Legacy of the Silver Dragon (Swords and Wizardry Core, 4th Ed)

[gambler1650]

So, one of the things to decide is:

Are your characters local to the town, or not. My personal preference is 'local to the town' for a couple of reasons:

1. I have to do less world building. One of the benefits of this format is that the DM can get away with a rough mental outline of the larger world, until the players start to explore it. I can just focus my efforts on the local region.

2. Most likely, since all of you would be 'coming of age' at about the same time, you'd know each other.. and in fact I like the idea of a group of friends who all planned to 'become adventurers' once they were old enough. Doesn't mean you HAVE to use that basic concept, but it works well as a starting point and given the racial composition as its shaping up, provides an interesting dynamic with the town's current and past states.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I favor a "grew up together locally" origin.

 

[gambler1650]

Quick update... I have most of the Campaign background written up. One snag is, my laptop at home might be on its last legs (hard drive is making all kinds of fun noises). I have a replacement (actually a touchpad with keyboard) coming tomorrow but might take me a bit to get up to speed on it. I still should have the campaign background up by Sunday, and likely will start with an "Around the town conversations" thread.. ie, things your characters could have overheard over the past in campaign week or so. Your characters can join any conversation that sounds of interest. We can do this before you buy equipment even, though if you want to, feel free to use the standard rules for gold and the equipment lists: with the exception that because of the location and the import/export, that all wooden items (bows, arrows, wooden equipment) cost 20% less, and all metal items cost 10% more).

 

[Binder Fred]

I favor a "grew up together locally" origin.

Make that two. With a gp roll of 150, I figure Antares comes from a fairly rich local family -- say a long line of battle mages and crafters. He's always been more of a theoretical/research kind of an elf though, something that his pro-active, down to earth family doesn't really approve off. The adventure trigger for him could be his father finally getting fed up with his "non-productivity" and throwing him out of the familial wizard tower so that, for the first time in his life, he has to fend for himself... AND pay for his own food!

A question about languages for you, Gambler: Is there a main "dead" language for tombs/ruins/ancient writtings in the area (linked to the local fallen civilization(s)?)? On another tack, how about Faerie/Elemental languages? Is there one, four (one per element), more (or less) if you don't go with the classical Wind/Fire/Water/Earth division? Can my character take one or more of those as a starting language?

[sblock=Character portraits I've been working on for Antares

[/sblock]

 

[gambler1650]

Whizbang Dustyboots: Cool! Makes my life easier.

Fenris? You still here?

Binder Fred: Be careful about investing too much character development up front! I don't plan to be an adversarial, killer, DM, but I can't guarantee survival for a first level character in an 'old school' system/style.

That said, I like the sketch. I haven't thought overly about languages, though now is as good a time as any.

The simply named "The Empire of Mankind", of which Ascadar is nominally a part (though in practice it involves sending taxes and not much else...), has a common language that all growing up in the town would know. Each race has its own language, which again, are know automatically by characters of that race.

Yeah, there's ruins that have been studied, with a long dead language unlike any currently known. I'll say that various scholars and wizards have turned up some best guesses... but there's still plenty of room for misinterpretation. I'll say that your studies and the knowledge of your teachers gives you a 40% chance of understanding any given phrase almost perfectly, 30% chance of not understanding it, and 30% chance of you thinking you understand it but certain elements are incorrect in the translation.

Ok, so my laptop is still working but making grinding sounds. And my touchpad is charging. I hope to get most of my writing done tonight, and post something tonight or Sunday (out most of the day Saturday) in the IC thread... will link to it when I create it.

 

[Binder Fred]

Well, I'll just have to do my darndest for him to survive then.

Here's my completed character. Do we have a Rogue's gallery I can post him in once he's approved? I took Elvish, Old One (the dead language we were talking about), Faery and Elemental for my languages. Is that alright?

[sblock=Intro]A young elven Fighter/Magic User named Antares. A scholarly, enthusiastically inquisitive type with an endless supply of oftentimes dangerous curiosity about - well - everything! Wears loose robes, tied at the elbow for convenience, and the starry silver circlet of an apprentice elven mage on his brow (hasn't earned the pointy hat yet ).

BACKGROUND: Antares comes from a fairly rich local family -- his father being the town battle wizard (bearded and bald under his floppy pointy hat, living in his wizard tower not far from town), his mother a talented potter and sometimes glassmaker (white-haired and fair of skin, she shares a workshop with the weaver in town). Antares has always been more of a theoretical/research kind of an elf though, something that his pro-active, down to earth parents don't really approve of.

Now, just before the adventure begins, his father has finally got fed up with his son's "non-productivity" and threw him out of the familial wizard tower. So that, for the first time in his life, he has to fend for himself... AND pay for his own food![/sblock][sblock=Combat block]Hero Point: 1
Move: 12 (40'/rnd, 240'/Trn walking, 480'/trn running. 12 miles/day)

AC: 10 (Cloth armor)
HP: 5/5
THAC0: 17 (18 ranged)
Saving Throw: 14 (+2 Spells)

MEMORIZED: Sleep X 1[/sblock][sblock=Complet stats]STR 18 +2 Tohit, +3 Damage. Open Doors 1-5, Carry +50
DEX 5 -1 Tohit ranged. -1 AC
CON 13 +1 Hp/HD. Raise Dead 100%
INT 13 +3 Languages, 65% Learn spells, 5/8 Min Max spell Known
WIS 12
CHA 10

XP: 0 (2000 Fighter/2500 Mage)
Alignment: Lawful

Hero Point: 1
Move: 12 (40'/rnd, 240'/Trn walking, 480'/trn running. 12 miles/day)

AC: 10 (Cloth armor)
HP: 5/5 (+0.5 HP in storage)
THAC0: 17 (18 ranged)
Saving Throw: 14 (+2 Spells)
MEMORIZED: Sleep X 1

ABILITIES:
- ELVEN Dark vision: 60 feet
- ELVEN Searching: Secret doors 1-4, not searching 1
- ELVEN Immunities: Ghoul paralysis, Can cast spells in magical armor
- FIGHTER Multiple Attacks: 1 attack/L against 1HD or less
- FIGHTER Parry: -0 to enemy attacks
- INT Languages: Common (Empire of Man), Elvish, Old one, Elemental, Faery

EQUIPMENT (150 gp):

Starry Mage circlet (Apprentice level)
Mage's robes
Cloth and light chain Belt
Fine leather boots (laced up)

On belt:
Long sword (1d8, left hip) 15gp 10lbs
Belt pouch (Right hip)
   Candle  0.01gp
   Chalk X4 (Different colours) 0.2gp
   Flint and Steel 1gp
   Loose coins (6 silver, 5 copper) 1.1lbs
   Lamp oil (Glass bottle, with wick installed) 0.1gp
Scroll case (Bone inlaid with colourful ceramics, Right hip) 1gp
   Parchment X5 1gp
   Sepia ink 1gp 
   Quill & quill sharpener

Backpack 5gp
   Spell book 25gp
   Purse (14 gold) 1.4lbs
   Candle X4 0.04gp
   Bell 1gp
   Crowbar 0.2gp
   Trail rations X8 4gp
   Waterskins X3 3gp
   Wooden bowl, silver utensils 1gp
   Soap, comb, bath towel, small steel mirror 20gp
   Lamp oil X3 (Glass bottles, with wicks installed) 0.3gp
Longbow (1d6, 70ft, RoF 2) 60gp 5lbs
Quiver
   Arrows X20 2gp 1lbs
----------------
18.5 lbs carried (126lbs=9mv, 151=6, 201=3)

[/sblock][sblock=Spell book]1ST LEVEL:
Charm Person (120', Until dispelled, 1 humanoid medium or smaller)
Detect Magic (60', 2 Trn)
Magic Missile (150', +1 tohit and 1d6+1 OR Autohit 1d4+1)
Protection from Evil (Caster, 6 trn, Enchanted +1AC&Saves Evil)
Read Magic (Caster, 2 scrolls)
Shield (Caster, 2 Trn, Melee AC 4, Ranged AC 2)
Sleep (240', 6 trn, 4d4 if 1HD, 2d6 if 2HD, 1d6 3HD, 1 if 4HD)[/sblock]WISHLIST: Magical armor of some kind (Elven chain?)

 

[mdengler]

Friend of gambler here, joining the campaign:

Rolling up my character:

 

[gambler1650]

Ok, so I'm sitting with Matt (mdengler) here, and given the state of my laptop and laggy internet connection we rolled the rest old school (real dice):

He chose to switch Charisma and Dexterity, and is a Magic-User human.

Rolled 60 GP.

Has the following spells: Sleep, Magic Missile, Shield, Charm Person, Hold Portal, Light

HP: 2

Languages: Empire, To Be Determined

 

[Binder Fred]

Uh, so 2 magic users and a rogue (and perhaps a cleric from Fenris)? I admit I was rather hoping the last chara would be a front-line type. Besides the role-duplication in so small a party, we're now severely under-powered in the hand-to-hand arena... You *sure* you wouldn't fancy a fighter or a cleric, Mdengler?

EDIT = Antares could loan you some gold so you can at least get chain armor.

 

[gambler1650]

The problem was the stats and where he rolled them... We can still discuss matters, and I don't mind if Matt (mdengler) redoes the character to be a fighter.

But to be an effective fighter he would have to move the 14 to Strength.

And that leaves a horrible Constitution and Dexterity. If however Matt thinks that being able to buy chain mail with your (Antares) help would make up for it, it'll be his choice.

I'm still hoping that Fenris pops on soon to finish rounding out the group (otherwise may have to recruit another character, and we may end up with 5 total if Fenris comes back). His character as rolled would be a good Cleric. Or he could potentially shift the 17 to Strength.