[D&D-5e] The Legend of Zelda: The Clockwork Empire

[TKWrites]

Game Name The Legend of Zelda: The Clockwork Empire

Game System DnD 5e

Theme A new twist on an old tale.

Flavour An average coming-of-age story. With dungeon crawls and epic battles between Light and Darkness

Plot Summary Long ago, there existed a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden. It was a prosperous land, blessed with green forests, tall mountains, and peace. But one day, a man of great evil found the golden power and took it for himself. With its strength at his command, he spread darkness across the kingdom. But then, when all hope had died, and the hour of doom seemed at hand, a young man, clad all in green, appeared as if from nowhere. Wielding the blade of Evil's bane, he sealed the dark one away, and gave the land light. This boy, who traveled through time and spread light through the land, was given the name "The Hero of Time." The Hero of Time's legend was passed down for generations. But then... a day came when a fell wind began to blow across the kingdom. The great evil that all thought had been forever sealed by the hero once again crept forth from the depths of the earth, eager to resume its dark designs. The people believed that the Hero of Time would once more appear to save them... but the hero did not appear. Faced by an Onslaught of Evil, the people could do nothing but appeal to the gods. The gods, rather than allow the Great Evil to reclaim the lands, sent down great rains, washing the kingdom, its people, and the Great Evil away... -Legend of the Hero of Time, according to the Great Sea scholars. Of course, we've all heard the legend of the Hero, and his endless battle against the Darkness. But the scholars of the Great Sea never did manage to capture the true scope of the damage caused by the Great Flood that washed across the world so long ago. The flood that washed the Great Kingdom away shifted the face of the world, driving the continents of Holodrum and Labrynna together and creating the Calatian Mountains. As the waters faded, the people of these continents began to reclaim the lands below, working through the mists and rains to build a life for themselves on a place that their ancestors had once called home. It was a long, arduous journey... but, as the years went on, a great kingdom arose at the tops of the Calatian mountains, and the prosperity from the Castles in the Clouds helped the people rebuild the world below. Now, the Calatian Empire- and its neighboring kingdoms, down in the Mistlands- is a prosperous, hearty world, full of strange and wondrous people and creatures. Your story begins here, in the heart of the Mistlands, at a place called Kakariko Village. Perhaps you were born in Kakariko- perhaps you traveled there, with a merchant or on a job. Maybe you're even there as part of the traveling Sheikah circus. Whatever the reason, we find you in the heart of the village, joining the excited throngs of people who are crowding around the open stage to see what grand spectacle the Sheikah have planned next. As thunder rumbles in the distance, a young acrobat girl takes the stage...

About the Game Hello, and welcome to The Legend of Zelda: The Clockwork Empire. This campaign was initially inspired by Aaron Diaz's amazing storyboards / plot designs for a new Legend of Zelda game of the same title, which he outlines here and here, but over the course of a year of planning, it slowly evolved into a slightly different take on the classic Legend, revisiting the settings of Labrynna and Holodrum for inspiration. In this game, a group of intrepid adventurers will attempt to aid a Sheikah woman, named Zelda, as she tries to stop the corrupt Archduke Draugmire from leading the young Prince Link into a war that could doom not just the mountain kingdom of Calatia, but perhaps the entirety of the Misty Continent. The adventurers will need to use their courage, wisdom, and power to save the prince, save the kingdom, and maybe even save the world.

Location This game will use a mash-up of the Labrynna and Holodrum settings from the Oracle of Seasons and Ages games. A formal map is in the works, but due to limited graphical skills on the part of the GM, that part may be a bit delayed. The best approximation thus far is that the "north" edges of the in-game maps have been merged together, creating a new mountain range where the two continents meet- which becomes the Calatian empire over time. Some of the settings will be familiar- others will have been drastically changed by the cataclysmic joining of the two spaces.

Players & Characters   First off, this game is open to any level of player who has an interest in 5E. As long as you can reasonably commit to 2-3 player posts per week, I am more than happy to have you. Considering that this is an established campaign setting, characters are going to be built using a few house rules. Racial Options: Players will have an option of Human, Goron, Subrosian, Tokay, and Zora. Racial stats are outlined in the post below. Stats: Players will use the standard, 27 Point Buy system to assign stats. Feats: Players can choose one feat for free at Character Creation. Given the nature of Feats in D&D5, this will likely be the only feat you are allowed to choose. Classes: Players can choose any class in the PhB. Classes from Unearthed Arcana need to be cleared before use.

Applications For the sake of expediency, I'm only going to accept 3-4 characters from the applications I receive. Applications will be accepted through Sunday, April 2nd. Applications will focus on the key narrative components for your character, rather than mechanics. We can worry about the numbers once we have a better idea of who is going to be in the party. NOTE: I WILL ALLOW APPLICATIONS FOR ZELDA AS A PLAYER CHARACTER. As a plot character, Zelda will have specific items that she gets to use, as compared to the other PCs, but will balanced based on the rest of the party. If no applicants for Zelda are accepted, the party will work along a parallel story arc- similar to Link and Zelda's journeys in "Skyward Sword." Character Details needed: Name: Race: Gender: Age: Class: Background: ((Core backgrounds, which will be adapted for the setting in the player's guide. Please note that the Retainers option for Nobility is most likely a no-go.)) Alignment: ((As a Legend of Zelda game, this game is limited to Good aligned characters- you're Heroes, after all.)) Physical Description: Personality: Brief History: Heroic Theme: RP sample: ((Nothing formal- Just a brief look through the eyes of your character.))

Character Apps Captain Barnacle- Dakruda Sellick, Goron Cleric Sockfox- Alice Frye (WIP) EricG1S- Fricky, Subrosian Rogue Arthilian01- Heinrich, Human Fighter Codex Sparks- Noro, Zora Warlock Moosecow- Sparks, Subrosian Sorcerer Rainbow007- Luteria, Human Fighter Dragonsabin- Oshi, Zora Monk Theoryaction- Jamar, Tokay Ranger

[TKWrites]

House Rules & Custom Options Custom Races for the Clockwork Empire In the Clockwork Empire, heroes come in all shapes in sizes. Now that the land has been reclaimed, the Mistlands is chock full of interesting races for players to meet. Not all are friendly... but the following races are all great choices for players who want to be Heroes in this new world. Race Options   Racial Traits:   Perhaps the most widely visible race, Humans come in every shape and size. According to legend, all the humans on the Misty Continent are descended from an ancient race, called the Hylians, who were once spread out across every corner of the world. For the sake of ease, many humans are identified these days by their home city, rather than their specific creed- Kakarikans, Calatians, and Sheikah are just a few examples that you might encounter over the course of your adventures. Whatever their name, they are an industrious lot- always building, always exploring, always expanding to see what it is they can see. Racial Traits: Standard 5E Human bonuses, plus one tool and one skill proficiency of your choice Racial Power   With broad shoulders, rocky skin, and massive fists, Gorons may look intimidating... but anyone who knows one will quickly tell you how wrong that impression is. The Mountain Folk are actually one of the most widely traveled, widely recognized, and widely beloved races on the Misty Continent. They keep their homes high up in the crags, and live in large, family-driven villages- but like the rolling stones they so often emulate, the Goron don't tend to spend very long in these places. Instead, they travel- moving from town to town, taking in the sights and trading their favorite crop- the highly unstable Bomb Flower- for goods and particularly tasty rocks from the lands below. Racial Feats Stats: +2 Strength, +1 Charisma: The goron are powerfully built, and affable. Stone Eater: Goron have evolved to live off of a wide variety of rocks and stones. They do not need food rations to survive. Natural Armor +2 Darkvision 60' Weapon Proficiency: Hammers Racial Power   While the Topsider races struggled during the ages of the Great Sea, the Zora thrived. Sure, an offshoot of their kin evolved over time to become the Rito people, way out to the west... but the Labrynnan and Holodrumian Zora's kingdom entered into a new rennaisance as relics from above the waves were washed down into the deep. For many, many years, the Sea Zora's kingdom grew, and their dominion over the sea became more and more solid with each passing decade... Until the waves began to recede. As the Misty Continent reclaimed more of its land, the Zora found the borders of their great empire shrinking. Just as it had grown, the mighty empire began to shrink- until it reached had dwindled down to a small, densely populated husk of its original self. With their world now crowded and dark, many Zora found themselves looking for new opportunities to make a life for them and theirs. Sometimes, this search took them out into the unclaimed depths of the ocean... but sometimes, it led them to make a move up onto the damp lands. Racial Traits: +2 Dex, + 1 Wisdom: Zora are lithe, and their empire has had a long time to develop its understandings of the world. Amphibious: Zora's swim speed is equal to their walking speed, and they can breathe air or water. Darkvision 60' Shocking Touch: Zora have adapted a natural defense mechanism. All Zora can cast the "Shocking Grasp" cantrip, using Wisdom as their spellcasting ability. Weapon Proficiency: Spears Racial Power   Initially outcast by the "civilized" folk on the Mainland, the Tokay are... well, a bit eccentric. Distantly related to the Lizalfos of the Western Continents, these tall, pot-bellied lizard-men began as a scavenger society, way back in Labrynna's past. Over time, their society began to expand, exploring small islands on log rafts, then developing better ships as the years went on. When the Great Sea rose, the Tokay were a seafaring people... But they found themselves with no port to call home. For many, many years, the Tokay all but vanished. Nobody is sure- not even modern Tokay- where they went, or what they did... just that one day they were gone, and then one day they were back. The Tokay who returned to the Misty Continent, some hundred years ago, were still very much like their ancestors- scavengers, finders, and searchers. Today, the Tokay are mostly nomadic- traveling from place to place, working when and how they can, and trying to make a home for themselves in a strange, and ever stranger, world. Racial Traits: +2 Dex, +1 Str: The Tokay are animalistic, and retain the natural agility and strength of their more primal forebears. Scent: The Tokay have a strong sense of smell. All Tokay are proficient in Perception, and gain an advantage in Perception checks based on scent. Poison Resilience: The Tokay's bodies are fundamentally different from that of their other "civilized" peers. Advantage on saving throws v. poison, and resistance to poison damage Prehensile Tail: As a bonus action you can use it to support your weight for a round, transfer a small item to your hand, or grab a small item from your hand (but it's not strong enough to wield a weapon). Weapon Proficiency: Swords or Shields. Legend has it that a strange Tokay swam to the First Island, many years ago, and gave the Tokay the secrets of the blade and shield. To this day, these weapons are considered sacred to the lizard people. Racial Power   The time of the Great Sea brought changes for everyone. Well, mostly. The Humans and Gorons fled to the mountain peaks. The Zora expanded a great empire. The Tokay vanished. The subrosians... well, to be quite honest, the eccentric folk of the Underworld didn't really notice that much. Sure, there were some changes to deal with. Their underground kingdom suddenly expanded, and great swamps began to spread as their home crashed into another continent. The portals that had connected them to the Overworld for many years suddenly turned into great, briny waterfalls. And their lava pools grew decidedly cooler in the aftermath of whatever great earthquake had shaken things up... but, to the Subrosians, these were non-issues. So long as they had their metals, and their lava, and their ore, the Subrosian people were happy. In fact, it was almost by accident that Subrosians began to interact with the Overworld again at all. Long after the Subrosians had all but forgotten the portals to the overworld, the strange, salty waterfalls stopped flowing. Then, as years went on, the marshlands began to shrink, and the lava began to heat up once more. After a few decades, an enterprising young metalworker realized what was happening... and, with his tentative steps into the portal, he began a new wave of exploration and trade with the world above. Racial Traits: +2 Int, +1 Con: The Subrosians are used to bathing in Lava, and have had a lot of time to study and master their trades beneath the earth. Size: Small Magma Dweller: Subrosians have an innate resistance to heat, due to their exposure to extreme heat beneath the surface. Metal Mind: Subrosians are considered proficient with any knowledge- based check related to Metallurgy, and have skill proficiency for blacksmith. Subrosians get advantage on any check to identify the properties or composition of metals. Odds and Ends: Subrosians are, inherently, collectors. A Subrosian begins play with a unique trinket, decided on by player and GM, that they brought with them from Subrosia. Weapon Proficiency: Blowguns Racial Power   The Hero of Time may have been released from the Endless Cycle... but that doesn't mean that there's no room for new heroes in the world. When creating your character, think of a theme- for example, "wind" or "fire." Try to build your character around this concept- it will give me some useful tools to work with, and it will help you to think about what kind of hero your character will turn out to be. Everyone will have a role to play in the greater narrative! YOU CAN NOT CHOOSE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING AS THEMES: Time Light Darkness Shadows / Twilight Triforce (Or any related themes) Hyrule Etc. ((If you are uncertain, PM me and I'm more than happy to see what we can make work for you!))   Drawing on the core LoZ series as inspiration, this game is going to be very heavy on custom magical items. In addition to the Glittering Blade and the Gauntlet of Gamelon, expect to see any number of magical items from the series' past, as well as a couple that are unique to the Clockwork Empire. Most items in this game have a primary, utility based function, and a combat support option. While you're not likely to see any Flaming Swords of Doom in treasure chests, there will be lots of opportunity for player's to get creative with items, according to rule 0. Think of it as Syrup's Magic Dust- try it on anything you can!

[Captain Barnacle]

Still WIP, but I wanted to get it going, sorry if It took me too long.

Name: Dakruda Sellick
Race: Goron
Gender: Male
Age: WIP

Class: Forge Cleric
Background: Guild Artisan
Alignment: Neutral Good

Physical Description: WIP (also looking for a dope Goron image)

Personality: Like most gorons, Dakruda is a gentle and charismatic fellow. Unlike most gorons, he is awfully self-aware, doubting and overthinking the actions and motives of everyone around him, including his own. Not that he is distrustful or fearful, but he has gathered a good amount of legends and stories of their fellow men, and not all end well. Still, he'd be willing to lend a hand to all those in need, specially when when it comes to potential clients. After all, he is still a tradesman and has to keep a good rep as such. (WIP)

Brief History: Born and raised as a traveler, Dakruda spent his early years wandering through mountaintops living on his earnings as a trader.
Throughout his travels not only did he hear stories of the heroes of old, but he also became enticed with the treasures and trinkets said heroes gathered. The legends speak of chained claws, boots of iron, shields able to reflect sunlight, curved clubs that return when thrown, rods that breathe fire, and even holy swords that make all but the strongest of foes cower in fear.
Being the tradesman he was, he began looking for such items everywhere he went. But the mountaintops were just the remains of old villages, and the few caves and dungeons that remained were completely savaged.
"Well, if I can't find the gear of legends, I'll make my own!" he thought to himself, and thus he began a quest for knowledge that lead him out of his usual trading routes, and into the lands below the mountain. He already knew the basics of metallurgy, but next came the tricky part, your craft can't be legendary unless its part of a legend. Easygoing as he was, a new passion was burning inside of him, a fire as strong and wild as those used to forge the blades of old.

Heroic Theme: Fire/Forge
RP sample: WIP

 

Yo, dope concept dude! I'm really looking forward for this game.
I just wanted to know a couple things before I got to finishing the actual app.

1. I wanted to play as a Goron swordsmith, following the Forge Domain Cleric from the UA. Is that ok?
   (If not, I was also thinking of a paladin, so its cool either way.)
2. I was thinking of a sort of outlander background for a goron tribe that spent a lot of generations underground since the Great Flood, and they recently came out without knowing a single thing about the new Hyrule. Ok, so I'll be taking a different approach to his background story
3. Also, I did play WindWaker, but I haven't played more games from that timeline, so I'm not sure on how to write a background story that is cohesive to the campaign; so can we get a map, or a general description of the places in the overworld to write her in a place that makes sense?
4. Final question: How do Gorons interact with armor? I'm kinda curious about that XD
5. Final question #2: Can I play as a female goron? I just looked around for info on female Gorons and was kinda bummed to see female Gorons are still super-obscure references on very few games/comics. I'd like to keep it as close to the canon as possible so I'm asking first. Yeah, I chose to keep him male, for simplicity's sake.

 

So I finally updated, but I wanted to check what you think about it.

• I grounded his concept as a adult Goron Merchant. That sort of fits the Guild Artisan background so I think it was a good choice.
• So his brief history is basically a man that has heard enough legends to want to become part of one. Personally I've always loved the items you get in eons-old temples and tried to picture the people that lived there, and how they made stuff like the Clawshot or the Spinner.
• Thus his personal journey could go from a simple collector to the actual maker of legends' gear, but its a suggestion.
• So he's quite the charismatic goodfellow, but on his personality I wanted him to be less oblivious and more observing/wise given both his profession as a merchant and his hobby of gathering artifacts.
• Also I wanted to make him a fully grown adult, but I'm not sure how aging works for Gorons, some people say they basically live millennia, and others that they age as humans. If you could shed some light on that I'd appreciate it.
• I left a couple things on 'WIP' so I'll still have to update later.
  Please tell me what you think about everything so we can finish fleshing him out. So far I'm still excited about this game!

[Sockfox]

Definitely interested:
Place holder for app

Name: Alice Frye
Race:
Gender: Female
Age: 19

Rest is WIP.

[Ericg1s]

I'm having difficulty reading the special races insert.

[TKWrites]

Sorry about that, Eric. I haven't imported those notes yet. They should be up later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Edit:

I've updated the core racial stat-blocks for custom races. There will be other special abilities described in the formal Player's Guide, but this should help people get an idea for now. I was hoping to have more to fill in, but last night got away from me.

[TKWrites]

Alright. After some work, the core narrative elements are together, so I think I should be good to formally open for applications.

I'm currently putting together a formal Player's Guide, which should be wrapped up shortly after completing the player's guide for Raising The Sky. If there are any questions regarding mechanics or flavor before then, please let me know and I will be happy to address them.

[Ericg1s]

Name: Fricky
Race: Subrosian
Class: Rogue
Background: Entertainer.
Gender: Male
Aspect: Hero of The Song. (His proficiency in wind instruments is likely to prove important...Hyrule seems to have a lot of enchanted wind instruments.)
Feat: Medium Armor Proficiency.
Alignment: Neutral Good.
Personality: Quiet most of the time. Occasionally shows a passion for something, but usually just follows along with the group.
Backstory: He learned to tune the chimes, and to tamper with the clockwork devices his fellows made. He loves music, especially story ballads. Hearing the old legends of the Magic Flute, he made a metal version for himself...it doesn't quite sound right, but he attributes that to the echoes of the caves. Perhaps he will make a proper reed flute when he learns how. He finds the idea of such an instrument more beautiful than the clockwork music boxes his people normally use, because the flute requires skill. He collected stories, and longed for more stories of the fabled 'outland' above the sky. He learned to create and wear metal reinforced armor by living near the forges. His main armor is Scale-easily made, and relatively strong. It is common among his people, and he wears it to mimic the appearance of the guards. Although he is not as strong in combat as a warrior, he wants to look like one. When the portal opened, he gathered up a few items and headed out, hoping to find...well, he doesn't quite know what he is looking for. Everything is so BRIGHT up here, that it's hard to even look for it!
RP Post Sample:

 

Fricky walks down the lane, following the map he was given to the Spring of the Fairy. The hills lie ahead, and at the top of the hills he will find the spring, and the cave of the wise man. He doesn't quite know what he expects to gain from the wise man or the fairy, but he hopes they can teach him more stories. Perhaps he will teach them the story of the heart of the world as well. He always loved the ending of that story-the beat of his people's forges is the heartbeat of the world.

Combat Sample Post

 

Frisky Move 3 squares north steps forward and stands single attack with weapon ready to attack.

Dice Roll:

1d20+5

(3)+5

Total = 8

to hit

Dice Roll:

1d6+3

(3)+3

Total = 6

damage

[TKWrites]

@Captain Barnacle: Forge cleric is good by me.

@Ericg1s: There are a couple of missions / dungeons that take the party into Subrosia, so "offscreen village" has a pretty good chance of becoming an on-screen situation. Plus, it sounds like your character is defined more by a thirst for knowledge / stories than his home.

[Ericg1s]

Good point. I'll make a slight change.

[Arthilian01]

Name: Heinrich Hyleth
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Age: Middle-age
Alignment: Neutral Good
Class: Fighter
Background: Soldier
Heroic Theme: Nature

Physical Description: Heinrich is an agile fighter and once among the soldiers of Calatia he was not counted as a novice with a sword. He wears his long black hair loosely. He wears simple leather armor that most benefits his quick, sometimes acrobatic style.

Personality: Heinrich is oftentimes jovial and laid-back. He wears a smile almost all the time and he carries himself with a confident demeanor often mistaken as arrogance.

Brief History: Heinrich grew up in Calatia under the tutelage of his father, An accomplished soldier in the Calatia army. When Heinrich came of age he followed in his father's footsteps and became a soldier also. He served for some time and lost many companions until he became to serve the dull life of a House Guard to the Prince. When he saw what was happening between Archduke Draugmire and Prince Link he saw himself ineffective to advise the Prince he took it upon himself to leave the Kingdom to seek out worthy allies to aid in the coming battle that was certain to happen.

Thus he found himself in the Mistlands in Kakariko Village.

RP sample: Heinrich wanders the Sheikah circus, fluidly moving through the crowd as it flows past him in it's own wanderings. He watches the acts with interest, as people with extraordinary abilities seem to flock to gatherings such as this.

The young acrobat catches his interest as she moves out onto the stage. The roll of thunder in the distance nearly speaks to Heinrich at that moment as if some heavenly sign just presented itself.

[TKWrites]

@Eric: Noted. I think it's a good change- as you pointed out, music tends to play a very large role in LoZ settings.

@Arthilian: Thanks for the app.

[Codex Sparks]

Name: Noro
Race: Zora
Class: Warlock (patron: great old one)
Background: sage
Alignment: CG
Gender: M
Age: 18

Physical Description: Noro has a thin, lithe build. He isn’t exactly fit, but he is healthy. He wears a simple orange robe.

Personality: An idealistic, slightly insane philosopher mage with a specialty in chaos magic. He is generally friendly and laid back, though he comes off as a bit strange (at best) and tends to forget social rules. His biggest pet peeve is rules that he doesn't think have good reasons. He isn't fond of having strict codes of morals, believing them to be unnecessary if people just act decently to each other. He is uncomfortable with enchantment magic, since he places a great deal of value on free will.

Brief History: Noro was born to a well off wizard and a sorceress. As such, he grew up surrounded by magic, and yet he struggled to use it himself. When he was twelve, his parents, believing that his magical skills would come with practice, sent him to a nearby wizarding school. Noro did manage to pick up the basics, but he lacked the magical power to perform more than cantrips. While there he read texts on chaos magic and the Twilight Realm, from which he came up with his own chaos based philosophy and and formed a warlock pact, giving him the magical power he had long lacked. He was promptly expelled from the school, which had specific rules against such pacts. Not long later he began adventuring.

Heroic Theme: Chaos
RP sample: Noro shook himself off after climbing out of the water. Being in air was an unfamiliar feeling, not exactly unpleasant, but unsettling. The Zora kingdom was facing a great change, and if they didn’t change in response, they would fade away. He focused on his knowledge to calm himself. Change is chaos. Chaos brings growth and freedom. With growth things become better. With freedom life gains meaning. After a few moments he was calm again. Time to get this new life started. He saw a village in the distance. Good a place to start as any.


Just to let you know, I haven't played any of the games referenced by this story, only Spirit Tracks and the very beginning of Skyward Sword. I have read the manga adaptions of the oracle games (and quite a few others), though it's been a while.

[mystwatch]

Secret questions! /shot



Also, does the Subrosian's Magma Dweller translate to fire resistance?

...also I know nothing of Zelda beyond knowing that the player character is Link and not Zelda XD

Sorry for the bunch of questions and requests, and thanks for your time!

[TKWrites]

@Codex- Thanks for the application. Added to my list.

@Mystwatch-
Yes, Magma Dweller gives fire resistance.

Knowledge about LoZ isn't strictly necessary, since this game is a major shift in the traditional series' format.