Hey There...

[DM Cyphus]

Hey guys...

Just had a little idea.

Can I get a post from those that are still active here? You know...those of us that check on a fairly regular basis? I know that I was gone...but that was largely due to the holidays...and I think those that are here don't mind that I'm not around as much late at night as I am during the day, right?

Anyhow...thought maybe what we could do to pass the time is start up a new section on the board with a side campaign to post in between? Something reserved for those of you that are here more often. I'd assume we have enough for a normal, basic group. A more traditional campaign, of sorts.

If and when this game gets going a bit more hardcore...we'll slow up our other campaign and just keep it going when the others get a little busier than us.

What do you think? Off the top of my head, I was thinking maybe I'd DM and get Bill, Stew and Luke for starters (that's Jamond, Melinda and Delkar for the unfamiliar) since I see you guys on here a bit more than the others? Well folks?

[silentblade]

Hey,

I for one think thats a solid idea. I check in at least a dozen times a day and would welcome the idea of a side campaign to keep us going while things are a little slower.

Cheers

[DM Cyphus]

Good to see we've got one on board.

Let's see if we can snag about three more players (as stated above, I'm pretty sure I know who they'll wind up being), and then we'll lay out some ground rules to get going.

[delkar]

Yeah...I check around here fairly often...before about eight times a day...now maybe three or so.

Put me down.

[redhawksix]

I check here ocnce a day, so I'm in.

[DM Cyphus]

Sounds decent enough. If we can snag Bill and Melinda we should have plenty of folk to start up.

[DM Cyphus]

As soon as we get a yay or nay from the others, I'll give everyone some basic guidelines. This'll be a quicker and easier game to set up. I'll explain more in a bit.

[DM Cyphus]

Here's where the action will take place folks. Hopefully you won't mind me taking some liberties here. The basics of the setting is this:

Though this is actually more homebrew, we'll be using the tiny islands of Lantan for the sake of having a map without forcing me to draw one from scratch. I used to have one like this, but it's since vanished...been a long time since I ran this campaign.

Luckily, I do still have a lot of my other info.

My preference lies with good-aligned characters. Reason being that good-aligned characters are easier to motivate. I don't expect knights in shining armor (unless that's what you all choose), but I do expect more good tendencies than evil or neutral. Selfishness is not necessarily evil.

Lantan is a small island in the middle of some ocean. Sound vague? Yeah...you bet it is. Because Lantan is your whole world. That black marking surrounding the area is known in Lantan as "The Shroud." All of your lives you've known about the Shroud, and all of your parents...grandparents...great-grandparents...and so on have lived with the Shroud. There is no recorded history in Lantan that tells of a time without the Shroud. No mention of the creation of the Shroud can be found either. Rumors, legends, stories and theories abound, however. Some would say the gods erected the Shroud to imprison the ancient peoples of Lantan to separate them from a paradise that exists outside the Shroud...a form of punishment. Others believe that their Lantanese ancestors erected the wall with great magics to protect Lantan from evil forces outside. For scholars, philosophers, clergy and historians this is an issue requiring great contemplation...some even believe that accepting the proper beliefs concerning the Shroud can affect ones place in the afterlife. But for most commonfolk, the Shroud is simply a part of life...like the sun and the moon...not ignored or obsessed over...but accepted.

The Faerunian gods are prevalent here in Lantan. Most predominately are the key gods of the various races (all represented on Lantan as well), in particular though are Gond and Azuth (though Azuth is more often worshipped by higher class folk and Arcane scholars). The peoples of Lantan prefer mechanical endeavors over magical ones. Magic is most prevalent in larger cities...Arcane magic is most prevalent...and in the smaller towns and hamlets one is more likely to discover a divine caster (usually an Adept, potentially a Cleric or Druid) than an Arcane caster...if one is present at all.

Attempts have been made to pass through the shroud...and few have returned to tell the tales of the attempts. Some report great storms wrecking ships. Those with magical aptitude report that the closer they got to the shroud the more diminished their powers became.

On land, there are stories of areas where magic is stronger than in other parts of the land. But...for the most part...magic is treated normally.

The core races are all present (there will be some limitations)...though Humans and Gnomes are most prevalent.

Hopefully that's a fairly good intro. I'll have more detail later...but for now I gotta get out of here and head home.

BTW...if you want to start working on a character concept...feel free. We'll be using a 32 point buy, starting at level 1, all classes from PHB are legal, +8 skill points at first level and an additional 2 skill points at every level past 1st, the Lantan region benefits can be applied to your character (for purposes of bonus feats, languages, and the little equipment bonus offered) but no other regions may be used, any of the basic races from the FR setting are legal (please use the updated, 3.5 versions though, if possible to locate). If there are any issues...I'll work through them with you later.

If you've got any questions...let me know. It'll help me focus a bit better. The info in the FR setting about Lantan is basically correct...though there aren't really any exports or imports...considering that the rest of the world doesn't really exist. lol

Hope that helps and sounds intriguing.

[Roonkin]

I can make it pretty regularly too I usually check in at least a couple of times a day

[delkar]

I think I may hit up cleric or something arcanish...


Not sure yet...depends what the others do.

[jamondashwood]

Count me in. I'd love to play as much as I can

[Melinda Eriksdaughter]

I'm interested, though I would like to point out that evil characters are just as easy to motivate as good characters. For instance, not wanting to get trampled by a horde of orcs is pretty much a universal motivation. Profit is another easy one. Power also makes evil people happy. Most adventures promise the profit and power bit, so evil characters are golden. And evil doesn't mind destroying evil. Frees up more evil resources for them to use.

[DM Cyphus]

lol...sounds like you've got an evil fetish there, Stew. lol I'll mull it over and make up my mind when I post up the rest of the campaign info. Just wanted to make sure the premise was at the least intriguing.

[Melinda Eriksdaughter]

Not so much evil as dark. There's a reason why two of my favorite characters out of the Comic books are Wolverine, the Punisher, and Batman (when he's got a writer who'll do the grim and gritty thing).

I just have no interest in being a goody two-shoes.

[jamondashwood]

I wouldn't classify any of those folks as evil. Punisher is lawful. Probably Lawful Neutral. He was a former FBI agent to took the law into his own hands to punish those he feels are guilty. There is a strong lawful side in him, just because he breaks the laws of the world doesn't mean he's not loyal to his own code.

Batman is Good. Definatly Chaotic Good. He protects the people of Gotham when the police are too tied up in red tape to do so. He's not above hurting people and breaking things to protect the innocent.

Wolverine... Wolverine is really a Neutral. Probably a Chaotic Neutral. He has the capasity to work for either good or evil because the line for him is very slim. He does what he feels is right regardless of who it hurts. He's not above hurting people and breaking things (even good people) when they are in his way. But as long as his interests lay in Xavier's path, he'll be an X-Man and follow where Xavier follows, if begrugdingly.