Saving Dead Dog OOC

WE ARE ACCEPTING MORE CHARACTERS AT THIS TIME.

This is the OOC thread for Saving Dead Dog, a gritty fantasy game. A small group of adventures are going to help save a crappy little village from a local nest of nasty beasties. Sure, I know, you have been there, and done that, right? Well let's just say that this is the Grindhouse version of that scenario! We are trying for a From Dust Until Day style game. What that movie did for vampire movies, is the effect I want. Gray morals, nasty death, madness and treasure seeking are all part of the mix. Why not give us a try?

Our Thread

THEME SONG: pending, but I am leaning toward this: http://youtu.be/d6IYt2qMj1A or possibly this: http://youtu.be/MTwq1_9VH68

This is a synopsis of characters presented in a short list, for my own ease of use.

Player Characters:

ELEISCION

Vine- female, pale luminescent skin, silver hair, shining wings, shining eyes, hooded cloak, haltered tunic of midnight blue, bound at the neck and bare to the middle of her back, leather underbust corset, round breasts, moonlight hair in a long thick braid, shapely ass, soft matte black leather pants, twin blueblack steel daggers

CHERUBIAN

Aeshallyn Synurthiel- female, mane of golden locks, lithe build, unblemished skin, sizable bust, leather cuirass and pants, pointed ears, metal tube with magically spring loaded blades, often lets her hair hang to cover her ears

KATAMARI ROLLER

Kemna- female, slim body, enormous and amazingly firm breasts, aristocratic features, short carmine red hair framing her matching eyes, white skin, thigh high heeled black boots, flimsy black thong, dress- black leather one-piece held around her neck by a string knot, with a V-shaped neckline that ended under her flat stomach, shoulders and back bare, most of abdomen and breasts bare, belly button exposed, skirt slit on each side that ended high enough to show flashes of thong, black velvet cloak with carmine lace around the neck

FREAK

Luther- male, medium height, the muscles of a soldier, multiple scars, missing tip of one right pointer finger, shoulder length brown hair, simple tunic over leather pants, hard boiled leather cuirass, leather greaves and arm braces, leather boots and a metal pot hat with a nose guard. A thick leather collar around his neck, when going into combat and leather gloves with steel plates along their backs.

Mika- male, tall, enourmous muscles, bald head, small black beard and thick eyebrows, black leather apron, twin hammers, dusky skin, bare upper body but wearing a knee length leather apron, brown leather pants and work boots, black knit hat and thick black overcoat when needed

NPCs (open for use)

Meg- female, barkeep, middle aged, over weight, enourmous breasts, curly brown hair with a bit of gray, cute round face

Rebecca- pale skin and pale blond hair, bruised and tattered, hollow cheeks, underfed, small breasts (killed her own husband and blamed the murder on the monsters)

Red Pete- headman, 70s, shaggy gray hair and big beard (both once red), very thin, heavy brown and tiny dark eyes

Bar Maid #1- Bridget- red hair, green eyes, heart shaped face, pink lips, small but lovely breasts, apron over a typical pub wench dress

Bar Maid #2- Mara- undetermined

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Know Facts About The Setting- More will be added as they come up in the story, or as I feel the need to add them.

- We are in the Domain of Duke Norstrum. He rules one of the five Duchal domains of Serpa. It is an very nation holding all of the South Eastern section of a large continent.
- The Duke's colors are white and blue.
- The Duke has a standing army which wears his colors.
- Mercenaries and mercenary bands are legal.
- Dead Dog is at the Northern border of the Duke's Domain and is only ten miles from the border. At that border is a large military keep.
- The town has about twenty stone and thatched buildings and is being attacked by monsters from a local forest.
- The town sits in a valley between two small mountains.
- The Dead Dog Inn is very large for such a small town, and has six magically heated tubs. This is probably because it sits on a reasonably busy trade route.

I usually just go along with the flow of things, but if you have any specific questions that I should answer, please let me know.

No worries . If we ever get a third player, this thread will be needed. Otherwise, it is a place for me to collect facts, so that I don't write "white wings" when they are "shining wings". I am on lunch, but I will post tonight, or some time tomorrow.

I´m thinking about joining, but I can´t quite think of a good character. You guys keep going on, I´ll come up with something eventually, I hope.

I'm definitely thinking about throwing my hat in the ring as well. Perhaps a wizard of some sort?

Is there a preference for magic systems? Or am i free to make it up as i go? I would be drawing heavily from my D&D tomes for this. Old-school AD&D? Or the most recent publication from Wizards of the Coast?

st_fornicate said:

I'm definitely thinking about throwing my hat in the ring as well. Perhaps a wizard of some sort?

Is there a preference for magic systems? Or am i free to make it up as i go? I would be drawing heavily from my D&D tomes for this. Old-school AD&D? Or the most recent publication from Wizards of the Coast?

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My completely unofficial answer to this is: Don't care, don't go over powered. I snagged some stuff from 3.5 era D&D because that is what I am most familiar/comfortable with. For my personal preference (and Freak is welcome to tell me I'm wrong) but I would like characters who are deeply written as people first, stats and systems second. Or third.

For me that would mean a wizard character should be spending time in game with their books or finding components, the background detail stuff that gets lost in a lot of tabletop situations.

I did end up putting together a character sheet just to keep track of a couple of complexities for my own comfort with Vine. I don't expect anyone else to care about the mechanics of my character, and I pretty much don't care about the mechanics of anyone else's. You are free to care about (or not) the mechanics of your own character. As long as your character is internally consistant and has reasons for being wh they are, I will be a happy camper.

My biggest concern is writing up a wizard that is too powerful for the setting. And no, I'm not worried about stats either, as I doubt there will be any dice getting tossed around here (although that could be arranged...)

I suppose the question is more a matter of taste in magical system: fire-and-forget Vancian stuff, where the wizard must prepare his few known spells at the beginning of every day in a neverending cycle of study, or D&D 4E's unlimited "At-Will" magic missiles, or something somewhere in between.

SideShowFreak said:

No worries . If we ever get a third player, this thread will be needed. Otherwise, it is a place for me to collect facts, so that I don't write "white wings" when they are "shining wings". I am on lunch, but I will post tonight, or some time tomorrow.

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Well, they are white too, to be honest.

So I was right! I may put an advert up on some yahoogroups forums. Anyway, I may get a chance to post later tonight.

I put up advertisements on yahoo groups now. Hopefully we can pick up a few more for the group.

Katamari and Saint Fornicate, I apologize! I somehow missed that ya'll posted here, when I sent those posts this morning. I would not knowingly ignore you.

No worries. Do you have suggestions about the type of magic system you would like to see?

I'm also contemplating a druid character. Everytime I look thru any of my players handbooks i come up with something else tho.

Saint Fornicate, firstly, I have another potential magic user, but it would probably be a warrior mage type. I am going to spell out magic a bit, for everyone's benefit. This is a phone post, so forgive my mistakes.

I HATE the old school D&D magic system. I always felt it was unrealistic and arbitrary. Forgetting spells? Really? Magic comesfrom two sources. One is the magic within. Some folk have elemental abilities so that they can manipulate their own magic nature and manifest it in the world. This would be a "mana" system like in Diablo the computer game. Magic is something that you are born capable of, like a Jedi. You have it, or you do not. You may make magical gestures to wow the crowd, but your strength of will does the magic. These kinds of magic manipulate reality. Necromancers would be this, as well as sorcerers who can shoot fire. You would not be able to produce ANY effect (like Green Lantern), but would have a natural area, such as psionics, the manipulation of one or more elements, shape shifting abilities which you might be able for force on to others, the ability to manipulate your own body to do impossible things (think Chi energy with Street Fighter energy projection) or what ever else you want to call it.

Magic can come from without. Priests, witches and the like use this. They call upon higher powers for help, or call upon nature spirits demons or what ever else is out there. They can have ready items which a higher power has blessed with abilities, or they can be owed favors which they call in to summon a demon to fight for them. These folk may have no internal magic, but be intelligent, educated lawyers, manipulating the legal laws of the universe for their benefit.

Magic without could also be an alchemist who understands the magiclal properties of minerals and plants and produces compounds which can be used as potions, powders and the like. Gun powder is such an example. Witches also may use this.

The power issue has come up with another interested party. Do worry about it. We will tailor the powers of the monsters to what our characters can do. Mostly, I do not want people in "God Mode", walking through the world, taking out every obstacle with a mystical shotgun. Just do not make it a cake walk.

It is up to you though.

There are faries, Tolkien style elves, dwarves, gnomes and halflings. These are the races that you could spot in any cosmopolitan ocean port, but not in smaller towns. Fairies have the ability to take on a human form of four feet tall without the ability to fly, or to shrink to six inches and fly. There are other races, such as mermaids and sprites, but they avoid human contact, mosly. Faries are very rare in human cities, and many hide their communities, but some have started to live amongst the humans.

I hope this helps a bit. Tell me if it does not. (Oh, there are not Drows, that humans are aware of, but.....)

I am going to hold off posting until people have a chance to filter in if they wish to., but tomorrow night I will start up again. If I do post, it won't be someone in the back room.

Katamara- healing nun, gypsy fortune teller/witch, priest or priestess, gnome inventor with lots of cool gadgets (loved that little guy in Baldur's Gate 2), some sort of hunter/archer, bard (every party needs one to keep spirits up and provide needed meat if they end up having to become cannibals to keep from starving), some sort of succubus or half demon who hides amongst the humans, a "camp follower" who cooks and provides other "services", an acrobat who fights with nothing but their wits and their bare limbs (that would go well no doubt), a psychic, a firestarter who can throw fire from their body and somewhat control existing fires, a bound slave of a noble lord or lady on a quest to fight evil and become famous (I can provide the self righteous, dull witted, prick). A monkey man hybrid? A wooden doll of some stature, enchanted by some crazy ass fairy to be able to walk, to talk and to dance, but who has absolutely no moral compass? An occult expert, who wants to "save" the "poor misunderstood indiginous peoples"?

I hope that helps. (The doll was a joke, but I suppose a self aware golum is possible, in a fantasy world. How about a gargoyle, like in the Disney cartoon. Who can control when they become a stone statue? Maybe they have a stone fighting form. A hobbit belly dancer?

I´m thinking a mix of a monk and a cleric.

Basically, someone who has strength and speed augmented thanks to divine guidance. Maybe she can also use some kind of protection and healing spells, but those would probably be restricted to her own use. Things like "stone skin" (skin hardened enough to bounce slashing knives and short swords for a very short period of time) and basic healing (enough to heal herself from cuts and bruises, but not powerful enough for stabs, at least at first and assuming no "levelling up" takes place).

There are no levels. It is free form. You can upgrade your abilities, in character, when the time is right. Free form means each person is like a GM for their character. You decide if they hit or miss. It is not about always hitting, but about playing the character realistically and having fun. I have played a few really useless characters (think Joxer the Mighty) in free form and had fun. As the Dungeon Master, I am responsible for have a story arch, presenting challenges, and striking you with lightening if you anger the gods, or telling you that the Ring of Eternal Life, Indestructable Physical Being and Unresistable Fuckability , turns out to be a Cracker Jack gag gift which really just solves a code telling you to eat more Cracker Jacks.

SideShowFreak said:

the Ring of Eternal Life, Indestructable Physical Being and Unresistable Fuckability , turns out to be a Cracker Jack gag gift which really just solves a code telling you to eat more Cracker Jacks.

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Curse you!

*chucks ring in the trash*

SideShowFreak said:

It is not about always hitting, but about playing the character realistically and having fun. I have played a few really useless characters (think Joxer the Mighty)

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Oh God Xena... I loved that series.

Also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gIGk9PATvs

Yes, Xena. Every man and woman wanted to be her, being with Gabriella... (or was that just my big, bald, bearded white boy fantasy... note to self... don't verbalize internal monologue)

She beat Hercules five ways to Sunday.

I might allow a Ring of Beer Goggles which makes the ugliest of trolls seem somewhat cute to anyone who has had at least one drink, with the added ability to heal paper cuts and prevent Lyme disease.

SideShowFreak said:

I might allow a Ring of Beer Goggles which makes the ugliest of trolls seem somewhat cute to anyone who has had at least one drink, with the added ability to heal paper cuts and prevent Lyme disease.

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Preventing Lyme disease is nothing to sneeze at, that stuff really sucks.

I know. If you get a dog a lyme vaccination and use frontline, they can still get lyme disease. It is one reason I won't take my little ones into the woods or fields that are not well tended.

By little ones, I mean my kids, not my dogs. I do have two dogs though. The total number of pet is, I think, currently ten? Does the snail count? I know that the frog and the two fish ignore him. WAIT, I forgot the annoying Beta in the bathroom. 11, pretty sure.

Anyway, I am off to bed. I will check back tomorrow night and start posting. Hopefully that gives people a chance to jump in. We have been moving very fast in the past few days, so it is O.K. to slow down and let people on the train.

O.k., so I jumped ahead and just put up a post. I did have a previous PM conversation with our dear DM. Then it struck me that maybe I should also drop in here and say hi, so that is what I am doing now:

Hi!

P.S: Just read the whole thread and noticed that it might seem that I stole Katamari's character concept and twisted it around a bit, but let me tell you that is not true, it is a sole invention of my own unoriginal mind.

P.P.S: Also noticed that the part about the Elves that I made up in my post might contradict Freak's vision. If so I will have to edit.

Thank you for joining Cherubian. Your post was very entertaining. I hope to get another guy in the group to even things out, but I am happy to have a group now. When I get home, I will add you to the player character list.

I am on lunch and would post, but my cocker spaniel is at work with me today and trying to eat my popcorn. It will have to wait until tonight.

I never made it clear before, but all NPCs are free to use in your posts and you can even POV them if you feel a need to. I also don't mind small assumptions being made about my PCs actions, because it keeps things flowing. If anyone ever wants a protected NPC, just let us know.

Back to guarding my lunch. She is eyeing my peanut butter and jelly sandwhich.....