After the Last War - OOC

Hello all. I'm going to use our wonderful forum as a means of introducing several of our group to the wonders of play by post role-playing. It's much like cooperative writing, and as such I have a feeling several of our folks will be excellent at it. This particular thread will be used for out of character commentary, game rules questions, and general jibber jabber.

The game will be set in Eberron. Poke around the wiki if you're not familiar with the world. I will be using Pathfinder rules to create characters. We'll be using the High Fantasy Point Buy rules for Stats, as described here.

If you do not want to go to all the trouble to create a character, that is perfectly fine! I have both pregens and custom generated characters I can provide.
We're going to try this with Anna, Tony, and Jodi at least. I have two more slots I can fill in pretty easily, and if I get more interest, I can easily see to creating some more availability.

I've collected a few points about Play By Post gaming from across the web. Here is one of them:

What is Play by Post Roleplaying? wrote:

While traditional tabletop roleplaying is done with the group all together in person and typically with rule books and dice, play by post roleplaying is done over the internet. It is similar to collaborative writing or interactive fiction. Play by post games are typically run on a message board like Quarrels and Quills.

Play by Post posts are typically in the third person which allows the different players to write their character’s actions and thoughts without it being put back on the player themselves. These posts need to be open ended so that the next person can continue the story unless of course the time has come for the conclusion of the setting to occur. This is typically the job of the Gamemaster if there is one.

The first post in a thread sets the setting up for the story to proceed. Subsequent posts are then a continuation in how the story progresses with each person’s character chiming in with their actions and dialogue.

In order for the roleplay to work, there has to be some rules set up and agreed to by the players. Such as all actions that effect another person’s character must be decided by that player. For instance, a player 1 cannot post, “Player 1 stabs Player 2 in the stomach.” Instead, player 1 posts. “Player 1 attempts to stab Player 2 in the stomach.” Then Player 2 can decide if the action succeeds, “Player 2 jumps back and avoid the stab. Then attempts to kick the knife from Player 1’s hand with a roundhouse.” Or “Player 2 is surprised by Player 1’s attack and the knife dives into his stomach. Player one swallowed and fell to his knees as the wound began to bleed. The light began to fade and he couldn’t see. And Player 2 fell to the ground and his life was expired.”

Another way is for the GM to decide who wins all the battles. Or to use dice which there are many online dice rollers.

We'll be using dice. You can use an online roller like Invisible Castle to roll dice. There are other options, but I find this to be among the best options as it includes an option that allows you to simply click on the BBCode to copy it, and then you can paste this directly into your post. Easy peasy. See the attached picture for what I mean. Signing up/in means you'll be able to attach actions in your rolls and track your rolls throughout the life of your character, but don't feel obligated. And if you have another online dice rolling mechanic, feel free to use it.

Here is another article.

How to play play by post roleplaying wrote:

Quote :

1. Create a solid character. This is the make-or-break of your role playing experiences; a good character will inspire your partners to interact and want to know more about them; a bad character will make it hard to stay focused and motivated. In short, make a character they’ll care about! Avoid perfect characters–you know, the invincible, anatomically perfect, immune-to-contempt, know-everything characters that make it absolutely impossible to wring a good story from or even like. Imperfections and inner conflict in a character are key to any role play.

2. Pay close attention to your partners’ writing and respond in kind. There is nothing more distressing than putting a healthy few paragraphs or even sentences into scene, dialogue, or description, only to have your partner(s) completely disregard everything you said and write something different. For example, if Partner A’s character trips and falls, Partner B’s character should offer to help them up, or at least notice. Character interaction is essential to the anatomy of role play.

3. Give your partners something to play off of! The quantity of a role play post is never quite so important as the quality. One can write paragraph after paragraph and yet never say anything significant that will motivate others to respond and propel the story. That aside, writing up a lot of fluff can be difficult in mediums such as chat rooms, where there is usually a text limit. Sometimes, less means more. However, just remember that it never matters just how much you write, it’s WHAT you write.

It is important to apply #2 because each character is part of the setting and needs to be reacted to by the characters in the roleplay in order for it to be fun for everyone. Now there are situations of course where that is not possible. A room filled with different characters and there’s a group across the room. Of course your character isn’t expected to know what those characters are talking about. But when the character actually “fall” in front of your character, or they start laughing loudly or they say something to your character or whatever action that would affect your character’s actions, thoughts or speech that your character responds to it. Not responding breaks the roleplay and leaves their character in limbo. That’s not fun.

Also #3 needs to be stressed because many look down their noses at people that write short posts. Just because a post is one sentence long does not make it less than four or five pages of text. Sometimes a sentence is all that is needed. And its also important that there is something that the other people can react to in the post.

Essentially these rules are the golden rule: Do to others as you would have them do to you. That is the central rule that needs to be followed not just in roleplaying but in life.

The medieval world of Eberron is a place of magic and monsters, where arcane energy infuses the landscape and greatly infl uences society and industry. Thanks to a mastery of the arcane arts, the great cities of the continent of Khorvaire contain skyscraping castles, elemental-powered coaches and carriages, and all manner of enchanted conveniences.
Magic is industry across the face of Eberron, the innovative spark that propels society forward. The advances and conveniences made possible by magic augment the trappings of a medieval D&D world. Magic and the arcane arts allow for effects that in some ways mimic technological marvels that didn’t appear in our world until the 1800s. Something resembling a magical telegraph provides communication between two locations. An arcane analog of the railroad connects defi ned routes among the more civilized regions of the world. Magic exists to accomplish tasks otherwise impossible—if you can fi nd the right spell wielder and you have enough gold to pay for the privilege.
As the campaign begins, the world of Eberron is emerging from a long and devastating war. The nations of the continent of Khorvaire were once part of a great kingdom of legend, the mighty kingdom of Galifar. When King Jarot died, his five heirs, each in command of one of the Five Nations that comprised the kingdom, refused to bow to tradition. Instead of allowing the eldest scion to take the crown, the siblings rallied their vassals and individually vied to take control of the kingdom. Over time, this decades long conflict became known as the Last War, for everyone imagined that when it finally ended, the taste for bloodshed and battle would be wiped from the face of Khorvaire.
The Last War continued for more than a century, with each of the Five Nations alternately fighting against or alongside one or more of the others as animosities and alliances shifted like the wind in the Shargon Straits. In time, other nations formed as deals were made and opportunities presented themselves. After 102 years of fighting, the leaders of the recognized nations of Khorvaire (which now numbered twelve) met at the ancient capital of Galifar to draft a peace. With the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold, the Last War came to an end.
Today, the nations of Khorvaire seek to rebuild and prosper as the new peace spreads across the land. While technically at peace, the nations continue to vie for economic and political supremacy. Minor skirmishes break out every so often, especially in the more remote sections of the continent and on the most hotly contested borders. Espionage and sabotage are the preferred method of diplomacy, since the nations engage in trade and discussion in public while working intrigues and double-crosses in the shadows.

TEN THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Every Dungeon Master and player needs to know and remember these facts about the world of Eberron.
1. If it exists in D&D, then it has a place in Eberron. A monster or spell or magic item from the core rulebooks might feature a twist or two to account for Eberron’s tone and attitude, but otherwise everything in the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual has a place somewhere in Eberron.
2. Tone and attitude. The campaign combines traditional medieval D&D fantasy with swashbuckling action and dark adventure. Alignments are relative gauges of a character or creature’s viewpoint, and not absolute barometers of affiliation and action; nothing is exactly as it seems. Alignments are blurred, so that it’s possible to encounter an evil silver dragon or a good vampire. Traditionally good-aligned creatures may wind up opposed to the heroes, while well-known agents of evil might provide assistance when it’s least expected. To help capture the cinematic nature of
the swordplay and spellcasting, we’ve added action points to the rules mix. This spendable, limited resource allows players to alter the outcome of dramatic situations and have their characters accomplish the seemingly impossible.
3. A world of magic. The setting supposes a world that developed not through the advance of science, but by the mastery of arcane magic. This concept allows for certain conveniences unimagined in other medieval timeframes. The binding and harnessing of elemental creatures makes airships and rail transport possible. A working class of minor mages uses spells to provide energy and other necessities in towns and cities. Advances in magic item creation have led to everything from self-propelled farming implements to sentient, free-willed constructs.
4. A world of adventure. From the steaming jungles of Aerenal to the colossal ruins of Xen’drik, from the towering keeps of Sharn to the blasted hills and valleys of the Demon Wastes, Eberron is a world of action and adventure. Adventures can and should draw heroes from one exotic location to another across nations, continents, and the entire world. The quest for the Mirror of the Seventh Moon may take the heroes from a hidden desert shrine to a ruined castle in the Shadow Marches and finally to a dungeon deep below the Library of Korranberg. Through the use of magical transportation, heroes can reach a wider range of environments over the course of an adventure, and thus deal with a diverse assortment of monsters and challenges.
5. The Last War has ended—sort of. The Last War, which plunged the continent of Khorvaire into civil war more than a century ago, ended with the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold and the establishment of twelve recognized nations occupying what was once the kingdom of Galifar. At least overtly, the peace has held for almost two years as the campaign begins. The confl icts, the anger, and the pain of the long war remain, however, and the new nations seek every advantage as they prepare for the inevitable next war that will eventually break out on the continent.
6. The Five Nations. The human-dominated civilizations on the the continent of Khorvaire trace a lineage to the ancient kingdom of Galifar, which was made up of five distinct regions, or nations. These were Aundair, Breland, Cyre, Karrnath, and Thrane. Four of these survive to the present day as independent countries; Cyre was destroyed before the start of the campaign. The devastated territory it once occupied is now known as the Mournland. A common epithet among the people of Khorvaire is “By the Five Nations,” or some version thereof. The Five Nations refers to the ancient kingdom of Galifar and harkens back to a legendary time of peace and prosperity.
7. A world of intrigue. The war is over, and the nations of Khorvaire now try to build a new age of peace and prosperity. Ancient threats linger, however, and the world desperately needs heroes to take up the cause. Nations compete on many levels—economic, political infl uence, territory, magical power—each looking to maintain or improve its current status by any means short of all-out war. Espionage and sabotage services create big business in certain circles. The dragonmarked houses, churches both pure and corrupt, crime lords, monster gangs, psionic spies, arcane universities, royal orders of knights and wizards, secret societies, sinister masterminds, dragons, and a multitude of organizations and factions jockey for position in the afterglow of the Last War. Eberron teems with confl ict and intrigue.
8. Dragonmark dynasties. The great dragonmarked families are the barons of industry and commerce throughout Khorvaire and beyond. Their infl uence transcends political boundaries, and they remained mostly neutral during the Last War. While not technically citizens of any nation, the matriarchs and patriarchs of each house live in splendor within their enclaves and emporiums located throughout Khorvaire. These dynastic houses of commerce derive their power from the dragonmarks—unique, hereditary arcane sigils that manifest on certain individuals within the family, granting them limited but very useful magical abilities associated with the trade guilds the family controls.
9. Dragonshards. Ancient legends and creation myths describe Eberron as a world in three parts: the ring above, the subterranean realm below, and the land between. Each of these world sections is tied to a great dragon of legend—Siberys, Khyber, and Eberron. Each section of the world produces stones and crystals imbued with arcane power—dragonshards. With dragonshards, dragonmarks can be made more powerful, elementals can be controlled and harnessed, and magic items of all sorts can be crafted and shaped. These shards, however, are rare and diffi cult to come by, making them expensive and often the goals of great quests and adventures.
10. New races. In addition to the common player character races found in the Player’s Handbook, players can choose to play changelings, kalashtar, shifters, and warforged in Eberron. Changelings are a race that evolved from the crossing of doppelgangers and humans, giving them minor shapechanging abilities. Kalashtar are planar entities merged with human hosts who are capable of becoming powerful wielders of psionicpower. (To fully utilize the kalashtar and other psionic elements of the world, we strongly recommend the use of the Expanded Psionics Handbook.) Shifters developed from the mixing of humans and lycanthropes, a union that grants them limited bestial abilities and feral instincts. The warforged are sentient constructs created during the Last War who developed free will and a desire to improve their position in the world.
And now, as the lightning rail pulls into the station at First Tower, it’s time to explore the world of Eberron and see what adventures await us. Grab your sword, gather your companions, and make sure you’re ready—for anything.

Setting the Stage:

I've had both Tony and Olivia ask for a bit more scene setting for the group. You are all friends and companions of one of the scions of the Dragonmark House of Crafting, Adriana d'Cannith, a human artificer of some skill. How you all met is up to you, but you should keep in that in mind when you create your characters. You all live in Sharn. I listed some very basic information in the info thread, and I'm working on some more as the night progresses.

Not certain of the class, but I've been feeling the need to play a dwarf recently. I blame Prof. Tolkien.

Dwarves are quite welcome. And popular - that is how Jodi is leaning. Perhaps siblings or cousins?

FYI, I am going to use firearms in Eberron - as per the Emerging Firearms listed here: http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/firearms

I know I want to play a human. And I am leaning either towards a rouge or a ranger (i miss Kalli)

Ironically you'd have an easier time recreating Kalli in pathfinder with a Fighter over a ranger. But Ranger would work.

Hmmmm... food for thought...

Further food for thought: http://eberron.wikia.com/wiki/House_Deneith - one I think you'd like a lot.
http://eberron.wikia.com/wiki/House_Lyrandar - one I think you'd like a lot.
http://eberron.wikia.com/wiki/House_Medani - this one's kinda fun
http://eberron.wikia.com/wiki/House_Orien - this one's kinda fun, just ask Steven
http://eberron.wikia.com/wiki/House_Tharashk - this one's kinda fun
http://eberron.wikia.com/wiki/House_Vadalis - one I think you'd like a lot.

My dwarf is an armiger. The epitome of a tank. I figure he was assigned (by whomever he answers to) to bodyguard another party member - one of the squishier ones.

I say, hmmmmmmmmmmm..........

Where can I find a players guide (cause I can't buy one at the moment.) I need to sit and thumb before I decide.

alright, the second member of the party is locked in - Tom, playing a Dwarven Armiger named ____? Is he a mercenary bodyguard or does he work for Deneith or is he perhaps a non dragonmarked member of House Kundarark?

I have the 3.5 edition book, Tony has the 3.5 edition book, and I think Steven has it. Glen may have it as well, not sure. The game information will be of little help to you, but the world information will help a lot. Steven would be the closest source of the book to you. I have plenty of PDFs I can offer, but given your statement you want a physical book. As long as you don't read the last few chapters of the book (all dealing with Monsters and an adventure), you'll be fine.

IM me if PDFs are fine

test post from Anna - this is not Anna, just a test post from Anna's account

Just wanted to say hi to everyone. I am finally setup on here, so I may be chiming in from time to time when Patrick sends me stuff to look at. Hope everyone has a good day.

Anna wrote:

Just wanted to say hi to everyone. I am finally setup on here, so I may be chiming in from time to time when Patrick sends me stuff to look at. Hope everyone has a good day.

Hello Anna !

JulianAmici wrote:

alright, the second member of the party is locked in - Tom, playing a Dwarven Armiger named ____? Is he a mercenary bodyguard or does he work for Deneith or is he perhaps a non dragonmarked member of House Kundarark?

Still working on the name. Either of the latter two options are good.

Okay.

So I have more character ideas than games to play them in.

This has been repeatedly and soundly established. (a nod and thank you to Jodi's sandbox sessions <g>)

Here are some Eberron character ideas that have been swimming around in the soup:

CLASS	RACE	TOON IDEA AND BACKGROUND
Alchemist	Goblin	A goblin who LOVES to throw bombs and blow stuff up. -- Theme: Think goblin sapper (*Fire Bomber archetype)
Alchemist	Warforged	A "Scout model" (alternate racial feature) associated with House Cannith. -- Theme: Think bomb squad robot (*Crypt Breaker archetype)
Alchemist	Warforged	A "prototype" (alternate racial feature) -- Theme: Think overzealous super-smart lab assistant (*Mind Chemist archetype)
Cavalier	Dwarf	"Pink", an in-your-face dwarf from house Kundarak with a wild pink mohawk. -- A childhood friend of Adriana d'Cannith. **Jodi is playing this.
Gunslinger	Half-Elf	A half-elf smuggler/pirate/sailor possibly of House Lyrandor (*Buccaneer Archetype as allowed by Pat)
Gunslinger	Dwarf	A Dwarven Rifleman -- Theme: think Quigley, skilled and confident
*Wandslinger*	Human	A minor member of House Cannith who served as a wand mage during the war. (*gunslinger variant)
Magus	Human	A human of House Deneith possibly with a Dragonmark
Magus	Warforged	A Warforged using integrated weapon (alternate racial feature), Either a House Cannith or House Deneith association.
Oracle	??	An individual who was caught on the fringe of Cyre on Day of Mourning. (haunted curse, possible mysteries: Dark Tapestry, Outer Rifts, Spellscar, Time)
Summoner	Human	A Construct summoner who has a warforged-like Eidolon and summons Astral Constructs. Possibly associated with House Cannith. (*Summoner variant)
Witch	Halfling	A halfling witch from the Talenta Plains with a Compsognathus "Compy" (mini-dinosaur) for a familiar.

Like I said, character ideas. <g>.

Feel free to comment, steal, or otherwise pick apart the ideas and have fun with them.

I'm personally leaning toward one of the alchemists, I think.

Have a good day, all.

T.

Tom, I posted a Fighter Variant to the yahoo group that would be another viable option for your character as well. Specifically Saving Shield works pretty much the same as Bulwark, though it centers around the shield, not the character in general providing a cover bonus.

Tony, you said a bunch of ideas, but man, organized like that - that's a lot

I am pretty sure I want to play a marked Human fighter or Ranger of House Deneith. Izora d'Deneith

My thought was she was one of the defenders that saw Haydith ir'Wynarn to Wroat and then went on to join the Defender enclave in Sharn. Being a body guard she has worked for House Cannith before. SHe made friends with Adriana on one such assignment

BTW for those of you creating your characters by hand, I have an awesome sheet for you:

http://mikelchaos.webs.com/blank%20pathfinder%20sheet.pdf

It does the math for you on stuff like hit points and the like. You can also copy and paste in info on your abilities (especially if you are pulling from Pathfinder D20 SRD like I've suggested.

I finally found my old D&D 3.5 character sheet for Varek d'Orien, but I was thinking of a couple of different ideas that I wanted to play around with.

After reading today's Giants in the Playground, A Dwarf Cleric of Thor would be just too awesome.

However, the character idea that's got me tickled thinking about it is a minotaur ranger that duel wields a rapier and a bull whip... FOR JUSTICE! Yes, I'm thinking of El Toro!

Well Tony already beat you to the punch on a Minotaur, and found the lack of Minotaurs as playable races in Pathfinder

Likewise a cleric of Thor isn't possible, but there are some options that are Thor-like enough in the Sovereign Host - and that doesn't even count the Silver Flame.

Kol Korran, God of Wealth and Trade (Dwarven merchant-cleric)

Onatar - I shouldn't have to say just how freaking awesome Dwarven Clerics of Onatar can be! And hey, Adriana could use her own personal spiritual adviser.

And nothing says bring the smite down like "We were responsible for the genocide of an entire race of creatures for the good of all."

Tony and Steven,

I totally like the idea of Tony being my lab assistant and Steven being my own personal spiritual adviser. Patrick was explaining the characters to me and what the ideas were. It's not really all about me, but wait it is about me.

Oh, wait I almost forgot about my bestie and my personal body guard. You guys are great.

Well of course we are. We Of the marked houses must stick together.