Looking for a 5e campaign that starts at Level NINE or TEN

[Vos]

Cause I really want to reach those Level 14 benefits.
I want to play a sorcerer (Draconic or Favored Soul) just so I can get WINGS! I don't want a one shot, but a campaign that goes to 15 or 16. I have never ever played to those levels.

Any DMs up to this? Probably not, but this is the forum to ask.

I'm hoping to tempt you with something different

[dearestleader]

I don't want a one shot, but a campaign that goes to 15 or 16. I have never ever played to those levels.

Any DMs up to this? Probably not, but this is the forum to ask.

I'm hoping to tempt you with something different

Hello, I just signed up for Fantasy Grounds and saw your post. I've been playing and DMing D&D since 1E and have been looking to get back in to DMing. I have a set of 1E adventures that were designed for levels 15-100 and can easily be a campaign that will keep you and others busy for a while. I've modified the content so the monster stats are 5E and I've moved the time frame up to 1490's DR in the Forgotten Realms so it is current with 5E history of the realms. You would definitely be starting at no less than level 10 after doing the level conversion between editions. For background TSR created this series to showcase play at near epic levels and to introduce leadership/rulership as part of game play. As you rise in level you will be commanding armies of mercenaries (or subjects) and running an economy in addition to going out on epic adventures against high level enemies.

If you're interested in the concept please reply. I'll do a crash course in the Fantasy Grounds platform and also try to recruit more players. 4-6 would be ideal but I'm used to juggling lots of henchmen if we have less than that.

[lyrian]

I would be interested in something like this.
I've played 5e for a few years, but never seemed to be able to get past level 10 as of yet.
I just joined fantasy grounds to see what is available, so I don't have any activity here, but you can see I'm active on roll20: https://app.roll20.net/users/397078/lyrian
I'm definitely interest in the 1e concept since I've never played modules from that before!
Let me know what you guys decide, and possible timing.

[dearestleader]

Thanks for the reply Lyrian. I'll reach out to everyone who responds on this thread personally before making a LFG post once I have everything settled. From the tutorial videos I've seen it doesn't appear to be that complex to use. I've scanned and converted all of the paper modules to Word and made slight story tweaks there. From a FG perspective it looks like all I need to do is just create some encounters and get proficient with running those rather than spend a lot of time on the whole system.

[lyrian]

Awesome. I'm personally more fan of "Theater of the Mind", so I usually prefer these platforms to more facilitate battles if anything.

I often find DMs get stuck trying to move people around or use visual queues on the map for exploration and role play, and it never seems to work, and slows down the game in general.

If you're able to explain everything clearly then we are good to go honestly.
Plus I love to roll my own physical dice rather than in game, so I guess that's just what the DM will allow at that point!

[MithosRiot]

I would love to try something like this. Depending on play times. Count me in if there is room.

[Vos]

Hello, I just signed up for Fantasy Grounds and saw your post. I've been playing and DMing D&D since 1E and have been looking to get back in to DMing. I have a set of 1E adventures that were designed for levels 15-100 and can easily be a campaign that will keep you and others busy for a while. I've modified the content so the monster stats are 5E and I've moved the time frame up to 1490's DR in the Forgotten Realms so it is current with 5E history of the realms. You would definitely be starting at no less than level 10 after doing the level conversion between editions. For background TSR created this series to showcase play at near epic levels and to introduce leadership/rulership as part of game play. As you rise in level you will be commanding armies of mercenaries (or subjects) and running an economy in addition to going out on epic adventures against high level enemies.

If you're interested in the concept please reply. I'll do a crash course in the Fantasy Grounds platform and also try to recruit more players. 4-6 would be ideal but I'm used to juggling lots of henchmen if we have less than that.
YES. I would be very interested!

[dearestleader]

Awesome. I'm personally more fan of "Theater of the Mind", so I usually prefer these platforms to more facilitate battles if anything.

I often find DMs get stuck trying to move people around or use visual queues on the map for exploration and role play, and it never seems to work, and slows down the game in general.

If you're able to explain everything clearly then we are good to go honestly.
Plus I love to roll my own physical dice rather than in game, so I guess that's just what the DM will allow at that point!


Sounds like we're right on target with our styles. I never got into minatures. My DMs would describe a room and if we wanted to sketch it on graph paper and draw the battle ourselves we could, but there was never any time spent on setting up grids with little figures and running an encounter that way.

As for rolling your own dice there's a way to do it but it's a lot of hassle. The whole party logs into google hangouts or skype and takes an external webcam and focuses it only on their dice rolling mat.


Just some other notes on the campaign so you guys can read up a bit on some components of the series.

There is mass combat among armies. Since this was originally 1E it used the Battlesystem. That was never updated past 2E. Wizards republished it under the Unearthed Arcana in 2015 for people to see and use. I discovered they made an unofficial mass combat system for 5E so we might give that a try. To give you a preview one encounter will be with over 500 orc infantry and whatever army or mercenaries you gather. I don't intend to (unless the party wants it) to setup a detailed visual and move icons around on a map. In the past I've abbreviated it as the enemy sends in 2 squads of 100 goblins each and holds the rest of its force in reserve. Do you send your infantry or Calvary or let them draw closer?

https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/UA_Battlesystem.pdf
https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/2017_UAMassCombat_MCUA_v1.pdf
Since there are a lot of conversions from 1E things may be under or over powered or be just weird. But that's part of the fun of the game.

Most of the campaign will be storytelling and interacting with NPCs and the "between adventures" or downtime is also an important part of developing relationships with NPCs and future patrons. A example would be working with the mayor and captain of the watch to build new fortifications such as trenches, cheval de frise, or walls to improve the towns defenses. The party would suggest where to place the defenses and then participate by directing your mercenaries to dig trenches or switch your spell casters over to utility spells such as move earth and wall of stone. If you play a spell caster there will be plenty of opportunities to use utility spells outside of combat. You'll need to strike a balance with your spell books and prepared spells depending on whether you're urban adventuring in a safe city, one at the edge of bandit territory, or off in the wilderness.

There will also be the traditional dungeon crawl. Not every situation or boss lair is a army siege scenario. Your mercenary army may accompany you up to a point and hold the perimeter to keep reinforcements from getting into the hide out while you sneak in and deal with the boss or the mission may require so much stealth your army can't accompany you.

All of this is part of the 4 modules we would be using which is why I really love the series. There's a little bit of everything for all types of players and lots of interaction with the local nobility which could lead to lordship with land grants (for you to build a warrior academy or wizard tower) or perhaps even knighthood or even duke or duchess if you help or eliminate the right political players.

I'll set a goal of trying to have something going in the next two weeks. As mentioned before everyone on this thread gets first dibs at joining the table.

[umanami]

What day and time are you thinking?

[dearestleader]

I'm open to most any day/time right now. My work schedule is very flexible, though I have a few trips upcoming to work around for the game. I'm located on US East Cost (UTC-4). I've got another game I'm tentatively joining as a player on Aug 10 at 1700 local time. What does everyone else's availability look like?

[Chocolate Byte]

Hey I'd also like to join this adventure! I'll update this post with my availability soon.


Availability in EST
- Bi-weekly Sunday starting July 27th: before 7
- Tuesday, Wednesday: After 7
- Saturday: All

Played since AD&D and have played and DMd 5e extensively, some of it on FG.

[lyrian]

I like Tuesday nights EST

[Vos]

Friday, Saturday or Sunday!
I work four 10 hour days Monday through Thursday.

[MithosRiot]

Tues, wed, or thur are the days I am available.

[lyrian]

I guess it would mostly be up to the schedule of the DM

[Vos]

If I am in I would like to claim sorcerer. (I want those dragon wings)

[Chocolate Byte]

I'd like to play a wizard, but with a strong focus on utility and combat control. I'll have fun playing almost any style, so I'll focus on picking spells that don't conflict with Vos' style.

[Vos]

I'd like to play a wizard, but with a strong focus on utility and combat control. I'll have fun playing almost any style, so I'll focus on picking spells that don't conflict with Vos' style.
I tend to go Blaster/support. and I love to Twinspell-Haste fighter types and monks.

[dearestleader]

All right everyone. In talking privately with a few people it looks like weekends are going to be the best. Saturday 9:30pm ET on 8/17 is when the first session will tentatively be held.

[Vos]

All right everyone. In talking privately with a few people it looks like weekends are going to be the best. Saturday 9:30pm ET on 8/17 is when the first session will tentatively be held.
I will be there! Thanks!

[dearestleader]

And now that we are ready to go here is a DRAFT intro and hook for the campaign. I hope you are as excited as I am.

28167

Roleplay & Combat mix: 75% interacting with NPCs and recruiting. 25% combat.
Number of Players in game & needed: 4-8 players. More NPCs will need to be recruited to party if not enough players
Character starting level & equipment: Must be at least level 10. Bring existing character or start a new one at level 10.
Character restrictions: None prohibited.

About the DM: I’m new to VTT systems and FG. I have been playing 1E AD&D since 1986 and DMed my first campaign in 1989. This will be my first run with 5E and I will be bringing previous experience with 1E-3.5E. I started with Greyhawk, moved to Dragonlance, and finally settled on Forgotten Realms as my specialty due to the rich selection of campaign guides. At one point I was working on a few FR based fiction stories and had done extensive research into the geopolitics of Faerun and will bring that to the campaign. Most of my campaigns involve political intrigue among rulers in addition to the traditional dungeon crawl.

Details of your scenario:
This is a conversion from 1E to 5E of a classic Forgotten Realms high level adventure series of four modules originally designed for levels 15-100. This was originally made by TSR to showcase high level adventures. It also introduces leadership/rulership of a land, building a stronghold, and raising an army. In traditional D&D adventures characters are considered “retired” when they take on the challenge of rulership or build a wizards tower. This is one of the few if not the only adventure series published that continues the adventures after becoming Lord or Lady of the land. Indeed, the publishers at TSR felt that there is so much more that high level characters can do and this series is meant to explore that. In this campaign we will explore working your way up the ladder of nobility to the level you are comfortable.

This is not a verbatim conversion. The story has been moved over 150 years into the future to match “today” in the Forgotten Realms. We will also be adding in several unrelated modules that have similar NPC hooks as side quests in addition to the main campaign. We do not have to play a module from front to back and I will do my best to make sure side quests feel like part of the campaign.

The adventure is set in late century 1400’s DR in the eastern Forgotten Realms approximately 2000 miles east of Neverwinter in The Bloodstone Lands aka The Cold Lands aka The Demon Lands aka the fractured kingdom of Damara. Damara is famous for the Bloodstone. A beautiful blood red and green chalcedony that is found in great quantities in its mines. The northeastern realms are a frontier land that has not been fully tamed by civilization. A powerful lich named Zhengyi had joined forces with the Cult of Orcus and a group of bandits, orcs, and goblins to take over Damara launching a full military assault against the kingdom in 1348 DR. In 1357 DR King Virdin was defeated by lich’s army. The kingdom collapsed into duchies and baronies fighting among themselves and against the lich’s army. In 1359 DR a group of powerful adventurers had defeated Zhengyi and the Cult of Orcus. They had also traveled through a portal in his lair to the Abyss and stolen the Wand of Orcus, later destroying it by traveling to the 9 Hells, defeating Tiamat, and bathing it in the blood of her heart. The destroyed wand produced a gem that according to the Platinum Dragon, Bahamut, was said to protect the kingdom of Damara from Demons for 100 years as long as the rulers did not let evil corrupt their hearts. Bahamut’s blessing unfortunately did not protect the kingdom from evil dragons who were intent on avenging the attack on their queen. In 1459 DR the last of the Dragonsbane dynasty was wiped out and Lord Yarin Frostmantle took the throne. It is an open secret in Damara that he had a hand in the death of the previous king. Frostmantle is stronger and wealthier than any other nobles in Damara. He rules with an iron fist and crushes those who dare to question his legitimacy.

Today in 1495 DR Under King Frostmantle the dragon attacks have continued and the blessing of Bahamut has expired leading to the return of the Cult of Orcus and additional demonic cults who are competing for the mineral wealth in the area. Rumors speak of the Cult of Demogorgon establishing territory. Drow agents have been seen at night indicating the possibility that Loth and her followers are also competing against other demon lords.

In the surrounding kingdoms it does not look much better. Demons once again stalk the lands near the forest of Dunwood. The Warlock Knights in the neighboring kingdom of Vassa to the west threaten to repeat the same war launched by the lich over 100 years ago. The feral barbarian tribes of the land of Narfell to the east stage bolder raids on Damara every day. The Kingdom of Impiltur to the south since the death of King Imbrar has been in decline. It is presently run by the Grand Council of Lords from each of the remaining cities. Impiltur has been overrun by the Fraternity of Tharos, a fanatical cult of demon-worshipers. Demons freely menace the Great Dale and have spread into Narfell, clashing with the Barbarians.

[Vos]

Looks great!
Starting stats. are they standard array? equipment, magic items?

[dearestleader]

Additional info. Couldn't fit it all in the last post due to character limits. If you have a favorite character that you are in character with by all means bring them.

Character Creation
Bring an existing character
Or
Start at Level 1 with 27 point buy in.
Increase your XP to 64,000 to be at level 10
Update your character’s ability scores, feats, skills, etc. to be current with level 10. You may also multi-class a 5/5 or other combination.

Start with 19,329GP and buy your equipment at 1x PHB/DMG prices. No weapons or armor over +1 or equivalent magic items will be for sale at your local shop when you start out. This is a highly magic world and you'll be able to find shops on almost every street corner.


Materials in use by DM.
All WotC 5E official books
1E-4E PHB, DMG, MM, MM2, Fiend Folio (for additional spells and monsters)
All Forgotten Realms campaign guides and supplements 1E-5E (for history of the realms), specifically FR9 The Bloodstone Lands.
Manual of the Planes 1E-4E
Wizards UA published materials
https://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/World_Serpent.pdf
https://media.wizards.com/2017/dnd/downloads/2017_UAMassCombat_MCUA_v1.pdf
https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/UA_Battlesystem.pdf

House Rules
MECHANICS: 5E for most activities. 1E-4E materials for historical background of kingdoms and political factions. 1E-4E will also be used for spell research and crafting to expand on what is in 5E. To be clear this will not be pure 5E ruleset play.

USE OF VTT: VTT will primarily be used for facilitating individual combat. We do not plan to extensively use it for showing maps and placing tokens the board. “Theatre of the Mind” is the primary play style.

MAPS: To continue the VTT section above, this will be conducted old school in person table top. You will be expected to draw your own maps for any dungeons or other play areas. The DM may show a map via the VTT, but do not expect this to happen and don’t ask if you get lost in the Underdark.

THE PARTY: The party is expected to cooperate with each other and be relatively cooperative to patrons, quest givers, etc. within character. Be nice or be gone!

ALIGNMENT: All alignments are allowed. Cooperation is expected (see above). LG and LE characters can have the same goal (the enemy of my enemy is my friend) but different motivations. The alignment of most cities/kingdoms in the eastern realms are LN-NE for the rulers and civilian population. This isn’t scheming diabolical evil, but an outcome of a way of life. In frontier lands ordinary people will shank you and take your coin purse because that’s what people do if they can get away with it. Some magic items may only be wielded by specific alignments. Quest givers and NPCs may react differently depending on how you *roleplay* your alignment.

CHARACTER RACE, CLASS, SKILLS: Anything explicitly called out as 5E is allowed (elves, dwarves, humans, etc). Hypothetical or less discussed races such as Gnolls, etc. are up for discussion with the DM. Skills, spells, races, factions etc. from 1E-4E are up for discussion. DM will work with you to craft what you are looking for but you won’t be starting with earlier edition skills or spells. Consider them uncommon-rare. Half-Orc, Half-Drow, and other races will be allowed. Your choice of race will affect NPC reactions and this will vary by area you are travelling in. A Half-Orc may be common and accepted in some areas but draw looks or attacks in others. You pick and live with the rewards or consequences.

EPIC LEVELING: The level cap of 20 has been removed. Levels over 20 are 50k XP per level. 1E-3.5E materials, such as The Epic Level Handbook, may be incorporated into the campaign when the party reaches this point. This is to keep in line with the 1E theme of boss or King/Queen level NPCs having 40 character levels, such as multi-classed 20 Wizard/20 Cleric.

SPELLS: All 5E spells are allowed for their respective classes. 1E-4E spells from any official TSR/WotC supplement will also be available for purchase as scrolls or can be researched by spell casters. DM reserves the right to modify duration, material components etc. PCs may also research their own original spells with the proper expenditures of gold and time.

NPCs: The modules have the usual assortment of merchants and other NPCs. All NPCs are controlled by the DM (double fist your beer, not your character sheets). You will have the opportunity to take on apprentices, lovers, slaves, and more. Apprentices may adventure with you or you may send them off on safe side quests while you adventure. Non-combatant NPCs may also accompany you such as wagon drivers and laborers who will load your treasure onto the wagons (you won’t be carrying 10,000GP without a wagon due to volume and weight). Some bosses or patrons may also accompany you in either a combat or non-combat role. We will also copy a mechanic from the Neverwinter Nights video game. There will be henchmen of high level you can hire on to join your party. Equal XP split for these individuals and some treasure sharing. The amount will be dependent on your negotiation and persuasion (Charisma check) in recruiting them. This will be an important option if the PCs do not have a good mix of classes in their party. You will be responsible for all NPC wellbeing and cost for raising them from the dead if you involve them in the wrong encounter.

DEATH AND RESSURECTION: It is common for any wealthy person such as nobles, adventurers, and merchants to afford temple services for disease curing and reversing death. Peasants are not so fortunate. The party should treat high level henchmen to these services as if they are adventuring party members. If an urban battle doesn’t go well for the party, they should also consider raising civilian casualties to improve Charisma checks. Raising enemies to interrogate them is also allowed.

MASS COMBAT: UA Playtest 5E and 1E mass combat rules may be used. Mercenaries and royal soldiers will be part of your team in the hundreds or even thousands. The enemy will also be fielding hundreds infantry, archers, and cavalry. Be sure to reserve money to hire a mercenary army. A single encounter could have 500 orc infantrymen. The party will not prevail without mercenaries or asking nobles to send their forces to help which is not always guaranteed.

[Vos]

1) I will be doing the 27 point buy.
2) 5e doesn't list prices for magic items. Can I use 3.5 for magic prices?
3) Armor is restricted to +1. what about other items like a Wand of the war mage? am I restricted to a +1 wand or can I buy a +2 wand?

this link lists some 3.5 prices: https://olddungeonmaster.com/2012/06/22/magic-items-prices/

according to this site if I want Breastplate armor +1, it will be 1000 + 400 for the plate. Does that fit the tone of the game in this world?

[dearestleader]

Yep that works and is a great example of falling back to earlier editions for item pricing and resources!

[Vos]

Thanks!
I would like a ruling on this, please. a Wand of the War Mage. It adds +1 to hit with ranged spells, and ignores half cover.
it has no corresponding wand in 3.5.

My gestimate is 2500 for +1 and 5000 for +2

[dearestleader]

Let's go with 2500gp for the +1 to start.

[robomagon]

I've never really gotten that high either. I'd be pretty interested if it happens to land on a Sunday or Monday night.

EDIT: Whoops. Guess I didn't notice the extra pages of this post. Looks like you're full up.

[dearestleader]

Not full up, but Saturday looks like the day of choice.

[robomagon]

Damn. Saturdays are taken for me. I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding someone for a campaign like this though. Enjoy yourselves.

[Vos]

Quentin Faraday 2 Hexblade, 8th Level Sorcerer

Quentin was born a captive in Thay. His slave name was Task. Before he was sold, his mother whispered a secret to him: She dreamt that he would be free, and she did not want him to use his slave name. She gave him a new name, Quentin. If he kept that name a secret from his masters, it would protect him when he was free.

At the age of six, young Task was gifted to another child, Thak’tell, son of a high ranking Thayvian mage. When Thak’tell was bad, Task would be beaten in his stead. Thak’tell soon took great advantage of this. Task would attend his young master even at school, learning to read and write, and even basic Arcana as a result.

The years passed and Task began to express sudden bursts of magic. Horrified, he managed to keep it a secret (Thay kills sorcerers). But alas, one such burst happened in front of Thak’tell. Task killed him and ran for his life.

Task left with nothing. As a slave he would steal food from his master’s house, and those skills kept him alive. He never saw a map and simply headed north. He followed roads only from a distance, and camped as far away as he could.

Task was in a forest, full of dark shadows, and heavy undergrowth. Chills ran down his back. Gnoll mercenaries had caught his trail!
He ran for seemingly forever, the gnolls showed no signs of tiring. Task stumbled into a graveyard (Here in the wilderness?)– a misty maze of ancient tombstones. Aside from the thundering beat of his heart, the world was silent as if it held its breath.

With no other choice, he bolted across as quickly as he could, falling directly into a freshly dug grave. Frantically he tried to climb out. If the gnolls found him, it would be like spearing fish in a barrel. The wet soil prevented him from getting a solid hold. Vandal sunk to the ground realizing he would die. But nothing happened

He watched from the pit as the sun passed over, then the moon, then the sun again. He noticed, because there was nothing else to do, that the entire day and night, not a single sound could be heard – no birds, deer, owls – nothing.

Believing he was safe, Task tried to climb again, this time as he tried to stand, his hand touched something that sent a spark of energy through his body. Looking down, the hilt of a blade protruded from the mud. He pulled it out – and for a brief moment – had a vision of a pale being, bathed in blood, slaying armored men.

Task tried to drop it – but something refused to let him go. The jet-black sword seemed to have a crackling energy about it. “Take me,” he heard the voice in his head as the blade shimmered, “and you will never be afraid again. Kill for me, let me drink the blood of those who stand against you.” The voice was soothing and calming, despite the tone of the message. “Take me up, and I will make YOU a devastating weapon!”

Task gripped the weapon, and it melded into his arm, leaving only the tattoo of a black sword.

Feeling a surge of power, he leapt from the grave. Fearlessly, Task entered the forest. Purple energies erupted from his hands. Four howling gnolls quenched the blades thirst. There was no blood left in them, not a drop, just a look of horror.

Task stepped onto the path. He felt like a man for the first time. He wasn’t a slave; he was a weapon. He liked that. His name was Quentin. He would live free.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Pact: Quentin made a deal with Bloodthirst, a weapon designed to strengthen Strahd Von Zarovitch and his realm. With every death (he need not cast the killing blow), blood and energy flow into the land of Barovia. Not a drop of blood will even stain the clothing of his victims. BUT. Anyone struck by either ray, spell, or sword will die with a look of horror.

Quentin is not required to commit murder. An adventurer’s life provides all the blood to suffice. Vandal is not aware he ultimately serves Strahd, just a nameless sword. Strahd is aware of the energy he receives but not who wields it (indeed there are several feeding Barovia this way). Bloodthirst is simply fulfilling its purpose: to feed Strahd. Finally, Strahd cannot issue orders through the sword. Vandal is under no compulsion to obey Strahd, even if they should meet. The undead and all those who wield divine magic can be killed but do not feed Strahd.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quentin escaped Thay, where is considered a criminal with a price on his head. Thak’tell was raised and completed his training. He is now a Red Wizard, a proud member of Szass Tam's Imperialist Faction.

The Witches of Rashaman taught him magic and he headed further north to get as far away as he could from Red Wizards. Quentin settled in Damara and is known as a successful adventurer there. He considers it very cold and is looking for a ring of warmth. He believes his free name has protected him, but has grown a trim beard just to be safe. He keeps his past life as a slave a secret, thinking people would look down on an escaped slave. His back still bears the scars of the lash.
He has never met a bounty hunter, but expects it is only a matter of time.

[Vos]

Initial Magic item buy for Quentin (subject to approval)
+1 Breastplate 1400 (no negatives to stealth!!!)
+1 shield 1100
+1 Ring of protection 2000
+1 Rapier 2500
Type 1 Bag of holding 2500
+1 wand of the warmage 2500
Wand of detect magic 2500
Brooch of shielding +1500
Boots of the Winterlands 2500 (Thay is far to the south. Damara is a LOT colder)
total cost: 18,500 (the rest will be potions)

Stats with bonuses and level increases (Var Human -Starting 27 stat buy)
STR 10
DEX 14
CON 16
INT 08
WIS 08
CHA 20

Feat: Elemental Adept (fire) ignores all fire resistance
Dragon Blood Sorcerer (Red Dragon)
Background: Criminal (he is a wanted man in Thay)

[dearestleader]

Good call on the Boots of the Winterlands. Some of the NPCs are from Dambrath which is farther south than Thay and they spend lots of time and resources on staying warm. They also get very grumpy if they get cold. One note though. Are you planning on taking on 500 level 1 orc infantry at one time with no rest in between waves with that build? Don't forget about the goblin cavalry or the stone giant heavy infantry accompanying them. :) I was going to save it for the roleplay session to reveal, but here it is now. List pricing for average mercenaries are generally as follows. A unit of 100 1st level fighters armed with longswords or spears, chainmail, and a shield costs 3,000 gp. A unit of 100 1st level fighter light cavalry armed with lances, chainmail, and a shield costs 7,000 gp. The party will still need to go recruiting once the game starts so if you want mercenaries you'll be talking to Captains of various guilds and bargaining for a deal. Zhentarim Mercs are higher quality and cost more but are usually more disciplined on the battlefield and are less likely to break ranks if things go bad.

[dearestleader]

I like the Thayan origin story. That will definitely go well with some NPC hooks. For more character background think about where Thak’tell was at the time before his death and raising. Is he part of Szass Tam's Imperialist Faction (the military expansionist group) or is he part of the Researcher Faction (the isolationists who want to study magic and hate politics) or is he with the Thayan Resistance (the exiled Red Wizards who fight against Szass Tam)?

[Vos]

I like the Thayan origin story. That will definitely go well with some NPC hooks. For more character background think about where Thak’tell was at the time before his death and raising. Is he part of Szass Tam's Imperialist Faction (the military expansionist group)?
Yes! Thak'tell is a classic Imperialist Red Wizard. Bald, twisted and EEEEEEVIL!

I edited my background to add this little tidbit.

[Vos]

One note though. Are you planning on taking on 500 level 1 orc infantry at one time with no rest in between waves with that build?
I'm just taking a two level dip as a warlock/hexblade. The main focus is on Sorcery...Quentin cannot deny the Red dragon Blood coursing through him.

That said, Cantrips are forever. Quentin is a souped up archer with endless arrows.
If both eldritch blasts hit, they do 2D10 +10. Firebolt does 2D10 +5. if I spend a sorcery point on quickened spell, I could double that.

I wonder if there are enough Level One warlocks to make a military company. Give them a form of Protection from Arrows, high ground, and let them wreck havoc. ya know, these guys would be a scary replacement for horse archers...

[dearestleader]

Good points on the Cantrips. Most of the parties I've DMed for in the past are light on spellcasters and are usually some Barbarian, Paladin, Ranger group mashup so they go heavy of mercenaries since even 5 characters at level 15 couldn't last long in melee against 1000-2000 opponents. Some of the other party members may go heavy with mercenaries and leather armor and club basic on their own equipment just to have a larger army so if you're comfortable with being the heavy hitter and not using infantry that's cool. The strategic part of the campaign is gearing up the Party and the NPCs in a manner that's suitable for defending a city against humanoid invasion from the mountains and also sending in a Punitive Force to wipe out the entire orc tribe. If you're always playing defense and never wipe out the tribe they reproduce like crazy and come back in a few months or years. Then of course you need mercenaries to patrol the newly cleared territory while you're off doing the Party adventure, otherwise some ogres might move in and setup shop. That would be a pity if that were to happen. ;)

[Vos]

I want infantry. But infantry backed by ranged attacks is very effective.

[Chocolate Byte]

Hey just posting that I am still interested and will make a wizard character still. I'll post my character within a week.

[dearestleader]

Hey just posting that I am still interested and will make a wizard character still. I'll post my character within a week.

Great! Would be glad to have you on board. I haven't put it on the FG calendar and made a post yet to recruit more players. Everyone on this thread has first dibs so if we get 4-8 people here then I won't do a general recruiting call.

[Vos]

Wait a minute. I just figured it out! we'll each have a 100 men under our command. One company each. am I right?
I have never played actual war games. I am more excited for this!

[dearestleader]

Wait a minute. I just figured it out! we'll each have a 100 men under our command. One company each. am I right?
I have never played actual war games. I am more excited for this!

Oh yeah! This is one of the lesser known components of 1E and 2E that never really caught on unless you were a miniatures player. In essence one miniature would be a squad, company, or whatever term you want to use. Oversimplification coming: Each unit would be 10 NPCs and could be combined into larger units. 10 1st level fighters with longswords would do 10d8 damage to an opposing unit, reducing the number standing opponents. So lets say you do 40 damage against a group of 10 orcs with 10hp each. 4 of them go down so their attack would only be 6d8 with longswords. Spears have reach advantage (free attack when they move adjacent to your unit) but only do 1d6, but longswords do 1d8 and have no reach advantage. Cavalry and Archers also thrown into the mix make it even more challenging and complex! Cavalry can move faster than foot soldiers so if an enemy unit is isolated from the rest of their line or they decide to flee, your horsemen can mow them down! Archers have range and could soften up the 2nd line enemy troops while both front lines duke it out. Decisions! Decisions! You can also build makeshift fortifications or dig pits to catch the opposing cavalry etc. You'll have to use tactics!

The number of units you command is basically limited to how much money you have to hire mercenaries or if a local noble entrusts you to lead his troops you would be their General. Each company would need a commander to keep it organized, but other than that knock yourself out! For the big military battles the Party would get XP for commanding troops in successful maneuvers and if they cause the enemy to retreat or simply decimate them you get XP without even having to lift your sword or magic wand. Of course you can always jump in and be one row behind the front line of troops if you want.

Keep in mind for some of the generic dungeon crawls we will be doing realistic aftermath. If you leave dead bodies lying around before clearing the place and those are discovered the alarm will get sounded. If you wipe out a dungeon it's going to fill back up with more monsters eventually, unless you leave a garrison of troops behind to guard the entrance and patrol the interior. Which is fine if you want to play a MMO "farming" type campaign. I can always fill it with more orcs or goblins! But why build a stronghold when you can just take someone else's? Well, with the permission of the Lord or Lady of the land, of course!

Sending a group of dwarven NPCs off to survey for a mining site? If that's too low key for the PCs, you could send 50-100 troops to guard the expedition. Suffice it to say you'll be building your own private army who will be off doing quests of their own when you're not in a war scenario. It's a matter of deciding how many troops you want to hire vs. how many magic items you want to buy for your character at the Thayan trading post in town. Decisions! Decisions! You'll be burning through 3000gp multiple times at a fast clip once the campaign gets rolling!

[dearestleader]

Calendar link is up https://www.fantasygrounds.com/calendar/?id=3565

[dearestleader]

Some have posted their character concept and started working on their character sheet. For those who haven't and who want to get in on the game here is some biographical background that will help us out in getting started.

Player Application
Copy and Paste this into a reply to the thread. DM will PM you for additional discussion if selected.
New Players are welcome. Having leveled up to 10 in your playing career is not a requirement.


About the Player
Your Name:
What you like to be called:
You Discord UserID:
Experience with 5E D&D as Player and/or DM:
Experience with 1E-4E AD&D as Player and/or DM:
Experience with VTT/FG:
How familiar are you with The Forgotten Realms as a whole?

About the Character
Character Name:
Character Race:
Character Class:
Nation/City-State of origin:
Background/History:
Has your character completed any official 5E WotC adventures as part of their story? If so which ones?

[Vos]

I will have this completed by early tomorrow morning. Just got in from a trip.

[Vos]

About the Player
Your Name: (Vos) Steve Marsh
What you like to be called:Vos or character name is fine
You Discord UserID: Cyclops #8844
Experience with 5E D&D as Player and/or DM:
Experience with 1E-4E AD&D as Player and/or DM:
Experience with VTT/FG: Very Little. I played till 5th with one character but I have NO idea how to make an area of effect like drawing a fireball or setting a web spell
How familiar are you with The Forgotten Realms as a whole? Very!I grew up with it. I used to own a lot of Realmsian lore products but lost them all during a 10 year hiatus from the game.

About the Character
Character Name: Quentin Faraday
Character Race: Var Human
Character Class:Hexblade 2, Sorcerer 8
Nation/City-State of origin: Thay
Background/History: Criminal
Has your character completed any official 5E WotC adventures as part of their story? If so which ones?