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No Salvation For Witches (Old-school D&D-like adventure seeking one more player - NSFW)

ZincStandard

Super-Earth
Joined
Feb 19, 2019
QSjNVN8.png


England, 1627. The Price Revolution has brought fresh misery into the lives of the peasantry. With the near-doubling of the country's population over the past century, and increasing supply of precious metals from the New World, the cost of living has increased dramatically, with the prices of some goods multiplying fivefold or sixfold. Food is so expensive that many starve to death, or find themselves eating the heretofore unthinkable.

In this time of desperation and uncertainty, a band of rootless drifters—scoundrels, vagabonds, and tomb robbers to a one—arrives in the village of Edington, pursuing rumors of treasures hidden within its supposedly haunted priory. Little do they know, they are about to find themselves at the center of events born of terrible sorcery and otherworldly forces, events that threaten to transform the society they know forever...

*****
Update: We've had one player possibly drop, and now we're looking for one more to bolster our numbers! The game is still young, the first scene currently in progress, so there's plenty of room to jump in. Feel free to take a look at the current characters and IC thread and decide if you're interested!

Hey everyone! This is my interest check/recruitment thread for a friendly play-by-post game of Lamentations of the Flame Princess, a D&D retroclone you may or may not be familiar with, using Rafael Chandler's adventure module No Salvation For Witches. If you've played LotFP or read any of its published materials before, you'll know it's basically old-school D&D rules with an eye toward the weird and horrific, which this adventure definitely falls under; if you haven't, but the above sounds intriguing, have no fear! You're more than welcome to try your hand, and if you've played any version of D&D at all, the rules should feel quite familiar for the most part.

To those unfamiliar with old-school style games, there are some conventions that might take getting used to. Play tends to be a lot more lethal and unforgiving than in recent D&D; emphasis is on player creativity and lateral thinking to solve problems, rather than characters' mechanical abilities (a good mantra is 'if you have to roll dice, you've already failed'). Rather than telling a story about your characters, the goal is to simulate a part of their lives as they live them, which means events might happen that seem arbitrary or meaningless in the moment; as in real life, only in retrospect can things be made sense of as anything like a narrative. Character death is a real possibility that should be taken seriouslybut that's what makes it fun when you do succeed!

This is Blue Moon, so it probably goes without saying that adult content will feature heavily in this game (if the cover art above wasn't enough of a hint, the acronym of the module's title is NSFW). However, I wouldn't go in expecting smut, or an overtly sexy tonenot that there can't be sex and sexy situations if you want them, but your characters may have to do some work to make them happen. Or they may not, who knows?

If you want to give this a shot, all you have to do is submit a character! The rules of Lamentations of the Flame Princess, including character creation, can be found here in free PDF form. However, because I know just diving into a new system rulebook with no guidance is often overwhelming, I'll outline the (really quite simple) character creation process in the spoiler below (I'll assume you're familiar with basic vocabulary from D&D, if you're not and need more help please let me know).
First, roll 3d6 6 times, in order, to determine your character's Charisma, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Strength, and Wisdom. After recording all rolls, you may swap two scores of your choice, once. Then, record the modifiers of your scores: 3 is -3, 4-5 are -2, 6-8 are -1, 9-12 are 0, 13-15 are +1, 16-17 are +2, and 18 is +3. Add up all your ability modifiers; if they total less than 0, you may discard the character and start over. Ability score checks in LotFP are d20 equal to or under your ability score.

Important note: in LotFP, your "mental" stats—Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom—have no bearing on your character's actual mental faculties or personality. Charisma is purely a measure of their ability to attract and manage hirelings, not their persuasiveness or attractiveness. Intelligence is purely a measure of prior education and knowledge, not reasoning or learning ability. Wisdom is strength of will and connection to the greater spiritual forces of the universe, not understanding of other people or sensory acuity. So, if you roll a character with low Charisma, that doesn't mean they have to be unattractive or socially awkward, and a character with low Intelligence doesn't have to be stupid, just uneducated.

Next, choose your class: fighter, cleric, magic-user, or specialist (skill-focused characters, can be thieves but don't have to be). The book also has elves, dwarves, and halflings, but we're not using them for this game.

Roll for your starting hit points. Fighters roll 1d8, everyone else 1d6; add your Constitution modifier to the roll. Each class has a minimum number of hit points at 1st level; if your total including your Con modifier would be less than this, you start with the minimum. Clerics and specialists have a minimum of 4 hit points, fighters of 8, and magic-users of 3.

Record your attack bonuses. As adventurers, you're all somewhat more skilled in combat than the average commoner, and have a base attack bonus of +1, except for fighters, who start at +2. Your melee attack bonus is base plus your Strength mod; your ranged attack bonus is base plus your Dexterity mod. Attack rolls in LotFP are d20+your attack bonus equal to or above the target's armor class.

Record your saving throw values. These are dependent on your class; check the table in the classes section of the rulebook for your values (fighters, be careful: your class table includes the stats for a classless 0-level character in the first row, so skip those). Saving throws in LotFP are d20 equal to or above your save value, so a lower save value is better. You add your Intelligence modifier to your saving throws for saves against spells cast by magic-users (not clerics); you add your Wisdom mod to all saves against non-spell effects.

Choose your alignment: Lawful, Neutral, or Chaotic. Alignment in LotFP has nothing to do with your beliefs, actions, or characterit's a purely cosmic, metaphysical thing, indicating basically what supernatural powers have dominion over your soul. You might be a good and righteous person who was born cursed and marked by demonic powers, and thus Chaotic despite your desperate wish to be otherwise, or you might be a heartless rogue who finds themselves an unwitting pawn of a divine destiny, and thus Lawful. If you're a cleric, you're automatically Lawful; if you're a magic-user, you're automatically Chaotic. Almost everyone else is Neutral, but you can be an exception.

Roll for your starting equipment budget. LotFP assumes a silver standard for currency (good ol' pounds sterling in this case). You start with 3d6 x 10 £ to spend on equipment. Purchase your equipment from the tables in the book, which your're on your own with unless you have specific questions cause I'm not copying all that shit here. Keep in mind that firearms rules, and the associated armor options, are in play for this game, so check the back of the book for that stuff. If you're a magic-user, you get your first spellbook for free. Any extra money you keep as coin.

Record your inventory and calculate your encumbrance. LotFP uses a slot-based encumbrance system. Every 5 normal items you carry gives you 1 point of encumbrance. At 0-1 encumbrance, you're "unencumbered" and especially fast; at 2, you're "lightly encumbered", which is what you'll be accustomed to as normal movement from modern D&D. Any more encumbrance will start to slow you down. Small items can stack in a single slot, so 20 arrows in a quiver is 1 slot (coins stack up to 100, but you'll want a container for them). Items listed in the equipment tables in italics are non-encumbering; track those separately, they don't count. Items listed in bold italics are oversized; each oversized item adds a point of encumbrance all on its own.

Record your armor class. AC in LotFP is base from armor (12 for unarmored) + Dexterity bonus. Your "unadjusted" AC, used mostly when surprised, is just your armor AC, no bonus from Dex or a shield if you're using one.

If you're a magic-user, you know Read Magic. Roll a d20 3 times, and I'll tell you what other spells you know.

If you're a specialist, spend your skill points. Skill rolls in LotFP are d6 equal to or under your skill rating, which goes from 1 to 6 (non-specialists have 1 in every skill). You start with 4 points. Spend points 1-for-1 to increase your ratings in any skill you want. Defaults include architecture, bushcraft, climbing, languages, search, sleight of hand, sneak attack, stealth, and tinkering. If you want to have other skills, let me know and we'll figure out how they work if they're acceptable.

Tell us your name and a little about yourself, as outlined below!
Your characters are all natives of 17th-century Earth, most likely Europe, though possibly from elsewhere if you like. Classes available are fighters, specialists, clerics, and magic-usersno demi-human characters. Firearms rules (matchlocks standard, flintlocks at double price) in the back of the book are in play if you want to use guns, as are the associated armor options, with all the armors listed in the standard equipment tables (now badly outdated by setting standards) costing 50% more if you still want to use them. As far as most people know, this isn't an alternate fantasy Earth or anything; magic and the supernatural are quite beyond what are considered "normal", though as adventurers, you may have had encounters with them before.

Tell us your character's name, a few sentences about their immediate look or first impression, and a few sentences about where they're from and what kind of person they are behind what they show the world. Assume you've been traveling and working with the rest of the party for a while, and will already know them at the start of the adventure. If you're new to LotFP, I suggest not getting too attached to your 1st-level characterthey might not last long, depending on how cautiously and cleverly you play.

I'm looking to run this for three or four players; I've found that's the ideal range for these sorts of games. Feel free to go ahead and submit a character if you feel like it, or ask me any questions about the game or the rules. Hope to see some interest!
 
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Zinc: Hate to be a pain, but I'm trying to figure out my character's encumbrance and have a few questions for you:

1. Do tinderboxes and tobacco really take up an item slot apiece? They're not iltaliced, but I note pipes are, which is why I'm asking. I know in real life some tinderboxes were fairly large (say the size of of a small pot or box,) but others could fit into a pocket. And a pouch of tobacco also doesn't strike me as being all that bulky.

2. If I'm carrying 22 coins in a pouch, is that another full item slot or a partial one? Pouches aren't italcized, but I also note the rules mention 100 coins is equal to one item slot.

3. Does a "12 Apostles" or a powder horn draped over your shoulders also take up an item slot apiece? I ask because while they're not italicized either, it also says that worn items (like cloaks, jewelry and packs) don't count. How about if they're empty, as mine currently are?

4. Are "iron rations" stackable, or a slot apiece? (If they're quasi-magical, like LotR's "lembas loaf," I can see it being the former. But if they're dried beef, cheese, hardtack etc. I can see the latter.)

5. How about torches? (I could see this one going either way, depending on their weight and size - the two examples in the rules are spikes and arrows, and a wooden torch might be no heavier than a metal spike, and also no longer than an arrow.)

Again, don't mean to be a pain about this, just want to make sure I'm tallying this up correctly. Thanks much - Grey
 
No worries, kckolbe! Feel free to stop in again later if things change, and we can work in a character for you then.

grey, to answer your questions in order:

1. I agree that it's a bit weird to have a tinderbox and a tobacco pouch take up a whole slot apiece, but since the encumbrance system is such a core part of the game rules, I'm reluctant to start messing around with it at my level of system mastery. Are you comfortable rolling with the rules as written, keeping in mind that they are largely an abstraction anyway?

2. 22 coins in a pouch would actually be 2 items, but you could fill the pouch up to 100 coins and still have it be 2. Different types of containers have these tradeoffs--pouches are encumbering, but hands-free and you can wear more than one, backpacks are hands-free and non-encumbering but you can only wear one, and sacks are non-encumbering and you can carry more than one, but they're not hands-free. As for why a pouch full of coins is 2 items while a quiver full of arrows is 1, I'd assume it's because 20 arrows are probably lighter than 100 coins. Again, it's an abstraction.

3. I will, however, rule that an empty set of apostles and powder horn are non-encumbering as long as they stay empty. In fact, you can take them both at half-price, since I'll say for now that half the listed cost is that of the powder.

4. Rations of any kind don't stack. The advantage of iron rations is that they don't spoil. They're nothing magical, just good old hardtack and jerky.

5. Typically, torches don't stack either.

Don't worry about being a pain! I'm happy to help. I understand that these rules are pretty unforgiving and probably the most complicated thing in the whole game, so I hope it's not overwhelming to do by post.

On that note, our OOC and rules threads are now open; I'll ask that any further discussion by accepted players be moved there, as appropriate. I'll try to have the IC up sometime tomorrow night.
 
Wait... So 22 sp is 2 item points? Now I'm confused, should my character's encumbrance be 2 or 3?
 
Posted an answer in the rules thread; we should move the conversation there. Let me know if things still aren't clear.
 
Update: We've had one player possibly drop, and now we're looking for one more to bolster our numbers! The game is still young, the first scene currently in progress, so there's plenty of room to jump in. Feel free to take a look at the current characters and IC thread and decide if you're interested!
 
We had two fighters (one ranged, one stabby) plus a Cleric, but the Cleric ghosted after one post. Shortly after the Cleric left (in mid April) the story stopped & I'm not sure if the GM or other player are still interested - you might want to PM the GM to see.
 
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