WTF?!?!

First, on an unrelated note: Happy Birthday to ishmael02.

Today wasn't great. I didn't exactly hate it, because I wound up spending most of the day on U-Scan. I got to read a considerable portion of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Astronomy, Second Edition, and I got to learn a neat formula:

P² = a³

where P is equal to the planetary object's orbital period in Earth years, and a is equal to the mean distance in AUs (astronomical units) of that planetary object from the Sun. I get a real kick saying that. I keep forgetting how much I loved math in school. Well, math and science. :) (For note, this formula is the third of three laws of planetary motion, first stated by Johannes Kepler in 1619. The first two were explained in 1609.)

Anyway, enough nerd stuff. :)

I came home, showered, and started trying to come up with ideas for my Star Wars RPG d20 character. It was then that my brother and I discovered something about the Tech Specialist class: It sucks. Lowest hit die of any class, fewest skill points, next lowest class defense bonus, no good saves, only two medium saves, mid-range base attack bonus, and the class features don't really make up for it. Quite simply, you'd be better off taking a level of Expert, and that class doesn't even have vitality points!!

Anyway, I'm going to rethink how I want to pursue my character's Slicing career (that's hacking in Star Wars). I'm probably going to go with Scoundrel. I doubt seriously that I am going to take levels of any other class, so I guess that's it. Perhaps I'll see if there is a Prestige Class that doesn't bite that's for Silcers in particular, but otherwise, I will remain single-class.

One for the Road, part 2

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Flinching away the impact, they stepped into a hallway. Darvin walked into the room behind Strieson, and that's where they ran into Ian. He was finishing an incantation to open a permanent portal to the Nine Hells.

Now, the conclusion:

Ian saw them, and began to explain his plans in a monologue, as per the guidelines set forth in the Villain's Essential Guide to Being Really Nasty. Ian began his monologue, and Gerri had the barbaric audacity to interrupt him. I stopped the game long enough to chastise the player for violating such a sacred trust. Ahem, anyway, Ian summoned a Cleric who fought with a Scythe, and continued his incantation.

The cleric, named Sulda, cast Deeper Darkness, since she had Blindsight. While no one could see her, she incapacitated Strieson, hurt Darvin, and froze Gerri in place. Lorcan tossed a bag of acidic caltrops into the room, and then managed to find them anyway. (Fortunately, he avoided them.)

Ian finished his casting, and ran through the portal. Darvin was right behind him, with Lorcan not far behind. Lorcan dropped a Fireball on Ian directly, but Ian avoided it. He then threw a Fireball back, and Lorcan almost bought the farm. Darvin took this opportunity to run up and kill Ian as an afterthought.(No, really, dropped him down to 3 hps with his attack one round, and finished him on the next round.)

Around this time, the Deeper Darkness spell ended, and Thomas Daenar ran through the portal. Strieson was bleeding out and Gerri was held, so Sulda went after the rest of the party. Gerri unfroze, and saved Strieson. Gerri ran through the portal after Sulda.

Thomas was fighting Sulda, and defeated her. They looked up from their victory to see a troupe of devils come around a corner (remember, they were in the Nine Hells), and prepared to fight to the death. Who should show up at that point but Daenar, Thomas's father? He destroyed the devils, and teleported them away.

We RPed some more, and I explained the ultimate fates of each of the PCs, as well as the PCs that got left along the way, such as Myst, Steiner, Kheadrin, Nym, and my own character, Chance. Then, it was over.

Everyone seemed to love it. I heard no complaints about how it ended, and everyone seemed pleased by how their characters settled down. Quick rundown of the active PCs:

Lorcan - Graduated the College, and eventually became Dean of Necromancy. His zombie head, Walter, was given a Spell-stitched body.
Gerri - Assigned by Sune to work for Kheadrin's merchant guard. (I didn't have much on this character, since Brad recently started playing her.)
Darvin - Refused a commission to join an Elite Guard in Sundabar. Traveled south and opened a bar.
Thomas - Reconciled things with his dad, and rose high in the Halls of Inspiration.
Strieson - Become a captain of a riverboat, and a respected member of the community. He's been set to hunting down his nemesis, who is apparently preying on the merchant vessels on the River Rauvin.

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I'm glad to be done. I liked the game, but I was getting a little worn out. I've NEVER run a game that lasted this long, and I wasn't prepared for the time investment involved with running such a game. Now, I have a better idea of what to expect, and I'm going to be taking a break from DMing for a while. The time I'm breaking, though, is going to be put towards preparing my next game, which involves the time travel idea I had.

And that, my friends, is that, at least where the Silver Marches are concerned.

*SHUTS THE BOOK OF THE SILVER MARCHES*

I got it!!!

I finished my Star Wars character. He's a slicer from Tatooine. At 1st level, he's got a +12 to Computer Use. I took Skill Emphasis: Computer Use, and Gearhead. Ahh, I even came up with a preliminary background for him, that I just have to tweak slightly before we play.

Now, I'm going to bed. I need sleep, and I don't seem capable of going to bed when I need to. :)