Session 1: Dragon Keep

[C. Steven Ross]

So point of fact, I do operate under a house rule that I am very loosy goosy about what skills can help other skills. Basically, I want you to describe how your skill helps the test, not look it up in a list. I got to the point in my home game where the players had a sheet to summarize all the skill helps, and it became less a fun activity in roleplaying and more a boring bookkeeping task.

Anyway, yeah, in either case (BL or Nature), give us like one sentence about Norgrim's skill at labor helps here (assuming he wants your help).

[Enoch]

Awesome!

Norgrim pretty much grew up in a mine; this is basically second nature for him. He points out faults on the rock, and wherever the mace cracks the rock without shattering it he reaches in to lever it off. "Right there. See where it's thin? One good whack and I''ll bet that piece comes right off."

[thesniperknight1]

Garen has been underground many times and have always needed to make a fast escape with what little he stole, spotting the weak walls and where to hit exactly is almost second nature to him, "Yeah, right there, you can see it's clearly weaker

[Rusty Tincanne]

to be clear: health (3) + Garen and tandir's health dice (2D) = 5D/2= 2.5D + 1D from Norgrim's laborer skill. Total of 4D.

Is that right or is the laborer die halved too?

[C. Steven Ross]

How is Tandir helping? He certainly hasn't chimed in with anything. Describe what skill or wise he has that would help in this situation.

For beginners luck, total up your relevant ability score and all the helping dice and halve that (traits are not halved). Are you USING any of your Traits? If so, how? Your companions' traits do not apply here. If you are not, right now you are looking at 3D (3+1+1 / 2 = 2.5) vs Ob 3.

[Enoch]

Which is a pretty tough test (each die has a 1/2 chance to come up successful, so you have a 1/8 chance of making it). If you can, use a Trait; if not, we might want to just anticipate failure and withdraw Help so the rest of us aren't subject to Conditions (though Twists will still hit us). At least you'll get a Beginner's Luck check out of it!

[Enoch]

On another note, it's been nearly two weeks since we've heard from DrPete. Sooner or later we'll have to acknowledge he isn't coming back. Should we go on with three, or recruit somebody else? They could always show up as a messenger calling Tandir home and conveniently decide to stay.

I notice looking at his profile that he hasn't been on the forums since his last post in our game.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Quick post prior to leaving for work. Been in bed with a bad sinus headache for 2 days. Sorry for the delay.

@ Enoch: I was thinking the same as you regarding my chances.

Rand politely thanked Garen and Norgrim for their offers of assistance, but declined. "I understand your experience, but I feel the elders speaking to me. This white line draws me to it. Rand flashed out with his mace repeatedly at a thin vein of quartz and was rewarded with an impressive shower of sparks.

Not bothering with a roll on that one. 2D (BL) -1D (using my Voice of the Gods trait against myself) means I have no chance of success. Best I can hope for is a condition and success.

[Rusty Tincanne]

If we ditch Tandir, we should discuss the possibility of grabbing some torches. He was carrying the lion's share of them and we will need them going forward.

And we are about to lose our torch here:

As Rand whacks at the rock, he notices the light dimming. "Could one of you two light another torch, please? That one is failing."

[Enoch]

Nodding, Norgrim rustles around in Tandir's pack and comes up with another torch. He lights it from the existing torch and holds it over Rand's shoulder, casting the light on the rock face.

[thesniperknight1]

Garen has his hands full, so carrying a torch would be impossible unless he used his mouth, "So, shall we meet our new hosts?".

[C. Steven Ross]

Rand gets in some SOLID swings with his mace and crumbles the hell out of the thick cave wall. Stone gives way to steel and the strength of flesh. Overconfident and his mind full of manifest destiny and delusions of divine guidance, he slams his shoulder into the final chunks of hanging stone stopping him from getting to his destination.

CRASH!!!!!!

He forces his way in, shouldering through and leading the party into a round stone chamber, but finds his shoulder to be badly Injured from the process. Without pain, without sacrifice, there is no progress.

Mark an attempted Laborer test and gain the Injured condition, -1D to almost all tests.

The floor here is sandy and the air in here strangely warm. Looking up, you see the ceiling of the cave section extends upwards maybe 50 feet and there is a opening up there. Looking around, you find the floor to be littered with tiny stalagmites and chunks of shattered boulders. Then, you find the source of the warmth: a football-sized, football-shaped, perfectly smooth stone. Veins of red and black intertwine on its surface across a field of dark gray. Sitting atop of the stone is a black scorpion, small enough to fit in your hand, but potentially deadly just the same.

Sketch - https://www.dropbox.com/s/yqftxs1jhkklh ... 9.bmp?dl=0

END TURN 2
3 Turns to End of Session
Rand, make sure to give yourself a check for activating a Trait against yourself.

Please chalk off a torch being burned down. New torches can be lit from the dying embers, however now with only 3 members, let's take a look at who is holding what light.
Are you still lighting two new torches?
Are you dipping into your candle supply?
Who is holding the torches/candles?

[META]
I agree that DrPete has totally dropped the ball and left the face of the earth. He's gone from the game and I'm sending him a PM directly saying so.

I'd like to follow the game rules as close as possible regarding dropping players and the like. We can look for a new player to jump in in between sessions (so around the end of the 13th Turn) and they will get an advancement for "missing" a session rules as written. As for inventory, there is absolutely no way you can loot Tandir's "corpse", as it were. If it were otherwise, why not have two other characters leave when you start running out of supplies, then have more people join in? This is simply not how the game was designed to be played. His stuff goes with him, please keep your sheets as they were in that regards.

[Enoch]

Understood. I don't mind lighting/holding one of my torches, but be aware that if we go to combat I have to drop it. Or does someone else want to hold light?

[C. Steven Ross]

Hey guys!

Was reading the Recovery rules and, like much of Torchbearer, stumbled across this gem nestled in there oh so inconspicuously and easy to miss:

"Tests to recover from conditions are also exempt from the failure rules. Failing a recovery test means you’re still saddled with that condition. And that’s quite enough pain, we don’t need to rub salt in your wounds."

Whoops! I'm pretty sure I did this in the last Camp (checking now).

EDIT: OK I think I panicked unnecessarily. I think we're good and I only apply twists in Camp from spending check to do stuff.

[Rusty Tincanne]

Rand returned his mace to his belt and accepted the lit torch from Norgrim. His shoulder would have to wait for medical attention... right now he wanted to see more of this cave! With the torch held high, he cast the light about and took in as many details as he could, looking for anything obvious to the eyes, such as inscriptions, more beasts, etc.


1. Garen, this might count as a "room," which would trigger your instinct.
2. Steven!!! Injured!? Seriously!? You know I have a horrid health score!
3. Still, we are in by Turn 13!!!! Woot! I am thankful for the success!
4. Character sheet updated to reflect food missing, tests taken and checks earned.
5. FYI: I am now taking tests at +1 Ob and -1D.

[Enoch]

Luckily, you need failed tests for advancement as well...

1 torch deducted.

Norgrim moves around the room, looking it over first and keeping his distance from the stone in the center. He looks for any sort of tracks in the sand, anything unusual on the walls--inscriptions, toolings, etc.

Following that he moves closer to the unusual stone, looking it over with curiosity (while keeping an eye on the scorpion--if it moves he backs off immediately, and he will stay out of likely stinging range). Do we recognize the stone at all?

[C. Steven Ross]

Garen: Yes, do you activate your Instinct?

Rand: Make poultices, rest in hotels, spend Fate/Persona, and if that fails, just burn out the wound. All of these are way harder or more punishing than they sound.

Norgrim: Hmm, something you do spot are a series of evenly placed holes in the far wall, the wall where the passageway up top is. The holes are about the size of your pinky, come in pairs about a foot apart, and go up in columns spaced every 6". How do you / what do you do to identify the stone?

[Rusty Tincanne]

"Norgrim, are those hole.s likely to be firing arrows if we touch the wrong thing? Perhaps Garen ought to look around first... See if there is a trap. And on a different note, do you think that rock is worth anything?"

[Enoch]

"Hmm, hadn't considered the possibility of a trap. Looked more like a ladder to me. Maybe some pre-cut holes for pitons, so as we could climb up easier. Still, keep clear of them until we can take a closer look."

With that, he walks closer to the stone in the middle. Peering at it, he picks up a piece of shattered rock, backs off a few pieces, and wings it at the scorpion. Assuming it doesn't move, he continues throwing stones until he hits it, and then brings his crossbow to bear--overkill, perhaps, but sometimes nasty surprises come in small packages.

If he can get the scorpion off it, he tosses a handful of sand on the stone to see if there's any effect. Assuming none, he'll nudge it with his foot, then squat down and examine it more closely. Do the veins appear to be metal, or something else? Are they actually cracks in the surface? He pulls out one of his iron spikes and taps it gently, watching and listening.

[Rusty Tincanne]

you really don't want to wait to see if garen can locate a trap with his instinct first?i think we ought to give him a chance to check in and post.