Elves, Mages, and Dragons, oh my! (Interest Check)

Started by Rhaegar14, October 27, 2011, 03:18:28 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Rhaegar14

In the real world, I am currently running a D&D 3.5e campaign in a custom setting. The name I have for it is "Slayer-Dragon War", but that's hardly appropriate anymore and needs to be revamped. Rough setting background is as follows:

For thousands of years, dragonkind has been the dominant species of the world. With their physical might, all but immortal lifespan, psionic abilities ((I'll get to that)), and miraculous quality of growing stronger with nothing more but age, few could challenge them for dominance. One by one, other nations were subjugated, assimilated, or destroyed. Until the dragons went to war with the elves.

The elves, at first, fought the dragons like any other race; desperately, with mundane means, and little chance for victory. Seeing the elves' plight, the ancient nature spirits of the world approached them with a proposition; wield their power in battle against the dragons, and in exchange use it to protect the forests and other natural places of the world. Thus were the first druids born. Using this newfound power, the elves were able to fight the dragons to a stalemate, and the two races have been warring on-and-off for the centuries to follow.

But the elves and the dragons are not the only players in this tale.

For as long as anyone could remember, humans were slaves to dragonkind. It was mostly a symbiotic relationship; the draconic masters were typically kind to their charges, and the humans' quality of life was vastly improved by the arrangement... when the dragons first found them, humans were living in caves and hardly even knew what fire was.

However, "typically" and "always" are not the same. A few decades ago, a young man by the name of Ecthelion came into the possession of a particularly cruel and sadistic dragon. When the opportunity was presented to him, Ecthelion fled, disappearing into the wilderness.

The human eventually came upon a cave, dug into the side of a hill in a forest. Within, he found an old hag, who was kind enough to him. He told her his story, and of the plight of the human race... for all of the kindnesses in the world could not change the fact that they were enslaved. Still, it was hopeless. The humans could not hope to fight the dragons.

The hag's face spread into a wide grin. She asked Ecthelion if he would do anything it took to give his people the power to fight back. Ecthelion agreed without a moment's hesitation. She cackled, her voice warping as she transformed into a huge, horrific demon before his eyes. "Very well. I hereby grant you the power to fight against your draconic masters. But know, Ecthelion, that there will one day be a price..."

The boy passed out. When he came to, the demon was gone, and the cave was filled with bookshelves. So Ecthelion studied for years, before finally returning to the home of his former master. With a gesture and a word, he destroyed the dragon utterly. Thus, humans gained the ability to wield the arcane.

With Ecthelion leading them, mankind rebelled. They won a few easy victories at first, before the dragons knew the very real threat they suddenly posed, and claimed a few draconic cities. They named the first, where Ecthelion first destroyed his master, Dragonfall.

Since then, the elves and humans have been at an uneasy peace, and while formally at war with the dragons, there have not been any real battles for some time.


The campaign I am running starts with the celebration of an alliance struck between the humans and the elves, and the largest draconic army ever seen commencing an invasion of the elven lands.

What I would like to do is flesh out some of the history between this point, which is a decade or two after the original rebellion, and the point where the humans won their freedom. I would also like to flesh out some details about the world as a whole, and the infrastructure of the human, elven, and draconic nations. I would like to do this by running a roleplay of some sort here on E.

The format of the roleplay depends on how much and what kind of interest I get. At this point, I'm open to suggestions. This will not necessarily be D&D, for the record.

Edit: Small note. Dragons have psionics because in this campaign world, only humans can use arcane magic. But most dragons can cast as a Sorcerer of some level. To compensate for this, I gave them psionics instead.
Pretty much scrapped my signature because everything in it is hilariously out of date. I might work on fixing that eventually.

Robyn Hood

What type of game, what section were you thinking this game would be in?

Rhaegar14

Extreme, simply because I don't like to limit people in a group rp.
Pretty much scrapped my signature because everything in it is hilariously out of date. I might work on fixing that eventually.

vyttor

Been looking for some fantasy gaming for a while and I like your concept. I think I can come up with a general character concept. I'm very familiar with DnD 3/3.5, if you eventually decide to follow on that.
-------------------------------------------------------------
I am sworn by the Oath of the Drake
----------------------------------------------------------------

Karasu

SEEKING Undertale/Deltarune RP, PM to discuss details.

Zaer Darkwail

I am also familiar with 3.5 DnD and also would like roleplay a dragon (as I would like get hands on psionics!). But if that's not possible then question; are there draconic humans or half-dragons and what kind powers they use compared they have heritage of both parents?

Also I could play as human if we need choose either elf or human. Are warlocks allowed if this goes to 3.5 DnD? As it sounds pretty much start of warlocks among humans (along demonic sorcery). Anyways the premise is interesting.

Maccus

Count me in if you want a classic wood elf ranger.
~We are but shadows, and dust.~

Rhaegar14

Quote from: Zaer Darkwail on November 03, 2011, 09:18:04 AM
I am also familiar with 3.5 DnD and also would like roleplay a dragon (as I would like get hands on psionics!). But if that's not possible then question; are there draconic humans or half-dragons and what kind powers they use compared they have heritage of both parents?

Also I could play as human if we need choose either elf or human. Are warlocks allowed if this goes to 3.5 DnD? As it sounds pretty much start of warlocks among humans (along demonic sorcery). Anyways the premise is interesting.

Humans get all of the arcane classes; Wizard, Sorcerer, Bard, Warlock, Warmage, Wu Jen.

As for Psionics, some loyal humans were rewarded by their masters with the "Gift of the Dragon." This is statistically identical to becoming a Dragonborn of Bahamut, and Dragonborncan have levels in Psionic classes.
Pretty much scrapped my signature because everything in it is hilariously out of date. I might work on fixing that eventually.

Zaer Darkwail

Ahaa, ok. Dragonborn is nice race, do they enjoy sex or are they still completely shut down from any sexual desires? I assume they become sterile when they transform but otherwise have parts of their gender intact.

vyttor

No elf bard or wizard? I have a couple of ideas going that way. But I can move on to the third one. Which is also going to be an elf, anyway. Hehehe
-------------------------------------------------------------
I am sworn by the Oath of the Drake
----------------------------------------------------------------

Magic Fingers

If there's room, I'd be interested in playing a human wizard.

If the campaign were to use, say, the Warriors & Warlocks book for Mutants & Masterminds, I've got two concepts to bring to the table.
1) A wizard as mentioned above, one who specialized in teleportation magics to help move supplies from camp to camp.  Think Blink from the Exiles comic book on a large scale.

2) An Elf who's gift from nature was such a strong link with nature he could become a sentient plant being (kind of a pointy eared Swamp Thing).

Tagan

I'll gladly play an Elven Druid...  ex-dragon slave background... DnD 3.5 is my preference for this.

Let me know if I should write up a sheet and background?

Rhaegar14

Okay, in order:

Vyttor: No elven arcanists. It's part of the world. A half-elf raised among elves, however...

Fingers: Idea number two is fine; shapeshifying is a big part of Druidic magic, and they can shift into plants (at later levels, though I don't think I'll run this D&D). For the first one, though, there's a complicated series of anti-teleportation wards encasing each kingdom, so when the Wizard got Teleport he couldn't rip all of my plans a new asshole. Teleportation would still be useful, butthere are limits; if you're still interested, I can elaborate.

Tagan: That would work, but the elves as a race were never enslaved; you'd have to have been a PoW or somesuch.
Pretty much scrapped my signature because everything in it is hilariously out of date. I might work on fixing that eventually.

Tagan

POW is what I had in mind.  I wanted an Elf with a little more connection to humans.

Karasu

SEEKING Undertale/Deltarune RP, PM to discuss details.

Rhaegar14

If I get enough players for the dragons to be playable, yes.
Pretty much scrapped my signature because everything in it is hilariously out of date. I might work on fixing that eventually.

Magic Fingers

Quote from: Rhaegar14 on November 05, 2011, 08:11:49 PM
Fingers: Idea number two is fine; shapeshifying is a big part of Druidic magic, and they can shift into plants (at later levels, though I don't think I'll run this D&D). For the first one, though, there's a complicated series of anti-teleportation wards encasing each kingdom, so when the Wizard got Teleport he couldn't rip all of my plans a new asshole. Teleportation would still be useful, butthere are limits; if you're still interested, I can elaborate.

Understandable.  Teleport is one ability that can utterly butt-rape well laid plans if used right.

Depending on the interest make-up, I can switch to something closer to human battlemage if we have more elven requests than human (which it seems we have).

vyttor

Ok... so, if this gets up, here's the main concept of what I'd play (of course, to be more closely adapted to the scenario you're proposing):

If we're using D&D rules
I'd play a sort of Elven knight/dragon slayer. Skilled in combat, loyal to his people and knowledgeable about dragons, since they are the main enemy. Honourable and very focused, not so much hating dragons but with an almost scientific approach to fighting them and almost sadistic pleasure in killing them if it ever comes to that.

If the system is not to be used
I'd play a human wizard... with a twist. Mainly, the idea is that he draws power from gemstones to do his magic. So his spellcasting would be limited to when he had something precious at hand, but he might be able to unleash great power through it if need be. Can be twisted and quirked as needed for the scenario, and there are a few personality traits I'd add (but not sure I should reveal these to every player before we start).
-------------------------------------------------------------
I am sworn by the Oath of the Drake
----------------------------------------------------------------

Tyrunea

Would one need any prior knowledge of D&D to participate here? ^^

Karasu

lemme knwo when dragons are good to go and ill make a char oki?
SEEKING Undertale/Deltarune RP, PM to discuss details.

Shaitan

I'm definitely interested.
Are monsterous races allowed beyond dragons, humans and elves?
I've been dying to try out a flind gnoll.

Else a variant of an elf with dragon's blood (draconic template, for those who aren't familiar it's a random spike in the character's genetics from say half bloods, or who knows possibly dragonborn who interbreeded.) focused on one animal companion a rules variant , check elven hounds from races of the wild. A social outcast is fine with either type of character, check dungeonscape for the dungeon ranger, though from the sound traps wouldn't be too much of a problem so may not be a need for it.

Pardon if I'm moving a little fast there. I tend more towards the quiet but enormously effective combat types crossed with the skill mongers.

Rhaegar14

No prior knowledge, because I'm definitely running this freeform with this many interested parties.

Vyttor: Both of those should be fine.

Shaitan: Come up with a backstory that gets a knoll with one of the factions, and you're fine. But I'm already using the Draconic template for the vast majority of the dragons' footsoldiers (mindless, brainwashed humans bound to their master's will).

Dragonborn are no longer asexual, Zaer. Forgot to touch on that.
Pretty much scrapped my signature because everything in it is hilariously out of date. I might work on fixing that eventually.

Zaer Darkwail

Ok, thanks for the info about dragonborns :). I think I likely roll with dragonborn commander but I would like more info regarding how dragonborns fit overall picture of dragon society compared to brainwashed fanatic draconic humans.

Rhaegar14

The draconic soldiers are zombies. They're mindless and have no free will; their condition is referred to as the "Curse of the Dragon." Humans are Cursed as a punishment, or just when they need soldiers.

Dragonborn, on the other hand, are officers and psionicists, because without intelligence the draconic soldiers can do neither. It's worth mentioning, however, that a good number of dragonborn rebelled with the humans.
Pretty much scrapped my signature because everything in it is hilariously out of date. I might work on fixing that eventually.

Tagan