ZEITGEIST Of iron, wood and flesh - a 4E ZEITGEIST chronicle

[Garthanos]

Intriguing

 

[VisanidethDM]

The artificer's family history of designing metal warriors (or mechanical suits). Pemberton is replacing people with metal duplicants, so it's an interesting parallel.

That's bloody fantastic! I look forward to juxtaposing Caliban with actually "soulless" automatons. It's going to be a lot of fun seeing him question what (if anything) makes him different from them.

 

[VisanidethDM]

Boyd Wittwicked

Risuri Human Skald, Docker theme



Age: 32
Stats:

Str: 7
Con: 11
Dex: 15
Int: 16
Wis: 15
Cha: 20

​

Boyd's story could be that of too many young men caught in the cogs of Flint's industrial revolution. Orphaned in young age, Boyd went back and forth between hard labour and small crimes like many other in his generation. Unlike most, however, he was very passionate about the former and very good at the latter. Boyd always had a very clear idea about what was right and what was wrong in Risur's society, and how it was supposed to change. When work became too frustrating or his hot bloodedness got him kicked out, he often resorted to (mostly nonviolent) criminal activities under the justification that society couldn't be changed peacefully. He climbed his first factory pipe and shot his first gun when he was 6; he joined his first strike and stabbed his first man at 10.
He grew up fast and mean, and it wasn't long before his talent with a gun got him enrolled in a smalltime local gang. Workers by day and smugglers by night, the Parity Lake Rats were a ragtag band of teenagers without a real future, criminal or not. Boyd however was different; not just quick enough to pick pockets and fast enough to outrun the cops, his main talent was that he could talk himself out (and in) of everything. Smart, well spoken and incredibly charming, he could woo gang leaders and women alike, and that was generally the source of his successes and downfalls (in the same order).
Eventually, Boyd's talent got him the attention of a gang of people who affiliated with crime boss Lorcan Kell. He spent almost 10 years split between daily work in Parity Lake's factories and nightime heists and smuggling for Kell's affiliates, until the brutal methods and lack of "ethics" of the gang led him to start looking for something else.
This is when he started getting in contact with the most unlikely allies: his growing frustration with the industrial revolution led him to befriend more and more elves, and eventually being trusted enough to get a spot (also given his valuable knowledge of the actual factories) in their sabotage operations. In time, he managed to get trusted enough to be introduced to the actual leader of the criminal ring: the terrorist known as Gale.

In the brief time they worked together, Gale and Boyd developed a feeling of mutual respect, even if they never failed to acknowledge their differences. Boyd however quickly realized that Gale's methods weren't any less ruthless and brutal than Kell, even if her ideals may have been more noble. Once again, he felt like he didn't belong. It was during one of the operations that he begrudgingly performed at Gale's behest that the RHC managed to arrest him. His record was far from clean, but Constable Gerrant (the man who led the operation) saw a pattern in the man's criminal career, and saw potential for redemption.
After 6 months of jailtime - mostly spent in isolation with RHC officers - Boyd persuaded himself that the RHC's offer was finally what he was looking for: a chance to play an actual role in the evolution of Risur's society from within, but outside of the boundaries of petty authority and societal norms. Rather than a criminal, he could be an agent of the crown who could make a difference at the level that was impossible for him to reach as a street criminal or petty thief, but only as something he choose not to become - a terrorist.

Passing the test of the RHC oracles was surprisingly easy - his political passion was considered a motivator rather than an obstacle. And as Boyd gained a purpose, the RHC gained a valuable agent that could work undercover like nobody else in the roster, who had valuable contacts and knowledge, but also - and this they will soon find out - powerful enemies.

 

[VisanidethDM]

This concludes the party's backstories.

Next, the diary of the first two gameplay sessions!

 

[gideonpepys]

Might Boyd also have an affiliation with the Vekeshi? I ask only because that theme always felt to me like it should be played out in secret, not writ large, given it is a clandestine organisation. (One of my players was a martial scientist, but also a mystic.) The vekeshi subplots are well worth exploring. (In fact, it's the only theme that involves an actual plot rather than occasional bonuses and areas of interest.)

 

[VisanidethDM]

Might Boyd also have an affiliation with the Vekeshi? I ask only because that theme always felt to me like it should be played out in secret, not writ large, given it is a clandestine organisation. (One of my players was a martial scientist, but also a mystic.) The vekeshi subplots are well worth exploring. (In fact, it's the only theme that involves an actual plot rather than occasional bonuses and areas of interest.)

It was the Danoran tiefling general who pretended to be the guy who killed him, right?

I suggested the theme to Boyd's player but he wasn't really interest. I think the guy who plays Bruce may "double dip" (in roleplay terms) in that part of the story.

 

[VisanidethDM]

Also, I think the Vekeshi mystic theme is one of the hardest to integrate (the Docker theme is a tough one also, even if it's too awesome to pass). The player guide sells it as some sort of stonemasonry association with a strong edonistic side, but in the actual story (as far as I got) they're precisely what Vekesh seemed to preach against: a bunch of eladrin fanatics who manipulate people in order to push them to become hitmen and get revenge on humans.

I think it can be a good thing having players try to become part of something that isn't exactly what they expect, but I don't think the Player's Guide sells it to the prospective players in the most efficient way. Even the actual powers, and the awesome Paragon Path, are about the most brutal and borderline horror-movie worthy stuff - so much for the "enjoy life as a revenge against your enemy, we're gonna burn you alive and resurrect you until you become one with the sacred fire. Yikes. I love it, but my players were a bit confused.

 

[gideonpepys]

It was the Danoran tiefling general who pretended to be the guy who killed him, right?

Well remembered! Leon, yes. His player was initially reticent too, for exactly the same reasons your players gave.

I suggested the theme to Boyd's player but he wasn't really interest. I think the guy who plays Bruce may "double dip" (in roleplay terms) in that part of the story.

From a roleplay perspective, though, if Boyd knows Gale, surely the Vekeshi might at least approach him to try and send her a message in adventure 2? (I guess no one needs to be asked to assasinate Rock, though. It doesn't add a huge amount.)

Also, I think the Vekeshi mystic theme is one of the hardest to integrate (the Docker theme is a tough one also, even if it's too awesome to pass). The player guide sells it as some sort of stonemasonry association with a strong edonistic side, but in the actual story (as far as I got) they're precisely what Vekesh seemed to preach against: a bunch of eladrin fanatics who manipulate people in order to push them to become hitmen and get revenge on humans.

I think it can be a good thing having players try to become part of something that isn't exactly what they expect, but I don't think the Player's Guide sells it to the prospective players in the most efficient way. Even the actual powers, and the awesome Paragon Path, are about the most brutal and borderline horror-movie worthy stuff - so much for the "enjoy life as a revenge against your enemy, we're gonna burn you alive and resurrect you until you become one with the sacred fire. Yikes. I love it, but my players were a bit confused.

Point taken, it is confusing. Although I think that the corruption of the Vekeshi becomes clearer later in the campaign: Kasvarina has been manipulating them on behalf of the Ob. As a front, the hedonistic aspect works quite nicely. I ran it that most of the Vekeshi didn't know what the inner circle of fanatics was up to. (So it's like a secret society within a secret society within a secret society.)

Quick question about using 4e, if you have time: Does the character builder still work? Or are you guys somehow managing without?

 

[VisanidethDM]

Quick question about using 4e, if you have time: Does the character builder still work? Or are you guys somehow managing without?

It still works if you have a running sub (and since they introduced the 5E online tools, you can resub for the 4E ones too). ddi.wizards.com still has everything.

Of course Zeitgeist material has to be updated manually.

 

[VisanidethDM]

From a roleplay perspective, though, if Boyd knows Gale, surely the Vekeshi might at least approach him to try and send her a message in adventure 2? (I guess no one needs to be asked to assasinate Rock, though. It doesn't add a huge amount.)

Yes, I plan to play out his relationship with Gale, and knowing the guy who plays it, he's going to try to infiltrate the cult anyways, so he can pick up the roleplaying threads as a double agent.