S. I even had a cat pull off a heating grate, and maneuver through my house's heating vents in attempt to get out of a room.  He ended up meowing under a larger grate in the living room. O.o

[twidget658]

Actual gates to busy cities were hardly closed anyway. Just because the game has auto shutting doors does not imply that it was like that in RL.