Vaga walks up and stands next to Kaled. "Greetings Roan. I am Vaga, traveling with this fine lot." Vaga extends his arms, showing the group of adventurers. "What can we aid you with?" Vaga deliberately ignores and overrides Kaled's comment about petty payment, as if it never was said out loud. Surely there's no need for sullying the group with greed for gold. A good deed is payment enough!
“Oh, you will be paid, my friends,” Roan says with a chuckle. “I always pay my debts, rest assured. As for the job, it is a simple, yet vital service to this town. You see, I had requisitioned a small caravan’s worth of extra building materials to help speed the production of a new wall for the town. With the monstrous denizens just outside our doors, it is always a top priority to maintain our security, and our old wall is somewhat lacking in this regard. Age and several attempted raids have caused it to deteriorate. That is why I, in my benevolence, have taken the initiative towards building a new one. Now, as for where you all come in, that caravan I mentioned has not arrived yet, even though it has been almost three weeks since I had requested it. It should normally take only one week for them to arrive, which is why I need you to find out what happened to it.
“As I said,” Roan continued, “It is vitally important for both this town’s safety and my continued success that the caravan makes it here soon. Otherwise, my investment will go unrewarded, and this town will be in danger of falling to the monstrous hoards. Your mission is to find out what happened, and if you also happen to sort out the problem while you’re out there and bring the caravan back to town with you, I will throw in a nice bonus for you. As for your reward, well, how does 500 gp for the caravan’s location, and an extra 700 for bringing it back sound?”
"We will gladly help you, but I think I speak for all of us when I say we have no use for gold coins and will help you for free. The gold is better spread to the city's poor."
Vaga's face is a stoic expression of benevolence and kindness. With a slight hint of dimness.
"Thanks Guston! That's very sweet of you. I gotta say, no one pays for drinks like Guston!" *Fiora laughs at her own joke maybe a little too much.* *She pays the barkeep for a mug of ale and a hot meal and brings it over to Vaga.* "Here you go, everyone's gotta eat sometime." *She flashes that huge grin again*
@Nimran buying the food quickly, seems I got left behind a bit and Fiora would never let someone starve. @mashedtaters No worries, that is perfectly in character.
*Fiora addressess both Vaga and Roan* "How about a compromise? Not everyone takes a vow of poverty and people need to eat. We can accept the merchant's terms and let everyone decide what to do with their share. I donate a portion of any gold I earn to local churches anyway. If you like, I can hold onto your share to prevent temptation and make sure it gets to people who needs it."
*She leans towards Vaga and whispers to him* "Do you trust a merchant to donate refused payment on his own?"
“Thank you Fi. May I call you that, Fi?” Vaga holds the food and drink, and even as hunger ravages his body he refuse himself from eating it just yet. Mind over body...
“Of course I would trust any man giving me their word. What is a man without integrity, honor and staying true to the path? A broken wov means a broken jaw and I don’t enjoy unwrapping these and issuing lessons to oath-breakers.” The last sentence is said while first looking down at his clenched fists and then very obviously looking long and hard at Roan.
“But for now I trust your judgement, paladin Fi. I will agree to your proposal.”
First he holds his bowl and ale, then he has empty, clenched fists :P Ah well, mistakes happen.
Kaled let out a short chuckle. "Hah! Don't let my friends' serious face misguide you, they are joking of course." With this said Kal' gives a short but stern glance to Vaga, than turns back to the merchant. "We are happy to help wherever we can, but have expenses to back. Your offer seems good for me, with the term we got a ten percent advancement."
Haha, I look forward to 'battling' with Guston over this, but it seems Kaled want to get into the game as well I gotta admit, Vaga's actions so far are very far, far away from how I usually play RPG games, hehe..
Quick question from someone who has a dice roller handy: would you all like me to roll certain checks, such as intimidation and persuasion, using the dice roller, or just go off of your stats (the stat for both intimidation and persuasion is charisma)? An upside of using a dice roller is that characters with low charisma can actually succeed if the roll is high enough.
EDIT that last sentence didn’t make sense after thinking about it, so I edited it out.
I've never played PnP in my life, so I gotta admit I am a bit curious to test using dice rolls into this, so IMHO I would like dice rolls. I am perfectly fine wihtout it as well if the majority prefers to go wihtout rolls.
EDit: I liked Rik's way of telling tales, but I also wouldn't mind seeing some actions actually being based on our stats rather than just based on what we write, like talking to ppl with low charisma yielding negative responses or athletic maneuvers failing due to low dex etc.. So if we are sneaking, one could tumble and fall or if we are traveling, one with lower CON falls behind etc. I dunno though how to do this in practice, it's just ideas that pop up in my head now.
@Nimran Thanks, I wasn't put off, just trying to catch up. I'm down for dice rolls, with the caveat that they don't completly override stats. Higher stats should still make actions easier.
So, basically how it would work is that I would roll a 20-sided die and add or subtract a certain number to or from the number rolled, depending on the character’s stat that is being tested. For instance, intimidation and diplomacy are Charisma-based skills, so they receive a bonus or penalty based on the character’s Charisma stat. The number added or subtracted from a roll is called a mod (short for modifier), and in IWD2, as well as PnP editions after 2nd, the mod for a stat increases every two points, with a middle ground of 10. So a stat of 10 and 11 don’t receive a bonus or penalty, but if the stat is higher or lower than those two numbers, it will receive a bonus or penalty that increases every two points (so having 12 or 13 points in Charisma will give you a +1 bonus, 14 and 15 give +2, etc. Conversely, a stat of 9 or 8 will give a -1 penalty that also increases by 1 every two points (a stat of 7 or 6 gives a -2 penalty, etc.)). Having a bonus of +1 or higher means that you add that number to the roll to get the final result for the skill check. Likewise, having a penalty of -1 or higher means you subtract the number from the roll to get the result. There is some random element in the roll itself, but a stat’s mod will improve your chances of getting a high result, or make it harder to get one. The resulting number is then determined by the DM to be high enough to succeed, or not. A successful check means that the desired effect happens. A failed check means that something else happens.
IWD2 also has things like class skills that give bigger bonuses, but that’s a little too complicated to keep track of without having actual character sheets. Combat uses all kinds of bonuses and penalties too, which is why we’re not doing combat. The proposed system would actually be a simplified version lol.
Long story short, I roll a d20, add or subtract from it based on the character’s appropriate stat, and determine if the end result is sufficiently high to pass the check and give you the desired result.
“Thank you Fi. May I call you that, Fi?” Vaga holds the food and drink, and even as hunger ravages his body he refuse himself from eating it just yet. Mind over body...
“Of course I would trust any man giving me their word. What is a man without integrity, honor and staying true to the path? A broken wov means a broken jaw and I don’t enjoy unwrapping these and issuing lessons to oath-breakers.”
"We will gladly help you, but I think I speak for all of us when I say we have no use for gold coins and will help you for free. The gold is better spread to the city's poor."
Vaga's face is a stoic expression of benevolence and kindness. With a slight hint of dimness.
Guston’s eyes bulge and twitch and he inadvertently spews a bit of food from his flaking lips.
“What??!” he whines, scratching his face nervously. “I AM this city’s poor!”
He calms down a bit once Kalad asks for an advance payment. “At least one of us has some sense, here. And if Vaga here is so concerned about giving money to the poor, he can give his share to me,” he says, downtrodden and self-pitying.
Realizing his sudden reveal of character may have put him in Fiora’s bad graces, he suddenly looks at her a little guiltily, especially once he sees her bring food to the monk chanting “Mind over body...”.
“At least we’re doing a good service by finding this wagon of building materials...” he says to Fiora in obviously forced, fake enthusiasm. “That’s a good way to show the gods we’re good people, right?” He scratches his rash again absently.
Edit: corrected typo that made the sentence senseless and added this spoiler for dice
As far as rolling it hardly matters whether or not you roll or just use stats. It’s not like any of us will see you roll the dice. This internet thing is the perfect DM screen! Lol
I would love to see the dice used, but don’t do it if it’s going to add too much work to keep track of. That’s one of the great things about D&D is an encounter can go completely differently than expected with good (or bad) dice rolls. It adds for better flavor with improvisation and risk to the characters.
He calms down a bit once Kalad asks for an advance payment. “At least one of us has some sense, here. And if Vaga here is so concerned about giving money to the poor, he can give his share to me,” he says, downtrodden and self-pitying.
“At least we’re doing a good service by finding this wagon of building materials...” he says to Fiora in obviously forced, fake enthusiasm. “That’s a good way to show the gods we’re good people, right?” He scratches his rash again absently.
"Don't worry Guston, you're share will be plenty. Besides, the real joy of doing good is bringing joy and hope to people, the gods have their own concerns."
*Fiora flashes a quick smile*
Am I laying on the cheerful too much? I don't want Fiora to be annoying, just constanly on a slight sugar high.
"Besides, the real joy of doing good is bringing joy and hope to people, the gods have their own concerns."
“That’s what Priestess Malandra said right before she cursed me with this blasted rash,” Guston says bitterly.
Then he stops and thinks, doing a double-take. “Wait, are you saying that you think the gods may not even care enough about this stupid wall to cure me??” he says angrily. (As a former priest, you might expect him to have the answers to these deep questions, but if he actually knew the true answers to these questions in his heart, he probably wouldn’t have stolen those tithes.)
Am I laying on the cheerful too much? I don't want Fiora to be annoying, just constanly on a slight sugar high.
@ThacoBell Nope, it’s totally fine so far. You may be worried about it coming off as annoying, but so far it hasn’t. BUT, even if it does come off as annoying at some point, I still think it would be great role playing!
Roan gives Vaga a friendly smile and says “But of course, friends! As I said, I always pay my debts! The gold is yours to do with as you please! Once it leaves my hands, I have no further business in deciding its fate. As for an advance payment, well, heh...” He visibly laughs at the notion a bit before continuing. “If you prove yourselves worth the investment, I might grant you such a request if I were to require your services in the future. As of right now, however, I’m afraid I cannot risk losing more gold when I can scarcely trust you to perform the task as needed.” He finishes with a shrug.
“I want some more information on these recent raids from monsters hoards,” says Guston. “Obviously without an advancement payment to equip ourselves for anything, we are going to need more information so we can use our oh so very scarce resources to prepare.”
Then he mutters to himself, looking distastefully at the old rusted metal-reinforced club he stole, “I don’t even have my father’s old magic priest mace...”
“Ah, yes.” Roan’s expression becomes distant as he remembers the raids. “They are a truly unfortunate, yet unavoidable part of life here in these parts. The lands north of the Maw are still savage and untamed. Maddened beasts, orc barbarians from the mountains, and sometimes even stranger things lurk outside the walls. A number of them have apparently taken a liking to this place. It is part of the reason why I came to live here, in fact. Of course, they’ve become less of a problem in recent times, due to the efforts of mercenary bands patrolling the wilderness, but we do still suffer the occasional attack from time to time. It isn’t anything to worry about, though. We are well protected here. Of course, a new wall would help ensure that we stay that way, but without that caravan I told you about it will take a while to gather the materials to build it.” He casts a glance over at Fiora before adding “If the wall is breached before then, innocent people may die. Lots of good people here in Callus. It truly would be a shame if our defenses failed.”
He takes a long drink from his mug, then pulls out another coin and tosses it to the dwarf, who refills it. After taking another drink, he turns back to the group and says “And If coin is your only concern, then consider what the trust of a merchant lord can do for you. I will be inclined to go to you first for future jobs, which means more rewards and riches for you. This one job doesn’t need to be the extent of our business together. So, can I count on you to help this town for a bit of gold and trust?”
Vaga approaches Roan again. "Not that I question your benevolence, I am sure we are similar like that, you and I, but how come you and not a city mayor is the driving force behind building and repairing the city walls?"
"I'd also like to ask, from where did you purchase the materials, meaning from where did the caravan set out towards Callus?"
Vaga, then finally allows himself to eat and drink a little from the now lukewarm meal (and ale). He eats slowly, resisting the impulse of attacking the food with the fervor of a dire bear.
“Oh, right. Our ‘esteemed’ mayor.” Roan nearly spat out the last sentence as if it was poison. “He would rather sit in his home and indulge in whatever fantasies he has, instead of actually doing his job. That old bastard hasn’t left his home in over a month. His guards won’t say anything about it, they just stand there outside the building’s entrance and prevent anyone from entering. As far as anyone else knows, he could very well have passed away in his sleep, but you won’t get a single word about it from any of his hirelings. That means someone else had to step up and fill his shoes, and since I was the wealthiest and most benevolent, not to mention best looking person in town, I decided it should be me.” His lips curl into a smirk.
“The caravan is from Laramont, a small mining town a few days north of here. I’d have gone there to collect the caravan myself, but I have other responsibilities at the moment that prevent me from doing so. My usual associates are likewise very busy, which is why I have chosen to seek outside help with this.” He takes another long swig of his ale, then tosses another coin to Dorin, who fills his mug again.
Kaled is not totally satisfied with Roan dismissing the advance payment, but he doesn't want to wait for a job till they reach the end of their limited money. Also Roan seems to be a person with some importance here.
"Very well, from my part we have a deal. If the others agree, we can leave tomorrow, after a well needed rest."
Do any of us know somewhat the surrounding land @Nimran ? If no, we may ask further instructions from the way to Laramont.
"Also, tell us freely if it's not our business, but you made me curious what those other responsibilities are?"
I’d say no one in your party is familiar with this land. You do know that the west road you all took to get here eventually winds its way south through the Giant’s Maw, but that’s about it.
Roan smiles wide at Kaled’s question. “Well, I don’t suppose it’s a big secret,” he says. “In addition to being a merchant lord, I am also part of a mercenary band myself, their source of income and advice to be exact, though I am no stranger to a fight. Most of my fellows are out patrolling the wilds right now, but a few of us have stayed behind to protect the town.” He pauses for a moment, as if he suddenly remembered something, and asks “None of you are familiar with this land, correct? If you’d like, I can arrange for a guide to help you avoid any unpleasantness as you travel.” He finishes yet another full mug of ale and tosses another coin at Dorin. The dwarf let’s out a deep sigh as he fills up the mug again and says “Ye’re gonna drink it all at this rate, Roan. I won’t get another shipment of this ale for a week or more. Other people have to drink, too!”
Roan’s smile turns into a frown at this. “We really need to get you a better supplier, friend,” he says to the dwarf.
Comments
“As I said,” Roan continued, “It is vitally important for both this town’s safety and my continued success that the caravan makes it here soon. Otherwise, my investment will go unrewarded, and this town will be in danger of falling to the monstrous hoards. Your mission is to find out what happened, and if you also happen to sort out the problem while you’re out there and bring the caravan back to town with you, I will throw in a nice bonus for you. As for your reward, well, how does 500 gp for the caravan’s location, and an extra 700 for bringing it back sound?”
Vaga's face is a stoic expression of benevolence and kindness. With a slight hint of dimness.
*Fiora laughs at her own joke maybe a little too much.*
*She pays the barkeep for a mug of ale and a hot meal and brings it over to Vaga.*
"Here you go, everyone's gotta eat sometime." *She flashes that huge grin again*
*Fiora addressess both Vaga and Roan* "How about a compromise? Not everyone takes a vow of poverty and people need to eat. We can accept the merchant's terms and let everyone decide what to do with their share. I donate a portion of any gold I earn to local churches anyway. If you like, I can hold onto your share to prevent temptation and make sure it gets to people who needs it."
*She leans towards Vaga and whispers to him* "Do you trust a merchant to donate refused payment on his own?"
“Of course I would trust any man giving me their word. What is a man without integrity, honor and staying true to the path? A broken wov means a broken jaw and I don’t enjoy unwrapping these and issuing lessons to oath-breakers.” The last sentence is said while first looking down at his clenched fists and then very obviously looking long and hard at Roan.
“But for now I trust your judgement, paladin Fi. I will agree to your proposal.”
"Hah! Don't let my friends' serious face misguide you, they are joking of course."
With this said Kal' gives a short but stern glance to Vaga, than turns back to the merchant.
"We are happy to help wherever we can, but have expenses to back. Your offer seems good for me, with the term we got a ten percent advancement."
EDit: I liked Rik's way of telling tales, but I also wouldn't mind seeing some actions actually being based on our stats rather than just based on what we write, like talking to ppl with low charisma yielding negative responses or athletic maneuvers failing due to low dex etc.. So if we are sneaking, one could tumble and fall or if we are traveling, one with lower CON falls behind etc. I dunno though how to do this in practice, it's just ideas that pop up in my head now.
So, basically how it would work is that I would roll a 20-sided die and add or subtract a certain number to or from the number rolled, depending on the character’s stat that is being tested. For instance, intimidation and diplomacy are Charisma-based skills, so they receive a bonus or penalty based on the character’s Charisma stat. The number added or subtracted from a roll is called a mod (short for modifier), and in IWD2, as well as PnP editions after 2nd, the mod for a stat increases every two points, with a middle ground of 10. So a stat of 10 and 11 don’t receive a bonus or penalty, but if the stat is higher or lower than those two numbers, it will receive a bonus or penalty that increases every two points (so having 12 or 13 points in Charisma will give you a +1 bonus, 14 and 15 give +2, etc. Conversely, a stat of 9 or 8 will give a -1 penalty that also increases by 1 every two points (a stat of 7 or 6 gives a -2 penalty, etc.)). Having a bonus of +1 or higher means that you add that number to the roll to get the final result for the skill check. Likewise, having a penalty of -1 or higher means you subtract the number from the roll to get the result. There is some random element in the roll itself, but a stat’s mod will improve your chances of getting a high result, or make it harder to get one. The resulting number is then determined by the DM to be high enough to succeed, or not. A successful check means that the desired effect happens. A failed check means that something else happens.
IWD2 also has things like class skills that give bigger bonuses, but that’s a little too complicated to keep track of without having actual character sheets. Combat uses all kinds of bonuses and penalties too, which is why we’re not doing combat. The proposed system would actually be a simplified version lol.
Long story short, I roll a d20, add or subtract from it based on the character’s appropriate stat, and determine if the end result is sufficiently high to pass the check and give you the desired result.
“What??!” he whines, scratching his face nervously. “I AM this city’s poor!”
He calms down a bit once Kalad asks for an advance payment. “At least one of us has some sense, here. And if Vaga here is so concerned about giving money to the poor, he can give his share to me,” he says, downtrodden and self-pitying.
Realizing his sudden reveal of character may have put him in Fiora’s bad graces, he suddenly looks at her a little guiltily, especially once he sees her bring food to the monk chanting “Mind over body...”.
“At least we’re doing a good service by finding this wagon of building materials...” he says to Fiora in obviously forced, fake enthusiasm. “That’s a good way to show the gods we’re good people, right?” He scratches his rash again absently.
As far as rolling it hardly matters whether or not you roll or just use stats. It’s not like any of us will see you roll the dice. This internet thing is the perfect DM screen! Lol
I would love to see the dice used, but don’t do it if it’s going to add too much work to keep track of. That’s one of the great things about D&D is an encounter can go completely differently than expected with good (or bad) dice rolls. It adds for better flavor with improvisation and risk to the characters.
*Fiora flashes a quick smile*
Then he stops and thinks, doing a double-take. “Wait, are you saying that you think the gods may not even care enough about this stupid wall to cure me??” he says angrily. (As a former priest, you might expect him to have the answers to these deep questions, but if he actually knew the true answers to these questions in his heart, he probably wouldn’t have stolen those tithes.)
Nope, it’s totally fine so far. You may be worried about it coming off as annoying, but so far it hasn’t. BUT, even if it does come off as annoying at some point, I still think it would be great role playing!
Kaled: Diplomacy check: 2-1=1 (Fail)
Roan gives Vaga a friendly smile and says “But of course, friends! As I said, I always pay my debts! The gold is yours to do with as you please! Once it leaves my hands, I have no further business in deciding its fate. As for an advance payment, well, heh...” He visibly laughs at the notion a bit before continuing. “If you prove yourselves worth the investment, I might grant you such a request if I were to require your services in the future. As of right now, however, I’m afraid I cannot risk losing more gold when I can scarcely trust you to perform the task as needed.” He finishes with a shrug.
Then he mutters to himself, looking distastefully at the old rusted metal-reinforced club he stole, “I don’t even have my father’s old magic priest mace...”
He takes a long drink from his mug, then pulls out another coin and tosses it to the dwarf, who refills it. After taking another drink, he turns back to the group and says “And If coin is your only concern, then consider what the trust of a merchant lord can do for you. I will be inclined to go to you first for future jobs, which means more rewards and riches for you. This one job doesn’t need to be the extent of our business together. So, can I count on you to help this town for a bit of gold and trust?”
"I'd also like to ask, from where did you purchase the materials, meaning from where did the caravan set out towards Callus?"
Vaga, then finally allows himself to eat and drink a little from the now lukewarm meal (and ale). He eats slowly, resisting the impulse of attacking the food with the fervor of a dire bear.
"Yes, we will need some directions, to know where we should start our searching. Do we know where the caravan was last seen?"
“The caravan is from Laramont, a small mining town a few days north of here. I’d have gone there to collect the caravan myself, but I have other responsibilities at the moment that prevent me from doing so. My usual associates are likewise very busy, which is why I have chosen to seek outside help with this.” He takes another long swig of his ale, then tosses another coin to Dorin, who fills his mug again.
"Very well, from my part we have a deal. If the others agree, we can leave tomorrow, after a well needed rest."
"Also, tell us freely if it's not our business, but you made me curious what those other responsibilities are?"
Roan smiles wide at Kaled’s question. “Well, I don’t suppose it’s a big secret,” he says. “In addition to being a merchant lord, I am also part of a mercenary band myself, their source of income and advice to be exact, though I am no stranger to a fight. Most of my fellows are out patrolling the wilds right now, but a few of us have stayed behind to protect the town.” He pauses for a moment, as if he suddenly remembered something, and asks “None of you are familiar with this land, correct? If you’d like, I can arrange for a guide to help you avoid any unpleasantness as you travel.” He finishes yet another full mug of ale and tosses another coin at Dorin. The dwarf let’s out a deep sigh as he fills up the mug again and says “Ye’re gonna drink it all at this rate, Roan. I won’t get another shipment of this ale for a week or more. Other people have to drink, too!”
Roan’s smile turns into a frown at this. “We really need to get you a better supplier, friend,” he says to the dwarf.