Game Announcement: Return to Home

My presence on the planewalker boards has been woefully inadequate lately. In light of this, I'm going to try and bolster my own presence by running a game. I am going to be running the same game with the same premise on the Realms of Evil gaming forums. However, I'm going to run it here as well because I am interested to see how the two games might differ. Here is the information you will need to know.

I intend to run this game right here on the Planewalker boards, so you won't have to go to any other sites or anything to play.

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Screams pierced the air all around. The searing cold pierced the earthen-covered trap door that the children huddled under. Though none of the younglings could see the terror outside, they felt it deep within their bones. Despite the horror, they dared not move, much less breathe, for fear that they be discovered.

Only when the last of the screams’ echoes had long faded into memory and silence did the oldest child dare to poke open the trapdoor. He felt resistance and pushed harder. When it finally flew open, a flurry of snow and ice crystals fluttered down from above. He looked around, shivering in the sudden chill, eyes wide in shock and horror. The entire town stood frozen. Those who had lived until the end had been captured in the ice, the screams and fear frozen on their faces. Crystal-blue ice covered every building, every street. Above, the sky was a dark grey, yet the icy cityscape gleamed with the reflections of an unseen light. And all things around, even the air stood perfectly still.

Years later, the children have grown older, but always remembered their home. Ranging in age from late-teens to early twenties, their common bond as the sole survivors of their hometown’s destruction has sealed unshakable links of friendship between them.

Their hometown was called Tekar. It lay in a demiplane created by a long-dead, but extremely powerful wizard of the same name. When Tekar created the demiplane, he caused it to be filled with a very precious ore that causes a strengthening effect on magic. The natives of the demiplane were unaware of this fact, though Tekar’s direct line of descent, the rulers of the small world, always kept this in mind. It helped them to secure their power.

Unfortunately, this ore has been long-since looted from the demiplane. The characters are still unaware of the magic-enhancing nature of the ore (or even that the ore existed at all), but they have since returned to their home. They have found that the frozen state of their homeland had not been changed, but that anything and everything of market value had long since been taken. At their reunion, they made a special agreement among each other. They’d track down and find what happened to their home and why. And, if they could, they’d undo it.

Character creation information

Age: Characters should be in the range of 16-23 years old. It’s been roughly 12 years since the catastrophe that rocked their home demiplane. Characters will have been anywhere from 4-11 years old when their homes were ravaged.

Relations: The characters have all known each other since the catastrophic end of their homeworld and they have remained good friends since then. This is meant to encourage you all to plot with each other on inter-character relationships. Siblings, childhood crushes, best friends, etc., are all appropriate. The characters all share the common link as the sole survivors of their world’s “apocalypse” and they have grown close because of this link.

Alignment and Histories: Being initially started along a path of good and virtue, all of the characters are limited to a good alignment. Since the catastrophe, they have been taken in by various good-natured forces from the Upper Planes. This can be one entity or community that raised the children or several entities/communities; I leave that to your discretion, just make sure that I am informed. You may have your childhoods in any good-aligned plane or gate-town (Anything from Arcadia to Ysgard, inclusive – No Mechanus or Limbo or their gate-towns). Please pick an alignment appropriate to your plane of raising. That is, a character raised around Arborea is highly unlikely to be LG. In short, assume that the characters were started along the path of goodness in their native demiplane, and were continued along that path after their exodus.

Factions: Characters may hail from one of the following factions: The Fated, The Fraternity of Order, The Free League, The Harmonium, The Mind’s Eye, The Ring-Givers, The Society of Sensation, The Sons of Mercy, The Transcendent Order. Faction alignment is not required. These are the factions that the characters would have the most exposure to on the Upper Planes. For more information on the Factions, please see Planewalker.com main site, I believe it's Chapter 4.

Deities: Characters are not required to worship deities, but if they choose to do so, the deity must be one who makes its home in the Upper Planes or in the region of the Outlands near the Upper Planar gate towns.

Character Races: Because of the mostly isolated nature of the demiplane the characters are from, there are only certain races that are playable. Their ancestors were brought to the demiplane when Tekar created it. The reasons for this migration may be a topic that is revealed throughout the adventure. As it stands, the characters are unaware of the origins of their ancestors. The following races are playable:

Players Handbook:
Human, Half-elf*, Halfling, Gnome
* A half-elf character may use either the Elf or the Half-Elf racial traits in PHB at creation. For the purposes of physiology, they are considered half-elves. Half-drow aren’t an option.

Planewalker.com
The following races are considered ECL 0 for the purposes of this game. They have been modified slightly to reflect this. Please speak with me about options if you wish to play one of these. Use Planewalker.com’s reference material (Chapter 2) for more information on what these races involve.
Aasimar, Tiefling, Zenythri, Tuladhara

Monstrous Races
Kobold*
* These races have been modified from their listing in the SRD. Please speak to me if you wish to play one and I will inform you of the changes I’ve made.

Character Classes: Any from the Player’s Handbook, 3.5 edition/SRD. I would really prefer not to mess with psionics, so please do not ask to play one. Please note that class alignment restrictions aren’t as rigid as the PHB suggests. For example, I see no problem with a character playing a NG or CG Paladin, provided they stick to the beliefs of that alignment. Core classes from other sources MAY be allowed. I ask is that you clear it with me first.

Planar Class Substitutions: The Planar’s Handbook offers several different ideas for class ability substitutions in each of the core classes from the Player’s Handbook. You may use these substitutions if you choose. You may also mix-and-match as you choose. That is, you may select to take a planar substitution at one level, but not take it at the next. All you need to do is let me know whether you are taking the planar level or the normal level when you reach the appropriate class level.

Starting level: 1 - The characters have just begun to find what they believe is their place in the multiverse.

Future Prestige Classes: I’m open for anything, just keep me posted with what you plan on taking. If it’s something not in SRD, please run it by me for approval first.

Starting gold: Each character has 300gp with which to purchase starting equipment. Please note that the only thing you begin with for free is the clothes on your back (though if your character doesn't want these and is a nudist, that's fine -- just be prepared for appropriate NPC reactions). SRD/Player’s Handbook, Planar’s Handbook, and Manual of the Planes may be consulted. Please confirm with me before using other sources.

Stats: 4d6 drop lowest roll. You only get one chance, even with low scores, so make it count. This represents characters who are generally normal, average people, not the human gods that so many people are fond of playing. If you have no stats above 12 and/or any stat below 8, you are permitted a reroll.

Skills and Feats: Anything from the SRD or Planewalker.com is acceptable. In addition, skills and feats from the Manual of the Planes and from the Planar’s Handbook are allowed. Anything beyond these, I will have to insist that you speak with me first. Feats that involve the Lower Planes or the Inner Planes are not allowed, as the characters at level 1 will not have had enough opportunity to mix with these yet. The characters are less Clueless than they were upon first leaving their demiplane, but are not experienced planar travelers by any means. If you are uncertain, please speak with me about it.

Spellcasting: As usual, any spells not in the SRD, Manual of the Planes, or Planar’s Handbook must be approved by me before being used. For the purposes of spell restrictions and hindrances on the Planes, I will be using a combination of Planescape and Manual of the Planes rules. I will set these rules out for you as they are necessary when you reach new planes.

Multiverse: The multiverse used for this game is the standard Planescape cosmology, NOT the cosmology listed in Manual of the Planes. That means that the Inner Planes number 18, not 6 and that the Ethereal connects the Inner Planes with the Prime, while the Astral connects the Outer Planes and the Prime. This game takes place post-Faction War, and the characters left their demiplane home after the dust of the Faction War had mostly settled. If you don’t know what the Faction War is, that’s fine, just make your character not know about it. It can be revealed to you in character during the game if it becomes a point of interest.

Rules Set: 3.5e.

Backgrounds: I’d like to see a developed background for your character as part of the creation process. I want to know things like where he ended up after leaving the demiplane, and what sort of experiences led him to the class he has chosen. Also, who were his closest friends and relationships among those who left the demiplane? It’s assumed that all the characters kept in contact with each other, but some were probably closer than others due to blood relations or childish crushes or simply juvenile idolatry. Also, who were the primary influences on your young character as he grew up on the Upper Planes? I’d like to see personality, too. Three-dimensional characters are fun. Boring characters with little to no depth are not. Tell me about your character’s mind and how he thinks, feels, and why he does the things he does. And finally, I’d like a clear and vivid description of what your character looks like. Detail is always welcome.

Belief Points: This is in yellow because it is important!

I expect the characters to have ties of loyalty to the group as a whole. However, given the varying nature of the characters' backgrounds, there is no guarantee that the characters will have been taught or accepted the same fundamental beliefs in their youths. The Planewalker's Handbook (2e) offers a system in which PCs who subscribe to a belief can be rewarded for following that belief through thick and thin.

To that end, I would like to promote roleplaying by implementing the system of Belief Points. I would like for each player to develop some basic beliefs that the character follows. This need be nothing more than a sentence for each core belief, but I would like you to submit these beliefs to me separately from the background. They should be simple, short, and to the point. If your character is aligned with a Faction, then you may derive one or more of your core beliefs from Faction philosophy. Or, alternatively, you need not derive it from the Faction at all.

A minimum of one core belief is required, preferably a maximum of three to five. Don't bog your character down with core beliefs. One or two is usually more than sufficient to build a character around.

I would like these beliefs listed separately from the backgrounds so that I can clearly see exactly what the core beliefs of the individual characters are. These beliefs should be more specific than a "strong belief in justice." A more acceptable belief would be, "lying is always wrong." Such a character would be expected to be honest and will be rewarded if he is honest even when that honesty causes him to pay a great cost.

These beliefs are not just beliefs. They are convictions. They are things that the characters would risk dying if it meant they upheld their belief.

Players whose characters adhere to their beliefs will be rewarded by the distribution of Belief Points. Belief Points are extremely powerful and will be awarded only sparingly -- don't expect them over and over simply because you can play your character well. If you are awarded belief points for playing strong convictions, I will let you know what you can do with those points. However, rest assured that you will receive Belief Points if you adhere to your character's beliefs and convictions throughout your playing. This is meant to encourage strong roleplay, something that I feel is often lacking in gaming.

Remember, berk. Belief is power on the planes. Those who have strong beliefs and adhere to those beliefs will get further than those who don't.

Here are some more examples of beliefs that are appropriate:

- All individuals have the freedom of choice and the right to do whatever they want.
- Those in power are always right
- The strong should always help the weak
- Intentionally inflicting pain is wrong
- Knowledge is free, and should never be withheld from anyone
- Taking risks is foolish and wrong
- Every individual has to improve the lives of others at every available opportunity
- Comforts and pleasures serve only to weaken
- All individuals are responsible for their own well-being, and reliance upon others is wrong
- Mercy should be given to all beings, even when unrequested

Those are some examples. Be prepared to justify how your character can give a great sacrifice for a particular belief that you have established. It doesn't have to be anything that will be frequently faced, just a strong conviction that the character will not likely release.

Finally, it should be noted that beliefs that have less influence toward personal gain and more influence things beyond simple personal gain have more influence on the multiverse at large. For example, the following two ideals:

"I should always succeed at the expense of others."

vs.

"Others should succeed at my expense."

The second belief transcends simple personal gain and has a greater impact on the multiverse. This isn't to say you can't use something like the first belief, only that it has a smaller impact.

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I am still in the planning stages for this campaign. As such, it may be anywhere from a couple weeks to a couple months before I feel ready to launch it. However, if you are interested, please let me know by posting in this thread. Be patient with character creation, but feel free to begin plotting and pestering me with questions regarding the characters, the capmaign, and the story. Also, feel free to begin plotting with other interested parties.

I'm not sure how many players I'm going to limit this to. If I find that there is an overabundance of characters, I will be basing part of my character selection on the characters I feel are most compatible. That leaves you to determine what I'm looking for in compatibility. I'm not necessarily looking for the characters who spend their entire time working for the entire benefit of the group. I want individuals, to be sure. Consider this a Godsmen-style test. You are being tested on compatiblity, but I'm not going to give you the standards for compatiblity.

I will, however, give you one hint: Your characters are people who have grown up and had experiences. A well-developed character that has good depth and feels like a real person is one that I am going to like more than one that is two-dimensional and has little personality and no natural feeling.