A Sword Without a Hilt: A Song of Ice and Fire/D&D 3.5 Crossover

[Goldfish]

Default loadout for level 13:

Level 0 (6/day): Cure Minor Wounds, Detect Poison, Detect Magic, Mending, Message x2
Level 1 (5+2+D/day): Clarion Call, Command, Ice Slick, Power Word: Pain x2, Sanctuary, Sign, Detect Secret Doors(D)​
Level 2 (4+1+D/day): Alter Self, Close Wounds x2, Sound Burst x2, Resist Energy(D)​
Level 3 (4+1+D/day): Alter Fortune x2, Blindness/Deafness, Dispel Magic, Nauseating Breath, Magic Fang(D)​
Level 4 (3+1+D/day): Heart of the Earth, Panacea, Venom Bolt, Dimensional Anchor, Voice of the Dragon(D)​
Level 5 (3+1+D/day): Revivify, Slay Living, Planeshift, Streamers, True Seeing(D)​
Level 6 (2+1+D/day): Heal, Cometfall, Banishment, Find the Path(D)​

Persistent Spells (Party-Wide):​

Even Days: Planeshift -> Extended Persisted Righteous Wrath of the Faithful (8 turnings) - +3 Morale to Atk and Dmg, Haste ; Slay Living -> Chained Reached Extended Persisted Spell Resistance (13 turnings)​
Odd Days: Blindness -> Extended Persisted Mass Conviction (8 turnings) - +3 Morale to all Saves; Cometfall -> Reached Extended Superior Resistance (4 turnings) - +6 Resistance to all saves; ​
Total: +9 to all Saves, +3 to Attack, +3 to melee damage, Haste-like extra attack, SR 24​
Preferred Day: Odd.​

SR is very taxing on the turning pool, but well worth it. Odd days leave her with enough turnings that she can Chain Reach both Slay Living and Planeshift if she has at least +1 CHA from templates.​

Alternatively, we could also have her persist Mass Shielf of Faith for +4 Deflection for the whole party.​

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Looks good for a normal loadout (especially Streamers!), but what about getting Dismissal instead of Dimensional Anchor for 4th level, replacing Slay Living with Boneshatter, and Banishment with Harm.

Even if resisted, Harm will inflict 60 points of damage. Slay Living is much more gentle, and gets resisted all the damned time.

As much as Dany uses Divination and never use VotD, I still think it should be her default 4th level Domain spell.

EDIT: Also, Blessed Aim is really good for Viserys. That +2 bonus to ranged attacks will help his Elemental Darts a lot, plus anyone else's ranged attacks.

 

[Crake]

@Duesal Aemon was having trouble seeing his duties performed before getting his sight healed because he did not really have anyone capable of reading at the Wall (who was not already a Ranger and thus never at Castle Black when needed to begin with).

The reason for this is all noble sons, even the not so competent ones, would still have had years of martial training, making them look like demigods on the battlefield compared to a peasant the NW typically has to work with and train up into something halfway respectable.

If he has any understudies, I expect they'll be the ones who had been reading his letters for him and fetching him supplies, and they're the only stewards who could assist him (we need people who can read before they can even begin to learn magic, taking months to progress sufficiently if we took someone illiterate, and then months more on top of that to learn magic). In their absence, his workload would increase. And as stewards, they wouldn't really be prime candidates for the study program anyway. I think it was something like 10 months before someone who was completely illiterate could train to the point of becoming a 1st level caster, to put it into perspective. Certainly faster than a Maester's education, but still. If they ended up as a non-spontaneous caster, they would have to hope the lore in Castle Black's library was deep enough to account for increasing study. And it might be, sure, but something can be said of spontaneous casters needing less finicky bits for long rangings north of the wall to get in the way.

Any Black Brother we train up into a mage has to be someone who is totally unafraid of getting their hands dirty and tackling enemies no normal Black Brother would, or else it'd be a waste of time, resources and effort, since the whole point is to give them magical support for rangings.

 

[Duesal]

@Duesal Aemon was having trouble seeing his duties performed before getting his sight healed because he did not really have anyone capable of reading at the Wall (who was not already a Ranger and thus never at Castle Black when needed to begin with).

The reason for this is all noble sons, even the not so competent ones, would still have had years of martial training, making them look like demigods on the battlefield compared to a peasant the NW typically has to work with and train up into something halfway respectable.

If he has any understudies, I expect they'll be the ones who had been reading his letters for him and fetching him supplies, and they're the only stewards who could assist him (we need people who can read before they can even begin to learn magic, taking months to progress sufficiently if we took someone illiterate, and then months more on top of that to learn magic). In their absence, his workload would increase. And as stewards, they wouldn't really be prime candidates for the study program anyway. I think it was something like 10 months before someone who was completely illiterate could train to the point of becoming a 1st level caster, to put it into perspective. Certainly faster than a Maester's education, but still. If they ended up as a non-spontaneous caster, they would have to hope the lore in Castle Black's library was deep enough to account for increasing study. And it might be, sure, but something can be said of spontaneous casters needing less finicky bits for long rangings north of the wall to get in the way.

Any Black Brother we train up into a mage has to be someone who is totally unafraid of getting their hands dirty and tackling enemies no normal Black Brother would, or else it'd be a waste of time, resources and effort, since the whole point is to give them magical support for rangings.

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I trust Aemon's judgement on this. He wouldn't send us someone terrified or someone incompetent. In the future if he wants us to train any one particular recruit I'd be inclined to grant that request.

 

[TotallyNotEvil]

Looks good for a normal loadout (especially Streamers!), but what about getting Dismissal instead of Dimensional Anchor for 4th level, replacing Slay Living with Boneshatter, and Banishment with Harm.

Even if resisted, Harm will inflict 60 points of damage. Slay Living is much more gentle, and gets resisted all the damned time.

As much as Dany uses Divination and never use VotD, I still think it should be her default 4th level Domain spell.

EDIT: Also, Blessed Aim is really good for Viserys. That +2 bonus to ranged attacks will help his Elemental Darts a lot, plus anyone else's ranged attacks.

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Hm, good idea, I like the overall look of it.

Much more offensive now, also.

Anyway, on your spell loadout for the wall: if this is the new persistomancy scheme, say you drop Righteous Wrath for Life's Grace. Will take up exactly all her turning attempts for the even days, but then again, we fight on odd ones.

 

[Crake]

I trust Aemon's judgement on this. He wouldn't send us someone terrified or someone incompetent. In the future if he wants us to train any one particular recruit I'd be inclined to grant that request.

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Remember that Jeor Mormont has to approve any pick to begin with... and might have more to say about who should go South, if at all.

Though gifts of gold and promises of supplies and arms/armor would go a long way. They're getting desperate.

 

[Goldfish]

Hm, good idea, I like the overall look of it.

Much more offensive now, also.

Anyway, on your spell loadout for the wall: if this is the new persistomancy scheme, say you drop Righteous Wrath for Life's Grace. Will take up exactly all her turning attempts for the even days, but then again, we fight on odd ones.

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Instead of trying to work Life's Grace or Death Ward into the Persistomancy, what if we just kept them prepared and have her Chain cast them when needed? Much less duration that way, but hopefully enough.

It would hurt to see Righteous Wrath of the Faithful removed, even just for this trip.

 

[Duesal]

Remember that Jeor Mormont has to approve any pick to begin with... and might have more to say about who should go South, if at all.

Though gifts of gold and promises of supplies and arms/armor would go a long way. They're getting desperate.

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It's not like Jeor Mormont doesn't trust his maester. And more than that, poor Jeor is probably coming to the conclusion that you need magic to fight magic.

As for the supplies, we were planning on dumping hundreds and thousands of masterwork weapons and armor Fabricated by Lya on the Night's Watch's doorstep as a gift. And thousands of gold coins. And lots and lots of supplies in general.

I mean, we know IC the Long Night is coming. We've known for years.

 

[TotallyNotEvil]

Instead of trying to work Life's Grace or Death Ward into the Persistomancy, what if we just kept them prepared and have her Chain cast them when needed? Much less duration that way, but hopefully enough.

It would hurt to see Righteous Wrath of the Faithful removed, even just for this trip.

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I'd rather keep Life's Grace always on.

Why not remove Break Enchantment and slot in Righteous Wrath?

 

[TotallyNotEvil]

@Goldfish like this:
-[X] Temporary North of the Wall Spell Loadout
--[X] Level0 (6/day): Cure Minor Wounds, Detect Poison, Detect Magic, Mending, Message x2
--[X] Level 1 (6+D/day): Blessed Aim, Endure Elements x2, Ice Slick, Moment of Greatness, Sign, Detect Secret Doors(D)
--[X] Level 2 (6+D/day): Alter Self, Close Wounds x2, Cure Moderate Wounds, Sound Burst x2, Resist Energy(D)
--[X] Level 3 (6+D/day): Alter Fortune x2, Blindness/Deafness, Cure Serious Wounds, Dispel Magic, Searing Light, Greater Magic Fang(D)
--[X] Level 4 (4+D/day): Death Ward, Heart of the Earth, Panacea x2, Divination (D)
--[X] Level 5 (4+D/day): Boneshatter, Righteous Wrath of the Faithful, Life's Grace, Revivify, True Seeing(D)
--[X] Level 6 (3+D/day): Harm, Heal, Wind Walk, Find the Path(D)
-[X] Odd day on Persistomancy routine, use Harm instead of Cometfall, Persist Righteous Wrath of the Faithful (7 turnings remaining).

Enough turnings for a Chain Reached Heal.

 

[Goldfish]

@Goldfish like this:
-[X] Temporary North of the Wall Spell Loadout
--[X] Level0 (6/day): Cure Minor Wounds, Detect Poison, Detect Magic, Mending, Message x2
--[X] Level 1 (6+D/day): Blessed Aim, Endure Elements x2, Ice Slick, Moment of Greatness, Sign, Detect Secret Doors(D)
--[X] Level 2 (6+D/day): Alter Self, Close Wounds x2, Cure Moderate Wounds, Sound Burst x2, Resist Energy(D)
--[X] Level 3 (6+D/day): Alter Fortune x2, Blindness/Deafness, Cure Serious Wounds, Dispel Magic, Searing Light, Greater Magic Fang(D)
--[X] Level 4 (4+D/day): Death Ward, Heart of the Earth, Panacea x2, Divination (D)
--[X] Level 5 (4+D/day): Boneshatter, Righteous Wrath of the Faithful, Life's Grace, Revivify, True Seeing(D)
--[X] Level 6 (3+D/day): Harm, Heal, Wind Walk, Find the Path(D)
-[X] Odd day on Persistomancy routine, use Harm instead of Cometfall, Persist Righteous Wrath of the Faithful (7 turnings remaining).

Enough turnings for a Chain Reached Heal.

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Done.

 

[BeepSmile]

That does not feel very thematic for Tiamat, so i'm going to say no... but you can buy it in extra-planar markets.

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What about the new guy? Might not fit his god, but he gets power from somewhere else now.

 

[Fehu]

Still think we should dedicate time to speak with Yrael, He'Nekar elders, Sealord, Braavosi temple district, and Zherys about the Night's Watch.

Frankly turn voted has gotten very intimidating and feels very much like a core group makes most of the decisions. Instant bandwagoning does not help matters either.

Anyway, Ive already argued this but Ill reiterate what I can recall on hand:

• Speak with priesthood(s) about the Long Night and have them recruit for promises of temples in SD. Faith, honor, and purpose are great motivators.
• Sealord, suggest hardcore criminals are given the option to swear to the Night's Watch. Also, political rivals, etc. Shouldnt need a bribe beyond 'will free up time to aid other allies hint hint.'
• Yrael... he shouldn't need mich prodding. Can also solve it mostly himself, if not through personal cult fervor.
• Lamentation, criminals, exiles, but also honor, and adventure, fighting something worse than fiends.
• Zherys, same as the sealord.

 

[Goldfish]

Still think we should dedicate time to speak with Yrael, He'Nekar elders, Sealord, Braavosi temple district, and Zherys about the Night's Watch.

Frankly turn voted has gotten very intimidating and feels very much like a core group makes most of the decisions. Instant bandwagoning does not help matters either.

Anyway, Ive already argued this but Ill reiterate what I can recall on hand:

• Speak with priesthood(s) about the Long Night and have them recruit for promises of temples in SD. Faith, honor, and purpose are great motivators.
• Sealord, suggest hardcore criminals are given the option to swear to the Night's Watch. Also, political rivals, etc. Shouldnt need a bribe beyond 'will free up time to aid other allies hint hint.'
• Yrael... he shouldn't need mich prodding. Can also solve it mostly himself, if not through personal cult fervor.
• Lamentation, criminals, exiles, but also honor, and adventure, fighting something worse than fiends.
• Zherys, same as the sealord.

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This last turn vote, which I kind of invited myself to moderate, I tried to make it as accessible to everyone as possible using the Googledoc Accounting page, and made numerous edits based on suggestions from anyone who cared to comment.

 

[Duesal]

This last turn vote, which I kind of invited myself.to moderate, I tried to make it as accessible to everyone as possible using the Googledoc Accounting page, and made numerous edits based on suggestions from anyone who cared to comment.

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I definitely appreciated that google doc. I even have it bookmarked on my browser.

 

[Sqweaktoy]

For turn votes, I think it has to be acknowledged that there are a lot of things to manage and balance involved so it makes sense that the people willing to do all that work end up being more visible, but it's never really felt closed off to me personally. Its just that I rarely have a thing I want to do that I can't rely on one of the 'core' group to address.

 

[Crake]

Everyone is welcome to contribute to discussion or even plan-craft, I'm sure. I wasn't a "core group" member half a year ago. I broke into discussion unannounced and unasked for. Reception was polite and appreciative.

 

[Diomedea]

I mean, you can get as involved as you want in the turn voting. If you want something to be included, chime in. The planners usually do their best to prioritize stuff to include both the time sensitive things, as well as some "fun" things. If you wanna be a planner...just make a spreadsheet and make a plan. That's how I broke in.

We have a few things for the Tyrosh invasion that need to be finished up, and some other things we've been putting off with the promise that they'll be done "soon" (like Runestone or this trip to the North), but we have some room to fit new things into the turn plan. No one being delimbed this month (fingers crossed!) will help there.

@Fehu The reason no one has pursued the Night's Watch recruitment thing is because Westeros is pretty much the only place you can recruit. Every person from Essos who we've talked to about it has seen it as slavery. The cultural foundation needed just isn't present.

 

[Deliste]

Well you wanted it to be on the anniversary of the conquest. Said conquest became official with Damphair's execution. That is how violent transfer of power usually works.

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Guys we can't let the festival that will run for a thousand years and more focus solely on that shitter even setting aside the morbidity.

I'm thinking efffigy sacrifice (Damphair included) of the various dark horrors that plague the Empire, it's fantastic propoganda and we can eventually guide it towards a more englightened representation of purging society and self of these dark influences.

 

[Crake]

In Essos, it's a forced bout of life-long servitude in a desolate wasteland without even women to salve the misery away.

In Westeros, it's an honorable alternative to execution or squandering your life away in your House's lands doing nothing worthwhile with your life, but not wanting to stain your honor by becoming a mercenary. Though the latter case is kind of eye-roll inducing and is systematic of why Waymar become a Black Brother rather than sail east to Essos or find service at court under some noble during canon.

Clearly honor has done very little for canon Waymar, whereas flexibility has made our Waymar go very far... from experiencing the wonder of the East to becoming a wonder of the East.

Guys we can't let the festival that will run for a thousand years and more focus solely on that shitter even setting aside the morbidity.

I'm thinking efffigy sacrifice (Damphair included) of the various dark horrors that plague the Empire, it's fantastic propoganda and we can eventually guide it towards a more englightened representation of purging society and self of these dark influences.

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Hm. A driftwood carving of a Mindflayer.

A sculpted slab of ice in the vein of an Other.

A brittle sculpture of red tinted glass in the shape of a fiend.

Any other ideas for burninating in a kickass bonfire BBQ?

 

[Quest]

Never felt left out personally. I don't usually have the time to get involved with plan votes, so I usually just read and make one-off comments. But when I do have time(or am procrastinating), I never felt it was hard to get into discussions.

I broke into discussion unannounced and unasked for. Reception was polite and appreciative.

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I'm now imagining posters discussing plan votes in a posh sealed off hall, and crake breaking in mission impossible style just to give his opinion. Everyone then just look at him, nod in acknowledgement and continue on with the planning.

 

[Fehu]

@Goldfish Googledoc sounds like a great idea, which could possibly help make it less overwhelming.

Alot of it I think are from the D&D savvyness needed for the crafting which spills over on ye regular ol actions as they both need days.

But also, how a new plan is really hard to argue for when people instantly bandwagon plans made by very active participants.

@Crake I used to chime in, like, way back. Last time I did were when I for the third time blurbed a 'Varys getting laid action.' Its a free action for crying out loud.

@Diomedon I think that is not all viewpoints, seeing as there are people dedicated to various mundane tasks too, and especially priesthoods should be a thing. Heck, faiths must have their variations of warrior-monks, and R'hllorites (bad example slave religion), have temple guards.

Besides atleast Braavosi should have regular trade with the north / westeros and know what it means.



Eh. Ill ripoff the crafting table and make my own plan next time with cyvasse and Alu demons!

Edit: I am just salty about thrre never being time for my totally sane ideas. Like snake dragons, and crossbreeding. And that cleric 3rd scroll that gets us free templates is gathering dust.

 

[DragonParadox]

Sweet Joy and Fear's Bitter Draught​

Fifteenth Day of the Twelfth Month 292 AC

When the fool girl of a maid came running talking about healing and gods' blessings, Selyse Baratheon, Lady of Dragonstone, came very close indeed to having the miserable creature whipped. How dare she mention her daughter's condition and like that besides? Still she had sounded so sincere that Selyse concluded she had been merely duped by whatever two-bit 'miracle worker' had managed to sneak his way into the keep. Enough to have her thrown out with only the clothes on her back, but not a whipping, or so she had told the guards while she ran to Shireen to keep the poor girl from taking false hope... not that the child really understood her condition or what it meant.

Upon discovering she was with Maester Cressen she calmed a bit and, though she loathed herself for it, she could feel the smallest shard of treacherous hope take root in her heart. The Lannister woman had said it would take a powerful sorcerer-priest or a mighty spirit to take away the curse, and Selyse had seen how skilled she had been in magic, whore or no. A priest that powerful would not just sneak into the keep out of the goodness of their hearts. They would ask for half the treasury... or half the fleet, maybe. The treasury was barely worth the name.

Still hope lingered like a weed that would not die... Only one thing for it. Steeling herself she headed up the narrow twisting steps of Sea Dragon Tower, her heart beating like a drum. By the time she had reached the highest landing, Selyse had to force herself to push the door open.

Shireen was sitting quietly in a corner, playing with one of her dolls. She looked unmarred... free of the curse.

"Cressen!" Selyse snapped, voice sounding strange to her own ears. "Why have you not removed the seeming!"

"I have, my lady..." The words were soft but sure. The old man took up the glided wand on his desk, one of the ones he had received from the Lannister witch, and pointed it at Shireen and swirled it about until the air shimmered about her. "That is the third time I tried. There is no magic about her, no glamour to make her merely seem thus. It is the truth."

"I told you, the angel fixed it!" the girl declared, scowling.

Surely... Selyse drew in a ragged breath. She was not some superstitious fool to see angels around every corner, especially now when any common swindler who got a lucky could fool the eye of the unwary, the foolish.

"What did the angel look like?" she asked gently.

"Like the pictures in the pointy book," she answered still sounding a little put upon.

"I think she means the Seven Pointed Star, my lady," Cressen said. There was a twinkle of amusement in the maester's eye. Then to Shireen. "Did it say it was an angel?"

"She... was a girl angel, real pretty too, had sliver hair like Alana," Shireen answered, naming one of the maids who was a dragonseed.

One of them... surely they would have asked for something, the Lady of Dragonstone thought. And for such a gift, one that still did not feel real, she would have given them much. Then Selyse recalled the letters from her husband, letters in which he had called the conditions of his imprisonment adequate and even said that he trusted his letters would not be opened by his captors. There was only one reason to treat a prisoner well enough to get even that grudging trust from Stannis. There was a girl, she knew, sister to the Dragon Prince, rumored to be some kind of witch too. Born just as the Rebellion ended.

"Shireen, how old did the angel look?" she asked.

"A big girl but not really big..." The child trailed off, thinking furiously. "'Bout ten maybe."

The confirmation of her suspicion hit Selyse like a hammer. She owed her daughter's healing to an enemy of the crown... she could not think about that, not now. Instead she picked up her daughter and hugged her close.

OOC: And here we go a Selyse Baratheon interlude, hardly a nice person but she loves her daughter dearly and she can be quite clever.

 

[Duesal]

By the way, guys, heads up that the front page has accounted for the 6 new dragonpens and taken the cost out of the treasury. Currently Malarys is the only party member who doesn't have one.

 

[SeekerofLight]

Still think we should dedicate time to speak with Yrael, He'Nekar elders, Sealord, Braavosi temple district, and Zherys about the Night's Watch.

Frankly turn voted has gotten very intimidating and feels very much like a core group makes most of the decisions. Instant bandwagoning does not help matters either.

Anyway, Ive already argued this but Ill reiterate what I can recall on hand:

• Speak with priesthood(s) about the Long Night and have them recruit for promises of temples in SD. Faith, honor, and purpose are great motivators.
• Sealord, suggest hardcore criminals are given the option to swear to the Night's Watch. Also, political rivals, etc. Shouldnt need a bribe beyond 'will free up time to aid other allies hint hint.'
• Yrael... he shouldn't need mich prodding. Can also solve it mostly himself, if not through personal cult fervor.
• Lamentation, criminals, exiles, but also honor, and adventure, fighting something worse than fiends.
• Zherys, same as the sealord.

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This is a good idea but it feels a little meta-gamy. I mean Viserys has no idea IC about the specifics of the long night and certainly not how it relates to the apocalypse of the week. I think we need to speak with Bloodraven before we do something like that.

 

[Snowfire]

By the way, guys, heads up that the front page has accounted for the 6 new dragonpens and taken the cost out of the treasury. Currently Malarys is the only party member who doesn't have one.

Click to shrink...

We can tell him it's a stand-in until he gets a dragon to ride again!