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Myth: A New Age CYOA

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
A.
B-
no need to be impractical with our help. Basic supplies sound good enough, we need the rest for our own expedition.
A- and who knows if we'll find something besides supplies?
B- enclosed spaces and sending our best medic down there, especially with our best enforcer, sounds like a horrible idea. If we're not sharing any with the dwarves, I see no need to stick our group's valuable assets out like this, who knows what lurks in the dark corners of these ruins.
A.
 

Absinthe

Arcane
Joined
Jan 6, 2012
Messages
4,062
Sounds good, Derryth and Gareth would both have to be taught how to harvest the roots without dying which will slow things down a bit but after that they should be fine as they both have basic herbal knowledge.
Speaking of which, will the Quick Learner skill we've been learning from Serpent and Thais help Derryth with this? It's not on the character sheet, so I'm a bit confused, but this seems to be a good moment to apply it.
 
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Anabanana

Augur
Joined
Jul 31, 2012
Messages
1,061
Pretty sure the Quick Learner thing was used to increase our Int by 1, which increases the speed at which we learn things? Can Fangshi clarify?
 

Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Absinthe said:
Speaking of which, will the Quick Learner skill we've been learning from Serpent and Thais help Derryth with this?

With this? Perhaps a little but it is your magical knowledge and good WIS and INT scores that will really give you a leg up. Gareth will struggle a bit more but he is not an idiot and he thinks he can manage or he would not try it.

As for the quick learner skill, essentially what is happening is that the two of them are teaching you when you have a moment and you are working on it in your free time. Every day that passes I give the skill a few points (based upon how much free time you had to learn, no free time = no points) and when you reach 100 it will unlock and appear on the skill sheet. You are learning faster than you were but I don't want to make all of the numbers available to people, it would make it to easy to try and "game" the system I think.

Anabanana said:
Pretty sure the Quick Learner thing was used to increase our Int by 1, which increases the speed at which we learn things? Can Fangshi clarify?

The plus one INT was due to a variety of factors, the tutoring helped but was not the only factor. You have mastered a number of spells since the beginning of the chapter and mastering Amena's Rune spell really was a trial by fire. Also the ritual allowed you to take part in constructing and casting a very powerful spell (there were a few points where you could have suffered serious SAN damage or other horrible things).

So all of that taken together warranted a stat boost, and since most of what you had done involved perfecting rather than adapting spells it was an INT increase. If Derryth exerts herself she is more likely to increase her stats if she is successful, if she fails well all sorts of other things can happen...
 

Absinthe

Arcane
Joined
Jan 6, 2012
Messages
4,062
Ah, is there any added benefit to our Quick Learner skill that Serpent is our teacher in this (ie. he should know our learning skills well enough to teach us along those lines)?
 

Kz3r0

Arcane
Joined
May 28, 2008
Messages
27,013
1. The Dwarves, do you help them?

Unless they can give us something valuable now we won't help them.
So this is C I guess.


2. If you choose to help them then do you use your supplies to help them, if so how much?

B) Yes - but basic supplies and mundane medicine only.

3. You have a bit of time to look around the building if you want, though this will spread your group out a bit. Do you?

A) Yes - might as well look for supplies.


4. Serpent thinks there are Mandrake Roots down the side tunnel in the basement. Do you let him investigate?

D) Other - free form
Send in Derryth, Gareth, Serpent, Amena, Miosguinn, the apprentice and some of the dwarves, if they complain tell them that in this way we can treat tbetter their wounded comrades.



5. Then there is the question of the tunnels themselves. Do you want to use them or would you rather go back to the tower and travel through the city and upper tunnels?

A) Use the lower tunnels, it is quicker.
 
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Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Absinthe said:
Ah, is there any added benefit to our Quick Learner skill that Serpent is our teacher in this (ie. he should know our learning skills well enough to teach us along those lines)?

Serpent is a better teacher than Thaïs, his higher WIS score helps a bit as does his phenomenal INT score so when he teaches you, you gain points more quickly than when Thaïs does. If they both are present then you gain points the fastest, when neither of them are present you still can gain points as you are practicing but you gain them more slowly. Beyond that you don't gain too much of an advantage as far as your stats are concerned. You are spending time with both of them which makes them like you more, so there is that. Also they are improving by teaching you, at this point many of your companions have also had a stat increase or two and I will let you all guess who got what.... ;)

Edit:
Misread that a bit:
For someone with actual magical knowledge the rituals to harvest the roots are not too hard, so while there may normally be a bonus it would be small in this case. Derryth would catch on quickly regardless.
 

Absinthe

Arcane
Joined
Jan 6, 2012
Messages
4,062
I may have been a bit unclear. What I meant was "Does it help us use our Quick Learner skill that it is also Serpent who is now teaching us how to harvest the mandrake roots?" But I'm not too concerned on this point. Derryth should be fine.
 

Anabanana

Augur
Joined
Jul 31, 2012
Messages
1,061
Since we chose to help them, might as well go all the way.

1. A
2. C - I want them to survive so we can get our reward!
3. A
4. C - Amena
5. A
 
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Fangshi

Arcane
Joined
Jan 9, 2014
Messages
1,997
Anabanana said:
Who else has herbal skills here?

Herbal Skill: This is the most obviously useful skill as it is helpful with actually identifying the root and preserving it.
Derryth
Gareth
Amena


But there are a couple other skills that can help with harvesting any roots you find, based upon what Derryth knows here is a list:

Magical Training: This also helps, it makes it easier to complete the rituals to safely collect them.
Derryth
Thaïs
Brigit
Amena
Miosguinn
the apprentice

Quick Learner: Could help with picking up the ritual but not as important as the other two skills.
Thaïs

Also higher INT and WIS is useful, mages will have an easier time with this. Of course if something is down there you might want a little muscle....
 

Absinthe

Arcane
Joined
Jan 6, 2012
Messages
4,062
Since we chose to help them, might as well go all the way.
4. Amena
If you're just going to send down one person, wouldn't it be better to send Derryth herself? She's got the most experience of anyone (except maybe Brigit) with exploring dark passages and she has all-around skills for this.

Any reason you don't want to try my C vote?
 
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Erebus

Arcane
Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
4,763
1A : Their bombs and knowledge should be helpful to us, so I see no reason not to. Also, once we have escorted them to their target and they admit they can't pay us immediately, we might be able to convince them to let us take some of the items we'll find in the Dwarven Quarter (which will likely be much more useful to us than gold).

2C : But Serpent shouldn't use more than one of our roots unless we find more of them.

3A

4C : Miosguinn ; in such a narrow corridor, magic is likely to be more useful than weapons.

5A
 

Anabanana

Augur
Joined
Jul 31, 2012
Messages
1,061
Since we chose to help them, might as well go all the way.
4. Amena
If you're just going to send down one person, wouldn't it be better to send Derryth herself? She's got the most experience of anyone (except maybe Brigit) with exploring dark passages and she has all-around skills for this.

Any reason you don't want to try my C vote?

My mistake. I meant C.
 

Anabanana

Augur
Joined
Jul 31, 2012
Messages
1,061
1A : Their bombs and knowledge should be helpful to us, so I see no reason not to. Also, once we have escorted them to their target and they admit they can't pay us immediately, we might be able to convince them to let us take some of the items we'll find in the Dwarven Quarter (which will likely be much more useful to us than gold)

I like this idea.
 
Joined
Feb 11, 2007
Messages
2,951
1A - we helped them before, so what would be the point of not doing that now?
2C - if they join with us they become part of our party, at least for a while. So even if we use some roots, the more of them are in fighting shape, the better our chances in the tunnels.
3A - let's see what we can scavenge.
4C - I think I'll go with Miosguinn. Yeah, Gareth is a better fighter, but I think he would be better used making sure nothing surprises the rest of our party (and the dwarfs) while they are scavenging. Miosguinn can cover our retreat with illusions if it comes to that.
5A - it's what we are here for.
 

Kz3r0

Arcane
Joined
May 28, 2008
Messages
27,013
An idea I got:
4. Serpent thinks there are Mandrake Roots down the side tunnel in the basement. Do you let him investigate?

D) Other - free form
Send in Derryth, Gareth, Serpent, Amena, Miosguinn, the apprentice and some of the dwarves, if they complain tell them that in this way we can treat better their wounded comrades.
 
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Erebus

Arcane
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Jul 12, 2008
Messages
4,763
D) Other - free form
Derrith, Gareth, Serpent, Misoguinn and some of the dwarves, if they complain tell them that in this way we can treat tbetter their wounded comrades

Somehow, the idea of using explosives in a narrow tunnel does not strike me as completely safe.
 

Kz3r0

Arcane
Joined
May 28, 2008
Messages
27,013
D) Other - free form
Derrith, Gareth, Serpent, Misoguinn and some of the dwarves, if they complain tell them that in this way we can treat tbetter their wounded comrades

Somehow, the idea of using explosives in a narrow tunnel does not strike me as completely safe.
Are dworfs that stupid in this setting?
 

Anabanana

Augur
Joined
Jul 31, 2012
Messages
1,061
It's a narrow tunnel, I think sending too many people in would just be counterproductive.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
The problem with helping the dwarves is that they sap our magical and healing supplies if we go out of out way to protect them. It is a group of extra 10 people that are not properly equipped to deal with epic dungeons - we may even not have enough food to accomodate them all. Personally, I'd rather move them back to the tower and leave them there to pick them up and escort them to the surface once we are done (and loot the quarter in the meantime), but they won't accept that, would they? Though if it is a choice between life and death for them...

The only useful role they can play in our party is meatshields and bait for bigger targets, but people are intent to spend their dwindling resourses on them as if it is our fault they didn't prepare for the expedition.

And of course, where there are dwarves, there is always a potential for TPK. Always. The more dwarves flinging explosive cocktails we have, the higher the probability.

Fangshi, is it possible to convince them to abandon their idea that they can not accomplish on their own anyway, escort them to the tower, and either let them find their own way to the surface (can they pass the way we did? is the runeway safe, or does it still require mage presence to pass safely?), or have them wait there for our return. If Eris survived there for a hundred of years, a party of 10 can manage 2 months.

Come to think of it, what happened to the shadows? Not that Eris isn't there, shouldn't they switch their attention to the creatures that guard the Lovecraftian horror? What else is there to do for them?

Perhaps it is possible to only take the best dwarven fighters with us to complete the mission? Have them give all the cocktails/satchel charges/other useful supplies to a pair of people that will come with us. I just have a feeling that most of them are dead weight. To be overrun by spiders in a matter of minutes, pffft.

I want to give our party the best chance at survival down there. Because if we won't survive, they won't, either.

On the other hand, our party is small and is in need of reinforcements, but how good are those dwarves as reinforcements if they can't take care of themselves?

Is there a reason the 4th vote is limited to only 3 people? Why can't we fit all the dwarves through there if we so choose? They have sword-dwarves, do they? Have them go first, of course. If they want our help, let them work for it.

How long is the tunnel? Since dwarves are demolition experts, is there a way to use satchel charges to expand the tunnel without collapsing it or the whole basement complex? Do we even have enough explosives? The roots are not growing in the tunnel itself, are they?

I am not keen on simply going there, it has 'schmuck bait' written all over it.
 
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Azira

Arcane
Patron
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Nov 3, 2004
Messages
8,519
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Codex 2012
1. The Dwarves, do you help them?
A)Yes - You agree to escort them since you are all headed to the same place anyway. (If you pick this then choose an option for choice 2)

2. If you choose to help them then do you use your supplies to help them, if so how much?
D) Yes - you tell Serpent to only use your mundane supplies for now, if you find more Mandrake Roots you can then use some on the Dwarves. They may be upset if they find out you risked their lives so you will probably have to lie a little.
Upset? Cheeky little buggers, the group's already risked a lot by saving them. It's not Derryth's fault the dwarves didn't bring more supplies.

3. You have a bit of time to look around the building if you want, though this will spread your group out a bit. Do you?
A) Yes - might as well look for supplies.

4. Serpent thinks there are Mandrake Roots down the side tunnel in the basement. Do you let him investigate?
C) Yes - But not alone. Derryth will go with him as will Brigit for trapfinding.

5. Then there is the question of the tunnels themselves. Do you want to use them or would you rather go back to the tower and travel through the city and upper tunnels?
A) Use the lower tunnels, it is quicker.
 

Nevill

Arcane
Joined
Jun 6, 2009
Messages
11,211
Shadorwun: Hong Kong
Wait, why would they be upset if we - potentially - use Mandrake roots on them later in D, but would not if we flat out refuse them advanced supplies in B?
 

Absinthe

Arcane
Joined
Jan 6, 2012
Messages
4,062
Azira, bringing Brigit along for trapfinding sounds redundant. Judging by the vault raiding update, Derryth herself is probably a better trapfinder than Brigit (although Brigit would be better at disarming them).

So for the 4 vote, I'll go: C Gareth > C Miosguinn > C Brigit (she's still a decent fighter, although Gareth would be better) > C Amena > A
 

Jester

Arbiter
Joined
Mar 24, 2013
Messages
1,493
1.
Do we have to just bodyguard them through tunnel or we have to go somewhere else to?
If just tunnel A, if not and its far away C preferably a check or written agreement if dworfs did made some kind of guild or bank. In C i would prefer if our negotiator take lead here, little "i have to talk with my companions about this" should give her chance to switch. Arguing that our dungeon run could be cut short because of our help to them in C.

2.
D We will give that medical help either way, but we should use MR after checking corridor. Serpent should be able to stabilise wounded dwarfs and in case if there is something by MR farm it would be good to have insta healing.

3.
Ask dwarfs if its ok to do that, if yes A if not mby Brigit will take something.

4.
C - Gareth

5.
A
 

Jester

Arbiter
Joined
Mar 24, 2013
Messages
1,493
Btw do Maul know how society of empire would react to him? Mby it would be good for Derith to give him some reliable info. I doubt that experience based on romances etc would do him good here. I dont know what those dreams are, but yeah...

Emm i expect that curtisan got wisdom point from smoothing conflicts in group, manipulating people, changing rune spells and gate spell.
Serpent got point in wisdom and mby charisma from solving his berserker origin side quest.
Brigit not a virgin trail.
Rest isnt so oblivious. Probably some combat related things for all. Charisma and alchemy (advanced alcohol destination) for berserker.

D) Other - free form
Derrith, Gareth, Serpent, Misoguinn and some of the dwarves, if they complain tell them that in this way
we can treat tbetter their wounded comrades

Somehow, the idea of using explosives in a narrow tunnel does not strike me as completely safe.
Are dworfs that stupid in this setting?
Judging from rumoured computer game friendly fire rate yes.
 

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