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Post by Lemunde on Nov 11, 2015 17:56:47 GMT
This is a quick test game that demonstrates my own personal method of soloing a game of D&D 5th Edition. Feel free to use or adapt any of the techniques used here in your own games. Since I'm just using this game for demonstration purposes I'm going to stick to the D&D 5e Basic Rules documents. Premise: The lake near the town of Cedarwood has been slowly turning into acid. This has killed off most of the fish in the lake, ruining the livelihood of the local fishermen, destroying the town's water supply, and leaving the stink of rotting fish along the shoreline. The people of the town have pooled thier resources in order to hire someone to investigate and hopefully resolve this crisis. Character Sheet: Uleus PlerubinPlaces:- Cederwood: Cedarwood is a small town of about 1000 people. The primary industry here is fishing. There is one moderately sized inn called The Sneezing Sparrow. Some small shops around the town provide for the basic needs of the people but it's hard to find anything too extravagant. There is a smithy that deals mostly in forging nails, horseshoes and tools.
As the town is generally peaceful, weapons and armor aren't normally available outside of the local sheriff's office. However there is a hunter's lodge where one might purchase bows, arrows, animal traps, and other things useful for hunting wild game. A stable with a few horses, mules and carts can be found nearby.
As the name suggests the town is situated within a cedar forest and lies near the south-western edge of Brightwater Lake. A rotting peer stretches out a few dozen feet over the lake. - Brightwater Lake: The lake that is currently filling with acid covers roughly 5x7 miles of terrain. It is fed by a river flowing from the north but the river does not appear to be the source of the acid. Up until the past couple of years the lake was an excellent source of fishing, primarily salmon and catfish. The majority of the lake is surrounded by a cedar forest except for a portion that encompasses the north and north-eastern side which is mostly a combination of grassy plains and rolling hills. There are a couple of small islands near the south-eastern portion of the lake.
- Other places: The general area around the lake is scattered with varying cottages, lumber mills, and various abandoned stone and wooden structures. Farms can be found along the northern river and dotted around the plains. Fishing boats can periodically be found along the shore but none can currently be found actually in the water that aren't in the process of slowly dissolving. Hunters are often found tracking wild game in the forested regions. Their campsites can sometimes be found nearby.
A narrow road encompasses the lake and branches out into the various farms in the north. It leads over a bridge which crosses the northern river. Bandits can periodically be found stalking and ambushing hapless travelers along the road.
Wolves, black bears and poisonous snakes are among the common threats encountered in the forest. Lesser creatures can be found harassing farmers and their crops to the north. Wild game includes deer, rabbits and badgers. Prelude: Uleus is meeting with a small council of prominent members of the Cedarwood community at The Sneezing Sparrow in the early evening. Here they will explain the nature of their plight and negotiate compensation for his assistance.
This is absolutely everything that I currently know about the campaign. The actual cause of the acid, additional NPCs, locations, and threats are all unknown and will be left up to the dice to determine. This is done through what I call a question challenge. When I encounter an unknown situation I will ask a question which requires a "yes" or a "no" and give each question a probability. I will try to start with what sounds like the most obvious answer and ask if that is true. I continue asking questions until I get a definitive answer to what the situation is. For example: One common occurrence of this will be determining if anything happens while traveling. So I ask "Does anything happen while I'm traveling into the forest?" I give this question a 1 in 4 chance of being true. I roll a 1d4 and if I roll a 4 then the answer is "yes". So let's say I rolled "yes". Then I would ask "Do I encounter something dangerous?" 50/50 odds, I roll a 1d4 and if it's a 3 or 4 then the answer's "yes". "Do I encounter a hostile creature?" 50/50, "Yes." "Is it a wolf?" 50/50, "No." "Is it a snake?" 50/50, "No." "Is it a bear?" 50/50, "Yes." "Is it trying to ambush me?" 1 in 4, "Yes." At this point I roll a stealth check for the bear and compare it to my passive perception to see if I see it coming. Well, let's say it succeeds. It gets a surprise round and will probably tear my first level wizard to pieces. Obviously I'll need to properly prepare before setting out into the forest. This might become a little more complicated when determining plot unknowns but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. I'll also note that this forum does include a dice roller but as this is a solo adventure and rolling the die will either require several small posts or lots of post editing I think I'll stick to an online dice roller. I'll still post the dice results with each roll. Well I think that's enough information to get started so let's get this show on the road!
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Post by Lemunde on Nov 12, 2015 17:59:51 GMT
First some initial rolls to determine some extra parts of the setting... Is it summer? (1/4) Yes. Is it raining? (1/8) No.
Uleus steps through the door of The Sneezing Sparrow, wiping the sweat from his brow. He had spent most of the day on the road, traveling during the heat of the day. With the sun setting there is now a cool breeze flowing into the inn. The main room isn't terribly crowded but it's logical to assume this is about as busy as it gets around here.
There is a group of three people sitting at a large table near the center of the main room. One of them, a rotund balding man in a black apron stands up as Uleus enters. "Ah, he's finally here. Please, have a seat." Uleus: "I take it you're the ones who sent me that letter about the lake?" The mans sits back down as Uleus grabs a chair. "That's right. My name's Corgan." He motions to the older woman next to him. "This is Fauna, our local seamstress," And then to the scruffy man on the other side, "And this is Ormer, one of our more successful fishermen." Ormer: "Well, until recently that is." Uleus: "Uleus, it's a pleasure to meet you. Yes, I understand the water situation has pretty much brought all fishing to a standstill." Ormer: "Heh, you could say that."
"Sir, can I get you anything?" A young man carrying a tray of empty mugs walks up to Uleus. Uleus: "I don't suppose you have any mountain amber on tap?" Does he? (1/4) No. Young man: "Sorry. They don't deliver that stuff this far south." Uleus: "Well whatever kind of ale you have will be fine." Young man: "Right away, sir!" The young man wanders off to fetch Uleus's drink.
Corgan: "Well let's get down to business, shall we? We want to know why the lake is becoming acidic and we want something done about it if at all possible." Uleus: "Of course. And what exactly are you willing to pay to see this done?" How much? (7d100 + 300) 692 Corgan: "We've been able to scrape together 692 gold between us. That may not sound like a lot to you but it takes us small town folk a long time to earn that." Uleus: "I understand. That's a fair sum for the investigation. Would you be willing to offer more if I'm able to reverse whatever is going on with the lake?" Might be a hard sell. (Persuasion check, DC:18) 12. Corgan frowns and shakes his head. Fauna: "You have to understand, this is everything we have and more. We had to borrow a lot of this from friends and family." Uleus: "I see. Well at the very least perhaps your town could offer me free food and lodging while I am here?" Doesn't sound unreasonable. (Persuasion check, DC:10) 14 Fauna: "I think that can be arranged. I'll speak with the innkeeper."
The young man returns with a tall mug of ale and sets it down in front of Uleus. Uleus guzzles some of it down. How does it taste? (Scale of 1 to 10) 8 It's no mountain amber but it's cold and refreshing. Uleus sets the mug down with a satisfied smile.
Ormer: "Yes, that's all fine and good but I think it might be a little unfair to pay you the full amount if you're unable to clear out the acid. If you fail my livelihood is still sunk, along with this town. We'll have to spend another year scrounging up gold to pay someone else to come down here and fix it." Corgan: "I'm afraid I have to agree. If we pay you for simply investigating the lake we will be worse off than we were before. Finding out what's going on helps, but it's not enough to save this town." Uleus: "Okay then. How about this? 350 gold up front to help cover my initial expenses, the rest when I determine a reasonably efficient way to eliminate the acid from the lake." Ormer: "So you're basically saying for that amount you won't get rid of the acid yourself but you'll find out how to do it." Uleus: "Well here's the truth of the matter. There's every possibility that getting rid of the acid is going to be an expensive venture. Now it's not fair to me to get paid the full amount only to have to turn around and spend it on getting rid of the acid." Fauna: "Still, 350 gold is a lot of money to hand over to someone who hasn't done anything yet..." (Persuasion check, DC:15) 18 Corgan: "*sigh* We don't have much choice. He's come all the way down here, I don't think he's going to just take off. We're putting a lot of faith in you, sir. Don't squander our town's gold." Uleus: "Then we have a deal?" Corgan: "We have a deal. Come by my shop in the morning and I'll have your gold ready. It will be the small building south down the street with all the smoke coming out of it." Uleus: "The smithy?" Corgan: "That's right. Fauna will set you up with the innkeeper."
With that Uleus shakes hands with the three, sealing the deal. Fuana gets up and goes over to talk to the innkeeper, presumably to set Uleus up for his stay. Corgan and Ormer bid Uleus fairwell and leave. Just for fun, try to hear what Fauna and the innkeeper are saying: (Perception check, DC:13) 21 Are they discussing Uleus's living arrangements? (3/4) Yes Does the innkeeper sound happy about it? (1/4) Yes, surprisingly
Uleus listens to the conversation between Fauna and the innkeeper, his keen senses filtering out the bustle of the other patrons. At one point Uleus can clearly hear the innkeeper say "...small price to pay for getting this town back on it's feet." After a couple of minutes of going over the particulars, Fauna and the innkeeper come back and speak with Uleus. Innkeeper: *smiling* "Well, I understand you're the one going to clean up our lake?" Uleus: *getting up out of his chair* "Yes, something like that." Innkeeper: "Well we've talked it over and I agree. While you're on the job you are welcome to stay at my fine establishment at no charge. I'll talk to my staff and let them know what's going on so if you need food or drink all you need to do is ask. We'll have your room ready shortly." Uleus: "Thank you, Mr..." Innkeeper: *reaching out his hand* "Gorswald. Philip Gorswald. People around here just call me Gorgy." Uleus: *shaking his hand* "Well, Gorgy, I'm sure I'll enjoy staying here." He seems awfully accommodating. Perhaps too accommodating. I wonder if he's really as happy as he seems about all this? (Insight check, DC 15) 14, Probably. Note: Possible ulterior motive for Gorgy but no way to be sure at this point.
With that, Gorgy rushes off to get things ready and Fauna bids Uleus farewell.
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Post by Lemunde on Nov 13, 2015 16:39:10 GMT
Since he's going to be staying here for a while, let's figure out a few more details about this inn. Does it have more than one floor? (1 in 2) Yes Does it have more than two floors? (1 in 2) Yes, three floors but this is about as big as it can get for a town of this size. Based on previous conversations we'll say it's located near the center of town. How nice are the rooms? (Roll 1d10 with 1 being livable and 10 being quite nice) 6... They're okay. The rooms all have the basic amenities: bed, wash basin, desk, oil lamp, night stand. They're not terribly big but they're kept relatively clean. How's the food? (1d10, 1 being bland and flavorless, 10 being hearty and delicious) 5... The food's okay. There's not really much variety. Your typical meat and potatoes fare. At least the drinks are pretty good. Will Uleus be staying on the third floor? (1 in 3) No. Second floor? (1 in 3) Yes. Does his room have a view of the lake? Could be facing the wrong direction or obscured by buildings and trees. Let's say (1 in 8) Yes. This also puts him on the east side of the inn. Are there many people staying here? (1 in 3) No. But there are a few? (3 in 4) Yes. That should be enough for now.
After a short time the young man who brought Uleus his ale leads him up the stairs to his room on the second floor. Young man: *opening the door* "Here's your room sir. Gorgy thought you might appreciate a view of the lake, seeing as you'll be working closely with it over the next few days." He hands Uleus the key. Uleus: "Thank you, this will be fine." Uleus lays his pack down on the bed then goes over to look out the window.
Let's see what we can see. Perception check, DC 15. Success may reveal something out of the ordinary. Roll:23...Nat 20! Is there anything out of the ordinary that can be seen? (1 in 2) Yes. Does it have something to do with the lake? (1 in 2) No. Is it something within the town? (1 in 2) No. Is it in the forest? (1 in 2) No. Is it in the sky? (Running out of possibilities, 3 in 4) No. Is it in the air itself? (3 in 4) No. Is it some kind of omnipresent sound with no discernible origin? (3 in 4) No. (This is getting ridiculous, I rolled 1 three times in a row) Is it some kind of subtle glow that encompasses everything? (3 in 4) No. Is it something coming from beyond the lake? (3 in 4) Yes. Is it something dark? (3 in 4) Yes. Is it moving? (3 in 4) No. Is it big? (3 in 4) No. Is it subtly glowing or pulsating in any way? (3 in 4) Yes.
It's approaching the end of the twilight hours. The landscape is still visible but just barely. Looking out over the lake Uleus notices something in the distance near the shoreline of the northern plains. Some kind of dark mass, pulsating with dark red energy. From this distance it's very difficult to discern just how large it is, maybe about the size of a small building.
Uleus: "What's your name, boy?" Young man: "Thomas sir. And I'm 19, just so you know." Uleus looks back and sees an irritated expression on Thomas's face. Uleus: "Yes, of course. My apologies. Would you mind coming over here for a minute, Thomas?" Thomas shrugs and walks over to stand by Uleus near the window. Uleus points towards the strange object in the distance. Uleus: "What do you make of that?" Thomas squints and looks through the window. Thomas: "I'm not sure. It's kind of hard to see." Uleus: "Have you heard of anything unusual going on in that region?" Has he? (1 in 4) No. Thomas: "Not really but I'm probably not the one to ask. That's mostly farmland out there. They deliver food and livestock to several vendors in town periodically. Perhaps you should talk to one of them in the morning." Uleus: "I may do that. Thank you, Thomas." Thomas: "Not a problem, sir. Is there anything else I can help you with?" Uleus: "No, that will be all. Thanks." Thomas: "Very good, sir."
Thomas leaves, closing the door behind him. Uleus: "Sounds like I'm going to have a busy day tomorrow. Better get some shut-eye..."
*Queue sleeping music*
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Post by Lemunde on Nov 15, 2015 8:27:59 GMT
Okay, now it's time to do a check for any extraordinary or unusual events. I do this check periodically whenever any significant stretch of time goes by, like when sleeping or traveling. For instance someone might try to break into Uleus's room while he's asleep or a house within the town might catch on fire. Events like these are pretty rare so I need to roll a 20 on a d20 for anything to happen. Unusual event check: (1 in 20) 19, nothing unusual happens. In the wilderness I would do an additional check to see if anything attacks or tries to attack Uleus in his sleep since that would be much more likely to occur.
Uleus wakes early in the morning from a restful sleep. Going over to the window, he tries to see if the strange object in the distance is still there. (1 in 4) Yes, it is. Has it changed in any way? (1 in 4) Yes. Has it stopped pulsating? (1 in 2) Yes. It is still dark out. The morning light is just now starting to appear over the horizon. The object is indeed still there, however the strange red energy it was pulsating with the night before has stopped. Noting this in his mind, Uleus gathers his belongings and goes downstairs, locking the door behind him.
Is anyone else up yet? (1 in 2) No. The main room is dark aside from a single burning candle on one of the tables in the center of the room and some dying embers in the stonework fireplace. Uleus: *thinking to himself* 'Looks like breakfast is going to have to wait.'
Given the darkness let's make sure no one is hiding in any dark corners. In normal games with an actual DM you would roll stealth for the hiding creature and compare that to the player's passive perception. Since we don't even know if anything is there we can't determine it's sneak bonus. So what I'm going to do here is make a flat DC and roll perception against it. If I beat the DC I will then check if anything is there. If it is then I'll determine what it is and roll stealth for it. If the stealth roll beats Uleus's perception roll then I will just say that he suspects something else might be in the room with him but can't pinpoint it. The hidden creature will otherwise get all the bonuses from being hidden that it would normally get. It's not a perfect system and it may need some fine-tuning but it will do for now.
So first a perception check at a DC of 15 since it's pretty dark: 23, another nat 20! Is there anything hiding in the room? (1 in 8) No.
Glancing around the room, Uleus doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary and walks out of the inn. Thinking that most of the shops are probably still closed right now he decides to walk down to the lake and have a look around.
Anything unexpected at the lake? (1 in 8) No. Does the water of the lake look any different from normal water? (1 in 2) Yes. Dramatically different? (1 in 4) Yes. We saw dark red pulsing in the distant object last night. Does the water have a similar dark red appearance? (1 in 2) Yes.
The water is a sort of translucent black in color with a kind of dark red gradient below the surface. The shoreline is covered in the skeletal remains of fish, the stench of their rot fills the air. The silty sand is a charcoal black and there are wisps of smoke rising from it as the water touches it. The nearby pier is blackened at the parts where it touches the water, the thick wood logs being slowly chiseled away after months of contact with the acidic water. Several boats lie upside-down, well away from the shoreline, their underbellies discolored but otherwise serviceable.
Uleus casts detect magic on the water. Is the water itself magical? (1 in 4) No.
Sensing no magic within the water, Uleus deduces that the acid must have an originating point of origin. He looks out over the lake to the dark object in the distance as the sun begins to peek from the hills behind it...
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Post by Lemunde on Nov 16, 2015 17:16:37 GMT
Uleus decides to head back into town to do some shopping. He'll need some proper equipment to study the lake any further. First, though, he needs to go get his money from Corgan. By now people seem to be moving about the town going through their morning routines.
We haven't established just all the races that might live here. We can assume that the majority of the population is human but let's see if there are any others. We'll start with some likely candidates.
Do any dwarves live here? (1 in 4) No. Elves? (1 in 4) No. Halflings? (1 in 4) No. I really should stop there since there aren't any other races in the basic rules but let's do another check just for fun. Does anyone from one of the less common races live here? (1 in 4) Yes. Gnomes? (1 in 2) No. Half-orcs? (1 in 2) No. Dragonborn? (1 in 2) Yes. More than one? (1 in 2) Yes.
Most of the town's population seems to be made up of humans but occasionally Uleus passes a dragonborn on the street. Uleus reaches Corgan's smithy and walks up to the entrance. There doesn't appear to be any door to speak of. Uleus: "Hello?"
Is Corgan there? (3 in 4) No. Is anyone else there? (1 in 4) No.
There's no response. Apparently Corgan hasn't arrived yet. Irritated, Uleus decides to go back to the inn to grab some breakfast.
Are any of the staff serving breakfast yet? (better be by this point, 3 in 4) Yes.
A young woman in a grease spattered apron greets him as he enters. Young woman: "Ah, mister Perubin?" Uleus: "I am. And you are...?" Young woman: "Lilith, sir. I do most of the cooking. We have porridge and bacon ready if you're hungry." Uleus: "Yes, and a glass of milk too, please." Lilith: "Right away, sir." Lilith rushes off to the kitchen and Uleus takes a seat at a table near a window.
How crowded is the room right now? (1 to 10, 1 being nobody else here, 10 being bustling) 9 Does there appear to be anyone noteworthy in the crowd? (1 in 4) Yes. Someone Uleus met before? (1 in 4) No. Male? (1 in 2) No. Human? (3 in 4) Yes. How old? (1 to 10, 1 being late teens, 10 being elderly) 5, mid-thirties. Attractive? (3 in 4) Yes. If she stands out she must have some kind of obvious profession. Is she some kind of warrior or mercenary? (1 in 4) No. A mage of some kind? (1 in 4) No. A noble? (1 in 4) No. A ruffian? (1 in 4) No. A cleric or priestess? (1 in 4) No. Some kind of scholar? (1 in 4) No. A roguish type? (1 in 4) No. A musician? (1 in 4) No. An obvious foreigner? (1 in 4) No. A monk? (1 in 4) Yes.
The inn is pretty active for this time of day. Several travelers seem to be eager to be on the road. Others are crowded around tables eating breakfast or drinking strong smelling tea. One patron in particular is a fairly attractive woman at a nearby table with short-cropped blonde hair and wearing the robes of a monk. She appears to be joylessly eating a bowl of porridge as if it were some kind of chore she was forcing herself to endure.
After a few moments Lilith returns with Uleus's porridge, a small plate of bacon, and a glass of milk. Lilith: "Will there be anything else, sir?" Uleus: "Would you happen to know when Corgan's shop opens?" Does she? (1 in 2) No. Lilith: "Sorry. My mornings are spent in the kitchen so I don't get a chance to do any shopping this early." Uleus: "That's quite alright. Thank you." Lilith: "Enjoy your meal, sir."
Uleus eats his meal, occasionally glancing over at the monk who appeared to be choking down the last bit of her porridge.
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Post by Lemunde on Nov 17, 2015 17:38:39 GMT
After finishing his breakfast, Uleus heads back to Corgan's shop. Is he here yet? (3 in 4) Yes. Corgan is waiting near the entrance when he arrives. Corgan: "Ah, there you are." Uleus: "Yes. I came by earlier but you weren't here." Corgan: "Yeah, sorry about that. I was making sure I had the right amount set aside for your payment. Wait here a moment."
Now based on earlier conversations it's possible that a lot of the gold won't actually be gold but silver or even copper. In a small town like this there probably isn't any sort of bank. Let's do some checks to see just what Corgan is going to be handing over. Is there a bank in town? (1 in 4) No. Is the majority of the payment in the form of silver and copper? (1 in 2) No.
Corgan steps inside his shop and returns a few seconds later with a heavy coin purse and hands it to Uleus. Corgan: "There it is; 350 gold as promised. Some of that's silver and copper. That just goes to show just what we had to go through to scrounge that up." Uleus considers counting it but decides it would be more prudent to count it later. Glancing inside the purse he estimates there's about 100 silver and 100 copper mixed in. Uleus: "Thank you. I'll be sure to put it to good use. Oh, about the investigation, I had a few questions if you don't mind." Corgan: "Sure, what's on your mind?" Uleus: "I understand there's a few farms up near the northern part of the lake. Is there anything you can tell me about them?" Corgan: "Well, they deliver food here regularly. The farmers seem like decent folk..."
Maybe not all of them are. Do any of the farmers that come by seem a little off? (1 in 2) Yes. Is it a single farmer? (3 in 4) Yes. Male? (1 in 2) No. Older? (3 in 4) Yes.
Corgan: "Actually now that you mention it there is this old crone that travels with them. Pulls a turnip cart. She doesn't talk much and always has a scowl on her face." Uleus: "Hmm... Have you heard of anything strange going on up there?" Probably not, otherwise he would have mentioned it. (1 in 6) No. Corgan: "Not really. Why? You think something up there's turning the lake to acid?" Uleus: "Possibly. I'd rather not say anything else until I know more. Suffice to say I'll probably be traveling there in the next day or so to have a look around." Corgan: "Well if you do be careful. Bandits have started waylaying travelers on the roads ever since this mess started. The wildlife in the forest has found itself in an equally desperate situation so don't be surprised if a wolf or a bear tries to make a meal out of you." Uleus: "I'll keep that in mind. Do you know where I could find a general goods store?" Corgan: "Yeah, Thereza has a shop just south down the street. She has a pretty good selection. Also check out the hunter's lodge south near the outskirts if you're looking for something to help protect you against wolves and bears." Uleus: "I'll do that. Thank you." Uleus steps away from Corgan's smithy and heads for Thereza's shop.
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Post by Lemunde on Jan 8, 2016 16:23:57 GMT
In the interest of speeding things along I'm going to start taking a less narrative approach. This may be more ideal for solo games since most people probably aren't interested in talking to themselves unless they're practicing their dungeon mastering. Social interactions will still come into play, they just won't be so "talky". I'm also introducing a new mechanic that will add another layer of unpredictability without having to constantly stop and do a question challenge every time something happens.
Instead I'm going to start rolling an extra d20 every time something happens. I will set a DC for a particular area or event. We'll call this the "circumstance" check (or CC for short), basically seeing if something unusual, interesting or dangerous is involved with whatever is going on. I will also set two additional DCs: one for a neutral outcome and another for a good outcome. If the circumstance check passes then I will roll again to see if it is a neutral or good circumstance. Failing both DCs results in a bad circumstance.
Let's try an example. Say I'm wandering through a dungeon and I try to open a chest. The DC for the circumstance check is 17, neutral is 13, good is 19. (Being a dungeon the odds are in favor of something bad happening.) My first roll is an 18 which means I'm in an unusual circumstance. I roll again and get a 3 which means it's a bad circumstance. Now I do a question challenge. The first bad thing that comes to mind is that the chest might be locked. Is it? (1 in 2) Yes.
Now I try picking the lock so along with my lockpick check I make another circumstance check. We'll set the DC on the lock to 15. I roll both die and get 8 and 10. I fail to open the lock but nothing else happens. If the CC had passed the lock might have been trapped, it might have jammed making it impossible to open, or in rare cases it might have fallen off allowing me to open the chest.
Well I really want what's in that chest so I'm going to try bashing it open. It's a sturdy wooden chest so I give it an AC of 15 and HP of 10. For each attack I will have to make another circumstance check, representative of how long it is taking me and how the environment is reacting to what I'm doing. So I start attacking with the butt of my dagger which Uleus gets a +5 for:
CC:17...Neutral:13...Good:19 Attack: 16 (hits), 19 (CC passes), damage is 7 (4+3) Good/Bad/Neutral Circumstance: 11 (bad) Does my bashing attract the attention of any nearby monsters? (1 in 2) No. Does it damage my dagger? (1 in 2) No. Does it trigger a trap? (1 in 2) No. Do I somehow hurt myself? (1 in 2) Yes. The recoil of my bashing causes me to stab myself in the shoulder. I take 7 (4+3) piercing damage. Attack: 20 (crit!), 3 (CC fails), damage is 10 (3+4+3) The chest opens revealing a golden chalice with the name "McGuffin" inscribed at the base.
I might need to adjust some of the wording and the formatting but this is basically how it will work.
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Post by Lemunde on Jan 8, 2016 17:18:14 GMT
In-town circumstance DCs: ...Circumstance:18 ...Neutral:5 ...Good:17
I leave Corgan's smithy and walk over to Thereza's shop. The outside has random bits of furniture, pots and pans, crates and barrels scattered around near the walls. The shop appears to be open. I step inside. A bell above the door rings as I enter. The inside is just as cluttered as the outside. Thereza greets me as I enter. I start shopping around for some things.
10 vials...10GP Crowbar...2GP 5 sacks...5CP Ink...10GP Ink pen...2CP 10 sheets of parchment...1GP 2 potions of healing...100GP
Cost:123GP, 7CP
I pay Thereza the appropriate amount. (CC passed:Neutral) ...Do I notice anything unusual about Thereza? (1 in 2) Yes. ...Is she blind? (1 in 4) No. ...Is she upset about something? (1 in 4) No. ...Is she bleeding? (1 in 4) No. ...Does she have pointed ears? (1 in 4) No. ...Does she have facial hair? (1 in 4) No. ...Does she have an unusual scar? (1 in 4) No. ...Do her eyes glow? (1 in 4) No. ...Is she pregnant? (1 in 4) No. ...Is she sick? (1 in 4) Yes.
Thereza looks a little pale, sweaty, and has red circles under her eyes. She grabs for the coins weakly as I pay her but she still tries to keep a pleasant demeanor. I console her for her ailment and ask if there's anything I can do to help. (1 in 2) No. She explains that there's nothing I can really do. I ask her what she has? (Persuasion check, DC 15...fail) She grows silent, refusing to speak any more on the subject. (Medicine check, DC 15...fail) I bid her fairwell and leave the store.
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Post by Lemunde on Jan 20, 2016 18:21:24 GMT
I realized that I might be over-complicating things with the good, neutral, bad outcomes so I'm going to change it so that only bad things happen if I roll high on the other die. Since I'm using a red die for this I'm going to start calling it the "red DC". Sounds simple enough.
Since I'm about to do some traveling I'm going to throw together a quick random encounter table to make things easier. I'll make two separate ones for the road and the woods. Red DC for the road is 15, for the woods is 12.
-Road, Roll 1d8: 1. 1 to 2 Bandits 2. 1 to 2 Bandits 3. 1 to 2 Bandits 4. 1 to 2 Bandits 5. Something unexpected 6. 1 to 2 Poisonous Snakes 7. Wolf 8. Black Bear
-Woods, Roll 1d8: 1. 1 to 2 Bandits 2. Something unexpected 3. 1 to 2 Poisonous Snakes 4. 1 to 2 Poisonous Snakes 5. 1 to 2 Poisonous Snakes 6. Wolf 7. Wolf 8. Black Bear
I'm going to travel east then north along the road to try to reach the farming community to see what is up with that house. Should take about half a day which will require only 1 roll of the red die. And I rolled a 1 so nothing happens on the way to the farming community.
I want to do a persuasion check to see if any of the farmers want to talk about that place I saw the night before but first I need to see if they are even that willing to talk about it. (1 in 4) No, they're not. That's going to increase the DC for the check to 20. Fortunately I rolled a nat 20 so I manage to persuade someone to tell me about it.
Is it a cottage? (1 in 2) Yes. Does some kind of witch live there? (1 in 2) No. Is the cottage haunted? (1 in 2) No. Is it home to bandits? (1 in 2) Yes.
Bandits. Wonder what they might be doing that's turning the lake into acid...? A cottage couldn't hold more than, say, six bandits. Are there a lot of bandits living there? (1 in 2) Yes. We'll just say it's the full six. Does the farmer I'm talking to know anything about the lake turning into acid? (1 in 4) No. Time to go investigate...
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