Interest check-in for a 5th Edition D&D game

[bhu]

Half-Orc or Human Barbarian/Berserker Outlander sound good?

[VennDygrem]

If they're a renegade, it's more of a 'I've pissed off the Spider Queen and would rather not die' than 'I reject this culture!' Especially likely if they're a noble that gave the middle finger to being a priestess for some reason. Which also means their reason for being here is probably less dire for the surface, since it will not eventually result in raids or the like.

Ah, but people on the surface don't know that. 

Still, I trust you'll come up with a good back story for it.

Half-Orc or Human Barbarian/Berserker Outlander sound good?

Sounds good. Now just see if you can come up with some background story for him, explain where he comes from, why he's adventuring, etc.

The same goes for everyone. I'd like to have at least two to three sentences to describe who your character is, where they come from or basically what led them to where they are now, what their motivations are, who their enemies or friends are, etc. For example, I've got a Drow character in another PbP game being run by Oslecamo, following the City of the Spider Queen campaign module. If this were for a 5e game, she would probably be a Drow Sorcerer or Warlock, with the Acolyte background (or, perhaps, a custom Background). For her, I'd write:

Aullara dha'Kanyl is a Drow with a hint of demon's blood in her ancestry, which afforded her special privileges early on in Drow society. Though she had always had an affinity for arcane magic, particularly force spells, she was selected to join Lolth's clergy as a Priestess. Before she could complete her final trial, Lolth fell silent, and so Aullara ventured out to uncover the mystery surrounding her Goddess's apparent disappearance.

That's just an example. You can be more descriptive (as I was in the actual character sheet and write-up), or limit it to just a couple lines that gives the gist of the character's core concept from a roleplaying perspective. If you're not sure on specific details, the backgrounds in the PHB have some random-roll tables for character traits, flaws, ideals, etc. There's also always the ten-minute background.

[Raineh Daze]

I have no idea what to do for equipment stuff. I'm a monk.

Or why the character sheet has an actual background line? @_@

[VennDygrem]

I have no idea what to do for equipment stuff. I'm a monk.

There's certainly mundane equipment that's useful to a Monk, and plenty of magic items that could be useful (there are some listed in both the DM's Basic Rules and the Hoard of the Dragon Queen Online Supplement). Besides this, custom items can also be created. For instance, I made a pair of magic bracers for the monk in my tabletop game which granted his unarmed strike the same benefits as the Flame Tongue magic longsword listed in the playtest document (essentially, a +1 Flaming weapon. +1 att/dmg, +1d6 fire damage). I made up a pair of Goggles of Night Vision to grant limited duration darkvision to a human character. I even adapted the Ring of the Darkhidden for a character. So far, it hasn't really seen use, though the characters have largely been adventuring in open spaces during the daytime.

If there's a low-cost or low-power magic item you like from another edition, we can work to adapt it, unless there's an existing equivalent in 5e.

Or why the character sheet has an actual background line? @_@

The Background line is to list which Background you took, such as "Sage" or "Outlander." If you create your own, I suppose you could just give it a short descriptor as well.

[Raineh Daze]

But I don't know what sort of funds there are. 20gp is probably too low for level 3.

... or at least haven't found the right place to find that out.

[VennDygrem]

But I don't know what sort of funds there are. 20gp is probably too low for level 3.

... or at least haven't found the right place to find that out.

I mentioned before, everyone begins with as much mundane equipment as you like, within reason, 200 gp, 2 magic potions (typically potions of healing or you can swap one or both out with a potion of climbing, which lets you auto-succeed on athletics checks to climb for 1 hour, or a potion of jumping, which triples your jump distance for 1 hour, or a Longstrider potion, which increases your speed by 10 ft. for 1 hour) and either 2 uncommon-rarity magic items or 1 magic item that's somewhat more powerful without necessarily being a rare item - most likely a custom item like a weapon, amulet, staff, etc. that is tied into your background and fits your character concept a bit better, and makes up for only starting with one magic item rather than 2 - for instance, an heirloom sword that acts as a +1 weapon, but can be activated to spray a cone of fire once per short rest, or a ring of cold resistance that allows you to summon a magical shield of ice (or fire, or whatever). Not quite a rare item's power, but more than an uncommon one. I still rather expect most of you to select the two uncommon items, though the heirloom item may grow in power as you gain levels. Occasional other magic items may as well, though it's more of a rarity than usual.

[Raineh Daze]

Ah, I missed that paragraph. Sorry.

[VennDygrem]

It's no problem.

Also, for those who only have access to a limited version of the full rules, the basic rules pdf only has the Acolyte, Criminal (w/ variant: spy), Folk Hero, Sage, and Soldier backgrounds. The PHB has all of those plus Charlatan, Entertainer (variant: gladiator), Guild Artisan (variant: merchant), Hermit, Noble (variant: knight), Outlander, Sailor (variant: pirate), and Urchin. If you don't have the full PHB and want to know what you get from one of the others because it seems to fit your ideal background, let me know and I'll get you the relevant info.

[Gazzien]

Bigogan Kaelang, a work-in-progress. His name rhymes with Toboggan.

[bhu]

Sounds good. Now just see if you can come up with some background story for him, explain where he comes from, why he's adventuring, etc.

John Johnston was born during a human-orc war, during which his elder brother was lost.  His human father was not his biological one, and was also a violent drunk who nearly worked John to death.  John was sent to work the farms of other men to pay off his father's debts, and was notable for his temperament.  Kicked off the farms he tried working on sailing ships but never had quite the knack for it (i.e. he killed too many fellow sailors).  Fleeing, he moved inland where he where he mined, hunted, trapped, wolfed, bootlegged, peddled whiskey, cut wood and worked as a scout for various armies in their campaign against the Orcs. 

At some point he even took a human wife, but their life in the mountains was cut short when John was called into service.  When he returned her bones had been picked clean, as well as the bones of his unborn child.  Signs of Orcs  were in the vicinity, and John assumed it was revenge for his aid to the humans and elves.  Doing what came naturally, he declared war on the entire Orc nation, making it a point of hunting and ambushing their warriors before cutting out their livers and eating them.  He now accepts work from anyone willing to fight the Orcs or their allies, assuming anyone is desperate enough to hire him.

[linklord231]

Erenor Nailo is a scholor, focused primarily on religion and history.  In his studies, he stumbled unwittingly and unwillingly into a Pact with a being beyond space and time.  He now jealously guards the secrets revealed to him, so that they cannot fall into "the wrong hands" (whoever that might be).

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I wish that I was not burdened with the knowledge that I have.  It haunts me daily - tormenting me in my dreams, and seeping into my waking thoughts.  What voice is this, that whispers to me in the darkness?  It speaks no language I have heard of, and I have studied many.  Yet somehow, I understand it.  It teaches me many things, things that no mortal mind has any right to know.  Secrets of the planes, of magic, and of the Powers beyond both.  Things I cannot know, do not want to know!

It started almost a decade ago, when my colleague sent me a mysterious stone statue, asking me to look into its origin.  It was a small thing, no bigger than a child's closed fist, made of some unidentifiable stone and shaped roughly like a toad.  Something about its shape was unsettling, almost sinister, although to this day I cannot describe what made it appear so.  My research into this fetish led me to an old Calishite tome by the poet Abd Al-Azrad, bound in dyed purple leather and embossed in gold, the title of which has no corresponding word in Common, but roughly translates to "The Noise of the Roaring Wind Rushing from the Depths of Pandemonium."  This is the book that has changed my life forever.  I began reading it in the hopes of gleaning some insight into the statue, but that goal was forgotten almost the instant I opened the tome. 

From the moment I started reading, I was compelled to do nothing else until I had finished the last word.  I could not eat nor sleep, only drink in the knowledge conveyed in this strange grimoire.  For days I poured over this dusty tome, until I could recite it word for word.  And yet even now, all these years later, I continue to discover new insights each time I open it.  I am terrified.  The knowledge I have gained from this book and from the voices that I hear since I read it is not fit for men to know.  I must not allow this book and the secrets it contains to fall into the wrong hands, but neither can I destroy it - and how have I tried!  I have burned it, buried it, inked over every page... and yet each time, I find it again in perfect condition.  I cannot rid myself of it, even if I wanted to.  I fear that this book is bound to me, and I to it.  I know not for what purpose, and I fear that even if I did, I would not wish to know. 

[Rin]

So I'm trying to decide upon a Background, but none of the ones in the basic rules seem to fit my vague ideas.  Any chance of getting a quick rundown of Hermit or Urchin, since those sound closer to what I'm considering?

[VennDygrem]

@Rin: First page of the Hermit background, only missing the Bond and Flaws table; all of those tables are merely suggestions if you have no other ideas how to proceed. I can get an image of the second page though if you'd like.

As for the Urchin, they get the following:
Skill proficiencies: sleight of hand, stealth
Tool proficiencies: Disguise kit, thieve's tools
Equipment (not applicable, but might help fill out your gear): A small knife, a map of the city you grew up in, a pet mouse, a token to remember your parents by, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 gp.
Feature: City Secrets - You know the secret patterns and flow to cities and can find passages through the urban sprawl that others would miss. When you are not in combat, you (and companions you lead) can travel between any two locations in the city twice as fast as your speed would normally allow.

Urchins grew up on the street, struggling for food, shelter, and enough money to live by. Basically, you're Oliver Twist or the Artful Dodger (though he may have a bit more of Criminal in his background).

To everyone: Backgrounds can be customized and shifted around as well, so if just about everything works but one part, you can swap something in or out, or you can make up your own background, selecting any two skills (these should be applicable to your background), up to two tool proficiencies or languages (can mix and match), and a Feature, either one from any of the listed backgrounds or we can work to come up with something appropriate to your history.

@Gazzien: Looking good so far. Just as a reminder, your list of prepared spells is a single pool (in this case, your Int mod + your wizard level = 7), and you can prepare any spells of any level you know in that pool up to the limit, rather than having a separate pool for each spell level.

@bhu: Sounds good! Seems like he could easily have a bit of both Sailor and Outlander backgrounds, so you could mix and match the proficiencies of both into one background if you like. I'll try to include some particularly nasty Orcs for Liver-Eating Johnston to disembowel. 

@linklord: Excellent! That's perfect, and gives me plenty of material to work with to torment integrate your character into the campaign. 

[Michael Lightning]

Kalavar, Wood Elf cleric, Acolyte background. He was part of a normal family until his father died in the war and his mother died from illness while he was still a child. He was taken in by a priest of a local church. The church has multiple orders within it, each worshiping a particular god and giving unique training. They start training apprentice clergymen in only the basic of faith, allowing the apprentices to choose their specialty. The day before Kalavar was to make this choice, he came back to the priest's home to see him murdered, with a sorcerer standing above him, holding a wand. Kalavar leapt at the sorcerer as he rose the wand to strike him. In the struggle, the wand broke, and the sorcerer beat him back, then vanished. The following day, he made his choice of domain: War.

He kept the broken piece of wand as a trinket, as a reminder of why he chose his path: so that he could track the sorcerer down and kill him for murdering the man who saved his life. Constant loss and his training has hardened his heart, preventing him from having his opinions swayed in the slightest. He also is very devout. He believes that the Gods' voices are everywhere; one just needs to know where to look, and listen.

[Raineh Daze]

Mechanically comple!  Well, aside from equipment. Even has a name that sounds like mashing your face against the keyboard.

Amusingly, I get Common and Elvish, but not Undercommon, and I didn't want to use the bonus language on that. Okay, DSL isn't in the rules, but this is FR. XD

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Phyrfryn'ual was, in every respect, your default young dark elf: learning how drow society works through trying to avoid fratricidal assassinations and watching the major players orchestrate eradication of entire other houses--and paying the ultimate price if there was a single survivor willing to come forward. However, she was unfortunately born into a position of nobility, which made the backstabbing attempts far too common and determined that she was going to become a priestess, willing or not.

Being about as graceful at politics as a drunken dwarf, Phyr was entirely unable to talk her way out of it, much like she was incredibly bad at trying to set up the death of her siblings. Indeed, if it weren't for her uncanny ability to notice and dodge attempted murder, she'd never have had to worry about spending her life trying to improve her status and standing in the eyes of the goddess; graves are quite peaceful places.

She took a different option: running away from home entirely, with no idea where she was going to go. Joining a mercenary group was an option, as was just disappearing into and trying to survive the perils of the underdark. Instead, she stumbled upon the sort of thing best kept secret, but inevitably present with a society as murderous as the drow: a sect of assassins. Rather than one reliant on daggers, she found a group split--as the drow always were--between the two lines of harnessing the shadows, and simply controlling the elements through sheer force of will. Either way required iron discipline of body and mind, and both agreed on the physical fundamentals.

It was really the perfect environment for one with her natural inclinations, and as a noble who'd kept their signet ring, she would be quite useful in some more high-profile situations... when her training was complete. That, however, was delayed: when payment came in for the very group she was with to kill her, Phyr realised it was high time to kill the messenger, leave the money, and head far away, citing 'getting experience'--not an altogether unique occurrence. Through practice, and needing to avoid being eaten, she actually began to learn some of the abilities she'd seen senior members display... and used this new affinity with the elements to follow the faintest breeze up to the surface.

Nobody was going to look for her here, were they?

TL;DR version: Drow noble, sucked at politicing, left 'proper' society for an order of warrior/assassin monks*, currently on the surface to avoid retribution.

*Taking you up on your offer to swap the game proficiency for some other tool proficiency: thieves tools. Don't think anyone else has them, and she's supposed to be half-trained (since low-levelled) as an assassin monk.

Thinking that the signet ring would probably be one of those 'slightly stronger' magical items if I remember things right. Though items of drow manufacture tend to not fare so well when exposed to sunlight over long periods of time...

[Rin]

Thank you!  Looking them over, I think Hermit fits better.  I don't think I'll be needing the second page though.  Thank you.

[Raineh Daze]

Looking through the rules: the lifestyle thing seems pretty interesting. :O

[Gazzien]

Looking through the rules: the lifestyle thing seems pretty interesting. :O

It also means that commoners must be making more than 1gp / year!
...
That's still a joke people make, right? was it ever?
...
I need more sleep.

[caelic]

Working on two characters: Mad Morgan the druid, and Garrick Redferne, smuggler, freelancer, and bard.  Kinda liking Garrick better at the moment, but I'll play whichever one fits the group best.

[bhu]

http://invisiblecastle.com/stats/view/36627/  set 1

http://invisiblecastle.com/stats/view/36628/  set 2


Im'ma roll with 2 ...