Flipz

As he knelt down closer to the pile, the monk noticed something strange: his breath hardly disturbed the stuff at all; the seeming "dust" behaved more akin to sand or gravel than to ash. More appealing to his materialistic side, however, was the small pouch he found containing 20 Gold. Searching within the home, the green-clad man found little of interest, scavenging only a promissory note potentially valid back in Eubric. Writ of Blacksmith Service (Voucher for one free weapon or shield upgrade at Anwyl's Smithy) It was only upon exiting the home that the Warden noted a document matching his search: a scrap of burned parchment among the ashes of the forge, scribbled notes written in an unfamiliar hand. Leading away across the main road, the party's Druid was the first to arrive at the store that once served the town's needs. Unlike the other two buildings they had inspected, the front door hung ajar, while a well-worn path through the grass led towards the back. Which entry would they traverse first?

FM Note: As Grimwald was not placed in the Battle Order, I have placed him as per Darksten's suggestion. Since I received no action for Grimwald, I had him repeat his previous attack. Lind, I did not see a Row specified in your action, so I placed you in the Back Row. In the future, please try to specify these things yourselves, thanks. The next Round will be run in roughly 20 hours, assuming no further interruptions on my end. Round 5 of "A Quix Fight" (Battle 1): Lind Whisperer uses Phoenix Essence on Grimwald (back) - Grimwald revived with full health >Grimwald Gjinko (Light, Shadeaux Mace) vs. Zombie Peasant A (back) - Great Spell (Zombie Peasant A: 9*2=18+18=36+1+5=42*2=84 damage (KO!); Grimwald: -1 Ether) >Darksten (Crossbow) vs. Itsy-Bitsy Spider A (back) - Special Damage (Darksten: Cobweb - Darksten is Bound) Zombie Peasant B Free Hit vs. Lind Whisperer: 13/2=6-4=2 damage Itsy-Bitsy Spider B Free Hit vs. Grimwald Gjinko: 4/2=2 damage (KO!) Itsy-Bitsy Spider C Free Hit vs. Darksten: 4/2=2-2=0 damage Lind gets Grimwald back on his feet, and the gnome lashes out, finally eliminating his enemy. Darksten still can't seem to finish off his arachnid opponent, but his cover fire at least keeps it away from the others, and fortunately for him his cape manages to completely deflect another spider's Free Hit. Lind is not so lucky, however, as another strike from the remaining undead brings him perilously close to unconsciousness. Four enemies remain standing against the three Heroes, but the battle seems to be turning in the latter's favor. THE BATTLE CONTINUES! The Enemies: Zombie Peasant B *Immune to sudden death* Type: Undead/Humanoid Level: 13 Health: 132/132 Special: Bone Gnaw – Causes 13 damage and fragile-effect to the target, and restores 13 health to self. Drops: Bone Itsy-Bitsy Spider A Type: Vermin Level: 4 Health: 6/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing Itsy-Bitsy Spider B Type: Vermin Level: 4 Health: 48/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing Itsy-Bitsy Spider C Type: Vermin Level: 4 Health: 48/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing The Party: Lind Whisperer *Immune to Fire* *Party Leader!* 21-year-old male Human of the Munchkin tribe Class: Rogue Level: 12 Power Bonus: +3 Defense: 4 Health: 5/22 (7+11+4) Gold: 3 Glory Points: 0 Equipment: Darker Ethereal Deck (Playing Cards) (WP:7, throwing weapon), Anniversary Medal (+3 Health, +3 SP, +3 Ether, Immune to Fire; accessory, suitable for anyone), Akrone Fez (Artefact; SP: 1, Max. Health: +1, Headwear, suitable for anyone) Inventory: • Ethereal Deck (WP:7, throwing weapon) • Mugger's Mask (Protects from loss of gold from gold stealing enemies, headwear.), Trickster's Mask of the Human (suitable for anyone, changes users appearance into a human of the same gender, accessory), • Bedroll, Shovel • Venom, Mead x2, Potion x7, • Newspaper with Picture of Lupine (Quest/role-playing item), Alfendi's Cape Grimwald Gjinko 69 year old male gnome Sage Level: 18 Power: 28 (18 + 9 + permanent boost of 1) Power Bonus: +1 permanent, +5 spells SP: 0 Health: 29/31 Ether: 24/27 Gold: 323 (Owes Nerwen 300) Glory Points: 0 Equipment: Shadeaux Mace (Wp:9; deals fragile-effect), Spellbound Gloves (Increases the power of spells by 5, doubled if the enemy is weak to the element), Robes of the Disciple of Ennoc (+5 max. health, +5 max. ether, meditation restores 2 ether, body-wear) Inventory: • Splinter Broom (WP: 8, broomstick, defies SP) • Spellbound hood (Sp: 2, Increases the power of spells by 3, doubled if the enemy is weak to the element, headwear, suitable for Mages, clerics, necromancers), • Shovel, Pickaxe, Bedroll • Opal, Amethyst, Diamond, Topaz • Scroll of Frailty, Scroll of Sleep • Potion, Grand Potion, Tonic x6, Grand Tonic x4, Bunch of Cherries (10/10 cherries that each restore 1 ether when eaten, user can choose how many are eaten at a time), Sushi (restores 5 HP and 5 Ether) x2, Remedy x2, Elixir x3, Neutralizer, Phoenix Essence, Mead x4, Nostrum x3, Smelling Salts x4, Mulled Wine x2, Ambrosia, Bone x2, Ice Bomb, Root beer (Restores 10 health, or can be used as a bomb against Undead enemies for 20 damage (Does not affect non-Undead enemies)), Smoke Bomb, Plague Venom, Mythril Shard, Grating stone x2, Darksten (Comrade Commander) *Immune to poisoned, bleeding, cursed, jinxed, and blinded* *Bound (1 Round)* 35 year old Male Human Ranger Level 12.5 Power: 18 Power Bonus: 0 Health: 5/17 SP: 2 Gold: 517 Glory Points: 0 Equipment: Crossbow (WP: 6); Sand-Worm Hide (SP: 2), Tribal amulet (Wearer is Immune to poisoned, bleeding, cursed, jinxed, and blinded; acessory, suitable to barbarians, rangers, beast warriors) Inventory: Weapons: Spider String Bow (WP: 4, Darkness Elemental Bow), Artifacts: Safety Blanket (SP: 1, protects from Afraid, backwear), Tools: Bedroll, Pickaxe, Shovel, Magnifying Glass, Telescope, Magic Compass, Consumables: Potion x13, Grand Potion x2, Remedy x5, Mead x4, Venom x3, Pheonix Essence x2, Smelling Salts x2, Nostrum x2, Soma, Ambrosia, Root Beer (Restores 10 health, or can be used as a bomb against undead enemies for 20 damage. The Root Beer does not affect non-undead enemies), Floral Bomb, Smoke bomb, Lightning bombs x8 Roleplay: Utility Knife (roleplay item), Fang of Kos (roleplay item), Fang of Lolth (Roleplay item), Hint Coin (Gives the user a hint about a puzzle or tricky situation. Usable only once. Has no monetary value.) Party Leader, post the order of action, including unconscious allies. Everyone, choose your actions, including which Row you will be acting from.

Update for 118 in a couple hours. Unlimited Quest, I still need actions for Darksten.

Aventine and Chauncey both had player classes. I assume that if Zepher had planned for an *10 from the beginning, their health would have also been based off of player health amounts for their Level and Class. I did miss that SP was handled before dividing. In that case, the division is even more pointless, serving only to unnecessarily complicate the calculations. I disagree with you on the meaning of Ambrosia in non PvP; in my experience, owning an Ambrosia means that all enemy Levels will immediately be doubled from normal until said Ambrosia is used up, or tripled if there's a lower - level party member you want to earn experience. I didn't mean ineffectual relative to the team, I meant ineffectual as in "been playing for a year and yet still ends up dealing only single-digit damage when it really counts." Even though some QMs tend to inflate enemies so every single battle is a struggle for survival, none of them can take away the satisfaction of the fact that, no matter how small a percentage of the enemy's health my attack is chipping away, the numbers themselves are still getting larger. ...Well, except when they can. All of that discounts two things: 1) the health would have been altered for a *10 fight, and 2) the damage from the undead. Aventine's undead--the most powerful aspect of the Necromancer class and one without which they are merely severely underwhelming Mages--were severely nerfed by /7. In *10 they deal 125 unblockable damage per Round; in /7 it was 15. Chauncey's minion (the one that could actually deal damage to Aventine, anyway) would have dealt 74 versus 10. 10-15 damage can be healed off with healing or Grand Potions; 125 damage not so much. Don't forget that Chauncey kept losing his light minion to Summon Burst, whereas Aventine's undead were there unless sacrificed. As one final note, I should point out how much damage was lost to rounding. I bet if someone not on mobile went through and added it all up, the Aventine party would have dealt quite a bit more extra chip damage than the Chauncey one.

It's ironic whether or not Nerwen has the ability to recognize it. I'll likely run the numbers soon enough, but Aventine had a guaranteed damage output of 125 against Chauncey versus Chauncey's of only 74. Even if Chauncey's HP had been calculated like a player's and multiplied by 10 (giving him 700-800-ish HP), he'd have been down in 6 or 7 Rounds compared to the 8 or 9 Rounds it would have taken to finish off Aventine--and that's not counting the damage you, Matthias, and Purpearl would have been inflicting in the meantime. Even with her massive Level and WP advantage, Alexis couldn't have tipped the scales; at most, she could have Inspired Chauncey, and in response your side's healing could have kept Aventine up indefinitely. Granted, I'm glad Chauncey won, but this battle definitely shows that the division system is inherently unfair, as it gives those with SP FAR too much of an advantage over their opponents, not to mention how ineffectual it makes the weaker Heroes. Stick Fig, you've participated in two PvP battles using the division system. Did you feel any more powerful in this one than you did in the last one, given that your Level had increased since then AND the divisor was less?

Imagine being a theatre major who hasn't memorized all of Shakespeare. ...oh, the irony. ...sorry, posted before I was ready. It's ironic that Nerwen blames the drugs when it's the decision to go with /7 that even made the strategy viable; under the *10 rules the Aventine party would have won handily.

Round 4 of "A Quix Fight" (Battle 1): Lind Whisperer drinks a Potion (front) - +10 health >Grimwald Gjinko (Light, Shadeaux Mace) vs. Zombie Peasant A (back) - Special Damage (Grimwald: Bone Gnaw - 13/2=6 damage + Fragile; Zombie Peasant A: +13 health) >Darksten (Crossbow) vs. Itsy-Bitsy Spider A (back) - Special Damage (Darksten: Cobweb - Darksten is Bound) Zombie Peasant B Free Hit vs. Lind Whisperer: 13-4=7 damage Itsy-Bitsy Spider B Free Hit vs. Grimwald Gjinko: 4/2*2=4 damage (KO!) Itsy-Bitsy Spider C Free Hit vs. Darksten: 4/2*2=4-2=2 damage The Round goes spectacularly poorly for the party, Lind regaining some health from his Potion but losing most of it by standing in the Front Row while drinking it. Meanwhile, Grimwald's opponent punches him right into the waiting jaws of a spider, knocking him out, while Darksten gets wrapped up in cobwebs. Fortunately for him, however, his Frailty finally wears off. Five enemies still remain standing against the two remaining Heroes, both still at critical health. THE BATTLE CONTINUES! The Enemies: Zombie Peasant A *Immune to sudden death* Type: Undead/Humanoid Level: 13 Health: 79/132 Special: Bone Gnaw – Causes 13 damage and fragile-effect to the target, and restores 13 health to self. Drops: Bone Zombie Peasant B *Immune to sudden death* Type: Undead/Humanoid Level: 13 Health: 132/132 Special: Bone Gnaw – Causes 13 damage and fragile-effect to the target, and restores 13 health to self. Drops: Bone Itsy-Bitsy Spider A Type: Vermin Level: 4 Health: 6/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing Itsy-Bitsy Spider B Type: Vermin Level: 4 Health: 48/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing Itsy-Bitsy Spider C Type: Vermin Level: 4 Health: 48/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing The Party: Lind Whisperer *Immune to Fire* *Party Leader!* 21-year-old male Human of the Munchkin tribe Class: Rogue Level: 12 Power Bonus: +3 Defense: 4 Health: 7/22 (7+11+4) Gold: 3 Glory Points: 0 Equipment: Darker Ethereal Deck (Playing Cards) (WP:7, throwing weapon), Anniversary Medal (+3 Health, +3 SP, +3 Ether, Immune to Fire; accessory, suitable for anyone), Akrone Fez (Artefact; SP: 1, Max. Health: +1, Headwear, suitable for anyone) Inventory: • Ethereal Deck (WP:7, throwing weapon) • Mugger's Mask (Protects from loss of gold from gold stealing enemies, headwear.), Trickster's Mask of the Human (suitable for anyone, changes users appearance into a human of the same gender, accessory), • Bedroll, Shovel • Venom, Mead x2, Potion x7, Phoenix Essence • Newspaper with Picture of Lupine (Quest/role-playing item), Alfendi's Cape Grimwald Gjinko *Knocked Out!* 69 year old male gnome Sage Level: 18 Power: 28 (18 + 9 + permanent boost of 1) Power Bonus: +1 permanent, +5 spells SP: 0 Health: 0/31 Ether: 25/27 Gold: 323 (Owes Nerwen 300) Glory Points: 0 Equipment: Shadeaux Mace (Wp:9; deals fragile-effect), Spellbound Gloves (Increases the power of spells by 5, doubled if the enemy is weak to the element), Robes of the Disciple of Ennoc (+5 max. health, +5 max. ether, meditation restores 2 ether, body-wear) Inventory: • Splinter Broom (WP: 8, broomstick, defies SP) • Spellbound hood (Sp: 2, Increases the power of spells by 3, doubled if the enemy is weak to the element, headwear, suitable for Mages, clerics, necromancers), • Shovel, Pickaxe, Bedroll • Opal, Amethyst, Diamond, Topaz • Scroll of Frailty, Scroll of Sleep • Potion, Grand Potion, Tonic x6, Grand Tonic x4, Bunch of Cherries (10/10 cherries that each restore 1 ether when eaten, user can choose how many are eaten at a time), Sushi (restores 5 HP and 5 Ether) x2, Remedy x2, Elixir x3, Neutralizer, Phoenix Essence, Mead x4, Nostrum x3, Smelling Salts x4, Mulled Wine x2, Ambrosia, Bone x2, Ice Bomb, Root beer (Restores 10 health, or can be used as a bomb against Undead enemies for 20 damage (Does not affect non-Undead enemies)), Smoke Bomb, Plague Venom, Mythril Shard, Grating stone x2, Darksten (Comrade Commander) *Immune to poisoned, bleeding, cursed, jinxed, and blinded* *Bound (1 Round)* 35 year old Male Human Ranger Level 12.5 Power: 18 Power Bonus: 0 Health: 5/17 SP: 2 Gold: 517 Glory Points: 0 Equipment: Crossbow (WP: 6); Sand-Worm Hide (SP: 2), Tribal amulet (Wearer is Immune to poisoned, bleeding, cursed, jinxed, and blinded; acessory, suitable to barbarians, rangers, beast warriors) Inventory: Weapons: Spider String Bow (WP: 4, Darkness Elemental Bow), Artifacts: Safety Blanket (SP: 1, protects from Afraid, backwear), Tools: Bedroll, Pickaxe, Shovel, Magnifying Glass, Telescope, Magic Compass, Consumables: Potion x13, Grand Potion x2, Remedy x5, Mead x4, Venom x3, Pheonix Essence x2, Smelling Salts x2, Nostrum x2, Soma, Ambrosia, Root Beer (Restores 10 health, or can be used as a bomb against undead enemies for 20 damage. The Root Beer does not affect non-undead enemies), Floral Bomb, Smoke bomb, Lightning bombs x8 Roleplay: Utility Knife (roleplay item), Fang of Kos (roleplay item), Fang of Lolth (Roleplay item), Hint Coin (Gives the user a hint about a puzzle or tricky situation. Usable only once. Has no monetary value.) Party Leader, post the order of action. Everyone, choose your actions

Cloak of the Barbaric Runecaster (SP: 3; wearer creates and deploys a Skeleton Decoy at the start of every battle; suitable for Battle Mages, Necromancers, and Scholars; Backwear) — This simple cloak was woven for a barbaric Ether-user who enchanted it and passed it down through his generations of apprentices. Where the hell was this on Quest 53?!

The Warden shoved open the door, scattering spears and a handful of halberds across the floor. The interior of the building was dark and unlit, but even an untrained eye could make out the comfortable, if rustic, home furnishings of a happily married couple--all of it seemingly untouched over the past three days. The trio of tools tell a tricky tale: the shortsword bent and the broadsword smashed, both had clearly been used against something, to little effect, before being discarded. Only the shield, a scorched specimen similar to several sighted in certain swampy settings, survived. Skull Shield (SP:6; immunity to Darkness-elemental damage; suitable to Black Knights only; shield.)

QM Note: Everywhere in town other than the Town Hall should be accessible by sometime tomorrow afternoon. The group shuffled in silence to the Blacksmith's, a silvered sign swinging softly in the breeze, "Smith & Brown". The fire in the forge had long since died, but curiously there was no indication that its owners had done the same, though a curious pile of dust lay next to the anvil. As before, nary a hint of life hung 'round the place, a cold contrast to what had once surely been a warm, welcoming place of business.

FM Note: So sorry for the delay! For the sake of clarity, I should point out that throwing weapons are not thrown on rolls of Damage and Special Damage, and thus do not need to be retrieved if that was the previous roll. Round 3 of "A Quix Fight" (Battle 1): Lind Whisperer retrieves throwing weapons >Grimwald Gjinko (Light, Shadeaux Mace) vs. Zombie Peasant A (back) - Damage (Grimwald: 13/2=6 damage) >Darksten (Crossbow) vs. Itsy-Bitsy Spider A (back) - Hit (Itsy-Bitsy Spider A: 6+12=18 damage) Zombie Peasant B Free Hit vs. Lind Whisperer: 13-4=7 damage Itsy-Bitsy Spider B Free Hit vs. Grimwald Gjinko: 4/2=2 damage Itsy-Bitsy Spider C Free Hit vs. Darksten: 4/2*2=4-2=2 damage Lind gathers up his first deck of cards, but takes a major hit while doing so. Grimwald, too, takes damage from both his undead opponent and a spider sneakily springing from the shadows, while Darksten manages to weaken but not quite kill the Itsy-Bitsy Spider. Five enemies still remain standing against the three Heroes, all of whom are now at critical health. THE BATTLE CONTINUES! The Enemies: Zombie Peasant A *Immune to sudden death* Type: Undead/Humanoid Level: 13 Health: 66/132 Special: Bone Gnaw – Causes 13 damage and fragile-effect to the target, and restores 13 health to self. Drops: Bone Zombie Peasant B *Immune to sudden death* Type: Undead/Humanoid Level: 13 Health: 132/132 Special: Bone Gnaw – Causes 13 damage and fragile-effect to the target, and restores 13 health to self. Drops: Bone Itsy-Bitsy Spider A Type: Vermin Level: 4 Health: 6/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing Itsy-Bitsy Spider B Type: Vermin Level: 4 Health: 48/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing Itsy-Bitsy Spider C Type: Vermin Level: 4 Health: 48/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing The Party: Lind Whisperer *Immune to Fire* *Party Leader!* 21-year-old male Human of the Munchkin tribe Class: Rogue Level: 12 Power Bonus: +3 Defense: 4 Health: 4/22 (7+11+4) Gold: 3 Glory Points: 0 Equipment: Darker Ethereal Deck (Playing Cards) (WP:7, throwing weapon), Anniversary Medal (+3 Health, +3 SP, +3 Ether, Immune to Fire; accessory, suitable for anyone), Akrone Fez (Artefact; SP: 1, Max. Health: +1, Headwear, suitable for anyone) Inventory: • Ethereal Deck (WP:7, throwing weapon) • Mugger's Mask (Protects from loss of gold from gold stealing enemies, headwear.), Trickster's Mask of the Human (suitable for anyone, changes users appearance into a human of the same gender, accessory), • Bedroll, Shovel • Venom, Mead x2, Potion x8, Phoenix Essence • Newspaper with Picture of Lupine (Quest/role-playing item), Alfendi's Cape Grimwald Gjinko 69 year old male gnome Sage Level: 18 Power: 28 (18 + 9 + permanent boost of 1) Power Bonus: +1 permanent, +5 spells SP: 0 Health: 9/31 Ether: 25/27 Gold: 323 (Owes Nerwen 300) Glory Points: 0 Equipment: Shadeaux Mace (Wp:9; deals fragile-effect), Spellbound Gloves (Increases the power of spells by 5, doubled if the enemy is weak to the element), Robes of the Disciple of Ennoc (+5 max. health, +5 max. ether, meditation restores 2 ether, body-wear) Inventory: • Splinter Broom (WP: 8, broomstick, defies SP) • Spellbound hood (Sp: 2, Increases the power of spells by 3, doubled if the enemy is weak to the element, headwear, suitable for Mages, clerics, necromancers), • Shovel, Pickaxe, Bedroll • Opal, Amethyst, Diamond, Topaz • Scroll of Frailty, Scroll of Sleep • Potion, Grand Potion, Tonic x6, Grand Tonic x4, Bunch of Cherries (10/10 cherries that each restore 1 ether when eaten, user can choose how many are eaten at a time), Sushi (restores 5 HP and 5 Ether) x2, Remedy x2, Elixir x3, Neutralizer, Phoenix Essence, Mead x4, Nostrum x3, Smelling Salts x4, Mulled Wine x2, Ambrosia, Bone x2, Ice Bomb, Root beer (Restores 10 health, or can be used as a bomb against Undead enemies for 20 damage (Does not affect non-Undead enemies)), Smoke Bomb, Plague Venom, Mythril Shard, Grating stone x2, Darksten (Comrade Commander) *Immune to poisoned, bleeding, cursed, jinxed, and blinded* *Fragile (1 Rounds)* 35 year old Male Human Ranger Level 12.5 Power: 18 Power Bonus: 0 Health: 7/17 SP: 2 Gold: 517 Glory Points: 0 Equipment: Crossbow (WP: 6); Sand-Worm Hide (SP: 2), Tribal amulet (Wearer is Immune to poisoned, bleeding, cursed, jinxed, and blinded; acessory, suitable to barbarians, rangers, beast warriors) Inventory: Weapons: Spider String Bow (WP: 4, Darkness Elemental Bow), Artifacts: Safety Blanket (SP: 1, protects from Afraid, backwear), Tools: Bedroll, Pickaxe, Shovel, Magnifying Glass, Telescope, Magic Compass, Consumables: Potion x13, Grand Potion x2, Remedy x5, Mead x4, Venom x3, Pheonix Essence x2, Smelling Salts x2, Nostrum x2, Soma, Ambrosia, Root Beer (Restores 10 health, or can be used as a bomb against undead enemies for 20 damage. The Root Beer does not affect non-undead enemies), Floral Bomb, Smoke bomb, Lightning bombs x8 Roleplay: Utility Knife (roleplay item), Fang of Kos (roleplay item), Fang of Lolth (Roleplay item), Hint Coin (Gives the user a hint about a puzzle or tricky situation. Usable only once. Has no monetary value.) Party Leader, post the order of action. Everyone, choose your actions

QM Note: I'm terribly sorry, but the Town Hall interior set is still not complete. I'll let you know when the location is available. Again, my sincere apologies. The foursome strolled next door to the Town Hall, but upon opening the door but a crack they found the door jammed, its hinges dented and twisted as if by great impact. Though within their power to circumvent, something within them told them it might be a better idea to search elsewhere and come back later.

Round 2 of "A Quix Fight" (Battle 1): >Grimwald Gjinko (Light, Shadeaux Mace) vs. Zombie Peasant A (back) - Spell (Zombie Peasant A: 9+18=27+1+5=33*2=66 damage; Grimwald: -1 Ether) Lind Whisperer (Darker Ethereal Deck) vs. Zombie Peasant A - Damage (Lind: 13-4=9 damage) >Darksten (Crossbow) vs. Itsy-Bitsy Spider A (back) - Critical Hit (Itsy-Bitsy Spider A: 6*2=12+12=24 damage) Zombie Peasant B Free Hit vs. Grimwald Gjinko: 13/2=6 damage Itsy-Bitsy Spider B Free Hit vs. Lind Whisperer: 4-4=0 damage Itsy-Bitsy Spider C Free Hit vs. Darksten: 4/2*2=4-2=2 damage Lind continues to cockily comment on the action, and gets punished for his lack of caution, losing nearly half of his health in one fell swoop. Grimwald and Darksten each halve their foes' health, but this does little to subdue the swarm of creatures that rushes at them, dropping Darksten below half health. Five enemies still remain standing against the three Heroes, all of whom are now injured. THE BATTLE CONTINUES! The Enemies: Zombie Peasant A *Immune to sudden death* Type: Undead/Humanoid Level: 13 Health: 66/132 Special: Bone Gnaw – Causes 13 damage and fragile-effect to the target, and restores 13 health to self. Drops: Bone Zombie Peasant B *Immune to sudden death* Type: Undead/Humanoid Level: 13 Health: 132/132 Special: Bone Gnaw – Causes 13 damage and fragile-effect to the target, and restores 13 health to self. Drops: Bone Itsy-Bitsy Spider A Type: Vermin Level: 4 Health: 24/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing Itsy-Bitsy Spider B Type: Vermin Level: 4 Health: 48/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing Itsy-Bitsy Spider C Type: Vermin Level: 4 Health: 48/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing The Party: Lind Whisperer *Immune to Fire* *Party Leader!* 21-year-old male Human of the Munchkin tribe Class: Rogue Level: 12 Power Bonus: +3 Defense: 4 Health: 13/22 (7+11+4) Gold: 3 Glory Points: 0 Equipment: Darker Ethereal Deck (Playing Cards) (WP:7, throwing weapon), Anniversary Medal (+3 Health, +3 SP, +3 Ether, Immune to Fire; accessory, suitable for anyone), Akrone Fez (Artefact; SP: 1, Max. Health: +1, Headwear, suitable for anyone) Inventory: • Ethereal Deck (WP:7, throwing weapon) • Mugger's Mask (Protects from loss of gold from gold stealing enemies, headwear.), Trickster's Mask of the Human (suitable for anyone, changes users appearance into a human of the same gender, accessory), • Bedroll, Shovel • Venom, Mead x2, Potion x8, Phoenix Essence • Newspaper with Picture of Lupine (Quest/role-playing item), Alfendi's Cape Grimwald Gjinko 69 year old male gnome Sage Level: 18 Power: 28 (18 + 9 + permanent boost of 1) Power Bonus: +1 permanent, +5 spells SP: 0 Health: 17/31 Ether: 25/27 Gold: 323 (Owes Nerwen 300) Glory Points: 0 Equipment: Shadeaux Mace (Wp:9; deals fragile-effect), Spellbound Gloves (Increases the power of spells by 5, doubled if the enemy is weak to the element), Robes of the Disciple of Ennoc (+5 max. health, +5 max. ether, meditation restores 2 ether, body-wear) Inventory: • Splinter Broom (WP: 8, broomstick, defies SP) • Spellbound hood (Sp: 2, Increases the power of spells by 3, doubled if the enemy is weak to the element, headwear, suitable for Mages, clerics, necromancers), • Shovel, Pickaxe, Bedroll • Opal, Amethyst, Diamond, Topaz • Scroll of Frailty, Scroll of Sleep • Potion, Grand Potion, Tonic x6, Grand Tonic x4, Bunch of Cherries (10/10 cherries that each restore 1 ether when eaten, user can choose how many are eaten at a time), Sushi (restores 5 HP and 5 Ether) x2, Remedy x2, Elixir x3, Neutralizer, Phoenix Essence, Mead x4, Nostrum x3, Smelling Salts x4, Mulled Wine x2, Ambrosia, Bone x2, Ice Bomb, Root beer (Restores 10 health, or can be used as a bomb against Undead enemies for 20 damage (Does not affect non-Undead enemies)), Smoke Bomb, Plague Venom, Mythril Shard, Grating stone x2, Darksten (Comrade Commander) *Immune to poisoned, bleeding, cursed, jinxed, and blinded* *Fragile (2 Rounds)* 35 year old Male Human Ranger Level 12.5 Power: 18 Power Bonus: 0 Health: 9/17 SP: 2 Gold: 517 Glory Points: 0 Equipment: Crossbow (WP: 6); Sand-Worm Hide (SP: 2), Tribal amulet (Wearer is Immune to poisoned, bleeding, cursed, jinxed, and blinded; acessory, suitable to barbarians, rangers, beast warriors) Inventory: Weapons: Spider String Bow (WP: 4, Darkness Elemental Bow), Artifacts: Safety Blanket (SP: 1, protects from Afraid, backwear), Tools: Bedroll, Pickaxe, Shovel, Magnifying Glass, Telescope, Magic Compass, Consumables: Potion x13, Grand Potion x2, Remedy x5, Mead x4, Venom x3, Pheonix Essence x2, Smelling Salts x2, Nostrum x2, Soma, Ambrosia, Root Beer (Restores 10 health, or can be used as a bomb against undead enemies for 20 damage. The Root Beer does not affect non-undead enemies), Floral Bomb, Smoke bomb, Lightning bombs x8 Roleplay: Utility Knife (roleplay item), Fang of Kos (roleplay item), Fang of Lolth (Roleplay item), Hint Coin (Gives the user a hint about a puzzle or tricky situation. Usable only once. Has no monetary value.) Party Leader, post the order of action. Everyone, choose your actions

Oh, I know the automatic bolded black is what the FAQ currently shows, but that's boring; I seem to recall the effect being a shade of brown or tan when it was first introduced, and I'd like to use that for my own uses.

Does anyone remember who invented the Doomed-effect? I'm working to get a list of all effects, with hex codes, into the lower spoiler in my Hero Stats post (as part of my long-standing campaign against the rich text editor ), but the only color I've found for Doomed so far is a purple used in 75 that I'm not exactly a fan of. (It's the same color I use for Mallora as the narrator in 118, and it seems to be a generic placeholder for negative effects that don't yet have an assigned color.) I plan to slowly begin converting the colors in my stats to official Sandy colors from the Rules & FAQ topic, with a few exceptions (such as my colors for Light and Sealed, which I prefer to the official ones, along with possibly Jinxed). For now, I have a list of all Sandy colors with hex codes except the one for Doomed (and possibly a few effects that I've forgotten that aren't listed in the FAQ) in my Hero Statistics page, if anyone wants to use them.

Round 1 of "A Quix Fight" (Battle 1): >Grimwald Gjinko (Ice, Shadeaux Mace) vs. Rat King (back) - Great Spell (Rat King: 9*2=18+18=36+1+5=42*2=84 damage; Grimwald: -1 Ether) Lind Whisperer (Darker Ethereal Deck) vs. Rat King (front) - Critical Hit (Rat King: 7*2=14+12=26+3=29 damage (KO!): Lind: Darker Ethereal Deck must be retrieved) >Darksten (Crossbow) vs. Zombie Peasant B (back) - Special Damage (Darksten: Bone Gnaw - 13/2=6-2=4 damage + Fragile; Zombie Peasant B: no effect, already at full health) Zombie Peasant A + Itsy-Bitsy Spider C Free Hits vs. Grimwald Gjinko: 13+4=17/2=8 damage Itsy-Bitsy Spider A Free Hit vs. Lind Whisperer: 4-4=0 damage Itsy-Bitsy Spider B Free Hit vs. Darksten: 4/2*2=4-2=2 damage Lind's gambit pays off, he and Grimwald together just finishing off the foul king of vermin. In retaliation for the fall of their leader, however, one Zombie Peasant gnaws on Darksten's arm, leaving him Fragile, while the other joins the spiders in swarming the party for some noticeable damage to Grimwald and Darksten. Five enemies remain standing against three Heroes, two of them injured. THE BATTLE CONTINUES! The Enemies: Zombie Peasant A *Immune to sudden death* Type: Undead/Humanoid Level: 13 Health: 132/132 Special: Bone Gnaw – Causes 13 damage and fragile-effect to the target, and restores 13 health to self. Drops: Bone Zombie Peasant B *Immune to sudden death* Type: Undead/Humanoid Level: 13 Health: 132/132 Special: Bone Gnaw – Causes 13 damage and fragile-effect to the target, and restores 13 health to self. Drops: Bone Itsy-Bitsy Spider A Type: Vermin Level: 4 Health: 48/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing Itsy-Bitsy Spider B Type: Vermin Level: 4 Health: 48/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing Itsy-Bitsy Spider C Type: Vermin Level: 4 Health: 48/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing The Party: Lind Whisperer *Immune to Fire* *Party Leader!* 21-year-old male Human of the Munchkin tribe Class: Rogue Level: 12 Power Bonus: +3 Defense: 4 Health: 22/22 (7+11+4) Gold: 3 Glory Points: 0 Equipment: Darker Ethereal Deck (Playing Cards) (WP:7, throwing weapon), Anniversary Medal (+3 Health, +3 SP, +3 Ether, Immune to Fire; accessory, suitable for anyone), Akrone Fez (Artefact; SP: 1, Max. Health: +1, Headwear, suitable for anyone) Inventory: • Ethereal Deck (WP:7, throwing weapon) • Mugger's Mask (Protects from loss of gold from gold stealing enemies, headwear.), Trickster's Mask of the Human (suitable for anyone, changes users appearance into a human of the same gender, accessory), • Bedroll, Shovel • Venom, Mead x2, Potion x8, Phoenix Essence • Newspaper with Picture of Lupine (Quest/role-playing item), Alfendi's Cape Grimwald Gjinko 69 year old male gnome Sage Level: 18 Power: 28 (18 + 9 + permanent boost of 1) Power Bonus: +1 permanent, +5 spells SP: 0 Health: 23/31 Ether: 26/27 Gold: 323 (Owes Nerwen 300) Glory Points: 0 Equipment: Shadeaux Mace (Wp:9; deals fragile-effect), Spellbound Gloves (Increases the power of spells by 5, doubled if the enemy is weak to the element), Robes of the Disciple of Ennoc (+5 max. health, +5 max. ether, meditation restores 2 ether, body-wear) Inventory: • Splinter Broom (WP: 8, broomstick, defies SP) • Spellbound hood (Sp: 2, Increases the power of spells by 3, doubled if the enemy is weak to the element, headwear, suitable for Mages, clerics, necromancers), • Shovel, Pickaxe, Bedroll • Opal, Amethyst, Diamond, Topaz • Scroll of Frailty, Scroll of Sleep • Potion, Grand Potion, Tonic x6, Grand Tonic x4, Bunch of Cherries (10/10 cherries that each restore 1 ether when eaten, user can choose how many are eaten at a time), Sushi (restores 5 HP and 5 Ether) x2, Remedy x2, Elixir x3, Neutralizer, Phoenix Essence, Mead x4, Nostrum x3, Smelling Salts x4, Mulled Wine x2, Ambrosia, Bone x2, Ice Bomb, Root beer (Restores 10 health, or can be used as a bomb against Undead enemies for 20 damage (Does not affect non-Undead enemies)), Smoke Bomb, Plague Venom, Mythril Shard, Grating stone x2, Darksten (Comrade Commander) *Immune to poisoned, bleeding, cursed, jinxed, and blinded* *Fragile (3 Rounds)* 35 year old Male Human Ranger Level 12.5 Power: 18 Power Bonus: 0 Health: 11/17 SP: 2 Gold: 517 Glory Points: 0 Equipment: Crossbow (WP: 6); Sand-Worm Hide (SP: 2), Tribal amulet (Wearer is Immune to poisoned, bleeding, cursed, jinxed, and blinded; acessory, suitable to barbarians, rangers, beast warriors) Inventory: Weapons: Spider String Bow (WP: 4, Darkness Elemental Bow), Artifacts: Safety Blanket (SP: 1, protects from Afraid, backwear), Tools: Bedroll, Pickaxe, Shovel, Magnifying Glass, Telescope, Magic Compass, Consumables: Potion x13, Grand Potion x2, Remedy x5, Mead x4, Venom x3, Pheonix Essence x2, Smelling Salts x2, Nostrum x2, Soma, Ambrosia, Root Beer (Restores 10 health, or can be used as a bomb against undead enemies for 20 damage. The Root Beer does not affect non-undead enemies), Floral Bomb, Smoke bomb, Lightning bombs x8 Roleplay: Utility Knife (roleplay item), Fang of Kos (roleplay item), Fang of Lolth (Roleplay item), Hint Coin (Gives the user a hint about a puzzle or tricky situation. Usable only once. Has no monetary value.) Party Leader, post the order of action. Everyone, choose your actions

FM Note: Can I get a Row, please? As a note, I will be adhering to the 24-hour rule (meaning today's Round will be run in about two hours from now); if any of you have a problem with that (or otherwise know in advance you'll be unavailable during a given 24-hour period), please let me know.

QM Note: Apologies, everyone; Brickshelf is misbehaving, and the Town Hall interior is one of the sets still under construction, so unfortunately today's update will have to wait a day or two.

And just to be clear: nothing against Purpearl the player! It just so happens that her (his?) character is very steamroll-y, which can be used for good but generally results in someone else getting the short end of the stick (no pun intended ).

One of the great tragedies of 102, I think, is how Matthias has been steamrolled...mostly by Purpearl. But yeah, with the two elves generally sticking together and Alexis being super-passive (and XX generally siding with Purpearl even when Nerwen didn't), it's hard for you to have had any sort of agency. As much as I've loved the first four-fifths of the Quest (as an observer), I do think that certain party members have been given way too much power compared to the others--not just Party Leader stuff (though I do think a set Party Leader position was a poor fit for this style of Quest), but also in terms of whose words and actions were given weight by the NPCs (both allied and otherwise). It's one reason I don't default to "Party Leader controls the NPCs" in my Quests--I hate that tradition, it needs to die in a fire. In my opinion, NPCs should be controlled by whoever paid them the most attention/got them on their good side, or barring that they should be given first to active players who don't already have a lot of power. Similarly, NPCs shouldn't just listen to whomever in the party is more obviously powerful, or experienced, or only the Heroes they have prior knowledge of. The latter two in particular can easily get exclusionary, which is very definitely a bad thing.

But can it? Once they get back to the Hall, any chance Nerwen or Matthias have of retribution vanishes, since she can easily hide in Eubric. Here, in the heat of battle, she has no escape, leaving her at their mercy if she herself shows no mercy. Plus you could always use conditionals. "If Purpearl kills RuffPig, we kill her."

It might not interrupt the undead, but the "eye for eye" approach would force Purpearl to reconsider ordering the attack (and in any case the decision is up to Aventine). Not to mention that "Roaring Rampage of Revenge" is a trope.

I'm honestly surprised neither Nerwen nor Matthias have attacked Purpearl for trying to kill Russel and Pigley--it's a no-win anyway, at this point the Aventine party can only do their best to save the other NPCs.

The Heroes make their move to the first field, deciding not to partake in any of the offered challenges. PREPARE FOR BATTLE! The Enemies: Zombie Peasant A *Immune to sudden death* Type: Undead/Humanoid Level: 13 Health: 132/132 Special: Bone Gnaw – Causes 13 damage and fragile-effect to the target, and restores 13 health to self. Drops: Bone Zombie Peasant B *Immune to sudden death* Type: Undead/Humanoid Level: 13 Health: 132/132 Special: Bone Gnaw – Causes 13 damage and fragile-effect to the target, and restores 13 health to self. Drops: Bone Rat King *Encourages beasts and vermin as long as it lives* *Encouraged* Type: Beast/Vermin Level: 12 24 Health: 112/112 Special: Reign of Disgust – Causes poisoned by 12-, confused- and afraid-effects to all opponents. Drops: Remedy Itsy-Bitsy Spider A *Encouraged* Type: Vermin Level: 4 8 Health: 48/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing Itsy-Bitsy Spider B *Encouraged* Type: Vermin Level: 4 8 Health: 48/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing Itsy-Bitsy Spider C *Encouraged* Type: Vermin Level: 4 8 Health: 48/48 Special: Cobweb – Causes the bound-effect Drops: nothing The Party: Lind Whisperer *Immune to Fire* **Party Leader!* 21-year-old male Human of the Munchkin tribe Class: Rogue Level: 12 Power Bonus: +3 Defense: 4 Health: 22/22 (7+11+4) Gold: 3 Equipment: Darker Ethereal Deck (Playing Cards) (WP:7, throwing weapon), Anniversary Medal (+3 Health, +3 SP, +3 Ether, Immune to Fire; accessory, suitable for anyone), Akrone Fez (Artefact; SP: 1, Max. Health: +1, Headwear, suitable for anyone) Inventory: • Ethereal Deck (WP:7, throwing weapon) • Mugger's Mask (Protects from loss of gold from gold stealing enemies, headwear.), Trickster's Mask of the Human (suitable for anyone, changes users appearance into a human of the same gender, accessory), • Bedroll, Shovel • Venom, Mead x2, Potion x8, Phoenix Essence • Newspaper with Picture of Lupine (Quest/role-playing item), Alfendi's Cape Grimwald Gjinko 69 year old male gnome Sage Level: 18 Power: 28 (18 + 9 + permanent boost of 1) SP: 0 Health: 31/31 Ether: 27/27 Gold: 323 (Owes Nerwen 300) Equipment: Shadeaux mace (Wp:9; deals fragile-effect), Spellbound Gloves (Increases the power of spells by 5, doubled if the enemy is weak to the element), Robes of the Disciple of Ennoc (+5 max. health, +5 max. ether, meditation restores 2 ether, body-wear) Inventory: • Splinter Broom (WP: 8, broomstick, defies SP) • Spellbound hood (Sp: 2, Increases the power of spells by 3, doubled if the enemy is weak to the element, headwear, suitable for Mages, clerics, necromancers), • Shovel, Pickaxe, Bedroll • Opal, Amethyst, Diamond, Topaz • Scroll of Frailty, Scroll of Sleep • Potion, Grand Potion, Tonic x6, Grand Tonic x4, Bunch of Cherries (10/10 cherries that each restore 1 ether when eaten, user can choose how many are eaten at a time), Sushi (restores 5 HP and 5 Ether) x2, Remedy x2, Elixir x3, Neutralizer, Phoenix Essence, Mead x4, Nostrum x3, Smelling Salts x4, Mulled Wine x2, Ambrosia, Bone x2, Ice Bomb, Root beer (Restores 10 health, or can be used as a bomb against Undead enemies for 20 damage (Does not affect non-Undead enemies)), Smoke Bomb, Plague Venom, Mythril Shard, Grating stone x2, Darksten (Comrade Commander) *Immune to poisoned, bleeding, cursed, jinxed, and blinded* 35 year old Male Human Ranger Level 12.5 Power: 18 Health: 17/17 SP: 2 Gold: 517 Equipment: Crossbow (WP: 6); Sand-Worm Hide (SP: 2), Tribal amulet (Wearer is Immune to poisoned, bleeding, cursed, jinxed, and blinded; acessory, suitable to barbarians, rangers, beast warriors) Inventory: Weapons: Spider String Bow (WP: 4, Darkness Elemental Bow), Artifacts: Safety Blanket (SP: 1, protects from Afraid, backwear), Tools: Bedroll, Pickaxe, Shovel, Magnifying Glass, Telescope, Magic Compass, Consumables: Potion x13, Grand Potion x2, Remedy x5, Mead x4, Venom x3, Pheonix Essence x2, Smelling Salts x2, Nostrum x2, Soma, Ambrosia, Root Beer (Restores 10 health, or can be used as a bomb against undead enemies for 20 damage. The Root Beer does not affect non-undead enemies), Floral Bomb, Smoke bomb, Lightning bombs x8 Roleplay: Utility Knife (roleplay item), Fang of Kos (roleplay item), Fang of Lolth (Roleplay item), Hint Coin (Gives the user a hint about a puzzle or tricky situation. Usable only once. Has no monetary value.) Party Leader, post the order of action. Everyone, choose your actions

Deciding first to visit the central feature of the town, the party soon found that the Druid was correct, the great tower's door marked by a keyhole and a stone plaque.