You awake, head foggy, with the sun barely penetrating the canopy above. Recent events are a blur, but you are almost certain that you went to sleep in a semi-comfy bed, not on the hard ground amongst the the damp leaf litter of a dense forest. Movement nearby catches your attention. When you reach to check your weapon you find it is not there. You find that you are garbed in simple clothes. Shaking the fog from your head you begin to look around. Nearby you see a pack with provisions and your weapons. You see you are not alone as other bodies begin to stir, all wearing the same simple clothes you now wear.
Your surroundings are unfamiliar to you. The forest sounds coming from all around you are also unfamiliar.
You were a hero or at least well known in your world. You may have just returned from a long war, been in the middle of a quest, or simply lying in bed with your spouse after a long career, but you now find yourself in a strange place. Nothing seems familiar to you. Any clerics can still feel a connection to their god, but that connection is very weak.
Looking through your provisions you find enough food and water for about 5 days. You also find your armor, and weapons. There is some rope, a bedroll, and some flint and steel in there as well.
Character creation:
System: 4e Level 7 Stats: 22pt buy or I can roll for you (4d6 drop lowest) if you select roll you must take the result. World: Any. Your background can come from any of the published world, you are no longer on that world. Race: Any. Published Class: Any. Published Feats: Free expertise feat. Themes: Allowed. Background: Background bonuses allowed. Backgrounds should contain something about your fame. Equipment: Standard 7th level gear. Remember you were unprepared for this, please pick eqiupment with this in mind. Rituals: I may veto any ritual that I find breaks the game. Because of its low cost and how it might influence the game "Comprehend Languages" and rituals in the same vein will probably not be allowed or its level and cost changed.
Social skills and wilderness survival skills may be just as important combat skills. I will be selecting characters on how interesting they are and how they round out the group. There will be combat, but this game will be more geared toward roleplaying and survival.
I am going to attempt mapless, narrative combat. It may work, it may not. I say this because I am going to assume characters are trying to avoid attacks of opportunity when describing their action. So building a character around AoOs might not be a good idea.
Backgrounds don’t need to have npcs or organizations, since you probably wont see them again. Use it to show who your character is and how they gained their fame or infamy.
I do not have any set course for this game. I have a few ideas of what brought you here and why, but nothing concrete.
I will be choosing 6 to 8 players. I will also be requesting a sub-forum for this game so the group could split into different groups during the game if needed. If you are new to the Real Adventures group and do not have a game yet please say so. It will not be a deciding factor but I will take it into consideration.
I don't know if I can resist a seTiny game!! Let me see what I can get worked up. Would you please roll for me? I always go with a buy-in for stats because the dice hate me, but what the heck, maybe you'll have better luck.
Your opening reminds me of an Anne McCaffrey book. Since she is one of my all time favorite writers, it sucked me right in!
Do NOT meddle in the affairs of dragons; for you are crunchy and go good with ketchup
Akavasha: 10,10,10,12,12,14 (11 point buy equivilant). I'm going to turn one of your 10's into a 14. Still less than 22 point buy but at least it is something.
I am going to start working my way slowly back into the game and this looks like a good place to start.
Could you please roll for me?
Wash: "Yeah well, if she doesn't give us some extra flow from the engine room to offset the burn through, this landing is gonna get pretty interesting."
Mal: "Define interesting."
Wash: "Oh god oh god we're all gonna die?"
Mal: "This is the captain. We have a...little problem with our engine sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and then...explode."
Akavasha: 10,10,10,12,12,14 (11 point buy equivilant). I'm going to turn one of your 10's into a 14. Still less than 22 point buy but at least it is something.
Thank you, and ouch. Darn dice roller really does not like me. Well, let's see what fun thing I can create with this. At least there aren't any 6's in there!
Do NOT meddle in the affairs of dragons; for you are crunchy and go good with ketchup
Draidden: 10,10,12,12,12,13(11 point buy equivalent) . Since I did it for Akavasha I will change one of your 12's to a 15. Puts you at the same point buy equivalent as Akavasha.
Someone else want to try for a third 11 point buy equivalent? I'm on a roll.....
"I don't like X, they should remove it." "I like X, they should keep it." "They should replace X with Y." "Anybody that likes X is dumb. Y is better." "Why don't they include both X and Y." "Yeah, everybody can be happy then!" "But I don't like X, they should remove it." "X really needs to be replaced with Y." "But they can include both X and Y." "But I don't like X, they need to remove it." "Remove X, I don't like it."
Until you've had an in-law tell you your choice of game was stupid, and just Warcraft on paper, and dumbed down for dumber players who can't handle a real RPG, you haven't lived.
Lady and gentlemen.... I present to you the Edition War without Contrition, the War of the Web, the Mighty Match-up!
We're using standard edition war rules. No posts of substance. Do not read the other person's posts with comprehension. Make frequent comparison to video games, MMOs, and CCGs. Use the words "fallacy" and "straw man", incorrectly and often. Passive aggressiveness gets you extra points and asking misleading and inflammatory questions is mandatory. If you're getting tired, just declare victory and leave the thread. Wait for the buzzer... and....
One, two, three, four, I declare Edition War Five, six, seven eight, I use the web to
D&D should not return to the days of blindfolding the DM and players. No tips on encounter power? No mention of expected party roles? No true meaning of level due to different level charts or tiered classes? Please, let's not sacrifice clear, helpful rules guidelines in favour of catering to the delicate sensibilities of the few who have problems with the ascetics of anything other than what they are familiar with.
Just a quick note on the MMORPG as an insult comparison...
MMORPGs, raking in money by the dumptruck full. Many options, tons of fans across many audiences, massive resources allocated to development.
TTRPGs, dying product. Squeaking out an existence that relys on low cost. Fans fit primarily into a few small demographics. R&D budgets small, often rushed to market and patched after deployment.
You're not really making much of an argument when you compare something to a MMORPG and assume people think that means bad. Lets face it, they make the money, have the audience and the budget. We here on this board are fans of TTRPGs but lets not try to pretend none of us play MMORPGs.
Something like Tactical Shift is more magical than martial healing.
Telling someone to move over a few feet is magical now? :|
I weep for this generation.
Given the laziness and morbid obsesity amongst D&Ders, being able to convince someone to get on their feet, do some heavy exercise, and use their words to make them be healthier must seem magical.
Sounds good. Now to brainstorm - I should have something ready within a day or two.
EDIT: Here is my submission, still a work-in-progress at this point. I have the character concept ready. It's just a matter of hammering out a backstory I like and tinkering with items. Let me know if the rituals need adjusting.
====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ====== Yagun Drol, level 7 Tiefling, Wizard (Arcanist) Arcane Implement Mastery Option: Staff of Defense Vile Scholar (+2 to Arcana) Theme: Scholar Languages: Common, Elven, Draconic, Dwarven (These last two are benefits of the Scholar theme)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES STR 8, CON 16, DEX 10, INT 18, WIS 11, CHA 13
STARTING ABILITY SCORES STR 8, CON 15, DEX 10, INT 15, WIS 11, CHA 11
Born in a land of frigid cold and scattered settlements, Yagun grew up at an orphanage, never knowing his parents. Left to grow in the grey stone halls of the nameless institution, he was conscripted into the army of an ambitious warlord at the age of sixteen, fear and bitterness merging with a sense of anticipation. Yagun had caught the eye of Evema Marn, a harsh mistress and fellow tiefling who sought to unite the independent towns under her banner. With nothing else in his life, Yagun found it hard to complain as he was dragged out alongside several other orphans to the would-be queen's camp. As one of the older ones, Yagun was initially trained as a foot soldier, but his incompetence with a blade made him the butt of many a joke. Ready to leave him for dead and save his rations for someone who might prove more useful, Marn ordered him to be taken aside and given an old tome - in what she considered a last-ditch effort, she wondered if Yagun might be able to sense the magic of the runes that lined the pages.
Sure enough, Yagun was able to immediately detect the presence of magic, unaware what the sensation meant but certain, through some sixth sense, that there was power contained in the images. Pleasantly surprised and well aware that her fledgling army lacked capable spellcasters, Marn put Yagun under the care of her cousin, Anceno Drol, a cold-hearted mentor who demanded perfection from Yagun. Yagun persevered, developing a knack for both flame and illusion, and slowly earning the grudging respect of his teacher. Weeks turned to months, and Anceno finally believed Yagun was ready to participate on the battlefield. Yagun agreed, but with great reluctance, for while studying under Anceno, he had taken a liking to his daughter, Sarya, who returned his attraction. Behind Anceno's back, Sarya and Yagun enjoyed many a private visit; eventually, the mentor, now infuriated, discovered the truth, and contemplated murdering his pupil. Sarya, however, intervened - the two were married, and Anceno could only bite back his anger lest he strike down his son-in-law. Out of appreciation for the first real family he ever had, Yagun took Drol as his surname - to Sarya's delight and Anceno's consternation.
Sent to the battlefield, Yagun quickly put his skills to good use, incinerating enemy fortifications, driving off foes with waves of fire, and drawing forth secrets from captured foes through the use of his bewitching glamors. Yagun became accustomed to prying loose knowledge without harming a hair on his target's head, and he quickly won Evema's approval for his shrewd and effective methods. As years passed, he rose through the ranks; of the other orphans who had been conscripted, none alive ever met with the same measure of success. As his name grew, so too did his thirst for knowledge. The secrets of the hells and other planes became much more fascinating to him than the secrets of men. With Evema's knowledge, Yagun began to scour tomes and pursue rumors of magics dark and devilish. His pursuit and research eventually helped establish him as a scholar-general, bringing praise to the Drol clan. Even Anceno could not dismiss the promising leads his son-in-law was pursuing.
By the end of Evema's campaign, few in the scattered northlands had not heard of the Hellmage, Evema's terrible wizard. Those few towns and villages not swallowed up by the Army of Marn were always nervous when people spoke of devils and demons - they hushed such talk immediately, for in their neglect of magic, they feared Yagun might listen on the wind, his magic's capabilities unknown to them. Yagun continued to lead Evema's army to victory, earning him a few rivals amongst his own peers. Still, none of them dared threaten him so long as he held Evema's favor.
Then, just the other night, he fell asleep in his tent, eager for the sun to rise, knowing that the siege on Bellforin would finally break the enemy's spirits. He went to sleep dreaming of the bells tolling victory, and of Sarya waiting for him back home. As his eyes closed, he had no way of knowing what awaited.
Standing a little over six feet, Yagun is best described by most who meet him as unnerving. The man's crimson flesh is an oddity to most folk; those who have never encountered tieflings prior to meeting Yagun have often been dumbfounded, if not outright hostile. Bearing the telltale signs of an infernal heritage, Yagun makes no effort to conceal his incarnadine skin, gold-green eyes, dark grey horns, or devilish tail. To Yagun, who grew up surrounded by the orphans of multiple races, his blood is something to be cherished - by extension, so too is the legacy surrounding that bloodline.
His charcoal grey robes are decorated with infernal runes of white - though they do not possess any magical ability of their own, they are taken from the tome originally bestowed to Yagun by Anceno Drol upon the start of his training. The runes are fascinating to those interested in uncommon script, but are worthy of suspicion by those who distrust mages, tieflings, or both. Yagun is never far apart from his staff, which he uses as a conduit to channel his arcane talents. Although he has been known to tell tales about his staff housing the spirit of a ravenous demon or the memories of a long-forgotten child of Asmodeus, the simple wooden stave is no more special than any other staff.
Yagun is the type of person who prefers to analyze a situation from multiple angles before rendering a decision. At best, he can be considered perceptive and careful, brainstorming several ideas and weighing their individual merits, while retaining the ability to adapt and be flexible. At worst, he can be seen as slow and indecisive, drawing out strategy sessions for the sake of hammering out every last detail. When presented with the option, Yagun will always opt to talk tactics and plans-of-attack and gather input from his associates, rather than take a "kick-in-the-door-and-start-swinging" type of approach.
Although typically considered to be distant by most who have met him, Yagun is not cold-hearted. Despite the horrible childhood he had and his need for eliminating those who have stood in Evema Marn's path of conquest, Yagun takes no delight in bringing harm to others, and can be quite friendly when treated with respect, as opposed to stares and muttered words of hellfire and blight surrounding him. An introvert off the battlefield, Yagun is slow to trust in others, but when presented with evidence of a person's reliability and skill, his faith is sure to follow.
As a general in Marn's army, Yagun is accustomed to being both a leader and a follower. Although his leadership of several hundreds has offered him a chance to prove himself as an individual officer, most of his successes have come about thanks to the wisdom of his superiors - and of course, the cunning of Evema Marn herself. Yagun does not take kindly to being condescended to, and is sure to see a wrong avenged unless it is ultimately more detrimental to pursue such a course. Still, his anger is not a pretty sight; thankfully, his rage is slow to emerge, and on a normal day, he brushes aside minor distractions with a maturity steeled on the field of battle.
Although he acknowledges the existence of the gods, Yagun does not consider himself a servant of any divine entity. His genuine respect is reserved for two - Oghma and Asmodeus - but even then, he does not believe either shall have any interest in his soul when he heads to the Fugue Plane. He also pays lip service to Tempus (he considers staying on the war god's good side a smart move), Beshaba (so that his foes might falter and know ruin), and Kelemvor (that his soldiers may live to fight another day).
"I don't like X, they should remove it." "I like X, they should keep it." "They should replace X with Y." "Anybody that likes X is dumb. Y is better." "Why don't they include both X and Y." "Yeah, everybody can be happy then!" "But I don't like X, they should remove it." "X really needs to be replaced with Y." "But they can include both X and Y." "But I don't like X, they need to remove it." "Remove X, I don't like it."
Until you've had an in-law tell you your choice of game was stupid, and just Warcraft on paper, and dumbed down for dumber players who can't handle a real RPG, you haven't lived.
Lady and gentlemen.... I present to you the Edition War without Contrition, the War of the Web, the Mighty Match-up!
We're using standard edition war rules. No posts of substance. Do not read the other person's posts with comprehension. Make frequent comparison to video games, MMOs, and CCGs. Use the words "fallacy" and "straw man", incorrectly and often. Passive aggressiveness gets you extra points and asking misleading and inflammatory questions is mandatory. If you're getting tired, just declare victory and leave the thread. Wait for the buzzer... and....
One, two, three, four, I declare Edition War Five, six, seven eight, I use the web to
D&D should not return to the days of blindfolding the DM and players. No tips on encounter power? No mention of expected party roles? No true meaning of level due to different level charts or tiered classes? Please, let's not sacrifice clear, helpful rules guidelines in favour of catering to the delicate sensibilities of the few who have problems with the ascetics of anything other than what they are familiar with.
Just a quick note on the MMORPG as an insult comparison...
MMORPGs, raking in money by the dumptruck full. Many options, tons of fans across many audiences, massive resources allocated to development.
TTRPGs, dying product. Squeaking out an existence that relys on low cost. Fans fit primarily into a few small demographics. R&D budgets small, often rushed to market and patched after deployment.
You're not really making much of an argument when you compare something to a MMORPG and assume people think that means bad. Lets face it, they make the money, have the audience and the budget. We here on this board are fans of TTRPGs but lets not try to pretend none of us play MMORPGs.
Something like Tactical Shift is more magical than martial healing.
Telling someone to move over a few feet is magical now? :|
I weep for this generation.
Given the laziness and morbid obsesity amongst D&Ders, being able to convince someone to get on their feet, do some heavy exercise, and use their words to make them be healthier must seem magical.
