Looking to round out a novice group in a homebrew 5e campaign (Think Rifts meets D&D's medieval setting).
If interested, PM me a character sheet of your 1st level human character with how yo.
Here's some details / FAQs:
Character Creation Notes:
Human PCs for now in psuedo-Europe setting.
Imagine Normandy mid 800s coast of France - if there were mountains in the south.
Most institutions exist or existed. Ex. there's a version of the Roman empire that fell. There's a predominant monotheistic religion that is less powerful than the Catholic church, but other "pagan" religions do exist.
All 1st level.
Characters will know each other / know each other /be distantly related to each other. (Think Merry & Pippin) Helps me avoid 'met in a tavern' troupe. Also gives you a reason to stick together when common sense tells you otherwise.
Existing characters came from the lower classes and know each other from gatherings in the large town (seat of the Bishop) they grew up in. They weren't quite street rats, but it's not a stretch that the upper class would assume it so.
It's not uncommon for people to be not quite sure how they're related these days explicitly, what with people dying regularly and families re-forming so often.
No evil PCs.
Existing characters (in case that affects choice):
Jamor- Monk; quiet, disillusioned, amazed at how much evil there is in the world disguised as good.
Caramon - Fighter; strong, ambitious, angry at a world that's pissed on him and determined to get his fair share.
Vaas - Thief - A survivor and a bit of an opportunist. He wouldn't burn down an orphanage, but has no qualms about taking a life.
If you're a spell caster, chances are you've learned it alone or in a secret society. There is no Hogwarts. Also, see Ley Lines below - multiple possible integration points there.
Mechanics Notes:
Will be on a private BB on a personal website I've built for now.
We will start a thread to kick off the action. Players will comment to indicate action.
Player notes:
Patience required
All players have families with young kids, are geographically dispersed across the world, and work full time. Real life will intervene. DM will seek to advance story when a quorum is present / has participated and may occasionally NPC the PCs if players are otherwise occupied. (DM will strongly try to avoid this.)
Per previous note, existing players are novices. And there's likely better tech / processes that what we will start with. Coach and improve the gameplay, don't complain against it.
Role playing favored.
Strong preference for players that will advance the story line in the posts. Write a post to advance a story line, explore, give conditional posts (if this, then that), explore your character's thoughts and emotions in the scene.
Work with DM for a strong backstory. Better backstory == richer experience == more fun.
Let me know what you'd like to do with your character. Eg. ifyou always wanted to role play a bard singing his way out of trouble and I never give you a chance to do that, the game will be much less fun.
Role playing >> rules lawyering.
Humor appreciated.
This is supposed to be fun, right?!
Campaign Environment & Plot Setting:
A dark age on the mainland. When wars aren’t breaking out across the countless fiefdoms that surround your home famines, pestilence, and disease cull the population.
There’s little respite in faith; the church’s corruption is a way of life- as are their inquisitions. But you had better show faith in god. It’s common knowledge that heresy brings these evils upon the land.
Not that being a man of learning is much better. When the times are bad, and they often are, lay people would just as readily sell their children to a sorcerer in order to dispelled the scourge-Du-jour one day while whipping up a mass purging of anyone rumored to be affiliated with the dark arts.
You hear there were better times in the past. And many pray for better times ahead. Most keep their heads down trying to survive.
But some want more out of life. Perhaps an escape from being a vassal on some lord’s property. Or maybe just a respite from any of the above. Sometimes people just recognize a sense of futility for the whole situation and will wager their life for a chance at something more.
And that’s when they make plans for Austron.
From time immemorial it has been known that the western ocean means death.
Venture a few days journey and the clouds form, the sea froths, and the way becomes impassible. If the storms don’t get you, monsters if the depths; serpents, sea dragons, and giants would.
It was known. Heck, even the holy texts the priests read each week cite nothing but evil in the West. That’s where the souls of the non believers and enemies of the faith go when they die to suffer eternal torment.
Until, at least a generation ago.
During one of the great wars, some armada was blown off course and into the maelstrom of the West. Years later one ship returned telling of an unspoiled land filled with riches protected by fantastic creatures.
Every few years the stormy sea calms a little bit for a month. And some ships make it through.
Some ships must make it back because you hear legends about the new land. That and fantastic artifacts are coming to light in your own lands, shifting the balance of power.
There are signs it’s getting ready to open now.
You’ve decided to seek your fortune on the other side. Whatever awaits, it has to be better than here.
Where the trouble came from
Noted Rifts RPG influence (below from Wikipedia but summarizes nicely once I add strikethroughs).
The Rifts world is Earth, but hundreds of years into the future. Ley lines, lines of magic energy, criss-cross the earth forming supernatural geographic areas such as the Bermuda Triangle. Points where Ley Lines intersect, called a nexus, are places of powerful magic, such as the Pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge. If a Ley Line nexus grows strong, the very fabric of space and time can be torn, creating a rift, or a hole in space-time leading to another place, time, or a new/parallel dimension. Ley Lines are normally invisible, but in the magic-saturated world of Rifts Earth, they become visible at night as massive bands of blue-white energy half a mile wide in some places, and stretching for many miles. When extremely strong, Ley Lines can be seen during the day.
The cataclysm begins with border incursion by NEMA (North American Economic Military Alliance, comprising Canada, The U.S., and Mexico) forces in South America during the year 2098. A nuclear response that follows involves the deaths of millions of living beings, and the simultaneous release of their PPE.
What is already a huge release of mystical energy is multiplied as a result of several special conditions: a rare multi-planetary alignment, occurrence during the Winter Solstice, and all at midnight. The deaths of millions at this time amplifies these already high psychic energies, triggering many powerful natural disasters across the world, including the return of Atlantis.
The energy release from the deaths of millions more in turn releases even more mystic energy, causing more disasters in a vicious cycle. Ultimately, the total destruction brings an unprecedented energy release of billions. Ley Line networks that crisscross the globe are energized as never before, causing rifts to open both on Earth and throughout the Megaverse. Untold numbers of alien beings are pulled from their own home worlds, while Great Powers of the Megaverse are alerted of a new and valuable planet to conquer.
For hundreds of years after the holocaust, many creatures, both mythical beasts and alien beings, come through the Rifts – some of them now permanently opened – to wreak additional havoc. The old world gone, a new dark age dawns and humanity’s shrinking population is reduced, due to catastrophe and domestic failure, immeasurably.
I'm new to PBP, but not to tabletop gaming. I'd be willing to throw in an application, in what format would you like the character sheets? Are you going with standard array for stats?
Backstory: Constantine is a foul-mouthed, disillusioned, cynic who pursues a life or sorcery and danger. His motivation has been attributed to an adrenaline addiction that only the strange and mysterious can sate.
Story: From an early age, John had a feeling that there was something behind the curtain in this world. By day he was earning a coin as a street magician, at night he hunted the supernatural and dug graves.
The townspeople even began to consult with him in case something really strange happens. Unfortunately, he was still an ordinary person. Until one day he heard a voice in his dream, followed by vision.
Voices whispered:
- "Leave the city.. during a full moon.. go on an.. abandoned road."
- "If you... want power... Follow... the white... rabbit... John."
The vision vanished and John woke up.
He stated to himself:
- I'm pretty sure it wasn't a dream. Too goddamn real.
He studied the lunar calendar and realized that the full moon is tomorrow.
He did as he was told, ran after the white rabbit into the forest, finding an old castle.
John enters the castle:
- Someone's home?
- "Yeesss.. but I'm... dying" - voice whispered in John's head.
- Where are you?How can I help you?
- "Take my.. power.. and I.. will live.."
- What power?
- "Power of.. seven.. shadows.."
- I'll take it! Give me it! I want it!
After finishing his last sentence, John dropped unconscious.
Thanks for the prompt reply Austron; I'll get a sheet together and PM the link ASAP. My character is most likely going to be a ranger or druid, I just need to read over your setting notes again to come up with a suitable backstory.
All - I really appreciate the replies. I've gotten a ton of great submissions and starts. I honestly didn't think there would be this much interest. I'm humbled.
In the interest of fairness, I'm going to close this thread.
I ask that everyone who has responded so far continue PM'ing with me.
I'll close on the 2 that we're taking and will let those people know over the next few days. For everyone else, I'll also PM you and keep you on speed dial for the next slot that opens.
Sincerely appreciate all of the thought and effort folks have shown. It's a privilege to play make believe with you.
Hi all,
Looking to round out a novice group in a homebrew 5e campaign (Think Rifts meets D&D's medieval setting).
If interested, PM me a character sheet of your 1st level human character with how yo.
Here's some details / FAQs:
Character Creation Notes:
Mechanics Notes:
Player notes:
Campaign Environment & Plot Setting:
A dark age on the mainland. When wars aren’t breaking out across the countless fiefdoms that surround your home famines, pestilence, and disease cull the population.
There’s little respite in faith; the church’s corruption is a way of life- as are their inquisitions. But you had better show faith in god. It’s common knowledge that heresy brings these evils upon the land.
Not that being a man of learning is much better. When the times are bad, and they often are, lay people would just as readily sell their children to a sorcerer in order to dispelled the scourge-Du-jour one day while whipping up a mass purging of anyone rumored to be affiliated with the dark arts.
You hear there were better times in the past. And many pray for better times ahead. Most keep their heads down trying to survive.
But some want more out of life. Perhaps an escape from being a vassal on some lord’s property. Or maybe just a respite from any of the above. Sometimes people just recognize a sense of futility for the whole situation and will wager their life for a chance at something more.
And that’s when they make plans for Austron.
From time immemorial it has been known that the western ocean means death.
Venture a few days journey and the clouds form, the sea froths, and the way becomes impassible. If the storms don’t get you, monsters if the depths; serpents, sea dragons, and giants would.
It was known. Heck, even the holy texts the priests read each week cite nothing but evil in the West. That’s where the souls of the non believers and enemies of the faith go when they die to suffer eternal torment.
Until, at least a generation ago.
During one of the great wars, some armada was blown off course and into the maelstrom of the West. Years later one ship returned telling of an unspoiled land filled with riches protected by fantastic creatures.
Every few years the stormy sea calms a little bit for a month. And some ships make it through.
Some ships must make it back because you hear legends about the new land. That and fantastic artifacts are coming to light in your own lands, shifting the balance of power.
There are signs it’s getting ready to open now.
You’ve decided to seek your fortune on the other side. Whatever awaits, it has to be better than here.
Where the trouble came from
Noted Rifts RPG influence (below from Wikipedia but summarizes nicely once I add strikethroughs).
I'm new to PBP, but not to tabletop gaming. I'd be willing to throw in an application, in what format would you like the character sheets? Are you going with standard array for stats?
Hi Harm - A link to a DND Beyond sheet is pretty handy. Alternately, a summary in a Pm works.
Good question on attributes. We've been using the point buying method.
Name: John Constantine
Class: Warlock
Backstory: Constantine is a foul-mouthed, disillusioned, cynic who pursues a life or sorcery and danger. His motivation has been attributed to an adrenaline addiction that only the strange and mysterious can sate.
Character sheet
Really neat character, Constantine. What could some of the backstory be?
Story: From an early age, John had a feeling that there was something behind the curtain in this world. By day he was earning a coin as a street magician, at night he hunted the supernatural and dug graves.
The townspeople even began to consult with him in case something really strange happens. Unfortunately, he was still an ordinary person. Until one day he heard a voice in his dream, followed by vision.
Voices whispered:
- "Leave the city.. during a full moon.. go on an.. abandoned road."
- "If you... want power... Follow... the white... rabbit... John."
The vision vanished and John woke up.
He stated to himself:
- I'm pretty sure it wasn't a dream. Too goddamn real.
Thanks for the prompt reply Austron; I'll get a sheet together and PM the link ASAP. My character is most likely going to be a ranger or druid, I just need to read over your setting notes again to come up with a suitable backstory.
All - I really appreciate the replies. I've gotten a ton of great submissions and starts. I honestly didn't think there would be this much interest. I'm humbled.
In the interest of fairness, I'm going to close this thread.
I ask that everyone who has responded so far continue PM'ing with me.
I'll close on the 2 that we're taking and will let those people know over the next few days. For everyone else, I'll also PM you and keep you on speed dial for the next slot that opens.
Sincerely appreciate all of the thought and effort folks have shown. It's a privilege to play make believe with you.
So it's too late for me to throw my hat in? If so, not a problem. Best of luck with the campaign Austron!