The Harbinger of Ferocity

D&D Advanced [Searching for Group]

@JBRam2002, @Decker126, @Gordian Nought, @Cu Chulainn, @Chaotic Chao, @Zverda, I will be posting the introduction this morning with some finer details added. I need mention it now, but I intend to go with a "first come, first served" policy. So, applications and posts as a whole will be held to a standard of timeliness.

To give yourselves an advantage, as I will only have at most five slots open, I suggest you look over the information I have revealed here and go under the assumption we are starting at 2nd level.

More is to come.

D&D Advanced [Searching for Group]

I would not worry too much about healing, @JBRam2002. I believe that would be a reasonable choice in terms of thematics and ability, as well as an archetype that I have not see many play as of it.

D&D Advanced [Searching for Group]

@Cu Chulainn, the medium will be the Guild, so Theater of Mind play will be the standard, with combat played out in posting order determined by initiative. Players who do not post within their window of time will have their turn assumed by me and played relative to what would be the most reasonable action for them to take at that time. This means both the character's needs and the party's are taken into consideration.

As for wealth, because of my prior statement on it, provided you are not spending more than fifty gold on it and it is non-magical, it is reasonable to start with automatically. If you are after a particular item, say plate mail, that might be a bit too far at its price of fifteen-hundred, versus where I am willing to yield on a hand crossbow by comparison which is only seventy-five gold. If you really want to roll for wealth you are welcome to, but I see no particular benefit in it either way.

Ability Scores will be determined by one of two things. Either all the players must desire to roll for them or we will use the standard array. Now, beyond this I am debating how to determine those rolls. I might do something as roll them all myself, assign numbers to each score, and let the players pick at random from those numbers without knowing the scores.

Dealing with character level @JBRam2002, I need a starting point for the party and a means to give progression. By 5th level that has cut out an enormous amount of time, too much so. Again, by going to the Planes the difficulty and events are going to be quite different. I have already adjusted down the average Challenge Rating slightly because of the more common number of encounters which is about three, unlikely to reach five. Between that and the experience gain, I am fairly confident you all will not remain lowly for long.

No one likes drawn out low levels short of E6 and I do not intend to make you feel them. You're meant to be legitimate, actual heroes in a high fantasy realm fighting a vastly more numerous, but individually far weaker, foe while going from world to world, realm to realm and eventually Plane to Plane. This transitions slightly, in that here is the general overview of what we are looking at.

Overview

You and your cohorts have seen yourselves on this great journey from humble beginnings not out of any particular, select desire, but because you could not do it alone. Where some of you may have faced the echoes of darkness coming by yourselves, fighting against it at your weakest point, they outnumbered you then and even still do so now. However, whereas others' spirits could not endure these assaults, yours and these few others could; in a way, that is what drew you to them. It was not pure necessity that changed your fate, rather instead a sense of comradery, hope and levity that you all share. You are confident, through your own lens just as they with their own, that the dark tides can be turned.

Yet, you must not lose heart.

As just before your adventure truly began, those few days with your companions prior, you learned that the darkness consumes those who surrender to it and that no matter how small it is, it erodes away the spirit. For some, the struggle with their own evils gets the better of them. In others, it is a mechanism to kindle their light, the good they feel and desire. No matter how you internalize this knowledge - that you must remain kind, virtuous, noble and good - you must fight. That is what made you take up the sword or practice magic as your path alongside your friends.

This accounted for, I make the following few notes.

Notes

The player characters come from the standard array of mundane races, being humans, elves, half elves, half orcs, gnomes and dwarves. These individuals, the "original" party, were the first to beat back the darkness and its forces to the doorway that led to the Planes abroad; unknowingly, by opening it to push their foes further back, they instead found themselves cast into the Planes as it collapsed. Separated and lost from their home, unaware where they are, they now can meet the potential second half of the party, such as aasimar, tieflings or the like. For one reason or another, the bare minimum being they all have the same motives and generally same feelings on the matter, they unite.

This said, the most common races will be aasimar, elves, half elves and humans. Everyone or everything else is viewed in varying shades of "odd". However, because good is just that, most are willing to give the character a chance. Just be forewarned it is almost always going to be brought up.

The true enemy the player characters are familiar to are always some form of evil being, be them demons, devils, undead or elemental. At its simplest, because you are on the Planes, "killing" them is not so much a thing as freeing their essence. The same is even true for non-evil beings. Striking one with a sword doesn't draw blood, but it does badly wound that connection; felling a creature disperses it back into ether which rapidly dissipates, just as a summoning spell would normally. This too applies to characters, but you needn't worry too much about "death". There will be a penalty of course and provided the party does not die as a whole, it will be minimal.

I note next player classes because of the general thematics as high in sword and spell play. The Eldritch Knight fighter, Arcane Trickster rogue, College of Valor bard, and other similar martial spellcasting classes, like a paladin or melee based sorcerer, are going to probably fare the best. Dedicated spellcasters, such as the wizard or the druid, will have their moments to shine, but because of the larger number of encounters, it will require a bit more creativity or willingness to dabble in lesser magic with cantrips.

Lastly, because it is high fantasy, expect more exotic and ornate armor or equipment. Feel free to embellish upon that once we get to such a place in the game when I note it, though do try to pick a theme to go with to distinguish yourself. As I stated before as well, I am intent on providing each player a personalized magic item specific to that character; something they are bonded to and iconic to only them. But from the start, the majority of everyone is wielding conventional arms and armor - of which while it protects the body on the Material Plane, does little to defend your very essence well while as a "spirit" on the Planes.

D&D Advanced [Searching for Group]

My current intent is to start at 2nd level, if not perhaps 3rd, @JBRam2002. Mostly because while I want the group to be aspiring heroes, I wish for the majority of them to have their abilities. All starting equipment that seems reasonable, essentially anything less than fifty gold pieces and non-magical, is probably reasonable. I am intent on providing you all a magic item as well, but that is mostly after the introduction. Given it is intended to be heavy on the combat side of things, I would like you all to feel comfortable fighting until the classes all begin to hit their stride.

So, I would say anything starting from 1st level, plus a second set of items that meet that criteria; gold will not be doing much for you as is in the Planes, at least not in the lesser quantities low level characters see. Another note related to this is, is that because much of it is more readily available, there won't be need for much shopping short of say, restocking on potions or antitoxins in the future to come.

D&D Advanced [Searching for Group]

Easy enough to do, @Zverda.

For those interested, both @JBRam2002 and @Decker126 as well, some recommendations for this game given that it will be Fifth Edition and in the Planes, that it is high fantasy sword and sorcery. So, Eldritch Knight fighters, paladins of all forms, and all other magical martial classes should feel right at home. As for races, my recommendations would be to err toward elves, humans, half elves and aasimar. For plot reasons and how important alignment is on the Planes, please try to avoid anything morally questionable or historically evil; demons, devils and undead are all inherently evil, and any association with them tends to have others view you that way as well.

The battle for the hearts and minds of many planar locations and other realms is at stake, so do know this will lean more toward combat - quite a few consistently back to back at times. Granted of course these multiple encounters will always be a bit easier than say, of course, a major engagement.

Beginner's DnD 5e Game - Group 2

The primalist, if only for now, held her tongue as she followed her company in suit.

The stone room they were led to bore an eclectic tone of decoration, one that seemed to be the subject of interest to both her and Ceria, the latter of which sat herself upon one of the seats before the broad desk whereas Arthera by contrast stood beside her. Despite the ordeal not long ago General Cavanaugh seemed no worse in demeanor for it, by fortune's favor not even made aware of it perhaps, rather more content to admit in light the inanity of the ceremonial display in the midst of a greater threat. The tall, blonde figure could not agree more in those regards nodding quietly to herself no matter if the man paid her any heed; the time for attention was best suited elsewhere, not on celebrations of events done by the works of men long old.

As Ceria's commentary grew more tense, Arthera lifted a hand and beckoned one of the cups Loxim had said out for them all, waiting after the general had filled them all. While doing so, her animal attentiveness did not leave him, nor did it peer aggressively. The display was not a game of show or an effort of force, but a foundation for her comment that was born after the elf relaxed some again.

"Better they died free souls than slaves of a witch, something I am sure those of the city of Bourgund can appreciate." She said, all the while not breaking her gaze from across the table, "But... as our host has said, there is time to discuss that coming."

The cup, now having found itself a resting place in Arthera's surprisingly large palm, was held gingerly at the handle with a sense of refinement she remembered from that old life a time ago. She sipped upon its contents quietly, then placed it deliberately just beside her, this time without the aid of her talent. She pressed on with question thereafter as the man had opened an unofficial forum, so why not oblige him? He certainly had the authority to do so, making this a rare opportunity for all present, or so the woman thought.

"Does your city often have speakers of doom preaching to the masses on days of celebration, General?" Arthera attempted to pique his interest, both to find answers she and her cohorts sought earlier, and to infer their meeting was perhaps more important than they all at first new.

She was uncertain if such an instinctual notion was accurate, but it seemed too uncanny for comfort, and if anyone was to reasonably know then it would be this man.

D&D Advanced [Searching for Group]

Yes, I would like to actually have a heroic, more light hearted party of characters who are some form of Good aligned, be it Lawful, Chaotic or Neutral Good; I haven't seen it done in years. As for the material, all Wizards of the Coast material be it the prints or the Unearthed Arcana are permitted. The only stipulation to that is, is that whatever it is needs to use the most current version of its incarnation; thus the rangers use the improved ranger, the Favored Soul origin is the one that does not receive bonus spells and the like.

To give you an idea of the tone @JBRam2002, the party has been with each other for a while, they began from the start that way, but are now taken out of their element and cast far from it. The majority of foes they will be facing are not killed but rather banished and dispersed. Those who are actual beings, friend or otherwise, are not exactly killed either. Death is not a so permanent issue, given the environment is in the Planes and beyond; getting hit by sword or spell damages your essence, in place of your body and blood.

But do not misunderstand me, anyone who reads this, there are still penalties in mind. Just not so much, given I intend to have quite a bit of combat.

The pace in starting up a roleplay

(Seriously, If you "have real life stuff." Please, don't run a campaign! >.<)

@SleepingSilence

This.

I do not think it could be said any better or any more clearly.

If you haven't the time to dedicate to other players, other actual people who exist despite you being mostly incapable of seeing them, from all different corners of this world, do not participate or start a topic. None of us, and I believe I can say that with absolute certainty, enjoy throwing our creativity, time, effort or hopes in on a topic that will never get off the ground because the Game Master or a few players have "real life stuff" to worry about. Roleplaying is a hobby and of that I have make no mistakes, but unlike other hobbies which are content to remain idle where they lay, this is not one. There are other people actively trying to be invested or involved in a game.

There is a reason so many people become frustrated, burned out or simply put, disinterested and disillusioned with the entire genre of roleplaying and that is mostly because of other players. I know I have delved into this topic in light before, @Kratesis can confirm this and to an even further extent, but restarting over and over again is more damaging than just not beginning whatsoever. With the way the Guild functions however, there's no surety that any amount of preparation, forethought or effort is going to get you viable success; genre seems to do that more than anything here. If your idea is not marketable or at times even close to pandering, the odds are not favoring you.

A few general factors I notice for success are, as I mentioned, first the genre. If your roleplay is a loose high fantasy, fandom, school or anime based roleplay, your odds are significantly better in attracting attention. Second, it seems the general interest check needs to be loose enough that anyone reading it of that party feels they can grasp on to it - a given of course, but the more strict or specific, the less likely you are to see any votes here. Third, there needs to be visible communications and discussion on the interest check, with a rapid turnaround and minimal delay between that and the initial topic itself and then an initiating post. Fourth, players - for one reason or another - seem to need to be coaxed to do anything; it is almost as though they are all afraid of posting, which are born of some factors like we saw earlier in this topic about nitpicking.

Did my character say something? Yes, yes they did. They thought something too. Does that make it accurate or lacking in their perceptions twisting it? No. I knowingly wrote something like that because I can read back the previous information and give an in-character answer to it; how they feel on it. The opinions in the meta are meaningless.

D&D Advanced [Searching for Group]

This seems to be fairly common among the community, that Fifth Edition is what they are familiar to. It has its benefits for certain in that it will not take much effort to get going, so provided we can get at least one, preferably two, other players then we may see it on its way, @Decker126.

D&D Advanced [Searching for Group]

As it is, for the sake of simplicity only, I am leaning toward a Fifth Edition game, but I am hopeful to take a different tonal direction and design with the Third Edition stories if we do manage to go that particular. Granted, this is the one time I am actively encouraging players to play "good hearted, good aligned" characters, so I reasoned I might as well make the whole experience more light and lively, as well as paced upon action, rather than story and intrigue. An excuse of sorts to fight ample monsters on an adventure and feel like heroes again, @JBRam2002.