[D&D-5e] The Caravan at the End of the World

[Lentil Sponge]

Game Name The Caravan at the End of the World

Game System DnD 5e

Theme In a partially player-generated world, your characters defend a caravan while travelling a quirky fantastical world of your creation

Flavour We don't know! That's the beauty of playerbrew

Plot Summary Many thousands of years ago, the world was struck by a great fire. A meteorite carved through the skies and landed in the soil, sending dust and ruin all about. And it was the end of the Fourth World. This is the Fifth World. And from the end of the last world, the Caravan at the End of the World rides in, on an endless loop. Through the deserts and the tundras, up mountain and across river, even the seas themselves are not enough to stop the Caravan at the End of the World. The Caravan arriving to town is a moment of great joy for many. Children delight at bards and entertainers with tall tales and fun games. The businessfolk of each land passes on their spices and silks and timber and all a manner of goods to pass on to the next city. Kings, armies, Thieves Guilds, all use the Caravan to send their spies elsewhere like poison in veins. From alchemists and sex workers, to jesters and craftsman, travelers from all walks of life join the Caravan in the endless loop. But there are many dangers to the Caravan. Greedy bandits. Hungry beasts. The uncaring flick of a god's hand, and a natural disaster or two. Many eyes follow the Caravan. Many things will stall the Caravan, or destroy it outright. There is a high price for mercenaries, sell-swords and defenders of trade to step forward and take up arms to defend the Caravan. That, after all, is why you are here, yes? To see the Caravan through safely? Surely there's no personal stake in this for you, right? You aren't curious about the meteorite that destroyed the Fourth World? There's no stop on the journey that you need to get to? No missing lover or grand nemesis or political aim that you're pursuing, right? ... well, perhaps I don't care. As long as you are part of the Sentries of the Caravan, your business is protecting the Caravan, and anything else you do outside of that is not mine. If you could sign your name here, here and here, and get yourself a sash so the traders can identify you. Ok, next! Ah, welcome! Many thousands of years ago, the world was struck by a great... WELCOME TO THE CARAVAN AT THE END OF THE WORLD This is a game centred around a player-generated world, The Fifth World, where you guys are continually moving, discovering new places and finding new things. Each of you has your own personal end for joining the Caravan at the End of the World. Either you're looking for something or someone, or there is a stop on the way that you're desperate to get to. Maybe it has to do with the meteorite that destroyed the Fourth World. Maybe it has to do with the Caravan itself. Maybe it has nothing to do with either. But in any case, you have volunteered to be a Sentry, a protector and bodyguard for the Caravan on its various stops. Dangers lurk ahead, as does your destiny... When I run my games, there's usually a lot more roleplay than roll-play. Expect anywhere from 40-80% of the game to not involve dice whatsoever. Generally, I go for a T for Teen to M for Mature rating. Expect lots of spectacular, Devil May Cry esque gore, and a few spicy elements and adult themes should they be appropriate. I always try to ensure my players are comfortable, so if you are accepted and have particular themes or triggers you want me to avoid or forewarn you if they do come up, you can always discuss that with me prior to the game commencing. While the world itself will be partially created by yourselves and me in collaboration, there is also an option to have your character randomly generated. This is not a specific requirement, but in the application process there is a Random Character Background Generator that is linked and is recommended, but as said before is not mandatory. Game size: A party of FIVE members. Stats: BiNG Stat Array. See below for further explanation. DO NOT ROLL YOUR STATS UNTIL AFTER THE GAME BEGINS! Starting Level: 1 HP: Max HP at 1st, roll for every level afterward. Gold: Average Starting Wealth for your class Expected Posting Rate: Once or twice a week, though obviously real life happens and I am not especially pushy. I'm currently travelling and living out of hostels at the moment, so I'm not allowed to judge slowness. Playerbrew? What's that? So, the setting for the game is only sort of defined, but only with the very vague details, i.e. the feel of the campaign, the technology level and that we're in a caravan. However, most of the details, I've not worked out at all. Not even a world map. So, if the DM isn't working out that stuff, who is? You guys. It won't be everything, but I would aim for about 50% plus of the content in this game to be stuff made up by you guys. I'll take suggestions for stuff, then go away and take all of the suggestions, and put them into the game in a way that makes sense with what's come before and what comes next, while also having enough changes to surprise you guys. Below is an example of how it would work... I say to my players that the next stop for the caravan is a grand temple. So Alice, Bob, Claire, Dani and Eric are given five things to define about the temple, and they decide amongst themselves who gets what. Where the temple is. Alice decides that it's in the snow-tipped mountains, with a farming town further down the mountain where they get their food from. What sort of temple. Bob likes the idea of it being a monastery of combat monks. Who the temple is dedicated to. Claire remembers a previous town they'd visited with a church to a jaguar god, and decides to choose that because she'd like it to be developed more. Who runs the temple. Dani comes up with an NPC, a wise old hermit who had founded the temple to get away from society and practise their religion in solitude. Why the caravan has arrived there. Eric's character has a secret motivation to figure out who slew their mother, so he suggests that his character tricks the caravan into going there. So then, in-game, Eric's character gets a letter from the Shaman of the Mountain. He knows them from previous interactions they've had with the clergy, and he says that he knows of the character's quest and has information. Eric's character manages to convince the caravan to go up the mountain, dealing with a scary monster on the way, only for it to turn out to be a lie. The Shaman just knew the party were strong, and wanted them to slay the monster that had blocked off their food supply. By way of apology for the deception, the monks all teach the party a new martial art and meditation technique that gives them all a little custom boon. House Rules We are using the pre-2024 ruleset of DnD 5e, but with some major tweaks. ALLOWED SOURCEBOOKS - Sell me on it. I've allowed PCs to play as tigers and dragons, once, so as long as you can link me to it and it doesn't seem completely busted, I'll allow it. INTELLIGENCE AND SKILL PROFICIENCIES OVERHAUL - Due to Intelligence basically being useless outside of Wizards and Artificers, I have a little house-rule to make it something that actually punishes you for dumping it; Intelligence determines your proficiencies. You have a minimum of one proficiency. Artificier: 4+Int Modifier Barbarian: 1+Int Modifier Bard: 3+Int Modifier Cleric: 2+Int Modifier Druid: 2+Int Modifier Fighter: 1+Int Modifier Monk: 1+Int Modifier Paladin: 2+Int Modifier Ranger: 4+Int Modifier Rogue: 4+Int Modifier Sorcerer: 1+Int Modifier Warlock: 2+Int Modifier Wizard: 3+Int Modifier At 14+ Intelligence, you can choose an additional Tool Proficiency of any kind At 16+ Intelligence, you can choose an additional Skill Proficiency of any kind At 18+ Intelligence, you are a Prodigy. Choose one Skill or Tool Proficiency. Your Proficiency Bonus is doubled. ALIGNMENTS - No Evil characters are allowed. Paladins MUST be Lawful Good. Monks MUST be Lawful. Regarding Lawful specifically, there are times where you may or may not break the law so in alignment terms, Lawful does not mean law-abiding. Instead, think of Lawful as being bound by a strict code. Mobsters, for example, are more likely to be Lawful than Chaotic because even though they break the law, they tend to strictly adhere to a particular code of what they can and can't do, and hold family in high regard, whereas the thugs who work for them just want to get paid. BACKGROUNDS, FLAWS, IDEALS AND BONDS - You do not choose a Background. Depending on your character's history, you'll receive extra bonuses, proficiencies and starting equipment. So, essentially, you'll be getting a custom background. MONSTERS - Some monsters will be altered to be harder. Skeletons not only are vulnerable to bludgeoning but also resist piercing and slashing, zombies resist bludgeoning and piercing but are vulnerable to slashing. There will be others, and your characters won't start knowing all of them, but will be able to research them. SUB-CLASSES OVERHAUL - Some classes are really fun at first and second level. Some classes get to sit on their bums and do nothing until third level. This is boring, and thus I will make changes. Artificier: Choose your Artificer Specialisation right away. You will get a weakened version of the bonuses you'd normally get until Level 3. Barbarian: Choose your Path straight away. You will get a weakened version of the bonuses you'd normally get until Level 3. Bard: Choose your Bard College immediately. You will get a weakened version of the bonuses you'd normally get until Level 3. Cleric: Unchanged. Depending on your Divine Order, you will receive a weak bonus. Druid: Choose your Druid Circle immediately. You will get a weakened version of the bonuses you'd normally get until Level 2. Fighter: Choose your Martial Archetype immediately. You will get a weakened version of the bonuses you'd normally get until Level 3. Monk: Choose your Monastic Tradition immediately. You will get a weakened version of the bonuses you'd normally get until Level 3. Paladin: Choose your Oath immediately. You will get a weakened version of the bonuses you'd normally get until Level 3. Ranger: Choose your Conclave immediately. You will get a weakened version of the bonuses you'd normally get until Level 3. Rogue: Choose your Roguish Archetype immediately. You will get a weakened version of the bonuses you'd normally get until Level 3. Sorcerer: Unchanged. Depending on your Bloodline, you will receive a weak bonus. Warlock: Unchanged. Depending on your Otherworldly Patron, you will receive a weak bonus. Wizard: Choose your Arcane Tradition immediately. You will get a weakened version of the bonuses you'd normally get until Level 2. GOODBERRY - Goodberry uses its material component PERSUASION AND ATTITUDES OVERHAUL - There are more attitudes. These, in order from most hostile to least, are Hostile, Unfriendly, Indifferent, Friendly & Helpful. So now the Social Interaction chart looks like this... Persuasion Check Hostile Unfriendly Indifferent Friendly Helpful Well below DC Will see to it that you fail, no matter the cost May decide to sabotage you without your knowledge Will flatly refuse any request Will politely refuse or ask for payment Will do something that benefits them or appeals to their worldview Near but not meeting DC May decide to sabotage you without your knowledge Will flatly refuse any request Will politely refuse or ask for payment Will do something that benefits them or appeals to their worldview Will do something at their own cost just to help you Above DC Will flatly refuse any request Will politely refuse or ask for payment Will do something that benefits them or appeals to their worldview Will do something at their own cost just to help you Would die for you if you asked BiNG Stat Array It's pretty basic, as an idea. Roll 2d4 in order, starting with Strength, then Dexterity, Constitution etc. Then choose two of these stats and add 11 to the result. These are your Good stats. Choose another two of these stats and add 7. These are your Normal stats. Finally, add 3 to the leftover stats. These are your Bad stats. You get up to three rerolls of stats that you're particularly unhappy with. You will get wildly unbalanced characters, with huge strengths and huge weaknesses, and some benefits and weaknesses that are not usual for your character. Charismatic Fighters, foolish Rogues and dexterous Paladins. This is on purpose, as I like to force players to use their strengths to make up for everyone else's weaknesses and foster teamwork. I can, however, guarantee that I will not make you play a character that you are genuinely unhappy with. Do not roll your stats just yet! We'll begin rolling and creating characters after the application process is over.

[Lentil Sponge]

HOW TO APPLY

Please use the below template for your application. While you are not obligated to, I do have a Random Character Backstory Generator that includes everything from heritage, race, class and personality, though you do not have to use this if you do not want to. It can sometimes lead to contradictory results, so feel free to ignore or reroll results on here that you are strongly against or just feel off.

Application Name: Exactly what it says on the tin. Party Role: Are you a utility spellcaster? A melee DPS? A face-man? Tank? Alignment: Any non-Evil alignment is allowed Class: All allowed. Include what subclass you are interested in taking Race: All allowed as long as you can link me to it Appearance: Either a picture, or a short paragraph describing what your character looks like, how they carry themselves and their gait. Personality: This is a large factor into whether or not your character will be accepted. Try to include at least one positive trait, one negative trait, one thing that they think is important about life, and an odd little quirk that makes your character relatable. History: This is your character's backstory. How did they get to be a sentry for the Caravan at the End of the World, and why? Unique Goal: PUT THIS IS IN SECRET TEXT! This is something that your character wants to achieve separate from being a bodyguard for the caravan. It can be as elaborate or simple and cliche as possible. It can be searching for your parent's murderer, or looking for a cure to some disease, or anything else. An item connected to your goal is very handy, like a hairpin you found on your dead wife's body or a tome of an ancient wizard who must be laid to rest. Avoid just "my character is looking to make their fortune and see the world." If your character wants money or power, have a specific thing your character wants the money or power for, like the ransom for your family or you're looking to buy back your rightful place as leader of a city state. Playerbrew Aspect #1 - A Country: In three or less sentences, please describe one of the countries in the Fifth World. It can be where your character is from, or somewhere else entirely. Make sure to include the type of society it is, the topography, and something weird about this place that makes it unique. A good way to do this is to use random word generators to get a weird prompt (Tiresome Blowfish - an island nation that during the winter has so many blowfish in the sea that they're cut off from the rest of the world) Playerbrew Aspect #2 - A Trader: In three or less sentences, come up with one of the traders on the Caravan at the End of the World. One who your character does not know. You must include the following; Their race and general appearance Their profession (this may not be set in stone) What they generally value, besides money of course Their most defining positive trait Their most defining negative trait A weird quirk that makes them a person APPLICATION DEADLINE: MIDNIGHT OF 10TH NOVEMBER, AEST

APPLICATIONS

Player	Character	Alignment	Race	Class	Status
Dylan Scott	Braeden Grayshadow	Chaotic Good	Human	Ranger (Drakewarden)	Complete
Oakie	Srecko Odzmaja	Lawful Good	Human (Variant)	Sorcerer (Draconic Bloodline)	Complete
penbeast0	Handsy	Chaotic Good	Bugbear	Rogue (Swashbuckler)	Complete
Classic Gamer	Ingmar the Indecisive	Chaotic Neutral	Tabaxi	Ranger/Druid	Complete
AlexN	Felix Lamonia	Neutral Good	Human	Druid (Circle of Land)	Complete
Ermine	Sylphie	True Neutral	Human (Variant)	Wizard (Bladesinging)	Complete
YodaGandalf	Akhim Akherremshi	Lawful Good	Chameleon Folk	Monk (Way of Shadow)	Complete
HexenArzt	Lillian Godfrey	Neutral Good	Human	Bard (College of Lore)	Incomplete
OsmundCinderholt	Key	Chaotic Good	Inchling	Artificer (Battle Smith)	Complete
Kshnik	Pol Farepipe	Lawful Neutral	Stout Halfling	Barbarian	Complete
Squeak	Gongo Littlebottom	Lawful Neutral	Halfling (Ghostwise)	Monk (Way of Open Hand)	Complete
Kweheri	Kara Lisani	Chaotic Good	Aasimar	Bard	Incomplete
TricksterLark	Fitzroy ‘The Magnifico’ Belrose	Chaotic Good	Tiefling	Bard (College of Creation)	Incomplete
Dingbat	Rosenrot	Lawful Neutral	Dhampir	Rogue (Medic)	Complete

[Ermine]

Oooh, I may come out of 5e burnout for this (especially since homebrew amd such)...maybe. >< Depends if I get in other games.

[Mitsubachi]

It is a very interesting idea - I like what you did with tying proficiencies to intelligence. I shall monitor this one...

[Dylan Scott]

I'm in, let me see what i can come up with, seems interesting

Application Name: Braeden Grayshadow Party Role: Stalker and Hunter Alignment: Chaotic Good Class: Ranger (Drakewarden) Race: Human Appearance: His persona as a ranger is one developed originally to hide his identity, a thick full beard and heavy clothing and hat hiding his face and making him appear older than his 32 years of age and giving him a hint of danger to keep strangers at bay, but those that know the man even a little know its all a facade and although he wont tell you where he is from, he is loyal and friendly, if a little gruff at times, and a practical joker and even minstrel when the mood takes him. Personality: Braeden acts as his conscience directs him with little regard for what others expect of him. He makes his own way, but he's kind and benevolent, and loyal to a fault to those friends he makes. He believes in goodness and right but has little use for laws and regulations. He follows his own moral compass, which, although good, may not agree with that of society, which is why he is currently enjoying his time on the road. He is impulsive at times, much more than he cares to admit and loves a good practical joke, although his sense of humour is an acquired taste given his early childhood experiences History: Braeden's history is one of misfortune and avoidance, going where life took him and causing him to end up miles from home on a caravan at the end of the world. His earliest memories are of his home in the Orphanage in the great metropolis of Redwall (So named for the immense cliffs which encase the city metropolis), he wasn't wealthy and never got adopted but his childhood was generally happy and comfortable, if someone isolated. How much was his fault and how much was fates is anyone's guess, Braeden isn't a native to the Empire and no one knows who he is or where he comes from, he was found as a baby in the wreckage of a ship, the sole survivor which hid his nature and delivered him to the orphanage. His only true friend growing up was a kindly woodsman who lived close by and traded with the Orphange on occasion, and in his youth Braeden took to following and learning from Old Man Grayshadow as much as possible and learned a great deal from the man, rumour had it Old Man Grayshadow was a legendary ranger and he certainly seemed to have the knowledge to back up that claim but when Braeden was just 11 years old tragedy struck and the cities outlying walls and buildings were attacked by Raiders, Old Man Grayshadow was slain along with many others and Braeden was captured and sold into slavery, being taken from Redwall and shipped inland many miles to the town of Oldrock. Braeden, or Bratling as he was known spent 3 years as a slave until the opportunity came to escape and he disappeared, Life was hard for young Braeden but he was a smart boy and his education at the orphanage, while brief, was thorough and he did what he could to survive, bordering the life of crime and falling in with a Thieves guild, using them to hide from his former masters and make out a living as an enforcer for the guild. Braeden was impulsive and a practical joker, but he was Loyal and true to his word and his life of crime, while forced upon him, wasn't what he wanted to do so he drew limits on what tasks he performed, Burglary sure, Assault and Battery on occasion but he refused to take a life for a crime or unless he had too so his advancement in the ranks stalled, he was happy enough to maintain a comfortable quiet life. Life remained that way until Braeden turned 22 and tragedy once more struck and his quiet life was shattered when his guild ran afoul of another and they lost their place in the city, and for those who didn't turn, their lives were lost as well. Amongst those he lost was his friend, and sometimes more Auriel, her body shattered and broken when she refused to submit, her skull cracked wide by the heavy mace wielded by one of their men. Braeden wasn't a stranger to death, he had seen and encountered it a time or two himself but seeing Auriel the way he did broke him and changed his life, no more would he be a part of thieving and battery that he had been and once more Braeden moved on. Who knows where he went in the years that happened since, Braeden wont tell you and wont talk of his past but where Braeden the thief was once, now stood Braeden Grayshadow, Ranger and Sentry for the Caravan at the End of the World. Still Impulsive and a Practical Joker with the few he considers friends, still Loyal to a fault, the stoic silent man struggles to live up to the Grayshadow name he has taken as his own and become the ranger he believes he was always meant to be Unique Goal: Playerbrew Aspect #1 - Eldun's Spire. a single mountainous spire of obsidian, perfectly formed and sculpted to be smooth and shiny and untouched by scars or marks, either through manufacture or weather. No one knows when it was built or for what purpose but it has stood for centuries and even spawn the creation of Eldun at its base, a frontier city known for its trades and furs, but strangely never any Obsidian Artwork Playerbrew Aspect #2 - Urin Metalbreaker, a 76 year old dwarf coachman who claims to worship Akadi, the goddess of the air and speed and has taken up with the Caravan to explore and experience the great outdoors but secretly he fears wide open spaces and his identity might be a fake, though why a dwarf would take to being a coachman on the caravan going nowhere and everywhere is anyone's guess. But despite his fear, he does possess an impressive memory and knowledge of the roads he travels and always seems to have a friend at every border they are crossing

[Oakie]

Srecko Application Name: Srecko Odzmaja Party Role: Tanky magic blaster Alignment: Lawful Good Class: Sorcerer, Draconic Bloodline Race: Human, Variant Appearance: (See Image) Personality: Srecko's daddy was a knight, and he desperately wants to follow in his footsteps — despite being an innate magic user and not knowing which end of a sword to hold. Yet he does his best to act knightly by following a code of chivalry that he read in a book once. Being altruistic by nature, he generally represents those value well. Unfortunately, he also takes "telling the truth" and "honesty" too literally at times, to the point of being tactless. A little quirk he has is advising himself in the second person. Out loud. In his mind, he's voicing the advice his tutor, Marko, might give him on such an occasion. But to everyone else, it's a touch odd and, to some, can come off as arrogant. History: When a dragon transforms herself into a human woman and has intercourse with a natural human male, the union cannot, generally speaking, lead to a pregnancy that persists after she transforms herself back into a dragon. Generally speaking. But it's happened at least once! The result was Srecko, a mostly human male with magical talent, green hair, and bronze scales from his momma's side. Also, he was hatched from an egg. His mother, Sanipkur, didn't feel qualified to raise a mostly human baby herself, being a dragon. In other circumstances, she might have presented the babe to his father and his extended family to raise. Alas, her former lover, Ser Raleim Dhisso, a senior guard with the Caravan at the End of the World died in service before the caravan revisited Hrvatia again. Ser Raleim never told Sanipkur where he was from or where his family resided, or if he had any family at all, and no one in the caravan knew either. So she did the best she could to raise him with patience, love, and hired help: a lovely married couple, Ines, the governess, and Marko, the tutor. Alas, it wasn't easy for the dragonish boy! With his human frame, he couldn't frolic in the waves and the air with his mother, aunties, and bronze dragon cousins. With his scales and other dragonish features — plus his mother and aunties' status as the protectors of Zadnji Otok (Last Island) — he never quite fit in with the village children. Sure, they stopped mocking him as "Mr. Fishy Scales" when he and his peers came into their teens, and the villagers in general were polite enough, even kind, but he was never fully accepted as one of them. He never even had a serious girlfriend, human or dragon! Srecko was caught between two worlds, neither one thing nor the other. When young Srecko came of age, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and become a guard for the Caravan and the live according to the knightly code as best he could as a magic-wielding, dragonish man. Besides, he saw it as an opportunity to see the world beyond tiny, seaside Pjenasta Uvala (Frothy Cove), beyond Zadnji Otok, and beyond Hrvatia, to get to know folk who knew his father, and maybe even find his paternal family. Hopefully they would all overlook his appearance to see his father's son. Unique Goal: Wouldn't you like to know! Playerbrew Aspect #1 - A Country: Srecko is from Hrvatia, aka the Hrvati Confederacy, a nation of confederated city states along the Hrvati Coast on the Srednje More (Middle Sea). The land is mountainous, forested, and dotted with small bays, coves, and inlets along the coast. Known for its beauty generally, it is especially famed for Dugino Jezero (Rainbow Lake), a small mountain lake that's iridescent, springfed waters flow from the Feywild and can bestow random magical effects upon those who drink of it. Srecko's home, Pjenasta Uvala (Frothy Cove), is on Zadnji Otok (Last Island) about two miles from a human village, Zmajevo Selo (Dragon Village). All the villages of Zadnji Otok are under the protection of his bronze dragon mother and aunties. The island is not ruled by the dragons, though; it is ruled by The Council of Seven (or "The Seven"). Traditionally, however, at least one of the dragon sisters sits on the council. Playerbrew Aspect #2 - A Trader: There's some who don't like Caravan life, and Old Toby the haberdasher is the oldest, crankiest, and nosiest of the bunch. Keeps blowing his hard-haggled money on gambling, so he won't be buying himself that country estate he wants any time soon, or even some new handkerchiefs, which he desperately needs. Good news is that he's the best baker in The Caravan, which is enough of an asset to keep his whining bottom from getting kicked out.

[penbeast0]

Bugbear Karaoke, It's a Thing! Name: Handsy Race: Bugbear Class: Rogue (Swashbuckler) Role: Incredibly Charming Face and Terror of Back Row Mages Alignment: Chaotic Good . . . Great really. Background: Celebrity Scion   *Handsy grew up in the small capital city of a small kingdom. *He was raised by parents who were soldiers (footsoldiers and skirmishers), in a large family. *He was born at home on a warm winter day; his parents were mated but never formally married. *Handsy grew up with tales of adventure from fellow soldiers and friends of his parents. *As a teen, he got caught smuggling cattle without paying royal taxes, but went straight after that so as not to disappoint his parents. *A bugbear rival from the smugglers tried to kill him; he survived but his enemy is still out there. *All grown up with no place to go, Handsy joined the city watch to help clean up all the crime, only to be in the particular circumstance of having to arrest his brother (actually 2 brothers and 1 sister). This causes a rift in the family which leads to Handsy running away and leaving home. What I see reflected in the window: Not big, for a bugbear, but quite huge for anyone else, Handsy stands a few inches short of a proper 7' but makes up for it with freakishly long arms and huge hands. Powerfully muscled, he tends to dress to impress in bright colored pantaloons and contrasting vests over his bare (no pun intended) chest. His claws are kept trimmed and oiled, his teeth clean, and he smiles a lot, which if you don't know him isn't necessarily a reassuring thing. Handsy thinks of himself as quite the handsome young man, but there aren't a lot of civilized bugbears outside of his large and somewhat notorious family. So, he has made passes at most, if not all, of the barmaids in the region and those that have taken him up on it haven't complained. He tends to hum when he is concentrating or focusing his attention elsewhere, not rudely or off-key, but in an absent minded way. My Story: Handsy (short for Hansel which he hates) was not raised like most bugbears. No hand to mouth survival by ambush in the dark, monster infested woods. No, his father was the bugbear barbarian, Grimm. Handsy and his family owed a great debt to Volo, the famous wizard and chronicler. If he had killed Grimm when they found him trapped in the woods, life would have been nonexistent for the bugbear and his family. Instead, he did something no one else had done that Handsy had ever heard of, he signed him on as an adventurer, a soldier of fortune. An adventuring bugbear, who would have thought it before Volo. Personality: But Handsy didn't want to be his father. Trained in the barbarian fighting styles from birth, along with his 4 brothers and 8 sisters, Handsy just didn't really enjoy swinging a big axe and bellowing crude taunts. Maybe because he was only a small 6'6 runt of the littler, Handsy developed a more articulate, or at least snarky, line of retorts. And then he found his true calling, BARS! Bars are everything to Handsy. Not just the alcohol, though he loved a good humming ale. But everything about them. He is a dab hand at darts, an expert at chatting up barmaids, and absolutely loves karaoke. Bugbear karaoke, at first everyone just moaned and groaned at the thought. But Handsy kept at it, developing a nice baritone range and learning a lot of popular favorites. Not so much the clap along drinking songs and rude humorous ones, but love ballads too. After all, no one looking at him would ever see that coming unless they had heard him before. He hadn't left the instincts for ambush completely behind. Oh right, the Caravan: And he still adventured and fought. His father would have disowned him otherwise and he would miss the great family dinners too much. But he learned different tricks. He learned to go after the mages first. He learned to dodge (swords HURT!). And then there was the dwarf tossing . . . uh, never mind. The Caravan seemed perfect. Like a giant moving bar complete with occasional adventures. Handsy signed on as a guard because, well, the uniform tabard seemed pretty sexy. Maybe he's been drinking a bit that day. But yes, traveling from town to town, checking out ALL the best taverns, meeting all the best barmaids, telling all the best stories. The Caravan IS perfection for a singing bugbear. "Oh, you want to hear the slothydra story. . . . Shattered timber and broken bones littered the stony beach at the mouth of the cave. The shrieking of the creature's many mouths drowned out the pitiful cries of pain from those injured and dying. A rain of bloody spray splatters on the group as the weaving necks of the Slothydra's cruel faces flung a half-eaten rower back into the churning water of the bay. Dozens of arrows jutted at wild angles from the creature's slick hide. Gaping wounds and smoldering flesh show the oozing places where it had been struck by attacks of both weapon and wand. One of the creatures five heads had been cut clean off at the neck and the disconnected piece writhes with spastic movement in the shallow water. Jemm, the cleric, turned to me, clutching a gaping wound in his stomach to hold in his own viscera. He bellows over the cacophony, "She's on her last legs! Finish her!"� It wasn't her legs I was worried about though. I had two of her necks gripped tightly just below the fangs and one had been cut through, but that left two more than I had hands. I knew that if I let go either neck, she would have too great an advantage against the 4 of us left, so I couldn't draw and use a dagger, even if I could get through her thick hide. What could I do? Well, to finish the story, I bit her, right in her bulging ugly eye. It popped like a blister, spraying fluid all over me and tasted like bloody pus. First one head, then the next while one of her free heads was chomping at thigh. I still have the scar right here if you want to see it? No? Okay. Well, I blinded those two heads while she flailed around, then caught the head threatening my most precious assets and gripped it and twisted. I used all my remaining strength and, well, it didn't help as that sucker's hide was thicker than my brother Korky's skull. Fortunately, I had friends. Young Blaik there is the real hero. He make a mighty stab up through that head's windpipe and severed an artery. Now there were 4 heads flailing around but not really threatening and the three of us were able to team up on the last one. Blaik got the last blow in on that one too, he is the real Slothydra killer, the hero of Dunn's beach. C'mon Blaik, stand up and take a bow! Oh look, he's shy. You need to snap him up quick there Marla, shy hero types never last long. Meanwhile, bring another round please, on me. TO BLAIK THE SLOTHYDRA SLAYER! "   Established by an adventurer for adventurers, with loose interpretations of laws and pretty much complete freedom of religion or lack thereof, Fjordsword epitomizes the saying, "Better King Log than King Stork," though the King's actual name is Odd-Simen. A land literally carved out of cliffsides overlooking the icy sea, there's a gnome kingdom on one side and an enchanted forest, complete with witches and strange ivy covered towers, on the other. It's a lovely place to visit if you don't want your vacation to be too quiet.   Fang's the guy in every party with a side hustle who strips the corpses and carries the party goods where they can be sold with profits sort of tending to accrue to him just a bit more than to everyone else. Fangpi doesn't want people to think of him as a merchant, he really wants people to see him as the brave hero that fights bandits and monsters, which, after all, he is and he does. For one of the (very) stout folk and despite the fact that he's a money grubber who will argue about every copper piece, he's really quite sensitive about his reputation and gets his feelings hurt easily.

[Aisede]

[Lentil Sponge]

Just some notes for some peeps.

[Kshnik]

App Posting interest (here are my random outcomes) - will see if I can write something up.. Will be a few days Heritage: Empire Metropolis Poor Both biological parents Merchant Growing Up: Sole Heir imprisoned for a crime didnt commit Tortured/Injured - Mouth Strange - given item by strange woman - dont let them have it. Weapon - tent maker? Participate in a rebellion - defeated, about to be executed, saved, on the run from the law Character: Lawful Neutral Ranger Halfling Cautious in thought and deed Impatient Extremely politically opinionated

[Classic Gamer]

Application Name: Ingmar the Indecisive Party Role: Probably somewhere in the back out of the way Alignment: Chaotic Neutral (likely) Class: Ranger?/Druid? (Fey Wanderer/Circle of Stars) Race: Tabaxi Appearance: Ingmar wears clothing that may not be the right size, he isn’t sure. He is tentative about the way he moves as if he may not have permission to enter the room and if he does, he looks concerned about slipping and falling. Personality: Ingmar is indecisive. So much so that he has yet to commit to a career. One thing he is certain of is that he genuinely cares for others, especially animals. Maybe because he might be one. Part of this journey is to find himself. Life will be so much easier once he comes into his own. History: One night a tiger arrived outside my guardians door with a feline child in a blanket. A comet arrived overhead and the animal child turned into a human baby. The tiger vanished. The young couple raised the child as their own, but on the anniversary of the thirteenth year, the comet passed overhead and the human child, me, transformed into a tabaxi. Years later, I happened on a dying animal in the woods. I nursed the young dear back to health and a week later, the King of Nature Spirirts bestowed a blessing on me. I provide good luck to those around me. I sought to join the caravan to travel the world and grow into my place in it. Unique Goal: PUT THIS IS IN SECRET TEXT! Playerbrew Aspect #1 - A Country: At the center of the world lies a giant mountain (Ironhope) and at the center of that mountain lies a giant lake (Farshores) and at the center of that giant lakes lies a giant island (Neverreach). These three locations are ruled by a republic so large that it has to meet in sections throughout the year to conduct all the governments business and at least two of the four seasons occur at one time. It is said that the land is so vast that it takes years for people to pass to the afterlife, so tales of ghosts are common. Playerbrew Aspect #2 - A Trader: Gilmar Glimmer, is a merchant/sorceror known as Golden Gnome because he accidentally turned his left hand into perpetual fool’s gold and can’t remember how to turn it back. Gilmar is optimistic, but forgetful and values mystical knowledge above almost everything else.

[AlexN]

Name: Felix Lamonia
Party Role: Generalized Spellcaster (balance between combat and non-combat applications)
Alignment: Neutral Good
Class: Druid, Circle of Land (Grassland)
Race: Human, 38 years old

Personality: Considered a heretic among other druids, he has some…strange beliefs about nature and his personality reflects these beliefs. Particularly a man obsessed with balance, obsessive, perfect balance. He sees the world as being on each end too extreme. Dark trackless caves, forests and swamps on one end and ugly, disease-ridden cities and towns on the other. He sees man-made agriculture, fields, crop management, forest management, animal husbandry, pasture and drainage creation to be the balance the world needs. Do the field mice, barn owls and farm animals also not represent nature? With sustenance farming or rugged wilderness being the rules of the day, how is this agricultural revolution not on par with the balance all druids seek? It is a deeper and newer understanding, one that makes him anathema to druids and urbanites alike. Felix is incredibly hopeful, upbeat and likes to see the good in people; that a disagreement just means there is a gap that needs bridging in some regard. He has great ambition and strives for greatness. His Philosophy drives his emotions, even to the point of obsession. He has trouble separating his worldview from more mundane things of life, even when there is no connection. He has to see everything as interconnected. Sometimes a shambling mound is just a shambling mound, and not a treatise on the trackless wilderness personified, Felix has trouble seeing the former. Anyone who gets to know him notices that he always is carrying around small bags of different grains. Wheat, barley, buckwheat you name it, don’t ask him about it though, unless you want him to go into a rather long monologue! He often smells like fresh dirt, or even…manure (only occasionally though). His visage and passions makes one chuckle, but once he gets that mortar and pestle out to grind some of those products for your hangover cure, you are glad that you know him.

History: Like many Druids, Felix grew up in a very small community in a harsh natural setting. In this case he grew up on a prairie, a sea of grass that grows nothing but weeds and a winter so harsh that regular breeds of livestock freeze to death. The sacred groves in this part of the world are plants and grasses that grew fifteen feet tall. A maze would lead to the center of the grove with a giant sacred rock at the epicenter. Every year druids would go throughout the community to test the teenagers for any magical acumen and correct moral inclinations towards nature. Felix showed such resolve, at least initially. Years into his education he developed more or less in the “normal” way a druid regards nature. However, something took a strange turn. His wild ideas that he slowly developed after his initiation turned him into a heretic among Druids. After many of his comrades debated his positions, it only strengthened Felix’s resolve in his beliefs. Debate turned into pleadings; pleadings turned into threats. He was eventually cast out of his local grove and was named a heretic among all Druids. His body still bears the scars of his dishonorable discharge. He was left alive as an example. After he healed enough to walk he left his home forever with nothing but his belief in an agricultural revolution. After almost a year of traveling, he heard a rumble on the road. The caravan. A nice opportunity to make some money and stake out some places that might accept his wild ideas.

Secret Goal:

Playerbrew #1: Serene Kingdom of Thale. This petty Kingdom’s founding myth is centered on a great freshwater lake that is hundreds of square miles and incredibly deep. A promised land of sorts that provides great bounties in furs, fish and lake/river-based trade that has made it rich. A chosen heir to the throne must earn the title of Serene King by taking a boat to the center of the lake and then swim to the shore; not every first pick makes it.

Playerbrew #2: One-Eyed Shandy. A middle aged, one-eyed Half-elf alchemist that almost always smells of burnt chemical, he peddles in beneficial and only sometimes harmful potions to help fund what he calls his “Great Work”, which boiled down to its most basic premise, is a general term for trying to solve the mysteries of existence in order to become its master. He speaks bombastically and loudly like giving some sort of life-changing presentation about the “world of tomorrow” and has a knack for entertaining and reeling you in with panache. Unfortunately, he is quick to anger and does not have much of a sense of humor, especially when you ask him why he hasn’t already transmuted his glass eye to gold yet.

[Ermine]

[Lentil Sponge]

@ermine - Just make the part pertaining to your goal secret. Or make up a separate country for the playerbrew. I'm not gonna judge.

[Ermine]

Oooh, that works.