Face the Fire (Dark Sun 4E)
Game Master FabesMinis

Well here it is! The basic set-up is that all your characters are part of a slave tribe, so you could conceivably be from any of the Seven Cities of the Tyr Region. Everyone gets their native language (Balican, Draji, Nibanese, Tyran, Urikite, Raaman (?), and Gulgan) as well as Common (the lingua franca).

Canon-wise, Kalak has not yet fallen, and it is by no means certain if he will or not. Everything is fair game, the world may end up subtly or vastly different from other iterations of Athas!

To recap and expand:

Banned classes
Artificer (not Divine, but doesn't really fit)
Avenger
Cleric
Invoker
Paladin
Runepriest

Banned Races
Deva
Gnome
Half-orc

"Not sure about" races
Githzerai
Shardmind

Rules in Use
Alternative Rewards
Backgrounds
Inherent Bonuses
Themes
Wild Talents (random rolled by player)

dotting

Before I forget (again):

Banned
Essentials classes (they don't work with themes)

Wow, I sound like Viking Hat DM par excellence. :D

I've decided what I want to do.

An elven shaman (Leader, Primal) with the "stalker spirit" companion that comes in the form of a scorpion. He's a wanderer, like most Athasian elves, and serves as an agent of the dying planet's wrath against the Wizard-Kings and, indeed, pretty much any user of arcane magic... though he might be willing to give preservers a pass if they can prove their methods are effective.

Do they even HAVE Defilers/Preservers in 4E anymore? Bear in mind that I am drawing on 2E knowledge of the setting. I'm certainly going to be off on many things.

Also, would you have any objection to "re-flavoring" some of the powers? There are several that involve "Wrath of the Winter" that I would like to see re-skinned as "Wrath of the Burning Sky" to fit with the desert theme and deal fire instead of cold damage.

Basically everyone preserves by default, but arcane casters can opt to defile (which is much more like the fiction of Dark Sun) for increased power. The downside is that it damages your allies.

Good call on the reflavouring.

Is this an invite for players, or do you already have a full group?

If there is room, I would love to join.

You're welcome to join. We currently have 4 players (including you!)

I've always liked the Thri-Kreen. I'm planning on a TK monk, with the wasteland nomad theme. Good, old-school, unarmored, unarmed (okay, maybe a Gythka and Chatkcha), whirling insectoid dervish.

Wild talent roll 1d10 ⇒ 9 = Telekinetic Grasp

Not sure yet - I'll have to think. At the moment we have a shaman and a monk. Hmm...

Still dithering myself. Will think today. Psion belike.

Mordenkrantz (Rev Jnr - and yes, I know I haven't spelled it correctly) is also interested.

OK, that's great! We have a full complement. If anyone else wants to join then they can be stationed at the encampment.

So the group is:

Aubrey - ? ?
Fatespinner - Elf Shaman (Primal Leader)
Aardvark - Thri-Kreen Monk (Psionic Striker)
Rosey - ? Psion (Psionic Controller)
Mordenkrantz - ? ?

Looks like you need a Defender somewhere, but looking like an interesting party already. Just don't let the thri-kreen munch on the elf!

I'm in. Still thinking...

Maybe a half-giant. Maybe a rogue. Maybe a half-giant rogue.

there is no Z in my name, you of all people should know Rev.... Anyway yeah, I'm interested, I'll probably try some sort of wizard for a bit of variety.
So yeah, you can put me down as an arcane controller.

Edit: Oh, or not, seem's I'm going to have to be the defender then... I guess I could try a fighter or battle mind of some description

1d10 ⇒ 1 - random DS power.
Body Equilibrium

Thinking more half-giant ranger. However, I don't mind going defender if Mordencranst isn't keen on it.

Thinking more half-giant ranger. However, I don't mind going defender if Mordencranst isn't keen on it.

I'd be grateful if you could.

Raamite.

That was bugging me.

Ahem.

You don't have to have a defender, of course, but they are useful punch-bags, er I mean, meat-shields, er... valued comrades.

So far we have perhaps:

Aubrey - Defender?
Fatespinner - Elf Shaman (Primal Leader)
Aardvark - Thri-Kreen Monk (Psionic Striker)
Rosey - ? Psion (Psionic Controller)
Mordenkranst - Hmm, let's see... Striker? ;)

Heathy - being tempted

more controller I think.

As in, much much more controller. That said I am toying with the idea of a sorcerer as well, either way I dont think it will make that much difference to what anyone else wants or needs to pick

By the way, please note the C in my name and lack of a K.

Apologies. Another controller it is.

Some things to think about:

You're all members of a slave tribe - for the sake of general ease, you're a tribe that looks out for its members and is, if not good, then at least not a band of crazed bloodthirsty maniacs. (Your foes on the other hand...)

I'd like it to be somewhat sandboxy, so the choice of where to pursue adventure is up to you. There will be sites in the area that may hold enemies, or treasures of the Ancients, or special sites of power.

I'd like each of you to choose a motivation to begin with for why you might be exploring the wasteland. This can always change at a later date of course.

Hmmm. I have a character I quite like, but I'm not so sure how it will fit in with the slave tribe. He's a dray (dragonborn) swordmage, and a fairly unashamed arcanist at that, and generally fairly unpleasant and aggravating all-round. I quite like him, but are you comfortable with the concept?

One of the PCs is already pretty anti-arcane so it might be problematic, even though your chap does sound fun. Not sure if there's an easy work- around...

Hmmm, I was going down the arcane build as well, I like the concept and I'm fairly certain I can work with it. My guy is a human wizard, who unlike your swordmage is decidedly not comfortable about 1, showing that he is an arcanist and 2, anyone else around him giving themselves up. He's the type who tends to look out for people more than they nessecerily want because he is positive he knows best.

Also, as far as motivations go, he's in it because he was nearly forced in to this life by his parents, who proved to be not-so-loving when they found out how capable an arcanist he was, but has since came to accept and even enjoy the wasteland, and probably his company as well (whether or not they enjoy him is another matter entirely).

Perhaps your chap is a junior to someone on the ruling council of the tribe, and he's asked to keep an eye on the explorers (i.e. get out of everyone's hair).

Ojal's a potter, late of Urik.

He's very, very comfortable with his psionic powers and has no compunction about using them. So far, the issue of whether it bothers him to mess up someone's head hasn't really arisen - his motiviations are a little like Mordenkranst's chap - he is sure he knows best. And why not? He can see what you're all thinking.

I'd like to try the Awakened Psion options from Dragon 394 if Fabes is willing.

The Awakened option fits in really well. Just sent you a skype re: motivation.

I wonder if Ojal picked up a fragment of someone's memory that has inspired him to explore. Nothing very concrete, but odd enough to picque his interest.

T'klik Chik had clutch. Clutch killed by slavers. Only T'klik Chik and Kel't'aal survive. T'klik and Kel't made to fight other slaves for city in pit. Few victories, before Kel't die in fights.

T'klik given offer help to escape. Many die during escape, T'klik help pit clutch as best as could. T'klik make escape to great wilds, pit clutch had larger clutch in desert.

Now T'klik have new clutch, mostly soft-skinned clutch. T'klik hunter again and happy help the clutch survive. T'klik provide for clutch, T'klik have important job and go anywhere for tribe clutch.

So, as I'm poking around online I see that there's apparently an "Elemental" Shaman archetype in the Dark Sun book that may be useful to me? Also, where can I find a list of the wild talents and what they do? I can already tell that not having the Dark Sun books is going to be a serious complication...

Fabes,

Are you full?
Are you willing to take on a 4e newbie?
If yes to both, can you wait a couple of days for the core books to be delivered?

If not, carry on! (and I'll lurk).

--
Will / Art

Fatey - yes, their is a new build called the 'animist shaman', whose spirit companion is elemental in form - it's quite cool, but yes, you'd be at a bit of a disadvantage as you wouldn't be able to really examine the powers that gained a bonus from having that class feature.

RE: Wild Talents, it's no problem. They're randomised from a table, so roll a d10, and I'll tell you what you've got.

If you do consider another 4E purchase, I would thoroughly recommend the Dark Sun Campaign Guide. It is probably the best 4E book released so far.

Art - can we see how it develops? The aim is that people can drop in and out, so perhaps later.

If you do consider another 4E purchase, I would thoroughly recommend the Dark Sun Campaign Guide. It is probably the best 4E book released so far.

I'd second that.

My guy can do the usual "pretending to be psionic" - unless he out-and-out defiles he should be OK. After all, his backstory could be he was a licenced arcane operative for a city-state, fell foul of some senior remplars and had to leg it to the desert for safety. So he can pretend to be a battlemind.

Or maybe I can create a battlemind and see how I like him... I'll try that and see how it fits.

Aubrey - yes, either of those would work.

Sounds like everyone is having fun with characters. As well as a motivation for exploration, I'd like everyone to create a positive connection with one other PC (with that player's permission, of course).

No probs - have fun.

--
Will / Art

How's everyone doing?

Those of you using the online CB, remember to tick the Dark Sun and Inherent Bonus boxes.

I didn't realise there was an inherent bonuses box, so thanks for that. I'm running with my swordmage, just haven't had the chance to put him on the Paizo website yet.

Still working on Ojal. He's built, but not in Paizo yet. Should be done this evening.

Going back and looking at your original post, and as far as my languages go, is it racial, regional and common? Or is the intent just regional and common? Just wanted to clarify.

Also, how is literacy? Is it just if we choose to be illiterate per the 4E DSCS?

Putting the profile together now, this question just came up. Should be done this morning.

Racial languages as well.

Literacy - Everyone is illiterate by default. If you want to be literate, that's fine, but you need a rationale.

Profile is finished

Ojal is up bar background. Still working on that.

I'm going to need to borrow someone's access to the character generator for this. I don't know what any of this stuff is:

Rules in Use

Alternative Rewards
Backgrounds
Inherent Bonuses
Themes
Wild Talents (random rolled by player)

I'll roll 1d10(?) for my Wild Talent, though, and you can tell me what it is: 1d10 ⇒ 1

Same as Ojal's.

Body Equilibrium
Move action
Effect: Move your speed. During the move you gain a +5 power bonus to Acrobatics checks to balance and not sink when moving over soft or brittle terrain, such as dust, silt, mud, snow or thin ice.

Backgrounds are in PHB 2. Themes are the only thing you need to worry about at the moment. I can write up a list of them with an explanation of what each is. Themes are an extra layer on top of race, class and background.

List to follow.

Shamash's stats. I haven't got a detailed background yet, and I am struggling a bit with the personal connection angle. If it's OK with you, rather than having a connection, I'd prefer it if everyone thought he was a bastard, but a useful bastard.

As regards the connection to another PC, things may become clearer once the others are sorted.

I imagine I would have a connection to Fatespinner's character. Despite being a tasty elf, he is primal, and has a connection to the natural order.

I think T'klik would probably be irritated at both Rev and Mord's characters by them, acting like "thinking" and "knowing" stuff contributes to the pack, more than doing.

He could also possibly bear a connection to Shamash (oddly enough this the name a friend is using in our RL game).

Does anyone else happen to be an escaped Urikite slave?

Ojal's background is now up.

I wanted the Noble Adept theme to fit with his psionic brain delving, which doesn't sit naturally with the humble potter motif.

Anyway, my boy is now an idealistic visionary who is hoping to help the oppressed. To disguise himself, he's learned the basics of pottery, but isn't terribly good at it. He means well and does his best, but he's prone to forgetting that he doesn't have an army of slaves to help him out.

T'klik would certainly find him irritating at one level, although at another they have a lot in common as they both believe in society working as a whole for the greater good.

Some connection will emerge.