The Carrion Crown: A DnD 4th Edition Conversion Campaign
Could the surrounding acre offer some offense only the storm could see, and so provoke it to withhold its draught? Mayhap Boles and I were the culprits, though I couldn’t recall any outrages in the past week that would have affronted the very weather. Yet there it was, the sound of rain all about, a torrent of drops invisible through the gloom. As I turned to speculate with Boles, my bone-dry palm outstretched as evidence, the investigator’s glare into the shadows sent a shudder through me. I’d seen the look all too often. “Not rain, Quintin.” He spoke steadily without turning. “Steps.” And like a devil summoned by its name, a thing of bone and rot and age old hunger pulled itself through the night’s veil. And it was not alone.
—Ailson Kindler, “Case of the Dreaming Dead”
Act 1: Haunting of Harrowstone “When Harrowstone Prison burned to the ground, prisoners, guards, and a host of vicious madmen met a terrifying end. In the years since, the nearby town of Ravengro has shunned the fire-scarred ruins, telling tales of unquiet spirits that wander abandoned cellblocks. But when a mysterious evil disturbs Harrowstone’s tenuous spiritual balance, a ghostly prison riot commences that threatens to consume the nearby village in madness and flames. Can the adventurers discover the secrets of Harrowstone and quell a rebellion of the dead? Or will they be the spirit-prison’s next inmates? “
Tales are told throughout the mortal realm of shadowy figures that lurk in dark corners—stories recounted at children’s bedsides feature bestial creatures that come out only when the moon is right, and fireside legends speak of otherworldly beings beyond reckoning, whose very existence is more than the human mind can bear to know. These are the legends that explain where the blood of the family cow went, and why clerics spend so much time ensuring the proper Raven Queen rites are observed at gravesites throughout the realm. One can write them off as simple, scary stories in nations such as the Nentir Vale, but in Ustalav, everyone knows the truth of the things that go bump in the night. And for good reason...
Cursed and haunted, Ustalav rests upon the bones of the foul empire of the legendary lich-archmage known as the Whispering Tyrant. In the centuries since the undead conqueror’s defeat, the land has been resettled, but superstition and horror still lurk in the country’s shadows. The greatest evil sleeps in the ruin of Gallowspire. There, below the former court of the necromancer-king, lies the undying remains of the Whispering Tyrant himself, locked away by the magic of heroes and deities. Although bound within his prison-tomb, the lich-lord’s dreams still seep into the land, tainting minds and inspiring fanatics across Ustalav for centuries. However, one such nefarious cult has decided to act, placing the nation of Ustalav (and perhaps even the world) in terrible peril...
In the Carrion Crown Adventure Path, the horrors of the night become undeniably real as the PCs undertake a journey that will decide the future of a nation. Carrion Crown draws its inspiration from the yellowed pages of gothic horror literature and film. From this tradition of Dracula and Frankenstein, werewolves and zombies, undead wizards and cosmic horror, Paizo has devised a campaign fraught with lurking dread and nefarious villains, crafted to test characters’ bravery, wits, and skill.
Introduction:
This is a recruitment thread for a campaign of 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons, for a party of
six 1st level PCs.
Anyone may post an application, but
precedence will be given to
new as well as active members and players, and players who have not played the Carrion Crown Adventure Path before. If you fit any of these criteria, please say so in your application post. In addition, anyone with experience as a DM and who would be willing to provide me with a little advice and guidance are particularly welcome.
The Particulars:Standard setup. This is a play by post game; character sheets on Myth-Weavers (if you already have a completed character sheet on Orokos, that’s fine too). Rolls on Invisible Castle (or once again, should IC throw a hissy fit, use of Orokos’s Dice roller is fine too). I, TiamatZ, will be the DM. PCs' minimum post requirement is the usual one per day. Habitual unexplained failures to post will result in your character being ejected from the campaign.
Party Order: 1 Leader, 1 Defender, 1 Controller, 1 Range Striker, 1 Melee Striker; OR Range Leader, Controller, Melee Striker, Melee Striker, Defender. The 6th spot will be chosen based on how outstanding the character concept is, so the more interesting the character, the greater the chance it has to get in :P
Please submit a level one character created with the 22 Point Buy system. Maximum submissions are one per person (so choose/design carefully).
Submission should include the standard stuff:
- A link to the sheet (Myth Weavers or Orokos)
- The character's name
- A picture of your character (optional; for token creation purposes)
- Personality traits, mannerisms and appearances.
- Your ties to the story (see IC Background Motivation)
- The CB summary stuff.
- And lastly, I want to know your availability to post here in the forums, as well as what DnD 4th ed. PBP games you play (or DM) here.
IC background motivation:
While the Carrion Crown Adventure Path takes place exclusively in the haunted nation of Ustalav, the campaign does not require (or even assume) that the PCs be natives of that land. Each PC is summoned at the start of the adventure to the town of Ravengro in the rural county of Canterwall from elsewhere in Ustalav or in the mortal realm (an example would be the far-off nation of the Nentir Vale). Thus, PCs of any nationality or concept can work within the constraints of the Adventure Path. No matter what your PC’s background is, adventure and intrigue await when you arrive in Ravengro for the funeral of the recently deceased Professor Petros Lorrimor, famed scholar, explorer, and teacher.
It is required to provide a character with a connection to the late Professor Lorrimor—one close enough to justify his naming of your character in his will— whether they are native to another part of Ustalav, or from a distant part of the world where they met him by chance in his many travels. Professor Lorrimor is a more open-minded and adventurous scholar, having made friends with many people and races from all walks of life, and has practically visited most of the known world in search of treasure, artefacts and more (think of him as a regular Indiana Jones if you will) throughout his long career. As such, PCs could have many reasons for attending his funeral. Whether you were a teacher’s pet, inspired by him (or his studies) in your youth, whether you were a subject of his studies or even making up for past promises or were on a simple payroll to be a simple bodyguard in his travels, it’s up to you to decide how the Professor thought you important to be in his will.
For your character, pretty much any official DnD 4th edition material is acceptable (supplement books, Dragon articles, etc.), except with regards to the race and class (see Character Backgrounds and Feats section below). Be prepared to post technical info if I request it.
Note about alignment: I am lax about alignment- there is no need to mark something on the sheet unless you want to. Evil characters are allowed on the condition that they have well thought-out background/goals and have a strong reason to work with a team, as well as reason to follow the party. No backstabbing the party, no killing the shopkeeper because you felt like it, and most importantly of all, don’t be a
griefer; everyone’s here to have fun, but I will throw out anyone that tries to ruin everyone else’s experience.
Also no cheesy builds please :P
Deadline: Deadline is February 17th 18:00 PM (Early Evening; GMT+0 time). Expect the game to begin sometime in the following week (Monday February 20th).
Plans for the Campaign
To ease myself into the DM's seat, I intend to start the campaign by playing through CC Act 1 first. What happens next will be determined by how the game went. As we are playing CC, I'm slowly trying to convert the other acts of the AP to 4th ed. If it was a great success, then we’ll continue with CC Act 2: The Trial of the Beast.
Character Backgrounds and feats:Regarding Race:
As with much of the known realm, Ustalav is a nation inhabited primarily by humans, but that doesn’t exclude members of other races from participating in the Carrion Crown Adventure Path. The capital city, Caliphas, is conveniently located on the banks of Lake Encarthan, allowing unhindered trade to bring nonhumans into Caliphas’s port, and from there into the heart of Ustalav. Trade aside, the rich and dark history of Ustalav is lure enough for the adventurous and curious among all the civilized races of the Inner Sea. Furthermore, Professor Lorrimor was more open-minded than many of his fellow countrymen, and counted members of all races among his friends and colleagues. Basically most races are allowed, though monstrous (e.g. Minotaurs, gnolls, kobolds etc.) and ‘otherwordly’ (i.e. githzerai, shardmind, wilden etc.) are viewed with more suspicion and concern to the average Ustalav citizen. It doesn’t mean you can’t play one; you’ll just have to sell your character concept even more to convince me to (potentially) choose him/her/it. In addition, Bloodline races (e.g. Dhamphir and Vistani) are also allowed.
Regarding Class:
All classes are acceptable (even the Heroes of Shadow), with the exception of Hybrids.
Backgrounds:
Players may choose general backgrounds (like those from the PHB 2 and Power books etc.) ONLY! NO Forgotten Realms! NO Eberron! NO Scales of War! ‘Nuff said.
Themes are allowed though. You can even reflavour a Dark Sun theme to fit your character if you want...
Players retain their 100gp, but gain the adventurer’s kit absolutely FREE.
Lastly, when designing your character, choose ONE of the following feats absolutely free:
- Toughness
- Weapon/Implement Expertise (you can only choose one or the other)
- Weapon/Implement Focus (you can only choose one or the other)
- Proficiency with a Weapon (Martial Only)
- A Domain Feat of your chosen Deity (Divine Only)
- Superior Implement Training (Arcane Only)
- A Tribal Feat of your choice (Primal Only)
- An Augment Feat of your choice (Psionic Only; Psionic Power book)
Regarding Religion (Divine Characters):
For the sake of convenience, I’ll be lax regarding the choice of deities. As such, I’ll allow PCs to choose deities their character wants to worship (from the Point of Light, Forgotten realms, Eberron books and Dragon articles though). Only once the players have been chosen will I establish the divine hierarchy for the adventure path. This way, players can play whatever gods they want to worship or favourites at the start. As such, do note that the gods chosen won’t necessarily be the same gods as their canon counterparts (e.g. one player can worship Forgotten Realms’ god of the dead Kelemvor rubbing shoulders with another player who worships Eberron’s god of luck, Olladra, with another following the teachings of the Point of Light’s god of war, Bane; it would just be assumed these gods have long since existed in the same realm.). However, their alignment and commands/strictures/behaviours as stated in the respective books remain virtually the same (for example, Kelemvor still abhors the undead).
Tl;dr version:
You can choose any god provided it exists in the Point of Light, Eberron and Forgotten Realms books, or the Dragon Articles.
Edit: All characters are required to have first names and last names. Come on people, be creative
.
I’ve also added an overview regarding Ustalav, in case some of you would want to base your character in this nation steeped in horror (spoilered to keep it short)...
Ustalav Overview:
The Immortal Principality of Ustalav lies on the northern shore of Lake Encarthan, a grim bastion of civilization amid the barbarian north, where a harsh landscape and a history rich in tragedies inspire a wary population with skepticism, religious devotion, and superstition. A conglomeration of loosely affiliated counties, each run by feuding nobles vying for power and influence, Ustalav is a pitiful shell of its former glory, before it was subjugated to centuries of slavery at the hands of the Whispering Tyrant’s undead armies. While the nation’s upper classes struggle to compete with the very nations that abandoned them to fend for themselves after the Whispering Tyrant’s defeat, the average Ustalavic citizen has it much worse.
Hundreds of years of subjugation and the residual horrors that plague the countryside have left the people of Ustalav suspicious of magic, religion, foreigners, and their fellow citizens. Beyond their eccentric and insular qualities, Ustalavs often have a dour worldview. They resign themselves to lives of suffering, seeing nothing in their people’s history to suggest there is any hope for a better life. Despite the physical and psychological strains upon its populace, Ustalav nevertheless fosters extremely hardy and tenacious stock: men and women who firmly believe that no matter how bad it gets, history shows it could always be worse.
Although Ustalav has little to offer its rural peasants, inhabitants of its many metropolitan cities fare somewhat better, and the centers of learning and culture they provide draw trade and travelers from throughout the mortal realm. The capital, Caliphas, stands on the banks of Lake Encarthan, and its fog-shrouded streets host some of the nation’s most esteemed centers of trade and academia. In the north, the city of Karcau boasts a thriving culture of music, theater, and other fine arts, and its opulent architecture rivals the excess of even the most exotic Taldan palace. Meanwhile, Ustalav’s northwestern counties have broken from aristocratic rule and formed their own local, democratic government without nobles, calling themselves the Palatinates and providing a glimmer of hope for the downtrodden people of provincial Ustalav.
It is here, in the Immortal Principality, that the Carrion Crown Adventure Path takes place, and as you travel through the various counties, your character will rise from a simple pallbearer to the potential savior of the nation. As internally varied as a nation can be, Ustalav is your new home, and the possibilities for fame, fortune, and influence are as thick as the fog that creeps across the windy moors at night.
Posts
I'm thinking a caster of some type for his class, perhaps artificer? With his background it makes sense just a little re-flavored to make everything sound more experimental and less polished or un-finished.
Kledge Black, human male.
Kledge always seems to have broken something recently, its not because he is klutz, but more that he had been attempting to "improve" it. As the son of a blacksmith, he knew his way around a forge, and his improvements always tended to make the item more complex than it needed to be , which is compounded by his natural skill and poor training at magic. (not Eberron level, attempting to make a better crossbow kinda thing. I'm thinking more one of the guys who might eventually lead to big machines if he gets far in life)
Kledge had at one point been a student of Professor Lorrimor, until he ran away in embarrassment and fear of trouble after nearly burning the stables down. The late Professor wasn't actually actually mad at him, in fact he had taken a bit of a shine to him, but was wondering what he had been working on in the stables that night.
He has gotten better at using magic recently, not great or anything yet, but his father has been pressuring him to come work in the forge more recently. Kledge doesn't really want to and wouldn't terribly feel bad about leaving, he has 3 younger brothers and a sister, the oldest of which has shown great enthusiasm at learning the forge.
Edit: added link to character, and now a pic
its its a dude, however much it looks like a girl
One question, though: when you list Weapon Expertise among the free feat choices, does that literally mean Weapon Expertise only or are Implement/Versatile Expertise options as well? (Same for Implement Focus, I suppose.)
It was originally Weapon expertise/focus only. The Opening was a remake of one of my older PbP games here, and at the time, the Essentials line was too new to have been considered.
Hmmm, after checking those feats you've pointed out however (both Focus and Expertise for Weapon and Implement), I've decided to allow players choose either Weapon/Implement Focus, or Weapon/Implement Expertise respectively.
That way, players can enhance either their Weapon rolls, or their Implement Rolls.
Edit: Opening Post has been edited with the change.
I remember you as well Witch. I still count the battle with Flaganus and the tower as some of the greatest fights we had in that short-lived game.
Wow, and here I thought I started a game at a bad time. Usually the 1st page would have been filled by applicants in less than a day. Still, it's nice to see some interest in the game, and that's better than nothing.
Directly from the AP Player's guide:
"The Carrion Crown Adventure Path is steeped in the traditions and tropes of gothic horror, from Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, to more modern terrors from the minds of H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King.
As a player, you’re likely familiar with many of the themes and allusions presented throughout the campaign. But that doesn’t mean your character has to be. There are many ways to craft a character of any type who can experience the terror you as a player may be too familiar with to be affected by. Whether creating a naive or superstitious innocent who discovers the evil of the outside world or a bookish researcher who digs into books not meant to be opened, consider building a character without all the answers. Discovering the truth can be the most exciting
part of a lengthy campaign such as this, and you may just find yourself feeling a bit of terror along the way.
Of course, characters are assumed to be heroic characters, capable of standing against the terrors they encounter rather than fleeing at the sight of the first ghoul or ghost. The PCs aren’t being set up as dupes strung along in a series of unsettling events, but rather heroes thrown against terrors their resolve alone might best."
Also, Gods tend to play a more passive role in Ustalav (many Ustalavian scholars STILL debate to this day on this whether this is due to the after-effects between the war of the Whispering Tyrant and the ancient nations or not). In addition, just because your character hails from the evil races does not mean he'll be COMPLETELY fearless against all manner of horrors.
Connection to Lorrimor
Frozen in place, he could see only blackness, could feel the warmth draining from his body into the inky silence that surrounded him. Straining his ears, he could hear a voice, an old mans voice, calling out to him.
"Drell! ...Drell! ...Drell!"
"DRELL!"
Drellethenne woke with such a start that he almost flew off his seat. Steadying himself against the wall of the guard post, he looked up to see the wide grin of a dwarf.
"Courier came wi' this for ya." Golki said, slapping a sealed envelope into the eladrin's chest. "And don't let the captain catch ya dozin'. Dead or no he'll still 'ave ya flogged."
"Yeah yeah" Drell waved him off, already scanning through the letter. Ugh, a funeral. In Ustalav, no less. He had tried to avoid graveyards since the incident. He didn't want to be mistaken for one of the residents. Still, he owed Lorrimor some form of tribute. If it wasn't for him, Drell probably wouldn't have made it out of that temple at all... even if he hadn't made it out alive.
Personality & Appearance
Despite being cut off from the feywild courts, he does share one quality with his kin- their aloof, often arrogant demeanour. Combined with a seemingly wilful ignorance of local customs and traditions, Drell has found he must keep moving more often because of his attitude than because of his undead nature.
CB Summary
Drellethenne Y'sthrennelle, level 1
Revenant, Fighter
Fighter: Combat Agility
Fighter Talents: Two-handed Weapon Talent
Choose your Race in Life: Eladrin
Background: Eladrin - Estranged Fey (+2 to Endurance)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 18, Con 13, Dex 16, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 10.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 18, Con 11, Dex 14, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 10.
AC: 17 Fort: 16 Reflex: 13 Will: 10
HP: 28 Surges: 10 Surge Value: 7
TRAINED SKILLS
Intimidate +7, Athletics +9, Endurance +10
UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +3, Arcana -1, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering, Heal, History -1, Insight, Nature, Perception, Religion -1, Stealth +3, Streetwise, Thievery +3
FEATS
Feat User Choice: Weapon Expertise (Spear)
Level 1: Eladrin Soldier
POWERS
Fighter at-will 1: Weapon Master's Strike
Fighter at-will 1: Cleave
Fighter encounter 1: Steel Serpent Strike
Fighter daily 1: Tempest Dance
ITEMS
Greatspear, Scale Armor
I'm in the God is Dead pbp and I can post daily. I DM an rl game, but I think the only advice I could give you is get the players to bring snacks and play the LOTR soundtrack.
Edit: Or Sehanine, I suppose. The unaligned version from the DM's guide.
I was just going to post my Blackguard Human Revenant, lol. Oh well, back to the drawing board. Maybe I'll pick something from Heroes of the Feywilde, would that fit in with the setting of Ustalav and the campaign?
Edit: I'm toying with a Hamadryad Witch concept.
Background. (By the time I noticed you weren't looking for a full background, strictly speaking, I'd already written most of this. So, yeah.)
I am deeply, defiantly sorry to say that my mother was one such person.
Dwarves, as a rule, revere their forebears, and with that comes a heightened measure of respect for all those who have passed on. In consequence, they only rarely take to the foul practice of necromancy, very rarely indeed, yet this is just what Marna did. Why she had left her clan behind I've been unable to find out, if only because the dwarves of the Umberrocks were wiped out to the last man by an invasion from the deeps the better part of a century ago. All I know is that she took to wandering, travelling from makeshift lair to makeshift lair in the dark of night, never lingering in any one place too long lest those who stood against villains such as her track her down and mete out righteous punishment for her blasphemous work.
Despite what she did, Marna cared about me, if in a twisted way; of that I have no doubt. She practised necromancy with disturbing fervour and enthusiasm, and while she made no special efforts to expose me to what she was doing, I saw enough. Too much, frankly spoken. The nightmares still come, but they do not come often. However, it must be said that while Marna hardly was a loving mother, she kept me well fed – far better than herself, in fact – and never so much as threatened to harm me...if you disregard the strange tomes she forced me to read sometimes, perhaps. Written in a language I could not understand, they still did something to me; even today, I can feel the shadows behind my eyes, seeing what I see and sometimes pushing to come out. These days I generally have them well under control, at least, and not many know that this last memento of my mother is still with me, and will always be.
The inevitable, at any rate, came to pass. When I was about twelve years old, a small party of adventurers finally descended on Marna's lair, and while she fought fiercely, they eventually cut through her guard of walking dead and slew her. During the course of searching the low, dank cavern she had chosen as her latest hideout, the adventurers then discovered a crude cell, in which she'd locked me as soon as her wards had warned her that intruders were on the way. Despite misgivings harboured by some of them, they decided to take the young dwarven child with them to Caliphas, where they had apparently been tasked with finding and killing Marna the Corrupt, as they called her.
Their employer, it turned out, wasn't at all interested in what they did with me – he or she only cared about stopping my mother, and nothing more. I might, thus, have ended up in an orphanage, but among the adventurers there was a holy warrior in the service of Ioun, the Lady of Lore, who instead arranged for me to be housed at the Lucent Fane, the great temple of Ioun in Caliphas; there, I was made a novice and would go on receive an upbringing and education in the spirit of the Lady, perhaps even to become a paladin like my benefactor one day.
While, ostensibly, I was left to be raised by the priests and priestesses of Ioun because the adventurers felt I deserved a firm calling in life, or perhaps because they thought I was bright enough to make a worthy follower of Ioun, I believe there was another reason as well – they wanted to know me, the child of a necromancer, bestowed where an eye could be kept on her, so that in case my heritage suddenly asserted itself, it would do so in an environment where those skilled and powerful enough to deal with it were always close at hand. Well, doubtlessly to their relief, it didn't. There was the matter of the...influence those eerie tomes had had on me – penned, I was eventually informed with considerably certainty, by the infamous shadow mage Evard –, but after an abundance of experiments and examinations, it was officially deemed that while that dark aspect could not be removed without risking grave damage to my very mind, it would not pose a threat to myself or to others given sufficient training and a strong will. So far, they have been right.
There is not much to say about the four and a half decades that have roughly passed since. Word of my ancestry spread quickly enough, and to many of the Iounites in the Fane – both those who lived and worked there as well as the itinerant clergy – I remained "the necromancer's daughter", someone regarded with unease at best and mistrust at worst. In a sense, I had myself to blame for this, for I refused to fully renounce my mother, refused to cease bearing her name. What was I to do? I never knew my father; the clan my mother belonged to, even if they had deigned to acknowledge me, existed no more; and knowing my ancestry, I cannot imagine any other dwarven clan would have been willing to accept me into their family. It was a step I could not bring myself to take, as justified as I would have been to do so and as incomprehensible this choice seems to almost everyone else. As reprehensible as Marna was, she was my mother, and to disown her will not change who I am, for better or for worse.
Petros Lorrimor was one of the few who understood, and for that alone I'll forever honour his memory. As the years passed and I grew into adulthood, at the same time striving to find a place and a vocation amongst Ioun's chosen in the Fane, I found myself showing a certain...martial prowess. My spiritual inclinations frankly left something to be desired, ruling out my becoming a proper priest, but as the adventuring paladin had made me realise, even among the followers of the Lady of Lore there are and indeed must be those who take up sword and shield – to keep safe those of her believers unable to defend themselves, as well as to safeguard the worldlier interests and assets of her church. It took over a decade of training, but eventually I was made a somewhat warlike cleric of Ioun, able to harm and heal alike, to defend and destroy both, blending a measure of divine power with some expertise in mêlée combat, able to combat the darkness wherever it arose and harbouring special loathing for anything born of shadow, which so horribly reminded me of my mother's work. It had hardly been a conscious choice of profession, but I approved of it all the same, if only because I finally had an identity to be proud of – Valagard, battle-priest of Ioun, Lorewarder and defender of the Lady's faithful, rather than Valagard, daughter of the reviled, but thankfully deceased necromancer Marna.
In the years that followed, I spent a great deal of time travelling, the church sending me to locales all over Ustalav to safeguard some excavation work here and bolster a fortress-temple's defences there, and it was during this time that I first made the acquaintance of Professor Lorrimor. I know the church did not always see eye to eye with him, on account of his insisting that certain artefacts belonged in a profane museum rather than their sacred vaults, but personally I always liked the man. He understood my decision not to dissociate myself from my mother's name; probably the only non-dwarf I've ever met to do so, he understood that to do so would have meant casting myself adrift, losing myself in a way that was so terrifyingly final, I could not bear the notion. He was refreshingly open-minded and a highly educated man to boot, and working with him – which usually meant ensuring that he remained safe from the many dangers of Ustalav that anyone who spent any length of time travelling was sure to face, though not infrequently I also ended up as a kind of assistant to him, owing to my minor scholarly inclinations no doubt – was a genuine pleasure in a way few things in my life have been.
For this reason, his passing pains me all the more keenly, and I wish I could do something more than pay him my last respects – but that, as I found out long ago, isn't how the world works."
Personality and appearance.
Above all else, Valagard loathes necromancy and other shadow magic, which fill her with intense, angry revulsion, and she'll stop at almost nothing to destroy both their practitioners and the fruits of their vile labour. This profound aversion is, of course, in part a result of the fact that Valagard herself has been touched by shadow, and perhaps striking so forcefully at its manifestations in the world is how she copes with that affliction. It's possible that the cleric's inclination towards absent-mindedness when she isn't absorbed in some engaging task or lively conversation stems from the same source; at such times, Valagard seems to stare off into the distance with a slight, puzzled frown on her face, silent and still as if in deep thought, and often taking a moment to get her bearings again when roused somehow.
Pallid and dark-haired, with pale blue eyes and a soft, heart-shaped face, there isn't much about Valagard that immediately sets her apart from other dwarves, at least to a casual observer. Her clothing and armour, which are fairly plain, frequently travel-stained, and generally kept in shades of dark blue, do lack the geometric patterns commonly cherished by her people, but this distinction is unlikely to leap out at anyone not familiar with dwarven culture. Similarly, the fact that over a century after its eradication, she still braids her hair after the fashion of the Umberrock clan as her mother did will be lost on most folk who aren't dwarves; Valagard's people, however, are bound to view this with disdain or even animosity – the name of Marna is infamous among them, and quite apart from the fact that the necromancer herself was an Umberrock, they generally consider it an additional insult to the memory of the dead clan for her daughter to wear their braids as well.
Picture.
Completely not a staff at all, no sir. Come to think of it, this isn't terribly representative of the character as described above in general, but for a token it'll do.
CB summary.
Dwarf, Cleric
Cleric: Battle Cleric's Lore
Dwarf Subrace: Gold Dwarf
Select option: Cast-Iron Mind
Select option: Dwarven Weapon Proficiency
Background: Early Life - Test Subject (+2 to Arcana)
Theme: Student of Evard
FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 18, Con 15, Dex 10, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 14.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 16, Con 13, Dex 10, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 14.
AC: 19 Fort: 14 Reflex: 12 Will: 14
HP: 27 Surges: 9 Surge Value: 6
TRAINED SKILLS
Religion +8, Arcana +10, History +8, Diplomacy +8, Endurance +10
UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics, Bluff +2, Dungeoneering +1, Heal -1, Insight -1, Intimidate +2, Nature -1, Perception -1, Stealth, Streetwise +2, Thievery, Athletics +4
FEATS
Cleric: Ritual Caster
Feat User Choice: Power of Skill
Level 1: Soldier of the Faith
POWERS
Channel Divinity: Punish the Profane
Channel Divinity: Favor of the Gods
Cleric at-will 1: Righteous Brand
Cleric at-will 1: Weapon of Divine Protection
Cleric encounter 1: Mighty Hew
Cleric daily 1: Shield of the Gods
ITEMS
Ritual Book, Adventurer's Kit, Scale Armor, Mystic Salves (Heal) (30), Morningstar, Throwing hammer (2)
RITUALS
Comrades' Succor, Gentle Repose
About me.
I've also never heard of this Carrion Crown campaign thing before and actually had to look up which system it was originally for, though the image up let me take a pretty good guess all the same.
Yeah, thought I'd better get in before the other revenants showed up
Picture
Background
He had been young when she first met him. Young and beautiful. She had been terrified of the human man at first, but his gentleness and charm convinced her that he would not harm her and that he only wanted to stay until the danger chasing him had passed. He told Cranea of the outside world, of how it was not only dark and foreboding, but full of adventure and excitement. He regaled her of his adventures and discoveries, even showing her the artifact that he had so recently liberated from the private collection of a vicious noble. "It belongs in a museum", he had said. They had found other ways of passing the time after she grew bored of his talking, and when she awoke the next day it was to discover he had gone. The only thing left was a single Raven's feather with a drop of his blood on the quill. He had also left a note explaining that as long as the feather remained black, she would know that he was alive and well.
Over the course of many years he would return to her through the secret ways only he knew, sometimes he would visit as a lover, other times just as a friend with new stories to regale her with. He even convinced her to join him on a few adventures, and it was on these occasions that she started to gain a reputation throughout the towns surrounding the wood as a mysterious Witch of the Forest. A figure shrouded in folklore who was beneficent to those good of heart and respectful of the forest, yet wrathful to those who sought to do harm to whatever she considered to be under her dominion. One sad day, she had awoken to find that the enchanted Raven's feather had turned red. That her friend lived no more. She had cried all day and night, mourning the loss of such an important and dynamic part of her life, she also used her arcane talents as a budding witch to commune with the enchanted feather and home in on the location of her friend's body. She resolved to pay her respects, to say goodbye and learn the nature of his passing. She knew that he had enemies though, and if his death turned out to be anything other than natural, whoever was responsible would find out just how terrible a witch's wrath could be.
Personality and Appearance
She stands at 5'9, is of slim build with pale skin, green eyes, and has auburn hair that falls to the small of her back. Despite the fact that she has been alive longer than most mortals, she still retains the looks and mannerisms of a young maiden. She doesn't wear much in the way of clothing, but covers herself to the minimum standards of what is considered modest. What clothing she does have is woven from the leaves and grasses of her grove, blossoms are woven into her hair and she seems to always smell of flowers and cherries. In battle she exhausts every opportunity to bewitch or drive away a foe instead of killing them, but does not shy away from the hard necessities of combat if she has no other choice.
CB Summary
Hamadryad, Witch (Wizard)
Full Moon Coven
STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 15, Dex 10, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 16
FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 8, Con 15, Dex 10, Int, 18, Wis 14, Cha 18
AC: 14, Fort: 12, Ref: 14, Will: 16
HP: 25, 8 Surges value 6
RACE FEATURES
Fey Origin: considered a fey creature
Forest Walk: ignore difficult terrain that's part of a tree, underbrush, or other forested region
Oaken Vitality: Your tree heritage grants you a +5 racial bonus to Endurance checks to resist the effects of starvation, thirst, or suffocation, and you can survive for twice the normal time period before you are required to make such checks. You do not require sleep, but you must meditate at least four hours each day to absorb light (even from as small a source as a candle), soak in water, or connect with the earth beneath your feet. This meditation grants you the benefits that other races receive from an extended rest. While meditating, you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal.
Tree Mind: +2 save against stun, daze, or dominate.
Hamadryad Aspects
TRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +9, Bluff +11, Diplomacy +13, Heal +7, Nature +9
UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics, Athletics -1, Dungeoneering +2, Endurance +2, History +4, Insight +2, Intimidate +4, Perception +2, Religion +4, Stealth, Streetwise +4, Thievery
FEATS
Superior Implament Training (wands)
Arcane/Witch's Familiar
Fey Bond
POWERS
Hamadryad Aspects
Augury
Chameleon's Mask (cantrip)
Presdigitation (cantrip)
Light (cantrip)
Winged Horde
Witch Bolt
Glorious Presence
Bewitching Charm
ITEMS
Cloth Armor, Dagger, Adventurer's Kit, Rowan Wand, Wolfsbane (2 bundles), Senaliesse chrysanthemum, Flower of the Dawn, Feywine Raisin
About Myself: I'm currently not in a game on these forums right now, but I'm DMing a game IRL (but after this week I'm handing off the reigns to another member of the group who wants to start a Dark Heresy game). I've played in three PbPs on these forums before, two of which were D&D 4th ed. I'm available to post at least once a day, and I've never played the Carrion Crown setting before. I am excited to see how this goes down!
Darrius LeCroix
Background and Connection to Lorrimor
The first visage to emerge from the fog was an older human, running scared and nearly out of breath. LeCroix loosed his arrow, and the projectile sailed cleanly over the runner's head and met the chest of a pursuing ghoul just as it became visible through the gloom. From his vantage point LeCroix began barking orders at the militia below, while at the same time raining arrow after arrow on the seemingly endless cadre of ghouls that continued to pour into sight. "Run out and meet the old man! Form ranks around him, then fall back to the walls!" The militiamen arrived and formed around the old man, allowing him the opportunity to gulp air and regain his legs. Arrows continued to fly over them and fell incoming attackers as the line of pikes slowly backed to the relative safety of the walls.
When the ghouls had finally been repelled, the old man requested to meet LeCroix. "Shorter than I expected..." was the first thing that escaped the old man's mouth when LeCroix descended from the wall. "Yeah, I get that alot." LeCroix mumbled back. The old man then introduced himself as Professor Lorrimor, and complemented LeCroix on his skill with the bow, "That first shot was a one in a million at that distance, my boy. I could use a man like you. As you can see, my travels sometimes get me into...tight spots. I pay well, and I can promise you'll never be bored." After mulling it over in his mind for a few quiet minutes, he made two decisions. The first was to accept the offer. The second was that there was probably no need to ever tell the Professor that the first shot was meant for him.
LeCroix spent the next years traveling off and on with Lorrimor on several exciting (and sometimes lucrative) adventures before the two finally parted ways. LeCroix eventually made his way back to Karcau, where he promptly lost the small fortune he had acquired with Lorrimor on bad investments and betting against the house. It was in Karcao that LeCroix learned of Lorrimor's passing. He set out for Ravengro to say his final farewells and drink to better days spent on grand adventures.
Appearance and Mannerisms:
He wears a long, hooded cloak over his simple leather armor. Dark brown hair frames his face, but is cut short enough to stay off of his collar. He keeps his beard closely trimmed as often as is possible, and he has a tattoo of the Karcau city seal on his right shoulder. While "handsome" might be a stretch, he has yet to send a single child screaming back to their mother when they see him, and he has had moderate success with the womenfolk.
CB Summary
Darrius LeCroix, level 1
Human, Ranger
Build: Archer Ranger
Fighting Style Option: Hunter Fighting Style
Ranger Option: Prime Shot
Human Power Selection Option: Heroic Effort
Everwatch Conscript (+2 to Perception)
Theme: Explorer
FINAL ABILITY SCORES
STR 13, CON 14, DEX 18, INT 10, WIS 14, CHA 8
STARTING ABILITY SCORES
STR 13, CON 14, DEX 16, INT 10, WIS 14, CHA 8
AC: 16 Fort: 14 Ref: 16 Will: 13
HP: 26 Surges: 8 Surge Value: 6
TRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +9, Athletics +6, Endurance +7, Nature +7, Perception +9, Stealth +9
UNTRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +0, Bluff –1, Diplomacy –1, Dungeoneering +2, Heal +2, History +0, Insight +2, Intimidate –1, Religion +0, Streetwise –1, Thievery +4
POWERS
Basic Attack: Melee Basic Attack
Basic Attack: Ranged Basic Attack
Explorer Utility: Surefooted Stride
Human Racial Power: Heroic Effort
Hunter's Quarry Power: Hunter's Quarry
Ranger Attack 1: Fading Strike
Ranger Attack 1: Twin Strike
Ranger Attack 1: Skirmish Shot
Ranger Attack 1: Skirmishing Stance
FEATS
Quick Draw
Level 1: Weapon Proficiency (Greatbow)
Level 1: Bow Expertise
Level 1: Twilight Training
ITEMS
Leather Armor x1
Falchion
Adventurer's Kit
Greatbow x1
Arrows
Climber's Kit
Crowbar
====== End ======
_____________________________________________
HoTS: Schmutz#1686
Leaders:
Kledge Black, Human Artificer (Bearrorrist) Post
Valagard Marnasdóttir, Dwarven cleric (MMAgCh) Post
Controllers:
Cranea Treesong, Hamadryad Witch (Wizard) (Witch_Hunter_84) Post
Melee Strikers:
None at the moment!
Range Strikers:
Darrius LeCroix, Human Ranger (Bow) (Smoove Operator) Post
Defenders:
Drellethenne Y'sthrennelle, Revenant Eladrin Fighter (Grog) Post
(this was just a quick GIS, so it'll do)
Appearance and Mannerisms
Background and Connection to Lorimor
As Airyc grew, so too did the sums he collected. He started sharing his income to supplement his father's Smithing work, but he always made sure to save enough to find out about the Professor's latest exploits. In his twentieth year, while escorting a merchant and his goods from the village to the nearest city they happened upon a carriage beset by Goblins and a large Orc wielding an equally massive axe. Surveying the scene Airyc saw corpses that must have belonged to the carriage guards laying face down on the ground. After a furious melee that left the earth soaked with blood and Airyc with his own set of fresh wounds, the carriage door opened and out stepped a legend.
The Half-Orc's jaw hung open in amazement, "Puh-Puh-Puh."
The Professor's gaze swept over the visceral scene in front of him, sighing sadly, "Those poor guards gave their lives to defend me."
Airyc raised his hand stupidly, as if trying to get a teacher's attention, "I will defend you and I won't die and I've read all of your adventures but I gotta take this guy where he wants to go but pleeeeease let me go with you after that!" The young man's throat hurt from saying so many words at one time. Professor Lorimor looked amused, "Well, you've certainly proven you can handle yourself in a fight and it seems I am in need of new bodyguards..." Lorimmor couldn't finish the sentence before Airyc slapped the horse hauling the local merchant's carriage on the flanks sending it whinnying and speeding down the road.
"The horse knows the way and it's moving too fast to get jumped." Airyc walked to the expired Orc, bent down to retrieve the axe that had tasted his blood, and gave it a few experimental swings. "I just want you to know it's an honor, and a pleasure to guard you. I've dreamt of this since I was a kid!"
CB Summary
Airyc Smithsson, level 1
Half-Orc, Fighter (Slayer)
Occupation - Thug (+2 to Intimidate)
FINAL ABILITY SCORES
STR 18, CON 12, DEX 18, INT 11, WIS 11, CHA 8
STARTING ABILITY SCORES
STR 16, CON 12, DEX 16, INT 11, WIS 11, CHA 8
AC: 17 Fort: 16 Ref: 14 Will: 10
HP: 27 Surges: 10 Surge Value: 6
TRAINED SKILLS
Athletics +9, Heal +5, Intimidate +15
UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +4, Arcana +0, Bluff –1, Diplomacy –1, Dungeoneering +0, Endurance +3, History +0, Insight +0, Nature +0, Perception +0, Religion +0, Stealth +4, Streetwise –1, Thievery +4
POWERS
Basic Attack: Melee Basic Attack
Basic Attack: Ranged Basic Attack
Half-Orc Racial Power: Furious Assault
Multiple Class Attack: Power Strike
Fighter Utility: Poised Assault
Fighter Utility: Duelist's Assault
FEATS
Level 1: Weapon Proficiency (Execution axe)
Level 1: Strong-Arm Tactics
ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit
Scale Armor x1
Execution axe x1
====== End ======
The only D&D I'm currently involved with is Encounters IRL. I've participated in a couple of PBPs in the past, most recently Siege of Underdeep that sadly petered out around the time Skyrim was released. I can post more than once a day, usually starting around 2pm eastern. Most of my experience with D&D is through Encounters, so I'm not at all familiar with the Carrion Crown setting.
Currently known as Sohpia Gladewyne, Paladin of Erathis.
Background and connection to Lorimor
With no natural talent at combat, Sophia was forced to learn the hard way. Each night she would borrow one of the enormous ceremonial blades which adorned the corridors of the cathedral and sneak it into her room. By flickering candlelight she would go through the motions of the day’s drills, her already tired arms just straining to lift such a heavy sword. In time she gained strength enough that her regular blade felt light as a feather and the rigorous repetition conditioned her to respond in combat with the appropriate manoeuvres without thought. Throughout her time in training, Professor Lorrimor would occasionally visit, seemingly amused by her determination to become a knight. He became a sporadic mentor, one day providing the sage advice of one who had travelled far and seen much yet gone the next on some great quest to find the latest ancient artefact to catch is fancy. His occasional visits, although unpredictable, were a treasured part of her life. They continued right up until she gained her shield, at which point her service to the church prevented any easy meetings. The few times he crossed through Kaarcau, she would be off protecting some remote farming community from kobold raids or some such.
Personality and Appearance
Character sheet to come.
Edit: Keep them coming folks. Hopefully more will come to even things out. That way I won't feel bad that only 1 out of 7 would not make it to the final cut.
Sheet
Backstory and Connection:
Her father worked with a professor in the city and frequently went on expeditions with him, bringing back all manner of old and interesting things for Winterbloom to play with. Her parents quickly realized that she would get more and more energetic as her father was about to return from a trip, finally culminating in a flurry of activity once he came back, only to be followed by a rapid decent back into ennui.
As she got older, she would frequently play "explorer" in the city, flitting around and planning out how she would take anything that caught her eye. She never actually resorted to thievery though. At least, she didn't until her father failed to come home from one of his trips. Without the money he made, Winterbloom and her mother quickly fell on hard times. Refusing to part with any of the things that her father brought back for her which might have been salable, Winterbloom started putting some of her idle plans into action. Telling her mother that she'd found a job, she managed to keep the two of them going.
Recently, they received a letter from the Professor Lorrimor asking for Winterbloom. Wondering if he might have some news of her father, she set out for the given address, excitement building.
Token:
Of course, any theme is allowed (Neverwinter, Dark Sun or otherwise), though it also fine if you'd like to reflavour it for your submission. For example, Scion of Shadow (a Neverwinter Theme) could be reflavoured as someone whose lineage was tainted by dark, shadowy forces in the past (which makes sense if the hero was born in the dark, troubled lands of Ustalav.
_____________________________________________
HoTS: Schmutz#1686
Personality traits, mannerisms and appearances:
Background:
CB Summary:
Saladar Zantiesh, level 1
Changeling, Warlock (Hexblade)
Pact: Gloom Pact (Hexblade)
Occupation - Scholar (+2 to Arcana)
Theme: Vile Scholar
FINAL ABILITY SCORES
STR 11, CON 12, DEX 18, INT 11, WIS 8, CHA 18
STARTING ABILITY SCORES
STR 11, CON 12, DEX 16, INT 11, WIS 8, CHA 16
AC: 16 Fort: 12 Ref: 14 Will: 16
HP: 24 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 6
TRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +7, Bluff +11, Intimidate +9, Streetwise +9
UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +3, Athletics –1, Diplomacy +4, Dungeoneering –1, Endurance +0, Heal –1, History +0, Insight +1, Nature –1, Perception –1, Religion +0, Stealth +3, Thievery +3
POWERS
Basic Attack: Melee Basic Attack
Basic Attack: Ranged Basic Attack
Vile Scholar Attack: Dark Speech
Changeling Racial Power: Changeling Disguise
Changeling Racial Power: Changeling Trick
Warlock Utility: Convocation of Shadows
Warlock Attack: Flesh Rend
Warlock Attack: Spirit Flay
Warlock Attack 1: Eldritch Bolt
Warlock Attack 1: Mists of Madness
FEATS
Level 1: Weapon Focus (Flail)
Level 1: Flail Expertise
ITEMS
Scourge of Exquisite Agony x1
Adventurer's Kit
Chainmail x1
====== End ======
I check the forums several times daily, and can post multiple times a day on most days. Carrion Crown is something I have not played. I am involved in several PbPs on the forums right now though. Here, here, here, and here. The last two are one-offs that should be relatively close to ending if the participating players keep up a decent pace. Thus my interest here! I will be traveling within the next few days, but will use airport internets to try and keep up.
Personality traits, mannerisms and appearances:
Reckless and brash are two words to easily describe Kal, though his impatience usually stops short of foolishness. Even though he has no qualms in finding quick solutions by employing his arcane talents, he is equally quick with his tongue, whether to twist the truth or to find a mutually acceptable compromise. In the end most agree to see things his way, though he has been run out of town on more than a few occasions when his rash nature had gotten the better of him.
Background and connection to Lorimor:
It was during one such counsel that Kal met Professor Lorrimor. After having provided the mayor of a small town with information regarding the next harvest, the mayor had insisted that Kal also provide the Professor, a guest at the mayor’s mansion, with counsel regarding his expedition into the ancient tomb at the outskirts of the town. Kal, after seeing a few nonsensical images regarding the Professor’s past (including the image of an infant with the head of an owl crying in a seemingly endless sea of grass) exclaimed that the professor shall return triumphantly from his expedition.
The Professor was seemingly overjoyed and asked if Kal didn’t mind accompanying him. Having just predicted the Professor’s success Kal was in no position to refuse. The expedition was planned to take 2 days, however Kal and the Professor emerged from the tomb two months after first entering it. No vision could have prepared Kal for the perils they had faced. Kal was certain his survival had as much to do with pure luck as it had with the Professor’s years of experience and sheer competence. In those two months he learned more from the Professor than he had from any other mentor and he felt indebted to the old man.
He was quite shocked and saddened when he learned of the Professor’s passing. Needless to say he immediately secured passage on the next caravan to Ravengro.
CB Summary:
Kal Reed, level 1
Human, Sorcerer
Spell Source: Wild Magic
Human Power Selection: Bonus At-Will Power
FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 10, Con 11, Dex 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 20.
STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 10, Con 11, Dex 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 18.
AC: 14 Fort: 11 Reflex: 13 Will: 18
HP: 23 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 5
TRAINED SKILLS
Endurance +5, Arcana +5, History +5, Diplomacy +10, Bluff +10
UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +2, Dungeoneering -1, Heal -1, Insight -1, Intimidate +5, Nature -1, Perception -1, Religion, Stealth +2, Streetwise +5, Thievery +2, Athletics
FEATS
Human: Staff Expertise
Feat User Choice: Implement Focus (Staff)
Level 1: Unarmored Agility
POWERS
Bonus At-Will Power: Burning Spray
Sorcerer at-will 1: Chaos Bolt
Sorcerer at-will 1: Acid Orb
Sorcerer encounter 1: Bedeviling Burst
Sorcerer daily 1: Dazzling Ray
ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Cloth Armor (Basic Clothing), Staff Implement, Potion of Healing (heroic tier)
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