A player in my PbP game (Grimmbold Manor) has dropped out so I'm looking for a replacement.
Grimmbold Manor is on its way to becoming a horror campaign with a more or less equal amount of RP and combat (previously more combat, about to be more RP) and needs either a healer or a trapfinder/lock opener.
2nd level, 28 point buy, set in a homebrew world.
I have access to a lot of the 3.5 books, so instead please post a character concept and I'll let you know if it'll work.
BTW, I started it off when I was new to DMing so the first bits aren't especially good. The joys of experience.
Arctaris,
I just had a PbP drop out from under me, and I had a lockpick specialist that I'd enjoy using. His concept is that he's an only child of a single mother - young, a bit self-conscious and tentative, but mechanically inclined. He makes his living as a tinker, but has been thinking about adventuring for a while - he just hasn't had the guts or the opportunity to do it. So, he's a rogue, but has taken mostly the mechanical skills, and knowledge (architecture/engineering). He's not a sneaky, tumbling back-stabber. His main weapon is a small hammer, which he's most comfortable with.
If you're interested, I can send the whole character. I'm in Afghanistan right now, for at least a few more months, but I can post every other day or so.
Chuck
I'm tempted to throw my hat in the ring, but I'm already in two PbP and work is nuts right now. I'll try to be mature and responsible and refrain from a knee-jerk reflex, and wait to see if anyone else throws in first, but I'm might be interested in joining as a rogue.
Here's Tzoltan. He's 1st LVL, and designed for Golarion, but I'll tweak him once I get some details from your home-brew.
Tzoltan Devreen
Male Human Rogue 1
Align: CG Init: +3 Speed: 30 ft.
Abilities
12 Str
16 Dex
12 Con
14 Int
10 Wis
10 Cha
Offense
Melee dagger +1 (1d4+1/19-20)
Melee hammer, light +1 (1d4+1/19-20)
Ranged light crossbow +3 (1d8/19-20)
Special attacks – sneak attack +1d6 damage
Defense
HP: 7 AC: 15, touch: 13, flat footed: 12
Fort: +2 Ref: +5 Will: +0
Special Abilities - trapfinding
Feats
Lone Wolf (bonus/ 50% stabilize, +1 Fort), Martial Weapon Prof (Light Hammer), Nimble Fingers (+2 Disable Device and Open Lock)
Skills (44 points)
Disable Device +8, Hide* +7, Knowledge (architecture and Engineering) +6, (local) +6, Move Silently* +7, Open Lock +9, Profession (tinker) +4, Search +6, Sleight of Hand* +7, Use Magic Device +4, Use Rope +7
Combat Gear:
Alchemists Fire
Other Gear: ( Rolled 120 gp, 7 gp left)
10’ Pole, Light Hammer, Dagger, Light Crossbow, 20 bolts, Leather Armor, Backpack, Thieves’ Tools, Flint and steel, Grappling Hook, Rope, Hooded Lantern, Oil (2 pints), Spikes (4), Whetstone.
Traits: socially awkward and curious
Appearance: Tzoltan has the typical look of a young man of Chelaxian descent, short black hair and dark eyes. His face is rounded, almost cherubic, with seemingly permanent red blotches high on his pale cheeks, and he tends toward chubbyness. He wears a plain grey woolen tunic and breeches, and is never seen without a wide toolbelt strapped across his belly. Items seen dangling from or sheathed to the belt are a hammer and knife, several spikes, a chisel, and a few small but heavy looking tool pouches. He has the look of an apprentice workman about him, possibly a tinker.
History: Raised in Sandpoint of Chelaxian ancestry, Tzoltan makes a meager living hanging around the general store doing odd jobs, mostly fixing items for patrons and the proprietor. He’s saved enough money to buy the gear to go off on his own and start adventuring, but hasn’t built up the courage to tell his mother.
Welcome aboard PbemDM. Tzoltan looks good, although you'll need to level him up to level 2.
The next while will be spent in a small town (details of which I will try organize into a logical format and post by tomarrow evening. Having a local around will be useful, and I'll probably give you more tidbits of local info as we go.
The Grimmbold Manor Discussion thread has some info on the world but should you read it (which you don't have to) disregard that information. I lost all of the data during some recent computer problems and I've redesigned the whole thing. I'll post more info along with the detail on the town.
Billzabub, I'm thinking about adding a fifth player, since I tend to run harder games. I'll post what I decide here. Would you be interested in playing a healer of some kind?
Billzabub, I'm thinking about adding a fifth player, since I tend to run harder games. I'll post what I decide here. Would you be interested in playing a healer of some kind?
Tempting, but I'll have to pass. Healers just aren't my bag. Thanks, though, and have fun. i'm intrigued by your plans to take on more of a horror tone, and you have some great players, so I'll have to add your game to my reading list.
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Actaris I am looking to replace two defunct games and I'm willing to play a healer.
We did this before but that was Eberron and my guess is this time it wont just be you, me and one other posting.
If you want I could rebuild the Eberron cleric for a more horror game? But I don't want to curse your top campaign.
Cheers
Sorry to hear that Billzabub. Perhaps another game. I understand about the lack of enthusiasm for healers; I tend to avoid the role myself.
French Wolf, welcome to the game. Dron might not work as written, since Orcs don't exist in my homebrew world and therefore neither do half-orcs.
I'll post more setting info ASAP.
Here's some of the setting info. I still need to write up a couple of power groups and an overviw of the history. Let me know if you have any questions.
Dwarves Renowned scholars and masters of the arcane, the dwarves have long been the strongest arcanists on or under the world. Countless discoveries and arcane inventions are attributed to their expert mages and their arcane colleges produce the finest mages to walk the planes.
Over the last 4 decades dwarves have become an ever more uncommon site. Few venture out into the world and their wondrous cities, which were once open to any with a delsire for knowledge, are now closed to all outsiders. All of the most powerful dwarven mages have returned home, taking with them massive amounts of rare and wondrous materials used only in arcane experiments. Many wonder what new experiment the dwarvies have undertaken and many would pay dearly to find out.
For the most part dwarves are very lawful and focused, devoting themselves unceasingly to their studies of the arcane. Many young dwarf mages leave their homes to seek out some lost spell or unexplored facet of magic that has been lost to time so their scholars were once a common sight in most race’s lands.
There is often an intense jealousy and rivalry between dwarven mages, each seeking to produce the most wondrous effects and discover the greatest spells. This rivalry results in the not uncommon sight of spell duels between magicians in the underground cities of the dwarves.
The dwarves are united under the banner of the Archmagi, a group of dwarf arcanists who reign supreme over the dwarves, for mutual protection and the execution of common research.
High Elves The High elves are a proud race, devoted to Pelor’s light. Two millennia ago the elves founded the Union, an alliance of men and elves who were devoted to Pelor and the have prospered within the safety of the Union. Now the live in harmony with humans in their massive metropolises and are trusted by most, seen as heralds of light and justice in the darkest corners of the world.
High elves are zealous believers in Pelor who often wander the lands, defending the weak and spreading the word of Pelor far and wide. They hate the undead and any other creature that is a perversion of life and light. The High elves are known as fearless fighters in the name of a worthy cause and a more stalwart ally cannot be found.
High elves are for the most part united under the common banner of the Union and rarely find themselves in conflict with each other or any servant of good. To traitors they are merciless, retaining a particular hatred for members of their own race who disobey the precepts of their culture.
Halfings
Savok Predator and prey. Survival of the fittest. Existence within the natural cycle. These are the precepts of the Savok, the wild halfling nomads of the Tal plains. The Savok see themselves as part of nature and the natural cycle, not beings independent of it. They follow the same laws as any animal, and in their eyes so should all.
Stories are told in hushed voices as people in frontier towns huddle around the hearth and speak of the ferocious Savok, the diminutive nomadic barbarians who think of humans as nothing more than challenging prey and descend upon farms and towns in the night to steal away small children and stalk even the mightiest of men for food. The Savok are feared by the frontier dweller of the mighty human empires and rightly so. The Savok are fearsome hunters with a strong connection to nature that give them a great advantage over the tall races on the untamed frontiers of civilization.
The Savok live in small, usually familial tribes that wander across the Tal Plains from place to place, following their prey. Religion is focused around nature, which is treated less as a god than as a force to be revered and the Savok possess a strong druidic tradition, with druids often leading tribes. Fey creatures are treated with great reverence and any Savok who has contact with one of the fey is believed to have a great destiny. The diminutive savages put great stock in martial prowess, producing many fearsome warriors empowered by the primal forces of nature.
The loosely aligned tribes often war and have disputes over hunting grounds and other resources but will put aside their differences and band together in the face of a greater threat. The tribes meet in a great enclave once a year, filling the Howling Canyons with brightly colored tents.
A Savok tribe travels a great deal, following herds of their prey and occasionally human settlers. Once they find a place that suits their needs they set up camp, living in communal tents emblazoned with the tribe colors and symbols. When dealing with an enlightened human culture, the Savok are quite civil and often restrain their appetites and trade.
Urban Halflings As different from their barbaric cousins as is possible, the urban halflings dominate commerce. Masters of bargaining, manipulation, and negotiation, it is said that there isn’t a bargain that a halfling can’t make. Neutral in all of the petty clashes of ideologies and religions of the taller races, these silver-tongued businessmen keep their eyes on the true prize: wealth. Halflings are merchants and traders who can cross any border and trade with any nation, driven by a desire for the comfort and status granted by wealth.
There are numerous clans and cabals of urban halflings but by far the most powerful and wealthy are the Thirteen Clans, an elite group of merchants united by blood and marriage. A Shadow war of backstabbing and political and economic maneuvering takes place behind the polite face of the halflings, each competing for it’s own wealth.
Being neutral bankers, merchants, and traders, the halflings have a monopoly on many businesses. The halfling banks are spread across the known world, loosely united for their common prosperity. Although most people rely on the halflings to some extent, few truly trust them although a halfling will follow a contract to the letter.
The halfling community is spread across the world and although they don’t possess a nation of their own the have considerable pull with most leaders.
The Powers that Be
The Union Founded two millennia ago by elves and men who had been touched by Pelor’s light, The Union stands for all that is good and just in the world. The largest of the mortal realms, the Union prospers and suffers from none of the internal strife that wracks the other nations.
A monarch picked by the church of Pelor rules over the Union, advised by two councils. One council is picked by the church and represents the religious interests of the Union while the other is picked by the people to represent their concerns. Most minor laws and decrees are created and passed by the councils, with the monarch reviewing them and dealing with major matters of state. The people are relatively happy with the government, with their faith in Pelor and the church keeping the peace when bureaucratic process fails.
The Union isn’t focused on conquest but crusaders are often dispatched to distant lands to root out evil and when the armies of the Union rally for a major campaign against the forces of evil few of the other nations could stop them even if they wanted to. Most other governments allow servants of the Union in their lands as they’re an effective and motivated group devoted to law and the destruction of evil.
The Union is on good terms with most of the other nations and baronies, sometimes receiving economic and military support for their campaigns. Many good nations have a mutual defense pact with the Union. The nation of Ankrimmor is the exception, possessing a strong dislike of the Union. The feeling is mutual. Although they can’t overtly attack Ankrimmor, the two powers fight an almost constant shadow war.
Ankrimmor A proud and cultured nation, Ankrimmor is an old power steeped in arcane magic and long ruled by arcane masters. The great Ankrimmorian metropolises are filled with great monuments to their enduring culture and marks of the powerful arcane magic of the nation.
Beneath it’s civilized exterior dark powers work within Ankrimmor. The arcane academies of Ankrimmor are famed for their fiend callers and binders. Every aspect of Ankrimmorian life has been touched by the devils that consort with it’s leaders. Temples devoted to the Nine Lords can be found operating in the open. Devils aren’t an entirely uncommon sight, sometimes walking openly in the streets and serving as advisors to the rulers. Even the Royal family of Ankrimmor is touched by the fiends, possessing devil blood that goes back in the family to before the kingdom was founded.
Powerful in its own right, Ankrimmor becomes almost untouchable due to its fiendish allies (some say masters). A war with Ankrimmor would devastate almost any nation. The one nation with equal might is the Union. A battle between the two could tear asunder the known world, plunging it into another dark age. Knowing the costs of such a war the two powers maintain an uneasy peace, often fighting skirmishes and a constant shadow war.
Chuck, I'm jealous. Glad you found a new home for Tzoltan.
DM Arctaris, you've got a good man there.
I'll be lurking ....
Some more setting info. After this it should just be a little mor history and info on the area where the adventure is set.
The Hadrians live in villages with towns surrounding the Barony’s keep. Hadrian towns are often well defended because the Hadrians live in constant fear of hobgoblin raids from the Drahknar Mountains and raids from the brutal Savok who come off of the Tal Plains. Constantly having to defend themselves, the Hadrians have become adept fighters, attacking from the backs of the horses to which they have a strong connection. This skill in mounted combat makes it so that Hadrian mercenaries fetch a high price as do their specially trained war horses.
The United Kingdoms generally stay out of conflicts between other nations, knowing that they don’t have the military might to engage in a long term campaign and protect their homes.
Those who leave the Kingdoms are often mercenaries who, for one reason or another, cannot provide military service to the High King. A few wish to leave the life that they see as dreary and hopeless, preferring the life of adventure that the wider world offers.
The Kingdom of Sular Ruling supreme over the Tasris Desert, the Sular Kingdom is a wealthy empire founded on the rich gold mines that can be found in the harsh environment that is the Tasris Desert.
Slaves labor in the sweltering sand, the products of their labor enriching the wealthy lords while the poor live in the shadows of the immense palaces that fill the cities. Life is harsh in Sular. The rich generally rich and the poor stay poor, merely thankful that they aren’t the slaves that labor unceasingly in the gold and salt mines that fill the nations coffers.
Many try to leave the kingdom, hoping for a better life but few survive the attempt. Even if they somehow manage to escape the immense walled cities and evade the patrols of the slave masters, they must trek through vast stretches of unforgiving desert filled with fearsome creatures to finally reach safety.
The Union has a long standing enmity with the Sular but dares not actively attack due to the Sular alliance with the Ankrimmorian kingdom. There is little love for the Sular outside of their borders but no one can oppose their might nor invade their harsh, unforgiving homeland.
In addition to these nations, there are countless small baronies and tribes inhabiting the land.
The World
Countless empires and kingdoms have risen only to become involved in the Blood Wars and be destroyed in its fury. It is said that the fate of mortals is somehow bound to the fiends and all mortal kingdoms are fated to become pawns for the demon princes and the Nine Lords. Some try to resist this, devoting themselves to good and trying to defeat the fiends while others embrace their destiny, consorting with fiends for their own power.
Ruins of these lost empires litter the land, surrounded by dreadful undead and mysterious creatures and filled with unimaginable ancient riches that have led many prospective treasure hunters to their death. Legends of the secrets these ancient people held draw others.
Some sages say that another Age of Demons is at hand. Some doomsayers say that soon the world shall once again be overwhelmed by the forces of darkness, leaving the ruins of civilization to join the countless ruins already scattered about the land.
Arctaris,
I'll level Tzoltan up ASAP. Should I lurk on the Grimmbold Manor thread until you introduce me, or should I jump right in? I like the idea of being a local, and having local knowledge.
Chuck
P.S. - Thanks Thom.
Arctaris,
I'll level Tzoltan up ASAP. Should I lurk on the Grimmbold Manor thread until you introduce me, or should I jump right in? I like the idea of being a local, and having local knowledge.
Chuck
P.S. - Thanks Thom.
Having a local in the group will be useful for me.
I'm working on some ideas to get you into the game.PbemDM
Sorry to hear that Billzabub. Perhaps another game. I understand about the lack of enthusiasm for healers; I tend to avoid the role myself.
Thanks again, Arctaris. I'll keep an eye out for any future games you may run. I'm really trying to restrain myself and limit it to two PbP games, but it's tough. Not to mention, I would have felt compelled to read up on healers and review everything in your game & discussion threads.
DM - Draft PC under this alias
Cheers
Looks good so far French Wolf.
Yes, starting gold is 900gp for you and Tzoltan.
Whatever you think would be a good way to get me in the game is fine with me. I like the idea of being hired to open a lock - it fits the character well. Hopefully it doesn't take too long for the group to get back to civilization, as I'd like to get started.
Whatever you think would be a good way to get me in the game is fine with me. I like the idea of being hired to open a lock - it fits the character well. Hopefully it doesn't take too long for the group to get back to civilization, as I'd like to get started.
PbemDM
Sorry I've yet to post info on the town; the last few days have gotten away from me and I'll be travelling for the next three days. Hopefully I'll have time to write something up today while I'm in transit.
I have no problem with being kidnapped. The only issue is that Tzoltan is pretty useless without his tools. If all his gear is gone, he'll be doing quite a bit of cowering behind armored types. Which is also fine for my role-plating enjoyment, not so much for group capabilities enhancement.
I just realized I should have spoilered the previous post. Sorry about that. I hope none of the current players are reading.
No problem. I forget to finish spoiler tags sometimes.
If they are reading than I'll trust them not to metagmae too much.
DM and Tzoltan
Sorry about my absence, I was visiting some friends.
It looks like it'll be a while before a logical entry point will be available so I'll start another mini-game thread for you guys to get to know each other and your characters. I'll have a story for you guys that may or may not be incorporated into the main plot. I'll try to get that thread up later tonight.
I finally got the info on Greenhollow typed up but it's on my laptop and I can't transfer it right now (I hate losing those portable USB drives).
Again, sorry for the delays
Two and half centuries ago a brave group of settlers looking for greater independence left the safety of the inner Union for the untamed frontier on the edge of the Aegris Desert, an inhospitable stretch of desert wasteland populated by a race of grim tribesman living amidst empty ruins from a lost empire.
Greenhollow was founded as the nexus of trade and defense for these numerous small settlements and for many years it prospered. Although it was a dangerous place to live the region prospered, drawing many new settlers including Sir Azrus Grimmbold, a paladin in the service of Pelor. Sir Grimmbold devoted himself to defending the region and established a small keep which was named Grimmbold Manor. His house inhabited the Manor and grew in power, keeping the region at peace for several decades.
Eventually a group of evil creatures banded together and under the cover of darkness infiltrated the Manor, slaying everyone within. Simultaneously a marauding bands of evil creatures massacred farmers, a small thorp, and even attack the well defended town of Greenhollow. Hundreds died on that blood-soaked night and those that survived mostly fled back to the safety of the lands closer to Union borders. Those stubborn few who remained rallied to the fortified Greenhollow. Now, most of the region’s small population lives in Greenhollow or on the nearby farms. The ruins of Grimmbold Manor have long been a source of local legend and rumor, although none have been brave enough to actually return to the ruined keep.
Greenhollow’s residents live a comfortable, if somewhat endangered life. Most of the evil tribes that conspired to destroy Grimmbold Manor now fight amongst themselves and the numerous members of the battle-hardened Greenhollow Watch can generally ensure the safety of the town and the surrounding farms. Little contact with the wider world is had, making visitors a rare sight, with non-humans even more so. Due to the lack of support from the Union or any of the other powers that be, the independent and proud people of Greenhollow have little love for the powers that be. War with the tribes in the region, especially the prolific kobolds, is a constant with the people of Greenhollow making it so that most people are at least somewhat proficient with a blade.
I’ll provide more information as requested. I’ll also give out more specific details about an NPC or a location once it comes up.
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Sorry about my absence, I was visiting some friends.
It looks like it'll be a while before a logical entry point will be available so I'll start another mini-game thread for you guys to get to know each other and your characters. I'll have a story for you guys that may or may not be incorporated into the main plot. I'll try to get that thread up later tonight.
I would rather move directly into the main plot when a suitable point arrives. Grimmbold Manor is where I'd like to be, and I am better prepared to watch and wait.
We have been down the route of two players plus DM once before and it didn't really work.
I understand that's not what you want to hear but I have been messed about in a few games recently.
Cheers
No, I understand. Besides, just waiting a while to introduce you is easier for me anyway. I can probably add you in relatively soon, although Tzoltan will have to wait until they get back to Greenhollow.
French Wolf
On another note, how do you want to enter Grimmbold Manor? Why might you be hanging around or come to visit the place?
That's cool. I'll just lurk for a while.
Outcast cleric to DM
However he is also on the run from the dwarves, for stealing a parcel of magic. For that reason, Arodwumm looks at the manor as a place to hide from the world.
His entering the manor could be one of the following;
1) He simply walked in and with mad luck (or cunning) avoided harm. That would make the party suspicious.
2) He was part of another party of adventurers who found a different way in and were massacred.
3) He has been co-opted by the kobolds to guard a way in or room, they view his madness differently and one of their leaders seeks to understand when the Black Night is due.
Some ideas,
Cheers
Arodwumm
French Wolf