[D&D-5e] Lost Mines of Phandelver

[briar]

Originally Posted by Runetide

In this instance, Komak would likely be the cause of both getting lost and also giving the wrong impression of kobolds in general! :P

Komak is an outlier for some of the kobolds mentality. Not that he thinks greatly differently than most kobolds, but that he basically includes all intelligent creatures at the same social level as him. Like how humans can relate to cats or dogs as people, except not in any kind condescending way. On that note, he'd probably be found talking with a housecat if it seemed to be responding to him appropriately, thinking that he just doesn't understand its language. Who knows, it might be someone's familiar?

He's also generally polite because it's in his nature to be supportive of the 'nest', and he learned early on that being cooperative and 'nice' is a simple way to be supportive without taking much effort (most of the time). That said, he's a little hyperactive and "ADHD suffers from him" would be the best way to describe his thought processes.

As for getting lost... well, he tries hard, he really does.

Sure, I can definitely see an instance where they wind up getting lost together and having a comical misadventure trying to find their way to their destination or, barring that, a path back to civilization. Sounds very Petra :3

Living on her own and being prone to hole up in the wilderness when out of the way cabins aren't to be found, I would expect Petra to have already encountered a number of quote, "monstrous" races (I actually don't care for the term, but lacking a better one) that have presented as amicable in some instances and malevolent in others. But she is also prone to misunderstanding intentions, as previously discussed, so it will certainly be amusing to me when a behavior she's learned in the past from another sect of people crops up or is proven wrong in a new acquaintance. I can just imagine her delving into a line of thought and realization as she tries to compensate xP

[Drifter One]

To be honest it feels like I am under attack from three of you here and are politicising a game before it has even begun. Noone has been selected yet and yet assumptions are being made. Nobody has worked with me on how relationships could possibly develop, but rather just stated "i dont like it" andso it's a hard no.

I would be interested on the DMs thoughts on this because if this is turning into an ostracism exercise then I may as well just withdraw.

[Azure Nokori]

Originally Posted by briar

Yeah, this makes perfect sense to me. Just because characters only meet once doesn't mean it has to be a simple interaction. I think the one we have is already pretty significant, at least where Petra is concerned, and she'll not only be able to recognize Tia, but also have an immediate emotional reaction to her as well that will color their interactions. Is that what you're mostly getting at?

Though at the same time, I've seen characters that have zero connections develop a fun dynamic, too, especially when the players actively want to learn about one another. I think there is always that stage where people want to explore their own characters a little more at first to settle in, but as we all get used to each other, branching out is bound to happen. Or at least, I do (or I've learned to be better at it)! So I don't think every single connection has to be significant, but it is nice to have some!

But in the interest of facilitating connections with anyone else that wants a more significant and unusual interaction with my character: Petra being a healer by trade, its all the more likely that someone came to her with a serious injury. Doesn't have to be your own wound, could be a close family member or a good friend. The more dire, the better, and they probably would've gotten a good look at her matronly side as she tries to quell fears and allay anxieties while simultaneously seeing to the wounds. I bet she's the type to accidentally say something sagely in moments like that, maybe quote poetry?

Alternatively, Petra is prone to wandering, but not the best when it comes to directions, so misadventures ensuing from her stopping to ask someone are also plausible. She's also very gullible, so it stands to reason that if she meets a well-mannered kobold/orc/other classically 'monstrous' race in a city and has a good impression, she's equally as likely to assume all kobolds are that way and maybe accidently ask a not so nice one and need help getting out of her debacle. I'm fine playing the damsel in distress when the need suits.

I think I would mostly like to develope character relationships in game. With Chupa not being a creature used to society, it is not likely that he has interacted with any of the PCs.
Although I did give reason why he'd be looking to make relationships, being he's looking for a teacher/role model to help him fit in to society.

However, it could be that he has had an encounter with Petra. As Petra is a healer, maybe he and Seamus visited her to get Seamus' condition treated, but only being level 1 she was not able to get much insight into the sickness. It could have also been Petra who told Chupa about the job.

[Zangul]

To All T-101 was built to protect, when that mission was done, it had nothing really to look forward to until it was purchased. Now it has someone to protect while trying to find it self an identity and will be using the group of companions as inspiration and developing an actual name.

[Onward]

@briar:Hmm, thinking on it now, maybe Petra met the twins when they were separated. Eve's circus moves around a lot and Ed's college send freshmen off to far away places to find herbs (PhD in magic college is weird).

How about this, Eve has always had trouble becoming relevant. Her songs were always so mediocre and her stage performance were boring. Then Petra came and she was supportive to Eve, and ever since then Eve considered Petra as her first fan. It was at that point since first meeting that Eve started making passes left and right on her. As a matter of thanks, she wanted to make her stay a bit more memorable via romance. Luckily, it was mostly romantic gestures and flirting.

However, Eve's influence had corrupted Petra's innocence as she had completely mistook Ed (who was currently searching for a rare herb) as Eve seeing as they look exactly the same. Except this one was wearing a wizard cloak while Eve was carrying a lute. Misunderstanding shenanigans and misadventures happen and they eventually found the herb. Ed had a crush on her ever since and wanted to repay for her help someday.

[morgantha]

@all and in particular Rune, Drifter, Trebel I will start by saying that while I understand Rune & Trebel's trepidation, I didn't read Drifter's response to be antagonistic. I think we have all been shaped by games that have gone wrong (sometimes very wrong, it sounds like Rune has experienced this) and people who are thoughtless in such a way that we feel it from behind our screens. So I can see why you are seeing red flags here. That said, I would say this portion of Drifter's response spoke to me, and makes me think that they would be open to character growth and working with the team: Originally Posted by Drifter One The point is, the characters, unless explicitly mentioned, will no know each other, so these are 1st impressions. And we all know as human beings that 1st impressions can very often be wrong. I know I personally am open to the challenge that Drifter is presenting, but I also want to respect that others may not be, including some people who haven't spoken up. What we're looking at here is just people who have different preferred style of play, and it's hard to trust a bunch of internet strangers to do the right thing. I know I am a new DM that none of you know, so you'll have to take it on faith that I will be proactive in managing conflicts with players. I have never played with Drifter so I would have to trust that they are going to be thoughtful about how they play their character. I guess all of that isn't really a decision as DM, just my point of view. I'm not really sure what the answer is here, so I'd ask you all to let me think on it for a few days. I will also say that I am considering running two groups, so the solution might be to just keep folks separate. I'm weighing my apps here with how much work I think it will be, among other things. If any of you have feedback for me about what you'd like to see in this game, I am open to PMs as well.

@folks working on character relationships I've been reading all your work and I'm really pleased to see how thoughtful you're all being! I don't have any feedback besides good job

[Elanir]

Hello everyone! The game looks really cool, Morgantha, and there are some truly great applications here. I believe you are all in for an epic adventure!

Forgive me for intervening like that, especially since I lack the time to apply for the game myself, but since I am someone who is currently in running games with Drifter One, Alemar, DemonSlayer and Treble83 and has gamed with Jennifer and Runetide in the past, I decided to offer my opinion on the matter that has come up. If I am overstepping, please ignore everything I say/write. It is definitely not my intention to add fuel to the fire.

I can certainly understand any misgivings players may have when made aware that one or more characters’ views are not “politically correct”. Such a thing in real life would -and should- definitely not be accepted by anyone. This, however, is a game, a story taking place in a fictional universe, and is not necessarily meant to represent our modern world, or rather an ideal form of our modern world.

Some people, including myself, enjoy making characters with flaws, so that they will need to fight against their baser selves in order to overcome them. Such characters are not necessarily better than those who do not possess such flawed views about others and the world and it certainly takes (much) more work to make them part of a functioning team, but I believe that if a character does indeed manage to overcome such prejudices in the course of a campaign, the satisfaction the player gets from this is great. Is the overall story better as well? Not necessarily, though it might add to the realism in some cases.

In any case, I have read many valid arguments from both sides and do not wish to comment on them, since I don’t feel that I have that right. All I want to do is urge the wonderful (role) players who have applied for this game to give Drifter One’s character a chance. In Thorsten’s excellent game, Chronicles of Jôrd, I too am playing a deeply prejudiced, unpleasant and initially uncooperative character, who is almost coming to blows with Drifter One’s equally headstrong character. Since we, the players, are somewhat more mature than our characters (I hope!) the situation doesn’t escalate further and by the end of the scene the characters have some respect for each other, though they still don’t look eye to eye. I believe it will take more work for this to happen, but I guess we have something to look forward to!

I hope I could offer an example where tensions between the PCs can successfully be defused, providing an arguably greater feeling of achievement and satisfaction. In one sentence - it is a steep and narrow path to take, but the view can be great!

Anyway, thank you for being patient with my ramblings. I wish everyone good luck and happy gaming!

[briar]

Originally Posted by Azure Nokori

I think I would mostly like to develope character relationships in game. With Chupa not being a creature used to society, it is not likely that he has interacted with any of the PCs.
Although I did give reason why he'd be looking to make relationships, being he's looking for a teacher/role model to help him fit in to society.

However, it could be that he has had an encounter with Petra. As Petra is a healer, maybe he and Seamus visited her to get Seamus' condition treated, but only being level 1 she was not able to get much insight into the sickness. It could have also been Petra who told Chupa about the job.

All things considered despite not being able to fit in, for Petra its mostly due to something that's out of her control. Had she not been born cursed, I feel like she'd be that girl in town that everyone loves and dotes on because of how kind and thoughtful she is without expecting any recompense. So I think in terms of a role-model, she'd probably wouldn't be a bad choice! Certainly a more upstanding figure than I am by any measure of the term xP

That being said, I'm perfectly happy with what you've described, though I would put to the point that curing a disease would be something Petra could do at 3rd level, which we should achieve a good bit before the end of the campaign. That actually gives Petra a real solid personal goal that she'd be working towards (and I'd actually be able to show progress for in terms of her leveling up), as well as actually be able to achieve, so I'm all for that!

Originally Posted by Onward

@briar:Hmm, thinking on it now, maybe Petra met the twins when they were separated. Eve's circus moves around a lot and Ed's college send freshmen off to far away places to find herbs (PhD in magic college is weird).

How about this, Eve has always had trouble becoming relevant. Her songs were always so mediocre and her stage performance were boring. Then Petra came and she was supportive to Eve, and ever since then Eve considered Petra as her first fan. It was at that point since first meeting that Eve started making passes left and right on her. As a matter of thanks, she wanted to make her stay a bit more memorable via romance. Luckily, it was mostly romantic gestures and flirting.

However, Eve's influence had corrupted Petra's innocence as she had completely mistook Ed (who was currently searching for a rare herb) as Eve seeing as they look exactly the same. Except this one was wearing a wizard cloak while Eve was carrying a lute. Misunderstanding shenanigans and misadventures happen and they eventually found the herb. Ed had a crush on her ever since and wanted to repay for her help someday.

"Corrupted Petra's innocence". What must you all think of me xD I'd like to think that Petra's innocence is still very much in tact (if a little tattered), but I get what you're going for. That does seem like quite the comical interaction, though, and I do love a good laugh. I suppose you consider me tentatively on board with this, though we might want to work out some details to the specifics of what happened later on.

[Onward]

Of course, but best to figure that out when we're both chosen fro the game. A small margin though considering how many people keep popping out of the woodwork to join in.

[DemonSlayer]

Originally Posted by chocoladevla

Finally, some rain after a couple of days of tropical heat (very, very rare for our silly country)

This, so much. There should be a law or something against temperatures over 30C. Fortunately I was stuck at work when it was 39 degrees, where I at least get good aid conditioning...

@girlplay: I'm not sure about a friendship of several years, but I could see Tia and Kordrakk at least getting to know each other in Dwo Baz over the past few weeks. Since dwarves are supposedly dominant in the city, I could see as a duergarKordrakk getting in trouble with the local dwarf population. Maybe they were harrassing him I realize Tia does not drink, but there's apparently a lot of jobs for adventurers at inns... Or it could've been some place else, like the marketplace or the general store, I'm just spitballing here at the local inn, and Kordrakk found his attempts at a peaceful resolution were falling on deaf ears? And then Tia might've helped him out of his bind, on the principle that if dwarven culture is toxic, then their bias against other races might not be ideal either. Ever since, they've been supportive of each other, tea and fruit juice, obviouslyacting as occasional drinking buddies and helping each other find jobs, lodging and the like. Until one day they agreed that it was Tia because she was fed up with the dwarves, Kordrakk because he felt it wouldn't be long until said dwarves tried to lynch himtime to leave, and the best way of doing that was getting a job as a caravan guard...?

@chocoladevla: I think Eadlynn and Kordrakk would actually have a lot in common, since they are both proponents of peace and redemption. In fact, while I originally wrote Kordrakk as a paladin's whom's oath was sponsored by dwarven goddess of clan, family and suchMya, I'd be more than happy to rewrite that as Kordrakk being a paladin who worships Sarenrae instead- and obviously Eadlynn is his spiritual advisor . Does Eadlynn work at a temple (or does she have ties to one) in Dwo Baz? She might've offered Kordrakk a place to sleep in the temple on occasion, a sanctuary of sorts to shelter him against the less-than-forgiving dwarves of the city?

[Jennifer]

Step away for ONE day, and then suddenly everyone wants to be TNT (unleash the drama!)

Y'all know that no character is ever implemented exactly in the manner in which the player or the DM originally expected them to, right? You're going to adapt, make minor alterations here or there, account for this or that.

In other words, enhance your calm and remember we're attempting to escape reality here and enjoy a fantasy we craft together. Yes?

[Homestarbaby]

@Jennifer - Yep! One of my favorite things about this game is seeing how characters grow in game, off of each other, and in unexpected ways. I always go into a game with expectations of where they will be after a couple of adventures. I'm almost always wrong, but I'm never sad about it.

[Admin Choc]

@Jennifer ao --> fun fact, did you know that when a character is leveling up you may change the Bond, Ideal Flaw, and/or personality traits? This reflects their adventures having changed their bond or idea, or personality. Which is kinda awesome #sharingfactsiscool

[girlplay]

Originally Posted by DemonSlayer

@girlplay: I'm not sure about a friendship of several years, but I could see Tia and Kordrakk at least getting to know each other in Dwo Baz over the past few weeks. Since dwarves are supposedly dominant in the city, I could see as a duergarKordrakk getting in trouble with the local dwarf population. Maybe they were harrassing him I realize Tia does not drink, but there's apparently a lot of jobs for adventurers at inns... Or it could've been some place else, like the marketplace or the general store, I'm just spitballing here at the local inn, and Kordrakk found his attempts at a peaceful resolution were falling on deaf ears? And then Tia might've helped him out of his bind, on the principle that if dwarven culture is toxic, then their bias against other races might not be ideal either. Ever since, they've been supportive of each other, tea and fruit juice, obviouslyacting as occasional drinking buddies and helping each other find jobs, lodging and the like. Until one day they agreed that it was Tia because she was fed up with the dwarves, Kordrakk because he felt it wouldn't be long until said dwarves tried to lynch himtime to leave, and the best way of doing that was getting a job as a caravan guard...?

Hi Slayer. Yes, so that make a lot of sense and I can see that happening. By the way, Tia does indeed drink. She just doesn't drink "like a Dwarf". So, she'd probably avoid things like beer, ale, and whiskey, but a wine or mixed drink, sure! If she were introduced to foo-foo drinks in a Human city or something, then she'd be all about that.

Defending an outsider against toxic Dwarves would be something that Tia could get behind. I'm supposing Kordrakk, as a Duegar, would not get a very warm reception from surface Dwarves even as peaceable and agreeable as he approaches most situations. It's a pretty Dwarf-like thing to be standoffish and mistrustful of people other than themselves. That would annoy Tia greatly and she'd feel the need to intervene, and be a more welcoming, friendly face. And then leaving together seems pretty natural. So, let's go with that!

[Admin Choc]

@DemonSlayer Yes, she could most definitely be from Dwo Baz, not sure if she can be a mentor but it would be the start of an inspiration ;-). Really cool point of connection...