[D&D 5e] Danger in Daggerford!

[Chulanowa]

A desperate plea for help comes to you; unknown vandals and dark beasts have assaulted a goodly temple to the northeast of Daggerford once already, and threaten to do so again. The clergy is poor, and the militia unwilling to aid. Unsure of where to turn, they've put out word for brave men and women to help in their time of need. Whether through benevolence, faith, or simple opportunity, you and your companions have decided to heed the call.



Hey there everyone! I've been wanting to run something "seasonal" for a while now, and what better time than October, and what better place to start than the Forgotten Realms? I'm hoping to run something a little fantasy, something a little spooky, and hopefully plenty of fun.

Is this a system game? Yes; I'm running this as a 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons game.

Are people unfamiliar with the system welcome? Sure! It's not too mechanically-heavy and i'd be happy to help out if you like.

What's the Setting? Daggerford is a "frontier town" in the Sword Coast region of Faerun, in the Forgotten Realms setting. If you're unfamiliar with all of that, no worries, I won't be leaning heavily on deep lore, knowledge, or Forgotten Realms metaplot or anything like that.

What sort of sexual content? Player-driven. That is, my NPC's won't be out to bed any of your characters, and I generally won't be setting up sexual situations or the like, BUT if your characters want to woo said NPCs, or each other, or do that sort of stuff? I'm open with it. However, for some other content - violence, monsters, horror themes, and the like - I'll be hosting this in the NC: Exotic section of the boards.

How many players? I want between four and six people for this game.

if that's all good, here's what I'm looking for in terms of "crunch" and character creation:


• Character Levels: We'll be starting at 1st level, and using the standard 27-point buy
• Alignment & Deity I'm looking for Good-aligned characters for this. I'm also hoping to align the assaulted church with the faith of at least one of the PC's; Lathander, Kelemvor, Chauntea, Denieth, even Yondalla could work out pretty well, but it's up to you!
• Classes & Backgrounds: Any published source is good, including Unearthed Arcana material (published takes precedence over UA, except for the Ranger class)
• Races: All published races are fine except the Underdark ones (Drow, Deurgar, Svirfneblin)
• Backgrounds: As sparse or in-depth as you like; I prefer three concise paragraphs personally, but your mileage may vary.
• Gender & Appearances: I am agnostic on what genders or orientations the characters are. I do ask though, that you not use anime / manga-style or photo images for your characters.



So, how about it? 

[Roman100]

Hey, I tried asking for a DM to run Curse of Strahd and got some responses from people who wanted to play.  I know it's not the same but maybe we could run Danger in Daggerford and continue sort of the horror/dreary theme and either move into CoS or just borrow from it (tbh the whole 'pocket dimension thing' always made me roll my eyes a little)?  They've got the same tone so if you're into the idea maybe our threads can join forces and figure something out?

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=311278.0

There's three players, myself, Green Goo Theory, and Uxi who gave a solid response to the idea.  What do you think?

[Angie]

I'd be down. Got a Sorceress in mind personally.

[AndyZ]

Pondering...

[Roman100]

Regardless of whether you wanted to do something long term I'm in for a male, human ranger.

[AgentAmbrose]

I'd be in as well! I've got a male human wizard I'd like to play, but if we need better party balance I have a female half-elf rogue on hand as well.

[Uxi]

I'm down as a human female noble that is undercover. A charismatic (or at least, thinks she is) swordsman!

[Green Goo Theory]

I don't think I've even heard of this story.  Am I just out of touch or is it a homebrew?  Either way...

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

[caelcormac]

I'm pondering a cleric or a pally, unless you think I'm being greedy Chulanowa

[Chulanowa]

I saw that! I thought about dropping you a line, but wasn't sure due to my general lack of smut content  If you're interested, they are very much in the same ahem, vein...

Hey, I tried asking for a DM to run Curse of Strahd and got some responses from people who wanted to play.  I know it's not the same but maybe we could run Danger in Daggerford and continue sort of the horror/dreary theme and either move into CoS or just borrow from it (tbh the whole 'pocket dimension thing' always made me roll my eyes a little)?  They've got the same tone so if you're into the idea maybe our threads can join forces and figure something out?

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=311278.0

There's three players, myself, Green Goo Theory, and Uxi who gave a solid response to the idea.  What do you think?

[Bibliophilia]

I'll be putting together a Tiefling (or human) Rogue who worships Kelemvor tomorrow.

[Roman100]

I saw that! I thought about dropping you a line, but wasn't sure due to my general lack of smut content  If you're interested, they are very much in the same ahem, vein...

Ah, stupid vampire puns.  You're my new favorite person.

You take care of the plot and tone and I'll take care of the smut. 

Wait, that didn't come out right . . .

Or did it?

Anyways, yes, I think that would be super fun.  I'll make up a character right this very second.

Actually, as I recall, doesn't Daggerford have a natural segue to Curse of Strahd build right into the adventure?  It's destiny.  Search your feelings, you know it to be true.

[Pink Professional]

I'm interested, if you'll have me. Haven't had the chance to play a good ol' fashioned Bard in a while...

Edit: Changed my mind to add some beef to the batch. We have enough potential supportive casters, sometimes you just need a lass who can punch stuff.

[Tavarokk]

I'm of a mind for a support caster of some persuasion. Possibly cleric of Chauntea. That, or a druid.

[Ershin]

Oh, this coincides nicely from getting home from holiday (almost, should be home Thursday evening and able to work on something for Friday). Not at all familiar with the Forgotten Realms setting but I should be able to do a bit of research into it to (hopefully) make something to fit the setting and tone

• Races: All published races are fine except the Underdark ones (Drow, Deurgar, Svirfneblin)

Would I be right in thinking that Half-Elves of Drow descent would also be off the table?
(And dang it Eberron book for not being out yet!)

[Angie]

Submitted for your approval, Tinalia von Grazen

Background: The von Grazens are a small merchant family, mostly running caravans of goods between several trade routes, making a tidy sum of money for themselves...but her father, Samuel von Grazen, always taught her to give a little back to the people, as taking all their coin or goods did not make repeat customers. He was a bit more willing to take a bad deal, or pay a little more than a good might be worth, if the people he was trading with had more of a need than he did. However, he also taught her how to not get burned on a malicious deal. So while the girl is very sweet and compassionate, she is not naive, and knows when she is being played.

The strangest thing about her, however, is that her hair is purple-its her natural color, and as people soon learned, a mark of ancient power. Strange things always happened around the girl-for example, once, a farm with a hundred clucking chickens all fell silent as soon as she set foot on the property, or fires growing in intensity near her, or people feeling strange shocks when they touched her skin.

The true depths of her strange power were not felt until she was much older, the day a storm came to town. The von Grazens, despite being travelling merchants, did have a home in a small farming community, and one day, a massive storm threatened to wipe it all away. The people made plans, and her father intended to set out, using some of his wealth to purchase supplies to rebuild...but as the storm came close, the winds picked up, the rains began to fall, and Tinalia stepped out to greet the storm. Lightning flashed around her as she raised her arms to the sky...and parted the storm. It still raged, but now it had somehow been moved to avoid the farms and houses entirely, saving everyone and everything from its fury...not that she didn't pay for this incredible display. Immediately after it was done, she passed out, and did not awaken for a week.

When she did, she found herself awakening to a town of strange people with familiar faces. Superstition can rule the hearts of men, and while she had saved them, she was ostracized, unwelcome in her own home. One night, she decided to sneak away, but was stopped by her father...who gave her a pack full of supplies, including a crystalline orb he had been forcibly given by a mysterious soothsayer, who had told him "someone close to you will need this". He knew she could not stay, that her home was no longer home, but he would give her what aid he could.

She has set off on her own to seek answers about who and what she truly is, and to find herself a new place to call home.

Appearance

[Bibliophilia]

Kindra Sternen
LG Human Rogue 1

Personality: Kindra is unexpectedly warm and friendly, with a biting wit and penchant for good-natured ribbing and sarcasm.  Those who see her might expect a cold, brooding or even cruel woman, but she quickly proves why snap judgments are often incorrect.  She has a level of generosity, honor and compassion that one doesn't often find in rogues, especially those who once sailed beneath the Jolly Roger.  As kind and jovial as she can be, there's no denying her ability to tap into the fiercer parts of herself when necessary or justified.  In those moments when she loses her smile in favor of an icy glower, one can easily believe that she was once as ruthless as one must be on the high seas.

Biography: Kindra was the only child of a merchant sailor and his loving bride, and as a result she spent a fair amount of time growing up on ships surrounded by rough people who doted on her more than her own adoring parents.  Her childhood was unconventional, but happy, right up until her father's ship was attacked by pirates when she was eight years old.  Her father was shot and killed in the attack, so when the dread pirate captain found the young girl, she was kneeling beside her father's cooling body clutching his hand and speaking softly to his departing spirit.

Intrigued by the girl's lack of tears and the pragmatic promises she made to her dead father, the captain ordered his men to unload the ship's cargo while he tried to convince the young girl to join his crew as his adopted daughter and cabin boy.  Kindra, being exceedingly practical even at her young age, knew that refusing might see her tossed overboard with the rest of the dead sailors.  Her father was dead and her mother would undoubtedly have a difficult time caring for herself in her grief and sans her father's income, let alone caring for Kindra as well.  So, the girl finally agreed to join him, under the condition that he protect her from his crew and punish the pirate who had murdered her father.

For the next ten years, Kindra sailed with her adopted father and the other pirates, all of whom gradually became like a second family to her.  When she could, she sent her mother a portion of her share of the spoils to ensure that she never had to struggle too much to live, but she never visited while she remained a criminal.  She took many innocent lives in her time on her father's ship, Satan's Sabre, and each life seemed to weigh on her more and more.  Finally, the dread pirate captain's luck ran out and he was badly wounded evading capture by a military vessel.  The ship got away, but he took a musket blast to his shoulder that left him on the brink of death.

Watching her second father die was the final straw for Kindra, and after she and his loyal crew had buried him at sea, she informed them all that she would be joining the ranks of the landlubbers.  They had all expected her to take her father's place, but instead she appointed his first mate as captain and left their company when next they made port.  She found her way back to the port city of her youth and found her mother, who was older, but doing quite well for herself.  After spending a year getting acquainted with the mother she hadn't seen for ten years, who had remarried and had two more children in the interim, Kindra left to figure out her new life on land.

It turned out going straight was easier said than done, especially given her unique skill set was more suited to illegal activities than anything befitting a law-abiding citizen.  Soon she realized that the trick was less about going straight, and more about abiding by her own sense of morality and ethics.  Some of society's laws were foolish and there was corruption running rampant.  So, she decided that the best course was to use her select skills to combat the wickedness she saw in the world and protect those who couldn't fight for themselves.

[Pink Professional]

Gronnin Crownbrow Verdhart, The Bastard Squire
NG Half-Orc Fighter 1

Personality: Gronnin is a passionate woman, with a constant lilt towards competition, showmanship, and friendly banter. She seems to care very little for birth, or status and instead focuses heavily on deeds, actions, and the value one can put in those instead. A farmer who fights hard to protect his family is worth just as much as the noble who does nothing, if not more. She understands that there is a way that things should work, but equally understands that it is not always the right way to go about things. For every law that protects and preserves, there is a law that hinders and stifles. Her trials and tribulations with her birthright are perhaps the source of this slightly-less-than-lawful approach to what is Good and Right. Gronnin sees herself as a source of Lathander's greater qualities: That being her vigor and vitality, her athleticism, and self-betterment, and she longs to one day prove herself worthy of her Father's namesake.

Biography: Born the bastard daughter of Lord Crownbrow of Baldur's Gate, and one of his bodyguards, Gronnin grew up with a rather tumultuous upbringing. The Half-Orc mother was set on having her daughter grow up to be able to embrace her culture; an attempt to strengthen her against the cruelties almost inevitable for her race, and her Human father wanted his daughter to grow up knowing some of the luxuries that his wealth could afford to dote upon a child. It was hardly a bad problem to have, but it left Gronnin in the middle of warring parents over what was best for her.

As she grew up though, Gronnin started to show she was her own person, and not just a copy of either parent. She adored her own strength, and enjoyed running, playing, and pretending to fight - Actions more befitting her mother's teachings - but was equally infused with learning, reading, and study - as her father longed to impart upon her. At the age of Eleven, she made her desire to become a Knight known to both parents, and sure enough she was squired to a Dwarven Paladin who was part of the Flaming Fists. She encountered her Faith here, but didn't fully imbibe the ideas of a Paladin, instead focusing on Martial prowess.

With her training completed now, Gronnin worked for a time as part of the Flaming Fists. She wasn't much interested in the idea at first, but her father convinced her that it was worth getting some training and practice in before she went out to become a travelling knight. Truth be told however, it was of course a father's ploy to keep his daughter safe. She knew that it would look poor if she was knighted by her Father, or by any of the many Baldur's Gate nobility. She would brooch no insult upon her Knightly honour if she ever became a true Knight, so decided to set upon the world at large; intent on earning a reputation and a place in the world first as an Adventurer, then as someone worthy of truly becoming a Knight.

Things went...poorly at the start. People were suspicious of the well-groomed travelling Half-Orc in rather well-made armour, and most thought she was a particularly lucky bandit. It's only now, upon hearing about the rumours and call for heroes to protect a place of faith that Groninn plans to make her way forward; and hopefully unto glory.

[Chulanowa]

Wow guys, this took off; I can already tell it's going to be a pain in the butt making choices 

[Uxi]

Isidora "Izzy" Tamrith, the Runaway Noble

CG Human Bard 1

Personality: Bold, boisterous, and bossy. She's never had much trouble with finding herself, just the expressing it part. And now that she's able to express it, she's struggling to find herself. Life is never easy, is it?

Biography: She was born into wealth, status, and privilege. So of course, she nurses a dangerous lack of respect for all three. It's difficult to tell when the inner anarchist took root, but skeptics agree that it had something to do with her step-mother giving birth to a son. Abruptly, Isidora's education became narrowly focused to being as attractive as the sizable dowry that would come with her hand in marriage.

She wasn't a fan.

She took to disobedience like it was the hottest thing on the block, starting small and quickly intensifying as punishment rolled out. Drinking with peasants below her wealth, to skirting sessions with her academic tutors, then to acting unruly in public eye. Discipline in the form of confinement turned to be the straw that broke the camel's back. She made like a bandit in the midst of night with enough wealth to keep food in her belly and to pay for a warm place to sleep at night.

In truth, she has little idea what she's going to do on her own. How could she? She's only known the life of common-folk through their aired complaints on the greener side of the field. The world is cruel, scary, and dark, and some great act of karma from a past life must have afforded her the fortune to never realize this truth first hand. But she has an idea of what she wants to do. Before she passed, her mother told her tales of her great aunt, Brutilda the Banshee Slayer while tucking her in at night. Exploring... Dungeoneering... Career adventuring! These were all things in her blood, so that's what she's going to do. She's going to become a real hero. The type of people that have their tales sung by the mouths of drunk dwarfs. And one day, when she has her own daughter, she'll be able to pass on her own stories.

She faces two problems: 1.) Her father. She picked the absolute worst time to run away. He'd just finished arranging a betrothed of equal status! He wants her back and he's sent men out to get her back. There's also a bounty. Oh boy! 2.) She's only had basic swordsmanship lessons! She's going to need friends in this world. Friends that will make up for her lack of experience. That can't be too hard... right?

[Green Goo Theory]

I know you mention the published content but one thing not listed and not implicitly included are the planeshift PDF's floating around.  Is any content from that (obviously, if it fits Faerun) usable? 

[Nicolae]

What year will the game take place in? Era of Upheval? Post-Sundering?

[Chulanowa]

What year will the game take place in? Era of Upheval? Post-Sundering?

I have no idea  Like I said, not focusing too hard on the lore and stuff.

[Chulanowa]

Oh, this coincides nicely from getting home from holiday (almost, should be home Thursday evening and able to work on something for Friday). Not at all familiar with the Forgotten Realms setting but I should be able to do a bit of research into it to (hopefully) make something to fit the setting and tone Would I be right in thinking that Half-Elves of Drow descent would also be off the table?
(And dang it Eberron book for not being out yet!)

I'm going to go ahead and say yeah, they'd fall in with Drow for that.

I'm of a mind for a support caster of some persuasion. Possibly cleric of Chauntea. That, or a druid.

Cool!

I'm pondering a cleric or a pally, unless you think I'm being greedy Chulanowa

Not at all, this adventure could use one of either of those.

[Athem]

Name: Tessele
Race: Half-elf
Class: Warlock (Hexblade)
Background: Noble
Alignment: CG

Tessele had an awkward upbringing, the result of a dalliance between an elven noble's daughter and a visiting human. The elves did their best to give her a comfortable childhood, but didn't really know what to do with a half-human child. Tessele began to spend more time among the human traders, listening to bards' tales. They were exciting, and stirred her blood more than elegant elven songs and poems. She loved the stories of heroism so much, she applied to be a warrior.

And failed. She didn't have the ability, aptitude, or determination necessary.

Tessele, her dream shattered, despaired. And someone... something... heard. A being visited her, promising her the skills of a warrior if she would accept the shadow. Not really understanding what was involved, she agreed. When she awoke the next morning, she ached as if she'd been training for days. But she knew how to wield weapons and armor like a warrior of old. With her new skills, Tessele wanted to go adventuring, and maybe find the human side of her family. Her elven family were opposed to this so, regretfully, Tessele crept away in the middle of the night.

Now it was time to seek adventure, and learn more about the fascinating humans her parents had warned her about.

Myth-weavers sheet

Draft of character sheet

Name: Tessele
Race: Half-elf
Class: Warlock (hexblade from Xanathar's)
Background: Noble
Alignment: Chaotic Good

STR 13+1 5
DEX 15+1 9
CON 10   2
INT 10   2
WIS 10   2
CHA 14+2 7

Half-elf skills: Athletics, Stealth
Noble skills: History, Persuasion
Warlock skills: Arcana, Deception

Spells:
  Cantrips: Blade ward, Mage hand
  1st level: Shield (via Hexblade), Unseen servant

Personality:
    I take great pains to always look my best and follow the latest fashions.
    No one could doubt by looking at my regal bearing that I am a cut above the unwashed masses.

Ideals: Independence: I must prove I can handle myself without the coddling of my family.

Bonds: I will face any challenge to win the approval of my family.

Flaws: In fact, the world does revolve around me.


Assume ~100gp from rolling starting money

Leather armor           10gp (upgrade to studded leather if money roll higher)
Fine clothes            15gp
Longsword               15gp
Dagger                   2gp
Explorer's pack         10gp
Arcane focus: wand      10gp