[D&D-5e] Edge of the Astral

[silveroak]

Game Name Edge of the Astral

Game System DnD 5e

Theme Endless Struggle

Flavour "Fearless Vampire Hunters" meets "Star Trek: Lower Decks"

Plot Summary Abbados is a plane which originated from the sphere of the prime material, but resides now more in the astral plane. It is a common target of demons which are easily summoned there and in millennia past the geography of the plane has been transformed by Demon Lords snatching a section of land to drag into the abyss. It is believed the land grows back, but the struggle continues. Infernal cults rule most of the civilized lands, divided up into one kingdom per Lord of Hell. Haven sits in the middle of this- the city of the gods. Seven gods (Lallana, daughter of Shuggus, Hektor, son of Arain, Uri, son of Ilta, Ma’li, daughter of Tai Shun, Luje, child of Kel, Mudy, daughter of Wudal, and Ook, son of Hachang) have set up part time residence and temples in the city, which is ruled by a mayor they have selected. Characters begin at level 1. The game will follow the goals and lives of up to six characters which begin in Haven. Plot will be character driven, but it is not a sandbox. The following classes are allowed: Artificer: all subclasses Barbarian: no path of the zealot Bard:no college of glamour, Cleric:all subclasses Druid:no circle of dreams, subclasses Fighter: no psi warrior, Monk: all subclasses Paladin: All subclasses Ranger:no fey wanderer Rogue:no soulknife Sorcerer:no clockwork soul, only chromatic draconic lineages Warlock: no archfey patron, no genie patron, Wizard: any subclasses "all" refers to subclasses found in the 2014 players handbook, Xanathars, or Tasha's Allowed species are:human, elf, gnome, halfling, tiefling, chromatic dragonborn, half elf, half orc, orc, goblins, yuan ti, kobolds, dwarves, Goliath, Kenku, Lizardfolk, Tabaxi, Tritons, Bugbears, deep gnomes, changelings, Duergar, hobgoblins, Kenku, sea elves, Shadar-kai, shifter, and tortles. Variant humans are not allowed. Backgrounds will be worked out as part of character creation, and will consist of 2 general abilities, 1 tool proficiency or language, 1 single point stat bonus (in addition to racial bonuses) and 1 feat. While you may propose what you believe will fit the actual assignments are up to the DM. A certain amount of vagueness is allowed in assigning a background to indicate what your goals are in the process (for example "something in patient care that will give me the medic feat") In addition to the character's class, species, and background I want a paragraph or two describing the character themselves- what their goals are, who they know (living family, chosen family, etc.) and what drives them. This can include a narrative scene from their past. I will take applications until Oct 15, though discussion and session zero work may postpone some decisions in terms of final acceptance. For those who have looked at Carlsport this is a very different game- no wiki, no complicated background, no social combat system, just character driven stories with some fighting thrown in.

[Nade]

Will the characters be starting at level 1?

[silveroak]

yes

[silveroak]

I realize level 1 characters seem weak and squishy, but I am doing this to get character advancement from the begininng, and plan to advance rapidly. For this game I plan to award 10 xp for every post which advances character development or plot. As example:
"Sure sounds good" - no points.

I consider the plan and don't have anything to add. "Sure, sounds good" I say as I stand up ready to follow the group into action. - 10 points

Posts made exclusively about combat, or to cover mechanical aspects of the game will not qualify.

Additionally I will award tactical points- for example if you need to get an item from the castle vault and the castle is protected by 1000 veterans then getting the item and getting away to where the veterans are not pursuing you is worth 700,000 points even if you seduce the cook to come in the back door, slip a sleeping potion in the food given to the vault watch, pick the lock and get out before anyone knows you are there without striking a single blow.
On the other hand I can promise you that any castle guarded by 1,000 veterans will not actually be *that* ridiculously easy to break into. It does serve as a simple example however.

[penbeast0]

The Stars My Destination Name: Chak Ek Race: Kenku Class: Druid Gender: Builder Alignment: L/N   Investigator Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft You relentlessly seek the truth. Perhaps you're motivated by belief in the law and a sense of universal justice, or maybe that very law has failed you and you seek to make things right. You could have witnessed something remarkable or terrible, and now you must know more about this hidden truth. Or maybe you're a detective for hire, uncovering secrets for well-paying clients. Whether the mysteries you're embroiled in are local crimes or realm-spanning conspiracies, you're driven by a personal need to hunt down even the most elusive clues and reveal what others would keep hidden in the shadows. Suggested Feat: Observant Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from among Insight, Investigation, or Perception Tool Proficiencies: Disguise kit, thieves' tools Equipment: A magnifying glass, evidence from a past case (choose one or roll for a trinket from the Horror Trinkets table), a set of common clothes, and 10 gp Feature: Official Inquiry You're experienced at gaining access to people and places to get the information you need. Through a combination of fast-talking, determination, and official-looking documentation, you can gain access to a place or an individual related to a crime you're investigating. Those who aren't involved in your investigation avoid impeding you or pass along your requests. Additionally, local law enforcement has firm opinions about you, viewing you as either a nuisance or one of their own. Trait 1: I'm willing to listen to every side of an argument before I make my own judgment. Trait 2: I am tolerant of other faiths and respect the worship of other gods. Ideal: Knowledge. The path to power and self-improvement is through knowledge. (Neutral) Bond: I sold my soul for knowledge. I hope to win it back. Flaw: I tend to complicate things, even ones that should be simple. Appearance: Even in his ritual robes with the green mask of a temple scribe, Chak Ek is not an imposing figure. Under 5 feet in height, slightly built, with clerkish affectations and mannerisms, he is not going to dominate a room. His voice, when not imitating others, is flat and affectless, almost robotic in nature. He dreams of power and majesty, but does not seem to pursue them with conviction. Personality: Precise, detail oriented, Chak Ek is a born functionary. As such he fit in well with the temple bureaucracy but feels a bit lost now that he has fled that life and become an adventurer. Adventurers are supposed to be flamboyant, impulsive, not dryly compulsive. Maybe he can develop a sense of humor. It was frowned upon in the temple; but he is free to make his own rules now. He just isn't sure what they should be. He is driven by the desire to stay free and alive and a need to make something more of himself. To be something other than a bureaucratic functionary in a society that looks down on the flightless. Backstory: The section of Abbados where Chak hails from is known as the Land of the Birds. The primary species are indeed avian, but there are several flightless species: the powerful Espatha, the smaller Doduo, the beautiful and arrogant Quaquaval, the Psyflock, and of course, my people, the Kenku. It is true that most of the government is Aarakocra and winged Avia comprise the elite and the enobled. But they need us to do the work of governance, to create the infrastructure, and to investigate crimes. Worshipping a demon cult isn't something Chak gravitated to; more something he was born into. His little piece of Abbados is controlled by the demon Quetzalcoatl. The pyramids of his servants dot the landscape, their steps stained with blood. As a smart young man, Chak Ek was naturally drafted in the bureaucracy of worship. But, as he worked his way into the higher orders of the bureaucracy (not in a supervisory capacity but as a valued clerk for his memory and ability to focus on detail), he was sickened by the sacrifices and the corruption of the religious leaders. So, when the opportunity came during one of the wars that characterize the land, he took flight (well, walked of course as Kenku can't fly) and headed for the City of Haven to lose himself. He hoped that they would just assume he had been killed or captured for sacrifice.

[silveroak]

While I have not yet defined an astronomy or astrology for this world it will not be the same as Earth (neither will city names) o "red planet" is fine, and even one closer to the sun than (we can stick with Earth for convenience) it will not specifically be a planet from the RL solar system.

[silveroak]

I do want to make certain that it is clear that backgrounds do not need to come from the 2024 rules, just that any background will be adjusted to fit that format.

[Toad`]

What are you expecting the post rate to be?

Are you planning to award XP to characters individually or as a group?
What I'm really asking is: Will it be possible for some characters to level up before others?

-Grave

[silveroak]

XP will be assigned individually, so yes some ma outpace others. I am expecting a standard posting rate of 1/day, but I also understand that life happens, but if you are expecting to be away from the game for a while to ask another player to take over your character in your absence.

[Mrtiki1015]

Posting interest

[silveroak]

So far not one of these has answered the "what drives them" part of the application. Honestly I consider this the most important part for this game.

[penbeast0]

My apologies, added a line to Chak Ek about what drives him (under personality).

[Remorazz]

Most days I don't know what drives me to get out of bed and I'm supposed to know what a fictional character I made up does?

Jokes aside, I'm a bit confused on the setting, are we all from the infernal cult cities? Or are we from the Haven one? Do we have a reason to stay in the party or we're just adventurers™? The good gods have a flavour (nature gods, race gods, elemental gods...)?

In a setting where most cities are devout to specific devils while one is for all the good gods... I dunno, it feels like such a unique setting, I'm not sure "yeah, pretend it's just like regular Faerun" applies here.. I might need a lil more info..

Very confused about the paragraph on which races are allowed and which aren't.. is Human variant the only not-allowed race?

[penbeast0]

Humans good, V. humans bad. There's a list. If what you want to play is on there, it's good. If not, it's bad.

[Remorazz]

Saw the list, but depending on you interpret the punctuation the list changes meaning:

Originally Posted by penbeast0

Allowed species are:human, elf, gnome, halfling, tiefling, chromatic dragonborn, half elf, half orc, orc, goblins, yuan ti, kobolds, dwarves, Goliath, Kenku, Lizardfolk, Tabaxi, Tritons, Bugbears, deep gnomes, changelings, Duergar, hobgoblins, Kenku, sea elves, Shadar-kai, shifter, and tortles Variant humans are not allowed.

My dumb brain reads it as Variant human is the only banned race of the list because is the only race that has a variation in the punctuation presented.

Another way of reading it would be which races are capitalized+v.Humans but that feels too random.

Because of their planes-related lore I'd assume the Shadar-kai to be also banned, but it wouldn't make sense for the shifter and tortles that are listed between them and the v.Humans

I am on my first night shift of the rotation so I might just be too tired to function properly, I just would like to understand where the line is