D&D 5E (Recruiting) Greyhawk Old-School Sandbox-Style Campaign

Ever since 5e was released, I have marveled at the simplicity of the game which hearkens back to the good ole days of AD&D. I have also been inspired at how it has retained the concept of player choice in development of character concept to be represented in meaningful ways. As such, it is the first edition since AD&D in which I have felt totally gung-ho about running a Greyhawk campaign (rather than trying to shoehorn things in). I am looking for some players for an old-school, sandbox-style Greyhawk campaign with a dark swords & sorcery feel to it. A place where magic spells and items are feared by the common people more often than not, where the primary incentive for the life of an adventurer is greed, and where the milieu is grim and gritty, dark and dangerous. You might be on your way to the next dungeon when suddenly you happen upon a dragon, not because it is an appropriate encounter for your level (it is not!), but because you simply happened to stumble into the dragon's domain. Likewise, you might come across a vast fortune that is virtually unprotected, not because it is appropriate wealth for your level, but because there was an undiscovered hidden treasure just waiting for someone to find it in your location.

Knowledge of the Greyhawk campaign setting is unnecessary. You will learn about the world and my interpretation of it as you play. An appreciation for the milieu I have described is more important.

I am looking for a particular sort of player. If most or all of these describe you, then you are an ideal candidate for this campaign:

• Self-motivated: As DM, I will not nudge you in the "right" direction. There will not be an "overarching storyline" towards which you are headed. I will design and describe the world around you. You will have a detailed city to explore and begin your adventuring career. But it will be up to you to seek out adventuring locales by talking to NPCs, gathering rumors, hunting/purchasing treasure maps which may or may not lead anywhere, and pursue leads.
• Inquisitive: A desire to investigate and explore your surroundings is incredibly valuable. There might be a massive treasure hidden behind that statue, or there might be nothing at all. But you will not find much if you do not look for it.
• Resilient: Severe, permanent injury (lost limbs and the like) and death are natural consequences of the adventuring lifestyle. There are few retired adventurers for a reason. If your character dies or suffers any other ill fate, you will have to be able to shrug it off, and either continue playing a hampered character or retire the character and create a new one. Having the wherewithal to realize an encounter is too dangerous or that it is time to flee will often be necessary. But remember, with great risk come great rewards.
• Resourcefulness: The ability to work out puzzles, think outside the box (and I do NOT mean creating a zany, non-nonsensical character), and find solutions where there are no apparent ones is a great boon to adventuring. You will face many hurdles which may or may not have built-in means to overcome. Some may simply be impossible. The ability to recognize which is which and come up with inventive solutions will be key to success and survival.
• Old Soul: I will be utilizing the modular nature of D&D 5e to add-in rules from the DMG and restrict rules from the PH that I feel are not in the spirit of Greyhawk. That is not to say I consider the rules unbalanced, simply that they do not belong within the milieu. The changes will be simple (I won't re-write the paladin class for example), but significant. You ought to be comfortable with these house rules. A mostly complete list of the most significant rules can be found below (there are one or two others I may add).

Variants

• Crafting a Magic Item: Magic item creation is possible, but will usually require special materials (e.g. a unicorn's horn) depending on the nature of the item. Magic item creation can also be dangerous, resulting in various magical disasters or cursed items if a formula is not followed precisely. How well a crafting character follows that formula will be represented by a crafting check which is level-based. Having a proven magical formula to work with grants advantage on the roll. Designing a formula for a new magic item, lacking a formula, or working with a flawed formula grants disadvantage on the roll.
• Creating a Background: Adventurers come in all different stripes with many types of backgrounds. Players will be allowed to customize a background to suit their history for the character, and need not be limited by the backgrounds listed in the PH. The elements of the background are subject to DM approval however, and must fit the milieu. A "Beggar" background with Sleight of Hand as a skill is reasonable; Arcana would be a hard sell.
• Injuries: The following conditions usually create permanent injuries: taking a critical hit, dropping to 0 hit points without dying, failing a death saving throw by 5 or more. Most of the injuries can be cured simply with magical healing or a Wisdom (Medicine) check and time, but a rare few are permanent, such as losing an eye or limb. This will make the game grim and gritty. And yes, this applies to monsters and NPCs as well.
• Mixing Potions: Oh yes, you can combine a potion of healing with a potion of fire breath to try to get the effects of both with a single gulp. Or you could try to drink a second potion while still under the effect of another. But the result might be... unexpected.
• More Difficult Magic Item Identification: A short rest is not sufficient to identify any but the most common of magic items (such as a potion of healing). Usually you will need to use an identify spell, experimentation, or both.
• Rest Variant (Gritty Realism): A short rest is 8 hours and a long rest is 7 days. So resource conservation will be key! Adventuring will require careful planning. This more closely resembles the AD&D rules for resting and the benefits thereof. (Side note: I realize this severely hampers the warlock class, and I am just fine with that.)
• Scroll Mishaps: Using a magical spell scroll is not always so simple as reading the magical script. Note that checks are only necessary for spell scrolls containing spells of a higher level than your character is capable of casting. So a wise practitioner of magic will avoid the possibility of a mishap by simply not choosing to use such powerful spell scrolls.
• Training to Gain Levels: It will take 10 days of downtime per tier plus gold expenses to level up (the gold portion might be waived in exchange for a favor to the trainer). This will force player characters to take downtime from time to time. It will also require finding trainers for powerful talents. This training can be down pro-actively up to one level in advance. But an alternative is to create a new character and play that character while the other is training.

Restricted Rules and Other House Rules

• Pretty much any variant rule in the PH is included here unless otherwise stated (see Creating a Background above). This means no customizing abilities scores (you will have to roll on a dice roller of my choosing), no feats, no variant humans (although humans will receive 10% bonus experience or perhaps some other benefit to make up for the fact that the default human is pretty boring), only humans can multiclass, and just about any other variant rule you find in the PH (there are not many).
• No drow, tieflings, or dragonborn. Drow and tieflings are almost categorically evil and would not even be allowed in most civilized places. Dragonborn simply do not exist in Greyhawk. Half-orcs will not have an easy time of things for that matter, but they are still allowed.
• Only humans can be monks and paladins.
• Most adventurers are fighters and rogues. Clerics and wizards are the second-most common. Barbarians, druids, and rangers are uncommon. Bards, monks, paladins, sorcerers and warlocks are rare. Allow these guidelines to influence your character creation.
• Dwarf spellcasters are rare, but those who choose a non-spellcasting class receive advantage on all saving throws versus spells (fighter and rogue count so long as the character does not choose eldritch knight or arcane trickster).
• Players may only use the Player's Handbook unless explicit DM permission is granted.

So, who is interested? If interested, please submit a character concept first for approval. A complete character concept includes a name, race, class, background, and a two sentence description of the character (one sentence for appearance and one for personality is plenty).

Example: Eldon Halfburrow, Halfling Rogue Criminal. Eldon has a ruddy complexion with brown hair, bushy side-burns, and a long scar on his left arm from a nasty encounter with a guard's sword. He is crafty, cunning, and always careful before heading into danger, but has a wanderlust and desire for great wealth.

Approved Character Concepts
[MENTION=6787159]Skarsgard[/MENTION]: Arion Wenter, Half-Elf Rogue Charlatan
[MENTION=552]Creamsteak[/MENTION]: Mialee of the Cards, Human Bard Entertainer (Custom Background, Playing Cards : Disguise Kit, Sleight of Hand : Acrobatics) (Custom Class Feature: Spellcasting Focus-Burnt Playing Cards)
[MENTION=6800191]Spartain104[/MENTION]: Kail Ryon, Human Monk Hermit
[MENTION=8858]hafrogman[/MENTION]: Davis Gray, Human Wizard Outlander (Custom Background, Artisan's Tools: Musical Instrument)
[MENTION=913]Schmoe[/MENTION]: Helmut Krauthammer, Human Fighter Soldier
[MENTION=36150]Herobizkit[/MENTION]: Samara Renae, Half-Elf Cleric Acolyte

Once your concept has been approved, locate the Obsidian Portal site: https://greyhawk-city-of-thieves.obsidianportal.com/ To get into the OP site you will need one of the following: 1) an OP account, 2) a Google+ account, 3) a Facebook account or 4) a Twitter account. Once you sign in to OP, go to my OP profile and send me a friend request. Then I will invite you to the campaign.

So...most classes get to cast their spells once per week?

Actually, the Warlock is the -least- hampered by these rules. Granted, they only get a few spell slots, but at least they can recharge them overnight.

Should be interesting to see how it works though. Always fun to watch some gutsy, experimental gameplay.

Hi airwalkrr, this sounds very different to the usual and I would love to submit a character.

Arion Wenter is a half-elf Rogue Charlatan. Arion is fair and slender with warm, soulful brown eyes and sandy brown hair. As Arion, he always sports a scarlet berret. He is an opportunist and a skilled forger able to give you certificates of authenticity for all manner of useless junk. Money is just a way of keeping score but the game is the next con. He has another identity as Zenith Winter a humble merchant who always dresses in a wide brimmed straw hat, simple woolen clothing and dark green cloak.

I've been kinda looking around the forum to start a new 5e game since I'm hanging about again lately. I'm of the attitude that I'll try anything generally. The one thing I'm a bit iffy about is rolling stats after I've decided on mechanics. That seems like it could get dicey. I'd rather do the opposite and roll an ability score array and THEN pick my class based on what I rolled.

I'll see what I can come up with blind. I'm kinda fond of choosing the "hard" option here of being a cleric or wizard. I could definitely roll St Cuthbert Cleric on RP alone.

Note, I have not played a PC yet in D&D 5e so I might be a little less talented at the rules than I would like to be.

Oooh, spiffy.

My time is limited so I may end up bowing out before the game starts if I can't squeeze in time to get my character done, but I want to throw in a concept anyway.

Liriel Galanodel - N Elf Fighter (Eldritch Knight) Collector (custom background based on the AD&D 2nd Edition Kit) Liriel seeks adventure not out of any sort of personal ambition but to find historical and magical items that belong in elven hands - either because they were originally created by elves or simply because other races aren't worthy of them. She also seeks to destroy any item that could prove a threat to the elves. Her devotion to her people is her first loyalty, though she hides her true motives most of the time. She is not above being underhanded if it furthers her goals or current mission. Her training has consumed most of her free time and she has never made time to get close to anyone. As a result, she can be a bit stiff and even rude at times.

Notes on the background - I'm thinking that the proficiencies would be Stealth, History, Investigation, and Thieves' Tools. The feature would be similar to the Sage feature, but specific to items of historical or magical significance to the elven race.

Skarsgard said:

Hi airwalkrr, this sounds very different to the usual and I would love to submit a character.

Arion Wenter is a half-elf Rogue Charlatan. Arion is fair and slender with warm, soulful brown eyes and sandy brown hair. As Arion, he always sports a scarlet berret. He is an opportunist and a skilled forger able to give you certificates of authenticity for all manner of useless junk. Money is just a way of keeping score but the game is the next con. He has another identity as Zenith Winter a humble merchant who always dresses in a wide brimmed straw hat, simple woolen clothing and dark green cloak.

Click to expand...

I love the concept. Very Greyhawk! I believe Arion will make a fine adventurer. Please visit http://invisiblecastle.com/stats/roll/ and make certain to enter "Arion Wenter Ability Scores" as the Name to generate your stats. Please link the results in your following post. You may proceed to create your character from that point.

Creamsteak said:

I've been kinda looking around the forum to start a new 5e game since I'm hanging about again lately. I'm of the attitude that I'll try anything generally. The one thing I'm a bit iffy about is rolling stats after I've decided on mechanics. That seems like it could get dicey. I'd rather do the opposite and roll an ability score array and THEN pick my class based on what I rolled.

I'll see what I can come up with blind. I'm kinda fond of choosing the "hard" option here of being a cleric or wizard. I could definitely roll St Cuthbert Cleric on RP alone.

Note, I have not played a PC yet in D&D 5e so I might be a little less talented at the rules than I would like to be.

Click to expand...

The main reason I requested a concept submission first was so that people did not waste time creating a character only to (potentially) have it rejected. Sometimes people get a little overeager. If you would prefer to see your ability scores before deciding on a concept, you may roll as above, except please use "Creamsteak1 Ability Scores" as your Name. After that you may decide on your concept and submit it for consideration, but please allow me to review the concept before you proceed any further.

Kiraya_TiDrekan said:

Oooh, spiffy.

My time is limited so I may end up bowing out before the game starts if I can't squeeze in time to get my character done, but I want to throw in a concept anyway.

Liriel Galanodel - N Elf Fighter (Eldritch Knight) Collector (custom background based on the AD&D 2nd Edition Kit) Liriel seeks adventure not out of any sort of personal ambition but to find historical and magical items that belong in elven hands - either because they were originally created by elves or simply because other races aren't worthy of them. She also seeks to destroy any item that could prove a threat to the elves. Her devotion to her people is her first loyalty, though she hides her true motives most of the time. She is not above being underhanded if it furthers her goals or current mission. Her training has consumed most of her free time and she has never made time to get close to anyone. As a result, she can be a bit stiff and even rude at times.

Notes on the background - I'm thinking that the proficiencies would be Stealth, History, Investigation, and Thieves' Tools. The feature would be similar to the Sage feature, but specific to items of historical or magical significance to the elven race.

Click to expand...

I like the custom background concept, but it needs a little work. First, you may only select two skill proficiencies. The other two proficiencies must be language, tool, or vehicle. In addition, Stealth does not seem to fit. Since you are only allowed two skill proficiencies anyway, I suggest navigator's tools or cartographer's tools. Second, it seems we would need to add something to the sage feature if it is going to be specific to elven lore. Perhaps part of the feature could be that she begins play with knowledge of or a map to a site said to contain elven artifacts. Or perhaps in addition to knowing how/where to learn lore about elven objects, she also has an elven contact who will pay top price for such items.

Your concept has provisional approval, provided these details are worked out. You may roll stats as above, except use "Liriel Galanodel Ability Scores" as the Name. Let's try and hammer our the background details in the meantime. I'm open to other ideas if you have them.

Stealth was based on the idea that the character is a sort of Indiana Jones/Lara Croft style archaeologist - someone equal parts thief and researcher. So, I'd rather go with Stealth, History, Thieves' Tools, and any one language. As for the feature, I like the map idea although the contact would work as well.

Thanks airwalkrr, here are the stats.

Stats
STR 10, DEX 15, CON 12, INT 11, WIS 13, CHA 14

Link
http://invisiblecastle.com/stats/view/38132/

I'dd add the racials later, do you want us to roll for starting wealth or just work out of the standard loadout in the phb?

Thanks again!

Mialee of the Cards - Female Human Bard
Mialee is a smiling, silly, and playful traveler who roams from town to town, tavern to tavern. Her heart is always in the next place with the next person, never settling or sitting. Her smile belies her heritage, having been born to some gnarly married hedge wizard and the pretty tavern girl he never bothered to remember. As such Mialee grew up in a tavern, but her heart always wandered. When she grew older, she traveled coast to coast singing and playing cards. She is a gambler by nature, and not the brightest one. High stakes, always, and always looking forward to the next win. She praises Fharlanghn as she travels. Those that know her for more than a single night might see the sadness in her eyes. She travels both to see the next thing and to forget the past. She is a person with no home, no family, and only the road.

Mialee has short curly black hair and light complexion. She an odd strut to her walk, and wears a mix of light form-fitting clothing. She is certainly not the prettiest girl in the room, she is plain in many ways, but she is always smiling and laughing and tries to bring happiness to those she encounters even when she herself regrets and laments life.

Her call to adventure is to face challenges she has not yet seen. She carries the weight of all the people she has met in the past on her shoulders in silence, and wishes for everyone else to lead a better life. As such, she is inexorably willing to help others in need. As she is quite the gambler and prone to making mistakes in odds, she can easily get in over her head and dive head-long into something she can't handle.



Stats
STR: 14
DEX: 16
CON: 14
INT: 8
WIS: 14
CHA: 14

http://invisiblecastle.com/stats/view/38137/ (Modified by being human)

Kiraya_TiDrekan said:

Stealth was based on the idea that the character is a sort of Indiana Jones/Lara Croft style archaeologist - someone equal parts thief and researcher. So, I'd rather go with Stealth, History, Thieves' Tools, and any one language. As for the feature, I like the map idea although the contact would work as well.

Click to expand...

I had suspected the "treasure hunting archaeologist" was what you were going for. But I still do not see Stealth fitting into that mix very well. The original Lara Croft was a primarily a puzzle-solver. And Indy was never very good at hiding or blending in; solving puzzles was always his strong suit as well. Athletics or Acrobatics would be a much easier sell. I presently remain unconvinced. Perhaps if you are willing to write up the background more completely or cite some examples of treasure-hunting sneaks in action, I will allow it, but no guarantees.

Skarsgard said:

Thanks airwalkrr, here are the stats.

Stats
STR 10, DEX 15, CON 12, INT 11, WIS 13, CHA 14

Link
http://invisiblecastle.com/stats/view/38132/

I'dd add the racials later, do you want us to roll for starting wealth or just work out of the standard loadout in the phb?

Thanks again!

Click to expand...

Please use the standard starting equipment. You may sell any starting equipment at half price and use any starting gold from your background to purchase other equipment, however.

Creamsteak said:

Mialee of the Cards - Female Human Bard
Mialee is a smiling, silly, and playful traveler who roams from town to town, tavern to tavern. Her heart is always in the next place with the next person, never settling or sitting. Her smile belies her heritage, having been born to some gnarly married hedge wizard and the pretty tavern girl he never bothered to remember. As such Mialee grew up in a tavern, but her heart always wandered. When she grew older, she traveled coast to coast singing and playing cards. She is a gambler by nature, and not the brightest one. High stakes, always, and always looking forward to the next win. She praises Fharlanghn as she travels. Those that know her for more than a single night might see the sadness in her eyes. She travels both to see the next thing and to forget the past. She is a person with no home, no family, and only the road.

Mialee has short curly black hair and light complexion. She an odd strut to her walk, and wears a mix of light form-fitting clothing. She is certainly not the prettiest girl in the room, she is plain in many ways, but she is always smiling and laughing and tries to bring happiness to those she encounters even when she herself regrets and laments life.

Her call to adventure is to face challenges she has not yet seen. She carries the weight of all the people she has met in the past on her shoulders in silence, and wishes for everyone else to lead a better life. As such, she is inexorably willing to help others in need. As she is quite the gambler and prone to making mistakes in odds, she can easily get in over her head and dive head-long into something she can't handle.

OOC: I'd like to re-skin her spellcasting as having to do with dice, playing cards, and the like on occasion if possible. I might consider multiclassing cleric of Fharlanghn if it makes sense, because she literally is a creature of the road and travel. I definitely let my dice rolls dictate where I went with the character and I'm happy with the concept.

Stats
STR: 14
DEX: 16
CON: 14
INT: 8
WIS: 14
CHA: 14

http://invisiblecastle.com/stats/view/38137/ (Modified by being human)

Click to expand...

First, love the concept. It fits the milieu perfectly.

Second, I note you did not pick a background. I think Entertainer would fit well. If you would like, the background could be customized to replace proficiency with the disguise kit to a gaming set like playing cards, three-dragon ante or dice.

Third, because music and sound is so intrinsic to the bard class, I find it hard to strip that aspect and replace it with things like dice and playing cards unless music and sound is still somehow incorporated. A lot of bard spells and abilities are very rooted in sound. I find it hard to imagine gaining bardic inspiration from seeing someone toss dice or getting better rest from playing cards. The cleric route is far more suited, I think, to re-skinning the spellcasting, especially if you were to favor a god of luck or fate like Istus or Ralishaz; dice or playing cards could take the place of the holy symbol. On the other hand, given your detailed description, I agree Fharlanghn fits better. From where I stand, I think it fits better to have the character take up games of chance as more of a hobby and pastime rather than an element intrinsic to character abilities. Perhaps with a little more development we can the background better though if your heart is set on using the games of chance as some sort of (I assume) spellcasting focus.

Let us get to the heart of the question of why you selected the bard class in the first place. What is it about that bard class in particular that appeals to you for this character? Would you consider another class as an alternative if it fits the character better? (Any class could have the entertainer background and still fit your description quite well.) I suggest taking a look at page 52 of the PH under "Creating a Bard" and thinking about how the character became a bard in the first place to help answer these questions.