We had our fourth session last night (I haven't put this up on the addy log yet). So far, 4E is a blast to DM for and with the DDI Compendium a breeze to create encounters for. Still working a bit on the encounter balance (most encounters probably have been a bit on the easy side), but otherwise I think it is going well. Players seem to be having a blast.
Posted 13th March 2009 at 06:15 AM bystonegod (Ramblings of the stonegod)
As I did last time I did a system change, I have converted my last PCs into NPCs: In this case, I converted Col Tobinson & Churtle from 3.5 to 4e.
Col Tobinson
Converting Col was a bit tricky as Arcane Power has not come out yet. If it did, I doubt it would have Malconvoker abilities. Col was known for having lots of outsiders fighting for him and always having an escape plan: Col died only once in the entire campaign (in the fight with Big D). Even then, he had a contingency: Churtle, his cohort, with a scroll of wish saved for that occasion. At the end of the game, he is on the run and using magic to mask his presence. I wanted to include all of these elements.
I used the NPC making rules of the DMG as a basis, staring with a 30th level human wizard. Though 3.5e Col was 23rd, 30th seemed right for a 4e version (as that would be the end of the Epic Tier extraplanar part of the Savage Tide). I chose powers similar to those he used often: Meteor Swarm, Time Stop, Disintegrate, etc. Next, I made him elite by applying a "Malconvoker" like template. I based it off of the Death Master, replacing its undead summoning ability with one similar to the Pit Fiend (though adjusted for Col's extra four levels). In addition, I gave Col a 3.5 malconvoker like ability to have his evil minions do more damage (if they are near enough). To deal with the fact that most elites get abilities to attack twice every round, I gave Col the ability to command two of his nearby minions to attack (as a basic attack); they get a +4 bonus to account for Col's level difference to them (they'll all be at least four levels lower if summoned).
The last thing I did for Col was add his "escape hatch": Col's Backup Plan. The power is taken from the Keybearer Epic Destiny in Dragon 372's "Master the Planes" article. Its the perfect Col thing to do: Get out of town when things get rough. I also borrowed Mordain the Fleshweaver's immunity to scrying from the same issue to emulate Col's dependence on 3.5's mind blank to escape detection.
Churtle
Churtle was more straightforward. As a cohort, I did not make her elite. She's pretty much a 26th level kobold warlock straight up. The main things are a resistance to fire and the ability to heat things up with her Channel Hellfire ability: She channels superhot fires of Hell to do extra damage at the cost of hurting herself. A nice homage to the hellfire warlock of Fiendish Codex II.
Posted 13th March 2009 at 05:53 AM bystonegod (Ramblings of the stonegod)
Last weekend, my RL gaming group completed our two year Savage Tide campaign. I played Mad Col Tobinson, malconvoker pirate conjurer; he was accompaigned by his kobold cook warlock Churtle (who Col saved in the first adventure). Here are the final details on those two characters at the end of the game.
Col Tobinson (CR 23)
Male human human conjurer 3/master specialist 4/malconvoker 8/demonwrecker arcane 5
Background
Col was born to a well-off family in Sasserine, an only child. There were tales that his folks may have been scions of the scions of minor nobles going all the way back to Sasserine's founding, but all that was really known is that they had a very small but well kept manor in the Noble District and no particular occupation to speak of. The boy Col, however, was always drawn to the sea. He grew up near, on, and under the water. His youth was not remarkable for one of his middling station. His folks, according to their wealth, paid for him to go to the House of the Dragon. He was a sharp boy, but only passively participated in his studies, only really paying attention to the classes on geography and sailing, though some of the arcane lore classes he snuck into held his fancy. He dropped out when he could finally have gainful employment on the Blue Mistress.
Col was a navigator in and around the waters of Sasserine for almost five decades. His services were used by wealthy captains both legitimate and questionable. Col was well regarded both for his skill and for his discretion. Col also had a keen mind for remembering forgotten grottos, dangerous reefs, and the frightening tales that sailors tell each other. These germs of tales would germinate into the obsession that now grips him.
Col never exactly became rich, but, with his families wealth---which he inherited after their death while he was at sea---money was not his concern. He was not as rich as some of his merchant captains or the others that lived in the Noble District, but he was better off than many. He met many on his travels, such as some of the other PCs. All that changed after the trip on the Midnight Fury.
No one knows what happened on the Midnight Fury. The captain did not post his course with the harbormaster, and only Col survived the journey---and he is not talking. All anyone knows is that was the day Col became Mad Col, the day everything changed.
Col left the sea, burning several bridges as he did so. He burnt through the money he inherited trying to learn the things he needed so desperately to learn. He started with the books only accessible to the wealthy; he even re-enrolled at the House of the Dragon, one of the oldest graduates ever. When they would not have him anymore, he found lore wherever he could, making bargains with disreputable sorts in town. Col would hunt down any speaker of tales or odd sort. He as spent almost every coin on seeking occult knowledge, and now lives almost in a destitute existence. The old manor is in tatters, and his neighbors in the District give him a cold eye whenever he passes. No one will hire him for his sailing skills anymore, though a few secretly seek him out on bits of arcane knowledge about the area they will sail through---just enough to sustain his existence.
All of this was before the Savage Tide... Col does not speak of what happened, though the lore is clear that he played a vital role in the efforts to destroy it. There are conflicting reports of his slaying of Vanthus Vanderboren after the fiend kidnapped his sister. Most agree, however, that he has made many powerful enemies, including fiends of all stripes, powerful wizards of Faerun, and especially the new Prince of Demons, Bin Macabee. Reports of his death appear with regularity, but no trace of Col Tobinson has yet to be found...
Description and Personality
Mad Col is a man in his middle age (mid to late 40s). His looks are much improved over his early mad days, but there is a mania about him. His salt-and-pepper hair is in tangles, and his beard would make a dwarf cry. His hands and face show the signs of a life at sea with permanent creases and a deeply burnt tan. Col has piercing hazel eyes, and strangely enough, all of his teeth (apparently, he likes his citrus). His wears a fine scarlet captain's jacket over crimson robes of power, topped off with a very cunning tricorn hat.
Col is obsessed with forbidden lore almost to the point of monomania. He sees dark signs everywhere, and always has a comment on the strangeness of the world, peppering his speech with such observations. He is quite erudite in his knowledge, even if he expresses it in a course, semi-educated manner. The one thing he absolutely will not talk about is what happened on the Midnight Fury, and asking him about it is a quick way to boil his anger.
Background
Churtle was a very talented cook and poison-maker for her tribe, rarely confusing the two. After being driven out, she fell in with the nefarious Lotus Dragons of Sasserine as their poison maker and cook, a job she did swimmingly. She, however, was not treated particularly well. When the Master and his party invaded the Lotus' hideout, she hid and set up a trap. The Master stopped the angry dwarf from killing her after her trap was triggered, and she swore to serve him forever more.
Churtle had many adventures with the Master. Once, during a hike over the Isle of Dread, they were attacked by gargoyles. She hit one so hard with her frying pan, it indented itself in her pot. From thence on, she dreamed of forming the Interplanar House of Gargoyle-Faced Pancakes. The Master taught her many things, especially the secret of hellfire, which she uses to cook infernal rhubarb pie.
Due to some misunderstanding between the Master and the Prince of Demons after the Savage Tide was stopped, Churtle was left with no way of finding her Master. A bit sad, she consoled herself by finally opening IHoGFP, with headquarters in Sigil. She gets visits from strangers with magical gifts (usually new pots with exotic extraplanar faces embedded with them) ever year, and every so often receives telepathic missives from the Master, but she never saw Col Tobinson again.
Posted 2nd February 2009 at 12:46 AM bystonegod (Ramblings of the stonegod)
Updated 2nd February 2009 at 12:51 AM bystonegod
After the TPK and the end of KotS, our DM had us start up new 4th level PCs. I decided to go with the classic blind seer who gave up sight for knowledge. But can you trust said knowledge when it comes from entities beyond the stars?
Nos Vanthren
Male Half-Elf Star Pact Warlock 4
Initiative: +2, Low-Light, Passive Perception: 19, Passive Insight: 12
HP: 47, Bloodied: 23, Surge: 16, Surges: 11
AC: 16, Fort: 18, Reflex: 15, Will: 18; Ranged attack from more than 5 squares are at -5.
Resist: 5 necrotic, 5 poison
Speed: 6
Eldritch Blast
Dire Radiance Illusory Ambush
Dreadful Word
Frigid Darkness
Ethereal Stride Curse of the Dark Dream
Alignment: Unaligned. Languages: Common, Elven, Deep Speech
Feats: Improved Fate of the Void, Sacrifice to Caiphon, Starfire Womb
Skills: Arcana +12, Diplomacy +8, History +8, Insight +9, Intimidate +11
Abilities: Str 8, Con 20, Dex 10, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 18
Possessions: Dagger, Deathcut Leather +1, Rod of Corruption +1, Adventurer's Kit, Bracers of the Perfect Shot (Heroic), Cloak of Distortion +1, Everburning Torch.
Appearance and Personality
Nos, at first glance, seems unremarkable other than his apparent injury–a thick bandage wrapping his head over his now missing eyes. A passingly handsome half-elf with a goatee and hair that needs tending, Nos otherwise seems unremarkable if unkempt. But at a second glance, the strange force of his otherness becomes clear as he becomes hard to ignore. His clothes bear the trappings of a scholar, though how he can read with his injury cannot be seen.
Nos rarely speaks over a low whisper, as if speaking hurts. Even so, he addresses the speaker directly, his eyesight apparently keen despite his wounds. He is direct and articulate, but almost always seems distracted, as if looking at something just a bit off your shoulder. Nos is very rarely flummoxed, as if he was expecting something to happen.
Background
The Vanthren family is a well-off family in the remains of a former Nerath capital. Merchants mostly, there were several Vanthren scions in the clergy, the Academy, and other lofty heights. Nos was the last son of his particular branch and destined for the Academy, the other positions left for his elder siblings.
While Nos showed an initial talent for magic, he was no star student—he did not have the natural talent for wizardry. However, Nos was always driven by the desire to know things. This predilection for knowledge lead him down other avenues of study, methods that were taboo. Such studies lead him down more circuitous and dangerous paths to the realms of the forbidden, and it was soon after that Nos found himself without eyes, having sacrificed them for the knowledge now gained from his patrons beyond the stars.
Initially, his instructors at the Academy were unaware of Nos' extracurricular activities, only noting his sudden skill at the more esoteric arts. But when his pact was made, the depths of Nos' madness was made clear and he was expelled. Outcast from his family, Nos set out on his own, driven by his thirst to know and the strange visions that haunted his waking hours and plagued his sleepless nights.
Posted 1st February 2009 at 02:36 PM bystonegod (Ramblings of the stonegod)
Updated 1st February 2009 at 02:39 PM bystonegod
Talon, my Dragonborn Paladin of the Raven Queen, met his fate and joined his mistress last Thursday at the culmination of KotS. We had two things go wrong, one our fault, one not:
- First, we shoved the Underpriest from above the final chamber into the final room and he survived. The DM had him fully healed as well after our short rest.
- Second, we only four players (and do so for most of the game) and thus were down on available surges and potential damage output.
The battle was tense, and was close, but when three of your party is down w/ no more surges, no more healing words/etc., and hoping for several Nat 20's (which did happen) while the BBEG is still not bloodied and capable of healing to full essentially given a few rounds, you know you're boned.
C'est la vie. Overall, KotS was an okay run, but far to crunchy w/o a lot of variation. Our DM (new to DMing) is now planning to create some of his own stuff, and I already have a blind half-elf star-lock in the works. One door closes...
Posted 17th August 2008 at 08:27 AM bystonegod (Ramblings of the stonegod)
In my RL Keep on the Shadowfell game, my dragonborn paladin of the Raven Queen just leveled up. Playing him is great: His only interest is tending to the dying and making sure fate is not cheated. Its sort of an Eastern mystic/Euthanatos feeling to him. He's given our party wizard fits by guarding over him at night and proclaiming Good... it was not your time yet. every morning.
Anyway, here is his stats plus his background:
Her Talon of Immaculate Fate
Appearance and Personality
Her Talon is an imposing figure nearing 6'8" in statue. His dragonborn features are concealed under fine dark robes inscribed with runes of the Raven Queen's faith over his solid steel plate armor. His cloak is made out of many fine raven's feathers, he bears a raven's skull amulet, and wears a skull helmet made out of the bones of a dragon or large bird. What draconic features can be seen reveal a male dragonborn with dusky red scales.
Her Talon is taciturn, speaking the fewest words possible and always directly‚ his imposing presence provides all the communication he needs. Her Talon's speech is rife with allusions to death, fate, entropy, and finality. While he appears quite dour, Her Talon is very sanguine about his duty as a paladin of the goddess of Death and Fate.
Background
Her Talon of Immaculate Fate is a contradiction for most dragonborn: The faith of the Raven Queen is not primary amongst them. Her Talon's unusual occupation stems from his parent's stint as guards for itinerant Ravenite clerics. When they had their firstborn, one Ravenite seer said that the child would be instrumental in carrying out their Queen's will; this sealed Her Talon's fate. Because of this, Her Talon's mannerisms seem more humanish than dragonborn, though his obvious otherness does not make him fit exactly in human communities either. This fits Her Talon of Immaculate Fate fine, for his life is his Queen's; issues of "fitting in" and such are only distractions.
Talon met Ostran the halfling tending those passing to his Queen's realm in a no-name town on his travels. The halfling decided that traveling together would be safer than doing so apart and Talon agreed with the ranger's wisdom. Along the way, they joined with the charismatic leader Eldarion and the traveling wizard Arkan and are not traveling as one.
Posted 13th July 2008 at 06:27 AM bystonegod (Ramblings of the stonegod)
Driving back from Memphis the other day (its a long drive) gave me ample time to think of stuff for my planned (and still unnamed) Eberron 4E game (though none of it is 4E specific). Here's the lists as it stands today.
- Characters are hired by the Twelve to go to Xen'drik (not main fiddles; they're 1st?)
- Ice block w/ giant talon
- Primitive warforged guarding something (?)
- Giant ruins
- Two part ritual; defend NPC while its performed
- Release something *BIG* (destroys airship)
- Have to put it back together? Other way back?
- Deal with surviving attack on Stormreach: Big skill challenge (too big to fight it directly)
- Sharn air battle (taxi; airsleds; etc.)
- Zombies
- Imprisoned with trapped ghoul that they don't know until later
- Others?
Any other fun thoughts from the peanut gallery? Run something similar?
Posted 10th July 2008 at 05:03 AM bystonegod (Ramblings of the stonegod)
Did some searching, and found my first post here @ ENWorld. Not surprisingly, it was a character request for a PbP game.
It was for drothgery'sShards of the Silver Flame which I actually got into (even with a low post count!). Saalin was a fun character and the game was a blast. Too bad it ended.
Posted 10th July 2008 at 02:02 AM bystonegod (Ramblings of the stonegod)
Updated 10th July 2008 at 04:58 AM bystonegod
I've been a gamer since forever. Well, at least 3rd grade. Then D&D was something we played on the playground. No dice, just some kid as the DM. We'd walk around the field, making up the stuff we did, and the DM (I don't remember his name anymore) would say what worked and what didn't. It was roleplaying at its purest. It was recognizable as D&D though: We called it such and it had dungeons and dragons and such.
In 5th grade, I checked out the only copy of the 1E AD&D DMG and PHB for over a year. I read them cover to cover multiple times, and we played variants we invented instead of the "real thing." Something alliterative, though I can't recall the name anymore.
8th grade was when 2E came around, and I finally played D&D the way it was published. My DM was the most Monty Haulish DM I've ever seen. That went on all through HS; still have the stack of PCs.
College, of course, is the time to experiment. I played a few D&D games, but it was mostly White Wolf's storytelling system. I fell in love with Mage (it didn't help that the Call of Cthulu game I was in at the time was more a vehicle for the GM to hit on his girlfriend than for us to actually play---I spent most of the sessions reading the 1st Ed Mage book before he kicked me out...) and played the WW gamut. Also did a lot of LARPing, though with no established game system: Each GM made up variations of their own. It was a "golden age".
Grad school and everything was new again with 3E. My wife started her first campaign, and my dwarven monk was born. The campaign ended the month 3.5 came out. Never did finish the follow up campaign. Edit: She's still has some ideas, so it may come back (esp. once 4E has druids...)
I tinkered with more systems in the intervening years. Fudge and Fate drew my interest, and I liked Exalted, Aberrant, and Aeon (err... Trinity). But I fell away from WW as well, largely because I didn't care for where they were going with their metaplot. Same reason I don't care for playing in the Realms.
And now 4E is out. New things are always fun. I like it, though I still like and play 3.5 (several PbPs here and a few games in RL). I'm going to kick the tires and see where this takes me.
The blog, when updated, will be my thoughts on various game systems, notes from my PbP games, or development notes on my upcoming 4E Eberron game without a name. Enjoy.
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