[3.5 Gestalt] Red Hand of Doom

[Cardea]

Original Post

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"... and she created her own self a thousand times over, claiming rulership through blood and birth of her new children."

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Character Creation

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System: D&D 3.5 Gestalt Variant
Player Count: 5
Style of Play: Red Hand of Doom
Allowed Content:

• WotC Official 3.5: If its in official 3.5 books, its available. In terms of RAW or RAI, we're going to go with what makes sense and what isn't abusable.
• Questionable Material: Homebrew, Dragon/Dungeon Magazine, Unearthed Arcana and 3E material are all questionable in nature, and should be asked before being used.
• Homebrew: I am not interested in entire system fixes or adding new submagic systems into the game. Do not request for anything that falls under this category, as it will be automatically denied.
• 3rd Party: Do not ask for 3rd Party material.

Character Creation:

• Backstory: Ten minute background, skirt length story, first person narrative. Your class tells me what you're playing, this should tell me who you're playing.
• Experience: 5th Level.
• Wealth: 10,500gp.
• Ability Scores: 36pb
• Hitpoints/Health: Max first level, average all later.
• Alignment: Get along. There's going to be no PVP.
  

Other Notes

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Dynamic Class Selections: The Red Hand of Doom was printed with only core in mind, and was made without invocations, auras, maneuvers, binding, psionics or some other subsystem of magic involved. I will not outright change the campaign to accommodate every one of them, however: every subsystem that the players used will be implemented in full into the game. That isn't to say that, if the only non-core system used is psionics that they'll all be psions and wilders and soulknives, but just to say that they can/will be encountered from time to time.
Optimization: The Tier system was developed with idea of what you're able to do within the confines of the class, not how it functions for the vast majority of the time. I don't mind if you play Tier 1 classes and the like, but do not make it so that you wind up out doing the entire party, making them invalid. Flexibility is nice, but be within good taste. No one should make others feel they should over-optimize to compensate for tier differences.
Your Party: It is assumed that you all know one another from a previous adventure, and that you've been together for a few months to a year now. You needn't be explicit with this in your background, however, keep it flexible to accommodate who is selected and what adventure(s) you've been on together already.

Rulings

• Fractional BAB/Saves is in effect.
• Retroactive Skill Points is in effect.
• As per Gestalt rules, you may not have two prestige classes taken at the same time on both sides of your build. You are, however, allowed Dual Progression classes as normal.
• Unnecessary dipping is frowned upon. You must meet all non-feat, non-skill, non-race and non-fluff prerequisites on the side you take it on, however. (Ex: Wizard 10 // Fighter 5 / Master Specialist 5 is invalid.)
• Achieving multiple, multiple spellcasting progressions is impressive, but is also frowned upon.
• Using Cloistered Cleric will lower any the HD you get on the levels you take it on by one. If you were Cloistered Cleric 1 // Barbarian 1, for example, you would only gain a d10 HD, instead of a d12.
• Leadership in all forms is banned.
• One flaw, one trait, maximum. The flaw has to matter.

RecoveringGamer - Varash "One-Eye" Odruth
Techwarrior - Fiona Redwing
Blue C - Hnikarr
Karsh - Gavin Bricklenack
Mjollnir075 - Kormag Red-Fang

List of Major Events/Decisions

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TBD.

Subsystems in Play

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Sublime Way
Auras
Incarnum

Previous Adventures

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Scourge of the Howling Horde
You've successfully squashed the goblin tribe known as the Scourge of the Howling Horde, and their tyrant, the very young Black Dragon, Noak.
Scales, Very Young Black Dragon: To use or to save as owner desires.
Bones, Very Young Black Dragon: To use or to save as owner desires.
Ring of Protection, +1: From Noak's Horde.
Cloak of Resistance, +1: From Noak's Horde.
Light Wooden Shield, +1: To be used or to be sold.

Forge of Fury
You've successfully delved into the orc-occupied dwarven stronghold of Khundrukar, and have braved your way through orcs, troglodytes, duergars and finally, at its heart, the young black dragon Nightscale in the stronghold's underground Black Lake.
Scales, Young Black Dragon: To use or to save as owner desires.
Bones, Young Black Dragon: To use or to save as owner desires.
OPTIONAL: Subterranean Lizard: A large, albino lizard with a strong grappling tongue that was found near the troglodyte tribe. While aggressive at first, perhaps one of you was able to calm it enough to tame? [DC 20 Handle Animal or two DC 15 Wild Empathy checks to tame; any one person can make [roll]1d4[/roll] attempts. If non-animal companion user acquires, they will be treated as having taken the Wild Cohort feat. If animal companion user acquires, they will use this in lieu of what companion they have now. Its main tactic is to grapple, using a 15 ft. reach tongue, and pull towards a destination. It is large sized.]
LEGACY: +1 Frost Bastard Sword, Avalanche, made by the dwarf smith Durgeddin: A fine weapon. Whoever gets this will be treated as already completing the least legacy, and gain the as-of-yet unnamed abilities associated with this weapon. However, if no one claims this sword as their own, it returns each night to the skeleton where you found it.[Legacy items are dealt differently than standard.]
Ring of Wizardry I: Bears a symbol of a hammer.
OPTIONAL: Contact: Idalla, Succubus: A succubus was found, bound to the old study of a wizard that once lived in the lower levels of the stronghold, long after the dwarves of old were gone. While conniving at first, perhaps one of you was able to bargain for a favor in exchange for her freedom? [DC 20 Diplomacy check. Anyone can try once.]
Wand of Magic Missle, CL3: To be used or sold.
+2 Dwarven Waraxe, bearing Durgeddin's symbol: To be used or sold.
Large Steel Shield, +1: To be used or sold.

[Karsh]

Congrats to the team. Reporting for duty!

[RecoveringGamer]

Hey all, glad I can post in this thread! :) I'll be giving the sheets of everyone else a thorough reading today. Just as a disclaimer: my character Varash has a bit of a grudge against dragons and their ilk, but since the party has been together for quite a while, he'll have learned to live with and accept anyone in the party associated with dragons.

Re-posting my fluff here so it doesn't get deleted.

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The fluff for Varash "One-Eye" Odruth is completed in the spoiler below. Never done the 10-minute thing before, it is an interesting way to go about character creation. I also made some minor edits to the sheet, mostly for the sake of clarity.

Ten-Minute Background

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Step 1: Write 5 background and concept elements that you feel are important to your image of the character. These can be a concept overview, a list of important life events, a physical description, a personality profile...whatever you need to get an image in your mind.

1) Varash Odruth is a member of the Sepulchral Fellowship, a secretive cult/organization devoted to the goddess Xan Yae. They follow a tradition of martial and magical training, discovery and contemplation of great mysteries, and finding harmony in oneself through worldly experience.

2) A former slave with the rest of his kin, Varash fought from a very young age in a guerrilla uprising against a draconic tyrant and its orcish underlings in a volcanic homeland. The fire elves eventually won, but at great cost.

3) In accordance with his training, Varash has taken up the life of a wandering adventurer to gain greater insight into the workings of the world and to increase his prowess in the realms of physical combat, magical power, and the arts of stealth.

4) Varash has a distant, neutral outlook in morals and ethics. He is happy to fight for good causes, and while not equally eager to commit evil acts, is pragmatic and not afraid to put his own interests above those of others. He is individualistic and attempts to be self-reliant, and at the same time has rigorous discipline and at least a basic appreciation of law and order (even if he believes it is more a matter of keeping the masses in check. Varash sees himself and exemplary individuals as more responsible to destiny and individual purpose than to the whims of local bureaucrats.)

5) Though not a strong-and-silent type, Varash is not the most talkative of people. Socialization is slightly difficult for him, which he finds frustrating. His distance comes from a tradition of observation, but being able to engage in this aspect of life is also valuable to him. Additionally, he is very evasive about his past, almost unnecessarily so.

Step 2: List at least two goals for the character. At least one of these goals should be one that the character has, while another should be one that you, as a player, want to see developed over the course of the game.

1) Varash wishes to one day become powerful enough to defeat a fully-grown dragon by himself. He believes that growing his own potential is the only way to gain significant influence in the events of his own life. He also carries a hatred of dragons which has infected his very essence through the trauma of his childhood.

2) I don't actually know what happens in the Red Hand of Doom, so I'm not sure what a realistic goal could be considering the relatively fixed nature of modules. I'd like for us to actually be able to play through the whole thing, which seems like a rarity in PbP. As for Varash, it'd be awesome if he could discover some artifact, potent magical item, esoteric ritual, or something along those lines.

Step 3: List at least two secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves him but that he is not actually aware of yet.

1) He claims that he lost his eye in the war against his oppressors, but in reality Varash sacrificed it himself in a ritual discovered by a Fellowship member to gain supernatural insight. This allowed him to accelerate his training in martial and magical arts, and is also a fluff justification for the Unseen Seer PrC and its focus on divination power.

2) His membership in the Sepulchral Fellowship and worship of Xan Yae is something that Varash does not advertise. It is unlikely that anyone in the party would know of his affiliations, since despite potentially befriending the party and adventuring together for years, he keeps this aspect of his life to himself.

3) Varash believes his hatred of dragon-kind is merely from trauma, but he is also infected by a curse that the dragon tyrant inflicted on his former slaves moments before dying. The tyrant hoped the curse would cause the victims to give into negative emotions easily, festering hatred and eventually claiming their sanity. His training has largely mitigated this though, and it currently only manifests as occasional loathing.

Step 4: Describe at least three people that are tied to the character. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile.

1) Varash's father and one of his sisters survived the war, and stayed in their ancestral homeland to rebuild and find a normal life. He hasn't seen them in nearly a decade, but they still love one another. His mother and elder brother both died in the fighting.

2) Nlom Shalebellows is a high-level mountain dwarf swordsage||cleric in the Fellowship and is Varash's closest mentor. She trained the fire elf for years in martial combat, stealth, and the traditions of the Fellowship. They maintain irregular contact since Varash's departure through the dwarf's magic, and she uses scrying spells to observe his journey.

3) Muudexg the Crestfallen is a half-dragon orc (crusader||sorcerer?) and claims direct descent from the dragon tyrant. He thirsts for power of his own, and delights in hunting down any of the race who killed his family that he finds. The draconic orc has attacked Varash in the past, but the fire elf was able to escape every time.

Step 5: Describe three memories, mannerisms, or quirks that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.

1) Despite Varash's fairly dark history, he has more of a zen-like attitude and general mannerism owing to his religious background. No angst-ridden anime protagonists here. He tends to lean towards contemplative, careful, and concise speech, but is moderate and human in this trait.

2) Though he did not witness the slaying of the dragon tyrant first-hand, the death bellows of the great wyrm remain a permanent imprint on Varash's memory. He was over a mile away at the time as part of a climatic offensive against the orcish hordes, distracting the m from the desperate mission of a small group of heroes to infiltrate the tyrant's lair and slay the beast.

3) Varash is left-handed, though he is nearly ambidextrous partly due to his physical and mental training. He likes to use this to his advantage both in combat and in daily life to throw people off, as a joke in the latter instance.

1st-person narrative

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"My story?"

Why is he prying at my past, now of all times? I've never been very open or talkative when it comes to myself. Remaining vigilant, focusing on the task at hand, that's how I've presented myself to the party.

"I'm just a-" I stopped myself short. I'm just a simple adventurer? He wasn't going to buy that lie for a second. I wouldn't buy it. But still, he doesn't need to know. The Fellowship, the tyrant, my people...

"-look." I rubbed my wrist, casting my eyes towards the ground out of habit. "I don't like talking about it. The memories are ones I'd rather leave buried." I couldn't help but grimace, saying that. It's true, too. Lingering on that pain just distracts from my goals, in body and in mind. "So please, just trust me. We've been through a lot, right?" We certainly have. I've kept in touch with the Fellowship all the while, but this new chapter has not been lacking for content.

I raised my eyes, and twisted my face into a half-smile. It's all I could muster with the mounting anxiety in my heart. "Through all the battles and tribulations, I've trusted you all with my life." After a moment's thought, I added, "If I didn't, I wouldn't be here today." I couldn't help but to lower my eyes again, turning away slightly and praying to the Perfect Mistress that he doesn't pry further.

I allowed myself a deep breath after he gave up. This excess emotion isn't good for me. I've got to keep my mind outward, for without clarity, the mysteries of the world remain hidden. I started a meditative exercise, shifting through stances with my guisarme in fluid motions which long ago became second nature to me.

Eventually I calmed down, but the echo of the dragon's cry lingered at the back of my consciousness.

[Karsh]

Here's Gavin's backstory for reference. I'll finish kitting him out when I get home this evening.

Cardea, have you given any thought to how to handle the gestalt side of animal companions, mounts, etc?

Step 1: Key Character concept

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1. "What? About me?" the diminutive warrior asked, quizzically. "My adoptive mother--Lara--kind soul but quite misguided, mind you--used to complain that I'd been raised by wolves, the way I tore 'round the house. She didn't know the half of it. Wolves, badgers, eagles, whatever was around and feelin' charitable. Trees, sometimes, too."
2. Gavin's eyes narrowed, his mouth forming a thin, straight line. "No, 'course I wasn't born livin' by myself with a pack of animals in the forest. There was a... collective... of us forest gnomes--we don't get along too well with other kinds, y'see. We lived off a ways into the forest, keepin' to ourselves and livin' off the land. Pack of hobgoblins found us one day, decided to give us a choice: hand over all our valuables, or have 'em taken away. 'course, what did we have that a hobgoblin'd think was valuable? They didn' believe us, of course. Whole collective was put to the sword. M'sister and I were the only ones to make it through. Couldn' do nothing but hide and try not to watch."
3. With a noncommittal shrug, Gavin shifted in his saddle to set the now-empty mug of ale he'd finished off on the bartop a foot above his head. Reaching down, he retrieved the also empty mug of water that the reptilian creature he was astride had been noisily drinking from, and set it on the bar as well. "Broke my leg something awful. We fell into a gap between some tree roots and hid there until it all stopped. Healed wrong in a bad way. By the time I was anywhere a cleric could see me, wasn't anythin' to be done. Once it's healed on its own, it becomes part of you, y'see. Thank Trithereon that I found Aerlevsedi, but I can get around well enough without any help, I suppose. Anyways, my sister and I got separated during the weeks that followed. Never saw her again."
4. "Not for want of lookin' for her, mind you. I'm afraid I just can't get around too well on my own, so there weren't much hope of trackin' her down. It was a big forest. Or seemed to be at the time. After a few years, a few elves found me and brought me back to the city where a nice couple, Lara and Mingo, took me in. Poor souls. They tried to raise me like a right normal city gnome, but I'm afraid there was just too much of the forest in me. Wizards, both of 'em. Taught me a bit of magic, but I didn't have the knack for it like their real kids did. They did the best they could, but as soon as I was an adult, it was back into the forest with me. I do hope they're well."
5. "The forest treated me well after. I lost my companion, Balthazar, good old sheep dog that he was, to old age, and the next few years were trying, but I pulled through as I could. Then I found this feller." Gavin patted the head of his companion and mount with the most genuine smile he'd given all night. "Though he wasn't as big as your fist at the time. My best guess, he was cargo on some caravan or another that lost him while traveling through the woods. But we got on right famously. He hasn't gotten any bigger recently, so I think this is about as big as he'll get, unless he gets his way and keeps having seconds. That's right, don't think I didn't notice you tucking into the trail rations while it was your turn on watch last night. Don't you take that tone with me..." Now engrossed in a conversation, if it could be called such a thing, with his companion, it's clear not much more will be gotten out of the gnome this evening.

Part 2: Goals

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1. Blood ran down Gavin's hand as he sunk his teeth deeper and deeper into the meat of his thumb, mixing with the tears silently streaming from his eyes. The pain from his leg, bent at an impossible angle, threatened to cause him to black out, but he somehow held on. Mother... father... the whole Family... they'll pay for this. They'll pay!
2. Gavin has spent most of his life without a driving sense of purpose. Yes, he's interested in exacting vengeance against the hobgoblins (or, more likely, their offspring) that massacred his hometown, but without the slightest clue where to start looking for them (other than "somewhere in Elsir Vale"), he hasn't had much luck or tried very hard to change it. While there are plenty of goblins running around the Vale, Gavin needs to find something that gives his life purpose for its own sake, rather than for others'.

Part 3: Secrets

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1. Gavin was not separated from his sister by happenstance. During a particularly trying span of weeks where food was almost impossible to come by, and with his sister relatively unable to fend for herself, Gavin grew tired of sharing what little food he had managed to gather and abandoned Gwendolyn in the forest. He has nightmares to this day about her unknown fate.
2. Gavin's natural affinity for the forest is not simply a function of his own talents and racial heritage. Both of his parents were unknowingly grandchildren of fey, and he managed to inherit enough of the fey blood in them that he is nearly 1/4 fey.

Step 4: Connections

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1. Gavin befriended a human in one of the settlements in Elsir Vale named Byron Caldwell. Byron has a substantial ranch where he raises horses, dogs, and other even more exotic work/war animals for sale. Given Gavin's natural talent in working with animals, Gavin has helped Byron out on several occasions with his more difficult charges.
2. Llenda Rivald, one of the patrolling elves who discovered Gavin in the forest, has remained in touch with the diminutive ranger. She keeps tabs on Gavin and keeps the Bricklenacks abreast of his general condition. Llendas has at times served as a mentor to Gavin, helping to fill in some of the less intuitive parts of Gavin's wilderness lore. She understands his urge to exact revenge on the hobgoblins, but worries that his need for vengeance may have crossed into hatred.
3. Edgar Ravenwald is a former adventuring companion of Gavin's who bears a bit of a grudge against him. Well, Gavin would describe it as "a bit," while Edgar would characterize it as more of a "burning hatred." While working on a job investigating bandits who were waylaying caravans traveling through the forest, Gavin abandoned the mission when he thought he'd spied a troop of hobgoblins moving through the trees some distance away. Several hours of tracking later, Gavin realized to his embarrassment that he'd been tracking a few half-giants who were hopelessly lost. He helped them find their way back to the path, but not before the bandits had found Edgar and put an arrow in his knee.

Part 5: Memories/Mannerisms/Quirks

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1. Gavin has a tendency to get into heated arguments with Aerlevsedi over trivial matters. The bickering almost reaches levels that could be characterized as "old married couple." The only thing that keeps this from being a strong indication of his being insane is that he is actually capable of speaking with Aerlevsedi.
2. Every time Gavin strings his bow, he is reminded of the first time Llenda taught him to shoot. The memory helps to focus his mind to the task at hand. As a result, when he feels himself losing control of his emotions, he will string and unstring his bow to retain his focus.
3. Gavin's hatred of hobgoblins has gotten him into trouble more than once. He is confrontational towards them at best, and has been known to ignore far more dangerous threats in a fight to focus on taking out any hobgoblins he can find.

[Techwarrior]

Huh, we're all casters? Hope that doesn't wind up biting us in the behind for some reason.

Fiona Redwing will speak in bold scarlet.

Spoiler: Ten Minute Background

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Step 1: write five things about your character’s concept and background, five things that you think are the most essential parts of your character. You don’t have to stop at five, if you like…this is just a minimum.

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1. Fiona grew up in the wilderness, learning to soothe the beasts of the forest with her voice.
2. When Fiona was a young teen, she fell under the teachings of a wandering Weaver (as she calls meldshapers), who taught her of the magic of souls. After a short stint together, the two wandered apart from each other, and she hasn't seen him since.
3. Upon learning of her unusual heritage, she has spent the past few years as an adventurer looking for information on the Silverbrow.
4. Fiona has been studying the Sublime Way as a protective measure. She much prefers to fight at range with her melds, although a slash from armpit to the opposite side of her waist has taught her to be more careful.
5. Fiona knows of her eye condition, and it scares her. She has tried several things to correct it, but has been forced to try and compensate in other ways.

Step 2: List two goals for the character that you, as a player, think would be cool to see accomplished in-game.

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1. Fiona wants to discover who her draconic ancestor is, and find out more about them.
2. I would like to see Fiona grow to be more comfortable with her fear of the dark, and of melee.

Step 3: List two secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves him but that he is not actually aware of yet.

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1. Fiona has a crush on a wandering minstrel that she met, but due to a misunderstanding, the minstrel thinks she's enamored by a fey. Eric has been kind since then, but never as open to her since. She still hasn't figured out that he didn't realize she was talking about her adoptive mother.
2. Fiona has angered a group of fey by rescuing a group of people from a burning caravan. This was a punishment for the people for some damage to the wooded area they caused. Fiona doesn't know about the damage, or the fey involved.

Step 4: Describe three people that are tied to the character though blood, romance or honor. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile. All can do something useful for you, if you can get the situations to line up.

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1. Eric Valarian, a wandering Bard and minstrel. He has always been kind to her, and she has a crush on him.
2. Domovoi, her foster mother, taught her of magic and song. She has seen her fey mother once since she became an adventurer, at a midsummer festival in a small town.
3. Daniel Arkan, an adventuring warrior, taught her the first steps on the Sublime Way, and has since become a friendly rival of hers. On a shared adventure, their relationship turned more rival when Fiona was affected by a Fear spell and abandoned him to finish the fight. Luckily, he survived, but he didn't take it too well and apart from a long argument they haven't talked since.

Step 5: Describe three memories that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.

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1. Fiona remembers fondly her last night with her foster mother. The two spent the night enjoying the festival together, and her mother gave her a sprig of lilacs encapsulated in a glass brooch to remember her by.
2. Fiona performed with Eric and his troupe as an emergency replacement for their normal vocalist, and they received a commendation by the Lord who had been hosting the event.
3. Fiona remembers quite distinctly the feeling of dread which was even worse than the magical fear that made her flee combat when she went to apologize to Daniel for running.

Do we have any ideas for what got us all together? It's probably more of a thought-exercise, but it'd still be interesting.

[Blue_C.]

Whoops. Sorry for being late the party. I missed the thread yesterday.

I suppose I will go with Dark Orange as my speaking color. It's what I'm using in the other game I'm in at the moment.

Technically Nik doesn't cast spells, as such. But I take your meaning.

Edit: Oh, oops. I forgot Paladins do cast spells. For some reason I remembered taking that out for a no-spells/bonus divine feat variant, but I don't think I ever cleared that variant, so I never put it in. All casters then.

Spoiler: 10 minute background about Hnikarr

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Basics:
1. Raised within Order of Bahamut. A child of a long line of Bahamut Paladins, both parents and three of his grandparents were members of the order as well. All but his paternal grandmother are deceased, and she is retired from active combat duties.
2. Has a daughter, a half-elf named Livia, aged 8. Her mother, also a half-elf and also a paladin, is current acting as an ambassador from the Order in another country, so he has not seen Livia for several years. While they were trainees together, she now outranks him considerably, and so they aren't able to wed while both remaining within the Order.
3. Devoted to the healing arts, as his father was before him. He volunteers as a healer while not on missions.
4. As a soldier, he is one of their best. Called the "Raven of Bahamut" due to his long black hair and (for a paladin) mobile style of attack.
5.He's heavily scarred on his left arm, making a shield annoying to use. He's all but totally transitioned into fighting with a two-handed weapon.

Goals
6. Once he's no longer needed as a combatant, he intends to establish a healing sanctuary.
7. If he's heroic enough, it'd be cool if he gained a rank within his knighthood. Hnikarr isn't power hungry, but he would like to face his ancestors with pride, and a mere Man-at-arms rank won't quite cut it.

Secrets
8. Hnikarr is not entirely thrilled being called "the Raven," due to the association with Ravens and death. Also, it was his mother's epithet before him, a woman he barely knew (being raised primarily by his father and grandmother). He's told he fights like her.
9. The reason he's lagged behind his peers in rank, despite his obvious combat prowess and equally obvious generosity, is that while respected as a soldier, he is not respected as a tactician or strategist. His grandmother has been quietly encouraging this thinking among the order's higher ups, and has also been pushing him to finally settle down and start up that hospital.

Allies and Enemy
10. The half-elf Dame Alanna doesn't quite regret having a child with Hnikarr, but doesn't quite regret that they never married either. Still, if he came to her for help, she'd lend what aid she could muster.\
11. The goblin druid Filthmonger once faced Hnikarr in combat, and the paladin decided to show him mercy. Filthmonger has hated him ever since.
12. Hnikarr once worked with the shifter beguiler Joen. He's not comfortable with her methods, and she doesn't like that he told her so, but they both oppose tyrants in the end, and can pursue similar aims as long as they work separately.

Etc.:
13. Hnikarr is quick to laughter and smiles, talkative even in combat.
14. He earned his moniker while defending a gold dragon clutch from kobold raiders. The dragon herself was off fighting an Aspect of Tiamat, who sent the kobolds to distract the dragon. Both prongs of the attack failed.
15. Some of his final memories of his father are of aiding the older paladin as a healer while Hnikarr was a teenager.
16. Nicknamed "Nik"
17. Bonus secret! Hnikarr's mother died in combat, betrayed by one of her own allies. His father swore a blood oath of vengeance against his wife's betrayer, but, well, there's a reason he was the healer and she the combat veteran. So Hnikarr lost both his parents within a year. The only living person aware of the blood oath is Hnikarr's grandmother, who isn't sure if she should share it with anyone.

That took way more than 10 minutes...

[Karsh]

Oh, weird... is Gavin the "primary" arcane spellcaster of the group? That will end well.

It's a bit of a shame nobody has sneak attack in the party... Gavin could have set up some serious hurt with Distracting Attack.

I've updated Gavin's sheet. I'll make a separate one for Aerlevsedi once the gestalt question is settled.

As indicated in his backstory, Gavin will speak in Dark Green.

[Techwarrior]

Eh, Fiona is only 1 effective caster level (and no actual caster levels) behind Gavin. We also managed to select almost completely different spells (besides a Cure spell and Glitterdust), so we have slightly more versatility. The fact that we also are built completely different; Fiona's been building on Inspire Courage, whereas you seem to be focusing more on your ranger side.

As a side note, I have 300 gp to spend on various things. Any thoughts/ideas? I'm pretty sure I'm going to swap out my wand of Lesser Vigor for Cure Light Wounds. I'd forgotten that I don't have the UMD to reliable activate it yet.

[RecoveringGamer]

Hey, a +2 to an attack roll is definitely welcome enough, Karsh. Especially since Varash has power attack and fighting defensively in his repertoire.

Varash will speak in bold dark slate gray.

[Mjollnir075]

Warghh. Hope I'm not too late. I have been busy the past few days, and I figured this had been decided a while ago. I'm definitely in if its still available.

As for the other guys who made it, this is gonna be my first attempt at playing on forum, so if you have any advice or notice I did something funny, feel free to let me know OOC.

Kormag Red-Fang is gonna speak in Royal Indigo.
I'm a little occupied tonight, so tomorrow I can do an more in depth backstory and stuff for you guys.

[Cardea]

Oh, weird... is Gavin the "primary" arcane spellcaster of the group? That will end well.

It's a bit of a shame nobody has sneak attack in the party... Gavin could have set up some serious hurt with Distracting Attack.

I've updated Gavin's sheet. I'll make a separate one for Aerlevsedi once the gestalt question is settled.

As indicated in his backstory, Gavin will speak in Dark Green.

On the sad note, only one person applied with Rogue, and they didn't have any fluff.

On a bright note, Warblades get more damage dealt at 7th level vs. Flat-footed/Flanked targets.

[Cardea]

Alright, so:

Something I've done for previous games that has worked well, when starting at a higher level, was to allow people to 'play' together in previous published adventures meant for lower levels. I'd generate a list of them for you to choose from, and in turn you all would have definitive say that you all worked together. You'd also be able to select some of the nicer loot from these adventures, and it'll be in addition to your WBL, rather than subtracting from it.

[Techwarrior]

That sounds really cool.

Sadly, I haven't actually managed to play in very many of the 3.5 modules (there was one, but it was one of the higher level ones) so I strictly don't have an opinion on which ones.

[Cardea]

That sounds really cool.

Sadly, I haven't actually managed to play in very many of the 3.5 modules (there was one, but it was one of the higher level ones) so I strictly don't have an opinion on which ones.

That's what I'm here for.

[Karsh]

That works for me. And don't get me wrong, an always-on, "next person to attack this guy gets +2 to hit" is nice on its own.

[RecoveringGamer]

Good thing Varash is a Warblade 5 with good intelligence!

I've also not really experienced any published modules before. I usually make my own settings, and none of the DMs I've had over the years owned any. Totally down for figuring that out, though! I think ideally we'd have completed an adventure appropriate for characters of 3rd or 4th level, to give people room for having experience in their backstory before meeting up together.

[Karsh]

Yeah, Red Hand of Doom is the only module I've ever run all the way through (false starts in Shackled City and World's Largest Dungeon notwithstanding), and all the modules I've played in are the "1 to 20" type.

With regards to how to gestalt Gavin's AC, how about Barbarian? It meshes pretty well with being an animal, boosts survivability a bit, and is probably the most logical option. I'd go with the Ferocity and Street Fighter ACFs from Cityscape, as well as the level 3 Fangshields Barbarian Substitution Level from Champions of Valor.

[Blue_C.]

I'm good with using an adventure as our background story.

Also, in my background, I made up 'The Order of Bahamut." While as I imagined them, they wouldn't go as far as to bankroll a party of adventurers, their houses of healing might be common enough for party to have used them as a conduit to keep in touch with each other after that adventure ended.

Pending DM approval, of course.

[Cardea]

Refer to the first post for the two adventures the lot of you have completed. Talk among yourselves as to who gets what. If something is sold, the person who claimed it gets the gold made from the item, unless they agree to share.

[RecoveringGamer]

There's nothing in there that'd be useful for Varash. A backup weapon would only encumber him, and the Ring of Wizardry would be more efficient on another member of the party. The other more martial characters ought to put the two exotic weapons to use, even as martial two-handed weapons.

[Cardea]

There's nothing in there that'd be useful for Varash. A backup weapon would only encumber him, and the Ring of Wizardry would be more efficient on another member of the party. The other more martial characters ought to put the two exotic weapons to use, even as martial two-handed weapons.

Scales and bones can be taken to make armor and arms, if you'd like to use that. Nothing supremely overpowered, but still a nice touch.

[Techwarrior]

For the Optional things, can everyone attempt the checks, or just one person?
Gavin and Fiona are the only ones who can even attempt to tame the creature, and Fiona doesn't have a companion currently.

With Varash passing on the Ring of Wizardry, our two bards are the only ones who can use it (Fiona and Gavin).

Where can I find the rules for crafting dragony stuff? I know there's dragonhide on the SRD, but I'm pretty sure that's something different.

[Cardea]

For the Optional things, can everyone attempt the checks, or just one person?
Gavin and Fiona are the only ones who can even attempt to tame the creature, and Fiona doesn't have a companion currently.

With Varash passing on the Ring of Wizardry, our two bards are the only ones who can use it (Fiona and Gavin).

Where can I find the rules for crafting dragony stuff? I know there's dragonhide on the SRD, but I'm pretty sure that's something different.

Everyone.

Dragoncraft items can be found in Draconomicon. Honestly, given how expensive they are, I'll add in that you can get an item made from the corresponding body part for free. Bones for a bow, hide for armor, claws for weapons, scales for cloaks.

[Karsh]

Gavin would be interesting in having his bow be turned into a dragonbone bow, but the Draconomicon rules require that whoever goes to enchant a dragoncraft weapon have the Dragoncrafter feat, which is an oddly specific requirement. Not that I'm confident we'll have enough downtime for an existing weapon to get upgraded in the adventure, but would there be any possibility of finding someone with the feat that could upgrade the bow?

He could also take the hide of the Young dragon and make it into a Dragonhide Mantle, but--yikes--that would weigh 12.5 pounds, so never mind.

Gavin will pass on taming the cave lizard, they're poor conversationalists anyways.

I'm kind of split on the Ring of Wizardry. Fiona would get up to 4 level 1 spells per day with it, which helps to spread our casting ability, but Gavin would get 6 if he took it. Up to you, Techwarrior.

Once we decide who takes what of the stuff that is actually useful, we can fill in the gaps with the rest of the gear to be sold.

[RecoveringGamer]

Everyone.

Dragoncraft items can be found in Draconomicon. Honestly, given how expensive they are, I'll add in that you can get an item made from the corresponding body part for free. Bones for a bow, hide for armor, claws for weapons, scales for cloaks.

In this case, Varash could use the claws + teeth of the Young Black Dragon to 'upgrade' some of his weapons. We have 12 uses from the corpse, with light weapons for medium characters or one-handed weapons for small characters. Unless their character would have an aversion to using a dragon's corpse like this, everyone ought to take or 'upgrade' a backup weapon like a dagger/shortsword, spiked gauntlet, or Gavin's longsword. Varash can use all the leftovers. If nobody else wants any weapons, he could 'upgrade' his spiked gauntlet, 3 daggers, and 6 8 darts.

[Techwarrior]

With Varash passing on the Ring of Wizardry, and Gavin passing on the Lizard, I think I'll pass on the Ring and attempt to tame the lizard. For Fiona, the ring's just more Inspirational Boost and hopefully we'll be able to live without that. More spells overall (from a more varied selection) is probably more useful to us anyways.

I'll have to give the Draconomicon a once over real quick, but we have enough dragon stuff that we probably don't need to be picky about who gets what.

Fiona can use the Ring of Deflection and Cloak of Protection (she doesn't have anything in either slot) and the Magic Missile wand should be in somebody's pocket. Never know when 2 MM's is going to be damn useful, but it most assuredly will.

I'm interested in the Legacy bastard sword if nobody else wants it, but am willing to pass if anyone else is interested. If no one is interested in the shields Fiona would rather take one out of her share of the loot than see it sold.

@Karsh: Cardea says we can get one made. Assumedly that includes the feat requirements. Maybe we had very thankful dwarven craftspeople make them for us. Sounds cool anyway.

Spoiler: Taming the Beastie

Show

(1d4)[1] Wild Empathy attempts. Hopefully I get enough of them...

Taken from the top down.
1 Wild Empathy (1d20+8)[27]
2 Wild Empathy (1d20+8)[22]
3 Wild Empathy (1d20+8)[12]
4 Wild Empathy (1d20+8)[14]

Oh, and Diplo-ing the Succubus (whuh?)
(1d20+3)[11]

[Karsh]

Ok, Gavin will take the Ring of Wizardry, then.

I'm more concerned with upgrading Gavin's bow in game if it's dragonbone since he'd have to find someone with the feat in order to further enchant it.

Gavin will upgrade his longsword using a claw.

I think Gavin is also the only one with UMD, and nobody has Magic Missile on their spell list, so he'll also take the wand if we don't want to sell it.

You're welcome to the legacy sword.

And what the hell: Diplomacy - (1d20+3)[8]

[Blue_C.]

Tech, I have no objections to you using the Bastard Sword. I could also use the Cloak or Ring of Protection.

I think I'll also attempt the diplomacy check against the Succubus, though I can't imagine what I'd use the favor on. I think I'll look over the redemption rules from BoED; that'd appeal to a natural people person like Nik. That was a bust. I'll have to read through the adventure, unless anyone else has an idea. Perhaps Nik had to be redeemed after letting her go?

Here goes nothing:

(1d20+11)[29]

[Mjollnir075]

Huh, honestly, I don't really think I need anything from this.
I would probably get the most use out of the Sword, but I'm willing to let you guys decide who gets that. My weapon should deal plenty of damage on it's own.
So yeah, unless I can dig up something interesting to use the scales/bones on, you guys can have at it. I'll take whatever's left as cash .

[RecoveringGamer]

Huh, honestly, I don't really think I need anything from this.
I would probably get the most use out of the Sword, but I'm willing to let you guys decide who gets that. My weapon should deal plenty of damage on it's own.
So yeah, unless I can dig up something interesting to use the scales/bones on, you guys can have at it. I'll take whatever's left as cash .

I'd think that dwarven waraxe would be better as a two-handed martial weapon for your character than his maul, especially considering you can just move your weapon crystals to the new one.

Speaking of which, unless the DM allowed you to do otherwise, you can't put more than 1 augment crystal on a single item. Similarly, Bracers of Armor usually don't stack with worn armor.