Things have been tough of late, tough enough that any opportunity for work is worth looking into, even one as odd as this one. You came across the girl in the street, a young girl who couldn't have been more than 13 years of age. She was slowly walking, holding a basket of small scrolls, and passing them out to anyone who would take one. Most of the others ignored her, and you could see the look of disappointment in her face with each scroll that was denied. You took one, though, which was met by a polite smile as the girl continued on her way. Perhaps it was out of pity, or perhaps it was curiosity. Perhaps you didn't even mean to take, but that it was an automatic response to something being free. Whatever the reason, you took the scroll and broke the wax seal, rolling it open to reveal the following message in delicate cursive:
Code: Select all
Dear Friend,
Are you looking for a new opportunity in your life? Are you a lover of art, of music, of dance? Do you seek action and adventure? Love and triumph? Is there an emptiness in your life that you cannot seem to fill? If so, then you're in luck, because what I offer is all of that and more! What I offer is a chance at fortune, at fame, at the life you don't have but long for oh so desperately. Most importantly, what I offer is better shown than told, so if you seek these things, please meet with me and let me grant your wildest dreams.
With my endless love and gratitude,
Cece
You found on the back of the scroll an address, a date, and a time. Those you showed the scroll to might have shown interest, or they might have shown concern. You might have even felt concern yourself. But day after day, the young girl was in the street, passing out scrolls, and eventually the date on the scroll arrived. Against all doubts and fears, you decided it was worth the risk, that the potential rewards - whatever, exactly, they might be - sounded too good to pass up. And so you stand, now, at the foot of the steps of the building on the address.
It is the abandoned Miner's Guild hall, a building you've seen in passing countless times before. You are not alone, as others begin to arrive as well, and while not many, you all look to one another and to the dilapidated structure with confusion. What could be the purpose? Is it truly the correct address? Have you made a bad decision? The sun is near to setting and your mind races with such questions, when before you the door opens...
Setting & Game Information
This game takes place in Fort Sakura, the largest city in the Andorian Peninsula, during the 84th year of the 6th Era. It is a prosperous, walled city that sits on an island off the eastern coast of the region, and is the headquarters of the famed knighthood, the Order of the Cherry Blossom (OCB). While the OCB owns and administrates the city, there are various civilian-run guilds that have sprung up over the years, each of which controls over some aspect of the economic livelihood of the city. These guilds thus command great influence and often possess great wealth, though their existence is ultimately at the whim of the OCB.
While most guilds only grow larger and more prosperous as time passes, the Miner's Guild suffered greatly after the fall of Andor to the mysterious creatures from the deep. Its guild hall has sat abandoned and slowly deteriorating for well over a decade now, and is widely regarded by residents of the city as an eyesore. Some have sought to have the building demolished and replaced with new homes. Some have sought, with little success, to reestablish the guild and restore it to its former glory. You will instead seek to claim the building as your own as part of establishing and managing a new guild.
This game's driving purpose will be the creation and maintenance of this new guild, and all the activities and events will center around that goal. While there will be odd jobs to earn funds, there won't be purely spontaneous adventures that are driven directly by the party itself. In addition to the normal mechanics of D&D, this game will feature mechanics designed around performing for audiences, rebuilding the guild hall, obtaining legal clearances, and establishing and expanding a core group of fans and supporters. Over time, as you progress, you might travel to other cities to seek new acts to bring to your stage, or even, once well-known enough, be invited as a visiting act at foreign locales.
Character Hook
You are a resident of Fort Sakura, and your current life is not what you'd call ideal. Perhaps you left your job, or your relationship recently ended. Perhaps you have been down on your luck for some time and have only recently begun attempting to claw your way to prosperity. Whatever your reasoning, you are at a point in your life where the mysterious scroll from the mysterious young girl seems a worthwhile lead to follow.
Over the course of this game, as your character will find out at the beginning, you will be working to establish a new guild in the city devoted to music and the performing arts. While not a requirement, it could help your character's motivation if they are inclined towards such things. A singer, musician, dancer, or actor would all fit well, though people of other means can meaningfully contribute as well. A brawny fighter might make a good stage hand and set designer, while a trained mage might work background effects and lighting, just as some examples.
Fort Sakura is a very diverse and accepting place, where characters of any race, religion, or nationality can expect to be accepted as an equal by the others. Characters can thus originate from any region of the world, though they must have resided in Fort Sakura - and become relatively familiar with it - for at least a year prior to the start of the game. They may come from any walk of life, though they will begin the game with little to their name and little to no outside support. This can be the norm for them, or a new low in their life, that part is up to you.
The Party
Naji, the Hapless Harlot - Monk (Striker) - Scratcherclaw
Silja the Serene - Bard (Leader) - GROMkill
Eirlian, The Timid Troubadour - Bard (Leader) - Namelessjake
Stian Fellson, Son of Andor - Artificer (Leader) - BartNL
Felsi, Farm Girl and Failed Knight - Fighter (Defender) - TheWalrus42
Astrea "Rea" Alaric, the Traveling Thespian - Bladesinger (Controller) - greysigil
Character Creation Rules
System: 4e
Level: 4
Stats: 25pt buy.
Race: Any published, refluffed as human, elf, orc, or dwarf (or any combination of two e.g. half orc/elf, half dwarf/human, etc.). Half-races are generally infertile, so you can't get down into quarters of a race.
Class: Any published.
Feats: Choice of free expertise feat.
Themes: Allowed and encouraged.
Background: +2 to a skill or add a language.
Equipment: One non-magical weapon you are proficient in, one non-magical piece of armor you are proficient in, and 10 gold to spend on random fluff items (again, non-magical). Remaining unspent gold will not be kept.
Skills: There are no class skill restrictions; any class can train any skill. You still must take the mandatory/bonus skills granted by your class as usual (e.g. Arcana for a wizard). In addition, every class starts with at least 4 trained (before accounting for race/theme/feats/etc.) regardless of what the builder says, and any that would otherwise have fewer gets more to make 4 as a base number.
Custom Skills: Each player may choose 2 skills to be level 1 in at the start of the game, or a single skill to be level 2 in. Please see below for the list of custom skills and how they work in the context of this game.
Rituals: Component costs for all rituals are reduced to ¼ their normal values to encourage ritual use. Also, Raise Dead will not be allowed in this game – dead is dead, though we hope that doesn’t have to be an issue.
Inherent Bonuses: Yes
Languages: We will not be using the standard 4e languages, but instead the ones listed below. Every character should know Andorian as the default language for this setting (as opposed to common), and should they gain additional languages (from race, theme, feat, etc.) then simply choose additional ones from the list of custom languages as seen here.
Hybrids: In any game I run, you will be allowed to take the feat "Hybrid Talent" as many times as you like as a hybrid character. I feel like this helps make up for the fact that most hybrids are incredibly sub-par, and it allows for some really interesting combinations if you look hard enough. The CB does not allow for this option by default, though, so you will need to house-rule it and keep track of the benefits manually.
