Madness at Brightmore Abbey OOC [5e]

[Amnestic]

Welcome to the OOC thread. IC thread is now up here.

Go ahead and pick a dialogue colour. I'll use the ones not taken for NPCs, when it comes up. I'm pre-saving the greys, not that I expect many people would go for them.

The IC thread will be up tomorrow, just in case someone has a last minute sheet, and to give people a chance for introductions. Remember to subscribe to the thread for further updates.

Current Cards Held:
Comet - Skipsy

Character Sheets:

Player	Name	Race/Class
Aldhissla	Kha'draz Clear-Eyes	Orc Shaman
Kushina43	Jok'lek	Troll Warrior
Xihirl	Jade	Quillboar Goblin Barbarian
Khosan	Skipsy Turncrank	Gnome Artificer
Spre	Emilia Shadowborn	Forsaken Priest

Recruitment Post, saved for posterity:

Spoiler

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The ruined husk of the abbey's glorious temple stands forlorn at the top of the hill, a monument to its former majesty.
Hints of silver and gold ornamentation still gleam here and there through a coat of black soot that covers the entire structure.
The arched roof of the temple is half collapsed and its windows shattered, but it still manages to convey something of its original purpose-to remind the viewer of the power and glory of the Light.

During your party's previous adventure, you acquired a unique trinket: the Comet Card, sourced from the Deck of Many Things – an artifact of no small repute (though plenty of disrepute). Called by the card's siren song, you have travelled to the night-bound land of Duskwood. Taverntalk is that an abbey near to the town of Darkshire once held the Deck in full, though it was lost over a hundred years past. A slim lead, maybe, but it is your best one, and mayhaps the locals will have more information to go on.

Perhaps you go to claim the deck's power for yourself, or to stop it from falling into the wrong hands. Perhaps you simply wish for treasure and adventure. Regardless of your motivation, power and conflict await you, as it awaits any who involve themselves with the Deck.

This is a mild Warcraft conversion of the Madness at Gardmore Abbey 4e module/adventure, ported to 5e. Time period wise we'll be set roughly 5 years after Mists of Pandaria, though the events of Warlords of Draenor and since have not occurred, leading to tenuous ceasefire between the Alliance and Horde as they rebuild. Disregard any lore from post-MoP and pretend it does not exist. The central setting will be around Duskwood/Darkshire, so human territory.

If you have any questions, ask.

Recruitment will close Saturday 4th of June. Or maybe Sunday 5th. We'll see how I feel at the weekend. I'm on British time, so those west of GMT may need to bear that in mind for timezones.

Spoiler: Big 16

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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.)?
Azeroth (aka Warcraft), in a post-MoP era. Any questions let me know.


3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many?
4-6.


4. What's the gaming medium (OOTS, chat, e-mail etc.)?
Forums. I usually use mythweavers for sheets as a preference, but if you’ve got an alternative that’s fine too.


5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)?
6th level, expect to reach 9th by the end of the adventure. Milestone leveling.

6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with?
Starter Wealth + 1 Uncommon magic item of your choice + 2000gp to spend as you wish on mundane items/spell reagents/etc.


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?
No restrictions on published classes. UA subject to approval but probably approved. Homebrew subject to approval - my homebrew in the houserules section below more likely to get approval, because...I wrote it, but I'm still saying “subject to approval” because tone is a thing to concern about too.


8. What races, subraces, species, etc. are allowed for your game? Will you allow homebrewed races or species? 'Prestige' races or species?
Warcraft-appropriate races from a post-Mists of Pandaria-era only, so no nightborne, void elves, etc.
We'll be using the WC5e Races for this instead of 'classic' 5e races. You can find them here. Tasha's racial ASI rules are in effect though.

I'm not putting a racial restriction on faction-side, since you're adventurers, though Alliance-oriented races may have a mildly easier time for the social side. Or maybe not, depending on who you negotiate with.


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?
I don't really mind as long as you can work in a group.

11. Do you allow multi-classing, or have any particular rules in regards to it?
No multiclassing, no exceptions. We're single-classed only here.

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?
People will roll their own dice. If you’re forcing a save against someone else, roll in your post to speed things up – can apply modifiers later. I’ll be doing the same.

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.
See this link: https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/4ccm-8pBW


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)?
I'm not going to need a great deal, just enough to get an idea of why you're adventuring and show you're invested. You're all part of the same adventuring party, so there's no tavern meeting scene.


15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above?
Hack+slash/RP, probably not much puzzle solving, though there will be skill challenges - neglecting certain skills may cause your party problems. Don't expect to jump right into combat either.
The module is pseudo-sandboxy and how much you do with it will be up to the party. The 'core' quest related to the Deck has plenty of supplementary sidequests, depending on what you wish to accomplish.


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?
No restriction on sources, except as detailed above.

Spoiler: Duskwood Map

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Spoiler: Card Effect Repository (Alphabetical)

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Comet
When you are stood in the card's location you can use your bonus action to 'Mark' a target you can see. The next time you hit the marked target with an attack roll, you gain 10 temporary HP. The Comet token then moves underneath the Marked target. You may only Mark one target at a time, and using your bonus action to mark a new target removes the previous mark.

Rogue
When you are stood at the card's location you can use your action to cast Dominate Monster with a DC of 13. This has a duration of "until the end of your next turn". After using this effect, you deal an additional 1d6 damage on all attacks that have advantage until the end of the encounter. A creature can use the Rogue card once per encounter.

Spoiler: Abbey Map

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[IMG][/IMG]

[Xihirli]

Jade shall be green and she will ask to hold the comet card. But since you've all met her, I must add: Do not let her hold the comet card.

[Khosan]

Skipsy will use a very Gnomeregan Purple.

As the only Alliance rep, I'm thinking Skipsy might've been hired as a kind of local guide at some point and has hung around because it's given her an opportunity to do actual adventurer stuff and not just study things after the fact.

Skipsy would also volunteer to hold the card, as a Member of the Explorer's League in Good Standing^TM.

[Kushina43]

I'm partial colorblind and the font color squares are tiny so correct me if I'm wrong, but Jok'lek will be taking red as his dialogue color. Within this group, he would probably trust Kha'draz the most with the Comet Card, followed by himself, but won't bother fighting if anyone else receives it.

[Spore]

Elly has allowed me to add myself to your roster. Allow me to introduce Emilia Shadowburn. Mechanicswise, I am very much a glass cannon, but I can heal and support a bit (major things are Bless, minor patching up via Cure Wounds and Power Words (Shield and Fortitude, so temp HP and resistance to damage). She is no "trained" spy, but she worked to make Darkshire safer before our last adventure, and as such has her human form as a disguise

Spoiler

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I will try to swap her portrait out as feasible. She is not evil, far from it, but the choice of priest school makes the solution of "murder the enemy before they kill us" better. I will speak in gray.

Emilia Shadowburn Forsaken Shadow Priest AC: 13 HP: 32/32 PP: 18 PIv: 9 PIs: 18 Conditions: - Concentration: - Before the fall of Lordaeron, Emilia - then still known as Emilia Summerfire - was the eldest daughter of a farming family in Brill. A beautiful and charismatic young woman, and as the Silver Hand soon discovered talented in the Light as well. Following the events of the Second War, she was half recruited, half taken away from her family to serve the Alliance as a priestess on the frontlines. The Silver Hand had to use any servants of the Light, but they knew faith could not be pushed. With mixed feelings, Emilia joined them in training and later on in the battlefields. The Third War dropped on the lands, and the region was devastated. She fought the undead on the sides of her army, but as she learned the crown prince had lost his mind purging the sick people of the country, Emilia deserted. She went home. Her parents were deadly sick, but she did not mind. She did everything in her power to save them. With no alternative, she cooked the supposed infected grain, thinking the disease was killed with it. But far from it. The magical poison, nay curse, quickly killed her as well. Months passed as she was under the Lich King's control until finally she regained consciousness. Feeling betrayed by the light, but still wanting to help, Emilia left Brill. Quickly she found a county worthy of her attention. Darkshire was shrouded in darkness as well, and similar to Lordaeron not helping Brill, Stormwind did nothing to prevent the atrocity committed by the Guardian of Tirisfal there. She spent years expunging undead and cultists from the area, ever the hand in the shadow, guiding and protecting the people. But there was a new threat on the horizon; a threat and a chance. A magical card - no doubt a discarded artifact of the Guardian himself - was found and led to something greater.

[Xihirli]

Skipsy will use a very Gnomeregan Purple.

As the only Alliance rep, I'm thinking Skipsy might've been hired as a kind of local guide at some point and has hung around because it's given her an opportunity to do actual adventurer stuff and not just study things after the fact.

Skipsy would also volunteer to hold the card, as a Member of the Explorer's League in Good Standing^TM.

I vote Skipsy holds the card.

[Spore]

I don't care either way, but I feel Skipsy also has the best "chances" due to her good AC, saves and position in the backline if something wants to target her primarily.

[Amnestic]

Skipsy seems to clench the votes so it'll go into gnomish hands for now.

IC thread is now up here. Don't expect every post to be that long, I just wanted to make sure the stage was set. Don't forget to subscribe to the thread.

And for those unfamiliar with the area, here's a nice stylised map* with some landmarks, though the all important Brightmore Abbey isn't there.

Spoiler

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*I did not make it.

[Aldhissla]

Hi there, everyone. Sorry for my lack of involvement in the conversation up to this point. I got a little absorbed in fretting over spell selection and item budgeting since this is the first 5E character I've had a magic item or more than starting wealth on.

As soon as I can post, Kha'draz will be speaking in a nice, earthy brown color, if that's legible for everyone.

Also, that's a very nice map. Who did make it?

[Kushina43]

Also, that's a very nice map. Who did make it?

A reverse image search points me here as the source

[Khosan]

I thought it was one of the maps that made it into Warcraft 1 or 2's manuals, but having looked them up it is not in there.

EDIT: This is what I was thinking of, one of the maps from the original manuals, which does share a lot of similarities but is definitely not it. The entirety of Duskwood is more or less that forest south of the Orc Camp, west of 'Medivh Tower'/Karazhan.

[Spore]

A reverse image search points me here as the source

I thought it was one of the maps that made it into Warcraft 1 or 2's manuals, but having looked them up it is not in there.

The style is Tolkien's style for his maps that he added to the Lord of the Rings series.

Since I cannot find any WC 3 map screens that take place in or near Darkshire, I assume the map material is from WoW, but the thing is crafted after Tolkien's style.

Also I am not annoyed as a player, but it is just WEIRD to have three characters go into a monologue about spider parts which is absolutely not weird at all and makes us extremely trustworthy.

[Kushina43]

Also I am not annoyed as a player, but it is just WEIRD to have three characters go into a monologue about spider parts which is absolutely not weird at all and makes us extremely trustworthy.

I figured it was part of a new conversation just prior to meeting the guards, implied with Xihirli's narration text "as they went through the gnarled forest" taking place before the lantern shine and didn't want to leave it hanging lol. Certainly could have been within earshot, adventurers are often a pretty weird bunch

[Amnestic]

Certainly could have been within earshot, adventurers are often a pretty weird bunch

Everyone who adventures is a little bit crazy. In their own way.

[Spore]

Everyone who adventures is a little bit crazy. In their own way.

I am not weird, you are weird! I am a well-adjusted undead shadow priest bent on murdering all these hypocrites trying to save those who were left behind!

[Xihirli]

Do we still have Aldhissla?

[Amnestic]

Do we still have Aldhissla?

I certainly hope so!

Next post from me will be this evening, I'm in the office today and shockingly did not bring my notes on the tavern into work.

[Xihirli]

I am ready to convene at the tavern; I would also love to purchase one large sack of salt but we need not rp that out.

[Aldhissla]

I'm so sorry for the wait, everyone. I thought I'd be able to handle a game, but like every year life and mental illness find a way to drive from the backseat. You know how it goes.

Anyway, please discard my application, and pretend Kha'draz never existed. I'm gonna avoid the hobby until I can stop ghosting.

[Kushina43]

Aw, that's a shame, but I know that feeling in its entirety. Wishing you luck and health

[Amnestic]

A shame to see you go, but I understand. Hope things get better on your end.

[Khosan]

Sorry to see you go.

A quick History - (1d20+8)[18] check, which Skipsy only fails on a 1.

EDIT: Okay, passed. It would've been funny if she failed. I would've spun that as her being too much of a nerd to know about popular literature.

[Amnestic]

Seems like you're set on no further enquiries at the moment - happy to leave people to their chatting but if people want to shift along to exploration mode I'm good for that too.

[Xihirli]

Exploration! Wilderness! Danger!

[Kushina43]

Yup, I'm ready to head out and scout these gnolls with no complications whatsoever

[Xihirli]

Medicine (1d20+1)[12]!

[Khosan]

Oh right, I keep forgetting to mention this. Skipsy's got a free infusion up for grabs. If no one else wants it, she'll just infuse her armor for extra AC.

Here's what she's packing:

• Enhanced Arcane Focus
• Enhanced Defense
• Enhanced Weapon
• Repeating Shot
• Replicate Magic Item, Bag of Holding
• Repulsion Shield

[Xihirli]

I have a bag of holding, if you want to pick a different one. I picked it as my one because Jade picks up and keeps everything she sees.

[Kushina43]

Medicine: (1d20+1)[6]

Edit: No medicine but I expected that - I think all these shadows while traversing on unmarked territory is gonna get Jok'lek to make use of that special loa-blessed lantern he's carrying

[Khosan]

Oh, and a check.

Medicine - (1d20+2)[8]