I can easily shift Aredhel to another class if needed in order to balance out the party.
Feel free to discuss character creation ideas here, as well as discussing your collective past. Remember that you have known each other for quite a while, even if you probably haven't seen or talked to one another in several years. Here are some questions you could ask yourselves as you flesh out your characters.
- What have you been doing in the four years since the Company of the TBD disbanded? For most of you it probably wasn't adventuring, as that would mean you would be several levels higher than everyone else. Did you go back home? Did you start a different business? After all, unless you are born into wealth, you have to do something to make a living.
- What kind of adventures did you all go on together before the breakup? I detailed your last adventure together (the defeat of the daemonic cultists in the ruins of Rachikan), but there were others before that. This adventure in an homage to the solo adventure/story presented in the old D&D Basic Set (the Red Box), so if it could tie to any old D&D adventures (such as Keep on the Borderlands or In Search of the Unknown) that would earn you extra geek points.
- What was your relationship to Bargle or Aleena? What do you think about the others? You all worked together, but as in any group in RL, there are always tensions if not outright conflicts. Do you blame someone for Bargle's disappearance or Aleena's death? Remember that conflict is what drives drama.
- Do any of you have family/friends/lovers/pets that you have left behind to come here? What does it feel like to be separated from them?
- Do you enjoy having the "gang back together", or were you happier in your new life?
- What is the actual name of the Company of the TBD?
The reason I ask these questions is because I have found that they provide color and motivation. Color in an RPG is important, because it turns a stat block into a realistic facsimile of a person, since after all you're playing a character, not Str: 14, Dex 12, etc. Motivation is important, because it helps with immersion into the game world, and helps put reasoning behind one's actions.
I can easily shift Aredhel to another class if needed in order to balance out the party.
You can if you like, but it's not required. I'm happy to play with this group of characters "as is", and think that not having perfect "party balance" makes you come up with creative solutions.
Before he joined up with TBD Mandraiv was on the run. He had been working as an enforcer for a Sczarni Brotherhood family in Korvosa. However, another organized crime group that was seriously into devil worship and had ties to Korvosa's government all but wiped them out.
Mandraiv had gone to other Brotherhood families for help, but they saw no business advantage to be gained. They would essentially have to defeat not only the rival organization but also install a new government in Korvosa. That was much too high risk and too costly an expense for too uncertain of an outcome to make it an acceptable "business" proposition.
So Mandraiv ended up joining and adventuring with TBD. He needed to increase his skills and the amount of money he had. However, when Bargle went missing and TBD folded Mandraiv wasn't sure what to do. To make matters worse, Mandraiv's criminal contacts had just informed him that the rival organization in Korvosa had learned he was alive and put a price on his head. Something to do with his entire family having been a promised sacrifice to Asmodeus. Thus Mandraiv and any other potentially surviving members of his family had to be hunted down.
Mandraiv had wanted to look for Bargle, but he couldn't do that effectively with the gods alone knew how many assassins after him. Mandraiv ended up joining another Sczarni Brotherhood family. They wouldn't help him with the revenge he sought. But blood was thicker than water so they would shelter him as long as he was willing to work for them. After a couple of years had passed they were able to fake a convincing enough "death" for Mandraiv that the hunt for him was called off. Mandraiv continued working for that family until his contacts informed him of Aleena's message. Mandraiv then took a leave of absence from the family and went to sort things out.
Aredhel had been slated to begin her training as a Swordmaster of the Tower when she came across Aleena, and her travels with the cleric and subsequent adventures with the TBD served to push her apprenticeship back a score of years. Her time away from Riverspike has always felt like a brief interlude; such is her lifespan that no matter how many adventures she goes on, she knows her home will always be there waiting for her, along with her nigh ageless family and traditions.
When the party disbanded, she returned to Riverspike, and there began her training, which typically would run for thirty years, the first five or so involving mostly meditation, philosophy, and the quest to understand the nature of one's own spirit.
Thus while Aredhel has been assiduously training, her actual sword skills have not yet improved noticeably since last she fought alongside her old companions. If anything, however, her training has made her more aloof, detached, and quizzical about life outside the elven realm.
Of all the companions, Aredhel was closest to Aleena, who had an infallible way of drawing the high elf out of her thoughts and into the world of the here and now. Whether it was challenging her to try dwarven spirits or agree to just one more adventure, Aleena was the anchor that kept Aredhel from drifting away.
She considered Bargle coarse. For all his fine words and erudite nature, she never trusted the gleam in his eyes, nor how he would often leave the group for days on end when they visited major cities on missions whose nature he refused to discuss. However she always dismissed him as unimportant; when he dropped out of sight on his quest to dispose of the magical items, she was one of those most convinced that he had been waylaid and killed. His potential return is as surprising as it is aggravating.
The regrouping of the Company does not particularly please Aredhel; she had put these adventuring days behind her, and thought herself ready for disciplined study. Nor was she as close to any of the others as she was to Aleena.
Mandraiv probably interested her the most due to his magical ability, and the manner in which he wore his mysterious past around him like a cloak.
Oso was probably a little too boisterous and 'alive' for her tastes, though over the course of several adventures she would have come to appreciate him better for his forthright nature and dependability. I could imagine Oso saving Aredhel's life once, earning her grudging respect.
Artius' intolerance of oppression would have resonated with her own sense of justice, though his adoration of Bargle and lack of respect for the law would have prevented them from becoming close.
As for the company name! I have no idea. The Company of the Wandering Light? The Company of Steel Intentions? I'm awful at this. The Company of the Black Hog? No. Erm. Perhaps somebody else can knock this one out of the park? Or maybe they never could agree on a company name, and ended up calling themselves The Company of Tomorrow, as in, that was when they'd finally come up with a name?
I am back from a tabletop game and its 11.15pm here in the UK so I'll be brief.
Boisterous and alive sums up Oso pretty well. The whole party balance question may not matter so much now that we have a possible cleric. Oso will go full berserker barbarian with a street urchin background and probably a feat.
As for the rest of the questions, Oso is a simple chap and I'll knock something together tomorrow afternoon.
As for a name, I like the idea of using the Company of the "TBD", say something like The Brass Dragon, a pub where we first all met and signed a charter to adventure together?
I could go with that. The Brass Dragon company sounds cool. At any rate, unless we get a rogue or a ranger it looks like I may end up being party point man/scout.
Sure, that works for me too.
Sounds good to me. Though I quite liked the Company of Tomorrow as well. :)
I've created a Gameplay thread. Feel free to dot at your leisure.
I'm hoping to get the game going full-swing before the end of the week. Let's see if we get any more interested parties in the recruitment thread.
I could go with that. The Brass Dragon company sounds cool. At any rate, unless we get a rogue or a ranger it looks like I may end up being party point man/scout.
I havent actually built Artius yet, but with Criminal background and being a dex-based light armor wielding fighter, I suspect I can help fill that role too. I should be okay with traps/locks and hopefully stealth/perception too.
By the way, is there a 'how to' guide somewhere for getting clas/race/level included as Mandraiv has listed above? The last time I played PBP there werent any of these new campaign tools - it was just an alias and a couple of unlinked threads.
EDIT: Nevermind - found it.
Sounds good to me. Though I quite liked the Company of Tomorrow as well. :)
So just to let everyone know what page I am on:
I've been playing RPGs for a long time, but 5e is new to me. I have the books, but have never been in or run a 5e game. I'm getting ready to write a 5e adventure for a friend of mine, so this adventure will hopefully educate me, and help me understand how this game differs from 3.x and Pathfinder (which I am much more familiar with).
Have any of you had experience with 5e, and if so, what are your impressions of it? Actually, even if you haven't played the game and have only read the rules I'd still be interested in your thoughts on it :)
I've played a few characters at low levels. These are some random observations/first impressions.
We find the different characters reasonably well balanced, the combats quick and easy (with or without a grid) and the feel of each archetype to be quite different.
Casters play very differently than PF - we've only ever played blasters in 5E (which seem to us to be the expected norm). I think the buffing role has really been marginalised via the concentration mechanic.
It's also seemed to us to be at a higher power level than more recent editions. The expectation appears to have shifted back from a few (or even a solo) monsters to wading through hordes of underlings. I don't have a lot of experience running the game yet, but the encounter building rules seem too easy to me - we regularly churn through many more encounters at a higher level than the DMG guidelines suggest we "should" be able to do.
We're currently playing through the A series and we've breezed through A1 with four level 5 PCs. Barely broke a sweat, really. We took one long rest, but I don't think that was really necessary - it was just that our spellcasters got a bit trigger happy early on and then got bored spamming cantrips.
Beyond the first couple of levels, it's quite hard to outright kill a character.
My first impression of monsters is that they will need a few more "special abilities" to keep interesting. This isn't something I've noticed at the table yet, but from reading the MM I've got the impression there are a few too many direct boosts to combat (via multiattack or the various advantage granting abilities) rather than varied abilities. This might just require more descriptive work from the DM during combat though - as I said, I haven't noticed this whilst playing, it's more an intellectual observation.
I've been playing RPGs off and on since the '70s, but have no real experience with 5th edition. The thing that semi-worries me about this scenario is that Magic Missile in this edition is no joke. The basic spell gives the caster 3 bolts at 1d4+1 damage each which will always hit unless the target has some very specialized defenses. That works out to 10.5 points of damage the caster could expect to inflict every turn he's got spell slots available.
Basically we have to try to set things up so we see Bargle before he sees us and hit him fast and hard.
By the way, should we roll hit points for 2nd and 3rd levels or just take the 1/2 hit die +1 increase?
By the way, should we roll hit points for 2nd and 3rd levels or just take the 1/2 hit die +1 increase?
The latter, please.
Artius' life after the Company of the Brass Dragon:
Once the company of the Brass Dragon disbanded, Artius returned to the only life he knew. Being without a 'gang' for the first time in his life left him somewhat directionless and without purpose. Most comfortable when surrounded by crowds, he wandered through the larger cities of Cheliax and Andoran drifting back into a life of crime - his facility with three dragon ante and fast-talking patter allowing him to earn enough to stay alive without ever bringing him true wealth. When his scams and crooked deck were uncovered, he was generally able to elude his victims, skipping out of town and heading on to the next port of call.
His luck ran out in Westcrown where he was plying his trade as usual before an astute weaponsmith's apprentice named Pavo spotted the crucial switch in the scam. Beginning his sprint through the crowd toward the city gate, Artius found himself running straight into Brontius Visellin - the weaponsmith master of the conned apprentice. The burly smith hoisted Artius back to his shop and gave the conman the choice of repaying his debt to Pavo through indentured service in the smithy or to be handed over to the Hellknights.
Artius made the easy choice, expecting to be able to escape within days, however found his new master to be both canny and alert. The days turned into weeks and then months as Artius found himself staying far longer than his debt required. Brontius taught Artius the finer arts of swordcraft and weaponsmithing, determined that his new charge would come to earn an honest living as either a smith or an accomplished swordsman.
However, Artius never felt at home at the smithy and when news of Bargle resurfacing reached him, he was on his way to Pezzack immediately, eager to see his 'gang' reunited. The news of Aleena’s murder hit him hard and he refuses to believe Bargle would ever have betrayed one of his own companions.
I've run a few games of 5ed over the last few months and I like it. Only at the lowest tier though.
Combat is clean, GMing is so much easier (especially prepping bad guys) and the advantage/disadvantage system makes for a very simple tool to help players roleplay and DMs cover odd situations.
However for an old grognard like me (though not as old as BrOp), the blasting cantrips and orisons have proven a game changer. Also 3rd level should avoid the huge risks to PCs at first level as well.
The one thing none of us can do is save vs death. Its not difficult, it should be easy but when you only have three chances to roll a 10 we somehow always end up in trouble.
Cheers
I've never played 5e before, but I'm hoping it won't be too difficult to learn. It's also why I picked the fighter class - usually the simplest to play.
Oso is starting to come together, he majors in hit points and soaking damage.
Cheers
Everything that people have been posting here has been great, btw. I'm very much looking forward to this game.
I should be finished filling out the alias some time Wednesday afternoon. I use a smartphone for my normal Internet access and want to get on a computer at the library to do the bulk of the data entry.
Hmm. Is there any guidance somewhere about how to get vital statistics next to your alias?
You can put the information in the "gender" line.
Ah, I see. Cheers.
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Everything that people have been posting here has been great, btw. I'm very much looking forward to this game.
Me too.
And because I do not know you guys very well but want the game to go places...well at least as far as Warlock Island on to a mini introduction.
I'm a 40 something part time house husband/parttime storeworker/parttime math tutor with a gorgeous college lecturer for a wife and two precocious children. Currently I live in Guernsey in the Channel Islands but that is due to change when my wife's contract finishes in the summer.
Played all the editions of DnD (4th very little) and used to be a regional spod for the RPGA in the southwest of the UK. Played and written for Living Greyhawk and latterly wrote a couple of things for Raging swan Press. As for these forums, I've played lots and run a number of games - my favourite settings being Ravenloft and Al-Qadim.
You can call me Frenchie if you like it, its a nickname that has stuck over the gaming years due to the number of french elves and spies and dwarves I have played.
Cheers
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Well, if we're going to come clean about our ages, I'm probably the oldest one in the group here at 55. My board handle is a reference to the fact that I was a mustang line officer in the U.S. Navy. I also have various academic credentials that nobody wants to pay me any money for. So I make do as best I can and play games. Single, no kids.
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I"m also a in my early forties and am a pt dad/writer/singer working in Portland, OR, where I once was the VC for Pathfinder Society. I'm also an admin for PathfinderWiki and have been working on that for about 6.5 years. I've written a number of things for Paizo, which you can see in my profile. I was born in grew up in Austria, but haven't lived there since the in over 25 years.
I'm in my early thirties, currently working as a marketing director at a FL university, but hoping to quit and become a stay-at-home dad by the end of this year if my books continue to sell well on Amazon.
I first got into RPG's by playing MERP while in Brazil in the early 90's, but quickly transitioned to AD&D upon moving to Orlando for high school. I'm also a huge fan of White Wolf games, and haven't looked back since discovering Pathfinder.
What language are we going to be using for "Common"? Will "Common" be a language all its own or will we just use Chelaxian for "Common" because its the main language in our area of operations?
Crunch is basically done. Figuring out equipment load. May end up trying to introduce a new item, the double size backpack, costs twice as much and holds twice as much as a standard backpack. I'm also going to assume that the cost of a scabbard and harness arrangement for a longsword is 5 silver. Usually one would simply hand wave that saying it was included in the cost of the weapon, but Mandraiv got his pact blade for free so a scabbard and harness for it would be an extra expense for those times that he chooses to carry it openly.
What language are we going to be using for "Common"? Will "Common" be a language all its own or will we just use Chelaxian for "Common" because its the main language in our area of operations?
There is a "Common" tongue in the Inner Sea region: Taldane.
Ok, so Mandraiv will speak Taldane and Varisian. Next silly question, given Mandraiv's background it would be natural to think that he could use Thieves' Cant. But apparently the only ways to start with a character that knows that is to either take a level of rogue or get a feat to cover that. Which strikes me as strange because the criminal background gives a character proficiency with thieves' tools and a criminal contact. It would make a certain amount of sense for thieves' cant to be part of that package as well.
Ok, so Mandraiv will speak Taldane and Varisian. Next silly question, given Mandraiv's background it would be natural to think that he could use Thieves' Cant. But apparently the only ways to start with a character that knows that is to either take a level of rogue or get a feat to cover that. Which strikes me as strange because the criminal background gives a character proficiency with thieves' tools and a criminal contact. It would make a certain amount of sense for thieves' cant to be part of that package as well.
It would, but it doesn't :)
"It's still a game and certain things will be arbitrary" is the best explanation I can come up with.
Ok. Just thought I'd ask. Still some things I need to add to his profile and his "Awakened Mind" ability from his pact with the Great Old One is one of them. Gives him a work around for some of that.
In terms of introductions: I'm in Australia, I'm 44, married with no kids. I work as an accountant at the moment (but have also been mathematician, poker player, bridge teacher and acrobat) I've been playing RPGs since about 79 or 80. My preference is for very rules light games (5E has too much mechanics for my taste :p) set in golarion.
Heres a picture of me on gaming night, a bit more of my RPG background and a cool prop.
I tried PBP a few years back and enjoyed it but bit off more than I could chew. For now, I plan on just playing one game before hopefully running one of my own. It's my only game currently, so I'm keen to make this one work! :)
Mandraiv probably interested her the most due to his magical ability, and the manner in which he wore his mysterious past around him like a cloak.
Oso was probably a little too boisterous and 'alive' for her tastes, though over the course of several adventures she would have come to appreciate him better for his forthright nature and dependability. I could imagine Oso saving Aredhel's life once, earning her grudging respect.
Artius' intolerance of oppression would have resonated with her own sense of justice, though his adoration of Bargle and lack of respect for the law would have prevented them from becoming close.
Artius views the company of the brass dragon as his new gang. As such, though he may not always see eye with them, he's loyal and accepting to a fault. He assumes the others are too - hence his conviction that bargle hasn't murdered Aleena.
His hero worship of bargle probably got irritating, but Artius would have proven himself dependable in battle, brave and trustworthy over the years. He's swift, stealthy and talented with both locks or traps, however his larcenous ways would only ever be directed at those he viewed as outsiders - there's very little he wouldn't do or risk for any of the company members.
Steve, that map is amazing. I'm glad you're returning to pbp! I'm only dipping my toe in the pbp pool for the first time myself. Very excited about this game, and happy to meet you all!
Quick question: does chainmail allow for a dex bonus? Other than that, I think my crunch is done.
Quick question: does chainmail allow for a dex bonus? Other than that, I think my crunch is done.
Nope, it just gives you a flat AC of 16. With your high Dex, the best AC you could get would be half-plate, which would give you an adjusted AC of 17 (15 + 2 Dex). On the other hand, studded leather would give you AC of 16 (12 + 4 Dex), and you'd be a lot sneakier in it.
Nope, it just gives you a flat AC of 16. With your high Dex, the best AC you could get would be half-plate, which would give you an adjusted AC of 17 (15 + 2 Dex). On the other hand, studded leather would give you AC of 16 (12 + 4 Dex), and you'd be a lot sneakier in it.
Hmm, all good options, but I'm going to stick with the chainmail, if only because I'm in love with this image. Give that elf black hair, and you've got Aredhel.
She is nice.
DM you mentioned extra items, the DMG gives guidelines for wealth by level too. Do you want us to start with a basic list of our class and background or do you have a greater figure in mind?
cheers
Oh and one small detail I forgot to mention, I am a Packers fan. Hopefully no one here supports those Cowboys?
cheers
Greetings, I am Daniel. Been playing RPG's since the 1970's. Work as an executive director for a museum here in Alberta Canada. Here is my 1/2 orc cleric of war Imsh.
Welcome.
Pretty much finished with the profile. Got 126.2 gold pieces worth of gear for him including 15 gp for cash on hand. I basically just went with stuff that would make sense for him to have. I would assume that other characters would likely spend more as armor can get expensive.
There's some information about the character that's in posts in this thread that I haven't added to the profile yet. Will likely do that later.
I'm going to allow everyone to make the following rolls to see what type of magic item you get:
- Roll 1d6. On a 1-4 you get a single percentile roll on Random Magic Item Table A. On 5-6, you get to roll on the (better) Table B. The tables are in the DMG. Just post the roll and I will tell you the results.
- You may trade the magic item to another player if it makes more sense for them to have them (e.g. if a fighter gets a scroll).
Good luck rolling!
DM you mentioned extra items, the DMG gives guidelines for wealth by level too. Do you want us to start with a basic list of our class and background or do you have a greater figure in mind?
cheers
You'll get the basic equipment plus the single magic item I mention in the post just above this.
Now I'm confused about gear. If all we get is just the basic starting stuff for 1st level characters plus one item then I would think we would be rather under equipped for 3rd level. Or were you intending us to roll for starting wealth on PHB page 143 or do something else?