The Harbinger of Ferocity

Two people in a fight to the death. One of them has a wooden baseball bat, the other has a six inch knife. Who wins?

Bat wins.

@Kratesis

My vote as well.

Reach in close quarters tends to earn some favor up to a point, even if these people are untrained and assuming they are not in a confined space that puts the bat at a disadvantage because of size. When you say reach is equal, I am assuming you mean the people themselves.

Also, this feels as though it may be a Based Stickman reference.

D&D 5e - The Lost Lands

By the time that Katia sprung from hesitation to action, five of the shadows had been vanquished, one by the strike of her staff after it had been shot with a small crossbow bolt to which it recoiled briefly; moments before that, there were those slain by the strange burst of wooden shrapnel and had since vanished into the a gaseous cloud of deep indigo and faded, only to be followed in quick succession from those there on up to this moment. Yet, this all was not without cost, for the small hunched over bodies of darkness scampered to life after the advancing onslaught of those dedicated to unseat this great, mysterious being of black. In their heroic haste however, quite a few of them felt the bite of those dark claws, which seemed to ignore their flesh and armor and strike true to their heart.

It was always a chill thing to be touched by the darkness, like a brief bath of ice to the spirit so swift one might swear it never happened at all; only the hole in emotions and morale reflected the reality otherwise though. Being enough to fight through compared to say an actual flesh wound, the shadows' assault leveled its wrath on the arcane ward that surrounded the elf in spectral armor. In a frenzy of leaps and strikes, they slashed away at him, his ward, his armor and his magical shield, each blow glancing off until the spell itself buckled under their relentlessness and want to steal his light. At that brief moment, Haemar caught two of the small things' attacks through his defenses.

To all others however, seeing as the abjurer's attention was reasonably placed elsewhere, they witnessed the dark giant before them rearing back, great orb of shifting darkness now palmed in one hand; bits of stone work drifted past it from the fading world they stood in, falling up into space to vanish into the ever larger tear in the sky.

The purple flames of the being's eyes then narrowed down upon Wick, its ire and hatred drawn or whatever it could manifest for an emotionless thing, where it then hurled the magic forward like a heavy boulder. Despite its composition of nothingness, its absence of light, it moved with great weight as it sailed down and exploded upon her shield; the sole thing that saved her from taking on the brunt of its strike. The detonation showered the area in harmful energy that clung to them, those being the paladin, the monk, and Wick herself briefly before the spell burned off into ether. Another orb crackled to life after the first, cultivated within the giant's hands while it stood its ground.

Last and seemingly least, the most distant shadow of which had originally taken off in flight after Katia, came now running at an odd angle and seemingly fell into the back of the wizard as he busied himself with fending off the rest of the horde. By sheer luck it seems, the accident proved to score a blow against all odds and the beady eyed fiend, worse yet, had no idea how lucky it had been. It only seemed to blink and hop back to its feet, ready again to fight.

Effects

Map
Turyn's Keep

The first quick, wily Shadow strikes Haemar with a critical hit for 2 slashing damage, followed up by the fourth Shadow who strikes for 1. The four Shadows then encircle him, the others failing to hit even with advantage, with the last one coming up from behind him on his left. When it goes to attack him, it succeeds by chance and deals another 1 point of slashing damage.

The Dark Leviathan fires a Shadow Orb at Wick, narrowly missing her Armor Class due to her shield. It still detonates however, dealing 7 necrotic damage to all targets within 10 feet of her. Katia, Thea and Wick must beat a Dexterity saving throw DC 10 in order to take half damage.

The top of the stairway is now between seventy to sixty feet away. The world is still crumbling, perhaps a foot every few seconds, into the abyss while other portions of it drift off into space above, only to "fall" into the all consuming sphere.

@Big Dread, @Cu Chulainn, @Gordian Nought, @Hekazu, @JBRam2002, @Zverda

The 'Explain The Appeal Of......' Thread

As an outsider to the genre myself @Dynamo Frokane, this is only from what I have observed and experienced from those who hold it in high, passionate regard.

League of Legends, as well as similar games for that matter, really capitalize on short, brief, high intensity conflict in a scenario that has a lot of meta. There is a lot of optimization, study and analysis that goes into actually playing "decently". It is exceptionally competitive because of that. Not only does a player need have rapid, snap-like reactions, they need dexterity; no less, strategy and coordination are pretty key. A well executed, coordinated team is going to run through competition. That means having a social circle of like-minded who all have their own talent in the same medium.

And once you have those people, you have peers and friends, with whom you are likely sharing a lot of personality and interests with. But the game itself?

It is diverse, with the aforementioned meta, statistics and play styles. You could be horrible at a number of characters, but when you find that one niche that leads to success, you can imagine players finally feel successful. All the frustrations of the community and other players fades in large part when they fall away.

In addition, I suppose it is needing mention, but the game is forgiving. You might lose a few games, but play with a few people you know and suddenly you find so much less issue. Until of course you find those who are just generally better at the game and with a slight favor of advantage like the factors of luck or those equally unpredictable.

At least that is my theory.

DnD 5e - Beginner's Game

The initial story was something that perked the tremendous cat's ears, as it began in such an off and odd manner that there was no telling just what was in mind. This of course was when the beast could make out what was being said; for a woman who had been so silent earlier, the explosion of such a story upon the ears of those present was a mixture of odd fascination and... quirk, he supposed. The whiskers of his jowls, almost as long as a man's forearm, twitched and his brow grew complicated and drawn up at an angle. It was clear he had never heard anything like it and was so baffled by the proudness of the story she beamed with, he was left to wonder if this was just how she and her kind were from her land.

Men were odd things, as were women, but man as a kind was off in its own right. This was different than that "offness", as though the levity of Harriet and her recounting really did dispel the heaviness of what was their concern. It was not magic, at least not how Lorenthar knew it. Words of course had power, everyone even so faintly initiated in mystic arts and arcana knew that, but this was just a story. The dragon, who came to speak next, would prove as much for those who did not know.

In comparison it was as though the two were of entirely different portrayals, unrelated, but by the mage's account they did actually overlap. What proved to be more interesting, if not useful, was that the man during his display repeated a few terms and retelling the druid had heard before; some "vindication" of a place he knew nothing of. Name and honor, rather importance, were things elves tended to hold in high regard, but this too was different. It was - Lorenthar spent a few moments in idle thoughts adrift - a title, was it not? The dragon had a title? He was a dragon as it were, a blue one at that, so this seemed to make enough sense in retrospect, but before the beast had time to devote further in understanding, it seems a slight lull came over those present.

"I suppose I have no stories from the cities away, but it would only be fair that since some of the outsiders have spoken their stories that I share with them, and your tribe, a more familiar one." His voice was at first growled as he transformed from tiger to man until it returned to one more mortal.

"Once when the season was of plenty," He remained seated, gesturing only before him with the berry he had been granted by the elder, "And of when I was a cub, I found myself into trouble any young student of the wood should know better to avoid. But I, being with the spirit of a cat, no matter how much smaller then, thought I knew enough to wander by myself."

Lorenthar palmed the small fruit for the moment, seemingly removing it from his demonstration, but only enough for the sake of story. A dim globe of warm, enchanted light appeared before him, beaming with a faint radiance like that of spring.

"So I did, for but a few hours in the warm morning sun. Yet, when it came noon, I had found myself to a berry patch. Out of season as they were, I charmed a few into sharing their bounty with me, but before I could finish using my magic to ripen the fruit of the bushes, I heard an odd whine; almost like a child."

The cry of some small animal came from behind the druid as the free hand worked the minor spell; he specifically made the effort to look back to it before addressing his audience once more.

"And I beheld a bear cub." The man shook his head, certain those present already knew well this was going, "... who had decided for himself that my uncharacteristically early in season and transmuted berries made for an excellent meal. Now any folk of any forest can tell you, this is a time for delicate reaction, to which I responded ably; backing away slowly and being sure not to startle him."

"Yet for all my effort, I backed into his mother, who seemingly had been keeping watch over me and him the entire time. You have likely never seen a cat move so fast and into a tree." Lorenthar continued, adding the startling rustling of leaves to the auditory component and a line of dust drift across the floor to mirror a sprint.

"It took her the better part of an hour to convince me down."

Chuckling for a moment he thereafter sighed, for as an embarrassing of a tale as it was, it likely spoke on a more familiar tone to the elder and the other firbolgs, particularly those of them who had that magical tie to nature beyond just blood. It was a story from another wood, somewhere else other than here the mind could go and feel just as at home, if not more. After all, the thoughts were of warmer seasons and more joyous companionships of the wood than what befell their Gate. Like the outsiders' words, it was a distraction, one both far less epic than the prior or personal as the first.

Effects

The druid Lorenthar uses his skill with the cantrip Druidcraft to help articulate his story. It creates a dim sun-like globe, the cry of a baby bear, the rustling of leaves, and a small path of disturbed dust over the course of its use.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

The return from the damp corridors to the fresh air was a revitalizing experience, not to mention the boon of even an hour's rest.

Brannor was partial to sleep in the light of day and stalk the night, as any good hunter would; prey animals, be them men or deer, were at such tremendous disadvantage that anyone accustomed to the darkness that came with each day's passing had the odds swung far into their favor. It was why the beasts of the land were so feared by common folk, even if more mysterious and magical beings prowled the day. The great unknown, surrounding them, confounding them, it filled both eye and heart with unsettling and ambient terror. Most had enough difficulty with fending off lesser threats they could see, even a motley band of raiding goblins or kobolds.

But that was not the case for those present, at least not in majority. Darkness was an ally, one the enemy had turned against themselves by wandering through the dying fires of the streets or in one case, soaring against the backdrop of the stars and moon. Clearly they were uneducated in the forces they were attempting to exploit; all the more reason to turn the aggressors into the feeble targets they really were without their leaders.

"You are right that it might be a trap," The huntsman's voice growled softly from behind them as the raven's master guided the avian figure through the sky above, "But if so, it is only an opportunity to prove our own cunning."

The hunter conceded the halfling's fears might have been well placed, but what brashness had they undertaken tonight? Short of the dragon which they had no option but to fend off lest it raze the keep, they had been cautious, watchful to act on opportunity rather than rush headlong in first. Even the half orc and his crazed demeanor had enough decency to seemingly plan out his insanity, even if the path he chose for himself was still one of great and wild danger.

No less, the enemy did not appear particularly... successful? The man was still uncertain as to what they were even after, ignoring the why, let alone why this mill was so vitally important. It was crucial to their food stores, that much he understood, but there were greater concerns on his mind.

"So make yourself watchful like the bird above on wing."

He shifted about with little more than the soft stirring of a few leaves, turning to stare down the path they had come. Being followed was his first worry, leaving the rest, for the moment, to preoccupy themselves with surveying the road beyond the orchard and its camouflaging trees as well as the notions of just why the attackers were doing what it was they did. With all the honesty he carried himself with, he addressed the cleric's response with as cut and dry an answer as expected of a born hunter.

"As for capture, I am more partial to killing my quarry, but we will see if your efforts have any result, priest. I have no high hopes that these things wish to do anything other than see your home destroyed." The man added, falling silent thereafter once addressing Shepard.

Rolls

Brannor rolls an 8 for a Wisdom (Perception) check to see if the enemy has attempted to follow them or if they are near the keep's underground entrance. If he could better hear or smell them, he has advantage on this check and rolls a .

@Hekazu@Ryonara@Lucius Cypher@Gordian Nought@Norschtalen

D&D 5e - The Lost Lands

Turyn

Kingdom of Lyranth,
Previously

The air itself quakes, the ground beneath the party cracks, portions of the city disappear into a dark void while a single, ominous orb hovers high hung in the sky over the keep. The paved stone work of the roadways begin to crumble at the last edges of existence, leaving the five heroes standing a ways away before gleaming doors of ivory that sit at the very top of the stairs, what was once the entrance to the castle itself. Beyond the falling world, that which is no longer stable, other islands in time and existence made up of the realm seem to drift ever nearer toward the great annihilating sphere above; each piece of debris that falls up and into it only grows the frightening sight larger and apparently cease to exist.

The capitol of Turyn is, in its essence, almost no more and certainly all of the world beyond it; all fallen into the Kingdom of Darkness.

Multiple shadows creep in from the edges of the darkness, almost slipping down the stone steps before the heroes and manifesting in their faceless, emotionless forms. As with these creatures before, these ones seem quite small, but what is more troubling is that some tremendous black form has begun to seep from the very doors at the height of the stairs. Blotting out the lone ivory surface and their faint glinting of light, it begins to amass into a titanic being. Its immense, long appendages draw out and soon its roughly humanoid figure becomes complete, almost as though it were a man without decided features. It is perhaps the largest beast the company has ever seen, as large as a building and with dim, glowing eyes of purple that flare to life as they sweep over the decaying landscape and fall upon those last few sworn to the light.

It reaches out with an arm and commands the shadows before it to spring to life. Almost within reach, the small hunched over beasts set about, ready to attack, their shadowy claws at the ready and their beady purple stare intensifying.

Yet, without any word, the leviathan rumbles the air, shaking those present to their core in a manner that might suggest laughter and draws together its great palms, conjuring dark energy between them that flashes and pulses with purple lightning and fragments of the debris being sucked into the void. Casting some form of chaotic magic, one can only reason by its size the spell will have great consequence on wherever it might land.

During this, debris of what little remains of the town continues to fly violently through the air as the world continues its methodical collapse into the sphere, the edges eroding away slowly in this process. Urgency, the need to reach the doors to banish the darkness back to wherever it has come from, is the moment. However, the grand arcanist Shujaat and the sorcerer Ruron to have joined the party here are nowhere to be found, perhaps lost to the darkness...

... but there is no time to delay.

Effects

Score
Light and Darkness

Map
Turyn's Keep

Initiative Order

• Theodore (20)
• Haemar (13)
• Wick (12)
• Thea (11)
• Cesar (10)
• Katia (9)
• Shadows (6)
• Dark Leviathan (2)

A Dark Leviathan appears at the top of the thirty-foot wide stairs leading up the keep, roughly one-hundred feet away. It is a Huge beast of darkness and seems to be guarding the Door to the Realm of Light and Dark; there are no edges on the sides of the keep now, only bottomless pit that keeps growing. The Dark Leviathan begins to cast some form of large spell.

Before the party could act, it summoned five Shadows, one adjacent to each member of the group. You know that Shadows are Small, frail beings that attack in numbers with their claws. Five more Shadows form on the stairs, ten feet away from Thea, who was heading the advance.

If you have not already rolled initiative, please do so and find out where you fall in posting order.

@Big Dread, @Cu Chulainn, @Gordian Nought, @Hekazu, @JBRam2002, @Zverda

D&D 5e - The Lost Lands

The Lost Lands

Player Characters

Cesar
@Cu Chulainn
A good-hearted scoundrel, the bard by the name of Cesar is a man of daring action and cutting wit, as well as a son of an elf and swordsman. Even without his ship, that which his father left to him, the world has always been a sea of opportunity in his eyes. No less, he was born with a heart of courage and has sworn an oath that he will never abandon his mates and that his skill with the sword is their own; a pledge he holds most true for his wizardly companion, Haemar and his former lover Katia. He wishes to honor his father's aspirations and live out life as nothing less than a "great and honest man".

Katia
@JBRam2002
A kindly outsider even before her trials, although often turned away for her frightening and animal appearance, the pantherine Katia has committed her life to defeating the darkness with her new "family". Combining a sense of naïve goodness, levity in humor and an inherent want to change fate for herself and others, she first found acceptance from the sailor, Cesar. Recently this came in the form of Wick, an ancient elf reincarnated as an aasimar by means of a ritual performed by the arch wizard Shujaat, Seeker of Knowledge. However, as new, unheard of dangers arose, she wasted in no time in rising to the defense of others and finding her old friends.

Theodore
@Hekazu
A zealous soul that has devoted his life to the pursuit of the Kingdom of Light and the defeat of darkness, Theodore is a ranger of many secrets. Part of an obscure order spoken only of as "templar", he places his faith in knowledge only he has. Aware that the powers at hand are nothing like those seen before, capable of banishing them from the world, he is perhaps the sole figure that can lead the others through the new, strange realm they find themselves. His tale, one begun before his iconic mask was stolen in jest by Katia, a Tabaxi monk who he later befriended, still follows the narrow road of a crusade against evil.

Wick
@Gordian Nought
A scholar who has experienced great twists of fate, the now aasimar archivist Wick is a mage that has lived not once, but twice against the forces of evil. Of formerly eladrin blood, she was tutored by the greatest minds and taught to others through her own works across the realm up until she met her last days. While in the afterlife she battled the seeping darkness, using her lifelong studies to aid her, but it was the great arcanist Shujaat, Seeker of Knowledge who offered her another opportunity; one deemed of tremendous but unspoken importance. In the land of the living once again, she studied under him beside the savant Ruron, a young mage fond of the sword.

Non-Player Characters

Althaeron
A voice of echoing authority, the figure of Althaeron appears only in a few vision-like dreams of Thea. Shrouded in a golden mist and impossible to look upon, it is thought this strange force is an agent of the Kingdom of Light from long ago. It has guided her with stern authority and continually urged her to follow the wisdom of the sagely Haemar and more recently the returned Wick as well. Though no one but the paladin has experienced its awing presence, or even knows of it, something within her recognizes it as uncannily familiar.

Birbin the Wizard
A well meaning gnome wizard who epitomizes naive optimism, Birbin is neither the most charismatic or wisest of his fey-folk, but his heart is ever dedicated to the right thing. A bumbling fellow, he is more show and conviction than actual talent; his successes are defined by a mixture of luck and divine favor rather than any semblance of skill such as that of the Heroes of the Light. He has been their guide in a strange land just after they fell from the heavens and perhaps their one ally in their new journey against the darkness.

Haemar
An altruistic abjurer overcome by a sense of unrelenting need to act on behalf of good nature, the noble wizard Haemar is generous and loyal. His heart is closest to Thea, an aasimar who had cast away her righteousness on a path constructed of good intentions. Through his deeds, he aided the wayward paladin in redeeming herself in the eyes of the light, perhaps the most difficult but rewarding task of his life. He now adventures with the goal of ensuring all have a peaceful haven to call their own all while acting as an anchor of stability for his companions.

Ruron
A prodigy of sword and sorcery, the young human mage Ruron is an ambitious student of the great wizard Shujaat, Seeker of Knowledge, favoring pitched spellcraft. Devoted to fighting the mysterious darkness and the empty silhouettes that have befallen the land and its capitol of Turyn, his competition with his fellow student, the far older and more experienced Wick, only improved his ability in this regard immensely. In spite of Wick's departure to join with allies such as Katia or Cesar, Ruron did not follow much to her surprise.

Shujaat, Seeker of Knowledge
A man of almost mythic power, the wizard Shujaat has mastered nearly all aspects of the arcane arts and some magics not known to any man or beast in ages to defeat the coming darkness. Throughout his life he held few students, many failing during his pursuits of the mystic schools, and took on none by any apparent metric or rule. Despite this, he mentored not only Wick when she was returned to the realm as an aasimar, but the aspiring Ruron. He too disappeared, as with his disciple, before Turyn fell while mentioning only to Wick "That it has begun."

Thea
An aasimar who pursued too fervently her desire to protect family, Thea's good heart and devotion were tainted by the darkness and cost her the status of paladin. Her want to follow the myth of the Kingdom of Light was the only thing that saved her, something that her companion Haemar, the zealot Theodore and the elusive voice of Althaeron were able to remind her of not long before all things fell to darkness. Again on the path of good, she takes joy in her rare opportunity and has redoubled her efforts against the darkness. She battles alone no longer for her own beliefs, but those with and of her friends.

The Green Man
Described only as an imposing knight fitted with plate of dull silver and inscribed with motifs found in nature like those animal and plant, the unknown man's other most distinguishing qualities are his strange wear of a rich emerald cloak and an adornment of animal furs, one of which he shrouds his head in. Who he is and just where he has come from is a mystery to all, having appeared only days before the onset of the darkness in another realm.

Valmjr
A mysterious hero of tremendous caliber, the mighty Valmjr is a man who claims to hail from Ysgard and certainly fights with a fervor that suggests this might be well true. Above all things he values his companions and his realm, adding only to the passion he displays in the thrill of battle when fighting with the chosen battleaxe Hela. While only recently having confronted the Kingdom of Darkness, as well as having recalled more and more of his obscure arcane talents, he has sworn himself to the defeat of any enemy that would dare defile the sanctified halls of his home and plunge it all into the endless abyss.

D&D 5e - The Lost Lands

Hello again, @Hekazu and to answer your question, there is still plenty of room as I am operating by a philosophy of "first come, first served". Thus far we only have two approved characters, that of Wick and Katia. There are two characters in the works, but at most that leaves us with a party of five if you cast your hand in. There's no limit on "roles" per say, in that there's no harm in having two paladins or similar types, with all that I ask is that they are thematically and characteristically different from one another. As a whole, any class with access to magic is going to fare better in this setting, seeing as each character receives a spell unique to them, so there is no limit with that in mind otherwise.

The only true, imposed limits I cannot yield on are the alignment being Good aligned, thus no Oathbreakers as well, and the limitation of two "unusual" races in the party; any that is not an aasimar, elf, half elf or human in this world. Unusual races, such as Dragonborn, drow and the sort are something you would be more likely to see on another realm, not originating from here. If you're dedicated to that, you would need wait one encounter until the party arrived on the Planes.

D&D 5e - The Lost Lands

@Gordian Nought, the game will be strictly forum based here on the Guild. The Discord was made because some users wanted a more rapid form of communication other than posts. Orchestrating too many schedules is not worth the hassle. Either players post in their allotted time, even if it takes my request, or I assume your character for you if you are unable or unwilling.

My general rule of thumb is, "Roll for it if you think it isn't anything that you would reasonably know." and I will either take or ignore the results and, if need be, inform a player they need make a specific roll. An example of this is if anything comes across as a roll of 10, give or take slightly, it would be considered common knowledge only; a concept I am borrowing from Third Edition more than anything.

This means little however when the players will be everywhere from Elysium to Mount Celestia to Ysgard and the sort. I expect you all to be fairly lost, especially with the intentionally vague, minimalistic cosmology here.

D&D 5e - The Lost Lands

@Gordian Nought, @Cu Chulainn, @JBRam2002, @Zverda, @Big Dread, my plan is to start this game Monday evening, which would be Tuesday morning for the majority of you. Please attempt to have your characters finished and readied for review by then if not already. No less, if you have questions, do ask one another and collaborate as I will not be easily accessed until then.

We also now have a Discord, which you should request permission to from @Zverda via a private message here on the Guild.