-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
4e Heroic Souls (FULL/CLOSED - accepting alts)
- Thread starter Graf
- Start date
Graf
Explorer
Fair enough. I understand what I mean but it's not particularly important.doghead said:
I think it'll come out in game, and if it doesn't it won't matter much.
doghead said:
[sblock]Cool. I have close friends who are from nearby Fukuoka but I've never been.
Singapore ka?
Hmm.
I've been here close to three years.
I like living here, but I like living almost everywhere. The city is worth seeing in an abstract sort of way, it's got an interesting pedigree. The government works to try to do interesting things, so you have a mixture of maintained colonial buildings and modern architecture.
The appeal of Singapore in terms of living is that it's pretty reasonable. The food is great, especially if you're willing to 1) eat at hawkers (local shops for singaporeans) 2) do a bit of research/ask coworkers were to eat.
Everything is very close.
Once you get used to some of the cultural things. People are very cool.[/sblock]
You're spot on for the feel I'm looking for.doghead said:
No create food or water. I just don't like the idea.
Plus the PCs will be the only spellcasters. There may be a few items that generate magical effects but I think they'll be more primal.
I'll incorporate everything else.
Heard of but never checked it out. Will google.doghead said:
Fair enough. Since it doesn't look like there is going to be a lot of interest I think I won't have much to arbitrate though.doghead said:
The daze isn't meant to be a "hoop" for people to jump through before I let them start.
It's just that if there were 15 people interesting in playing I'd say, *OK these 6 people get in touch with their heroic soul[/s]
Very interesting. I haven't a basis for it yet. I'll keep an eye out.doghead said:
I'm finding that. The players in my vampire game are making a meal out of what I thought was going to be months of plot.doghead said:
Yeah. I guess I didn't want to make it a requirement. Some people are great players but not into the writing aspect... or so I thought...doghead said:
I'm loving this idea. I think part of it is how much it connects to a number of great books and movies, and the clear parallel it has to the human condition. We can't know what is out there beyond our own experiences, but we always wonder about it.
What about an underground storage area, with magically preserved food supplies and other sundries (clothing, iron ingots, etc.)? Part of the daze is not questioning the source of those goods, nor realizing that they're slowly disappearing. That could add a certain imperative for exploration as the party sees the truth and everyone else ignores their concerns. I see this as a survival outpost, created during the early days of whatever cataclysmic event created the PoL scenario (ie. the source of the books, etc.)
I think this fits in well with the idea of the castle and its guards. I picture a society where everyone had a specific job, and even though nobody in the current generation has any understanding of why they do what they do, their survival depends on them not questioning it. Maybe the daze was even created intentionally to keep them safe. (I hope I'm not crossing the line into story reasons.
)
What about an underground storage area, with magically preserved food supplies and other sundries (clothing, iron ingots, etc.)? Part of the daze is not questioning the source of those goods, nor realizing that they're slowly disappearing. That could add a certain imperative for exploration as the party sees the truth and everyone else ignores their concerns. I see this as a survival outpost, created during the early days of whatever cataclysmic event created the PoL scenario (ie. the source of the books, etc.)
I think this fits in well with the idea of the castle and its guards. I picture a society where everyone had a specific job, and even though nobody in the current generation has any understanding of why they do what they do, their survival depends on them not questioning it. Maybe the daze was even created intentionally to keep them safe. (I hope I'm not crossing the line into story reasons.
)
Last edited:
Oh yeah, character concept
Name: Eldan (half-elf, or equivalent)
Appearance: Eldan is tall and striking in appearance. His brown hair is long and tied back in a warrior's knot. His green eyes seem to see right into those he speaks with, understanding them and showing his concern for their well-being.
Background: Eldan's family have long been the watchers of the river. He was never told why his grandfather, and then his father, spent their days watching the river go by, but that's always what they did. His father couldn't even tell him what it was they were looking for. All he know is that from the time he was old enough to use a crossbow he spent his afternoons down at the river with his father. After a while he stopped asking why.
Since then, the only time Eldan has come out of the daze is through interactions with others. Specifically, he has seen ways to work with others to make difficult tasks much easier. The reaction is always the same. The person he seeks to help will not listen to his suggestions, but will passively accept his help and then never aknowledge it.
Your Family/Neighbors: Eldan's father, Enric, is firmly in the daze. He hasn't broken free since his own father's death, when he went against tradition and sent his body down the river rather than burying it in the graveyard. Eldan's cousin is the only person Eldan has noticed doing anything unusual, getting Eldan to help him sneak into a section of the castle and then just sitting there, kneeling and talking to himself in front of a broken statue of some sort.
How do spend your days: Eldan spends his mornings at weapons training with the other children of those in guardian roles (the castle guardsmen, the mine warders, etc.) None of the youngsters know what they might have to use their weapons against, but they all train anyway. His afternoons are spent with his father, watching the river.
Relationships:
Some things you're good at: Eldan is skilled with weapons, and seems to get along well with those around him. He makes friends easily, and is generally atheletic.
Intended Class: Charisma based warlord
Name: Eldan (half-elf, or equivalent)
Appearance: Eldan is tall and striking in appearance. His brown hair is long and tied back in a warrior's knot. His green eyes seem to see right into those he speaks with, understanding them and showing his concern for their well-being.
Background: Eldan's family have long been the watchers of the river. He was never told why his grandfather, and then his father, spent their days watching the river go by, but that's always what they did. His father couldn't even tell him what it was they were looking for. All he know is that from the time he was old enough to use a crossbow he spent his afternoons down at the river with his father. After a while he stopped asking why.
Since then, the only time Eldan has come out of the daze is through interactions with others. Specifically, he has seen ways to work with others to make difficult tasks much easier. The reaction is always the same. The person he seeks to help will not listen to his suggestions, but will passively accept his help and then never aknowledge it.
Your Family/Neighbors: Eldan's father, Enric, is firmly in the daze. He hasn't broken free since his own father's death, when he went against tradition and sent his body down the river rather than burying it in the graveyard. Eldan's cousin is the only person Eldan has noticed doing anything unusual, getting Eldan to help him sneak into a section of the castle and then just sitting there, kneeling and talking to himself in front of a broken statue of some sort.
How do spend your days: Eldan spends his mornings at weapons training with the other children of those in guardian roles (the castle guardsmen, the mine warders, etc.) None of the youngsters know what they might have to use their weapons against, but they all train anyway. His afternoons are spent with his father, watching the river.
Relationships:
Some things you're good at: Eldan is skilled with weapons, and seems to get along well with those around him. He makes friends easily, and is generally atheletic.
Intended Class: Charisma based warlord
Thoughts on the town:
Here’s what I’ve pieced together so far based on what’s been posted, with some ideas of mine thrown in as well:
-There’s going to be 4-6 “neighborhoods” each separated by odd black walls. First question – how large do you envision these neighborhoods to be?
-There’s a river that runs through town.
-Based on several details that have been posted, I imagine it entering the quarantined area from the north, flowing SW until it hits the western edge of the quarantine and then flowing along the border until it exits the area somewhere in the south.
-This southwestern edge will be where the farming areas are.
-The land has been magically enhanced (unbeknownst to anyone present) to cause more crops to grow per acre than would normally be the case. Let’s say that the farming area is large enough to have 3 families working the land.
-I envision the ruins of the castle sitting on a large hill overlooking the river on the western edge of the quarantine.
-If one stands on top of the hill and looks south, I imagine that you’ll see the river emerging from the town heading SW at the base of the hill before turning S-SE to run along the edge of the quarantine. At that turn, there is a bridge spanning the river. The far end of the bridge is outside the quarantined area. You can walk to about 4 feet from the far shore of the river before being unable to proceed. This is where Eldan and his family could be stationed to watch the river. (Redclaw – if you don’t like the idea, don’t let me overstep my boundaries.) Maybe there’s a gate house in the middle of the bridge and that’s where they stand guard.
-Past the bridge on the edge of the river is the farm land which grows the town’s food.
-I’ve attached a (pretty rough looking) drawing done in paint of how I envision the layout.
What does everyone think?
Here’s what I’ve pieced together so far based on what’s been posted, with some ideas of mine thrown in as well:
-There’s going to be 4-6 “neighborhoods” each separated by odd black walls. First question – how large do you envision these neighborhoods to be?
-There’s a river that runs through town.
-Based on several details that have been posted, I imagine it entering the quarantined area from the north, flowing SW until it hits the western edge of the quarantine and then flowing along the border until it exits the area somewhere in the south.
-This southwestern edge will be where the farming areas are.
-The land has been magically enhanced (unbeknownst to anyone present) to cause more crops to grow per acre than would normally be the case. Let’s say that the farming area is large enough to have 3 families working the land.
-I envision the ruins of the castle sitting on a large hill overlooking the river on the western edge of the quarantine.
-If one stands on top of the hill and looks south, I imagine that you’ll see the river emerging from the town heading SW at the base of the hill before turning S-SE to run along the edge of the quarantine. At that turn, there is a bridge spanning the river. The far end of the bridge is outside the quarantined area. You can walk to about 4 feet from the far shore of the river before being unable to proceed. This is where Eldan and his family could be stationed to watch the river. (Redclaw – if you don’t like the idea, don’t let me overstep my boundaries.) Maybe there’s a gate house in the middle of the bridge and that’s where they stand guard.
-Past the bridge on the edge of the river is the farm land which grows the town’s food.
-I’ve attached a (pretty rough looking) drawing done in paint of how I envision the layout.
What does everyone think?
Attachments
d'Anconia-- I like the drawing, and the location of the bridge is perfect for my vision of Eldan's family's responsibilities.
I would suggest moving the castle, however. Most cities grew up around castles, so that I would expect the city to spring up on the same side of the river as the castle, and the city walls would likely enclose the castle. That's a much more defensible build, in case of a siege. Instead I would suggest that the castle be in the largest section of the city, the one with the bridge going across the river to the section on the other side. That 'quarter' could be the most influential area of the city, with the nicer houses and the buildings connected to running the place (possibly including the entrance to the food storage, etc). The area just to the south would seemingly be the residential area for the farmers and other laborers. A spartan neighborhood with little to provide comfort, but well-cared for and clean. I think the names for the neighborhoods should be degraded versions of straightforward titles (like Noeblem, from Noble's homes, for the wealthy section), but nothing I'm coming up with is quite right.
As for the other areas, I like the idea of at least one being effectively abandoned. Nobody lives there any more, and in fact nobody realizes that its abandoned. My first thought is that the lone portion of the city across the river would be the ideal 'ghost-quarter', but I think any of them could work.
I would suggest moving the castle, however. Most cities grew up around castles, so that I would expect the city to spring up on the same side of the river as the castle, and the city walls would likely enclose the castle. That's a much more defensible build, in case of a siege. Instead I would suggest that the castle be in the largest section of the city, the one with the bridge going across the river to the section on the other side. That 'quarter' could be the most influential area of the city, with the nicer houses and the buildings connected to running the place (possibly including the entrance to the food storage, etc). The area just to the south would seemingly be the residential area for the farmers and other laborers. A spartan neighborhood with little to provide comfort, but well-cared for and clean. I think the names for the neighborhoods should be degraded versions of straightforward titles (like Noeblem, from Noble's homes, for the wealthy section), but nothing I'm coming up with is quite right.
As for the other areas, I like the idea of at least one being effectively abandoned. Nobody lives there any more, and in fact nobody realizes that its abandoned. My first thought is that the lone portion of the city across the river would be the ideal 'ghost-quarter', but I think any of them could work.
doghead
thotd
Graf said:
I think that you were overcomplicating things. A simpler idea would be to say everyone starts off with a basic build (human). Those shooting for another race can incorporate that in their physical description (big and ugly, tall and lithe, short and stocky). Perhaps with one special ability (ie, darkvision, doesn't sleep, exceptionally skilled stoneworker). Human could perhaps have their bonus feat. Not sure if you still want to incorporate this type of thing, but threw it in just in case.
I wasn't that keen on the create food and water spell idea either, but thought I would toss it in.
- d'Ancnia's town concept -
Initially my feeling was that the town took up too much of the area. But thinking on it, it has its own possibilities. Assuming that the population has dwindled somewhat, there could be plenty of abandoned spaces. I imagin that as the pop falls, people drift into the middle, so the eastern side of the town is less populated than the west. Many of the suggested locations could be incorporated within the city walls. For example, the mystic lives somewhere in the east of town. Food and animals could be farmed in small plots throughout the city. Chickens and goats wondering the streets.
As for the castle, its not unknown for cities to be located alongside or nearby a castle, rather than incorporated within one whole defensive structure.
I love Redclaws bridge over the river to nowhere, and his use of the idea for his character.
[sblock=OT]I moved to Fukuoka after realising that I was burning out living in Tokyo, and needed a change. Fukuoka kept coming up as a great place to live, so I went there. Its not the most interesting city. Very modern and neat. There were a few really nice temples. But it was a nice place to live. I was 15 minutes walk from the sea, 30 minutes easy ride into the city centre. Nice and flat, so easy to ride around. It was big enough that there was always something open, even late at night. Mostly the music was hip hop, but there was a reasonable live scene, and other types of music on offer if you hunted around. The people were (are) much noisier than in tokyo, and more outgoing. I remember sitting in an izakaya soon after arriving and being slightly overwhelmed by it.[/sblock]
doghead
aka thotd
Graf
Explorer
Usually I prefer to quote to keep things clear but I think I'll just spam.
(There are few enough posts that I don't think it'll be too hard to figure out what people are responding to).
The town originallygrew up around the castle (though it always sprawled into the SE a bit, it's flatter there). Now the quartinine line is where it's marked on D'A's map, the ghost section (great idea!) is on the NE beyond the castle.
The abandoned ghost section has strange sounds and occasionally lights at night.
Sometimes children, who aren't strong affected by the daze, dare each other to go up into the ghost town, most don't get very far, maybe just peaking into the first house accross the line.
If I want to futz with the map later will that be possible? (is it simple to change things around?)
I'd actually like to move the castle to a cliff closer to the river. So it's the same hight, and overlooking the town but approaching from the river means going up a steep flight of stairs.
Races: Humans, one family of half-elves, can incorporate Teiflings and Dragonborn if there's interest.
When you exalt you'll be able to pick up "crunch" of another race but you'll still look the same.
Eldan is a half elf, so are his father and grandfather, the rest of your immeadiate family are human (with obvious elvin blood).
(I see being half-elvin as being a bit of a sliding scale sort of thing, it doesn't have mechanical effects)
If it's ok your grandfather isn't dead; instead it was his brother (your great uncle), who your father was apparently exceptionally close to, who died and was sent down the river.
Your grandfather is a half-elf with "strong" elvin blood. He had a brother and a wife who died of old age, but he still looks like a human in his 50s.
Your grandfather's intensely dazed, so long as you know he's never spoken. His behavior is, for the standards of the town, quite poor. He sits and smokes a strange mixture of two plants one a weed he grows outside of the ramshackle bungalo near your house where he lives.
The other is a dark black root that grows in the "bramble".
Generally the kids (Eldan, brothers, male cousins) have to crawl around in the bramble for a few hours once every few days to get it for him.
If nobody gets it for him, after about five days he'll get up and drag his butt into town to get it in a big huff. Which is when the other peculiar behavior happens. He's, for lack of a better way to put it, a skirt chaser. He'll follow around one woman after another. He's dazed, and they're dazed so they basically just ignore him and he follows them passively about.
Your father, Eldan, absolutely can not stand this behavior. As soon as he finds out it pops him directly out of whatever daze he's he's in and he immeadiately goes and tows your grandfather back to his hut.
Any other half elves that turn up will presumably have been from women who didn't say no to your grandfauther.
[The stuff he's smoking doesn't do anything. All the kids have tried chewing it, smoking it, whatever, it's foul (your grandfather has a nasty hacking cough and black teeth). He doesn't seem different after he smokes it. It's just something the daze makes him do.
[Hope that's not too intrusive; let me know what you think and we'll work it.]
Love the cousin thing, lets come back to it soon.
There is a glowing globe somewhere in the city, either inside the ruined castle in the main hall, or else in another large building. A group of people tend to vegitables that grow from long vines hanging down the walls. It's light is peculiar in that anything that's exposed to it grows well. (This is where the food that you couldn't grown in fields)
The globe stops glowing if it's exposed to actual sunlight, so it needs to stay in a big room somewhere. The globe's light is uneven and it needs to be turned periodically to evenly grow things. It is tended to by a golden skinned woman named Ambrosia. She wasn't golden skinned when she was the bakers daughter. Her son is golden skinned too; only six, but close to the size of a full man.
There is a market area between the two intersections of the lines in the center of the circle on the map. There is a stone arch (think St. Louis) at one end. There are guards here and at the castle.
People come and deposit what they've made on blankets for others to take.
The bramble is the NW zone. I don't know what it is underneith (the canal zone? a residential zone with old stone houses?) but everything is overrun with plants of various types. People can and do pick berries from here, but otherwise most people avoid it.
There is a big building, with stain glass windows and funny pictures inside. People think it's important, they sometimes find themselves leaving their normal dazed activites to gather there, but no one knows why.
Re: Food storage facilities depleteing.
I agree that that could be a powerful driving force and is very in genre.
I think that the trick with big "push" factors is that they sometimes limit people's choices. If the town is starving then that becomes a priority. In a PoL setting, obviously, it's not like you can go to the next town over and bargain for food.
So the PCs might, reasonably find theselves organizing wagon trains of food from far off locations. Lotsa work.
I think everyone should have a hook.
(There are few enough posts that I don't think it'll be too hard to figure out what people are responding to).
The town originallygrew up around the castle (though it always sprawled into the SE a bit, it's flatter there). Now the quartinine line is where it's marked on D'A's map, the ghost section (great idea!) is on the NE beyond the castle.
The abandoned ghost section has strange sounds and occasionally lights at night.
Sometimes children, who aren't strong affected by the daze, dare each other to go up into the ghost town, most don't get very far, maybe just peaking into the first house accross the line.
If I want to futz with the map later will that be possible? (is it simple to change things around?)
I'd actually like to move the castle to a cliff closer to the river. So it's the same hight, and overlooking the town but approaching from the river means going up a steep flight of stairs.
Races: Humans, one family of half-elves, can incorporate Teiflings and Dragonborn if there's interest.
When you exalt you'll be able to pick up "crunch" of another race but you'll still look the same.
Eldan is a half elf, so are his father and grandfather, the rest of your immeadiate family are human (with obvious elvin blood).
(I see being half-elvin as being a bit of a sliding scale sort of thing, it doesn't have mechanical effects)
If it's ok your grandfather isn't dead; instead it was his brother (your great uncle), who your father was apparently exceptionally close to, who died and was sent down the river.
Your grandfather is a half-elf with "strong" elvin blood. He had a brother and a wife who died of old age, but he still looks like a human in his 50s.
Your grandfather's intensely dazed, so long as you know he's never spoken. His behavior is, for the standards of the town, quite poor. He sits and smokes a strange mixture of two plants one a weed he grows outside of the ramshackle bungalo near your house where he lives.
The other is a dark black root that grows in the "bramble".
Generally the kids (Eldan, brothers, male cousins) have to crawl around in the bramble for a few hours once every few days to get it for him.
If nobody gets it for him, after about five days he'll get up and drag his butt into town to get it in a big huff. Which is when the other peculiar behavior happens. He's, for lack of a better way to put it, a skirt chaser. He'll follow around one woman after another. He's dazed, and they're dazed so they basically just ignore him and he follows them passively about.
Your father, Eldan, absolutely can not stand this behavior. As soon as he finds out it pops him directly out of whatever daze he's he's in and he immeadiately goes and tows your grandfather back to his hut.
Any other half elves that turn up will presumably have been from women who didn't say no to your grandfauther.
[The stuff he's smoking doesn't do anything. All the kids have tried chewing it, smoking it, whatever, it's foul (your grandfather has a nasty hacking cough and black teeth). He doesn't seem different after he smokes it. It's just something the daze makes him do.
[Hope that's not too intrusive; let me know what you think and we'll work it.]
Love the cousin thing, lets come back to it soon.
There is a glowing globe somewhere in the city, either inside the ruined castle in the main hall, or else in another large building. A group of people tend to vegitables that grow from long vines hanging down the walls. It's light is peculiar in that anything that's exposed to it grows well. (This is where the food that you couldn't grown in fields)
The globe stops glowing if it's exposed to actual sunlight, so it needs to stay in a big room somewhere. The globe's light is uneven and it needs to be turned periodically to evenly grow things. It is tended to by a golden skinned woman named Ambrosia. She wasn't golden skinned when she was the bakers daughter. Her son is golden skinned too; only six, but close to the size of a full man.
There is a market area between the two intersections of the lines in the center of the circle on the map. There is a stone arch (think St. Louis) at one end. There are guards here and at the castle.
People come and deposit what they've made on blankets for others to take.
The bramble is the NW zone. I don't know what it is underneith (the canal zone? a residential zone with old stone houses?) but everything is overrun with plants of various types. People can and do pick berries from here, but otherwise most people avoid it.
There is a big building, with stain glass windows and funny pictures inside. People think it's important, they sometimes find themselves leaving their normal dazed activites to gather there, but no one knows why.
Re: Food storage facilities depleteing.
I agree that that could be a powerful driving force and is very in genre.
I think that the trick with big "push" factors is that they sometimes limit people's choices. If the town is starving then that becomes a priority. In a PoL setting, obviously, it's not like you can go to the next town over and bargain for food.
So the PCs might, reasonably find theselves organizing wagon trains of food from far off locations. Lotsa work.
I think everyone should have a hook.
- The cousin that prays in front of a statue is a great hook.
- One day when you were a child you climed up to the top of the castle's remaining tower on a dare, in the distance you saw thached roofs of a village. Some nights, in the evening, you think you can see smoke coming from over the horizon in that direction.
- One night, you saw something like a really big snake slither from the edge of town down among the reeds of the river and into the swamp that begins where the southern edge of the town ends.
- You remember having a brother when you were a child, who used to carry you on his shoulders and tell you funny tales. You're sure of it, but no-one else remembers him anymore.
- You have no parents. People don't really know where you came from. It's like you just appeared one day.
Last edited:
Graf, I like the twist on the grandfather. It's a very different image for a venerable elven-blooded individual. It's also a fun glimpse into the possible side-effects of the daze. I'm fine with all of it, and can just see Eldan doing his best to keep gramps from upsetting Enric again. It feels like a very real dynamic to me.
I'll keep working on the cousin. I haven't figured out which of the gods he is unknowingly attached to. On the other hand, I figured having our very own oracle might be a fun tool for the DM.
I thought the lines on the map were the black walls that separate the different districts of the city. I don't know why, but I have trouble seeing the 'market' existing right next to the strange black walls. It feels like people might avoid them subconsciously. Maybe I'm envisioning them as more sinister than they are.
I like the glowing globe in the castle, and it seems like a great hook for a new character.
I see what you mean about the dwindling supplies. I guess it's a more traditional approach, present a problem and challenge the PCs to fix it. I appreciate the new take, but it'll apparently take me a while to adjust.
I'll keep working on the cousin. I haven't figured out which of the gods he is unknowingly attached to. On the other hand, I figured having our very own oracle might be a fun tool for the DM.
I thought the lines on the map were the black walls that separate the different districts of the city. I don't know why, but I have trouble seeing the 'market' existing right next to the strange black walls. It feels like people might avoid them subconsciously. Maybe I'm envisioning them as more sinister than they are.
I like the glowing globe in the castle, and it seems like a great hook for a new character.
I see what you mean about the dwindling supplies. I guess it's a more traditional approach, present a problem and challenge the PCs to fix it. I appreciate the new take, but it'll apparently take me a while to adjust.
