[Dungeon World] The Slave Pits of Levora

[The Great Triangle]

I'll explain how the stats of your animal companion work when I have time!

As for learning the game, try downloading a character sheet for a class you want to play; 90% of the rules are on those 3-4 pages.  I'd say it's easy to pick up for someone with no system experience; with some light hand holding, perhaps

[RedPhoenix]

Okay I think I want to be a paladin. That seems pretty awesome! I will try to finish a sheet tomorrow!

[The Great Triangle]

Okay, here's how the stats of coolhands' wolf translate into mechanics:

Fenris is a trained guard wolf, which gives his master +2 damage and +1 armor when fighting alongside him.  Additionally, enemies who interfere with his master suffer a -1 penalty.  The big, scary looking wolf can easily provide leverage to parley, even when armed adventurers alone wouldn't be enough.  Trained to guard, he provides a +1 bonus when taking watch, and a +1 bonus when acting as a scout.  Unfortunately, Fenris can sometimes wander off without asking, and when he gets an idea into his head, sometimes he needs to be told several times to stop.

***

On the subject of content, I'll likely be putting the game into exotic NC, since a game with slavery as a major theme is going to have to deal with the issue of nonconsensual sex at some point.  However, the monsters in the game are not crazed hentai rape beasts, and this won't be the kind of game where losing a fight to an owlbear results in anal sex.  Because resurrection magic is very common in the setting, evil humanoids disdain killing, and prefer to capture their enemies alive when possible.  As a result, losing a fight will typically involve being captured and tied up, rather than being run through.  Male characters will be just as vulnerable as female characters to being bound and gagged, though depending on gender balance, they may not get flirted with as much once they're captured.  The James Bond films are a good example of the sort of feel I'm going for, though if the PCs want to be more competent at infiltrating underground bases than Mr. Bond, I'll certainly let them!

If there's interest, I'll port over the sex moves from apocalypse world and add them to everybody's basic moves, but I'm not sure whether people are wanting mechanical rules for sex.  (currently, in the system, sex can be represented as "defying danger" with unusual dangers represented (like premature ejaculation, your partner not enjoying him/herself, or the trap you're having sex on for the thrill of it going off)

[Shjade]

Mechanizing sex sounds...awkward. xD I'd pass on that.

As for the rest, thanks for the clarification! So more or less "real" fantasy world expectations with exploitation as more of a likely outcome for failure vs. humans rather than death, more or less? Sounds reasonable.

[The Great Triangle]

Monsters will still eat you, and I don't plan on using the monsters that will lay eggs in you.  :-)  Intelligent creatures are also considerably more likely to take you prisoner, though planar creatures will typically just want to get ownership of your character's soul.  (though if your character's soul already belongs to a demon, expect your next encounter with that demon to involve the demon trying to drag your character off to the realms beyond)

The group will have to decide among themselves whether they prefer resource intensive dungeon sieges, charging in with no plan and destroying the enemy from the heart f their fortress, setting up a kill zone at the entrance to the dungeon until they've slain all challengers, or some other approach.  Since you have so many elves, I don't think the group will be hiring dwarven miners to dig out all the dungeons from below.

On that note, it would be good for the group to plan their first quest, since your quests won't be spoon fed to you; the world will get worse if you don't get started saving it, but just running off and exploring will go a long way towards helping.  Here's a partial list of the adventure plots that could constitute the first adventure:

-The Bandit Camps of the Shanzar Plains
-Why are halflings so peaceful?
-What DID happen to the lands of men?
-The caves of Narbo
-The Temple of the Forgotten God
-The Chainer Mountain Dungeon
-Ancient Ruins in the Desert of Dread
-Bothering the Dwarves!
-The tunnel to the underdark
-Raiding the orcs

[Tydorei]

Accepting more?

[Shjade]

I suppose it depends on who sticks around for this one and the various characters' interests, but I think Theswyn would prioritize the bandit camps on the plains: not quite as big a target to tackle as full-scale orc raids, probably pretty obvious (hard to hide on open plains), and they'd be a hindrance to her just walking around exploring the area.

[The Great Triangle]

Accepting more?

I'm still willing to take more players, yes.  :)  It's quite possible not everyone will stick with the initial group, but I have some experience keeping groups of 6+ players on track.

[Meliai]

Ah, man I'm probably nearing the upper limit of games I should sign up for now but I really love the look of this system. Going to work on a Cleric I think.

[The Great Triangle]

Fortunately, the extremely loose turn structure of this game's system means that players who can't post regularly won't slow everyone else down, even though it's polite to give everyone else a turn before you act twice in a row.  (if other people have skills applicable to the situation)

I am kind of hoping there will be some attractive male adventurers to kidnap and exploit, though.  :-) 

[RedPhoenix]

Okay here is my first stab at it.

Paladin Sheet

Class: Paladin
Race: Human
Name: Kayla Spudrancher
Look: Kind Eyes, Styled Hair, Fit Body

STR 15 (+1)
DEX 9
CON 13 (+1)
WIS 12
INT 8
CHA 16 (+2)

HP 23/23 (10+constitution score)
Base Damage d10

Moves:

Human Paladin: When you pray for guidance, even for a moment, and ask "What here is evil?" The GM must tell you honestly.

Lay on Hands (CHA): When you touch someone skin to skin (heh) and pray for their well being roll +CHA, On 10+ you heal 1d8 damage or remove one disease. On a 7-9, they are healed but the damage or disease is transferred to you.

Armored: you ignore the clumsy tag on the armor you wear.

I am the Law: When you give an NPC an order based on your divine authority roll +Cha. On 7+ they choose one.
- Do what they say
- Back away cautiously, then flee
- Attack you
On a 10+ you also take +1 forward against them. On a miss they do as they please and you take -1 forward against them.

Quest: When you dedicate yourself on a mission through prayer and ritual cleansing state what you set out to do
- Slay _____, a great blight on the land
- Defend ______, from the iniquities that beset them
- Discover the truth of ________

Then choose up to two boons
- An unwavering sense of direction to _______
- Invulnerability to ____________
- A mark of divine authority
- Senses the pierce lies
- A voice that transcends language
- A freedom from hunger, thirst, and sleep

The GM will tell you what vow or vows you have to take to make this happen
- Honor (forbidden: cowardly tactics or tricks)
- Temperance (forbidden: gluttony in food, drink, and pleasure of the flesh)
- Piety (required: observance of daily holy services)
- Valor (forbidden: suffering an evil creature to live)
- Truth (forbidden: lies)
- Hospitality (required: comfort to those in need, no matter who they are)

Alignment: Good (endanger yourself to protect someone weaker than you)

Gear:
Dungeon Rations (5 uses, 1 weight)
Scale Armor (2 Armor, worn, clumsy, 3 weight)
Mark of Faith (Iron Ankh on a thin silver chain around her neck)
Halberd (reach, +1 damage, 2-handed, 2 weight): total is 1d10+1 damage (paladin base 1d10+weapon)
Adventuring Gear (5 uses 1 weight)

Adventuring gear is a collection of useful mundane items
such as chalk, poles, spikes, ropes, etc. When you rummage
through your adventuring gear for some useful mundane
item, you find what you need and mark off a use.

Carrying 7/13 (12+STR)

Bonds:
___________'s misguided behavior endangers their very soul!

___________ has stood by me in battle and can be trusted completely!

I respect the beliefs of ___________ but hope they will someday see the true way.

___________ is a brave soul and I have much to learn from them.

(Will fill these in when it is decided who the players are)

Okay, how is that?

[Shjade]

I am kind of hoping there will be some attractive male adventurers to kidnap and exploit, though.  :-)

Assuming everyone who posted a sheet on the first page stays interested, I think the current group's 3 male 2 female? Not positive on the thief and ranger, but Bender and Fruster sound more like guys' names. ;p

[TheRaven]

I actually did my best to leave Bender vague, so I could even out the gender balance if it was necessary. I just liked the name.

[Shjade]

I actually did my best to leave Bender vague, so I could even out the gender balance if it was necessary. I just liked the name.

So you're saying your thief is a...

*sunglasses*

...gender bender?

[TheRaven]

Yes, yes, I realize the irony. The completely unintentional irony, actually. So, since we look to be about even, what do you think? Male Bender or Female Bender?

...You know, either way, I think I need to change messy hair to cropped hair.

[RedPhoenix]

If you make your character female please change the name, I'll have problems imagining a female Bender.

[Shjade]

I can help with that!



You're welcome.

For what it's worth, I think I like the suave tan thief guy you have in that portrait. The blonde seems more assassin than thief. Maybe that's just me.

[TheRaven]

I mean, if I'm going back to change hair, name shouldn't be too much of a trouble to hit on my way. I'll think of something if that's the route I go.  ;D

Oh, Futurama. I haven't watched that in ages.

[RedPhoenix]

That does not help at all.

[The Great Triangle]

Your character sheet looks good, RedPhoenix (love the picture!) the only thing that's off is that your hp should be 23 (calculating hp is the only time in the core rules a stat is used instead of a modifier), and your damage shouldn't include your strength modifier.  I may have missed a rule, but the game isn't really balanced to add your strength modifier to damage!

You should determine your character's quest when you post your character sheet, or when you do your bonds. 

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=160922.new#new   Here's the character sheet thread; everyone can go ahead and start putting their sheets into the thread, then filling out their bond(s).  When you do your bondage, do it in a separate post from when you post your character sheet.


(Also, keep track of bender's female picture, since he's the sort of guy who just might run across a girdle of maculinity/femininity!)

[RedPhoenix]

Oh, the basic attack said to roll strength so...oops got confused. I will fix that and the hp! Yeah I figured I would pick her quest and goals and such when we have a party together! :D

[Meliai]

The creepy mystery cultist

   

Seeker Hawthorne
Cleric of Alcyone, the Empyrial Scholar

The girl known as Hawthorne is a pale, petite human with disheveled auburn hair and haunted eyes. She wears the simple grey and violet robes of her order over a lissome body.

Stats

   
   
   
   
   
   

Strength:	8	(-1)
Dexterity:	12	(0)
Constitution:	9	(0)
Intelligence:	15	(+1)
Wisdom:	16	(+2)
Charisma:	13	(+1)

Hit Points: 17/17

Base Damage: d6.

Moves

Human - Your faith is diverse. Choose one wizard spell. You can cast and be granted that spell as if it was a cleric spell.

• Contact Spirits
  
  Domain: Knowledge and Hidden Things
  
  Precept: Your religion is cultish and insular, add Petition: Gaining Secrets
  
  Divine Guidance:
  When you petition your deity according to the precept of your religion, you are granted some useful knowledge or boon related to your deity’s domain. The GM will tell you what.
  
  Turn Undead:
  When you hold your holy symbol aloft and call on your deity for protection, roll+Wis.
  
• On a 7+, so long as you continue to pray and brandish your holy symbol, no undead may come within reach of you.
  
• On a 10+, you also momentarily daze intelligent undead and cause mindless undead to flee. Aggression breaks the effects and they are able to act as normal. Intelligent undead may still find ways to harry you from afar. They’re clever like that.
  
  Commune
  When you spend uninterrupted time (an hour or so) in quiet communion with your deity, you:
  
• Lose any spells already granted to you.
  
• Are granted new spells of your choice whose total levels don’t exceed your own level+1, and none of which is a higher level than your own level.
  
• Prepare all of your rotes, which never count against your limit.
  
  Cast a Spell: When you unleash a spell granted to you by your deity, roll+Wis. ✴On a 10+, the spell is successfully cast and your deity does not revoke the spell, so you may cast it again. ✴On a 7–9, the spell is cast, but choose one:
  
• You draw unwelcome attention or put yourself in a spot. The GM will tell you how.
  
• Your casting distances you from your deity—take -1 ongoing to cast a spell until the next time you commune.
  
• After you cast it, the spell is revoked by your deity. You cannot cast the spell again until you commune and have it granted to you.
  
• Note that maintaining spells with ongoing effects will sometimes cause a penalty to your roll to cast a spell.
  
  Spells Prepared:
  
• Rote - Light, Sanctify, Guidance
  
• Level 1 - Cure Light Wounds, Speak with Dead

Alignment:
Lawful - Endanger yourself following the precepts of your church or god.


Gear
Max Load: 9
Current load: 5

Dungeon rations (10 uses, 2 weight)
Holy Symbol - a stylized eye carved out of amber, inset into a dark grey stone. It glows with a golden light when Hawthrone casts a spell, communes with her goddess or uses other supernatural abilities tied to her class (0 weight)
Chainmail (1 armor, 1 weight)
Staff (close, two-handed, 1 weight)
bandages (0 weight)
Adventuring gear (1 weight)

Bonds

_______________ has insulted my deity; I do not trust them.

_______________ is a good and faithful person; I trust them implicitly.

_______________ is in constant danger, I will keep them safe.

I am working on converting _______________ to my faith.

I've got her background and the details of her church all worked out and I'll type those up as soon as someone tells me I didn't totally mess up the cruchy bits.

Most of the standard cleric bonds don't really fit the character very well, am I allowed to make custom ones?

[The Great Triangle]

Making custom bonds is quite fine indeed; feel free to do so if you wish.

It's also alright to declare a bond unilaterally, since it's just what your character thinks about the other PCs. 


The main consideration story-wise is whether you want to connect Hawthorne to the Temple of the Forgotten God (perhaps defining the Forgotten God as your religion, or the original religion of the temple before the mysterious cult moved in)   You'll also want to pick whether or not your religion has a high priest or other authority figure in Velith.  Currently, the only people in the setting capable of providing resurrections are the Elf Queen in the high elven city, and the High Priest of the Forgotten God.  I have another NPC who can cast resurrection in my notes, but she'll not likely be showing up for a while.  The PCs are quite free to define more people who can help them with these sorts of logistics!

[coolhands]

Glad to see all of the new intrest. For those interested my ranger is a male.

[Meliai]

Alcyone being the Forgotten God would be kind of funny, as her church's main thing is recovering and preserving lost knowledge. I was actually thinking that checking out the forgotten god's temple would be Hawthorne's push for the party's first objective, or that she's tagging along to play healbot on some other quest with the stipulation that the others will help her check out the temple later.

The Alcyonites are a cult in the Greco-Roman mystery cult mold, not, like, a compound of crazy people who think an asteroid is going to come and take them all to some far off paradise planet in three months.

My general idea was that they have a small church somewhere just outside of town. Since they're all scholars they might run the local school or a library/archive sort of thing in town, but in general they're rather secretive about their church and its workings. Overall they're quite benign (on top of the social work they offer the usual magical healing and take in any local orphans or foundlings) but since they're so insular there's bound to be a certain amount of rumors and suspicion floating around.