Welcome all to the Haunted Marshlands PbP. This is a Level 2-4 campaign. I'm starting with this, because it has been a long time since I've lasted played 4e D&D, so I need a little bit of a warm-up before I move on to bigger and better things. If you are interested in joining, please check out the recruitment thread in the Haven.
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This is the Out of Character (OOC) thread. Feel free to use this as a general chat thread, or if you have any gameplay question and/ or concerns, this is the perfect place to post comments.
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Havok is afraid of death, so he throws himself into battle over and over again trying to prove to himself that he is brave. He is boastful and blustery, but that is all to cover his insecurities. He is the type of man that will crush a spider underfoot because the spider startled him, and being scared makes him angry. Havok is terrified of the undead, but you would never know it to hear him speak. He is eager to try himself against the undead rumored to haunt the marshlands trying to quiet that voice in his head that shouting at him, terrified, to just turn and run.
====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ====== Havok Kai, level 2 Goliath, Barbarian Build: Rageblood Barbarian Feral Might: Rageblood Vigor
FINAL ABILITY SCORES Str 18, Con 16, Dex 14, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 10.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES Str 16, Con 14, Dex 14, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 10.
ITEMS Greatsword, Hide Armor, Badge of the Berserker +1, Adventurer's Kit, Everburning Torch, Sunrod (4), Boots of Adept Charging (heroic tier) ====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======
Do we start with equipment as level 1 characters, or do we follow the system for starting at higher levels (For level X, get free items of level X-1, X, and X+1)?
Racial Powers Dragon Breath | Encounter - Lightning Minor Action | Close burst 3 Atk: +5 vs. Fortitude Hit: 1d6 +2 Lightning damage
Class Features Combat Challenge: Whether an attack is a hit or miss, the target may be marked until the end of your next turn. The target suffers a -2 penalty to atk rolls against any other creature other than you. A new mark supercedes an old mark, so only one creature can be affected by one mark at a time. As an immediate interrupt, you may make a melee basic attack against a marked creature if it shifts out of your space or attacks a different target other than you. Combat superiority: When a target provokes an attack of opportunity, you gain a +1 (Wis) bonus to the attack. If the attack hits, you stop of the target's movement. If the creature still has actions leftover, it can resume moving. Fighter Weapon Talent: +1 bonus to atk rolls for Two-handed weapons.
Class Powers At-Will: - Cleave Standard Action Atk: +3 vs. AC Hit: 1[W] +3 damage, and adjacent target takes 3 (Str) damage. - Sure Strike Standard Action Atk: +5 vs. AC Hit: 1[W] damage Encounter: - Passing Attack Standard Action Atk: +3 vs. AC Hit: 1[W] +3 damage, and you can shift one square. Secondary Atk: +5 vs. AC Hit: 1[W] damage
Daily: - Brute Strike Standard Action Atk: +3 vs. AC Hit: 3[W] +3 damage
Utility: Boundless Endurance - Healing, Stance Minor Action Effect: Gain Regeneration 4 when bloodied.
Personal Background: Braunis was born a warrior of his clan. He had been chosen to protect the king dragon, Lord Mephstar, from an invasion of a barbaric Orc tribe. Once the invasion was brought to control, the king asked Braunis to become one of the Guardians. Ever since his acceptance, Braunis had been put to many grueling tests and tasks to prove his worth.
One day, he had been asked to climb to the top of the moutain, where the Soul of Regan slept. He said that there lay a magical weapon. He said that the spirit should not be disturbed, or else he will prove you a failure to the Guardians. Many thers had failed this test, but Mephstar saw hope in Braunis.
That night, he set out to the mountain, and climbed its near-vertical peaks, until he reached the top. He saw a little alcove lit by a strange light-- the sword. It was small blade, but he knew that it was not just any ordinary blade. He carefully and quietly tiptoed his way to the blade, and put his hands upon the hilt. The power of the blade surged through him, and it was as if the blade itself was coming alive. He then realized that he shuld nt wake up the spirit, so he carefully controlled this power, and pulled the sword from the ground-- slowly, carefully.
When it was all the way pulled out from the ground, he quietly tiptoed out, leaving the spirit undisturbed.
The next morning, Mephstar had been given a message from the spirit, honoring Braunis's cleverness and courage. The sword had been claimed, and has won many battles with it.
So... we have two defenders, a controller, and a leader so far...
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Xaraqun came into being in the expanse of the Astral Sea, where he was found a ship manned by other shardminds. These shardminds, all in the service of Ioun, taught him all that they could about the world in which he found himself. The most influential of these mentors was a shardmind invoker by the name of Aerotal, who helped him realize his natural talent for chanelling divine power. However, the mentorship was cut short when Aerotal was slain while defending the ship from an unusually ruthless pirate attack, and in honor of his mentor, Xaraqun decided to follow in her path as an invoker. Drawing upon natural talent and relentless study, Xaraqun finally entered into the final covenant with Ioun in a typically private and closely guarded invoker initiation. As his mentor had done before him, Xaraqun chose the Covenant of Malediction; if he needed to strike down his enemies in the name of Ioun, then he would utilize every repository of divine power available - including the divine syllables of creation. In further homage to Aerotal, he requested that his armor be dyed the darkest shade of black, just as his mentor's had been, and etched with the golden symbol of his patron goddess. Xaraqun eventually grew restless. During his time in training, Xaraqun had learned from tome and traveler of the strange wonders that lay outside the Astral Sea. The shardminds as a race had been preoccupied with reconstructing the Living Gate, the sentient gate whose fragments made up the shardminds when it was destroyed, and while the Living Gate had originated in the Astral Sea, it seemed that limiting the search for knowledge to one plane was counterproductive. Thus, after learning something of the ways of adventuring, Xaraqun stepped out of the astral plane and has been wandering the world for years by portal, land, and sea, gathering what lore he can.
At 5'10" and 200 lbs, Xaraqun is "just average" in terms of shardmind physical dimensions. His body is a conglomerate of small amber crystals arranged in a sleek and slim form, with many of the crystalline projections swept upward and back. His eyes glow a light shade of yellow and are perpetually set in an alert expression, as shardminds do not change facial expressions in the manner of most other races. Often, most of his features are obscured by a gray cloak and hood, which also has the effect of dulling the shock of those who have never seen a shardmind before. Xaraqun greatly prizes all kinds of information; experience has also taught him that knowledge is often most useful at the least expected moments. As such, he gives due respect to those who are both receptive and well-informed - creatures who learn and teach in equal measure. However, he is cerebral rather than charismatic, and will bluntly detail the flaws of an otherwise popular plan or the merits of an otherwise distasteful one. Generally, he will do either in a wry, sardonic fashion, but this is less an attempt to be personable and more the expression of a sense of humor that has been crafted by learning about the world's many inconsistencies. Though often coming off as aloof or even cold, Xaraqun has no issues with working together in a group towards a common goal. Though he doesn't entirely comprehend the irrationalities of some other races, he is willing to try and understand them - he finds that antagonizing everyone out of hand becomes counterproductive after a point. Within a squad or team, Xaraqun provides an intellectual anchor and significant knowledge of arcane, religious, and historical matters.
I'm confused on the magic items. 1st: "Standard" for level two would be a lvl 1 item, a lvl 2 item, a lvl 3 item and 360 gp (plus all the mundane items you want for free). The standard "make a higher level character" stuff wasn't really built with level 2 in mind, it was more for level 5 and higher.
2nd: None of the characters thus far (including my own) follow the standard. From what I could tell: Braunis has 1 magic item and it's level 5 Havok has none Xaraqun Korahl has a level 2 and a level 1 (this is probably the most in line with what we should be doing)
Also, Braunis has an at-will that requires a shield, but he doens't have a shield. His talent is in two-handed weapons, but his magic item is one-handed. Braunis also has one more point to spend on ability points by the 22-point buy system.
Lastly, I with Xaraqun being a controller, we have 2 controllers and no strikers. I do enjoy a good striker and can switch. I haven't done a barbarian, so I may move that direction. Any objections? I'll modify my other post with the new character once we have magic items settled.
Yes, I did forget an item of level 3. However, that said, you probably have a point about this system not working that well at level 2, as 6 level 2 PCs with 3 items each is essentially equivalent to encountering 18 magic item drops in the first level alone. Even with my relatively short experience, that sounds absurd. Not to mention that this could completely destroy balance for the encounters crafted by the DM.
Perhaps we could compromise and just obtain one item of level 1 or 2, as that would be more in line with what PCs would actually encounter if they play through the first level. Whatever we decide, I will change my character sheet immediately.
I have not heard the "all mundane items you want for free" rule. Can you show me where that is for future reference?
Also, on a final note, two controllers would be very interesting, but yeah, perhaps not the best idea. :-) Normally, I would relent on this point and switch class, but the controller is the one role I have not been able to play, much to my chagrin. In future games (if any), I will be far more flexible, but you had the bad luck of finding me in a stubborn time. ;-)
I wouldn't worry about role balance, actually. Still two people who haven't chosen their roles/classes yet, and really, a group can function without every role. Not having a leader would hurt the most, and we have a leader.
However, whatever I build, if it's not a striker, I'll make sure it's at least a secondary striker (such as a tempest fighter and such). Not sure what I'm going with yet. Possibly a monk, since I haven't tried them yet, and they are strikers.
My question is, why do we have a DMPC? With 5 players, do we really need one? Without it, we'd could even let someone from the waiting list in.
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The mundane items is in step 7 of Starting at Higher Level (pg 143 of DMG)
"Mundane equipment is much less important for higher level characters than it is when you’re starting out. Choose whatever standard adventuring gear you want from the tables in the Player’s Handbook."
I'm cool with playing a barbarian. I haven't had a chance to try one out yet. Will have him up soon.
Edit: Updated previous post with Havok Kai, Goliath Barbarian. His main schtick is to charge everything he can. Whether he is running toward the distant enemy or away from the one right in front of him is a matter of interpretation. The badge of the berserker protects him from opportunity attacks when charging, giving him nearly free reign on the battlefield.
Well crap, I forgot that the Healer's Lore nerf is bugged in the CB. Does the July updated fix it? If it does I'll hit up my DDI buddy and use the latest version. Portrait:Show
Rystan grew up in the rough and tumble slums of a major dwarven delve. Life was cheap and most of the residents were either involved in illicit activities of some kind or under the thumb of some crime lord and too weak to do anything about it. Rystan was one of the former, invloved in a smuggling operation that mainly concerned itself with getting ore and uncut gems into the city from the mines and avoiding any taxes. By knowing which pockets to pad, and having a few friends in the right places, the organization was able to operate smoothly for a number of years. All good, and bad, things must come to an end however, and several years ago the entire system imploded. A combination of greed, an angry noble, and rival gangs all came together at the same time.
Rystan had always had a knack for seeing what was coming and he was not unprepared when the situation finally came to a head. He had his bags packed and a stash of coin ready to grab at a moments notice. When the raid finally came against his crew's safehouse, they tried to slip out using a hidden passage. Unfortunately for them, someone had given their advesaries notice of the escape route and there was a group of thugs waiting for them. After a short and brutal fight, everyone but Rystan lay dead or dying and he himself was severly injured. He managed to make his way to the edge of the slums where he finally collapsed.
When he awoke, he was in the care of an old dwarf in a nondescript house several blocks from where he had passed out. While he recuperated the dwarf, who went by the name of Glastyl, spent hours and hours regailing him with the glories of Moradin, while at the same time admonishing him to give up his violent ways. By the time Rystan was healed, Glastyl had won himself a somewhat reluctanct convert. Which is to say, not having anywhere else to go Rystan decided to stick around the old dwarf for a time. As the years passed, he found himself delving deeper into the mysteries of the peaceful aspect of the dwarven god, until finally, armed with his teachers old adventuring tools, he sat out into the world on his own.
Dragon Breath | Encounter - Lightning
