Send me characters, with backgrounds. If you have the oriental Adventures book, feel free to use it, as I will be picking it up soon. The game setting will likely come from this book also, or potentially from the Forgotten Realms book. I'm not sure yet.
As for rolling up characters...Stats will be done in IRC, I wont be accepting everyone's character background, when I do accept it, we will roll the actual character and such in IRC.
I am accepting ONLY 4 people, as this is my first time DMing. At the recommendations of others, I'd prefer you have little to no experience DMing, and also prefer you not be a munchkin.
I reserve the right to refuse anyone a spot for any reason I so desire, ranging from "Your character wouldnt fit" all the way down to "I stubbed my toe after I read your character's background"
Email em to falaanla@ec.rr.com. Deadline is, oh, 2 weeks from today. Wednesday the 23rd. Game Start date not quite set. Application deadline may end early if I get 4 people I like early.
Oh yeah, one more thing. Lets keep this to PHB races only.
ADDITION: On OA characters: I may refuse these on a case to case basis after conferring with others on balance issues with them. I'll let you know if I cant work with that class and ask you to choose another. I reserve the right to make minor modifications to a class, also. [ 04-09-2003: Message edited by: Falaanla Marr ]
Reason for the request of a character background before rolling stats: I dont want this to be a game for roll-players, but one for roleplayers. Feel free to send me stats and such, but I do reserve the right to request that you roll them over again and rechoose skills and such. Your character will not be approved/disapproved based on your stats but WILL be based on the background you send me. [ 04-09-2003: Message edited by: Falaanla Marr ]
Changing the stat determination method to a modified point buy system.
Each stat starts at 8. You have 20 total points to buy stats with. 1 point increase always equals 1 point.
Cant go over 18 before racial bonuses of course.
Also, if you wait till tomorrow, I may add more allowed races from the OA book.
The PC classes they have in the Oriental Adventures book are re-tooled to be slightly more powerful than those outside it, and if you intent to use Rokugan then that difference is even more pronounced. This is because, while the "base swords" in the regular D&D setting are the longsword/shortsword, the weapons around which Oriental combat is based are the katana and the wakazashi - which are treated as almost masterwork by default in several situations, and in fact ARE masterwork by default to more than one Oriental class.
This isn't TOO much of an unbalancing factor, but it can work to tip the balance among potential conflicts - which could restrict PC effectiveness more than you intend for it to.
Just to let you know. Oh, and check out the Legend of the Five Rings/Rokugan books if you're interested in running an Oriental campaign. I play in a campaign using that series, and the depth of culture they present is astoundingly nice.
quote:With an average ability score of 11.3 (standard point buy uses 12.2), and minimum scores of 8, you're not going to see many people grabbing for the 18's. Taking one score of 16 and one of 14 leaves only 6 points to distribute between the other 4 ability scores. Even a single 18 uses half the points available.
So quoth Falaanla Marr:
Each stat starts at 8. You have 20 total points to buy stats with. 1 point increase always equals 1 point.Cant go over 18 before racial bonuses of course.
Going with a point buy system was, in my opinion, a good decision. It frees players from worrying if the ability scores they roll will fit the character they describe, and also helps to keep characters more balanced, so that no one character overshadows the others with his or her natural talents.
I can understand wanting to keep characters as "normal" people. Just keep in mind that making things too rigid makes it difficult to customize a character. Lowering the minimum slightly and diverting more points to the buy would add flexibility. Base scores of 7 with 26 points gives the same average score, as does a base of 6 with 32 points. Second edition point buys used a base score of 4, though I think that's a bit too low.
OK, no submissions until I get all the kinks worked out.
I foresee Kekvit griping and guilt tripping to get into the game.
I foresee everyone not asked sticking their noses in and giving opinions.
sigpic courtesy of This Guy, original modified by me
quote:
Ja'Deth Issar Ka'bael wrote, obviously thinking too hard:
I foresee Ford trying in some way to get into the game on some loophole.I foresee Kekvit griping and guilt tripping to get into the game.
I foresee everyone not asked sticking their noses in and giving opinions.
I foresee thirty-ish people posting that they wish to join.
I foresee none of these thirty-ish contacting Fal for further information.
I foresee two of the group's members showing up an hour late to the first game, if at all.
It's not something people hear about.
quote:Actually I already told Fal I wasn't going to join. Besides, I've been a GM for over a year now, running a game with Falaanla playing in it.
Ja'Deth Issar Ka'bael obviously shouldn't have said:
I foresee Ford trying in some way to get into the game on some loophole.
However, your third predition about people who weren't asked for their opinions giving their opinions, that's guaranteed. Everyone who has advice for a first-time GM will give their opinions... including you. 
Damn, RQG nailed this one.
I misspelled prediction. 
I so wanna DM my own game of d20 Wheel of Time one of these days...
quote:
Ja'Deth Issar Ka'bael obviously shouldn't have said:
I foresee everyone not asked sticking their noses in and giving opinions.
*Shrug.* Well, duh. I was a first-time DM at one point, too, and I would've killed for a half-dozen people to point out the things that I should've looked at before running the campaign. So, I'm trying to assist.
Oh, and Fal - if you're contemplating running the game in OA style, I have a large amount of Oriental source material in d20. That way you won't have to compromise on the restrictions of "Western" D&D things in a potentially-unbalancing manner in order to make up for a lack of actual Oriental alternatives. So, if you'd like, I could give it to you.
(Note - Feel free to modify your own campaign in any way you like. You want to use all the PHB classes? Go ahead. You want to change the katana to do 1d20 damage? Your decision. You want to run Cthulu as a DM-run party member? Sure. Remember, these are suggestions and thoughts. You're the DM, you do whatever you like in your own campaign.)
sigpic courtesy of This Guy, original modified by me
Lyinar Ka`Bael, Piney Fresh Druidess - Luclin
quote:
Drakkenmaw had this to say about Captain Planet:
I have a large amount of Oriental source material in d20. That way you won't have to compromise on the restrictions of "Western" D&D things in a potentially-unbalancing manner in order to make up for a lack of actual Oriental alternatives. So, if you'd like, I could give it to you.
Ooooh... I want. [ 04-09-2003: Message edited by: ArchAngel ]
quote:
MorbId thought this was the Ricky Martin Fan Club Forum and wrote:
Had you decided what day and time you wanted to go with?
That's generally something that the group as a whole decides on.
quote:
Densetsu thought this was the Ricky Martin Fan Club Forum and wrote:
That's generally something that the group as a whole decides on.
Yeah, was waiting till I knew who would be playing to decide.
Wasnt able to go get the book today, will have it before the weekend.
Books a million didnt have the Oriental Adventures book, nor did Waldenbooks
Gonn have to order it online, unless somewhere else in the area has a copy. :/
Feel free to submit characters, but there is gonna be a bit more time now due to this
[ 04-11-2003: Message edited by: Katrinity ]
quote:
Katrinity impressed everyone with:
<coughs> I saw a PDF version of the OA book on Khyron's FTP if ya need it. Was under Addy's(or Abby's...I don't remember!) DnD files before the reordering of it, so not sure if its still there.
Now Kat. You know me well enough to know how I am about things like this.
Now, If I end up having to buy on Amazon...I may have to check out the PDF.
Good luck though! 
quote:
Everyone wondered WTF when Iron Parcelan wrote:
Oriental Adventures is a waste of time and money, much like your childhood. I hate you for supporting it and charge you a ten dollar nerd tax.
Parce is just jealous of us Uber Wu-jen ^.^
<dances around>
Another thing to keep in mind, Fal, is Prestige Classes. Parce, as I recall, generally doesn't care much for them, while I encourage my players to take them if they like. Different styles, depending on how much variation and work you're willing to handle.
sigpic courtesy of This Guy, original modified by me
Oriental Adventures just blows.
quote:
So quoth Iron Parcelan:
Oriental Adventures just blows me away with its mad wild flavour and fresh funky beat!
Tru-dat Parce! Tru dat!
And thank you for correcting me on that point, Parce. I tend to agree, for the most part, that you should continue to "double up" (wizard/loremaster/wizard/loremaster, etc) for the most part. Sometimes it's okay to go whole hog into a new PClass, but not always. That's the biggest problem I have with a lot of the third party d20 source material PClasses; they expect that you're going to completely give up the classes that got you ready to take X Prestige class, because now you have this class that grants GREAT COSMIC POWER. Neat feats don't make up for stupid players, in other words.
sigpic courtesy of This Guy, original modified by me
