Rathan's Problem Down Under [3.5 OOC/Recruiting One More: Need Arcane Type]

[Rathan]

Rathan's Problem Down Under [3.5 OOC]

Word is spreading around the Prime of an astounding event in the northern part of the main Continent of Tier. A meteor has fallen and in it's wake has left the land for miles scorched and lifeless. It is rumored to have been a curse that caused the star rock to fall from the heavens and now where frozen coldlands once laid, only barrens remain. The meteor burrowed it's way through the planets face of rock and dirt only to reveal a vast and until recently undiscovered entrance into the once thought myth of the Underdark. For months now the surrounding areas of now what is know as the Scorched Northland Territories is riddled with monsters.. and worse.. from the depths of the darkness itself. The surrounding territories have united under an ancient banner, a truce once shared with all of these lands centuries ago, for the time being at least, to discover if it is possible to shut down the influx of the darkness' rage that is spilling into the light of day on the planets surface. All attempts so far have failed, even such attempts made by the combined armies of the now reforged alliance. Small armies have been pulled back to defend the outer edges of each of their respective territories and a call for 5 brave souls to take up the call to seek out and close off the bleeding vein of darkness that spills into the light of day.

Thus is my first delve into PbP DM'ing. I'm going to do my best with what I have to keep the 6 of you I choose from recruitment entertained. I'm going to start everyone off at 3rd level with 4000 starting gold. I do believe I'll go with a 25 point buy for stats and well. I really dislike it when people take the randomness out of this game so I'll just limit it a little with HP... Max HP at first + con mod and even levels are rolled normally for your class HD + Con mod... odd levels are 3/4 max + con mod... (1d4=3;1d6=4;1d8=6;1d10=7;1d12=9) I'm allowing Core Books, Completes, SS, and The Psionics Handbook. at the moment as those are the ones I have with me here to peruse and can viably keep track of. I'd like good alignments if possible as well please and I'd like for people not to go TOO crazy with character concepts as this is my first delve into DM'ing in a PbP setting. Some crazy is ok.. just nothing like 6 PrC's and four races with multiple personalities and the like as we advance.. heh... And as always, take it easy on the newb DM... i.e. ME... and above that.. I hope we can have a bit of fun with this!

"We are the heads of the Alliance. The people of our territories have voted and have decided to bestow upon you five the most valuable treasures that were split among each land centuries ago. First is an amulet depicting an angels feather made of pure platinum, the second a cloud with watchful eyes made of the finest silver in the world and just as the clouds in the sky move so does the silver of this broach as if alive itself, third is a helm and sword depicted over holy light in the background and this visage is set in a the darkest royal blue of a fine royal cloak. Fourth is a coiled snake with glowing golden eyes and feathered wings from it's upper back which is carved into the most beautiful of pale blue crystal, Fifth is an ornate belt fitted with a large intricately caved buckle depicting a large and flourishing oak tree, and last but not least is a large shield made of one massive golden scale of a dragon. We will decide based on your area of expertise who will best benefit from each items known power."

These items are artifacts of various intent. Each of the five of you will have one of them and they will actually end up leveling with you. Each of them will have special effects and bonuses to each character that wields them. Each item will also grow in power as you grow in levels as well thus becoming more powerful. At the end of the items progression something special happens you are told but as to what no one is sure as these items have never made it to pull blown power, or so it's written.


Recoded here will be the six players names and characters:
1 Menhir (Earth Elemental 2/ Barbarian 1) [Ambrus]
2 Edvik the Bastard (Human Fighter 3) [Hafrogman]
3 Lidia (Human Druid 3) [Ghostcat]
4 Eltyr Malacon (Human wizard 3) [Unleashed]
5 Berrek Sandblade (Human Spellthief 3) [Neurotic]
6 Anton Hill (Human Cleric 3) [Ethandrew]

Rogues Gallery Link Here

IC Link Here

[ethandrew]

I am interested. What's the posting rate you're looking for?

[Rathan]

Nothing hot and heavy.... once a day minimum if at all possible... I'm looking for a good game.. and those take time to form and create with storyline and good RP with gaming mechanics mixed in often methinks... so yea.. I would like one post a day from my players at least.... not a lot to ask for really

[hafrogman]

I'd be interested in joining. I can keep it simple. Fighter is pretty simple, right?

Depending on how it would fit with your background, I'd like to explore a character concept I once tried that had its game die.

Edvik the Bastard.

An illegitimate son of a royal line, his existence alone is somewhat of an embarresment. When the call for volunteers came, the king (father or grandfather, perhaps?) strongly encouraged Edvik to step forward.

The king sees a number of benefits, sending his own blood off on such a mission is a symbol of powerful commitment to the alliance. And should they succeed the dark fear that looms will have been defeated by one of his line. And should Edvik die along the way . . . well then, one less worry for the true heir.

For Edvik there is only a chance for glory. A chance to prove that despite his low birth, he himself is capable of being the equal, or better of any other man.

[Rathan]

yesss.. yess excellent... give the newb DM cannon fodder for his plot... errr.. I mean... me likes! run with it hafrogman... sounds good to me so far...

The five surrounding territories are as follows:

Hartsboar to the Northwest of the Scorched Northland Territory... This is a place of mostly consists of an underfed populus... mainly because most of its resources are given to the training and support of it's biggest asset... well groomed warriors and barbarians.. most combatants from this area are unmatched in their size and strength.... think viking-esque...

Jormikfen the the South.... this territory is most well known for it's scholars and mages... many of it's best mages in centuries past were thought to have found the strange and powerful artifacts you will soon possess.

Gerpalistar to the East.... little is known about this territory as most of it's inhabitants tend to stick to their land after the great wars that split the territories in the first place... it is said many of the worlds best assassins and thieves come from this mysterious place.

Lorken to the South East... The most well known of the territories.. it is a very diverse center of people... from every background... race.. color.. and creed can be found within it's boundaries....

Bowtorindale to the South West.... This land is said to be blessed by the Gods themselves to be a fertile place of growth and rebirth.... it is mostly ruled by the forests themselves as they engulf ninety percent of this territories vast landscape.

[Ambrus]

Hi Rathan,

I'm intrigued by the premise; it sounds very epic in scope. One question though; is this campaign intended to be a largely underdark-centered dungeon delve?

As I'm sure you're aware, I gravitate towards the more unusual concepts and am naturally drawn to your mention of Savage Species. A few character ideas of the top of my head:

Earth's Champion
(earth elemental)
In their haste to assemble their five champions, most who head the Alliance have forgotten that it is the earth itself that has suffered the most grievous wound from the impact of the star rock. Not so for the great druids of the Bowtorindale. The candidate they propose is nothing less than the living earth itself; given form, will and purpose by the elder spirits of the natural world. The druids contend that no better scout or guide exists to lead the expedition into the mysterious Underdark beneath the Scorched Northland Territories.

The Star of Heaven
(ghaele celestial)
The sun, moon and stars have circled in the heavens above for countless eons in accordance with the divine plan. A choir of angels are charged with shepherding the great celestial spheres, but one has gone astray and a great calamity has resulted. The admonished angel responsible for the star rock's errant trajectory has been admonished for its failure, defrocked of its might and cast down to earth. Now it lives as a mortal creature, in a world alien to it, on a sacred mission to make amends for its one tragic sin so that it might again enter into a state of grace.

[Rathan]

actually to be honest with you the Underdark is actually a little far off in the exploits of my plotting in this campaign... you will run into.... well.. other tasks that must be done before the underdark can be reached methinks... I have ideas floating in my head of little side tasks and such but which order they will come in is based mostly on the players decisions within the game....

The players first task however will be to explore an keep which somehow managed NOT to get destroyed in the meteors fiery wake.... the territory alliance wants to know how and more importantly WHY this keep was not destroyed and what importance it might have to much needed answers they must have....

As for your race selections I've sent to a Private Message explaining somewhat why I'd like you to stray from your two choices you have suggested as both races have a bit of importance plot-wise.... I like your celestial warrior idea... just... umm... stray from the race if you will please... I promise it will come to be worthwhile for you later on in the campaign...

[Rathan]

You know on second thought Ambrus the earth elemental would work.... I dunno what I was thinking on that one.... and I love the concept.... the Ghaele I'd still like you to avoid... but the other is fine if you want to run with it....

[Ambrus]

If the earth elemental works for you then that's great. I'll take a look at the class writeup in Savage Species and try putting a 3rd level one together for your review.

Out of curiosity, are you amenable to the idea of elemental characters halting their monster advancement at the Monster Manual's size/hit dice cutoff points to allow character class advancement or would you prefer they stay with the full monster class progression?

BTW, are you familiar with Malhavoc Press' When the Sky Falls supplement? It covers all the what-ifs involved in a meteor strike within a generic campaign setting. It includes unique creatures, feats, items, spells and prestige classes that might appear in the wake of such a calamity. Just thought I'd mention it in case it might interest you.

[Rathan]

actually I'm glad you asked that... I actually like the idea of stopping the progression to add class levels and the like.... you can freely mix and match class levels with levels in a creature class from the SS freely in this campaign...

As to the supplemental I'm not familiar with it but if you have a link to a source for me I'll be MORE than happy to look it over! More fuel for my plot means move excitement for you all!

[hafrogman]

So I'm looking at Jormikfen, just to be contrary. I kind of like the idea of a fighter from a land of scholars. Do you have any more information of the nations, or are they mostly framework so far?

Should I be making up people for my background, or do you already know who's there?

edit: Rough Draft of Edvik

Name: Edvik the Bastard
Class: Fighter 3
Race: Human
Size: Medium
Gender: Male
Alignment: Neutral Good

Str: 14 +2 (6 p.)  Level: 3        XP: 3,000 / 6,000
Dex: 13 +1 (5 p.)  BAB: +3         HP: 29 (3d10+6)
Con: 13 +1 (5 p.)  Grapple: +5     Dmg Red: --/--
Int: 13 +1 (5 p.)  Speed: 20'      Spell Res: --
Wis: 10 +0 (2 p.)  Init: +1        Spell Save: --
Cha: 10 +0 (2 p.)  ACP: -7         Spell Fail: 50%

                   Base  Armor Shld   Dex  Size   Nat  Misc  Total
Armor:              10    +8    +2    +1    +0    +0    +0    21
Touch: 11              Flatfooted: 20

                         Base   Mod  Misc  Total
Fort:                      3    +1    +1    +5
Ref:                       1    +1    +1    +3
Will:                      1    +0    +2    +3

Weapon                  Attack   Damage     Critical
Bastard Sword             +7     1d10+2      19-20 
Longbow                   +5      1d8+2        x3

Languages: Common, Draconic

Abilities:
Bonus Feats
Bonus Skill Points

Feats:
Improved Toughness [Human]
Blind Fight [1st]
Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Bastard Sword [Fighter 1]
Weapon Focus: Bastard Sword [Fighter 2]
Mage Slayer [3rd]

Skill Points: 24       Max Ranks: 6/3
Skills                   Ranks  Mod  Misc  Total
Climb*                    6      +2   --     +1    
Diplomacy (x)             3      +0   --     +3  
Jump*                     6      +2   --     +1
Knowledge: History        2      +1   --     +3
Spellcraft (x)            2      +1   --     +3

*acp: -7

Equipment:                         Cost  Weight
MW Bastard Sword                 185 gp    6 lb
MW Mighty: 2 Composite Longbow   450 gp    3 lb
 - Arrows (20)                     1 gp    3 lb

MW Full Plate Armor             1650 gp   50 lb
Heavy Steel Shield                20 gp   15 lb

Cloak of Resistance +1          1000 gp    1 lb
Everburning Torch                110 gp    1 lb
Potion: CLW (3)                  150 gp    - lb

Backpack                           2 gp    2 lb
Grappling Hook                     1 gp    4 lb
Silk Rope (50')                   10 gp    5 lb
Water Skin                         1 gp    4 lb
Whetstone                       0.02 gp    1 lb
Winter Blanket                   0.5 gp    3 lb

Total Weight: 98 (medium load)

Money: 419 gp 4 sp 8 cp

                           Lgt   Med   Hvy  Lift  Push
Max Weight:                 58   116   175   350   875                

Age: 21
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 190 lb
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond
Skin: Tan

Background

Twenty one years ago:

"I still think this is a mistake. Acknowledging the child at all serves no purpose, it will only cause difficulties in the future."

"He is still our first grandchild, whether you wish to accept the fact or not. I will not see him cast aside because of the circumstances of his birth. And you may find there is more benefit here than you believe. If his existence truly concerns you, isn't it better to keep him close at hand, and to have a hand in his upbringing? He is of royal blood, would you ignore him and give him reason to hate you?"

". . . I have already conceeded the point, I am here, am I not? Perhaps some good will come of all this, perhaps our son will learn some sense of responsibility for his own actions."

----------------------------------

It all started with a girl I suppose. Her family had come from the North, seeking their fortune, or just trying to leave behind the harsh life of farmers in Hartsboar. If they came seeking fortune, they didn't find it. She was just a chambermaid; but beautiful and tall, fair and exotic enough to stand out from the dark beauties of Jormikfen. I suppose I should stand in her defense and tell a tale of true love, or perhaps a cruel seduction, but reality is never quite as clean as we might prefer. He was the crown prince, and she could certainly see the benefits of his attentions. Neither of them counted on me.

I was born shortly after the prince's engagement was announced. Not to my mother, of course, to a duchess. The overwhelming opinion was that the girl should be given a sum of money and 'encouraged' to leave. But the Queen wasn't having it, she always was stronger than anyone gave her credit for, and her will was not to be swayed. She was the only person who welcomed me. Even my mother found an excuse to leave a few years later, not that I can blame her. Her presence was even less welcome than mine, particularly after the wedding and the new princess's arrival.

My childhood existed in a strange limbo between prince and servant. The prince's marriage shortly produced a legitimate heir, and a half-blood bastard was an unnecessary complication. For his part, my half-brother was actually quite accepting of my existence. Not that he showed any particular affection for me, he simply didn't seem to care. He was always a somewhat fey child, very focused on his studies. I never seemed to fare as well at such learning, but the castle tutors spared no opportunity to remind me how lucky I was to even be allowed such an education. I took to spending much of my spare time with the castle guards, who never seemed to care if I were prince, bastard or commoner. I learned much from watching them, and then later training under and with them. My choice of such pastime drew no small number of disapproving glances. Some saw it as beneath me, some saw it as confirmation of by base origins.

Once again, my grandmother was the only one who took interest in my activities. I think she was saddened when I decided not to pursue the life of a scholar, mystic or sage, but she still supported my choice. We would often meet share tea while she talked to me on one subject or another. She spoke of court life, and history, but mostly she tried to instill in me a sense of loyalty and responsibility. This last was a challenge for me, I had trouble justifying devotion to a country who certainly didn't want me. I often considered leaving, and going to seek my own way in the world, but she always convinced me to stay, at least for a little longer.

With the star fall, many things have changed in the land. The darkness has brought fear and uncertainty, and threats against my home. I'm starting to see a little of what my grandmother talks about. The king may not want me, my father may ignore me, but the land itself has a need. Monsters press against the borders, and I ride out with the soldiers to drive off these first probing attacks. My fellow warriors seem heartened by my presence, and I see gratitude in the faces of the common people when I return from battle.

The king wishes me to volunteer for this new mission. His motives are obvious, but I will go nonetheless. I am Edvik the Bastard, and regardless of anyone's opinion, I am a prince of Jormikfen, and I will stand forward to fight for my country.

HP for 2nd Level: 6

[Ambrus]

Here's a link to Malhavoc's page for When the Sky Falls. It's a 64 page supplement written by Bruce R. Cordell. A PDF can be purchased from DriveThruRPG for only $7. A six page preview of the PDF is also available for download as is a web enhancement from montecook.com. All in all, it seems to have received positive reviews.

[Rathan]

Ambrus: Sadly... I am between jobs atm... I got a bum rap on the termination of my last job.. but I'd rather not get into that here..... so unfortunately I don't have the money to toss around for a book or pdf for this campaign... unless you know someone who has it or has it yourself and can sent it to me... then I'll have to make due with what I have :-/

Hafrogman: To be completely honest with you... I have not a lot of written information on the campaign.. It's mostly floating in the vast regions of my sanity.. or lack there of some might say heh... you write me a background... names.. places... I gave you the skeleton... now I want to see my players give it muscle and flesh .... not to say I'm lazy.. but I feel a player can relate to a world a little better if they have some input in them.. my old group of players when I lived in MI had a BLAST making detailed maps of their hometowns.... names of shops keepers and such in said home town.. I even let them design the territory around their hometown... it just gives the player a REAL sense of home in a world where.. for the most part... they have NO control over.....

[Ambrus]

Sorry to hear about your work situation. Times are tough. I thought I had a PDF copy but I can't seem to find it now. But take a look at the previews for WtSF. If you think it'd be of use to you let me know and I'll see if I can dig up a copy for you.

Regarding the SS earth elemental, I was wondering whether you have any interest in bringing it into line with the standard 3.5 version; updating its Damage Reduction, ditching the free Power Attack feat and increasing its early natural armor. Let me know your preference.

[Rathan]

I'll allow you to switch the Power Attack with another feat.... you have to still meet the prerequisites for said new feat though.... what's the 3.5 version give for alternative DR for the earth elemental again? The early nat armor I do believe I'll leave as is as the artifacts themselves provide adequate recompense(you will see why once they are given to you )

As for the When the Skies Fall thing Ambrus.... I will allow people to use the feats and such from there as well as PRC's when the time comes to branch into them if they want.. but yea.... for this to be done *I* need a copy of it... so if you can find one for me.. it's in.. and I'll gladly use it after perusing the preview.... if I can't get a hold of it.... (have my roommate looking for it too with no avail) then it's not allowed....:-/

Hafrogman...... I love the chara so far.... give me a background and he should be pretty much all set.... save for reciving his item.... which will be dept with soon...

[Ambrus]

Rathan, I sent you a PM concerning WtSF.

As for the earth elemental, I didn't mean that I wanted to substitute the Power Attack bonus feat for some other feat; what I meant was that in the 3.5 Monster Manual it doesn't receive any bonus feat at all. Similarly the Damage Reduction system was completely changed between the 3.0 and 3.5 rules. Instead of the DR progression listed in SS, the earth elemental should probably only receive the RAW DR 5/–, probably at around 12th or 13th level. On the flipside, it'd seem to make some sense for the elemental to gain the standard natural armor bonus of a small elemental (+7) before it advances to medium size at 4th level; perhaps +3 at 1st, +5 at 2nd and +7 at 3rd. That's just my two cents though. Decide whatever you like and it'll be fine with me.


M E N H I R

Earth Elemental 2 / Barbarian 1
N Small Elemental [earth, extraplanar]
Init +0; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +5, Spot +5
Languages Common, Terran
–––––––––––––––––––––––––
AC 21, touch 11, flat-footed 21
hp 24 (2d8+1d12+3)
Immune critical hits, flanking, paralysis, poison, sleep, stunning.
Fort +4, Ref 0, Will +1
–––––––––––––––––––––––––
Spd 30 ft.
Melee slam +8 (1d6+8)
Ranged javelin 0 (1d4+5)
Base Atk +1; Grp +2
Special Atk earth mastery, push, rage 3/day
–––––––––––––––––––––––––
Abilities Str 21, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 10, Chr 8
SQ earth glide, elemental traits, fast movement
Feats Power Attack, Cleave, Extra Rage*, Great Cleave
Flaws Shaky, Wild**
Traits Plucky, Stellar Caution***, Stout
Skills Craft (armorsmithing) +5, Listen +5, Spot +5, Survival +1
–––––––––––––––––––––––––
Possessions necklace of natural weapons +1 (Savage Species, p.58),
3 cure light wounds potions, spiked chain shirt (17 1/2 lbs veins of iron
ore and crystal prisms embedded into torso), heavy steel shield (7 1/2 lbs slabs of
beaten iron embedded in left forearm), 5 javelins (5 x 1 lb stalactites), cold iron
spiked gauntlet (1/2 lb veins of iron ore embedded in left hand), alchemical
silver spiked gauntlet (1/2 lb veins of silver ore embedded in right hand),
caltrops (12 lbs of iron pyrite nodules), masterwork artisan's tools (5 lbs),
6 flasks (6 x 1 1/2 geodes), chalk, flint & steel, whetstone (1 lb of minerals
infused into fingertips).
–––––––––––––––––––––––––
Treasure 1,135 gp
Experience 3,000
–––––––––––––––––––––––––
Height 4-ft. Weight 80 lb
Background In their haste to assemble their five champions, most who head the Alliance have forgotten that it is the earth itself that has suffered the most grievous wound from the impact of the star rock. Not so for the great druids of the Bowtorindale. The candidate they propose is nothing less than the living earth itself; given form, will and purpose by the elder spirits of the natural world. The druids contend that no better scout or guide exists to lead the expedition into the mysterious Underdark beneath the Scorched Northland Territories.

*

EXTRA RAGE [General]
You may rage more frequently than normal.
Prerequisite: Rage or frenzy ability.
Benefit: You rage or frenzy two more
times per day than you otherwise could.
Special: You can take this feat multiple
times. Its effects stack.
(Complete Warrior, p.58)

**

WILD [Flaw]
Accustomed only to a free life in the wild, you
panic when captured or restrained.
Prerequisite: Survival 1 rank.
Effect: Whenever you are entangled,
pinned, or bound, you immediately become
panicked. Your fear is alleviated 1 round after
you are free of all bonds. Spells and effects
that remove fear do not prevent this effect.
(Dragon Magazine 329, p.95)

***

Stellar Caution [Trait]
You are more than a little apprehensive
about anything pertaining to the Starfall.
Your caution helps to keep you safe, but
makes you slow to react to Starfall threats.
Benefit: You gain a +1 Insight bonus to
AC when dealing with anything pertaining
to the Starfall.
Drawback: You take a -1 penalty on
Initiative checks when confronted with
anything pertaining to the Starfall.
(Campaign specific trait)

[ghostcat]

Can I throw my hat in the ring. If so, I will be looking at some kind of Druid. Probably Human but I am considering a Gnome. If that's OK I can have a character up either tomorrow or Tuesday.

[Rathan]

Ambrus: The Raw DR 5/- at 12th is fine. As for the feat... if we're going to change to the 3.5 line of progression with something we might as well do it all... yea.... lets take the feat right out of there. I'll give you as well the progression of nat armor +2 at 1st, +4 at 2nd, and +6 at 3rd..... sound fair? With your artifacts you will be getting I feel characters that will be 'well buffed and mighty' enough for little changes to be made I assure you....

Ghostcat: Druid is fine... give me a character writeup and come up with a nice background for me

hafrogman: waiting on background still.. but otherwise character looks great

[hafrogman]

Originally Posted by Rathan

Hafrogman...... I love the chara so far.... give me a background and he should be pretty much all set.... save for receiving his item.... which will be dept with soon...

Originally Posted by Rathan

hafrogman: waiting on background still.. but otherwise character looks great

Okay, okay, hold your horses.

Background is up. I still need to go shopping.

I think he's done save for the artifact, obviously.

[Rathan]

you know I completely forgot about The Psionics Handbook and Complete Psionics... I'm adding those to the list as well of acceptable creation books... I will make note of this in the first post as well...