[D&D 5] Fight for your Right to Die

[Izzarra]

At first it felt more like a blessing than a curse. Sure the other aspect of the curse was inconvenient but being able to shrug off death as if it was just a bad hangover was amazing... or so it seemed. As the years wore on you began to long for the long sleep as friends and family are repulsed or pass away and the simple pleasures of life no longer bring you joy. Then one day a message floats down out of the sky with a date and location offering an end to the curse in exchange for defeating a foe that only your unique situation can stand a chance against. Perhaps whoever has the power to track you down could break the curse, none of the clerics you have talked to before have been able to remove it.

You will be playing characters that have been cursed with immortality and have had to deal with the side effects long enough that you want to be a normal humanoid once more.

You now have the chance to Fight for your Right to Die.

That being said, I am ready to start another campaign and I am writing and running this campaign in an effort to do some worldbuilding and push myself out of my GMing comfort zone of wilderness exploration and dungeon crawling so please bear with me as we go on this adventure together.

Big 16

1. What game system are you running (D&D, Call of Cthulu, Palladium, GURPS, etc.), and if applicable what edition (Original, Classic, Revised, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, etc.)?

D&D 5e

2. What 'type' or variant of game will it be (i.e. "Shadow Chasers" or "Agents of Psi" for d20 Modern)? What is the setting for the game (eg. historic period, published or homebrewed campaign setting, alternate reality, modern world, etc.)?

Homebrew campaign in my homebrew setting. See the player facing Prelesha Setting Doc for more info.

Map of the Corusic Coast where this campaign will take place.

Just about all of the planes, deities, organizations, from the Forgotten Realms do not exist or are inaccessible within this crystal sphere.

If you are looking for something for your character that is not in the player facing doc just ask and if I don’t have anything that fits we can do some worldbuilding.

3. How many players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many?

5 players total. One spot is reserved for Charybdis1618.

4. What's the gaming medium (OOTS, chat, e-mail etc.)?

IC here on GitP.
OOC only on Discord.
Maps for complex fights will be on https://new.tableplop.com/
A Google spreadsheet will be provided for tracking party inventory.

5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)?

Level 8 with one bonus feat. Average HP per level.

Characters have a curse with at least two effects.

One is that if you die you revive at the next dawn with no hit die and 3 additional levels of exhaustion to a maximum of 5.

You get to propose the other(s) and I will decide if they are strong enough. It should be more than just an aesthetic change. Avoid curses that are going to prevent your character from going adventuring like not being able to leave the ocean.

Here are some examples on the more extreme end of the spectrum:
- Vampirism - you can only heal by drinking blood, you are immune to magical healing and cannot use HD.
- Lycanthropy - Rather than making death saves you transform and go on a rampage until the next dawn. You have no control over it and cannot shift voluntarily.
- Your body still ages and doesn’t heal properly, even from magical healing, so you have to replace your body parts with new ones.

6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with?

- Standard starting equipment for your class
- 750 gold for equipment, spell components, etc. (This is stuff that you have gotten through your travels, not a pile of cash that the GM just gave you. Spend most of it during character creation.)
- a +1 weapon, +1 spell focus, or regular full plate
- a bag of holding
- 1 common magic item of your choice
- 1 uncommon magic item of your choice

Starting funds can be used to purchase spell scrolls: 60 gp for level 1, 120 gp for level 2, 200 gp for level 3.

7. Are there any particular character classes, professions, orders, etc. that you want... or do not want? What are your rules on 'prestige' and/or homebrewed classes?

See number 16.

Blood Hunter as listed here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/blood-hunter is allowed.

UA revised ranger is allowed.

UA Mystic is not allowed.

8. What races, subraces, species, etc. are allowed for your game? Will you allow homebrewed races or species? 'Prestige' races or species?

Playable humanoid races are not inherently evil.

No Variant Human or Tasha's Custom Lineage, you are already getting a bonus feat.

Aasimar and Tieflings do not exist in this setting as there are no angels, devils, or demons.

See the setting document for additional options.

9. By what method should players generate their attributes/ability scores and Hit Points?

Roll 2d5+6 nine times on a grid like so:

	Int	Wis	Cha
Str	2d5+6	2d5+6	2d5+6
Dex	2d5+6	2d5+6	2d5+6
Con	2d5+6	2d5+6	2d5+6

Each number on a table can only be used once. Physical stats can be any number in their respective row, mental stats can be any number in their respective column.

You can choose to use one of my example tables, or any table rolled by a player.

If you do like available rolls you can use a 32 point buy.

Spoiler: Example Tables

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	Int	Wis	Cha
Str	12	12	15
Dex	13	14	10
Con	9	12	11

	Int	Wis	Cha
Str	13	14	14
Dex	11	12	10
Con	12	15	11

10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so?

Refrain from making characters that will go out of their way to wreck the game. Your fun from playing a self sabotaging alcoholic can ruin things for everyone else.

11. Do you allow multi-classing, or have any particular rules in regards to it?

RAW

Please establish multiclassing before we start.

(No coffeelock)

12. Will you be doing all of the die rolling during the course of the game? Will die rolls be altered, or left to the honor system? If players can make die rolls, which ones do they make, how should they make the rolls, and how should they report them?

Players can use the forum roller or Discord dice bot to make their own rolls for attacks and skill checks when appropriate. Rolls on the IC thread should be placed in spoilers. Rolls on Discord should have a note for what they are for.

If you are not sure which roll is required for a given situation, or you do not want to mess with the forum roller, just say so and I will make the relevant rolls and post the results.

I will make most of my GM rolls with physical dice.

13. Are there any homebrewed or optional/variant rules that your Players should know about? If so, list and explain them, or provide relevant links to learn about these new rules.

- We will be using my custom wild magic table.
- Optional flanking rules are in effect.
- On damage rolls for crits the extra die is always maximized.
- Being prone does not impose disadvantage on ranged attacks made with crossbows or spells. Ranged attacks against prone targets that are within 15 feet do not have disadvantage.
- It takes a day of partial down time in character to level up. This can be concurrent with light travel, crafting, or work.
- For the purposes of healing, regaining HP, and hit die a short rest is 8 hours and a long rest is 1 week (9 days). Regaining spells, ki, and other features are not changed.
- Traumatic injuries such as from falling 40+ feet or being run over by a 2 ton boulder will result in penalties beyond regular damage such as a sprained ankle or dislocated shoulder that will impose disadvantage on some rolls until healed.
- Revised crafting rules, link will be provided later.
- Scrolls can be used by any class as follows: If it is on your spell list no check is required. If you are a spellcaster you can make an arcana check with your spellcasting modifier to attempt to use the scroll. If you are not a spellcaster you can attempt to use the scroll with Charisma (Arcana). DC is 10 + the spell level. On a critical failure the scroll is consumed and wild magic is triggered.

Feel free to make minor adjustments and/or re-flavor the backgrounds.

If there are any other minor homebrew rules you enjoy I am willing to take them into consideration.

The following is on all spell lists:

Spoiler: Town Portal

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Town Portal
1st-level conjuration (ritual)
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: 10 feet
Components: V, S, M (Small gems worth 10 gp, which the spell consumes. A pebble taken from the town you want to go to as detailed below.)

You open a portal to a town or city you have visited before. The portal remains open until you return through it. Anything can use the portal as long as it remains open.

Dispel Magic will close a town portal.

To add a new town to the list of towns that you can open a portal to, you must dig up a small rock in that town and perform a ritual that takes one hour where you magically scribe runes into the stone. You can maintain one of these stones per level. The portal opens at or near the location where the stone ritual is performed.

At higher levels: This spell's casting time is reduced to one minute if cast with a 4th level spell slot and to one action if cast with a 6th level spell slot.

14. Is a character background required? If so, how big? Are you looking for anything in particular (i.e. the backgrounds all ending up with the characters in the same city)?

What did your character do to get cursed? (Reminder: there are no angels, devils, or demons.)

2-5 paragraphs and/or fill out this form:

Spoiler: Backstory Q&A

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1. Write a cornerstone memory for the character. This should be an emotionally charged event that contributed significantly to who they are today.
2. Where did the character grow up (major trade city, island fishing town, country farm, royal castle, slave labor camp, nomadic tundra tribe, etc.) and write at least one effect it had on shaping the character’s personality or mentality?
3. What is the character’s social status and did they receive any sort of formal education? List at least one world viewpoint that comes from this.
4. Write at least one important memory, quote, or lesson from a mentor or family member.
5. Why is the character adventuring?
6. List at least two goals for the character. At least one of these goals should be one that the character has, while another should be one that you, as a player, want to see developed over the course of the game.
7. List at least two secrets about the character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves them but that they are not actually aware of yet.
8. Describe at least three NPCs that are tied to the character. What is their relationship with the character friend, rival, family, mentor, enemy?
9. Describe at least three mannerisms or quirks that the character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.
10. Does the character have any Hobbies, Likes, or Dislikes.
11. Note relevant class specific information such as warlock patrons, cleric deity, etc.

15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, role playing, or a combination of the above?

Hack & slash, investigation, role playing.

A puzzle might show up on occasion.

16. Are your players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can players use for their characters?

All official published books are allowed though some of the Magic the Gathering options might not fit the setting very well.

I will consider UA, homebrew, and 3rd party content on a limited basis. A new archetype is the upper limit, an entire homebrew class is too much. Please ask first.

Please limit yourselves to only one UA, 3rd party, or Homebrew bit of content per character.

I do not have the contents of every book memorized, if you use something from outside of the player’s handbook please note where it is from on your character sheet in case I need to look it up.

[Izzarra]

Player	Character	Class
Charybdis1618	Thurgen	Wild Magic Sorcerer
JNA
Lentrax
Hemnon		Monk
AvatarVecna
Rilem
Infernally Clay	Leif Fýrisdotter	Gloomstalker Ranger
Esprit15		Wizard?
aguaracu		Cleric?

[JNAProductions]

8-I'm assuming that Custom Lineage (Tasha's) is also not available. Wasn't really gonna pick that, but just getting clarity.

13B-Is it DMG Flanking? Or is it a custom version of Flanking? DMG Flanking makes the game a lot deadlier for anyone in melee, so that may be the intent?

13G-Are there any particular rules involved in healing traumatic injuries?

Also, some rolls.

	Intelligence	Wisdom	Charisma
Strength	(2d5+6)[16]	(2d5+6)[15]	(2d5+6)[12]
Dexterity	(2d5+6)[13]	(2d5+6)[15]	(2d5+6)[16]
Constitution	(2d5+6)[13]	(2d5+6)[13]	(2d5+6)[15]

[Charybdis1618]

Hi folks! Let me introduce you to Thurgen ... well, just Thurgen now. He didn't want to be a mage. He was supposed to have been a Paladin of the Ishvalian Order. He trained body and soul alike for years, preparing to face the trials to be appointed a Paladin. The night before he was to set out for his pilgrimage, his downstairs neighbor, an alchemist, had a laboratory accident. The resulting explosion of magical energy could have corrupted half the village. Instead, Thurgen jumped down through the hole in his floor and threw himself onto the rumbling crystal mote. It dumped all its fell energy into him. It corrupted his body and soul alike. When he awoke, he coughed, and a maelstrom of wind manifested about him. Worse still, the shard of crystal had sunk into his sternum, fusing with the bone. He leaned on it slightly, and screamed in agony. He was not fit to be a Paladin, not in this state. So, he set off, seeking a way to rid himself of this curse, empowered by the very magic he hates.

Spoiler

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The curse adds 1 to the crit range of any attack made against him while armored, 5 while unarmored. The crystal shard makes a tempting target, and glows enough to be visible through clothing.

[Izzarra]

Really good rolls there.

8-I'm assuming that Custom Lineage (Tasha's) is also not available. Wasn't really gonna pick that, but just getting clarity.

No Tasha's custom lineage, I will add that to the 16. I will consider homebrew lineage options that don't have a bonus feat if they are setting appropriate.

13B-Is it DMG Flanking? Or is it a custom version of Flanking? DMG Flanking makes the game a lot deadlier for anyone in melee, so that may be the intent?

Yes, DMG flanking. With all of the deadliness that comes with it.

13G-Are there any particular rules involved in healing traumatic injuries?

Traumatic injuries will heal after: 1 week rest, magical healing to full HP, or lesser restoration.

---

The curse adds 1 to the crit range of any attack made against him while armored, 5 while unarmored. The crystal shard makes a tempting target, and glows enough to be visible through clothing.

I might add an aura that causes weak willed humanoids that get within 10 ft to make a save or start behaving weird. Wanting to try kill you or to steal the precious (not knowing that it is not something that can be removed).

[Lentrax]

Posting interest, though I will have to read some more of the setting information before deciding exactly what I want to go with.

But for now, rolls.

	Intelligence	Wisdom	Charisma
Strength	(2d5+6)[11]	(2d5+6)[14]	(2d5+6)[14]
Dexterity	(2d5+6)[11]	(2d5+6)[13]	(2d5+6)[16]
Constitution	(2d5+6)[11]	(2d5+6)[13]	(2d5+6)[12]

This seems depressingly average.

[Hemnon]

I'd be quite interested in this game. very different than the usual 'just another flavor of FR' type game.
Thinking, if the rolls are good for it, a Monk of sorts that has their immortality curse as a sort of perverse twist on what he/she seeks - reincarnation. Natural aging, but upon 'natural' death, resurrection at young-adult age again with all the troubles hormonally and less-wise attitude - should he/she live that long to experience natural aging death.
Reason? Originally hails from Torill and the Forgotten Realms but somehow was pulled away from the wheel of reincarnation and was stuck there in this new world, soul utterly anathema to this world's cycle of life, afterlife and rebirth, thus cannot truly die here, and keeps returning back to life... it is a perverse twist on the seeking to reach nirvana and break away from the cycle of death and rebirth normally speaking.
Bad-curse secondary effect idea? Essentially beneficial magic that deals with the soul cannot be used on the character, or rather it needs to be resisting as if it was a hostile spell, rather than a friendly one. Thusly active resurrection through magic will not work, or at least will be naturally attempted at being resisted. Same something like atonement type spells to try and correct alignment with having to 'work for it'.

But for now, let us see what the rolls say.

	Intelligence	Wisdom	Charisma
Strength	(2d5+6)[11]	(2d5+6)[15]	(2d5+6)[12]
Dexterity	(2d5+6)[14]	(2d5+6)[10]	(2d5+6)[11]
Constitution	(2d5+6)[12]	(2d5+6)[9]	(2d5+6)[9]

EDIT - so... spreads of:
Str: 12
Dex: 14
Con: 12
Int: 11
Wis: 15
Cha: 11

Looks the most ideal. So a wis-based class with dex-support... fairly Monk-functional iirc, Wis is a primary stat for monks yes?

[AvatarVecna]

	Int	Wis	Cha
Str	(2d5+6)[12]	(2d5+6)[13]	(2d5+6)[12]
Dex	(2d5+6)[11]	(2d5+6)[15]	(2d5+6)[9]
Con	(2d5+6)[12]	(2d5+6)[13]	(2d5+6)[9]

[Izzarra]

I'd be quite interested in this game. very different than the usual 'just another flavor of FR' type game.
Thinking, if the rolls are good for it, a Monk of sorts that has their immortality curse as a sort of perverse twist on what he/she seeks - reincarnation. Natural aging, but upon 'natural' death, resurrection at young-adult age again with all the troubles hormonally and less-wise attitude - should he/she live that long to experience natural aging death.
Reason? Originally hails from Torill and the Forgotten Realms but somehow was pulled away from the wheel of reincarnation and was stuck there in this new world, soul utterly anathema to this world's cycle of life, afterlife and rebirth, thus cannot truly die here, and keeps returning back to life... it is a perverse twist on the seeking to reach nirvana and break away from the cycle of death and rebirth normally speaking.
Bad-curse secondary effect idea? Essentially beneficial magic that deals with the soul cannot be used on the character, or rather it needs to be resisting as if it was a hostile spell, rather than a friendly one. Thusly active resurrection through magic will not work, or at least will be naturally attempted at being resisted. Same something like atonement type spells to try and correct alignment with having to 'work for it'.

Str: 12
Dex: 14
Con: 12
Int: 11
Wis: 15
Cha: 11

Looks the most ideal. So a wis-based class with dex-support... fairly Monk-functional iirc, Wis is a primary stat for monks yes?

I like the concept.
Wis and Dex are good primary stats for a monk.
Anything coming from Torill is exceedingly rare, but possible.
As you already come back from death at dawn being resilient against just resurrection magic isn't much of a drawback. I would like to take it up a notch, maybe resistant to positive magic in general, healing and restoration spells.

[Rilem]

Interested and also that's a fun table

	Intelligence	Wisdom	Charisma
Strength	(2d5+6)[10]	(2d5+6)[11]	(2d5+6)[13]
Dexterity	(2d5+6)[10]	(2d5+6)[11]	(2d5+6)[13]
Constitution	(2d5+6)[10]	(2d5+6)[16]	(2d5+6)[13]

Wow, that looks strange

[Hemnon]

I like the concept.
Wis and Dex are good primary stats for a monk.
Anything coming from Torill is exceedingly rare, but possible.
As you already come back from death at dawn being resilient against just resurrection magic isn't much of a drawback. I would like to take it up a notch, maybe resistant to positive magic in general, healing and restoration spells.

Thanks for liking the idea
Yes I could expect such thing as anyone or anything from outside this exiled/sealed off/other crystal sphere ain't exactly regularly visited by spelljammer vessels, nor other-sphere visitors, and I would imagine two ways for my character to end up freed from the curse of the deathless... Thinking either somehow, somewhat, return to Torill and reconnect to the wheel of reincarnation thusly?
And the second way would be, if at all possible, to connect to THIS world's wheel and cycle of reincarnation of the soul? and to even find information on HOW being a very initial objective to strive for.

Yeah I realized it was a bit weak when i woke up earlier, before heading off to work... what about an automatic disadvantage against Necromancy instead? dun want it to be overly harsh for my character either, so unsure what is a fitting middleground between an extreme like 'now a vampire and thusly death from sunlight or leaving gravedirt sleeping area, etc.' and 'soul magic weakness'. Or would it be fine to narrow it down to any magic, attacks, etc. that deals with the soul grants either advantage to attackers against my character, or disadvantage against such things if my character is the one that rolls, like a saving throw against something dealing with soul-related effects... I guess banishment would include it cuz you need a souled target or some such iirc to banish it? Example would be spirits and bodiless undead that attacks being more related to the soul than the physical body (Ethereal, basically).

Lemme know what'd be a functional idea here. I dun want healing magic to be an auto-resist against it. that's a bit harsh, especially if that includes natural healing during rest.
What if Healing magic requires to be ritual-cast to heal my character cuz monk? and any healing items needs to be made into alchemical pill form to be of use? no random herbal-mix juices as regular healing potions? same with just about any potion, needing to be of the daoist-archetypical 'pill' form? might both be more expensive and harder to find cuz you need a skilled alchemist that deals with the 'monk format cultivation' to even know how to begin making such items?

[Izzarra]

Thanks for liking the idea
Yes I could expect such thing as anyone or anything from outside this exiled/sealed off/other crystal sphere ain't exactly regularly visited by spelljammer vessels, nor other-sphere visitors, and I would imagine two ways for my character to end up freed from the curse of the deathless... Thinking either somehow, somewhat, return to Torill and reconnect to the wheel of reincarnation thusly?
And the second way would be, if at all possible, to connect to THIS world's wheel and cycle of reincarnation of the soul? and to even find information on HOW being a very initial objective to strive for.

Yeah I realized it was a bit weak when i woke up earlier, before heading off to work... what about an automatic disadvantage against Necromancy instead? dun want it to be overly harsh for my character either, so unsure what is a fitting middleground between an extreme like 'now a vampire and thusly death from sunlight or leaving gravedirt sleeping area, etc.' and 'soul magic weakness'. Or would it be fine to narrow it down to any magic, attacks, etc. that deals with the soul grants either advantage to attackers against my character, or disadvantage against such things if my character is the one that rolls, like a saving throw against something dealing with soul-related effects... I guess banishment would include it cuz you need a souled target or some such iirc to banish it? Example would be spirits and bodiless undead that attacks being more related to the soul than the physical body (Ethereal, basically).

Lemme know what'd be a functional idea here. I dun want healing magic to be an auto-resist against it. that's a bit harsh, especially if that includes natural healing during rest.
What if Healing magic requires to be ritual-cast to heal my character cuz monk? and any healing items needs to be made into alchemical pill form to be of use? no random herbal-mix juices as regular healing potions? same with just about any potion, needing to be of the daoist-archetypical 'pill' form? might both be more expensive and harder to find cuz you need a skilled alchemist that deals with the 'monk format cultivation' to even know how to begin making such items?

I left this out of the player facing setting doc so that it didn't get too long but I think it is relevant to your character creation. In this crystal sphere there are only 3 accessible planes: the Material Plane, the Spirit Realm, and the Nawiht. Here is some information on the other two planes.

Spoiler: The Spirit Realm

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In the center of the spirit realm lies the World Spirit from which all souls in Prelesha come. When a creature dies it’s soul returns to the World Spirit. This has been directly observed in expeditions to the spirit realm and is regarded as fact by the majority of the denizens of Prelesha. The exact details on how the souls get back to the world spirit, and what it is like in the World Spirit, is still up for debate and every culture has a different opinion on the matter. Almost everyone believes that souls are judged by some means or another and if the deeds done in life are lacking or evil, if the death was dishonorable, then the soul must face any number of trials, punishment, cleansing, etc. before it is allowed to return to the World Spirit. Opinions of what it is like to be reunited with the World Spirit are equally diverse.
The spirit realm has three layers and each layer is a flat tori that loops upon itself. The bottom layer is known as Nether, a disk shaped primordial landscape covered mostly in stone, ice, and lava with giant mountains and deep cavernous networks of underground caves. The middle layer and the top layer are both flat rings. The middle layer known as Midst is covered in deserts, tundras, thick swamps, and arid savannas. The top layer known as Zenith is a verdant paradise of tropical islands, flourishing jungles, and sprawling temperate forests. Beginning above Nether and extending up through Zenith is the World Spirit which looks somewhat similar to a tree composed entirely of light, if you could get far enough away to see it in its entirety. Below, and around, Nether is the Unfathomable Deep, an unimaginably large ocean.
Above Zenith and the World Spirit is the Elemental Void, a space of abject chaos. Floating around the outer perimeters of the Midst and Zenith rings are islands of light, demiplanes belonging to some of the more powerful spirits and members of the elder races. There is a gravity defying river known as the Binding Flow that spirals through the air around the World Spirit connecting the different layers of the realm. Several of the demiplanes that are intended to be accessible are located along the river.
The titans mostly reside in Nether, the Oni in Midst, and the Fey in Zenith. Spirits and Dragons that don’t have their own demiplanes can be found on any of the three layers, usually choosing places that best match their preferred habitats.
Souls that, for whatever reason, are unable to return to the World Spirit can get corrupted and eventually are able to manifest bodies, these are known as the Feollan. Feollan are pure evil beings of concentrated pain and hatred, they cannot be reasoned or bargained with.

Spoiler: The Nawiht

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This exists in between the prime plane of Prelesha and the spirit realm. Some of the older members of the elder races say that the Nawiht is similar in some respects to something known as the astral plane that exists in other crystal spheres far far away. Nawiht is a cold place of darkness and shadows where there is just barely enough light to see where you are going and it never gets warm enough to feel comfortable.
Kruoskotos is the only material that is native to the Nawiht, just about everything is composed of it. It is similar to ice in durability and is rather easy to carve, though it doesn’t melt. Those that have tried to take it out of the Nawiht have found that it dissolves into nothing unless contained with powerful magic.
Prismire are the predominant native inhabitants of the Nawiht. They can be seen carrying souls between the prime plane and the spirit realm. However it is incredibly difficult to get to one as they are incredibly fast while in the Nawiht. They move along intangible paths and are seemingly immune to the unpredictable changes in gravity.

I would say that only spells will be affected. I am thinking that you would be forced to make a charisma save against them. Making the save would negate spells like restoration and cause Cure Wounds to be halved. Natural healing, potions, and other class healing effects would not be unaffected.

As necrotic damage is basically anti-life that causes rot and decay. Vulnerability to it could fit the concept, but not as well as healing.

In Tasha's Cauldron Monks gained the ability to spend ki to self heal so you will have at least one option that doesn't rely on spells.

[Infernally Clay]

Well it's a novel approach so let's try it out.

	Intelligence	Wisdom	Charisma
Strength	(2d5+6)[12] STR ✔	(2d5+6)[11]	(2d5+6)[11]
Dexterity	(2d5+6)[14] INT ✔	(2d5+6)[16] DEX ✔	(2d5+6)[12] CHA ✔
Constitution	(2d5+6)[12]	(2d5+6)[16] WIS ✔	(2d5+6)[12] CON ✔

Well this looks good to me. STR 12, DEX 16, CON 12, INT 14, WIS 16, CHA 12 would appear to be my best possible stat spread... so Ranger, perhaps?

Oh Blood Hunter is allowed? Can I use wisdom instead of intelligence, as the tooltip says?

As for the secondary curse, since Lucian will be a lycanthropic Blood Hunter, how about we tweak the curse you describe? Bloodlust is a feature of the Lycanthrope subclass that, when you're transformed, forces a wisdom saving throw (DC 8) when you start your turn with less than half health otherwise you attack the nearest creature regardless of whether they're friend or foe. So how about I still make death saving throws as normal but if I roll lower than an 8, I go into an uncontrolled frenzy until the next dawn?

[Charybdis1618]

Does anybody want to have known Thurgen beforehand? I'm willing to massage my backstory to work with yours, if need be.

[Izzarra]

I added a link to the world map (at least as much as I have drawn so far) to the Big 16.

Oh Blood Hunter is allowed? Can I use wisdom instead of intelligence, as the tooltip says?

Sure.

As for the secondary curse, since Lucian will be a lycanthropic Blood Hunter, how about we tweak the curse you describe? Bloodlust is a feature of the Lycanthrope subclass that, when you're transformed, forces a wisdom saving throw (DC 8) when you start your turn with less than half health otherwise you attack the nearest creature regardless of whether they're friend or foe. So how about I still make death saving throws as normal but if I roll lower than an 8, I go into an uncontrolled frenzy until the next dawn?

Ether we bump that to the regular death saving throw numbers or if somehow you manage to roll 9 three times in a row you actually die.

Rather then being unconscious while making these saves against transformation you are awake and thrashing around as you spend your action making the saves. This way you can do the classic tearing your clothes off while running away and making a mess scene.

[Infernally Clay]

I added a link to the world map (at least as much as I have drawn so far) to the Big 16.


Sure.



Ether we bump that to the regular death saving throw numbers or if somehow you manage to roll 9 three times in a row you actually die.

Rather then being unconscious while making these saves against transformation you are awake and thrashing around as you spend your action making the saves. This way you can do the classic tearing your clothes off while running away and making a mess scene.

Honestly the idea that even while dying he's trying to maintain control of his transformation to prevent it going out of control and the stress on his body actually kills him for real would make the remarkably unlikely triple nine death actually very thematic.

[Esprit15]

Why not, this sounds interesting.

	Intelligence	Wisdom	Charisma
Strength	(2d5+6)[12]	(2d5+6)[11]	(2d5+6)[12]
Dexterity	(2d5+6)[12]	(2d5+6)[13]	(2d5+6)[14]
Constitution	(2d5+6)[9]	(2d5+6)[11]	(2d5+6)[10]

Hm. Looking like

STR 12
DEX 13
CON 10
INT 12
WIS 11
CHA 14

(25 point)

Or

STR 12
DEX 14
CON 11
INT 12
WIS 13
CHA 12

(27)

Looks like I’ll just take a 32pb.

[Hemnon]

I left this out of the player facing setting doc so that it didn't get too long but I think it is relevant to your character creation. In this crystal sphere there are only 3 accessible planes: the Material Plane, the Spirit Realm, and the Nawiht. Here is some information on the other two planes.

Spoiler: The Spirit Realm

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In the center of the spirit realm lies the World Spirit from which all souls in Prelesha come. When a creature dies it’s soul returns to the World Spirit. This has been directly observed in expeditions to the spirit realm and is regarded as fact by the majority of the denizens of Prelesha. The exact details on how the souls get back to the world spirit, and what it is like in the World Spirit, is still up for debate and every culture has a different opinion on the matter. Almost everyone believes that souls are judged by some means or another and if the deeds done in life are lacking or evil, if the death was dishonorable, then the soul must face any number of trials, punishment, cleansing, etc. before it is allowed to return to the World Spirit. Opinions of what it is like to be reunited with the World Spirit are equally diverse.
The spirit realm has three layers and each layer is a flat tori that loops upon itself. The bottom layer is known as Nether, a disk shaped primordial landscape covered mostly in stone, ice, and lava with giant mountains and deep cavernous networks of underground caves. The middle layer and the top layer are both flat rings. The middle layer known as Midst is covered in deserts, tundras, thick swamps, and arid savannas. The top layer known as Zenith is a verdant paradise of tropical islands, flourishing jungles, and sprawling temperate forests. Beginning above Nether and extending up through Zenith is the World Spirit which looks somewhat similar to a tree composed entirely of light, if you could get far enough away to see it in its entirety. Below, and around, Nether is the Unfathomable Deep, an unimaginably large ocean.
Above Zenith and the World Spirit is the Elemental Void, a space of abject chaos. Floating around the outer perimeters of the Midst and Zenith rings are islands of light, demiplanes belonging to some of the more powerful spirits and members of the elder races. There is a gravity defying river known as the Binding Flow that spirals through the air around the World Spirit connecting the different layers of the realm. Several of the demiplanes that are intended to be accessible are located along the river.
The titans mostly reside in Nether, the Oni in Midst, and the Fey in Zenith. Spirits and Dragons that don’t have their own demiplanes can be found on any of the three layers, usually choosing places that best match their preferred habitats.
Souls that, for whatever reason, are unable to return to the World Spirit can get corrupted and eventually are able to manifest bodies, these are known as the Feollan. Feollan are pure evil beings of concentrated pain and hatred, they cannot be reasoned or bargained with.

Spoiler: The Nawiht

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This exists in between the prime plane of Prelesha and the spirit realm. Some of the older members of the elder races say that the Nawiht is similar in some respects to something known as the astral plane that exists in other crystal spheres far far away. Nawiht is a cold place of darkness and shadows where there is just barely enough light to see where you are going and it never gets warm enough to feel comfortable.
Kruoskotos is the only material that is native to the Nawiht, just about everything is composed of it. It is similar to ice in durability and is rather easy to carve, though it doesn’t melt. Those that have tried to take it out of the Nawiht have found that it dissolves into nothing unless contained with powerful magic.
Prismire are the predominant native inhabitants of the Nawiht. They can be seen carrying souls between the prime plane and the spirit realm. However it is incredibly difficult to get to one as they are incredibly fast while in the Nawiht. They move along intangible paths and are seemingly immune to the unpredictable changes in gravity.

I would say that only spells will be affected. I am thinking that you would be forced to make a charisma save against them. Making the save would negate spells like restoration and cause Cure Wounds to be halved. Natural healing, potions, and other class healing effects would not be unaffected.

As necrotic damage is basically anti-life that causes rot and decay. Vulnerability to it could fit the concept, but not as well as healing.

In Tasha's Cauldron Monks gained the ability to spend ki to self heal so you will have at least one option that doesn't rely on spells.

Hmm, fair - outside healing methods of the magical nature (cure wounds for example) being a must-attempt resist against them as long as my character is conscious? Because I guess unconscious resistance is a bit... odd?

Which features from Tasha's Cauldron for Monks are acceptable to gain? Also Way of Mercy monk sounds.... interesting from that book as well. They give a sort of... Jester-bringers of life and death.
Or to make it a bit thematic, my character eschewed their original 'Way' since 'other world, new way' mentality. Deciding to go for the full 'hooded robes and mask' deal.

Or if we do get a cleric or likewise 'designated healer', I might change my choice of Sub-Class.

[aguaracu]

This looks like fun. And now I'm trying to imagine how a cleric would get himself into this situation. I've got a soft spot for stories with priests who have completely failed/ fallen but still believe.

	Int	Wis	Cha
Str	(2d5+6)[15]	(2d5+6)[11]	(2d5+6)[10]
Dex	(2d5+6)[12]	(2d5+6)[13]	(2d5+6)[12]
Con	(2d5+6)[8]	(2d5+6)[15]	(2d5+6)[10]

[Izzarra]

Hmm, fair - outside healing methods of the magical nature (cure wounds for example) being a must-attempt resist against them as long as my character is conscious? Because I guess unconscious resistance is a bit... odd?

Which features from Tasha's Cauldron for Monks are acceptable to gain? Also Way of Mercy monk sounds.... interesting from that book as well. They give a sort of... Jester-bringers of life and death.
Or to make it a bit thematic, my character eschewed their original 'Way' since 'other world, new way' mentality. Deciding to go for the full 'hooded robes and mask' deal.

Or if we do get a cleric or likewise 'designated healer', I might change my choice of Sub-Class.

I am thinking it is not the character that is resisting the healing, it is the very fabric of their being.

All Tasha's Cauldron class options are available.

This looks like fun. And now I'm trying to imagine how a cleric would get himself into this situation. I've got a soft spot for stories with priests who have completely failed/ fallen but still believe.

I can think of at least one way it could happen. Cleric lets a powerful evil spirit inhabit their body, or traps an evil spirit in their body, in order to get it out of an innocent child.

[Hemnon]

I am thinking it is not the character that is resisting the healing, it is the very fabric of their being.

All Tasha's Cauldron class options are available.



I can think of at least one way it could happen. Cleric lets a powerful evil spirit inhabit their body, or traps an evil spirit in their body, in order to get it out of an innocent child.

specifically any healing from this world, yes? thusly his own Ki-healing and whatnot is not affected?

[Izzarra]

specifically any healing from this world, yes? thusly his own Ki-healing and whatnot is not affected?

The save is only for spells. Other class abilities like Lay on Hands and ki healing are unaffected.

[Charybdis1618]

Change of plans. My curse now has the following effects:


-My armor is permanently bonded to my flesh. I cannot remove it. Fortunately (for my companions), it's self-cleaning.
-There is a shard of crystal through the breastplate of my armor. As a result, the critical range of any attack made against me increases by 1.
-My wild magic builds up chaos in my body, which gets more likely to be released as I cast more spells.
-My features subtly shift constantly, leading people to be uncomfortable when talking to me for extended periods of time

[Hemnon]

The save is only for spells. Other class abilities like Lay on Hands and ki healing are unaffected.

Ahh cool. can almost say it's the 'cyclical magic' that gets naturally rejected. Not the intent on a paladin, nor the Ki healing of self or from others. But the magic of the... whatever the equivalent to the weave would be?
Makes sense.

Then I guess the healing from a goodberry is also healed naturally without issue? same with, say a bard's song of rest iirc?

Oh and I see we've gotten a potential cleric so... how'd it work if I chose to go with Way of the Astral Self? Could even be plot related to reaching like level 17 and gain the full body of the astral self which could indicate a natural full reconnection with the astral sea and thusly access back to my character's own homesphere of Torill?
The more of the astral self that is reconnected, the more 'freed' my character will be until finally, fully able to escape the hell of constant resurrection and if alive long enough, rebirth back to youth?

Cuz iirc, there's no astral sea access, so to speak, in this homebrew setting, correct?

[Esprit15]

Hm, current idea floating: Wizard who sought to escape mortality by means other than lichdom (because he wanted to retain his youthful appearance), determined that eating food of the fey courts would grant him immortality. It worked, but for obvious reasons outraged the fey royalty. And so while indeed he would retain his youth, he was cursed that every time he died (and boy would they try to kill him a lot) he would lose his form. Mechanically, this would be that every time he dies, the GM would either roll or decide what he turns into next. For simplicity stats would not change (just to avoid questions of what to do if something raises or lowers a maxed out stat), but other abilities light heightened senses, racial abilities, and bonus skills would.

[Izzarra]

Ahh cool. can almost say it's the 'cyclical magic' that gets naturally rejected. Not the intent on a paladin, nor the Ki healing of self or from others. But the magic of the... whatever the equivalent to the weave would be?
Makes sense.

Still the weave. I decided not to rewrite how magic works.

Then I guess the healing from a goodberry is also healed naturally without issue? same with, say a bard's song of rest iirc?

Correct.

Oh and I see we've gotten a potential cleric so... how'd it work if I chose to go with Way of the Astral Self? Could even be plot related to reaching like level 17 and gain the full body of the astral self which could indicate a natural full reconnection with the astral sea and thusly access back to my character's own homesphere of Torill?
The more of the astral self that is reconnected, the more 'freed' my character will be until finally, fully able to escape the hell of constant resurrection and if alive long enough, rebirth back to youth?

Cuz iirc, there's no astral sea access, so to speak, in this homebrew setting, correct?

Homebrew crystal sphere, don't really feel like making it into its own independent universe yet. The Protigonus make spelljamming in or out near impossible, so it is isolated from the other spheres.

The Nawiht started as a fusion of the Astral Plane/Sea and the Shadowfell. So any spells or abilities that would normally be associated with one of those places is now associated with the Nawiht.

Current plan takes us to level 14, possibly 15 if we wander off on a large side quest. I like the idea though.

---

Hm, current idea floating: Wizard who sought to escape mortality by means other than lichdom (because he wanted to retain his youthful appearance), determined that eating food of the fey courts would grant him immortality. It worked, but for obvious reasons outraged the fey royalty. And so while indeed he would retain his youth, he was cursed that every time he died (and boy would they try to kill him a lot) he would lose his form. Mechanically, this would be that every time he dies, the GM would either roll or decide what he turns into next. For simplicity stats would not change (just to avoid questions of what to do if something raises or lowers a maxed out stat), but other abilities light heightened senses, racial abilities, and bonus skills would.

I like the concept. Right now it mostly comes across as an aesthetic change, we will want to add a bit more to it. What happens if the character goes too long without a dose of fey food?

However, keep in mind that one spot is reserved for my friend Charybdis1618 who is playing a wild magic sorcerer (in full plate), so if enough applicants finish making characters I might not choose a wizard for the sake of having a well rounded party. Currently there are only 5 players that have done more then roll stats so it might not be a problem.

[Hemnon]

Still the weave. I decided not to rewrite how magic works.


Correct.


Homebrew crystal sphere, don't really feel like making it into its own independent universe yet. The Protigonus make spelljamming in or out near impossible, so it is isolated from the other spheres.

The Nawiht started as a fusion of the Astral Plane/Sea and the Shadowfell. So any spells or abilities that would normally be associated with one of those places is now associated with the Nawiht.

Current plan takes us to level 14, possibly 15 if we wander off on a large side quest. I like the idea though.

Gotcha, so magic works the same at least aesthetically.

Yeah I understand. Made my own homebrew setting before and that's also just an independent sphere as well.. very hard to go 'basics' and build it all up in a fully isolated setup.

No worries on if 'reaching level to escape the immortality' will actually be reached. if it's a goal for my character to be able to reconnect to their home-astralplane through the subclass, that's more than a functional idea for me to have the 'end goal' for the character. Knows the path, but have to work HARD on it to reach that point of form-liberation, etc.

Btw, since what level were our characters each 'cursed'. and how did we end up together? Might have missed this info elsewhere, if so, then sorry about that.
But yeah, why we all together, what makes of WANT to travel together, etc? Beyond 'cuz the story requires it'.

[Izzarra]

Btw, since what level were our characters each 'cursed'. and how did we end up together? Might have missed this info elsewhere, if so, then sorry about that.
But yeah, why we all together, what makes of WANT to travel together, etc? Beyond 'cuz the story requires it'.

You can choose at what level the character got their curse. Two concepts look like they got their curse before picking up any/most of their class levels.

I was intending that the characters don't know each other. Everyone got a separate magical message with a date, location, and the promise that if they finish a quest for an unknown benefactor their curse will be lifted so everyone has a strong incentive to pursue the common goal.

[Infernally Clay]

I can't really get my head around Blood Hunter so I made a Gloomstalker Ranger instead.

Leif Fýrisdotter Half-Elf Gloomstalker Ranger 8 AC: 17 | HP: 68/68 | Initiative: +9 Spell Slots: 1st: 4/4 | 2nd: 3/3 Favoured Foe: 3/3 Active Effects: None Concentrating: None Conditions: None

I'm thinking Leif was a circus performer, with her acrobatic trick shots being the stuff of legends (if you'd believe the ringleader anyway). I kinda like the idea that the circus troupe as a whole was in some way cursed, perhaps because they offended a druid or something like that? It gives Leif a motivation to travel and find a cure for the affliction, not just for herself but the people she cares about too. What about a curse that turns people into trees? It's a pretty classic setup, the idea that out there somewhere is a bunch of circus tents where everyone inside has been turned to trees. A horrifying sight indeed.

Hmmm... What if Leif has to make a strength check if she doesn't move at least 5ft every turn, as roots and vines grow from her feet and anchor her to the ground and she needs to make a higher strength check (or get help) after every long rest because she obviously won't have moved much if at all?

[aguaracu]

I can think of at least one way it could happen. Cleric lets a powerful evil spirit inhabit their body, or traps an evil spirit in their body, in order to get it out of an innocent child.

I like that as a heroic origin but I'm now thinking of a less heroic one: A trickery domain cleric who found the ultimate hack - this one neat trick for not dying the Gods don't want you to know about - and discovered that his god likes a good joke as much as anyone.

Oops.

For my character's curse I'm proposing:
Whenever he takes damage he has to make a constitution saving throw as a concentration check; if he's concentrating on a spell the concentration check counts as this saving throw. If he fails the check he loses concentration on any spell and for 1D4 rounds he has an attack of hysterical laughter. During this attack he can move or take an action on his turn - but not both.
Note that I'm planning to take the Warcaster feat which means that he will have a better chance of passing the check when he is actually concentrating on a spell. On the other hand, he will be starting with a constitution of 10 before racial modifiers so he's going to fail rather a lot of these checks :-O
The DM can tune this by adjusting the duration and intensity - how bonus actions and reactions are affected for example.