OOC: I hope everyone had a most excellent holiday. I certainly did, as busy as it was. Back to it now.
IC: The Lord Warden Markelhay furrows his brow at the news of slaughtered halflings, so close to Fallcrest.
"This is a foul day indeed," he says.
The rumors of gnoll attacks spread around the tavern swiftly. The good folk of Fallcrest are fearful now, and there are calls for action.
"Something must be done! These monsters cannot be allowed to freely roam our lands."
"Surely, some demon is spurring them on! They have never been so brash as they are now."
"And organized too! Goblins used to attack in hordes, and now they launch themselves into our city?"
As the talk grows louder and the people of Fallcrest more and more worked up, the Lord Warden excuses himself for a moment. Many people have returned to the Market Square now, for news, for safety in numbers, to console their grieving friends.
Markelhay steps up onto the stage that had so recently been showcasing Fallcrest's talented musicians.
"People of Fallcrest," he says, immediately commanding the attention of the crowd, "we are under attack. This is the third direct assault on our township by goblins in as many months. There are reports of gnoll attacks just north of here. We must drive these creatures back to the hell from whence they came!"
Cheers go up at the show of bravado.
"We cannot leave our walls unprotected, however. Long ago, a small group of heroic individuals, from many different walks of life, came together in the face of monstrous aggression such as this, and won for the peaceful folk of the Nentir Vale a peace that lasted generations," the Lord Warden said, invoking a local legend of the end of the Horde War.
"Some force is spurring these creatures to ever more brazen attacks. We must root it out and destroy it. We need brave souls, now more than ever, to enter the belly of the beast and root out the evil there. Who among you is brave enough? Strong enough? Smart enough? Step forward! Now is the time for heroes, more than ever!"
The crowd falls silent, and the people look around at each other. They have families, farms, businesses. They are scared. Surely, someone else will do this dirty work, right?
Monday, December 26, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
The Taphouse
OOC: I have updated everyone's sidebar profiles to reflect the five experience points you each earned from defending the town. The goblins carried no money on them. Also, apologies again for the delay in getting this up.
As word spreads that the goblin attack has been repulsed, and that the city is safe again, people begin to return to the Market Square. The celebratory mood of the festival is gone, however, as night falls. The people are mournful that three members of the city guard were killed in the attack, and there are calls for vengeance.
Lord Warden Faren Markelhay is personally seeing to some of the injured around the square, doing his best to calm the population. Bramble and Calix are the first to arrive at the square, and it is not long before they are pointed out and Lord Markelhay approaches them, after they have gotten their ale in the taphouse.
"Good evening, sirs. I have heard tell of your brave defense of our city. Calix, you are known around these parts, but you, sir Halfling, are new to my eyes. What brings you to Fallcrest on this foul day?" the Lord asks of Bramble, as an ale is delivered to him.
Rathman: you make the rounds, and all is well. Your helpers are all accounted for and uninjured, and it appears the old wizard slept right through the entire battle!
Gault: clean-up moves along as swiftly as possible, and your superior soon relieves you of your duty for the evening. He was impressed with your bravery and skill today.
Sarhan: I assume you have made your way to your family, and you discover all is well with them.
As word spreads that the goblin attack has been repulsed, and that the city is safe again, people begin to return to the Market Square. The celebratory mood of the festival is gone, however, as night falls. The people are mournful that three members of the city guard were killed in the attack, and there are calls for vengeance.
Lord Warden Faren Markelhay is personally seeing to some of the injured around the square, doing his best to calm the population. Bramble and Calix are the first to arrive at the square, and it is not long before they are pointed out and Lord Markelhay approaches them, after they have gotten their ale in the taphouse.
"Good evening, sirs. I have heard tell of your brave defense of our city. Calix, you are known around these parts, but you, sir Halfling, are new to my eyes. What brings you to Fallcrest on this foul day?" the Lord asks of Bramble, as an ale is delivered to him.
Rathman: you make the rounds, and all is well. Your helpers are all accounted for and uninjured, and it appears the old wizard slept right through the entire battle!
Gault: clean-up moves along as swiftly as possible, and your superior soon relieves you of your duty for the evening. He was impressed with your bravery and skill today.
Sarhan: I assume you have made your way to your family, and you discover all is well with them.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Victory!
Bramble fires at the worg as it crosses the threshold into town. The arrow shatters against the stone archway to the bridge.
Calix and Gault charge for the worg, and meet it headlong in the open area where the bridge empties into Upper Fallcrest. They meet the beast headlong, attacking it! Gault's spear attack misses, but Calix's mace strikes, and the worg reels from the blow.
The reinforcements behind them come up, sensing the worg's weakness, and two spears pierce the beast, slaying it.
Rathman is quite prepared for the charging goblins, and sets off the werks at just the right moment to catch them all in the blasts! A series of bangs and pops go off, followed by a very large BOOM that leaves the goblins scattered, blackened, and lying flat-out on the ground! That blast also knocks Rathman and Sarhan down.
Guess there was one of those bigger werks mixed in...
Across the river, the larger humanoids are retreating into the forest. All the monsters in town have been slain! The gates are shut and sealed, and the town secure.
Calix and Gault charge for the worg, and meet it headlong in the open area where the bridge empties into Upper Fallcrest. They meet the beast headlong, attacking it! Gault's spear attack misses, but Calix's mace strikes, and the worg reels from the blow.
The reinforcements behind them come up, sensing the worg's weakness, and two spears pierce the beast, slaying it.
Rathman is quite prepared for the charging goblins, and sets off the werks at just the right moment to catch them all in the blasts! A series of bangs and pops go off, followed by a very large BOOM that leaves the goblins scattered, blackened, and lying flat-out on the ground! That blast also knocks Rathman and Sarhan down.
Guess there was one of those bigger werks mixed in...
Across the river, the larger humanoids are retreating into the forest. All the monsters in town have been slain! The gates are shut and sealed, and the town secure.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Goblin Attack Round 4
Calix swings his mace at the worg and strikes it firmly on the flank.
Gault's attack on the goblin runs the little green beast through, and pins it to the ground next to the other one.
Just as the snarling, angry worg can leap upon Calix, it is felled with an arrow through its skull from above! Bramble has scored a Critical Hit and slain the monster!
The other, riderless worg has charged across the bridge and will be upon Calix and Gault next round.
Rathman fires off another rocket, which explodes over the heads of goblin and worg alike on the other side of the river, and this blast causes the worgs to flee into the forest, and their goblin riders to run after them as well. Rathman then notices the four goblins running up the stairs and pointing in his direction...
Sarhan has reached the top of the cliff, and is now within shouting distance of Rathman.
Gault's attack on the goblin runs the little green beast through, and pins it to the ground next to the other one.
Just as the snarling, angry worg can leap upon Calix, it is felled with an arrow through its skull from above! Bramble has scored a Critical Hit and slain the monster!
The other, riderless worg has charged across the bridge and will be upon Calix and Gault next round.
Rathman fires off another rocket, which explodes over the heads of goblin and worg alike on the other side of the river, and this blast causes the worgs to flee into the forest, and their goblin riders to run after them as well. Rathman then notices the four goblins running up the stairs and pointing in his direction...
Sarhan has reached the top of the cliff, and is now within shouting distance of Rathman.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Goblin Attack! Round 3
OOC: thanks for the heads-up Jake. I imagine it will be a bit difficult for everyone to post in a timely manner during the chaos of the holiday season. We will soldier on, patiently ;)
The bridge is quite stationary, and does not raise up. On the western bank is a guardhouse with a portcullis that is, at the moment, wide open.
@ Sarhan: You can see the steely resolve in Myra's eyes, and the concern for your safety, but she does as you direct. You head off for the switchback; the goblins are headed up the other path, towards the staircase that is carved into the side of the cliff. You will most certainly require a couple of rounds to arrive at the top of the cliff.
@ Gault: Your spear pierces straight through the attacking goblin's chest, and as you rip it out of the beast it collapses to the ground. The other goblin attacks you just before you can turn on it, but it misses wildly (granting you +2 to your next attack against it!)
@ Calix: the worg-riding goblin bears down on you! You strike its flank as it rushes past you, shaking it enough that it comes to a halt and turns on you! The goblin raises a crude spear over its head and throws it at you! Fortunately, it is a wobbly throw, and falls harmlessly on the ground a few feet away from you. The worg growls and prepares to pounce...
@ Bramble: You manage to line up a shot as the worg stops and turns on Calix. You release just as the goblin tosses a spear at the mace-wielding cleric, and your arrow flies true, knocking the goblin clear off the worg and into the dirt, quite dead with an arrow through its neck.
@ Rathman: The next firewerk you shoot off also explodes in the same general area as the previous one, making it difficult for the goblins there to get a handle on their worg mounts. The one in front, however, without a rider, gets spooked enough to run straight for the bridge and into town!
The bridge is quite stationary, and does not raise up. On the western bank is a guardhouse with a portcullis that is, at the moment, wide open.
@ Sarhan: You can see the steely resolve in Myra's eyes, and the concern for your safety, but she does as you direct. You head off for the switchback; the goblins are headed up the other path, towards the staircase that is carved into the side of the cliff. You will most certainly require a couple of rounds to arrive at the top of the cliff.
@ Gault: Your spear pierces straight through the attacking goblin's chest, and as you rip it out of the beast it collapses to the ground. The other goblin attacks you just before you can turn on it, but it misses wildly (granting you +2 to your next attack against it!)
@ Calix: the worg-riding goblin bears down on you! You strike its flank as it rushes past you, shaking it enough that it comes to a halt and turns on you! The goblin raises a crude spear over its head and throws it at you! Fortunately, it is a wobbly throw, and falls harmlessly on the ground a few feet away from you. The worg growls and prepares to pounce...
@ Bramble: You manage to line up a shot as the worg stops and turns on Calix. You release just as the goblin tosses a spear at the mace-wielding cleric, and your arrow flies true, knocking the goblin clear off the worg and into the dirt, quite dead with an arrow through its neck.
@ Rathman: The next firewerk you shoot off also explodes in the same general area as the previous one, making it difficult for the goblins there to get a handle on their worg mounts. The one in front, however, without a rider, gets spooked enough to run straight for the bridge and into town!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Goblin Attack (cont)
OOC: If you would prefer I make the rolls for you for whatever reason, it is not a problem at all. Bramble, I will go ahead and roll for you from now on. In the interest of speeding up game play, I will go ahead and have the rpglibrary roll for your actions if you haven't already, and email the result to you.
Also, apologies for the delay in posting this. Overtime at work has been kicking my butt, and home life is just getting more and more busy it seems. Also, I thought I posted this as a comment on the previous post, but it appears blogger ate it or something. I will be much more prompt in my replies (and double checking them!) in the future! Anyways, back to the game.
@ Bramble: as the four goblins cross the threshold, you let fly an arrow and it hits true, dropping the one in front. The goblin running behind it trips over the crumpling body, and the two other goblins run towards Gault and Calix as you prepare another arrow to fire.
@ Calix and Gault: the goblins are upon you! Calix takes a swing with his mace and strikes true, felling the foul green beast with a single blow. Gault's spear misses the mark, and the goblins strike as they run into you! One of them attempts to stab Gault with a nasty-looking serrated knife, but misses. The other one attempts to tackle Calix, but Calix narrowly dodges the attack.
Calix and Gault can hear booted footsteps coming up behind them, reinforcements in the form of Fallcrest Guards. Good thing, too, as the first worg-riding goblin is charging full-bore across the bridge, and tramples over the two goblins in a heap at the bridge entryway.
@ Tenkar: you grab, light, and set off one of the bigger, noisier fireworks from the cart, and it whistles off above lower Fallcrest, across the river, and explodes right in front of the three worg-riding goblins charging the bridge! The worg in front crashes to the ground, rolling head over feet and crushing its rider, while the other two toss their riders and run away from the blast!
Also, Tenkar, from your vantage point on the cliff, you can see that there are two large monstrous humanoids, possibly ogres or hill giants, that are throwing goblins across the river and into town! In fact, two more go flying across the river right now, and land with a squeal and a crash near the docks and are running towards the chaos on the Market Green!
@ Sarhan: You hear the hiss and whistle above your head, and so does the goblin. You see it point at it and scream out in goblin: "Firebombz! Gets 'em!" as he grabs the other goblin and they run towards the cliffs.
Also, apologies for the delay in posting this. Overtime at work has been kicking my butt, and home life is just getting more and more busy it seems. Also, I thought I posted this as a comment on the previous post, but it appears blogger ate it or something. I will be much more prompt in my replies (and double checking them!) in the future! Anyways, back to the game.
@ Bramble: as the four goblins cross the threshold, you let fly an arrow and it hits true, dropping the one in front. The goblin running behind it trips over the crumpling body, and the two other goblins run towards Gault and Calix as you prepare another arrow to fire.
@ Calix and Gault: the goblins are upon you! Calix takes a swing with his mace and strikes true, felling the foul green beast with a single blow. Gault's spear misses the mark, and the goblins strike as they run into you! One of them attempts to stab Gault with a nasty-looking serrated knife, but misses. The other one attempts to tackle Calix, but Calix narrowly dodges the attack.
Calix and Gault can hear booted footsteps coming up behind them, reinforcements in the form of Fallcrest Guards. Good thing, too, as the first worg-riding goblin is charging full-bore across the bridge, and tramples over the two goblins in a heap at the bridge entryway.
@ Tenkar: you grab, light, and set off one of the bigger, noisier fireworks from the cart, and it whistles off above lower Fallcrest, across the river, and explodes right in front of the three worg-riding goblins charging the bridge! The worg in front crashes to the ground, rolling head over feet and crushing its rider, while the other two toss their riders and run away from the blast!
Also, Tenkar, from your vantage point on the cliff, you can see that there are two large monstrous humanoids, possibly ogres or hill giants, that are throwing goblins across the river and into town! In fact, two more go flying across the river right now, and land with a squeal and a crash near the docks and are running towards the chaos on the Market Green!
@ Sarhan: You hear the hiss and whistle above your head, and so does the goblin. You see it point at it and scream out in goblin: "Firebombz! Gets 'em!" as he grabs the other goblin and they run towards the cliffs.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Goblin Attack!
OOC: Congrats Tenkar on tying the knot!
Also, apologies for taking my time getting this one up, but overtime has been kicking my butt. Anyways, back to the game.
@Bramble and Rathman: from your vantage points atop the cliffs overlooking Lower Fallcrest, you can see quite clearly that a few of the farmhouses on the other side of the river have been set ablaze! You can barely make out several green-skinned little bastards running around the area, wreaking havok in general. There are three quite large, lumbering hulks with them, making their way towards the river. You also spy half a dozen large wolves with goblin riders racing along the path, heading north. Behind you, you hear a horn call from the Five-Arch Bridge (number 3 on the map), which is the only way into town from the other side of the River Nen.
@Gault: the northern gate has been shut and secured. You hear a horn call from the Five-Arch Bridge, and a moment later sounds of combat erupt from that area!
@Calix: Father Quinlaven rushes towards the temple grounds, ushering nervous townfolk along with him to the relative safety of the temple. You also hear the horn call from the bridge, and can see combat between guards and goblins breaking out on the bridge!
@Sarhan: the Market Square has erupted in commotion. You also hear the horn from the bridge, but it is distant and almost lost in the sound of the waterfall. You can see black smoke rising across the river. Your wife manages to keep your family all together, for now. Your house and shop is in Upper Fallcrest, near number 19 on the map.
Also, apologies for taking my time getting this one up, but overtime has been kicking my butt. Anyways, back to the game.
@Bramble and Rathman: from your vantage points atop the cliffs overlooking Lower Fallcrest, you can see quite clearly that a few of the farmhouses on the other side of the river have been set ablaze! You can barely make out several green-skinned little bastards running around the area, wreaking havok in general. There are three quite large, lumbering hulks with them, making their way towards the river. You also spy half a dozen large wolves with goblin riders racing along the path, heading north. Behind you, you hear a horn call from the Five-Arch Bridge (number 3 on the map), which is the only way into town from the other side of the River Nen.
@Gault: the northern gate has been shut and secured. You hear a horn call from the Five-Arch Bridge, and a moment later sounds of combat erupt from that area!
@Calix: Father Quinlaven rushes towards the temple grounds, ushering nervous townfolk along with him to the relative safety of the temple. You also hear the horn call from the bridge, and can see combat between guards and goblins breaking out on the bridge!
@Sarhan: the Market Square has erupted in commotion. You also hear the horn from the bridge, but it is distant and almost lost in the sound of the waterfall. You can see black smoke rising across the river. Your wife manages to keep your family all together, for now. Your house and shop is in Upper Fallcrest, near number 19 on the map.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
An Ill Omen
Excellent writing thus far, friends, thank you. We shall continue on this posting.
Rathman: The three boys all perk up at your words, and rush over to you. Their attention is split between you and the cart of fireworks, but thus far they keep their hands to themselves.
Sarhan: When you return to your family table amidst the festivities, you notice your eldest daughter, Messa, is no longer her usually cheery self. A grim, almost fearful look has overcome her, and her eyes are distant with worry. She has long had the gift of foresight; never knowing exactly what events would come in the future, but having a general feeling for things that have not yet come to pass.
Calix: You see Gault leading a wild-looking halfling into town through the North Gate. The halfling looks a bit weary but uninjured. The guards along the walls are much more active now. One of them has rushed past you towards Lower Fallcrest and the Market Square in quite a hurry.
Rathman: The three boys all perk up at your words, and rush over to you. Their attention is split between you and the cart of fireworks, but thus far they keep their hands to themselves.
Sarhan: When you return to your family table amidst the festivities, you notice your eldest daughter, Messa, is no longer her usually cheery self. A grim, almost fearful look has overcome her, and her eyes are distant with worry. She has long had the gift of foresight; never knowing exactly what events would come in the future, but having a general feeling for things that have not yet come to pass.
Calix: You see Gault leading a wild-looking halfling into town through the North Gate. The halfling looks a bit weary but uninjured. The guards along the walls are much more active now. One of them has rushed past you towards Lower Fallcrest and the Market Square in quite a hurry.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Setting the Stage; Game On!
We are about ready to begin, I believe.
It is the sixth day of the Summer Festival in Fallcrest, and as evening draws close, most residents have made their way to the Market Green (26) on the lower side of town, where a great bonfire is being prepared, and the ale has already started flowing. The people of Fallcrest are in good spirits; there has not been a monster raid since the last Festival, and this year's harvest looks to be plentiful. The Lucky Gnome Taphouse (28) is doing a brisk business, which is pouring over onto the Market Green. While much of the lower side of Fallcrest remains in ruins, there has been some rebuilding lately.
Bramble Butterfoot: you have literally just gotten to Fallcrest after seeing your family slaughtered by gnolls. You followed the River Nen south to Fallcrest, where you hear the sounds of a great celebration.
Calix: This happened today:
Father Quinlaven has asked you to walk with him after morning services. "Calix, I was granted a vision last night," he begins, his old deep voice slow with age and deliberation. "It seems the gods have a greater purpose for you than remaining here. I know, I find it hard to believe myself, young man, but these are dark and dangerous times we find ourselves in, and the gods work in mysterious ways.
"You must leave this temple, Calix. Have faith and trust in Corellon to guide you through the darkness you will surely encounter. Gather your things and go. Oh, and take this," he says, opening his robes and brandishing a heavy mace, adorned on each blunt face of the business end with the Star of Corellon. "It has been many moons since I have had to wield it, but it served me well when the orcs were rampaging across the Vale.
"I fear the orcs are gathering again in the Stonemarch Mountains, to the west. Normally the tribes of darkness bicker and fight amongst themselves, but when a strong enough leader can impose his will on the clans, they can be rallied under a single banner. You must not allow this to happen, Calix."
Father Quinlaven hands you the mace.
DM note: this is just a normal mace, although of exceptional quality and sentimental value.
Sarhan Soth: You are in the Market Green, enjoying the festival with your friends and family.
Rathman: Your teacher, the old human hedge-wizard Tauster, has given you the most important job in town. You are in charge of the fireworks. A cart stacked full of them sits near the cliff on the upper side of town, just above (15) on the map.
Gault: You drew the short straw and are stuck with guard duty, walking the wall for the evening.
Okay, I know I just served up Calix a big fat plot sandwich, but it was one of those things that I just started writing yesterday and it seemed like it would be perfect. So there ya go. I'll try to make sure everybody gets some, as the storyline progresses and more NPCs are added to the mix through play.
Also, if anyone has ideas for NPC relatives or friends, shoot me an email and we can get that sorted out and added to the mix somehow. The more you put into your character, the more I can give back. I'm all about you guys helping me build this world as the game progresses. It's ours, not mine, and I have very little set in stone about any of it at the moment.
Calix and Rathman still need starting equipment, and Rathman needs to select the spells in his book, as well as his "signature spell".
It is the sixth day of the Summer Festival in Fallcrest, and as evening draws close, most residents have made their way to the Market Green (26) on the lower side of town, where a great bonfire is being prepared, and the ale has already started flowing. The people of Fallcrest are in good spirits; there has not been a monster raid since the last Festival, and this year's harvest looks to be plentiful. The Lucky Gnome Taphouse (28) is doing a brisk business, which is pouring over onto the Market Green. While much of the lower side of Fallcrest remains in ruins, there has been some rebuilding lately.
Bramble Butterfoot: you have literally just gotten to Fallcrest after seeing your family slaughtered by gnolls. You followed the River Nen south to Fallcrest, where you hear the sounds of a great celebration.
Calix: This happened today:
Father Quinlaven has asked you to walk with him after morning services. "Calix, I was granted a vision last night," he begins, his old deep voice slow with age and deliberation. "It seems the gods have a greater purpose for you than remaining here. I know, I find it hard to believe myself, young man, but these are dark and dangerous times we find ourselves in, and the gods work in mysterious ways.
"You must leave this temple, Calix. Have faith and trust in Corellon to guide you through the darkness you will surely encounter. Gather your things and go. Oh, and take this," he says, opening his robes and brandishing a heavy mace, adorned on each blunt face of the business end with the Star of Corellon. "It has been many moons since I have had to wield it, but it served me well when the orcs were rampaging across the Vale.
"I fear the orcs are gathering again in the Stonemarch Mountains, to the west. Normally the tribes of darkness bicker and fight amongst themselves, but when a strong enough leader can impose his will on the clans, they can be rallied under a single banner. You must not allow this to happen, Calix."
Father Quinlaven hands you the mace.
DM note: this is just a normal mace, although of exceptional quality and sentimental value.
Sarhan Soth: You are in the Market Green, enjoying the festival with your friends and family.
Rathman: Your teacher, the old human hedge-wizard Tauster, has given you the most important job in town. You are in charge of the fireworks. A cart stacked full of them sits near the cliff on the upper side of town, just above (15) on the map.
Gault: You drew the short straw and are stuck with guard duty, walking the wall for the evening.
Okay, I know I just served up Calix a big fat plot sandwich, but it was one of those things that I just started writing yesterday and it seemed like it would be perfect. So there ya go. I'll try to make sure everybody gets some, as the storyline progresses and more NPCs are added to the mix through play.
Also, if anyone has ideas for NPC relatives or friends, shoot me an email and we can get that sorted out and added to the mix somehow. The more you put into your character, the more I can give back. I'm all about you guys helping me build this world as the game progresses. It's ours, not mine, and I have very little set in stone about any of it at the moment.
Calix and Rathman still need starting equipment, and Rathman needs to select the spells in his book, as well as his "signature spell".
Monday, October 24, 2011
Training
PCs must take time to hone their skills and train themselves to gain the benefits of a new level. This requires one uninterrupted week per level. This time may be reduced by finding a trainer of the same class and greater level (payment is negotiable), but will always take at least one week.
Calendar
1 week is seven days, and for ease of use, we will use Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday and Saturday.
Each month is exactly four weeks.
New Year's Festival, 1 week
Coldmoon
Icemoon
Darkmoon
Rebirth Festival, 1 week
Rainmoon
Springmoon
Lifemoon
Summer Festival, 1 week
Growingmoon
Firemoon
Fullmoon
Harvest Festival, 1 week
Harvestmoon
Earthmoon
Nightmoon
The moon cycles from new to full once per year, with the new moon occuring during the month of Darkmoon and the full moon during the month of Fullmoon.
Years are not numbered, but instead each year is given a name. This is the Year of the Starfall, so named for the meteor showers that fell during the New Year's Festival. Sometimes years are not named until the middle of the summer, or even the next year. It makes little difference in the day-to-day lives of the people of Fallcrest.
Each month is exactly four weeks.
New Year's Festival, 1 week
Coldmoon
Icemoon
Darkmoon
Rebirth Festival, 1 week
Rainmoon
Springmoon
Lifemoon
Summer Festival, 1 week
Growingmoon
Firemoon
Fullmoon
Harvest Festival, 1 week
Harvestmoon
Earthmoon
Nightmoon
The moon cycles from new to full once per year, with the new moon occuring during the month of Darkmoon and the full moon during the month of Fullmoon.
Years are not numbered, but instead each year is given a name. This is the Year of the Starfall, so named for the meteor showers that fell during the New Year's Festival. Sometimes years are not named until the middle of the summer, or even the next year. It makes little difference in the day-to-day lives of the people of Fallcrest.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Almost ready...
Just as a heads up for my players, we are very close to being ready to get the ball rolling on this game. I will probably be making some changes to the blog interface to make it work as good as possible for everyone involved.
I will generally be using my iPhone to run the game, so that is certainly effecting how I set things up for ease of use on my end. So, to my players, are you all generally using a proper web browser on a computer to post, or are some of you using mobile internet devices? Any suggestions on how I can set this up for ease of functionality?
I am also still working on setting up the hex-map for exploring the surrounding area. I have the map to base it on, but, having a rather slow desktop at the moment, am a bit stymied on how to easily set it up. I don't have access to any fancy image editors, either, nor would I have the technical skills to make it look very good. For the moment, my plan is to keep track of where you all are at on my personal map and just be very descriptive as I interpret it for you. The same process will probably apply for dungeon areas, although these may be easier to adjust and post for you guys using a simple program like Paint.
Thanks a lot, guys. Like I said, I hope to get this started in the next few days. Please bear with me as I get things sorted out to make this work well. I imagine I'll be changing some things as we go and figure out just what works well and what doesn't.
I will generally be using my iPhone to run the game, so that is certainly effecting how I set things up for ease of use on my end. So, to my players, are you all generally using a proper web browser on a computer to post, or are some of you using mobile internet devices? Any suggestions on how I can set this up for ease of functionality?
I am also still working on setting up the hex-map for exploring the surrounding area. I have the map to base it on, but, having a rather slow desktop at the moment, am a bit stymied on how to easily set it up. I don't have access to any fancy image editors, either, nor would I have the technical skills to make it look very good. For the moment, my plan is to keep track of where you all are at on my personal map and just be very descriptive as I interpret it for you. The same process will probably apply for dungeon areas, although these may be easier to adjust and post for you guys using a simple program like Paint.
Thanks a lot, guys. Like I said, I hope to get this started in the next few days. Please bear with me as I get things sorted out to make this work well. I imagine I'll be changing some things as we go and figure out just what works well and what doesn't.
Map of Fallcrest
This is a map of Fallcrest, courtesy of WotC. I will be filling in the details as the game progresses, and will edit this post as information is made available. Obviously, as most of the characters grew up in Fallcrest, a good deal of information should be available from the beginning, and I'll try to get the basics up here shortly.
Better hi-res version of map here.
5: North Gate, also known as the Knight's Gate, for the fully-armored knights that are sculpted into the wall on either side of the portcullis, on the outside.
The walls around Fallcrest are twenty feet tall, with a tower every hundred yards or so.
10: Temple of the Gods: Fallcrest's house of worship. Most of the gods have a small chamber for worship, and the buildings in the immediate area house a number of acolytes.
26: Market Green, a large open space in Lower Fallcrest, where once a week a farmer's market goes up. The area is also used for Festival celebrations and any other large gatherings.
28: The Lucky Gnome Taphouse, a bit of a rough n tumble pub, owned by an older gnome named Drewfet.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Character Sheet Format
This is the (preliminary) format I will be using to display everyone's character. I've already filled this out for The Bane, Jake, Joe Nelson, and Tenkar, and will be posting them on the sidebar (and keeping them updated) for ease of play.
Player
Name
Level
Class
Race
Alignment
Hit Points:
Body Points:
Experience Points:
Experience Base:
Stats Saves
STR FORT
DEX REFLEX
MIND WILL
CHA PRESENCE
Armor Class
Physical Combat Bonus (PCB)
Magical Combat Bonus (MCB)
Melee Attack Bonus=PCB+STR
Ranged Attack Bonus=PCB+DEX
Magic Attack Bonus=MCB+MIND
Weapon to hit and damage
Class Abilities
Race Abilities
Current Items:
Current Money:
Virtues:
Vices:
Background:
Player
Name
Level
Class
Race
Alignment
Hit Points:
Body Points:
Experience Points:
Experience Base:
Stats Saves
STR FORT
DEX REFLEX
MIND WILL
CHA PRESENCE
Armor Class
Physical Combat Bonus (PCB)
Magical Combat Bonus (MCB)
Melee Attack Bonus=PCB+STR
Ranged Attack Bonus=PCB+DEX
Magic Attack Bonus=MCB+MIND
Weapon to hit and damage
Class Abilities
Race Abilities
Current Items:
Current Money:
Virtues:
Vices:
Background:
Monday, October 17, 2011
Ok, looks like our table is full, and I don't think we could have a more well-rounded group.
We have Rude Jester, playing Gault, a human fighter.
Joe Nelson, playing Calix, a human cleric.
Jake Strait, playing Sarhan Soth, a gnome thief.
The Bane, playing Bramble Butterfoot, a halfling ranger.
And Tenkar, playing Rathman, an elf magic-user.
Expectations: I see this as a slow-moving game, especially as we all get the hang of the ruleset. I would like to see a rate of a comment per day from each player. If we're waiting on someone and it's been a day or two, I'll shoot them an email, and if you've dropped off the edge of the world and have no contact after another day or two, I'll have your character slaughtered (or suffer some other horrible fate) in a most brutal fashion and your spot at the table will be taken by someone on the waiting list. Obviously, if you need a break or won't be able to participate for a week or month or something, I'll be happy to work with you, as long as lines of communication are open.
There were a few questions about chargen in the comments, which I'll answer here.
I don't have a standardized character sheet yet, but it seems you guys have done a pretty good job putting that together yourselves.
We will use max hit points at 1st level, and we will be using the Body Points rules (though not the optional rules that cause fighters to gain body points and magic-users to lose them as they level-up).
You add your Physical Combat Bonus (PCB) with your Strength Bonus to get your overall modifier for Melee Attacks. Add your PCB to your Dex Bonus to get your overall modifier for Ranged Attacks. The Magical Combat Bonus will be used very rarely, if at all. I can really only see it being used in, for example, the case of a fighter picking up and trying to use a Wand of Magic Missile.
Caltrops can most certainly be used as traps, and generally stepping on a caltrop would cause 1d4 damage and significantly reduce one's movement rate.
Feel free to take one of the packs as your standard starting equipment.
@Tenkar: I'll need to take another gander at the magic rules to figure out your spellbook, but I'll let you know soon how we'll deal with that.
I should have this blog more fully set-up in the next few days to allow for ease of play, and then we'll get rolling. Any suggestions or comments are always welcome and encouraged! Thanks guys!
We have Rude Jester, playing Gault, a human fighter.
Joe Nelson, playing Calix, a human cleric.
Jake Strait, playing Sarhan Soth, a gnome thief.
The Bane, playing Bramble Butterfoot, a halfling ranger.
And Tenkar, playing Rathman, an elf magic-user.
Expectations: I see this as a slow-moving game, especially as we all get the hang of the ruleset. I would like to see a rate of a comment per day from each player. If we're waiting on someone and it's been a day or two, I'll shoot them an email, and if you've dropped off the edge of the world and have no contact after another day or two, I'll have your character slaughtered (or suffer some other horrible fate) in a most brutal fashion and your spot at the table will be taken by someone on the waiting list. Obviously, if you need a break or won't be able to participate for a week or month or something, I'll be happy to work with you, as long as lines of communication are open.
There were a few questions about chargen in the comments, which I'll answer here.
I don't have a standardized character sheet yet, but it seems you guys have done a pretty good job putting that together yourselves.
We will use max hit points at 1st level, and we will be using the Body Points rules (though not the optional rules that cause fighters to gain body points and magic-users to lose them as they level-up).
You add your Physical Combat Bonus (PCB) with your Strength Bonus to get your overall modifier for Melee Attacks. Add your PCB to your Dex Bonus to get your overall modifier for Ranged Attacks. The Magical Combat Bonus will be used very rarely, if at all. I can really only see it being used in, for example, the case of a fighter picking up and trying to use a Wand of Magic Missile.
Caltrops can most certainly be used as traps, and generally stepping on a caltrop would cause 1d4 damage and significantly reduce one's movement rate.
Feel free to take one of the packs as your standard starting equipment.
@Tenkar: I'll need to take another gander at the magic rules to figure out your spellbook, but I'll let you know soon how we'll deal with that.
I should have this blog more fully set-up in the next few days to allow for ease of play, and then we'll get rolling. Any suggestions or comments are always welcome and encouraged! Thanks guys!
Friday, October 14, 2011
The Pantheon
There are numerous gods that are understood by the people of Fallcrest and the Nentir Vale to exist, and they each have varying degrees of influence in the lives of mortals.
This is the same pantheon as is described in the 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons Rules Compendium.
These are the gods and goddesses commonly worshiped by humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings, and are primarily good or unaligned in nature.
Avandra (Good) Goddess of change, luck, trade and travel.
Bahamut (Lawful Good) God of justice, honor, nobility and protection.
Corellon (Unaligned) God of arcane magic, spring, beauty and the arts. Revered by the elves.
Erathis (Unaligned) God of civilization, invention, and law.
Ioun (Unaligned) Goddess of knowledge and prophecy.
Kord (Unaligned) God of storms, strength and battle.
Melora (Unaligned) Goddess of wilderness and the sea.
Moradin (Lawful Good) God of creation, artisans, and family. Revered by the dwarves.
Pelor (Good) God of the sun, summer, agriculture and time.
The Raven Queen (Unaligned) Goddess of death, fate, and winter.
Sehanine (Unaligned) Goddess trickery, the moon, love, and autumn.
The evil gods are: Asmodeus, Bane, Gruumsh, Lolth, Tharizdun, Tiamat, Torog, Vecna, and Zehir. There are also a few Primordials that are worshiped by (usually) evil humanoids. More details about these gods will undoubtedly be revealed as the campaign progresses.
In Fallcrest, there is a single temple, where there are shrines to all of the good and unaligned gods listed above. Most people pray to several of the gods, as opposed to revering a single one.
Clerics in this world can be a devotee of a single god, or they can be a servant of the entire pantheon, such as the Keeper of the Temple, Lady Allowen.
This is the same pantheon as is described in the 4th Edition Dungeons and Dragons Rules Compendium.
These are the gods and goddesses commonly worshiped by humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings, and are primarily good or unaligned in nature.
Avandra (Good) Goddess of change, luck, trade and travel.
Bahamut (Lawful Good) God of justice, honor, nobility and protection.
Corellon (Unaligned) God of arcane magic, spring, beauty and the arts. Revered by the elves.
Erathis (Unaligned) God of civilization, invention, and law.
Ioun (Unaligned) Goddess of knowledge and prophecy.
Kord (Unaligned) God of storms, strength and battle.
Melora (Unaligned) Goddess of wilderness and the sea.
Moradin (Lawful Good) God of creation, artisans, and family. Revered by the dwarves.
Pelor (Good) God of the sun, summer, agriculture and time.
The Raven Queen (Unaligned) Goddess of death, fate, and winter.
Sehanine (Unaligned) Goddess trickery, the moon, love, and autumn.
The evil gods are: Asmodeus, Bane, Gruumsh, Lolth, Tharizdun, Tiamat, Torog, Vecna, and Zehir. There are also a few Primordials that are worshiped by (usually) evil humanoids. More details about these gods will undoubtedly be revealed as the campaign progresses.
In Fallcrest, there is a single temple, where there are shrines to all of the good and unaligned gods listed above. Most people pray to several of the gods, as opposed to revering a single one.
Clerics in this world can be a devotee of a single god, or they can be a servant of the entire pantheon, such as the Keeper of the Temple, Lady Allowen.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Character Generation
Character Generation
Yes, it's that time. Go to the rpglibrary's secure dice page here
http://www.rpglibrary.org/software/securedice/
And program it to roll 4d6, dropping the lowest die, 4 times. Those results will be your four attributes, Strength, Dexterity, Mind and Charisma. Arrange to taste. Select class and race. Name your character. You are all from the town of Fallcrest in the Nentir Vale. I will be happy to work with you to come up with an appropriate background and some NPCs around town to relate you to.
There are a few houserules that will be implemented. I outlined them on my other blog, a Pack of Gnolls, and I am reposting them here for ease of use.
Microlite74 Extended Edition, Sully's Houserules
The following Houserules will be in effect for my upcoming Microlite74 Play-By-Blog game, which is still recruiting players. If you are interested in joining this game, email me at sully33 at gmail dawt com.
Races: all the races offered seem pretty well true to the source material. One thing, however, immediately jumped out at me, and that was Gnomes getting a +1 to both Strength and Dexterity. Dexterity I agree with, as they are a small and nimble people, but Strength just doesn't make a lick of sense to me, so we'll change that to a +1 to the Mind attribute instead.
I may also cook up a few of the 4E races, such as Tieflings and Dragonborn, down the line.
Classes: all the classes are solid, but I will only be allowing the "Standard" classes to start (Fighter, Ranger, Paladin, Thief, Cleric, Druid, Magic-User, Illusionist), while the "Optional" classes (Assassin, Barbarian, Bard, Monk, Mystic, Sorcerer and Warlord) will have to be "unlocked" through the course of player exploration in the campaign.
Alignment: The Microlite74 alignment system is pretty vague: Light, Dark, or Neutral. I prefer more colorful terms to express a characters alignment, such as "Neutral Hedonistic" or "Chaotic Ugly". Alignment is really more just guidelines for role-playing anyway. Any magic item that has alignment requirements will be adjudicated on the fly based on an individual character's history in the campaign to date.
Virtues and Vices: I think this is a nice little role-playing tool to go along with alignment. I crossed out the line containing "Determined" and "Hidebound" and then numbered the chart down from 1-20 so it could easily be rolled on with a D20 for randomness, if desired.
The different Battle Stances just won't get used, except for "Full Defense", which will be an option as an action in combat. It grants a bonus to Armor Class in exchange for not attacking that round.
Special Combat Situations: the only thing that jumped off the page as ripe for abuse here is the "Knockout Blow", which as written allows a character to make an attack that stuns the target for a number of rounds equal to how much the AC was beaten by (and more for Thieves!). This is something that I think should be included in with Combat Tricks and Stunts, so that's where it will go. Alternatively, I'm the kind of DM that will allow players to knockout an opponent instead of killing them outright when HP are dropped to zero (except in the case of a critical hit).
Yes, it's that time. Go to the rpglibrary's secure dice page here
http://www.rpglibrary.org/software/securedice/
And program it to roll 4d6, dropping the lowest die, 4 times. Those results will be your four attributes, Strength, Dexterity, Mind and Charisma. Arrange to taste. Select class and race. Name your character. You are all from the town of Fallcrest in the Nentir Vale. I will be happy to work with you to come up with an appropriate background and some NPCs around town to relate you to.
There are a few houserules that will be implemented. I outlined them on my other blog, a Pack of Gnolls, and I am reposting them here for ease of use.
Microlite74 Extended Edition, Sully's Houserules
The following Houserules will be in effect for my upcoming Microlite74 Play-By-Blog game, which is still recruiting players. If you are interested in joining this game, email me at sully33 at gmail dawt com.
Races: all the races offered seem pretty well true to the source material. One thing, however, immediately jumped out at me, and that was Gnomes getting a +1 to both Strength and Dexterity. Dexterity I agree with, as they are a small and nimble people, but Strength just doesn't make a lick of sense to me, so we'll change that to a +1 to the Mind attribute instead.
I may also cook up a few of the 4E races, such as Tieflings and Dragonborn, down the line.
Classes: all the classes are solid, but I will only be allowing the "Standard" classes to start (Fighter, Ranger, Paladin, Thief, Cleric, Druid, Magic-User, Illusionist), while the "Optional" classes (Assassin, Barbarian, Bard, Monk, Mystic, Sorcerer and Warlord) will have to be "unlocked" through the course of player exploration in the campaign.
Alignment: The Microlite74 alignment system is pretty vague: Light, Dark, or Neutral. I prefer more colorful terms to express a characters alignment, such as "Neutral Hedonistic" or "Chaotic Ugly". Alignment is really more just guidelines for role-playing anyway. Any magic item that has alignment requirements will be adjudicated on the fly based on an individual character's history in the campaign to date.
Virtues and Vices: I think this is a nice little role-playing tool to go along with alignment. I crossed out the line containing "Determined" and "Hidebound" and then numbered the chart down from 1-20 so it could easily be rolled on with a D20 for randomness, if desired.
The different Battle Stances just won't get used, except for "Full Defense", which will be an option as an action in combat. It grants a bonus to Armor Class in exchange for not attacking that round.
Special Combat Situations: the only thing that jumped off the page as ripe for abuse here is the "Knockout Blow", which as written allows a character to make an attack that stuns the target for a number of rounds equal to how much the AC was beaten by (and more for Thieves!). This is something that I think should be included in with Combat Tricks and Stunts, so that's where it will go. Alternatively, I'm the kind of DM that will allow players to knockout an opponent instead of killing them outright when HP are dropped to zero (except in the case of a critical hit).
Setting the Stage
"The Empire? My grandfather told me about the Nerathi Empire, many years ago. Imperial knights cleared the monsters from this valley, some three hundred years ago, and brought their families, workers, and farmers and settled this valley. Towns sprung up from the Dawnforge Mountains to the Cairngorn Peaks, and we traded with the dwarves of Hammerfast and the elves of the Harkenwood.
"Alas, the Empire crumbled, as Empires are wont to do, and this valley was left to its own devices. And we were not prepared for the return of the orcs and gnolls. It has been but sixty years since the hordes swept across this land, leaving destruction and death everywhere they went. You can still see the stain they left here. Had it not been for the deeds of a few great heroes, we'd all be slaves or worse. As it is now, the world outside Fallcrest is a very dangerous place."
Fallcrest is a town located at the intersection of the old King's Road and the River Nen, in the middle of the Nentir Vale. The King's Road runs east to west across the Vale, though much of it has fallen into disrepair. The River Nen flows from Lake Wintermist and Lake Nen in the north, southwest into the Witchlight Fens. To the southeast is Harken Forest. Mountains border the Vale on the east and west, and deep dark of Winterbole Forest comprises the Vale's northern boundaries.
Fallcrest is cut off and has not had communication or trade with other towns in the Vale since the monstrous hordes swept across the land. Little is known about the outside world; it is far too dangerous to venture far past the town's meager walls. The town guard is vigilant over their borders, however, and the townspeople are quick to take up arms when bands of goblins or other monstrous humanoids are spotted, though it has been about three or four months since the last incursion.
Some 1500 souls reside in and around Fallcrest. Our PCs are amongst their number, and have been listening to tales of heroes and monsters for all their young lives. Surely, in the many ruins of the old empire, there must be great treasure! At the very least, monsters make life dangerous here, and the people who call the Nentir Vale home are in need of a generation of heroes!
DM's Note: I'll be using a heavily modified version of 4th Edition D&D's Nentir Vale setting as the starting adventure area for this campaign. I'm going to liberally steal the fluff from my many 4E sourcebooks, because really, I might as well put it all to use, right? Also, I'm terrible at coming up with fantasy names that evoke a proper feel for the setting.
"Alas, the Empire crumbled, as Empires are wont to do, and this valley was left to its own devices. And we were not prepared for the return of the orcs and gnolls. It has been but sixty years since the hordes swept across this land, leaving destruction and death everywhere they went. You can still see the stain they left here. Had it not been for the deeds of a few great heroes, we'd all be slaves or worse. As it is now, the world outside Fallcrest is a very dangerous place."
Fallcrest is a town located at the intersection of the old King's Road and the River Nen, in the middle of the Nentir Vale. The King's Road runs east to west across the Vale, though much of it has fallen into disrepair. The River Nen flows from Lake Wintermist and Lake Nen in the north, southwest into the Witchlight Fens. To the southeast is Harken Forest. Mountains border the Vale on the east and west, and deep dark of Winterbole Forest comprises the Vale's northern boundaries.
Fallcrest is cut off and has not had communication or trade with other towns in the Vale since the monstrous hordes swept across the land. Little is known about the outside world; it is far too dangerous to venture far past the town's meager walls. The town guard is vigilant over their borders, however, and the townspeople are quick to take up arms when bands of goblins or other monstrous humanoids are spotted, though it has been about three or four months since the last incursion.
Some 1500 souls reside in and around Fallcrest. Our PCs are amongst their number, and have been listening to tales of heroes and monsters for all their young lives. Surely, in the many ruins of the old empire, there must be great treasure! At the very least, monsters make life dangerous here, and the people who call the Nentir Vale home are in need of a generation of heroes!
DM's Note: I'll be using a heavily modified version of 4th Edition D&D's Nentir Vale setting as the starting adventure area for this campaign. I'm going to liberally steal the fluff from my many 4E sourcebooks, because really, I might as well put it all to use, right? Also, I'm terrible at coming up with fantasy names that evoke a proper feel for the setting.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Hello!
Welcome to the Ruins of Empire! This is a play-by-blog D&D game utilizing the Microlite74 Extended ruleset. Over the next few days I will be adding a lot more to this blog, including some background on the campaign setting, guidelines on how the game will be run, houserules, and other various bits and pieces. I'll probably be changing the layout around quite a bit, so don't be surprised if the place doesn't look the same the next time you come back to visit!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)