[Mordae]

This advertisement is for a replacement character to join a party already in progress. Applicants may either take over the extant character (Daera Fairchild, Divine Sorcerer) or create a new character to join the other four.

This is a 3.5e partial Gestalt game. Specifically, non-casting characters are Gestalt, while casting characters are not. Please read the rules carefully.

Overlooking Eisenberg

The clear blue sky stands out against the stark grey slate of the mountainside, while a chill wind blows down the rocky face to remind the villagers that winter's grip is not quite ended. On a gravelly promontory overlooking the rustic, half-timbered buildings of Eisenberg, a handful of boys have gathered for a bit of fun on a late afternoon, now that the work of the day is done. Armed with axes, hammers, knives, or makeshift clubs, and clad in heavy clothes or working leathers, the lads have come to play out the fantastic tales of their childhood with a real adventure into the abandoned iron mine--the one old Lars claims is haunted when he's had a few too many ales at Goodman's tavern. With a pair of borrowed lanterns to light their way and a small snack tucked away in their belt pouches, the boys bravely make their way down the dark, dank tunnel.

What happens next will change their lives, setting their feet on the path of greatness...

Welcome to Heroes in the Making, a D&D 3.5e campaign for 3-6 adventurers. It begins with a collection of youths in a remote mountain village and ends... whenever their destiny is fulfilled. This game focuses on their development into great heroes.

This is a homebrewed low-magic fantasy game starting in the remote mountain village of Eisenberg. This human/dwarf cooperative settlement provides mineral resources to the region but is largely cut off from the ebb and flow of information. The most magic the residents have ever seen is probably the tavern tricks performed by itinerant bards. Many Eisenbergers have never been down the mountain to see what lies in the flatlands. As the story develops, the group will explore more of the world, learn new things about it and themselves, and grow into true heroes.

Members of the group will be youths who have grown up together in Eisenberg, and who have taken up adventures in the nearby abandoned mines to relieve their boredom. They know each other well and should be friends, if not close confidants. Because magic is rare, only one or two of the characters may be magically inclined; the rest will be melee-oriented classes (at least to start). The use of "boys" and other male language in this advertisement does not imply that all the characters must be male (though in a small-town setting, some explanation of such outlandish behavior by girls will be necessary). One of the characters will be played by Maxwell, since this game was his idea.

The game will be about fifty-fifty roleplaying/rollplaying, following a pattern of crunchy adventures interspersed with character development and lofty aspirations. Most of the combat will take place in fairly typical dungeon/wilderness settings, while diplomacy and such will be in settled areas. The two main tasks to becoming a hero are (1) gathering enough power to protect/lead the people, and (2) convincing the people that you're the one to turn to in a crisis. How the party achieves this status will be largely up to them.

Here's what you will need to submit to be considered for the game:
(1) Name
(2) Race - human or dwarf unless justified and approved. See Eisenberg for details on the starting location and environs.
(3) Class - Starting level is 1. Available classes are: Fighter, Ranger (non-spellcasting variant), Barbarian, Rogue, Monk, Bard, Divine Bard, Sorcerer, Divine Sorcerer. Character levels in non-casting classes will be Gestalt; character levels in casting classes will not be. See House Rules for divine casting classes.
(4) Alignment - Any; include a one-sentence explanation of why the character is that alignment. Remember that even evils and chaotics have to be team players.
(5) Attributes - Roll 6m4d6v1. If the roll is less than a 28-point buy, you may substitute a 28-point buy. Rolls must be made in the game forum - It's the Law!(tm).
(6) Age - The party is made up of the youth of town, so you should be at or slightly below the age of majority for your race.
(7) Physical Description - Looking for creativity and depth here.
(8) Background - 2-3 paragraphs (typical) describing your family, occupation, and childhood exploits. If you would like to add secret histories that are not known to the town (or perhaps even your character), include this information in private text.
(9) Wealth - Based on your family history, propose an appropriate amount of wealth your character has access to.

Classes: Tier 1 classes (Wizard, Cleric, Druid, Artificer, Archivist), Psionics, and Tome of Battle are not available for play. Other base classes and prestige classes will become available as the story progresses to help develop our heroes.

Divine Classes: This game will not dwell on organized religion or deities. In place of Cleric/Druid/Favored Soul, we will be using a Divine Sorcerer class. In short, the Divine Sorcerer casts impromptu divine spells from the Druid list, can call an animal companion as a Druid, and is limited to spells that do not conflict with his/her alignment, but otherwise advances as a Sorcerer. We will also be using the Divine Bard from Unearthed Arcana.

Rebuilding: Characters may have the opportunity of replacing previously earned class levels with a level of another class they know. This is intended to allow flexibility in molding the character to their destiny, not as a powergaming mechanism; the opportunity will only be afforded when it makes sense in the role-playing context.

Clarified available sources - ToB and Psionics excluded.

Applications should be posted in the Applications thread in the game forum (linked here). Applications posted in the advertisement thread will not be reviewed. Feel free to use this thread to ask for clarifications.