inexorabletruth
2013-12-28, 10:57 PM
As a DM, I incorporate setting creation with character creation. Now… I usually play in PbP, so players are more forgiving of text walls. But my first post always introduces the setting, the current location and common knowledge about the town and notable locals within the town. Here's a sample post of a campaign I started a while back (warning… text wall):
Initial Location:
Oerth, Hepmonaland, Country Cree, the city of Ibra Down (pop. 24,000)
http://whitneycarter.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/fantasy-city.jpg
Cree is the largest county in the island nation, and home of the capital city Golden Bay. Ibra Down, a large city, is a two day march northwest from Golden Bay and is the third largest city in the county. It serves as a land route connecting the port cities to the mainland. Ibra Down thrives mostly on tourism and trade, since it's such a beautiful region, but it also has a thriving agricultural and ranching industry. Although the land is well defended by kingdom guards, adventurers frequent the region as a great place to load up on valuable common and exotic supplies.
Plot:
A recent plague or curse has been destroying the minds of arcane casters in Hepmonaland. The cause of the insanity is unclear, but it is turning even the most benevolent wizards into psychopathic murderers who terrorize villages and cities until something either kills them or someone imprisons them. This has naturally caused great social and economical turmoil throughout all regions of the island country. Divine casters and leaders of religious or anti-arcane orders are calling this "divine retribution" in response to the hubris of wizards and sorcerers, and in certain regions this has sparked proverbial witch hunts to seek out and imprison or slay arcane casters wherever they may be found. Merchants, who no longer receive a steady supply of highly prized magic items, have spiked prices to capitalize on their newfound rarity. And a growing anti-arcane sentiment has channeled the growth of mercenary troops and militia bent on hunting arcane casters and creatures for bounties.
People of Interest:
Adept Gabbie Green: lvl 17 Female Human Adept (CN)
Adept Green is head of a holistic order that deals mostly in natural healing medicine and midwifing. She is old and very powerful, and has at least some influence in all the hospitals and apothecaries in Ibra Down.
Lady Priscilla Ibranne: lvl 19 Female Human Aristocrat (LN)
Lady Ibranne is a direct descendant of the original founder of Ibra Down and head of the city's council. She has ruled the city wisely for 57 years, but at her feeble age will soon be relinquishing her crown to her eldest son, Lord Arnold Ibranne.
Krusk Irontusk: lvl 14 Male Half-Orc Barbarian (CE)
Krusk runs the Dented Skull Mercenary Guild on the outskirts of the city. They handle the work that the city guards don't have the manpower or willingness to do.
Marvin Silverwater: lvl 22 Male Half-Elf Bard (CG)
Leader of the Lutes and Liars Entertainment Group. He's a former adventurer and an excellent source on lore, travel advice, and rare maps… for a price. He seems to be mysteriously immune to the plague. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that he was never fully sane to begin with.
Archbishop Daniel Lyonsbane: lvl 15 Male Human Cleric (LG)
Leader of the Temple of Pelor, the most influential temple in Ibra Down. His temple provides powerful healing and other blessings. It is tradition to visit their temple to offer some form of tithe as a blessing.
The Venerable Francis O'Toole: lvl 41 Male Human Commoner (NN)
Master O'Toole is the wealthiest man in town- even wealthier than the nobles. As a merchant and savvy investor there are few who would challenge his authority on the council or question his decisions regarding the city's future. Even though Lady Priscilla is technically the ruler of the city, it's Master O'Toole who really calls the shots. There's little doubt and even less proof that he has some influence in the organized criminal syndicates in the city.
Headmistress Qillathe: lvl 24 Female Elf Druid (NG)
Headmistress Qillathe tends the grove of worship for the Druidic Order of Ehlonna. The temple doesn't have near the wealth or influence as the Temple of Pelor, but it's a beautiful and peaceful tourist attraction/nature museum, where many adventurers and outlanders, unaccustomed to the noise of the big city, can come to seek restful solace in the grove of ancient trees and dark caves.
Namfoodle "The Knack" Nackle: lvl 39 Male Gnome Expert (LN)
Knack is a wealthy and eccentric old businessman who runs the Tinker's Guild. Most industrial businesses from alchemical plants to siege engine factories pay some homage to his guild and most of the shops in the city are run by his guild members. The ones that aren't tend to eek out a meager existence in the poor quarters or the black market.
Gunnloda Holderhek: lvl 27 Female Dwarf Fighter (LG)
A retired local hero. She settled down with her husband in a place of honor on Lady Priscilla's expansive estate. She served Priscilla's father and grandfather in many wars, but now, she is half blind, peg-legged and baring a gruesome hook where her left hand used to be.
Matron Engong: lvl 12 Female Half-Orc Monk (LG)
Engong is the leader of her small monastic order, The Way of the Sun and Moon. She is humble and polite, but socially awkward and keenly aware of her intimidating features. She therefore choses to cover her orcish face when in public.
Captain Peter Cronus: lvl 14 Male Human Paladin (LG)
Captain Cronus is captain of the guard in Ibra Down, and faithful templar of Pelor. He is young and sometimes incredulously altruistic, but shows a lot of potential. Gunnloda holds him in high regard as her successor.
Sergeant Hansel Cronus: lvl 14 Male Human Ranger (LG)
Sergeant Cronus is Peter's younger brother. He lacks Peter's ambition and passion and is comfortable with Peter taking the lead in most situations. They often travel together and complement each other perfectly.
Portia Thorngage: lvl 19 Female Halfling Rogue (CE)
Leader of Stiletto, the unofficial thieves guild in Ibra Down and other nearby provinces. If it's black market goods, political secrets, or the company of a pleasure slave you seek, Stiletto can get it for you… for a price. Safe houses or representatives can be found by the branded image of the stiletto on door frames or tattooed on the back of their necks. High ranking Stiletto members will carry the exotic weapon on their person and are quite proficient with their usage.
Zook the Red: lvl 16 Male Gnome Sorcerer (NG – CE)
The first known victim of the curse that has begun to drive arcane casters insane. He went on a psychotic killing spree, murdering 16 of Ibra Down's civilians before finally being caught by the town guard. He now resides in shackles in St. Irvine's Asylum. Zook was once a brilliant sorcerer and well-loved by the royalty in the city and surrounding regions. Now he sputters nonsense and expresses savagely violent behavior to anyone who disrupts his insane rantings.
Sergeant Lee Greenwald: lvl 21 Human Warrior (LE)
Lee is a seasoned veteran of many outpost raids and local skirmishes. He's a brutal and abrasive perfectionist who has no tolerance for weakness. His sadistic side shows when he corners a thug who makes him chase them down. His subordinates respect him though and believe strongly that he suffers from PTSD, as evidenced by the mysterious self-inflicted scars on his left arm.
Grandmaster Abram "Mystro" Kelson: lvl 18 Human Wizard (NN - ??)
Headmaster of the Mystic Order of Three in the Tower of Secrets. There are three wizard towers in Ibra Down: The Ruby Tower, The Tower of Knowledge and The Tower of Secrets. Each tower is dedicated to a different deity of magic. These serve both as places of worship and places of study until recently where they served as places of terror and death. Grandmaster Kelson, unsure how to break the curse that was driving mages insane, summoned all the mages of the city into his tower and sealed all exits until a solution could be discovered or they all died trying. It is unclear if anyone is still alive in that tower, and no one within the city knows how to break the seals to find out.
Places of Interest:
The Merchant District: For all things non-magical, this is the place to be. Ibra Down has one of the most vibrant merchant districts in the country. Anything can be found here... legal or otherwise. But watch out for thieves, muggers and pickpockets. When the sun lowers, these types rule the streets.
The Tourist District: This is a popular hotspot for all travellors to the region. Temples, hotels, taverns, dance halls, and local oddities can be explored here, including a living topiary garden run by the Druidic order of Ehlonna!
The Royal District: Mostly seen from the gates, one can only enter the Royal District by invitation. It's heavily guarded around the clock by proud warriors in shining silvery armor. Once a day however, guided tours of the opulent district are offered for 10 gold per guest.
The Poor District: It's not just a pretty name. The slums of the Poor District are the grimy domain of Stiletto. Only crooked guards dare to walk these streets at night. The place is safe enough in the daytime, however, if you mind your own business and keep your hands on your weapon at all times.
The Cemetary: Located just south of the Ruby Tower, the city's cemetary hosts the remains of some of the most famous adventurers, nobles and heroes of the region. For a historical study, it's a must see. Powerful magics protect the graves of the dead from being pillaged. But they also keep meddling necromancers from building an army there.
Shops, Temples, and other Important Sites:
Green's Shoppes: Any shoppe stamped with the Adept Green's Seal of Approval is a trustworthy shoppe for herbs, poltices and other forms of non-magical healing. Non-magical alternatives are growing in popularity every day for their low prices, and nearly comparable effectiveness. These shoppes are located mostly in the Merchant District, but they can be found in all districts. Be alert for forged seals in the Poor District though.
The Dented Skull: It more closely represents a massive tavern bristling with weapons. Sporadic brawls or other tests of strength will signal that you have arrived at the right place. It's unwise to show weakness or fear here, but brave adventurers can find all sorts of work if they can prove their worthiness. The bounty boards are always full here. It's located in the Tourist District.
The Master's Theater: Run by none other than Mister Silverwater himself. The theater is ostentatious to say the least and is known for it's brilliant productions and over-the-top special effects. For a night to remember, look for him in the Tourist District.
The Temple of Pelor: In spite of the unimaginative name, the temple is the most powerful and influential place of worship in town. For a small tithe, the priests there will gladly bless your harvests. It's hard to miss. It's the giant golden tower right on the border seperating the Tourist District from the Royal District.
Elhonna's Respite: Located in the Tourist District is a strange and mystical grove filled with ancient and beatiful trees and other foliage. For those who wish to remain in the city, but prefer the solace of the wilderness, the Druidic Order of Ehlonna offers a safe haven in the midst of the hustle and bustle, as long as they do nothing to damage the grove the druids work hard to protect. The Order accepts donations for their services but do not require payment. They also manage the...
Living Topiary Garden: found next to Ehlonna's Respite. The garden serves as a tourist attraction to fund the Order, and also as guardians of the grove.
The Knack's Shoppes: If a shop has The Knack's “thumbs up” seal, you can bet it produces some of the finest manufactured goods in the city. Whether you're purchasing a simple hammer or purchasing a ticket to ride one of the many airships floating across the evening sky, look for The Knack's logo.
The Way of the Sun and Moon Monastery: The poor, wretched and homeless will often seek refuge within this meager yet sufficient temple. Only those who work may stay and in return, she offers training, housing and food. Her work placement program is among the most effective crime-reduction programs in the city and therefore is subsidized by the city to continue to function as a non-profit organization. Located in the Poor District.
St. Irvine's Asylum: Located in the Poor District. The Asylum houses some of the most dangerous criminals in the city. It's protected by a massive anti-magic field and guarded by some of the grittiest warriors the city has to offer.
The Ruby Tower: Located in The Cemetary, the Ruby Tower was once one of the three most powerful wizard's towers in the city. Now it's barely more than a memorial hall where tourists come to remember the dead. The worship of Wee-Jas, once a common act in this tower, is now practically forbidden within its forlorn halls.
The Tower of Knowledge: Located in the Tourist District. The Tower is the city's largest public library and temple of worship for the god Boccob, though lately, Boccob's influence over the city has waned. Books can be read and copies of excerpts can be produced for purchase here.
The Tower of Secrets: Located in the most secluded part of the Royal District, the Tower of Secrets is now little more than a prison housing nearly all the wizards and sorcerers in the city.
Characters You've Met:
Master Grundy
Alignment: NN
Level: Estimated 3-5
Class: Commoner
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Residence: Ibra Down, Poor District
Role: Shoppe Owner/"Grundy's Smithy"
Guild Affiliation: O'Toole's Merchant Guild
Master Grundy is a professional blacksmith of 36 years. He's getting old and can't keep up with the demand for mundane and masterwork items, so he's started hiring temporary work at the forge to help with the smaller projects. He's a good, honest man, if a bit rough and filthy. He's largely built, for his age, and hardy. His clothing and knuckles are covered in burn scars. He frequently wreaks of burnt metal, tobacco and cheap beer. His voice is gravelly, like a man whose lungs are blackened by too much coal and ash. His face is cracked and reddened by rosacea and his thick black beard and tangly mess of dark hair would likely be gray if it weren't for all the soot in it. His wife and son are passed away, but he has a grandson now serving in the Ibra Down military.
SURROUNDING REGIONS:
The Crags of Ranador: Located a half day march north of Ibra Down is a small mining town that is built on the steep and jagged rock of Ranador. It is isolated and mostly occupied by humans. It frequently suffers from kobold and troglodyte raids, but the people there are hardy warriors who guard their iron and gemstone hordes greedily.
It's another typical day in Ibra Down. Evening will soon be approaching and you have finished another hard day's work and are just about to collect your weekly pay.
For the sake of convenience, Mortria and Adrian are coworkers and this is how you know each other. Master Grundy lowers his heavy hammer, grabs a filthy rag and wipes his grimy face. He nods his head knowingly, and grabs two bags that jingle with coin and tosses them at each of you respectively.
"Ya kids've done well. Ah woultn't mind havin' ya fer another week at th' same rate, if yer in'erestet." He shuffles and smiles broadly, showing a few missing teeth.
About Master Grundy:
Master Grundy is a professional blacksmith of 36 years. He's getting old and can't keep up with the demand for mundane and masterwork items, so he's started hiring temporary work at the forge to help with the smaller projects. He's a good, honest man, if a bit rough and filthy. He's largely built, for his age, and hardy. His clothing and knuckles are covered in burn scars. He frequently wreaks of burnt metal, tobacco and cheap beer. His voice is gravelly, like a man whose lungs are blackened by too much coal and ash. His face is cracked and reddened by rosacea and his thick black beard and tangly mess of dark hair would likely be gray if it weren't for all the soot in it. His wife and son are passed away, but he has a grandson now serving in the Ibra Down military.
Roll a Profession Check (as a trained check) to determine how much money you made this week as noted on pg. 80 of the PHB, please.
Afterwards I try to get players to discuss whether or not they come from the town the campaign starts in, and if not, where they originally came from. If multiple players come from the same town, I ask if they knew each other, and to what level they knew each other.
I always try to poke and pry for information about how the players' characters may know each other, and what their back stories are. If they have extensive families I want to know. The more a DM knows about their PCs (especially where sandboxes are concerned) the more depth (s)he can give to the story. Also, when you get players talking about their characters, they're more likely to start thinking like their character.
As a PC, I tend to do more listening than talking. I try to pick a class, alignment and personality that best suits the rest of the groups character choices. Since I tend to DM a lot, I sympathize with the DM that has to manage a group with that one PC that doesn't play well with others. But, after the crunch is finished, I start finding ways to integrate my character with the setting, by creating a homeland, a reason for being an adventurer, and relationships with the other PCs.
For example:
In one case, I was playing an orc in a game where another character was also playing an orc, so we coordinated our back story to make it more elaborate. Our orc village was destroyed by a combo attack between a good dragon and the king's navy when we were young. The dragon raised the children of our village, but my brother was taken as a trophy (slave) by one of the sailors who later became a pirate. When I became an adult, I began to seek out my brother, found him, and we began traveling the world together as privateers.
It added a depth to our characters that neither of us had previously considered and totally revolutionized our RP. Also, it created a need to protect and support each other that PC's don't always have.
Jay R
2013-12-29, 03:02 PM
I don't have a character generation session, but I send a long introduction to the campaign to everyone by email, detailing any specific information they need, and any changes they can expect. Since each world I create has some unique aspects, this is necessary.
I will then discuss anything unusual they want with them by email. They can co-ordinate with each other or not.
The introduction of my current game is below, spoilered for length.
Introduction to D&D Campaign
I am planning to run a D&D campaign fairly soon.
The current plan is to use the 2E rules, but I could be talked out of that. I originally wrote some of it with a Fantasy Hero rules in mind. I’m prepared to switch to original D&D, AD&D 1E, AD&D 2E, or Fantasy Hero if that’s what the players want. (I don’t know any later version well enough to run a game.)
Note: I have a basic idea for PCs, but I urge people to ask for exceptions. Some exceptions I won’t grant because they don’t fit the world, others because they would make a character too powerful. But I am quite comfortable with the idea that every character is an exception to the basic idea.
You will begin as first level characters with very little knowledge of the outside world. Your character is just barely adult – 14 years old. You all know each other well, having grown up in the same tiny village. Everyone in this village grows their own food, and it’s rare to see anybody from outside the village, or anything not made in the village. There is a smith, a village priest, but very few other specialists.
You are friends, even if you choose to have very different outlooks, because almost everybody else in the village, and absolutely everyone else anywhere near your age, are dull villagers, with little imagination.
By contrast, you and your friends sometimes stare down the road, or into the forest, wondering what the world is like.
The world is basically early medieval. You all speak a single language for which you (reasonably) have no name. If you learn another language, you’ll know more about what that means.
It’s a really small village. There are fewer than 100 people living there, which is smaller than it used to be. There are chickens, goats, sheep, a couple of oxen, but no horses or cows.
The village has a single road going out of town to the north and south, and you’ve never been on it. The only travel on it occurs when a few wagons go off to take food to market – and even that hasn’t happened in the last few seasons. Very rarely, a traveler may come through, and spend the night with the priest. You have all greedily listened to any stories these travelers tell. Your parents say this isn’t good for you – what’s here in the village is good enough for you, and all travelers are always liars, anyway.
A stream runs through the village. (This is primarily so you can learn fishing if you desire.) There are also a few wells.
The village is surrounded by a haunted forest nearby. You have occasionally gone a few hundred feet into it on a dare, but no further, and never at night. I will modify this (slightly) for any character who wishes to start as a Druid or Ranger. Nobody gets to know the modification unless they choose one of those classes.
Three times in your lifetime the village has been raided at night from the forest. You were children, and were kept safe in a cellar. Some villagers have died, but by the time you were let out, whatever the attackers were had fled or been buried.
There is very little overlap between the D&D adventurer class “Cleric” and the average priest. Most priests will have about as much magical ability as seen in medieval stories, i.e. no more than anyone else. (If you want to play a cleric, let me know. There’s a way we will handle it, but no player except one with a cleric PC will know about it.)
Similarly, not all thieves are in the Thief class, not all bards are in the Bard class, etc. Most fighters are “0th level”. There might be a fair number of 1st level Fighters; anybody else with levels will be uncommon. If you meet a bard on your travels, he will probably be a singer/harpist with no adventurer skills or class.
There is an old witch at the edge of the village. Your parents disapprove of her, call her a fraud, and are afraid of her. Everybody knows that the crop blight three years ago was because she was mad at the village.
The old folks in the village sometimes talk about how much better it was long ago. There was real travel, and real trade. Nobody knows what happened since.
You have heard many mutually conflicting tales of all kinds of marvelous heroes. You may assume that you have heard of any story of any hero you like – Gilgamesh, Oddysseus, Sigurd, Taliesin, Charlemagne, Lancelot, Robin Hood, Aragorn, Prester John, Baba Yaga, Prince Ōkuninushi, Br’er Rabbit, anyone. The old stories seem to imply that occasionally there have been several Ages of Heroes. Your parents don’t think these tales are good for you. Takes your mind off farming.
DO NOT assume that you know anything about any fantasy creatures. I will re-write many monsters and races, introduce some not in D&D, and eliminate some. The purpose is to make the world strange and mysterious. It will allow (require) PCs to learn, by trial and error, what works. Most of these changes I will not tell you in advance. Here are a couple, just to give you some idea what I mean.
1. Dragons are not color-coded for the benefit of the PCs.
2. Of elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, kobolds, goblins, and orcs, at least one does not exist, at least one is slightly different from the books, and at least one is wildly different.
3. Several monsters have different alignments from the books.
4. The name of an Undead will not tell you what will or won’t hurt it.
5. The first time you see a member of a humanoid race, I will describe it as a “vaguely man-shaped creature.” This could be a kobold, an elf, or an Umber Hulk until you learn what they are.
I will answer any reasonable questions about the village and its denizens. You do not know anything that cannot be learned in a backward, isolated village. (And yes, that’s why you’ve grown up semi-isolated.)
You will create your characters by allocating 80 points, with the following conditions.
1. Each stat must be between 3 and 18.
2. Any points over 16 will cost double. (So a 17 costs 18 points, and an 18 costs 20 points.)
3. You may only have one 18, and only two 17+.
4. I strongly urge you not to have a “dump stat”. An extremely low stat will affect what you can do.
I do not object to henchmen. Since they must be a lower level than the characters, it won’t come up immediately, but if the party eventually has henchmen, there will be reasonable opportunities for them to help. Finding a henchman who isn’t a bland fighter will be pretty rare. Finding a spellcaster will be extremely unlikely.
Your character is way behind the average starting D&D character in knowledge of the world. I am making up for that by giving each PC one 3E Feat (see below), and one unusual starting item you would normally not have at the start of a game. This item must be justified by the character, and must be acceptable to me. For instance, a Wizard could start the game with a familiar. A Bard could have a well-made harp. Somebody with Animal Training could have a trained dog already (but not a horse or bird of prey.) A fighter might have a boomerang as one weapon. Come up with something fun, useful, and unusual, but not outrageous. It won’t be a magic item, but it could be something rare.
Your first hit die will have its maximum value, but after that, you will roll. You will never have less than the average value for hit points overall. A first level fighter will start with 10 points. At 2nd level, he will roll a d10, and add that to the total. If the total is ever less than the average for that character, it will be moved up to the average. So a fourth level fighter, for instance, will not have fewer than 22 hit points.
Specific rules. Reasonable exceptions to these rules are allowed, within certain bounds. I won’t necessarily explain the bounds to you. (If I plan to have you carried off by Vikings, I won’t tell you why your character can’t speak Old Norse, for instance.) [I]Ask for exceptions. Your character should be an exception to the general rules in some way, and I’m prepared to modify PC rules to let you play something unique. I want you to have a character you will enjoy, but who won’t mess up my plans or overshadow the other characters.
1. All characters are human. If you want an exception, talk to me. We have to find a way for the non-human to fit into my plans for the start of the campaign, which I will not tell you. (For instance, you don’t know what races exist.) To reduce the negative impact of this rule, if your real goal is to multi-class, your human character may do so.
2. It will be possible for your character to get started within the village, so if you wish to be, for instance, a druid, there will be an older druid of some sort nearby. Tell me your plans, and I will arrange any necessary mentor or other resource.
3. You may choose any 2E class. If you want a class from another version, let me know, and we’ll try to work it out. (You can’t be a barbarian, because you grew up in a village. But if you wish to be a sorcerer, I will create a 2E-compliant sorcerer class.) If you want something that’s consistent with medieval fantasy but isn’t a standard D&D class, let’s talk. I want you to play the unusual (human) character that you’ve never been able to play before.
4. Whatever the character class you choose, your teachers or mentors weren’t high level, and can only get you started.
5. Spellcasters will start with only four spells, of which you will choose two and I will choose two. The two I choose for wizards will be Read Magic and Detect Magic. The two for Clerics will be Cure Light Wounds and Detect Evil. Initial spells must come from the Players Handbook. Unusual spells from other sources may be available later, but you didn’t learn them in your village. Necromantic spells are also not allowed at the start of the game.
6. Wizards will learn three new spells at each level, and will have other ways to develop them. Clerics will learn a new spell each adventure, and will have other ways to learn them. (Yes, they come from your god. But you have to know what to ask for, and how to use it. It’s a much easier process than for wizards, who must learn them from scratch.)
7. A cleric must choose a deity. This will be the deity who grants you spells. It will have a minor effect on the spells you get, but not much. The deity can be chosen from any pantheon. (Except Lovecraft!) Any other player may opt to choose a deity as well. A druid must choose a nature god. I’ll be loose in the definition of a nature god.
8. A Priest or Druid can choose to be a standard Priest or Druid, or you can ask for specific differences based on your god. I will be quite lenient here, as long as it makes sense. If you do this, however, I reserve the right to make some other specific strictures which you might or might not know about at the start.
9. None of you know anything about what happens to high-level characters. For instance, Druids may ignore everything in the PHB about the Druid Organization. There just aren’t that many high-level people in the world. We will use most of what the rulebooks say about followers and strongholds, but some of it will be modified. For one thing, not all creatures on the Ranger follower chart even exist. The thief follower table is also inconsistent with the world. Player desires will be encouraged. When we get to that point, be prepared to negotiate for something you would prefer.
10. All starting equipment will be things that can be produced in a small isolated village. You may have a spear, axe, sword or bow, but not an atl-atl, fancy crossbow, etc., unless it’s your unusual item. There may be exceptions. Ask for something you want.
11. Your character has (at least) one specific food-producing Non-Weapon Proficiency – farmer, swineherd, shepherd, etc.
12. Men and women are different in this period. All women will have at least one Non-Weapon Proficiency of sewing, cooking or embroidery, or some such, and all men will have leatherwork, woodwork, smith, or some equivalent. You don’t have to care about it, but that’s life in a small village. I urge the party as a whole to have sewing, leatherwork, and blacksmithing, just to repair clothes and armor. Otherwise, I’ll have to track any damage done. Similarly, if you don’t have a fletcher, I will count arrows.
13. All non-weapon proficiencies must be learnable in an isolated village, or from travelers’ tales. If you want an exception, come up with a justification. I respect good rationalizations. (Obvious examples include learning Latin from the village priest, astrology from a traveler, or herbalism from the witch.)
14. If you want a non-weapon proficiency that cannot be learned in the village, you may allocate the slot for it, and you will have a very rudimentary version of it, that will grow to the standard level with experience. That slot indicates that it’s a skill your character cares about, and pursues whenever possible. For instance, if you take Etiquette, then you will know how to behave in a village. If you get to an army garrison, you will quickly observe and learn military etiquette. Spend much time in a market, and you will learn how to behave in trade. If a noblewoman goes by, you will learn a little about how she acts, and about how people treat her. Skills for which this would be necessary include Spellcraft, Riding, Survival, Etiquette, etc. Feel free to take the skills you want. I’ll see that you learn them soon. This is to allow your characters to learn and grow quickly, and to have the full range of NWPs available. I urge each player to have one or two of these.
15. You grew up in a small village surrounded by an unexplored forest. There are wild animals and worse in the forest, and you have trained with at least one simple weapon. For this reason, your character can use your choice of a spear, short bow or short sword, regardless of character class. (You must choose one. Your character cannot use more than one of them unless both are allowed to his or her class.)
16. I intend to give each character a single 3E Feat. It will be chosen to be one that will make a first level character more usable and unique. If you aren’t interested in learning the 3E Feats – don’t worry. I’ll assign one that will be useful, and explain how it works. If you are interested in the rules, feel free to make a request. If it’s reasonable and doesn’t interfere with plans that you don’t know about, I’ll allow it. Toughness is not available. The goal of the Feat is not to make your character more generally competent, but to make him or her more competent in one specific area, to improve specific skills, or to have a unique option most people don’t have.
I repeat – ask for exceptions to these rules. I want you to play what you want, and to have an unusual character. For instance, if you have a character idea that can’t work if you grew up in a small village, talk to me, and we’ll try to make it fit in – but it might mean that you miss the first half of the first adventure. If you have some cool idea for something your character wants to start off with, let’s discuss it. I might say no, or have it replace the Feat or the unusual item, or just grant the exception.
This introduction is written for 2E. If enough people would prefer to play 1E, original D&D, or Fantasy Hero, I’m willing to switch.
After I got a few questions from people, I sent out the following addition:
I’m trying to keep a lot of information about the world hidden, to preserve the mystery. But I think I’ve left you too much in the dark.
So here is some more information about the world in general.
The history of the world has included more than one Great Age of Heroes, when there are lots of monsters, and heroes appear to defend mankind. But when there are no monsters around, it's hard to get much in the way of experience points. Adventurers can't reach high levels unless there are experience points to be found. Sure, you can do well in a war, but how many 0-th level fighters have to die to take one 1st level to second level? Thieves can steal, but I don't give xps for gold unless it was gained during an adventure.
Whatever makes monsters interfere with humans has been pretty inactive lately. So there are no high-level characters in the known world, except a few very old ones, because there's been no way to get experience.
One of the effects of this is that there aren’t that many magic items, and no magic shops. You’ll be able to find some long-hidden ones, and eventually make your own, but you will never buy a magic item.
But the threats are returning (I'm being deliberately vague), and heroes may return as well. (Or would-be heroes may die like bugs on a windshield - we'll see.) No matter what class you wind up with, you'll mostly be making your own way. You'll be blazing a trail through the unknown wilderness, not following a paved road.
You few PCs are head and shoulders above everyone in the village. They care about potatoes, and never look out into the forest, wondering what's out there. You grew up there and have no cosmopolitan education, but you don't really fit in.
A Fighter PC has learned fighting skills from practice with the town guard - and has surpassed most of them a little, since they are mostly zero-th level. A thief PC has been working things out on his own.
You are untutored farmers from an isolated village, and have no experience beyond that. Your character is mostly ignorant of what the class means. If you play a Mage or Illusionist, you'll discover that you can't cast spells while wearing armor, and will therefore not wear it, but you won't really know why. You'll be able to use the weapon you grew up with (short sword, shortbow, or spear), and won't know that that's unusual. If you attempted to learn other weapons, you'll have figured out that you can't use the other two, just dagger or staff or the like.
If your PC needs a mentor (spellcasters, mostly), then he or she will have a low-level one, who will teach you how to start. And that's all you get. There won't be any opportunities for a long time to find a higher level mentor.
For instance, because Diane chose to run a cleric, the village priest is an old 3rd level Cleric, who retired to this village long ago. For any other spellcaster, I will invent a mentor to get you started. Spells will be easier to develop than in Dirk's world, but mostly, you will develop them yourself.
You have heard many stories about heroes, and that's where your dreams come from. Whatever class you come up with, I will provide the bare minimum mentor to get you started as a first level when you leave the village. And that will happen as soon as I know what your character class and build are, before we get to the table.
It's not that you haven't found your mentor yet, and will soon meet somebody who will tell you all about your class later on. There are no mentors to learn from, and you will work it out on your own. What's out there to find is adventures, not school.
After Diane built her character, I gave her some more information that would be available to a cleric. I will do the same for you - once I know what information your character would have.
I'm still trying to work out the right balance between giving the players enough information, and leaving the world a mysterious place. And I’m aware that if I give out too little information, I can easily fix that, but if I give out too much, that mistake is unsolvable.
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