[D&D] Deicide

[Jeramiahh]

"I imagine you're wondering why I've called all of you here, today?" He looks around the room, at some of the more powerful people on Solith. Heroes and villains, champions, scoundrels, sell-swords, even a few some might consider monsters. An unlikely crowd. 'For an unlikely purpose,' he thinks to himself.

"The truth of the matter is, I've brought you here because I have a plan. A plan... to kill a god."

Throughout the years of playing fantasy games, you've no doubt faced dozens of the most iconic monsters; dragons, giants, demons and devils... all the famous threats to existence. But, what if someone offered you an opportunity, a chance, to do something no mere mortal has ever accomplished? What if you were offered the opportunity to bring down a god?

This is that chance. However, unlike some games which attempt to pull this off, pulling out the incredible statistics of the nigh-invulnerable deities, this plan is to take a different approach, which will be the basis of the entire campaign. Working under the assumption that a god is strengthened by the faith of his followers, by the very power of belief, is it not logical to assume, then, that, were a god to lose all of his followers, through a systematic, organized campaign brought about by a large group of highly skilled individuals... would he not lose his power? Perhaps even his godhood?

This will, unquestionably, be an unusual game, for a number of reasons.
First, the central focus will not, necessarily, be combat. Converting followers, blackmail, subterfuge, all possible, and viable, solutions to weaken the faith of followers, without having to resort to killing them. The campaign will follow only a small group of the force summoned to accomplish this task; throughout, you may encounter allies on the same mission as you... potentially causing conflicts, in some areas.
Second, in the spirit of celebrating the end of 3rd edition, and the ushering in of 4th, I will be allowing, and even encouraging, the use of all books available for 3rd edition, barring the one or two I don't own.
Finally, I will be encouraging the use of unusual characters; don't play what you think is best, or most powerful, think of the character you've always wanted to play. As this will be a roleplaying focused game, the burden of optimizing for combat is lifted; only the set goal of taking down a god , through eliminating his followers, remains.

Now, on to the mechanics, the hard stuff that the players are always demanding:

• ECL 11 characters, any alignment, pretty much any type of creature, if you want to play non-standard races.


• There will be a temporary truce established, at the outset... though, of course, one is always free to break it...


• 32-point buy, standard wealth (66,000gp); no more than 1/3 of your wealth may exist as a single item.


• Virtually any non-campaign specific book, published by WotC, for 3.0 or 3.5, is allowed. I think I'm missing one or two of the very most recent ones.


• Be prepared for combat-light; it won't be free of fighting, but it also won't be the main focus.


• In regards to a background, have some motivation to take down this guy, be it revenge, glory, justice, or a simple desire to be a godslayer. The chosen 'victim' god will be a god dedicated to death; not necessarily evil, but something everyone can have a reason to hate.

I'm looking for 3-6 players, at most, preferably all with high posting rates, around 4-7 or more posts a week, and a solid knowledge of the D&D rules. If you have any questions, comments, or want to know something from a book you don't have, feel free to ask here, or send me a PM.

[Muse]

Hm... 

I'm intrested, but may be too busy, just chiming in to say that, and to ask what section of the boards you mean to put the game in. 

One thought is, might the enemy followers (of the livng sort) be seduced away?  How about through charm magic or bondage? 

[Jeramiahh]

I hadn't really decided where I wanted to put it; my original thought was 'no content'... but I've since changed my mind, and am leaving it open.

As to the latter question, undoubtedly. Of course... it must be noted that not all of them will be 'enemy'... a significant portion will simply be hapless innocents, adding a bit of challenge to it.

[BK Geno]

I would definitely be interested in playing this game. Do you want us to PM you a character sheet, with equipment and whatnot?

Thinking of digging out my CN necromancer for this game because he is crazy enough to try, or perhaps... Oh, that might be fun...

*runs off to begin plotting a new character*

[Jefepato]

I have some posting to catch up on, but I might be interested if I can find the time.

[Jeramiahh]

Sure, if you build a character, go ahead and drop me a line. It's definitely going to be a different game than what I normally run, but I want some experience branching out. I'll return to my normal hack-and-slash heavy games in a few weeks when I plan to run a 4e campaign on here.

[BK Geno]

Do we also get the +1 from levels 4 and 8? Might make a big difference if we do in what skills we get.

[Jeramiahh]

As per the standard rules, you gain a stat point at 4 and 8 HD.

[kongming]

Ooh! Me! Mememe!

Ahem. And yes, I could certainly get my postrate back to what it used to be, with "daily or more". I think that over my time here, I've generally been pretty good with posting, and only had the odd few weeks here and there of not feeling like it.

*glee* An excuse to go through my cool ideas (and then play with numbers and choices based on those ideas).

I guarantee that my idea will be awesome (to me at least), and not a male human cleric with a cursed leg of pain who needs a walking stick and is addicted to Cure Moderate Wounds potions, constantly detecting other people's ailments not with detect spells but with immoral/illegal tests and methods, always checking to see if it's Lupus.

[Paradox]

I'd love to join. I'm also interested in that 4e you mentioned, once my books arrive.

I'd like to play a male cleric...none of that kongming craziness though.

Probably an LN cleric. Any word on specific deities in your campaign setting?

[Jeramiahh]

"High Priest Gregorium Housh! We need your help, immediately!"

I'm definitely looking for interesting characters; this is the last hurrah of 3rd edition, so make it a good one.

It'll be a little while after my books arrive; I have a campaign outline, but I need to see when certain abilities come into play. No sense in having a fortress that's weak to air and teleport if the players have fly and dimension door by the time they get there, right?

Deities will be the standard pantheon of the Forgotten Realms/Greyhawk, plus a few, extra, minor deities; in this case, a pair specifically for the campaign: Skarthul, the 'victim' god, and Nebulos, an 'allied' god... I've yet to determine their portfolios, though. Both are true neutral, and I wouldn't recommend following the former, just as a tip. *grin*

In general, my campaign world is, essentially, a renamed Greyhawk, with a little more of a technology level. Firearms exist, but they're unpredictable and unreliable, and most technology is in the hands of the gnomes. Still ask, but, unless stated otherwise, follow the generic campaign setting of Greyhawk for campaign particulars.

[Jefepato]

Can you say more about the particular god who we're trying to kill?

[Jeramiahh]

Unfortunately... not really, which is bad, since its the premise of the backstories, after all. That's been the point that's been annoying me the most, throughout the design of this; I can't seem to get the image I want. I will put down what I do have, however.

In short, though, Skarthul is only known and worshiped in one region of this one plane; he is a god associated with death and dying. The religion is a fairly morbid one, and one of the major tenants, and a source of much conflict, is that followers are not allowed to do anything to aid or hinder a creature on death's door; if something is dying, they are not allowed to care for it, heal it, comfort it, or kill it... to do so would be to interfere in their god's domain. While relatively small, they have a strong influence over several large areas, though only minor influence outside of there.

[Jeramiahh]

Still looking for more players; if you're interested, let me know! I have two queued up and ready, looking for a couple more to round out a good party.

[Jefepato]

What's the party got so far?

[kongming]

Well, there's me (me, ME, ME!), and while I can't speak for BKGeno, I can tell you what my character is:

In a nutshell: human Sorceress/Dragon Disciple. Not the shit DMG one, a modified one. The character has a minimal amount of casting capability, but on the other hand she's Large, can fly, and has a lot of natural weapons powered by immense strength.

[BK Geno]

I am playing a Yuan-Ti halfblood, and will be the 'face' of the group.

[Sabetha]

Oh!  I'd like to join.  This might be a campaign where I can play the Will-o-the-Wisp character of my dreams.  I'd like to tack on class levels, so would need help figuring out the level adjust...when I tried to build the character for my group, we set it as +1 or +2, I can't quite remember.

[Tiberius Reign]

Unfortunately, I'm recovering from the last campaign I was involved in, which the whole point was to get to epic levels and bring down Tiamat.

So good luck with this one.

[kongming]

Sabetha: I wouldn't actually give any Level Adjustment to a Will-O-Wisp.

They have 9 racial HD yet are only CR 6. So if they were played as level 9 characters, here's what you would get:
Natural flight
Natural invisibility
A weak-sauce touch attack
A kick-ass immunity (with exceedingly random weaknesses)

It's a defensive creature with almost no offence, and essentially no utility in other fields. So I couldn't realistically see it having any LA (subject to Jeramiahh's approval, of course), considering a different level 9 character (say, a human wizard or cleric) could do the following:

Turn into a large/huge dragon
Tell people to "just die already"
Turn anyone into a friend/slave instantly
Summon Efreeti and force them to grant wishes
Return people from the dead

And now, I shall vanish, so as not to cause trouble with my opinions on monsters-as-players and Wotc-being-total-crack-addicts.

[Sabetha]

Kongming, I agree with your assessment of the comparative power of a Will-o-Wisp to a similar HD PC, but I think that you're forgetting the slight advantage built in to not being a humanoid; namely, not being subject to the charm/hold person spells.  Any truly evil GM laughs when his monstrous spell-casters use a spell against PC's several levels before they gain access to the equivalent that effects his/her baddie.

On the other hand, we assigned the +1 LA while in the midst of planning a campaign for level thirty characters with level-adjust buy-back rules, so it was effectively zero then too.

[Jeramiahh]

Of course, the wisp is already immune to Charm and the line, as per it's "immune to all (SR based) but two spells" I could definitely see it playable, though you're going to have a tough time adding many class levels to it... it can't cast spells without using Still, and it can't wield a weapon. But if you want to use it, I think we could go with no LA; 9 RHD is enough of a crippling factor, even if they ARE Outsider.

[kongming]

I'd recommend choosing a class that can wok without hands, just as Jera said. I'll laugh if you pick something from "Book of Weeaboo Fightan Magic", because it'd be hilarious to see a glowing ball pick someone up and chokeslam them.

[BK Geno]

Heh, you did not have that problem with my Yuan-Ti half blood. Only 7RHD, and no class levels, and still the mast dangerous MF in the group.

[Jeramiahh]

Because you come with built in offensive abilities. The Wisp has, what, a touch attack for 2d8? That's it. That's all it can do.

And, uhh, you might wanna look at KM's build before commenting on your own... >_> =P I'll pas sit on when she sends me a final copy.

[BK Geno]

I meant as far as being the face. If you need to talk to someone, my character is the one called in.

[kongming]

And, uhh, you might wanna look at KM's build before commenting on your own... >_> =P I'll pas sit on when she sends me a final copy.

*preens*

I was taught the art of big numbers by monks in Tibet. Or, possibly, a game designer/med student in Prague and a law student in America.

[Sabetha]

Of course, the wisp is already immune to Charm and the line, as per it's "immune to all (SR based) but two spells" I could definitely see it playable, though you're going to have a tough time adding many class levels to it... it can't cast spells without using Still, and it can't wield a weapon. But if you want to use it, I think we could go with no LA; 9 RHD is enough of a crippling factor, even if they ARE Outsider.

Is that your final ruling on spellcasting without hands?  Because in the MM (p315) they address creatures with natural spellcasting abilities with the following: "A spellcasting creature that lacks hands or arms can provide any somatic component a spell might require by moving its body."  I realize that they aren't specifically addressing creatures with class levels tacked on, but my group has always spread that rule to cover PC's who lost their limbs and such...

Besides, as this campaign is not going to be so combat focused, I'm not worrying about my offensive abilities too much.  I'd be more of a spy/misleader of the masses, and if anyone with more than three levels in a PC class came along I'd bail...

[Jeramiahh]

I'll accept that note form the MM, which I overlooked somewhere along the line, and point out that you are not a spell-casting creature, innately. You have no spells or spell-likes, innately. Though, honestly, you are right; it wouldn't make sense to cripple you entirely, like that. =P It's up to you, come up with an idea, and I'll take a look at it.

[The Great Triangle]

I'd be willing to play a dangerously apocalyptic Ur-Preist, although I don't have a copy of the class handy.  If someone can get me access to it, I'd be happy to stat up a nihilistic anti-cleric who's really into the entire deicide thing.

If the Ur-Preist class isn't available (I think it's at least in Book of Vile Darkness and possibly heroes of horror) then I'll probably play a cleric of a far realm deity.

[DreadD]

Ur-Priest, if my memory serves, aren't originally from the Book of Vile Darkness or Heroes of Horror.  It was originally released in The Complete Divine, and I believe re-printed in the Book of Vile Darkness.  I don't have access to them at the moment, but I can get you the information if you and Jeramiahh like.

Oh, and I don't get any class levels either.  Woe is me >_>

[Jefepato]

Ur-Priest, if my memory serves, aren't originally from the Book of Vile Darkness or Heroes of Horror.  It was originally released in The Complete Divine, and I believe re-printed in the Book of Vile Darkness.

Other way around.

So far, I've looked through every book I've got (including quite a few that aren't actually allowed) and have come up with absolutely no ideas.

[DreadD]

Oh, my mistake...  You should make another monster character, complete inhuman party! :p

[Jeramiahh]

Aye; BoVD is a 3.0 book, and was released first, containing the Ur-Priest PrC. Complete Divine was released as a 3.5 book, and also contains an updated Ur-Priest PrC. Thus, it easily falls under the category of allowable content.

If you need info from any book, drop me a line; I have, pretty much, everything, barring the last few 3.5 books to be printed, and most modules and campaign world specific stuff; I have most FR and some Eberron books, but no Dragonlance or Ravenloft, for instance.

Right now, three characters are finished, waiting on a final write-up for one, and I'll likely start posting threads either tomorrow, or if I get a fourth character submitted.

[Bethlany]

Hi, I'm still new here but this looks like a game I'd really like to play in.  I was thinking of a Elven Female (sorry no monster race! :) ) Fallen Paladin, now a Corrupt Avenger from Heroes of Horror.  As a backstory, she would have something very personal against this god of Death that would cause her to have fallen from her Paladin training and now seeks revenge against his followers, to the point of jumping at the chance of killing the god.  Her sworn foe, would of course be followers of the god we're all out to kill.  I basically see her as a heavy-hitter in light armor with some spells, fuled by vengence and rage. 

If there's still room, I'd love to draw up this character and submit her.  Thanks! :)

[Xillen]

This is that chance. However, unlike some games which attempt to pull this off, pulling out the incredible statistics of the nigh-invulnerable deities, this plan is to take a different approach, which will be the basis of the entire campaign. Working under the assumption that a god is strengthened by the faith of his followers, by the very power of belief, is it not logical to assume, then, that, were a god to lose all of his followers, through a systematic, organized campaign brought about by a large group of highly skilled individuals... would he not lose his power? Perhaps even his godhood?

That's actually how I envision deities to be for most games. The more followers they have, the more power to them. Mortals could become deities this way (though very rarely of course), by becoming a saint and having enough followers to ascend.

[Jeramiahh]

Exactly. According to the canon history of Vecna, he was originally a mortal, losing his hand and eye during his lifetime, before he gained enough worshipers to ascend to godhood.

And of course! Feel free to write up a character and send it in; I've got three finished, now, waiting on a fourth to decide what he wants to play, and I'm willing to go with five players. Let me know if you have any questions, or need anything from a book; I'm always glad to talk over characters!

[kongming]

It's a very common way of presenting deities, and it works. I liked it ever since reading "Small Gods" (Discworld), which took it to extremes and made a bit of a joke, but showed that it can be really interesting that way.

It also gives deities a reason to pay attention, and to care about their followers.

[Sabetha]

Huh...it's funny.  I've been thinking about "Hogfather" in regards to this campaign, but not "Small Gods", which actually fits a bit better.  I guess it's because in this campaign it's deliberate.

[Jeramiahh]

*makes note to read the Discworld books* I keep hearing so much good about them, but I don't have time for reading, anymore... I wonder why...

*glances at the counter of how long he's been on this site, just shy of 50 days.* Oh, yeah. That might be it.

[Nephili]

Ooh, subterfuge, intrigue, etc... sounds very interesting. Nothing against hack and slash, but I really like the sound of this... looks like you have a fair number of responses, but if you have room for one more, I'd gladly roll up a character! I'm thinking maybe a Drider (Using the Savage Species monster class, probably), since you're allowing non-standard races... Probably a rather recently created one. The whole "horribly mutated as punishment for failing her deity's test" thing would, I imagine, leave her rather open to acting against divine powers.

[Sabetha]

Ok...so maybe I'm being too lazy to go back and read through the whole thread, but I'm pretty sure I missed a conversation where people talked about their characters.  My character is a Will-o'-Wisp...what other characters are confirmed?

[Jeramiahh]

Go ahead and write up a character! It's a flaw of mine, I can't say no to people; and I always believe, the more the merrier!

Right now, I have, confirmed, your Will-o'-the-wisp Sorcerer, Kongming's Human Sorcerer/Brass Dragon Disciple, and BK Geno's Yuan-ti (no classes due to LA/HD). DreadD is currently tossing around ideas; I've yet to hear what he's working on, since I foiled his last idea. =P

[Sabetha]

Okay.  I thought I was the last one who needed to submit a build...

I'm glad I wasn't holding everyone up.

[Jeramiahh]

DreadD was supposed to have finished his build, but scrapped it and started over. I'm talking to him about it now, but his net seems to have died.

[Sabetha]

No worries...I took long enough to add two class levels to a creature from the MM.  And they were pretty easy class levels, too...

[Nephili]

Ok, working on rolling the character up now, brainstorming on the her backstory and such as I do it... minor little random question thats probobly been answered but I didn't see it skimming through the thread: How do you want us to do HP?

[Jeramiahh]

Oh, the eternal question. =P I think I've told everyone a different rule, now, and, honestly, I don't care all that much. If you wanna roll 'em, g ahead. If you wanna take averages, do that. I think I recommended for most people either of those, or 3/4 of your max HD (d4=3, d6=4, d8=6, d10=7 d12=9)

[Nephili]

My number one preference, above all others, in any RP/game/whatever: I like surprises. That said, rolling is the clear choice!
6d8 for the Drider monster class... At 2008-06-13 04:25:27, Nephili (uid: 2000) rolls: 6d8 Result: 32
and one lonely little d4 for the one level of sorcererAt 2008-06-13 04:26:37, Nephili (uid: 2000) rolls: 1d4 Result: 1

edit: I can't spell preference, evidently... or surprises. Although if I hadn't previewed this edit before I posted it, I would have spelled spell speel, so maybe my fingers just aren't cooperating tonight.

[Jeramiahh]

Ouch... looks like you got the short end of the stick, there. =P Could be worse... nothing quite like getting 1 on a d10 HD

[Nephili]

Yeah, it's a fair bit lower then it could have been, but randomness is like that ^_^. The raw stats and natural armor from the monster class will help make up for it a bit, other then that, it just gives me a challenge, and I like challenges ^^.

Edit: Just about finished with the character... description and such are posted in my Ons and Offs thread, which is linked in my sig. Character sheet will be up shortly, just as soon as I figure out spells and equipment.

[Jeramiahh]

Alrighty, I've got the character sheet thread and OOC thread up and running; gonna give it a couple more days, both to let people get sheets in and because I don't have much time to spare right this moment.

Characters: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=16978.0

OOC: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=16977.0