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Messages - thekevmon
21
« on: January 31, 2013, 12:31:31 am »
"What a sight! We were brought down into the basement of the inn in some miserable little town, useless people all over the place. The mood changed when we got down there though; warriors everywhere, soldiers of fortune like me. Lot of interesting stories. Some strange looking guy and some wench with one eye were there to keep us in line. Then that guy in the red armor got up and spoke... Ash I think was his name. Ash Freeman. Quite a guy, I'd follow him to the depths of the deep if he would lead me there; never seen a guy quite so personable as him. Almost too personable, but still a terrific guy. Talked a lot about the weak and downtrodden; I didn't care much for that, some people even up and left. But he promised good pay, that was enough for me. We were to go and stir up some trouble in some town of flowers, I don't know. Strike at the rich to bring them down a few pegs, whatever. We left pretty soon after the meeting; come to think of it I didn't see any of those who left, but whatever. We marched through the woods, reaching the town just before the sun rose. And then the fun began. Peasants running around everywhere, looking for a safe haven that just wasn't there. Can't say I enjoyed it much myself, but some of the others did. Others seemed disgusted, and there was one that was hard to read. Just kept singing the whole time, some song that made me feel like killing. Well, the assault continued for a few hours, a few dozen peasants died, some adventurers who tried to protect them too. The buildings were all burned to the ground. We lost a few of our own, but hey, fewer shares means more pay for me. I was impressed by that singing guy; he doesn't look much in the way of a warrior, but he fights with a fury I've never seen, and I've been in the game a while. When the smoke cleared, we returned to Ash. He seemed pleased with us, called us "Justiciars of Fire" or something, I don't know, but he paid us handsomely. On the way back I noticed that singing guy talking it up with Ash. I'm not sure what's going on there, but it looks like Ash likes him, or sees something in him. I don't care, long as he keeps paying I'll do what he says." - Burke Brundersun, Sharpest Axe in the South
22
« on: January 27, 2013, 09:53:28 pm »
"Yeah, the tension's getting high again. Politics as usual I guess. Politics is a rich man's game though, wouldn't care much for it meself if there wasn't so much money to be made. Seems I'm not the only one sticking my nose in this business though. The quiet word is that some loon's been stirring up the locals, raising some sort of army or something. I don't know, the details are fuzzy and trust ain't exactly deep in my line of work, I'm just sayin' what I hear. Anyway, from what I hear he seems to be taken matters into is own hands, matters best solved by politicians. Can't say I blame him for it, the proper avenues always take longer than direct action, but there's usually a reason for that. Now I don't usually mind getting involved in politics; I've made a lot of money...assisting...politicians, but this just seems too strange. I heard this guy was holding a meeting, some place called Ash; guess I could go figure out more, but something about it ain't right, and you don't get to my age in my line of work by doin' things that don't feel right. Lucky for me, I don't have to go; told some other guy, strange guy, wore a hood low and kept humming some tune. He seemed interested in attending that meeting; I guess if I ever see him alive again I could ask him what it's about, but it's probably best I stay away from this one. Something ain't quite right here, or my name ain't Toby Undergallows." - Toby Undergallows, Citizen of Mariner's Hold
23
« on: January 20, 2013, 07:00:01 pm »
Purchased Fire II enhancement and an oak shortbow. left 3000 in the enhancement chest and 1500 on the bow rack.
-Ulkazzar Ferviron.
24
« on: January 19, 2013, 07:21:25 pm »
I'd like to request a CDQ for Ulkazzar Ferviron. Shoot me a pm so we can hammer out the details.
25
« on: January 08, 2013, 01:48:27 am »
All right, we have established that the requirement should at least be expanded to Weapon Focus (any melee weapon).
Before I make my next point, some facts:
[INDENT]In Layonara, all Champion classes, Holy or Unholy, regardless of Deity, are to be viewed through the lens of the Champion of Torm when considered from a conceptual and roleplay standpoint.[/INDENT]
[INDENT]In Layonara, both the Holy Champion of Toran and the Holy Champion of Vorax are mechanically identical to the Champion of Torm PrC from the original Neverwinter Nights, benefits and requirements all, with the exception that their weapon focuses have been specified for them.[/INDENT]
[INDENT]In Layonara, the Unholy Champion classes are mechanically identical to the Blackguard PrC from the original Neverwinter Nights, benefits and requirements all, with the exception that they must also take weapon focus in a melee weapon (specifically shortsword for Corath).[/INDENT]
The issue of balance was mentioned in the last post. Dungeons and Dragons has been around for decades. From these decades of play and experimentation spawned two prestige classes, the Champion of Torm and the Blackguard. These classes have no doubt been modified countless times over the years to bring them into balance with each other. There should be no clear favorite as to which is the superior class.
To remove the weapon focus requirement from unholy champions would not throw the Champion classes out of balance, it would throw them into balance. Think about it. The only additional requirement of a good Champion (as mechanically compared to the Champion of Torm) is that they have their weapon chosen for them from the start. The Unholy Champions (as compared to the Blackguard) are now required to take a whole new feat. Assuming the classes started in balance, as I have and I think many others would too, this throws them mechanically out of balance.
I don't think I'm being too bold in stating that there is more justification for a Champion of Corath having weapon focus than a champion of Pyrtechon, as Corath has a favored weapon and Pyrtechon does not. However, I fail to see the problem in removing the requirement altogether from both classes, since it is not mechanically enforced and it only serves to unbalance the classes.
As for the responses being disproportionate, I know I don't have to explain to anyone here how seriously Layonara takes its lore. The character submission process is proof enough of that. We are simply making this an issue because we feel something is wrong and that it would better the world for it to be fixed.
On a side note, and just out of curiosity, why is there no Blackguard class on Layonara? We have paladins, it seems perfectly reasonable that we would have anti-paladins.
26
« on: January 07, 2013, 10:30:21 pm »
What still seems to be separated in your mind is that being a Pyrtechonite trumps being a Champion. It does not. This is an inclusive situation. There are requirements for being a Pyrtechonite, and there are requirements for being a Champion. I agree, this is an inclusive situation. The Champions are the cream of the crop, the very best Pyrtechonites out there; they take the dogma more seriously than anyone else. Surely the requirements for being a Champion can only be taken into consideration when one has met the requirements for following Pyrtechon. I am simply saying that a Champion embodies the dogma of a religion, and if there is no favored weapon there, then it should not be a requirement. Take two characters with identical builds except one has Weapon Focus in some weapon and the other does not. Which is going to be more effective? with that weapon? The answer is simple. I'm conceding here that the choice of weapon for an Unholy Champion of Pyrtechon is probably irrelevant. However, if such an individual is going to be a Champion of Pyrtechon, it behooves them to be as destructive as possible. Again, this can be expressed by choosing the weapon with the highest average damage per strike, but setting that aside and keeping the idea that Pyrtechonites have no specific favored weapon, the most effective Champion is going to be one that focuses on the nuances and particulars of one specific weapon rather than splattering his training over many. If the character without weapon focus has a different feat, for example knockdown, I wouldn't be so quick to favor the one with weapon focus. I think at this point we can both agree that the choice of weapon doesn't matter. While I agree that it would make sense to take weapon focus at some time during the career of the champion (in all honesty who in their right mind wouldn't?), I don't feel it should be required. For a Chaotic Pyrtechonite it's not about "focusing" so much as favoring and becoming very effective with a particular weapon. Again, I understand the appeal of weapon focus, but still feel it should not be required. A Jack-of-all-Trades is a master of none. Something a Bard understands all too well, I'm afraid. O.o This idea is not in conflict with the lore surrounding Pyrtechon, nor is it in conflict with the lore surrounding champions. Pyrtechon would want his Champions to be the best destroyers possible, and a mechanical manifestation of that would be requiring a Weapon Focus feat. Or really any combat feat. Cleave is already required, why not throw in whirlwind attack as well? Epic prowess? I'm just trying to say that in the context, weapon focus makes at most as much sense as any other combat-based feat, and in most cases not as much. Point Blank Shot is not a valid comparison here, because it does not apply to melee weapons. Champions are primarily a melee-focused class. The only melee-only feat they get is smite, which is useful, but not the sole reason to take the class. Sneak attacks from range are still useful, especially when you have a nice meaty fiend to absorb the blows while you take pot shots from just under 15 feet away. Seeing as they are based on the Champion of Torm, which requires weapon focus in a melee weapon, I can understand where you're coming from, but if the greatsword focus is to be opened to any weapon (or dropped altogether), a ranged Champion does not seem that unreasonable to me. I really do understand your arguments, and I find value in them. I also suspect this one little feat may be upsetting a planned progression for a character of yours toward UCoP. If this is true, that's fine. I get it. But I also have to wonder why not also debate the merits of 5 ranks in Hide. Why would the Destroyer's Champion need or want to hide? Is he only to destroy in stealth? I doubt it. Lore-wise, that makes less sense than the original complaint, don't you think? Good point. Why not debate the five ranks in hide? I'd assumed it was because any Unholy Champion worth his salt would know better than to practice their religion out in the open for all to see. Surely a Champion without some measure of stealth would be a short lived Champion indeed. Not to mention, the 5 ranks in hide are mechanically relevant (as even though the class is based conceptually on CoT, its pretty obvious that it is mechanically based on the Blackguard), where the weapon focus is not. Neither the hide nor the weapon focus seems relevant to me, but only one of those two is easily changeable and that's the one I'm after. But hey, why not re-work the entire class if none of it seems to make sense? Sure! And in doing so, you would also want to figure out how to make the biggest mess possible with that weapon, so Weapon Focus fits well. Or you would want to figure out how to kill the most things with it, where again, almost any combat feat applies. Pyrtechon is the God of Fury and Destruction, not the bane of janitors all across Layonara. So again, keeping a Weapon Focus requirement for all Champions (regardless of deity) seems to make a lot of sense, because it's consistent for Champions. If we're going to take that away, we shouldn't call them Champions, but that seems kind of a big and unnecessary shift for such a minor matter, when most or all of the lore matters related to UCoP can be solved simply by opening up the requirement to any Weapon Focus, not a specific one. All other Champions have a favored weapon, so yes, weapon focus should be kept consistent for them. Pyrtechon does not; he is decidedly inconsistent in that regard, and his Champion requirements should reflect that. Though I would say...I would laugh a lot if someone tried to make an UCoP with Weapon Focus: Dagger...unless that someone was an over-caffeinated dual-wielding jackrabbit with a meth habit.  Disciples of Pyrtechon are to be feared, not made sport of. But yeah, that would be kinda funny.
27
« on: January 07, 2013, 07:30:19 pm »
A champion is more than a sword or an axe; a champion is not simply the weapon of his god, he is the harbinger, the earthly messenger, the mortal embodiment of his God's very dogma. To be a champion, of any god, is not about being a soldier in their service; that's what paladins and fighters are for. To be a champion is something else entirely. A Champion should be something more than just proficient in any given weapon, and that's where Weapon Focus comes in, both in a mechanical sense and an RP sense. Yes and no. Weapon focus is exactly what the name suggests: the focused training in a single weapon, favoring it above all the others. But a Champion of Pyrtechon does not focus; he destroys. He takes whatever is at hand, whether he has trained with it or not, and destroys. He kills, he maims, he burns, he bludgeons, he slashes, he pierces, he decapitates, and he does it all indiscriminately, whether with a greatsword taken from the dying hands of his enemy or a broken piece of chain some fool thought could restrain his fury. Weapon Focus gives an attack bonus on every attempt, and clearly one needs to be able to hit a target before it can be destroyed. However, I do come back around to the notion that a Greatsword will deliver the most amount of melee damage per strike out of all the other choices, and as such, it is the most "destructive" weapon available. True. [LORE]Point Blank Shot[/LORE] also yields an attack (and damage) bonus, undoubtedly raising the destructive potential of any archer, yet it's not required for Champion. Also, while a greatsword has a more consistent damage output, when the critical range is factored in greataxe almost certainly overtakes it in terms of damage output, but that's neither here nor there. I believe that there should be some Weapon Focus requirement. Ditching it completely goes against the intent and flavor of the class, in my opinion. As stated previously, the Champion will use whatever is around to destroy. To support this, a quote from the [LORE]Champions: Unholy Champion of Pyrtechon[/LORE] page: "[it was] not so much a sword in its hand than a misshapen lump of sharpened steel." The weapon used for said destruction simply doesn't matter to a Champion, as long as they are carrying forth the Destroyer's will anything will do, as is evident from this passage. A proper Champion should be able to destroy anyone with anything. Simply because Pyrtechon doesn't indicate a weapon preference doesn't mean that his followers, clergy and champions cannot focus upon one or more weapons particularly. It means rather they are free to do so without restriction...or not. Or not. Versatility is valued by church and Champion alike, and as such they should not feel any need to focus on one weapon over any other. Focusing on a weapon is a liberty that a Champion should be allowed to take, but that should not be expected and certainly not required. It is exactly for the reason of consistency with the other Champion variants that I believe that there should be some Weapon Focus requirement. Ditching it completely goes against the intent and flavor of the class, in my opinion. Opening it up to any Weapon Focus is a reasonable thing, but I can also argue the justification for keeping it as Weapon Focus: Greatsword. Look, I understand what you are trying to say, but the fact is that the lore surrounding Pyrtechon and his Champions does not match the requirements for the class. Maybe Great Cleave isn't the right feat either, I'm open to suggestions, but at its core it seems obvious that weapon focus is not correct. Weapon focus makes sense for Toran. Weapon focus makes sense for Vorax. Weapon focus makes sense for Corath. In my opinion, there is no roleplay-related reason to keep weapon focus as a requirement for the Unholy Champion of Pyrtechon, and to require it would go against the intent and flavor of the class. On a related note, correct me if I am wrong, but to my knowledge I currently have the only active character dedicated to Pyrtechon. Pyrtechon has not been given much love over the years, as I think I also owned one of maybe three clerics of him I have ever seen in my tenure at Layonara, none of whom have amounted to anything worthy of note. I have also been involved in the Corath church a little bit over the years and have seen how much that has changed and improved due to input from players much like myself. I would love the opportunity to finally give Pyrtechon a fighting chance among players in this world, both as a player and a character.
28
« on: January 07, 2013, 12:40:41 pm »
Okay, this has gotten a little out of hand, but I would like to bring it back to a constructive level.
The character in question leveled up just now and is completely capable (mechanically, at least) of taking levels as an Unholy Champion. He does not have weapon focus. The class is selectable, and no weapon focus feat is listed as a requirement. Purely mechanically speaking, there is currently nothing stopping my character from taking levels in Unholy Champion (I did not actually level up as a champion, but I do not foresee any mechanical issues).
From a roleplay standpoint, I understand that the class is based on the Champion of Torm and that requires weapon focus (in the deity's favored weapon on Layonara). My interpretation of the lore on Pyrtechon is not that his followers focus on a greatsword, or even any weapon in particular. There is no favored weapon, and that being the case it doesn't make sense to me to have weapon focus as a requirement. Having said that, I don't think there is anything wrong with a champion having a weapon he is more skilled with than others, but there is no weapon that is favored by the divinity, and therefore it should not be required to take champion levels.
A Champion of Toran trains with a longsword, learns the combat style and fighting techniques associated with it. This makes sense, as the organization of the Toran religion suggests that you would likely be trained by superiors, all of whom would use longswords and would encourage the use of longswords. Champions of Vorax would use a battleaxe for a similar reason. Champions of Corath, a shortsword for a similar reason.
There is no favored weapon for Pyrtechon, and that being the case it does not make sense for weapon focus to be a requirement for the class. My interpretation is that a Pyrtechonite is the type to, at any given time, be carrying no less than three weapons. This is the principle I have stuck to with my character. The type who always has another weapon to use if he feels the situation favors it. Someone who is armed to the teeth, always. I feel that a more general combat feat is preferable to any weapon focus. Again, I'm gonna plug Great Cleave because I think it makes the most sense: Pyrtechonites want people to die, and die quickly. If a champion is surrounded by some valiant (but stupid) group of commoners trying to save their land from certain destruction, he should be able to strike them all down almost instantaneously without a moment's hesitation. Great Cleave is a feat dedicated to slaughtering hordes of weaklings quickly; personally, I think it's a better fit than weapon focus.
In summary, there does not appear to be any mechanical backing to the weapon focus requirement. Other churches have organization, and that helps the senior members mentor the younger members in the use of their chosen weapons. Pyrtechon has no such organization, and from my perspective and interpretation it does not make sense to have weapon focus as a requirement for the Unholy Champion class.
Thank you.
29
« on: January 06, 2013, 12:42:18 pm »
My follow-up question: can it be changed? I know for a while these classes were only available to CE characters, but because that was not coded into the class NE was later allowed. Is the weapon focus (greatsword) coded, or can it be changed? Can exceptions be made? Or can it be changed to some other feat (again, great cleave stands out to me as a good choice)?
30
« on: January 06, 2013, 12:01:00 am »
"The sands were not blowing today as they often do; the air was clear and you could see for miles. I almost wish the sand had been blowing, would've saved me the trouble of seeing that poor girl fall to that giant. Not sure what she was even doing out there, the poor fool, but it broke my heart to see her struck down like that. I am not sure what transpired between then and when they got to the gates here, but the fierce warrior of the group, the one in the green and black, was angrier than anyone I have ever seen. I've seen terrible things happen to good people, and plenty of people upset, but this was more. This man almost seemed ready to destroy the entire city if it would bring her back. Of course, that wouldn't happen while I'm on duty, but that's neither here nor there. He was a sight, that's for sure. While he was certainly the focus of his troupe, there were two others; an elf in white, and a curious other man with a red breastplate. Where the green was angry, the man in white was just sad. The thing I didn't understand is that, even with his companion falling earlier and his companions so obviously distraught, the man in the red breastplate seemed not only at peace with everything; he almost seemed happy to me. No, I mean it, I'm almost positive I saw a smile uder his hood when he looked at his green-clad companion's fury. I've seen a lot of strange things, and they've all been real; they don't call me Eagle Eye for nothing. I swear, where his companions were distressed, this man seemed to revel in the situation. He didn't do anything to prevent his entry into the city, but I'd watch for him in the future. Something about him wasn't quite right." - Kerwin "Eagle Eye" Sandlash, Gate Guard of Audira
31
« on: January 04, 2013, 12:11:36 am »
"Zeke lost his lantern again. He's a weird guy, even for a grown-up. He asked some other weird guy in cool armor to go get it for him, and when he went into the catacombs me and Zander followed him down, 'cause we wanted to see a ghost. We didn't see no ghost, but we did see some bone guys! They were really scary, but that guy in the armor didn't seem scared like me and Zander were. He smacked 'em real good with his mace, whack! It was awesome! The whole time we heard some weird song, think that armor guy was singing it while he was bashin the bones outta those skeletons. I didn't really like the song, but Zander seemed into it; he even punhced me once, guess he was trying to pretend to be that armor guy. Anyway, we followed that guy all through the catacombs; he musta broken about 100 skeletons before he beat up some spider real good. This guy was cool and all, but he seemed kinda nuts when fightin all those things; just kinda threw himself into 'em, like he's daring them to hit him in his fury. He had a shield with a cool dragon on it, but he used that more to slam into the skeletons than to actually block them. Anyway, he kept going deeper, then crawled through some small space. Me an Zander followed him, but we didn't know where we was. There were bugs an rats everywhere, it was really yucky, but again that armor dragon guy just kept singing an smacking all the bugs and rats: POW! Dead! After he'd killed 'em all, he piled 'em up and set 'em on fire. Then he just left. Me and Zander was scared, cause we didn't know where we were, but we tried to keep up with the dragon guy cause we thought he'd keep us safe from the nasties. Zander put the fire out cause he didn't wanna get smoked out, and good thing too, cause it turned out we was under the craft house the whole time. When we climbed out of the cellar, mean old Cedony chewed me and Zander out real good for being down there when it was dangerous. We said that dragon guy was down there so we were fine, but she still seemed angry. I hope I see dragon guy again, I wanna see him beat up more stuff real good. I bet he could even beat up a real dragon, he's so cool!" - Billy Gladsmith, Child of Center
32
« on: January 03, 2013, 11:46:36 pm »
Ulkazzar bought an iron morningstar and put the money in the iron weapons chest.
33
« on: January 01, 2013, 01:32:27 pm »
I am starting off with 24 skillpoints: 16 (4*4) for being a bard, 4 (1*4) for having INT 12 (+1 modifier), and 4 (1*4) for being a human (racial bonus).
34
« on: January 01, 2013, 01:02:30 pm »
I'm just wondering, if I make my character using only the (4 + int) points, could I get a gm to set my ranks in two additional skills (of my choosing) to 4 (or 2 if they are cross-class), as if I had made him with the (6 + int) number of skillpoints?
For example, if I wanted to at first level (hypothetically, of course) take:
Appraise 4
Bluff 4
Concentration 4
Craft Armor 4
Craft Weapon 4
Discipline 4
As it stands, I would only have enough skillpoints to take four of the above six skills. If I were to take the first four skills as described, could I get a gm to set my ranks in Craft Weapon and Discipline to 4 as well?
35
« on: January 01, 2013, 12:44:18 pm »
I haven't actually made the character yet, as I was hoping to get this resolved before I did anything major to my character, so I'm not sure about the subsequent levels.
Also I made a test mod that I applied Layonara hakpaks to (just to test out potential character builds and ensure I could meet the Layonara requirements), and when I make a new character there I get the proper (6 + int) number of skillpoints (which is why I noticed the discrepancy to begin with). I totally understand if it can't be fixed, but it is rather curious.
I guess another question would be if there is any way I could contact a gm to boost an additional two skills to where they would be if I had started with the LORE-described number of skillpoints?
Thanks
36
« on: April 20, 2010, 11:28:45 pm »
Lord Corath, your gifts have been most generous.
In the short time since I have left Vehl, I already have found myself growing stronger. My swordarm grows stronger each day as my understanding of the ways of the longsword grows. Having a sword in my hand is beginning to feel as natural as having nothing at all, and I have none but Lord Corath to thank for that. My moronic father couldn't even imagine the level of strength I have attained, let alone try to pass it on to me. No, this is certainly the work of Corath.
In addition to my fighting skills, my smithing has been going well, and the bronze longsword I crafted myself cuts through flesh like a hot knife through butter. It is only a short matter of time before I will be able to craft glorious weapons and armor, and then may the world tremble before me.
I have met with the one the Vehl Corathites sent me to find, the one they call 'The Doctor.' His power appears immense, and surely I will soon achieve this same level of power through you, my lord. Layonara will have never seen a villain such as I; I will make this Bloodstone they talk of in the tales seem innocent. I will bring Layonara to its knees.
Thank you, my Lord.
37
« on: March 24, 2010, 09:05:59 pm »
The Blackthorn Diary
I can feel it...
My power has grown tremendously over these few months, and with so little effort! These worthless beasts I have tested my magics upon have proven to be quite useful. It is as if their life force feeds me, makes me stronger with each being I destroy.
My potential grows with each passing day, but something is still missing. I curse the idiocy that afflicted me the day I left Blackthorn. Those scrolls would be of tremendous importance to me now, if only I could get to them! Perhaps a return to Blackthorn is necessary; the pathetic animals of the place would hardly pose any challenge to me now, and if those scrolls survived the fire they would certainly be worth whatever blood must be spilled to get to them. Perhaps they could aid with my recent enchanting endeavors; I have made strides in the field, but nothing truly significant has come of it yet. Maybe if I could determine how to store the life force of my foes in these stones, maybe then I could achieve something greater. But until then, I must continue to deal with the pathetic wanderers of Layonara. They sicken me, but I fear it is the only way I will ever complete my... well, let's just call them "experiments." Until then, my mental torture must continue; I cannot wait to be rid of these idiots.
Drakollith Blackthorn
38
« on: August 15, 2006, 02:17:19 pm »
//updated to sell at a higher price
39
« on: August 03, 2006, 04:35:47 pm »
//Updated to include platinum armor
40
« on: August 03, 2006, 04:08:50 pm »
I'd have to say my most hated enemy is the bodak. Death gaze = bad
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