Flipz

Youngling!Miirym full reveal! Scaling is always screwy with LEGO creatures, let alone magical ones that grow at absurd speeds, but right now Miirym's just about the same size as a minifigure from nose to tail (so, a little heavy to be shoulder-sitting anymore); yesterday in-game, she was only about two-thirds that size (so, too large to just sit on a shoulder, but workable to hold on a shoulder and an outstretched arm, if just barely). By the time we reach Xu, she'll be 1:1 scale with her LEGO representation. At the risk of sounding like Pretzel himself, perhaps he can assuage his guilty conscience by selling stuff to other Heroes to help them be better equipped against evil? I do regret selling that Scroll of Frailty instead of imbuing it, though.

A Confused hero's attack is rolled like any other; if an Aim/Hit/Critical Hit/SHIELD is rolled, however, there is a 50-50 chance that the attack will be redirected to an ally instead of an enemy. If we're talking about the "chance to attack if doing nothing/using items on self" ruling, I'm a bit less certain. I think it's supposed to be a normal Hit, but I'd have to start searching through Quests to be certain.

Arthur accepts Hoke's aid, making sure to pick up his own weapons, holding them in a ready state just in case some of Sven's followers had failed to see the futility of his stance. "That," he says, "was the hardest fight I've had to deal with in a while." He looks worriedly at the empty space next to Vipera that Miirym had occupied mere minutes before. "Where'd Miirym go? Is something going on that I should know about?" he asks his fellow Dragoon as he re-equips his Tin Gloves. ---------------------------------------- Unbeknownst to Arthur, his Dragon soars over the glassy surface of Lake Glaz, her rear talons leaving trails in their wake as she lets them drag across the surface of the water. She looks down, gazing at her own reflection. "<When did this happen?>" she wonders quietly to herself, staring at the unfamiliar face that looks back at her. "<When did I become this great and powerless creature?>" No longer was she the small, near-helpless hatchling she had been in Xu, the miniscule creature she had been at the start of their voyage. Every day she had grown, stronger and larger as she had so greatly desired, even faster as they'd arrived in Dastan. This morning, her scales had begun to shed, and she knew that within the week her days of sitting on shoulders would be over. Yet despite her ever-growing size, her strength within had not grown to match it, and the near-youngling knew not why. She thinks back, just minutes ago, to the battle that unfolded before her. She snorts, a cloud of midnight-violet smoke bursting forth and receding into the distance behind her. All I wished, she thinks, was to stand at his side. To protect him, to protect Dastan, to be the Guardian that is my name. Her gaze drops below. But I was not needed. My contribution, had I even been allowed to give it, would have meant nothing--less than nothing--in the face of his foe. Miirym turns slightly, the better to look at Drakencourt and the palace she had just left. Arthur speaks of Vipera, of the Dragons of Dastan. Of their wisdom, their strength and power. Yet still, despite all I have learned, that power is still not my own. In a fit of sudden resolution, Miirym wheels, turning back on her path towards its origin. Perhaps, she thinks determinedly, the answers I seek will be found in the heart of all dragons' flame. It is time we seek it out. OOC: Hooray for Level 40, I can wear more stuff now!

FM Note: Warlen's attack mentions swinging his sword, so I'll assume he means a physical attack with The Cannonblade rather than with the Darkstar Wand. Please make your weapon choices clear when making an attack (and thank you to those of you who did so already, it's very helpful). Round 1 of Battle 1 >Erik (Lightning) vs. Scary Crows A - Damage (Erik: 36/2=18-14=4 damage; Warlen: +1 Power) >William vs. Scarecrow B - Hit (Scarecrow B: 12+21=33 damage) >Siercon (Light) vs. Scarecrow A - Special Damage (Murder of Crows - Scarecrow A: full health; Scary Crows B: -1 member; Warlen: +1 Power) Avalanche vs. Canaries - Extra Critical Hit (Canaries: 10*3=30+13=43 damage + no Doomed (KO!)) >Warlen vs. Scary Crows B - Special Damage (Shriek - Warlen: Afraid, +1 Power) >Alexander vs. Mad Cows - Special Damage (Moo! - Alexander: Confused + Afraid; Warlen: +1 Power) Scary Crows C Free Hit vs. Erik: 24/2=12-14=0 damage Before the battle can even begin, Erik gets swarmed by Scary Crows, but he fortunately takes little damage. William shoots an arrow into one Scarecrow's soft straw, while Siercon's searing glow scares the other into devouring one of its allies, causing the other crows to shriek in Warlen's face. This, in turn, agitates the Mad Cows into mooing eerily at Alexander, the unearthly sound scaring and Confusing the powerful Hunter. In the midst of the chaos, however, Avalanche cleaves through the Canaries, wiping out every last one with a single sweep of Erik's silver cup. Through all the chaos, Warlen seems to suck it all in, his greaves glowing ominously as he himself grows in Power. Six targets remain. THE BATTLE CONTINUES! The Enemies: Mad Cows *Mob 2* Type: Beast Level: 40 (20*2) Health: 686/686 (343*2) Special: Moo! – Causes the confused- and afraid-effect to the target. Drops (varies by roll): 1-2: Raw Meat (Max. health +5) 3-4: Milk (Restores 15 health and 15 ether) 5-6: Bone Scarecrow A *Darkness-elemental attacks* Type: Demon Level: 15 Health: 210/210 Special I: Murder of Crows – Consume a Scary Crow to restore full health to self. Special II: Shriek – Causes the afraid-effect. Used only if all Scary Crows are gone. Drops (varies by roll): 1-3: Skeleton Decoy (Can be set up to absorb enemy Free Hits for up to 20 points of damage before it breaks.) 4-6: nothing Scarecrow B *Darkness-elemental attacks* Type: Demon Level: 15 Health: 177/210 Special I: Murder of Crows – Consume a Scary Crow to restore full health to self. Special II: Shriek – Causes the afraid-effect. Used only if all Scary Crows are gone. Drops (varies by roll): 1-3: Skeleton Decoy (Can be set up to absorb enemy Free Hits for up to 20 points of damage before it breaks.) 4-6: nothing Scary Crows A *Mob 6* Type: Flying Level: 36 (6*6) Health: 378/378 (63*6) Special: Shriek – Causes the afraid-effect. Drops: nothing Scary Crows B *Mob 3* Type: Flying Level: 18 (6*3) Health: 189/189 (63*3) Special: Shriek – Causes the afraid-effect. Drops: nothing Scary Crows C *Mob 4* Type: Flying Level: 24 (6*4) Health: 252/252 (63*4) Special: Shriek – Causes the afraid-effect. Drops: nothing The Party: Warlen Melimane, Eulalia's Knight (The Chosen Minifigure) 23 year old male half-elf Mystic Knight Level 18.5 *Immune to Ether Reduction* *Cursed defense!* *+1 POWER whenever a party member rolls DAMAGE/SPECIAL DAMAGE* *Afraid* Power Bonus: +0 +4 Health: 27/27 (18+1+3+5+7*) SP: 8 (4+4) Ether: 29/29 (18+3+5+1) Gold: 250 Equipment: Darkstar Wand (WP:12; has 1/2 chance of inflicting hexed-effect; darkness-elemental wand) (loaned from Erik), Eulalia Shield (SP: 4, prevents ether reduction), Vorpalis Diremail (SP: 4, enemies that inflict damage on the wearer become Cursed. Bodywear), Vorpalis Purgers (Power +0; goes up by 1 every time a someone in the hero's party/the hero themselves rolls damage/special damage. Resets to zero if the wearer is knocked out or if the battle ends. Legwear), Inventory: Weapons: The Cannonblade (Can be used as a longsword or handcannon, WP: 8. Ignores SP in sword mode, deals Bleeding 1 in cannon mode), Healing Staff (WP: 5, staff, heals instead of damaging), Rusty Dagger (WP:2, poison 10, breaks after 3 uses).[/font] Artifacts: Cloak of Deception (Free hits against the wearer have a 1/6 chance to be redirected to a random opponent), Counterstrike Gloves, Magician's Glove* (+10 spell power), Locustoid Greaves (+4 ether, suitable for ether users), Lethauros Ring (Health and Ether +5. Suitable for anyone, accessory), Spellbook: Amethyst, Aquamarine, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Garnet x2 Lent to Siercon, Opal, Topaz, Diamond, Scroll of Sleep, Scroll of Frailty, Scroll of Antimagic Must Be RPed: Lightning Ball (25 electric damage to all enemies, bomb), Small Frost Ball (10 ice damage, bomb) Consumables: Potion x2, Grand Potion x3, First Aid Kit (Full Health and remove negative effects for the whole party), Health Core, Tonic x3, Grand Tonic x2, Remedy x7, Banana (Full Health), Smoke Bomb x3, Milk x2 (+15 HP and Ether), Hurricane x3 (Grants *Drunk* effect. If user makes pun every round, the strength of their attack is doubled), Phoenix Essence x2, Phoenix Incense, 2x Mead, 4x Smelling Salts Other Junk: Bedroll, Shovel, Telescope, Magnifying Glass, Pickaxe, Magic Compass, Bones x6, Shiny Gold Rocks x2 (Worth 1 gold at most stores, 5 at magic stores), 10-gallon Hats x7 (Grants wearer tourist effect, causing no one to take them seriously, headwear), Viper Scale (worth 40 gold to a certain someone) For Sale: Wand of Enamouring (WP:6, deals *Enamoured*-effect, wand), Feathered Cap (SP: 1, headwear, immune to *Petrified*), *+1 to health from Rockapple Fruit, Quest #131 *Name changed from Magicians Gloves. Erik Tyrvarr (Myrddyn) 19 years old male human Battle Mage. Level: 25 *Natural Respite* *Immune to Fragile, Fire, Water,* *Commands dogs* *Party Leader!* Power bonus: +0 Defense: 14 (Heavy Armour 5 + Bright Polish 1 + Dog Fur Coat 5 + Tricorne 3) Health: 41/45 (Barbarian base 8 + Level bonus 24 + Battle Mage bonus 5 + Raw Meat 5 + Vampire Dust 3) Ether: 26/26 (Level bonus 25 + Battle Mage bonus 1) Gold: 566 Equipment: Titanic Axe (WP:12, Earth, fire, Light-elemental, has 1/6 chances of inflicting petrified-effect; axe), Brightly Polished Heavy Armour (SP: 6, immune to Fragile, fire, water, bodywear), Dog Fur Coat(SP:5, Grants Command over dogs, backwear), Tricorne(SP: 3). Inventory: Weapons: Darkstar Wand (WP:12; has 1/2 chance of inflicting hexed-effect; darkness-elemental wand) loaned to Warlen, Silver Cup of Victory (WP:10; has 1/6 chance of causing doomed; club) loaned to Avalanche, Plunger (WP:2; 1/2 chance to cause sudden death to an aquatic enemy with each hit; club), Twin Axe (WP: 5, dual strike-axe), Voltedge (WP: 13, greatsword/longsword). Artifacts: Peacekeepers totem (Grants the "Diplomacy"-job trait; suitable to Erik only; accessory), Talisman of Enlightenment(Protects from hexed-effect; accessory), Sharkskin Armour (SP +1, bodywear), Shamanic Plate (Max. Health +2, Max. Ether +2; Blood Ritual does double damage to the target; suitable for shamans; bodywear), Lighter Armor (SP: 4, immune to Fragile, bodywear) loaned to William, Helmet (Health +1), Barbarian's Boots (Natural Respite>Restoration; footwear), Ethereal Cloak (SP:2, Max. Ether +4, suitable for mages, clerics, necromancers, scholars and weather mages; backwear.) Gems: Amethyst, Ruby, Topaz. Consumables: Milk (Restores 15 health and ether), Grand Elixir (Restores full health and ether to target and remedies all negative effects), 4*Tonics, Nostrum, Venom, Ether Core, Remedy, 3*Potions, Health Core, Mulled Wine, Mead, Smelling Salts, Elixir, Grand Potion, Deluxe Skeleton Decoy, Feather of Flight (Allows the user to flee from the battle when used.) Other items: Gold Statuette (Worth 100 gold), 3*Torches (WP:2, breaks after one use, suitable to all), Chair (WP:4, club), 2*Crystal Balls (worth 50 gold, except in magic shops where it is worth 100 gold.) Siercon (Siercon and Coral) Male, Age and species unknown (Visual appearance of hollow black smoke in human form.) Battlemage Level 18 *Natural Respite* *Darkness to all Attacks; Immune to Darkness and Asleep* Power Bonus: +10 spellpower Defense: 5 (Dark Phibbian Cloak +5) Health: 28/28 (5 base + 18 lvl + 5 class) Ether: 24/24 (5 base + 18 lvl + 1 class) Gold: 109 Equipment: Giant Spear (WP:17, causes Bleeding, Hollow [Potion]), Dark Phibbian Cloak (SP:5, Immune to Darkness and Sleep, adds Darkness-element to attacks; bodywear, suitable for magic users), Magicians Gloves(Spellpower +10; Handwear, suitable for Mages) Inventory: Weapons/Artifacts: Sylvania's Cowl (grants Animal Talk; headwear, suitable for anyone), Sanctified Rito Spear (WP:4, doubled against Flying enemies, Hollow upgrade [-]), 2x Mithril Shard (1/4 of a piece of Mithril) Gems: Topaz (Lightning), Diamond (Light), Ruby (Fire), Emerald (Wood), Garnet (Earth) (loaned from Warlen) Bombs: Cataclysm Bomb 200 (200 damage to all enemies with all elements [except darkness], ignores row and SP), Muddy Bomb (deals blinded and poisoned by 3 to all foes), Confuse Bomb (Deals 5 damage and the confused-effect to all opponents), 5x Bone, Smoke Bomb Consumables: 6 Potions, 3 Remedies, 1 Grand Potion Tools: Magic Compass, Shovel, Magnifying Glass For Sale: (Message if interested): Chain Scythe (WP:6, appliesEnamored), Hood of the Dark Druid (wearer absorbs Wood- and Darkness-elemental damage; headwear, suitable for druids only), Quest: Good Rep: Shadeaux, Rito Alexander Vandangant (Wedge09) 99 years old elf Hunter Level 26.66 *Natural Respite* *Immune to asleep and fast asleep* *Favors Humanoid- and Beast-type enemies* *Confused (3 Rounds)* *Afraid* Power: 37 (LVL 22+WP 15) Defense: 6 (Chevalier of Charis armor + Dream Helm) Health: 38/38 (6 + 20 + 6 + 4 + 2 Chicken Drumstick) Gold: 280 Equipment: Fauxthril Crossbow (WP: 14 16 due to Hunter's Quiver, darkness-, ice-elemental, Hollow Blade upgraded [nothing stored]), Chevalier of Charis armor (Artifact, bodywear) (Maximum health +2, SP: 2), Dream Helm (SP: 4, wearer immune to asleep and fast asleep, artifact, headwear), Hunter's Qiver (WP: +2 to bows and crossbows, allows the hunter to favour two typers at the same time) Inventory: •Delfrin Crossbow (WP: 7), Delfrin Master Bow (WP:8, inflicts Jinxed) • Duplovian Helmets of the Guard (SP: 2, Immune to Magic and Healing), Sterile Gloves (Immune to Poisoned and Bleeding; handwear), Ancient Spear (WP:5, Earth elemental), Trickster's Mask of the Gender-Swap • Grand Potion (2), Potions (10), Remedies (2), Tonic (2), Venoms (6), Nostrum, Smoke Bomb, Dirt Bomb, Ice Bomb, Holy Bomb, Fire Bomb (2), Lightning Bob, Elven Bomb, First Aid Kit (Consumable), Meads (3), Weak potion (2), Weak Regeneration Potion (1), Weak Regeneration Tonic (1), Smelling Salt (2), Mithril Shard (1/4 of a piece of Mithril), Big Apple, Bones (6), Skeleton Decoy, Charcoal, Phoenix Essence (2), (2) Grating Stone • Bedroll, Shovel, Telescope, Magic Compass, Magnifying Glass Reputation: Ziegfrieds - Great (+2 Quest), Bonapartes - Great (+2 Quest) Name: William Harkenshire *Immune to Light and Fragile* *Counterstriking* Level: 21.6 Warden Power: 33 Health: 35/35 Gold: 559 SP: 14 Equipment: Croise Crossbow (WP: 12), Mirror Shield (SP:10, user is immune to light-elemental damage; shield), Lighter Armor (SP: 4, immune to Fragile, bodywear) (loaned from Erik), Quiver of Homing Arrows (Rolls of AIM become HIT; can only be used with a bow or a crossbow; backwear.), Counterstrike Gloves (If the wearer is damaged by a Free Hit, they counter with strength equal to their level; handwear.) Inventory: * Repeating Crossbow (WP: 5 May not be upgraded; Fire; Hastened), Delfrin Sword (WP:3), Chain Whip (WP:7, causes Bound), Hand Cannon (WP: 5; Lightning , Wood), Handy Longsword (WP: 4, 1/6 chance to inflict poisoned), Norgh Shield (SP: 5, Immune to Fragile), Lion Knight Shield (SP: 4, suitable for Knights), Pauldrons (SP +2, suitable to Knights, Dragoons and Skirmishers; accessory), Amulet of the Elven Horse Rider (Power +1 on the front row, doubles movement), Chimera Armor (SP:2, +2 Max Health; bodywear, suitable for Knights and Barbarians), Wave Sword (WP: 11, Darkness-elemental, deals Cursed Effect) * Sapphire, Smoke Bomb, Bedroll, Pickaxe, Skeleton Decoy, Shovel, Magnifying Glass, Venom x3, Elven Bomb, Bomb XX, 4 Fire Bombs, Water Bomb, Elixer, Military Grade Water Bomb, Military Grade Lightning Bomb, Bone x2, Magic Saucepan, Nostrum, Rito Feather (consumable, grants the hastened- and blessed-effects upon use for one battle), 1 fine Montresorian Wine, Mead, (Shard of Wood: WP 1 Dagger), Gold Bar, Mithril Shard (1/4 of a piece of Mithril) Avalanche, the Super Sleuth (Dragonfire) 30 years old male yeti Barbarian *Natural Respite* *Immune to Fragile* *Counterstriking* Level 13.5 Power: 21 (13+8) Health: 21/21 (13+7+1*) SP: 5 Gold: 5 Equipment: Silver Cup of Victory (WP:10; has 1/6 chance of causing doomed; club) (loaned from Erik), Heavy Armour (immune to fragile, SP:5), Counterstrike Gloves (after the wearer is struck by a Free Hit, they counter with strength equal to the damage taken) Inventory: Frostbite (halberd, WP:8, damages undead), Trollsbane (club, WP:7, earth-elemental), 4x Potion, Grand Potion, Remedy, Mulled Wine, Smoke Bomb, 4x Venom, 2x Nostrum, Mead, Smelling Salts, Pumpkin Bomb (causes the stunned-, blinded-, poisoned by 1-, asleep-, sealed- and confused- effects to all opponents), Lightning Bomb, Dirt Bomb, Holy Bomb, 8x Bone, Skeleton Decoy, Bumble Fanshirt (SP:1, vermin with less than half of the wearer's level are scared and won't directly attack the wearer, bodywear) (*One Chicken Drumstick eaten) Party Leader, choose the order of action. All of you, choose your targets and the row you want to fight in. Also mention if you want to try to flee, heal or cast a magic spell, or if you want to use an item instead of attacking. Any enemy not targeted will get a Free Hit on the party after everyone has acted. Mobs get an extra Free Hit if there are more members of the mob than standing party members.

Partly, but the big issue for me is translucent bricks casting solid black shadows when they shouldn't and thus creating ugly lines/making parts of the model poorly lit when they shouldn't be; even just having a check box or config option to turn shadows on and off for parts of a given color would be a huge help.

As the Dragoon's spear passes through the Pog's heart, one weight lifts from him as another takes its place. With difficulty, Arthur manages to push his enormous fallen foe off of his spear, the body landing with a thud; he then stabs Hoke's Flagpole into the ground next to it, indicating to his fellow Dragoon with a grateful nod that he should come forth to reclaim it. His work finished, Arthur collapses to the ground--not in unconsciousness, but merely exhaustion. His eyes meet the sky just in time to see Miirym take wing above him, soaring off into the skies above as a dark mist roils in her wake. Arthur rolls his head to look at his companions. "Should I be worried, or...?"

I think when people are saying "unbeatable", they're referring to the round as presented (that is, Namyrra is asleep and everyone else is either KO'd or controlled)--mathematically speaking, it's currently impossible for Namyrra to win. EDIT: To give specific odds, Namyrra has a 25/1944 (just over 1/77) chance of achieving the necessary rolls to survive to the next Round and escape, and I don't think that accounts for the fact that those rolls need to occur in a specific order, either. Honestly, the limbo of knowing the odds are insurmountable but still having to wait for them to play out is probably more painful than the actual loss. Swils also brings up a fair point, that definitely deserves consideration, but I won't comment further either way just yet. Err, not to be overly harsh, but--high reward? Sorry, I'm just not seeing it, especially given the price several players have had to pay in the process.

ColoredLightingTest.lxf by Poochythegenius, on Flickr Apparently, Bluerender does not currently support translucent pieces coloring light. Understandable (since it is definitely a computational strain compared to treating all pieces as solid for the purpose of lighting/shadows), but unfortunate, since it prevents me from making wonderful renders like these: Alchemist_SecretDoor_s5_real by Poochythegenius, on Flickr Is this functionality planned for future versions of Bluerender, or will I be waiting a while for this feature?

After trading equipment, at Erik's lead, the party heads to the Corn Maze, opting not to take on a Challenge. An enormous flock of birds circles above the group, as they... PREPARE FOR BATTLE! The Enemies: Mad Cows *Mob 2* Type: Beast Level: 40 (20*2) Health: 686/686 (343*2) Special: Moo! – Causes the confused- and afraid-effect to the target. Drops (varies by roll): 1-2: Raw Meat (Max. health +5) 3-4: Milk (Restores 15 health and 15 ether) 5-6: Bone Scarecrow A *Darkness-elemental attacks* Type: Demon Level: 15 Health: 210/210 Special I: Murder of Crows – Consume a Scary Crow to restore full health to self. Special II: Shriek – Causes the afraid-effect. Used only if all Scary Crows are gone. Drops (varies by roll): 1-3: Skeleton Decoy (Can be set up to absorb enemy Free Hits for up to 20 points of damage before it breaks.) 4-6: nothing Scarecrow B *Darkness-elemental attacks* Type: Demon Level: 15 Health: 210/210 Special I: Murder of Crows – Consume a Scary Crow to restore full health to self. Special II: Shriek – Causes the afraid-effect. Used only if all Scary Crows are gone. Drops (varies by roll): 1-3: Skeleton Decoy (Can be set up to absorb enemy Free Hits for up to 20 points of damage before it breaks.) 4-6: nothing Scary Crows A *Mob 6* Type: Flying Level: 36 (6*6) Health: 378/378 (63*6) Special: Shriek – Causes the afraid-effect. Drops: nothing Scary Crows B *Mob 4* Type: Flying Level: 24 (6*4) Health: 252/252 (63*4) Special: Shriek – Causes the afraid-effect. Drops: nothing Scary Crows C *Mob 4* Type: Flying Level: 24 (6*4) Health: 252/252 (63*4) Special: Shriek – Causes the afraid-effect. Drops: nothing Canaries *Mob 14* *Immune to all effects and sudden death* Type: Flying Level: 14 (1*14) Health: 14/14 (1*14) Special: Drop Dead – One canary kills itself to bring back all fallen allies. Drops (varies by roll): 1: Phoenix Essence 2-6: nothing The Party: Warlen Melimane, Eulalia's Knight (The Chosen Minifigure) 23 year old male half-elf Mystic Knight Level 18.5 *Immune to Ether Reduction* *Cursed defense!* *+1 POWER whenever a party member rolls DAMAGE/SPECIAL DAMAGE* Power Bonus: +0 Health: 27/27 (18+1+3+5+7*) SP: 8 (4+4) Ether: 29/29 (18+3+5+1) Gold: 250 Equipment: Darkstar Wand (WP:12; has 1/2 chance of inflicting hexed-effect; darkness-elemental wand) (loaned from Erik), Eulalia Shield (SP: 4, prevents ether reduction), Vorpalis Diremail (SP: 4, enemies that inflict damage on the wearer become Cursed. Bodywear), Vorpalis Purgers (Power +0; goes up by 1 every time a someone in the hero's party/the hero themselves rolls damage/special damage. Resets to zero if the wearer is knocked out or if the battle ends. Legwear), Inventory: Weapons: The Cannonblade (Can be used as a longsword or handcannon, WP: 8. Ignores SP in sword mode, deals Bleeding 1 in cannon mode), Healing Staff (WP: 5, staff, heals instead of damaging), Rusty Dagger (WP:2, poison 10, breaks after 3 uses).[/font] Artifacts: Cloak of Deception (1/6 chance to take no damage when hit, backwear), Counterstrike Gloves, Magician's Glove* (+10 spell power), Locustoid Greaves (+4 ether, suitable for ether users), Lethauros Ring (Health and Ether +5. Suitable for anyone, accessory), Spellbook: Amethyst, Aquamarine, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Garnet x2 Lent to Siercon, Opal, Topaz, Diamond, Scroll of Sleep, Scroll of Frailty, Scroll of Antimagic Must Be RPed: Lightning Ball (25 electric damage to all enemies, bomb), Small Frost Ball (10 ice damage, bomb) Consumables: Potion x2, Grand Potion x3, First Aid Kit (Full Health and remove negative effects for the whole party), Health Core, Tonic x3, Grand Tonic x2, Remedy x7, Banana (Full Health), Smoke Bomb x3, Milk x2 (+15 HP and Ether), Hurricane x3 (Grants *Drunk* effect. If user makes pun every round, the strength of their attack is doubled), Phoenix Essence x2, Phoenix Incense, 2x Mead, 4x Smelling Salts Other Junk: Bedroll, Shovel, Telescope, Magnifying Glass, Pickaxe, Magic Compass, Bones x6, Shiny Gold Rocks x2 (Worth 1 gold at most stores, 5 at magic stores), 10-gallon Hats x7 (Grants wearer tourist effect, causing no one to take them seriously, headwear), Viper Scale (worth 40 gold to a certain someone) For Sale: Wand of Enamouring (WP:6, deals *Enamoured*-effect, wand), Feathered Cap (SP: 1, headwear, immune to *Petrified*), *+1 to health from Rockapple Fruit, Quest #131 *Name changed from Magicians Gloves. Erik Tyrvarr (Myrddyn) 19 years old male human Battle Mage. Level: 25 *Natural Respite* *Immune to Fragile, Fire, Water,* *Commands dogs* *Party Leader!* Power bonus: +0 Defense: 14 (Heavy Armour 5 + Bright Polish 1 + Dog Fur Coat 5 + Tricorne 3) Health: 45/45 (Barbarian base 8 + Level bonus 24 + Battle Mage bonus 5 + Raw Meat 5 + Vampire Dust 3) Ether: 26/26 (Level bonus 25 + Battle Mage bonus 1) Gold: 566 Equipment: Titanic Axe (WP:12, Earth, fire, Light-elemental, has 1/6 chances of inflicting petrified-effect; axe), Brightly Polished Heavy Armour (SP: 6, immune to Fragile, fire, water, bodywear), Dog Fur Coat(SP:5, Grants Command over dogs, backwear), Tricorne(SP: 3). Inventory: Weapons: Darkstar Wand (WP:12; has 1/2 chance of inflicting hexed-effect; darkness-elemental wand) loaned to Warlen, Silver Cup of Victory (WP:10; has 1/6 chance of causing doomed; club) loaned to Avalanche, Plunger (WP:2; 1/2 chance to cause sudden death to an aquatic enemy with each hit; club), Twin Axe (WP: 5, dual strike-axe), Voltedge (WP: 13, greatsword/longsword). Artifacts: Peacekeepers totem (Grants the "Diplomacy"-job trait; suitable to Erik only; accessory), Talisman of Enlightenment(Protects from hexed-effect; accessory), Sharkskin Armour (SP +1, bodywear), Shamanic Plate (Max. Health +2, Max. Ether +2; Blood Ritual does double damage to the target; suitable for shamans; bodywear), Lighter Armor (SP: 4, immune to Fragile, bodywear) loaned to William, Helmet (Health +1), Barbarian's Boots (Natural Respite>Restoration; footwear), Ethereal Cloak (SP:2, Max. Ether +4, suitable for mages, clerics, necromancers, scholars and weather mages; backwear.) Gems: Amethyst, Ruby, Topaz. Consumables: Milk (Restores 15 health and ether), Grand Elixir (Restores full health and ether to target and remedies all negative effects), 4*Tonics, Nostrum, Venom, Ether Core, Remedy, 3*Potions, Health Core, Mulled Wine, Mead, Smelling Salts, Elixir, Grand Potion, Deluxe Skeleton Decoy, Feather of Flight (Allows the user to flee from the battle when used.) Other items: Gold Statuette (Worth 100 gold), 3*Torches (WP:2, breaks after one use, suitable to all), Chair (WP:4, club), 2*Crystal Balls (worth 50 gold, except in magic shops where it is worth 100 gold.) Siercon (Siercon and Coral) Male, Age and species unknown (Visual appearance of hollow black smoke in human form.) Battlemage Level 18 *Natural Respite* *Darkness to all Attacks; Immune to Darkness and Asleep* Power Bonus: +10 spellpower Defense: 5 (Dark Phibbian Cloak +5) Health: 28/28 (5 base + 18 lvl + 5 class) Ether: 24/24 (5 base + 18 lvl + 1 class) Gold: 109 Equipment: Giant Spear (WP:17, causes Bleeding, Hollow [Potion]), Dark Phibbian Cloak (SP:5, Immune to Darkness and Sleep, adds Darkness-element to attacks; bodywear, suitable for magic users), Magicians Gloves(Spellpower +10; Handwear, suitable for Mages) Inventory: Weapons/Artifacts: Sylvania's Cowl (grants Animal Talk; headwear, suitable for anyone), Sanctified Rito Spear (WP:4, doubled against Flying enemies, Hollow upgrade [-]), 2x Mithril Shard (1/4 of a piece of Mithril) Gems: Topaz (Lightning), Diamond (Light), Ruby (Fire), Emerald (Wood), Garnet (Earth) (loaned from Warlen) Bombs: Cataclysm Bomb 200 (200 damage to all enemies with all elements [except darkness], ignores row and SP), Muddy Bomb (deals blinded and poisoned by 3 to all foes), Confuse Bomb (Deals 5 damage and the confused-effect to all opponents), 5x Bone, Smoke Bomb Consumables: 6 Potions, 3 Remedies, 1 Grand Potion Tools: Magic Compass, Shovel, Magnifying Glass For Sale: (Message if interested): Chain Scythe (WP:6, appliesEnamored), Hood of the Dark Druid (wearer absorbs Wood- and Darkness-elemental damage; headwear, suitable for druids only), Quest: Good Rep: Shadeaux, Rito Alexander Vandangant (Wedge09) 99 years old elf Hunter Level 26.66 *Natural Respite* *Immune to asleep and fast asleep* *Favors Humanoid- and Beast-type enemies* Power: 37 (LVL 22+WP 15) Defense: 6 (Chevalier of Charis armor + Dream Helm) Health: 38/38 (6 + 20 + 6 + 4 + 2 Chicken Drumstick) Gold: 280 Equipment: Fauxthril Crossbow (WP: 14 16 due to Hunter's Quiver, darkness-, ice-elemental, Hollow Blade upgraded [nothing stored]), Chevalier of Charis armor (Artifact, bodywear) (Maximum health +2, SP: 2), Dream Helm (SP: 4, wearer immune to asleep and fast asleep, artifact, headwear), Hunter's Qiver (WP: +2 to bows and crossbows, allows the hunter to favour two typers at the same time) Inventory: •Delfrin Crossbow (WP: 7), Delfrin Master Bow (WP:8, inflicts Jinxed) • Duplovian Helmets of the Guard (SP: 2, Immune to Magic and Healing), Sterile Gloves (Immune to Poisoned and Bleeding; handwear), Ancient Spear (WP:5, Earth elemental), Trickster's Mask of the Gender-Swap • Grand Potion (2), Potions (10), Remedies (2), Tonic (2), Venoms (6), Nostrum, Smoke Bomb, Dirt Bomb, Ice Bomb, Holy Bomb, Fire Bomb (2), Lightning Bob, Elven Bomb, First Aid Kit (Consumable), Meads (3), Weak potion (2), Weak Regeneration Potion (1), Weak Regeneration Tonic (1), Smelling Salt (2), Mithril Shard (1/4 of a piece of Mithril), Big Apple, Bones (6), Skeleton Decoy, Charcoal, Phoenix Essence (2), (2) Grating Stone • Bedroll, Shovel, Telescope, Magic Compass, Magnifying Glass Reputation: Ziegfrieds - Great (+2 Quest), Bonapartes - Great (+2 Quest) Name: William Harkenshire *Immune to Light and Fragile* *Counterstriking* Level: 21.6 Warden Power: 33 Health: 35/35 Gold: 559 SP: 14 Equipment: Croise Crossbow (WP: 12), Mirror Shield (SP:10, user is immune to light-elemental damage; shield), Lighter Armor (SP: 4, immune to Fragile, bodywear) (loaned from Erik), Quiver of Homing Arrows (Rolls of AIM become HIT; can only be used with a bow or a crossbow; backwear.), Counterstrike Gloves (If the wearer is damaged by a Free Hit, they counter with strength equal to their level; handwear.) Inventory: * Repeating Crossbow (WP: 5 May not be upgraded; Fire; Hastened), Delfrin Sword (WP:3), Chain Whip (WP:7, causes Bound), Hand Cannon (WP: 5; Lightning , Wood), Handy Longsword (WP: 4, 1/6 chance to inflict poisoned), Norgh Shield (SP: 5, Immune to Fragile), Lion Knight Shield (SP: 4, suitable for Knights), Pauldrons (SP +2, suitable to Knights, Dragoons and Skirmishers; accessory), Amulet of the Elven Horse Rider (Power +1 on the front row, doubles movement), Chimera Armor (SP:2, +2 Max Health; bodywear, suitable for Knights and Barbarians), Wave Sword (WP: 11, Darkness-elemental, deals Cursed Effect) * Sapphire, Smoke Bomb, Bedroll, Pickaxe, Skeleton Decoy, Shovel, Magnifying Glass, Venom x3, Elven Bomb, Bomb XX, 4 Fire Bombs, Water Bomb, Elixer, Military Grade Water Bomb, Military Grade Lightning Bomb, Bone x2, Magic Saucepan, Nostrum, Rito Feather (consumable, grants the hastened- and blessed-effects upon use for one battle), 1 fine Montresorian Wine, Mead, (Shard of Wood: WP 1 Dagger), Gold Bar, Mithril Shard (1/4 of a piece of Mithril) Avalanche, the Super Sleuth (Dragonfire) 30 years old male yeti Barbarian *Natural Respite* *Immune to Fragile* *Counterstriking* Level 13.5 Power: 21 (13+8) Health: 21/21 (13+7+1*) SP: 5 Gold: 5 Equipment: Silver Cup of Victory (WP:10; has 1/6 chance of causing doomed; club) (loaned from Erik), Heavy Armour (immune to fragile, SP:5), Counterstrike Gloves (after the wearer is struck by a Free Hit, they counter with strength equal to the damage taken) Inventory: Frostbite (halberd, WP:8, damages undead), Trollsbane (club, WP:7, earth-elemental), 4x Potion, Grand Potion, Remedy, Mulled Wine, Smoke Bomb, 4x Venom, 2x Nostrum, Mead, Smelling Salts, Pumpkin Bomb (causes the stunned-, blinded-, poisoned by 1-, asleep-, sealed- and confused- effects to all opponents), Lightning Bomb, Dirt Bomb, Holy Bomb, 8x Bone, Skeleton Decoy, Bumble Fanshirt (SP:1, vermin with less than half of the wearer's level are scared and won't directly attack the wearer, bodywear) (*One Chicken Drumstick eaten) Party Leader, choose the order of action. All of you, choose your targets and the row you want to fight in. Also mention if you want to try to flee, heal or cast a magic spell, or if you want to use an item instead of attacking. Any enemy not targeted will get a Free Hit on the party after everyone has acted. Mobs get an extra Free Hit if there are more members of the mob than standing party members.

Round 8 of Forest Fighting Frenzy Mac Encourages Jinnipher - Failure (roll of 6) Jinnipher vs. Baby Battle Ant Mob - Hit (Baby Battle Ant Mob: 5+6=11 damage + Poison 5) >Terry vs. Itsy-Bitsy Spider - SHIELD (Magic Burst of Ice: All enemies: 10+6=16*2*2=64 damage (all KO'd); Terry: -1 Ether) Boris heals Terry - No Healing (roll of 5) Torald vs. Baby Crimson Scorpion - >Ezeran drinks a Potion Kheyli vs. Baby Crimson Scorpion - Jinnipher finally lands a solid hit, but, not to be outdone, Terry unleashes a powerful blizzard blast that brings to the enemies the cold chill of death. THE BATTLE IS VICTORIOUS! All party members level up! The enemies drop a Broken spear, a Natural Shield, Robes of the Murine Chieftan, a Venom, four Remedies, a Rat Club, a Poison Bomb, a Fire Bomb, a Crimson Scorpion Dagger, an Ebony Scorpion Dagger, and two scorpions. The Party: Terry Yelnats (played by Endgame) *Party Leader!* Male Human Mage Level 7 Power Bonus: 0 Health: 2/11 (5+6) Defense: 1 Ether: 6/11 (5+5) Gold: 23 Equipment: Grumpy's Staff (WP: 10), Leather Cap (SP: 1) Inventory: Ether Lash Wand: (WP 3 Wand, at the cost of 1 ether per WP the Wand becomes dual strike for one attack.), Cattle Prod Staff (WP: 3), 3x Potion, Sapphire (Wind), Opal (Ice), 2x Bat Guano (can be thrown at an enemy to cause the Blind Effect), Bedroll Jinnipher Buchaire (JimBee) 76-year-old female Moon Elven Knight Level 7 Power Bonus: 0 Defense: 8 Health: 6/16 Gold: 115 Equipment: Brine Blade (WP:5, deals Poison 5; greatsword), Full Moon Shield (SP:5), Moone Mail (SP:3; bodywear) Inventory: The Beheader (WP:15, defies SP; greatsword), Vorpalis Conquerors (Power +0; goes up by 2 for every enemy defeated, drops back down to 0 if the wearer is knocked out or if the battle ends; footwear), 3x Potion, Grand Potion, Greater Tonic, 3x Remedy, Bedroll, Shovel, Letter of Recommendation Boris Bruhalv (Waterbrick Down) 38 year old male vampire Cleric *Immune to Stunned and Poisoned* Level 9 Power Bonus: 0 Defense: 2 (2) Health: 15/17 (9+8) Ether: 13/13 (5+8) Gold: 103 Equipment: Simple Mace (WP: 3, mace), Rusty Chainmail (SP: 2, Immune to Stunned and Poison) Inventory: Defender's Ring (Accessory, Rolls of "Heal Less" become "Heal"), Scroll of Sleep (Enables casting the asleep-effect to the target, forcing them to miss its turn for three rounds or until woken up by an attack. Each casting has a 50/50 chance of success and costs 1 ether.), 2 Potions, 2 Remedies, Phoenix Essence, 4 Tonics, 1x Sleep Bomb, 3x Blind Bomb, Military Grade Fire Bomb (Deals 10 Fire damage to all opponents when used), Military Grade Dirt Bomb (Deals 10 Ground damage to all opponents when used), Military Grade Holy Bomb (Deals 10 Holy damage to all opponents when used), Military Grade Lightning Bomb (Deals 10 Lightning damage to all opponents when used), Floral Bomb, Bone, Grating Stone Ezeran Yavarr (MysticModulus) 42 year old male human mage Level 2 Power Bonus: 0 Defense: 0 Health: 3/6 Ether: 5/6 Gold: 0 Equipment: Staff infested with demonic slime (WP 3) Inventory: 2x Potion, Emerald (Wood) Torald Waruelf (Alfadas) 20 year old male Human Barbarian Level 2 Power Bonus: 0 Defense: 0 Health: 4/9 Gold: 10 Equipment: Old and Rusty Greatsword (WP: 3) Inventory: Potion, Mead, Tiger Balm Kheyli (K-Nut) 327 years old female fairy Barbarian Level 2 Power Bonus: 0 Defense: 0 Health: 5/9 Gold: 0 Equipment: Barrager (WP:3 Greatsword) Inventory: 3x Potion, Mead Mac (takes suggestions) Has a 1/6 chance to grant Inspired Has a 1/2 chance to grant Encouraged Inventory: 3x Tonic, 3x Potion, Note: Mac does not deal or take damage from enemies and cannot prevent Free Hits. With the battle finally over, Mac wanders over next to a nearby tree, leaning heavily against it as he wipes sweat off of his brow. "That," he says, breathing heavily, "was a lot more excitement than I'm used to, that's for sure. Wasn't expectin' the forest critters to be quite this rowdy. Ya all did well to fend 'em off." After taking a moment to catch his breath, Mac looks over the spoils of battle, eventually fixating on the enemies' remains. "Ya know..." he mutters thoughtfully, "two of those scorpions seem just fine to use as-is...same with the rat." He demonstrates, swinging the death-stiffened vermin around before tossing them back on the pile. "And the tip of that Spear maybe be broken, but I bet I could work somethin' up with those two cracked scorpions...just needs a little duck tape..." A few minutes of stabbing, muttering, and fiddling later, and Mac's new weapon is completed. Party Leader, please divide the spoils of battle: Ebony Scorpion Spear (WP:5, deals Poisoned-by-3; spear) (suitable for Barbarians, Dragoons, Skirmishers, and Winged Warriors) Natural Shield (SP:6, bearer deals half damage to and takes half damage from Beasts, Plants, and Vermin; shield) (deflective, suitable for Knights, Dragoons, Skirmishers, Regulators, and Vindicators) Robes of the Murine Chieftan (SP:2, Max Ether +2, grants Command over rats; bodywear, suitable to Ether-using classes) Venom (Use on a weapon to make it cause the Poisoned-by-1-effect on any enemy it hits for the duration of one battle, making the poisoned enemy lose 1 health each turn. Several venoms can be used to increase the effect.) 4x Remedy (Removes all negative effects from the target.) Rat Club (WP:5, deals Afraid to Vermin-type enemies and Poisoned-by-1 to enemies of all types; club) (suitable for Barbarians, Alchemists, Beast Warriors, Decamon Drafters, and Infiltrators) Fire Bomb (Causes 5 fire-elemental damage to all enemies.) Ebony Scorpion Dagger (WP:5, deals Poisoned-by-3; dagger) (suitable for Mages, Rogues, Alchemists, Artisans, Harlots, Decamon Drafters, Infiltrators, Marauders, and Infiltrators) Crimson Scorpion Dagger (WP:5, deals Cursed; dagger) (suitable for Mages, Rogues, Alchemists, Artisans, Harlots, Decamon Drafters, Infiltrators, Marauders, and Infiltrators) Poison Bomb (Deals 5 damage and the Poisoned-by-1-effect to all opponents when used.)

FM Note: I'll fix the stats in the morning when I'm back on desktop, and I'll post the party stats updated with loans once everyone has confirmed. For the record, Glory Point earnings are always rounded down.

Yeah, we nuked a few that were just too lucrative without adding very much difficulty.

FM Note: Your consumables and Gold were both off; I fixed them as best I could based on your Marketplace post.

That's a very good way of describing Arthur.

See, things like these remind me how different the three parties' experience was in Baltarok, how right or not it was presented for them to be meddling in the nations' affairs like that. It's very different from what we had in Dastan, where we all had our own goals but were (for the most part) on the same side, working for the greater good of Dastan. Similarly: It fascinates me that this is the first time Hoke's actively referred to the events in the Temple, aloud or internally. Especially considering what Arthur said here: There's this sort of rich dichotomy between the two perspectives--Hoke seems to think Arthur's doing this from the same place that led him to try to let Wren ascend (and who knows, maybe it is the same place, restructured around his changed mindset), whereas Arthur's seeing this fight as a chance to make up for what he perceives as a debt he owes Phil and Mallelio and Vipera. Or maybe I'm just gushing because no one but Arthur's really brought up 53 anytime recently and someone really needs to just shut me up.

Arthur nods at his work, then strikes again, this time from the Back Row.

Hoke's always been kind of rigid (insert punchline here ), it's just that he's only started to vocalize it as he's gained the physical strength to back up his opinions. Arthur, by contrast, has always been quick to judge, quick to take sides, quick to assume he's right--and only now does he have the martial strength to go toe-to-toe with giants like Hoke and Hybros and Guts. Miirym, interestingly, has absorbed some of this from Arthur (and OOC some of Nerwen's speciesist superiority, which was a deliberate inspiration on my end to capture the wonderful alien-ness Zepher has with Vipera), but she suffers from the same thing Arthur did at first: she has strong ideas, but not the statistical strength to back them up. A lot of her development will depend on how well she is able to use the strength she's gaining in Dastan to support her own ideals. I myself just re-read all of Baltarok today (looking for scenes I could steal--damn you all for making beautiful establishing shots I completely can't use because they prominently feature characters that won't be there this time! *shakes fist* ), and was struck again by how well-done so much of it is. I kind of wish I'd voted for Guts as most humorous in the Henrys--I stumbled across this fantastic moment just a couple of hours ago (...which I can't quote directly because Piiiiiiie...! ):

I like PvP when it stems from legitimate character choice, when two (groups of) Heroes look at the same situation and come to opposing conclusions of how to resolve it. That's real, that's human, that's Heroica. I don't like it when it becomes this artificial "thing" existing for arbitrary and/or mechanical reasons. I guess I'm also a bit concerned about the "choose your side" thing being a major paradigm shift rather than a one-time event (and unfairly applied a degree of blame to Lind, for which I apologize). Thus far, politics in Heroica have happened on a personal scale, and it's been awesome--with each individual having their own political and social motivations, there's tons of differing perspectives and situations where everyone's voice has a meaningful impact. We have close friends who agree in their alliance towards one House, while being equally strong advocates towards opposing Houses. With the rise of parties and collectivism, however, I worry that the voice of individual characters is going to be drowned out by the party alliances, drowning out all the wonderful stories of unlikely allies that are currently possible. I dunno, I'm in a bit of an abstract thought/discussion mood today (which is great for Quest planning, actually, since it's when I tend to get my totally off-the-wall "holy crap, if I put together this plot thread with this plot thread it would be something awesome to explore!" moments ), and the idea of a massive, permanent change out of nowhere has been weighing on my mind ever since Sandy announced it wasn't just a singular event. I'm all for change and experimentation in isolated events, but I'm less certain about it when it happens on such a large scale. I guess you could say I prefer gradual evolution over sudden change. But, to an extent my worrying doesn't really change anything--we don't know how things will change with the alliances until Sandy runs the event, and either way my meandering ramblings don't really change anything, so... Alatreon? I was under the impression that the paint had already dried, so she was beyond saving--not to mention I had it in my head until just now that only Seerus could extract someone from the canvas curse, so...

Lind, there's already a tool that can detect spies, it was dropped in #120, and while we could probably do with maybe one or two more, they're clearly deliberately rare so as not to short-circuit All The Things. Heroica RPG is a game about collaborative storytelling in a shared fantasy setting, please stop trying to turn it into something it's not. As a single Quest idea, it's fine. It just shouldn't become the focus of the game. If I wanted to play Mafia, I'd be petitioning to join Mafia games; I'm sure I'm not the only one here who feels the same. And maybe I'm being a little too harsh or too reactive. I'm just seeing a lot of push to change Heroica from the way it is (not just from Lind, to be sure), and not necessarily in a positive way, and it worries me is all.

"<Perhaps you should trust the one person in this group who has fought for this land before, and concern yourself with his survival,>" Miirym snaps as she continues to stare intensely at the battle unfolding before her. While her tone appears to be angry, those present with Diplomacy training can sense the worry behind her rage.

Yeah, my first concept for a second Diana Quest was going to involve crossing paths with the Sewer Wolves, but Pie and I never quite managed to figure out a concept that would work.

OOC: Fragile should be down to two Rounds now. Arthur drinks a Nostrum, then a Mead, then attacks Sven's Champion with the Dauntlet Index from the Front Row. ------------------- Nearby Phil and Vipera, Miirym seems upset. "<That should have been me,>" she can be heard to mutter as Arthur downs the Nostrum.

That usually only refers to first-time QMs, so that Sandy can tell whether or not you understand how creating enemies works; Sandy doesn't police individual battle balancing that tightly unless there's people complaining about it.

Jeez. This fight would be over several times already if you could just get in a couple solid hits.