This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Unfortunately life happens.
Regardless... Copying and pasting the character creation below in the spoiler.
But sir! What campaign?!
I've decided to try something a little different! Most DM's state "I'm intending to play X campaign, and want players for it!" so I thought to myself, I want to try recruiting for an unknown campaign! Though this WILL be a module, and not a homebrew campaign. I am curious to see what characters are made when they don't know 'the enemy' they'll be facing! Obviously once the campaign starts, the party will know but I'd like to see what characters people come up with when entering an unknown quantity.
Ok then, do you have any homebrew rules or is this 100% by the book then bozo!?
I do have one homebrew rule i saw that I liked the idea of. The handful of others will be voted on by the players. That way no one feels like they're forced into anything that the whole party doesn't want.
The one rule I will be enforcing regardless is: No long rest 'Everywhere' which is a horrible name, but I forgot what it was called officially. the TLDR is; A lot of campaigns boil down to the players getting into a fight. Long resting at the first opportunity. Then rinsing and repeating that cycle - i nthe same way someone on a video game may grind a few levels, run to the save point to heal, then grind, etc.
What this rule does is make it so you can only long rest in safe locations: Inside a town/city, caves/ruins that you've cleared out. Meanwhile camping out in the open along the road, will only allow for the benefits of a short rest.
The reasoning: To increase player strategizing. Weighting risks vs rewards. Instead of just blowing every spell slot and non-infinitely-useable-skill slot they have every single battle wontonly because "I can just long rest as soon as the fights over!"
As said before, the other homebrew rules will be presented and voted on by the players once they have been chosen, of which I will have a total of 3 players (1 i have, and two I recruit here.)
Ok, Ok, I getcha... And you still have my interest. So, tell me ... how do i roll my character?
I allow any stat generation method. And when rolling for your stats, as opposed to point buy, or the other one you may select the "Reroll 1's ONCE" dropdown menu on the dice roller for "Ability Scores" of which it has the options: Never, Once, Always. Again, select "ONCE" and I will confirm your stats weren't rolled as 'always' And you may only roll for your stats once no matter how good or bad they are. So choose your method carefully!
Fair enough you Dingbat DM, what do you allow in your games... character wise then?
For the most part, I don't limit anything on character creation, except a few things that are 'newer' to DND. And yes, I do allow multiclassing.
1. No 'tattoo' stat modifiers.
2. No custom lineage or whatever that is. Default race stats only.
Well you haven't lost my interest yet... so continue. How do you want me to show my character her then?
(All characters will be starting at level 3)
Stats:
Name:
Race:
Class(es):
Backstory: (please try to limit it to 3 paragraphs! I enjoy a good read, but I also don't want you spending a ton of time on a backstory on the odds you aren't chosen!)
Character Goals:
Personality, Flaws, Bonds: Please list no LESS than 2, and no MORE than 4 on each. Please try to tie them into your backstory in some way.
Extra Pick starting gear.
All players are allowed to pick a SINGLE feat, that isn't directly combat related. Sentinel, Great Weapon Master, Polearm Master are direct combat. If you're unsure, feel free to ask, and I will respond as soon as I can.
Ok there buster, I've made my character, but is there anything else I should know or do?
I always try to be fair in my rulings, and if I'm wrong, don't be afraid to point it out, we're all human. I will have the final say but if you can show me where I'm wrong, or make a fair argument I have been swayed many times.
I tend play grittier, darker games that may have themes that make some players uncomfortable. In my eyes, DND isn't happy rainbow friendship time. People are enslaved, killed, kidnapped, and worse - and I don't intend to shy away from that fact. I also like to try to make my encounters challenging - Including making creatures with enough INT fight with strategy, as opposed to 'immobile punching bag' - If you think these may bother you, don't apply.
Lastly, Another special something I thought up was to have everyone who is accepted into the campaign make a second character, using the same creation method above. However, these will NOT be your characters. You will determine their class, stats, goals, etc, and they will always be onelevel lower than the party. And you may level them up as the game progresses, however once they are placed in the campaign, they should be 'unassigned' as I have plans for them in the game to come, and I hope this will end up something you all enjoy.
But again, these are not your 'backup characters' in case of death.
I will only be choosing a single player. Thus I will keep recruitment till I'm back from work today, BARRING not receiving applicants.
The only thing not in the spoiler is this:
I put a lot of work into my posts, and I want a flourishing story that's interesting to come to read. I don't expect anything from someone that I don't also expect from myself.
But all the people in this campaign are great RPers, and put work into their RP. As bad as this will sound, I want people who actually want to play and be part of a story. Thus, I don't want any 1-line-wonders. Everyone has to start somewhere and that's fair, but if i describe an entire scene, and flesh out the town you just entered and the only thing you type is:
I go to the inn, and do a perception check (Perception: 14)
and nothing more, this tells me that you're either not really interested in the game, or that you're the guy at the table who is on facebook when it's not his turn. Sure, this may make me sound like a dick, but I want players who want to be here, not players who just want to exist in the story and nothing more, barely participating.
Just to give you an example, this is what I consider a decent sized post.
Obviously, there are factors that can make a post smaller. Sometimes real life happens and you don't have the time. not every post has to be like this.
Sometimes there's only so much you can post for X reason or Y - Such as you're entering a building, and you, as a player don't know what is in each room, or what is going to happen, so your post is small because you can't post more than "I'm going to approach the room on the south side and open the door" and that's also fair.
But if every post is 1-3 lines all the time, that's a big no for me.
(First, I wanted to say that I absolutely agree with your desire for fully fleshed-out, descriptive posts and RP with emotional depth!)
Name: Niva'ele "Nivi" Farstrider (<-- link to dndbeyond character sheet) Race: High Elf (would prefer to apply +1 to CON instead of INT as it fits her character better, let me know if acceptable, otherwise can do INT). Class: Rogue (Arcane Trickster) Backstory, Character Goals, Personality, Flaws and Bonds: See (first) Spoiler below.
Backstory: Aside: Nivi is a character that actually got to level 3 in a different PbP campaign before the DM had to take off for life reasons, and then in another campaign at level 4 before the DM ghosted... she's got a whole 6-page short story as a backstory, set in the Forgotten Realms world, but I will summarize the basics here soon when finished and am happy to put work into adapting it to the specifics of the campaign).
TL;DR backstory: Nivi is the young black sheep of her noble high-elven family. Neither a gallant, accomplished warrior as her heroic older brother is, nor the ethereally beautiful and inescapably charming bard that her precocious younger sister is. What's more, she is not nearly as nice or cultured or learned as those two. Truth be told, she is a bit of a sociopath. Not the type to attack or sabotage or steal from her trusted companions, but she is a monster to her adversaries, having no scruples when it comes to them. Anything is fair game for Nivi against those people: manipulation, torture, mutilation. The ends justify the means when it comes to her enemies.
And who decides who her enemies are? She does. Not her family, nor the law, nor even the criminal organization such as the one she has worked for (Zhentarim in Waterdeep within the short story), causing her to be kicked out of the latter. In the words of her Zhentarim boss, she is "a blade without a hilt," a weapon with no safe way to grasp it.
Still, deep down she still loves and admires her family. Throughout the short story above, even once she has run away and become a criminal, she still continually thinks of what her brother and sister would do, or how her lord father or lady mother would react. She is destined to forever run from, but never truly escape her family bonds.
Character Goals: 1. Conflicting goals related to her high-elven noble family as described above. Desperate need to escape the haughty, moralistic and judgmental backdrop of her family upbringing, yet forever subconsciously wanting to live up to them and win their approval, even if only inside her mind. 2. Bad people and things need to go down. Hard. Suffering horribly if possible. The ends justify the means. Who or what is a bad person or thing? She'll decide when she sees them or it - no one who treats her and any companions well is likely to end up on the list, at least. 3. Nivi herself needs to benefit from the above process, financially or otherwise. She has no grand plans.
Personality: 1. Despite my noble birth, I do not place myself above other folk. We all have the same blood. 2. My favor, once lost, is lost forever. 3. Despite shunning her family, Nivi desperately wishes to be loved and accepted for who she is, though she has not fully realized it. She is mostly quiet and reserved, watching and performing tasks as assigned. It's just that sometimes her methods are unsound.
Ideals: 1. Independence. I must prove that I can handle myself without the coddling of my family. (Chaotic) 2. Loyalty to my trusted companions, ruthless destruction and pain to my enemies.
Bonds: 1. While I shun my noble family and chafed at their restrictions before I left them, I still remain loyal and would actively protect them, and any friends I make along the way, if given the chance to do so on my own terms. 2. "Bad people" need to go down hard and painfully. No laws or thumbing through the rulebook and strict moral code as my family would try to impose on me. I want none of it.
Flaws: 1. By my words and actions, I often bring shame to my family. 2. I am a borderline sociopath. While I am not necessarily quick to anger and usually act reserved, once you are my enemy or have proven yourself to be a monster in my eyes, there are no bounds to what is acceptable in dealing with you. Torture, mutilation. It's all fair game. 3. Sometimes too hasty to judge, which can yield very bad results in combination with #2 just above
Question regarding the 'default' race stats: I only own the Monsters of the Multiverse version of several races, which make the 'customized origin' rules the default. I'm thinking of submitting a Tabaxi Barbarian; should I just set the stats to whatever the 'legacy' Tabaxi stats are (I think it's +2 Dex, +1 Cha), or use the '+2 to one stat, +1 to another' that Monsters of the Multiverse made into the default?
Also, would you consider the Alert feat to be 'specifically related to combat,' or would it be an acceptable flavor feat for a Tabaxi?
Orevi Egumalathi has been fighting for the weak his entire life. In his young early years he lived with his goliath tribe the Dawncallers in the desert. His tribe had a tradition of warrior historians who would protect the weak while using historical battles and strategies to perfect their attacks. They were masters of strategy and were heavily respected by the desert people. Orevi was in line to become the next generation of these warrior historians.
Through grueling training and intense mental sessions he slowly grew his power and when he was 50 reached full graduation to be a warrior historian. Not long after his tribe was attacked by a rival goliath tribe the Broken Boars. They took the tribe's women and girls and enslaved them and turned them into puppets for whatever sick thing they desired. Without any woman the tribe was bound to depopulate, and they couldn’t find the Broken Boars anywhere despite their trackers best efforts. This gave him a deep resentment towards slavery so he went out to help the unfortunate and hopefully find the woman of the Dawncallers. Now 10 years later he is still searching for the woman, and helping the unfortunate.
Character Goals: Orevi wants to find the captured woman of his tribe to repopulate it and free them, but now he also wants to help the other enslave people of the world.
Personality traits, Bonds, ideals, flaws:
Personality trait: I am wary of the travelers of this land. I know that if you let your guard down people can do terrible things. Just look at the stories my tribe told.
Ideal: I believe that the people of this land should not be enslaved, or forced into work because they cannot. I try to free these people when i can, but i must always avoid becoming one of there numbers.
Bond: My tribe is the thing that compels me to keep protecting the weak. If they were to be destroyed i would lose my drive, and i would lose my honor for not coming to protect them as soon as i could.
Flaw: When i enforce justice in my lands i can be brash and not thing strategically. If only i had thought a second i could have avoided an ambush, or an attack.
Hey there. You have laid out just about everything I'd hope to see in a PbP!
Name: Silvandyr, the Tipped-of-Toe
Race: Fairy
Class: Fighter (2)/ War Cleric (1)
Backstory:
For most faeries who dwell in Merilander's domain, Niviah, time is an inconsequential limitation. They live for countless centuries, a trait one could attribute to any number of factors: the constant presence of a powerful deity... the surplus of mystical energy... or that the fae themselves had merely forgotten to count. But not for Silvandyr - these past three years have weighed upon him in a way three-hundred normally would. Allow me to explain, briefly...
Niviah is a demiplane, created long ago by the spirit Merilander. All creatures who enter into it live in prosperity and harmony, without a want in the world. Of all the denizens, faeries are Merilander's favourite - he tasks them with defending the world's perimeter against jealous hordes of fiends and aberrations, and thus, allows each to share a fraction of his power. As a faerie garners reputation (through military deeds or other noble services), he or she begins to ascend through the Trophic Denominations, receiving a new name at each stage (such as Swift-of-Foot, Ready-of-Heart or, Silvandyr's current title, Tipped-of-Toe) until achieving their final, resting name.
Like all good things, the plenties of this place come with a cost - for to live in the Garden of Eden, you must spurn the apples of the Tree of Knowledge. In Niviah, the toll is ultimate acceptance: a taming of curiosity, a quelling of questions and the denial of doubt, in order that Merilander's world may continue to flourish, no matter what price must be payed. Silvandyr has always been inquisitive, even from a tender young age, a quality which has never worked entirely in his favour. Still, he was committed to faerie craft, and so rapidly excelled at hunting and reconnoitering that his potential was noticed and his first title was bestowed. However, titles and merriment were never quite enough to satiate the young faerie...
It did not take Merilander long to sense the adventure in his heart, and consequently banish him from the Elysian fields of Niviah. Without ample fae magic to suffuse him, Silvandyr's time is running out.
Personality: overlyinquisitive, but attempts to cover this up with a 'don't know, don't care' style demeanor. Slow to trust others, but unwaveringly loyal to his companions. Cannot resist a good existential debate. Stereotypically blunt NY attitude (I picture him with the accent too).
Flaws: quick to anger, partially due to the undercurrent of frustration and helplessness he feels constantly... his breaths are numbered and he knows it... I can see this one being a big issue for him going forward. Has a severe complex regarding his height. Is overly literal at times.
Bonds: Ierril, his mother. I will concoct another few...
Lost in the depths of the feywild, far from the communities of changelings scattered across the realm, Lux stumbled into the warmth of the Court of the Evening Keepers. The Court is known amongst fey as one that is much more welcoming of odd creatures and outsiders, with powers having been linked to the shift of the dawn tides within the fey realm. To fall into a court of kindness is rare, especially in the deeper parts of the feywild, but Lux still feared rejection all the same. Her worry was for naught though, as even having dropped any semblance of a disguise, the Lady Starr is kind enough to welcome the young changeling into the Court.
As a member of the Court, Lux grows into her natural role as an entertainer. Her shapeshifting abilities and sweet musical tones enhance her performances, captivating the boughs of fey nobility as the benevolent Archfey of the Evening Keepers watches on with pride. Time is an odd soup in the feywild, flowing along as Lux quickly becomes a beloved part of the Court. Eventually, Lady Starr adopts Lux as her own, seeing much of her own passion for the entertaining arts in the changeling and choosing to offer her a more tangeable method of magic as a part of their new familial pact. As an official member of fey nobility, Lux takes on more of a peace-making or negotatior role in the Court. Her well-spoken nature seems to garner quite a bit of favor amongst neighboring Courts, many of them listening with rapture as she talked potential deals or simply gave run-downs of different courtly choices that had recently ben made. This later leads to Lux, following Lady Starr's voice of encouragement, to travel further away from the areas of her Court in search of other fey nobility. She picks up silvery flute gifted to her by the Lady on her way out, hoping the instrument will enhance her performances of spreading a message of goodwill.
Character Goals: To traverse the realms and spread a message of good will from her fey court. Preferably through song.
Personality, Ideals, Flaws, Bonds:
Personality: Nobody stays angry at me or around me for long, since I can defuse any amount of tension through my charm. I’ll settle for nothing less than perfection, only the best for best – anything else would be an insult to those whom I entertain.
Ideals:Honesty, art should reflect the soul; it should come from within and reveal who we really are. People, I like seeing the smiles on people’s faces when I perform, that’s all that matters.
Flaws: I have trouble keeping my true feelings hidden, even if I am disguised. My sharp tongue lands me in trouble sometimes, but nobles are to act noble, I cannot be faulted for pointing out their actions.
Bonds: My instrument is my most treasured possession, and it reminds me of Lady Starr – a fey kind enough to take me into her court. The Evening Keepers are my family, their pride and power runs through me as I strive to share their message of peace.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Hello! Thank you for the opprutunity to join our PbP! Even if I don't get picked, I hope you and your party find the player you all need and have fun playing! :D
This is my first PbP (not my first campaign though) but I am willing to learn and I love RP and I'm very creative (I would like to think so at least). I also randomized my class and race so if they need to be changed, I can do that as well! Thank you again!!
Stats/Ability Scores: Ability scores: 10111214158
(The Firbolg race increased my Strength to 17 and my Wisdom to 17. This is the Legacy Content version but I have the most recent as well)
Backstory: Lessniss < (character sheet) is 25 years old. She is an introvert extrovert. She is shy around new folk but once she find a tight knit group, she comes out of her shell and is very bubbly. She had a tribe (The Black Horns) but got lost. She has been getting lost lately, but it couldn't have been because of her magic. Her parents were both Druids, as is everyone else, but she gained her magic from when she was born.
She has always had these chaotic events happen near her but has never gotten hurt herself. A boulder falling in a landslide and landing next to her as a child, she tried to light a campfire and lightning struck next to her instead of the logs catching fire, she tried to herd sheep but instead they ran at her, etc.
But one thing she has always find joy in is her flute. She has been playing and carrying it around since she was a kid, and refuses to go anywhere without it. Maybe she will find her tribe through her flute?
Character Goals: She wants to find her tribe or even start her own....maybe? That's a big idea...maybe not...yeah? No..... (lol ;) )
Personality:
I change my mood or my mind as quickly as I change key in a song.
I’m a hopeless romantic, always searching for that “special someone.”
Flaws:
I’m a sucker for a pretty face.
A scandal prevents me from ever going home again. That kind of trouble seems to follow me around.
Bonds:
I would do anything for the other members of my old troupe.
My instrument is my most treasured possession, and it reminds me of someone I love.
Extra: Rapier, Short-bow with a quiver of 20 arrows, leather armor, an explorer's pack, a "costume", and a love letter.
I'm very glad to see more of a story-focused game! Great application process too, no info on the party or the world... just to see what sort of stories we come up with ourselves! I know I had fun with this one.
Backstory: Olamoira worked from a young age in the dark temple worship of the drow goddess. She and her younger sister, Sylkalana, were pampered temple virgins, ritually slaying the captured slaves, children, and infants that the drow raiding parties brought or were chosen from the families of political enemies of the current matron. Young and naive she adored the power she worshipped, until the day came when her younger sister was implicated in misconduct---she was found to be pregnant. Her sister was a lovely friendly creature whom had softened her own heart, and she did not realize it in the midst of the dark ritual, sacrificing a young woman and her unborn child, that it was her sister who was the sacrifice. When she recognized the victim she had slain, the only person whom she had really ever loved, horror filled her, and she fled the temple, fled the Underdark and its ways drawn into the appetite for blood of the goddess they worshipped.
She ran out to the surface world with nothing but the clothing on her back, and survived her despair through strange inner promptings, threads that she clung to in the absence of all else, surviving and scrounging, until she found herself on the steps of a remote monastery of the (whatever is the dominant lawful good) church. Sure she was imagining the hopeful voice that kept speaking to her, she presented herself to the clerics there in hopes they would kill her. But they recognized a sign from their god and taught her their ways instead. It was absolutely contrary to everything she had ever known, but it was a light in the darkness to a mind and will that had been bent to the service of a goddess that craved and sanctioned the horrors Olamoira could no longer live with.
Though she knew she would never dare to show her face in the Holy Light, she took up the mantle of the Twilight, and swore never to touch a blade again, her hands bloody with all the sacrifices she had made. Despair and madness wracked her frequently, as she knew she would have no life in punishment for taking the lives of so many others. Yet in the midst of these sufferings, she kept putting one foot in front of the other, figuratively, to slowly align the shattered threads of her mind and soul with the celestial voices that she would hear, and stay entranced by. When she put on the clerical vestments and stood in the place to honor her new god, she was freed from herself for a moment, and sought to use what remained of her own powers to stop others from sharing her fate, and to seek alignment with the will of her god in the faint hope of being somehow cleansed from what she had done.
Character Goals: To maybe, one day, find forgiveness and atone for the innocent lives she took and the evil life she led.
Personality, Flaws, Bonds:
Personality Traits
I don’t run from evil. Evil runs from me. I refuse to become a victim, and I will not allow others to be victimized.
Ideals
I try to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost. (Good) I’ll stop the spirits that haunt me or die trying. (Any)
Bonds
A terrible guilt consumes me. I hope that I can find redemption through my actions. I keep my thoughts and discoveries in a journal. My journal is my legacy.
Flaws
I am a purveyor of doom and gloom who lives in a world without hope. I talk to spirits that no one else can see.
Unfortunately life happens.
Regardless... Copying and pasting the character creation below in the spoiler.
But sir! What campaign?!
I've decided to try something a little different! Most DM's state "I'm intending to play X campaign, and want players for it!" so I thought to myself, I want to try recruiting for an unknown campaign! Though this WILL be a module, and not a homebrew campaign. I am curious to see what characters are made when they don't know 'the enemy' they'll be facing! Obviously once the campaign starts, the party will know but I'd like to see what characters people come up with when entering an unknown quantity.
Ok then, do you have any homebrew rules or is this 100% by the book then bozo!?
I do have one homebrew rule i saw that I liked the idea of. The handful of others will be voted on by the players. That way no one feels like they're forced into anything that the whole party doesn't want.
The one rule I will be enforcing regardless is: No long rest 'Everywhere' which is a horrible name, but I forgot what it was called officially. the TLDR is; A lot of campaigns boil down to the players getting into a fight. Long resting at the first opportunity. Then rinsing and repeating that cycle - i nthe same way someone on a video game may grind a few levels, run to the save point to heal, then grind, etc.
What this rule does is make it so you can only long rest in safe locations: Inside a town/city, caves/ruins that you've cleared out. Meanwhile camping out in the open along the road, will only allow for the benefits of a short rest.
The reasoning: To increase player strategizing. Weighting risks vs rewards. Instead of just blowing every spell slot and non-infinitely-useable-skill slot they have every single battle wontonly because "I can just long rest as soon as the fights over!"
As said before, the other homebrew rules will be presented and voted on by the players once they have been chosen, of which I will have a total of 3 players (1 i have, and two I recruit here.)
Ok, Ok, I getcha... And you still have my interest. So, tell me ... how do i roll my character?
I allow any stat generation method. And when rolling for your stats, as opposed to point buy, or the other one you may select the "Reroll 1's ONCE" dropdown menu on the dice roller for "Ability Scores" of which it has the options: Never, Once, Always. Again, select "ONCE" and I will confirm your stats weren't rolled as 'always' And you may only roll for your stats once no matter how good or bad they are. So choose your method carefully!
Fair enough you Dingbat DM, what do you allow in your games... character wise then?
For the most part, I don't limit anything on character creation, except a few things that are 'newer' to DND. And yes, I do allow multiclassing.
1. No 'tattoo' stat modifiers.
2. No custom lineage or whatever that is. Default race stats only.
Well you haven't lost my interest yet... so continue. How do you want me to show my character her then?
(All characters will be starting at level 3)
Stats:
Name:
Race:
Class(es):
Backstory: (please try to limit it to 3 paragraphs! I enjoy a good read, but I also don't want you spending a ton of time on a backstory on the odds you aren't chosen!)
Character Goals:
Personality, Flaws, Bonds: Please list no LESS than 2, and no MORE than 4 on each. Please try to tie them into your backstory in some way.
Extra Pick starting gear.
All players are allowed to pick a SINGLE feat, that isn't directly combat related. Sentinel, Great Weapon Master, Polearm Master are direct combat. If you're unsure, feel free to ask, and I will respond as soon as I can.
Ok there buster, I've made my character, but is there anything else I should know or do?
I always try to be fair in my rulings, and if I'm wrong, don't be afraid to point it out, we're all human. I will have the final say but if you can show me where I'm wrong, or make a fair argument I have been swayed many times.
I tend play grittier, darker games that may have themes that make some players uncomfortable. In my eyes, DND isn't happy rainbow friendship time. People are enslaved, killed, kidnapped, and worse - and I don't intend to shy away from that fact. I also like to try to make my encounters challenging - Including making creatures with enough INT fight with strategy, as opposed to 'immobile punching bag' - If you think these may bother you, don't apply.
Lastly, Another special something I thought up was to have everyone who is accepted into the campaign make a second character, using the same creation method above. However, these will NOT be your characters. You will determine their class, stats, goals, etc, and they will always be one level lower than the party. And you may level them up as the game progresses, however once they are placed in the campaign, they should be 'unassigned' as I have plans for them in the game to come, and I hope this will end up something you all enjoy.
But again, these are not your 'backup characters' in case of death.
I will only be choosing a single player. Thus I will keep recruitment till I'm back from work today, BARRING not receiving applicants.
The only thing not in the spoiler is this:
I put a lot of work into my posts, and I want a flourishing story that's interesting to come to read. I don't expect anything from someone that I don't also expect from myself.
But all the people in this campaign are great RPers, and put work into their RP. As bad as this will sound, I want people who actually want to play and be part of a story. Thus, I don't want any 1-line-wonders. Everyone has to start somewhere and that's fair, but if i describe an entire scene, and flesh out the town you just entered and the only thing you type is:
I go to the inn, and do a perception check (Perception: 14)
and nothing more, this tells me that you're either not really interested in the game, or that you're the guy at the table who is on facebook when it's not his turn. Sure, this may make me sound like a dick, but I want players who want to be here, not players who just want to exist in the story and nothing more, barely participating.
Just to give you an example, this is what I consider a decent sized post.
Obviously, there are factors that can make a post smaller. Sometimes real life happens and you don't have the time. not every post has to be like this.
Sometimes there's only so much you can post for X reason or Y - Such as you're entering a building, and you, as a player don't know what is in each room, or what is going to happen, so your post is small because you can't post more than "I'm going to approach the room on the south side and open the door" and that's also fair.
But if every post is 1-3 lines all the time, that's a big no for me.
Occassional Dungeon Master.
Ability scores: 9 12 17 10 18 8
Mud(Paladin2):Frandal's Scourge/Inge(Barbarian1):Krayveneer's After the Fall/Seri(Cleric1/Sorcerer1):Uhtred's Windward Isles/Shin(Wizard2):Dimir_MTG's Surviving
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric3):Vos' Beyond the Veil/Soren(Druid4):Bartjeebus' Ravenloft/Nivi(Rogue3):Raiketsu's CoS/Lyra(Warlock2/Bard2):BlameItOnWinter's Will of the Ancients
Joren(Fighter5):NotDrizzt's Simple Request/Quyen(Adept1):Constance's Nentir Vale/Rel(Warlock2):Uhtred's Phandelver/Xarian(Fighter1/Wizard1):ShieldHero's Drakkenheim
(First, I wanted to say that I absolutely agree with your desire for fully fleshed-out, descriptive posts and RP with emotional depth!)
Name: Niva'ele "Nivi" Farstrider (<-- link to dndbeyond character sheet)
Race: High Elf (would prefer to apply +1 to CON instead of INT as it fits her character better, let me know if acceptable, otherwise can do INT).
Class: Rogue (Arcane Trickster)
Backstory, Character Goals, Personality, Flaws and Bonds: See (first) Spoiler below.
Backstory: Aside: Nivi is a character that actually got to level 3 in a different PbP campaign before the DM had to take off for life reasons, and then in another campaign at level 4 before the DM ghosted... she's got a whole 6-page short story as a backstory, set in the Forgotten Realms world, but I will summarize the basics here soon when finished and am happy to put work into adapting it to the specifics of the campaign).
Original 6 page short story: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kOrsGX4n07-qYNHK65ZWp17UyPfCV1cmAF7Ui_BwXp8/edit?usp=sharing
TL;DR backstory: Nivi is the young black sheep of her noble high-elven family. Neither a gallant, accomplished warrior as her heroic older brother is, nor the ethereally beautiful and inescapably charming bard that her precocious younger sister is. What's more, she is not nearly as nice or cultured or learned as those two. Truth be told, she is a bit of a sociopath. Not the type to attack or sabotage or steal from her trusted companions, but she is a monster to her adversaries, having no scruples when it comes to them. Anything is fair game for Nivi against those people: manipulation, torture, mutilation. The ends justify the means when it comes to her enemies.
And who decides who her enemies are? She does. Not her family, nor the law, nor even the criminal organization such as the one she has worked for (Zhentarim in Waterdeep within the short story), causing her to be kicked out of the latter. In the words of her Zhentarim boss, she is "a blade without a hilt," a weapon with no safe way to grasp it.
Still, deep down she still loves and admires her family. Throughout the short story above, even once she has run away and become a criminal, she still continually thinks of what her brother and sister would do, or how her lord father or lady mother would react. She is destined to forever run from, but never truly escape her family bonds.
Character Goals:
1. Conflicting goals related to her high-elven noble family as described above. Desperate need to escape the haughty, moralistic and judgmental backdrop of her family upbringing, yet forever subconsciously wanting to live up to them and win their approval, even if only inside her mind.
2. Bad people and things need to go down. Hard. Suffering horribly if possible. The ends justify the means. Who or what is a bad person or thing? She'll decide when she sees them or it - no one who treats her and any companions well is likely to end up on the list, at least.
3. Nivi herself needs to benefit from the above process, financially or otherwise. She has no grand plans.
Personality:
1. Despite my noble birth, I do not place myself above other folk. We all have the same blood.
2. My favor, once lost, is lost forever.
3. Despite shunning her family, Nivi desperately wishes to be loved and accepted for who she is, though she has not fully realized it. She is mostly quiet and reserved, watching and performing tasks as assigned. It's just that sometimes her methods are unsound.
Ideals:
1. Independence. I must prove that I can handle myself without the coddling of my family. (Chaotic)
2. Loyalty to my trusted companions, ruthless destruction and pain to my enemies.
Bonds:
1. While I shun my noble family and chafed at their restrictions before I left them, I still remain loyal and would actively protect them, and any friends I make along the way, if given the chance to do so on my own terms.
2. "Bad people" need to go down hard and painfully. No laws or thumbing through the rulebook and strict moral code as my family would try to impose on me. I want none of it.
Flaws:
1. By my words and actions, I often bring shame to my family.
2. I am a borderline sociopath. While I am not necessarily quick to anger and usually act reserved, once you are my enemy or have proven yourself to be a monster in my eyes, there are no bounds to what is acceptable in dealing with you. Torture, mutilation. It's all fair game.
3. Sometimes too hasty to judge, which can yield very bad results in combination with #2 just above
Free Non-Combat Feat: Resilient Constitution
Mud(Paladin2):Frandal's Scourge/Inge(Barbarian1):Krayveneer's After the Fall/Seri(Cleric1/Sorcerer1):Uhtred's Windward Isles/Shin(Wizard2):Dimir_MTG's Surviving
Dyson/Eleo(Cleric3):Vos' Beyond the Veil/Soren(Druid4):Bartjeebus' Ravenloft/Nivi(Rogue3):Raiketsu's CoS/Lyra(Warlock2/Bard2):BlameItOnWinter's Will of the Ancients
Joren(Fighter5):NotDrizzt's Simple Request/Quyen(Adept1):Constance's Nentir Vale/Rel(Warlock2):Uhtred's Phandelver/Xarian(Fighter1/Wizard1):ShieldHero's Drakkenheim
Question regarding the 'default' race stats: I only own the Monsters of the Multiverse version of several races, which make the 'customized origin' rules the default. I'm thinking of submitting a Tabaxi Barbarian; should I just set the stats to whatever the 'legacy' Tabaxi stats are (I think it's +2 Dex, +1 Cha), or use the '+2 to one stat, +1 to another' that Monsters of the Multiverse made into the default?
Also, would you consider the Alert feat to be 'specifically related to combat,' or would it be an acceptable flavor feat for a Tabaxi?
Hello there! I will toss the characters and whatnot together this evening in the hopes ye work a little later. Patience, I beg thee.
Ability scores: 10 15 14 14 11 14
Ability scores: 14 15 14 15 15 16
Ability scores: 9 14 13 14 12 14
Ability scores: 15 16 17 14 15 17
Ability scores: 16 9 13 12 9 10
Hey there if i get picked I'm real excited to try this out!
Name: Orevi Egumalathi
Race: Goliath
Class: Fighter (Champion)
All the other stuff is in the spoiler
Backstory:
Orevi Egumalathi has been fighting for the weak his entire life. In his young early years he lived with his goliath tribe the Dawncallers in the desert. His tribe had a tradition of warrior historians who would protect the weak while using historical battles and strategies to perfect their attacks. They were masters of strategy and were heavily respected by the desert people. Orevi was in line to become the next generation of these warrior historians.
Through grueling training and intense mental sessions he slowly grew his power and when he was 50 reached full graduation to be a warrior historian. Not long after his tribe was attacked by a rival goliath tribe the Broken Boars. They took the tribe's women and girls and enslaved them and turned them into puppets for whatever sick thing they desired. Without any woman the tribe was bound to depopulate, and they couldn’t find the Broken Boars anywhere despite their trackers best efforts. This gave him a deep resentment towards slavery so he went out to help the unfortunate and hopefully find the woman of the Dawncallers. Now 10 years later he is still searching for the woman, and helping the unfortunate.
Character Goals: Orevi wants to find the captured woman of his tribe to repopulate it and free them, but now he also wants to help the other enslave people of the world.
Personality traits, Bonds, ideals, flaws:
Personality trait: I am wary of the travelers of this land. I know that if you let your guard down people can do terrible things. Just look at the stories my tribe told.
Ideal: I believe that the people of this land should not be enslaved, or forced into work because they cannot. I try to free these people when i can, but i must always avoid becoming one of there numbers.
Bond: My tribe is the thing that compels me to keep protecting the weak. If they were to be destroyed i would lose my drive, and i would lose my honor for not coming to protect them as soon as i could.
Flaw: When i enforce justice in my lands i can be brash and not thing strategically. If only i had thought a second i could have avoided an ambush, or an attack.
Ability scores: 12 12 10 11 16 14
Ability scores: 14 16 18 12 17 15
Hey there. You have laid out just about everything I'd hope to see in a PbP!
Name: Silvandyr, the Tipped-of-Toe
Race: Fairy
Class: Fighter (2)/ War Cleric (1)
Backstory:
For most faeries who dwell in Merilander's domain, Niviah, time is an inconsequential limitation. They live for countless centuries, a trait one could attribute to any number of factors: the constant presence of a powerful deity... the surplus of mystical energy... or that the fae themselves had merely forgotten to count. But not for Silvandyr - these past three years have weighed upon him in a way three-hundred normally would. Allow me to explain, briefly...
Niviah is a demiplane, created long ago by the spirit Merilander. All creatures who enter into it live in prosperity and harmony, without a want in the world. Of all the denizens, faeries are Merilander's favourite - he tasks them with defending the world's perimeter against jealous hordes of fiends and aberrations, and thus, allows each to share a fraction of his power. As a faerie garners reputation (through military deeds or other noble services), he or she begins to ascend through the Trophic Denominations, receiving a new name at each stage (such as Swift-of-Foot, Ready-of-Heart or, Silvandyr's current title, Tipped-of-Toe) until achieving their final, resting name.
Like all good things, the plenties of this place come with a cost - for to live in the Garden of Eden, you must spurn the apples of the Tree of Knowledge. In Niviah, the toll is ultimate acceptance: a taming of curiosity, a quelling of questions and the denial of doubt, in order that Merilander's world may continue to flourish, no matter what price must be payed. Silvandyr has always been inquisitive, even from a tender young age, a quality which has never worked entirely in his favour. Still, he was committed to faerie craft, and so rapidly excelled at hunting and reconnoitering that his potential was noticed and his first title was bestowed. However, titles and merriment were never quite enough to satiate the young faerie...
It did not take Merilander long to sense the adventure in his heart, and consequently banish him from the Elysian fields of Niviah. Without ample fae magic to suffuse him, Silvandyr's time is running out.
Free feat: Observant, I think!
Ability scores: 13 10 11 16 12 9
Noire Havensong | Harengon Archfey Warlock 6/Lore Bard 4 | Westmarch - Guild of the Phoenix (Discord)
Tanatari Crelieu | Kalashtar Druid 2 | Damian_May's Sleeping Gods
Jynx Starrkeep | Changling GOO Warlock 2 | Astien's Tyranny of Dragons
DM | Eberron Eternal (Discord)
I'm interested. Storytelling is my favorite part of PbP.
You're replacing a character whose player needed to withdraw; is there a particular character type, then, that the party needs?
Ability scores: 11 12 15 17 12 10
Name: Lux Starrkeep
Race: Changeling
Class(es): Bard 2/Archfey Warlock 1
Backstory:
Lost in the depths of the feywild, far from the communities of changelings scattered across the realm, Lux stumbled into the warmth of the Court of the Evening Keepers. The Court is known amongst fey as one that is much more welcoming of odd creatures and outsiders, with powers having been linked to the shift of the dawn tides within the fey realm. To fall into a court of kindness is rare, especially in the deeper parts of the feywild, but Lux still feared rejection all the same. Her worry was for naught though, as even having dropped any semblance of a disguise, the Lady Starr is kind enough to welcome the young changeling into the Court.
As a member of the Court, Lux grows into her natural role as an entertainer. Her shapeshifting abilities and sweet musical tones enhance her performances, captivating the boughs of fey nobility as the benevolent Archfey of the Evening Keepers watches on with pride. Time is an odd soup in the feywild, flowing along as Lux quickly becomes a beloved part of the Court. Eventually, Lady Starr adopts Lux as her own, seeing much of her own passion for the entertaining arts in the changeling and choosing to offer her a more tangeable method of magic as a part of their new familial pact. As an official member of fey nobility, Lux takes on more of a peace-making or negotatior role in the Court. Her well-spoken nature seems to garner quite a bit of favor amongst neighboring Courts, many of them listening with rapture as she talked potential deals or simply gave run-downs of different courtly choices that had recently ben made. This later leads to Lux, following Lady Starr's voice of encouragement, to travel further away from the areas of her Court in search of other fey nobility. She picks up silvery flute gifted to her by the Lady on her way out, hoping the instrument will enhance her performances of spreading a message of goodwill.
Character Goals: To traverse the realms and spread a message of good will from her fey court. Preferably through song.
Personality, Ideals, Flaws, Bonds:
Personality: Nobody stays angry at me or around me for long, since I can defuse any amount of tension through my charm. I’ll settle for nothing less than perfection, only the best for best – anything else would be an insult to those whom I entertain.
Ideals: Honesty, art should reflect the soul; it should come from within and reveal who we really are. People, I like seeing the smiles on people’s faces when I perform, that’s all that matters.
Flaws: I have trouble keeping my true feelings hidden, even if I am disguised. My sharp tongue lands me in trouble sometimes, but nobles are to act noble, I cannot be faulted for pointing out their actions.
Bonds: My instrument is my most treasured possession, and it reminds me of Lady Starr – a fey kind enough to take me into her court. The Evening Keepers are my family, their pride and power runs through me as I strive to share their message of peace.
Feat: Observant
Noire Havensong | Harengon Archfey Warlock 6/Lore Bard 4 | Westmarch - Guild of the Phoenix (Discord)
Tanatari Crelieu | Kalashtar Druid 2 | Damian_May's Sleeping Gods
Jynx Starrkeep | Changling GOO Warlock 2 | Astien's Tyranny of Dragons
DM | Eberron Eternal (Discord)
Ability scores: 13 12 12 14 10 10
Rest to come
P: The Traveling Ward: Natural Napalm Enthusiast. (AURYN: The Hunt For The Last Unicorn.)
DM:
Hello! Thank you for the opprutunity to join our PbP! Even if I don't get picked, I hope you and your party find the player you all need and have fun playing! :D
This is my first PbP (not my first campaign though) but I am willing to learn and I love RP and I'm very creative (I would like to think so at least). I also randomized my class and race so if they need to be changed, I can do that as well! Thank you again!!
Stats/Ability Scores: Ability scores: 10 11 12 14 15 8
(The Firbolg race increased my Strength to 17 and my Wisdom to 17. This is the Legacy Content version but I have the most recent as well)
Name: Lessniss
Race: Firbolg
Class(es): Level 2 Rogue / Level 1 Shadow Magic Sorcerer
Backstory: Lessniss < (character sheet) is 25 years old. She is an introvert extrovert. She is shy around new folk but once she find a tight knit group, she comes out of her shell and is very bubbly. She had a tribe (The Black Horns) but got lost. She has been getting lost lately, but it couldn't have been because of her magic. Her parents were both Druids, as is everyone else, but she gained her magic from when she was born.
She has always had these chaotic events happen near her but has never gotten hurt herself. A boulder falling in a landslide and landing next to her as a child, she tried to light a campfire and lightning struck next to her instead of the logs catching fire, she tried to herd sheep but instead they ran at her, etc.
But one thing she has always find joy in is her flute. She has been playing and carrying it around since she was a kid, and refuses to go anywhere without it. Maybe she will find her tribe through her flute?
Character Goals: She wants to find her tribe or even start her own....maybe? That's a big idea...maybe not...yeah? No..... (lol ;) )
Personality:
Flaws:
Bonds:
Extra: Rapier, Short-bow with a quiver of 20 arrows, leather armor, an explorer's pack, a "costume", and a love letter.
Starting Feat: Linguist
I'm very glad to see more of a story-focused game! Great application process too, no info on the party or the world... just to see what sort of stories we come up with ourselves! I know I had fun with this one.
Stats: 14 15 14 15 15 16
https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/97774751
Name: Olamoira Nephaea
Race: Drow Elf
Class(es): Twilight Cleric
Backstory: Olamoira worked from a young age in the dark temple worship of the drow goddess. She and her younger sister, Sylkalana, were pampered temple virgins, ritually slaying the captured slaves, children, and infants that the drow raiding parties brought or were chosen from the families of political enemies of the current matron. Young and naive she adored the power she worshipped, until the day came when her younger sister was implicated in misconduct---she was found to be pregnant. Her sister was a lovely friendly creature whom had softened her own heart, and she did not realize it in the midst of the dark ritual, sacrificing a young woman and her unborn child, that it was her sister who was the sacrifice. When she recognized the victim she had slain, the only person whom she had really ever loved, horror filled her, and she fled the temple, fled the Underdark and its ways drawn into the appetite for blood of the goddess they worshipped.
She ran out to the surface world with nothing but the clothing on her back, and survived her despair through strange inner promptings, threads that she clung to in the absence of all else, surviving and scrounging, until she found herself on the steps of a remote monastery of the (whatever is the dominant lawful good) church. Sure she was imagining the hopeful voice that kept speaking to her, she presented herself to the clerics there in hopes they would kill her. But they recognized a sign from their god and taught her their ways instead. It was absolutely contrary to everything she had ever known, but it was a light in the darkness to a mind and will that had been bent to the service of a goddess that craved and sanctioned the horrors Olamoira could no longer live with.
Though she knew she would never dare to show her face in the Holy Light, she took up the mantle of the Twilight, and swore never to touch a blade again, her hands bloody with all the sacrifices she had made. Despair and madness wracked her frequently, as she knew she would have no life in punishment for taking the lives of so many others. Yet in the midst of these sufferings, she kept putting one foot in front of the other, figuratively, to slowly align the shattered threads of her mind and soul with the celestial voices that she would hear, and stay entranced by. When she put on the clerical vestments and stood in the place to honor her new god, she was freed from herself for a moment, and sought to use what remained of her own powers to stop others from sharing her fate, and to seek alignment with the will of her god in the faint hope of being somehow cleansed from what she had done.
Character Goals: To maybe, one day, find forgiveness and atone for the innocent lives she took and the evil life she led.
Personality, Flaws, Bonds:
I refuse to become a victim, and I will not allow others to be victimized.
I’ll stop the spirits that haunt me or die trying. (Any)
I keep my thoughts and discoveries in a journal. My journal is my legacy.
I talk to spirits that no one else can see.
Recruitment has ended.
I am reading them now, and will choose by/before the end of tomorrow.
Occassional Dungeon Master.