Heroica RPG - Quest Masters' Lounge

[Zepher]

As I post some side-quests, some hints/things y'all may have not noticed.

-Lady Marsh knew she was being drugged by her husband. She was looking for a "Lover's Locket", something that would stop her from being enamored. She asked a hero to steal it from Lady Felix. That was your first clue that something strange was happening in their relationship.

-Likewise, whenever she was talking to Clippard when a hero entered the kitchen, she was inviting him to come to Gull and cook her and her husband dinner... so that he would poison Lord Marsh and she'd be free.

-The "battle description" for the use of the Amulet is the same exact "battle description" that Sandy used in quest 34, with names subbed out. Time travel, am I right?

-Lord Hinckwell, on the jumps where a hero did not offer to off Shawe for him, asked Lord Marsh for help in the matter. That is why he so adamantly defended him those times.

Pandora - one of the reasons I had a lot of trouble writing responses for this quest was trying to recall what each NPC knew about each hero each jump. I try very hard to make sure that the relationships between NPCs and heroes are real and consistent - it is hard with this many NPCs, and having to rememorize everything five times.

AND, something to consider: Everstien and Felix had their Amulets before you did. Maybe they travelled one time before you... to assess the heroes. You'd never know.

[Pandora]

Pandora - one of the reasons I had a lot of trouble writing responses for this quest was trying to recall what each NPC knew about each hero each jump. I try very hard to make sure that the relationships between NPCs and heroes are real and consistent - it is hard with this many NPCs, and having to rememorize everything five times.

I appreciate you had a mindbending time trying to keep track of who knew what about whom and when, and I think you did well with that. I always find your characters interesting.

Given that you've heard our thoughts, are we likely to hear yours (I know you've posted your views on the quest) on us all? I'd be interested to hear more on your take of us as a team and how we interacted (in the times we hadn't spilt up, of course! )

[Pyrovisionary]

Anyone got any ideas for Salmanda? I'd like to do something with that place.

[Flipz]

See Quest 14, the Heroes explored it pretty well there.

[Pyrovisionary]

See Quest 14, the Heroes explored it pretty well there.

Sorry, I worded that badly. Andyone doing anymore stuff with Salmanda. I've read quest 14 thoroughly. It was one of my Favourite quests to read (As well as quest 70)

Edited September 17, 2013 by Pyrovisionary

[Kintobor]

It was one of my Favourite quests to read (As well as quest 70)

For me, looking back, it's simply a matter of getting to the betrayal, because in my opinion it's the best part of the quest.

As well, bit of a fun fact about 70 that never came up: if Arnulf had attacked Syndicate Peon (Rapier) AKA Karie with the Cheesy Dagger, not only would she have taken the full damage, but she would have been poisoned due to her lactose intolerance. This was actually brought up not only when Karie first came into the hall, but in 70 itself (I believe it was the scene outside the hotel rooms, just before the fight with Octavyn).

[Zepher]

Yes, you'll get my normal reviews later this evening. All the side-quests are now up, maybe they'll shine some light on some of the tales and make you feel like some of the characters were a little more fleshed out.

[Zepher]

Alrighty: ask and you shall receive! I wasn't originally going to do them for this quest, but I love talking about characters I love, so here we go!

Docken/Brickdoctor - I imagine this quest was sort of a bore for you. I know you don't love roleplaying, but as I said earlier, I warned you numerous times about the nature of the quest and made sure you were interested. So I really wish you had stepped up to the plate a little more, actually. The thing that bothers me is that a) you are an active player who I believe could have helped the quest move along a little quicker and, b) I know, from seeing the quests that you host, that roleplay is within your grasp. No one should tell anyone how to play this game, but I think a little more roleplay from you would have made the quest even more fun for your fellow quest mates, and no less fun for you. Something to consider for the future, maybe. It is hard to have NPCs interact with you as well, with near constant breaking of the fourth wall. The only way for anyone in universe to treat you, really, is as insane, and that doesn't leave a lot of room for variety in responses. Not trying to get down on you, just a suggestion, and you are always a welcome addition to any quest I host. Also, you may want to buff your attack power a little (see, I can talk stats too ) - being strong doesn't matter if you can't scratch anything.

Nyx/Pandora - Lots of fun interactions with you this quest. You and Everstien seemed to get on well, and you and Avery would no doubt be fast friends. Chauncey WILL be back, so you'll have another shot at him. I always enjoy killing hosting you. Nyx is wonderful and bubbly and smart. She is a very consistent character. I don't know how much she gained/learned in comparison to the last few times I hosted her, but we'll see how things play out. Since I'm making suggestions: maybe Nyx ought to evolve a little bit MORE between quests. I praise her for being such a consistent character in general, but she is young, and aren't young folks changing often? Especially if they're fiery and passionate? I also really enjoyed you killing an innocent bystander - you knew he'd come back, but even so, I think that could have cool effects on someone, even if its not really reacting to it. Thanks for coming along again, as I've said, you and Atramor essentially have to be with me until the end at this point - your characters have seen so much, they may be the only people who understand the finale quest.

Guts/Scuba - Guts is pretty cool. I like when he's too old and grumpy. I think that's his strongest quality - its his redeeming quality. A badass character would bore everyone, and be cliche and one dimensional. A badass past their prime... I think it makes him powerful in a very different and more intriguing way. I think you have to be careful sometimes: make sure that Guts has always got those faults. He's the most powerful hero, but reading him blazing a path of glory would bore me. As it is right now, he tries his best to blaze a path of glory, and usually succeeds, but boy does it make him tired and grumpy. That works. He is so stand-offish that it is sometimes hard to write responses to him - that is not a bad character trait, just makes it hard to respond to someone so resolute in a way that still advances the story. I like Guts. I want to see where he goes. I hope you enjoyed playing with some of the NPCs. I think you and Felix had something interesting, almost like begrudging respect. I'd like to see more of that from Guts too - Nerwen is his best relationship because she sometimes puts him in his place. Maybe more people should do that to him.

Hybros/JimBee - Hybros' laugh is one of my favorite character traits. I'm going to say it every time I can. I think that it is the best single thing that sums up a character. He is quiet and awkward and apprehensive and thoughtful and mistrusting... and you get it all from his laugh (complimented by other things). I don't think I really pushed Hybros too much this quest. I hope I piqued his interest in the Red Assassins, and hope too that someone expands on what I built (which of course expanded on BD's stuff). I'll be happy to have you back, though I want to quest beside you at some point again too.

More final thoughts/notes/secrets:

-Everstien is addicted to Smelling Salt. That is why he has such a nasty cough.

-Avery is free game from here. I may reuse her, but if someone else gets to her first, that's alright with me. I'm trying to make more NPCs "public domain".

-I don't like playing other people's NPCs... it makes me nervous. Sandy, hopefully you found my portrayal of Madame Ladybug acceptable and true to form. I hope too that you consider my take on the character in future appearances.

[JimBee]

As I post some side-quests, some hints/things y'all may have not noticed.

-Lady Marsh knew she was being drugged by her husband. She was looking for a "Lover's Locket", something that would stop her from being enamored. She asked a hero to steal it from Lady Felix. That was your first clue that something strange was happening in their relationship.

-Likewise, whenever she was talking to Clippard when a hero entered the kitchen, she was inviting him to come to Gull and cook her and her husband dinner... so that he would poison Lord Marsh and she'd be free.

-The "battle description" for the use of the Amulet is the same exact "battle description" that Sandy used in quest 34, with names subbed out. Time travel, am I right?

-Lord Hinckwell, on the jumps where a hero did not offer to off Shawe for him, asked Lord Marsh for help in the matter. That is why he so adamantly defended him those times.

Pandora - one of the reasons I had a lot of trouble writing responses for this quest was trying to recall what each NPC knew about each hero each jump. I try very hard to make sure that the relationships between NPCs and heroes are real and consistent - it is hard with this many NPCs, and having to rememorize everything five times.

AND, something to consider: Everstien and Felix had their Amulets before you did. Maybe they travelled one time before you... to assess the heroes. You'd never know.

None of those even slightly occurred to me, but they make sense. Nicely done.

And thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it. I definitely try to communicate Hybros' awkwardness and twisted sense of humor through his laugh. I'm glad you see those other traits as well.

And I loved loved loved how NPCs, especially Everstein, also sort of put Guts in his place. No shouting or arguing, just pointing out his flawed logic. It was a subtle yet effective way to bring out character dynamics and set up characters that act as foils to bring out some of his flaws. Which is just as important as showing a character's strong points through roleplaying, IMO. And I totally agree about the old man part - it makes Guts much more of an interesting character than a typical badass protagonist. He kind of reminds me of Riddick from the movie Pitch Black, actually.

I think I'll hold off on Zepher quests until the next Guffy, unless there are ones that don't fall into your main story arc (Wren/Guffy/Animal things). I definitely want to quest with Boomers again, maybe for Strivvi if that works out. Plus Atramor. Hybros hasn't quested with either of them since their very first quest!

[Duvors]

More final thoughts/notes/secrets:

-Everstien is addicted to Smelling Salt. That is why he has such a nasty cough.

What? Smelling Salts are addictive? Wow.

And this reminds me somewhat of an addiction that a certain detective had, which is odd because I'd think that Everstien is based more on a different detective by a different author.

[Scubacarrot]

And I loved loved loved how NPCs, especially Everstein, also sort of put Guts in his place. No shouting or arguing, just pointing out his flawed logic.

Now it may just be old man Guts' inferior memory' but I have no memory of such an event transpiring. Just Everstien being a fancy pants that wouldn't be helpful in the slightest.

[Sandy]

-I don't like playing other people's NPCs... it makes me nervous. Sandy, hopefully you found my portrayal of Madame Ladybug acceptable and true to form. I hope too that you consider my take on the character in future appearances.

I have to read what you wrote about her more carefully before making that jurisdiction. I did notice that you omitted her speech pattern of constantly going "hmmm", though.

[Zepher]

I have to read what you wrote about her more carefully before making that jurisdiction. I did notice that you omitted her speech pattern of constantly going "hmmm", though.

Forgot sometimes, perhaps. Omitted, no. I kept it in there.

[Endgame]

Sorry I couldn't get this up earlier, folks, but better late then never I suppose.

Quest 79

79 was a relatively simple quest compared to my normal fare, but I wanted the quest pitch to sound even simpler. I wanted to take a simple delivery job and add a demonic element to it - The overshadowing feel of conspiracy. It's interesting to note that the Oculoids were not really individuals, but just reflections of The Regret's personality and opinions. They also served as a test of character. The quest wasn't really engineered to develop characters too much, but rather to solidify them. I think every once and a while, after mounting revelations and secrets coming to light, sometimes its good to take a step back and take a look at the character themselves without them being completely altered by the experience. I achieved this through the Oculoids, mind reading demons with a tendency for sucking out souls: After all, opposition brings out the true colors of heroes. The quest's length went well with the idea of solidifying the past rather then diving into the future and present. At times I felt the Oculoids were not distinct enough from each other in personality, but their beliefs were almost always in synch.

Loot wise: I think this quest was fairly good loot wise. It focused more on consumables (You got a lot of Emergency Essences!) with only two weapon drops and an artifact drop. Hopefully you folks found the loot suitable, I felt a bit of disconnect from who would be carrying it for one or two enemies.

Battle-wise, besides some hiccups with the boss fight, I balanced fairly well. You all got to participate in the battles, ad you were forced into panic mode or even dire straits at least once a battle. Battles 1 and 2 were meant to be pretty basic, with the choice battles and the boss being your normal Endgame battle mechanics. To outline what you missed:

The Forest Battle:

Battle with the Blue Oculoid! He would actually possess two trees (Treevils), hastened level 20-30 enemies. Each one would have about 700 HP and 3 SP. However, they start out with two roots, and each get to spawn one more per round of battle. Every root in the field they spawned causes the Treevil's SP to double. (So three roots equals 3x6=18 SP.)

The Grove Battle:

This battle was with the Red Oculoid. He would sink into the ground, forming a Plasm Puddle. The puddle corrupts the entire grove, causing one sinister/carnivorous plant (Cymbal Roots included!) to spawn every round. He'd start with one of every plant, and build his numbers up. HP and Levels would be about the same as Battle 2 all around, so not very difficult at all.

Notes: The battle you chose influenced the Oculoid Palm and the Amalgam itself.

If you chose the Hard path, the palm would drop as WP: 12.

If you chose the Medium path, the palm would drop as WP: 11

If you chose the Easy path, the palm would drop as WP: 10

If you chose the Hard Path, the Amalgam would've started with 2500 HP and have a 1/6 chance of becoming Fragile every round.

If you chose the Medium path, the Amalgam would've started with 2500 HP.

If you chose the Easy path, the Amalgam would've started with 2600 HP and 3 SP.

Characters:

Karie: You know what I think of Karie, so I'll try to keep this short. it's always great to host you, and this time is no exception. Karie keeps up her streak of being one of the most realistic characters, further shown by her anger, sorrow, and eventual bravery and confidence in the face of the Chief/Amalgam. Karie's character was truly put to the test here, but I think she made it out a stronger individual.

Althior: Great to have you back! I apologize for murdering you a year ago, so hopefully you found 79 a smidge more enjoyable. Althior's interaction with everyone in the quest was rather interesting. he tried to show a somewhat compassionate aura, even though he was anything but... And seeing him slowly realizing how close he was to the oculoids, only to try to separate from them entirely, was great to watch!

Johon: Always nice to have someone back from 48! I had the feeling from the start that you would pick out The Regret as the true antagonist. Johon has developed, but one thing I would advise: he seems almost "out of body" at times. There were moments where he was completely and utterly unfazed about the physical abuse he was receiving, like the fact that he was quite nearly bleeding to unconsciousness... But instead chose to instead curse the Amalgam's logic. Sometimes its important to note the pain that your chracter is going through; it makes them that much more realistic.

The Regret:

Yes, The Regret is back.

Yes, The Regret has the Lifespark locked down in his clutches.

Yes, the massive citadel at the end was indeed his castle.

[Bricksandparts]

Speaking of which, what are the players supposed to be going through. I mean, realistically you get stabbed a few times you die, or get an arm vut off it doesn't grow back... I don't really know how to RP that well under conditions I don't understand.

[Emjajoas]

Thanks for hosting 78, Kintobor! Great quest, as usual. The characters were well-done and I have to say I enjoyed it. It was short, but sweetly so. The models were great and the figs were really well done. It was a pleasure!

Could've used one more battle, but I think that's just the ever-elusive level 15 talking. :P

[Brickdoctor]

Speaking of which, what are the players supposed to be going through. I mean, realistically you get stabbed a few times you die, or get an arm vut off it doesn't grow back... I don't really know how to RP that well under conditions I don't understand.

Stabbing, cuts, and things like that are plausibly under the Veteran's protection and the magic healing powers of different consumables and classes. Limbs cut off are harder to explain, so as a QM I usually avoid things like that.

[Kadabra]

Stabbing, cuts, and things like that are plausibly under the Veteran's protection and the magic healing powers of different consumables and classes. Limbs cut off are harder to explain, so as a QM I usually avoid things like that.

Unarmed Pongcanis.

[Duvors]

] Limbs cut off are harder to explain, so as a QM I usually avoid things like that.

If that happens then just get some rep with the Ji Pei and get them to make you a new one.

[Brickdoctor]

Unarmed Pongcanis.

It said he would attempt to pull your arms off. I think it's plausible that you might drop all your stuff and/or faint if a bunch of ligaments and tissue were torn and bones were broken and dislocated, even if the arms weren't torn completely off.

[Endgame]

I write most of the my battle descriptions to involve mostly physical trauma/burns. Remember, this is fantasy setting; A character who is complaining about a couple of stab wounds is far more natural than a character that doesn't even seem to take note.

[Kadabra]

It said he would attempt to pull your arms off. I think it's plausible that you might drop all your stuff and/or faint if a bunch of ligaments and tissue were torn and bones were broken and dislocated, even if the arms weren't torn completely off.

True, but I like the idea of a Pongcanis arming itself with the disarmed arms of the foe he unarmed, as I believe CallMePie brought up.

[CMP]

True, but I like the idea of a Pongcanis arming itself with the disarmed arms of the foe he unarmed, as I believe CallMePie brought up.

He'd also have to disarm them in addition to unarming them if he wanted to arm himself with the unarmed arms.

[Brickdoctor]

True, but I like the idea of a Pongcanis arming itself with the disarmed arms of the foe he unarmed, as I believe CallMePie brought up.

Yeah...maybe I'll have him rip off the arms of an NPC in a later battle.

[Kintobor]

79: Fading Spark

It was good.The battles and loot were good, and so were the NPCs, a fun, simple quest that's beginning the end.

I like that you decided to focus on reinforcing character traits rather than try new things with the heroes. Sometimes treading old ground is just as important as treading new ground, as it solidifies characters and helps create focus. It's something I may wind up doing in an upcoming quest actually.

You're battles were of your high standard and high difficulty, and it was finally good to get in one, because as much as I love 70, I really wish we could have gotten something besides the curb stomp with Brier. The Oculoids I think were effective as villains. Using a characters past as a means to emotionally damage an enemy.is a really neat idea. I thought it was good, but maybe when it comes to my quests, I've been a bit pampered, so in any case, job well done!

I'll have my overview of 78 in a bit, so feel free to talk about it if you want.