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Author Topic: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game  (Read 344678 times)

Devastator

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Re: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game
« Reply #2145 on: December 17, 2019, 04:49:53 pm »

Ok, that's fine too.
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piecewise

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Re: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game
« Reply #2146 on: December 18, 2019, 12:53:19 pm »

((just checked on RGU's profile and he hasn't even logged in to bay12 since august so i suppose he's gone. so... yeah. guess that does remove the question of who's the Aqua Vitae is by default I suppose.))
Am interested in Investigation/Sealing and Doctor positions, also since Randy went MIA during his test and assuming I allow enough time to pass to resolve his MIA status as likely not coming back, then I'll go ahead and take full ownership of the Aqua Vitae.
So Basically what we got here is an Exorcist and a doctor route. The first is gonna involve removal and sealing of spirits, dangerous artifacts, and possessed people. Its gonna be somewhat similar to your vampire escapades, albeit generally not as bad. Most of the time things shouldn't go full vampire riots. Or at least you shouldn't really let them. The doctor route is a lot less combat focused most of the time and should be more centered around cleanup and general magical doctor stuff, though this will often entail trying to figure out the nature of the ailment as well as fixing it.

Excorcist comes with more combat and sealing gear, doctor comes with a lot of medicine and medical gear.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Pay 3 gold for the ice and start working on the sculpture
Done.
First, your sculpture gives you the following words
Silver, Stone, Water, Mercury, Erode, Channel

Second, the Sculpture takes the form of what seems to be a intricately woven spherical cage made of silver wire. Inside the wire is a constantly shifting mass of silver, which seems to cycle constantly between solid, liquid, and gas.  This is the Idol of Flux, an object with power over the shape and form of any mundane matter. Any non-living, non-magical material can be shifted in its shape or form (though not changed to another material) without a roll. However, mana is still used to do this.

Probably travel during the day and camp at night.  We're not hiding, after all, and anyone trying to follow us through the air should be pretty obvious.

I also have a little spare room in the mana budget for this mission.  Cast a d8 grow strengthen spell to strengthen my hearing in a similar way to how it was during the full moon night in Lake Candentis.  Have the spell take place over a full month to increase effectacy.  Don't retry if it fails.  Hearing currently has one d8 spell with no duration improving it already.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
[1+3v4] -4 mana.  Success.
Alright.

First day and night is fine, its the second night where problems begin. You're camping out on a flat clearing in the mountains, just south of the final approach to the ruins, and as usual you have someone on look out. Sometime probably near 1am they quietly rouse the camp and point off at something high up and just to the north. You can't see what it is due to the darkness, but there are light in the sky and distant sounds. Whatever it is, its moving with relatively high speed, seemingly drifting back and forth in what might be a search pattern. Your camp fire is out and there is nothing to reveal your position at the moment, so it doesn't seem drawn to you.

Ekrov is leaving with Saeko on her trip.  He'll keep the Ferrous Memento inside a bag, itself inside the backpack he carries around--and he's always going to keep the backpack close.

Before he leaves, he's going to continue experimenting with the sculpture.  The main goal here is to make its existence safer, by preventing theft.

1. Can the Ferrous Memento be disassembled, or otherwise disabled, without permanently harming its functionality?  Could Ekrov take an important piece of clockwork out of it and store the piece separately, enabling its use when he reassembles it but making it otherwise inert?  If so, he will do so, and store the piece on his person basically forever.  If not, or if he doesn't know, he won't risk harming the sculpture.

2. Level Knowledge to +2.  Then, try to cast a permanent enchantment, either directly on the sculpture, or on one of its pieces, using all three of "Human", "Iron", and "Clockwork".  The enchantment should let Ekrov *always* know where the sculpture is, and have some idea of its state; whether it's open, in use, being touched, has blood in it, etc.  The former is more important if the latter is impossible, or too complex to be cheap (d8 or less difficulty).  If casting an enchantment on a sculpture is inherently just a bad idea, don't do this.

3. Assuming 1 did not work, and 2 did, use "Animate" along with the three material words that apply to the sculpture, to cast another enchantment.  It's just a magical lock; the skull won't open unless a specific passphrase is spoken to it, which I'm not stating here.  I don't really know how strong a lock this will result in, but use a d6 strength spell unless Ekrov would know a d4 strength spell would, like, need a crowbar or something.  Also, ah, don't do this if it doesn't use endurance.

4. How long does it take to use the Ferrous Memento?  Are memories looked through in real time, thus meaning you need to spend three hours looking to sift through a three hour memory?  When replacing memories with new memories, assuming you already know the memories you're going to implant, does that take seconds?  Minutes?  Hours?  How about deleting memories?  Is that instant?

5. Does Ekrov know how to use the Ferrous Memento only because he created it?  If someone else were to fiddle around with it (without casting divination spells) could they figure out what it does?

6. Does using the Ferrous Memento require physical touch, or only physical possession?  If it were carried in a backpack or something, would that still allow its use?

Finally, I've made a list of which objects Ekrov is taking along with him:



Spoiler: O.o (click to show/hide)
1. No. Sculptures are magical in nature, they're kind of like DF masterpieces created in strange moods. You aren't even sure how you made it, and you couldn't remake it. Dismantling it will destroy it.

2. [5+1v1] -1 mana. magic tracker in place

3. [5+1v4]-4 mana. Magic lock in place.

4. Memory recall isn't instant, but also isn't real time. How long it takes depends on how deep and specific your viewing of it goes, but the general average is that you could "Watch" 1 hour of memories every minute or so, as long as you were just kind of skimming them. Replacing and altering is the same. Broad alterations can be done quickly, but detailed and exacting ones would require more time.

5. You understand because you created it. Other people would have to figure out via trial and error how it functions.

6. We'll say it has to be touching a part of your body. Not exactly skin contact, you could be wearing gloves and use it for instance, but inside a bag is a bit too far.

Go ahead and sell off that box of jewelry and ornate sword I looted way back in the mansion. Some more gold would be nice.
Check the rifle I got from the camp. What's its attack die, and is it a gunpowder rifle or a spring powered one or something?
If I could, see if I could get some parts and tools to modify it. Could I enchant some of the parts to create a "small" explosion inside the chamber every time the trigger is pulled without casting a spell each time, permanently? If not that, maybe it draws 1 mana from the wielder each time it fires? If so, I'd reinforce the chamber to be able to survive the magical propellant, and make it fire solid steel bullets without their own propellant.
...It might be easier to build that from scratch rather than try to modify the rifle I have. That's fine too.


Spoiler: Zavi (click to show/hide)
+150 gold
D6 rifle, generic gunpowder
That would be a possible modification, yes. Especially the one that draws 1 mana per use. That would be much easier than one that just did it without fuel, so to speak.

[5+1v6][3v1]
-6 mana, consider it modified and ready.

For now, play up the act of being nothing more than dumb muscle that Darwin the totally legitimate merchant has hired. Pick my nose a bit to amplify the effect.

Spoiler:  Écalir Speedwagon (click to show/hide)
Quote
The entire sequence of events goes off without a hitch. You learn all about the leather industry, you prepare a perfect and well researched persona, you schmooze and wine and dine and wheel and deal the man until he seems to positively be eating out of your hand. And then, amidst this very inviting atmosphere you bring up the lock box in an off hand manner. And the man's entire personality changes as though a switch has been flipped. Jovial and accepting becomes cold and wary, and he immediately tries to downplay it as being totally unimportant while also being very insistent that you explain why you want to know about it.

He knows something. He knows something for sure.

Just play it cool, explain we heard it on the grapevine around town. Maybe he could just let us study it for a while at least?

Also: try to get an idea of what the lowest volume of leather is that one would normally buy through a warehouse instead of a normal storefront, and how much this would cost.



Spoiler: Darwin Zeppeli (click to show/hide)

[5+1v5]
You manage to talk the man down from paranoid terror to mild annoyance that his privacy is being violated. However, despite your best attempts and calming him down, he refuses to let you look in the lockbox or even tell you whats in it. It is, apparently, not the sort of thing anyone needs to see. He seems extremely firm on this.

Anything in bulk, maybe 10-15 skins on the lowest end, so in the 20ish gold range.

Naturegirl1999

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Re: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game
« Reply #2147 on: December 18, 2019, 01:25:02 pm »

Done.
First, your sculpture gives you the following words
Silver, Stone, Water, Mercury, Erode, Channel

Second, the Sculpture takes the form of what seems to be a intricately woven spherical cage made of silver wire. Inside the wire is a constantly shifting mass of silver, which seems to cycle constantly between solid, liquid, and gas.  This is the Idol of Flux, an object with power over the shape and form of any mundane matter. Any non-living, non-magical material can be shifted in its shape or form (though not changed to another material) without a roll. However, mana is still used to do this.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I would like to build another sculpture, also, hold the quiver with my living hand to figure out if anything changes, maybe it might stop vibrating, the vibrating might get stronger? Maybe I could receive a thought that gives a hint on what it needs me to do?
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Egan_BW

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Re: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game
« Reply #2148 on: December 18, 2019, 01:50:48 pm »

Oops, forgot, probably want to get a backpack and tattooing kit for this trip as well. And a small backpack for Salt.
This current situation is Saeko's call, unless she needs me for something.


Spoiler: Zavi (click to show/hide)
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Devastator

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Re: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game
« Reply #2149 on: December 19, 2019, 02:31:48 am »

Lets get a machine gun unlimbered for use in the fight.  Keep the noncombatants under cover, and have everyone else look out, but remain mostly still, ranged weapons at the ready.  Try to look for the creature.  Hide myself under Benedict's wings, because I glow.  Check my ghost charm to see if this is something spooky.

If nobody can see the creature clearly, boost Zavi's vision with a temporary d6 strengthen spell.  It'll last a couple hours.


Spoiler (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: December 21, 2019, 03:16:40 am by Devastator »
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syvarris

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Re: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game
« Reply #2150 on: December 19, 2019, 02:57:13 am »

Ekrov will follow Saeko under Benedict's wings, and by the light of her glow, take out a piece of paper and rapidly sketch out an aeriel view of the forest.  While doing that, he'll use "Animate" to make his sketch change and include a live view of that flying thing that's searching.  This should be a know roll, since it's almost entirely just scrying, I think.

Secondarily, I'd like to know what materials Ekrov needs for his second sculpture.


Spoiler: O.o (click to show/hide)

Radio Controlled

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Re: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game
« Reply #2151 on: December 20, 2019, 09:33:13 am »

Quote
[5+1v5]
You manage to talk the man down from paranoid terror to mild annoyance that his privacy is being violated. However, despite your best attempts and calming him down, he refuses to let you look in the lockbox or even tell you whats in it. It is, apparently, not the sort of thing anyone needs to see. He seems extremely firm on this.
Anything in bulk, maybe 10-15 skins on the lowest end, so in the 20ish gold range.

Well then, wizard heist it’ll have to be. Let’s first go transform some diamonds though so the heat can die down a bit.

Buy 30 gold worth of skins, make sure he gets a nice deal to maybe help him forget about this episode (but not so good it'd be suspicious). How many skins does that come down to?

Then consider if the total of 50 mana it'd cost to teleport to the desert and back is less than the extra mana we'd get from converting some diamonds (which should be the case as long as the diminishing returns doesn't kick in very strongly after 3 or so diamonds already). And on this note, we'd like to double-check whether you would like to change your mind regarding the diamond mana yield, in case your original quote was more than it should have been. We will be glad with whatever you want to give us, so if you perhaps have second thoughts on the topic don't be afraid to just say so.

If not, then buy whatever extra camping gear needed to deal with desert conditions (how much gold?), buy 14 gold worth of supplies and water and go look for 4 people: 2 melee bodyguards, 1 ranged guard and 1 guide who is an expert on desert environments and dangers (looking to pay 1 gold/day). As usual take whatever extra time to screen for dependable people with the needed discretion.



Spoiler: Darwin Zeppeli (click to show/hide)
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Quote from: you know who you are
21:26   <XYZ>: I know nothing about this, but I have strong opinions about it.
Fucking hell, you guys are worse than the demons.

piecewise

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Re: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game
« Reply #2152 on: December 22, 2019, 12:51:27 pm »

Done.
First, your sculpture gives you the following words
Silver, Stone, Water, Mercury, Erode, Channel

Second, the Sculpture takes the form of what seems to be a intricately woven spherical cage made of silver wire. Inside the wire is a constantly shifting mass of silver, which seems to cycle constantly between solid, liquid, and gas.  This is the Idol of Flux, an object with power over the shape and form of any mundane matter. Any non-living, non-magical material can be shifted in its shape or form (though not changed to another material) without a roll. However, mana is still used to do this.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
I would like to build another sculpture, also, hold the quiver with my living hand to figure out if anything changes, maybe it might stop vibrating, the vibrating might get stronger? Maybe I could receive a thought that gives a hint on what it needs me to do?
Holding the quiver does nothing but make your fingers slightly numb as they are vibrated at  high speed. Maybe using one of the arrows?

You need:
1. An arrow, caught mid flight.
2. A piece of Amber containing a living thing
3. A block of Lead
4. A compass
5. Solidified Smoke.

Oops, forgot, probably want to get a backpack and tattooing kit for this trip as well. And a small backpack for Salt.
This current situation is Saeko's call, unless she needs me for something.


Spoiler: Zavi (click to show/hide)
Alright, consider that you have them.

Lets get a machine gun unlimbered for use in the fight.  Keep the noncombatants under cover, and have everyone else look out, but remain mostly still, ranged weapons at the ready.  Try to look for the creature.  Hide myself under Benedict's wings, because I glow.  Check my ghost charm to see if this is something spooky.

If nobody can see the creature clearly, boost Zavi's vision with a temporary d6 strengthen spell.  It'll last a couple hours.


Spoiler (click to show/hide)
You have everyone move into position, readying the machine gun and taking cover while you squint up at the skies
[3+1v3]
Its difficult to see anything distinct, but you get the impression of a flying worm. Something like a centipede or other segmented worm, with maybe 12 large dragonfly like wings spread along the length of its body. It moves like a twisting knot through the air, light seemingly pouring out of somewhere inside it. You get the impression of metallic glint from it, reflecting its own lights and that of the crescent moon above. Its size is difficult to tell, but it seems fairly large.

The ghost charm isn't responding.

Ekrov will follow Saeko under Benedict's wings, and by the light of her glow, take out a piece of paper and rapidly sketch out an aeriel view of the forest.  While doing that, he'll use "Animate" to make his sketch change and include a live view of that flying thing that's searching.  This should be a know roll, since it's almost entirely just scrying, I think.

Secondarily, I'd like to know what materials Ekrov needs for his second sculpture.



Spoiler: O.o (click to show/hide)
First
1. Something of perfect roundness.
2. Ash from the ruins of a city
3. Skin containing an old scar
4. A book
5. Honey
6. Something that came from beyond the skies.
[
[3v2]-2 mana

You rapidly sketch and then animate a view of the area around yourself,  from an overhead perspective. Obviously the drawing isn't exactly a prefect representation of reality and thus the scrying results reflect its quick and dirty nature. The intruder is seen on it, and it does seem to basically match up with what Saeko is whispering to the rest of the group, but its too "low resolution" for you to make out much. It basically just looks like a tiny thread with fairy wings moving in a snake like coiling pattern across the sky.

Quote
[5+1v5]
You manage to talk the man down from paranoid terror to mild annoyance that his privacy is being violated. However, despite your best attempts and calming him down, he refuses to let you look in the lockbox or even tell you whats in it. It is, apparently, not the sort of thing anyone needs to see. He seems extremely firm on this.
Anything in bulk, maybe 10-15 skins on the lowest end, so in the 20ish gold range.

Well then, wizard heist it’ll have to be. Let’s first go transform some diamonds though so the heat can die down a bit.

Buy 30 gold worth of skins, make sure he gets a nice deal to maybe help him forget about this episode (but not so good it'd be suspicious). How many skins does that come down to?

Then consider if the total of 50 mana it'd cost to teleport to the desert and back is less than the extra mana we'd get from converting some diamonds (which should be the case as long as the diminishing returns doesn't kick in very strongly after 3 or so diamonds already). And on this note, we'd like to double-check whether you would like to change your mind regarding the diamond mana yield, in case your original quote was more than it should have been. We will be glad with whatever you want to give us, so if you perhaps have second thoughts on the topic don't be afraid to just say so.

If not, then buy whatever extra camping gear needed to deal with desert conditions (how much gold?), buy 14 gold worth of supplies and water and go look for 4 people: 2 melee bodyguards, 1 ranged guard and 1 guide who is an expert on desert environments and dangers (looking to pay 1 gold/day). As usual take whatever extra time to screen for dependable people with the needed discretion.



Spoiler: Darwin Zeppeli (click to show/hide)
You by 17 skins, or 30 gold's worth.

I'll be honest, I make up a lot of these numbers on the fly because there's no universal rule for converting value to Thaum and I often estimate values as well. Let me do some quick math to try and come up with something more universal.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
84 mana for those diamonds then. Seem reasonable?

 I'll of course start applying that same math to all prices and mana conversions from here out, which will probably result in the prices of most goods being lowered. I'll try to stick to historical numbers where I can find them, or convert modern prices where I cannot; though these numbers can vary a good deal. For example, Historical suits of armor are rated as costing "100-166 days worth of wages" or 100-166 gold. Meanwhile a modern full plate suit converted at the 150 dollars to 1 gold rate would give you something like 40 gold.


Naturegirl1999

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Re: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game
« Reply #2153 on: December 22, 2019, 01:03:40 pm »

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Ask if anyone has a bow for arrows
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Devastator

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Re: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game
« Reply #2154 on: December 22, 2019, 04:04:06 pm »

If it attacks, defend with a strong debuff.  Use a (2 hour duration) Strengthen reverse-Speed spell as a ranged attack to try and force the dragonfly wyrm to be unable to fly anymore, so it will crash into the ground.

If it doesn't attack, I'm in favor of just leaving it be and continuing on the city.

The only real prep to do is to start unlimbering Benedict so he can fight more effectively if necessary.


Spoiler (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: December 23, 2019, 11:03:44 pm by Devastator »
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Shadesmar

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Re: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game
« Reply #2155 on: December 22, 2019, 07:57:59 pm »

can i join the game?
If so, i create hereby my first cabal character:

Name: Edzul Zestegël
Appearance: small figure (but huge for a dwarf) and wide shoulders, black dreads, long triple-braided beard
Magic path: Hunter Gut-Reader
Mana: 0
Strength: d8
Speed: d6
Endurance: d8
Knowledge: d4
Will: d8
Senses: d10

Ongoing effects: bored by surroundings, angry-mad at the rain right now

Inventory:
2 materials at random (?)
1 (full body) chain mail d6, 1 repurposed scythe blade with home-made handle d6, wool bag, bandages, lantern
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Devastator

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Re: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game
« Reply #2156 on: December 22, 2019, 08:08:33 pm »

Should be ok.  You start with one random material, but you may choose as your Grand item a second material.  Since I don't see another Grand item on your inventory list, I'm assuming that's what you did.

Only thing left is to pick a starting location on the Map, but you might want to ask about several locations before choosing one.
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Shadesmar

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Re: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game
« Reply #2157 on: December 22, 2019, 08:28:52 pm »

ye i start with 1 extra material. since i wanna hunt i plan to start near a forest for dense fauna. so maybe Nihil? Are there any Cabals which are interested in new members? how do i determine material? or is 'random' a material and im just stupid
« Last Edit: December 22, 2019, 08:32:47 pm by Shadesmar »
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Devastator

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Re: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game
« Reply #2158 on: December 22, 2019, 08:45:42 pm »

Materials are random, you don't know what you're going to get.  I'll let PW talk about good hunting areas, although IIRC, the western forests are good ones for that.

People aren't really running Cabals, the game shifted a bit in scope.  Not quite enough players and too many secret actions for that, but don't let it stop you from building something or trying to get a gang together.
« Last Edit: December 22, 2019, 08:51:09 pm by Devastator »
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piecewise

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Re: Cabal: Wizard Open World Game
« Reply #2159 on: December 22, 2019, 11:00:22 pm »

Materials are random, you don't know what you're going to get.  I'll let PW talk about good hunting areas, although IIRC, the western forests are good ones for that.

People aren't really running Cabals, the game shifted a bit in scope.  Not quite enough players and too many secret actions for that, but don't let it stop you from building something or trying to get a gang together.
Ironic that the man (or small asian girl) with the most other players with him is talking about how Cabals don't really exist anymore.


ye i start with 1 extra material. since i wanna hunt i plan to start near a forest for dense fauna. so maybe Nihil? Are there any Cabals which are interested in new members? how do i determine material? or is 'random' a material and im just stupid
So your materials are "Flammable Ether (Hydrogen gas)" and "Lodestone (Natural magnet)"

As per your hunting grounds, there are critters to hunt everywhere. Sort of depends on the kind of critter you want to hunt. There are some options

1.  River delta
There's a river delta in the south that has a variety of odd swamps and critters. Good for giant crocs,  salamanders, slimebeasts, etc.

2. Cavern system
There is a big cavern system up to the northeast. Its a complex labyrinth of natural caves and old ruins. Filled with underworld horrors, troglodytes, ancient automatas, etc.

3. Forest/rainforest
There are both forests and rain forests, depending on the side of the mountain. The forests you see on the east side are normal forests with both normal forest animals and more dangerous giant critters. The rain forests are full of even more nasty creatures, including...the most dangerous game.

There are also deserts, the flux lake, the mountains, etc. There are always critters to fight if you look for em.
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