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From the ashes of the Greyhawk Wars, Iuz the Evil has gathered many new lands into his foul clutches. Avaricious eyes now covet the noble kingdom of Furyondy to the south. Iuz plots with diverse and devious plans as he preys from his throne in Dorakaa, the City of Skulls. Invasion is inevitable unless someone can thwart those well laid plans with guile and strength.
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This is a recruitment thread for a fifth edition DnD game set in the World of Greyhawk along the border between Furyondy and Iuz. I am looking for 5 first level characters to adventure under the constant threat of renewed war with the forces of evil.
My Expectations
Primarily players should be interested in the role-play aspects of the game, although tense combat and some party exploration will be involved. The start is loosely based on an old Greyhawk module called “Border Watch”, but I intend to tinker with the plot and encounters using the new rules. However remember that role-play is purely for the game and those chosen, try to avoid posting “in character” in this recruitment thread. I’ll spend some time looking at your previous postings to get an idea of your gaming style (if we haven’t gamed before).
Anyone applying should read and re-read this post, so that they do not make the mistake of asking unnecessary questions, something which is a bad recruitment technique in my eyes. Also I’ll help where I can to ensure characters fit with the area and atmosphere of the lands under threat. There is some information and links in the Campaign Info to help with this. Good characters should be based on a strong background with the opportunity to contribute in many ways. My most favourite characters also show they can develop and grow with their adventures.
The game is using Fifth edition and not Pathfinder for lots of reasons. Mostly it is because I want to keep maps to a minimum and exploit the “theatre of the mind” approach instead. Previous pbps I’ve run have shown me that I do not have the skills or time to employ maps but the reduced number of rules means I’ll find it easier to give you folks the benefit of the doubt during descriptive combat instead.
A point about anyone with a strong knowledge of the Flanaess. Although I am an experienced DM (and previously a writer for Living Greyhawk in the UK/Onnwal region) with a love of the Flanaess, I am sure there are others with far greater knowledge so look on Greyhawk canon as something I support rather than follow religiously.
One thing I wish to stress is that play by post games require effort. Real life issues can be serious and we all get that, but nine times out of ten it’s a matter of habit and courtesy to keep posting or let the DM know why not. People should not apply if they are used to not posting on a daily basis. Many of the games I am in are slow because no matter what promises people have made they have not stuck to them. I expect every player to post daily during the week, I hope for more but that is the minimum. Five minutes or more every day doesn’t seem like such a large commitment but the energy and tempo of the game depends on exactly that. If anyone fails to post daily, without letting me know in advance then I will begin to doubt their commitment. Do it again and I’ll start thinking about replacing them so that the game does not suffer in the long run. I promise to put as much in - if not more since this is a joint responsibility. So along with the five players, a small number of reserves are going to be chosen who will definitely be called upon in the event of a player dropping out.
Lastly my aim is for the game to last until August 2015 and then there will be a chance to finish or not depending on how well things are going.
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Character Creation
1) No evil or chaotic neutral characters please.
2) Use the dice pool method, assigning 24d6 to the six stats, using between 3d6 and 6d6 for each one first, i.e. Str/Dex/Con 3d6; Int 6d6; Wis/Cha 5d6. Total the best three dice for each of your final stats. Complete rerolls are allowed if the previous result was a PC with +0 total modifier before racial bonuses. Since mixed level parties were commonplace for these adventures back in the day, I have no problem with anyone rolling “super” or dud stats.
3) Choose or create a suitable PC following the PHB. Some of the info is also contained in the Free Basic Rules and we can help with anything else you may need. Note that I am fine with someone wanting to adapt or create their own background, ideals, personality and flaws but they must seek my approval first. A clear concise character alias is a good idea.
4) Hit points will be maximum for each level.
5) Feats can be taken. I prefer not to allow multicasting at this stage. That might change in time but until we’ve played for a while I will not know for sure.
6) Equipment must be chosen based on background and class rather than roll for wealth and spend. Everything is very expense to buy in the starting town so PCs have the advantage of good gear at the beginning.
6) Trinkets can be rolled for or simply created too.
7) I would appreciate knowing what time zone the player is in and how many games they post in as a player or GM.
* * *
Selection Of the Heroes
Recruitment finishes on Sunday 14th September at 9pm UK time. During the following day I’ll choose the five adventurers and the reserves. The game will start on Tuesday 16th. So take your time and give it your best shot!
dotting for interest
Dotting for an Elven Oath of the Ancients Paladin outlander background
STR 12
DEX 11+2= 13
CON 10
INT 13
WIS 8 +1=9
CHA 14
14
10
13
9
14
16
Looks like I'm gonna be a cha character. Will probably do a warlock or sorcerer, with a lower possibility of being a bard.
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Can we rearrange after the rolls or do we have to do them in the order they are rolled. For example, could scranford swap the 17 into strength and the 15 in Cha?
No swopping Wondering Monster, I'm afraid. I have always liked seeing what people do with a slightly unusual set of stats. Point buy tends to mean high Dex, low Int characters for me, for example.
Looks like you have a pretty solid set of rolls. I'd be happy to see either divine characters. If you have any questions about the setting let me know.
Hi,
These are my rolls :
Strength ---> 15
Dexterity ---> 13
Constitution ---> 14
Intelligence ---> 13
Wisdom ---> 15
Charisma ---> 12
Holy smoke ! That's nice !
I was aiming for a figther, but now I have to look at my options.
Anyway, I haven't rolled such good stats since a long time ^_^ (it reminds me of the good old days of AD&D 1.0).
Yes. I'm definitely interested in fighter, though.
French Wolf, are you using the Variant Trait for (Race= )Humans which is mentioned in the Free Basic Rules (I haven't bought the PHB yet) ?
I feel inspired. My character will be from the Folk Hero background - "he led a militia to fight off a roving band of orcs which was swooping down on his home village".
I have an emerging background for him, but it's getting late here (I live in Rennes, a city in Brittany, France) so I'm gonna hit the sack. I'll endeavor to write his story tomorrow.
Cheers !
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm interesting methods
Something iconic that doesn't work at all in PF then.
Wood elf Druid
wisdom 16
dexterity 14
Int 12
Con 11
Cha 14
Str 10
Str 10
Dex 16
Con 11
Int 12
Wis 17
Cha 14
I can work with that.
Str 14
Dex 10
Con 13
Int 9
Wis 14
Cha 16
Looks like I'm gonna play a half-elf Warlock (not sure on patron yet, but probably won't be fey, if just to shake up expectations a bit).
I'm currently exploring the possibilities of playing a melee warlock...
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I am looking at the book and leaning toward Druid.
Go for it, its one of my favourite classes and I'll like to see how they measure up next to some of the others we have tried so far. I've always felt that they provide a great deal of flexibility with their spells and flavour.
Last night I checked through the first adventure for you to see if it was heavily urban, but no there are plenty of encounters in natural terrain.
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I feel inspired. My character will be from the Folk Hero background - "he led a militia to fight off a roving band of orcs which was swooping down on his home village".
I have an emerging background for him, but it's getting late here (I live in Rennes, a city in Brittany, France) so I'm gonna hit the sack. I'll endeavor to write his story tomorrow.
Cheers !
There is a really good example of such a character in scranford game, called Bor Bersk. His character and "voice" seem to just flow easily.
I live in the Channel Islands in Guernsey, not so very far from you in Brittany. As you may have guessed, I'm a Brit. For all of you applying, As a general rule, I try to post early and/or late in the day.
Keep them coming, especially would like to see some arcane and stealthy characters to go with these chaps;
scranford - elven paladin
Wondering Monster - druid
Vrog Skyreaver - half-elf warlock
Quiche Lisp - folk hero fighter
Sai Ling - ?
Cheers
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Str 14
Dex 10
Con 13
Int 9
Wis 14
Cha 16Looks like I'm gonna play a half-elf Warlock (not sure on patron yet, but probably won't be fey, if just to shake up expectations a bit).
I'm currently exploring the possibilities of playing a melee warlock...
I've only ever seen one with a longspear so colour me interested, Vrog.
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For the pointed ears brigade this is lifted From the Ashes sourcebook.
"Elves have a strong presence in Veluna that works unstintingly for good. Those in Furyondy are vigilant against evil. The elves of the Highfolk bow no knee to Iuz....."
Another snippet, the King of Furyondy won a famous battle outside his capital with help from many other forces against Iuz. Probably some of these allies remained in the Kingdom over the last months, recovering or helping in the aftermath of the War.
Quiche Lisp here.
I'm in the process of writing my proposed character's backstory.
I will have Gareth Blacksmith's stats online this evening or tomorrow.
In the meantime, feel free to peak at his story, French Wolf. It's by no means complete, though.
Ho, and if you see some grammatical or syntaxic errors, do not hesitate to point them to me, if you feel like it. English is not my native language.
Forgive the recycled character, I'll be updating her profile shortly.
(AKA Sai Ling)
Wood Elf
Druid 1
Guild Artisan
Strength 10 0
Dexterity 16 +3
Constitution 11 0
Intelligence 12 +1/+3
Wisdom 17 +3/+5
Charisma 14 +2
Tools-Herbalism Kit, Alchemist's Supplies
Skills-Insight, Persuasion, Perception, Survival
Languages-Common, Elven, Druidic, Sylvan
Leather Armor+Wooden Shield (AC 16)
Scimitar (+5, 1d6+3)
Mistletoe (druidic focus)
Herbalism kit (bought with cash from Background)
Alchemist's supplies
Letter of Introduction (alchemist's guild)
Traveller's Clothes
Explorer's pack (backpack, bedroll, mess kit, waterskin, tinderbox, 50' rope, 10 torches, 10 days rations)
Thorn Whip - range 30' +5, 1d6+pull Large or smaller creature up to 10' towards me
Guidance - touch, concentration, add 1d4 to one ability check
Detect Magic
Detect Poison and Disease
Cure Wounds
Entangle
Personality: I always want to know how things work and what makes people tick.
Ideal: My talents were given to me so that I could use them to benefit the world.
Bond: I will get revenge on the evil forces that destroyed my place of business and ruined my livelihood.
Flaw: Now that I've returned to the world, I enjoy its delights a little too much (borrowed from Hermit - makes sense with backstory)
Feature: Guild Membership: alchemist's guild.
People rarely think of alchemists in the wilderness, but so many of the exotic substances required come from rare plants and animals, or minerals that are found only in remote locations. Istiel grew up in a tiny elven settlement deep in the Vesve Forest. The settlement had no formal ruler, but the effective leader was an alchemist named Ardainn, who kept close ties to the alchemist's guild, and provided many rare and exotic supplies to his brethren in the great cities of the Flaneass. The caravans he sent out returned with useful tools and trinkets that the elves themselves did not wish to manufacture.
Istiel grew up hunting and tending the forest, but also searching for the herbs that would fetch such high prices, and she caught Ardainn's attention because of her skill with herbs and her devotion to the forest itself. In many ways, he saw her as a mirror of himself, and he began to teach her his craft.
As part of her apprenticeship, she went deeper into the forest in search of the rare ingredients, and in doing so, she came in contact with some of the area's fae denizens. It was from them that her devotion to the forest became mystical, and as she learned the science of alchemy from Ardainn, she learned the mystic rites of druidism from the fae.
In fact, she was with the fae when orcs (or more campaign-suitable bad guys) came upon the village and sacked it. She returned with a parcel of supplies for Ardainn to find the buildings that had been lovingly grown from living trees over centuries burned to the ground, the inhabitants slain or enslaved, and the sacred groves defiled. Though the raiders took everything of value they could find, they did not find Ardainn's laboratory. Istiel went there to mourn, and discovered a letter Ardainn had written, introducing Istiel to the alchemist's guild as a journeywoman who had completed her apprenticeship. It was dated three days previous to the raid.
After a few days, she returned to the fae who had taught her so much, and they commiserated with her, but it was not in their nature to care deeply about the problems even of elves. Soon, she realized that to stay among them, she must adopt their carefree, uncaring life, and she knew that she could not. She told them she must seek revenge on those who had defiled her home, and she set out to do so.
I have a quick question:
Would you allow me to take a shield in place of a simple weapon from my list of starting gear?
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Quiche Lisp here.
I'm in the process of writing my proposed character's backstory.
I will have Gareth Blacksmith's stats online this evening or tomorrow.
In the meantime, feel free to peak at his story, French Wolf. It's by no means complete, though.
Ho, and if you see some grammatical or syntaxic errors, do not hesitate to point them to me, if you feel like it. English is not my native language.
Don't worry about syntax or grammar, its okay by me. And a hundred times better than my french.
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Forgive the recycled character, I'll be updating her profile shortly.
(AKA Sai Ling)
Wood E
Druid 1
Guild ArtisanStrength 10 0
Dexterity 16 +3
Constitution 11 0
Intelligence 12 +1/+3
Wisdom 17 +3/+5
Charisma 14 +2** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **...
Nice work Sai Ling. I'll come back with any questions when I've a chance to absorb the information. I would suggest that the orcs are tainted by the forces of chaos or better yet at least led by someone identifiable - a ready made nemesis.
For now and for everyone, you need to come up with a plausible job in Greatwall preferably with an NPC or two.
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Here is my Druid
Crunch and Background are in the profile.
The crunch is very good. The background needs more flesh. I would try to tie the four parts of the background more to the story at the end. Also I prefer to see more on why he was abandoned and why. What happened to his family and did he just ignore them ever since. Who or what did he meet, some NPCs would be good. Then when you have him all fleshy and he leaves the woods. I get that he left and why, I get that he had a massive culture shock but how did he get to Greatwall and what is he doing there now? What are his plans to aid the greater good or some such.
You have the beginnings of a good character of Obad hai - thanks for including his god by the way.
Cheers
I took moderately armored for my feat =)
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Here is my Druid
Crunch and Background are in the profile.
The crunch is very good. The background needs more flesh. I would try to tie the four parts of the background more to the story at the end. Also I prefer to see more on why he was abandoned and why. What happened to his family and did he just ignore them ever since. Who or what did he meet, some NPCs would be good. Then when you have him all fleshy and he leaves the woods. I get that he left and why, I get that he had a massive culture shock but how did he get to Greatwall and what is he doing there now? What are his plans to aid the greater good or some such.
You have the beginnings of a good character of Obad hai - thanks for including his god by the way.
Cheers
So I fluffed out Omar's story a bit more. I am really feeling this character.
I added a chapter to Gareth Blacksmith's story.
Hopefully, tomorrow I wrap up the crunch (minus the feats, which I don't know anything about yet) and the story.
Also, I'd like to reassure you, French Wolf, that I'm not trying to slip a magic item (the black beast-head pendant) on the sly.
The black pendant doesn't need to be magic to operate in the story. It's here for flavor and mystery - totally a plot hook :-).
Nice work Sai Ling. I'll come back with any questions when I've a chance to absorb the information. I would suggest that the orcs are tainted by the forces of chaos or better yet at least led by someone identifiable - a ready made nemesis.
For now and for everyone, you need to come up with a plausible job in Greatwall preferably with an NPC or two.
Then I only have one question.
Shall I invent a nemesis, or is there a suitable villain in the campaign already that you'd like to use? Either way, you have a ready-made hook to bait me with, but I'd rather not step on your toes creatively.
I expect Istiel will be continuing her work in Greatwall, as an alchemist/herbalist/brewer of healing potions. Though she's a solid second rank combatant at this point, she doesn't quite see herself as an adventurer ... yet.
let the dice decide my wizard...
str=10
dex=10
con=15
int=16
wis=10
cha=16
Now to build my wizard (or warlock)...
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So I fluffed out Omar's story a bit more. I am really feeling this character.Here is my Druid
Crunch and Background are in the profile.
The crunch is very good. The background needs more flesh. I would try to tie the four parts of the background more to the story at the end. Also I prefer to see more on why he was abandoned and why. What happened to his family and did he just ignore them ever since. Who or what did he meet, some NPCs would be good. Then when you ha? What are his plans to aid the greater good or some such.
You have the beginnings of a good character of Obad hai - thanks for including his god by the way.
Cheers
Better.
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I added a chapter to Gareth Blacksmith's story.
Hopefully, tomorrow I wrap up the crunch (minus the feats, which I don't know anything about yet) and the story.
It's obvious you had fun writing all that. Feats are pretty powerful in this edition, most rock so you should work out what sort you want and I'll come up with some suggestions.
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Then I only have one question.Shall I invent a nemesis, or is there a suitable villain in the campaign already that you'd like to use? Either way, you have a ready-made hook to bait me with, but I'd rather not step on your toes creatively.
I expect Istiel will be continuing her work in Greatwall, as an alchemist/herbalist/brewer of healing potions. Though she's a solid second rank combatant at this point, she doesn't quite see herself as an adventurer ... yet.
You invent your own orcblooded monster and the same with an apothecary in the stronghold.
Hey French Wolf! I am thinking Half-Elf Rogue, Criminal Background. I will start to roll him up now.
I am EST time Zone, and I can post daily.
Here we go...
(10)
(14+1=15)
(11+1=12)
(11)
(13)
(12+2=14)
Building rest of crunch now...
I present Vic Lofliss for consideration.
Hmm...
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Welcome to the thread, Narnel, tribeof1 and F.Castor. The more the merrier.
Narnel - I know you can play a rogue, so I'm looking forward to reading Vic later this morning.
tribeof1 - If memory serves me right, Iuz dispossessed many of the wolf and tiger nomads from those countries during the Greyhawk Wars. That would make a suitable human outlander. Otherwise there is are the "viking" style barbarians of the north. But how or why you travelled this far would make a fine story - and they definitely fit with Tempest and Kord. I'm sure you have your own ideas too but I hope that helps the juices flow.
F.Castor - jump in, the water's murky.
Cheers
I will admit to being ambivalent about putting up a submission, mostly because I am not entirely familiar with 5th Edition. Still, I am reading up on it, so I should decide soon enough.
As far as a concept is concerned, I am thinking about a High Elf Fighter with the Eldritch Knight archetype and the Noble background (of course, this is an early character idea and as such it is subject to change).
Nevertheless, I may as well get the rolls out of the way (no racial bonuses just yet).
Edit: Not bad, not bad at all. And since I generally prefer finesse to force (as hinted by the fact that I chose to roll 6d6 for Dexterity), these will do nicely. Pretty decent Constitution and Intelligence as well. :-)
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F. Castor comment prompts this.
My knowledge of fifth is imperfect. I read the PHB and basic rules but didn't take part in the playtest so I've only got a few months knowledge of the way this game runs.
Plus I've watched many hours of games on the Lost Mine adventure in the starter set to see other peoples interpretation too. But I get the impression that there are going to be discussions (in the discussion thread) about some aspects of the combat. From what I have run though, I find the lack of detailed Pathfinder rules refreshing and it definitely makes my job easier. If we come across a corner case, we can sort it and move on I'm sure. So don't be too concerned folks, I'm not.
Cheers
A question: Are dual wielding and spellcasting mutually exclusive under 5th Edition rules?
I have been playing 5E with my tabletop group for about three weeks, and it is outstanding! The simplicity harkens back to 2nd Edition, and the fact that you are incorporating Greyhawk really gets me fired up! I cannot wait until they deliver the updated setting for Greyhawk. I hear it is in the works.
@F. Castor: I do not generally run casters, but I think that the answer is that it depends upon whether the spell has a somatic component from a gaming mechanic. However, a caster can indeed weild two weapons under the rules. I just am not certain that its benefits outweigh its drawback. I think that there is a thread dedicated to this issue on the WoTC forums.
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Feel free to jump in chaps if I miss something but as far as I can see the answer is no.
Anyone can wield two weapons if the second one is light. A couple of issues are that the second weapon attack is a bonus action and you only get one of those a round. Also if the spells have a somatic component then you need a hand free.
In case you don't have the PHB yet, there is a fighter archetype - eldritch knight which gets spells at third level along with a weapon bond. The bond doesn't give much back (other than the ability to summon your weapon quickly) until higher levels. It casts off Intelligence.
EDIT: ninja'ed by a rogue while looking at a book, very sneaky but thanks Narnel.