Lucius Cypher

DnD 5th edition -esque Rople Play Missing only a Couple of Players.

@IRLCleric Actually just started it here.

Ruins of Norn: Walking Apocalypse

On the shore of the Sea of Gales lies the port town of Brighthaven. Although its official name sounds pleasant enough, you would get another idea of the place once you heard the natives names for it; Bloodhaven or Thief Town being among the more popular ones. It is a big, wild place, full of people of all sorts of questionable occupations and backgrounds. It is not a place for the weak of heart. Living here is risking everything, but still people flock to the place like flies to freshly spilled faeces. Why, you might ask? Because of Norn, that's why.

Just a days travel north of the city lies the great forest of Morkador, and within it, the ruins of ancient Norn. Norn was once the capitol of the Nornum empire, a realm of great power and influence which fell to an unknown catastrophy over a thousand years ago. Although a long time has passed since then, and despite the numerous expeditions into the dark woods, the place is still teeming with treasure. Gold, jewels, silver, and foremost of them all: magical artifacts.

Magic is rare nowadays. Some say it is leaking out of the world. Others say that the art has simply been lost to time. Whatever the case may be, the fact of the matter is that the most potent, and valuable, pieces of enchanted goods can be found only in this place. But delving into Morkador is not without risk.

In fact, most expeditions into the dark forest end up as failures, or are never heard from again. The woods hold all sorts of nasty surprises for the unwary and expert traveller alike; beasts, ghosts, bandits and other adversaries haunt the ruins of old Norn, and have proven a daunting challenge even for the most illustrious of adventurers.

But still they come, from near and far, and for every imaginable reason. Its a great gamble, with your life at stake, but the treasures of Norn and the promise it brings just might be worth the dangers of Morkador.

---

Right, so now that we got that our of the way here's the basic rule set:

1. My word is law. Standard RP/D&D stuff. While I'm willing to hear you out if you want to contest something, it's not garuntee that you'll get your way and frankly if I find that you're pushing it too much, you're out.
2. This is a 5e game with 5e mechanics. While I'm open to homebrew or house ruling, bring it up to me first before you implement it. Ignoring or forgetting this rule will invalidate your actions, making you fail at whatever you were attempting and wasting all of our time.
3. Let's get this our of the way soon: If you want to fight another PC IC, feel free to do so, but it will be conducted with the standard rules of combat. Fighting IC is fine, but chances are that it will cause a stir OoC, so I demand that both sides keep OoC arguing or combat out until the fight is resolved. If you don't wanna face off against your fellows, tread carefully.
4. Death will happen. I'm not going to pull my punches here; you will be outnumbered, you will run into enemies above your level, and I have plenty of traps in mind to screw you over when it's most inconvenient. While I am not a blood thirsty GM, that doesn't mean recklessness will be rewarded and like it or not, there are things in this RP that seeks to kill your character in the most brutal and dishonorable way doable.
5. For newcomers or hopefuls who wish to join, you begin at level 3, your budget is whatever you could get with your starter class options plus 150 GP, and any source from the Core, Unearthed Arcana, and Xanathar's guide is allowed. Any homebrewed content must be passed by me first, and if I have any question about your abilities, spells, or items, I expect you to have a legitimate source for it. That is to say, you can't simply tell me, you need to show it to me on official documents.
6. More rules to be added as I see fit.

Character sheets will be made through this Google Sheet. Copy it and save your own file. I will reference your sheet ever so often as I need to.

@Searat@Duthguy@Riaxh

And so the game begins. I actually haven't seen Assallya in a while so she may or may not be playing. Since I decided that we'll be doing Norn, it should be easier to have new players come and join, though I would still prefer if we only get one or two more players. In any case, please post up a link to your CS here in the OOC, and when I have the time I'll get started on the first IC post.

I, the Demon King, Will Summon My Own Damned Heroes!

And now it was time to begin the attack. Rattleskull was thankfully not so thick headed as to not let Orchid and her goblins take the lead for scouting, though this was merely a pretense; she just wanted to get into the cave and find her lizard friend before the rest of the horde does. Adjusting the straps to her shield and giving a few tested thrusts with her club, Orchid leads her troops inside. But before she goes too far, she also preps her sling; she puts a stone in her sling and has it in her shield hand. This way she could easily drop her club, take out her sling, and hurl a stone if she needs to hit something far away.

When they got into the cave the first thing Orchid noticed was the smell of death. Something was killed here recently. Sure enough one of her goblins reported that one of the other goblins tried to go inside and got killed. ”Must be from the monsters… No doubt they’ve set up a trap here. Move carefully.” Of course just as she says this they were attacked by a red slime. Fortunately her goblins managed to survive the initial attack, and two more stuck their spears into it to keep it in place. Orchid scanned it with her Monster Analysis ability while she moved in to attack. She had no time to waste dealing with these small fries.

”SMASH!” Orchid shouted as she slammed her trench club into the slime, careful to avoid smashing her weapon against the spears of her fellow goblins, but still hitting a sizable portion of the slime. ”You younglings! Smash him with you torches!” She barked orders as she looked to the goblin who was knocked off balanced. ”You! Watch out for traps or ambushes. Poke the ground with your spear, make sure there’s no spikes or holes.” Orchid remembered how she managed to lure some goblins into a makeshift caltop trap the day before; she wasn’t about to fall for the same trick herself.

”Keep your shields up! Don’t drop them or you will die!” And sure enough Orchid would show them how to do that, covering a vast majority of her body with her shield while she smashes the slime. Only her arm and weapon was exposed, and she made sure to utilize the full reach of her weapon so that even if the slime would try and lash out at her, Orchid’s arm would already retreat back behind her shield.

Stats/Inventory

Health - Mostly Full
Magic - Full
Stamina - Mostly Full

Skills -
Use Light Equipment (--)
Pacify Animal I (1.0)
Stronger I (1.4)
Crafting IV (4)
Material Analysis I (1.15)
Monster Analysis I (1.0)
Smash I (1.0)

Inventory -
Raw Dire Rat Hide (Equipped)
Loincloth (Equipped)
Stone Spiked Club (Good) (Equipped)
Wicker Shield (Well Made) (Equipped)
Plant Fiber Sling (Loaded) (Slung)
Rawhide Bag (8/12) (Equipped)

• Hard Stones x2
• Herbs x3
• Antidote Fern
• Fiber Cordage (Average)
• Bloody Garrote

Leaf Sling Bag (1/3) (Equipped to Rawhide Bag)

• Sling Stones x4

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Eh, I'll leave the reigns on. I want to be able to grab at least one horse in this skirmish.

Blades of Iron Roses: A fantasy Knight RP

Name: Annabeth Elliot
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Appearance:

Personality: Hot-Blooded and dutiful, hits all the right buttons for your typical knight-in-shining armor. She stands up for the weak, gives mercy to the dissolute, and stands up against evil regardless of their strength or their relations. That being said her honorable and upstanding attitude as a knight, while not a facade, is an actively maintained on Annabeth's part. She's all too aware of how people like her can easily fall into zealotry and the pressure of being the beacon of hope for the commonfolk and an exemplary model for nobility can be a burden on her. She's also aware of the complexities that can occur during conflicts, and finding out things like right or wrong, good or evil, isn't as easy as seeing who's looks ugly and who is passably attractive.

Annabeth personally does expect and want honor and glory in the things she does, and while she can accept doing good for goodness sake, she also knows that such rampant generosity will likely make things harder for her in the long run. She believes that hard work equals great rewards, even if that doesn't always happen. Has no patience or tolerance for foolishness and ignorance, for better or for worse. If you aren't smart enough to realize that what you do is wrong, or at least offends Annabeth's morals, than she will give up on words and simply use action. But if you do understand, and simply continue to oppose her due to your own beliefs, she can at least be at ease that she's dealing with an understanding opponent as oppose to a thoughtless barbarian. But such a slippery slope is one of the many hazards a knight like Annabeth must tread carefully, so she tries to think about her actions before she starts them.

Brief Backstory: Annabeth was one of the many children of a barbaric cult who believed they were descendants of dragons, and so they would kidnap women and force them to bare their children to spread their progeny throughout the world. After they had made the mistake of kidnapping the daughter of a powerful noble, an order of knights was dispatched to eliminate the cult down to the man, which had the unfortunate side effect of leaving a lot of pregnant women and orphans. Annabeth was only a toddler of two years old when this happened, and so she was adopted by the order and given a rudimentary education in their beliefs. When she was around seven years old, she began her training in knighthood. Though in the beginning, this involved less swordplay and combat, and more education on things like mathematics, linguistics, philosophies, and the arts. That's not to say she's never seen combat; the knight in which she was the squire of often took it upon himself to seek injustice and right them with all his powers, which shaped Annabeth to be the knight she is now.

It wouldn't be until ten years later after she started her training into knighthood that she would taste battle. Though still a squire in title, she would pick up the sword and fight alongside her knight in his battles, protecting him from treachery as he fought the foes before him. Alas, there was one enemy that his blade could not defeat; time itself. After a particularly brutal battle against a twisted aristocratic family and their personal knights, he received a crippling injury that would effectively end his fighting career. He was forced into retirement, but in exchange for Annabeth's loyal service, he bequeathed his signature warhammer onto her, as well as recommendations into the Order of Iron Roses, a knightly order that he was familiar with. With his blessing and weapon, Annabeth would join the order and continue to serve and fight, earning herself a bit of prestige and funds to be a better knight.

Equipment:
Plate Armor - A highly protective set of steel armor with leather padding underneath. Annabeth has trained in the use of heavy armors like this for much of her life, to the point that she feels most comfortable in full armor than out of it. She can even rest and dance with it on, though of course she has to get out of it sometimes to maintain it and well as wash. Has seen much combat and indeed, most parts of her armor aren't even from the original set; she's had bits and pieces replaced over the course of her career when they become too damaged to simply patch up. Thus it has a rather dull hue.
War Hammer - Annabeth's weapon of choice, this weaponized maul has a blunt head that can crush through even plate armor, or spike ends that can be used to impale a charging foe, pierce a shield, or spike a skull. She especially enjoys employing a disarming/sundering technique against sword-wielding opponents. Annabeth's warhammer differs from your standard one with a single trick that her former master had taught her; the handle can extend, turning the warhammer into a four-foot long war hammer into a seven foot long lucerne hammer, and Annabeth knows the technique to extend it's reach mid-swing.
Arming Sword - What knight wouldn't be complete without a sword by his side? Annabeth is as skilled with her sword as she is with her hammer, often utilizing it should her hammer be disarmed or unavailable. It's Annabeth's personal sword when she became old enough to fight, and has her name etched in bronze along the side of the blade.
Arbalest - What a layperson may refer to as a "Heavy Crossbow"; this bowgun is crank operated and uses a steel bow as oppose to a wooden one, allowing it to impart greater force at greater range. Powerful enough to punch through plate armor at close ranges, Annabeth has once used this weapon to shoot a target up to 1000 feet away. Granted, that target wasn't moving and had no idea that Annabeth was there, but it was still a headshot. She tends to use this weapon as an opener if her targets have no idea where she's at.
Buckler - A small metal shield suited for parrying and hand-to-hand combat, but less for open warfare. While Annabeth is skilled with it, she typically only uses this when she uses her arming sword, which is typically only in duels or desperate situations. Still she can easily have it equipped even if she's using her bow or War Hammer, so it's convenient compared to a larger knightly shield.

Skills:
Combat - As one may expect from a knight, Annabeth is skilled in combat. But while some would focus entirely on their swordsmanship, Annabeth's knowledge isn't just in the sword. And in fact, she considers her swordsmanship shoddy compared to her skills with the war hammer. She favors her war hammer not only because of it's crushing power, but because it's longer than most standard arming swords, allowing her to easily keep her distance against skilled foes using shorter weapons. Additionally she knows how to use her armor; she's not like some who simply brace themselves and let themselves be struck square on with weapons. She knows how to shift and move in full plate to allow her armor to naturally deflect even bludgeoning blows to minimize or even neutralize damage. And lastly, she is a deadeye with her Arbalest; she prides herself on being able to strike a target from a thousand feet away. Granted that target has to be standing still and ideally not aware of her, but most wouldn't expect a knight to be able to harm them from a 100 feet away let alone 1000.
Carpentry - As part of her education as a knight, Annabeth was given training and education in carpentry. This doesn't just involve the likes of chairs and tables; given sufficient time and materials she could craft a small hut to a sturdy fortress. She also knows how to apply this knowledge to constructing siege weapons such as trebuchets or ballistas. Though she personally prefers using her expertise to make life-like wooden sculptures of people and creatures. She one day wishes to create an completely autonomous statue that doesn't rely solely on magic to animate it.
Linguistics - Annabeth has received quite an extensive education, including the ability to communicate with other races, hopefully to arrange a peaceful arrangement instead of engaging in bloody warfare. She's considered fluent in elvish, even the elvish of Dark Elves, as well as dwarven, fey, orcish, and gaint. She'd have a vague understanding of other languages that aren't in an ancient dialect, though she wouldn't know how to speak or write them exactly. Annabeth has also been trying to develop two language that is entirely devoid of spoke words; one is an alphabet for the blind, and another is a series of hand motions for the deaf. So far she is the only known practitioner.
Mounted Combat - Annabeth is a skilled enough horse rider that she can reliably do battle while on horseback, often using her war hammer like a lance to impale her foes with ride-by attacks. Additionally she's capable enough that she can even draw, load, and shoot her Arbalest while mounted, a notable feat considering how bulky the weapon is.
Smithing - A skill derivative of both her carpentry knowledge and her time as a squire. While not a considerably skilled smith compared to others who are dedicated to their crafts, Annabeth is skilled enough that she can make tools needed for construction as well as repairing and maintaining her equipment. She also crafts her own crossbow bolts and is experimenting with different bolt designs. So far she has two; one is a bolt that can allow her to more easily make long range shots, though the bolt itself is notably fragile, while another bolt is heavier and better at penetrating armor and shields but has a notable drop in range.

Overlord - Glory in a new World

Marchosias sighed as the stranger, who didn't exactly introduce himself, took point. Marchosias barely had strapped his shield onto his arm when he noticed the signs around the cave entrance and knew what was coming. In a flash the slammed into steel, however that sound did not come from the groundkeeper's body, but Marchosias's shield. The stone heads shattered and didn't even scratch the Wolf Knight Shield as the knight glanced back to the wiry servant. "Don't be cocky. Look like these guys already don't like you." The black knight looked towards the goat men as more and more gathered. Marchosias was surprise when he realized that he recognized them, vaguely. They were Garef; goat-like beastkmen that were a player race option back in Yggdrasil. Off the top of his head he knew about their racial horn weapons and their abilities to ignore difficult terrain brought about uneven footing, plus their climbing abilities. It made sense that they would make their home in a treacherous place like this mountain.

What was odd however was that Marchosias was pretty sure the Garef were a "peaceful" race. Though isolated and ignorant of technology, they tend to be cordial enough. So the fact they began their greetings with spears told Marchosias something was up. Alas, there was no time for parley as the second wave of spears came. Some were aimed at him, but most were aimed at the groundskeeper. But despite being a stranger to the undead warrior, Marchosias saw fit to protect him; perhaps he would get into these Ardent Herald's good graces if he brought their servant back to them alive. And so Marchosias activated a second ability, Living Shield, which caused the projectiles to turn mid-flight towards the heavily armored knight. And like before, their spears shattered against the warrior's shield. "Alright, play time is over. CLEAR OUT!"

With a mighty roar, Marchosias shouts echoed through the cavern, getting the attention of the garef warriors gathered there. They prepared their spears again, but instead of using their throwing javelins, they were going to try and swarm and overwhelm the black knight with numbers. Thus they switched to their combat spears which were considerably larger. Marchosias responded by taking out his crossbow, pulling on a crank to get it ready to cull the herd. "Don't waste my time. Come at me all at once!" And should the goatmen heed Marchosias's demand, he would meet their numbers with a hail of crossbow bolts.

---

The Servants quarter - Collapsed wall

Deeper within the darkness, there was the hollow sounds of wind echoing throughout the cavern. As Glathra mentioned, there were animals in this hole. Most of them harmless, simply displaced moles and other vermin who were buried into the snow for hibernation. After all, how were they suppose to expect the sudden arrival of this grand guild hall? But while the number of minor beasts were inconsequential enough, there was something else lurking in the darkness. Soon, there was a distant roar which stirred the beasts into action. At first, what came was a wave of rats and rodents, flooding the floors between the feet of the servants and golems that were clearing the debris. But suddenly, a smell of death struck the hall. And flooding forth after the rodents came undead garef, armed with axes made of stone and bones.

They came in great numbers and with very little warning. They didn't even scream or shout; they immediately saw the other members of the Ardent Haralds, and with speed and savagery that is perhaps a bit unexpected for undead, they would swarm and try to crush everyone with sheer numbers. "Parpara, drepa, eaav!" A deep voice echoed through the dark tunnel. Behind what appeared to be hundreds of undead garef warriors was a small group of garef necromancers, with one who obviously led them. He had a large, ornate crest on his horns that signified his importance. "Obavain ukavrengavh. Obavain numberuk. Kulknej liwo avake avhiuk ukavone forav!" Came his guttural words from his black maw. They seem to believe the Ardent Heralds to be an unwanted invader to their lands. Or possibly just a new and underestimated treasure trove for them to raid and pillage.

Lady Tea and her elf compatriot would have to tend to their uninvited guests, less their manners and poor hygiene sully not just the guild's carpets, but also the ladies themselves.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Nito. Also can we say that Orchid’s slash dragged the dragonclaw off of his horse?

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

@Hekazu
Yeet. And since I’m Recklessly Attacking now, I got a 17/14. If the 17 hits, Orchid is swingig for an awesome 11 slashing.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

Fair enough, though I should let you know Orchid is going to pop his Reckless Endrance when he gets taken down the first time. If the cultist doesn’t strike at Orchid a second time, he’ll try to take a slash at the dragon claw as his AoP.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

I usually roll twice to see if my second roll might be higher than my first roll. If it is, then I usually pop the reckless, but if it's not, than I just stick with my first roll. I also tend to roll doubles in case for some reason or another I might have disadvantage due to an enemy ability.