"Centuries ago, the gods involved themselves in the mundane lives of mortals. Everyone knows the stories, though most uneducated folk don't realize this. Many of our children's bedtime stories have roots in the meddling of the gods. "The Reaping of the Fields" being the most relevant for this discussion, but certainly not the only one.
When examining the tale of "The Sun and the Son" with a critical eye, for example, it is relatively simple to identify Pelor's hand at work. 'How' you may ask 'Do we know these alternate histories behind innocent children's tales?' We know this through painstakingly restored records recovered and stored deep in the libraries of Facture. I've personally read through hundreds of these rhymes, stories, and fables. In nearly every one, the influence of the divine made itself clear after only cursory examination.
For the purposes of this discussion, we will focus entirely on the aforementioned story "The Reaping of the Fields". Let's recite it entirely and then deconstruct it, shall we?
"The Winter's here, the ground is dead, son. The world cold and bleak.
The lads and lasses hide at home, son. Avoiding frozen flesh.
In Spring the fields are freshly sown, son. For Autumn's grasp is weak.
The lads and lasses dance and play, son. The world new and fresh.
The Summer sun then comes again, son. The season's reached its peak.
The lads are grown, the lasses bloom, son. Soon the grain we'll thresh.
Then Autumn Dawns upon the world, son. No words are left to speak.
The lads and lasses in the fields, son. Avoiding frozen flesh."...
-From the lectures of Thassius Corenus, year 32 of the 15th Dawn
"...But while the influence of the gods was once commonplace, it is now limited to only once act: The Dawn itself. As the story goes, the gods grew angry with mortals. The arrogance of mortals and their rapid development of magic and technology both frightened and enraged the gods. Even those gods commonly considered "good" or "holy" decided it was time to punish mortals for their hubris.
Pelor wished to scorch the world clean. Moradin wished to strike the world with his colossal hammer and anvil, reforging it as the gods saw fit. Hextor suggested they could simply send a horde of monsters to scour mortals from existence. Corellon thought it should be painless and merciful, like gently falling asleep. Wee Jas simply wanted to snuff out all life with no grandeur or havoc.
Of all the gods, only two were opposed to this idea: Boccob and, more shockingly, Nerull. Both, the myths say, refused to accept the utter destruction of the world as an outcome. Boccob's reasoning was simple: Magic comes from life. Without life, there can be no arcane magic, no true Weave. Nerull's was similarly simple, if not more sinister: Without the living, there could be no more death or undeath.
There was great debate amongst the divines. Boccob and Nerull lobbied for the mortals to be spared, the rest argued that destruction was the only answer. So Boccob and Nerull thought of something more interesting than complete annihilation: A contest. If mortals were unworthy of existence as the other gods contended, Boccob reasoned, surely they would be found wanting in the face of extreme adversity. Boccob would cut off the mortals' access to the other planes, to ensure they could not call for help from the outer realms, while Nerull would send a plague of undead to test their resolve and will to survive.
Eternity is a very long time, and even gods grow bored. So the others, certain of the mortals' death in the face of such odds, quickly agreed to this experiment. When the mortal races of the world survived the First Dawn, the other gods called it a fluke. They demanded that Nerull immediately send another plague to further test them. They accused Nerull of not using his full power to try to eradicate mortalkind.
But Nerull's power was drained from unleashing the First Dawn. He had to recover. And so to, reasoned Boccob, did the mortals. Surely a second plague so soon after the First would cause the mortals to die. A rigged game in favor of the other deities. So it was agreed that while Nerull recovered, so too could the various races of the world. Nerull would continue to send plagues for a thousand more years. If the mortals survived all of those Dawns, the contest would be over. If not, the other gods would be proven correct after all...
-From the lectures of Thassius Corenus, year 40 of the 15th Dawn
This is the character creation thread for the [Dawn] campaign. This will be an E6 game. E6 (epic 6) is a variant where player characters and NPCs have a maximum level of 6. After they have reached level 6, they continue to increase in power through means other than levels. For each level that would have otherwise been gained, characters instead gain a new feat (or some other special bonuses that I see fit to hand out :))
Some backstory about the world before we begin:
Every 66 years, the world ends. For as long as the ragged remains of the sentient races can remember, they have faced the Dawn. Every 66th year, the sun turns black and the dead rise. Whatever meager empires have managed to sprout up in that time inevitably fall before the unliving masses.
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
The Sage is occupied with the unspoken
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
Bio: "Howlingard... what a miserable pile of stones"
Thud Thud Smack. Thud Thud Smack.
"Howlingard... what a miserable pile of stones"
This was the litany that had become Krim's life, as the hammer rhythmically had its way at the anvil. A litany so consistent, so miserable and so devoid of change that poor Krim never heard the commands for him to stop until it was too late.
Sudden, Sharp, almost snake-like the whip strikes his bare back and it all returns to him, he is in Howlingard, he is a 'soldier' and when he isn't needed as a walking punching bag for the new recruits he is also the garrisons smith.
Anger flares inside him but he knows better, he knows how things will play out, he has seen and lived this to many times before, and he knows how to respond.
Krim turns slowly making sure the hammer is pointing down, yes always making sure the hammer is pointing down, remembering to prop it on the wall this time "Im so sorry sir, the commander wanted the swords fixed asap for the new recruits comming in a tenday" he says apologetically making sure he keeps his gaze low, lower in fact for lowering his gaze would put him eye to eye with his betters, no he needs to look lower make sure theres no offense or disrespect being felt.
"Yes, im sure..." says his superior as he coils his whip slowly "... you are from Coldrock right?"
The question comes casually, almost friendly.
"Yes, my clan comes fro-" was all he could say as the whip once again snakes its way into hi flesh, not wearing a smithy's apron means the whip added another scar to his bare chest.
Remember, do not flinch, do not react
"I didn't ask you for your life story Minotaur, I asked if you are from Coldrock."
"Sorry sir, yes sir, I'm from Coldrock, sir" Krim stammers softly, softly for a minotaur however still meant another lashing, again he avoided reacting as he awaits the course of the conversation.
"Yes, I see..." Is all his superior says as he walks out of the forge.
Well that was new, thought Krim as he tended to his latest wounds.
He had just cleaned up when his superior returned, this time accompanied by the garrison's commander
"Ah there you are, Krim right? yes Krim, Krim Bloodiron if I recall" the commander says jovially Krim's superior being right behind, his stare making it clear Krim should keep his mouth shut, and if his stare didn't get the message across the fact his hand was resting on that whip again made it crystal clear for Krim.
"Your clan is from Coldrock, and you willingly enlisted here three winters ago, and have been the garrison's smith for the last two years" he recites as he continues to look at Krim, then at the forge around him "yes, yes, well my boy its been brought to my attention that you have not have had leave of service, and i have the city magister making a fuss over it, so pack your bags son, you are taking a trip home, the garrison is even going to pay for your fare home!"
Now this was new, and Krim could not stop himself from lifting his gaze and staring, an act that was met with an immediate whipping.
"Lieutenant! stop that this instant!" the commander yells as he suddenly backhands the man with the whip "We do not that that kind of thing here, we are an army not a slave market!, do i make myself clear?" he berates the man before striking him again for good measure.
Turning back to Krim he gives an apologetic look "Sorry son, the city council just passed a new ordinance regarding your kind, any minotaur serving under the army for a period of no less than two years is granted his/her freedom provided they bring an official letter back to their home town where the town ledgers are kept to ratify their status as free individuals, that means boy that we are required by law to send you with the next caravan back to Coldrock, you are still part of the army see? so you are to travel there and back again with the returning caravan understood? failure to return will be seen as desertion, and you know what that carries" the commander finished.
Krim of course understood, for humans and the other races desertion meant to become wanted, but for Minotaurs, desertion becomes a blood-price that the clan has to shoulder.
"Ok then everything is in order then, you are to gather up your things and prepare for travel to Coldrock on the morrow, report to the local garrison at Coldrock and return with the next caravan" he says as he turns around and prepares to exit, the commander stops by the door before adding "... oh, and bring your hammer with you, the caravan master only agreed to take you as part of the security detail" he says offhandedly as he walks away, the lieutenant staring daggers at Krim before following the garrison's commander out.
"Yes, this is definitely new..." is all he says as he takes his smith hammer and wonders what else could possibly surprise him now.
And yes, no incantatrix for you. Or anyone. That class makes puppies cry. Mostly because they are the former Big Bads who have been Baleful Polymorphed into said puppies. By you. Because you're an incantatrix.
Quote from Yukora »
This is Deraxas we're talking about.
Remember, the girl that just killed an aspect of herself before literally consuming her?
Yeah, I don't see her handling a pissing match in any way other than a duel.
Quote from RedDwarfian »
Yes mistress...
Quote from About epic-level D&D »
There are only so many epic, psuedonatural barbarian/blackguard half-dragon akutenshai vampire balor paragons they can throw at you, right?
Quote from Concerning breeding habits of humans in fantasy games »
I suppose it's true. Though the logistics implied in a human/Great Wyrm Prismatic Dragon pairing makes me shudder.
...Something tells me that even should all arcane casters in the world unite, that the Grease spell would NOT be sufficient.
Uhh, count me in as being likely sneaky/stabby type person of some kind unless I can break illusionist in half in six levels.
Well, pretty much nothing has True Sight yet, so you'd have that going for you.
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The Sage is occupied with the unspoken
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
And yes, no incantatrix for you. Or anyone. That class makes puppies cry. Mostly because they are the former Big Bads who have been Baleful Polymorphed into said puppies. By you. Because you're an incantatrix.
Quote from Yukora »
This is Deraxas we're talking about.
Remember, the girl that just killed an aspect of herself before literally consuming her?
Yeah, I don't see her handling a pissing match in any way other than a duel.
Quote from RedDwarfian »
Yes mistress...
Quote from About epic-level D&D »
There are only so many epic, psuedonatural barbarian/blackguard half-dragon akutenshai vampire balor paragons they can throw at you, right?
Quote from Concerning breeding habits of humans in fantasy games »
I suppose it's true. Though the logistics implied in a human/Great Wyrm Prismatic Dragon pairing makes me shudder.
...Something tells me that even should all arcane casters in the world unite, that the Grease spell would NOT be sufficient.
Well, this is mostly relevant to screwing with brains, but I'm sure it'd be doable with whole heads.
Private Mod Note
():
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The Sage is occupied with the unspoken
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
And yes, no incantatrix for you. Or anyone. That class makes puppies cry. Mostly because they are the former Big Bads who have been Baleful Polymorphed into said puppies. By you. Because you're an incantatrix.
Quote from Yukora »
This is Deraxas we're talking about.
Remember, the girl that just killed an aspect of herself before literally consuming her?
Yeah, I don't see her handling a pissing match in any way other than a duel.
Quote from RedDwarfian »
Yes mistress...
Quote from About epic-level D&D »
There are only so many epic, psuedonatural barbarian/blackguard half-dragon akutenshai vampire balor paragons they can throw at you, right?
Quote from Concerning breeding habits of humans in fantasy games »
I suppose it's true. Though the logistics implied in a human/Great Wyrm Prismatic Dragon pairing makes me shudder.
...Something tells me that even should all arcane casters in the world unite, that the Grease spell would NOT be sufficient.
Okay, so some house rules, then I'll edit some more interesting backstory about the world into the first post.
-Starting level 1. 200 starting gold.
-We'll be using AoK's HP system. Full HP for odd levels, half HP for even, adding Con as usual.
-Sorcerer's get Eschew Materials as a bonus feat at 1st level, and bonus feats exactly like a Wizard.
-Sorcerers can take Draconic feats in place of the normal bonus Wizard feats.
-Wizards, and only Wizards, can take Spell Focus, Improved Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, Greater Spell Penetration, and Augment Summoning as bonus feats in addition to their normal bonus feats.
-Vorpal will not decapitate enemies on a natural 20, but will instead double your critical hit damage. So if a weapon would do x3 on a critical, a vorpal version of that weapon would do x6. And the enchantment price equivilant is reduced to +3 instead of +5.
-No custom items. By custom items, I mean items with unique abilities or items that can't be created by using the standard item-creation rules.
-32 Mamelon point-buy system for ability scores.
-If you want to play a non-standard race (Basically any of the 'standard' LA races (Drow, Tiefling, ect. up to LA +2) PM me and we'll see if we can work something out. But don't be offended if I say no.)
-No Flaws
-No other Unearthed Arcana stuff.
As far as this world is concerned, the other planes do not exist. Technically speaking they do, but the Material Plane is cut off from them. No contact can be made with elementals, outsiders, or deities and no extra-planar creatures will be encountered in this game. Excepting the Negative Energy Plane, from which you may encounter native type undead. They won't actually be from those planes. The reasoning for this may or may not become clear during the course of the game. This wasn't always the case in the world, so people with infernal or celestial bloodlines (warlock, tiefling, and so forth) can still be encountered.
-As such, Paladins won't gain a special mount. Instead they will gain a bonus feat at 5th level to compensate for the loss of a class feature.
-AoK's custom class, the Sage, is allowed. I can't find the post where it is, so if someone wants to find it for me and post it that would be awesome.
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
And yes, no incantatrix for you. Or anyone. That class makes puppies cry. Mostly because they are the former Big Bads who have been Baleful Polymorphed into said puppies. By you. Because you're an incantatrix.
Quote from Yukora »
This is Deraxas we're talking about.
Remember, the girl that just killed an aspect of herself before literally consuming her?
Yeah, I don't see her handling a pissing match in any way other than a duel.
Quote from RedDwarfian »
Yes mistress...
Quote from About epic-level D&D »
There are only so many epic, psuedonatural barbarian/blackguard half-dragon akutenshai vampire balor paragons they can throw at you, right?
Quote from Concerning breeding habits of humans in fantasy games »
I suppose it's true. Though the logistics implied in a human/Great Wyrm Prismatic Dragon pairing makes me shudder.
...Something tells me that even should all arcane casters in the world unite, that the Grease spell would NOT be sufficient.
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
And yes, no incantatrix for you. Or anyone. That class makes puppies cry. Mostly because they are the former Big Bads who have been Baleful Polymorphed into said puppies. By you. Because you're an incantatrix.
Quote from Yukora »
This is Deraxas we're talking about.
Remember, the girl that just killed an aspect of herself before literally consuming her?
Yeah, I don't see her handling a pissing match in any way other than a duel.
Quote from RedDwarfian »
Yes mistress...
Quote from About epic-level D&D »
There are only so many epic, psuedonatural barbarian/blackguard half-dragon akutenshai vampire balor paragons they can throw at you, right?
Quote from Concerning breeding habits of humans in fantasy games »
I suppose it's true. Though the logistics implied in a human/Great Wyrm Prismatic Dragon pairing makes me shudder.
...Something tells me that even should all arcane casters in the world unite, that the Grease spell would NOT be sufficient.
And yes, no incantatrix for you. Or anyone. That class makes puppies cry. Mostly because they are the former Big Bads who have been Baleful Polymorphed into said puppies. By you. Because you're an incantatrix.
Quote from Yukora »
This is Deraxas we're talking about.
Remember, the girl that just killed an aspect of herself before literally consuming her?
Yeah, I don't see her handling a pissing match in any way other than a duel.
Quote from RedDwarfian »
Yes mistress...
Quote from About epic-level D&D »
There are only so many epic, psuedonatural barbarian/blackguard half-dragon akutenshai vampire balor paragons they can throw at you, right?
Quote from Concerning breeding habits of humans in fantasy games »
I suppose it's true. Though the logistics implied in a human/Great Wyrm Prismatic Dragon pairing makes me shudder.
...Something tells me that even should all arcane casters in the world unite, that the Grease spell would NOT be sufficient.
Book of Vile Darkness + Libris Mortis... maybe ill get something from there...
If not... im almost tempted to ask you to let me hijack the Monk Class features from 5e while maintaining the BAB and Save progressions from 3.5 (mainly because i want to play a Monk/Water Bender without actually having to multiclass)
Edit: Wow... finding a copy of BoVD is incredibly hard...
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Quote from »
Call me old fashioned, but an evil ascension to power just isn't the same without someone chanting faux Latin in the background.
Oreo, Glazing people better than Dunkin' Donuts since 2009
That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange eons even death may die.
And yes, no incantatrix for you. Or anyone. That class makes puppies cry. Mostly because they are the former Big Bads who have been Baleful Polymorphed into said puppies. By you. Because you're an incantatrix.
Quote from Yukora »
This is Deraxas we're talking about.
Remember, the girl that just killed an aspect of herself before literally consuming her?
Yeah, I don't see her handling a pissing match in any way other than a duel.
Quote from RedDwarfian »
Yes mistress...
Quote from About epic-level D&D »
There are only so many epic, psuedonatural barbarian/blackguard half-dragon akutenshai vampire balor paragons they can throw at you, right?
Quote from Concerning breeding habits of humans in fantasy games »
I suppose it's true. Though the logistics implied in a human/Great Wyrm Prismatic Dragon pairing makes me shudder.
...Something tells me that even should all arcane casters in the world unite, that the Grease spell would NOT be sufficient.
not sure yet, im mostly trying to see what catches me... i could play a bard... but that feels subpar somehow, monk is what i usually fall on but maybe something else... if i go bard most likely dirgesinger i suppose... or i could always do TOB
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Quote from »
Call me old fashioned, but an evil ascension to power just isn't the same without someone chanting faux Latin in the background.
Oreo, Glazing people better than Dunkin' Donuts since 2009
That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange eons even death may die.
And yes, no incantatrix for you. Or anyone. That class makes puppies cry. Mostly because they are the former Big Bads who have been Baleful Polymorphed into said puppies. By you. Because you're an incantatrix.
Quote from Yukora »
This is Deraxas we're talking about.
Remember, the girl that just killed an aspect of herself before literally consuming her?
Yeah, I don't see her handling a pissing match in any way other than a duel.
Quote from RedDwarfian »
Yes mistress...
Quote from About epic-level D&D »
There are only so many epic, psuedonatural barbarian/blackguard half-dragon akutenshai vampire balor paragons they can throw at you, right?
Quote from Concerning breeding habits of humans in fantasy games »
I suppose it's true. Though the logistics implied in a human/Great Wyrm Prismatic Dragon pairing makes me shudder.
...Something tells me that even should all arcane casters in the world unite, that the Grease spell would NOT be sufficient.
Okay, a little more detail on the setup of the campaign. First scene and the motivation and all that.
The world is pretty screwed up. Many of the sentient races are either extinct or almost extinct. The dwarves, centuries ago, locked themselves in their mountain fortresses in hopes of surviving the Dawn behind strong stone and steel. Nobody has heard from them since. The only dwarves who exist now are the ones who were in the surface cities when the rest of their race went underground. Their population isn't huge, and it may not be enough to survive the coming Dawn and the years after it. Nobody (including the Dwarves themselves) holds out much hope that they'll survive beyond the next Dawn.
The elves fared somewhat better. But they're not the proud, beautiful, enlightened race they once were. In the haunted forests of the world, they became militant and xenophobic. Elves only trust their own kind now, having been beset in the past by would-be human conquerors who heard rumors of powerful elven magic that could ward off the dead.
Humanity is the most populous race by far. Their shorter life spans, coupled with a furious will to surivive, has ensured that they can reproduce and repopulate the ruins of the world faster than any other races (save, perhaps, the goblinoids).
The Drow, shockingly, are not the murderous slavers they once were. Unlike the dwarves, they realized they couldn't survive in the vast chasms of the Underdark when the dead rise. They fled to the surface centuries ago seeking asylum from the horrors of the Underdark, bringing with them elf-forged weapons and powerful magic. They (and their assets) were welcomed with only a few violent incidents, and nearly the entire race has undergone a significant change in attitude since. They've still got a bit of a brutal streak, and they still believe they're superior to the other races, but they're no more likely to be evil than standard elves. Just slightly more arrogant and condescending.
Orcs are completely extinct, as are half-orcs. They were never the most populous beings in the world; But after the first Dawn, their great warchiefs organized nearly the entire race into a colossal warband, believing they could face the hordes of undead with their own hordes and emerge victorious. It was a disaster. The surviving orcs held on for a few Dawns after that, but their population was too small and spread out to sustain itself. They've been gone for more than a century now.
Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Bugbears have fared fairly well. Not only have they survived, but they've been accepted into the folds of the more "advanced" races. Granted, they're treated as second-class citizens (Think the Vorcha in Mass Effect). Hobgoblins, however, are fully integrated. They're nearly as common as humans, and are treated as a full "advanced" race. Bugbears are a step above goblins and a step below hobgoblins, but are still scarce enough that they aren't 100% accepted and acknowledged.
The less populous sentient races (giants, dragons, monstrous humanoid) may still exist in the wilder places of the world. Many of them are believed to be extinct (and indeed many of them have become legends and myths instead of currently existing creatures), but nobody is willing to go out and check if they are still out there for fear of stirring up something ancient and angry.
The one exception to that being the minotaurs. Theirs is a tragic tale. After the first several Dawns passed, the leaders of the other races thought they could stave off the future Dawns with strong walls and stout shields. They needed manpower and muscle to do this. With their own populations depleted, they turned to the more savage races. They captured and enslaved minotaurs en masse to do their manual labor, their forging, and to make up the backbone of their armies. This tradition continues in many parts of the world today. Not all minotaurs are slaves, and there are certain regions where they are fully embraced. But they are not entirely free.
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
ooohh... Kaz the Minotaur vibe going on here Caex i really like the descriptions... if it werent for that insane Racial HD thing i would ask to be allowed to play one...
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Quote from »
Call me old fashioned, but an evil ascension to power just isn't the same without someone chanting faux Latin in the background.
Oreo, Glazing people better than Dunkin' Donuts since 2009
That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange eons even death may die.
Legend says that the Dawns would continue for 1,000 years.
The coming Dawn is the 15th. 990 years. It is believed this Dawn will be the last. The end of the nightmare. A time when the mortal races will have proven their worth to the gods. When Boccob and Nerull will have proven their case and the gods will return.
The game will start with an investigation: Coldrock, a medium-sized town (and trade hub) on the northern regions of the continent, has stopped communicating with the largest nearby settlements:
-Howlingard: a coastal fortress named for the sound the ocean wind makes when blowing through the many arches and open alleyways of the castle and surrounding city.
-Northwall: a massive, ancient garrison built to hold an important mountain pass.
-Facture: this legendary city stands as the only existing settlement known to have survived a Dawn. Two, in fact. Facture is the greatest center of learning, magic, and technology in the world. Most commoners don't even believe Facture exists. To them it's merely a fable told to their children on stormy nights.
There are several smaller towns and settlements nearby as well (as in, feel free to invent a town if you want).
Each of your characters must have something important linking them to Coldrock in their backstory, as well as a reason they were away from Coldrock at the beginning of the game. A family member, a friend, a business, a house, something. If you want your character to know another character (or all other characters), work with the other player(s) to make that happen. Otherwise, we'll start off with each player investigating the silence of Coldrock individually and have them meet up over the course of the first bit of the game.
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
EDIT: We'll go ahead and close signups at 6pm Mountain Daylight Time. I'll only accept one more player (for a max of 5). First come first serve.
Talore gave a /possiblein depending on scheduling, so if he wants to join after signups are closed but before the game starts, he'll get a spot regardless of other players. That means if we get a full five players and Talore decides he wants /in after that, I won't boot the 5th player. That could possibly give us a maximum of 6 players, which is fine with me.
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
And yes, no incantatrix for you. Or anyone. That class makes puppies cry. Mostly because they are the former Big Bads who have been Baleful Polymorphed into said puppies. By you. Because you're an incantatrix.
Quote from Yukora »
This is Deraxas we're talking about.
Remember, the girl that just killed an aspect of herself before literally consuming her?
Yeah, I don't see her handling a pissing match in any way other than a duel.
Quote from RedDwarfian »
Yes mistress...
Quote from About epic-level D&D »
There are only so many epic, psuedonatural barbarian/blackguard half-dragon akutenshai vampire balor paragons they can throw at you, right?
Quote from Concerning breeding habits of humans in fantasy games »
I suppose it's true. Though the logistics implied in a human/Great Wyrm Prismatic Dragon pairing makes me shudder.
...Something tells me that even should all arcane casters in the world unite, that the Grease spell would NOT be sufficient.
Illusionist 5/ Shadow Adept 1 okay, or is that out of flavor?
Just don't get too attached. This is Caex, and we're starting at level 1. Chances are everyone will have around 17 deaths by the time anyone even approaches level 6.
EDIT:
Quote from Sep »
ooohh... Kaz the Minotaur vibe going on here Caex i really like the descriptions... if it werent for that insane Racial HD thing i would ask to be allowed to play one...
The Sage is occupied with the unspoken
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
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When examining the tale of "The Sun and the Son" with a critical eye, for example, it is relatively simple to identify Pelor's hand at work. 'How' you may ask 'Do we know these alternate histories behind innocent children's tales?' We know this through painstakingly restored records recovered and stored deep in the libraries of Facture. I've personally read through hundreds of these rhymes, stories, and fables. In nearly every one, the influence of the divine made itself clear after only cursory examination.
For the purposes of this discussion, we will focus entirely on the aforementioned story "The Reaping of the Fields". Let's recite it entirely and then deconstruct it, shall we?
"The Winter's here, the ground is dead, son. The world cold and bleak.
The lads and lasses hide at home, son. Avoiding frozen flesh.
In Spring the fields are freshly sown, son. For Autumn's grasp is weak.
The lads and lasses dance and play, son. The world new and fresh.
The Summer sun then comes again, son. The season's reached its peak.
The lads are grown, the lasses bloom, son. Soon the grain we'll thresh.
Then Autumn Dawns upon the world, son. No words are left to speak.
The lads and lasses in the fields, son. Avoiding frozen flesh."...
-From the lectures of Thassius Corenus, year 32 of the 15th Dawn
"...But while the influence of the gods was once commonplace, it is now limited to only once act: The Dawn itself. As the story goes, the gods grew angry with mortals. The arrogance of mortals and their rapid development of magic and technology both frightened and enraged the gods. Even those gods commonly considered "good" or "holy" decided it was time to punish mortals for their hubris.
Pelor wished to scorch the world clean. Moradin wished to strike the world with his colossal hammer and anvil, reforging it as the gods saw fit. Hextor suggested they could simply send a horde of monsters to scour mortals from existence. Corellon thought it should be painless and merciful, like gently falling asleep. Wee Jas simply wanted to snuff out all life with no grandeur or havoc.
Of all the gods, only two were opposed to this idea: Boccob and, more shockingly, Nerull. Both, the myths say, refused to accept the utter destruction of the world as an outcome. Boccob's reasoning was simple: Magic comes from life. Without life, there can be no arcane magic, no true Weave. Nerull's was similarly simple, if not more sinister: Without the living, there could be no more death or undeath.
There was great debate amongst the divines. Boccob and Nerull lobbied for the mortals to be spared, the rest argued that destruction was the only answer. So Boccob and Nerull thought of something more interesting than complete annihilation: A contest. If mortals were unworthy of existence as the other gods contended, Boccob reasoned, surely they would be found wanting in the face of extreme adversity. Boccob would cut off the mortals' access to the other planes, to ensure they could not call for help from the outer realms, while Nerull would send a plague of undead to test their resolve and will to survive.
Eternity is a very long time, and even gods grow bored. So the others, certain of the mortals' death in the face of such odds, quickly agreed to this experiment. When the mortal races of the world survived the First Dawn, the other gods called it a fluke. They demanded that Nerull immediately send another plague to further test them. They accused Nerull of not using his full power to try to eradicate mortalkind.
But Nerull's power was drained from unleashing the First Dawn. He had to recover. And so to, reasoned Boccob, did the mortals. Surely a second plague so soon after the First would cause the mortals to die. A rigged game in favor of the other deities. So it was agreed that while Nerull recovered, so too could the various races of the world. Nerull would continue to send plagues for a thousand more years. If the mortals survived all of those Dawns, the contest would be over. If not, the other gods would be proven correct after all...
-From the lectures of Thassius Corenus, year 40 of the 15th Dawn
This is the character creation thread for the [Dawn] campaign. This will be an E6 game. E6 (epic 6) is a variant where player characters and NPCs have a maximum level of 6. After they have reached level 6, they continue to increase in power through means other than levels. For each level that would have otherwise been gained, characters instead gain a new feat (or some other special bonuses that I see fit to hand out :))
Some backstory about the world before we begin:
Every 66 years, the world ends. For as long as the ragged remains of the sentient races can remember, they have faced the Dawn. Every 66th year, the sun turns black and the dead rise. Whatever meager empires have managed to sprout up in that time inevitably fall before the unliving masses.
We begin our tale in year 64.
More to come pending edits/signups.
Players who are /in
-Avatar of Kokusho
-Yukora
-Amadi
-Sepiriel
{Magic: The RPG}
Provided there's room and I didn't miss the signup thread being elsewhere.
The introduction reminds me of Pelor, the Burning Hate for some reason.
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
Edit:
Using post for character sheet
Name: Krim Bloodiron
Race: Minotaur
Class: Fighter 1
Gender: Male
Alignment: NE
Skin: Rust-colored Fur
Eyes: Red
Height: 7'11"
Weight: 380lbs
Resistances:
Damage Reduction:
Str: [22] 22+6
Con: [18] 18+4
Dex: [10] 10+0
Int: [12] 12+1
Wis: [16] 16+3
Cha: [08] 08-1
Base: 18,18,12,14,16,10
HP: [14] 14
AC: 16 [10 Base +4 AC +2 Natural +0 Deflection +0 Dex]
Touch: 10
Flat-Footed: 16
Fort: 6 [2 +4 Con]
Ref: 0 [0 +0 Dex]
Will: 3 [0 +3 Wis]
BAB:+1
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30ft
Features/Special:
Minotaur
Fighter
Bonus Feat
Skills [4/2] 12
Climb: +6 [4 +6 Str -4 Armor Penalty]
Craft: +0 [4 +1 Int] (Blacksmithing)
Handle Animal: +0 [0 -1 Cha]
Intimidate: +12 [4 +6 Str +2 Racial]
Jump: +2 [0 +6 Str -4 Armor Penalty]
Ride: +0 [0 +0 Dex]
Swim: -2 [0 +6 Str -8 Armor Penalty]
Feats
Level 1: Weapon Focus (Greathammer), Monkey Grip[Bonus].
Equipment
Weapon: Gore Attack
Attack: +7
Damage: 1d6[+6] (2d6+9 if charging)
Critical:x2
Weapon: Huge Greathammer
Attack: +6
Damage: 4d6+6
Critical: 19-20 x4
Cost: 50gp
Armor: Scale mail
AC:4 Max Dex:3 Penalty:-4
Item:
Head:
Face:
Throat:
Shoulder:
Vest:
Arms:
Hands:
Waist:
Feet:
Ring:
Ring:
Others:
Gold:
100gp
Languages:
Common
Kothian (Minotaur)
Goblin
Bio:
"Howlingard... what a miserable pile of stones"
Thud Thud Smack. Thud Thud Smack.
"Howlingard... what a miserable pile of stones"
This was the litany that had become Krim's life, as the hammer rhythmically had its way at the anvil. A litany so consistent, so miserable and so devoid of change that poor Krim never heard the commands for him to stop until it was too late.
Sudden, Sharp, almost snake-like the whip strikes his bare back and it all returns to him, he is in Howlingard, he is a 'soldier' and when he isn't needed as a walking punching bag for the new recruits he is also the garrisons smith.
Anger flares inside him but he knows better, he knows how things will play out, he has seen and lived this to many times before, and he knows how to respond.
Krim turns slowly making sure the hammer is pointing down, yes always making sure the hammer is pointing down, remembering to prop it on the wall this time "Im so sorry sir, the commander wanted the swords fixed asap for the new recruits comming in a tenday" he says apologetically making sure he keeps his gaze low, lower in fact for lowering his gaze would put him eye to eye with his betters, no he needs to look lower make sure theres no offense or disrespect being felt.
"Yes, im sure..." says his superior as he coils his whip slowly "... you are from Coldrock right?"
The question comes casually, almost friendly.
"Yes, my clan comes fro-" was all he could say as the whip once again snakes its way into hi flesh, not wearing a smithy's apron means the whip added another scar to his bare chest.
Remember, do not flinch, do not react
"I didn't ask you for your life story Minotaur, I asked if you are from Coldrock."
"Sorry sir, yes sir, I'm from Coldrock, sir" Krim stammers softly, softly for a minotaur however still meant another lashing, again he avoided reacting as he awaits the course of the conversation.
"Yes, I see..." Is all his superior says as he walks out of the forge.
Well that was new, thought Krim as he tended to his latest wounds.
He had just cleaned up when his superior returned, this time accompanied by the garrison's commander
"Ah there you are, Krim right? yes Krim, Krim Bloodiron if I recall" the commander says jovially Krim's superior being right behind, his stare making it clear Krim should keep his mouth shut, and if his stare didn't get the message across the fact his hand was resting on that whip again made it crystal clear for Krim.
"Your clan is from Coldrock, and you willingly enlisted here three winters ago, and have been the garrison's smith for the last two years" he recites as he continues to look at Krim, then at the forge around him "yes, yes, well my boy its been brought to my attention that you have not have had leave of service, and i have the city magister making a fuss over it, so pack your bags son, you are taking a trip home, the garrison is even going to pay for your fare home!"
Now this was new, and Krim could not stop himself from lifting his gaze and staring, an act that was met with an immediate whipping.
"Lieutenant! stop that this instant!" the commander yells as he suddenly backhands the man with the whip "We do not that that kind of thing here, we are an army not a slave market!, do i make myself clear?" he berates the man before striking him again for good measure.
Turning back to Krim he gives an apologetic look "Sorry son, the city council just passed a new ordinance regarding your kind, any minotaur serving under the army for a period of no less than two years is granted his/her freedom provided they bring an official letter back to their home town where the town ledgers are kept to ratify their status as free individuals, that means boy that we are required by law to send you with the next caravan back to Coldrock, you are still part of the army see? so you are to travel there and back again with the returning caravan understood? failure to return will be seen as desertion, and you know what that carries" the commander finished.
Krim of course understood, for humans and the other races desertion meant to become wanted, but for Minotaurs, desertion becomes a blood-price that the clan has to shoulder.
"Ok then everything is in order then, you are to gather up your things and prepare for travel to Coldrock on the morrow, report to the local garrison at Coldrock and return with the next caravan" he says as he turns around and prepares to exit, the commander stops by the door before adding "... oh, and bring your hammer with you, the caravan master only agreed to take you as part of the security detail" he says offhandedly as he walks away, the lieutenant staring daggers at Krim before following the garrison's commander out.
"Yes, this is definitely new..." is all he says as he takes his smith hammer and wonders what else could possibly surprise him now.
Uhh, count me in as being likely sneaky/stabby type person of some kind unless I can break illusionist in half in six levels.
:happydance: x1000
"I am in the arcane, and the arcane is in me."
Official Matron Mother of Clan Planar Chaos
Awesome Avatar and signature by DarkNightCavalier
Deraxas, Dark Maiden of Shimia,, still oddly obsessed with a mindmage.
Well, pretty much nothing has True Sight yet, so you'd have that going for you.
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
Blame, idk, random person.
out of four players... me and Sepiriel and Yukora and Amadi... the fith being the evil dm, it's...
was 2, it's Sep's fault.
"I am in the arcane, and the arcane is in me."
Official Matron Mother of Clan Planar Chaos
Awesome Avatar and signature by DarkNightCavalier
Deraxas, Dark Maiden of Shimia,, still oddly obsessed with a mindmage.
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
Uhhhhhh no. But that is the funniest damned thing I have seen in awhile.
Also, if you hit on my character I will make yours believe he is a six year old girl and have Jean Grey braid his hair for him.
"I am in the arcane, and the arcane is in me."
Official Matron Mother of Clan Planar Chaos
Awesome Avatar and signature by DarkNightCavalier
Deraxas, Dark Maiden of Shimia,, still oddly obsessed with a mindmage.
Okay, so some house rules, then I'll edit some more interesting backstory about the world into the first post.
-Starting level 1. 200 starting gold.
-We'll be using AoK's HP system. Full HP for odd levels, half HP for even, adding Con as usual.
-Sorcerer's get Eschew Materials as a bonus feat at 1st level, and bonus feats exactly like a Wizard.
-Sorcerers can take Draconic feats in place of the normal bonus Wizard feats.
-Wizards, and only Wizards, can take Spell Focus, Improved Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, Greater Spell Penetration, and Augment Summoning as bonus feats in addition to their normal bonus feats.
-Vorpal will not decapitate enemies on a natural 20, but will instead double your critical hit damage. So if a weapon would do x3 on a critical, a vorpal version of that weapon would do x6. And the enchantment price equivilant is reduced to +3 instead of +5.
-No custom items. By custom items, I mean items with unique abilities or items that can't be created by using the standard item-creation rules.
-32 Mamelon point-buy system for ability scores.
-If you want to play a non-standard race (Basically any of the 'standard' LA races (Drow, Tiefling, ect. up to LA +2) PM me and we'll see if we can work something out. But don't be offended if I say no.)
-No Flaws
-No other Unearthed Arcana stuff.
As far as this world is concerned, the other planes do not exist. Technically speaking they do, but the Material Plane is cut off from them. No contact can be made with elementals, outsiders, or deities and no extra-planar creatures will be encountered in this game. Excepting the Negative Energy Plane, from which you may encounter native type undead. They won't actually be from those planes. The reasoning for this may or may not become clear during the course of the game. This wasn't always the case in the world, so people with infernal or celestial bloodlines (warlock, tiefling, and so forth) can still be encountered.
-As such, Paladins won't gain a special mount. Instead they will gain a bonus feat at 5th level to compensate for the loss of a class feature.
-AoK's custom class, the Sage, is allowed. I can't find the post where it is, so if someone wants to find it for me and post it that would be awesome.
{Magic: The RPG}
Same thing, except it's from FFXI and more badass.
"I am in the arcane, and the arcane is in me."
Official Matron Mother of Clan Planar Chaos
Awesome Avatar and signature by DarkNightCavalier
Deraxas, Dark Maiden of Shimia,, still oddly obsessed with a mindmage.
What's the class look like?
{Magic: The RPG}
Here is the second.
"I am in the arcane, and the arcane is in me."
Official Matron Mother of Clan Planar Chaos
Awesome Avatar and signature by DarkNightCavalier
Deraxas, Dark Maiden of Shimia,, still oddly obsessed with a mindmage.
If not allowed... hmmm Human Monk with Vow of Poverty again??? i mean assuming book of exalted deeds is ok XD.
Or maybe Book of Vile Darkness would have better stuff for the clearly Undead heavy stuff that is soon to follow?
Floaty orbs of magic, anyone?
On ffxi, my geo is level 1, so I am not sure how much help I would be...
"I am in the arcane, and the arcane is in me."
Official Matron Mother of Clan Planar Chaos
Awesome Avatar and signature by DarkNightCavalier
Deraxas, Dark Maiden of Shimia,, still oddly obsessed with a mindmage.
If not... im almost tempted to ask you to let me hijack the Monk Class features from 5e while maintaining the BAB and Save progressions from 3.5 (mainly because i want to play a Monk/Water Bender without actually having to multiclass)
Edit: Wow... finding a copy of BoVD is incredibly hard...
"I am in the arcane, and the arcane is in me."
Official Matron Mother of Clan Planar Chaos
Awesome Avatar and signature by DarkNightCavalier
Deraxas, Dark Maiden of Shimia,, still oddly obsessed with a mindmage.
I kicked Godslayers' players asses with one.
"I am in the arcane, and the arcane is in me."
Official Matron Mother of Clan Planar Chaos
Awesome Avatar and signature by DarkNightCavalier
Deraxas, Dark Maiden of Shimia,, still oddly obsessed with a mindmage.
The world is pretty screwed up. Many of the sentient races are either extinct or almost extinct. The dwarves, centuries ago, locked themselves in their mountain fortresses in hopes of surviving the Dawn behind strong stone and steel. Nobody has heard from them since. The only dwarves who exist now are the ones who were in the surface cities when the rest of their race went underground. Their population isn't huge, and it may not be enough to survive the coming Dawn and the years after it. Nobody (including the Dwarves themselves) holds out much hope that they'll survive beyond the next Dawn.
The elves fared somewhat better. But they're not the proud, beautiful, enlightened race they once were. In the haunted forests of the world, they became militant and xenophobic. Elves only trust their own kind now, having been beset in the past by would-be human conquerors who heard rumors of powerful elven magic that could ward off the dead.
Humanity is the most populous race by far. Their shorter life spans, coupled with a furious will to surivive, has ensured that they can reproduce and repopulate the ruins of the world faster than any other races (save, perhaps, the goblinoids).
The Drow, shockingly, are not the murderous slavers they once were. Unlike the dwarves, they realized they couldn't survive in the vast chasms of the Underdark when the dead rise. They fled to the surface centuries ago seeking asylum from the horrors of the Underdark, bringing with them elf-forged weapons and powerful magic. They (and their assets) were welcomed with only a few violent incidents, and nearly the entire race has undergone a significant change in attitude since. They've still got a bit of a brutal streak, and they still believe they're superior to the other races, but they're no more likely to be evil than standard elves. Just slightly more arrogant and condescending.
Orcs are completely extinct, as are half-orcs. They were never the most populous beings in the world; But after the first Dawn, their great warchiefs organized nearly the entire race into a colossal warband, believing they could face the hordes of undead with their own hordes and emerge victorious. It was a disaster. The surviving orcs held on for a few Dawns after that, but their population was too small and spread out to sustain itself. They've been gone for more than a century now.
Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Bugbears have fared fairly well. Not only have they survived, but they've been accepted into the folds of the more "advanced" races. Granted, they're treated as second-class citizens (Think the Vorcha in Mass Effect). Hobgoblins, however, are fully integrated. They're nearly as common as humans, and are treated as a full "advanced" race. Bugbears are a step above goblins and a step below hobgoblins, but are still scarce enough that they aren't 100% accepted and acknowledged.
The less populous sentient races (giants, dragons, monstrous humanoid) may still exist in the wilder places of the world. Many of them are believed to be extinct (and indeed many of them have become legends and myths instead of currently existing creatures), but nobody is willing to go out and check if they are still out there for fear of stirring up something ancient and angry.
The one exception to that being the minotaurs. Theirs is a tragic tale. After the first several Dawns passed, the leaders of the other races thought they could stave off the future Dawns with strong walls and stout shields. They needed manpower and muscle to do this. With their own populations depleted, they turned to the more savage races. They captured and enslaved minotaurs en masse to do their manual labor, their forging, and to make up the backbone of their armies. This tradition continues in many parts of the world today. Not all minotaurs are slaves, and there are certain regions where they are fully embraced. But they are not entirely free.
{Magic: The RPG}
The coming Dawn is the 15th. 990 years. It is believed this Dawn will be the last. The end of the nightmare. A time when the mortal races will have proven their worth to the gods. When Boccob and Nerull will have proven their case and the gods will return.
The game will start with an investigation: Coldrock, a medium-sized town (and trade hub) on the northern regions of the continent, has stopped communicating with the largest nearby settlements:
-Howlingard: a coastal fortress named for the sound the ocean wind makes when blowing through the many arches and open alleyways of the castle and surrounding city.
-Northwall: a massive, ancient garrison built to hold an important mountain pass.
-Facture: this legendary city stands as the only existing settlement known to have survived a Dawn. Two, in fact. Facture is the greatest center of learning, magic, and technology in the world. Most commoners don't even believe Facture exists. To them it's merely a fable told to their children on stormy nights.
There are several smaller towns and settlements nearby as well (as in, feel free to invent a town if you want).
Each of your characters must have something important linking them to Coldrock in their backstory, as well as a reason they were away from Coldrock at the beginning of the game. A family member, a friend, a business, a house, something. If you want your character to know another character (or all other characters), work with the other player(s) to make that happen. Otherwise, we'll start off with each player investigating the silence of Coldrock individually and have them meet up over the course of the first bit of the game.
{Magic: The RPG}
Talore gave a /possiblein depending on scheduling, so if he wants to join after signups are closed but before the game starts, he'll get a spot regardless of other players. That means if we get a full five players and Talore decides he wants /in after that, I won't boot the 5th player. That could possibly give us a maximum of 6 players, which is fine with me.
{Magic: The RPG}
"I am in the arcane, and the arcane is in me."
Official Matron Mother of Clan Planar Chaos
Awesome Avatar and signature by DarkNightCavalier
Deraxas, Dark Maiden of Shimia,, still oddly obsessed with a mindmage.
Just don't get too attached. This is Caex, and we're starting at level 1. Chances are everyone will have around 17 deaths by the time anyone even approaches level 6.
EDIT:
Doesn't dragonlance have minotaurs without that?
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.