Deuce Traveler
Adventurer
[MENTION=8058]Queenie[/MENTION] asked me to run a game at exactly the right time when I was percolating some ideas in my mind. After some e-mails back in forth, we decided that we should do an adventure where she plays a cross between Indiana Jones (her idea), Lara Croft (my idea), Jacquotte Delahaye (mine), Anne Bonney (hers) and Mary Read (hers). 
But it doesn't make sense for her to play a female adventurer without an equally awesome crew of female devil dogs. That's where the recruitment comes in. Queenie will be creating a PC that owns an estate in a port city of a foreign land, where she makes most of her revenue relic hunting for the native leaders.
For those of you that don't know already, I like to mish mash settings and campaign ideas. So here is the background:
Ruleset: Castles and Crusades
I've used BECMI D&D rules, 3.5 DnD, Pathfinder, and Dungeon Crawl Classics on this website. I was tempted to use BECMI or a retro clone for this one, but I decided to go with CnC for a couple of reasons.
1. I want the feel of this campaign to be more low magic, high fantasy. Older editions of D&D were more comfortable with weird things that didn't necessarily have rules connected to them, while DnD 3+ seemed to have rules that governed everything. If everything you deal with has stats, a bit of the mystery and intrigue is sapped away.
2. I really like the CnC way of handling saves and heroic feats through the SIEGE engine. Basically, non-humans can pick two attributes and humans three attributes that are their primaries. Primary attributes have a base chance to succeed of 12 while secondary attributes have a base chance to succeed of 18. This works for saving throws and attempts at heroic feats, with difficulty, attribute bonuses/penalties, and character levels altering the d20 result the character has to attain to succeed.
Here is a link to the free quickstart rules: http://www.trolllord.com/downloads/pdfs/cnc_qs.pdf
In addition, here is the link to the free Crusaders Companion for more races, classes, and equipment: http://www.trolllord.com/downloads/pdfs/crusaderscompanion.pdf
CnC is much like AD&D 1st edition, so it should seem very familiar. Roll three sets of the six attribute scores with 4D6 and drop the lowest. Pick the set you most like, rearrange the attribute scores in any manner you see fit, and maximize the hit points per level. Everyone starts at level 3. You know each other and have been doing this gig for awhile.
Male players are welcome to join in this campaign, as long as they create female characters. And please, no backgrounds with women suffering as wilted flowers until they finally broke loose from their confines. We've had enough of those in modern literature. You are a crew of rough and rowdy women with sometimes shady, oft violent pasts. Make the spirit of Jacquotte Delahaye proud ladies, she lived as a pirate queen founding her own nation and died in a shootout.
All races and classes from the quickstart rules are allowed. I'll also entertain any alternate classes and races found on some of the CnC forums, but only after I give them a look through. For instance, I found a Swashbuckler class I want to use for a character I'm putting together called Handsome Jack. Handsome Jack and his crew of treasure hunters are going to be semi-frequent competitors to their female counterparts. Although his crew and your crew sometimes aid one another, you also sometimes tangle, though usually on a non-lethal basis. Handsome Jack will also be run on a cameo basis by [MENTION=2820]Fenris[/MENTION]. I probably should tell him that, though, after I finish the character up.
Campaign Setting: Tekumel
For a relic hunting game, you can't beat Tekumel for a campaign setting. Tekumel: Empire of the Petal Throne, was the first campaign setting for Dungeons and Dragons. Yes, older than Forgotten Realms and even Greyhawk. Yes, even older as a developed setting than the Wilderlands of High Fantasy.
Tekumel is a strange land accessed by ship through a magical sea storm. Travelers understand when they are through the storm since there are never stars in Tekumel's sky, only its sun during the day, and a handful of far planets at night. Elves, dwarves, orcs, and halflings are unheard of in Tekumel and are a source of fascination. On the other hand, Tekumel is ruled largely by humans, but also possesses numerous other beings; some allied and actively trading with human lands, while others see humans as a defilement and wish to see their world cleansed of them.
Tekumel is based on Indian, Middle Eastern, Meso-American, and Egyptian mythology. Stepping inside the human Tekumel capitol of the Tsolyani empire is alien enough. Outside the human lands it becomes much stranger. The higher caste members of the society could go out looking for relics, but it is a duty seen as beneath their station. Those in the lower castes live such wretched lives that they lack the means to explore for themselves. Hence the foreign relic hunters.
Queenie's character will be a rich heiress whose father was an older adventurer that left her his fortune before he disappeared on an exploration mission. She and the rest of the players come from a peaceful realm during the age of sail. This realm has a trading post in a rich city of Tekumel, the Empire of the Petal Throne. Foreigners like you normally have low status, but you understand the complex customs enough to do artifact hunting business with the local merchants, and business is good. You do not get too involved in Tekumel politics and culture outside of work, since it is quite foreign and complex, and missteps can get one indentured, financial ruined, injured or killed. Don't worry... you might not know Tekumel, but your characters will, and I will add the cultural moments to enhance the scene and push the story instead of trying to trick you into something.
Queenie and the other players will have a merchant estate that houses them and their butler. Your ship and female crew usually stay at some of the ramshackle taverns along the waterfront, but can be put on call whenever you need to ship out. Simple mundane equipment, armor, and weapons are an affordable trifle for you. Magic is rare and not for sale, so will have to be found and discovered. Your rival, Handsome Jack, is also from your realm and has his own estate on the opposite side of the trading port in which he and his men live. The two sides often meet during party's held at the ambassador's mansion, where the two groups are also often approached about rumored new artifacts being sought and their asking price. In fact, the first adventure will start when both teams of you are asked by a Tekumel merchant to locate an object of value. Winner gets the financial prize.
Adventures will almost all come entirely from old TSR dungeon adventures found in modules and Dungeon magazine articles, although tweaked to the point of being their own creation.
I'll put up a Rogue's Gallery once we get an idea over what the party is going to look like.
Players:
Angelina Crawford the Human Charlatan played by Queenie
Briony Kidd the Human Fighter played by CanadienneBacon
Zephia Turlan the Human Rogue played by Kiraya_TiDrekan
Elsbeth the Human Witch played by dream66_
Bella Shiver the Human Fighter played by Rubberneck
?
Alts:
?
?
But it doesn't make sense for her to play a female adventurer without an equally awesome crew of female devil dogs. That's where the recruitment comes in. Queenie will be creating a PC that owns an estate in a port city of a foreign land, where she makes most of her revenue relic hunting for the native leaders.For those of you that don't know already, I like to mish mash settings and campaign ideas. So here is the background:
Ruleset: Castles and Crusades
I've used BECMI D&D rules, 3.5 DnD, Pathfinder, and Dungeon Crawl Classics on this website. I was tempted to use BECMI or a retro clone for this one, but I decided to go with CnC for a couple of reasons.
1. I want the feel of this campaign to be more low magic, high fantasy. Older editions of D&D were more comfortable with weird things that didn't necessarily have rules connected to them, while DnD 3+ seemed to have rules that governed everything. If everything you deal with has stats, a bit of the mystery and intrigue is sapped away.
2. I really like the CnC way of handling saves and heroic feats through the SIEGE engine. Basically, non-humans can pick two attributes and humans three attributes that are their primaries. Primary attributes have a base chance to succeed of 12 while secondary attributes have a base chance to succeed of 18. This works for saving throws and attempts at heroic feats, with difficulty, attribute bonuses/penalties, and character levels altering the d20 result the character has to attain to succeed.
Here is a link to the free quickstart rules: http://www.trolllord.com/downloads/pdfs/cnc_qs.pdf
In addition, here is the link to the free Crusaders Companion for more races, classes, and equipment: http://www.trolllord.com/downloads/pdfs/crusaderscompanion.pdf
CnC is much like AD&D 1st edition, so it should seem very familiar. Roll three sets of the six attribute scores with 4D6 and drop the lowest. Pick the set you most like, rearrange the attribute scores in any manner you see fit, and maximize the hit points per level. Everyone starts at level 3. You know each other and have been doing this gig for awhile.
Male players are welcome to join in this campaign, as long as they create female characters. And please, no backgrounds with women suffering as wilted flowers until they finally broke loose from their confines. We've had enough of those in modern literature. You are a crew of rough and rowdy women with sometimes shady, oft violent pasts. Make the spirit of Jacquotte Delahaye proud ladies, she lived as a pirate queen founding her own nation and died in a shootout.
All races and classes from the quickstart rules are allowed. I'll also entertain any alternate classes and races found on some of the CnC forums, but only after I give them a look through. For instance, I found a Swashbuckler class I want to use for a character I'm putting together called Handsome Jack. Handsome Jack and his crew of treasure hunters are going to be semi-frequent competitors to their female counterparts. Although his crew and your crew sometimes aid one another, you also sometimes tangle, though usually on a non-lethal basis. Handsome Jack will also be run on a cameo basis by [MENTION=2820]Fenris[/MENTION]. I probably should tell him that, though, after I finish the character up.
Campaign Setting: Tekumel
For a relic hunting game, you can't beat Tekumel for a campaign setting. Tekumel: Empire of the Petal Throne, was the first campaign setting for Dungeons and Dragons. Yes, older than Forgotten Realms and even Greyhawk. Yes, even older as a developed setting than the Wilderlands of High Fantasy.
Tekumel is a strange land accessed by ship through a magical sea storm. Travelers understand when they are through the storm since there are never stars in Tekumel's sky, only its sun during the day, and a handful of far planets at night. Elves, dwarves, orcs, and halflings are unheard of in Tekumel and are a source of fascination. On the other hand, Tekumel is ruled largely by humans, but also possesses numerous other beings; some allied and actively trading with human lands, while others see humans as a defilement and wish to see their world cleansed of them.
Tekumel is based on Indian, Middle Eastern, Meso-American, and Egyptian mythology. Stepping inside the human Tekumel capitol of the Tsolyani empire is alien enough. Outside the human lands it becomes much stranger. The higher caste members of the society could go out looking for relics, but it is a duty seen as beneath their station. Those in the lower castes live such wretched lives that they lack the means to explore for themselves. Hence the foreign relic hunters.
Queenie's character will be a rich heiress whose father was an older adventurer that left her his fortune before he disappeared on an exploration mission. She and the rest of the players come from a peaceful realm during the age of sail. This realm has a trading post in a rich city of Tekumel, the Empire of the Petal Throne. Foreigners like you normally have low status, but you understand the complex customs enough to do artifact hunting business with the local merchants, and business is good. You do not get too involved in Tekumel politics and culture outside of work, since it is quite foreign and complex, and missteps can get one indentured, financial ruined, injured or killed. Don't worry... you might not know Tekumel, but your characters will, and I will add the cultural moments to enhance the scene and push the story instead of trying to trick you into something.
Queenie and the other players will have a merchant estate that houses them and their butler. Your ship and female crew usually stay at some of the ramshackle taverns along the waterfront, but can be put on call whenever you need to ship out. Simple mundane equipment, armor, and weapons are an affordable trifle for you. Magic is rare and not for sale, so will have to be found and discovered. Your rival, Handsome Jack, is also from your realm and has his own estate on the opposite side of the trading port in which he and his men live. The two sides often meet during party's held at the ambassador's mansion, where the two groups are also often approached about rumored new artifacts being sought and their asking price. In fact, the first adventure will start when both teams of you are asked by a Tekumel merchant to locate an object of value. Winner gets the financial prize.
Adventures will almost all come entirely from old TSR dungeon adventures found in modules and Dungeon magazine articles, although tweaked to the point of being their own creation.
I'll put up a Rogue's Gallery once we get an idea over what the party is going to look like.
Players:
Angelina Crawford the Human Charlatan played by Queenie
Briony Kidd the Human Fighter played by CanadienneBacon
Zephia Turlan the Human Rogue played by Kiraya_TiDrekan
Elsbeth the Human Witch played by dream66_
Bella Shiver the Human Fighter played by Rubberneck
?
Alts:
?
?
Last edited:
