Friendship is Dragons
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Page 560 - The Big Score
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Story time! Have you ever had a character have to retire from a game for story reasons? What happened? How did it turn out?
I had a charming swashbuckler who went from petty criminal to responsible hero. In the end he was just too attached to his hometown to leave, but he impressed the local guard so much that he become a captain. Also a half-orc druid who ended up owing a part of his soul and life force to an affable white dragon, for whom he ended up as a consort.
I've occasionally had PCs retire their character when their calling takes them on a different path than the party. I don't think I've had any retirements myself though.
No, wait, there is one! An obscure little super-hero campaign where I played a vampire swordmaster. He was one of those vigilante heroes and joined the party to take down a rival vampire. Once that boss battle was completed, my character split ways because the party wanted to go tackle a corrupt businessman while my character wished to return home to fight another vampire.
So I retired that character and brought in an MI-6 agent to join the party.
No, wait, there is one! An obscure little super-hero campaign where I played a vampire swordmaster. He was one of those vigilante heroes and joined the party to take down a rival vampire. Once that boss battle was completed, my character split ways because the party wanted to go tackle a corrupt businessman while my character wished to return home to fight another vampire.
So I retired that character and brought in an MI-6 agent to join the party.
My pony partner "Tol"eration in a game of mystery, subterfuge, and we were all opposing spies in groups of three?
Yeah, she retired (the agency had to since she had witnessed the death of her teammates and killed the enemy spy that did it like a vengeful psychopath).
The agency (who had communication with the Equestrian universe) said that Toleration should retire to a small peaceful town so she could reflect on the events that happened. The random town generator we had said she took up residence in a town of cults, criminals, and few innocent ponies. So we diced she became the town sheriff and kept the peace of the village, one .45 shredder round at a time.
We might make another game based on Toleration's experience in this town. (I'm going to be a doctor)
Granted, his fate was only known to me and the DM, but I did like it all the same. A nice change of pace to all the horrible ways my
Let's see...
One trick I've managed to pull of once was in an oWoD online campaign, with multiple PCs per player and several Storytellers. I had decided that one of my PCs was simply too out of kilter with the other characters to be able to continue, but was also too powerful to expect to not intervene in big events.
So, I got into a conversation with one of the STs, and informed him that, on a pre-arranged signal, I would fail to soak an outright fatal attack. We warned no one else in the group.
It went perfectly. Demon escapes in Chinatown, my heavy-hitter is brought in to put things right--and in front of all of his allies and his lover, he gets taken out like a chump (though managing to weaken the monster in the process).
I don't think I've ever seen a group of PCs so utterly focused on winning a combat in my life.
One trick I've managed to pull of once was in an oWoD online campaign, with multiple PCs per player and several Storytellers. I had decided that one of my PCs was simply too out of kilter with the other characters to be able to continue, but was also too powerful to expect to not intervene in big events.
So, I got into a conversation with one of the STs, and informed him that, on a pre-arranged signal, I would fail to soak an outright fatal attack. We warned no one else in the group.
It went perfectly. Demon escapes in Chinatown, my heavy-hitter is brought in to put things right--and in front of all of his allies and his lover, he gets taken out like a chump (though managing to weaken the monster in the process).
I don't think I've ever seen a group of PCs so utterly focused on winning a combat in my life.
I had a snow elf who joined a party while they were around her hometown, but after being caught in the elemental plane of water and having to face a dragon, she retired to become a farmer and I brought in someone new.
My most memorable and most played character was my linguist/scholar rogue.
His retirement was out of need, as I had to move from Portland (OR) to LA for my first real job.
The retirement was simple, and I wasn't there for it.
1, Suggest going back and checking the bodies. IIRC a powerful family member was one of the possessed that was defeated by us.
2, Tell the party my farewell message, which was along the lines of "follow the calling of knowledge, somewhere in a far-away land".
Still got that character sheet too. T_T
His retirement was out of need, as I had to move from Portland (OR) to LA for my first real job.
The retirement was simple, and I wasn't there for it.
1, Suggest going back and checking the bodies. IIRC a powerful family member was one of the possessed that was defeated by us.
2, Tell the party my farewell message, which was along the lines of "follow the calling of knowledge, somewhere in a far-away land".
Still got that character sheet too. T_T
Playing a Castles and Crusades game I had a Dwarven Avenger, during the second session we found a golden statue of some demon and I decided that it was now mine, I carved 'MINE' into it with my chisel and at the end of the session retired to melt me some demon gold.
Not sure it counts as "story reasons," but I did have a Wizard who retired when he hit 11th level. With 6th level spells came Wall of Iron, which when combined with Fabricate and good Craft(Armor) and Craft(Weapons) rolls, can turn 50 gp into around 1.8 million gp of items for sale after a week. (150 cubic feet of iron would take around 13-14 Fabricate spells to craft) He retired in a city that could accommodate buying his items, using Teleport spells to get to new markets.
I had a character, a halfling avenger of Din (who was actually an avenger if Farore, but Din was playing a prank and made her think she was an avenger of Din.)
Anywho, this character's primary goal was to defeat Ganon and end his threat to Hyrule. So she winds up with the Master Sword (because the Hero of Time seemingly never showed up) and the party chases Ganon down to the Temple of Golden Prophecy, where the Triforce is being kept in the Holy Realm. Battle ensues, she sticks the Master Sword in his face, his second-in-command who had betrayed him, Wolfheart, makes of with the Triforce to start an unholy army with which to conquer Hyrule, and my character decides to hang back and make sure Ganon doesn't escape again.
Then I replaced her with a Warlock based on Trixie who drew power from the stars, then at the end of the game managed to snag the Triforce in order to take it into herself and then turn into a star to prevent it from being used for good or ill ever again.
I feel like I won that campaign twice.
Anywho, this character's primary goal was to defeat Ganon and end his threat to Hyrule. So she winds up with the Master Sword (because the Hero of Time seemingly never showed up) and the party chases Ganon down to the Temple of Golden Prophecy, where the Triforce is being kept in the Holy Realm. Battle ensues, she sticks the Master Sword in his face, his second-in-command who had betrayed him, Wolfheart, makes of with the Triforce to start an unholy army with which to conquer Hyrule, and my character decides to hang back and make sure Ganon doesn't escape again.
Then I replaced her with a Warlock based on Trixie who drew power from the stars, then at the end of the game managed to snag the Triforce in order to take it into herself and then turn into a star to prevent it from being used for good or ill ever again.
I feel like I won that campaign twice.
Rarity's "I love it" face is kinda creepy out of context
I laughed maniacally through Lesson Zero, but Rarity's unhinged moments are a touch more alarming.
All in all, I wonder what would happen if the thieves guild finds out. Would they help her, knowing this was pretty much her dream? Would they ignore her petty desire, and just do nothing to help or disrupt her? Or (hopefully) will they attempt to block her way from getting to the top, and the team fights back (with Rarity in either shock or awe)?
The player of the chaotic evil character is more interested in the group project that watching the development of another character's solo arc, even if the goals are the same. That's beautiful and perhaps instructive.
Really that can be the case with any player. :)
The tough part of a personal story arc is that other players want some time to be part of the adventure too. So making a personal arc like this where everyone plays and contributes to the arc? It's a great idea!
The tough part of a personal story arc is that other players want some time to be part of the adventure too. So making a personal arc like this where everyone plays and contributes to the arc? It's a great idea!
Yeah, I should've known Rarity's player wouldn't be able to resist when it's framed as "one last job". Of course, given what invoking that particular phrase usually brings about...
Like an Ocean's 11 kind of final job?
Well, until Ocean's 12 and 13 came out...
Well, until Ocean's 12 and 13 came out...
Last time I asked when a 1 was a good thing.
Reverse it.
When has a 20 (pardon my word choice) screw the roller?
Reverse it.
When has a 20 (pardon my word choice) screw the roller?
It was Shadowrun, so we don't use d20s, but one time my mage wanted to take a merc down non-lethally. She used a Stunbolt spell and to ensure that it hit I added Edge dice to the attack pool (meaning more dice to rull for a better result).
I rolled too well. My spell inflicted so much stun damage that it overflowed into lethal damage and then PAST THAT which killed the merc.
It was like those stories you read where someone uses a taser and the victim dies from what is theoretically a non-lethal weapon. It happens!
Sucks that Lone Star didn't take it well. O.o
I rolled too well. My spell inflicted so much stun damage that it overflowed into lethal damage and then PAST THAT which killed the merc.
It was like those stories you read where someone uses a taser and the victim dies from what is theoretically a non-lethal weapon. It happens!
Sucks that Lone Star didn't take it well. O.o
Also: successfully dodging rockets, only for them to hit the ammo crates behind oneself and start blowing up the whole barge. Of them all, only the liquefied Squat was a crit, but you get the picture.
Barbarian-"Dang."
GM-"Weapon wants you to attack ally."
Barbarian-"Which one?"
GM-"... The rogue."
Barbarian-"*Sigh* He's almost dead."
...
*Barbarian rolls hit die*
Nat 20
Me- "Well, time to make a new character... again."
That sucks. :c
There was one time in a similar situation that another PC had a 1/Day ability to force a reroll of any one d20. Forced the possessed character to reroll a hit and it became a miss.
There was one time in a similar situation that another PC had a 1/Day ability to force a reroll of any one d20. Forced the possessed character to reroll a hit and it became a miss.
My orc barbarian owed a lot of money due to an outstanding bar tab, so someone offered to give him money to pay it off in exchange for some favors. He sent me to rough up some of his competition holed up in another bar. The stipulation was that they were only to be roughed up, not killed. I went in and started fighting. At one point, I rolled a nat 20, killing the target. Oops. That's going to be deducted from the pay.
Not that I ever did get paid at all for the job. While I was busy doing that, the guy slipped away to avoid paying. I tracked him down to a cabin in the woods, but found that he had been eaten by a naga. I've already talked about the fight against that.
Not that I ever did get paid at all for the job. While I was busy doing that, the guy slipped away to avoid paying. I tracked him down to a cabin in the woods, but found that he had been eaten by a naga. I've already talked about the fight against that.
Now to wait to see what this mini-arc will be all about...
It certainly won't end as intended. Whether or not it can be said to end well depends both on what will happen and how one defines "well" in this context.
My view on this might be colored on this, though. Every plan I've ever been a part of that was like this one always seem to take several turns for the worst at various points of the plan. It almost always worked in the end. But at that point, half the party was in jail and I always ended up dead, so how well it "worked" is up for debate.
Ok, I'll put two separate points in their own posts. First off, I get the sneaking suspicion that the plan is going to backfire, and twilight will end up becoming a princess, as opposed to Rarity.
Calling it now, Blueblood is part of the guild and Rarity knows it, which leads to the Gala mess. REVENGE TIME, MOTHERBUCKER!
On another note, I have quite a few nat 20 stories that ended in hilarity. Most of them were made by a player named Jackthat uses the same basic behaviour and social traits in all of his characters (personally, I just see them as Jack inserting himself into the game, rather than much roleplaying). at one point, we were facing down a mentally damaged construct, where a sorcerer called "The Iron Mage" had effectively hacked an Alumn (this is in a pathfinder campain, so alumns are a thing), a high powered security robot. So most of the party is debating what the heck we do now, and the elf ranger that jack plays steps forward and attempts to bluff the thing, saying "I am secretly your master polymorphed into an elf." ; Our gm facepalms, and says "go ahead and roll for it" (he gave up trying to stem the flow of bullshit that Jack constantly produces). Jack rolls, and gets a natural 20! This results in the alumns head literally exploding, and the Iron Mage being more ticked off at us than he was previously, with a special hatred of Jacks character.
Does, this mean that Princess Luna will be helping Rarity too?
*Contemplating possibilities...*
Been reading for a while, finally caught up. Neatly ended up here at the end of the current arc, which is always nice when archive binging.
An enjoyable read so far, found this after skimming Darths and Droids. Something about this medium of webcomic is strangely compelling. The narrative is more serious than Darths, which I thought might have worked against it, but I'm happy to see that it brings up some interesting points about tabletop roleplay. Many already addressed in Darths, but with a refreshing (and colourful) spin.
I can't really contribute financially right now, but I feel you should know there's at least one newcomer who appreciates your work.
An enjoyable read so far, found this after skimming Darths and Droids. Something about this medium of webcomic is strangely compelling. The narrative is more serious than Darths, which I thought might have worked against it, but I'm happy to see that it brings up some interesting points about tabletop roleplay. Many already addressed in Darths, but with a refreshing (and colourful) spin.
I can't really contribute financially right now, but I feel you should know there's at least one newcomer who appreciates your work.
Anyway, welcome to the site! Glad you can join us here after your long journey through the archive pages. I hope you enjoy your stay.
Yea. DM of the Rings started the whole idea of "Campaign Webcomic", the guys who make Darths and Droids liked the idea nad brought it over to Star Wars, turning campaign comics from a one off thing to an entire genre.
Hey, how about taking on the 'Rarity takes Manehattan'-storyline next?
Some one should pick up the phone, because I fuckin' called it!
I once had a rogue wizard... who died to Dragon Breath. And a vampire punching him in the chest. Repeatedly. And then to dragon breath again. And then he was almost killed by a flight of stairs.
He's an innkeeper now, who tells tales about "Good/Bad Old Days", and tries to scare the younger folks in the city away from adventuring as a career... or offers helps, advice, and supplies to those who ARE fool enough to become adventurers.
He's an innkeeper now, who tells tales about "Good/Bad Old Days", and tries to scare the younger folks in the city away from adventuring as a career... or offers helps, advice, and supplies to those who ARE fool enough to become adventurers.
What comes next is a bit of a mixed intermission. We've got a few guest comics, and then I have a mini-arc idea I'd like to try out. All in all, it should be about four weeks worth of content before we get back to regular comics, but I won't know the exact date until submissions end this Thursday.
When Friendship is Dragons returns, we start with Suited for Succ- er... Sonic Rain- well... Hurric- You know, right now I don't even know for sure what's going to happen next. For now, let's just call the next arc The Ticket Master. See you then!
Also, there won't be a Fallout is Dragons this week, but I did crank out about 12k words of side-story this weekend, if you want to follow the adventures of the B-Team.