TIme for some Q&A

This week's Q's come from Mike:

• How do you do spells from the standpoint of memorization? Do clerics and druids memorize, or is it just the wizards, or nobody at all? All spells need to be chosen at the beginning of the day. Clerics/druids pray for them. Wizard study.
• What age category are the dragons? very young and young
• Would druid characters have an additional animal companion or would the dragon be the companion, or either? druids would not have an animal companion - the bond with the dragon would prevent it. Similarly, magic users would not have a familiar. Also, druids will not be able to shape shift (when they reach that level) as they normally would - a different ability will be substituted. :)
• Are you thinking that this campaign will be mostly outside and in the wild or a solid mix of city and wild? I'd say a fairly solid mix.
• Are there huge cities in this world where high-level magics and such can easily be found? Yes. But not near your current home base.
• Do we get starting gold for a 3rd level character? No, but you may assume basic adventuring equipment plus 10 gold (so, pack, blanket, rope (not silk), etc.)
• Do we keep our dragons with us 24/7 or do they tend to stay in their respective homes? You have been with your dragon companion since it hatched.
• Should we treat them as steeds, wards, companions, masters, or something else entirely? Companions, soulmates, protectors. Death of the guardian (that's you) is traumatic and unpleasant for the dragon, but not fatal. The reverse is not true - if your dragon dies, so do you. So your relationship should reflect this.

Whoa - that is a serious layer of dust....

Oh dear, it's been an age since we've played. Or talked about playing. Or wrote about playing.

Yeah. I know it's my fault. Stupid PhD.

And then there was that pesky "got to take care of the newborn" thing.

Well, I am OUT (and officially Dr. Becky hee hee). The littlest one will be a year old this December. So, I vote we start the new year with a game!

I know - it's still months away, but this will give us PLENTY of time to get ready. And have lots and lots of fun doing it :)

Come on...you know you want to...let the games begin!

Creature Alignment

Had a good question from Brian - does the organizational aspect of your alignment need to match that of the dragons in the Monster Manual?  Answer - no.  Pick whatever good or neutral alignment you want and your dragon will match that alignment regardless of color. Creature alignment for this game (not just dragons) will be variable. :)

A barbarian, a mage, and some other guys walk into a bar...

We've got the players, time to start getting the characters together!  Post 'em if you got 'em!

New game!

Time to dust off those tomes and get started in a new game!  Here's the specs:

Backstory:

A small village nestled in the foothills of the mountains has a pact with a tribe of dragons that live above them.  In exchange for plentiful crops, healthy livestock, clean water, no disease, and long life for all in the village, the villagers provide protection for the dragons in form of the Ryuu Rei Moriyaku Shugyoku - Dragon Soul Stone Guardians.  When a dragon is born, on its first birthday, a festival is held in the village.  All children who are "old enough to walk, but too young to  be mated" are brought before the dragon child and lay their hands upon the warm scales of its hide.  The dragon communes with each child then chooses one to bond with , from that moment until death joins them completely.  The child grows to maturity but then ceases to age and will live as long as the dragon lives.  The bond between dragon and child is complete and unbreakable from the moment they join - they can communicate telepathically and are immediately aware of each other ‘s thoughts and feelings.  As part of the bond, the child is given a magical gift - each one unique.  The child enters training the day after the joining, learning the history of the dragons and village, training as a guardian, and exploring his or her unique gift. You are all members of this guardian group. 

Story of the Soul Stones:

Each dragon in the tribe is born with a small gemstone over the heart-plate.  The stone contains the dragon's soul and the collective wisdom of its many incarnations.  When the dragon dies, it's stone is brought to the place of ascension and returned to the fires of the earth, releasing the dragon's soul for rebirth.   One of the jobs of the guardians, is to retrieve soul stones for dragons that have left the tribe and died abroad.  Soul stones are very powerful magic items and much coveted by those who would use them for evil.

When a dragon dies, the associated guardian will also die or will, in one case, became a lich.  The guardian does not have to be buried with the dragon, but it is traditional and the guardians will go to some lengths to ensure this happens.  During bonding, the guardians soul passes into the soul stone.  It is part of what makes the binding so permanent.  Similarly, it makes resurrection of a dead guardian much easier and less traumatic than for normal people.  Guardians are also reincarnated to rebond with their dragon in another life - you are a pair that has been bonded before and will be again.

There has only been one recorded case of a guardian surviving his dragon  The dragon and his guardian (a high powered mage) were fighting a mind flayer.  The guardian was driven insane during the fight, his dragon companion fell.  The guardian's rage and grief were so great that he continued to fight, even though his soul was severed from him.  He fought wildly, eventually killing the mindflayer.  Unfortunately, he had now become so consumed by hatred, he was no longer himself - he became a lich, wandering the dark places and killing anything he found there. His dragon remains trapped in the soul stone, helpless, until the guardian can be released from this world and the soul stone recovered and returned to the place of ascension.  Several parties of guardians have tried without success.

Game Particulars:

• We're breaking with AD&D tradition vis -a -vis dragons in this one - stats on dragons will go as per the manual, but alignments for all dragons in the tribe, regardless of color are Good.  The tribe consists of most types of chromatic and metallic dragons.  No gem dragons.  You may choose the organizational aspect of your alignment (Lawful, Chaotic, Neutral), but ethically you are all Good.
  
• Stats are rolled 4d6, discard the lowest number.  We are using comeliness, so please include it.  And discard the lowest number you roll and replace it with 18.
  
• You get 1 additional feat and 10 additional skill points - however, they need to be applied to something you would learn in the temple to help guard or otherwise help the dragon tribe.
  
• You can choose any class you like - there's need for all of them in the dragon guard.  Remember that this is an Asian flavor, so create your characters accordingly. 
  
• Race - elf, half-elf, and human preferred.  I'll entertain the idea of other races, but only if there's a good story behind it.
  
• Dragon bond - I'm going to let you choose the color of dragon you are bonded with and the age at which you bonded with the dragon (generally, 3-15 for humans, adjust accordingly for elf/half-elf).  I will provide you with your special power, and the age/personality/background of your bonded dragon after I get your character sheets.
  
• In addition to your usual stats, I need you to provide me with a) a story from your childhood outlining a fear either submitted to or overcome, b) your chosen battle cry, and c) a theme song (the song you think of when you think of your character, not the song your character might sing).  
  
• I also would like you to, collectively, come up with the name of your group of adventurers.  Because of your skill level/ages, you have all trained together and have naturally come together as a sub-group within the guardians, a common occurrence. These subgroups have names so that they can be easily distinguished and called into service. 
  
• I will provide a summary of your past adventures to the group.  I will give 500XP bonus to anyone who writes up their character's version of any of these adventures.  And yes, that's 500XP per story, so if you write 3 that's 1500XP.
  
• Please come to the game prepared - I want to try to keep it fast moving and I need your help to make that happen. 

22. There is no such thing as a Gnomish Pygmy War Rhino.

74. My thief's battle cry is not "Run And Live"

http://theglen.livejournal.com/16735.html

(Although, I still think "Not The Face!" is a good battle cry.....)

Hint for anyone reading this blog

In the next game, certain party encounters will reflect the current miniatures holiday sale going on at Wizards of the Coast.

Game Day

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4dnd/gameday