Author Topic: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)  (Read 14652 times)

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AndyJames

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Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« on: July 21, 2008, 06:02:39 AM »
As the title said:
- 3.5 game.
- Novice PbP DM (but not novice DM in general).
- Good aligned campaign.
- Starting level is negotiable (within 3-10 range).
- Stats generation negotiable (I generally give 1d8+10, if you want an indication of stat level).
- Optimisation level... don't get killed. It is permanent. You won't need the uber-charger/Initiate of Mystra nonsense either (I hope...). This campaign was aimed at 4 gestalted PCs.
- This adventure will have an M-rating for themes and scenes.

The following 3.5 WotC "books" are allowed:
- SRD
- Spell Compendium
- the 8 Completes
- Races of Stone/Wild/Destiny/Dragon
- Dragon Magic
- Dragonomicon
- ToB
- MiC
- Frostburn, Sandstorm, Sotrmwrack
- Heroes of Horror/Battle
- Lords of Madness
- Libris Mortis
- Mini Handbook
- PHB II

Playable PC races are as per PHB and MM.

There will be some house rules. Please look at here (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=1001.msg25973#new) for a more in depth description.

In particular, the following applies:
- New Mechanic: Casting Difficulty Rating.
- Class Changes: Barbarian, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer.
- Spell Changes: All listed.

Other rules:
- Spiked Chain is a double weapon, not a reach weapon.
- All relevant divine casters that normally know all spells period only automatically get all the spells in the PHB. They can learn spells from other sources at 2/level starting at level 1.
- Dread Necromancer and Beguiler has a Eccletic Learning variant as per Warmage.

This is probably not exhaustive. I will post more as I remember or realise them. I am not trying to be malicious. I do tend to forget things and if I do, please do let me know.

--------------------------------

As a novice PbP DM, chances are, I would run it more like a tabletop game. I am used to my players doing off the wall things to me, so usually I can adapt. I do ask that if you do fool around with the NPCs, please do not do so with the plot integral ones. That is, no bedding the married, plot integral woman and bust up her marriage to the staid and zealous paladin just because you can.

One last thing:
Don't expect all Red Dragons to be Evil, or Gold Dragons to be Good. Doesn't work that way with my games.

Also, don't expect all chainmails to be AC 5, MDB 2, or londswords to be 1d8, 19-20/x2 damage, either. Some are better, some are worse. Hint: Craft and/or Appraise might be important...

Lastly, not all magic items are masterwork.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2008, 06:36:25 AM by AndyJames »

AndyJames

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #1 on: July 21, 2008, 09:09:52 AM »
Now, the world:

--------------------------------------------
"A cataclysmic war shattered the world thousands of years ago. The oldest surviving texts claim that it was a war between the mortal races and the races of demons and devils. The mortals won, but at a terrible price. Isolated by great walls of purplish fog, each landmass (a misnomer since some have areas of oceans larger than actual land) evolved its own culture, but the people did not forget the time before the great catacylsm when the world was whole. Eventually, great portals were created for travel between the landmasses and for a time, trade flowed and the landmasses grew prosperous.

But, as was the normal state of affairs between the mortal races, greed, hate and fear gained sway. Within twenty short years, war once again erupted across the shattered world. It would be a war that would last three hundred years. One by one, the great portals fell, destroyed by the warring armies even as they destroyed one another. It was carnage and destruction on a scale unparalleled even by the Demon Wars ten thousand years ago.

Our landmass was no different. Orcs fought dwarves and elves, gnomes hunted kobolds, goblins and humans fighting anyone they could lay their eyes on. The hobgoblins and the bugbears marched against the charges of centaurs. And the dragons looked down on us from their lofty perches and laughed at our folly. The war ended with the destruction of the great portal at Ephemera. With its loss, our landmass was no longer connected to the rest of the world. There were no one left who knew the secrets of creating these great wonders of a bygone age. One by one, the leaders of the warring armies realised that they fought only to extinction. Even the winner would not survive the wild beasts and dangers of a land blasted and mutated by the great magicks of war. One by one, they ceased aggression, and the foundations of peace was laid.

The once warring armies came together. Orcs, Elves, Dwarves, Humans, Halfling, Kobold, Gnome, Hobgoblin, Bugbear, Goblin, even the Centaur and the Goliath. And they built a great symbol of their unity. Ephemera, City of Hope.

This was a thousand years ago. That is the story of our beginning. It is a story a thousand years in the writing. A story that you, my students, will continue."

- Reverend Elder Mrinythrax Ortholonx, in his first annual lecture on "History: Our Ancient Past", to the first year students of the University of Ephemera

------------------------------------------------------

Choose your characters, but please make them affiliated with the University in some way, and also to stand out in some way. This would be a good time to dust off your Indianna Jones concepts ;)

JanusJones

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #2 on: July 21, 2008, 12:27:51 PM »
Interest!

**Waves hand!**

I particularly like gestalt, but I'm cool with normal, too.  All I need is a starting level, a hard ruling on stats, and whether you're thinking gestalt or no.

If there's a particular role you'd like filled or a general KIND of tactic you might want to see in play, lemme know.

Can't wait to start building PCs!  Lemme know the details and I'll get you some options right quick!

Pan-Fried Hamster

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #3 on: July 21, 2008, 04:10:25 PM »
This looks interesting--I especially like the idea of changing stat ranges to make Craft a cool skill.  I'm in two PbP games already and considering a third, so I need to think on it first.

AndyJames

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #4 on: July 21, 2008, 06:24:57 PM »
If there are not enough people, we can go gestalt. If there is enough, then we'll go single class. What are your preferrences for starting level? I am flexible in that. I just have to change the monsters you face, but that is easy as far as I am concerned.

NineInchNall

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2008, 06:38:41 PM »
I.  Am.  In.  Like.  Flynn.

Starting at at least 5th level would be nice.  'Cause I hate low levels.

AndyJames

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #6 on: July 22, 2008, 06:23:13 PM »
OK, then. Let's go gestalt.

I have a call for level 5. Any other offers?

Also, any offers for stats generation?

Dan2

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #7 on: July 22, 2008, 06:38:08 PM »
This sound extremely interesting.

I'll have to read up on the Gestalt Rules (and probably get some suggestions one good gestalt combinations)

If you'll have me, I'll join.

AndyJames

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2008, 06:43:47 PM »
More information:

Brief Geography

Ephemera City sits on the northwestern tip of a large landmass. It is a big city of over 2 million, mainly humans. It also has a relatively large population of goblins, hobgoblins, halflings, orcs and bugbears. Other races also have a presence here. It is surrounded by ocean to northeast, north, northwest, west and southwest.

To the south and southeast is a large plain, and to the west is the Iderwild forest. Within the forest is Illidrin, the Shimmering City, the main population centre of elves (including a number drow). This is a temperate mixed forest. Exact number are not known, but the estimated population of Illidrin is about 150,000.

A major coastal road connects Ephemera to the fishing village of Carnos. In between, tribes of centaurs roam and there are small settlements of orcs and goblinoids who have kept their old tribal ways. These settlements are generally, if not friendly, then at least not hostile. Just outside Carnos to the east is the largest concentration of halflings, the settlement of Riverrun on the banks of the Arnos River. Population of both: 65,000.

The coastal road continues south and turns east to the foothills of the Rockspire Mountains and the gates of Ironhold, the underground realm of the dwarves, kobolds, gnomes and goliaths. Population of Ironhold is in the region of 500,000.

As can be seen, most of the population is centred along the coast. The central part of the landmass is a mix of plains and forests and is home to a large variety of wild beasts, both normal and magically mutated. Tall impenetratable mountains cover the entire eastern side of the landmass. It is not known how far these mountains extend before hitting the wall of purple mist that surrounds the landmass.

A note on the purple mist: No one who has ever gone in there has ever come out again. People have tried everything including tying a rope around their waist and going in. The rope inevitably goes slack once the person is out of sight. No one knows what happens to the people that wanders in there, whether they get lost and starve, or whether they get transported to another landmass or they get turned inside out.

AndyJames

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #9 on: July 22, 2008, 06:48:10 PM »
This sound extremely interesting.

I'll have to read up on the Gestalt Rules (and probably get some suggestions one good gestalt combinations)

If you'll have me, I'll join.

The more the merrier, Dan2. Have a go at it.

Pan-Fried Hamster

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #10 on: July 22, 2008, 07:11:29 PM »
This is definitely tempting.  I'd like to try out a Sorc, Wondrous Item crafter, or perhaps a Factotum type of build--right now I'm leaning towards the latter.  I sort of hate following the Factotum Warblade idea I saw going in the Skies of Arcadia campaign, but it's a damn nice bit of INT synergy.

As for levels, I like something starting around 3 or 4--enough to have a few cool tricks, but also not as complex as starting at 11 or 12.  6 is about the highest I'd feel comfortable starting at, since I want to get a feel for my character.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2008, 07:13:01 PM by Pan-Fried Hamster »

AndyJames

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #11 on: July 22, 2008, 07:22:08 PM »
No Factotum. Sorry, PFH. Magic of Incarnum is not in the list. It's just that I don't have the book and I don't think I would become comfortable with it in the relatively short time we have available before game starts.

NineInchNall

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #12 on: July 22, 2008, 07:32:54 PM »
I notice that the setting prefers humans and human-looking races.  Would you be willing to use the Shadowcraft Mage adaptation for non-gnomes?

AndyJames

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #13 on: July 22, 2008, 07:42:55 PM »
I think you misunderstood.

The Ephemera setting is open to almost all races in the PHB and MM (as mentioned there are at least 12 races working together to build the city).

You are thinking of the Legends setting (King Arthur and all), which is very different (it is low magic for one). I am only referring to Legends so that I don't ahve to retype all the house rules that are already in there. Only the rules and changes mentioned in this thread will apply (for example there is no LN Paladins or the Knight PrC in Ephemera).


Also, when I said SRD, I meant the Psionic and Core parts of it, not the Unearthed Arcana parts.

My apologies for not being clearer in this.  There are so many things I take for granted as I am just so used to them.

NineInchNall

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #14 on: July 22, 2008, 07:53:10 PM »
The question still stands.  :smirk

AndyJames

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #15 on: July 22, 2008, 08:05:15 PM »

AndyJames

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #16 on: July 22, 2008, 08:56:35 PM »
Notes on gestalt (since we seem to be going that way):

- No dual progression classes (this includes Unseen Seer, Abjurant Champion, Slayer, Arcane Heirophant, etc.)
- You *can* have 2 PrCs at the same time, but each can be applied to one side of the gestalt only. You can't have 2 mage PrCs when you are a Cleric//Mage base, for example, but you can have both a Cleric and a Mage PrC (like Church Inquisitor/Elemental Savant, for example) at the same time
- Your BAB, base saves, etc., would be the better one of the sum total of all your classes on one side compared with the other side

Otherwise, gestalt would be the same as in UA.

Pan-Fried Hamster

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #17 on: July 22, 2008, 09:27:26 PM »
Factotum = Cityscape, not Incarnum.  Though I see that's not on the list either, now that I checked.

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #18 on: July 23, 2008, 12:47:31 AM »
Just a minor note, Factotum is actually in Dungeonscape...
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JanusJones

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Re: Looking for Interest - 3.5 game (Ephemera)
« Reply #19 on: July 23, 2008, 11:32:55 AM »
36 point buy for stats?  If you want rolls, I'd suggest 4d6 drop lowest - 10+1d8 generates meh stats, I find, and point buy gives more control.

I'm thinking of a Swordsage 5/Cloistered Cleric 1 + Walker in the Waste 4.  Fun style - a sort of desert mystic with power over heat and cold, light and darkness.  Wheee!