Thanked Posts

1

Ask A Gamemaster / Why are Malar called Malar?

« on: September 13, 2010, 03:36:50 pm »

Let me point out that Malar is a God from Forgotten Realms, and in the book, Malar Panthers are supposed to be his divine creation - the main reason they're so tough.



This seems to run afoul of your intent to protect Layonara from WoC copyright issues.   (This is not intended as a personal criticism of anyone, BTW.)

2

Rumour Has It / Tales of the Heart

« on: February 14, 2010, 02:08:01 am »

In Hlint last year, I was privileged to attend a storytelling held by a number of Bards and adventurers upon the topic well known in the holy temple of Ilsare: Love.   What follows is my true and complete copy of the stories that were told.

Because these stories are not mine, I choose to remain anonymous.  So though I am certain certain members of the temple will recognize my pen, I ask for them not to unmask this devoted, yet humble, priestess.


The event was structured by the Master of Ceremonies as a contest.  Each had to be a tale of aspect of love, romance, or desire.  Each also had to present some sort of moral.

The best tale awarded a prize.   The contestants, in order, were:

Andrew Reid, a deliciously handsome bard
Laaren LeMeele, a nearly angelic blonde human woman
Timulty Keel, an ancient human wizard, pretenaturally young
Zarianna, an adventuring sorceress
Jaelle Thornwood, yes - the Jaelle - legendary Sorceress and Illusionist
Morunas Khan Val, a disciplined, yet oddly peaceful dwarven monk
Darthire Zhalberen, a beautiful, yet alien, silver-metal haired elf

Each story follows, as best as I was able to scribe them....

3

NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / Put in an "invisible" helmet...

« on: October 20, 2009, 01:41:00 pm »

These could symbolize tiaras, crowns, circlets, and other non-face obscuring features.

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NWN Ideas, Suggestions, Requests / Treents should drop wood and kindling

« on: October 20, 2009, 01:23:40 pm »

And probably nothing else.   It makes sense for them.
For Treents protecting sources of wood, they should drop the same type of wood.

5

Ask A Gamemaster / Policy questions regarding new alignment rules

« on: September 29, 2009, 02:32:35 pm »

First of all, let me thank the GM team for writing up the new alignment policy rules.  Having them in black and white ensures that there will be no further mix ups.

I do have a few  questions, however, that weren't made clear by your policy...

First -- who is it that makes the determination of whether someone is playing within their stated alignment?   Is this done on an individual GM basis?   Is there a vote?

Second -- What is the criteria used to determine whether someone is acting within their alignment?  I noticed that Hellblazer was using the documentation currently posted on the site (which is the classic AD&D definitions), but I also know that you are moving away from AD&D, and apparently turned him down for adhering to those.   So how do we know what is, or is not, acting outside one's alignment?

Third -- What, specifically, are the sanctions that you apply?  (Beyond restricting alignment change?)

Fourth -- As part of this policy, is there any warning given before the sanctions are applied?    If, for example, a neutral PC has been determined by the Layonaran powers that be, to be simply acting too Good for their approved alignment, do you send them a PM, warning them to start being more Evil, before you launch into your retributions?

Fifth -- For PCs who are determined to play outside their alignment, are you going to have some form of explicit path of atonement to establish that they've come back under your good graces?

Sixth -- What is your grandfathering policy?   Classic AD&D says that alignment changes with behavior: if a PC acts chaotic evil, then they get that alignment assigned to them, whether the player wants it or not.   You have set up a system here where alignment is like a religion, and it requires huge character development (two CDQs), to alter a PCs allegiance to it.   You have every right to do that, but what do you intend to do for players who have been, prior to the rollout of this new policy, playing their PCs using the default AD&D assumptions?

Specifically I want to know if my PC, Rottie, is on your blacklist because he has been trying to follow (what he sees as) the precepts of Az'atta, even though his approved alignment is Chaotic Neutral.    (I would argue that Az'atta herself, who has become  increasingly stringent with her continued definition, is not playing anywhere near her "approved CG" alignment, and really should be reclassified as a Lawful Good deity - which would explain why Rottie is having so much trouble with her rules, rules, rules.)

 Similarly, Hellblazer's Brian (Njord) also seems to have been rejected for an alignment shift - because for at least the last half a year his playing classic AD&D has been in violation of rules that you just rolled out this week.

Any help you can give on these issues would be appreciated.    How to get a PC off your blacklist is the most important one from my perspective.

6

Ask A Gamemaster / So what are the actual in-world description of gravestones?

« on: August 14, 2009, 07:32:18 pm »

We have all seen gravestones after people have died, but from a Lore perspective I've always seen this as a little odd.   Where does the stone for a "gravestone" come from?      What chiseled your name on it?    Why does it disappear if you pray at it?

Or more fundamentally, is a gravestone merely a game-engine artifact?   Perhaps it's really a mark that people attuned to bindstones can recognize, knowing that someone died at this spot?

Whatever it is, I think it would be interesting to hear as to what the actual specifics of gravestones are.   What someone who sees one actually sees.    Presently, although the Soul Mother and Bindstones are well defined, they don't seem to have an in-world explanation and description anywhere I can find in the Lore.

7

General Discussion / Player vacation note

« on: July 02, 2009, 01:57:06 pm »

Just a small note for anyone who actually cares, I'm going on vacation.   The bad news is that Darthirâe will miss the runs of the Dragon Storm campaign that I've been waiting for months.  The good news is that I'm going to Maui, for a week surfing an snorkeling.

Please - I know missing the campaign is terrible.  But you need not offer me any pity.   I'll find a way to manage through the situation somehow.

8

Ask A Gamemaster / Evil mouse killer

« on: June 16, 2009, 02:58:54 pm »

Two real-world days ago, while in the Angel's guild, Darthirâe spotted a mouse.   Her natural reaction was to kill it, which she did (with her Umbrella of Doom).

However, this had several unanticipated side effects:

1] The mouse was part of a faction that included the caretaker of Port Hempstead's craft hall.   So when she went over there, she was attacked out of the blue.    Unfortunately, Darthirâe was also leading her ox, so there was no way to separate the combatants.    The seamstress turned into a bullfighter!    But the ox won.

2] She was nearly killed in Fort Vehl when the swordswoman guard (with a damned nasty attack) jumped her.   She barely got away with the help of Vanorsh and invisibility.

3] (There are other townspeople who are mad at her right now - clearly, all members of a secret society calling themselves the Mousketeers.)   I was told this will last until a server reset.


...but most importantly... her alignment has been shifted by one point towards Evil.

Now actually, I don't mind Darthirâe having a touch of evil about her, in an elegant, upper class sort of way.   But I'm not sure I'm allowed to just get automatic evil points for preying on rodents.  It seems sort of cheap.

But what do I know?  Anyone who's seen a Tom and Jerry cartoon knows hunting mice is the penultimate act of evil.  So I think the GM design team should spend a lot of time pondering this development, as it's clearly of the utmost importance.   Tell me, when you're done, if I should apply for a point of Good reimbursement.



p.s.  Other than nearly being killed, I'm laughing my (deleted-word)  off.

9

General Discussion / Traveler's Guide to Mistone (v2)// OOC discussion expected

« on: May 12, 2009, 07:49:20 pm »

[SIZE=18]A Traveler’s Guide to Mistone[/SIZE]
   
  [SIZE=16]Introduction[/SIZE]
   
  Dear Reader,
If you have just been given this guide by a merchant who is distributing it because of my recommendations of their store, please do not discard it immediately. I assure you that the information contained herein is of utmost importance, and may prevent your untimely death.
   
  You are interested in living, aren’t you?   Good.    Then read on.   I promise not to waste your time.
  -Lady Z

  [SIZE=16]General Ways to Enhance Your Survival While Traveling[/SIZE]
Travel is dangerous. Layonara may have always been a desperate place, but it is absurdly so now. Likely due to magics from various Gods of entropic predation, all that you meet attacks with suicidal mania. Nothing ever flees, even if badly wounded, and pursues until either you or it are dead. So prepare for travel as you would for war, expecting assaults from the most unlikely quarters: hawks, skunks, rats, deer, shrubbery. See the pretty little butterfly? It’s trying to lick you to death.
   
  To deal with this fact of life, please consider the following suggestions:

• Befriend an experienced companion. Guides can point out dangers better than any book, even this one. Locals can point out who is trustworthy in this regard.
• When traveling alone, stick to the roads. Thanks in large part to the Law Of The Roads, roads are safe. But do not veer off them even the slightest bit. And if a road peters out, so usually does the safety.
• Your greatest advantage is your superior eyesight. When traveling to unfamiliar regions alone, walk slowly and scan the horizon constantly. You will likely see hostile creatures before they see you.
• When doing the above, walk with stealth, even if you believe yourself not to be stealthy. Distance aids your abilities. But do not depend on stealth either: believing yourself undetectable and learning otherwise when too close, is a way many curious travelers die.
• Invisibility is even better than hiding, but it too is not perfect. Spells and potions are time limited, and many actions can cause you to be seen. Further, even being Invisible does not make you undetectable. Highly sensitive enemies can become aware of you, and once they do, they will not lose sight of you. To combat this, you can walk stealthily while invisible, which makes you nearly impossible to detect.
• To help your scanning, stay close to impassable areas: rock walls, tree lines, rivers, etc. That way, as you walk, you need not scan those areas. Work from the edges of a region, in to the center.
• If you encounter a lone beast and it charges you, do not charge in return, for it may have friends in the distance who would welcome your sudden appearance.
• Fleeing is always an option, especially if you are very fleet of foot, but often all this does is give you time to prepare. Sometimes, however, the time to drink an emergency healing potion, is all you need.   However, also remember that by bringing trouble to civilized regions you may be breaking the Law Of The Roads.
• Although they are expensive, a single Potion of Invisibility is often all one needs to successfully flee.   Consider this if you are rich.
• You may think to flee long distances between entire regions, pitting your endurance against that of your pursuers. But often, as you are usually already badly wounded, tracking you is easy, and you will be ambushed as you arrive. Note that this nearly always breaks the Law Of The Roads, and you will be held accountable.
• For inexperienced travelers, purchase an ox as soon as possible. Oxen are not merely useful as pack animals. They can also be a critical distraction while you flee. And do not be surprised when sneaking back to the place of your ambuscade (in vain search for your ox’s pack), you find your animal grazing happily beside the corpses of the creatures that overwhelmed you. Oxen are not to be trifled with. Mine has killed panthers. Please note that ox cannot fight while tied down, and they will charge anything, preventing stealth in retreat as an option.
• If you become injured, heal yourself quickly. Do not be cheap, because you never know where your next blow is coming from, or how hard it will be. Rest often as well, in safe areas.   And purchase healing-essence drenched bandages.   Even by the bundle they are cheap, especially considering that death is the alternative.
• Take care not to assume that simply because you killed some creatures in an area, that more of the same will not arrive unexpectedly. If you have decided to explore a place, remember to account for the difficulty of retreat when judging how far to go.
• Remember, finally, that no one plans to die. Death nearly always comes via underestimation and surprise. So remember: arrogance is entertaining, but it is also a weakness and hallmark of inferiority. Do not be weak, or inferior, and you will be allowed to survive.

[SIZE=16]The Law Of The Roads
[/SIZE]The Law of the Roads, a tradition that stretches back to antiquity, states that no traveler shall ever bring trouble on another, or more generally, upon civilization.  You are a beneficiary of this Law, for it means that you are not subject to sudden ambuscade as you travel.

Many willingly break this law.   But even those who are not predators on civilization may find themselves unintentionally in violation, by fleeing for their lives from some horror which follows them into potential contact with the traveling public.  And, may I say, how dare you consider your own worthless life in higher regard than the law!    Certainly, death is a painful experience, and having a bite taken out of you by the "Soul Mother" even worse, but it is your duty as a Rolfereinite paladin to stand and die, stand and die, repeatedly, so that you may leave a particularly young and good looking corpse, if your manner of death actually allows for it.

In case you are not a Rolferenite paladin, and have cravenly fled towards a civilized area, you are a lawbreaker subject to jailing.   That is, if you don't manage to undo the harm you have done by removing the danger you brought with you.   In this situation (which I assure you is entirely theoretical), you should first and foremost stay nearby to warn travelers.    In addition, consider sending a homing bird to a friend who is known for their battle prowress (and discretion in reporting things to the authorities).   Together, you may be able to clear the danger, or at least lure it away.  I, Lady Z, offer myself as a recipient of such birds, as the case may arise.

I must finally point out that the Law Of The Roads does not only apply where there are large roads, but also to any trail between regions.   If you leave a creature where it might ambush a traveller just arriving to a place, and do so with no warning, then you will be subject to harsh penalties if you are caught.

[SIZE=16]
A Listing of Mistone’s Regions and their Relative Safety[/SIZE]
[to be continued]

10

Rumour Has It / Posted in Vehl & Hempstead, near places where unseasoned newcomers frequent

« on: April 11, 2009, 03:31:40 pm »

11

Introduce Yourself / Hi from a complete newbie to Layonara...

« on: January 14, 2009, 01:38:41 am »

Hi everyone,

My name is Steve Maurer, as you might have already noticed by my account, unimaginatively named "Steve Maurer".  I am a compete newbie to Layonara, and a nearly complete newbie to Neverwinter Nights, having missed the PC game while off having a life(*).

(*) Which among other things means having a smart and beautiful wife, who I love dearly, but is not intensely enamored with RPGs.

My story:

A long time ago, I was very much into role playing games.   When I was a teen, the California Bay Area was a Mecca of Roleplaying game companies. Combining my natural pushiness and writing skills, I became involved with a number of them.   I playtested Gloronthan Runequest with Greg Stafford, Call of Cthulhu with Sandy Peterson (before he made his money with Doom), convinced George MacDonald to put some new powers into Champions (which became the Hero System) and wrote scenarios for Hero Games, played Cyberpunk with Mike Pondsmith in Berkley, and wrote up some Secret Societies that got into Paranoia (I met the West End games staff at a Con).   Tiring of the Chaosium never delivering HeroQuest, I went and wrote my own and published it on the usenet; you can still find it out there.

The only D&D stuff I ever did was generic.  I wrote a single article, called "Pitfalls of GMing", that got published in the Dragon.  But that was about it.   (And a long time ago - I don't expect anybody is going to recognize any of these old games or gaming companies.)

I already told you the end.  I got married, became a dad, moved away to clean, rainy, wild, Oregon.  What little gaming I did was not pen and paper, but by myself on console systems.   I'm probably older than a lot of you, but if you don't hold that against me, I promise I'm a pretty good gamer, all in all, and a lot of fun to play with.   I'm hoping to just be a player here.   At least in the real world, I always ended up being roped into being the GM for some reason.

Some time in a week or so, I'll submit a character with a long background.  (Warning: I do like to write.)

Anyway, thanks for your time and attention.