A game of D&D on C&B

[KnuckleSupper]

Well, I think I've managed to volunteer myself to DM this, so:

'Welcome to the City Watch, Guardsman.'

The city of Geldwall sits across the river Larn. Built largely from dull, grey granite, this prosperous and bustling port city is a vital trading post, as minerals and natural resources from the surrounding hills are ferried downstream. Whilst it would never lay claim to being the safest city in the world, this summer has seen Geldwall become very dangerous indeed. Bandit attacks on merchant caravans and barges have increased threefold over the past 6 months, there have been a spate of grisly killings in the docks and there are whispers of monstrous beasts in the sewers. In response to these threats, the Geldwall Trade Council have authorised the recruitment of a dozen rookie guardsmen to bolster the city's struggling Watch.

'You didn't sign up for the easy life, did you?'

Rules

- The ruleset will be 3.5 edition as it's the one that I and possibly others have most familiarity with.
- I'd like the players to roll their own characters. I always find this much more fun than being handed one.
- All PCs start at Level 1.
- I'll accept pretty much any class/race/alignment combination as long as you can provide a good reason as to why they want to join the Watch. That having been said, whilst adventurers are meant to be exceptional, nothing power-gamey please. An Earth Gensai Fighter 9/Bard 1/RDD 10 with 34 strength is liable to meet a miraculously accurate supersonic roof-tile very early on.
- Don't be afraid to roll a rogue either, whilst they are the traditional thief-style character, their skill set is going to come in very handy in Watch investigations.
- Feel free to leave the equipment space blank - whilst the City Watch armoury isn't very well stocked, but they should be able to find you something appropriate.
- Don't worry to much about intricacies of the rules - we're going to try and keep it fairly rule-light, for the most part.

Useful resources:

Pdf version of the Player's Handbook
This has all you'll ever need to know about rolling and playing a character. Don't worry about reading it cover to cover, though.

Character creators

Redblade - this programme looks pretty good or
this is an online one which has a lot more options on races/classes that you almost certainly won't need.
For both of these, there's a step-by-step process where you input information and they'll calculate all the variables.

I made an example Barbarian on Redblade whom you can find here: http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/4372/2ekd.png

Please ask me if you have any questions.

[ziggy starbucks]

thanks for the link to the character creator KS.

I've made a character. He's Gaylord the Druid who has grown weary of his hermit life living in the forests and mountains. He's at one with nature, and can sooth animals and grow herbs. He's bringing his tent and cheese to the city for some action i.e sex and violence

[Milo]

http://pcgen.sourceforge.net/01_overview.php

^^an alternate character generator which I've used for Pathfinder. It says it supports D&D 3.5 and is a bit more current.

[KnuckleSupper]

I saw that but couldn't get it to run on my PC. It kept asking for a Java version I already had.

[Big Jack McBastard]

An Earth Gensai Fighter 9/Bard 1/RDD 10 with 34 strength

If we're all lvl1 then that's impossible anyway, surely...

[KnuckleSupper]

If we're all lvl1 then that's impossible anyway, surely...

Well, yes. Allow me a little exaggeration for effect!

I know of 3 people who are rolling or have rolled characters. I've part written the first adventures of the campaign. I'll polish them off properly if people are still interested and we get some times sorted.

[garbed_attic]

okedayle - will think of character today!

[Treguard of Dunshelm]

Been a bit busy recently, but should have time to skim the book and roll a character over the next few days.

[Still Not George]

Ah, buttfest. I actually rolled my character days ago and totally forgot to send it to you...

[Big Jack McBastard]

Phlegm Flange is ready to get Geldwallian on yo ass.

[Hangthebuggers]

I'm in... Will roll a character tomorrow.

When I used to run my games, we used to keep alignment a secret between players, which led to some interesting developments.... Can we do that?

[Milo]

I don't really believe in alignments, they seem pointlessly restrictive.

[ziggy starbucks]

I passed on details of Gaylord the Druid to our DM

[ziggy starbucks]

Well, I think I've managed to volunteer myself to DM this, so:

'Welcome to the City Watch, Guardsman.'

The city of Geldwall sits across the river Larn. Built largely from dull, grey granite, this prosperous and bustling port city is a vital trading post, as minerals and natural resources from the surrounding hills are ferried downstream. Whilst it would never lay claim to being the safest city in the world, this summer has seen Geldwall become very dangerous indeed. Bandit attacks on merchant caravans and barges have increased threefold over the past 6 months, there have been a spate of grisly killings in the docks and there are whispers of monstrous beasts in the sewers. In response to these threats, the Geldwall Trade Council have authorised the recruitment of a dozen rookie guardsmen to bolster the city's struggling Watch.

'You didn't sign up for the easy life, did you?'

I like this. Its Dad's Army.

Bagsy Frazer

[Hangthebuggers]

I don't really believe in alignments, they seem pointlessly restrictive.

Possibly, but when played right, when only the character and the DM (not the party) knows the alignment, it can lead to interesting divisions and conflicts. Also I rewarded xp for good role-playing, I always preferred to play DnD with someone who could get into character and play their alignment well... as opposed to a rules/number cunt.

Example: Say there's a... Neutral Evil person in the group. If you play it shit, you'll just be revealing yourself with shitty little evil deeds in front of the party with no self-awareness and you'll just get cunted by a Paladin or something.

However a true NE character would roleplay it so they came out shining as the person with good heart and noble deeds, fooling everyone.... Much in the same way the brazen, violent actions of a chaotic good warrior could easily be misunderstood as the actions of say a chaotic evil character.

Hence the secrecy and roleplay...  Makes it more fun.

One game I remember I ran a campaign with about 7 players and 4 NPC's, the party had mostly evil people in it... But they all thought the other members were goodly aligned, so kept hiding everything, so it made more of mystery for the story....

An instance I keenly remember involved my housemate playing an evil female mage who had mostly pissed off the rest of the party with his/her use of misjudged spells in various fights (such as a fireball into the middle of melee - which nearly killed our warrior) - so anyhow that character was under lots of suspicion and was probably going to be killed, so my housemate completely lied his way out of it.... By telling the ranger that by both of them handling a certain magic weapon, they were both soul-tied together, so if the mage dies... so did the ranger.... Which was complete bullshit, but it kept the story flowing brilliantly and confusingly and added extra depth to the campaign, as opposed to just looting dungeons and slaying gelatinous cubes[nb]One of which claimed the Paladin's dog[nb]Anti-Paladin, he was also lying... LE[/nb][/nb] and kobolds.

[Hangthebuggers]

I like this. Its Dad's Army.

Bagsy Frazer

Don't call him Frazer Pike.

[KnuckleSupper]

When I used to run my games, we used to keep alignment a secret between players, which led to some interesting developments.... Can we do that?

I quite like the idea, but the one thing I would be a bit concerned about is adding a level of complexity for people who haven't played before. I'd be happy playing it a bit cards on the table for the first few sessions. Apart from anything else, it'll be my first time DMing so I'd quite like to keep it as streamlined as possible.

Gaylord the Druid...

...He is not bald

Excellent characters, folks, like all of those.

[garbed_attic]

Simper Persons - a cleric halfling

Appearance, Traits + Disadvantages
Simper Parsons has matted hair and looks like a cross between a newt and a fairy. She is eager to assist in matters, though has little experience in being as any use to anyone. She never quite speaks at an appropriate speed - either talking too fast or too slow. She wears a nun's habit, but it has been torn and ripped in so many places, that it is now almost totally patchwork. She has slightly gawky teeth and knock-knees, but delicate hands and arms. She smells of peat and elderflower. Although Simper has a tendency to leap into situations without due caution, she has a canny sense of knowing when she's pushing things too far and sensing danger. Having lived alone in the forest for a few years, she's hardier than she lets on and is good at taking care of herself. Her esoteric and highly complex pantheist belief system means that others find Simper difficult, at best, to relate to. She is colour blind, which has a tendency to cause problems when it comes to identifying herbs, flowers and spices. She suffers occasional bouts of intense, dehabilitating tooth ache.

History
Simper originally entered a convent at the age of 13, where she was studious and devoutly religious. However, after an evening stroll that involved the accidental digestion of psilocybin mushrooms, she underwent a deep spiritual experience and became a pantheist. She strongly believes in the inner-life of all things and that objects, bits of flint, hedge mice, cowslips, stag beetles, pine needles, etc. are to be treated with the same respect as any other being. The only exception to this rule are teeth, which Simper believes to hold curative properties in ground form. After extracting the teeth from a sleeping nun, Simper was thrown out from the convent at age 16 and spent the next three years living in the forest, talking to things and inadvertantly terrifying the local wildlife. Now, approaching her 20s, she has decided that it is her calling to bring the ways of the forest to the city and to protect those things which many would consider inanimate. She has decided that the best way to do this is to enter the city watch.

Goals
To protect the weak and defenceless (beginning with the inanimate classes and working up).

[Bored of Canada]

Don't know if this is what we're supposed to do but I'm just following Gout_Pony's suit.

Marx Winstone - A Human Fighter.

Appearance, Traits + Disadvantages.
Dark features, well-groomed. Intelligent. Well-read.
Willing to do anything to get what he wants. Xenophobic towards non-humans.

History.
Marx grew up relatively poor. His father owned a bookstore where he had to work during his youth. This led Marx to become very well-read, especially in law.

Due to his time being raised in the poorer districts, just a few blocks from the Wealthy elven districts, he grew to become incredibly xenophobic towards non-human races. Always humiliated by his position in the classes, he dreamed of being above his station, and having the respect of the cultured aristocrats.

He regularly attended Pro-Human rallies and through this, met an elderly, opiate-addicted judge who took a shine to him, offering him a job as his apprentice.

He worked at this job until his employer eloped with an underage prostitute. Going through the abandoned legal tomes in his former employers study, Marx eventually discovered a unique loophole in the system. If a taxable citizen is "Arrested", they are temporarily "Property of the City Guard".

In the case of People Vs Felcher, a legal precedent was created, so that if a taxable citizen dies via the apprehension of a member of the city guard, it still counts as an arrest and therefore, the guard in question, remains in control of the citizen's rights.

Marx realised that if he joins the Guard, he can kill people and therefore claim ownership rights over their very souls. They will be seen as property of Marx's estate in the eyes of the law. He hopes that by gaining ownership over all these people, (as it counts just the same as the Lords that own serfs), it will increase his wealth and social standing.

After he has collected enough lives, he will technically be seen as a Noble by the Crown, and thus, be granted lands for his serfs to toil and aid the coffers of the Royal Family. Along with becoming eligible for the Court's Financial Aid to help with the maintenance of his serfs as well.

Goals
To murder as many people as he can, all in order to become a cultured member of the upper class, with his own wealth, property and all the privilege that comes with it.

Alignment
Top Bloke.

[garbed_attic]

I have an inkling that our various characters may not get on so well... !

[Hangthebuggers]

Hence my point :)

[Bored of Canada]

Just wanted to create some narrative tension.

That said, I guess we're going to see how this timezone malarkey works out, because my character may possibly have to accidentally trip and fall into a bucket and drown rather unheroically after the first session. Schedules will likely leave me playing at 3 in the morning and such. We'll see how things go. Whatever happens, I'd still like to read updates of how y'all are going though!

[Hangthebuggers]

Ok I'm a monk called Shang Ping.

Lvl 1  -  Human - Monk.

Will upload my character later.

[WesterlyWinds]

I might be interested in this. Do I still have time to make my wholesome and valiant character?

[KnuckleSupper]

I might be interested in this. Do I still have time to make my wholesome and valiant character?

Absolutely! And looking at the bunch of misfits and reprobates people have already rolled, wholesome and valiant would be a welcome contrast.

[thraxx]

I grew up on 2nd edition rules, so can anyone tell me the character generator that they're using?  Also, where are we uploading these characters to, or are we just sending to knuckle? Cheers.

[ziggy starbucks]

I grew up on 2nd edition rules, so can anyone tell me the character generator that they're using?  Also, where are we uploading these characters to, or are we just sending to knuckle? Cheers.

Character creators

Redblade - this programme looks pretty good or
this is an online one which has a lot more options on races/classes that you almost certainly won't need.
For both of these, there's a step-by-step process where you input information and they'll calculate all the variables.

[WesterlyWinds]

~

[thraxx]

Thank for that.  Just to let you know, against my better judgement I've decided not to play a chaotic evil duergar.

[Hangthebuggers]

So what have got in the party so far?

Gaylord the druid - A weird hermit who is joining the watch for sex and violence. He's bringing cheese.

Phlegm Flange - An alcoholic, battle-hardened orange dwarf.

Simper Persons - A mad nun who is trying to protect inanimate objects.

Marx Winstone - A fighter who wants to kill everyone for tax purposes.

Shang Ping - A mysterious, bald  monk from the far east.