CO DM Diary: Narakadelphia Chronicles

[terling]

Inspired by the CO boards in general and Brainpiercing's campaign diary I thought I would keep notes about my new campaign (first I've run since AD&D).

First, some design goals:
-The setting is a Mediterranean climate on a peninsula with physical dangers/barriers to attempting overland transportation.
-Heavy armor is discouraged for PCs.
-Gear dependence is discouraged also.

Second, the setting is mostly humanocentric.  There are some non-human races but they are rare.

Third, I sent the two PCs here for character ideas and optimization ideas.

Fourth, I was aiming for a tier 3+ (not tier 2/1) power level.  Tier 1 and 2 classes are allowed, but lose most of the bonuses below.

I used some of the fixing Gear ideas, tweaked a little bit.  I followed a lot of ideas in JaronK's Fixing Gear http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=6909.0
I made the rules as follows:
Level:   Benefit:
1          +4 Competence bonus to AC (reduced by Armor Check penalty)
2           Roleplaying Boon (Citizenship, career, etc...)
3          +5 Competence bonus to AC (replaces level 1 bonus)
4          +1 Enhancement bonus to strikes (any weapon you wield or improved unarmed strike acts as if it had a +1 Enhancement bonus)
5           Support Boon (Item/Cohort to support main character actions)
6          +6 Competence bonus to AC, +1 Deflection bonus to AC (tied to a signature item)
7          +2 Enhancement bonus to a stat (tied to a signature item), +1 Resistance (to all saves, tied to a signature item)
8          +1 Natural Armor
9          +7 Competence bonus to AC
10        +2 Enhancement bonus to strikes (may be split into +1 to Strike and one signature weapon ability +1)

The competence bonus is decreased by the armor check penalty of any armor the character wears.  Signature item can be any sentimental item that the character wears/uses on a regular basis.  If a signature item is lost, the bonus goes away until the item is recovered or a replacement has been procured.

In return for all of this, we are using the MIC's choice by PC level charts but only one pick per chart.  Mithral Shirts and Healing belts were popular.  Additionally, magic weapons and armor can be crafted without the enhancement bonus (or the enhancement bonus goes away for the PCs, either way).

Since there are only two PCs, I allowed them to use a very generous stat roll method (roll six sets of stats, grab a single row or column, arrange as you would like.  Stats generated with 4d6, reroll 1 & 2, drop lowest.  Total stat bonus on the best column ended up being +15).

Subclasses from http://www.myth-weavers.com/wiki/index.php/3.5_Sub-Classes are also being used.  (So far both of them chose Expert for the two feats and the skill bonuses.)

Characters are a Beguiler 4/Warblade 1 that will be moving into JPM next level and a Swordsage reflavored Ninja (drop two maneuvers ready/known in return for Ninja Ki abilities).

Beguiler/Warblade works as an investigator for QISUN, which is the Imperial investigation unit in Narakadelphia.  
(Narakadelphia is a semi-autonomous city state of the Quintal Empire, which is referred to as the Mainland by most people in the city.  It is nearly 22,000 people strong and has a strong tradition of practical magic.)

Swordsage Ninja has joined forces with the investigator, since he spared her life when she attempted to assassinate him for one of his investigative subjects.  Turning 'state's evidence', she is working with him to take down the people that turned her into an assassin (after she killed the clients they sent when they tried to turn her into a prostitute).

{Edit: more information about the setting and the adventures will be added as sessions happen/are developed}

[terling]

Post reserved for Affiliations/Organization information the PCs are involved with or know.

First organization:

QISUN
Quintal Investigative Special Unit - Narakadelphia

  Objective: Resolve mysteries, prevent insurrection/large scale crime, recover important lost artifacts, bring heinous criminals to justice, and act as court of last resort for Citizens.

Score  Title
    4     Researcher
   10    Investigator
   16    Detective
   22    Inspector Detective
   28    Master Detective
   34+  Master Inspector

Score  Benefit(s)
   11    Rent-free housing
           200g / month stipend
   21    Call in favor (lower affiliation score by 5 permanently to have a 5th or higher level cast on your behalf for 1/4 cost
          (may be used to procure a Charm if normal means fail.))
          Communications Network (Can use Gather Information in Imperial lands without leaving Narakadelphia (time delay))
          Paper Charm (When burned, acts as a Word of Recall, taking you and possibly allies to the Narakadelphia headquarters (1/month).  
          Additional charms require Diplomacy checks or bribes.)
   30+  Branch Office (Offered opportunity to start a new office with 4 - 12 assistants total encounter level of 12)

Duties:
    11   Enemy affiliation members have hostile reaction and a -10 to Diplomacy checks
    21   Good Judgement (Make DC 20 Sense Motive Check once per month or receive bad information about existing case)
    30+ Assassination attempts (DC 30 Diplomacy (Gather Information) check each month or face an assassin or equivalent)

The players do not know the criteria for gaining and losing affiliation, but can figure it out if they choose to use game time to research patterns within the organization; although, that may lead to unintended questioning.

Second organization:

Widow's Market
Small neighborhood of craftsmen and shopkeepers who either were or were married to adventurers.  Most of them are widows or widowers due to so many of their spouses getting dragged out for one last adventure or being targeted by old enemies when they settled down.  Affiliation with them means frequent customers, people that live in the area, and people that help them out.

Titles are mostly non-existent, you can tell how welcome someone is with the group by how they are greeted.

Score Benefits
  11   +4 Circumstance bonus on all social interaction checks with member merchants
  21   10% standing discount on purchases
         'Juicy' gossip about possible adventure hooks/current activities once per month
  30+  30% standing discount on purchases (lower starting point if haggling, but hardcore haggling will damage your affiliation)

Quirks:
So many of the Widow's Market merchants were married to spellcasters that there is a definite bias against familiars and spell casters.

[terling]

I forgot to mention skills.  In order to provide a smoother experience, several skills have been rolled into broader skills (inspiration comes from various places on these and other boards and things we had been talking about in game for months).

Climb, Jump, and Swim are now Athletics (Str, Armor Check Penalty applies)
Balance, Escape Artist, and Tumble are Acrobatics (Dex, ACP applies)
Hide and Move Silently are Stealth (Dex, ACP applies)
Open Lock is rolled into Disable Device (Int)
Forgery and Sleight of Hand are Legerdemain (Dex, trained)
Listen and Spot are Perception (Wis)

Additionally, all tier 3 players and below have a virtual Able Learner feat.  Cross-class maximums still apply.

We had considered using the Skills as Progressions rules from True20, but the headaches of multi-class characters weighed against that.

An additional Sub-Class feat was added:
Gain Least Invocation (Prereqs: Spellcraft and Know: Arcane/Religion all at rank 4) You gain access to a Least Invocation.
(Horus, the Beguiler/Warblade investigator took Draconic Knowledge to help with Knowledge Devotion.  It has been reflavored a bit to represent the 'guide' that is leading him to become a Jade Phoenix Mage.)

(I'm surprised that neither of them considered Eldritch Blast, but it makes life simpler that they didn't.)

I'll leave the rest of this post for any additional character creation leftovers that I may have forgotten.

[terling]

Mysteries currently known:

• The Nara - humanoids with no known martial or magical traditions.  Every time the Empire has come into conflict with them, the Empire's forces have been wiped out the next night.  Currently at truce and given a wide berth.
• Terror Birds - 10 - 12' tall flightless (thankfully) birds.  Very strong, beaks strong enough to snap through chain shirts, and a hunger for brains.  Current belief is that they learn by absorbing some or all of the skills of those whose brains they eat.  An 80' cliff with defenses is what separates the main peninsula from the main portion of the continent.  They are the reason for no overland travel.  A less dominant subspecies has been domesticated and provides most of the red meat for Narakadelphia.  It is speculated that 'something' happened to change the ostrich-like version in to the terror version, what that something might be has not been determined.
• Monster People - On rare occasions, something that has only been described as a monstrous combination of magical beasts and people have been seen.  If left to go their own way, they usually don't attack.  When they attack, it is swift, brutal and continues until the creature can make a clean escape.  Rumor has it that they glow slightly in the dark and that the blue whisps that rarely seen streaking overhead at night may be them scouting out Narakadelphia.
• Cricket's (Swordsage/ninja) Father - What happened that caused him to leave his homeland gifting his child with a sword and a porcelain mask.  Last known destination was Narakadelphia.
• The Anchor - to the west and a little to the north is the Anchor.  It appears to be a basalt spike the size of a small mountain with roughly worked sides embedded in an island off the coast of the Narakan Peninsula.  It is named because any teleport effect that includes it in its range ends at the anchor.  This is the primary reason that the teleportation capable Empire has to rely on ships for trade with the Eastern Kingdoms, with Narakadelphia being the main port of trade.  (Think Devil's Tower in Wyoming and you have the exact image.)
• The Lightning Child - The Sky Father is the supreme being, the Cathedral says so.  So why are people able to gain divine magic, often times with greater flexibility when they follow the Lightning Child Heresy?

[Brainpiercing]

Yay, I am an inspiration!!   











*waiting for accounts of the happenings*

[terling]

First session was building characters to fit concepts and the 'BLAH' of what is happening in their little corner of the world.  Starting at 7 PM, characters were ready for approval a little before 11:30 PM.  So we spent some time deciding how the Official Investigator and the vaguely legal immigrant assassin met and started working together.

Horus was investigating a smuggling ring and making progress.  Cricket was assigned by said smuggling ring to get rid of him.  Cricket jumps Horus after a night of drinking.  Horus manages to get one spell off, Color Spray.  Cricket goes down for the count.  He spares her, questions her and she decides that working with him will get her out from under the thumb of the smugglers and be more interesting to boot.

(For some reason, Color Spray only seems to work well against people with high Will saves in our games.  Every wizard that has ever been hit by a Color Spray in our game has taken maximum possible effect....even against a DC 13 wand.  So it is appropriate for a multi-game joke to be the reason they work together.)

[terling]

At character creation, we had some concerns about how powerful Ki abilities would be grafted onto a swordsage chassis.  So we agreed to the removing two maneuvers readied/known to represent the focus on another source of power.  We kept the number of Ki points per day the same as a ninja of the same level, with the agreement that if it turns out to be too limited down the road, we'd make a per encounter pool; but, if it is too powerful in conjunction with martial maneuvers we'll decrease the amount.  My suspicion is Ki abilities (ghost walk in particular) will be very powerful when there is little combat and far less so in times of frequent combat.  If anyone has any thoughts on this, feel free to chime in.

As a general rule, our group does not do maximally optimized battlefield control (a campaign of constant webs and entangles seem to have burned us out on a lot of that).  We still use it, but with few direct combatants; and the mental residue of a Ravenloft campaign where summoning was unwise, we don't think to create minions a lot, so having some direct combat utility is helpful.  That said, there will be optimized opponents for them at times.  I have warned them that most of the straight forward tricks on this board exist somewhere in the setting.  The head of the semi-private 'police' force uses some of the caster level tricks and can essentially ignore spell resistance, he is somewhat legendary for using things like whelm to take down big tough guys.  There are also two diplomancers that lead separate political factions; they are best friends, but have different ideas on implementation of government policy, but not general direction.

[terling]

Looks like I'm going to have a third player joining, woo woo!  Don't know what he's going to want to play, so will update the characters portion of the first post when I know.

Generally known factions in the city:

1. Imperials - Members of the Quintal Empire's voting class.  They either have, or are completing service to earn their votes on Imperial policy.  There are approximately 20 non-military members of the Imperial contingent.  They live in an embassy-style compound and some are aloof, treating the Narakadelphians as rural cousins, and others believe they are just as Narakadelphian as people born here.  There is a small Imperial garrison that mans the Water Gate.  There are an average of 200 Imperial troops in the city at a given time.  These are not conscripts, these are people that are skilled and ambitious enough to join the military for a career or as a stepping stone to their Vote.  (White Raven maneuvers, tricked out bards, war weavers, and such are all seen with some frequency.)

2. Narakadelphian Citizens - Members of the city's voting class.  Individually, they are no more of a faction than your neighbor's dog, but the robust political process encourages joining voting blocks.  These voting blocks are somewhat similar to modern day political parties, but more prone to shifting membership.  Joining a voting block is as simple as placing your Globe of Citizenship in the proper portion of the Edifice of Approval.  If you have more votes, you can either gain more influence in a block or be a member of multiple blocks.

3. Business interests - Narakadelphia is the primary point of trade between the Homestake Underkingdom (dwarves), the Quintal Empire, and the Eastern Kingdoms.  The business men like the prosperity and are not above using their various means of influences to keep it going.

4. The Academy - Combine a world-class university with a community college level of interaction with the city and you have a good feel for the Academy.  Martial adepts, magical adepts, and mundane skills are all taught here.  There is a strong voting block that protects the Academy's interests.

5. The Cathedral - The Sky Father's institution in the world.  Monotheistic with lesser patrons offering domain access, the Cathedral is certain that they are the correct religion and anyone else's is either misguided, infernal, or misnamed at best.  Not overly active in city politics, but their opinions are often parroted or championed by portions of other blocks.

6. The underground - Not a lot is currently known about the various criminal enterprises in the city.  Cricket's former masters belong to this block, so we know there is an organized smuggling operation between Narakadelphia and Easter Kingdoms.  Cricket does not know if it extends to the rest of the Empire.  They deal with goods and people that need to make a quiet escape from the Kingdoms or Narakadelphia.  There seems to be a great deal of 'press-gang' employment by the smuggled and little of it is pleasant (probably the closest to slavery that has been seen thus far).

[terling]

Modified Feats:

Dodge: modified to act like Midnight Dodge that is always at max essentia for level.

Mobility: since AoO's are a readied action, rather than a normal reaction Mobility looses much of its dubious utility.  Instead, it makes you a little faster, allows Dexterity bonus to AC while running, and an insight bonus to AC. 
1-5th level: +5' movement and +1 Insight bonus to AC if you move at least a half move
6 - 11th: +10' movement and +2 Insight bonus to AC if you move at least a half move
12 - 17: +15' movement and +3 Insight bonus to AC if you move at least a half move
18 - 20: +20' movement and +4 Insight bonus to AC if you move at least a half move
Additionally, you retain your Dexterity bonus to AC while running.

Combat Reflexes:
Allows you to make AoO's as per normal rules.  If you ready an action for AoO's, you can make up to your Dexterity bonus in AoO attacks.

Toughness:
Use Improved Toughness instead.

The mobility feat may be too much, the Insight bonus may disappear.

[terling]

Had our first actual session last night.  New player decided to play an arcane swordsage (He is an optimizer in character/playing, not mechanically generally).  So I thought I would write up my rules for that option, then I'll do a recap of the night's events.

Arcane Swordsage modifications:

• You may choose maneuvers, or you may choose spells from the wizard/sorcerer list
• Spells have a prerequisite number of other spells from their school you have to meet.  (Spell level -2 spells as maneuvers in school)
• Spells with level based damage are limited to the lowest caster level that could cast them in damage, +1 per level up to the normal cap (fireball would be 5d6 + 1/level, max +10)
• Spells with ranges longer than close are reduced one step
• Spells that gain additional targets per caster level act normally (subject to change if too powerful)
• Spells that have a duration prevent any spells/maneuvers from being renewed unless they are dismissed
• Protective spells with a duration longer than 10 minutes/level may be chosen as stances or equivalent level
• Save DC's are based off Wisdom
• The swordsage discipline focus abilities may be applied to a school of magic instead of applying to a school of maneuvers
• Swordsage spells as maneuvers cannot be used to qualify for PRCs and do not benefit from caster PRC class features

[terling]

First real play session.

Horus (Beg4/WarB1) is taking a break between leads on his smuggling case, or 'checking sources' in his words.  The bar is More Than Courage, run by Foster and Starla.  Horus asks Starla if anything unusual has been happening lately, and she mentions (excellent gather info check) that some red-armbanded* people are trying to do some protection shake-downs and supplier lock downs.  Horus asks Foster if they've been bothered and is told 'We can handle our own in this neighborhood, but over near the Widow's Market, they've been having some troubles.' (Two gather info checks above 25, Horus's dice seemed to roll either 19 or 4 most of the night.)  About this time, Olin, the assistant for Horus's boss, Claudio shows up and tells Horus that he is needed at an investigation.  Horus tells Foster to put it on the tab, laughs and pays up.  Olin mentions after they've left the establishment that the well-used cudgel hanging on the wall above the bottles is called 'The Tab'.  Horus had never noticed it.  Olin asks where his 'partner' is, Horus is confused, Olin says 'the Eastern woman', and Horus (correctly) chides Olin that it is OK if he has a crush on her.  Olin keeps silent after that.

Horus and Olin get to the crime scene, a sculpture in the Isle of Fables park called the 'Dream Pirate' depicting a stylized pirate ship kids can climb and play on.  When he climbs up, he realizes there is a woman, who has bled out impaled with a parasol on the deck.  A distant memory flickers and he remembers he has met this woman before, she was a friend of Cricket's.  Then he notices the stylized cricket on the parasol and sends Olin (with Claudio's approval) to get Cricket.

Cricket is in her home territory, colloquially known as the Widow's Market, due to the number of shopkeepers that had adventurer spouses.  Selling her parasols in the small square and generally chatting with the shopkeepers (she lives in the neighborhood above the bakery, so she is well known).  Olin arrives with two guards and tells Cricket that Horus needs her to help with a new investigation.  She comes along, surprised at the guards, but interested to find out what is going on.  At the Civic Square entrance, she successfully passes the inspection of her bag (she isn't a Citizen) and so carries in her normal complement of weapons hidden in her parasol carrier.  As they get closer to the scene, Cricket notices many more hostile stares than she ever has before, particularly from the guards.  Horus moves to meet them, but Cricket's sharp eyes spot the parasol and starts asking what is happening.  Eventually, she is asked to identify the parasol and the victim, which she does.  The parasol had been a gift to Kori when they arrived to Narakadelphia, to symbolize that nothing as bad as the smuggling would happen to them again.  Kori had ended up paying for her being smuggled in by becoming a 'working' girl for the smugglers.  (Cricket had killed the first person they sent to her in the same role, ergo being used as an enforcer from then on.)  

The guards found a few people that thought they had seen something, and after fairly detailed questioning by Horus, got a description of two men, one short, stylish, and slightly graying; the other tall, bald, and severely muscled.  One person had even seen them helping a girl along, who looked sick or drunk.  While trying to remove the body, the clean-up crew (led by the third PC, Quarrel) discovered the parasol had been driven into the stone under the body.  Horus cuts the top off of the parasol so the body can be lifted off and discovers spider webbing in the spars.  Cricket identifies the webbing as a calling card of Mr. Weaver, one of the higher ups in the smuggling operation and the improbable object planted in stone as a calling card of Mr. Smite, the smuggler's 'clean-up' man.  Cricket notices some of the lacquer on the outside of the spars of the parasol has been scratched off.  The witness that had seen the two men with the woman mentions that the short one was using a walking stick, and Cricket wonders if someone had put a sheathe on it.  The witness also identifies the suit the stylish man was wearing as being a Gudmussen.  Horus finally remembers his ex-wife bragging about the Gudmussen suit she got for her new husband, the last time they talked civilly. Armed with clues and joined by Quarrel, who has been assigned by his boss to keep tabs on what is going on with this situation.  (Quarrel's boss is a higher up in the Cathedral.  It isn't unusual for Quarrel to be assigned to assist an Investigator if the church is interested or a request is made.)

Off to the Widow's Market, since none of the PCs have any idea who or where this Gudmussen person/place is.  Cricket discovers the unique joy of being well-like (bonuses to social interaction) and only having intimidate as a social skill.  Eventually, without offending anyone, the get directions to the place.  On the way to Gudmussen's, Quarrel notices a red-armbanded man running past an alley.  With some lucky rolls and deduction, he manages to get ahead of the guy and lay him out with a mostly non-lethal smack from his cutlass.  (This is where the rest of the party learns that Quarrel used to be a pirate.  Immediate pirate vs. ninja commentary commences.)  The runner, named Randall (now a recurring NPC) was taking protection racket updates to his boss, Johan.  After advising him to change jobs, the PCs decide to leave Johan alone (at the Laughing Parrot) and continue with their investigation.  Gudmussen has a large compound with a low stone-wall and high wrought-iron fence on top. Presuming they will not be able to get an appointment, Quarrel and Cricket Shadow Jaunt through the fence and Horus Spider Climb's over it.  Stealth rolls come up 9, 22, and 21 respectively.  Quarrel is noticed walking in front of one of the loom buildings.  "Hey, who are you and what are you doing here?" demands the building foreman.  Quarrel responds, "I'm the security tester.  I was hired to make sure the grounds were safe." (Bluff check total 7)  "Oh, I wasn't told that was happening," said the foreman (Sense Motive 5)  " Well, I'm sure you have work to do, I wouldn't want one of the looms to have a problem while you were out talking to me," suggests Quarrel and the foreman agrees and goes back to work.  Quarrel tries to be stealthy again and gets a result over 20, so no one notices him at random.

First they decide to try the back door of the main house of the compound, but Horus notices a string running from the top of the door through the door frame and they change their mind and start towards the front of the house.  As they are sneaking around a voice demands, "What are you doing in my yard and why are you skulking around?"  Cricket brings Horus to the window, who shows his badge.  They are directed to the front door and greeted by the designer Gudmussen.  They give him a description of the unusual fabric the witness had described and he acknowledges that he has used that material combination for one suit, for a Mr.Osceo James.  He starts critiquing Cricket's 'working outfit' as being style-less and tacky, more like a costume than clothes.  (Too many straps and buckles and such)  Then Horus says, "Cricket, we aren't here to talk fashion, I think we have the information we need, thank-you Mr. Gudmussen."  Gudmussen looks bemused and asks, "Are you the Cricket that does the parasols?" and suggests she changes clothes and make an appointment to come back to talk to him about doing some custom parasols for his collection.  As they walk out the front gate, which is open and only guarded in the sense that there are people here to take messages around and possibly could be some help with angry clients.  

They neglect to talk to the secretary who could tell them where Mr. James lives and go to the neighborhood where there is a silk-seller that specializes in unusual colors and patterns, since Mr. James brings in particular skeins for a suit, then pays for them with additional skeins of silk.  Trying to track down the shop, they talk to a person that wants to have nothing to do with police types, someone that has no idea what they are talking about, and a tough guy that tries to strike down Horus as soon as he opens his mouth.  The tough guy is a duskblade and his shocking grasp channeled strike hits Horus and does about 12 damage to him, Horus misses.  Immediately Cricket and Quarrel move to flanking positions and through bad rolls only do 12 points of damage to him.  Tough Guy realizes he's in way over his head and tries to run away screaming about the Imperials are here.  (We don't use AoO's except in specific situations.)  Horus uses a Glitterdust and a lucky saving throw later, the tough guy is still running.  Cricket charges, gets blinded by the glitterdust, and still hits for a fair amount of damage (8 damage).  Quarrel charges and smacks him for another 5 or so points of damage and the Tough Guy drops his weapon, drops to his knees, and raises his hands and surrenders.  Quarrel takes hold and secures the prisoner, Horus takes Tough Guy's sword, lays it out and uses Mountain Strike to sunder it in two.  He hands the hilt back to him and says, "Kid, you are in the wrong line of work.  And NEVER run from me, it just makes me angry."  

As Quarrel and Horus are deciding what to do, Cricket makes a 29 Spot check and notices someone closing a door and ducking back inside his shop.  The shop sign is Mr. James' Fine Silks.  Here is where we stop for the night.