[D&D] Philosopher's Stone War III

I second Von here, saves shouldn't be very high to make the masters valuable targets. And since SODs were banned even Will isn't that vital.

(Also it makes the game run faster since masters will die easier.)
 

vonFiedler

I Like Chopin
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Sadly there are only 8 players. New and old players both bring different and exciting viewpoints, that and old players tend to have already devoted a massive amount of time to this growing game. It sucks that some people are left out but if you feel that strongly, lurk in #Flamel sometimes and you'll almost certainly get picked up for PSW4 (it is what GeneralSpoon did).
 
So yeah LN the reason we didn't put you in was cause we didn't think you'd enjoy playing in an environment where the DM has to make ad hoc rulings often and you might have to let someone else (the DM) control your characters.

Ok so after intense discussion and debate here's what I want to do regarding the Master saves thing:

Master saves RETURN to +3/+3/+6.

If your Master is within 30 feet of your Champion, she gains a +5 bonus to all her save against enemy Champion abilities, spells, and such.

And after this game is over we will definitely work out a good system to protect Masters from champions.
 


Well, some players already want to dream up some plans so here's the map. If you guys want a forest badly then I'll add it in, but I think there's a crap load of areas already (and in Fate they don't fight in forests!!)
 
Roleplaying

Now that we are not too far away from completing the characters in terms of mechanics, I'd now like to talk about roleplaying. Roleplaying is supposed to be a big part of the Philosopher's Stone War, although it was somewhat neglected in PSW II.

Firstly, I need each Master and Champion's personality, history and appearance. This should detail how your Master learned magic as well as his motivation for taking part in the War. Notice that I ask you for your characters' alignments. Your personality should match your alignment, and this actually does have an effect. If you're supposed to be a Lawful Good guy, I won't let you go around rampaging and killing civilians. It just plain doesn't make sense. Similarly, if your history involves you being a psychotic killer with no self-restraint, I won't allow you to interact too calmly with civilians, so keep that in mind. I know some players might be tempted to choose their personality for maximum benefits, but I urge these players not to do so. Roleplaying is half the fun of the game!

Aside from motivations, you should also consider how and in what circumstances your Master summoned your Champion. Perhaps your Master retrieved a suitable relic and used it to summon the Champion he was looking for. Perhaps your Master was in grave danger, and inadvertently summoned the Champion to save himself. Try to be creative.

Something to consider is also your Master and Champion's interactions. Your characters are a duo and they will interact with each other more often than any other characters. Your Master and Champion do not necessarily have to have similar alignments. It's possible to have a good Master control an evil Champion, bending the champion to his will. Of course, the Champion is unlikely to be happy with this! Instead of viewing this as a drawback, look upon it as an opportunity. This is a great way to introduce some character development.

I noticed that many players like to do other things when it's not their turn in an encounter, be it talking to other people, reading manga, or other distractions. I understand if a player has restrictions (like doing homework or staying up till 5 AM in the morning to get an encounter done). If that is not the case, however, I urge players to use the time when it's not their turn as well. Thinking about your next move at the very least speeds up the process.

What I really want to bring up, however, is that roleplaying should be a concern as well when you're in such situations. Speak in character when you can, and develop relationships with other characters. For example, it is much more fun and believable if two Masters constantly target each other due to conflicting beliefs, rather than 'I need to attack the other guy cause I can't win the game otherwise'. Perhaps one Master is a young idealist, whereas the other is a jaded old man. Maybe one Master is just an outright villain, and the other believes strongly in justice. Such interactions are possible with Champions, too. A Christian-hating Champion would have a field day in a battle with a Catholic Saint, for example. Even if you don't encounter a perfect fit, it's possible to develop rivalries or respect for each other.
 
PSW Metagame

Over the course of 2.5 Wars, a metagame has been built up and I think it's only fair to warn new players about it!

Protect your master!

Your master may have a lot of HP (even more than Champions at times!), but s/he also has the armour and saves of wet tissue. A full attack or high level spell from a Champion can very easily devastate your Master, so always be wary of this danger.

Teleport/Dimension Door VS Dimensional Anchor/Teleport Tactician/Rider's Chase

This is a very common feature of the PSW metagame. People will usually attempt to run away from a fight when they're losing via teleport or DD. Standard countermeasures have developed, usually involving Dimensional Anchor since any Master can cast it. Some champs may take Teleport Tactician to make it harder. And of course, Rider can chase across teleports.

Alliances

Alliances have grown to be a common feature in PSW. I can't exactly outright ban alliances with more than two people but I very heavily encourage players not to do so. On the flip side, those who do not plan to ally with someone should probably come up with countermeasures for situations where they are outnumbered.

Spell selection

There's a very wide variety of spells available to Masters. Some spells that don't seem that useful can prove their worth against certain opponents or to counter certain other spells, so keep an open mind. Also, I would advise players against over-relying on one spell.
 
[21:49:04] <+Raikage> btw someone post something in the PSW III topic
[21:49:08] <+Raikage> I've quadruple posted

Ask, and ye shall receive. Just gonna mention one of Raikage's observations from a bit back: PSW 1 = chaotic; PSW 2 = good guys; PSW 3 playtest = evil. My thoughts on this trend is that it has to break eventually, but sooner is probably better for the conflicting ideologies for good reasons to fight an enemy Master/Champion duo.
 
Noting that before the Master HP buff a master couldn't really survive a champion full attack (tested myself). In this game, a master could barely survive one full attack but it's a huge risk.
 
You all have ~3 days to complete your characters. Fail to do so and we will inflict horrible punishments on you, a la Bass's game. Character creation should take a week, not 2.5... This is supposed to be a game we play for fun, out of enthusiasm for pvp roleplaying. We shouldn't have to nag you to design your characters, which is meant to be one of the more interesting and creative aspects. :( Not to mention, those of you who haven't done it yet are holding up those players who have lived up to their commitments and done it. I understand if you are busy and all that, but it does not actually take a lot of time to make two characters, so everyone is really running out of excuses.

On that note, please do not take five days at a time to finish your day plans this war like LightWolfy did in the last 1.5.
 
I'm nerfing Missile Shield to only block one Manyshot arrow so that Archer has more of a chance.

I decided not to give Knight +4 AC in addition to what he should already have cause he would annihilate the game otherwise.
 
Ok, Walrein has been somewhat redeemed from being a scumbag.

I am now making character sheets and doing final balancing, and will send them out to the players when I'm done. In the meantime, I need players to start thinking about the following:

1. Character backstory and personality. Some of you have already done this. Refer to this post for pointers.

2. Base of operations. Pick an area of the map to have your house or such in.

3. Day Plan including prepared spells.
 
Day 1 is now over. Deadline for new plans in 48 hours, 10:00 AM GMT +8

A mysterious man picked up the Dunshaughlin Insider and drank some coffee with his other hand.

The front headline read:

'Mysterious Green Man terrorizes Dunshaughlin!!'

It seemed that some kind of green-eyed terrorist, dressed in green, had destroyed a large section of Bridge 2 with explosives. It is still crossable, but the authorities have cordoned off a large section of it. Eyewitnesses swear that the man was screaming defiance against the British Kingdom, but the authorities have confirmed that it was not linked to any groups and seems to be more of a single madman's work.

The article also claimed that a house in Middle Income 1 was attacked as well in a similar fashion by the same man. Thankfully, a family of four was unharmed. A quote from Ben O`Reilly (34):

'We were just minding our own business and then this brown-haired guy appeared, all dressed in green, and then he threw some kind of fireball, might have been a Molotov Cocktail or something cause I can't imagine how he was holding fire in his hands. And he was cackling madly. That guy's insane.'

The mysterious man turned to the next page and was greeted with a GIANT ADVERTISEMENT.

It said only one thing, in INCREDIBLY BIG FONT and CAPITAL LETTERS.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ALLY WITH ME, MEET ME ON BRIDGE 2 AT 10:00 AM TODAY.

What could that possibly mean?

The next article warned of a new terrorist cell in the city, operating in groups of 2. It heavily suggests that the authorities be on the lookout for them. What a strange article.

Somewhat more sensational news followed that article.

"Boy on Wolf Runs Through The Foggy Street!"

The subheading below those words read: 'Remote-Controlled Mopeds Give Chase!"

Apparently, eyewitnesses are prepared to swear that a boy, dressed in dirty clothes, had rode through the streets while on a giant wolf, pursued by mopeds with no riders. The article asserted that it was likely that the mopeds were remote controlled.

The mysterious man sighed, put down the paper, and looked out of his window, where the town awaited.
 
It is still Day 2 but Day 3 Objective: Last Man Standing in Recreational Area and Park, starts at 12 Noon. If you refuse to fight you are disqualified from winning the objective. Winner gets an aura that automatically damages all enemy champions within 200 feet by 10 damage per round for 48 hours.
 
Day 2 is now over. Deadline for new plans in 48 hours, 28th June 11:00 AM GMT +8[

More bizarre news today.

"Mysterious Green Man strikes again!", the headlines read. Apparently, a man dressed entirely in a green bodysuit, covering even his face was sighted riding across town at nearly unseeable speeds yelling "GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEN MANNNNNNNNNNN" at the top of his voice while on a horse.

"Unexplained natural phenomena at the Forge," reads another, claiming that that were huge spider webs at the Forge, and that there was large blasts of fire and ice. Lack of cleaning coupled with unnatural climate, perhaps?

The most important pieces of news were reserved for the front page. "Dangerous duo threatens mayor and escapes the police!" was one such piece, describing how a pair consisting of a female and huge man in armour had set the police buildings on fire as part of their escape.

However, the best was saved for last.

"Loyalists ANNIHILATED!"

According to the police, Loyalist survivors claimed that a man in a cloak and a young woman in plate armour had invaded their base of operations and set it aflame, slaughtering many of their men in the process.

The mysterious man touched the front of the newspaper, and an extra page suddenly materialized in front of the first one. The same thing happened for eight other copies.

"Greetings, my dear Masters.

There has been too little fighting lately. In fact, not even a single order spell has been lost! Why, I used to remember the days when almost two people were dead by the end of the second day...

In order to encourage fighting, I will reward the Last Man Standing at the Recreational Area and Park. The winning Champion will receive a destructive aura that harms all other Champions for two days. Keep in mind that the Champion will have no control over the aura. If you refuse to fight, you will be disqualified from winning this little event.

Good luck,

N. Flamel."
 

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