OOG Chatter

[helvorn]

That's a crazy amount of snow for that area!

[Enoch]

That is crazy. We had almost 10" where I am, which is a lot for Northern Virginia, but not as out-of-place as Texas or Florida! Still, it's remained below freezing for a long time.

[ateno]

I play Traveller with friends in New Orleans, 2 inches of ice on all streets. They were playing hockey on downtown streets yesterday.

Otherwise here on the ass end of Long Island, we had about a inch or two of snow last week and temps were 11f / -12c last night and the last couple nights.

[Eris]

From 10 am to 9pm it snowed here. I'm no expert, but at times it was coming down so hard you couldn't see through it. The snow was mostly very small flakes...what is called powder, I believe...mixed with large flakes. My biggest worry was the roof. Our buildings down here have roofs with flatter angles and they aren't built for the heavy loads all that snow puts on them. A big coliseum roof collapsed in Mobile (about 60 miles west of us at the same latitude). I haven't heard of anything like that happening here, though, and our roof appears to have come through okay.

Officially, it was measured at 8.9 inches Pensacola (10 miles southwest of us). I used a yardstick in the yard here in Pace. It was right at 11 inches on the flat and close to two feet in drifts up around the fence and trees.

I used a rake like a snow shovel yesterday (worked surprisingly well) to make a path to the mailbox from the carport...no mail of course...but I wanted it to start drying along a path so I wouldn't be stuck with ice when it started thawing and freezing. This morning that path was still clear and dry, everything else was still covered.

This morning, Thursday, the roof was still covered. The ground is still 2 or 3 inches deep as a blanket with deeper drifts with only the asphalt road clear. I used the rake again to make a path from the front door to the cars, then used a push broom to push the snow off the tops and windshields. This afternoon, the backyard is still almost completely covered as it is more shady. The front yard is beginning to show patches of clear ground, but is still over 50% covered. There is more traffic on the road out front and some of the stores are started to reopen.

We'll go below freezing again tonight about 7pm and what snow that isn't gone is going to refreeze and any wet surfaces are going to get icy. My sister, who has been off all week so far, has been called back in to work for Friday. She's going to have to leave about 5:30 when it's still below freezing and drive across the causeway, several bridges, and through traffic. I'm worried about her drive.

Tomorrow afternoon, once it's had another half day of thawing and drying out, I might need to go to the bank and the grocery store. I won't if it's still icy, but that's a problem for tomorrow.

The forecast low tonight is 24, the high for tomorrow is 50 with a low of 25, and it gets warmer from there through the end of the month with highs in the mid to upper 60's and lows in the low to mid 40's. That's the forecast out of Mobile's Weather Station, but it tends to run a couple of degrees warmer here all year long for whatever reason. We might hit 70 sometime next week. <me shaking head> The average here for this time of year is mid-50's highs to mid-40's lows, in Feb it goes up to 60's to low 50's.

[Tiglath]

Being a Brit I am genetically incapable of not joining a conversation about the weather!

That which you have just had is now making its way over here. Tomorrow morning (at least it's in daylight) Storm Eowyn hits the top half of Ireland and then veers across Scotland carrying a (generational event) Red warning (isolated 100mph gusts). I'm fortunately on the north east English coast and therefore only on the edge of the fun and games. Hopefully we'll be clear of it by Saturday.

[Eris]

Being a Brit I am genetically incapable of not joining a conversation about the weather!

That which you have just had is now making its way over here. Tomorrow morning (at least it's in daylight) Storm Eowyn hits the top half of Ireland and then veers across Scotland carrying a (generational event) Red warning (isolated 100mph gusts). I'm fortunately on the north east English coast and therefore only on the edge of the fun and games. Hopefully we'll be clear of it by Saturday.

We get the hurricanes during from Spring to Autumn, but Winter is generally free from events like this one. We expect hurricanes and tropical storms, we don't expect blizzards.

They do happen though. We had an "ice storm" back in '14 (no snow, but a LOT of ice) that persisted for a week of all day below freezing weather, but never actually went below 10 F for a low. I had a slip and fall in that one trying to get to the grocery store after five says shut in. There was a inch, or so, of snow that stuck to the ground for a day or two in mid 90's, the mid 70's, and two in the 50's (I don't remember the one in '53, but there are photos of me playing in it.) Sometime in the early 60's we had a pipe burst-er of a cold snap (but no snow, just freezing rain and sleet) that dropped day time highs into the single digits F with lows hovering around 0 F, but it that one was 2 really cold days and then back up to the 50's. I'm sure there were other events, but those are all that stand out enough for me to remember.

Good luck with Eowyn.

[Enoch]

From 10 am to 9pm it snowed here. I'm no expert, but at times it was coming down so hard you couldn't see through it. The snow was mostly very small flakes...what is called powder, I believe...mixed with large flakes. My biggest worry was the roof. Our buildings down here have roofs with flatter angles and they aren't built for the heavy loads all that snow puts on them. A big coliseum roof collapsed in Mobile (about 60 miles west of us at the same latitude). I haven't heard of anything like that happening here, though, and our roof appears to have come through okay.

Officially, it was measured at 8.9 inches Pensacola (10 miles southwest of us). I used a yardstick in the yard here in Pace. It was right at 11 inches on the flat and close to two feet in drifts up around the fence and trees.

I used a rake like a snow shovel yesterday (worked surprisingly well) to make a path to the mailbox from the carport...no mail of course...but I wanted it to start drying along a path so I wouldn't be stuck with ice when it started thawing and freezing. This morning that path was still clear and dry, everything else was still covered.

This morning, Thursday, the roof was still covered. The ground is still 2 or 3 inches deep as a blanket with deeper drifts with only the asphalt road clear. I used the rake again to make a path from the front door to the cars, then used a push broom to push the snow off the tops and windshields. This afternoon, the backyard is still almost completely covered as it is more shady. The front yard is beginning to show patches of clear ground, but is still over 50% covered. There is more traffic on the road out front and some of the stores are started to reopen.

We'll go below freezing again tonight about 7pm and what snow that isn't gone is going to refreeze and any wet surfaces are going to get icy. My sister, who has been off all week so far, has been called back in to work for Friday. She's going to have to leave about 5:30 when it's still below freezing and drive across the causeway, several bridges, and through traffic. I'm worried about her drive.

Tomorrow afternoon, once it's had another half day of thawing and drying out, I might need to go to the bank and the grocery store. I won't if it's still icy, but that's a problem for tomorrow.

The forecast low tonight is 24, the high for tomorrow is 50 with a low of 25, and it gets warmer from there through the end of the month with highs in the mid to upper 60's and lows in the low to mid 40's. That's the forecast out of Mobile's Weather Station, but it tends to run a couple of degrees warmer here all year long for whatever reason. We might hit 70 sometime next week. <me shaking head> The average here for this time of year is mid-50's highs to mid-40's lows, in Feb it goes up to 60's to low 50's.

Making that path is really a smart idea, even if you can't get everything up. The sun will often melt whatever's left and when the water's run off it'll be clear. If there's still snow on the roof and you're worried about it, though, you might want to get up there and get at least some of it off--it's not unheard-of for roofs to collapse some time after a snowfall from the strain of the weight.

[Tiglath]

Good luck with Eowyn.

Thanks for your kind thoughts.

I can report that "she" came and went and I suffered little more than the inconvenience of standing plant pots, chairs, etc back up in the garden.

[helvorn]

It sounds like we are going to have to lay out some serious coin to make a curative potion!

[Eris]

It sounds like we are going to have to lay out some serious coin to make a curative potion!

Keep in mind that's what it costs to make the remedies from components you buy. If you go out and find the herbs, roots, flowers, saps and such it's just the time and skill you'll be investing. That's what Timu (JR) did earlier in that side's adventure. He needs to sit down and do the brewing and such to turn his raw ingredients into salves and potions, though.

[Marullus]

The herbalism ability also is meant to give in-adventure abilities to the Ranger class - they can make a healing Potion on the fly with a roll (and it assumes they have ingredients - it is just the color on a class ability and a failed roll says when you are out for the day).

This house rule to allow creation of stable healing potions for anyone with an herbalism skill (by class or background) are generous for Shadowdark. They mirrror the 5e rules which cost 50gp for a single Potion, or 25gp in materials and 1 day of labor to make it yourself.

He is allowing purchase of the Curative Potion for 32gp instead of 50gp so you can keep a Potion of Healing on you. He is allowing the other potions from the Ranger class ability for less than that.

[Eris]

The herbalism ability also is meant to give in-adventure abilities to the Ranger class - they can make a healing Potion on the fly with a roll (and it assumes they have ingredients - it is just the color on a class ability and a failed roll says when you are out for the day).

This house rule to allow creation of stable healing potions for anyone with an herbalism skill (by class or background) are generous for Shadowdark. They mirrror the 5e rules which cost 50gp for a single Potion, or 25gp in materials and 1 day of labor to make it yourself.

He is allowing purchase of the Curative Potion for 32gp instead of 50gp so you can keep a Potion of Healing on you. He is allowing the other potions from the Ranger class ability for less than that.

Well, almost. The prices given are the cost to produce it yourself. If you buy the potion/remedy it's going to be that price + overhead, labor and profit. Expect the price in a shop to be, at least, Keystone the cost of production.

[Eris]

There are several of you with Acolyte Backgrounds, I think. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. You know the basic rituals and doctrines of your god's worship.
    
2. You know the rudiments of Healing Touch (Wis Check at Disadvantage against DC11 to heal any one creature at Close for 1d4 HP).
    
3. You might be able to cast Turn Undead. You'd need a plausibly good story to convince me your PC is still devote enough to try it (Vesper I'm looking at you ), and something like this: have a holy symbol, make a 4+ on a d6 (maybe their god listens and maybe they don't), and make a Wis Check at Disadvantage against DC11 to pull it off. Not easy for sure!

[ateno]

Question, how often can we cast Healing Touch, once a day, once per person?

[Rex]

Does someone with the Acolyte background get a holy symbol to start with or do we have to save up and buy one?

[Marullus]

Question, how often can we cast Healing Touch, once a day, once per person?

The answer in Shadowdark is usually "until you fail, then wait for a long rest."

[Tiglath]

There are several of you with Acolyte Backgrounds, I think. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

1. You know the basic rituals and doctrines of your god's worship.
    
2. You know the rudiments of Healing Touch (Wis Check at Disadvantage against DC11 to heal any one creature at Close for 1d4 HP).
    
3. You might be able to cast Turn Undead. You'd need a plausibly good story to convince me your PC is still devote enough to try it (Vesper I'm looking at you ), and something like this: have a holy symbol, make a 4+ on a d6 (maybe their god listens and maybe they don't), and make a Wis Check at Disadvantage against DC11 to pull it off. Not easy for sure!

My emphasis above and and, since it's her, probably a as well...

Yup, rest assured I'm not even going anywhere near attempting that Turning business!

She could do a top shelf job as Vampire bait but that's completely not the same argument!

She's not even the right alignment for Ord! She joined because really straight/uptight priests just notice hawt acolytes... and let them in and/or are subject to "induced negligence" regarding access to the "naughty/banned" section of the library...

So she prays to the "Shadows" and does her "hedgerow" basic healing magic through that but I suggest that in reality on a basic level she's likely tapping into Shune the Vile.

In other news / since we just found paired swords I'll paraphrase a discussion on dual wielding with the author holding firm on one attack per PC per round. So Advantage on attacks = far too powerful (maybe magic paired blades do this???) Better solution is +1 To Hit (only Flexible(?) weapons can qualify) and the PC is giving up the AC advantage of a shield.

FWIW seems balanced to me.

[Rex]

For dual wielding, I think a +1 to attack or damage (but not both) is the best solution. If 2 attacks are allowed, you should really be allowing a second attack with the shield as well but few do that.

[Tiglath]

For dual wielding, I think a +1 to attack or damage (but not both) is the best solution. If 2 attacks are allowed, you should really be allowing a second attack with the shield as well but few do that.

Sounds about right...

...and welcome aboard looking forward to gaming with you!

[archolewa]

Hullo everyone. I'm one of the new players who answered Eris' recent recruitment thread. Based on what I've read so far, I love how Shadowdark seems to handle classes and races. Hopefully it'll be as fun in practice as it looks in theory!

Edit: Should I be posting an in progress character in Character Creation or Re: Character Creation?