Red Hand of Doom

[LF DM - ONE Opening for a dependable DM]

What is this campaign about (short facts - read it first)?
- What is supposed to be played: The premade campaign "The red hand of doom", rated as one of the best adventure paths of all times, focussing on character development between level 5 and finishing at level 12. (Content see further below)

• What is to be expected: The campaign itself is offering both roleplay and strong combat mechanics. The challenge rating is rather high, even small mistakes can lead to party kills.

• What kind of player is needed: Experienced roleplayer (who want to act as their character) with a good understanding of the combat mechanics (again the fights are tough).

• When would we play: every other week (14 days rhythm), either Monday, Tuesday or Thursday 8:00pm - 24:00pm CET (central european time - Berlin, Kopenhagen, Paris, Madrid, Rom, etc.)

• What would we need: 3 more players + 1 dm (I dont want to dungeon master, have already had the pleasure in doing this module, but I would want to play it)

• What is already prepared: All maps, all encounters, all monsters and all tiles/tokens/chips/stats are fully implemented, directly ready to play.

• Which characters would be played: I prepared 12 characters based on the rule-sets that I have outlined below. The characters are extremely well balanced and the ruleset is choosen as such that the fights are really challenging and that the system of dnd3.5 and its imbalances are (hopefully) going to be minimized.
  The classes and their powers have been carefully choosen out of 15 years CO experience and the dnd 3.5 class tier system (google it if you are not familiar with it, its worth a reading).

If you mislike playing pre-designed characters, this module is prolly not the right place for you. Believe me, within the 12 characters there is plenty room for individualization)
- Available Characters to choose from in detail:
- Crusader Tank / Lockdown build
- Psyonic Warrior / Tank+Trip build
- Wildshape Ranger / Aberration tank or control build
- Duskblade / Offtank + Melee Striker build (GISH)
- Dragon Shaman / Breath + Control Build
- Bard / inspiration build
- Rogue/Fighter / Ranged striker + skill monkey build
- Beguiler / Battlefield control + skill monkey build
- Warlock / Glaivelock Striker build
- Warmage / Ranged striker + Spell versitility Build
- Dread Necromancer / Debuff + Battlefield Control build
- Healer / Buff + Sanctified Spells build

• What is expected from potential players: Be concrete in what you want to play, know the rules, understand the mechanics and tier systems withtin dnd 3.5. Be a good roleplayer, have a willingness to solve this module as a team. Dont meta-game.

• What is expected from the potential DM: know the module, have experience in running 3.5er games, have an understanding about character optimization (or ask if you dont know something)

• What will be the maximum numbers of participants: exactly 4 players (not more and not less) + 1 dm

• What is required to start this: 3 further dedicated players and a willing dm. All the prework was done by me.

• How to apply: Please write below that you have read the introduction. Already indicate which of the pregenerated characters you would want to play and give background information about yourself (e.g. experience, prior groups, time and availability).

(Side-note: Sorry for the long text, I felt laying out the basics upfront will allow the interested audience to know exactly what this campaign is about).

Campaign Introduction:
For centuries, the dry and dusty Wyrmsmoke Mountains have been home to dozens of goblinoid tribes. Travelers skirted the goblin-infested hills by a generous margin, but the Wyrmsmoke tribes posed no significant threat to the nearby human townlands and settlements other than the occasional bloody raid. Yet deep within the mountains lay hidden something that would spell doom -- an ancient temple dedicated to Tiamat, the Queen of Evil Dragons.

Built hundreds of years ago to serve as the hidden redoubt of a despicable cult of dragon-worshipers, the temple was eventually cleansed by a band of heroes from the human city of Rhest. For several centuries the complex lay empty. Then, thirty years ago, the young half-dragon hobgoblin warrior Azarr Kul discovered the abandoned temple and was awed by the teachings of Tiamat he read on the walls therein. He abandoned Maglubiyet, the traditional deity of his people, and dedicated himself to leading the rest of his nation to Tiamat's worship.

Over the next twenty years, Azarr Kul grew into a powerful warlord and a mighty priest of Tiamat. Early in his rise to power he struck up an alliance with the blue dragon Tyrgarun, his own sire. Aided by this powerful ally, Azarr Kul converted his entire tribe into fanatical worshipers of Tiamat. He renamed the tribes that had fallen under his wing the Kulkor Zhul and began to lay his plans for the conquest of Elsir Vale.

Dedicating themselves to the Queen of Evil Dragons with the fanaticism of the recently converted, the members of the Kulkor Zhul grew strong, stronger than any Wyrmsmoke tribe before them. Adopting the standard of the Red Hand, an ancient symbol of Tiamat's cult, Azarr Kul created an elite caste of warpriests, monks, and dragon-favored champions to lead the Kulkor Zhul.

Late last year, Azarr Kul and his dragon-worshiping zealots destroyed the last opposition to his supremacy over the Wyrmsmoke tribes, slaughtering the Black Knife Goblins and the tribes allied to them in a ferocious onslaught. The survivors accepted his suzerainty and were absorbed into his realm. Azarr Kul named his new kingdom Harg Kulkor, or "Land of the Dragon."

After a long season of rebuilding his strength, offering bribes to many of the intelligent monsters in the region, and reinforcing the power of his Red Hand warpriests over the disparate tribes he ruled, Azarr Kul finally turned his attention to the lands beyond the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. What he saw whetted his ambition for power; no city or state within hundreds of miles could field an army as strong as his. The High Wyrmlord dreams of carving out a hobgoblin empire stretching from the Sunset Sea to the Golden Plains -- and the first step is to crush the human towns of Elsir Vale.

Content:
The plot of Red Hand of Doom follows a group of adventurers who have entered the Elsir Vale, a thinly populated frontier region. The party discovers a massive hobgoblin horde that is fanatically devoted to the dark goddess Tiamat and led by the charismatic half-dragon warlord Azarr Kul. To stop the horde, players have to muster the inhabitants of the Vale, battle hobgoblins, giants and dragons, and defeat an overwhelming enemy.

Creation and preparation for players:
Difficulty level: high.
Player experience needed in 3.5: high.

Characters: Level 5, 22-Point-Buy (3.5 rules), Standard WPL (wealth per level) gold, all rulebooks allowed.

Limitations:
A) Only Tier 3 Classes or below (see http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?PHPSESSID=bc18425e5fa73d30e4a9a54889edf44e&topic=1002.0)
B) Only Even or Downgrading PrCs (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5198.0)
C) Each PrC needs to be finished before taking next.
D) No Flaws, no Character retraining (through spells or PHB II).
E) No LA templates or races above +0. No buyback.