[4e][OOC] Clash of Steel [13th level]

I've been kicking around the idea of running a 4e game in a somewhat arcane-centric setting -- the only 'magic' will be arcane; religion will exist, but there's no defiitive evidence for the existence of deities or nature spirits. However, if I go ahead and do this, I'll need to flesh out the setting a bit, and find a good free or Dungeon adventure (heroic tier, should not feature actions by gods or demons or their servants as the major plotline) to run.

Character Creation Rules:

allowed races: eladrin, elf, halfling, human, dragonborn, drow, half-elf, gnome, shardmind, changeling, warforged, genasi, pixie, satyr, Hengeyokai, Hamadryad

allowed classes: any arcane or martial (but not martial and something other than arcane; so skalds are okay, but hunters are not) or shadow; also barbarian (reflavor as martial) and invoker (reflavor as arcane), warlocks cannot be infernal pact, vestige pact, star pact, or sorcerer-king pact

Level: 13th

no setting-specific feats, themes, backgrounds, or paragon paths except for Eberron Dragonmark/Dragonmarked House specific feats, paragon paths, and backgrounds (so FR and Scales of War backgrounds, and Dark Sun themes are out)

Dragonmarks are allowed; product of riturals, not inborn, not tied to races. In 'good' countries, aberrant marks are only available from criminal organizations, and possesion of an aberrant mark is considered grounds for imprisonment (and exile or deportation if you cannot be found guilty of any other crime).

all characters get one Expertise Feat and Improved Defenses for free

swordmages also get Intelligent Blademaster for free (if I were allowing any other melee classes that didn't have a good melee basic attack, I'd do something for them too)

The current characters are
- eladrin warlord
- pixie wizard (mage)
- half-elf sorcerer (elementalist)
- genasi swordmage
- dragonborn warlock (hexblade)
- gnome bard
- Hengeyokai assassin
- human figher|ranger hybrid

More details about the party can be found at the Campaign Manager site.
- Character sheets
- Characters section of the Wiki

I like 4e, and I like arcanists, so this game is Of Interest.

I also wouldn't mind collaborating a bit on the setting...if you wish to allow player contributions to such.

But I have to ask...any Heroes of Feywild material allowed? That book is full of arcane goodess after all.

Shayuri said:

I like 4e, and I like arcanists, so this game is Of Interest.

I also wouldn't mind collaborating a bit on the setting...if you wish to allow player contributions to such.

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I'm fishing for ideas here, so yeah, potential players would definitely be welcome to contribute. The only place where I'd be a bit wary for suggestions from a potential player is in which published adventure to run (if the potential player has played or run said adventure before).

Shayuri said:

But I have to ask...any Heroes of Feywild material allowed? That book is full of arcane goodess after all.

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I don't see why not. I mean, it's also full of primal goodness which you can't use (or at least will need reflavoring), but generally speaking anything martial or arcane in the Compendium is okay except for non-fey pact warlock stuff. May or may not allow shadow depending on the world we come up with.

Okay then...one thing, speaking as an arcanist, I think should be considered is the role of rituals. Specifically, rituals aren't really 'typed' the way class abilities are. They key of skills, but an arcane caster with a decent Nature skill can use 'nature' rituals. Same with Religion and religious rituals.

So if this is a setting where only 'arcane' magic exists, some thought should be put into how to determine which rituals are okay and which are not. It's not a big deal for the 4e tactical combat game, but it makes a big difference in terms of RP and setting.

Plus, it's useful to decide prevalence of magic. Just because there's no divine or primal power sources tells us little. Is it a low-magic quasi-historical setting? Or a high-magic setting where enchantments create the equivalent of a modern (or even post-modern) 'technology' with elementals doing laundry and levitating stone blocks carrying people around floating cities with towers composed of gleaming force?

Or, more likely, somewhere in between.

The role that magic plays in the cultures is important. You could have one nation that is a mageocracy...constantly skirmishing at its borders with the mage-enslaving empire to the south. To the west are the elves, to whom magic is so ubiquitous that it's no more or less threatening than a blacksmith's hammer...a tool that can also be a weapon. To the east is a city-state ruled by a paranoid, superstitious king who executes anyone capable of magic that enters his gates. There could be independent organizations of mages like Jordan's Aes Sedai, or there could be such a dearth of magicians that every one is a highly sought after commodity.

In the absense of other forms of power (besides martial) to mitigate and compete with it, the shape of magic in the setting will have a huge impact on the world.

Shayuri said:

Okay then...one thing, speaking as an arcanist, I think should be considered is the role of rituals. Specifically, rituals aren't really 'typed' the way class abilities are. They key of skills, but an arcane caster with a decent Nature skill can use 'nature' rituals. Same with Religion and religious rituals.

So if this is a setting where only 'arcane' magic exists, some thought should be put into how to determine which rituals are okay and which are not. It's not a big deal for the 4e tactical combat game, but it makes a big difference in terms of RP and setting.

Click to expand...

Hmm, after skimming over the rituals in the Compendium, I think I'd want to allow most rituals, even ones that are keyed off of nature and religion. But I'd specifically disallow any ritual that explicitly gives you information or more direct aid from the gods, nature spirits, demons, and devils (if any of these exist, they are too far removed from the mortal realms to affect them directly), and anything directly tied to setting-specific elements that we aren't using (I specifically do want Dragonmarks in).

Shayuri said:

Plus, it's useful to decide prevalence of magic. Just because there's no divine or primal power sources tells us little. Is it a low-magic quasi-historical setting? Or a high-magic setting where enchantments create the equivalent of a modern (or even post-modern) 'technology' with elementals doing laundry and levitating stone blocks carrying people around floating cities with towers composed of gleaming force?

Or, more likely, somewhere in between.

The role that magic plays in the cultures is important. You could have one nation that is a mageocracy...constantly skirmishing at its borders with the mage-enslaving empire to the south. To the west are the elves, to whom magic is so ubiquitous that it's no more or less threatening than a blacksmith's hammer...a tool that can also be a weapon. To the east is a city-state ruled by a paranoid, superstitious king who executes anyone capable of magic that enters his gates. There could be independent organizations of mages like Jordan's Aes Sedai, or there could be such a dearth of magicians that every one is a highly sought after commodity.

In the absense of other forms of power (besides martial) to mitigate and compete with it, the shape of magic in the setting will have a huge impact on the world.

Click to expand...

I was thinking somewhat Eberron-esque (though probably without the backdrop of a century-long war); low-level magic is fairly common and largely controlled by the Dragonmarked Houses; powerful magic exists.

Definitely interested, but I'm not reflavoring Barbarian to Martial will work. To supernatual at high levels.

What about the Shadow power source and dark and gloom pacts? Does the Shadowfel exists alongside the Feywild? Just out of interest.

Would be interested in playing a Half-Elf or Dragonborn Sorcerer (Elementalist).

Walking Dad said:

Definitely interested, but I'm not [sure] reflavoring Barbarian to Martial will work. To supernatual at high levels.

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I'm not 100% sure it will work, but I'm definitely not going to hit epic, and proably not paragon. So I'm not too worried that barbarians get somewhat supernatural at high levels.

Walking Dad said:

What about the Shadow power source and dark and gloom pacts? Does the Shadowfel exists alongside the Feywild? Just out of interest.

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Probably.

Walking Dad said:

Would be interested in playing a Half-Elf or Dragonborn Sorcerer (Elementalist).

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Cool.

Depending on how the setting works, I am considering several ideas. As usual.

I'd love to try a pixie if you allow it. Fey pact, or perhaps an Illusionist mage...

A warforged or shardmind artificer or wizard has appeal as well.

Failing those, I have an affinity for storm sorcerors. I can blast from afar while our dragon friend blasts up close.

Shayuri said:

Depending on how the setting works, I am considering several ideas. As usual.

I'd love to try a pixie if you allow it. Fey pact, or perhaps an Illusionist mage...

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Pixies should be okay. I've updated the race list to include them, and a few others that weren't in the Character Builder when I was first thinking about doing this game and put together my races list (which was pretty much anything from a player book that had good stats for an arcanist and didn't have flavor I didn't want -- which is why tieflings and devas are out). I'm thinking you'll see a lot of halflings, gnomes, and warforged in roles that are typically dwarven in D&D worlds.

Shayuri said:

A warforged or shardmind artificer or wizard has appeal as well.

Failing those, I have an affinity for storm sorcerors. I can blast from afar while our dragon friend blasts up close.

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Any of them would be okay.

Shayuri said:

...

Failing those, I have an affinity for storm sorcerors. I can blast from afar while our dragon friend blasts up close.

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I'm actually torn between a half-elf air elemantalist or a dragonborn earth or water. I'm tending currently more to air elementalist with the mark of storm feat
Unfriendly close blasts are not really my thing, epically in PbP games. But a Storm and an Air Sorcerer could both work in the same group.

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Race: Half-Elf
Class: Sorcerer (air elementalist)
Theme: Tuathan
Starting Feat: Mark of Storm