The Shaman
First Post
The wind whipping across the water is chilly. The doctor slips his hands into the front pocket of his hoody as he walks along the bike path, watching the lights glittering on the waters of Mission Bay.
After four days of blue skies and balmy afternoons, the thought of flying home to a rainy SeaTac in the morning holds little appeal. Even after six years living in the Northwest, the Texan hasn’t adjusted sullen, sodden climate.
In contrast, the cool night air of southern California feels good after the hearty Mexican dinner, a combo plate of tamales and enchiladas chased by a couple of Negro Modelos and a shot of El Patron Añejo. The Pacific breeze of San Diego invigorates – the cold and damp of Seattle settles in the bones like a dull ache.
The doctor begins to tick over a list of things to do in his head – pack at the hotel, arrange for a shuttle to the airport in the morning, call Annalee – when a movement catches his eye, a shadow among shadows in a clump of palm trees across the sand, a short distance off the bike path. He peers closely at the shadow, more curious than alarmed. The dark form steps out of the gloom and the doctor’s eyes widen as he draws back in revulsion...
Introduction
Piece of Mind is a d20 Modern play-by-post horror and science fiction campaign set in the darkest corners of the present day.
The player characters are contacted by a small pharmaceutical company to investigate the disappearance of one of their researchers. The adventurers are independent contractors and may include security professionals, industrial spies, research scientists, private investigators, negotiation specialists, adventure travelers – the company is looking for a team able to follow leads from a dark alley to a remote forest to a corporate boardroom if necessary.
Players in Piece of Mind may utilize the following resources:
Characters
Players should consider selecting a balanced group of classes and skills as the game will involve investigation, infiltration, and diplomacy as well as combat.
Players may select any of the base classes in the d20 Modern core rules. The following guidelines apply:
Please show your work on your character sheets – include all modifiers and ranks to a skill modifier, melee attack modifier, Wealth score, and so on, so that I can see how each number is derived. (Example.)
Skills, Talents, and Feats
Non-FX skills, talents, and feats in the d20 Modern Core Rulebook are available. The following skills from the d20 System 3.5 SRD are also permitted:
Skills and feats from the Modern Player’s Companion will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Equipment
Equipment from the d20 Modern core rules and web enhancement is permitted. Please track all Wealth expenditures carefully.
Each character is assumed to have a driver’s license and a passport – all other licenses and permits will need to be purchased normally. Keep track of Wealth bonus changes from purchases of expensive items.
In selecting weapons, consider that the adventures may involve both domestic (United States) and international travel by commercial air and rail carriers – thorough security screening should be anticipated.
Roleplaying
Roleplaying is integral to Piece of Mind. Please prepare a thoughtful background for your character. At a minimum, the background should include something about the character’s education and previous employment (if applicable), interests, friends and family, personality, goals, and a physical description. The background is a good place to lay a foundation for future base or advanced classes as well.
Housekeeping
This thread will continue as the metagame, out-of-character thread after the final roster of players is filled.
To join this campaign, please post a character sheet including a background as described under “Roleplaying,” above. A player will not be added to the roster until a character with background is posted – your character sheet is your sign of commitment to active participation in the game.
Using colored text for dialog is recommended – please use dark gray for OoC text in the game thread.
You may use either the Vacuum Elemental on-line dice roller or Nadaka’s dice box for rolls – please link the results in the game thread like this: Search: 7.
GM Notes
Experience: Experience is awarded through story awards. A group bonus for roleplaying may be awarded at the end of each adventure, generally equal to 100 XP times the average character level of the player characters. One individual bonus equal to 50 XP times character level will be voted on by the players at the conclusion of each adventure – this is your opportunity to reward your peers for good roleplay.
House Rules: A compendium of house rules will be posted later.
Player roster:
Alternates:
After four days of blue skies and balmy afternoons, the thought of flying home to a rainy SeaTac in the morning holds little appeal. Even after six years living in the Northwest, the Texan hasn’t adjusted sullen, sodden climate.
In contrast, the cool night air of southern California feels good after the hearty Mexican dinner, a combo plate of tamales and enchiladas chased by a couple of Negro Modelos and a shot of El Patron Añejo. The Pacific breeze of San Diego invigorates – the cold and damp of Seattle settles in the bones like a dull ache.
The doctor begins to tick over a list of things to do in his head – pack at the hotel, arrange for a shuttle to the airport in the morning, call Annalee – when a movement catches his eye, a shadow among shadows in a clump of palm trees across the sand, a short distance off the bike path. He peers closely at the shadow, more curious than alarmed. The dark form steps out of the gloom and the doctor’s eyes widen as he draws back in revulsion...
Introduction
Piece of Mind is a d20 Modern play-by-post horror and science fiction campaign set in the darkest corners of the present day.
The player characters are contacted by a small pharmaceutical company to investigate the disappearance of one of their researchers. The adventurers are independent contractors and may include security professionals, industrial spies, research scientists, private investigators, negotiation specialists, adventure travelers – the company is looking for a team able to follow leads from a dark alley to a remote forest to a corporate boardroom if necessary.
Players in Piece of Mind may utilize the following resources:
- d20 Modern Core Rulebook
- d20 Modern web enhancement
- Weapons Locker
Characters
Players should consider selecting a balanced group of classes and skills as the game will involve investigation, infiltration, and diplomacy as well as combat.
Players may select any of the base classes in the d20 Modern core rules. The following guidelines apply:
- 2nd level player characters at start
- 28-point buy
- Available action points equal 1 + class AP (e.g., a Tough 2 has 7 AP available to start)
- Human characters only
Please show your work on your character sheets – include all modifiers and ranks to a skill modifier, melee attack modifier, Wealth score, and so on, so that I can see how each number is derived. (Example.)
Skills, Talents, and Feats
Non-FX skills, talents, and feats in the d20 Modern Core Rulebook are available. The following skills from the d20 System 3.5 SRD are also permitted:
- Appraise (Smart class skill)
- Knowledge (local) (trained only; all-class skill) – the player must specify a discrete location such as a city or other similar geographic area: ‘Seattle’ or ‘San Juan Island’ is acceptable, but ‘Washington’ or ‘the Cascades’ is not.
- Use Rope (Fast class skill)
- Knowledge (military science): Military organization and administration, history and traditions, combat tactics and maneuver, logistics, and military justice.
Skills and feats from the Modern Player’s Companion will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Equipment
Equipment from the d20 Modern core rules and web enhancement is permitted. Please track all Wealth expenditures carefully.
Each character is assumed to have a driver’s license and a passport – all other licenses and permits will need to be purchased normally. Keep track of Wealth bonus changes from purchases of expensive items.
In selecting weapons, consider that the adventures may involve both domestic (United States) and international travel by commercial air and rail carriers – thorough security screening should be anticipated.
Roleplaying
Roleplaying is integral to Piece of Mind. Please prepare a thoughtful background for your character. At a minimum, the background should include something about the character’s education and previous employment (if applicable), interests, friends and family, personality, goals, and a physical description. The background is a good place to lay a foundation for future base or advanced classes as well.
Housekeeping
This thread will continue as the metagame, out-of-character thread after the final roster of players is filled.
To join this campaign, please post a character sheet including a background as described under “Roleplaying,” above. A player will not be added to the roster until a character with background is posted – your character sheet is your sign of commitment to active participation in the game.
Using colored text for dialog is recommended – please use dark gray for OoC text in the game thread.
You may use either the Vacuum Elemental on-line dice roller or Nadaka’s dice box for rolls – please link the results in the game thread like this: Search: 7.
GM Notes
Experience: Experience is awarded through story awards. A group bonus for roleplaying may be awarded at the end of each adventure, generally equal to 100 XP times the average character level of the player characters. One individual bonus equal to 50 XP times character level will be voted on by the players at the conclusion of each adventure – this is your opportunity to reward your peers for good roleplay.
House Rules: A compendium of house rules will be posted later.
Player roster:
- Kristen Alexander (played by Bobitron)
- Samuel "Hawk" Hawkins (played by Falkus)
- Brandon Sharpe (played by James Heard)
- Sirk Decker (played by kmdietri)
Alternates:
- NightOwl
- Ranger Rick
- Barak
- Maerdwyn
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