Ashes of Khyber

Game Master mittean

ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT

Characters
Asher Vance - NG 29 year-old male Brelish Human from the Blackcaps, Spiritualist (haunted) 1
"Don't just say you're a good person, do good for someone. Prove it. Let your silver do the talking. A moral person is better than a righteous person."
“A good person will risk their freedom to give justice to others.”

Bexellock Ryc'thwyrn - CG 2 year-old male-personality Mournlander Wyrmforged from Making, Artificer 1
"You can obey your laws and still be amoral. Committing a crime doesn’t make you evil, especially if you're just trying to survive in the system.
"Screw the rules, it's the right thing to do. All the governments and their laws didn’t stop the Last War - they’re why we had it.”

Ceilidh Blackwood of House Cannith - NG 26 year-old female Cyran (displaced) Human from Metrol, Dragonmarked Sorcerer (cross-blooded/wild-blooded arcane/sage bloodline of Siberys) 1
"I don't need a reason to help people. And if you stand in my way, you will become my reason. If I do nothing, then I am just as guilty as the bad people in this world.”

Demon - N 500 year-old male-personality Xen'drikkan Psiforged from Stormhome, Unchained Monk (flowing monk, master of many styles, wildcat) 1
"The law is harsh, but it's the law. Sins may be forgiven, but crimes must be punished. If we do not have a foundation, a rule of law, we cannot have a society.”

Egrias Dantayne - LN 34 year-old male Thranish Changeling from Thaliost, Oracle (Seer) 1
"I can't just do nothing. But I'm no hero. I am not your man for the job."
"I'm always loyal to the Brelish people. I'm loyal to the King when he deserves it."

Konghruul Lesh-Vok - CN 14 year-old male Marguul Darguunan Bugbear from Shaarat Kol
"I am denied the right to live the life your laws promise both of us. So they call me an outlaw. But I will never be a victim."
"The huddled masses of your civilization reek of fear and piss.”

Korihor Blackwood - NE 26 year-old female Cyran (displaced) Human from Mardain (now Pylas Meridal, Valenar), Sorcerer (cross-blooded aberrant/draconic (esoteric astral) bloodline of Khyber, tattooed sorcerer) 1
"Someday your happiness will drown, sputtering, coughing. Suffering. In agony. And I will still be left with the bitter ravenousness of my resentment. It never dies."

Satinder Hawkes - LE 27 year-old male Brelish Human from Sandpoint on the border of Droaam in Western Breland, Investigator (conspirator, psychic detective) 1
"There is nothing more deceptive than the obvious. I am here to see what you do not, because I know what you clearly do not."
"Power is a function of perception."

Egrias and Asher will speek about their connections with spirituality and the occult.
Konghruul and Satinder know each other from west Breland, they were friends, now Satinder is a city boy.
Satinder and Ceilidh and Bexellock have a love of knowledge and reading, and the big cities.
Egrias knows Ceilidh and Korihor because they are refugees, which he considers himself to be (technically he is not). He was born in Thaliost, Aundair, but is Thranish, and when Thaliost went to Thrane after the Treaty of Thronehold, he felt it was no longer home. He does not like Thrane.
Konghruul likes to party with Korihor.
Demon and Bexallock know each other because they are 'forged.
Asher and Ceilidh have a bit of a romance potential.

Map of my Khorvaire
Map of Khorvaire

Character creation rules:

• Stats
15-point buy.

• Action points
Gain favor for 1 roll.

• Hit Points
Players start with their Constitution score + their max class HD (8 HP for rogues, etc.) They gain an equal amount of Vitality Points.

• Feats, Flaws, and Traits
I allow two Traits or Eberron Traits, one of which is a campaign-specific trait, if applicable.
I allow up to two Flaws, Eberron Flaws, or Major Drawbacks, from either 3.5 or Paizo, which give you up to two extra feats.
I allow two Drawbacks or Eberron Drawbacks, which will give you two extra Traits.

• Magic systems - This is mostly for role-playing flavor.
Innate (Sorcerers)
Arcane (Wizards)
Prayer (Clerics) (Asked by the person doing the prayer of the Deity)
Divine (Oracles) (This is more Deity to the mouthpiece, rather than mouthpiece to Deity)
Primal (Druids)
Psionic (Psionicists)
Bonded (Witches & Warlocks)
Elemental (Bound) (Kineticist)
Elemental (gifted from non-divine beings) (Templars)
Ancestral (Wu Jens)
Ki (Monks and Ninja)

• Wizards are the item creators and the MetaMagic manipulators. They wring everything they can out of a spell.

Sorcerers are all about their magical energy. They now have a Sorcerer's focus, similar to a psionic focus, that takes a full-round action to gain. They are good at counter-spelling, absorbing spell energy cast at them, and using it or returning it. They also steal energy from items to fuel their spells or use their energy to cast spells in items.

• Wizard spell memorization
If a wizard wishes to change his memorized spells, it takes 15 minutes of meditation and memorization, minus 1 minute per Intelligence bonus.

• Arcane focus items
With a wizard's focus item, wizards get 1 free MM level/ tier (5th, 9th, etc). Without the item, they can cast MM spells only with the known feat.

• Anyone can cast a Metamagic feat. You must hit a Spellcraft DC of 10 + double the spell level + quadruple the Spell level cost of the Metamagic feats being used.

If you do not succeed in the DC, you cast the spell normally. If you fail the DC by 10 or more, you lose the spell and your turn, casting nothing. If you miss the DC by 15 you lose the spell levels you would have spent.

• Sorcerers may cast any spell on their spell list...their known spells are ones they have practiced at making their blood obey, bending it to their will. If you want to cast a spell you don't know, it costs double the spell level in Spell levels (a third level spell costs 6 spell levels to cast if it isn't known to you.) It also takes 1 minute/spell level to cast. (3 minutes in the example.) This may be shortened by spending spell levels. If it is a spell above the level they can cast (i.e. a 3rd level spell for a 2nd level sorcerer), its casting time is in hours.

• Counter-spelling
Untrained can counter the exact spell. The Counterspell feat allows you to counter from the school. Improved counterspell feat allows you to Absorb 1/3 spell levels, a minimum of 1. Greater counterspell feat allows you to absorb, and immediately reflect as well, the basic (non-Metamagic) version of the spell. Sorcerers can power their own spell-casting with these Spell levels, Wizards may augment their spell-casting with these Spell Levels.

Only Clerics may counter cleric prayers, with their deities' faith.

• Scrolls
- Sorcerers may add a spell to their known spells for 1 hour from a scroll. The process takes 1 minute. They may then cast it as if it is on their list for the duration.
- Clerics may not cast spells from scrolls.

• Potions
- Sorcerers get a bonus to any spells they have as a learned spell. i.e., if it is in their blood, they cast it stronger with a potion of the same spell. i.e., if a sorcerer knows mage armor, and drinks a potion of mage armor, they get a +5 AC/DR bonus. If it is not known by them, they get a +3, as potions are slightly weaker.
- Wizards can hold on to the potion in their body for 1 minute per wizard level they have. i.e., a 4th-level wizard who drinks a potion of mage armor can hold it and cast it four minutes later as a swift action.
- Only Alchemists and witches can brew potions.

• Wands
Anyone who wields a wand, or successfully activates a wand with a UMD check, may utilize it with Metamagic feats. Using Metamagic feats increases the UMD check by the number of levels the Metamagic feat requires.

If you want to use your wand of fireball with the maximized, quickened, and silenced Metamagic feats (+3 spell levels, +1 and +4), you use 1 (for the normal) +9, +3, +12 (each tripled) for a total of 25 charges, and a UMD DC of 26. This means you may use the wand twice before it is burnt out. It also is very expensive for just two attacks (or more, depending on how you play it), but you are more likely to use it.

Alignment:

• Alignments

Lawful - Rules matter more to me than individuals.
Chaotic - Individuals matter more to me than rules.
Good - Other people's well-being is more important than my own.
Evil - My well-being is more important than other people's.
Neutral (law) - Laws can be useful, or a hindrance.
Neutral (moral) - Groups are worth more than individuals.

LG - I follow the rules because the rules keep society safe, even if they are sometimes inconvenient or unhelpful to me. Laws protect everyone. They are fair and try to be just. Work within the system.
"We can't make exceptions for you, but I trust the system will not punish an innocent person."

NG - Whether I obey the rules or not is irrelevant. If breaking them helps someone, then I break them. If a law hurts someone, I will try to stop it from happening. I will break the laws if it helps many people. I will probably not break them to help one person.
"Sometimes you have to go outside of the system to help people."

CG - Bad actors manipulate a good system to suppress the weak. I may not know you, but I will fight for your equity and rights. To justify you having fewer rights than anyone else is immoral.
"Damn your laws, they aren't helping rescue her. I won't let her die because you say it is "legal", or that rescuing her is "illegal"."

LN - The system is more important. It does not matter if it hurts or helps, I follow the rules by the book. If we allowed you to get away with it, we would have to allow everyone. Laws are what make us a society. Even if someone is getting away with immoral behavior, if it is not illegal or hurting many people I don't feel comfortable interfering.
"Your morals are subjective. Laws are objective."

N - No individual is worth more than another. Whether you abide by a law or break one it does not justify hurting someone or letting someone be hurt. I will always choose what helps the most people. Groups are worth more than individuals, and people are worth more than laws.
"I am not bound by your love or hatred of laws, or the system, or your dogmatic adherence or rejection of different moral systems. I try to come at every situation with an eye to that situation alone."

CN - I trust my gut, and I don't judge. I fight for “them” that cannot fight for themselves. I will burn the system down to save as many people as I can, and I will sacrifice myself or anyone else for the cause. The system IS corrupt.
"The cause is more important than any of us."

LE - There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect. If you wanted it you'd have it. The law is clear. Evidence matters little if you can get the law to ignore it. It’s not corruption if the law allows it - by definition.
"Perhaps if you just worked harder, you could have what I have."

NE - Laws are useless if they are in my way. If they benefit me, they are useful.
"I'm going to get mine. I won't tell you what you can and can't do, do not tell me what I can and can't do. "

CE - Laws hinder us and get in the way.
"Screw your laws, and screw you.

Languages of Eberron:

TRANSLATE.
• Enchantment (Tamil) Charm Person வசீகரமான நபர்
• Evocation (Bengali) Magic Missile যাদু ক্ষেপণাস্ত্র
• Abjuration (Armenian) Endure Elements Հավերժական տարրեր
• Transmutation (Georgian) Enlarge Person გააფართოე ადამიანი
• Divination (Gujarati) True Strike સાચું પ્રહાર
• Necromancy (Arabic) Cause Fear تسبب الخوف
• Conjuration (Kannada) Summon Monster I ಸಮನ್ಸ್ ದೈತ್ಯ I.
• Illusion Ghost (Amharic) Sound የመንፈስ ድምጽ

"You mortals shall perish if you interfere with our plans."
• Celestial (Khmer) - អ្នកមនុស្សនឹងត្រូវវិនាសប្រសិនបើអ្នកជ្រៀតជ្រែកជាមួយនឹងផែនការរបស់យើង។.
• Abyssal (Telugu) - మీరు మా ప్రణాళికలు జోక్యం ఉంటే మీరు మానవులు నశింతురు.
• Infernal (Thai) - ปุถุชนคุณจะพินาศถ้าคุณยุ่งเกี่ยวกับแผนการของเรา.
• Abaddon (Amharic) - በእቅዳችን ውስጥ ጣልቃ ቢገቡ ሰዎች ትጠፋላችሁ ፡፡

"My people were the victims in the Great War. We did not want this fight; this fight sought us out, and murdered our children."
- Goblin (Icelandic) - Mitt fólk voru fórnarlömb í Great War. Við vildum ekki þessari baráttu; þessi bardagi leitað okkur út, og myrt sonu."
- Hobgoblin (Dutch) - "Mijn mensen waren het slachtoffer in de Grote Oorlog. We wilden niet deze strijd; deze strijd zocht ons uit, en vermoord uit kinderen."
- Valaes (Swahili) - "Watu wangu walikuwa waathirika katika Vita Kuu. Hatukutaka vita hii; vita hii walitaka sisi nje, na aliuawa nje watoto."
- Aereni (Zulu) - "Abantu bami babe izisulu eMpini Enkulu. We wayengafuni le mpi; Kule mpi wafuna us out, futhi wabulala abantwana."
- Zilargo (Malay) - "Rakyatku telah terlibat dalam mangsa dalam Perang Besar. Kami tidak mahu perjuangan ini; perjuangan ini dicari kami keluar, dan dibunuh daripada kanak-kanak."
- Aundair (French) - "Mes gens étaient les victimes de la Grande Guerre. Nous ne voulons pas que cette lutte; ce combat nous a cherché, et assassiné des enfants."
- Cyre (Spanish) - "Mi pueblo fueron las víctimas en la Gran Guerra. No queríamos que esta lucha; esta lucha nos buscó, y asesinó a cabo los niños."
- Breland (English) - That stuff we mutter.
- Dwarven (Basque) - "Nire persona Gerra Handiaren ere biktima izan ziren. Guk ez dugu borroka honetan nahi; Borroka honetan bilatzen gurekin, eta hil haur.."
- Q'barra - (Vietnamese) - "Dân ta là nạn nhân trong các cuộc chiến tranh lớn. Chúng tôi không muốn cuộc chiến này; cuộc chiến này đã tìm ra chúng, và giết hại trẻ em ra.."
- Kaarnath (Russian) - "Мои люди были жертвами в Великой войне. Мы не хотим, чтобы эта борьба; эта борьба стремились нас, и убил из детей."
- Thrane (Italian) - "La mia gente sono state le vittime nella Grande Guerra. Non abbiamo voluto questa lotta; questa lotta noi cercato, e ucciso fuori bambini."
- Lhaazar principalities (Traditional chinese) - "我人在第一次世界大戰的受害者。我們不希望這場戰鬥;這場鬥爭中尋求我們出去，並殺害了孩子."
- Shadow marches, humans (Irish) - "Bhí mo mhuintir na n-íospartach sa Chogadh Mór. Ní raibh muid ag iarraidh an troid; iarr an troid dúinn amach, agus dúnmharaíodh amach do leanaí
- Shadow marches, Orc (Welsh) - "Fy mhobl oedd y dioddefwyr yn y Rhyfel Mawr. Doedden ni ddim am i frwydr hon; frwydr hon Ceisiodd ni allan, ac llofruddio allan plant."
- Eldeen Reaches (Gaelician) - "Meu pobo foron vítimas na Gran Guerra. Non queremos esta loita; esta loita nos buscou, e asasinado a nenos."
- Demon wastes (Sinhala) - "මාගේ සෙනඟ මහා යුද්ධයේ දී විපතට පත් වූහ. අපි මේ සටන අවශ්ය නැහැ; මෙම අරගලය අප පිටතට උත්සාහ, හා දරුවන් එළියට ඝාතනය."
- Xen'drik (Japanese) - "わたしの民は、第一次世界大戦での犠牲者でした。私たちは、この戦いを望んでいませんでした。この戦いは、私たちを求めて、子供を殺害しました。."
- Halfling (Yucatec Maya) - "In kaajal j-máaxo'ob le nuxi' k'atun. Ma' Táak k le ba'atelo'; le ba'ate'lo' k kaxantaj ka asesinó le paalalo'obo'."

Sins:

Everyone gets to sin. Enjoy. :) Choose one sin, and one ability from that sin.

• Pride
Choose either Dazzling blade (Dazzling blade, mass) or Delusional pride, or Hypnotism. You may use it once per day as a swift action, using your class level as the caster level.

• Gluttony
Choose one of the following: Whenever you drink a potion, increase its caster level by one, or all cure potions heal maximum hit points, or cast Goodberry 1/day as a swift action with your Character level acting as the Caster level.

• Greed
Choose either Burning disarm (, Covetous aura), Sticky fingers (Dr323:65), or Certain grip (non-detection, Secret chest). You may use it once per day as a swift action, using your class level as the caster level. Change certain grip to one round per level.

• Wrath
Choose either Interrogation (Pain strike, Pain strike, mass), True strike (Rage), or Rhino's rush (Dr323:65) You may use it once per day as a swift action, using your class level as the caster level.

• Lust
Choose either Seducer's eyes, Lock gaze, or Charm person You may use it once per day as a swift action, using your class level as the caster level. Change Seducer's eyes to one round per level.

• Sloth
You gain either a +5 to d20 rolls till the beginning of your next turn if you willfully take only one action (move or standard) for your turn, or the ability to auto-confirm a critical, or auto-succeed on a roll once per day if you rest twelve hours rather than eight, or the ability to cast Touch of fatigue as a swift action 1/day using your Class level as the Caster Level.

• Envy
Choose either Break (Dispel magic) or Disguise self. You may use it once per day as a swift action, using your class level as the caster level.

List of Eberron adventures and levels:

The Forgotten forge (1st)
Shadows of the Last War (1st)
Queen with the Burning Eyes (1st)
Whisper's of the Vampire's Blade (2nd)
Fallen angel (3rd)
Grasp of the Emerald Claw (4th)
Tension's rising (4th)
Eyes of the Lich Queen (5th)
Riding the Rail (5th)
Chimes at midnight (5th)
The Aundairan job (5th)
Murder in Oakbridge (5th)
Voyage of the Golden Dragon (7th)
Crypt of the Crimson stars (7th)
Temple of the Scorpion God (7th)
Steel shadows (7th)
Pit of the Fire Lord (8th)
Quoth the Raven (8th)

Eberron currencies:

Platinum
• Dragons
Gold
• Galifars (Older)
• Flames (Thrane)
• Monarchs (Aundair)
• Kings (Karrnath)
• Towers (Breland)
Electrum
• Half-Galifars (Older)
• Priest (Thrane)
• Half-Monarchs (Aundair)
• Prince (Karrnath)
• Bears (Breland)
Silver
• Sovereigns
• Shilling (Outside of Breland)
• Tanner (Karrnath, Talenta, Valenar)
• Thruppance (Aundair)
• Silver (Flame)
• Florin (Q'barra, Lhazaar)
Copper
• Crown
• Farthing (Karrnath, Lhazaar, Talenta, Valenar, Q'barra)
• Penny (Breland, Aundair, Thrane, Shadow Marches, Eldeen Reaches)

When it states gold, substitute electrum, when it states platinum, substitute gold.

Other characters:

Blythe is a female human gunslinger ninja.
Cawr Gydion Càraid is a half-giant psychic warrior thunderjarl twinned summoner with his sister Gwyndon.
Khatín Kurón Xinivane is a human warlock hunter with a kentrosaurus
Aemon Grahame an occultist alchemist

Stories
Korihor has ties to Lady of the Plague
Korihor thinks Cyre was about appreciation, Ceilidh believes it was arrogant appropriation.
Ceilidh wears black Mourningwear. Korihor wears traditional. Ceilidh still has her outfit from that day, packed away and not looked at.
Ceilidh has lost her faith. She believed in the Host. She is leery of Arawai. Korihor gets drawn into conspiracies and cults of the Dragon Below.
they're from eastern Cyre. Ceilidh connected with Metrol, Korihor feels it was the arrogance of Metrol that brought this on, figuratively if not in actuality.
Metrol is Ceilidh in her heart.

Extra rules and ideas:

- Every character has a secret AND a secret about another player's world.
- Take damage on the shield, negating half of your damage, while damaging the armor or shield.
- Time to learn magic 1 week/level?

Levels of attitude:

What do you want?
What can I do for you?
What are you looking for?
What do you want from me?
With what do you require assistance?
WHAT?
Yeah? What do you want?

Aid another adds +1/2 of the person who aided's skill bonus

What would mentally destroy your character?
How does your character feel about his mother and father?
When did your character feel completely loved and accepted?
What would have to happen to make your character speak out, or, defend a stranger, in public?
What does he lie about?
Does your character need friends?
What physical thing does your character fear most?
If your character could choose to spend his last day alive with one person (dead or alive), who would he choose?
What is his defining strength?
Is he able to work for someone else?
Does your character have a positive or negative body image?
Who, or what would your character die for?
Does your character have a plan for tomorrow? Next week? Next year?
Is your character resilient enough to change?
What would your character think if he could see you now?