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[D&D 5E] Strike Force Claymore — Gladiatorial Wombat
Endless_Serpents
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
As a member of Claymore’s 69th team, you will be teleported into areas of extreme danger by Claymore’s over worked Wizard-Seers to protect those in need from whatever existential threat has turned up today. Whether it’s a unlicensed golem running rampant, another ‘dark lord’ trying to bring back ‘the good old days’ or a potion factory’s malpractice causing a spike in the slime population, it’s your job to clean it up. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.
The Stakes
The 69th is a troubled team. After several mistakes saw its captain fall on a failed mission to stop a mysterious demon, the next in line formally left the force out of the blue, leaving the rookies to fend for themselves. The budget barely extends out to the 69th—there are talks to tear the team apart and ship the rookies off to other teams, or worse, downgrade them to common town guards!
Have you got what it takes to turn this motorised carriage around?
The Setting
I’m thinking a weird timeframe, where everyone is still using swords, but also you can smoke a brand cigarette and read a newspaper, plus everyone on the team has a Cantrip(TM) smart device earpiece to stay in touch with each other and radio in to HQ. Sort of 1500… 1960… 2022-ish.
Whatever race, gender, all that, you pick, that’s good in the Nation. The Nation is about the size of two continents. You can be from wherever you like. A desert dwelling orc is equal to a inner city hedgehog-man, and both are as likely to rise to the rank of captain within the Force. There’s history, and assholes, but we’re not going there in this game.
Claymore are legit good guys—though not all nice to the lowly 69ers. They’re not cops. They’ve got no jurisdiction beyond bopping huge monsters and exorcising grumpy wraiths. People mostly abide them, if not outright like ‘em.
Also: If you play a warlock your patron has to be good, alien or not that evil really, deep down, even though they’ve got horns and a trident. I say that just because I am not going to provide you with the kind of roleplay that you deserve with an evil patron.
The Style
I’m basically going to drop you from square gridded battle map to square gridded battle map. If you’re not fighting monsters, you’ll be having brief downtime and using your hard earned cash to buy items you hope will help you on the next mission.
This is just a comedy. If you roll a 1, it’s gonna be catastrophic for your character. If you roll a 20, you get to be a big damn hero.
I’m going to be very up front about enemy stats and skill check DC, just to speed things up as much as possible.
Make a 3rd level character of whatever combo you like.
We will be used Point Buy for stats.
Just select your starting equipment. I’ll provide you with a choice of magical items and assorted junk to round out your character before we start.
Post once a day if you can!
Oh, last thing, no rolling for initiative. It’s too slow in this format. Either the whole party goes first, or the enemy will, as I deem correct for the situation.
Endless_Serpents on
+2
Posts
And then I scroll down further and see the trenchcoat.
So now all I can think of is:
PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
And do characters get any extra gold for equipment for starting at level 3?
Oh shucks I should have said. Let’s go for point buy!
Just select your starting equipment. I’ll have a choice of magic items, and a few things that come with the job, like the Cantrip(TM) earpiece, to round you out.
http://ddb.ac/characters/72917145/UjdDSn
Awesome! While we await our potential Claymore rookies, answer me these questions:
How did you let the late captain down on the mission against the mysterious demon?
How will you approach future battles now?
Same questions to you, just to think about.
How did you let the late captain down on the mission against the mysterious demon?
How will you approach future battles now?
Nos officium summo usque deorsum facimus.
Xi Lan Li, the draconic Monk from the Far East (or wherever is appropriate), was distracted by a person/monster/object she recognized from her distant homeland. Which was just as incredibly out of place as her, considering she herself was...dropped unconscious into Claymore HQ by a dragon? Fell out of a random portal? Was the only survivor of a shipwreck?
Now she's trying her best to remain on task, fall in line and blend in better, but isn't sure she wouldn't make the same choice again.
Yeah, a dragon flying through a portal carrying a ship and throwing into the street outside HQ sounds about right.
If you want to talk out of character, just put it all in italics.
That way you can mix and match player thoughts and character narration pretty seamlessly.
In the last battle, Cyr was in the middle of a winter phase, consumed by melancholy for the Feywild he was banished from many years ago. His mood brought down the morale of the whole squad, resulting in a costly retreat from the fight.
Cyr insists he's fine now, full of the joy of spring and eager to show the enemy his blade.
Sug, Tortle Stars Druid
https://ddb.ac/characters/59403972/E0Vcop
Awesome! Couple of questions.
How did you let the late captain down on the mission against the mysterious demon?
How will you approach future battles now?
—
@AustinP0027
@Centipede Damascus
@Reynolds
I’ll be starting the game Monday. I’ve room for another player, but 3 might work just fine.
In the mean time there is a most important matter to discuss!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Every team in Claymore gets to choose the palette of their uniform… except all the good picks were taken ages ago by the more established teams. Vote now to dress in the least worst option!
Uniform voting:
I like the 1st and 2nd choices the most.
Ryder Sarvaris, ranged combat specialist for the 69th. Lives for action, the flashier the better. Classic showoff.
Ryder let down the captain by being a cocky showoff. All he had to do was take the shot, but he'd heard of another elven archer taking shots while surfing on a shield and decided that he could do better. He tried skating on a pair of swords down some stairs, slipped, and then put an arrow right into the captain's buttocks.
In future battles, Ryder has decided to not try that stunt again. At least not until he's practiced it more, which he's spent more time than anyone should on his downtime trying to perfect. So for now, he'll relegate himself to somewhat less flashy flips, slides and other acrobatics in order to show off.
Yeah, the other game is a big experiment. This will use standard rules, save no rolling for initiative.
Welcome to the team!
With that established, use this time to mull over your characters. I’ll post a choice of magic items later and explain a couple more things, then I’ll make my first post as DM Sunday with the expectation you’ll make yours on Sunday/Monday.
And, Character Sheet!
Claymore Uniform
Every team has a uniform. The world famous 1st went for a snowy white and sky blue look. The 7th had their uniform tailored black and gold. By the time you were formed the choices were less impressive. You’ve had to customise it to suit your needs, but they are all alike enough to be recognisable. It comes with a little pin on badge. Everyone can tell you’re the 69ers by looking at you.
Cantrip Smart Device
Every member of the team has a magical earpiece. Comes with the job. With this earpiece, the Wizard-Seers of Claymore can, with your consent, teleport you to pretty much anywhere (give or take a mile) from wherever you happen to be at the time. They also link you up to the rest of your team and the comms squad at HQ at the push of a button—you’ve got to speak out loud, it’s not the Message spell. Besides that you can use it to set yourself an alarm, tell the time, play a little game about a wyrm’s eternal search to eat fruit and grow larger…
As an action, you can call up HQ for advice. Depending on who picks up the line, you might have to pass some skill checks to get anything useful out of them. In theory you could call for a supply drop or to be pulled out of a botched mission, but you don’t yet have any kind of leverage. You’re rock bottom reputation wise.
Pocket of Holding
Every uniform comes with a pocket of holding. Like the famous bag, you can hold a near infinite supply of junk in there. So, don’t worry about weight.
Now, roll 1d12 or choose 1 item.
1.
Hex Shades
Novelty sunglasses with hexagonal lens. They can be whatever colour you like, with just a click of your fingers.
When you are hit by a spell as you wear these sunglasses your next attack action deals damage of the spell’s type rather than its normal damage.
2.
Climbing Claws
Spikes on a leather strap you tie to your hands, basically.
You can’t wear the climbing claws and wield a weapon or hold anything else. A bonus action is required to fit or stow the climbing claws.
You have advantage on all climbing based skill checks while you wear the climbing claws.
3.
Lucky Crab Talisman
In celebration of the perfect form, someone at the beach carved this talisman from driftwood. It has goggly eyes.
Whenever you roll a 1 on an attack action your AC is increased by +1 until the end of your next turn.
4.
Boots of Fly
These comfy and fashionable boots are exceptionally fly. They light up at the back as you walk.
Whenever you are forcefully moved, as a reaction, you can move an additional 5 feet in the direction of your choice while you wear these boots.
You have disadvantage on Stealth skill checks while you wear these boots.
5.
Tricksy’s Lighter Fingers
A common convenience; two steel thimbles for the finger and thumb. Rubbed together they can be used to light a cigarette.
You can create a tiny, safe flame as a free action. Enough to light a fuse, an oil lantern or start a oven’s stove.
6.
Rubber Ring of Swimming
A large inflatable ring. It has pictures of lewd mermaids on it.
You have a swimming speed of 40 feet while wearing this ring and can hold your breath for 3 times as long as is usual for you.
7.
Very Fancy Hat
A wide brimmed hat with an authentic phoenix feather accessory.
When you are reduced to 0 HP, target one creature you can see. You automatically deal 1d20 in fire damage to them.
You gain advantage to your first death saving throw. After that, the feather burns to ash, leaving you with merely a fancy hat.
8.
Brooch of Diplomacy
While you wear this brooch you have advantage on your first Persuasion skill check of the mission.
As an action, you can invoke the brooch’s power and target one creature you can see. They must succeed on a contested Persuasion check or reveal to you one thing they truly want, right now. You can only invoke this power once per long rest.
9.
Wand of Thaumaturgy
A white and blue oak wand with a slimy core.
You can cast the Thaumaturgy cantrip as a bonus action with this wand.
If you snap the wand in half and throw it, a random ooze is summoned wherever it lands. It is neutral towards you, unless there is nothing else to target.
10.
6 Potions of Mungo’s Statistical Ascension
Six tasty looking smoothies in elaborate bottles. The label says “Level Up”.
You can down a bottle as an action, granting you a temporary +2 to a random ability modifier for 1 hour.
11.
Offbrand
A barely enchanted claymore of dubious quality—a common buy for a rookie. Because, you know, it’s a claymore.
Magic martial melee weapon
Requires attunement
Heavy, two-handed
2d6 slashing damage
You can use a bonus action to speak this magic claymore’s command word, causing the blade to heat up significantly. While the sword is hot, it deals an extra 1d4 fire damage to any target it hits. The heat lasts until you use a bonus action to speak the command word again or until you drop or sheathe the sword.
12.
Melodic Concealed Staff
A marvellously designed hollow quarterstaff than can be pushed down into the form of a flute.
Simple melee weapon
Requires attunement
Versatile (1d8+1)
1d6+1 bludgeoning damage
You can use a bonus action to fully extend this concealed staff to the size of a regular quarterstaff, or reduce it to fit in a pocket. The staff is a flute in its concealed form.
While attuned, you have proficiency with flutes and some other woodwind instruments.
I am planning on taking the Sharpshooter feat eventually, and that's going to flavored as Ryder just doing completely unnecessary stunts to look cool, making them less accurate.
Can the flute staff be a spear instead? Even without the +1. Already have a musical instrument proficiency I was going to use on flute, so it fits. Wouldn't want to take a magic staff and not use it, so otherwise the brooch.
Also I went ahead and thought up a different name, since I had to find a new pic to fit this sheet template I'd worked up. She's just from Up North instead of Far East now, maybe?
Guess I could also just chop the tip of the spear off and have a staff instead, since this character's already changed from the first draft.
Obviously a lot of stuff isn't going to fit, but it's either stuff you gotta look up anyway (spells) or never changes (proficiencies) or changes constantly (inventory).
There is plenty of time to rework stuff before your first appearance.
Take the staff, changing the damage type to piercing, and now it’s a spear! That’s fine by me.
I’m thinking she could be from the Less Notable But Equally Valid North-East. Like an ethnically Chinese Russian, or Mongolian. A people with their own way of life that isn’t instantly recognisable in pop culture. But this world is as we make it, so any number of things could have happened to make them a monk.
Feel free to make up myths, sayings, their past and everything else as we play. You don’t need to know your character at the start, I like to play to find out!
Right, the next post will be as DM. You’re getting dropped straight into the fray!
I’ll be posting out of character stuff in italics from now on.
You hear the muffled chatter of HQ as you—
—do a crane stance on a rock at the beach.
—kick flip down a flight of stairs.
—put on your trench coat and leave her place.
—practise suitably heroic one liners in the bathroom.
Then someone gets on comms, the voice loud and clear in your ear.
“Everyone is busy. I mean, you’re up to bat! Hope you’ve got your pants on, because the W.S are already dealing you in.”, you hear paper being handed over, “Ageatti, some village in a elven forest. Way west. Bunch of archaeologists accidentally woke up a golem and it’s going on a rampage. Tsk. Bunch of goblins are using it for cover while they loot the village. Also…”
For a moment, you are both where you are and floating in a bright octarine non-place. The house sized neverlings float far overhead, paying you no mind as you flicker for a half-second before you’re rudely booted out into… where?
Ageatti, Elvish for Hard Wood Villlage, because sometimes a village is just a village. Situated in and around a massive fallen tree, the homes are made from numerous plants that had been coaxed into taking on useful shapes. The sun is shining through the greenery, yet the breeze is cool. Birds are singing. The elves that live here are screaming blue murder and a colossal rock golem is smashing up everything it can get its fists on. Scattered throughout this chaos are little bastard goblins, stealing whatever they can.
It’s not a perfect teleport. Never is. The team has been split up across the village. Time to work with what you’ve got.
—
Objectives
1. Protect the elven villagers from harm.
2. Destroy the rampaging golem.
3. Capture or incapacitate the goblin looters, else they’ll make off with the elves prized possessions.
You do not have the authority to kill goblins. They’re people now. The cops will show up later, once you meat shields have done the business. Just label your damage as non-lethal in your post.
—
Initiative Order
1. The 69ers. That’s you.
2. The golem.
3. The goblins.
4. The civilians.
—
Map key:
By the books its only melee damage, but I’ll allow anything as long as its worded creatively enough. A melee bludgeoning damage will knock them out, action movie style, but fire damage might leave some very nasty scars and some questions later on.
He rushes ahead, climbing through the window of the house ahead of him. The door out was ahead and Sug wanted shortcuts. He rushes ahead full speed, exiting the door and coming face to face with a goblin. Reaching up to tap his glasses and turn them purple, he holds up his shield.
Move straight then action to dash. Should get me right in other side of the door where I'll stop. Don't want to do anything else in case I accidentally kill a goblin with it
From the point of view of a 3 foot tall miscreant, they’re not sure if an earthquake has just started or not. When you crash out of the plant-based house, they wish it had been. They drop the priceless vase they’d just stolen and clumsily draw a club.
“Hòllî šthiiff!”, the elf behind you exclaims in the beautiful Elven language.
"Where is everyone? Also, who is everyone? Can any of you see our main target?"
Lyn is going to move towards #6 and bonk it with the flat of her spear blade, then use her bonus action to either finish stomping #6 unconscious, or boot #7 in the face. She'll continue on towards #3 with the rest of her movement, if both goblins are down, otherwise will stay in melee with whichever one is still up.
Geth, roll 1d8+4 for Totally Nonlethal Spear Damage
Geth, roll 1d20+5 for Unarmed Attack
Geth, roll 1d4+3 for Boot to the Head
You nonchalantly knock out a goblin, then flick your leg out towards another, who quickly backpedals away.
“You sumbering fallowly crod!”, the goblin barks, “Get at length so we’van canst teck elf things as we wishes!”
All goblins speak Common these days, but no one can understand them any better for it.
We have established these goblins have 14 AC and 12 HP.
Am I in / on the fallen tree, then? Just making sure
You’re on it. It’s not difficult terrain. You’re higher up that everyone else though.
Sweet
"At least they didn't drop me in a lake like the last time." Ryder puts his finger to his ear. "Ryder here, on the fallen tree. Confirmed visual on target, northern side of the village. Providing covering fire. Let's get flashy, people!"
I'll move a few squares up and to the right, get more centered where I am and then I'll take a shot at Goblin 7 to support Lyn
Ryder runs along the fallen tree, the heels of his boots flashing with each step. So fly. He lets loose an arrow at the goblin engaged with Lyn, aiming it at the goblins feet, causing it to trip and stumble. The goblin hits the ground hard but rolls back to its feet, hurt but still standing.
Geth roll 1d20+7 for Attack
Geth roll 1d8+3 for Nonlethal Damage
"I have eyes on the eggheads. Don't see much else immediately."
Cyr decides to dash over towards the archaeologists and get up on the fallen tree to get a better view.
Geth roll 1d20+2 for Athletics