Expedition to the Craters. (3.5 gestalt with optional Arcana Evolved, and Kender.)

EDIT: Now opening to Kender characters!

(I'm running the same game on Giant ITP and have decided to start one here.)

This will be an old school "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks" style Campaign. The theme is LOTR/Greyhawk fantasy characters who would barely understand that a cigarette lighter isn't magic encountering Aliens and spaceships for the first time. This will require a lot of separation of player and character knowledge.

1) Generation:

4d6b3, reroll all ones. if you don't like what you get default to 28 pt build. Use pathguy for calculations to avoid confusion. Transcribe sheet to mythweaver or other online sheet and post a link here.

2) Alignments and class conflicts

LG, CG, NG, NN(druid) only. No alignment clashes in your build. No Bard-paladins or Druids in Metal armor. Only Druids may be NN.

3) Gestalt build rules.
One side must be chosen from this list: Barbarian, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Paladin, Wizard, Sorcerer.
The other side may be chosen from Bard, Witch(dmg), non-Asian flavored Wotc, Arcana Evolved.
BANNED: Monks, Necromancers, Book of 9 Swords, Factotum, Ritual Warrior, Oathbound, anything with a 'world though' mechanic.

4) Race. Human, elf, halfling, gnome, 1/2 ork, 1/2 elf, Dwarf, and the Faen from Arcana Evolved.

5) Starting at level one. Max hp.

6) Starting wealth for level 2. That should be enough to equip both sides of the build.

7) Religion: Setting is homebrew generic 'fire arms free' fantasy with 'fast and loose' pantheons. You may worship Greek, Norse, Greyhawk, ect. Nothing that requires human sacrifice. Kord, Desna, Baulder, Demeter are all fine.

8) In game crafting?: Scribe scroll, brew potion only for magic items. Party will have contacts for supplying gear. Craft Arrow or Craft Leather/smiting would only be needed for repairing gear and replacing arrows. What I'm getting at is that it would be better to spend the skill points elsewhere.

9) Gameplay style? Mix of overland travel and exploration and dungeon crawl. May get a bit hack n slash at times. Going for 'aimed sandbox' cribbing encounters and monters from some PF Adventure paths, a couple DCCs, and some classic 1 and 2 ed modules worked together with my own not-too-original plot.

10)Mounts, pets, animal companions? Don't spend money on them to start. Mounts will be provided by sponsor. Druid may start with pet, but first encounter will be in a semi-civilized area. Don't get too attached as they might get 'face hugger-ed' at some point.....

11) Game will be played on this forum. Combat rolls in the IC tread. Expected posting frequency is Daily.

Remember, the style of game is "Expedition to the Barrier Peaks". Google it. Tolkien/Greyhawk style characters discovering 'strange magics and creatures' from 'above the sky', but no pre-existing experience with technology more advanced than a heavy crossbow.


Game will start when I get 5 approved characters. Open to 8 players.

Pre-emptive faq:


Q: No LN or CN?
A: I'm running an adventure game, not an exercise in arguing relative morality or schizophrenia.

Q: Can I play an android, cyborg, mutant, were-critter...?

A: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPOb3DlB7WA
Not as a starting character, and any acquired templates/curses/upgrades/afflictions will probably not be by player choice.


Q: How will combat work.
A: First round will usually be in posting order. roll initiative for the next round in your first combat post. Give a set of intentions and a set of 10 d20 rolls for any attacks/saves/or attacks that come up before you post next. GM will narrate the details per round.

Q: Can I play a Jedi/force adept?
A: Find a holocron and a couple kyber crystals on the random treasure rolls and we'll talk.

Q: How will we be handling figuring out technology when we find it?
A: With a complicated chart and maybe some amputations....Or random button pushing while hopefully pointing the 'business' end away from you...


Q: Can I use Unearthed Arcana or PHBII or racial substitution levels?
A: Ask me about a particular option and I'll consider it. If you are wanting the generic classes the answer is no.

Q: Can I use d20 modern for the none core side of the build? Like Fast hero?
A: Sure. use the 3.5 skill list.

Q: How far will this game go?
A: I have enough material to get to level 20 three or four times... Would start multi-gestalting when we get to higher level or using some version of XP point buy.

I love this line;

"The theme is LOTR/Greyhawk fantasy characters who would barely understand that a cigarette lighter isn't magic encountering Aliens and spaceships for the first time."

Good luck with the recruiting.

Preview:

It is an early summer evening on the Frontier province, and, along with most of the Town of West Crossing, you are knoll just north of town overlooking North Lake awaiting the promised fireworks for the Warden and Baron's son's Name Day Celebration. The best pryo-illusionist in the land, Dolfgand the Singed, has been summoned form the East, and now is out on Mushroom Turtle Isle in the middle of the lake warming up for the evening's show.

Vendor tables baring toasted nuts and other treats are set at the bottom of the hill and the crowd is in a festive mood as the sun sets. The festivities are about to begin.

A few minstrels entertain the crowd as the sky grows dark. Logs are piled for the planed bond fire and dance for after the fireworks. The Baron is on hand and will probably make some speech, but the name day boy and is probably back home with his mother.

Hmmm... is that roast turkey legs you smell?

I'm sad there isn't much response to this. So I'm thinking a loresong faen Wizard/Magister with the plan to become a sprite someday. Are Evolved levels possible?

Thank you.
Use the 3.5 skill list using know:Arcana instead of know:magic. Convert other skills using common sense.
Yes, evolved levels will be available, though you might acquire them a bit differently.

Is there an online roller that does reroll 1s and is verifiable? Rolz.org does it but there's no way to cut/paste it that is verifiable.

And hey, c'mon people it Arcana Evolved!!! (and 3.5).

Actually, I found an interesting ambiguity in the rules. Looking at the javascript at various die rolling sites, "4d6 drop lowest, reroll 1s" can mean any of the following (and I did find the 1st, 2nd, and 4th methods out there on the web):

• Roll 4d6, discard the lowest die, pick out any die showing a 1 and reroll those dice once
• Roll 4d6, pick out any die showing a 1 and reroll those dice once, discard the lowest die
• Roll 4d6, discard the lowest die, reroll any die showing a 1 until there are no more 1s (this one is the least logical to me. if no die should ever result in a 1, discarding the lowest die should not go first)
• Roll 4d6, reroll any die showing a 1 until there are no more 1s, discard the lowest die (this is equivalent to Roll 4d5, discard lowest die, add 3)

In the OP, stats are rolled "4d6b3 reroll all ones". This implies #3 above since the b3 happens before the reroll part but I suspect #4 above was the assumption since the word "all" is included.

I like the 4th one because it can be entered into the coyote code die roller for verification as 4D5.HIGH(3)+3.

I know it looks like I'm over thinking this, but I'm also bumping the thread to the top of the forum by posting. And bumping the thread is my primary purpose here.

Now I shall wait until tomorrow to perhaps actually roll the dice and post them. Then Tuesday I'll come up with a name for the character. Assign stats to ability scores on Wednesday. Draw it out until maybe there's a second player.

This one:

Roll 4d6, reroll any die showing a 1 until there are no more 1s, discard the lowest die.

Sounds like a blast, but I don't have the time to commit.

Lots of luck!

Maybe I should allow kender pcs?