By way of roads forgotten
You look back from where you came
The path behind you disappeared
As if the world itself had vanished
Carrying but a single hope
Be it torch or be it rope
You continue to shamble onwards
Towards walls and spires of horror
Of Dreams and Despair is an experiment in Play-by-Post gaming.
Each participant plays a lost wanderer who during his travels encounters a castle caught within clinging mists.
Each participant should follow the steps presented in the spoiler tab below.
Please follow these steps in order.
1) Participants must select one of the following NPC classes to play: Adept, Expert or Warrior.
2) Each Participant builds his or her character with a 15 point buy.
3) Each Participant begins the game with 25 gp of equipment.
4) Each Participant should use the statblock below to represent his character to facilitate swift gameplay. If you are not an adept, please remove the section of ADEPT SPELLS.
Name
Male/Female Human Class 1
Alignment Medium Humanoid (Human)
Init +X; Senses; Perception +X
Corruption: X Depravity: X
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DEFENSE
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AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10 (+X Dex, +0 armor)
HP XX (XdX+X)
Fort +X, Ref +X, Will +X
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OFFENSE
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee
Ranged
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STATISTICS
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Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +X; CMB +X; CMD 10
Feats:
Symptoms:
Skills:
Languages:
Combat Gear:
Other Gear:
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SPECIAL ABILITIES
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ADEPT SPELLS
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Adept Spells Prepared (CL X, Concentration +X)
0- [DCXX]
1- [DCXX]
2- [DCXX]
3- [DCXX]
4- [DCXX]
5- [DCXX]
Adept Spell List
0th Level: create water, detect magic, ghost sound, guidance, light, mending, purify food and drink, read magic, stabilize, touch of fatigue.
1st Level: bless, burning hands, cause fear, command, comprehend languages, cure light wounds, detect chaos, detect evil, detect good, detect law, endure elements, obscuring mist, protection from chaos, protection from evil, protection from good, protection from law, sleep.
2nd Level: aid, animal trance, bear's endurance, bull's strength, cat's grace, cure moderate wounds, darkness, delay poison, invisibility, mirror image, resist energy, scorching ray, see invisibility, web.
3rd Level: animate dead, bestow curse, contagion, continual flame, cure serious wounds, daylight, deeper darkness, lightning bolt, neutralize poison, remove curse, remove disease, tongues.
4th Level: cure critical wounds, minor creation, polymorph, restoration, stoneskin, wall of fire.
5th Level: baleful polymorph, break enchantment, commune, heal, major creation, raise dead, true seeing, wall of stone.
As mentioned, Of Dreams and Despair is an experiment and the rules do not follow a typical campaign structure.
Players will come and go as events occur within the area and the campaign comes to an end when all of the following conditions is met:
Victory Conditions
- A Participant reaches the Heart of the Castle and survives the ensuing encounter.
- A Participant has successfully discovered the Castle's History and can recount all major events.
- The 22 Tarosian Entities have been defeated.
Failure Conditions
- All the Participants are either Dead, Lost or Corrupted and no new Participants have entered the Castle.
Leveling Up
Throughout the adventure, Participants will receive Experience Points based on the accomplishments of the group as a whole, known as the Collective. Whenever the Collective gains enough Experience Points to level up, every Participant who is neither Dead or Lost levels up. Corrupted Participants also level up.
Taint
As well, Of Dreams and Despair uses the Taint mechanics from Heroes of Horror, except for the following modifications:
- You do not gain a bonus feat upon reaching moderate or severe taint thresholds.
- Any Participant who reaches the Dead/Insane threshold instead becomes Corrupted. He continues playing, loses all the penalties that his symptoms would produce and is now a PC controlled enemy. He will obstruct other Participants and attempt to slay as many as possible.
- There are ways for Corrupted Participants to be returned to normal. Doing so returns them to Severe Taint and they are no longer against the other Participants.
- There are ways of reducing Taint. Find them.
Exploring the Castle
Of Dreams and Despair has a lot of puzzles and situations that will require you to think things through. Explore everywhere you can, use Perception to find things, but be wary... not everywhere is safe.
Participants are not required to travel as a group. For the ease of gameplay however, actions taken by any Participant is known to all. This helps the Participants coordinate themselves, but also allows Corrupted Participants to easily stalk and prepare.
Getting Into the Game
The Campaign has already begun. A Participant wishing to join the game must head to the Recruitment thread and submit his profile. As soon as I have verified your profile's character sheet and I have replied that you are accepted you may head right to the gameplay thread and begin exploring.
Participants joining in later in the game begin at the current Level (indicated in the Campaign Info tab).
The last and final warning is that there can be no more than 5 Participants at a time within the Castle. If ever a Participant becomes Dead, Lost or Corrupted, the next person in the Recruitment thread will be PMed a message that his Character can now enter the Castle.
It is HIGHLY recommended for Participants not currently in the Castle to follow the gameplay and the events occurring in the Castle so that they already know what to do, and where to explore.
Any further questions can be asked in the Recruitment thread or by PM.
The Castle is vast and there are countless hundreds places to explore.
Will you see the light of day again? Or will you never be seen again?
Relics
As you traverse the Castle you will find Relics. These unique items grant individual abilities and powers to their wielder. A Participant may only have up to 3 Relics on his person at one time. He may not even pick one up unless he drops one (if he already controls 3).
These Relics will often grant powers/abilities related to the PC Classes or other unique abilities.
Oh, HIGHLY intriguing idea.
Traits?
Max HP at 1st?
Very neat.
Oh, HIGHLY intriguing idea.
Traits?
Max HP at 1st?
Max HP at 1st
2 TraitsYou are not required to be Human, but you may only choose from the core races.
If you're looking for a theme, think Amnesia, Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe and Silent Hill had a child together.
The young girl's voice echoes quietly down the dark stone entrance of the castle. "hu-hello? Is anybody home?"
The young girl's voice echoes quietly down the dark stone entrance of the castle. "hu-hello? Is anybody home?"
Approved. You may head to Gameplay and begin in Area #1. Good luck. You are the first to enter meaning you get the advantage, but you are alone for the moment.
lol. Alone may not be an advantage. :)
Shuo Nonek submitted for your consideration.
Archibald Sawworthy up for inspection (finished except for equipment, which won't be very much). SCHOLAR AND OBSERVER OF THE UNUSUAL!
Loving being in your gravewalker game. Going to work on a character now.
Garr'ak the Toothy here for your inspection.
Truerepentance with Eiron the Warrior applying
Shuo Nonek, Duke MacAdams and Erion Lothl, your characters are approved as is. You all appear in Area #3 together.
Archibald, finish purchasing your equipment and update your AC.
Gar'rak, update your class to say Warrior 1.
Archibald and Gar'rak, once said changes are done, you can begin. You both appear together in Area #4 together.
The participant pool is full as of now. Keep applying to be the next member to go in.
any chance of linking/posting what the taint stuff is, sounds interesting...
It's not OGL, so I don't believe I can repost the rules themselves. They're from the Heroes of Horror book. However, I've modified them a bit to suit this campaign.
Cralisoft comes to castle. Cralisoft would like to have tea.
Cralisoft comes to castle. Cralisoft would like to have tea.
Welcome Cralisoth. You've been added to the Accepted Participants list, and you are the first to be addressed if another Participant is Dead, Lost or Corrupted.
Dang and I thought I was going to have the only Half-Orc here with some class.
Besides the bad pun, the update has been made and thanks for accepting me in.
Cralisoft will sit and enjoy tea, wondering about images in head. Like entertainment from heavenly bodies. Birthmark is warm, tea is warm, Cralisoft will relax.
Cralisoft will sit and enjoy tea, wondering about images in head. Like entertainment from heavenly bodies. Birthmark is warm, tea is warm, Cralisoft will relax.
Keep an eye on the gameplay, campaign info and the Explorer's Journal to get a good idea as to what's going on.
Dot for an easier find
Here we go!
Quite fascinating...
Dotted.
And maybe, I could join!
And just for the record... the campaign is running in Golarion, right?
Nay, far from golarion. Why?
Nay, far from golarion. Why?
'Cause the traits. Some are related to Golarion's religion and others are related to regions... So, are they available anyway?
Nay, far from golarion. Why?'Cause the traits. Some are related to Golarion's religion and others are related to regions... So, are they available anyway?
All traits are available, simply reflavor them as you see fit. In any case, there are few gods who would follow you here...
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LOL. That's not ominous or anything...
Cyrus would like to apply.
Drent Faulkner at your service...
It's actually 15pt buy. Which turns out those dice rolls are equivalent to so you can actually use them :p
It's actually 15pt buy. Which turns out those dice rolls are equivalent to so you can actually use them :p
Definitely I missed that Perception check!
And I was starting to accept my ill fortune...
Thanks for remind me to read why I MUST have readed... but I appreciate your help. Looking how to tweak a little the stats. :)
Done. Working on background...
This looks like a most delicious diversion...
I'd like to submit Tam Bracke, farmer with a taste for blood.
I used the Ready and Ready trait to let him use a pitchfork as a weapon. I gave it the same stats as a spear; please notify me if that's too much.
And here it is:
However, in the last town did not go as well as planned.
While earning some gold at the expense of the parishioners, Drent noticed a beautiful Varisian woman at the inn and soon began a fleeting romance. Unfortunately for him, although she corresponded his affections, she not attempted to mention that she was the wife of a major landowner in the region. After learning of the deception, the offended husband challenged Drent to a duel which he had no choice but to accept.
The man, drunk and angry, attacked awkwardly at his opponent, and for good (or bad) fortune, at one blow the knife pierces the landlord's heart, killing him instantly. Immediately, the landlord's men led by the now widow, chased Drent for hanging.
On that fateful night, Drent took what he could and fled for his life. He rode day and night until he was sure of losing his pursuers, when he found an old abandoned castle. Seeking for refuge, Drent dismounted but as soon as he put a feet inside the estate, the horse run away frightened.
Being a dark, cold night, and with his pursuers looking for him, Drent has no other choice than to step inside...
We still recruiting, Herald?
This looks really intriguing, so I made Thomdril... "well, my friends call me Thom."
Cralisoft would like to welcome you all to tea. Cralisoft thinks you should drink the good tea, let funny images pass through mind.
Cralisoth's disturbing obssesion with tea makes Drent think twice (maybe thrice!) about drinking that tea...
let funny images pass through mind
Reminds me of a long-time friend who got hooked on pesh. Poor bastard, he didn't make it.
Pass me sum' a that tea, I could use a bit of a pick-me-up.
I'll be taking a look through all the new recruits. As mentioned, Recruitment never ends for this campaign and as PCs become Dead or Lost, they are added in.
Expect answers by tomorrow, I'm still recuperating from an army of 7-11 year olds learning how to LARP.
I look forward to your response. :)
- Any Participant who reaches the Dead/Insane threshold instead becomes Corrupted.
I can't help but see some poor PC like THIS
Congratulations, all four applicants have been added to the Inactive players in the order of application. Remember to stay informed, read the Expedition Journal and get a good idea of things you wish to explore.