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    Monkkonen D&D

    Cejer 17 years ago
    Hey! We have three takers. Wonderful. We will probably begin quite soon, I.E. tomorrow. It is barely too late here to type up an introductory post when I have to go to school in the morning. And it would be rare for dice rolling to occur in the first few days of a play-by-post campaign.

    First topic: Character Sheets. I would like it if everyone could place their character sheets onto an online profiler such as Campaign-Blog. Remember to make it public after you're finished. Character creation rules are as follows:
    1. All characters start at level 1.
    2. Any race with a Level Adjustment of 0 is allowed.
    3. Use the point-buy method to determine your ability scores. You have 32 points to use.
    4. Character Wealth: To be announced.
    5. Max HP for first level.
    6. Any dice rolls should be submitted with Invisible Castle. I hope this is obvious, but you must provide your (character's) name and a description of the roll for it to be valid.

    Second topic: Campaign World. The "nation" is Fasilla, one 's' and two 'l's. I do have a rough map drawn of the continent Fasilla is on. I will upload the map at the first opportunity I get, tomorrow. I have reviewed what little I had created, and I have rediscovered that Fasilla is merely a region instead of a unified nation. I like that more, because it will enable more creative freedom for everyone.

    Third topic: Kraken are awesome and Mageking's ride got smashed by one. They're also fairly rare, so it would be possible (and suicidal) to track that particular kraken down.
    #
    Murska 17 years ago
    "Cejer" said:

    3. Use the point-buy method to determine your ability scores. You have 32 points to use.

    Bah, just when I got good rolls. Well, off to internets to find out what the point-buy system is...
    #
    Idiota 17 years ago
    I think it has something to do with your modifiers, like, at 12, your next point will cost 2 points, and at 14, it'll cost 3. Just a hunch there.
    #
    Murska 17 years ago
    "Idiota" said:
    I think it has something to do with your modifiers, like, at 12, your next point will cost 2 points, and at 14, it'll cost 3. Just a hunch there.

    Found it already but can't provide a link because of computer messing up. Anyway, the scores start at 8, point for point until 14, then it's two points, and, IIRC, at around 16, it's 3 points?

    EDIT: I am rather sure I missed something, so I would be thankful for anyone checking out what it is.

    <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.campaign-blog.com/view.php?id=5755">http://www.campaign-blog.com/view.php?id=5755</a><!-- m -->
    #
    Cejer 17 years ago
    We are using the point-buy method because I have seen many campaigns where one character has no scores below 16 while another has no scores above 14. Such a massive difference in power makes it difficult to challenge the super-human character without killing the weak one. With point-buy, everyone will start on more even footing. A description of how point-buy works is available at Invisible Castle.
    I am very glad that Murska voiced his opinion rather than silently grumbling. If anyone has comments, positive or negative, about how things are going, I want to hear them. Hopefully you can present any complaints in a constructive manner by suggesting ways to avoid or reduce my mistakes.
    If you have a cool idea that may be on shaky ground, rules wise, talk to me about it. I feel that our goal is to create a story, together. So I am not opposed to bending a few rules for the sake of that story.

    Character wealth by class:
    Fighter, Paladin: 150 gp.
    Cleric, Rogue, Ranger: 125 gp.
    Barbarian, Bard: 100 gp.
    Sorcerer, Wizard: 75 gp.
    Druid: 50 gp.
    Monk: 12.5 gp.

    Here is the map of the world as a whole. Remember that the names apply to regions. The largest nation is in Emerald Vale, and its language is the common language. The English names are the region's name in common. Many people use the names in parentheses as non-violent defiance towards the natives of Emerald Vale.
    The Known World.

    EDIT: I finished going over Kevry's sheet, and the only problem is that he is almost 22 gp over budget. Unless someone else is willing to borrow him some gold, he will have to lose something.
    #
    MageKing17 17 years ago
    I can't look over it ATM, because I'm at school and websense blocks that stuff, but I'll look into it when I get home.

    I'll also quickly rewrite that short backstory paragraph to be slightly (only slightly, though) less vague.

    *grumbles about having to re-do character creation when he already had a perfectly good sorcerer*
    #
    Murska 17 years ago
    "Cejer" said:
    Here is the map of the world as a whole. Remember that the names apply to regions. The largest nation is in Emerald Vale, and its language is the common language. The English names are the region's name in common. Many people use the names in parentheses as non-violent defiance towards the natives of Emerald Vale.
    The Known World.

    That map brings to mind the article-series of world-creation in Giant in the Playground.
    Also, I'd be thankful if you could add some general signs of "Mountains", "Rivers" and stuff to the map.

    "Cejer" said:

    EDIT: I finished going over Kevry's sheet, and the only problem is that he is almost 22 gp over budget. Unless someone else is willing to borrow him some gold, he will have to lose something.

    I deleted the potion and the acid flask. Anything else? Anyway, I don't have any clue of the weights of the items I have, anyone care to help me there? (Oh, and "For the sake of story", we could just agree it's something like 10-20 lbs. )
    #
    Idiota 17 years ago
    It's all in the manual, Murska, look in the equipment section.
    #
    Cejer 17 years ago
    The in character thread is up. For some of you it is metaphorically; for Tumetrin it is literally, but you are all Cast Adrift!

    Now I shall get to answering some questions and providing helpfulness.

    First, I highly suggest people Google "SRD" because the very first result is a spectacular web page. It contains the entire SRD and more in an easily navigable hypertext format.

    Second, it does not surprise me that the map brings to mind the Giant's wonderful series of world-creation. I was reading those articles as I made the map.

    Third, I am hoping to avoid adding mountains, rivers, etc. to the map until your characters have experienced them. But it doesn't matter if they experience them through back story, first-hand exploration, or the banter of traders. If you all want them so badly, I can work on getting not-sucky symbols onto my map.

    Fourth, the total weight of Kevry's items doesn't matter too much because he has a high strength. Since there is a significant time lag in play-by-post games, if it ever becomes necessary to know we can calculate it then.
    #
    MageKing17 17 years ago
    Here's my character sheet: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.campaign-blog.com/view.php?id=5770">http://www.campaign-blog.com/view.php?id=5770</a><!-- m -->

    I can't think of what to do with the extra gold... with the old character I had a horse, but that's unfeasable with only 75 GP.
    #
    Cejer 17 years ago
    I have examined your sheet Mageking. There are two minor problems.

    The first is hardly surprising, since it's an obscure rule. You don't have to pay for your scholar's outfit, nor does it count against your weight. The rule may not be in the SRD, but all characters get a free artisan's, entertainer's, explorer's, monk's, peasant's, scholar's, or traveler's outfit. This does not count against the weight you can carry.
    The second is a little more important. Your ability scores are too high. Your array works out to a 42 point-buy. I make similar mistakes all the time, so it isn't a major problem since it was discovered early on.

    To summarize: You get 5 more gold, you don't have to count the scholar's outfit against your total weight, and you will need to tweak your ability scores a bit.

    Murska, after removing the acid flask and potion, you should have 38 gold pieces, 7 silver pieces, and 9 copper pieces.
    #
    MageKing17 17 years ago
    "Cejer" said:
    I have examined your sheet Mageking. There are two minor problems.

    The first is hardly surprising, since it's an obscure rule. You don't have to pay for your scholar's outfit, nor does it count against your weight. The rule may not be in the SRD, but all characters get a free artisan's, entertainer's, explorer's, monk's, peasant's, scholar's, or traveler's outfit. This does not count against the weight you can carry.
    The second is a little more important. Your ability scores are too high. Your array works out to a 42 point-buy. I make similar mistakes all the time, so it isn't a major problem since it was discovered early on.

    To summarize: You get 5 more gold, you don't have to count the scholar's outfit against your total weight, and you will need to tweak your ability scores a bit.
    I'm not paying for the Scholar's Outfit. I'm positive that the current gold count is accurate. I didn't know it didn't count towards weight, however simply ignoring its weight should be fine since I don't want to just write "0" there, as that would imply clothes were weightless.

    Also, I'm pretty sure my ability scores work out to exactly 35. I originally wrote in the scores as I would for my original version, but I ended up with -5 free points, so I dropped INT by 1 for 3 points and CON by 1 for 2 points, bringing me up to 0. Double-checking now...

    Well, what do you know... I calculate -7 free points, in other words 42 total points. Odd, no idea what went wrong the first time. Stats reduced to be worth 35.

    Also, screw not having 6 in the weight field for my clothes, I just added it to the name so we can see it at a glance.

    I'm also double-checking my gold count, just in case I may have accidentally paid for my outfit, since I seem to have screwed up my ability scores...

    Well, what do you know, I paid for my outfit. Good thing we have an attentive and non-spiteful DM, or I would've been shortchanged 5 gold pieces. No idea how I made that mistake, but then again, no idea how I ended up spending 7 extra ability points, either.
    #
    Idiota 17 years ago
    Well, this is my first moment of free time I can grab as of this weekend, so I'll spend the time updating and uploading my character sheet.

    EDIT: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.campaign-blog.com/view.php?id=5773">http://www.campaign-blog.com/view.php?id=5773</a><!-- m -->
    #
    Murska 17 years ago
    I've edited my sheet, and I should now have exactly ZERO gold.

    EDIT: Testing the Invisible Castle thingy. Actually, my damage should be 5, I think, but as I didn't get the correct value, I just added my STR mod.
    Longsword Attack/Damage (1d20+5=25, 1d8+3=
    #
    Cejer 17 years ago
    Current summary of character sheets. A red item is something that needs to be fixed. An orange item is something I suggest you look at. A green item is something that is correct.

    [list]Tumetrin
    [*]Ability scores cost 35 points out of 32 available points.[/*]
    [*]Gold spent + currency = 75 gp out of 75 available gp.[/*]
    [*]Free (both money & weight) clothing selected.[/*]
    [*]Spell save DCs should be modified by your charisma modifier.[/*][/list:u]

    [list]Raevin
    [*]Ability scores cost 35 points out of 32 available points.[/*]
    [*]Gold spent + currency = 138 gp out of 125 available gp.[/*]
    [*]Free (both money & weight) clothing is not selected.[/*]
    [*]Ammunition for shortbow should be 20, and the arrows should be mentioned in "Other Possessions."[/*]
    [*]Carried weight is extremely close to medium load. When your waterskin is empty you have a light load. When your waterskin is full you have a medium load.[/*][/list:u]

    [list]Kevry
    [*]Ability scores cost 32 points out of 32 available points.[/*]
    [*]Gold spent + currency = 147 gp out of 150 available gp.[/*]
    [*]Free (both money & weight) clothing is not selected.[/*][/list:u]

    So far there are still a couple of kinks in the character sheets. This is to be expected. Normally this proofreading would occur during the "pick players" stage of planning. But since we knew who would be playing, I started the campain before the proofreading. So these minor mistakes are pretty commonplace.
    #
    Idiota 17 years ago
    [list]Raevin
    [*]Ability scores cost 35 points out of 32 available points.[/*] fixed
    [*]Gold spent + currency = 138 gp out of 125 available gp.[/*] fixed
    [*]Free (both money & weight) clothing is not selected.[/*] fixed
    [*]Ammunition for shortbow should be 20, and the arrows should be mentioned in "Other Possessions."[/*] fixed
    [*]Carried weight is extremely close to medium load. When your waterskin is empty you have a light load. When your waterskin is full you have a medium load.[/*]working as intended[/list:u]
    #
    MageKing17 17 years ago
    "Cejer" said:
    [list]Tumetrin
    [*]Ability scores cost 35 points out of 32 available points.[/*]
    [*]Gold spent + currency = 75 gp out of 75 available gp.[/*]
    [*]Free (both money & weight) clothing selected.[/*]
    [*]Spell save DCs should be modified by your charisma modifier.[/*][/list:u]
    32? Crap, could've sworn you said 35... shit, I can't think of anything else to take away from. Oh well... corrected. I've taken a point off of CHA and that drops me down to 32 points without decreasing my CHA modifier.

    Spell save DCs also corrected.
    #
    Murska 17 years ago
    "MageKing17" said:
    "Cejer" said:
    [list]Tumetrin
    [*]Ability scores cost 35 points out of 32 available points.[/*]
    [*]Gold spent + currency = 75 gp out of 75 available gp.[/*]
    [*]Free (both money & weight) clothing selected.[/*]
    [*]Spell save DCs should be modified by your charisma modifier.[/*][/list:u]
    32? Crap, could've sworn you said 35... [censored], I can't think of anything else to take away from. Oh well... corrected. I've taken a point off of CHA and that drops me down to 32 points without decreasing my CHA modifier.

    Spell save DCs also corrected.

    I think you have one too many languages with your now-decreased INT modifier. I don't know, though.

    Also, fixed mine, I think.

    EDIT: Ah, overlooked the Half-Elf thing. Sorry, correct languages.
    #
    Idiota 17 years ago
    By the way, are we supposed to let you do all the narrating, Cejer, and just tell you our actions, or can we actually narrate some parts that don't require any rolls or DM knowledge ourselves?
    #
    Murska 17 years ago
    Cejer: The more I look at the map, the more it looks a bit empty. I'd like it if large lakes/rivers, mountain ranges and maybe some big/capital cities were added, and it was assumed that our characters know something of the land they live on. Nothing much is needed, right now it's just kind of hard to get a picture of the land.
    #
    Cejer 17 years ago
    "Idiota" said:
    By the way, are we supposed to let you do all the narrating, Cejer, and just tell you our actions, or can we actually narrate some parts that don't require any rolls or DM knowledge ourselves?
    I would greatly prefer it you would narrate more. If you're in doubt on a post it is better to narrate too much. If it turns out something important happens we can edit posts to ensure continuity.
    Ex: While in combat you may decide to charge a group of archers. Your post might contain something like, "Without his usual caution, Raevin rushes at the nearest archer and thrusts for his spleen." Then I might check my notes and learn there is a covered pit in between you two. Obviously you can't charge across the pit, so once I posted my rap-up of the combat round, "Raevin rushes forward, falling through comically obvious leaves. Tumetrin and Kevry see their friend disappear and hang back with indecision," you would go back and make a minor edit to your earlier post.

    Another example: Tumetrin was awake when his ship was destroyed. So Mageking will get to describe the attack in as much or as little detail as he wants. I might veto some things, but probably not. For example, I would definitely veto something like, "Thog, the greatest fighter ever to have lived, just happened to be aboard the ship in disguise. He picked me up and used me as a club to fight the kraken."
    Note that Tumetrin was not conscious when the barrel was tied to him.

    "Murska" said:
    Cejer: The more I look at the map, the more it looks a bit empty. I'd like it if large lakes/rivers, mountain ranges and maybe some big/capital cities were added, and it was assumed that our characters know something of the land they live on. Nothing much is needed, right now it's just kind of hard to get a picture of the land.

    All right, I will get to work on such additions as soon as I get home. Right now I am at school, and so I lack access to both the original file and any sort of decent editing program.

    EDIT: Fixed confusing sentence.
    #
    Idiota 17 years ago
    Raevin is an inch taller than average, and perhaps a few ounces heavier. He appears very frail, but that's mostly because he's so skinny. His rough youth hardened his body and spirit. He has large, deep brown eyes, quite beautiful under normal circumstances. But his gaze shows no emotion, only constant awareness. A scare runs across the left side of his head and neck, marking one of his early failures as thief. He has long, curly hair normally, but he has it tied in a rogue knot on the back of his head usually, when he doesn't have to impress by appearance. The hair is dark, thick and dense, requiring a lot of attention to keep decent. His nose is not that large, but because it's not very wide it appears to be. Other than the scar in his neck, Raevin is a handsome man who knows how to use it.
    #
    Murska 17 years ago
    Kevry is a tall, dark-haired and strong-looking man, quite intimidating, especially when clad in metallic things, some of which look like they've been made to cause damage on other people. He's got a strong build, and has many scars for someone his age. He doesn't look as young as he is, and he is suprisingly fast for a man his size. He's rather social, but sometimes gets grumpy over small things. He doesn't speak that much, though. His hair is of average length, tied back in a typical warrior's way.
    #
    MageKing17 17 years ago
    Tumetrin, while only 5'2", can be an imposing figure in person. His gaze is one of quick wit and calculating intelligence, and he carries his quarterstaff with an ease that masks his nearly total inexperience with the weapon. His skin is tanned from time spent in the harsh sun, training in the use of magic, but he has a distinctly average-looking build, as his physical training was cursory at best, focused on maintenance, not building muscle. This is hidden by his flowing robes, which are loose enough to allow ease of movement while not being so loose as to catch on every stray object he walks past. His robes and his belt are both embroidered with blue and gold (colored, not actual gold) thread, and he'll often keep one hand close to his spell component pouch.
    #
    Cejer 17 years ago
    Nice descriptions everyone, feel free to continue tweaking and expanding your descriptions.


    Next I would like to get some more input on the style of the campaign. And to give a reference point, I'll give my expectations of a few different styles.

    First up is the high-combat, non-role-playing, non-plot campaign. I would DM this sort of campaign as one big dungeon crawl in a never-ending dungeon. I think it would work best with a large number of players to increase the body counts on both sides. The emphasis in this campaign is on level advancement and wealth acquisition. A number of puzzles can be thrown into the mix for variety. The characters are just numbers on a sheet.

    Second is the high-combat, non-role-playing campaign with a plot. This sort of campaign is basically a computer RPG in Dungeons and Dragons. Mr. or Mrs. Important NPC gives you a quest, you travel, you explore a dungeon and kill stuff, you get loot. Rinse and repeat. If the plot is railroaded these campaigns are horrible to be in. I would guess >90% of bad DM horror stories come from poorly run campaigns like this. BUT, if well run these campaigns can be more fun than the first type of campaign. The emphasis is on level advancement and stopping the Big Bad Evil Genius.

    Third is the moderate-combat, moderate-role-playing campaign. These campaigns are fundamentally identical with or without a plot. Emphasis is usually towards role-playing over combat. Playing in one of these campaigns requires the characters to become more than numbers on a sheet. Each character will begin to develop a personality with unusual quirks. A lot more thought is devoted to how an event changes a character's personality than to how it changed their stats. Players will often bypass obvious plot hooks because their characters would be uninterested.

    A forth style would be the low-combat, high-role-playing campaign. Simply put, Dungeons and Dragons is a poor system to use for these campaigns. The D&D system was designed to simulate tactical combat. Going with a less specific rule set, or no rule set at all, is a good choice for these campaigns.

    Obviously there are more styles you could pick from, but these are the four that I think of. The third type of campaign requires a significantly larger investment of time and focus than the first two, but it provides a deeper sort of enjoyment. The first campaign tends to climax at "We slaughtered that dragon! High fives all around!" or "Hey, I got a +5 Long sword of Vorpal Bunny Death!" The second type of campaign almost always climaxes with the moments leading up to the fight with the villain. The third type of campaign is less predictable. One possible climax might be "when Rogald stayed behind to save us from the hydra. He started off as a jerk, but throughout the campaign we sort of grew on him. I guess we really got him to change his ways. Thanks to his sacrifice, we were able to deliver the diphtheria medicine to Nome."

    Play-by-post is best suited for the third type of campaign. The long delay in responses makes combat heavy campaigns drag through the mud. As a comparison, one quick little session on OpenRPG would take a month or so to complete with a play-by-post format. On the other hand, typing enough details to make convincing and effective character development takes too long in OpenRPG.

    I've been under the impression we were shooting for the third type of campaign. But I think I should ask everyone to make sure. So what type of campaign (one I described or completely different) were you guys hoping for?

    ADDITION: I would really have liked to get a post in the in-character thread today, but it's already quite late and I still have some school work to take care of. So you will all have to wait for about 15 hours. Sorry everyone, especially to Idiota. Poor Raevin is stuck inside the ship's hold with no-one to talk to. I'll be sure to think up some fun things for him to do to make up for shunting him out of the way.
    #
    Idiota 17 years ago
    I think that we were shooting for the third type of campaign indeed, Cejer. At least, I was. And I have my full confidence in that you will come up with something for me to do. :p
    #
    Murska 17 years ago
    Yeah, the third type of campaign is the one I'd like. Although, the first, or even second would be nice for a later time, maybe after this one, if we get many players, as a more light-hearted, humorous type of a "Forum/D&D game".
    #
    Cejer 17 years ago
    I managed to scrape up enough time to finish adding some details to the map. It now features rivers, mountains, and important settlements. I didn't call them "towns" or "cities" because some of them are forts and one is a temple. But the number of important settlements is a rough guide to how populated an area is. Although I suppose it's a better guide to how important an area is.
    #
    Murska 17 years ago
    "Cejer" said:
    I managed to scrape up enough time to finish adding some details to the map. It now features rivers, mountains, and important settlements. I didn't call them "towns" or "cities" because some of them are forts and one is a temple. But the number of important settlements is a rough guide to how populated an area is. Although I suppose it's a better guide to how important an area is.

    Nice. It surely doesn't look as empty anymore. Very mountainous region, this looks. Let me guess, is the settlement-thing in the middle of the second-to northernmost island on top of a mountain a temple?
    #
    Cejer 17 years ago
    Up in Rithlaen/Frostbarrow? No, that is not the marker for some big important temple. That is where the Lich Lord's keep, the Tower of Bone, springs forth from below the rock itself. It is at the very center of a massive blizzard that coats the northernmost islands of Rithlaen in perpetual frost.

    I am planning to go over each of the different regions and describe them in as much detail as I have, but I have no idea what sort of schedule I could keep.
    The order will probably be:
    1. Rockfall / Fasilla
    2. Emerald Vale
    3. Sunrise Isles / Enthellin
    4. Thornfen / Fyerdinarn
    5. Crater of Azure / Fueringdashir
    6. Red Valley / Vyshondu
    7. Frostbarrow / Rithlaen
    8. Stepped Pasture / Tarelg Pager
    9. Wyrmwaste / Eshanaq
    10. Shadow Jungle / Jucatl
    11. Isles of the Drake / Kretheirax

    Just to keep the information flowing, the known world is in the southern hemisphere. So the weather gets warmer the further north you go. The exception is Rithlaen, which is colder than any other region.
    #
    Murska 17 years ago
    Just a suggestion, seeing that most areas are separated by the numerous mountain ranges, the countries probably would have specialised mountain soldiers or something, or wars would be rather difficult. Anyway, is this the collision spot between some tectonic plates? As, I see no other way all those mountains would have come, but that'd mean volcanic activity, and possible hot springs. Not that I mean you'd need to think of every small detail, just was curious.
    #
    Idiota 17 years ago
    Perhaps we should focus less on the map your character isn´t likely to know and more on the game we play? I find it much more fun to have at least /some/ things I can introduce myself.
    #
    Murska 17 years ago
    "Idiota" said:
    Perhaps we should focus less on the map your character isn´t likely to know and more on the game we play? I find it much more fun to have at least /some/ things I can introduce myself.


    The game we play seems to be rather stuck right now due to the absence of Mageking, so I got to focus on /something/.
    #
    Idiota 17 years ago
    Cejer, if you were a greedy dwarf captain, how would you respond to a stowaway eating from your own food supplies? Ofcourse he'd gladlu accept my help with the danger and all, but Raevin doesn't know that so I simply have to remain hidden for the moment.
    #
    Cejer 17 years ago
    Hey. I resent the implication that I only suggested good courses of action. It would be irresponsible of me to only suggest good courses of action. Then, every time I suggested something you guys would realize, "Hey! We should do that because it'll work out for us." And I still don't know Raevin's personality. At one point I pondered if Raevin was a man with an incredibly nagging conscience who might be overcome with a desire to repay the theft of food. [/Light-hearted banter]

    Oh, and uh... I probably could have been clearer about this, but the captain isn't a dwarf. Although I think I mentioned he's taller than Kevry. There are only a few dwarves aboard the ship, most of the sailors are human or elven.
    #
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