The party of ten trooped through the jungle on the mysterious island, when Hoku and Hasnett spot the four awesome reptiles stalking them. Hasnett warns the cartographer and porters back, even as these reptiles, the size of draft horses, covered in pebbly, slate gray
scales, and armed with formidable jaws, grasping talons, and two massive sickle-shaped claws on their feet, advance with economical precision.
The reptiles charge, biting at Irawaru and Henrig. Irawaru's agility is proof against their snaps, but Henrig is bitten and grabbed up in the creature's jaws.
Hoku, thinking quickly, draws her dagger and hurls it at Henrig's attacker in a trick strike, forcing it to drop back and, incidentally, drop Henrig.
The shock of the strange creatures thudding out of the undergrowth
wrecks Hasnett's aim. Irawaru lets out a bestial howl and runs up to the reptile threatening Elohir, hacking at it with his axe.
Elohir looks nervously about to his companions, and slinks backwards away from the creatures and behind everyone else. Strange starlight forms around Elohir, blurring the edges of his being. Those nearby hear Elohir mutter several guttural, nearly unpronounceable words, "Throd llll Caiphon! Fm'latgh!" A strange, pulsing bolt of black, purplish energy emanates from Elohir's outstretched fingertips. Elohir's blast goes sailing off into the trees, burning a path through the leaves which sizzle and give off an acrid smoke.
One of the creatures snaps at the barbarian, but, seemingly enraged by its wound, misses completely. Henrig's attacker approaches Henrig again, a little more warily, and grabs the stormsoul up again. A third monster rushes in, fighting the second for its prey, and also snaps at Henrig, the rending causing even more damage. The loser roars in anger. The fourth beast chomps at Aden, but the shadar-kai dodges easily.
Hoku continues to focus on the beast which originally grabbed Henrig, slashing at it in attempt to drive it back further. Hoku's dagger bites deep into the monster, even as she somehow forces the huge beast back a step.
Status update: Most of my major deadlines are through, but I have another trip coming up next week and a fair bit of prep work to do.
I've been considering carefully, and I simply don't see any time before around January when I'd have the time to do justice to DMing three pbps. Keep on the Shadowfell has seniority (having started before 4E even came out!), so that leaves either Dragora's Dungeon or Wrath of the River King as the offspring to place on the chopping block.
It comes down to Wrath being the better-written adventure, more than anything else, so I've reluctantly decided I need to call it quits on Dragora's.
Players from this game will have top priority for filling slots to replace dropouts in either of the other two, should you be interested (and assuming you're not already in them!).
Not sure what the patronage model of design is? Here is the FAQ
Want more info? Just post here - lots of Open Design fans hang out in these parts.
DitheringFool's post in the 3E/OGL thread has useful links; I'm just hijacking it here in case those who would like to patronize a 4E version of it didn't see it. Whether Halls of the Mountain King is written as OGL or 4E depends on how patrons vote with their wallets -- see the LiveJournal post for more details.
Note that my latest PBP, Wrath of the River King, was OpenDesign's first 4E project.
The constable of Riverbend has arrested the miller, Froderick, believing that he drowned his elven wife and went mad with grief (Froderick was crying out that his wife was "in the pond"). However, her body was not found in the millpond. The local Reeve will hold court in 4 days to judge Froderick, but has sufficient misgivings to hire you to investigate the mystery before he hangs the miller.
HAMLET OF RIVERBEND
This village depends on its location near a river ford and its rich river soil to keep itself together. The large kingdom of Fellglas, to which it owes some nominal feudal obligations, ignores the region. The
road to the city of Bargrad is often the haunt of bandits, and the elves of the Vergrace Forest are much closer than the petty princes of Bargrad. Most the village’s excess grain and livestock goes to barter with the elves.
The village itself has little to recommend it: one tavern, one mill, and 20 houses that are home to the various families that have lived here for generation untold. The only house that stands apart is the large one that belongs to the Reeve; he and his two sons are responsible for keeping the village safe and the roads open.
Riverbend has a small shrine to the Forest God, though the village cannot afford a priest. The oldest woman in the village generally performs the rites at spring, midsummer, and fall. The shrine is ignored most of the time, unless the crops are in danger of failing, livestock are missing, or a child has wandered off into the woods.
THE REEVE KOLYA
The feudal presence, hand of justice, and defender of the weak in these parts is Kolya Oxbow. The Reeve sits just inside a large, well-kept
house at a large oak table. Two men with swords stand by the only door. The Reeve says “I am Kolya. I know you have heard of the tragic murder of Froderick's wife, Ellesandra. Froderick is the obvious suspect, but I believe she may have been taken by fey creatures. How can you help us against these terrible fey that threaten my beloved villagers?”
Kolya is a large man of perhaps 40 years, with enormous sideburns and the small eyes of a boar. His fat fingers twitch a bit, but otherwise he seems calm, even unnaturally steady in the face of several attacks on the village.
This is a human-dominated setting (well, the non-feywild part, anyway).
PCs are at the very beginning of 4th level.
22 point buy, PHB races, any class, any equipment. Start with all the "adventuring gear" you want and mundane weapons and armor; a level 3 item, a level 4 item, and a level 5 item, and 680 gp with which to buy other stuff (but not to upgrade the specific items, by my interpretation).
I'm inclined to have all or most of you know each other before-hand, so if you want to go in on a battle standard or something, that would be fine, but you may not buy anything above level 4.
I'm going out for a bit, but at the pace this is going, I expect y'all will have full characters within 3 hours!
Because Rosey still hasn't started that 12-step program, I can't resist firing up another pbp with my shiny new toy, OpenDesign's Wrath of the River King.
This is a bit different from the 4E adventures we've seen so far, in that it makes heavy use of the Feywild -- with the Feywild being more like traditional Sidhe than, say, Tolkien's Lorien. I don't want to say too much more at this stage.
I've got three offers out and two accepted, so looking for two to three more players. Ideally 5 players total, 6 max.
4th-level 4E PCs, using PHB races only, but otherwise all WotC material is good. Standard point-buy and equipment, but we'll deal with that when we're done recruiting. Note, though, that preview classes such as Bard, Druid, and Invoker won't have 5th-level powers available until March. Doesn't mean you can't play them, but may have a gap.
Being able to post near-daily is strongly preferred, with your characters likely to do (relatively safe) things on their own if you miss a day during combat. Being around on holidays and weekends especially good, because I'm a sad, lonely, little man. (Well, not so little.) All I really ask is that if you're going to miss more than a day at a time, let me know if at all possible (with contingencies) so I can keep things moving without you.
Things will probably start off in a burst, then slow down a bit in mid-January when my semester starts, until I get in a rhythm.
My games shade toward combat, and I use all the tactical rules as PBP allows. This is not to say RP is unimportant, and you do get RP rewards. It's just a modest imbalance. Thinking is highly rewarded, too, especially when dealing with the fey.
Duke Hanzin, king of Lerrith-without-Crown in all but name, has not been seen by anyone outside Hanzin Keep for six days, and those inside the keep are not speaking.
Lafiel:
Spoiler:
One of your contacts, a gnome named Kyril, has arranged for you to be interviewed for what could be a very “rewarding” job, but says he can not tell you more about it for fear of losing his tongue. You are to report to Captain Ryo of the Duke’s Guards at Hanzin Keep; Ryo will be expecting you. Ryo is, in fact expecting you, but you get little more information, save that you are to be working with a select team, and a rendezvous in the keep’s guest chambers.
Rin:
Spoiler:
You are enjoying a respite from your studies, perhaps with special company, but concerned about the rumors that are starting to spread. One of your contacts in the Duke’s court summons you to a discreet interview. You are told that the Duke has need of your special training and is assembling a team, but you get no further information, save a rendezvous in the guest chambers.
Qadim-Sul:
Spoiler:
Captain Ryo of the Duke’s Guards tells you he has need of your special skills and is assembling a team, but you get no further information, save a rendezvous in the guest chambers.
Drivish:
Spoiler:
Since rumors have started to spread about Hanzin’s disappearance, you have been working your contacts. You have come to suspect that this is not unconnected from your researchers into the workings of the sorcerer-kings. Your discreet inquiries got you as far as Captain Ryo of the Duke’s Guards, who invited you to meet him in the keep’s guest chambers the next evening.
Barshevy:
Spoiler:
For your own reasons, you have agreed to meet Captain Ryo of the Duke’s Guards in the guest chambers of the keep. (If you posted background or motivation, I missed it – please feel free to correct me!)
Raivek:
Spoiler:
For your own reasons, you have agreed to meet Captain Ryo of the Duke’s Guards in the guest chambers of the keep. (If you posted background or motivation, I missed it – please feel free to correct me!)
As each of you arrives at Hanzin Keep, a servant shows you to guest chambers on the second floor first floor for the Brits. There are two lavishly-appointed rooms for your use, just across the hall from some of the Duke’s personal rooms. The servant explains that when Captain Ryo arrives, the meeting will begin.
For simplicity, let’s say you arrive in the order that you post.
Eons past the fabled sorcerer-kings of Parhok perished in a rain of eldritch fire. But legends hold that one tribe survived to sleep away the centuries. Now once more the forbidden spells of the Parhok threaten the Known Realms. Have the sorcerer-kings risen to reclaim their bejeweled thrones?
More quoting wrote:
Dragora’s Dungeon is designed to challenge a well-balanced party of heroes. Each of the major roles will see action in and out of combat. Adventurers accustomed to cleaving their way through any obstacle will be sorely tested, but – as in every edition of D&D – careful play coupled with courage (and no small amount of luck) will surely prevail!
Caution: While Dragora’s Dungeon is for low-level characters, it is not recommended for first-time GMs or players. The adventure is designed to reward intelligent play, just as foolish choices must surely be punished. But for players and GMs looking for a challenging, dynamic adventure, Dragora’s Dungeon will not disappoint.
Ok, all. We're going to start with 5 or 6 1st-level 4E characters. Standard PHB point-buy, 100gp. All Wizards sources available, including the playable Monster Manual races, though if you use something tentative (e.g., a pre-compilation Dragon article or a playtest class) be prepared to revise when the final version comes out. I strongly recommend that the four roles be represented.
The adventure starts at night, with the PCs in guest chambers at their liege's citadel, so please have an idea for a character for whom that's remotely plausible. Events will take you from there.
Some notes about the mechanics of my games:
- I believe in the dice. Whether that's in your favor or the antagonists', the chips fall where they may. I don't care how you roll dice; it's not worth it to worry about cheating.
- I like tactical rules -- expect me to pull out all the stops about whether prone characters provide combat advantage when flanking (they do), etc.
- I try to keep the game moving. I generally will not wait on any one player more than 24 hours. If I do need an action and the player is absent, I'll have the character do something conservative.
- I use an initiative "block" system. Once the PCs and antagonists have rolled initiative, I'll call for the actions of all the PCs before the next antagonsit. Then the antagonists on that count go, then the next block of PCs. It works pretty well, though can get a little confusing with the interactivity in 4E (those of you new to 4E will quickly learn that you do more on each other's turns than you're used to).
- Combat uses a Google Spreadsheet as a map grid. It's not pretty, but it's functional.
- When you post a combat action, it should include the grid location of any movement. Any attack should have the attack roll, damage roll, targeted defense, and special effects. I really don't want to have to look anything up!
- In the same vein, please have in your profile everything needed for me to roll for you (the bonuses added up, the damage dice, and special effects).
- Last thing I can think of for now: Please have in your profile 10 pre-rolled initative rolls, just so we don't have to stop for a day at the beginning of each fight!
As noted, I'll determine the players as needed tomorrow morning.
One of my 4E games collapsed recently, and I'm considering starting another, if there is interest.
It would be using a published module, probably from Goodman, probably either Dragora's Dungeon (the first in their new "Master Dungeon" line which, contrary to its name and cover image, has much more to it than dungeoncrawl and chainmail bikinis), or Forges of the Mountain King (Dungeon Crawl Classics). I'd be open to preferences.
I'd be looking for five or six players who can post at least once / weekday and once / weekend, or can give notice if they're going to miss more than a day or two. I have no qualms about moving on if we've been waiting for you for 24 hours. My games are fairly tactical, but Dragora's, at least, has significant role-playing challenges (I haven't read Mountain King yet).
Priority would go to players who've been in games of mine that are no more. Novices to 4E would be quite welcome.
Assassin Vine
Level 3 Solo Lurker (750xp)
Large Natural Plant
Initiative +5
Senses: Perception +0; Blind; Blindsight 5
Defenses: Resist Lightning 10, Fire 5, Cold 5
HP: 184; Bloodied 92 (see Bloodied Thrashing below)
AC: 19; Fort 17; Ref 15; Will 17
Speed 0
Melee: Vine (standard, at will) +7 vs Reflex; 1d8+3, target is grabbed, secondary attack: Constrict +7 vs Fort; 1d10+4
Melee: Constrict against grabbed target +7 vs Fort; 1d10+4
Melee: Bloodied Thrashing (immediate reaction, when bloodied) 2 attacks, can be against separate targets: +9 vs AC; 1d10+4
*Assassin Vine can launch further vine attacks while it has one or more creatures grabbed
Alignment: Unaligned
Str 17 (+4) Con 14 (+3) Dex 14 (+3) Int 8 (+0) Wis 13 (+2) Cha 12 (+2)
Lord Warden Markelhay the next day commissioned us to return to the sewers beneath Lower Fallcrest and close the Portal. Armed with a ritual scroll provided by the Moonsong and a reward in the form of healing potions for each of us, we went back and found things much as we had left them. The eladrin Orsi and I, being educated in the arcane, began the ritual. To our dismay, but perhaps not astonishment, a second rift opened as the first one closed -- seemingly a last gasp of the Portal. A thing that can only be described as a demon emerged, not 70 feet away. Our superior tactics, however, seemed to befuddlie the beast, and we were able to quickly dispatch it.
As we were reporting to the Lord Warden of our success, his court was dramatically interrupted. A hobgoblin warleader, of all things, burst in and arrogantly dismissed the guard. To our surprise, Markelhay let the guards go and spoke calmly to the hobgoblin. Seemingly, Fallcrest has made secret alliance with hobgoblin forces in the area against primordial threats. This warleader, one Mordikin Blackblade, had come to report that goblin slaves under his command were rebelling and had captured the location of a second Demon Portal.
Markelhay begged us to seal this portal, as well, and -- as aiding the Fallcrest governor against primoridal threats is no less than my mission in this backwater -- we consented. Blackblade provided maps to a location half a day's journey from town.
We came upon a band of goblins in a glade surrounding a waterfall and set upon them. Their leader, a pest called Nibbler, ordered the goblins against us. We dispatched the goblins with relative ease, but Nibbler escaped through what we learned to be a cave behind the falls. We pursued, of course.
The goblin, though, was prepared for an invasion, and it developed to be an ambush. Two goblin berserkers, with the unlikely names of Zippy and Snippy, led the assault, backed up by goblin archers shooting from behind the cover of rubble. I confess it was a hard fight. I fought side by side with Trogdor, but the sharpshooters took us both -- even me -- down. Our cohorts, including the valorous Orsi, were able to get us on our feet again and we prevailed. The accursed Nibbler escaped again further into the passages.
Yet again, a trap. He crossed a narrow bridge and, as we followed, he was able to ready some kind of device to dim our lights, even my magical torch. That would have been little hazard, yet two shadowhunter bats were lurking in the darkness and sought to knock us from the bridge. Trogdor did fall below at one point in the fight, before I was able to step across and deactivate the device. To our pleasure, there were hidden ladders that enabled the injured dragonborn to return to us.
Finally, we followed Nibbler to the site of the Portal. Half a dozen goblins were there, including a brute called Giznack. We were too late -- had been too much delayed by Nibbler's stalling tactics. Even as we arrived, Giznack completed a ritual by the Portal and transformed himself and two otehrs into insane, hulking beasts. The only blessing is that these Norkers apparently found Nibbler as annoying as we and quickly dispatched him. It was another difficult fight, but our tactical skill prevailed once more and we killed the Norkers. We were then able to close the Portal with the ritual.
I've got you as having come in and warned Bray. He and the other village leaders have been discussing the news and evacuation plans. Now he's summoned in some of the "second-tier" major figures. Feel free to wing it; let me know if you need more direction. Basically, an army company will be here in three days' time. You were an advance scout.
Each of you is in the village of Woodcroft on a late summer afternoon when approached by a breathless Menir Bray, the headman's youngest son. He explains that Algrim Bray needs to see you in the meeting hall, immediately.
When you arrive, gathered are some of the principal figures in the village -- Algrim and Dorothea Bray, Narwyn Moonshield, and Yurk -- and a stranger, a serious-looking elf with twin longswords on his back and a brace of handaxes on a bandolier.
Algrim makes sure the doors are closed and then addresses the group. "This man, Teven, has brought us grim news. The forces of the false god Razmir are on their way to put us to the test of heresy. The Song of the Spheres has graced us with Her agent -- Teven, by chance, has reason to come to us with warning.
Most of the PCs are residents of Woodcroft. Some may be malcontents, some may be respected young adults -- the next generation of leadership. Perhaps one is the son of the headman or another is the respected apprentice to the elderly village healer, and might be looked to for direction. One might even be a scout from the raiding forces -- a Razmiran who sees that the crofters are doing no harm, and betrays his officers by warning the heretics. All of them end up taking the risks of helping the others. They shortly find themselves looked to for direction as the hapless crofters go deeper into the wood as refugees than they ever did as loggers.
I'm not anticipating significant house rules for this game, at least until we have more of a feel for 4E, but there are a few things to note.
First, character points are point-buy, with the default 22 points and the pricing scheme laid out in the PHB. The "standard array" and many other example combinations of stats based on 22 points are in the PHB.
All PHB races are permitted, though Dragonborn and Tieflings are quite rare. Eladrin and Elves are viewed as subraces of the same stock. Gnomes from the MM are permitted.
All PHB classes are permitted.
Much non-setting-specific Dragon magazine content will be permitted; just ask.
Somehow, I don't have enough gaming going on. As I've posted in a couple of places, I'm starting a face-to-face 4E Golarion game. I've decided to offer the same setup as a play-by-post here.
I'm seeking up to six players who can post most days. I'm online much of my waking time (sad, I know), though will occasionally miss a day myself, especially when traveling. I'm on US Eastern time (GMT-4 at the moment), and do most of my posting in the afternoons or late evenings. Tactical grids will be published using Google Spreadsheets; there is no need to have a Google account to view the maps.
Campaign Seed wrote:
The village of Woodcroft is like any other forestry village in Razmiran, but for one thing. It is a village of heretics, worshipping not Razmir, the god-king of the nation, but Desna, Song of the Spheres, goddess of dreams, stars, travelers, and luck. This has gone on for some four to five years, since a troop of Varisians came from neighboring Ustalav and showed the wonders of their goddess, inspiring the village elders (or most of them) to promote the new faith to the residents.
However, three days ago, word came of a raid organized by one of Razmir's Visions -- one of the counciil of high-ranking clergy that carries out Razmir's erratic mandates. It seems that even here, under the eves of the Greenwood on the banks of Lake Encarthan, the isolation is not sufficient, and Razmir has learned of the heresy. Fortunately, there was one to give warning.
The forces of Razmir are approaching, and the village is evacuated of all but a few stubborn souls -- notably including the village headman and his wife, standing for their faith, and the captain of the village militia, not willing to run. The bulk of the villagers flee -- children, animals, and what belongings they can carry -- into the Greenwood, crossing the border into neighboring Ustalav.
Most of the PCs are residents of Woodcroft. Some may be malcontents, some may be respected young adults -- the next generation of leadership. Perhaps one is the son of the headman or another is the respected apprentice to the elderly village healer, and might be looked to for direction. One might even be a scout from the raiding forces -- a Razmiran who sees that the crofters are doing no harm, and betrays his officers by warning the heretics. All of them end up taking the risks of helping the others. They shortly find themselves looked to for direction as the hapless crofters go deeper into the wood as refugees than they ever did as loggers.
Note that this game is not pre-plotted beyond the initial setup. While there will be a fair bit of tactical play, the direction the game takes is largely up to the PCs. Also, I may occasionally drop in pieces or modifications of published adventures (including by our Paizo friends), but there will be some differences.
Interested?
ADDED TO REPOST: I've extended a few direct invitations; after that it will be first-come.
I'm posting soon for a new 4E pbp set in Golarion. As you got waitlisted for my Keep on the Shadowfell game, you've got first crack at the new one if you're interested. Look for something with "Refugees" in the title.
Has anyone worked up Golarion deities in D&D4? There's not much to 4E deities for the most part, but for one thing -- a cleric or paladin of a deity has the option of taking a particular "channel divinity" feat, which gives the PC a power related to the deity's theme.
I'm particularly interested in suggestions for a Channel Divinity feat for Desna worshippers.
Hi, all. I'm contemplating starting a new campaign for my face-to-face group. It's set in Golarion, but more sandbox-style. I wrote up the following, and would welcome feedback, whether criticism, suggestion, or ideas as to what might happen next. Thanks.
The PCs are significant people in Woodcroft, a forestry village in
Razmiran, on the shores of Lake Encarthan near the Ustalav border.
Razmiran is ruled by a tyrant who claims to be a living god, having
used the Starstone in Absalom to attain divinity. No other form of
worship is tolerated in Razmiran. However, in this small village on
the edge of the woods, largely neglected by the Visions who govern
Razmiran in Razmir's name, a new faith has arisen -- or rather, a very
old faith, the worship of Desna, the Song of the Spheres. The people
of Woodcroft find comfort in the worship of the goddess of dreams, but
then they are detected -- or betrayed?
Regardless, the PCs learn of the coming of Razmir's military to put
the village to the test of heresy, and to the sword if they fail. As
the campaign begins, all those who are willing are evacuating the
village under cover of night, into the woods they know so well and
across the border into Ustalav -- a nation founded by Varisians over
two thousand years ago, but ruled for over six hundred years in the
fourth millenium by Tar-Baphon, a vile lich-king known as the
Whispering Tyrant. The Shining Crusade launched by the empire of
Taldor was ultimately able to imprison the immortal Tyrant in his
fortress of Gallowspire in western Ustalav, and some semblance of
normalcy has returned to the nation -- though normalcy interrupted by
two civil wars.
Now the villagers of Woodcroft find themselves in the territory of
Soivoda, a region of Ustalav where the families of powerful counts
rule over rugged and largely impoverished lands.
Marla of the Great Church, an earnest young priestess of Pelor, had contacted you. She has been studying the history and activity of various demon and death cults. According to Marla's research, witnesses saw a small group of death cultists traveling toward the small town of Winterhaven about a year ago. She has since learned that the head of this group is a dangerous and twisted priest named Kalarel. Marla fears that Kalarel has set up a sceret cult in the area and is conducting unholy ceremonies. She asked you to travel to Winterhaven, determine if there is any death cult activity in the area, and, if so, to stamp it out. She has offered a 250gp reward for bringing back proof that the cult has been destroyed and its plan disrupted.
You find yourselves traveling down a road that hasn't been maintained in nearly a hundred years, through a dangerous wilderness toward the small town of Winterhaven.
Please describe yourselves and what the others know about you, and feel free to chit-chat on the road while we're getting everyone together
I'm trying to post to the thread, "Logos's Sandbox aka Abadar Expeditionary Force!" in Play-by-Post Discussions. However, if I click Reply or Add New Post, it simply reloads the page. This does not happen on any other thread I've tried, and other people can post to this thread.
One clue may be that the tooltip indicating the link for the posting buttons lists it as ".../play-by-postdiscussion/untitled"
Thanks,
Pat
EDIT: Sorry, I was confused -- it's the one in the main play-by-post section, not discussions.
Now posted under a slightly less obscure title. Have three players (a rogue, a paladin, and an undetermined); ideally want two more. At this point, it's first-come, first-serve.
The only requirement is that you somehow have a (rules-compliant!) 1st-level character, from wherever you can get one. I have the pregens for the adventure, of course, and would be willing to e-mail the relevant pages (only) to a player who doesn't have access. There are also pregens from DDXP floating around in the ether.
If you wish to rebuild when the PHB comes out, that will probably be fine. It's recommended that the party include at least one of each role -- defender (Fighter, Paladin); controller (Wizard); striker (Rogue, Ranger, Warlock); and leader (Cleric, Warlord).
I've also got a brief summary of the quickstart rules I can e-mail if you need them.
The adventure is pretty hack-and-slash, for what it's worth, but we can get our feet wet with 4th.
My ideal posting frequency for the players is about daily. I'm on and able to post most of most days (I'm on GMT-4), but will occasionally miss a day myself.
Die-rolling will be by whatever mode each player prefers -- I trust y'all.
I like rules, and I believe in the dice. I'll do my best with the 4e rules, though it may take a little breaking in. If bad things happen to either PCs or opponents due to the dice, so be it (though players whose characters are out of the game for one reason or another will be encouraged to re-enter, jumping to the front of the queue). I find this makes players more invested if the risks are real!
What else do you need to know?
Good, lawful good, or unaligned only. Please no antisocial loners.
I'd really rather have players who are not familiar with the adventure, or at least will not go beyond whatever you've already read, but I'll leave that up to you.
We only have three players so far, so I'll update the call under a less confusing thread title and see if we can get at least one more (preferably two).
So far:
Lazaro / Gran Rey / Human Paladin (defender)
Dragonvan / / Rogue (striker)
Moonglum
A controller (wizard) and a leader (cleric, warlord) would be helpful, but not absolutely necessary.
Again, you're welcome to use either a pregen from whatever WotC source or, if you have the resources, make your own. If you make your own, use the standard array for stats, to keep everyone on par.
. . . writing everything from westerns to sword and planet to hard-boiled detective stories like the noir classic The Big Sleep, which she co-wrote with William Faulkner . . .
Could be clearer. Brackett and Faulkner wrote the screenplay to The Big Sleep, but the "story" (the novel) was by none other than the great Raymond Chandler!
It is mid-morning. You have prepared your spells for the day, broken your fast on cold bread and porridge in the Academae refectory, and gone to work. As you open the book you have been copying, you notice something amiss.
Tucked into the book, as if marking a page, is a card – a Harrow card. Specifically, it is The Joke. It depicts a giant, two-headed monster, helpless in his mirth, laughing at something said by a bard.
The face of the card is ordinary. On the back, though, written in bold ink, is a short message:
The Joke wrote:
I know what Gaedren has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done.
Simn
Spoiler:
It is midday. You are in a pub, the Proud Peacock, buying lunch (and much ale) for a human who claims to know something about Lamm. You are just concluding he was stringing you on when, as you raise your own tankard, you see something stuck to the bottom of it – though you do not recall anything on the table.
It is a card – a Harrow card. Specifically, it is The Juggler. It depicts a giant, happy-seeming young man juggling a variety of objects (a house, a boat, a clocktower, even a bemused-looking elephant) as he strides across the countryside.
The face of the card is ordinary. On the back, though, written in bold ink, is a short message:
The Juggler wrote:
I know what Gaedren has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done.
Gawain
Spoiler:
It is late morning, or perhaps early afternoon. It was such a late night, it is hard to be certain right away. You get out of bed, attend to your morning ablutions, and check your belongings before heading out to the day. But something is amiss.
There is a card tucked between the strings of your mandolin – a Harrow card. Specifically, it is The Theater. It shows a puppet theater, with a monster, perhaps a dragon, attacking a knight.
The face of the card is ordinary. On the back, though, written in bold ink, is a short message:
The Theater wrote:
I know what Gaedren has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done.
Fraz
Spoiler:
It is midday. You are in a pub, the Drunken Sow, buying lunch (and much ale) for a halfling who claims to know something about Lamm. You are just concluding he was stringing you on when, as you raise your own tankard, you see something stuck to the bottom of it – though you do not recall anything on the table.
It is a card – a Harrow card. Specifically, it is The Survivor. The scene is of a heavily bandaged man seated on a large chair, perhaps the throne, with weapons and treasure at his feet. He is attended by a number of pale figures, perhaps spirits of the dead.
The face of the card is ordinary. On the back, though, written in bold ink, is a short message:
The Survivor wrote:
I know what Gaedren has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done.
Cole
Spoiler:
It is early morning. The morning devotions are done, followed by a meager breakfast at the refectory. You go to your daily task of polishing the shields and helms of the warriors of Iomedae in the temple armory. Very shortly, however, you notice something odd: Stuck in a helmet is a card – a Harrow card.
Specifically, it is The Winged Serpent. It shows a white serpent with a green head and rainbow wings, curled upon itself.
The face of the card is ordinary. On the back, though, written in bold ink, is a short message:
The Winged Serpent wrote:
I know what Gaedren has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done.
Avalon
Spoiler:
It is midday. You are in a pub, the Blind Bat, buying lunch (and much ale) for a gnome who claims to know something about “Gaedren.” You are just concluding he was stringing you on when, as you raise your own tankard, you see something stuck to the bottom of it – though you do not recall anything on the table.
It is a card – a Harrow card. Specifically, it is The Big Sky. It depicts a human and an elf, both with their wrists shackled. The sun is beaming down on the human and the chains have just broken, to the man’s joy, while the elf looks on.
The face of the card is ordinary. On the back, though, written in bold ink, is a short message:
The Big Sky wrote:
I know what Gaedren has done to you. He has wronged me as well. I know where he dwells, yet cannot strike at him. Come to my home at 3 Lancet Street at sunset. Others like you will be there. Gaedren must face his fate, and justice must be done.
Please spoiler your actions until you are together.
Starting with 0xp, max gold, 32-point-buy. PHB races only, but classes and other options available from Core, Compete Arcane/Divine/Warrior/Adventurer and Races series, and both AP Player's Guides. Complete Scoundrel/Mage/Champion options by permission. Most options from the SRD are available, but no psionics. Non-evil alignments only, and Chaotic Neutral does not mean either insane or non-detectable evil.
(snip)
- 2 extra skill points/level for all characters (8 at first), 1 (4) of which must be spent on some combination of Craft and Profession (bought as class skills).
- Knowledge: Local is a class skill for all characters.
A couple things I omitted. Max HP at 1st. Hit points at subsequent levels will also be fixed at a level depending on the hit die type, but roughly 70% of max. No randomizers needed for character buildin
Elaborating on the alignment notes, please, no sociopathic loners. They're hard enough to integrate in a face-to-face game, and much harder in PBP. The characters need to be basically willing to work in a group toward a common good. That does not mean there can not be disagreement and conflict, but I'd rather not have it built into a character from the start.
Along the same lines, if you haven't played a PBP before, be aware that particularly quiet characters can be (though not necessarily are) somewhat dull to play. I'm not saying "don't play one," but when thinking of your character's personality, keep the limitations of the medium in mind.
I'd like to spend a day or two with the six of you sorting out your characters. It would be very helpful if you each took one of the "traits" in the CotCT Player's Guide. Not only do they give you certain mechanics bonuses, but they feed right in to the initial adventure hook. If you don't like those, any other reason to hate Lamm will do. If that's still a problem for you (e.g., you really want to play a character just arrived in town), I'll work with you, but some of the onus will be on you to help your character fit in, even if it takes a bit of metagaming at the start.
Questions welcome!
EDIT: Knew I'd forget something. As usual on these boards, character sheets should go in a profile under the character's name (or alias, if it's that type of character). I'd prefer mechanics not be behind spoilers, but if you do, please use just one big spoiler for all the game mechanic stuff. Spoilering story stuff is up to you.
I don't require a lot of story or personality upfront, but enough to work in the hooks. Some people do better doing the personality as they start playing, and that's fine.
I'm guessing there's probably demand for another Curse of the Crimson Throne game around here . . .
My free time schedule is changing for the better in the immediate future, so I'm wrangling players for a CotCT PBP. I have a fair bit of experience playing and running PBPs, though I have not yet run one on these boards.
I'm seeking exactly six players. The call is open for at least 48 hours; sometime after midnight GMT Tuesday night, I'll randomly select from among those expressing interest by then. I'll also make a waitlist.
I do not encourage detailed character design at this stage. My preferred process is for the selected players to design a well-rounded group.
My ideal posting frequency for the players is about daily. I'm on and able to post most of most days (I'm on GMT-4), but will occasionally miss one myself.
Die-rolling will be by whatever mode each player prefers -- I trust y'all. Combat will be a mishmash of initative order and posting first, compromising between full information and keeping things moving. Good initiative rolls will always be an advantage. More details as we get going.
I like rules, and I believe in the dice. I'm quite familiar with the 3.5 action rules. If bad things happen to either PCs or opponents due to the dice, so be it (though players whose characters are out of the game for one reason or another will be encouraged to re-enter, jumping to the front of the queue). I find this makes players more invested if the risks are real!
What else do you need to know?
Starting with 0xp, max gold, 32-point-buy. PHB races only, but classes and other options available from Core, Compete Arcane/Divine/Warrior/Adventurer and Races series, and both AP Player's Guides. Complete Scoundrel/Mage/Champion options by permission. Most options from the SRD are available, but no psionics. Non-evil alignments only, and Chaotic Neutral does not mean either insane or non-detectable evil.
House rules:
- No multiclassing limits or experience penalties.
- No permanent level loss, because that is Hurting Wrong Fun. Raise Dead and Resurrection cost an extra 50% in material component costs, and Greater Restoration restores "permanent" negative levels.
- 2 extra skill points/level for all characters (8 at first), 1 (4) of which must be spent on some combination of Craft and Profession (bought as class skills).
- Knowledge: Local is a class skill for all characters.
- Fractional Saves and BAB for multiclass characters. This generally helps the BAB of characters with more than one non-fighting class, and keeps saves for multiclass characters from being entirely out of whack. More details when the time comes.
Reading:
The CotCT Player's Guide is required reading. THe non-Secrets part of Guide to Korvosa is great if you've got it.
I'd really rather have players who are not familiar with the adventure, or at least will not go beyond whatever you've already read, but I'll leave that up to you.
Whew! Now to copy this to the clipboard and see if it will post!
My group was being fairly smart about the Ironbriar situation. They scoped out his workplaces, and the rogue followed him after work down to the sawmill (using a hat of disguise, so he could change looks while shadowing).
The party later went in to investigate, provoked the cultists, and ended up taking them out (they started with charming one, so they had an informant). They then laid an ambush for Ironbriar for when he returned and he went down pretty quickly.
Then they decided that they needed to investigate his home on the Summit (which the rogue had also shadowed him to). They had his keys, so they were able to get in without disturbance. The rogue disguised himself as Ironbriar, but blew his bluff check when actually trying to fool Mrs. Ironbriar (who knew nothing of her husband's illicit activities; he kept everything incriminating at the sawmill). She, on the other hand, did bluff the rogue (nobody in the party took Sense Motive or Bluff) and pretended to go to bed, and later was able to knife him when he went back to check on her.
So they ended up tying her up and keeping her hostage, while some of the party tried to convince her that Ironbriar was evil and that they were justified in breaking into her home.
They're now at the Shadow Clock, but may have a surprise awaiting. The rogue, again diguised as Ironbriar, blew his bluff check again when sending a messenger to the courts saying he was ill.
On the page http://paizo.com/pathfinder , the link to Pathfinder Volumes in the Pathfinder box (upper left of center column) links to itself, not a list of volumes.
Ever since I bought the M&M2e PDF, I've been thinking it would be well-suited to a D&D-style game (yes, I'm a GURPS player, why do you ask?), but especially a play-by-post. There's more overhead for character generation, but there's very little record-keeping and combat is pretty streamlined.
Sadly, I won't have time to run a game before Summer (well, I do, but it would crash and burn shortly after classes start in mid-January). So I'm putting out the call. Anyone have an interest in playing and/or running such a thing? If I were running, it would be with converted Paizo adventures (cuz they rock), but obviously it's up to the potential GM.
Note: The books are fairly expensive (~$40), but Green Ronin sells PDFs for half the price of the hard-copy, and only two books are really relevant -- the main volume and the powers catalog.
Present: Ozmondo the Enlightened (Chelish Wizard [generalist]); Dagra Wesh (Varisian Scout); Malax Osborne (Human Cleric of Gorum); Teri Olander (Half-Elf Bard)
Players' View:
Our intrepid heros enter the the bustling town of Sandpoint lured by the anticipated Swallowtail Festival, held in celebration of the town's newly finished temple only to encounter some rather rude party-crashers.
A festive mood pervades the atmosphere of the town of Sandpoint. Everyone is either busy preparing for the festival or celebrating early, as was the case in The Rusty Dragon Inn. Teri was eager to join in with the locals' story telling while everyone else was eager to wet their dusty throats. The rest of the evening was spent taking in the sights of the town and gossip with the towns people.
We learned that the town had faced some discouraging hardships the in the past few years including the loss of their old church and priest in a terrible fire. The celebration, it would seem, would be a good moment of closure for many.
Bright and early the next morning our heros make for the town square to begin feasting and drinking and to make sure they get a good spot for the event. The Mayor, Sheriff, and Priest get their opportunities to make longwinded and boring speeches all capped off with the release of several swallowtail butterflies as a symbolic gesture to the goddess Desna.
Suddenly, a scream at the rear of the crowd arouses the attention of our heros. A hideous, wreched creature stands over a dying dog, its throat ripped open by a crude blade. A goblin! Everyone springs into action... except the brave Malax who is still trying to figure out what is going on. More goblins appear... they begin to pillage, loot and set fires. They, along with a whip wielding, War Chanter are soon slain... one escapes. But there are still more goblins about the town. After the battle a priest from the new catheral offers his healing magic to the party. Not far away more goblins threaten a member of the village. They are lead by a brute riding atop a foul goblin-dog. After a close fight our heros stand triumphant over the corpses of their slain enemies. They are greatfully thanked by the man, a local noble, who is none worse for the wear, save for having his hunting dog gutted by a goblin dogslicer. After being pressed by Malax he reluctantly agrees that he will mention something about a shrine to Gorum; the noble also mentions something about a reward before heading off... but the sounds of chaos can still be heard... our heroes' work is not yet done this day.
GM's view:
The goblin dog nearly took down the cleric, which would have been bad, as Malax is also the only melee fighter. Had Father Zentus not found and healed them before they encountered the commando . . . Foxglove attached himself to the hugely-muscled Malax.
Have any bones been (or can any bones be) thrown our way about Iomedae, beyond what's in the description of Falcon's Hollow?
I'm thinking of starting a game with a mission from her church to the town, and it would be helpful to know something about her church -- her domains, if nothing else.
