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[D20 Modern] Paths of Legend: Shadowgate (OOC)

crazy_monkey1956

First Post
There are worlds beyond our own.

Alternate dimensions.

Other realities.

Places where magic and monsters are real.

In 2002 an underwater archeology expedition accidentally found something in the Carribean. Something that the United States government soon determined was the source of the Bermuda Triangle disappearances.

The artifact, an eight sided crystal of unknown origin, is capable of sending objects and people through time and dimension.

The government has determined that a credible threat exists from the beings existing in those other dimensions and has put together special military and scientific teams to battle this threat.

By hooking the artifact up to a nuclear power generator, government scientists have created a stable gateway that can be turned on and off and adjusted to change the destination. Using this "Shadowgate," they intend to eliminate the threat posed by these other dimensions by any means necessary.


Welcome to the next Crazy Monkey play-by-post, this one using the D20 Modern rules.

This game draws some inspiration from Stargate and Sliders, with the players taking the role of military and scientific characters exploring other dimensions, assessing the threat of the natives of those dimensions, and dealing with those threats.

For those familiar with my Paths of Legend setting, this game takes place in the "What Came Before" era of the setting in the spring of 2009.

The player characters will be traveling to different worlds, including (eventually) D&D worlds such as the Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance and Eberron.

Character Creation

Books Available: D20 Modern core rulebook only
Starting Level: 1
Ability Scores: 25 point buy
Starting Wealth Bonus: 5 + any relevant modifiers
Starting Occupation: Because the PCs are members of a US military run operation, starting occupations are limited to Academic, Adventurer, Doctor, Emergency Services, Law Enforcement, Military, and Technician.
Advanced Classes: All are available, including (and especially) FX related ones.

I'll be limiting the group to no more than six. The first "episode" will be the recruitment and assembly of the team by the US government. As a team, players will want to have a well rounded group of skills and abilities. In other words, those recruited for the team will be a couple of military types, a scientist or two, perhaps a medic, and more than likely a "talker" to interact with non-hostiles.

Players can arrange with me, via PM, to eventually replace their initial character with a native of one of the visited worlds (a member of a D&D race) if they want to go that route.
 
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Yttermayn

First Post
Academic Linguist, with the goal of eventually becoming a telepath.


[sblock=Connor Lang, Human Male Linguist]
Connor Lang
CR 1
Male Human Smart Hero 1
Medium Humanoid (5'8")
Age: 39
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Stealth Mullet, Brown
Skin: tan
Build: thick but fit
Starting Occupation: Academic
Allegiances: Mary (Connor's dead wife), Good
hp 10 (1d6+1+3(toughness))
Mas 12
Init +1
Spd 30 ft.
Defense 11 (+1 Dex)
touch 11
flat-footed 10
BAB +0
Grap +0
Atk Strike, Unarmed +0 melee (1d3)
SQ Linguist (Talent, Research tree)
SV Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +1
AP 5
Rep +1
Str 10
Dex 12
Con 12
Int 14
Wis 11
Cha 14

Skills:
Computer Use +2 (0pts.)
Craft +2 (0pts.)
Craft (Structural) +2 (0pts.)
Craft (Visual Art) +2 (0pts.)
Craft (Writing) +2 (0pts.)
Decipher Script +6 (3pts.)
Demolitions +6 (4pts.)
Disable Device +6 (4pts.)
Forgery +5 (3pts.)
Investigate +4 (2pts.)
Knowledge (Behavioral Sciences) +4 (2pts.)
Navigate +2 (0pts.)
Research +5 (2pts.)
Search +6 (4pts.)
Read/Write Sanskrit >>>(1pts.)
Speak Algonkin >>>(1pts.)
Speak Japanese >>>(1pts.)
Speak Middle Egyptian >>>(1pts.)
Gather Information +6 (4pts.)
Bluff +4 (4pts.)
Diplomacy +4 (4pts.)
Intimidate +4 (4pts.)


Languages:
Speak Algonkin
Speak Japanese
Speak Middle Egyptian
Read/Write Sanskrit
Feats: Wild Talent (Far Hand)
(Manifest power 3/day Power: Far Hand)
Toughness (+3 hit points)

Connor had been a linguistics student with psych as a minor. He Married the love of his life shortly after graduating college and did some piecemeal work for archeologists, international companies, Bureau of Indian affairs, and a host of other businesses and institutions needing the skills of a translator or archaic linguist. One of the companies he worked for turned out to be part of a front for organized crime syndicate, and when the the law caught up to the perpetrators, Connor had testified to the content of some of the international communications of the company. Apparently, this pissed off someone in the crime organization. One day, Connors wife Mary borrowed his car while hers was in the shop. The explosion blew in part of the front of the house, and there wasn’t even enough of Mary or even the car to fill a coffin.
Conner went through two years of depression and a low functioning existence until a new emotion bubbled up inside him: burning acid hatred. Connor spent the next few years researching demolitions techniques, criminal records, and other databases. He pumped his contacts for information and made some new ones, developing skills to bluff, intimidate, or negotiate for information. He found out which of the mafia’s soldiers had been employed to bomb his car. He also found out who ordered the hit on him. Connor spent two more years planning and waiting, carefully gathering materials and observing movement patterns and habits of the boss responsible for his misery. He even got a part time job at the airport where the boss had a private jet hangar. When finally all the pieces came together, Connor made his move. Once the boss had left his freshly landed plane, boarded the limo, and started to pull away, a bomb bearing the same exact signature as the one that killed his wife detonated. Connor and all the other employees and passengers were evacuated. Thanks to some intentionally sloppy bomb building, the investigation connected the bombing to the original soldier and word got out in the organized crime circles. Before the individual could be found by the FBI, he was floating face down in a river.
His vengeance fulfilled, Connor is depressed again, on the brink of suicide. He now resides in an institution paid for with his dead wife’s dwindling life insurance payoff. He is unable to make meaningful therapeutic progress at the institute due to the necessity of keeping his illicit activities a secret.

[/sblock]
 
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Shayuri

First Post
Hee hee...damnit, this sounds too fun.

I'd love to play a Techie who eventually learns magic. Not to lean too heavily on TV-originated stereotypes, but the character may have a certain "McKayish" vibe to him, for those familiar with the Stargate series. ;)
 

Angel Tarragon

Dawn Dragon
Count me in too. I'd like to play a human from another dimension if possible; s/he just doesn't know that they were born on a parallel Earth.

I'm thinking Scientist as well (pure Scientist though). Its lways been this character's goal to discover the secrets of anti-gravity, but along the way s/he diverged into quantum physics and string theory.
 

OnlytheStrong

Explorer
Wow..... I'd like to hop in this one if possible. I'd like to be one of the "military" types. Probably a Fast hero. I'll have more for you tomorrow (so I can sleep before work lol)
 

crazy_monkey1956

First Post
Very cool. :D Welcome aboard folks. ;)

Shayuri, McKay is a fun character type and, if I may, I would suggest adding some "D&D geek" to McKay's techy geekiness. My Paths of Legend setting is based around the parallel worlds theory, where-in every imagined world, every daydream, could potentially be not just from the dreamer's imagination, but a vision of a world that exists in an alternate dimension. So, imagine a D&D geek's surprise when they wind up in a D&D world. ;)

Reveille, see the sblock below.

[sblock=Humans from Other Worlds]The crystal artifact at the center of this project had, for centuries, been transporting accidental travelers to other times and dimensions, thus the legends of the Bermuda Triangle. Generally speaking, those travelers never returned, nor did anything come through the other way. However, the government researchers who first studied the artifact in 2002 believe it was created in Atlantis and that that civilization had a better grasp of how to use it. In fact, there are a few Atlanteans in the modern world, watching and waiting for something involving the artifact, though they haven't revealed themselves or what they are waiting for. Your character could be a young Atlantean, adopted and raised in the modern world, with no knowledge of his heritage.[/sblock]

OnlytheStrong, looking forward to seeing it. :D
 

Shayuri

First Post
Heee! Interesting idea. He'd be very defensive/embarrassed about it all at first, but it would come out in blurts and stuff.

I'll have to read up on how magic works in d20 Modern...
 

Yttermayn

First Post
Welcome aboard. :D

What sort of scientist did you have in mind?

Well, I kinda focused him on linguistics, so he's not so much a scientist as he is the talker/communicator. We need something translated, read, or deciphered, he's the guy to do it. He also has a bit of a dark past which is where his demolitions, disable device, bluff, intimidate, forgery, and diplomacy skills come in...
 
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Dire Lemming

First Post
Hey, this sounds keen! Can I play? I was thinking of a scientist type but it looks like all those are taken. Maybe someone with medical skills and/or a martial arts specialist or something? It'd also be kinda fun to play MacGuyver.:p

But... is it ok if I don't have the books? There's an SRD for D20 Modern isn't there?
 
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