Arkhandus
First Post
(Edit: Recruiting is now more or less closed, but I may accept one more player. The IC thread has opened and this is now the OOC thread.)
Okay, so, in between all the massive preparations I've had to do for my planned and not yet ready play-by-post campaigns, I got this idea that I wanna run with (though my Greyhawk gestalt and Final Fantasy PbPs will be starting up sometime in the next month or two, fates willing).
The First:
You are the First Generation. The very first people in the world. It's yours to discover and shape through your exploits. There are others in the First Generation, many others, but you are the First of your individual races.
Several deities started a little experiment....for some, it is a challenge. For others, a game. Some, a competition. A distraction for a few. And a duty to those few who feel obligated to participate only to ensure that the new world has order and goodness in it. You and the rest of the First Generation were created with only a rudimentary understanding of the world around you, yourselves, and various bits and pieces of lore left for you by the gods and goddesses, though the rules of their divine experiment prevents them from interfering much with the new world, and from giving you too much information or power.
And there are monsters. You've seen a handful of them roaming about in the wilderness, as well as animals and vermin and plants, but you've barely had the chance to produce basic shelters and equipment, let alone true civilization. Dangerous things are afoot, and several of the deities involved in the new world's creation and that of the First Generation are not content to just watch and play by the rules they supposedly agreed to with the rest of the involved deities.
The First Generation are all young adults, at the very beginning of young adulthood, created with a reasonable understanding of their own anatomy (including reproduction and the basics of child-rearing), basic necessities (food, water, shelter, clothing, some degree of cleanliness, recognition that somethings are poisonous, recognition of the concept of diseases, etc.), how and why to interact with others (at least in basic terms), and basic understanding of crafting, building, fire-starting, and a vague idea of basic principles like the wheel and the lever, with a basic understanding of math.
You know your race's own language and Common, a gift from the deities to allow communication between yourselves and other races in the First Generation (bonus languages are also gained from classes or high starting Intelligence). You have some unique talents and skills that you were created with, so you have some useful abilities to start with (your starting class, feats, spells, etc.), and a basic idea of how to advance those abilities. You have somc basic gear, either left for you by a deity or crafted by you and other members of the First Generation in the short time you've been around. You're not primitive, necessarily, just possessed of very limited knowledge and no worldly experience yet.
I'm looking for at least 4 to 6 players, but will probably accept 8 to 10 at most.
Character Creation Guidelines:
1. Game Materials. I'll be using 3.5 D&D as the base ruleset, but the allowed materials are more mixed. The 3.5 System Reference Document is the first approved source for this game. I'll be using my 3.0 D&D Dungeon Master's Guide for some things, like XP rewards, since I still don't have a 3.5 DMG. The 3.5 books Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords and Player's Handbook II will be allowed. I'll allow a few other things from 3.5 materials and the old 3.5 D&D website content that's still on Wizards of the Coast's site. Examples include the Marshal and other things previewed on that site before they were printed. Many issues of Dragon Magazine from the 3.0 and 3.5 D&D runs will be useable (this includes the Ninja class and some other things previewed or copied in Dragon Magazine from 3.x books, such as warforged and shifters, but they're limited by the material in the magazine since I don't have any Eberron books).
The 3.0 supplements Savage Species, Deities & Demigods, Manual of the Planes, Oriental Adventures, Rokugan (from AEG), Sword & Fist, Tome & Blood, Defenders of the Faith, Song & Silence, Masters of the Wild, Arms & Equipment Guide, Stronghold Builder's Guidebook, Monster Manual II, Fiend Folio, Monsters of Faerun, Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, Magic of Faerun, Lords of Darkness, Dragons (from AEG), Seafarer's Handbook (from Fantasy Flight Games), and Traps & Treachery (from Fantasy Flight Games) will be useable. I might have to houserule something here or there, but only if it seems necessary.
Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed/Evolved (I have both), The Diamond Throne, Transcendance, Legacy of the Dragons, Mystic Secrets, Book of Iron Might, and Book of Roguish Luck will be useable (sorry, I don't have any of his other books to use as references for approving other Malhavoc Press material). The Advanced Player's Manual (Green Ronin) is useable (I still have to decide on which Luck rules to use, either from there or the Book of Roguish Luck, but probably the latter if any; there will be no mass combat rules used in this game though, given its scope). The Everquest d20 Player's Handbook and Monsters of Norrath supplement will be useable. The Iconic Bestiary from Lion's Den Press will be used to replace those iconic critters not found in the 3.5 SRD (mind flayer etc.). The Priest of the Celestial Spheres from Lion's Den Press will also be useable.
Githyanki and Githzerai can still be played, though, as statted up in Dragon or Dungeon Magazine's articles on the Githyanki Incursion (I forget the issue #) since they're no in the SRD either IIRC. You can use the Commander class from EN Publishing's War of the Burning Sky Player's Guide (a free PDF from RPGNow) if you like, and maybe a bit else from that PDF. EN Publishing or Natural 20 Press' Animal Monks, Secrets of Theurgy, Wild Spellcraft, Librum Equitis 1, Librum Equitis 2, and Librum Equitis 4 will be useable to some extent at least (I don't have LE#3). Dreamscarred Press' Untapped Potential, Complete Society Mind, Complete Marksman, Races of the Mind (Elans, Maenads, Half-Giants, and Xeph, the ones I've bought), Third Dawn Campaitn Setting, High Psionics: Feats, High Psionics: Sequestral Feats, and Mind Unveiled materials (I'm a subscriber, so I get all the Mind Unveiled PDFs) are useable. Also, Creamsteak's Final Fantasy Tactics PDF for d20 (if you can find a copy; I got one years ago or whatever; it has the FFT classes put into d20 form). If Creamsteak doesn't mind, I may be able to e-mail copies to folks who want one (it's a fanwork, obviously, not a product).
I'll work out any kinks or other details on how to integrate third-party materials. If you use something from them, note the book's initials next to it so I know what to reference (for instance, if you play an EverQuest wood elf, note EQ next to it so I know it's not a Monster Manual/SRD wood elf).
2. Races. There is only one male and one female of each race in the first generation (or two androgynous members of any given genderless race). So there cannot be more than one PC of any given race/gender combination. Other than that, almost any intelligent race (Int 8+ after your ability adjustments) from the allowed materials will be playable. Any race with a listed alignment of "always X" will have to start with that alignment, however, as it is their basic nature and your PCs haven't had any life experiences yet to change their natural behavior much. Any race with racial HD or a Level Adjustment/ECL adjustment will either need to start with just one racial level from Savage Species, Dragon Magazine, or similar, or will be unavailable at start, depending on their ECL and availability of a racial progression. Templates are iffy; I may or may not allow any given template at start (Half-Dragon? Not this early in the setting's history. Etc.).
3. Classes. Pretty much any class from the approved materials is allowed. However, there cannot be more than one person with each class among the First Generation. As you advance in level, however, you will be able to multiclass (mostly be meeting other folks with the appropriate class and learning from them, but that's not the only way).
4. Feats, Skills, Spells, and Powers. Use those from the approved sources. Some might be limited to characters with a race or class from the appropriate book (for instance, EverQuest mystic feats are only available to EverQuest spellcasting classes due to their game mechanics). If your character has a race or class from a book with its own skill list or feat list, that book's material takes precedent for that particular character. Likewise for proficiencies and equipment stats and such.
5. Starting Level. You start at 1st-level, but I may allow a +1 or +2 ECL to begin with. 0 XP.
6. Ability Scores. I'm thinking a pretty high ability score set, as you're the original members of your respective races, directly created by the gods. You have two scores of 18 to assign, two scores of 15 to assign, and two scores of 12 to assign. Then you get 5 points to allocate amongst these on a 1-for-1 basis, but can't raise a score beyond 18 that way. Racial ability score adjustments come afterward. Your Intelligence score must start at 8 or higher after racial adjustments, so put a high enough score into Intelligence to at least manage that.
7. Maximum HP from racial and class hit dice.
8. Maximum starting wealth for your 1st-level class (as noted in the book it appears in). For those I don't have a suitable reference for, I'll just use the most appropriate 3.0 class starting gold for them (since I have a 3.0 PHB, not 3.5; I use the SRD for 3.5 core rules material). You cannot start with magical or psionic items, but may begin with special items like masterwork, alchemical, or special-material items.
9. Your character must have a name (they naturally know their race's own language, and were given some small understanding of names by a deity, even if they don't necessarily have any naming conventions to follow), and a few sentences total of background/general description for his or her appearance, attitude, and basic beginnings. They've been alive for only a week so far (7 days), so they haven't been through much, but they've met the other members of the group and formed at least a basic mutual-aid agreement for now. Your PC has met a few other members of the First Generation as well. Feel free to name things and such as you see fit. You'll probably be doing a fair bit of that as you explore and find, create, or do things in the campaign.
Okay, so, in between all the massive preparations I've had to do for my planned and not yet ready play-by-post campaigns, I got this idea that I wanna run with (though my Greyhawk gestalt and Final Fantasy PbPs will be starting up sometime in the next month or two, fates willing).
The First:
You are the First Generation. The very first people in the world. It's yours to discover and shape through your exploits. There are others in the First Generation, many others, but you are the First of your individual races.
Several deities started a little experiment....for some, it is a challenge. For others, a game. Some, a competition. A distraction for a few. And a duty to those few who feel obligated to participate only to ensure that the new world has order and goodness in it. You and the rest of the First Generation were created with only a rudimentary understanding of the world around you, yourselves, and various bits and pieces of lore left for you by the gods and goddesses, though the rules of their divine experiment prevents them from interfering much with the new world, and from giving you too much information or power.
And there are monsters. You've seen a handful of them roaming about in the wilderness, as well as animals and vermin and plants, but you've barely had the chance to produce basic shelters and equipment, let alone true civilization. Dangerous things are afoot, and several of the deities involved in the new world's creation and that of the First Generation are not content to just watch and play by the rules they supposedly agreed to with the rest of the involved deities.
The First Generation are all young adults, at the very beginning of young adulthood, created with a reasonable understanding of their own anatomy (including reproduction and the basics of child-rearing), basic necessities (food, water, shelter, clothing, some degree of cleanliness, recognition that somethings are poisonous, recognition of the concept of diseases, etc.), how and why to interact with others (at least in basic terms), and basic understanding of crafting, building, fire-starting, and a vague idea of basic principles like the wheel and the lever, with a basic understanding of math.
You know your race's own language and Common, a gift from the deities to allow communication between yourselves and other races in the First Generation (bonus languages are also gained from classes or high starting Intelligence). You have some unique talents and skills that you were created with, so you have some useful abilities to start with (your starting class, feats, spells, etc.), and a basic idea of how to advance those abilities. You have somc basic gear, either left for you by a deity or crafted by you and other members of the First Generation in the short time you've been around. You're not primitive, necessarily, just possessed of very limited knowledge and no worldly experience yet.
I'm looking for at least 4 to 6 players, but will probably accept 8 to 10 at most.
Character Creation Guidelines:
1. Game Materials. I'll be using 3.5 D&D as the base ruleset, but the allowed materials are more mixed. The 3.5 System Reference Document is the first approved source for this game. I'll be using my 3.0 D&D Dungeon Master's Guide for some things, like XP rewards, since I still don't have a 3.5 DMG. The 3.5 books Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords and Player's Handbook II will be allowed. I'll allow a few other things from 3.5 materials and the old 3.5 D&D website content that's still on Wizards of the Coast's site. Examples include the Marshal and other things previewed on that site before they were printed. Many issues of Dragon Magazine from the 3.0 and 3.5 D&D runs will be useable (this includes the Ninja class and some other things previewed or copied in Dragon Magazine from 3.x books, such as warforged and shifters, but they're limited by the material in the magazine since I don't have any Eberron books).
The 3.0 supplements Savage Species, Deities & Demigods, Manual of the Planes, Oriental Adventures, Rokugan (from AEG), Sword & Fist, Tome & Blood, Defenders of the Faith, Song & Silence, Masters of the Wild, Arms & Equipment Guide, Stronghold Builder's Guidebook, Monster Manual II, Fiend Folio, Monsters of Faerun, Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, Magic of Faerun, Lords of Darkness, Dragons (from AEG), Seafarer's Handbook (from Fantasy Flight Games), and Traps & Treachery (from Fantasy Flight Games) will be useable. I might have to houserule something here or there, but only if it seems necessary.
Monte Cook's Arcana Unearthed/Evolved (I have both), The Diamond Throne, Transcendance, Legacy of the Dragons, Mystic Secrets, Book of Iron Might, and Book of Roguish Luck will be useable (sorry, I don't have any of his other books to use as references for approving other Malhavoc Press material). The Advanced Player's Manual (Green Ronin) is useable (I still have to decide on which Luck rules to use, either from there or the Book of Roguish Luck, but probably the latter if any; there will be no mass combat rules used in this game though, given its scope). The Everquest d20 Player's Handbook and Monsters of Norrath supplement will be useable. The Iconic Bestiary from Lion's Den Press will be used to replace those iconic critters not found in the 3.5 SRD (mind flayer etc.). The Priest of the Celestial Spheres from Lion's Den Press will also be useable.
Githyanki and Githzerai can still be played, though, as statted up in Dragon or Dungeon Magazine's articles on the Githyanki Incursion (I forget the issue #) since they're no in the SRD either IIRC. You can use the Commander class from EN Publishing's War of the Burning Sky Player's Guide (a free PDF from RPGNow) if you like, and maybe a bit else from that PDF. EN Publishing or Natural 20 Press' Animal Monks, Secrets of Theurgy, Wild Spellcraft, Librum Equitis 1, Librum Equitis 2, and Librum Equitis 4 will be useable to some extent at least (I don't have LE#3). Dreamscarred Press' Untapped Potential, Complete Society Mind, Complete Marksman, Races of the Mind (Elans, Maenads, Half-Giants, and Xeph, the ones I've bought), Third Dawn Campaitn Setting, High Psionics: Feats, High Psionics: Sequestral Feats, and Mind Unveiled materials (I'm a subscriber, so I get all the Mind Unveiled PDFs) are useable. Also, Creamsteak's Final Fantasy Tactics PDF for d20 (if you can find a copy; I got one years ago or whatever; it has the FFT classes put into d20 form). If Creamsteak doesn't mind, I may be able to e-mail copies to folks who want one (it's a fanwork, obviously, not a product).
I'll work out any kinks or other details on how to integrate third-party materials. If you use something from them, note the book's initials next to it so I know what to reference (for instance, if you play an EverQuest wood elf, note EQ next to it so I know it's not a Monster Manual/SRD wood elf).
2. Races. There is only one male and one female of each race in the first generation (or two androgynous members of any given genderless race). So there cannot be more than one PC of any given race/gender combination. Other than that, almost any intelligent race (Int 8+ after your ability adjustments) from the allowed materials will be playable. Any race with a listed alignment of "always X" will have to start with that alignment, however, as it is their basic nature and your PCs haven't had any life experiences yet to change their natural behavior much. Any race with racial HD or a Level Adjustment/ECL adjustment will either need to start with just one racial level from Savage Species, Dragon Magazine, or similar, or will be unavailable at start, depending on their ECL and availability of a racial progression. Templates are iffy; I may or may not allow any given template at start (Half-Dragon? Not this early in the setting's history. Etc.).
3. Classes. Pretty much any class from the approved materials is allowed. However, there cannot be more than one person with each class among the First Generation. As you advance in level, however, you will be able to multiclass (mostly be meeting other folks with the appropriate class and learning from them, but that's not the only way).
4. Feats, Skills, Spells, and Powers. Use those from the approved sources. Some might be limited to characters with a race or class from the appropriate book (for instance, EverQuest mystic feats are only available to EverQuest spellcasting classes due to their game mechanics). If your character has a race or class from a book with its own skill list or feat list, that book's material takes precedent for that particular character. Likewise for proficiencies and equipment stats and such.
5. Starting Level. You start at 1st-level, but I may allow a +1 or +2 ECL to begin with. 0 XP.
6. Ability Scores. I'm thinking a pretty high ability score set, as you're the original members of your respective races, directly created by the gods. You have two scores of 18 to assign, two scores of 15 to assign, and two scores of 12 to assign. Then you get 5 points to allocate amongst these on a 1-for-1 basis, but can't raise a score beyond 18 that way. Racial ability score adjustments come afterward. Your Intelligence score must start at 8 or higher after racial adjustments, so put a high enough score into Intelligence to at least manage that.
7. Maximum HP from racial and class hit dice.
8. Maximum starting wealth for your 1st-level class (as noted in the book it appears in). For those I don't have a suitable reference for, I'll just use the most appropriate 3.0 class starting gold for them (since I have a 3.0 PHB, not 3.5; I use the SRD for 3.5 core rules material). You cannot start with magical or psionic items, but may begin with special items like masterwork, alchemical, or special-material items.
9. Your character must have a name (they naturally know their race's own language, and were given some small understanding of names by a deity, even if they don't necessarily have any naming conventions to follow), and a few sentences total of background/general description for his or her appearance, attitude, and basic beginnings. They've been alive for only a week so far (7 days), so they haven't been through much, but they've met the other members of the group and formed at least a basic mutual-aid agreement for now. Your PC has met a few other members of the First Generation as well. Feel free to name things and such as you see fit. You'll probably be doing a fair bit of that as you explore and find, create, or do things in the campaign.
Last edited:
