D&D 5E Out of the Abyss OOC

[Kobold Stew]

Two possibilities:

Solace, Rogue 3

[sblock=Story]

When she was expelled from heaven, she was still a girl, and no one ever told her what she had done wrong. Or maybe they did, and she was too young to understand. She suffered indignities those early days, with no name and no city to claim her. She was sold, as many foundlings are, to a merchant. The half-orc that bought her, a foul-mouthed and avaricious brute named Bronck, was a small-time tanner, and so the rest of her childhood was scented with piss, curing the skins that she would flay for her master. He was not substantial enough even to be noticed by the guilds, and so they worked alone. Among the indignities she suffered was scraping the basins that cured the leather, but it was standing in them, orange-yellow grime caked under the nails of her exquisite fingers, that her voice would resonate most beautifully. And in the evening, when Bronck was collapsed from his drinking,, she would begin to sing to herself, softly, hoping that her voice could brighten the darkness that was inside her.

Years passed. One day, Bronck just didn’t return (dead in a ditch? killed by debtors? she didn't know), and Solace left his small home, to which she had no lingering affection, to find her place. She knew a trade, which she could practice and free of the narrow-minded profiteering of her former master. When she met Kamael, another like her, with his bizarre tale of kinship and shared exile, she had no way to test it. And yet he spoke a tongue that she half-remembered from her childhood, a language whose warm reassuring sounds somehow showed more melody than she had believed language was capable of. Wary at first, and even suspicious that it was he who had removed, or murdered, Bronck. Yet with Kamael her life was undoubtedly improved. She soon qualified for a formal apprenticeship and guild membership, her work for exceeding Bronck's in its delicate workmanship. She was quick with a knife, and didn’t mind the hazards of flaying and curing – there were so many scars on her small hands already. And she was just beginning to trust Kamael, and the tale of their lost brother, when this happened. [/sblock]
[sblock= Solace, Level 3]
LG Aasimar Swashbuckler 3

Abilities:
STR 8 (-1) [0]
DEX 14 (+2) [7] Save +4
CON 12 (+1) [5]
INT 12 (+1) [4] Save +3
WIS 14 (+2) [5]
CHA 16 (+3) [7]

Size M
Speed 30
AC 13
Init +5 (with Rakish Audacity)
Hit Points: 21 (3d8)

Proficiency bonus: +2
Proficiencies: light, simple and rogue weapons
Saves: Dexterity, Intelligence
Skills: Acrobatics, Perception, Stealth, Deception, Persuasion, Insight
Tools: thieves’ tools, leatherworker’s tools
Languages: Common, Celestial, Orc, Thieves’ Cant

Attacks:
Rapier, 1d20+4 to hit, 1d8+2 piercing damage

Background (trait): Guild artisan (guild membership) [**Guild membership happily swapped out for anything if it helps the story]

Race abilities:
* Celestial Resistance: resistance to necrotic and radiant damage
* 60’ darkvision
* Celestial Legacy:
- cast Light as cantrip [**no material component]
- cast Lesser Restoration, 1/long rest

Class abilities:
* Sneak Attack (with Rakish Audiacity) +2d6 if you hit with a finesse or ranged weapon, or another enemy is within 5’ of target and no disadvantage.
* Cunning Action: use bonus action to Hide, Disengage, or Dash
* Expertise (acrobatics and persuasion)
* Fancy Footwork: if you make melee attack, creature can’t make opp attack vs. you.

Feats

Skills
+6 (dex) Acrobatics [expertise]
+2 (wis) Animal Handling
0 (int) Arcana
-1 (str) Athletics
+5 (cha) Deception
0 (int) History
+4 (wis) Insight
+3 (cha) Intimidation
0 (int) Investigation
+2 (wis) Medicine
0 (int) Nature
+4 (wis) Perception
+3 (cha) Performance
+7 (cha) Persuasion [expertise]
0 (int) Religion
+2 (dex) Sleight of Hand
+4 (dex) Stealth
+2 (wis) Survival

Characteristics:
Personality: Solace appears cheery and trusting, but this is a mask that she wears. She has scars that she won’t talk about easily, and her opinion when offered can be cruel.
Ideal: Solace prizes grace and elegance, and can find beauty where it is not evident to others.
Bond: Solace has been found by Kamael, who claims to be her sibling. She wants this connection to be true, but she has been hurt so many times.
Flaw: Solace needs to prove herself, since she is haunted by self-doubt, believing she has lost a home she can't remember.

Equipment:

tanners tools, letter of introduction, travelers clothes, beltpouch with 15gp
rapier, short sword, leather armor, two daggers, thieves tools, explorer's pack
[/sblock]

Speck, Barbarian 3
[sblock=story]
When the other foragers were earning their names, Eggswiper Six was learning to fence. Humans left all sorts of things in their barns, and if he could sell a saddle or a wheelbarrow as well as grab some dinner for him and the Queen, he’d be able to buy some lovely paprika and he’d eat better than everyone else. It was at that time that he was also learning to fence (why did Common use the same word for these two things? It made no sense). He was quick with a knife, quicker than most of his nestmates, and he would often draw bruises with the wooden blades they gave the tadpoles to practice with. But Eggswiper was soft, even if he was hard. As his nestmates thinned out (survival in a goblin nest is barely two in a dozen, making it to naming) the Queen noticed that he had killed none of his siblings. None of them! Three had killed over half. Six had the skills, but he also had a heart, and that doesn’t do for a budding gob.

Three was the first named, of course. Six was fast, and served the Queen well, but he had a more discerning palate than she, and his heart was never committed to the brood. His time amidst the humans had corrupted him, and he had learned “mercy” and “personal property” and other surface concepts that disrupt the flow of a smoothly-run goblin brood. When he was named, it was an insult – Speck. The smallest, most least substantial crumb of a thing. But the name meant he could go, and so he was finally off. Not to start his own nest, find a new Queen. Speck went back to the surface world. He liked it on the surface.
[/sblock]
[sblock=Speck, level 3]
Speck
N Goblin Totem Barbarian
Level 3

Abilities:
STR 6 (-2) [racial]
DEX 17 (+3) [9 racial]
CON 15 (+2) [9]
INT 8 (-1)
WIS 14 (+2) [7]
CHA 10 (0) [2]

Size S
Speed 30
AC 15 (17 with shield)
Init +3
Hit Points: 32 (3d12)

Proficiency bonus: +2
Proficiencies: light and medium armor, shield, simple and martial weapons
Saves: STR, CON
Skills: acrobatics, stealth, survival, perception
Tools: cookery tools, thieves' tools
Languages: Goblin, Common

Attacks:
Rapier, 1d20+5 to hit, 1d8+3 piercing damage
Shortsword, 1d20+5 to hit, 1d6+3 piercing damage

Background (trait): (custom) Eggswiper
* Stealth, Acrobatics
* Artisan tools, thieves' tools
* Trait: Discovery (as Hermit)
* Equipment (as Folk Hero)

Race abilities:
* +2 dex/-2 str (included above)
* 60’ darkvision
* Nimble escape: disengage/hide as a bonus action

Class abilities:
* Rage: 3/long rest
-- enter rage as bonus action
-- lasts for 1 minute or I end a turn not having attacked or taken damage
-- advantage on str checks/saves
-- resistance to bludegeoning, piercing, and slashing damage
-- (bonus damage +2 if attack uses str)
* unarmored defense (10+CON+DEX+shield)
* (reckless attack)
* advantage on Dex saves vs. things I can see (traps, spells)
* spirit seeker: cast Beast Sense or Speak with Animals as ritual
* Totem Spirit: Eagle (disadvantage on opportunity attacks vs. me while raging; bonus action to dash) [**or Elk (+15’ move when raging; SCAG)?]

Feats

Skills
+5 (dex) Acrobatics
+2 (wis) Animal Handling
-1 (int) Arcana
-2 (str) Athletics
+0 (cha) Deception
-1 (int) History
+2 (wis) Insight
+0 (cha) Intimidation
-1 (int) Investigation
+2 (wis) Medicine
-1 (int) Nature
+4 (wis) Perception
+0 (cha) Performance
+0 (cha) Persuasion
-1 (int) Religion
+3 (dex) Sleight of Hand
+5 (dex) Stealth
+4 (wis) Survival

Characteristics:
Personality: Speck is unaware of his own limits. He will push himself, and push others, to ever greater things.
Ideal: Speck is selfish, but not greedy. He believes that making a name for himself will give him what he wants in life: a goblin queen that he can serve without too many rival mates.
Bond: As the runt of his litter, Speck was subservient to many others, biding his time. He will be devoted to anyone who praises him or acknowledges his abilities.
Flaw: Speck is not a good winner. He will gloat or brag or puff himself up.

Equipment: rapier, short sword, explorer's pack, four javelins.
Cooking tools (including paprika!), shovel, iron pot, common clothes, belt pouch with 10gp.
[/sblock]

 

[CanadienneBacon]

ALL: Even though I sometimes quote a particular individual, there are occasionally snippets in my response to quoted material that apply not just to the individual quoted but to the group as a whole. A good example of this is that your character has been a captive of the drow for somewhere between 3 and 20 days, but no more (see below).

when the portal closed, they were cut off from the thoughts of all other Haruchai as well as their racial memories.

So this is neat. Let's unpack it, extrapolate, and see what it might mean for Brinn during his forthcoming stay in the Underdark. What effect will being cut off from his hivemind have on Brinn? How will it manifest in his personality? In the way he interacts with party members? What'll happen the first time Brinn is targeted by a message spell or, for example, by telepathy (because mindflayers!)? The latter is particularly interesting, given Brinn's mistrust of magic (will he be suspicious of or grateful for these kinds of voices in his mind?).

At just this time, they were attacked by a drow raiding party. The other three Haruchai were cut down immediately; Kelvin was killed attempting to cast a spell; Brinn was hit by some form of paralysis [. . . .]

Like drow poison.

Since being captured, Brinn has learned the language of some fellow slaves (common & under common)), as well as some elvish (captors), but cannot read the languages due to the, um, dearth of reading materials.

OotA calls for party members to have been captured by drow somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 days. I'm willing to play with the idea of as many as 20 days, but probably no more. Can Brinn have learned some speech in that amount of time? I think so, yes. Though maybe not thoroughly.

Haruchai (Human Variant, with nod to Wood Elf): Base speed increase to 35', uncanny sense of prioception (sense of body) and surroundings which is the equivalent of Alert feat; prioception also allows for limited dark vision (60'); skilled in perception; +1/+1 in (choice of) str/dex/con/wis (cannot use in intelligence or charisma).

This is a little too good. Mechanically, I prefer if you take either Variant Human, or Wood Elf, as per the PHB. It's totally fine with me if you want to take Wood Elf but reskin it as a "human" for appearance's sake. After all, Brinn is from an alternate world...who's to say that wood elves from The Land aren't akin to Humans in the Realms?

The background for Brinn will be Outlander

Just confirming that Outlander is a good choice for OotA. It'll be useful.

He is inflexible in his views, and he is cold (at best) or suspicious to strangers.

I like that Brinn's traits, flaw, bond, etc. are bound up together in his ideals of service and honor. As you point out, there's a nifty duality to the concepts of "honor" and "service" that should give you a lot of good rp mileage. Will Brinn work well with other party members? Will he be a good teammate? What can we expect from Brinn in the way of interaction with the party's sorcerer or wizard or paladin or warlock, for example (if we wind up with any of those)?

. . .while I haven't gone through everything on a case-by-case basis, there might be a few items he would use for RP reasons the default is no - he believes in total self sufficiency and distrusts magic.

I bet we can come up with some cool worn items that provide an inherent boost to ability scores (for example) that Brinn might tolerate, yes? We'll have to figure this out for level 5 and beyond because I don't want Brinn to fall behind the power scale as others start accruing magic items. Maybe Brinn comes across a Scroll of Strength +1 or something similar. Just thinking out loud here.

. . .one day Brinn fell into telepathic link (using his old Haruchai racial ability which is otherwise non-existent in FR, as it only works with other Haruchai) with a group of Myconids; since then, he has wanted to repeat the experience

BRILLIANT. Love it. Works better than you know with the adventure. (Unless you have the adventure and then you *do* know!).

But what he will not acknowledge is that he not only cannot go home, but even if he could- he wouldn't because he failed. He failed to protect Kelvin, and (even worse) he didn't die trying to protect him.

This is awesome. Really, really good stuff there. I'm excited.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Solace, Rogue 3 [sblock=Story]
When she was expelled from heaven, she was still a girl, and no one ever told her what she had done wrong. Or maybe they did, and she was too young to understand. She suffered indignities those early days, with no name and no city to claim her. She was sold, as many foundlings are, to a merchant. The half-orc that bought her, a foul-mouthed and avaricious brute named Bronck, was a small-time tanner, and so the rest of her childhood was scented with piss, curing the skins that she would flay for her master. He was not substantial enough even to be noticed by the guilds, and so they worked alone. Among the indignities she suffered was scraping the basins that cured the leather, but it was standing in them, orange-yellow grime caked under the nails of her exquisite fingers, that her voice would resonate most beautifully. And in the evening, when Bronck was collapsed from his drinking,, she would begin to sing to herself, softly, hoping that her voice could brighten the darkness that was inside her.

Years passed. One day, Bronck didn’t return, and Solace left his small home, to which she had no lingering affection, to find her place. She knew a trade, which she could practice and free of the narrow-minded profiteering of her former master. She soon qualified for a formal apprenticeship and guild membership. She was quick with a knife, and didn’t mind the hazards of flaying and curing – there were so many scars on her small hands already. [/sblock]

Good Lord, KS. A fallen angel. You've blown me away; the background's extraordinarily well-written. And beautiful. It's Spartan (yay! two paragraphs!)--each word carefully selected--and flows nicely. I really like Solace. A lot. One question: the sblocked material doesn't say, but it looks to me like she's an aasimar? Also, is she built to be a pacifist?


As sublime as Solace is, I want to know more about Speck, please. Say something about his story?

Is it possible to start not with the packages but with average gp, and buy stuff?

Nope. Sorry. There's a mechanical reason why I'm saying no that's tied to the story of OotA.

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Though, I would like everyone to include a Wish List of five or six items they'd like for their character. No magic just yet on the list, please.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[CanadienneBacon]

EDIT: Thought better of my post here, which--so that others can follow my train of thought--contained musings about replacing bits of Wood Elf. I really want to stay away from homebrewing, as much as possible (at least for this adventure). That's why I gave the generous amount of approved source material. Thanks for understanding! Though I'm still down for Brinn as a re-skinned Wood Elf made to appear to be Human but with PHB Wood Elf stats. If Wood Elf won't work, then as you suggested, I think Human or Variant Human would serve just dandy.

 

[Yavathol]

@Kobold Stew, since I'm also thinking of an aasimar, would you mind if there was a connection between our characters, at least if we travelled together from the city? Seems unlikely for a drow party to capture two aasimar otherwise, they're not that common!

Kamael, Aasimar Wild Magic Sorcerer 3

[sblock=Story]
[sblock=Image]

Image by http://zsoltkosa.deviantart.com/[/sblock]

About 18 years ago, the forces of evil managed to destroy a powerful celestial known as Enitharmon. The trap did not succeed in corrupting this pure spirit; instead it fragmented into three components (one lawful good, one neutral good and one chaotic good). These fragments eventually incarnated in the form of Aasimar children, close to one of the big cities along the Sword Coast...

The earliest memory Kamael has is of scampering around the city, trying to avoid trouble while scrounging for food. He discovered his innate magical abilities were the most reliable ways of earning a copper, sometimes creating light for a merchant out after dark, sometimes telekinetically pilfering an apple or loaf from a stall while keeping a safe distance away. Some of the priests giving speeches in the streets claimed that stealing was wrong, but Kamael always thought if he needed to eat, well he couldn't eat his morals now, could he?

His closest friends were Solace, who was learning to be a tanner, and Invictus, a page boy for the house of Maple, although there were other orphans on the street that Kamael depended on for protection, he felt a special connection to those two. Kamael eked out a subsistence, growing past adolescence until one day, Invictus disappeared. Speaking to the other page boys, Kamael discovered that a nobleman called Ghazrim DuLoc had been asking questions about Invictus, before leaving the city. And so Kamael left the city for the first time in his life, determined to find out what had happened to his friend. Unfortunately, his complete lack of knowledge about life outside the city made him easy prey for the nearest drow raiding party...
[/sblock]

Kamael, level 3 hp:17/17 AC: 15 Passive Perception: 13 Slots: 4/4 2/2 S.P.: 3/3 Tides Used: []
[sblock=Stats]
STR 10 DEX 14 CON 12 INT 10 WIS 12 (+1 racial) CHA 17 (+2 racial)

hp: 17/17
Hit Dice: 3d6
Initiative: +2
AC: 15 (Mage Armor), 12 (unarmored)
Proficiency Bonus: +2
Saving Throws: Con(+3), Cha(+5)
Alignment: NG
Skill Proficiencies: Arcana +2, Persuasion +5, Stealth +4, Perception +3
Darkvision: 60' as dim light
Age: 18
Sex: Male
Size: Medium
Speed: 30
Languages: Common, Celestial (illiterate)

Background: Urchin (Switched Sleight of hand for Perception)
Traits: Inquisitive, Always knows how to escape in an emergency
Ideal: People are important, only by working together can we improve our conditions
Flaw: Its not stealing if you really need it
Bond: Find out what role Ghazrim DuLoc had in the disappearance of Invictus

Abilities:
Celestial resistance: Necrotic & Radiant resistance
Celestial Legacy: Light cantrip, Lesser restoration once/long rest
Wild Magic Surge: 1 in 20 chance of Wild Surge after casting sorcerer spell except cantrips
Tides of Chaos: no action advantage on attack, attribute or save, recharge long rest or DM call causing wild surge
Sorcery Points: 3, replenish after long rest
Flexible Casting: convert 2sp=>level 1 slot, 3sp=>level 2 slot or level n slot=>n sorcery points, as bonus action
Metamagic: Twinned Spell (target second creature, costs level points), Quickened Spell (cast as bonus, costs 2 points)

Spellcasting: Spell Save DC 13, Spell Attack +5, replenish after long rest, Concentration saves +3
Cantrips: Create Bonfire, Mage Hand, Shocking Grasp, Acid Splash, Light (racial)
1st level spells: Mage Armor, Chromatic Orb, Shield
2nd level spells: Maximillian's Earthen Grasp, Lesser Restoration (racial)

Weapons: Knife +4, 1d3+2

Equipment:
Pre-drow capture: arcane focus, waterskin, crude map of Faeroon, tinderbox, ragged clothes, small knife + whetstone
Trinket: A small obsidian stone in the shape of a heart, found in Invictus's sleeping pallet.

Description:
A tall young man, hollow-cheeked and emaciated with piercing green eyes and white hair. His skin is so dirty it is impossible to tell what his natural skin colour is, and his calloused feet show no sign of ever having worn shoes, but his disheveled appearance cannot hide his magnetic aura and engaging manner.
[/sblock]

Veseh, Air Genasi Deep Stalker Ranger 3

[sblock=Story]

[sblock=Image]

Copyright http://angelcanohn.deviantart.com/[/sblock]

Veseh was brought up by a woodsman and trained in wilderness survival. He was always a contemplative and spiritual person, interested in the spiritual teachings of the monks at the nearby monastery, and he found a preference for solitude. When he heard of an opening for trained warrior to guard the surface world from the dangers of the Underdark, he knew he had found his calling.

While meditating one day, he realised a Discovery (need to discuss further with CB) of a grave danger to Faeroon. Upon further reflection, it became clear that in order to gather more information, he would have to allow himself to be captured by the drow raiders he normally fought so hard to destroy!
[/sblock]

[sblock=Veseh, level 3]
STR 10 DEX 16 (+1 racial) CON 14 INT 10 WIS 15 (+2 racial) CHA 10

hp: 26/26
Hit Dice: 3d10
Initiative: +3
AC: 15 (Studded leather)
Proficiency Bonus: +2
Saving Throws: Dex, Con
Alignment: CG
Skill Proficiencies: Perception +4, Stealth +5, Survival +4, Religion +2, Medicine +4, herbalism kit
Darkvision: 90' as dim light
Age: 35
Sex: Male
Size: Medium
Speed: 30
Languages: Common, Primordial, Undercommon (Hermit)

Background: Hermit
Traits: Serene, Self-reliant
Ideal: To perceive things as they truely are, not how we wish them to be
Flaw: Dogmatic
Bond: TBD

Abilities:
Unending Breath, Levitate once/long rest
Favored Enemy: Humanoids (Drow), Humanoids (Humans), Undead
Natural Explorer: Underdark
Fighting Style: Close-Quarters Shooter
Primeval Awareness
Underdark Scout: First turn of combat: +10 speed, +1 attack. Subsequent turns: hide as bonus action

Spellcasting: Spell Save DC 12 Spell Attack +4, replenish after long rest
1st level spells: Cure Wounds, Hunters Mark, Speak with Animals, Disguise Self

Equipment:
Longbow +6, 1d8+3 P
Dagger +5, 1d4+3 P
[/sblock]

I'm still trying to decide which to go for;-) Love the idea of two aasimar in a party, but also love the idea that someone would deliberately get captured by drow in order to find out information!!

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[CanadienneBacon]

Some questions for you, [MENTION=33284]Yavathol[/MENTION] (my excitement not meant to persuade one direction or another, just riffing on what you've come up with):

Kamael, Aasimar Wild Magic Sorcerer

Is Kamael from the same city in heaven that Solace is from? If it is a celestial city, say something about why and how there is hunger, poverty, and corruption. I want to know more about this (sounds like there's a story there).

Some of the priests giving speeches in the streets

Proselytizing! A super intriguing concept for a celestial city. Again, say more about the government and wealth economy of the city, if you will.

. . . his magical powers increased, but there were times when unexpected things happened . . . .

Nice! Magic will out!


Also the Magistrate sounds like an NPC with value to a DM. If you opt to play Kamael, would you be willing to provide me with a gloss of the Magistrate's NPC stats? Do you think he or she is the sort of individual to track down Kamael in the Underdark? If so, what's the motive? And a question: How would Neutral Good Kamael get along with Lawful Good Solace? What will he think of her, and what will she think of him?

A note about equipment: it's okay if you don't have it picked at this early stage, but you will want to list your equipment choices on your sheet in case you are able to retrieve it. Or in case it is "found" along your journey. If you take my meaning. Not promising anything, just saying that I want to keep it as an option. Noted re: an arcane focus, thanks, that's exactly the kind of thing I want to know.

Unfortunately, his complete lack of knowledge about life outside the city made him easy prey for the nearest drow raiding party.

Glad to see you're brave enough to roll with being a complete rube in the Underdark. Again, if you opt for Kamael, I'll do my level best to make sure it's a fun (and not a frustrating!) play experience being new to the Realms and unfamiliar with the Underdark. There will be frustration with the lack of familiarity, I'm sure, but I hope it's the good kind. The 60' darkvision will be helpful. As will Stealth. And if you find yourselves in a city in the Underdark, I think City Secrets will definitely be useful. I'll make sure it is; in many respects, one city is like another.

---

Veseh, Air Genasi Deep Stalker Ranger 3

Veseh isn't as well fleshed out at Kamael, but there's weight and meat to him that I sense that excites me. I'd be interested to mine a little more for info about the woodsman who raised Veseh. And the nearby monastery. What god was worshipped there?

. . . an opening for [a] trained warrior to guard the surface world from the dangers of the Underdark . . . .

Reading Veseh's background, I can't help but compare it to Kamael's, and note that already you seem more invested in Kamael (that's great!). I gotta say, though, that I'm digging on the idea of an air genasi deep stalker. So is there maybe an NPC who recruited Veseh who you think would be of value to me? Oh, and rope trick is a fantastic spell that would definitely see use.

While meditating one day, he realised a Discovery . . . .

Oh, HELL yes. I'm all over that! If you select Veseh, we will work together via PM to come up with the Discovery. Man. Fun!

Upon further reflection, it became clear that in order to gather more information, he would have to allow himself to be captured by the drow . . . .

AWESOME. I really, really like this. It's rife with implication. Both you and I can do a hell of a lot with this.

Love the idea of two aasimar in a party, but also love the idea that someone would deliberately get captured by drow in order to find out information!!

Agreed. You've given yourself a hard choice, but it's a great position to be in. Mull on it some and let us know what you think.