October PotM

[chocoladevla]

Days are passing and the days are getting shorter, Fall has arrived and over here we are enduring rain, cold and storms. Nothing to complain about because there are worse things to deal with out there but being inside, maybe even turn the heater on creates the perfect vibe and setting to: NOMINATEEEEEE.

Yes, even in October I am sure there will be posts written that made you smile. That brought you a sense of being impressed by the excellent writing style, the words and sentences used or the ability of a player to describe their character in a very unique, cool, bold way. It does not matter to me what exactly made you appreciate a post but I do care that you share :-)
Use this thread to nominate a post to be the one that sparked up Oktober for you, link the post, add a bit of blurb why you liked this post and what you thought was outstanding and let us enjoy. Never hesitate to hand out RPXP and read what has been nominated before and after you, I promise you it will be worth of your time and energy. Nominate and share your joy....

[LeoByron]

Player: Elanir
Game: Blood & Guts
System: 1st EditionPathfinder
GM: LeoByron
Post: Pride Comes Before a Fall

Reason: Elanir has been consistently active and excellent in all his posts for this game, but this one stood out as particularly exceptional and deserving of a PotM nomination. The players in this game are all undead of various flavours and as Sergius, Elanir's character, faces a devastating trap inspired by Gygax's Tomb of Horrors, he comes to within an inch of his second and final destruction. This post reflects on his original death while the character comes to grips with the fact that somehow, this time, he survived. A great post worthy of the prize!

 

Sergius, the Prodigal Son Pride comes before a fall. That was Sergius‘ last conscious thought before the power of the crystal was released. It felt like trying to stop a tidal wave by raising a hand. It was man‘s attempt to challenge a god. It was no wonder that it failed. The energy that surged through the Necropolitan was of a magnitude he had never experienced before, greater than anything he could comprehend or imagine. He had thought himself protected through his Spell Resistancehatred of the divine and in the save bonusesShadow‘s embrace, but nothing could have been further from the truth. The light tore through his defenses effortlessly, through his cracked and wrinkled flesh, through the bones, muscles and tendons that gave his unnatural body form, through his very essence. The Shadow was torn asunder, its particles scattered, darkness replaced by light, from Bram Stoker‘s Dracula! the light of all lights. Sergius ceased to exist. This wasn’t like his first death had been. Having been impaled by Demetrious‘ spear had been a very different experience. At first there was surprise - was his father truly capable of executing his own son? Then came the pain and the blood, the agony of every move and every breath he drew. He acutely experienced the desperation as his mind feverishly looked for a way for him to escape, the profound weakness as he felt his life being spent in a pool of blood underneath his feet, the encroaching cold and the numbness of death slowly spreading over his body, calming his fears, drowning his thoughts and desires. It was painful, yes, but also comforting in some way. Anger and fear and regret gave way to oblivion. The revenge he sought, the injustice he felt, they no longer seemed important, relevant. He was claimed by nothingness, a nothingness that was neither good, nor bad, nor anything else. He simply wasn’t anymore. Until… he was once again, raised by a mysterious Master for an impossible purpose. Abadar’s divine might caused the Necropolitan pain too, an anguish as intense as if every layer of him was being peeled away by an uncaring hand, but only for a single moment. There was no surprise in comparison, no fear, no weakness, no numbness. There was only light and Sergius instantly became a part of it. He was a fly and the god had simply swatted him. Just like that he had been destroyed. But something managed to endure. One tiny part of the little fly managed to survive even a god‘s wrath. Why? How? Sergius didn’t know. He couldn’t think or wonder, not in the state he currently was. He couldn’t even feel anything, except for one thing. He could still sense the bond that connected him with the Shadow. It was still intact, greatly weakened perhaps, but unsevered. A 1 HP!single thread remained, but it was enough. It was the umbilical cord that would allow him to grow once more. he casts Harm upon himselfDrawing from the heart of the Shadow realm, Sergius‘ body slowly started forming anew, swirling shadow turning into bone, tendon, muscle and flesh, forming unseeing eyes in empty sockets and covering with pale skin the unliving creature‘s anatomy. It was only then that he noticed that something -someone?- was making a kind of noise, repeating certain sounds again and again. As the Shadow‘s presence in him grew stronger, Sergius was capable of thinking once more. A form of communication. Speaking. What are they saying? The sounds seemed familiar, but still the Necropolitan couldn’t exactly decipher their meaning. One sound -a word!- seemed particularly important, however. S-e-r-g-i-u-s. Ser-gi-us. He was Sergius! And then it all came slowly back. His rebirth. The Lattice. The orb powering it. Sergius and Sinadra exploring the room. The explosion… "Sinadra…" The Necropolitan‘s voice was more like the croaking of an animal than that of a sentient being. "Orb… Break…" There was a kind of urgency now, there was fear in Sergius‘ voice. And only then came the realization. The magical, oppressive silence was no more. The surge of divine power had been so great that it had depleted the protective spell around the orb, at least for a short time. "Magic… Ally… Leave…" He meant to ask Sinadra to leave, to protect him from another explosion, and summon an extraplanar creature to shatter the orb, but the words tied themselves in knots and seemed impossible to utter in a way that made sense. He was still weak, so weak. He leaned against the bars of his magical prison, his essence touching that of another, a very familiar being. "Nana…", he whispered. "Open…" He doubted that she would be able to open the cage, but he had to try. He would not stay inside this prison to be presented before his father like another one of his trophies. He. Would. Not.

[Togot]

Player: Hillsy7
Game: Elder Scrolls Skyrim
System: 5th edition
GM: Togot
Post: The final cries of the guard faded

Reason: Hills did an excellent job describing how a level one character would react to the blood shed and violence of fighting human guards while trying to escape wrongful imprisonment and scheduled execution. He uses good descriptions and nice imagery to describe the carnage and the casual disregard for life that his fellow escaping prisoners show while looting corpses.

 

The final cries of the guard faded, the dolorous drone of the bell waned, and Tren found himself breathing heavily despite doing almost nothing. The death and danger around them felt like a heavy mire, making even moving his hands from his ears a monumental effort. Looking up, he saw the others calmly picking over the corpses, chatting like farmers meeting at a market. He knew Aurelia and cestus were world-wise - and the Khajit had already shown he was colder than any of the mountain tops ringing skyrim - but it was still a shock. He pulled himself upright, and tried to feign being OK with this horror in the hope he might convince himself as well. He moved to one of the corpses, laying on a pillow of blood where Sondraeya's axe had split his skull, and set about unbuckling the armour. If he was to survive, he'd need at least something to keep his guts on the inside where they belonged. Of course, his guts were where that awful voice lived; the terrible warmth and power that swept through him.... He pushed the thought away, and slung the armour over his head, fiddling with the buckles to cinch it tight. Then he picked up the dagger and one of the swords. Kon'nar was making a small bundle of gear, seeming for all the world like this was just another day for him. Tren shuffled over, sword held out. "Here, you might want this. I don't really know how to use it."

[bananabadger]

Player: AnotherDragoon
Game: Luchador Lords of Kansas, 2072
System: Homebrew
GM: BananaBadger
Post: A Ninja and a Clown Rolled into Town

Nomination

Some clowns just know how to make an entrance. In this post, the ageing but legendary wrestler Payaso Pete blows into the small town of Midlin ahead of a tag-team wrestling bout against some up-and-coming locals. Times aren't what they used to be for Pete. No more luxury hotels and huge arenas; instead he's forced to lodge at the home of his wrestling partner's sister, and take his show to moldy gyms. Sure, Pete's knees are growing weak and his clout has taken a few hits, but this former champ knows how to work a crowd, even in a dumpy diner in the middle of nowhere.

Context and Reason

Luchador Lords of Kansas, 2072 is a homebrew post-apocalyptic libre lucha one-shot. In this game, two brothers from a dirt-poor dirt ranch—Henry Swap (played by Yoshimi) and Cain Swap (played by JustSomeGuy)—are making a run for the prestigious SunflowerBisonTornado Trophy. Things don't start out too well for the boys. Their manager has absconded with their money. Their trainer despises them. Their fan base is showing murderous tendencies. And Henry has caught a bad case of lovesick puppy. But that might change. After a sensational and unexpected victory, the Swap Brothers have drawn the attention of former great Payaso Pete and his new partner, Big Boi Ninja. Win or lose, a bout this big can define someone's career.

For this crucial portion of the game, RPG members AnotherDragoon and Kenjitsu agreed to step in for about 2 weeks to take over the personas of Payaso Pete and Big Boi Ninja, giving those characters a much richer voice and expanding their story and interactions with the two permanent PCs in ways that simply wouldn't have been possible had those luchadors remained plain ol' GM-controlled NPCs. To do this, both AnotherDragoon and Kenjitsu had to master the background story so richly built by Yoshimi and JustSomeGuy; and then they had to step into the middle of the narrative and pick up and expand story lines like the old pros they are portraying. That's a tall order for any player, but this post (and the one by Kenjitsu) shows how it's done.

 

A ninja and a clown rolled into town Pete was just happy to have a gig again after what happened in Granite City. He still doesn't believe all the charges, some of that had to be his former partner Jacques the French Tickler, but since he can't remember anything about the week surrounding that particular incident who knows? Traveling with Big Boi Ninja made it feel like old times. Back when he was on the fast track straight to the top and way before his knees cracked when he yawned. Where were they at again? Union City? No, Lawrence? Midland or something doesn't matter much really. But for some reason, Big Boi seemed more excited than usual. "Your sister?! Oh, that's right, you're from here, aren't you? Who says you can't go home, huh?" Pete clapped the very large Ninja on the extra wide back, "I'd love to stay with your family Big Boi! Sure beats sleeping in the van. But don't worry, your sister's honor is safe. I learned a long time ago to keep my moves inside the ring. Remember what happened to Don Juan de Muerte? He was always trying to steal his opponent's girlfriends or sisters and now where is he? Nobody knows," Pete said with a chuckle and a conspiratorial wink, "not even the sheriffs." The little town wasn't half as bad as he was expecting. Everyone recognized him and Big Boi wasn't lying about his sister's cooking. Pete ate until he was worried he would rip his trunks and fell into a deep sleep sprinkled with dreams of golden belts and screaming fans. Morning broke and his appetite came roaring back so, at the diner, he ordered up a tall stack of flapjacks (the most hilarious breakfast food), a pot of coffee, and four raw eggs along with a lemon and an empty glass. Naturally, a small crowd formed as he demolished the pancakes and two steaming cups of coffee. Now, if Pete knew anything it was how to work a crowd. He deftly twisted, bent, and inflated straws much like an arm or leg in the ring between signing coasters and flexing. The luchador was so in character that didn't notice the other wrestlers come in. He was in the middle of a joke when he heard Uh, gosh, it's Peyosi Pete!, Cain, look.... "So I says to her, I says listen. To be Frank, I'd have to change my name!" Pete said as he pulled a small beat-up silver flask from his trunks and poured some of its contents into his mug. He stirred it with the tip of his cigar while he sized up other luchadors. Henry and Cain? The local hopefuls? Pete downed his mug of spiked coffee in one gulp and then made a face before holding the mug up for a closer look, and a sniff. That Brown was stronger than he remembered! Or maybe seeing the young wrestlers sparked some sentimental feelings deep inside because things He's maybe feeling a bit stupid and contagious herestarted getting warm and just a little fuzzy. "So, you've seen the rest, now you get to meet the best. Did you little guys come to see how champions do it?" Pete asked while he cracked all four eggs at once into the glass. He squeezed the lemon on top of the eggs and produced a bottle of hot sauce from his trunks. With a wink to one of the older ladies sipping tea in the booth opposite, he shook a few generous drops of the red liquid into his glass and gulped the mixture down. Peyosa Pete sauntered across the diner with the swagger of luchador nobility and pulled a rolled-up poster of himself, in peak condition, out of his boot and spread it on the counter. He grabbed a nearby pen and wrote 'To my biggest little fans,' then looked to the Swap brothers with a wide grin. "Who are you two again?"

[tomplum]

Player: Elanir
Game: After the Quake
System: 5e
GM:Therru
Post: A Game of Shōgi EDIT BY BIRCHED, LINK TO POST: https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthread.php?p=9298246

Reason: The fact that Elanir has two posts nominated in the same month not only speaks volumes to the quality of their posts that make it to the forums on a regular basis but is also confirmation that they are one of the premier participants on RPGCrossing. Their character in this game is a simple fisherman whose soul is intertwined with that of a former dragon emperor. In this instance, an old memory from the dragon's past is overlaid against the back drop of a battle against a demon daimyo and his oni bodyguards. I'd say more but my own words pale in comparison to that which was written by Elanir in the below post.

 

Jun / Ikari Battle was for Ikari a time of raging fire and boiling blood, a time of war cries and screams of anguish, but it had not always been so. A tiny part of him, a part even the Dragon remembered only faintly like something between a dream and a fantasy, perceived the battlefield very differently. A perfect square divided into smaller ones, all of them identical, all of them unique. Nine times nine is the number of fate, the number where the future is decided. Before his eyes appeared a wooden game similar to chessshōgi board and behind it sat a man dressed in a bright purple formal garb worn at courtsokutai with an elegant flower-like pattern. No, not a man, a being resembling a man with eyes as brilliant as the rising sun. The no-man seemed to be studying the wedge-shaped pentagonal pieces of various sizes placed upon the board, all of them inscribed with different names. "You have my jeweled generalgyokushō cornered, honored older brotherani-ue. How will you proceed?" Ikari‘s eyes -were they his eyes?- were instantly drawn to the piece mentioned by the no-man - the gyokushō, leader of the enemy army. If he was able to capture him, victory would be his. His own golden generalkinshō threatened the enemy leader, but in his rapid advance he had been separated from the rest of his forces. He was alone and vulnerable. A hand, as slender as it was powerful, the skin covered by tiny translucent scales, reached for the dragon kingryūō. He could use him to support the kinshō, force the gyokushō to retreat further… "Sometimes victory has to be snatched before the opponent can react." The voice seemed familiar, though Ikari couldn’t exactly place it. Had he heard it in Khoro? It felt warm and comforting like the heat coming from a lit brazier. "At other times one has to be patient and carefully shape the conditions so that victory can be achieved." The hand picked up the ryūō, but instead of moving it next to the kinshō placed it between his incense chariotkyōsha and one of the enemy silver generalsginshō. The no-man brought his hand to his lips, obviously evaluating the move. "You abandon your kinshō, your most powerful piece? I could capture him, make him my own." A faint smile formed upon Ikari’s lips and he gently shook his head. "I do not abandon him. I trust him to hold his ground until I am able to break your line of defense. There is a difference. Perhaps, the difference between victory and defeat." The no-man nodded, though it was clear that he had not been convinced. "My turn." The board disappeared but the pieces remained, now human sized or larger, wrapped in shadow, flame or moonlight. A line of senshi stood between Ikari and the dark daimyō, their skin as black as the depths of Yomi, their clubs raised, ready to strike. The demons seemed powerful, invincible even, but in truth it was not so. Tsuyui Kokoro’s great axemasakari and the magic of his people, along with Turushno’s mastery over water, had forced one of the oni to his knees. The yokāi was vulnerable, the wall was ready to crumble. Ikari had to take advantage of this weakness. Once more raising his hand to the heavens, magic missile dealing 11 points of force damagethree more stars manifested inside his palm, three glowing arrows that unerringly flew towards the bleeding senshi, each blow making his unnatural body shake before hitting the ground and remaining still and unmoving, hopefully forever. "Ishiguro-san", cried out Ikari, his voice more calm and controlled than it had ever been, "the gift of the Tenryuu can annihilate the senshi, leaving the daimyō surrounded. Trust in the flames to offer you protection." Barely had Ikari finished speaking, the fire devouring the farmhouse moved, trying to form a wall between Meiji and the yokāi general. The kinshō must be protected until he is able to capture the gyokushō. Ikari was perplexed. What a strange thought for him to be having in the middle of battle. What a strange thought…   Actions Actions: Ikari casts the 1st level spell Magic Missile, dealing 11 points of force damage and hopefully killing one of the senshi (Ni). Reaction: Control flames (kabi) - the fire tries to interject itself between Meiji and Shu-Tan. Bonus: Move: Effects: Concentration [Dragon’s Breath (Meiji)] - round 2/10 Stat Block Ito Jun / „Ikari“ | Aasimar (Scourge) | Sorcerer (Draconic Bloodline) 3 Armor Class: 15 | Hit Points: 23/23 | Speed: 30 ft Melee Attack: +2 / 1d6 (quarterstaff) or +4 / 1d4+2 (dagger) Str 10 (+0) | Dex 14 (+2) | Con 14 (+2) | Int 10 (+0) | Wis 12 (+1) | Cha 16 (+3) Saving throws: Str +0 | Dex +2 | Con +4 | Int +0 | Wis +1 | Cha +5 Skills: Animal Handling +3 | *Persuasion +5 | Religion +2 | Survival +3 | Cook‘s utensils | Vehicles (Water) Passive Perception: 11 Initiative: +2 | Hit Dice: 3d6 Darkvision: 60 feet | Celestial resistances: radiant and necrotic damage Dragon Ancestry (gold) | Healing Hands: 3/3 HP/LR Radiant Consumption (1 min) 1/LR: level/2 (up) radiant damage within 10 feet, + level radiant damage/attack Flexible casting | Font of Magic: 3/3 Sorcery points Metamagic: Empower Spell (1), Extended Spell (1) Spells: 1st level – 1/4, 2nd level - 1/2 DC 13 Spells known: Light (0), Control Flames (0), Fire Bolt (0), Mending (0), Thunderclap (0), Magic Missile (1), Shield (1), Sleep (1), Dragon‘s Breath (2) Languages: Common | Celestial | Draconic Items: Kabi - 5 ft bright light/5 ft dim light, resistance to fire and cold, control flame as action or reaction, affects normal as well as magical flame.

[Fillyjonk]

Player: lostcheerio
Game: Rime of the Frostmaiden
System: D&D 5e
GM: lostcheerio
Post: But Thoob Had Thoughts of Being a Main Character Specifically section 2, titled THE SOOTHSAYER

Nomination In the section titled THE SOOTHSAYER half the party finds an ancient dwarf who is, you guessed it, a soothsayer. She works for a Cult of Levistus, deposed Lord of the 5th Hell, and she is Lawful Evil. We asked for readings, and she pulled out DIVINATION COINS.
The scene is complicated by the fact that our cleric, Zuisudra, is suffering demon possession by a chaotic evil beign from the Abyss, and if you know 5e, you know the Abyss hates the Hells and vice versa. Each game day, the player rolls to see how much influence the demon gets over Zuisudra. Well. The demon got a LOT, and has told Zuis to kill this seer. The player decided the cleric would let the demon take the wheel and not fight it. (I wish I could also nominate Vislands for THAT bold move!)

Context and Reason
If you have ever played through Curse of Strahd, you know one of the most fun aspects of that game is the fortune telling cards that decide key elements of the story. In lostcheerio’s Rime of the Frostmaiden, she invented an entire divination system, gave any character who wanted it a reading, and then interpreted those readings with a Dwarf seer NPC straight out of the module. Those readings will to shape this game for the next year, if not beyond.

You can see the instructions for how to get your fortune told below

 

INSTRUCTIONS Fortune telling! The Oracle Coins are three round flat coins that aid soothsayers in divination. The coins are the bronze heart coin, the iron quest coin, and the steel doom coin. Each coin has two sides: a house side and a figure side. To do your reading, the soothsayer sets the three coins spinning on a tray, and you slap them down one by one. The coins then show a house on the top side and you turn it over to see the figure on the bottom. To slap a coin, roll a d6 and then a d53. Do this three times -- once for the heart coin, once for the quest coin, and once for the doom coin. The HOUSES and FIGURES are listed here.

This whole USABLE workable player-and-dice system of divination that can be dropped into any game to add mystery, fun, and challenge to ANY game with a soothsayer.

This is the kind of invested, amazing DMing any who have played with cheerio know to expect, but “inventing an entire fortune telling system that incorporates randomness (dice) with narrative, the module’s storyline, and multiple individual backstories” is above and beyond, even for her.