The Royal Artificery Society - OOC

[DeTess]

Oh, I think I did miss your update. But on the other hand, I feel we're just about wrapped up there as well.

That's my feeling as well, but if so, it's up to you to decide what to do next :P

[WindStruck]

I guess at some point we'll run into Aiden. Though I do feel like we've got a full plate at the moment!

[MrAbdiel]

Alright, no worries. I tossed up Aiden's 'quick job' posting as a possible meet vector, but if they're not looking for contracts at all while they're on the one presently, there's not much to do there! Aiden's gotta start buildin' that house, too. I'll take some time to plot the timeline of that endeavour soon!

[DeTess]

So what is everyone planning on doing next? Aiden will be building, and I think Shandara and Bolten will return back to their project for Dukkear?

[WindStruck]

Yeah we do have a client who is the equivalent of James Bond and Chuck Norris, and it would be best not to keep him waiting.

Uh.. I think the next thing I needed to have Shandara do was hit the archives (with that lovely spell prepared) in order to shore up that arcana roll she didn't roll well in.

[Prehysterical]

Yes, the spy drone and the scorpion backpack are going to be taking up our attention for the next few weeks. Happy to help with the Rat Reconciliation Rapport, but Bolten's plate is basically overflowing with work right now.

Just so that he doesn't cramp Shandara's style, Bolten is going to try and meet with that eastern ambassador about his dragon gift idea.

[DeTess]

@prehysterical, I completely forgot about it, but there was that special material included with the shipment of materials for the spy drone to help with the cable issue. it is a strand of rope-like material about as thick as Bolten's thumb and about half a a meter long, consisting of many tiny strands. It is light grey in color and reasonably flexible looking at it closely, it seems to have a structure similar to silk rope, but it isn't quite as flexible and a bit heavier, and more importantly, a lot stronger. Any other properties you'll have to figure out through some experimentation.

Anyway, I'll set up the eastern embassy in the embassy district for you.

@windstruck, feel free to set up the archives scene for your research and make the roll whenever you want.

@mrabdiel, is there anything in particular you need me to set up for you right now?

[Prehysterical]

Is it possible for Bolten to make a Knowledge (Geography) or (Nobility) check so he's not walking into this meeting completely blind?

[MrAbdiel]

Nothing precisely yet, unless there's some events that disrupt the building!

Here's the building as I see it. Here is the document I charted it out on, if you want the detail.

I figure if you're buying labor, you're hiring a crew to work on the whole thing at the same time - so each room will be taking its construction time simultaneously. That'll cost me 2070 in purchased capital to make happen.

Aiden personally can reliably generate 3 points of carpentry related labor. I could use that to save gold, but honestly I and Aiden both want the house done more quickly! So I might have him work for 13 days, generating 39 points of labor, and using it mostly to reduce the project time on the rooms.

If I target the rooms with the longest build times and use Aiden's labor to double their invested labor, I can half their build times, chopping all the 20's and 16's down to 10's and 8's. The longest building remaining at that point 12 days, so Aiden is finishing up the work on his own on the final day with one labor point to spare - maybe, spent take several hours tarping up the bare beams that will one day support the second floor, so the rain doesn't just pour in!

That's 2070 gold and 13 days accounted for for construction. BEFORE that, though...

I need a crew to do the demolition and clear the foundation of the burned structures.

I don't know what it'll charge or the time it'll take to clear the foundations - I don't think there's rules for it exactly - ut allow me to make a humble suggestion:

Repairing a room from broken to functional costs half the investment it would take to build it. Considering that demolition is simply removing and not adding anything new, it might be fair to discount completely the "goods" cost, and consider all of the labor and influence to be the removal of debris. Without forcing you to profile out this defunct property, if we assume it has a similar profile to the house Aiden is building on it, that'll be (47 Labor and 3 Influence) halved; or (940+90)/2=515gp and 10 days. I don't think Aiden's skills will assist greatly in clearing the grounds, so he'll just put those 10 days of labor into the armor he's making for Mischa, bringing that up to 15 of its 22 required days.

If this is an agreeable formula, it costs 515gp and 10 days to clear the ground; then 2070 and an additional 13 days to build the first floor.

Does that seem alright so far?

EDIT: Hmm. If all that works out, I still have the budget to get the exterior things - barn, stall, garden - sorted too. If Aiden spends 3 days laboring on those projects and hires a crew to do the base cost, he can cut the construction times down to 8 at the largest, and then spend the 5 remaining days of construction ALLLmost finishing that armor. Construction cost for that would be 550.

At that point, Aiden is almost completely penniless. Though by that point, the Wharf should hopefully have concluded the the rat problem is over and he'll get that windfall which might complete the rest of the house!

[DeTess]

Is it possible for Bolten to make a Knowledge (Geography) or (Nobility) check so he's not walking into this meeting completely blind?

Yes, you can.

@mrabdiel, that all looks reasonable. Don't forget to apply the rebate for hiring local labour. Especially for the clearing of the wreckage that should apply without issue. You could hire local labour for everything else as well, which reduces labour cost by 30%, but as they are at best a little bellow average, there might be some long-term issues (like a leaky roof or other small defects). If you just hire local for the unskilled bits you can still drop labor costs by 10% (or alternatively, not at all, but gain some local goodwill).

[MrAbdiel]

Heck, I'll hire local labor and pay them full price. I've been fundraising for these guys! Time to put Aiden's money his mouth is. If there's long term issues, Aiden can fix 'em - and the cache with the local people is more valuable than a night trying to smoke possoms out from the porous roof. With that spent, along with 21 days passed.. he's down to 77 gold! But now he has, like, half of a house! And a barn in which the rats can more comfortably spend time, hanging out with Ambrose. Awesome. Before I knock up a post describing that building time, does the Eastwharf Granary make contact in that time?

[DeTess]

You get a letter about halfway through informing you that everything is looking like it has been settled (no more signs of rats in their stuff), and it sets a date for the final assessment which is conveniently just after you expect to be done with building your house.

[MrAbdiel]

Great! I'll do a little post montaging that process then!

[WindStruck]

Feels like I've been cursed on this site lately and can't roll anything above a five. This goes for other games as well.

I await the results of the rolls, but at least I think it is possible to retry rolls when using a library, right? Then again, that seems a bit too cheap, so maybe it should actually cost even more time with some kind of experimentation or something....

[MrAbdiel]

Feels like I've been cursed on this site lately and can't roll anything above a five. This goes for other games as well.

I await the results of the rolls, but at least I think it is possible to retry rolls when using a library, right? Then again, that seems a bit too cheap, so maybe it should actually cost even more time with some kind of experimentation or something....

Sounds like you need a good luck charm who can play a mean fiddle.

[Prehysterical]

Knowledge (Geography) for the eastern kingdom and its customs: (1d20+7)[8]

"What the... Why are there no chairs in this lobby?!"

[MrAbdiel]

Bah! My phone chewed up my punctuation again. I’ll clean it up after work with my PC!

[WindStruck]

Knowledge (Geography) for the eastern kingdom and its customs: [roll0]

"What the... Why are there no chairs in this lobby?!"

My condolences on the recent theft! Imagine the nerve of some people to do such a thing during the Festival! Don't worry, I have a good carpenter friend that can make you some exquisite chairs!

[MrAbdiel]

My condolences on the recent theft! Imagine the nerve of some people to do such a thing during the Festival! Don't worry, I have a good carpenter friend that can make you some exquisite chairs!

Free of charge, too; a damn shame when someone is so poor they can’t even replace stolen chairs. That’s why it’s so important to have a supportive community.

Also, PS Windstruck: I am a dumb dumb. I am only a level 2 bard, and therefore don’t have inspire competence yet. But still have the +8 Bestow’d Luck!

[DeTess]

@Shandara, I'm affraid those rolls weren't good enough or crack your problem, and I think this was your second roll already. I will say though that you find something to point you in the right direction, such as the name of a professor who specializes in this area of research, or a type of rare material. Something you can act on, but it will require some effort to progress. I can make it more concrete than that, but if you have any suggestions for what it should be I'm quite willing to work with that.

Alternatively, Shandara can notice that it feels like something (like a malignant magical effect) is actively inhibiting her concentration and making it more difficult for her to work on this project. If you choose this avenue you will be suffering a penalty on rolls related to the project untill you find a way to clear it, but after you do you can make another roll as whatever is getting in your way stops bothering you. (Just for the record, this is only a thing that is occurring if you choose this route, otherwise it was just bad luck, rather than some curse being in play)

[MrAbdiel]

@Shandara, I'm affraid those rolls weren't good enough or crack your problem, and I think this was your second roll already. I will say though that you find something to point you in the right direction, such as the name of a professor who specializes in this area of research, or a type of rare material. Something you can act on, but it will require some effort to progress. I can make it more concrete than that, but if you have any suggestions for what it should be I'm quite willing to work with that.

Alternatively, Shandara can notice that it feels like something (like a malignant magical effect) is actively inhibiting her concentration and making it more difficult for her to work on this project. If you choose this avenue you will be suffering a penalty on rolls related to the project untill you find a way to clear it, but after you do you can make another roll as whatever is getting in your way stops bothering you. (Just for the record, this is only a thing that is occurring if you choose this route, otherwise it was just bad luck, rather than some curse being in play)

Oof. I’m in too late with the luck boost. Alas!

Edit: actually, that Bestow Luck can be spent retrospectively for a +4. But maybe not after the results are known. Hmm.

[WindStruck]

Well, second roll or not, I didn't think there was a limit when it came to library research, right?

I kind of like the idea of a malignant force however because.. why wouldn't Lloth be intervening somehow? It kind of makes sense if weird things were already happening to Dukkear that were related to spiders.

I also don't mind the idea of finding another expert (though of course this likely takes more time, money, favors, and compromises the secrecy, which Shandara wouldn't want). Actually, I'd still also like to go the route of research as well?

Hmm.. what kind of malignant force would stop one from researching in some archives though? Would Shandara have seen some cobwebs on a bookshelf and just subconsciously avoided those books?

edit: I think I'd like to go the route of extra research at first. Maybe convert some place in Shandara's home or rent out a place with the Society where she can try playing around with planar circles and stuff, and it may not be a big deal if the place becomes flooded or she accidentally summons an angry water elemental.

[DeTess]

Hmm.. what kind of malignant force would stop one from researching in some archives though? Would Shandara have seen some cobwebs on a bookshelf and just subconsciously avoided those books?

You'd run into lots of small irritants making it harder/impossible for you to focus, plus Shandara herself might just feel a bit more tired than usual, somewhat out of sorts and the like.

edit: I think I'd like to go the route of extra research at first. Maybe convert some place in Shandara's home or rent out a place with the Society where she can try playing around with planar circles and stuff, and it may not be a big deal if the place becomes flooded or she accidentally summons an angry water elemental.

That works for me as well. Reckless practical experimentation with a slight chance of explosions/angering water spirits/opening a permanent portal to the elemental plane of water is always a good way to kick a stuck project loose ;P

[WindStruck]

Alright! Hey, I don't mean to be reckless, but .. whatever!

If I keep bombing rolls related to this subject, I think Shandara will have to conclude she has been cursed. On that subject, what about Bolten? It might make sense for him to be cursed as well.

Also, rather than taking a penalty on dice rolls, what would you say if I literally roll a 1d5 rather than a 1d20? That's what it freaking feels like lately, honestly.

Last question (and most important):

Where does Shandara go to get a temporary place for experimenting? And.. are there fees? Wait times?

[DeTess]

There are special labs you can hire out for magical experiments that have the potential to be a bit volatile. Costs vary depending on how extensive the lab needs to be, varying from 1-10 gp a day, with a deposit of fifty times that. For what you're planning you'd be looking at about 2 gp/day with a 100gp deposit.

You'd generally drop by the facilities office on the campus to book a lab like that, but there usually isn't a waiting list for anything except the highest tier of these labs.

Edit: I'll work out the exact mechanics for the curse if you decide that's something you're going to deal with, but it could definitely extend to Bolten as well.

Also, I might drop of the map for a couple of days (at least one, might be a couple more), just fyi.

[WindStruck]

Okay! I'll plan to finish up my conversation with Aiden, then I think Shandara will see about booking one of those labs. If there's no wait, I'll try to reserve it for the evening that same day (after Shandara's rest).

I imagine I will also need some magical supplies, which will cost more money too! So a trip to the bank seems like a must, though I assume that trip need not be on screen.

[WindStruck]

If you'd like, do you want to skip ahead to later that afternoon, where Shandara will try to conduct her experiment?

[DeTess]

That is fine.

[DeTess]

Just a quick heads-up everyone, my energy levels outside of work have been close to zero these past few days (mostly due to me returning to work when I really should have scheduled a couple extra days of bed-rest), which means my posting is going to be erratic until at least around the next weekend. I don't expect to completely drop of the map, but if I do, I should be back in a bit.

@windstruck, regarding material costs, for the testing phase I'd say it is only around 50 gp or so (more if things end up going badly), but you'd need more to turn a temporary enchantment into something more permanent.

[DeTess]

@windstruck, the damage tot eh grating is mostly not too bad, but one of the spars seems to have been cut almost straight through. If you've got a way to fix this, that's fine. Otherwise It's just going to cut 10gp off of your deposit (it's not a hit to your reputation or anything like that, these labs are rented with the expectation that some damage might occur, which is the reason for the deposit in the first place).