Adrien Wasila's page

Organized Play Member. 73 posts (99 including aliases). No reviews. 1 list. No wishlists. 1 Organized Play character. 3 aliases.


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Scarab Sages

I love 2nd edition and would love to play it again , but these days I mostly collect and read out of print books and "Dungeon" issues in hopes of using them . It was also the system I started with when I was not quite 13 years old and thus it will always have a special place in my heart . Re-reading through some of the adventures and supplements they seem as excellent as they did several years back , though with hindsight some also feel too simplistic or clichéd now that I've grown up.

It's hard for me to conceive the Forgotten Realms outside of 2e and the aftermath of the Time of Trouble for instance, and I spent many a day reading through "Waterdeep : City of Splendors" and "Volo's Guides" , to the extent that I could probably find my way around Waterdeep if , by chance, I was dropped into it !

Many hours were spent playing Al-Qadim as well , with the occasional foray into Ravenloft and Planescape. 3e was about to come out when I started but I think I enjoyed 2e's long twilight. I also grew to enjoy 3.5 and many other RPGs but 2e is my Proustian madeleine

I have fond memories of an excellent and involving home-brewed setting called Thardferr which some of you might know. Playing online it was also a great way to learn more English and I wound up making friends in the US , UK and elsewhere and studying in the UK.

"Rise of the Runelords" in 2e sounds like an excellent idea and when I read through the Sandpoint article in "Burnt Offerings" I physically felt drawn into it like I had been into 2e supplements , whereas most other 3x settings and supplements didn't feel immersive (though some did). It would be great to find a group (I've been looking) but , being French, it's a long shot.

Awesome story Klaus_Van_Der_Kroft (I hope I'm not misspelling your name) by the way , that brought back memories for me :)

On a side-note did anyone use Secondary Skills instead of NWPs or as background elements ? They seemed quaint when I was starting but I think they'd work better if I were DMing now , at least for low-level games.

Scarab Sages

I've never tried it before but I'm starting to see this character as an Order of the Shield Cavalier , probably a worshipper of Erastil (which I've not had a character worship before) . There's something interesting about him being the (conservative) god of the family and community and also one of the older gods of nature, still associated with hunting and beasts.

While it's a cliché of fantasy I think the classic story of the local villager who grows into being a heroic character makes for good roleplaying. This'd work well with the order . Strong on Strength and Charisma for a mix of social skills and combat. He'd definitely have grown up in the local area and feel invested in its protection. I'm going to try and have the sheet ready sometime tomorrow

Scarab Sages

I may be interested since I've started getting back into Pathfinder after a mental breakdown (Sincere apologies to the players I did not run for/play with by the way, I have been trying to think of ways to make up for that somehow) .

I usually like playing Clerics or Wizards but this time I would probably play a Cavalier (Order of the Shield or Star) for a change . Certainly a Good character in any case. More information about the set up along the lines of what Dreaming Warforged's asked for would be welcome !

(Please count this as an "Interested" post as I'm not yet sure of what my character might be , and because of the difficulties I've had if more seasoned PbP players would like my spot I'd be happy to oblge :)

Scarab Sages

Sounds good to me as well . I've been caught up with stuff as well (Christmas is busy) but I'm really looking forward to this :) Here's hoping for the best possible start to 2011 for you :)

Scarab Sages

I've been unexpectedly delayed by the weather (trying to flight out from London) but I've now got a place on a flight tomorrow and some time to finish my character sheet.

Scarab Sages

I was halfway through the sheet and intent on posting it when I got an error message (!) Luckily I had saved it . I should be done by tomorrow although I'lll be on a plane for some of the day (flying back home for Christmas) .

Excited about the game !

Scarab Sages

Rennick wrote:

I'm iffy about copying the pages from the book as it is still copyrighted materials.

I'll admit I started looking into other sites to run this game because up till now the interest seemed minimal. but if I do choose a different host I will pop the link up for anyone who is interested.

Quick count, who has access to M&M 2nd ed or to DC Adventures?

Probably best for me to bow out as I don't have access to either . This thread has intrigued me though , I'm seriously considering picking up DC Adventures now . Perhaps I could play if you run another DC PbP in the future ?

Best of luck with the game and thanks for the recommendation :)

Scarab Sages

Background sent for your perusal Leshok and Kalderaan. I'll focus on the stats aspect and create an alias this evening (starting now) .

13d6 ⇒ (2, 5, 3, 6, 4, 5, 5, 3, 2, 1, 1, 6, 2) = 45 + 13 (Need to check her Constitution score)

2d6 ⇒ (1, 5) = 6

1d6 ⇒ 6

67 HP before Constitution modifiers if I've counted correctly . Or rather 71 if the first level roll is a full one

Scarab Sages

Kalderaan wrote:

Adrien - I like the friends angle. Sojourn is away a lot and would very much enjoy the company of another arcane master. He is educated and enjoys discussing matters arcane, especially spellcraft.

He is a single-minded individual, so the diversions would be welcome.

The noble station angles would be an interesting dynamic, I agree.

I envision the two meeting to discuss politics at court, arcane security, and life in general. Both are fairly long-lived - how long have we known each other?

Sounds very good as that's exactly what I had in mind . I think the characters may have met first at Duchess Sativa's court as courtiers (my character being unaware that yours became a magician at this point) and then moved on with my character continuing to train an apprentice who eventually sought another master . At this point she applied for the position at the royal court and was surprised (but also glad) to meet with Sojourn again . They've worked together more closely ever since , united by shared interest in protecting the royal family and studying arcane magic (in fact it's likely your character may be the source of much of her own knowledge of Conjuration magic)

I can send you my background (which I've just finished now and am sending to Leshok for approval) as I have a few more ideas for events they might have lived through together . It mainly expands on your idea of the assassination attempt on the king and the seditious baron at Countess Sativa's court

I think the character will be 50 or so , allowing for a relatively long time to study magic , do some adventuring and training an apprentice while continuing to grow in power as a magician . Perhaps Sojourn and she first met about 20 years ago and then again as court wizards 10-15 years ago depending on how Leshok imagines the royal family's age

Scarab Sages

Kalderaan wrote:


Adrien - thank for the invitation for the hook.

I like our connection - public and private security for the royal family. My role has me on the road more and yours is more of an internal role. An analogy would be CIA for me and FBI/Secret Service for you. We would have the inter-agency thing going on but our common sponsor (the king) would trump the usual divisions.

It would make a good amount of sense that we conduct security meetings to discuss threats (actual and potential) and the like.

It is up to you how well we know each other. Is it a strong connection - friendship - or a passing connection - coworkers? I am fine either way (just tell me what you decide).

I think it's likely that our characters would be friends , there's enough similarity in their alignment and their core motivation (protecting the king and royal family) to imagine they'd enjoy each other's company . Because there's a strong split between arcane and divine magic I think our characters would also have an arcane background in common (although mine having followed a traditional magical training would be intrigued by your character's different approach as well) . On the other hand I think it would make sense that your character wouldn't tell mine a lot of what's going on behind the scenes (for security purposes) which would account for the alignment difference and your extra-secret role . The CIA and FBI analogy seems like a good one

Something that might also be interesting is that I'm envisioning my character as having come from a Medici-like noble family in a foreign province and essentially having become a retainer of the royal family as a reaction against the intrigue-filled world she was intended to join (see my earlier post for a background idea) and given purpose by her visions inspired by the couatl .

The contrast between a character who is a titular noblewoman (or man , I still haven't made up my mind about the gender) but is now in effect a retainer (a governess/tutor and scholar) and may still be seen by some as a foreigner and someone whose nobility comes from merit and dedication could be interesting to play .

PS : Navior , I'm making Illusion and Necromancy my opposed schools for background purposes but it'll also give you plenty of chances to shine with your character's own spells .

Scarab Sages

Rennick wrote:

Hey folks

I've just gotten my hands on Green Ronin's new DC Adventures game, and I was wondering if anyone would be interested in playing in a PbP using it?

I have very little to say besides that because I've only started reading it, and I would like to see how many are interested and what they would like to play. My first inclination is a teen hero game, that's pretty big in scope, but if everyone wants to play street level characters, that's not going to work as well, at least at first.

So I'd like to hear what people are interested if anything. Don't be shy! I'd be cool to run with as little as 2 players, heck maybe even just one.

I only put off posting because I didn't know anything about DC Adventures but I'd be interested in trying it out . Legacy of the Bat sounds really interesting even though I only have a basic knowledge of the DC Universe (that is , I know who Nightwing and Huntress are but couldn't tell you much more, except for what filtered through from Batman : The Animated Series) .

If there is room it'd be great to try it . On the other hand if you have more players I'm already in several games and it would be fair to let someone else play instead.

Scarab Sages

Sojourn wrote:


I'm ready for the kickoff when everyone else is.

Hi Kalderaan (and Leshok) . I really need to catch up on character creation but I've been held up with the end of the semester . If your character is 'the Blackstaff' and a covert master wizard , perhaps mine could be a more publicly wizardly figure whose role as an Abjurer means she is publicly in charge of the royal family's close magical protection (using magical tutoring as a remit for doing so) while your role is the same but not publicly known (Perhaps not even by my character) ?

Leshok , I had some more questions about the royal family itself . Does the king have any children ? If so how old are they and do any of them have magical abilities ? If one/more than one does the tutoring could be actual schooling in magic , if not it could be something more mundane like etiquette or any of the Knowledge skills (with magical protection obviously coming with the job) .

Scarab Sages

Thanks for the additional information. I have been caught up in last minute academic work and will not be done with the character until the weekend probably.

I'd be delighted to work with you and collaborate for in-character background Kalderaan . Yours is excellent and much more concise than mine, I had a similar idea for my character (i.e diplomatic service to a patron) , essentially a nobleman (or noblewoman) (perhaps from the Eastern Alliance since it has city-states) who was entered into a diplomatic marriage before birth to seal a political alliance with another family had been fueding with . As (s)he grew up it became clear that the other family was decadent/corrupt (here I'm using the Decados from Fading Suns as a reference) but the political fallout made it unlikely that the family would get out of it.

However it had also been divined at her birth that her life would be intertwined with snakes somehow and , suspecting assassination attempts or poisoning, essentially secluded her in her study and allowed her to learn magic as the distraction of a well-born girl/boy . Obviously for her own protection her tutor was an Abjurer. Eager to find out more about the outside world she tried to get hold of as much information about faraway places and peoples as possible and became known as an armchair collector . Meanwhile her snake-related visions (which increasingly took a more couatl-like quality , with rainbows, coloured feathers , jungles...) intensified and she gained a bad reputation of sorts for mental illness , since she could not explain why snake-like figures were so central since (out of obvious fear that the prophecy would be realised) her parents decreed the subjects of snakes to be taboo around her.

Ultimately however her fate would not be denied and so one day when she was looking over a shipment of documents/items from faraway tropical places she was bitten by a snake which she reached out to touch without fear (i.e without knowledge of what it was) and promptly died from snakebite .

Everyone was horrified that they could not prevent her fate from being meted out but at the same time it was found that a technicality in the marriage contracted discharged them from honouring it if one of the betrothed died . In her last moments of consciousness a couatl appeared to her and revealed that she was fated to do greater things in life and serve the cause of good , and that her experience of death was about finding the knowledge/courage she needed (here I'm drawing heavily on shamanic beliefs about initiation)

(S)he was left quite weakened and shaken by a casting of Raise Dead and promptly sent to the country to administer one of the family's properties as a way of being conveniently forgotten for a few years and gained a bit more skill in magic as well as an appreciation of the life of her family's peasants. Around this time she started becoming involved as a patron to the local temple of Desna and in turn the church used her noble connections (though limited) to propagate its message .

Eventually she was recalled back to court to serve her family in respectable , but lesser roles than she would normally have aspired to as a chaperone and tutor because they saw her magical ability as an asset .

A group of fellow minor aristocrats became intrigued by her reputation for strangeness/illness and even moreso when they became aware of her 'near death experience' as the family called it . They started adventuring and had some successes , though they were mostly doing it for the thrill and to uphold notions of chivalry (i.e nobles protect the common people from threats and disorder like undead arising from desecrated churches and graveyards and marauding goblinoid bands) rather than because they sought knowledge or adventure.

The band broke up after a harrowing experience with a wight in a barrow tomb they'd decided to explore 'for fun' , which left him/her with an even greater dislike of necromancy and claustrophobia and (s)he made a show of leaving the court to become a lay brother/sister of Desna's clergy . Several more years passed and she eventually uncovered and, with the help of the church, brought down a cult of 'Desna' that revolved around sacrificing worshippers to sanity-destroying entities from beyond the stars and was led by a suitably evil conjurer/summoner instead of the necromancer she expected. This corresponds with a period of study of Elemental Air and the heavens as well as growing up of the Fly spells in accordance with Desna's beliefs

Her fame started to spread more widely after this and one of her former adventuring companions sent him/her a relative to train as an apprentice , figuring that it would be a lot cheaper than having a live-in tutor (her credit at court being little) and that if she went on to do more heroic things their relative would gain glory by association. Ostensibly of course this was 'a mark of friendship'

Around this time she attached herself to a patron , using her aristocratic upbringing and magical ability as credentials while her birth family distanced themselves further from her for displaying 'mercenary' behaviour and continued to further the aims of the church of Desna (which in turn made use of her growing small-time and respectability)
This is perhaps a good time for her to have moved to Elgondine and sought the service of your patron ? She would also have been interested in finding out more about conjuration as a result of her experience with the cult

I haven't thought much more beyond this . I'd like to have her foil a incident involving charm spells and a suitable monster (harpies are my favourites) but she needs a few more daring deeds of heroism

I've also just come to realise that the character might work well as an Oracle of the Heavens or a similar domain . Obviously as Leshok suggested her couatl patron would have been behind her work for the Church of Desna

Thoughts/critiques ? Roughly I think she'd be around level 7 or so with this , so I need to emphasize more heroic stuff in the future as she grows in power as a wizard

Scarab Sages

The Egyptian gods are crying out for something more flavourful and awesome that reflects the tenor of the incredibly detailed mythology that Ancient Egypt produced.

The main issue would be how to reflect all the different facets of the gods and goddesses , because at specific times and in specific regions many were seen as creator gods and goddesses (Ptah in Memphis and during the Old Kingdom, Ra in Heliopolis and increasingly after the 5th dynasty when solar worship really took off , Neith in Sais and the Delta and during the Intermediate Period , Osiris in Abydos etc) while also being integrated into the wider mythology by different sects who sought to praise and incorporate the gods into their own belief system

Another issue is that like the Greek gods , few of the Egyptian gods have motivations and stories that translate well into the concept of a D&D alignment .

Isis does protect children and women and gives humans access to magic , weaving , medicine and various other things (while Osiris provides access to farming , trade , laws and the like in the 'Isis and Osiris as the divine couple that first taught humanity story') but she also uses trickery to gain access to Ra's 'secret name' by poisoning him with an enchanted clay snake , she argues against Seth and seeks to trick him to secure Horus' victory in the Seth and Horus trial etc. There's also the famous tale of her punishing a woman for not giving her food as alms by having several scorpions poison her baby and then ressusicitating it

Similarly a god like Seth is both destructive and utterly chaotic , violent , evil , sadistic (in various versions of the Seth and Horus trial myths both harm each other , Horus castrates Seth and Seth blinds Horus in one eye which is then healed by Ra and becomes the udjat eye. It is also suggested Seth rapes Horus who is his nephew) but he is also the defender of Ra's celestial skiff and wards off Apep/Apophis each morning , hence bringing light to the world

Things get even more complicated when you consider how various gods merged into one another at various times in Egyptian history , From the earliest generation of Horus 'the elder' who is one of Isis and Osiris' brothers and would probably be a neutral god of vigilance and protection/war to Horus 'the Younger' who is Isis' son by Osiris and is clearly associated with rulership , but also with vengeance (which is a major theme of the trial) . Then later you have growing cult of Horus 'the child' who is a god of healing and miracle-working which finally merges into Harpocrates as the Greek and Roman periods go on

So an Egyptian pantheon would likely have fewer gods available as PCs (despite there being literally hundreds accounted for in the magical texts) or it would have a much wider pool of worshippers selecting from very different aspects and alignments of each god/goddess

Scarab Sages

Emberion wrote:

The Cerulean Seas Campaign Setting will be released in print in early April, 2011. The PDF will be available with the hard copy at a reduced price.

Based on the overwhelming acclaim and success of our release (thank you all for the positive feedback!) we have decided to support several expansion supplements for this setting which will come available next year. Our first supplement "Indigo Ice" will explore the frozen reaches of the Selkie homeland, Rakailoch. New races, a new class, expanded rules for under-ice adventuring, and lots of other great material will be included in this short and affordable add-on.

Happy gaming!

Sounds very cool . Love the Indigo Ice idea and I'll be picking up Cerulean Seas ASAP

Scarab Sages

Leshok wrote:

wow i forgot about traits! yes two traits for EVERYONE! as long as they make sense of course.

adrien: i'm going to be honest here and say i did not understand like 85% of the references you made here lol, I have never run nor played a module in my life, everything has been home brew (9 years of homebrew running and playing!)

I will be posting up some more regional information here very soon, leaving work now, more info to come that can help you with some of those questions.

Sorry about that . Reading over my post again I can see some of it was obscure. It doesn't really matter anyway , I got a bit over-excited. Hopefully the background will be interested and make sense when I'm done writing it .

9 years of homebrew is awesome :) Congratulations

Also looking forward to more info about politics/geography , or anything else about the world .

Scarab Sages

Still writing the background (I've twisted together bits and pieces from an Egyptian folk tale I remembered , Fading Suns , lots of FR adventures like Four from Cormyr , the Falling Star Spelljammer adventure from Dungeon Magazine a long time ago , bits from the Warhammer : Shadow of the Sun AP on RPG.net and probably some more stuff I don't recall as clearly) . It should be an interesting character to play , chronologically I've only got the character up to 7th level so far so I need to think of a few more set piece adventures to add to their legend...

Trivia question : I remember couatl are supposed to hate and be hated by a race of bird-like monsters . Does anyone remember what their names are ? I kept thinking it was rocs but surely they're not on the same level as a couatl , I think it might be perytons

The spell list also screams awesome when I look at it . I've never actually reached higher levels outside of 2nd edition and I keep thinking 'Wow . I can cast that ?'

(DM) Leshok , have you got a specific royal family in mind for my character to be attached to ? I'm imagining her as coming from a foreign noble background (a la Medicini/Mazarini/Borgia et al.) but essentially considered 'beyond the pale' (i.e too good/heroic) and thus having had to establish herself as an adventurer and advisor in her own right...Perhaps some courageous act that creates a bond between them like Azoun and Vangerdahast or Horiuchi Soan and Shinjo Yokastsu (in L5R)

Tentatively female character but so far what I've written could equally apply to a male or female character , I'll have to think about it some more.

I've given her an apprentice so far, mostly one that became attached too her for political reasons but I may add one or too more . The way Al-Qadim sorcerers trained their apprentices (cf Sha'ir's Handbook) seems like the best way of roleplaying it in my opinion

*Continues brainstorming*

Scarab Sages

Sounds good to me as well . Certainly more opportunity for heroism . I'm writing a tentative background as we speak .

Scarab Sages

Leshok wrote:

Adrien: i approve, infact go ahead and start out with 2 of the Couatl's brightly colored prismatic feathers that can each be used for summoning that specific Couatl through Planar Ally without spending the gold cost.

Talomyr: I did not know I was so in love with a PRC till i read the sphere walker, please play it!!!

LazarX: I have a special place in my heart for paladins! smite away my friend, smite away!

Fantastic . Thank you :) I'm so excited to have a chance to bring back this concept and play it. It should tie well with the other characters , I think Desna is the likeliest deity for this character (promoting goodness , traveling to exotic places and following dreams . Desna might also have couatl servants)

Still thinking about the background some more but is it safe to assume that a land similar to Maztica exists where the character could have gone and spent some years being tutored/guided by the couatl ? Having a character who brought back knowledge of and from foreign lands would make them a desirable advisor as well .

Scarab Sages

Leshok wrote:

Adrien: The idea is good, but perhaps a little low to scale...a 13th level character is typically some one whose exploits would have earned them a high amount of fame. You would be more likely to have your own magical academy, be a court appointed wizard for a king or high noble, etc. The idea soudns good, just make yourself more a hero of the realm!

Talomyr: i don't know anything about the spherewalker prc, do you think you could provide me with a link or information on it? Just want to see hwo it works so i know whats going on.

Yes I think you're right :) I'll go for her (haven't decided on gender yet) being an advisor to the king/queen and a "master wizard" to the royal heir(s) if one/several/all of them have an aptitude for magic

Still likely to be LG (emphasizing Good rather than extreme Lawfulness but devoted to her duty to the royal family and the people of the area) Abjurer , inspired and/or guided by a Couatl

Scarab Sages

Leshok wrote:

so i am looking for 6-7 players for a higher level epic feel campaign. Here are the campaign aspects

characters: 13th level
wealth: standard wealth for 13th level characters
stats: going a little different, starting stats will be 15,14,13,12,11,10
Alignment: This is a heroic campaign, so I'd really prefer Good alignments, or Neutral leaning more towards good/can't let evil just happen.

Back Story: You are a hero of the realm, famous for your exploits, one night you get a dream from either:
your god
your dead parent/mentor/significant person
a good outsider
a forest spirit
"written in the stars"
or dreamed about a written message

Telling you to go to this old cathedral in an abandoned city ruins far off from the beaten path.

Campaign world: my own creation, but all things typically Golorian are in there i.e. gods, races, etc.

I'd also be interested . I once made a character that was an Abjurer tutor to the local royal house's heirs (this could of course be your selection of noble houses or a temple to the god(dess)/gods of magic) and had to flee with them when the house was threatened by assassination/revolt . Sadly the game never got off the ground once the DM had pitched this fantastic concept (protecting the heirs of the royal throne on a perilous journey) but I'd very much like to play a similar character . Perhaps (since the game is so high in level) the character spent her time as an adventurer before settling down to become a tutor and now feels the call to adventure once again

This character was going to form a close relationship with a couatl who would act as her mentor (she'd started having visions) . I was looking to take Rainbow Servant back then but this is just for the theme

So my concept is

-Good Abjurer (Specialist wizard)
- Tutor to a local noble heir(s) or alternatively well-known local wizard with a few apprentices
- Feels the call to adventure again prompted by her long-running but occasional visions of a couatl

How does this sound ? I've never played higher-level but the theme of the game sounds really exciting

.

Scarab Sages

martinaj wrote:
Just saw this thread. I assume you're full up?

Yes , we've got six players . If there are openings later on (due to unforeseen circumstances) I'll bring up this thread again to offer a space to people who've posted on this thread though .

Sorry about that. Hopefully you'll find another PbP

Scarab Sages

Yamiko Kurogetsu wrote:
i transferred my inquisitor to this alias.

Thanks . The OOC thread is now up here

Scarab Sages

nrtrandahl wrote:
I was introduced and began playing 2E in 1996. I've DMing ever since. Sometimes we do a Pathfinder campaign or WoD or something. But I get thejus most enjoyment out of DMing 2E Forgotten Realms set in the Dalelands and Cormanthor. I even have an online group dedicated to AD&D 2E on the Wizards website. Best system and best roleplaying experieinces I've ever hand ever. I'm a 2E Devotee for life.

Awesome :) J started playing tabletop games in 2000 with AD&D in a homebrew world (the defunct Thardferr) but 2e Realms continues to be my D&D setting of choice .

I wonder if there would be interest for a 2e game on the boards and would definitely like to run one although I can't commit to doing so for another year or so probably

Still it's great to see people are playing 2e and having a blast :)

Scarab Sages

Agreed . I'm really excited about the game but I don't mind waiting as long as necessary :) I'll check out the website in the meantime

Thanks for letting us know .

Scarab Sages

Raging Swan wrote:

I've just started a new series of posts on my blog inspired by page 55 of the Gamemastery Guide. Entitled "Cool Words for Gamers" the posts list and define coolm unusual words that gamers can use in their games.

First up, we have atavastic, cyclopean, gibbous, benighted and portentous. Have a read, and use them in your game today!

I thought this was going to be about words to describe players in various RPGs. One of my favourites is "High Dreamers" for those playing characters who can use magic in the wonderful French RPG Rêve de Dragon (published in English as The Dream : Ourouboros)

Scarab Sages

Adrien Wasila wrote:


The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 qualify I think , in the sense that the main characters come to appreciate idealism as the book goes on , or otherwise already exemplify idealism

Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken and the other books in that series would also qualify probably

Apologies about the double post but I've just remembered Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys which also has a protagonist who comes to appreciate and live out idealism . It's also funny and with memorable characters even if the plot has occasional lulls.

Scarab Sages

The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 qualify I think , in the sense that the main characters come to appreciate idealism as the book goes on , or otherwise already exemplify idealism

Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken and the other books in that series would also qualify probably

Scarab Sages

drayen wrote:

Updated my Ventrilo to the most recent version. I recommend that we all get on the same version, so if someone cannot update to the most currect vesion, please let the group know so we can get on your version.

Do we have someone to host a ventrilo server? If not, I will look at doing it, but I'll need to know what countries everyone is in. I know Adrien is in GB and Uriel is in CA. What about Heaven's Agent, Roguemoon and Reckless?

D20PRO should be up and running when I get home from work tonight. I'll play with it and get my character sheet up and sent to you, Uriel.

I've just downloaded Version 3.0.7 for Mac . Still need to register for D20 Pro but I'll be doing it in the next couple of days. Now that I've downloaded Ventrillo do I need to do anything else in order to join the server (i.e setting up a username or the like ?) ? The Help section wasn't very informative

Scarab Sages

In one sense I think I was always drawn towards roleplaying , when I was a child (and until I was 12 or slightly older) I used to play with Playmobil and action figures and I can still remember the scenarios I played out with them .

My introduction to tabletop games proper though came when I picked up a video game magazine with a walkthrough of Baldur's Gate II and was immediately drawn to it . I played the game for many months and started to understand more about D&D . I visited some video game forums to discuss the game and people there were organizing tabletop games through Play-by-Post . I was intrigued but didn't know enough yet to be allowed to join

A little later I came across the Thardferr website and the world appealed to me . This is also why AD&D has such a place in my heart. I started playing properly in a weekly group (being from Western Europe and still only 13 at this point there were many issues about timezones and getting ready for school in time) as well as on their freeform forums . My first time as a DM was such an incredible feeling of achievement that I was hooked on tabletop gaming from then on

Since then I've met many more people who played RPGs online and offline , discovered a whole lot of RPGs (special mention to Shadowrun and Legend of the Five Rings) been to stores and conventions and modestly tried to introduce people to the hobby . It's been a great 10 years :)

Scarab Sages

Here are some more ressources

http://www.rpgstudies.net/hughes/therapy_is_fantasy.html

http://www.tabula-rasa.info/Roleplaying/RoleplayingMyths.html

http://jdr-mag.over-blog.com/pages/Jeu_de_role_pour_enfant_naturel_ou_contr enature_-1397624.html < In French with examples of games tailored for use with children

Fine , Gary Allen Shared Fantasy : Roleplaying Games as social Worlds (University of Chicago Press , 1983)

Scarab Sages

It's quite shocking to see Margaret Mead's book in the same list as Mein Kampf and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. You are partially correct in that later research showed Margaret Mead was probably too ready to take her Samoan informants' declarations at face value , and some of the book makes for quite uncomfortable reading (those long series of tables about the age at which the girls started masturbating ? the maie'totololo section etc) taking into account Mead's prejudices about the Samoans which were widespread at the time (in part due to the work of Tylor , Frazer and various other diffusionist anthropologists who wished to establish Anglo-Europeans as the pinnacle of human historical , biological and social evolution) but it is also unquestionable that her research contributed much to the study of childhood and adolescence in anthropology .

Prior to her work adolescence had been viewed exclusively through a psychological lens , by the likes of Hall and the 'Sturm und Drang movement' and Mead's work at least provided some cultural perspective (she also turned her attention to 1950's America in the less well known but important 'Male and female' and 'And keep your powder dry') . The methodological sins which she can be accused of are symptoms of a much earlier time in anthropology's history and while her work would never be accepted uncritically now it is still studied in classes about the anthropology of childhood and with good reason . Her work has aged better in my view than Ruth Benedict's, Edward Sapir (who held the view that wouldn't couldn't do fieldwork on grounds of ill-health and mental incapacity as related in Mead's Blackberry Winter) and Esther Goldfrank since their studies are even more hidebound by cultural prejudices (The Chrysanthenum and the Sword) and slavish use of Freudian theories (Goldfrank's studies of Navajo dreams)

Scarab Sages

Meowzebub wrote:
Looking forward to it and good luck with the end of your classes.

Thanks . They've been really interesting but quite hectic as the British system crams the 2 years of Masters' research into a single year , with a Masters' thesis.

I'm definitely looking forward to it as well :)

Scarab Sages

Damersel the Abandoned wrote:
Ok. Damersel is good to go if you want to give him a look over.

Damersel looks like a fine character :) II like the background that you mentioned earlier and a Paladin will be a great addition to the party.

I must wait until the semester finishes to have access to my books but we're in effect ready to start now in terms of the characters. Thanks for creating the group. I'll make an OOC topic next week so we can discuss some of the more mundane things about the game (simplified vs by the book combat , when to award experience etc) on PbP before it actually starts

Provisionally I am looking to start the IC topic on December 19th . There is an event that brings each character individually with the others though , so your introduction will be (I hope) relatively easy to fit around preparing for Christmas.

Until next week !

Scarab Sages

the David wrote:

I'm about to start a campaign for 2 players. One of them is totally new to RPGs, the other has some experience with D&D.

I want to know about any good D&D adventures that work for small parties. Any suggestions from fellow DMs/players?

I haven't run this in some time but I think taking the main event of "Snow Baby" from the 2e FR supplement Great Glacier (possibly a source of inspiration ? Although it was pretty basic there were a couple of Inuit-like cultures and traditions that were inspiring , one of which was the birth customs section) could make for a good beginning adventure. (it was orignally a 5th level adventure or so in 2e, but the main events can fit any low-level)

The adventure really comes into its own when the characters decide to shelter from a blizzard/wandering band of monsters or the like and come across a small group of women who are helping one of them deliver her baby . I can't remember if this is because the cave is a sacred spot that's set aside for this or if they just got stuck because of the weather

Some of the characters in the adventure could assist with the birth while others prevented monsters from entering the cave . The adventure also had a cool-sounding arctic tentacled monster that tried to strike at the characters through the ice walls while being stuck on a lower level of the cave...

Possibly not for every group , but it might be a good encounter to use some of the skills of the Druid player (Heal ,Knowledge : Nature etc) and reinforce the sense that the characters are part of a community (e.g if the characters have family ties with one of the women in the cave , or are from the same tribe) . The main reward of the adventure was that the characters (and one of them in particular) got to act as godparents for the child and this could serve as a set up for future adventures with those NPCs.

There are also a few more adventures on the Wizards site but it's true arctic adventures are not really as popular as they ought to be

Scarab Sages

Sorry to double post . Something more 'classically' demonic (do you have a favourite type of demon/devil to encounter in D&D ? Or a demonic NPC that you particularly enjoyed ?) or Lovecraftian (Tindalos ? I don't know much about the mythos but it's kind of reminiscent of the hounds of Tindalos in some ways) might also work and it makes a good point about your character keeping his family's demonic birthright/curse in check through being a summoner. These might give you some more ideas for a name ....

Scarab Sages

Ulkrith Vossare wrote:

Heaven's Agent here. I believe this character is finished and ready for the game; let me know if you have any questions, and I'll see if I can't answer them.

As an aside, I still need to think of a name for my eidolon. Should anyone have any ideas, feel free to voice them.

I like your concept and background for a Summoner . It promises to be an interesting character.

My suggestion for a name would be any of the names that witches and wizards are recorded as giving their familiars (Variations on popular names of the devil usually e.g Harry , Nick , Robin or to go with the fairy theme that drayen and I went for you might want to go for Puck) . Luther was also a popular favourite after the Reformation in Catholic witches' testimonies after the Reformation for obvious reasons .

Not very awe-inspiring but it would be semi-realistic ;)

Scarab Sages

Disturbed1 wrote:

Profile slightly edited:

Changed Burning Hands to Magic Missile
Changed Chelaxian to Draconic
Fixed a few modifiers

Noted :)

Scarab Sages

- The Tanglewood Tales / Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Contes et légendes de l'Egypte Ancienne (and many other books about Ancient Egypt) / Marguerite Divin
- The entire 'Contes et légendes...' series which I read and loved as a child and which fueled my interest in mythology/history
- Mythology / Edith Hamilton
- Collected works (hard to pick between The Abyss , Hadrian's memoirs and her autobiography / Marguerite Yourcenar
- The Handmaid's Tale / Margaret Atwood
- The Poisonwood Bible / Barbara Kingsolver
- Royal Game / Stefan Zweig
- Taiko and Musashi / Ejii Yoshikawa
- Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre by Emily and Charlotte Bronte
- Le Bossu and Lagardére / Paul Féval
- Collected short stories / Tobias Wolff
- Trash / Dorothy Allison
- Strike Sparks : Poems / Sharon Olds
- The Book of Wonder / Lord Dunsany
- The Magus / John Fowles
- The Bloody Chamber / Angela Carter
- The Earthsea cycle / Ursula LeGuin
- Fahrenheit 451 / Ray Bradbury
- The Dispossessed / Ursula Le Guin
- AD&D Player's Handbook (chalk up another introduction to RPGs to it)

I also read many books about feminist theology and feminist scholarship (Of Woman Born by Adrienne Rich , Womanguides by Rosemary Radford-Ruether and Gyn/Ecology by Mary Daly spring to mind immediately) as a male religious studies student these were a great influence on me . To this I must add The Traveler-Gypsies by Judith Okely (cemented my decision to go into anthropology) , Le QUêteur de mémoire (a wonderful book about storytelling in Brittany) by Pierre-Jakez Hélias , Coming of Age in Samoa (flawed but still a true classic) by Margaret Mead , The Presentation of Self in Everyday life by Erwing Goffman , The Return of Martin Guerre by Natalie Zemon-Davis and many other articles and books about the humanities...)

All of these are strongly reflected in my gaming habits , I love fairy tales and mythological stories , I love establishing strong relationships with NPC , the 18th-century era swashbuckling games with chase scenes and fending , all sorts of historical fiction , feminist issues in my games (and I try as much as possible to create characters that react organically) and philosophical/ethical edges when they're called for . Without the rich soil of mythological and religious knowledge I spent my childhood and youth reading I almost certainly wouldn't have come across D&D and wouldn't be playing it now . And without a fledgling academic career I wouldn't have the leisure to do so

Scarab Sages

Quote:


Currently I'm thinking of.. Bard (Magician archetype), Summoner, Rogue witha magic talent or two. Of course this depends heavily on what level we're starting with.

It seems we'll be starting at 1st level.

Scarab Sages

French Wolf wrote:

Good luck DM Amethyst. Looks like you have got yourself a good group of players. Well done Jamie for starting the ball rolling, I hope you all have a blast.

Cheers

Thank you French Wolf :) And congratulations on your Frosbite game which I follow with excitement (it was in fact partly why I decided to take up DMing again) . The group and characters seem great so I hope we'll all have a good time with this Adventure Path

Scarab Sages

The mind boggles at the States' measurement system uriel ! I think it'll always be easier for me to figure things in metric first but one of the many things D&D has taught me is how to get used to unfamiliar measurements in spells and the like , So surprisingly 'Protection from evil 10' radius' felt much more familiar to me than 'Protection contre le mal sur 3 m' as the French version of AD&D had it...But that's just a feature of gaming using supplements in different languages .

There's a funny song about that by French band Naheulband called 'Sauvons les rolistes' (Save the roleplayers) which has funny lyrics like 'How can you recognize roleplayers ? They don't listen in English class because they already know everything ! They buy supplements whose very titles they then have to work out !" etc

I also agree that pints are probably the first and surest way for non-imperial users to come to understand imperial measurements ;)

A magician bard would be cool and complement the party (as well as have a good reason for joining the cast and crew as a 'special effects' person or actor) . Even an all-spellcasting party can probably overcome physical challenges (using Color Spray , Charm Person , Entangle , Magic Missile etc) . The rogue or monk acrobat idea is also cool though and would fit with the stage combat/stuntperson aspect as well as provide some more direct damage....So either of those ideas would be welcome :)

'Words of Power' sounds very fitting for an Irrisen Ice Mage because that's exactly how magic is said to work in the Kalevala songs but I don't know nearly enough about the release to have more to say about it.

Scarab Sages

Well, as I've used Finnish names for my character and plan to use them for the names in my character background, thus making Finnish culture the official and canon Irrisen convention, I suggest raiding Finnish name sites. At the very least Baltic names would work.

I like your idea and I think it's fitting. I think it makes sense to imagine that her mentor the cleric of Shelyn may have adventured in (or possibly be from) Irrisen before they settled in Whistledown as a kind of retirement . So she'll probably have a Finnish or Scandinavian name

Decided to go with a more traditional English name for Artemisia (the first name was an hommage to the great Renaissance painter Artemisia Gentilleschi which survived my concept-shift from artisan to would-be-adventurer) . Hazelhurst (Hazelwood) seems to fit because of the whole association with nature and the gnomes and also the whole 'spellbreaker' theme (beliefs about witch hazel). Pity it doesn't quite roll off the tongue , oh well

I'm impressed by your road trip across the UK , I haven't seen nearly as much of it in 5 years myself ! I've not really seen much of London but I like it as well , I also really liked Glasgow and might move to Edinburgh next year if I get funding for a PhD . I'm pleased that you're enthusiastic about it , so far all my information about it has come from hearsay but it sounds like a great place to live. Cardiff...Never been there but I really enjoy Welsh poetry and what little I know about life/customs in Wales so I'm planning to visit at some stage.

Edits now in place , with slightly more added background to flesh them out

Scarab Sages

I started reading 3 when I decided to join the boards more actively , they're great (with awesome characters and interaction) and I was so taken with PbP on the boards that I volunteered to take up Curse of the Crimson Throne in the near future despite a long hiatus from DMing.

Three cheers for

- French Wolf's Frostbite campaign
- DM Sardaukar's Legacy of Fire
- DM organized's Serpent's Skull
and all their players/characters

Scarab Sages

I think you do have it. What's with the cm? I've been to Britain, I know you use feet/inches/miles. How fat are you? I don't see any stones.(First time I stepped on a scale set for stones it caused my brain to hiccup. I just stood there wondering where all the rest of me went.)

Artemisia wrote:
I've refined the Charm domain into the Love subdomain (from the SRD/APG)
I thought that would be a perfect choice for you, but I didn't want to butt in your character creating mojo.

Thanks :) I've been living in Britain for a while (this is my fifth year) but I'm actually from Luxembourg so it's just a habit . I've got a rough and ready knowledge of imperial measurements though . I know what you mean about stones , they are well confusing

She ought to be 5' 7" and roughly 145 pounds according to a currency converter website . I'll make changes for ease of perusal :) Where did you go in Britain ? I'm in West London but my heart is really in Lancashire , it's a lovely area "up north" as they say (and I have many good memories of being a student at Lancaster)

The Love subdomain is one of those obvious things that I didn't pick up early on but it does make perfect sense for this character :) I also like the Purity subdomain , it has a great 'cursebreaker'/fairy godmother/White Mage vibe that I think fits the character

Penny for your thoughts about a last name/relatives' names/mentor name (should be a female gnome) ? That'd be great

Scarab Sages

To this end...

Best Books for a Murderous, Desolate Winter.

What are some of your favorite, deathly-cold titles?

Arnaldur Indridason / Silence of the Grave

This one doesn't involve winter/cold as such , but it is set in Iceland and features some pretty psychologically disturbing moments . It's a great thriller

Scarab Sages

uriel222 wrote:

A few quick things:

Who doesn't have a d20pro license? I have two guest passes, but everyone else will have to pay the $10 license fee to d20pro.

Does everyone have a working microphone? Are you comfortable with Ventrillo? Does anyone have a vent server?

I'll be busy this Sunday, and, unfortunately, the next (my work's x-mas party, then my wife's) but I'm looking to get in two sessions on the 12th and 19th of December, and then regularly in the New Year.

One last thing: is there any topic you'd rather not see in-game? I generally don't go much darker in my games than the typical fantasy novel (sometimes Edgar Allen Poe, but rarely), but if anyone has a particularly touchy subject feel free to send me an email and let me know to steer clear.

I don't have a licence but I'm planning to get one so someone else can have the guest passes. This sounds good for the schedule and I'm glad we're not starting straight away as I need to sort out my essay writing before the holidays. 12th of December and 19th will be fine , and afterwards obviously.

Yes I do have a microphone , haven't tried Ventrillo yet but I will be installing it

Typical fantasy or even Edgar Allan Poe style gothic horror is fine by me . I wouldn't want to go darker than that , although I was fine with the level of gruesomeness in Hook Mountain Massacre because it was done in a parodic style . I guess it come down to how you describe things .

Scarab Sages

I've just sent my character sheet through email . Looking to add it on the boards as well but I haven't figured out how to get the character section to show up once you create an alias (which I've also been having technical problems with , not sure why).

Hopefully it is complete . Feedback welcome and I'm definitely looking forward to the game !

Scarab Sages

uriel222 wrote:


Picture a fantasy movie directed by Quentin Tarantino.

I see what you mean . It's definitely something I'll bear in mind as the game progresses . I think it might be interesting to play up the 'culture shock' aspect of Whitethrone for my character early on but she'll definitely try to adapt once it becomes clear that the city can in fact be deadly. Suddenly the Protection domain sounds like a wise choice ;)

Scarab Sages

The character is done , I just need to upload her character sheet on to the message boards (or I can send it to your Uriel)

She's not really 'combat-worthy' at all (except as a support character with spells and abilities) since high social skills (Int , Wis ,Cha) made much more sense for the concept I had in mind so hopefully the 'modicum of vicious and deadly combat' will be some time in coming.

On the other hand I think she makes a good character for the negotiation/social side of the game and should bring some useful skills . Ultimately I also hope you will like the character in-game (which is really the most important) !

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