You'll get used to his mania.Alchemist it is!Ok you're in.
J/k I dunno what you're talkin about haha!
Oh dear is it contagious...
I hope so!!
I am not certain that I resemble that remark...oh, wait; I most certainly do!
As it happens; it is actually Delmoth's fault, because he allowed me to play the Mad Hatter in our Strange Aeons PbP.
And; yes, it definitely is catchy!
I'm interested.
I'm not sure if I have a preference for PF1 or 5E given your description. I feel that PF1 doesn't work as well if the players might encounter enemies designed for different level characters, as every level in pathfinder gives so much more power than every level in 5E. I would also appreciate getting more experience in 5e. On the other hand, my natural preference is for a more involved system like PF 1.
What really interests me is the way that you describe your ideal play experience. Varied encounter difficulty and overall cutthroatness, player ability to influence difficulty, overall player agency and a need for engagement, these are all things that seem like an ideal play experience to me as well. I have run one game on the boards here (not quite at the initial end point, and we're planning on adding on after that) and I tried to create a game with mostly the same elements. Albion, the Eye, who posted earlier in this thread, is one of my players.
I also like your emphasis on not asking anyone to commit unreasonably. This seems important and I think 3-5 months is a good length.
Definitely seems to be no lack of ambitious players hoping for a spot in this...so how many characters are you thinking, Grimmy? A dozen? * hopeful, deluded grin *
I'm interested.
I'm not sure if I have a preference for PF1 or 5E given your description. I feel that PF1 doesn't work as well if the players might encounter enemies designed for different level characters, as every level in pathfinder gives so much more power than every level in 5E. I would also appreciate getting more experience in 5e. On the other hand, my natural preference is for a more involved system like PF 1.
This is true, 5e is more forgiving in this way and lends itself more naturally to this play style. They had a design principle at work called "bounded accuracy" which makes it so that PC's never get to a point that they can't be cut down by the arrows of a surrounding army.
The "to-hit" bonuses and AC and so on just don't scale as high. This means it's not as uncomfortable to have varying power levels among companions or to run into "inappropriate" situations.
That being said, we used 3.5 and PF for these type of adventures for many years. It is not impossible. More difficult to work around than the math is the culture around the "correct" way to play. A complex game encourages mastery which is rewarding and fun in it's own way.
I like both and always tried to make room for both but very often what I would see was that veteran players of 3.5/PF who played through the era of linear AP's and organized play scenarios will tend to be deeply trained to wait for a signal of what they are expected to do next, which can lead to a stand-still in a sandbox or exploration or even investigation/intrigue game.
What really interests me is the way that you describe your ideal play experience. Varied encounter difficulty and overall cutthroatness, player ability to influence difficulty, overall player agency and a need for engagement, these are all things that seem like an ideal play experience to me as well.
This is very helpful feedback. More than anything else the green-light to do something like this is knowing I hit a critical mass of players who genuinely value those elements.
That is a good summary of what I am nostalgic for in gaming based on what I remember as a kid. I've learned by trying and failing though that this doesn't always go over as imagined on these boards. There are a number of challenges, some of them my own shortcomings.
Definitely seems to be no lack of ambitious players hoping for a spot in this...so how many characters are you thinking, Grimmy? A dozen? * hopeful, deluded grin *
Thanks for your enthusiasm and encouragement. I want to run a table of six, with maybe three known players and three new (to me).
I think if you split up these respondees by game preference it is not as big of a pool as it seems.
I got a couple PM's from players I was counting on for this, saying it doesn't work out to be the right time for them but they want to do something like this later.
So, I have a decision to make.
One option I considered was going with 5e after all, but running a really introductory 1st level scenario to get things rolling. For those wanting to "learn" 5e together (nothing really to learn you just play honestly).
I do have a couple of first level modules handy for this setting which can tie-in and lead up to the third level module I was pitching. However, I selected that module because it had some focused plot elements that would help things go smoothly in a PbP, whereas these 1st level modules could be tricky. One is a pure sandbox, and one is a very character driven investigation.
I could also make up a prequel but that would take some time.
I will think about it.
I also found out yesterday that someone was severely mistreated by the CEO of the company who publishes these. It happened at a convention. I am not sure if that means we ought to boycott these modules and setting from a moral standpoint but I would like to get some sense that the person who was injured is satisfied with the company's response at this point. I am very committed to stand in solidarity with the victims in these cases, and I am still educating myself as to what form that should best take.
One thing I've noticed with pathfinder is that running away is difficult. Although IDK how or why 5e would make it better, it seems like it's somewhat inherent to the turn based initiative nature of things, where if you're running, you're essentially leaving everyone behind you to take the concentrated brunt of the enemy's attacks. And on top of that there isn't really a good deliniation for when you manage to get away. If there isn't a gentleman's agreement that monsters will generally back off and let you run, the last person out will almost always die, and that means that people will stay in to fight on even if they most likely shouldn't, because doing otherwise feels like abandoning your party to die.
This is certainly true and there have been a number of threads over the years analyzing this problem. The chess-like gridded combat system of PF does not reward retreat. Even aside from the issue you mentioned of leaving people behind, mostly uniform move rates, AOO's and the action economy lead to a situation where turn after turn the pursuer whittles away hit-points.
You can have a gentleman's agreement like you mentioned but I wouldn't recommend one where monsters are artificially forced to behave in a way that is incongruent with their nature. What we've always done instead is to treat the gridded combat as a sub-game, or a mode that is entered as soon as you hear "roll-initiative". Just as there is a trigger for entering that game mode, it can be exited by a trigger such as "we want to retreat".
The turn based gridded combat chess doesn't need to be used to adjudicate the retreat. You can switch to a chase scene using opposed ability checks and skill challenges. There are optional rules sub-systems for things like this even in pathfinder.
Now, apart from that, there are ways to make combat more cinematic and dramatic if you are willing to play a little more fast and loose with the rules. Suppose a strategic retreat to a defensible position is in order. A creative and resourceful player might ask the DM questions about environmental conditions, terrain and so-on, and make some attempt to upset the strict enforcement of "I go six squares, enemy goes six squares". This could be an acrobatic maneuver, sidestepping some debris, ducking under a low-hanging branch or what-have you. These things can be adjudicated with dice and imagination.
DnD is a game of make-pretend with friends. It's designed for this.
Now 5e has a return to this kind of spirit baked right into it's design philosophy, but it is not impossible to play this way with 3rd/PF. I have experienced it.
The whole elaborate build game aspect and the mastery of the tactical sub-game, for me, has always been a secondary add-on, because it wasn't there when I was a kid. I welcomed it and got into it, but I never really wanted to let it tell me I couldn't do things.
You know plenty of people play whole sessions without a grid. Theater of the mind.
It's just a matter of what the group is up for.
One simple thing (among many) which helps a LOT in navigating such a game, is actually using a scout to move ahead and gather intelligence. And then using that information to make decisions.
If you decide to fight, at least you have the advantage of knowing (at least partially) what you are up against.
For some reason, I have seen the role of scout/intel gatherer simply not being used anymore in the vast majority of groups. Granted, the PbP medium is not friendly to having your rogue scout ahead and wait for his report before proceeding, since it locks the game around one single character. But still, for me it is an integral part of RPGs ever since I started playing them many years ago, and I still find it odd that many just let that 'resource' fall by the wayside instead of using it.
(Disclaimer: I am a big fan of Arcane Tricksters :D)
I tend to use scouting as one Stealth and Perception roll to move one "area" ahead. Beyond that and there would be too many encounters, I'd say.
Grimmy, if you let people know it's Theater of the Mind, they can plan their builds accordingly, so they don't worry about their flanking buddy build as much. :)
...was the company the "batrachian deity games" company? I'm not sure what amends they made. I personally decided not to buy their stuff, but if you've already purchased it, the money has been spent.
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Yup, axolotl, it was that company. I've always used their stuff for my games on here, but I didn't know about the incident because at home now I've been using Kobold Press setting for years now.
Yes, the money was spent long ago.
As for theatre of the mind I have run my PbP's with gridded maps so far, but I have played a 5e game on here with theatre of the mind and enjoyed it.
At home we do a mix. There are definitely ways to get flanks still without a grid, but yeah, your point is well taken.
As for scouting, geez I've never played in a game without scouting.
I have a brother 18 years my junior, I've been playing 5e with his college friends on discord, and my PC does a lot of the scouting in that group. It's a hex crawl.
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Ok so I had pretty much decided on running a 1st level lead-in module in 5e.
Of course, now someone else is recruiting for a 5e AP, so maybe that spreads the player base pretty thin, I dunno. We'll see.
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Well for what its worth I'd love to play 5e with an old school style as well, so that's at least +1 player.
I'll have a gnome artificer up in a bit tomorrow! Sleepy time for me now.
Ok so I had pretty much decided on running a 1st level lead-in module in 5e.
I am liking what I hear :)
And if we indeed go D&D5e I think I even know what I want to play - probably a dwarven cleric - but will you be opening a separate recruitment Grimmy?
Yes for sure I'll do a separate recruitment with an organized pitch. I believe in doing session zero to build characters that have a connection to each other and to the adventure.
In a perfect world I would recruit players not PC's.
I settled on two introductory modules which I can use in series or in tandem and easily connect to the third level module I had planned.
I'm still hesitating ever so slightly on edition though...
I think as far as edition goes... Your motivation will play an essential part Grimmy, since an enthusiastic DM makes a huuuge difference in a PbP.
Perhaps share why you are hesitating?
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In a perfect world I would recruit players not PC's.
There are a few other things you said that I liked, but I especially like this comment. You've got me excited!
I think as far as edition goes... Your motivation will play an essential part Grimmy, since an enthusiastic DM makes a huuuge difference in a PbP.
Perhaps share why you are hesitating?
Just because pathfinder was a big part of my life and being on these forums makes me nostalgic. Also, I want to get the best players I can and I know some on here will not want to settle for less crunch, including some of the old gang.
Also some of the 3.5/PF modules I like haven't been converted yet.
But, at the end of the day I guess it's clear through this whole discussion that 5e better fits the style I run. Or, at least, the belief that it is so will help people think differently about possibilities.
I came here to announce last night and saw the big 5e AP recruitment going live. Bad timing. Splits the base.
Well I will post in a little bit with more description about the modules I am drawing from .
Eh, I'm in a few APs and we're in the mid-decade slog with them :D I like the idea of a smaller time span.
After all the discussions I have to admit I am hoping for 5e now, but you most certainly have to go with what excites you most.
I came here to announce last night and saw the big 5e AP recruitment going live. Bad timing. Splits the base.
Naaaah, I don't think it will tbh ;)
Also, things do not have to be black and white - that is also a good thing of shorter scenarios to start with. If you decide to go D&D5e or PF1e and find out it is not working well, then there is no reason not to change directions.
Ok cool, well let's go ahead with this then. Seems there's enough enthusiasm.
So we need to start talking about the setting and themes. I believe in "session zero" happening before session one. That means, you don't just have people show up with a character who is sworn to kill the vampire baron who foreclosed on the family burger joint, but it turns out the campaign is entirely underwater in a merfolk metropolis, and you just play anyway.
I normally want your characters to have a reason to be here.
Is that outside the scope of a level one intro module? I dunno. we'll see. I can at least tease and foreshadow the higher level modules that may or may not follow and make sure everything ties-in.
Ok cool, well let's go ahead with this then. Seems there's enough enthusiasm.
---
I normally want your characters to have a reason to be here.
Ok, let's start with that if we can...where in the game is "here"?
Here are modules I have in front of me on my desk. Names are altered because I'm paranoid. Don't read spoilers! evil emoji
I mean I'll change things but still.
Fane of the Elder Temple lvl 1 mini-sandbox
This is as straightforward of a level one old-school module as you could get, like something you'd find in an introductory box set. Little settlement, little woods, little dungeon. Everyone's first adventure. What could go wrong.
There is a remote village near the ruins of a temple that has been in disuse for hundreds of years.
themes/hooks
*on an errand for the LG temple
Trouble in Four Corners lvl 1 urban investigation
This is a short city adventure which is pure investigation. I'm very curious to try this but it is for engaged pro-active players. I saw someone else run it on the boards and there were a lot of DM posts saying "ok what do you do next?" and "guys, this is the adventure. do something." I still want to try it but it doesn't get solved by just phoning in posts with dice rolls and dramatic flair, it takes a little leg work.
themes and hooks to tie in
*thieve's guilds
*banking family
*an academy/university
The Citadel in the Mist lvl 4-6 sandbox mystery dungeon crawl
This takes place in a fortified citadel along a remote trade-route through the Stoneheart Mountains.
hooks
*you have a connection to a holy order who had purged a demonic death cult and pursued it's champions into the mountains.
*you are an arcanist or artificer in pursuit of an artifact which acts as a planar gate.
*you are an archaeologist in search of an ancient gnomish enclave
Then, off to the side but still receiving the odd sidelong glance:
Lost City of Barakus lvl 1-5 mini campaign.
This is a pure sandbox to the extent that it has a megadungeon with a big boss at the bottom and you have no incentive whatsoever to want to kill said boss. What a lot of people don't understand is that these are really setings. They give a backdrop. You still have to come up with a campaign. Anyway this one isn't converted to 5e, and it's bigger in scope at a couple hundred pages. So, I've set it aside. But I've always kinda wanted to run it as a pure sandbox PbP mini campaign, so I'm just keeping it at hand as something to draw from or grow into. It's just classic DnD stuff. City, wilderness, megadungeon. Story TBD.
This would be the one where the DM can really build off of the player backstories to flesh things out, that's where I envision the story elements growing out of. But yeah this starts to feel like a big project.
It is always weird when people make characters with strong motivations and no connections to anything the GM or the other players have in mind.
It can work, if the GM is interested in building around those background motivations and finding ways to tie them together, but otherwise they either just get ignored or mess up the game.
I am totally interested. The key is it's collaborative, we have to riff off each other.
I like them all - to be completely honest, if we are going with D&D5e I will apply with a dwarven cleric - I have just read too many Salvatore books, so yeah... Dwarves :D
If we are going with PF1 I will put forth something completely different - most likely a Swashbuckler/Investigator - I find this is one of my favorite characters to 'explore settings' so to speak.
that being said, I can see them both linked to any of the above ;)
Unless you are asking for preferences?
Assuming you are asking for preferences.
I'd be interested in trying Trouble in Four Corners as a sort of test for how a more open ended, pro-active PbP would go. The Citadel in the Mist also appeals to me. I wouldn't feel bad about playing some at first level, then skipping ahead a couple of levels.
I think that Elder Temple into Citadel might be a good move, though to be honest, Lost City most appeals to me. It's the only one I'm actually kind-of familiar with, as I once considered buying it. That said, using it as the backdrop for other adventures sounds cool too.
All in all, though, I'd play in any of them, tbh.
Assuming you are asking for preferences.
I'd be interested in trying Trouble in Four Corners as a sort of test for how a more open ended, pro-active PbP would go. The Citadel in the Mist also appeals to me. I wouldn't feel bad about playing some at first level, then skipping ahead a couple of levels.
Not a bad idea, either. :)
Yeah, always good to hear the preferences. I'm prepared to draw from these and weave them together as needed, seeding hooks and so on. Just pulling back the curtain a little as a way to get the ball rolling for concepts.
The common threads I see running through it are thieve's guilds, demons, missing persons.
So Edeldhur, would your dwarf be a priest of a dwarven pantheon? Dwerfater is one deity I remember from the Lost Lands.
In the past I've used the temple of Muir and Thyr as a potential sponsor or patron. I like the idea that they were important gods during the time of epic battles against evil nemesis demon gods, but today they are fallen into obscurity.
I imagine a dusty hall of records in the city temple. A network of once important shrines and monasteries all reclaimed by the wilds. Somehow the PC's get tasked with following up on a century old letter requesting acolytes to help with a problem. A mundane errand to close an open file basically. And from there stumble on something.
Could be a PC with a connection to the faith, acting out of religious duty?
or, the city assigned this as community service for some offense committed by PC's?
Hearing myself say that, I am thinking this hook could have grown organically out of the city investigation scenario.
Well we have to start somewhere.
Maybe not a tavern this time.
Start telling me what kind of characters you guys are in the mood to play. Let's look for hooks and connections to get started with.
This is not golarion or forgotten realms where everyone knows all the lore so it helps to have some back n forth.
I blomped up a tiefling rogue on DNDBeyond. I blame watching Loki on DisneyPlus--your typical trying to be nasty, actually caring about their friends, easily flustered rogue. ;)
I'm leaning towards an elvin or eldarin wizard. Mostly because I usually play melee and skill types. A haughty, know-it-all caster might be fun.
Since I am playing a Tiefling Cleric/Warlock in another game, I'm thinking of a Fey Wanderer Ranger, not sure what race yet. Be a good scout.
Personally, I like the idea of a more socially aware dwarf - gruff and coarse at times, but interested in the surrounding lands and realms, instead of only his underground home.
The Dwarven pantheon sounds like a perfect match - I really like the idea of the cleric who can spend his days at the forge, can pick up a weapon to go out with a patrol, or who can sit with the lads about to go out for a fight, advising them not only on their spiritual needs, but also on the correct way to hold a shield :D
This would be a... Proactive, grumbling, stubborn one - perhaps he is on the trail of something important for his faith, or even his family? Perhaps there are just rumors in the area about orcs or goblinoids, but his clan is too self absorbed in their own caves to investigate. So he decided to go take a look at it himself?
That kind of guy :D
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I don't know if anyone else noticed but it's a little uncanny that the first four replies just happen to fill all traditional party roles with no overlap.
I suspect faerie magic.
* innocently hides the pixie he'd been shaking to scatter it's dust behind his back *
The idea for the character I had was a failed prodigy from a long line of gnomish sorcerers and wizards who finds his niche trying to restore the old magic of times that had long since passed. An intrepid explorer eager to search out ruins and test his skills, my gnome would be your quinessential optimistic go-to to help the party. While he is driven to recover old artifacts to try and bring back the golden ages of long past, he also is naturally curious and helpful to anyone who needs a hand.
Build-wise, I would be going into Battle Smith for certain. It straddles that line between tank and healer that I think all groups benefit from. With all of his stuff focusing on Intelligence as well, it makes him quite handy to have with the party. He can assist the whole party essentially.
If we don't want to go that way with it, there is always the greatest fifth class to pick; the almighty bard. I'm solidly a gnome for this though, been a long time since I played one.
I blomped up a tiefling rogue on DNDBeyond. I blame watching Loki on DisneyPlus--your typical trying to be nasty, actually caring about their friends, easily flustered rogue. ;)
So my buddy Black Dow who might be joining us later told me by PM he is also thinking of a tiefling rogue. So this is fine, but tieflings are exceedingly rare in the setting. To the point that when I scanned the 500 page setting pdf, the word isn't in there once. So I would say this means they are not a race that breeds true. You wouldn't have a tiefling mom and dad from a tiefling community, you would basically be cursed and everyone is freaked out.
So I would say if Black Dow is going to be around, you two should be connected. Doesn't have to be siblings, maybe you didn't even know each other before the adventure, but there's probably some reason you guys both have horns or whatever.
I mean that's quite a story seed right there.
Also, expect a lot of reactions from town guards and such.
And no, two rogues is not a problem.
I'm leaning towards an elvin or eldarin wizard. Mostly because I usually play melee and skill types. A haughty, know-it-all caster might be fun.
We don't have eladrin by name in this world, I guess the equivalent would be the High Elves, or maybe even the Grey Elves.
Elven Folk
Much like the dwarves of Boros, the elves came from another plane of existence, from their homeland known as Alfheim. They arrived in several waves via planar gates created by the god Wayland the Smith beginning some 17,000 years ago. Initially, few were permitted to pass the gates, most of whom were among the most noble of the elves, ancestors of today’s grey elves of the Emerald Mountains. Over the next several millennia, other groups of elves managed to cross in small numbers and largely settled in remote locations. Only in –6484 I.R., at the same time the Three Gods banished Orcus to the far plane of void known as the Ginnungagap, did a large wave of elves come to Boros during what is known as the First Exodus.
The arrivals from the First Exodus settled mainly in the Great Akadonian Forest that then stretched across almost all of southern Akados. These were the ancestors of today’s wild elves (those who refused to follow Valenthlis and withdrew west to the Green Realm) and high elves (who followed Valenthlis, fought aside the Hyperboreans at Hummaemidon, and live today in eastern Akados largely in friendship with the human realms).
Most elves encountered in eastern Akados or in human cities elsewhere are high elves, most initially hailing from the Forest Kingdoms to the east of Bard’s Gate or from the Harwood Forest. Many high elves are subjects or vassals of the elven kingdom of Parnuble and revere the beloved queen of that realm and gladly rise to defend her honor. Most high elves have honey-blond hair, though some have black hair, and blue, green, or sapphire eyes.
Though preferring forests, many high elves encountered outside their homelands are widely traveled and cosmopolitan, and are on friendly terms with humans, as well as gnomes and halflings. They are reasonably tolerant of hill dwarves, but dislike mountain dwarves. They find wood elves to be fascinating throwbacks, view the wild elves as arrogant and insular, and generally hold grey elves in legendary awe. They hate drow on general principle.
The grey elves, mysterious and fey, are the legendary monarchs of the elven race, sequestered in the Emerald Mountains deep in the Green Realm. It is to these kings and queens that the wild elven high lords swear fealty. They are an inherently magical race and are renowned for the depths of their knowledge and wisdom. To their other elven kin, they are known as the Hidden Ones or the Shining Ones.
Grey elves tend to a much paler cast than other elves, with hair ranging in color from white to silver, sometimes with a tint of bluish-gray. Their eyes are bright blue, silver, completely colorless, or amber. They stand taller than all other elves and are as at home upon the waves as on land.
Grey elves are friendly though aloof with wild elves, whom they see as their rightful subjects. High elves and wood elves are likewise seen as subjects, though gone astray and without proper guidance. They think little of half-elves as a debased offshoot and consider them more akin to humans than elves. They tolerate humans, gnomes, and halflings and are generally unfriendly with dwarves, though they reserve a special respect for those dwarves directly related to the dwarven high kings of old, for theirs is a shared history. Grey elves find drow to be fascinating and seek to learn all they can of their subterranean kin. A grey elf is extraordinarily unlikely to be encountered anywhere outside the Emerald Mountains.
there are also wild elves and wood elves, i'll just include them in case
Though likely the most numerous of the elven kindreds in the world, the wild elves are almost never seen outside their forests in the Green Realm and Green Warder Nations. They are the descendants of those elves who refused to make peace with the humans of Akados and chose to retreat to the west to avoid civil war with their high elf kin. These are also the elves that suffered the wars with the humanoid tribes of the Haunted Steppes at the Crynnomar Gap and who erected the Green Warder monoliths to prevent future human incursions into their lands.
Most wild elves have flowing black hair, eyes of black, browns, or grays, and rich woody-brown skin, though some may have silver or honey-blond hair, and golden or amber eyes.
Wild elves are coolly indifferent toward their high elven kin (whom they view as having betrayed elvenkind by making peace with humans) and half-elves (whom they view with a mixture of pity and disgust). While wild elves would likely feel kinship with wood elves, they would also consider them crude and barbaric. They think little of gnomes and halflings, and view all humans and dwarves with outright hostility. If possible, drow are killed on sight.
The wood elves are the seemingly feral remnant of the elves that neither followed the ways of Valenthlis nor chose to depart eastern Akados during the Second Exodus. They usually live in small, isolated enclaves scattered in woodlands throughout central and eastern Akados. While they may be less overtly hostile to humans than their wild elf cousins of the Green Realm to the west, these sylvan folk are nonetheless more prone to isolationism and insular defense of their territories than the high elves. Usually, conflict is the result where human settlements encroach on wood elf lands. The one exception seems to be around Bard’s Gate, where the wood elves of the region hold the queen of Parnuble in high regard and respect the peaceful relationship she has engendered with the local humans. As a result, the occasional wood elf can even be seen walking the streets of Bard’s Gate.
Wood elves tend to be shorter than high elves, slightly stockier, with darker earth-tone skin, and hair of dark brown or muted auburn, and eyes of black, brown or, occasionally, leaf green. Unlike their kinfolk, some wood elves are able to grow beards.
Compared with their high elf kin, wood elves tend to have somewhat cruder technology but are more in touch with nature and druidic magic. In point of fact, they usually have a haughty disdain for most high elves and look down on half-elves as half-breeds. They get along with gnomes, have a neutral to slightly-hostile attitude toward humans and halflings, and actively dislike half-orcs and dwarves. Like their other cousins, they hate drow. Being quite an insular folk, the wood elves have little knowledge of wild elves or grey elves and would be both fascinated by and cautious of such folk.
Many half-elves trace their ancestry to the aftermath of the Hyperborean wars, though many others are the offspring of more recent interbreeding between humans and elves (usually high elves). As a general matter, half-elves are accepted by most human realms on Akados, particularly where they are more common; in some locales where they are rare, they may be seen as a bit of an oddity, though they still would not elicit hostility. As evidence of their acceptance, particularly in eastern Akados, many leaders of human cities are and have been half-elves.
Half-elves and high elves are usually on quite friendly terms. Ironically, it is among their other cousins that half-elves are most likely to meet animosity. Typically, wild elves and wood elves would view half-elves as half-breeds, while grey elves would think of them as little more than humans. Only in some of the eastern lands of Akados would wood elves be willing to accept half-elves as companions or friends.
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Since I am playing a Tiefling Cleric/Warlock in another game, I'm thinking of a Fey Wanderer Ranger, not sure what race yet. Be a good scout.
Just came across this, a city not too far from the adventure sites we are looking at.
This walled city comes upon travelers unexpectedly since it is not marked by any of the milestones along the road. The walls are uneven and the towers are crooked, but it is obviously quite a busy place, with peasants bustling about. There is a very prominent sign at the city gate reading, “Ignore the sprites.” Another, smaller, sign reads: “Drawing steel or iron weapons in the city is forbidden.”
The Free City of Mirquinoc stands just beyond the borders of Suilley, roughly a mile north of the King’s Road. A walled city, Mirquinoc has been conquered several times in the wars that have swept through the area, but no one has held it for more than a day or two without retreating in disarray. Mirquinoc is located at an ancient, pre-Hyperborean crossroad, so old that neither of the original roads can be seen. However, the conjunction of these roads fixed the city of Mirquinoc squarely into a shifting co-existence with the realm of a faerie queen and her fey court. Throughout the city, the fey are often visible for a few moments out of the corner of the eye, but seem to disappear when looked at directly. Humans cannot cross the boundaries into the fey realm for the most part, although it can happen by accident if a person trips off some fey spell, or happens to walk into just the right place at just the right moment. Many of the fey, on the other hand, are able to step through the barrier into the human world of the city. For the most part, only the sprites of Mirquin Shee actually come through the border, although on occasion a korred appears in town to purchase or sell things. The sprites of Mirquin Shee are unpredictable and capricious, considering themselves as the protectors of the city. Unfortunately, their view of what constitutes protection is frequently not the same as that of the city’s ordinary residents. The sprites are haughty and proud, and on occasion they react badly to what they perceive as rude behavior to themselves. The city tries to minimize these misunderstandings by requesting that visitors completely ignore the sprites when encountering them. Mirquin Shee is ruled by the faerie queen Twylinvere, a tall, slender figure with dragonfly wings who can occasionally be seen as a colorful but ghostly figure moving around in the city. She occasionally enters the human world to make agreements with the mayor or complain about certain humans that are behaving improperly.
Little fey connection, I dunno.
Personally, I like the idea of a more socially aware dwarf - gruff and coarse at times, but interested in the surrounding lands and realms, instead of only his underground home.
The Dwarven pantheon sounds like a perfect match - I really like the idea of the cleric who can spend his days at the forge, can pick up a weapon to go out with a patrol, or who can sit with the lads about to go out for a fight, advising them not only on their spiritual needs, but also on the correct way to hold a shield :D
This would be a... Proactive, grumbling, stubborn one - perhaps he is on the trail of something important for his faith, or even his family? Perhaps there are just rumors in the area about orcs or goblinoids, but his clan is too self absorbed in their own caves to investigate. So he decided to go take a look at it himself?
That kind of guy :D
Dwarven Folk
The first dwarves arrived in the Lost Lands just under 15,000 years ago from their homeland of Niðavellir, part of the same plane of existence as the elven Alfheim and the drow Svartalfheim. They were in the midst of a war with the drow when they discovered the secrets of the gates to Boros originally created by the elven god Wayland the Smith. The dwarves opened multiple new gates between the worlds, and soon the conflict between the two races spilled through. The dwarves soon found themselves embroiled in the Gods’ War and allied with the gods of good against the gods of evil (with whom the drow joined).
Over the ensuing centuries, the dwarves spread throughout many lands of Boros (or, as they still call it, Midgard). The planar gates were eventually all destroyed or forgotten, until the dwarves lost contact with their homeland.
The most common type of dwarf seen outside the deep mountains are hill dwarves. These ruddy-skinned, stocky folk have beards and/or sideburns that tend to be thick and in hues of dirty blond to dark brown. They are mainly miners and craftsmen and can be found throughout the world, from the Xha’en Hegemony to Reme to the Plains of Mayfurrow, and eastward to the hills of Irkaina and Shamash Kush in Libynos. They get along quite well with humans and can tolerate elves, having not been a party to either the battle at Lake Crimmormere or the Great Betrayal at Hummaemidon. They tend to avoid their mountain dwarf cousins, however, as the two groups have little love for each other.
Mountain dwarves tend to stay within their mountain dwellings, though some do travel for trade or adventure to cities not far from their people. They tend to be taller than hill dwarves, with pale skin, black or gray hair, and full, thick beards.
It is said that the mountain dwarves were originally all part of a single clan whose greatest king was Karam Ezun the Wyrmkiller. Since those ancient days, however, the mountain dwarves have divided into nine Great Mountain Clans. These are Clan Craenog of the central Stoneheart Mountains; Clan Ironskull of the Blackrock Mountains; Clan Targ, now a scattered folk, originally from the Forlorn Mountains; Clan Koth, also scattered, from somewhere in the Stoneheart Mountains; Clan Krazzadak, who lost their home in the Shengotha Plateau when ice covered it, who live yet in the Stonehearts and their capital of Abad Durahai; Clan Flammeaxte of the Deepfells; Clan Bulghoi of the Kal’Iugus Mountains; and Clans Duhnbeyl and Tusov, whose locations are uncertain.
Mountain dwarves generally do not have good relations with any other folk, even their hill dwarf cousins. However, the Silverhelm Clan of the northern Lyre Valley in the Stoneheart foothills, a part of the Great Mountain Clan Krazzadak, is an anomaly in that they are on good terms with the humans of Bard’s Gate.
The idea for the character I had was a failed prodigy from a long line of gnomish sorcerers and wizards who finds his niche trying to restore the old magic of times that had long since passed. An intrepid explorer eager to search out ruins and test his skills, my gnome would be your quinessential optimistic go-to to help the party. While he is driven to recover old artifacts to try and bring back the golden ages of long past, he also is naturally curious and helpful to anyone who needs a hand.
Build-wise, I would be going into Battle Smith for certain. It straddles that line between tank and healer that I think all groups benefit from. With all of his stuff focusing on Intelligence as well, it makes him quite handy to have with the party. He can assist the whole party essentially.
If we don't want to go that way with it, there is always the greatest fifth class to pick; the almighty bard. I'm solidly a gnome for this though, been a long time since I played one.
I'm gonna say I really have no problem with this Battle Smith. Maybe it fails some kind of old-school purity test now but I'm gonna guess if you showed up to the table with one in the 80's no one would bat an eye.
I didn't look it over yet but I think I play in a group with one. He's always making robot alpacas for my gnome wizard to ride.
Gnomes
The vast majority of gnomes in the Lost Lands live on Akados and can be found in many locations and cities throughout the continent. Some also live in Libynos, mainly in the region of the Hollow Spire Mountains in the south of the continent.
Rock gnomes are the common gnomes of the Lost Lands, and the ones most typically encountered in cities or other settled areas. They are found more frequently in the central and western portions of Akados but live as far east as the city of Bard’s Gate. Rock gnomes generally settle in small villages in hilly regions, and mostly try to stay out of the affairs of other folks. They are known for raising fruit trees, herbs, and bees; gnomish wines and honey are well-regarded and can fetch good sums in trade.
Their deep gnome cousins, the svirfneblin, are almost never seen outside their mountain homes. Their city of Alesardin in the Stoneheart Mountains is regularly in conflict with the nearby dwarven clans. Also in the Stonehearts, on the Ice Plateau, are the ice gnomes, or barbegazi, who are shunned by all of their cousins.
I’d be interested in a bard. Very well educated, scholarly but personable and passionate, and a bit jaded. A wanderer. Some kind of race like half-elf which doesn’t quite fit neatly into one category.
I see obvious hook connections to the archeological and academy hooks. Maybe they worked for a religious organization at some point but rolled their eyes at some traditions when no one was looking.
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Ok, let's start with that if we can...where in the game is "here"?
I didn't nail down a starting point yet. Canonically, the two 1st level adventures I was looking at both take place in the same region, near the Gaelon River Valley and the Borderland Kingdoms. This is also not too far from Barakus, but it is really far from the Citadel.
Now I could easily just move everything closer but I can be a sucker for cannon. Or maybe it's OCD.
Borderland Provinces & Gaelon River Valley Map
I labeled this map with big pink numbers. One is Trouble in Four Corners, 2 is Fane of the Elder Temple, 3 is Lost City of Barakus.
The thing is this world is so huge that even these have weeks of travel between them. Geez, 50 mile hexes?
You can spot Rappan Athuk in the top right. You don't want to go there.