OOC - Mad King's Monkey (Thread Closed)

It has been awhile since I have been around the boards, but I have found myself back here, with a hankering to play. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of fairly generic low level 3.5 games going, so it looks like I might have to start my own.

The plan is to start with a blank sheet of paper and outline a fairly generic setting with some simple broad brush strokes. Then pick a theme for the party, generate some characters and crack on. I am also going to be asking for a fair bit of player input from the setting generation to the character generation and probably beyond.

Character generation will be Core rules only to keep it simple. I have chosen 3.5 because that is the system I am familiar with. It is also easily accessible to all through the SRD's on line. Pathfinder is another option, although I have no experience with it. If the majority has a preference for Pathfinder, I will look into it.

The idea will be to keep the initial adventures fairly short and simple, with the goal being to get a couple completed fairly quickly. From there, we will see how we are travelling.

I would like to use the Epic Six (E6) concept. Given the pace of PbP, this is unlikely to impact at all on the character's advancement. It will, however, change the dynamic of the game a little, as in E6, a second or third level character is starting to become a person of significance.

So, if you are interested, or just curious, post up and say hello and we will see where we are.

thotd


Update (13 Oct 12) Have 2 players + 1 maybe. Looking for 2-3 more.
Update (15 Oct 12) Have 3 + 1 and looking for 2 more.
Update (25 Oct 12) Have 4 + 1.
Update (03 Nov 12) Have 5 characters presented. Recruiting closed.
Update (05 Nov 12) RG and IC threads created.
Update (20 Jan 13) Commenced first combat encounter - Battle v gnolls at Henri's house.
Update (06 Aug 13) After a short unplanned outage, we are back. The last gnoll has been tracked down and killed. Now the characters have a new visitor.
Update (17 Jun 14) Closing this thread and shifting the OOC discussion over to OOC - MKM II.
ToDo: Transfer Game Info to Wiki.

[sblock=Setting Introduction]There is a cold wind blowing through the Reaches of Man.

For as long as history records, there have been gates - from the huge Arches through which whole wagon trains can pass, to little doors more suitable for a child than a grown adult. Between all of these gates is the Netherworld, sometimes dry and dusty, sometimes green and fertile, sometimes cold and snow-covered. But always with the same flat iron-grey sky and generally safe so long as you follow the rules; stay on the path, do not sleep while in the Netherworld and take nothing from the Netherworld through a gate.

The paths of the Netherworld are as many and varied as the gates they traverse between. The most famous are the Great Roads that connect the Arches. They are arrow straight and topped with smooth paving stones. One hundred paces to each side the land is flat and featureless, adorned only with grass and wild flowers. The other paths range from tracks wide enough for wagons to those that seem little more than animal tracks. Most are of handpicked earth sometimes supplemented by hewn timber or crushed stone where the ground is boggy. Occasionally there are small bridges or raised walkways of timber or stones. But most are just hard-beaten earth. But whatever the appearance of the paths, they have been uniformly easy enough to traverse with good footing and clear of obstructing vegitation.

Or so they once were. Now a days it is not uncommon to find weeds growing through the paving stones of the Great Roads, which no longer seem as straight and smooth as they used to be, and thorny bushes and corpses of small stunted trees and thick underground seem to crowd the roads in places. The smaller paths seem to be narrower, rockier and more treacherous underfoot, and a wise traveller takes a stout staff for there are places now where branches hang low over the paths and thorny bushes clutch and tear at the fabric of ones clothes. And while the Netherworld seems as empty and uninhabited as always, travellers commonly talk about the sense of being watched and of darker shadows lurking in the shadows which hover at the edge of ones vision. Many old timers will tell you that it is colder now in the Netherworld, and will point out the dark clouds that can now sometimes be seen rolling slowly across a sky that was once just a featureless expanse of unchanging grey.

There is a cold wind blowing through the reaches of man and it seems to be coming from the Netherworld.

Many dismiss such stories and reports of growing darkness and danger in the Netherworld as superstitious nonsense. They point to thousands of people who daily, and safely, traverse the paths between the portals. They point to the countless stories and fables of of dark happenings and terrible fates set in the Netherworld as evidence that nothing has changed, or if it has, it is not the first time it has, and will not be the last. Of course the Netherworld is dangerous, but not if you follow the rules: stay on the path, do not sleep while in the Netherworld and take nothing from it.[/sblock]

[sblock=Money, Equipment and Commerce]For this game we will be using the following:
cent = copper
zehncent = silver
krohn = gold
zepter = platnium[/sblock]

[sblock=Character Generation]First level, 18 point build, max HP at first level, max starting wealth, two traits.

I am going to limit to choice of race to human. This is because I have not yet decided how the non-human races are going to fit in, or even if they are there at all. If you are particularly set on playing another race, PM me.

Each character will be able to speak, in addition to Common, the native tongue of his or her homeland.

Up to two non-class skills can be added to the class skills for the character if written into the background.

New skill: Knowledge (Netherworld).

Each character may start with one magic item of up to 2500gp in value. All you have to do write a description as to how it came into your character's possession. If you want to take something consumable, like potions or scrolls or feather tokens you may take a number of that item up to 2500gp. You cannot mix and match items. This is not a 2500gp spending spree. You don't get to keep the difference.

Here you will find the Four Oracles. Select one Oracle for your character and note it down along with the associated four cards and their descriptors. You may cast as often as you like, but all four cards must come from the same oracle and the same cast. During the game you may use an appropriate oracle to take control of the game and re-write the situation as you so choose in terms of the oracle. Once used, that card is scratched. I have not tried this before, and am not sure how it will work. But regardless, I suspect that it will be interesting.[/sblock]

hello doghead

Was wanting to tell you if you wish to run a game of Pathfinder I would offer my services as a co-DM just to help with character checking and maybe run a monster or two during combats if needed. Help you with any rules questions that might come about.

I like worlds that start out fresh and little is known both to the player and the character. Discovery being a great part of why we play.

Sorry I haven't the erg to dust off my 3.5 books - it is really hard to get back into it after playing Pathfinder the past year.

Wishing you luck

HM

Thank you HolyMan, that is a mighty generous offer.

If we go down the Pathfinder path, I will probably take you up on it. Assistance with the character checking would be helpful. I also think it might be interesting to have someone run a monster or two on occasion. Definitely worth a try to see how it plays.

Presuming some players of course.

thotd

Hi Doghead.

I'm in if you'll have me. I prefer Pathfinder but up for 3.5E if that's the way you want to go.

Have to get my thinking cap on as far as character concepts go, although its nice to have a clean sheet as far as background is concerned.

Hello Ghostcat.

Initially my preference was for 3.5, but I find myself leaning towards Pathfinder more as I have a chance to poke around their website.

I did consider laying out a setting to start with, but I found the idea of a blank canvas really appealed. Of course, it may backfire if we cannot come to some agreement on the setting. But I am sure that we will be able to.

Before you drill down too deeply into character generation, give some thought to the type of setting you would like to play in. The common 'western European late medieval' is one option. But we could push north into colder more craggy Scandinavian territory, or across the continent into something inspired by feudal Japan, etc.

You don't have to pick just one, feel free to just throw out ideas. Then we can see where we are. We are not going to build anything too complicated. A paragraph or two of description and anyone should be sufficiently up to speed to jump right in.

thotd

A setting idea I once thought about running is a fragmented world where you had to travel to other fragments via teleport pads, or eventually greater teleport. unfortunately a few thousand years later it was discovered there are no peoples above level 4, and no spells higher then level 2.

maybe on some fragment.......

world hooks:
->the telepads had keys that to find the right layout of key stones required research.
->any spells not known and not found need researched,
->even the Gods were hard to hear, as well as hard of hearing. divine spells required prayer and meditation [ie: research]
->only thing listening was nature, but she was really mad so required appeasement [sort of like research], because of what was done to the planet.

each fragment might hold a particular setting, such as one might be one adventure path, where another might be a different adventure path. at different intervals of the adventure path special treasure might be granted such as a spell on a caster's wish list that research has not been started on yet, or perhaps a map to a trove with a weapon sought after!

telepads would have grids of x,y coordinates, requiring a particular gem type for the key stones.

What do ya think of that?

doghead said:

Thank you HolyMan, that is a mighty generous offer.

Click to expand...

Please call me HM - And you are welcome we need a few more new games out here so I'm willing to help where I can.

Scott's idea is somewhat intriguing. You could have small island nations, nations surrounded by mountains with no way to cross, and other remote places throughout your world. So when adventuring in the European style country of X- gets to be a bit boring you could make an adventure that happens in the desert valley of Y-

Finding a stone (key) to active the portal could be big adventures in themselves. As could keeping them away from evil wizards with armies of undead and bestial followers.

HM

Scott's idea is indeed interesting. It has a lot of potential. I think I would make it a little less research centred, a little more just woven into the fabric of the way things are. The most common gates would probably be incorporated into the social infrastructure like major trading ports and key bridges. But there could be lost gates, and gates with unknown destinations ... Or perhaps there are no gates at all, just ships that sail the space between. Or perhaps gates and ships and magical ponies ...

Given teleport is essentially a level 5 spell, requiring a level 9 character to cast, there won't many who can just throw down a teleport spell. A few magical creatures perhaps. But I am thinking that there will be some way for characters to research, and cast higher level spells through rituals and collaboration. And of course there can be scrolls from those aforementioned might magical monsters.

I also quite like the idea of gods that are slightly hard of hearing, and a little bit mad. Not sure how others will feel though. I have to remember I am trying to keep this simple. And ultimately, what we go with will also largely be up to the players.

thotd

I specifically avoided the space ships.

Sounds interesting enough. I am not indifferent to either rule-set, as I can do Pathfinder or 3.5. As for the concept, i am all for a few twists and this sounds like it will have plenty. Deaf Deities, Angry Mother Nature, cut off civilizations.

I created a homebrew campaign a while back that had doors/portals at various places in the world. Think Stargate, with the use of symbols on the door edges, and the ability to use them. You would need to know the symbol combination, as well as a 'key'. Keys could be simply a command word, a magic item on hand, or a spell. All depends on how you want to use it.

This lead to the insurmountable combinations and open concept of undiscovered destinations, as the commonly known combinations were either a two symbol series, or three. Depending on how many symbols are at each door, you could have dozens of possibilities. Just an idea.

And yes, I would be interested in this type of game. I am down to what appears to be one game running at the moment.