Testament: In the Shadow of Sinai. (full)

[humble minion]

Well, Tonguez has somehow managed to exactly duplicate my initial idea for a PC (in mechanical terms at least), so instead I'm considering a reluctant prophet of some sort. He was something of a fringe-dweller - a hunter, wilderness guide, miner or something similar - before being granted a revelation. Now, getting into his grizzled middle age, his children grown up and starting families of their own, he has been chosen to perform an arduous new duty as Yahweh's prophet. While he knows what an honour this is, he is not terribly happy about it nonetheless.

Flaw would probably be World Weary. Class-wise he would be probably be a 3/1 ranger/prophet or fighter/prophet.

Questions (until I can get my hands on the book, probably on the weekend):
- Is prophet a base or prestige class? I'm getting mixed messages from various places. If prestige, what are the prerequisites, and would this character be possible?
- Are there modifications to the ranger in Testament, especially re spellcasting, two-weapon fighting, fighting styles, and other 'high-fantasy' elements?
- Penalties for multiclassing?
- 3e or 3.5?

 

[Ghostknight]

Humble minion, you are in (and there is still one spot open after you as well - but we'll start with four if all the characters are posted before we get another player.).

Hmm, I've been following this thread and debating if I want in or not. I am really in two minds about this - on the one hand the game seems an intersting concept (though I have never seen the book and have no idea of how piety works), but on th eother hand seems to be based on a Christiam POV looking into the Jewish world at the time, and being an Orthodox Jew I don't know how much of a conflict this would create - I don't want to end up causing conflict in the game due to differences in interpretation as to what is/isn't the correct view!

On the other hand, whether I play or not I offer my services to you to clarify points for interest sake or for detail (there is some intersting comments etc in the Talmud which you will not find in the Five Books of Moses).

A word on Nazirites - the vow according to Halachah (Jewish Law), the vow MUST be for a limited time as the vow itself requires the foregoing of things required by Halachah. Thus the sacrifice brought at the end of the period is actually a sin offering for failing to do those things. (Particularly if married the Nazirite has failed in his marital obligations as it is a husbands duty to ensure his wife's sexual needs are fulfilled- NOT the other way round!).

Heh, let me know if you want me around, either way no offense will be taken.

 

[humble minion]

Obviously I can only speak for myself (and I'm just a mere player), Ghostknight, but you're welcome in the game as far as I'm concerned. I have to admit I almost certainly have a Christian viewpoint of the setting, as that's the way I was brought up (the Book of Judges and the Book of Kings were much cooler than the boring New Testament stuff they wanted us to read at school...) My current religious beliefs are irrelevant (and probably a forbidden topic of conversation on these boards anyway), but in terms of roleplaying, I think it will only make for a better game the more players we have who are well versed in the history and culture of the setting.

I'm not sure if you saw it, but Maerdwyn spelled out some of his intentions for the direction the game will take at http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=87953. You may want to check this out before you commit.

 

[Ghostknight]

Obviously I can only speak for myself (and I'm just a mere player), Ghostknight, but you're welcome in the game as far as I'm concerned. I have to admit I almost certainly have a Christian viewpoint of the setting, as that's the way I was brought up (the Book of Judges and the Book of Kings were much cooler than the boring New Testament stuff they wanted us to read at school...) My current religious beliefs are irrelevant (and probably a forbidden topic of conversation on these boards anyway), but in terms of roleplaying, I think it will only make for a better game the more players we have who are well versed in the history and culture of the setting.

I'm not sure if you saw it, but Maerdwyn spelled out some of his intentions for the direction the game will take at http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=87953. You may want to check this out before you commit.

heh, thanks. But I will wait to see what the GM says. I saw the original thread and have been following this one, debating whether to post or not. I am not easily offended but their is lots of potential for misunderstanding/disputes etc as the Christian view of piety is different to the Jewish one. In Judaism silent contemplation, monastic behavior, etc is frowned on. Indeed, the Talmud is made up of debate between Rabbis, it is considered preferrable to pray with ten men (a Minyan), rather than alone, it is a mitzvah (positive decree) to get married and have children etc. So in a game like this exploring these issues it can be difficult if people have different expectations and any GM has the right to dictate how he wants his game.

 

[Maerdwyn]

Hi Ghostknight -

Thanks for being so considerate! I think the most honest way to respond is to say, yes , this game is set in a Jewish time period as seen by a Christian. If only because if I run the game, that's by definition what is has to be. I'll be trying to kep the Christian point of view out of it, though, and want to present a ccurate "feel" for the perid, even if I not equipped to provide an accurate representaiton of the substance.

I have only just begun studying the Talmud, and while I have studied some medieval Jewish philosophers like Maimonides and Sa'adia ben Joseph, their thinking isn't going to accurately represent Jewish thought during the time of Moses either.

That said, the game takes place in a relatively early time period, and makes the in-game assumption that the events and conditions that led to the conquest of Caanan, the compilation of the Talmud, Christianity, the rise of the Roman Empire, etc. are not preordained. In certain cases, Biblical personalities are going to have different personalities, or not exist at all. In game, the worship of the Lord might not become dominant in the region.
All of that could easily be troubling or offensive to a believing Jew or Christian, and, in fact, did cause me to hesitate a while before posting the ideafor this game. If you think it, or the lack of historical/religious accuracy, would bother you enough to limit your enjoyment of the game, this may not be the best game for you. If you don't think that's the case, I'd love to have you, and I'll draw upon your knowledge mercilessly until you run away screaming in terror

 

[Ghostknight]

Glad to hear it!

On the character type I would like to play - I have a couple of concepts in mind-

1)a sorcerer versed in the Kaballah (Jewish mysticism) strikes me as a good one. He would present himself as a learned man, not using his magic unless it was in the cause of saving life - also, all magic would be seen as coming from God and invoked via God's name (all spells would have a verbal compnent and he could not take the still spell feat.)

2) A descendant of Benjamin, more comfortable herding sheep and playing the flute than with debating religion. Effectively he is a ranger, comfortable in nature and enjoying a special bond with his flock, but chosen to represent the tribe as a spy due to his knowledge of tracking and skills in moving unnoticed.

3) A ger (convert) from Egypt who joined the Israelites to worship in the desert. He has seen the miracles, and is a fanatical believer and follower of Moses. Before he was a slavemaster, happily abusing many whom he now pays deference to. Struggling for acceptance he has presented himself to the people, begging for the chance to prove himself by going as a spy to find the dangers ahead of them. (A rogue based character)

So, which of the above do you feel most appropriate for your envisaged campaign?

(and don;t worry about offending me - I can tell the difference between game reality and normal reality!)

As for flaws- are thes RP based or based on items out of the book (if out of the book please suggest some to me for the above concepts - don't worry about the mechanics behind them - I would prefer to create an interesting character instead).

 

[Maerdwyn]

Glad to hear it!

Excellent! Welcome abaord

I'm considering recommending character #3, just because i can see some excellent roleplaying possibilities right off the bat, but any of those would work. The Kaballist wouldn't suffer socailly as much as a standard sorcerer would, but there might still be some issues

As for flaws- are thes RP based or based on items out of the book (if out of the book please suggest some to me for the above concepts - don't worry about the mechanics behind them - I would prefer to create an interesting character instead).

The flaws are purely roleplaying based - you can decide entirely how much they are a part of the character's personality. They just can't be ignored completely.

 

[Maerdwyn]

Questions (until I can get my hands on the book, probably on the weekend):
- Is prophet a base or prestige class? I'm getting mixed messages from various places. If prestige, what are the prerequisites, and would this character be possible?

Prophet is a prestige class. Prereqs: BAB +4. Piety >0. Diplomacy 6, Knowledge (dreams) 1, Knowledge (religion) 8. Feats: Dreamer

So, based on BAB and skill ranks, you couln't quite make it yet, but could be wel on your way and have received a confused vision or two

- Are there modifications to the ranger in Testament, especially re spellcasting, two-weapon fighting, fighting styles, and other 'high-fantasy' elements?
There are no modifications to standard classes listed in the book. I'm contemplating som revisions, but haven't made any so far. Likely, the spell list wil be changed, at the least. I'm taking suggestions

- Penalties for multiclassing?
No - But keep it within reason. I may require time of from adventuring to make drastic changes. Your enxisages switch from Ranger to prophet seems reasonable though.

- 3e or 3.5?
I don't have the revised books, and unfortunately this very basic question hadn't even ocurred to me . Testament was written before 3.5, and therefore conforms to 3.0. I'm tempted to run 3.0, because of that and because of familiarity. If a majority strongly prefers 3.5, I'll do the SRD thing, though. Let me know, everyone.

 

[Maerdwyn]

A word on Nazirites - the vow according to Halachah (Jewish Law), the vow MUST be for a limited time as the vow itself requires the foregoing of things required by Halachah. Thus the sacrifice brought at the end of the period is actually a sin offering for failing to do those things. (Particularly if married the Nazirite has failed in his marital obligations as it is a husbands duty to ensure his wife's sexual needs are fulfilled- NOT the other way round!).

Thanks, Ghostknight - that had been my half-remembered understanding too, but was going with the material printed in the game book. Lets use the more authentic version.

For Tonguez:
Nazirite (Mythic)
Benefit: The character gains +8 to one ability score for the duration of the Nazirite vow, typically a period of years. For the duration of the vow, the character must not consume wine or any other product of the grape, must allow his hair to grow, must not cut his hair, must not enter any covered structure within which lies a dead body, or defile himself for any dead person by being in the presence of the corpse. If the Nazirite breaks any of these commandments, or if his piety falls below 10, he immediate loses all benefits of this feat until he undergoes an Atonement.

A Nazirite suffers twice the normal piey penalty for sins he commits. This penalty remains in effect even if he loses the benefits of being a nazirite by breaking one of the commandments or falling below 10 piety. It is removed if the Nazirite end his vow by sacrificing to the Lord and the end of his vow's duration.

At the end of his period of Naziriteship, he shall shave his hair and make a substantial offering to the Lord. After the vow ends and the Nazirite has sacrificed to the Lord, he may choose another, non-mythic, feat which he was otherwise qualified to take, as a replacement feat.

 

[Ghostknight]

Excellent! Welcome abaord

I'm considering recommending character #3, just because i can see some excellent roleplaying possibilities right off the bat, but any of those would work. The Kaballist wouldn't suffer socailly as much as a standard sorcerer would, but there might still be some issues


The flaws are purely roleplaying based - you can decide entirely how much they are a part of the character's personality. They just can't be ignored completely.

Ok, concept three it is. His flaw would basicly be around his fanatacism. He sees Moses and Aaron as the ONLY authorities- others that speak must be weighed against them, and if necessary dealt with.

I'll try to get some stats up tomorrow - One Egyptian Rogue coming up!