The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's potatoes
Re: The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's personal
I'm interested in seeing how Slythe manages to somehow wind up on the exact same quest but with a completely new band of rookie adventurers.
Isn't it going to basically be impossible to balance encounters when one member of the party is so far ahead in levels?
Isn't it going to basically be impossible to balance encounters when one member of the party is so far ahead in levels?
Re: The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's personal
Wednesday works for me, though I'm going to need a bit of guidance into how this all works methinks.
Re: The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's personal
There will be some imbalance, but I think it’ll be more that Slythe one-shots some enemies while the rest of you struggle on. The DM’s guide covers it and the advice is more or less don’t worry about it, it should self-correct. From a role-playing perspective I quite like the idea of a grizzled veteran (/ kleptomaniac / casual murderer) suddenly being lumbered with a bunch of nobodies. Also it’s worth remembering that in game time it was about 2 to 3 days ago that he was level 1 - you guys levelled up fast! After level 5 I think that should slow down a bit.Mantis wrote: ↑Sat Jan 19, 2019 11:30 pmI'm interested in seeing how Slythe manages to somehow wind up on the exact same quest but with a completely new band of rookie adventurers.
Isn't it going to basically be impossible to balance encounters when one member of the party is so far ahead in levels?
Raid, I’ll post some guidance later today.
Re: The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's personal
I'm going to make my character now before I pop out.
Are we doing milestone story based or XP character based progression? The D&D Beyond default character creation allows for human and elf variants, aasimar and tieflings too; are we avoiding those and just making use of the races from the printed players handbook? Wouldn't mind trying Tiefling out, never played anything other than the basic races before.
Are we doing milestone story based or XP character based progression? The D&D Beyond default character creation allows for human and elf variants, aasimar and tieflings too; are we avoiding those and just making use of the races from the printed players handbook? Wouldn't mind trying Tiefling out, never played anything other than the basic races before.
Re: The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's personal
Right, some info on basics of how to play, how to roll a character and the tools we'll be using.
How to play
How to play
Spoiler
Creating a character
Spoiler
I'll post an overview of the character sheet and some details about Roll20 this afternoon.
Last edited by Wrathbone on Sun Jan 20, 2019 12:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's personal
Covered now in the above post, but we're doing milestone progression (makes much more sense with 5th edition), and feel free to choose whatever race you want!Mantis wrote: ↑Sun Jan 20, 2019 11:24 amAre we doing milestone story based or XP character based progression? The D&D Beyond default character creation allows for human and elf variants, aasimar and tieflings too; are we avoiding those and just making use of the races from the printed players handbook? Wouldn't mind trying Tiefling out, never played anything other than the basic races before.
Re: The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's personal
Annoyingly, the free D&DB account doesn't give me access to all the class features that my class should have.
Edit:
Figured I'd just buy the Player Handbook again to unlock it all, I really cannot be bothered to keep the character sheet manually. $22.50 with the coupon code PAXSOUTH19 if anyone else is interested.
Might start taking my iPad to sessions and keeping all my characters on DnD B now that I've got the full rule set and features available.
Edit:
Figured I'd just buy the Player Handbook again to unlock it all, I really cannot be bothered to keep the character sheet manually. $22.50 with the coupon code PAXSOUTH19 if anyone else is interested.
Might start taking my iPad to sessions and keeping all my characters on DnD B now that I've got the full rule set and features available.
Re: The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's personal
Done, and thanks for that helpful writeup. Are character sheets private or does everyone get to look at everyone else's?
Re: The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's personal
No problem! If you want to keep your character sheet private then message me the link.Done, and thanks for that helpful writeup. Are character sheets private or does everyone get to look at everyone else's?
Sorry, forgot to say that the free account, while still pretty thorough, doesn't have every option for every class. Nice that you bought the player's handbook, though!Annoyingly, the free D&DB account doesn't give me access to all the class features that my class should have.
Some more details:
Character Sheet
When you're done creating your character, at the top-right of the character sheet is a Share button - please post or message me a link to your character sheet when you're ready.
Spoiler
Roll20
Spoiler
The story so far
Here's a painful dramatic retelling of the adventure to date, with most details recalled/fudged from my sketchy memory.
Gather round and hear ye the tale of the Lost Mine of Phandelver and the band of heroes who did everything to demonstrate themselves otherwise in their search for it!
Many centuries ago, a group of dwarves and gnomes came together in an agreement known as the Phandelver Pact. Together they mined the magically rich ores within Wave Echo Cave and created one of the few places where metals of a magical nature could be forged: the Forge of Spells. The mine was lost to the ages after a great battle, but the dwarven Rockseeker brothers came upon a map leading to it and set about organising an expedition.
A ragtag group of adventurers were hired by the eldest of the three brothers, Gundren Rockseeker, to transport a wagon of provisions from Neverwinter to the village of Phandalin. Thus did our intrepid band embark upon their journey: Slythe, the light-fingered rogue; Ellis, the beer-swilling bard; Van'Skar, the brooding paladin with a haunting background that will probably never be revealed; and the wizard who's name escapes me, so for brevity we'll call him DJ. Not far from their destination, the group came across a ruined wagon in the middle of a trail which to their horror was Gundren's! A goblin ambush ensued, and the surviving wretch was forced to lead the party to the goblin hideout - a cave in the woods. After executing their unarmed prisoner, our heroes raided the cave with similar levels of mercy and finesse. Thousands were butchered, or so the tale goes, but sadly Gundren was not to be found. Instead they found Gundren's companion, the human warrior Sildar Hallwinter, alive but badly injured.
The party escorted Sildar and their wagon to Phandalin. The wagon was delivered to Barthen's Provisions and Sildar retired to the inn to rest while the heroes drank themselves into a stupor. The village was under harassment from a group of local ruffians known as the Redbrands, and with no real forethought the drunken heroes took it upon themselves to stumble into the street and put an end to the Redbrands' reign of terror with immediate effect. A street fight erupted to the horror of the sleepy village, and any who were asleep were suddenly awakened by the literal thunderclap that one of the heroes sent at the bandits, extinguishing their lives in a heartbeat. At this point, the wizard DJ stumbled out of sight and was never seen again.
Rather than wasting precious seconds searching for their lost and probably imperilled companion, the three remaining heroes pursued a fleeing bandit up a hill to a destroyed mansion. There they found a basement - the Redbrands' base of operations - and proceeded to slaughter everyone they saw with zero tolerance and much thunder. It is said they also experienced a fell voice in their heads who attempted to treat with them. Whether this was some feral creature or simply their consciences appealing for mercy, none can tell. Neither can it be said what happened to the leader of the Redbrands, Iarno Albrek, who was captured and subsequently interrogated. Was this arcane practitioner allowed to go on his way or, more likely, was his head staved in with a hammer? I certainly cannot recall, nor do I wish to. What is known is that it was the first time that the party heard the name of Iarno's master: the Black Spider.
Searching for answers, the party returned to the inn and told Sildar of what had happened. Sildar knew not of the Black Spider, but was distraught to learn that Iarno, a former colleague of his from the Lords' Alliance, had turned from the path of good. He told of how Gundren had found the mine, and that his stolen map was the key to finding it. Clearly Iarno and the Spider had an interest in this matter. Iarno had provided a possible location for where Gundren had been taken: the ruined castle of Cragmaw, deep in the Neverwinter woods. After some much needed rest, the party left Phandalin in search of the castle.
After a long trek through the woods, the intrepid heroes found and approached the castle with utmost stealth, entering through a breach in the walls. Many goblins and hobgoblins lurked inside, and naturally they were all pitilessly dispatched. It was then that a terrible serpentine creature, a grick, descended from the ceiling to attack. It too was sent to its death. Within the depths of Cragmaw, danger and destiny awaited. For all they knew, two of the heroes could soon perish from a rock unceremoniously dropping on their heads from nowhere. But that story is for another time...
Re: The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's personal
I've had to go back and change my starting equipment, as I didn't realise that the generator was adding things cumulatively, rather than replacing things every time you clicked the add button.
I do have a question though; there's a long list of items that you can look through, but what are the rules regarding adding those to your character? Can I have something that's thematically appropriate based on my backstory, or are you limited just to starting equipment appropriate to your class and background?
I do have a question though; there's a long list of items that you can look through, but what are the rules regarding adding those to your character? Can I have something that's thematically appropriate based on my backstory, or are you limited just to starting equipment appropriate to your class and background?
Re: The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's personal
The starting equipment is what every character gets, but if there’s an item you want to replace with something of roughly equivalent value then that’s fine. You know, as long as you don’t replace a basic mace with a +3 vorpal sword or anything.
Re: The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's personal
Say hello to Sage:
Spoiler
The 18 year old Tiefling student of magic, out to prove that he is the wisest and most powerful of his four other siblings. Leaving no stone upturned and no book unread in his quest to understand the very workings of the universe.Re: The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's personal
Oh dear, Mantis and I seem to have created the same character.
Re: The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's personal
It's alright, I'm going to be far more of a utility style character than outright nuking and damage.
Re: The return of the D&D campaign: This time it's personal
No, you don't understand, I mean they're practically identical. I've also created a young male Tiefling caster on a quest to learn all that can be learned. My spells are also fairly balanced around damage and utility. I think the biggest difference is that my character doesn't have siblings.
I suspect we'll need to team up for the benefit of our collective knowledge, or one of us needs to wear something else.
I suspect we'll need to team up for the benefit of our collective knowledge, or one of us needs to wear something else.