The Sky Knights of Aard - D&D 5e CLOSED

[pdragon]

The Sky Knights of Aard

Sky Knights, the soaring defenders of Aard's skies. You, like many other children of the Flying Isles, would have grown up hearing stories of their great feats and heroic deeds. Some were fact, some mere fiction, but they were inspiring all the same. Perhaps it was those old stories that inspired you, perhaps you yourself had been aided in a moment of need, or perhaps you simply coveted the fame and prestige that came with the title. Whatever the spark, that burning ambition led you to join the Sky Knights, and after two years of grueling training and apprenticeship you are finally on the verge of being officially knighted. However as you will soon find out, your trials and tribulations don't end at graduation, it's where they truly begin.

"May the winds of Aard blow behind you."

Hey everyone, pdragon here. I'm looking to start up a new DnD game, set in my own homebrewed setting: The World of Averta. More precisely it takes place on the continent of Aard, a vast land of

floating islands

and

flying cities

, collectively known as the Flying Isles. I'm seeking a group of 4, maybe 5, players to play a class of apprentices who are about to graduate into fully fledged

Sky Knights

, an elite order of flying mounted warriors dedicated to serving the people of Aard, both assisting them with their troubles and defending them from dire threats.

The game will start with their final exam, a short linear quest to prove themselves worthy. And from there the game will widely expand, with the party given the freedom to venture out into the world to patrol the skies and establish their own outpost. As such there will be elements of exploration, questing, combat, base/settlement building, and maybe even politics if you end up impressing/offending the right/wrong people.

Rules

Rules
1. Be cool

2. DM has final call

3. Post frequency will preferably be at least 2 posts a week, 3 during combat scenes.

4. If you are unable to post I'll keep the scene moving forward with a minimal amount of puppeteering. In combat I'll have your character attack/assist with a non-resource expending move (or as little resources expending as possible).

5. Illustrated art for characters only

6. Some rolls, such as saves, will be rolled for the players by the DM for the sake of speed and efficiency. Any abilities or special modifiers that can be applied to these rolls may be applied retroactively at the player's request.

7. Initiative will be handled as such: When combat begins I shall roll initiative on everyone's behalf. Any PCs who roll above the enemies will be allowed to go first in any order. After that we'll be using block initiative, with enemies all taking their turns together and PCs able to post in any order. Please do not wait on another player to post in combat unless you are specifically cordinating for an attack/strategic set up.

8. The Sky Knights are intended to be a good aligned faction, and as such the game leans towards good PCs, at least at the start.

9.  Assessment Checks: this is a custom mechanic that will allow the party to reveal information on the enemies they're fighting, from stats to powers to unique mechanics for boss fights. Fights will often be more difficult/complex than more typical 5e encounters, so use of this check may prove crucial.

Assessment

As a bonus action on your turn you may choose to make an assessment check on an enemy you're fighting. This check will usually be a perception or investigation roll, but may require a different skill depending on the type of enemy.

There are two DC's for this check: A minor success, and a major success.

If you manage to beat the minor success DC you can reveal one piece of information about the enemy, whether that be its ability scores, its HP, what attacks it has, etc. etc. that is then shared to the rest of the party. If you beat the major success DC you can reveal two pieces of information about the enemy. In addition there may be some traits of an enemy that can only be revealed with a major success, and will be marked as "(Major)" accordingly.

10. Smut: While the game can/will feature smut of various kinds, it will not have a constant focus on it. Consider it to be a mostly normal game with occasional spikes of smuttiness, rather than a purely smut focused game. Ofcourse PCs can choose to engage in sexual activity with each other, within side threads/discord channels, and can always attempt to solve problems with seduction during otherwise non-smut missions.

11. The exact levels and types of smut content can be decided on as a group. The majority of NPCs with smut scenes will be females and futas, though men and monsters may also be involved on occassion.

12. The game will have a discord which will be used for OOC chat, updates/announcements, and dice rolls (though E's dice roller can also be used). The discord will also host an in-character chat channel. This channel can be used for characters to have quick exchanges or conversations that would otherwise take a long time to play out post by post, and will sometimes be used during quests. As such having and using the discord will be mandatory.

13. You do not need a full character sheet prepared to apply for the game. However your application will not be considered until you have at least a basic concept, race/class, and image picked out for your character.

14. The game is not first come first served, though I will cut off applications early if we get around 8 to 9-ish character submissions.

[pdragon]

Character Creation

While the party may technically be starting out as apprentices, they are far from inexperienced newcomers. The Sky Knights are an elite group after all, and only those of exemplary skill and determination can make it all the way to graduation without getting weeded out. As such the PCs will be starting at level 3, representing both their experience from before joining the Sky Knights and the two years of rigorous training they've undergone up to this point.

Also while they may be called knights, that does not mean they are limited only to armored martial classes. The Sky Knights have just as much need for spellcasters, healers, and roguish types as any other well balanced fighting force does. However while the "Knight" part isn't all encompassing, the "Sky" part very much is. Due to the nature of Aard's geography, everything from travel to combat will usually involve flight in some capacity, adding an extra layer of danger to every encounter. Every combat is effectively a triple threat between you, your enemies, and the long fall to the surface should you slip. Fortunately as experienced fliers you all have several protections in place to help prevent such a fate, but the threat of gravity can never be fully mitigated.

Character Creation Rules
-Characters start at level 3, but will advance to level 4 relatively quickly.

-Max HP per level

-You can roll for ability scores (4d6 drop the lowest), and may then choose to either keep your rolled scores or go with 27 point-buy. Please use E's dice roller for proof of your rolls.

-Any race/class is accepted. 3rd party and homebrew content may be approved on a case by case basis. My setting also includes a few custom races, subraces, and reskins of existing races, so inquire if interested.

-My setting comes with it's own collection of gods and patrons for divine classes and warlocks. If you feel that none of the current options fully fit what you want for your character then we can workshop a new god/patron for you.

-Characters will start with starting gear for their class, along with 600 gold to spend on extra equipment and items (using this list for prices).

-Players will be given a flying mount to act as their partner. As learning to care for and ride your mount is part of Sky Knight training, you gain Animal Handling as a bonus proficiency.
You get to choose between a

Pegasus

Pegasus
Armor Class 14
Hit Points: 60
Speed 60 ft., fly 70 ft.

STR: 16 (+3)   - DEX: 16 (+3)   - CON:16 (+3)
INT: 10 (+0)  - WIS: 15 (+2)  -  CHA: 13 (+1)   
         
Saving Throws Dex +5, Wis +4, Cha +3
Skills: Perception +6
Senses: Dark Vision 60ft. passive Perception 16
Languages: Understands common and any spoken by rider, can't speak

ACTIONS
Hooves. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:  (1d12 + 3) bludgeoning damage.

, a

Wyvern

Wyvern
Armor Class 16
Hit Points: 80
Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft.

STR: 18 (+4)   - DEX: 14 (+2)   - CON:18 (+4)
INT: 12 (+1)  - WIS: 14 (+2)  -  CHA: 10 (+0)
            
Saving Throws Dex +4, Str +6, Wis +4
Skills: Perception +4
Senses: Dark Vision 60ft. passive Perception 14
Languages: Understands common and any spoken by rider, can't speak

ACTIONS
Fangs. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:  (2d6 + 4) piercing damage.
Tail Swipe. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit:  (1d10 + 4) bludgeoning damage.

, and a

Dire Bird

Dire Bird
Armor Class 19
Hit Points: 50
Speed 25 ft., fly 80 ft.

STR: 14 (+2)   - DEX: 20 (+5)   - CON:12 (+1)
INT: 8 (-1)  - WIS: 12 (+1)  -  CHA: 12 (+1)
            
Saving Throws Dex +7, Wis +3, Cha +3
Skills: Perception +3
Senses: Dark Vision 60ft. passive Perception 13
Languages: Understands common and any spoken by rider, can't speak

ACTIONS
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:  (1d8 + 2) piercing damage.
Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit:  (1d8 + 2) slashing damage.

-The PCs will be an established team at the beginning of the game, having trained together at the outpost for at least 2 two years, so make sure your character's backstory can account for that time (i.e. no brand new arrivals just meeting the group for the first time). Exact relationships and prior connections can be worked out once the party has been finalized.

-Finalized character sheets should be presented in a format that can easily be shared and linked. My preference is for Mythweavers, though DnD beyond and other such services can be used as well. I don't really like Google docs, but if it's the only thing you have access to/know how to use that's fine.

[pdragon]

Links

Lore

[AndyZ]

Definitely interested.

[shengami]

OKay, that's a ton of lore to digest, but tentatively interested. I've got time coming up, so I'll be digesting before I throw together a character.

At 2023-03-31 08:35:20, shengami (uid: 26933) rolls: 4d6k3 Result: 13
At 2023-03-31 08:35:17, shengami (uid: 26933) rolls: 4d6k3 Result: 13
At 2023-03-31 08:35:10, shengami (uid: 26933) rolls: 4d6k3 Result: 6
At 2023-03-31 08:34:56, shengami (uid: 26933) rolls: 4d6k3 Result: 12
At 2023-03-31 08:34:42, shengami (uid: 26933) rolls: 4d6k3 Result: 11
At 2023-03-31 08:34:25, shengami (uid: 26933) rolls: 4d6k3 Result: 16

Yeesh, I may take the points buy then. I don't like a stat that gimped. Well, I flowed with it and stole Jay's format. Always worth it to steal a good format.

Glynwraek Casilltenirra
High Elf Male
Wizard (School of Transmutation) 3
Background: Haunted One
Age: 187
Mount: Dire Bird, Llunae

Backstory

Glyn was born in Jo'Dariel to refugees of Ode. So, of course, that meant that the suffering was not done. But it was at this time that Glyn started to learn the arcan arts from his father and mother, both accomplished mages. When Glyn was a child, the orcs invaded. His family fled though his father was lost. The family ended up in Wyrmfell for a time then the countryside trying to find a place to scratch a living. They found themselves in service to a mysterious lord that many local feared. Desperate, they served in his home. Little did they know the lord was a vampire. Over a long period, the whole family grew sicker and sicker without explanation. The final night, Glyn's own sister attacked him in her frenzy as a new vampire. Desperate and scared, Glyn managed to escape before he could be completely changed as well. What became of his mother, he dos not know.

Glyn fled again. This time, he took advantage of the hordes of people flocking to Aardia to investigate the newly revealed lands beneath the mists. In Aardia, there was the Starshine Academy in which Glyn found refuge for a time. The ability to continue his training was welcomed, but a fire for vengeance burned in him. He also wanted to explore the continent below in search for any ancient cure for his currently enfeebled state. Thus, after the war when their numbers were desperate, Glyn took the chance to join the Sky Knights. It was more hard work than he had ever done in his life, but he made it despite his lack of physical power.

Personality basics: Driven, vengeful, but basically a good person. Has no respect for the laws that have failed to protect him. Capable of extreme focus and the decisions that go along with it.

[FoxgirlJay]

Interested! Will work up a character idea!

At 2023-03-31 08:20:47, FoxgirlJay (uid: 63104) rolls: 4d6k3 Result: 14
At 2023-03-31 08:20:58, FoxgirlJay (uid: 63104) rolls: 4d6k3 Result: 12
At 2023-03-31 08:21:01, FoxgirlJay (uid: 63104) rolls: 4d6k3 Result: 10
At 2023-03-31 08:21:04, FoxgirlJay (uid: 63104) rolls: 4d6k3 Result: 12
At 2023-03-31 08:21:07, FoxgirlJay (uid: 63104) rolls: 4d6k3 Result: 9
At 2023-03-31 08:21:09, FoxgirlJay (uid: 63104) rolls: 4d6k3 Result: 15

Working on Kaz Sunbeam, an Aasimar Horizon Walker Ranger. She was once a member of the City Watch, but her exploits and talents earned her a chance to join the Sky Knights. I shall expand more, when I have more time to write.

https://ddb.ac/characters/97236019/O1HNHz

[Hexed]

Well that will be an interesting read after work.

Not often you get to start with a wyvern mount after all.

[Rummy Tum Tum]

Hell yes. Here's my concept:

Concept: A Changeling artificer born into an air genasi settlement at one of Spire Mountain's peaks. He believes his purpose, gifted from Ava when she made him a Changeling in the womb, is to create life. Only he does so by creating advanced constructs that accompany him and his Dire Bird, Ramsey, on their journey into Knighthood.

Class/Race: Changeling Battlemaster Artificer 3
Age: 27
Sheet: Here
Mount: Ramsey the Dire Bird
Homonculus: Bertie the Hummingbird Construct
Steel Defender: Boxy the Punching Construct

Backstory: Coros Yrjinn was born in the Kazekokuan colony atop the Spire Mountains. His neighbors and kin were air genasi who dwelled near the top of one of the Mountains, in a settlement named Wind's Peak. It was a humble settlement, especially by Kazekokuan standards. The hobbies of choice were throwing boomerangs, playing Sky Knights and Traitors, and seeing how long you could levitate off the side of a cliff before losing your nerve. The first two, Coros was good at. The latter, not so much.

When he stepped out to take the levi-challenge he nearly plummeted to his death. And when his kin caught him they nearly dropped him out of shock. His skin had shifted from blue to paper white and all that remained of his face were beady black eyes.

That day, he learned he was one of Ava's chosen: a Changeling. And he was born in Aard, no less, among the race who most devoutly worshiped Aardia, Goddess of Wind. Needless to say, his people had mixed feelings about this unexpected fork in puberty road. Some likened him to Aardia Herself, being born different out of Ava's will as Aardia was born from Her breath. Some thought him unfit to live in Wind's Peak and unsafe to be around lest Ava turn more air genasi into land-locked creatures such as him. In all cases, they agreed that he was chosen for a reason. Unfortunately, that reason was...murky.

As he reached adulthood, he resolved that his purpose as a child of Ava the Lifebringer was to bring life to the world through procreation. Sadly, the theory was swiftly shot down by the settlement's clerics. He wondered if it was due to the big misconception about Changelings breeding more Changelings and not "perverse nonsense" as they said. He would never truly know for sure.

With that path muddied, he instead turned to what a Kazekokuan should know best: technology. He would create life, just not the kind formed of flesh and bone. He traveled to Kezekoku proper and he studied, tinkered, and worked his ass off to create increasingly advanced constructs. In time, he built a bird-like homunculus, Bertie, with sustainable flight capability. And yet he craved more. He craved purpose for his creations besides following his mundane commands. And shamefully, he coveted Bertie's ability to fly more by the day. Until it stung like the mockery of his cousins and neighbors.

The solution came together all at once: a path that would lead him to the skies; a duty that would give his creations meaning; and enough glory to turn heads once he was ready to settle down and try that procreation theory out. He would join the Sky Knights!

...Gods, even with his constructs friends, the training kicked his ass in more ways than he could count.

Personality: Airheaded and trusting when it comes to socializing, he is an affable sort who prefers jokes, flirting, teasing, and pranks to serious topics of debate. Liable to talk your ear off about all things automaton, and even more liable to take risky flight patterns for the thrill of it. Wholeheartedly believes that educated folk who talk like fancy snobs are usually dimmer than they let on.

Goals:
To fly like an eagle and travel far and wide
To rebuild the glory of the Sky Knights
To learn the ways and beliefs of Ava's various followers and to meet other Changelings
To make a home for all his future creations. He dreams of a day when his constructs can run their own settlement like a much friendlier version of the Smer

Hobbies: Tinkering; practicing fancy Feather Fall landings; playing pranks; roleplaying; training with his constructs; and studying faces/personalities (to inspire Changeling personas/construct quirks).

Favorite Faces

(Feminine forms are futas)

Aasimar

Human

Half-Orc

Elf

Shifter

Satyr

Smutty Stuff

Orientation: Prettysexual
Character Ons: Transformation, Topping, Toys, Breeding (or Breeding Play), Marking, Cumplay, Group, Aftercare
Character Offs: Bottoming, Bathroom Play, Brutality, Receiving Humiliation, NonCon (unless roleplaying)

[FoxgirlJay]

After seeing Rummy and Shen's rolls, I'm not feeling so bad about mine now. Woof.

[Rummy Tum Tum]

High highs, low lows 8-)

(The highs ain't high enough to be worth it tho >.> )

[shengami]

I rolled with it and worked it into my backstory. Some kind of vampiric blood curse that saps his strength. So, of course, he's a wizard seeking a cure. A transmuter to be exact. Light on offense, heavy of utility. Planning to take the dire bird mount because DIRE BIRD. A big chunk of the starting 600 will be sunk into my spellbook and some reagents.

GM-sama: quick question, what is your ruling on identify? Does it consume the pearl?

[FoxgirlJay]

Anything lower than a 7 is unkeepable, I think. Unless it's a special kinda game.

... unless you're crazy like Shen I guess.

I may not be GM-Sama, but, rules as written, Identify doesn't consume the Pearl. Spells which consume reagents will specifically state its consumed. A spell like Simulacrum say it consumes the 1500g ruby, for example.

[Rummy Tum Tum]

I rolled with it and worked it into my backstory. Some kind of vampiric blood curse that saps his strength. So, of course, he's a wizard seeking a cure. A transmuter to be exact. Light on offense, heavy of utility. Planning to take the dire bird mount because DIRE BIRD. A big chunk of the starting 600 will be sunk into my spellbook and some reagents.

Hehe nice.

I'm also going for the bird. I knew it the moment I saw it in the banner lol

[shengami]

Anything lower than a 7 is unkeepable, I think. Unless it's a special kinda game.

... unless you're crazy like Shen I guess.

I may not be GM-Sama, but, rules as written, Identify doesn't consume the Pearl. Spells which consume reagents will specifically state its consumed. A spell like Simulacrum say it consumes the 1500g ruby, for example.

It's a roleplaying challenge. Besides, dump stats are a thing. It's a curse! I may be able to fix it! But it's just fun to roll with things sometimes.

[Hexed]

A horrid curse!  Just have to capture and experiment on vampires seeking the cure.

[Rummy Tum Tum]

@Pdragon Can we sell our starting gear while buying gear with our funds? Wanna fully replace a weapon and armor set

[pdragon]

@Shengami
As Jay said, it wouldn't consume the materials

@Rummy
Sure, that's fine with me.

[queenkam234]

ddb.ac/characters/97239472/mdeUvp


Here's my character idea for a Human Warlock who's Neutral Good:
Emerra LaGrange: The third of five daughters to two farmers in a small Voltanian village, Emerra seemed destined for a life of mediocrity - until one day she, on a dare from her friends, ended up venturing into the old catacombs next to town. Within, she discovered an orb, one imbued with the soul of a minor demon. Impressed by the young girl's insolence, the demon offered her powers, ones that could help her get away from the stifling reality of village life. Being a young child at the time, Emerra accepted, which was also the moment elders of the village ran inside, warned by the other kids. Since then, Emerra was pushed to use her newfound powers for the good of the village, although that often consisted of things like using her illusions to entertain the youths, particularly as she continued getting older and her powers began to get stronger. Still somewhat unsatisfied with life in the village, Emerra would have likely stayed there if a recruiter from the Academy hadn't chanced upon her village, hearing rumors of a girl who made a pact with a demon. She ended up studying for a number of years at the Academy, but being dissatisfied with the rules and regulations of scholastic life, she set off for the Sky Knights, remembering the stories her parents told her about them in her youth.

[FoxgirlJay]

Alright, a bunch of work done. Still have 300g more to spend, and maybe some touch ups to make on her. But, Kaz is mostly done!

Kaz Sunbeam
Aasimar Female
Horizon Walker Ranger 3
Background: City Watch
Age: 23
Mount: Akatrix, Wyvern.

Backstory
Kaz Sunbeam, born in Aard! Growing up, she was a problem child. Getting in to fights, climbing and messing with things she shouldn't be. Once she was old enough, her parents finally found a proper outlet for all of her excess energy. Thus, Kaz was sent off to boot camp. She found the whole thing to be a great adventure, but getting used to following orders had been a difficult thing. Kaz had to grow in to having a sense of duty, but eventually found that work as City Watch was fulfilling. Helping and protecting others, amongst a group of fairly likeminded individuals. The life of a soldier, even one in garrison, is filled with competition and comraderie, both things Kaz greatly enjoyed.

After some years in the guard, with skilled service and making a name for herself, the red-headed aasimar was offered up, when the Sky Knights were recruiting. And so, for the last few years, she has been with a new group of comrades. Fighting, learning, and getting stronger.

Personality basics: Rowdy, competitive, likes to push her limits. Dutiful, brave. Flirty, in the strange way soldiers develop.

[Revelation]

This is very much of interest to me now that I have free time. If there is still space it seems the group needs someone a bit more martially/melee inclined. Maybe a fighter? I'd say paladin but I'm already playing two of them elsewhere and as much as I love the class tripling down is pretty heavy.

[Angie]

Got room for more? I'm interested in any sort of 5e really. So many character concepts I wanna roll but never get the chance to!

[pdragon]

Yep, I'm open to about 10ish submissions before I'll start cutting it off. I just don't want to be in a situation where there's like 12+ applications for only 4 or 5 spots.

[Revelation]

I'll be submitting a fighter (cavalier) when I'm home from shopping.

Editing rolled stats here

15
15
14
12
11
11

[Angie]

Yep, I'm open to about 10ish submissions before I'll start cutting it off. I just don't want to be in a situation where there's like 12+ applications for only 4 or 5 spots.

In that case, before I get too deep, I'm reading over the setting details and I don't see anything custom about Halflings, regular ol' Lightfoot Halfling okay?

[Laughing Hyena]

Before I submit something pdragon, would you accept the Oath of Love Paladin by Pointy Hat?