The Adventure continues
Six years after season 6, Occupied Equestria presents an alternative history where Chrysalis chose a different approach to her second attack on Equestria. The Changelings have conquered half of Equestria, while a former Equestrian colony - soured to Princess Twilight's notion of harmony with all creatures thank to their dealing with griffins - Invaded and took the other half. In Baltimare and the Equestrian Southeast, the magic of friendship has weakened, as Communists, Changeling infiltrators, Fascists, gangs, and corrupt creepy politicians threaten the city. This role play is based in large part upon the Equestria at War mod for Hearts of Iron 4, and uses D&d 3.5e mechanics.
The Eastside Tavern Gang has broken through the house and pool-house of the politician Comte Burgher. What they found has been nothing short of astonishing. Deeds for properties bought by secret societies, seditious communications, cryptic booklets, concerning academic interests, and above all else, a sex dungeon with two young colts chained up, and traumatized. With these, they found something else: two caged and chained up adolescent Changeling drones. So doing what any logically minded group of people would do when encountering caged life-force vampires, they let the things suck on them, then took them home and hugged them and loved them and squeezed them and called them 'George.'
Dark Star is coming to terms with loss in the Stallion's room of the Eastside tavern, while Iron aids him. Silver dreams of an Equestria that is no more and his long lost family (while sleeping in a fairly awkward position). Ash awaits a new dawn of service, Onyx a new life of possible employment, while Brie and Spark stay in a small room with two strange guests
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On a completely unrelated note, I think my character should probably be taking care of animals a lot more.
I've been considering how Fluttershy seems to feed and heal pretty much every creature in the forest, and I think I should probably follow her example to be a proper Druid. It a question if animals in Equestria are even capable of taking care of themselves, since it seemed as though they didn't even know when to wake up from hibernation, if Fluttershy didn't wake them.
>tfw no Flutterdruid to teach me about taking care of animals
It was actually supposed to be Sister Ash's primary motivation in traveling Equestria to study ponies as the engine of their ecosystem, and caretakers of nature. The poverty services were meant to be her response to working in an urban environment (since she considers poverty to be one of the horrors of the modern world); since she considers ponies to be natural creatures.
>>88980He drops the field around her dock, a little surprised by her lack of reaction, and finding that her dock is not as ticklish as he would have expect. He's not disappointed, however. He moves his hooves up to massage the sides of her barrel.
"When Communists took over and made Stalliongrad independent, not all of Severyana joined them. Most southern reaches remained in Equestrian control, thanks to higher amount of Harmonist support in region than what Communists could manage. And now that territory is in your control."
>>88988I really don't see many chances to help out animals in an urban setting, but I'll be sure to remind you if I can.
>>88990Well, we're not going to be in an urban setting forever, and there's still a forest behind the abbey. I just want to explore my character's niche.
Besides, as a Druid, making sure the forest/animals/wilderness is taken care of is really her whole job; like, if it's supposed to be as mandatory as a Paladin's code. If she failed to serve her role to protect nature too many times, or showed and lack of reverence to the natural world, she'd lose the favor of the earth, and thus all of her class features.
>>88991Understandable.
By the way, I was thinking of leaving Star to interact with the foals and tell a nun to notify Star that we left and where we are going.
Either tavern of directly to the mademares,
but Spark should come in handy to do the pacifist route.>>88992I know. It must be tough to reel in the need to do some stupid shit for instant gratification,
like how I'm 'terrorizing' foals as a booping statue. >>88993Yeah, I really do want to finish up this sidequest so that my character can explore her niche a bit more.
Nopony said playing an Exalted character in a WWII setting would be easy...
I'm hoping I can select the feats I actually want after the level-up though.
>>88989“Oh I assure you, we know. There is and has been the concern they they will Invade south, to try to take the areas they think theirs. Even for creatures that do not appreciate the nation or the homeland, they still try to claim it... Their greatest window has passed, however. If they had struck during the war the Hegemony would have stalled, and the State would have been pushed back into the sea.”
>>88996"There is threat of Nova Griffonia to north. They might be worried that declaring war on one of their neighbors will give free pass to others to do same to them. No matter how highly Stalliongrad's officer corps thinks of themselves, they know they can not fight three-front war with ocean at their back."
>>88998>>88997Actually, I think I'll try to do that now.
>>88999Can Sister Ash tell a nun that she's leaving with Iron to run an errand, and to inform Dark Star that they left?
>>89004What errand? I know players like to be suber duvet sekret with their intent, but if this campaign is going to run continuously, be actually three delegate campaign for different groups of players, and I have to improvise half of it, then I need to know what I am supposed to be making up before I am asked to generate a scene
>>89005Well, I wanted to go investigate what was going on with those mademares, but I guess could hold that off until the weekend too.
>>89005"What Communists have claimed, however, is no match for what self-proclaimed Tsar Peter IV claimed was extent of Severyanan territory. I remember back when I was teenager and he was young and just starting out in politics, I read about then-infamous debate he and his Tsarist faction had against Loyalist faction that had been spread throughout all of Severyana. They claimed not only what Communists have claims on today, but also Grivvish Isles, Village-Up-North, and all of Nova Griffonia and Griffon Frontier, all way up to border with Pingland. Essentially, he claimed all territory ancient Severyanan tribe had control over back in times of Three Tribes."
>>89006>>89005Basically what Iron said.
>>89009Go to tavern, fetch Spark and go to the mademare OR just go to the mademares.
Of course, I will not take Spark away from the smol bugs until Silver comes back to his home or any other pony can take care of them.
Today, in Stable Mare News!
Openia has been defeated by the sickening insects that call themselves the changelings! Those disgusting monsters tore through the poor deer's defenses with their advanced weaponry and underhanded tactics befitting of parasites.
The Equestrians did nothing about this situation, further showing the true, hypocritical colors of those 'harmonists' which want to sacrifice everyone else for the sake of 'world peace'. First it was us New Marelanders, now it's the deer who live right next door. This is proof that they do not care about anything more than themselves.
This is a call to action! Vote the Duke on the upcoming elections! We must choose the pony who'll vouch for our safety instead of some cake-eating, backstabbing princesses that don't care about us! New Marelanders, choose the pony who will protect you against the pesky birds and the parasites around us! Choose the pony who will help restore this country's former glory! Vote the Duke!
So, I'm guessing there was some post number manipulation for the creation of the new bread at >>89000 because I accidentally took the millennial trips without realizing it. It's weird seeing (You) next to the name field when I'm not the GM.
>>89016Pretty much, yeah.
Thought it was weird too.
I'll take a smol nap for now. I'll be back in either old or new thread in about 1 or 2 hours.
>>89020Woah, where did the new thread go?
>>89022Spooky. Was there any posts made there in the last hour I wasn't away?
>>89025Bummer. I hope GM's alright
and did not abuse any possible mod powers he has.Or was it Brie the post manipulator? Who knows? >>89028The new thread was also missing it's title, iirc
>>89028I noticed it. It stayed up for about an hour, didn't get any replies in that time, then got delet.
>>89030>>89029Interesting info. I guess GM willfully deleted it to remedy the lack of title. Hopefully this will give Star enough time to come back and gain his plot relevance again.
Maybe I could whip out my bard as compensation of Star's loss, if the GM allows to multiroleplay.
I'll be fair with it. She's a friendly bug that goes along with everyone, because she knows that's the best way to obtain love. Well, I guess I'll go to bed.
I have things to do tomorrow.
>>89036Well, I guess I can add "cussed out by GM" to the list of reasons why today has sucked donkey balls. Thanks for that.
>>89037Well, that sucks in general.
It's not as if he's actually mad. Maybe it was a drunk post at worst.
>>89044Oh, whoops.
I wonder who's here at the moment, apart from you and GM. Maybe we could unite with Spark still.
Unless the GM needs some time to plan out the mademare encounters.Also you get to interact with the bugs while w wait. >>89045I've accomplished everything I needed to do today.
>>89046Alright, just need Spark boi and Silver present. Maybe Brie, if he can get into it
and is not too weighted down by Star's absence Reposting spells, cuz I'm bored.
Orisons:
Detect Magic
Create Water
Read Magic
Scarecrow
Mending
Light
Animal Trick
Naturewatch
1st level:
Regenerate Light Wounds
Vision Of Punishment
Enrage Animal
Animal Friendship
2nd level:
Regenerate Moderate Wounds
Chill Metal
Kelpstrand
3rd:
Celestial Aspect
Downdraft
>>89052I'll post my bard spells to appease your boredom. Tell me if you have any suggestions.
Zero-level
Detect Magic
Flare
Lullaby
Daze
Mending
Mage Hand
First-level
Charm Person
Disguise Self
Comprehend Languages
Sleep
Second-level
Heroism
Detect thoughts
Is fascinate a good spell? >>89053>FascinateBards get Fascinate as an at-will supernatural ability.
>>89053Also, if Changelings are at all similar to Changelings in Eberron, their Disguise ability shouldn't stack with the Disguise self spell.
>>89053Heroism doesn't stack with Inspire Courage, since they're both Morale bonuses. I wouldn't suggest it, unless you just really want to buff without playing.
Bard is the Buffer class: Knowing the difference between a competence/morale/luck/enhancement/circumstance/luck/flanking/dodge bonus is the first step to guiding your allies to success.
Forgot pic.
Also note that Bards get the most powerful skill in the game: Use Magick Device. They're also encouraged to have Int and Charisma too, so they're the best core UMD class.
PC's get roughly 60% of their power and versitality from the items they have on them, and a Bard of sufficient level can use any item he wants.
>>89055You're right.I'll exchange disguise self for animate rope.
>>89056How about replacing it with glitterdust?
>>89057I actually have just 1 rank in it. Should I increase it? >>89058Yeah, you want to increase UMD. It's your best skill after Perform, Diplomacy, and Bluff.
Always max those out as a Bard.
Note that Bards are as Int based as they are Charging based. You'll want to max out Int as your highest stat at the very beginning.
Animate rope isn't that great, tbh. Sleep won't be helpful at this level either.
Silent Image is useful at every level though.
You don't need Mage Hand, since you have telekinesis. Take Prestidigitation instead.
Glitterdust is okay.
There's a great spell called Improvization in the Spell Compendium, which will be useful at every level.
https://dndtools.net/spells/spell-compendium--86/improvisation--3531/The luck bonus to a skill check is great for any Bard.
Also, Pyrotechnics: You get a choice between two different kinds of debuffs. Not to be underestimated.
I'd suggest Alter Self, but you already have disguise abilities and flight, so no need for that.
>>89059*As they are Charisma based
>>89059>You'll want to max out intReally? How come? Is it really that useful? Or is it for the extra skill points?
>2 level 1 spells are mehIs alarm a good replacement for any of these two?
>No mention of detect thoughtsShould I place glitterdust as better than detect thoughts or no?
>>89061Changelings are pretty versatile.
>>89062The role of a Bard is the skillmonkey and "jack of all trades". You want to have lot of Int at the beginning, so you have a lot of skills and are able to max out several different skills.
Alarm isn't that great, unless you expect the DM to try to kill the party in their sleep. Even in that case, it's a Ranger spell too, and it's typpically the Ranger's niche to keep the party from being killed in the Wilderness.
>>89063How about rune?
Also, should I sacrifice the two extra points in dex I have that gives my bard an initiative mod of +7 with improved initiative, has +6 chance to hit with all missles and has +3 AC for its dex?
>>89062Both Detect thoughts and glitterdust can be decent.
Wis is your dump stat, which is kind of sad, but ranking up Sense Motive won't be bad either, if you really want to fill the niche of the negotiator.
>>89065>Improved InitiativeI wouldn't go for that, tbh.
Take Melodic Casting: it allows you to sub Perform for Concentration, and let's you cast spells while you're performing. Pretty much indespensible for a good Bard.
>>89066Do Bards even get Erase?
It's not important, unless you find the need to remove arcane marks (which you can't cast) to be a necessity.
Read Magick would be a better choice. Let's you read different languages, and activate cryptic scrolls.
>>89070Oh, I was planning a bard marksman, with a bolt-action rifle. So I should pass the wis stat to str and add that extra point at level 4 to it to use an MP40 or whatever other SMG, right?>>89071Yep, as a first-class spell.
Read magic is level zero.
How about Confusion or Hypnosis?
I'll exchange it for Mending >>89072Before I geek-out over Bard builds, don't you still have a living character to play?
>>89073Well, yeah, but since you and I can't interact with the world for the time being, I think it's a passable time to flesh out a bard character for maximum usefulness in and out of combat when Iron eventually kicks the bucket.
>>89074Tbh, Bard seems like the best possible class for a Skittlebug, since they thrive off of attention and are always so nonchalant.
>>89075To think I almost made her a rogue.
Bards are rather cool.
I think I like character interactions more than combat. >>89076Rogue sounds like it'd be the favored class of Changelings.
It is in Eberron, and their changlings have similar abilities (a transfiguration ability that functions like disguise self).
Character interactions are the main point of the game. That's what role-playing is all about.
>>89077Bards are a patrician tier class. They're admittingly really not the best at anything at all, but they've got everything a creative jackass needs to have fun.
Also, Glibness is the best spell in the game. A mid-level Bard could take over the world by lying to anyone and everyone.
>>89077Pretty much.
I like charisma-based characters now.>>89078With spells like that, changeling bards would have already taken over all of New Mareland already. Sheesh, that's a huge boost.
>>89079Spoiler, because geek-faggotry. (I've played a Bard before, so I know how good they are at causing mischief).
The stupidest, silliest, most unbelievable lie in the world suffers a -20 penalty to its bluff check. A lie that is self-destructive or hard to believe is -10. A simply bad lie is -5.
A Bard with a +15 Bluff modifier, taking 10 on a bluff check through Glibness would have a total of 55; marked down to 35 if he were trying to convince someone that he were Jesus Christ. It would be unbeatable by most characters of his level, and a lvl 20 ultra-paranoid NPC who took more than 5 ranks in Sense Motive for some reason would still need to roll decently to beat his opposed bluff. It even beats Discern Lies and Zone of Truth.
Add on Improvization and Voice Of The Dragon, and the Bard can start and end wars just by speaking.
>>89083Bards can learn Mass Suggestion: you can make your potential enemies do the Cha Cha Slide for 16 hours, if you're at that level.
>>89085Now that I think about it, should I go for two performance skills? I'd like Acting as the performance but I think that some spells would require a musical instrument.
>>89086It's really not necessary.
I'd suggest something that doesn't require an instrument.
>>89087So acting is a good choice or should I go for the safer singing route?
Both should align with the changeling's backstory.
>>89088Either works, but acting sounds like it'd work for a Skittlebug.
Acting includes poetics and drama, so there's still an auditory component.
>>89089By the way. My bug is not skittle-colored. R00d
>>89091Oh. Idk why I assumed that. Maybe I just subconsciously thought that a normal bug wouldn't spend it's time playing music.
To be completely honest, I don't think the Skittlebug color designs are really that irredeemably bad. It's just the context that bothered me in the show.
I have to get up a little earlier than other days.
Goodnight, you three people.
Let's pray that Star comes back.
>>89091>>89093Where are you getting this idea that I would let you play a Changeling character? Changelings occupy a unique place within the larger story and lore, and have unique magical abilities that make them hard to balance with the other races. There is no way I am giving one to a Munchkin player
\r
>>89095What about level adjustment?
>>89094Goodnight, I think I'll go to bed too pretty soon.
>>89096Also, Munchkin Bard is almost oxymoronic.
>>89095I did see you challenge Silver's player to feed on love some threads ago if he ever lost Silver. I just jumped into the idea since you offered it to another player.
I can always go for Pegasus, as she was meant to be previously. Maybe she'll need disguise self and other abilities changed, but it should still be fun. >>89097>>89098Sorry, just saw that while in bed. I'll go to bed for real now. Night