-
Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.
"This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.
In Progress [LP CYOA] Tower
- Thread starter treave
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
Boy in the Village (II)
As you finish discussing your future with Father McClellan, his daughter returns with the bread and milk that you were promised. She gives you a noticeable berth as she passes the food to her father, who then hands it to you. After making sure that Rain drinks some of the milk, you chow down on the bread hungrily.
McClellan chuckles, “No need to rush, the bread’s not running anywhere. While you’re at it, shall we let Sophie clean Rain up?”
After thinking for a while, you nod and hold Rain out to Sophie. However, the moment your fingers leave Rain, the baby begins to cry.
“Oh dear,” mutters Sophie, perplexed. “I guess the baby doesn’t like me.”
“The baby doesn’t seem to like anyone besides our wandering boy here,” says McClellan in good humour. “I think it’ll be enough if you prepare some warm water in the bath chamber at the back, Sophie. You can teach the boy to clean up his ward.”
“Fine, father.” Sophie seems to be slightly disgruntled as she marches off again without so much as a second look at you.
“Now, we can’t be calling you boy forever, can we? If you wouldn’t mind, how about I give you a name? You can always change it for something else later if you don’t like it, it’s not like the census takers come around here all that often, haha,” suggests McClellan. “I’d say… you look like a Jack to me. How does that sound? Jack?”
***
A. You like the sound of ‘Jack’, and adopt it as your new name.
B. You would prefer to come up with your own name. Since Rain is Rain, perhaps you can call yourself… Cloud.
C. You decide to forgo having a name for now. ‘Boy’ will do.
***
As Sophie leads you to the bathtub, she doesn’t make any effort to start a conversation. Neither do you, and so the both of you walk in silence. She only speaks once she reaches the room. “I’ve made sure the water isn’t too hot. You do know how to wipe down a baby at least, right?”
You nod, choosing your words carefully. “I should be able to do that, yes.”
“The washing cloth is over there, so let’s get Rain out of those rags,” says Sophie briskly. She eyes the blood on your clothes briefly but makes no mention of it. With her help, you manage to get Rain stripped. The baby remains strangely calm throughout it all, its eyes fixed on you.
“Oh, Rain’s a girl, I see. Well, I did think she looked pretty. And those ears of hers… I’ve never seen ears so pointy on anyone before. Where is she from?”
“I… don’t know.” You shake your head, telling the truth. So Rain’s a girl. You are not sure how to tell gender with a baby, but you will take Sophie’s word for it. She probably knows what she is talking about, being a girl herself.
“Well, never mind that, then,” replies Sophie in not a particularly friendly way.
You get the feeling that she doesn’t really seem to believe you. Still, with her help, you manage to get Rain cleaned up, scrubbing the days’ worth of grime and blood away. Next would be your turn. Sophie leaves the room quickly and you set Rain down in a cot that she had prepared. Stripping, you catch sight of the large mirror at the sink. You know what it is, but you had not the occasion to own one before.
Standing before it, you take a good look at yourself. Half of your body remains disfigured by burns. Your brown hair is long and unkempt, hanging over most of your burnt face on one end. Fresh scars still line your body from the battle with the shadow beast the other day; though the bleeding has already stopped, they seem liable to open up anew if you exert yourself too much. It might take a couple more days to heal even with your hardy constitution. Slowly, you wipe down your body, taking care to be tender around your injuries. All this while, Rain doesn’t take her eyes off of you. You wonder if she’s still hungry.
***
After you are finished, McClellan shows you to your new room – it is located at the back of the church. You will be staying here with Rain. The priest has insisted that you allow someone to help with Rain’s care; he claims to know a trustworthy elderly lady who will teach you how to look after a baby and assist where she can.
And after you have settled in, your new life in Scotsfield will finally begin.
***
In the coming weeks, you decide to try your hand at a couple of activities (choose two):
I. Learning arithmetic from Father McClellan.
II. Learning the basics of alchemy from the local apothecary.
III. Trying your best to get to know the villagers in the local pub.
IV. Studying religious art in church.
V. Practice your meagre trapping skills.
***
Besides that, you also have something you want to focus on:
A. You focus on studying and making up for your lack of education. The ease at which you take to your diligent study suggests intelligence which has been neglected thus far.
B. You focus on getting your body back to proper condition and then some more. Instead of concentrating on your studies, you decide to train your strength instead.
C. You focus on being able to talk to people better, practicing by talking more with Rain and Father McClellan. It will be a long and arduous path, but it is a small first step you can take.
***
As you finish discussing your future with Father McClellan, his daughter returns with the bread and milk that you were promised. She gives you a noticeable berth as she passes the food to her father, who then hands it to you. After making sure that Rain drinks some of the milk, you chow down on the bread hungrily.
McClellan chuckles, “No need to rush, the bread’s not running anywhere. While you’re at it, shall we let Sophie clean Rain up?”
After thinking for a while, you nod and hold Rain out to Sophie. However, the moment your fingers leave Rain, the baby begins to cry.
“Oh dear,” mutters Sophie, perplexed. “I guess the baby doesn’t like me.”
“The baby doesn’t seem to like anyone besides our wandering boy here,” says McClellan in good humour. “I think it’ll be enough if you prepare some warm water in the bath chamber at the back, Sophie. You can teach the boy to clean up his ward.”
“Fine, father.” Sophie seems to be slightly disgruntled as she marches off again without so much as a second look at you.
“Now, we can’t be calling you boy forever, can we? If you wouldn’t mind, how about I give you a name? You can always change it for something else later if you don’t like it, it’s not like the census takers come around here all that often, haha,” suggests McClellan. “I’d say… you look like a Jack to me. How does that sound? Jack?”
***
A. You like the sound of ‘Jack’, and adopt it as your new name.
B. You would prefer to come up with your own name. Since Rain is Rain, perhaps you can call yourself… Cloud.
C. You decide to forgo having a name for now. ‘Boy’ will do.
***
As Sophie leads you to the bathtub, she doesn’t make any effort to start a conversation. Neither do you, and so the both of you walk in silence. She only speaks once she reaches the room. “I’ve made sure the water isn’t too hot. You do know how to wipe down a baby at least, right?”
You nod, choosing your words carefully. “I should be able to do that, yes.”
“The washing cloth is over there, so let’s get Rain out of those rags,” says Sophie briskly. She eyes the blood on your clothes briefly but makes no mention of it. With her help, you manage to get Rain stripped. The baby remains strangely calm throughout it all, its eyes fixed on you.
“Oh, Rain’s a girl, I see. Well, I did think she looked pretty. And those ears of hers… I’ve never seen ears so pointy on anyone before. Where is she from?”
“I… don’t know.” You shake your head, telling the truth. So Rain’s a girl. You are not sure how to tell gender with a baby, but you will take Sophie’s word for it. She probably knows what she is talking about, being a girl herself.
“Well, never mind that, then,” replies Sophie in not a particularly friendly way.
You get the feeling that she doesn’t really seem to believe you. Still, with her help, you manage to get Rain cleaned up, scrubbing the days’ worth of grime and blood away. Next would be your turn. Sophie leaves the room quickly and you set Rain down in a cot that she had prepared. Stripping, you catch sight of the large mirror at the sink. You know what it is, but you had not the occasion to own one before.
Standing before it, you take a good look at yourself. Half of your body remains disfigured by burns. Your brown hair is long and unkempt, hanging over most of your burnt face on one end. Fresh scars still line your body from the battle with the shadow beast the other day; though the bleeding has already stopped, they seem liable to open up anew if you exert yourself too much. It might take a couple more days to heal even with your hardy constitution. Slowly, you wipe down your body, taking care to be tender around your injuries. All this while, Rain doesn’t take her eyes off of you. You wonder if she’s still hungry.
***
After you are finished, McClellan shows you to your new room – it is located at the back of the church. You will be staying here with Rain. The priest has insisted that you allow someone to help with Rain’s care; he claims to know a trustworthy elderly lady who will teach you how to look after a baby and assist where she can.
And after you have settled in, your new life in Scotsfield will finally begin.
***
In the coming weeks, you decide to try your hand at a couple of activities (choose two):
I. Learning arithmetic from Father McClellan.
II. Learning the basics of alchemy from the local apothecary.
III. Trying your best to get to know the villagers in the local pub.
IV. Studying religious art in church.
V. Practice your meagre trapping skills.
***
Besides that, you also have something you want to focus on:
A. You focus on studying and making up for your lack of education. The ease at which you take to your diligent study suggests intelligence which has been neglected thus far.
B. You focus on getting your body back to proper condition and then some more. Instead of concentrating on your studies, you decide to train your strength instead.
C. You focus on being able to talk to people better, practicing by talking more with Rain and Father McClellan. It will be a long and arduous path, but it is a small first step you can take.
***
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
treave, do you still make these for your LPs?
If yes, and if you have some more stored from your other LPs, could you please share them? I'm curious to see how you structure your CYOAs for... reasons.
I had them including up to the Overlord CYOA, but lost them all when I lost all the data for that one.
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
Looks like Nevill was right and we have a baby sister.
I'm not sure what I want to vote for, but I am sure that I want to focus our efforts in one direction, i.e., pairing arithmetic with studies, or people skills with pub crawls. Also, we must keep in mind that these choices will affect the character's personality.
Right now, I'm leaning towards either academia, or physical pursuits.
Yeah, I think we must get a good education first. We have a child to care for, and we won't be of any use to her or ourselves if we don't know squat about the world. This obviously goes well with arithmetic, but we shouldn't neglect our trapping skills either.
Also, this:
Fuck it, why not?
BXX, for now.
B I+II A
I'm not sure what I want to vote for, but I am sure that I want to focus our efforts in one direction, i.e., pairing arithmetic with studies, or people skills with pub crawls. Also, we must keep in mind that these choices will affect the character's personality.
Yeah, I think we must get a good education first. We have a child to care for, and we won't be of any use to her or ourselves if we don't know squat about the world. This obviously goes well with arithmetic, but we shouldn't neglect our trapping skills either.
Also, this:
makes me think that we ought to seize this opportunity before we start killing off our brain cells with booze and TBIs.
Fuck it, why not?
B I+II A
Last edited:
Absinthe
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2012
- Messages
- 4,062
1 C>B
2 I>II>V
3 C>A
For #2, III is inadvisable. Regardless of whether or not you think we should learn drinking skill, getting into the habit of drinking is probably not the best way for us to make first impressions on the church or townspeople. Alchemy seems good to pair with Traps skill and while I do want to raise Traps, I currently put a higher priority on having a foundation of Arithmetic and Alchemy skills so we're not retarded.
To resolve votes on the second option, I think we should go with everyone's two highest picks. I don't think we're looking for skill combos atm. Anyone disagree?
2 I>II>V
3 C>A
For #2, III is inadvisable. Regardless of whether or not you think we should learn drinking skill, getting into the habit of drinking is probably not the best way for us to make first impressions on the church or townspeople. Alchemy seems good to pair with Traps skill and while I do want to raise Traps, I currently put a higher priority on having a foundation of Arithmetic and Alchemy skills so we're not retarded.
To resolve votes on the second option, I think we should go with everyone's two highest picks. I don't think we're looking for skill combos atm. Anyone disagree?
Last edited:
A - fuck Cloud
II + V - we may need to flee at a moment's notice and being able to live off the land instead of stranger's kindness is essential
B - we are ugly and not particularly clever with words (a situation difficult to remedy). Better we put on some muscle to make the jackasses and con-men think twice
II + V - we may need to flee at a moment's notice and being able to live off the land instead of stranger's kindness is essential
B - we are ugly and not particularly clever with words (a situation difficult to remedy). Better we put on some muscle to make the jackasses and con-men think twice
Why not "Adahn"? 
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
I hadn't even considered this angle. Moreover, drinking at a young age is highly inadvisable, as alcohol stunts the mental development of children. Plus, we'll be setting a bad example for Rain.
We'll see how the votes develop. I'm pretty much all about maths and trapping.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
To avoid any such meta-arguments off the bat, I'll just state that not immediately pursuing hunting or physical-related activities doesn't mean you're no longer a hunter. Think of "hunter" as your current class and what you're doing now as tweaking the build.
Because you aren't an amnesiac.
Why not "Adahn"?
Because you aren't an amnesiac.
C
I>II>IV
A>B
I>II>IV
A>B
Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,211
It's always the elven princesses, man. 
B. You would prefer to come up with your own name. Since Rain is Rain, perhaps you can call yourself… Cloud.
Cloud is dead, Jim. As is the entire CYOA. But I am not sold on Jack, and it pairs with Rain nicely.
II. Learning the basics of alchemy from the local apothecary.
V. Practice your meagre trapping skills.
Alchemy and hunters go hand in hand, like hunters and fetch quests for 100 boar hides. Wait, bad reason!
Still, we have skills related to the wilderness, and it might be good to know how to make the best out of whatever we find there. Assuming alchemy in the setting isn't about turning lead to gold but extracting ingredients out of raw components and mixing them together to create potions or otherwise something magical.
B. You focus on getting your body back to proper condition and then some more. Instead of concentrating on your studies, you decide to train your strength instead.
I am rather fond of our character's terse and laconic speech. Maybe he won't be rousing peasant mobs like Comrade Bull would, but it's not what we love him for.
Intelligence, huh. That's never amiss. But I want to try a more physical character build.
B. You would prefer to come up with your own name. Since Rain is Rain, perhaps you can call yourself… Cloud.
Cloud is dead, Jim. As is the entire CYOA. But I am not sold on Jack, and it pairs with Rain nicely.
II. Learning the basics of alchemy from the local apothecary.
V. Practice your meagre trapping skills.
Alchemy and hunters go hand in hand, like hunters and fetch quests for 100 boar hides. Wait, bad reason!
Still, we have skills related to the wilderness, and it might be good to know how to make the best out of whatever we find there. Assuming alchemy in the setting isn't about turning lead to gold but extracting ingredients out of raw components and mixing them together to create potions or otherwise something magical.
B. You focus on getting your body back to proper condition and then some more. Instead of concentrating on your studies, you decide to train your strength instead.
I am rather fond of our character's terse and laconic speech. Maybe he won't be rousing peasant mobs like Comrade Bull would, but it's not what we love him for.
Intelligence, huh. That's never amiss. But I want to try a more physical character build.
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
I do want to say this, though: I think we can reasonably assume that the second and third choices can provide synergies, e.g., we can expect greater results from our scholarly pursuits if we choose to focus on getting an education, etc...
...as opposed to who? Jing?
Also, you get two picks for the second choice.
Absinthe
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2012
- Messages
- 4,062
Do you want to go A>C then, or just A?
We already have the skills to live off the land. An extra rank of traps wouldn't go amiss but when it comes to the essentials we're already covered, aside from alchemy, which I agree we should have.
We have an opportunity to remedy that right now though. We're only down 1 point of Charisma too. I'm going with C so that we can at least talk to our kid and whoever comes asking questions about her later.
Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,211
As opposed to a less physical character build....as opposed to who? Jing?
...how do you read I>II>IV votes? Is it a single-option flop-vote or something? We have two picks, why would you use flops with that...
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2012
- Messages
- 28,370
This.
Kz3r0
Arcane
- Joined
- May 28, 2008
- Messages
- 27,017
We already did that with Spiral.Why not "Adahn"?
Now, we can’t be calling you boy forever, can we?
A. You like the sound of ‘Jack’, and adopt it as your new name.
goes well with nicknames, duh (the Ripper, of Shadows, you get the idea).
anybody who chooses cloud should be thunderstruck
In the coming weeks, you decide to try your hand at a couple of activities (choose two):
II. Learning the basics of alchemy from the local apothecary.
V. Practice your meagre trapping skills.
let's build on what we know
Besides that, you also have something you want to focus on:
B. You focus on getting your body back to proper condition and then some more. Instead of concentrating on your studies, you decide to train your strength instead.
strength is always a good attribute for a growing boy
A. You like the sound of ‘Jack’, and adopt it as your new name.
goes well with nicknames, duh (the Ripper, of Shadows, you get the idea).
In the coming weeks, you decide to try your hand at a couple of activities (choose two):
II. Learning the basics of alchemy from the local apothecary.
V. Practice your meagre trapping skills.
let's build on what we know
Besides that, you also have something you want to focus on:
B. You focus on getting your body back to proper condition and then some more. Instead of concentrating on your studies, you decide to train your strength instead.
strength is always a good attribute for a growing boy
Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,211
I wonder what is going through her head. Is she unfriendly because she has to tend to a dirty and disfigured brat, or does she think we stole the girl?
I mean, Rain doesn't appear to be related by blood, and IIRC her clothes were fine even though they are referred to as rags here.
Edit: preserving the character sheet for posterity.
Absinthe
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2012
- Messages
- 4,062
Guys, we can always practice Trapping skill on our own, but we won't always have the opportunity to develop a foundation in Arithmetic. Arithmetic is also going to come in handy later on when our traps start turning into carefully engineered contraptions. Besides, some studiousness would be good for making a solid first impression on the priest.
We're plenty physical as is. I'm more worried about our mentals going to waste here, or us having to do elf diplomacy without a decent charisma score.As opposed to a less physical character build.
You just do top two.
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
Absinthe has an up-to-date poll below
===Early poll===
==1st choice==
A - 3 (5)
B - 4 (5 vs A OR 4 vs C)
C - 2 (4)
D - 1
==2nd choice==
(Conditionals for this will be a bitch)
I - 6
II - 8
III - 0
IV - 0
V - 8
==3rd choice==
A - 6 (7)
B - 5
C - 1 (0)
===Early poll===
==1st choice==
A - 3 (5)
B - 4 (5 vs A OR 4 vs C)
C - 2 (4)
D - 1
==2nd choice==
(Conditionals for this will be a bitch)
I - 6
II - 8
III - 0
IV - 0
V - 8
==3rd choice==
A - 6 (7)
B - 5
C - 1 (0)
Kz3r0 - NeverCloud (II V) B
Baltika9 - B (I+V) A
Absinthe - C>B (I>II>V) C>A
oscar - A (II+V) B
Zerafall - B (I+II) A
Azira - C (I>II>IV) A>B
Nevill - B (II+V) B
ERYFKRAD - NeverCloud (II+V) B
CappenVarra - A (II+V) B
asxetos - B (II+V) A
MoistCloister - D (I+II>I+V) A>B
Egosphere - A (I+V) A
Baltika9 - B (I+V) A
Absinthe - C>B (I>II>V) C>A
oscar - A (II+V) B
Zerafall - B (I+II) A
Azira - C (I>II>IV) A>B
Nevill - B (II+V) B
ERYFKRAD - NeverCloud (II+V) B
CappenVarra - A (II+V) B
asxetos - B (II+V) A
MoistCloister - D (I+II>I+V) A>B
Egosphere - A (I+V) A
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.