Estermere - A Medieval Fantasy RP

[BingTheWing]

The year is 1278 AI. The grand Serath Empire to the east has fallen, liberating countless cultures, artifacts and relics in its receding wake. The Grand High Archmage Celebrius in his studies has awakened an ancient portal to the Demonic Wastes, unleashing a horde of demons onto Mount Frostfire. A lycanthrope plague has spread from within the walls of isolated human fortress Farcrest into the surrounding forest. Purple dragons have reappeared from ages past into the tainted Duskrock Caverns. The world of Daiar is changing.

Our tale, however, does not take place in those faraway places. We travel to the continent of Belar, into the small human country of Rostguard. Deep into the middle of expansive Forest Mither, we reach a small village by the name of Estermere. The townsfolk there are ignorant, and it is said ignorance is bliss. They dismiss the happenings of the outside world as mere folktales, bedtime stories and distant legends. Anyway, no one could possibly overcome the mythical black dragon that supposedly guarded Rostguard from unwanted guests through an unbreakable pact forged with angels. Unfortunately, that story came from nearly three thousand years ago - half a millennium short of a dragon’s actual lifespan. You may be from outside Estermere, lived there your whole life, commoner, guard, artisan, it does not matter. What matters is that the gods have a plan for you. A grand plan.

---

NOW!

Onto some OOC stuff.

I plan for this to be character driven. I haven’t drawn up a good deal of the lore yet or actually made a map, so you guys can come from anywhere you want or any race you come from. I’m not making any plots, though I will greatly egg story hooks on. Guidelines and restrictions on this will be found in the CS skeleton. If your race isn't a 'generic' one (e.g dwarf,elf, etc) then kindly expand on it if needed. Also, please NO angels, pit fiends or anything else not from the Material Plane. If you have powers, please limit that to sorcery (innate magical ability honed without formal education and study, unlike wizards).

I’m basing this off the DnD world. However, I’m planning this to be a fairly generic world so that people unfamiliar with DnD will also enjoy it. You don't have to come from any specific DnD class if you're combat-oriented, but if you are I can probably guess it from the CS. Non-DnDers, don't worry. Just pick a generic class like 'warrior' or 'mage'. If you're just a common watch guard or a peasant, don't worry about choosing classes.

I’m a new GM and pretty please don’t kill this. I’ve already got one thread dead. PM me for any questions.

Rules

I am the GM. What I say goes. (That is, unless I appoint a co-GM. What he also says goes.)
Don’t be a dick. (No PG-13+, OOC drama, autohitting, meta, powergaming, godmod, etc.)
Use your common sense. I don’t write out all of the rules.

CS Skeleton

Name:

Race:

Race Description: (If your character isn't one of the staple fantasy races like dwarves, elves, humans, halflings, orcs etc., then you'll need to describe the race in further detail in this section. Where does this race come from? What are their defining physical characteristics? What language(s) do they speak (note: the universal language of Daiar is Common)? Does this race have any particular magical/supernatural abilities that merit explanation? If you're playing a common race, just leave this section blank, or if you're feeling extra special neat, you can remove it from your CS altogether. I won't tell anybody if you won't.)

Age: (Make sure your character's age makes sense given the rest of your sheet. You're rather unlikely to meet any 16 year old master wizards, just as you're unlikely to meet any 70+ year old warriors in active duty. If you're playing a race that lives beyond the typical human lifespan (like elves, for example) then obviously these restrictions won't exactly apply to you, but still try to keep things reasonable.)

Gender:

Appearance: (In at least one paragraph, describe your character's appearance, including eye color, hair color and style, body build, height, skin color, scars/tatoos/birthmarks, etc. A picture will suffice, but please make sure to denote any differences from your envisioned appearance and the actual picture in text. Please avoid pictures that are too modern or otherwise don’t fit the setting.)

Clothing/Armor: (In at least one paragraph, describe your character's preferred style of dress. Remember that the setting is medieval fantasy, so please avoid modern clothing or something that is otherwise out of place. A picture will suffice, and it may be the same picture as your appearance, but please make sure to outline the parameters of your armor (if applicable) in text. Remember that the more protective armor is, the more it restricts movement.)

Weapons: (Describe the weapons your character carries with them on a regular basis. You may include pictures if you wish, although as long as you’re clear enough it’s not entirely necessary. In this section, you must also describe where your character keeps their weapons. In case your character is caught off guard or restrained in some way, it’s much more believable that they could quickly draw their dagger if it was sheathed at their waist than if it was at the bottom of a cluttered backpack, after all. This is for the sake of consistency. For weapons like bows or crossbows that require bolts or arrows, make sure to note how many arrows your character keeps on them on a regular basis and where.)

Skills/Abilities: (Describe your character's abilities, if applicable. This will often outline your character's profession, too. This includes combat ability (weapon proficiency, martial arts etc excluding magic) as well as general trade skills like blacksmithing, carpentry, farming, hunting, fishing, tailoring, and medicine (to name just a few). Basic skills like cooking or sewing, for example, need not be listed here unless your character is exceptionally good at them. Miscellaneous skills and attributes that are unique to your character should also be listed here. If you have any questions about what should and shouldn't go here, ask a GM.)

Magic: (If your character possesses magical or supernatural abilities, please describe them here in detail. There are many different methods of spellcasting in the fantasy genre, but feel free to use DnD's mage archetypes as a baseline for inspiration. Please make sure to describe the source of your character's magical abilities, whether it be their own internal "mana", magical runes, alchemical ingredients, wands, spellbooks, artifacts, talismans, or some contract with a deity or spirit (these are just a few examples). Certain magical abilities are generally considered off-limits for the sake of balance, such as time manipulation, teleportation, invincibility and total mind control. You can include a spell list, but this is not by any means required and you may take a more general approach to this description if you wish.)

Inventory: (List what your character currently has on them and regularly carries around, excluding weapons, armor, and clothing (see above). Try not to list too much; carrying heavy loads will considerably slow down your character and probably require a cumbersome backpack on top of that. In other words, pack light. It may be wise to organize these items in a list, as you will be editing this section frequently as your character acquires more items. This section should also include how much money your character has in their wallet. The currency of Daiar follows the traditional DnD system of copper, silver, and gold coins. 10 copper pieces are equivalent to one silver piece, and 10 silver pieces are equivalent to one gold piece.)

Backstory: (In at least two decent length paragraphs, detail your character's life up until this point. Make sure to explain why your character is in Estermere at present. If you wish to keep your backstory secret, you must message a GM about it beforehand to ensure it's reasonable and acceptable.)




Credits go to Chanda for the amazing CS.

Anyone interested?

[PhoenixWhite]

Hmm... I certainly have no quarrel with what you've pitched. Consider me 'interested'-

[Ink-berry]

I'll be watching this thread until more information is added, but I'm interested. c:

[TaliPaendrag]

I'm rather interested as well. :D

[TaliPaendrag]

EDIT: Darn glitch made me double post. Sorry.

[The Fated Fallen]

With so many people scrabbling around out there to be different it is good to have something that is generic, I'll keep a close eye on this

[BingTheWing]

Just a few more people and I'll start up the OOC.

[Zombehs]

Well this world looks like it's going to the crapper.

PREPARE FOR ADVENTURES.

[Yog Sothoth]

Can I make a dragonborn warlock?

[MarekBecdelevier]

Most definitely interested.

[BingTheWing]

Yog Sothoth said
Can I make a dragonborn warlock?

By all means hell yes.
But you won't be described as a warlock, just a mysterious magic dragon man with a tie to an unknown entity.

Alright, working on an OOC now.

[Yog Sothoth]

BingTheWing said
By all means hell yes.But you won't be described as a warlock, just a mysterious magic dragon man with a tie to an unknown entity.Alright, working on an OOC now.

Why can't he be called a warlock

[Eklispe]

Sorry to butt in here but HEY BingTheWing REMEBER THIS?!?! The two villages I gave you a pm and you still haven't responded you leaving the RP or what? :(

[BingTheWing]

Yog Sothoth said
Why can't he be called a warlock

Fine he can be called a warlock. But we won't go into technical stuff that should be in tabletop roleplay e.g modifiers, saving throws and all that. But you can still rp out warlock-like powers or even specific spells if you want.

@Eklipse, sorry. I am leaving that RP. I can't think up a character concept for that one.

[BingTheWing]

Sorry guys, due to IRL stuff I might not be able to take care of this myself. Somebody else can be the GM. You can expand totally on what I've just said, just don't go too crazy.

Note: I might be the co-GM if I have time.

PS: You might see me commenting on other RPs. This is because I can find just enough time to post here and there, but sometimes I can't commit to the amount of attention a GM has to make. This is because I only get WiFi access for a limited amount of time on weekends, I just can't leave my RP alone to the weekday players. Of course, I might find time to GM over the weekends.

[Chanda]

Shouldn't there be an inventory section or something similar in the CS? Obviously characters that live in Estermere will have a lot of possessions that won't necessarily be a part of their present inventory, but I find it's very helpful for keeping track of what each character would be expected to have on them at any given moment (and it also deters people from "finding" health potions in their pockets later on down the road, although this is rarely a problem with the right group of players anyway). I think this would be especially appropriate considering this RP takes cues from DnD, which as we all know is fairly specific when it comes to inventory management.

Also, for characters with magical powers, shouldn't there be like a magic/abilities/skills section that allows them to explain those powers in detail? In my experience it's a lot better to make sure the strengths and limitations of magic and abilities are outlined clearly before the roleplay starts to avoid problems arising later. Given that this is a character driven roleplay I'd say having a balanced cast of characters would be a pretty high priority.

Sorry to be full of suggestions, but I noticed that it's your first time GMing so I thought I'd offer some of my advice. There's no real downside to having more information about a character aside from the sheet taking slightly longer to fill out (and if they're too lazy to fill out two extra sections of the sheet then I'm not really sure you want them to be a part of your roleplay to begin with). I'd be happy to assist you as a co-GM too if you'd like.

[PhoenixWhite]

Aww, I'm sorry to hear this Bing. I hope everything clears up for you soon enough! Being hyper-busy is never fun for anyone in the history of ever.

As for you Chanda-- your suggestions are undoubtedly welcome. Assistance offered in good faith is always a good thing, from my perspective, and we do share some opinions on this front. Magical powers/abilities/skills sections aren't really there to categorize characters so much as help keep their particularly useful talents In mind and help keep them balanced. Limitations, to an extent, are rather useful as well!..although I certainly don't want to push for hyper-harsh ones either.

Inventories are just damn convenient.

[Chanda]

Hey thanks, Phoenix.

Since Bing isn't going to be able to lead this one, I don't mind stepping up and GMing. Or, if you guys would rather have someone else, I can always help co-GM. This looks like it has a fair amount of interest so I'd hate to see it go to waste.

In any case I'm going to start by working on an updated CS, which should be helpful either way.

[Arrayah]

I would certainly be interested in this RP if you all would have me :D

[Chanda]

Finished work on the updated CS. Let me know what y'all think.

Character Sheet

Name:

Race:

Race Description: (If your character isn't one of the staple fantasy races like dwarves, elves, humans, halflings, orcs etc., then you'll need to describe the race in further detail in this section. Where does this race come from? What are their defining physical characteristics? What language(s) do they speak (note: the universal language of Daiar is Common)? Does this race have any particular magical/supernatural abilities that merit explanation? If you're playing a common race, just leave this section blank, or if you're feeling extra special neat, you can remove it from your CS altogether. I won't tell anybody if you won't.)

Age: (Make sure your character's age makes sense given the rest of your sheet. You're rather unlikely to meet any 16 year old master wizards, just as you're unlikely to meet any 70+ year old warriors in active duty. If you're playing a race that lives beyond the typical human lifespan (like elves, for example) then obviously these restrictions won't exactly apply to you, but still try to keep things reasonable.)

Gender:

Appearance: (In at least one paragraph, describe your character's appearance, including eye color, hair color and style, body build, height, skin color, scars/tatoos/birthmarks, etc. A picture will suffice, but please make sure to denote any differences from your envisioned appearance and the actual picture in text. Please avoid pictures that are too modern or otherwise don’t fit the setting.)

Clothing/Armor: (In at least one paragraph, describe your character's preferred style of dress. Remember that the setting is medieval fantasy, so please avoid modern clothing or something that is otherwise out of place. A picture will suffice, and it may be the same picture as your appearance, but please make sure to outline the parameters of your armor (if applicable) in text. Remember that the more protective armor is, the more it restricts movement.)

Weapons: (Describe the weapons your character carries with them on a regular basis. You may include pictures if you wish, although as long as you’re clear enough it’s not entirely necessary. In this section, you must also describe where your character keeps their weapons. In case your character is caught off guard or restrained in some way, it’s much more believable that they could quickly draw their dagger if it was sheathed at their waist than if it was at the bottom of a cluttered backpack, after all. This is for the sake of consistency. For weapons like bows or crossbows that require bolts or arrows, make sure to note how many arrows your character keeps on them on a regular basis and where.)

Skills/Abilities: (Describe your character's abilities, if applicable. This includes combat ability (weapon proficiency, martial arts etc excluding magic) as well as general trade skills like blacksmithing, carpentry, farming, hunting, fishing, tailoring, and medicine (to name just a few). Basic skills like cooking or sewing, for example, need not be listed here unless your character is exceptionally good at them. Miscellaneous skills and attributes that are unique to your character should also be listed here. If you have any questions about what should and shouldn't go here, ask a GM.)

Magic: (If your character possesses magical or supernatural abilities, please describe them here in detail. There are many different methods of spellcasting in the fantasy genre, but feel free to use DnD's mage archetypes as a baseline for inspiration. Please make sure to describe the source of your character's magical abilities, whether it be their own internal "mana", magical runes, alchemical ingredients, wands, spellbooks, artifacts, talismans, or some contract with a deity or spirit (these are just a few examples). Certain magical abilities are generally considered off-limits for the sake of balance, such as time manipulation, teleportation, invincibility and total mind control. You can include a spell list, but this is not by any means required and you may take a more general approach to this description if you wish.)

Inventory: (List what your character currently has on them and regularly carries around, excluding weapons, armor, and clothing (see above). Try not to list too much; carrying heavy loads will considerably slow down your character and probably require a cumbersome backpack on top of that. In other words, pack light. It may be wise to organize these items in a list, as you will be editing this section frequently as your character acquires more items. This section should also include how much money your character has in their wallet. The currency of Daiar follows the traditional DnD system of copper, silver, and gold coins. 10 copper pieces are equivalent to one silver piece, and 10 silver pieces are equivalent to one gold piece.)

Backstory: (In at least two decent length paragraphs, detail your character's life up until this point. Make sure to explain why your character is in Estermere at present. If you wish to keep your backstory secret, you must message a GM about it beforehand to ensure it's reasonable and acceptable.)