LibriumArcana.Games

This is the official type thread for the Skype Earthdawn Campaign, Down the River. Completed and approved characters are to be posted here (or on the Obsidian portal page), announcements will be posted here and so on and so forth. Please keep the thread free of chatter so the GM (me) can find everything of importance quickly.

Thank you.

Approved Characters are as follows:

Sereph the Elf Nethermancer, played by Cynical Cat
Karghuul the Ork Cavalryman, played by Karrick
Varans Nilotes the T'skrang Wizard, played by Comrade Tortise
Elessar Arcamenel the Elf Troubadour, played by Marcoa
Fehl Sangolin the human elementists played by rheonix
Nethan Monteri the human thief played by Hotfoot
Buranbazi an Zirbat the human weaponsmaster by Lys
Flamequencher the Troll Warrior by General Havoc

Optional Rules in Use

Aligning Skills & Talents Players Handbook page: 240
Spell Learning Cost Players Handbook page: 132
Practical Knowledge Players Handbook page: 88
Unweaving Threads Players Handbook page: 120
Realigning Durability Players Handbook page: 243
Enduring Armor by Strength Players Handbook page: 254
Weapon Reach Players Handbook page: 230
Durability Durability is now a Discipline Talent at circle 2, it will follow all the other rules for Discipline talents.

Caltrops, not having found any in the book, Hotfoot and I discussed it and we came to an agreement.

Caltrops, 1 bag covers 1 hex. 1 bag cost 10 silvers and weights 1 pds. Step 2 damage.

If anyone violent protests they must PM me.



1st session: 400 LP awarded, 48 silver coins found.

November 25th session, 3500 silver from selling gems, 200LP

We will be playing Earthdawn on October 7th 5pm American Western time. Be prepared!

Name: Varan Nilotes

Discipline: Wizard (Mind, albeit [ancient]Epicurian rather than [ancient]Platonist)

Description: Green scales (countershaded with the ventral scales being a much paler shade, yellow eyes. Dorsal fringe is red. Wears a brown robe with an open front, embroidered in green leafy patterns with yellow trim.

Passion: Worships both Jaspree and Lochost in equal measure

Dex 14 (6)
Str 10 (5)
Tou 14 (6)
per 16 (7)
wil 16 (7)
cha 12 (5)

Initiative (6)
Movement: 6
Physical Defense (8)
Social Defense (7)
Magic Defense (9)
Wound Threshold 10
Unconscious Rating 28
Death Rating 36
Mystic Armor 2
Recovery Tests Per Day: 3
Max Karma: 4
Current Karma: 2
Legend Points: 1800
Spent: 800
Pending meditation:Spell Matrix(D) 2(200), read/write magic 2 (200), karma ritual 2 (200), Astral Sight 2 (200)
100 in reserve for Karma Points
Unspent Legend Points: 100


Talents
Spell Matrix(D) 1
Spell Matrix 1
Astral Sight 1 (8)
Karma Ritual 1
Read/Write Magic 1
Spellcasting 3 (10)
Thread Weaving[Wizardry] 3 (10)


Skills
Read/Write language Dwarf
Speak Language: Dwarf, Tskrang
Robe Embroidery 1 (6)
Knowledge: History of Barsaive 1 (8)
Avoid Blow 2 (8)
Research 2 (9)
Knowledge: Philosophy 1 (8)
Knowledge: Natural History 2 (9)
Knowledge: Physician 1 (8)
Alchemy and Potions 1 (8)

Spells
Astral Sense (p. 150)

Astral Sense
Threads: 2
Weaving: 5 / 15 Casting: 6
Range: Self Duration: Rank + 10 minutes
Area of Effect: 30-yard (15-hex) radius from magician
Effect: WIL + 6

This spell senses people, creatures, magic doors, magic items,
and so on, in astral space. The magician rolls his eyes upward
and makes a Spellcasting (6) Test

Crushing Will (p. 161)

Threads: 1
Weaving: 8 / 16 Casting: TSD
Range: 48 yards (24 hexes) Duration: 1 round
Effect: WIL + 5/Mystic
This spell directly attacks a character’s will. The magician
furrows his brows and peers at the target, then makes a
Spellcasting Test against the target’s Spell Defense. If successful,
his Effect Test determines how much damage is inflicted.

Dispel Magic (p. 163)
Threads: 1
Weaving: 6 / 13
Casting: 6
Range: 30 yards (15 hexes)
Duration: 1 round
Effect: WIL
T his spell disrupts the pattern
and threads of another spell.
The magician gestures as if pulling
apart an object, then makes a
Spellcasting (6) Test. If successful,
he makes an Effect Test against
the spell’s Dispel Difficulty.


Flame Flash (p. 170)
Threads: 1
Weaving: 7 / 15 Casting: TSD
Range: 10 yards (5 hexes) Duration: 1 round
Effect: WIL + 4/Physical
F ire. This spell fires a burst of flame at an opponent. The magician
makes wild, fanning gestures and crackling, whooshing
sounds, then extends his hands outward and makes a Spellcasting
Test against the target’s Spell Defense. If successful, flames flash
from his fingertips, bathing the target in fire. The magician’s Effect
Test determines how much damage is inflicted.

Mind Dagger (p. 185)
Threads: 0
Weaving: NA / 7 Casting: TSD
Range: 16 yards (8 hexes) Duration: 1 round
Effect: WIL + 2/Mystic
This spell attacks an opponent by sheer force of will. The magician
whips his arm forward as if throwing a dagger and makes
a Spellcasting Test against the target’s Spell Defense. If successful,
his Effect Test determines how much damage is inflicted.

Divine Aura (p. 164)
Threads: 1
Weaving: 6 / 14 Casting: TSD
Range: 24 yards (12 hexes) Duration: Rank + 5 minutes
Effect: WIL + 5
T his spell detects aspects of the aura of living beings. The magician
peers intently at the target and makes a Spellcasting Test
against the target’s Spell Defense. If successful, he chooses what
he wishes to divine from the target’s aura—this could be anything
from an emotional state, like anger or fear, to hurt or fatigue. The
magician makes an Effect Test against the target’s Spell Defense.
If successful, he determines the target’s state. The magician may
concentrate to divine the same or different aspects of the same
target aura, each attempt requiring a separate Effect Test.

Wall Walker (p. 197)
Threads: 1
Weaving: 6 / 14 Casting: TSD
Range: Touch Duration: Rank + 10 rounds
Effect: WIL + 5
T his spell improves a character’s climbing ability. The
magician crouches down on all fours, then touches the
target and makes a Spellcasting Test against the target’s Spell
Defense. If successful, the target makes an Effect Test in place
of his Climbing Tests.

Equipment
Adventurer’s Kit (backpack, bedroll, flint & steel, torch,
waterskin, large sack)
Artisan Tools (Needle, Thread etc)
Dagger (7)
Grimoire
Traveler’s Garb (soft boots, shirt, belt, robe,
traveler’s cloak)
Trail Rations (1 week)
Physicians Kit, with refill
Writing kit
leather armor

5 silver coins


potions: 3 healing potions, 2 anti-sporific

We will be playing Earthdawn next Monday October the 28th. Be prepared.

Name: Di'oq Flamequencher
Race: Troll
Disciplines: Warrior, 4th Circle. Beastmaster, 2nd Circle.

Description: Tall and muscular as any troll, Di'oq has the look and scars of a twenty-year veteran of countless battles, for good reason. A troll of around forty years, with a keen, quiet stare and much less given to boisterous braggadocio than the standard troll. His teeth do not protrude and his tusks are perfectly intact, but he wears his hair and beard cut short. His skin is greener than most trolls and his brow more swept

Background: "I confess, without shame, that I am sick and tired of raiding. Its glory is all moonshine; even success the most brilliant is over dead and mangled bodies, with the anguish and lamentations of distant families, appealing for sons, husbands, and fathers. It is only those who have never held a sword, never heard the shriek and groans of the wounded and lacerated, that cry aloud for more blood, more vengeance, more desolation."
- Di'oq Flamequencher, final address to the moot.

Barsaive is a violent place. Low-scale endemic warfare stretches from Parlainth to Vivane, from the fastness of the Blood Wood to the shores of Death's Sea. The Theran Empire's campaign to re-establish control over its rebel province clashes with the efforts of Thoral and the other Free Cities to remain independent, all while Orcish marauders, Troll skyraiders and T'skrang river pirates ply the air and ground and waterways, and gangs of adventurers seek fortune and glory against monsters, armies, horrors, and one another. Most would-be adventurers throw themselves into the conflicts of Barsaive seeking a means of distinction and glory.

Most, not all.

Glory is a relative thing. Legends are ephemeral, things for theory and the telling of tales. What is not ephemeral is blood, and pain, and the slaughter of the defenseless. Pretensions of honor do not restore the dead rotting in their fields, nor do fine words spoken to multitudes of armed men alter the basic fact that the majority of such multitudes are employed for purposes that have nothing to do with fine words. For every battle wherein one army, company, or brotherhood stands down another and fights for some principle, there are a hundred others consisting of those without swords dying at the hands of those with them. This is a truism that cuts across all races, kingdoms, clans, and philosophies. The primary purpose of armaments is to subject those without them to the arbitrary will of those with. And any soldier both honest and long-lived enough will eventually come to realize this.

Di'oq is both.

In his time he was a raider, a mercenary, a lesser follower of greater captains. A swordsman hired or feared for the reach of his arm and the power of his trollish musculature. He fought for principles he thought good and some he thought less good. He fought for freedom or other high-minded ideals, for fortune and riches, for glory and for the honor of clan and race and other things no longer even held in account. Sometimes he fought men who also fought for such things. Sometimes he fought men who simply wanted to keep what was theirs. And sometimes he fought men he never knew the motivations of. In the end, it didn't matter. Whatever high-minded purpose was stretched as a veneer over the fighting that was done, the purpose of warfare, ultimately, is itself. Stories of entering into legend, becoming heroes of renown through the act of raiding farms and stealing provisions from those without the steel to keep them, were illusory. The quest for glory devours its own, and permits men to imagine themselves greater than they are. How many soldiers did he meet sitting atop their steeds, soaked head-to-toe in the blood of men they didn't know, heads or children spitted on their lances, talking excitedly of their "victories" and "honor", every one of them a paladin? How many times was he that man? In all the years of killing over principles held dearly, how many men were actually ennobled? How much blood was spent to purposes invented after the fact to justify some fresh act of death? Disgust might have turned to rage had he not been neck-deep in the same filth as the rest of those hypocrites he fought alongside. As it was, all he could muster after a point was apathy. Fine words turned to ash, glory to mockery. And all the riches piled high among the bones of the fallen were nothing but the sterile, charmless trinkets that were used to reward those who killed enough defenseless farmers to be accounted "great". His separation from moot and clan was ultimately inevitable. The coin they had to pay for his continued presence became so devalued in his eyes as to constitute an insult. When the end finally came, he did not even bother to curse them for not seeing the truth of a matter their entire structure was based around not seeing. He just left.

He left not seeking some new purpose, but to be damned to all purposes and their honeyed appeals to the glory and honor of senseless butchery. He left once his innate cynicism would no longer admit yet another 'cause' to champion, once all empires and kingdoms and tribes and pirate clans all began to look the same, he simply left. And sought the solitude of misanthropy and the wilderness. He killed some, and did not kill others, acting according to whim and personal feelings, and did not seek to lay codes and principles and questions of discussion atop his actions, for all such questions were dishonest in his mind. Some sought to hire him and some to curse him, and he could not have cared less for the pretensions of either. Heroism itself was a lie. And those who clung the tightest to it were those who embodied it the least. What he sought instead was simplicity. Of the wilderness and survival, of beasts and predators and prey, who did not couch their violence in high-minded principle, but killed or did not kill such that they might live, or from instinct so-long bred into them as to constitute the natural workings of the world. There was no nobility in the wilderness, no honor or glory or legend or purity of innocence, but at least there was honesty. And the rest of the world did not even have that.

Dex: 10+6 = 16 (7)
Str: 14+5 = 19 (8)
Tou: 12+4 = 16 (7)
Per: 9+1 = 10 (5)
Wil: 11+2 = 13 (6)
Cha: 10+3 = 13 (6)

Karma: 15/15

Initiative Step: 7
Physical Defense: 10
Physical AD Threshold: 25
Magical Defense: 7
Magical AD Threshold: 20
Social Defense: 7
Carrying Capacity: 230
Death Rating: 84
Unconcious Rating: 66
Wound Threshold: 11
Recovery Tests/Day: 3

Physical Armor: 12
Mystic Armor: 5

Movement Rate: 7

Racial Abilities: Heat Vision

Discipline Talents:
Warrior:
Avoid Blow: 5 (12) With Boots, 6 (13)
Karma Ritual: 5
Melee Weapons: 5 (12)
Unarmed Combat: 4 (11)
Wood Skin: 5 (12)
Durability: 5
Anticipate Blow: 4 (9)
Wound Balance: 4 (12)
Warweaving: 3

Beastmaster:
Animal Bond: 3 (9)
Claw Shape: 2 (9)
Creature Analysis: 2 (7)
Dominate Beast: 1 (7)


Other Talents:
Warrior:
Air Dance: 4 (11/15)
Tiger Spring: 4
Swift Kick: 3 (10)
Fireblood: 2 (9)

Beastmaster:
Tracking: 1 (6)
Borrow Sense: 2 (8)



Skills:
Speak Language: 2 (Dwarven, Troll) (7)
Read/Write: 1 (Troll) (6)
Singing: 1 (7)
Knowledge Creature Lore: 1 (6)
Knowledge Wild Animals: 1 (6)

Animal Handling: 1 (6)
Animal Training: 2 (7)
Diplomacy: 1 (7)
Hunting: 1 (9)
Shield Charge: 1 (9)
Wilderness Survival: 1 (6)


Equipment:
Adventurer's Kit
Artisan Tools
Dagger
Traveller's Garb
4x Trail Rations, 1 week
1-handed, Double-bladed Arming Troll-Sword (6)
1 Troll-scale Crystal Raider Shield (3/3 armor, +3/+3 deflection)
Troll-scale Ring Mail Armor (6 armor, +2/+0 deflection w/ helmet)
Espagra-Scale Cloak (3/1 Armor)
Esparga-Scale Boots "Rockhopper". +1 Avoid Blow
Bedroll of Comfort
Huntsman's Boots
3x Booster Potions (+8 next Recovery Test)
3x Cleanse Poison Potions (Repeat the test against Poison)
2x Healing Potion (+8 next recovery Test. Get a free one if out)
1x Last Chance Salve (Raise the recent dead)
Basic Healing Kit
5x Oil Flask
Hooded Lantern
Tent

2196 Silver Pieces
1000 Gold Pieces

Legend Points
19050 Total
950 Unspent

Expenditures:
Avoid Blow II - 200
Melee Weapons III - 300
Air Dance III - 300
Unarmed Combat II - 200
Wood Skin II - 200
Durability I - 100
Durability II - 200
Anticipate Blow I - 100
Tiger Spring I - 100
Tiger Spring II - 200
Durability III - 300
Animal Training 2 - 300
Melee Weapons IV - 500

Tiger Spring III - 300
Karma Ritual III - 300
Wood Skin III - 300
Avoid Blow III - 300
Anticipate Blow II - 200
Anticipate Blow III - 300
Unarmed Combat III - 300

Wound Balance I - 100
Swift Kick I - 100
Avoid Blow IV - 500
Unarmed Combat IV - 500
Wood Skin IV - 500
Durability IV - 500
Anticipate IV - 500
Wound Balance II - 200
Wound Balance III - 300
Wound Balance IV - 500

Warweaving I - 100
Creature Analysis I - 300
Claw Shape I - 300
Fireblood I - 100
Claw Shape II - 300
Creature Analysis - 300
Tracking I - 200
Dominate Beast I - 200
Borrow Sense I - 200
Melee Weapons V - 800
Durability V - 800
Willpower + 1 - 800
Swift Kick II - 200
Swift Kick III - 300
Animal Bond III - 500
Warweaving II - 200
Warweaving III - 300
Tiger Spring IV - 500
Air Dance IV - 500
Karma Ritual V - 800
Avoid Blow V - 800
Wood Skin V - 800
Borrow Sense II - 200
Fireblood II - 200

Earthdawn, Dice Steps, Probability, and You

For whatever reason none of the Earthdawn books ever published deign to explain why the dice pools and results tables are the way they are. They just present them as is. This may have been a deliberate attempt to prevent players from making game decisions based on probability distributions, thus making them "feel it out" the same way their character would have to. I can respect that. You can in fact get a good feel of what your can do based on your step number: That number is your average result when rolling the step. This provides a decent measure of how good you are at something, and how likely you are to succeed against a given difficulty. For example, you know armour defeating hits against someone whose physical defence matches your attack step are going to be pretty damn rare, just as you know that you're not going to be hitting them more than half the time.

That's all well and good, but it will not going to stop me from trying to figure out how the system works, tinkering with it, and telling everyone about it. Fortunately, I don't have to do all the work myself here - the math gets pretty complicated - since other people have already done so for me. Like I said above, every dice step is also its own average result accounting for the fact that dice explode, and you have slightly less than even odds of getting your step number or higher on a given roll. This is for every step: Your chances of getting at least an Average result against a difficulty of that step is about even. In fact, every single step has a fixed probability of getting at least a given result level when rolled against itself. (See here)

Poor: 85%, Average: 47%, Good: 15%, Excellent: 7%, Extraordinary: 3%

These aren't exact, mind, they do vary a bit, but it's generally good within +/- 1 percentage point (pp). Note that before ED3 the chances of getting an average result was 50% for all steps except 8-13. With the removal of the d4s and d20s, it's now 47% starting at Step 8. On the plus side, the curves are smoother and you hit difficulties lower than your step number much more consistently at Step 14 and above than you did in prior editions. (See here)

Knowing this you can readily estimate your probability of getting any desired result level against any given difficulty with your particular dice pool by using the results table. For example, some time ago we fought Bog Gobs, which on average have Defence 6. At the time my character's Melee Weapons Step was 10. What were my chances of hitting them? Looking at Difficulty 10 on the table, I can see that a Poor result is 6-9, so the chances were 85%. That fits! I hit them pretty consistently. What were my chances of getting an armour-defeating hit? Well, I needed an Excellent result for that. I look at Difficulty 6 and find that Excellent result against it is 13-16. Then I got back to the Diff 10 line and see that 13 is smack in the middle of the 10-15 Average result. Knowing that I had a 47% chance of getting a 10, and a 15% chance of getting a 16, I can guess that my chances of defeating their armour were likely no more than 30%. Actual probability is 25%, not bad for an on the fly estimate.

Finally, I'll point out that since your step number is your average result, you can in theory add steps together in a straight forward fashion without altering the probabilities. What I mean is that Karma is a d6, that's a Step 4 roll, which means every time you spend Karma you are rolling roughly 4 steps higher. If you have Melee Weapons at Step 10 (2D8) then your average result is a 10. If you spend Karma on it you are adding a roll with an average result of 4, and 10+4=14, the same average result as if you just rolled Step 14 (2d12). I said "in theory" because below Step 18, rolling Karma separately does give you about a 1 pp greater chance of hitting Step+4 than rolling Step+4 would. This is due to the aforementioned quirk that steps below 8 have a 50% rather than 47% chance of hitting their own step.

Steps being their own average result is also the reason why the book says that you can add bonuses and penalties to the step or the result. There isn't much difference between rolling Step 10-1 (2d8-1) or rolling Step 9 (D8+D6). The average differs negligibly, as do your chances of getting any given result. Note that this stops being true when a penalty approaches the step number it is applied to. That is why armour and wounds are always subtracted from the roll result and not the step. It isn't a big problem for bonuses that approach the step number, but you do start seeing the probability curves begin to flatten out in that event.

next session will take place 1 week after the end of this.

300 LPs, Julian got 1 free karma point, Havoc got 2 free karma point.

I've decided to make this post my record of how many pts and loots were passed out.

Jan 12th: 300LP

Jan 27th 400LP

Feb 10TH 450 LP 36 Silver, 3 Broadswords, 3 daggers, 3 crossbows, 1 black leather book, 1 drawing book, 2 dirty pictures of girl orcs, 1 pouch of brown powder that is poisonious, 20 sapphires in a pouch, box of spare crossbow ammo, and a large map of the inn and city complete with insane amount of notes.

Feb 24th 500LP

March 10th 500LP

March 24th 600LP

April 7th 800LP 11 thumb size chunks of silver

April 21st 900LP, 3 pre-Sourge Books, Dynasties of Cara Fahd. When the Chains Broke. Tales of the Passions.

May 5th, a sword possibly magical.

May 19th 1100 LP, 32 emeralds, 2 large rubies, 10 gold coins, 3 coins of elemental fire.

June 2nd 1500 LP, 1 broach with sapphire flames, an emerald eye and outlined in gold, 1 surgery kit the blades are diamonds. 1 teapot with flower decorations.

June 15th 1200LP

June 30 1500LP

July 14 1100LP

July 28 3500LP 5 Esparga cloaks, 1 set Esparga boots, 1 belt gold/emeralds/sapphires, 1 necklace gold/emeralds/sapphires.

August 25 500 LP, 6 books chopped up, 3 books intact, 4 silver necklaces, 2 bone rings with emerald chips, 1 bag emeralds, 1 bag sapphires

September 8th 300LP.

September 27th 450LP

October 13th 600LP

Unless I miss my guess, this Monday should be...

There's a big meetup for GIS industry types tonight. I'm going put in an appearance and get some face time with potentially important people, so I can't make the game tonight. Sorry for the late notice!

Sorry for the literally last minute notice, but a friend who lives down in Philly showed up and my house mates are making plans to eat out tonight. I love you all, but I see you guys on a weekly basis. So I'm likely to unavailable until at least 10pm EST.

Of course shit breaks on Monday. I have to stay and fix a Very Important system at work. No guarantee I'll be around tonight. Much profanity will be spouted.

CynCat, could you fix the slug on your character sheet? It's breaking every link in my logs to your character.

I took care of it Hotfoot.

Bad news, due to his company being utterly insentitive to the needs of the modern gamer Lavnic the Obsidianman will also not be joining us.

Gentlemen, behold! I have written up Stormbreaker's thoughts on everything that happened after we arrived at the city, but before the time skip. Should hopefully provide entertaining reading.

Reminder: You are suppose to hit me up with a list of supplies your character is gonna want for their part of the expedition into the dark jungles of Cara fahd. If I don't get a list by Friday, I guess your character gets 2 weeks of dried unflavored jerky and fermented mare's milk.

I've posted my wish list to Hotfoot's wiki page.

To be found here.

People should probably centralize it there just to avoid overly duplicated purchases and save Frigid some time.

Cynical Cat wrote:Still less than 60% of Lys’s list.

Hah! You don't know the half it. My list is 6000 silver not including, "Collective rather than character specific supplies for the expedition. Basic things like drink, food, tents, pack animals, booster potions, healing potions, poultices, antidotes, last chance salves, cure disease potions, etc."

If you do include those things, it's somewhere north of 8000 silver. Seriously guys, I'm disappointed by your lack of ambition, how can you call yourself adventurers? Sorry bunch of adventurers we are when you lot don't show nearly half the greed required. What next, giving away our heard earned loot to the needy? Bah, bah I say! You're all making me look bad, and truly that's the worst of it.

*pouts*

Lys wrote:

Cynical Cat wrote:Still less than 60% of Lys’s list.

Hah! You don't know the half it. My list is 6000 silver not including, "Collective rather than character specific supplies for the expedition. Basic things like drink, food, tents, pack animals, booster potions, healing potions, poultices, antidotes, last chance salves, cure disease potions, etc."

If you do include those things, it's somewhere north of 8000 silver. Seriously guys, I'm disappointed by your lack of ambition, how can you call yourself adventurers? Sorry bunch of adventurers we are when you lot don't show nearly half the greed required. What next, giving away our heard earned loot to the needy? Bah, bah I say! You're all making me look bad, and truly that's the worst of it.

*pouts*

Look, if I was running Nalifan then my list would begger yours. But I'm not, I'm running Sereph and so my list is much more modest than yours and I can't single handedly curb stomp the opposition.

And here I felt my list was extravagant given that our employers are Orks.

Lys, I'd like to thank you for being our highball.

I'd like to thank everyone for getting their wishlist to me. As it stands I am missing Steve's list. I am willing to sit down with him tonight and hammer it out but he'll have to get on Skype or google or something. Course I have to take care of some things so if his list magically pops up before I get home. All is well.

Hotfoot wrote:Lys, I'd like to thank you for being our highball.

I'm glad someone appreciates all that I do for you guys. ^_^

For reference I am rolling randomly on anything that is above average in difficulty, I have created a chart. I have not heard anything from Steve so he's not getting anything.

Do I get a bonus to rolls for being oh so very charming?