Morley will happily pay 25gp for both vials of liquid. As for the two Uncommon items, they would cost 400gp each, but Morley would likely only be able to source 1 of them. So you'll have to choose. And of course Xanrym will be able to subtract some of the living expenses he owes by working as a bard in the city. Once we reach a consensus on the plans for your base in Greyhawk, I will present you all with some adventure options.
(OOC: If anyone gave Syllen 25 gold for supplies he would have crafted a level 1 spell scroll or healing potion for that person. As a reminder Syllen gave things he crafted to everyone with the supplies he got himself. I will list them below.
Xanrym: after his suggestion Syllen decided to make a level 1 spell scroll (Faerie Fire) with his supplies and give it to Xanrym
)
(OOC: @JehanO - Thanks! I've added the Faerie Fire scroll to Xanrym's inventory.
I'm coming back to this post now since it looks like we're about to wrap up The Company's downtime activities and get started on a new adventure. Since we know that we were in the City of Greyhawk for about 90 days, have you mapped out Syllen's availability for crafting? Or are we basically going to run out of money / supplies before Syllen runs out of time?)
Xanrym would...pay Syllen to create a spell scroll of Darkvision during their downtime. Xanrym cannot cast the spell himself, but he's happy to pay for the scroll so that Syllen always has that spell available in case Xanrym needs Darkvision for scouting in darkness.
@JehanO - Xanrym would offer Syllen 125 gp for the spell scroll. It looks like a level-2 spell scroll would cost 100 gp in materials, so Syllen would make an extra 25 gp for his time. Let me know if that's fine, and I'll deduct that amount from Xanrym's sheet. You can add the 25 gp and the spell scroll to Syllen's sheet.
Xanrym doesn't want to abuse Syllen's offer to craft scrolls and potions for The Company. It would cost him 200 gp to buy this spell scroll from Morely, so 125 gp seems like a bargain. In any case, he feels better about compensating Syllen for his time and effort.
Xanrym is impressed by Syllen's discipline around his crafting. It hardly seems fair that the gods blessed Elves with both longevity and the ability to rest without spending 1/3 of their lives asleep. Of course, Xanrym admits to himself that if he had those blessings, he would just use the time to read more stories!
As for the two Uncommon items, they would cost 400gp each, but Morley would likely only be able to source 1 of them. So you'll have to choose
After seeing the Kraken, Xanrym is still having nightmares about long tentacles dragging him down, down into the dark depths of Nyr Dyv. As he starts to drown in the dream, he always wakes up with a start, gasping. What an awful way to die! Xanrym realizes that he won't always be able to maintain his attunement with his crocodile mask, but that was the only thing that made him brave enough to jump in the little rowboat back to the Soul of Winter.
Since Xanrym can only get one of the items he wanted from Morley, he would like to pay Syllen to brew him a Potion of Water Breathing or to create a spell scroll of Water Breathing. (That's another spell that Xanrym cannot cast himself, but paying for the scroll gives him a way to ensure that Syllen or Theldrin will always be able to save him and the rest of the party from death by drowning.)
Finally, if there's time, Xanrym proposes that everyone contributes 75 gp for the material component and the supplies for Syllen to scribe a spell scroll of Revivify. The Company did well against Krell and the other servants of Lolth, but he has first hand experience watching a comrade (Toska) die in battle. One spell or a powerful opponent like the Sahuagin Baron could put one of his friends beyond the help of his simple Healing Word. He'd like to ensure that they have a way to bring back a fallen member of The Company without having to carry their body back to a temple to pay for a cleric to Raise Dead.
Summary in the spoiler:
Assuming that Syllen has the time:
Spell scroll of Darkvision - Xanrym pays Syllen 125 gp for this scroll, to be used on Xanrym when he asks for it. 100 gp materials + 25 gp for Syllen.
Potion of Water Breathing - Xanrym pays Syllen 125 gp for this potion. 100 gp materials + 25 gp for Syllen. Or, if Syllen wants to have a spell scroll of Water Breathing for himself, Xanrym will instead pay just those material costs (150 gp) as long as Syllen promises to use the scroll if Xanrym is ever being pulled into the sea without the benefit of his crocodile mask! @JehanO - let me know which one of those Syllen creates.
Spell scroll of Revivify - If everyone agrees, we'll each pay 75 gp (i.e., 450 gp total = 150 gp for a 3rd level spell scroll + 300 gp material component) to have Syllen scribe this scroll. That way, we have a way to bring back someone who dies (as long as it isn't Syllen!), but Syllen can use his prepared spells on other spells, like Aura of Vitality or Call Lightning.
Morley will happily pay 25gp for both vials of liquid.
"Deal!", Xanrym says, handing over the vials of acid. "As always, let me know if there are any exotic ingredients you or your customers are especially looking for. If the price is high enough, that could motivate me and The Company of the Grey Chain to take on a quest to fetch it for you!"
As for the two Uncommon items, they would cost 400gp each, but Morley would likely only be able to source 1 of them. So you'll have to choose.
The drum is like a +1 sword for a fighter, a little boring but just a solid, consistent mechanical boost. With spells like Hypnotic Pattern and Enemies Abound, Xanrym will be relying more and more on his Spell Save DC, so boosting the spell save DC should make many of his spells more effective. The drum leaves him with 4 magic items that require attunement for now, but he'll just have to juggle and prioritize AC vs. survival in the water.)
And of course Xanrym will be able to subtract some of the living expenses he owes by working as a bard in the city.
(OOC: I don't see any standard guidance about how much a bard would earn per day of performing. How much would he earn in 36 evenings of performing (12 weeks x 3 days / week)?)
(OOC: If anyone gave Syllen 25 gold for supplies he would have crafted a level 1 spell scroll or healing potion for that person. As a reminder Syllen gave things he crafted to everyone with the supplies he got himself. I will list them below.
Xanrym: after his suggestion Syllen decided to make a level 1 spell scroll (Faerie Fire) with his supplies and give it to Xanrym
)
(OOC: @JehanO - Thanks! I've added the Faerie Fire scroll to Xanrym's inventory.
I'm coming back to this post now since it looks like we're about to wrap up The Company's downtime activities and get started on a new adventure. Since we know that we were in the City of Greyhawk for about 90 days, have you mapped out Syllen's availability for crafting? Or are we basically going to run out of money / supplies before Syllen runs out of time?)
Xanrym would...pay Syllen to create a spell scroll of Darkvision during their downtime. Xanrym cannot cast the spell himself, but he's happy to pay for the scroll so that Syllen always has that spell available in case Xanrym needs Darkvision for scouting in darkness.
@JehanO - Xanrym would offer Syllen 125 gp for the spell scroll. It looks like a level-2 spell scroll would cost 100 gp in materials, so Syllen would make an extra 25 gp for his time. Let me know if that's fine, and I'll deduct that amount from Xanrym's sheet. You can add the 25 gp and the spell scroll to Syllen's sheet.
Xanrym doesn't want to abuse Syllen's offer to craft scrolls and potions for The Company. It would cost him 200 gp to buy this spell scroll from Morely, so 125 gp seems like a bargain. In any case, he feels better about compensating Syllen for his time and effort.
Xanrym is impressed by Syllen's discipline around his crafting. It hardly seems fair that the gods blessed Elves with both longevity and the ability to rest without spending 1/3 of their lives asleep. Of course, Xanrym admits to himself that if he had those blessings, he would just use the time to read more stories!
As for the two Uncommon items, they would cost 400gp each, but Morley would likely only be able to source 1 of them. So you'll have to choose
After seeing the Kraken, Xanrym is still having nightmares about long tentacles dragging him down, down into the dark depths of Nyr Dyv. As he starts to drown in the dream, he always wakes up with a start, gasping. What an awful way to die! Xanrym realizes that he won't always be able to maintain his attunement with his crocodile mask, but that was the only thing that made him brave enough to jump in the little rowboat back to the Soul of Winter.
Since Xanrym can only get one of the items he wanted from Morley, he would like to pay Syllen to brew him a Potion of Water Breathing or to create a spell scroll of Water Breathing. (That's another spell that Xanrym cannot cast himself, but paying for the scroll gives him a way to ensure that Syllen or Theldrin will always be able to save him and the rest of the party from death by drowning.)
Finally, if there's time, Xanrym proposes that everyone contributes 75 gp for the material component and the supplies for Syllen to scribe a spell scroll of Revivify. The Company did well against Krell and the other servants of Lolth, but he has first hand experience watching a comrade (Toska) die in battle. One spell or a powerful opponent like the Sahuagin Baron could put one of his friends beyond the help of his simple Healing Word. He'd like to ensure that they have a way to bring back a fallen member of The Company without having to carry their body back to a temple to pay for a cleric to Raise Dead.
Summary in the spoiler:
Assuming that Syllen has the time:
Spell scroll of Darkvision - Xanrym pays Syllen 125 gp for this scroll, to be used on Xanrym when he asks for it. 100 gp materials + 25 gp for Syllen.
Potion of Water Breathing - Xanrym pays Syllen 125 gp for this potion. 100 gp materials + 25 gp for Syllen. Or, if Syllen wants to have a spell scroll of Water Breathing for himself, Xanrym will instead pay just those material costs (150 gp) as long as Syllen promises to use the scroll if Xanrym is ever being pulled into the sea without the benefit of his crocodile mask! @JehanO - let me know which one of those Syllen creates.
Spell scroll of Revivify - If everyone agrees, we'll each pay 75 gp (i.e., 450 gp total = 150 gp for a 3rd level spell scroll + 300 gp material component) to have Syllen scribe this scroll. That way, we have a way to bring back someone who dies (as long as it isn't Syllen!), but Syllen can use his prepared spells on other spells, like Aura of Vitality or Call Lightning.
For Syllen crafting scrolls is nostalgic because he was trained as wizards until he was in his 80’s. He liked the more academic aspects of training under wizards but was never interested in applied magic. Syllen's magic comes through friendship with nature, not pure understanding of its mechanics so he never succeeded in applied magic. The main thing is that Xanrym never gets the impression that he is abusing Syllen's offer by asking him to make spell scrolls. Everyone only sees a sense of enjoyment in Syllen's eyes when he is making spell scrolls.
As for making level 3 spell scrolls, Syllen wants to have a spell scroll of Aura of Vitality but also agrees that having a spell scroll of Revivify should be a priority. After he is done with both spell scrolls he is happy to work on a spell scroll of Water Breathing. (OOC: The question is did we get to level 5 at the start of the downtime or end. If it was at the end of the downtime this is going to take 5 days or 40 hours of work each. So the scrolls will not be finished for a while.)
(OOC: Assuming that the DM is consistent with the earlier part of the campaign, we probably advanced to level 5 during the first Long Rest after we delivered the chest to Aubrek. I think that you can assume that we spent all or most of the 3 months of downtime as level 5 characters. I'm assuming that the characters spend part of any downtime, including the travel days aboard the Soul of Winter, studying, training with the other members of The Company, and learning from NPCs.)
Theldrin will also contribute 75 gp towards the Revivify scroll. Did Syllen make a Dispel Magic scroll and if so, would Xanrym or anyone else be willing to help pay for it?
The main thing is that Xanrym never gets the impression that he is abusing Syllen's offer by asking him to make spell scrolls. Everyone only sees a sense of enjoyment in Syllen's eyes when he is making spell scrolls.
Xanrym would still offer to compensate Syllen beyond the mere cost of the scroll. If Syllen refuses the extra coin, Xanrym certainly won't make it a point of argument. If Syllen makes it clear that he only wants the funds for the mere material costs of the scrolls, Xanrym--ever eloquent and diplomatic--expresses polite surprise. Then he smoothly transitions to gratitude and some tactful compliments to avoid any awkwardness.
(OOC: @JehanO - Syllen only accepts payment up to the cost of the material components for spell scrolls that he scribes at the behest of the other members of The Company. And Syllen prefers to create a spell scroll for Water Breathing rather than a simple Potion of Water Breathing. Is that all correct? I'm just trying to work out what Xanrym actually spent during this downtime.)
(OOC: Honestly I just don't know the rules for crafting potions. If it is easier/cheeper to craft a potion of water breathing then Syllen would offer to do either. Also until Syllen has more supplies than he needs to make potions and scrolls constantly he will accept any extra gold with the understanding that it will be reinvested to help the group. Right now Syllen would be focused on getting a weapon of warning with the gold they just got to help the group with preparedness.)
(OOC: @JehanO - Ha. OK. I sent you a PM with a brief summary about potion crafting.
Xanrym is fine either way. Xanrym could carry the potion and decide when to use it himself, but it would only benefit him. The spell scroll is more expensive, but Syllen could affect the entire party + 4 people when he decides to cast the spell. The spell scroll is more expensive--150 gp instead of 100 gp. If Syllen wants to make the scroll, Xanrym is willing to cover the costs because he sees the value in the additional benfits....just so long as Syllen doesn't let him drown!)
Avery is a warrior, mostly content with healing potions, magical weapons or armor. He will wait for the party to get their magical needs, as he also knows magic is a great enabler and support when dealing with their foes.
(OOC: @Aaggie - Lots of messages about spell scrolls and bastions in the last few weeks. Here's a quick summary of the relevant bits for Avery related to that job for Aubrek in case you missed anything.
When we first got back, we each got 312 gp from the treasure that we looted from the Emperor of the Waves.
Later, we each got 825 gp. That's what was leftover after we spent the money to purchase the manor house as a bastion and paid for the Revivify scroll. (If the link didn't work, it's message #848 in our OOC private message thread).
One thing she will do, after talking with the original members, is find out the person who has been providing them with magic items. She is looking to eventually acquire a breastplate enchanted to allow unimpeded swimming. Mariner's armor would work I suppose.
(OOC: While Mariner's Armor is very thematic for Coriana, the primary benefit is that it provides a swim speed, which she already has. The only benefit she'd get is the once per day auto-healing: "if you start your turn underwater with 0 Hit Points, you immediately regain 1d4 Hit Points."
I was reading up on mechanics around combat in water. I was actually thinking that characters in heavy armor would sink like a stone in water, but apparently that's not true. RAW, in both 5e and the 2024 rules, armor does not impose any additional difficulties when you're in water or swimming. Swimming just says that you pay 1 or 2 feet of extra movement when swimming, but if you have a swim speed, that rule doesn't apply. RAW, there doesn't seem to be any additional penalty for wearing medium or heavy armor in water. Having a swim speed also means that Coriana does not suffer the regular penalties for Underwater Combat.)
Morley will happily pay 25gp for both vials of liquid. As for the two Uncommon items, they would cost 400gp each, but Morley would likely only be able to source 1 of them. So you'll have to choose. And of course Xanrym will be able to subtract some of the living expenses he owes by working as a bard in the city. Once we reach a consensus on the plans for your base in Greyhawk, I will present you all with some adventure options.
(OOC: @JehanO - Thanks! I've added the Faerie Fire scroll to Xanrym's inventory.
I'm coming back to this post now since it looks like we're about to wrap up The Company's downtime activities and get started on a new adventure. Since we know that we were in the City of Greyhawk for about 90 days, have you mapped out Syllen's availability for crafting? Or are we basically going to run out of money / supplies before Syllen runs out of time?)
Xanrym doesn't want to abuse Syllen's offer to craft scrolls and potions for The Company. It would cost him 200 gp to buy this spell scroll from Morely, so 125 gp seems like a bargain. In any case, he feels better about compensating Syllen for his time and effort.
Xanrym is impressed by Syllen's discipline around his crafting. It hardly seems fair that the gods blessed Elves with both longevity and the ability to rest without spending 1/3 of their lives asleep. Of course, Xanrym admits to himself that if he had those blessings, he would just use the time to read more stories!
After seeing the Kraken, Xanrym is still having nightmares about long tentacles dragging him down, down into the dark depths of Nyr Dyv. As he starts to drown in the dream, he always wakes up with a start, gasping. What an awful way to die! Xanrym realizes that he won't always be able to maintain his attunement with his crocodile mask, but that was the only thing that made him brave enough to jump in the little rowboat back to the Soul of Winter.
Since Xanrym can only get one of the items he wanted from Morley, he would like to pay Syllen to brew him a Potion of Water Breathing or to create a spell scroll of Water Breathing. (That's another spell that Xanrym cannot cast himself, but paying for the scroll gives him a way to ensure that Syllen or Theldrin will always be able to save him and the rest of the party from death by drowning.)
Finally, if there's time, Xanrym proposes that everyone contributes 75 gp for the material component and the supplies for Syllen to scribe a spell scroll of Revivify. The Company did well against Krell and the other servants of Lolth, but he has first hand experience watching a comrade (Toska) die in battle. One spell or a powerful opponent like the Sahuagin Baron could put one of his friends beyond the help of his simple Healing Word. He'd like to ensure that they have a way to bring back a fallen member of The Company without having to carry their body back to a temple to pay for a cleric to Raise Dead.
Summary in the spoiler:
Assuming that Syllen has the time:
Or, if Syllen wants to have a spell scroll of Water Breathing for himself, Xanrym will instead pay just those material costs (150 gp) as long as Syllen promises to use the scroll if Xanrym is ever being pulled into the sea without the benefit of his crocodile mask!
@JehanO - let me know which one of those Syllen creates.
Also not sure how we're handling the cost of the Dispel Magic scroll.
"Deal!", Xanrym says, handing over the vials of acid. "As always, let me know if there are any exotic ingredients you or your customers are especially looking for. If the price is high enough, that could motivate me and The Company of the Grey Chain to take on a quest to fetch it for you!"
No question! Xanrym chooses the Rhythm-Maker's Drum, +1.
The drum is like a +1 sword for a fighter, a little boring but just a solid, consistent mechanical boost. With spells like Hypnotic Pattern and Enemies Abound, Xanrym will be relying more and more on his Spell Save DC, so boosting the spell save DC should make many of his spells more effective. The drum leaves him with 4 magic items that require attunement for now, but he'll just have to juggle and prioritize AC vs. survival in the water.)
(OOC: I don't see any standard guidance about how much a bard would earn per day of performing. How much would he earn in 36 evenings of performing (12 weeks x 3 days / week)?)
Coriana will gladly pay out 75 gp for the revivify scroll, just waiting on the final amount of cash after the HQ issue is settled.
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep
For Syllen crafting scrolls is nostalgic because he was trained as wizards until he was in his 80’s. He liked the more academic aspects of training under wizards but was never interested in applied magic. Syllen's magic comes through friendship with nature, not pure understanding of its mechanics so he never succeeded in applied magic. The main thing is that Xanrym never gets the impression that he is abusing Syllen's offer by asking him to make spell scrolls. Everyone only sees a sense of enjoyment in Syllen's eyes when he is making spell scrolls.
As for making level 3 spell scrolls, Syllen wants to have a spell scroll of Aura of Vitality but also agrees that having a spell scroll of Revivify should be a priority. After he is done with both spell scrolls he is happy to work on a spell scroll of Water Breathing. (OOC: The question is did we get to level 5 at the start of the downtime or end. If it was at the end of the downtime this is going to take 5 days or 40 hours of work each. So the scrolls will not be finished for a while.)
(OOC: Assuming that the DM is consistent with the earlier part of the campaign, we probably advanced to level 5 during the first Long Rest after we delivered the chest to Aubrek. I think that you can assume that we spent all or most of the 3 months of downtime as level 5 characters. I'm assuming that the characters spend part of any downtime, including the travel days aboard the Soul of Winter, studying, training with the other members of The Company, and learning from NPCs.)
Theldrin will also contribute 75 gp towards the Revivify scroll. Did Syllen make a Dispel Magic scroll and if so, would Xanrym or anyone else be willing to help pay for it?
(OOC: lol ya that was a spell scroll Syllen was going to make also. Syllen did not have the gold to make that scroll until they got paid.)
(OOC: So what rules are we using for scribing scrolls? Looking here:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/xgte/downtime-revisited#ScribingaSpellScroll
it costs 250 gp for a 2nd level spell and 500 for a 3rd level spell?)
(OOC: the 2024 rules updated the prices. I don't know how to link to the rule but it is in the new phb under crafting equipment, chapter 6.)
(OOC: Here
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/br-2024/equipment#CraftingEquipment)
(OOC: Thanks!)
(OOC: Here's the direct link to the 2024 PHB section on Scribing Spell Scrolls. Equivalently, Scribing Spell Scrolls in the Basic Rules (2024).)
Xanrym would still offer to compensate Syllen beyond the mere cost of the scroll. If Syllen refuses the extra coin, Xanrym certainly won't make it a point of argument. If Syllen makes it clear that he only wants the funds for the mere material costs of the scrolls, Xanrym--ever eloquent and diplomatic--expresses polite surprise. Then he smoothly transitions to gratitude and some tactful compliments to avoid any awkwardness.
(OOC: @JehanO - Syllen only accepts payment up to the cost of the material components for spell scrolls that he scribes at the behest of the other members of The Company. And Syllen prefers to create a spell scroll for Water Breathing rather than a simple Potion of Water Breathing. Is that all correct? I'm just trying to work out what Xanrym actually spent during this downtime.)
(OOC: Honestly I just don't know the rules for crafting potions. If it is easier/cheeper to craft a potion of water breathing then Syllen would offer to do either. Also until Syllen has more supplies than he needs to make potions and scrolls constantly he will accept any extra gold with the understanding that it will be reinvested to help the group. Right now Syllen would be focused on getting a weapon of warning with the gold they just got to help the group with preparedness.)
(OOC: @JehanO - Ha. OK. I sent you a PM with a brief summary about potion crafting.
Xanrym is fine either way. Xanrym could carry the potion and decide when to use it himself, but it would only benefit him. The spell scroll is more expensive, but Syllen could affect the entire party + 4 people when he decides to cast the spell. The spell scroll is more expensive--150 gp instead of 100 gp. If Syllen wants to make the scroll, Xanrym is willing to cover the costs because he sees the value in the additional benfits....just so long as Syllen doesn't let him drown!)
Avery is a warrior, mostly content with healing potions, magical weapons or armor. He will wait for the party to get their magical needs, as he also knows magic is a great enabler and support when dealing with their foes.
(OOC: @Aaggie - Lots of messages about spell scrolls and bastions in the last few weeks. Here's a quick summary of the relevant bits for Avery related to that job for Aubrek in case you missed anything.
That's what was leftover after we spent the money to purchase the manor house as a bastion and paid for the Revivify scroll. (If the link didn't work, it's message #848 in our OOC private message thread).
If you haven't already, you can advance Avery to level 5 and add Avery's share of the treasure to his character sheet.
Maybe Avery will finally have enough gold to afford half plate armor. IIRC, the DM basically said that these options would cost 1150 gp: Adamantine Half Plate, Mithral Half Plate, or Mariner's Half Plate Armor.
)
(OOC: While Mariner's Armor is very thematic for Coriana, the primary benefit is that it provides a swim speed, which she already has. The only benefit she'd get is the once per day auto-healing: "if you start your turn underwater with 0 Hit Points, you immediately regain 1d4 Hit Points."
I was reading up on mechanics around combat in water. I was actually thinking that characters in heavy armor would sink like a stone in water, but apparently that's not true. RAW, in both 5e and the 2024 rules, armor does not impose any additional difficulties when you're in water or swimming. Swimming just says that you pay 1 or 2 feet of extra movement when swimming, but if you have a swim speed, that rule doesn't apply. RAW, there doesn't seem to be any additional penalty for wearing medium or heavy armor in water. Having a swim speed also means that Coriana does not suffer the regular penalties for Underwater Combat.)