Orc looking for adventure

[Andronica]

I can't speak for the others but given my lack of experience in D&D as a system and the nature of the initial pitch, freeform would be the direction I'm most comfortable with.

[Gadrai]

I can't speak for the others but given my lack of experience in D&D as a system and the nature of the initial pitch, freeform would be the direction I'm most comfortable with.

Yeah I agree with this. I personally just have no idea about DnD. That said, I'm not adverse to being inspired by the lore etc.

[Andronica]

Yeah I agree with this. I personally just have no idea about DnD. That said, I'm not adverse to being inspired by the lore etc.

Exactly. I'm interested in writing a fantasy story with similar elements and lore but not in Faerun necessarily, for example.

Edit: and minus the stats and XP. I'm not totally adverse to dice rolls if used sparingly to add some flavour to certain encounters. Though I can go without.

[Cold Heritage]

The post-plague setting that Hairy broached works for me. We can collaborate to flesh that out and I think we could all have a good time.

I don't think entering Ed Greenwood's Magical Realm (i.e. Faerun) would be of any great benefit for what's forming here.

[Andronica]

Yeah, I just meant leaning into homebrew fantasy rather than campaign settings from D&D or the like.

[Isengrad]

The setting that heretic put forward is very interesting. I do like the Idea of a Nation Floatilla. Freeform seems to be the consensus and gives a lot of freedom to play around with just RP concepts. Druids circles, Orders of warriors, street level thieves. If you want to go dungeon crawling or stuff like that it's less about class and more about what roll you want your character to fill. Druid healers or tanks, rogues with a divine or natural bend to provide healing, all sorts of fun ideas.

[HairyHeretic]

What about the religious side of things? You know, for the divine crowd. Do gods exist? Are we in a sort of Dragonlance situation post-Cataclysm and they've gone silent? Are divine empowered just sort of like wizards with religious trappings but no definitive proof of the existence of the deities they worship?

I had an idea to play as a cleric or paladin of sweet baby Pelor (or whomever the sun god of the setting happens to be, so long as they're good).

I hadn't got that far in working out details yet. It would make sense for there to be little to no godly magic, as clerics healing would probably have been fairly effective in dealing with the plagues.

What does everyone else think?

  If you decide to use an actual D&D, Pathfinder, or similar system please let me know.  5th edition is pretty approachable for newbies and seems to be heavily inspiring some of you already. 

  I'm not 100% adverse to freeform but I've already got a lot of irons in the fire and don't necessarily want to start another freeform.  (I might change my mind.  This is a great group...)

The original ask was freeform, but inspired by D&D, so that's what I've been focusing on.

[Isengrad]

Virulent or magical plague is a popular trope in fantasy games. The idea there being it's either resistant to normal magic and requires a magguffin, or it is virulent enough to outpace the low number of magical healers.

The second seems in line with the idea of little to no divine magic in the sense that while many would feel the call to religion that most Churches are made of of mundane clergy with only a few receiving the divine light to cast spells and effect healing and restoration.

For this world in particular it could be that those cities that survived were either separated far enough from major populations and trade routes to stave off infection or were home to the seat of a gods power in that world.

I guess think on the origin of the plague. Was it born of Nature, a flu virus mutated enough to tear through the worlds population until it was to low to sustain infection rates? or was it created by a creature or being out of spite for the world of the living, a foul necromancer, a mad artificer or a warlock bound in the service of some dark forgotten god?

[HairyHeretic]

Virulent or magical plague is a popular trope in fantasy games. The idea there being it's either resistant to normal magic and requires a magguffin, or it is virulent enough to outpace the low number of magical healers.

The second seems in line with the idea of little to no divine magic in the sense that while many would feel the call to religion that most Churches are made of of mundane clergy with only a few receiving the divine light to cast spells and effect healing and restoration.

That'd work.

For this world in particular it could be that those cities that survived were either separated far enough from major populations and trade routes to stave off infection or were home to the seat of a gods power in that world.

I guess think on the origin of the plague. Was it born of Nature, a flu virus mutated enough to tear through the worlds population until it was to low to sustain infection rates? or was it created by a creature or being out of spite for the world of the living, a foul necromancer, a mad artificer or a warlock bound in the service of some dark forgotten god?

Legend has it the plagues only came about after the mysterious ruins were uncovered. Of course, when the world is falling apart, separating fact from story becomes rather more difficult. At this time, no one really knows, but there are hundreds of theories.

[Gadrai]

I hadn't got that far in working out details yet. It would make sense for there to be little to no godly magic, as clerics healing would probably have been fairly effective in dealing with the plagues.

What does everyone else think?

I think there's some truth to that, however, you could write your way around that if you wanted to. Depending on what the source and nature of the plague is, you could make the point that healing magic doesn't work against it. Perhaps because the plague is rooted in magic itself or a curse, or a mixture of alchemy and blood magic. Blood magic would probably be strictly forbidden and practictoners are penalized by death, and basically paladins, priests and the like are barred from learning about blood magic anywhere and so they have no means to counter the plague. Maybe blood magic is only known by some sort of dark mage/fell priest/other acolyte and they are the ones that have created it in an effort to... Well, that would be part of the plot, wouldn't it? And these blood magic users might be servants to the "big bad" in the story? I'm just riffing here, but I just mean that if we want to include deities and paladins and priests and other holy classes, we'd have to give the plague a "workaround" so that it had been allowed to run through the lands unchecked and unstoppable.

Really, if we do this freeform, the sky is the limit and it's all about brainstorming to find a solution. But yeah, these were just a few suggestions off the top of my head.

Speaking of plot... We'll need a main goal for our adventurers. Obvious one is stopping the plague, I'm thinking, but, depending on the scale of the story, we could have a lot of sub-plots. Artifacts we'll need, equipment, etc. Maybe we have to do someone a favour, in order to gain some information, etc, etc. Sky's the limit!


I just now read Isengrad's post and realise I've said basically the same, lol.

Hope you're all having a good Sunday so far!

[Andronica]

I think there's some truth to that, however, you could write your way around that if you wanted to. Depending on what the source and nature of the plague is, you could make the point that healing magic doesn't work against it. Perhaps because the plague is rooted in magic itself or a curse, or a mixture of alchemy and blood magic. Blood magic would probably be strictly forbidden and practictoners are penalized by death, and basically paladins, priests and the like are barred from learning about blood magic anywhere and so they have no means to counter the plague. Maybe blood magic is only known by some sort of dark mage/fell priest/other acolyte and they are the ones that have created it in an effort to... Well, that would be part of the plot, wouldn't it? And these blood magic users might be servants to the "big bad" in the story? I'm just riffing here, but I just mean that if we want to include deities and paladins and priests and other holy classes, we'd have to give the plague a "workaround" so that it had been allowed to run through the lands unchecked and unstoppable.

Really, if we do this freeform, the sky is the limit and it's all about brainstorming to find a solution. But yeah, these were just a few suggestions off the top of my head.

Speaking of plot... We'll need a main goal for our adventurers. Obvious one is stopping the plague, I'm thinking, but, depending on the scale of the story, we could have a lot of sub-plots. Artifacts we'll need, equipment, etc. Maybe we have to do someone a favour, in order to gain some information, etc, etc. Sky's the limit!


I just now read Isengrad's post and realise I've said basically the same, lol.

Hope you're all having a good Sunday so far!

I agree 100%! There's so much potential for plot and character development here, I'm pretty excited.

We can think up a way for CH's cleric or paladin to have divine magic and deities in this world for it to make sense, given the collaborative nature of this narrative. :)

(I'm still waffling badly on what kind of character to make so I might whip up a couple options based on who else shows interest/pitches character concepts)

[Isengrad]

I've been doing A LOT of system games and i think I could use a group freeform based in fantasy. Fuck I could always bring in a Teifling Version of my Draenei Warrior(Actually have Ref picture for him as well. Next to my Horse he is my Longest running OC)

[Andronica]

That would be fantastic! I'm finding a lot of Draenei art that can pass for Tieflings, too.

Speaking of the group dynamic, what's the general preference for how big or small this band of adventurers is? 6 sounds like a good number to provide variation to the roles, but I'm pretty flexible if we want a larger group, or to wait and see how many show interest.

[Gadrai]

That would be fantastic! I'm finding a lot of Draenei art that can pass for Tieflings, too.

Speaking of the group dynamic, what's the general preference for how big or small this band of adventurers is? 6 sounds like a good number to provide variation to the roles, but I'm pretty flexible if we want a larger group, or to wait and see how many show interest.

When I posted this, 6 was the number I had in my head as well. In a freeform, that seems the manageable maximum. At least, in my experience it takes a very dedicated and skilled GM to manage 10 (or more) players/writers in freeform.

I'm very excited as well!

[Andronica]

I found a lovely Dalish elf who could pass as a Spring Eladrin from the Emerald Enclave! I may go with a druid rather than celestial warlock depending on if CH's cleric/paladin is more fighty or heal-y.

[Gadrai]

Definitely digging that elf! Very cool!

[Isengrad]

Yeah, the Tiefling(Draenei) Warrior[{NSFW} is certainly on my list. I have a few more ideas bouncing around my head. I can always bring a Equine or Minotaur. I also absolutely love world building(kicking around two worlds in my head myself, have to get them down on world anvil sooner or later.)

[HairyHeretic]

Just keep in mind that the plagues happened centuries ago. They're backstories for why the world is in the state it is now, rather than an ongoing threat.

Probably  >:)

And yes, 6 players sounds a reasonable amount to be starting with.

Next consideration, what kind of proportion of story/smut are people looking for, and what limitations (ie what board do we pop it into)?

[Cold Heritage]

If we are on board with having gods and divine magic, I'm fond of taking a page from Dragonlance and having the gods turning their face away from the world as a result of opening the ancient tombs. When the plague hits, the gods are not intervening because there was a covenant with mortals (that they've forgotten about or decided to break for whatever reason - maybe someone theorized that the ancient tombs contained the secret to achieving godhood and decided to seize apotheosis) that's now broken. Divine magic is withdrawn. Maybe some gods wanted to intervene but the others wouldn't let them. People might theorize that two centuries passed since the plague was first unleash but the figure could be way off and it's actually been longer and only now have the gods turned their faces back to the world.

Alternatively, following the model where gods are empowered by the prayers and belief, the plague just killed people too quickly and the gods did intervene, but were so depowered from the mass loss of worship that things played out just as they mysteriously did in history.

Either way, the important thing is that even though there are gods and other divine beings kicking around they are silent on the matter of the plague beyond that it happened in the past and they have agendas they want to enact in the world.

I'm probably leaning towards a magic based cleric now given that Gadrai's orc strikes me as a fighting type and if Isengrad's got a warrior then having a paladin is mostly redundant.

I emphatically want to play a character that is a good person out to help others. He would try to get along with the other members of the party and ignore a fair amount of slights and barbs in the name of jolly cooperation.

As for the proportion of story/smut I am looking for primarily story, and I prefer this to be a Light content game.

[Andronica]

Personally, I'm looking for a story focus over smut. I'm eager to see how the group interacts (how long have they known each other, are there playful rivalries etc) as friendship, romance or purely lustful interactions go down, but I prefer when it fits realistic character development instead of just happening for the sake of it.

I don't shy from adult or dark themes so I expect plenty of that here, just .. I want it to make sense. So nothing Extreme unless we're talking a violent fight. Probably Light/Bondage forum.

[Gadrai]

Just keep in mind that the plagues happened centuries ago. They're backstories for why the world is in the state it is now, rather than an ongoing threat.

Probably  >:)

And yes, 6 players sounds a reasonable amount to be starting with.

Next consideration, what kind of proportion of story/smut are people looking for, and what limitations (ie what board do we pop it into)?

Sure, but there's no reason why an ancient artifact couldn't be disturbed that is somehow related to the plague, is unearthed? :D
Or a blood cult decides to bring about a second wave, centuries later, because fuck the world, right?

I guess we'll see  ::)

Personally, I am much more interested in story, for something like this. I'm not at all adverse to smut, I just think it's there to add some... uh... color? To it all.. Like, I would get bored if every time they reach a tavern or make camp, they go to town on each other, lol.

If we are on board with having gods and divine magic, I'm fond of taking a page from Dragonlance and having the gods turning their face away from the world as a result of opening the ancient tombs. When the plague hits, the gods are not intervening because there was a covenant with mortals (that they've forgotten about or decided to break for whatever reason - maybe someone theorized that the ancient tombs contained the secret to achieving godhood and decided to seize apotheosis) that's now broken. Divine magic is withdrawn. Maybe some gods wanted to intervene but the others wouldn't let them. People might theorize that two centuries passed since the plague was first unleash but the figure could be way off and it's actually been longer and only now have the gods turned their faces back to the world.

Alternatively, following the model where gods are empowered by the prayers and belief, the plague just killed people too quickly and the gods did intervene, but were so depowered from the mass loss of worship that things played out just as they mysteriously did in history.

Either way, the important thing is that even though there are gods and other divine beings kicking around they are silent on the matter of the plague beyond that it happened in the past and they have agendas they want to enact in the world.

I'm probably leaning towards a magic based cleric now given that Gadrai's orc strikes me as a fighting type and if Isengrad's got a warrior then having a paladin is mostly redundant.

I emphatically want to play a character that is a good person out to help others. He would try to get along with the other members of the party and ignore a fair amount of slights and barbs in the name of jolly cooperation.

As for the proportion of story/smut I am looking for primarily story, and I prefer this to be a Light content game.

I am very excited to see what you come up with, Cold Heritage!

Personally, I'm looking for a story focus over smut. I'm eager to see how the group interacts (how long have they known each other, are there playful rivalries etc) as friendship, romance or purely lustful interactions go down, but I prefer when it fits realistic character development instead of just happening for the sake of it.

I don't shy from adult or dark themes so I expect plenty of that here, just .. I want it to make sense. So nothing Extreme unless we're talking a violent fight. Probably Light/Bondage forum.

Yeah, I agree with this.
Speaking of violence, are we required to put the thread in a specific forum, if there's a certain amount of gore and blood and stuff like that?

[Andronica]

I think the board ratings are related to sexual content only.

[Kuroneko]

I think the board ratings are related to sexual content only.

I think the board ratings apply to all content, myself. If I plan to have a lot of gore and violence in a story, I always put them in extreme.

[Gadrai]

If we're in doubt, I'm thinking an admin/staff member could help. Otherwise, we should be able to find this somewhere in the rules. It's been years since I read them, lol.

[Andronica]

True! Though we could err on the side of caution and put this in Extreme in case things like gratuitous violence/anything really visceral counts toward the rating.