So I want to give Samara a last name, but I'm drawing an enormous blank. Anybody have any ideas for me?
Easy. Just do what I do and go look at the list of proper star names on wikipedia. Choose something that sounds cool. Alternatively, you could look up obscure color names and give her a last name that equals the color of her scales or something like that. Obscure flower names are also a good choice.
Yeah. That will probably be just fine. I may be a little late-ish depending on how much work I have in the lab, but I'm pretty sure all I need to do is re-plate the e.coli I'm growing and maybe help out with some odd jobs, which shouldn't take too terribly long. So yeah. It'll be fine. Just have me summon Devourers or something until I show up. Or I could blink out of existence for a few rounds. Either one.
What sort of sound are you wanting to go for? Alliterative? Rhyming? Fancy? Common?
I'm not really sure. Not alliterative or rhyming, I think. As for fancy vs. common, I have no idea. As I was answering the questions below, it occurred to me that she may have changed her human name after going into exile, so maybe she had a fancy name before, but chose something more common later on.
You want it to pertain to shadows in some way? Or have nothing to do with anything at all?
I think I would like something related to shadow in some way.
Where is she from on the content?
I really don't know the geography of this game at all.
Does she have family? Do they hold a profession of some sort? Are they noble? Just wealthy? Street rats? Blue collar?
She has no family to speak of, but I do imagine her as having been somewhat wealthy before her exile.
Is she picking the name herself?
Yes, this is the name she chose for herself when she began to live among humans. Or possibly a name she chose for herself when she went into exile, abandoning her first human name.
Is there someone's memory she'd want to honor? A person she'd want to connect to like an old lover or dear friend?
Not so much. Samara's current shy personality stems from strong feelings of betrayal and being unable to trust anyone.
You may remember, I started the campaign with an unnamed song dragon, so I took the name Samara from a backup character I made for the last campaign, a half-elf rogue named Samara Darkeyes. I was tempted to reuse the name, but it didn't seem so fitting for a human form, plus I gave her human form green eyes, which I don't really want to change, so Darkeyes seems like an odd name for her to choose.
Also, I'd totally forgotten most of Song Dragons' permanent abilities, like True Seeing, which means I should've known Kiyo was a dragon all along. Another one is Tongues, so I may want to keep that one in mind as well.
It isn't absolutely necessary she even have a last time. Cairn only has one because Tiran is a common name in Alceste and so paperwork (he owns a business, after all) required he add something to it. He chose Cordelle because it was his sister's "last name" as that was the name of the city she is originally from.
With you having most of your interactions with the shadow dancer's guild plus having a unique name like Samara you likely never needed to add a second name to yours.
With you having most of your interactions with the shadow dancer's guild plus having a unique name like Samara you likely never needed to add a second name to yours.
The thought did occur to me. Out of character, I nearly went with that just to stop thinking about it, but I sort of felt like giving one to her. In character, I sort of chalked it up to Samara wanting a last name. I kind of like to think that when she started living among humans, choosing a name was one of the more exciting parts for her.
Personally I like Samara Tamarind. d:
Hmm, that does have a ring to it. I'm gonna think on it. Thanks for the suggestions!
Um...guys, I just remembered a slight...problem with the monday short campaign. My IRL group in York meets Monday evenings until about 11 PM GMT or so. If you guys don't mind starting much later than we usually do, we can still make it work, but otherwise, we'll have to shuffle it around.
I'm fine with it being later. Actually, more than fine because it means I won't be late. And I don't want to be late for god-killing. It sets a bad precedent for all the other potential god killers.
I'm fine with it being later. Actually, more than fine because it means I won't be late. And I don't want to be late for god-killing. It sets a bad precedent for all the other potential god killers.
This confirms it. If ever something happens to your character you need to make a paladin. You would be the Arnold of paladins. We can call you Lady T (short for Terminator and your actual name likely starting with the letter) and you can carry a repeating crossbow and a goliath greathammer.
PS:
Discworld ftw. Rincewind is mah bishi.
For the rest of you lot! Jen intended on talking to you guys about backup characters this evening, but since she has IRL things to take care of I'm gonna just bring it up here.
No matter how attached to a character you may be, it's always efficient to have a backup prepared. It's never the DM's goal to kill a PC, but sometimes things just happen in battle (or stupidity laden RP) and they become otherwise utterly unplayable. Making a backup means you can get back into the action swiftly, and informing the DM of your backup ahead of time helps them plan out ways for this to be a smooth transition.
If you intend on bringing that original character back somehow that's great, but keep in mind that there will be situations that make this impossible. IE: Kale being disintegrated.
If at any point you decide you simply don't want to play a character you've made it is totally cool to swap them out. I generally employ a three swap limit (as in you can swap out three characters in a row for free, but after that they come in one level lower than the rest of the party unless the previous character has died) but I don't know if Jenna does. I do know that she puts a lot of time and effort into fitting your character into the setting if you give her enough backstory to work with and often plans plots around their existence, so it gets annoying for her when you change out in rapid succession.
If you're just not happy with a character, however, there's nothing to really be done about it save for changing them into something you are happy with either through a new character, major RP events that can alter their personality, or a rigged reincarnation, to name a few. The DM is always happy to accommodate you. After all, the whole point of DnD is to enjoy yourself, and if you're not it brings the atmosphere down a notch for everyone else.
Now the original rules for character creation in this game (the fact that you must be dragons or dragon related) does not apply to this backup character. Just keep in mind that they will be traveling with dragons. Also keep in mind the alignments and temperaments of the currently existing party. It's okay to create friction for drama, but there is such a thing as too much.
Example A: Cairn's usual tactic in battle is to talk to the enemy and then use self defense if diplomacy or magical pacification is out of the question. If the backup character loves battle and revels at the chance of killing something this can create problems. Even if he and Cairn get along really well outside of battle, one will ultimately become very annoyed with the other. This could result in some amusing moments, but could also become annoying for the other players to sit through on a regular basis. If it gets too bad one of the characters will likely have to go and that will in turn force the other characters to pick sides. This can be a very important and potent RP moment if handled correctly.
Example B: Tertia is a necromancer. If your backup is someone who focuses on killing undead this can be a huge problem for them. If your character is of a lawful good alignment necromancy is also a major problem for them. While Tertia may not judge the backup character too harshly the backup would be forced to attack her at some point (either accidentally in battle or even on purpose.) PC on PC violence never ends well.
Most of the future plots for this game are designed with the idea that the characters partaking in them are good to neutrally aligned. Making an evil aligned character isn't impossible, but would require a lot of tact and attention to detail. Now it's understandable if you're taking a non mixing alignment because a class or feat requires you to be of that alignment. In some cases the DM will overrule the alignment restriction if asked. With that said the only alignment that is really banned is Chaotic Evil. Lawful and even Neutral Evil can exist in a good aligned party without causing a huge fuss. Chaotic, on the other hand, generally means you're an unstable force of destruction. Keeping a character like this around will require some massive character breaking from the players and will simply not end well for anyone.
Congrats to any of you who read this whole thing without skipping to the bottom! Go to the store, pick out a cookie that you like, and pay the cashier. That cookie is from me. I'll pay you back if I ever see you in person some day.
Update to Avoid Double Posting: I'm not sure if I'll be late again. I can't seem to get on the PCR machine since someone left all their stuff in it. We'll just have to see how this goes.
Sorry I missed the session earlier (and not saying that I probably wasn't going to make it beforehand) but I wasn't in the right frame of mind for playing tonight.
It's cool man, you just missed us wrapping up this arc. We're starting the next session at level 30 though, so that does mean you need to level up. Are you sticking with stright up rogue or are you prestiging?
I'm not sure yet. I don't even know if I should continue playing or not. I mean, I still don't know really what I'm doing, I hardly ever know what's going on though arriving late doesn't help, but that's my fault and even when I'm there for a whole session then I struggle to retain what actually occurred during the sessions as well as what happened in previous sessions, even more so during this campaign. All in all I just feel like I'm pretty much useless.
Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy myself for the most part and a lot of the problems I have are mainly down to the fact that I'm incredibly shy and quiet in normal conditions. I've never really liked talking to people over the telephone (and Skype is just an extension of that) and I'm generally quiet when I'm with a group of people, even if I know them well. I'm that quiet during sessions that I get a message from Skype basically asking if my mic is working properly! So I think the biggest problem I have with the whole idea of role playing games is the actual role playing part which I would imagine is a major part of why people play these games. And I don't think, no I know I'm not very good at that part but I don't know if I'll get better at it over time.
You know what's funny? That during the time it's taken me to write all this I've actually come up with an idea of what to do with my character which would basically involve making him more like me for his back story, taking my shyness and stuff and using that as the reason why Krys became a rogue, though not a very good one. And then taking the feeling of uselessness I've had during the campaign ('cos lets face it, I contributed squat to it) and use that to give Krys a drive to find a new purpose in life. I don't know if that's a good idea or not but at least it's an idea.
I need to put some time in and think about what I want to do and what I should do, and stop being such a lazy bastard about it as well (though that applies to just about all my life currently). Can't do much about it tonight as I should go to bed at a reasonable hour as I'm up in the morning for this session I have to attend as part of the job seeker's program thing I'm on.
[Very grateful that I've learned to copy longish posts that I write as it didn't post at the first time of asking and I couldn't have written all that out again]
You know what's funny? That during the time it's taken me to write all this I've actually come up with an idea of what to do with my character which would basically involve making him more like me for his back story, taking my shyness and stuff and using that as the reason why Krys became a rogue, though not a very good one. And then taking the feeling of uselessness I've had during the campaign ('cos lets face it, I contributed squat to it) and use that to give Krys a drive to find a new purpose in life. I don't know if that's a good idea or not but at least it's an idea.
That's a pretty good idea, actually. It's also given me a renewed resolve to find out what Tertia's backstory is...or if she even has one.
I'm not sure yet. I don't even know if I should continue playing or not. I mean, I still don't know really what I'm doing, I hardly ever know what's going on though arriving late doesn't help, but that's my fault and even when I'm there for a whole session then I struggle to retain what actually occurred during the sessions as well as what happened in previous sessions, even more so during this campaign. All in all I just feel like I'm pretty much useless.
Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy myself for the most part and a lot of the problems I have are mainly down to the fact that I'm incredibly shy and quiet in normal conditions. I've never really liked talking to people over the telephone (and Skype is just an extension of that) and I'm generally quiet when I'm with a group of people, even if I know them well. I'm that quiet during sessions that I get a message from Skype basically asking if my mic is working properly! So I think the biggest problem I have with the whole idea of role playing games is the actual role playing part which I would imagine is a major part of why people play these games. And I don't think, no I know I'm not very good at that part but I don't know if I'll get better at it over time.
Hey, so long as you're enjoying that game, that's what matters. That's the whole reason I run these sessions and your only on your second campaign, so don't beat yourself up so much about not contributing.
You know what's funny? That during the time it's taken me to write all this I've actually come up with an idea of what to do with my character which would basically involve making him more like me for his back story, taking my shyness and stuff and using that as the reason why Krys became a rogue, though not a very good one. And then taking the feeling of uselessness I've had during the campaign ('cos lets face it, I contributed squat to it) and use that to give Krys a drive to find a new purpose in life. I don't know if that's a good idea or not but at least it's an idea.
It's a good start, especially given Crystal Dragons are known to be very friendly and curious. He may be that way just because that's his personality or maybe something happened to him to make him so reticent. Once you sort of have a gauge on that it may be easier to figure out where Kryst is going character-wise.
I need to put some time in and think about what I want to do and what I should do, and stop being such a lazy bastard about it as well (though that applies to just about all my life currently). Can't do much about it tonight as I should go to bed at a reasonable hour as I'm up in the morning for this session I have to attend as part of the job seeker's program thing I'm on.
If you want to hash things out with me, I'm always on skype and willing to help.
That's a pretty good idea, actually. It's also given me a renewed resolve to find out what Tertia's backstory is...or if she even has one.
Well, you've got two interesting Starting points: she's a Necromancer and becoming a Dracolich. That's not totally unheard of (Ashardalon, Tiamat's first consort, became the first Dracolich and his legend is passed down to all Dragons, generally with contempt among Metallics), but Tertia's a Bronze Dragon. They tend to be good enforcers of the sea lanes, destroying pirates on sight helping sailors stranded by a storm, etc. So the question becomes why would a dragon from an ostensibly good race choose Necromancy?
On the Dracolich thing, Dragons tend to follow that paths for two reasons: They're scared of dying (generally the case for Great Wyrms nearing their twilight) or they want immortality without the moral code that comes with being a Dragon Ascendant. I'm not saying these are necessarily Tertia's reasons for being a Dracolich, but they're interesting point to bring up.
Well, you've got two interesting Starting points: she's a Necromancer and becoming a Dracolich. That's not totally unheard of (Ashardalon, Tiamat's first consort, became the first Dracolich and his legend is passed down to all Dragons, generally with contempt among Metallics), but Tertia's a Bronze Dragon. They tend to be good enforcers of the sea lanes, destroying pirates on sight helping sailors stranded by a storm, etc. So the question becomes why would a dragon from an ostensibly good race choose Necromancy?
On the Dracolich thing, Dragons tend to follow that paths for two reasons: They're scared of dying (generally the case for Great Wyrms nearing their twilight) or they want immortality without the moral code that comes with being a Dragon Ascendant. I'm not saying these are necessarily Tertia's reasons for being a Dracolich, but they're interesting point to bring up.
I've sort of started on coming up with reasonings for all the decisions I've made thus far as far as Tertia's character goes (why necromancy, dracolich, etc...). I think they're fairly decent and could lead into an interesting side quest should anyone be interested. It will probably end up being a side quest with lots and lots of fighting. And interesting moral choices.
Sure thing! I'll probably have something ready by tomorrow, if you want to talk it over then. Though I'll also probably not be on until four or five my time...which is like getting into morning time for you. Whatever. If you're on and amenable to character discussions, then sure. Though, it's not really an urgent matter.
Just to make sure there wasn't any confusion, I was only teasing when I made the comment about you guys forcing me to RP. You guys kind of seemed to take me seriously, so I didn't want you thinking that I actively want not to RP or something.
Just to make sure there wasn't any confusion, I was only teasing when I made the comment about you guys forcing me to RP. You guys kind of seemed to take me seriously, so I didn't want you thinking that I actively want not to RP or something.
Naw, I'm just happy that was able to coerce someone into doing something. Good ole charisma score!
Sure thing! I'll probably have something ready by tomorrow, if you want to talk it over then. Though I'll also probably not be on until four or five my time...which is like getting into morning time for you. Whatever. If you're on and amenable to character discussions, then sure. Though, it's not really an urgent matter.
I'm actually pretty shot today, so I'm probably not going to be on today. Tomorrow though, I'll be around. :P
I'm actually pretty shot today, so I'm probably not going to be on today. Tomorrow though, I'll be around. :P
Okay sure thing, though I'll have to see when my rehearsal is. I think it's fairly early though, so that's when I would be on. Otherwise, it can totally wait til whenever.
For your thrills guys! Know that playlist thing I did a little while back? Well I'm doing something similar to that again. This time it's a soundtrack. It'll be my little way of keeping notes, I suppose. From time to time I'll pick music that suits an adventure we just had. Right now it needs themes for your characters! So toss them my way, will ya?
For your thrills guys! Know that playlist thing I did a little while back? Well I'm doing something similar to that again. This time it's a soundtrack. It'll be my little way of keeping notes, I suppose. From time to time I'll pick music that suits an adventure we just had. Right now it needs themes for your characters! So toss them my way, will ya?
For some reason, I read "Cairne's Theme" as "Cairne Kissing". This now needs to happen.
Who on Idrin would he kiss? He only ever canonically hits on one person and she points daggers at him for it. d:
Who knows what goes on in that dragon's mind? I surely don't. Maybe the kiss was make-believe?
In other related news I have just created a backup character in preparation for the eventuality that I might have to switch. Comrade Pants helped out, so shall we say, the results are extremely amusing.
That may or may not add three to my list of backups you guys might get to pick from if something happens to Cairn.
Well, I don't want to spoil the surprise, but I'll just say that this character is designed to be the complete opposite of Tertia in every way. Also, not a dragon, due to reasons of humor. He'll be quite useless, actually, but in an amusing way.
I just realized that I totally misread that bit about our original equipment allotment, and not only did I only use about half of it, but I took it out of my hoard. I was thinking about picking up a second Drow Long Knife and maybe adding some more enchantments (what can I say, the godslayer has me a little spoiled), so the first part works out great. As for my hoard, I think I may have done a crappy job on it in the first place, so I wouldn't mind starting over and getting some help on it this time.
Right, finally got some stuff sorted out earlier than normal for me and should therefore be available on time tonight. Also got delivery of my new headset which means I'll be able to actually hear and talk on Skype (at least in comfort as my only other option would have been some earphones which don't have a long enough wire so that I can sit back when plugged in).
Now to try and sort out my character. Decided to leave rogue at level 20, so looking to go multi class for 10 levels I guess? Also one thing that I should have asked ages ago about the humanoid forms we take - is that represented by a separate character sheet with the same base stats but progressing through the levels as an elf or human or whatever would do or do they use the same stats as the dragon forms?
Sent you messages regarding D2 via skype, Kitty. I'll give you the short version here.
Turns out my IP is banned and this will last about 11 days. I will be looking into changing my IP with Charter to see if I can start playing with you guys a bit sooner.
I also wanna know what gateway to make my character on so I can start leveling him up. Also, I have no idea what this ladder thing is. Should I have that ticked on the character as well?
I just realized that I totally misread that bit about our original equipment allotment, and not only did I only use about half of it, but I took it out of my hoard. I was thinking about picking up a second Drow Long Knife and maybe adding some more enchantments (what can I say, the godslayer has me a little spoiled), so the first part works out great. As for my hoard, I think I may have done a crappy job on it in the first place, so I wouldn't mind starting over and getting some help on it this time.
Let me know what time will work for you, Guru, and I'll try and help you with that. I just recently redid the hoard thing myself for my next char and it's a bitch and a half to do, but I've at least re-done it lately, so hopefully I'll be of more help.
Sent you messages regarding D2 via skype, Kitty. I'll give you the short version here.
Turns out my IP is banned and this will last about 11 days. I will be looking into changing my IP with Charter to see if I can start playing with you guys a bit sooner.
I also wanna know what gateway to make my character on so I can start leveling him up. Also, I have no idea what this ladder thing is. Should I have that ticked on the character as well?
I just got them, I was sorta not online all of yesterday for no particular reason. But it's cool. When you can get back on just tell me and I'll set up a date!
Let me know what time will work for you, Guru, and I'll try and help you with that. I just recently redid the hoard thing myself for my next char and it's a bitch and a half to do, but I've at least re-done it lately, so hopefully I'll be of more help.
Thanks, I really appreciate it. I also have a few ideas for a character arc, so we can talk about that as well. I don't really have any idea where I'd want to go with it, but I've got a few starting points, so that's something. It seems like a new possibility pops up every time you guys make me expand Samara's backstory.
Honestly, other than a mandatory fishing trip tomorrow, I'm not really sure what this week's going to be like. I can try to be on Skype around the same time as our game for the other three days of the week, though.
So, yeah, as per usual, I'll be late tomorrow...no idea how late, though, since I'm not exactly sure how long my experiment will take. But until I get there, Tertia's in an epic poker match with two Devourers and Wick. The match also takes a really long time because the Devourers keep on eating the cards.
I have no access to the dropbox right now, else I'd just put it in there. d: Anyway, info on my character for your perusal.
Aliah delighting this famous bard that came to visit Scheherazade once.
Aliah was "blessed" at birth as a Noble Djinni and as such has spent most of her life avoiding the countless amounts of law books and etiquette classes throw in her face. When it came to the part of her schooling that required her to travel and learn of other cultures she jumped at the chance, but found the other planes to be much less diplomatic as she'd been lead to believe. She quickly found that she would need allies if she wanted to continue to evade capture and blood on her scimitar.
Aliah generally keeps a cool head, but passion is something that runs high in her. She absolutely adores collecting trinkets, baubles, and other things of magical affinity, but loves even more to give them away as gifts to people she enjoys. The joys of barter run high in her blood, and if she didn't have to deal with this whole noble djinn business she'd have probably become a traveling merchant of some sort.
Aliah is easy to frustrate and annoy, but she does hold a strong loyalty towards those she considers her allies. Though those very people may not even know this themselves. She acts cool and distant towards them, often referring to them as their title or last name, but this is just due to the stringent politeness that was battered into her since birth. When it comes to a fight she is unwavering when others are in danger, but will escape if the fight is sure to be lost. This isn't because she doesn't care for her companions, there are just much larger things at stake if she were to ever be captured. If she ever does have to run, she always returns to check on the welfare of her friends. If it turns out one has died or been captured, she will do almost everything in her power to aid them on a safe return to Sigil.
Abbasid enjoying the most amazing thing he's ever seen.
When you see Aliah you also often see her familiar Abbasid. Air squids are a native to the plane of air, but this one appears to be much smaller than most you would find there. This is because Abbasid is a rare miniature air squid that are bred to be pets in the Citadel of Ice and Steel. Minature air squids are a little more solid than their larger cousins (who appear to be made of clouds with gray bits to define where eyes and mouths should be) taking on an almost plush doll like appearance. Abbasid himself, being a familiar, is much smarter than most of these miniature air squids usually turn out, and has made a wonderful (if misleading) advertisement for these rare pets in many of the places Aliah has gone to.
Abbasid shares his master's fascination with trinkets and various magical things, but is much more exaggerated in his reaction to them than she is. Abbasid finds practically everything new to be amazing and wonderful and worth his undiluted attention. Because of this he often zooms about new rooms the party may have entered, retreating to Aliah's traveling pack only when ordered or there is major danger.
Because of Abbasid's above average intelligence and his being her familiar, Aliah can give him complex commands telepathically. She often sends him out to scout ahead while traveling, but Aliah can become rather distracted at these points as she has to continually give orders to stay on task if they're in a new area.
Well, that should cover most things you'd probably know about her. Looking forward to working out everyone's histories together.
EDIT: My main broman Greg is wanting to join us for the Planescape game. He's a great RPer and will be a fun addition to the group. He's currently developing the world's nicest necromancer. His character will be a new addition to our party (probably only traveling with us about a few weeks or so) so we wont be having to incorporate him into any backstory stuff.
As Sen said, we've got Greg in on the act. He's an absolutely fantastic player and his concept is brilliant (basically imagine the opposite of Tertia). Also, something to think about: Do we have a group meeting place or have we invested in owning a joint in Sigil? Land is pretty expensive, but we might have found a deed travelling or something.
Anyway, here's an intro to my NPC Kelder Akhor, also known as the Howling Dark.
The color and face of a Lupinal
Kelder, like many of the Lupinal race, was drafted to participate in the blood war as a material show of support in the effort against both the Tanar'ri and Baatezu. He was assigned to a unit called the Ebon wing, a unit known for two things: it's high mortality rate and it's success on frontline suicide missions. Kelder was with the unit for 120 years before disaster struck in the form of an elite Baatezu force. As the unit was getting slaughtered, Kelder heard a voice in his head proposing an offer; use of his body in exchange for an end to the conflict, not exactly in a position to contemplate the offer, he agreed. The next few hours he only remembers in slight flashes, but the next thing he was complete conscious of was standing in the battlefield coated in the blood of his enemies and comrades alike. Fearing the repercussions of his actions, Kelder fled to the Outlands and began a 20 year search to find out what had happened, and later, to find a mentor. He eventually ended up in Sigil, under the tutelage of a Tiefling Knight of the Sacred Seal named Karin Stormsong.
After he'd trained enough to go and adventure on his own, Kelder did so, moonlighting as a vigilante in the vain hopes of atoning for his final actions in the Blood war before deserting. He's never returned to his home plane of Elysium, fearing the reactions he would receive in regards to his actions and his new path in life.
Kelder is in some ways very much what one would expect from a Lupinal. He's loyal, courageous, friendly and generally very easy going. He's hard to upset in most circumstances and has an intense dislike of fiends. However, his time in the Blood War and beyond has also left him a bit more self involved than most celestials and with an incredible sense of guilt which tends to manifest itself as self-deprecating humor or sarcasm. He works at being a binder both to prevent a repeat of his last disastrous failure and to actually use the ability for the benefit of others and himself.
Anyway, I'll add important NPC backstories (such as Karin) as we get more coherent backstories together. We've still got a few weeks left on the Dragon campaign, so don't feel pressured to get on your character right away, post when you feel you've got a concept you're happy with. Also if you have any questions or decide to go with a race that may not have a PC set of stats ready, let me know and we'll work it out.
Comments
Easy. Just do what I do and go look at the list of proper star names on wikipedia. Choose something that sounds cool. Alternatively, you could look up obscure color names and give her a last name that equals the color of her scales or something like that. Obscure flower names are also a good choice.
I'm not really sure. Not alliterative or rhyming, I think. As for fancy vs. common, I have no idea. As I was answering the questions below, it occurred to me that she may have changed her human name after going into exile, so maybe she had a fancy name before, but chose something more common later on.
I think I would like something related to shadow in some way.
I really don't know the geography of this game at all.
She has no family to speak of, but I do imagine her as having been somewhat wealthy before her exile.
Yes, this is the name she chose for herself when she began to live among humans. Or possibly a name she chose for herself when she went into exile, abandoning her first human name.
Not so much. Samara's current shy personality stems from strong feelings of betrayal and being unable to trust anyone.
You may remember, I started the campaign with an unnamed song dragon, so I took the name Samara from a backup character I made for the last campaign, a half-elf rogue named Samara Darkeyes. I was tempted to reuse the name, but it didn't seem so fitting for a human form, plus I gave her human form green eyes, which I don't really want to change, so Darkeyes seems like an odd name for her to choose.
Also, I'd totally forgotten most of Song Dragons' permanent abilities, like True Seeing, which means I should've known Kiyo was a dragon all along. Another one is Tongues, so I may want to keep that one in mind as well.
With you having most of your interactions with the shadow dancer's guild plus having a unique name like Samara you likely never needed to add a second name to yours.
That said, Ghoststalker, Shade, Dark, Nightveil, Cohosh, Nigrescens, Centaurea, Atropurpurea, Sable, Ebony, Aubergine, Baltic, Peppercorn, Atramentum, Bistre, Ink, Myrtle, Payne, Stratos, Tamarind, Plum.
Personally I like Somara Tamarind. d:
The thought did occur to me. Out of character, I nearly went with that just to stop thinking about it, but I sort of felt like giving one to her. In character, I sort of chalked it up to Samara wanting a last name. I kind of like to think that when she started living among humans, choosing a name was one of the more exciting parts for her.
Hmm, that does have a ring to it. I'm gonna think on it. Thanks for the suggestions!
This confirms it. If ever something happens to your character you need to make a paladin. You would be the Arnold of paladins. We can call you Lady T (short for Terminator and your actual name likely starting with the letter) and you can carry a repeating crossbow and a goliath greathammer.
PS:
Discworld ftw. Rincewind is mah bishi.
For the rest of you lot! Jen intended on talking to you guys about backup characters this evening, but since she has IRL things to take care of I'm gonna just bring it up here.
No matter how attached to a character you may be, it's always efficient to have a backup prepared. It's never the DM's goal to kill a PC, but sometimes things just happen in battle (or stupidity laden RP) and they become otherwise utterly unplayable. Making a backup means you can get back into the action swiftly, and informing the DM of your backup ahead of time helps them plan out ways for this to be a smooth transition.
If you intend on bringing that original character back somehow that's great, but keep in mind that there will be situations that make this impossible. IE: Kale being disintegrated.
If at any point you decide you simply don't want to play a character you've made it is totally cool to swap them out. I generally employ a three swap limit (as in you can swap out three characters in a row for free, but after that they come in one level lower than the rest of the party unless the previous character has died) but I don't know if Jenna does. I do know that she puts a lot of time and effort into fitting your character into the setting if you give her enough backstory to work with and often plans plots around their existence, so it gets annoying for her when you change out in rapid succession.
If you're just not happy with a character, however, there's nothing to really be done about it save for changing them into something you are happy with either through a new character, major RP events that can alter their personality, or a rigged reincarnation, to name a few. The DM is always happy to accommodate you. After all, the whole point of DnD is to enjoy yourself, and if you're not it brings the atmosphere down a notch for everyone else.
Now the original rules for character creation in this game (the fact that you must be dragons or dragon related) does not apply to this backup character. Just keep in mind that they will be traveling with dragons. Also keep in mind the alignments and temperaments of the currently existing party. It's okay to create friction for drama, but there is such a thing as too much.
Example A: Cairn's usual tactic in battle is to talk to the enemy and then use self defense if diplomacy or magical pacification is out of the question. If the backup character loves battle and revels at the chance of killing something this can create problems. Even if he and Cairn get along really well outside of battle, one will ultimately become very annoyed with the other. This could result in some amusing moments, but could also become annoying for the other players to sit through on a regular basis. If it gets too bad one of the characters will likely have to go and that will in turn force the other characters to pick sides. This can be a very important and potent RP moment if handled correctly.
Example B: Tertia is a necromancer. If your backup is someone who focuses on killing undead this can be a huge problem for them. If your character is of a lawful good alignment necromancy is also a major problem for them. While Tertia may not judge the backup character too harshly the backup would be forced to attack her at some point (either accidentally in battle or even on purpose.) PC on PC violence never ends well.
Most of the future plots for this game are designed with the idea that the characters partaking in them are good to neutrally aligned. Making an evil aligned character isn't impossible, but would require a lot of tact and attention to detail. Now it's understandable if you're taking a non mixing alignment because a class or feat requires you to be of that alignment. In some cases the DM will overrule the alignment restriction if asked. With that said the only alignment that is really banned is Chaotic Evil. Lawful and even Neutral Evil can exist in a good aligned party without causing a huge fuss. Chaotic, on the other hand, generally means you're an unstable force of destruction. Keeping a character like this around will require some massive character breaking from the players and will simply not end well for anyone.
Congrats to any of you who read this whole thing without skipping to the bottom! Go to the store, pick out a cookie that you like, and pay the cashier. That cookie is from me. I'll pay you back if I ever see you in person some day.
Update to Avoid Double Posting: I'm not sure if I'll be late again. I can't seem to get on the PCR machine since someone left all their stuff in it. We'll just have to see how this goes.
Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy myself for the most part and a lot of the problems I have are mainly down to the fact that I'm incredibly shy and quiet in normal conditions. I've never really liked talking to people over the telephone (and Skype is just an extension of that) and I'm generally quiet when I'm with a group of people, even if I know them well. I'm that quiet during sessions that I get a message from Skype basically asking if my mic is working properly! So I think the biggest problem I have with the whole idea of role playing games is the actual role playing part which I would imagine is a major part of why people play these games. And I don't think, no I know I'm not very good at that part but I don't know if I'll get better at it over time.
You know what's funny? That during the time it's taken me to write all this I've actually come up with an idea of what to do with my character which would basically involve making him more like me for his back story, taking my shyness and stuff and using that as the reason why Krys became a rogue, though not a very good one. And then taking the feeling of uselessness I've had during the campaign ('cos lets face it, I contributed squat to it) and use that to give Krys a drive to find a new purpose in life. I don't know if that's a good idea or not but at least it's an idea.
I need to put some time in and think about what I want to do and what I should do, and stop being such a lazy bastard about it as well (though that applies to just about all my life currently). Can't do much about it tonight as I should go to bed at a reasonable hour as I'm up in the morning for this session I have to attend as part of the job seeker's program thing I'm on.
[Very grateful that I've learned to copy longish posts that I write as it didn't post at the first time of asking and I couldn't have written all that out again]
That's a pretty good idea, actually. It's also given me a renewed resolve to find out what Tertia's backstory is...or if she even has one.
Hey, so long as you're enjoying that game, that's what matters. That's the whole reason I run these sessions and your only on your second campaign, so don't beat yourself up so much about not contributing.
It's a good start, especially given Crystal Dragons are known to be very friendly and curious. He may be that way just because that's his personality or maybe something happened to him to make him so reticent. Once you sort of have a gauge on that it may be easier to figure out where Kryst is going character-wise.
If you want to hash things out with me, I'm always on skype and willing to help.
Well, you've got two interesting Starting points: she's a Necromancer and becoming a Dracolich. That's not totally unheard of (Ashardalon, Tiamat's first consort, became the first Dracolich and his legend is passed down to all Dragons, generally with contempt among Metallics), but Tertia's a Bronze Dragon. They tend to be good enforcers of the sea lanes, destroying pirates on sight helping sailors stranded by a storm, etc. So the question becomes why would a dragon from an ostensibly good race choose Necromancy?
On the Dracolich thing, Dragons tend to follow that paths for two reasons: They're scared of dying (generally the case for Great Wyrms nearing their twilight) or they want immortality without the moral code that comes with being a Dragon Ascendant. I'm not saying these are necessarily Tertia's reasons for being a Dracolich, but they're interesting point to bring up.
I've sort of started on coming up with reasonings for all the decisions I've made thus far as far as Tertia's character goes (why necromancy, dracolich, etc...). I think they're fairly decent and could lead into an interesting side quest should anyone be interested. It will probably end up being a side quest with lots and lots of fighting. And interesting moral choices.
Naw, I'm just happy that was able to coerce someone into doing something. Good ole charisma score!
I'm actually pretty shot today, so I'm probably not going to be on today. Tomorrow though, I'll be around. :P
Okay sure thing, though I'll have to see when my rehearsal is. I think it's fairly early though, so that's when I would be on. Otherwise, it can totally wait til whenever.
For your thrills guys! Know that playlist thing I did a little while back? Well I'm doing something similar to that again. This time it's a soundtrack. It'll be my little way of keeping notes, I suppose. From time to time I'll pick music that suits an adventure we just had. Right now it needs themes for your characters! So toss them my way, will ya?
For some reason, I read "Cairne's Theme" as "Cairne Kissing". This now needs to happen.
Who knows what goes on in that dragon's mind? I surely don't. Maybe the kiss was make-believe?
In other related news I have just created a backup character in preparation for the eventuality that I might have to switch. Comrade Pants helped out, so shall we say, the results are extremely amusing.
Well, I don't want to spoil the surprise, but I'll just say that this character is designed to be the complete opposite of Tertia in every way. Also, not a dragon, due to reasons of humor. He'll be quite useless, actually, but in an amusing way.
Now to try and sort out my character. Decided to leave rogue at level 20, so looking to go multi class for 10 levels I guess? Also one thing that I should have asked ages ago about the humanoid forms we take - is that represented by a separate character sheet with the same base stats but progressing through the levels as an elf or human or whatever would do or do they use the same stats as the dragon forms?
Turns out my IP is banned and this will last about 11 days. I will be looking into changing my IP with Charter to see if I can start playing with you guys a bit sooner.
I also wanna know what gateway to make my character on so I can start leveling him up. Also, I have no idea what this ladder thing is. Should I have that ticked on the character as well?
Let me know what time will work for you, Guru, and I'll try and help you with that. I just recently redid the hoard thing myself for my next char and it's a bitch and a half to do, but I've at least re-done it lately, so hopefully I'll be of more help.
I just got them, I was sorta not online all of yesterday for no particular reason. But it's cool. When you can get back on just tell me and I'll set up a date!
Thanks, I really appreciate it. I also have a few ideas for a character arc, so we can talk about that as well. I don't really have any idea where I'd want to go with it, but I've got a few starting points, so that's something. It seems like a new possibility pops up every time you guys make me expand Samara's backstory.
Honestly, other than a mandatory fishing trip tomorrow, I'm not really sure what this week's going to be like. I can try to be on Skype around the same time as our game for the other three days of the week, though.
Aliah delighting this famous bard that came to visit Scheherazade once.
Aliah generally keeps a cool head, but passion is something that runs high in her. She absolutely adores collecting trinkets, baubles, and other things of magical affinity, but loves even more to give them away as gifts to people she enjoys. The joys of barter run high in her blood, and if she didn't have to deal with this whole noble djinn business she'd have probably become a traveling merchant of some sort.
Aliah is easy to frustrate and annoy, but she does hold a strong loyalty towards those she considers her allies. Though those very people may not even know this themselves. She acts cool and distant towards them, often referring to them as their title or last name, but this is just due to the stringent politeness that was battered into her since birth. When it comes to a fight she is unwavering when others are in danger, but will escape if the fight is sure to be lost. This isn't because she doesn't care for her companions, there are just much larger things at stake if she were to ever be captured. If she ever does have to run, she always returns to check on the welfare of her friends. If it turns out one has died or been captured, she will do almost everything in her power to aid them on a safe return to Sigil.
Abbasid enjoying the most amazing thing he's ever seen.
When you see Aliah you also often see her familiar Abbasid. Air squids are a native to the plane of air, but this one appears to be much smaller than most you would find there. This is because Abbasid is a rare miniature air squid that are bred to be pets in the Citadel of Ice and Steel. Minature air squids are a little more solid than their larger cousins (who appear to be made of clouds with gray bits to define where eyes and mouths should be) taking on an almost plush doll like appearance. Abbasid himself, being a familiar, is much smarter than most of these miniature air squids usually turn out, and has made a wonderful (if misleading) advertisement for these rare pets in many of the places Aliah has gone to.
Abbasid shares his master's fascination with trinkets and various magical things, but is much more exaggerated in his reaction to them than she is. Abbasid finds practically everything new to be amazing and wonderful and worth his undiluted attention. Because of this he often zooms about new rooms the party may have entered, retreating to Aliah's traveling pack only when ordered or there is major danger.
Because of Abbasid's above average intelligence and his being her familiar, Aliah can give him complex commands telepathically. She often sends him out to scout ahead while traveling, but Aliah can become rather distracted at these points as she has to continually give orders to stay on task if they're in a new area.
Well, that should cover most things you'd probably know about her. Looking forward to working out everyone's histories together.
EDIT: My main broman Greg is wanting to join us for the Planescape game. He's a great RPer and will be a fun addition to the group. He's currently developing the world's nicest necromancer. His character will be a new addition to our party (probably only traveling with us about a few weeks or so) so we wont be having to incorporate him into any backstory stuff.
Anyway, here's an intro to my NPC Kelder Akhor, also known as the Howling Dark.
Kelder, like many of the Lupinal race, was drafted to participate in the blood war as a material show of support in the effort against both the Tanar'ri and Baatezu. He was assigned to a unit called the Ebon wing, a unit known for two things: it's high mortality rate and it's success on frontline suicide missions. Kelder was with the unit for 120 years before disaster struck in the form of an elite Baatezu force. As the unit was getting slaughtered, Kelder heard a voice in his head proposing an offer; use of his body in exchange for an end to the conflict, not exactly in a position to contemplate the offer, he agreed. The next few hours he only remembers in slight flashes, but the next thing he was complete conscious of was standing in the battlefield coated in the blood of his enemies and comrades alike. Fearing the repercussions of his actions, Kelder fled to the Outlands and began a 20 year search to find out what had happened, and later, to find a mentor. He eventually ended up in Sigil, under the tutelage of a Tiefling Knight of the Sacred Seal named Karin Stormsong.
After he'd trained enough to go and adventure on his own, Kelder did so, moonlighting as a vigilante in the vain hopes of atoning for his final actions in the Blood war before deserting. He's never returned to his home plane of Elysium, fearing the reactions he would receive in regards to his actions and his new path in life.
Kelder is in some ways very much what one would expect from a Lupinal. He's loyal, courageous, friendly and generally very easy going. He's hard to upset in most circumstances and has an intense dislike of fiends. However, his time in the Blood War and beyond has also left him a bit more self involved than most celestials and with an incredible sense of guilt which tends to manifest itself as self-deprecating humor or sarcasm. He works at being a binder both to prevent a repeat of his last disastrous failure and to actually use the ability for the benefit of others and himself.
Anyway, I'll add important NPC backstories (such as Karin) as we get more coherent backstories together. We've still got a few weeks left on the Dragon campaign, so don't feel pressured to get on your character right away, post when you feel you've got a concept you're happy with. Also if you have any questions or decide to go with a race that may not have a PC set of stats ready, let me know and we'll work it out.