The Unseen Servant forums

General questions about the world:

Are there non-humans? [1d100] = 89 If so, are they common? [1d100] = 6 No. Only human PCs.

Is there a lot of magic? [1d100] = 89 No. But there is some ... of course. Clever PCs could use magic.

Is the setting a generally pleasant place to live? [1d100] = 12 Yes. The adventures will be "trouble in paradise" type stuff.

Does it begin in a tavern? [1d100] = 100 Ah heck no!

Basically, once you volunteer interest by naming a character, I'll make some rolls and describe your potential character's significant attributes in general terms. E.g., Edwin is exceptionally strong and agile, not that bright, and has something in his bearing that causes others to dismiss his concerns. Then you fill in a few things: what does the character look like? Who are their family? From what type of place do they come? Do they follow the Way of Steel, of Arts, or of Spells? What is one goal they have?

Once we have interest and ideas from several people (3-5), I'll formulate a setting and generate an adventure, and we'll move ahead to open a campaign.

Are your games crunchy, or story?

If you're referring to mechanics, all the crunch in this game is hidden.

If you're referring to combat, there could be a healthy dose of hack and splat. I don't see a dichotomy between combat and story; the one arises from the other, and if the players focus their characters on combat, that's where the story will go.

Well, let's give it a go. Give me a character, and whatever parameters you have for the setting, and I'll start. Hopefully we can talk others into trying.

Geesh ... you lucked out on the rolls. PHY [3d6] = 13 CRA [3d6] = 13 SPI [3d6] = 16

Your character is physically and mentally gifted, and makes a strong impression on everyone they encounter. They would be well suited as a Fighter, a Caster, or an Artisan. In any of those pursuits they could venerate a deity and potentially obtain benefits from the worship.

I'll request a campaign in the die roller so that I can log the rolls without posting them explicitly.

When you speak of "Artisan", what are some examples? The word seems to mean something like a stone-mason, but I'm not sure that's what is meant here. I have some ideas for the character, and will post in my AM. Should be fun!

A mason is a great example of an artisan. So would be a smith or carpenter or doctor.

Awesome! I have some more ideas, then.

so, what about say an artisan who is a secret caster? ( multiclass sort of thing )

cybersavant wrote:so, what about say an artisan who is a secret caster? ( multiclass sort of thing )

You would need to pick which they were better at to start. They could progress in both careers.

Okay, I have this beginning scene in my head, but don't want to dictate much about the setting. So, let's see what you think.

As a boy, Bran, helped his stone mason father and grandfather move tools and dirt to build great things. Strong things. Bran himself grew up a little taller than the local average, and a little stronger. His hair was a little blacker, and his skin stayed a little more tanned, year round. Spending time with builders gave him the rudiments of crafting and shaping, as well as the maths and thinking that goes into creating larger buildings and smaller cities. While stone speaks to him seldom, wood seemed to be his calling. For his adult day ceremony, Grandfather presented Bran with a simple set of quality carpenter's tools.

Bran was a little different.

Maybe not so different, though. Grandfather often talked of his home. A town/village/city (it grew and shrunk with the telling) that was overtaken by plague/monsters/dragons/bad luck (depending on what Bran wanted to hear about that evening). What always stayed the same was the ruin; home was a lost city full of promise, stories, and need. It was Grandfather's dream to return home and rebuild. To make strong buildings for good people, and warm hearths for good families.

What is "good"?

Bran found answers in faith, over time. Priests, wandering monks, and others who espoused some vision of glory or another would often pass through and speak loudly to whomever was alive. Bran saw them as idiots. Loud, yet idiots nonetheless. There was one who was different. Who merely called himself "a devout", and stayed an entire winter. He helped harvest food and claimed nothing that was not earned, or freely given. He split wood for the elderly, tended the ill, and showed the younglings just how good one can get with a snowball.

He entranced Bran. The man served, and built, like Bran's own family. Yet there was more than just dream to his work, there was purpose. To change for the better. Life was good at home, Bran knew. But it was also staid. He was not called to be average; to earn money, produce children, and be buried alongside everyone else. Bran absorbed the basic tenets of the faith; "do good, work hard, love life, commit to greatness". More than that, Bran's own woodwork lived the tenets: he would fix doors for those who could not pay. His craftsmanship solved problems that had been going on forever. A well cut piece of wood, and a levered corner, kept a widow's home from sagging. When Bran's duty was to be in the militia, he served and led well. Some thought he was born to be a military leader, but Bran set aside the duties of leadership as easily as he had taken them on.

People liked Bran before he became a devout. Now their lives are better, as well. It is a good time.

But Grandfather's home still calls...

Adulthood at age 12 for his parent's culture. Bran's family moved "here" a couple of generations ago. They work hard, are respected, and while "different", are a part of the community.

Addendum Bran is a priest/cleric/monk sort of guy. His artisan background gives him skills and talents to help, but he's not growing in that field.

Bran

• * PHY 13
  * Cra 13
  * SPI 16

Skills
Carpentry-3, Masonry-1, Theology-1

can i play?:

Leitz wrote:Okay, I have this beginning scene in my head, but don't want to dictate much about the setting. So, let's see what you think.

...

Addendum Bran is a priest/cleric/monk sort of guy. His artisan background gives him skills and talents to help, but he's not growing in that field.

I really love that backstory. One of the best setups for an adventure that I've seen, and it adequately explains the stats.

cybersavant wrote:so, what about say an artisan who is a secret caster? ( multiclass sort of thing )

PHY [3d6] = 10 CRA [3d6] = 10 SPI [3d6] = 13
Your character is of average physique and intelligence, but gifted with a strong will and impressive personality. They would be best suited as a caster.

@rossik You're welcome to join us.
PHY [3d6] = 11 CRA [3d6] = 11 SPI [3d6] = 9 Your character would be average in every way.

For those of you with artisan characters:

Please list one to five skills in which your character has extra ability. A skill could be listed more than once. Those skills can be pretty much anything you imagine that suits the character's background, e.g., Bran might have Mason x1, Carpenter x3, and one other thing as well.

Note that "devout" is not exactly a class. It's more like an addendum that can go alongside any of the three major ways of living. It can have mechanical effects, which will be discovered through roleplay. I'll provide more info about deities once we open a campaign.

tibbius wrote: Your character would be average in every way.

Once I was in a variant game of "The Guns of Navarrone". My character was the least skilled, and had the lowest average stats. Our mission was to destroy a planetary defense gun before the invasion. My character fell in love with the people of the planet and decided to fight the oppressive regime that necessitated the invasion. By the time his backup fleet arrived the planet was controlled by a friendly government and peace ensued.

Never underestimate the average person with total commitment to an uncommon dream.

Willbor worked at a library.
He started cleaning stuff, stitching books, lightning candles, etc. Then, he started to read them, as his grandma used too before her accident.
But by chances of destiny, Will found secret and mysterious books, written in codes. As the young boy tried to break the codes, he learned one thing or two, but never managed to fully understand its content.

Willbor loves books, and will search everywhere for this kind of brain food.

You asked for a name: Marcus Nine-toes

Are you thinking of medieval, or renaissance? Or earlier? Or just straight fantasy?

I have to admit, I'm getting enthused about this.

Also, happy for Bran to know the other characters. If they like each other is a totally different thing.

We seem to have Leitz, cybersavant, rossik, and Urson as potential players.

For the setting I'm thinking Bronze Age Greece. Maybe that will help gel character concepts. Bran's detailed back story could fit well in that setting.