Airwalkrr's Shackled City OOC (Full)

[airwalkrr]

I'd like to see if there is interest in running through the Shackled City Adventure Path (D&D 3.5) as a PBP. There is a lot of dungeon crawl and it is a very tough campaign so I don't know how well the format would work, but there is also a lot of high quality roleplaying potential that I think would benefit from the format.

Character Creation
This is a difficult campaign. The rewards are great, but getting to them will be tough. This campaign is designed to challenge six player characters, so I will be shooting for six players and two alternates, ready to jump in at a moment's notice.

Ability Scores: You have two options, rolling and point buy. If you choose to roll ability scores, inform me ahead of time which name you will roll under and use invisiblecastle.com. Roll three sets of ability scores using the standard method (4d6, drop lowest) and choose the set you wish for your character. If you choose point buy, you may spend 28 points to purchase ability scores.

Class Choices: Although any class should be able to shine at one point or another, some classes have more difficulty than others in this campaign. I will provide specific advice after you select your class, but bear in mind there will be a lot of urban and dungeon adventuring, and not very much wilderness adventuring.
Multiclass Characters: If you wish to play a multiclass character, you must begin as a multiclass character at 1st-level and use the rules for apprentice-level characters from the 3.0 DMG. It will also affect your starting age. In my campaigns, training for a new class takes more time than will be allowed in this campaign so you will be limited to no more than two classes. Bear that in mind if you plan to multiclass.

Local Heroes: The Shackled City Adventure Path works best if the PCs are locals to Cauldron or the surrounding region (see attached map). As an incentive to being a local, I will allow you to roll a random trait if you come from Cauldron or one of the nearby communities (Kingfisher Hollow, Hollowsky, or Redgorge).

Other Sources: I am generally fine with the classes from other official D&D sources. Feats, spells, and prestige classes require special permission however. Spells will typically require research while feats and prestige classes will require special training.

Equipment: As this is a difficult campaign, you may begin with maximum starting gold for your character class to purchase equipment.

Campaign Setting: The setting is Greyhawk. Follow the Player's Handbook for deities if necessary (except note St. Cuthbert is Lawful Good, not Lawful Neutral). Other acceptable sources for deities and domains are the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer and Complete Divine (Greyhawk gods only). Special knowledge of the setting is neither required nor necessarily beneficial.

Other Incentives: For those who provide particularly intriguing character backgrounds, I may grant you one bonus random minor magical item.

[Legildur]

Hi Airwalkrr,

I started playing in a Shackled City PbP game a while back, but it died. I wouldn't mind playing a human Monk for something different if you would be happy for that. I might have to be a little quiet at the start of the game RP wise given the initial exposure I've already had, but happy to keep that knowledge separated.

Legildur

[airwalkrr]

A monk would be welcome. However, there are no local monasteries or other establishments that cater to a monk's unique interests and skills. A monk is likely to be regarded by locals as a mixture of curiosity and quiet awe. You most likely either learned your skills from a private master, or are a renegade member of the Scarlet Brotherhood, a racial supremacist group of Suloise (blond-haired, blue-eyed) humans.

Having played through a bit of the campaign before is no problem.

[Strahd_Von_Zarovich]

Hey,

Like Legildur I played the game also but it died off. I will give it a shot one more time.
Not sure what I'll play - Maybe I'll take half-orc fighter with the trait - Touched in the Head.
He grew up in the Lantern Street Orphanage and serves now as a local bodyguard.
Now that I know the beginning of the adventure since I began playing it before it dies off, I say that he is most troubled by the recent kidnapping.
He is Half Baklunish Human and Half Mountain Orc. As for religon he pays his tribute to Istus.

[airwalkrr]

Partly to keep things interesting, and partly to keep players on an even footing (the traits can grant some interesting advantages if you design your character for it), I'll be rolling up the traits and assigning them randomly. Other than that, a half-orc fighter is perfect. Fighters will have plenty to keep them busy in this campaign.

The Baklunish are not very common in this region, so something to keep in mind for your background is how your character wound up in Cauldron.

[Bohemian Ear-Spork]

There's a character that I have long wanted to play; if you don't find him suitable, I'll happily make another pitch -- I've been really wanting some 3.5 gaming of late.

Simon Sinople is a Dread Necromancer (Heroes of Horror). He doesn't think of himself as a "dread" anything, mind -- he's just a man who's fascinated by death and what comes after. He considers himself a scholar of the afterlife, an explorer of the boundaries between the living world and the realms of the dead.

He's a nice enough fellow, for all that. Rotund in shape, red of hair and voluminous beard, and possesses a laugh which can carry for miles under the proper cirumstances. He's open, friendly, and likes both children and kittens. The former find him funny, the latter flee and hide under tables when he enters a room.

Alignment would be Lawful Neutral, he pays tribute to Boccob, and Brian Blessed would play him in the inevitable movie adaptation. I'm not as familiar with Greyhawk as I might be, but I imagine that Simon's been wandering for some time, searching out obscure bits of knowledge and recording funereal traditions for a monograph that he's been writing.

All feels a bit purposeless, though. He's looking for a Cause of some sort, although not entirely consciously.

[Oni]

I'm kind of interested, I wouldn't mind having a second game.

Maybe a cleric or druid since I haven't messed with those classes too much.

[airwalkrr]

There is certainly a place for a dread necromancer, although one such as you describe, Bohemian Ear-Spork, would undoubtedly be misunderstood by the populace at large. The class is a bit nefarious by its very nature considering it mirrors the powers of a lich with the end result of actually becoming a lich at 20th level. Such powers will undoubtedly come to taint your character's seeming mirth and goodwill as you describe it. Another angle comes to mind however; that your character is cursed somehow with these powers and fights a constant inner struggle.

If you are considering a cleric, there are only four established temples in Cauldron; temples to St. Cuthbert, Pelor, Kord, and Wee Jas. A local thieves' guild has a shrine to Olidammara. There is also a shrine to Fharlanghn at the Lucky Monkey, as well as a loosely organized group of his faithful spread throughout the region. Additional shrines to Pelor, Wee Jas, Moradin, Yondalla, and Garl Glittergold can be found in the outlying towns and villages in the area. If you worship one of these religions, you will have an advantage of a support structure to rely on.
A Note on Undead: While undead can be found in this campaign, they are not the focus of it, so it might be a good idea to focus on feats that allow you to use your divine energy for other uses.

If you are considering a druid, bear in mind much of the campaign takes place in a dungeon or urban environment, hence a druid focusing on wilderness skills won't have as much to do as one who focuses on other skills. Still, there are a number of things for druids to do in this campaign and plenty of places for a druid's specialized skills to shine.

[Bohemian Ear-Spork]

Originally Posted by airwalkrr

There is certainly a place for a dread necromancer, although one such as you describe, Bohemian Ear-Spork, would undoubtedly be misunderstood by the populace at large. The class is a bit nefarious by its very nature considering it mirrors the powers of a lich with the end result of actually becoming a lich at 20th level. Such powers will undoubtedly come to taint your character's seeming mirth and goodwill as you describe it. Another angle comes to mind however; that your character is cursed somehow with these powers and fights a constant inner struggle.

He is, although he'd indignantly deny it, a fairly arrogant soul. He knows that he's trifling with powers of a fell nature, but is absolutely convinced that he can do so without being corrupted.

Make it a curse, though...that's an interesting angle, and that could work with quite well with the fellow that I have in mind.

"Oh, aye, there's no doubt about it. I'm damned, sure as sure. But I'll be damned on my own terms, thank ye very much! My soul is my own, and I won't surrender it without a fight, and a damned bloody one at that!

"In the meantime, well, what's a man to do? Sit on his hands? I've a talent, for good or for ill, and a man is obligated to use what the gods have given him. Even if it is a curse, it's one that has certain...applications, shall we say? True, my very touch can kill a man, freezing his very blood in his veins. But I decide when, and how, to use that touch.

"Curse or no, that shan't change."

[Zarust]

I would like to enter my name into the mix with a dwarven priest of Kord. After moving to Cauldron he spent his first ten years drinking away his meager income and working as a bouncer to keep a roof over his head. After losing a contest of strength during a public bar bet, his perception of his abilities were shattered and he was left searching for a path to follow to make himself complete once more. After watching a demonstration of Kord's abilities, he felt something reawaken in him and he began petitioning the brothers to take him as an acoylte. For three days he stood outside the temple denying himself both food and water to prove his desire and finally when his body threatened to fail him, the priests took him inside and made him one of the faith.

While his desire to crack skulls and drink stout dwarven spirits remains intact, now when he does it, it is to prove the strength of more than just himself. It is to bring honor to Kord as well...

[airwalkrr]

That sounds good, Bohemian, I like it.

A dwarf cleric of Kord would be good to add to the mix. Note what I said earlier about clerics.

The tally so far is:

Legildur - human monk
Strahd_Von_Zarovich - half-orc fighter
Bohemian Ear-Spork - human dread necromancer
Oni - cleric or druid
Zarust - dwarf cleric of kord

No skillful characters (bard/rogue) have been offered up yet. The party would do well to have one of those. A less specialized arcane caster would also be helpful, though not necessary.

[Vertexx69]

I might be interested in trying my hand at a bardly type fellow, although I have no idea what shackled city is.

What lvl is the game starting at ? (28 buy points doesn't seem like a lot for a "tough" campaign.)

[airwalkrr]

Shackled City is an adventure path published by Paizo, but what it is doesn't matter. You don't really have to know what it is to play it, other than the fact that it is D&D. The game starts at level 1.

As for the relative power level of 28 points, that probably depends on the type of games you are used to playing. There is a standard distribution for encounter challenges presented in the DMG. Roughly half of the challenges a party faces are equal to their level, roughly 30% are lower than the party level, and thus fairly easy, and roughly 20% are higher than the party level, and thus fairly difficult. 25 points is typically sufficient to deal with the challenges provided by a standard campaign like this. However, Shackled City skews the percentages slightly more in favor of more challenging encounters, but not drastically so. 28 points should be sufficient to deal with the challenges presented by this tougher campaign. Now if you are used to using more than that then clearly you are used to even tougher campaigns than usual and it won't seem as big of a power leap. If that's the case, Shackled City might be easier than the campaigns you are used to.

[Legildur]

I'm going to go for rolling on Invisible Castle.

I'll use "Legildur's Shackled City ability scores" as a title or something similar. A monk needs every advantage they can get and I reckon 3 rolls will deliver a better rounded character than 28 PB.

[airwalkrr]

You know I've realized a better idea would be to simply have everyone roll under their EN World screen name. Just do that. I was testing to see how best to do it. Instead of using the "Roll Stats" option, use the "Roll Dice option and enter '6' for "Number of Rolls" and '4d6.takeHighest(3)' for "Dice." Under "Note" put 'Airwalkrr's Shackled City.' Do that three times and select the roll you like best.

[Legildur]

Rolls are:

#1: STR 16, DEX 15, CON 12, INT 11, WIS 15, CHA 10

#2: STR 13, DEX 5, CON 10, INT 13, WIS 13, CHA 12

#3: STR 16, DEX 10, CON 8, INT 13, WIS 14, CHA 9

#4: STR 16, DEX 15, CON 12, INT 11, WIS 15, CHA 10

I rolled #4 only because I thought I might be able to throw away #2 due to the low overall modifiers (can't remember exact rule from PHB or whether you apply it). Doesn't matter much as #1 was a good roll and I'll take that.

edit: I used the "roll stats" option. Sorry. Didn't see your post until I had finished.

[airwalkrr]

That's fine Legildur. And for others who are rolling, if you get a set that is unplayable as defined by the PH (the sum of your modifiers is 0 or lower, or if your highest score is 13 or lower), that set doesn't count as one of your three.

[Thanee]

Ah, Shackled City. We started that once, but never got anywhere.

So, if there is still room, I would be interested (probably as an arcane caster, i.e. sorcerer, since I like those best ).

Bye
Thanee

[Zarust]

http:///invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1753175/ (roll #1)
Roll Lookup (roll#2)
Roll Lookup (roll #3)


I will go with Roll # 2 for his stats and will work on a more detailed history of the character today to help flesh him out further now that I have an idea of how to describe his crunchier parts. When thinking of his concept, I didn't see him as a turning type of priest, more of a drawing on the might of Kord to make the situation better, so the "lack" of undead will actually work well with this concept. I haven't really had much experience with priests, which is why I wanted to try one out, so I am not really sure what divine feats to look at, but will check my books out to see what I can find to help along the way.

Also if the option is still there, I would like to start him off multiclassed (Ftr/Clr), to show his time served as a bouncer/guard for hire before entering the church. I don't mind him being a bit older, dwarves do get the luxury of time, and it will give me more material to write with for his background. If it would be better for him not to go this route, I don't want to hurt the party for my own gain, then I will stick with being straight cleric and train during the game to show his gaining a level of fighter.

Goran

Goran CR 1 (0 xp)
Male Dwarf Priest 1 (Kord)
CG Medium humanoid
Init +1; Senses Listen +2, Spot +2
Languages Common, Dwarven
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AC 11, touch 11, flat-footed 10
hp: 11 (1d8+3) (1 HD)
Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +4
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Spd 20 ft.
Melee +3 (1d+3/x2/)
Base Atk +0; Grp +3
Combat Possessions
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Abilities Str 17, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 11
SQ 60’ Darkvision; +2 to all saves vs spells and spell-like effects and poisons; Stonecunning; +2 to all Craft skill checks with metal or stone; +2 to all Appraise checks that have to do with stone or metal items; +1 to all Attack rolls against orcs and goblinoid creatures; +4 Dodge bonus against Giants.
Class Features Proficient with all Simple Weapons and all types of Armor and Shields, except Tower Shields; Can cast divine spells; Turn Undead; Spontaneous Casting of Cure spells; Cannot cast Evil spells; Strength Domain Perform a feat of strength as a supernatural ability (enhancement bonus equal to cleric level and effect lasts one round/once per day); Good Domain: Cast Good spells at +1 caster level.

Feats: Combat Casting

Skills : Concentration +2, Heal +4, Knowledge (Arcana) +2, Knowledge (Religion) +2, Spellcraft +2


Possessions:

Advancement

L1->Priest 1 HP: 11 (1d8+3) SP: 12 (2+1) x4 )
Feats: Combat Casting

Skills: Concentration +2, Heal +4, Knowledge (Arcana) +2, Knowledge (Religion) +2, Spellcraft +2

Background

Work in progress

Appearance

Goran is broad shouldered, heavily muscled, with a shaved head and a pair of predatory emerald eyes. Multiple piercings cover his face, from his eyebrows to his lips and a thin scar starts just below his right eye and curves to his chin, a reminder to never underestimate a man charging him with nothing more than a broken wine bottle. His armor is well worn, but serviceable, as is the large axe strapped across his back, with Kord’s symbol etched on the heads. Around his neck is a silver medallion of Kord, but if anyone was able to examine it closely, they would see the many small dents and scratches that have accumulated on it since Goran first had it placed around his neck.

While many priests preach about the wonders of their faith, Goran believes that the best sermons are delivered through action. As such, he does not mix words and he speaks his mind freely and bluntly. While he has been known to ruffle a few feathers among the other good clergymen he has encountered, especially those who have a less aggressive mindset than he does, none can argue that the paths he travels aren’t a little more interesting when he is around.

Although his family will never admit, they are disappointed that Goran did not follow in serving in the ranks of the All Father’s priests; neither will they admit that their son is doing the right thing in their opinion by spending his days and nights brawling and carousing in the name of Kord.

[Oni]

Since Zarust is doing a cleric I'll go with the druid then.

Now to go check out this invisiblecastlethingummy.