From greatest to least I would say City, Jungle then Desert. I like Klug as a character but I would like to change his class to a sorcerer or a witch but would like to keep him as is, unless it would mess with the city campaign because he's a full orc.
I'd be fine with any of the ideas. Reading the short description, City does sound the most exciting. The jungle idea does sound fun, but my tabletop game just had similar themes in them, but wouldn't mind it.
As far as levels, I'm pretty open. I don't mind level 1 at all, but am just as okay with high level game play.
Okay Here are a bit more elaborate explanations.
The City Campaign - The Borallas rebellion
This campaign is the most player involved. You've lived in the kingdom of Borallas and have residency. This campaign has a bit of setting reading to help you place your heritage and your city status. I make your backstory part of the main story. Borallas is a single city kingdom divided into six large districts. The city is under seige by an ORC army, Klug will definitely have a time of this one but I allow Orc as a playable race, makes player movements more interesting. The siege is happening in the wake of a great rebellion. During that rebellion, you the players were accused, whether falsely or legitimately, of treason and were thrown in jail into the deepest darkest dungeon. The orc siege begins while your in prison and so your are unaware of it. The game starts with your escape and then spend the campaign trying to evade capture, clear your names, and save the city. This campaign relies on a lot of skills and unique tactics other than straight up fighting all the time.
The Jungle - Mormont's Curse
In this campaign you are in a prehistoric jungle living in several small communities. Warlords feud over the land and have done so for years. Thus no capital order exists in this land. However, lately one warlord, Mormont, seems to have gained a rather drastic upper hand in the centuries long conflict that has presided over the land. Now he is swiftly conquering the land. This wouldn't be a big issue if he wasn't so ruthless. He kills countless innocents in his conquest. His "soldiers" are even more ruthless as they kill man, woman, and child. They commit horrible sins against the people. In this campaign you have the opportunity to play a more primitive and simple people with tribe like backgrounds. This does not limit you to primitive weapons or limit classes in any way. I do expect some primitive themed backstories from you guys regardless of class and gear choices. This game starts with you the players as the only survivors of your home as your tribe/village which was destroyed by Mormont's forces. Bet you can guess what happens next.
The Desert - Souls of Lost Aridia
My oldest and best written adventure campaign. The Sandara desert is a vast land with a deep history filled with myths and legends. One such legend is that of the lost land of Aridia, sort of a magic land in the middle of a desert story. Your role in this story is you are members of a caravan set out to find this lost land. The story takes you out into the desert where you find this place but the campaign only starts there as you now have to explore it and either escape it or save it from destruction. This campaign has the feel of a Egypt/Arabian knights kind of story with genies, mummies, and all sorts of desert mythology to be had. A fun step by step adventure that progressively gets more challenging as you level.
The Islands - The Lonesome Isles
This is one I just recently wrote so it is still kind of in its trial phase. You are shipwrecked on an island. Not just any island though, this island is said to be one of the Lonesome Isles, a chain of islands that are cut off from not only the known world, but the planes as well. In this campaign Summoning of any kind is impossible. Tis campaign also introduces a unique method of buying and selling, and features new currencies and currency exchanges. In this story, you merely work together to survive and make do in this island sandbox style campaign. The story is about what you can do and what you can accomplish. If you are not a creative bunch when it comes to making your only quests and story then I do not recommend this one.
So, Can I get list from 1 to 4 which you would like to try. One being most desired, four being least.
Again I am sorry for shifting thing like this but I am not feeling the whole underground adventure as much as I thought I would and the above mentioned campaigns have so far had the most positive feedback and I really enjoyed them myself. Since I like you guys as players, I didn't simply want to end the game and leave you all on the curve so to speak so this is what I will do for you. I'm hoping we'll have more fun with one of these than it seemed like we were having with the deeplands one. Cool?
Well, with just the bare bones, I'd have to say:
1) The Jungle
2) The Desert
3) The City
4) The Islands
With what I see so far...
1) City
2) City
3) City
4) City
Okay, so I like the idea of being escaped prisoners in a besieged city. Kind of appealing.
But for what you actually asked for.
1) City
2) The Islands
3) The Jungle
4) The Desert
Don't apologize. If you aren't feeling it, you aren't feeling it. I admit, it was starting to blur a bit for me was well (no offense intended to any).
I like the city, though I worry being constantly on the run isn't that different from what we've been doing here. On the other hand, we'd be able to talk to the locals even as they hunt us ;) and there's more 'home attachment' built in. From public enemy #1 to the big damn heroes is very tempting.
I don't like deserts BUT I do like genies and other weird faux persian/arabic stuff. So go fig. I like the idea of BUILDING something (or rebuilding as the case might be)
The Jungle one also sound intriguing. Nothing like a good 'survivors of the village demand payback' story, no matter what the setting.
While I like the sandbox idea on the islands being able to claim them and reshape them .. this one just doesn't grab me as much as the others.
So
1) City
2) Desert
3) Jungle
4) Islands
That said, I'm willing to try any of them.
I'd go with:
1. Jungle
2. City
3. Desert
4. Island
I do believe for the first two I picked I would most likely do a Wizard Necromancer or an Aberrant Sorcerer, both classes fit what I want pretty well!
Hehe, why do I find it amusing that the two orcs prefer the jungle.
Anyways it is looking like it is going to be down to city or jungle.
Both those to campaigns offer VERY different methods of play.
The city heavily involves and uses your backstories so there's gonna be a bit of pre game reading and discussion. While the setting has you as fugitives, you are running from the law in a city under siege AND has the remnants of a rebellion still lurking about AND a darker more sinister evil waiting in the shadows for it's chance to take a crack at this powerful but unfortunate city. So you'll have quite a bit of room to move around. The thing that keeps you going is knowing your fate is tied to the fate of the city. There's a lot too do and quite a bit of guidance for you so you get some idea as to what needs your attention.
The jungle is a lot more straightforward. Classic beatdown style campaign where you mow over everything in your path and put out fires where they pop up. Very simple and does not rely on too much variation in tactics. Only twist is that you are in a low wealth setting against a foe with tons of well. It is more fighting a war than an adventure. Thing with this one is the unique setting, tribes and villages in a prehistoric jungle filled with Megafauna, Dinosaurs, and plenty of dire animals. It is all that vs a powerful highly advanced and seemingly unstoppable empire supported by unknown evil powers. Think cowboys and Indians with you all as the indians.
It's going to come down to Tlugoes's choice in the end but I know it will be one of these two. If Tlugoes puts Jungle at 1 and City at 4 then Jungle wins. Any other alignment either give the win to city or at least ties the choices.
I should keep you all waiting as I chuckle in the dark. MWHAHAHAHAHAHA x3
An evil man you are Tlugos. I like it.
Hey you guys think you could help me out with something.
I got this game on my smart phone that gives me rewards for inviting new players who put in my referral code when they complete the game's tutorial.
If you have a Ipod, Ipad, tablet, smartphone, etc any device that can use Apps, then look up the game Deity Wars and download it. It's like an online card game similar to magic the gathering. You collect cards and battle other players and participate in events.
It's free to download and play, however, it is slow and to get the good stuff and move faster you have to buy in game content. All I'm asking is that you play through the tutorial, which is free. once you've done that then go to the "Mypage" Screen. On that screen it will have a button for Enter Referral. Click it and put in DIE9324. You then get a free card draw of Rare or higher cards and I get an exclusive invite card. So your helping me get better at the game.
Once you've done all that then you can do what you want with it from there. If you decide you like it and think its fun then yay for you and I look forward to battling with the awesome cards you gave me.
If you decide the game if not to your liking then simply delete it when your done. Make sure if you don't want it to delete it, otherwise you will get daily notifications on your device from it.
Other than all that there is really nothing to lose on your end but a few minutes of your time. Also, I will reward any you guys in this campaign with a little prize as my way of saying thanks for helping me out.
If you can't do it or don't want to I understand, I'm just asking a favor is all. Thanks.
EDIT: I don't know if posting this request on these boards is something I could get in trouble for. It's just a friendly request but if it is a problem please let me know cause I don't wanna be banned for just asking a favor.
Just Kidding, here is my list.
1. City
2. Desert
3. Island
4. Jungle
Sorry I just dont like that barebones stuff. I happen to love the coin, yes the sweet sweet shiney coin. xP
Well, it looks like a City game.
Thank you for running Xanxiou's Crystal, Shanosuke.
However, I think that I'll bow out.
Good luck to all of you!
Cheers!
CITY CAMPAIGN IT IS THEN! Now I will get the bulk of the players guide to you tomorrow for your backstories.
This campaign will start you guys off with nothing, though it's a city in chaos, the lack of gear will not be an issue for long. Nor will the ability to acquire coin either.
It will be 20pt buy and all classes are available save for Gunslinger, just not the right era for it.
Also, The playable races are as follows, keep in mind that in this city campaign, stigma and racism WILL be a factor so make sure when you take a race, you are ready to deal with the difficulties involved.
The Races are, with city dispositions included.
Human: Favorable
Elf: Favorable
Dwarf: Ignorable
Half-Elf: Praised and Respected
Gnomes: Ignored
Halflings: Untrusted
Half-Orcs: Very untrusted
Orcs: Feared
Drow: Shunned
Fetchlings: Untrusted
Aasimar/Teiflings: Both are are often regarded with suspicion and fear.
Goblins: Killed on site.
There will be more details on how the various dispositions effect skills such as Diplomacy, Bluff, and Intimidate. Disguise and various others skills you may not be acustom to using will come into play in this game. Because of the setting, Rogues, Bards, and other social or skill based classes will be the strong classes for this game.
Barbarians, Druids, Rangers without the Urban archetypes will have a hard time avoiding trouble.
Use these guidelines to guide your character construction. I will post details for your final build and Backstories tomorrow as I have work in an hour but use what I have put above to start deciding on what you would like to play.
I am thinking spellcaster right now. Not really sure what kind until I get more info. ;)
I was initially thinking spellcaster as well, but seeing Klug and Tlugos beat me to it I'll wait to see the guide.
And sorry to see you go, Harn! Sorry my votes didn't coincide with yours :(
Best of Luck, Harn. Some good stuff in the recruitment area so maybe I'll see you again
:)
I was going to go arcane spell caster but it sure seems that's popular right now. I may go for an oracle of some sort
A party full of spellcasters, well I hope someone goes summoner or magus. We are going to be so marshmellowly. xP
I've begun redirecting towards inquisitor at this point (looking at builds), but it's still up in the air until more info is available.
A party full of spellcasters, well I hope someone goes summoner or magus. We are going to be so marshmellowly. xP
I could go Battle Oracle
I wish you all plenty of enjoyment with the new game!
You have a rare opportunity in PBP in that the four of you can work with each other and Shanosuke to truly build a cohesive group! :)
Have fun!
I will miss you green one. ;)
Just to let everyone know, tomorrow night I'll be attending a work holiday party, then Sunday I leave to Florida for a week. I'll try to make sure everything's as up to date as I can before the party tomorrow, but after that probably won't be able to post until at the hotel Sunday night. I should be able to post every night while in Florida, but if there's a delay it'd be work related. I come back next Friday if I completely disappear during this time for some reason.
I am not expecting to start this weekend. The campaign character backstories play a VERY important role in this game so I expect you guys to take some time to read the guide and put some careful thought into your backstories. This campaign has a bit of work to start but once it gets going, I have had comments from players that liked how involved it was, they really felt like they were part of the story rather than just a party of unknown adventurers.
At any rate, I plan on making sure you all have a personal stake in this game so start stewing possible character personalities you might wish to try.
I just need some info on the city itself in detail. Then I can figure out what class I will want to play and build from there. ;)
I did the best I could to cut up the players guide to make it easier to go through. Like I said, this campaign involves a lot of player reading. It is very involved.
I left out about another six pages of info I hopes that I could give it to each of you as needed. I really want to know what kind of characters you want to play and some idea as to the backstories you'd like to have. Unless you really want to go through another six or more pages of fluff.
Personally, I'd rather like to hear what you want to play and I tell you the information that pertains to your desires. I feel it's easier that way.
Below is mostly the setting stuff to give you an idea as to what kind of society your dealing with. I included as much as I could think of but if you have further questions, I will answer them as we go.
Borallas started as a mountain side dwarven mining camp. This group of dwarves were outcasted by their original clans and were struggling to survive. Eventually they did discover Mithral in the mountain. However, they were on the brink of starvation and collapse.
Soon after the discovery, a group of elves and men showed up who also had to leave their perspective communities for one reason or another, s. With a common story in they came by to offer aid in return for some of the profits. These dwarves had already been humbled by their exile and looming starvation that they accepted.
The elves directed the development of a city and the men managed to till the earth and plant farms. The elves helped organize the now growing community into a better organized and working society. The men provided food and some forms of manual labor. The dwarves provided wealth and raw materials and building ability to the effort.
Several years later Borallas was built in front of the mine. Years of digging building and tilling and mining had helped the city expand. Soon the dwarves began to dig under the city itself and had to put mines up further from the mountain itself as the wealth of Mithral was actually under the earth in which the city was built. This also had mines beyond the city’s walls. There were other clans and groups that began to establish close and the threat of attack was real.
Every time farms and mines extended too farm the city walls, the elves directed the men and dwarves to wrap the tapped area in a new wall and establish a new city district on the otherwise useless land. This tactic kept the walls close and the city well-fortified.
As years went on, the dwarves became less and less involved in the cities politics and the population was beginning to skyrocket. It was clear a more established system of government was needed and the corulership of Men and Elves was formed. The dwarves were left out of this as they initially showed no interest. They ruled their own underground.
Because the elves and men believed they had leadership overall Borallas, this included the mines and the dwarves. For centuries the dwarves did as their leaders commanded but the less power the dwarves had, the more they gain animostity towards their self-proclaimed rulers.
Eventually it came to pass that The Human king’s daughter fell in the with the elf king’s son. This sparked a new concept for a complete monarchy. The two were wed and men and elves willing joined together completely. The half elf child of the two young rulers was the first single ruler of Borallas. From that day on, the young prince or princess could only be the most balanced half elf in the royal family, this included cousins as well and was only to wed another half elf. This half elf could come from anywhere, there were no restrictions as to the social standing of the potential mate as long as it was a well-balanced half elf and the prince or princess’s choice.
This method of succession made having half elven children extremely popular. Elves and men had many interracial marriages and soon Borallas became the first major half elven kingdom in Golorion. However, they still believed they were lords over the dwarves and the dwarves had little say In government policies.
This all changed one day when the dwarves of Borallas stumbled upon the vast expanse of the Darklands. And they were, within marching distance of the dwarven underground civilization and even Borallas itself. The dwarves were attacked abruptly without quarter. The dwarves sent for aid from Borallas.
Fortunately for the kingdom, a wise and benevolent ruler was on the throne and he ordered his armies into the Darklands to fight alongside the dwarves. The war was won and the Drow were defeated completely. The drow kingdom was crushed in the darklands and the surviving drow were permitted to live in Borallas as second class citizens. This war completely unified Dwarves and the Borallans.
More centuries passed and Borallas was built up more than out. The infrastructure was very intricate and the districts used up as much free space within the walls as they could. However, this heavily ate away at the social state of the city and the worst part was immigration. It started with allowing the drow to take up residence. They’re numbers increased and soon other races came and wanderers came looking for a place to stay. Gnomes, Halflings, and Orcs. The most prominate group to show up was one consisting of humans and halflings calling themselves Jasians. This group of people were a collection of bards and spellcasters and tricksters. They were part of a nomadic tribe who had grown too large for life on the road and wished to settle in Borallas
The king of the time allowed it but it did not sit well with the vast majority of Borallas’s populace. This was a large group of questionable people now taking up residence in their already crowded city and they were also bringing their entire culture in too.
As ages continued, the ruling family grew less and less benevolent and the Jasians grew more numerous. Soon a rift began between four major parties. First between the government and the growing Jasian community, second between the government and the dwarves, and lastly the government and the immigrant descendants of the Orcs and Drow.
The government made many attempts to control or restrict all these groups. This soon became known as the great oppression. The three groups made up much of Borallas’s population and they were decent well mannered and well behaved people in their own rights but they were very different from the Borallans. The oppression was mainly carried out on the Jasians as the dwarves were still needed for Borallas’s wealth and the other groups didn’t have as much presence.
This oppression eventually led to the Borallas Rebellion which tore all the fragile alliances in the kingdom apart. The rebellion was put down but the city was weakend horrible as a result. Borallas had been the target of many surrounding nations for it’s premium Mithral deposits and thus was attacked often. It was by the sturdy walls and the unification of the city’s people that allowed it to strongly resist any opposition.
This time, unity was factured an all the flaws and differences within the city broke out at once. The city had regents for each district and now each of those regents had their own ideas on how things needed to be run. This was the weakest Borallas had ever been. A group of wild men and orcs saw this weakness and formed an alliance and attacked the kingdom.
Now the kingdom is barely keeping these forces at bay while it is trying to settle it’s own internal disputes. If Borallas cannot find a way to restore unity, the kingdom will fall and it’s entire populace will be either killed or enslaved by the orcs. Now we are at the present.
You have some role in the city that makes you something of a standout citizen. Whether nobility or had an important role in the rebellion, your name is known in Borallas. For some reason, mid rebellion, you were accused of treason whether you were an actual traitor or not was irrelivent. There was a ton of evidence against you and many false or actual witnesses.
As a result, you are stripped of any title and riches and thrown in the deepest jail. Your family also suffers from the bad reputation as well.
While you are imprisoned, the rebellion is dying out and now the orcs have arrived.
The idea of this campaign is that you need to put together a backstory with names of people and places. You have complete freedom to make characters and roles for you, your family, and those you associate with. I will then take these and integrate them into the story.
The basic things you need to know are as follows:
The Districts:
Boralllas: The Castle District:
The Capitol city, home to the politicians and anyone who can afford it. This is where the castle exists and not much actually business other than expensive meetings and parties take place. If you are part of a family involved in the government, you lived here
Corallas: The First Layer the Garden district
This layer is home to many artisans and aesthetics. It is a is home to those with creativity. There are many schools and gardens, museums and the like in this district. If you know talented people they likely lived here. If you are into education and art, you and your family may be from here.
Torallas: The Second Layer Market District
This layer is home to many merchants and shopping districts. Much commerce and trading takes place here. Foreign traders set up here as well. If you were from out of town, this is one place you may have ended up. If you had a merchant job, or knew merchants, this is where you’d live or find them. Many guilds exist here too
Gorallas: The Third Layer Living District.
This is home to the middle class. It is a large district and home to a majority of Borallas’s general population. This also doubles as the religious district as it is home to the most temples. If you are part of the working class or a member of some kind of faith, you probably came from here.
Jorallas: The Fourth Layer Gutter District
This city has become more neglected lately and crime flourishes most in this city. This is where all the immigrants end up. If you are part of the Jasians or any other race other than elf, dwarf, or man, you probably live here. Also, if you are involved in crime in some way, this is also your main place of work or association.
Morallas: The Fifth Layer Industrial District
This is the most industrial city. This is where the goods from the mines are processed and turned into materials formed into the finished goods. Dwarves and gnomes populate this district. It is also the most polluted district. If you are a surface dwarf or have a business in industry, you likely either live here or come here frequently.
Outland: The Outer Layer Mining and agricultural district.
This is where the miners, farmers, and their families used to live. It has no wall and thus This area has been destroyed by the orc invaders. If you are from here, people you know are likely know in the fourth or fifth layer or dead and gone.
These are the basic city details, there is also the dwarven community beneath Borallas. Many of the dwarves have come to the surface to fight the orcs. A lot of abandoned tunnels and the like exist down there. If you are a dwarf or drow, you likely came from down there.
Guilds: The following are guilds that exist in Borallas
Mercenaries Guild: Found in the Gutter District, Merchant District, and the Living District.
Thieves Guild: Found in the Castle District and the Gutter District
Miners Guild: Found in the Dwarven community and the Industrial district
Merchants Guild: Found in the Merchants District and the Castle District
Bards Guild: Found in the Garden District and in the Gutter District
Mages Guild: Found in the Garden District
Temple Guild: Found in the living district
Assassins Guild: Unknown, possibly the Gutter District.
Jasians: This is more a community than a guild. It is it’s own independent culture set apart from that of Borallas though they live there. If you want to be part of this group, they are a majority of humans, elves, half elves, and halflings. The elves are a small part of this group, it is mostly humans and halflings. Common classes are rogues, bards, oracles, witches, sorcerers, and some rangers and monks as a warrior class. They have much in common with gypsies and dress vary elaborately and flashy. They also enjoy tattoos, smoking hookah, erotic and provocative dancing, arts, and practicing fortune telling. They were also the leaders of the rebellion and even though many of them were involved a good number still tried not to be involved, regardless they were still steortyped by many and a stigma still strongly exists. Jasians are often identified by tattoos and piercings and the amount of jewelry they were. Almost all halflings are considered to be Jasians because that’s where the Halflings in Borallas came from.
This campaign is very flexible. I have told you the basics of what you need to know. You will need to submit a backstory idea or other questions to me via a thread post so all can see it. We will work out any characters you know and the kind of backstory you would like to have. Please come up with anything you ‘d like to have affect you and I will integrate it into the campaign. There will likely need to be some adjustments to your backstories also to help them fit into some existing material but we’ll go over that when I see what you want to do.
This Campaign has over a hundred traits. I will give each of you a selection of five to choose from based on your backstories and what you are hoping to do with your character.
Half Elves: This is the largest known half elven nation in Golorion. For once being a half elf is a good and acceptable thing.
Elves: A common sight in Borallas, They are well respected.
Man: Also a common and well respected group in the city.
Dwarves: This group has mixed reseption. While they are respected for obtaining the cities wealth, they are looked down upon to a degree because they aren’t often associated with nobility.
Gnomes: A group that ended up working with the dwarves, they are regarded as less than dwarves and almost as slaves of the dwarves. This is of course not true but that is how the general populace will see it.
Halfling: Often associated with the rebellious and unusual Jasian culture, Halfings are often mistrusted and watched carefully. They are not as easily over looked as their kin are accustom too.
Half-orcs: These showed up due to the presence of orc immigrants and were normally looked down upon. Because of orc invasions, the current one not being the only. They are seen with a great deal of distrust.
Orcs: Though they live in Borallas, they are the most discriminated group in the whole kingdom. They are often killed in the streets as part of hate crimes and the security does little to look into such crimes. Many orcs are often accused of doing wrong and are arrested and executed for it, most times without trial. It’s not easy being an orc in Borallas unless you have a strong connection with the criminal underworld.
Drow: Not as mistrusted as orcs. Time has healed some of the distain between them and Borallas. Still, Drow are second class citizens and cannot move up to nobility. The drow community has it as difficult as the jasians do only without being acused as a rebel. There are also a good number of half-drow that exist too. Any half elf with drow blood instead of normal elves is often seen as an abomination. Strangely, inspite of this, the number of half-drow has been steadily climbing over the past few centuries to where they now have their own small society.
Fetchlings: These started appearing recently. No one knows where they came from or how big their community is. They are a rare sight but are strongly feared. They are often involved with guilds as they are good couriers for even the most prestigious groups. In this time of crisis, the Fetchlings have seen an increase in the need of their unique talents. Nowadays, fetchlings are a more common sight and this disturbs many common folks.
Aasimar/Teiflings: This group is the greatest minority in Borallas. They hail from the temple regions of the living districts and are often regarded with great fear and concern. Their appearance means outsiders have taken an interest in Borallas. Tieflings are usually a sign of devils, demons, and the like. Normally those are bad company but the Borallans fear the presence of Angels as well, as the city has grown more corrupt over the years and the last thing it needs at this time are religious vigilantes.
Cavaliers and Summoners are allowed but ill advised. There are a lot of tight spaces and many alleyways, nooks, cranies and places where mobility will be difficult.
I recommend one or two front liners and a ton of support. Skills are also going to be more important than normal. There will be scenarios for every skill.
Rogues and Bards love this campaign. Wilder classes like druids, barbarians, and rangers not so much. There often won’t be a lot of room to move around in a fight and there will be a ton of NPC player interactions. Make sure one of you is a talker and one other can at least provide support.
Area effect spells are dangerous in this campaign. Firing off a fireball will have the consequence of setting everything it touches on fire. In a city like this, any big flashy spells will draw unwanted attention and only make things more difficult. Subtle and controlled spells are best advised.
Mounted anything is ill advised unless you are a small race such as gnome or Halfling.
For PBP, this can be a bit overwhemling. However, I have successfully run a group in this campaign on the boards and they showed me just how well it works. So it works, I like the creative writing players have too. If I had more interest and didn't have players vanish on me due to RL issues, I could have kept that game going. Don't be discouraged by the work. I am told once it gets going it is well worth the work.
Well I look forward to hearing your responses.
Right now I am thinking an aasimar gravewalker witch. I have not seen much concerning undead so its a bit of a roll depending on how they are seen by the city. Assuming its not a huge issue. I was thinking something along the lines of a caretaker of the dead as well as a bit of a sage but with a narrow focus. Thinking of throwing in some religious bent but need to look over the gods to see if their is a right fit. He will be nuetral for sure, still thinking what kind of nuetral, doubt evil though. All I got so far. xP
I do not mind extra fluff so send me the rest in a PM if no one else wants it. The more information I have the more I can give back.
Then you'd probably have lived either in the Garden district, the Gutter District, or the Temple center of the Living district.
I'm going to make a vote for the Living district as your regular hangout place. Many mausoleums, crypts, and cemeteries in that area. There are quite a few religions openly practiced in the area too.
Aasimar also tend to appear in that area. Borallas prefers neutral gods normally but they don't stop people from worshiping what they wish as long as it does not disturb the peace.
Evil gods can exist in this place because you can sacrifice orcs and not get in trouble for it hehe.
Undead aren't openly present. There were a few incidents but any practitioners are usually very secret about it. It tends to cause a panic when you see a corpse walking around in public. There aren't any laws against it as it really has never been that big of a problem. But if you go around talking about it or similar concepts, don't be surprised if folks are a bit put off.
Evil has worked in this campaign before, works best if you keep it under wraps or the party is primarily neutral. This game does not need heroes and do-gooders. It needs you to settle the nation for your own sake as much as anyone else.
Hope that bitty of info helps.
About to head to bed for tomorrow, but at the party I read through some of the information and wanted to at least relay my working idea (I'll try to flesh more out, gonna have a plane ride to ponder on it).
My current thinking is a Jasian individual who's father had been dealing weapons to both sides during the rebellion. When the smuggling was uncovered, it would have put a huge dent in my character's family's well-doing, and thus my character took the fall for the smuggling (though had nothing to do with it).
It's rough yet, and no class decided. In fact I could probably make most classes work with it, so don't let me hold anyone back, I'll do what I can to fill whatever role is needed.
I am going with Nethys. This is what I have so far Roku "Graves" Sai. Wanted to know how you do aasimar variant abilities, normal roll or do I choose some and you have to approve? As well as the bonethrall?
Still having trouble coming up with something so I am building my guy. Wondering what patron to pick, thinking Time right now.
I'm contemplating a human battle mystery Oracle with the Lame Curse. I'm picturing something like a eccentric street preacher type in that he warns passerbys of visions of coming conflict. He might come from a poorer distract, but would probably try his hand at something more middle class
Narrowed down my patron choices to Agility, Healing, Occult, Trickery, or Wisdom. Its going to depend on the party make up I think.
As for me, my previous ideas still stand but I'm adding that being a gnome or halfling paladin or fighter something my be fun!
Sorry for the delay folks. School JUST started over the past couple of days and I was busy sorting things out. At the moment I don't have too much time to work out all the major details but we'll get there. I'm running around trying to get stuff together but I'll be good again Friday.
@Xzevrra: A Jasian would be fine. Your Backstory concept has good amount to work with. You can make up names of folks you worked with or knew. You could live in either the Gutter district or the Garden district as you pointed out that the smuggling didn't involve you. You can also take the liberty of naming places, my city is that malleable. I will send you a small list of traits that apply via PM at a bit later date, basically when I have time to go through them. The important Details regarding the Jasians is posted above. Not too much beyond that but if there are specifics you want to know or would like to ask about please ask.
@Tlugos: As far as Variant abilities for Aasimars are concerned, I am not familiar with them or BoneThrall. When I have a moment I will look it up. What material does it come from. Also, Trickery and Occult patrons seem setting fitting. I am going to assume you are a member of a Temple of Nethys in the Living District. Though it doesn't seem the sort that would look after graves. If you could elaborate a bit on how those two concepts tie in together? Also, since your an Assimar, I'd like to know of your birth, your parents and your outsider parent's deity and alignment, and what it was. Then I'd like a little immediate family detail as well as work environment. I don't have a temple of Nethys in my notes so feel free to get creative with that whole part of town. I will take whatever you cook up and use all your extras and fill in any blanks.
@Ridge. That is a great set up for a false arrest. Street preachers exist in my notes, most of them are poor people or part of the minority groups. You could have set up your soap box in any district except for the Castle district. I'll PM you a few traits when I have a chance to go through them.
@Klug, Anti Palidin would be fine but difficult. Group looks like it could use something of a warrior.
@EVERYONE. I should make a point out a few things. This campaign seriously tests alignments, especially those trying to be a good alignment. Anything other than neutral will draw problems and even suffer from moral dilemmas, yes I have seen evil characters have moral dilemmas. It is hilarious.
Also, keep in mind the most important factor for this game will be SKILLS, don't shirk on skills. If you have spells, make sure they are orientated to make up for missing skills or give you the ability to deal with delicate matters. There will be combat but no where near as much as most campaigns. Also, any fights you do get in will be against low numbers and high levels. Rather than fight six level one fighters, you'd fight two level three or four fighters. If battle is something you wish to focus on, be prepared to take on few high level foes. Last party I ran fought a level 6 samurai in an apartment room at level three. So keep scenarios like this in mind.
It's official then, I'm going CN :)
@DM
You can find the abilities here and the sources are at the bottom footer of that page. As for Bone Thrall, thats a class feature of Gravewalker which can be found here, again the source is at the footer. I think I will go with Trickery between those two, sense Occult kinda overlaps with Gravewalker a bit in terms of spells.
I was thinking sense spellcasters make up Nethys faithful then when they die, their bodies (or whats left of them) need to be collected and properly laid to rest. This is not just a normal grave for them etheir. The graveyard of Nethys is filled not only with the dead but the undead and those that fall in between. Spellcasters are known for their exceptional willpower combined with their magic they tend to interact with death in a greater number of ways then non spellcasters. It falls to the church to make sure its members are not stolen from Nethys in death. Be it their bodies being animated by a non worshiper, their souls being captured, or becoming intelligent undead. Roku belongs to this strange sect with in the church, his current position is that of creating graves for the dead and undead with in the graveyard. He has done this for a few years yet has not moved up at all, as such was given that moniker.
Roku's birth was a normal affair, his true nature was not awakened until his teen years. His mother was a artist specializing in gemwork and stone sculptures while his father was a museum curator. The source of his outsider's blood could be traced back thru generations on his fathers side to a powerful Peri who worked endlessly to help those enslaved to seek freedom and punish the wicked. This Peri was in turn the sole daughter of an infamous fallen planetar (LN). This fallen planetar was charged with the destruction of a powerful necromancer who not only raised the dead in masse to fight for him but kept their souls trapped with in their undead bodies to enhance their power. When the necromancer was destroyed his creations were freed from his control, yet their strange creation made it so they were no different then when they lived. Many had no evil in their heart and so he refused to destroy them for being victims. Other angels came to destroy the undead, still he protected them and in doing so fell from grace. For years the fallen angel protected the undead from all enemies until the last of their undead bodies crumbled to dust freeing their souls. He fathered a child and was sortly after captured by a solar sent by the god he had once served, Erastil.
Roku lead a fairly good life before his nature was exposed along with his powers. His parents both worked yet were happy and well off, he studied under both of them as well. Yet during one trip with a noble born childhood friend to the gutter district they were attacked by a number of thieves. It was during this encounter that he killed a man only to watch him rise once more to attack his former allies. After this incident his childhood friend's family took an interest in him and his parents started to slowly grow distent. In only a few short years he became the unoffical personal guard to his friend and his parents had all but given him over to the noble house. This was the state of his life for a few more years in which the attempts on his friends life became more determined. Finally defeated and bearly alive himself he saw his friend fall. After the incident it was quickly found that his friend had made a will naming him his replacement. As the sole heir, his friends death was the end of the line for his house. As such Roku was accepted on the condition of proving his worth. Which was part of the reason he joined the Temple of Nethys, to help increase his own power and gain the knowledge needed to take his friends place.
Thats all I have so far and I know its pretty vague.
Known as The Anulus, the main temple of Nethys in Borralas is a sight to be hold. At least the sight that is given, sense locals learned long ago that what is seen on the outside is rarely real. Originally a squat stone five story building made up the temple. As the city grew so did the temple. Today it sports a 12 ft. white marble wall with streaks and vains of black marble that encompasses the whole area, seen from above a great and perfect circle. With small overlook post atop the walk ways for the church guard. A single large entrance gate made of mithral and cold iron the only break in the wall. With in their are well tended plants and lawns with cobble pathways. Four outer towers placed in each of the cardinal directions with eight inner towers, two placed between each of the outer towers. Then finally the original building remains at the center, still it seems in fair better shape then when it was first created by those that remember it, yet its area has increased as well as the number of floors.
Sorry if its a little rough. Anyways let me know what you think. x)
Okay so...
I want to do a Gnome Anti-Paladin.
My back story runs something like this: I was born into politics to two human parents, my mother died giving birth a agonizing death of bleeding out. Unknown by my father until I was around eight years old I'm a Gnome. After discovering this my father dreaded an unfaithful wife but the world may never know. upon reaching an age where I was matured my father taught me politics (foreign affairs to be specific) and I became a running mate until he died in a freak "accident." years before this I was contacted via the temple by the one and only Norgorber where I was told that I was an evil sent by him to take the place of my parents and do terrible things. After the "accidental" death of my father (yes I murdered him) I lived a cushy life in his house in the castle district until I was convicted of treason. Something to do with letting enemy orcs into the inner city for profit $$$.
Sound good? Yes/No?
@Tlugos: Very nice backstory. I'll need time to consider the abilities though. I will see what I can do with the settings you provided.
@Klug: Can you elaborate more on HOW a human family gives birth to a gnome. That part isn't sitting well with me. I need you to elaborate more on your back story and position. My only issue is Gnomes don't get into politics no matte who their parents are. Only Humans, Elves, Half-elves, and occasional dwarves. Since the council decides who is in office, and since they are corrupt, this is not negotiable. Interesting concept though. Your idea actually works if you are one of the races I mentioned but not a Gnome. Being a Gnomes you'd be from one of the poorer districts. At best your family could be one of merchants or even temple workers but not involved in government. Sorry to be so critical, I have to be able to use your backstory in the game. It's that important.
The idea was that Norgorber was the one who placed me in my mother's womb, I thought it'd be a nice twist. I could cut out the being in politics part and be a vengeful man because I was shunned and banned from doing what I do best... which is lying... like a politician. I still would have murdered my father and been convicted of treason.
If nothing else I could have been born in the slums and tried to fight my way into an official position only to hit the glass wall created by th racial prejudices.
Your choice.
The idea was that Norgorber was the one who placed me in my mother's womb, I thought it'd be a nice twist. I could cut out the being in politics part and be a vengeful man because I was shunned and banned from doing what I do best... which is lying... like a politician. I still would have murdered my father and been convicted of treason.
If nothing else I could have been born in the slums and tried to fight my way into an official position only to hit the glass wall created by the racial prejudices.
Your choice.
We can work with that Klug.
Okay, I like what I've seen. We are about ready to get started.
Before I hand out traits, are there any questions, comments, concerns, or requests?
How many traits can we have? Among my traits can I get one with diplomacy as a class skill? If we have a say in the number of traits can we get at least 3? Any word on the abilities? Any word on bonethrall?
Thats all for now, thanks for your consideration. :)
Back from my trip. I'm going to start ironing out some more details and expand on the idea I had. Mostly just saying still here at present. I should hopefully have another post up tonight.
I'll try to get my alias for Scrapeknee adjusted. I've altered that alias like 3 times in the past ;) I'm keeping the same avatar though, the guy LOOKS like a crazed street preacher
What level are we starting at? I guess I didn't catch it earlier. Also since you weren't specific with which one to work with I'm gonna go with the one where I'm born to the family of humans :)
It was level 2.
Edit- Also unless I missed it we were never told how hp was going to be handled.
Looking, it looks like we have a Grave-walker Witch, Battle Oracle and Anti-paladin. I think inquisitor is the way to go at present.
I plan to reuse my Xzevrra alias (changing the picture). Here's what I have thus far for background, it's still a WIP though. I plan to come up with significantly more NPCs as I flesh it out.
Xzevrra's history starts with the Jasian's arrival in Borallas, which included that of her great-grandfather. But this was only a minor facet as things did not become interesting until that of her father, Mharst Vin Droegal d'Tsuli. Mharst was an orphaned elven artist, born amongst the Jasian's of Jorallas. A sad tale said the men who had become his acquaintences, for his time in Jorallas was short lived. By the young age of 70, he had caught the eyes of noblemen with his fine skills at the canvas and chisel, the harp and the flute. Skilled in song and story, the elven artist Mharst quickly earned a name and a fortune with his skills. A name of d'Tsuli as he became the adopted son of Venture d'Tsuli, a rich merchant with an eye for the arts.
Venture's influence and Mharst's skill quickly became famous in the city, and everyone had to have at least one of his pieces. Mharst worked often and hard for the love of what he did, attempting to master every form of artistic skill. For the next 30 years he honed his skills, even as his adopted human father began to grow old, finally succumbing to age. Mharst was his only living heir.
For nearly a decade, Mharst became a recluse, living on the wealth Venture and himself had accumulated. For a decade, his name was slowly forgotten amongst the city as the man was said to mourn his father's passing. For a decade, no new works of art had been produced. At least, that was what the rumours said.
The rumors were wrong.
After a decade of seclusion, Mharst revealed what he had been working on. His newest masterpiece, a masterpiece brought on by his mourning, his seclusion, and his desires. A great statue he had built in secret, crafted in sections, brought out and assembled for all to see. Standing nearly 20 foot tall, it represented the goddess Shelyn watching over Mharst and his father Venture. The sight was amazing, the detail fine. And it was not the only masterpiece he had constructed in his seclusion. A new wave took the city, a wave of Mharst's beautiful works overtaking the city.
For the next 100 years, Mharst's name became once again known throughout the city. There was no doubt, the man had changed. He said Shelyn had come to him during his time of mourning, came and inspired him to even further great works. He became a devout Shelynite and inspired a wave of her worship, though this ended after a mere 15 years.
And this was not his only change. Under his father, Venture, he had all but forgotten his Jasian upbringing. But now, he sought to champion them amongst the nobility. Most considered it another of his whims, for he became known for them. They heard his words but did not listen. His speeches on their behalf were tolerated only because of his skill. It was even tolerated when his first wife came from Jasian born.
A pretty human woman, she bore him two sons before passing at a young age. And like this it continued, Mharst marrying whom he chose, only he seemed cursed as none of his wives seemed destined for a long and healthy life. In this way over the century since his father's death he had claimed no less than a dozen wives who bore him twice that many children. And this didn't account for the unknowable number of bastards he brought into the world, for his dalliances while married were well known.
Xzevrra was one product of his unions, dying giving birth. Her mother was the only true elf Mharst had claimed as a bride. Xzverra's mother lasted second shortest of Mharst's wives, the only one shorter was the dwarven singer he had married.
As with all his children, Mharst did not care for them himself, leaving them to be raised by the families which claimed the other half of their blood. He had not the time to spend on children for his work was too important, him too prone to following in the many projects had devoted himself too. So for Xzevrra this meant living amongst the Jasian's. But that did not mean he was distant to them. Xzevrra was allowed to visit him often, and she would. She learned to follow the path of Shelyn, reading the texts he had accumlated over time. She came to care deeply for her teachings, if only to impress her father.
As she grew older, her father neared the end of his third century. A century which saw the Borallas Rebellion. Xzevrra had to make a choice then. Her father Mharst, while originally Jasian born, had become influential enough to cast aside suspicion. But Xzevrra still lived amongst them, only visiting her father. He offered her to reside with him during this time, an offer she accepted. She thought it would be truly a great chance for her to get to know her father better, to impress him with what she had learned of the ways of Shelyn. She was not an artist, but she would serve to protect them.
Come to know her father she did. During the middle of the rebellion Xzevrra was helping her father deliver some works of art to an outside dealer. A mundane task she had helped with numerous times, though she rarely liked the type of messengers that were sent. They seemed wrong for some reason. She always ended up putting it up to paranoia. But this time something went wrong. During the transaction, guards burst into the room, apprehending all of them, Xzevrra included. The crate she was delivering was thrown open, revealing inside row upon row of longswords. She knew enough to keep quiet about what was happening as she was hauled away in chains.
During the interrogation, while resting from the beatings, she was contacted by her father. He somehow sent her a message through a painting on the wall. He explained much to her, filling in what she hadn't already pieced together. Her father had been smuggling weapons into the city, to both factions. She was using her to deliver them under the guise of art deliveries. She was always the one he had sent to do these deliveries, and she was the one the others said did the business. So he explained it to her simply.
She could tell the story of what happened, of what her father had done. She could try to make them see what happened, how she was being used. But who would believe her? Mharst had been a loyal if strange member of the community for over two centuries, while Xzevrra was merely a Jasian, even if her daughter. Her Jasian blood would doom her on that arguement. The fact she was the only one who had dealings with these men only worsened the case. And even if it did bring suspicion upon Mharst, what would that do for the Jasian community? If one such as he could be corrupted it would spell doom for the entire Jasian community if their most verbal supported was supplying them with weapons during this rebellion, a time when Mharst was publicly asking for peace on both fronts.
Or Xzevrra could take the fall for him. If she took all the blame, he would become above suspicion. Then he could continue to rally for the Jasian cause. Xzevrra knew he was right. So the took the blame, saying she was behind the smuggling. She was sent to prison for her crimes, awaiting judgement as the enemy armies came.
Right! About Hp! Max for the first two levels. Then the levels after that half +1.
@Xzevrra: Very well done Xzevrra. There is a lot there I can use. I will be using your father and good several elements of your backstory.
@Klug: It's fine for te gnome being born to humans. A bit strange but I suppose if a god can do that then its okay.
@Ridge: You are right, that guy does look crazy.
@Tlugos: If you had your choice of Aasimar ability, which would you take and why? I'm looking for a good plot hook or story device behind you choice. If I like it, then you can have it.
@Everyone: Tlugos has brought forth the desire to have more than two traits. How do the rest of you feel. Do you want more than two traits? I will leave the vote in your hands.
Yes I want more then 2. ;P
As for abilities, kinda tricky sense most of them scream holy. I would not mind SR, fire resistance, or a +2 to Int/Cha and say its because both his ancestors were exceptional and powerful angels. But I doubt you would accept that, so that really only leaves one that I have seen which is number 44. Which lets him know the name of the person whose grave he meditates atop of for 10 mins. The only problem I see with that is the same I see with the original ability is that it would never be used or maybe a handful of times.
I'd be fine with more traits. Are we allowed to select outside of the ones you will be sending, or are those it?