CRPG Evolved: Curse of the Azure Bonds (full/taking alternates)

Eva of Sirrion

First Post
The land of Cormyr is in political upheaval. King Azoun IV is dead, the noble houses are grasping for every measure of power they can claim, and the army of the Purple Dragons struggles to keep order and prevent civil war.

And where is the Steel Regent, Princess Nacacia, during all this mess? She's traipsed off with her longtime paramour, Gharri of Gond from the temple of Gond in Tilverton. And no one seen her in almost a tenday. Calls have gone out throughout the land for anyone willing to aid in the search. A large reward is promised for anyone who can find her.

Word of this reaches you in Hillsfar, so you decide to hop down to Tilverton to see what the word is. The journey is mostly uneventful for your group as you make camp still a half-day's journey from Cormyr's northernmost city.

That's when all nine hells break loose.

You awake the next morning in an unfamiliar inn room with aching heads. Worse, all of your posessions are gone. You've been robbed of everything you had that wasn't nailed down the night before, leaving nothing but the clothes on your backs! And that's not all. Five blue tattoo-like markings now adorn your upper-right forearms (if you look at the back of your hand, the marks would be facing you).

Luckily they seemed to have missed your emergency coin stash. You each have 300 platinum, and even more mysteries on your hands than you originally planned.

Curse of the Azure Bonds Evolved

This game is based on the gold-box D&D computer RPG from ca. 1990 of the same name, which was in turn based on a novel and P&P module of the same name. Only this incarnation of the adventure will use the current rules and Forgotten Realms timeframe. Yes I know that according to FR canon Tilverton is now a city of shades or somesuch. Well, we're screwing canon in this case. The shades never came and took Tilverton away or whatever they did. Get it? Got it? Good. The premise pretty much remains the same, you arrive in Tilverton intent on rescuing a princess only to find yourself robbed blind and in posession of a new funky set of tattoos. These marks both serve as shackles for your characters, and the key to their salvation.

There's an added twist as well. Not only will the PHB be allowed, but also Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved and all the races and classes and alternate rules in that book. The AE races will be treated as ubitquitous; they've always been around but you just don't hear much about them. You're just as likely to bump into an AE race NPC as a PHB race one.

Starting level: 5
Alignments: any nonevil

Abilities: 4d6 drop low, reroll ones (at invisiblecastle.com, you can use the 4d6.takeHighest(3).minroll(2) command, and post the results).

Races allowed: from the PHB, FR campaign setting, or AE

Classes: from PHB or AE. You can start with racial levels, but not evolved levels. You'll find out how to access evolved levels as we go along.

Notes on AE spellcasters: Wisdom-based spellcasters from AE will be considered "divine casters" and should pick a patron deity. Witches require the holy symbol of their deity as a focus instead of a spell component pouch and can ignore spell failure as long as they have the medallion at hand. Intelligence-based spellcasters are considered "arcane." The mage blade chooses if he is arcane or divine, and the choice is binding unless he multiclasses. Multiclass casters can have both intelligence and wisdom as casting abilities and track their spellslots separately, but this can induce MADness.

Equipment: You've been cleaned out! :D Everything save for a set of clothing and 300 PP is gone.

Other questions?: Fire away.

Update: The 6 initial players will be the first 6 who finish up their characters from those who've already posted. Alternates are always welcome, and will be considered in order of posting if anyone drops.
 
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coridan

First Post
Hi! are you still recruiting, or is it too late to join?

Arcana Evolved, huh? Must investigate! How about the AE spellcasting system?

CB
 

Eva of Sirrion

First Post
There's still plenty of room. In fact you're my first customer.

The general rule of thumb when running a D&D/AE hybrid (the way I do it and the way I've seen a lot of other message board posters do it) is that AE spellcasters use the AE spellcasting system, and D&D spellcasters use the D&D system. It keeps everything relatively consistent and balanced.
 

Thanee

First Post
Hmm... this sounds interesting. :) I'm actually DM'ing the predecessor (Pool of Radiance) on this board currently. :D

Since I don't have any AU/AE books, I would be looking into standard PHB material for a character (druid maybe).

Bye
Thanee
 

Scotley

Hero
Hmm... this sounds interesting. :) I'm actually DM'ing playing the predecessor (Pool of Radiance) on this board currently. :D

I'll dust off my copies of AE & FRCS and consider what to submit.

Hi Thanee!
 

Isida Kep'Tukari

Adventurer
Supporter
Hmm... I've always liked AE, a whole big bunch! I don't suppose you have Transcendence, do you Eva? I have a couple concepts in mind, one of which is a Totem Speaker.

Another question, what if you have a magister or mageblade? Those classes are somewhat dependent on an external item, particularly the magister. Would they be missing their staff or athame? I know you said they have nothing but cash and clothes, but... ???
 

Falkus

Explorer
Hmm, I've got an idea for a rogue. I don't have AE, so I'll stick with the PHB.

Dominic Vasquez, gambler and adventurer by preference, lock-smith and burglar when necessary.

Description: Dominic stands at six feet exactly, and tends to be dressed fairly extravegently in flamboyany fashions. Likes caps and hats with a feather in them. He has long, red hair, and deep blue eyes.

Aligment: C-G

Background: Dominic hails from foreign locales. He's a traveler, and has been for a number of years. Usually by choice, but he's had to leave town one step ahead of an angry mob on more than occasion.

Generally a good natured person, gambling is his one weakness. Whenever there's an opportunity to make a wager, he takes it. And whenever he has an opportunity to shift the laws of chance, he takes that too. Loaded dice, cards up his sleeve, it's the one moral weakness of an otherwise nice guy.

When not frequenting a local gambling den or casino, Dominic usually passes time by signing up with a local adventuring party, and seeking fame and fortune the hard way. He's an adequate lock and trap-smith, and pretty good at sneaking around.

He was passing through Hillsfar when he heard of the opportunity in Tilverton. He sought out a group of like-minded individuals, and decided to followw through on it.

Stats:
http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?a=show&id=562077

Str: 11
Dex: 16
Con: 11
Int: 15
Wis: 10
Cha: 16 (fourth level point put here)
 

Voadam

Legend
D&D 3.5 feats? (TWF and no ambidexterity)

D&D or AE skills (sneak vs ms & hide)

Ritual feat at 1st level for AU characters?

Tumble checks static DC for D&D or opposed roll AU style?

AU style fort death save instead of flat death at -10?
 

Eva of Sirrion

First Post
Isida Kep'Tukari said:
I don't suppose you have Transcendence

I do, but I've only read the first couple chapters. The ability-evolved levels and totem speaker look ok, but I'm still reading (and reserve the right to veto) anything else.

Isida Kep'Tukari said:
what if you have a magister or a mage blade?

Mage blades and magisters will need a day to reattune to a new athame or staff. Magisters in this game will only need a day to attune to a new staff if their current staff is broken or if they find a new one they'd rather be attuned to.

Voadam said:
D&D 3.5 feats? (TWF and no ambidexterity)

D&D or AE skills (sneak vs ms & hide)

Ritual feat at 1st level for AU characters?

Tumble checks static DC for D&D or opposed roll AU style?

AU style fort death save instead of flat death at -10?

Ugh, how could I have been so careless as to not cover these basic items? :eek:

TWF, no ambidex

Sneak skill replaces MS and hide (basically you have one dex-based skill for all your stealthy endeavors. ACP applies).

AE characters get the ceremonial feat (if they have a truename) or talent (if unbound). D&D characters get an additional feat.

Opposed roll tumble checks (if you try to tumble past someone to avoid AOO, the opponent rolls an attack roll to set the DC you have to beat with your tumble check.)

AE style dying rules (disabled between 0 HP and -(con bonus), dying between (con bonus and con bonus -10) and dead below con bonus -10).
 
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Voadam

Legend
http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?a=show&id=564172

Tried the grid type but got confused so I went with a straight roll type and got

18
15
14
11
9
9

Xi-Selorn
Giant 3 warmain 2
Large giant
Str 20
Dex 14
Con 16
Int 9
Wis 13
Cha 9

Hp 10 +2d10 +2d12 +15 +6
AC 12 (-1 size, +2 dex, +1 natural) Touch 11, Flat footed 10
F +9, R +3, W +3
Init +2
BAB +4
Grapple +13
Attacks
X +9 melee dX+5
Stomp 10 ft radius DC 15 balance check

Feats: Combat Reflexes (B), Intuitive Sense (C), Intuitive Sense Improved (C), Stomp, Sturdy(B),

Skills
Intimidate +5
Knowledge History +0
Knowledge Nobility +0

Equip 300 pp
 
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