Blog Milestone

SINS OF A BLOGGER
I don't usually like to blog about numbers and stats...usually...

So today I hit 150,000 All Time Page Views, with 629 posts. There's a weirdness with Blogger that "all time" doesn't includes the first five months I had my blog up. I'm sure that's pretty modest compared to some of the really excellent gaming bloggers I follow...but that's a decent milestone and I'm pleased by it. 

So in celebration, here's a picture of my wife's character- Dweena Squint, Goblin Matriarch, from our Last Fleet campaign. This was drawn by Alexandra "Lexxy" Douglass at Gene's behest. 

The Last Fleet: Sabotage & Sunforge: Session Eight

Continuing the series of session reports for the Last Fleet campaign; previous entry here.

The group had returned from their expedition bloodied but triumphant. In the rescue of the Dwarven ship, they'd perhaps found a way to escape the In Between and make it through the Stormwall of their destination, where the pull of their linked twins lead them. But a new problem faced them- if the explosion on the flagship had been sabotage, then there might be further threats to the fleet.

The group parted ways, many of them heading off to recovery from their wounds. Whet spoke with his second-in-command, Tomyle Devildream, to see if anything had changed in their absence. While their had been nothing suspicious, the illness gripping many across the fleet had increased. In several cases, victims had been transformed by the magic, becoming violent. They'd injured themselves or others, forcing Devildream to shift the various personnel around the fleet to serve as security. Normal patrols had been canceled. She noted that the Artikhane either weren't affected by the magical ailment or else were speaking of it.

Dweena, relatively uninjured, wanted to begin working on investigating the sabotage. However, the Admiral told her that she needed to turn all of her attentions to aiding Gavesk Sundering. She set her staff to several tasks- primarily aiding the Shield creation. But as well they gathered people who might be able to aid with the de-petrification of the Dragon they'd rescued. But she did manage to find the time to pull all the records for the incident- supplies and deliveries.

Chain Firespinner spent time in the infirmary of the flag ship despite his desire to return back to his own people. The presence of the newly acquired dragon still brought thoughts of murder to his mind. Though the dragon Razeheart had helped to save him, they were ancient enemies of his race. Chain spoke with the orcish healer and found himself scolded when he spoke of his desire to slay the beast. He tried to clam himself, and spoke with the dragon briefly, trying to come to some kind of understanding. That would be made even more difficult later when Whet arrived bearing bad news. Chain's people, the Scalebound, had withdrawn support from him. His wyvern was to be given over to another warrior. Distraught, Chain reacted angrily to Whet next suggestion- that he make a pact with Razeheart as his new flying mount. Chain thought on it and recognized the necessity- his feelings and even the feelings of his people would have to be set aside for the interests of the fleet.

Marreg and Lira healed up and dealt with similar domestic matters. Marreg's twin brother paid him a brief visit, intending to bring words of disappointment from their father. But when he saw the attractive orcish physiker, Rainmouse, his attitude changed. Marreg could tell this would become a problem. Once recovered, Marreg returned to his duties and a surprise. His brother had volunteered to join his work on the hunting boats. The Master of Duties offered to instead have Marreg's brother assigned to cleaning out the nightsoil, but Marreg declined. He would deal with this on his own terms. Meanwhile, Lira looked in on her brother Aden. Like many of the Namiir, the loss of their land and people had struck hard at him. The whole history of their people had been lost. The Great sadness, as the Namiir called it, had already dragged a number down into suicide. Lira found her brother trapped in the depths of that. She shouted and railed at him, eventually dousing him with water to shake him out of it, with some success. Lira noted a clocked figure in the corner observing, Thanos, the Namiir god of death who faded away after thanking her for her efforts.

In the many days which followed, the group found themselves caught between many duties. Each had the tasks and responsibilities of their respective positions. But they also found themselves working on new operations and tasks related to Gavesk's Magical Shield. In order for that to work, the vessels of the fleet would have to be tied and drawn closely together. All of the shifts wold have to precisely match course and speed. The risks of the plan were enormous. The ships were already running their engines hard, trying to get to the swiftly approaching Stormwall as quickly as possible. Many of the flyers in the group found themselves running maneuvers- either flying patterns around the fleet to keep stragglers in line or else flying in between ships watching and trying to make sure they kept a reasonable distance. Ships knocked against one another, but only a handful of crew were lost. The also had to deal with tensions between the Dwarven engineer Gavesk and the high arcanist Rodol Faithjester. Gavesk still found the company of people overwhelming and Faithjester demanded more information on the operation of the shield. Dweena and the others interceded and defused the situation.

With some of that taken care of, they could finally turn their attention to the question of sabotage. They spoke with the various mages who had looked over the wreckage. Those examiners had narrowed the problem down to one of three items crafted on other vessels and sent over to aid with the project. Each had been made to specifications and been checked. However, the pattern of the destruction suggested one of them had an anomaly. The first item was a lens crafted by the Artikhane insect folk. Marreg and Whet traveled there- eventually gaining an audience. Whet could sense some of the disturbance among the Artikhane, worry that they might be accused of a crime and suspecting that their outsider status made them ripe for scapegoating. Whet and Marreg carefully questioned those involved. In doing so they finally gained some insight into the Artikhane people. Clearly speaking about “internal” matters- like politics, homelife, society- was considered taboo among them. Talking of such things to outsiders clearly made them uncomfortable. Whet and Marreg came away a little wiser and convinced that the Hive Ship had not been involved.

Chain, Dweena and Lira meanwhile went to speak with the magical craftsmen on the Nocturne Consortium ship. While Chain entertained the Captain, the Goblin and Namiir, went into the workshops and carefully questioned everyone. The Gob,ins had been commissioned to cut a piece of magistone to specifications. They've even made of set of them cut to the specs and had chosen the one which bets fit. Lira and Dweena examined the stones and could detect no flaw. Given the quality control there, they suspected that the item from the Nocturne had also not been the item of sabotage.

Finally the group as a whole traveled to the human ship of the Straadi. The best appointed of the vessels, the Straadi had clearly maintained their old social structures and hierarchy. Eventually, the group tracked down the Straadi magical engineer who had supplied a particular regulator device. Immediately they detected something was wrong- with the engineer evasive and nervous. Playing bad cop, worse cop, they applied pressure until the got the information. The regulator device which had been requested had been a little beyond the abilities of the engineer- at least in the time frame given. However, one of the Aeolatoi, Poet Shell had visited and offered to assist. He'd done the work and asked for no credit. The group stormed off in pursuit of Poet Shell.

They found him on deck, speakin with another Aeolatoi, Casting Fate. Chain carefully moved her away as Whet engaged in questioning. The Elf realized that he's never actually spoken with Poet Shell before- that the Aeolatoi had avoided him. Surrounded, Shell admitted to what he'd done, but not for the reasons that they suspected. He hadn't sabotages the device to slow the Fleet down. Instead it had been a signal to his master Sunforge. The elemental energies would have finally told the Overlod where the Fleet lay. Poet Shell made to escape but found himself quickly cut down. Even as they did so, everyone could feel a change in the atmosphere- a sense of gathering power. Lord Sunforge was coming.

The group desperately raised the alarm, calling all ships to alert. Everyone made for their flyers- hearidng the fleet into ready position. In the distance behind them, they could see the sky shift and warp. Soon Sunforge's legions would pour through. While the others raised the hue and cry and got flyers into the air, Dweena rushed to the Dwarven vessel. She broke the news to Gavesk. He nodded slowly and told his assistants nearby to alert the Admiral that they would have to activate the emergency plan he'd spoken of. The fleet would have to draw in quickly as close as they could. Gavesk dismissed Dweena and his bodyguards, who reluctantly withdraw from the Dwarven ship, leaving the last of the Dwarves to his machines. Meanwhile the first wave of assaults began, even as the group desperately herded the fleet's ships like cattle- heedless of the crashing together. Then suddenly the Dwarven vessel exploded with electric fire. A field suddenly expanded around most of the fleet. As it had done when escaping the Stone Queen, the vessel fired off arcane energy propelling everything at breakneck speed. The fleet slammed into the Stormwall and passed through, protected by the shield. The gaps crackled close behind them, even as the Dwarven ship imploded from the strain.

The Fleet had made it through, had escaped from the In Between. But what lay before them in this new and unknown world?

The Last Fleet: Chains of the Stone Queen: Session Seven

Continuing the series of session reports for the Last Fleet campaign; previous entry here.

RECAP
Last session saw the group finishing off an advance party from their current adversary, the Stone Queen. What they thought would be a quick fight turned into a more protracted struggle. With those scouts dealt with, the group turned their attention back to the situation at hand. The immediate problem lay in rescuing the Dwarven ship from the Queen's grip.

PLANNING
Nursing their wounds, the group spoke with Gavesk Sundering. He explained how their ship had come to be there hundreds of years ago. The Dwarves had been caught by the chains of the Stone Queen- forcing them to use a magical force field to hold her back. That field had been intended as a device to get their vessel back through the Stormwall to safety. Held in place, the Dwarves had settled in for a siege. Over the years, many had stealthed out in an attempt to gather information or carry out escape plans. None had survived, but some had managed to get messages and information back to Gavesk. From that he'd devised a plan should rescue ever come.

That plan had two parts. On the one hand, dropping the force field would allow the ship to maneuver, but not before the chains could contract and lock it in place. To stop that, a locking device further down the enormous chain would have to be disabled. On the other hand, the ship needed a recharge of its magical engines. Doing that would require stealing a power source from one of the Stone Queen's flight engines or driving the ship close by to scoop up some of the energy. The trick lay in deciding which to deal with first- success would alert the Queen's forces who might be able to intercept the second operation. The group had some time to think since the enemy forces were trying to determine the source of the magical fluctuations the group had caused earlier.

After some intense debate, the group settled on a daring plan that combined stealth and speed. The chain holding the Dwarven ship in the void stretched nearly two miles long, attached to the enormous statue which was the massive golem body of the Queen. In this space, small things fell towards her. However, the chains also had their own "attraction"- meaning that people could walk upon them. The group would launch themselves, with Dweena the Goblin in the lead. Her Sky-squid would allow her some control over flight. When they reached close to the lock box on the chain- a structure the size of a building- they would grapple on. Those who followed would then catch lines and swing in. They would disable the device, have Lira's ship fly in to grab them up and then fly over to one of the engines, power the Dwarven ship and fly away at top speed.

Ideally that's how it would work.

NO PLAN SURVIVES CONTACT WITH THE ENEMY
The first part of this went well- with each party member showing off their exceptional skills. Once on the surface of the metal lock box, the situation became more difficult. They located an old access door and attempted to pry it open. However the rusty hatch resisted their best efforts. The redoubled and still met with failure. Only by finally finding a wedge for a pry-bar were they able to tear it open with a hideous scream of metal. That effort cost them time they didn't have and they now found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. A large clutch of the Queen's war-gargoyles, now alerted to their presence began winging their way towards them. They also realized that the inner workings of the lock mechanism were guarded- protected by petrified Dwarven warriors subject to the Queen's will. Reluctantly, the group split- Lira, Whet and Dweena would drop inside to fight the guards and disable the device. Chain and Marreg would remain outside and hold off the attackers.

Inside the enormous mechanism, the group discovered an additional complication- gravity shifted and changed between areas. Whet launched towards one of the defenders, only to come crashing down as he shifted from one gravity space to another. Lira followed him down, making sure to draw attention. Between them, they pulled off most of the guards- leaving Dweena a more open path. She took advantage of this- first gluing down some of the opposition and then using a swing line to get to the main control section.

Meanwhile up top, Chain the Scalebound warrior and Marreg the Orcish Hunter face a growing onslaught. The first wave hit them- putting each against a group of four. Even as they whittled those numbers down, a second group of four followed up. Too caught up in the fighting, Chain opted not to signal the ship. Marreg desperately tried to push back and knock down his opponents. Just as the heroes managed to gain some breathing room, another wave arrived, this one accompanied by larger and more deadly adversaries, massive gargoyles instead of lesser ones. Marreg and Chain found themselves in desperate straits- and then the whole surface of the device shook: the Stone Queen's Dragon had arrived.

The shaking alerted Lira and Whet to problems above. They dispatched the last defenders as quickly as they could. Dweena sent them on- she would stay behind to disable the lock- a process which might take some time. Lira and Whet exited out into the middle of the battle above- the metal slick with the blood of the friends and enemies. Lira engaged one of the larger gargoyles, combining her efforts with Marreg. Whet, however, tried to gauge the Dragon's actions. Rather than attacking, the beast seemed puzzled by Chain. Clearly he'd never seen a Scalebound. Chain, on the other hand, pushed himself further. He desperately wanted to finish off his enemies so that he could engage and kill the dragon- ancient adversaries of his people.

The group coordinated- managing to bring down some of their foes- but the situation still looked desperate. Whet tried to communicate with the Dragon- convincing it that they could perhaps help it, find a way to revert it back to a non-stone state. The Dragon agreed and joined with their side. An enraged Chain refused to give up and lunged forward at the Dragon, but fell to the ground exhausted from his wounds. At that moment, Dweena released the last control mechanism- detaching the chain and sending everyone flying. Whet grabbed up the unconscious Chain and leaped on the Dragon's back, along with Marreg and Lira. Dweena launched a line and sky-skitched behind them as they raced back to the ship. The Dwarven vessel shot out of the chains-blasting toward one of the magical engines. It caught some of that fire and used that power to kick in the thrusters, sending the Dwarven ship, Lira's attached ship and the PCs racing away from the Stone Queen.

ESCAPE AND A NEW CRISIS
Out of the storm clouds, they flew back to the fleet. After passing through the forward patrols, they arrived at the flagship. They quick passed on the most important news- that the Dwarven vessel possessed a force field which might allow the fleet to pass through the Stormwall. They also told the Admiral to shift course away from the Stone Queen's location. Reluctantly, Chain agreed to the presence of the Dragon. Dweena asked the mages to see what they could do about reversing the Dragon's petrified condition.

In the midst of this celebration, however, Captain Brozne took them aside to give them some grave news. Their suspicions had been confirmed. The blast which had rocked the main ship and destroyed the magical labs had been an act of sabotage. Somewhere aboard the fleet there were agents working to stop them.

The Last Fleet: The Stone Queen: Session Six

Continuing the series of session reports for the Last Fleet campaign; previous entry here.

The Dwarven Story
The group engaged in an exchange of information with Gavesk Sundering- filling him in on their present situation. Gavesk reacted slowly, but seemed remarkably coherent. Lira watched him warily however. The group learned a number of things.

1. Gavesk and his ship had been caught in a wild-storm from the Stormwall and cast out into the In Between. They had spent years trying to repair their vessel and figure out a way back. However, later they had been caught by the Stone Queen- only managing to keep themselves intact by means of the shield they’d hoped to use to return through the storms.
2. The Stone Queen seems to have been some kind of Golem who had figured out a way to grow larger. It had stone servants to caretake and build upon it. Gavesk remained uncertain of her origins. The Queen hunted souls- petrifying them and turning them into her servants.
3. Several magical engine spheres dragged the Queen through the void of the In-Between. Other ships which had been captured and chained were dragged along as well. The Queen grabbed up any raw materials she could find in the void, adding it to her own.
4. Over the years, Gavesk’s fellow Dwarves had died, gone mad or been caught by the Queen. Her Gargoyle servants had harried the force field surrounding the ship for decades before finally turning to other matters. He now remained the sole survivor, unable to take advantage of the situation. The field protected Gavesk from the deadly magical radiation outside- the source of the illness now gripping the PC’s fleet.

The Plan
Dweena pressed him- could the force field be adapted for a larger purpose, perhaps to protect their fleet and allow them to pass through the Stormwall into another realm. He believed it could be done- but would require significant magistone. But the generator was the Dwarven ship itself- it could not be simply taken out. Gavesk, however, had a plan.

He calculated the time before serious attention from the Queen would reach them. Even now scouts would be coming, then later the Queen’s Dragon- so they would have to act fast. Two things would be necessary for Gavesk to drop the shield, fly out from inside the chains and escape the Stone Queen’s grasp. First, he would need some of the energy from one of the Queen’s Engine stones. Second, they would need to disable the lock on the chains- halfway between his ship and the statue herself. That disabling would prevent the chains from constricting.

The Fight
The group agreed and headed back out to their ship with the goal of intercepting the Gargoyle scouting party. They anticipated a minor brawl, but arrayed themselves carefully. However the stone-skinned monsters proved deadly opponents. The group suffered some nasty damage- barely able to kill all of the Queen’s minions, shooting the last one out of the sky in a daredevil maneuver. With a battle that difficult to start, they worry about the rest of the operation- can the overcome the Stone Queen’s forces?

GM’s Notes
Sessions five and six suffered from some bad scheduling and pacing on my part. What should have taken an hour and a half in Session Five ended up taking a little less than twice that. That meant that I had to get them to the next episode and stop at an awkward point. I’d hoped to have a small combat to wrap up the session, but it had gotten too late to start that- plus they had plenty of questions for the Dwarf. The following session they were down a player- and things again took longer than I’d planned. The group offered to end early so that we could take up the following session with all players present. Given the difficulty of the situation, that wasn’t a bad plan on their part.

The Last Fleet: Disasters: Session Five

Continuing the series of session reports for the Last Fleet campaign; previous entry here.

Mysteries Solved
Last session saw two mysteries solved- finding Dr. Dreamrat, a physiker who may be able to help with the illness affecting the fleet; and uncovering the identity of the killer striking at Orcs across the vessels of the fleet. This session opened with the trial and sentencing of that killer. The PCs discussed the situation- on the one hand, order has to be maintained on the ships and the killer had taken four lives. On the other hand, the remaining Ebon Elves had petitioned for clemency. With only a handful of their race remaining, the death of even one meant a devastating loss. The Wolfen, Kalighta Cuteye, himself the last of his people spoke with the group- bearing the Ebon Elves request. The group seriously considered this, and when they spoke to Admiral Greybattle, they expressed some concerns.

However the Admiral had decided on the necessity to demonstrate force- to make clear that internal disruptions could not be tolerated. The group deferred to the admiral’s judgment. That was put to test when they saw the means of execution, binding the killer and pitching him out into the endless open skies, where he would fall endlessly or perhaps discover the bottom of the sky. Whet watched the crowd carefully and noted the split between the Ebon Elf Signals Officer Kal’aso Garwayne and her people.

Flames and Disaster
The group made to head their separate ways- with many duties needing to be tended to. However, a sudden explosion shook The Horn of Wrath- they quickly realized that it hadn’t been a single explosion, but rather a chain of them, stretching from the forward magical workshop to the rear. The group split- heading towards the scenes in the hopes of saving lives and minimizing damage. Despite some upsets, they managed to rescue a number of magical scientists and keep the wild magics released from wrecking even more of the ship. The situation became clear- Rodol Faithjester, the master arcanist, had been running preliminary tests on the new device to move the fleet through the Stormwall. Something had gone wrong, with the magistone exploding in an unexpected reaction. It had caused a cascade reaching between both labs. Lira spoke openly what the others were thinking- could this have been sabotage. The shaken Faithjester doubted it, but could not say for certain.

The Awful Situation
The group each headed back to the ships of their own race- with instructions to downplay the situation for the moment. Each did, with varying levels of success. The next day all were called in to a general meeting, along with other officers and representatives for each ship in the fleet. The meeting opened, as expected, with a discussion of the explosions. Faithjester rose and reported the situation. They had been working to restore the prototype Transit Device, given that the previous one had been destroyed in their passage into The In-Between (along with the flagship, The Daughter of Woes). The Arcanist explained that the magical energies of this region differed enough that this could have thrown things off, causing the blast. But he wasn’t sure at this moment- and with that hesitation he offered his resignation if another could be found to take his place. The Admiral tabled that and asked what their options were- Faithjester stated that he would require more of the precious stores of magistone and that the process to rebuild could take weeks, if not months. The briefings which followed suggested that this was time they did not have.

Dr. Dreamrat conveyed his preliminary findings. Those who had fallen ill had been those weakest and those most exposed to the environment and light above decks. The energy of the In-Between seemed to cause a transformation in these people- beginning with weakness, then fever and pain, then collapse and nightmares. But the process didn’t end there- several of earliest afflicted had shown signs of madness as well as physical transformations. People could be protected in part by staying below decks and covering themselves outside, but that would only slow, not prevent the illness. Dreamrat believed that eventually, everyone would succumb. Again, it might be a matter of weeks. As well, once a certain portion of the population became sick, the ships themselves would be unable to maintain themselves.

Which brought the meeting to the final statement. Chief Engineer Fateflame had inspected each of the vessels of the fleet to judge what repairs needed to be done immediately. Her inspections revealed two ships which had drastic structural and/or engine problems. The first, as expected, was the rescue ark, The Heart’s Refuge. That ship had not been intended for a voyage like this or for carrying that many passengers. But another ship had damage from the battle against Sunforge and his forces, The Goddess’ Tears, vessel of the White Elves. The Chief Engineer expected both ships would remain intact currently, but without ground-dock facilities, necessary repairs could not be done. The fleet would have to draft plans for relocating people from those ships in the event either lost integrity.

The meeting ended somberly, complimented by a change in the sky outside- shifting from a constant orange to a deep blue, the apparent 'night' of the in-between and the first change they’d seen in weeks.

Strange Lights
The PCs spent some time interacting with various characters across the fleet. They brainstormed some options for dealing with the impending crisis. A call from the admiral interrupted their debate. A forward outflier had spotted something unusual- ahead but slightly off from their intended course. In a bank of clouds they’d spotted flashing- unlike any lightning or atmospheric phenomena they’d seen so far. The group would be sent ahead to check on the situation, make sure it posed no danger and check for any resources the fleet could use. They set out immediately.

Lira flew, with Chain navigating and spotting. They found themselves in a large bank of clouds- with moving layers suggesting something at the center. Soon they made out the lights the scout had spotted. They could make out little except for the pattern. Dweena spent time recording the rhythm of it- revealing a distress call. It used an old set of codes, ones created by the lost race of Dwarves. Cautiously, Lira moved the ship forward to get a better view.

A Lost Vessel
They broke through the cloud bank to a bizarre vision. In the distance they saw a massive stone statue, many times larger than the largest ship in their fleet. It appeared to be a robed woman with half-finished features and closed eyes. They could make out movement in the distance, like ants working across the surface of it. Chains with massive iron links spiraled out in every direction, attached to the statue. At the ends of those they could make out broken vessels wrapped in cages, massive stones with glowing centers, and finally, the sparkling sphere bound by chains. The lights the group had witnessed came from that sphere- a force field. They flew close and could see what lay inside...an ancient Dwarven vessel.

The group discussed the implications- the Dwarves had been lost for several hundred years. After the sundering of the world, they had been the first to craft vessels and head out to map the Stormwall. They had sacrificed themselves to help the other races. Now they’d come across one of those ships- and one in apparently dire circumstances, judging from the fate of the other ships tethered to this statue. Lira settled the ship close by the force field; she then handed controls over to Dimos Bathang, the Bugbear NPC they’d brought along despite his new crimson shirt. After a few experiments, Marreg discovered that the force field kept out non-organic material. The group could pass through with some difficulty. They did so, lowering themselves to the deck of the Dwarven ship.

A New Threat
Immediately they could see that the ship was worn- with most of the ornamentation broken off or destroyed. However, they also felt the slight vibration indicating an arcane engine operating somewhere. With some trepidation, they knock on the door to below decks, announcing themselves. It took a few minutes, but the door opened- revealing Gavesk Sundering, the last of the Dwarves. He looked around shocked at the unexpected arrival. With fear in his voice, he told them they had little time- already "she’d awoken." He pointed off in the distance.

...Where the eyes of the statue had opened.

The Last Fleet: Murders & Manhandling (Session Four)

Continuing the series of session reports for the Last Fleet campaign; previous entry here.

Return to the Fleet
Having escaped from the island of the Necromancer, the group returns to the fleet. They report in to Admiral Greybattle expressing concern about pursuit. The Admiral gives orders and shifts the fleet to put the storm between them,selves and the island. Noting the extensive injuries, the Admiral orders everyone except Dweena to get medical attention. Dweena comments on her good fortune, which may itself be unlucky to do. The group splits the treasures they recovered and decide to hand the larger part off to others. In the infirmary, they find many people struck down with a recent sickness. The group has to wait because of the numbers. The exception is Marreg, who finds himself well-treated by Rainmouse, the orcish physiker.

Settling Back In
Marreg speaks with Rainmouse for a time, trying to give her a clear picture of his adventures. Marreg conveys the general course of the tale, but lacks something of the spark. Rainmouse explains the illness which has gripped the fleet. Many have fallen sick- beginning with exhaustion, then fever and in the worst cases, nightmares. Marreg learns that the insect people of the Artikhane are the only ones with immunity. Mages who could be spared and physikers have been desperately working to find a solution or treatment for the illness, but lacked resource and expertise. No one has died yet, but many fear it will happen. Rumors have begun to fly: a curse from Sunforge; it came from this or that ship; magics used to transit the fleet into the In Between caused it; and so on.

Meanwhile, Ashpala Deathvoyage visits Chain. She'd been along on the previous session's adventure. She apologizes for not being more helpful. Ashpala had overheard Lira complaining about Ashpala not carrying her weight. Chain tries to make his fellow Scalebound feel better and suggests she take up additional training with his own master. They speak on other topics, with Chain's own relentless optimism wearing away some of Ashpala's uncertainty. At the same time, aboard the Nocturne Consortium ship, the new Captain summons Dweena. Reaga Sandalen, a pirate queen coerced into taking command, demands better supplies and resources befitting a captain. Dweena nods, reminds the new captain that they still had a brig on the ship and leaves the former pirate with less than she had to begin. Dweena plans to eventually open her stores and offer her some amenities, but on her terms.

Whet returns to the White Elf ship, only to find its infirmary also filled. As he returns to his quarters he spots his superior, Tytessa Chillstealer on deck in the rain. He speaks with her, only to reveal the extent of his injuries. She listens to his story of the necromancer but then orders Whet to return to his rooms to rest and recover. He objects but her word is final. Lira takes advantage of the storm to do some rough weather flight practice. She wants to make sure she knows all of the patterns between the fleet vessels. The air gets choppy, sending her skyship veering. As it does, Lira hears a tumbling from the back of the ship. She jerks the ship back and forth a bit before landing. Safely down, she rushes to the back to confront the stowaway. There she finds Polny Peargather, a young Namir. She begs Lira for the chance to apprentice under her guidance. Lira prods her with questions and then offers her a chance. Polny must break into the stores of the dread and terrible Dweena Squint to steal some of her "special cream..."

Time Aboard
Over the next few days, Marreg spends time bonding with his new hunting crew. At the end of a shift, he's confronted by Emghalid Rink, the Spellarcher. Rink asks why Marreg is so standoffish with him and the other newcomers. Marreg claims he's not and somehow finds himself roped into going drinking with the men. Marreg's people pride themselves on their drinking, but this has always been the hunter's weak point. In the makeshift tavern, he finds himself forced into a contest with Rink. Luckily both botch their resistance to the heady brew. Looking on, the other new hunter, Ataso of the Artikhane, develops a healthy fear regarding the power of Orcish ale.

Chain also works to bond with his men. He sets up a new contest for them- dice games to create competition and community between the watchmen. The prize for each round will be a magic item the group discovered in the lost temple. It renders the bearer's clothing waterproof. Casting Fate, one of the Aeolotoi, elemental refugees from the reign of Lord Stormforge, interrupts Chain's work. She asks to see the Corpse Tree fruit recovered from the necromancer. Casting senses no inherent darkness in it, but advises caution and skepticism. In conversation, Chain discovers that Casting's unusual wings were made to replace those torn off of her by Lord Sunforge. Casting awkwardly tries to joke with Chain for a bit before leaving.

Zedozu Sotinin, the Fleet's Preservationist and Recorder, drops in on Dweena. They discuss the illness affecting the fleet. Sotinin mentions that his records indicate that there might be a doctor and researcher on the fleet who could help. However, this Dr. Dreamrat, was supposed to be on the refugee ark, but no one will account for his current whereabouts. Sotinin suggests that Dweena and some of her number might look into the matter. Dweena listens and agrees- at the same time catching the young Polny in the midsts of her attempts to raid the stores. Dweena allows the young Namir access to the cream, and pretends not to notice the theft.

Recovered, Whet returns to his post as head of the Vigil. He finds a major situation brewing. Two Orcs have died and one has gone missing across three ships. One was found knifed. The pattern suggests a vendetta against Orcs of all kinds, since they came from different Orc nations. Whet tracks down his comrade Marreg and asks for his assistance with the investigation. Meanwhile Polny returns with her success to Lira. She congratulates her but informs Polny that this is only the first test. Lira, with her ward in tow, return to Dweena. The Goblin tells Lira of the missing doctor and suggests they grab up Chain to aid them in an investigation. They set Polny to a new task before departing.

Finding Dr. Dreamrat
The team heads over to the Rescue Ark, "The Heart's Refuge." The overpacked and badly controlled ship has become a badside for the fleet as a whole. They dive into the wretched hive of scum and villainy...undercover. Lira provides disguises for the three of them, with Chain looking less gender specific and Dweena resembling a steampunk, cross-dressing, midget Lincoln. Each canvasses among various groups and contacts. They meet only modest success, until Lira observes Dweena's questions stir up some agitation. Lira follows a bugbear who slips away and down into the bowels of the ship. He returns with a human lieutenant and a gang of bugbears. That gang conceals themselves in preparation for an ambush, while the lieutenant tracks down Dweena and introduces himself as Lacan.

Lacan promises that he knows where Dr. Dreamrat is. The doctor has been busy treating the less fortunate in the worst sections of the ship. Lacan offers to take them to him, at which point Lira intervenes and Dweena applies the pressure. They force Lacan to take them down to Dreamrat, avoiding the possible ambush. Using Lacan, they make their way into what appears to be some kind of criminal hideout in the lowest part of the ship. However, once in Lacan tries to make a move and Lira accidentally overreacts, killing him. Chain creates a distraction- loudly joining the dice game in progress. Dweena puts her years of experience to work, concealing the body in a nearby crate.

With her shadow stealth, Lira moves and searches- eventually locating a set of cells and the doctor. She breaks in and use the cutting line they found in the previous session to remove his manacles. Chain and Dweena work to keep the attention of the thugs in the main room. Lira sneaks back and activates a magical distraction. In the chaos, Lira hustles Dreamrat through. To makes things even better, Dweena scatters money which sends the criminals into a frenzy across the floor. Chain uses that to draw off the door guards with the promise of loose cash. The path open, they move the good doctor up the many decks and to their waiting boat.

To Kill An Orc!
Marreg joins Whet on their investigation of the murders. They check on the background of the murder victims and patterns. At this point, the only common thread they see is the Orcish nature of the victims. They decide to set up a sting operation. Marreg will act bait on the main ship. The killer has not struck there yet. They wait. Marreg spends the night acting as a lone Orcish laborer on deck. The tedium sets in and no one approaches. Seeing a moment's respite, Marreg relieves himself overboard-- and is caught in mid-action by the Ebon Elf Signals Officer Kal'aso Garwayne. She reprimands him and heads on.

With that tactic a bust, Whet and Marreg pursue other avenues of investigation. They hunt through the duty rosters for any overlap of personnel working on the ships. Most people work on their home vessel, but some move between. However, they don't find any duplicates assigned to work at those times and ships. Moving on, they check the background of each Orc, but find no connection. Next, they hunt down and speak with all of the carrier drivers who go between the ships. These drivers move the freight sloops and passenger skyboats. Mareg becomes a little worried as he watches Whet exhaust himself- an elf hunting down someone killing Orcs. The two discover a measure of new respect for one another. '

With fears of another killing rising, they go over every detail. They catch a break with the flight and landing manifests for the three vessels. Most of these had been covered in their interrogations of the hauler pilots. However, many officers of the fleet have their own, smaller modes of transport (small skiffs, magical flying devices, flying creatures)- as the group does. Those comings are goings are also recorded by the Master of Flight for each vessel. Whet and Mareg discover that the Signals Officer Garwayne has been present on each ship when the killings occurred. They think back to the night when she interrupted Marreg- perhaps he had just avoided being her next victim. The pair speak with the admiral. He listens, but tells them they need hard evidence.

With some hesitation, they decide to set up another sting. Marreg calls on the overly-enthusiastic Grisnar to act as a decoy. The check on Officer Garwayne's schedule and get ahead of her.. Marreg sets up Grishnar moving boxes by himself and watches over him. Whet, meanwhile, waits and watches for Garwayne's arrival. Her small boat arrives and her pilot ties them off. Garwayne heads down the ship and Whet follows. However he soon loses her and rushes to try to find where she went. With his hunter's instincts, Marreg spots a darkened figure sneaking up on Grishnar. Throwing caution to the wind, Marreg leaps out to intervene. The figure launches a poisoned dagger, coated with a potent paralytic. Marreg crashes to the deck, followed soon after by Grishnar. Whet finally catches up with Garwayne but hears a commotion back from Marreg's position- he puts two and two together- the killer is not Garwayne, but her boat pilot. He rushes back.

The assassin leans in close over Marreg, gloating. He'll have two victims tonight. Marreg fights against the poison but exhausts himself. As the blade comes close, Whet races onto the scene. There's a standoff, with a blade against the Orc's throat. Whet takes a desperate trick shot and manages to blast the assassin's knife arm. He staggers back to the edge of the railing and tumbles over into the abyss. Whet will have none of that and launches himself after. Marreg manages to move- just as his comrade falls to his certain death. Then he sees Whet's Wyvern, called by his unique psychic link, swoop in and catch them both. Marreg and Whet have caught the killer alive, with no additional death.

GM Notes
One of my goals is to switch between off-fleet and on-ship adventures. Some of the players have built more for one direction than the other, so I want to keep that balance. We'd had a dungeon crawl last time, so this would be an "urban adventure." The Fleet essentially functions as a good sized city, since the players can move easily between the ships (neighborhoods). I did what our group calls "Once Arounds" to start things. Essentially I go around the table, and each player has a chance to do something (visit a place, talk to an NPC, pursue a clue, etc). If they don't have anything, I try to have a list of a few things I can throw at them. I use those to give players a chance to build their community and to set up the other plots. In this case we did two Once Arounds and then we got to the meat of the session. Its a technique that works with this group because they are interested in each others scenes and stories. I've had some groups where this works less well- especially where one or two players are more self-driven, selfish, rude or plot obsessed.

The second act was switching between the two groups as each followed up on their particular mystery. The players were nice enough to let me split them in this way. Though above the Dreamrat and the Orc Murder threads are written independently, we flipped between them at the table, which kept some additional suspense. Marreg had some terrible results at the end, but kept up his end of the drama!

Building Classes in Play: Examples from Last Fleet

I've made some interesting modifications to our homebrew Action Cards system to run the new Last Fleet campaign. I’ve made some pretty basic modifications to the system to simplify. For this version I opted not to have a universal magic system or set profession tracks. Instead, players could ask for new things to be added to their “Profession Tree” ala WoW every often session. That way they could, as they played, figure out what they needed or shift their role in a new direction. Earlier I posted the talents I created for them for the first session. Below are the new talents I created for each, based on their requests. I’ve put in exactly what they suggested and then what I choose and gave them.

Sherri: Dweena Squint, Goblin Scout/Gadgeteer

Sherri's requests: Hard gear: Blunderbuss tagging shot(s):

1. Chain’s fire breathing makes OIL a natural.

2. The icy comets makes BRRRRR! doable (SLOW or PAINED on living things, COLD on inanimate objects (to weaken them in combo with Chain’s fire breath again). Later, would like AOE ICY…maybe a 2 round set-up---PUDDLE first then the ICE shot to make a slick.

3. The fiery comets make HOT! HOT! HOT! doable. Can (slowly) catch something on fire or make an area very uncomfortable for the unshod—and generally do a 1 round of confusion for anything that wants to protect it’s face.

4. Marble shot (uncertain footing—delightfully friction-free on well-made floors and decks)

5. Gobbo glue (eewww. Don’t ask.)

Soft gear:

Staff/ally personalities that she can deploy for particular jobs (mix, match, rename, ignore at will):

I.e. The Gentleman Seneshal: he’s not so much a great seneshal as he is incredibly good at getting people to compete with him. He lays claim to being the most XXX and people, particularly other stewards, fall over themselves to be even more XXX. He’s Dweena right hand for inter-ship dealings.

Her younger brothers, Dwayne and Dwight—one of them specializes in containers and the other one in packing things. They take a practical approach on weekdays and on Gobdays, they throw in some puzzlin’ to keep things interesting. These are the guys that think up stuff like nailing the lids of jars to the ceiling and screwing the jars into their lids. That way, the jars can’t rattle around and break—and the contents are easy to survey and reach. They’ve got stuff squirreled away that even Dweena doesn’t know about…or where.

The Preservationist: an elderly orcess who some claim has pickled herself so she’ll live longer. Certainly, she smells like vinegar. But if you got stuff you want to keep good and edible, it’s her you’d be wanting to consult with. (She’s essentially one of the three most powerful mages of Forgiveness of Stone.)

*Oil Launcher: Dweena may launch a flask of oil, covering a megahex of targets with the OIL tag. This can cause additional movement and vision penalties to the target. Additionally, targets tagged with OIL are easier to tag with AFLAME and take +2d damage. (Hard Gear 2)

*Gentleman Seneshal: When purchased, assign the gentleman to a particular vessel. Dweena gains a bump to all interactions with that vessel and may use Drama Points to gain secret info or resources there. This talent may be bought up to twice more, with later purchases costing only 4 points. (Soft Gear 2, Req. Expert Staff)

Ward: Marreg Warmane, Orc Warrior

Ward's requests: More kick assery, blade ballet or big attacks. I understand that with big attacks things may not always unfold as planned, more risk more reward. Being the hunter, possibly animal awareness? As to say beast whisperer, not talking, more intuition.

*Hunter’s Voice: Marreg has an instinctive understanding of animals. He can move animals from wary hostility to a neutral stance, and neutral animals to positive through interaction. His knowledge gives him +1d when fighting non-monster animals. (Hunt Chain 2)

*Massive Blow: Marreg may wind up to make a big attack, which does +5d damage. If he does so he, makes his Combat pull and may not make any kind of redraw. If he fails his test, then he may only redraw if he loses any defense tests until his next action or forgoes his next action. If he takes the penalty, he may take his normal redraw, but must take the results of the second pull. (War Chain 2)

Kenny: Whet Bloodlaced, White Elf Pistoleer/Empath

Kenny's requests: Mind Link with Mount

‘Mind’ scan (once familiar with a individual he can find them based on their particular emotional signature.

Project Emotion

Trick Shot

Calming Aura

*Trick Shot: Whet may easily tag a target with Distracted. Additionally, Whet takes no penalties for shooting (while falling hanging upside down, etc) due to movement and position. (Blazing Branch 2)

*Mind Link: Whet has a mind link with his mount- meaning that he can summon it to him, see though its eyes if in relatively close proximity. The link is affected by distance. Whet gains a free drama point to spend in each scene where he's mounted, so long as the action involves his Wyvern. (Vigilant Branch 1)

Scott: Chain Firespinner, Scalebound Brawler/Fire Mage

Scott's requests: Martial : More tail stuff, and claw stuff, I was thinking things like using the tail to support myself to do a double kick which could give someone the unbalanced tag. A rending claw that perhaps is armor degrading. Penetrating claws perhaps to allow me to climb sheer surfaces easily.

Magic : More long range fire magic, or breath attacks. Perhaps a fire spear, or explosive fire ball. Or even surrounding my body with fire like a damage shield, or flaming claws. I was also thinking about the ability to consume mana stone to enhance magic at the cost of taking damage from internal damage.

Defensive : Upgrade to scales to provide fire resistance.

*Fire Claws: Chain may enhance the damage done with his claws by adding fire to them. This adds +1d damage and easily tags Armor Reduction. There is no cool down for this ability, but his hands remain flaming for the round. He may further enhance damage by taking 1 HP damage for +1d, up to +4d. This damage only heals through rest. (Fire Wing 2)

*Climbing Claws: Chain may climb soft or uneven surfaces easily. Flat and solid surfaces require a test. In either case he moves at standard rate on anything up to vertical, and half rate after that. He may spend a point of Focus to “dig in” and avoid being knocked down or off a surface, but may not move from that spot the following round. (Talon Wing 1)

Jeanne: Lira Moondawning, Namir Rogue/Shadow Mage

Jeanne's requests: I'm loving the shadow casting and would like to see more with that. I still have to buy the disguises card (Shadow Guise). Would still like to see some future option of growth for that like creating big scary shadow monsters and stuff... I'd like to see a growth of hiding in the shadows (maybe some kind of stealth shadow to shadow leap), though i'm not sure if that would be along the shadow path or the rogue path, I see it working in either so i guess it depends on how the action actually plays out on the card.

I've already bought both dagger cards on the rogue path, so more with that might be good options too. More damage is always good. Maybe some sort of growth of turning the shadow dagger into other things, like lockpicks that can swirl around to avoid traps and stuff?

another talent I'd like to see is seeing in the dark... She's a cat, she's a rogue, she plays in the shadows all the time... you know, seeing in the dark is almost a necessity. =)

*Cat Eyes: Lira may spend a point of focus to see in complete darkness for a scene. Additionally, she may see through her own darkness at any time (if solely created by her). (Shadow Path 1)

*Shadow Tools: Lira may use her dagger and her magic to aid her in certain tasks. She gains one drama point per scene which may be spent on lockpicking, trap detection, and disarming traps. If a damaging trap does activate, Lira may spend a point of focus to halve any direct damage done to her. (Rogue Path 2)

The Last Fleet: The Lich Tree (Session Three)

Continuing the series of session reports for the Last Fleet campaign; previous entry here.

Recap
The group, having evaded the trapped circular doors at the top of the ancient structure, discover a hidden staircase. They make their way down, and it narrows as they descend. At the door at the bottom, Lira detects as trap, but is uncertain of its effect. She keeps that to herself and instead presses on with her disarming efforts. She’s lucky and it does not go off in the tight confines.

Into the Structure
They come into a large circular corridor, undecorated and unused for ages. It wraps around an enclosed shaft. Presumably the trapped doors at the top lead to some kind of tunnel down into the heart of the complex. With that passage unavailable, the group opts to explore the upper part to make their way down. They slowly press forward, checking doors and looking for evidence. The place proves dangerous- with a dart launching trap catching some of them. Whatever venom was once on the tips has dried and been rendered impotent.

Through another door they found an empty room with a door on the other side. Suspicious, they made a careful examination. With her goggles, Dweena noted that the ceiling was breathing- indicating a rare, magical and kind of stupid Lurker monster. Dweena launched oil into the area. Then Chain moved in to spray the beat with fire and lost his footing, requiring him to be pulled back by Whet even as he let loose with the flames. The writhing beast dropped to the floor. Marreg and Lira rushed in and dispatched it before it could gain its composure. They rolled up the carcass and discovered some treasure in the sticky mass attached to the ceiling by the beast. Mostly these were minor but useful magic items, such as a runestone of polishing and a ring which could transform into a shield.

Past another room, they found circular stairs going down. Lira found several trap plates and marked those. The room at the bottom had furniture in it and four doors. Spiderwebs obscured most of the view. Moving forward, Whet found the trap of the place. Cutting wires had been attached in several places from ceiling to floor. One slices through his armor and into his shoulder. If the stairs had dumped them down into the room, they would have been cut apart. They isolate these and then take them down with Dweena’s tools. The lines they careful preserve and keep for later use.

Downbelow
After listening and heard nothing, Lira opens the door directly across. A horde of silent ethereal warriors begins to rush in. After the first four get in, Lira manages to slam the door shut miraculously. She desperately braces against it as the group dispatches the first wave and readies themselves for the second. Lira lets go of her hold and leaps back.

Silent absolutely silent, despite screaming faces, ten more spectres and a banshee flood in. With careful coordination, the group begins to take them apart. Marreg and Lira work the front right and Dweena and Chain using area effects to hold the left. Whet keeps moving and shooting to hold the traffic. Still the numbers work against them, and a number of the group take damage. The Banshee lets loose repeatedly with a psychic stitched together from the screams of the other wraiths. Each manages to evade in turn and when she finally lets loose directly in Marreg’s face, it has little effect. Dweena manages to capture the Banshee in an urn and then they dispatch it.

The Watery Grave
They search the floor, finding a regular pattern of rooms. They also discover some more magical treasures, including some potions- one of them wholly sealed like a grenade. At the end of their search they find stairs down to the next floor. That has been flooded. The water is clean and moving, indicating someone has set that area up as clean water reservoir. Marreg volunteers to descend. However once down, he’s swept away by a massive current. This bounces him through doorways and passages until it finally spits him out into the top of a waterfall. As he falls, he sees a massive tree in a giant cavern. He attempts to catch himself with his sword, but crashes into some scaffolding. He slips in and out of consciousness.

Whet senses Marreg’s pain and the group pushes forward to follow. They lash together and descend, collectively fighting the current. Chain locates the egress and the top of the waterfall- but he cannot see the room below well. After some poor sign language communication, he and Dweena opt to press on. Chain lands with some damage and Dweena uses her Skysquid to slow her fall. She lands and commandeers a small air raft on a ledgein the large chamber. She quickly pilots this up to catch Lira, Whet and Ashpala (the NPC) as they come through.

The Awful Chamber
In the enormous chamber, they see the other end of the massive glass tubes they witnessed on the underside of the flying island. These draw light in from the outside to light a giant, silver leafed tree. In and among the roots, they see water and dozens upon dozens of bodies- a corpse tree. A picture begins to form. The tree bears five complete and large fruits, with a sixth one slowly growing in. They recall legends of wizards who spent hundreds of years creating the fruit of life- a means to become an immortal Lich. This is an evil and hideous practice. They’ve clearly arrived in the lair of a Necromancer, and one close to realizing his goals. After a quick discussion, they split up.

Chain climbs the tree to get at the fruit. Dweena searches for an exit. Marreg recovers himself and climbs down to the ground. Whet begins destroying things- smashing magical instruments and equipment. Lira becomes distracted by the possibility of treasure and begins to scavenge.

Then they hear a ship descending.

Enter the Necromancer
A large and archaic skyship lands on the larger ledge above. They see six Flesh Goems serving as a crew. They they spot the Necromancer, a Gnome, flanked by two hooded arcane assistant. As he lands, he sees the disturbance below. He curses at Whet destroying his lab equipment and lets off a blast of magic. Chain meanwhile pulls free a fruit, resulting in the screams of the bodies buried at the base of the tree. All hell breaks loose.

Dweena grabs up Marreg quietly and attempts a sneak attack on the vessel. With the Necromancer distracted, Marreg leaps aboard and grabs a Golem. He hurls this at the Gnome who catches it with magical force. He turns to curse at them when Dweena fires full blast at him. His concentration broken, the Golem he’s been holding magically drops on top of him. Chain, holding one on the fruits, launches himself onto the Necromancer’s vessel and barely keeps his footing, the fruit rolling away.

Two of the Golems drop to the floor and rush after Whet. He begins to run, trying to climb the scaffolding. However, the material proves less than sturdy and he’s struck by one of the Golem’s fists, like being hit by a warhammer. He continues to make his way upwards. With her talents, Lira runs along the beams and poles over to the ship. The Arcane assistants blast Marreg, dealing heavy damage. Chain grabs the fruit and evades damage. Dweena works her skills and figures out a way to boost the power in the sky boat. She swings close by as Marreg and Chain leap on. The Necromancer rises and they’re forced to dodge magical blasts. The situation looks dire- the larger ship can clearly outrun their skiff. But Lira launches the unidentified potion grenade they found earlier into the magic engine of the large ship. Within moment, it shorts out as a gelatinous ooze presses out from the interior. The Necromancer begins to scream even more obscenities.

Dweena boosts the skiff around, catching Whet as he leaps off and then Lira. They race up the shaft, getting past the doors just as they close. The Gnome Necromancer screams at them as they escape- they have not heard the last if Zollos Ver! Outside, the storm has just begin to settle on the island. They crash the skiff by their own ship, load in and take off. Lira flies them back home, injured but secure- and now armed with some potent scavenged magic...

GM Notes
It has been some time since I ran a dungeon crawl. I ended up discarding about two-thirds of the facility. I'd forgotten how to plan and handle quickly the issue of trap finding and disarming. You have to be ready and able to manage it without letting it eat up too much time. You want to balance giving the key player their opportunities and having something for the others to do. I think I'm just out of practice on that. But we got through a lot in the session, it was literally midnight and we didn't realize it. The end sequence had a ton of great moments in it- with the players beginning from a position of disadvantage. That fight would have been really, really tough had they pressed on. It didn't help that I forgot some of the damage amelioration mechanics until Sherri pointed them out late in the session.

Building Talent Trees: "Classes" for The Last Fleet

So far I've run two sessions of my Last Fleet campaign, with the next coming up this Saturday. For this version of our homebrew system (Action Cards) I've been trying a trick I've used before. Players don't have classes per se, but instead have concepts. Based on that they get to buy the usual skills and such. But each also has a "Talent Tree" with two branches that grant them new powers and tricks. I'm trying to emulate the way classes operate in MMORPGs and other CRPGS. The first part of the trick is that I'm building the trees as the game progresses. I had them tell me some things they'd like to be able to do and I built the first six items on their trees based on that. Then, every other session, I will solicit their input about what else they'd like. Since that can change as the game progresses, I hope the players will be able to develop the character they really want. The second trick is that these talent items cost points, but they also require a "Learning Experience." Meaning that the player has to have failed significantly in a session at least once in order to spur them to develop a new approach. A player can only have one Learning Experience held at a time. I hope this will help simulate the way characters in drama comes to pick up new talents. Below are the talent trees I built for each character at the start. Tomorrow, I'll post the newest ones with notes on what the players requested.

Sherri: Dweena Squint, Goblin Scout/Gadgeteer

*Meshed Blunderbuss: Dweena may spend a point of Focus to reload weapon without taking an action. Blunderbuss may be used to parry without unusual weapon breakage. (Hard Gear Start)

*Blunderbus Blast: Dweena does +1d Damage when firing her blunderbuss normally. Blunderbuss Spread: Dweena may spend a point of Focus and fire at up to three adjacent targets; damage is 7d. (Hard Gear 1)

*Expert Staff: Dweena possesses an excellent staff giving her a redraw related to her direct work activities. Additionally, they can usually lay their hands on standard goods and equipment quickly, and more exotic goods given time (and their availability in the fleet). (Soft Gear 1)

*Cling Boots: These boots allow Dweena to move along any solid, flat surface. This includes planks, ship bottoms, walls and ceilings. They are heavy and loud. (Hard Gear 1)

*Sky Squid: Dweena may make an attack which freely tags "Blind" without rolling damage. This has a short range and may only be dodged. Additionally, the Sky Squid provides an alert when opponents approach from the rear. The Squid also acts as a parachute. (Soft Gear Start)

*Goggles: Dweena may ignore the Dim Lighting tag. Built-in lenses allow magnified vision to pick out small details on surfaces and objects. They also protect the eyes from blinding tags. (Soft Gear 1)

Ward: Marreg Warmane, Orc Warrior

*Ice Cutter: Meshed Magical Blade: Marreg may activate after a successful hit- any 9’s & 10’s rolled on damage count as two HP. This requires one round to recharge. Alternately, if he spends a point of Focus, 8-10 counts as two wounds. (War Chain 1)

*Warrior Prowess: Marreg always does +2d damage with any muscle-powered weapon. (War Chain Start)

*Far-Leap: Marreg can leap twice the distance of even a strong man. This includes running leaps and standing leaps. He can hurdle tables, animals, etc., easily. (Hunt Chain Start)

*Bellow: As an action Marreg may bellow, applying a Startled tag to all Mooks present. This can also be used to draw attackers and disturb prey. (Hunt Chain 1)

*Social Sledge Hammer: Marreg does +1d social damage to non-Orcs when attempting to intimidate. He also reduces social damage done to him by non-Orcs by 2-points. (Hunt Chain 1)

*Slam: Marreg may slam into an opponent after making at least a half move. This does 3+4d damage and may more easily tag a target with Unbalanced and even Knocked Down. This is an attack action. Slam does not lower defense, but the tags it can inflict do lower defense. (War Chain 1)

Kenny: Whet Bloodlaced, White Elf Pistoleer/Empath

*Combat Reflexes: Whet goes first in a standard combat round, except when surprised. This ability does not affect one-on-one duels. (Blazing Branch Start)

*Pistoleer: Whet does +1d damage with pistols. Rapid Volley: By spending a point of Focus, Whet may fire two pistols on the same round at two different targets in any arc. Damage is 1+5d. This requires having a pistol in each hand. (Vigilant Branch Start)

*Mounted Combat: Whet gains the ability Mounted Dodge- affecting himself and his mount. As well, his Mount’s # to be damaged increases by +1 while Whet rides. (Vigilant Branch 1)

*Precognitive Parry: Whet’s uncanny perception allows him a Parry redraw against any opponent with a mind and emotions. This does not work against automatons, vehicles or the like. This is considered an ability for redraw limits. (Vigilant Branch 1)

*Speedload: Whet may spend a point of Focus to reload one pistol without taking an action. Additionally, when carrying both pistols, he may parry with them as if they were a standard weapon. (Blazing Branch 1)

*Burst of Speed: Whet may make an additional half-move. This ability has a one-round cool down time. It does not reduces his defenses to make a full move when he does this. Alternately, Whet may spend a point of Focus to make an additional full-move, instead of half-move. (Blazing Branch 1)

Scott: Chain Firespinner, Scalebound Brawler/Fire Mage

*Tail Mastery: Chain may strike as Unarmed at a target behind him without penalty. This counts as an action. Alternately, he can spin and sweep with his tail, tagging up to three Mooks with “Knocked Down” as an action or freely by spending a point of Focus. (Talon Wing 1)

*Claw Expert: Chain does +1d with his Claws. He is not limited to a single parry per round. (Talon Wing 1)

*Rending Claws: The most potent Scaleborn have claws which can rip through wood and light metal. Additionally, by spending a point of Focus, Chain may add +2d to a claw attack. This ability does not have a cool-down. (Talon Wing 2, Req. Claw Expert)

*Fire Breath: Chain may project a short blast of fire, in his front arc. This can do 6d damage to up to three targets, and may easily tag “On Fire.” Note that the flames have no force behind them, only heat. This is a natural ability, not a spell. (Fire Wing Start)

*Fire Magic Initiate: Spell: By concentrating, the caster can affect a flame in one of four ways: double the size of a flame; cause an existing flame to make a standard move; sustain a flame without fuel; deepen the effect of an existing flame (extra damage). Casting requires an action; sustaining it requires concentration and line of sight. (Fire Wing 1)

*Scales: The Scaleborn’s skin protects as Medium Armor, without any movement or encumbrance penalties. This armor is “Enduring” meaning that it is difficult to tag with a weakness. (Talon Wing Start)

Jeanne: Lira Moondawning, Namir Rogue/Shadow Mage

*Dagger Mastery: When using a hand-carried or thrown dagger, Lira does +1d damage. This includes magically produced daggers. Lira also gains the ability “Throw Dagger.” (Rogue Path Start)

*No-Step: Lira may run along narrow surfaces or edges which would otherwise not support her weight: tree limbs, fall rope, gutters, etc. By spending a point of Focus, she can move without leaving tracks, even on the most delicate surface. (Shadow Path 1)

*Shadow’s Magic Initiate: Spell: The first step in this Shadow-based Wizard school. By concentrating, the caster can affect shadows in one of four ways: double the size of an existing pool of shadow; cause shadows to ripple and create a distraction; deepen shadows to conceal a person or thing within them; dim the lighting in an area to twilight. Beginning the effect is a spell-casting action; sustaining it requires concentration and line of sight. (Shadow Path Start)

*Shadow’s Guise: Spell: The caster may create an illusion which disguises them as a generic, same-sex member of another race. They will appear non-descript, without specific features. Close, intense examination will reveal the illusion, as will bright, direct light. Lasts for a scene, may be renewed. (Shadow Path 1, Req Shadow Magic Initiate)

*Enchanted Dagger: Lira’s dagger can fade to shadow and be resummoned as she wills it. Lira may spend a point of Focus to add +2d to her attacks with the dagger. This has a one round cool-down. (Rogue Path 1)

*Namir Agility: Lira automatically lands on her feet without damage for any fall 20’ or less. For falls up to 100’, she may make a Physical pull to land without damage. For greater falls, she can reduce but not eliminate the damage. (Rogue Path 1)