[D&D-5e] Dragon Storm Rising

[Drachenspirit]

CHARACTER	CLASS	RACE	PLAYER	APPLICATION COMPLETED
Ardana	Paladin of Helm, Oath of Devotion	Tiefling	tordon	Yes
Brother Aster	Cleric 3 (Life) / Druid 2 (Stars)	Custom Lineage (Wood Elf/Human)	Azathool	Yes
Kerri Amblecrown	War Cleric	Human (Chondathan)	Geldar	Yes

[Drachenspirit]

Originally Posted by Cardassian

Are apps still opened? I had a sleep apnea test Wed and had to get my thumb stitched last night (not all men are handy repairmen, but I had a choice between a rusty handsaw or a chainsaw. It wasn't my fault that the sink pipe and rusty saw attacked me).

Ugh, and ouch!
Yes, you made the cut to be considered. Just finish your app and then I'll review all four and make a decision on which will join the game.

[GleefulNihilism]

For the record, I strongly considered tossing something in but my best idea used a race that wasn't in one of the approved books. lol

 

Vigilance

“Well, you're certainly getting some milage out of that Free Will. Alright, let's get you patched up.”

Appearance A grizzled, world-weary war veteran, his golden eyes and golden-hued skin is a bit of a giveaway that he isn't strictly speaking human. Needs a shave. Usually dresses in armor with holy symbols, if it could use a good wash. Basic Information Race: Aasimar Sex:M Age: ??? Height: 6' 4" Weight: 190 lb Alignment: NG Background: Acolyte Class: Cleric Domain: Grave Personailty "I’m full of cautionary tales from my military experience relevant to almost every combat situation." A veteran of the front lines of the war of Good versus Evil, he seems to have come to the opinion that his side's not all that great either. They definitely seem to forget sometimes about the little people that get stepped on by the War Machines along the way. Ideals "I am Saving Lives. That gives me the Right." They say every Cynic is ultimately a Dissappointed Idealist. With Vigilance, that seems to be very true. On the surface, he's a crusty war veteran who is tired of being the instrument of Fate and seems to have lost faith in Good and Light - but really he's just tired of one unfortunate truth. In War, Civilians get caught in the Crossfire. All this talk of grand plans and greater ideals - what's the point if he has to watch another non-combatant die? Bonds "I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves." An idealist at his core, Vigilance ultimately wants to stay at the front lines because he feels that *someone* out there should feel a little Compassion for the innocent people that get caught in the cross-blades. An Aasimar servitor of the Gods of Light, Good, and Fate he currently has been appointed a Ward and will die if they die before completing their Destiny. He actually hates this arrangement, as he thinks the very idea that some Destinies are more important than others is offensive and Adventurers usually can take care of themselves but he will complete his duty. Flaws "It's pretty obvious I'm bitter about my lot in life." As said before, a Cynic is often a Dissappointed Idealist. Sometimes he openly wonders if the forces of Good are all they're cracked up to be. Better then the forces of Evil, he supposes, but surely innocent people wouldn't have to die so much if they were really so good. He also doesn't like the Ward system the Aasimar are often subjected too and thinks it's a waste of their abilities and talents as usually the Wards are people who can take care of themselves.

Backstory It would be funny if it wasn't so depressing. When the Looms of Fate and Destiny did their work, of course they accounted for the trickery of Devils and how this would result in the Tiefling people. Of course they accounted for that. What Fate didn't account for was the Aasimar. It's just simple facts really. Devils have Emotions, Angels and Celestials don't - not when they're Created at least. What apparently the Lords of Light, Good, and Fate didn't account for is that Gaurdian Angels might not be born with emotions but they can *develop* emotions if they interact with Mortals for long enough. And when love blooms between a Celestial and a Mortal, an Aasimar can result. Beings of Mortal and Celestial bloodlines and no preset Destinies of their own, usually the Heirarchy does try to assign them something - but frequently this is just Cannon Fodder for the War of Good versus Evil, a Slayer of Undead, or tours of duty as a Vigilance. The idea behind a Vigilance is that sometimes the Gods decide that a mortal's life is so important, that their Destiny is so important to the greater Weave of Fate, that they need help fulfilling their Destiny. So they are designated as a Ward, and assigned a Vigilance. Think a Gaurdian Angel, except they're allowed to be a little more Physical and less Subtle. On paper, this gives the Aasimar a Destiny at least for a while and the Ward gets a bodyguard while they fulfill their Fate. Granted, this has downsides - the most dramatic being that if the Ward dies before they complete their Destiny, something that happens more often then the Hierarchy cares to admit, the Vigilance dies too. This current Vigilance actually has a pretty solid history of fulfilling the duty, for his relative lack of experience he's considered one of the best in fact. Why is up for debate, though if you ask him he'll tell you it's for the simple fact that he thinks the whole system is a bad joke and that he usually doesn't even like his Wards. The Weave of Fate is so interconnected that he thinks the very idea that some Destinies are more important than ofters is offensive, and his Wards have all been people that in his opinion could defend themselves anyway. This means he usually finds it much easier to stay on task and get his Ward from Point A to Point B to Point C. If it were up to him, he'd be setting his skills and abilities on people who actually need them, like war refugees and non-combatants - betraying a bit of compassion he pretends he doesn't have. And now he's got another tour is a Vigilance. Alright, where's the Ward? They're where?

​


​

[Drachenspirit]

Thank you for your patience, and to all who put up applications. I've slept on it many times, and put probably way too much thought into it, but I've made a decision.
The player/character joining the game will be:

CHARACTER	CLASS	RACE	PLAYER
Brother Aster	Cleric 3 (Life) / Druid 2 (Stars)	Custom Lineage (Wood Elf/Human)	Azathool

@Azathool, please head over to the link below, add your character app to the appropriate thread and say hello to everyone in the OOC chat and we'll go from there.

Again, thanks to everyone who put in an application and made my choice difficult. Stay creative and good luck in your future and current games!
- D
https://www.rpgcrossing.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18512

[Drachenspirit]

Game Name Dragon Storm Rising

Game System DnD 5e

Theme Forgotten Realms

Flavour Melee and Mystery - Dungeon Crawls and Dragon Cult Thralls

Plot Summary You are thrust into an unfolding epic story that quite literally began after a Dragon and its allies attacked a town. You are on the trail of the Cult to see where they take their spoils and who is running it. You come into this adventure, "Tyranny of Dragons" towards the end of the 6th in a series of adventures in the greater Campaign of Tyranny of Dragons. It takes place against the backdrop of The Cult of the Dragon seeking out and collecting the five dragon masks, and of Severin’s efforts to assemble a treasure hoard worthy of Tiamat. This search for treasure has seen the cult unleash raids across the North of Faerûn, devastating the communities of the Sword Coast and drawing the attention of you, the adventurer.

The Hook The remaining series of adventures will bring your character from level 6, to 8 and greater. It is set in the Forgotten Realms on Faerûn’s western shore—the Sword Coast. A thin strip of civilization stretches down this coast, where widely spaced cities are arranged like beads on a string. A combination of roads and wagon tracks loosely connect the cities that stretch from Luskan in the north to Calimport in the south, passing through Neverwinter, Waterdeep, Baldur’s Gate, and other great ports along the way. Your adventure will now continue (begin) north of Waterdeep at a Castle long abandoned and now used by the Cult that sits in the Mere of the Dead. You'll have traveled to the Carnath Roadhouse, a compound that served as a hostelry on the Trade Road between Waterdeep and Neverwinter in the days when trade flourished. It fell into disuse when trade stopped, but now that the road is being rebuilt, the roadhouse has been repaired and put to use as a supply depot and wagon park. It is here that you believe you will finally get one step closer to finding out the "end game" of The Cult of the Dragon. The current group just fought and then befriended some Lizardfolk after going through a secret door in a storage room inside the Roadhouse that lead to a clearing after traversing a tunnel. We'll figure out how to get you in the game from here and join up with the others. Here is a link to the game Forum so you can "catch up" to where the others are now and give some much needed background info.

Game Mechanics How many Players are you looking for? 2 characters What is the characters' starting level? Level 6 (Players are about to level up to 6 in game) What Races are allowed? Any in the Approved Books. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with? 500gp plus 1d10x 25gp, normal starting equipment. 1 Uncommon Magic Item, or 2 Common Magic Items. Are there any particular character “things that you want... or do not want? No evil or true neutral alignments. Is a character background/History required? Are you looking for anything in particular? Yes. Character must be from Faerun. Options for backgrounds are below.   Below is a background template that applies to any background that you select or create. You can replace or augment some or all of the options in your chosen background with one or more of the elements given below. Each section tells you whether it replaces or adds to your background. THE STORY THUS FAR . . . As the Cult of the Dragon has grown bolder, its actions have drawn attention. Your character has stumbled into the Cult’s scheme in some manner or has a connection to dragons. The following table provides you with bonds tailored to this campaign. Use them in place of or in addition to the ones you selected from (or created for) your background. If you are bold, roll a d10 and choose. Otherwise, choose what suits your character as you see best. Bond (d10) Leosin Erlanthar, a wandering monk, once saved your life. He’s sent urgent word for you to meet him in a small town called Greenest. Looks like it’s time to pay off that debt. When an orc raid drove your family from your home, the people of Greenest took you in. Anyone who threatens Greenest is your sworn enemy. Every five nights, you have a strange sequence of apocalyptic dreams. The world is destroyed by cold, choking fumes, lightning storms, waves of acid, and horrible fire. Each time, the dream ends with ten evil eyes glaring at you from the darkness. You feel a strange compulsion to travel to Greenest. Perhaps the answer to the riddle of your dreams awaits you there. Ontharr Frume, a crusading warrior and champion of good, is your friend and mentor. He has asked you to travel to Greenest in search of rumors of increasing dragon activity. You have heard rumors that your close childhood friend, a half-elf named Talis, has been kidnapped by a strange group of dragon cultists. Your investigations into the cult have led you to the town of Greenest. You must save her! **Disclaimer - If you choose this Bond, note that your character will not meet up with/find Talis until they are level 4 or higher Being the grandchild of a renowned dragon slayer is usually a good way to impress people, but just last week a gang of ruffians attack you. You barely escaped with your life, but as you fled, the ruffians told you that the Cult of the Dragon never forgets and always avenges. You’re hoping to lie low in a sleepy little town called Greenest until this blows over. On his deathbed, your father confessed that he had become involved with a group called the Cult of the Dragon. They paid him to smuggle goods across the Sword Coast. Wracked by guilt, he begged you to investigate the cult and undo the evil he may have helped foster. He urged you to begin your search in a town called Greenest. The dragons destroyed everything you hold dear. They killed your family and destroyed your home. Now, with nothing but what you carry on your back and a horrid scar of the near fatal wounds you sustained in the attack, you seek revenge. You and your family were members of the Cult of the Dragon, until your rivals in the cult arranged to wipe you out. Though they slaughtered your kin, you survived, but they think you’re dead. Now is your chance for vengeance! Your hit list consists of three names: a human cultist named Frulam Mondath, a half-orc named Bog Luck, and a half-dragon named Rezmir. You have arrived in Greenest, knowing it’s next on the cult’s list of targets. You have a secret. You once were a gold dragon who served Bahamut. You were too proud and vain, to the point that Bahamut decided to teach you a lesson. You have been trapped in a weak, humanoid body, with your memories of your former life but a dim shadow. You remember only one thing with perfect clarity: Bahamut’s command to go into the world and prove your devotion to the cause of good. If you prove worthy, on your death you will return to his side in your true form. OPTIONAL FEATURES Below are two optional features that you can choose in place of the feature normally granted by your background. Optional Feature: Cult of the Dragon Infiltrator You have infiltrated the ranks of the Cult of the Dragon. Having spied on the organization for quite some time, you are familiar with its inner workings and customs. You have a second identity as an initiate of the cult, enough of a facade to blend in as a simple grunt or servant. OPTIONAL FEATURE: DRAGON SCHOLAR You have studied dragons and their lore for many years. You can automatically identify locations built or used by dragons and can identify dragon eggs and scales by sight. If you fail an Intelligence check to recall lore relating to dragons, you know someone or some book you can consult for the answer unless the DM rules that the lore is unknown. Are your Players restricted to particular rule books and supplements? Yes. These are the books that are allowed. -Player’s Handbook -Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide -Xanathar's Guide to Everything -Tasha's Cauldron The Application - Character Submission: No "Lone Wolf" Mentality Characters please Character Name: Race: Class: Description: Personality: Background: Trait 1: Trait 2: Ideal: Bond: Flaw: Character History: Limit to Forgotten Realms please Character Sheet: Create a sheet and post a link to it in your App. Reminder - no rolling in this thread. MAKE ALL ROLLS HERE. Game Posting Requirements: Once per week. Faster if player posting rate dictates this. DM reserves the right to "ghost" a character if 7 days have passed without a player posting since last DM "update" post. As for content, at least a decent paragraph in a post would be appreciated. Yes, sometimes combat can’t be too meaty, but it can be “descriptive!” But c’mon folks, we’re writing a story, and adventure together. Let’s have fun out there! Character Generation Method -27 Point Buy. Instead of doing the 27 point buy, you can go for broke and use the 4d6kh3 method rerolling any "kept" 1s. In the event your rolls are less than the 27 point buy, you may give up your allotted magic item(s) and take the 27 point buy. Additional Equipment: 1 Uncommon magic item, or two Common magic items. Your choice. HP is Max at 1st Level. About me the DM I have been on the site for several years, taking a hiatus at one point, and even a break once when the RL Dragon tried to take me offline. My style is collaborative, with DM and players alike policing the rules. I'll have the final ruling just so the crazies (other than me) aren't running the asylum. Overall, this is meant to be a good time and good distraction from RL, so I hope you find it the same way. Lastly No Die Rolling in this thread according to Site Rules. MAKE ALL ROLLS HERE.

Application Deadline
4/23/24 10 pm CST, or as soon as there are at least 3-4 solid applicants, then I'll close and review and make a decision.

Current Character list LIST OF ACTIVE PLAYERS Class Character Race Background Player Barbarian Zealot 4/ Rogue 1 Ehren Strongheart Halfling Outlander Alemar Monk (Way of the Sun Soul) Brother Hamen Human Healer (reskinned Hermit ) Grouchy Life Cleric 3/Druid Stars 2 Brother Aster Half-elf Acolyte Azathool LIST OF NEW APPLICATIONS CHARACTER CLASS RACE PLAYER APPLICATION COMPLETED Boja Rogue Scout 3 / Sorcerer Draconic Bloodline 3 Human (variant) Tordon Complete Jeck Verruckt Wizard Evocation Mountain Dwarf penbeast0 Complete Lily Kilnwood Ranger Swarmkeeper Ghostwise Halfling Azure Nokori Complete Derek Draven Wizard Necromancer Human (Variant) Togot Complete Rowena Black Artificer (Artillerist) Human (Variant) Red Leper Complete Zagrum Grubuz Fighter Rune Knight Half-Orc leftyyy88 Complete Brunner Fighter Battlemaster Human (Variant) Rockerboy Complete Sir Alden Ballard Sorcerer (Draconic Bloodline Human (Variant) Xand Need to make character sheet public Zaur Osmanek Genie Warlock Human (Variant) Berith WIP

[Drachenspirit]

Side note, two of the current players - Alemar & Grouchy - have been in this game for 3 years. Azathool came in about 6 months ago. None of the original players are still in it from when it started at level one. But, the current trio are having fun and want to keep going, thus this new advert. Not looking for any kind of particular class or anything, just a well rounded character that will fit in with the group and its desire to put down this cult.

[tordon]

Boja I'd like to use my "Boja" character I ran in a discord campaign to L5 - I'll regen the character of course here with all the same decisions I made in that previous campaign, Rogue 3 (Scout), and Sorcerer 3 (Draconic heritage). I'll fill out more of the application later today. Character Name: Boja Cragmont Race: Human (Variant) Class: Rogue 3 (Scout)/Sorcerer 3 (Draconic Bloodline) Description: A human woman, in her early twenties, a little above average height, with a slim athletic build, long black hair pulled back, green eyes, tan skin with streaks of golden scales. She is equipped for travel, carrying a rapier and a short bow. Personality: Background: Spy Trait 1:I am always calm, no matter what the situation. I never raise my voice or let my emotions control me. Trait 2:I always have a plan for what to do when things go wrong. Ideal:Honor. I don’t steal from others in the trade. (Lawful) Redemption. There’s a spark of good in everyone. (Good) Bond: I am a Harper. Flaw: I sometimes get myself in TOO deep, overcomplicating my plans and risking failure. Character History: Boja comes from a long family of Harpers; her father is a merchant who runs a safe house, and her mother is a sorcerer who occasionally goes away on missions. Her childhood was primarily spent in Neverwinter, seeing individual Harpers come and go as their missions see them pass through the capitol. She had a childhood dream to become one of them, but she did not have the physical strength to be a warrior, or the magical skill to contribute in that way. What sorcerous origin gave her mother the power seemed to have passed her by. So when she joined up, she left the city to seek her own way, acting as a spy and a scout for the Harpers as they seek to thwart evil plots throughout the North of the Sword Coast. She is seldom seen in her natural state - she is most often in disguise as she seeks to infiltrate or investigate whatever her latest target is. And then came the ultimate assignment; to infiltrate, spy on, and ultimately betray the Cult of the Dragon. However during a ceremony in the Cult of the Dragon, she was exposed to the spirit of a dragon, which finally awoke the Gold Dragon ancestry (inherited from her mother) that had been latent for so long. She uses her Disguise abilities to redden the visible scales on her face, to remain undercover portraying herself as a Red Draconic Sorcerer instead. She is the sort of spy that makes long-term plans, recruits allies, and assembles teams to fulfill her objectives. She uses the best of her abilities to continue to keep the Harpers informed of the plans for the Cult of the Dragon; she remains under cover for the time being, however dangerous this is. Character Sheet: https://www.rpgcrossing.com/profiler/view.php?id=94170

OOC Still need to roll HP, add gold and equipment, can do this if/when acceptance happens.

[penbeast0]

 

This character's GM just ended his campaign and the group was a lot of fun with good interactive roleplaying. I've played with all 3 of your existing players and enjoyed it tremendously. And, hopefully, you will want a rude boy who just to make things explode. I mean, why not?

Let's go blow some stuff up! picture by Wilson Melo Name: Jeck Verruckt Race: Mountain Dwarf Class: Wizard, Evocation Alignment: Chaotic Neutral Background -- custom guild scion (PHB)   Pearl of Power -- regain 1 spell slot per day It was a naming day present from my parents. Hey, what can I say, they try to buy my affection and I let them. Spike me if you got a problem with that.   Being the grandchild of a renowned dragon slayer and child of two well known dwarven officials is usually a good way to impress people, but just last week a gang of ruffians attacked me. I barely escaped with my life, but as I fled, the ruffians told you that the Cult of the Dragon never forgets and always avenges. I took off that very afternoon. I know my parents can take care of myself, but I need to get out fast as I know a few "friends" who would be willing to collect any bounty offered. What can I say? Live fast, die young, leave a good looking corpse. Any case, I took the first fast transport headed out and slipped away at this sleepy little town called Greenest.   Personality traits: Thinking is for other people. I prefer action. The best way to get me to do something is to tell me I can't do it Ideal: Creativity. The world is in need of new ideas and bold action. Independence. I must prove that I can handle myself without the coddling of my family. Bond: I want to be famous in my own right, whatever it takes Flaw: I'm immature, childish, and I don't care.   Backstory: Jeck is the son of two very busy, very important dwarf clan crafters. His father is an alchemist and his mother a wizard and from an early age they encouraged him in the study of these subjects. Well, encouraged might be a strong word, they were both too busy to really encourage Jeck in much of anything and ignoring a succession of nannies and maids, he ran a bit wild. When he got of age, they apprenticed him to a clan wizard where he paid little attention to his proper studies while causing a fair bit of havoc. The wizard returned him to his parents who tried again with a 2nd wizard, and were looking for a 3rd when he abruptly disappeared. Meanwhile, Jeck had fallen in with some chippers (young dwarfs who cut their marks into statues, monuments, and doors), or as the elders called them, vandals and hooligans. He liked being in a gang and quickly became a leader of the young troublemakers. Now he's gone; and one can't help but wonder if his parent aren't secretly a bit relieved.   RP sample from last campaign: Jeck woke to the feel of heat burning into his skins and strange background noises. He froze in place, not wanting to make himself vulnerable to whatever was going on before orienting himself. His friends had pulled some pretty stupid stunts before and the last thing he wanted was to be the butt and laughingstock of whatever this latest prank was, at least not unless he could turn the tables on them. Light burned against his eyelids and he tasted . . . sand and salt on his lips. Slowly he cracked his eyes open to see light burning off the sand, sunlight, he wasn't in a cave at all. About 2 feet in front of him was a naked pair of legs too long for a dwarf. Butt too, he snorted to himself. Well, at least he wasn't alone. As the person moved he saw other naked people, several of them, all stirring and getting to their feet. Well, he wasn't going to be the last one sleeping. Jeck sat up and pushed himself to his feet, staring around him at all the straightbeards. Well, that wasn't him, Jeck was as curly as they came, he thought, scratching idly at an itch in his wrist. That was odd, a crystal was implanted in his wrist. He twisted at it . . OUCH. Okay, it wasn't removable without tools. Suddenly everyone jumped! A loud roar came from the tangle of giant plant life beyond the beach. The others huddled together, instinctively seeking each others' company in the face of danger but that was Jeck. He called up a flame and moved left, away from the main group, he wanted a clear line of fire at whatever this was. His heart was beating fast, his breathing rapid and irregular, but Jeck was pleased to see he wasn't afraid. Angry? Maybe. Curious? Definitely. But this looked like the curliest thing that had happened to him in years and he found himself looking forward to whatever giant beastie emerged from the jungle.

[Azure Nokori]

Yes! I have just the character in mind. She was created for a Hoard of The Dragon Queen game that didn’t last long but I’d love to see her story played out. App incoming!

[Azure Nokori]

Application Name: Lily Kilnwood (Sheet) Race: Ghostwise Halfling Class: Ranger Background: Fisher + Leosin Erlanthar, a wandering monk, once saved your life. He’s sent urgent word for you to meet him in a small town called Greenest. Looks like it’s time to pay off that debt.Leosin Allingment: Lawful Good Ideal: Good things happen to good people. So be quiet, cooperative and keep your head down. Bond: Family is more important than anything. Flaw: I'll never be the first one charging in. I jump at the shadows around my house. Appearance: To say Lily was scruffy would be an understatement to the degree of calling a kraken just a big squid. Her hair went this way and that, and occasional got bunched to the side in a sporadic pony tail or pinned with a twig. Fashion was a concept for the people in the cities. Her clothes were a mishmash of faded color patches and repaired seams. Not dirty, no. Just old and worn. Cos if it ain't broken, it's fine, and if it IS broke, fix it! As halflings go she was normal height, but as pixie's go she was a comparable giant! Or so she likes to remind herself when in the presence of humans and so on. Personality: I’m just a simple girl from a simple place. The aspirations of others are way above my head, and I often feel like I'm drowning in the deep-end. This adventure is going to be a coming-of-age rite of passage for Lily. I’m hoping it will take her from a naive little farm girl, to a more hardened young adult, it without souring her or talking away her childish wonder and positivity . History: For all her life, Lily lived with her Grandfather and older sister on Dew Spring ranch. Parents, some people had them, but the world was a merciless place, so many didn't. Life on the farm wasn't easy, but Lily would count herself lucky to have two people she loved dearly. Her grandpa, a kind and loving man, never said a bad word about anyone and did everything he could for the people of the village at any expense. Rose, on the other hand was as head strong as ram in a silvered helm. Not selfish, but she definitely knew how to get what she wanted, and at anyone else's expense. Both were strong in the ways of Druidic magic, something that Lily lacked. All she could muster was the make moths gather and dance around her. It was a quiet existence, quiet and safe. Then the dragons came. First to go were the crops. Torched to a cinder and the ground razed so nothing would ever grow again. Then was grandpa. Racked with coughing fits and skin turned gray, they say the dragon’s smoke filled his lungs until he could breathe no more. Lily and Rose, did what they could to shift the last of the stock, but when Rose left for Greenest to trade, she never came back. She had heard that her sister had been spotted with cultists. Whether she was with them by choice or not remained unknown. But what Lily did know was she would stop at nothing to find her sister. She had nothing else. She tracked the cultists across fields and mountains, through tunnels and caves. Always one step behind, but always on the trail. She fought off wild beasts and slept rough in the underbelly of cities Now, at the gates of Carnath Roadhouse the young halfling girl is shaping up to be something else entirely different.   RP Sample: This was it. It was the end of life as she knew it. For the first time ever, she was alone. For the first time ever, she had to leave the village. Not that that there were many left now anyway, most had left for the towns in the first weeks since the dragons attacked. She stood at the end of the path and looked back at her home. If it's here when I get back, great. If someone else is here, that's fine. They'll need it.If I..." She paused and uncontrollably sniffed and quivered. Her sister's voice came into her head, bossy and assertive as always, "No crying, Weed. It'll sooner kill you than make anything better. Straighten up and get going." She was right. Lily straightened, banged her walking staff on the dragonbreath-scorched ground ceremoniously and bowed in gratitude to the farm. Carrying naut but a simple pack and her Grandfather’s beloved Bag of Tricks (Because it was always good to have a companion), she turned away and headed for Greenest, a dusty ashen gem growing from the corner of her eye. Greenest wasn't as big as she expected, but then her expectations were exaggerated by her own desires. The thought of a grand city was so much more... interesting. It was large indeed, but there were no spiralling towers, or roosting giant eagles, or grand palaces by the score. She could hear her Grandpa's voice chuckling "Oh, wouldn't that be a sight to see. My, the imagination of the young!" but then came the chiding snap of her sister, reminding her not to live in fantasy. She had to be strong and focused now. No more childish dreams, just rigid, unforgiving reality. She made her way to the guards, then the traders, the tanner's too, but no one had seen anything of Rose. Feeling dejected she trudged way to the cheapest inn she could find. "Oh, you're still here? I thought you'd be long gone with those Dragon creeps by now." said the innkeeper in suprise and much to Lily's confusion. "Me? No sir. Just arrived, I did." She explained with her brow furrowed in confusion. "Oh? Must be another halfling then I guess..." Lily's mouth dropped open and gasped. The inn's counter came just above her head so she had to pull herself up to get face to face with the man. "TELL ME EVERYTHING!!" she demanded, trying to be as intimidating as Rose would have been. But she caught herself in her Grandpa's eyes and dropped down and stared at the floor in embarrassment. "That's my sister...she's missing...." "Oh. Aye, well let me see...She stayed here a few days ago. Maybe a week. Then I saw her leaving town with some dark looking fellows. Cultists I would think. Weird bunch they are." Lily's face lit up, and then instantly darkened. It was a clue, a trail, but to what? A cult? Why? Was she taken? Joining? Damn! Lily was all alone, out on her own, only a few gold to her name, but by god's, she was going to find her sister even if it meant busting up a whole cult on the way!!

[Red Leper]

WIP: Character Name: Rowena Black Race: Human (Variant) Class: Artificer 6 (Artillerist) Description: Rowena is an attractive young woman with a voluptuous, athletic frame. It seems to be a natural beauty as she tends to dote over her inventions, schematics and crazy ideas more than she dotes over her looks. She only cares about her hairstyle at all, making sure her white shock of hair covers the left side of her face and left ear but kept short enough so as not to fall too far in her face as it will irritate her while she is working over a new device. If anyone catches a glance at her when an explosion blows her hair away from her face, they would see the burn scars that cover her cheek and left ear, the remains of a horrible injury from her younger years. Her sharp and unwavering greenish eyes seem to look right through a person as if seeing their innerworkings and how they tick. The clothes that she fancies are light leathers, a low-cut bodice over a white long-sleeve button down shirt that is usually unbuttoned down to where the bodice buttons and the sleeves are always rolled up. Rowena wears a red necktie, some strange fashion from a land far away, a token from her father, as well as the brown, wide-brimmed hat that she wears. Fingerless gloves protect her slender yet strong hands. She wears snug trousers and half-calf, leather boots that lace up the front. Personality: Rowena is a determined individual and doesn't like to take no for an answer. She is friendly to those she cares about and tends to look after them especially if it means blowing something up to protect them. She is brave to a fault and when she is overthinking a way around a problem, she usually comes up with a very intelligent solution, even if it's a little crazy. Background: I stood alone against a terrible monster.Folk Hero Trait 1: -I judge people by their actions, not their words Trait 2: -When I set my mind to something, I follow through, no matter what gets in my way. Ideal: -People. I'm committed to the people I care about, not to ideals. Bond: -The dragons destroyed everything I hold dear. They killed my family and destroyed my home. Now, with nothing but what I carry on my back and a horrid scar of the near fatal wounds I sustained in the attack, I seek revenge. Flaw: -I always overthink a solution to any problem...usually resorting to explosives. Character History: Rowena is the daughter of Harlowe Black, a famous inventor that was conscripted into the employ of the Lords of Waterdeep. He made many machines of war until his daughter was born and that is when he turned over a new leaf, tired of making things that killed and instead moved out to a no-name village to raise his family. Harlowe instilled in his daughter a love for all things magical and mechanical, teaching her the value of creating wonderous things that could help people and guided her away from anything that he might have invented in his earlier years, Inventions meant to help people, not hurt them. She had inherited her father's steady hands and eye for detail and made many things that made their life and the lives of the villagers so much easier. Their village was a sight to behold with it's mechanical marvels that rivaled the Harpels' own magical prowess. It was all ended though when a horrible monster, a dragon descended upon the village and destroyed every building and nearly every villager with fire from it's mouth. A terrible red dragon that Rowena stood against all by herself. She found the usefulness and necessity for the inventions that caused harm despite her father's cautionary tales. Now, she seeks to find the dragon who destroyed everything she knew and loved and bring it down, prepared to use those forbidden schematics her father had hidden away from her in her youth, weighing that even if it wouldn't be what he would have wanted, avenging her family outweighs what would have been his wishes. Character Sheet: https://www.rpgcrossing.com/profiler/view.php?id=94178

[Togot]

Name: Derek Draven
Race: Variant human
Class: wizard
Subclass: necromancer
Background: hermit
Alignment: lawful Good
Personality: I wish to make the world a better place
i am loyal to my friends
Flaw: I get hyper-focused on my goals, blinding me to other things
Ideal: the guilty should be punished
Bond: I treat my friends like family, and I will let no insult or injury fall upon them

Description: Derek is a small, young man standing 5’2 and weighing 120 pounds. He wears a black robe gifted to him by his master. He has a raven familiar that often rests on his left shoulder. His eyes are a deep blue. His hair is short, straight, and as black as his raven’s feathers. He wears his mother’s necklace as a memento. His arcane focus is a blue jewel on his belt that gives off a faint glow.

Personality: Derek has a strong sense of justice due to the wrongs that were done to him and his people. He believes that wicked people must be punished, and the innocent must be protected. He is quick to latch on to those who offer him friendship and is fiercely loyal. He understands people’s misgivings regarding undead, but he holds himself to strict rules regarding them. He will never raise an innocent person as an undead without their permission. Instead, he wishes to raise the wicked as a punishment so that they can atone for their crimes in life by serving good in death. Despite his tragic childhood, Derek is friendly and optimistic


Backstory

The beginning of Derek’s story is far too common. A simple farm boy in some small hamlet hidden away in the forest of Lurkwood frightened by stories of dragons, no real ambition other than getting a wife one day. The first twelve years of his life were utterly unextraordinary. They had the occasional beast show up, but everyone would rally together to drive it off, and if it kept coming back, they’d send a request for adventurers.

He remembers the first time he saw adventurers. They were a rough looking bunch. Not the knights in shining armor he had built up in his mind, but they got the job done. It was also the first time he’d seen magic. One of them was a sorcerer. She made light out of nothing, shot flames into the air from her palm and could lift things without touching them. He was mesmerized.

He asked her if she could teach him magic, but she explained that a sorcerer simply does magic. It wasn’t something she could teach, but if he really wanted to learn, he’d have to find a wizard and become his apprentice. He remembers being so disappointed. He didn’t know where any wizard was, and he couldn’t just leave home. His family needed him for tending the fields. His life, it seemed, was destined for mediocrity.

Then they came, and his quiet little world came to a tragic, violent end.

It wasn’t demons from hell or an orc horde that destroyed his home. It was human raiders, A raiding band that was sweeping through the area, pillaging anything they found, and his village was their first stop. The men in the village grabbed what weapons they could to defend the women and children. They didn’t even slow the barbarians down.

Derek stood frozen as he watched the slaughter happening all around him as if he were somehow apart from it, as if it were not real. He saw hill giants rip off the roofs of houses and snatch up the people inside. He saw tamed wolves as big as a pony rip people apart. Then Derek saw him. He sat upon a black horse. Smoke billowed from the beast’s nostrils. Red eyes glowed like hot coals. The man himself was tall, wore black armor, and wielded a halberd. Derek could not see his face for he wore a bone mask with six eyes and two horns like a devil. A black cloak floated behind him like a bat’s wings.

Then the dragon came. A red-bellied beast bigger than a barn. It breathed fire that swallowed up his friends and neighbors like a red and yellow wave. The heat stung his skin. Derek just sat there in awe struck horror, watching the carnage.

Then the beast turned its eyes to the boy, and Derek felt true fear for the first time. Derek turned to run away, desperate to get home and tell his mother Miria to flee. He didn’t make it far before someone slammed into him. Derek fell to the ground and closed his eyes tight, expecting a killing blow, but none came. Instead, a heavy, warm body fell on him, limp and lifeless. Derek cracked open one eye to see the village head, Paradoll, eyes open, but lifeless, mouth agape with blood dripping out of it. It was then a terrified, desperate thought occurred to Derek.

He closed his eyes and lay still.

The screaming didn’t stop for hours. Every footstep Derek heard come near made him hold his breath in terror, convinced that they had seen through his deception. He did not sleep all night. The next morning, He heard them leave, but the fear did not leave him enough to dare open his eyes for many hours after they left. Once he was convinced that they were truly gone, Derek finally got up.

Derek looked around at the burned, ruined remains of his village. He only allowed himself the distraction for a moment before he rushed home, hoping desperately that his parents had somehow survived like he had. Hope can be so cruel sometimes. Derek found his parent’s bodies burned, along with his house. All his animals killed or taken. All but crumbs stolen. He fell to his knees and wept.

Not knowing what to do, Derek gathered all the food and items he thought he could sell that he could carry and headed to a neighboring village of Camlford. When he arrived, he thought that he'd someone gotten turned around for the sight that greeted him was identical to the one he had left. Burned homes, slaughtered villagers, naught but crumbs left behind.

He slept in a bed of a house that still had a room with a roof and a door that night, wondering if the raiders had killed everyone in the world? What would he find at the next village? Weren’t there any survivors like him? So many questions, and no answers.

The next village was the same, and the next, and the next. His heart sank with each new discovery. Hope no longer drove him, only the tedious, monotonous trudge forward for no other reason than he had no where else to go, and didn’t know what else to do.

While scavenging for food and water in the last village, Derek finally found a survivor, or so he thought. A man in black robes was walking down the street, inspecting the grizzly scene. Without thinking Derek called out to him and approached. Then he saw the man's companion come out of one of the ruined houses. It was a lumbering hulk covered in spikes. It dragged a dead barbarian that one of the villagers had managed to kill over to the robed man and lifted it up for him to get a closer look.

The man nodded, and the hulking thing impaled the corpse on its spikes, attaching him to its body. Then the man looked at Derek.

Derek was too tired to run. Too tired and too weak from hunger and thirst and despair. He just stood there expecting to die. The man casually walked up to him, close enough that Derek could see his scruffy grey beard and bone-white hair. He asked if Derek was alright.

Derek only shook hishead.

He nodded his understanding and told Derek to follow him. Not really having any better options and fearing what would happen to him if he upset the old man, Derek did so. He led Derek to a wagon filled with the bodies of the raiders hitched to a skeletal horse. Derek didn’t register that the horse was able to move until it turned its head to look at him.

The man laughed at Derek’s horrified expression and assured the boy he was safe. He said his name was Janfadar Alanis, and that he would not harm Derek. He took Derek to a large tower in the middle of a field where skeletons were plowing. Derek began to suspect that he had died, and this was the afterlife, but when Derek asked if that was the case, the Janfadar laughed again. He invited the boy in and explained that he was a wizard who specialized in necromancy.

Derek instantly recalled the sorceress he had met a few years prior, and he saw a potential future. He begged Janfadar to make him his apprentice, to teach him. Derek told him what had happened to his village, his family, told Janfadar he had nowhere to go and that he would do anything he asked of the boy.

Janfadar just stared at him in stunned silence, and then he laughed again. He said that Derek’s reaction was not what he’d expected after telling the boy he was a necromancer. And thus, Derek’s apprenticeship began.

Of course, Derek had heard stories of necromancers and how they were all evil, and he had to admit seeing Janfada’s corpse collector which he called Caster made the boy afraid, but Janfadar himself was a very warm and friendly individual. He was a patient teacher, had a good sense of humor, and praised the boy whenever he got a spell right. Derek spent five years under his tutelage, doing tasks, even delving into tombs.

Janfadar taught Derek the rules of being a good necromancer. Never raise those who are innocent and good without their permission, always reserve enough magical strength to reassert control over your undead, never use your undead against the innocent, don't bring your undead into towns, have a plan to destroy or contain your undead in the event of your death.

When Derek learned that Janfadar lived out in the middle of nowhere because he was shunned by society for being a necromancer, Derek was upset. The boy knew him to be a kind, good-humored man who had healed the boys mind and heart enough for Derek to smile and laugh again, yet he was treated like a criminal. It was then that Derek knew what he wanted to do with his life. He would become a hero to show the world that necromancers could be good.

To do this he would need to grow stronger. He dedicated himself to his studies, learned enough spells to defend himself, and finally, Derek was ready to head out on his own, and implement his plan.

RP Sample

 

Derek followed behind a man who appeared in his forties of thin build and average height. He wore black robes with an amulet of a fanged skull the size of a fist hanging from his neck. He had short black hair, pulled back into a ponytail. His angular face was framed with a sharp goatee of the same color. His skin was pale, but not lifeless. His expression was grim.

Derek was eight years old, dressed in clothes that had been cut shorter yet were still too large for him. his head hung low; his mood somber.

A lumbering hulk followed behind them. The large mountain of meat was a collage of corpses, stitched together to form a humanoid whole. It had numerous large metal spikes sticking out of its body. It carried a large pack with shovels, rope, and other gear like a pack mule.

They walked in silence until reaching the remnants of a village. Derek’s village. The fires had burned themselves out, leaving blackened timbers standing like the skeletons of the houses that the villagers once lived in. Everywhere Derek looked there were dead bodies strewn about. Most had been picked by scavengers and started to decay, but a few were still recognizable to him. Seeing their rotting flesh made the boy feel nauseous. He didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want to be here. But it had to be done. he owed them this.

“Here is as good a place as any,” the man said. He pointed to the flesh golem and gave it a simple command. “Gore, Dig graves.” The golem set down the pack and took out a large shovel, too large for a normal man. It began scooping up dirt as the man then looked to Derek. “Where are they?”

Derek stared at him in silence for a moment. The boy’s eyes were sad, desperate, pleading. The man’s were calm, soft, and gentle. He made no attempt to rush the boy. He waited patiently for Derek to show him where his parents were.

They were just where Derek had seen them last, but they were in much worse condition than he remembered. His mother was missing her eyes. Derek stared into her empty sockets, and his heart sank. It was hard seeing her like that. He didn’t want anyone else to see her in such a state.

Derek’s master cast a spell that lifted her body into the air, and he brought her over to where Gore was working on his third grave. Derek’s mother’s body began moving toward the first one. As he saw her approaching the hole, a sense of dread filled Derek’s heart, as if his mother going into that hole meant he really would lose her. In his desperation, he said what he knew he shouldn’t. “Bring her back!”

The man turned to look at Derek, and the boy stared at him with tears in his eyes. “You can do it, can’t you master Janfadar. You can bring her back?”

Derek’s master closed his eyes and let out a sigh before answering. “I can, but I won’t.”

“Why not?” Derek cried like a petulant child. “I’ll serve you! I’ll do anything you ask, so please, bring her back!”

Janfadar gave Derek a fast slap to silence his, and then knelt down and put his hands on the boy’s shoulders. He looked Derek in the eyes and said, “Derek, you asked me to teach you necromancy. Answer me truthfully. Is this why?”

“N-No,” He answered, “but if I can-“

“You are about to go down a ruinous path, child,” Janfadar said, his voice sympathetic. “Many necromancers learn the craft for this very reason. They want to bring back a loved one. They don’t respect or understand what it means to animate a corpse. To create an undead. Look at your mother, Derek. If I were to turn her into a zombie, she would look just like that, rotting, grotesque, her soul trapped inside as a slave to my will. Is that what you’d want for her?”

Derek looked at his mother’s lifeless desiccated face, into those empty soulless sockets and his sadness overwhelmed him. “No,” he managed to say through his tightened throat as tears streamed down his cheeks.

“Turning someone into an undead is a punishment. The skeletons that plow my fields, the zombies that guard my home, even the parts that make up Gore, murderers, slavers, rapists. Wicked men every one of them. They serve penance for their crimes by doing some good in death to make up for the evil they did in life. You wanted me to teach you, so here is your first lesson: never turn an innocent person into an undead. Do you understand?”

Derek wiped the tears and snot from his face and nodded. “Yes.”

“Good,” he said. “Then embrace death. Accept it. Respect it and let go of those who are gone. Look at your mother, and say goodbye, and let us put her to rest respectfully.”

Derek looked at his mother again, not feeling disgust or nausea, but a strange sense of relief as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Goodbye, mother.”

[Azure Nokori]

Is it ok to just take the average HP instead of rolling?

[Drachenspirit]

Originally Posted by Azure Nokori

Is it ok to just take the average HP instead of rolling?

It is.

[Drachenspirit]

Application list thus far...

CHARACTER	CLASS	RACE	PLAYER	APPLICATION COMPLETED
Boja	Rogue Scout 3 / Sorcerer Draconic Bloodline 3	Human (variant)	Tordon	Complete
Jack Verruckt	Wizard Abjuration	Mountain Dwarf	penbeast0	Need Character Sheet
Derek Draven	Wizard Necromancer	Human (Variant)	Togot	Complete
??	Artificer (Artillerist)	??	Red Leper	WIP

@Tordon - what did you take for your character for moving to level 4; feat or ability score increase?