My low level 4e campaign just lost their defender and leader due to real life issues. The game started as a taster for 4e, but has proved to be fun and the remaining players want to carry on. This may be tricky without a frontliner and some kind of leader type.
The setting is a mixture of homebrew and the default points of light and I'm using adventures from the Chaos Scar series. It is basically Yorkshire turned up to 11 - with accompanying accents in some cases. The heroes have strong local ties for the most part and are finding their way in the world.
The group has just hit level 2 and are about to embark on their second adventure.
Sheep market day in Downholme is always busy. The flocks throng the narrow streets as outlying farmers herd them towards the market place aided by wiry dogs and beady-eyed shepherds.
Taking advantage of the incoming traffic, merchants expect to do good business on market days, with the clannish halflings taking the lead. Blackstream Merchandise is the main shop, selling almost everything from hoes to armour.
Food vendors set up stalls in the market place and Greck Herrel the auctioneer roams the rows of sheep preparing for the sale.
And you are all among the onlookers going about your legitimate business.
Please make yourselves first level pcs. Restrict yourselves to material for PHB1 - i.e. core races and classes.
Note that there are errata in this book and I will check as far as possible to make sure you know about any changes.
You have 100gp to spend.
This is a one-shot adventure. If it goes well and you enjoy it and wish to go on, we'll discuss that too.
Gameplay
Post your pc as an alias with all the numbers in place. If I ever need to run your character, I need all the figures in front of me.
Thus, if a power says it uses Strength v AC and does 1W+Strength mod on a hit, I need to see the following:
1d20+x
damage: 1dx+x, with "x" being the number concerned.
Please also note any effects that occur regardless, or what happens on a missed attack (if anything. This mainly applies to daily powers).
Dice - it's up to you. You can home-roll, use the in-house dice roller or link to Invisible Castle. I tend to home roll my DM dice and am happy to trust you all.
I prefer games to move along at a fair pace. If we are in combat, I post an initiative list. When your turn comes up, you have roughly 24 hours to act before I panic and either delay you or take a turn on your behalf. If I do take a turn on your behalf, I will normally restrict myself to at-will powers unless there is a compelling reason not to.
During down times, it's up to you how often you post, but you will get more out of the game if you show up at least once a day and contribute something, however minor.
I usually roll initiative on behalf of the whole group to keep things moving, but if you prefer to do this yourselves, you are welcome to do so.
XP and treasure. I typically award more XP than normal so you have a chance of levelling on a regular basis. If you have any particular passionate wants re treasure, add a wish list to your profile. I don't guarantee you'll get it, but it will at least enable me to pick stuff you might actually use. In this case, items up to level 5.
In the lofty palace chamber, the trickling fountains and sweetly scented air push the harsh land aside, if only for a short time. Outside, you know the city of Ekabba bustles below you and beyond that, the beating heat of the Ishmai desert glazes the air with mirages. The contrast could hardly be greater and you sense that it may be as well to make the most of such moments.
Fans waft cooling breezes over your faces and peeled grapes are poised before waiting lips as you sit, honoured guests of the Emir as he outlines his problem. The distraction of the handmaidens is slightly offset by his Eminence's words.
"Our visionaries all say the same things. Something arises to the west beyond Hallampor. What the danger may be, we do not know, but it must surely involve giants. The figures in the dreams can be nothing else.
My resources are ... stetched. Ekabba has always been a peaceful trading haven, happy to negotiate with all travellers. We have but a small standing army - enough for our own defence. And yet, peaceful as we are, we have been attacked. Settlements long in accord with us have risen and rage against our walls. They seem maddened, plagued. The cause is unknown as yet. You see my fear? Should the plague reach us, we must fight within and without. I cannot spare the men to seek that which may be a greater threat. None, in any case, have your talents.
What say you? My treasury is open to you should you succeed."
Bluenose - keeping Guldarin (Dwarf Invoker - controller)
Celestial Healer - possibly keeping Nayce (if so - half-elf assassin - striker)
Detritus - changing to someone darker than an eladrin cleric
Fabes - a wide variety of characters to choose from
Pat - melee leader under construction
Peasant Railgun - drow paladin
Wrath - looks to me like you can pick just about any role you like.
Timescale: Not until Halls finishes. The climactic battle has just started, so depending on how that goes, I'd say our likely start date would be October-ish.
In the meantime, I need to read the adventure a few more times and you can all start rustling up pcs (or making potential adaptations to the ones you have already).
For old-timers, feel free to keep any items you already have and give yourselves 17,000gp to spend on whatever you want. Re-tool to level 13.
New characters, you start at level 13 and get one magic item of level 14, one of 13 and one of 12 plus mundane stuff for free. You also get 17,000gp to spend on what you want.
I suggest that you all allocate some money to a communal pool for rituals before you go on a mad spending spree.
As noted on the old Halls thread, no evil alignments please.
The lost city is hidden in a desert, which may make some difference to the types of powers and feat that you choose. Bear in mind that you won't necessarily be spending a lot of time in the open however.
This will be set in the default Points of Light setting using the usual deities and such.
If anyone has queries, questions or just wants to run stuff past others, go ahead.
The mortal realms seem pallid to your eyes, accustomed as you have become to the light and intensity of the Shadow Fey Courts. Stepping through the portal takes you directly to the University grounds, landing you in the middle of a meticulously manicured lawn - not unlike the dueling grounds you have just left.
Serene stone buildings of many different periods surround you and the place is clearly still functional. Your arrival causes little or no comment in an arcane academia, bar an impatient voice bellowing from the edges.
"Get off the lawn! How many times to you have to be told that portals must be opened in the designated areas?"
Whiteclaw, Kia and Arianwyn have been here before and know the place well. Pirot Samagal is an old ally and you've landed opposite his tower. They're also well acquainted with Magister Weltmann who is the Master of Runelore.
Tutavak/Kia/Whiteclaw
Spoiler:
Just a gentle reminder that you all know the following ritual and can cast it regardless of whether or not you are a ritual caster. It was a gift of the Lords of Light, along with your permanent glow.
Level 12
Divination
Key Skill: Religion or Insight
10 minutes to cast/10 minutes duration
Component cost 400gp
Market price: 1000gp
You gain Darkvision and you can see all invisible creatures and objects within a few squares of you that are within your line of sight up to the limits determined by the check. You are immune to powers and effects with the illusion keyword. You also gain a +5 power bonus to Insight and Perception checks.
Religion or Insight results table.
9 or less - no effect
10-19 - within 3 squares
20-29 - within 5 squares
30-39 - within 10 squares
40+ - within 20 squares.
As refreshed as you are ever likely to be in the unpleasant atmosphere of the Shadowfell, the group waken and prepare to enter the newly operational teleportation circle.
Around you, scattered shards of the Acererak construct remind you of the Archlich's power. It is starting to look as if the rumours of his demise have been exaggerated. Whatever plots are afoot, more remains to be discovered, and, if half the tales you've heard are true, stopped.
With a son who's just turned 15, we're coming to the point when we won't be getting too many more family holidays. Since we haven't been on one for close on 5 years, we thought we should change that. Talk turned to what we'd all most like to do together and we came up with GenCon 2011.
Since we live in the UK and would prefer to be awake for GenCon rather that jet-lagged and/or comatose, the current plan is to fly out to Indianapolis about 4 days early and do some exploring. That part is our problem - although if anyone has good tips or suggestions for a few not-necessarily-game related places to go, that would be lovely.
Anyone got tips or advice for GenCon newbies in a strange land? We've been the UK Games Con the last few years, but this will be altogether bigger and chances are good it would be our only trip. We'd like to make the most of it.
We seem to have lost a player from one of my two Tomb of Horrors groups and a replacement is needed.
This is a paragon level adventure and the party are level 13. The missing player was a genasi swordmage, but the makeup of the group is flexible enough to accommodate almost anything. In other words, if you are interested, you don't have to take over the existing pc (although you can if you like).
What we have at the moment is this:
Arishat - tiefling warlord
Barel - dwarf warden
Lynore - half-elf assassin
Tavar - deva cleric
Thom - human wizard
They've got a long way through the first section of the super-adventure, and if anyone is interested, I can bring you up to speed on what has happened so far. It's a fast moving game and I'm enjoying the group's exploits very much, but it is not for a once a week poster.
If anyone is interested, post here or on the discussion thread. Thanks!
Newly addicted to minis and painting them, I realised I needed direction or our dining room table will just end up covered in random things. This is bad, because it means I will have to write an adventure incorporating them all. So ...
In honour of the many pcs I've played over the years, both in live games and pbps, I thought I'd find and paint the lot. Most are easy to find in some form or other, but Dagobert the dwarf has me foxed.
The thing about Dagobert is that although he's a dwarf, he doesn't like them much at all. He can't quite being himself to shave his beard off entirely, but he does keep it clipped very close. So far, despite many hours trawling, I've seen nothing.
Dawn breaks all to soon and the parting of the ways can no longer be denied. In the cold of the Kargzant morning, the companions old and new assemble at the stone circle, making last minute adjustments to stirrup leathers and equipment.
Reason, securely mounted on an outstandingly placid mare, prepares to read the ritual that will open the Shadow Road and lead you into the strange world of the fey.
As the words finish and the runes glow gently, the bleak plains of Kargzant seem warm and inviting in comparison to the misty path opening before you. Ahead, the world seems bleached of colour as you catch glimpses of ghostly woods. It occurs to you that you have seen no trees since you entered the lands of the People, but here they abut the joining of the worlds.
Spoiler:
Note that any mundane shopping or ritual buying can be completed on the discussion thread.
For a town normally receptive to sponsoring adventuring parties, Winterhaven is oddly chilly to your arrival. While it would be too much to say that any of you expected offers to flood in, you could reasonably have thought that you'd be at least welcome. This isn't so.
The normally tolerant townsfolk look at you dubiously. Unusually, the Lion Rampant charges you in advance for your lodgings and you're definitely getting a lot of odd looks. Even Kel, home for the first time in a few months isn't given the kind of reception he'd expect. Something has happened to sour the good name of adventurers everywhere. Your livelihood is at stake and so, it seems, is the reputation of your profession.
Rebuild yourselves in any way you want. Level 5. Standard gold and level appropriate items (i.e. one each of a level 4, level 5 and level 6 magic item). Mundane equipment for free.
The basic premise is that you have been adventuring for a few years, but have come together possibly fairly recently to start making a real name for yourselves. Some of you may be old friends, others you may only recently have met, but you have chosen to work together.
With that in mind, I'd like to try something - feel free to reject it if you want :D
I've always liked the look of the Guild and Tribal feats in CB, but have never found a spare feat slot to use them in. As a free feat, you may each take one. Take a read and see what you come up with. Very obviously, this will work best if you discuss among yourselves which will be the most useful to you.
You'll be starting off in the walled town of Winterhaven in the Nentir Vale. You are specifically looking for work, but are finding it difficult. People seem a bit edgy about the term "adventurer" - as though they've had a bad experience in the recent past.
The sigils you are assured will create the portal to take you to Moil crackle ominiously and shade into deep purple, freezing you to the bone as you step through.
Whatever awaits you in the City that Waits and whatever your final purpose here may be, you know for certain that you are entering a doomed world.
Freezing air and sullen darkness envelop you as a series of fractured black columns come into view. The cracked stone floor slopes steeply down towards an archway opening onto a dead black mist and above you a partial domed ceiling frames the sky. The howling creatures lurching forward to attack are a more immediate concern.
Teleportation circle sheds dim light for two squares.
Black pillars are blocking terrain. A pillar draws on the cold and necrotic energy of Moil; whenever a creature starts its turn adjacent to a pilalr, it takes 10 cold and necrotic damage.
The floor slopes and is difficult terrain. The rubble piles provide cover and require a DC15 Athletics check to climb.
The open archway leads to a 50 foot flight of stairs descending to a bridge. A creature that falls through the archway can make a saving throw to safely land on the stairs. On a failed saving throw, the creature plummets to the bog surrounding Moil. With unpleasant consquences.
Position yourselves within the teleportation circle - the hatched circle - and roll init.
The sigils you are assured will create the portal to take you to Moil crackle ominiously and shade into deep purple, freezing you to the bone as you step through.
Whatever awaits you in the City that Waits and whatever your final purpose here may be, you know for certain that you are entering a doomed world.
Freezing air and sullen darkness envelop you as a series of fractured black columns come into view. The cracked stone floor slopes steeply down towards an archway opening onto a dead black mist and above you a partial domed ceiling frames the sky. The howling creatures lurching forward to attack are a more immediate concern.
Teleportation circle sheds dim light for two squares.
Black pillars are blocking terrain. A pillar draws on the cold and necrotic energy of Moil; whenever a creature starts its turn adjacent to a pilalr, it takes 10 cold and necrotic damage.
The floor slopes and is difficult terrain. The rubble piles provide cover and require a DC15 Athletics check to climb.
The open archway leads to a 50 foot flight of stairs descending to a bridge. A creature that falls through the archway can make a saving throw to safely land on the stairs. On a failed saving throw, the creature plummets to the bog surrounding Moil. With unpleasant consquences.
Position yourselves within the teleportation circle - the hatched circle - and roll init.
For reasons you find hard to fathom, you find yourselves exploring a ruined temple. Along the way, the signs that some hideous ritual is under way have been hard to ignore and now you find yourselves face to face with the perpertrators.
A heavily cloaked figure raises bloodied hands from the lifeless corpse on the altar and chuckles horribly, drawing the attention of his cohorts to your intrusion.
Two of the black clad hooded figures wield blood-stained longswords that flicker with infernal fire, while the remaining two are clear practioners of the necromantic arts. Clutching the bones of earlier victims, they turn to attack.
Things to note:
Round things to the west (left edge) are statues. They're big and they provide cover.
The platforms are variously 5 feet (one square) or 10 feet (two squares) high. Climbing onto them costs no extra movement if you use the conveniently provided stairs, but costs one extra movement point per level if you don't.
The blood on the floor is fresh, slippery and constitutes difficult terrain.
Please place yourselves on the map within the shaded area (no significance at all other than to mark a starting place) and roll initiative.
Init so far:
Necromancers - 26
Bloody warlocks - 17
Shade of Anathema - 15
(That bodes well, but is fairly typical for my monsters).
As close on a month is a long time to wait, I thought you might like to run through a trial combat to get the feel of your characters. If anything doesn't work, or you decide you hate my GM style, it's probably better to find those things out early on before you're neck deep in an adventure.
Paragon level pcs can take a little getting used to as well, to get the most benefit from them.
So. Please stat yourselves up asap. Let me know when you're ready to go and I'll get you started on a single encounter.
I should have something mapped up and ready to run shortly.
Just a quick question: I know some of your time zones as we've gamed together before, but if you could all just quickly recap, that would be a help.
Summer holidays are drawing closer and I'm stupid enough to think it would be fun to start up another game once they arrive.
Conveniently, Tomb of Horrors is due out at the end of July.
At the moment, I'm thinking of about 5-6 players, starting at level 12. Game would not begin until end July, so there's time and plenty to get organised. It would, for example, be useful if I read the adventure first - a thing I cannot do until it's published and Amazon work their magic and send it to me.
For those that are unaware of my nagging tendencies, this will be as fast-paced as I can manage in pbp terms. I will ruthlessly DMPC absent characters and follow up with a barrage of worried messages asking if you're OK. Note that my record for maintaining and finishing games is good :)
Until I read the thing, I've no idea if this would be a one-shot or the start of something larger. The offical description is "mega-adventure for levels 10-22", but I'm inclined to start with just covering a couple of levels and taking it from there.
I have one taker already, but is anyone else out there interested?
The bossy, bulky figure of Mother Bartha greets you on your arrival back at the monsastery you are coming to know well.
"It's about time. What in the world have you been doing this time? Sybil was very worried," she snaps in greeting, arms folded and feet tapping impatiently.
"What have you done with Sister Ceara? She was a quiet and obedient novice before you arrived and then she ... ah."
Your demeanour, as well as the sight of a carefully wrapped body alerts her to exactly what has happened to Sister Ceara and her manner, while not exactly softened, is slightly less arctic.
"Kelemvor will grant her his grace," she says formally.
Urlag
Spoiler:
Since you left Oreme, you've been - well, ducking and diving is the best way to describe it. After deciding that life in Barstow's Bloodhounds didn't suit you, things haven't really gone well and you've wondered if your severance pay negotiations weren't a little harsh. Leaving one of them disabled will have upset them, but surely they're practical enough not to let a little thing like that keep them on your trail all this time.
You lost them a few days ago, and it's been a good few days, apart from the complete lack of food, fields and people. A lot of the countryside you've passed through has been just blank, almost as if something or someone had sucked it clean away. Landscape returned about 10 miles ago, but in this largely uninhabited region, the monastery is the first place you've seen offering shelter and food for a while.
Your brief experience of Mother Bartha makes you keen to leave already, but the arrival of strangers bearing a body has attracted your attention. As has Mother Bartha's hectoring tone.
"It's about time. What in the world have you been doing this time? Sybil was very worried. What have you done with Sister Ceara? She was a quiet and obedient novice before you arrived and then she ... ah." There is a short silence and then,
"Kelemvor will grant her his grace,"
Ava/Arrika
Spoiler:
It has been a curious journey. Travelling from Oreme towards Waterdeep is not a pursuit for the faint-hearted, and while neither of you could lay claim to cowardice, two travllers are less likely to be attacked than one. Odd couple that you are, nobody and nothing has interfered with your journey.
Nobody and nothing is exactly right. The landscape has been plucked bare. Almost as if something had dragged it up by its roots. Both of you were aware of immense arcane forces at work, but the exact location proved impossible to pinpoint. The focus seemed to be moving around.
Landscape returned about 10 miles ago, but in this largely uninhabited region, the monastery is the first place you've seen offering shelter and food for a while.
Your brief experience of Mother Bartha makes you keen to leave already, but the arrival of strangers bearing a body has attracted your attention. As has Mother Bartha's hectoring tone.
"It's about time. What in the world have you been doing this time? Sybil was very worried. What have you done with Sister Ceara? She was a quiet and obedient novice before you arrived and then she ... ah." There is a short silence and then,
Finally extricating themselves from the austere delights of Mother Bartha's monastery, the newly bonded group ride east towards Oreme.
As you ride, you see no sign of the earthmote you seek, but there is an increasing feeling of tension in the air. The further you ride, the greater the sense of wrongness, of some huge misplacement. No animals or birds inhabit this region - yet there are many tracks leading away. On the first night, despite the distance from any kind of town, you notice traces of a blue glow in the sky, marked by flickers of lightning.
Towards the end of the second day, you breast a slight rise and see it. Unmistakably this is a thing out of place. Sybil's flying mountain. It floats, silent and impassive, a gigantic piece of land torn from who knows where, shrouded in mist through which jagged bolts of blue flame strike at the air and ground around it.
As you watch, you realise that the thing seems to be feeding. Wherever the lightning bolts touch the ground, the land is cleared. Not charred or seemingly harmed in any way, merely stripped. It moves slowly, striking as it goes, mist oozing from its base sending tenuous wisps into the surrounding landscape to be followed by a bolt of silent, devouring lightning. Now that you look, you realise that the earthmote's passage is marked by an absence of anything at all. No trees, buildings, water or life of any kind. Merely bare earth.
The mists ooze towards you now and the earthmote seems to pause slightly in its progress before changing direction and floating inexorably towards you.
Work completed, and aware now of the linking threads of your adventures, you bid farewell to Namarth and head towards the harsh world of Kargzant. No easy task awaits you there. To understand the Wards of Balance, you will need to convince the Kargzant of your urgent need to speak with their eldest shamans.
For Kia and Arianwyn especially, there will be no warm welcome. The People and the Fey have long been enemies and the old memories of past atrocities run deep. The rest of the party are fortunate. The Kargzant merely pity those who are not of The People and do not discriminate.
Your immediate objective is the border town of Kurstifars Balaga. There you can pick up supplies and news before hunting for the Bone Riders. This elusive tribe is said to the most approachable of the Kargzant, and you have the assurance of Pirot Samagal that they will know his name and his owed debt.
Behind you lie the cultivated lands of the southwest as increasingly the landscape turns to scrubby tundra. In the distance, the wooden walls of the fortified town are approaching. Journey's end is within a two hour ride.
From the little information you have been able to garner, true Kargzant regard the town as a despised tool. True Kargzant need nothing but their horses, but they are willing to trade the wealth of their land with the less fortunate. Mud-Hands and Walkers (as they call those creatures not of the People) live and work there. Among their number are some Fallen - Kargzant who have rejected their own great birthright, but are too useful to slay. Merchants, farmers, money changers and artisans can be found here and a few oddities too. Harsh though Kargzant is, it has long held an allure for hardy (or foolhardy) types. Kurstifars Balaga is a bustling place and a fine source of information, if nothing else.
Please reveal to me any plans you have. Kia and Arianwyn will be spotted immediately as fey. Vel is unlikely to stand out. Whiteclaw and Reason will be considered curious, but no more peculiar than any other non-Kargzant. Most of the citizens are not pure Kargzant, but tribesmen visit regularly.
One or two slots have opened up in a long-running game of mine. FR setting on a hunt for spellplague. They're currently level 7 and both their melee types have various work and computer related problems. This is the follow on from Scepter Tower of Spellgard and has been running for over a year with a highly varied group.
The present lineup consists of
Erik the human bard - TGZ101
Perigia the genasi firemage - Dave Fryer
Brujo the moonelf swordmage - Lazaro
Cale Noor, who was playing Snaggletooth the kobold rogue, but is about to evolve into Kestrel Horne the sorcerer.
They really need a fighter. Cale has said that he is happy to turn himself into a fighter if nobody else wants to play one, so there's some flexibility here.
It seemed so simple. Just a short trip to the mountains to find a missing caravan train and deliver supplies to a mining colony. Do a few good deeds, home again. Nothing complicated about that.
Inevitably, it turned out different. You found the missing caravan, right enough. They'd made it to the Golden Citadel and must have been on their way home when they were attacked. No survivors. No anything apart from gold. So much gold. Packed tight in chests, it looks like the stuff of legend, not ordinary gold at all. So shiny. So very, very tempting.
So, you picked it up, carried it back to the Citadel, because what choice did you have? Clovis, the dwarven captain of your rescue mission wasn't about to leave that much gold lying around. Nobody was. Things got tense after that. Carrying a king's ransom will do that. Never a shortage of willing guards for those chests.
Clovis and his blonde sidekick, the dwarven woman Vianna looked and whispered and that was then you first heard "Orichalcum" spoken aloud. The miners following the gold rush had struck more than gold in the Mount Rhygar. This was the substance spoken of with awe, the substance that only the ancient dwarven smiths had known the secrets of working.
Not surprising then, that someone succombed. Ansgar had been a quiet, silent dwarf, a hard worker and barely noticeable. Then, a couple of hours out from the Golden Citadel, journey's end in sight, he'd struck. During the night he must have sabotaged the wagons and then, as the train passed along a narrow path on the edge of deep gorge, he'd stampeded the mules. It had been carnage. So many wagons and people lost. The orichalcum had vanished into the depths along with half the food supplies. To add to your troubles, the blizzards had turned worse, hampering your chances of searching for survivors or supplies and the shock of the falling wagons had triggered an avalanche.
During the salvage operation, you found Ansgar's body. Odd that. He was tattooed with pillars of flame. Nobody knew what that meant. Of if they did, they weren't saying.
And now, you, Clovis, Vianna and the last two muleteers have struggled to the Citadel bringing what you can to help and knowing that getting back is going to be impossible. Even Rabscuttle, the old (most say "senile") gearforged is silent as the great gates swung open to welcome you.
Pat516
TGZ101
Davi the Eccentric
FabesMinis
bmars3
JZ
Celestial Healer
Alternate: Elor Danar
Start cooking up your characters here if you please. There is no immediate rush about this, but it's always nice to get the ball rolling. I know a couple of you already have pcs statted up that you want to play and that's fine. If you could post them, then it will help the undecided how best to fill any obvious holes.
For those of you I haven't GMed with before, be aware that I am a fanatical nagbag and mover on of games. If we're in combat and your turn comes up, you have 24 hours to post or I'll step in and do it for you. I'll do that conservatively on the whole, and I won't use an encounter or daily unless it seems like the glaringly obvious only thing to do. On the other hand, if you've been playing your character as someone who gallops recklessly into combat, I will too.
It helps if you can let me know if you're got a scheduled absence coming up, because then I don't panic :)
There are a couple of house rules posted in my DM profile which we'll be using. Nothing major. It is your responsibility to keep hp/surges/APs/XP up to date. I'll try, but I'm very bad at that.
I award double XP, so you will level quite fast - otherwise a laborious process in a pbp.
This game
You'll start at level 9. This gives you one level 10, one level 9 and one level 8 magic item, free mundane equipment and 4,200gp to spend as you will. If you're unsure whether an item really counts as mundane, ask.
Feel free to take a background and associated benefit from the Scales of War or General sets. If you have your heart set on a background from Eberron or FR, tell me and I'll take it on a case by case basis.
More detail on the game itself follows shortly, but this is just to get you started.
Estimated kick off is about 10 days/2 weeks away if that works for everyone. I've still got a deal of tinkering to do and some busy times in the next week before I can concentrate on this properly.
I would like to have the last chunk of "Legacy of Fire", but I'll buy the next one as a complete set once its out to cut down on the shipping costs. We have plenty to be going on with in the meantime.
You spend the day after your rescue of Lady Saharel at the monastery, telling Allendi in some detail about your exploits. His gratitude is immense and expresses itself in practical terms in the provision of 6 potions of healing for your journey.
Having spoken with Perigia, he knows well that your road is likely to take you down dangerous paths and late that evening, joins you at the refectory table with the student mages Palagro and Tervinwerd to offer what help they can.
"If it's Spellplague you're looking for, then I think young Palagro here is right in his advice to you, Perigia. Look for the Order of the Blue Flame. They do good work with the afflicted ..." he glances at Brujo "... no offence intended Brujo, but it's a hard burden to carry."
Palagro nods. "You'll find them in most places. Cities are the most likely, but they're everywhere. And if anyone can tell you where to find a patch of Spellplague, it's them."
Tervinwerd scribbles frantically on a piece of paper, noting equations and arcane formulae. "Not sure about the good works myself," he comments absently. "My old man never had a good word to say about that Order."
"Terv, your old man never had a good word to say about anyone."
"Very true. Doesn't make him a fool though. Just because he was paranoid doesn't mean he was wrong."
"Ahem."
Allendi pulls the discussion away from an argument about the Order of the Blue Flame's motives and returns to practical matters.
"As it happens, Sister Cherra will be leaving the monastery on a matter of business tomorrow morning. If you care to accompany her, I'd be grateful and so would she. She's joining a pilgrim band taking some relics for reburial. She's a good girl and she's been a boon to us here, but she needs to spread her wings a bit. Keep an eye on her until she's safely with the main party would you?
They're heading east, in your direction, and this is not good country to travel alone. She's due to meet the rest of her group just on the edge of the Wodewood. Rough country."
Just getting us set up for the continuation of the Spellgard Wanderers.
Ongoing crew - The known factors:
Perigia - genasi firesoul wizard, cold spells a speciality and a lost sister to find (David Fryer)
Mirth - tiefling wizard, fire, sass and a deadly line in flirting a speciality (Cacophonik)
Leo - the team's Dudley Doright. Half-elven paladin of Kelemvor (hopeless)
Brujo - gollum-alike moonelf swordmage with big people issues (Lazaro)
Ongoing crew - the unknown factors:
Snaggletooth - kobold rogue on the road to redemption (Cale Noor). Possibly changing faces and bodies
Commander Caine - Brick built Inspiring Warlord. (Radavel). Has spoken about rebuilding as a straight up meatshield.
Looking at this lineup, you have the bases covered, but you are very low on healing and if Caine becomes a defender, you have no leader. That could cause you some problems. I'm still putting the final touches to this for you, but would value your input and ideas on how to fill any gaps.
And you are off again. Please feel free to exchange any titbits of information you've picked up since you parted ways briefly at the bridge. A few reminders and hooks follow.
Whiteclaw
Spoiler:
You're a warden from this point onwards. Let me know what you plan to do with Skyroth junior.
TRK/Seraphiel
Spoiler:
You're a deva from this point onwards. If you want to hand over any of TRK's equipment to the rest of the party, feel free. Vel or Gobi can help to re-size or re-enchant items.
Gobi
Spoiler:
Hroaldr asked you to go to Namarth for him. You also have the shards to explore.
Reason
Spoiler:
You've got a pile of exotic things to research. Feel free to extemporise around what you'd like to do with them.
Vel
Spoiler:
Your raven arrived 24 hours after you first met Jesack. Make of that what you will.
Kia
Spoiler:
The Blight has been stopped, but not fully cured.
Arianwyn
Spoiler:
Riggarth's a small trading town. You're starting to get itchy feet again and all that money is burning a hole in your pocket. That and the weight is making all your clothes hang wrong. One question. How long have you been in banishment for?
My son has just rambled in and asked if I'll run him through Second Darkness as a solo adventure path for 4e. He doesn't want much...
Naturally, because I'm a sucker for punishment, I've said "yes". Anyone got any tips or advice to offer before we embark on this crazy venture? The actual conversion doesn't bother me so much - I do a lot of on the fly 3.x into 4e anyway for a pbp I run. Scaling suggestions would be most helpful however.
A couple of weeks pass by. Winter is starting to set in and with it come the usual array of coughs and sneezes. Hroaldr develops a streaming cold and spends more and more time indoors and less and less adorning the front bar of his beloved Fruitful Bloom. Within a few days he is no longer there at all.
Then one morning, a note in his familiar crabbed handwriting arrives inviting you to lunch with him.
...of course, you will suspect that I have a further favour to ask of you, but I trust that your curiosity will be sufficiently piqued and that will not prevent you from partaking of my hospitality, it concludes.
In due course, you arrive at the enclave and knock on the familiar door. Hroaldr greets you, very clearly far from ill, but in fact in a state of high excitement.
"Come in, come in and close the door. Things to eat and people to meet. Quests to go on, things to do."
Sitting in the single room that serves him as a library, living and dining room and already embarked on what appears to be a mammoth feast are a tiefling and a human knight.
"Welcome one and all. I shall make the introductions to save time. Then you can all eat and I can talk. This may take some time and unless I'm much mistaken, time is something we may not have a great deal of."
He gestures to you all to sit down.
"The martial gentleman is known only as The Rogue Knight. Not an affectation, he has suffered greatly and arrived here seeking our help and advice. Alas, we have been unable to offer much of either, but in the way of things, he may be in a position to help us.
You may know of tieflings. Reason here is a seeker of knowledge and a cleric of considerable skill. Origins are his concern, but no doubt he will tell you that himself.
Of the two eladrin, I have no doubt that Arianwyn will speak for himself. Kia Rubarka is modest about her capabilities, but her actions speak louder than many words. Vel is a wizard of sterling worth and a notorious stickler for procedure. And this," his voice takes on a note of immense pride as he looks at the seven foot furry figure of the gnoll, "is Whiteclaw. She was raised as a cub among us and has proved many times that her values and strength of character, to say nothing of her philosophical bent greatly belie the common perception of gnolls."
Here we go. This is the discussion thread for the follow up to Rune Stones.
Players:
Pat - keeping Vel
Fabes - keeping Arianwyn
Thrug - keeping Kia
Amelia - possibly keeping Whiteclaw
Rad - incoming human Paladin
Scribbling Rambler - possible rogue or ranger
Tieren - if you come back, you're welcome - I'll find a way to get you in.
Lazaro is alternate.
Ongoing crew, please update yourselves to level 3. Note that you do NOT become level 3 until you get back to Riggarth (about a page from now).
Incoming crew, create a level 3 pc. You may each have one magic item up to level 2 of your choice. I'll sort out starting gold for you all shortly.
The adventure will be a heavily tweaked variant on Goodman's "Legacy of the Savage Kings". If you've played it before, never fear. You're unlikely to recognise a lot of it. It has the advantage of being a quest for yet more doom from the past, and may well provide you with an ongoing nemesis. The group has an Indiana Jones feel to it anyway, so I'm just capitalising on that. You'll start off in the small coastal town of Riggarth. Assume Nentir Vale (the basic 4E setting) for mechanics purposes.
The game I've been running as a test crawl for 4E is coming rapidly to an end and some of the players have expressed interest in continuing with the same characters.
I'm mulling over where to send them next.
This a a call to see if anyone would like to join the happy gang on their next (yet to be specified) adventure. At present we have:
Arianwyn - Flamboyant eladrin warlock (Fabesminis)
Kia - Head Girl eladrin warlord (Thrugnipp)
Vel - Cranky human wizard (Pat of the Ninth Power)
Whiteclaw - Stubborn tank of a domesticated gnoll (Amelia)
We've lost or are losing, a dragonborn fighter and very likely a dwarf paladin, but don't feel constrained by class or race. The party are level 2 at the moment, but I will start the next adventure at level 3. Another couple of players would be very welcome.
Races and classes are PHB, FRPH, MM back of book, Dragon articles. If I've got access to the information, you can play it.
Be aware that I try and run fast-paced games and this won't suit everyone. If you want to see my style to test the waters, take a look at Rev's Rune Stones or Scepter Tower of Spellgard. Daily posting is pretty much a requirement.
As mentioned, the adventure is yet to be determined. I am tempted to try doing a conversion of one of the PF adventure paths if enough folks are interested, but I'm very open to suggestions.
Lady Saharel has a secret. What secret? All of them. . . .
The Fallen Lands. Here ancient Netheril stood, grew and dissolved, eroded by the forces of time and the greed of her rulers, mute tribute to the great cycles of the universe.
Here now, against all likelihood, proof against time, the foolishness of the races of Toril and the Spellplague itself, stands Spellgard.
Alone of the ruins, the tower stands inviolate. The surrounding landscape offers a bleak view of fallen glories. Ancient towers crumbled to mere stone outcroppings, ramparts designed to prevent long dead enemies from entering and here and there cookfires from campsites set up by the desperate, brave or foolish. All those who seek the prophetic voice of Lady Saharel come to Spellgard.
On this particular evening, about two miles from the entrance to the main enclave a small clump of trees marks a natural resting place. From here the intact tower is visible, and among the flickering lights of the cookfires, the more permanent and welcoming sight of the Monastary of the Precipice can just be identified. Lamps are being lit. The glow from the windows grows brighter. The clouds that have been threatening all day decide to open. There’s no thunder or lightning, but the rain is savage and will drench you in seconds.
Brujo
Spoiler:
You hardly know what wind of fortune brought you here. You life has been one long fearful run into the night since you escaped and the choices you make are not yours any more. They are governed by your feet, by the chance winds, by some spark of conversation, by triggered fears at overheard words – by all of these things, but no longer by any part of your conscious mind. Perhaps the stories of Lady Saharel and her unfailing prophecies have been drawing you all the time. About two miles from the main encampments around the tower you stop. You are tired beyond your own comprehension. Tired of running, tired of hiding, tired of lying. Perhaps the next people you meet will shelter you. Perhaps they will kill you. In truth you hardly know or care which you would prefer. What you want more than anything is a place to stop and hide from the rain.
Chyzylyx
Spoiler:
The world amazes you. However long you may live, you will never lose that sense of wonder. The wonder of the world pales before the wonder of your beloved Feywild of course, but you can find amusement in it and pity for those who cannot share your knowledge of the Fey. And yet, for all the joy you feel in the Feywild, there is always that nagging feeling that you are missing something. Somehow there must be a way to bridge the gulf between your worlds. Bargains can be made. You know this well – was not your own eldritch bargain concluded willingly? And now you have the power to begin your own bridge building. Power, but not knowledge. For that, you need the legendary Lady Saharel. Your researches and wanderings confirm that her prophecies have never been wrong. Surely if she can see a link between the Feywild and Faerun, then your work will not be in vain. You have journeyed openly and without guards to Spellgard. Your confidence in your own abilities makes the seeking of a bodyguard ridiculous. Even so, you are aware that you are an incongruously diminutive and vulnerable figure as night falls and you approach the clump of trees. Even an eladrin needs shelter sometimes.
Commander Caine
Spoiler:
Another day, another job done. Except this one went sour on you. Seems honour is in short supply among the pilgrim population. This bunch just ran out on you without paying and that leaves a sour taste. Anyway, they’ve gone and you don’t hold out high hopes on them getting back to Loudwater without your help. Now you’re stuck out in the wilds and your best hope of finding another job is to go on and see if anyone needs an escort back to Loudwater. It’s enough to make a man lose faith in human nature. Or it would be if you weren’t the disciplined type and realised that some folks are just jerks. To add to your feeling of gloom, it’s now raining with a vengeance. You head for the trees. No point in letting good equipment suffer.
Cronin
Spoiler:
You’re is barely aware of the wet at first. As always on long journeys (and you’ve made many) you pass the time arguing with yourself, posing hypothetical questions and answering them. Sometimes to your own satisfaction, but much more often not. It’s this habit of asking yourself questions and getting the wrong answers that got you into your present situation in the first place. Your apostasy is still fresh in your mind. Always will be. A cleric doesn’t turn lightly from his deity and when that deity was Shar, you’d better hope it was the right choice. On the other hand, Selune is Shar’s bright twin, they share so much and so little. The questions go on forever. It’s only when you look up for reassurance from the moon that you realise just how drenched you’ve become. You can ask yourself questions wet as well as dry, but for now, the clump of trees is looking very tempting.
Geleri
Spoiler:
Almost as soon as the rain starts, you head for the trees. You’ve just spent a frustrating month with a young tiefling upstart and you’ve had enough discomfort for now. Rallio deVore spent most of the journey to Spellgard confident he’d see Lady Saharel at once and be home again, free of his infernal pact within days. Within hours you were hoping this would be true so he’d be out of your hair. Unfortunately, Lady Saharel must have found the prospect of talking to Rallio as bad as you, as she hasn’t appeared. He’s taken to drinking heavily in the Monastery all evening and you’ve had enough of his company. Now that you’re back on the road home however, you do just wonder if you’re missing an opportunity.
Leo
Spoiler:
Your passionate commitment to your order and your cause has brought you here. A couple of months ago, you begged your superior for a task. Something to bring your work and the work of Kelemvor into the wider world. You’d been working on your martial skills too long and missed the sense of spiritual purpose you used to have. He’d given thought to your problem and suggested that going to Spellgard had many benefits. It is widely considered that Lady Saharel grants her presence to those who help rebuild her fallen fortress. Here you can help Seekers to overcome their grief and make a practical contribution to the site at the same time. Truly, many Seekers will have misplaced and misguided hopes of what the Lady’s prophecies can tell them. Kelemvor’s reassurance and steady presence can guide such on their way. It is time for your evening prayer and you head for the safety of the clump of trees as the rain thuds relentlessly down on you.
Perigia
Spoiler:
Had to guess what Perigia's motivations might be and have deliberately kept it pretty vague. Feel free to correct in character.
Your own insatiable curiosity has brought you here. Long ago legends of the power of Lost Netheril have haunted you from childhood. As your own powers have grown, so too has your curiosity. Who knows what may be hidden in the ruins? You know too of the prophecies of Lady Saharel. If she can be induced to offer you guidance to the powers you seek, the powers you know you have the ability to control, what can you not accomplish. Unfortunately one thing you clearly cannot accomplish is staying dry. The rain has soaked you completely already and going on today is impossible. The clump of trees looks like a promising place to halt for a while.
Been testing my GMing muscles with the help of a bunch of wonderfully patient players over on Rev's Rune Stones and am now feeling confident enough to run something longer and more complex.
I'm hunting for 6 players to play Scepter Tower of Spellgard. Two people have already expressed interest and it would be useful to have an alternates list in case things go awry - as has been known. The module is the new Forgotten Realms module under 4E rules. Prior knowledge is not really a problem as I'm happy enough to tweak (and probably will anyway).
The basics
Start with level 2 pcs. Races and classes are standard PHB, DDI addons and MM races from the back of the book. I'll accept Swordmage if anyone wants to go for it, but please be aware that Amazon has not yet delivered my FR Player's Guide, so if you want to go that route you'll have to wait until I get it and absorb the mechanics.
Unaligned is fine, evil is not.
I'd prefer players who are already enthused about 4E. You don't have to be completely familiar with all the mechanics, just not actively averse to them.
I'm UK based, in case that impacts on anyone badly.
You should be aware that I will ruthlessly GMpc characters if things need to move on. I'm not a fan of lagging games and am looking for active, committed players who can post reliably once a day.
Questions and queries, please post here. Oh - and if you'd like to play as well.
Weekends tend to be poor for recruitment threads, so I'll leave this open until Monday evening (22 September, UK evening) and see what kind of interest there is at that point. I'm not sure how big the pool of interest is likely to be, so it would be helpful if you could also post some rough idea of character concept.
The journey isn’t long, but it feels somehow immense. You sailed from Riggarth yesterday morning and now, a day later with evening drawing in, you feel as if you’ve entered another more dangerous world. Here in the north the sun sets late in the summer and although it’s late, the last shreds of sunset still blush the sky.
Pharoe isn’t a long way off. You’ve heard of it, of course. Like many isolated places, there are odd stories about it and as far as you know, nobody ever goes there. Those stories frightened some of you when you were children, although as you’ve grown up you’ve largely dismissed them. Now your childhood memories are returning as light begins to fade and tendrils of fog wind their way into the ship’s rigging.
You’ll be landing on Pharoe tomorrow morning and the Curlew will wait for you to finish your task just off the coast. She can’t sail into the only landing bay because there are tricky reefs. You’ll have to row there yourselves. Once you’ve finished tracing the runes on the ancient stones, you can signal the Curlew and she’ll make ready to sail back to the familiar town you’ve just left. Riggarth isn’t a major centre of anything much, but right now, it seems like a point of light in the darkness surrounding you.
As you sit around the table after the evening meal, conversation falters a little. All of you are remembering your final meeting with Hroaldr. The historian is a fixture in Riggarth. He is a little more than a slightly comical historian, and has links with a mysterious order dealing with the balance of nature. He seldom speaks of his concerns and it was something of a surprise when he arranged this quest. At your briefing with him in the Fruitful Bloom tavern, his flow of anecdote pauses and he looks at you all seriously over his tankard of cider.
“You’re young and able. You’ve all been recommended one way or another and I’m sure you can manage this small task. All you need to do is find the rune-stones on the island. Trace the marks on them and bring them back to me. There is a certain urgency in the matter though, and I’d be misleading you if I didn’t tell you that I have some misgivings about the stones and their purpose. That’s the reason I’m sponsoring such a large party. I don’t know for certain what you’ll find. I can only tell you that the stones are powerful and I’d be surprised if I was the only person interested in their secrets.
They are ancient things. I believe they contain wisdom from the old gods of the north themselves, but without tracings I can’t be sure. Godly wisdom should be treated with respect. With caution too. Their powers are unknown to me. History only offers hints, nothing more. My order thinks I’m a fool to send so many on such a small quest. All I can say is that I am trusting my instincts.
I will give you parchment and charcoal so you can take accurate tracings of the markings. I can’t offer much gold. 50gp each on your return, 30gp now for expenses. Transport is provided. May your deities guide you.”
Please feel free to build characters fresh or tweak, but in any case, could you post them on this thread for easy reference.
There's quite a lot of you, so I'll try and make sure there's scope for you all to try stuff out, which is after all the point of this adventure. It's new to me as well, so there will be an element of muddling through.
I'm happy (and eager) to discuss rules, issues and interpretation, but for all our sanity, can we keep those mainly on this thread or spoilered in the game thread when it goes up.
Players
Jonventus
Amelia
Tieren
Twiceborn
Rambling Scribe
Pat o' the Ninth Power
FabesMinis
Thrugnipp
Keoki
Constraints
PHB basics only, unless you can convince me otherwise. I've got core books and not much else.
All races except Warforged which really don't fit.
No evil pcs.
Basic PHB build (22 point).
I tend to award XP for role play as much as encounters.
Setting
Generic 4E world
Background
You've been hired by a slightly loopy druid to go and make copies of some rune stones on a remote island. You'll start on a boat (because it's a good way to force you together). It's probably helpful if some of you at least know each other. A decent hook for you might well be that the druid has over-hired. A party of eight to go and look at rune stones seems a tad excessive - why has he done that? Some of you might plausibly know each other, others not. If anyone wants help with background build, I'm happy to provide once character outlines are up.
I'll get more stuff up tonight, but this should get you started. Thanks to all of you for letting me test drive my GMing skills :D
