[center]━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━[/center][center][img]https://i.ibb.co/Hx8gW4q/IC-Opening-Header-Text.png[/img][/center][center]━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━[/center] [center][h3][color=ffd700][i]Act 1: Harvestide[/i][/color][/h3][/center][center](completed)[/center] [color=darkgray][i]Maybe it's paranoia. Maybe it isn't. One overworked and beleaguered Sheriff's suspicions direct him to a course of action he would never have considered a year prior - He is calling upon adventurers for aid. Avonshire is a sleepy agricultural region in a greater Human kingdom which boasts highly productive lands and a solid population of Halflings among the Human majority. Disappearances and rumors of other things amiss have brought a sense of underlying dread to the region, and most people agree that something must be done.[/i][/color] [center]━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━[/center] [center][h3][color=ffd700][i]Act 2: Wintering In Wine Country[/i][/color][/h3][/center][center](ongoing)[/center] [center][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5510462][sup][/sup][/url][/center] [color=darkgray][i]In a show of gratitude, the last of a renowned family of Vintners have invited the victorious adventurers back to their estate to spend the coming winter in comfort. While they appear sincere, even lavish with their hospitality, they have yet to answer old questions, even as new mysteries - and possibly dangers - arise. The Rose River Vineyard lays nestled in the heart of the Avonshire region, near the town of Southmoor, and produces some of the finest wines in the kingdom. The master of the estate has perished and his only direct living heir is too young to assume the responsibilities of family affairs. This detail, sadly, is the least of their difficulties. [/i][/color] [center]━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━[/center] [color=ffd700]Welcome to Avonshire.[/color] This is an adventure based on Fifth Edition Dungeons & Dragons. I say [i]based on[/i], as I believe some aspects need to be altered or abbreviated to better fit the format here. To make things comfortable all parties, we will be using 5e character sheets, backed up by a more basic one on this site. There are excellent online options from Myth-Weavers and on D&D Beyond specifically for this purpose. Character sheets will be created there and linked on the CS tab, pending approval here. More about character creation will be discussed below. First let’s get a few things out of the way. Consider this our Session Zero. [hider=Session Zero] - This little adventure operates a a stand alone one-shot, such as these things are possible using a forum RPG medium. To put it differently, this it not a massive, elaborate campaign that will uncover lost depths of arcane study, nor will anyone resurrect ancient powers of old and receive the boons therefrom. This is not an adventure to loot copious amounts of magical goodies and pursue fundamental truths of the campaign world. That being said, this [i]is[/i] a low level adventure set in a charming, pastoral countryside, wherein foul things may or may not be happening at any given time. Like many such endeavors, this is collaborative storytelling. If you decide to bring a character into this, it means that said character answered the summons. Edgy characters are okay. Hell, I’d be surprised if any adventuring party didn’t eventually bring one into the fold. But please, a mote of restraint here. If you have a “loner” character that you absolutely must play, we need to figure out a defining and compelling reason as to why they will join the group and continue to work with them as the story progresses. Disruptive characters and those who insist on “doing their own thing” regardless of what will happen with the rest of the party will find themselves left behind (at best). I will not be running a second adventure for characters who abandon or refuse to interact with the party. Murderhobo-ing will be dealt with swiftly and decisively. I cannot stress enough that actions in this setting will have consequences. The ONLY social skill that will affect another PC is [b]Deception[/b]. Period. Every other one will have to be resolved via roleplaying. And Deception can be contested. Attempts to bully or exert undue influence over someone else’s character will not be tolerated. PvP: As a guideline, I do not allow Player vs. Player shenanigans. BUT, if both players consent and I judge that it won’t adversely affect the gameplay, we can work something in. This might be handled on Discord, through group DMs, or in another manner to be determined for expediency. PvP is not limited to combat, as I count theft, grabbing, and use of influencing spells as PvP. “It’s what my character would do,” is a poor excuse for poor behavior. If your character is doing something that intentionally ruins the fun of another player, then you have made a bad character. The same thing goes for loot hoarding. Don’t be that guy. Take the rolled-up newspaper swat to the face and try again. Violence and violent descriptors are unavoidable. Combat happens, things come into play, and characters will hurt others and get hurt in return. Crank it up to 11 (tastefully) and go about your day. Sexual matters, on the other hand, are to be kept PG-13. Fade to black, move on. Anything that resembles something which begins with “R” and rhymes with “crepe” is strictly forbidden, on or off stage. Sexual assault in any of its forms will get you removed from this campaign. Experience is to be handled with Milestone advancement. Specifically, at the end of this one-shot. You do not get extra experience for a high body count, nor does it matter who gets the kill shot. Keep this in mind as you develop your characters and decide their actions. A comprehensive background must be submitted and approved prior to your character’s approval. If there are any details that you wish to keep secret from the other players, I still need to know what they are. CHARACTER DEATH: I don’t like to kill off characters. People get invested. The children of their imagination can take on lives and personalities of their own, and parting with them by means horrific and violent, be it my means of evisceration via Bulette, consumption whole by a Purple Worm, torn to steaming, bloody confetti by a horde of hairy, unkempt, tick-ridden Gibberlings, or just mercilessly impaled on a great wooden stake by Orcs and raised in a row of dozens of other victims to mark the boundary of their hunting territory, all just make for bad juju. Bringing in a new character in the middle of something isn’t the most organic transition usually, and I’d like to minimize this. [i]So here’s the deal[/i] - Character deaths can happen. I don’t get my kicks from it, but it happens. Uncommon at my table, but again, IT HAPPENS. Things may be challenging. However, there will always be a way to win, or at least a chance to escape. The only [i]sure[/i] way to get yourself killed is to do something stupid. Then I will show you no mercy. Seriously, I write embarrassing death scenes for fun. Sometimes for hire. Ask those I’ve RPed with here before. (Now, if you WANT your character to take The Big Dirtnap, we can arrange something particularly flashy and gruesome.) [color=gold]COLOR CODING:[/color] Text used for character speech is to be color coded. Pick a color that is soft on eyestrain but still easy to read. Do not pick one that is too close to an existing character's color. This will make things confusing if you have to post a collab. Or just confusing, period. Your text color will also be used for your Header and Character Sheet. Choose wisely. To start off, no white, gold, dark orchid, or dark gray. These are in use for updates, except for white, which is common sense. Your color code will make it much easier to identify who is saying what in a rush. [/hider] That was fun, right? So, the previous items were semi-specific to the game and setting. The following are general rules for any RPG I run. You may notice a similarity to the general rules of Lady Absinthia's RPs. Pay no mind. Huge coincidence. HUGE. [hider=General RP Rules. READ THESE. THEY ARE IMPORTANT.] [list] [*] Gm is God. [*] All Forum rules apply. [*] No godmodding, meta-gaming, bunnying. [*] Cussing will happen, you've been warned. [*] Romance is welcome, keep PG-13 then fade to black. [*] Take problems to PM. [*] No post or CS edits ever without the GM's permission beforehand. I MIGHT BE WATCHING. [*] Chat room for approved active characters only. [*] Minimal 1 post every 7 days when not in rotation. If you reach day 8 on your counter you will be removed without warning from the RP. [*] If you cannot post you must notify the GM in the OOC by day 5 on your counter that you need an extension - extensions will not be granted after day 5 of your counter. [*] When in rotation - you have 48 hours when your turn comes to post or you will be skipped. Your character will automatically take the Dodge action, and we will move on. If you are skipped twice you are removed from the RP. [*] Keep GM informed if you must drop, are busy, so forth. I’ll work with you. [*] Seven days no word in IC, OOC, or Chat and your character is out. [*] Check all IC and OOC posts before posting. [*] Minimal 2 posts between last post. [*] Fights will be done in rotation and special rules or circumstances will be given for each fight in the OOC when it begins. [*] Players will use a dice roller in public format, reviewable by everyone. [*] Have fun. [*] Remember this is D&D based, not D&D law - so things may be different, don't argue semantics. [*] CS template provided is required. [*] Place only completed CS in OOC - Not the CS tab. [*] CS tab is for approved CSs only. [*] GM is God. I cannot stress this enough. [/list] [/hider] Things can get complicated with character generation. I am using a modified point buy system for establishing ability scores and limiting certain things in regard to source material, while opening up possibilities for wiggle room in other areas. Read this carefully and do not hesitate to drop me a message if you have questions. Once this hurdle is out of the way, it's all downhill, I promise. Sort of. Maybe. Okay, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it; suffice it to say that this is a bear and it cannot be avoided. Let us plow through together. [hider=Character Generation Rules] Races: Standard PHB races. Let’s keep this part simple. Dragonborn, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Half-Elf, Halfling, Half-Orc, Human, Tiefling. Classes: Base classes should likewise be PHB. Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard. If you even ask about Blood Hunter, I will floss my teeth with your innards. And boot you from the RP. Subclasses may come from a number of sources. Check with me first if it isn’t PHB. That uber Barbarian from Unearthed Arcana that casts cleric spells as well as a cleric and communes with lesser deities on the regular is not going to have a place here. In short, if I think you’re overly min/maxing for the purposes of “winning D&D”, this isn’t the RP for you. Sources I will readily accept: [list][*] Player’s Handbook [*] Xanathar’s Guide to Everything [*] Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide [*] Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything [/list] Levels: There should be [s]three[/s] five of them. Either one class brought to level [s]three[/s] five, or a valid multiclass whose combined levels total [s]three[/s] five. This gives opportunity for subclasses to be selected across the board. Ability Scores: This isn’t an epic quest (yet) and the characters aren’t demigods. That being said, I do want these adventurers on the high end of average. For ability scores, this translates to an even starting point of 13 across the board. That's 78 total, with caveats for balance. You may raise an ability score by one point if you also lower another one by one point. Simple, right? Okay, here come the caveats: [list][*] The lowest a score can go is 3. [*] The highest a score can go is 18. [*] One score may be raised past 15 at the standard 1:1 ratio. [*] If another score goes past 15, it does so at a 2:1 ratio. [*] Apply racial modifiers after your base numbers are settled. [*] Modifiers cannot bring an ability score past 20. [/list] This method will give you a character that is more than competent, maybe even exceptional, but not godlike. It also ensures that you qualify for multiclassing down the road (should it come up) and helps certain classes combat the horrors of Multiple Ability Dependence and remain relevant. A quick and dirty example with a simple 1:1 ratio buy gives you 11, 11, 11, 15, 15, 15, prior to racial modifiers. This allows for a workable character regardless of selected class. Backgrounds: Any backgrounds which are not specific to a particular setting are allowed. If you have any questions, ask. I’m fairly lenient. Alignments: The overall feel of this adventure is best matched with Good aligned characters. Motivated Neutrals are also acceptable. A reminder that Chaotic Neutral does not mean Chaotic Stupid. If you can’t play a CN without causing problems, don’t bother. Drama is fine(ish), but make sure your character can operate effectively with the rest of the party. Equipment: Starting equipment as per PHB to begin. But we’re not kicking this off at first level, now are we? Use the starting equipment as a base, then build from there. Your character, while not well known, has already seen some stuff. They’ve already done some adventuring. Equipment may reflect this. Keep it [u]realistic[/u] to level. Keep it simple-ish. Don’t go overboard. Custom gear that has no roll affecting properties is okay. Personal items or bits of curio are fine. Gear made of obscure materials and the like is not. Bulking out characters in thousands of gp worth of mundane equipment is also not okay. What actually fits your character? What might they keep on them, any why? Creativity is good here, but I remain the final decision on what makes the cut. One thing to point out, above all else: NO MAGICAL ITEMS. These you earn. Homebrew: This is few, far between, and subject to scrutiny that might involve a governmental inquiry and a proctoscope. The same goes for custom gear. Absolutely nothing may be added without my approval in writing, and you must be able to show me this if called upon. That out of the way, if you present something reasonable, not designed for specific advantage or to break your class and/or abilities, I will give it fair consideration. If you absolutely must go this route, talk to me. Maybe we can work something out. Just don’t base your entire concept around it. [/hider] The Header is, oddly enough, to go at the head of every IC post. It serves a few purposes, not the least of which it as a quick reference for what your character is doing, where they are going, and their general state of condition and injury. Also, when we get into combat rotation, your header is where you declare bare bones actions, bonus actions, and reactions (if any are applicable). This is where character faceclaims or art will be shown, as well. Your color code will feature prominently here, so pick one you can live with. [hider=Header Template] [center][i]Change the hex color code in the Header to the color of your choice. This is going to be the same as your text speech color. Make sure it is one that is not currently being used by an active member of the RP, dark gray, gold, or white. Must use this Header for all IC posts - if you do not need a section because it does not apply to your character, just place N/A and move on.[/i][/center] [center][i][/i][/center] [center][i]While the Character Image is optional, if you use one please keep the height at 250 px MAX.[/i][/center] [code] [center]━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━[/center][table][row][/row][row][cell] [h2][color=000000][i][b]Character Name Here[/b][/i][/color][/h2][i][b][color=000000]Race, Class (Subclass Optional), Level 00[/color][/b][/i] [color=000000][i][b]HP:[/b][/i][/color] Current / Max [color=000000][i][b]Armor Class:[/b][/i][/color] 00 [color=000000][i][b]Conditions:[/b][/i][/color] N/A [color=000000][i][b]Location:[/b][/i][/color] Character location in the RP [color=000000][i][b]Action:[/b][/i][/color] N/A [color=000000][i][b]Bonus Action:[/b][/i][/color] N/A [color=000000][i][b]Reaction:[/b][/i][/color] N/A [/cell][cell] [right][img]Character Image Here[/img][/right] [/cell][/row][/table][center]━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━[/center] [/code] [/hider] Here we go, the almighty Character Sheet. To clarify from earlier, I will need a 3rd party site online CS, fully filled out, completely legit, IN ADDITION to the one below. Myth-Weavers and D&DBeyond are really good for this. I have a bent toward D&DBeyond myself, but I am open to others. When this is done, link it to the CS here in the space provided. Submit CSs in the OOC [i]only[/i]. Do not post it to the CS Tab until I have approved it. Do not post [i]Works In Progress[/i]. Use a self-addressed PM to work on it if you must. After your CS is approved, it becomes immutable without permission. If it's small or something you overlooked, just send me an ask. Edit your CS without permission and you're kicked. Get caught cheating and you're kicked. Standard stuff. Oh yeah, and when your CS is posted in the CS Tab - Put it in a hider. The hider's title is your character's full name. Keeps things tidy. So brace yourself, fuckle up buttercup, hold your loved ones close, for here we delve into the sublime horror of... ...[b][i][color=ffd700]The Character Sheet![/color][/i][/b] [hider=Character Sheet] [center][i]Change the hex color code in the CS to the color of your choice. This is going to be the same as your text speech color. Make sure it is one that is not currently being used by an active member of the RP, dark gray, gold, or white. Must use this CS - if you do not need a section because it does not apply to your character, just place N/A and move on.[/i][/center] [center][i]Also, remove the "." from every instance of [code][hr.][/code] before submitting.[/i][/center] [center][i]While the Character Image is optional, if you use one please keep the height at 250 px MAX.[/i][/center] [code] [hr.][hr.][center][h1][b][i][color=000000]Character Name[/color][/i][/b][/h1][/center] [center][img]Character Image Optional[/img][/center] [center][b][color=000000][h3]Race, Class (Subclass Optional), Level 00[/h3][/color][/b][/center][center]━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━[/center] [center][color=000000][b]STR:[/b][/color] 00 (+0) [color=000000][b]DEX:[/b][/color] 00 (+0) [color=000000][b]CON:[/b][/color] 00 (+0) [color=000000][b]INT:[/b][/color] 00 (+0) [color=000000][b]WIS:[/b][/color] 00 (+0) [color=000000][b]CHA:[/b][/color] 00 (+0)[/center] [center][color=000000][b]HP MAX:[/b][/color] 00 [color=000000][b]Armor Class:[/b][/color] 00 [color=000000][b]Movement:[/b][/color] 00 ft [color=000000][b]Spell/Save DC:[/b][/color] N/A [/center] [center][color=000000][b]Alignment:[/b][/color] XX [color=000000][b]Defenses:[/b][/color] N/A [/center][hr.][hr.] [center][url=INSERT CS LINK HERE][b]Full Character Sheet[/b][/url][/center] [hider=Description] Just give a basic description here. What does one see when this character walks into the room? Preferred style of clothing, gear or items that are always on their person, obvious weapons or armor, talismans or foci, etc. Apparent age (vs. real age, perhaps)? Does this character always have a foreboding sneer, or a cheerful and open expression? Walk with a limp? Add it here! This is the overall visual introduction that your character will make. [/hider] [hider=Personality] Broader than alignment, what makes your character tick? What face do they put off in public, and is it different than what they actually feel? Flesh out those personality traits in this section. Hopes, fears, dreams? Two good paragraphs should be plenty, more if you feel the need. [/hider] [hider=Backstory] "What have I experienced?" in a nutshell. Not exhaustive; three paragraphs may suffice. More if you have a story to tell. [/hider] [hider=Bestiary] Do you have a pet? Familiar? Working animal? Regular summoned creature? Eldritch horror living within your very blood which rips from your skin to demand tribute? Um... favorite horse? [/hider] [hider=Extras] Likes, dislikes, hobbies. The weird stuff. The quotes. Your faceclaim. The interesting tidbits that don't really go anywhere else. Nothing in here is really [i]required[/i], persay, but it helps flesh out and make your character more of a living, breathing creation. Also, it can help with writing ideas during those lulls. [/hider] And lastly, what role do you serve in an adventuring party? [/code] [/hider] [color=ffd700][b]Approved Characters:[/b][/color] [list] [*] [color=9932cc]Victoria Belmont[/color] (Half-Elf Bard) [*] [color=ff6c5c]Marita Bärbel[/color] (Human Cleric) [*] [color=f7941d]Kosara[/color] (Tiefling Warlock) [*] [color=598527]Kathryn Pyke[/color] (Human Fighter) [*] [color=00aeef]Baronfjørd Chedgusah[/color] (Dragonborn Monk) [*] [*] [/list]