Preserved Topic: RPG - starting a new campaign ][ (Page 2 of 3)

thats one good lookin' half-orc

hmmm, a UO server would be just about as good as a D&D game as it gets, could you host neverwinternights also?

Skaarjj: I'm assuming that you are studying (or have studied) Japanese? Actually, roomaji is considered to be a Japanese writing system, and it is not just for foreigners learning Japanese. It is used all the time in Japanese advertising and marketing, in fact (apparently it's chic to write in a foreign alphabet). And when I was learning Japanese, kanji were taught as kind of a "bonus," but everything we did in class we wrote in hiragana (or katakana, for loan words). So it was a bit rough when I first went to Japan and found that everything was in kanji. In fact, of the three (excluding roomaji here) writing systems, I would say hiragana is actually used the least in Japan. Katakana is used far more than hiragana, since loan words don't derive from Chinese characters and thus have no kanji.

The reason the Japanese use hiragana is because the Japanese writing system uses Chinese characters--but the Japanese language (like Korean) is a highly inflected language, while Chinese is not. In other words, kanji is used for word roots, and hiragana is used for conjugations, articles, etc. There are some native Japanese words that don't derive from Chinese characters, but most words are written in kanji.

The sword names above are noun phrases, and would thus be written in kanji. Yes, you could write them in hiragana, but the original point was that you could not get the meaning without the kanji. We were looking for a translation, not a transcription. Sorry if I've been going on about stuff you already know. And sorry to everyone else for going off on a tangent--I just wanted to clear a few things up.

Now, to get back on topic:

I don't think the half-orc necessarily has to be good-looking. I'm envisioning a rugged-looking character with an inner stillness, poise, and confidence that commands a certain degree of respect. Also, that looks like 29 points to me; I think maybe the 9 Dex was a typo? Or did I miss something?

Still working on my cleric...

Yes...but with a transcription I can look in the dictionary for the definition, which is in english. Its not the most accurate translation but it will do.

I was joking about Ulik's good looks.

I know it was a little joke...Ok...very little.

*Sigh*

OK, let me try again. The sword names are probably not going to be in a dictionary because they are not everyday words like "refrigerator" or "gleeful." They are kanji combined to form new "words." The closest you could get with a dictionary and a transcription would be to look up parts of the words, see if you can find something similar, and guess at which kanji was used for that part--then you'd have to figure out what that kanji means. Looking back over the sword names, I can see that some of them are just that--names, and they are definitely not going to be in a dictionary.

Take the following, for example:



In Korean, this is pronounced "ho-geom." It means "tiger sword," and I just made it up. I guarantee you will not find this in any Korean dictionary, because it is not actually a Korean word. You could try to look up all words that begin with "ho," and then pick from the dozens of kanji (hanja in Korean, actually) that would come up, and then do the same with "geom." If you knew that it was a sword name, you could probably guess that "geom" was the "sword" character, and then guess that "ho" was the "tiger" character. But you would have to be familiar with the hanja in the first place to know this. You can't just look up "ho" in an English dictionary and get all the possible hanja definitions--it works the same way with Japanese.

Due to the nature of Chinese characters (one meaning/word per ideogram), you can slap a couple characters together and get a new "word" (noun phrase, in this example). In fact, you can generally slap four Chinese characters together and get a complete sentence or concept. Take, for example, this set of characters, which I posted in WS's marriage thread:



Literally, this means "Happiness in married life" (or what we sometimes call "wedded bliss").

And Japanese is even more complicated than Korean, because each Chinese character has two pronunciations, doubling the fun. The bottom line is that you will not be able to find these names in a dictionary using a hiragana transcription or roomaji transliteration because they are either 1) unique names and/or 2) are composed of kanji to form unique "words."

Man, I just should have kept my mouth shut from the beginning. I'm really not trying to be ornery here--you know that I love you guys, right? I guess one of my character flaws is that I just can't sit still when I believe that there's been a misunderstanding, especially when it's about a subject I am well-versed in. Anyway, that's the last I'm going to say on the subject.

Oh, and I knew you were joking about the half-orc being good-looking. (even though he probably is, for a half-orc)

[Edited for clarity (hopefully)]

[This message has been edited by Suho1004 (edited 09-13-2002).]

Ok, new character update...

Ulik Stonehammer

Hit Points: 10

Movement Rate: 30 feet / per round

Ability Scores:
Str: 18
Dex: 8
Con: 10
Int: 8
Wis: 12
Chr: 14

Special Abilities

Divine Health
Detect Evil
Divine Grace - chr bonus to all saves
Lay on Hands - chr bonus * level


Feat -Power Attack

Starting Points : 28

+2 Str
-2 Int
-2 Chr

Skills

Concentration (con)
Craft(int)
Diplomancy (chr)
Handle Animal (cha)
Heal (wis)
Knowledge (religion)(int)
Profession (wis)
Ride (dex)

So, the character points are exactly 28...one must remember, that racial bonuses get applied last. Also, scores start from a base of 8...

As for his Charisma...well, he's not the greatest looking guy around...considering his heritage. However, his 'orcish' features are subtle (only an elf, half-elf or orc can readily tell he's a crossbreed from his appearance...others would tend to think he's just an 'exotic' human-type). However, once he opens his mouth, his larger than normal eyeteeth normally dispel any doubt as to his parents. More to the point...his blonde hair, blue eyes, and long beard (just like a Dwarfs) mostly disguise the fact that he is a Half-Orc...only his massive build in the shoulders/arms, his strong, jutting jaw and his rather short, bent legs (more like stumps) may give clues to his actual race...clues that any elf would notice in an instance (they have very good eyes, and an almost perfect sense for beauty/symmetry, allowing them to spot such things). Though Ulik is 6 feet tall (when standing totally errect), his rather bent, almost shambling gait reduces his height to 5 foot 6 inches (due to his orcish heritage, and all that tunnel fighting...). His charisma, though, is mostly due to his composure...his presence tends to fill a room...he has a commanding air about him. His absolute convictions to his lifequest stream from his person. This is almost impossible not to notice...even to the dimness of creatures. To one who can understand Dwarvish, his speech and conversational skills are quite pronounced, in stark contrast to his rather primitive Common.

[This message has been edited by WebShaman (edited 09-13-2002).]

[This message has been edited by WebShaman (edited 09-13-2002).]

Cool. That's a lot of info... you've obviously thought this through.

(Um, so I guess the 9 Dex was a typo, right? The first scores you listed worked out to 29 points. That's why I figured the 9 Dex was a typo, and that's all I was saying.)



[This message has been edited by Suho1004 (edited 09-13-2002).]

No, that was correct...you'll notice that his intelligence has been increased for the one point of dex...it sucks having a really low int...to many maybe not, but...he's not supposed to be an imbecile...just..abit slow in the noggin...so I used the one point from dex (9) and applied it to int. Since I had 1 point 'left over', I applied it to int, as well. Therefore, he has an 8 int. (because half-orcs get a -2 to int...which would have left him with a 6). Unfortunatly, his dex has suffured a bit...but with heavy armor, hopefully that won't be all that bad...he'll never be a good rider, that's for sure...hehe...*Charge...and Ulik falls off his mount while charging the enemy...*

Whoops! You were right...I made a mistake with the Chr...I forgot that the racial bonus/negative comes last...therefore, 2 points more must be used for the Chr...at least, I think that is correct...right? Therefore, I subtracted 2 points from Con.

I'll break down the points
Str - 8 + 10 points = 16 + 2 (racial bonus) = 18
Dex - 8 (unchanged)
Con - 8 + 2 points = 10
Int - 8 + 2 points = 10 - 2 (racial negative) = 8
Wis - 8 + 4 points = 12
Chr - 8 + 10 points = 16 - 2 (racial negative) = 14

Total - 28 points used.

Oh well, Dwarves don't like riding things, anyway...He's probably got the same dislike for mounts...maybe I'll increase his dex some at higher levels...he's supposed to get a mount at 5th...so I can increase the score to 9 by then...maybe.

And yes, I absolutely love to fully 'flesh' out the character...one of the things I love most about PnP roleplaying...

[This message has been edited by WebShaman (edited 09-13-2002).]

[This message has been edited by WebShaman (edited 09-13-2002).]

Yup, that looks right. Sorry to be such a pest.

I guess I should get me rear in gear on my character, huh? S/he's getting there... it's just going to take me a little while to get used to the new divine spellcasting stuff.

No, don't be sorry for pointing out my errors...I am thankful for it. Now it looks right.

Now get to work on that character, Master Suho!

Can someone tell me exactly which page of the PHB this 28 point buy system is explained so I get my new stats going from that?

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

That's a good question. I just read through most of the PH that tiki put up, but I couldn't find it. I think it might be in the DM manual, actually. Anyway, here's the breakdown...

Each of your stats starts out at 8 points. You can then "buy" points as you desire, based on the following costs:

from 9-14: 1 per point
from 15-16: 2 per point
from 17-18: 3 per point

In other words, it will cost the following number of points to get the following numbers in your stats:

Stat Value / Point Cost
9 = 1
10 = 2
11 = 3
12 = 4
13 = 5
14 = 6
15 = 8
16 = 10
17 = 13
18 = 16

I'm pretty sure you can't buy an initial stat higher than 18--and it wouldn't be very efficient to do it anyway. Racial bonuses/penalties are added after you've used all your points (it does make a difference).

I hope I explained this clearly enough...

Well, the rules say that you can't start the game with a character that has a bonus higher/lower than +/-5.

Thanks for the chart Master Suho. Just a couple of things to remember : try to keep all scores even. If you have a score under 10, you might want to consider making it odd though...for at 4th level, you get your first bonus point to be used on your stats...actually, every 4 levels.

Becasue of the new rules, really high stats are not as necessary as before, so keep that in mind.

Research the stats...they have done some re-working of them...With the new skill system, it's rough on a character that has a low int. Racial bonuses/negatives are added last, which is both a boon and a blessing...with the bonus, it can 'save' you a lot of points above 14...and with a negative, it can cost you alot.

Have fun!

Good point about evening up the scores. Especially considering that you get to add those ability stat bonuses every four levels, it's not really worth it to spend the points to get a natural 17 or 18 (without racial bonuses, I mean).

I've been pouring over the books (errr, .pdf), and I'm tinkering with my stats right now. Actually, I'm trying to get a better handle on my character to see which way I should lean. I think I know which way I want to go, but it does mean some sacrifices. Oh well...

Well 'optimizing' scores are good...but having mega-scores are not...takes away from the 'role-playing' aspect...too much reliance on the scores...not enough reliance on the actual character. Using your characters abilities wisely, according to the situation, is IMHO much more rewarding...and of course, sticking to the 'character' of the character...this is fun!!!

So concentrate on those backgrounds, folks! Doesn't mean you need a really wild one...just a well thought-out one. Your character doesn't have to be that prince-in-exile...he could 'just' be the farmers son...fed-up with milking the cows everyday. So he decides one night to leave home and live the life of excitement...probably biting off much more than he can chew...you know, John-boy...that ever-optimistic, annoying sort of 'C'mon guys! Let's have an adventure!'...a bit naive, maybe, but with time and experience, maybe he will change the world (Luke Skywalker comes to mind...). Or maybe she is that streetwise, homeless urchin with an innocent face...the kind of face that causes people to go 'Awww...poor thing. Here, have this' and getting their pockets picked in the process...or maybe he is the spoiled rich-kid, from an 'elite' parentage...never of having a choice or say in his life...was sent into the priesthood because his father demanded it...and now that the school is over, rebel time! (Rebel without a clue...just gotta love that film). Who knows? The sky is the limit...

It's your character...so make it yours. Don't worry about really high scores...just make sure you have the major scores for your class covered (i.e. bonuses). Also, for those of you considering the multi-class path, do some heavy thinking on the scores...normally, that means making some compromising...keep in mind that you get points every 4 levels...so a multi 2/2 gets a point...multi's also build levels more slowly, so keep that in mind, as well...and try to avoid XP penalties...

Let's see those backgrounds!

Honestly, I don't think ability scores affect the role-playing aspect either way. It may be that min-maxers aren't as big on role-playing, but I don't think you can say that having an 18 stat takes away from the role-playing aspect (or adds to it, for that matter). I think it's a case of confused cause and effect (ie, cause = min-maxer likes hack and slash, effect = chooses high scores and relies on roll-playing, rather than role-playing).

I'm working on my background right now, actually, but I've got to take a break to go out to the gym. I suppose I should also be doing some work...

Skaarjj: the standard point system is explained in the DM book, but what Suho said is pretty much all you need to know about it. At least that is all I know about it

I have always found it easier to first think out the characters background then modify the ability scores, feats and skills to fit the background story. If you chose to min/max the stats the only "problem" with that is that he might be very diffucult to roleplay, but it might also be very fun...



_________________________
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 -

Sorry players, but if you have been trying to access dnd.tikifolk.com its temporarily down. Whats left ofHannah(Tropical Storm) just stopped by Augusta on her way up the Eastern seaboard. She got a little rowdy(They must not have let her in the National) while she was in town and so she fried my cable modem. I should be back up after I run to CompUsa and purchase a new one.

its back up

-tiki, cell 478

Bump-o-rama

Uhhh...anybody else going to post characters?

Hello?

OK, OK...

Name: John-boy

Background: John-boy was sick and tired of milking the cows, so one day he gathered all his friends and said, "Come on, guys! Let's have an adventure!"

Sorry, WS, I couldn't resist.

I do actually have most of my stuff done, it just needs a little fine-tuning now. I promise I will have something up very soon (as in, within the next few hours). It's going to be a bit on the long side, though. Just a warning.

Ha! How's that? Just a little over an hour and I have the information I promised. And, as I mentioned before, it is very loooooooong.
_________________________________

Character: Telana (te-LA-na) Lightblade

Background

Telana was born the eldest daughter of a common family in a small village, where she spent most of her youth. From an early age she showed an affinity with the divine, and was sent to study under the priests at the nearby temple of Pelor. She excelled in her studies, and the priests were eager for her to become a full member of the clergy. Before she was inducted, though, a clash between nearby warlords spilled over into the village. The village was decimated, and most of the villagers were killed, including Telana's parents. The remainder took refuge in the temple and looked to the priests for guidance and aid.

The priests tended to the villagers' wounds, but they were extremely reluctant to confront the powerful warlords. Telana sought vengeance, but the priests only fought over which warlord to support. To Telana's young mind this was unabashed cowardice, and her rage grew daily at her utter inability to act. When the priests decided to adopt a neutral position, Telana was furious. She presented herself to the priests one last time, and spoke out for what she thought was right. The priests tried to explain themselves, but Telana would no longer hear, and she left the sanctuary of the temple--a young girl of sixteen, alone in the world.

The lands around the temple were swarming with the battling soldiers of the two warlords, and Telana traveled by night to avoid detection. She had almost gotten free when, passing by an isolated camp, she stumbled over a sleeping sentry in the darkness. Startled, the man raised his lantern and his sword, but when he saw the young girl in front of him he dropped his weapon and grabbed for her. Telana was too terrified to move at first, and he pushed her to the ground. A quick prayer escaped her lips, her mind cleared, and she remembered the last gift her father had given her. Quickly, she reached into her tunic and pulled it out--and thrust the small blade into the man's heart as he came down on her. With strength she didn't know she had, she pushed the heavy body aside and struggled to her feet. With the bloody dagger in her hand, she began to run.

In death, though, the sentry ultimately did his duty, loosing one final cry that awoke the camp. The rough soldiers quickly surrounded Telana, and their leader stepped forward with a wicked grin on his face. He stood there motionless for a moment, then his eyes glazed over and he slowly toppled forward, an arrow protruding from his back. The eyes of the soldiers grew wide with fright, and they barely had time to turn around before four armored figures came striding through the darkness with swords flashing. For a moment, Telana thought they were angels, and the white tunics over their armor she took for flowing, heavenly robes.

The newcomers were no angels, but they came in the strength of the divine, and in a moment three of the soldiers were lying dead on the ground. The rest were terrified and threw down their weapons, begging for mercy. This they were granted, but only after they were stripped of their weapons and armor and tied up. One of the angels--for that's what Telana still thought they were--looked down at her, and immediately recognized her for what she was: a fellow servant of the divine. He held his hand out to her, and Telana did not hesitate in taking it.

Telana discovered that the angels were actually priests, although she refused to believe it at first. These valiant warriors in their bright armor and tunics were nothing like the priests of Pelor she had known--kind and gentle in their own right, but eager to avoid conflict. These new priests were members of what they called the Fellowship, and recognizing the divine affinity within Telana they invited her to join them. Again, she did not hesitate. It was as if it had all been part of a divine plan, and she was merely following the path chosen for her.

Telana lived with the Fellowship for five years, almost as long as she had been with her hometown priests. The Fellowship, however, was different. While the temple she had known had a rigid hierarchy, the Fellowship was more of a loose congregation. Members called each other "brother" and "sister"--some of the older members were referred to as "Elder," but this was more out of respect than anything else. As it was, the Fellowship did not exist in any one place, but existed wherever two or more of its members were gathered. They believed that physical power was just as much of a gift from the divine as holy spells, and they ranged far and wide across the land, seeking to right wrongs and defend those who needed defending. Where evil was found, they brought the sword, and where evil had left its mark, they brought healing. As a member of the Fellowship, Telana found meaning in her life. If nothing else, she thought, in this way she could preserve the memory of her parents, by fighting injustice wherever she found it.

Each member left behind their family name and took on a new name when they joined the fellowship. This name was most often chosen for them, as a gift, and Elder Korin, the man who had first held out his hand to the young, frightened girl, chose Telana's. He named her Lightblade, in memory of the small dagger and the divine clarity that saved her that night. As she grew from a young girl to a woman, she trained with larger weapons, becoming especially skilled in the use of the longsword, but she always kept the dagger close to her side in memory of her father. During her training she grew both in divine power and combat prowess, and after five years it was deemed that she was ready to travel the land, upholding justice and righteousness.

Description

Telana is fairly tall for a woman of her time. She is thin and agile, but also very powerful and hardy for her frame. Her auburn hair hangs down beyond her shoulders, but she generally wears it in a single braid tied with a small, white ribbon. She has a light complexion, and while she is not the traditional ideal of "beauty," her somewhat aquiline features are striking, and she is not unattractive.

She carries within her the scars of her parents' deaths, and she sometimes shows impatience with those who do not act decisively when necessary. Her experience with the priests of Pelor gave her a deep-seated distaste for bureaucracy, but she does recognize the need for order and self-control. Her experiences have given her a courage of self, and she is not afraid to speak out--and act--for that which she thinks is right. Her time with the Fellowship, though, tempered her impetuousness and taught her how to better deal with people. Now, she is much more able to present her position in a way that is easier for others to accept.

Most of all, she has forged a closer bond with the divine, and has gained an exceptional understanding of life, considering her youth. She understands the role of the divine in her life and in the lives of others, and this understanding has made her more adept at channeling the power of the divine for the cause of good. It is as a defender of justice, a representative of the divine on earth, that she goes forth into the world.

[Edit: Oops, I forgot: Telana joins the party at the age of 21. Yeah, I know you can figure it out from the background, but I thought I'd just make it easy on everyone.]


[This message has been edited by Suho1004 (edited 09-18-2002).]

Very nice...saved that bg. I think we'll get along well...even though we are 'Gods apart'...hehe...

Thanks for posting.

Who's next?

With my players necessarily high charisma score, would any of my fellow party members mind if I do what the PHB suggests and serve as the face of the party?

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

Sorceror, right? Well, you, WebShaman, and I are all going to have decent charisma scores, but you're right--you'll probably have the highest. As to being the "face" of the party, well, I don't have a particular problem with that, but don't think that means I'm just going to sit by and let you do all the talking, especially if I disagree with what you're saying ;-).

However, I think it's a bit early to decide who's going to be what, since the party isn't even fully formed yet. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to figure things like that out once everyone is on the same page.

And since your characters haven't met each other yet it would be kind of strange to get that sorted out allready

Your character is looking good Suho, I got your mail and I'll take a look at the sheet later on when I get home. But it is probably all fine.



_________________________
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 -

Power Word : Bump!

Yes, bump indeed. I think we dropped off the first page for a while there. So, what's the status here? To the best of my knowledge, confirmed characters are as follows:

Skaarjj: Indemar Lothlorien, half-elf male sorceror
WebShaman: Ulik Stonehammer, half-orc male paladin
Suho1004: Telena Lightblade, human female cleric

I know others have mentioned what classes they'd like to play (and that info is all up on dnd.tikifolk.com
]dnd.tikifolk.com[/URL]), but I think these are the only characters with names and backgrounds. Did I leave anyone out?

Veneficuz: I know I promised to send you something last week, but I've been a tad busy and haven't been able to finish it yet. I'll get it to you as soon as it's done, whenever that may be.

[Edit: Link fix]

[This message has been edited by Suho1004 (edited 09-23-2002).]

[Fixed Link... ]

[This message has been edited by WebShaman (edited 09-23-2002).]

[Edit: Stop editing my posts! I was getting there! I fixed it right after I did the first edit. Grrr.... ]

[This message has been edited by Suho1004 (edited 09-23-2002).]

No problem Suho, just send to me when it gets done

We also need to set a starting date so we can get it going.

_________________________
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 -

Yup. Let's get this thing off the ground...any ideas on a start date?

Hehe...Master Suho has slow fingers...

They call me "the fastest fingers in the East."

I was just drinking at the time, that's all. (I made some Welsh Rabbit and had some beer left over--what was I supposed to do?)

I was thinking of maybe this Saturday?

_________________________
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, I'm in...when on Saturday...

quote:

---

if Tiki and SPyX could stay up late it might work for all of us... 2am for them is 8am for ws and me and 8pm for Suho and Skaarjj.

---

This was the time schedule I proposed in the first thread and it seemed like it would work since no one complained about it.

_________________________
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 -

I'm in. Just tell me the time.

I worked on my character last night. V. had said we could roll or use the point buy system, so I chose to roll. I got the best grouping of rolls in my life! The Problem was if I used this character he would be overpowered in relation to the others so I went back to the point buy.

So, Harada Josan (my samurai) has come to life I'll post his background later this week.

-tiki

I think I agree about the point buy system--it would unbalance things a bit if some of us were using it and some weren't. Also, I think point buy is a lot easier to deal with than rolling. Just a personal opinion, of course.

This Saturday? Uh, I'm not sure if that's going to work out for me. I just got a thirty-page project dumped on me that has to be done by next Thursday, so I'm most likely going to be working my butt off until then (finding my butt and reattaching it shouldn't take too long, though). Also, I forgot what time this means for me. Maybe we should just post the GMT version and let everyone calculate from that.

Sorry to have to bail like this at the last minute. I really wasn't expecting this. I should be good to go after this is done, though (famous last words of the freelancer).

*Makes mental reminder to schedule Master Suho for more shocktreatments*

Hehe...I now have a key to the basement...

Ummmm...I still don't know how to put all my character stuff into OpenRPG...any ideas?

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

To put the char into openrpg you have to get a character sheet first. Either you make on yourself or you get one from someone else. I think I'm gong to make a character sheet for openrpg later on (hopefully get it done before we start) so you might want to use that one. If not I think Tiki has one that is rather good if I remember correctly.

There is also a PC generator(PCGen) that can export your char as an xml file to be used in Openrpg, but I haven't tried it yet...



_________________________
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 -