D&D Anyone?

[Prince of Boredom]

Hey all.

Ok, this is very preliminary, but just wanted to get an idea if anyone would be interested in me running a D&D game? It obviously wouldn't be on this forum, but I figured there might be people here interested. Knowlege of rules would not be required, I can help out anyone who needs character creation help.

If there's any interest, I'll post more info...

[Archer21]

No reason we can't do a different game on this forum...we can do it within this category. I've no objections. ::cool

[tooho]

I have interest.... I think! ::blink ::biggrin

[Bahamut810]

Sure why not. Think we could make it a chat based game?

[Prince of Boredom]

Sure why not.  Think we could make it a chat based game?

←

unlikely since many of us are on different time zones.... not to mention I probably couldn't ever commit to a particular time.

[Prince of Boredom]

hmm, I had expected a little more interest ::wah ::raspberry .

Ok, I guess I'll give it a few more days, and if no one else speaks, we'll let it die... (less work for me I guess)

[ezekiel]

It'd probably help if you described what you had in mind...

not that I can join. ::wink

[Prince of Boredom]

It'd probably help if you described what you had in mind...

Good point.

Ok, the campaign is in a world of my making; an attempt to bring back the wonder of magic, the supernatural, etc.

The campaign will begin in the city of Aurum, the capital of the country/empire of the same name; named after their local god Aurus, primarily a sun god/ruler (like Ra). The empire of Aurus is a theocracy based around the god Aurus.

There are some significant differences between this world and typical D&D. First, the are no gods; are more specifically, if there are gods they do not provide any power to their worshippers (ie. clerics). Roughly 500-700 years ago, there was a great war between the powerful Human Magocracy (rule by wizards) that once existed in much of what is now Aurum, and Elves. The end result was that the Elves essentially committed genocide against all Human wizards and destroyed all (or so they think) magical influence within human society. Now, Elves are essentially thought of as the bogeymen that’ll come and get children if they don’t behave. No humans currently alive have ever seen an Elf. Since clerics and wizards don’t exist in human culture, much of what they do in a typical D&D campaign has been shouldered by druids. Druids are trained on a remote island then return to the mainland where they usually take up residence serving a small community (should sound similar for those that have read the Earthsea novels by Ursula Le Guin).

Hmm, that’s a small teaser.

While at first it may seem that I’ve taken magic out of the game, what I’m really trying to do is make magic special again. So when the PCs find that +1 longsword, it means something other than 2,000 gold pieces to be traded in to the local magic dealer for a +2 sword.

PCs will be restricted to the following:

Race: Humans or Halflings

Class: Barbarian, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Ranger or Rogue

[ezekiel]

::wah

That sounds really interesting/cool!

Actually your description kinda reminded me of the Scions of Shannara (Terry Brooks) for some reason; where magic, while not exactly non existent, is illegal and true magic is lost. Except for an inkling left in a certain family...

For those familiar with the series, The Druid of Shannara is by far my favorite book of the series. ::offtopic

[Prince of Boredom]

Ok, more teaser info. Here's some info on specific organizations the PCs might belong too... some are more fleshed out than others.

As an aside, I would start everyone out at 3rd level.

Monks - The Brotherhood of the Sacred Tome

A day's ride outside of town, atop a hill that overlooks the city, rests a bland building of stone, beckoning those who pass to visit. As one crests the top of the hill they are overwhelmed with the sense of calm and serenity associated with this place. No symbols, pictures, or words adorn the walls of the stone structure, its purpose seemingly only to exist. The curious traveler who continues into the antechamber of the structure is greeted by two well armed and armored, yet seemingly benign, warriors. "Greetings, and welcome to the monastery of the Brotherhood of the Sacred Tome. All items of war and conflict must remain outside, only things of peace may enter here."

The monasteries of the Brotherhood of the Sacred Tome are dotted across the countryside, generally within a day or two's travel of a large temple to Aurus. The monasteries serve two purposes; a place for serene meditation, and the protection and storage of written works important to the Church of Aurus and the Empire of Aurum. They are sparsely decorated, leaving nothing to distract one from the purpose of their pilgrimage to these holy sites.

All of the monasteries are designed the same, a simple single-story rectangular structure of stone. There is a single open doorway entrance that leads into the antechamber of the building. Once within this room, a large wooden door leads into the heart of the monastery. This door is guarded by two armed guards dedicated to the service of the monestary. Their primary duty is to ensure no items of conflict are allowed inside. If necessary, the guardians will thouroughly search would-be pilgrims to ensure the tranquility of the monastery.

The interior of the monasteries reinforce the utilitarian design of the structure with its minimalist details. Looking from the doorway, to the left are the dormitories of the attending Brother's who live and work here. Their rooms are all identical and can be seen clearly from the main hall, as they do not have doors to protect their privacy. Each room has a bed of hay carefully placed in the center of the room, a wash basin, and small wardrobe in which to hang the Brother's robes. To the right, individual meditation and study rooms are provided for the use of guests, as well as those who live here. Each has a light wooden door for privacy, and a desk with candle, parchment and ink. The archives of the monastery are kept towards the rear of the building and are off-limits to guests. All guests are permitted to read any texts held within the monastery, and simply need ask (quietly) one of the attendant Brother's for assistance.

Travelers are reminded upon entering the monastery to only speak in whispers and respect the privacy of all guests. The purpose of the monastery is to provide a peaceful and serene place for introspection, meditation, and study. Those who do not honor this will be politely asked to leave, and, if necessary, forcefully escorted by the Brother's to the antechamber.

THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE SACRED TOME

The Brotherhood of the Sacred Tome, or simply the Brotherhood, is a monastic order devoted to the service of Aurus and his angels. Their primary purpose is the upkeep of their monasteries, to include daily cleaning, copying of written texts, service to guests, and defense of the monastery. The Brothers are all monks devoted to the service of Aurus. Many of them came to the church early in life as orphans, children of neglect, or poverty. In order to protect the serenity of their monasteries, all Brother's take a vow of silence upon entering the Brotherhood. Only those serving as the First Brother of a monastery (typically a monk of at least 11th level) and those serving on the Council of Brother's are relinqueshed of this vow. Similarly, to ensure the protection of the priceless volumes held within the monasteries, all Brother's must take a vow of poverty and are never allowed to own personal property. A Brother who violates these vows is immediately removed from the Brotherhood.

As no weapons or armor are allowed within their monasteries, the Brotherhood teaches all of its members the art of unarmed combat. Brother's are trained to strike their opponents quickly and forcefully, and to avoid the blows that warriors typically allow to strike their armor and shields. This genrally ensures that, within their monasteries, the Brother's will be able to swiftly defeat any who attempt to cause trouble.

In order to bring more knowledge to the libraries of the Brotherhood, young brothers are often sent out into the world to acquire works of history or memorize oral tales they could later put to parchment. These questing monks are released from their vow of silence as long as they are away from their monestary, and are allowed to carry equipment necessary to complete their missions; understanding of course that everything they have belongs to the Brotherhood.

Fighters - The Phoenix Guard (Prestige Class)

The Phoenix Guard are the elite heavy guard of the Empire of Aurum. They have a strong tradition and long history of service to the Empire; there are even rumours that they may have existed since before the empire, in service to the lords of the Magocracy. An air of mystery surrounds the Phoenix Guard; their training techniques and secret rituals are kept hidden even from the most important members of the clergy of Aurus. Only the High Priest himself is fully aware of their capabilities and training (or so he believes). Their primary role is the defense of high-level members of the ruling theocracy; though they are occasionally sent on missions of high importance to the Empire.

This is a prestige class that a native fighter of Aurum could aspire to.

Druids - The Druidic Order

The Druidic Order is dedicated to the training, development, and if necessary, punishment of the druids of the lands. It has a very highly organized central structure with nearly autonomous druids operating out in the world.

These autonomous druids generally spend the majority of their lives in the service of a particular community. While they are not generally compensated monetarilly for their duties, they are taken care of by their community in form of gifts (food, clothes, animals, whatever is needed).

To become a druid, potentials must first be trained by a druid of the world. There are two primary ways this is generally acomplished. First, a local druid may notice a particular spark within a young individual and deem them worthy of tutelage. Second, a family may believe their child is gifted, and request tutelage. This is generally accompanied by some sort of reimbursement, monetary or otherwise. This initial training carries the potential to his 1st level of experience. Once he has become a 1st level druid, he is then sent to the island (no name yet), where he is more formally testes=d and trained. After achieving 3rd level, he is then sent back out into the world to find his place in it.

If people seem interested, I'll post more later...

[Prince of Boredom]

bump. hmm, interest is lagging due to the prodigal Prof's return...

[ProfPotts]

Actually I'm pretty interested in this one myself...

... which D20 books will you be using? That'd help me think on the sort of character to aim at (even if you restrict classes there's a whole lot of Feats & stuff out there in books beyond the core three). Should I mention that I have that 'tried to ban it' 'erotic secrets' book?.. ::blush ::wink

::Ahem::

Anyway... I quite like a stab at th' ol' Fantasy genre again - it's been a while, & I've yet to really give the new D20 stuff a good 'test drive'.

Within the limits you've set I'm thinking a female, human, character - probably Barbarian, Fighter, or Rogue of some sort, & most likely with a pretty 'dark' background (if such concepts even exist in the world then she could have some kind of demon-worshipping stuff going on in her past...). From what you've said I take it you're looking for a more 'realistic' style of play than the sterotypical 'dungeon bash' gold-fest, yes?

[Prince of Boredom]

... which D20 books will you be using? That'd help me think on the sort of character to aim at (even if you restrict classes there's a whole lot of Feats & stuff out there in books beyond the core three). Should I mention that I have that 'tried to ban it' 'erotic secrets' book?..

Only D&D brand books... 3.5 edition (though there is little change between 3.0 and 3.5). Feats from some of the books will need to passed by me, just based on the world (ie. the Mage Slayer feat from Complete Arcane is out since no one has ever seen a mage to learn how to properly attack them...)

Within the limits you've set I'm thinking a female, human, character - probably Barbarian, Fighter, or Rogue of some sort, & most likely with a pretty 'dark' background (if such concepts even exist in the world then she could have some kind of demon-worshipping stuff going on in her past...). From what you've said I take it you're looking for a more 'realistic' style of play than the sterotypical 'dungeon bash' gold-fest, yes?

I have no problem with a 'dark' background; in fact I purposefully left alignment restrictions off of my post. We will use alignment (it's a very real thing in D&D) but since no PC can detect alignment based on my class restrictions, you can be whatever you want. Just remember that at the end of the day you'll be expected to work as a party so lawful evil might be a better choice than chaotic evil.

As far as demon-worshipping goes, I haven't really thought about it, but I'm sure there is. Though, I have another 'dark' route you could go that would be much more campaign specific and possibly quite interesting....

As far as style of play, I'm looking for more realistic, but also epic. Think more like Lord of the Rings than a typical dungeon-delve. You'll be 'led by the nose' at the beginning, but then should be able to make your own choices. That said, I'm not looking for a lot of downtime to build castles and create magic items; more like a great quest(s) that could define the world forever. Make sense?

[ProfPotts]

Yep, makes sense to me - but still leaves the usual zillion-odd questions... ::wink

As far as the 'demon worshipping' thing goes, I'm really just aiming at something which is considered a 'bad thing' by the local monotheists (that Aurus guy seems to be the only deity about) - I'm presuming a sort-of pseudo-feudal setting with Aurus taking the place of the European Christianity of the Middle Ages: please correct that if it's totally the wrong end of the stick.

3.5's good for me (I have those books).

Any chance of letting us know how the story starts - i.e. how / where the characters meet up? That could well help me decide on character. I'm thinking along the lines of either a street-bred Rogue or a rather feral Barbarian at the moment.

Oh - & (as always) any & all socio-cultural type information will be a great help: is the setting pseudo-feudal, or something else? For example, who rules what? Is there a class structure (peasants Vs nobles, rather than character classes that is to say)? Is there slavery? What's the technology level (even within the standard D&D stuff it can vary quite a lot) - does 'no magic' mean 'no alchemy' as well?

Will you be using the 'standard point buy' method for Characteristics? How about for Hit Points - standard average per level? I ask, 'cos if we have to roll then I got an '18' for every stat'... ::tongue ::wink

How many guys have we got interested in this at the moment anyway?

[Prince of Boredom]

How many guys have we got interested in this at the moment anyway?

Well, you, Toohoo, and Bahamut showed some interest. And possibly Zeke with standard lame 'I'm leaving soon' caveat ::wink

Yep, makes sense to me - but still leaves the usual zillion-odd questions...

Understood. Up to now I've mainly been posting teaser type info without proving much substance... Hopefully this'll help, and generate more questions.

Any chance of letting us know how the story starts - i.e. how / where the characters meet up?

Sure. As stated before, the characters will start in Aurum, capital city of the empire of the same name. They will be hired (or ordered if anyone makes a member of the military or clergy of Aurum) by the Theocracy to find out what is happening to their merchant caravans. Aurum primarily exports iron and steel and exports much of its other consumables. There are bi-weekly caravans that travel between Aurum and the city of Ashbury some three days travel to the west. The last 2 scheduled caravans have not returned. The PCs are being hired to travel to Ashbury with a caravan, protect it and find out what is going on.

By making the PCs 3rd level, I wnated to provide the opportunity for them to be from somewhere other than Aurum.

Oh - & (as always) any & all socio-cultural type information will be a great help: is the setting pseudo-feudal, or something else? For example, who rules what? Is there a class structure (peasants Vs nobles, rather than character classes that is to say)? Is there slavery? What's the technology level (even within the standard D&D stuff it can vary quite a lot) - does 'no magic' mean 'no alchemy' as well?

Ok, here goes. First of all the entire campaign world is not completely fleshed out and is still a work in progress (perhaps it always will be). What does that mean? well, it means you, the players can have an influence on the makeup of the world, but you may occasionally have to ask me direct questions to force me to think about certain things.

Religion - From an out-of-game player knowledge level, there are no gods, or at least none that provide any sort of divine power to clerics or paladins. In game, gods do exist (i'll get to that in a moment) and their presence is occasionally noted (ie. sacrifices left for them are taken, they speak to their 'priests' in ominous ways, etc). From a player perspective this probably means their are powerful mortal creatures that are masquerading as gods.

Geography - I'll use Aurum as the reference point

Aurum - The city of Aurum lies on a plateu high in the Silver Mountains (named more for their color than the presence of the metal). Prior to the 'Great Purge' (the Elven Wizard war) the city was a small mining and refining community called Steelton. The local moutains were discovered to be high in iron ore, and the city was founded to be a convenient place to trade with its neighbors, Ashbury to the west and the Magocracy to the north. Just prior to, and during the 'Great Purge' Steelton's wealth grew as iron weapons and armor were being bought as fast as they could be made. Shortly after the fall of the magocracy, the first pries't of Aurus appeared, and Steelton changed to Aurum, and the empire expanded to encompass most of the land once controlled by the magocracy. Aurum is a Theocracy much like the Holy Roman Empire at it's apex. Aurus is a Lawful Good god while the church as an institution and government tend more toward Lawful Neutral.

The Enchanted Forest - To the south of the Silver Mountains lies the suspected home of the Elves. No one has ever entered to Enchanted Forest and actually seen an elf of their city, or at least lived to tell the tale. Many stories are told to children about the evil elves living in the forest, and a healthy fear/trepidation about the forest is built into the collective subconcious.

Ashbury - Ashbury lies roughly 3 days travel by horse nearly due west of Aurum. Leaving Aurum, one first travels from the mountains, into rolling hills, and then finally the plains that surround Ashbury. Ashbury has existed for well over 500 hundred years as an independent city. It's great boon is that it is essentially the hub of various spokes that form roads to various cities and kingdoms. Thus, Ashbury is a primary trading site, and neutral ground. Churches of mulitple religions stand side by side, as various cultures mingle in this relatively cosmpolitan city. Ashbury is known to have one of the most impressive libraries in the land. (another possible motivation for a monk or scholarly type to be travelling)

The Three Cities (I named them once but can't find the list right now ::angry ) - Five days journey to the south of Ashbury lie these three cities. The road passes just west of the Enchanted forest and travellers can see into the edge of the forest. These cities are situated in a triangular fashion and share a form of confederation. Each is independently governed by a local mayor, however they share a common military force (milita) and provide for common defense and a relatively shared economy. The cities are basically the market centers for an extended agrarian society that exports much food to Ashbury, and thus various other places. They have a polytheistic religion, however their two primary gods are a god of death and a vengeful god of nature/the harvest.

The Halflings - The only known Halfling settlement lies to the southwest of the Three Cities. It is very much like the Shire and they tend to not bother the big folk too much.

The Desert of Fire - Much farther to the south lies this massive desert. Various ethnically similar nomadic barbarian tribes wander this desert. There primary means of survival and trade is the raising of well bred light warhorses and camels (think old Arabia). They trade with some coastal cities that lie to the east. There religion revolves around their primary god Sirocco, and his two children, Achmed and Ismail. Sirocco created the world and split it in half to give to his children, Achmed received the earth, while Ismail received the sky and heavens. Jealous of his brother, Ismail caused the heavens to open, raining water down upon the earth and flooding it. When the rains were over, much of the earth was filled with water (the oceans, lakes, rivers) and grass grew upon the beautiful, once virgin soil. Only in those places truly favored by Achmed, did Ismail's power not reach. Angered, Achmed warred with Ismail, and every time Achmed spilled Ismail's blood, it fell to the earth, creating oases in the favored lands of Achmed. Thus oases are considered holy ground by these people. Oddly, they don't tend to get along well with others, since in their minds, any god of nature is actuaklly a representation of Ismail.

This is definately not an exhaustive list. There are lands to the west of Ashbury and the Three cities that I haven't yet detailed (and thus could be developed in tendem with someone wanting to be from there). Also, to the north of the Empire of Aurum lie barbarian tribes who still live in the frozen lands (an almost arctic climate).

[ProfPotts]

Great stuff! That really helps to give a feel of the setting, & the sort of characters to be aiming for, cheers! ::biggrin

I'm getting an idea along the lines of, perhaps, a female human Barbarian originally from some sort of 'dark lands' even further to the south than the Desert of Fire (i.e. an African-type place) who was captured & enslaved by desert nomads & eventually either escaped, or was traded (depending on if the local society supports slavery or not), & ended up in the more northerly setting which the campaign takes place in. Would something along those lines fit in okay?

[Prince of Boredom]

Prof, I like it!

Ok, I hadn't really thought about what lies to the south of the Desert, so that works fine. It would be a primitive (ie. no iron weapons), probably animistic society. It's possible that you would have been 'traded' to the desert nomads for horses (I don't see them capturing you). The nomads then would have kept you maybe 6-8 months, basically treating you like a lower-class member of the tribe (they're not worried about guarding you since there's really no where to go in the middle of the desert, they can't afford to not have everyone supporting the tribe). Then, on their next trade with one of the coastal cities (mentioned before) you were 'sold' to a local sultan. My vision of the coastal city is like a decadent sultanate ala the ancient Ottoman empire (harems, opium, etc). She could have been put to 'work' in the harem (ostensibly 'married'), or as a simple slave girl working in the house. At some point she would have escaped on board a merchant ship that made its way north to a coastal city on the far western border of the Aurum Empire.

How does that sound? It would justify points in ride (time with the nomads) and even provides the opportunity for a multiclass in rogue (her escape); which in my mind would be a pretty formidable combination. I think her animistic religious practices would be strange enough that it would be considered a 'bad thing' to the local religion.

[Bahamut810]

Ok, im getting back to this now. Sorry about that, but I have been trying to get a few things started/finished (another game on another board, getting some of the basic on my part of The New Flesh, a few art projects I have been practicing in my amature way).

So, lets get to bidness here...

I have 2 ideas for characters that im going to toss out...

1. A Forest-man (ranger class (Archer), human). He would be very good at shooting things. Possibly in line to become one of the Phoenix Guard.

2. An ex-fighter of Aurum (Fighter Class, Human). He would have had a falling out for some reason.

Vague I know...but this is what I could think of at the moment. Ideas? Suggestions?

[Prince of Boredom]

1. A Forest-man (ranger class (Archer), human). He would be very good at shooting things. Possibly in line to become one of the Phoenix Guard.

I have no problem with the ranger (archer) concept (they really made this a very viable option in 3.5). However, it's unlikely he'd be a candidate for the Phoenix Guard. The Guard is designed as a Heavy Elite Guard (ie. Full Plate armor) and I don't see a ranger wanting to go that route. Though if archer is the primary goal (vice forest-type), then a fighter can make an excellent archer (perhaps even better due to the massive amounts of feats and access to weapon specialization) and would make a good (if slightly unorthodox) candidate for the Guard.

2. An ex-fighter of Aurum (Fighter Class, Human). He would have had a falling out for some reason.

Again, no problem. But since the game will begin in Aurum, it would be unwise for it to have been too much of a falling out ::wink

[Bahamut810]

Okay...Well I think ill go a combination of the two.

One last question...you said there are no mages and this is going to be very low magic. Do Druids and Rangers still get their spells?

[Prince of Boredom]

One last question...you said there are no mages and this is going to be very low magic. Do Druids and Rangers still get their spells?

Definately!!

Druids and rangers have their full compliment of abilities (ie. spells, companion, shapechange). Hence the overall social importance/necessity of druids, and to a lesser extent rangers.

[Bahamut810]

One last question about advancement...would it be possible to take more 'magical' prestigue classes? Like shadowdancer or dragonblooded?

[Prince of Boredom]

One last question about advancement...would it be possible to take more 'magical' prestigue classes? Like shadowdancer or dragonblooded?

Short answer, no. If a prestige class has any supernatural (su) powers or abilities, or grants spellcasting (ther than druidic [including ranger]), odds are it will not be allowed.

That being said, there may be instances within the game where a possibility to acquire certain 'special' abilities may arise. Most of my limitations are there to ensure that the characters are properly awed by supernatural happenings. Does that make any sense? ::wacko

[Prince of Boredom]

Character Creation Rules

Starting Character Level: 3rd

Races Allowed: Human, Halfling

Classes Allowed: Aristocrat, Barbarian, Druid, Expert, Fighter, Monk, Ranger, Rogue (There may also be classes in the 'Complete' book series that I am unaware of that could be allowed)

Prestige Classes: By approval. I understand that people want to plan for prestige classes at the beginning, so just let me know what you are planning. The only campaign specific prestige class is the Phoenix Guard. I will give entrance requirements for this to those that might be interested.

Ability Scores: Standard Point Buy method - all Ability Scores start at 8, with 25 extra points to spread out amongst them, with the following costs (Score [cost]):

9 [1], 10 [2], 11 [3], 12 [4], 13 [5], 14 [6], 15 [8], 16 [10], 17 [13], 18 [16]

Skills: Purchase skills normally with the following exceptions: Use Magic Device is not allowed for any characters. Rogues may substitute any 2 Knowledge skills for their class list.

Hit Points: Max at 1st level; Half +1 for every other level (6 points for fighters, 4 points for rogues, etc)

Starting Gold:

Aristocrat: 480

Barbarian: 160

Expert: 120

Fighter: 240

Monk: 20

Ranger: 240

Rogue: 200

My preference would be for folks to build their characters online at http://www.dndonlinegames.com/ (Create an account then use the 'Tools', 'Character Options' at the top right toolbar) then PM me the link.

I'd like to have 5 people (even if one is Zeke who builds a character and hands it off to me or someone else for 3 months), and would strongly recommend a druid. We're still in the somewhat early stages, so don't be expecting the game to start next week.

[Bahamut810]

Im going to make a ranger. I might change to druid if no one else wants to play it.

BTW, can someone explain any complications with the point buy method to me? I need to get the SRD again, but I dont remember it being in the SRD.

[Prince of Boredom]

Utterly stolen from the Prof in his Aberrant D20 game:

Ability Scores: Standard Point Buy method - all Ability Scores start at 8, with 25 extra points to spread out amongst them, with the following costs (Score [cost]):

9 [1], 10 [2], 11 [3], 12 [4], 13 [5], 14 [6], 15 [8], 16 [10], 17 [13], 18 [16]

[Bahamut810]

Stupid SRD...

How much cash do rangers start with?

[ProfPotts]

How does that sound? It would justify points in ride (time with the nomads) and even provides the opportunity for a multiclass in rogue (her escape); which in my mind would be a pretty formidable combination. I think her animistic religious practices would be strange enough that it would be considered a 'bad thing' to the local religion.

Sounds good to me - I'd pretty much decided on Barbarian 2, Rogue 1 for her three levels anyway - like you say, the Rogue level being from her post-capture life.

I was also thinking 'animistic' for the religious beliefs - I specifically thought that her 'rage' Barbarian class ability could be from (in her mind) a 'channeling of her totem spirit'. I was thinking that, as a rite of passage into adulthood, the young folk of her tribe go off alone to 'find their totem spirit' - in her case her personal totem spirit would be a jungle cat - so when she rages she gets to growl, hiss, & spit & go a bit feral (just descriptive details though - no change in what the thing actually does).

As for the escaping part - it actually crossed my mind that, if slavery existed in Aurum (you still haven't answered that one! ::tongue ), it might be fun to have her actually still enslaved & 'owned' by one of the other PCs! It'd be an interesting thing to role-play, & also give her the ideal reason to be along on any adventure her 'master' was on. Maybe one of the other PCs got lucky when gambling against her previous owner or something? Just a thought...

Oh - I was also wondering if the 'Noble' class (from the DMG) was available for PCs? Not for my character, but if you're going for a 'high fantasy' quest-type feel, then a minor royal in the party could be a nice motivator: & with starting at level 3 a player could get away with taking just one level of Noble, then levels in whatever other classes they were interested in. Again - just a thought. ::wink

[Bahamut810]

I have changed slightly. Im a hobbit archer (ranger class).

And I wouldent mind owning you Prof ::wink ::laugh

"Barbarian girl! Make me a sammich!"

[Prince of Boredom]

How much cash do rangers start with?

Good question, I've added starting gold for all classes to the character creation rules above.

I was also thinking 'animistic' for the religious beliefs - I specifically thought that her 'rage' Barbarian class ability could be from (in her mind) a 'channeling of her totem spirit'. I was thinking that, as a rite of passage into adulthood, the young folk of her tribe go off alone to 'find their totem spirit' - in her case her personal totem spirit would be a jungle cat - so when she rages she gets to growl, hiss, & spit & go a bit feral (just descriptive details though - no change in what the thing actually does).

I like it, gives some flavor to the standard, "Ok, I'm raging now...". And it will definately set her apart from the people of Aurum.

As for the escaping part - it actually crossed my mind that, if slavery existed in Aurum (you still haven't answered that one!  ), it might be fun to have her actually still enslaved & 'owned' by one of the other PCs! It'd be an interesting thing to role-play, & also give her the ideal reason to be along on any adventure her 'master' was on. Maybe one of the other PCs got lucky when gambling against her previous owner or something? Just a thought...

Hmm, unfortunately I can't see slavery being allowed in Aurum. At the end of the day the god Aurus is Lawful Good, and I just can't the theocracy allowing that. That being said, ther'es no reason that a pc couldn't be from the 'Ottoman' city (I pormise I plan on working out names for these cities this weekend) and decided to bring her with him on his journey to Aurum.

This brings up another point I wanted to mention. Not all fo the pc's necessarily need to be hired. As stated before, the pc's (those hired) would be escorting a caravan (ostensibly with some standard Aurum guards). There's no reason that one or two of the pc's couldn't just be travellers on their way to Ashbury and hitched on to the caravan. Perhaps her owner wanted to visit the fabled library of Ashbury...

Oh - I was also wondering if the 'Noble' class (from the DMG) was available for PCs? Not for my character, but if you're going for a 'high fantasy' quest-type feel, then a minor royal in the party could be a nice motivator: & with starting at level 3 a player could get away with taking just one level of Noble, then levels in whatever other classes they were interested in. Again - just a thought.

Very good point! I had actually thought about that a couple of weeks ago and just forgot to add it. I've added the Aristocrat and Expert classes to the character creation rules. I definately think one level of the Aristocrat is playable (even played in a campaign with one), at a minimum the starting gold is pretty beneficial. This would also make for a perfect character for your character's master.

One final thing. Just becasue there are no 'clerics' doesn't mean there are no priests. I have no problem with someone making a priest of Aurus, though they need to have at least 4 ranks in knowledge (religion). What that means is only someone with knowledge (religion) as a class skill can fill this role (Aristocrats, Experts, or Rogues). This is purely a roleplaying thing, but would definately provide benefits when in the Aurum Empire.

Still looking for more players!!!

[Bahamut810]

Hmm, unfortunately I can't see slavery being allowed in Aurum. At the end of the day the god Aurus is Lawful Good

Depends on the religion. Jeudism (sic) and Christianity (becuase of the old test.) both somewhat endorce slavery. Their alignment is arguable though ::wink .

[Prince of Boredom]

Well, I'd say that the Judeo-Christian god is clearly Lawful Good (though more lawful in the old testament and more good in the new testament), but that doesn't necessarily equate to the religion being the same.

That being said, this is D&D and there is black and white, with very little grey in between. With the proper powers (and there may be those out there even if not the pc's) the alignment of people and even some objects can be discerned. So there is actual Evil vs. the more White Wolf view (realistic) that evil is somewhat in the eye of the beholder.

And it is clearly stated in various D&D books that slavery, regardless of its reasons, is inherently an evil practice. Does that mean that owning a slave makes one evil? Not necessarily, but it definately pushes one in that direction. Cultural relativism only goes so far in D&D.

[Bahamut810]

Oddyknocky

Im just saying that it was somewhat endorces (at least in the book of lavidicus, where the rules are). I do think there oculd be some 'good' slave owners even in DnD...what about the guy who buys a slave, but treats the slave with respect? I dont think that DnD is black and white...people just like to play it that way.

[Prince of Boredom]

what about the guy who buys a slave, but treats the slave with respect?

But wouldn't it be better to buy the slave, and then set it free? As long as one is a slave, their fundamental liberty is taken away from them. No matter how nicely you treat them, they are not getting paid for their services and they can't leave even if they want to.

I dont think that DnD is black and white...

Sure, I suppose for those people who take one of the neutral alignments...

[ProfPotts]

I agree with PoB that the standard DnD setting material leans strongly towards a 'back & white' 'good Vs evil' morality - for the reasons he's already pointed out. In essence, in such a setting, there is a universal standard of morality - killing innocents is bad, slavery is bad, torture is bad, etc. - & alignment can play a big role in such a setting.

If I recall correctly a god's Clerics can be up to one position away from that god on one of their alighment axis - so a Lawful Good god can have Lawful Good, Neutral Good, & / or Lawful Neutral Clerics in his / her / its employ.

I asked about the slavery thing because in fantasy settings, especially DnD stuff, there are societies with (by modern standards) pretty enlightened morality systems.

Historically pretty much any society you'd care to examine has had slavery in one form or another - & in most cases it wasn't really such a bad thing as fantasy settings suggest: they tend to take their que from the (relatively recent, historically speaking) European / American trade in African slaves - which was far worse than most older 'slavery' systems in many regards. In many historic societies slaves were closer to our more modern concept of a 'wage slave' (i.e. someone who has little choice but to do the job they've ended up being stuck with) - slaves could often earn their own money, gain freedom, rise to any level on the social scale, & often had better living conditions than many poor non-slaves (in fact, in some societies, people would sell themselves into slavery rather than live the life of poverty). In such a society slavery wouldn't be 'evil' by its very nature (in fact, the original 'utopia' concept was based around a society where a slave class did all the work!) - in DnD (& PoB's setting) it is evil by its very nature: so it makes perfect sense that his Lawful Good ruled society wouldn't allow such a thing to exist within its borders.

I'll think some more on the ol' back-story... but there's no way I'm having a character enslaved to a Hobbit (which, by the way, is all copywright & stuff by the estate of the late, great, JRR - so we should probably stick to calling them 'halflings' - & in any case, the halfling pictures in the new DnD books look a lot nicer than any hair-legged ol' Bilbo! ::tongue ::wink ).

I'm thinking that she (my character - as yet nameless 'Barbarian chick') was captured in her homeland by an enemy tribe & traded to the desert nomads for horses (selling captured enemies into slavery being a relatively common occurance in that part of the world), like PoB suggested, ending up in one of the great opulant cities of the region. There she was trained in befitting skills (sandwich making & the like ::tongue ), before... [insert how character gets hooked up with other PCs]. I'd quite like to steer away from the old 'hated her new life & escaped' bit - since her new life would have been filled with wonders undreamt of in her homeland, not to mention regular meals she didn't have to kill & skin herself, shelter of the most comfortable kind, nice new clothes, & all those other comforts & luxuries which come with so-called 'civilisation'. I'm not planning on playing her as totally subservient or anything (not with that firey feral Barbarian temper just under the skin), but just as 'relatively content with her lot in life'.

I guess if their are no appropriate PCs (halfling rangers not being noted for their slave-ownership, for example ::rolleyes ) having her along with one of the NPC merchants would seem to make some sort of sense. Of course if you, PoB, are uncomfortable with the idea of an enslaved PC then I can dream up some way she's obtained freedom - maybe her master fell for her & freed her to marry her or something? I just thought it'd be an interesting concept to play. ::wink

[Bahamut810]

Dernet! I wanna win you in a poker game! You know you love that nice hobbit ownership!! Ill give you a nice collar and everything!!

[Prince of Boredom]

So, in the spirit of all of these old games having new life being brought into them, I'd like to rejuvenate this thread and see if there is still any interest in this D&D game.

If I do run it, it will be on a different site that is a bit better equipped to handle D&D games, and Heritage has volunteered to help as a co-DM (I've put a fair amount of thought into this in the last year or so).

So, let me know if you have any interest in playing, or helpimg me and Heritage out as a DM, I never turn down help.

P.S. While knowledge of 3.5 D&D rules is of course helpful, I am more than willing to work with someone totally new to the D20 world, and based on your character concept helping you build a character.

P.S.S This is not a game that is going to start tomorrow! This is still has lead time involved in getting various pieces together, but I'm trying to see if it's worth my time to do so.

PoB

[SkyLion]

Shade Sentinel is running a DnD game as well that needs players...

[tooho]

I'm interested! My D&D books are getting dusty.