Flipz

"Indeed. I will visit when my photos finish uploading soon, when I know for certain my path." The words of Wren echoed: Do not try to predict me, Regulus. Wise words, despite their source. "I have learned much in my time away, including the folly of laying plans upon an ever-shifting future. Hopefully, with the help of that artifact of Chaos--" at this, Arthur nodded towards Zoot's Plaything in Skrall's hand "--I may divine my proper path." More quietly, he murmured, almost to himself "Perhaps I ought to have asked the Dastanian seer I saved for guidance..."

True, but also recall that each extra point of SP is equivalent to a 20-30 HP increase (1 extra Damage negated per hit x # of times hit during Quest). Thus, +1 SP every other Quest makes sense, especially since the SP is already so high.

As Arthur left the Library, he noticed a Metasimian Hero enter, look around for a moment, and then leave again. Curious, Arthur followed Thothwick back outside, but was distracted by the reappearance of several other Heroes. He walked over to De'kra just in time to hear the rogue mention something about stealing the power of a god. "By the gods...she's really going to do it, isn't she?" Arthur's brow furrows. He knew the fate that would await him if Wren achieved her goal--a true Master of Chaos abode no rivals. Seeing his own Master arrive, however, lightened his spirits tremendously. "Althior!" he called, "It's good to see you, Master!"

I like this idea. This is a good idea as well, though I also think that shields should be a bit more expensive to upgrade; considering the average size of a Quest reward, 160 Gold is chump change for high-level Heroes like Docken. Following Pie's suggested upgrade cost scheme, 320 Gold is a lot more manageable, and conforms to the law of diminishing returns a lot better. Endgame, you have a true gift with enemy specials. I envy your skill! Endgame Level ??? Eurobricks Count HP: ??/?? SP: ?? Special: Comes up with epic enemy Specials.

To add to this: if one party member with really high SP is making problems for QM balance, you can always take the Zepher route and lock them in a jail cell for 2/3 of the Quest split them off into their own side-Quest. Yes, this means having to run two battles at once, but the individual battles would be a LOT easier to balance and run anyway.

When Byblos called for him, Arthur quickly returned to the Library, and was surprised at the detail of the new map. "Byblos," he said, "you are a true wonder of this world. If I were to read every book on Olegaia, I doubt I'd be half as well-informed as you." Seeing De'kra come in Arthur went to talk to him, but he seemed preoccupied for the moment. Arthur picked up the notes and read them, angling them slightly so Byblos could read as well. Arthur frowned slightly at the appearance of Russel, and winced at the passage in which he first appeared, noting how his over-eager attempts to warn the other party of the Cult of the Chimaera served only to tell them things they already knew. Arthur began working with Byblos once more, filling in some of the missing details between the two Quests. As he prepared to finish the passages on the Rito, he saw Byblos frown with unfamiliarity; Arthur made a mental note to find Nerwen, to direct her to the Library to flesh out Byblos' record of the species--as well as to tender a few apologies long overdue. Byblos at last penned a final passage into the Quest 29 and 31 records, leaving blank space around the crossings with Quest 30 in case further details emerged. As Arthur read of the discussion around Roland's fate, his expression darkened at Sarick's outburst. Clearly, he though, this is one Hero to avoid. After promising Byblos he would help once a Hero of Quest 30 came in, Arthur returned once more to the Hall to join the rest of his bretheren.

Arthur addresses Atramor. "Yeah, but this story...this one needs a personal touch." "Byblos has a bare-bones framework of what happened, but there are a LOT of gaps. What's this I hear about you hunting down ghosts? And there's been no word of any developments since we all split up at the palace, I know that one of our bravest commanders died in the fighting outside the palace, as did Emperor Alandri's bodyguard. Beyond that, there was quite a bit of good news involving the status of the Lion Knights, but I know of little that would interest you. Although, you DID fight alongside Count--sorry, Lord Knyghton in the Throne Room, did you not? He now leads all of the Lion Knights, both here and those who maintain the Lions' post in Dastan. He and the rest of the Lion Knights have offered to train Isabella, Alexandre, and I as Skirmishers when the time is right." Seeing Xander posting a trading notice, he tacks up a bill of his own: Robe of the Magi (SP: 1), 20 gold (that's 10 less than Fabian's price!). Contact Arthur J. Regulus if interested.

"I think I pull upon it as much as it pulls upon me. I am of its people, after all." Arthur carefully reached for the smoky orb, then drew his hand back hastily, as if burned. Reaching instead with his right hand, still wrapped in the rag his ally Hans had given him, Arthur touched a cloth-bound finger to the surface of the Plaything. Contact. A light flashed in Arthur's mind, a series of disconnected images--a field, cut with rifts; a forest, dominated by a mighty oak; twin spires of blackened obsidian, bound by etherial forces--flashed through his mind. The tinkling of bells underscored the next part of the vision, as faces both familiar and foreign appeared behind his closed eyelids. And then, a midst the roiling clouds of a smoky maelstrom... Arthur's eyes opened. He had barely blinked. A gem of pure Chaos. Utterly impossible. And yet... Arthur drew his hand back from the artifact of Zoot, almost reluctantly, and reached into his robes. The cloth began to fall to pieces as he dug through his pockets for his quarry--"Time for a wardrobe change," he muttered aloud--but at last, he withdrew his three gems, his new Topaz chief among them. "I never properly thanked you for this, Skrall. And now once again I find myself in your debt. Thank you for that most enlightening experience." Arthur turned, and spotted a familiar but unrecognizable woman exit a door in the Hall, one that Arthur knew he had never been through before. The urge to investigate what lay through it was great, but the Mage restrained himself. "Cronk...have you seen De'kra yet? I have this strage feeling that the two of us ought to train together, but I haven't--" Arthur stopped suddenly. "Skrall...if you haven't found that Plaything a permanent home by the time De'kra and I seek out the Copper Fox, would you mind letting me borrow it? As an arcane focus for my training?"

Disappointed that no one else seemed to be interested in helping him and Byblos chronicle the saga of Dastan, Arthur made to return to the Library, when... *** "Can you feel that?" "...?" *** Arthur slowly turned back to Skrall. The dark orb in his hand called to him. "Skrall...is that...is that what I think it is?" Arthur hears a voice calling out to him from the Library. He quickly sticks his head back through the doorway. "I'll be right back, Byblos!" Enraptured, Arthur walks hesitantly toward the Hunter. "May I...?" he asks, palm extended. "I wish only to examine its power..."

Silly question, what color do most QMs use for the "Immune to Sealed" effect? I'd like to get it right in my stats.

*begins contriving reason for someone to use that sentence in-character*

Arthur steps into the Hall, looking back and forth anxiously, in search of the Heroes of Quest 29. "They have been gone too long...my friends, we may have left Dastan too soon." Seeing that at least some of the other Dastan Questers had arrived, he gestured to them. "Any of the Heroes of Quest 30, please come with me, Byblos and I require your assistance in recording the events of your journeys."

Arthur entered the Library for the first time in a long time. And yet, as much as he had been looking forward to it, he couldn't seem to enjoy it. Troubled by his encounter with the mysterious being, Arthur reached for several freshly-bound volumes detailing previous Quests, but Byblos grabbed his arm before he could touch them. "The bindings are not yet secure." Nodding, Arthur turned his attention to three fresh volumes, unbound, bearing the seal of Dastan. "I'll help with this; it shall calm my mind." Quill in hand, and memories still fresh, Arthur sat down next to the Metasimian, and began to help write the record of the Heroes' journeys.

Arthur's mind began to spin with possibilities. Could it be...? "No," he says audibly, "the Mal'thara was a century ago. Surely this couldn't be..." Shaken, Arthur heads to the Library.

William Harkenshire, Ranger. VolcanicPanik's character. Was with us on Quest 17.

...huh?

Arthur whirls, dropping into a defensive crouch. "You..." Arthur paused. You are a Hero of Heroica, not some apprentice digger in a second-rate mine! he berated himself. Standing up straighter, Arthur addressed the creature. "You were at Bric'bay," he says simply. Arthur pauses. "'He?' Do you mean...?" Arthur glances back towards the massive doors of the Hall, through which his friend De'kra had yet to pass. "Who are you? What are you? And why are you so similar to De'kra?"

Arthur casually wanders through the marketplace, stopping short when he sees Fabian's new stall. "Well, that's new..." Without hesitating, Arthur dropped 300 Gold on the man's counter in exchange for a Robe of the Archmagi. Seeing Anwyl eying him suspiciously from across the Marketplace, Arthur thanks Fabian and rushes over to the smithy. "Well?" "Not as useful as I'd hoped, I'm afraid," Arthur said, handing over his Staff of Elven Necromancy. With a grunt that sounded suspiciously like "told you so," the "dwarf" handed over 25 gold for the blackened stick. Realizing he had debts to settle, Arthur headed back to the Hall before temptation could get the better of him.

Remind me to PM the two of you in a couple days, once we've all had a chance to rest up from the epicness of Dastan. This was SUCH an epic Quest, I really enjoyed all of the roleplaying opportunities. Zepher, I know you didn't really have a "lesson" in mind for us when Wren joined us in Q31, but I took one away nonetheless: as Wren so eloquently put it: Dastan COMPLETLY shook up my plans for Arthur, while in an odd way reinforcing them. These Quests seem to have done that for a LOT of characters, taking their vague thoughts and characterizations and crystallizing them into brilliant gemstones of geat roleplaying. Even the quieter, less active characters like Isabella and William seem to have developed thanks to these Quests. Doc, I have to say, I LOVED the hex battles. My only complaint was that they dragged a little at first, but as we got the hang of playing them and you got faster at Photoshopping them, they seemed to speed up. I also loved the Final Battle; it was HUGE, but even so it was all just an extension of basic rules, combining them in interesting, unexpected ways. I love things like that, where it's the same sort of mechanic you're used to, simply delivered in a revolutionary way. (I also enjoy managing resources on that scale; one of the great disappointments of my vacation was that I didn't have time to really dig in and strategize battle-wide the way Atramor was doing.) The three of you seem to be VERY good at doing that. Aside from missing several great roleplaying opportunities, my biggest frustration this Quest came from not knowing what to do. Ironically enough, early on I don't think we in Quest 31 were railroaded enough; Loren and the other Rogue Lion leaders just sort of materialized out of nowhere towards the end, I didn't feel like we really did anything to track them down. Part of Arthur's despair when Skrall and Isabella disappeared came from this place of "well, what the hell are we supposed to do now?" I really thought that the Rogue Lions were sort of a diversion from the "real" plotline, especially with the Cult of the Chimaera carrying such Lion-esque overtones; I was sure they were part of the Rogue Lion movement right up until it was explicitly revealed that they were not. Speaking of that "now what?" moment, I really enjoyed getting to be a Party Leader, even if just for a short while. Capt. JohnPaul, you were great, Arthur and Alex had a real "good cop/bad cop" vibe going, I'd love to see that happen again sometime. I also really appreciate those "improvised" encounters like the bar and the battle to break into Roland's wing, Doc, it was comforting to know I wasn't the only one who felt like I was completely missing the plot of the Quest. There's a tiny gripe in that, though: I really liked that improv work, and would have liked to have seen it more. *cough* Alandri's Library *cough* Even if you didn't feel like writing up all that stuff, it would have been nice for Arthur and Alandri to go "off-screen" and chat and learn about it, instead of that knowledge being simply "inaccessible". That's just a tiny gripe, though, and really it's all a matter of style. I'll likely have more thoughts once I read through the entirety of the other Quests, so I'll go do that once I'm finished in the Marketplace.

Arthur stepped lightly into the Hall, humming his tune from Dastan lightly as he went about his business. He sees several Quests on the board, but one immediately draws his eye. "Wren..." without hesitation, he enters his name for Quest 38. Looking further down, he sees just two ongoing Quests of interest; the first, the Fields of Glory, seemed a valuable opportunity once he returned from his next Quest. He quickly tore a piece of parchment from one of the myriad advertisements--this one seemed to belong to some local Apothecary--and scribbled down the details for future planning. Note to self: have a nice long chat with Atramor and Cronk... The second Quest he noted was one offered by the Shadeaux--involving Lyren Hinckwell and Nuitan Shadeaux. Arthur shook his head sadly. The only two pure souls in Eubric--I should have known that they'd end up marked by the taint of Heroica. I hope the journals I sent them have served them well. Arthur hadn't checked his journals since returning from Dastan, but he decided it wouldn't be worth the trouble to interfere--if they needed him, they would have contacted him long before now. Good luck, lads, he thought, you'll need it. Arthur strolled past the great doors, back towards the marketplace. He did not know it, but in an alley not far away, he himself was the subject of a fierce argument... *** OOC: Spoilered so as not to clutter the page too badly, anyone can read this.

Well, the color of the baseplate is the real issue. All of my gray plates have ugly road lines on them, except for my moon-surface plates (which wouldn't really work, either...). I may have a 16x32 from my old Studios set, I'd have to dig it out, though.

Who, me? I have some ideas, right now I'm working on a concept that sets a few things up, though your idea lets me twist that around substantially to make it significantly more Heroica-esque. My main problem is set-building, I've lost my 48x48 gray baseplates, which is a major impediment to building...well, anything, really. (That's what I get for setting the majority of the Quest indoors, I guess. )

Let's, though there is a rather simple explanation revolving around Arthur's family profession (which, incidentally, IS why De'kra now calls Arthur "Nuparu", correct?). Actually, on that note, why does De'kra still call Wren by her proper name? Shouldn't he be calling her "Roodaka"?

Do note that more than a little of that comes from my deciding to do that without having a plan as for why. A good example of how backstory can sometimes be written around events in the present? Perhaps. A good example of planned, logical roleplaying? Not a chance in hell.

Ha ha, just my luck, Arthur gets back to the Hall and all THREE of the people to whom he owes money are off on Quests. Boomingham and Skrall would be proud. Hmm...speaking of Boomers...he IS in the Hall right now, yes? Hmm... *scribble scribble* Also, Doc, I don't think I ever thanked you properly for Arthur's staff. It is the PERFECT weapon for him, the Flee effect really fits his character to a tee while also being quite useful within the game mechanics. I look forward to the ultimate conclusion tomorrow, and to a LOT of epic role-playing in the Hall in the very near future as all of us Dastan Questers return to Eubric.