The Shield of the North: 5E campaign, combat

[TriciaOso]

The city of Coldwater (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/wikis/coldwater) is annually assaulted by necromantic raiders from Blackreach (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/wikis/blackreach) and their army of the dead. Coldwater, 'the Shield of the North,' is the first line of defense against this Wintertide invasion of the dead, which would otherwise spread across the continent of Solus.

-PCs will start as level 1 and work as a team in the city militia, guarding a specific objective or set of objectives during the annual invasion; fighting until their resources are exhausted
-A year passes between each combat scenario, with downtime mechanics to flesh out what happened
-Characters go up one level between each combat scenario
-Game expected to (ideally) go from 1 - 10.
-Forum for narrative, DNDBeyond for character sheets, Discord for communication. Must be able to post daily!
-Homebrew world, mostly human or demi-human characters in this setting. Goliaths and water genasi are especially common, as are shadar-kai half-elves for those who have some connection to the noble family or Blackreach. The history of orcs, goblins, the Underdark and other elements are different in this setting.

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.)?
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.)?
Mostly combat, with downtime mechanics to cover a year of in-game time between each annual assault on the city. That said, I hope this can also be a game for people who like narrative, and you can make good use of downtime to advance a lifetime long story for your character.

The setting is the city of Coldwater:


The Shield of the North, Coldwater was the largest city of the northern coast of Solus. Each winter, when the undead crossed the Straits of Ice, Coldwater took the brunt of their attack.

The gentry of Coldwater were descended from the noble families of Blackreach rather than the Solar Empire, and used the title of Duke rather than Prince. The family name of the Dukes was Ci Gît.

Coldwater was a cold, austere city. The population was largely human and goliaths, with a significant minority of icy water genasi. Like Domari, it was a major center of worship of the The Maiden.

Please don't make too many assumptions about the planes and the gods and other things being standard to Faerun; it's a kitchen-sink setting, but a personal one.

3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many?
3-5. It might be a good idea to have back-up characters you are advancing in the background.

4. What's the gaming medium (OOTS, chat, e-mail etc.)?
Forum PBP. Once we have a final group, I will make a Discord as well, with a dice roller and for real-time communication / posting resources. My experience is that having that channel is very necessary for a game to 'stick' long-term.

We will use DNDBeyond for sheets. There is a DNDBeyond Campaign here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/campaigns/join/53217991429023919

Once you join that campaign you will have access to all the books I have (which is pretty much all of them). I have to toggle on content sharing and can't do it until someone joins, which is annoying, but I will do it promptly.

5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)?
1st level. You are a normal citizen who has just reached a level of proficiency to be treated differently than the generic militia members.

6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with?
1st level wealth.

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?
Any classes/archetypes from published books. If you want to play a cleric or warlock we can talk about setting details. The most common gods of Solus are the Celestial Court (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/wikis/celestial-court), although Coldwater is a major center for worship of the Maiden (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/characters/death).

8. What races, subraces, species, etc. are allowed for your game? Will you allow homebrewed races or species? 'Prestige' races or species?
Most races exist in this 'kitchen sink' setting, but here in Western Solus the most common race is humans, with goliaths, elves/half-elves, genasi and halflings all a sizable minority. Water genasi with icy traits are especially common in Coldwater, as are half-elves with shadarkai traits. The part of the population immigrated from Blackreach are of mixed human and shadarkai heritage and that balance can equate to human, half-elven or full shadarkai as a PC race.

Orcs and goblins and some other races have a unique history in this setting; they aren't off-limits, but we should talk.

9. By what method should Players generate their attributes/ability scores and Hit Points?
27 Point Buy. HP take your average rather than rolling (with max at 1st as normal).

10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so?
Your character's overall alignment is not of major importance, so much as your ability to work together to defend the city and the continent from the hordes of undead. There are good necromancers in this setting; the city is ruled by them, on the DL.

Don't use an evil alignment as an excuse to be vile.

11. Do you allow multi-classing, or have any particular rules in regards to it?
Allowed.

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?
You can roll on here, on DNDBeyond, on your desk--I don't care. If you are the type of person who would cheat at PBP D&D please don't join. I decline to play dice cop.

There will be a dice roller in the Discord.

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.
There will be a homebrew downtime mechanic to cover the year between each assault.

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)?
Although this will be a combat-centered campaign, I am hopeful your character will have an interesting life the 11 months of the year you aren't fighting the undead. Remember you are starting as a level one character and have potentially 10 years of development ahead of you, so starting as someone who has 'seen it all' isn't advised. You should be a citizen of Coldwater, or have a good reason to moving to a frozen armpit that gets annually assaulted by the dead.

15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above?
As discussed above, primarily combat, with as much or as little narrative connecting each year to the next as you like. There will be some opportunities to solve problems in other ways during the seige, but not many; the undead are not usually open to negotiation. My goal is always to give PCs meaningful choices that drive the course of the game, but there are some well-defined rails in this scenario -- if you decide to leave Coldwater and explore distant Nom, you are deciding to leave the game.

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?
Anything from published books I have on DNDBeyond, which is most of them.

[J-H]

I'm thinking either EB warlock playing battlefield pinball (push/pull), or a druid.

For warlock patrons, it sounds like the most setting-appropriate are either Celestial or one of the Undead/Undying types, with Genies as a secondary since there is a Genasi presence. Is that correct? I'll probably go with Talisman boon to help whoever is on the front line.

As far as druids, what's the area around the city like? There's obviously ocean, and ice, but for all that there's an "arctic druid" I don't really see how that matches up well with "nature priest." Sit and become one with the cold? So I'm thinking there would need to be some wilder areas where actually plants and animals grow to key off of, or substantial fields and herds, in order to have something that goes with the thematically incoherent druid.

There's also my druid on the warlock chassis (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?665724-Druid-on-the-Warlock-chassis) idea, but that would be off DND Beyond, and you didn't say homebrew was allowed.

[TriciaOso]

I'm thinking either EB warlock playing battlefield pinball (push/pull), or a druid.

For warlock patrons, it sounds like the most setting-appropriate are either Celestial or one of the Undead/Undying types, with Genies as a secondary since there is a Genasi presence. Is that correct? I'll probably go with Talisman boon to help whoever is on the front line.

As far as druids, what's the area around the city like? There's obviously ocean, and ice, but for all that there's an "arctic druid" I don't really see how that matches up well with "nature priest." Sit and become one with the cold? So I'm thinking there would need to be some wilder areas where actually plants and animals grow to key off of, or substantial fields and herds, in order to have something that goes with the thematically incoherent druid.

There's also my druid on the warlock chassis (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?665724-Druid-on-the-Warlock-chassis) idea, but that would be off DND Beyond, and you didn't say homebrew was allowed.

Warlocks:
I think most warlock patrons could work in setting, but the ones you outlined are probably the best bet to tie into 'local flavor'. You might have made a pact with a devil or eldritch horror anywhere, but it doesn't connect to Coldwater per se. I'd also throw in the Fathomless, since it's a port city and you might be a sailor, and the Hexblade, because it's tied to the Shadowfell.

Druids:
Coldwater is located in the 'Free West (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/wikis/the-free-west),' and the areas between cities can be pretty wild and wooly. The area immediately around the city is where the farming communities are, and both fields and livestock are found there; but if you go past those, you get into deep woods and mountainous territory, especially as you head west.

Climatewise, the northern coast is more of a Minnesota/North Dakota/southern Canada rather than Alaska; a druid might spend most of their time in the wilds and come back to the city intermittently to trade and for the worst part of winter. That's how a lot of hunters and farmers will overwinter as well.

And yes, trying to avoid homebrew largely because it's easier for me to deal with when all the character sheets are in the same place.

[Breitheamh]

This looks interesting certainly. My first thoughts were a fairly standard Fighter of some sort, and since we start at level 1, it's a good excuse to let the direction of martial archetype sort of flow organically, so I wouldn't commit to a subclass until seeing where the course of the game takes me.

As far as backstory, Coldwater seems like the perfect place to send a disgraceful son/daughter of a pompous noble family to avoid the public embarrassment they would inflict on the family if they inherited the titles. Is there a region or kingdom or noble family elsewhere that it would make sense to do that with?

Basically the thought being that my character is fairly proficient in combat, and was trained in courtly manners, but either had a temper that got them in too much trouble, had a few too many questions and opinions that wouldn't do for the family, or was simply too socially awkward to make the proper connections the family needed them to, or a combination of all of those (or maybe if people are comfortable with it and it fits in your world, was in some way questioning their sexuality or gender identity). And as a result, they were essentially volunteered for the Coldwater militia without much say in the matter.

It would be interesting to see if the character feels more like a Prince Zuko, trying desperately to accomplish whatever impossible task their family set their return to be contingent upon, or decides they can do some real good here and chooses to stay long after they've built up the wealth and connections to be free of their unofficial banishment, or something else...

[J-H]

Do the attacks hit the wild areas too, or is the city pretty much right at the crossing point where it takes the brunt of the ice devil/etc. assault?

Is the militia organized to the point where the outlying areas are used to providing support every year because it keeps them safe too?

[TriciaOso]

This looks interesting certainly. My first thoughts were a fairly standard Fighter of some sort, and since we start at level 1, it's a good excuse to let the direction of martial archetype sort of flow organically, so I wouldn't commit to a subclass until seeing where the course of the game takes me.

As far as backstory, Coldwater seems like the perfect place to send a disgraceful son/daughter of a pompous noble family to avoid the public embarrassment they would inflict on the family if they inherited the titles. Is there a region or kingdom or noble family elsewhere that it would make sense to do that with?

Sure! Coldwater is in the 'Free West,' sort of a wilderness of isolated city-states that are more detached from the rest of the continent (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/wikis/solus). Hundreds of years ago, the whole continent was a unified empire, but even then the Free West was a frontier. The other human states are ruled by Princes, who claim descent from that King, but Coldwater has a Duke and is outside that framework, so this idea makes lots of sense.

Three Sisters is the nearest city that buys into that culture, but is still in the Free West. Three Sisters (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/wikis/three-sisters) is a fairly established location, if you'd rather have some established canon to draw on; a member of the ducal family is in Three Sisters as an ambassador (Cassien (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/characters/cassien-ci-g-t)), so he might have helped you out.

If you'd rather have a lot of freedom to make up your own homeland, Croplan (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/wikis/croplan) is one of the larger states in the east and is a union of many smaller princedoms, so you could make one up from scratch.


Basically the thought being that my character is fairly proficient in combat, and was trained in courtly manners, but either had a temper that got them in too much trouble, had a few too many questions and opinions that wouldn't do for the family, or was simply too socially awkward to make the proper connections the family needed them to, or a combination of all of those (or maybe if people are comfortable with it and it fits in your world, was in some way questioning their sexuality or gender identity). And as a result, they were essentially volunteered for the Coldwater militia without much say in the matter.

That sounds fine to me.

[TriciaOso]

Do the attacks hit the wild areas too, or is the city pretty much right at the crossing point where it takes the brunt of the ice devil/etc. assault?

Is the militia organized to the point where the outlying areas are used to providing support every year because it keeps them safe too?

You just about nailed it. Coldwater takes the brunt of the attack, and the outlying areas support it through the year and then flock to the walls or further south for cover at Wintertide. The undead are mindless, but the necromancers commanding the siege know they have to take out the city to get a real foothold on the continent, so that's where they focus. Outlying areas are subject to some small-time raids and mindless undead, but Coldwater is the main target.

[J-H]

Lorem Ipsum (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/118430069), to be renamed, a variant human druid. I went with Vuman specifically to pick up Spell Sniper, as druid cantrips are short-ranged (Poison Spray 10', Produce Flame & Thorn Whip 30', Frostbite 60'). My Produce Flame and Thorn Whip are now 60', and Ice Knife is good out to 120'.
Not sure yet what subclass I'll take, probably Land but potentially Spore for Chill Touch and minions.

Story pending but definitely not an urban-dweller... he's not even showing up with a shield or hide armor, just a staff and some leathers. Squishy-ish.

[TriciaOso]

Looks good! Content sharing is now activated.

[zylodrizzt]

I want to say that I have had the wonderful oppertunity to play in TriciaOso games before and whoever gets in is lucky. I'd like to throw my hat in the ring with the understanding I would like every other application considered before mine.

I like tanks and martials more then I like spellcasters so I'll throw some dhampire (idk how to spell it and havent decided primary race yet but def leaning toward dwarf since im inspired by a character) either starting paladin or starting barbarian. The idea is they were caught in the path of one of these attacks along the outskirts by some vampire and for whatever reason wasn't fully turned but the bloodlust that they were driven by caused them to kill 1 or more of thier loved ones. So they make thier way to cold water to get revenge. I hope that fits and looking forward to fleshing it out further (if I get considered)

And here's a start
https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/121644183

[Infernally Clay]

I could put together a Goliath Barbarian for this, probably leaning towards the Giants subclass. It’s a pretty straightforward build without too much flair but seeing as this is a predominantly combat focused campaign I can get away with it.

[TriciaOso]

I want to say that I have had the wonderful oppertunity to play in TriciaOso games before and whoever gets in is lucky. I'd like to throw my hat in the ring with the understanding I would like every other application considered before mine.

I like tanks and martials more then I like spellcasters so I'll throw some dhampire (idk how to spell it and havent decided primary race yet but def leaning toward dwarf since im inspired by a character) either starting paladin or starting barbarian. The idea is they were caught in the path of one of these attacks along the outskirts by some vampire and for whatever reason wasn't fully turned but the bloodlust that they were driven by caused them to kill 1 or more of thier loved ones. So they make thier way to cold water to get revenge. I hope that fits and looking forward to fleshing it out further (if I get considered)

And here's a start
https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/121644183

Sure, dhampir is very appropriate to the setting. Thanks for the kind words.

[Breitheamh]

Sure! Coldwater is in the 'Free West,' sort of a wilderness of isolated city-states that are more detached from the rest of the continent (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/wikis/solus). Hundreds of years ago, the whole continent was a unified empire, but even then the Free West was a frontier. The other human states are ruled by Princes, who claim descent from that King, but Coldwater has a Duke and is outside that framework, so this idea makes lots of sense.

Three Sisters is the nearest city that buys into that culture, but is still in the Free West. Three Sisters (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/wikis/three-sisters) is a fairly established location, if you'd rather have some established canon to draw on; a member of the ducal family is in Three Sisters as an ambassador (Cassien (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/characters/cassien-ci-g-t)), so he might have helped you out.

If you'd rather have a lot of freedom to make up your own homeland, Croplan (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/wikis/croplan) is one of the larger states in the east and is a union of many smaller princedoms, so you could make one up from scratch.



That sounds fine to me.

Awesome! I'll probably go toward the direction of Croplan. Narrowing down backstory a bit, thinking that Charity Humboldt, the only daughter of Nikolai and Vanessa Humboldt, landed gentry attempting to make the leap into true nobility, was supposed to be set up in a strategic advantageous marriage. Her three brothers were doing pretty well making the family look respectable and worthy, and Charity's arranged marriage into one of the more influential Croplan noble families would have sealed the Humboldts as honorable members of noble society. The issue was, Charity kept making terrible impressions on her betrothed, until eventually he fully declined to make the formal proposal. This was a disaster, but Charity's parents quickly attempted to set up another match with a somewhat desperate noble family whose heir kept refusing proposed matches. All was not lost for the family, until a loyal family servant reported on Charity's "extracurricular" activities, in which she entered lower-class fighting rings anonymously, using the pseudonym "Shatterheart," an underdog figure in Croplan fighting circles, growing rapidly in popularity. Another disaster! Of course, this could be salvaged with extra guards to make sure she could never sneak out of the manor house. But even more than that, she was found to be engaged in a romantic relationship with another woman, and one of lower-class breeding at that. THAT was too much.

Charity's parents began making the claim that their daughter had taken ill, while making arrangements for her to be sent far away where she could no longer embarrass the family. She was sent to Coldwater and offered as a volunteer for the militia, with the understanding that her family considered her dead and would be informing society as such, that she was completely cut off and would not be welcomed back, and with an implied threat that her family might arrange for her lover's death if she ever tried.

[TriciaOso]

That sounds really good to me!

[JbeJ275]

Interested in trying something out here. You mentioned Goliaths as being particularly common in this world? Would they be local to the region or more far travellers? And what does the rest of the godly pantheon look like? Are there racil gods and pantheons or is it more different names for the same entities?

Also where do the undead involved in the attack come from? Are they the local or ancient dead? Would be interesting to have someone want to fight against the tide because they knew someone they knew was part of it once.

[TriciaOso]

Interested in trying something out here. You mentioned Goliaths as being particularly common in this world? Would they be local to the region or more far travellers?

Not in this world entirely, in this part of the world (the mountainous western edge of the eastern continent). The western continent is dominated by giants, so goliaths are quite common in the parts of the human world that are adjacent.


And what does the rest of the godly pantheon look like? Are there racil gods and pantheons or is it more different names for the same entities?

The main gods worshipped by humans and halflings are the Celestial Court (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/wikis/celestial-court), but Coldwater has a special attachment to the goddess of Death, the Maiden. (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/characters/death)

There are fey gods worshipped by the elves, gnomes and firbolgs, dragon gods worshiped by the reptilians, and giant gods (https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/wikis/giant-gods) worshipped by the goliaths and the giants of the West.


Also where do the undead involved in the attack come from? Are they the local or ancient dead? Would be interesting to have someone want to fight against the tide because they knew someone they knew was part of it once.

The spirits of the dead in this world travel north, usually out of the world into the realm of death, but sometimes they get hijacked by necromancers. A big part of the army are unwilling, enslaved undead, although more powerful independent undead are in the leadership. Raiders from Blackreach also take the bodies of the dead with them, maybe to raise and enslave, maybe for darker purposes.

[Dirty]

I'm thinking of a halfling bard. The son of the owner of the local tavern or inn. Singing the songs to help the dead find their resting place. Hope and melancholy probably play big parts in forming his upbringing and bardic soul.

Connor Magennis (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/121707580)

[TriciaOso]

Awesome! Most of the other proposed characters have been out-of-towners, so having at least one local in the mix is great.

[Lioslaith]

What about something along the concept lines of a marine medic. A combat doctor so to speak.

[zylodrizzt]

So here's my thought about backstory.
Vampires love the dark of course and where can a vampire keep from the sun best? Deep in the earth. Standing guard Hasgraek was lured out from behind the gate and attacked by a vampire and nearly killed. He was brought to the infirmary unconcious. During unconsciousness he dreamt of a woman barely able to speak to him as if she was very very far away or behind walls. Gently echoing in a cavern. He'd just the faintest bit of light like a candle briefly before extinguished many times every time he'd hear the voice. In the dream it felt as tho weight was being pulled off of him or pressure and still barely see anything but occasionally that faint light. When the pressure finally lifted he felt the cold pressence of a spector seeping into him and the light grew and the spector vanished. The light dimmed again and he felt a diffrent pressence. One of a friend tho still no face no body only a voice "I'm sorry I didn't get to you sooner. Go back now." That's all the woman's voice had said. When he returned he'd found he was at home in his room and his wife was laying on the ground dying. He knew instantly he had done this and he needed to act. He knew he had become something else and much of the power of a true vampire was ebbing away as the long dark had lifted what she could from him. He hadn't much time and he had made a choice... a choice he regrets for now his wife is amongst the true undead amongst the armies of the dead. He longs for her and also needs to see his mistake fixed... he can't let any more hurt because of what he's done... so he headed to cold water to the very head of the fight.

[TriciaOso]

What about something along the concept lines of a marine medic. A combat doctor so to speak.

Sure! Are you thinking a cleric or some other approach to healer?

[Lioslaith]

Sure! Are you thinking a cleric or some other approach to healer?

There is a combat medic option for the fighter, but that wouldn't kick in until 3rd level, so probably cleric since we are starting at 1.

[zylodrizzt]

There is a combat medic option for the fighter, but that wouldn't kick in until 3rd level, so probably cleric since we are starting at 1.

I never knew there was a subclass for fighters for that.

So thinking about the character and abilities I think perhaps during the months of not fighting in spare time when not working for the guard or going to the temple for the maiden he uses his abilities to not breath and excellent climbing skills to get hard to reach valuable minerals and such like grabbing stuff from shipwrecks or finding rare fish. I don't think he has an instrument proficiency but he plays the drums. He fights in battles (legal or not) whenever he can to draw blood he can drink (unless blood can come from any creature). He follows the maiden as one of her warriors tho he knows her as the long dark.

[Breitheamh]

Here's I think a finished character submission: "Shad" aka Charity "Shatterheart" Humboldt (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/121655933)

Let me know if I need to make any changes!

[Dirty]

Hi Trish, I was wondering how the people in Coldwater treat their dead? Is there a graveyard with elaborate rituals to prevent them from being raised, or is it something like nordic style burnings or something else all together?
I'm writing up Connors backstory and I think he could maybe provide some hauntingly beautiful tunes on his flute during these moments.
I think he could go college of Spirits if that's alright? Otherwise Lore would fit too.

[J-H]

I'm thinking twice about my druid. The only cantrips benefiting from Spell Sniper are Produce Flame and Thorn Whip. If we're facing a bunch of fiends, they may be resistant or immune to flame. Thorn Whip is magic piercing, but a feat to boost a single cantrip is a bit expensive, even if I'm playing a "Cast one Concentration Spell per battle" spellcaster, and not very many druid spells benefit from a boost to spell attack rolls.

Since they come every year, we should generally know what we're going to face. Hordes of zombies? Hordes of skeletons? A smaller number of more powerful undead? Substantial numbers of actual fiends (ice devils, vrocks, etc.) that are likely to resist some elemental damage and have advantage on saves vs. magic?

[TriciaOso]

There is a combat medic option for the fighter, but that wouldn't kick in until 3rd level, so probably cleric since we are starting at 1.

Okay! On the subject of picking gods, you have options, especially depending on race and also on the Domain you're interested in. The most obviously relevant is the Maiden, who covers both Death and Grave clerics. Most Grave or Death clerics aspire to make the pilgrimage between Domari and Coldwater and fight at Wintertide at least once in their lives, and Coldwater has many of her clerics living there.

However, if you are looking for some other domain let me know and we can talk about options; or if you have a race in mind we can work from that direction. You can also peruse the gods tag:
https://pedicaboredde.obsidianportal.com/search?tag=gods


Here's I think a finished character submission: "Shad" aka Charity "Shatterheart" Humboldt (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/121655933)

Let me know if I need to make any changes!

Looks great to me! Think about what you want Shad to be doing in the downtime between Wintertides, though. I see a bunch of potential personal threads you could pursue over the years but we should make sure we're on the same page and you have a story you want to develop as she gets stronger.


Hi Trish, I was wondering how the people in Coldwater treat their dead? Is there a graveyard with elaborate rituals to prevent them from being raised, or is it something like nordic style burnings or something else all together?
I'm writing up Connors backstory and I think he could maybe provide some hauntingly beautiful tunes on his flute during these moments.
I think he could go college of Spirits if that's alright? Otherwise Lore would fit too.

This is great, I've always imagined music as being a part of the process of laying spirits, with particular inspiration from the Abhorsen series. (Notice there's a bell on the map of Coldwater!) I think pyres are the preferred method, and the ashes are mixed into the mortar of the walls. Here's something from my notes:

Coldwater was protected by a network of magical bells which repelled and quieted the undead, and by the spirits of the dead voluntary bound to protect the city even after death. During the winter seiges, pyres were lit to channel magic from the bells. As long as Coldwater and its bells stood, the continent was protected.

Spirits is a perfect subclass if you're into it.


I'm thinking twice about my druid. The only cantrips benefiting from Spell Sniper are Produce Flame and Thorn Whip. If we're facing a bunch of fiends, they may be resistant or immune to flame. Thorn Whip is magic piercing, but a feat to boost a single cantrip is a bit expensive, even if I'm playing a "Cast one Concentration Spell per battle" spellcaster, and not very many druid spells benefit from a boost to spell attack rolls.

Since they come every year, we should generally know what we're going to face. Hordes of zombies? Hordes of skeletons? A smaller number of more powerful undead? Substantial numbers of actual fiends (ice devils, vrocks, etc.) that are likely to resist some elemental damage and have advantage on saves vs. magic?

What you face will change over time as you level. Hordes of zombies, skeletons, and wraiths are what you get on the front lines of unlevelled militia; starting at first level, you will be facing particularly strong groups that may have broken through the lines or are led by a necromancer/intelligent undead/perhaps a fiend. As you level you will be given more dangerous and potential complex tasks, and the kind of enemies you encounter will become more exotic. Fiends are much less common than undead, but some do escape from the Soul Prison with the dead and get spiced into the mix, or summoned by the necromancers.



Here's some general setting information I was asked in PM and thought I would bring to everyone:


Major source of income? Power structure? Attractions? We are in the military I assume or are we just lots of dudes with weapons and magic? Prevalent religion? Prevalent schools? Prevalent problems besides undead?

-Fishing, Port trade and just generally being the one major city / market town of the north west coast.

-It's ruled by the Duke and his family; he takes counsel from the ancestors, but the dead don't rule, just advise.

-Not a ton of attractions, it's a grim city and cold for much of the year. There's a big minority population of ice genasi who have their own neighborhoods/subculture.

-You are not in the military as a job year round, just the militia that organizes in the winter. Most of the militia is unlevelled but anyone with class levels is organized into units like these. There is a standing army through the year but the wintertide militia is a lot bigger.

-Worship of the Maiden is very common, and then the Celestial Court is dominant for all of the human lands. However, there are older fey/nature gods worshiped by some and especially by halflings.

-No universities, but there is one in Least Weyr nearby

[Breitheamh]

Looks great to me! Think about what you want Shad to be doing in the downtime between Wintertides, though. I see a bunch of potential personal threads you could pursue over the years but we should make sure we're on the same page and you have a story you want to develop as she gets stronger.

Awesome! Yeah, thoughts I had for downtime would be her trying to enter fighting rings (underground or legitimate), and if there's not much in the way of that then often getting into brawls in public places where the crowd would be more rowdy anyway. She'll probably get in trouble with the law a bit.

I also figure that she might actually take well to the culture of this place, maybe not the grimness, but I imagine there's quite a bit of civic militaristic pride in being the only thing standing between the civilized world and utter destruction year after year. And that militarism and respect for the fighting spirit and sort of brother/sisterhood of warriors would likely be something she connects with on a deep emotional level that slowly convinces her to make this place her home.

I also imagine in terms of mechanical growth, depending on whether she connects more with the militaristic discipline side of the militia, or the spiritual and cultural connection of those who fight alongside each other, she will lean toward either Battle Master or Rune Knight. I could imagine her connecting with the Goliath population's culture and heading toward learning the ways of runic magic, or maybe choosing to join up with the military full time here and training more advanced techniques.

Edit: Also added a character portrait: https://i.ibb.co/wybZ1PW/b9a4ff00-e7fd-4bbb-ad1a-d9c0f2be94bf.jpg

[J-H]

Aupti, druid backstory

Intended circle: Arctic
Aupti (Inuit, "Snow on the Ground", pronouncing it Ahh-p-ti) grew up in a small nameless hamlet southwest of Coldwater. His parents, both alive but wrinkled by age and work, supported the family through hunting, foraging, and trading labor-for-food with the wealthier peasants who farm during the warm seasons.

He was born in the dead of winter, and spent much of his childhood accompanying his parents and siblings in the woods. He wasn't taught magic as such as a child, but there are traditional chants, rules, and rites that are followed... and for him, they worked better, sometimes always.

A traveling priest of the Celestial Court making his circuit through the region saw evidence of this when Aupti was 13. He was quickly scooped up and apprenticed to a druid in the area, an old genasi woman named Yupik who lives along the river near Coldwater. She's taught him the traditions of druidic magic, as well as many useful spells, and managed to get him halfway to literacy. Three years ago, Yupik started preparing him to use his talent with animals, plants, earth, and water in combat. All near Coldwater contribute to the defense, whether interested in fighting or not.

For Aupti, it should be interesting, and he spent a few days getting a crash course in the strange rules and manners of the city-folk. It'll be the farthest he's traveled from home. He's fought before, but only against predatory beasts and one incident with some bandits when he was 15.

Aside from particpating in the defense, he expects to complete his training, and then return to his home village and use his talents in that area to help those who need it, perhaps becoming the hamlet's "priest" equivalent, and get married at some point and raise children much as he was raised.

The only problem is that if the rest of the party's in Coldwater, he won't have much to do with them - unless his plans get changed by the expansion of his world from a few villages and trade fairs to a big city.

[TriciaOso]

The only problem is that if the rest of the party's in Coldwater, he won't have much to do with them - unless his plans get changed by the expansion of his world from a few villages and trade fairs to a big city.

I think that should be okay -- the time between Wintertides will be handled as downtime, in pretty broadstrokes. If people *want* to coordinate working together and interacting during those seasons that's great, but if Aupti's are more standalone that's also fine.

I did not initially put a deadline on this, but since people are beginning to get finished characters in, how about Wednesday for a loose deadline?

I'll also go ahead and share the Discord link for questions/discussion as people finalize: https://discord.gg/JDpCru5p

[TriciaOso]

I'm thinking of a halfling bard. The son of the owner of the local tavern or inn. Singing the songs to help the dead find their resting place. Hope and melancholy probably play big parts in forming his upbringing and bardic soul.

Connor Magennis (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/121707580)

Hey Dirty -- you need to join the campaign with this character so I can see it!

[Dirty]

Hey Dirty -- you need to join the campaign with this character so I can see it!


Ah gotcha!

Here's the complete application:

Connor Magennis (https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/121707580)

Connor is the youngest of the Magennis clan. His old man is a burly bearded halfling who's run the tavern ever since his own father (Connors granddad) died during an invasion. As a result of that the tavern has been more of a dark brown place to hang at the bar, shoulders slumped and reminiscing about better times.

Occasionally there's reason to celebrate, but those are few and far in-between and even then the drunken revelry results into a cathartic way to deal with the post traumatic stress almost all the citizens walk around with. Connors flute and rhythmic stomping on the hardwood floor work hard to combat the negativity and keep the spirits up, but it's an uphill battle and when the morning comes he's drained and feeling empty.

As a kid he used to be confused about what was going on once a year. He couldn't understand why some people just never came back. He started cataloguing, writing long lists of names and occupations. This later got used by the town priests, where Connor would supply them detailed lists about who made it back and who didn't. The part of the process after an invasion, where they tally up the dead, and send prayers and song into the nights sky while the fires are being lit. Names. Deeds. History. To Connor this was a way to handle the traumatic environment. It was his way to help the survivors.

Being the youngest he was being sheltered for as long as possible and wasn't allowed to fight. This was his way to carry some of the burden. He had a knack for music. Spending a lot of time contemplating the lost he developed a way of playing that made it feel like they were still here. He tried to connect the music to what he knew about the people. To connect to their essence.

Connors flute could produce some haunting melodies that seemed to touch people in their soul, reminding them about their loved ones in the most gentle and respectful ways.

Now, at the eve of another dark period, where surely they'd get attacked again Connors father took him aside and handed him a sword. Connor knew it well. It was his older brothers. He had played a long and deep session last year until his lungs burned and fingers ached when they lit his brothers pyre.

It was his time now to climb the ramparts. It was his time to stand against the tide. Connor didn't know if he was ready but he knew he'd stand. Like all the others who's songs he'd played.

[TriciaOso]

Looks great! It does look like you still need to pick a (mechanical) background and a couple of spells, though.

A reminder to everyone that I am going to try and wrap up selections by the end of today (I'm on MST).

So far there are 6 characters created on DNDBeyond:

Sigrun Bonegrinder, goliath barbarian (Infernally Clay)
Connor Magennis, halfling bard (Dirty)
Aupti, human druid (J-H)
Hasgraek Icegrip, dhampir dwarf rogue (zylodrizzt)
Shad, human fighter (Breitheamh)

and then a dhampir wizard Peryarus Horineth; I'm not sure who the player for that is, as their DNDBeyond username doesn't line up to anyone who has expressed interest.

Lioslaith and JbeJ275 have expressed interest but haven't submitted characters yet (unless one of you is Peryarus?).

[Dirty]

Ah yeah! I took entertainer with insight as skill since he's trying to gauge people and what makes them, them.

Also added two spells.

[TriciaOso]

So, since it's getting to the end of the work day for me, I'm going to go ahead and call it. It looks like the final roster for this campaign will be:


Connor Magennis, halfling bard (Dirty)
Aupti, human druid (J-H)
Hasgraek Icegrip, dhampir dwarf rogue (zylodrizzt)
Shad, human fighter (Breitheamh)


Thanks for your interest everybody! I'll get the OOC and IC threads going tomorrow morning MST; you've already got the link to the Discord, so we can chat there as well if there are questions or if you want to discuss pre-existing connections.