DnD5e The Rangers of Ramia

Hitch · #1 Sep 7th, 2022, 03:42 AM

Game NameThe Rangers of Ramia

ThemeWeird Fantasy

FlavourExploration, Civilization vs Barbarism, Settlement Building, ect.

Plot Summary

You are a citizen of Anurian Empire. Many years ago, one of your empire's sailing vessels went off course and happened to discover a new landmass to the south. After a cursory investigation by the sailors, they found it to be an island approximately nine-hundred miles around which comprised mostly of long moors and dense forests on its eastern side. To the west, it comprised mostly of a wooded mountain range which raised until it cut off any entrance by sea. By most measures, the island was untamed and, by their estimation, easily taken.

They were wrong.

To a vague look, the open moors were fair, flush with resources, and seemed totally unoccupied by man. However, all would-be settlers soon found the island was actually home to a savage, mountain-dwelling people who would slaughter anyone who dared head into the trees. And, if a man did not die to their arrows, they would find a land more strange and unsettling the further they went. Many died. Many gave up hope. The common folk of Anur stopped calling people brave for going there, but stupid.

Of all reports, there were three groups of settlers that attempted the job before. The first group lasted four months before they sailed back, their fear of the island destroying them. In their fear, they called the island Ramia; naming it after an old horror story. The second party went months later and managed to survive for a year with a small camp clutched against the eastern shore. They did well, but would die horribly when a strange disease spread through their camp. And, finally, a third settling party departed one year ago. Word from them was good for a while. They were better equipped than any before them and their leader was a skilled man and a renowned warrior.

But not a word has been heard from the Third in months. None of their ships have been sent back to resupply or re-man the effort. The rumors and fear have lit Anur again.

Did they fall too?

You don't know. But you will soon. After all, you have been sent to discover what happened and to put an end to the fear of Ramia.

The Mission
Your party has traveled to Ramia aboard an unaffiliated trade ship. Your mission is to find out what happened to the Third Settling Party and to investigate the island.

With you is a small retinue of NPC laborers...

The laborers are meant to reinforce the Third Settling Party, or to help you settle Ramia in the worst case scenario. Few are proficient fighters, but all of them at least know how to work the land and build.
The trade ship you came on is not bound to your mission, but the sailors might stop by every once in a while to do trade (or will come if a letter is sent).
One of the NPCs with you is a noble who will report the goings-on to the lords of Anur. He will reward you for any information or headway you make in scouting the island.

You are free to name and give a trade or personality to a few of the NPCs (including the sailors). Some may be your friends or rivals, or even your family.

World Lore
Common Knowledge

The Anurian Empire is in a bloody war with the Kingdom of Keille. It is unlikely your party will be able to earn military backing without strong results.
Dead bodies must be burned or sanctified with holy water. If not, they will rise as undead. (Characters with a religious background would know that radiant damage also works.*)
Min's Ride is the closest port to Ramia. The journey takes two weeks by boat.
Anur is somewhere in the High Middle Ages technologically. The only people more advanced than Anur are the hermitive Osa Lepers, but they are hard to contact.
Magic is closely guarded in Anur by the Mage's Guild of Lamras. It is a criminal offense for practitioners to hide their abilities and whereabouts.
The greatest living mage is a level nine wizard named Shieve. She is the only person in recorded history capable of casting 5th level spells.

Rumors about Ramia

Ramia is home to a legion of cannibalistic primitives who speak a strange language.
The Third Settling Party was captained by a military veteran named Vaine. He built a town called Sessel on a hill near the south-eastern coast.
The forests to the west are tainted with evil spirits and feral beasts.
The mountain-dwellers sleep in trees and caves because they are afraid of the sun.
The water in Ramia is disease-ridden. If you don't boil it, it will rot you from the inside.
The mountain-dwellers are godless and do not burn their dead.

Additional InformationAdding to the World: You are generally free to make up locations, lore and people for your characters' backstories. This adventure will be set in Ramia though, and your characters leaving the island is unlikely. So, if you wish for certain elements to be accessible for roleplay reasons, like your character having a family, I would recommend they be with you.

Initial Hook: The plot summary indicates that you were sent to the island, but I'm fine with it being something you chose to do yourself.

Character Death: I am a storyteller foremost, but characters do die in my games from time to time. From what I understand, that is uncommon nowadays. So, be warned, Ramia will be brutal if ventured lightly. You may want a second character in your pocket.

Character Creation
Starting Level: 1
Ability Scores: You can reduce an ability score to 6 or increase it up to 17.
6: Gain 2 points.
7: Gain 1 point.
8: Costs 0 points. (default)
9: Costs 1 point. (default)
10: Costs 2 points. (default)
11: Costs 3 points. (default)
12: Costs 4 points. (default)
13: Costs 5 points. (default)
14: Costs 7 points. (default)
15: Costs 9 points. (default)
16: Costs 12 points.
17: Costs 15 points.Modified 27-Point Buy
Races: Variant Human is ok.

The world is humans-only to make the weirdness of Ramia stand out more.Humans Only
Backgrounds: Core (or) Custom
Starting Equipment: Class/Background (or) 100gp
Acceptable Sources: Player's Handbook
Approximate Party Size: 3-5 players

Application

Name:
Class:
Background:
Description: Their appearance, personality and general aspect.
Backstory: General history. Doesn't have to be long, but can be.
Motivation: Why are they on the ranging team?
Role: If asked, what would they say they are? (Examples: Scholar, Archer, Healer)

Player	Character Name	Class	Role
Damionovich	Bronwen Badgermaiden	Barbarian	Warrior, Settler
Togot	Gish Bulnoil	EvokerWizard	Scholar, Arcane Specialist
BarrowB	Amber Rust	Fighter	Bodyguard, Alchemist
Solitaire64	Ma-Coor	Rogue	Jack of All Trades
Alatere	Hedran Shepherd	NatureCleric	Healer
Badger	Elrahic Endruette	Sorceror	Sailor, Mage
Azure Nokori	Pensman	Fighter	Meat Shield
Alemar	Sylvestre Coldstream	Druid	Hedge Witch
Onward	Ruby Rice	IllusionistWizard	Trickster, Archeologist
Palliven	Banyon Cintero	Fighter	Tradesman, Tactician
Meavar	Torin Badgerbun	Paladin	Stone Mason, Medic
Lookie Louis	Sir Aethor Valour Vilkagar, Order of the Old Stones, Heir to Baron Voxus Meagor VilkagarAethor Vilkagar	Fighter	Field Commander, Entrepreneur
Zangul	Prof. Flintrock	Rogue	---
O2CXt3	Nyasia	Ranger	Tracker, Archer
Elanir	Sister Ignatia	Warlock	Spiritual Advisor, Prophetess
DiceGolbin	Luna Aldercrest	DeathCleric	Mortician, Battle Support

Deadline: September 24th

Damionovich · #2 Sep 7th, 2022, 10:54 AM

Name: Bronwen Badgermaiden
Class: Barbarian
Age; 24 years old
Background: Outlander (Homesteader)
Personality Trait; I place no stock in wealthy or well mannered folk. Money and manners won't save you from a hungry owlbear.
Ideals; Life is like the seasons, in constant change, we must change with it.
Bonds; My family, Clan, and tribe are the most important things in my life, even when they are far from me.
Flaws; There is no room for caution in a life lived to the fullest.
Description: Bronwen is 5'2" slim, but toned. Her hair is long unkept red with deep blue eyes. She wears animal pelts or common clothes as anything more is gloating in front of those who can not hunt.
Backstory: General history. Doesn't have to be long, but can be.
Motivation: Bronwen is traveling with her Husband; Connor, 3 kids (Owen (m, 7 yrs), Tegan (m, 5 yrs),Keita (f, 3 years) and two brothers (Finley and Torin) families to start a new life. Three families connected by blood and clan, were forced to leave the tribal lands in order to survive. Our ancestral land is now barren, but the remaining members of the tribe were too weak to attempt the journey. This group comprises the only members strong enough to proceed.

Job: Hunters, Scouts, Farmers, and warriors. Family; Builds homes and farms

My Intentions with this Character; I see Bronwen as a leader, she will secure an area for 'town/village' and support building residential structures first (tents if needed). From that point she will begin investigating and clearing the land surrounding the town. When that is settled, she will investigate edible plants, animal life, geography, and danger areas. She works with anyone willing to cooperate and benefit the community. If there is someone with more thought out planning or better prioritization she will step to the side and relinquish leadership.

Togot · #3 Sep 7th, 2022, 03:01 PM

I'm interested but had some questions

whats the expected posting rate
the description mentions that casters are tightly controlled so does that mean no wizards?
if wizards are allowed, would a necromancer be allowed?

Hitch · #4 Sep 7th, 2022, 03:47 PM

The deadline is September 24th and the expected posting rate is 1-2 times per week. Most games start with quicker paces but I've found that eventually 1-2 posts per week becomes the average.

The Mage's Guild of Lamras have made it their mission to control spellcasters and magical knowledge in Anur, however characters can be any class in the PHB. The guild exists more to circumvent evil wizards than to research magic. It is up to you if your character is a guild member or not, but if they ever publicly displayed their magical capabilities and avoided the guild's scribes, they would quickly have a bounty on their head.

You can play a necromancer in Ramia and get away with it, but in Anur your character would immediately be hunted down if that label was placed on them.

As written in the Common Knowledge tab, undeath is a big problem in this world.

Palliven · #5 Sep 7th, 2022, 04:18 PM

Interested and will post character soon.

Togot · #6 Sep 7th, 2022, 07:27 PM

Name: Gish Bulnoil
Race: human
Class: wizard evoker
Background: cloistered scholar
Personality Traits: I've read every book in the world's greatest libraries.

Ideal: Knowledge. The path to power and self-improvement is through knowledge.

Bond: one day I will return to my college and prove myself the greatest wizard of them all!

Flaw: I am extremely arrogant and believe myself better and smarter than everyone else

Description: Gish is a handsome man in his late twenties who’s most distinguishing feature is his long blue hair which is a result of the prestidigitation spell. He wears elaborate robes that make him look larger than he is. He often has a serious, unamused look on his face. His eyes are sharp and analytical.

Personality: Gish is an extremely arrogant man believing himself to be better than others, especially non magical folk. He always has his mind on the bigger picture and is dismissive of minor trivialities. He is convinced of his own greatness and is extremely critical of himself, seeing any mistakes as a flaw that must be corrected. Despite this cold demeanor, Gish is not a heartless man and always does what he thinks is best for the greater good. He just wishes the little ignorant people didn’t make it so difficult.

Backstory: Like so many in Anur with arcane talent, Gish was taken from his family when his abilities manifested at the age of twelve. Placed in a college and taught to control his powers. Believing himself to be special due to his gifts, Gish buried himself in his studies, determined to be the best that he could be and prove his greatness. while this made him develop faster than his peers earning him their respect, he had trouble making friends.

He is now a loyal member of the Mage's Guild of Lamras and serves their interests which usually just involves conducting magical research or recruiting new talent. His current assignment is to assist the expedition Ramia and gather information about the peculiarities of the land. Gish sees this as the chance he’s been waiting for to really shine and make a name for himself, and he intends to give it his al to ensure its success.

Motivation: Gish has been tasked by the Mage's Guild of Lamras to assist the expedition with its investigation and to study the properties of Ramia. Gish hopes to make a name for himself by gaining accolades and producing results.

Job: scholar and arcane specialist

BarrowB · #7 Sep 7th, 2022, 08:13 PM

Application

Name: Amber Rust
Class: Fighter (Dual Crossbow)
Feat: Crossbow Expert
Background: Mage Hunter Taking "Folk Hero" as base but changing skills to Stealth and Arcana and Land Vehicles to 2nd set of Artisian's Tools(custom)

Description: Amber is a woman in her early forties. Her longish, slightly wavy, ginger hair already shows some streaks of gray and her green eyes are surrounded by dark circles from the amount of recent stress. Both her hands and her face are covered by tiny scars and faded burns from her failed tinkering and alchemical attempts. Combining those features with her thin, fragile body, makes her almost appear as a walking corpse.

Personality: The Mage Hunter is a confident person but only because she knows her capabilities... or at least... what her capabilities used to be. She has trouble with trusting people but has really hard time with understanding the intentions of others. While bounty-hunting is her job, her side passion is tinkering and alchemy. She finds those activities relaxing but useful at the same time. Amber likes, when her body and mind are used in the same proportion. Her upbringing made her think of magic as 'disgusting'... but the recent events also made her despise the current laws.

Backstory: Being a bounty hunter is not only a dangerous but also a sad and lonely job. Having any family or friends is dangerous, unless they live similar lives.
That's why Amber was very glad, when she finally found herself a partner, Jade, a skilled assassin with surprisingly vast arcane knowledge, which made it way easier to hunt down the rouge mages. She was the only person she could trust since a long time in her life... but after a few months, it slightly changed.
During one of their operations, they were left with no cover, while some wizards were preparing to blast them to pieces with magical missiles. Amber thought, that it was the end... but in the last second, Jade covered both of them with a magical shield, which completely stopped the barrage of attacks. They managed to escape that fight and Amber tried to pretend that she saw nothing... but some passer-by reported both of them.
Jade managed to escape and disappear, while Amber got caught and sentenced to weeks of starvation and torture for working with an unregistered wizard. Normally, she would end up in jail or grave after that... but the authorities had a different idea.
It would be a waste to let a well renowned fighter to rot away. Instead, it was decided that she will be sent out, to aid the rangers on the new continent, with a promise of dropping any charges, if she brings any successes.

Motivation: After getting arrested, Amber had no say in the matter and was sent out to help on the expedition with her skills and knowledge, as a way for redemption. However, she has no intention of coming back, even, if she gets the chance. The new continent is a chance for a new beginning, so she hopes to make it a safe and independent place.

Job: Bodyguard/ Tinker/ Alchemist

Damionovich · #8 Sep 7th, 2022, 08:36 PM

I call upon the greatness of the DM and pray for the deliverance of a map so that we his servants may prepare ourselves for the journey ahead. (hmmm... Can we get a map of this island before the game starts??)

Solitaire64 · #9 Sep 7th, 2022, 09:28 PM

Just to be sure it is clear, we may ONLY pick classes and sub-classes from the player's handbook, correct?

EDIT: I ask because someone (including me) making a ranger from the PHB is unlikely, which is unfortunate for a game that otherwise sounds ideal for a ranger.

Fairborne · #10 Sep 8th, 2022, 01:13 AM

Are there any tweaks to spells such as Create/Destroy Water, Create Food & Water, Purify Food & Drink, Goodberry, or the like?

Hitch · #11 Sep 8th, 2022, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solitaire64

Just to be sure it is clear, we may ONLY pick classes and sub-classes from the player's handbook, correct?

EDIT: I ask because someone (including me) making a ranger from the PHB is unlikely, which is unfortunate for a game that otherwise sounds ideal for a ranger.

Since this game is basically a love-letter to exploration gameplay, I will allow the Revised Ranger class and all subclasses in that supplement.

The reason I have restricted characters to the PHB is to foster an old-school feel. Many later released subclasses and spells would fly in the face of that. If any applicants feel another subclass would fit the tone, I may allow that too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fairborne

Are there any tweaks to spells such as Create/Destroy Water, Create Food & Water, Purify Food & Drink, Goodberry, or the like?

There will be no mechanical changes to survival based spells. If there comes a day I regret that, then I haven't tried hard enough.

Solitaire64 · #12 Sep 8th, 2022, 02:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hitch

...The reason I have restricted characters to the PHB is to foster an old-school feel. Many later released subclasses and spells would fly in the face of that. If any applicants feel another subclass would fit the tone, I may allow that too...

I completely understand, and I appreciate your goal and your candor. I actually just finished making a rogue; if no one submits a ranger I might pull the rogue and submit a revised ranger.

Hitch · #13 Sep 8th, 2022, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damionovich

I call upon the greatness of the DM and pray for the deliverance of a map so that we his servants may prepare ourselves for the journey ahead. (hmmm... Can we get a map of this island before the game starts??)

Here is a rudimentary map dated from before the Second Settling Party fell (~2 years ago). This will generally be the level of knowledge your characters have to work with until they see the island for themselves.

Solitaire64 · #14 Sep 8th, 2022, 03:03 AM

ApplicationName: Ma-Coor

Class: Rogue

Background: Spy

Description: Dark, short, curly hair and beard, grey-eyed, with a hook-nose, tanned with a ruddy complexion. He is long-limbed but manages to carry himself gracefully, with nimble fingers that are often playing with coins, cards, and other small objects. He smiles a lot, doing his best to radiate confidence and friendliness. He tends to check every room he goes in for other ways in and out, and will want to sit with his back to the wall. If he is being very formal with you, then he expects you're about to stab him or vice versa.

Backstory: The bastard son of a Keille noble, he was raised to be useful to his family. He resents his father but the old grouch pays well enough, and his employment as a spy against the Anurians means his mother and siblings are provided for. He was inserted into the enemy's capital as a war refugee from another city, taking the identity of a burglar who he resembled. He didn't enjoy killing that poor slob, but orders were orders. Once in his new city, he joined the thieves guild and started his new 'career.' He hadn't planned on moving in with Sweet Molly, but one thing had led to another, which had lead to an unplanned daughter, little Sally. Evidently he was more like his old man then he had thought.

addendum to applicationMolly and their child Sally have accompanied Ma-Coor on the boat trip to Ramia, a fact that he has mixed feelings about. Being able to see them once in a while is something he's looking forward to, but if he had any choice they wouldn't be going to a risky colony.

Ma-Coor was essentially blackmailed into going 'exploring' but he is pragmatic; he isn't going to betray the party unless he is desperate to save his family for some reason. That doesn't mean he is going to take any crap, except in the case of someone the government assigned to "hold his leash," so to speak. Even then, he is going resist stupid orders. If an opportunity comes up to loot a tomb or something he would be overjoyed but he isn't expecting that. Protecting the colony protects Molly and Sally, so that is likely to be his priority.

The ex-spy anticipates someone in the colony, someone appointed by the imperials, will expect him to carry out 'gray ops,' using his skills either against natives in Ramia or rivals in the colony. He doesn't have an issue with this, provided it doesn't destabilize the colony, i.e. endanger his family.

Motivation: Macoor is lucky to be alive. When he was arrested for burglary they thought he was, well, a burglar, rather than a spy for their bitter enemy, the Kingdom of Keille. That would have meant a one-way trip to the inquisitor's headquarters. Instead he was given the choice of death or volunteering to exploring Ramia. Apparently some fool in the imperial government thought that a burglar's skills might come in handy if the scouts ran across an abandoned tomb or some such nonsense. He said yes of course, just to buy time...but before he could escape, Molly and Sally were locked up, to make sure he actually went on the boat. Which he did.

Job: Depending on his mood, he is liable to give almost any answer. Expert treasure hunter...professional storyteller...designated juggler...armed shoe-shiner...amateur dad...

Alatere · #15 Sep 8th, 2022, 10:34 AM

This looks exactly like the kind of game I have been looking out for. Definitely going to make an app.

Edit: What is religion like in the Anurian Empire? Any particular faith or gods we should be aware of?

Are you confused and wondering what is going on here? Check out this YouTube video to get the scoop.