Beyond Povero OOC and recruitment

[Adam]

Sure, I'll get back in.

[ewancummins]

ALHOON

Smokepowder is a minor magical/alchemical item. So it's costly.
But I don't want to make it so expensive your guy can never afford it.

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For purposes of gearing up now, treat each small charge of smoke powder as equal in cost to a flask of Greek fire. That seems balanced, as the damage is roughly similar and so are the risks.
This stuff's not technically magical, but it's something only experts can make and it requires special materials and tools.
Prices may vary from locale to locale, and change over time, just as with anything else.
Smokepowder cannot readily be obtained outside cities. Too scarce. It's not something you buy at a town's general store.

As suggested in the DMG, smoke powder is a binary explosive. This isn't actually real world gunpowder.

10 deniers a charge (arquebus)
In some places, it might be 25 or more.
But here, 10.


1 follaro a round for the shot. Because your guy is a trained lead smith, own tools, and is a proficient hand gunner, he can salvage lead and cast his own rounds. This is normal practice, as guns are not standardized.

I'm going to include a slow match in the arquebus cost. You need it to shoot.
If you want an extra spool of slow match in a waxed sack, spend another three deniers.

[ewancummins]

armor you can buy in Karse-port

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banded mail 200d
brigandine 120d
chain mail 75 d
hide 15 d
leather 5 d
padded 4 d
plate & mail 600 d
ring mail 100 d
scale mail 120 d
splint mail 80 d
studded leather 20 d

various shields and helmets
great helm 30 d
basinet (a kind of helmet) 8d
shields from buckler to body

I'm not super nitpicky, but I do use encumbrance. Some armors are relatively costly, but lighter weight than equivalent cheaper protection.

Fild would have

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460 left after getting the arquebus.

You wanted ten to fifteen charges of powder, ball, etc.
Ten charges= 100 deniers. Plus a denier for shot. Plus three deniers for spare matches.
104
Add a waxed cover or box to keep stuff dry, for one more.
105

460-105=
355

Check Fild's STR score. Stronger=can carry more.

Mules, ponies, and horses are also available, if anyone wants to ride or to acquire a draft animal.

[ewancummins]

Sure, I'll get back in.

Cool

So

ALHOON
VAN
ADAM
KINTIRE?

[alhoon]

A pony after the trip. Fild has str 13.
Florin is 10 sd, correct?
So with 355 sd I have ~35 florins... that's not enough to buy better armor. Are you sure it's not sd? Cause 200 sd (equivalent of 200 PHB gp) for studded leather seems a bit steep.

Fild can make bullets cause he has... plumbing (lead-blacksmith). Without tools though I think he's better buying them.

[ewancummins]

A pony after the trip. Fild has str 13.
Florin is 10 sd, correct?
So with 355 sd I have ~35 florins... that's not enough to buy better armor. Are you sure it's not sd? Cause 200 sd (equivalent of 200 PHB gp) for studded leather seems a bit steep.

Fild can make bullets cause he has... plumbing (lead-blacksmith). Without tools though I think he's better buying them.

200? What, no 20.

Oops, I wrote florins and not deniers. Let me edit.

[ewancummins]

I was very tired and dealing with a cranky baby. Sorry for the confusion, Alhoon.

To clarify: I meant to write deniers, not florins. Silver, not gold.

Taking it from the top.

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He had 1200 SILVER DENIERS worth of treasure.

240 cut for taxes, appraisal fees, money changing, and all that jazz.

960

-

500 FOR NEW BOOMSTICK

460
-105 for ammo and stuff

355

-200 for BANDED MAIL IF YOU LIKE

=

155 SILVER DENIERS LEFT TO SPEND
-40 for a pony with saddlebags, blanket, shoes, all that stuff. This is a pack animal, trained. It will follow simple commands.
We can roll up some traits for it later.

[ewancummins]

FILD ENCUMBRANCE
Up to 45 lbs. is unencumbered.

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10 lbs boomstick
3 lbs sword including scabbard/belt
5 lbs clothes, boots, cloak, whatever
a couple pounds of powder and lead shot
So approx. 20 lbs
+ armor

Looks like he's lightly encumbered in the heavier armor. But that's no bid deal, as he can always stick his boomstick on a mule/pony--or hire a gun and extra gear carrier. It's not like he's wading into melee with it. That's why he has a sword, right?

[alhoon]

FILD ENCUMBRANCE
Up to 45 lbs. is unencumbered.

10 lbs boomstick
3 lbs sword including scabbard/belt
5 lbs clothes, boots, cloak, whatever
a couple pounds of powder and lead shot
So approx. 20 lbs
+ armor

Looks like he's lightly encumbered in the heavier armor. But that's no bid deal, as he can always stick his boomstick on a mule/pony--or hire a gun and extra gear carrier. It's not like he's wading into melee with it. That's why he has a sword, right?

First thing first, the sd / gf mix-up was not a problem.
Lightly encumbered in heavy armor seems fine IMO. What penalties does it cause? How long to put on the banded?

So... 115 sd left? That's fine.
How much to send letters back to Povero (the two aristocrats) of where he is, that they reached the place safely and his best wishes for them to find happiness? Not much info on the letter. If the price is reasonably affordable, I would write it up, but if it costs a lot to send back a letter, then he wouldn't do it yet.

[alhoon]

Also, I have to admit I am a bit disappointed I didn't get to use my Arquebus against evil pirate scooner or something as they approached unaware, and then complain how much it costs for each shot.
Arquebuses would be excellent against small pirate boats. Inaccurate? Sure, but it's not like the ships stand idle; bows would be as inaccurate! And the Arquebus can damage a boat's structure, has a loud bang to scare the mongrels (is that anti-pirate lingo? Or we call them scum? ) and has a bigger punch than an arrow.

Historically speaking, I am not sure why crossbows were used in ships (making the Genoese crossbowmen the fear of the Mediterranean pirates) and not arquebuses...

[ewancummins]

Also, I have to admit I am a bit disappointed I didn't get to use my Arquebus against evil pirate scooner or something as they approached unaware, and then complain how much it costs for each shot.
Arquebuses would be excellent against small pirate boats. Inaccurate? Sure, but it's not like the ships stand idle; bows would be as inaccurate! And the Arquebus can damage a boat's structure, has a loud bang to scare the mongrels (is that anti-pirate lingo? Or we call them scum? ) and has a bigger punch than an arrow.

Historically speaking, I am not sure why crossbows were used in ships (making the Genoese crossbowmen the fear of the Mediterranean pirates) and not arquebuses...

Water damps powder. Damp powder no splode.

Oh, sure, splashing water and rain is not good for bowstrings and such, but a wellmade crossbow would likely be more reliable at sea. And more accurate than an unrifled arquebus.


Hand guns were used at Lepanto, as I recall. Wheellocks, even. But that's a bit beyond the technology of this setting.

We are, as you suggest, looking at something more like Genoese crossbowmen shooting up some pirates.

[ewancummins]

About smoke-powder (which is not the same as real gunpowder)
Based on DMG:

It is a binary explosive, usually kept separated.
Granular steel blue stuff and fine white powder. Inert until combined.
Does 1d2 damage a pinch if set alight.
Explodes with great force.

Sounds like a high explosive to me. So the gasses expand more quickly than from burning gunpowder.
This makes sense. Those exploding PHB arquebuses are not only primitive guns, but primitive guns shooting some hot stuff!

I do not see a lot of notes about water. I will rule that soaked powder does not ignite. It has be be dried out afterward.



But I am going to say smokepowder is as effected by precipation , humidity, all that as bowstrings. Which is to say, most of the time we ignore it in play. shooting in a heavy downpour might be a problem. D nD rules are not hyperdetailed. It would be dumb and unfair to go overboard adding realistic drawbacks to powder while ignoring things like swords breaking, bowstrings getting too wet, and so on.
The boon is the exploding damage dice.
The drawback is sometimes your arquebus goes boom out of all the wrong places, in your hands.

[ewancummins]

RE LETTER

I'll look over my (incomplete) maps and figure cost.

Ships come and go between Povero and this part of the world, so he might be able to get a captain to carry it for him for a modest sum. A letter takes up negligible space.

[kintire]

Sorry, I'm a bit behind at the moment!

Since I am a new player, is there a gap in the party roster I should fill? Are we short of anything?

[ewancummins]

Sorry, I'm a bit behind at the moment!

Since I am a new player, is there a gap in the party roster I should fill? Are we short of anything?

This group felt a little bit lightweight in straight up fights, last game. But at that point, it was a thief heavy group. Now it's down to just one thief type.
This party has no magical healing since the player of the cleric had to bow out.

Play what you please. The stats from the ability score bank, rejiggered with either option, should allow a wide variety of possibilities.

If you know which race you want to play, that will narrow it (class choice)down.