Terminus Quest takes place in the world of Pherioron, a world of somewhat similar proportions of land-vs-sea and climates as our own dear Earth, though there are some distinct differences. The most extreme is likely the presence of magic: be it elemental, druidic, thaumaturgical, holy, or unholy in nature, all denizens of Pherioron can theoretically learn magic. Though aptitude, persistence, and access to educational materials and casting mediums may vary. Second to the presence of magic is the people themselves - most walk on two legs, though 'Homo Sapien Sapien' they are not. Conjure up in your mind's eye the characters of Redwall, Robin Hood, and the like, and you'll be along the right track.
Within Pherioron, there are two great landmasses which dominate the sphere: Pherioron Major, the larger of the two which sprawls out along the Southern Hemisphere, and Pherioron Minor, the smaller which graces the Northern Hemisphere. Turn your eyes to the Gilding Sea along the western reaches of Pherioron Major and along its western shore you'll find the nation of Aestemel.
Bordered on the west by the Thescola Mountains, and on the east by the Gilding Sea, Aestemel has no great need of armies, nor has it in some time. Though some would argue it could scarce afford them in any case, being as poor as it is. Still, the region and the tides of history have been moderately kind to Aestemel of late, though those with the gift of far seeing may sense gloom on the horizon.
You find yourself in the throne room of Aestemel, located within the coastal city of Lochait...
Attributes (Stats)
Body: d6 (Improved to d8)
Speed: d4
Mind: d6
Will: d8
Species (Jackal): d6
Career (Mercenary): d8
Skills
Athletics: d4 (+d6 from [Jackal])
Brawling: d4
Construction: d4
Dodge: d4 (+d8 from [Mercenary])
Elementalism: d4
Endurance: d4
Leadership: d4
Melee Combat: d6 (+d8 from [Mercenary])
Negotiation: d4
Ranged Combat: d4 (+d8 from [Mercenary])
Searching: - (+d6 from [Jackal])
Stealth: - (+d6 from [Jackal])
Tactics: d6
Gifts
Personality: Defiant
Language: The Common Tongue
Local Knowledge: -
Combat Save - Avoid death by the slimmest of margins. Long cooldown.
Increased Trait: Body - Your Body die is one step higher than it would otherwise be.
Keen Ears - Much better at Observation via hearing.
Keen Nose - Much better at Observation via smelling. Bonus dice to tracking and foraging.
Haggling - Pay less, sell for more, and know when there's room for negotiation and when there isn't.
Resolve - Add your Will to your roll when soaking damage.
Veteran - Guarding and Aiming actions grant a bonus d12 instead of d8.
Equipment and Items
Longsword - A one-handed, Damage+2 weapon.
Short Bow - A two-handed, Damage+0 Critical weapon.
Wooden Shield - An off-handed shield which grants a bonus d8 to parries and minimum d8 to cover.
Leather Armor - Simple amor grants d6 bonus to your roll to soak damage.
Dagger - A one-handed Damage+1 weapon.
27 denarii and 9 orichalks.
Promissory note for the remaining 100 denarii upon completion of your task.
The mechanics I am using for the quest are largely adapted from the Ironclaw system, though some have been tweaked to work better within the delayed play-by-post format.
Skill Roll Mechanics
When necessary, characters may be required to perform rolls in their attempt to take actions reliant on their aptitude with skills. Say a character wanted to climb a cobblestone wall with ample hand and footholds jutting out from the surface. The GM (QM) calls for a roll of <Attribute> & <Skill> vs <Difficulty>, or in this case, Body & Athletics vs 3. If the character has a Body of d6 and an Athletics of d4, they'd roll all involved dice and judge each result against the difficulty value separately. For every result which surpasses the difficulty, they have succeeded in their attempt by 1 degree. Thus you have the possible skill roll results of:
1 Success: "Success" - The action was performed successfully.
2+ Successes: "Overwhelming Success" - The action was performed with style. May incur additional rewards or opportunities.
0 Successes, but a tie against the difficulty: "Tie" - The action was performed, but with some minor setback.
0 Successes: "Failure" - The action was not performed successfully.
0 Successes, all dice came up 1: "Critical Failure" - The action was not performed successfully, and a major setback will likely occur.
🪨 Static Rolls / ⚔️ Contested Rolls
When performing an action which involves only themselves and perhaps an inanimate object (such as climbing a wall,) the character rolls against a static difficulty value. This is known as a static roll. But sometimes a character attempts to do something while actively being opposed by an opponent. This is known as a contested roll. Rather than a static value, both characters perform rolls (which might even involve different skills!) and compare the results. The character with the highest result then compares all of their dice against their opponent's highest result, treating it as if it were a static difficulty. Ties generally break in favor of the defender, however such is defined, though things such as specific gifts may change this.
📖 Open Rolls / 🙈 Secret Rolls
Most skill rolls are open: The character was aware their was some contest, be it against another character or against simple physics, and so too will the player be aware of the dice and values of the roll. There is such a thing as a secret roll, however. This occurs when the character wasn't even aware a contest occurred. Say that a spy is shadowing the character, and makes a Speed & Stealth roll against the POV character's Mind & Observation. Should they fail to remain unseen, the POV character (and players) will be made aware of the roll they just succeeded at. Should the POV character fail, however, no such record will be visible. At least, not right away.
In the event that the POV character fails a secret roll, they will become aware of the failure (though not the context or full data) a number of chapters later based upon the degree of success of their opponent. If N is the number of successes, the opponent rolls Nd4 - the sum of this roll is the number of rounds later that the POV character gets the sneaking suspicion they missed something, though not precisely what or when.
Before you sits King Edwyn Thomas, of the royal line of Thomas, first of his name.
King Edwyn wears no sparkling jewelery nor glistening metals save a simple crown fashioned of bronze, set with 3 modest rubies. He looks… tired. Haggard even. Tufts of his mane—the pride of all lions—have faded from glorious gold to cloudy grey.
To his right stands Cymry Orion, head of King Edwyn's personal guard: a white wolf with a nasty scar running from the top of his head, down under an eyepatch, and nearly to the corner of his mouth. His face set in a permanent scowl; some tell quite tall tales of his capacity for cruelty and aptitude for armed combat.
To his left stands a relative unknown, a red fox draped in fine silks, fingers beset with jewels.
King Edwyn gestures towards the fox almost negligently.
"This is Trefor Craddock, a visiting noble from Safreylia. He has provided me with sufficient proof of an old claim upon the Terminus region to the northeast, and the old keep which presides over it. As such, I have seen fit to grant him residence and vassalage in exchange for the renunciation of his Safreylian ties, and some other concessions."
The fox, Trefor, nods eagerly, hands clasped together in a nakedly obsequious gesture.
"Quite the generous offer, and one apt to end in the benefit of all involved. I must repeat that I am most honored, your highness."
"Yes. Quite," the lion states, his expression threatening to shift from tired boredom to outright distaste, "but there is a problem."
"A problem indeed, your highness-" the fox begins before a look of scathing contempt from the king cuts across whatever he was going to add, his jowls clamping shut with an audible click. A nervous grin replaces his otherwise servile expression.
"As I was saying," the king states, eyes locked onto the fox before slowly pivoting back to you, "there is a problem. In order to properly claim the keep he is due, Lord Craddock requires the keep be vacant. It is not."
A warning glance passes from king to prospective vassal, who is making what might be ungenerously be called an unseemly show of himself, eyes and bodily movements jerking this way and that in lieu of verbal interruption.
After a moment's silence, the king continues.
"A group of bandits has made residence there, preying upon any merchants who dare make their way through the region, and terrorizing what few towns dot the area.
"As such, I put out a call for those able-bodied and willing to fight for coin. Among those who answered, you have been selected to organize and lead this expedition. You will be furnished by Ser Craddock with 120 denarii in total for the complete excision of the bandits from the keep. 20 before, 100 after.
"Whom to hire, what equipment you might deign to purchase, and whether to deal with the wretches known as 'money lenders' is your purview, though I would recommend against the latter. Have you any questions?"
There are two major things to be voted upon to begin with: who the POV character is, and what questions they might have for King Edwyn. A few believable POV characters are provided below, though I will accept write-ins with sufficient detail. As for the questions, these are completely write-in. They will be asked of the King in order from most to fewest votes. He only has so much time and attention, and his answers may give less detail the more are asked.
If you like, you can also vote to limit the number of questions you ask. Ask too many, and you risk annoying your employer. Too few, and you may look overconfident, or miss out on crucial info.
If you have questions for me, the QM, I will be happy to answer them. Anything the average person would know is definitely fair game, though info that is dependent on the POV character's specific knowledge base may be delayed until the POV character vote completes.
Who are you?
[] Gareth Hewitt, Jackal Mercenary. You were once part of an entire band of mercenaries—the Black Mark they were called—though attrition by death and retirement whittled the numbers down until what few remained disbanded. You were merely passing through, looking for work when you heard the call for a mercenary.
[] Ermid Esau, Deer Soldier. You have served loyally under King Edwyn for scarcely 5 years, and his late father Mortigue 6 years previous to that. But though it is good, honest work, you yet yearn for more. Perhaps this will be a good distraction to work out some of your excess wanderlust.
[] Arwyn Comest, Rabbit Dilettante. After spending the family fortune on frivolous trifles one too many times, you were kicked out and told not to come back until you'd made something of yourself; done something productive. You've never really fought outside of a proper duel, but how hard could it be? It's just some hoodlums holed up in an old creaky keep.
[] Write-in (Provide at least as much detail as you see in the example characters.)
What questions do you ask?
[] Write-in
How many questions will you ask?
[] 1
[] 2
[] 3
[] 4
[] X (Some number)
[] As many as he has time for.
[X] Hadrian Maclort, Hawk Captain. You served an Eccentric elderly lord for many years during his exploration of largely unihabited lands and abandoned ruins. Tho you started as a scout of some skill your knack for wilderness navigation and remarkable intuition saw you climb the ranks, eventually reaching captain. With your Patron lord passing to old age and his Agriculture focused daughter having little use for you or your compatriots, you have traveled far in search of employment fitting of your skills.
I'll be editing in questions later.
[X] What are their numbers?
[X] How well equiped are they?
[X] What is the general terrain of the fort and the land around it?
[X] What state are the castles defenses in?
[X] Arwyn Comest, Rabbit Dilettante. After spending the family fortune on frivolous trifles one too many times, you were kicked out and told not to come back until you'd made something of yourself; done something productive. You've never really fought outside of a proper duel, but how hard could it be? It's just some hoodlums holed up in an old creaky keep.
Sounds interesting
[X] What are their numbers?
[X] How well equiped are they?
[X] What is the general terrain of the fort and the land around it?
I only thought of theses ones for now, but I'll try to add others later
[X] Gareth Hewitt, Jackal Mercenary. You were once part of an entire band of mercenaries—the Black Mark they were called—though attrition by death and retirement whittled the numbers down until what few remained disbanded. You were merely passing through, looking for work when you heard the call for a mercenary.
[X] What are their numbers?
[X] How well equiped are they?
[X] What is the general terrain of the fort and the land around it?
[X] How likely is it that they have reinforcements?
[X] Gareth Hewitt, Jackal Mercenary. You were once part of an entire band of mercenaries—the Black Mark they were called—though attrition by death and retirement whittled the numbers down until what few remained disbanded. You were merely passing through, looking for work when you heard the call for a mercenary.
[X] What are their numbers?
[X] How well equiped are they?
[X] What is the general terrain of the fort and the land around it?
[X] How likely is it that they have reinforcements?
[X] Gareth Hewitt, Jackal Mercenary. You were once part of an entire band of mercenaries—the Black Mark they were called—though attrition by death and retirement whittled the numbers down until what few remained disbanded. You were merely passing through, looking for work when you heard the call for a mercenary.
[X] Ermid Esau, Deer Soldier. You have served loyally under King Edwyn for scarcely 5 years, and his late father Mortigue 6 years previous to that. But though it is good, honest work, you yet yearn for more. Perhaps this will be a good distraction to work out some of your excess wanderlust.
[X] Hadrian Maclort, Hawk Captain. You served an Eccentric elderly lord for many years during his exploration of largely uninhabited lands and abandoned ruins. Though you started as a scout of some skill your knack for wilderness navigation and remarkable intuition saw you climb the ranks, eventually reaching captain. With your Patron lord passing to old age and his Agriculture focused daughter having little use for you or your compatriots, you have traveled far in search of employment fitting of your skills.
[X] What are their numbers?
[X] How well equipped are they?
[X] What is the general terrain of the fort and the land around it?
[X] What state are the castles defenses in?
AN: For tiebreakers where no option is obviously more in character than another, I make use of a d10, adding significant digits to the end of the vote count in order to break the tie. Yeah that 2.71 and 2.77 means I had to tiebreaker the tiebreaker.
[5.4] How well equipped are they?
[5.3] What are their numbers?
[5.7] What is the general terrain of the fort and the land around it?
[3] Gareth Hewitt, Jackal Mercenary. You were once part of an entire band of mercenaries—the Black Mark they were called—though attrition by death and retirement whittled the numbers down until what few remained disbanded. You were merely passing through, looking for work when you heard the call for a mercenary.
[2] Hadrian Maclort, Hawk Captain. You served an Eccentric elderly lord for many years during his exploration of largely unihabited lands and abandoned ruins. Tho you started as a scout of some skill your knack for wilderness navigation and remarkable intuition saw you climb the ranks, eventually reaching captain. With your Patron lord passing to old age and his Agriculture focused daughter having little use for you or your compatriots, you have traveled far in search of employment fitting of your skills. [2.71] How likely is it that they have reinforcements?
[2.77] What state are the castle's defenses in?
[1] Arwyn Comest, Rabbit Dilettante. After spending the family fortune on frivolous trifles one too many times, you were kicked out and told not to come back until you'd made something of yourself; done something productive. You've never really fought outside of a proper duel, but how hard could it be? It's just some hoodlums holed up in an old creaky keep.
[1] Ermid Esau, Deer Soldier. You have served loyally under King Edwyn for scarcely 5 years, and his late father Mortigue 6 years previous to that. But though it is good, honest work, you yet yearn for more. Perhaps this will be a good distraction to work out some of your excess wanderlust.
Three things immediately come to mind - their numbers, equipment, and defenses. After a moment, you decide that the terrain takes the highest priority.
"What is the general terrain of the fort and the land around it?"
At a nod from King Edwyn, a servant who had been seemingly blending into the shadows steps forward, unrolling an old scroll upon which is a carefully drawn map.
"Fort Terminus sits upon the slope of the nearby mountains, alongside the Terminus river. The land is not terribly steep at that point, but it is enough to give the fort a sheer cliff along its southeastern side. In all, the shape of the land makes approach from the west or south quite arduous."
"How well equipped are these bandits? And how many of them should I expect at the fort?"
The king continues to stare at the map for a moment before he answers.
"The most recent attack by these bandits was upon the fishing village of Ervinstead, downriver from the fort. Those few villagers who escaped with their lives told of men in leather armor wielding clubs, short swords, and short bows. As to the question of quantity, it is somewhat difficult to separate fact from gibbering exaggeration, but we believe they attacked the town with no more than 20 men. They are unlikely to have left the fort entirely defenseless, so my personal estimate would put them at 40, all told. That said, it is impossible to be certain."
You nod, thinking over this information. None of the mentioned weapons were beyond common make, though the fact that they do have both varied and ranged capabilities speaks to some degree of intelligent leadership. 120 denarii is likely plenty to hire equivalent men of your own, though how many depends greatly upon what quality of men you seek to assemble. And of course, you don't actually have 120 denarii right away. You have 20, or 28 if you include that which is on your person already.
Looking to the king once more, you can see his attention has begun to drift to other papers on the table between you, but perhaps you can ask a few more quick questions.
"In what state are the castle's defenses?"
"Hmm?," he says, looking up, "oh, not terribly great I should think. Unless the bandits have taken the time to repair it, that fort hasn't seen proper maintenance in decades."
"And are they likely to have reinforcements?"
He gives you a somewhat odd look.
"The only reinforcements they might have are bandits returning from pillage, in which case they'll have been without those men during your attack in the first place."
You can see that you've run through the King's patience, though not so far as to greatly irritate him. You nod. "I'll see it done."
You have gained the goal "Excise the bandits of Fort Terminus ★★". This is a two-star goal, meaning it will grant a good deal of experience upon completion, though you may face serious consequences should you fail or take too long to complete it.
With Gareth Hewitt, Jackal Mercenary selected as our POV character, we'll need to continue filling in his character sheet. That said, let's go over what he has for sure so far:
Gifts (Granted to Player Characters)
Personality: [TBD]
Language: [Common]
Local Knowledge: [TBD]
Combat Save - Avoid death by the slimmest of margins. Long cooldown.
Gifts (Granted by Species[Jackal])
Increased Trait: Body - Your Body die is one step higher than it would otherwise be.
Keen Ears - Much better at Observation via hearing.
Keen Nose - Much better at Observation via smelling. Bonus dice to tracking and foraging.
Gifts (Granted by Career[Mercenary])
Haggling - Pay less, sell for more, and know when there's room for negotiation and when there isn't.
Resolve - Add your Will to your roll when soaking damage.
Veteran - Guarding and Aiming actions grant a bonus d12 instead of d8.
Equipment and Items (Most granted by Career[Mercenary])
Longsword - A one-handed, Damage+2 weapon.
Short Bow - A two-handed, Damage+0 Critical weapon.
Wooden Shield - An off-handed shield which grants a bonus d8 to parries and minimum d8 to cover.
Leather Armor - Simple amor grants d6 bonus to your roll to soak damage.
Dagger - A one-handed Damage+1 weapon.
8 denarii, plus 20 denarii.
Promissory note for the remaining 100 denarii upon completion of your task.
In times of dire need, an appropriate personality may lend bonus dice. What personality does Gareth Hewitt have?
From where does Gareth hail? Or has he even spent enough time in any one location to truly call it home? May grant bonus dice to know about or interact with people of this land.
[] Aestemel
[] Safreylia
[] Jucror
[] Wheurhiel
[] Duscana
[] Aplor
[] No true home - additional bonus gift, raising the free gifts from 3 to 4.
You'll need to determine which two of his 6 attributes (Body, Speed, Mind, Will, Species(Jackal), and Career(Mercenary)) are his high stats and which one of them is his low stat. The remainder will be average stats. Keep in mind that as a Jackal, his Body stat is naturally boosted, so whatever value it ends up with will get kicked up 1 step (d4 > d6 > d8 > d10)
What are Gareth's two high (d8) stats?
[] High Body (Would actually become a d10)
[] High Speed
[] High Mind
[] High Will
[] High Species (Jackal - Determines bonus to Athletics, Searching, and Stealth)
[] High Career (Mercenary - Determines bonus to Dodge, Melee Combat, and Ranged Combat)
What is Gareth's one low (d4) stat?
[] Low Body (Would actually become a d6)
[] Low Speed
[] Low Mind
[] Low Will
[] Low Species (Jackal - Determines bonus to Athletics, Searching, and Stealth)
[] Low Career (Mercenary - Determines bonus to Dodge, Melee Combat, and Ranged Combat)
Additionally, we'll need to determine where to place his skill marks. The number of skill marks you place in a skill determines what die they translate to. 1 mark is a d4, 2 is a d6, all the way up to 5 being a d12. Past that, and it rolls over into a new die. 6 marks is d12,d4. 7 marks is d12,d6. At character creation, you're limited to 3 marks total in any given skill, though that can be nudged upwards if you have any gifts that happen to give free skill marks.
In total, you have 13 marks to distribute amongst the skills.
Having at least 1 skill mark in a skill grants you a favorite use - a hail mary which lets you reroll a 1 so long as the skill roll matches the favorite use. In normal play, you'd be able to declare such at the moment of a rolled 1, but in a quest that's not really possible. So I'll be running favorite uses differently here: When you roll a 1 on a skill where you have skill marks, you'll gain the opportunity to declare an appropriate favorite use, though you will still live with the consequences of that unaltered roll. In recompense, undeclaring a favorite use no longer costs a point of experience.
Since this is a somewhat difficult thing to do a proper vote on, simply vote for skills where you want to see at least 1 mark, and I'll determine the actual quantity as best I can from everyone's votes.
Which skills should you invest skill marks into?
[] Academics - To know, to remember, to research.
[] Animal Husbandry - Handling the saurian beasts, be they wild or tame.
[] Athletics - Running, jumping, climbing.
[] Brawling - Fisticuffs. Need I say more?
[] Construction - Building things larger than your head, usually with no moving parts.
[] Deceit - To lie, to misdirect.
[] Dodge - To not be in the path of that thing which will hurt.
[] Elementalism - The elemental arts, though this is useless without the appropriate gifts.
[] Endurance - Not getting tired from long endeavors; hiking, swimming, foraging.
[] Gossip - Did you hear what so-and-so said? I'll share if you do.
[] Inquiry - What are your names? Where are your papers? Where were you on this date?
[] Intimidation - Do as I say or I'll make you regret it.
[] Leadership - Inspiring others to greatness (and rallying them in battle!)
[] Mechanisms - Building things smaller than your head, usually with moving parts.
[] Melee Combat - Swing sharp thing. Hit enemy.
[] Negotiation - 3 whole denarii you say? Surely we can work something out.
[] Observation - My spider senses are tingling. I wasn't looking before, but I am now. (Like Searching, but passive.)
[] Performance - Alas, poor yorik.
[] Ranged Combat - Shoot sharp thing. Hit enemy.
[] Searching - I already knew something was here, I just have to find it. (Like Observation, but active.)
[] Stealth - To remain unseen. Though remaining unnoticed is more the realm of Deceit.
[] Supernatural - Detecting and identifying the supernatural, including magic.
[] Tactics - As it says on the tin, though you'll need a special gift to translate this into actual combat dice.
[] Throwing - Throw sharp thing. Hit enemy.
[] Vehicles - How to guide a carriage, boat, or similar means of transport.
[] Max out <Skill Name> with 3 skill marks.
With regards to gifts (what you might think of as being similar to 'feats' in D&D), there are many, many possible gifts. (Seriously, there's at least 500 of the things.) So there's no way I could possibly list all of them here. (I will eventually provide a link to a rough list of them, however, once I have that ready.) That being said, if you tell me what you want, I can probably find a gift or set of gifts which does something similar.
That being said, you have 3 free gifts to select at character creation, and I will list some of my recommendations befitting a mercenary below. The three gifts with the most votes will be selected, so long as their prerequisites are fulfilled. Feel free to vote for as many or as few as you like.
What 3 gifts will you select?
[] Clear Headed - Negate or downgrade most mental status effects.
[] Pack Tactics - When flanking enemies with the aid of allies who also have Pack Tactics, gain bonus dice.
[] Cosmopolitan - You ignore social roll penalties incurred when interacting with people of other cultures.
[] Diplomacy - Bonus dice for negotiations which take five minutes or longer.
[] Insider with Black Mark - Bonus dice when interacting with those who currently or once belonged to the Black Mark mercenaries.
[] Combat Edge - Requires d8 Mind or better. Free mark in Tactics. Combat roll ties will sometimes automatically break in your favor.
[] Diehard - Bonus dice to your damage soak the more hurt you are.
[] Toughness - Sometimes when rolling to soak damage, you'll get to roll twice.
[] Combat Tactics - Add up to one die from your Tactics skill to melee attack rolls if your opponent is flanked.
[] Danger Sense - Bonus to initiative and to detecting danger.
[] Bodyguard - Requires Danger Sense. When an adjacent ally is attacked, you may swap places with them and defend in their stead.
[] Literacy - Not everyone can read, but you can. Vital for paperwork, learning magic, and avoiding being taken advantage of within the realm of law and contracts.
[] Quick Draw - Once per turn, drawing a weapon is a free action.
[] Sharpshooter - When you make a ranged, nonmagical attack, reduce the range penalty dice.
[] Streetwise - Bonus dice when interacting with criminals or knowing about them.
[] Strength - Bonus dice with natural, melee, and thrown attacks. Higher carry capacity.
[] True Leader - When rallying an ally, you may temporarily grant them Focus, a status which can act as an extra action or an interrupting action.
[] Bravery - Requires Veteran. You can negate the Afraid status on yourself.
Finally, you do actually need to determine exactly how you're going to go about hiring some muscle to clean up the keep. You only have 28 denarii on your person, which may make hiring sufficient help difficult, though the promise of more money might entice some. Add to that, you need not spend all of your potential 128 denarii. After all, you're supposed to be making money here, right?
Let's not forget you'll also need transport - you know from experience that you can probably get up to 30 people most of the way to the fort by boat in a day or two for 10 denarii, or by walking for 2 weeks, though that entails its own issue of provisions. Food.
You can potentially do multiple things here, and may face additional decisions once you have the lay of the land as far as hired help goes.
What are your plans for hired muscle?
[] Focus on hiring a group of 5-10 very experienced individuals. Adventurers, as they're called.
[] Quantity has its own quality. It shouldn't be too difficult to amass a group of 20 or so lay men, though you may need to equip them as well.
[] See if you can track down any of your old Black Mark buddies. Difficult to say whether they're around, but you won't know unless you try.
[] Write-in
How are you planning to get to Fort Terminus?
[] Boat - Up to 30 people can be transported most of the way there in 2 days for ~10 denarii.
[] Walking - It'll take around two weeks by foot. You can probably hunt and forage for food on the way there, but that's technically illegal in most lands.
[] Write-in
What other things might need looking into? Any information to seek, supplies to obtain?
[] Write-in
AN: Whew. Ok, I know this is a lot to decide on, but after this we'll have character creation out of the way and can really start getting into the quest proper, including actually rolling for things since Gareth will have an actual, full character sheet to work off of.
Please don't be afraid to ask questions or such, as I know there's a lot here to sort out.
[X] Plan: Hollo World
-[X] Defiant
-[X] No true home - additional bonus gift, raising the free gifts from 3 to
-[X] High Will
-[X] High Career (Mercenary - Determines bonus to Dodge, Melee Combat, and Ranged Combat) 4.
-[X] Low Speed
-[X] Athletics - Running, jumping, climbing.
-[X] Brawling - Fisticuffs. Need I say more?
-[X] Construction - Building things larger than your head, usually with no moving parts.
-[X] Dodge - To not be in the path of that thing which will hurt.
-[X] Elementalism - The elemental arts, though this is useless without the appropriate gifts.
-[X] Endurance - Not getting tired from long endeavors; hiking, swimming, foraging.
-[X] Leadership - Inspiring others to greatness (and rallying them in battle!)
-[X] Melee Combat - Swing sharp thing. Hit enemy. Two marks
-[X] Negotiation - 3 whole denarii you say? Surely we can work something out.
-[X] Ranged Combat - Shoot sharp thing. Hit enemy.
-[X] Tactics - As it says on the tin, though you'll need a special gift to translate this into actual combat dice. Two marks
-[X] Diplomacy - Bonus dice for negotiations which take five minutes or longer.
-[X] Combat Tactics - Add up to one die from your Tactics skill to melee attack rolls if your opponent is flanked.
-[X] Literacy - Not everyone can read, but you can. Vital for paperwork, learning magic, and avoiding being taken advantage of within the realm of law and contracts.
-[X] True Leader - When rallying an ally, you may temporarily grant them Focus, a status which can act as an extra action or an interrupting action.
-[X] Focus on hiring a group of 5-10 very experienced individuals. Adventurers, as they're called.
-[X] Walking - It'll take around two weeks by foot. You can probably hunt and forage for food on the way there, but that's technically illegal in most lands.
Will add more when need/ questions come out from others.
[X] Plan: Hollo World
-[X] Defiant
-[X] No true home - additional bonus gift, raising the free gifts from 3 to
-[X] Will
-[X] Career (Mercenary - Determines bonus to Dodge, Melee Combat, and Ranged Combat) 4.
-[X] Speed
-[X] Athletics - Running, jumping, climbing.
-[X] Brawling - Fisticuffs. Need I say more?
-[X] Construction - Building things larger than your head, usually with no moving parts.
-[X] Dodge - To not be in the path of that thing which will hurt.
-[X] Elementalism - The elemental arts, though this is useless without the appropriate gifts.
-[X] Endurance - Not getting tired from long endeavors; hiking, swimming, foraging.
-[X] Leadership - Inspiring others to greatness (and rallying them in battle!)
-[X] Melee Combat - Swing sharp thing. Hit enemy. Two marks
-[X] Negotiation - 3 whole denarii you say? Surely we can work something out.
-[X] Ranged Combat - Shoot sharp thing. Hit enemy.
-[X] Tactics - As it says on the tin, though you'll need a special gift to translate this into actual combat dice.
-[X] Diplomacy - Bonus dice for negotiations which take five minutes or longer.
-[X] Combat Tactics - Add up to one die from your Tactics skill to melee attack rolls if your opponent is flanked.
-[X] Literacy - Not everyone can read, but you can. Vital for paperwork, learning magic, and avoiding being taken advantage of within the realm of law and contracts.
-[X] True Leader - When rallying an ally, you may temporarily grant them Focus, a status which can act as an extra action or an interrupting action.
-[X] Focus on hiring a group of 5-10 very experienced individuals. Adventurers, as they're called.
-[X] Walking - It'll take around two weeks by foot. You can probably hunt and forage for food on the way there, but that's technically illegal in most lands.
Will add more when need/ questions come out from others.
Looking good Gale, though your votes made me realize a serious issue with how I laid out the votes options. Could I get you to edit in the word "High" or "Low" into the relevant stat choices? (It looks like you wanted High Will, High Career, and Low Speed if I'm not mistaken.)
Looking good Gale, though your votes made me realize a serious issue with how I laid out the votes options. Could I get you to edit in the word "High" or "Low" into the relevant stat choices? (It looks like you wanted High Will, High Career, and Low Speed if I'm not mistaken.)
[X] Plan War Is No Game
-[X] Cold
-[X] No true home - additional bonus gift, raising the free gifts from 3 to 4.
-[X] High Will
-[X] High Career
-[X] Low Body
-[X] Athletics - Running, jumping, climbing.
-[X] Dodge - To not be in the path of that thing which will hurt.
-[X] Dodge - To not be in the path of that thing which will hurt.
-[X] Elementalism - The elemental arts, though this is useless without the appropriate gifts.
-[X] Endurance - Not getting tired from long endeavors; hiking, swimming, foraging.
-[X] Leadership - Inspiring others to greatness (and rallying them in battle!)
-[X] Negotiation - 3 whole denarii you say? Surely we can work something out.
-[X] Melee Combat - Swing sharp thing. Hit enemy.
-[X] Observation - My spider senses are tingling. I wasn't looking before, but I am now. (Like Searching, but passive.)
-[X] Ranged Combat - Shoot sharp thing. Hit enemy.
-[X] Stealth - To remain unseen. Though remaining unnoticed is more the realm of Deceit.
-[X] Tactics - As it says on the tin, though you'll need a special gift to translate this into actual combat dice.
-[X] Tactics - As it says on the tin, though you'll need a special gift to translate this into actual combat dice.
-[X] Clear Headed - Negate or downgrade most mental status effects.
-[X] Danger Sense - Bonus to initiative and to detecting danger.
-[X] Bodyguard - Requires Danger Sense. When an adjacent ally is attacked, you may swap places with them and defend in their stead.
-[X] Literacy - Not everyone can read, but you can. Vital for paperwork, learning magic, and avoiding being taken advantage of within the realm of law and contracts.
-[X] Focus on hiring a group of 5-10 very experienced individuals. Adventurers, as they're called.
-[X] Walking - It'll take around two weeks by foot. You can probably hunt and forage for food on the way there, but that's technically illegal in most lands.
[X] Plan: Hollo World
-[X] Defiant
-[X] No true home - additional bonus gift, raising the free gifts from 3 to
-[X] High Will
-[X] High Career (Mercenary - Determines bonus to Dodge, Melee Combat, and Ranged Combat) 4.
-[X] Low Speed
-[X] Athletics - Running, jumping, climbing.
-[X] Brawling - Fisticuffs. Need I say more?
-[X] Construction - Building things larger than your head, usually with no moving parts.
-[X] Dodge - To not be in the path of that thing which will hurt.
-[X] Elementalism - The elemental arts, though this is useless without the appropriate gifts.
-[X] Endurance - Not getting tired from long endeavors; hiking, swimming, foraging.
-[X] Leadership - Inspiring others to greatness (and rallying them in battle!)
-[X] Melee Combat - Swing sharp thing. Hit enemy. Two marks
-[X] Negotiation - 3 whole denarii you say? Surely we can work something out.
-[X] Ranged Combat - Shoot sharp thing. Hit enemy.
-[X] Tactics - As it says on the tin, though you'll need a special gift to translate this into actual combat dice.
-[X] Diplomacy - Bonus dice for negotiations which take five minutes or longer.
-[X] Combat Tactics - Add up to one die from your Tactics skill to melee attack rolls if your opponent is flanked.
-[X] Literacy - Not everyone can read, but you can. Vital for paperwork, learning magic, and avoiding being taken advantage of within the realm of law and contracts.
-[X] True Leader - When rallying an ally, you may temporarily grant them Focus, a status which can act as an extra action or an interrupting action.
-[X] Focus on hiring a group of 5-10 very experienced individuals. Adventurers, as they're called.
-[X] Walking - It'll take around two weeks by foot. You can probably hunt and forage for food on the way there, but that's technically illegal in most lands.
Will add more when need/ questions come out from others.
[X] Plan War Is No Game
-[X] Cold
-[X] No true home - additional bonus gift, raising the free gifts from 3 to 4.
-[X] High Will
-[X] High Career
-[X] Low Body
-[X] Athletics - Running, jumping, climbing.
-[X] Dodge - To not be in the path of that thing which will hurt.
-[X] Dodge - To not be in the path of that thing which will hurt.
-[X] Elementalism - The elemental arts, though this is useless without the appropriate gifts.
-[X] Endurance - Not getting tired from long endeavors; hiking, swimming, foraging.
-[X] Leadership - Inspiring others to greatness (and rallying them in battle!)
-[X] Negotiation - 3 whole denarii you say? Surely we can work something out.
-[X] Melee Combat - Swing sharp thing. Hit enemy. Two marks
-[X] Observation - My spider senses are tingling. I wasn't looking before, but I am now. (Like Searching, but passive.)
-[X] Ranged Combat - Shoot sharp thing. Hit enemy.
-[X] Stealth - To remain unseen. Though remaining unnoticed is more the realm of Deceit.
-[X] Tactics - As it says on the tin, though you'll need a special gift to translate this into actual combat dice.
-[X] Tactics - As it says on the tin, though you'll need a special gift to translate this into actual combat dice.
-[X] Clear Headed - Negate or downgrade most mental status effects.
-[X] Danger Sense - Bonus to initiative and to detecting danger.
-[X] Bodyguard - Requires Danger Sense. When an adjacent ally is attacked, you may swap places with them and defend in their stead.
-[X] Literacy - Not everyone can read, but you can. Vital for paperwork, learning magic, and avoiding being taken advantage of within the realm of law and contracts.
-[X] Focus on hiring a group of 5-10 very experienced individuals. Adventurers, as they're called.
-[X] Walking - It'll take around two weeks by foot. You can probably hunt and forage for food on the way there, but that's technically illegal in most lands.
[X] Write-in additional questions
-[x] look for the survivors of the raids and inquire about the tactics and if the bandits wantonly murder or are they methodical? Also find out the description of their leader!
-[x] ask around the local underworld, mercenaries, and travelers if they know anything more about these bandits and if they have a higher goal
-[x] ask around town who knows about constructing castles or better yet find someone that knows the area or terminus itself, it may have a secret entrance or its sewers may be undefended
-[x] get to know the Fox noble, he'll be in charge of Terminus once you get rid of the bandits so a good working relationship with him would be ideal.
-[x] purchase climbing supplies like rope and pitons, dark clothes as well since you'll probably attack by stealth and at night.
-[x] look for an animal/pet (scout flyer?) Or invention that can help in the attack on Terminus
-[x] go to a gambling hall and bet the remaining money you have on yourself and your party succeeding on taking Terminus
@Synth do we have a time limit? I can add more questions, also can we go chat up that fox? He's supposed to rule over Terminus right?
