PDA

View Full Version : [Org] {PrC} The Fireballers' League



Elvaris
2006-08-08, 11:52 AM
The Fireballers' League

H: Hello fans, and welcome to today's game between the Dwarven Brewers and Elven Rangers. A matchup of two first place teams, this game stands to be a real barn-burner. Isn't that right Steve?
S: That's right Harry, both teams have really taken the league by storm, and it should be exciting to see how their different styles of play play out.
H: Yes, the Brewers can really mash the ball, especially since they made that trade with the Giants to pick up their new clean up hitter, Andre.
S: They don't call him "Thunder" for nothing, Harry.
H: And the Rangers play a more graceful style, dazzling the crowd with fine glovework.
S: Yes, but they're coming off a brutal three-game series with the Cubbies. Catching them at the full moon was a real bear. (ha, ha)

General description: Yes, this is exactly what it sounds like. A baseball league.

Organization's purpose: The purpose of the league as a whole is to make money by entertaining its fans. The purpose of each individual team in the league is to win the coveted Fiery Chalice, the league's championship trophy. (After all, winners draw more fans.)

Alignment: mildly Lawful (All)

H: A break in the action for a pitching change, as the Rangers have taken advantage of the Brewers lack of range on defense to put up four runs in the third inning.
S: Looking at other games tonight, I see it's Elvaris night in Lost Cutlass. Anyone dressed up as Elvaris gets a half price ticket.
H: Well, His Majesty may rule the land, but Elvaris is king in Lost Cutlass.
S: I'll say, Harry. That Tal Aladon is something else, though. He sure knows how to get people to the ballpark. You remember copper beer night?
H: Do I ever. They had to turn people away from that one. They also had to forfeit the game after the riots if I recall.
S: I hear that commissioner Giles sternly reprimanded Aladon for that one.
H: Sure he did, Steve.


Authority / Other Important Figures:
Buddy Giles (Goblin Expert 7) - Commissioner of the Fireballers' League
Buddy Giles is ostensibly in charge of enforcing the rules of the game, on the field and off. He generally toadies to the richer owners, taking care of all the dirty business they don't want to be associated with. Giles is not physically imposing (even for a goblin), enforcing his image as more of a lackey than a leader.

King George (Human Aristocrat 9) - Owner of the King's Royals
King George takes his ownership of the Royals very seriously, to the point where he can lose track of his kingdom's business. He'll buy all the best players, the best scouts and the best facilities he can get his hands on... and ruthlessly get rid of anyone or anything that doesn't perform up to his standards. A contract with the Royals is a ticket to great riches, but can also lead to an early "retirement."

Captain Tal Aladon (Elven Rogue 8, Dread Pirate 4) - Owner of the Lost Cutlass Pirates
Captain Aladon retired from his "nautical acquisition" business to sponsor his own fireballers' team. The good captain is a shrewd owner who takes great pleasure in assembling a better team for less money than the Royals (though he still spends more than anyone else.) No one puts as much effort into scouting and finding the mext big thing than Tal; If a PC is going to get a contract offer, chances are it will be for the Pirates.

Raj Ollin (Werebear Fighter 6, Fireballer 10, Crafty Vet 3) - Star pitcher for the Sun God's Rays
Raj is the pitcher all others are compared with. He's on the downside of his career, enjoying his last few good years with the expansion Rays. Fierce on the field, but affable off, Raj always draws a crowd wherever he goes.

Eskitolzahin (Young Red Dragon Home Run Hero 6)
Kito is the cleanup hitter for the Reds and considered the best hitter in the game. He has turned down several free agent contract offers from the Royals to stay with his original team.

Elvaris
2006-08-08, 11:52 AM
S: Well, Harry, we've just gotten word that the Royals have completed a trade with the Angels for their star pitcher.
H: Well, you know how the King is; if there's a player he wants, he spares no expense to get them.
S: Isn't this the first non-angel to play for that team?
H: No, they signed a free agent gnoll a few years ago. Between expansion and free agency, there's no real rule who can be on a team. It seems like every team has a few minotaur relievers these days.
S: Well, that's why they call it the bullpen... It seems like the new system really benefits the richest teams: the Royals, the Pirates, the Reds.


Economics: The league as a whole has a modest income of money from licensing teams, as much as 20,000 gp at any given time. Individual teams vary widely in available cash, from the cash strapped Red and White Sox to the virtually limitless coffers of King George's Royals. Even some high profile individual players have enough to be considered patrons for groups, able to produce significant funds.

Racial makeup: Constructs barred*. Other than that, anything goes. As long as a player can squeeze both feet into a 5 foot "batter's box", they can play. At one point teams were limited to creatures of one race, but that rule has been repealed, and most teams feature some mix of races. The more racially aligned teams include the Giants, Angels, Brewers (Dwarves), Rangers (Elves), Cubs (Werebears), Dodgers (Halflings), Rockies (Earth Elementals), and Tigers (Rakshasa). Only the Reds still insist on their players being Red Dragons.

*Constructs are barred from playing in the league. There is one type of construct that participates in games, though:


UMPIRUT
Medium Construct (Extraplanar, Lawful)
Hit Dice: 2d10+20 (31 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft.
Armor Class: 15 (+5 natural) touch 10, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+3
Attack: Slam +3 (1d6+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Qualities: Construct Traits, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +3
Abilities: Str: 14, Dex: 10, Con: --, Int: 12, Wis: 14, Cha: 8
Skills: Listen +9, Profession (baseball) +15, Spot +9
Feats: Alertness
Environment: Baseball Stadiums
Organization: Crew (4)
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Lawful Neutral
Advancement: 3-5 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: --

This creature looks like a humanoid, but made of mechanical parts. Its torso is blue and its face appears as if covered with a metal mask.

The Umpiruts are Inevitables created solely for the purpose of adjudicating baseball games. They are not combatants, and have no real value in a fight. Not to be confused with Referuts who can be distinguished by their black and white striped torsos.

Skills: An Umpirut gets a +8 racial bonus on Profession (baseball) checks.

Membership requirements: Membership is invitation only, generally extended by one of many "talent scouts" teams have spread throughout the countryside. Any action a person takes that may be applied to baseball can attract the attention of one of these scouts (throwing weapons, swinging a club, catching... something.) Depending on the skill shown and the team the scout works for, the salary that comes with the offer could range from a pittance to a king's ransom. Teams that can afford better players can also afford more scouts.

Class makeup of other followers: While magic users are not barred from participating, magic use during the game is outlawed. In fact, all games are played within an anti-magic field. However, members of all PC and NPC classes may be represented on any given team, although the more combat-oriented classes have advantages given that most aspects of a game are represented by attack rolls.

Elvaris
2006-08-08, 11:52 AM
H: And the Rangers are going to their bullpen again, these elves just don't have the stamina to go deep into ballgames.
S: Well, looks like they're bringing in their young phenom, giving him a chance to shut down this rally.
H: Nobody produces young pitchers like those Rakshak... err... Ramshackle... err... Tigers, though. They all seem to have that unhittable palm-ball. Why don't other pitchers throw that?
S: Umm, it's physically impossible, Harry... Their palms are on the other sides of their hands...

Prestige Class: Fireballer

Requirements:
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Brutal Throw
Skills: Bluff 4 ranks, Intimidate 8 ranks
Special: The prospective fireballer must spend at least three months studying under a League-designated "pitching coach."

Hit Die: d10

The Fireballer's class skills are: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Profession, and Spot.
Skill points at each level: 2 + Int modifier.
{table="head"]Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special
1 | +1 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Command the Fastball
2 | +2 | +3 | +0 | +0 |
3 | +3 | +3 | +1 | +1 | Finish the Game
4 | +4 | +4 | +1 | +1 |
5 | +5 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Paint the Corners
6 | +6 | +5 | +2 | +2 |
7 | +7 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Buckle the Knees
8 | +8 | +6 | +2 | +2 |
9 | +9 | +6 | +3 | +3 |
10 | +10 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Pull the String
[/table]

Command the Fastball: At first level, a Fireballer's Point Blank Shot bonus is extened to a range of 60 feet 6 inches, but only for thrown weapons.

Finish the Game: At third level, a Fireballer gains Endurance as a bonus feat.

Paint the Corners: At fifth level, a Fireballer's Point Blank Shot bonus increases to +2 for all thrown weapons.

Buckle the Knees: At seventh level, a Fireballer's thrown weapon can take a curved path, denying a target's AC bonus to cover (except full cover). The attack can also hit a target with full cover on a critical hit.

Pull the String: At tenth level, a Fireballer can attempt a feint as part of his thrown weapon's attack to catch his target unawares. A successful feint denies the target his dexterity bonus to armor class, but does not allow the Fireballer to add his strength bonus (if any) to the damage.

Elvaris
2006-08-08, 11:53 AM
H: It might be... It could be... It is! Holy Cow! A game winning two run home run by Andre the Giant! What an unbelievable comeback by the Brewers!
S: That's his fifth game-winning home run of the year, Harry. That breaks Joe DiMastrio's record for a single season.
H: Wow, that goes all the way back to Ruth's Royals. A downright historic season for the big guy.


History:
The game was invented by the red dragon Abnerdoubleday who discovered a way for dragons to compress their breath weapons into a small solid ball (hence the name 'Fireballers'). It was strictly a game for dragons, and the first game featured a team of Reds vs. a team of Blues. Several years later, after most of the original players had lost interest in the game, a gnomish scholar adapted the game for a more diverse range of players. He reduced the size of the field, and designed a ball that didn't require use of a breath weapon.
While a small league played for many years in relative obscurity, it wasn't until Queen Ruth formed the Royals that interest in the game took off. Teams popped up from all quarters as challengers hoped for a chance to play in front of the Queen.
At this point, it was generally assumed that teams should be racially aligned, but the Royals took a new approach. The Queen assembled a team of the most talented players, regardless of race. While baseball "purists" took offense at the break from tradition, the move greatly improved participation as all players aspired to play in "the house that Ruth built."
The Royals are now owned by Ruth's son and heir, King George, who has taken the idea of assembling the best players to new levels. He has attempted to buy opposing teams, force competitors out of business, and some suggest even kidnapping or murdering players who show ability beyond what his team currently has (though they suggest it very quietly).
Unfortunately for the King, the league has caught up with the Royals. There are now 30 teams, and most are organized enough that they can compete with the powerhouse. Most notable among these are the Pirates, whose owner takes great delight in foiling the Royals' plans, and the Tribe who have won the last two championships with a team of young loyal players who have resisted King George's attempts to break up the team.

Plot Hooks:
One of the PCs has attracted the attention of a scout, and is offered a contract to play the game.
The ghosts of ballplayers past have been appearing in a remote cornfield. The farmer asks the PCs to find out what they want (and to heal him... he's hearing voices.)
Rumor has it that the King has had several Umpirut modified to always favor his team. Another owner hires the PCs to find out if it's true, and if so how to reverse the process.
Apparently, anything doesn't go as far as participation... a group of demons has petitioned to be awarded an expansion team. The commissioner is looking for a way to refuse while retaining his skin, and has decided the best way is to risk the PCs' skin instead.
The local star player has a disease that can only be healed by high level magic (remove blindness, heal, miracle... whatever the PCs don't have access to) and needs to be healed before tonight's big game... against the team sponsored by the church of the Sun God. It's either a race against time, or a diplomatic mission.

H: Well, that's all for today, be sure and join us next week as the Tribe plays the Mariners.