The City Arcana [3.5][Mature][Dark]

moritheil · 18th January 2009, 09:50 AM

[IC thread is up!]
[RG is up!]

Magic is disappearing from the land.

A world-spanning coalition, backed by the will of tyrannical priests, the machinations of unscrupulous nobles, and the superstitions of peasantry, seeks to eliminate all wielders of arcane forces. They have largely succeeded. Long fragmented and rarely sharing much in common, the different orders of magic were pressed back, and many of the talented mages whose power could have swayed battles opted to simply leave for other planes of existence instead. Persistent, dark rumors hold that this war was but an excuse for their departure, and that the true enemy of arcane magic lies not in the mundane affairs of governments and wars but in something far more difficult to face.

The war is all but over. There remains but one true city - Arcana, the last bastion of free magic. There a new generation of heroes will gather and be tested.

OOC info:

I'd like to run a small campaign. This is a departure from my previous, sprawling, rules-intensive campaigns, as I no longer have the time and I'd like to do something more cinematic.

I need well-behaved players, accustomed to 3.5 and accustomed to RP. I want this to be a smooth, laid-back, fun experience for all involved. On average I am going to have ~20 minutes/day to post; I do not want long rules disputes and if pressed I will issue summary rulings (but I'm very experienced at making 3.5 rulings, so usually my instincts agree with the rules.) I need people to post 4 times/week during the weekdays; weekends are off.

I'm looking for 2-3 level one characters, 32-point buy; I would like arcanists or hybrids of some sort to preserve flavor, but it's not mandatory. (If your character is not an arcanist, why is he or she siding with the losing side of the war? Justice? Family ties? Quirk of fate?) I will choose the characters that most fit the setting as offered by the players who appear most suited to the campaign.

Those of you who know me know that most of my DnD campaigns are brutal combat grinders with elaborate political machinations thrown on top, for layers of depth no matter how you slice them, but here I'm trying to simplify things.

Any official 3.5 book is allowed with the exception of Incarnum. I don't have it. I do have one custom class available for the campaign: the Mystic Knight, which could grossly be described as a neutral, arcane substitute for the paladin. It is a class designed to work with a friendly mage. I will post a link if it becomes apparent that there is interest.

I won't bat an eye if you play something so highly min/maxed that standard monsters can't challenge you as long as you do it in a way that fits with the story. However, the focus is on the story - anything that could ruin the story will be tossed out, no questions or exceptions. Obscene diplomacy bonuses and infinite loops are out.

The Mature tag is there because I expect to deal with themes of tyranny, oppression, betrayal, torture, graphic violence, social injustice, moral ambiguity, and desperation. I don't expect to deal with them all the time, but in the event the party encounters them, you have been forewarned.

The city has a politics writeup. The enemies have a politics writeup. Their tyrannical deity has a writeup. I have histories, names, personages . . . but wouldn't it be better to just find out?

ethandrew · 18th January 2009, 10:44 AM

I am intrigued, and I am sure that I will not be the only one either. How soon are you looking at getting this started?

OnlytheStrong · 18th January 2009, 10:49 AM

I'd love to get in this game, and get information on the Mystic Knight.

Reveille · 18th January 2009, 11:25 AM

Wow, glad I'm awake at dark-thirty to notice this.

I want in. Will start off as a human wizard multiclassing into sorcerer and eventually picking up levels of ultimate maugs, assuming the caharacters gain enough levels.

I'll start work on my character after getting some sleep.

Blackrat · 18th January 2009, 02:02 PM

Yeah, this sounds intriqueing. The Mystic Knight sounds very nice, or I could always go with many splatbook variants of basic "mage". I'd like to see somesort of consept from each prospective player to build a balanced party.

My consept would be either a basic mage build, or a bodyguard for a mage character.

moritheil · 18th January 2009, 03:59 PM

I'm pleased to see interest.

This is the mystic knight.

pathfinderq1 · 18th January 2009, 04:46 PM

I'm interested as well. My first thought, given the wide-open nature of options is, an elan beguiler (and psion to be) with an eye towards either Cerebremancer or Mindbender PrC- not that that is likely, but it helps define the character.

Gli'jar · 18th January 2009, 05:59 PM

Sounds very interesting. A human warlock, wizard or a god of magic worshiping cleric perhaps. What are you looking for as far as concept?

moritheil · 18th January 2009, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ethandrew

I am intrigued, and I am sure that I will not be the only one either. How soon are you looking at getting this started?

Thanks. I think that I will take this week to review applications, and start towards the beginning of next week.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gil'jar

Sounds very interesting. A human warlock, wizard or a god of magic worshiping cleric perhaps. What are you looking for as far as concept?

Anything that fits, really. All of those examples are valid. While you are limited to LA +0 options, you don't have to be human - all arcane practitioners have been displaced or driven into hiding and many have sought refuge in the city Arcana. Thus it would be unsurprising to find dwarves, elves, gnomes, and the like rubbing shoulders with kobolds, goblins, and aasimar (see this link for the LA+0 way to play aasimar - you essentially start as a level 1 in whatever class you want, then add the Aasimar level at level 2.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by pathfinderq1

I'm interested as well. My first thought, given the wide-open nature of options is, an elan beguiler (and psion to be) with an eye towards either Cerebremancer or Mindbender PrC- not that that is likely, but it helps define the character.

Sounds perfectly fine.

Scott DeWar · 18th January 2009, 08:38 PM

just wanted to say that if i could spare enough time and mentle rescorces to play i would try to join. I think this is an awsome concept. good luck!

on another note i humbly and respectfully request permission to ~~steal~~ barrow the Mystic Knight class.

I also want to say that i will try to follow2 the story line for the pure entertainment of it.

S. DeWar

crazy_monkey1956 · 18th January 2009, 09:02 PM

It has been a long time since Monkey has actually played. This sounds intriguing enough to jump into.

Hathanorgrimm Spellsmith, Grimm to his few friends, is a dwarven wizard whose only real ambition is to craft magic arms and armor worthy of being entered into the dwarven halls of record.

The war has, of necessity, put that ambition on hold. Grimm fights in the war because he must, to keep his dream alive.

My 3rd edition collection is somewhat meager, so I'm only using the PHB and the Spell Compendium for spells and such, plus the character will likely multi-class as a fighter and shoot for the Spellsword prestige class.

Stats to be edited into this post shortly.

I assumed, for the moment, that starting gold was average (75 gp for a wizard).

Grimm Spellsmith

Drowned Hero · 19th January 2009, 12:47 AM

I dont play to many D&D games. But this is a eye/mind catcher.

Race unknown refugee after seen his local potion maker slaughtered by a squad of soldiers, cut to pieces and displayed at the local plaza. he or she is young and aware of his or her gift of magic. Leaves his/her home leaving a note to the parents talking about the wide world and its opportunities, hurting inside for telling lies. He/she makes it to Arcana by smuggling route (the city is somehow under siege maybe?) and starts the formal training in Arcana.
Uses the family tie/feelings as a manner to channel magic, may dream about his/her mother and awake with a burning pillow, not a big fire but fire all the same. The only thing that angers him/her more than his/her separation from his/her family is the fact that a someone will kill all magic. Had the old arcane magic and its bearers no right to the world of the living? Morality is something he/she likes to debate. Maybe magic was supposed to die out, maybe fate was involved or maybe not. The Gods haven't exactly interfered eighter.

Elements of rouge/soldier and arcana is what i want this concept to be about. I will have to think on it tomorrow when ive got me some sleep.

-DH

edit: Arcane trickster as prestige class maybe? A wizard/assassin? A bard/sorcerer?
Is there such thing as a assassin class in 3.5?

pathfinderq1 · 19th January 2009, 01:29 AM

With a bit more thought, my concept ideas have diverged down two paths:

Depending on the prevailing attitude towards psionics, an elan pure psion is a possibility- this works best if either A. Psionics are rare enough that most people lump them in with arcane magic, and their practitioners are treated in similar fashion or B. Psionic abilities are rare and poorly understood- in this case some arcanists may be trying to develop psionic users as allies that are harder to recognize or combat.

As a second possibility, a 'human' warlock/sorceror blend, with an eye towards the Eldritch Theurge PrC (from Complete Mage). In this case, the idea would be that with destruction looming, some desperate arcanists have made terrible bargains with dark powers- this character would be the result of one such bargain (not that she had made the deal herself, but that she is the child produced by that bargain). Ideally, this would be closer to tiefling or Fey'ri in flavor, but 'mechanically' human, so LA +0.

moritheil · 19th January 2009, 04:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazy_monkey1956

It has been a long time since Monkey has actually played. This sounds intriguing enough to jump into.

I assumed, for the moment, that starting gold was average (75 gp for a wizard).

Thank you! I very much like the level of detail that went into your writeup. (Other prospective players, take note :P)

To avoid characters being underequipped due to low rolls, let's use average starting gold values.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drowned Hero

I dont play to many D&D games. But this is a eye/mind catcher.

Thank you.

Your backstory ideas are pretty much dead on - public executions, a state of siege, and rampant smuggling all exist.

There are epic magic wards around the City of Arcana, so siege doesn't occur in the normal sense of massive armies parked right outside - unpleasant things happened to armies that tried (soldiers turned insane, slowly converted to undead which then defended the city, etc.) But on a strategic level, Arcana is very much under siege.

Quote:

Is there such thing as a assassin class in 3.5?

Yes; it's a prestige class. If you don't want to wait to get your backstabbing and throat-slitting in, then you can consider rogue, or ninja, which is another base class (it appears in C. Adventurer.) I will consider Rokugani ninja if you can pull off an excellent backstory (the AED writeup - it is more powerful than ninja, but comes with a code of conduct.) There is also a "spellthief" class in C. Adv. which, come to think of it, might be an interesting class to play through this campaign - it's a caster/rogue with greatly reduced sneak attack damage that steals spells upon sneak attacking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pathfinderq1

A. Psionics are rare enough that most people lump them in with arcane magic, and their practitioners are treated in similar fashion or B. Psionic abilities are rare and poorly understood- in this case some arcanists may be trying to develop psionic users as allies that are harder to recognize or combat.

Those aren't contradictory and in fact I'd say they are simultaneously true - non-arcanists lump them together (inborn power, after all, can be sorcery as well), but arcane scholars understand that there is a difference and are eager to learn more. If only there weren't this darned war in the way of progress . . .

moritheil · 19th January 2009, 05:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott DeWar

just wanted to say that if i could spare enough time and mentle rescorces to play i would try to join. I think this is an awsome concept. good luck!

on another note i humbly and respectfully request permission to ~~steal~~ barrow the Mystic Knight class.

I also want to say that i will try to follow2 the story line for the pure entertainment of it.

S. DeWar

Thank you. Provided that I am properly credited, you may borrow the Mystic Knight class with my blessing.

Blackrat · 19th January 2009, 07:42 AM

Wow! You certainly got people interested it seems

. Well, I am already in a quite a few games so I'll withdraw from this in order to let others take preference.

OnlytheStrong · 19th January 2009, 08:48 AM

I would love to play the Mystic Knight. He will probably be a human. I will have one stat'd up and everything on wednesday (works been crazy). I like the "coldly neutral" viewpoint, although I'm sure it will rub some people the wrong way. I doubt I take him into a PrC, since I would like to see how the Mystic Knight class plays out.

Drowned Hero · 19th January 2009, 11:42 AM

Hmmm. I like the Ninja concept alot, but i want to multiclass him with a sorcerer i think at some point. I want my character to have the magic spark within. Any recommended prestige class y can work towards?

In progress.......

Syut - Ninja

Spoiler:

frostrune · 19th January 2009, 04:12 PM

Hmmm.. this looks very interesting. If it is not too late I'd like to toss a concept out there.

Caldemar was the promising young apprentice of Maldegar the Owl; a well-known and respected diviner who had publicly served his brethren for more than two decades before the 'purge'. Far from physically imposing the man had earned his respect with his keen mind and a well placed ear. He knew things, both arcane and mundane. He had served discretely behind the scenes for various nobles and politicoes. Power that he used to protect his one and only love: magic. But in the end his discrete professionalism would be turned against him. Those that would drive the purge scapegoated him as a puppetmaster, using his dark magics to warp minds and fool the weak. This gentle old man was literally ripped to pieces by a mob whipped into a blood frenzy by the priests of <insert tyrannical diety>.

But Maldegar had not been called the Owl because of his bookish spectacles. He had well placed arcane and mundane spies and likely forsaw his impending doom. Unbeknownst to Caldemar he arranged to send his young apprentice on a bit of research to the Great Library of Arcana. Caldemar arrived with sufficient funds for an extended stay <and perhaps a trusted retainer or two - perhaps someone interested in playing the mystic knight class?> and copious notes and baggage ostensibly to help in his research.

Caldemar soon learned of his Master's death and immediately recognized the ruse he had used to spirit him to safety, well... relative safety. Since that fateful day Caldemar has been living frugally on the advance he had been provided. Slowly he is begining to recognize a hidden pattern or code within his Master's 'research'. There are also hints at other caches of knowledge he has secretly stored but details are frustratingly lacking. Frequently the old man would test his young pupil with crytic games. Caldemar expects this to be more of the same. One last grand game from beyond the grave, but the prize could be world-changing. And so he strives to decipher Maldegar's wishes and looks for his opportunity to strike back at the ignorant jealous powers that would take an old man's life and try to stamp out knowledge.

"Patience and wisdom are invaluable tools."

These are the words of Maldegar the Owl. And so his apprentice lurks and learns and eventually he will have his revenge.

Drowned Hero · 19th January 2009, 09:38 PM

The ninja stats are done...

Now what made me think was that undead thingy...

Another concept i find worthy is a converted to undead soldier, that with some divine intervention retains his soul and personality, and in some sort of way makes him understand that the magic has its place in the world, making him a fervent adept to the cause of magic.

I might find something useful in Libris Mortis i think.

Alignment would be a problem though.