Sunday 24 July 2011

Yaztromo's account of the Hammer

"According to legend, the Hammer of the Dwarves was forged ages ago by the Arch-Sorceress Yannisara for Gillibran's forefather, the dwarven King Gillibran I of Redweed, in grateful thanks for his aid in the War of the Wizards. This was long ago, long before Redweed fell to the armies of Zagor, now Warlock of Firetop Mountain. Nowadays only the divided Dwarf realms of Stonebridge and Mirewater remain, shadows of Redweed's greatness. But Gillibran is the true heir of Redweed, for all that Tharri Ugenther of Mirewater would dispute the claim."

Thursday 21 July 2011

Game Turns

I will generally allow a day for players to post in response to an event, longer if it's a critical situation or I'm AFK.  :-)
If one PC suggests a reasonable-sounding course of action (eg go left at a crossroads) and no one else objects within a day, that's what the party will do.
In combat, if a player does not post within about a day I'll take it they do something reasonable, usually attack, or follow the guidance of other PCs - eg retreat if the other PCs are retreating - and roll for them if necessary.

I will normally assume the PCs are 'taking 10' on relevant skill checks, I may do some rolls for PCs where necessary.

Chalice

Chalice is a small town lying on the banks of Silver River at the base of Moonstone Hills. It has grown from being merely a cluster of cabins and huts to its present size mainly because it became an important trading centre for prospectors seekiing gold in the hills. It was the first safe haven for merchants who had travelled west from the Flatlands on their way to Silverton. In Chalice they could rest and do business without fear of attack. There are plenty of inns and places of entertainment, and it used to be among the most boisterous towns of Allansia.
The home town of the PCs, Chalice is ruled by the aged King Pindar.  Mindful of his advancing years and the threats to his small city-state from the forces of Evil, Pindar currently seeks an alliance with the more powerful Kingdom of Salamonis through the betrothal of his son Prince Barinjhar to the daughter of King Salamon, the Princess Sarissa.
Notable locations in Chalice include The Lion Inn, a large two-storied guest house.

Wednesday 20 July 2011

The Party - PCs

Time in Game: Day 3, 07:00 


Party XP Tally:   400 XP
XP to Level: 1000


Party Battle Order
Unless told otherwise I'll default to warriors in front, others right behind,  ie:


Keena (Rgr)-Paaq (Ftr)
Jonath (Rog)-Kip (Rog)
Chera (noncom)


Initiative Roster & Spot Skill
Eric +0       Spot +2
Paaq +2     Spot +0
Jonath +3  Spot +5
Kip +3      Spot +3
Keena +3 Spot +4

1. Name: Paaq, "Red Pocket"
Class: Fighter
Level:1
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Age: 23
Appearance: Broad of jaw, shoulder, and more than slightly of stomach, with unkempt, stringy black hair, Paaq is hardly the dashing soldier, but a smile is rarely far from his mouth, and his blue-green eyes invite playful words from more than a few ladies. He typically wears a dull brown surcoat, with a single red pocket sewn on, over either mail or tunic, with pack, cloak, and baldric for sword and shield slung over his back.


2. Name: “Kip”  - Roxanne Kipwell
Class: Rogue
Level: 1
Sex: M (Really F) - The other PCs think she's a male youth called Kip.
Race: Human
Age: 19
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Appearance: Tall, thin as a rail. Dark black hair, cut roughly and short (with her own dagger), brown eyes.

3. Name: Jonath Cailan
Class: Rogue
Level: 1
Sex: M
Race: Human
Age: 19
Appearance: Tall and whip-thin, Jonath has sandy brown hair and bright, hazel eyes. His skin is well-tanned from months spent out on the open ocean, and his gait has the characteristic roll common to shorebound sailors.




4. Name:  Keena Gladomaine
Class:  Ranger
Level:  1
Sex:  Female
Race: Half-Elf
Age:  24 yrs old
Appearance:
--Height: 4'9"
--Weight: 108 lbs
--Eyes: Green
--Hair:  Auburn Red, wavy, shoulder length
Attractive and lithe looking. Generally wears her leathers and armor when adventuring.




Name: Eric Harper, Arbiter
Class: Paladin of Libra
Level: 1
Sex: Male
Race: Man
Age: 27
Appearance: A fairly attractive man, with short, brown hair and blue-gray eyes. He is 6'1", weighs 190
pounds, broad shouldered. He lacks the typical scars found on most warriors. He is usually stern,
but he does have slight "smile" wrinkles that betray his generally happy nature.

Sample PC/Companion NPC - Lirael

Here's a sample PC, Lirael, I may run her as a Companion NPC in the party if she fits in, eg as the friend, relative or lover of one of the PCs:

Name: Lirael of Chalice, Sorceress
Class: Sorcerer
Level:1
Sex: Female
Race: Human
Age: 25
Alignment: CG
Appearance: Very shapely, glamourous brunette of about 5'6", Lirael wears a black leather bodice, skirt and high-heeled thigh boots, carrying a traveller's pack.  She has shoulder length hair and a lightly tanned complexion.
Background & Personality: From a well to do family in Chalice; Lirael's family are rumoured to have draconic or even demonic ancestry, which occasionally manifests in sorcerous powers.  Disdaining the settled life of a burgher's wife, following a final ultimatum from her father after the latest rejection of a would-be suitor, she has set out to seek her fortune with an adventuring band. 
STR 10 (+0)
DEX 14 (+2)  Reflex Save +2 Initiative: +6
CON 12 (+1) Fort Save +1
INT 10 (+0)   Skill Points 3/Level
WIS 10 (+0)  Will Save +2
CHA 18 (+4)  Spell Save DC 14+Spell Level

Hit Points: 8   (4 +1 CON +3 feat)
Feats: Toughness +3hp, Improved Initiative +4 Init
Skills: Bluff 4 ranks (+8), Spellcraft 4 ranks (+4), Concentration 4 ranks (+5) 
Spells/Day: 5 0th level, 4 1st level
Spells Known: (0th) Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Light, Read Magic
(1st) Charm Person for 1 hr sv DC 15, Magic Missile (1d4+1).Weapons: 
Longspear ATT +0 dam 1d8 (crit x3) Reach 10'
Club ATT +0 dam 1d6 (crit x2)
Light X-bow ATT +2 dam 1d8 (crit 19-20/x2)
Armour: None  Armour Class: 12
Other Equipment: Backpack w waterskin, 1 day trail rations, bedroll, sack, flint & steel, 5 pints of oil, spell component pouch, case w 10 x-bow bolts.
Gold: 3 gp, 5 sp

Combat

When combat begins, I (the DM) will normally tell you (the Players):

1. Initiative - Whether any PCs get to act before the monsters act.
2. The monsters' Defenses (their AC and saving throw bonuses to Fortitude, Reflex & Will, total Hit Points, resistances) and how far apart they are from you and from each other in feet (5'=1 square).

Actions are then resolved in order of posting.

You should:
Using the ENW online dice roller you should then declare your movement & attacks, roll for your attacks, roll for any monster saving throws, roll for damage, and declare the effects - which monsters are killed, charmed etc.

Example of Combat: Player A, Player B, and the DM.
DM rolls for initiative - A beats the monsters (A wins Init), monsters beat Player B (B loses Init).

Player A Acts
Monsters Act
Players A + B Act in order of posting
Monsters Act
Players A + B Act in order of posting
Monsters Act
Players A + B Act in order of posting
Monsters Act
Players A + B Act in order of posting
etc

Until the fight ends.

Death & Dying

PCs at negative Hit Points do not automatically lose hp each round, but may die eventually if they do not receive medical attention.
Monsters & NPCs typically die at -1 hp.  PCs die normally at -10 hp.   

Sunday 17 July 2011

Players' Introduction

You have decided to start your adventuring lives by
traversing Allansia in search of Dragons, Maidens in
distress or hordes of rampaging Orcs and Goblins.
However, since leaving Chalice a couple of days ago
your journey has been quite uneventful. The scenery
here to the west of the Moonstone Hills is beautiful.
Vast open lands of lush green grass and pictorial
rivers set against the backdrop of hills never ceases
to take your breath away. A few miles to the north
lies the vast arboreal expanse known as Darkwood
Forest. Its southern borders can be plainly seen from
your position, and at last the open plains are beginning
to be broken up by clumps of trees and bushes.
Night is drawing in and this looks as good-a-place
as any to camp for the night.
After a good meal by the campfire it is time to set up
watch for the night. You are deciding who will take
first watch when you hear a twig snap beneath a
clumsy foot just outside your camp perimeter.
Grabbing your weapons you take up your positions
in case of an attack. From the direction of the twig
snapping, a low moaning noise followed by the thud
of a body dropping to the ground is heard. Slowly
you walk over to the bushes from where the noise
was heard and pull back the branches cautiously.
Lying on the ground grimacing in pain is a Dwarven
Warrior clad in a Chainmail suit and open faced helmet.
Kneeling down next to him you can see two
Crossbow bolts protrude from his armour-clad torso.
Although the Dwarf is heavy, you manage to move
him close to your fire and stir it's dying embers back
to life. The warrior lies there for a while moaning
and groaning. He then sits bolt upright, eyes staring
fixedly ahead and shouts,

"I'll get them! I'll get them! Don't you fear, Gillibran, Bigleg is coming to bring
you the Hammer. Oh yes, indeed I am. Oh yes…". He
slumps back down. With half closed eyes he stares at
you and whispers," Help us. Take …the Hammer to
Gillibran. Only… the …Hammer will unite our people
against the ……Hilltrolls. We were on our…
way to Darkwood Forest to search for the…
Hammer. Ambushed…… - others killed. The map in my
pouch will take you to the home ……of
……Yaztromo, the Master Mage of these parts. He
…has great magics for …sale… to protect you
against the…… creatures …of Darkwood. Take my
gold. …I beg ……you to find the Hammer ……and
take it….. to Gillibran ……my Lord of Stonebridge.
……You will be well rewarded."

He opens his mouth to speak again but all that comes out is his
dying breath. Opening his pouch you find the map he
was talking about and if your position is correct,
Yaztromo's Tower isn't too far away. Bigleg's money
pouch, which he asked you take and help the
Dwarves, contains 150gp...

Player Character Creation

PCs are created at 1st level, using the 3.5 edition Dungeons & Dragons rules - see here

Basic Character Creation is  - PCs are created with 32 Point Buy, with costs as follows.

8 (0 points)
9 (1 point)
10 (2 points)
11 (3 points)
12 (4 points)
13 (5 points)
14 (6 points)
15 (8 points)
16 (10 points)
17 (13 points)
18 (16 points)

The following default arrays are 32 points:

16 (10 points)
14 (6 points)
14 (6 points)
12 (4 points)
12 (4 points)
10 (2 points)

18 (16 points)
14 (6 points)
12 (4 points)
12 (4 points)
10 (2 points)
8 (0 points)

Class: PCs may be any Base class except Cleric & Druid.  Wizards & Sorcerors can cast the Cure spells as a Cleric of their level, and possibly other Divine spells - check with DM.
Race: PCs may be Dwarf, Elf, Half-Elf, Half-Orc ("Man-Orc"), or Human ("Man")- see here
Spells and Feats: Must be from the 3.5 PHB or d20 SRD

Alignment: PCs may be any non-evil Alignment.
Equipment: PCs begin with average starting wealth, non-magical equipment only, as follows:

Barbarian: 100gp
Bard: 100gp
Fighter: 150gp
Monk: 12gp, 5sp
Paladin: 150gp
Ranger: 150gp
Rogue: 125gp
Sorcerer: 75gp
Wizard: 75gp

Religion on Titan
People normally revere the entire Celestial Court (below), although they may pay particular reverence to one or two of the Celestial gods.

Gods of Titan - The Celestial Court
Sindla Avana (f) - Luck & Fate
Titan - Father of the World
Libra (f) - Truth & Justice
Asrel (f) - Beauty & Love
Usrel (f) - Peace
Courga - Grace
Fourga - Pride
Telak - courage
Rogaar - Lord of Lions, Patron of Mercenaries & Warriors
Hamaskis - Learning, Scholars, Wizards
Galana (f) - Plants & Fertility, Elves - favoured by Druids
Varantar - Shepherds
Throff (f) - Earth, Dwarves
Filash - Fire
Glantanka (f) - Sun
Verlanka - Smelting & Metalwork
Lorodil - Volcanoes
Sukh - Storm
Pangara - Winds
Hydana - Waters
Aqualis - Rivers
Farigiss - Ice & Cold
Solinthar - Mariners
Fulkra - Travellers

Separate from the Celestial Court is Lord Logaan the Trickster, said to have created Man and Woman during the Godtime.

The Lords of Evil
Evil creatures on Titan may revere the powers of Entropy such as Death and his brothers Disease and Decay, and the Seven Demon Princes of the Pit: Ishtra, Myurr, Sith, Kalin, Relem, Shakor & Vradna.

Personality, Appearance & Background
Please include brief notes on the personality, appearance and background of your PC.  As play begins the PCs have recently left the small township of Chalice, upstream on the Silver River from the larger town of Silverton.  Chalice is a mostly Human settlement, with small numbers of Elves, Half-Elves, Dwarves and Half-Orcs.  You are free to create local friendly & related NPCs as part of your character background, eg a Dwarf Fighter might have been apprenticed to a Dwarven Smith, a Human Wizard likely had a wizardly mentor, a Half-Elf Paladin may be from a local Knightly family, a Half-Orc Barbarian may have left an Orc tribe in the Moonstone Hills, and so on.

Levelling Up
GM will track Party XP.  You level up at the following XP totals:
XP Total   Level
0                1
1000          2
3000          3
6000          4
10000        5
15000        6
21000        7
28000        8
36000        9
45000      10 (maximum level on Titan)

Retraining
I'm using the PHB2 rule whereby you may retrain 1 Feat, Skill, Sorcerer Spell, etc upon Level-Up.

E10 Advancement
For every 10,000 XP gained after Level 10, the PC can gain either 1 Feat  or 4 Skill Points.  Maximum Skill Ranks remains at 13 for class skills, 6 for non-class skills.

Feats
Level restrictions are capped at 10, eg Forge Ring requires caster level 10, Greater Weapon Specialisation requires Fighter Level 10.

Hit Points above 1st Level
Hit dice are rolled after 1st level.  However PCs receive at least half the maximum roll on each die rolled, eg if a player rolls a '3' on a d10, the PC gets +5 hit points.

New Feats

Shield Specialisation
Requires: Fighter Level 3
Benefit: The PC's Shield bonus to AC when wielding a shield increases by +1 (to +2 Light, +3 Heavy) and the PC gains a +1 Shield bonus to Reflex saving throw.

Greater Shield Specialisation
Requires: Shield Specialisation, Fighter Level 9
Benefit: The PC's Shield bonus to AC when wielding a shield increases by an additional +1 (to +3 Light, +4 Heavy) and they gain a +2 Shield bonus to Reflex saving throw.

Crafting & Buying Magic Items
All magic item creation requires rare and special components, which are only occasionally available to purchase, and then in limited numbers.  Likewise, only a few specific magic items are available for sale even in major population centres, and locating them will take effort.

Optional Blank Character Sheet for submitting PCs

Name:
Class:
Level:
Sex:
Race:
Age:
Alignment:
Appearance:
Background & Personality:
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
Hit Points:
Feats:
Skills:
Spells & Powers:
Weapons:
Armour & Armour Class:
Other Equipment:

Maps