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Messages - Gulnyr

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1
Just for Fun / A Tiny Jennara
« on: September 24, 2016, 05:56:07 pm »
Way back in 2011, I made a post about miniature painting and hoping to find a good mini to represent Jennara. Since then, a company called Hero Forge has become a thing. There, on their website, you can "sculpt" miniatures digitally from various parts and poses, and then (if you pay them) they will 3D print those miniatures and mail them to you. If you don't pay them, you can still play with the tools.I ordered a few Jennaras, a Gulnyr the Grim, and an Iri Ambercress!. So far, I have painted one Jennara:Jennara in her purple dress  Jennara in her purple dress from starboard side aftShe is not this big (assuming you're looking at this on a monitor that was born in this century). Here are some painting progress shots, one of which includes a penny for scale:Base CoatFirst ShadowThese are the base coat step and first shadow step, respectively, for the skin.First HighlightSecond HighlightAnd then the first and second highlight steps, respectively.Alive!T.I.N.Y.Then the eyes were painted and she came alive. And here's the penny for scale.Here are three of the miniatures I have yet to paint. They're dark grey plastic, so it's a little hard to see the details in this photo. They need a little cleanup to get rid of extra plastic from the 3D printing process, then priming and painting can begin. 
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2
Quote from: Dezza
And yes I think if its a PC who has gone through the CDQ process and has a rank in the faith that enambles them to make such decisions 'in the field' then good on them.

Which ranks are the minimum for legally assuming the mantle of judge, jury, and executioner, please.  This is important information for players.
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3
Ask A Gamemaster / A Little Help Please
« on: October 22, 2011, 07:28:53 pm »
Quote from: Dezza
The idea that the world should move on without us from a GM perspective is absolutely frustrating. In instances where we have done this in the past we have copped an absolute hammering by players saying its not fair, they didnt get any input, they didnt get a chance to act. Now you are saying why isnt it happening???? I prefer not to be called stupid no matter what we do. *throws hands into the air* You can't have your apple and eat it too sometimes. You have to accept and work with what you've got and I feel like a broken record on that point.

I need to know, please, who rules the world.  

Does Queen Mouring, for example, matter?  Does she make any decisions for Trelania?  Is there a government there, or do people just sit around pretending to do things?  Are they allied with Brelin?  If some tragic event befalls one, with the other act with the force of a whole kingdom?

-OR-

Do adventurers rule the world?  Do all major events require the interdiction of a PC?  Will Queen Mouring, for example, do nothing, ever, unless there is interaction with one of our characters?  If a tragic event befalls Hlint, say, will the Queen act, calling in resources from her vast kingdom or is it up to a handful of adventurers to make anything at all happen to help Hlint?


Is the world alive or dead?  Is there a realistic background with a sensible hierarchy, or are we playing tiny, powerful demigods who tell kings and queens where to go?  Yes, it would be bad if everything happened without the opportunity for player input, but it is equally bad that everything requires player input.  Why is everything always all-or-nothing, black-and-white?  Find some middle ground.
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4
NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / Livestock Chatter
« on: July 16, 2011, 03:25:03 pm »
Can we do for the cows and such what was done for jukeboxes, so that milking (etc) doesn't flood everyone's chat window?
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5
One night, I met a Rofireinite, one of the stuffy ones, in Hlint.  Her name was Samantha.  She was really tall and covered all up with golden bits.  There was no doubt she could not hide in a corn field on a moonless night.  I asked if she was an adventurer because she didn't look like an adventurer.  And I was right!  She said she was not an adventurer, and then we went on an adventure.  Tall people.  *shrug*

First, she led us to a house with a magical portal, because we were going all the way to Center.  It was a good thing there was a portal; she said she was the worst storyteller currently alive and I believed it.  Inside the house, the portal glowed before us, maintained by some terrible, occult ritual in the cellar, I'm sure.  Potato sacrifice, maybe!  Samantha wanted me to go first since one of us had to be brave.  And then WOOOSH! and I was in Center.  I thought of all the friends I had missed on the road, but was glad to have avoided the torture of the worst storyteller alive!

We crossed town to the entrance of a grim and ominous crypt.  Samantha prayed for half an hour, asking for enough blessings to cure a plague in Port Hempstead.  When she was content (or when her voice gave out, it's hard to say), we went to the door.  The big, metal slab took all the might we two could bring to force it open.  Inside was an arcane barrier, designed to test the worthiness of adventurers by some eccentric mage, I bet!  Then there were fancy doors, and behind them skeletons!  Maybe a hundred!  Who puts fancy doors in a crypt?  *shrug*  

We started to fight the skeletons, clobbering them with our mighty might!  Samantha did a good job for not being an adventurer.  And she didn't even know it was an adventure!  She thought it was just a harvest.  Yeah!  She wanted their fingers for a witch's brew!  I would have expected that sort of thing from Corathites, but why would those who call themselves the Protectors of the Law and the Common People go about stealing dead people's fingers just because they got up again?  I don't think they think these things through.  She said they were for healing potions, but I know a witch's brew when I smell it.  Why couldn't she make healing salves like normal people, with herbs and honey?  

But we fought on!  And she took all the fingers!  It would have been bloody, but they were just bones.  I had to threaten the use of my axe on a few of the attacking skeletons, but then they all stayed away, for I was surely a ferocious sight to behold, even to a dead man with no skin or muscles.  Or eyes.  How do they see what they're doing?  Evil tells them, right to their earless heads!  Don't look at me like that - that's how evil evil is!  So! Then we opened a door and saw ghouls!  Lots and lots!  I hit the first one right in its scrawny neck with an arrow and its head fell right off!  Thunk!  Samantha was swinging a big sword through them, and I was poking eyes with my arrows, and then there was just a mess of dead ghoul parts all over.  We were a minimum-sized army of ghoul-bashing dangerousness!

Beyond the pile, we saw a skeleton with some fashion sense and a spider that almost certainly had some giant in her family somewhere, and maybe some orc, clearly not caring at all what Aeridin thinks.  Samantha looked scared and made some sort of prayer for good soap and clean laundry, and it just made the skeleton and spider mad.  They charged at us, and I fired an arrow that put a very unhidable hole in the skeleton's robe.  Then there was magic everywhere!  Samantha had praying for something different, and the skeleton and spider died.  Pow!  Take that, bug!  The spider had a lantern, and it still had oil in it, so I struck some flint and lit the wick.  I think the spider needed a reading light; it was too dark in the crypt otherwise.  

We went back outside.  Samantha gave me a little pile of treasure from our adventure.  Adventure and treasure!  Yay!  Then she gave me some healing potions she said she'd made with the finger bones.  I told her I wasn't going to drink them.  No one tricks me into drinking witch's brew.  You should remember that lesson yourself!
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6
Fixed Bugs / Timeline Link Misdirected
« on: June 07, 2011, 04:59:45 pm »
In the pulldown menu "Layonara Links" above, the "Layonara Timeline" link goes to a non-existent LORE page.  

The problem is that the actual LORE timeline page is:
LORE: The Layonara Timeline
(note the spaces)

while the link points to:
LORE: The Layonara Timeline
(with a lack of spaces)
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7
Just for Fun / Miniature Painting
« on: March 29, 2011, 07:03:18 pm »
I made comments on Pibe's Farseer, so it only seems fair to open myself up to criticism, too.  A thread seems like a better place for potential conversation than the gallery, so here you go.

I finally got some new supplies a while back and stripped some minis for a repaint.  So far, I've completed six Space Marines:

These guys are from the old box set of thirty marines - this thing from the '80s.  This is the first time I've done the edge highlighting and I think it came out pretty well, though a closer look at the minis shows my hand isn't super steady.  That's part of why I stared with these guys.

Here's a closer look at a single guy:

You can see a little of what I mean about the highlights if you look at the outside of his right lower leg.  See how the highlight gets wider than along the front and inside of the lower leg?  I gotta work on that.

I'm really pleased with the eyes, though.  The 2D of the picture makes it look like those could be actual lenses; they are pits in his face in reality.  Here are some more:

I painted them with the gemstone technique I mentioned in the gallery.  The eye socket was painted black, then a deep green was painted over the front two thirds, and then a spot of brighter green on the foremost quarter or third.  Then a small, white dot is added on the black to look like a reflection.  That's also how I handled the bump on the flamer:

I don't know if it was supposed to be a gem, but it is now.  I painted it like the eyes, except with red.  It's pretty dark since I left so much black showing, but that's reasonable for these marines.  When I do the ones on the Eldar I'm painting, I'll add more color so they look brighter.  I have some just about ready for the gemming up, so I'm almost done.  I'll post the pictures sooner or later, since I paint in little spurts when I have a few minutes, and "almost done" could mean a week or more.
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8
General Discussion / Negativity
« on: July 01, 2010, 10:40:44 pm »
Sorry if I seem negative, ever.  I don't try to be negative, just realistic.  I don't think yes-men accomplish anything, so someone has to be willing to bring up differing views and point out potential problems.  

Here's the weird thing: I actually think I'm rather optimistic.  I know.  I said it was weird.  I think we humans have so much more in us than we give.  We could do so much better in every aspect of life if we'd stop being so selfish.  I'm just not idealistic.  I don't think people as a whole will do better without being more or less forced into it.  Yeah, that sucks.  I'd like to think differently, but my inner scientist constantly reminds me that the evidence is completely against it.  The people who are acting on that great potential are overshadowed by the rest of us.

9
Just for Fun / Limits of Suspension of Disbelief
« on: May 29, 2010, 02:06:40 pm »
What breaks your suspension of disbelief?  

Remember those apparently simple springy things on Chell's legs in Portal?  Those were knee replacements added by the game designers after playtesters thought the character could never survive the drops and jumps.  So a gun that shoots portals is reasonable, but people falling and flying several dozen feet and being fine is outrageous?  

I actually agree with that position.  I find it's easy to accept technology and magic doing outrageous things, but there are limits to what flesh can do.  That may be partially because I think characters should have flaws.  It's also because I know what a human is, and altering the universe to make a human into something it's not breaks my suspension of disbelief.  If you want a human who can survive a three hundred foot jump and keep going as if there were no impact force, make him a cyborg or a robot instead.  Or make it happen in the Matrix, where things aren't real in the first place.  Now he's not just a human; he has been modified by the magic of technology.

I'm not sure where the line is, exactly.  A little exaggeration of real-world ability is good.  That makes things exciting and heroic.  Something that completely disregards the physics of a body isn't going to go over so well, though.  I think that's where my point was leaning [post=1313692]here[/post].  "There's a point where combat power goes from cool to ridiculous," basically.

So, one thing that breaks my suspension of disbelief is over-extension of the abilities and limits of human (and human-like) bodies.  Pretty broad one, huh?  Lot of stuff fits in there.  

What suspends your suspension of disbelief?
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10
Roleplaying / Leaning
« on: May 25, 2010, 12:01:02 am »
By my reading of the rules, alignments are a little fuzzy but generally well established and objectively clear.  Bringing in real world concepts is the major factor that confuses understanding of the alignments; this is the capital-E Evil (game concept) vs. lower case-e evil (real world things) problem.  Another more insidious factor is the concept of "leaning" one way or another.  I submit, for consideration and discussion, that any concept or comment of "leaning" should be forgotten and avoided for clarity.

As I said, the alignments are already a little fuzzy.  There is wiggle room in each of the nine alignments.  Further, no character (or god or kingdom or organization or anything else that may have an alignment) is ever going to be a one hundred percent pure paragon of any given alignment; there is always going to be some drift or "leaning" this way or that.  It goes without saying.  

If a True Neutral character (god, kingdom, etc) "leans Lawful", for example, then there are two possibilities: 1) the character (etc) is Neutral and is to be expected to have some opinions that may cause a mild drift from the purest of pure neutrality, requiring no qualification as "leaning" since that just adds unnecessary complication for no gain at all, or 2) the character (etc) is actually Lawful Neutral and the player (writer, etc) chose wrong (and should ask for a correction, make a correction, etc).  

Neutral is actually the driftiest alignment.  On any given day, a Neutral character may "lean" any way.  Claiming any of the other alignments indicates a commitment to those ideals and the courage of those convictions.  A Good character may (and will, really) do something not Good from time to time, but always pursues Good to the fullest of his ability.  That's "alignment rule capital-G" Good, not "lower case-g what my character thinks is good" good.  If your Neutral character "leans Good" then...  Well, actually, that's part of the definition of Neutral:
Quote from: SRD
Such a character thinks of good as better than evil—after all, she would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, she’s not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way.

And if your Neutral character actually is committed to "upholding good," then she's Good rather than Neutral.  And "upholding good" would be a general thing, applying to everyone rather than just those preferred by the character, which would be Neutral.  That, incidentally, is why I think many Good characters are actually Neutral, but that's a different topic.

Anyway, skip all the nonsense with statements of "leaning" alignments.  They are unnecessary and make things messy.
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11
LORE Bugs / Correct Spelling?
« on: April 17, 2010, 03:40:07 pm »
Within the Rofirein sections (on LORE and elsewhere), are various spellings of a particular rank/position.  On some pages, like the Hierarchy, the word is spelled "Justiciar."  On others, like the Sects page, it is spelled "Justicar."  And then "Justicer" is around here and there on the forums.

I'm also not sure how any but the last should be pronounced.  "Justiciar" looks like just-iss-ee-ar or just-iss-ee-ur, which my mouth thinks is one too many syllables, heh.  "Justicar" looks like just-i-kar, which my brain thinks is silly, though I could see just-i-sar but would be left asking why not just spell it "Justicer" in that case.

Anyway, can the definitive spelling be determined and corrected on LORE, and can we know the proper pronunciation, please?
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12
The hierarchy in the Rofirein section of LORE is confusing and unclear.  As a hierarchy, the vertical position of each rank is descriptive of that rank's "power" and position in the chain of command.  If that is considered while examining the hierarchy, one finds that Protectors (the "standard" position of a priest of Rofirein) are on par with Unit Captains (an elevated rank within the Knights of the Wyrm, with plain ol' Knight being the "standard" rank).  That's weird.

Here's the argument I made a little while back:

Quote from: Me Somewhere Else
My understanding of the branches of the Church is that they are similar to the branches in a nation's military. Under normal circumstances, an US Army captain and a US Navy captain most likely aren't going to be dealing with each other. But sometimes they could find themselves together, in which case the Navy captain outranks the Army captain because a Navy captain is equivalent to an Army colonel.

So, in an orderly church such as that of Rofirein, a similar situation seems logical. The branches are separate to conduct their own business for the most part, but in a mixed group it would be clear who outranks whom so that order can be maintained. Thus, Jennara does technically outrank a lot of PC and NPC Clerics, though she would be out of line to order Protectors around within a Temple, say, as they are not directly within her chain of command.


An all-in-one chart for THE Church of Order should reflect that orderly concept and display each rank in its appropriate vertical position relative to the other ranks within the Church.  In other words, some space should be added or removed here and there so each branch of the Church can be compared to the others.  That will allow each player of a Rofireinite character to know where his character belongs, and help DMs know how to interact when using certain NPCs.  If there's any need for help determining which rank is where, I'd be glad to offer ideas.
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13
Fixed Bugs / Useless Claws
« on: April 08, 2010, 02:12:01 pm »
On the Weapons page for Grimals, it says:
Quote
Their sharpened claws are kept dangerous through constant sharpening—anything short of a layer of metal can stop them.

This means a gauzy layer of cloth - or even bare skin - can stop their claws, making them not at all dangerous.

The word "anything" should be replaced with "nothing" to get the meaning I think was intended.
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14
Ask A Gamemaster / Portals
« on: February 08, 2010, 06:27:32 pm »
I have some portal questions.[LIST=1]
  • I was going to ask if the destinations of housing portals are IC or just convenient, but the Portalling page settled that.  IC it is.
  • How do characters determine where they go in a portal with multiple destinations?  Does the portal read minds, or do characters say the name of their destination, or make a hand sign, or offer a slip of paper with the name, or interact with a floating text box (hehe)?
  • Can any regular Joe determine where a portal goes by looking at it or thinking about it, without having to enter it?  Can any caster?  Only Wizards?  Can anyone at all?  (I know players can tell by clicking on it, but I'm asking about characters.)
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15
Ask A Gamemaster / What Are Mantras Anyway?
« on: February 05, 2010, 09:35:35 pm »
[post=1553532]As I was saying[/post], we're getting lots of nice information about the deities, but there's no information on just exactly what mantras are.  It sounds like they might kinda-sorta take the place of D&D-style alignments.  Maybe.  

Here are my main questions, at least for now:
  • What are mantras?  What does each term actually mean?
  • How should they be treated as we consider the MMO?  Are they binding and essential to followers of deities, or are they vague suggestions that might be worth considering for a faithful character?
  • Should we be concerned with mantras now, here in NWN?  If so, do the answers to the point above apply, too?
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16
Roleplaying / Scripted NPC Dialogue
« on: January 19, 2010, 02:15:22 pm »
This is a specific reminder of the general concept that everything your character does in-game is in-character.

The NPC dialogues, despite being scripted and in a little box, are in-character conversations - no DM required.  Don't think of it as a vending machine but as another character.  If your character interacts with a shopkeeper and, say, Intimidates him, then your character actually did that.  It isn't just a menu choice for a discount, but an actual, "You'll lower the price or else!"  (The switchblade is optional.)  Make sure your choice of dialogue fits with your character's personality and alignment.

If you are nearby and someone else chooses an option that doesn't sit well with your character, have your character say so (if your character would - not every killer out there is hero enough to stand up to the guy bullying the shopkeeper).
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17
The Dragon Storm Campaign / On The Way To Krandor
« on: September 15, 2009, 08:21:58 pm »
*While the group from Hlint is camped, Jennara explains more about what the Path is.*

About thirty-five years ago, I was made aware of an ancient book.  I should never have known of it, but it was taken by those who would misuse it and I was called upon to recover it by the Heavenly Servant.  With the help of many others, the book was recovered.

This book is the journal of Tuhral Araljan.  He was a general serving the dragons long, long ago, and fought against Sinthar Bloodstone in those ancient wars.  That was, of course, before Bloodstone was banished.  It is not simply a journal, though.  Tuhral Araljan was believed to have been killed several times, yet somehow always returned later on another battlefield.  By some magical means, the journal creates the Path of the Claw.  That is what we call it, anyway; it apparently has no real name.  The Path calls around the world, most strongly, I believe, to those who can change their shape by some more natural means, like the Druids.  It can attract anyone, however, and will pull more strongly on those who are closer.  The call is a lie, or perhaps it should be 'the calls are lies.'  The Path makes promises and offers...
*She shrugs.*  ... whatever is most desired by each, I suppose.  The stronger the mind, the easier the lies are ignored.  Perhaps certain personality types are more easily swayed, also.

Do not misunderstand.  The Path is not a fixed place.  You cannot simply go there the same way we are going to Krandor.  Decades ago, it was centered somewhere in the Mountains of Storms, most likely because the journal had been triggered nearby.  

The purpose of the Path is to create combatants.  Their description is similar to the description of Tuhral Araljan - especially strong and very dangerous in combat, almost impossible to overcome and kill.  Whole units of these skirmishers were fielded during those wars.  It also seems the Path will make a shapeshifter of any who are not.  It is a dangerous trial, though.  Only one person can emerge from the Path victorious, and many die trying.  I do not know if those caught in the lies are made to feel threatened and paranoid purposely by the Path, or if that is simply an unintended consequence that serves its purpose.

Much more recently...  
*She pauses and sighs, frowning.*  ... the journal was stolen by the Green Dragon Cult.  I can only guess how they knew of the journal, though that is not important.  A reasonable case can be made that the journal is what they came to Mistone for, but that is for another time.  A rather large gathering of adventurers and mercenaries gathered outside Fort Vehl...  Maybe you saw the postings several months ago on various message boards offering gold and danger.  This was an arrangement by another individual to prepare a... makeshift army to wait for some sign of the journal.  I had previously been informed by the Church that the journal had been stolen... again... and was then independently contacted by the individual and asked to address the gathered group, thus making this, in some way, my makeshift army.  *She shakes her head a little.*

We were too late, though.  The Path had been opened again.  Maybe some of you felt its pull.  We tracked it to the Hammerbound Peaks.  Near the foothills, an injured horseman was encountered and we learned of the Cultist army marching for Fort Hurix.  Our group divided, many going to help the city and the rest continuing into the mountains.  I will tell that story another day, and will tell this one much better, also.  For now, know that through great hardships... *She glances at Argali briefly.*  ... our group recovered the journal again, and that it has been taken elsewhere to be kept safely.

What is important from that untold story, for now, is that we were aware of three of our group and six Cultists entering the final trials of the Path.  I have spoken to two of the three from our group since then, neither of whom completed the Path.  I do not know how many others may have reached the final trials before we arrived.  We did not see the faces of all the Cultists, though most were clearly not shaped as this man.  
*She indicates 'Ben.'*  Two looked dwarven or deep dwarven, one was taller and broader than this man, one looked like a human or elven woman, and one was scaly, green, and winged.  If this man has been through the Path successfully, he could be the Cultist who spoke to us within the Path, or may be a druid or someone else who arrived before us.  He may, though, have come to have his current affliction without any experience of the Path.  Clearly, though, with the dangers inherent in one who has completed the Path, it would be good to know one way or the other, which is why so many have made so much mention of the Path so far.
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18
General Discussion / That's Sergeant Party Leader To You!
« on: April 07, 2009, 02:39:39 am »
I've been playing around with bits of the graphics for a while just for the heck of it.  There's been some stuff that's awful and a lot of things that are so-so, but I made one a few days ago that I think is actually pretty cool and worth sharing.  I replaced the crown symbol used for the party leader with a set of sergeant's stripes.  You can see Steel as our party leader below, and the .tga file is attached if you'd like to use it.  Just toss it into your override folder (and backup the original just in case).
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19
NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / Ghostly Glow of the Living
« on: April 02, 2009, 08:51:12 pm »
Is there any chance of removing the glow effect from recently respawned/raised/resurrected characters for the next update?
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20
CNR Suggestions/Discussion / Harvesting Tool Durability
« on: March 29, 2009, 02:31:21 pm »
I was just doing a little oak chopping and got a bit irked.  Jennara had three axes.  The first did pretty well and got a few branches before it broke, but the second and third broke in quick succession having barely scratched the tree.  Grr, y'know?

I was thinking it would be nice to get at least one branch per axe, but realized I did better than that if my branches were averaged over the axes (about one and two thirds each).  Still, it doesn't really feel that way, which might be why the system is so irritating to many people.  

So I came up with a different idea: why not have gathering tools (axes, shovels, gem chisels...) have a smaller range with a higher minimum and maybe an upper cap?  It would work differently and need to be recoded, but each tool would produce some resources so it wouldn't feel like a complete waste when it finally breaks.  And IC, it would 'break' because it was no longer sharp (or whatever applies) and need to be repaired or replaced.

The big problem I see with this idea is that each tool would need to be tracked similar to the way normal weapons are tracked for bangs against ore, and that could be excessive.  Maybe there's a better way.

Understand, please, that I don't mind tools breaking.  That's fine.  It just feels bad when they break without doing anything.
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