LL AEC pbp: Treasure Hunt (CLOSED for now)

[tumblingdice]

Scarves are allowed. But no werewolves...here, at least.

[saalaria]

Hmmm I recognise this crew!... I am in if there's room please. What do you need me to do?

[tumblingdice]

Excellent! We have four players, possibly five. I'll keep the recruitment thread open for now, but will also ask Dan to open up a new game forum so that we can get started.

Sam, no action required yet. Because this is a 0-level game, the rules will be somewhat different. I'll post them once the forum is up.

[tumblingdice]

That said, this is a shipwreck adventure. Do not, I repeat, do not, name your drunken scholar "The Professor," lest I start you off with -1000 XP instead of -500. Got it?

Oddly enough, just today the good professor passed away at the age of 89.


RIP: Russell Johnson, 1924-2014

[greyarea]

RIP. He made me want to be a professor back in the day.

[badams30]

RIP. He made me want to be a professor back in the day.

and Gilligan made me want to be a beatnik hippie....

[Spanningtree]

RIP professor. I have to admit I was partial toward him also.

[greyarea]

This is something I didn't know before about our beloved Professor:

Born in rural northeastern Pennsylvania, Johnson graduated from a private boarding school for orphaned children before joining the Air Force, flying dozens of combat missions in World War II -- including one that turned him into a real-life castaway in the Philippines in 1945. Johnson's B-25 bomber was shot down by heavy flak; he broke both his ankles during the mission, and received the Purple Heart.

From http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=847737

[badams30]

He was pretty heavily decorated. Lots of the old school celebrities served, and a good deal of them had some serious action (like Charles Durning, for instance) Too bad that generation is leaving us in droves.

[tumblingdice]

While we're waiting for the forum to open up, here's a little background:

Setting
The Moonshaes are a group of island kingdoms a few hundred miles off the coast of Faerûn in the Forgotten Realms. Celtic Britain serves as the primary inspiration. The Ffolk live in the southern islands, where they farm, fish, hunt and trade. They revere the Goddess, aka the Earthmother (N), whose priests are druids, not clerics.

Northlanders from the mainland, based on the Vikings, came later, settling the northern islands and raiding the Ffolk settlements. They revere several deities: Auril, the Frostmaiden (NE), Tempus, the Lord of Battles (CN), and Umberlee, the Bitch Queen (CE).

Both groups can be found on the central islands, where things get interesting.

Adventure
Treasure Hunt was published before the release of the Forgotten Realms setting. While it was written with a Mediterranean-type climate in mind, its placement in the Moonshaes moves it to a colder climate, similar to that of the Orkney and Shetland Islands in the northern UK. So, if the DM hands you a player's map written on a palm leaf, just roll with it. Deal? It's a short adventure, taking place over the course of two days.

0-level characters (rules paraphrased from the module)
Your characters are normal men and women (human or otherwise) with normal occupations and of no particular convictions, who are thrust into a dangerous situation. They'll need to use their wits, and try things they've never done before if they hope to survive. Characters start with:

6 hp (plus or minus constitution modifier)
neutral alignment
knowledge of the common tongue and their racial tongue if applicable
-500 XP
one skill on the secondary skills table (p. 21 AEC)

Characters earn XP after each encounter.
They can try any non-magical special ability available to standard character classes. On the first attempt, it will be at 10% below a 1st-level character's chance, on the second attempt at 5% below, and on the third attempt they do it with the same chance as a 1st level character.

As characters interact with their environment and each other, I will make notes of their behaviors with respect to class and alignment. For example, trying to use a magic wand gives you a plus in the magic-user column, while trying to heal a fellow character gives you a plus in the cleric column. Trying to murder one of your fellows gives you a plus in the evil column, etc. Using a sword--more than once--rules out becoming a magic-user, etc. In this particular adventure, multi-classing is not an option.

As your character nears 0 XP, I will make a recommendation via private message, based on my observations, of a suitable class and alignment. If there's disagreement, we'll discuss it and work something out if necessary. Otherwise, your character takes up the recommended class and alignment upon reaching 0 XP, with all applicable abilities, savings throws, and hit dice. Roll for hit points, but ignore the roll if it's less than your current hp. MU's and thieves don't roll. Your character will learn his or her new alignment language, but not until after the adventure is over.

Any questions?
Edited to remove reference to weapon proficiency.