So I had been working on a
huge story for a new game for some time (drawing inspiration from books and classic games). I dm’ed a few times before, and no longer being new
I feel like I can finally create a successful campaign. I already wrote out the major plot points so there is an endgame for this tale already in the works. I also came to realise that
the pc to gm ratio appears to be 100000:1, so I can take my time organising a party. I am looking for a very specific
kind of player that will really enjoy this campaign and as such the application
process will involve a bit of vetting. I won’t make you create a character
sheet before even applying, I dislike spending that much time on something
before even getting in. But I would like to know more about you as a player to
see if you match the game, starting with players who like to read … enjoy! edit- LF a co-GM as well, details are here - co-GM link .
BACKSTORY
The year was AN 1000 (After
Najrasi – prophet and bride of the Creator). It was the day of the Millenial
World Fair. I
remember that day well, the sun was setting on the ocean horizon, the water an
ebullient orange, mixed with flakes of gold and auburn.The sun was warm, surprising for this time of year. The
gentle embrace of light heated the sand to just the right temperature, like a
grainy blanket. Representatives from every Kingdom across every land had
arrived not a fortnight past, and now on the eve of the opening day, the capital
city of the Kingdom of Neeyus was lit up like a clear night sky.
You each
received a parcel a few nights ago. Old man Jirard has summoned you yet again
to his estate to reveal his latest invention, a teleporter if you can believe
it! He plans on unveiling it at the fair but can't wait until then to show it off. But at least Jirard‘s son, your childhood friend, Tir will be there. And you
know wherever Tir is, Princess Zorina is not far behind. Yes, the princess…
wait, what was I talking about? Right, off we go, to Jirard’s!
INTRODUCTION
A lazy afternoon like any
other… a seemingly normal fair will see you tossed into an epic adventure
spanning across time. Get ready to fight not only for the survival of the
present but also of the past and future in a tale that weaves events across
millennia together into a story about a fight for civilisation itself. Explore settings ranging from futuristic dystopias to the middle ages to prehistoric times as you race across the strings of history alongside trusted (?) companions.
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This is a grand sweeping
epic where the heroes struggle against many powerful forces. The world is
filled with important lore and fascinating characters.
The feel is gritty and
brutal. Combat is the easiest answer but not always the best one. Stealth,
intrigue, politics, manipulation and cunning are awarded, as is excellent
roleplaying. Morality is never black and white and neither are your choices.
Don’t expect the ‘good’ guys to be trustworthy pillars of justice and the
‘evil’ guys to be cartoony stereotypes.
There are large personal and
party roleplaying XP awards for non-combat options. LORE Lore will be a huge deal. I am creating many small handouts about backgrounds for new kingdoms/continents the party sees as well as key NPCs the party meets. They won't be essays, just small paragraphs. Furthermore, each character depending on their race and class will get extra information that they would know about an area. For example, an elf might know that there was an elf-gnome war in this land 200 years ago and their lore sheet would say the elves believe the gnomes started it because the gnomes coveted the southern elven territory with its beautiful hot springs, whereas the gnome's lore sheet would say that they believe the elves started it because the elves wanted the new steam boat gnomish technology. This I believe will give players much more context with which to rp. Class lore sheets, on the other hand, would contain different kinds of information, for example - fighters knowing where the best local smiths are, rogues knowing the names of the local underworld or black market guilds and maybe a few underworld contacts, divine casters knowing a bit about the local religions and locations of local orphanages, arcane casters knowing the best local wizarding schools and famous mages nearby etc. I expect players to read lore sheets and use them in the copious amounts of rp occurring heh...
THE DM STYLE
The focus is on the story.
There might be an overall railroad track in this game. If you detest being
railroaded at all, this game is NOT for you. There are plenty of sandbox open
world do whatever you want games out there for you, this game is for those who want to
play out an epic story. The choices you make along the way, which there are
many, are your own, but there won’t be an overhaul of the entire story because
I already wrote the main plot points into an epic tale that I believe players
are going to truly enjoy. There is also not just one ending. However, you will
not be able to abandon the main quest and become lazy pirates sipping mojitos or something. Imagine
the game as more Legend of Zelda less Elder Scrolls.
I tend to homebrew some stuff
- usually banning op stuff, also some bosses and key npcs get homebrew
abilities corresponding to the story.
I also tend to go for good ‘production’
values - good maps, tokens that fit in, no white backgrounds, etc. I use dynamic
lighting and api scripts as well to create a better experience for players. - Brief digression to discuss a requirement to apply - Type a number 2 at the start of your application below to ensure you read
THE ROLEPLAYING SYSTEM
Sometimes rp can lead to
better item/exp awards than actual combat. Skill rolls also involve a lot of
rp. Sometimes the rp is more important than the roll itself. Skills such as
diplo, bluff, intimidate, gather info, sense motive, etc need to be rp’d out.
The roll in combination with the rp is used to determine success. Certain
racial and class abilities also need to be rp’d out (to be determined after
classes are chosen).
ABOUT THE SESSIONS
Timing is yet to be
finalised. My timezone is est so I am thinking either tu or th evening anytime or anytime later on Saturday or anytime at all on Sunday.
The sessions are run using
a combination of Roll20 and Skype and tend to last quite a while.
ROLES TO BE FILLED
I require that party member
roles do not overlap. In my gaming experience, this leads to less hurt feeling
and more individual enjoyment when each person has something to do. That being
written, there should be no single party face as everyone should be allowed to rp as
it is so important to this game. As skills can be rp’d out for massive bonuses,
you don’t need to be a skill monkey to talk in a negotiation.
The general roles are –
frontliner tank, melee damage, ranged damage, blaster, battlefield controller,
buffer or debuffer, healer, other support, stealth/scout.
CHARACTER CREATION
Your initial character is
built with normal point buy of 32. Starting at level 4. However, until you are
accepted please do not focus on character sheets as they are way less important
than the rest.
You should craft a small
paragraph about your personality as well. This can include backstory to explain
your personality but for the most part I am not interested in PC backstory,
only their present personality/goals/dreams.
Rest of creation rules –
gold, hp, etc – will be outlined later.
HOW DO YOU JOIN/REQUIREMENTS?
You must answer the
following info and then I can friend you on skype for a short interview. After
this you are invited and can submit a character sheet. Not reading all the above info or answering the following info is likely to lead to a rejection for the game.
- Name
- Class - no limits except as outlined in the ban list below - Race, Limited to base races
- Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Orcs, Halflings, Half-Elf, Half-Orc - others to be discussed to see if they would fit in. - General Concept/personality - 1-2 sentences for now - Confirm you have skype and
that the times work for you. - Must be familiar with 3.5, no new players sorry! - No character sheet required yet. - Confirm you are okay to commit to be a regular, the game could last a while -
miss 2 unexplained sessions and you are replaced. Of course I know stuff gets in the way and that is okay as long as you say so beforehand - but the game time should generally be free without conflicts. - 18 and over - skype username
-Tell my why you
like lore and rp and stories, specifically what do you do ingame to show
interest and what do you want out of the game
-What is the
purpose of an npc
BAN LIST – list subject to
expansion - I included this here so you can see what I meant when I wrote I tend to ban stuffs and also because the misc. bans are very crucial to how the game works, SEE THE MISC. SECTION BELOW
Classes - Artificer - spell to power erudite
- thrallherd
Feats - Item Familiar - Leadership or any similar – dragon cohort for example - arcane thesis
- dragonfire
inspiration
Items - Winged
Mask - Any item
with continuous fast healing
Spells - Any spell below level 7
with no max caster level
Books – all races/classes/items/spells/etc are banned from the following - dragon mag - any - savage species
Misc - IMPORTANT
- No Item creation/crafting – gonna need to get items
the old rpg way ... loot and npc vendors - all use of spells/powers or racial/class abilities outside of combat is banned. That’s
right unless you see an initiative tracker, don’t get excited. So long ‘I got a spell
for that’ wizards. This is done to get players to think about how to do stuff without charm/mind control/etc to get what they want and to increase roleplaying. - NO homebrew anything - I don’t feel I need to
say this but no pun-puns or omnificers etc… So... phew that was long. I look forward to reading your apps and meeting you! Thanks for reading.
