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[Iituem]

So I'd quite like to run a classic 3.5 D&D game based around piracy on the high seas.  I'm looking for 4 (max 5) players who if not familiar with 3.5 at least have access to the Player's Handbook or know enough to use the d20 SRD.  A couple of notes.

* Characters must be level 1, standard classes only.  You have enough to play with in the base classes without adding in psions and artificers, at least for this campaign.  100gp for starting equipment, as much or as little as you like in cash.

* You do not start as pirates.  Your start will be that you have signed on as guards or have bought passage / stowed away on a ship setting sail for the Storm Coast (YaK players might find this familiar).  This will change soon enough.

* I will only accept fully statted character sheets (spoilered, please).  In addition, you must produce a physical character description (does not have to be in-depth) and a character goal.  This is a defining ambition that your character is pursuing, if not throughout his existence then at the start of the campaign.

* Goals should be personal rather than objective.  "I want to be rich" is an objective goal, and uninteresting.  "I want to show my father that I am my own man" is a personal goal, and much more satisfying to read and to play.  You can, of course, fulfill that goal through becoming rich.

* Setting is technologically and culturally Renaissance (think 1500s), with no gunpowder but a certain amount of clockwork-punk.

There are a couple of House Rules as well.

* All characters, regardless of class, start with 6hp +/- constitution bonus.  Each level, characters gain 1hp, no more, no less.  NPCs are working off the same limitations.  Rejected after consultation with players.

* Because of this, cure wounds spells above cure light wounds function differently; each 1d8 of healing can be applied to a different person within touching distance.  Inflict wounds works on the same premise, but requires separate touch attacks.  See above.

* All classes have the Profession skills as class skills.

* The Profession skills sailor, navigator, artilleryman and possibly even fisherman are useful in this setting.  You can rely on NPCs to have these skills to operate ships, but they might not be as good as you could be.

* All alignments are permitted, but evil and chaotic characters must have a rationalisation that allows them to work with the rest of the party.  It can range from "my chances of survival are better if I work with you" to "you amuse me too much to die", so long as it means players aren't offing one another from the outset.  My personal favourite illogical reason is "You are my friends - sure, I murder and pillage indiscriminately as a rule, but it's not like I know those people."

* Scurvy is a threat.  Be warned.


Creating a character

* Any Base Classes from the first Player's Handbook is fine; anything in the Classes section of d20srd, basically.  If you want to use a more exotic class, convince me.  No psionics.

* Create a level 1 character.  Stats are rolled, 3d6 and assign to whatever stats you prefer.  I trust you to be honest with the rolls, and if you roll something unplayable just re-roll it.

* If you're unfamiliar with D&D character creation, Myth Weavers has some excellent sheets to lay out stats on.  Since it would be copyright infringement, I can't post the step-by-step character creation process here.  You'd need to find (or obtain from some source) a copy of the Player's Handbook.

Anybody interested, apply below!  Would love to see y'all in action.

Edit:  You may wish to set your sheet up on Myth Weavers.  It's free registration and provides an easy setup for the sheet.  You can check specific skills, abilities and such at d20srd.org, which is an excellent system reference document for 3.5Ed.


Character Sheets

Spoiler: "Caerill Crundmail (Fniff)" (click to show/hide)

Name: Caerill Crundmaíl
Race:       Human
Player:     Fniff
Classes:    Bard1
Hit Points: 7
Experience: 0 / 1000
Alignment:  Neutral Evil
Vision:     
Speed:      Walk 30 ft.
Languages:  Common, Elven
Stat    Score   Mod
STR      9       (-1)
DEX      4       (-3)
CON      12      (+1)
INT      12      (+1)
WIS      9       (-1)
CHA      14      (+2)
-------------------------- Skills --------------------------
Skill                   Total   Rnk     Stat    Msc
Appraise                 1        0.0      1        0
Balance                  -3       0.0      -3       0
Bluff                    6        2.0      2        2
Climb                    -1       0.0      -1       0
Concentration            1        0.0      1        0
Craft (Untrained)        1        0.0      1        0
Diplomacy                6        4.0      2        0
Disguise                 3        1.0      2        0
Escape Artist            -3       0.0      -3       0
Forgery                  1        0.0      1        0
Gather Information       4        2.0      2        0
Heal                     -1       0.0      -1       0
Hide                     -3       0.0      -3       0
Intimidate               6        2.0      2        2
Jump                     -1       0.0      -1       0
Knowledge (Geography)    3        2.0      1        0
Knowledge (History)      3        2.0      1        0
Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty)  3        2.0      1        0
Listen                   -1       0.0      -1       0
Move Silently            -3       0.0      -3       0
Perform (Comedy)         4        2.0      2        0
Perform (Oratory)        4        2.0      2        0
Profession (Navigator)  1        2.0      -1       0
Ride                     -3       0.0      -3       0
Search                   1        0.0      1        0
Sense Motive             1        2.0      -1       0
Spot                     -1       0.0      -1       0
Survival                 0        1.0      -1       0
Swim                     2        3.0      -1       0
Use Rope                 -3       0.0      -3       0
                                                   
-------------------------- Feats ---------------------------
Persuasive
  You get a +2 bonus on all Bluff checks and Intimidate checks.
 
Run
Armor Proficiency (Light)
  When you wear a type of armor with which you are proficient, the armor check penalty for that armor applies only to Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move

Silently, Pick Pocket, and Tumble checks.
 
Shield Proficiency
  You can use a shield and take only the standard penalties.
 
Simple Weapon Proficiency
-------------------- Special Abilities ---------------------

------------------------ Templates -------------------------

-------------------------- Combat --------------------------
    Total / Touch / Flat Footed
AC: 9     / 7     / 9
Initiative:   -3
BAB:          +0
Melee tohit:  -1
Ranged tohit: -3
Fortitude:    +1
Reflex:       -1
Will:         +1
Unarmed attack:
to hit:       -1
damage:       1d3-1
critical:     20/x2
--------------------- Special Abilities --------------------
 
------------------------- Equipment ------------------------
Name                                            QTY   LBS
Total weight carried:
Current load:         Light
Encumbrance
Light:  30   
Medium: 60   
Heavy:  90

Leather Armor (25 g)
Whip (1gp)
Shortbow (31gp) (20 Arrows)
Bedroll (1sp)
Backpack (2gp)
Mirror (10gp)
Waterskin (2cp)
10 Sheets of Parchment (20sp)
Entertainer's Outfit (3gp)
27g, 7c
--------------------------- Magic --------------------------


Bard Spells
 
Level 0
Know Direction (Divination)
Saves: None   DC:    Casting: 1 standard action
Duration: Instantaneous   Range: Personal   Components: V, S
SR: No   Effect: You discern north.   Target: You
DESC: You discern north.
DESC 2:  You discern north.
Light (Evocation)
Saves: None   DC:    Casting: 1 standard action
Duration: 10 minutes [D]   Range: Touch   Components: V, M/DF
SR: No   Effect: Object shines like a torch.   Target: Object touched
DESC: Object shines like a torch.
DESC 2:  Object shines like a torch.
Mage Hand (Transmutation)
Saves: None   DC:    Casting: 1 standard action
Duration: Concentration   Range: Close (25 ft.)   Components: V, S
SR: No   Effect: 5-pound telekinesis.   Target: One nonmagical, unattended object weighing up to 5 lb.
DESC: 5-pound telekinesis.
DESC 2:  5-pound telekinesis.
Summon Instrument (Conjuration)
Saves: None   DC:    Casting: 1 round
Duration: 1 minutes [D]   Range: 0 ft.   Components: V, S
SR: No   Effect: Summons one instrument of the caster's choice.   Target: One summoned handheld musical instrument
DESC: Summons one instrument of the caster's choice.
DESC 2:  Summons one instrument of the caster's choice.

Varg (Highmax28)

Galan Morgawyn (Tawarochir)

Mila Asenov (USEC)


Game Board

Spoiler: The Storm Coast (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: The Shallow Hope (click to show/hide)

Light Corvette
Ship-shape.
Speed 6, Manoeuverability 4.
General Crew Experience: 5
Navigator Experience: 4
Gunner Experience: 4
Crew: 12
Guns: 2 Port Ballistae, 2 Starboard Ballistae

Supplies
480 man-days' rations, grog & water
8 shortbows; 120 arrows
8 scimitars
20 javelins
24 steel ballista bolts
50 wooden practice ballista bolts

Cargo
Capacity: 15
12 crates of textiles
3 crates of common spices

[Remuthra]

In, sheet to come eventually. As far as sheets go, we have a handy tool to avoid needing spoilers called myth-weavers.com which can be helpful.
Questions:
Variant standard classes acceptable?
Is this full-on historically-inspired, or is it fantasy-based?

Also, I'm very much going to make a Lawful Evil Code of Honour-bearing Moustache-Twirler.

Spoiler: For those of you who may play in my own navally-based game of D&D (click to show/hide)

Yes, I'll get to it once finals are over .

[Iituem]

I'd prefer straight base classes, but so long as it isn't too broken I'll accept variants (I mean, hell, Druids & Monks are broken at base as is).  The setting is fantasy based, a re-jigged version of the just post-feudal era setting of the Storm Coast from You are King I & II.  Changes and knock on effects include clockwork ballistae, magic (since I want wizards to be playable), multiple sapient races and everything that those imply.  Culturally, think Tudor England and Golden Age Venice (in different regions), with places still back in the Dark Ages.  Definite european feel, for the most part, with other cultures hinted at beyond the map.

Ah, yes.  Base 3.5 races as well, please.  Ideally human/dwarf/elf/half-orc/orc, but I'll accept halflings and gnomes.

Setting Religion: Various faiths, non-D&D setup.  At least one monotheistic religion (clerics get their domain spells from "saints" instead of different gods), the Suulian Orthodoxy, but it's not utterly dominant.

And yes, moustache twirling entirely welcome!

[Fniff]

I'm in. I'm not familiar with DnD rules but I can pick it up. What is this being run on, Roll20?

[Iituem]

I'm looking at play by post, actually, but I wonder if it's possible to set up a Roll20 'board' that can be accessed so people can move their character tokens and use it for reference without us all being there.  Is that doable?

[Fniff]

Well, then shouldn't this be in forum games and roleplaying, then? That's for play-by-posts as I understand it.

[Iituem]

I'm taking my cue off Highmax's game here as being the place to put it.  And it turns out that yes, I believe I can have roll20 up in the background as well.  Fantastic!  So yes, the plan is to have tokens and such there, with roleplay here.

Edit:  However, if you think it would be better placed in FG&R I can always move it there.

Edit 2:  Myth Weavers is well worth registering for, just for the character sheet template.  This should provide an easy guide to setting up a 3.5Ed character.

[Hanzoku]

One question on the HP change: Unless you change the entire combat system, doesn't this make higher levels near-instantly fatal to everyone involved? At level 5, a fireball from a wizard pretty much guarantees killing everyone in its area of effect.

[Iituem]

Yes.  A certain amount of tweaking may happen, but avoiding getting hit becomes the priority.  Cover will be rather more effective at protecting from things like fireballs, though.  In either case, the setting is aimed at highlighting the fragility of characters rather than their strength - AC becomes a heck of a lot more important, as a single sword-swing can kill even a trained fighter if they don't dodge, parry or block it.

However, tweaking can and likely will happen.  It's something of an experiment.

[Zireael]

I like experiments, I wish I had time to play...

[USEC_OFFICER]

Huh, this seems interesting, I guess I'll gi-

* All characters, regardless of class, start with 6hp +/- constitution bonus.  Each level, characters gain 1hp, no more, no less.  NPCs are working off the same limitations.

...

Have fun with this then. I have too many bad memories of getting one-shotted in Icewind Dale to enjoy playing in a game like this. Everyone is going to die horribly multiple times over, trust me.

[Iituem]

Wow, that's really unpopular, huh?  If people really want, I'll reconsider it.  I'd rather have players and people having fun than sticking to that rule for the sake of it - there are plenty enough ways to make this brutal without it.

[Hanzoku]

The problem with that rule is that the game is simply balanced (poorly, granted) around a much higher hp gain curve. Flatlining it near base amounts simply makes high levels exceptionally and unavoidably lethal, as well as crippling classes balanced around having a high amount of hitpoints.

[Iituem]

Alright then.  Normal hp is in effect.  Let's do things a bit more vanilla. 

[highmax28]

I'm tempted to join, but I'm no good with 3.5. How will this be run?