Welcome! This is the place for all those player conversations that you don't want in the campaign thread. Strategy, class builds, ideas...

Let's start with the backgrounds and what would link your characters to Balder's Gate if you have any ideas that you want to see come alive during play.

If you have no idea what Balder's Gate is or just want to be a wandering adventure who's curious about the mob at the gates of the city as you approach, maybe with the rest of the group if you all decide to know each other beforehand, that works too. I can work with whatever you've got. Maybe some of you are already in the city? Maybe at the Elfsong Tavern (you'd be waiting to play until the rest of the group finds you).

If you decide to "split" the party at the beginning, we'll just begin working the two groups until they meet up and see where it goes from there.

I'm pretty flexible, but my time is limited, so please be patient with the posts. If there are gaps between, I'm still here I promise. 

With that, below is the chance to talk about your characters and plan things out on the side. You can use this thread throughout the story for all that side stuff.

Have fun! The Gameplay thread will be up this week.

Link to campaign to add your characters to it: https://ddb.ac/campaigns/join/12265604243869623

Should we PM you backstories (If we have them) so you can tie it into the game? or would you prefer us to just post them here, so everyone can see?

as for backgrounds, I used the content sharing for the failed merchant BG (if that's alright with you). I'll probably be coming to the city from the north, though you may want to have me enter the city though the eastern gate and the outer city (assuming that's how you'll want most of the party to enter, but i could be wrong).

Anyone from the northern cities like Neverwinter or Waterdeep, feel free to talk to me about having our characters join up before Baldurs Gate, since my backstory will have me traveling from that way.

That’s all what the following thread is for.

Content sharing is there for you all too. 

I am new to Balder's Gate, so I have no knowledge of it. 

Zinnadove is a wandering adventurer, looking for fun and fortune.  She happens upon a large gathering of people and sees promise of a welcome distraction, at the very least.

Sariel is kinda gullible. I think that would be a fun interaction if she met Zinnadove in the crowd or just outside of it.

(Might be an easy start to our characters)

It would be a good start. This crowd is made up of refugees from Elturel, a city to the East of sorts.

Link to campaign thread: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/play-by-post/75518-squeabs-avernus-campaign-gameplay

A good intro will come soon.

 great, cant wait to get started!!!

I don’t know anything about Baldur’s Gate. I think Yasmin could be either in that crowd, or in a temple.(she’s an acolyte, who ventures out to do good). I could also be wandering to whatever area the campaign takes place in from a northern city, and I could probably meet Sariel there.

Since you don't know much about Baldur's Gate, I think it would be a good idea to have you meet with Sariel in Waterdeep. That way we can already know a little about each others characters, and it would give your character a reason to come south. The whole reason Sariel is coming to Baldur's Gate in the first place is because she had a vision of people in need there (DM if you need more details, its in my backstory tab of my character sheet). It makes sense that she would ask Yasmin to come with her to help the city.

Yeah, I think that will work

It seems we're missing input from one person. No matter, we can press.

Okay, ladies -- each of you are playing a female character...shit just got real. 

The story has started.

https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/play-by-post/75518-squeabs-avernus-campaign-gameplay#c1

For anybody interested, I have playlists upon playlists of good music and whatnot for tabletop gaming. I've been doing this for over 20 years (as the perma-DM --and yes it kind of sucks because I can count on ONE finger the amount of characters I've actually played) --- but....

I use Spotify for my stuff. I have playlists that I have published for any aspiring GM. If anyone is interested, I can link up with you and share. The more, the happier. 

Oh, and I tend to change things up some within the stories. 

Avernus is good and all, but there are flaws that I attempt to address in the campaign. So, if you've read it, some things may be different.

I'd love to see the playlist if you don't mind linking it. (sorry about the perma-DM thing, im trying to get into DMing myself but ive never done anything online like this.)

I've never actually played Avernus before, I just searched online for a summary to the start of it and saw it was in Baldur's Gate, so you have 3 people new to the city. So change up whatever you need, I doubt anyone would mind or even know if you did.

Since this is the player discussion forum, is there anything we should know about each others characters before we get too deep into the actual game? or anything you would like to know about my character? I'm sure we can RP some of the stuff in game, but I figured now would be a good time to learn a little backstory on each others characters

As for character information, that's up to you all to determine how much you want to divulge to each other. I can roll with whatever I'm given by you, so no worries on my end.

Playlists...

DnD Soundtracks

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4FM6Psmm4BxmCSEkdts6On?si=WSpKIerOQ-2P6iJ4DfU08A

Zaraithian Chronicles (My Homebrew)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4UtVqO5kVfZs6YPhS33yrx?si=xeri78ZeThGa_lU1ptSlhg

General Planning Playlist

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3i6CLzpnN01Ob1atbGFFvA?si=v9bYFPNlQOyYMn_sT3rOtw

A somewhat choppy/incomplete backstory for Zinnadove Songsteel:

Zinnadove is a criminal, simple as that.  She enjoys the thrill of the steal, and relishes in the knowledge that she got away with it.  Though outright murder is not something she takes joy in, she won't hesitate to kill if it means she escapes the situation.  In one particular instance, someone innocent was captured for her nefarious deed and now sits in jail for it, and Zinnadove is okay with that.

She has several shady contacts in cities all over, who trade information and more for the trinkets she "comes by" in her travels.  Because of this, Zinnadove is very well-informed and as such, wealthy in ways other than gold and materialistic means.

Zinnadove, or just Dove to those she allows close to her, came to Balder's Gate seeking fortune and fun...  and a way to possibly make a name for herself in the underground.

Nice. It may be simple but it's well put together. Love how you added your flaw into the backstory. Now I guess it's my turn for a choppy/simplified version of my backstory.

Sariel lived in an elven city called Silvermoon that rests quite a ways east of Neverwinter. She worked a simple life as a painter and an artist, and drew in the attention of nobles with her skill. In fact, she attracted a particular noble who she had an interest in, and the two became fast lovers.

The father of the noble hated the idea of his son being in love with a simple merchant however, and did everything in his power to ruin both her reputation and her craft. She was forced out of her home and labeled a fraud and a failure to most in the city.

With nowhere to go, she went to the one place on the sword coast where everyone fits in (and yet somehow no one does), Neverwinter. While there she began studying the practice of divination magic, and eventually her studies lead her to visions of the future.

Not sure why they happen, or why she listens to them, she began to follow her visions south. Eventually she was led south to Waterdeep and her visions pointed her to another elf, Yasmin. She led her new companion, with the help of her visions, to Baldur's Gate without really knowing why.

I guess its my turn for a backstory then.

Yasmin has lived her whole life in the city of Waterdeep. When she was very young, her parents went out for a walk and never returned. Fortunately, she was taken in by a priest of a nearby temple who took pity on her. She was raised in this temple as an acolyte, but didn't quite enjoy the idea of becoming a cleric. Instead, she ventured out of the temple. There, she witnessed a bar fight. It wasn't too violent, but it made Yasmin realize that the world was a dangerous place, and that the common folk needed protection.

She started to study various martial arts and fighting techniques and eventually decided to become a monk. She would defend the people of Waterdeep from crime.

One day, a moon elf named Sariel came to Waterdeep, looking for Yasmin. Yasmin had gained a reputation in the city, and was easy to find. Sariel wanted her to follow her on a journey south, towards Balder's Gate. 

Yasmin, being trustful of strangers as well as excited to help other cities with their problems, agreed to follow Sariel towards Balder's Gate.