"This magic, how does it work, hey? Can we use the magic more than once? For example, the teal pearl takes effort to work, but could we use it twice in one day? And some magic has a cost? Effort for the teal pearl. Sanity for the grey pearl. What is the cost of the white pearl?"
And if Thorin can answer that question, "How would you test the red pearl if we don't know what it does?"
To Saralyn: "There was a powerful druid who protected a portion of the river, away south of my village. She had powerful healing powers, but she could also change her skin into that of a great eagle or swim the river as a crocodile. But we're not sure what the yellow pearl does (or its cost!) unless we test it. Maybe the teal pearl would be a better choice for me? To distract an enemy or avoid a fight? I would not risk my sanity for the power of shadows, but I am not afraid of effort. What do you think, Saralyn?"
"I suspect that the yellow pearl would not give one the full power of an archdruid, or even anywhere close. Perhaps the ability to control plants, or something similar. It seems like, while the teal pearl may be useful in some situations, we won't encounter many of those situations in the desert. And of course, giving up one's sanity should be avoided at all costs. Perhaps the darker teal, or if there is some way to test the red one."
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Will everyone stop calling him "The Demogorgon"? It's his name, not a title!
"I suspect that the yellow pearl would not give one the full power of an archdruid, or even anywhere close. Perhaps the ability to control plants, or something similar. It seems like, while the teal pearl may be useful in some situations, we won't encounter many of those situations in the desert. And of course, giving up one's sanity should be avoided at all costs. Perhaps the darker teal, or if there is some way to test the red one."
"Well, perhaps not in the desert, but we have discussed *other* places which may be guarded. Distracting a guard could give us access. For example, if the desert temple is in use, it will probably be guarded. Thorin, to manipulate people, the teal pearl must require a conversation. But could we use its sleep or distraction powers while in hiding, or do they also require a conversation with the target?"
"Now, pearls can be used for a short amount of time, maybe a few minutes, but only need a few hours to recharge. But there are some with other negative effects, like you are slightly weak afterwords or your thoughts are less clear."
"Now, for the teal pearl, you would need to have a conversation for it to work. You must talk them into sleeeping, being distracted, etc. Now for the yellow and red pearls, I'll see if I can have them tested." He picks up the yellow one and looks at it. "I know of others that affect weather, animals... I know some affect plants, that could be it." He looks at the red pearl. "Based on color, maybe fire? Forging? Or maybe something more sinister like blood. I'll be sure to have it tested."
"Now, pearls can be used for a short amount of time, maybe a few minutes, but only need a few hours to recharge. But there are some with other negative effects, like you are slightly weak afterwords or your thoughts are less clear."
"Now, for the teal pearl, you would need to have a conversation for it to work. You must talk them into sleeeping, being distracted, etc. Now for the yellow and red pearls, I'll see if I can have them tested." He picks up the yellow one and looks at it. "I know of others that affect weather, animals... I know some affect plants, that could be it." He looks at the red pearl. "Based on color, maybe fire? Forging? Or maybe something more sinister like blood. I'll be sure to have it tested."
"Then maybe Saralyn is right, and I should take the darker teal pearl. When you said that it gives a great understanding and skill of craftsmanship, do you mean general improvements in wisdom and skillfulness? Or are you specifically referring to crafting things, such as a suit of armor or a musical instrument?"
"How best to choose? When offered a gift, the eagle asked to fly faster and higher than other birds. That is like Ghurk and the orange pearl. Another approach is to follow the toad's example. When offered a gift, the toad didn't ask to jump farther or higher. He asked to be able to swim like the fishes. I can talk -- clearly! -- but I am not very good at deceiving or tricking others. If no one in the group has that capability, then maybe we should take a pearl that would help us in that area."
"With Dark Teal, you are better at making things and also understand making things better."
Thorin closed his eyes while grasping the red pearl. He opened his eyes a moment later. "I think this is supposed to do something to someone. Not sure what, but it's probably dangerous and or painful. I'll need to find an enemy to test it on."
"With Dark Teal, you are better at making things and also understand making things better."
Thorin closed his eyes while grasping the red pearl. He opened his eyes a moment later. "I think this is supposed to do something to someone. Not sure what, but it's probably dangerous and or painful. I'll need to find an enemy to test it on."
"Well, I don't craft or make anything. I don't even make magic, though I am following a path that I hope will let me unlock the power of my ancestors and of the spirits of the wild places of the world. I don't think that I would be able to use the dark teal pearl unless this 'understanding of making things' would help us find hidden doors or traps. Or maybe help us identify magical items. No, I think that the teal or yellow pearl would be best for me. The red pearl...I don't know. I have a bad feeling about it."
(Maybe this is just the player being worried that Rain would be accepting a cursed item or a pearl with a really bad side effect. ;-) But I think that his background is more attuned to the natural world. Claws and arrows make sense to him. Magic that summons a storm or creates fire or even changes the caster's shape would all make sense to him. Even without some sort of ability check, his intuition is that necromancy or blood magic are less "natural.")
Saralyn says, "you may test the pearl on one of my spirits. They are not really beings so much as life energy given form, so you will not be harming anyone by testing the pearl on one."
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Will everyone stop calling him "The Demogorgon"? It's his name, not a title!
"Hm, good to know." Thorin raises the red pearl towards a spirit. The spirit starts turning slightly redish, and Thorin pale. "I think this may be a blood pearl."
"Hm, good to know." Thorin raises the red pearl towards a spirit. The spirit starts turning slightly redish, and Thorin pale. "I think this may be a blood pearl."
Rain's eyes open wide. "Then I don't think that we want that one! But how do you test a pearl when you don't know what it does, yet?" Rain's curiosity gets the better of him as he snatches up the yellow pearl. (Dexterity check? 18) "Do you just hold it?" He squeezes in his hand. "Or do you need to do something to invoke the magic? Like, would I focus on turning into a bird?" Rain closes his eyes, and tries to imagine what it would be like to turn into a bird and fly through the air, looking down on the garden from above.
"As we are not the people who made these, it takes much testing. But once you figure it out, it just takes a thought to use it." He pulled out a piece of parchment and looked over it. "I think it involves plant growth?"
"As we are not the people who made these, it takes much testing. But once you figure it out, it just takes a thought to use it." He pulled out a piece of parchment and looked over it. "I think it involves plant growth?"
Rain opens one eye, looks at his hand, which is definitely not a wing, and then opens the other eye. He smirks and sets down the yellow pearl, saying, "Oh! Well, that is more clear. Thank you master Thorin. I would like the lighter teal one after all. Now that the thief, Olin, is dead, we may have need of it. Is there anything else that you wanted to show us?"
(OOC: is this correct? So far, Thorin has given the party the following items to help with the quest:
Potion of Healing (to Saralyn)
Salmon Tongue Brew
1/2 dose - Saralyn
1/2 dose - Rain
Orange Pearl of Toughness - Ghurk
White Pearl of Sound Bending - Saralyn
Teal Pearl of Manipulative Speech - Rain
Thorin has also offered:
Elixir of Ether Tulip (heals minor undead infections)
Potion of Barkskin
Night-Chain Liquid (prophetic dreams)
An additional dose of Salmon Tongue Brew
Strength Potion
"Medicine" Potion
Suggest a potion, and he'll see whether he has it.
Done with OOC clarifications.)
"Based on today's attack in the castle, the king's enemies are bold! When we were looking at the potions, you mentioned a strength potion. We may need that, too!"
"Any potion that would help us resist poison or -- I don't know -- fire? Would be helpful."
"Do you have any potions that would help us infiltrate the temple? Something that could make us invisible or hard to detect? Or something that lets us step into the spirit world so that we can walk right through the temple walls to investigate?"
"Finally, we know very little about the temple and the current situation in your town. If someone finds an injured animal, they may try to help, but if they are ignorant, they may do more harm than good. Or they may be attacked themselves. We are going to need to investigate more to make sure that we do not make the problem worse. Is there a potion that would help us comprehend the situation better? A truth serum to ensure we get honest answers when we interrogate an enemy? Or a way to understand languages that we do not speak or read? Or maybe a way to understand an intelligent creature without speaking its language?"
"And if you don't have any of that, then we'd certainly be willing to accept additional potions of healing!"
(OOC: Heh. Well, just putting the whole "wish list" out there. And with a hefty delay between posts, conversations with a lot of back-and-forth can take a lot of real-world time to resolve. Just trying some techniques to speed things up while remaining in character. I think of it more like posting Rain's half of a conversation. If Thorin replies, you can reassemble a conversation by interleaving the questions from Rain and responses from Thorin.
If we actually get all of that, which I don't expect, it's definitely a lot of magic for 1st level characters. On the other hand, the next step of the adventure is still unclear, and our party dropped from 5 members to 3, losing a full-caster and a half-caster. I assumed that this encounter with the quartermaster was the DM's way to ensure that we have enough magic to proceed with the campaign. The pearls were well-defined: one pearl each. But the offer of potions was more open-ended.
And if Rain offends anyone by asking for too much, it's in line with his 9 charisma! 😜)
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Thorin hands the white pearl to Saralyn.
Upvote these 18 unique mythical weapon materials!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
Remember, wait for a while to see if anyone else does want it.
Will everyone stop calling him "The Demogorgon"? It's his name, not a title!
"Yes, yes. I'll see what they want, and if both want it... We'll find a way to settle it fairly."
Upvote these 18 unique mythical weapon materials!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
A wide grin spreads across Ghurk's face. "I'll take the orange one, thank you very much."
DMing:
Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Playing:
None sadly.
Optimization Guides:
Literally Too Angry to Die - A Guide to Optimizing a Barbarian
(Ghurlk, I definitely saw that coming.)
"Very well. And Rain, which pearl?"
Upvote these 18 unique mythical weapon materials!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
"This magic, how does it work, hey? Can we use the magic more than once? For example, the teal pearl takes effort to work, but could we use it twice in one day? And some magic has a cost? Effort for the teal pearl. Sanity for the grey pearl. What is the cost of the white pearl?"
And if Thorin can answer that question, "How would you test the red pearl if we don't know what it does?"
To Saralyn: "There was a powerful druid who protected a portion of the river, away south of my village. She had powerful healing powers, but she could also change her skin into that of a great eagle or swim the river as a crocodile. But we're not sure what the yellow pearl does (or its cost!) unless we test it. Maybe the teal pearl would be a better choice for me? To distract an enemy or avoid a fight? I would not risk my sanity for the power of shadows, but I am not afraid of effort. What do you think, Saralyn?"
"I suspect that the yellow pearl would not give one the full power of an archdruid, or even anywhere close. Perhaps the ability to control plants, or something similar. It seems like, while the teal pearl may be useful in some situations, we won't encounter many of those situations in the desert. And of course, giving up one's sanity should be avoided at all costs. Perhaps the darker teal, or if there is some way to test the red one."
Will everyone stop calling him "The Demogorgon"? It's his name, not a title!
"Well, perhaps not in the desert, but we have discussed *other* places which may be guarded. Distracting a guard could give us access. For example, if the desert temple is in use, it will probably be guarded. Thorin, to manipulate people, the teal pearl must require a conversation. But could we use its sleep or distraction powers while in hiding, or do they also require a conversation with the target?"
"Now, pearls can be used for a short amount of time, maybe a few minutes, but only need a few hours to recharge. But there are some with other negative effects, like you are slightly weak afterwords or your thoughts are less clear."
"Now, for the teal pearl, you would need to have a conversation for it to work. You must talk them into sleeeping, being distracted, etc. Now for the yellow and red pearls, I'll see if I can have them tested." He picks up the yellow one and looks at it. "I know of others that affect weather, animals... I know some affect plants, that could be it." He looks at the red pearl. "Based on color, maybe fire? Forging? Or maybe something more sinister like blood. I'll be sure to have it tested."
Upvote these 18 unique mythical weapon materials!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
"Then maybe Saralyn is right, and I should take the darker teal pearl. When you said that it gives a great understanding and skill of craftsmanship, do you mean general improvements in wisdom and skillfulness? Or are you specifically referring to crafting things, such as a suit of armor or a musical instrument?"
"How best to choose? When offered a gift, the eagle asked to fly faster and higher than other birds. That is like Ghurk and the orange pearl. Another approach is to follow the toad's example. When offered a gift, the toad didn't ask to jump farther or higher. He asked to be able to swim like the fishes. I can talk -- clearly! -- but I am not very good at deceiving or tricking others. If no one in the group has that capability, then maybe we should take a pearl that would help us in that area."
"With Dark Teal, you are better at making things and also understand making things better."
Thorin closed his eyes while grasping the red pearl. He opened his eyes a moment later. "I think this is supposed to do something to someone. Not sure what, but it's probably dangerous and or painful. I'll need to find an enemy to test it on."
Upvote these 18 unique mythical weapon materials!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
"Well, I don't craft or make anything. I don't even make magic, though I am following a path that I hope will let me unlock the power of my ancestors and of the spirits of the wild places of the world. I don't think that I would be able to use the dark teal pearl unless this 'understanding of making things' would help us find hidden doors or traps. Or maybe help us identify magical items. No, I think that the teal or yellow pearl would be best for me. The red pearl...I don't know. I have a bad feeling about it."
(Maybe this is just the player being worried that Rain would be accepting a cursed item or a pearl with a really bad side effect. ;-) But I think that his background is more attuned to the natural world. Claws and arrows make sense to him. Magic that summons a storm or creates fire or even changes the caster's shape would all make sense to him. Even without some sort of ability check, his intuition is that necromancy or blood magic are less "natural.")
Saralyn says, "you may test the pearl on one of my spirits. They are not really beings so much as life energy given form, so you will not be harming anyone by testing the pearl on one."
Will everyone stop calling him "The Demogorgon"? It's his name, not a title!
"Hm, good to know." Thorin raises the red pearl towards a spirit. The spirit starts turning slightly redish, and Thorin pale. "I think this may be a blood pearl."
Upvote these 18 unique mythical weapon materials!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
Rain's eyes open wide. "Then I don't think that we want that one! But how do you test a pearl when you don't know what it does, yet?" Rain's curiosity gets the better of him as he snatches up the yellow pearl. (Dexterity check? 18) "Do you just hold it?" He squeezes in his hand. "Or do you need to do something to invoke the magic? Like, would I focus on turning into a bird?" Rain closes his eyes, and tries to imagine what it would be like to turn into a bird and fly through the air, looking down on the garden from above.
Nothing happens
"As we are not the people who made these, it takes much testing. But once you figure it out, it just takes a thought to use it." He pulled out a piece of parchment and looked over it. "I think it involves plant growth?"
Upvote these 18 unique mythical weapon materials!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
Rain opens one eye, looks at his hand, which is definitely not a wing, and then opens the other eye. He smirks and sets down the yellow pearl, saying, "Oh! Well, that is more clear. Thank you master Thorin. I would like the lighter teal one after all. Now that the thief, Olin, is dead, we may have need of it. Is there anything else that you wanted to show us?"
(OOC: is this correct? So far, Thorin has given the party the following items to help with the quest:
Thorin has also offered:
Done with OOC clarifications.)
"Based on today's attack in the castle, the king's enemies are bold! When we were looking at the potions, you mentioned a strength potion. We may need that, too!"
"Any potion that would help us resist poison or -- I don't know -- fire? Would be helpful."
"Do you have any potions that would help us infiltrate the temple? Something that could make us invisible or hard to detect? Or something that lets us step into the spirit world so that we can walk right through the temple walls to investigate?"
"Finally, we know very little about the temple and the current situation in your town. If someone finds an injured animal, they may try to help, but if they are ignorant, they may do more harm than good. Or they may be attacked themselves. We are going to need to investigate more to make sure that we do not make the problem worse. Is there a potion that would help us comprehend the situation better? A truth serum to ensure we get honest answers when we interrogate an enemy? Or a way to understand languages that we do not speak or read? Or maybe a way to understand an intelligent creature without speaking its language?"
"And if you don't have any of that, then we'd certainly be willing to accept additional potions of healing!"
OOC: Ooh, rain getting greedy!
DMing:
Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Playing:
None sadly.
Optimization Guides:
Literally Too Angry to Die - A Guide to Optimizing a Barbarian
(OOC: Heh. Well, just putting the whole "wish list" out there. And with a hefty delay between posts, conversations with a lot of back-and-forth can take a lot of real-world time to resolve. Just trying some techniques to speed things up while remaining in character. I think of it more like posting Rain's half of a conversation. If Thorin replies, you can reassemble a conversation by interleaving the questions from Rain and responses from Thorin.
If we actually get all of that, which I don't expect, it's definitely a lot of magic for 1st level characters. On the other hand, the next step of the adventure is still unclear, and our party dropped from 5 members to 3, losing a full-caster and a half-caster. I assumed that this encounter with the quartermaster was the DM's way to ensure that we have enough magic to proceed with the campaign. The pearls were well-defined: one pearl each. But the offer of potions was more open-ended.
And if Rain offends anyone by asking for too much, it's in line with his 9 charisma! 😜)