Waterbrick Down

Skrall sits and twiddles his thumbs from the back row. Battle Order: Hoke Alexis Namyrra Skrall Stigveladi Nur

Jebs posted a Botanist expert class in the class discussion thread at one point.

OoC: Same question as Quarryman. Skrall grabs a Remedy and uses it on Namyrra from the back row. Battle Order: Namyrra Hoke Alexis Skrall Stigveladi Nur

"Namyrra, leave that first one to Hoke, you and me will take on that second one." Skrall raises his crossbow and sights in on Aepyornis B from the back row." Battle Order: Namyrra Hoke Alexis Skrall Nur Stigveladi

True, yet the point that no one targetting a hastened enemy allows 2 free hits, one targetting a hastened enemy allows 1 free hit, while two people targetting a hastened enemy still does not block all free hits, seems out of sequence.

That's what I was thinking, though logically it doesn't make a ton of sense.

OoC: If a hastened enemy is targeted twice, do they still get a free hit? Skrall loaded another bolt before taking aim at Aepyornis D from the back row. Battle Order: Namyrra Hoke Alexis Skrall Stigveladi Nur

1. What is your favorite Collectible Minifigure? CMF S2 Mime 2. Will you be able to post on a daily basis over the next month or two? Yes 3. Can you keep up with 24 hour night action deadlines? Yes 4. I almost forgot to ask for your experience! Fabuland Housewives, Baritones 3, IMHOTEP, Excalibur 1 & 2, The Forrest II, Ragnarok Now, Heartlake Heartbreak, Mafia 5. Will you be ready to experience whatever horror the simplicity of my first hosting experience brings? Everyone's got to start somewhere.

"Fire at will, folks." Skrall unholstered his Hunter's Crossbow and launched a bolt at the bear from the back row. "Always wanted a rug for the fireplace." Battle Order: Namyrra Hoke Skrall Alexis Stigveladi Nur

I wouldn't say bombs would be affected by row, but if all combatants have a certain row, then it also provides for specials and weapon effects that only effect certain rows which is just another creative layer for QM's and players alike to strategize with.

This would add a layer of strategy to battles I think, without making things overly complicated. For instance, it would allow for melee weapons that have the special effect of being able to hit things in the back row with full strength (halberds or spears for instance), it would also provide QM's with a chance to give their enemies an adaptive fighting strategy, for instance if things aren't going well for the enemy leader, they might move to the back row for better protection from the heavy hitting melee fighters. This would also provide for better hero/enemy match ups, the tanks go up against the other tanks while the spell flingers and ranged combatants deal with their counterparts. I'd be up for a change like this.

"True, the Rapids might provide some excitement."

"Yes, quite. Let's make for the Mushroom Grove." Loot Distribution: Namyrra: Silver Ore, Grand Potion, Remedy Hoke: Deadly Venom, 2x Grand Potion, Remedy Alexis: Deadly Venom, Grand Potion, 2x Remedy Skrall: Deadly Venom, Grand Potion, 2x Remedy Nur: Silver Ore, Grand Potion, 2x Remedy Stigveladi: Venom, Grand Potion, 2x Remedy

"Don't worry too much about it, dwarf. Ya can have all the experience in the world and still be as dumb as a brick. As my mother once said, 'The wise ogre has much experience, the foolish ogre makes much experience.'"

"Good thinkin' dwarf. I'll take a whack at it whether or not it gets sealed, it ain't got a lot of health to restore anyways." Battle Order: Namyrra Stigveladi Hoke Alexis Nur Skrall

"Nur, ya might want to aim that staff of yers at the one Namyrra will be tryni' to seal."

Skrall reloaded his Hunter's Crossbow and fired at Unicorn B from the back row. "The less we target those beasts the less chance they'll heal themselves. Hoke and I will keep 'em occupied. If Namyrra succeeds at sealin' them the rest of ya can pile on." Battle Order: Namyrra Hoke Skrall Alexis Nur Stigveladi

"Point taken, Namyrra." Battle Order: Alexis Stigveladi Nur Hoke Namyrra Skrall

"Hold fast, Hoke. The rest of those creapers are going to be headin' your way." Battle Order: Namyrra Skrall Alexis Hoke Stigveladi Nur

Skrall loaded up his Hunter's Crossbow and took aim at Unicorn B from the back row, "You were saying, Hoke?"

SkralSkrall catches the aquamarine before stowing it away in his satchel. "Yep, let's go."

Great starter quest JoeShmoe. Straight forward and well rounded in pretty much every aspect of a quest. As Endgame has mentioned, being flexible with stats is a necessity to organizing good battles. It takes time to get a good grasp of all the factors that play into a battles length, difficulty, and engagement level, but I'm sure you had a better idea of how to approach your last battle compared to your first. Loot looked balanced and the scenery was lovely. Keep up the good work.

Well I started out to make a puzzle based quest and all in all, I feel like I succeeded. Rewarding players for solving puzzles does help the quest move along quicker, but I also learned that you need to throw in some battles and longer roleplaying periods in order to keep things from feeling too rushed. Additionally I'm really glad that there was a good distribution among the solvers of the puzzles. All the players did a fantastic job at applying themselves to the puzzles and I never felt like the experience reward was being dominated by one exclusive player. All that aside, I think my future quests are going to revert back to the more traditional even mix of battles/puzzles. There is just something about a good distribution of the two that makes a quest's timing feel just right. I had a lot of fun designing the puzzles and aimed at providing a lot of variety, everything from spatial puzzles, to logic puzzles, word/riddle puzzles, to color and math puzzles. Being a puzzle focused quest, there wasn't much of a plot to move things along, but I felt the given format worked to keep the party moving. The party could have gone in any order, but I am glad that they left the penthouse till the end as that was the unofficial climax and it ended up working out perfectly. I'll admit the party had me at a standstill just waiting around for the ritual to finish because I had originally thought they'd draw their swords and kick off the battle, but that didn't happen so I had to improvise. Avoidance of controversy seemed to be the main theme of this quest, you avoided a fight with the Metasimian and Bloodpaw gang leaders, a fight with the ghosts, a fight with Crube, and almost the final fight with Ecastue. Some of the NPC's interactions were perfect and really helped established some of their personalities. I'm sure Cynthia, U'reeves, Crube, the ghostly quartet, and Ecastue will all make appearances at some point in the future. I'm sure I'll think of more to say later, but I'll move onto player analysis for now. Player Feedback: Dyric/The Legonator: I don't think Dyric stole the spotlight at all. I think his progression was very fitting considering his last quest. You do a marvelous job of evoking sympathy for his character with minimal text. Don't forget to let him have a little fun once and a while though, if all he does is be gloomy and wound up, you'll lose his appeal and he'll become flat. As a party leader you did a good job, especially when it came to achieving the balance of leading and asking for input from fellow characters. As compared to a character like Boomingham, Dyric is a much more diplomatic leader as can be seen by the number of battles your Party avoided by choosing to talk rather than fight, the part with Crube the bat-man was really smart. Dyric certainly has still got a ways to go, but I feel he's a step closer and is going to make it. Cronk/CorneliusMurdock: Yay, I finally got to host you! I'm glad Cronk was along as it helps to have a clear cut moral compass along to get decisions made. From a role playing critique, you have mastered your character. We all know who Cronk is, what he stands for, and how he will react in a given situation, yet not because we've been overloaded with back story or walls of text, but because of character consistency. Some of your interactions with NPC's were priceless and Cronk's willingness to allow Dyric to lead even when Dyric himself didn't feel capable was quite the display of humility on Cronk's part. The final bit between Cronk and Ecastue was hard to write, because I wanted to have a way for the dragon to be right in Cronk's opinion, but couldn't figure out a way to do it without sacrificing some of his character, however I'm glad the way it turned out. Nerwen/Chromeknight: Nerwen is probably my favorite PC to watch, her mixture of wisdom and wit make me smile nearly every time I read her. Her ability to see straight into the heart of a fellow PC or NPC and address the problem with sympathy and aloofness at the same time is a real gem. You were another player I was glad to finally host and your contributions to the puzzle solving and battle strategies were astute and well thought out. While Dyric and Cronk had some wonderful interactions with the NPC's, I think you took the cake for interactions with your fellow PC's. This quest wasn't merely a job for Nerwen to gain some gold, but an opportunity to grow in her relationships with other characters and it was quite enjoyable to watch. Sorry to leave you hanging in the end with the Red Herring, but I didn't really expect you all to get along so well with the ghosts. As with Dyric, you were contributed a lot to the peaceful solution of many of the tenants problems and it was a refreshing approach. Xander/Posades: What is it with ranger classes being the strong and silent type. Seriously though, I'm glad you came along otherwise, the rest of the Party would have taken a lot longer in defeating some of the enemies. You weren't in the role-playing as much, but I was really liking the mistrust you showed towards Ecastue at the end as it was so consistent with Xander's character. You and Nerwen were the puzzle experts this time round and I'm glad everyone was able to contribute to the success of this quest in their own ways. Self critique: - I feel like there wasn't much of a concrete ending as in some of my other quests, but given the nature/style of the quest, I guess there wasn't a lot to do about it, aside from eliminate the red herring earlier on. - The quest unfortunately dragged a little bit I think and part of that was me not updating as regularly or not providing more straightforward plot points. - The battles were perhaps a bit on the easy/simplistic side. Not being a big "battle-type" QM, I focused more on story and less on complex mechanics to trip you up in your battle strategies, but I think I could have been a little more challenging. - Too much loot? Not sure on this one, there was at least one unique item, one unique weapon, a lamp of summoning, some permanent stat increasers, gold reward, and reputation with two houses. I feel it might be appropriate given the quests real length (3 months) but perhaps not for the amount of activity (3 battles a few puzzles). I'd like to hear what the rest of you think. - More straight forward character conversations, I think I probably confused some of you by elaborating on NPC characterization instead of just giving some of you the bare minimum facts. Memorable Moments: - The cooking challenge, a literal food fight. This was something I thought up at the last minute and was glad you all took part in, that is until I figured out that you could bomb everything to victory. - Jacob and Christian. These guys need to have cameos in every quest. - The game of riddles. Hopefully Cronk will have better luck with talking door frames next time. - Dyric failing science. - Jeremy - The entire sequence with Ecastue. - Nerwen on Pixie Dust.

"Doesn't really matter, I think."

"Ah, so you found the little bugger? Lilly was getting a bit impatient so I already summoned up a snipe to keep her entertained. Not sure what to do with the little rodent now. Suppose we could have the cook turn him into a hasenpfeffer dish, but he does seem a bit attached to you. Tell you what, if you'll keep it between us, I'll let you keep the little fluff ball. Of course you generally need an exotic etherial pet owners permit, but I know a Sharkling down at the docks who could set you up with one. Just stop down there when you have some free time. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a few hundred more balloon animals I need to get busy making. Fine job you heroes, loyalty to then end and all that I won't forget it. Ta ta!" Altair returns inside and the heroes feel their purses gain a little weight and their reputation with the Ziegfried family become a little more established. The wolpertinger hops onto Cronk's shoulder and the party returns to Heroica Hall mission accomplished. THE QUEST IS SUCCESSFUL! Final Party Stats: Dyric Rone *Party Leader* Male Human Assassin Level 21.5 *Immune to Wood, Water, Earth, Ice, Fire, Wind, Lightning, Light, Darkness* Health: 33/33 Power Bonus: +1 SP: 3 Gold: 792 Equipment: Requiem (WP: 20; wood, light and darkness-elemental, ranged), Lucky Die, Tricorne (SP:3, Water, Wood, Earth, Ice, Fire, Wind, Lightning, Light, Darkness - elemental) Sticky Gloves (Increases amount of gold stolen by 50%; handwear) Inventory: Double Chain Whip (WP:10), Throwing Knife (WP:4, ranged, retrievable), Longsword (WP: 3), Aquamarine (Water), Diamond, 4 Potions, 4 Grand Potions, Elixir, 2 Remedies, Mead, 2 Venoms, Smoke Bomb, Skeleton Decoy, 3 Mythril Shards (3/4 of a Mythril), Silver Ore (Worth 60 gold), Bone, Grand Potion, Winged Sandals, Pheonix Essence, Smelling Salt Bedroll, Shovel, Banana (Restores full health to target), Diamond Lamp of Summoning, Tonic Cronk Male Orc Paladin Level 31 *Counterstriking* *Blessed* *Immune to Blind* Health: 49/49 Power Bonus: +2 SP: 16 Ether: 31/32 Gold: 157 Equipment: Twin Broadswords (WP:21, dual-strike, user is unable to use a shield), Paladin's Armour (Suitable for Paladins, +5 SP, +2 Max Ether), Counterstrike Gloves (After the wearer is struck by a Free Hit, they counter with strength equal to their level), Elaborate Helmet (SP: 2), Ennoc's Gratitude (Artifact, Accessory, User Perma-Blessed and immune to Blind, Requires Light Weapon) Inventory: Zoot's Bane (Suitable only for Cronk; WP: 12, Light), Ennoc's Blessing (Shield, SP: 9), Beast Skewer (Lance; WP: 12), Flute of the Magi (WP:3, asleep-effect), Bedroll, Shovel, Holy Bomb, 2 Remedies, Bennetton's Seal, Topaz, Health Core, 2 Lightning Bombs, Bloody Pointy Stick (WP: 1), Health Core, Phoenix Essence, 2 Ether Cores, Scroll of Sealing, Big Apple (Permenant increase of Power Bonus by 1), Potion, Fluffy Pillow (Accessory, user regains full health the first round they are either Asleep or Fast Asleep), 2 Dragon Scales Nerwen Calmcacil 262 year old female Elven Shaman Level 20.5 *Immune to Sealed* Health: 37/37 Power Bonus: 0 SP: 3 Ether: 29/30 Gold: 196 Equipment: Magical Staff (WP: 15, Water, Darkness, staff), Robe of the Archmage(SP:3, Max.Ether+5, protects from Sealed, bodywear), White Cloak(+3 Max health; backwear) Inventory: Mourning Star (WP:10, Fire,inflicts fragile-effect; mace), Crocodile Handbag (Max. ether +2, immunity to water; accessory), Shackles of War (prevents anyone fleeing; accessory), Sapphire, Emerald, Scroll of Sleep, Scroll of Sealing, Scroll of Blindness, Scroll of Weakening, 3 Grand Tonics, 2 Potions, 3 Elixirs, 1 Remedy, 3 Phoenix Essence, Phoenix Incense, Essence of Sorrow (50% assassination chance on non-immune target), Venom, 2 Fire Bombs, 2 Ice Bombs, 2 Lightning Bombs, 2 Water Bombs, 2 Dirt Bombs, 2 Air Bombs, Bone, Shovel, Bedroll, Milk (Restores 15 Health and Ether upon consumption), Carrot (Restores 5 Health, 10 to rabbits), Magnifying Glass, Diamond, Bright Polish, Bent Crowbar (WP: 8, does 3x damage to Mechanic enemies, hammer), Raw Meat (permanently raises maximum health by 5), Tonic, Double Rainbow, 2 Dragon Scales Xander Unth'or 24 year-old male Human Hunter Level 30 *Natural Respite* *Immune to Blindness and Fragile* *Favors Beasts and Flying Monsters* *Earns Triple Experience* Health: 43/43 Power Bonus: 0 SP: 5 Gold: 156 Equipment: Precision Bow (WP:19; all 'Aim's become 'Hit's), Hunter's Quiver of Marksmanship (WP:2 to a bow, allows the hunter to favor two types at the same time; protects from blindness-effect), Heavy Armor (SP:5, protects from fragile-effect), Medal of Glory (Wearer gains triple experience, accessory) Inventory: Pongcanis Club (WP:8), Enigmatic Hammer (WP:3), Electro Gear (Wearer deals and is immune to lightning elemental damage, accessory), Aquamarine (Water), Topaz (Lightning), Saphire (Wind), 3 Potions, 2 Grand Potions, 5 Remedies, 2 Nostrum, Smelling Salts, Venom, Deadly Venom, Skeleton Decoy, 2 Phoenix Essences, 2 Smoke Bombs, 3 Bones, 3 Dragon Scales, Mead, 1 Level-Up Mushroom, Chicken Drumstick (Permant HP increase by 1), Seventh Heaven, 2 Dragon Scales QM Note: That's all folks, expect a write up in the Quest Master's lounge in a little bit. It was a pleasure hosting you all and thanks for sticking through a some what more open-ended/experimental quest.