Rennick's Mourning Dawn - an Eberron PFRPG (Inactive)

Game Master Rennick

You awake with your ears ringing, your vision a blur and your head pounding like you’ve had a fifth of Goblin Grog and gone nine rounds with a Bugbear. You give your head a shake, trying to get the ringing to stop, and press a hand to your temple; only to withdraw it from a slick wet feeling. Blood? No... the goo on your fingers has a blue- green tinge to it. Blinking some more, your eyes begin to take focus. You see that you’re dressed in very Spartan clothes, a simple set of rough spun trousers and a loose, ill fitting shirt. You sit in some sort of a large tube, about six feet tall and barely wide enough around for you to sit in, the floor underneath you grated, and the glass of the tube shattered around you. As you try to stand on feet that feel like water you see that the room you’re in has a number of tubes similar to your own, with figures, still blurry to your eyes, trying to extricate themselves from them as well. Head still throbbing you cast your eyes to and fro. You stand in some kind of lab, how did you get here? What happened? Your mind flashes back to hazy images and half remembered dreams. You feel your heart leap to your throat as you realize... you don’t remember who you are.

This sets the opening scene of my new Eberron PbP, which will be using PFRPG rules, with some variations on 3.5 where needed. Please read the submission guidelines completely, people who don’t follow them will be disqualified, no exceptions.

The Crunch
Stat a Level one character using the “High Fantasy” point buy (20 points). You may use all options presented in the core rulebook and the APG, as well as the guidelines below.

- For now, no Psionic options are allowed.

NO evil allignments

Races

All Standard Races are accepted, though the flavour will follow Eberron over the core book.

Warforged: For this game I have chosen to use “The Ironborn of Questhaven” race for Warforged as I feel it gives players and myself more creative freedom. The only difference will be that I’m keeping that they do not need to eat, sleep or breathe.

Shifters and Changelings: These races are allowed, using the statistics given below. (My thanks to Dreaming Warforged for working these up)

Shifters
Shifters, also known as the weretouched, are one of the intelligent races inhabiting Eberron. With both humans and lycanthropes among their distant ancestors, shifters posses just a small portion of their forefathers' shape-shifting abilities. They cannot transform wholly into an animal but can instead shift parts of their body to become animal-like for short periods of time. Many years ago, the Church of the Silver Flame, in its war against Evil, tried to eradicate all lycanthropy. They eventually turned their attention to the shifters, who suffered numerous exactions until the Church realized they could not transmit the curse.

+2 dex, -2 chr
Medium
Low-Light Vision
Agile (+2 Acrobatics and Climb)
Humanoid with Shapeshifter subtype
Shifting (Su): once a day (+1 per two shifting feats), a shifter can tap into its lycanthrope heritage, as a free action, for a number of round equal to 3 + Con + number of shifting feats. There are six types of shifters, each granting different abilities.

Beasthide: +2 Con, +2 nat. AC.
Longtooth: +2 Str, bite attack for 1d6 (+ 1 per four levels).
Cliffwalk: +2 Dex, Climb speed of 20
Razorclaw: +2 Str, 2 claw attacks for 1d4 (+1 per four levels).
Longstride: +2 Dex, +10 ft speed.
Wildhunt: +2 Con, Scent 30 ft, move action to know direction, pinpoint location within 5 feet.

Changelings
Changelings are a humanoid race who are distantly descended from dopplegangers. Changelings possess a natural ability to alter their physical appearance much like their monstrous progenitor race, but are somewhat limited in the forms they can take compared to a doppleganger. That being said changelings are able to alter their height by as much as a foot growing either taller or shorter, change their physical features to appear as another humanoid race and even take on the appearance of either gender (though changelings are sexually dimorphic with clear physical differences between males and females). Changelings cannot, however, change the clothing or equipment they are wearing with their natural abilities. In their natural forms changelings resemble gray skinned humans but lack some facial definition such as nostrils or lips (though they still have noses and mouths).

+2 any ability
Medium
Humanoid with Shapeshifter subtype
Slippery Mind (+2 vs sleep and charm effect)
Emotion Reader (+2 Bluff, Intimidate and Sense Motive)
Minor Change Shape (Su): Alter their appearance as though using Disguise Self, but only for their body, not their possessions. It is not an illusion but a minor physical alteration. Can be used at will, as a full-round action, and last until the changelings is dead or unconscious (it remains when sleeping). This ability granst a +10 bonus on Disguise rolls to create a disguise.

Kalashtar – following the ruling that I am not allowing Psionic options, Kalashtar won’t be used.

Classes

Any class from the APG, core book, or playtests will be allowed. Artificers from the Eberron Campaign setting are not.

Traits

Select two traits to start with. Later on characters will gain campaign centric traits (See “Memories” section of “Game info” for more details)

Feats

PFRPG feats are accepted, Most Eberron specific 3.5 feats will also be accepted at DM’s discretion.

Dragonmarked feets are accepted, and fall one level lower than their 3.5 counterparts (, 5, 9 and 13)

Equipment and starting gold

Due to the nature of the campaign’s beginning, Players begin with no starting gold, and no starting equipment.
The one exception: You may choose an item that is important to your character’s past. Your character may not explicitly remember why the item is important, but feels a connection or has faint memories of it. Your item could be anything from a sword to a signet ring to an old pocket watch. It’s recommended that you take the time to describe how your item looks. (Hey, it’s the only starting gear you get to pick,) you will not begin play with this item but will find it shortly after the game begins. No magic items.

I believe that’s all for crunchy stuff. Next is the fluff. Please don’t let the name fool you, I consider this to be quite important to helping me pick our players.

The Fluff

Name: I do understand that normal amnesiacs would probably not know their names, but it’ll save a lot of “hey you, with the tusks!”

Approximate age:

Appearance: How your character looks and acts. Write this as to how your character looks when normally clothed, cleaned and shaven. At the beginning everyone will look haggard and unkempt

First Memory: A moment from your life before waking up in the lab. This should not be an exposition detailing your characters past, but rather a snapshot of an event or person or thing. Rather than being an entire painting, it’s one piece of a puzzle. Memories are only allowed to be up till the year 992 YK

Game info
Stuff to take into account when applying for this game.

Amnesia doesn’t mean you’re dumb: Your character will probably know about events and the world up until the year 992 YK. They’d understand what Dragonmarks are or that airships can fly and that there’s been a war for a century, but they don’t remember who they fought for or what their status was.

The Tone: The game will be somewhat serious. Light-hearted fun is encouraged of course. However it is expected that you will actually roleplay your characters race, class, alignment and background. If you were almost killed by elves in the war, dislike elves and stick to that prejudice throughout the game unless something happens to change your viewpoint. If you are a LG paladin of the Silver Flame, don't rape and pillage small towns. Simple as that.
Eberron is a very Pulp Adventure style campaign setting, and so gameplay should be the same. Battles should be epic with recurring villains, deadly traps and exotic locations and circumstances. PC's should be very flavorful and easily defined. Basically when recapping an adventure which has just happened, it should sound like an Indiana Jones movie, or Pirates of the Caribbean or even The Mummy.
This campaign will also attempt to have a very high fantasy steampunk feel, drawing on sources like the Final Fantasy games, as well as other video games, Anime, WoW and lots of others as well.

Setting: The game will be based primarily in Sharn, the City of Towers. World exploration and travel will happen, I am sure, but Sharn is the home base and major location for at least the lower levels of this campaign.

Memories: Throughout the game Characters may uncover memories that give them insight into their past lives. At times I will be the one who determines what these memories are; at other times I will instruct the player to create the memory themselves. I’m hoping this shared storytelling will add to the fun. At times a memory may grant your character access to a bonus such as a trait. These bonuses are always DM discretion, even if the player wrote the memory.

Character Death: It happens. As a DM I do not pull my punches, and am not above placing characters in situations where their best option may be to run. (though I try to not do this too often.) Resurrection is expensive, especially at low levels, and it is up to the remaining PCs to get their friends raised if needed. Players may also begin a new PC instead.

Notes: Property ownership and the starting and running of businesses or guilds is definately allowed and even encouraged. Advancement and status in guilds and aristocracy are a big part of Eberronian life.

Okay I think that’s all that’s needed, any questions please ask, I am looking for a party of four players

I'd like to play a warforged. I have Ironborn, so that will not be a problem. I'd like to recommend you to incorporate ardwright class in the game, as replacement to artificer. The class is home-brewed, but the design is excellent and I have included it in my games. Here is the link.

Sounds very interesting! I like your handling of memories.

A few questions:

-deadline?
-can we use two traits to get a dragonmark at level 1?

Love the setting, love the story start, don't have bandwidth for another game.

I'll be your first lurker, though. Cant wait to see the characters and story develop!

Good luck to all potential players!

So, I suppose that Ironborn packages replace the warforged 1st level feats, such as Adamantine Body? Can I describe my character as made of adamantium for fluff reasons anyway?

Also, I'd like to take the feat Weaponized Limb, but that would be against your instructions not to have any equipment on 1st level. Can I give my two traits away in an exchange for the ability to retract my blade into my forearm and replace it with standard hand as free action? We could say that the blade is jammed and that I have forgotten all about it until you decide to allow the equipment.

Hey guys, glad to see interest so early in. to answer some questions,

Deadline is up in the air, if I end up getting 4 players with great character ideas that I love, then just a couple days. At most it'll be a week probably. I try to never just use a first come first serve, and will turn down characters I either don't like or feel won't fit the game, but I admit I also get excitable as to starting these games.

I'm not sure what class I'll use to replace the Artificer, I have a couple in mind. Thanks for the suggestion I will give it a look.

Nightflier - You can take the weaponized limb, just use your one item as the weapon.

As for switching the weapon, use one trait to gain the ability to change it as a move action, and then at next level take the quick draw feat. (I assume you mean to use your lvl 1 ft as Weaponized limb)

Dreaming Warforged, and everyone else - Normally my answer would be no, but I'm going to change my mind because of the mercurial nature of the PCs backgrounds.

So: You are allowed to substitute BOTH of your starting traits for ONE bonus feat.

I've got an old Cliffwalker (Shifter rogue) that I designed a few years back. I'll have to look him up, and present him as a city rogue.

Also it seems that the shifter is a bit underpowered when it comes to ability scores. Since the second ability modifier is only available once a day for a few rounds, they end up with a positive, and a negative modifier, when all other races have either a positive only, or two positives and a negative. Thoughts?

I've got an old Cliffwalker (Shifter rogue) that I designed a few years back. I'll have to look him up, and present him as a city rogue.

Also it seems that the shifter is a bit underpowered when it comes to ability scores. Since the second ability modifier is only available once a day for a few rounds, they end up with a positive, and a negative modifier, when all other races have either a positive only, or two positives and a negative. Thoughts?

I would love to play in an Eberron game, and I will read through the whole first post later tonight.

Just posting to show my interest in the game.

Also it seems that the shifter is a bit underpowered when it comes to ability scores. Since the second ability modifier is only available once a day for a few rounds, they end up with a positive, and a negative modifier, when all other races have either a positive only, or two positives and a negative. Thoughts?

Personally I feel that the Shifter is one of those races that you should have a long term plan for. Yes you are right, at low levels it's a weaker race that functions better in short bursts, but if I take away the negatives than at higher level you end up being able to up your stats almost any time you want. I think the race will balance itself out in the long run.

scranford wrote:

Also it seems that the shifter is a bit underpowered when it comes to ability scores. Since the second ability modifier is only available once a day for a few rounds, they end up with a positive, and a negative modifier, when all other races have either a positive only, or two positives and a negative. Thoughts?

Personally I feel that the Shifter is one of those races that you should have a long term plan for. Yes you are right, at low levels it's a weaker race that functions better in short bursts, but if I take away the negatives than at higher level you end up being able to up your stats almost any time you want. I think the race will balance itself out in the long run.

I don't get that. If it never goes past 3 + CON rounds plus one round for every shifter feats you take. If you took only shifter feats you'd be at 15 rounds or less than a minute and a half a day...and only 6 times a day. I guess if you just focused feats on being a shifter then it would increase in power, but then you don't grow as a class you grow as a race. No flexibility to take feats for the class, only as a shifter, which means they all just become were creatures.

Oh and you're right it will balance out in the long run. Ability scores have less effect at higher levels, but one of the goals of Pathfinder was to make the low levels more survivable. I don't see how this accomplishes that. I see only punishment with no reward.

As a human I can just take the extra stat in DEX and have it all the time without the Charisma penalty. I'll probably just make him a human, and hope for the best.

DM Rennick,
I am VERY interested in this campaign... I'm a huge fan of Eberron and I'm excited to try a new PbP! I hope I can join in... I'm building a Valenar elf cavalier - will have him posted in a little while.

On Shifters - Even in 3.5 this race had a harder time when it came to ability scores, with 2 negatives and 1 positive, while most races (I compared to Elves and Dwarves specifically) only had 1 of each. It's my opinion that this detraction was intentional and I'm choosing to continue that here.

Glad to see interest, can't wait to see what people come up with for characters.

Sihdrin is a male Valenar elf in the dawn of his adulthood. Although certainly over a century old, he is still young in comparison to the long span of elven lives. He is exceptional tall, standing just short of seven feet, and his lithe frame belies formidably physical strength.

Sihdrin has black hair, worn long, but always trimmed and appropriately arranged. When riding, he usually keeps his hair in a decorated war braid. His large, elven eyes are darkest blue, almost violet, contrasting his pale skin.

Sihdrin details his appearance impeccably. Whether due of an upbringing in the nobility or compulsive mentality, he will make pains to always wear the correct fashion, for the correct occasion, in the correct manner. Cleanliness and hygiene are very important, especailly in the wilds, and he will spend extra time maintaining his gear, clothes and weapons.

Let me know if I missed anything. I think the only "possession of interest" would be that curveblade, but I will leave it to you to integrate. Also, if you think the mounted stuff would be too restricted by the campaign, I can fairly easily respec as a bard or fighter...

Sihdrin - First of all, the first part of the campaign, at least, will be taking place in Sharn and with a PbP this can literally mean a year of play. You're welcome to keep the Cavalier build, but it is going to be an Urban campaign.

Also, try and make the memory a little more vague

Name Klick - Human, Male. Appears to be in his late teens.

Appearance - Slightly below average in height, and skinny, but not week, just wiry and muscular. Usually wears tight fitting pants and shirt, with a more blousey overcoat over the top of his outfit...with big pockets. Also tries to wear good shoes (It's his weakness), and normally goes about with a scarf wrapped around his head. Normally has a few day stubble of beard. Black hair, and warm brown eyes complete his appearance. If you were to see him without cloths however, his body is a mass of small scars. None of them from vicious wounds, but all painful looking.

MemoryFalling...just looking up seeing the face of someone he should know and trust...a face that leers with anger and satisfaction. The buildings of Sharn a blur as he falls seemingly forever.

Prelimenary Character sheet:

Note: I know he doesn't have any of the equipment, but they are fun to list for future use. Who knows?

Cherished Item A soft worn leather pouch of tools...various picks, skeleton keys, small mirrors, vials of oil, and acid, brushes etc. each in their individual pouches. He found it in a gutter. Embossed into the leather is a Dragonmark. He has been told it is the Mark of Shadow.

Dreaming Warforged Application

Nik'o
Male Changeling Inquisitor of The Traveler
Concept: Investigator, Information Broker

Role in Combat: Mostly range, but quite capable melee (still pondering on that one)

Sheet in the profile.

Dreaming Warforged's second application

I know... But I REALLY like Eberron!

Falco Escheus d'Deneith
Concept: Special Agent of House Deneith

Role in Combat: Melee

Sheet in the profile.

Well, i have a concept down for a Changeling Alchemist, havent gotten to the numbers yet.

Naven Luc
A chemist obssesed with physical change.

Edit: Grammar.

Wow, you guys aren't making this easy on me. Though please remember that I will not consider unfinished submissions.

Submissions will be accepted until March 11. I'll make the decision then.

DM Rennick, 992 YK places us before the Mourning and the Treaty of Thronehold. Is that the case?

Also, I'll add the approximate ages in my characters' profiles.

I don't suppose it'll ruin too much of the plot, so I will clarify. The game will begin in 994 YK, like the 3rd edition Campaign setting (3E is where most of my info for this is coming from) but your Memories are not allowed to date any later in history than 992 YK.

Ok, I misunderstood.

I taught the ECS started in 998 YK? I'll check later today.

I am interested in taking part but I have a question

Was thinking of doing either a Shifter Ranger (using the shapeshifter archetype from the Advanced players guide)or a rogue.

I'm clarifying further on Dreaming Warforged question, and answering Kevin's.

I think you're right about the 998 start time for the ECS, the treaty of Thronehold was signed in 996. I think I had my numbers wrong earlier.

Still the memory ending by 992 remains.

Kevin I'm not commenting on how long the PCs have been in the tubes. Saying they have a gap in memory isn't quite accurate since they have almost none of their memories, that said you are right, there would be a gap from their memories to the present of at least six years.

I'm really interested in this campaign, and will be watching it, but after much thought I've failed to come up with any strong eberron characters.

Submissions are closed. I'm going to look over everyone's submissions one more time and will let you know by tomorrow.

And the winners are:

Sihdrin the Cavalier
Klick the Rogue
Mani the Witch
N'iko the Inquisitor

Here's the OOC thread!

Mourning Dawn: An Eberron RPG OOC thread

please go post there!

On Shifters - Even in 3.5 this race had a harder time when it came to ability scores, with 2 negatives and 1 positive, while most races (I compared to Elves and Dwarves specifically) only had 1 of each. It's my opinion that this detraction was intentional and I'm choosing to continue that here.

Sadly this is the reason I decided not to enter a character. Wanted to do a shifter but the lack of a permanent secondary ability bonus really hurts the race.

I understand the opinion, but as you quoted, it's not one I'm willing to bend to. I like the role playing aspect of the game, and to me, that means dealing with what comes or what you have. I take the stats to mean that Shifters are weaker when they aren't in their form, a product of their Lycanthropic heritage, and something that players would need to find a way to deal with, live with, or overcome. I'm not going to be changing the Shifter stats.

I understand the opinion, but as you quoted, it's not one I'm willing to bend to. I like the role playing aspect of the game, and to me, that means dealing with what comes or what you have. I take the stats to mean that Shifters are weaker when they aren't in their form, a product of their Lycanthropic heritage, and something that players would need to find a way to deal with, live with, or overcome. I'm not going to be changing the Shifter stats.

I'm not trying to change you're opinion, I'm clear you aren't going to change it, but I must admit I'd like to understand it. Deliberately handicapping a race could be done in any number of ways, with any class, so why choose one that is designed out of balance. (Just my opinion of course). I don't see a difference here between the shifter and a barbarian, except a barbarian's temporary stat scores are higher, and last for longer...and anyone can be a barbarian. Again, not being augmentative, just trying to see the logic here. :-).

If the shifters bonuses increased per level or somehow went up more than additional uses, or extra length, I might be on board with it, but it's a minor change, and not worth giving up the permanent adjustment. It basically has no effect after the early levels, due to d20 power curve, but early levels is when you need it most. And you are required to take up some of your precious feats to power up the racial features, leaving little room for building class flexibility.

If I may jump/barge in the conversation, as I also worked on conversions, I feel you have a fair point, but the solving seems elusive at best.

To give +2/+2/-2 seems a bit much when you see what you can do by focusing the feats. At the same time, it is true that you don't have too much access to the "good stuff" as shifting doesn't last long or forces you to take all your feat in Shifter Feats.

...

I will make a suggestion, that I would myself use:

Additional gains: Agile (+2 acrobatics, climb and swim); Primal Affinity (+2 Handle Animal and Sense Motive).

Shifting would last 3+CON (not modified CON), +2 rounds per character level, taken in one round increment as a free action.

That way, the race is no longer tied to the feats, and gets an advantage a serious number of rounds per day.

Just a suggestion based on the comments.

Again to be fair having played several shifters on these very forums I can honestly say playing the stat array that has been presented every time +2Dex +2Wis -2cha has never made them more powerfull than any other race or character.