BarrenThin2
Senior Member
Fear not the dark, for it is those that deal in the light of day who will be your undoing.
____
Adventure Introduction
Welcome to Baldur’s Gate, a veritable nest of rats and vipers clinging to the rocky slopes overlooking the Chionthar River. From their high perches in the Upper City, the local nobles — known as patriars — gaze down with veiled contempt upon the common rabble in the grimy Lower City, which hugs the foggy harbor. The whole of Baldur’s Gate reeks of blood, crime, and opportunity. One can easily fathom why pirates and traders are drawn to this place like flies to a carcass.
Following the river farther east would eventually lead you to Elturel, capital of the holy land of Elturgard — or at least that was the case until a few days ago. The flood of refugees from Elturel has gotten worse since news first arrived that the city has fallen. Everyone is saying Baldur’s Gate is next, but no one truly knows who or what has claimed Elturel.
The patriars pay a mercenary army called the Flaming Fist to protect their interests in Baldur’s Gate, and by extension, the city itself. The Flaming Fist has gained even more power since their charismatic leader, Ulder Ravengard, claimed the title of Grand Duke a few years ago. Apparently, Ravengard is missing. In his absence, the Flaming Fist has sealed the city’s gates to staunch the flow of refugees. No one is allowed in or out.
All of this was brought to your attention shortly after you were drafted into the Flaming Fist to help defend the city.
___
Baldur's Gate and You
Descent Into Avernus is a fairly difficult and bleak module that will take the characters, however many they are, from level 1 to roughly level 13. Upon getting a group of 4 (minimum) - 10 (maximum) players, we'll use a dndbeyond campaign where I can share all the books I own for character creation purposes, though we'll also do a smaller, less detailed CS on site.
We'll largely be using DnD 5e as written, though certain rules are subject to change depending on how they gel with play by post.
Stats: We'll be using a sort of Heroic Standard Array. That array is as follows, to be assigned wherever you wish: 18, 16, 15, 13, 11, 8.
Allowed Content: No Magic: The Gathering (Eberron/Ravnica/Theros) for the most part, though Artificer and the Theros subclasses (College of Eloquence, Oath of Glory) are fine. Critical Role content is alright.
Leveling: We'll be using milestone advancement.
Origin: Your character must be properly in Baldur's Gate. Preferably, they will have lived there for at least a little while, but that isn't required. Baldur's Gate is a dreary city full of corruption and villainy. Does this mean your character lacks scruples, or do they push back against the encroaching evil that haunts the city?
___
Dark Secret
You all did a bad, bad thing. Your role in it is either up to you or to the dice- your choice- but you participated in a recent murder, be it directly or simply as a witness.
Doctor Holk Thinster jeopardized lives every night he worked at Cliffgate Hospital. Who knows how many were crippled on Thinster’s table or died under his inexpert knife. You put an end to Thinster’s practice for good.
Why did you do it? Was it to avenge all those Thinster has maimed or killed? Did you think you could maybe rob the man? Did you lose someone to him? Or were you just in the wrong place at the wrong time?
The possible roles in the murder are as follows.
Murderer. Via a blade, a shove, or deliberate inaction, you took a life.
Bystander. You could have prevented a death. You chose not to.
Instigator. You’re the architect of someone’s demise, your words spreading death.
Liar. You know what happened, but didn’t tell.
People are talking. The law doesn't know anything yet, but people keep saying they've seen Holk walking the streets at night after he's been missing some few days. You swear you saw him watching through your window one evening, but that's impossible. Are these just flashes of your guilt, or is something more at work?
This will be expounded upon with each character in the sign-up.
___
'Table' Rules
So, play by post is a relatively new medium of Dungeons and Dragons for me. I've done some research into ways that should helpfully keep things running smoothly.
Initiative: Rather than a hard and fast initiative, we'll instead lean more towards what Baldur's Gate 3 was originally going to do with group initiatives; effectively, the initiative checks are totaled against each other by each side, with each side going one after the other. This will likely generally favor the players, but that is alright with me.
Combat: In general, please keep a quick reference of the most important parts of your character visible in each post (HP, AC, Passives). I'll be able to reference these through dndbeyond, but it'll speed things up. Monsters will always have their AC, defenses, and HP listed so that you individually can do what you need to with each post without having to wait for a response from me, describing the attack, talking, so on. If the zombie dies to one attack, you can move on and attack something else, and I'll cover the death in my post. In general, we'll favor a more 'theater of the mind' approach to proper grid combat. If I don't say otherwise, assume an enemy starts about 25 feet away from you.
Critical Hits: Crits, however they are achieved, always do the max damage possible on the dice (unless the dice explicitly isn't multiplied, as with brutal critical), then roll the dice again. The modifier is doubled for this as well.
Ex.- Goblin crits. Their attack does 1d6+2 damage ordinarily. As such, the base is 8, to begin with. Now they roll 1d6+2 again (or 1d6+10, if you want) for the final damage on the crit.
Post Frequency: Not gonna hold us to a strict order, just gonna move us along if we're waiting on you in combat or otherwise. Don't worry about it too much.
Rollin': When possible if I would call for a check, I will roll in my post and write out the result (this will mostly happen with unsolicited checks and initiative). Saves the time of a very small back and forth between us when it could be knocked out in just a couple posts.
OOC will be done in a separate thread.
___
Character Creation
Use the following link to make your character (or bring one over that you've already created for this game, if you were already on it). This will allow you access to all the content I own as well as give me an easy way to reference your character sheets, add items to them (or remove them), etc.
ddb.ac
As stated above, the array we are using is 18, 16, 15, 13, 11, 8.
Fill out the on site character sheet below. It'll cover a few different things. As far as your backstory, though, I'd prefer you sent it to me directly or put it in the notes section of your DnDBeyond sheet, unless you just really feel like sharing with the group as a whole. This game lends itself particularly well to secrets, and a couple things I will ask to be put explicitly on your character sheet where no one can see it but me.
As far as backstory goes, I am not a stickler for length or complexity, but I like to involve character backstories in the plot so the more you give me, the more I can do.
Appearance:
Visual reference is fine.
Name:
Age:
Alignment:
Class:
And subclass, if applicable.
Background:
Any Faerun appropriate background is fine, though if there was ever a time to use the Baldur's Gate specific background variants, it's here.
Brief Personality Summary:
Basically information people would get with cursory knowledge of you. You are all co-conspirators in some way in Holk's murder, so you at least know each other in passing. You're welcome to know each other as well as you individually wish, of course.
Role in the Murder:
Either pick or roll a d4. Beyond that, how specifically do you imagine you participated? As a murderer, did you actually kill him, or did you guard the door? As a bystander, did one of the killers tell you about it and you kept your mouth shut, or are you an unfortunate witness?
Misc:
If you want to publicly share your backstory, this is where to put it, as well as any miscellaneous things I or the party might know about your character.
The following couple questions go in the notes section of your DnDBeyond CS, not here on RPN.
What is your character's greatest fear?
Their greatest desire?
___
Cast List: (9/10)
Axtis Jen (Tiefling Rogue) -
Psychie
Grond (Dragonborn Fighter) -
Sherwood
Larassa LaFrae (Tabaxi Rogue) -
Lioness075
Nima (Genasi Cleric) -
Ellya
Inula Mallian (Human Bard) -
Idea
Fallen Dragon (Tabaxi Monk) -
D. Rex
Hafdan "Danno" Knapper (Dwarf Fighter) -
dr xenon
Guinevere Vannath (Elf Warlock) -
Pumpkin Spice Cyanide
Ja'Ruul Thrimis (Aasimar Paladin) -
EccentricFantasy
Tialaas Kalot (Half-Elf Blood Hunter) -
Dethrix
____
Adventure Introduction
Welcome to Baldur’s Gate, a veritable nest of rats and vipers clinging to the rocky slopes overlooking the Chionthar River. From their high perches in the Upper City, the local nobles — known as patriars — gaze down with veiled contempt upon the common rabble in the grimy Lower City, which hugs the foggy harbor. The whole of Baldur’s Gate reeks of blood, crime, and opportunity. One can easily fathom why pirates and traders are drawn to this place like flies to a carcass.
Following the river farther east would eventually lead you to Elturel, capital of the holy land of Elturgard — or at least that was the case until a few days ago. The flood of refugees from Elturel has gotten worse since news first arrived that the city has fallen. Everyone is saying Baldur’s Gate is next, but no one truly knows who or what has claimed Elturel.
The patriars pay a mercenary army called the Flaming Fist to protect their interests in Baldur’s Gate, and by extension, the city itself. The Flaming Fist has gained even more power since their charismatic leader, Ulder Ravengard, claimed the title of Grand Duke a few years ago. Apparently, Ravengard is missing. In his absence, the Flaming Fist has sealed the city’s gates to staunch the flow of refugees. No one is allowed in or out.
All of this was brought to your attention shortly after you were drafted into the Flaming Fist to help defend the city.
___
Baldur's Gate and You
Descent Into Avernus is a fairly difficult and bleak module that will take the characters, however many they are, from level 1 to roughly level 13. Upon getting a group of 4 (minimum) - 10 (maximum) players, we'll use a dndbeyond campaign where I can share all the books I own for character creation purposes, though we'll also do a smaller, less detailed CS on site.
We'll largely be using DnD 5e as written, though certain rules are subject to change depending on how they gel with play by post.
Stats: We'll be using a sort of Heroic Standard Array. That array is as follows, to be assigned wherever you wish: 18, 16, 15, 13, 11, 8.
Allowed Content: No Magic: The Gathering (Eberron/Ravnica/Theros) for the most part, though Artificer and the Theros subclasses (College of Eloquence, Oath of Glory) are fine. Critical Role content is alright.
Leveling: We'll be using milestone advancement.
Origin: Your character must be properly in Baldur's Gate. Preferably, they will have lived there for at least a little while, but that isn't required. Baldur's Gate is a dreary city full of corruption and villainy. Does this mean your character lacks scruples, or do they push back against the encroaching evil that haunts the city?
___
Dark Secret
You all did a bad, bad thing. Your role in it is either up to you or to the dice- your choice- but you participated in a recent murder, be it directly or simply as a witness.
Doctor Holk Thinster jeopardized lives every night he worked at Cliffgate Hospital. Who knows how many were crippled on Thinster’s table or died under his inexpert knife. You put an end to Thinster’s practice for good.
Why did you do it? Was it to avenge all those Thinster has maimed or killed? Did you think you could maybe rob the man? Did you lose someone to him? Or were you just in the wrong place at the wrong time?
The possible roles in the murder are as follows.
Murderer. Via a blade, a shove, or deliberate inaction, you took a life.
Bystander. You could have prevented a death. You chose not to.
Instigator. You’re the architect of someone’s demise, your words spreading death.
Liar. You know what happened, but didn’t tell.
People are talking. The law doesn't know anything yet, but people keep saying they've seen Holk walking the streets at night after he's been missing some few days. You swear you saw him watching through your window one evening, but that's impossible. Are these just flashes of your guilt, or is something more at work?
This will be expounded upon with each character in the sign-up.
___
'Table' Rules
So, play by post is a relatively new medium of Dungeons and Dragons for me. I've done some research into ways that should helpfully keep things running smoothly.
Initiative: Rather than a hard and fast initiative, we'll instead lean more towards what Baldur's Gate 3 was originally going to do with group initiatives; effectively, the initiative checks are totaled against each other by each side, with each side going one after the other. This will likely generally favor the players, but that is alright with me.
Combat: In general, please keep a quick reference of the most important parts of your character visible in each post (HP, AC, Passives). I'll be able to reference these through dndbeyond, but it'll speed things up. Monsters will always have their AC, defenses, and HP listed so that you individually can do what you need to with each post without having to wait for a response from me, describing the attack, talking, so on. If the zombie dies to one attack, you can move on and attack something else, and I'll cover the death in my post. In general, we'll favor a more 'theater of the mind' approach to proper grid combat. If I don't say otherwise, assume an enemy starts about 25 feet away from you.
Critical Hits: Crits, however they are achieved, always do the max damage possible on the dice (unless the dice explicitly isn't multiplied, as with brutal critical), then roll the dice again. The modifier is doubled for this as well.
Ex.- Goblin crits. Their attack does 1d6+2 damage ordinarily. As such, the base is 8, to begin with. Now they roll 1d6+2 again (or 1d6+10, if you want) for the final damage on the crit.
Post Frequency: Not gonna hold us to a strict order, just gonna move us along if we're waiting on you in combat or otherwise. Don't worry about it too much.
Rollin': When possible if I would call for a check, I will roll in my post and write out the result (this will mostly happen with unsolicited checks and initiative). Saves the time of a very small back and forth between us when it could be knocked out in just a couple posts.
OOC will be done in a separate thread.
___
Character Creation
Use the following link to make your character (or bring one over that you've already created for this game, if you were already on it). This will allow you access to all the content I own as well as give me an easy way to reference your character sheets, add items to them (or remove them), etc.
Sign In
ddb.ac
As stated above, the array we are using is 18, 16, 15, 13, 11, 8.
Fill out the on site character sheet below. It'll cover a few different things. As far as your backstory, though, I'd prefer you sent it to me directly or put it in the notes section of your DnDBeyond sheet, unless you just really feel like sharing with the group as a whole. This game lends itself particularly well to secrets, and a couple things I will ask to be put explicitly on your character sheet where no one can see it but me.
As far as backstory goes, I am not a stickler for length or complexity, but I like to involve character backstories in the plot so the more you give me, the more I can do.
Appearance:
Visual reference is fine.
Name:
Age:
Alignment:
Class:
And subclass, if applicable.
Background:
Any Faerun appropriate background is fine, though if there was ever a time to use the Baldur's Gate specific background variants, it's here.
Brief Personality Summary:
Basically information people would get with cursory knowledge of you. You are all co-conspirators in some way in Holk's murder, so you at least know each other in passing. You're welcome to know each other as well as you individually wish, of course.
Role in the Murder:
Either pick or roll a d4. Beyond that, how specifically do you imagine you participated? As a murderer, did you actually kill him, or did you guard the door? As a bystander, did one of the killers tell you about it and you kept your mouth shut, or are you an unfortunate witness?
Misc:
If you want to publicly share your backstory, this is where to put it, as well as any miscellaneous things I or the party might know about your character.
The following couple questions go in the notes section of your DnDBeyond CS, not here on RPN.
What is your character's greatest fear?
Their greatest desire?
___
Cast List: (9/10)
Axtis Jen (Tiefling Rogue) -
Psychie
Grond (Dragonborn Fighter) -
Sherwood
Larassa LaFrae (Tabaxi Rogue) -
Lioness075
Nima (Genasi Cleric) -
Ellya
Inula Mallian (Human Bard) -
Idea
Fallen Dragon (Tabaxi Monk) -
D. Rex
Hafdan "Danno" Knapper (Dwarf Fighter) -
dr xenon
Guinevere Vannath (Elf Warlock) -
Pumpkin Spice Cyanide
Ja'Ruul Thrimis (Aasimar Paladin) -
EccentricFantasy
Tialaas Kalot (Half-Elf Blood Hunter) -
Dethrix
Last edited:
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