DnD Game Update for those that care. · 3:34am May 6th, 2017
So a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was starting up a new DnD 3.5 edition game. (And is unrelated to the 5thedition game I am going to be joining.)
I pulled some folks from the Twiluna and Twilestia Disord chats that were interested and off we went for loot and adventure!
Our players are some names you might recognize from around this site:
Macho Madness
JKinsley
Kean
Ultra1437
Bubble Boom
and Stardust
We settled on using the 3.5 rules because Macho and myself, with Bubble to a lesser extent, were very familiar with 3.5 and had plenty of materials on hand. For Ultra, Kean, Kinsley and Stardust this was a first introduction to DnD. So since I had a bunch of noobs on my hands, I did the sensible thing and made a campaign that would showcase the rules in little chunks while only slightly murdering my PCs. Out came the Heroes of Horror book.
Now we've tried to play once a week, but scheduling has played havoc with us as is the norm for all DnD groups, live or online. So while we've been at it for a while, we've only had four official sessions. Our intrepid heroes are now 2nd level and in the midst of tackling their first dungeon.
The Party
The party consists of Macho's Dwarven Cleric, Ultra's Elven Scout, Kean's Half-Orc Barbarian, Kinsley's Half-Dragon Dragon Shaman, Bubble's Gnome Fail Mage, and Stardust's Human Duskblade.
The Setting
The party started off in the Homebrew World of Gondolond, as citizens of the Iron Realm of Zarazadd. They are a chartered band of adventurers out of the great city of Gondorith, a primarily dwarven settlement set inside an immense quarry that spans for miles in every direction and dips several hundred feet below sea level. Gondorith is a known hub for adventurers and militia groups, with a strong religous commitment to the gods of home, hearth, and battle.
The Iron Realm of Zarazadd is a country of strong morals and ethical code, run by elite warriors and high priests that are sometimes one in the same. Their main exports are all war based. The government has several non-conflict agreements with its closest neighbors, and in return rents out its surplus of highly trained and disciplined mercenaries. Fighters, Knights, Duskblades, and warriors of all types can be found within the Iron Realm, normally as members of huge guilds and training halls that compete with each other for honor and fame.
While Zarazadd is a war-like nation and their economy supports this with armor and weapons - particularly siege weapons - they are also tempered by their faith. All the major faiths of Gondolond are represented within the Iron Realm's borders, with Greater deities like Corellon Larethian, Garl Glittergold, Gruumsh, Moradin, Yondalla, and Pelor holding the most sway. Lesser dieties are recognized, most notably Saint Cuthbert, Kord, and Heironeous, while the gods of evil and corruption are actively hunted down and expelled whenever they turn up. Zarazadd culture is feudal, with landed Lords overseeing large areas that are then broken up into small fiefdoms. Most people grow up in villages that surround a church or temple which takes care of both religious teaching as well as general education. The vast majority of Zarazadd citizens are able to read and write and most also know how to wield simple weapons in order to defend themselves and their families. In times of need, communities have no shortage of willing and able recruits. Outside of the war economy, Zarazadd has large fertile plains within its borders and uses them to farm and raise the livestock needed to feed it's multiple mobile armies.
The Adventure
From Gondorith, the party set out on the southwest trade road, bond for Hommlet, a booming new city that offered plenty of opportunities for those willing to take the risk on frontier life. Two days out, however, in the later evening, the came to the outskirts of the village of Eastbrook. While things seemed fine at first, things quickly took a turn for the dangerous when the party spotted a village woman with a child in her arms running out of the nearby woods and heading for the village's temple as the sun lowered past the horizon. Before they could do more than shout out a few questions, the lights in the village started to go out and a glowing mist came out of the dark woods after the woman.
The party quickly dismounted their horses and ran to intercept the bad 80's CGI effect. Their attacks proved useless as their arrows and axes passed through the mist. As they regrouped themselves, the mist began to take the form of a man with glasses and emitted a graveyard groan of unearthly anger. In their second barrage, the party's Duskmage stepped up and unleashed a blast of magic that tore the apparition in half. With one last shriek, the monster retreated into the growing darkness of night under the forest canopy, leaving the PCs alone just on the edge of the village. Following the running woman's path, they soon made their way to the local temple. They found it a solidly built structure that dwarfed all the other buildings and was itself surrounded by wards and charms.
Inside they met the village as whole as people sheltered there for protection from whatever the PCs had just chased off. The party was introduced to the Eastbrook mayor, a mountain of a man named Finy DuVal and the elder priest of Pelor, Sige the Quiet. Finy, his deputy Raffin, and Sige told the party that the village was being haunted by the spirit of a man named Jonah Parsons. Jonah had been a member of the village while alive and had been a well liked scribe, a married man and father. His wife, Annabell, was there with their child, Eve. Annabelle offered the party not so much as a glance and merely sat there rocking Eve gently through out the entire night. Raffin, the leader of the local militia told the party that Annabell had been attacked a week before by her husband, and when they went to the couple's homestead, the confrontation turned suddenly violent and resulted in the unfortunate and accidental death of Jonah. Since then, in the later evenings, his spirit would attack villagers, screaming either incoherently, or more disturbingly, pleading with them to kill newborn Eve.
The party, after a short debate, decided to remain in Eastbrook and help out with their problems before moving further south. Before finishing up the night, they also met a wandering priestess of St. Cuthbert that had stopped in town just a few days before their arrival as well as learned that there had been deaths previous to Jonah's attack on Annabell. The villagers huddled in the temple seemed divided over whether these deaths were the fault of Jonah or some other threat. A few mentioned grimlocks in the area, but the mayor quickly shut these rumors down before the PCs could pursue that line of investigation.
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And so ended the first session! I'll see about writing up the rest later on as this is starting to get rather long.
Stay classy.
-Fuzz
You forgot about how much of an edgelord my character is, that scythe wielding asshat.
4521849
Edgelord should be a prestige class.
4521922 What kind of powers or abilities would an edgelord have exclusively?
You forgot the part that the gnome fail mage just happened to be sleeping in one of the saddlebags on the horses they rented/borrowed/stole.
4521940
Edgelord
Prerequisites
Int or Cha: 13+
Bluff or Any Knowledge Skill: 8 ranks
Base Attack Bonus: +3
Spell Caster Level 1 or Sneak Attack +1d6 (or their equivalents)
Proficiency in Scythes, Sickles, and Daggers
Weapon Focus in Scythe, Sickle, or Dagger
Special: Potential Edgelords must perform an Act of Cringe, in public, in front of non-family members and be accepted into the class by the mysterious Lords of Cringe. Acts vary from Edgelord to Edgelord, but usually the cringier, the better.
HD: d8
Class Skills: Bluff, Climb, Escape Artist, Search, Use Magic Device
Proficiencies: Edgelords are proficient in all simple weapons, plus one martial weapon of their choice. Edgelords are proficient in light and medium armors but cannot use shields. Edgelord abilities do not work in heavy armor.
Base Attack Progression: Same as Rogue.
Special Abilities:
At 1st level, Edgelords pick a martial weapon they are proficient in to be the focus of their special abilities and attacks. Once selected, this choice cannot be changed. Unless they cry about it to the Lords of Cringe. Then maaaayyybee...
Edgelord special abilities are mysterious and mystical to the outside observer. Unless said observer has a brain and the ability to smell bullshit. Against such opponents, Edgelords can make a free action Bluff check versus the opponent's Will Save. If the Edgelord wins this contest of wills, the observant party will keep their mouth shut about it. They might still eye roll at the DM's discretion.
Special Ability Progression: At 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th level, an Edgelord's special class ability that qualified him for the class (Spell Casting or Sneak Attack) progresses one level as if he had taken a level in the base class that gave the ability. E.G.: Sneak Attack gains another d6 bonus damage, or Spell casting progresses potentially unlocking more spells per day and/or spells known. It also unlocks new castable levels of spells so long as the Edgelord's new equivalent level in the spell casting base class would grant these. This ability does not grant any further bonuses of the base class' progression, nor does it grant the progression to both abilities if the Edgelord has both. At each level, the Edgelord must choose which special ability to progress. This choice cannot be changed later, no matter how much they cry to the Lords of Cringe. You made your bed, now sleep in it.
Edgelord's Attack(Su): Edgelords favor flashy attacks, using speed and power to overwhelm their foes and garner at least some respect from their peers. At 1st level, whenever an Edgelord attacks with his chosen weapon, he must take a move action before his attack action, even if doing so would provoke and attack of opportunity. If he combines drawing his chosen weapon with this move action, because that's cool, then he receives a cumulative +1 per Edgelord Level to the attack roll and damage roll. This bonus damage is considered magical force for the purposes of damage reduction or immunities, but is not multiplied on critical hits. If the Edgelord provokes an attack of opportunity with this move and suffers an attack he loses his cool and all that sweet bonus to the attack and damage.
Edgelord's Mockery(Ex): Edgelords are convinced that their way of doing things is better. At level 2, this fanaticism grants them a +2 bonus to Will Saves versus spells or abilities that would force them to act against their will or A E S T H E T I C. At 10th level, this grants them immunity to Charm and Dominate spells and effects. No one tells an Edgelord what to do. They will wear that ridiculous trilby to the grave, mom.
It's Not a Phase(Su): At 5th level, Edgelords can hold their chosen weapon aloft and call on the powers of Cringe once per day. Doing so takes at least one minute and they must be viewed by another creature. Calling on the powers of Cringe makes all other creatures observing the Edgelord really really not want to pay attention to the Edgelord. This effectively makes the Edgelord invisible and silent. The effect lasts 1 round per Edgelord level or until the Edgelord performs an action that would end invisibility (like an attack action) or they stop acting all cringeworthy. This ability is ineffective at all on unintelligent creatures and constructs. Intelligent constructs sort of feel the Cringe, but lack the meaty bits to truly appreciate how try hard the Edgelord is.
Master of Cringe(Su): Upon attaining 10th level, an Edgelord may call on the powers of Cringe by holding their chosen weapon aloft in the view of another creature capable of feeling and appreciating the cringiness of the spectacle. Doing so takes at least one minute. Calling on the powers of Cringe this way summons an actual Lord of Cringe who may then cast any spell of the Edgelord's choosing on the Edgelord himself. This ability functions essentially like Lesser Miracle and follows that spell's rules and limitations except that the target can only be the Edgelord himself. This ability can only be used once per day. This level of Cringe should not be possible, but the Edgelord has crossed the line and kept going. Lords of Cringe are also notoriously ironic. So Edgelords might want to be careful when summoning one, but they probably won't be.
4522044
I will make sure to note how you grand theft moosed.