Recruiting Chains of Asmodeus high level 5E game [Archive]

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paradox26

2024-01-02, 04:06 AM

My other games are humming along slowly but reliably. I just bought a pair of new 5E modules, and have decided I will run one now and one later. So I have decided that the more interesting and complex one is the one I want to run right now. It is called Chains of Asmodeus, and is a trip through the Forgotten Realms' version of the Nine Hells. I am still fairly new to 5E, though, so please keep the optimisation level low. This is an adventure that will take you from level 11 to level 20.

Hook: Someone close to you, perhaps even you yourself, has sold their soul to Asmodeus, and he has collected. You must travel to the Nine Hells at the behest of a patron and their group, to try to rescue the souls of the lost before Asmodeus can punish them for their sins.

BIG 16

1. What game system are you running (D&D, Call of Cthulu, Palladium, GURPS, etc.), and if applicable what edition (Original, Classic, Revised, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, etc.)?
D&D 5E
2. What 'type' or variant of game will it be (i.e. "Shadow Chasers" or "Agents of Psi" for d20 Modern)? What is the setting for the game (eg. historic period, published or homebrewed campaign setting, alternate reality, modern world, etc.)?
Published module.
3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many?
5. Alternates will be contacted as needed.
4. What's the gaming medium (OOTS, chat, e-mail etc.)?
This forum.
5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)?
Level 11
6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with?
7,500gp for starting treasure, plus 1 very rare and 1 uncommon item, or in place of that 2 rare items. You can use the starting gold to purchase items as normal and at normal costs for their class.
7. Are there any particular character classes, professions, orders, etc. that you want... or do not want? What are your rules on 'prestige' and/or homebrewed classes?
I will keep it pretty simple, since I am new to DMing this system. So we will stick to classes from any published first party book. No homebrew or 3rd party material.
8. What races, subraces, species, etc. are allowed for your game? Will you allow homebrewed races or species? 'Prestige' races or species?
You can use any race from the Players Handbook or the Fantastical Races section of Monsters of the Multiverse.
9. By what method should Players generate their attributes/ability scores and Hit Points?
27 point buy. Hit points are maximum.
10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so?
Alignment is heavily considered in the planes, and in this adventure you have a group patron who is either good, neutral, or evil, so the party will need some degree of similarity and consensus.
11. Do you allow multi-classing, or have any particular rules in regards to it?
Multiclass at will.
12. Will you be doing all of the die rolling during the course of the game? Will die rolls be altered, or left to the honor system? If players can make die rolls, which ones do they make, how should they make the rolls, and how should they report them?
I will roll mine and a few of yours, you will roll most of yours.
13. Are there any homebrewed or optional/variant rules that your Players should know about? If so, list and explain them, or provide relevant links to learn about these new rules.
You must pick a sin for the lost soul you are seeking, whether that is your own or someone close to you. The sins are as follows: Betrayal, Deceit, Harm, Murder, and Oppression are sins that have been committed against others, and Anger, Greed, Jealousy, and Pride are sins against the self. Pick one, and it will have a major influence on the campaign.
14. Is a character background required? If so, how big? Are you looking for anything in particular (i.e. the backgrounds all ending up with the characters in the same city)?
A character background is required. Just keep it brief and interesting. Make sure to include the details of the one who sold their soul, whether you or someone else.
15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above?
As it is a published module, it will be a balanced mixture of all of these.
16. Are your Players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can Players use for their characters?
You can use any first party book. But please include a brief description of what things do, to make it easier for me to see at a glance what you are capable of without having to look up every ability.

Please let me know if I have missed anything important.

Infernally Clay

2024-01-02, 06:46 AM

An 11th level Warlock whose patron is Asmodeus, travelling though the Nine Hells to save their own soul? I can dig that.

I'm thinking Pact of the Tome, Genie Warlock. Tiefling, just because I like them most.

paradox26

2024-01-02, 06:48 AM

Having Asmodeus as a patron will be impractical, as he is the big bad of the adventure, and the whole purpose of the mission is to steal or win back the souls from him.

Infernally Clay

2024-01-02, 07:06 AM

Having Asmodeus as a patron will be impractical, as he is the big bad of the adventure, and the whole purpose of the mission is to steal or win back the souls from him.

You don't believe he might find the whole thing amusing, like a child rebelling against their father? Especially being a Tiefling, I mean. I can change the patron to something else, though.

Like perhaps they sold their soul to Asmodeus out of greed and sought out a genie to help them get it back and, for whatever reason, the genie has a particular grudge against Asmodeus and is willing to help.

paradox26

2024-01-02, 07:25 AM

That sounds generally good.

samduke

2024-01-02, 07:51 AM

interested

RE:
16. Are your Players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can Players use for their characters?
You can use any first party book. But please include a brief description of what things do, to make it easier for me to see at a glance what you are capable of without having to look up every ability.

&

6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with?
7,500gp for starting treasure, plus 1 very rare and 1 uncommon item, or in place of that 2 rare items. You can use the starting gold to purchase items as normal and at normal costs for their class.

okay in Xanthar's pg 133 there is this table
MAGIC ITEM BASE PRICES
Rarity Base Price"'
Common 100 gp
Uncommon 400 gp
Rare 4,000 gp
Very rare 40,000 gp
Legendary 200,000 gp

Can we use the GP to buy stuff based on this list ?

paradox26

2024-01-02, 07:55 AM

Yes, I tried to clarify that in point six. You can use that table to buy extra magical items.

samduke

2024-01-02, 08:37 AM

Infernally Clay

2024-01-02, 08:40 AM

As requested, here is the brief description of what each Eldritch Invocation I've picked does. I'll copy this into the sheet later.

Agonising Blast adds my charisma modifier to the damage of each attack of Eldritch Blast.
Book of Ancient Secrets allows me to learn any two first level ritual spells but I can only cast them as rituals.
Eldritch Mind gives me advantage on constitution saving throws to maintain concentration on a spell I'm casting.
Ghostly Gaze allows me to see through thirty feet of solid objects for one minute per short rest.
Gift of the Protectors allows me to write everyone's name in my Tome and, once per long rest, if any one of them is reduced to 0 hit points they instead have 1 hit point.

Since the Book of Ancient Secrets says I can add other ritual spells I find to the tome but only if the spell level is equal to or less than half my Warlock level, can I add ritual spells to my tome? It says "for each level of the spell, the transcription process takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp for the rare inks needed to inscribe it", so would you be okay with me spending the requisite gold to add some? Like spending 250gp to add Rary's Telepathic Bond to my list of available rituals, for example, so the party can communicate telepathically for an hour.

Amnestic

2024-01-02, 11:17 AM

I'm putting together a Swords Bard/Swashbuckler for this, I think.

Just to clarify, are "hit points maximum" for all levels or just 1st as normal?

Finalised version should be done either today or tomorrow.

Bobthewizard

2024-01-02, 12:33 PM

Here's Ravin (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheets/?id=2867248), discredited Halruaa wizard

https://i.imgur.com/NC4U46W.jpg

Ravin is slight and pale, like he hasn't eaten enough for a long time. He is always looking around, expecting danger around every turn.

He is generally pleasant with those he trusts, but he trusts so few. With others, he is not hostile but is suspicious and sometimes quiet. However, even with strangers, he gets excited talking about his theories and investigating new clues. He often picks things up and assumes they have a significance that they do not, but sometimes he is right. He considers most others to be naive for not believing all of his theories.

He rarely sits still, always trying to find another way to keep safe, thinking maybe one more alarm spell will help, or maybe we need two guards instead of one. Eventually he collapses and falls asleep.

He can be prone to outbursts of anger, losing his temper especially when people don't believe him.

Ravin is the son of two high ranking ambassadors from Halruaa, both of whom were talented wizards. Five years ago, while they were in Elturel, they disappeared. There were no leads, and no one saw anything. Ravin was heartbroken and moved in with his aunt and uncle, a powerful member of the ruling council of Halruaa. He finished wizard school and then worked as a low level bureaucrat and researcher in Halruaa, studying magic, politics, devils, great old ones, and crime. His job was to put together information to prevent invasions and uprisings, but he spent much of his time researching where his parents might have gone.

He was unable to find the reason, until he made a deal with a library imp who was willing to betray his bosses. The imp gave him the information he needed, and all he had to do in return was use his black dagger to cut out the eyes of the first humanoid he kills. He's never killed anyone, so doesn't think he'll even need to pay his end of the bargain.

The imp gave him information and proof. His parents had been traded to Asmodeus by his uncle, who was working with a coterie of wizards and devils to overthrow Halruaa so that he could rule. When Ravin learned that the devils were planning overthrow Halruaa, he took this information to his superiors. However, with nothing more than Ravin's scribbled notes, none of his superiors were willing to accuse his powerful uncle of such a heinous crime. Instead of listening to him, they had Ravin fired and discredited. Now his uncle is trying to hunt him down. His uncle's co-conspirators are following him, and Ravin has had several narrow escapes. He's on the run and needs to rescue his parents.

He has a book with "proof" of the conspiracy, letters and flyers supporting his claims, and pictures and lists of likely conspirators, complete with lines connecting them.

Unknown to Ravin, he has this all wrong. The imp was lying to him and gave him false information. In truth, his parents were the ones to betray his uncle. Many years earlier, before Ravin was born, they had signed a contract with Asmodeus for him to help them gain power and wealth, which they used to rise through the ranks of Halruaa. When they looked at their newborn son, they regretted their choice, and were trying to figure out how to negate the contract, but Ravin's uncle discovered the agreement, caught them, had a perfectly legal field trial and had them executed. His uncle isn't out to get him, but is trying to protect him and keep him from trying to rescue his parents, which he thinks is a suicide mission.

Once his parents were killed, they were sent to Asmadeus per their contract. They regret their decision and miss their son. If he can find them and save their souls, they will repent.

As Ravin discovers the truth about his parents, he will go through all of the stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance.

Their sin is Betrayal.

JNAProductions

2024-01-02, 01:17 PM

Maybe a Shepherd Druid. Druids are fun.

Darius Vibrtrar

2024-01-02, 02:27 PM

I definitely have an interest in this game

Amnestic

2024-01-02, 02:57 PM

Presenting Juliette Chambers (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheets/?id=2814388).
Swords Bard 8/Swashbuckler Rogue 3. She's a 'face', a bit of a skillmonkey, and functions moderately as a melee damage dealer. A true jack of all trades.

Sheet should be complete, save potentially an HP adjustment after clarification.

The sin of the soul she seeks to rescue is Deceit.

Darius Vibrtrar

2024-01-02, 07:39 PM

Ooooh

An Oath of Redemption Paladin.

Paladin was so confident and Prideful that they could alone stand against the fires of hell, when he failed to do so, he sold his soul to protect his fellow party members from the fate he had brought upon them.

Now he is seeks to regain his soul!

Bobthewizard

2024-01-03, 09:03 AM

J-H

2024-01-03, 11:51 AM

Titus Victor (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/115800503) was a loyal and competent lifer, second in command to the guard captain of [insert noble name here, or do we make one up?]. Unfortunately, said noble's son made a very, very bad deal out of Pride. Titus has been asked to fix the problem. His family has served the [family] for generations, and feels a deep sense of loyalty. His alignment is Lawful Neutral, so he'll fit almost anywhere.

edit: Complete with gear. His best ranged option is the Wand of Magic Missiles.

He's an experienced NCO with a lot of cross-training. He can inspire the troops (everyone gets 13 temp HP at the end of a short rest), he can bandage them up (everyone gets 1d6+15hp once per short rest if he has time to use healer's kits), and when someone rolls a 1, once per round he can help them re-roll that 1.
When he action surges, someone else can attack as well, preferably a rogue or other high-damage weapon user. When he uses Second Wind, 3 other people regain 11hp.

Without casting a spell, he's good to help the party out by 1d6+39hp each per short rest.

No ASIs...just feats! I'll probably pick up Mobile at level 12.

Awful

2024-01-03, 05:59 PM

Posting to show interest, though not sure what I'd make.

Kerilstrasz

2024-01-03, 10:05 PM

Hey there..

I'd like to try my hand on this...
But first... Sources review...

Are the following approved????
~ Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse (Race: Shadar-Kai)
~ Eberron - Rising from the Last War (Feat: Aberant Dragonmark)
~ Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (Feat: Slasher)
~ Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn (Weapon: Inescapable Lash)
http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:inescapable-lash

Can live without Aberant Dragonmark, but not without the weapon, as the entire built is based on it.

Snarkhunter

2024-01-03, 11:34 PM

I would like to join in, although I'm still not sure what character I'll submit.

paradox26

2024-01-04, 01:37 AM

samduke

2024-01-04, 07:52 AM

you may have missed this paradox26

@paradox26

in several of the classes there are (Optional) features, Can we use the Optional features ?

can we use the custom race / backgrounds option ( Tasha Cauldron of Everything / PHB )

Warforged
Fighter Rune Knight 6 <Strength 13 or Dexterity 13>
Barbarian Path of Giant 5 <Strength 13>
then all future levels are Fighter Rune Knight

RE: Extra Attack Class feature, in the above both get it , would this allow me to use it 2x
normally an 11th level fighter would have Extra Attack (x2)

with 27 point buy, I think mine will look something like 15,14,14,10,10,8

Captain Cap

2024-01-04, 08:42 AM

Do you have a deadline in mind for the applications?

Any preferred posting rate?

Final question (for now :smallbiggrin:): are feat-granting backgrounds allowed?

Kerilstrasz

2024-01-04, 12:12 PM

Do you use minor properties for magic item items???

Dmg, pg.143

Dr.Samurai

2024-01-04, 12:41 PM

Infernally Clay

2024-01-04, 02:53 PM

https://i.ibb.co/mqZZYw8/3a661381d6f9bb65132f68007973f2c0-3.jpg
Aletheia (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheets/?id=2867205)
Genie Warlock 11
AC: 17 | HP: 132/132 | Initiative: +2
Str: +5 | Dex: +3 | Con: +5 | Int: +2 | Wis: +4 | Cha: +10
Spell Slots: 5th: 3/3 | 6th: 1/1
Active Effects: None
Conditions: None

Genie's Vessel
AC: 19 | HP: 15/15
Sanctuary Vessel: 1/1

Well I do believe she is mechanically finished. How useful she is depends a lot on how many short rests we get, but she does have a way to give everyone an extra short rest each day through Sanctuary Vessel. Thanks to that feature it only takes ten minutes too, so it'll be excellent when we need a short rest really fast.

Probably the most useful trick she has, though, is that if she writes everyone's name down in her book not only can she communicate with them silently but if they're reduced to 0 hit points they're instead reduced to 1. It only works once per day full stop, but it should prove invaluable.

Kerilstrasz

2024-01-04, 08:24 PM

I was putting my character on paper (well.. mythweavers) and i realized that her built,
that is all about her endless reactions (yes, it can be done) would bring a pbp game to a crawl pace...

So.. new character... The 1 hit wonder Assassin!
DM.. sources review...

Paladin of Redemption from Unearthed Arcana
http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/paladin:redemption-ua
(I'm only gonna go up to lvl 4, so, ignore the later features...)

The built is gonna be RedPal.4/GraveCl.2/Assassin.5
Later levels gonna be warlock5/Sorc4
(not sure about the sorc yet.. we'll see)

Darius Vibrtrar

2024-01-04, 08:51 PM

Just for clarity, my submission is the paladin of Redemption from Xanathars.

Still a work in progress.

Human paladin (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheets/?id=2867770)

Bobthewizard

2024-01-04, 09:38 PM

I doubt the 16+Dex AC UA Redemption Paladin gets approved, but I would be very curious to see how the paladin, cleric, rogue multiclass builds out, needing 13 each in Str, Dex, Wis, and Cha. I'd assume 14 to Dex, 13 Con, 8 Int. Shadar-kai gets Dex to 16 and Con to 14. Both ASIs to Dex to maximize AC at 21 before magic items.

If the UA is not approved, the character would still work with the Xanathar's Redemption. Studded leather and cloak of protection gets AC to 18. Or start paladin with mithral plate and the cloak gets AC to 19 while still being able to sneak. The AC is a little lower, but if you think the character would be fun to play, you could still play it. Neat idea.

Kerilstrasz

2024-01-04, 10:11 PM

nuh.. shadarkai was the last build that i abandoned...
This is a half drow...

Well.. if it doesn't get approved, I can just go Pala 2 instead of 4...
but i kinda liked the idea of being in the front lines wearing a dress :P

You know what?
Forget the UA pala..
It is "cool" but it stunts my progression..

paradox26

2024-01-04, 10:57 PM

@paradox26

in several of the classes there are (Optional) features, Can we use the Optional features ?

can we use the custom race / backgrounds option ( Tasha Cauldron of Everything / PHB )

Warforged
Fighter Rune Knight 6 <Strength 13 or Dexterity 13>
Barbarian Path of Giant 5 <Strength 13>
then all future levels are Fighter Rune Knight

RE: Extra Attack Class feature, in the above both get it , would this allow me to use it 2x
normally an 11th level fighter would have Extra Attack (x2)

with 27 point buy, I think mine will look something like 15,14,14,10,10,8
No to optional features. I want to keep things simple.
No to custom races or backgrounds, for the previous reason.
Yes, use it as a x2.

I was putting my character on paper (well.. mythweavers) and i realized that her built,
that is all about her endless reactions (yes, it can be done) would bring a pbp game to a crawl pace...

So.. new character... The 1 hit wonder Assassin!
DM.. sources review...

Paladin of Redemption from Unearthed Arcana
http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/paladin:redemption-ua
(I'm only gonna go up to lvl 4, so, ignore the later features...)

The built is gonna be RedPal.4/GraveCl.2/Assassin.5
Later levels gonna be warlock5/Sorc4
(not sure about the sorc yet.. we'll see)

I would prefer we avoid optional material from Unearthed Arcana. Use the Xanathar's Redemption paladin please, if you still want to go that way.

Infernally Clay

2024-01-05, 06:25 AM

So Aletheia's backstory is kind of simple and to the point.

She was a powerful wizard, obsessed with gaining knowledge. In fact she would travel with adventurers to extremely dangerous places just so she could find dusty tomes filled with ancient magic or history. Yet she always wanted more, and Asmodeus knew it. One day he appeared to Aletheia as a humble seeker of history and tricked her into selling her soul to him for directions to a library said to house all the knowledge of the multiverse. To put the boot in, Asmodeus also claimed Aletheia's spellbook and her knowledge of arcane magicks.

This left Aletheia without her magic and thus without a way to even reach the library and, cursing Asmodeus and promising her revenge, Aletheia sought out help. Eventually she found her way to a genie who had, likewise, been tricked by Asmodeus. Thousands of years ago, a kindhearted man sought to grant the wishes of others and give his life in service to them and Asmodeus twisted that and turned him into a genie. It's been so long he has forgotten his true name and now he just goes by the name Gleyma. If Aletheia wants revenge against Asmodeus, Gleyma will help her achieve it.
____________________________________

I was hoping, depending on how long the game goes, that eventually Aletheia and her genie patron might part ways once Aletheia reclaims her spellbook from Asmodeus and becomes a wizard again, her first act as such being to free Gleyma.

I don't know what we're looking at in terms of levelling up, but let's say arbitrarily she was a level 18 wizard and she lost all those levels and became a level 10 warlock when she teamed up with Gleyma and they've been travelling together for a while. So when Aletheia reclaims her spellbook (at some point when everyone is already at level 18) she'll become a level 18 wizard again, but Gleyma will grant her knowledge of a spell she never knew before as a parting gift - Wish - even though mechanically it'll be one of the two spells I picked for Aletheia to learn at 18th level.

samduke

2024-01-05, 08:14 AM

@paradox26
the Equipment that our classes start with, can we sell the pieces we do not want ?

*
I do not want these and even if I only got 50% value I am good with that, Otherwise I will just dump it.
Leather Armor 10 GP
Light crossbow and 20 bolts 26 GP
10 torches 1 SP
50 feet of hempen rope 1 GP
Longsword 15 GP

edited

paradox26

2024-01-05, 10:29 PM

Awful

2024-01-06, 07:36 AM

No optional rules? Argh, that's a shame. I was considering a ranger, but 90% of their default abilities have absolutely no use, especially in, well, hell, presumably.

samduke

2024-01-06, 08:03 AM

Elise (https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheets/?id=2868054) should be complete
Warforge Barbarian/Fighter

Postmodernist

2024-01-09, 04:55 PM

Keldon the Dread, for your approval. (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/116247075/CLXFj4) Figured I'd lean into the whole Hell thing. He's an edgelordy Lawful Evil Death Knight who lost his wife and child and wants revenge and will stop at nothing to save their souls. He's already dammed, but perhaps he can rescue them.

I've committed many sins, but none plagues me so much as Anger. I fought for Karnnath in the Last War, and did so with distinction. But right before the Treaty of Thronehold, they took her from me, the Thranish dogs, sunning themselves in the glow of their Silver Flame. They destroyed Elena's village, took my wife, my unborn child. Worse, I discovered that their so-called sacred rites condemned their souls to the Hells. My rage knew no bounds.

It was then that I swore myself to her Ladyship, The Lich Queen. Vol has granted me strength beyond my wildest imaginings. The rewards have been great, though so, too, have the trials. I am damned, beyond redemption. My fealty is unbreakable, and I am content to roam the Planes serving her for as much of eternity as I see. I ask only one thing: the chance to free my wife and child from their torment. I will serve any who aid my task, no matter how distasteful, so great is my rage. This is my sacred oath, sworn upon my unholy blood.

Keldon is a Karrnathi death knight, dedicated to Lady Erandis Vol, the Lich queen. He wields the greatsword Edict, a weapon of Throne's Command (his very rare item). (https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/7526785-weapon-of-thrones-command) He sports adamantine plate (his uncommon item), and wears the Abyssal Shroud (spent 4k gold), a mantle of spell resistance (https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4673-mantle-of-spell-resistance). He is typicaly accompanied by his imp famliar, Malice, who carries a wand of web (https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4799-wand-of-web) (400 gold spent).

https://i.imgur.com/ZRvOdGB.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/FnvHUiu.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/S02V3wo.jpg

He still has 2750 gold remaining to spend on a few random items, but he should be done. And while he is LE, he is designed to play well with others as his motivation. Please let me know if there are any issues, and if I need to adjust my HP based on however that "full HP" statement was ruled.

EDIT: image syntax error correction.
EDIT 2: For some reason it says my hemocraft is wisdom, when it should be INT. Seems to be a dnd beyond bug. DC should be 14, not 12. Sorted.