Adventurers of the Dornslend Marches [Old School Essentials]

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Once you were a creature of comfort, nestled within the safe embrace of Empire of Sauflend's settled lands. But wanderlust, or perhaps a deeper purpose, lured you north to the Dornslend Marches, a troubled borderland painted in shades of past glory and present peril.

The name Dornslend echoes with legend - a realm forged by the heroic Paladin Dorn who vanquished Xin'deo the Firecruel, a tyrannical volcanic dragon. His kingdom thrived for five decades, but like a fallen star, Dornslend's brilliance dimmed with its founder's demise. Dorn's heirs, consumed by ambition, fractured the realm into a web of squabbling domains ruled by petty warlords. Prosperity withered, replaced by lawlessness. Knights and bandits now prey upon the good people of the marches; monstrous beast-men lurk at the fringes, ready to opportunistically pillage & raid; monstrous creatures, emboldened by the chaos, are slowly reclaiming their lost domains.

Worse still, whispers carried on the wind speak of a new terror - a dragon stirring in the unexplored heights of the Crowned Fells, amassing an army of orcs and kobolds.

It is into this crucible of chaos that your path leads...

Spoiler: Big 16

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I have never run a true fantasy OSR game before but have always wanted to give it a try.


1. What game system are you running (D&D, Call of Cthulu, Palladium, GURPS, etc.), and if applicable what edition (Original, Classic, Revised, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, etc.)? Old School Essentials Advanced Fantasy, utilizing the Create a Character - Basic Method (so races are classes). We will NOT be utilizing the Secondary Skills, Weapon Proficiency or Multiple Classes optional rules. We are going very old school and very basic! :smallbiggrin:

2. What 'type' or variant of game will it be (i.e. "Shadow Chasers" or "Agents of Psi" for d20 Modern)? What is the setting for the game (eg. historic period, published or homebrewed campaign setting, alternate reality, modern world, etc.)? You are adventurers wandering around a troubled borderland plagued by monsters & bandits, replete with long forgotten ruins, ancient old-growth forests and deep, dark caves.

3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many? 3 to 6

4. What's the gaming medium (OOTS, chat, e-mail etc.)? These forums

5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)? Level 1

6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with? You begin play 3d6x3 Gold Pieces

7. Are there any particular character classes, professions, orders, etc. that you want... or do not want? What are your rules on 'prestige' and/or homebrewed classes? All of the Basic Classes are allowed, we will be using demi-human races as classes rules.

8. What races, subraces, species, etc. are allowed for your game? Will you allow homebrewed races or species? 'Prestige' races or species? The Demi-Humans Classes are your race, otherwise you are human.

9. By what method should Players generate their attributes/ability scores and Hit Points? 3d6 in order for each ability score. If you have all 8s or lower or wind up with one really bad roll (like a 3) you may reroll the whole set.

10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so? Law, Neutral or Chaos

11. Do you allow multi-classing, or have any particular rules in regards to it? No

12. Will you be doing all of the die rolling during the course of the game? Will die rolls be altered, or left to the honor system? If players can make die rolls, which ones do they make, how should they make the rolls, and how should they report them? I will roll the Referee stuff, you will roll your characters stuff.

13. Are there any homebrewed or optional/variant rules that your Players should know about? If so, list and explain them, or provide relevant links to learn about these new rules. None

14. Is a character background required? If so, how big? Are you looking for anything in particular (i.e. the backgrounds all ending up with the characters in the same city)? Skirt length at most. Tell me why you became an adventurer

15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above? A mix of all 3.

16. Are your Players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can Players use for their characters? Old School Essentials: Advanced Fantasy

Neat!


Let's roll those dice...

Strength - [roll0]
Intelligence - [roll1]
Wisdom - [roll2]
Dexterity - [roll3]
Constitution - [roll4]
Charisma - [roll5]

Starting Finances - [roll6]


I am going to shuffle 2 point from Wisdom into 1 point of Intelligence, to make an Illusionist! If Advanced classes are not permissible, then... a Magic-User.


Character Name

Name Class ("Title") Alignment portrait goes here hyperlinks to character sheets go here description goes here Attributes Strength 09 ▪ Intelligence 14 ▪ Wisdom 09 Dexterity 14 ▪ Constitution 07 ▪ Charisma 09 Vital Statistics Level 1 ▪ Experience Points 0 ▪ Next Level 2500 Prime Requisite Intelligence Hit Dice 1d4-1 ▪ Hit Points 3 THAC0 19 ▪ Armor Class 09 Death Save 13 ▪ Wand Save 14 ▪ Poison Save 13 ▪ Breath Save 15 ▪ Spell Save 16 Special Abilities Arcane Magic Magical Research: May spend time and money on magical research, enabling the Illusionist to add new spells to their book and research other magical effects. At 9th level, they become able to create magical items. Research and artifice must be within the purview of illusion magic, as determined by the Referee. Spell Casting: Illusionists cast Illusionist spells. At 1st level, they know one 1st level spell, and may cast one 1st level spell. Using Magic Items: Illusionists are able to cast spells from spell scrolls that deal in illusion magic, and are on their spell list; they are also able to use magical items usable by arcane spell casters, although those that deal direct damage, such as wands of fire balls and scrolls of Delsenora's Malevolent Steamroller are not. Combat Illusionists are able to wield daggers alone, and staves if the Referee feels like allowing that! Spells Spoiler Show Spells 1st Level Spells Known: Go here. Spells Memorized: Go here.

Credits Necrotic Gnome Publishing

Legacy Text

Spoiler

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Now, since we're using Old School Essentials: Advanced Fantasy, are the demi-human Race-As-Classes from there available? Because while it says we're using OSE: AF for our sources, #7 of the Big 16 seems contradictory to me in that it says we're using the Basic classes.

SCARY WIZARD's Workspace

Spoiler

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Good As Rolled: Acrobat, Assassin, Cleric, Druid, Thief
Doable As Rolled: Bard, Drow, Elf, Fighter, Half-Orc, Illusionist, Magic-User, Paladin
Possible with Adjustments: lol ok

I am new to the game (I received the Advanced Fantasy Referee's & Player's Tome in a Humble Bundle a while back), so I may not be as knowledgeable about the terminology as someone more experienced (like yourself).

In the Advanced Fantasy Player's Tome, page 14 lists two different ways to generate characters - Basic & Advanced. I would like to play with the Demihumans as Character Classes, so that would be the Basic Character Creation system, which specifies all characters are human unless they select a demihuman class.

I know that can feel a little restrictive but I have always been fascinated by the idea of racial classes and would love to give it a try. :smallsmile:

The book does say the two systems are compatible, so I guess it does not super matter. I am just entertained by the idea of someone playing a demihuman as a class. :smallbiggrin:

I'm always up to try different systems... So let's see what kind of classes I'll be able to pick.

Strength - [roll0]
Intelligence - [roll1]
Wisdom - [roll2]
Dexterity - [roll3]
Constitution - [roll4]
Charisma - [roll5]

Starting money: [roll6] x3 = ???

Well as much as I do like that 18, I think constitution would be the worst skill to have a 3 in so...

Strength - [roll0]
Intelligence - [roll1]
Wisdom - [roll2]
Dexterity - [roll3]
Constitution - [roll4]
Charisma - [roll5]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NeptunianOM

I am new to the game (I received the Advanced Fantasy Referee's & Player's Tome in a Humble Bundle a while back), so I may not be as knowledgeable about the terminology as someone more experienced (like yourself).

In the Advanced Fantasy Player's Tome, page 14 lists two different ways to generate characters - Basic & Advanced. I would like to play with the Demihumans as Character Classes, so that would be the Basic Character Creation system, which specifies all characters are human unless they select a demihuman class.

I know that can feel a little restrictive but I have always been fascinated by the idea of racial classes and would love to give it a try. :smallsmile:

The book does say the two systems are compatible, so I guess it does not super matter. I am just entertained by the idea of someone playing a demihuman as a class. :smallbiggrin:

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It's fun. I'm in a game over on RPoL, using things from the Carcass Crawler magazines, and even those are really tightly designed. You made a great call in picking this system! I hope you get a lot of mileage out of it.
I was just wondering, though, if demi-human Race-As-Classes from the Advanced book like, say, the Gnome or Half-Orc were also on the table in addition to the Basic classes. I just wanna clarify, is all.

Speaking of Carcass Crawler, would classes from the zine be permissible, or would you prefer to limit material to what you personally have access to? It's official material made by the same people who designed the game. I only ask because a copy of the first issue fell into my lap recently.

*EDIT* There I go talking about reading the Big 16 and I forget the wording of point 16.

I'm very new to OSE as well, but have been reading up on it since a friend might be running that megadungeon Arden Vul with it sometime.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SCARY WIZARD

I was just wondering, though, if demi-human Race-As-Classes from the Advanced book like, say, the Gnome or Half-Orc were also on the table in addition to the Basic classes. I just wanna clarify, is all.

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That's the impression I got from reading the Big 16. Classes and race-as-classes are on the table, just no demihumans taking "normal" classes.

I feel set on Half-Orc, partly because they don't have any ability score requirements, but let's see if I get lucky here.

Strength: [roll0]
Intelligence: [roll1]
Wisdom: [roll2]
Dexterity: [roll3]
Constitution: [roll4]
Charisma: [roll5]

Starting Wealth: [roll6] x3

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SCARY WIZARD

It's fun. I'm in a game over on RPoL, using things from the Carcass Crawler magazines, and even those are really tightly designed. You made a great call in picking this system! I hope you get a lot of mileage out of it.
I was just wondering, though, if demi-human Race-As-Classes from the Advanced book like, say, the Gnome or Half-Orc were also on the table in addition to the Basic classes. I just wanna clarify, is all.

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I am looking forward to giving the system a whirl! :smallbiggrin:

Yes all of the races as classes are open! :smallsmile:

WHOO! Let's I generate, then...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NeptunianOM

I am looking forward to giving the system a whirl!

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by NeptunianOM

:smallbiggrin:

Yes all of the races as classes are open! :smallsmile:

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Well, if anyone drops out of the one on RPoL... *clears throat, awkwardly nods head at game* You'll be the first to hear from me! GM might not like it, but... oh... they'll live.

I put together a character sheet, based on one from Myth-Weavers, that I recalibrated​ from a Game Master oveover there, Black Wyvern. It might be a touch excessive in parts, but I figured, "eh, why not!". Tables are included for most classes, though such as Acrobats, Assassins, Barbarians, and Rangers might need to be adjusted a little bit...


Character Name

Character Name Class and Level Alignment portrait goes here hyperlinks to character sheets go here description goes here Attributes Strength aa ▪ Intelligence bb ▪ Wisdom cc Dexterity dd ▪ Constitution ee ▪ Charisma ff Vital Statistics Level 1 ▪ Experience Points 0 ▪ Next Level gggg Prime Requisite 1, Prime Requisite 2 Hit Dice hdi ▪ Hit Points j Death Save k ▪ Wand Save l ▪ Poison Save m ▪ Breath Save n ▪ Spell Save o Special Abilities things like Fighter, Dwarf, or the like's special abilities go here ​ ​Turn Undead Spoiler Show Hit Dice of Monster Type Level 1 2 2* 3 4 5 6 7-9 1 7 9 11 - - - - - 2 T 7 9 11 - - - - 3 T T 7 9 11 - - - 4 D T T 7 9 11 - - 5 D D T T 7 9 11 - 6 D D D T T 7 9 11 7 D D D D T T 7 9 8 D D D D D T T 9 9 D D D D D D T T 10 D D D D D D D T 11+ D D D D D D D D Spells Spoiler Show Spells 1st Level Spells Known: Go here. Spells Memorized: Go here. 2nd Level Spells Known: Go here. Spells Memorized: Go here. 3rd Level Spells Known: Go here. Spells Memorized: Go here. 4th Level Spells Known: Go here. Spells Memorized: Go here. 5th Level Spells Known: Go here. Spells Memorized: Go here. Thief Skills Spoiler Show Thief Skills Chance of Success Level CS TR HN HS MS OL PP 1 87 10 1-2 10 20 15 20 2 88 15 1-2 15 25 20 25 3 89 20 1-3 20 30 25 30 4 90 25 1-3 25 35 30 35 5 91 30 1-3 30 40 35 40 6 92 40 1-3 36 45 45 45 7 93 50 1-4 45 55 55 55 8 94 60 1-4 55 65 65 65 9 95 70 1-4 65 75 75 75 10 96 80 1-4 75 85 85 85 11 97 90 1-5 85 95 95 95 12 98 95 1-5 90 96 96 105 13 99 97 1-5 95 98 97 115 14 99 99 1-5 99 99 99 125

Credits go here -- for books, artists, AI models used... things like that!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SCARY WIZARD

I put together a character sheet, based on one from Myth-Weavers, that I recalibrated​ from a Game Master oveover there, Black Wyvern. It might be a touch excessive in parts, but I figured, "eh, why not!". Tables are included for most classes, though such as Acrobats, Assassins, Barbarians, and Rangers might need to be adjusted a little bit...


Character Name

Character Name Class and Level Alignment portrait goes here hyperlinks to character sheets go here description goes here Attributes Strength aa ▪ Intelligence bb ▪ Wisdom cc Dexterity dd ▪ Constitution ee ▪ Charisma ff Vital Statistics Level 1 ▪ Experience Points 0 ▪ Next Level gggg Prime Requisite 1, Prime Requisite 2 Hit Dice hdi ▪ Hit Points j Death Save k ▪ Wand Save l ▪ Poison Save m ▪ Breath Save n ▪ Spell Save o Special Abilities things like Fighter, Dwarf, or the like's special abilities go here ​ ​Turn Undead Spoiler Show Hit Dice of Monster Type Level 1 2 2* 3 4 5 6 7-9 1 7 9 11 - - - - - 2 T 7 9 11 - - - - 3 T T 7 9 11 - - - 4 D T T 7 9 11 - - 5 D D T T 7 9 11 - 6 D D D T T 7 9 11 7 D D D D T T 7 9 8 D D D D D T T 9 9 D D D D D D T T 10 D D D D D D D T 11+ D D D D D D D D Spells Spoiler Show Spells 1st Level Spells Known: Go here. Spells Memorized: Go here. 2nd Level Spells Known: Go here. Spells Memorized: Go here. 3rd Level Spells Known: Go here. Spells Memorized: Go here. 4th Level Spells Known: Go here. Spells Memorized: Go here. 5th Level Spells Known: Go here. Spells Memorized: Go here. Thief Skills Spoiler Show Thief Skills Chance of Success Level CS TR HN HS MS OL PP 1 87 10 1-2 10 20 15 20 2 88 15 1-2 15 25 20 25 3 89 20 1-3 20 30 25 30 4 90 25 1-3 25 35 30 35 5 91 30 1-3 30 40 35 40 6 92 40 1-3 36 45 45 45 7 93 50 1-4 45 55 55 55 8 94 60 1-4 55 65 65 65 9 95 70 1-4 65 75 75 75 10 96 80 1-4 75 85 85 85 11 97 90 1-5 85 95 95 95 12 98 95 1-5 90 96 96 105 13 99 97 1-5 95 98 97 115 14 99 99 1-5 99 99 99 125

Credits go here -- for books, artists, AI models used... things like that!

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Wow, that is really cool! Thank you for making it!

An interesting prospects, I'll roll some dice and see what concept might fit.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

I assume ability scores are in the same order they're listed on the srd
str/int/wis/dex/con/cha

How is the character creation process going everyone? :smallbiggrin:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NeptunianOM

How is the character creation process going everyone? :smallbiggrin:

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*comes out of a room covered in superglue, with a very angry person and several power tools attached* I misunderstood the process, but am making strides!

Strength - [roll0]
Intelligence - [roll1]
Wisdom - [roll2]
Dexterity - [roll3]
Constitution - [roll4]
Charisma - [roll5]

Starting money:[roll6]

I think the rolls above should technically call for a reroll. A total of -4 on stats. 13, 12, 8, 8, 7 and 6

Yeah given how bad the second set was I think I'll try one more time. I would really like to make a character for this, after all, but neither the first nor second set are up to par.

Strength - [roll0]
Intelligence - [roll1]
Wisdom - [roll2]
Dexterity - [roll3]
Constitution - [roll4]
Charisma - [roll5]

Reroll if allowed
Strength: [roll0]
Intelligence: [roll1]
Wisdom: [roll2]
Dexterity: [roll3]
Constitution: [roll4]
Charisma: [roll5]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SCARY WIZARD

*comes out of a room covered in superglue, with a very angry person and several power tools attached* I misunderstood the process, but am making strides!

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Awright, Game Master! I have assembled an Illusionist; however, it looks like it's up to you to pick a single 1st level spell for them to know... If Advanced Classes are not permitted, then hit me with a Magic-User spell instead, and I'll recalibrate accordingly.
I used the "Adjusting Ability Scores" rule to shuffle WIS into INT.

Also! Just because I picked an Illusionist doesn't mean that things are set in stone for me! If anyone who didn't need to adjust ability scores wants to play an arcane caster, that's cool -- I'm more than qualified for a handful of good classes that'll serve well in a group as-rolled, and without adjustments! just gimme extra blankets, I get sickly​

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SCARY WIZARD

Awright, Game Master! I have assembled an Illusionist; however, it looks like it's up to you to pick a single 1st level spell for them to know... If Advanced Classes are not permitted, then hit me with a Magic-User spell instead, and I'll recalibrate accordingly.
I used the "Adjusting Ability Scores" rule to shuffle WIS into INT.

Also! Just because I picked an Illusionist doesn't mean that things are set in stone for me! If anyone who didn't need to adjust ability scores wants to play an arcane caster, that's cool -- I'm more than qualified for a handful of good classes that'll serve well in a group as-rolled, and without adjustments! just gimme extra blankets, I get sickly​

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I will leave it up to fate! There are 12 Illusionist spells. [roll1d12[/roll]

*curses in broken roll code*

I will leave it up to fate! There are 12 Illusionist spells. [roll0]

EDIT: Looks like you get Detect Illusion!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Infernally Clay

Yeah given how bad the second set was I think I'll try one more time. I would really like to make a character for this, after all, but neither the first nor second set are up to par.

Strength - [roll0]
Intelligence - [roll1]
Wisdom - [roll2]
Dexterity - [roll3]
Constitution - [roll4]
Charisma - [roll5]

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I would not worry too much about stats. This game is less stats drive than modern D&D or Pathfinder :)

Yeah, this is honestly mostly an exercise in risk assessment and resource management, the first few levels/until you amass enough hirelings and/or magic items/spells. 😹😿 Add to that the fact that Gold converts into EXP -- I thiiink, I know it does in pre-3E D&D -- and the fact that the book's got a section on parlance, more often than not you're going to be smacking around singular bad guys and finding ways around/B.S.ing/hindering groups of them until you get bigger teeth.

For instance, starting out with detect illusion is going to mean that I'm going to look into sharing some loot with a hireling, or at the very least, buying oil and holy water. Once I start to see more levels and can more freely research things outside of what's presumably a spell given by a mentor, is when I can start to really pull my weight. Until then, though...! I'm going to practice my pitching.

Hello everyone!

Sorry for not communicating with you over the last little bit. I became super sick and totally did not realize it had been a week since my last reply. I would like to get this game going! If anyone is still here, please head over to the OOC!