Revision [7520]
Last edited on 2009-09-14 16:36:26 by HoltinBuilderson [Loki no longer works here...]Additions:
The current PGM in charge of character creations is [[PGMCrossus@gmail.com PGM Crossus]]. See __**[[CharacterCreation Character Creation]]**__ for more details.
Deletions:
Additions:
==Unsportsmanlike Conduct (USC)==
Fairness and equal treatment for all characters make the game more enjoyable for everyone. Unsportsmanlike conduct is any behavior that compromises this fairness by basing IC behavior on OOC knowledge and preferences. When unsportsmanlike conduct is suspected by the PGM staff or reported to them by a player, the staff will discuss whether the behavior merits a penalty, and if so, what that penalty should be. Each case is treated on its own merits with penalties determined based on the severity of the transgression. Possible penalties for USCs include experience point losses, confiscation of items or money, and being barred from the game for set periods.
Examples of unsportsmanlike conduct include:
-- Transferring money or items from one character to another character belonging to the same player.
-- Giving preferential treatment to a character that belongs to an OOC friend without regard to IC relationship. "Instant enmities" based on OOC information and dislikes are likewise poor form and cheat the wealth of roleplay that can be found in creating friendships and enmities based on IC interaction. It is one thing to create characters with interrelated backgrounds and another altogether to instantly like or dislike every PC created by a given player.
-- Use of OOC knowledge to determine a character's behavior, whether it be making OOC pacts to kill a fellow PC or deciding to pickpocket a particular PC because of the OOC knowledge that the character has suddenly come into a good deal of money.
Fairness and equal treatment for all characters make the game more enjoyable for everyone. Unsportsmanlike conduct is any behavior that compromises this fairness by basing IC behavior on OOC knowledge and preferences. When unsportsmanlike conduct is suspected by the PGM staff or reported to them by a player, the staff will discuss whether the behavior merits a penalty, and if so, what that penalty should be. Each case is treated on its own merits with penalties determined based on the severity of the transgression. Possible penalties for USCs include experience point losses, confiscation of items or money, and being barred from the game for set periods.
Examples of unsportsmanlike conduct include:
-- Transferring money or items from one character to another character belonging to the same player.
-- Giving preferential treatment to a character that belongs to an OOC friend without regard to IC relationship. "Instant enmities" based on OOC information and dislikes are likewise poor form and cheat the wealth of roleplay that can be found in creating friendships and enmities based on IC interaction. It is one thing to create characters with interrelated backgrounds and another altogether to instantly like or dislike every PC created by a given player.
-- Use of OOC knowledge to determine a character's behavior, whether it be making OOC pacts to kill a fellow PC or deciding to pickpocket a particular PC because of the OOC knowledge that the character has suddenly come into a good deal of money.
Revision [4890]
Edited on 2008-04-01 13:19:35 by NimeaSylvanos [Additions from About, a few things reworded/cleaned up]Additions:
Parthos takes place in the chat marked //**The Parthenon**// on either [[www.parthosrpg.com/aim.php (AIM)]] or [[www.parthosrpg.com/aol.php (AOL)]] Feel free to come in and watch if you don't have a character yet, but please do so quietly.
If you have a question, please enclose it in double parentheses; this signifies an OOC (out of character) comment. Most players and GMs are interested in helping out our new players, but please do not IM a host without first receiving permission to do so; GMs are very busy trying to run a game, and may close out your IM if you do not first ask permission.
You are always welcome to watch a session, however, if you want to join the fun, you'll need to fill out a [[CharacterCreation character creation]] request, and wait to receive your sheet.
Since this is a storyline game, there is no real "end goal." Your characters venture out for their own motives; some come come seeking wealth and power, some to fight the world's evils, and some are just desperate for an escape from work in a dull and labor-driven city. It's up to you to decide. PGMs create the adventures, but it is up to you to fill them with interesting lively characters!
- //Actions// - Actions are specified though narration by placing them in between double colons. (//Example:// ''::''The half-orc trudges into the room, pulling his helm free from his head before giving the commons a toothy grin''::'') Actions that require a //roll// will be called on by the PGM. Trying to disarm a trap, for example, will have the PGM prompt you to roll with this: (d100, trapper).
-//Speaking Out of Character OOC// - Speaking as yourself, and not as your character, is done with double parenthesis. ((Like this!)).
- //Speaking In Character// - Some people prefer to use quotes to indicate speach, but this remains a matter of preference, not necessity. Anything that is not marked as an ::action:: or ((OOC chatter)) is considered spoken by your character.
//Please note:// If a tourney is already in progress, you are permitted to role-play in the Parthenon with the other players, but please do not disturb the tourney in progress. As much as you may want to help, tourneys in progress are limited to the players already assembled for it. There will always be opportunities to catch new tourneys later on.
As taken from Velk's post on marketplace items.
-- Backpack: For putting stuff in.
-- Bedroll: For avoiding exposure penalties while camping. Also sometimes useful for rolling up and placing behind doors to muffle noise/light, or soaking in water and using as insulation when running through burning areas, or using to wipe acid off the unconscious bodies of your companions. Can be used as a loot sack in a pinch. In all, worth buying.
-- Gloves: Mostly a cosmetic affectation for the paranoid. These will barely ever protect you from anything. If you're lucky, the GM may allow them to save you from a weak contact poison, but odds are, if the GM really loves the contact poison, he or she will just rule that you unknowingly touch the venom while removing the gloves and are therefore affected anyway. And if you argue about this, you will get the -5 XP for Whinery penalty. So buy gloves if you want them, because worst case you'll only be out 5 gp (and possibly 5 XP for whining), but don't expect a whole lot here.
-- Heavy Overcoat: Comes with an explicit "+15 to End saves vs. cold weather" note, useful for when PCs are gearing up for a cold-weather extended.
-- Sack: Indispensable.
If you have a question, please enclose it in double parentheses; this signifies an OOC (out of character) comment. Most players and GMs are interested in helping out our new players, but please do not IM a host without first receiving permission to do so; GMs are very busy trying to run a game, and may close out your IM if you do not first ask permission.
You are always welcome to watch a session, however, if you want to join the fun, you'll need to fill out a [[CharacterCreation character creation]] request, and wait to receive your sheet.
Since this is a storyline game, there is no real "end goal." Your characters venture out for their own motives; some come come seeking wealth and power, some to fight the world's evils, and some are just desperate for an escape from work in a dull and labor-driven city. It's up to you to decide. PGMs create the adventures, but it is up to you to fill them with interesting lively characters!
- //Actions// - Actions are specified though narration by placing them in between double colons. (//Example:// ''::''The half-orc trudges into the room, pulling his helm free from his head before giving the commons a toothy grin''::'') Actions that require a //roll// will be called on by the PGM. Trying to disarm a trap, for example, will have the PGM prompt you to roll with this: (d100, trapper).
-//Speaking Out of Character OOC// - Speaking as yourself, and not as your character, is done with double parenthesis. ((Like this!)).
- //Speaking In Character// - Some people prefer to use quotes to indicate speach, but this remains a matter of preference, not necessity. Anything that is not marked as an ::action:: or ((OOC chatter)) is considered spoken by your character.
//Please note:// If a tourney is already in progress, you are permitted to role-play in the Parthenon with the other players, but please do not disturb the tourney in progress. As much as you may want to help, tourneys in progress are limited to the players already assembled for it. There will always be opportunities to catch new tourneys later on.
As taken from Velk's post on marketplace items.
-- Backpack: For putting stuff in.
-- Bedroll: For avoiding exposure penalties while camping. Also sometimes useful for rolling up and placing behind doors to muffle noise/light, or soaking in water and using as insulation when running through burning areas, or using to wipe acid off the unconscious bodies of your companions. Can be used as a loot sack in a pinch. In all, worth buying.
-- Gloves: Mostly a cosmetic affectation for the paranoid. These will barely ever protect you from anything. If you're lucky, the GM may allow them to save you from a weak contact poison, but odds are, if the GM really loves the contact poison, he or she will just rule that you unknowingly touch the venom while removing the gloves and are therefore affected anyway. And if you argue about this, you will get the -5 XP for Whinery penalty. So buy gloves if you want them, because worst case you'll only be out 5 gp (and possibly 5 XP for whining), but don't expect a whole lot here.
-- Heavy Overcoat: Comes with an explicit "+15 to End saves vs. cold weather" note, useful for when PCs are gearing up for a cold-weather extended.
-- Sack: Indispensable.
Deletions:
Since this is a storyline game, there is no real "end goal." Your characters adventure out by their own motivations, and stay or leave for their own reasons. Maybe they come to become wealthy, or powerful. Maybe they come seek to right the wrongs. Maybe they are out to further a cause, or make a mark in the world. Maybe they are desperate for work, in a dull and labor-driven city. It's up to you to decide. The PGMs create the adventures, but it is up to you to fill them with interesting lively characters!
- //Actions// - In the game, your character's actions are specified, though narration, by placing them in between double columns. (//Example:// ''::''The half-orc trudges into the room, pulling his helm free from his head before giving the commons a toothy grin''::'') Actions that require a //roll// will be called on by the PGM. If you were going to try to disarm a trap, for example, you will usually see the PGM prompt you to roll with this: (d100, trapper).
-//Speaking Out of Character// - Speaking OOC (Out of Character) is done with double parenthesis. ((If you want to make a comment as yourself, and not your character, it is done like this)).
- //Speaking In Character// - Generally, anything that you type in that is not indicated as an action, or as an OOC comment is thought to be directly spoken by your character. Some people prefer to use quotes to indicate this, but it remains a matter of preference, not necessity.
//Please note:// If there is a tourney already in progress, you are still permitted to role-play being in the Parthenon with the other players, but please do not disturb the tourney in progress. As much as you may want to help them, tourneys in progress are limited to the players already assembled for it, and there will always be opportunities to catch new tourneys later on. With a tourney in progress, it is still possible to RP with a few friends in the inn, as long as this does not distract the current session.
-- Backpack, Leather: For putting stuff in.
-- Bedroll, Heavy: For avoiding exposure penalties while camping. Also sometimes useful for rolling up and placing behind doors to muffle noise/light, or soaking in water and using as insulation when running through burning areas, or using to wipe acid off the unconscious bodies of your companions. Can be used as a loot sack in a pinch. In all, worth buying.
-- Bedroll, Light: Don't be cheap. The GM will penalize you on item durability.
-- Box, Iron, Small: Somehow, even more useless.
-- Glass bottle: A bizarre also-ran. I'm honestly not sure why we have these.
-- Gloves, cloth: Mostly a cosmetic affectation for the vain. These will never actually protect you from anything.
-- Gloves, leather: Mostly a cosmetic affectation for the paranoid. These will barely ever protect you from anything. If you're lucky, the GM may allow them to save you from a weak contact poison, but odds are, if the GM really loves the contact poison, he or she will just rule that you unknowingly touch the venom while removing the gloves and are therefore affected anyway. And if you argue about this, you will get the -5 XP for Whinery penalty. So buy gloves if you want them, because worst case you'll only be out 5 gp (and possibly 5 XP for whining), but don't expect a whole lot here.
-- Heavy Overcoat: Sometimes useful. However, if you spring for a 40-gp overcoat instead of the standard 10-gp coat, it will come with an explicit "+15 to End saves vs. cold weather" note, which the 10-gp one does not. Exactly why this is, nobody knows; it dates back to an old tourney in which somebody asked about paying extra for superior-quality equipment and was given that ruling. That's a quirk that rarely gets publicized except when PCs are gearing up for a cold-weather extended and somebody brings that past ruling up again because they want to use it too.
-- Iron Pot: Seems like it should be useful, hasn't really been yet. I tend to think this one is just waiting for someone to do something creative with it. But maybe it's just a pot.
-- Mirror, Large Metal: You'd think this would be useful. You'd be wrong. If anything, the GM will penalize you for hauling around a bulky, fragile full-length mirror in a dungeon. And rightly so.
-- Sack, Large: Indispensable.
-- Sack, Small: You've never tourneyed with Nhrin before, huh?
-- Scroll/Map Case, Leather: Far less likely to get you a mercy ruling; far more likely to get you a -5 XP for Whinery ruling. Go with the bone. It is more clearly durable, and will make your case much stronger.
Revision [4889]
Edited on 2008-04-01 12:53:35 by NimeaSylvanos [Condensed with About, so I can kill that page]Additions:
==**"Do I need AOL to play Parthos?"**==
Parthos is played in an AIM chatroom. You do not need to have AOL, but you will need an AIM screenname to join. Luckily for us all, __**[[www.aim.com AIM]]**__ is free!
Parthos is played in an AIM chatroom. You do not need to have AOL, but you will need an AIM screenname to join. Luckily for us all, __**[[www.aim.com AIM]]**__ is free!
Additions:
The current PGM in charge of character creations is [[PGMLoki@gmail.com PGM Loki]]. See __**[[CharacterCreation Character Creation]]**__ for more details.
=="I want to play a neutral priest. What spell/power list do I use?"==
Neutral priests choose between the Divine and the Dark Divine lists at creation.
=="I want to play a neutral priest. What spell/power list do I use?"==
Neutral priests choose between the Divine and the Dark Divine lists at creation.
Deletions:
=="I want to play a neutral priest. What spell/power list do I use? Do evil (/neutral) paladins use the same Divine list?"==
Neutral priests choose between the Divine and the Dark Divine lists at creation. Evil and neutral paladins also, presently, draw from the same power list, revisions are pending for this.
Additions:
See __**[[Acronyms]]**__ for some of our most common.
Deletions:
Additions:
====__**FAQs**__====
=="What is Parthos?"==
Parthos is a Role-Playing Game run in The Parthenon, an [[www.parthosrpg.com/aim.php AIM chatroom]] (or [[www.parthosrpg.com/aol.php AOL chatroom]] ) during [[Schedule scheduled sessions]]. It is played largely through imagination and writing, between a group of characters (the players) interacting with one another and the world around them. As you may have gathered from the extensive [[Rules rules]] section, this game is run more like a table-top RP, with dice to determine some outcomes, and not a freeform game. Even with the rules, though, the game is relatively easy to learn, if difficult to master. Most of the game takes place in the inn of the Parthenon, where adventurers gather to talk, spar, and wait for work from PGMs, be it slaying a local menace, protecting cargo, or furthering some ne'er-do-well's schemes.
It is not essential that you learn all of the [[Rules rules]] before you begin playing, but, as they are very helpful to understanding the game, we recommend that you read through a few pages at least, especially concerning the character you are interested in playing. Don't worry, if you need help with the game, there are several players in the chat who would be glad to help you along.
=="How do I play?"==
You are always welcome to watch a session without a character sheet, however, if you want to join the fun, you'll need to fill out a [[CharacterCreation character creation]] request, and wait to receive your sheet. With your sheet, you will be ready to step into the inn and interact with the other characters, as well as join in some ongoing spars as a combatant or bettor, or even join in a tourney (adventure) that takes place outside of the Parthenon's walls.
Since this is a storyline game, there is no real "end goal." Your characters adventure out by their own motivations, and stay or leave for their own reasons. Maybe they come to become wealthy, or powerful. Maybe they come seek to right the wrongs. Maybe they are out to further a cause, or make a mark in the world. Maybe they are desperate for work, in a dull and labor-driven city. It's up to you to decide. The PGMs create the adventures, but it is up to you to fill them with interesting lively characters!
- //Actions// - In the game, your character's actions are specified, though narration, by placing them in between double columns. (//Example:// ''::''The half-orc trudges into the room, pulling his helm free from his head before giving the commons a toothy grin''::'') Actions that require a //roll// will be called on by the PGM. If you were going to try to disarm a trap, for example, you will usually see the PGM prompt you to roll with this: (d100, trapper).
-//Speaking Out of Character// - Speaking OOC (Out of Character) is done with double parenthesis. ((If you want to make a comment as yourself, and not your character, it is done like this)).
- //Speaking In Character// - Generally, anything that you type in that is not indicated as an action, or as an OOC comment is thought to be directly spoken by your character. Some people prefer to use quotes to indicate this, but it remains a matter of preference, not necessity.
=="How do I roll the dice?"==
=="How do I get XP?"==
=="How do I get on a tourney?"==
=="How do I know if my action succeeds?"==
//Another example:// You are in a spar trying to hit someone with your weapon. Your turn to move comes up and you roll to hit. To be successful here, you need to roll under you Combat Aptitude stat (CA). If you do this, you will manage a hit. However, you will also have to overcome your opponent's armor, before your hit does any damage, otherwise you'll clang your weapon off of their defenses. We will take two examples.
=="Can my character die?"==
=="How do I buy equipment for my character?"==
Equipment is purchased from the [[Marketplace Marketplace]]. You will need to send the PGM currently in charge a list of the items you wish to purchase. Please keep in mind that if your request will not be processed if you do not have the necessary [[Currency money]] on your sheet. All characters do start out with 20 ss, however, so you may send in a market request after you receive you new character's sheet. Your character will also start with the HtH and missile weapon you chose for your Weapon Proficiency. Currently, Marketplace Purchases can be sent to [[PGMTadrok@gmail.com PGM Tadrok]].
=="Who do I send my character creation form to?"==
The current PGM in charge of character creations is [[PGMAnshar@gmail.com PGM Anshar]]. See __**[[CharacterCreation Character Creation]]**__ for more details.
=="What is with all of the acronyms?"==
=="Can I be a PGM?"==
=="How do I get a Prestige Class, and why aren't they listed?"==
=="Are there any name restrictions?"==
In the spirit of the game, we ask you to try to be as original as possible with your names. In other words, please do not copy well-known Fantasy characters (Gimli, Drizzt, Fizban, etc.) If you have numbers in your name, please try to keep them to Roman Numerals. Also, please note that people in the room will call you by your screenname. If your sn is ""Roxxors85"", don't expect people to remember that your character is called Demorath.
=="I want to play a neutral priest. What spell/power list do I use? Do evil (/neutral) paladins use the same Divine list?"==
=="What's some useful basic equipment to buy early?"==
=="What is Parthos?"==
Parthos is a Role-Playing Game run in The Parthenon, an [[www.parthosrpg.com/aim.php AIM chatroom]] (or [[www.parthosrpg.com/aol.php AOL chatroom]] ) during [[Schedule scheduled sessions]]. It is played largely through imagination and writing, between a group of characters (the players) interacting with one another and the world around them. As you may have gathered from the extensive [[Rules rules]] section, this game is run more like a table-top RP, with dice to determine some outcomes, and not a freeform game. Even with the rules, though, the game is relatively easy to learn, if difficult to master. Most of the game takes place in the inn of the Parthenon, where adventurers gather to talk, spar, and wait for work from PGMs, be it slaying a local menace, protecting cargo, or furthering some ne'er-do-well's schemes.
It is not essential that you learn all of the [[Rules rules]] before you begin playing, but, as they are very helpful to understanding the game, we recommend that you read through a few pages at least, especially concerning the character you are interested in playing. Don't worry, if you need help with the game, there are several players in the chat who would be glad to help you along.
=="How do I play?"==
You are always welcome to watch a session without a character sheet, however, if you want to join the fun, you'll need to fill out a [[CharacterCreation character creation]] request, and wait to receive your sheet. With your sheet, you will be ready to step into the inn and interact with the other characters, as well as join in some ongoing spars as a combatant or bettor, or even join in a tourney (adventure) that takes place outside of the Parthenon's walls.
Since this is a storyline game, there is no real "end goal." Your characters adventure out by their own motivations, and stay or leave for their own reasons. Maybe they come to become wealthy, or powerful. Maybe they come seek to right the wrongs. Maybe they are out to further a cause, or make a mark in the world. Maybe they are desperate for work, in a dull and labor-driven city. It's up to you to decide. The PGMs create the adventures, but it is up to you to fill them with interesting lively characters!
- //Actions// - In the game, your character's actions are specified, though narration, by placing them in between double columns. (//Example:// ''::''The half-orc trudges into the room, pulling his helm free from his head before giving the commons a toothy grin''::'') Actions that require a //roll// will be called on by the PGM. If you were going to try to disarm a trap, for example, you will usually see the PGM prompt you to roll with this: (d100, trapper).
-//Speaking Out of Character// - Speaking OOC (Out of Character) is done with double parenthesis. ((If you want to make a comment as yourself, and not your character, it is done like this)).
- //Speaking In Character// - Generally, anything that you type in that is not indicated as an action, or as an OOC comment is thought to be directly spoken by your character. Some people prefer to use quotes to indicate this, but it remains a matter of preference, not necessity.
=="How do I roll the dice?"==
=="How do I get XP?"==
=="How do I get on a tourney?"==
=="How do I know if my action succeeds?"==
//Another example:// You are in a spar trying to hit someone with your weapon. Your turn to move comes up and you roll to hit. To be successful here, you need to roll under you Combat Aptitude stat (CA). If you do this, you will manage a hit. However, you will also have to overcome your opponent's armor, before your hit does any damage, otherwise you'll clang your weapon off of their defenses. We will take two examples.
=="Can my character die?"==
=="How do I buy equipment for my character?"==
Equipment is purchased from the [[Marketplace Marketplace]]. You will need to send the PGM currently in charge a list of the items you wish to purchase. Please keep in mind that if your request will not be processed if you do not have the necessary [[Currency money]] on your sheet. All characters do start out with 20 ss, however, so you may send in a market request after you receive you new character's sheet. Your character will also start with the HtH and missile weapon you chose for your Weapon Proficiency. Currently, Marketplace Purchases can be sent to [[PGMTadrok@gmail.com PGM Tadrok]].
=="Who do I send my character creation form to?"==
The current PGM in charge of character creations is [[PGMAnshar@gmail.com PGM Anshar]]. See __**[[CharacterCreation Character Creation]]**__ for more details.
=="What is with all of the acronyms?"==
=="Can I be a PGM?"==
=="How do I get a Prestige Class, and why aren't they listed?"==
=="Are there any name restrictions?"==
In the spirit of the game, we ask you to try to be as original as possible with your names. In other words, please do not copy well-known Fantasy characters (Gimli, Drizzt, Fizban, etc.) If you have numbers in your name, please try to keep them to Roman Numerals. Also, please note that people in the room will call you by your screenname. If your sn is ""Roxxors85"", don't expect people to remember that your character is called Demorath.
=="I want to play a neutral priest. What spell/power list do I use? Do evil (/neutral) paladins use the same Divine list?"==
=="What's some useful basic equipment to buy early?"==
Deletions:
__**"What is Parthos?"**__
Parthos is a Role-Playing Game run in The Parthenon, an [[www.parthosrpg.com/aim.php AIM chatroom]] (or [[www.parthosrpg.com/aol.php AOL chatroom]] ) during [[Schedule scheduled sessions]]. It is played largely through imagination and writing, between a group of characters (the players) interacting with one another and the world around them. As you may have gathered from the extensive __**[[Rules rules]]**__ section, this game is run more like a table-top RP, with dice to determine some outcomes, and not a freeform game. Even with the rules, though, the game is relatively easy to learn, if difficult to master. Most of the game takes place in the inn of the Parthenon, where adventurers gather to talk, spar, and wait for work from PGMs, be it slaying a local menace, protecting cargo, or furthering some ne'er-do-well's schemes.
It is not essential that you learn all of the __**[[Rules rules]]**__ before you begin playing, but, as they are very helpful to understanding the game, we recommend that you read through a few pages at least, especially concerning the character you are interested in playing. Don't worry, if you need help with the game, there are several players in the chat who would be glad to help you along.
__**"How do I play?"**__
You are always welcome to watch a session without a character sheet, however, if you want to join the fun, you'll need to fill out a __**[[charactercreation character creation]]**__ request, and wait to receive your sheet. With your sheet, you will be ready to step into the inn and interact with the other characters, as well as join in some ongoing spars as a combatant or bettor, or even join in a tourney (adventure) that takes place outside of the Parthenon's walls.
Since this is a storyline game, there is no real 'end goal'. Your characters adventure out by their own motivations, and stay or leave for their own reasons. Maybe they come to become wealthy, or powerful. Maybe they come seek to right the wrongs. Maybe they are out to further a cause, or make a mark in the world. Maybe they are desperate for work, in a dull and labor-driven city. It's up to you to decided. The PGMs create the adventures, but it is up to you to fill them with interesting lively characters!
//**Actions:**// In the game, your character's actions are specified, though narration, by placing them in between double columns. (//Example:// ''::''The half-orc trudges into the room, pulling his helm free from his head before giving the commons a toothy grin''::'') Actions that require a //roll// will be called on by the PGM. If you were going to try to disarm a trap, for example, you will usually see the PGM prompt you to roll with this: (d100, trapper).
**//Speaking Out of Character//**: Speaking OOC (Out of Character) is done with double parenthesis. ((If you want to make a comment as yourself, and not your character, it is done like this)).
**//Speaking In Character://** Generally, anything that you type in that is not indicated as an action, or as an OOC comment is thought to be directly spoken by your character. Some people prefer to use quotes to indicate this, but it remains a matter of preference, not necessity.
__**"How do I roll the dice?"**__
__**"How do I get XP?"**__
__**"How do I get on a tourney?"**__
__**"How do I know if my action succeeds?"**__
//Another example:// You are in a spar trying to hit someone with your weapon. Your turn to move comes up and you roll to hit. To be successful here, you need to roll under you Combat Aptitude stat (CA). If you do this, you will manage a hit. However, you will also have to overcome your opponent's armor, before your hit does any damage, otherwise you'll clang your weapon off of their defenses. We will take two examples.
__**"Can my character die?"**__
__**"How do I buy equipment for my character?"**__
Equipment is purchased from the __**[[Marketplace Marketplace]]**__. You will need to send the PGM currently in charge a list of the items you wish to purchase. Please keep in mind that if your request will not be processed if you do not have the necessary gold on your sheet. All characters do start out with 20gp, however, so you may send in a market request after you receive you new character's sheet. Your character will also start with the HtH and missile weapon you chose for your Weapon Proficiency. Currently, Marketplace Purchases can be sent to PGMTadrok@gmail.com
__**"Who do I send my character creation form to?"**__
The current PGM in charge of character creations is PGMAnshar@gmail.com . See __**[[charactercreation Character Creation]]**__ for more details.
__**"What is with all of the acronyms?"**__
__**"Can I be a PGM?"**__
__**"How do I get a Prestige Class, and why aren't they listed?"**__
__**"Are there any name restrictions?"**__
In the spirit of the game, we ask you to try to be as original as possible with your names. In otherwords, please do not copy well-known Fantasy characters (Gimli, Drizzt, Fizban, etc.) If you have numbers in your name, please try to keep them to Roman Numerals. Also, please note that people in the room will call you by your screenname. If your sn is ""Roxxors85"", don't expect people to remember that your character is called Demorath.
__**"I want to play a neutral priest. What spell/power list do I use? Do evil (/neutral) paladins use the same Divine list?"**__
__**"What's some useful basic equipment to buy early?"**__
Additions:
You are always welcome to watch a session without a character sheet, however, if you want to join the fun, you'll need to fill out a __**[[charactercreation character creation]]**__ request, and wait to receive your sheet. With your sheet, you will be ready to step into the inn and interact with the other characters, as well as join in some ongoing spars as a combatant or bettor, or even join in a tourney (adventure) that takes place outside of the Parthenon's walls.
//**Actions:**// In the game, your character's actions are specified, though narration, by placing them in between double columns. (//Example:// ''::''The half-orc trudges into the room, pulling his helm free from his head before giving the commons a toothy grin''::'') Actions that require a //roll// will be called on by the PGM. If you were going to try to disarm a trap, for example, you will usually see the PGM prompt you to roll with this: (d100, trapper).
**//Speaking In Character://** Generally, anything that you type in that is not indicated as an action, or as an OOC comment is thought to be directly spoken by your character. Some people prefer to use quotes to indicate this, but it remains a matter of preference, not necessity.
//Please note:// If there is a tourney already in progress, you are still permitted to role-play being in the Parthenon with the other players, but please do not disturb the tourney in progress. As much as you may want to help them, tourneys in progress are limited to the players already assembled for it, and there will always be opportunities to catch new tourneys later on. With a tourney in progress, it is still possible to RP with a few friends in the inn, as long as this does not distract the current session.
Experience Points are given out primarily for Role-playing, Boardplay, Combat, and Tourneys. See __**[[Advancement Advancement]]**__ for more specifics.
Occasionally, for cellar games, the group is usually determined based on who decides to venture forth first. Most games, cellar and otherwise, take up to 8 characters before closing off. See __**[[Advancement Advancement]]**__ for more details on tourneys.
//Example:// You are in a spar, trying to cast a magic spell, and your Magical Aptitude (MA) is 50. You manage to out-speed your opponent, and get off your spell first. You roll. If the outcome is 50 or less, you have managed to get your spell off. If you roll a 51 or higher, your spell fizzles.
Equipment is purchased from the __**[[Marketplace Marketplace]]**__. You will need to send the PGM currently in charge a list of the items you wish to purchase. Please keep in mind that if your request will not be processed if you do not have the necessary gold on your sheet. All characters do start out with 20gp, however, so you may send in a market request after you receive you new character's sheet. Your character will also start with the HtH and missile weapon you chose for your Weapon Proficiency. Currently, Marketplace Purchases can be sent to PGMTadrok@gmail.com
In the spirit of the game, we ask you to try to be as original as possible with your names. In otherwords, please do not copy well-known Fantasy characters (Gimli, Drizzt, Fizban, etc.) If you have numbers in your name, please try to keep them to Roman Numerals. Also, please note that people in the room will call you by your screenname. If your sn is ""Roxxors85"", don't expect people to remember that your character is called Demorath.
-- Thieves' tools: Indispensable. Most mid- and high-level thieves should have at least two sets, in case they lose one to acid traps, rust monsters, or lowbie thieves Pick Pocketing them to save a mith.
-- Tinder Box: Indispensable for anybody who will ever need an external light source and/or a way of setting the latest witch's pyre alight. Comes with a Bonus-Pack of 10 free torches!
-- Wire, 10-gauge: I have no idea why the rules specify "10-gauge." Who cares? 75% of the player base probably doesn't even know what that means. In any event, wire is sometimes useful for trap-setting, makeshift garrote-ing, and threading through the party thief's fingers after one too many ill-advised PP attempts, but it doesn't come up so often that it needs to be put on the short list of things to buy.
-- Whistle: Good for signaling your WBs to heel, shake hands, or play dead. No use otherwise.
//**Actions:**// In the game, your character's actions are specified, though narration, by placing them in between double columns. (//Example:// ''::''The half-orc trudges into the room, pulling his helm free from his head before giving the commons a toothy grin''::'') Actions that require a //roll// will be called on by the PGM. If you were going to try to disarm a trap, for example, you will usually see the PGM prompt you to roll with this: (d100, trapper).
**//Speaking In Character://** Generally, anything that you type in that is not indicated as an action, or as an OOC comment is thought to be directly spoken by your character. Some people prefer to use quotes to indicate this, but it remains a matter of preference, not necessity.
//Please note:// If there is a tourney already in progress, you are still permitted to role-play being in the Parthenon with the other players, but please do not disturb the tourney in progress. As much as you may want to help them, tourneys in progress are limited to the players already assembled for it, and there will always be opportunities to catch new tourneys later on. With a tourney in progress, it is still possible to RP with a few friends in the inn, as long as this does not distract the current session.
Experience Points are given out primarily for Role-playing, Boardplay, Combat, and Tourneys. See __**[[Advancement Advancement]]**__ for more specifics.
Occasionally, for cellar games, the group is usually determined based on who decides to venture forth first. Most games, cellar and otherwise, take up to 8 characters before closing off. See __**[[Advancement Advancement]]**__ for more details on tourneys.
//Example:// You are in a spar, trying to cast a magic spell, and your Magical Aptitude (MA) is 50. You manage to out-speed your opponent, and get off your spell first. You roll. If the outcome is 50 or less, you have managed to get your spell off. If you roll a 51 or higher, your spell fizzles.
Equipment is purchased from the __**[[Marketplace Marketplace]]**__. You will need to send the PGM currently in charge a list of the items you wish to purchase. Please keep in mind that if your request will not be processed if you do not have the necessary gold on your sheet. All characters do start out with 20gp, however, so you may send in a market request after you receive you new character's sheet. Your character will also start with the HtH and missile weapon you chose for your Weapon Proficiency. Currently, Marketplace Purchases can be sent to PGMTadrok@gmail.com
In the spirit of the game, we ask you to try to be as original as possible with your names. In otherwords, please do not copy well-known Fantasy characters (Gimli, Drizzt, Fizban, etc.) If you have numbers in your name, please try to keep them to Roman Numerals. Also, please note that people in the room will call you by your screenname. If your sn is ""Roxxors85"", don't expect people to remember that your character is called Demorath.
-- Thieves' tools: Indispensable. Most mid- and high-level thieves should have at least two sets, in case they lose one to acid traps, rust monsters, or lowbie thieves Pick Pocketing them to save a mith.
-- Tinder Box: Indispensable for anybody who will ever need an external light source and/or a way of setting the latest witch's pyre alight. Comes with a Bonus-Pack of 10 free torches!
-- Wire, 10-gauge: I have no idea why the rules specify "10-gauge." Who cares? 75% of the player base probably doesn't even know what that means. In any event, wire is sometimes useful for trap-setting, makeshift garrote-ing, and threading through the party thief's fingers after one too many ill-advised PP attempts, but it doesn't come up so often that it needs to be put on the short list of things to buy.
-- Whistle: Good for signaling your WBs to heel, shake hands, or play dead. No use otherwise.
Deletions:
//**Actions:**// In the game, your character's actions are specified, though narrartion, by placing them in between double columns. (//Example:// ''::''The half-orc trudges into the room, pulling his helm free from his head before giving the commons a toothy grin''::'') Actions that require a //roll// will be called on by the PGM. If you were going to try to disarm a trap, for example, you will usually see the PGM prompt you to roll with this: (d100, trapper).
**//Speaking In Character://** Generally, anything that you type in that is not indicated as an action, or as an OOC comment is thought to be directly spoken by your character. Some people prefer to use quotes to indicate this, but it remains a matter of preference, not neccessity.
//Please note:// If there is a tourney already in progress, you are still permitted to role-play being in the Parthenon with the other players, but please do not disturb the tourney in progress. As much as you may want to help them, tournies in progress are limited to the players already assembled for it, and there will always be opportunities to catch new tournies later on. With a tourney in progress, it is still possible to RP with a few friends in the inn, as long as this does not distract the current session.
Experience Points are given out primarily for Role-playing, Boardplay, Combat, and Tournies. See __**[[Advancement Advancement]]**__ for more specifics.
Occasionally, for cellar games, the group is usually determined based on who decides to venture forth first. Most games, cellar and otherwise, take up to 8 characters before closing off. See __**[[Advancement Advancement]]**__ for more details on tournies.
//Example:// You are in a spar, trying to cast a magic spell, and your Magical Aptitude (MA) is 50. You manage to outspeed your oppenent, and get off your spell first. You roll. If the outcome is 50 or less, you have managed to get your spell off. If you roll a 51 or higher, your spell fizzles.
Equipment is purchased from the __**[[Marketplace Marketplace]]**__. You will need to send the PGM currently in charge a list of the items you wish to purchase. Please keep in mind that if your request will not be proccessed if you do not have the necessary gold on your sheet. All characters do start out with 20gp, however, so you may send in a market request after you recieve you new character's sheet. Your character will also start with the HtH and missile weapon you chose for your Weapon Proficiency. Currently, Marketplace Purchases can be sent to PGMTadrok@gmail.com
In the spirit of the game, we ask you to try to be as original as possible with your names. In otherwords, please do not copy well-known Fantasy characters (Gimli, Drizzt, Fizban, etc.) If you have numbers in your name, please try to keep them to Roman Numerals. Also, please note that people in the room will call you by your screenname. If your sn is Roxxors85, don't expect people to remember that your character is called Demorath.
-- Thieves' tools: Indispensable. Most mid- and high-level thieves should have at least two sets, in case they lose one to acid traps, rust monsters, or lowbie thieves PP'ing them to save a mith.
-- Tinder Box: Indispensable for anybody who will ever need an external light source and/or a way of setting the latest witch's pyre alight. Comes with a Bonus-Pak of 10 free torches!
-- Wire, 10-gauge: I have no idea why the rules specify "10-gauge." Who cares? 75% of the player base probably doesn't even know what that means. In any event, wire is sometimes useful for trap-setting, makeshift garrotte-ing, and threading through the party thief's fingers after one too many ill-advised PP attempts, but it doesn't come up so often that it needs to be put on the short list of things to buy.
-- Whistle: Good for signalling your WBs to heel, shake hands, or play dead. No use otherwise.
Additions:
Parthos is a Role-Playing Game run in The Parthenon, an [[www.parthosrpg.com/aim.php AIM chatroom]] (or [[www.parthosrpg.com/aol.php AOL chatroom]] ) during [[Schedule scheduled sessions]]. It is played largely through imagination and writing, between a group of characters (the players) interacting with one another and the world around them. As you may have gathered from the extensive __**[[Rules rules]]**__ section, this game is run more like a table-top RP, with dice to determine some outcomes, and not a freeform game. Even with the rules, though, the game is relatively easy to learn, if difficult to master. Most of the game takes place in the inn of the Parthenon, where adventurers gather to talk, spar, and wait for work from PGMs, be it slaying a local menace, protecting cargo, or furthering some ne'er-do-well's schemes.
Deletions:
Revision [1325]
Edited on 2007-05-25 23:45:23 by MeliusCremalAdditions:
Equipment is purchased from the __**[[Marketplace Marketplace]]**__. You will need to send the PGM currently in charge a list of the items you wish to purchase. Please keep in mind that if your request will not be proccessed if you do not have the necessary gold on your sheet. All characters do start out with 20gp, however, so you may send in a market request after you recieve you new character's sheet. Your character will also start with the HtH and missile weapon you chose for your Weapon Proficiency. Currently, Marketplace Purchases can be sent to PGMTadrok@gmail.com
The current PGM in charge of character creations is PGMAnshar@gmail.com . See __**[[charactercreation Character Creation]]**__ for more details.
The current PGM in charge of character creations is PGMAnshar@gmail.com . See __**[[charactercreation Character Creation]]**__ for more details.
Deletions:
The current PGM in charge of character creations is PGMRogashX@aol.com . See __**[[charactercreation Character Creation]]**__ for more details.
Additions:
__**[[HomePage Home]]**__, __**[[Rules Rules]]**__, __**[[http://www.parthosrpg.com/mboard/ Message Boards]]**__, __**[[www.parthosrpg.com/aim.php The Parthenon (AIM)]]__, __[[www.parthosrpg.com/aol.php The Parthenon (AOL)]]**__,
Deletions:
Additions:
It is not essential that you learn all of the __**[[Rules rules]]**__ before you begin playing, but, as they are very helpful to understanding the game, we recommend that you read through a few pages at least, especially concerning the character you are interested in playing. Don't worry, if you need help with the game, there are several players in the chat who would be glad to help you along.
Occasionally, for cellar games, the group is usually determined based on who decides to venture forth first. Most games, cellar and otherwise, take up to 8 characters before closing off. See __**[[Advancement Advancement]]**__ for more details on tournies.
All of our PGMs started off as characters, so it is possible to apply for the position, however, you will have to wait for a slot to open up. There is also a questionnaire to fill out before the staff will consider reviewing you for the position. Note that there are a number of people who would like to host, but only a few slots open.
Occasionally, for cellar games, the group is usually determined based on who decides to venture forth first. Most games, cellar and otherwise, take up to 8 characters before closing off. See __**[[Advancement Advancement]]**__ for more details on tournies.
All of our PGMs started off as characters, so it is possible to apply for the position, however, you will have to wait for a slot to open up. There is also a questionnaire to fill out before the staff will consider reviewing you for the position. Note that there are a number of people who would like to host, but only a few slots open.
Deletions:
Occassionally, for cellar games, the group is usually determined based on who decides to venture forth first. Most games, cellar and otherwise, take up to 8 characters before closing off. See __**[[Advancement Advancement]]**__ for more details on tournies.
All of our PGMs started off as characters, so it is possible to apply for the position, however, you will have to wait for a slot to open up. There is also a questionare to fill out before the staff will concider reviewing you for the position. Note that there are a number of people who would like to host, but only a few slots open.
Revision [889]
Edited on 2007-02-23 23:28:41 by NimeaSylvanosAdditions:
Neutral priests choose between the Divine and the Dark Divine lists at creation. Evil and neutral paladins also, presently, draw from the same power list, revisions are pending for this.
Revision [816]
Edited on 2007-02-20 16:22:36 by NimeaSylvanosAdditions:
{{image url="http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r172/Nimea/ParthosBanner4.jpg"}}
__**[[HomePage Home]]**__, __**[[Rules Rules]]**__, __**[[http://www.parthosrpg.com/mboard/ Message Boards]]**__, __**[[www.parthosrpg.com/aim.php The Parthenon (AIM)]]__, __[[www.parthosrpg.com/aol.php The Parthenon (AOL)]]**__, __**[[About About]]**__, __**[[Sheets Sheets]]**__
__**[[HomePage Home]]**__, __**[[Rules Rules]]**__, __**[[http://www.parthosrpg.com/mboard/ Message Boards]]**__, __**[[www.parthosrpg.com/aim.php The Parthenon (AIM)]]__, __[[www.parthosrpg.com/aol.php The Parthenon (AOL)]]**__, __**[[About About]]**__, __**[[Sheets Sheets]]**__
Deletions:
Revision [774]
Edited on 2007-02-20 15:34:21 by NimeaSylvanosAdditions:
__**[[HomePage Home]]**__, __**[[Rules Rules]]**__, __**[[www.parthosrpg.com Original Site]]**__, __**[[www.parthosrpg.com/aim.php The Parthenon (AIM)]]__, __[[www.parthosrpg.com/aol.php The Parthenon (AOL)]]**__, __**[[About About]]**__, __**[[Sheets Sheets]]**__
Deletions:
Revision [656]
Edited on 2006-10-20 10:42:57 by PgmIslington [answered, What's some useful basic equipment to buy early? (snarkily)]Additions:
-- Backpack, Leather: For putting stuff in.
-- Bedroll, Heavy: For avoiding exposure penalties while camping. Also sometimes useful for rolling up and placing behind doors to muffle noise/light, or soaking in water and using as insulation when running through burning areas, or using to wipe acid off the unconscious bodies of your companions. Can be used as a loot sack in a pinch. In all, worth buying.
-- Bedroll, Light: Don't be cheap. The GM will penalize you on item durability.
-- Box, Iron: I have never seen one of these used. I suppose you could put the dismembered body of a murder victim in one and throw it off the harbor, but it hasn't really come up.
-- Box, Iron, Small: Somehow, even more useless.
-- Bucket: Good for bailing out leaky rowboats weighed down by excessive treasure. Also good for holding puke after trying to keep up with dwarves on an all-night bar crawl. If you are a dwarf, makes a handy helmet. Finally, buckets are sometimes useful for holding the remains of Brave Companions after unfortunate encounters with flesh-eating jellies. Who knows, maybe someday somebody will be rezzed from goo... and if not, hey, free month's supply of hair gel!
-- Candle, Wax: Sometimes used to burn through ropes as timed fuses for traps. Also may be cut into little pieces and rolled to make wax earplugs as a defense against monsters (or musically inclined halflings) with sound-based attacks.
-- Caltrops: Much less useful than people seem to assume. Caltrops were briefly faddish during the Wind period, and weren't particularly useful then, either. Basically, these are handy if you are running down a flat, stone-floored dungeon corridor and want to hinder the impoverished and barefoot goblins who are chasing you by 10 seconds or so. Most of the rest of the time, laying down caltrops is a waste of an action, because monsters can afford shoes (or have hooves, or are incorporeal, or are undead, and in any case don't care). And since you have to buy tons of caltrops to cover an area, this is seldom worth the money.
-- Chain, iron: Strictly for people who like to be kinky about taking prisoners. Humane people use rope, and inhumane people just cut their feet off.
-- Charcoal: Good for taking rubbings of dungeon inscriptions that you can't read but are curious about (and/or expect to run into again later). Also good for marking passages in mazes, and occasionally for getting cheap entertainment by drawing mustaches on sleeping paladins... at least if you're really easily amused.
-- Fishing rod: Theoretically useful if you happen to get lost in an area where no vegetable foraging is possible and yet there are open bodies of water with large populations of fish. In reality, this has never ever come up. And if it did come up, you could get by with a stick, a ball of string and a bent nail.
-- Glass vial: The mainstay of the curious dungeon explorer, glass vials are invaluable for taking samples of all the weird molds, liquids, and oozes you happen to run across. Occasionally the weird mold, liquid or ooze will try to gnaw your face off, but the rest of the time you may have the privilege of paying an alchemist to learn that you salvaged something glowy and completely useless out of the experience! And vials are cheaper than bottles! (And there will, I promise, be no difference whatsoever in retrieved sample size if you use a vial as opposed to a bottle, because I have never seen a GM who cared about this. Save your extra 3 gp.)
-- Glass bottle: A bizarre also-ran. I'm honestly not sure why we have these.
-- Gloves, cloth: Mostly a cosmetic affectation for the vain. These will never actually protect you from anything.
-- Gloves, leather: Mostly a cosmetic affectation for the paranoid. These will barely ever protect you from anything. If you're lucky, the GM may allow them to save you from a weak contact poison, but odds are, if the GM really loves the contact poison, he or she will just rule that you unknowingly touch the venom while removing the gloves and are therefore affected anyway. And if you argue about this, you will get the -5 XP for Whinery penalty. So buy gloves if you want them, because worst case you'll only be out 5 gp (and possibly 5 XP for whining), but don't expect a whole lot here.
-- Grappling hook: One of the few really indispensable pieces of equipment on the list. Buy one. It will be useful. It will not, however, allow you to anchor a rope on flat, stone dungeon floors. Sorry. You need spikes, a hammer and an AEsir to prevail on that count.
-- Hammer/Mallet: Another indispensable piece of equipment. Valuable for driving spikes into crevices, breaking through glass windows, and expressing your deepest feelings toward your party members when they do something stupid.
-- Heavy Overcoat: Sometimes useful. However, if you spring for a 40-gp overcoat instead of the standard 10-gp coat, it will come with an explicit "+15 to End saves vs. cold weather" note, which the 10-gp one does not. Exactly why this is, nobody knows; it dates back to an old tourney in which somebody asked about paying extra for superior-quality equipment and was given that ruling. That's a quirk that rarely gets publicized except when PCs are gearing up for a cold-weather extended and somebody brings that past ruling up again because they want to use it too.
-- Iron Pot: Seems like it should be useful, hasn't really been yet. I tend to think this one is just waiting for someone to do something creative with it. But maybe it's just a pot.
-- Lantern, Bullseye: Better than a torch in that you can put it on the ground and free up your hands, and it has a glass cover so it can withstand casual splashes of water. Less good than a torch in that you can't use it to burn through cobwebs or ignite peasants' thatch roofs on weekend marauding sprees as easily. Make sure you have oil to fuel the lantern, or the GM will hit you with a stick, your group members will groan, and PCs who are spiteful because they didn't get on the tourney will laugh cruelly at your failure. They always do.
-- Lantern, Hooded: As above. There may be some difference in whether a GM will let you focus the light's beam if it's a bullseye lantern or conceal the radiance if it's a hooded lantern. This barely ever makes any real difference. You might as well save the 5 gp.
-- Magnifying Glass: Primarily useful for setting ants on fire. Has yet to be given any practical use on tourney.
-- Marbles, Iron: May be useful in certain very specific situations, such as rolling across the floor to see whether there are illusion-cloaked pits ahead. An alternative that nobody has really done much with is casting Radiance or similar spells on marbles and then dropping, slinging, or rolling them around to illumine different areas. For the most part, marbles are probably worth dropping 1 gp on, because they're cheap, but they don't come up that often.
-- Mirror, Large Metal: You'd think this would be useful. You'd be wrong. If anything, the GM will penalize you for hauling around a bulky, fragile full-length mirror in a dungeon. And rightly so.
-- Mirror, Small Silver: Occasionally and arguably useful to get oblique views around corridors and indirect glances at petrifying monsters. The main problem with relying on mirrors is that there is no standard ruling among the GMs as to whether mirrors reflect or protect against gaze/view attacks and, if they do, against which monsters or by what rules. So, pretty much, use mirrors to see whether you have potentially embarrassing food bits stuck in your teeth before dates, and otherwise don't count on them being useful.
-- Oil, flask of: Not an incendiary. Do not try to use it as an incendiary. It will not work. The GM will hit you with a stick and those spiteful non-tourneying PCs will laugh at you some more. The Market sells lamp oil. Lanterns will not work without it. But it does not explode and it does not function as a Molotov cocktail. Newbies often make this mistake. Avoid it.
-- Padlock: While frequently used by NPCs to the great frustration of PCs, this hardly ever occurs in reverse. Might be useful in conjunction with the Iron Box for preventing your group members from looting your corpse, but really it'll probably just slow them down. Not worth the money.
-- Parchment/Paper: Good for taking rubbings and writing secret notes to pass to your NPC captors about how your fellow group members are unreliable, untrustworthy, too weak to make good slaves and liable to boink the NPC's girlfriend once his back is turned. Also useful when forging wills of said fellow group members.
-- Pouch, belt: Useful for keeping miscellaneous odds and ends in. I have seen PCs who included in their Character Notes that they kept dead rats in their belt pouches in case anybody ever tried to pick their pockets. This would probably be funnier if the rats were also animated to bite off the would-be thief's fingers, but by the time you can do that, nobody is likely to PP you anyway. So carry on with the dead rats.
-- Pole, 10-foot: Less useful than it seems. Might be good for poking at suspicious molds and oozes from a distance, or testing the floor while meandering through a dungeon, but I cannot remember ever having seen a pole make any difference for a group. More often, the GM gets annoyed with continually having to stop and write progress notes on the pole test, and will exact snarky revenge by ruling that you have to waste an action to switch from the pole to a weapon when the inevitable ambush occurs.
-- Rope, 50': Indispensable.
-- Sack, Large: Indispensable.
-- Sack, Small: You've never tourneyed with Nhrin before, huh?
-- Scroll/Map Case, Bone: Sometimes gets you a mercy ruling when the GM would otherwise trash your scrolls via Deluge, fire exposure, or whatever else. Anybody who ever carries scrolls or maps should have at least one.
-- Scroll/Map Case, Leather: Far less likely to get you a mercy ruling; far more likely to get you a -5 XP for Whinery ruling. Go with the bone. It is more clearly durable, and will make your case much stronger.
-- Spikes, Iron: Indispensable. You can use them to secure ropes and nail down prisoners' feet during interrogations! Sometimes even both at once!
-- String, 50': While not as useful as rope, this is sometimes good to have on hand for miscellaneous creativity purposes. See discussion (and dismissal) of fishing rod, above.
-- Symbol, Holy: Cosmetic affectation for the religious. Except for priests, who actually need holy symbols for some of their spells (to wit: Enchant Holy Symbol). For most everybody else, it stands as a Token of Devotion, also known as Incriminating Evidence if the Guard Catches You with a Bad One. Good luck explaining that away under Confession!
-- Thieves' tools: Indispensable. Most mid- and high-level thieves should have at least two sets, in case they lose one to acid traps, rust monsters, or lowbie thieves PP'ing them to save a mith.
-- Tinder Box: Indispensable for anybody who will ever need an external light source and/or a way of setting the latest witch's pyre alight. Comes with a Bonus-Pak of 10 free torches!
-- Water, Holy/Unholy: Holy water is indispensable, especially at the lower levels, because it will deal damage to fiends and undead who are often immune to the mundane weapons that most lowbie characters have to rely on. Even at the higher levels, it's a good second move for casters and other people whose weapons suck. Unholy water, conversely, has never been useful for anything, and is kept as a quaint curiosity if at all.
-- Writing ink: While it could be useful for certain specific tourney situations, this is mostly a cosmetic affectation for the scholarly.
-- Wineskin: Indispensable. This is synonymous with "waterskin," by the by, so underage PCs can have them too!
-- Wire, 10-gauge: I have no idea why the rules specify "10-gauge." Who cares? 75% of the player base probably doesn't even know what that means. In any event, wire is sometimes useful for trap-setting, makeshift garrotte-ing, and threading through the party thief's fingers after one too many ill-advised PP attempts, but it doesn't come up so often that it needs to be put on the short list of things to buy.
-- Week's Food and Rations: One of those things that will sit on your sheet for years, unused, and then eventually you get bored and feed it to your pet giant rat and the very next week you get stuck OOP for a month, after which your steady diet of boiled shoelaces and rocks sticks you with fatigue penalties for another two weeks. In sum: buy some and keep them on hand. They may not be needed for a long, long time, but you will hate yourself when you need them and don't have any. Also, if you get stuck in the Ti-Lam Dungeon and have no food or water, that is typically the GM's cue to Not Bother With Rolls.
-- Whistle: Good for signalling your WBs to heel, shake hands, or play dead. No use otherwise.
-- Bedroll, Heavy: For avoiding exposure penalties while camping. Also sometimes useful for rolling up and placing behind doors to muffle noise/light, or soaking in water and using as insulation when running through burning areas, or using to wipe acid off the unconscious bodies of your companions. Can be used as a loot sack in a pinch. In all, worth buying.
-- Bedroll, Light: Don't be cheap. The GM will penalize you on item durability.
-- Box, Iron: I have never seen one of these used. I suppose you could put the dismembered body of a murder victim in one and throw it off the harbor, but it hasn't really come up.
-- Box, Iron, Small: Somehow, even more useless.
-- Bucket: Good for bailing out leaky rowboats weighed down by excessive treasure. Also good for holding puke after trying to keep up with dwarves on an all-night bar crawl. If you are a dwarf, makes a handy helmet. Finally, buckets are sometimes useful for holding the remains of Brave Companions after unfortunate encounters with flesh-eating jellies. Who knows, maybe someday somebody will be rezzed from goo... and if not, hey, free month's supply of hair gel!
-- Candle, Wax: Sometimes used to burn through ropes as timed fuses for traps. Also may be cut into little pieces and rolled to make wax earplugs as a defense against monsters (or musically inclined halflings) with sound-based attacks.
-- Caltrops: Much less useful than people seem to assume. Caltrops were briefly faddish during the Wind period, and weren't particularly useful then, either. Basically, these are handy if you are running down a flat, stone-floored dungeon corridor and want to hinder the impoverished and barefoot goblins who are chasing you by 10 seconds or so. Most of the rest of the time, laying down caltrops is a waste of an action, because monsters can afford shoes (or have hooves, or are incorporeal, or are undead, and in any case don't care). And since you have to buy tons of caltrops to cover an area, this is seldom worth the money.
-- Chain, iron: Strictly for people who like to be kinky about taking prisoners. Humane people use rope, and inhumane people just cut their feet off.
-- Charcoal: Good for taking rubbings of dungeon inscriptions that you can't read but are curious about (and/or expect to run into again later). Also good for marking passages in mazes, and occasionally for getting cheap entertainment by drawing mustaches on sleeping paladins... at least if you're really easily amused.
-- Fishing rod: Theoretically useful if you happen to get lost in an area where no vegetable foraging is possible and yet there are open bodies of water with large populations of fish. In reality, this has never ever come up. And if it did come up, you could get by with a stick, a ball of string and a bent nail.
-- Glass vial: The mainstay of the curious dungeon explorer, glass vials are invaluable for taking samples of all the weird molds, liquids, and oozes you happen to run across. Occasionally the weird mold, liquid or ooze will try to gnaw your face off, but the rest of the time you may have the privilege of paying an alchemist to learn that you salvaged something glowy and completely useless out of the experience! And vials are cheaper than bottles! (And there will, I promise, be no difference whatsoever in retrieved sample size if you use a vial as opposed to a bottle, because I have never seen a GM who cared about this. Save your extra 3 gp.)
-- Glass bottle: A bizarre also-ran. I'm honestly not sure why we have these.
-- Gloves, cloth: Mostly a cosmetic affectation for the vain. These will never actually protect you from anything.
-- Gloves, leather: Mostly a cosmetic affectation for the paranoid. These will barely ever protect you from anything. If you're lucky, the GM may allow them to save you from a weak contact poison, but odds are, if the GM really loves the contact poison, he or she will just rule that you unknowingly touch the venom while removing the gloves and are therefore affected anyway. And if you argue about this, you will get the -5 XP for Whinery penalty. So buy gloves if you want them, because worst case you'll only be out 5 gp (and possibly 5 XP for whining), but don't expect a whole lot here.
-- Grappling hook: One of the few really indispensable pieces of equipment on the list. Buy one. It will be useful. It will not, however, allow you to anchor a rope on flat, stone dungeon floors. Sorry. You need spikes, a hammer and an AEsir to prevail on that count.
-- Hammer/Mallet: Another indispensable piece of equipment. Valuable for driving spikes into crevices, breaking through glass windows, and expressing your deepest feelings toward your party members when they do something stupid.
-- Heavy Overcoat: Sometimes useful. However, if you spring for a 40-gp overcoat instead of the standard 10-gp coat, it will come with an explicit "+15 to End saves vs. cold weather" note, which the 10-gp one does not. Exactly why this is, nobody knows; it dates back to an old tourney in which somebody asked about paying extra for superior-quality equipment and was given that ruling. That's a quirk that rarely gets publicized except when PCs are gearing up for a cold-weather extended and somebody brings that past ruling up again because they want to use it too.
-- Iron Pot: Seems like it should be useful, hasn't really been yet. I tend to think this one is just waiting for someone to do something creative with it. But maybe it's just a pot.
-- Lantern, Bullseye: Better than a torch in that you can put it on the ground and free up your hands, and it has a glass cover so it can withstand casual splashes of water. Less good than a torch in that you can't use it to burn through cobwebs or ignite peasants' thatch roofs on weekend marauding sprees as easily. Make sure you have oil to fuel the lantern, or the GM will hit you with a stick, your group members will groan, and PCs who are spiteful because they didn't get on the tourney will laugh cruelly at your failure. They always do.
-- Lantern, Hooded: As above. There may be some difference in whether a GM will let you focus the light's beam if it's a bullseye lantern or conceal the radiance if it's a hooded lantern. This barely ever makes any real difference. You might as well save the 5 gp.
-- Magnifying Glass: Primarily useful for setting ants on fire. Has yet to be given any practical use on tourney.
-- Marbles, Iron: May be useful in certain very specific situations, such as rolling across the floor to see whether there are illusion-cloaked pits ahead. An alternative that nobody has really done much with is casting Radiance or similar spells on marbles and then dropping, slinging, or rolling them around to illumine different areas. For the most part, marbles are probably worth dropping 1 gp on, because they're cheap, but they don't come up that often.
-- Mirror, Large Metal: You'd think this would be useful. You'd be wrong. If anything, the GM will penalize you for hauling around a bulky, fragile full-length mirror in a dungeon. And rightly so.
-- Mirror, Small Silver: Occasionally and arguably useful to get oblique views around corridors and indirect glances at petrifying monsters. The main problem with relying on mirrors is that there is no standard ruling among the GMs as to whether mirrors reflect or protect against gaze/view attacks and, if they do, against which monsters or by what rules. So, pretty much, use mirrors to see whether you have potentially embarrassing food bits stuck in your teeth before dates, and otherwise don't count on them being useful.
-- Oil, flask of: Not an incendiary. Do not try to use it as an incendiary. It will not work. The GM will hit you with a stick and those spiteful non-tourneying PCs will laugh at you some more. The Market sells lamp oil. Lanterns will not work without it. But it does not explode and it does not function as a Molotov cocktail. Newbies often make this mistake. Avoid it.
-- Padlock: While frequently used by NPCs to the great frustration of PCs, this hardly ever occurs in reverse. Might be useful in conjunction with the Iron Box for preventing your group members from looting your corpse, but really it'll probably just slow them down. Not worth the money.
-- Parchment/Paper: Good for taking rubbings and writing secret notes to pass to your NPC captors about how your fellow group members are unreliable, untrustworthy, too weak to make good slaves and liable to boink the NPC's girlfriend once his back is turned. Also useful when forging wills of said fellow group members.
-- Pouch, belt: Useful for keeping miscellaneous odds and ends in. I have seen PCs who included in their Character Notes that they kept dead rats in their belt pouches in case anybody ever tried to pick their pockets. This would probably be funnier if the rats were also animated to bite off the would-be thief's fingers, but by the time you can do that, nobody is likely to PP you anyway. So carry on with the dead rats.
-- Pole, 10-foot: Less useful than it seems. Might be good for poking at suspicious molds and oozes from a distance, or testing the floor while meandering through a dungeon, but I cannot remember ever having seen a pole make any difference for a group. More often, the GM gets annoyed with continually having to stop and write progress notes on the pole test, and will exact snarky revenge by ruling that you have to waste an action to switch from the pole to a weapon when the inevitable ambush occurs.
-- Rope, 50': Indispensable.
-- Sack, Large: Indispensable.
-- Sack, Small: You've never tourneyed with Nhrin before, huh?
-- Scroll/Map Case, Bone: Sometimes gets you a mercy ruling when the GM would otherwise trash your scrolls via Deluge, fire exposure, or whatever else. Anybody who ever carries scrolls or maps should have at least one.
-- Scroll/Map Case, Leather: Far less likely to get you a mercy ruling; far more likely to get you a -5 XP for Whinery ruling. Go with the bone. It is more clearly durable, and will make your case much stronger.
-- Spikes, Iron: Indispensable. You can use them to secure ropes and nail down prisoners' feet during interrogations! Sometimes even both at once!
-- String, 50': While not as useful as rope, this is sometimes good to have on hand for miscellaneous creativity purposes. See discussion (and dismissal) of fishing rod, above.
-- Symbol, Holy: Cosmetic affectation for the religious. Except for priests, who actually need holy symbols for some of their spells (to wit: Enchant Holy Symbol). For most everybody else, it stands as a Token of Devotion, also known as Incriminating Evidence if the Guard Catches You with a Bad One. Good luck explaining that away under Confession!
-- Thieves' tools: Indispensable. Most mid- and high-level thieves should have at least two sets, in case they lose one to acid traps, rust monsters, or lowbie thieves PP'ing them to save a mith.
-- Tinder Box: Indispensable for anybody who will ever need an external light source and/or a way of setting the latest witch's pyre alight. Comes with a Bonus-Pak of 10 free torches!
-- Water, Holy/Unholy: Holy water is indispensable, especially at the lower levels, because it will deal damage to fiends and undead who are often immune to the mundane weapons that most lowbie characters have to rely on. Even at the higher levels, it's a good second move for casters and other people whose weapons suck. Unholy water, conversely, has never been useful for anything, and is kept as a quaint curiosity if at all.
-- Writing ink: While it could be useful for certain specific tourney situations, this is mostly a cosmetic affectation for the scholarly.
-- Wineskin: Indispensable. This is synonymous with "waterskin," by the by, so underage PCs can have them too!
-- Wire, 10-gauge: I have no idea why the rules specify "10-gauge." Who cares? 75% of the player base probably doesn't even know what that means. In any event, wire is sometimes useful for trap-setting, makeshift garrotte-ing, and threading through the party thief's fingers after one too many ill-advised PP attempts, but it doesn't come up so often that it needs to be put on the short list of things to buy.
-- Week's Food and Rations: One of those things that will sit on your sheet for years, unused, and then eventually you get bored and feed it to your pet giant rat and the very next week you get stuck OOP for a month, after which your steady diet of boiled shoelaces and rocks sticks you with fatigue penalties for another two weeks. In sum: buy some and keep them on hand. They may not be needed for a long, long time, but you will hate yourself when you need them and don't have any. Also, if you get stuck in the Ti-Lam Dungeon and have no food or water, that is typically the GM's cue to Not Bother With Rolls.
-- Whistle: Good for signalling your WBs to heel, shake hands, or play dead. No use otherwise.
Revision [648]
Edited on 2006-09-27 17:41:35 by NimeaSylvanosAdditions:
Parthos is a Role-Playing Game run in the chatroom [[www.parthosrpg/forum/ The Colleseum]] during [[Schedule scheduled sessions]]. It is played largely through imagination and writing, between a group of characters (the players) interacting with one another and the world around them. As you may have gathered from the extensive __**[[Rules rules]]**__ section, this game is run more like a table-top RP, with dice to determine some outcomes, and not a freeform game. Even with the rules, though, the game is relatively easy to learn, if difficult to master. Most of the game takes place in the inn of the Parthenon, where adventurers gather to talk, spar, and wait for work from PGMs, be it slaying a local menace, protecting cargo, or furthering some ne'er-do-well's schemes.
It is not essentail that you learn all of the __**[[Rules rules]]**__ before you begin playing, but, as they are very helpful to understanding the game, we recommend that you read through a few pages at least, especially concerning the character you are interested in playing. Don't worry, if you need help with the game, there are several players in the chat who would be glad to help you along.
You are always welcome to watch a session without a character sheet, however, if you want to join the fun, you'll need to fill out a __**[[charactercreation character creation]]**__ request, and wait to recieve your sheet. With your sheet, you will be ready to step into the inn and interact with the other characters, as well as join in some ongoing spars as a combatant or bettor, or even join in a tourney (adventure) that takes place outside of the Parthenon's walls.
Since this is a storyline game, there is no real 'end goal'. Your characters adventure out by their own motivations, and stay or leave for their own reasons. Maybe they come to become wealthy, or powerful. Maybe they come seek to right the wrongs. Maybe they are out to further a cause, or make a mark in the world. Maybe they are desperate for work, in a dull and labor-driven city. It's up to you to decided. The PGMs create the adventures, but it is up to you to fill them with interesting lively characters!
**//Speaking In Character://** Generally, anything that you type in that is not indicated as an action, or as an OOC comment is thought to be directly spoken by your character. Some people prefer to use quotes to indicate this, but it remains a matter of preference, not neccessity.
//Please note:// If there is a tourney already in progress, you are still permitted to role-play being in the Parthenon with the other players, but please do not disturb the tourney in progress. As much as you may want to help them, tournies in progress are limited to the players already assembled for it, and there will always be opportunities to catch new tournies later on. With a tourney in progress, it is still possible to RP with a few friends in the inn, as long as this does not distract the current session.
It is not essentail that you learn all of the __**[[Rules rules]]**__ before you begin playing, but, as they are very helpful to understanding the game, we recommend that you read through a few pages at least, especially concerning the character you are interested in playing. Don't worry, if you need help with the game, there are several players in the chat who would be glad to help you along.
You are always welcome to watch a session without a character sheet, however, if you want to join the fun, you'll need to fill out a __**[[charactercreation character creation]]**__ request, and wait to recieve your sheet. With your sheet, you will be ready to step into the inn and interact with the other characters, as well as join in some ongoing spars as a combatant or bettor, or even join in a tourney (adventure) that takes place outside of the Parthenon's walls.
Since this is a storyline game, there is no real 'end goal'. Your characters adventure out by their own motivations, and stay or leave for their own reasons. Maybe they come to become wealthy, or powerful. Maybe they come seek to right the wrongs. Maybe they are out to further a cause, or make a mark in the world. Maybe they are desperate for work, in a dull and labor-driven city. It's up to you to decided. The PGMs create the adventures, but it is up to you to fill them with interesting lively characters!
**//Speaking In Character://** Generally, anything that you type in that is not indicated as an action, or as an OOC comment is thought to be directly spoken by your character. Some people prefer to use quotes to indicate this, but it remains a matter of preference, not neccessity.
//Please note:// If there is a tourney already in progress, you are still permitted to role-play being in the Parthenon with the other players, but please do not disturb the tourney in progress. As much as you may want to help them, tournies in progress are limited to the players already assembled for it, and there will always be opportunities to catch new tournies later on. With a tourney in progress, it is still possible to RP with a few friends in the inn, as long as this does not distract the current session.
Deletions:
It is not essentail that you learn all of the __**[[Rules rules]]**__ before you begin playing, but, as they are very helpful to understanding the game, we recommend that you read through a few pages at least, especially concerning the character you are interested in playing. Don't worry, if you need help with the game, there are several players in the chat who would be interested in helping you.
After you fill out a __**[[charactercreation character creation]]**__ request, and recieve your sheet, you will be ready to step into the inn and interact with the other characters, as well as join in some ongoing spars as a combatant or bettor, or even join in a tourney (adventure) that takes place outside of the Parthenon's walls.
//Please note:// If there is a tourney already in progress, you are still permitted to role-play being in the Parthenon with the other players, but please do not disturb the tourney in progress. As much as you may want to help them, tournies in progress are limited to the players already assembled for it, and there will always be opportunities to catch new tournies later on.
**//Speaking In Character://** Generally, anything that you type in that is not indicated as an action, or as an OOC comment is thought to be directly spoken by your character. Some people prefer to use quotes to indicate this, but it is a matter of preference, not neccessity.
Revision [647]
Edited on 2006-09-27 17:21:17 by NimeaSylvanosAdditions:
Parthos is a Role-Playing Game run in the chatroom [[www.parthosrpg/forum/ The Colleseum]] during [[Schedule scheduled sessions]]. It is played largely through imagination and writing, between a group of characters (the players) interacting with one another and the world around them. As you may have gathered from the extensive __**[[Rules rules]]**__ section, this game is run more like a table-top RP, and not a freeform game. Even with the rules, though, the game is relatively easy to learn, if difficult to master. Most of the game takes place in the inn of the Parthenon, where adventurers gather to talk, spar, and wait for work from PGMs.
Deletions:
Revision [646]
Edited on 2006-09-27 17:20:45 by NimeaSylvanosAdditions:
Parthos is a Role-Playing Game run in the chatroom [[www.parthosrpg/forum The Colleseum]] during [[Schedules scheduled sessions]]. It is played largely through imagination and writing, between a group of characters (the players) interacting with one another and the world around them. As you may have gathered from the extensive __**[[Rules rules]]**__ section, this game is run more like a table-top RP, and not a freeform game. Even with the rules, though, the game is relatively easy to learn, if difficult to master. Most of the game takes place in the inn of the Parthenon, where adventurers gather to talk, spar, and wait for work from PGMs.
