A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Here aspiring creators can lay down some basic ideas of what they are going to do before submitting a finalized form for the viewing public. A good place to get some help from your fellows.
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Vinnam
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A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Post by Vinnam » Mon Aug 03, 2009 9:50 pm

You have all received a fancy invitation to a business meeting from the merchant Brettel Dorman, to be held at his estate an hour after noon. The merchant is recruiting adventurers for a job and whether out of curiosity, a need for money, or something else entirely, you have decided to hear the man’s job offer.

The home of Brettel Dorman is in the better part of Fenard; it is a tall, narrow stone house, cramped between similar houses. Your knock on the front door is answered by a young woman, apparently a servant, although she looks and acts like she would be more at home in a fish market than in the abode of a well-to-do merchant.

She quickly ushers you into the front room, but not quickly enough for you to avoid seeing that the house has seen better days. Dorman is either a miser or he has hit some hard times.

The front room has retained its old glory and is furnished quite comfortably, with paintings and Foener plates decorating the walls. Two large windows provide ample light by which to see.

You look around and notice you aren’t alone in the room. Waiting in the room and lounging, talking amongst themselves, or examining the various works of art in the room are several other people, all apparently waiting for Brettel Dorman to make an appearance.


This game is an experiment to see how receptive VZ is to 4E D&D. If you feel the need to be vocal about your preference for 3.5, GURPS, or any other system vs. 4E, please don’t bring it here; make your own thread and explain your arguments there, if you feel strongly enough about it. I’d rather not have my game thread inundated by pointless Edition Wars. I would, however, like discussions on different ways to facilitate online Forum games (Dice Rollers, Mappers, and the like). I have a couple in mind, but feedback from prospective players is always nice.

Now, moving on to character creation:

Game System
Fourth Edition (4E) D&D

Number of Players
Four minimum, Six maximum

Gaming Medium
Right here on the VZ forums.

Starting Level
One

Starting Funds and Equipment
100 gold. All classes get to choose one free piece of armor (you must still be proficient with said armor).

Races
All races from Players Handbook 1 and 2 are allowed, along with the Warforged, Kalashtar, Changeling (Eberron Player’s Guide) and Genasi (Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide). Homebrew races are not allowed, though you can adjust the flavor of an existing allowed race to accommodate your needs if you absolutely must play something variant. No races from either Monster Manual 1 or 2 are allowed.

Ability Generation
22-Point buy, using 4E rules

Dice Rolling
Most player-related Die Rolls will be rolled using Invisible Castle’s dice roller or something similar. Skill-Related rolls will either be made by me or by the player, depending on the circumstances. If you pass, I will either PM you the results or post about it in the thread. Most notably, I myself will be rolling Initiative in order to maintain at least some sort of order during combat.

Character Backgrounds
A detailed character background is not required, but it IS greatly appreciated, as it helps me build the game around your characters rather than just plopping random people into a strange setting. Feel free to make up place names and other stuff to facilitate your character’s background and generally treat the setting as a Sandbox Fantasy setting. However, there are only two minor rules: Keep it fantasy-flavored (nobody named Shaquille O’Neal or Trogdor, and no naming your birth city Detroit), and the town where you are meeting (Fenard) and the merchant who is your contact (Brettel Dorman) cannot be changed, though you can incorporate them into your background if you wish.

Allowed Material
Material from Player’s Handbook 1 and 2, Martial Power, Arcane Power, Divine Power, Eberron Player's Guide, and Forgotten Realms Player's Guide and Adventurer’s Vault is allowed. All other sources must be run by me first.

Addendums
This adventuer will serve as a foray into 4E for the VZ forums. As such, if enough interest is shown it may develop into an ongoing campaign, with this adventure acting as a jumping off point. If not much interest is shown, it will most likely be a one-shot adventure.

If you need help gaining access to books or material, PM me and I’ll see what I can do for you.

During this adventure, I will also be using the “Rule of Cool”. A semi-concrete definition of this is that if you come up with something that takes me completely by surprise and is sufficiently awesome, I may just let you have the XP or other awards associated with your actions without requiring anything but an action point.

An example of the situation above in an IRL game would be grabbing a water jug and reciting the EXACT prayer used by Catholic Priests to bless holy water, before smashing said jug over the head of a vampire. I might just make have you deal lots of damage without having to roll for said damage (just use an action point). The point is, if it rocks enough, you can do unorthodox things that normally might not work. If its epic and you think you could pull it off except for the rules standing in your way, run it by me and I’ll see what I can do.

A “Rule of Cool” action costs one action point, which means you get roughly one RoC action per day, barring extra action points.
Last edited by Vinnam on Thu Aug 13, 2009 5:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Post by Vinnam » Wed Aug 05, 2009 10:49 pm

<Reserved>

Making some changes to this section.
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Re: A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Post by VZhitogoroshi » Fri Aug 07, 2009 2:10 am

Bleh, I suppose you're not a DnDi subscriber, so no Revenant for me, eh? :/

Regardless, I'm in. I usually play a defender or leader, so I'll be happy doing either of those. I know usually people want to be strikers.

Also, just a heads up to others: the character builder beta is free on the wizards website, so you can build a character and have their powers listed without owning a book. So that's not a barrier to entry.

EDIT: Unless there is someone else who wants to be a leader and no one who fills the defender or striker roles, I will be playing Telmifor. I'll be doing the full stats/story post soon, but the basics: he is an Eladrin Artificer who wields a greatbow and has the dexterity and training to fill the typical rogue role of Stealth and Thievery. So, just a heads up, those are covered.

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Re: A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Post by Vinnam » Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:38 pm

I'd like character sheets done and submitted to me by Friday, if that is possible. Online 4E sheets can be found at http://www.coyotecode.net, http://www.myth-weavers.com, and http://www.dndonlinegames.com. Character Backgrounds can either be submitted here in the thread or by PM to me.

Current prospective player list:

VZHitogoroshi - Eladrin Artificer
iblablaman - Goliath Warden
Black_Heart - Human Avenger
vesuvan - ? Bard
Dragon_Sentinal - Elf Sorcerer
TheDeathstalker - ? Druid

After some discussion with a couple of other players, the gameplay may not be entirely on the forums. Currently under scrutiny are mIRC and OpenRPG for gameplay options. I should have a decision on what proportions of which to use (Forums/mIRC/OpenRPG) by Wednesday, but I'd like a little feedback before then.

In addition, I would like each player to compile a short "wishlist" of general items they would like to be able to get in the course of the adventure. I'd prefer general item descriptions over specific items, as it gives me a bit more wiggle room, but if you absolutely MUST have something I'll see what I can do.
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Re: A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Post by Black_Heart » Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:09 pm

Edain

Edain, level 1
Human, Avenger
Avenger's Censure: Censure of Pursuit
Background: Birth - Prophecy, Ward of the Temple, Divinely Inspired (+2 to Religion)

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

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


AC: 17 Fort: 12 Reflex: 15 Will: 16
HP: 24 Surges: 7 Surge Value: 6

TRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +8, Religion +8, Heal +9, Stealth +8, Perception +9

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Arcana +1, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering +4, Endurance, History +1, Insight +4, Intimidate, Nature +4, Streetwise, Thievery +3, Athletics

FEATS
Human: Improved Armor of Faith
Level 1: Weapon Proficiency (Execution axe)

POWERS
Avenger at-will 1: Bond of Pursuit
Avenger at-will 1: Overwhelming Strike
Bonus At-Will Power: Radiant Vengeance
Avenger encounter 1: Angelic Alacrity
Avenger daily 1: Oath of the Final Duel

ITEMS
Cloth Armor (Basic Clothing), Adventurer's Kit, Execution axe
And so it begins.
Last edited by Black_Heart on Tue Aug 18, 2009 12:04 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Post by vesuvan » Tue Aug 11, 2009 12:47 am

Is alignment, language, or background a concern?

Vinnam, how comfortable would you be with an IRC bot? What client do you use?
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Re: A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Post by VZhitogoroshi » Tue Aug 11, 2009 1:40 am

Before I post, quick question: I notice Black Heart took a stat buff background. What's the ruling on those? One FR/Eberron/Scales of War buff background and all the others we care for?

Telmifor, I changed him a little from the first time I posted him:

Code: Select all

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Telmifor, level 1
Eladrin, Artificer
Background: Assassin, Magic Scholar, Young Cutthroat (Assassin Benefit)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 10, Con 11, Dex 17, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 8.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 10, Con 11, Dex 15, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 8.


AC: 16 Fort: 11 Reflex: 14 Will: 14
HP: 23 Surges: 6 Surge Value: 5

TRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics +8, Arcana +12, Perception +7, Stealth +9, Thievery +8, History +11

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Dungeoneering +2, Endurance, Heal +2, Insight +2, Intimidate -1, Nature +2, Religion +4, Streetwise -1, Athletics

FEATS
Artificer: Master Mixer
Level 1: Weapon Proficiency (Greatbow)

POWERS
Artificer at-will 1: Aggravating Force
Artificer at-will 1: Magic Weapon
Artificer encounter 1: Scouring Weapon
Artificer daily 1: Punishing Eye

ITEMS
Ritual Book, Leather Armor, Greatbow, Adventurer's Kit, Alchemical Reagents (Arcana), Thieves' Tools, Longsword, Rope, Silk (50 ft.), Lantern, Oil (1 pint) (5), Arrows (30), Arrows (12)
RITUALS
Brew Potion, Disenchant Magic Item, Enchant Magic Item, Make Whole
====== Copy to Clipboard and Press the Import Button on the Summary Tab ======
Last edited by VZhitogoroshi on Tue Aug 18, 2009 9:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Post by Vinnam » Tue Aug 11, 2009 2:11 am

I haven't really used IRC for anything, really, so it would be new territory for me. As long as I can get used to it, I'd be fine with it.

Alignment would help if it was Unaligned and above, just to have us all on the same level. Gradual slipping into other alignments might be possible, if you want your character to go that way. Common is the language, and other languages may be useful when trying to solve puzzles or in dealing with people who also speak that tongue. At least you'll get a bonus from them, rest assured, though other languages are by no means necessary. Backgrounds are fine whatever they may be, so long as you have at least a semi-plausible reason for answering the Merchant's call for help.

One buff background and all the rest you care for, as Hito said.
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Re: A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Post by Vinnam » Wed Aug 12, 2009 5:49 pm

Due to me updating to the August version of Character Builder, I am changing the final submission date for characters to this coming Monday.

What this means for Character Submission:
-The Psion class is now open for those wanting to play it. Only 1 will be allowed, however, and the first person to PM me that they want the class will get it.

-The Monk class is now open for those wanting to play it. Only 1 will be allowed, however, and the first person to PM me that they want the class will get it.

-Hybrid characters may be allowed at some point in the future, but for now they will not be allowed.

In other news concerning the venue of the rp:
-Currently, the program Fantasy Grounds II is under scrutiny.
-Other options will still be considered if you have one that you prefer, but FGsII is a pretty good Online Tabletop simulator

Misc:
-The Roleplay has its own blog, which will be updated and activated once we get this show on the road. vzroleplay.wordpress.com
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Re: A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Post by VZhitogoroshi » Fri Aug 14, 2009 12:08 am

Hybrids are awesome. I made a dual-wielding sorcerer/fighter. THAT IS A THING YOU CAN DO.

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Re: A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Post by vesuvan » Mon Aug 17, 2009 3:19 am

Code: Select all

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&DI Character Builder ======
Urgand, level 1
Half-Orc, Fighter
Build: Guardian Fighter
Fighter Talents: One-handed Weapon Talent
Birth - Among Another Race: Among Another Race (Human)

FINAL ABILITY SCORES
Str 18, Con 11, Dex 14, Int 9, Wis 16, Cha 10.

STARTING ABILITY SCORES
Str 16, Con 11, Dex 12, Int 9, Wis 16, Cha 10.


AC: 17 Fort: 16 Reflex: 14 Will: 13
HP: 26 Surges: 9 Surge Value: 6

TRAINED SKILLS
Streetwise +5, Heal +8, Athletics +6

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics -1, Arcana -1, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering +3, Endurance -1, History -1, Insight +3, Intimidate +2, Nature +3, Perception +3, Religion -1, Stealth -1, Thievery -1

FEATS
Level 1: Blade Opportunist

POWERS
Fighter at-will 1: Cleave
Fighter at-will 1: Tide of Iron
Fighter encounter 1: Insightful Strike
Fighter daily 1: Harrier's Ploy

ITEMS
Adventurer's Kit, Heavy Shield, Grappling Hook, Rope, hempen (50 ft.), Longsword, Hide Armor
====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&DI Character Builder ======
edit: I adjusted a little. Some optimization help would be appreciated.
edit2: More changes to better suit background.
Last edited by vesuvan on Mon Aug 17, 2009 5:38 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Post by VZhitogoroshi » Mon Aug 17, 2009 9:39 am

Vesu, you're not proficient with that bastard sword. I'd switch it out for a long sword - you drop down to a d8 damage dice from a d10 but in return you get an extra +3(!) to hit, since you're proficient with the long sword and not the bastard sword. You can always take the feat at level 2 to get bastard sword proficiency if you want.

And Black Heart, any chance you could take a two-handed military melee instead? I know you've probably got the mental image of some grim reaper-esque figure, but the scythe is actually pretty terrible. If you want that image, you could swap out one of your feats (and in my experience, you'll be close enough to your enemy often enough, especially with Bond of Pursuit, that the times Closing Pledge will actually be necessary are somewhat marginal) for proficiency with the Execution Axe - it's a seriously good weapon. High crit, d12 weapon die, and - get this - Brutal 2, which means that the lowest you can roll for damage is a 3. The average [W] damage of the scythe is 5, while the average for the axe is 7.5 (and that's without counting the high crit, remember. On crits the scythe is 8 while the axe is 19.5). Still the same theme - just the hooded man instead of the reaper.

If you don't like that, there are plenty of good military melee options or superior ones you can spend a feat on. But please - don't be a striker with a simple weapon. As it stands my leader is a significantly better striker than your striker :p.

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Re: A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Post by Vinnam » Mon Aug 17, 2009 2:26 pm

Optimization is really in the eye of the beholder, Vesuvan, and mainly depends on what you want to get out of any particular class. For example, do you want to be a steadfast bulwark against your foes, keeping them occupied while the party steadily weakens them, or do you want to charge in sword swinging, killing foes before they even have a chance to THINK about going after those people in the back?

Item choice can also be subjective, as shown by Black's choice of a Scythe instead of a deadlier weapon. While the Execution Axe might have fawesome stats, it might not fit into the character concept that Black had for Edain, which is perfectly fine. If he doesn't want to optimize, I won't force him, as Black has put a lot of thought into his character (judging by the background I received from him). As long as the character is within the boundaries of the books I allowed farther up and is legal, I'm fine with anything.

Which brings me to my next point - Hito, Punishing Eye is from Dragon #374, which isn't on the currently allowed list of resources. If you want something from Dragon, I'm all for it, but I'd appreciate being asked before adding something from Dragon or another resource not on the list so I have a bit of time to examine it beforehand.

Current List of Submitted Characters
Urgand, Half-Orc Fighter - Vesuvan
Telmifor, Eladrin Artificer- VZHitogoroshi
Edain, Human Avenger of the Raven Queen - Black_Heart
Thamoth, Goliath Warden - iblablaman

Still need Characters from
Dragon_Sentinal
TheDeathstalker
Last edited by Vinnam on Mon Aug 17, 2009 4:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Post by iblablaman » Mon Aug 17, 2009 4:24 pm

Here's my character

====== Created Using Wizards of the Coast D&D Character Builder ======
Thamoth, level 1
Goliath, Warden
Guardian Might: Earthstrength
Background: Geography - Mountains (+2 to Athletics)

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

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


AC: 17 Fort: 15 Reflex: 10 Will: 13
HP: 35 Surges: 13 Surge Value: 8

TRAINED SKILLS
Nature +8, Perception +6, Athletics +12, Endurance +8

UNTRAINED SKILLS
Acrobatics -1, Arcana, Bluff, Diplomacy, Dungeoneering +1, Heal +1, History, Insight +1, Intimidate, Religion, Stealth -1, Streetwise, Thievery -1

FEATS
Level 1: Goliath Greatweapon Prowess

POWERS
Warden at-will 1: Strength of Stone
Warden at-will 1: Thorn Strike
Warden encounter 1: Earth Spikes
Warden daily 1: Form of the Fearsome Ram

ITEMS
Hide Armor, Adventurer's Kit, Maul, Throwing hammer (5)
But yea, I'm not sure wtf to do with my background, like why my character would be in town for some reason, I have half an idea, but still.
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Re: A Family Affair [4E D&D Roleplay]

Post by VZhitogoroshi » Mon Aug 17, 2009 5:00 pm

Vin - sorry about that, didn't even realize that was dragon. Here's the compendium entry:

Artificer Attack 1Punishing Eye

An arcane construct of an eye appears in the air, revealing
your enemies and striking them when they show weaknesses.

Daily Arcane, Conjuration, Implement, Psychic
Standard Action Ranged 5

Effect: You conjure an eye in a square within range. It lasts until the end of the encounter. Enemies within 3 squares of the eye do not benefit from concealment, and when an ally attacks an enemy within 3 squares of the eye and hits, that enemy takes psychic damage equal to your Intelligence modifier. You can move the eye 3 squares as a move action.
I can change it if you don't like it.

Vesu, that's actually a pretty well done fighter right there. You're a very technical one, which can pay some pretty strong dividends over spam-canning if you remember to use all of your fiddly bits (remember to combat challenge people who want to get away from you - you're pretty great at opportunity attacks.) The only thing I'd suggest is looking in to scale armor (remember, your armor is free in this campaign) and a heavy shield - you're already at -1 speed and using a hand, but upgrading those two will give you a pretty strong benefit for nothing more than the cost of the check penalty. If you don't like that, I would take hide armor over chainmail. As you'd get to add your +2 DEX to AC, you'd only go down a point in AC while being able to keep your speed 6. Chainmail is an awkward intermediary that most people commit to when it's their only heavy armor choice - but you can take the best light armor or better heavy armor, and I think either one would be pretty good for ya.

And I wasn't trying to force Black into a choice or anything. I just have a feeling he'd be pretty depressed if he was the damage-dealer doing less damage than every other party member.

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