Out of Character Thread

[Rain Yupa]

Kowsauni

Rain Yupa

I hate to be the bearer of more bad news, but, you can't use that power to take the hit for the Thrall, it can only be used on allies, and the Ogre is not your ally.

Quote:

Martyr's Blessing Paladin Utility 2
You step into an attack made against an adjacent ally to save your comrade.

Daily ✦ Divine
Immediate Interrupt Close burst 1

Trigger: An adjacent ally is hit by a melee or a ranged attack

Effect: You are hit by the attack instead.

I'll give you time to edit your post before I update.

What's the ruling of what constitutes an ally? I knowingly used this power because I consider the ogre, and all the ex-thralls, my allies since they are under my protection (unless they consciously do evil).

EDIT:



from Essentials Rules Compendium p106.

As I'm trying my best to befriend these denizens, how can I not consider them companions?  

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

PHB pg 57

Quote:

Target
If a power directly affects one or more creatures or objects, it has a “Target” or “Targets” entry.
When a power’s target entry specifies that it affects you and one or more of your allies, then you can take advantage of the power’s effect along with your team-mates. Otherwise, “ally” or “allies” does not include you, and both terms assume willing targets. “Enemy” or “enemies” means a creature or creatures that aren’t your allies (whether those creatures are hostile toward you or not). “Creature” or “creatures” means allies and enemies both, as well as you.

Bystanders count as enemies, and not your allies, if they are aggesive or not. Sorry.  

[Kowsauni]

This isn't about how Revenge feels about the situation. These are the rules of the system, and, as the DM, I am ruling you can't use and ally only power on an enemy that is actively hostile towards you. If the power was meant to be able to be used in that way the keyword would have said creature.  

[PupSage]

Also ... you totally would not have gotten healed if you had intercepted it.  

[Rain Yupa]

As my character was designed about protecting others and you've purposely forced my character into a scene where:

1.) The character I'm supposed to protect, won't let me
2.) The characters I want to protect, I'm not allowed to
3.) The characters I have to protect, keep threatening me

I am no longer comfortable playing in this campaign. This is my official withdrawal. Dungeons & Dragons is supposed to be a fun experience, and ultimately an escape for me from the hardships I face in daily life. This is not fun.

In addition, I retain intellectual property rights to my character, and do not give you permission to NPC him. Simply move on as if he was not there. I will remove any posts where I see him getting NPC'd.

Finally, if I ever get the chaos that my life has become over the past few years in order to the point where I can run games in the guild again; Kowsauni, PupSage, neither of you will ever be welcome in either of my games, and I have no intention of ever playing alongside either one of you if it is a game run by anyone else.  

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

Um, is there something wrong that has happened in your life, Rain?  

[PupSage]

Rain Yupa

I get that you are frustrated at the clash of mechanics vs roleplay desires, and I am sorry that you aren't having fun.

Revenge and Kuori are both having a struggle of wanting to control people who have free will, you want to control Irene and responded to her rejection by attacking her. Kuori wants to control her friend who is running away from her and doing his own thing while the rest of the team focused on the mindflayer.

You keep quoting it, she tried to tell Revenge to attack the Mindflayer and everybody else got the message except for him. I get that ooc you realize this and are acting ICly. I too oocly realize things and act ICly in ways that counter my ooc knowledge on occasion.

You built your character around protecting people, Kuori was built around being a monster slayer.
Campaign 1, she realized the beast of 1000 knives wasn't a monster. She realized that Ying and Corsica were not monsters either. One was an herbivore with a scary exterior, the others were people down on their luck and stealing to survive, also with scary exteriors.

The true monsters there were the Arian soldiers. Which is what put her and Revenge at odds.

Campaign 2, Kuori didn't attack the Demis, she attacked the soldiers capturing and enslaving them.

Campaign 3, she gave up an action to tell people to run. An angry looking ogre was about to turn her friend into a pancake, so she tried to knock him out.

I am enjoying you roleplaying your character. I appreciate that you put more into it than most of us. But we have characters with motivations too, and when your idea of protecting somebody became stopping an ally from fighting and hurting them, Kuori responded in kind. OOC I get why Revenge is doing it, but right now Kuori is more concerned with a bigger picture issue compared to the possible death of an undead creature.

I'm at a bit of a loss as to why you would blacklist Kow and myself, but I have stayed on Gaia only because of this game.
I know you have a lot going on at the moment, and while I don't enjoy being the target of your anger, I hope this is just bleed from life stress.

Kow did nothing except enforce the rules as written, you shouldn't hold that against them.  

[Kowsauni]

Okay, for one, I'm just trying to enforce the rules, as they are written. You know I am a stickler for the rules. There is nothing personal in this. Ally powers only target your party members or other allied NPCs. Powers that target creatures can affect anybody. Enemy powers only affect targets that are your enemy.

Two, if it really means that much to you, I will let you take the hit for the thrall.

Three, there is nothing personal about this; I'm not trying force or manipulate your character in a way that makes you uncomfortable. In fact, I am often left confused and mystified by the decisions that Revenge makes, even though I know your character's backstory and arc. So there is no way I could actively predict how your character would react to a situation and try to force you in a particular direction when your character keeps surprising me.

So, I feel like there are more issues at play here than simply whether you get to take a hit for an enemy NPC or not. To me, I'm wondering if you are simply done playing and this is what you have decided to quit over. I personally would prefer for your exit out of our 6 years of playing together not be like this, and if you are going to blacklist me like you have stated I will be taking this campaign somewhere else to finish it.

Again, I would prefer to not have to take this action. I have spent 6 years running this game and, though it has had its ups and downs, I would like to continue playing with you. Revenge is an integral part of this story and I would like him to continue to be.

We can take a break from the game for a bit if you need some time. Also, we can talk this out and address the issues over the phone if you would like. PM me if you would like to do that.  

[Kowsauni]

I would also like to add I am not sure where all this hostility is coming from, as I don't feel any towards you. We have been in this campain together for 6 years and I have invested thousands of hours of my life into it during this time (Including Alpahbetfish as well with all the maps and portraits.) It makes me sad that, after all this time, you would want to end it over one little disagreement in a single fight. Not only that, but you wish to terminate our entire relationship over it as well, which is why I feel there must be bigger issues here at play.

I know Covid has been hard on all of us and the isolation can be tough. If there is something you need to talk about you can reach out to me as I stated above and we can talk.  

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

Being one of the original's have fallen... it kind of seems fitting. To Revenge... the most confusing paladin. It was fun to play with ya.

 

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

Would Ruin know Infernal? Unless I am missing something, I don't even know how Valac knows it.

Teiflings know Common, +1(Draconic)
Reformed Villian knows Primortal
Demonspawn gains Abyssal
?? for Infernal  

[Kowsauni]

Vivian Knowledge timeline post.

Act1, Araethos' Manor

Kowsauni

As Valac rounds the corner to go behind the bushes, he would find Basidia standing there by herself. Her eyes are cast down, one arm across her chest clasping the other. Now that Valac was closer, he could see her pale white skin was speckled with grey. The white spotted, amber colored mushroom cap on her head was indeed attached to her and not just some sort of odd hat. The tiefling towered over the small framed girl, but she did not seem scared so much as shy.

To Valac's growled response, she meekly responds, "S-sorry, I... I just wanted to warn you... Magic swirls around you... s-similar to Petra and Abby... but most of it is sealed away by that tattoo. I... I think something terrible would happened i-if it was ever released. I just... just wanted to warn you. In... in case you didn't know."

Kowsauni

Basidia continues to stare at the ground, her expression solemn and unchanging. With her one hand that was hanging free, she begins to tug at her dress. "I... I don't know. I just... I can sense it. The magic around you... and those girls... it's the same. A-at least that's what it feels like. The magic feels... unnatural... dangerous... B-but yours is mostly locked away by that tattoo. I... I think it must have been done for your own good. Don't let anyone remove it."

Act2, GladesDale

Kowsauni

Vivian suddenly begins to struggle again and this time manages to wiggle out of Valac's grasp and shift to his side, shedding her cloak in the process. Now, without her cover, the more monstrous details of the girl could be seen. She wore plain shorts and a wrap around her chest. Her feet were bare and clawed just like her hands. Her black hair was long and wild looking. Protruding from her back were not one, but two sets of small, feathery wings. Several arcane looking tattoos decorated her body, but one tattoo on her stomach looked strangely similar to the one Valac bore on his chest...

ACT3, Lights Stand Fort.

Kowsauni

Valac finds himself in a secluded alleyway between the fort's wall and a building. Everyone is so busy with their own work no one took notice of him disappearing inside. Once he is out of sight he hears a small grumpy voice issue out from behind him. "Who are you calling a runt, you meathead!"

When he turns around he sees the small shrouded form of a child. Wild black hair pokes out from under her hood, as well as two small white horns. By her white skin, red eyes, and arcane tattoos Valac recognizes her as Tristan's adopted daughter, Vivian. She stands more than an arm's length away from Valac, no doubt to avoid potentially being grabbed like last time. After glaring at him for a moment she would cast her gaze to the side. Her tone would soften immensely as she continued to speak.

"Look...I just want to talk, all right? I think we got off on the wrong foot before. I just want to know about our matching tattoos, ok? Do you know what they mean or how we got them? I asked fa-Tristan about it and he won't give me a straight answer or he changes the subject. I...I have no memory of anything past a year ago, when I was taken in by Tristan. I...I-I would like to know who I am... Who I really am. I know I'm some kind of freak that has to stay hidden, but there must be more there! I figured since, you know, you kinda look like me and we have the same tattoo you might know something. You asked me about it last time we talked after all."

Vivian continues to avoid making direct eye contact with Valac. It almost seemed like she was embarrassed to be speaking so openly about herself to him.

ACT3, entrance to underdark

Kowsauni

Vivian

As Valac wanders away from the fire he reaches just to the edge of where his lowlight vision allows him to see. Then from the darkness her hears a hushed voiced answer to him him. "Quiet meathead. This is suppose to be a private conversation."

Though it was hard to make out, Valac could just barely see the shrouded silhouette of Vivian in the darkness next to a large rock. "I...I took your advice and finally confronted Tristian. I didn't let him weasel out of answering me this time either and...and..." Valac could her the emotion entering Vivian's voice again. "...and I am still no closer to the truth. He doesn't know who I am either. The only ones with the answers is Aria and Its not like I can go talk to them. Tristan made that much clear. He said you guys know more about what they are doing then he does."

Vivian would pause to collect herself before continuing. "So...what do you guys know about Aria? You said they made you and me...and now they want us back? Do you know why? What did they make us for? Do you any know others like us? The only thing Tristain could tell me is he was paid by some elf lady that went by the code name "Mother" to smuggle us out of Aria to finds us new homes. He told me he lost you in a forest during he process and me...well...he said my appearance made it difficult to find me a good home so he adopted me himself."