Thanked Posts

41

Just for Fun / It's kind of refreshing...

« on: June 25, 2008, 02:31:46 pm »

...to know that Windows vexations are shared by its parent company's (former) CEO.

Classic Clips: Bill Gates Chews Out Microsoft Over XP

(Language in comments can occasionally be offensive, but the article itself is not crass.  Gates is remarkably polite in his flame mail.)

42

General Discussion / Locked Out!

« on: June 06, 2008, 01:52:08 am »

I am so sorry to everyone who signed up for my quest - here are the trials and tribulations of the past few hours.

I left work early, at 6:30, to allow plenty of time for setup.

I arrived at the apartment at about 7, to discover (to my chagrin) that I had left my keys in the apartment when I left this morning.  Unfortunately, Carillon is not here right now, so I couldn't buzz up to be let in.

No problem, thought I, I'll just ring the managers. They're always in.

As it turned out, this assumption was in error.  Earlier this afternoon, it appears that my landlady won a dinner cruise for her husband and herself.  So, at 6 PM, they had left the building.

Fortunately for me, they'd keyed the buzzer to their cell phone, so despite a poor connection, they recognized my voice and let me into the building proper.  This, however, did not get me into the apartment, nor to the computer at which I now sit.

I then proceeded to while away the intervening four hours reading magazines left by the laundry room, composing little ditties for my bard and cursing the luck that allowed all these events to coincide with the delightfully involved little quest I had planned for tonight.

So.  That's why I was a no-show.

Although the timing developed by my Rumours thread will now have to be stretched, slightly, I am relocating this quest to Saturday, same time, so as not to step on OsxMallard's toes with his fun-sounding Beetle Quest.

Once again, I apologize to those who signed up for my quest, and to Dorg, who doubtless loaded up Quest for me.  I ask your forbearance, and hope most (or all) who signed up for Thursday are equitable with the move.

Regards,
Darkstorme

43

General Discussion / He's Back...

« on: June 04, 2008, 03:10:44 pm »

After a brief hiatus, the Snake is resuming regular quests...

Starting tomorrow.

44

General Discussion / Facing the Spite of the Internet Gods

« on: January 26, 2008, 04:45:45 pm »

Due to circumstances beyond our (or, apparently, Shaw's) control, Carillon and I are temporarily internetless.  Sorry, for anyone who was expecting to see us in game today!

This message brought to you by our neighbours, who are kind enough to have unsecured wireless strong enough to handle the Web.

45

Layonara Server / Welcome to the New LORE Team Members!

« on: January 23, 2008, 01:10:54 pm »

After all the interviews, we are pleased to announce the following additions to the LORE team:

• Carillon
• s0ulz
• Stephen_Zuckerman
• ycleption

A big thank-you to everyone who interviewed, and congratulations to the new team members!

46

Rumour Has It / Murder in Hlint!

« on: November 16, 2007, 04:43:47 am »

Hlint is in an uproar after one of its own was murdered yesterday, and under the very eyes of the Captain of the guard no less!

The deceased was the well-known fur trader Johan of Hlint, an elderly gentleman who retired from the business some years ago and was apparently looking to create one last work, before he died, from the pelt of a rare animal.

Looks like he won't get that chance! And get this, I hear that the murderer was a druid exacting some sort of retribution against the poor old fellow. What a scene!

The druid's now wanted, and poor Johan is bound for the cemetary. Haven't heard about the funeral arrangements yet. Have you?

47

Rumour Has It / Scandal in Spellgard

« on: November 02, 2007, 03:28:30 am »

Psst ...

Have you heard? Apparently four so-called heroes are wanted for murder in Spellgard! One of them's even a paladin of Toran, I heard!

Of course they're telling some cockamamie story about stolen identities ... but they would, wouldn't they?

Keep it under your hat, though, friend.

You didn't hear it from me!

48

General Discussion / The Puppy Dog and the Snake are teaming up..

« on: October 13, 2007, 06:27:24 pm »

... to bring you Thursday Night Quests!

In a move inspired by Dezza and Pseudonym's brilliant One-Shot Sunday/Monday Quests, the twisted and devious minds of Kahi and Ouroboros will be presenting one-shots on Thursday Nights.  (Due to time constraints, Kahi's quests will begin anywhere from two to two and a half hours later than mine.)

The first quest is this Thursday, the eighteenth, at 8PM.  (I know, two quests in one week, what am I, nuts?!?)

Ciao!

49

General Discussion / A General Thanks

« on: September 03, 2007, 05:29:27 am »

To the GM team (myself excluded, of course) for the fantastic work they've been putting in lately.

Kell walks downstairs one day in Leringard, and encounters... well, I won't spoil the surprise, but good grief was he ever surprised.  He's going to have a lasting paranoia with regards to furnishings, at this rate.

And thanks to Kahi for earlier tonight - Kell's out with a few friends, some mining, some gemming, some gathering, general RP and good times.. and then, suddenly, it's the Attack of the Killer Leeches!  Brilliantly done, well-orchestrated (and nauseating) colour text, engaging, pleasantly nasty little surprises and brilliant portrayals of the Ilsaran, and good old Erag.

And that was the past two days.  You guys (and girls) are doing a fantastic job - I can only sing the praises of the parts of it my CHARACTER was involved in.

(And yes, I realize this is my second "thanks" post in some small number of days, but I was really overwhelmed in the last week.  I swear, everything I SEE gives me new ideas for my own impromtus and quests.)

50

General Discussion / 240!

« on: August 27, 2007, 04:41:09 pm »

There have been (as the thread title might suggest) two hundred and forty different characters on Layonara in the past two weeks... and, as both GM and player, I've seen it.

I've seen taciturn dwarves, arrogant elves, duplicitous humans, and excitable gnomes.  I've seen erudite paladins, monosyllabic fighters, loquacious rogues, jocular sorcerers and dryly sarcastic wizards.  (Sometimes, all in the same party! )  I've seen some battles that were lacking in anything other than the desire to go out and fight, true... but for each of them I've seen brilliant (or even hilarious) responses to GM intervention, I've seen touching or clever dialogue, and a real sense of immersion in the world.

Layonara is a game, a world, and a community - but it is also a story.  A story with (again) 240 principal characters.  C'mon, folks, even Ed Greenwood can't beat that!

So, as far as I can tell, everything looks pretty green... and thank you, team and community, for making it so.  I'll continue to give my best as GM and player to keep it that way.

Thanks!

Edit: Forgot to add "happy halfling", and "a caster cat-fight", for the alliterative value.

51

Fixed Bugs / Time Converter MIA

« on: June 15, 2007, 03:41:00 pm »

Layonara Time Converter

Kell's fastidious about dating his journal posts - and without this handy little tool, he has no way of doing so!  (Horrors!)

If someone could repair the broken link, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

52

Just for Fun / A New PrC

« on: June 14, 2007, 08:25:14 pm »

// Drawn from a conversation with a friend.

The Physicker

Drawn from the ranks of Wizards - those so used to the manipulation of magical forces that force, energy and momentum developed a fascination all their own.  Phyisckers tend to dress in white, and are constantly seeking greater power and understanding of the forces in nature and the universe.

Pre-reqs:
Feat: Spell Focus - Evocation
Ability to cast 3rd Level Arcane spells
Class: Wizard

The Physicker does not gain spell levels but continues to gain spells/level as if advancing as a wizard.

Special Abilities:
1st Level - Conservation of Momentum - The Physicker may sacrifice any spell of their level or less that does force damage to create a self-targeted Haste effect, lasting for Spell Level * Physicker Level rounds.

2nd Level - Frictionless Surface - Once per day, the Physicker can create an effect similar to a Grease spell by reducing friction in an area to zero.  Since the area is perfectly frictionless, however, the saving throw to avoid a fall is doubled, and movement is impossible.

3th Level - Faraday's Cage - For one hour/level the caster is completely immune to electrical attacks.  (Once per day).

4nd Level - Heisenberg's Guard - As long as the Physicker is moving, all attacks have a 50% miss chance, as their precise location cannot be determined by their attackers.

5th Level - Summon Shrodinger's Crag Cat - Conjures a strange-looking feline from nowhere.  Stats are identical to that of a Dire Crag Cat.  However, if anyone looks directly at the cat, there is a 50% chance that the cat will die.  This occurs only on the first viewing.  If the cat is not viewed (darkness, blind, etc), it only does half damage on each attack. (Once per day)

6th Level - Relativistic Stasis - Hurls one target into orbit and back at near-light-speed, encased in a protective sphere of energy.  Total travel time for target: 1 round.  Total time elapsed at the site of its departure: Ten minutes/Physicker level.  Target is dazed upon returning (from the trip).  (Once per day, no save).

7th Level - Particle/Wave Duality - Once per day, the Physicker can make a ray-form spell hit EVERY target in range.

8th Level - Summon Maxwell's Demon - Produces a Gate effect, but no apparent summon, save for a nearly-invisible, faintly glowing sphere surrounding a target of the caster's choice.  The temperature inside the sphere increases at a rate of one degree per round until the spell expires or is dispelled (Greater Dispelling, DC 25).  Once per day.  Duration: Ten minutes/Physicker level.

9th Level - Playing with Antimatter - A small portion of the target, animate or not, is converted to an equivalent mass of antimatter.  The resultant explosion deals 30d6 damage to everyone within fifty feet, 10d6 within a hundred.  Animate creatures are allowed a Fortitude save to negate.  Range - 75 feet.  Once per day.

10th Level - Physical Control - Upon awakening each morning, the Physicker can choose a style of damage that will not affect him (ie. Energy/Magic/Bludgeoning).  This is a supernatural ability, and will endure until he next rests.

//////

*grins*  I basically wrote this one for the 4th, 5th, and 8th level abilities.

53

Roleplaying / An Ode to Rogues, or, a Rogue by Any Other Name

« on: March 28, 2007, 03:01:57 am »

Shall I compare thee to a common thief?
Thou art more complex and more versatile.
Rough hands oft do thy name much grief
And most make you a stealer with a smile.

Sometimes too great an influence, the screen
With roguish grins, lawbreakers are they all -
So we fall victim to the things we've seen
And in this stereotype you sadly fall.

But you've still chance to make thy choices known,
And 'fluence those with bios still unwrit;
And cast as scout, or aught of sim'lar tone
Into a new alignment snugly fit.

So when you make a rogue I pray to you:
Think not of theft - there's more a rogue can do!


The gist of the above is that I've seen a disturbing trend of people tarring all rogues with the same brush.. or, gods help them, referring to a rogue's (or their OWN) profession in-game by the line: "Oh, I/he/she am/is a rogue!"

Behaviour
To borrow from the handbook:

Rogues have little in common with each other.  While some - maybe even the majority - are stealthy thieves, many serve as scouts, spies, investigators, diplomats, or simple thugs.  Rogues are versatile, adaptable, and skilled at getting what others don't want them to get.  While not equal to a fighter in combat, a rogue knows how to hit where it hurts, and a sneak attack can dish out a lot of damage.

The gist of this is that there are no "typical" rogue activities, nor a "typical" rogue alignment.  A thuggish rogue would likely not waste any skill points on Pick Pocket, Disarm Traps, and the like, and would likely have more of his ability points in CON and STR than in INT or CHA.

Conversely, the acrobatic lithe fighter who darts in and out of combat can also be a rogue, with a high DEX, and likely a high CHA, as this would be the gentleman who would Taunt opponents as he dashed around them, slipping a dagger in where it hurts.

There's the scout, learning to hide and hurt the enemy for their noble (or ignoble) cause.

The diplomat, with a high INT and CHA - capable in a fight, but much better suited to a duel of words.

Any of these are more likely to be suited to a Rogue character than virtually any other character type.  The upshot?  As before, Rogues are a very difficult character class over which to generalize.

By Any Other Name... Please?

Of all the classes, this is the One Which Is Not Named.  A rogue may be a thief (though he's unlikely to advertise as one, unless this is what the hirer is after), a scout, a trapspringer... or any of the occupations listed above... but the word "rogue" would mean nothing in-game, save its original designation: a scoundrel, unreliable, deceitful, and untrustworthy... and again, who would advertise themselves as this?

Monks are.. well, monks.  They could perhaps be "practitioners of the arts of unarmed combat", but that's stretching the point a bit.  A fighter can be a sellsword, a mercenary, a soldier, a guard.. or, let's face it, a fighter.  Someone who can wade into combat, blades flashing.  A Paladin is just that - it's in their title.  Perhaps the appellation Knight can be given.  Calling someone a cleric is fairly reasonable, likewise Rangers, and certainly Druids, Wizards, Sorcerers and Bards.  Barbarians could be called fighters as well, but their name is not misplaced.  Rogues are really the odd ones out, as a loyal scout of Mistone could easily be a Rogue.. but not be roguish in the least, and certainly not deserving of the name.


In Summary, and I'm Not Makeup, Darnit!

Rogues are incredibly versatile, so if you're planning a rogue submission, don't pigeonhole them into the "thief" persona unless that's what you wish them to be - with so much selection, a rogue can take almost any place if she's written right.

Rogues are not called rogues, as those who are wouldn't advertise it, and those who aren't would be offended.  (Though it is permissible to call the wittily quipping rogue "roguishly charming".  It may just get you smacked by anyone within arm's reach who's reading over your shoulder. )

And, please, Rogues are not Rouges.  The one is a versatile fighter/scout/thief/smoothtalker/whatever, the other is a powder.  (Granted, the former can become the latter if mixed with mages or dragons, but one would generally not wish to apply the result to one's face.)

And that's that!

Cheers,
Darkstorme.

(N.B.  Yes, I'm biased, with a primary rogue character, but sometimes I weep to see what is done with my.. erm.. noble profession.  *chuckles*)

54

General Discussion / Temporary Site: The LORE Mirror

« on: March 15, 2007, 05:30:40 am »

Since the LORE tends to be indispensible most days, I've taken the liberty of temporarily indexing some of the cached pages.

Had I known it would be down, I'd have the whole thing available, but for now, I have Deities up and running, for those who wish to look up important LORE-based things.

Naturally, should L or the team request that I take it down, it will go down.

However, as a temporary resource, allow me to present The LORE Mirror.  Use at your own risk; I'm just putting this thing together from old archived pages.  *chuckles*

55

Forum Discussion / A Perennial Suggestion

« on: March 13, 2007, 04:47:28 pm »

While I realize this has been suggested a number of times, recent developments with TinyMCE suggests to me that the time is now for implementation... particularly as we've just moved to the new forum design:

A spellchecker.  TinyMCE has an opensource spellchecker built into their WYSIWYG editor, and it doesn't take much to implement.

Running posts through OpenOffice or Word works, of course... but few people want to write their posts in a separate program - particularly if they're posting on a work computer, a public computer, or just someone else's computer.

*shrugs*  I think it might contribute to communication on the forum, so I'm throwing this out to the community and the Team for consideration.  Thanks!

56

Introduce Yourself / Kell's Puppeteer

« on: March 12, 2007, 11:53:16 am »

The man behind the man behind the mask is rather tired at the moment, and therefore uncreative.  Nevertheless, hello, all, and here's my intro.  (My lovely and talented girlfriend is insisting that I write this before she has to go to her workout so she can see what I'm going to say about her.)

My nom de plume is variously darkstorme or acroamatis, but in RL I go by Jamie.  'tis a proud Scottish name, and therefore I avoid playing dwarves like the plague.  Once one goes brogue, one never goes back.

I was exposed to D&D in Grade 5, though my first FR book was waaay back in Grade 2, Spellfire by Ed Greenwood.  The man cannot write romantic dialogue worth a darn, but it's still a good read and got me into the popcorn fantasy that is FR and Dragonlance.  Tolkein was Grade 3 (LoTR, after I finished Hobbit), so by the time D&D rolled 'round, I was pretty much indoctrinated already.  After brief flirtations with Rifts, Star Wars RPG, and the various Lovecraft-spawned gaming systems, I settled on D&D with its flexibility, fun, and... well, fun spells that made things go boom.  Or dissolve.  Or vanish from existence altogether.  (I used to play mages.  I've matured since then, but fireballs are still fun... hence Kell's considerable delight that he can now use Fire Bombs.)

I am a truly hardcore geek, being a computer science student at the lovely Universty of British Columbia.  When it's sunny up here, it's truly gorgeous.  Sadly, most of the time, it's like Layo.  Palden Lake, to be specific.  I can debate Trek, Star Wars, Sagan, OSes, languages, PnP and fantasy novels with the best of 'em.  Nevertheless, I must have some redeeming values, or the previously mentioned lovely girlfriend wouldn't have agreed to live with me.

If anyone got this far... well, I'm glad you're so interested in me.  I'm gainfully unemployed at the moment, though I hope that's soon to change, and if anyone is a Vancouver software employer, I have resumés....  If you're after further stalkerish information, I'm the Social Coordinator of the Computer Science Student Society (or CS-cubed).

Favourite book is likely Cryptonomicon, though anything by Pratchett is good.  Favourite food is probably spaghetti, but I make an assortment of dishes that I quite enjoy.  Favourite hobby is a tossup between my various computer activities (notably, Layo), reading, and swimming.  Et c'est assez pour l'au'jour-d'hui.

(Oh, and a picture, to better enhance the geeky image.  *grins*)

Edit:  Does anyone know how to get superscript on this thing?

57

Poetic License / A young, pretty elf walks into the Surge...

« on: January 26, 2007, 11:43:13 am »

*A pretty elven woman walks into the Wild Surge Inn, chooses a seat by the fire, and brushes the snow off the cover of a harp, which she proceeds to tune - by the time she's done, she's drawn the attention of many of the regulars - which, of course, was her goal. She strums an experimental chord or two, then starts into a proper accompaniment, and her lilting voice quickly joins it...*

//The song is available in midi form as an attachment to this post.

Friends, fellows and strangers, I'll sing you a song,
A story; its object a young elven maid.
A maiden accursèd, though she did no wrong,
The curse a default she should never have paid.

The elf who I sing of - Therise Silverstar,
The child of a house bound for power and fame,
Ensconced 'mongst the treetops of Voltrex afar,
The best of orators all held the proud name.

Great speakers they were and they held such high hopes for the beautiful young elven lass,
Her parents, they dreamt that some day young Therise would ascend to the elf noble class.

Therise was exceptional - straight from her birth,
She was gifted with beauty, grace, cunning and charm -
The pride of her fam'ly, her village and clan,
All endeavoured to see that she came to no harm.

Her hair was a waterfall, chocolate and gold,
Her eyes were hypnotic, her skin alabaster.
Her figure was lithe, but enough (truth be told)
That at even that age, males' hearts would beat faster.

At this point in my tale, most list'ners assume
That Therise had a future of power and grace
Unrolling before her, but do not presume:
The curse that befell her has yet to take place.

She was trained as a speaker, with smoothness of tongue, expected in one who would rule
The Silverstar family the crown of the elves, with Therise to be set as its jewel.

Alas for her family, and for the elf
Her form and her voice were beheld by a mage;
His lust for her made him demand for himself
Her hand in a Bonding, e'en at this young age.

This impudent mage was not homely; indeed,
The man was a gold elf, face noble and proud.
But within him his heart was contorted with greed,
More akin to a Drow, if such things were allowed.

The girl's mother and father were nobody's fools - despite the elf's fair shape and face,
They recognized evil, protected their child, and told the mage "No" in her place.

The mage, now embittered, swore vengeance that day,
'Gainst Therise (whom he blamed) and the Silverstars all,
And, with a last comment, he hastened away,
"Oration's your strength - it shall be her downfall!"

The family was wary; they cast magic wards
'Bout Therise's bedroom, to keep away spells
And magical creatures - they posted a guard;
After all, normal creatures can kill just as well.

But despite all this planning, the curse made it through, for the mage wove his spells with finesse;
Death wasn't the object - for all of his ire, 'twas their pride that he wished to address.

When Therise awakened - when she tried to speak,
The force of the curse was seen only too well;
Therise fell, contorted, pain-stricken and weak,
If she spoke in other than base doggerel.

A subtle curse, surely, but strong nonetheless;
No Silverstar mage had the power to cure -
Young Therise of her curse - they had to confess
That she'd have a lifetime of rhyme to endure.

But one mage offered hope - the best of the lot
He suggested the curse could be weakened instead
After long days of research, he gave it a shot
Knowing full well a failure would fall on his head.

He succeded in part - while the curse stayed in force, any rhyme would placate its compulsion
But her natural language was still beyond reach - she'd be met in debate with revulsion.

Resigned to her status, her parents then sought
To enroll their young daughter in school as a Bard -
The Bardic Academy: there she'd be taught
To placate her curse, though the lessons'd be hard

Now armed with pentameter, rhythm and verse,
Her voice trained to match her appearance so fair,
Rhyming her lyrics to assuage her curse,
And now armed with magic; let mages beware!

She set out in the world, promoting her name,
And seeking adventure - employment as well,
All her work meant to further build Silverstar fame
'Til such time as she'd magic to vanquish her spell.

Now as you've all guessed, I'm the elf from my song - my name is Therise and my geas remains,
But by all the heavens, that fillaanilmew
*she pauses in disgust, then a brief spasm of pain crosses her face and she hurries on*
will pay for his crimes *she grins* amid pithy refrains!

So gather 'round tavernfolk, strangers and friends,
And lend me your hands as you leant me your ears,
Your applause is most welcome (and coins serve my ends!) *with a wink*
I'll be back again often for at least several years!

*With a final, triumphant chord, Therise lets the last note die in the air, before grinning broadly and bowing*

// This was Therise's character submission, so I thought I'd post it here.
// For all those interested, the midi was made using Noteworthy Composer (so if anyone wants score form, that's available too.)