Everything D&D Ever - Temple of the Frog

KirayaTiDrekan · Sep 4, 2014

Ok, posting while sick, so sorry if this isn't quite coherent.

Sorry I wasn't clear. Except in the cases of adventures that are clearly tied together (GDQ series, Dragonlance series, etc), each new adventure will have different characters. There will also be timeline jumps of varying amount between some adventures. For example, after Temple of the Frog, we will be jumping ahead 10,000 years and creating new characters in that era for Tomb of Horrors. Also, we'll be avoiding revisiting sites that have clear sequels like Return to the Tomb of Horrors.

That said, it all does happen in the same world (with a couple of exceptions, see the summary) so you could play a descendant of a previous character or a character who has some sort of legacy connection to a previous character.

For example, let's say your character dies in the Tomb of Horrors. About five years later, perhaps that character's child takes up adventuring to honor their parent's memory as they take on the giants and their dark masters.

sithramir · Sep 4, 2014

I'd this full? Never played by post before

KirayaTiDrekan · Sep 4, 2014

sithramir said:
I'd this full? Never played by post before

Not yet. Get a character together and welcome aboard.

mudbunny · Sep 5, 2014

So, some questions:

I am working up a paladin of Vengeance. I would like to take the hermit background, but with a twist. One or two generations ago, more powerful nobles eliminated (politically) the noble standing of his family, and they had to escape to the wilderness. She had no idea it had happened. Recently, her parents died (were killed?? dramatic background music). She discovered her mother's writings where she detailed how her family (inheritance was passed through the female side of the family) was laid low. While trying to survive, she found a cave with some images that appeared to be a vow of vengeance, which she swore.

1 - Can I take abyssal/draconic as a language? (If the vow of vengeance was actually a vow of obeisance towards a demon/dragon who will help her fulfill her vengeance)
2 - I am looking at the following traits/ideals/flaws. Are they acceptable?
Trait
1 - If you do me an injury, I will crush you, ruin your name, and salt your fields.
2 - I am better than where my situation has placed me. Once my vengeance is obtained, I will ascend to my rightful place.
Ideal
Blood, real (or shed in pursuit of a common ideal this would get added after having adventured with people for a while), runs thicker than water.
Flaw
I have no respect at all for anyone of the noble class.

Additional skill proficiencies would be
Survival
Animal handling

Tool proficiency
Quill & Ink (or whatever the noble class uses to write. This would be a holdover from what her mother taught her)

Additional Equipment
Signet ring

Kobold Stew · Sep 5, 2014

mudbunny said:
Tool proficiency
Quill & Ink (or whatever the noble class uses to write. This would be a holdover from what her mother taught her)

For this, I'd map Quill and Ink (awesome idea, btw) onto Calligrapher's tools, which already exist. Not sure what adding a proficiency bonus to your gilded capitals does, but it's something already in the pub that does the same thing.

Herobizkit · Sep 5, 2014

I tend to go very deep into my character backstories, but I don't want to get into anything that isn't applicable to the campaign...

Since we don't have a "straight-up" Cleric, I'm thinking of taking the Acolyte background and becoming a full-on researcher for a/the Church. At present, you said there is only the Church of the Healing Light based loosely on a *ahem* modern-day monotheistic system of worship, but Pelor?

Continuing that trend, assuming no other major deities/pantheons, I could be an agent who has decided to go on a pilgrimage to the "Holy Land", or in search of said Holy Land where the Sacred Texts originated, or even direction to said land. Praise the Sun...?

I guess it's going to be a typical "Hero in Demon's Clothing" scenario, overcoming her demonic appearance and ancestry by embracing the Light... finds acceptance (of a sort) with her fellows, wants to know more about this lost mecca of knowledge and languages, hears the Temple of the Frog could be a lead, joins an adventuring party, callooh callay.

sithramir · Sep 5, 2014

I was thinking a bard focused a bit more as a melee fighter to avoid stepping on wizards toes. That sound OK? I like casters who can fight.

Let me know if I need another idea.

Oh I missed we may have a bard now. Might need to rethink mine then

Herobizkit · Sep 5, 2014

Yeah, that Bard is me. :3

We don't have a "straight up" Cleric yet, or Druid. Or... Sorcerer? Or Warlock.

Actually, pretty much every class can become some kind of caster sooner or later... even Rogue and Fighter.

Ranger seems to have gotten the short end of the goodies stick this edition, but they fight and cast too.

Shayuri · Sep 5, 2014

Okay. I think I know what I want...let me put it out here and see if it's okay.

Since we'll be switching characters a lot, I wanted to keep some kind of continuity between them. I have two ideas for how to do this that I like.

#1 - The Dread Pirate Robert Option. My character has a name, but uses a title, or nom de plume. Each successive character adopts the same name, perhaps inspired by the stories of the previous ones, even if their own modus operandis are substantially different.

#2 - The Hero of Many Faces. The character serially reincarnates. There's no, or very little, memory transferred, but the character's essence...personality and so on...is the same each time.

Regardless, I'm thinking melee rogue for this game, though I'll have a decent ranged attack too.

KirayaTiDrekan · Sep 5, 2014

Mudbunny, that looks good to me. Kobold Stew is right, go with the Calligraphy tools proficiency. Abyssal is fine. Draconic, for campaign reasons, is not (dragons are myth and legend to the uneducated and ancient history to the educated).

Herobizkit, Pelor is the first of several saints of the Healing Light. Others, like Heironeous and Cuthbert, have not yet gained the recognition that Pelor has in the church, but they are slowly gaining renown.

Sithramir, have you considered an Eldritch Knight (Fighter subclass)?

Shayuri, sounds awesome. I was just researching Doctor Who's regenerations yesterday and found the idea to be a great storytelling technique. The Dread Pirate option also sounds quite nifty.

All, if you want to establish connectivity to future characters, here are a few other options...

1. Family Line - Each character is a member of the same family. Works best for races with long lineages, like dwarves.

2. Same Order - Each character is a member of an organization or group. The Church of the Healing Light is a good option here, as is a demon cult, bard college, or a knightly order.

3. Literally the same character - At some point during this first adventure, the character is turned into a vampire or lich or other immortal undead. Years and millennia erode the character's skills so they have to start over the learning process most of the time, but their memory of prior events is mostly intact (subject to the usual memory confusion people tend to suffer).

4. Artifact - Through circumstance, fate, or being passed down, each character is the possessor of a magic item.

5. The "Chosen One" - Each character is the "chosen one" of their generation, prophesied to destroy a great evil or some such.

Feel free to come up with other options as well.