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[D&D5e] [OOC] Icewind Dale - Rime of the Frostmaiden
The Brayster
UKRegistered User regular
UKRegistered User regular
In Icewind Dale, adventure is a dish best served cold.
Beneath the unyielding night sky, you stand before a towering glacier and recite an ancient rhyme, causing a crack to form in the great wall of ice. Beyond this yawning fissure, the Caves of Hunger await. And past this icy dungeon is a secret so old and terrifying that few dare speak of it. The mad wizards of the Arcane Brotherhood long to possess that which the god of winter’s wrath has so coldly preserved—as do you! What fantastic secrets and treasures are entombed in the sunless heart of the glacier, and what will their discovery mean for the denizens of Icewind Dale? Can you save Ten-Towns from the Frostmaiden’s everlasting night?
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is a tale of dark terror that revisits the forlorn, flickering candlelights of civilization known as Ten-Towns and sheds light on the many bone-chilling locations that surround these frontier settlements.
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is an Adventure for D&D 5th Edition, which will take players through levels 1-12. The Adventure takes place to the Far North of Faerun, beyond Neverwinter and the Spine of the World, in the isolated Ten Towns and their frigid surrounds. This adventure explores themes of Survival, Horror, Desperation and Isolation. There is a very high level of danger to the player characters in this module - they can and will die without the proper mix of preparation and fortune, so please keep this in mind.
I am looking to run this game for a group of four players, for the purposes of a Play by Post on this very forum. As you can probably imagine, a 1-12 adventure can take a while, so I would like to encourage players to please try to post at least once per day to keep the adventure moving. If life gets in the way of this (which we all know full well it can and will), please try to let me know so I can work around this. Even if we don't make it all the way to the end, each chapter of this adventure is filled with enough content that good times will be had by all, and I'm keen to share this journey with you.
Please let me know if you'd like to join in!
I'm also keeping a reserve list for replacements if any player needs to exit, or feels like their character has reached a natural end point (such as death or quest completion) and wants to back out. (I cannot stress enough that there is no shame in saying you are done and passing on the torch).
Active Party:
1) @El Skid
2) @jdarksun
3) @Zomro
4) @Endless_Serpents
5) @Bursar
Reserves:
Steam: TheBrayster
PSN: TheBrayster_92
PSN: TheBrayster_92
The Brayster on
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Posts
General Expectations
Lines. These elements WILL NOT feature nor be tolerated - Any form of violence towards children. Any form of unwanted/non-consensual sexual contact. Animal abuse. I'll throw in any form of inter-party conflict not explicitly agreed upon by all parties involved.
Veils These elements, if and when relevant, will occur 'Off-Screen' - Kidnapping, Ritual Sacrifice, Cannibalism, Mental Assault, Consensual Sex, Torture, Incest.
If you have any other forms of trigger or phobia that will ruin your enjoyment of this adventure, please let me know in advance.
2) DM Privilege
This is a Published Adventure, which naturally means a massive part of the groundwork has been laid out for me. It is not, however, a holy text, and I absolutely can and will switch things up if I feel that they don't quite make sense as written, or if I just think the party would be better suited by the changes.
Therefore, if anyone pipes up along the lines of 'Uhm acshually, you're doing this wrong, as the Official Licenced Adventure Module clearly states that XYZ yet you've done ZXY' I'm going to 1) Ask you why you're spoiling yourself on the adventure and then, before you can answer, I'm going to 2) patronisingly boop you on the nose and make flatulant noises at you.
3) In Character vs Out of Character
4) Resource & Condition Tracking
Tracking:
Rations - We're including rules for hunger and its lead in to exhaustion. Your character can go 3+CON Modifier days without food. Any further days that pass without eating will see you gain a point of Exhaustion per day.
Exhaustion - This is a survival campaign, and exhaustion can be gained in a whole heap of ways (Staying awake longer than 24 hours, not eating properly, extreme cold etc)
Madness - Yep. The rarely touched Madness tables may come up. I'll let any afflicted know when relevant.
Major Spell Components - Anything in your spell list that lists an item with a monetary value (ie is rare/valuable) will need to be acquired before you can use the spell. You need your Diamond before you cast Revivify.
Special Ammunition - Any special ammunition that yield any special effect beyond standard damage
Not Tracking:
Encumberance - I'm basically going to take it on your honour that your bag isn't absurdly laden with 100,000 pebbles. I will only start keeping tabs on the obvious big stuff (No, you cannot carry 7 Halberds)
Minor Spell Components - Anything that doesn't have a monetary value or a rare value attached to the spell desciption can very feasibly be contained in a component pouch. You don't have to keep going to the shop to buy your 3 peanut shells and a sprinkle of salt
Standard Ammunition - Run of the mill, regular ammunition.
5) Private communication
Rules & Clarifications:
Initiative Ties between Players and NPCs will favour the Players, for I am a kind DM. For ties between Players, I will default list them in the order that they were rolled. If tied players want to change this order at any point, they can do so, but they must announce this to me before any actions are taken on that initiative count in the first round. There will be no changes to this once the first round has passed, for I am frequently very tired and easily confused.
Theatre of the Mind:
Theatre of the Mind is basically a method to resolve an encounter without the use of the grid map and/or tokens, just the ol' imagination. I'll do this for occasions where an encounter is not particularly complex, such as facing a single foe and/or when the environment is not particularly complex. The biggest obscurity here is Movement and Positioning, and in these scenarios I consider these elements to be the default:
Skill Checks
Examples:
Geth, roll 1d20+2+3 for Perception
Geth, roll 1d20+2 for Con Saving throw
Geth, roll 1d8+2 for Damage
XdY to roll X dice of Y sides.
Prefix N# to roll the dice N separate times.
Operators allowed are +, -, *, and / which follow order of operations. Division rounds down. Use parentheses if needed. Full format is any number of terms combined with the operators, where term is a literal number or a roll. N can be a term itself.
Combinatorics are possible as well. N-choose-K results can be of the form NcK, the value will be the number of combinations to choose K items from a set of N items, and return a random one of these sets in the details. (i.e. 4c2 might result in 6 [4c2=1,3]) Permutations are possible in the form NpK. These terms are useful for generating sequences.
Options
Append the following modifiers as desired, if using multiple then they must be added in the order below. Some combinations may be invalid.
rZ - reroll die if result is Z or lower
roZ - reroll die only once if result is Z or lower
mZ - count result as Z if roll is lower than Z
eZ or oZ - extra / open roll when the die is Z or higher, extra grants one bonus roll only
kZ or lZ - keep the highest / lowest Z rolls, drop others
tZ - target number Z, count rolls that meet or exceed Z as successes (if Z > Y, implicit oY)
hZ - hits Z, count rolls that meet or exceed Z as successes, max roll grants bonus roll (implicit oY) (WoD)
xZ - hits Z, count rolls that meet or exceed Z as successes, max roll grants bonus success (Exalted)
uZ - under Z, count rolls that are equal to or under Z as successes
! - when at the end of any roll, turns on verbose mode (shows all dice rerolled and modified)
Some D&D roll examples:
2d20k1+5 for a roll with Advantage and a +5 modifier
2d20l1+5 for a roll with Disadvantage and a +5 modifier
1d12ro2+3 for a Great Weapon Fighting style damage reroll where you reroll once if the first result is a 1 or 2 (in this example the character has a +3 modifier to their damage roll)
1d20+1d4+5 for a roll with Bless and a +5 modifier
1d20-1d4+5 for a roll with Bane and a +5 modifier
5#1d20+1 for rolling 1d20+1 five times
Anyone who has spent at least 24 hours in Icewind Dale will be aware - natural light has been hard to come by in the last couple of years since Auril saw fit to make Icewind Dale her new home. The bright light of the Sun barely creeps through cloud and snow. There is no Direct Sunlight. As such, the following schedule is important to be aware of:
10am-2pm, when the sun is at it's peak, the full might of the sun just about cracks through the heavy cloud cover - This provides Dim Light
11pm-2am, a bright aurora appears in the sky, complemented by the grace of the moon - This provides Dim Light
All other hours - The Dale is covered in darkness, save for any light an individual might create or carry.
Currency:
Ten Towns
Like the famous drow Drizzt Do’Urden, many people who come to Ten-Towns are outcasts, fugitives, or pariahs in search of a place where they can be tolerated, if not accepted. Some came here determined to make their fortunes. Others come for the solitude, or to escape notice and stay out of the reach of the law of the southern cities. Today, four hundred years after the formation of Ten-Towns, most folk are here because they were born here, grew up here, and expect to die here. They’re fishers, loggers, miners, hunters, trappers, furriers, and traders accustomed to the harsh climate, the slow pace, and the isolation. Like the hardy lichens and determined reindeer of the tundra, residents endure and do what’s needed to survive.
Icewind Dale has few trees, so lumber is cut from the slopes of the Spine of the World or the depths of the Lonelywood Forest. Stone from the hills and valleys surrounding Kelvin’s Cairn supplements wood as a building material in Ten-Towns. Homes have sharply pitched roofs to prevent snow from accumulating on them.
The people of Ten-Towns wear layers of woolen clothing often topped off with fur cloaks. Under these heavy clothes and cloaks, one resident looks very much the same as another. Outdoors, it’s hard to tell the people of Ten-Towns apart—and easy for clever monsters to hide in their midst.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
Thorkel Stormborne - Half-Orc Barbarian
Background is rough draft, and may be subject to edit / change
Years ago, a goliath brought a young child to Ten-Towns, a half orc with icy blue eyes and pale gray skin. Though bearing resemblance to the Reghed, the child claimed no membership of any tribe. The child only introduced himself as Thorkel, with no family name, and would not speak of what happened to him; and the goliath who had brought him left without so much as a word. The locals of Ten-Towns took to calling the half-orc Stormborne, as if he had been birthed by the fierce ice storms known to the region. After a time, Thorkel Stormborne ventured back into the fierce wilderness, finding life within Ten-Towns to be stifling. Thorkel made his living as a trapper, hunting local fauna for food and trading hide and furs for coin. Though he prefers the wilds to the "civilized" life within Ten-Towns, Thorkel remains close, hoping to once again lay lies on the goliath who had brought him. Though he dare not speak of his childhood before his arrival, Thorkel owes a great debt to the goliath who had saved his life.
Thorkel is a blunt, brusque man, finding little use for words, at least those that are more than necessary. Though he is guarded and mistrusting of strangers, Thorkel is fiercely loyal to those who have earned his trust and has a soft spot for the children of Icewind Dale and Ten-Towns, probably due to his own lonely childhood. Auril's wintry spell threatens both nature and civilization, and survival dictates to Thorkel that it must be put to an end. He also has a feeling that by pursuing this adventure, he will have the chance to settle his debt to his savior, and to pay someone from his past back in blood.
Eskatan Hillspring - Half-Elf Paladin
I'm planning for Oath of the Ancients; on the frontier is where we see how for as great as the strides made by civilization, they pale in comparison to the raw majesty of Nature. But here in Icewind Dale, the balances of the world have been not just tipped, but the scales tossed aside and the table kicked over.
Uma - Kobold Artificer
So she decided at a young age to run away. She had always heard that humans were chaotic and surly, and she felt could use a bit of chaos... so she found herself a human village and did what she could to fit in. After a lot of trouble and quite a bit of discrimination she found a human who needed her skills with making tools and mending broken things and got room and board above a blacksmith's shop, along with her own table and whatever scrap materials she could scrounge. Rakar (the smith who took her in) was kind enough- at least in comparison to most of the bigger folk she had dealt with, but when the darkness came Rakar's business dried up, and Uma decided to move on before Rakar was forced to kick her out.
(I'm open to interfacing with any or all of the party at this point. Seems like we may have a lot in common...)
Image:
Mortilocian of the Coast - Human Druid
Morti shrugged, and picked up the bucket and began to walk towards the ship. "This will do. Which port is this?"
The dwarf furrowed his brow. "You don't recognize Luskan? I thought you said you were from Neverwinter Wood?"
The two walked across the deck, moving between sailors as they prepared for launch. "No, I said I came out of some woods near Neverwinter."
"Same thing, innit?" The captain turned from Mortilocian to holler at the poor sap who wasn't quick enough with the rigging. Morti continued on their way, sure the captain would catch up momentarily. The captain did. "No matter. You've everything you need?"
Morti gestured to the bucket. "Enough to stretch the rations for a bit. I'll catch more on the way. Where are we going?"
"Grimbrik said you were a strange one." The captain furrowed his brow. "You really signed on to a ship you had no idea where it was going?"
The question caused Mortilocian to pause for a moment, and consider. "I like this ship, and I like the sea. What's more to know?"
The dwarf chuckled. "Can't argue with that. Stow your gear, and check the crew. You see any signs of plague, you pitch them overboard first and tell me after."
Morti raised an eyebrow at their new captain, and gave a meaningful glace to the sailors around them - all of which had at least half a foot of height and several stones of weight over their new cook and surgeon.
"Do what yer told, new kid. Don't give me that look. You know your business, and you can't fool me. Get to work."
Mortilocian got to work. Each and every crew member got an examination; it didn't matter if they were cleaning or hauling or operating a winch. Morti climbed right up into the crow's nest to give the mate his exam. The crew muttered and asked questions and tried to make conversation, but Mortilocian made noncommittal sounds and carried on with their duties. This crew would do the work that was needed and rise to the occasion, or this crew wouldn't and they would have to find another. Maybe Morti would start to care about their shipmates, or maybe they wouldn't. That didn't matter. Some would live, some would die. That didn't matter either. It was all part of the grand cycle; one leads to the other, and back again.
For now, Mortilocian liked this ship. And that was enough.
Autumn slipped into winter, which bloomed into spring, then blossomed into summer, and finally waned back into autumn. The grand cycle continued, over and over and over again.
Mortilocian of the Coast pulled in their net, and dropped the catch of the day into the little fishing boat. Out on the horizon, a ship slipped silently along the water, its sails full with wind. Morti stood and shielded their eyes, straining to make out the ship’s exact details. “Correct number of sails, wrong shape of the main mast, no anchor on the forecastle. Not the right ship.”
They adjusted the rigging of their boat, and the wind caught the sails. Mortilocian headed back to shore, wondering when the grand cycle would return what was lost. After all, nothing was ever truly gone. It was just changed into something new.
Character Sheet
Mortilocian is a short, wiry human with faded hair, light skin, and pale eyes. Their whole aesthetic could be called "clothes left too long in the sun," if any part of it was intentional. Early in life, Morti showed an affinity for nature magic and was basically raised among a circle of druids. They never learned to care about "city folk" stuff (like fashion or, frankly, proper grooming habits) growing up, and Mortilocian spends too much time on the water to change that now anyway.
Morti loves to fish and cook, and will happily try to make a meal out of whatever ingredients they can get their hands on. Unlike some druids, Mortilocian is not a vegetarian - but they do insist on using every part of any animal killed for food. Morti's quarterstaff is decorated with odd bits and pieces they find interesting - a tooth here, a feather there - and more often than not, those pieces have come from something that wound up in the stew pot.
Mortilocian is not outgoing, and slow to make friends. However, they are fiercely loyal to the friends they do make. This is not to say Morti isn't kind to strangers, but an outside observer might consider Mortilocian to be capricious. Morti might offer a fish to one beggar, but then let another starve in the street. If pressed for their reasoning, the druid might offer something along the lines of "The vulture, too, must eat."
PSN: TheBrayster_92
For the moment, leaning towards a martial type, Fighter or Barbarian. Leaning more towards Fighter, since I've been wanting to try out the Rune Knight.
I am also a huge Paladin fan, so I'm not ruling that out.
While we wait for our last player, feel free to start thinking about and/or discussing the kind of character you want to play. Before you go too far into creating your characters,however, there are two things specific to this Adventure Module that will demand your attention.
1) Character Secrets
I am going to issue each of you a Character Secret, which will serve to help tie your character to Icewind Dale and Ten Towns in particular. These are varied to say the least, and for the most part serve as recent history as to why you're present in the area and/or why you never tried to leave before Auril the Frostmaiden made that all but impossible. These are known only to you, to do with as you see fit. These have every opportunity of having consequences in the adventure, and loose lips on the secrets may have further unforseen consequences.
I will draw these at random and issue you one each in secret. If you don't like the secret, whether you don't like the content itself or you can't make it work for the character you have in mind, I will permit you to redraw once. I will issue these BEFORE you make your characters, so keep an eye on your Inbox.
2) Backgrounds
The module book for this campaign provides a list of modified character hooks tied to the Background options from the PhB. Feel free to use these if you wish, to give yourselves a stronger tie to the setting
PSN: TheBrayster_92
I'm currently eyeing the Path of the Giant Barbarian. Seems like a nice fit for the setting and I really like it for my character secret.
1) Yes, go by Standard Array (i.e. 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8, applied to stats as you please).
2) Any Species/Class/Subclass covered by PhB/DMG/Xanathar/Tasha/SCAG is good by virtue of this being Faerun/Forgotten Realms. Material from other official sources is fine as long as they aren't directly tied to their source (for example, Warforged are A-OK). I prefer to avoid UA in general but if there's something you really want we can work that out case by case.
3) Feel free to use Tasha's rules for Racial stats (i.e. if your race comes with a +2 to CON and +1 to STR, for example, feel free to redistribute that +2 and +1 to something you feel is more relevant).
4) The only thing I will rule out is the 'Lucky' Feat. There are times where this can be fine but I think it clashes with the feel of this adventure a bit.
5) Take your Class/Background equipment as presented, however you should also each start with a full set of Cold Weather Clothes*
*
PSN: TheBrayster_92
I kinda want to just go down a list of things that I feel are worth mentioning before we get into the game proper. These are a general mish-mash of what is occurring to me right now, I'll add more as necessary and better structure it in one of the reserved posts.
1) (Most Important). Subject Matter Warning
Lines. These elements WILL NOT feature nor be tolerated - Any form of violence towards children. Any form of unwanted/non-consensual sexual contact. Animal abuse. I'll throw in any form of inter-party conflict not explicitly agreed upon by all parties involved.
Veils These elements, if and when relevant, will occur 'Off-Screen' - Kidnapping, Ritual Sacrifice, Cannibalism, Mental Assault, Consensual Sex, Torture, Incest.
If you have any other forms of trigger or phobia that will ruin your enjoyment of this adventure, please let me know in advance.
2) DM Privilege
This is a Published Adventure, which naturally means a massive part of the groundwork has been laid out for me. It is not, however, a holy text, and I absolutely can and will switch things up if I feel that they don't quite make sense as written, or if I just think the party would be better suited by the changes.
Therefore, if anyone pipes up along the lines of 'Uhm acshually, you're doing this wrong, as the Official Licenced Adventure Module clearly states that XYZ yet you've done ZXY' I'm going to 1) Ask you why you're spoiling yourself on the adventure and then, before you can answer, I'm going to 2) patronisingly boop you on the nose and make flatulant noises at you.
3) In Character vs Out of Character
4) Resource & Condition Tracking
Tracking:
Rations - We're including rules for hunger and its lead in to exhaustion. Your character can go 3+CON Modifier days without food. Any further days that pass without eating will see you gain a point of Exhaustion per day.
Exhaustion - This is a survival campaign, and exhaustion can be gained in a whole heap of ways (Staying awake longer than 24 hours, not eating properly, extreme cold etc)
Madness - Yep. The rarely touched Madness tables may come up. I'll let any afflicted know when relevant.
Major Spell Components - Anything in your spell list that lists an item with a monetary value (ie is rare/valuable) will need to be acquired before you can use the spell. You need your Diamond before you cast Revivify.
Special Ammunition - Any special ammunition that yield any special effect beyond standard damage
Not Tracking:
Encumberance - I'm basically going to take it on your honour that your bag isn't absurdly laden with 100,000 pebbles. I will only start keeping tabs on the obvious big stuff (No, you cannot carry 7 Halberds)
Minor Spell Components - Anything that doesn't have a monetary value or a rare value attached to the spell desciption can very feasibly be contained in a component pouch. You don't have to keep going to the shop to buy your 3 peanut shells and a sprinkle of salt
Standard Ammunition - Run of the mill, regular ammunition.
5) Private communication
6) Time of Day
Anyone who has spent at least 24 hours in Icewind Dale will be aware of this, so I'm happy to share now - natural light has been hard to come by in the last couple of years since Auril saw fit to make Icewind Dale her new home. The bright light of the Sun barely creeps through cloud and snow. There is no Direct Sunlight. As such, the following schedule is important to be aware of:
10am-2pm, when the sun is at it's peak, the full might of the sun just about cracks through the heavy cloud cover - This provides Dim Light
11pm-2am, a bright aurora appears in the sky, complemented by the grace of the moon - This provides Dim Light
All other hours - The Dale is covered in darkness, save for any light an individual might create or carry.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
I’ll be something like an outlander — human — ranger — monster slayer.
I like bows, reindeers and reindeer accessories.
I like to fill out my experience in playing classes I've never made characters for, so a Sorcerer, Druid, or Paladin. My mind reels with the possibilities!
PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
PSN: TheBrayster_92
Feel free to make your characters, and feel free to discuss them to give the other players an idea of who they are travelling with. Please also provide a picture of how you envision your character to look
Once I know everyone is set up and ready to go, I'll get the ball rolling. Feel free to ask me any questions in the meantime.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
Image:
Background is rough draft, and may be subject to edit / change
Years ago, a goliath brought a young child to Ten-Towns, a half orc with icy blue eyes and pale gray skin. Though bearing resemblance to the Reghed, the child claimed no membership of any tribe. The child only introduced himself as Thorkel, with no family name, and would not speak of what happened to him; and the goliath who had brought him left without so much as a word. The locals of Ten-Towns took to calling the half-orc Stormborne, as if he had been birthed by the fierce ice storms known to the region. After a time, Thorkel Stormborne ventured back into the fierce wilderness, finding life within Ten-Towns to be stifling. Thorkel made his living as a trapper, hunting local fauna for food and trading hide and furs for coin. Though he prefers the wilds to the "civilized" life within Ten-Towns, Thorkel remains close, hoping to once again lay lies on the goliath who had brought him. Though he dare not speak of his childhood before his arrival, Thorkel owes a great debt to the goliath who had saved his life.
Thorkel is a blunt, brusque man, finding little use for words, at least those that are more than necessary. Though he is guarded and mistrusting of strangers, Thorkel is fiercely loyal to those who have earned his trust and has a soft spot for the children of Icewind Dale and Ten-Towns, probably due to his own lonely childhood. Auril's wintry spell threatens both nature and civilization, and survival dictates to Thorkel that it must be put to an end. He also has a feeling that by pursuing this adventure, he will have the chance to settle his debt to his savior, and to pay someone from his past back in blood.
Flint is a member of a local nomadic tribe of reindeer herdsmen, the lesser known Marmot Tribe. Mostly oblivious to his status as a ‘barbarian’, he’s always been the one sent to Ten-Towns as required and usually he doesn’t run into trouble with the townies. Despite his ease fitting into town, he’s loyal to his tribe and the broader nomadic people of this land. He acts now to ensure his people and their herds survive.
Oh ho ho, I approve my secret.
Eskatan Hillspring, half-elf paladin and acolyte of nature:
I'm planning for Oath of the Ancients; on the frontier is where we see how for as great as the strides made by civilization, they pale in comparison to the raw majesty of Nature. But here in Icewind Dale, the balances of the world have been not just tipped, but the scales tossed aside and the table kicked over.
Background:
It was while spending a cold night under the stars that Esk met a collection of hermits and other castoffs that had formed not just a respect for the nature around them but a religion. Esk respected their beliefs and eventually came to share them. While he lacked the strength of mind to carry out the Weave-backed powers many of them were able to display, he could rely on his own force of personality and a strong arm to fight off the occasional bandit who would prey on a bunch of folk hiding in the trees.
Circumstances dictated that Esk set out for the North as news of the Frostmaiden's strengthening grip over the region north of the Spine grew louder. Finding himself stuck in this frigid extremity of Faerun, Esk seeks to find out what has driven Auril to such devastating fury against the area and, hopefully, convince her to restore Nature to balance.
Pertinent stats:
STR: 17
DEX: 12
CON: 14
INT: 10
WIS: 9
CHR: 14
HP: 14
AC: 18
Proficiencies
Armor: Light, Medium, Heavy, Shields
Weapons: Martial, Simple
Tools: None
Languages: Common, Elvish, Giant, Primordial, Sylvan
Skills: Deception, Insight, Nature, Persuasion, Religion, Survival
Racial Traits
Darkvision: 60ft
Fey Ancestry: Adv. against being Charmed, cannot be put to sleep by magic
Starting Class Features
Divine Sense: The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity (the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich, for instance). Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.
Lay on Hands: Your blessed touch can heal wounds. You have a pool of healing power that replenishes when you take a long rest. With that pool, you can restore a total number of hit points equal to your paladin level × 5. As an action, you can touch a creature and draw power from the pool to restore a number of hit points to that creature, up to the maximum amount remaining in your pool. Alternatively, you can expend 5 hit points from your pool of healing to cure the target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it.
You can cure multiple diseases and neutralize multiple poisons with a single use of Lay on Hands, expending hit points separately for each one.
This feature has no effect on undead and constructs.
PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
Backstory:
So she decided at a young age to run away. She had always heard that humans were chaotic and surly, and she felt could use a bit of chaos... so she found herself a human village and did what she could to fit in. After a lot of trouble and quite a bit of discrimination she found a human who needed her skills with making tools and mending broken things and got room and board above a blacksmith's shop, along with her own table and whatever scrap materials she could scrounge. Rakar (the smith who took her in) was kind enough- at least in comparison to most of the bigger folk she had dealt with, but when the darkness came Rakar's business dried up, and Uma decided to move on before Rakar was forced to kick her out.
(I'm open to interfacing with any or all of the party at this point. Seems like we may have a lot in common...)
Image:
Details:
Str: 10
Dex: 14
Con: 13
Int: 17
Wis: 12
Cha: 8
Level: 2
HP: 15
AC: 19
Age: 20
Alignment: Neutral
Size: Small
Speed: 30 ft
Proficiency bonus: +2
Proficiencies:
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: Thieves’ tools, tinker’s tools, smith's tools, leatherworker's tools
Saving Throws: Constitution, Intelligence
Skills: Arcana, History, Insight, Persuasion
Abilities:
Darkvision 60'
Grovel, Cower and Beg: As an action on your turn, you can cower pathetically to distract nearby foes. Until the end of your next turn, your allies gain advantage on attack rolls against enemies within 10 feet of you that can see you. Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Pack Tactics: You have advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your allies is within 5 feet of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Sunlight Sensitivity: Suffer disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
Languages: Common, Draconic, Dwarfish
Magic Tinkering (Artificer 1):
The object sheds bright light in a 5-foot radius and dim light for an additional 5 feet.
Whenever tapped by a creature, the object emits a recorded message that can be heard up to 10 feet away. You utter the message when you bestow this property on the object, and the recording can be no more than 6 seconds long.
The object continuously emits your choice of an odor or a nonverbal sound (wind, waves, chirping, or the like). The chosen phenomenon is perceivable up to 10 feet away.
A static visual effect appears on one of the object's surfaces. This effect can be a picture, up to 25 words of text, lines and shapes, or a mixture of these elements, as you like.
The chosen property lasts indefinitely. As an action, you can touch the object and end the property early.
You can bestow magic on multiple objects, touching one object each time you use this feature, though a single object can only bear one property at a time. The maximum number of objects you can affect with this feature at one time is equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one object). If you try to exceed your maximum, the oldest property immediately ends, and then the new property applies.
Infuse Item.
Infusions active: Repeating shot, enhanced defence.
Infusions known: Repeating shot, enhanced defence, mind sharpener, homunculus servant
Spells (Spell save=13):
Cantrips known: Mending, Guidance
1st level prepared(3 slots): Absorb Elements, Faerie Fire, Identify
Background
Guild Artisan
Gear:
Light Hammer
Dagger
Light crossbow (infused: repeating shot and 18 bolts
Scale mail (infused: enhanced defence)
thieves’ tools
Dungeoneer’s pack containing:
(Backpack
Crowbar
Hammer
10 pitons
10 torches
Tinderbox
10 days rations
Waterskin
50 foot hempen rope)
Cold weather clothes
Set of Forging tools
Letter of introduction from Blacksmith's guild
pouch with 4 gold and 2 silver coins
Snowshoes
Bloodstone worth 50gp
Shield
PSN: TheBrayster_92
(a touch of background)
Morti shrugged, and picked up the bucket and began to walk towards the ship. "This will do. Which port is this?"
The dwarf furrowed his brow. "You don't recognize Luskan? I thought you said you were from Neverwinter Wood?"
The two walked across the deck, moving between sailors as they prepared for launch. "No, I said I came out of some woods near Neverwinter."
"Same thing, innit?" The captain turned from Mortilocian to holler at the poor sap who wasn't quick enough with the rigging. Morti continued on their way, sure the captain would catch up momentarily. The captain did. "No matter. You've everything you need?"
Morti gestured to the bucket. "Enough to stretch the rations for a bit. I'll catch more on the way. Where are we going?"
"Grimbrik said you were a strange one." The captain furrowed his brow. "You really signed on to a ship you had no idea where it was going?"
The question caused Mortilocian to pause for a moment, and consider. "I like this ship, and I like the sea. What's more to know?"
The dwarf chuckled. "Can't argue with that. Stow your gear, and check the crew. You see any signs of plague, you pitch them overboard first and tell me after."
Morti raised an eyebrow at their new captain, and gave a meaningful glace to the sailors around them - all of which had at least half a foot of height and several stones of weight over their new cook and surgeon.
"Do what yer told, new kid. Don't give me that look. You know your business, and you can't fool me. Get to work."
Mortilocian got to work. Each and every crew member got an examination; it didn't matter if they were cleaning or hauling or operating a winch. Morti climbed right up into the crow's nest to give the mate his exam. The crew muttered and asked questions and tried to make conversation, but Mortilocian made noncommittal sounds and carried on with their duties. This crew would do the work that was needed and rise to the occasion, or this crew wouldn't and they would have to find another. Maybe Morti would start to care about their shipmates, or maybe they wouldn't. That didn't matter. Some would live, some would die. That didn't matter either. It was all part of the grand cycle; one leads to the other, and back again.
For now, Mortilocian liked this ship. And that was enough.
Autumn slipped into winter, which bloomed into spring, then blossomed into summer, and finally waned back into autumn. The grand cycle continued, over and over and over again.
Mortilocian of the Coast pulled in their net, and dropped the catch of the day into the little fishing boat. Out on the horizon, a ship slipped silently along the water, its sails full with wind. Morti stood and shielded their eyes, straining to make out the ship’s exact details. “Correct number of sails, wrong shape of the main mast, no anchor on the forecastle. Not the right ship.”
They adjusted the rigging of their boat, and the wind caught the sails. Mortilocian headed back to shore, wondering when the grand cycle would return what was lost. After all, nothing was ever truly gone. It was just changed into something new.
Character Sheet
Mortilocian is a short, wiry human with faded hair, light skin, and pale eyes. Their whole aesthetic could be called "clothes left too long in the sun," if any part of it was intentional. Early in life, Morti showed an affinity for nature magic and was basically raised among a circle of druids. They never learned to care about "city folk" stuff (like fashion or, frankly, proper grooming habits) growing up, and Mortilocian spends too much time on the water to change that now anyway.
Morti loves to fish and cook, and will happily try to make a meal out of whatever ingredients they can get their hands on. Unlike some druids, Mortilocian is not a vegetarian - but they do insist on using every part of any animal killed for food. Morti's quarterstaff is decorated with odd bits and pieces they find interesting - a tooth here, a feather there - and more often than not, those pieces have come from something that wound up in the stew pot.
Mortilocian is not outgoing, and slow to make friends. However, they are fiercely loyal to the friends they do make. This is not to say Morti isn't kind to strangers, but an outside observer might consider Mortilocian to be capricious. Morti might offer a fish to one beggar, but then let another starve in the street. If pressed for their reasoning, the druid might offer something along the lines of "The vulture, too, must eat."
Regarding shared backgrounds; I could definitely see Mortilocian and Eskatan sharing a connection through a collection of hermits.
Mortilocian would definitely remind Esk of the crew he used to live with! Their willingness to not just survive but participate in the natural order shines though.
Edit: D'oh, I'm just realizing that you're suggesting that they come from the same wilderness collective! Also a fine idea.
PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
In the meantime, feel free to keep the OOC discussions going in this thread, that is what it's here for.
I have also updated the first couple of posts of this thread over time, so be sure to go back and skim over them if you haven't in the last day or so.
Finally, if you have any questions about *waves hand* any of this, hit me up and I'll do my best to answer.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
Thorkel probably traveled with Uma at first out of a protective instinct, confusing her small stature for being a child as I imagine she's the first kobold he's met this far North. But after getting to know each other, they became friends after a short while.
In fact, I will say that Uma knows a fraction of Thorkel's past, the specifics still being hidden by him as they are a) potentially dangerous and b) pretty emotional for him
For Uma:
PSN: TheBrayster_92
PSN: Wstfgl | GamerTag: An Evil Plan | Battle.net: FallenIdle#1970
Hit me up on BoardGameArena! User: Loaded D1
To go with this post, how are we using tool proficiency? I know there’s been a lot of amendments and ideas slung around over the years, official and otherwise. Advantage to a relevant roll? Used like a skill—as in you’d make a “cooking skill” check?
As for tool proficiency use - yeah, ideas are all over the place. In my case, to keep it simple, I just say it grants advantage to related checks (food/cooking for cooks utensils, naturally)
PSN: TheBrayster_92
The rolls I'm referring to are ones wrought with failure opportunity. For direct cooking, maybe trying to cook in the wild in poor conditions, or trying to make very limited quantity or poor quality food suit your needs.
There's other rolls you could make too, like identifying poison in food you have been served.
PSN: TheBrayster_92
I’ll roll this one here as Uma is the party historian anyway.
Geth roll 1d20+5 for the history of sacrifices
PSN: TheBrayster_92