Air Pirates: Episode 1: The Revenge of The Air Pirates:FULL!

[WarlockLord]

The guards on the dock prodded your backs with swords. "Move along, pirate scum. You will be executed at dawn tomorrow, fools, for your crimes against the peaceful people of Khorvaire. You are lucky King Kaius did not elect to use the torture devices on your pitiful hides."
You stole one last look at your airship before you were thrown into a dank dungeon.

I'm recruiting for a new game, as my old game appears to have died. Here are the character creation criteria:
84 point buy, as follows: ability scores are bought on a 1 for 1 basis. No score (before racial/level based adjustments) may be bought above 18.

5th level PCs (10,500 XP, 8,750 gp)

Books allowed: Core, Complete Arcane, Adventurer, Mage, Divine, Warrior, Psionic, XPH, Tome of Magic, Tome of Battle, Libris Mortis, Heroes of Horror, Player's Handbook II, Eberron Campaign Setting.

Feel free to optimize your characters, so long as there are no infinite loops/ Pun-Pun levels, etc. I reserve the right to declare a character "too broken," however, I will not use this unless it is EXTREMELY broken.

A team necromancer is not required, but is recommended for coolness.

Archivists may buy whatever spells they like from said books, as long as they appear on a divine list, and the archivist is willing to pay for a scroll plus 100 gp per page. This includes domain spells.

There will be some undead, probably constructs too, so PLEASE make sure you can fight said enemies. I don't need another party full of mind controllers who can't fight undead.

Profession: (airship sailor) is a must, and I'd like a renegade helmsperson of House Lyrandar to fly the thing.

Anyone interested?

EDIT: the Spell Compendium is also on the list of approved books.

 

[stonegod]

Evil, evil, evil. I have so many games in play right now, but this is one of the concepts I've been dying to do forever....

A few questions, however. Are our characters starting after this "capture" noted below or what? I.e., how our we starting together?

Also, you only list the ECS as a source. No other Eberron books?

 

[Ambrus]

Interested, yes. Out of curiosity, might you allow Races of the Dragon? A dragonwrought kobold pirate might be fun.

Otherwise, I'm consider playing some type of mindblade wielding character.

 

[WarlockLord]

Fraid no other Ebberon books, as I don't have them. I will consider new stuff on a case by case basis.

The characters all used to be air pirates together. Then they got caught. This is when we start.

 

[stonegod]

The characters all used to be air pirates together. Then they got caught. This is when we start.

The reason I ask is that there are significantly more Lyrandar options than in just the ECS.

Let me look at what I can think up.

 

[Blackrat]

I'd be very much interested. A gnome ninja would be an interesting option as groups infiltrator/assassin/spy. Probably being a member of some Zilargos' spy guild.

 

[Shayuri]

*raises hand meekly*

Being that I was in said other game, I was hoping (with the understanding that I wouldn't be doing another Beguiler ) you might consider me for this one. It would not be hyperbole for me to say I have wanted to play a sky pirates game for a -long- time now...before Eberron even came out!

On the flip side, if you don't feel comfortable with me, I'm not out to make things difficult. Say the word, and I shall seek elsewhere.

 

[Drerek]

I simply cannot say no to Eberron. Highly interested in a necromancer/master specialist.

 

[Redclaw]

I'd love to throw my hat in the ring here. I've been wanting to try a warblade. Wow, too many ideas popping through my head. I think I've edited this post six times.
But, now that I've seen the Tome of Battle on the available book list, the warblade definitely where I see myself going. I can see some fun pirate-like uses for some of their maneuvers.

**EDIT-- so, looking over Tome of Battle, I'm picturing a human (or half-elven if our helmsman is up for a connected backstory) warblade focusing on Iron Heart and Tiger Claw maneuvers. Lots of jumping around and slashing . He would probably dual-wield kukri, although I have to crunch some numbers before I decide on that bit for sure.

 

[stonegod]

I'm going to bow out early to give other folks a chance 'cuz, as I said, I'm prolly in a few to many games as it is.

 

[Mellubb]

Hey, I would like to throw my hat in as a Changeling Bard.

 

[Voda Vosa]

I would love to play this game, what ever has pirates in it catch my attention. It would be nice to use a warlock, I had always the dream of fire brimstone blasts from an air globe! , but if theres some problem with that class or you think another is more needed, please let me know. If not I will stick with tha old problem solver warlock ^^

 

[EvolutionKB]

I would like to throw my submission in as well. I was thinking a hexblade/pally of slaughter with the variant from PHBII. A debuffer of sorts. I could see him being the ex-Lyrandar helmsman. Then again, an evil druid would be cool too. Flying around on a dire bat, keeping enemies away with wind spells(as well as destructive magics)

 

[WarlockLord]

Shayuri, go with the the dragonwrought kobold. Lemme guess...old mage. I am familiar with the cheese.

Stonegod, you can stay (an airship needs 15, after all). Present your other options as needed.

EvolutionKB, go ahead on the paladin of slaughter. No PC backstabbing, but everything else is OK.

Voda, warlocks are good. You're in.

Mellub, bard is go. (Not to dictate or anything, but you should learn the songs from the Pirates of Penzance. Especially that one where Mabel tells the heroes to all go and die.)

Redclaw, go ahead on the warblade.

Drerek, team necromancer is go. I'll give you two human warrior skeletons to start with for 200 gp (aquired via command undead)

Blackrat, go ahead as the team ninja.

Anyone else interested, this is going to be a large party, and we could also use an artificer (for ship repairs). As long as everyone posts once a day, we're fine for speed, and I can coordinate the round.

I'd like character background, but I'll have a team background for you guys. Here it is.

[sblock=A very short history of the air pirates]
One day, a bored scion of House Lyrandar got into trouble with his family. He was framed by jealous family members, and competely innocent. However, his family disinheirited him and decided to take away his airship. However, the scion was a capable merchant who had made many odd, but capable, friends on his travels. Gathering his friends for crew, he vanished with his airship, and he and his friends became...
THE AIR PIRATES!!!
For 5 years, these pirates became a menace to be feared across the world of Ebberon. They raided valuble cargoes, pulling off daring escapes and getting rich, only to spend it in the small Pirate Isles in the Sea of Xen'drik (uncharted except by pirate vessels). The best part? They never had to pay for a drink. It was a wonderful life.

Sadly, it was not to last. The corrupt and amoral trader Flanagan, another airship captain who the crew had a personal grudge against (he was not a kind person), became a bounty hunter. After a terrific battle in the skies of Xendrik, Flanagan collected his cash (100,000 gp) and turned them over to King Kaius. That's where we are now.[/sblock]

 

[Voda Vosa]

Background... ended up more extensive that I thought. I hope you understand half of it, you see I'm not a native English speaker, but I do my best.


Vasintze wasn't always the manipulative pirate he is today. Long time ago, he was a manipulative mercenary. But more far away in time, Vasintze was just like any other boy in a small grape farming village, near the forest most close to the estuaries of Scion Sounds. Although the rest of the kingdom had a nice temperate weather, his village was stormed by lighting storms, terrible winds and extreme temperatures.
Across the sea, Vasintze could see the paradisaic island of storm , where the house of Lyrandar changed the weather to their will.
In the windy shores, he played "pirates" whit his friends, representing the law, the righteous and the honorable.
Many things changed since that distant times, obscured by the mist of greed and power hunger. As the young Vasintze grew up, as any other normal child, he started to see what was the real life about. It was about money, about power, and about the struggle between them. As a smart young man, he manages to learn tricks, all kinds of tricks, that he used to steal, rob, fool and the like. That kind of skills quickly get him in troubles. After some years, the not soy young lad finished a "nice" job. Or so he thought: he was arrested by the local militia, and threw away in a prison. No one knows how did he escaped, all they saw was a big hole in the brick wall of the cell.
With nowhere to go, the errant Vasintze, was confused: How could he made such a hole in a well build brick wall? It felt like when he did the other tricks... but more intense... Would he be able to use such skill again? Is that was so... then his possibilities had just expanded greatly.
Following the trade routes, our novice warlock managed to get into a small city. Big enough to make a living as he knew, without great chances of getting caught.
So far, Vasintze was firstly a small boy whit skills in pickpocketing and after that, a minor thief. His next step was into the glory of a more honorable job, the mercenaries.
His skills controlling eldrich energy where remarkable, so he found work easily.
Days passed by... weeks... months... years... Vasintze developed a self trusting character, thinking great things of himself. No challenge was at his hight. Or that he thought: One day, a scion merchant of House Lyrandar came into town, looking for some quality muscle, for what he said was a not so easy task. Despite the poor muscular mass of Vasintze, he got the job, as no other mercenary was willing to fight for it. It proved to be just what Vasintze needed. Both the scion and the warlock ended up bitting the dust. Although the mission was a failure, Vasintze developed a durable friendship with this merchant.
Two years from that, and five years since today, the same merchant came to Vasintze again, now , with an airship, and a crew, talking of gold and treasures, battles and blood, victory and glory. Vasintze eyes sparked in enthusiasm with a deep purple color, as they did two years ago.

 

[jonathan swift]

I'd be interested in playing an artificer ship mechanic if you still need one.

 

[Redclaw]

A couple of quick character creation questions:
First, how do you want us to figure out hit points? Roll them on Invisible Castle or take a set amount based on hit die?
Second, not to sound greedy, but is the 84 point buy before or after our level 4 ability point boost?

 

[Shayuri]

Whoa, what?! I didn't ask for a dragonwrought kobold...and I've never made an old mage in my life!

Youch. I feel the burn.

I was thinking a warforged artificer...or perhaps a kalashtar monk or...something.

Though I see there's an artificer proposal already. Hmm...lets see...perhaps a brick. Something big and...brickish. Or a druid with a dire bat companion! Might be possible, if you allow the natural bond feat...

 

[Redclaw]

Though I see there's an artificer proposal already. Hmm...lets see...perhaps a brick. Something big and...brickish. Or a druid with a dire bat companion! Might be possible, if you allow the natural bond feat...

Natural bond is aimed at rangers or multiclass druids. It specifically says your effective druid level can't be above your character level. Wild shape could be fun, however.

 

[Shayuri]

Yes, but what about when your wildshape level is reduced for the purposes of animal companions? If I have a dire bat, my druid level is reduced by 4 for animal companion purposes.

Then I take Natural Bond, which raises it by three...but no more than my druid level. Well, down 4, up 3...I'm still a level behind my druid level, aren't I?

Anyway, I know some GM's that do it that way, some that don't. If not, no biggy. As you say, wildshape would still be quite handy. I'd need to know if it was the "original" wildshape, the "new" wildshape, or the shapeshifting variant wildshape though.

...being a druid is like ordering a hamburger these days. So many things to keep track of!