4e "The Awakening" ("Virtual Sandbox") - Discussion / OOC
- Thread starter Charwoman Gene
- Start date
(thanks) I will vote for the Scholar because of the ease we may find fitting into a campaign around someone who searches for knowledge.
Walking Dad
First Post
No problems with the scholar, but I will stay with my old vote, Icosa.
Charwoman Gene
Adventurer
Okay, so, before we dive into the second character, we need to figure out something. "The Scholar" concept really presumes almost nothing about the world.
Some ideas:
1) Deva. I'n my mind a newly reincarnated Deva does not totally remember their past incarnantion quite as personal memories. It's more distant than that. They are reborn seemingly at random, although some sages think there is a pattern.
[Detail stolen from your proposal.] There are an extremely small number of Deva. They are not all incarnated at all times. Most of them have fallen in to a conceit of using only the name of their common profession, as The Scholar has.
They are rare. Most common folk won't recognize what they are, although most instinctively respect them as servants of the gods.
2) In parallel to this, I'm going to arguing that any of the other "planar" races (Tieflings, Genasi) are exceedingly rare too. All of them will attract attention. They are playable, but are rather unique. Same for Constrict races. Jury is still out on dragonborn.
There are two ideas I have for how to proceed.
1) We open the game with only the scholar. The scholar has opened his(her?) eyes for the first time in this incarnation, and we will do a mostly RP introduction of the characters. The scholar will meet the next candidate's three characters and will choose one of them as a companion. We can all say which one we like, but Shayuri gets the final say. The setting is that The Scholar will be near a moderate town fairly isolated and independent of any larger kingdoms. Human dominated, but almost half the population is nonhuman.
2) We assume the characters are "local heroes". We pick the next character after some talk about how they interact with The Scholar. The opening will be a cold open in a tavern, although that is very negotiable.
Some ideas:
1) Deva. I'n my mind a newly reincarnated Deva does not totally remember their past incarnantion quite as personal memories. It's more distant than that. They are reborn seemingly at random, although some sages think there is a pattern.
[Detail stolen from your proposal.] There are an extremely small number of Deva. They are not all incarnated at all times. Most of them have fallen in to a conceit of using only the name of their common profession, as The Scholar has.
They are rare. Most common folk won't recognize what they are, although most instinctively respect them as servants of the gods.
2) In parallel to this, I'm going to arguing that any of the other "planar" races (Tieflings, Genasi) are exceedingly rare too. All of them will attract attention. They are playable, but are rather unique. Same for Constrict races. Jury is still out on dragonborn.
There are two ideas I have for how to proceed.
1) We open the game with only the scholar. The scholar has opened his(her?) eyes for the first time in this incarnation, and we will do a mostly RP introduction of the characters. The scholar will meet the next candidate's three characters and will choose one of them as a companion. We can all say which one we like, but Shayuri gets the final say. The setting is that The Scholar will be near a moderate town fairly isolated and independent of any larger kingdoms. Human dominated, but almost half the population is nonhuman.
2) We assume the characters are "local heroes". We pick the next character after some talk about how they interact with The Scholar. The opening will be a cold open in a tavern, although that is very negotiable.
Charwoman Gene
Adventurer
The World.
The world is a reinterpretation of the 4e Cosmology. The twist is that the world was once a solid disc, held aloft by the power of the gods, and the abyss lay in the space below the world. The world is now shattered, and the surviving pieces cling to the lattice of heaven supporting the form falling into chaos below and ultimately, the abyss. The default start is on one of the largest of these, it's an enormous continent-scale earthmote, bearing an actual sea and a very rich internal existence, mostly free from interference from beyond. Most people on the continent don't see any difference from a typical D&D world.
We can move to a smaller mote or a "coastal city" but it's not my first choice.
The world is a reinterpretation of the 4e Cosmology. The twist is that the world was once a solid disc, held aloft by the power of the gods, and the abyss lay in the space below the world. The world is now shattered, and the surviving pieces cling to the lattice of heaven supporting the form falling into chaos below and ultimately, the abyss. The default start is on one of the largest of these, it's an enormous continent-scale earthmote, bearing an actual sea and a very rich internal existence, mostly free from interference from beyond. Most people on the continent don't see any difference from a typical D&D world.
We can move to a smaller mote or a "coastal city" but it's not my first choice.
Charwoman Gene
Adventurer
Halfling Culture.
The vast majority of halflings are peaceful, good-hearted folk who keep to themselves, don't mix with outsiders and live in peace. They trade, and will allow outsiders to cross their lands, even welcome them, as long as they don't stay or try to change the society. When Halfings come of age, they are barred from their community and sent out into the world for a year. They are free to experience the world, but are allowed to return at the end of the year to join the society as a full adult, ready to marry, raise a family. Some never return, enthralled by the pleasures of the world. Most PC halflings are from this group. Occasionally, a halfling returns to his people later in life, and is usually welcomed back if he accepts the traditional life. A tiny number of worldly halflings eke out an existence on the edges of other societies, unwilling to curtail their freedom. It is possible to come from their ranks as well. The "Tinker" halflings are extremely pacifist.
(Yes, they are amish hobbit gypsies.)
The vast majority of halflings are peaceful, good-hearted folk who keep to themselves, don't mix with outsiders and live in peace. They trade, and will allow outsiders to cross their lands, even welcome them, as long as they don't stay or try to change the society. When Halfings come of age, they are barred from their community and sent out into the world for a year. They are free to experience the world, but are allowed to return at the end of the year to join the society as a full adult, ready to marry, raise a family. Some never return, enthralled by the pleasures of the world. Most PC halflings are from this group. Occasionally, a halfling returns to his people later in life, and is usually welcomed back if he accepts the traditional life. A tiny number of worldly halflings eke out an existence on the edges of other societies, unwilling to curtail their freedom. It is possible to come from their ranks as well. The "Tinker" halflings are extremely pacifist.
(Yes, they are amish hobbit gypsies.)
Walking Dad
First Post
I like the ideas regarding Devas and the rarity of 'extraplanar' races.
I vote for option 1: The Scholar meets all three possible characters of the next player.
Some thoughts on your thoughts:
1) Deva. I'n my mind a newly reincarnated Deva does not totally remember their past incarnantion quite as personal memories. It's more distant than that. They are reborn seemingly at random, although some sages think there is a pattern.
-- This is fine...it could explain why the Scholar likes to write things down so much and keep journals. I'd also like to put forward the notion that a deva can, at times, access past-life memories with immediacy, as if they were fresh and new. That's what the 'Memory of 1000 Lifetimes' racial power simulates. For a Deva, the sensation is kind of like when something's nagging you at the tip of your tongue, and suddenly you remember all at once in a sort of Eureka moment. In my head it works kind of like Dr Who's 'Time Lord Regeneration' (time lords being something of the inspiration behind this concept) in which each incarnation is a new person, with at times radically different appearance and personality...but still has -some- kind of continuity of consciousness, even if it's tenuous and remote.
[Detail stolen from your proposal.] There are an extremely small number of Deva. They are not all incarnated at all times. Most of them have fallen in to a conceit of using only the name of their common profession, as The Scholar has.
-- This is good too...and just to explore it a bit; the small number of devas could mean that only a few celestial spirits chose to become devas in the first place...or it could mean that devas have been around a -very- long time, and that their numbers have dwindled over the years...because it's possible for a Deva to leave the cycle of resurrection, but it's not possible for new ones to enter it. Thus, there's a slow thinning of their ranks over the eons.
They are rare. Most common folk won't recognize what they are, although most instinctively respect them as servants of the gods.
-- Goes hand in hand with the second point, and is therefore good for continuity. Also seems appropriate.
There are two ideas I have for how to proceed.
1) We open the game with only the scholar. The scholar has opened his(her?) eyes for the first time in this incarnation, and we will do a mostly RP introduction of the characters. The scholar will meet the next candidate's three characters and will choose one of them as a companion. We can all say which one we like, but Shayuri gets the final say. The setting is that The Scholar will be near a moderate town fairly isolated and independent of any larger kingdoms. Human dominated, but almost half the population is nonhuman.
-- That'd be interesting, since it would imply that The Scholar 'starts out' at 3rd level.
The only potential issue with this route is that a newly awakened Scholar might lack a driving purpose for which to assemble a group. He'd be more likely to just amble about, goggling at how awesome everything is through his new eyes, until he noticed something where his intervention was needed. I do really like the RP potential of this idea though.
2) We assume the characters are "local heroes". We pick the next character after some talk about how they interact with The Scholar. The opening will be a cold open in a tavern, although that is very negotiable.
-- It has the advantage of being very flexible and player-friendly as far as our backgrounds go, and it lets at least some of us start out already together which can grease the wheels of the first few sessions...but it also robs us of those entertaining first moments.
I feel like the pros and cons pretty much balance on that question, so I'm good either way.
1) Deva. I'n my mind a newly reincarnated Deva does not totally remember their past incarnantion quite as personal memories. It's more distant than that. They are reborn seemingly at random, although some sages think there is a pattern.
-- This is fine...it could explain why the Scholar likes to write things down so much and keep journals. I'd also like to put forward the notion that a deva can, at times, access past-life memories with immediacy, as if they were fresh and new. That's what the 'Memory of 1000 Lifetimes' racial power simulates. For a Deva, the sensation is kind of like when something's nagging you at the tip of your tongue, and suddenly you remember all at once in a sort of Eureka moment. In my head it works kind of like Dr Who's 'Time Lord Regeneration' (time lords being something of the inspiration behind this concept) in which each incarnation is a new person, with at times radically different appearance and personality...but still has -some- kind of continuity of consciousness, even if it's tenuous and remote.
[Detail stolen from your proposal.] There are an extremely small number of Deva. They are not all incarnated at all times. Most of them have fallen in to a conceit of using only the name of their common profession, as The Scholar has.
-- This is good too...and just to explore it a bit; the small number of devas could mean that only a few celestial spirits chose to become devas in the first place...or it could mean that devas have been around a -very- long time, and that their numbers have dwindled over the years...because it's possible for a Deva to leave the cycle of resurrection, but it's not possible for new ones to enter it. Thus, there's a slow thinning of their ranks over the eons.
They are rare. Most common folk won't recognize what they are, although most instinctively respect them as servants of the gods.
-- Goes hand in hand with the second point, and is therefore good for continuity. Also seems appropriate.
There are two ideas I have for how to proceed.
1) We open the game with only the scholar. The scholar has opened his(her?) eyes for the first time in this incarnation, and we will do a mostly RP introduction of the characters. The scholar will meet the next candidate's three characters and will choose one of them as a companion. We can all say which one we like, but Shayuri gets the final say. The setting is that The Scholar will be near a moderate town fairly isolated and independent of any larger kingdoms. Human dominated, but almost half the population is nonhuman.
-- That'd be interesting, since it would imply that The Scholar 'starts out' at 3rd level.
The only potential issue with this route is that a newly awakened Scholar might lack a driving purpose for which to assemble a group. He'd be more likely to just amble about, goggling at how awesome everything is through his new eyes, until he noticed something where his intervention was needed. I do really like the RP potential of this idea though.2) We assume the characters are "local heroes". We pick the next character after some talk about how they interact with The Scholar. The opening will be a cold open in a tavern, although that is very negotiable.
-- It has the advantage of being very flexible and player-friendly as far as our backgrounds go, and it lets at least some of us start out already together which can grease the wheels of the first few sessions...but it also robs us of those entertaining first moments.
I feel like the pros and cons pretty much balance on that question, so I'm good either way.
Charwoman Gene
Adventurer
Ah... I'm not a Who fan. (I just have never bothered to watch, I'm sure its great.) But as I understand it that's nearly a perfect fit. Yeah the idea I'm looking for is that this is a new person in many ways so the memories feel like they belong to someone else. But they are definitely there, and the information is definitely accessible.
okay, so we've got a vote for Full RP gathering one at a time and one split vote.
I'm going to abstain unless we tie.
Note: I will probably have to tack some slightly railroady awakening scene on to the RP Gathering. With The Scholar (Like The Doctor? get it now... Hmm... Modron Daleks... Hmm...) a little bit of a blank slate... its hard.
To get that going... who would like to be number two? We'll work out the order as we start...
industrygothica
Adventurer
I vote for option #1 as well.
I've got a couple of character concepts that I've had stored up for a while; if a brief (and by brief, I mean like a two sentence backstory... maybe even less for one of them) concept is all you need, then I'll volunteer to go second. If you need anything more than that then I'll abstain for now, as I won't be able to plug in the creative side of my brain until Wednesday when I'm off again.
-IG
I've got a couple of character concepts that I've had stored up for a while; if a brief (and by brief, I mean like a two sentence backstory... maybe even less for one of them) concept is all you need, then I'll volunteer to go second. If you need anything more than that then I'll abstain for now, as I won't be able to plug in the creative side of my brain until Wednesday when I'm off again.
-IG
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