Expedition: Fingers/Ghostly Trial - Part II - 23 July 2021

[onlyme]

Ithink we've been snaking the 2nd round, so fingers goes last that time.
Markd would like a map, though there is also the place the ghost asked us to go. maybe 1 goes there while the others go to maps.

[Zhym]

I don't like the snaking arrangement as much. If people insist on that, I may move Fingers's position. Or go back to trying to create loot shares based on what people actually want, as we did last time.

[Alethan]

i think snaking is the fairest way to distribute without putting anyone at a priority level higher than anyone else.

[Zhym]

Well, I don't like it so much because there isn't anything in the loot pile that looks awesome enough to counterbalance getting whatever everyone else doesn't want. Nothing in that list is obviously super-useful to a thief who tries to stay out of melee, unless it's to try to sell in his shop. Plus, a non-snake draft lets us semi-legitimately let the NPC pick last each round.

I think we had this debate in our fantasy football league one year. IIRC, what we came up with was letting teams pick their draft spots in a round-robin order, with the last place team picking first, etc. So, for example, if the team with the #2 pick in an 8-team league thinks that picking 2, 14, 18, 30, 34, etc. kind of sucks, he could choose to pick 4th, which spaces his picks more easily, or last, which gives him the same back-to-back pick benefit that the #1 spot has.

But I also think this loot batch isn't impossible to split somewhat evenly just by everyone saying what they're interested in, just like last time. The unidentified items are wild cards, but probably not insurmountable ones. A draft encourages game-theoretic strategy and competition in a group that had been cooperative. If loot can be divided by people saying "I'm interested in X, is anyone else?", why not try that?

Cards on the table. I'll start (even if it screws me if we end up drafting). Fingers thinks the big-ass sword would be fun, and would be killer for back stabbing (literally), but like I said, he tries to stay out of melee (and the +1 morale bonus from his current sword is kind of handy to keep Sprinkles from freaking). One or either of the rings might eventually prove useful. Anything else is probably going to be shop fodder.

Edit: Cooperative, not competitive.

[Alethan]

We can try this route if you want. Bandy can't use the 2H sword. I'm pretty sure Markd wants to stick with his precious golden dagger.

Bandy is interested in...
2. Platinum brooch-clasp with a deep blue faceted stone (created item)
4. Oil of Etherealness, Dust of Appearance (10 tubes), Scroll: Ward vs. Lycanthropes

(I'll go for something known and something unknown...)

[onlyme]

The big ass sword being the 2 hander? Markd has no use for that until the staff runs out of juice for those rate occurrence his precious dagger doesnt work.

Markd wants the book (and it was mentioned, only useful to fighters) Must be a signed original copy of Art of War... It would sit nicely in his library he will eventually build.
Also would like the long sword, and/or one of the jewelry pieces. I listed my preferences, as I assume the NPCs and Heigst or NPC may want one of the choices listed 2nd.

3) Slender wand of polished onyx wood (created item)
3) Platinum brooch-clasp with a deep blue faceted stone (created item)
3)Golden ring covered with magical symbols (created item)
3) Oil of Etherealness, Dust of Appearance (10 tubes), Scroll: Ward vs. Lycanthropes
1) "Trials to Knighthood: The Journey of Collen Clelland"
6) Slender-bladed dagger with a ruby pommel-stone (imbued, 4,001xp) (+1)
2) Steel longsword with Clelland-crest pommel (imbued, 32001xp) (+2)
4) Horseman's roundshield with a Clelland crest (imbued, 16001xp) (+2)
5)Massive blue-steeled two-handed sword with a flamberge blade (imbued, 64001xp) (+3)
2) Golden ring set with green malachite stones (imbued, 16001xp)

[Marullus]

Allmond has no clear desires... if he picked, he'd take an available ring/brooch as an item usable by him. Otherwise, he'd pick any imbued item as he can donate it to the church to preserve the honor of the Clelland family legacy as followers of Baudh.

There's no magic users in the group, but (since you're having the shopkeep do your magic detection) she would be interested in having the wand from Fingers' share.

[Zhym]

Looks like we might actually be able to split things this way. If Fingers's shopkeeper would like the wand and no one really wants the Big Damn Sword, Fingers would take the wand and the sword. That gives us the following split so far:

Item list (with names of who has expressed interest):
1. Slender wand of polished onyx wood (created item) — Fingers
2. Platinum brooch-clasp with a deep blue faceted stone (created item) —Bandy, Allmond
3. Golden ring covered with magical symbols (created item) — Allmond
4. Oil of Etherealness, Dust of Appearance (10 tubes), Scroll: Ward vs. Lycanthropes — Bandy
5. "Trials to Knighthood: The Journey of Collen Clelland" — Markd
6. Slender-bladed dagger with a ruby pommel-stone (imbued, 4,001xp) (+1)
7. Steel longsword with Clelland-crest pommel (imbued, 32001xp) (+2) — Markd
8. Horseman's roundshield with a Clelland crest (imbued, 16001xp) (+2)
9. Massive blue-steeled two-handed sword with a flamberge blade (imbued, 64001xp) (+3) — Fingers
10. Golden ring set with green malachite stones (imbued, 16001xp) — Markd, Allmond

Bandy - 2, 4
Markd - 5, (7 or 10)
Hengist - ??
Fingers - 9, 1
Allmond - 2, 3, or 10

I wonder if Hengist could use the shield.

[Alethan]

That works for me.

[Marullus]

DaveTheLost can answer for that himself, but in the last divvy Hengist got the other shield, which is also base +2.

(Though, as Allmond plans to, this shield could be donated to the church in memoriam and the donator gets 2,000xp as a 4th tier imbued item.)

[Zhym]

I noticed that after posting. The shield he has now is an 8,001 XP item, so this one might be a little better. But we can wait on DaveTheLost, obviously.

Allmond already has a shield that's +2 or better? Or does he use two-handed weapons?

[Marullus]

Allmond is dedicated to his two-handed staff. He'd donate the shield.

[DavetheLost]

Hengist is happy with the shield he has. If the new one is better he would take it and donate the other. The daggers and swords are of no use, being a cleric, so they would probably be donated.

The proposal looks good to me.

[Zhym]

Based on that feedback, here's an updated proposed split:

1. Slender wand of polished onyx wood (created item) — Fingers
2. Platinum brooch-clasp with a deep blue faceted stone (created item) — Bandy
3. Golden ring covered with magical symbols (created item) — Hengist
4. Oil of Etherealness, Dust of Appearance (10 tubes), Scroll: Ward vs. Lycanthropes — Bandy
5. "Trials to Knighthood: The Journey of Collen Clelland" — Markd
6. Slender-bladed dagger with a ruby pommel-stone (imbued, 4,001xp) (+1) — Allmond
7. Steel longsword with Clelland-crest pommel (imbued, 32001xp) (+2) — Markd
8. Horseman's roundshield with a Clelland crest (imbued, 16001xp) (+2) — Hengist
9. Massive blue-steeled two-handed sword with a flamberge blade (imbued, 64001xp) (+3) — Fingers
10. Golden ring set with green malachite stones (imbued, 16001xp) — Allmond

Since no one other than Allmond and Fingers expressed a preference on gold vs. gems, I assigned the rest arbitrarily:

1. Clear yellow diamond the size of an acorn (1,000 gp), 300 gp. Total: 1300 gp — Bandy
2. Clear round-cut diamond (500 gp), round, faceted ruby (250 gp), 550 gp. Total: 1300 gp — Hengist
3. Clear cushion-cut diamond (500 gp), 3 polished onyx roundels (25 gp @), tear-drop shaped sapphire (50 gp), long quartz crystal (10 gp), 665 gp. Total: 1300 gp — Markd
4. 1265 gp, 350 sp. Total: 1300 gp. — Fingers
5. 1300 gp — Allmond

(I keep forgetting: can we convert sp to gp without a fee?)

Oh, and the scrolls still go on consignment for a combined price of 4,200 gp, the money to be split when sold.

Summary:
Bandy - 2, 4, A
Markd - 5, 7, C
Hengist - 3, 8, B
Fingers - 1, 9, D
Allmond - 6, 10, E

What's everyone think?

[onlyme]

Works for me.

[Alethan]

I'm good with this.

[Zhym]

I forgot the maps. Does anyone (other than Allmond, I assume) not want a treasure map?

[Zhym]

Alternately, if all the maps are relatively near each other, our next expedition could be to go dig up the treasure in the maps.

[DavetheLost]

Works for me. I'm not ready to lead an expedition yet, but I suppose the maps don't have an expiration date.

[Alethan]

We should examine the maps and maybe decide as a group if we want to pursue any of them.

If we can keep the staff active in the group, we could tackle gargoyles...

Or split up and do our own things is always an option. But then we need to figure out what to do with the maps.

So maybe a treasure expedition is in order. Who cares if there's daemon spawn running a muck...