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The Realm of mankind is narrow and constricted . Always the forces of Chaos press upon its borders, seeking to enslave its populace, rape its riches, and steal its treasures. If it were not for a stout few, many in the Realm would indeed fall prey to the evil which surrounds them.
Yet, there are always certain exceptional and brave members of humanity, as well as similar individuals among its allies: the dwarves, elves, and halflings, who rise above the common level and join battle to stave off the darkness which would otherwise overwhelm the land . Bold adventurers from the Realm set off to the Borderlands seeking their fortune. It is these adventurers who, provided they survive the challenge, carry the battle to the enemy.
Such adventurers meet the forces of Chaos in a testing ground where only the finest return to relate the tale. Here, these individuals will become skilled in their profession, be it fighter or wizard, cleric or rogue. They will be tried in the fire of combat, those who return, hardened and more fit. True, some few who do survive the process will turn from Law and Good and serve the masters of Chaos, but most will remain faithful and ready to fight chaos wherever it threatens to infect the Realm.
You are indeed members of that exceptional class, adventurers who have journeyed to the Borderlands in search of fame and fortune. Of course you are inexperienced, but you have your skills and a heart that cries out for adventure. You have it in you to become great, but you must gain experience and knowledge and greater skill.
There is much to learn, and you are willing and eager to be about it! Each of you have come with everything which could possibly be given you to help. Now you must fend for yourselves; your fate is in your hands, for better or worse.
Ok guys, let's give this another try shall we? :D
This time around we will be using a much simpler ruleset than Pathfinder 1st edition - we are going into the D&D B/X version:
Basically the first proper edition of D&D was "Original" or "White Box" D&D, which was released in 1974 and slowly expanded upon in fan magazines and correspondence. Gary Gygax decided to formalize the system with "Advanced" D&D in 1977. This is what is considered 1e (or AD&D1e).
While he was planning that, John Eric Holmes offered to create an introductory version of D&D with more simplified rules and a faster learning curve. This version of D&D would go from levels 1-3, and was named the Basic Set. It sold well, especially with the limited distribution back then. In 1981 it was revised by Tom Moldvay and a subsequent set for levels 4-14 was made by David Cook (named the Expert Set). These were released and sold very well.
So B/X stands for Basic/Expert D&D. And it is the version we will be using. Yep we are going all the way back to the late 70s/early 80s, much further back than the version we all used to play together in the 90s (which was AD&D2e).
To make things simpler, we will base our game in a 'retroclone' of B/X - it is basically a newer product, written only a couple of years ago (2020), which compiles, organizes and clarifies the B/X rules in a much more accessible format. This retroclone is called Old School Essentials (link).
All that being said, the first step will be you guys choosing what characters you want to play - in the spirit of Old School D&D, this is a SIMPLE choice :D
Feel free to pick between:
Cleric: Clerics are adventurers sworn to the service of a deity. They are trained for battle and channel the power of their deity.
Dwarf: Dwarves are stout demihumans. They live in clans, each with its own underground stronghold. Dwarves are known for their stubbornness, practicality, and their love of fine craftsmanship, gold, hearty food, and strong drink.
Elf: Elves are slender, fey demihumans with pointed ears. Elves are seldom met in human settlements, preferring to feast and make merry in the woods. If crossed, they are dangerous enemies, as they are masters of both sword and spell.
Fighter: Fighters are adventurers trained in warfare and combat. In a group of adventurers, the role of fighters is to battle monsters and to defend other characters.
Halflings: Halflings are small, rotund demihumans with curly hair upon their heads and feet. Above all, they love the comforts of home and are not known for their bravery. Halflings who gain treasure through adventuring will often use their wealth in pursuit of a quiet, comfortable life.
Magic-User: Magic-users are adventurers whose study of secret arcane lore has taught them how to cast spells and to wield powerful magic items. Magic-users begin play with knowledge of just a single spell, but gain access to extremely potent magic as they advance.
Thief: Thieves are adventurers who live by their skills of deception and stealth. They have a range of specialised adventuring skills unavailable to other characters. However, thieves are not always to be trusted.
Once you guys have chosen what class you want to play, I will roll some pregens for you.
And yes, Dwarf, Elf and Halfling are a class :D
GO!
Regnar here! Ready to make a few more dents in my shield
Hugo's character
Pah d'Reco here, a Cleric with no spells wooohooo :D
Ok then!
Name: Al'Lan Mandragoran
Level: 1
XP: 0
Class: Elf
Background: Carpenter
Appearance: bullnecked
Personality: flirtatious, confident
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 7 (-1)
Constitution: 11
Intelligence: 14 (+1)
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 13 (+1)
HP: 6
AC: 6
THAC0 (melee): 19
THAC0 (ranged): 20
MOVEMENT: 90' (30')
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Spellcasting. Proficient with all weapons and armor. Detects
secret doors at 2-in-6. Hears subtle sounds at with 2-in-6.
Immune to paralysis. Infravision (60').
SPELLS PER DAY (BY LEVEL): 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
SPELLBOOK:
protection from evil
EQUIPMENT:
10-foot pole, backpack, battle axe, chain mail, gold pieces
(12), lantern (with 2 oil flasks), large sack, long bow (20
arrows), rations (7), small sack, spellbook, tinder box,
wineskin
ENCUMBRANCE:
572 coins-weight
==================================================
Name: Regnar Steelshield
Level: 1
XP: 0
Class: Dwarf
Background: Potter
Appearance: athletic
Personality: cheerful, paranoid
Strength: 13 (+1)
Dexterity: 9
Constitution: 9
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 15 (+1)
Charisma: 6 (-1)
HP: 8
AC: 3
THAC0 (melee): 18
THAC0 (ranged): 19
MOVEMENT: 60' (20')
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Proficient with all armor. May only use small or
normal-sized weapons. Detects construction tricks at 2-in-6.
Detects room traps at 2-in-6. Hears subtle sounds at 2-in-6.
Infravistion (60').
EQUIPMENT:
10-foot pole, backpack, gold pieces (12), hand axe, plate
mail, rations (7), short bow (20 arrows), small sack, tinder
box, torches (6), wineskin, wolfsbane
ENCUMBRANCE:
652 coins-weight
==================================================
Name: Pah d'Reco
Level: 1
Class: Cleric
Background: Animal trainer
Appearance: coltish
Personality: generous, insane
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 12
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 13 (+1)
Wisdom: 16 (+2)
Charisma: 8 (-1)
HP: 6
AC: 5
THAC0 (melee): 20
THAC0 (ranged): 19
MOVEMENT: 90' (30')
XP: 0
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
May use all armor and shields, but only blunt weapons.
Divine magic. Turning undead.
SPELLS PER DAY (BY LEVEL): 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
PREPARED SPELLS: -
EQUIPMENT:
backpack, chain mail, gold pieces (7), holy symbol, holy
water, iron spikes (12), mirror, rations (7), small sack,
tinder box, torches (6), war hammer, wineskin
ENCUMBRANCE:
517 coins-weight
Here is Draven!
Name: Draven Skywatcher
Level: 1
Class: Magic user
Background: Tanner
Appearance: chiseled
Personality: faithful, cruel
Strength: 7 -1
Dexterity: 11
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 13 +1
Wisdom: 14 +1
Charisma: 12
HP: 4
AC: 9
THAC0 (melee): 20
THAC0 (ranged): 19
MOVEMENT: 120' (40')
XP: 0
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
Spellcasting. May not wear armor. Dagger is sole weapon.
SPELLS PER DAY (BY LEVEL): 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0
SPELLBOOK:
Read Magic
Charm Person
EQUIPMENT:
backpack, dagger, gold pieces (12), large sack, mirror,
rations (7), small hammer, spellbook, tinder box, torches
(6), wineskin
ENCUMBRANCE:
102 coins-weight
You guys can feel free to copy the stat blocks onto your aliases, and ask any questions.
I will get a Gameplay post up shortly, and then we can get things rolling.
Does this have any gameplay effect or it's just roleplay guidelines?
Background: Potter
Appearance: athletic
Personality: cheerful, paranoid
Does this have any gameplay effect or it's just roleplay guidelines?
Background: Potter
Appearance: athletic
Personality: cheerful, paranoid
The Appearance and Personality are just guidelines for your character, if you are interested in adding some flavor and just play him/her with those traits. You can keep or change them.
B/X (and thus the retroclone OSE which we are using) did not have any skills 'per se', so the Background serves the purpose of determining in broad strokes what other things your character might know how to do beyond his Class.
In OSE these are called 'Secondary Skills': A character’s class is assumed to be their primary profession and the focus of all training. This optional rule grants characters a small degree of experience in an additional profession — called a secondary skill —which they have picked up at some point in their lives. This may be the profession of a parent or mentor which the character has picked up to some degree or it may be simply a skill that the character practices as a hobby.
Just as an added note - Using Secondary Skills: The referee must adjudicate all uses of secondary skills. Generally speaking, knowledge of a secondary skill allows a character to perform the functions of a profession at a basic level, for example:
▶ Assess the value and quality of an item associated with the skill.
▶ Make minor repairs to items associated with the skill.
▶ Construct simple items associated with the skill.
Under no circumstances should a character following the life of an adventurer be able to approach anywhere near the level of skill of a character fully dedicated to a profession.
GM, I'd like to Change 3 things, ir possible:
Appearance, bulneckd -> athlectic
Personality, flirtatious -> friendly
Equipment, battle axe -> long sword
My suggestion to you (and to all in general) is to embrace the process and its randomness, that can be a big part of the fun, and take us places we are not used to go, like it did last time we played DCC with the level 0 funnel characters.
In any case, it is your character, and those things are just suggestions. So you can of course change it.
Also ok to swap the Battle Axe for the Long Sword (thought it might be cool to know why the heck an Elf would use a Battle Axe :D) - just deduct three extra gold pieces from your inventory (leaving you with 9 in total).
Guys, just a note on the tone of the game - it is not a full on Sandbox, but many of the events which may or not happen will be dictated by what you guys want to do.
I know this is never easy, and can lead to us completely stalling :)
So take a moment to ponder why your characters would be here, and what they might want to accomplish by being here. Nothing complex or overly extensive, just something which would provide you guidelines on what to do next. In your head, why would your character be in this out of the way keep, next to the savage frontier? Feel free to ask questions if you want, and I will answer.
And stuff like - 'I want to be rich because of reason A, B or C, and I have heard that exploring ruins and looting the lairs of monsters pays better than working as a serf. Since I also heard this is the place where many come to make their fortune, I decided to do the same' - is perfectly fine.
No sitting around waiting for adventure to come to you. You already know that usually ends up in disaster when I am the DM :D
Pah d'Reco was a late arrival to religion. He spent a good deal of his life with no proper goals or ambitions, and as part of a midlife crisis opted into religion.
As he studied his options he found in Zirchev's neutral detachment a good counterpart to his own lack of a strong moral compass, or at least that's what a psychiatrist might say of him. In his own mind, it was the hero's strength, practicality and devotion to nature that attracted him.
Of course, anyone who's met Pah d'Reco finds that at odds with the fact that he avoids physical exertion and rarely steps out into the wild, but it's not worth his anger to mention that.
Still, in moments of lower self-delusion he realises how little he has in common with Zirchev and wonders if he's walking the right path. That's why he's here, he means to test himself and his faith. He wants to find out what he's made of after all, if he's worthy to follow in Zirchev's footsteps or has been deluding himself all this time (very little time in fact, as I mentioned).
Instinctively he will look kindly on any opportunity to channel Zirchev, like venturing into the wilds, hunting, protecting nature and the natural order. He's not interested in riches (well, not much) and will protect humans as well as beasts if he feels their predicaments are a violation of said natural order.