The date is February 2nd, 2023. The location is the town of Mount Pleasant, in the relatively average nation of Alaska. The event? Groundhog Day. Year upon year, the citizens of this town have gathered to watch Pete the Groundhog predict the coming of Spring. Should Pete see his shadow when he emerges from hibernation, the winter will continue for another six weeks. If he doesn't, then Spring comes early! This year, Pete clambered out of his burrow and keeled over, dead.
It made the local news at the time but nobody thought much of it. Now it's June and winter still hasn't passed us by. A group of unlikely Alaskans band together to return Pete to life and end the eternal winter that threatens to starve the world.
The world itself is pretty much the world we inhabit, except it's been winter for months now. Characters will gain their stats in game on session 1, previously they are just normal guys. Races are mechanical, not aesthetic - everyone is a human for their physical looks. All official content is allowed for use, any homebrew I'll want to look over and check.
Edit: I didn't think I'd have to say this but no furries. This is probably something I should have made clearer but, please make the character backstories suitable for an Alaskan in our world. Or a tourist from elsewhere in our world. I dunno, maybe a freak accident got them there - no one goes to Alaska willingly 🤷
Character Creation Rules:
- Party of 4-5 will be selected from submissions - fun concepts and fleshed out personality will be valued far more than party roles
- Please use standard array or point buy when assigning stats.
- Characters begin at level 1 and likely won't advance beyond level 3.
- Legacy races are preferred, as I don't have a copy of the new books. Reassigning racial stats is aok. Don't get too hung up on which races you're using though, so long as it's on the character sheet.
- All characters are expected to frequent the local Mount Pleasant pub, the Ice Puck and be friendly with one another before the adventure starts. Specific relationships can be finalised on Session Zero
- Our world for languages, most everything will be in English though so dw too much about that
Rule of Cool is going to be the most important thing here, so this may not be the campaign for anyone who likes RAW games. Creativity will be rewarded.
Format entries like so:
Player name: Steph
Character name: Bilbo Baggins
Race: Halfling
Class (and any subclass): Rogue
Personality traits (mannerisms, quirks, ideals, flaws and bonds): Always needs a handkerchief, hates adventures, loves food and comforts
Backstory (preferably a single paragraph): Damned wizard forced me to go steal from a dragon. Your characters come from our world so backstories are probably mundane.
Concept explanation: A simple hobbit living in the Shire, after meeting dwarves he reluctantly set out in their company to steal the Arkenstone for them as a burglar
Personality traits (mannerisms, quirks, ideals, flaws and bonds): Prefers a nice scotch, hates the heat (especially humidity), slight fear of heights, loves to read
Backstory (preferably a single paragraph): Graham always enjoyed knowing things, this thirst for knowing usually came across in the form of books as compared to experiencing things first hand. Graham always had dreams while sleeping just like everyone else, except one night when the dream he had felt entirely different, entirely too real. Things werent fuzzy like most dreams, this dream felt crisp, clear, real. He could see his breath in the cold, he could feel the snow under his feet and then the cold stone as he came out of the snow and descended down. Deeper and deeper he went, he could even feel the many variations of the rock as he used his hand to help guide himself along the wall. As he went, there was a dim light, but he could not tell where it came from, it almost felt like the ice itself had a glow to it. And then he saw it, a door in the ice and stone, he had no idea why it was there but he had to know what was behind it, but as he placed his hand upon it he awoke. He looked up everything he could but found nothing except for some folk tale, and so it came time for Graham to stop finding knowledge in only books and so he packed up and set out in search of this door. He knew the door could be real, he knew it could also just be some metaphor came up with, but he also knew that whether or not the door itself was real, the mystery behind it was real, and he had to know, he just had to know...
Concept explanation: A man whos thirst for knowledge usually came from reading, but a dream has led him to search for the knowledge outside of books and to go on an adventure.
Question: Will languages be based upon our world, as in Spanish and German and not Elvish and Dwarvish or will this not come into play?
Was unsure if the backstory you were looking for was based upon our world or a fantasy one so I kept it vague so it could fit both.
Personality traits:Mannerisms: I am rude, holier-than-thou, and I am so caught up in my god that I don't care about you. Quirks: I am shaky due to being incredibly old. Personality Traits x2: I misquote sacred texts and proverbs in almost every situation. I am intolerant of other faiths and condemn the worship of other gods. Ideal: Faith - I trust that my deity will guide my actions. I have faith that if I work hard, things will go well. Bond: Everything I do is for the common people. I am those common people. Flaw: I am suspicious of strangers and expect the worst of them.
Backstory: Harry Harrison is a worshipper of that esteemed, age-old church The Higher Orthodoxy of the Church of the Holy Cross and Rings, Alaska, the Lord of All Things, Dod. He has worshipped THOotCotHCaR, A, tLoAT, D since he was a young lad of five years. He has attempted to get promoted numerous times in the church, but he never gets beyond being a priest due to freak accidents - like the time he set the stage curtains on fire (an accident, he swears), or the time he accidentally gassed the church by lighting the censers too early (that was sabotage, he says). Regardless, Father Harry Harrison is a no-one who drawls incessantly on about THOotCotHCaR, A, tLoAT, D, and has a deep, in-set phobia of groundhogs due to an incident where the pope of THOotCotHCaR, A, tLoAT, D got bit by one due to a mistake that Harry Harrison did not, in any way, cause. It wasn't him. I promise. No way.
After his latest failed attempt at promotion, Harry Harrison has taken up playing darts and drinking coffees at the Ice Puck - what else can a 78 year old man with no speaking skills, no intelligence, who worships THOotCotHCaR, A, tLoAT, D, and whom possesses immeasurably bad luck do?
Concept explanation: Harry Harrison is the droning, whining TV-style preacher who worships this unholy eldritch concept, THOotCotHCaR, A, tLoAT, D. He's not stupid, but he's not smart either, and he's as un-charismatic as a bloodied bruised banana. He has no form of damage dealing other than his fists, which only deal 1 damage anyways, and his whole kit is focused on healing and protection. Harry Harrison is a loser.
Class (and any subclass): Barbarian, planned berserker or battlerager
Personality traits (mannerisms, quirks, ideals, flaws and bonds): Mannerisms: I am almost never in a good mood, and will hit you in the back of the knees. I don't soften up easily, but if you manage to get on my good side, i'll fight for you. Quirks: I speak in a irish accent, although it slips into scottish at times. Personality traits: I have a short fuse that is constantly lit and tend to get annoyed easily. I don't like the cold especially. Ideals: Stubborness-I'd rather eat my hat than admit i'm wrong. Bonds: Flaws: I hate snow. And the cold. And patchwork. and-] I have a short fuse, especially wh- Did you just call me short? I'M NOT [GP]ING SHORT YOU-
Backstory (preferably a single paragraph): Born with a form of dwarfism, Craig Doe is a near constantly pissed off man. A retired marine, he had originally studied for medical school, but having failed that, was reccomended into the army. He spent many years in that service before retiring to his house out in the suburbs with a dog named Dog, who was one of the only creatures he tolerated. However, one odd holiday, he woke up to find that the news told story of a freak accident with the groundhog. Finishing his cereal, he flicked the channel to his prefered show, ignoring the odd story. He went about his days for the next couple weeks, living life as he always did. Feeding Dog, griping over the broken heater, using an exercise website instead of leaving the house, going out for groceries, etc. He had noticed that it was colder, which he chalked up to the busted heater. He hated the cold, poor circulation and all. Then, nearly weeks after the original statement on the news, he opened the door to let dog outside, only to be faced with a wall of snow, which soon toppled ontop of him, burying him up to his neck in cold. Filled with the rage of atleast 2 craigs, he grabbed his ice pick, gave dog a pat and some additional foods, and set out to buy a new heater. Though as it turned out the stores were snowed shut too, so looks like he'll have to go with plan B, raising the dead.
Concept explanation: Craig is a perpetually peeved pint sized person (Thank you alliteration) who seeks an end to this perpetual cold front. He has a habit of talking to his warpick, stanley, as it helps him defeat the warriors of the frost, such as snow, ice, and his neighbors car after his neighbor called him short. He's generally alright to be around once you defrost him (hehe), resulting in a decent ally to fight by you. If you can handle the grumbling about snow
So, i don't know if this is offensive to anyone with actual dwarfism, and i meant no harm to those people. I just like angry dwarves and this was the best way to make one in this scenario ^^
Personality traits (mannerisms, quirks, ideals, flaws and bonds): He likes to act all stoic and stuff, but he actually loves humor stuff. Quick to fight. He’s always got a fake scowl on his face and doesn’t have great grammar
Backstory (preferably a single paragraph): His father joined a half orc horde, which he was raised in. He recently got a bit too drunk and well…had a fling with a moon goddess. when he woke up he had all these crazy powers and no idea where they came from:
that’s his original backstory. To tweak it slightly and make it make sense I’ll say he’s Russian, probably.
Concept explanation: A half orc sorcerer who slept with a moon goddess?
Personality traits (mannerisms, quirks, ideals, flaws and bonds): He likes to act all stoic and stuff, but he actually loves humor stuff. Quick to fight. He’s always got a fake scowl on his face and doesn’t have great grammar
Backstory (preferably a single paragraph): His father joined a half orc horde, which he was raised in. He recently got a bit too drunk and well…had a fling with a moon goddess when he woke up he had all these crazy powers and no idea where they came from
Concept explanation: A half orc sorcerer who slept with a moon goddess?
The date is February 2nd, 2023. The location is the town of Mount Pleasant, in the relatively average nation of Alaska. The event? Groundhog Day. Year upon year, the citizens of this town have gathered to watch Pete the Groundhog predict the coming of Spring. Should Pete see his shadow when he emerges from hibernation, the winter will continue for another six weeks. If he doesn't, then Spring comes early! This year, Pete clambered out of his burrow and keeled over, dead.
It made the local news at the time but nobody thought much of it. Now it's June and winter still hasn't passed us by. A group of unlikely Alaskans band together to return Pete to life and end the eternal winter that threatens to starve the world.
The world itself is pretty much the world we inhabit, except it's been winter for months now. Characters will gain their stats in game on session 1, previously they are just normal guys. Races are mechanical, not aesthetic - everyone is a human for their physical looks. All official content is allowed for use, any homebrew I'll want to look over and check.
Edit: I didn't think I'd have to say this but no furries. This is probably something I should have made clearer but, please make the character backstories suitable for an Alaskan in our world. Or a tourist from elsewhere in our world. I dunno, maybe a freak accident got them there - no one goes to Alaska willingly 🤷
Character Creation Rules:
- Party of 4-5 will be selected from submissions - fun concepts and fleshed out personality will be valued far more than party roles
- Please use standard array or point buy when assigning stats.
- Characters begin at level 1 and likely won't advance beyond level 3.
- Legacy races are preferred, as I don't have a copy of the new books. Reassigning racial stats is aok. Don't get too hung up on which races you're using though, so long as it's on the character sheet.
- All characters are expected to frequent the local Mount Pleasant pub, the Ice Puck and be friendly with one another before the adventure starts. Specific relationships can be finalised on Session Zero
- Our world for languages, most everything will be in English though so dw too much about that
Rule of Cool is going to be the most important thing here, so this may not be the campaign for anyone who likes RAW games. Creativity will be rewarded.
Format entries like so:
Player name: Steph
Character name: Bilbo Baggins
Race: Halfling
Class (and any subclass): Rogue
Personality traits (mannerisms, quirks, ideals, flaws and bonds): Always needs a handkerchief, hates adventures, loves food and comforts
Backstory (preferably a single paragraph): Damned wizard forced me to go steal from a dragon. Your characters come from our world so backstories are probably mundane.
Concept explanation: A simple hobbit living in the Shire, after meeting dwarves he reluctantly set out in their company to steal the Arkenstone for them as a burglar
Character sheet link: https://ddb.ac/characters/90689490/QHh865
I'll look over the submissions on February 13th and post my selections here.
Chilling kinda vibe.
Are magical classes ok?
DMing:
Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
Playing:
None sadly.
Optimization Guides:
Literally Too Angry to Die - A Guide to Optimizing a Barbarian
Yep! I'll edit that into the original post 👍
Chilling kinda vibe.
Player name: Kris
Character name: Graham Casner
Race: High Elf
Class (and any subclass): Wizard (Divination)
Personality traits (mannerisms, quirks, ideals, flaws and bonds): Prefers a nice scotch, hates the heat (especially humidity), slight fear of heights, loves to read
Backstory (preferably a single paragraph): Graham always enjoyed knowing things, this thirst for knowing usually came across in the form of books as compared to experiencing things first hand. Graham always had dreams while sleeping just like everyone else, except one night when the dream he had felt entirely different, entirely too real. Things werent fuzzy like most dreams, this dream felt crisp, clear, real. He could see his breath in the cold, he could feel the snow under his feet and then the cold stone as he came out of the snow and descended down. Deeper and deeper he went, he could even feel the many variations of the rock as he used his hand to help guide himself along the wall. As he went, there was a dim light, but he could not tell where it came from, it almost felt like the ice itself had a glow to it. And then he saw it, a door in the ice and stone, he had no idea why it was there but he had to know what was behind it, but as he placed his hand upon it he awoke. He looked up everything he could but found nothing except for some folk tale, and so it came time for Graham to stop finding knowledge in only books and so he packed up and set out in search of this door. He knew the door could be real, he knew it could also just be some metaphor came up with, but he also knew that whether or not the door itself was real, the mystery behind it was real, and he had to know, he just had to know...
Concept explanation: A man whos thirst for knowledge usually came from reading, but a dream has led him to search for the knowledge outside of books and to go on an adventure.
Question: Will languages be based upon our world, as in Spanish and German and not Elvish and Dwarvish or will this not come into play?
Was unsure if the backstory you were looking for was based upon our world or a fantasy one so I kept it vague so it could fit both.
Sheet: https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/93515057
Languages based on our world - English will be the main language.
Backstory based upon our world pls
This looks really cool!
Chilling kinda vibe.
Player name: Yamana
Character name: Father Harry Harrison
Race: Human, Variant (Observant)
Class: Cleric (Life Domain)
Personality traits: Mannerisms: I am rude, holier-than-thou, and I am so caught up in my god that I don't care about you. Quirks: I am shaky due to being incredibly old. Personality Traits x2: I misquote sacred texts and proverbs in almost every situation. I am intolerant of other faiths and condemn the worship of other gods. Ideal: Faith - I trust that my deity will guide my actions. I have faith that if I work hard, things will go well. Bond: Everything I do is for the common people. I am those common people. Flaw: I am suspicious of strangers and expect the worst of them.
Backstory: Harry Harrison is a worshipper of that esteemed, age-old church The Higher Orthodoxy of the Church of the Holy Cross and Rings, Alaska, the Lord of All Things, Dod. He has worshipped THOotCotHCaR, A, tLoAT, D since he was a young lad of five years. He has attempted to get promoted numerous times in the church, but he never gets beyond being a priest due to freak accidents - like the time he set the stage curtains on fire (an accident, he swears), or the time he accidentally gassed the church by lighting the censers too early (that was sabotage, he says). Regardless, Father Harry Harrison is a no-one who drawls incessantly on about THOotCotHCaR, A, tLoAT, D, and has a deep, in-set phobia of groundhogs due to an incident where the pope of THOotCotHCaR, A, tLoAT, D got bit by one due to a mistake that Harry Harrison did not, in any way, cause. It wasn't him. I promise. No way.
After his latest failed attempt at promotion, Harry Harrison has taken up playing darts and drinking coffees at the Ice Puck - what else can a 78 year old man with no speaking skills, no intelligence, who worships THOotCotHCaR, A, tLoAT, D, and whom possesses immeasurably bad luck do?
Concept explanation: Harry Harrison is the droning, whining TV-style preacher who worships this unholy eldritch concept, THOotCotHCaR, A, tLoAT, D. He's not stupid, but he's not smart either, and he's as un-charismatic as a bloodied bruised banana. He has no form of damage dealing other than his fists, which only deal 1 damage anyways, and his whole kit is focused on healing and protection. Harry Harrison is a loser.
Sheet: https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/93519087
Frequent Eladrin || They/Them, but accept all pronouns
Luz Noceda would like to remind you that you're worth loving!
*oooooooo, i love this! Imma make up a character and i'll send in a submission soon!
I play a miriad of characters at the lord's rest inn
Two things are infinite: The universe, and human stupidity; and I'm not so sure about the universe.
Scifi horror is quite the trip :) Comics and a story
#FreeDND
Steph, your choice - Father Harry Harrison, or a Furry. Pick your poison.
Frequent Eladrin || They/Them, but accept all pronouns
Luz Noceda would like to remind you that you're worth loving!
ok, gimme a se to walk and i'll get mine up ^^
I play a miriad of characters at the lord's rest inn
Two things are infinite: The universe, and human stupidity; and I'm not so sure about the universe.
Scifi horror is quite the trip :) Comics and a story
#FreeDND
Yamana you're not submitting a furry. Nor is anybody else. Alaric, awesome I'll go through submissions next week!
Chilling kinda vibe.
Lots of things.
Lemme think up a character in be back in a sec
If I haven’t offended you, don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll get to you eventually.
Okay, I'll join, if I can. I'll make a character now...
I'm Hecate! I've got a lotta titles, and there's no way this sig space would hold them all lol
remember that my PMs are always open to anyone who needs someone to talk to, vent to, or just shout at, and i'll always respond relatively quickly
The Younger Twin (by ten minutes)
Extended signature: Here
Lots of things and I don't DM for furry characters because I don't want to 🤷
Chilling kinda vibe.
Ty for all the interest guys!
Chilling kinda vibe.
^this. I agree.
If I haven’t offended you, don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll get to you eventually.
Player name: Alaric
Character name: Craig Doe
Race: Dwarf (Human in play, but dwarf in stats)
Class (and any subclass): Barbarian, planned berserker or battlerager
Personality traits (mannerisms, quirks, ideals, flaws and bonds): Mannerisms: I am almost never in a good mood, and will hit you in the back of the knees. I don't soften up easily, but if you manage to get on my good side, i'll fight for you. Quirks: I speak in a irish accent, although it slips into scottish at times. Personality traits: I have a short fuse that is constantly lit and tend to get annoyed easily. I don't like the cold especially. Ideals: Stubborness-I'd rather eat my hat than admit i'm wrong. Bonds: Flaws: I hate snow. And the cold. And patchwork. and-] I have a short fuse, especially wh- Did you just call me short? I'M NOT [GP]ING SHORT YOU-
Backstory (preferably a single paragraph): Born with a form of dwarfism, Craig Doe is a near constantly pissed off man. A retired marine, he had originally studied for medical school, but having failed that, was reccomended into the army. He spent many years in that service before retiring to his house out in the suburbs with a dog named Dog, who was one of the only creatures he tolerated. However, one odd holiday, he woke up to find that the news told story of a freak accident with the groundhog. Finishing his cereal, he flicked the channel to his prefered show, ignoring the odd story. He went about his days for the next couple weeks, living life as he always did. Feeding Dog, griping over the broken heater, using an exercise website instead of leaving the house, going out for groceries, etc. He had noticed that it was colder, which he chalked up to the busted heater. He hated the cold, poor circulation and all. Then, nearly weeks after the original statement on the news, he opened the door to let dog outside, only to be faced with a wall of snow, which soon toppled ontop of him, burying him up to his neck in cold. Filled with the rage of atleast 2 craigs, he grabbed his ice pick, gave dog a pat and some additional foods, and set out to buy a new heater. Though as it turned out the stores were snowed shut too, so looks like he'll have to go with plan B, raising the dead.
Concept explanation: Craig is a perpetually peeved pint sized person (Thank you alliteration) who seeks an end to this perpetual cold front. He has a habit of talking to his warpick, stanley, as it helps him defeat the warriors of the frost, such as snow, ice, and his neighbors car after his neighbor called him short. He's generally alright to be around once you defrost him (hehe), resulting in a decent ally to fight by you. If you can handle the grumbling about snow
Character sheet link: Link
So, i don't know if this is offensive to anyone with actual dwarfism, and i meant no harm to those people. I just like angry dwarves and this was the best way to make one in this scenario ^^
I play a miriad of characters at the lord's rest inn
Two things are infinite: The universe, and human stupidity; and I'm not so sure about the universe.
Scifi horror is quite the trip :) Comics and a story
#FreeDND
Player name: Otter
Character name: Otter
Race: Otter
Class: Rogue
Personality traits: Playful
Backstory: Otter is an otter who was a close freind of pete, and wants to join the quest to resurrect him.
Concept explanation: Otter
Sheet: https://ddb.ac/characters/93528654/VXAmY5
Mx. Otter (They/them/theirs)
Terry Pratchett & Brian Jacques. Best authors of all time. Change my mind.
Extended Signiture
Player name: Smoke
Character name: Crunchface Bloodspur
Race: Half-orc
Class (and any subclass): Lunar sorcerer
Personality traits (mannerisms, quirks, ideals, flaws and bonds): He likes to act all stoic and stuff, but he actually loves humor stuff. Quick to fight. He’s always got a fake scowl on his face and doesn’t have great grammar
Backstory (preferably a single paragraph): His father joined a half orc horde, which he was raised in. He recently got a bit too drunk and well…had a fling with a moon goddess. when he woke up he had all these crazy powers and no idea where they came from:
that’s his original backstory. To tweak it slightly and make it make sense I’ll say he’s Russian, probably.
Concept explanation: A half orc sorcerer who slept with a moon goddess?
If I haven’t offended you, don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll get to you eventually.
Wails in THIS IS ALASKA NOT FAERUN noises
Frequent Eladrin || They/Them, but accept all pronouns
Luz Noceda would like to remind you that you're worth loving!
Yamana, pls leave me to say those things, but also yeah
Chilling kinda vibe.