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Hello everyone. I have a few days free this week, so I thought I might try to get another Blue Rose PBP game going. Before I wanted to be a player, but I'll pick up the DM mantle once more.
Besides a d20, having a deck of tarot cards would be great for this game. I recommend the Shadowscapes Tarot since it is by one of the artists who worked on the Rule Book.
Anyway, post character concepts here. (It might help to generate your calling/light and shadow natures first, but go with your favorite character concept.) I am playing with the idea of beginning characters at 2nd level.
I think the mention of Tarot cards has put people off. Can one play if one doesn't have a set?
You might want to state:
whether traits are allowed
attribute generation
campaign setting
etc
What is Blue Rose?
Hope this helps. :)
I am interested but don't have access to my books until later this week.
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Blue Rose is the first campaign produced for the True 20 game, by Green Ronin. It is also known as the Game of Romantic Fantasy Roleplay, as it specifically calls to themes and issues present in Romantic Fantasy novels.
Here is more information: Blue Rose: The Roleplaying Game of Romantic Fantasy
If one does not have a Tarot deck, you can still play. As card draws can be simulated by d22 and d56 rolls.
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I am not sure that I will be running this in the official Blue Rose lands, but definitely something similar, perhaps even the same planet.
The unicorn stepped delicately into the circle of standing stones at the edge of the Renn Forest, greeting the vata that stood there with a soft touch to her mind. The woman turned swiftly, her white blond hair flashing in the moonlight.
***What are you doing here?*** The soft voice flowed from the unicorn's mind to the vata before him. Her midnight amethyst eyes widened in response, and she struggled to prevent from crying as the beautiful, majestic stallion before her.
"The... the ogres are marching again. I need to know why... Is a sorcerer king still controlling them?" The long robe she wore was in the royal blue and silver colors of the nearby city of Galasthin, a silver circlet held her white hair out of her face.
The unicorn shook his head. ***I am called Simnolus. I know of these ogres you speak of, but I do not know why they move. The tower of the Red Warlock has been still for many years.*** He traipsed around the circle of standing menhirs in a graceful dance, enchanting the woman within them by his movements.
With a nod that barely revealed the pointed ears that marked her as part of an older race than humanity, the woman thanked her new companion. "I am Jala. I've come to these stones to enhance my Sight. Perhaps then I can determine why the ogres march in such strange ways."
***You are an Adept, then. I thought I sensed your power. These stones may help you, but you will need to access their power in trance.*** Simnolus approached Jala swiftly, too swiftly for her to respond adequately and she found herself ensnared in the unicorn's infinitely wise sapphire eyes. It seemed as though all the starry sky was reflected in them. ***I shall keep guard for you, if you wish.***
Jala could only nod silently, unable to take her eyes from the unicorn's. He finally broke away and cantered to the border beyond the stones themselves. Jala allowed herself to slip into the Sight, feeling the arcane energies that flowed through the menhirs. The powers were as deep and profoundly set in the earth as they were in her soul, and she could feel the arcane energies subtly flowing through her, draining her, wanting her lifeforce to cement their bond to the earth and the stones around her. ***Now, Jala. Trance Now.***
Jala did as the unicorn urged in her mind, facing the dark near-death experience that came whenever she slipped beneath the conscious realm. Her body crumpled to the ground as her mind closed itself to the surroundings, focusing only on the arcane powers that now freely flowed through her. Her mind could now channel them into what she needed to procure: the Sight. She felt her spirit start to leave her body, or perhaps more accurately, just her visual and auditory awareness of the world. Energy still hummed in her ears, cracled like lightning across her field of vision, but she could alter the energy, shape it, and force it to obey her will. Though at the cost of fatigue. She could not stay conscious for long if she maintained such energy. Keeping this in mind, she gathered her awareness for what she next needed to do.
***Gently, Jala. You have time. The ogres will not march tonight.*** Jala sent a mental reassurance back to the unicorn, or she tried to, and lifted her awareness swiftly into the sky above her. Her vision and hearing flew across the Forest of Renn, seeking out the campfires from the ogre army. There! Though it weakened her further she sent her awareness down to investigate. The ogres' tents were filthy, some with the blood of enemies or mud from the rivers they were dragged through. But to these, Jala gave little care. She searched for something which stood out. There, a gleaming golden shield. And standing between the torches placed in front of it, a beautiful woman in a gown of black silk with blood amethysts.
***Do not strain yourself too much, my dear. You will need time to recover.*** Jala ignored the unicorn's warning this time, descending her awareness to the ground near the jewel-bedecked woman. If she had not been trained in other arcana, perhaps she might have thought that was all she was, but she recognized almost immediately that this woman was a magical disguise for something much fouler. Still, Jala's curiosity forced her to remain.
"Well now, Lord Cryfors, of the Kendam, or Sir Thorinels of the City of Devarash. Which of you will gather this fine army for your own pursuits? The costs have been laid out. You need only produce the wealth you promised and the entire army will be yours. A thousand ogres, strong brutes to dominate your enemies. Will you be its controller or its victim?" The woman's voice seemed gentle enough, but the words spoken chilled Jala through her core. ***Return now, Jala. The Vision takes its toll!***
Jala wanted to stay longer, to hear what else the woman would offer, but she could hear her own heartbeat now, weakening. She had used too much power, drained her own lifeforce. The Vision ended. The power dispersed. But Jala did not know what happened next as she fell unconscious.
Simnolus entered the circle of stones, slowly, ensuring that the energy had indeed been grounded and knelt down on the ground beside Jala's body. With a touch of his horn, he restored Jala to consciousness, though she was significantly weak. It would take time to heal. "There is no time. We must hurry!" Jala's hoarse whisper pulled at Simnolus's core, and he held still as she urged herself onto the unicorn's back. ***Hold on, if you are able, Jala. We make for the City of Galasthin.*** Jala could barely nod. Others would have to be informed.
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I don't like the Kingdom of Aldea or its surrounding lands, so I'm going to make a campaign here from scratch, but based on the Blue Rose game ideas.
The City of Galasthin is where most of the Vata live, both Vata'an and Vata'sha, in relative peace. There are temples here devoted to the Gods of Light and the Gods of Shadow. The outer walls of Galasthin are white with royal blue roofing on the towers, and silver and blue banners. Galasthin is a metropolis on the western shore against the Silent Seas.
The humans are mostly scattered in towns, cities, and smaller kingdoms to the east. Since the Vata rely on their arcane powers for the most part, they are considered significantly more powerful than the humans of the lands, whose Adepts learned their magic from the Vata. If you're making a human character, feel free to create the specifics of your origins along with your background.
Also, if you are not that familiar with the Blue Rose rules, just let me know what type of character you would like to play, and I'll make the rules work to support it. That's one of the beautiful things I like about Blue Rose is that the rules make it easier to tell stories of heroic struggles and emotionally complex tales (a genre known as Romantic Fantasy). I also would like to make the game more about story-telling than dice rolling, and PBP make that much easier to do.
For that reason, Toughness saves will be replaced by Toughness Rating of 10 + archetype (class) and feat bonuses, and attack damage will be resolved by a Damaging roll against that Toughness rating.
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Night People and Sorcerer Kings: As Sorcerer Kings are still an active presence on the Continent of Gymaralia, Night People are pretty active in the mountainous regions of the continent. If you would like to play a Night Person, you have recently left the service of one such Sorcerer King (or perhaps you are on a secretive mission for one).
One of the most prominent Sorcerer Kings in the western half of Gymaralia is the Red Warlock. But there may be others.
Rhydan: Those who wish to play a Rhydan may also choose to be a Drake Rhydan. A Drake is a small flying lizard that looks like a dragon, but is barely large enough to sit on a human's shoulder. A Drake has all the same powers as the other Rhydan.
Sea-Folk and Dolphins are not good character races for this campaign, as their water-dependency would be more of a hindrance.
How different from True20 is Blue Rose? I have wanted to try True20.
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Blue Rose is different from True20 in a few ways. I can't think of them all at the moment, but I think the two major ways are in the Arcana system which Blue Rose uses. Instead of spells per day, or the vancian spell system used in True20, arcana are basically magical feats that can be used at will, or with fatiguing results.
In my campaign, I will allow the Sorcerer class to be taken as a "prestige" class by any characters wishing to find the books to allow them to do so. The Sorcerer class does employ vancian spells.
The other way it is different is due to the alignment system. Blue Rose has three alignments (Light, Twilight, or Neutral) instead of the nine used in True20.
Sorry. I about forgot about this one. I'll see if I can dig out my Blue Rose books and come up with something. Always wanted to try this anyway.
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Cool. If you want to play a human, let me know about your first impressions and I'll come up with something besides the favored skills and feats that most human cultures have in the Blue Rose rulebook.
In other words, humans have other starting abilities. (I am actually borrowing these from Iron Heroes, but so far its working out well). They do still get the extra skill and feat at 1st level. =)
I am also using Pathfinder skillpoints instead of the Blue Rose skillpoint system.
I'm thinking about a Rhy-Cat Psychic...but I've got to read up a little more first.
Is that the same as a regular Rhy-Cat, or different size / Stats / etc.?
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The Winged Cat is smaller. The stats are in the back of the book. :) I think they are Tiny. A Rhy-Cat is Small.
Stats:
Str -4, Dex +2, Int -4, Wis +1, Cha -2
Low-light vision, scent
Rhydin traits
Speed 30 ft. fly 40 ft. (good)
Bonus Feat: Weapon Finesse
2 Claws natural weapons (1d20-5, crit. 20/-4)
Tiny grants +2 bonus to defense and to hit, and size bonuses to sneak skill.
Both Winged Cats and Drakes have -2 Toughness Rating. I think this is also a size penalty, but its not clear in the rulebook. Its just a racial modifier.
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Blue Rose is different from True20 in a few ways. I can't think of them all at the moment, but I think the two major ways are in the Arcana system which Blue Rose uses. Instead of spells per day, or the vancian spell system used in True20, arcana are basically magical feats that can be used at will, or with fatiguing results.
In my campaign, I will allow the Sorcerer class to be taken as a "prestige" class by any characters wishing to find the books to allow them to do so. The Sorcerer class does employ vancian spells.
The other way it is different is due to the alignment system. Blue Rose has three alignments (Light, Twilight, or Neutral) instead of the nine used in True20.
This should have said Light, Twilight, or Shadow... not Neutral.
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Cool. Starting characters have 6 points to split between their abilities, which all start at +0. So, for example, you could put four points in one ability, and 2 points in another, so they would be +2 and +4, or one point in all six abilities.
These are the six ability scores from D&D, Pathfinder. Str, Con, Dex, Int, Wis, Cha.
A Drake actually has the following ability score racial modifiers, due to his or her size: Str -2, Dex +2, Con +1, Int +0, Wis +1, Cha +0. You can add four points to these scores anywhere you like.
I know I said six points above, but Rhydin characters only have four points to add to ability scores. :( I had to look it up.
Once you've determined that, I can probably put your character together and see if you approve. Most of the roles have kits they start with, but you're welcome to make changes to feat and skill selection if you like.
I will just need to know your character's alignment, main motivation and light and shadow natures. We can generate those randomly if nothing springs to mind. The main motivation is known as the Calling, and it correlates in the tarot to a major arcana card. You can roll a d22 to similate a random selection if you like, or come up with something enjoyable for you and I'll find the best one. The light and shadow natures correlate to the minor arcana cards in the tarot. They are emotional behaviors that are generally considered good or evil in nature. Depending on your alignment, following those natures will gain you Conviction, which you can use for various things like action points.
Thank you for your reply.
Instead of spells per day, or the vancian spell system used in True20…
Huh?
…instead of the nine used in True20.
O.k. You are obviously not familiar with True20. It's cool. I shall lurk.
No worries. I have True20, I do not have Blue Rose. It was my understanding that True20 was largely based on Blue Rose. So I thought I might be able to get by.
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You might look at the Fast Play rules on the website I posted above. That might answer your questions. The galleries aren't online anymore, but most of the written stuff, the previews and the like, are still there.
Also, if you're interested in playing a romantic fantasy character, I'll help with any rules. I want the game to be more cooperative story telling than anything else, though I know that doesn't appeal to everyone. That's the greatest strength (and weakness) about Blue Rose Fantasy Game.
You're welcome to lurk in any case... =)
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Cool... do you want to put 3 points in each Wisdom and Intelligence then. I'll go ahead and build the character this way.
Drake Expert (Noble) 1
Light-aligned
Conviction: 3
Calling: The Hanged Man, or Inner Peace
Light nature: generous
Shadow nature: idle
-DEFENSES-
Defense: 20, flat-footed 16, touch 16 (+2 size, +2 dodge, +4 natural, +2 Dex)
Toughness: 9
Fort: +1, Ref +4, Will +6
-OFFENSE-
Speed: 15 ft, fly 60 ft (good)
Melee: bite +4 (1d20-2, crit. 20/-1)
-STATISTICS-
Str -2, Dex +2, Con +1, Int +3, Wis +4, Cha +0
Base Atk +0, Wealth +8, Reputation +1
ARCANA
Mind Touch 1+0=1
--You can telepathically communicate, telepathically aid, or enter
--rapport with another character.
Psychic Shield 1+4=5
--You can shield your mind from psychic influences.
Second Sight 1+4=5
--You can sense the use and lingering effects of arcana.
SKILLS
Bluff 4+0=4
--You can make the outlandish seem probable and otherwise deceive
--others.
Concentration 4+4=8
--You can focus your mind and concentrate on arcana and the like
--despite distraction.
Diplomacy 4+0=4
--You're skilled in dealing with people, through proper etiquette and
--a way with words and public speaking.
Gather Information 4+0=4
--You know how to make contacts, collect gossip and rumors, question
--informants, and otherwise gather information.
Intimidate 4+0=4
--You know how to use threats to get others to cooperate with you.
Knowledge (Nobility) 4+3=7
--You know noble lineages, heraldry, and personalities.
Notice 4+4=8
--You notice and perceive things.
Search 4+3=7
--You can search an area for clues or hidden items.
Sense Motive 4+4=8
--You can tell someone's true motives by paying attention to body
--language, inflection, and your own intuition.
FEATS
Psychic Talent (bonus)
--Use Mind Touch, Psychic Shield, and Second Sight arcana untrained.
Weapon Finesse (bonus)
--Allows dexterity instead of strength for light weapons.
Favors
--You know people who can help you out from time to time.
Inspire Competence
--With a standard action, grant nearby characters +2 to skill
--checks. Can only be used once per day.
Inspire Courage
--With a standard action, grant nearby characters +1 saves against
--fear and doubt, and +1 to attack and damage.
Wealthy
--Increases wealth by +3 once.
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Anybody else need help with their characters?
For an idea of the size of drakes, take a look at this cover promoting a Pathfinder Version of them. LINK
I..actually have this exact tarot deck so....yes, I'm very interested. I've had the pdf book for a while, but never got around to reading it. I'll go ahead and look up character creation, if that's okay with you. :D
Anybody else need help with their characters?
For an idea of the size of drakes, take a look at this cover promoting a Pathfinder Version of them. LINK
I will probably need some help due to lack of time...{Dang Herolab has spoiled me on making characters). I'll look through the book this weekend and come up with a concept. I'm thinking about a blue eyed, blonde Knight in shining armor, since Megan has the intelligent animal spot taken. I like knights too....
I'm thinking a human adept that will later go into summoning (from the companion), if that's allowed. :)
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Yep, it's allowed. =) Glad to see interest back up again.
If we only have three players, I may step in as a DMPC as well. :)
However, this is taking place on a different continent, so the humans will be a little different. The Aldis civilization may exist, but its so far away its not influential in this continent. Instead, the most powerful figures are Vata'an and Vata'sha. (The Great City of Galasthin takes the place of the Aldean Empire).
Humans are scattered throughout the lands, however, so if you want to play a human, you are free to come up with an interesting concept about his or her homeland, or you may originate in the Great City of Galasthin. I'll be glad to help with any specifics you may need for this.
Most of the Rhydin live comfortably with the Vata'an, Vata'sha, and their allies in this city. And when the Sorcerer Kings turned violent in the past, the City provided the necessary defenses. The Sorcerer Kings are still around, but not all are evil, though Sorcery does still have a tainting influence. Sorcery runs a little differently than normal in this campaign. =)
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An overlook of the current continent. It has known borders on seas at all four cardinal directions. In the center is a massive mountain chain, dotted with some of the palaces of the Sorcerer Kings. Nightfolk reside here.
A large lake and marshes to the east. Forests and plains to the west. The City of Galasthin is on the west coast.
I think I'll have her be from the City, if that's alright. :D I'm still reading through the rules, but I should have some more to post here later tonight.
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yep... I'm keeping the Skills from BR, but using the PF skill point system, so you get +3 to class skills. =) Arcana is similar. Trained arcana = adept level +3 + ability modifier. Untrained arcana = adept level + ability modifier.
Toughness Rating is almost exactly like Toughness saves, except you calculate your Toughness save as though you had always rolled a 10. (I hope that clears things up.)