Title: Role the Dice: Asteriskos Sapphirus
Author: Travezty
Media: Tabletop RPG
Topic: Dungeons & Dragons
Genre: Adventure / Romance
URL: Chapter 4
Critiqued by BatJamags, Kane, and Silabar the Librarian
Hello once again, wardens and lunatics! Last time, a convenient old guy showed up and started dumping a bunch of overpowered magic items on the protagonists for no apparent reason, other than I guess to bribe them to go slay a dragon that he is very obviously powerful enough to kill himself. We resume this nonsense in progress.
Two days later, Drugo is hitched up to the Carriage, but thanks to the old man’s magic, it has similar properties to that of a Cast-Off Armor,
A low-level magic item. Usually armor takes 1-5 minutes to remove depending on whether it’s light, medium, or heavy, while cast-off armor can be removed essentially instantaneously. I don’t even know if that’s actually useful in-game, because the only time it makes a difference is combat and I can’t think of a reason you’d want to take your armor off in combat.
and so with but a word, Drugo can hitch and unhitch himself from the Carriage with no trouble.
Kane: Yet another unfathomably petty convenience to be heaped on our protagonists by this inexplicable wandering wizard who simultaneously powerful enough to devise entirely new magical items at will in a matter of days but also incapable of confronting an explicitly weak dragon.
Silabar: And who, like so many ostensibly important characters, remains unnamed.
Finding this to his liking, Drugo uses the magic to hitch himself up and test his abilities with six willing volunteers.
Making a few pulls to adjust to the weight, and to gauge his strength… Drugo manages to get the carriage moving, and despite lacking the speed of a horse, he actually manages to pull it at a decent speed, and… Actually manages to make the turns both at speed and with precision, if just barely.
Kane: So, you spent two hundred gold pieces on a diverting inefficiency.
Silabar: And wasted two days to confirm that this is not useful while Romania is being burned by a dragon!
“Amazing!” The old man exclaims, that was quite impressive for a first go at it! Actually if you manage to utilize your wings when you need to make jumps, you may be able to gain more height or soften a landing!”
(A/N: In game terms, if he utilizes his wings to for jumps or landings with the Carriage, he can give the carriage the benefits of his long or high jump, and give the carriage resistance to fall damage for falls of 30ft or lower.)
Silabar: That is not how carriages or dragons work! The drag will interfere with his aerodynamics, and the harness is not rigid, meaning that while momentum may keep the carriage oriented properly for “long jumps,” significant vertical motion will cause it to flop and likely amplify the damage of a long fall.
“Interesting!” Drugo exclaims, smiling. “By the way old man, what’s your name?”
After he’s been showering goodies on you for two days straight.
“Oh how rude of me! My name is Saephyros!” The man says, to which Drugo thinks on that name and his eyes widen. “Oh you know me?”
Puff the Magic Dragon: No, it’s just a stupid name.
… Everybody, get down! Contrivance incoming!
Continue reading “0308: Role the Dice: Asteriskos Sapphirus – “Session” 3, Part 2″
The Asylum Riffs 