As the topic suggests, I am DMing a 4th edition campaign that has been
ongoing for the past five years. We've had players come and players
go in that time so now we are looking for a few more again. Although I
admit to using premade modules, often it is just a baseline to work
with. Just because you may have played the module I'm running, doesn't
mean it will be the exact same game as written. We use skype for voice
chat and roll20 for everything else. The game usually runs from roughly 8
pm EST to 11 pm give or take an hour. When the game began, the setting was loosely based in
the Nentir Vale (aka generic fantasy setting) but planar travel is now in effect since we have hit epic level. I won't restrict you
too much regarding your origins (see details in character creation
layout). As far as the current party goes, it consists of a human
fighter/paladin, a dragonborn blackguard, a goliath Fighter, a tiefling
psion and a small army of combat npcs to fill
out the ranks. Obviously the group is very melee heavy at this point but
if you write up an interesting character, I can use the npcs to balance
out any shortcomings in group layout. Finally, this will not be first
come, first served. I plan to close applications by the last friday in January (1/26)
and make my final choices over the weekend. Edit: I am extending the date by another week. Feb 2nd is the new cut off date. House Rules New
Players will be starting at Level 20 with the standard loot rules (one
free level 21, level 20 and level 19 item and 105,000 gold) and using a
22 point buy for initial stats. Since I understand that it takes time make an epic level character, I won't demand that you have a sheet ready by the cut off date. It would be nice but I am more interested in your character's story. Roleplay Bonus: If you take the
time and effort to describe what your character is doing whenever you
have to roll dice (this includes inside combat or outside of combat),
you may earn a bonus to that dice roll. In most cases, it will be a +2
bonus but if you truly impress it can go to a +5 bonus. Simply saying
"Thrug the Barbarian uses Melee Basic Attack" will not earn you any
bonus. A better example would be "Thrug holds his axe low to the ground
and he swings up trying to slice past his foe's defenses." Roleplay
bonuses stack with any other bonuses you receive. Critical
Failure: Crit Fails are very much in effect. They swing both ways for
the heroes and the enemies. If you roll a natural 1, I will as you to
call out Odd or Even then I will roll a 1d100 dice. If you get it right,
then you only messed up with whatever you were doing. If you get it
wrong, something else happens as well such as your weapon suddenly
flying out of your hands and across the battlefield. Feats: All
characters receive Improved Defenses and one Expertise feat of their
choice for free. These two feats will not count towards their total
feats. Alignment: NO EVIL CHARACTERS! This is the one and only
hard line in the sand for me. Even our blackguard is more anti-hero than
evil. Good or neutral characters only. This is more or less a hero game
and I shouldn't have to pull out a cattle prod to make your character
do the right thing every once in awhile. Background and Theme
bonuses are allowed however I stress that they should match the
backstory of your character. If you choose the background bonus of
merchant, your character's past should mention that they were a merchant
at some point. Themes are hard to mesh so I'll give a lot of more
leeway with them just so long as I don't have to make Grand Canyon sized
logic jumps to see how they connect with your character's storyline. Be
Flexable: Sometimes a player may come up with a good idea that doesn't
entirely work within the ruleset. If it is interesting enough, I might
just try to find a work around. Sometimes, I find or come up with a
variant rule that might work for an arc I have in mind. For example, in a
tournament arc we finished awhile ago, I added Crowd Bonus to the
situational modifiers. It was important to cater to the crowd at times
and not ignore them. Character Creation Layout Name: (This should be self-explanatory) Gender: (male or female. Even warforged are modeled after humanoid figures) Age: (10 year old natural born characters need not apply) Race::(Human, Elf, Dragonborn, etc) Base Class: Paragon Path: (You are more than a mere wet behind the ears adventurer) Epic Destiny: (...and soon the entire multiverse will know it) Alignment: (Evil characters will be annihilated upon entry) Physical Appearance: (Describe what your character looks like) Personality:
(What is your character like as a person? Do they have dreams or goals?
How do they get along with others? What do they like or dislike?) Background:
(This will be the meat of your application. Here is a hint: I LOVE
NOVELS. There is never such a thing as too long with me. As I mentioned
previously, the setting is loosely based in the Nentir Vale but I have
no qualms about players coming up with their own hometowns and
eventually ending up in the area that the main campaign takes place.
Furthermore, since the party has set up a base of operations in Sigil (A city between realities that can literally have a door leading to anywhere), being born in another plane is a reasonable choice for origins.Tell me about where they were born. Did they have any family, friends,
mentors in their life? How was their childhood? Teenage years?
Adulthood? Why did they choose to become the Class type that they are?
Why do they use the weapons that they own? Since they are not new
adventurers, what have they done in the past to gain this worldly
experience/knowledge? Ultimately, the background should end with
your character arriving (or if you prefer living in) Sigil. The city of doors has been the same as always, chaotic but controlled. While you do hear about the occasional brawl in the street, stampeding elementals or someone getting killed in a dark alleyway, no one sane ever escalates things into a city wide problem. This is all because of the Lady of Pain, the one and only deity in the city. Everyone is well aware that if you cause a massive amount of trouble in Sigil, the Lady of Pain will punish you and everyone related to you that she can find in her city. Thus, Angels and Demons will walk the streets without trying to kill one another...though they may glare and curse each other out. While most people living here like to just follow their personal routine, there are still those who take on more risky endeavors. Over two months ago, a group of adventurers arrived in Sigil from one of the material planes. They built up a positive relationship with the Trade Consortium, the largest merchant organization in the city, by stopping a madman trying to poison the city's food supply. Furthermore, they participated in the yearly Festival of Doors (A week long celebration with various contests of strength, charisma and mental fortitude). These adventurers made names for themselves by winning or placing high in most of the events. Finally, they built a guild hall within the city itself. As for the purpose of their guild, the jury is still out on that one. Many claim that just did it because they could. Others point out the fact that these adventurers seem to be at odds with the Cult of Orcus, god of the undead. The cultists have been circulating wanted posters for these adventurers but so far no one has been able to collect on them. In response, the adventurers have been more active in destroying cultist camps back in their world. Some say, it was for humanitarian reasons. The guild doesn't seem to discriminate and has even recruited more monstrous creatures into their fold. For example, a large contingent of goblins have joined the guild without too much trouble. Regardless, you have decided to throw your lot in with these adventurers rather than go with any other group in the city. Whether they were your first choice or your last, this is where your fate has brought you. If you have any questions or want some of the plotpoints explained in more detail, let me know.
