In defiance of Dragons--Homebrew 4E campaign starting up

[Zurai]

What the heck, I'll throw my hat in with an Eladrin Ranger, since no one seems to have taken either the race or the class

Immeral nar Rayya is an Eladrin hunter who is respected but not fully trusted by the townsfolk of Evenfall. He rarely participates in any community functions or events aside from the occasional market day, and often goes unseen in town for weeks at a time. He always returns with fantastically beautiful skins, furs, ivory, and other assorted goods, however. No matter how persistent the questioner, he has yet to tell where he goes on those hunting trips, and no other hunter in the area has ever managed to equal, let alone surpass, the quality and beauty of Immeral's pelts.

Even when Immeral isn't on one of his long hunts, he usually keeps to himself. He is quiet and taciturn in conversation; it's somewhat of a joke around town that no one in living memory has heard him speak six words strung together in a sentence. He rarely spends much time in town, preferring the relative seclusion of his cabin near the forest.

 

[Redclaw]

No worries about thinking aloud, Graf. I love contemplating campaign ideas. However, my vision for this is more in tune with the childhood friends of the Dragonlance series than the group of dwarves who pick up a stray hobbit, if you get my meaning.

I've played in a game or two centered around the outcast race (I was in an all-warforged last war game that only lasted a month or so, for example), and I agree that they can be interesting and effective. I also like giving my players a fair amount of control in most situations. With this one, however, I'm really hoping for more of a feel of the game, and therefore the diversity is a key factor.

Besides, five or six breath weapons per encounter would be a bit of overkill.

 

[renau1g]

If I remember some of the preview fluff correctly, dragonborn are actually hatched rather than born.

Interesting... it makes sense, but maybe I was looking through the PHB and it actually doesn't mention that in the DB section. It says hatch at one point and uses the word 'born' so I was confused. I'll update my app, besides that do you have any questions or concerns.

Also, is it ok that WD & I have an intertwined backstory?

 

[Redclaw]

Halford-- I think checking out the archetypal combos is a great approach, and I have no issues with a dwarven cleric, I'm just trying to buy into the points of light idea, and therefore limiting the out-of-towner effect. I like the idea of the characters being invested in the town, and in the setting I've envisioned, it's almost a necessity. So, if you are up for reworking the dwarven cleric, that's great. If you'd rather find a different character that's fine, too.

Pathfinderq1--The dwarven fighter is as good a fit as the dragonborn. I like the rejected guardsman direction. That could be fun to play up with a few NPC interactions. You'd just have to decide if he resented it or if he was still hoping to prove himself worthy.

EvolutionKB--Absolutely wait for the books. I haven't seen them yet, either, so I have no way to give sufficient feedback on the star pact.

Zurai--the eladrin ranger is added to the list of proposals, and seems to be a solid fit for the town. Are you implying in the backstory that he ventures into the feywild at times? That would make for some interesting possibilities.

renau1g--No other issues with Kriv that I can see. More detail is always good, as it helps me see how a group fits together. I have no problems with you and WD linking backstories, as long as you're each prepared for the possibility that only one of you is on the final roster (sorry, I hate reminding anyone that some will be cut, but it is what it is. )

 

[renau1g]

renau1g--No other issues with Kriv that I can see. More detail is always good, as it helps me see how a group fits together. I have no problems with you and WD linking backstories, as long as you're each prepared for the possibility that only one of you is on the final roster (sorry, I hate reminding anyone that some will be cut, but it is what it is. )

No problem Redclaw, I haven't updated my submission with the shared background yet, until/if both of us get selected. I've tweaked it to include the portion about hatching.

 

[Zurai]

Zurai--the eladrin ranger is added to the list of proposals, and seems to be a solid fit for the town. Are you implying in the backstory that he ventures into the feywild at times? That would make for some interesting possibilities.

Yes, but I didn't state it outright because I wasn't sure if you were using the default planar structure or not. If you are, then yes, at least an occasional hunt is into the Feywild. It's also likely that he just knows some prime hunting spots in the Material plane as well, though.

Also, I realized I'm probably painting him into a corner a little with what little of him I've described. He comes off kind of like he doesn't really care about the town; it's more that he can't really relate to the townspeople. Being long-lived and having a natural connection to another plane gives him an entirely different perspective on things that few if any in town can really even comprehend. He's not unattached; rather, he's kind of a guardian angel to the town. While he does hunt on his trips away from town, he's also doing his part to keep dangerous creatures and monsters from taking root in the area. He has an especial hatred of goblins and will track them for weeks if necessary to remove their threat to the area.

He just chooses not to let anyone in town know about any of this. He lets them believe he's just an eccentric hunter; it makes things less complicated. He doesn't want gratitude and he thinks he doesn't need friends; respect is plenty for him (or at least, that's what he thinks - he's never had a true friend).

As for the reason he doesn't live with the rest of his race on the borders of the Feywild - he chose to leave. Perhaps he angered one of the Noble Eladrin, perhaps he was too concerned with the wilds and not enough with arcana, perhaps he just felt that (like Evenfall) he couldn't relate enough to his kinsmen. Perhaps he's just on a kind of slow pilgrimage to find himself. I havn't really decided that yet. The important part, at least for a while to come, is that he's lived in the Evenfall area for the last 20-30 years.

 

[renau1g]

Quick question Redclaw, any thoughts as to stat generation? Not sure if 32 or 28 point buys are applicable in 4e. There's a character sheet set-up on another site and I was hoping to put together a sheet for Kriv.

I know it's premature, but I'm pretty excited.

 

[Zurai]

Quick question Redclaw, any thoughts as to stat generation? Not sure if 32 or 28 point buys are applicable in 4e. There's a character sheet set-up on another site and I was hoping to put together a sheet for Kriv.

I know it's premature, but I'm pretty excited.

Point buy is different in 4E. You start off with 5 10's and an 8, have 22 points (by default) to spend on stats, and the cost to raise stats changed. The default array is 16-14-13-12-11-10, which is what I used to mock in the values myself.

 

[renau1g]

Thanks Zurai, I just looked at that section in the book and am glad that the standard set of scores doesn't have a penalty to it. I guess it's very similar to a 28 point buy, just keeps people from min-maxing too much.

 

[Zweischneid]

Alright Redclaw, I went back to the drawing board on the character of Bheazir with the following design notes on my agenda:

a) I love half-elves and I’d like to see how multi-classing plays out in 4e (for which half-elves have the natural disposition in 4e)

b) Root the character into the town Evenfall as a native

c) Try out the new Warlord class, which I think is just plain awesome.

d) I’d like to put some more concrete action in the background. 4e posits that 1st level characters are ‘heroes’, have already ‘adventured’ and made their first mark in the world. In the case of Bheazir a non-conformist and rebellious streak that would find it’s ‘place’ in a defiance of the regime. Being a more straightforward type of character, I would love to have Bheazir already out of the closet so to speak, and his unease and opposition to the status quo be (at least in part) openly known. Would love to get feedback from you on whether this is at all possible and fitting to your game. I’ve kept it vague for now, until I get an opinion from you. I’m maybe not 100% sure how harsh/violent the dragon regime actually plays out in your setting.


Appearance:
Lithe and lissome, Bheazir is not a very imposing figure, leaning physically closer to his elven than to his human ancestry. His mist-grey eyes are watchful under strands of his blonde, almost white hair that could certainly use a new cut. His clothing is functional and well worn; showing patches and stitches in many places, but seems generally well cared for.

Background:
Bheazir is a half-elf native to Evenfall. Ever since growing up, Bheazir exhibited a strong and fierce sense of justice, which often brought him at odds with the local authorities. Most of his life so far has been a struggle to make his place in the town. Though he’s not a bad person, reckless words and unwise actions have earned him a reputation as troublemaker with the guard. He’s infamous for some ill-advised campaigning against some of the more openly abusive town guards.

The Build
I'd like to build this character as (an inspiring) Warlord. He's a (little bit of a) seasoned guerrilla fighter, having led and organised small acts of defiance already (not in the background currently).
As mentioned before, I would greatly like to explore some 4e multi-classing as befitting the group. As mentioned, taking a religious touch/mission would fit best IMO and easy to play out with a few divinely inspired descriptions of powers.