[Legend] Free Adventure: A Very Long Trip

[Doc Roc]

So, I hope you'll pardon me for being grandiose, but I've something pretty darn good for you guys this time. We're not releasing the beta yet, though we're on track for Friday. But I do have the Player's Brief for you, for A Very Long Trip.

I hope you like horror, murder mysteries, airships, replay value, oblique references, and good old fashioned walls of text.

The Brief

Player Cards
GM's Brief

The Beta!

[Doc Roc]

<Reserved>

[Land Outcast]

Looking good!
Anxiously waiting for the Beta and for the adventure itself.

[Doc Roc]

What did you think of the player cards? Should I add a direct link?

[Cieyrin]

What did you think of the player cards? Should I add a direct link?

Yes please, people may miss it if they're not reading carefully.

[potatocubed]

Now this looks interesting. Ever play Final Flight of the Santiago, by any chance?

[Doc Roc]

Always meant to, never actually got a chance. B5 was a hard sell among my friends by the time I was watching it, much less now.

[9mm]

Always meant to, never actually got a chance. B5 was a hard sell among my friends by the time I was watching it, much less now.

in retrospect, you didn't miss much.

[Doc Roc]

in retrospect, you didn't miss much.

Really? I adored the actual rules at the time, but I was pretty naive back then.

Thoughts on this alpha, guys?

[Land Outcast]

Proofread

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Ability scores, random generation:

Roll 5d6 six times. Take the 3 highest dice from each five and add those three together (for example, if you rolled two 6s, a 4, a 3 and a 1, you would add 6+6+4 for a result of 16). Once you have six numbers, apply those to whichever abilities you wish. If you have odd numbers, you should spend 1 from one score and add it to another until you have even numbers for your ability scores.

You should make clear what happens with 5 even scores and one odd.

18.
2.2.5 Item Selection

Choose a set of items, tokens, and other commodities from the list given in Chapter 10, subject to the number of wealth units granted by your Game Master (but not less than the minimum number of wealth units listed in the table in Chapter 2.3)

There is no mention of "wealth units" in said table.
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Paladin

Coldfire Ingot:
Lesser Item
Description: A small flame twinkles inside this unmelting block of ice. Regardless, it seems to be designed to serve as a whetstone.

A coldfire ingot is an odd item, possessing two distinct functions, with one chosen upon acquisition. Despite this, only one Coldfire Ingot may be carried.

What would be the consequences of carrying another Ingot? would they neutralize each other? Is it neccesary to apply it to the weapon?

The Just and the Unjust (Ex): If your partner has this feature, and has you as his or her partner, you can share the effects of two Lesser or Greater magic items. If your partner is a Paladin, you act during the same turn at the higher of your two initiatives. If your partner is not a paladin, your partner is affected by any one of your Lesser or Greater magic items.

Given that the benefits vary completely if the partner is a paladin, it should be worded starting by the benefit to non-paladin and then "In addition, if your partner is a paladin..."

The Quick and the Dead (Ex): If your partner has this feature, and has you as his or her partner, your partner may move up to his or her speed when you take your first movement action in a round. If your partner is a Paladin, you may each take a move action before the start of combat. This preempts surprise rounds. If your partner is not a paladin and is 25 feet or less from you, enemies further than 10 feet from you cannot draw LoS or LoE to your Partner.

The wording can prove confusing. By the way, out of pure curiosity, is there any reason why paladins can't profit from the LoS/LoE protection beyond balance issues?
If there isn't you might want to change it to "If your partner is a paladin who has you as a partner, at the start of the partner with highest initiative's round it must be decided one of the two to benefit form the LoS/LoE protection." (Better worded, maybe)

Escalation (Ex): When your Struggle ability activates, any attacks you make against that opponent for the remainder of the round inflict a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your level + your Charisma modifier) and add the [Battered] condition. A failed stun leaves the opponent dazed until the beginning of your next turn.

So:
a) the fortitude save is to avoid being stunned?
b) if you hit thrice in a round your opponent is automatically dazed?

Annihilation (Ex): When you charge, add your Charisma bonus to your damage rolls for the duration of the encounter. This stacks up to two times.

Does this mean that you can add your Charisma bonus to damage up to two times? or that you can add the charisma bonus to demage derived from anihilation up to two times?

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Ranger:

Into the Trees (Ex): Starting at 7th level, as a move action, you can meld into plants, earth, or stone for up to 5 rounds. While melded, you continue to perceive your surroundings and can use spells, spell-like and supernatural abilities, but cannot otherwise attack or move. While melded, you are effectively completely hidden from attack. At any time, you can exit the meld (also a move action) and act normally. The stress placed on your body from the meld prevents you from activating this ability for 10 rounds after you exit.

Shouldn't this be (Su)?

Tracking 2 (Sp): Rangers work very hard to identify their opponents' intentions. Starting at 4th level, as a swift action, you can activate a detect thoughts effect on your quarry. This effect only functions if your quarry is within Melee or Close range, and you can maintain the effect's concentration requirement with a swift action. In all other ways, it functions exactly as the spell. The DC for this is equal to 10 + your Wisdom modifier + your character level.

"Melee" becomes redundant, I belive... or is it possible to be within melee range but not at close range?

Rogue

Sweeping Scythe: You move through a crowd, leaving enemies crumpled and bleeding on the ground. Starting at 16th level, as a full-round action, you can make an attack roll and move up to your base movement speed. Every 10 feet of movement, you can apply that attack roll to a single opponent within your reach; if it hits, you deal normal damage (including sneak attack damage, if warranted).

Perhaps specify if a critical hit is possible or not.

Smells Like Victory: You love the smell of a good firebomb in the morning. Or afternoon. Or evening, for that matter. As a move action or swift action, you can mix noxious chemicals into a vial. You can throw such a vial as a ranged attack (range increment [Close]), and it does 1d4 points of acid damage per level. The chemicals react violently with each other, so any target struck by the vial must make a Reflex save (DC 10 + ½ your level + your Intelligence modifier) or catch fire (doing 1d6 damage per round until they spend a move action and a standard action to put the fire out).

Once you have mixed the chemicals together, you must throw the mixture before the end of your next turn. Otherwise, the chemicals blow up in your face, and you must make a Reflex save (same DC) or catch fire.

Since throwing a Smells Like Victory bomb is a normal ranged attack, you can make more than one such attack in a turn if you normally could do so. You can also use When to Fold to make a second Smells Like Victory bomb, but you probably shouldn’t if you can’t get rid of it before your next turn.

Nitpick, but might be important: "When to fold" would actually allow for a third bomb (move action + when to fold + swift action).
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I'll be editing this post as needed

[Amphetryon]

Proofread

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Ability scores, random generation:
You should make clear what happens with 5 even scores and one odd.

There is no mention of "wealth units" in said table.

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I'll be editing this post as needed

I do believe these issues may have been mentioned in development. It appears the final solution did not make this doc.

[Doc Roc]

I do believe these issues may have been mentioned in development. It appears the final solution did not make this doc.

A point which brings me miles of frustration.

[dextercorvia]

Just a minor nitpick. You refer, in the bit about player choices affecting the plot, to the "titular murder." The title appears to be "A Very Long Trip."

I liked the player cards, and the setting info. I rather wish the game were staying in Bron.

[Doc Roc]

Just a minor nitpick. You refer, in the bit about player choices affecting the plot, to the "titular murder." The title appears to be "A Very Long Trip."

I liked the player cards, and the setting info. I rather wish the game were staying in Bron.

We'll be using Bron for at least two more adventures, actually, so don't worry! In fact, I think Chris has most of one scribbled out.

[dextercorvia]

We'll be using Bron for at least two more adventures, actually, so don't worry! In fact, I think Chris has most of one scribbled out.

Roc on! I still have to dig into the alpha doc, but I'll comment when I do.

[Doc Roc]

Roc on! I still have to dig into the alpha doc, but I'll comment when I do.

I see what you did there. I think we have an EL 3 or 4 temple heist planned for Bron. Not sure when that drops. Probably sometime towards the end of next week?

[Demons_eye]

Ok, this looks really cool. Reading it right now but wanted to post my first reaction.

Edit: I like it a lot but tracks confuse me. I've reread them but I don't understand them or how they work.

[Doc Roc]

Ok, this looks really cool. Reading it right now but wanted to post my first reaction.

Edit: I like it a lot but tracks confuse me. I've reread them but I don't understand them or how they work.

Improved extensively in Beta, I feel.
But each class is made of three tracks, basically lines of seven abilities with a good amount of internal cohesion. These can be swapped out via feats through a couple different mechanics.

[Land Outcast]

Good, I went until page 39... any further will be no use for the time being (almost just ran my eyes over the last lines instead of reading).

Seeing the power levels I'm anxiously curious about the monsters' stats...

I might go further at a later time.

Hope it helps.

[Demons_eye]

Improved extensively in Beta, I feel.
But each class is made of three tracks, basically lines of seven abilities with a good amount of internal cohesion. These can be swapped out via feats through a couple different mechanics.

When do you gain each though? At the level listed? if its the level listed why bother with three tracks?

[imperialspectre]

The point of creating tracks that independently progress is to open up the possibility of "multiclassing" by trading one set of options with another set of options that are balanced to the same power level. This allows for customization in a way that no other level-based character progression does. (It also allows for predictable balancing, because you can compare tracks with each other and determine how they match up in terms of power - then you know that a Level X PC and a Level X monster actually generally threaten each other similarly.)

[Demons_eye]

Ok, that makes a lot of sense now. Thanks.

[Eldan]

I think you got me interested now. I might try to convince a few people to test this on Skype sometime.

[Doc Roc]

I think you got me interested now. I might try to convince a few people to test this on Skype sometime.

High praise! Oh, and just for you, I added a strong BC element to ranger, as part of making it a more interesting role and adding a soft-controller to our class repertoire.

[Eldan]

Heh.

Oh, and just from reading the player cards...

This is getting me Arkham Horror vibes. Which is a good thing, I suppose.¨

Are the cards supposed to be handed out before or after people make their characters?

Edit: another thing. As a DM, how does one "get in on the Beta", as it is called in the documents? My players will probably want to do their own characters.

[Doc Roc]

I favor Tcp/ip, though we could try IPoCP. In short, just ask nicely.

Beta is up! DM's guide for A Very Long Trip becomes available tomorrow!

[Eldan]

I... don't even know what any of those abbreviations mean.

[Gralamin]

Good to see these up!. I'll be running it on the 20th, it looks like.

[Draz74]

Correction to Section 2.2.1: The example of the Level 7 Barbarian with +4 STR, +2 CON needs an additional +2 to another score.

Section 3.1 Intro: I'm pretty sure elves and dwarves can "successfully procreate." I think the question is whether they can successfully procreate with humans, and I fully support the initiative of leaving that up to individual DMs/setting authors.

Also, does the absolution of level-based Feat prerequisites apply to the freely-selected bonus feats of Halflings and Humans?

Barbarian Deadly Presence ability (Path of Destruction): the save DC involves "half your Barbarian level." Is that supposed to be in there? If so, how does this ability work for non-Barbarians who pick up Path of Destruction via multiclassing?

[imperialspectre]

Barbarian Deadly Presence ability (Path of Destruction): the save DC involves "half your Barbarian level." Is that supposed to be in there? If so, how does this ability work for non-Barbarians who pick up Path of Destruction via multiclassing?

It's an artifact from a MUCH older form of Legend. It should read "1/2 your level" like similar texts elsewhere.