The Darkness That Comes Before [Closing Down]

[The Story]

Two thousand years have passed since Mog-Pharau, the No-God, last walked among Men. Two thousand years have passed since the Apocalypse. The legacy of the No-God and the Apocalypse have all but faded with time. No human records remember that time save those of the Mandate School. Now the Shriah of the Thousand Temples has declared Holy War, and untold thousands gather, but to what end no one knows. They call themselves the Men of the Tusk.

The Emperor of Nansur schemes and plots to direct the focus of the Holy War. Four schools, guilds of arcane rituals, always at odds with one another, also want to have a say in the Holy War particularily if it is going to be directed towards one of them. The Scylvendi barbarian tribes roam the plains to the north west always threatening the Empire. Across the three seas The Scarlet Spires, one of the Great Schools, rules over an empire built on slavery. To the south west the last few tribes of elves wander the plains, nomads who worship not the Thousand Temples, but the spirits of the earth and sky. Halfling gypsies also wander, nomads of a different sort, they try to make their way across the more civilized lands of the Three Seas.

[Maps] - Here are the maps for the campaign, the characters will start out north of the Shaul River in a small inn called the River's Wish Inn. You can find the Shaul river on the smaller map at the bottom. This map and the basis for the campaign are inspired (borrowed liberally) from The Darkness That Comes Before, by R. Scott Bakker.

[Character Creation Rules]

The campaign is now full, but I will accept another 2 alternatives. I would like to encourage people who will stick to a game and post with some frequency. I post about once a day during the week and would like to keep up a steady pace for this game. I don't expect people to keep up to that pace, but perhaps a few times a week is fine. This is more to let you know how often I will try to keep things going. I will set up the Rogues Gallery and In Character threads once we have enough people in.

• All characters start at 5th level, using the 3.5 revised rules.
• 9000gp with no more than 2500gp on any one item.
• 32 point buy for stats [8=0pts, 9-14=+1pt/stat pt, 15-16=+2pts/stat pt, 17-18=+3pts/stat pt].
• Hit Points are max at first, 1/2 for the rest [d4=2.5, d6=3.5, d8=4.5, d10=5.5, d12=6.5]
• Books: SRD 3.5, Complete Warrior, BoED, PsiHB, WotC splat-books, Mind's Eye, CBoEM, Mindscapes, ITCK, BoHM, R&R2*

I am also going to limit some of the selections that I feel do not quite fit into the setting.

• Races: human, half-elf, elf, halfling.
• Classes: barbarian, bard [SRD or CBoEM], cleric, druid, fighter, paladin, ranger, rogue, wizard, psion, psychic warrior, swashbuckler, hexblade.
• PrCs: run any choices by me first.
• clerics can choose any two domains and must name their god.
• wizards belong to one of the four great schools.

[Example Character Sheet]

I like things in statblock format. So here is an easy sheet to fill in, just reply to this message and cut everything but the sheet off. Replace anything in <arrow brackets> and # with the information for your characters. An example character follows.

[color=<colorchoice>]<character name>[/color], <race> <class> <level>; CR #; <size and type>; HD #d# (#hp); Init #; Speed # feet; AC # (+#Dex, +#Armor, +#Shield, +#<other modifiers>), flatfooted #, touch #, ACP #, Spell Failure #; Bab +#, Grapple +#; Atk +# melee (#d#+#, critical x#, <weapon>) or +# ranged (#d#+#, critical x#, <weapon>); Full Atk: <if necessary>; SA: <if necessary>; SQ: <if necessary>; SV Fort +#, Refl +#, Will +#; Str #, Dex #, Con #, Int #, Wis #, Cha #.

Skills and Feats: (#skill points, #/# max ranks) <skill name> +# (# ranks), <etc>; <feat name>.

<Class or Race feature>: <text>

Possessions: <mundane equipment>, <magic items>, #gp #sp #cp.

Spells: #/#/# spells per day, Base Save DC # + spell level.

• 0th - <spell names>.
• 1st - <spell names>.
• 2nd - <spell names>.

Description:

History:


[Example Character]

Korwin Krenn, human male fighter 1; CR1; HD 1d10 (10 hp); Init +3; Speed 30 feet; AC 19 (+3 Dex, +4 Armor, +2 Shield) touch 13, flatfooted 16, ACP:-4; Bab +1, Grapple +4; Atk +5 melee (1d10+3, critical 19-20/x2, longsword) or +4 ranged (1d8, critical x3, longbow); SV Fort +2, Refl +3, Will +2; Str 16, Dex 16, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 10.

Skills and Feats: (12skill points, 4/2 max ranks) Climb +1 (2), Jump +2 (3), Spot +4 (2cc), Swim -3 (3); Dodge, Mobility, Weapon Focus (longsword).

Possessions: longsword, chain shirt, heavy steel shield.
Description: Korwin is a fighter.
History: He was a farmer.

[Current Character Roster]

• Mahe, human exalted druid5, played by Thomas Hobbes
• Folco, halfling ranger5, played by flyingricepaddy
• Gespath Muckraker, human wizard5, played by Ghostknight
• Donner Hund, halfling fighter5, played by Ferrix
• Ian Chamberlain, human telepath5, played by Serpenteye
• Taneth Aislan, elven wizard5, played by Quirhid
• Dara Dragondaughter, human ranger1/barbarian1/rogue3, played by Thanee

[Links]

In Character thread
Out of Character thread
Rogues Gallery thread
Maps page

I would like in on this as a wizard if you'll have me. If possible could you post some details on the four schools, or should I make the details up for the school as we would for deities?

Assuming I'm in - For starting spells, how do I gain ones over and above the ones from levels - assume copying from another caster, independent research or scoll copying?

I certainly will expand on the great schools. The deities are left up to clerics because the Thousand Temples is an ecclesiastical institution that venerates a thousand deities. Therefore any combination of domains is represented by atleast one of the gods. As for the schools here they are:

The Mandate is and gnostic school founded two thousand years ago to fight against the Consult, a cabal of wizards who venerated the No-God. The Mandate exists to protect the Three Seas from a return of the No-God. They are the only ones who maintain that he did in fact exist and may return. They scour the Three Seas looking for signs.

The Scarlet Spires is an anagogic school that rules the country of High Ainon. They are a decadent group, fully entrenched in their seats of power. They remain hidden behind the closed doors of the temples, prefering to rule by mystery and fear. Their spies exist through out the Three Seas to promote or protect the interests of their kingdom.

The Imperial Saik is an anagogic school indentured to the Emperor of Nansur. They serve the Emperor's every wish and work towards his goals alone. Through out the Three Seas they scheme to increase his power through not only arcane might, but through intrigue and information.

The Mysunsai proclaim themselves as mercenaries, ready to sell the services of their entire school to the highest bidder. Many countries employ schoolmen from the Mysunsai to protect them from the intrigues of the other schools.

Outside the Four Great Schools, the elves and halflings practice their own brand of magic, largely concentrating on a more animistic tradition. They venerate the spirits of the Earth and Sky. Players can choose to belong to this tradition if they dont want to belong to any of the schools.

Hiyas!

Sounds like an interesting background (are there really no forests at all?).
I'd like to play a barbarian/rogue (human fits best obviously, or are there elven barbarians?).

Bye
Thanee

Hi, sounds cool.

I'd like to play a Psion.

Glad to have everyone aboard, still another spot to fill so if there is more interest lease let me know. Thanee - yup their are elven barbarians. They are far more prone to that style of fighting than say the paladin or swashbuckler due to their close ties to nature. The human barbarians - the Scylvendi are quite nasty guys, scaring their arms for each person they kill. They often raid the empire across the mountains. It is rare that they enter the empire and wouldnt care one bit about the Shriah of the Thousand Temples. If you do want to play one though go for it, we can always fit it in no problems. Actually now that I think about it, some of the north-eastern kingdoms and duchies are not as well populated and could house more backward thinking individuals such as barbarians. They wouldnt be quiet as mean or as hunted within the empire. There are actually plenty of forests, just none drawn on the maps. There is one very close to the inn you will be starting at called the Glimmerwood.

Gespath Muckraker

Gespath Muckraker,Human Wizard 5; CR 5; AL LN; HD 5d4 (19 hp); Init +1; Speed 30 feet; AC 13 (+1 Dex, +1Armor, +1 deflection), flatfooted 13, touch 12, ACP #, Spell Failure 0; Bab +2, Grapple +2; Atk +3 melee (1d4, critical 19-20 x 2, Masterwork Dagger) SQ: Empathic link (Visper); SV Fort +2, Refl +6, Will +4; Str 10, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 14.

Skills and Feats: (50 skill points, 8/4 max ranks) Spellcraft +12 (8), Concentration + 9 (8), craft (Weaponsmithing) +8 (4), craft (alchemy) +9 (5), Decipher script +12 (8), knowledge (arcana) 12 (8), knowledge (planes) 9 (5), knowledge (religion) +8 (4); Scribe Scroll, Extend Spell, Eschew materials. Combat casting, Lightning reflexes

Summon Familiar:
A wizard can obtain a familiar. Doing so takes 24 hours and uses up magical materials that cost 100 gp. A familiar is a magical beast that resembles a small animal and is unusually tough and intelligent. The creature serves as a companion and servant.
The wizard chooses the kind of familiar he gets. As the wizard advances in level, his familiar also increases in power.
If the familiar dies or is dismissed by the wizard, the wizard must attempt a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw. Failure means he loses 200 experience points per wizard level; success reduces the loss to one-half that amount. However, a wizard’s experience point total can never go below 0 as the result of a familiar’s demise or dismissal. A slain or dismissed familiar cannot be replaced for a year and day. A slain familiar can be raised from the dead just as a character can be, and it does not lose a level or a Constitution point when this happy event occurs.
A character with more than one class that grants a familiar may have only one familiar at a time.

Languages: Common, Elvish, Draconic, High Kunna

Possessions: Backpack,bedroll, chest, tent, hammer, 5 vials ink, 3 pens, 20 sheets paper, 50 feet silk rope, 30 feet silk rope, sack, sealing wax, soap, waterskin, whetstone, signet ring, 5 days iron rations, 2 vials anti-toxin, 4 flasks acid, 30 tindertwigs,Spell component pouch, Scholar's outfit, mule, 2 light horses, wagon, saddlebags, bit &bridle, saddle, staff with Continual flame, Masterwork dagger, Ring of protection +1, Bracers of armor +1, Potion of cure light wounds x4, Potion of Sanctuary x2, Potion of cure moderate wounds x2

Money 439gp 5sp 2cp.

Spells: 4/4/3/2 spells per day, Base Save DC 14 + spell level.

Spellbook:
0th - all.
1st - Mage Armor, Identify, True Strike, Charm Person, Magic Missile, Enlarge Person, Disguise Self,Hypnotism, Shield, Hold Portal, Feather fall, Comprehend languages, Magic weapon.
2nd - Rope trick, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Knock, Web, Protection from Arrows, Continual flame, Levitate.
3rd - Fireball, Dispel Magic, Protection from Energy, Summon Monster III, Hold person

Memorised:
0 - Acid splash, Read Magic, Light, Detect Magic
1 - Mage Armor, Charm Person, Comprehend Languages, Magic weapon
2 - Levitate, Rope Trick, Continual Flame
3 - Dispel Magic, Hold Person


Description:
Gespath Muckraker looks like what he is, the descendant of dirt poor peasants doing the lowest of jobs. His features are blunt, a too large nose, deep sunken brown eyes, hair that looks like an escaped mop perched atop of a two wide handle and a beard that is uncombed and scraggly. And yet, there is something about him. He has a strange magnetism that belies his
appearance, that makes people situp and listen when he talks, whether he is dressed in his babitual robes or a formal gown.

Usually he is dressed in a blue robe decorated with images from mythology, wearing a simple gold ring on one hand and beautifully carved bracers on each wrist. At his side is a dagger, in sheath carved to resemble the waves of the sea with a blade in the shape of a dolphin.

History:
Gespath grew up in a peasants hovel, one of fourteen children destined to follow his father in a job of cleaning sties and stables for enough money to keep a family in gruel and in boiled potatoes and meat on feast days and special days.Gespath did not like this vision of the future. Far brighter than the rest of the family, he saw this future akin to death.

So while ostensibly out looking for food or an animal stupid enough to get caught - he was actually looking for a way out. And he found it. An abandoned hut with books and funny things inside. He taught himself to read from the books, and played with the apparatus to try and fathom its workings. Time passed and while his knowledge grew it did not do much for his future prospects.

At least, until the owner of the hut showed him that it wasn't quite as abandoned as he had assumed. One day, inside of the hut, a trap door opened and a thin, emaciated man in blue robes entered. Looking at gespath he made a simple remark "Come on down, I doubt you are going to learn anything more on your own."

Gespath went down, and life changed. Downstairs through the trapdoor was the work area of a mage. Elaborate, working apparatus with liquids bubbling through, shelves with books, and a table set for a feast. Later he learnt that everything except for the food was illusion - but at the time it served the mages purpose. He was overwhelmed, took an oath of service on the spot and spent the next seven years learning from Hismith the Blue, Mage of the Order of Mysunsai.

At the end of his term of service he took his oath to the order, and spent time completing some basic tasks. For him, the oath and contract are all, not to be violated for any purpose. He aims to accumulate status and wealth, to never again live in a hovel such as his parents and family did. Over time he has passed money to them to improve their lot, but still their
fate and living conditions prey on his conscience.

Familiar: Visper
WEASEL
Tiny Animal
Hit Dice: 5 (10 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (+2 size, +2 Dex +3 Natural), touch 14, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/–12
Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d3–4) Full Attack: Bite +4 melee (1d3–4) Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Attach
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent, Alertness, improved evasion, share spells, empathic link, Deliver touch spells, Speak with master
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 5
Skills: Balance +10, Climb +10, Hide +11, Move Silently +8, Spot +3
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate hills
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 1/4

Combat
Attach (Ex): If a weasel hits with a bite attack, it uses its powerful jaws to latch onto the opponent’s body and automatically deals bite damage each round it remains attached. An attached weasel loses its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class and has an AC of 12. An attached weasel can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself. To remove an attached weasel through grappling, the opponent must achieve a pin against the creature.

Skills: Weasels have a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks and a +8 racial bonus on Balance and Climb checks. They use their Dexterity modifier for Climb checks. A weasel can always choose to take 10 on a Climb check, even if rushed or threatened.

Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.
Share Spells: At the master’s option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his familiar. The familiar must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the familiar if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the familiar again even if it returns to the master before the duration expires. Additionally, the master may cast a spell with a target of “You” on his familiar (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself. A master and his familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the familiar’s type (magical beast).
Empathic Link (Su): The master has an empathic link with his familiar out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The master cannot see through the familiar’s eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Because of the limited nature of the link, only general emotional content can be communicated.Because of this empathic link, the master has the same connection to an item or place that his familiar does.
Deliver Touch Spells (Su): If the master is 3rd level or higher, a familiar can deliver touch spells for him. If the master and the familiar are in contact at the time the master casts a touch spell, he can designate his familiar as the “toucher.” The familiar can then deliver the touch spell just as the master could. As usual, if the master casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates.
Speak with Master (Ex): If the master is 5th level or higher, a familiar and the master can communicate verbally as if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the communication without magical help.

Any room for one more?

Hmm, in that case I might actually make it an elf or wood elf (probably a better choice for this class selection ), if the subraces are ok, that is. Maybe I'll just stick to human, tho, the character I have in mind currently would be a human for sure. Coming from a remote part of the world would work well I think, those Scylvendi do sound a bit too mean, really (they make better villains, I suppose ).

One other question:

Hit Points are max at first, 1/2 for the rest [d4=2.5, d6=3.5, d8=4.5, d10=5.5, d12=6.5]

Click to expand...

Why not simply round this up (3, 4, 5, 6, 7). It's not that big a difference anyways, and you don't have to bother with those .5's.

Bye
Thanee

May I use the psionic material on the WoTC-site (The Mind's Eye)?