Eve of Mirkwood [Full]

[Necro_Kinder]

Hey thanks, yeah I guess I missed the one about the cap...

Before I make up a character I was wondering if the Complete Warrior variant paladin class would be ok. He still keeps his mount, but loses his spells for a couple supernatural abilities. If you don't have the book lemme know and I'll write up the changes.

EDIT: How bout a Knight of Gondor? Using the Knight class from PHB2?

 

[Dlsharrock]

I'll take the human, I've got a dwarf in another game going so I don't mind taking the human. I'll work up a barbarian story ending up at a logging camp, probably his great strength would be beneficial.

By which you mean a wandering Beorning, or a disenfranchised oaf from Rhun? (by oaf I'm painting the picture of a luggish type human of Conanish type, probably fleeing the destruction of his small-village settlement and the Wainriders in Rhun)? The only true barbarians in the Middle-Earth sense within this district are the Vikingish chariot-driving Wainriders. Other barbarian races include the Mumakil riding Southron (featured in the Battle of Pelennor Fields when the elephant-like Mumakil decimated Theoden's riders) or Haradrim as Gondor Men call them, and also the Variags of Khand to the southeast of Mordor. There are also Black Numenors and Corsairs in the far south of Umbar, survivors of the destruction of Numenor who sailed to the city port of Umbar at the end of the Second Age with the intention of contesting Sauron, but who fell under his spell, as Men were wont to do in those days (edit: and, I forgot to add, the rebellious Gondor Men of the kin-strife in the 14th century who were throne out of the Kingdom and who subsequently seized control of Umbar, though I never really considered them barbarians). That's the barbarians in a nutshell. None of them will be found as travelling individuals, as they are collectively under the Dark Lord's sway. Besides which they are all horribly evil and I'd prefer neutral or goodly characters.

I suppose the Forodwaith of the far north would be classed as barbarians by your average Dunedain, though in my own head I always had them down as a clever and goodly people.

How bout a Knight of Gondor? Using the Knight class from PHB2?

Certainly seems to fit the mould, and then you'd get to wear lots of lovely plate. Working up a background will be challenging though. The knights of Gondor are sworn not simply by duty but by every ounce of their being to protect the lands of their fathers, ie Gondor. Gondor itself is currently under threat from the Wainriders who encroach daily on its territory, so a knight might not be spared to go a-travelling. On the other hand... hm.

I suspect I would enjoy finding little ways to remind them that if the forest is metaphorically a lake...they are amphibians, and I am a fish.

An inspired idea Binder_Fred/Shayuri. Solves the problem of deforesting the elves' natural habitat, which I was going to bring up at some point. I'm also liking the true-to-form elfyness of this emerging character. Mischievious, playful, carefree despite the darkness of the world. Bound to drive his Middle-Men logging associates up the wall.

 

[Ilium]

I'm going to bow out of this one, after all. I've gotten myself in trouble before by being in too many games, so at this time I think I'll just limit myself to one.

Thanks.

 

[Dlsharrock]

Thanks for letting us know Ilium

And then there were 6.
I'd still prefer between 4 and 6 players, so still no openings at this point for new characters, though we've not had any sound from the Fenris camp as yet so it may be worth checking back over the course of next week.

But now I must away to the real Misty Mountains of Austria where I intend to slay orcs, battle balrogs and maybe do a bit of skiing.

I'll be back on the 13th April. In the meantime please continue to discuss the starting point for this game and character ideas. I'll devour the results when I return, put in my twopenny's worth then hopefully start the game!

 

[Binder Fred]

Certainly seems to fit the mould, and then you'd get to wear lots of lovely plate. Working up a background will be challenging though.

Hey there. Some thoughts for getting him involved with the camp :

- Business with one of the loggers : A family emergency? A prophecy about one of them? the anounce of a death and inheritance/return to good grace? If the begining adventure concerns Mirkwood, you do have the problem of keeping him in the region after he finds the guy though, unless the prophecy says something about that...

- Business in the woods : hot pursuit of hostiles/spies leads to closer investigation? Lost/attacked on his way to Y while guarding X person/thing/message which must be recovered (think of Ara+lego+Gimli's run after the captured hobbits)? He's 2nd level at this point, so maybe he's a squire still? Easier to move those about and maybe they have some sort of Great Test for knight candidates with borderline credential (either of blood or of (inherited) honor)? Or maybe undercover work is required, for there are spies in Gondor/indications the ennemy has magical spying abilities/unknown intelligence and/or alliances (elves?) in the target region?

- Dishonor : your character has been banished from the knights (unjustly? enraged knights at his tail eager to execute him?) and seeks to redeem himself/get revenge. Maybe a bit too heavy for a begining character, but if you want your guy to be dark and broody, this is the way to go.

"Binder Fred, for the sin of thinking out loud we condemn you to the pit".

 

[Necro_Kinder]

Certainly seems to fit the mould, and then you'd get to wear lots of lovely plate. Working up a background will be challenging though. The knights of Gondor are sworn not simply by duty but by every ounce of their being to protect the lands of their fathers, ie Gondor. Gondor itself is currently under threat from the Wainriders who encroach daily on its territory, so a knight might not be spared to go a-travelling. On the other hand... hm.

I was thinking perhaps he could be more of a diplomat, a Knight sent to find allies and whatnot to help protect Gondor. That would explain his distance from home, and his title. The problem with that is Diplomacy is not on the Knight's skill list. Guess he may not be a very good diplomat, though he probably would have a high-ish charisma.

EDIT: Sorry Fred, somehow I missed your post. Perhaps we can combine ideas and say he mayhaps is a diplomat trying to enlst the help of the Mirkwood elves to defend Gondor, and then due to his Lawful Goodness he stays and helps out with whatever is going on.

 

[Fenris]

Thanks for letting us know Ilium

And then there were 6.
I'd still prefer between 4 and 6 players, so still no openings at this point for new characters, though we've not had any sound from the Fenris camp as yet so it may be worth checking back over the course of next week.

The Fenris camp is still pondering. We seem to have the warrior angle quite well covered and I am trying to reconcile d20 Classes with Tolkien a bit to find a character I like that doesn't break Middle Earth to my sensibilities.

 

[Binder Fred]

I was thinking perhaps he could be more of a diplomat, a Knight sent to find allies and whatnot to help protect Gondor. That would explain his distance from home, and his title. The problem with that is Diplomacy is not on the Knight's skill list. Guess he may not be a very good diplomat, though he probably would have a high-ish charisma.

If you think you're forcing your concept, you could always say he is/was (one of?) the escort of the guy Gondor actually sent? Guy gets killed/wounded/kidnapped on the way and your character feels duty bound/guilt ridden into taking on the mission as his own? It's sort of thin as a link to the rest of us though : we're talking a "stay one night on the way" or a "lost in the woods" initial reason and then no clear motive for either party to associate with each other long term that I can see...

If this is a preliminary contact between the two parties, the envoy might just be a sealed message to the elven king, carried by an actual knight as a sign of great honor. Message gets stolen or lost, he chasses clues/vague indications all over, the possibilities are endless. Might combine that with the above and say he's chasing something of value taken when the ambasador was hit (ambassadorial seal maybe?).

Binder Fred, stealthy as ever.

EDIT: Speaking of, did you see my 04-03 post, Redclaw ? Do you think you can fit your character into the logging context?

 

[Binder Fred]

The Fenris camp is still pondering. We seem to have the warrior angle quite well covered and I am trying to reconcile d20 Classes with Tolkien a bit to find a character I like that doesn't break Middle Earth to my sensibilities.

Maybe a herbalist healer? You could take a spell-casting level or two even, provided the spells are presented as steming from his/her remedies or knowledge and not from actual *magic*. Say you put a 1 minute or more "casting time" on all your "spells", representing the time to actually bind the wound with your herbal poultice /smear on the bear grease (resistance to cold)/chew your hunger-calming root cud, etc. Hit points are mostly luck+determination+calm spirits anyway.

Or how about a peasant-bard? He's a logger -- Job doesn't necessarely have to follow class (I could very well see a Fierce Barbarian Cook, by the way Renau . Say he's had no formal training as such but the guy sure can tell a mean story around the dorm at night, his voice ain't pretty (smoky/broken/rough?) but it can sure stir the heart of folks like you and me brother, talks at length with any traveller he can lay his hands on, is an all around fantastic fellow to have around the camp, etc, etc.

Binder Fred, still in the storm.

P.S. I do plan to take a bit of healing with my dwarven smith by the way. It'll be of the splint-bandage-sow with rough thread-pat on the back and off you go variety. Colds or prolonged care need not apply.

 

[Shayuri]

What do you think the relations overall between men and elves of Mirkwood would be? Would the job of babysitting the loggers be regarded as something honorable, as a sort of embassy to another race, and perhaps entertaining? Or would it be viewed as a distasteful thing; a necessary evil and something most elves would see as being akin to jury duty. Someone's gotta do it, as long as it's not -me-.

Thoughts?