THE OotS Thread, Part IV.

[Bedlam]

Normally I don't comment in this thread, usually The strip updates so infrequently, it's over all interest to me is brief. But...
THAT, That was an honest to god "Didn't see THAT coming" moment for me. And seeing them plan, and execute something so, flawlessly was both brilliant and somewhat chilling.

From the point she noted she wanted to hang around murdering gnomes I know Hayley was going to kill her, when they started walking I knew she was taking her somewhere to have her killed. I sort of expected a big red cross on the floor and a giant catapult or rocket but the volcano was a good idea.

[Sinewmire]

Yeah, about as good an end as Crystal could have expected, and a nice nod to Terminator 2 as well. A solid wrap up to the Thieves Guild here, I imagine Hank's response will be "My boss and his right-hand golem are dead? Oh nooooo. Have we got my new headed notepaper in yet?"

[Crazedwraith]

Just chuckled at OotS for the first time in quite a while

Took me a moment to remember what Roy and Durkon were upto though.

[Raesene]

983 is up

[Simon_Jester]

Huh. Sudden burst of output here. Wonder if it'll be sustained...

[Napoleon the Clown]

Depends on how much progress he's pulled off with his Kickstarter promises. He did a Q&A that I browsed through, and apparently he's been swamped with that stuff in addition to doing comics.

[Crazedwraith]

I like Durkon's mum more with every flashback.

[Zixinus]

Isn't it that expensive because they require appropriately expensive components to make the spell happen? I'm talking about the limb-replacement.

[Irbis]

No, Regenerate is expensive just because, requiring nothing but standard high level casting fee.

[Stormin]

There isn't a surplus of high level casters though if only the high priests could do it, and their spell slots are probably already spoken for so even if a commoner managed to scrape up the cash it might not be enough to have the spell cast.

If you can get a level 13 cleric to cast it, the spell costs 910gp. Goes all the way up to 1400gp if the caster is level 20. (caster level x 70gp). Someone with low ranks in profession/craft or another means of earning a living could possibly earn enough in about a year if they didn't need to eat, or pay for housing or anything else like that.

[Irbis]

There isn't a surplus of high level casters though if only the high priests could do it, and their spell slots are probably already spoken for so even if a commoner managed to scrape up the cash it might not be enough to have the spell cast.

Spoken for for what exactly?

See, this is what puzzles me in D&D religions - I can see fees and such in mercantile god or when being requested by someone of different faith, but charging your own faithful for miracles you should be giving out for free (seeing you regain slots every 24 hours anyway so every spell not cast is a net loss) sounds like a good way to lose all believers to one god who will actually mandate that...

[Starglider]

I always assumed that the fees were just for travelling adventurers, who normally get all these injuries and curses in the pursuit of vast wealth and fame, and generally sticking their noses into places and forces that no normal person would risk. Local worshippers who are injured through simple misfortune should indeed be treated for free or at least whatever offering they can actually afford, where spell slots permit.

[Ralin]

There isn't a surplus of high level casters though if only the high priests could do it, and their spell slots are probably already spoken for so even if a commoner managed to scrape up the cash it might not be enough to have the spell cast.

Spoken for for what exactly?

See, this is what puzzles me in D&D religions - I can see fees and such in mercantile god or when being requested by someone of different faith, but charging your own faithful for miracles you should be giving out for free (seeing you regain slots every 24 hours anyway so every spell not cast is a net loss) sounds like a good way to lose all believers to one god who will actually mandate that...

All the hypothetical high priest's other responsibilities. Spellcaster demographics vary but whatever the exact numbers only a very small percentage of the population will be able to cast those spells, and probably no more than a few times a day. The high priest is probably an important person with numerous duties including things like "Be on standby to cast important high level spells." It would be a shame if there was no one to fend off a freak super storm with Control Weather or some weird rampaging monster that can only be stopped by regenerating its limbs because the high priest of Odin had bad resource discipline.

I mean yeah there are probably also relatively few amputees in any given geographical area and maybe it would make sense to declare every other Tuesday Free Regeneration Day and hold a lottery or something, but that's getting into campaign specific details and it's simplest to assume they default to expecting a donation.

[Gaidin]

Spoken for for what exactly?

See, this is what puzzles me in D&D religions - I can see fees and such in mercantile god or when being requested by someone of different faith, but charging your own faithful for miracles you should be giving out for free (seeing you regain slots every 24 hours anyway so every spell not cast is a net loss) sounds like a good way to lose all believers to one god who will actually mandate that...

I have no idea if this is how they still do it, but a few versions ago it was literally summing a traditional non-monetary fee into its monetary equivalent.

[Crazedwraith]

If you can get a level 13 cleric to cast it, the spell costs 910gp. Goes all the way up to 1400gp if the caster is level 20. (caster level x 70gp). Someone with low ranks in profession/craft or another means of earning a living could possibly earn enough in about a year if they didn't need to eat, or pay for housing or anything else like that.

Seriously? It gets more expensive the more powerful you get? Not cheaper? I guess game balance? Because that seems counter-intuitive to me. More spell levels = more power = easier to do things.

[Mr Bean]

If you can get a level 13 cleric to cast it, the spell costs 910gp. Goes all the way up to 1400gp if the caster is level 20. (caster level x 70gp). Someone with low ranks in profession/craft or another means of earning a living could possibly earn enough in about a year if they didn't need to eat, or pay for housing or anything else like that.

Seriously? It gets more expensive the more powerful you get? Not cheaper? I guess game balance? Because that seems counter-intuitive to me. More spell levels = more power = easier to do things.

More Power the greater the effects of some spells. Something like Regeneration only heals a tiny bit extra per caster level not enough to care compared to the whole regrowing limbs thing.

[Stormin]

Spell, 0-level Caster level × 5 gp
Spell, 1st-level Caster level × 10 gp
Spell, 2nd-level Caster level × 20 gp
Spell, 3rd-level Caster level × 30 gp
Spell, 4th-level Caster level × 40 gp
Spell, 5th-level Caster level × 50 gp
Spell, 6th-level Caster level × 60 gp
Spell, 7th-level Caster level × 70 gp
Spell, 8th-level Caster level × 80 gp
Spell, 9th-level Caster level × 90 gp

Spell
The indicated amount is how much it costs to get a spellcaster to cast a spell for you. This cost assumes that you can go to the spellcaster and have the spell cast at his or her convenience (generally at least 24 hours later, so that the spellcaster has time to prepare the spell in question). If you want to bring the spellcaster somewhere to cast a spell you need to negotiate with him or her, and the default answer is no.

The cost given is for a spell with no cost for a material component or focus component and no XP cost. If the spell includes a material component, add the cost of that component to the cost of the spell.

If the spell has a focus component (other than a divine focus), add 1/10 the cost of that focus to the cost of the spell. If the spell has an XP cost, add 5 gp per XP lost.

Furthermore, if a spell has dangerous consequences, the spellcaster will certainly require proof that you can and will pay for dealing with any such consequences (that is, assuming that the spellcaster even agrees to cast such a spell, which isn’t certain). In the case of spells that transport the caster and characters over a distance, you will likely have to pay for two castings of the spell, even if you aren’t returning with the caster.

In addition, not every town or village has a spellcaster of sufficient level to cast any spell. In general, you must travel to a small town (or larger settlement) to be reasonably assured of finding a spellcaster capable of casting 1st-level spells, a large town for 2nd-level spells, a small city for 3rd- or 4th-level spells, a large city for 5th- or 6th-level spells, and a metropolis for 7th- or 8th-level spells. Even a metropolis isn’t guaranteed to have a local spellcaster able to cast 9th-level spells.

Here's the basic spell cost info from the d20srd.org website. Of course not everyone would pay for spells with a wheelbarrow full of gold coins, if a level 5 expert with a maxed out useful profession needed a regeneration cast on him he might indenture himself for a couple of years to complete some great work of art dedicated to the priest's god. I always try to keep a few interesting npc information tidbits like that around to apply on the fly as needed in case the players take an unexpected interest in a background character that I had zero fleshing out done.

[Rogue 9]

984 is up.
Spoiler

I just cannot figure out what Durkula's game is here. I mean, we're going to find out shortly, obviously, but it seems to me that finding a cleric capable of casting resurrection is a singularly bad idea, because one that can do that can also handily do the destroying him bit that's the necessary first step.

[Crazedwraith]

Yeah there's obviously a plan and he wanted to get a rise out of the priest. But i can't figure out the whys and what-fors.

[Grumman]

If you can get a level 13 cleric to cast it, the spell costs 910gp. Goes all the way up to 1400gp if the caster is level 20. (caster level x 70gp). Someone with low ranks in profession/craft or another means of earning a living could possibly earn enough in about a year if they didn't need to eat, or pay for housing or anything else like that.

Seriously? It gets more expensive the more powerful you get? Not cheaper? I guess game balance? Because that seems counter-intuitive to me. More spell levels = more power = easier to do things.

A good artist might work faster than a bad artist, but that doesn't automatically mean the good artist will pass that saving on to the client. This is not the cost of consumables, it's the price a spellcaster can charge for his services and still find buyers, and a spellcaster who can cast more powerful spells can charge more for his time even if it takes him less work.

[Bedlam]

Yeah there's obviously a plan and he wanted to get a rise out of the priest. But i can't figure out the whys and what-fors.

The only thing I can think of is trying to goad anyone powerful enough into a fight so he has a reason to kill him, but that doesn't make much sense.

As the next god their looking for has druids I wonder how he'll react to someone who can cast reincarnation?

[Ralin]

Yeah there's obviously a plan and he wanted to get a rise out of the priest. But i can't figure out the whys and what-fors.

The only thing I can think of is trying to goad anyone powerful enough into a fight so he has a reason to kill him, but that doesn't make much sense.

As the next god their looking for has druids I wonder how he'll react to someone who can cast reincarnation?

There's a reference here that will be obvious in retrospect but I haven't read Norse mythology in a long time. Some sort of traveler or outcast deity or cleric.

Helga, maybe? Some specific cleric that Hel wants dead?

[Rogue 9]

985 is up.

[Raesene]

Spoiler

Now That could get interesting if Durkula didn't notice that she noticed...a high level cleric against those two ?

[Ralin]

So at this point I'm assuming Durkula's plan goes something like "Assassinate a bunch of very important (not necessarily powerful) religious figures using Good-aligned Roy as cover to get in close." Possibly in an attempt to create some sort of diplomatic incident, mortal or divine.

And preemptively, Durkon was pretty high level to begin with and that's before you tack on the vampire template and the element of surprise. So I'll buy he can do a great deal of harm very quickly even to important and powerful clergy.