Preserved Topic: RPG - starting a new campaign ][ (Page 1 of 3)

Continued from RPG - starting a new campaign
Play nice now...

___________________________________________________________________________


Code - CGI - links - DHTML - Javascript - Perl - programming - Magic - http://www.twistedport.com
ICQ: 67751342

The more the merrier as they say. So if you want to play you're always welcome.

If some of you are starting to get your characters ready maybe you could post your chars class and some short general info about him here to get it all started. The characters doesn't have to know each other from before or anything. They will all meet each other in the beginning of the camaign anyway- muahahaha <- evil laughter

_________________________
Anyone who has lost track of time when using a computer knows the propensity to dream, the urge to make dreams come true and the tendency to miss lunch.
- copied from the wall of cell 408 -

Ok then...

My character is a Half-Elf Sorcerer. Brought up by a traveling band of Half-Elf wanderers, he has a name that is neither wholy Human or totally elvish. His name is Indemar Lothlorien. Although slightly larger than most boys his age, he tended towards being a bit bookish, so he was a popular target for bullies. He first discovered he had the raw magical power of the Sorcerer within him when, after much provocation and a small amount of physical violence, he turned one of the local bullies into a small, three-legged goat. While in most communities this would have been enough to secure his exile, he was already lving amongst a group who felt themselves to be outcasts, so his presence was tolerated, although he was treated with suspicion and shuned by almost everyone. At the age of twenty, he left the community. Wandering may have been the life for him, butit had to be wandering alone. He tried to surpress his powers. He couldn't live near anyone for fear that he'd harm them. He knew little of the way his powers worked, and he didn't want to know. He just wanted to be rid of them. He pushed them deep, deep down within him, but they kept coming back out again. Whenever he got angry, or afraid, or upset, he'd feel it. It started as a tingling feeling, not unlike when your foot went to sleep, depp within his chest, then it would move. It would go down his arm, and build up in his hand until it hit the critical point. Then it released. Each time it happened, it got more powerful, more wild, and more dangerous. Around the time when a wild, blue glowing ball of energy blew the roof off of the tavern where he was staying (hey...he had to come to town sometime of the necessities, and he'd happened to get caught up this time) he decided he'd better start learning how to control it. It was then that he finally realised one of the true laws of the Sorcerer. Once you've opened the box, you can't close it again. During his itme wandering he had purchased a sword and crossbow for use in defense and hunting, and had become pretty proficient in their use. His time spent surpressing his powers had been exercising them, so they had grow powerful. Some days he felt as if magic was leaking out of his nose and ears he was so full of it. In his travels he met other Sorcerers and discovered he had an ability that is both rare and useful amongst them. He can feel magic, it's ebb and flow within the world.

He spent 34 years wandering, so I join the party at the age of 54

Koan 63, written on the wall of cell number 250:
Those who Believe
Can
Those who Try
Do
Those who Love
Live

Great character Skaarjj, sounds interesting



_________________________
Anyone who has lost track of time when using a computer knows the propensity to dream, the urge to make dreams come true and the tendency to miss lunch.
- copied from the wall of cell 408 -

Man I wish I hadn't avoided the other thread... I love D&D, oh so many saturdays wasted of D&D, Magic The Gathering, and Risk...


_____________________
Prying open my third eye.

Since when had D&D been a waste of time?

Koan 63, written on the wall of cell number 250:
Those who Believe
Can
Those who Try
Do
Those who Love
Live

The poster has demanded we remove all his contributions, less he takes legal action.
We have done so.
Now Tyberius Prime expects him to start complaining that we removed his 'free speech' since this message will replace all of his posts, past and future.
Don't follow his example - seek real life help first.

Ok, here is my character...Ulik Stonehammer, Half-orc Paladin.

Ulik was born in the reaches of the far north, under the lofty peaks of the ranges there into the Gutripper clan. His world was one of violence and brutal conventions. His mother was taken on a raid from a nearby tribe of barbarians, and to survive, became the property of the Orc Chieftain, Balorg. Though the son of the Chieftain, Uliks life was harsh because of his mixed blood. The many scars of his rather brief childhood attend to that. At the age of six he began the ritual of maturity (the ritual that orcs must go through to 'prove' their ability as a warrior and thus proving their worth to the clan). His ritual was to raid one of the nearby dwarf holds (along with the other 'younglings'). On this raid, he and the others succeeded in obtaining a few dwarven heads (but with severe losses...). Ulik returned in triumph with his trophy, marking him as a warrior of the clan. Not long thereafter, the dwarves retaliated, slaughtering the entire clan...Ulik went down due to a hammer blow to the forehead, which instantly rendered him unconcious. Upon regaining his senses, his nose registered the unfamiliar oder of dwarves...he had been taken prisoner, but keep alive (as he found out later) due to his mother...though she had taken a fatal wound in the battle, her last dying breath she used to beseech one of the dwarven warriors to spare her son...and she called upon an age-old debt that the dwarven hold owed her barbarian tribe. The grizzled old veteran, remembering the debt of honor, upheld her request and took Ulik with them.

At this point, as Ulik floated in the half-dead, half-alive state, he received a vision : the dwarven god Moradin appeared to him, in all his terrible might, and offered him either the way of death to his dark orcan diety Grummish, or that of life, but in his service. Torn between his orcan side, or survival, Ulik could not decide. Then the spirit of his mother appeared, and gave him her memories...Ulikes rage at the plight of his mother fueled his decision - he would live, and exact revenge...

Upon his return to life, Ulik threw himself into the dwarven fold. The strange mark upon his forehead (which looks like a hammer and anvil) marked him under the dwarves as a favored of Moradin...he became the ward of the High Priest of the dwarven hold of the Stonehammers. His training consisted of learning dwarvish and continuing his warrior ways...his black rages in combat due to his orcan blood drew concern from the other dwarven warriors, but his human half mostly contained these to combat. Though he is not particularly smart, he has a sly cunning, a combination of his orcan and human bond. That, combined with the dwarven system of loyalty and discipline, rapidly advanced him on his way to becoming accepted into the dwarven hold. With the age of 16, Ulik Stonehammer (his 'dwarven' name) was accepted into the ranks of the dwarven tunnel fighters and received the great honor of being put into the great book of the Stonehammer Hold. His fighting talents in the tunnel fighters were greatly respected (if not his 'impure' bloodline...) and he was always on the front...his skills with the great Hammer improved, and due to his great build and muscle-mass, fit perfectly together with his fighting style. His barely controllable anger when fighting orcs drew respect from his fighting comrades, and his stature in the hold grew. After a year of service with the tunnel fighters, the dwarven High Priest came to him on his birthday, and put him to the question : what was Uliks place in the world. This question threw Ulik into a quandry. After withdrawing into solitary for 1 month, with much soul-searching, Ulike again received a vision : the God Moradain offered him the chance to serve...but Ulik could not restrain his hatred of the orcs and take the path of the priesthood...and instead took the path of the paladin, in Moradins service. His sworn oath of sevice - to rid the world of the orc menace...either by bloodshed, or the turning of the orcs from their dark gods. His lifequest was found. With this resolved, Ulik applied for and obtained permission from the dwarven elders to leave the hold...to begin his quest...

Ulik is well learned in all things dwarvish. He can read, write and speak dwarvish perfectly. He also understands orcish. His understanding of common (the human tongue) is crude, and he cannot read or write it. Thus, most humans view him as a simpleton, as a brutish orcan barbarian. His common has gotten better in his travels in the world for the last year...though it is very broken, with a thick dwarven dialect, and he cannot make sensible complicated sentences. He wears dwarven made armorment, tailored for his massive size and girth. The scar of the hammer and anvil on his forehead marks him as one in the service of Moradin. He uses the Greathammer as a weapon, schooled as he is in its use. His fighting style is very dwarvenlike, as is much of his demeanor. He is slow to build friendships, though his friendship is as those of a dwarf - solid, loyal and true. To get on his bad side is to 'enjoy' his resentment and distrust forever. Due to the amount of prejudice that he has had to deal with his whole life, he has build up a very thick skin against it...and just brushes such things from him as others would dust. He is adamant in his service to Moradin and his lifequest. He enjoys being on the frontlines, crushing the enemy, and only finds an amount of peace between his orcan and human half in battle, where the orcan fury can flow, tailored by the hard awareness of his human side. Though not particularly intelligent, he knows battle and his place in one. He is searching for those who wish to support him on his lifequest...the total destruction of the orcan gods, and their societies under the orcs. He firmly believes that orcs can learn new ways and cease to be a threat to other cultures, instead living alongside other races peacefully. He is a living example that this is possible.

Ulik Stonehammer joins the party at the age of 18.

[This message has been edited by WebShaman (edited 09-10-2002).]

Ooohh...I like the sound of him...

a fine battle companion.

Koan 63, written on the wall of cell number 250:
Those who Believe
Can
Those who Try
Do
Those who Love
Live

Yes...very interested in seeing the others...and seeing how Veneficuz
ties it all together...

*Starts to get excited*

BTW - really like the half-elf...'saved' the bg info...great stuff...

Who is next?

[This message has been edited by WebShaman (edited 09-10-2002).]

Since I don't want to read the 100 messages on the other one....what's this all about? Or should I just go ahead and read that during my lunch break?

Genevieve<---that's me!!
Jinxed<--------that's me too(in description form)!!

Wowzers! o.O
Visit my cell! http://faq.ozoneasylum.com/FaqWiki/shownode.php?id=754&sortby=rating

Well, the short of it is that we are trying to start up an RPG (D&D) campaign with inmates from around the world. We're now at the point where people are deciding on their characters and giving background information.

(Which brings up something I've been meaning to say: I've always felt that the DM should be the first to see the background info, and then he/she can decided if the other PCs should see it. I don't think each PC should know everything about the other PCs--this eliminates possible roleplaying opportunities and plot twist surprises. Just my opinion, though, and maybe a little late in coming.)

Anyway, Genevieve, you might want to at least skim through the other thread to get an idea as to what's going on here...

[Edit: Oh yeah, and ignore Petskull's "play nice now" comment at the beginning of this thread and the "this is getting ridiculous" comment at the end of the last one. Although he may not share our interest in the subject, everyone was "playing nice," and there was nothing "ridiculous" about the last thread. Long perhaps, but not ridiculous.]

[This message has been edited by Suho1004 (edited 09-10-2002).]

*smacks himself* sorry skaarjj, dnd has never been a waste of time, just a fun hobby to do when u have free time

Master Suho...remember, this bg info is for the players...your character may (or may not) know this...that is considered 'roleplaying'...esp. considering that we cannot meet 'face-to-face' with each other, therefore a part of the role-playing (voices, mimics, etc) are missing...I find it almost necessary to know the bg of the characters to make up for the lack of 'face-to-face' clues...

However, there are reasons for keeping some of the bg info 'secret'...it just depends on the character, I guess...therefore, one should first discuss this with the DM...for example, someone playing a Drow character, maybe...or for a character that 'belongs' to a secret group, cult, etc.

Personally, there are always 'ways' to work in 'secret' parts of a bg...for example, let us use Indemar Lothlorien as an example - we don't know who the parents are. In all unions of human/other races (in this example, half-elf), there is always the 'other race' factor...who is the elven parent in this union? What position does he/she occupy? Under what conditions did the union come together? Etc, etc...maybe he is the 'bastard' product of an Elven king...which could have astounding reprecussions on the campaign...maybe the Elven kings opponents are searching for Indemar Lothlorien...to use as a 'weapon' against his father...or maybe he is the only 'legitimate' heir...sent into hiding (and he doesn't know it?) because of the threat to his existence? Political, social and other considerations...

Let us take Ulik for an example...which barbarian tribe? Maybe his mother was the daughter of the Chieftain? Maybe his father Balorg survived the attack...who knows? Most of a bg describes the character...and sets the scene for the other players on how the character came to be as he/she is...and why the character acts as he/she does...any 'secret' parts can be left to the DM...or worked out together with the DM...

In the case of Indemar Lothlorien, maybe his father was human...one of the 'great' wizards...one of the seven...who knows?

So as one can see, there is plenty of room for secrets...if that is something concerning you, just drop the DM a line or two...

Now get cracking!

@Genevieve - in general, it is certainly rude not to read the posts...for much information remains 'lost' to you...until you read them. That, in turn, will help you to 'avoid' asking questions that have already been answered...and that goes for most of the threads here...

If you are interested in playing, please read the posts...it would be nice to have you play...women always bring a different view to the game...at least, my experiences have shown that...

WS: You beat me to it...I was going to say something very similar

Koan 63, written on the wall of cell number 250:
Those who Believe
Can
Those who Try
Do
Those who Love
Live

Hehe...*beats Skaarjj again* Awww man...now my beloved tomahawk has a dent...

*Takes puff off of peacepipe*

Suho: When I said 'general info' in the first post I meant give a little information, about as much as you would want your fellow adventurers to know. If you char has some secret from that past that (s)he doesn't want the other to know just send that info to me in a mail or something. WS allready covered this pretty good so I won't say more about it, if you don't have any questions that is...

Another little question about the timing etc: when can you start playing (date) and have we decided to play at night time (EST), morning (GMT) and evening (GMT+)?

_________________________
Anyone who has lost track of time when using a computer knows the propensity to dream, the urge to make dreams come true and the tendency to miss lunch.
- copied from the wall of cell 408 -

Great character ideas.

This weekend or next sounds like a great time to start. I just need to know when so I can make plans around it.



[This message has been edited by tikigod (edited 09-10-2002).]

WB: :: blushes::: Okay, ya, I know better than to ask and not have read them...but there are certainly a lot of posts!! LOL. I wouldn't mind so much if I was there from the beginning...but I'll read 'em and then decide if I should play or not... if I've even got the time to do so. I've never actually played dnd though I've heard a lot about it and I've RPed quite a bit with friends of mine, though all on-line not irl. So... I guess I'll get cracking when I need a break from work!! (hehe, a long one )

Thanks!

Genevieve<---that's me!!
Wowzers! o.O

Visit my cell! 754

OK, guys, I know where you're all coming from. I'm just used to having the DM get the background info first, then decide what the other players should see.

WS: yes, you're right, the players can know something that the characters don't know, but you've got to admit it's fun when the players are just as surprised as the characters are.

As for my character, I've decided I'm going to wait and see what everyone else plays. I'm kind of leaning towards a cleric now, since I don't think anyone has expressed any interest in being a healer. Then again, I may just go battle priest and focus on war and death. Heh, yeah, I kind of like that idea. Which reminds me, was there a rule on evil characters? I know we've already got a paladin, so that might make things a bit messy.

Oh, about those books (PH, etc.)... I think I may be needing to look at them.

[Edit: Screw it. I've decided--I'm going with the cleric. I'll just need some time to work out the details and stats. 28 point buy system, was it?]

[This message has been edited by Suho1004 (edited 09-11-2002).]

Well...since I'm playing a paladin...unless the evil character has a way to 'block' a paladins ability to detect evil...I would not recommend it. It would also make the game much more difficult...bad enough, that the party has enemies from outside...let alone from inside...

To play evil...in that case, everyone should be evil...but that's a whole new ball game...and as we have a couple of 'new' players, I wouldn't recommend it...

I once played in an all-evil party...a Half-orc cleric/fighter. Along with him, a Half-ogre, a drow fighter/thief, a gnome thief/illusionist and a mage. We always used the gnome as a 'trap' finder...hehe. After awhile, the gnome developed a psychosis...and ran freely into traps...that last pitfall was his doom...man, was it deep...and since I was the only character with raise dead...(which I might add, we used alot)...

No, I believe we should keep it fairly 'tame' this time around...

But a cleric would be a welcome class...healing and turning...plus, the new rules makes clerics quite the good fighters, as well. They also have pretty good saving throws...and a few nice offensive spells. In the support area, they are unparalleled...

Don't play an evil character. The paladin would most likely have to kill you somewhere along the way for beeing evil and I would have to redo parts of the campaign. It is now made for Neutral or Good characters.

Another nice thing about the cleric in 3E is that he has spontaneous healing magic (I think that is what it is called), so you don't have fill up the spell slots with healing that might never be used.

I was hoping we could start this weekend, since I might be occupied the next weekend It is a weekend trip to somewhere with my math class, but I haven't decided yet whenever I'm going or not...

_________________________
Anyone who has lost track of time when using a computer knows the propensity to dream, the urge to make dreams come true and the tendency to miss lunch.
- copied from the wall of cell 408 -

Ive decided to play a samurai(lawful good), I just had to work out some details with Veneficuz. Ill roll him up tonight.

Suho do you speak japanese? I thought I might have read somewhere that you did. If you do can I get some help naming my swords?

As for the evil, I think you can take on some of the Battle priest attributes without creating an evil character. Think of a priest who fights along side with crusaders.

-tiki, cell 478

Wowsers, a Samurai! Coolness! Can't wait for his bg...here are some sword names...

Asura

Bizen Boat

Chirijiraden

Heaven's Cloud

Kikuichimoji

Kiyomori

Koutetsu

Masamune

Muramasa

Murasame

Sasuke

Hope that helps...

Those are great thanks, WS. Do you know the translations?

-tiki, cell 478

hey guys .. soon I'll be hosting my own UO server .. I'll announce it when things come to pass


.::. cEll .::. 513

Well, to the best of my knowledge, here are the descriptions...maybe Master Suho can do a better translation

"Asura" -- Bright white sword.
"Bizen Boat" -- Hight quality iron sand sword. Hand-made by Osafune.
"Chirijiraden" -- Chirijiraden ornamental sword, made with delicate work.
"Heaven's Cloud" -- Replica of a sword from a dragon's tail that damaged a samurai kingdom.
"Kikuichimoji" -- Crysanthemum crested sword.
"Kiyomori" -- Well made famous sword. Beautiful and cuts extremely well.
"Koutetsu" -- Sword with tiger engraved on the blade.
"Masamune" -- Beautifully designed sword and case. Masterpiece of a famous sword maker.
"Muramasa" -- Peculiar sword that sucks large amounts of blood.
"Murasame" -- A peculiar sword. Causes much blood shed in battle with its sharp edge.
"Sasuke" -- A legendary Ninja Sword.

Heh, yeah, I kind of figured that about evil characters. I guess I was just in an evil mood when I posted.

*places tip of pinky at corner of mouth*

For the record, I do not speak Japanese. I studied a year of it at university, so I do speak a smattering, but I've forgotten most of it. I can, however, read Japanese (and, to some extent, Chinese), due to the similarity of the writing systems. The thing about it, though, is that I have to actually see the Japanese to tell you what it means. Many different characters have the same sounds, so unless I can see them, I most probably won't be able to tell you what a word means (not to mention the fact that I've forgotten most of the Japanese pronunciations anyway, and only know the characters by sight).

Anyway, I think WS did a pretty good job at explaining the swords. If you showed me the characters, I could give you literal translations, but that's up to you (or WS, actually).

(I swear, you guys are going to drive me to study Japanese again. )

Who was it that I had to speak to about seeing the books? Veneficuz? I'll definitely need a look-see before I fine-tune my character.

Suho are you on right now? If so I can help you out with the books.

Im working on my character right now so Ill watch this topic to see if you re-post.

Thanks, for offering to look at he characters thats about how much japanese Ive had. I haven't used it so long Ive forgotten most of it. I've got a dictionary but its written in hiragana so ill have to sort it out.

WS, thanks for the translations.

-tiki, cell 478

Oh, I guess this is going to be a little late. I posted and ran last time--had a NWN session. I am back now, though...

[Edit: you could always just e-mail me, or I could e-mail you...]

[Edit2: And why doesn't anyone ever want me to translate Korean? That I can do. ]

[This message has been edited by Suho1004 (edited 09-12-2002).]

I've been working on this:

dnd.tikifolk.com

I plan to flesh it out a little more as time goes on.

edit-fixed link

[This message has been edited by tikigod (edited 09-12-2002).]

Nice one tikigod...hmmm...do you plan on keeping a journal of our adventures?

As for the swords...I'm not sure just what the characters in Japanese are.

Great work Tiki

I think I will keep a journal of the campagin. I will log every session and upload the logs at least, and if I have the time I'll rewrite them to a journal/story as well.



_________________________
Anyone who has lost track of time when using a computer knows the propensity to dream, the urge to make dreams come true and the tendency to miss lunch.
- copied from the wall of cell 408 -

tiki: cool, that's a bookmark.

Now that I have access to the PH, I'll have to get working on the specifics. I'm going to be a tad busy until next week; when were we planning on starting this?

OK...quick lesson in Japanese:

here is a chart of hiragana (the everyday) alphabet in Japanese: http://www.genki-online.com/kyozai/hiragana.html

The rightmost column are the vowels, then proceeding back towards the left are the coupled sylables. The vowels (a i u e o) are pronounced as follows:

A: AH (as in cAR)

I: EE (as in kEY)

U: OO (as in fOOd)

E: EH (as in AIr)

O: OH (as in stOp)

The couples syllables at just a basic vowel sound, but with the appropriate vowel on the start. So the symbol for KI (second column from the right, second row from the top) would sound exactly like KEY.

Every consanant is always followed by a vowel, they form one symbol together. The only exception to this rule is when a vowel is followed by an N. The N has it's own symbol (top row, leftmost column) and is a syllable all on it's own. any consanant or vowel following it is a whole new symbol.

I think that's about it



Koan 63, written on the wall of cell number 250:
Those who Believe
Can
Those who Try
Do
Those who Love
Live

Suho: We haven't decided on a starting date yet, but tiki suggested this (14th sept.) or the next weekend (21st sept). And as you are busy until next weekend and I might be busy the next weekend it seems like we have to wait until 28th sept. to begin



_________________________
Anyone who has lost track of time when using a computer knows the propensity to dream, the urge to make dreams come true and the tendency to miss lunch.
- copied from the wall of cell 408 -

quote:

---

OK...quick lesson in Japanese:

...

I think that's about it

---

Skaarjj: that's funny, man. Seriously, though, I'm sure you meant well, but it's not that easy. The instructions you gave above are for one of the four Japanese writing systems (hiragana, katakana, kanji, romaji). What we're talking about here are kanji, and kanji are not that simple. Kanji are ideograms, and there are tons of them. I could transcribe the above sword names into hiragana, but it still wouldn't get us any closer to figuring out what they mean literally. Why? Because they are not simple Japanese words that you could look up in a dictionary. They are (mostly) a combination of two characters, generally a modifier and a noun. And unless we can see the original kanji, we can't tell you for sure what they mean. If we knew more Japanese we might be able to take a guess, but I don't think anyone here is at that level.

Sorry about the tangent, but I just had to get that out.

As for starting dates, well, I suppose we'll start when we start...

That I know..for gross spellings though, hiragana is the everyday alphabet. roomaji is not a japanese alphabet, but english characters spelling out japanese words.

plus Suho, it was only a quick lesson in the simpler alphabet. Hirigana is everyday writing, Katakana is for spelling foreign words (like my name, which japanese is eidoorian), Kanji is formal words, requiring a new ideogram for each new word, since each ideogram represents a word, not a syllable, and Roomaji is for english speaking people like me and you learning Japanese.

Koan 63, written on the wall of cell number 250:
Those who Believe
Can
Those who Try
Do
Those who Love
Live

Thanks guys.

The link is actually very helpful Skaarjj. I can now rewrite the names in hiragana and then look them up i my dictionary. This should help alot(I dont have to go searching through boxes to find my old textbooks). I also have a Kanji dictionary but its not as easy to use.

As for a start date, the 28th sounds fine to me. I just want a little notice because I play football on the weekends and I want schedule around our session.

If any of the inmates on my intrested list are playing give us a yell in this thread? Also Spyx and Inition are you guys still in?

Ok...here's my character and his stats...

Character Name: Ulik Stonehammer
Race: Half-Orc / Class: Paladin

Level: 1

Alignment: Lawful Good

Hit Points: 11

Movement Rate: 30 feet / per round

Ability Scores:
Str: 18
Dex: 9
Con: 12
Int: 6
Wis: 12
Chr: 14


Feat -Combat Reflexes

Starting with 28 points, I managed to get this. Does anyone have any suggestions? Or tips?