Sandwiches, Rebels and Ancient Artifacts: A Picnic Behind Enemy Lines!

Game Master Old Mammoth

People of Molthune! The Imperial Governor Markwin Teldas has, in his great wisdom and honest wish to see our glorious nation prosper, declared that whoever who serves five year in the Imperial Army shall be granted Imperial Citizenship and all the benefits conveyed therefor.

This offer is open for anyone who proves themself to possess a healthy body, a sound mind, a basic command of Taldane and no connections to known enemies of the state. Join today and help protect our fatherland from anarchists and rebels who hate our way of life!

(This leaflet also works as a travel permit to the nearest enlistement station.)
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Hi everyone!

I have played in a few PbP games on these boards for some time, and have enjoyed it very much, but have always been plagued by a soft, nagging voice from the back of my head, whispering me sweet temptations... ...It was not until a few weeks ago when I realized the shocking truth: I want to GM something! I tried shock teraphy and even yoga, but for no avail, so now I'm here, indulging in my darkest desires-

...Uh, what was I saying again? Anyhow, this is the first time I'm GM'ing a PbP game, so please have patience. :D

Character Creation:

• 20 point Point Buy.
  
• 3rd level. The adventure will not be very long, and you'll be 4th-5th level at the end using the fast experience track.
  
• Max HP at 1st level, ½ thereafter.
  
• No Summoners. Ninjas, Samurai and Gunslingers are allowed, if you present a nice backstory. :)
  
• Core races. Other races may be allowed at GM discretion, ask first.
  
• No evil alignments. I like to include some shades of gray into my stories, so LG and CG characters will be a little more difficult to play due to being in the corners of the alignment grid. I'm not saying that it'll be a bad idea, you'll just may need to angst a little more than the others. :D Anyway, the most important thing is that you are able to play nice with others, as always.
  
• Equipment will not be bought, but provided in-game. More info about this after the players are selected. (Don't worry, you'll get what you need for your concept to work.)
  

Other Stuff:

I am interested, I will read up on these areas a bit more to come up with a concept. There is no mention of traits, do you allow them?

Two traits, which must be from different categories. Otherwise you can pick whatever you want, as long as you can justify it in the backstory,

I have read up on the areas and I will probably make a Lawful Neutral Human Inquisitor/Heretic of Zon_Kuthon exiled from Nidal. He used to inspect the merchants coming into the country from the Umbral Basin looking for any Desna worshipers attempting to be smuggled into support the rebellion. He was falsely accused of aiding one such worshiper that got past his patrol, and he became a refugee in Mothune. He sees this as an opportunity at a fresh start, besides dyeing in a war is better than at the hands of the Umbral Court.

If this concept is agreeable I will finish it.

I think this game sounds very interesting as well. I'm very fond of Goblins and a former Chelish Goblin Slave might work nicely for this game. Any objections to little green guys?

Dotting with a dot for dot related purposes.

Would playing a Merfolk (with strong tail) Barbarian/Sorceress be alright? If not how about a geisha bard?

Dotted

Will work on concept when I get home.

I have read up on the areas and I will probably make a Lawful Neutral Human Inquisitor/Heretic of Zon_Kuthon exiled from Nidal. He used to inspect the merchants coming into the country from the Umbral Basin looking for any Desna worshipers attempting to be smuggled into support the rebellion. He was falsely accused of aiding one such worshiper that got past his patrol, and he became a refugee in Mothune. He sees this as an opportunity at a fresh start, besides dyeing in a war is better than at the hands of the Umbral Court.

If this concept is agreeable I will finish it.

As long as your inquisitor is more of the "Perfection through pain" crowd, doesn't start torturing anyone and keeps discreet about the whole "worships an evil god of pain" thing, I think you'll be fine.

I think this game sounds very interesting as well. I'm very fond of Goblins and a former Chelish Goblin Slave might work nicely for this game. Any objections to little green guys?

I'm sorry, but I'll have to say no. The PC's mission is a covert one, and it is kind of hard being covert with a goblin in the party... Especially since it is known that Molthune employs monstruous humanoids in its ranks.

Would playing a Merfolk (with strong tail) Barbarian/Sorceress be alright? If not how about a geisha bard?

The problem with merfolk is kind of the same that with the goblins. :(

A Geisha Bard however is fine. (And it fits with the picnic theme!)

Fukarth Firebeard didn't get his name from the color of his hair, but from the time so much whiskey saturated his beard that a spark from a campfire ignited it. He has vowed never to sit that close to a fire again.

Born in Highhelm, Fukarth quickly won a reputation both as a tough fighter and as a reckless drunk. His merchant father did his best, but the young dwarf was called along another path. One drunken night, Fukarth lost a bet and gave his service to a strange dwarf from far away. For a year, he traveled as a guard, a drinking companion, a student (and occasionally a pack animal) of the stranger, who taught him the lore of the Accidental God.

When the year was up, Fukarth devoted himself to Cayden with all the stubborn dedication a dwarf could muster. Wandering the countryside, drinking and fighting, he eventually found himself in the realm of Molthune. He quickly found a place for himself in the army, where his "religious practices" were at least tolerated. He distinguished himself in several battles, charging fast and fearless into the thick of battle. Even so, his commanding officers learned that leaving him to sit around the barracks for any length of time was a recipe for disaster.

Fukarth volunteers enthusiastically for the mission, and there is no cause for any speculation that his eagerness to get behind enemy lines has any connection with the recent disappearance of a bottle of Dragon Punch whiskey from the command tent.

(I understand gear will be provided. I built him with gear to see how the build shapes up if moderately equipped for 3rd lvl. Obviously, he'll be adjusted when he has actual gear.)

Alright I'll ponder my alternatives!

I'd be interested in giving it a shot. I'm thinking a Rogue scout.

I'll put together a character tonight and post it.

@Fukarth: Looks good. Drunk dwarves are always good. Though the speed looks kind of high, shouldn't it be more like 30 ft?

I think I'll play an angsty hired-hand ranger. You know, the scout who's been sent alongside the party to make sure they don't get lost. Or killed.

I'll write up a martial artist monk, since I've been thinking of playing one for a bit.

Quick question, GM: is this campaign more likely to be in the city and dealing with people, or more in the wilderness? Just wondering what my ranger should be better at.

Hello hello all. This seems like quite the interesting game (I love infiltration/stealth scenarios) and I have a character already set up that I think might fit nicely. Here is Auvrelth, a wizard/rogue that specilizes in illusion magic and quiet take downs (probably arcane trickster if this game went to that level). Love to hear thoughts and feedback!

Edit: And yes I know this character is level 6, if his concept seems well liked I'll get him to the proper level

Yeah, his move is 30. I had ticked expeditious retreat on and forgot to untick it before I copy/pasted. Sorry about that.

Here's my submission for this game. Hard to not be evil when you are working for what most people would consider the bad guys, so I went as far as I could. Imperia could easily go over the edge or be dragged away from it by the hem of her cloak during the game itself-- it's up in the air.

This is Nimon's submission. I only have stats and background, I will transfer the rest from hero's lab soon.

Bali here reporting in as Runk, halfling rogue. Stat and back story/concept in his profile.

Okay I have everything done other then traits I think. Going to add more detail to the homepage link on mythweavers as well.

Quick question, GM: is this campaign more likely to be in the city and dealing with people, or more in the wilderness? Just wondering what my ranger should be better at.

Both will be featured, but most of the game will be in a wilderness setting.

Yeah, his move is 30. I had ticked expeditious retreat on and forgot to untick it before I copy/pasted. Sorry about that.

No problem. :)

Dotdot - making yet another druid for fun and profit! I'm thinking a slave working to earn her freedom and citizenship.

Ok! Here is Ka'ta, background will be up as soon as I'm awake enough to write one.

Here's my submission for this game. Hard to not be evil when you are working for what most people would consider the bad guys, so I went as far as I could. Imperia could easily go over the edge or be dragged away from it by the hem of her cloak during the game itself-- it's up in the air.

Bad Guys? Don't tell me that you believe the propaganda of those baby-eating Nirmathanians!

Seriously, though, I wouldn't call Molthune necessarily the bad guy here. Their claim on Nirmanthas is slightly dubious, they are quite benign for a militaristic would-be empire. There's certainly reasons for even a good-aligned character to support an invasion.

This is Nimon's submission. I only have stats and background, I will transfer the rest from hero's lab soon.

Looks good so far, waiting for the rest of it.

Hello hello all. This seems like quite the interesting game (I love infiltration/stealth scenarios) and I have a character already set up that I think might fit nicely. Here is Auvrelth, a wizard/rogue that specilizes in illusion magic and quiet take downs (probably arcane trickster if this game went to that level). Love to hear thoughts and feedback!

Edit: And yes I know this character is level 6, if his concept seems well liked I'll get him to the proper level

The concept is fine by me. You should however tell in the background why he has joined the Imperial Army.

Bali here reporting in as Runk, halfling rogue. Stat and back story/concept in his profile.

Uh... He has only 13 HP? With 14 constitution, you should have at least 22 hit points. Otherwise looks good.

Okay I have everything done other then traits I think. Going to add more detail to the homepage link on mythweavers as well.

You only need to mention why she joined the army, otherwise you're good to go.

Song Lianhua wrote:

Okay I have everything done other then traits I think. Going to add more detail to the homepage link on mythweavers as well.

You only need to mention why she joined the army, otherwise you're good to go.

Yes, I meant to include it in the history but I guess when I revised it that line ended up getting cut because it didn't flow properly. I added another spoiler tab with it on the profile page. Basically coming from Tian Xia, she doesn't really have citizenship anywhere. Getting it would be very useful on her journey, enough so it is worth the risk of joining the army.

Runk wrote:

Bali here reporting in as Runk, halfling rogue. Stat and back story/concept in his profile.

Uh... He has only 13 HP? With 14 constitution, you should have at least 22 hit points. Otherwise looks good.

Ah the evils of cut and pasting :)

You're correct he should be at 25 hp, I'll correct that.

Ok! Here is Ka'ta, background will be up as soon as I'm awake enough to write one.

Stats look fine, but you might not want to take Arcane Armor Training. It's kind of useless for a druid. :D

Woooooops, my head was in the wrong place when picking feats - will fix.

GM Coluber wrote:

Song Lianhua wrote:

Okay I have everything done other then traits I think. Going to add more detail to the homepage link on mythweavers as well.

You only need to mention why she joined the army, otherwise you're good to go.

Yes, I meant to include it in the history but I guess when I revised it that line ended up getting cut because it didn't flow properly. I added another spoiler tab with it on the profile page. Basically coming from Tian Xia, she doesn't really have citizenship anywhere. Getting it would be very useful on her journey, enough so it is worth the risk of joining the army.

Looks good! Also, you should probably reconsider that Antagonize. With no armor proficiencies and a d8 hit dice you'll want to avoid getting attacked as much as possible.

I understand that. >:)

GM Coluber wrote:

Runk wrote:

Bali here reporting in as Runk, halfling rogue. Stat and back story/concept in his profile.

Uh... He has only 13 HP? With 14 constitution, you should have at least 22 hit points. Otherwise looks good.

Ah the evils of cut and pasting :)

You're correct he should be at 25 hp, I'll correct that.

Always a good thing to have enough HP. Especially with what I have planned... Mwahahahaha.

I'll update it later, but generally out of his own self preserverance. more connections, more information, more wealth, more opportunities

Imperia Ulvauno wrote:

Here's my submission for this game. Hard to not be evil when you are working for what most people would consider the bad guys, so I went as far as I could. Imperia could easily go over the edge or be dragged away from it by the hem of her cloak during the game itself-- it's up in the air.

Bad Guys? Don't tell me that you believe the propaganda of those baby-eating Nirmathanians!

Seriously, though, I wouldn't call Molthune necessarily the bad guy here. Their claim on Nirmanthas is slightly dubious, they are quite benign for a militaristic would-be empire. There's certainly reasons for even a good-aligned character to support an invasion.

They're more or less the movie bad guys. Plus, any time you compare something or someone to Cheliax they're automatically eeeevil.

No mistakes in my stat block it seems. Aw, yeah!

I did just realize that half-orcs are just proficient with their racial weapons instead of treating them as martial, so it looks like I'm wielding a greataxe and kicking people now. That's fantastic.

Half-Orc monks?

and yer worried about playin fer the -hic- bad guys?

Deshpicable.

But yeah, half orc is always the best choice when your class doesn't give you proficiency with big weapons.

You just have to wonder what kind of orphanage teaches fighting with orc weapons to children.

You just have to wonder what kind of orphanage teaches fighting with orc weapons to children.

And how'd I learn orcish?

I'd like to imagine that when she was older she found her way lumped into a half-orc ghetto somewhere where she learned a bit more about her people, including their own language-- if only to get to talk behind the Citizen's backs.

"Here ya go, toothy! Swing that around but don't put anyone's eye out!"

Isn't the proper use of a falchion something orcs are born with? Like elves are born knowing how to be poncey twits and halflings are born knowing how to ...

G*#+*~mit, where's my wallet?

I object to that remark....hey an extra wallet in my pack, nice! Eh...smells like old ale.

*Turns up nose* "I don't find that remark worth my time"