Difference between revisions of "The New Wiki User D&D Adventures"

Revision as of 22:15, 1 June 2014

With the release of the Final D&D Next Playtest, which has gone public, I want to test the fully fleshed-out system with a campaign and see where it can go and what can be done with it. The problem being that I don't have a huge network with which I can play all of these games. To that effect, I wanted to try out a campaign with all of the /wuw/.

In order to do this, we will use the Roll20 Platform to host the game, and resort to text and voice chat. The first few weeks will be introductory courses in D&D and roleplaying in general, and as we approach the actual start of the campaign I'll work to help you eventually master the finer arts of roleplaying.

The first few weeks will be tutorial sessions on the actual mechanics on the game - no more than four and no less than two sessions on interacting with the world, the various mediums of action and storytelling, exploration and adventure, and good ol' glorious combat. The tutorial sessions will be played with pre-generated characters that will not reflect your chosen characters, olely to keep it simple and help you understand the rules.

The tutorial will be a lead-in to the greater conflict and allow you to understand what is happening to the fantasy world around you before you pick up character sheets that I will make for you based on your selections of race and class. You will be entitled to create the backstory for your character and develop a personality as well as begin to assume the full role of that character in game.

The character sheets will be in PDF format allowing you to either print it out and have a physical copy on hand when you play or to keep the experience purely digital. Included with everybody's sheet will be a set of notes on how the character works. When you level I'll work with each of you individually to upgrade the sheet to help you understand the process a little bit more. Eventually I will be happy to teach you to edit and create your own character sheets without my help, either one-on-one or in groups.

Character Sheet Orders/Opt-In

People who request a character sheet below will be considered as a part of the campaign and will receive a sheet when the time approaches closer to the start of the campaign.

To select a character, pick a Race and a Class from the list below.

Races

• Dwarf - Dwarves are the original inhabitants of the planet, predating even Humans as eveloved organisms and settlers. Dwarves are honored by all in society, and they honor all in life as well. Dwarves are expert craftsmen and workers with a bent for hard manual labour, unlike Gnomes who seek solitude and simple tasks that they may complete at breakneck speeds. Dwarves are naturally hearty mountaineers by nature and are a very popular race among the settled nations.
  • Hill Dwarf - Hill Dwarves are far more rowdy than Mountain Dwarves. These are your typical travelling Dwarves or city-bred folk who are known for being tenacious but stubborn. Their preference of barfights and numerous encounters make them noticeable more durable and roughhousing.
  • Mountain Dwarf - Their communities are mostly on mountains, which often makes them cross paths with Mountain Orcs, but Dwarves rarely strike unnecessary conflict. Mountain Dwarves are awakened people who study and try to unravel the mysteries of life. These people are often devoted to the faiths that they're raised on, and it shows in their common trait of taking up arms for their faith. This inclination to fight has bred a whole subrace of enlightened but pious fighters.

• Elf - Elves are the beings that were left in the wake of the Feywild's first contact with the world. Originally, the Eladrin came trough the portal, who were powerful mages by trade and essentially unlocked some of the arcane secrets such as immortality and planeswalking. However, they ignited a conflict with the Humans that resulted in an almost mass extermination. Through some unforseen circumstance, Eladrin and Human blood crossed, and created the Elf. Elves are still most reminiscent of Eladrin, but are almost as prolific as Humans. Elves are graceful beyond that what normal humans are due to a dilution of their bloodline, but come in two types that accentuate the nature of their perceptions of the conflict that bore them.
  • High Elf - Elves that took to the ways of the Humans after seeing the savagery that their Eladrin ancestors displayed when they arrived. They share the ideals of the Humans and are as popular, being a key part in many societies for the magic that Humans cannot often handle. High Elves practice magic much more frequently and as such retain a level of intelligence that Wood Elves do not, which also partly comes from their modernization and cultural integration.
  • Wood Elf - Wild Elves that believe far more in the traits of their Eladrin ancestors than in the Human blood that watered them down. They are far more skeptical of humans, living in the wilds and the lay of the land instead of cities. Originally rebelious Elves in the early days, the ones that didn't want to be banished underground withdrew from the city life and have returned to a society that seeks to re-establish their arcane blood in hopes of making a more pure bloodline. Wood Elves are trying to rely on instinct as well as recalling the primal powers of their ancestors to bring back to them what they lost when their precious Eladrin died off.

• Halfling - Halflings are an incredibly interesting result of the nature of magic in Humans. Humans, being a creature of evolution and not directly influenced by magic in any way, lack magic in their blood. When a Human practices magic, their bodies are exposed to it similarly like radiation, but are not harmed by it. However, an unforseen circumstance of this is that when a Human who has magic in their blood breeds with one who does not, Halflings are made. The Halfling was originally an accident, but a happy one, as they are accepted by all as being humanoids and nothing is seen wrong with them in nature. Certain Halflings have also spawned communities in which they live, but are still found in much of society. Halflings are literally half the size of ordinary Humans, and are as such all naturally more nimble and on their feet. There are two large subtypes of Halfling.
  • Lightfoot Halfling - More personal Halflings, these ones are often the ones that live in their own communities, but are still found in cities and villages. They are typically persuasive and enchanting, appearing almost as chiseled children, but are raised on good virtues and are very much about brotherhood nad community.
  • Stout Halfling - City-bred Halflings that after time have become more "Human" in nature. Stout Halflings are rather stumpy and large for something 3 feet tall, but are not considered Dwarves nor overweight, just of a wonky stature. They are far more hearty than other Halflings, and dwell in more urban environments as well as being more often than not surrounded by Humans.

• Gnome - The other end of the spectrum that came when The Feywild made contact with the world, Gnomes are flighty and spirited fey who have settled in the world. Gnomes live in exclusive communities that only Gnomes can be a part of, and are still very skeptical of those they allow near and moreso into the settlement. All Gnomes share the trait of communal understanding and a higher eschelon of education, but there are two breeds that specialize in different things.
  • Forest Gnome - Forest Gnomes are those who truly live off the lay of the land. Forest Gnomes live in giant tree villages and work to preserve the earth as well as turn it into a natural paradise, but are not overly hostile of technology as time advances. Forest Gnomes will always protect their land and seek to claim more that they can naturalize, but they will not invade the lands of the other civilized races to establish a relative peace.
  • Rock Gnome - Rock Gnomes are Gnomes who originally went to explore the caves that the Mountain Orcs wouldn't dare venture. After reports of numerous valuables and treasures, many people moved to harvest the bounty of the underground, much like the California Gold Rush. Rock Gnomes are obsessed with the infinite msyteries of the underground and being born of those who work incessantly, they are almost all habitually creators and scholars by nature. They work nonstop, and after generations of this have become adept at enduring any length of work necessary to achieve their goals as a whole.

• Human - The common man in the world, humans were the first settlers of the world and have cultivated much of the world, being the most popular race. Humans are often known to be versatile and numerous, as they often are looked to as the "norm" of the world. Human settlers are seen in all sorts of environments around the world and can truly consider everywhere a home.

• Dragonborn - Those kissed by the primal god of dragons when they are slain for a truly righteous cause are brought before him and potentially return as a Dragonborn. Righteous and mighty like the dragons whose blood runs through them, Dragonborn are literally people given a second chance to stand for what is true and fight. Far more rare than the other races of the world due to their prestigious nature, they are often met with respect nonetheless.

• Warforged - Inanimate material given life by magic, Warforged were constructed as an alternative to both soldiers and armorsmithing, but after their semblance became far too real and production had ceased due to the uncanny valley effect, many Warforged that survived the brutalities of combat had been left traumatized by war, and it was necessary to ensure that all the wartorn Warforged be integrated into mainstream society. Warforged are as compassionate and sympathetic as you and I, but their being is summed up to metal and wood warped and twisted into a physical form. Their rarity in the world is also credited to their limited production run, but some believe that there are those who craft Warforged to this very day.

• Tiefling - People who are long descendant of Cambrians, beings that mated with Fiends either forcibly or the rare consentual case. Tieflings still resemble their ancestors as all have horns growing from their head and possesss any number of fiendish features, giving them an aura of guile and command as well as an understanding of the planes unmatched by the other races. Initially Tieflings were a strange afterthought, but with more and more generations of Tieflings showing up due to the simple nature of the strain in genetics and mating habits, Tieflings are now one of the five largest races in the world.

• Half-Orc - Originating from early explorers who would encounter and end up entering the tribes of Orcs in the native lands, people began to literally integrate themselves into Orc culture, resulting in the Half-Orc being born. As hearty as their ancestors without the tribal mindset or the more animalistic bent to them. Half-Orcs are now found in more mainstream societies due to their human blood and the changing urban climate.

• Drow - Vicious over capricious, Drow are dark Elves who were sent underground and have made their new home in the shadows of their oppressors, but are beginning to return in mainstream society. Drow possess the grace and power of elves, but are wrapped in the powers of shadow that they have been forced into. Drow are not inherently evil, but are almost always resentful of the actions of those who drove them undergound.

Classes

• Barbarian - Tribal people either born and raised on the traditions of people past or in exceedingly rare but still very poor parts of the world, Barbarians are prize fighters in societies that value the ability to assume arms and fight. They enter rages when provoked that makes them a particular threat when their unchecked fury allows them to do heavy damage on the battlefield.

• Bard - From the most well-versed of performers to the most dirty of street urchins, these people assume the roll of Jack-of-all-trades while providing magic through the medium of the physical form - what magic says, Bards do by internally vocalizing it with their bodies and instruments. Bards can rarely be considered dangerous opponents when alone, but the smarter Bards have taken to finding a group to attach themselves to, as their magical music can bolster large crowds of people easily.

• Cleric - Religious students brought to stand for the causes of their respective gods or beliefs. Clerics are either devoted warriors or scholars who both use their faith to different effects to achieve the same goal - a universal understanding of their religion and a universal acceptance of all beings through the medium of belief, preferrably theirs.

• Druid - Born of the Feywild's mark upon the world, Druids are people who are either descendant of those who were taught Fey magic or are Fey-blooded themselves. Druids work to reunite the fragile bond between the Feywild and the planet by using their magic to revitalize the natural forces of the world, which would in turn allow for a better alignment of the two planes. Balance is key, but to them nature reigns supreme as the guiding force in all constants of the universe.

• Fighter - People of arms, from simple guardsmen to the most trained and studied of Knights. Fighters are a versatile form in combat due to their varied mastery of fighting and their prowess with the tools and art of war. Not all Fighters possess tactical panache, but most all bring a formidable presence and a variety of combat maneuvers to the battlefield.

• Mage - People who gain the ability to cast magic, either through genetics or through training. They are the people who control the fabrics of reality given true form in magic. Mages are directly responsible for most of the interactions with most of the ley lines that control the flow of magic between all planes as it crosses their area. Mages can study any amount of magical fields that suit their preferences or personality, including being a versatile mage made to fit numerous roles.

• Monk - Students of thought who are trained from birth to be a vessel of enlightenment. Weaponized only when absolutely necessary and peaceful and hopeful the rest of the way through, Monks represent the humble and virtuous people who treat everything with respect - themselves, their surroundings, other people, other things, etc. Monks are the paragons of their own races for being the most righteous of balanced individuals.

• Paladin - When brought to dire straits, it is not uncommon for religious orders to call on their most dedicated warriors, the Paladins. Paladonic orders are slowly becoming a thing of the past, but there are still plenty of Paladins who consider themselves able-bodied enough to fight on in the name of their god - even if the order has forbidden it. With a strong connection to their god, they wield less powerful magic than Clerics and aren't as martially handy as Fighters, but bring with them an unavoidable battlefield presence.

• Ranger - Hunters by trade who fight not for greed or evil, but for hope, justice, and balance. Rangers are fighters of nature just as the druid is the mage of nature. Their role is to preserve the balance of nature by keeping everything in a relative order that feels right in its own skin. Rangers learn the lay of the land they fight in quickly, and can adapt to many sorts of fighting styles to deal with any number of natural predators.

• Rogue - Beguiling and underhanded, Rogues are thieves who have decided to make a profession out of what was originally a hobby, if it can so be called. They practice a number of skills including stealth, subterfuge, assassination, thievery, deception, and strategy. Rogues are dirty fighters when brought into combat, but they're nothing evil when they're given proper purpose and motivation.

Sign Up

Example:

• Username - (Name(optional for now)), (Race) (Class)

• Sirrus - Kail Parjol, Tiefling Rogue
• Lex - Barty Tumblebelly, Halfling Fighter
• JCM - Findecáno Fëfalas, Elven Mage