Official Blood and Bewitchment Character Creation Thread

[Steerpike]

Since the spell duration is only one round, I'll allow you to cast it on yourself and attack.

Originally it was going to be the 13th, but if that doesn't work for Crow perhaps we should make it a bit sooner.  How about the 5fth of July?  We can also try for the 12th of July as well, one week later.  How would those work for people (still at 1:30 PST)??

I could even imagine starting as early as June 29th or 30th (how would those work for people?).  I have plenty of notes and ideas for the big plot, which will be 100% optional in the way that something like the Elder Scrolls series has an optional main quest.  The rest will attempt as best as it can the "world in motion" sandbox effect Vreeg advocates (NOT plotless by any means, but emphasizing choice and a living world).

[Ghostman]

I've updated my earlier suggested spells. And here's a new one for review:

THE BLADE HUNGERS
Conjuration
Level: Witch 2
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Target: One slashing or piercing melee weapon
Duration: 1d4 rounds + 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Special (see description)
Spell Resistance: Yes

You summon a minor, bloodthirsty spirit and temporarily imprison it within a weapon. Empowered by this bound spectre, the item becomes a monstrous tool of violence, consumed with unwholesome desire to rend and kill. The weapon gains a +1 enhancement bonus. Every successful hit that deals damage to an organic creature (living or grave-spawn) forces the target of the attack to make a Fort save vs the spell's DC or suffer 1 point of Constitution damage as the bound spirit feeds on it's flesh.

Additionally, a weapon so haunted has something of a mind of it's own, and may be capable of influencing the mind of it's weilder. Sheathing or dropping the weapon requires a successful Will save vs the Spell's DC. If the weilder has failed to attack anyone with the possessed weapon by the time the spell ends, the furious spirit within will attemt to dominate him; he must make a Will save or succumb to bloodlust, making a free attack against any currently threatened creature or himself.

This spell can be cast on intelligent weapons or weapons that are already possessed, but in such cases the targeted item may negate the spell by a Will save. Failing this, it's own personality is suppressed for the duration of the spell. Should a weapon be broken (eg. sundered, disintegrated...) while possessed by a spirit bound by this spell, the being in question will be freed. There is a 25% chance that a freed spectre manifests in corporeal form, 25% chance that it remains insubstantial but attempts to possess any nearby character, and 50% chance that it disappears to whence it came from. The challenge rating and abilities of the creature are up to the GM, but should be comparable to beings that can be summoned by 2nd-level spells.

Focus: A slashing or piercing melee weapon.

[Steerpike]

PERFECT spell - looks pretty balanced to me.  How are the above timeslots for you, Ghostman?

EDIT: Rebalanced versions of the spells look excellent.  Both totally capture the bizarre, horrific atmosphere I'm aiming for.  Very minor fix, but should "quenched" be "drenched" in the Blood Bait spell?

[Nomadic]

Since the spell duration is only one round, I'll allow you to cast it on yourself and attack.

Originally it was going to be the 13th, but if that doesn't work for Crow perhaps we should make it a bit sooner.  How about the 5fth of July?  We can also try for the 12th of July as well, one week later.  How would those work for people (still at 1:30 PST)??

I could even imagine starting as early as June 29th or 30th (how would those work for people?).  I have plenty of notes and ideas for the big plot, which will be 100% optional in the way that something like the Elder Scrolls series has an optional main quest.  The rest will attempt as best as it can the "world in motion" sandbox effect Vreeg advocates (NOT plotless by any means, but emphasizing choice and a living world).

I would prefer the 29th (the earlier the better) but be ok with any of the other ones.

[Llum]

I'm fine with any date, I'm done shift work this week so no problems.

However the 29th is a tuesday and the 30th is a wednesday. What day of the week are we aiming for regularly?

On a side note,

[Steerpike]

We'll still aim for tuesdays regularly, unless there are any objections.

[Llum]

On a side note, how deadly do you think this game will be? As far as I know, regular D&D is fairly safe for the PCs as long as they don't do anything incredibly stupid.

Or is it going to be a more GS kinda dangerous, where if you're unlucky you can meet a swift death. As well as if you do some stupid things.

[Steerpike]

I don't think it'll be ridiculously dangerous.  You might be more likely to catch a disease, get transformed in some horrific way, cursed, possessed, mutilated, or otherwise maimed than in a regular D&D session, but Iron Heroes characters are built to be pretty resilient.

EDIT: There won't be as much in the way as resurrection as in D&D.  Certainly you can't just stroll down to your local temple and have your party raised for a few hundred gp.

[TheMeanestGuest]

Any of those days should be fine with me.

[Steerpike]

On the subject of deadliness and combat more generally, here are the new combat rules in Iron Heroes Combat (I'll add these to the first thread, as well:

There are basically three main changes:

1) Reserve Points, which help you heal after a fight is over,

2) Challenges, which allow you to take a penalty in combat to gain a benefit, and

3) Stunts, which are basically involve using skill checks to create a certain effect in combat.

RESERVE POINTS
Reserve points represent your resiliency, toughness, and willpower. Since hit point damage has no effect on characters until they reach 0, most effects that damage you cause no more than superficial bleeding, minor scrapes, and bruises. While these injuries can prove life threatening if you sustain many of them in a short period, you can rally your strength quickly if you have time to rest. Reserve points represent your capacity to recharge your energy and shrug off the effects of minor injuries. You have reserve points equal to your maximum hit points. Whenever you engage in nonstrenuous activity, you may choose to convert 1 reserve point to heal 1 hit point per minute. Remember that whenever you receive healing, you heal an amount of nonlethal damage equal to the hit point damage at the same time. During these minutes, you catch your breath, the pain from a twisted ankle fades, or a cut stops bleeding and slowly starts to heal. You do not gain reserve-point healing while engaged in combat or undertaking other strenuous actions such as climbing a wall or running a long distance. If you have suffered nonlethal damage, you may use 1 reserve point to heal 4 points of nonlethal damage. When you choose this option, you do not heal 1 hit point with that reserve point, only nonlethal damage. A successful Heal skill check to treat wounds as described in Chapter Four restores a number of reserve points to your pool equal to the healer's number of ranks in Heal. After a successful Heal check to offer long-term care, you recover reserve points at twice the normal rate.

REPLENISHING RESERVE POINTS
Any healing you receive above and beyond your maximum hit points replenishes your reserve point pool. You also regain reserve points via rest and relaxation. If you rest eight hours straight during a day, you regain reserve points equal to your Constitution score + your level. If you spend a full day doing nothing but resting, you regain reserve points equal to double your Constitution score + your level. You do not regain reserve points if your hit points are at or below 0.

CONSTITUTION CHANGES
If your Constitution score goes up or down, your reserve points go up or down just like your hit points. If your reserve points drop below 0, you suffer no additional effects or damage. You simply do not have any reserve points to spend on healing yourself.

RESERVE POINTS IN THE GAME
Reserve points make it possible for characters to soak up a fair amount of damage in combat without worrying about healing. Reserve points work too slowly to provide relief during a battle, making a character's maximum hit points as important as ever. However, once a fight ends, injured characters can quickly restore themselves to maximum hit points. And even with this healing, a series of tough encounters can prove deadly. As a character's reserve points drop to 0, he loses the ability to boost his hit points between fights. Players must pay careful attention to their reserve pools to avoid spending their strength before an important battle. More importantly, reserve points have little effect on the lethality of a given encounter. They work too slowly to provide any relief during a battle. Instead, they make it possible to run three or four deadly fights in the course of a day without the action grinding to a halt as the PCs seek out healing. Reserve points don't make the current fight any less lethal. Instead, they create a cushion that causes the current battle to have less of an impact on the party's chances in the next fight.

WHO HAS RESERVE POINTS?
Only characters and creatures with levels in the Iron Heroes core classes gain access to a reserve pool, unless otherwise noted in a monster or NPC class' description. The NPC classes'"warrior, adept, commoner, and others'"do not gain access to reserve points, and neither do most monsters that lack class levels. Unless a creature's description specifically lists a reserve point total, it does not have one.

COMBAT CHALLENGES
A skilled weapon master slashes at a gray ogre's eyes, drawing
blood that temporarily blinds it. If the master's aim were the
slightest bit off, his attack might have missed. An armiger shrugs
off his opponent's blows, allowing his armor to absorb the hits
as he prepares to deliver the killing strike. In these situations, a
warrior accepts a level of risk in return for a potential reward.
Combat challenges work a lot like the skill challenges presented
in Chapter Four. In return for a penalty to your attack
or defense, you gain a bonus to your actions or inflict a
penalty on your foe. Normally, this penalty is '"2 to either
your attacks or defense, but in some cases it is steeper. In
return for this penalty, your attack gains an additional effect,
such as a bonus to damage. A defensive challenge might give
you the option to move faster or provide a bonus to a skill
check. Attack challenges increase the risk that your strike
may miss. Defensive challenges lower your defense, making
you more vulnerable to your foe's attacks.

ACCEPTING A CHALLENGE
You can take on one attack challenge and one defensive challenge
per round. You must state that you wish to accept an
attack challenge at the beginning of your turn, before you take
either your move or standard action. You could not move,
draw an attack of opportunity, and decide to accept a defensive
challenge before striking. Even if you do not gain any of
the benefits of the challenges, you still suffer the penalties.
These penalties last until the start of your next action, though
all of your attacks gain their benefits. An attack challenge's
penalties and benefits apply to any attacks of opportunity you
make, in addition to your normal attacks. Note, however, that
many of these effects cause named penalties. Be sure that
their effects stack depending on their type. (For more on
stacking effects, see the sidebar on page 179.)
Defensive challenges work a little differently than attack
challenges. To gain a defensive challenge's benefits, you first
must expose yourself to the risk associated with it. You can
use a defensive challenge only if at least one opponent
threatens you. You gain its benefits only to melee attacks.
When making a reckless strike, you allow an opponent to
take an easy shot at you. In return, you throw your full
weight behind a strike and batter aside his defenses.
If you want to use a defensive challenge, you must declare
your intention during your action. You then suffer the
appropriate penalty to your defense until your next action.
On that action, you gain the challenge's benefits. This stricture
ensures that a character suffers exposure to the challenge's
drawbacks. From a realism standpoint, it makes sense
that you would have to drop you guard before gaining the
benefits offered by a defensive challenge.
Each challenge provides a different benefit. The minimum
drawback you can suffer is a '"2 penalty to defense or
attacks, though some grant you greater benefits in return
for a stiffer penalty.

ATTACK CHALLENGES
Attack challenges break down into three categories based on
the penalty they levy. Lesser attack challenges cause a '"2 attack
penalty, moderate ones inflict a '"4 penalty, and major ones
carry a '"6 modifier. Each category presents successively
greater benefits, as befits the penalties they cause. Unless
otherwise noted, an attack must hit and inflict damage (in
other words, your damage beats the target's damage reduction)
in order to grant you the challenge's benefit.
You only gain an attack challenge's benefits if you make an
attack during your action. If you do not attack, you gain neither
the benefits nor the drawbacks levied by the challenge.
Following are examples of attack challenges you can accept.

LESSER ATTACK CHALLENGES ('"2)

Bonus Damage: You make a wild swing at your opponent,
one that compensates for its inaccuracy with raw power. You
gain a +1 bonus to melee damage.

Fight Defensively: You keep back from your opponent,
making tentative strikes as you focus on defense. You gain
a +1 active bonus to defense.

Hamper Movement: You tangle your opponent's legs,
slash at his thighs, or otherwise make it tough for him to
move. He suffers a '"1 square injury penalty to movement
for 1 round.

MODERATE ATTACK CHALLENGES ('"4)
Force Movement: You drive your foe back with a mighty
blow, forcing him to cede ground in the face of your advance.
Your target must move one square to allow you to move into
at least one square that he occupied. Your opponent chooses
where he wants to move. If all the available spaces present
any sort of physical or environmental threat, such as a fire or
a pit, he does not have to move. You can force an opponent
to move only once per round, and you do not gain this benefit
on attacks that are not made as part of your standard or
full-round action. For example, you do not gain this benefit
on attacks of opportunity.

Improved Bonus Damage: As described above for the
bonus damage lesser attack challenge, except you gain a
+3 bonus to damage.

Improved Fight Defensively: You make only a few careful
swipes at your foe, preferring instead to concentrate on parrying.
You gain a +2 active bonus to defense.

Wild Flurry: You gain an additional, highly inaccurate
attack. You strike one extra time without the benefits of your
base attack bonus and Strength or Dexterity bonus to attacks
and damage. Your other bonuses apply as normal, as does
the challenge penalty. You may use this option as part of a
standard or full-round action.

MAJOR ATTACK CHALLENGES ('"6)

Improved Force Movement: As described for the force
movement moderate attack challenge above, except you
choose where your opponent moves. If you attempt to force
him into a square that would inflict damage to him, such as a
burning fire or a pit, your target may attempt a Reflex save
(DC 10 + half your base attack bonus) to cancel the movement.
In the event of a successful saving throw, your target
does not move and you cannot move him. Additional attacks
against him lose the benefits of this challenge until your
next action.

Improved Wild Flurry: As above for wild flurry, except you
gain the benefit of your Strength or Dexterity bonus to your
attack and damage, if applicable.

Superior Bonus Damage: As the bonus damage lesser
attack challenge, except you gain a +6 bonus to damage.

DEFENSE CHALLENGES
Defense challenges, like attack challenges, break down into
three categories based on the penalty they levy. Lesser defense
challenges cause a '"2 defense penalty, moderate ones inflict a '"4
penalty, and major ones carry a '"6 modifier. Each category presents
successively greater benefits, as befits the penalties they
cause. Remember, you only gain the benefits of a defensive
challenge after you have accepted its penalties for 1 round.

LESSER DEFENSE CHALLENGES ('"2)

Defensive Roll: You roll with each hit you suffer, making
yourself easier to strike but harder to injure. You gain a +1
bonus on all damage reduction checks for armor. This option
works best against highly skilled opponents who have an
excellent chance to hit you.

Reckless Strike: You drop your guard to focus solely on
hitting and injuring your opponent. You gain either a +2
bonus to damage or a +1 bonus to attacks for 1 round after
accepting this challenge.

Steely Focus: You set aside the chaos and din around you
to focus on an action. You gain a +2 bonus to a single skill
or ability check of your choice as you lower your defenses to
complete the task before you. You must complete this check
on your next action after taking on this challenge.

MODERATE DEFENSE CHALLENGES ('"4)

Heedless Strike: You pay little mind to your defenses as
you leap forward to attack. You gain either a +4 bonus to
damage or a +2 bonus to attacks for 1 round after accepting
this challenge.

Hustle: You press ahead, reducing your defenses in favor
of covering ground. You gain a +1 square (5-foot) bonus
to speed. This bonus applies to your base walking speed.
Determine other movement modes, such as climbing, based
on your improved speed.

Improved Defensive Roll: As for the defensive roll lesser
defense challenge, except you gain a +2 bonus to damage
reduction checks.

Improved Steely Focus: As for the steely focus lesser
defense challenge, except you gain a +4 bonus to your skill
or ability check.

Lashing Strike: You gain the ability to make an additional
attack of opportunity on the round after you accept this challenge.
This extra attack works just like any other attack of
opportunity'"you gain no special ability to make multiple
attacks of opportunity against a single target, for instance.

MAJOR DEFENSE CHALLENGES ('"6)

Focused Determination: You reduce your defenses to buy
yourself time for a skill or ability check. After you suffer this
challenge's defense penalty for 1 round, you may attempt a
skill or ability check without provoking attacks of opportunity.

Improved Hustle: As for the hustle moderate defense challenge,
except you gain a +2 square (10-foot) bonus to speed.

Suicidal Strike: Your opponent's blows slam into you with
vicious accuracy, but you shrug them off in your relentless
drive to conquer your foe. You gain either a +6 bonus to
damage or a +3 bonus to attacks for 1 round after accepting
this challenge.

Superior Defensive Roll: As for the defensive roll lesser
defense challenge, except you gain a +3 bonus to damage
reduction checks.

STUNTS
A stunt is an action in combat that falls outside the normal
bounds of the rules. Iron Heroes defines a wide variety of different
combat actions you can take. The stunts cover everything
else. These rules are a tool to help you come up with
imaginative, clever, and exciting actions in combat. If you
can imagine it, the stunt rules allow you to attempt it. You
might throw a fistful of sand in an opponent's face to blind
him, run along the narrow top of a wall to maneuver around
a foe, or crack open a keg of beer to send a stream of liquid
into an opponent's face. Stunts reward you for coming up
with interesting and visually engaging actions in combat.

STUNT MECHANICS
The mechanics behind a stunt are relatively simple. When
you attempt a stunt, first you pick out the effect you want to
create. The following sections list several different possible
results for a stunt, broken down into three categories: offensive
stunts, defensive stunts, and maneuver stunts.
Next you describe the stunt. How do you attempt it? Do
you use the terrain and combat situation to your advantage?
What do you expect to happen if the stunt succeeds? Think
of the game as if it were a movie, and describe the scene as
you put the stunt into action. As part of this step, you must
choose the mechanical effect you want to gain from the
stunt. For example, the inflict penalty offensive stunt allows
you to force an opponent to take a penalty to his defense or
attacks. When you attempt the stunt, you announce the
total penalty you wish to inflict. A small penalty calls for a
much lower Difficulty Class than a higher one. In the case of
an opposed check, seeking more powerful effects forces you
to accept a penalty to your check.
The DM then picks one or more skills for you to use for
the stunt. You make this 'stunt check' against a Difficulty
Class chosen by the DM or one determined by the effect you
are seeking. Some stunts allow one of your opponents, such
as the target of an offensive stunt, to make a skill, ability, or
base attack check to foil your stunt. If the stunt check succeeds,
you gain its benefits or your foe suffers its effects.

STUNTS AND ACTIONS
Listed next to the name of each stunt is the action required
to complete it. Most stunts require a standard action to complete,
but a few qualify as attack actions. The attack action
stunts require either a standard attack or a full attack action.

STUNTS AND SKILLS
The DM chooses the skill you must use to complete a stunt
and the skill your target uses to oppose your efforts, if applicable.
He can also decide to replace a skill check with a base
attack/defense check or an ability check. Each of the stunt
types includes a short list of skills that are a good match for
its effects. While the DM can choose any skill he wants, he
should pick one that makes logical sense based on your
description of the stunt. Remember, though, that the DM
has final say on how a stunt works.
When you announce a stunt, you can choose to cancel it
and use a different action if you do not agree with the skill the
DM decides to use. Never argue with the DM on this point.
Wait until the game session is done if you have any concerns.
For DMs, remember that the players trust you to make fair,
impartial decisions. Don't pick skills simply to penalize the
players or make stunts more difficult than normal. By the
same token, be consistent when the NPCs attempt stunts. If
you consistently force the PCs to make illogical skill checks
to defend against stunts, particularly if you choose skills that
they have few ranks in, the players will quickly become frustrated
with your game.
To see some stunts in action, turn to the Example of Play
on page 210.
The new options provided by challenges and stunts may seem a little
confusing at first. In some ways, they grant you the same basic effects
but deliver them via different methods. However, the various methods
they use are an important part of how they work.

Challenges are designed to give you more options when attacking.
They allow you to take a penalty to an attack or defense in return for
a temporary bonus. They all focus on attacks and are the easier of
the two systems to use. Think of them as pseudo-feats that any character
can use. They give you benefits similar to Power Attack and
Combat Expertise, but they are less efficient. The key to remember
with a challenge is that it is a simple variation on an attack or
defense.

A stunt is a more elaborate type of action. It can take almost any
form and allows you to create a free-form method of achieving a
variety of different ends. While challenges focus only on attacks,
your attack bonus, and your defense, stunts allow you to use your
skills to gain an advantage in a fight. While challenges are focused,
defined, and limited to modifying your attack or defense, a stunt can
achieve a much wider spread of effects. Think of the stunt rules as a
flexible package of benefits that you can use to create an effect. You
then wrap that effect around a description of the stunt that produces
it. You can also do the opposite'"describe a stunt, and then pick
effects that match the description.
Both these options exist to add variety, excitement, and choice to the
game. When you first play Iron Heroes, don't be afraid to experiment.
Stunts and challenges take some getting used to.

OFFENSIVE STUNTS
There are three types of offensive stunt. All of them count as
attack actions.

ATTACK STUNT (FULL ATTACK)
You use a full attack action to combine a stunt with an attack.
Usually this stunt check requires you to make an acrobatic
maneuver as you deliver an attack or somehow use the environment
to improve your attack's potency. The target of this stunt
makes a skill or base attack check opposed by your own check.
You gain either a +1 bonus to your attack or a +2 bonus
to damage. You can increase either of these bonuses, with
no maximum limit, in return for a '"2 penalty to your stunt
check for each point of increase. You cannot gain both a
bonus to an attack and a bonus to damage. You must choose
one or the other.
You enjoy this bonus until the end of your action against
the foe who opposed your stunt check.
Failure: If this stunt fails, you attack without the bonus to
your attack or damage.
Special: If you use Climb, Jump, or Tumble with an attack
stunt, you may move up to half your speed as part of this
stunt action. For example, if you use Climb to scramble up a
wall and then, in the next round, jump down, sword first, to
impale a monster, you could move half your speed following
the attack to represent you rolling away from the beast or
bouncing off it after the strike. This movement does not draw
an attack of opportunity from the stunt's target if the stunt
succeeds. It draws attacks of opportunity from other creatures
as normal, regardless of success or failure.
Fast Stunt: At higher levels, you might want to use a stunt
to improve your attacks while still gaining a full attack
action. In this case, you can attempt a stunt as a free action.
You cannot move as part of the stunt (as described under
'Special,' above), and you suffer a '"5 penalty to your stunt
check. If you fail the stunt check, you suffer a '"2 penalty to
your attacks as your stratagem fails to trick your foe.
Otherwise, use the standard rules given above.
Examples: Use the Jump skill to leap over a foe and attack
him from above. Use Balance to run along a giant's club and
slash at its arms. Use Tumble to dodge between an ogre's legs
while slashing at it from behind.

DISRUPTING ATTACK (FULL ATTACK)
You fire an arrow into a dragon's maw, leaving it unable to
breathe fire for a short time. You splash ink onto a basilisk's
face, nullifying the effect of its gaze to turn your friends into
stone. These are example of disrupting attack stunts.
The disrupting attack stunt works a bit differently from the
other offensive stunts. You must bid on the Fortitude save
DC your target must beat to continue using a supernatural
ability or an extraordinary ability. Once you pick the DC, you
then must make a skill check with a DC equal to the chosen
save DC + 10. If you succeed, your foe loses the use of the
attack mode of your choice for 1 round. If the creature randomly
determines how often it can use an ability, increase
the time it must wait by 1 round. For example, a dragon
might be able to breathe once every 1d4 rounds. If you successfully
used this stunt against it, it would have to wait 1
extra round before breathing again.
Failure: If this stunt fails, the creature continues to use its
special ability as normal.
Special: If you use a base attack check to complete this
stunt, you inflict your attack's damage without any bonuses.
In this case, you trade brute force for accuracy and precision.
If you use an improvised weapon, you do not gain this benefit.
Examples: Use a base attack check to injure a creature's
eyes, preventing it from using a deadly gaze. Use a Spot check
to target a gorgon's throat before firing so that your arrow
disrupts its breath weapon.

INFLICT PENALTY (STANDARD ATTACK)
You attempt to inflict a penalty to an opponent's attacks,
defense, or skill and ability checks (your choice). You throw
sand in his eyes to disrupt him, tangle him up with a length
of rope, or otherwise confuse his efforts. Your foe opposes
your check using the same skill or ability, or with a base
attack check. (The target chooses one of the two.)
You inflict a base '"2 penalty for 1 round. You can increase
the duration by 1 round and/or the penalty by '"1 by accepting
a '"2 penalty to your check. There is no limit to the total
penalty or duration.
Failure: If your stunt fails, the target suffers none of the
penalties you attempted to inflict.
Examples: Use a base attack check to throw sand in an
ogre's eye. Use Bluff to trick an opponent into letting his
guard down for a moment. Use a base attack check to slam
your shield into a foe, knocking him off balance. Use the Use
Rope skill to lasso a foe and hinder him for a few moments.

DEFENSIVE STUNTS
The defensive stunts all count as move actions. Most of
them provide a benefit to you if you complete them on
your turn.

SKILLS VERSUS STUNTS
Before you attempt a stunt, remember that many of the skills allow
you to complete challenging actions in combat. If you want to run
along a rope that stretches from the ground to the top of a castle's
wall, that's merely a Balance skill check. If you need to leap into the
saddle of a speeding horse, make a Jump check to land on the horse
and a Ride check to control it. Stunts are meant to supplement normal
skill checks, not replace them. Remember, the expanded uses for
skills offered in Chapter Four make skills more useful than normal in
combat.

DEFENSE BONUS (MOVE ACTION)
You use a combination of the terrain and your abilities to
improve your defense against a single opponent. Your stunt
check is a skill or base attack check opposed by your foe's
check. If you succeed, you gain an active bonus to defense.
You gain a +2 active bonus to defense if you succeed at
this stunt. You can increase this bonus by +1 in exchange for
a '"2 penalty to your check, with no limit on the bonus you
bid on. This bonus lasts until the start of your next action.
Failure: If this stunt fails, your opponent gains a +1 bonus
on attacks against you until the start of your next action.
Examples: Use Bluff to trick an opponent into thinking
you dodge left when you break to the right. Use Jump to leap
into the air and over an opponent's attack. Use Sense Motive
to see where an opponent aims his attack. Use Tumble to
dodge around the statue that stands behind you.

SAVE BONUS (MOVE ACTION)
You take action to foil an opponent's special attacks. Maybe
you cut your thumb on your knife, using the pain to throw
off a witch's charm. Or perhaps you hold your breath rather
than breathe in poisonous fumes.
You must make a skill or ability check as your stunt check.
You gain a +2 bonus to one type of save against a single
effect or opponent of your choice with a DC 20 check. You
increase this bonus by +1 for every 5 points you increase the
Difficulty Class, with no limit on the bonus you can gain.
This bonus lasts until the start of your next action.
Failure: You suffer no special drawbacks if this stunt fails.
Special: Unlike other stunts, the save bonus places limits
on the skills and abilities you can use to gain its benefits.
To gain a bonus to Reflex saves, you must use a Dexterity
or Dexterity-based skill check as your stunt check. For Will
saves, use a Wisdom or Wisdom-based skill check. For
Fortitude saves, use a Constitution or Constitution-based
skill (in other words, Concentration) check.
Examples: Use Concentration to ignore a poison's crippling
effects. Use Tumble to dodge a lightning bolt. Use
Sense Motive to resist a medusa's attempt to ensorcel you.

MANEUVER STUNTS
The single maneuver stunt makes it easier for you to move
across the battlefield.

IMPROVED SPEED (SPECIAL ACTION)
You spring off a wall, swing along a length of rope, or use a
steep slope to increase your speed. You may make a skill
check (DC 20) to gain a +1 square bonus to your speed for
the round. You can increase your speed bonus by +1 in
return for a +5 modifier to the DC. You cannot increase your
speed by more than double in this manner.
You make this check as part of your movement, and the
bonus applies only to your current move or standard action
used to move. You can use this stunt once per round.
Failure: On a failed check, reduce your speed by the
amount you attempted to increase it.
Special: You can only use skills based on Strength or
Dexterity, or those two abilities, to attempt this stunt.
Examples: Use Balance to sprint down a slope. Use Tumble
to roll across a slippery bridge. Use the Use Rope skill to
swing across a ship's rigging.

[Steerpike]

Looking back to the recruitment thread I realized Cataclysmic Crow has a festival on the 29th and 30th (right?), so the 5th or the 6th would be best; Light Dragon may be available on the 6th, so so long as Ghostman can make it to that I think we'll try it then.  The 8th-9th I'm moving back across the country so I'll be out of commission, and I'll definitely need the 7th for packing.

SO, long story short, if no one has any objections, we'll aim for the 6th of July, at 1:30 PST, i.e. 4:30 GST.  After that we'll do our best to work around people's schedules, but we'll try for Tuesdays.

The first session will in part be a combat tutorial for those not well acquainted with the rules of D&D.  Combat rules can be found here, but don't feel you have to memorize a ton of rules - d20 combat is mostly pretty simple once you get stuck in the thick of it, and we've got plenty of veterans in the group to explain the rules as we go.

[Ghostman]

PERFECT spell - looks pretty balanced to me.  How are the above timeslots for you, Ghostman?

EDIT: Rebalanced versions of the spells look excellent.  Both totally capture the bizarre, horrific atmosphere I'm aiming for.  Very minor fix, but should "quenched" be "drenched" in the Blood Bait spell?

Glad you like it. I tweaked the Blade Hungers spell a bit, adding a statement that breaking a possessed weapon frees the bound spirit, which might manifest in physical form or try and possess a random character. Not very likely to actually happen, but it seemed a logical consequence given the concept of the spell.

SO, long story short, if no one has any objections, we'll aim for the 6th of July, at 1:30 PST, i.e. 4:30 GST.  After that we'll do our best to work around people's schedules, but we'll try for Tuesdays.

Date's fine with me :)

[Steerpike]

Good stuff.

Do you want Tarim to have a set of rooms or even a workshop somewhere in the city?

[Llum]

I don't think Gorethirst will need a room or anything. I figure he's relatively new to town and he's just been sleeping in the catacombs with other leechkin and cestoids.

[Superfluous Crow]

It really would be difficult for me to play before the 5th/6th of July. But I'm okay with entering the game a session or two late if that works.