In the Shadow of a Scarab (D&D 5E) [Full]

[Totoro]

In The Shadow of a Scarab

We live each of our days in the shadow of a scarab.

A self proclaimed God. An emperor. A Deity. Arkhan. A monster. The shadow that his lands cast is a golden thing, stretching out across leagues of land and burning at the throats of those who gaze upon it. The great desert rests at our border. But nature has no respect for the lines drawn by men. And one day the howling winds will blow and drown us in dust.

But for now, we endure. A Bastion. On the edge of our kingdom our gentle village stays alive. Because we must.

Game Overview

In the Shadow of a Scarab is a D&D 5E campaign set to start out at a small village called Bastion, on the edge of a kingdom in the Elusive Isles, a homebrew setting. That kingdom borders a vast desert ruled by the undead 'Scarab Lord' Arkhan. A figure of legend and terror that undead emperor hangs over the village as a permanent threat. Sand is considered a terrifying thing. Villagers regularly work pushing it back, creating a firm boarder between the grassy savannah on which they live and the desert that neighbours them. They do not leave because if they do so too would the next village, and the next, leaving the spread of the undead unchecked. Fortunately the undead rarely leave their deserts, but the townsfolk always fear the day that they do, or the day that the encroaching sand becomes impossible.

Life in the village is reasonably pleasant, save for the fear of what could happen. It's a simple enough place, regularly frequented by mercenaries and adventurers seeking to help defend from the undead, though those would be heroes often find that the task is more menial than heroic and move on to the deserts themselves. They are threatened by harpies in the mountains, but the town is well defended. The game will begin with a group of adventurers and mercenaries, some local and some having travelled, thrown into a relatively simple beginner-friendly adventure with elements of interaction, exploration and combat. There will then be an opportunity for the game to continue long term if it is working well.

Rules

• Content: This game will include graphic content, but not smut (In the main story threads.). It will be in Extreme but posts including heavy content will be tagged with a warning. Gory combat expected.
• Smut: This game is entirely focused on story. Player characters may form romantic relationships. I'm currently taking a break from writing smut but smut with NPC's may become an option.
• Writing: Third person past tense, 2+ paragraphs, spell check, proofread. Regular posting is important.
• Respect: By friendly and polite to each other OOC. IC drama and arguments can happen, just don't spill it over.
• Godmode: Don't, for any reason, take control of any other player or non player character. Don't assume their thoughts or actions.
• GM Rulings: I will try to be as fair as possible but sometimes DnD calls for GM rulings on situations. These are always final. That said this isn't intended to be a competitive D&D experience, the goal is collaborative storytelling not competition.

D&D Houserules

Levelling: Levelling for this game will be done via milestones rather than experience points.
Discord Combat: I am still debating this point and willing to listen to feedback and opinions. I am heavily considered pausing the posting when combat is entered, playing it out on discord, then re-commencing the game. Input accepted.

Character Creation

Who are the characters? A group who work with a local mercenary company to defend the small village called 'Bastion'. They can either be mercenaries or local heroes who work with them. Low level, inexperienced heroes. They are level one characters. This is the creation of the 'epic' portion of their backstory.

Characters for this game need to come from the Elusive Isles. Further reading on them is available here. My suggestion is to read the overviews, see what speaks to you, figure how they got here and chat with me. I'll find a way to make things workable. Some locations have been heavily expanded on, others haven't yet. The game itself is set on the boarder between Osbrire and the Great Desert in Kan'Tun. Your character cannot be from the desert itself as the game focuses on the fear of it if one is familiar with it that detracts from the mystery. If you have any questions I will be happy to answer. If you have no experience making a character and need help please have Discord. It makes the discussion far, far faster and easier for me to help.

Stats will be a standard array of 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8.

If you are interested in joining please fill out the form below and PM it to me. Feel free to state the kind of character you'd like to play in the recruitment thread and see if you can discuss with others. You can apply with similar characters but the chances are only one will get in. After we discuss your concept I am comfortable providing help completing CS's if it's needed. I'm only taking a maximum of one character from each class.

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[b]Player:[/b]
[b]Expected Posting Rate:[/b] (Going to need to be pretty regular)
[b]Feelings on Discord Combat:[/b]

[b]Character Name:[/b]
[b]Race:[/b]
[b]Class:[/b]
[b]General Description:[/b] Whether looks, personality traits or notable events just a few lines really selling me on the character concept. What makes them unique/interesting.


Acceptable Source Material

Please make sure you have access to a Player's Handbook. I cannot provide you with access to one. It will help a great deal with both character creation and playing the game in general. If you're new to D&D focus on Player Handbook material. All published material is an option. Please ask before using Unearthed Arcana sources. Most are likely acceptable.

F.A.Q

[Timeless]

-plants interest flag!- >-> You already know I'm interested! I'm thinking to make a cleric or a wizard, but.. I really have to read the handbook. I'm going to be extremely new to DnD. Kinda nervous but at the same time, so excited! >3<!

[Totoro]

-plants interest flag!- >-> You already know I'm interested! I'm thinking to make a cleric or a wizard, but.. I really have to read the handbook. I'm going to be extremely new to DnD. Kinda nervous but at the same time, so excited! >3<!

Glad to have the interest. Let me know if you have any questions  I can help with!

[Terian]

I am fond of 5th edition, I can give this a shot.

[Countdown0]

Interested. Gonna read through the PHB and try to decide what kind of class I'd like to play

[Ollumhammersong]

I might have a cool idea for a champion fighter. Was anyone else thinking of a fighter?

[Terian]

I might have a cool idea for a champion fighter. Was anyone else thinking of a fighter?

I was, but I can pivot to Paladin or Cleric without an issue.

Actually, I'll go Pally I think.  It's a class I'm familiar with at least.

That being said...  Well, don't hold your breath either, I'm very busy lately and might not have time to commit.

[Countdown0]

I think I'd be inclined to make a Warlock. Possibly a Sorcerer or Bard (leaning generally towards a Charisma based caster) but currently leaning towards a Warlock. Gonna put together a character idea for an application.

[pdragon]

The character app I sent in for anyone curious about party comp or just wanted to bounce ideas around. She's a fighter/barbarian depending on how the other party members pan out.

Player: pdragon
Expected Posting Rate: 3-4 per week
Feelings on Discord Combat: no prob

Character Name: Yara Aslander
Race: Human
Class: Fighter or Barbarian
General Description: A young woman born in Giant Country. Like most children she was taught the skills needed to flee the massive beasts that rampaged across their lands, however her family were members of a small, radical, foolhardy group that saw fit to actively fight back against them, and so was also trained to be a "giant slayer". As one would expect their efforts were a total disaster, with her parents being wiped out in their first attempted raid against a pack of cyclops'. This eye opening event inspired her to wipe her hands of the entire island, stowing away on the first ship she could find and sailing south, willing to take her chances with the undead rather than contend with the towering monsters of her homeland.

[Bevatoria]

Tentative interest.  I'm in the middle of moving but I have been hankering for playing a 5e game.

I'll see where I'm at in a couple of days (and if it's filled up by then, oh well :) )

[Totoro]

Tentative interest.  I'm in the middle of moving but I have been hankering for playing a 5e game.

I'll see where I'm at in a couple of days (and if it's filled up by then, oh well :) )

Heya,

Glad to have the interest. Game's not first come first served so it's not going to be filled in a couple of days.

[Bibliophilia]

-settles in to make my interest known and to ensure I get alerts when there's a post.-

Hi, guys!

[Bevatoria]

Pondering something ranged, be it a...Ranger...or maybe a leader of some kind, depending on if folks have certain cravings.

I'll whip up a couple of concepts and see if one sticks.

[Totoro]

I will point out I've basically had one app for a fighter/barbarian type and that's it. Everything else has been a spellcaster of some description.

[Totoro]

This game is currently full and I will be locking this thread. Thank you all for your interest. I couldn't accept everyone's CS in the end but I appreciate everyone's applications. I believe everyone should have received a PM letting them know either way. Thanks again!