Dungeons and Dragons campaign

[Endless Sea]

Maybe I'll use one of my paladin giants from before! Or, if everyone else is going non-human, I'll just be a regular human paladin.

[Pixelmage]

If I play. Human Wizard. That's all.

[AMimsyBorogove]

Eh... Let's see. If I join, I'll probably end up using some weak but skilled lightning bruiser.

...

Or a Yandere with Razor Floss. I've always wanted to make one of those.

[Guyshane]

I will be a Dragonborn. Where is my awesome dragon born music

[Qara-Xuan Zenith]

If I play. Human Wizard. That's all.

Human wizard named Alice? You've gotta be named Alice. You're ALWAYS named Alice... right?

(fair warning: if I join ANY RP, I want to be a superpowered duck. With elephants; I'm NOT playing any RP.)

[Adell]

Wait, the GM makes the character sheets? Wouldn't that mean we're not even playing our own characters...? T_T

I for one, am ALL for that idea, personally.

[AMimsyBorogove]

But that ruins everything, Adell! It means we can't even determine our characters' personalities, abilities, backstories, appearances, or identities. It's BORING.

[Guyshane]

He's right creating your own character is really the point of an RPG

[Sicon112]

I'll be knowledgeable enough to do so myself by the time I join, if I choose to play, so I'd honestly rather not...

[Endless Sea]

He's right creating your own character is really the point of an RPG

Well, that and using said character to do whatever the hell you want (as long as the GM allows it).

[The Wild West Pyro]

Can I be a wizard too?

[Krika]

......No, that's not what I'm saying at all.

You create the characters. You figure out what you want to play, and then I can make the level 1 sheet, as in the purely mechanical aspects, because I don't expect all of you to necessarily be able to figure that out on your own (if you can, you certainly can do so, but I do have some house-rules that will be in effect related to character creation). I will make sure that anything I make is what fits your concept of what your character is (Hello real-time chat!), although I might intervene a little in order to make sure the party has a workable dynamic.

Also, hopefully I will get the campaign summary up so you can start building characters to it.

[Guyshane]

Ah okay

[Krika]

Ok, an explanation of party dynamics in D&D 4th edition.

Classes are divided up into 4 categories, based on their roles in combat: Controller, Defender, Leader, Striker.

Controllers: The least-defined role, controllers are the classic mezzers. They debuff enemies, occasionally buff allies, and manipulate the field in order to make it easier for the other party members to do their jobs. They're often seen as the "optional" fourth class, or put aside for a second striker/defender, but a well-played Controller can turn TPKs into cake-walks. Classes in the role include Wizards, Invokers, Druids, and Psions.
Defender: These are the tanks, the tough guys who protect the rest of the party. Through a mechanic known as "marking", the Defender is the character who tries to make enemies focus on him instead of his more-squishy comrades. This, however, does not mean they are impenetrable walls, as if an enemy can't hurt someone, they aren't going to try and attack them. What this does mean, however, is that Defenders have significant staying power. Examples include Paladin, Figher, and Warden.
Leader: The Leader is everybody's favorite character, because they are the one who keep you alive. Buffing, healing, and generally keeping party members in tip-top shape, the Leader's job is to not only keep their party member alive, but to make sure that they can do their jobs well. Examples include Cleric, Warlord, and Shaman.
Striker: Strikers can have their roles summed up in one word: Damage. They are the ones dealing the most damage, and the ones who traditionally hit hard and fast. However, they are generally more fragile than most other classes (though they are tied with Controllers here), but if they do their job right, enemies don't have much of a chance stay around for long enough to threaten them. Examples of the role include Ranger, Warlock, Sorcerer, Barbarian, and Rogue.

The quintessential party of 5 characters includes one of each of these roles, plus either a character that can do two of these roles for versatility, or doubling up on one (Striker is common). This is why I will have some veto power over your sheets, because while you could make a party of 5 wizards, it wouldn't be very good, and the right combination of enemies would rip it apart like paper. Thus, balance is important in this regard.

[Pixelmage]

Well Krika, one point, you have said 4~5 people so... Before everyone here rushes to make a char, you should kind of settle who'll get in and whatnot, no?

Or will you do what Xana did and have everyone submit a character then consolidate it into a team to pick who plays?

[Guyshane]

Too late I'm already looking through classes. although I think most of us may have already

[Krika]

The second. I'm sure you all have cool stuff to submit, and I'd like to see all of it.

Too late I'm already looking through classes. although I think most of us may have already

If you mean the characters in the Quick Start rules, those are pre-gens that were literally made for day 1, and I do not like them. Still, those are the races and classes from the Player's Handbook 1.

[Pixelmage]

Ok. Time limit? (It's late today, I'd like to do it tomorrow and I have to brush up on the Wizard rules sheet. )

[Guyshane]

Im definitely making a dragon born. now i need to decide on class.. the internets tell me that sorcerer and warlord are good classes for dragon born

[The Wild West Pyro]

Im definitely making a dragon born. now i need to decide on class.. the internets tell me that sorcerer and warlord are good classes for dragon born

I've decided on Human Wizard, I'll be making the character soon.

[Krika]

I'll get the campaign notes and character form up tomorrow. We'll see how things go from there.

Another note on classes. Each has a "Power Source", a generalized concept for where they get their ability from.

Martial: You're a paragon of what is physically possible, doing what you do without inherent magical aid.
Arcane: You do magic. Maybe from study, natural talent, or because of a pact you made, but you still do magic.
Divine: You worship a god, and they grant you your powers.
Primal: You draw upon the spirits of the land, the forces of nature.
Psionic: Mind over Matter is the operative phrase here. Your mental focus and force allows you to bend reality to your whim.
Shadow: Your power comes from the Shadowfell, the dark reflection of the Prime Material. You have some sort of connection to that place, and you draw upon it.
Elemental: You tap into the wild untamed forces of the Elemental Chaos (think all the elemental planes mashed together).

Also, try to build a character around a concept, rather than specific classes (Because you might make a Paladin, except that your concept really fits the Avenger class much more accurately, or stuff like that). I do want everyone to get what they want, but things may have to change a little as it gets stated up. Hopefully as little as possible, and the system is flexible enough that I don't think it will be much of a problem.

[agoraoptera]

I'd love to! I've been trying to get friends to D&D for ages, but because nobody wants to, I've had zero experience with it. I know nothing but the setting and a few rules.

[Endless Sea]

Ok, an explanation of party dynamics in D&D 4th edition.

Classes are divided up into 4 categories, based on their roles in combat: Controller, Defender, Leader, Striker.

Controllers: The least-defined role, controllers are the classic mezzers. They debuff enemies, occasionally buff allies, and manipulate the field in order to make it easier for the other party members to do their jobs. They're often seen as the "optional" fourth class, or put aside for a second striker/defender, but a well-played Controller can turn TPKs into cake-walks. Classes in the role include Wizards, Invokers, Druids, and Psions.
Defender: These are the tanks, the tough guys who protect the rest of the party. Through a mechanic known as "marking", the Defender is the character who tries to make enemies focus on him instead of his more-squishy comrades. This, however, does not mean they are impenetrable walls, as if an enemy can't hurt someone, they aren't going to try and attack them. What this does mean, however, is that Defenders have significant staying power. Examples include Paladin, Figher, and Warden.
Leader: The Leader is everybody's favorite character, because they are the one who keep you alive. Buffing, healing, and generally keeping party members in tip-top shape, the Leader's job is to not only keep their party member alive, but to make sure that they can do their jobs well. Examples include Cleric, Warlord, and Shaman.
Striker: Strikers can have their roles summed up in one word: Damage. They are the ones dealing the most damage, and the ones who traditionally hit hard and fast. However, they are generally more fragile than most other classes (though they are tied with Controllers here), but if they do their job right, enemies don't have much of a chance stay around for long enough to threaten them. Examples of the role include Ranger, Warlock, Sorcerer, Barbarian, and Rogue.

The quintessential party of 5 characters includes one of each of these roles, plus either a character that can do two of these roles for versatility, or doubling up on one (Striker is common). This is why I will have some veto power over your sheets, because while you could make a party of 5 wizards, it wouldn't be very good, and the right combination of enemies would rip it apart like paper. Thus, balance is important in this regard.

Feels like I'm reading something out of Dragon Quest IX or an MMO. Tanks, DPS, Support, Enemy Disruption... I'm pretty sure I'd fit in more with the role of a Striker or Controller, being able to screw around with the battlefield while sitting in the back and laughing my ass off, but I think both Defender and, to a certain extent, Leader would prove to not be that hard to get used to. Hell, I've actually got a fair bit of experience with characters designed for tanking.

Before I start going into overdrive with my brainstorming, though- Primal and Elemental seem fairly similar. Could you please elaborate a bit on those two? (Also, the divisions of powers are starting to sound a bit like how I tend to divide up elemental and arcane magic in my stories. Go figure.)

[Krika]

Yah, one of the points about 4th edition is that the combat-based class design is very much reminiscent of MMOs, although whether that's a good thing or bad thing is debatable.

Right, fast intro to the 4e Cosmology (to answer your question). The planes are the Prime Material (or Natural World, I call it Prime Material), the Shadowfell (a dark, almost underworld-esque reflection of the Prime), the Feywild (a reflection of the Prime like the Feywild, but in the opposite direction. It's flowing with life, magic, and that sort of thing), the Astral Sea (home of the gods), and the Elemental Chaos (which is basically a seething pool of raw elemental energies).

The Elemental source draws their abilities from some sort of connection to the Elemental Chaos, while the Primal power source draws their strength from Mother Nature, essentially.

[Victin]

So, we all should make character sheets and send them to Krika?

(Also Sicon, I was expecting you to be a rule lawyer. So, even if I don't get in the game - or you, for that matter - I'd like to learn some rule lawyering with you )