Another day dawns under the blood-red sun. Another day of labour and hunting. Another day of eking out a living in the wasteland. It is fortunate that Bitter End is situated in an area of relative fertility. All the more reason for its stout mud-brick walls, aided by the defenders (both physical and mental) of the rest of the village,
Called before the council, you are informed that they are looking for explorers, and that you all show great promise. Orin regards you impassively, the battle-scarred mul has asked for warriors, and maybe not all of you fit that description. Anaphas shoved Lemris forward, and Eskalia has made strange pronouncements regarding all of you. They want you to assess the dangers surrounding the village, find hunting stocks, but especially see if any artifacts of the Ancients can be recovered. Who knows what power they might hold?
Well here it is! The basic set-up is that all your characters are part of a slave tribe, so you could conceivably be from any of the Seven Cities of the Tyr Region. Everyone gets their native language (Balican, Draji, Nibanese, Tyran, Urikite, Raaman (?), and Gulgan) as well as Common (the lingua franca).
Canon-wise, Kalak has not yet fallen, and it is by no means certain if he will or not. Everything is fair game, the world may end up subtly or vastly different from other iterations of Athas!
You have been plagued by disturbing dreams for several weeks now. They share a common theme: in them, a skull larger than the moon gazes down from the night sky. Its cold gaze chills you to the bone, but your steely resolve even in your dreams means that this in itself is not frightening to you. That changes when a bloody, sluglike creature that must be the size of a mountain pushes its way out of a gap between the skull's clenched teeth.
More and more of them come, crawling out of the skull, making bloody trails across its face. Soon it seems the skull will burst from the volume of the creatures trying to escape, and just as that thought crosses your mind it explodes. Behind the skull you glimpse and unfamiliar constellation of thirteen stars before the bloody sluglike things rain down on the world like a million meteorites, obscuring the night sky with fire.
Always the end is the same, you wake up bolt upright, panting from fear. If you were human you would be in a cold sweat.
Last night, the dream changed. Instead of ending there, it continued. You fled madly into the woods, running to escape the exploding crash of things from the sky burrowing mile-long furrows into the ground. As you run, an explosion ahead brings you up short. Unable to resist investigating the crater, you looked within and saw the shape of a face burned into the ground. Inside the face's mouth was an amulet with what looked like an eye embedded in it. The eye focused on you, and the dream ended.
Your research has led you to discover references to a 'face in a hill' in the forbidding Warwood to the north.
Otto, Hadarai, Shaeryyn
Spoiler:
Otto Samir has a growing reputation as a man who if not at the centre of whatever's going on, has a nose for something exciting/dangerous/crazy (delete as applicable) that might be about to occur. His proposition of an expedition to the frozen Warwood to the north has attracted you, especially his cryptic references to "the face in the hill". So, with the Raven Queen calling forth her winter winds, you set forth.
Welcome to the Discussion post for Sleeper in the Tomb of Dreams. Some basic posting guidelines:
Posting
In the PbPs I GM, I ask that posts are written in the third-person, present tense, thusly:
"Matrak Sen checks the undergrowth for traps."
NOT
"I check the undergrowth" or "Matrak Sen checked the undergrowth"
I dislike using bold for character speech and never do it myself (it always seems to me as if the PC is shouting).
Thoughts are represented in italics
Combat
I accept any form of rolling; the board's dice roller, Invisible Castle and home rolling are all fine.
Time
Please try to contribute at least once every 48 hours. In combat, when it gets to your turn you have 24 hours in which to post, or I will take your turn for you.
Please let us know if you will be away for an extended time.
I'm DMing a group of loonies, er, I mean heroes, who have just completed the adventure "The Last Breaths of Ashenport". Due to the loss of some comrades, we require 2 bold souls to join us.
The group currently comprises:
Akahale Gilbrid - Dragonborn Dark Pact Warlock (Striker)
Mandrake the Mad - Human Wizard (Controller)
Grafire Serpenthelm - Dragonborn Warlord (Leader)
They require:
1 Defender
1 of any role
If you wish to join, you'll need to create a Level 9 character with the standard issue of 1 Level 8 item, 1 Level 9 item, 1 Level 10 item and 3,400 gp to spend on anything.
The group are all Good-aligned and lots of swearing by Bahamut occurs.
"Be it so known that the bearer of this charter has been charged by the Swordlords of Restov, acting upon the greater good and authority vested within them by the office of the Regent of the Dragonscale Throne, and has been granted the right of exploration and travel within the wilderness region known as the Greenbelt. Exploration should be limited to an area no further than thirty-six miles north-west and south, and sixty miles west of Oleg’s Trading Post. The carrier of this charter should also strive against banditry and other unlawful behaviour to be encountered. The punishment for unrepentant banditry remains, as always, execution by sword or rope. So witnessed on this 24th day of February, under watchful eye of the Lordship of Restov and authority granted by Lord Noleski Surtova, current Regent of the Dragonscale Throne."
So reads the Charter you were granted to go forth and claim back the Stolen Lands from the monsters, bandits and savage humanoids who have infested it. You set off from Restov, to Oleg's Trading Post, 90 miles to the west. Spring is coming.
Welcome all to the beginning of the Savage Worlds PbP of "The Stolen Land". Some basic posting guidelines:
Posting
In the PbPs I GM, I ask that posts are written in the third-person, present tense, thusly:
"Matrak Sen checks the undergrowth for traps."
NOT
"I check the undergrowth" or "Matrak Sen checked the undergrowth"
I dislike using bold for character speech and never do it myself (it always seems to me as if the PC is shouting).
Thoughts are represented in italics
Combat
I will draw the cards for all combatants and post the order. If someone has a Joker, I will place them separately and they can then post their go anywhere they like, even if that means stepping in and saying "I'm going before that attack happens".
I accept any form of rolling; the board's dice roller, Invisible Castle and home rolling are all fine.
Time
Please try to contribute at least once every 48 hours. In combat, when it gets to your turn you have 24 hours in which to post, or I will take your turn for you.
Please let us know if you will be away for an extended time.
Hi all, as I explained in one of the threads, I thought it best to keep the game on here for now, rather than grapple with Savage Worlds and Google Wave.
It would be good to get 2 or 3 more, but 4 is a good number.
The Test-Drive rules will be fine to use. Those of you with access to Explorer's Edition will have more comprehensive rules for spellcasting.
So, a run-down of available races:
Human
Elf
Half-elf
Dwarf
Half-folk
Half-orc
These are available for free in the Wizards and Warriors pdf, which also includes some fantasy careers. If you have a concept you want to try but are unsure how to implement it, we can discuss it here.
-In terms of equipment, I am tempted to use the prices from Pathfinder/3.5.
-I still have yet to decide what the fairest way to assign XP is, so I may just decide on appropriate points at which you level up.
-Similarly with bennies, I may have to house-rule their use. Will think some more.
-As playing cards are used to determine initiative, I'll need to probably use a real deck at home and draw for all of you, or use some piece of software.
Please also download (again, free) the Kingmaker Player Guide, as it will help in creating background for the game.
I won't be setting it in Golarion, more my usual mish-mash of various sources. The gods will either be Finnish or Slavic.
I'm planning to convert the Stolen Land to Savage Worlds.. Nuts? Maybe! It seems as though it will work quite well, given the nature of Savage Worlds advancement and combat.
After their adventures on the isle of Gwynnwth, (and their subsequent departure after trying to explain their actions in the affair of the Luskan raiders) Ddraig, Ynyr and Helaugh find themselves on the isle of Moray, a more brooding land, ruled by the Ri (King) Conn.
You are in the Green Briar Inn, relaxing with your new friend, a elf out of the wild woods. The inn is abuzz with some news.
Male Human - dash of elf Miniature painter/ Heroic
Hi all, welcome to the Discussion Thread.
The cast is as follows:
Healaugh - Halfling Bard
Ynyr - Human Artificer
Ddraig Goch - Dragonborn Paladin (the only one in the village!)
Barbarian (Aubrey)
Druid (Celestial Healer)
The host of the inn, one Gwalchmai, beams from behind his great tufts of moustache. He looks as though he might enjoy his own product somewhat to judge by his girth.
He guffaws as Hrolf downs his ale, "Well, stranger, ye've got a powerful thirst there!"
OK folks, here's the Discussion thread. First off, you'll find a link to a map of the Moonshaes in my profile. The adventure is the old classic U1 The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh; if you've played it before, I hope it will still be of interest to you!
The adventure takes place in the fishing town of Saltmarsh on the island of Highport in the Korrin Archipelago. You have all found yourselves here for various reasons, perhaps chasing rumours of swords-for-hire, maybe you just got off a ship here from somewhere else. Whichever way, you're in the common room of an inn called The Full Moon.
It would be great if some of you could already know one another.
Male Human - dash of elf Miniature painter/ Heroic
Background
The adventure will be set on an island chain bearing a vague resemblance to the British Isles of a past that never was. In the North, Northmen invaders have settled kingdoms for several years now, in the South the Celtic-styled native people (the Waelish) still hold onto their lands that resemble Medieval England and Wales.
Humans
Have either a Viking or Celtic-Medieval background. Any others, please chat to me about.
Halflings
The little dark people, reputed to have skill in brewing potions and sorcery, they tend to keep themselves to themselves, but may sometimes be found in human communities.
Elves
The Fair Folk, to the Northmen the lios-alfar, to the Waelish, the Sidhe are of human height (sometimes surpassing it slightly) and thinly built. They are rarely seen in the mortal realms now, and reputedly have retreated to hidden islands across the sea.
Dwarves
The stout folk of the hills and mountains have a good relationship with all the other races, treating them fairly and equally.
Goblin-folk
They come in various shapes and sizes, including the erlking (forest goblins) who are reputedly more likely to trade with Man than pillage.
population: 4000 legitimate citizens (used to be more), and also goblins, other humanoids, monsters
Description: Warm, mediterranean style climate, several areas of the city are in ruins, and now inhabited by monsters. Old human city, most of the population are human, with some sibbecai and giants. A dangerous port, used by pirates with a veneer of legitimacy (sometimes).
Politics - the giant Steward is somewhat distant and leaves the day to day running of the city to a council headed by the First Speaker, Marldon Trask, a charismatic human male.
It is a warm night in the dangerous city of Khorl, and the night is the time that many seek the safety of their homes. Not so a band of young companions, brought together by ties of friendship, and a morality that rises above the everyday corruption of the streets in the case of some.
Making your way back to your respective homes, you have been to a pub that is cheap, and what some might call characterful, and you now find yourselves in a section of town down by the docks that the watch avoid a night. Too dangerous to risk themselves.
But for our mismatched friends, it seems to present no danger, and they converse as they are wont to do...
Here we go! Have fun chatting as you make your way down the street.
Male Human - dash of elf Miniature painter/ Heroic
So, here we go! First off, it's probably good if you bandy about character concepts, whilst I decide on point buy etc.
A few things it would be nice to bear in mind for that AU/AE feel of the Lands of the Diamond Throne:
a) As a general rule, the civilised races get on well or at least tolerate one another
b) Rituals and ceremonies are a very important part of life; Monte Cook writes somewhere that he imagines that people in this society probably have individual rituals before going to bed and waking up, for meals etc
c) The very strong racial identities are there for a reason, to give strong hooks for roleplaying and motives for adventuring. I would rather not have people create exceptions to their race - at least initially (a verrik who really really likes people and games, a sibeccai who hates other sibbecai and giants etc etc). It's fine to have conflict but it's easier if people play to a race's identity.
d) Don't be a homebody; have outside interests, have a role in your community - these are fine. But don't (and I have made this mistake before) play a character who would never realistically leave their home for an adventure. Coal-chewers aren't that much fun...
e) 'Evil' characters (I know their are no alignments but...) are not welcome. It becomes tedious as a DM to have to deal with despicable people.
Wow, I come across as really proscriptive! But I thought I'd put those out there so we're clear what I look for in a game.
Hi folks, I'm currently running two PbPs here for 4e - 'Twisted Night' and 'The Last Breaths of Ashenport', but I'd really like to try running Arcana Unearthed/Evolved (I have the AU book rather than AE). I have previously DMed two 3.5 PbPs, both of which were single adventures which were completed, so I have a track record with d20 DMing.
I've known for several years that quite a few of the Palladium source books have useful info for other RPGs (in my case 4E). I got the Palladium rulebook and the Old Ones source book for a steal on EBay and they have some nice info, such as city maps, country descriptions, magic runes etc
Any other books from this range that people can recommend?
I saw their starved lips in the gloam,
With horrid warning gaped wide,
And I awoke and found me here,
On the cold hill's side.
And this is why I sojourn here
Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.
The Sun will soon be falling over the horizon, in but an hour or so. You are within sight of Caer Garrion, your destination; a small village on the isle of Gwynneth,overlooking the Straits of Alaron.
You've been sent here to investigate sightings of foreign ships in the area, which may possibly be connected to the whisperings of spies regarding Luskan interest in mysterious Corriban Isle, one of the many islands in the Korrin Archipelago.
Are the two connected? You don't know, but sightings of foreign ships this close to home is not good news.
The King was clear that he trusted you, after all some of you have quite the reputation.
Hi all, welcome to the discussion thread for Twisted Night, a sort of continuation of my previous Treasure Hunt game, in that it is set in the same world.
Please create Level 3 characters using either the standard array or point buy. You have one Level 4 magic item, one Level 3 magic item and one Level 2 magic item, as well as 520 gp to spent on rituals, magic items and equipment as you wish.
The world is vaguely Celtic in set-up (please see the Treasure Hunt thread and its associated discussion thread for an idea of the style). The deities are those of the Player's Handbook with the following name changes:
It rocks on paper, and hopefully will when I play one in our home game (if I'm allowed!). They are arcane leaders with a plethora of abilities to simulate their jack of all trades nature, but without making them ineffective.
Their powers are based on healing allies (as per normal leaders) and tricking foes.
It's a crisp autumn day in the town of Drachenholme (its original name Verthiarux ['our valley' in Draconic] is known only to historians and particularly proud dragonborn), a dragonborn enclave that counts a small minority of other races amongst its citizens. The sun shines down on the central square, bereft of stalls today, and here and there some dragonborn children play, raised communally by the town as some claim was the way of old Arkhosia.
Elder Askar Hammerwing has called for his 3 most able counsellors; Akahale, the ever watchful scholar; Grafire, captain of the guard, and Father Rowan, the town priest. He ushers the three comrades into his villa, and everyone sits for a drink of hot herbal tea.
"A fine day, is it not? Nice to see the young ones enjoying the weather, eh?" the old dragonborn settles himself down, with his longsword in an ornamental rack by his side. "I will not beat around the proverbial bush; you know that's not my way." he says before entrusting you with a mission to the seaside town of Ashenport.
"They have a trade fair there every year, it's not a big place but they manage to get a fair few trading companies there apparently, and the things they sell!" with that he shows you a wonderfully intricate antique brooch, "Bael Turath. One of our traders brought it back from there; paid a pretty penny for it from one of the locals."
Elder Askar proceeds to tell you about what he has heard of the town; it is situated on the rocky, forbidding coast and it is the only sizable settlement in the area, the others having died off a generation ago.
"But something isn't right. That trader I told you of? This is all we have of him now; he brought this back two years ago. He went to the fair last year and never came back. He's not the only one. I have heard of others of the years who have gone there and not returned."
He entrusts you to gather whoever you deem necessary and to investigate the matter. "I know I can rely on you all. The Platinum Dragon be with you."
And so, later that day... an odd band leaves Drachenholme for the trek to Ashenport. A sigh of relief is breathed as the crazy wizard heads off, stories of his less than stable mind having followed him; with him he takes his metallic assistant. Equally some breath a sigh as Seram Zal leaves, his reputation too having followed him.
"I have known many gods. He who denies them is as blind as he who trusts them too deeply. I seek not beyond death. It may be the blackness averred by the Nemedian skeptics, or Crom's realm of ice and cloud, or the snowy plains and vaulted halls of the Nordheimer's Valhalla. I know not, nor do I care. Let me live deep while I live; let me know the rich juices of red meat and stinging wine on my palate, the hot embrace of white arms, the mad exultation of battle when the blue blades flame and crimson, and I am content. Let teachers and priests and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content."
- Queen of the Black Coast
So here it is, the beginning of the ZeFRS discussion thread! For reference, here are some links:
The game will be one of pulp swords and sorcery a la REH's Conan, Leiber's Lankhmar, with maybe a dash of Marvel's slightly campy version of the Conan saga. :D
Male Human - dash of elf Miniature painter/ Heroic
So...
Our players (or at least interested parties) are:
Rosey
Lazaro
Ragadolf
Pat
Hopeless
If anyone wants to be an alternate, please post. Playing 3.5 PbP really helped me get a handle on the rules, and I'm hoping this will do the same for 4E.
The adventure will be 'Last Breaths of Ashenport' and you'll need to create 8th level characters. Any material from PHB is allowed, as well as Forgotten Realms Players Guide (not spellscarred), as well as Warforged, Artificer, Barbarian, and Drow articles from Dragon.
Last night I DMed 4E for the first time; it was great fun, and we had a really great group. They ranged in age from 12 years old to well, his grandmother (who took to playing a dwarf fighter with great gusto and indeed took out 4 out of 8 kobolds with relish). One player had not played for several years; I asked him what his last character had been "Well, he was a paladin; bit weird in that his father was a gold dragon" ... "Here, have the dragonborn paladin." I replied. A match made in heaven. :D
The gameplay was exciting and fast, and I enjoyed the special abilities of the kobold skirmishers (taking both defenders into single digits thanks to flanking!). I chuckled with unbridled glee at the
Hiya, I ordered Tales of Freeport in the recent sale, and was overjoyed to receive my parcel this afternoon. Unfortunately I have not received Tales of Freeport, I have received The Freeport Trilogy (which ironically I ordered from your good selves and have recently finished running!)
Anyone any experience running Runequest or incorporating elements of it into D&D? I'm intrigued by Glorantha and the mythological/metaphysical elements of the setting.
Hi, looking for a replacement player to take over the character of Bran Stonar in Treasure Hunt. The game will not appeal to everyone; please read the game thread and discussion thread to get a feel for it. Best described as Celtic myth meets Wizard of Earthsea meets swords and sorcery, with a vein of gentle British humour.
Has anyone tried a variant whereby instead of creatures having DR vs a special material e.g. cold iron, that said creatures instead have no DR but take extra damage from the substance?
Male Human - dash of elf Miniature painter/ Heroic
Separately and collectively, you've all fallen into the hands of pirate slavers.
Most of you remember it this way: you were collecting water from the river, visiting a lad or lass in a neighbouring village, or coming home from the tavern. And suddenly you heard a thrashing in the bushes around you, and then a massive blow to the head. Everything went black.
When you awoke you were in the dark, stinking, tiny hold of a pirate galley, shackled by the wrists to the the sturdy beams of the slave bunks, bunks stacked like cordwood. There were about 40 other captured folk there form all over the archipelago.
You were sick from the blow to your head and from the tossing of the ship, from the revolting gruel the pirates fed you, and from the knowledge that you were bound for a port in either the Northman lands to the west or to the slave ports of distant Calimshan.
Mockingly, the keys to your shackles were hung from a hook right by the hatch onto the deck, only 5 or 6 feet away from the lot of you. They might as well be miles away.
A few days after you woke up, the ship was hit by a squall, which turned (after half a day of tossing and rolling) into a full-blown storm which blasted spray and curses into the hold every time the hatch opened. Your jailer, a man named Hafkris of surpassing ugliness and maybe a touch of Fhoi Myore in his blood brought about half the shackled slaves abovedecks to man the oars vacated by sailors swept overboard. The storm continued on another day, and Hafkris took another quarter of the slave cargo above deck. He looked worried.
That was yesterday; you haven't seen any pirates or slaves since then, and you haven't been fed. Early today, the shouting and cracking of whips indicating that the rowers were being kept in line, faded away to nothing.
Right now, as you're waiting for some sign of life from abovedecks, there's an enormous crash - a grating, grinding noise and horrible shuddering of the ship around you as it runs aground. Abovedecks, there's the sound of snapping spars and a great crash on deck which you know must be the mast coming down.
You're all thrown toward the bow, but are held fast by the shackles and suffer more bruises to your wrists.
The bow of the galley is shattered by the impact and as the galley grinds to a halt, the bow is torn away entirely, letting in a ferocious blast of numbingly-cold air. RAM! The port side of the galley is laid open by a huge boulder that the galley has ground against.
A moment later, there's once again only the sound of wind and poundng surf. Out of the open bow, you can see a section of rain-pounded beach; you seem to have run aground where a cliff face meets a cove beach.
You have only your breeches, tunics, or robes. Nothing else. Not even shoes or boots.
Male Human - dash of elf Miniature painter/ Heroic
So here begins the discussion thread. Please create an alias for your character, along with choosing a character portrait.
The Players (so far)
Rev Rosey - halfling class unknown (some profession to do with the sea)
Kayos - half-elf? adept? (profession - wisewoman?)
fopalup - human commoner (profession - blacksmith?) - can I just say at this point that there are no 'knights' per se for you to have been a squire to, but you could have been a 'tough' for a merchant or local lordling.
ZioKai - human class unknown - militiaman (profession - ?)
1st Level
25 point build
Races: Human, Half-elf (very rare, maybe only 1), halfling
Classes: Adept, Commoner, Expert, Warrior
Feats 'n' Skills:
Skillful - All characters get 2 extra skill points per level. These points must be spent on Craft, Knowledge, or Profession skills only. These bonus parts are multiplied as usual at first level (so 8 skill points useable on Craft, Knowledge, and Profession skills at level 1, and 2 such skill points every subsequent level). In addition, all Craft, Knowledge, and Profession skills are considered class skills for these skill points.
Grounded - All characters get 1 extra bonus feat at first level. This feat must be used for Skill Focus, a +2/+2 skill feat, a Regional feat, or another similar low-power, high-flavor feat. Regional and "other" feats must meet DM approval.
Setting: The Moonshae Isles (from Forgotten Realms) crossed with Le Guin's Earthsea. i.e. more down to earth than FR has become. A real-world analogy would be the Hebrides or the west coast of Ireland. I'll post a link to a map and you can decide which town/island you're from.
Equipment: Nothing but the clothes on your back.
Languages: Korinnish (a creole from Illuskan and Waelish), Illuskan (spoken by the Northmen), Waelish (spoken by the most of the Moonshae Isles)
Religion: the Earthmother aka Jannath aka Chauntea is the original deity of the entirety of the Moonshaes, but with the coming of the Northmen as well as an influx of other peoples from other lands into the archipelago, worship here is more mixed. Thus Umberlee is known to be venerated (or rather placated) by pirates, some people wish for good luck from Brigid (known elsewhere as Tymora), and the warrior god Tempos is sometimes invoked.
Races: Humans and halflings have lived here in conjunction for so long that no-one knows of a time when the small folk weren't to be found in human society. Few people have seen an elf, although if someone displays 'un-natural' magical talents they are said to be 'alfkinder' - 'elf-child'. Thus there may be some half-elves in the isles, and some rumour elves either hidden or disguised as men.
Your characters:
a) have never been anywhere other than their home island or the sea around it
b) have jobs in their community
c) have never so much as sniffed adventure or daring-do
d) are the background guys in an adventure normally; you don't even really know that 'adventurer' exists as a trade. Sure there are crazy people and merchants, but that's about it for travellers. Oh, and pirates.
Pleas don't write essays of background. A max of 300 words is fine. Where you're going is more important than where you came from.
Enemies: The traditional 'enemy races' are somewhat modified, in that all things like orcs, hobgoblins, goblins etc are all just breeds of the dastardly Fhoi Myore. In this area, the are split into pirate bands.
DM Fiat - Please don't be offended if I request you to change something, and please try to make them as ordinary as possible. This adventure will be when they earn their spurs (as it were).
OK, this is a bit of a weird idea but I thought I'd better try it before 4E renders it all but unplayable. The characters are all normal members of their small community who find themselves wrapped up in an adventure. Their fishermen, farmers, bakers, the local wise woman, that kind of thing:
4-6 players
32 pt build
Races: Human, Half-elf (very rare, maybe only 1), halfling
Classes: Adept, Commoner, Expert, Warrior
Feats 'n' Skills:
Skillful - All characters get 2 extra skill points per level. These points must be spent on Craft, Knowledge, or Profession skills only. These bonus parts are multiplied as usual at first level (so 8 skill points useable on Craft, Knowledge, and Profession skills at level 1, and 2 such skill points every subsequent level). In addition, all Craft, Knowledge, and Profession skills are considered class skills for these skill points.
Grounded - All characters get 1 extra bonus feat at first level. This feat must be used for Skill Focus, a +2/+2 skill feat, a Regional feat, or another similar low-power, high-flavor feat. Regional and "other" feats must meet DM approval.
Setting: The Moonshae Isles (from Forgotten Realms) crossed with Le Guin's Earthsea. i.e. more down to earth than FR has become. There's only one 'religion' (if it can be called that) - worship of the Earth Mother, but local spirits are acknowledged and venerated.
The Adventure: adapted version of 1E's 'Treasure Hunt'
Our little group started their adventure on Slingshot, Fustan's small sloop (as he became found of exclaiming "This is MY ship!"), Sharee ("you, er, priest bird" - Fustan again) having been given passage on it to get her out of her family's hair, and the mostly silent Nibelung ("monkey-man" as Fustan usually refers to him) along as a paying passenger.
They were on their way to Freeport to seek fame, adventure and wealth. Mostly wealth for Fustan and Sharee; Nibelung proclaimed "I care not for such things" (this has become his catchphrase) and instead seeks knowledge (as a worshipper of Delleb, god of such). Towards dusk, they spied a seemingly abandoned boat a few hundred feet away, obscured by mist. They moved closer to take a look, whereupon as the ships touched, a gang of crazed, emaciated pirates tried to leap on board from the damaged vessel!
It took some of them a while (failed Balance checks and all that), and indeed one soul, more starved than the rest never made it to the ship at all, dispatched at the last minute by Cap'n Fustan's crossbow. Sharee peppered everything but pirate with her shots, and Nibelung took out not 1, not 2, but 4 out of 5 pirates with his unarmed attacks as they attacked him and moved through his threat zone (damn Combat Reflexes!).
Victorious with a gang of unconscious crazies on board, discussion turned to what to do with them. Fustan remarked (jokingly?) "Let's use them for bait" but he grudgingly conceded to tie them up and keep them captive. Before they could do anything a ghostly figure appeared onboard and introduced himself (in a booming Irish accent) as Ned Fletcher.
Tasking our crew with fetching the Sea Dragon's Eye (a ruby of great size) from a band of sahuagin and returning it to the Temple of the Pirate God in Freeport, so that his spirit could rest, he gave them directions to the wreck of his ship "The Stingray"
The next day the ship was located and Fustan swam down and easily procured some water-breathing potions from Ned's old cabin. Thus the gang could safely breath for 10 hours underwater! Investigating the wreck yielded the discovery of Ned's body crushed under a cannon, as well as 2 lacedons feasting on the remains of his crew. Poor initiative rolls on the part of the party led to the 2 undead taking Fustan down to -2 and paralyzing him. Sharee was quick to rebuke them both "Naughty ghouls!" and they cowered from the power of the goddess. Using her psychic skill she was able to heal the sailor and the gang fled to their own ship and rested briefly.
(I should say at this point that we're using the reserve points and action points from Unearthed Arcana)
Going back down they avoided the hold, and the ghouls were no longer to be seen, perhaps having been scared off by Sharee's power. With some stout rope they lifted the cannon and took up Ned's corpse in an old hammock. Nice.
Fustan spotted a trail on the sea-bed to the nearby island (Fustan is the skill-monkey of the group) and the gang had a poke around in this trail of dropped loot for anything valuable. The greedy beggars found nought.
It led them to an undersea cave guarded by a shark. With some DM prompting, the ranger was able to (with a very good roll considering he has Cha 8!) make the shark indifferent rather than unfriendly. Our band thus swam past gingerly into the cave system...
I'm currently running this adventure from Dungeon 86 on ENWorld as a PbP; has anyone had any experience playing through this as a DM or player? Any advice/tips/stories to tell?
