Deathtrap Dungeon; Freedom is Slavery! (OOC; Closed)

[Mechanisto]

The tour is currently in the huge, natural water-cave area; it's like the inside of a three story building, so plenty of space. Also, the updraft is strong enough to slow the fall of a winged creature to safe speeds; it's not strong enough, by itself, to provide lift. If you were extremely light, say half the weight of a being, you might get some lift out of it.

Also... the big warning posters did seem to suggest that not only that spell casting would be punished, but that it could be punished. It's hard to imagine Nadhiya putting those posters up unless she really did have access to a banhammer of some sort.

[Drayco84]

And Zyrais is enough of an idiot to test the powers of that banhammer....

After all, you can't really play the game unless you know how the pieces will move...

EDIT: Then again, he could also be testing her for when his siblings/others-of-his-species come knocking...

[VAE]

Hmm, i am starting to thing the "Psychic lure" attack is going to get some action quite soon.
Hehehe. At least i will be able to work out the mechanics of it.
But dinner first
********************

Now, to clarify - this is an innate chuul aura called psychic hum, it acts (normally) at 5 feet range and decreases will defense as well as induces a vulnerability to psychic.
However because of the nice accentuation of the rage, as well as to make sense i decided that while truly acti[ng only at cca. the described range (it can be a little bigger as he has psi training ,but i do not care now) it is heard (=perceptible) at 4-5 times so, and grows in intensity - It makes sense to me that the malus to the victim comes when the intensity passes a certain threshold, rather than being "just because":

[Drayco84]

Now, to clarify - this is an innate chuul aura called psychic hum, it acts (normally) at 5 feet range and decreases will defense as well as induces a vulnerability to psychic.
However because of the nice accentuation of the rage, as well as to make sense i decided that while truly acti[ng only at cca. the described range (it can be a little bigger as he has psi training ,but i do not care now) it is heard (=perceptible) at 4-5 times so, and grows in intensity - It makes sense to me that the malus to the victim comes when the intensity passes a certain threshold, rather than being "just because":

Okay, so am I correct in assuming that this a psychic "buzzing" noise that will annoy, and more importantly distract, everything around Glup? And it also has a five foot range when your claws have a ten-foot range? AND WHY ARE YOU IMMUNE TO POISON?!

Mind you, Zyrais is some bizarre freak-hybrid of Furrae angel with (mostly) Sorcerer levels (Hence the charisma.).

EDIT: Oh, neat! Mending is a spell that makes minor repairs on an object, AND it's a cantrip, which don't have too many offensive spells anyway.

[VAE]

The important effect - the will weakening and psychic vulnerability truly is only area 1 so 5 feet;)normall)
However as i have added it is audible and annoying to most around about 5-6 times the range, i would say changing in intensity i would say in an inverse square manner (one square closer, K times intensity)

[VAE]

If anyone cares, the glasses story as i have just made it up consistently:
Glup truly got them at the black market in zinvth from a non-being crafter (he himself has little idea what he was , being a foreigner at the time) in exchange for the aforementioned cubi brain - i figure that with DnD description, + his classification and the kind of skills he has - somewhat better suited at fighting someone whose biggest power is illusion and sharp tentacles, Glup might have been able to beat a normal cubi in an epic mortalkombat-style battle.
He got the second pair from the manufacturer, after kindly (Zyrais had an experience) explaining to him that a second pair is easier to make when there is a first one, that the cubi nearly killed him by embracing his lower body with tentacles and actually cutting through the weaker armor (like you might peel a shrimp) and that after doing this, killing him if he will be obstinate is not a difficult task

The goggles have several enchantments - firstly and mainly the dioptre-count magically adjusts to match where he is looking - glup's eyes are naturally inferior to mammalian ones in this respect (although works with darkvision)
secondly, they, at least the glass is (it seems some of it is a rather shoddy job, out of spite) is very shatter resistant, which keeps the spell in, to his luck.
Thirdly, when on, they protect against up to mid-range blinding spells directed at him - something fog-like, or flash-like  will still work , but for stuff which does the eyes damage directly one needs to take them down first.
Fourthly,  the elastic lace is made of modern durable polymers  - In Zinvth, this is a far more expensive things than most would imagine

[Mechanisto]

And Zyrais is enough of an idiot to test the powers of that banhammer....

Obviously, I do not condone the testing of Ban-Hammers in actual forum posts. People who do this in real life are dummies. Who get banned. Don't be a dummy!

But within the scope of this RP, I think it might have actually been be poor role-playing for Zyrais not to push the rules just to see how effective they are. Angels respect power just as much as, if not more so than, Demons. This could be the Angel equivalent of shaking your hand, just to see how strong a grip you have.

[VAE]

Changed colour due to legibility, looks still surprisingly good

[Drayco84]

Yeesh, I should've mentioned I was AFK taking care of bunnies...

Had to move a swatty-girl into a different hutch...

[VAE]

@ Techmasterglitch

...  As Glup ranted at Zyrais, and filled the air with an ominous buzz ...

That had a really nice (un)intended meaning (suggesting that the air was filled with his rant)
I LOLed hard.
Well done!

[techmaster-glitch]

Yeah, now that I think about it, I probably could have worded that a little clearer...

[VAE]

Well, the fact that i have described what is wrong does not necessarily mean that the character realises it as well... especially when plotting Zyrais's untimely demise.
You know like the monty python scene : "And now, me and sir Galahad climb out of the rabbit.... ehm"

[techmaster-glitch]

Wheeee...

[Drayco84]

Wheeee...

NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

SYSTEM: Drayco will not be posting today, thanks to Techmaster getting him sidetracked on TVtropes.org. All hate mail and flames should be directed to Techmaster.

EDIT: I did that wrong. It's now fixed.

[techmaster-glitch]

It's not mah fault! You aren't acclimated to it in the way I am! I've read so much, I have more trouble deliberately finding something new to read that I do trying to stop reading something

[Drayco84]

Well, the fact that i have described what is wrong does not necessarily mean that the character realises it as well... especially when plotting Zyrais's untimely demise.
You know like the monty python scene : "And now, me and sir Galahad climb out of the rabbit.... ehm"

So, what else is broken that a closer observation would reveal?

EDIT: NVM. I be slow today...

[VAE]

That, pretty much - see the reply! I thought this would be the funniest way to defuse the situation.
Though it is entirely possible for Zyrais to reignite it with a few choice comments in his usual manner

[Drayco84]

That, pretty much - see the reply! I thought this would be the funniest way to defuse the situation.
Though it is entirely possible for Zyrais to reignite it with a few choice comments in his usual manner

Oh no, he's saving those for Nadhiya... (One deathwish at a time, please.)

[WhiteFox]

At this point, I am contemplating dropping out of the RP.

[VAE]

why? do we suck that much or you are busy?

Also, i have edited some unwanted single quotes out of my description if anyone wonders about the modify

[Drayco84]

It's because we suck, isn't it?

[WhiteFox]

If we're going to be blunt, thats fine.

1: We have spent more time discussing what our your characters can do then actually doing anything. I counted posts.
2: The semi-serious tone the RP started with has descended into outright idiocy.
3: The quality of writing is shoddy.
4: Most of the posts has been pointless long winded rambling.
5: It has taken far too long for the "plot" to get anywhere.

So far, the majority of this RP has been a waste of time.

[VAE]

Hmm, B-(  - I must self critically agree with all except pt. 2  (i kind of thought it will get silly from the beginning)
It is not a good sign when a game has more OOC posts than IC posts - the last such thing (a war on NS) i saw died  quite rapidly...

Well, i still find it entertaining, and i hope others do too but i see why you might want to leave and concentrate on other games that are running.

[techmaster-glitch]

Hmm, B-(  - I must self critically agree with all except pt. 2  (i kind of thought it will get silly from the beginning)
It is not a good sign when a game has more OOC posts than IC posts - the last such thing (a war on NS) i saw died  quite rapidly...

Well, i still find it entertaining, and i hope others do too but i see why you might want to leave and concentrate on other games that are running.

There have been one or two other RPs around here with more OOC than IC posts, and it wasn't necessarily a bad thing... just saying.

And yes, I have been finding this RP entertaining as well (which really is the core point of any RP, as an RP is a game at its core), which has sustained continued interest. Of course, what's fun for one person isn't always fun for another... sorry to see Whitefox go, but I understand his choice.

[WhiteFox]

I said I was contemplating dropping out. It's not a sure thing, just yet.

It sure is starting to look that way, though.

[VAE]

Well, let's hope that in the game thread, Nadhiya will employ some primary school teacher tactics, and the tour will be over soon

[Drayco84]

I'm probably going to be staying away from the RP for a couple of days. One of my bunnies of eight years passed away a few hours ago and I won't be able to focus. I'll be checking in and staying current on the storyline, though...

[VAE]

Oh, 
I view rabbits as food in general but well , i remember when in june last year a car killed my cat and i was out and useless for several months...
hope you get better soon!

[Mechanisto]

Hoo boy... I have not been looking forward to writing this response. I'm betting it mostly refers to Danman and Drayco84, but it affects everyone.

The short version:

Too much wacky hi-jinx. Not enough understated black humor, serious character interaction, and rich storytelling. I understand we have newbies, and that's fine with me as long as your making an effort to learn and grow. Now is the time to see if that will happen.

The long version:

Whitefox has expressed concerns about the theme and quality of the RP as of late. To quote Ultra Magnus, these are serious charges and they will be investigated. In particular, the following:

1: We have spent more time discussing what our your characters can do then actually doing anything. I counted posts.
2: The semi-serious tone the RP started with has descended into outright idiocy.
3: The quality of writing is shoddy.
4: Most of the posts has been pointless long winded rambling.
5: It has taken far too long for the "plot" to get anywhere.

Before anyone else jumps on him, let me be clear; these are a concern for me as well. Also, I do not wish for Whitefox to bow out; that is not what we refer to as a "victory state." He is an excellent role-player and storyteller, and this RP will be poorer without his participation. I do not particularly care for his tone, but that certainly does not make him wrong.

Response #1: The lack of activity is my problem. I am not giving my players enough to do. This first little chapter was supposed to involve social interaction between the PCs , which normally wouldn't be a problem. However, if the players don't get along at all, giving them a plot point will not improve things. The RP should, ultimately, bne abotu your characters interacting... not about your characters individually.

Response #2: I mentioned very clearly during signups that this RP was supposed to include some black humor and irony...not wacky hi-jinx and saturday-morning silliness. Wacky and Silly are like pickles and onions; they are garnish, and best left understated. Some people like their hamburgers with an inch of each topping. I am not such a person.

Response #3: I believe it was specifically stated that some of our players were new to forum RPing. I knew this from the beginning. I allowed it because everyone has to start somewhere, and I like helping people. I assumed you would be willing to improve your writing and storytelling skills, and I gladly tolerate mistakes if it's clear you are learning. After all, we ALL make mistakes, and we ALL learn from them.

Response #4: This is pretty harsh... but in truth, long posts are not necessarily good posts. We are worried about quality over quantity. Also, characters need not write up entire posts that have characters talking to themselves.

Response #5: See #1. I was purposefully holding back on the plot so we could establish the characters and setting. But if there is a problem with the characters and setting, this becomes less enjoyable. I was going to change this, and Nathalzar is on the very cusp of advancing our first major plot point as I type this.

It's because we suck, isn't it?

I need to state something. I am not afraid of calling people newbies; to me, it isn't an insult. It simply means you are inexperienced... as were we all, once. This is, at worst, a fleeting limitation.

In closing, I cannot express enough the importance of tone, mood, and theme to a successful story and/or RP. If we could all lean more towards the theme I originally wanted, I would appreciate it. One of my favorite B. Kliban comics has a king standing on a balcony, addressing his subjects with the following message: "I'm the king and you all have to do what I say, or else I can't be king anymore." It is in that spirit that I, as a GM, am saying that things need to improve. Of course they need to improve. They always need to. Improvement means things are getting better.

If this isn't going to work out, I need to know immediately so I can reopen recruitment. I was considering doing this anyway, since we seem to be down a few active players. Please let me know your thoughts on the matter.

[techmaster-glitch]

   Well, as said above, I've been fine with things as they are. I don't really partake of any of the "silliness", as I am too straight for it, but it's entertaining to watch. I kinda figured it would drop off anyway once the plot got moving. Speaking of which, I'm also okay with there not being any plot at the moment; it was stated at the beginning that this first leg of the RP was character interaction and familiarity roleplaying time, so I haven't had any problem with that, either.
  I suppose I don't mind if recruitment is reopened, or if the plot suddenly kicks in (the "silliness" isn't something that affects me either way). Just saying that I haven been satisfied with the way things have been going so far (as it was kind of a given they would change anyway), though that's only my opinion. Dunno about anyone else.