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Crawler's Academy for Dungeoneers and Overseers (CYOA/SG)

Joined
Sep 19, 2012
Messages
784
i think we should buy five robes, one of each colour
 

Cheesecake

Savant
Joined
Oct 7, 2015
Messages
137
So, the way I see it, there're votes for shoplifting, haggling, buying the spellbook, or buying all five robes (the fabulous choice). Double-checking and getting consensus.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
I am not sure there can be a consensus. No one knows what lies ahead, so no one particularly cares for the items yet.
 
Joined
Sep 19, 2012
Messages
784
we need at least two robes, one for us and one for Bee. we'll cut a couple holes in the hood for his stalks to poke out.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
We should use Bee as head accessory.
2012-02-28_BeholderForDaHob.jpg

That way we won't need a hat, and Bee won't need a robe (our hood will be more than enough).
 

Cheesecake

Savant
Joined
Oct 7, 2015
Messages
137
"Do you think you could give me a better price if you took a page or two out of this spellbook?" you ask the shopkeeper.

Persuasion: 9

He scoffs, eyebrows arched in disbelief. "Tear them out? Next thing you'll ask is for me to make wizards' hats less pointy!" He storms off into the storage room, muttering about silly humans.

You sulkily put the spellbook back on the shelf. Either you're getting only the spellbook or the robes (all five would be fabulous), or you manage to get some more money. You see Tess swinging an enormous cudgel she'd just bought, narrowly missing the soft heads of some halfling children. You saunter off to her, hoping that she has some money left over.

"Sorry, bookworm," she teases. "I spent it all on this cool stick." She takes another swing which you manage to avoid.

"That stick cost five gold pieces?" you ask incredulously. "You could have just picked one up from the ground! The shopkeeper probably did pick that up from the ground!"

She sticks her tongue out. "You're just jealous 'cause of Twig."

You cross your arms. "You named it?"

She grins and proudly displays her cudgel, easily half her height, with the thickest part as wide as she is. "Yup. All the legendary barbarian weapons have cool names: Kring, Hroar, Steelsong. Let this day be the day that Twig joins those legends!"

You sigh as her next swing sends an elf flying out of an open window.

----
You still have 5 gp.

*Arcane focus; wand (5 gp)
*Backpack (2 gp)
*Dagger (2 gp)
*Druidic focus; totem (1 gp)
*Empty spellbook, 10 pages. (5 gp)
*Holy symbol (5 gp)
*Padded armor; (5 gp)
*Robes (1 gp)

Alternatively, you could just leave and continue with your errands, or simply rob the jerk.

----

Character Sheet
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
What was the DC on persuasion?

Fine, spellbook it is, then. But we'll remember it! :argh:

I think there already were votes to the effect 'if it fails, just spellbook'. :M
 
Last edited:

lightbane

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,156
Freaking greedy elf :decline: Also, Tess is indeed barbarian material. She'll make a good meatshield.

Anyway, take the spellbook (although IIRC in Pathfinder powerful spells needed several written pages, so perhaps we'll fill it quicker than expected).
 

Cheesecake

Savant
Joined
Oct 7, 2015
Messages
137
You angrily leave your money on the counter and storm off with your new spellbook. It's not flashy, nor enchanted, and it doesn't even have cool designs on it - but it is a spellbook, and all great spellcasters started with one.

"So you make fun of me for buying this sweet stick, but you waste your money buying some diary?" Tess asks, swinging at a butterfly as the three of you head deeper into the city.

"It's not a diary, Tess. It might be empty now, but this simple booklet will be a repository for some of the greatest magics known to this world!"

"So, will your spells start with 'Dear Diary,' or something?"

You stick your tongue out and continue walking.

----

Stillstar is a free city, open to all races and to all gods. Cozy country cottages house humble families of halflings. Tall, twisting towers of enchanted wood are home to the enigmatic elves. The perpetual pounding of steel upon steel herald the dwarves. The cobbled streets are entwined with gnarled roots of ancient trees, and wildlife wreathes civilization with writhing vines. The majority of Stillstar's land is crowned by the canopies, save for a clearing above the Magister's Office.

When night washes over Stillstar, the constellations dance in the sky, barely seen through the city's canopy. But through the clearing above the Magister's Office is a lonely star, sitting still and silent in the sky: Stillstar's namesake.

Despite all the beauty of the free city, and all the wonder and fantasy, one problem seems to have seeped in from your world to this one: poverty. Stillstar is rife with it, and it isn't new (though the influx of humans did worsen it). Hundreds of people of all races sulk in the street, others make their homes nestled in the branches of the titanic trees, much to the chagrin of the druids.

One unfortunate soul has made his home in the street you're walking in, and it seems he's left his begging cup unattended - with silver pieces waiting within.

You:

A. Leave, let's not get tangled with this.
B. Put some money in it, you've got a copper piece or two in your pockets somewhere.
C. Steal from it. Whoever owns this probably deserves it for leaving it here in the open.
D. Report it to the city guard. Sleeping on the streets isn't allowed.

Having done that, you, Tess, and Bee have made it to the town square. Stalls of all kinds line the square; things of all colors, shapes, sizes, and smells are on display. Aromas of halfling cuisine are carried by the breeze. On a crate stands an elven magician, performing parlor tricks for the crowd of kids gathered around him. Twinkling lights dance in the air, illuminating the square with a soothing, silver glow. In the center of the square is a vast portal, enough in berth and height to accommodate two giants comfortably; Stillstar's most valued asset - and, for some reason, it was inactive.

The hubbub of townsfolk and yelling of stall-keepers that generally light up the square is today replaced by angry murmurings and retorts. "By all that's holy, why?" "Is it broken?" "Don't be daft, it can't break! They closed it!" "You're daft, if you think the Magister would close the portal."

Tess confirms it; atop your shoulders she peers over the crowd and sees the portal - a simple, if titanic, archway. There is no shimmering starlight, as is usual, and no hum of gentle energy.

"Why'd they close it?" Tess asks. "How are we supposed to get to the Academy? It's miles away if we go by carriage."

"I guess that's the only way we can go, if the portal's closed."

The would-be barbarian mulls her thoughts in her head. "Hey, genius, got any ideas how we're gonna get to the Academy on time?"

"How about:"

A. We just take the next caravan outta here. There's one that goes by the Academy and I hear it goes fast. Bad news is that it's run by that halfling my mom pissed off."
B. We'll ask my dad to teleport us; he's the Magister's court wizard, I'm sure he's got a spell or two that could do that.
C. Let's go to the Magister's office. I'm sure we can work something out.
D. Let's do it the adventurer's way; walk! Maybe we could get a level or two even before we got to the Academy.
E. I dunno. We should ask mom or something.
F. Say/do something else.

----

(Sorry I took so long to update :( )

Character Sheet]
 
Joined
Sep 19, 2012
Messages
784
surely we're not the only would-be students that will need to find alternative means of getting to school. maybe we can find some others who are similarly inconvenienced and join forces for the trek?
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
surely we're not the only would-be students that will need to find alternative means of getting to school. maybe we can find some others who are similarly inconvenienced and join forces for the trek?
Yup.

F - form an adventuring party from other would-be travellers and move out in bulk. It'll be safer that way.

DF

Though I don't see why we can't ask dad to give us a lift. What's the point of having a magical father otherwise?
 
Last edited:

lightbane

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,156
BF. Let's see if we can find other would-be adventurers here, then make an impromptu party.
 

Cheesecake

Savant
Joined
Oct 7, 2015
Messages
137
A: Grimgravy, hello friend, asxestos, 3
B: lightbane, 1
C:
D: ERYKFRAD, Nevill, 2

A. Leave, let's not get tangled with this.

A:
B:
C:
D: ERYKFRAD, Grimgravy, 2
E:
F: Nevill, lightbane, hello friend, asxestos, 4

F. Form an adventuring party from other would-be travellers and move out in bulk. It'll be safer that way.

"C'mon, Tess," you yell as you make for the residential blocks, weaving and bobbing through the crowd. Tess follows fleetly, while Bee simply mocks the obstacles out of his way telepathically.

The trio of you soon find yourselves in the quaint Leaf District, where the city-folk call home. The cottages are a collage of cobble and vine, some towering near the canopy, while others lay low to the soil. The sunlight pokes through the leafy roof of the city, the dancing leaves frolicking with the light, casting fantastic shadows on the grassy ground. Buildings of note here in the Leaf District are the Refuge and the Orphanage beside it. The Refuge shelters the human refugees of your old world, while the Orphanage finds families for the poor children who escaped without their parents.

Thankfully, you, your mother, and Tess found a place to lay your heads at Hammerhead's Anvil, a hillside tavern overlooking the sea, just outside Stillstar proper. Many adventurers make it their first stop out of Stillstar, and their last stop before making it back home. You've met many a mage, spying on them preparing their spells, while Tess has won arm-wrestling contests with orcs twice her size.

----

You race up the steps to the Orphanage with Tess. You knock rapidly and repeatedly on the door, in the gratingly endearing way. The kindly cleric who cares for the kids answers the door, smiling warmly. You ask her to take you to the kids who are going to the Academy in a few days, and she calls them down from their rooms.

They smile when they see the pair of you; one hides behind another's back as he sees Bee. You relay the news of the inactive portal.

"Aye, it's awful is what it is," the cleric says. "Was about to get a shipment of blankets this morning, just my luck."

"Don't worry, Sister Starlight, you can give my blanket to whoever needs it," chirps a boy about your age.

The elder woman pats his head kindly. "That won't be necessary, dear, though Ra approves warmly of your charity."

"You could give it to me," says a runt of a girl, a full head shorter than you, though by the sound of her voice she seems to be a year older than you.

The boy stares coldly at her. "Might as well, Ann, you'd just steal it anyway. And if not me, then from someone who actually feels cold."

"Oh, I don't need it 'cause I'm cold. I just need to cover my ears at night because you won't shut up and pray silently."

"Why don't you shut up?"

"Ooh, you said a bad word! I thought you wanted to be a paladin, Paul? Saying mean things to little girls isn't very chivalrous."

"I so wish I could Smite Evil already. Just wait 'til we get to the Academy."

"Enough! The both of you!" the cleric says sternly.

You step in. "Actually, about the Academy, I was thinking we, the students, could form a party with some adventurers heading that way."We've only got three days, and no caravan is going there directly, and by the time they get to the Academy, it'll be too late."

The cleric, Sister Starlight, crosses her arms. "Young man, I know you're doing what you think is best, but the roads leading out of Stillstar aren't as well maintained as they should be, thanks to the portal we use. It'll be infested with goblins, I'm sure, kobolds too, almost definitely. You children would be defenseless!"

"We'll get someone to go with us! I'm sure more powerful adventurers will go that way!"

She shakes her head. "No, I cannot allow it to be, young man. Not until the Magister gets the portal back up. 'Til then, the children will have to do their chores before they can play outside. You can wait in the pantry, if need be. We've just baked some brownies."

"Mm, brownies," you hear Tess mumble behind you. You pinch her on the shoulder. The cleric ushers the children back inside, while you, Tess, and Bee begin to head for home.

----

You pant, out of breath, still unaccustomed to climbing the hill to Hammerhead's Anvil. Tess swings at a few butterflies waiting for you to catch your breath. You begin to climb again, when you hear a faint thud.

"Ow!" says a familiar, reedy voice.

"Caught you! C'mon, Ann, we gotta get back to the Orphanage!"

"The hell, Paul? This is none of your business!"

"Not getting you eaten by kobolds is my business!"

"Who are you, my mom?"

"No, idiot, I'm your brother!"

"Ahem." That got their attention. The girl, Ann, rubs the shoulder that her brother, Paul, presumably hit. Paul looks at you sheepishly.

"I'm sorry. We didn't mean to follow you-"

"I did," she interrupts.

"I didn't mean to follow you. I'm here to take her back. She has the stupid notion that she's coming with you to walk to the Academy." He grabs Ann by the scruff of her collar. "Now c'mon!"

"What in the name of the Mother Mountain is makin' all this ruckus?" booms the voice of your landlord, the dwarf Hammerhead Blackbrass. "Lad, lass, who're these two upstarts? They're interruptin' the bard's solo!"

"Sorry, Mr. Blackbrass. These are the kids from the Orphanage. I was asking the cleric caretaker there if we could all form a party to adventure together. She said it was dangerous."

"Aye, of course it's dangerous, lad. Trust me." He points to his nose, utterly crushed at one point by a hammer to his head. "And that's not the worst of it."

"But we gotta get to the Academy in three days!" Tess yells. "And the stupid portal is broken."

The dwarf has a grim look in his face, but he doesn't elaborate as to why. "Aye, lass. You lot'll just have to wait 'til they get it back up and runnin'." He begins towards his tavern. "Come, you lot. You two, it's too dark to send you back to the orphanage. The pair o' ya can stay in one o' the free rooms. You can explain it to Sister Starlight tomorrow. I'll send one o' my boys down to give her a message as to where you hoodlums are."

Ann smiles wolfishly as her brother gawks. Obviously, this was not how he'd thought his day would go. They sheepishly follow you and the dwarf into Hammerhead's Anvil.

----

The four of you sit at the bar, talking about how to get to the Academy.

"I told ye, lass, I'm not lettin' ya buy drinks!" yells Mr. Blackbrass, wiping a metal mug clean.

"And I told 'ye', we're not buying any drinks! We're just sitting at the bar, in a tavern. It's how all adventurer parties start!"

"We're not a party," says Paul.

"And yer not adventurers."

"Not with that attitude,"says Tess and Ann in unison, who begin giggling together.

The dwarf sighs. "You can sit at that bar all ye like, but as soon as a payin' customer walks through that door, walk yer human butts to yer rooms and go to bed!"

----

The four of you talk, and you suggest:

A. Sneaking out at the dead of night. You could copy a few spells from one of your dad's spellbooks (the ones you can understand, anyway), and Tess has her Twig.

B. Going to bed. It's been a long day. The whole thing with the portal is sure to blow over before the semester starts.

C.
Asking mom for permission. She usually says yes to anything. The downside is she'll probably wanna come along. She's been training to be a Fighter, and she won't stop talking about it.

D.
Asking dad for permission. He's always busy doing whatever he does for the Magister, but your birthday is coming up soon and he owes you.

E.
Getting Hammerhead to go with you. You've always seen a longing look in his eye whenever he sees a party of adventurers leave the tavern. He's always ranting about how adventuring is dangerous, but you know deep down he misses it.

F. Do something else.

----

Character Sheet

(Perhaps too much dialogue? I've been reading a lot of Order of the Stick, and I wanted to try my hand at banter.)(EDIT: I'm also gonna redo (insert name here)'s character sheet. I think his stats are way too high for a 12 year old, level 0 commoner.)
 

lightbane

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,156
(Perhaps too much dialogue? I've been reading a lot of Order of the Stick, and I wanted to try my hand at banter.)(EDIT: I'm also gonna redo (insert name here)'s character sheet. I think his stats are way too high for a 12 year old, level 0 commoner.)

I believe the banter is funny and well-done. It's okay IMO. Wait a moment, didn't you say our boy felt stronger since he came to this fantasy world? Also...

while Tess has won arm-wrestling contests with orcs twice her size

Who exatly did you say has absurdly high stats? :M

The boy stares coldly at her. "Might as well, Ann, you'd just steal it anyway. And if not me, then from someone who actually feels cold."

Hmm, that girl feels familiar. Does she know what can change the nature of a man, perhaps?

Anyway, I vote for:

E. Getting Hammerhead to go with you. You've always seen a longing look in his eye whenever he sees a party of adventurers leave the tavern. He's always ranting about how adventuring is dangerous, but you know deep down he misses it.

It sounds funny. Also, it doesn't seem to stop us from coyping a fell spells from our step-dad anyway.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
F) Ask dad for permission and cash in on your birthday present early (spells!), but also try to talk Hammerhead into it. Having an adult with you won't hurt, and he has the experience from his adventuring days.
 

Cheesecake

Savant
Joined
Oct 7, 2015
Messages
137
didn't you say our boy felt stronger since he came to this fantasy world? Also...
Who exatly did you say has absurdly high stats?

Yeah :P I'll work on the kids' stats, hopefully before they have to use them too much. Maybe I'll bump the one stat their archetype uses (INT for protagonist, STR for Tess, etc.) to 15 while keep the others at like, 8-10.
 

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