This is, of course, truer in the case of mortals than it is of Outsiders, who are more likely to actually be legitimately evil or good outside of the conception that a regular person can really even begin to conceive, as the lengths that an Outsider will go to in order to act within accordance to their nature can be horrifying in context on both sides of the spectrum.
Having them just refuse to work does not really function naratively because that is part of the deal they take to get in incarnated. I think it may be best represented as a small trickle of them amiably leave your service each month starting with the next one.
@DragonParadox, wasn't it kind of part of the bargain that they'd stay in our service for a few years at minimum before retiring? It's a give and a take. We cough up a small fortune to forge a body, the forge creature gets a second life, and in exchange there are a few years of paid service before they can either renew their contract or go do their own thing. Leaving after a few months feels way too soon.
@DragonParadox, wasn't it kind of part of the bargain that they'd stay in our service for a few years at minimum before retiring? It's a give and a take. We cough up a small fortune to forge a body, the forge creature gets a second life, and in exchange there are a few years of paid service before they can either renew their contract or go do their own thing. Leaving after a few months feels way too soon.
Also a fair point, you guys have not been using the forge for that long. Probably best o put a pin in this and revisit it at the bining of next year IC. Does that sound fair for the first leshies deciding to take other employment?
Also a fair point, you guys have not been using the forge for that long. Probably best o put a pin in this and revisit it at the bining of next year IC. Does that sound fair for the first leshies deciding to take other employment?
@DragonParadox Anyone that's agreed to work for us should just stick around until the end of their contractual agreement and cut down representation of their availability for teaching purposes to 0.9. Any unexpected requirement for their help in battle can shift working days organically in the background without our input since we don't track every moment of every day they are around or doing other things during an active turn action they are participating in.
If you want to represent some loss of those created at a flat rate, it will be when they are created, not after.
Or, just don't, because it adds marginal benefit to the quest at best, and in a few RL years from now you can do some rolling to see how many percentage of each type of forge creature decided not to renew their contract.
@DragonParadox Anyone that's agreed to work for us should just stick around until the end of their contractual agreement and cut down representation of their availability for teaching purposes to 0.9. Any unexpected requirement for their help in battle can shift working days organically in the background without our input since we don't track every moment of every day they are around or doing other things during an active turn action they are participating in.
If you want to represent some loss of those created at a flat rate, it will be when they are created, not after.
Or, just don't, because it adds marginal benefit to the quest at best, and in a few RL years from now you can do some rolling to see how many percentage of each type of forge creature decided not to renew their contract.
10% of them being off work at any given time isn't that unreasonable, though. For example, none of our enchanters works for more than 25 days per month, so that's five free days for them. Forge servitors having a few days off their duties each month could easily explain 10% of them being unavailable at any given time.
You are correct, of course. However DP's proposal wasn't "at any given time", but seemed to be for entire month-long actions.
Our human minions manage to function without a "random 10% are unavailable for the whole month", so why not Forged ones?
Most of our minions are sent in groups so there will always be some "on shift", and big operations are planned at the start of the month (if not earlier) and therefore off-work times should not fall during the big op. This is standard for our human minions, so why not for these ones?
Minions who work one-off (like Scholarum teachers, single advisers sent to a specific Lord, etc) take days off like any other minion, but aren't unavailable for an entire month, just like human minions. Similarly, anything big is generally planned in advance and they should therefore be available.
Obviously is something random happens ("sudden Devil plot", etc) then some minions might not be on-shift at that specific time, but that's normal for all minions, not just Flesh-forged ones. It's the "they might be unavailable for a month-long action" thing that's weird. It somehow works out for everyone else, after all. Our researchers, spies, soldiers and clerks all manage to take month-long assignments and simply take their days off or time off-shift without refusing the whole action.
Having them just refuse to work does not really function naratively because that is part of the deal they take to get in incarnated. I think it may be best represented as a small trickle of them amiably leave your service each month starting with the next one.
That's not great either though. So we created them, but the job offer didn't have a minimum length? IRL contracts that involve a significant investment of resources from the boss generally have a minimum length ("we'll pay for the training course if you work for us for three years" is common enough).
It's still better than the alternatives suggested in this thread, though.
This is, of course, truer in the case of mortals than it is of Outsiders, who are more likely to actually be legitimately evil or good outside of the conception that a regular person can really even begin to conceive, as the lengths that an Outsider will go to in order to act within accordance to their nature can be horrifying in context on both sides of the spectrum.
I think that it still applies, outsiders just take it to an extreme that'd be a mental illness in a mortal.
A demon's omnicidal rage is effectively them placing their hate and pain over the right of the rest of the universe to exist, to the degree that the opinions and wants of others never enter the equation. The only thing that all evil traits in DnD share is that they in some way put the individual entity itself first. Sometimes a creature will act outside of this, but that's because they aren't entirely one thing most of the time.
It's a broad definition, which reduces its utility, but I don't see many other ways to associate the dramatically different perspectives that all fall into Good or Evil without stamping a
"universally true" standard into the bedrock of the DnD cosmos.
@DragonParadox Anyone that's agreed to work for us should just stick around until the end of their contractual agreement and cut down representation of their availability for teaching purposes to 0.9. Any unexpected requirement for their help in battle can shift working days organically in the background without our input since we don't track every moment of every day they are around or doing other things during an active turn action they are participating in.
If you want to represent some loss of those created at a flat rate, it will be when they are created, not after.
Or, just don't, because it adds marginal benefit to the quest at best, and in a few RL years from now you can do some rolling to see how many percentage of each type of forge creature decided not to renew their contract.
Continuing off of this, @DragonParadox, we were working under the assumption that the forge creatures whose souls show up from the Green Dream in the first place almost universally understand the bargain they're undergoing --> we give them a new body and a second life, and they spend a few years in paid contracted service after which they have the option to either renew their terms or do something else.
With that understanding of how this is supposed to work, it just doesn't make sense for us to get Forge Creatures that 1) decide to leave right away or 2) leave in the middle of their contract. Both instances show a lack of understanding of the contract they engaged in by accepting a new body at all. Bloodraven definitely would have made sure they understood the bargain before opening those doors.
@DragonParadox, it's a bit meta-ish, but since we've been here in the valley for several days now, Nirah could have conceivably placed a Celestial Brilliance spell on each Ward Anchor, and one or two at Thennhold, too. The spell lasts for 1 day per level, so it would be a simple wars for him to place during his patrols.
@DragonParadox, it's a bit meta-ish, but since we've been here in the valley for several days now, Nirah could have conceivably placed a Celestial Brilliance spell on each Ward Anchor, and one or two at Thennhold, too. The spell lasts for 1 day per level, so it would be a simple wars for him to place during his patrols.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on May 1, 2020 at 9:24 AM, finished with 247 posts and 18 votes.
[X] Plan Thennkirk -[X] Nirah (with anti-Other spell loadout detailed HERE) will return to Thennhold and wait until the Others make their play. --[X] In transit, Nirah will activate his Crown to increase his caster level 19 for the next 10 minutes, then he will begin casting the following spells in this order: Greater Hide from Undead, Undeath Ward, True Seeing, Life's Grace, Battlemagic Perception, Ghost Trap, Sign, Shield of Faith, Conviction, Snowsight, Entropic Shield, and Ironskin. This assumes he has already cast and is currently affected by Divine Insight, Venomfire, Wind Walk, and Nine Lives. ---[X] He will place a Celestial Brilliance spell in a strategically advantageous location upon reaching Thennhold. ---[X] Before battle is joined, he will cast Righteous Might, Divine Power, Sunbeam, and Caustic Blood, and he will try to protect as many of the defenders of Thennhold with a Mass Resist Energy (Cold) spell as he can. -[X] Nettles and Sheepstealer will accompany Nirah, avoiding engaging the Wyrmwraiths and Dread Wraiths in melee, instead peppering them with Fireballs, Magic Missiles, and arrows while evading enemy fliers. --[X] Nettles will cast the following spells in this order, sharing all relevant effects with Sheepstealer: Greater Invisibility, Dragonskin, Scintillating Scales, Mirror Image, Shield, Heart of Earth, Freedom of Movement, Protection from Arrows, Gravity Bow, and Greater Blink (reserve Greater Blink for immediately before engaging enemies) -[X] Each Moonchaser-class vessel beings using their Weather Control Stations to attempt to quell the unnatural blizzard. They will use their Brilliant Barrier Projectors to create Walls of Force (up to two per round per Moonchaser) to actively hinder the Incorporeal creatures sent by the Others while attempting to fire on them and any other hostile forces which become apparent. No Moonchaser is to allow an Incorporeal creature to approach close enough to risk being boarded. --[X] Each Moonchaser will take up position over one of the Ward Anchors. --[X] Each Wyvern pilot activates their craft's Energy Siege Shot enchantment to transform all bolts fired from their Launchers into Force Bolts (2 bolts per Wyvern per round, 4d6 damage per bolt). Three Wyverns will deploy to the airspace around each Ward Anchor and three will act to defend Thennhold. -[X] Two Heralds will move to defend each Ward Anchor and two will move defend to Thennhold. -[X] Danar and Alyssa Crowl, Velen, the twin Feylords, and the Hadhayosh will coordinate with the residents of Thennhold to defend the city until additional help arrives.
Was also contemplating the possibility of him being able to nom-nom-nom a Wyrmwraith right here in the field. With Ghost Trap forcefully rendering them corporeal and Morning Sun making them virtually helpless, they could be easy pickings for a hungry Divine Champion.
Was also contemplating the possibility of him being able to nom-nom-nom a Wyrmwraith right here in the field. With Ghost Trap forcefully rendering them corporeal and Morning Sun making them virtually helpless, they could be easy pickings for a hungry Divine Champion.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on May 1, 2020 at 9:24 AM, finished with 247 posts and 18 votes.
[X] Plan Thennkirk -[X] Nirah (with anti-Other spell loadout detailed HERE) will return to Thennhold and wait until the Others make their play. --[X] In transit, Nirah will activate his Crown to increase his caster level 19 for the next 10 minutes, then he will begin casting the following spells in this order: Greater Hide from Undead, Undeath Ward, True Seeing, Life's Grace, Battlemagic Perception, Ghost Trap, Sign, Shield of Faith, Conviction, Snowsight, Entropic Shield, and Ironskin. This assumes he has already cast and is currently affected by Divine Insight, Venomfire, Wind Walk, and Nine Lives. ---[X] He will place a Celestial Brilliance spell in a strategically advantageous location upon reaching Thennhold. ---[X] Before battle is joined, he will cast Righteous Might, Divine Power, Sunbeam, and Caustic Blood, and he will try to protect as many of the defenders of Thennhold with a Mass Resist Energy (Cold) spell as he can. -[X] Nettles and Sheepstealer will accompany Nirah, avoiding engaging the Wyrmwraiths and Dread Wraiths in melee, instead peppering them with Fireballs, Magic Missiles, and arrows while evading enemy fliers. --[X] Nettles will cast the following spells in this order, sharing all relevant effects with Sheepstealer: Greater Invisibility, Dragonskin, Scintillating Scales, Mirror Image, Shield, Heart of Earth, Freedom of Movement, Protection from Arrows, Gravity Bow, and Greater Blink (reserve Greater Blink for immediately before engaging enemies) -[X] Each Moonchaser-class vessel beings using their Weather Control Stations to attempt to quell the unnatural blizzard. They will use their Brilliant Barrier Projectors to create Walls of Force (up to two per round per Moonchaser) to actively hinder the Incorporeal creatures sent by the Others while attempting to fire on them and any other hostile forces which become apparent. No Moonchaser is to allow an Incorporeal creature to approach close enough to risk being boarded. --[X] Each Moonchaser will take up position over one of the Ward Anchors. --[X] Each Wyvern pilot activates their craft's Energy Siege Shot enchantment to transform all bolts fired from their Launchers into Force Bolts (2 bolts per Wyvern per round, 4d6 damage per bolt). Three Wyverns will deploy to the airspace around each Ward Anchor and three will act to defend Thennhold. -[X] Two Heralds will move to defend each Ward Anchor and two will move defend to Thennhold. -[X] Danar and Alyssa Crowl, Velen, the twin Feylords, and the Hadhayosh will coordinate with the residents of Thennhold to defend the city until additional help arrives.
Moonsong hated ghosts. Not only were they stupid and boring with their sorrow and gnashing of teeth, but it was bloody unfair that mortals stupid enough to get killed got so many powers where she had to learn her magics or grow into them. How was it fair that all her nifty steam launchers were no good just because they were spirits? At least someone had thought to give them snow-sight or they would be blind as cave sprites and not know where the enemy was coming from.
As the storm rolled over them the techno-arcane of the Moonchaser's weather control station hummed and sparked against the power that was herding the storm at them. Not enough to stop them, funny as it would have been to see the dead things writhe under the light of the sun, but enough to twist and run it into unexpected eddies and mad gusts... enough to reveal to arcane eyes blessed to see through the thickest storms that there were more than specters in the dead dragons' gruesome courts.
Howling corpses, desiccated and twisted by the Dark Court, rode the night airs. Not true spirits of hunger but something close, snatchers of unwary souls and lost travelers in the high mountain passes. The things were strong enough to pin down a Herald, especially attacking more than one at a time, and they didn't give a shit about smashing into the ground with them. Judging from the look on their starved faces they seemed to welcome it.
"Fire at will on the grippers, keep the projectors going, layered patterns, helm keep an eye on those damn dragons!" the fey captain shouted. The ship's Brilliant Barrier projectors could make a force wall every three breaths. The trouble was there were five ghost dragons heading towards them and if even one of the damn things actually hit the Moonchaser they would have better than even odds of disrupting the wards against ethereal beings. If that happened the wraiths would be able to slip in and she would be out a crew in short order. I'll probably be dead too, the realization was if anything an afterthought. Being dead after all was just another confirmation of losing.
Planes of dazzling force bloomed amid the storm one after another, encasing the great ship as though in a shimmering coat of scales just as the dead dragons approached. They attacked the barriers with a fury, seemingly caring nothing for the golden flash of wyvern fire as the pilots unloaded transmuted launcher bolts into them.
The quartet of wyverns was faster than the wraiths on their tail, even borne aloft by winds of chill hatred, but where they could afford to dart about the Moonchaser could not without abandoning the ward anchor entirely and that is what they were not supposed to be doing.
Another herald started to fall even as it set alight the creatures pinning its wings....
The fey captain could see Nettles and Sheepstealer rushing into the fray, wreathed in a dozen arcane blessings. They would not be able to outrun the dead if the Moonchaser retreated, nor would they be able to outfight them long with the heralds already tangled by lesser dead.
One of the dead dragons was already noticeably dimer, torn and ragged from the arrows of light.
It would be flipping a coin in the dark, she knew. Would the dragon and rider be enough to distract or kill the wyrmwraiths before they could chew through the barriers and the wards and slip one of the wraiths in? On the other hand of the scales, what would happen if the old wards crashed down?
There were worse things out beyond the mountains, of that she had no doubt.
They couldn't leave the anchor, but that didn't mean they couldn't move. "Dive, now!"
The Moonchaser's engines worked by turning the pull of the earth against itself to hover in midair, just like the wyverns could, but what truly made them unlike the common elemental bindings that harnessed the wind and other elemental forces was that they could be turned on with the touch of a crystalline pad. They could be turned off too...
The ship fell from the sky faster than the dead dragons could follow, but the wyvern pilots had not been caught by surprise. They were after all part of the Moonchaser's own complement and knew her captain well. The first wyrmwraith died before the ship even leveled off, its final roar fading into the thunder of the storm. Was that rage or triumph?
Fire boiled through the air and arrows arced one after another, piercing dried flesh and burning the magic that animated it. Nettles obviously had the same idea Moonsong did, though unlike the ships' firing crews all safe inside a vessel that could ignore the winds Sheepstealer struggled against it.
That was when she saw it, the flash of mirror bright wings, the spark of a deathless blue glare... There was a Lord of Winter abroad and loose in the sky today.
"There's something out there healing the bastards, cap'ain!" her navigator shouted from his own viewing position.
"Three guesses what it is and the first two don't count!" Moonsong snapped. Only thing worse than ghosts... She liked Nettles and she was great with a bow, but the sprite had no doubt that in a duel against one of the Others she'd lose and die for it. It would make for a poor tale indeed for one of the King's riders to get killed by one of Their riders.
As though something within the ship had heard and answered her the fey captain felt the magic humming through it shift... The weather control station, she knew even before she heard the first officer's elated response: "Sun's coming up lads!"
Rays of pale sunlight pierced the clouds like spears and the dead howled.
"They're drawing back!" Moonsong knew it probably would have counted as undignified for a captain to jump out of her seat in the middle of a fight and start flying. She just didn't much care.
She had driven back one of the great Lords of Winter. Her, Moonsong, a threshold sprite... her and this beautiful beautiful ship.
Allies:
3 Moonchaser-class vessels (one for each Anchor Ward)
12 Wyverns (4 for each anchor point)
Paroling:
Nettles and Sheepstealer
8 Heralds
Nirah (Champion of Yss)
At Thennhold:
Danar Crowl
Alyssa Crowl
Velen
Twin Feylords
Hadhayosh
Note: All suffering level drain because of the ward.
What do you do?
[] Allow the enemy to disengage
[] Give chase
-[] Write in with what
[] Write in
OOC: No losses, but you guys could easily have lost a ship or at least a significant portion of the crew if a wraith got in the ship. Moonsong really earned her magi-tech wings.