Portal to D&D IC - Thokk_Smash

[Rizban]

Spoiler: Background

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Jerry Rhinebeck

Good ole boy Jerry Rhinebeck loved DnD as a kid. And, not to toot his own horn, but he was pretty good at it. That is to say, character creation, roleplaying, the whole shebang--it was all aces for him. Growing up, he would submit characters and ideas to the game devs, a dozen or two in total. Near when he began college, he got word from a dev who wanted him to write for a splatbook they were making. Nothing too big, but still a childhood dream come true.

So it went as the years flew by. While in college, Jerry split his time between school and writing for non-core DnD sourcebooks. He even got to write a minor bad guy in a major setting rulebook! He never took the plunge into the world of game creation officially, but he made plenty of connections. And when the DnD VRMMORPG was made, one of those connections reached out to him to be a beta-tester. Jerry took them out on the town in thanks.

So Jerry made Lance Gilborne, halfling bard. He eschewed min-maxing in favor of simply exploring the setting, totally geeking out over being able to live in a DnD world. He took as many quests as he could, and ended up gathering a nontrivial following of NPCs, enough that other PCs began to take notice. Jerry--Lance--was more than willing to help however he could, and he and a few other PCs ended up creating one of the first guilds in the world, the Jovial Jesters (he was a bard, after all). The guild didn't necessarily draw in hardcore specialists; there were plenty of guilds for combat, or magic, or what-have-you. But if you needed a guide, or a helping hand on a quest, the Jovial Jesters were there to help.

Eventually, Jerry was closing in on completion of the game, or at least as much content as had been released. He was figuring on setting the game aside for a bit, focusing on his new job. But...there was one quest, designated beyond the highest-difficulty rating. It was complex, and could only be undertaken by one PC at a time. Jerry figured, what better way to end his experience with the game than by completing the hardest quest. The quest didn't specify NPCs could not be taken with, only that certain leveled NPCs would dare join the PC on such a journey.

With a small, strong band of digital friends he had made, Lance Gilborne took the quest. It brought them across the known lands and even further, solving traps and puzzles and bringing them closer to death than ever. It took all of Lance's charisma, skill, and sheer willpower to keep his friends alive through the quest...but they made it to the end. Jerry hadn't realized he was taking it so seriously, as if he would die for real if Lance died, but then again, he had always sorta put himself into his character maybe too well.

Standing before the pedestal with the designated loot, Lance beckons for his NPC allies to grab it at the same time. They had earned it as well. And so on "three", they reach out, and a blinding light destroys Lance's vision...

The light leaves you completely blinded as the brilliant white is replaced by total darkness.

Just as you begin to panic, a popup appears in the middle of your vision.

Congratulations, Champion!
You have earned the right to remake yourself anew!
Do you accept this offer?
| Yes | No |

Spoiler: If Yes

Show

The popup closes, a second taking its place.

Warning!
This action will delete your current character, forcing you to restart at level 1.
Do you wish to continue?
| Yes | No |

Spoiler: If Yes

Show

The popup closes, as a third popup appears.

Final Warning!
Note that this action cannot be reversed.
Are you ready to leave your life behind and enter a new realm?
| Yes | No |

Spoiler: If you ever select "No"

Show

Your vision returns, and you find yourself standing back in the starter zone from when you first rolled up your character. The quest has been removed from your quest log, and your NPC allies have no records of undertaking the quest with you. If not for the experience and loot picked up on the way, you would have no evidence that it ever happened.

As you scour the message boards, wikis, and fan sites, you can find no reference to the quest having ever existed. It seems that you are the only one who remembers it at all.

Frustrated, you quit the game and pour yourself into your new job with the same fervent dedication that you had with that final quest, but a part of you lingers still, wondering what could have been, if only...

Game Over

Spoiler: Eidolon Evolutions

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1-Point Evolutions

• Bite
• Claws
• Climb
• Gills
• Hooves
• Improved Damage
• Improved Natural Armor
• Magic Attacks
• Mount
• Pincers
• Reach
• Resistance
• Scent
• Skilled (limit 1)
• Slam
• Sting
• Swim
• Tail
• Tail Slap
• Tentacle
• Unnatural Aura
• Wing Buffet

2-Point Evolutions

• Constrict
• Energy Attacks
• Flight
• Gore
• Grab
• Head
• Immunity
• Keen Scent
• Limbs
• Poison
• Rake
• Rend
• Trample
• Tremorsense
• Trip
• Weapon Training

3-Point Evolutions

• Blindsense
• Burrow
• Damage Reduction
• Frightful Presence
• Pounce
• Swallow Whole
• Web

4-Point Evolutions

• Blindsight
• Breath Weapon
• Fast Healing
• Large
• No Breath
• Spell Resistance

[Thokk_Smash]

Jerry blinks the spots out of his eyes, then feels his heart speed up when he realizes the blackness isn't light blindness. He can't help a sigh of relief when the popup appears.

"Well, well," he thinks to himself. "Maybe I'll stick around after all. Hopefully Lance stays as an NPC..."

With that hope in his mind, he presses the Yes, each time it appears.

[Rizban]

Pain courses through your entire body, pain which should be blocked or at least reduced by the game's pain filters. You have them set to minimum, after all.

The taste of rainbows fills your ears as the sensation of being turned inside out and sucked through your toes overwhelms your senses, causing you to black out.

You awake an unknown period of time later and find yourself numb, completely unable to feel your body. Your ears hear nothing, and only a black emptiness meets you as you try to open your eyes.

Just as panic begins to set in, a popup appears. You feel relief at knowing that you're still in the game. You attempt to open a menu to determine your status, but nothing happens. The popup vibrates at you, as if somehow angered that you're ignoring it.

Welcome to your New Life+
Click below to begin character creation.
| Below |

You find yourself unable to do anything but interact with the popup mentally, just as you would with any popup in the game.

Spoiler: After clicking the button...

Show

After clicking the button, a series of numbers, symbols, and random words fly across your vision faster than you can read. You feel an almost intrusive sensation in your mind, as if someone or something is peering deep within.

Suddenly, a visual representation of dice scatter across your screen. The final result of each becoming large enough to fill your vision for a brief second.

(1d100)[2]
(1d100)[28]
(1d100)[79]

(1d20)[9]
(1d20)[5]

[Rizban]

Congratulations!
You have received one [1] Greater Boon.

Please choose your race.

A representation of the major races appears standing nude in front of you. Or rather, you see yourself in front of you, slightly altered to appear as each of the major races. A hazy line of individuals stretching off into the distance, which you intuit to be subraces that would be available for selection after making your choices.

Your available choices are

Human

__

Elf

__

Orc

__

Overlord

There is a pair of buttons hovering in front of each which reads

Select Race

Information

Almost obscured near what you would expect to be the floor, if such a thing existed, is a nearly invisible button which reads

Apply Greater Boon to Race

There is no further information about this button, but after you notice it, it becomes significantly brighter and faintly pulses as if trying to draw your attention.

Before you click anything, you feel a foreboding sensation that any and all choices you make at this time will be permanent.

[Thokk_Smash]

Jerry gnashes his teeth at the vibrating popup, or would if he could feel his mouth--or anything, really. What kind of new addition is this? He reflexively tries to scratch the back of his head, and yet again feels nothing.

"Gotta let the devs know about this when I get the chance," he thinks, before the excitement of character building overwhelms him. A "Greater Boon"? Neat!

Hmm, he has a general idea of all of these races--except the Overlord, whatever that is. To be on the safe side, he mentally clicks the "Information" button beside each race. No need to rush, he's got plenty of time before he has to go to bed.

[Rizban]

Human
Humans are the most common race through most of the realm. They are far more adaptable than any other; however, they tend to have poor relations with the non-human races.

Elf
Elves are the longest lived mortal race in the realm. They have a trace of fey blood in their veins, which leads them to be chaotic and haughty. All elves must select a subrace. While elves tend to get along well with members of other humanoid races, they are almost always hostile towards other elven subraces.

Orc
Orcs are thought to be brutish thugs, but that's because most orcs encountered by other races were driven from their homes for that very behavior. Orcs have less developed industry than most other races, as they tend to prefer to honor the old ways and live as one with the land.

Overlord
The Overlord is a truly unique race in that it arises spontaneously among the other races rather than being its own bloodline. Overlords excel at drawing others to their causes and training minions to fight for them. This is balanced by the fact that they rarely have the ability to fight with any skill themselves.

The Greater Boon button continues to pulse insistently, drawing your eye to it.

Apply Greater Boon to Race

[Thokk_Smash]

”Woah, I’ve never seen that race before,” Jerry thinks in awe. Why hadn’t he thought of that concept? Once he gets out of the game he’ll have to ask around. Maybe collab with them in the future.

And then there’s the “Boon” button. ”Okay, okay,” He says (or tries to, anyway). “I want to see what more this race could do anyway.” With that he mentally pushes the “Apply Greater Boon” button.

[Rizban]

You feel a sense of loss as your Greater Boon is consumed, forever gone.

Everything in front of you goes blurry for a moment before the representations of the races return with slight changes and updated names. The only major difference is the Overlord, which now looks like a floating crystal over a foot in diameter rather than a generic human-like figure.

High Human

__

Feytouched

__

Trueblood Orc

__

Dungeon Core

Select Race

Information

The greater boon button has completely vanished.

[Thokk_Smash]

”Hmm, okay, High Human, Fey Touched, cool cool, Dungeo—excuse me?”

If he could, Jerry would rub his eyes in confusion. Instead, he wills his vision to fade and come back a few times. Nope, still there.

“Yes, I would like more information, please,” he says, mentally pressing each “Information” button for completion’s sake. Let’s be real, odds are he’ll be picking the Dungeon Core. But still—knowledge!

[Rizban]

High Human
Humans are the most common race through most of the realm. They are far more adaptable than any other; however, they tend to have poor relations with the non-human races. High Human is a Tier 2 race. You are everything that a human is, but more. Your adaptability and potential for growth is greatly improved.

Feytouched

Elves are the longest lived mortal race in the realm. They have a trace of fey blood in their veins, which leads them to be chaotic and haughty. All elves must select a subrace. While elves tend to get along well with members of other humanoid races, they are almost always hostile towards other elven subraces. Feytouched is a Tier 2 race. Elves who have manifested aspects of the fey seen only once in a generation are known as feytouched. Your fey attributes are more powerful than normal, and you are treated as a fey for most purposes.

Trueblood Orc

Orcs are thought to be brutish thugs, but that's because most orcs encountered by other races were driven from their homes for that very behavior. Orcs have less developed industry than most other races, as they tend to prefer to honor the old ways and live as one with the land. Trueblood Orc is a Tier 2 race. The trueblood orcs are greater than their kin, in that their blood runs with the true power of nature. Each trueblood orc has a powerful natural affinity for a particular element of nature.

Dungeon Core

Dungeon Core is a Tier 2 race. Dungeons appear seemingly at random, and adventurers pit themselves against dungeons to test themselves, gain experience, and grab loot. A unique existence, a dungeon core is the heart of a dungeon, crafting a dungeon around itself, a veritable god within its own domain. Unfortunately, it is confined to the dungeon it creates and is almost utterly powerless outside its area of influence. Within your domain, however, you are limited only by your imagination and your available resources. As a dungeon core, you will be seeded in a random location in the world and be responsible for building and maintaining a dungeon as well as enticing adventurers to enter your domain. You will gain power and resources from adventurers who enter your dungeon, but if you kill too many or perceived to be an "unfair" or "cheater" dungeon, you may attract adventurers more powerful than yourself who seek to destroy your core and crush your soul to draw out its raw mana. Warning! Unlike other player characters, Dungeon Cores lack the ability to respawn on death!

[Thokk_Smash]

Reading the description, Jerry is (surprisingly) saddened. "Playing as a literal dungeon? That seems cool, but, I mean, where's the interactions? Any minions I have would be, well, minions (although I'd never make them yellow or dress all in overalls)--hard to have a relationship with an underling when you're a god in all but name. Ah, game? I don't suppose I could go back to the Overlord?"

His mind flashes back to the sense of utter loss after using the boon. "Bah, no take-backsies, I bet," he mutters. "Well, lessee, then. I do like archers, and even though it's a stereotype elves make great archers. It's a shame I didn't get halfling as an option--I could have made Lance's long-lost brother."

He sighs once more for what could have been. Then, with a mental nod, he presses the Select Race for "Feytouched".

[Rizban]

As you select Feytouched, the other races fade away, and the silhouettes of the elf subraces become more substantial as more options become available.

Dryad/Wood Elf

__

Frostmaiden/Snow Elf

__

Nymph/High Elf

__

Sirine/Sea Elf

__

Thorn/Jungle Elf

Each has the same two button options as the races did before.

Select Subrace

Information

Down below, you note a Least Boon button has appeared where the Greater Boon existed before.

Apply Least Boon to Race

[Thokk_Smash]

Nodding, Jerry presses the "Information" button underneath each race. If the sub races tend to be actively hostile towards each other, best to know each one in general in advance.

[Rizban]

Dryad/Wood Elf
Wood elves are descended from dryads who mixed with the mortal races, becoming less tied to the Fey Lands over the generations. A Feytouched Wood Elf is closer to their dryad ancestors and has many plant based abilities, though they tend to weaken when away from their home forests.

Frostmaiden/Snow Elf
Snow elves are descended from frostmaidens lured men of the mortal races to their frozen deaths but only after giving them a warm farewell. A Feytouched Snow Elf is cold-blooded and cold-hearted, growing stronger in the cold and weaker as the weather warms.

Nymph/High Elf
Though there are several groups who consider themselves "high elves," this particular lineage is descended from nymphs and retain much of their beauty and magic. However, they weaken when they don't have regular access to flowing fresh water.

Sirine/Sea Elf
Sirines are known for their beautiful voices, which lead men to crash their ships on the rocks. Feytouched sea elves are descendants of shipwrecked sailors and sirines and retain their charming voices but are weakened when far from their marine homes.

Thorn/Jungle Elf
Thorns are fanatical defenders of the gateways into the Fey Lands. Jungle elves are sired by thorns who abandon their posts for love of a mortal. Feytouched Jungle Elves are passionate warriors but weaken when far from the teeming life of the jungle.

[Thokk_Smash]

"Oooh, okay," Jerry says, considering. "The need to be tied to a specific location is a bit iffy. Although, the Jovial Jesters' headquarters is near a big stream; and the High Elf's description doesn't specify it needs to be the same source of flowing water."

His mental hand hovers over the "Lesser Boon" option before he decides against it. The "Select Race" button for High Elf is pressed, sealing...well, someone or something's fate. Maybe. Possibly.

[Rizban]

As you make your selection, the other figures disappear from your sight, and you find yourself able to customize the appear of the Feytrouched High Elf to you liking, including changing the sex. You seem unable to select a skin color that doesn't have at least a hint of blue to it, though you are able to customize to a fairly wide extent.

When you're finished, your point of view shifts instantly, and you find yourself in the character you just shaped. You once again have feeling, the numbness gone. However, you still feel weightless in the black nothingness around you.

An extremely sparse character sheet appears in your vision. (Link sent to you via discord)

You find yourself able to fill in a few minor blanks. You also have 2 points to spend on your ability scores, increasing any chosen score by 1. However, you can't assign both to the same ability.

[Thokk_Smash]

With a serious look, Jerry gets to customizing. When he's gotten the body to his liking, he finalizes it.

The return of sensation is a welcome surprise. He looks down at his arms and torso, deep-olive toned with a noticeable blueish-green shade. Looking at his stats, he grimaces a bit at the Constitution. Oh, dear. Still, he marks his stat bonuses down onto Dexterity and Intelligence.

For his name, he gives the name Iriander Veilen, and makes him 130 years old.

[Rizban]

As you finalize your selection, you receive a notification that you will receive 2 points to spend on any ability score at each future level, but you must always spend them on two different scores.

Your vision blurs again as you are given a choice of classes, basic gear sets appearing before you, representing each class option.

Bard

__

Beguiler

__

Psion

__

Sorcerer

__

Summoner

Select Class

Information

Apply Least Boon to Class

[Thokk_Smash]

Jerry looks fondly on the familiar basic gear of the bard. He pokes the "Information" button for each class before beginning to sort through the various gear. Now that he has a body again, he wants something to do with his hands.

[Rizban]

Bard
A musical performer who uses their talents to benefit their allies or harm their foes. An arcane spellcaster whose very music is magical.

Beguiler
A master of words and influence, the beguiler uses her arcane magics to charm the mind and manipulate the will of her adversaries.

Psion
Harnessing the power of his mind, a psion uses the power of thought to reshape reality to his whims.

Sorcerer
Sorcerers inherit their arcane magic from a powerful magical ancestor. Their magic is literally in their blood. Some sorcerers, however, develop their magic through other means.

Summoner
Practitioners of highly specialized arcane magics, summoners excel at calling creatures to fight for them, potentially even forming a permanent bond.

[Thokk_Smash]

With some regret, Jerry puts the Bard gear to the side. The whole point of a new character is to explore new options, after all. Speaking of options, Jerry shrugs and presses the "Least Boon" button. He's curious to see how it spices up the class' chassis.

[Rizban]

The names of the various classes change slightly, but clicking Information on any of them reveals nothing new.

Bard+

__

Beguiler+

__

Psion+

__

Sorcerer+

__

Summoner+

The Least Boon has been used, but you don't feel any particularly significant loss as you did with the Greater Boon.

[Thokk_Smash]

Regarding the classes, Jerry makes the only choice he thinks he can. Lance gathered friends and allies to himself; as a Summoner, Iriander will never be without an ally, and perhaps with summoning magic he can forge connections with allies even beyond the Material Plane. So, he presses the button for Summoner+.

[Rizban]

You select Summoner+, and the starting gear appears equipped on your body.

Your character sheet appears again, and begins to fill itself out.

You have the option to select two feats. Your choices are anything you qualify for from the Player's Handbook or Complete Arcane.

You also gain Fey Heritage as a bonus feat from your race.

[Rizban]

After selecting your feats, you may choose your spells known.

[Thokk_Smash]

Well, as a Summoner, starting feat selection is almost a no-brainer. He picks Improved Initiative and Spell Focus (Conjuration). If he's going to be summoning creatures, he'll be looking into Augment Summoning eventually.

"I am going to be exceedingly squishy, huh," he says, looking at his HP ruefully. "I suppose that is the point of a Summoner, after all. Any word on whether I can summon creatures without spells, game?" Before he finalizes his spell selection, he pokes around the character sheet to try and find any further information on the Summoner class features.

In the end, for spells, he chooses as his Level 0 spells: Detect Magic, Mage Hand, Mending, and Message. For Level 1 spells, he chooses Grease (man, Lance got some good mileage out of that spell. His NPC allies got confused when I made him make Grease references for, like, a month, though, Jerry thinks fondly) and Mage Armor.

[Rizban]

Your selected feats and spells populate to your sheet, changing other values that they affect automatically.

When that completes, a selection of skills appears, and you are informed that you have 8 Skill Points to assign. Clicking through a few of the skills, you discover that the that Summoner has the following class skills: Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Speak Language (n/a), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha). You gain 2 + Int mod skill points per level, and cross class skills still costs two points. So, nothing has changed with this process as far as you can tell.

However, you do notice that you have a bonus to Swim checks for overcoming water hazards and a +2 bonus to both Diplomacy and Intimidate.

[Thokk_Smash]

“Oof, not the most skilled. Lance is rolling in his...well, I hope he’s not in his grave. Game, if possible, it’d be great if Lance were an NPC at least. I had a lot of fun playing as him.”

Jerry continues on, allocating his skill points: 4 to Concentration (“I mean, I shouldn’t be in melee anyway...but with my Constitution, I need all the help I can get”); 1 to Handle Animal, 1 to Use Magic Device, 1 to Spellcraft, and 1 to Knowledge (Arcana).

Spoiler

Show

Phone post means minimal formatting

[Rizban]

As you finalize your skill selections, you hear the clatter of dice in the background.

(5d100)[84][58][96][88][74](400)

As your sheet begins to fade away from your vision, you notice three additional abilities appearing on your sheet.

---

Your vision goes completely black.

You feel something cold and hard on your back and something else warm on your face.

The sounds of buzzing insects can be heard in the distance accompanied by the occasional chirp of a songbird.

You realize that you are lying on the ground, your eyes closed.

[Thokk_Smash]

And again, the darkness. Jerry’s finding it to be a bit tiresome—but now he can actually hear things! That’s a good start!

He blinks his eyes open and pushes himself to a sitting position. Casting his eyes about, he scans the area and tries to pull up the menu in order to see his character sheet.

((Spot check: (1d20)[5]))