As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

[DnD 4e] The Fantastical Contraption(OOC) - Recruiting!

FaranguFarangu I am a beardy manWith a beardy planRegistered User regular
edited June 2011 in Critical Failures
This is a recruitment thread for five players for a D&D campaign. Note the word, CAMPAIGN - I fully intend to take whomever's interested from level 1 to at least level 25, maybe even 30. If you are the kind of player who likes "one and done" adventures...this might not be for you. Let it never be said that I am not ambitious. :D

Submissions: Two per person. Sheets on Mythweavers or Orokos.
Usable classes/races: As long as you can put your character into the setting I will describe shortly, you can go nuts. Nothing is overtly restricted. That being said, fitting your submission more with the upcoming details will get you more of a chance of being accepted.
Starting level: 1. 22 point buy system. Also 1 free Expertise feat.
Starting equipment/Gold: 100 gp, and one lvl 1 magic item free.
Preference: People who are not in too many pbp's, people who have never played D&D before, people who can post more than once a day to keep things moving will get more weight towards their submissions.

Setting: The region of Keltain -
Dreeston.jpg
(map by Jonathan Roberts, www.fantasticmaps.com)

The story:
Keltain has been a place to go for many types of people. The capital of Dreeston fields an impressive military host, which has seen many valorous deployments in the history of the land. The peak of Dagger Point and the trees of the Gnarwood inspire many to take recreational visits. The city of Cairnport is a major trade hub, and as such never sleeps.

However, one reason to visit Keltain that not many know about, possibly the most crucial, is a gnome. One solitary, elderly gnome by the name of Corran. The reason anybody would want to pay a visit to him? He is, without a doubt, the pioneer machinist in the entire country. Years and years ago, his designs burst upon the market, and since that day he went without a moment's peace, hounded by people eager to pay him for more designs, more ideas. It was enough to drain even a gnome's enthusiasm, and so 30 years ago, he retired to a private, wooded retreat he had made for himself. Dubbed Corran's Reach, he was the only one who knew of its existence.

Until 20 years ago. For that was the day he stumbled upon quite a discovery: 5 bundled babies, in the middle of the crossroads nearest his estate. Ordinarily he would have alerted the nearest constable, but at the last moment...something about the little ones struck him. Perhaps a bit of his gnomish attitude returned(although he would never admit this). Whatever the reason, he took these children back with him, and raised them as his own.

Now, the children are reaching the peak of their youthful years. Throughout their growth, he tried to impart his love of mechanical devices to each of them, and while it resulted in some success(each of your level 1 items are what you created under his tutelage), each had their own interests, although they applied Corran's zeal and method of thought to advance substantially further than most young people could reach at their age(how your characters receive their 1st level powers). Each of them also share a common love of history. But now, the time is growing close where Corran realizes that keeping them cloistered and away from the land and its people is not a choice he can make. He must consider setting them loose to make their own way in the world. The how of that, though, is a problem not even he can solve.

Unbeknownst to him, however, that problem will soon solve itself...

Also, with your submission, you MUST post an answer to the following question:
What would you build if you had the ingenuity of Corran at his prime and access to any raw material you could need?
Also an image for token purposes would be nice. Not required, though.

Submissions will be open until May 3rd, 12 noon, CST. While I did jump the gun a bit in closing my first recruitment drive for my other pbp, that will not be the case this time. The above time is final and immutable.

And...go, I guess. I'll be taking questions if you guys have any.

Farangu on
«134567

Posts

  • ronrabronrab Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I love this background and will be making characters. EXCELSIOR.

    ronrab on
  • susansusan Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I'm interested, very interested.

    So would I be correct in assuming that the PC's would be playing the roles of the 5 children? If so, how would that impact the various Fey races, for which a 20 year old would be roughly equivalent to a 4 or 5 year old, and races like the Warforged? I have character ideas aplenty, so if I need to steer away from my Gnome Bard/Warforged Barbarian, no worries there.

    susan on
    2010 PAX DM Challenge Grand Champion
    2011 PAX Warmachine/Hordes Champion
  • Paranoia833Paranoia833 Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Always good to see a new game getting started. I'm not new to D&D, but I am new to 4th Edition so I'd be happy to sign up. Are we using 22 point buy for stats?

    Paranoia833 on
  • FaranguFarangu I am a beardy man With a beardy planRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Susan: I'd be willing to work around interesting character concepts. A warforged could have been an old robotic servant that Corran built and recently reactivated to help raising the kids, or a fey creature could be a native of the woods surrounding Corran's Reach, friendly to the gnome and also in their formative years.

    Paranoia: D'oh. Knew I forgot something. We'll be using the 22 point buy.

    Farangu on
  • TofystedethTofystedeth Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    hmm sounds fun. I'm currently in 1 PbP, but could probably squeeze in another. Most days I can get several posts in, but sometimes cant.

    Also that question is going to be difficult to answer.
    Or easy and foul.

    I'm not sure.

    Tofystedeth on
    steam_sig.png
  • FaranguFarangu I am a beardy man With a beardy planRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    ...Stupid fancy font.

    Farangu on
  • Undead UnicornUndead Unicorn Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Will have a sheet in a bit, but does anyone know of any good sites for Fantasy art I could use for a token?

    Undead Unicorn on
  • Mad_Scientist_WorkingMad_Scientist_Working Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    What would you build if you had the ingenuity of Corran at his prime and access to any raw material you could need?
    South Facing Chariot
    Yes backwards I know but I figured I'd call dibs on my fancy smartass answer before someone outdos me.

    Mad_Scientist_Working on
  • illgottengainsillgottengains Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Interested.

    Couple questions..

    Is this homebrew? And if so, what backgrounds are allowed?

    Are the babes all siblings? If they are, what race are they?

    I have a couple characters already done up that saw very limited use in previous PbP's ready to go. Of particular interest to me would be playing my halfling paladin. His backstory would need slight reworking but otherwise he is ready to roll.

    Kalimac
    ====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
    Kalimac, level 1
    Halfling, Paladin
    Build: Virtuous Paladin
    Background: Traveling Missionary

    FINAL ABILITY SCORES
    Str 11, Con 14, Dex 14, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 18.

    STARTING ABILITY SCORES
    Str 11, Con 14, Dex 12, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 16.


    AC: 20 Fort: 13 Reflex: 15 Will: 15
    HP: 29 Surges: 12 Surge Value: 7

    TRAINED SKILLS
    Religion +4, Diplomacy +9, Insight +7, Heal +7

    UNTRAINED SKILLS
    Acrobatics, Arcana -1, Bluff +4, Dungeoneering +2, Endurance -2, History -1, Intimidate +4, Nature +2, Perception +2, Stealth -2, Streetwise +4, Thievery, Athletics -4

    FEATS
    Level 1: Lost in the Crowd

    POWERS
    Lay on Hands: Lay on Hands
    Paladin at-will 1: Ardent Strike
    Paladin at-will 1: Virtuous Strike
    Paladin encounter 1: Valorous Smite
    Paladin daily 1: Majestic Halo

    ITEMS
    Plate Armor, Adventurer's Kit, Sunrod (2), Luckblade Falchion +1, Heavy Shield, Flute
    ====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

    Background
    Kalimac Proudstepper was born into family of halfling nomads. Most notable among his family would be his cousin Milo Proudstepper the firstborn son of Kalimac's father Fennix Proudstepper's brother Mekole Proudstepper. Milo is a Cleric of Melora who has been rumored to have ventured into the shadowfell. His family fell on hard times, and although it stung them to their very cores they had to leave young Kalimac in hopes that someone more able to care for him took him in.

    As a youth he relished being out of doors. Corran's machinery baffled the lad and he stuck with what came naturally to him. He loved to work with the earth often offering to trim the lawns of old neighbors at no cost. He would take any flowers his neighbors didn't want to the crossroads and peddle them in the Silver Horseshoe Tavern. Everyone seemed to like Kalimac, and he liked everyone too. He especially liked Susie, a waitress in the tavern. It turned out that most of the flowers he sold were given to Susie. And he, if he had any flowers left would simply give them to her anyway. So every day Susie left the tavern with flowers in her hair.

    Despite Kalimac's cheerful disposition he suffered from strange recurring dreams. One such dream he would find himself in state of panic. He hurried down along a path as fast as his legs would carry him but he always came back to the same spot no matter how far he ran. Standing in front of a vast perfectly still lake.

    Another dream he often had would find Kalimac weilding a brightly glowing blade fighting desparately against unknown foes in an utterly dark cave. Susie's cries for help echoing in the distance.

    One evening while he was at the Silver Horseshoe he met a strange fellow who looked like an elf but wasn't one. Kalimac suspected that he was a wizard of some kind due to the gnarled wooden staff he kept close at hand. This man offered to trade a fine short sword for all of his flowers. He said the flowers were very valuable to him, some of them. It seemed like an excellent deal to Kalimac and he gladly traded all his flowers.

    Sometime after this a wandering priest came to Kalimac's village. This old halfling was a cleric of Avandra. When he looked upon Kalimac his eyes widened. The priest told him that Avandra had graced him. It didn't make much sense to him. He'd never felt graced before, least not by Avandra, but he accepted the symbol the priest gave to him. He began to speak to the symbol, which he kept hanging on the wall in his room. Over time he decided that he wanted to wear the symbol, it gave him hope, and filled him with a curiousity for the world outside of his homeland.

    As he matured as a halfling this longing to explore finally led him to bid Susie and his family and friends farewell. Kalimac wanted to see the flowers that grew over the next hill, and then the one after that. He had a feeling that the world was just full of beautiful places and things and he wanted to see all of them. He's father, or so Kalimac thought of the old gnome Corran, commissioned an armor smith to craft a halflinf sized suit of plate mail.

    That night he tossed restlessly in a fitful dream. When he awoke from it in a swear the voice that spoke to him still hung fresh in his mind.

    "You will defend the just and vanquish evil where you find it. Stay on the path. It will lead you."

    Edit: Kalimac would want a time machine that instead of pushing or pulling you through time it just stopped time alltogether. That way he could look at all the pretty flowers and sunsets for as long as he wanted until he was ready to find something new.


    I'm currently running an SR3 PbP game "Celtic Double Cross," and play a weekly maptools DnD game.

    illgottengains on
  • FaranguFarangu I am a beardy man With a beardy planRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I took the idea for this story from an idea I read about and wanted to try, but I'm making the specifics up. (Except for the maps, which I intend to shamelessly steal whenever I can because making them is hard. :D)
    In terms of backgrounds, though, I kind of want people to be working within what I wrote up top. You can be flexible with it - say, you were more interested in gardening than machine work - but your character needs to fit in with what I wrote. The easiest way is to be one of the children Corran finds, but you can work your own story up if you run it by me first.

    The babies are not siblings. They are the races of the characters I would choose.

    Farangu on
  • WhiteWolfWhiteWolf Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I'm gonna blue dot this and definitely try to wrack my brains for a good character submission or two.

    WhiteWolf on
  • susansusan Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    'K, I think I know what I'll do: I want to submit a Tiefling Psion (one of the babies discovered), and a Warforged Barbarian who would be acting as a Babysitter/Bodyguard for the children. Farangu, would you prefer the Warforged to be built by Corran specifically to serve this purpose, or for the 'Forged to have been found with the children that same day with origin unknown, or possibly some other backstory? Thanks!

    susan on
    2010 PAX DM Challenge Grand Champion
    2011 PAX Warmachine/Hordes Champion
  • FaranguFarangu I am a beardy man With a beardy planRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I would go with having Corran build him, out of the options you listed. If you come up with anything else, though, feel free to let me know.

    Farangu on
  • WoogityWoogity Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    cool backstory man im interested but well see if i can get something up in time :)
    looks like a natural backstory for artificer, just sayin :D

    Woogity on
    Rad Anvilspit hp 23/29 surge value 7 surges 1/10 17:ac 16:fort 12: ref 13: will

    Henry Teach, human cutthroat

    the game assassino_O
  • FaranguFarangu I am a beardy man With a beardy planRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Ah, Woogity.

    We meet again. :D

    Farangu on
  • Mad_Scientist_WorkingMad_Scientist_Working Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    So do alchemic rituals count as a magic item or no?

    Mad_Scientist_Working on
  • illgottengainsillgottengains Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Yes I'm working on editing Kalimac's background to fit into your campaign. That's basically what I was thinking. Kalimac isn't the smartest halfling around. The schematics and guts of machines confuse him. So instead he took to gardening and basically becomes Corran's de facto groundskeeper. Course he has the fanciest hedge trimmers in the land.

    edit: background edited. I'll work on the second submission in the next few days.

    illgottengains on
  • FaranguFarangu I am a beardy man With a beardy planRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    It looks like, at this rate, I have to hope somebody actually wants to play as one of the kids :D

    Farangu on
  • Mad_Scientist_WorkingMad_Scientist_Working Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Farangu wrote: »
    It looks like, at this rate, I have to hope somebody actually wants to play as one of the kids :D
    I'm actually trying to. Admittedly, trying to make a hand cannoneer is harder than I thought it would be.

    Mad_Scientist_Working on
  • illgottengainsillgottengains Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Farangu wrote: »
    It looks like, at this rate, I have to hope somebody actually wants to play as one of the kids :D

    Nooo, I changed kalimac's history to fit into your setting better. Right now I'm going with his family was nomadic, ran into some trouble (Raided while traveling, no food to go around, no horses or wagons) and had to leave him. I'm not sure about the details in your background regarding this but I felt like it worked well enough with the overall character. Now he has a personal quest to figure out who is real family is.

    You mentioned something about all of us picking up on a creative trait? I grabbed brew potion to reflect this.

    illgottengains on
  • FaranguFarangu I am a beardy man With a beardy planRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Mad Scientist: Could you put up which ritual you're looking at?

    Ill: Actually that's just the storyline excuse for how your characters get their first level powers, considering they live in a secluded place

    Farangu on
  • WoogityWoogity Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    o and im assuming these were like little babies when they arrived right? is evil alright? dunno what I want yet kinda poking around.

    Woogity on
    Rad Anvilspit hp 23/29 surge value 7 surges 1/10 17:ac 16:fort 12: ref 13: will

    Henry Teach, human cutthroat

    the game assassino_O
  • FaranguFarangu I am a beardy man With a beardy planRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Corran found them as newborns 20 years ago.

    However, if the majority of characters I choose would reach maturity at a largely different number, I'd be willing to change that. The overall goal was to establish that living with Corran was all that these kids know.

    Farangu on
  • Mad_Scientist_WorkingMad_Scientist_Working Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Farangu wrote: »
    Mad Scientist: Could you put up which ritual you're looking at?
    I want the clockwork bomb. Please for the love of god give me the clockwork bomb.:winky: And before you say anything I'm taking the feat that allows me to use level+3 alchemey in place of the Ritual casting for the artificer. And yes I know that isn't a ritual I meant to say alchemy.

    Mad_Scientist_Working on
  • FaranguFarangu I am a beardy man With a beardy planRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Hmm...what class would be using this bomb if I allow it.

    Farangu on
  • FaranguFarangu I am a beardy man With a beardy planRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Considering that that means you wouldn't start with a magic item, and that it'd be 40 gold each time you want to use it...ok

    Farangu on
  • Mad_Scientist_WorkingMad_Scientist_Working Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Farangu wrote: »
    Hmm...what class would be using this bomb if I allow it.
    An Artificer. I'm kind of going over board on the whole raised by a great mechanic.
    Considering that that means you wouldn't start with a magic item, and that it'd be 40 gold each time you want to use it...ok
    Please tell me if that is a dumb idea. I'll go with a slightly less insane mechanic.

    Mad_Scientist_Working on
  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    This is an incredibly interesting premise, Farangu. Kudos for that regardless of what happens.

    My interest is peaked, and I definitely have availability. And I always love more 4E, I'll see what I can put together. :)

    Fiaryn on
    Soul Silver FC: 1935 3141 6240
    White FC: 0819 3350 1787
  • FaranguFarangu I am a beardy man With a beardy planRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Mad: Actually, it fits really well with the setting. You use Corran's knowledge to create some...loud products. :D It's up to you if that's worth the gold drain.

    Flaryn: Thanks for the compliments.

    Farangu on
  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    And now I'm rediscovering how slow and indecisive my character creation process is.

    Haha, crap.

    Fiaryn on
    Soul Silver FC: 1935 3141 6240
    White FC: 0819 3350 1787
  • FaranguFarangu I am a beardy man With a beardy planRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    That's why I gave you guys a week. :D

    Farangu on
  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Okay so, I'm planning to have a character that's one of the kids and not some other sillyness.

    Other people planning likewise, let me know because maybe we can collaborate background wise.

    Fiaryn on
    Soul Silver FC: 1935 3141 6240
    White FC: 0819 3350 1787
  • FaranguFarangu I am a beardy man With a beardy planRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Well considering that each of the kids will have the exact same upbringing, there shouldn't be too many differences. Just personality differences, mostly.

    Farangu on
  • Mad_Scientist_WorkingMad_Scientist_Working Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Fiaryn wrote: »
    Okay so, I'm planning to have a character that's one of the kids and not some other sillyness.

    Other people planning likewise, let me know because maybe we can collaborate background wise.
    I'm either thinking of a rogue who had a propensity to taking apart Corran's creations without putting them back together or an artificer who decided to follow in Corran's footsteps. Hence the fact that he spent half the money on a shuffling bomb. He's proud of his bomb. Its a sight to be hold and he has a tear in his eye knowing that someday its going to end up in a million little pieces.

    Mad_Scientist_Working on
  • FiarynFiaryn Omnicidal Madman Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Fiaryn wrote: »
    Okay so, I'm planning to have a character that's one of the kids and not some other sillyness.

    Other people planning likewise, let me know because maybe we can collaborate background wise.
    I'm either thinking of a rogue who had a propensity to taking apart Corran's creations without putting them back together or an artificer who decided to follow in Corran's footsteps. Hence the fact that he spent half the money on a shuffling bomb. He's proud of his bomb. Its a sight to be hold and he has a tear in his eye knowing that someday its going to end up in a million little pieces.

    I was contemplating an Eladrin Sharpshooter Rogue of some kind, still hashing out exactly how I want to approach this. At the very least I'm thinking a crossbow specialist, because longbows are just inefficient and through SCIENCE! we can shoot things better and farther. SSSSSCIENCE!
    Farangu wrote: »
    Well considering that each of the kids will have the exact same upbringing, there shouldn't be too many differences. Just personality differences, mostly.

    Indeed, but ya know. Flavorful details, might be able to work out some of those :)

    Fiaryn on
    Soul Silver FC: 1935 3141 6240
    White FC: 0819 3350 1787
  • KinahtoKinahto Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    This sounds interesting, and I wouldn't mind getting into one of the PbPs here.

    I'm thinking of either a Dragonborn Ardent or a Shardmind Swordmage. Neither will be big on tinkering, I imagine, but I'll see what I can come up with.

    Kinahto on
  • FelixSomethingSomethingFelixSomethingSomething Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I'm definitely going to come up with a kid or two for this; there's so much opportunity for interesting roleplay if the majority of us are siblings.

    FelixSomethingSomething on
  • Mad_Scientist_WorkingMad_Scientist_Working Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    Fiaryn wrote: »
    I was contemplating an Eladrin Sharpshooter Rogue of some kind, still hashing out exactly how I want to approach this. At the very least I'm thinking a crossbow specialist, because longbows are just inefficient and through SCIENCE! we can shoot things better and farther. SSSSSCIENCE!
    Great. I was going for hand cannoneer. Subtly is not my characters forefront.
    ====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
    Draco, level 1
    Human, Artificer
    Build: Warrior Forge Artificer

    FINAL ABILITY SCORES
    Str 10, Con 12, Dex 10, Int 18, Wis 16, Cha 10.

    STARTING ABILITY SCORES
    Str 10, Con 12, Dex 10, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 10.


    AC: 16 Fort: 13 Reflex: 15 Will: 15
    HP: 24 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 6

    TRAINED SKILLS
    History +9, Arcana +9, Heal +8, Dungeoneering +8, Perception +8, Thievery +5

    UNTRAINED SKILLS
    Acrobatics, Bluff, Diplomacy, Endurance +1, Insight +3, Intimidate, Nature +3, Religion +4, Stealth, Streetwise, Athletics

    FEATS
    Artificer: Alchemist
    Human: Crossbow Caster
    Level 1: Master Mixer

    POWERS
    Artificer at-will 1: Magic Weapon
    Artificer at-will 1: Aggravating Force
    Bonus At-Will Power: Thundering Armor
    Healing Infusion: Healing Infusion: Shielding Elixir
    Artificer encounter 1: Halo of Thorns
    Artificer daily 1: Life-Tapping Darts

    ITEMS
    Leather Armor, Crossbow, Arrows (30), Backpack (empty), Hammer, Flint and Steel, Sunrod (2), Clockwork Bomb (level 4), Dagger
    FORMULAS
    Clockwork Bomb
    ====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======

    Mad_Scientist_Working on
  • ReptarReptar Registered User regular
    edited April 2010
    I'm very interested in this. Sadly, I'm not particularly experienced when it comes to PbP RPGs. Most of my experience comes with playing tabletop.

    Still, I'm working on a Half-Orc Barbarian, should have everything finished and posted up tomorrow.

    Reptar on
    Or are you waking up?
  • FaranguFarangu I am a beardy man With a beardy planRegistered User regular
    edited April 2010
    About a month ago I had no experience with PbP's. Now I'm running one, and set to run this one.

    Just gotta dive in, man.

    Farangu on
Sign In or Register to comment.