Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (1st AD&D - Recruiting)

[ybn1197]

Desolate and abandoned, the evil alchemist's mansion stands alone on the cliff, looking out towards the sea. Mysterious lights and ghostly hauntings have kept away the people of Saltmarsh, despite rumors of fabulous forgotten treasure. What is its sinister secret?

So I have had a touch of nostalgia lately and went poking around my old game books that I haven't looked at in quite some time. I came across the 1st edition AD&D (of course it was just AD&D back then) module U1 - Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh and remember how much fun I had running this module for a variety of groups. I thought I would run this up the flag pole and see how many people salute it.

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.)? This game is for 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

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.)? The module was designed for the World of Greyhawk campaign so I think I will keep it there for simplicity.

3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many? Looking for 4 - 6 players.

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

5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)? All players will start at 1st level.

6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with? Roll randomly per class.

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? Any classes from the Players' Handbook (PHB) or Unearthed Arcana (UA). No homebrews please.

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

9. By what method should Players generate their attributes/ability scores and Hit Points? Roll 4d6 per attribute, dropping the lowest die from each roll. Order as you wish. Everyone starts at FULL hit points.

10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so? Yes, alignment will be used. No evil aligned characters.

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

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? All rolls will be done here.

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. At this time, we are using vanilla rules. If there are any variants, I will disclose them ASAP.

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)? A couple of paragraphs to give your character some depth.

15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above? This will be a combination of the above, but as it is AD&D 1E, it will side more towards hack & slash.

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? Only the PHB and UA. If there is something published that you simply can not live without, please let me know what and where I can find it. I will evaluate it and let you know.

[KingOfLaughter]

Color me interested, never played 1st but, might as well try.

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[TheFallenSon]

Interested, hopefully the dice play out all nice and stuff.

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[JustPlayItLoud]

Sounds fun. Seems like every 1e game never gets off the ground. Let it roll.

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[ybn1197]

As long as we get enough players, this one will get off the ground. From what I have seen, 1e games suffer from two very major problems:

1. Someone willing to be a DM
2. Enough players to make the game successful

We've already solved the first one, I am running the game. We don't have a long thread of people asking each other who will game.
We still have to beef up the second one. So far we have three people interested. We need at least one more to get rolling though I would like at least a couple more for this adventure.

[Mordae]

OK, third try is a charm. The siren call of the classics lures me like the sweet song of... victory!

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EDIT: Alright, that's enough to be dangerous but not enough to be a bard. I shall develop a cleric anon.

[Ildu]

Color me interested! Let's see what the dice have to say.

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EDIT; rolling up a fighter. An exotic, dark beauty, at that.

[hoverfrog]

1st Edition? Awesome. I recently got my old books down from the attic and this would give me an excuse to dust them off.

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Pythal Neiroma

Spoiler

Elf Magic User\Thief
Hit points: 5
AC:
STR 10 1-2 Open Doors, 2% Bend Bars
INT 16 5 Additional Languages, 65% know spell, Min 7 Max 11 spells/level
WIS 6 -1 Magical attack adjustment
DEX 17 +2 reaction\att adj, -3 Def. adj. +5% PP, +10% OL, +5% MS, +5% HS
CON 14 system shock 88%, resurrection 92%
CHA 10 Max 4 henchmen

90% resistant to sleep and charm
+1 to hit with bow, short sword or long sword
Languages: Alignment, elvish, gnome, halfling, goblin, hobgoblin, orcish, gnoll, common, +1
Infravision
1 in 6 chance of detecting concealed doors
2 in 6 chance of detecting secret doors if looking
3 in 6 chance of detecting concealed doors if looking
4 in 6 of surprising if not in metal armour and alone or with elves and halflings

	PP	OL	F/RT	MS	HS	HN	CW	RL
1st	30%	25%	20%	15%	10%	10%	85%	-
DEX	+5%	+10%		+5%	+5%
ELF	+5%	-5%	-	+5%	+10%	+5%	-	-
TOTAL	40%	30%	20%	25%	25%	15%	85%	-

Spells
1st 1 Charm Person

Spell Book:
Identify
Charm Person
Magic Missile
Shield

Background

Pythal Neiroma is a scout for the elven royal navy. He uses his stealth abilities to spy out opposition to the royal court and to explore new lands in search of threats. He tends to act independently of others and on land despite his affiliation and finds himself missing the simple joys of sailing. As a mage he knows that his powers are weak so he takes spells that can be useful in gaining allies. Above all he is a patriot.

[ybn1197]

Not sure if this is going anywhere. We have had 6 people post stats and from that, one person sent me a PM with a character idea and one person posted a character sheet. If we can't get more interest, I think I will have to box this one.

[hoverfrog]

Well I'm still up for AD&D. Can you point me to a place where I can put my character sheet up properly rather than just text here? Mythweavers starts with 2nd edition. I'd like to type up a background.

[ybn1197]

I honestly don't know of any that have 1st edition AD&D sheets. I think what I will do is find a site with fill-able PDF's and then host the sheets on my site.

[Ildu]

A quick googling found me this. It could be what you're looking for, DM.

EDIT: Also posting my character.
Starting Gold: (5d4)[13]x10

Yazolin Hunduis

Spoiler

CN Female Dark Elf Fighter
HP: 10/10
AC: 6 (9 unarmored)

Ability	Benefits
Str 16	+1 damage, +10% XP, +350 carrying capacity
Dex 15	-1 AC
Con 13	85% System Shock, 90% Resurrection
Int 13	+3 languages
Wis 12
Cha 12	Max 5 henchmen, Normal Loyalty

Racial: +2 resistance to magical effects, 90% Magical Charm and Sleep resistance, two-weapon fighting without penalty, light sensitivity

Base movement: 15"
Infravision: 120'

Weapon Proficiencies: Scimitar, Scimitar (Specialization 1), Light Crossbow, Dagger
Spells (1/day): Dancing Lights, Faerie Fire, Darkness (5' radius)

Languages: Common, Undercommon, Drow Sign Language 30', Elvish, Gnomish

Inventory

Item	Encumbrance (#)	Cost
Studded Leather	20#	15gp
Scimitar	4#	15gp
Scimitar	4#	15gp
Dagger & Scabbard	1#	2gp
Light Crossbow	5#	12gp
Quiver (2 score cap.)	3#	1gp
Cloak	2.5#	5sp
Light Bolts, 1 Score	2.4#	1gp
High Soft Boots	3#	1gp
Normal Girdle	0#	1gp
Belt	1#	3sp
Small Belt Pouch	0.5#	15sp
Leather Backpack	2#	2gp
Rope, 50ft	7.5#	4sp
Full Waterskin	4#	15sp
Iron Rations, 1 week	7.5#	5gp
Total	67.4#	72.2 gp
Max	85#	130 gp

Leftover GP: 57gp, 8sp

Weapon Attacks:
2 Scimitars: +1 to-hit, 1d8+3 damage/hit
Dagger: 1d4+1 vs SorM, 1d3+1 vs L
Light Crossbow: Range 6/12/18, Fire Rate 1

Background:
Yazolin is a female dark elf in banishment from the Underdark. While a devout worshiper of Lolth and upholder of the naturalistic Drow laws, Yazolin does not share other drows' fondness for libel and murder. She is fond of freedom of choice and believes that no destiny is prewritten, but all possibilities are open, as if they were connected on Lolth's web.

Image:

Spoiler

[Mordae]

I'll be posting mine today. Sorry for the delay--business trip all last week.

[ybn1197]

Ildu - That is exactly what I am looking for. Thanks.

Mordae - No problem. I was in a SQL class paid for by my employer so I was tied up all week as well.

[TomPokenutter]

You mention that you only want classes and races from Unearthed Arcana or the PHB. Are you also excluding Dragon Magazine and Oriental Adventures material?

[ybn1197]

Oriental Adventures, yes. For one, this adventure is mired in European fantasy. Two, I was never impressed with the Oriental Adventures book. As for Dragon Magazine, let me know the issue number. If I can get access to the article I will review it and let you know.

[TomPokenutter]

Originally Posted by ybn1197

Oriental Adventures, yes. For one, this adventure is mired in European fantasy. Two, I was never impressed with the Oriental Adventures book. As for Dragon Magazine, let me know the issue number. If I can get access to the article I will review it and let you know.

Dragon Magazine Issue 141
Article Title: "Hey, Wanna Be A Kobold?"

[MasterofFates]

I've been wanting to try out AD&D 1st for a while.

Thinking I'll start simple with a human fighter. Maybe I'll embark on the long road to barddom, just to say I could.

[MasterofFates]

Abilities:
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[ybn1197]

Originally Posted by TomPokenutter

Dragon Magazine Issue 141
Article Title: "Hey, Wanna Be A Kobold?"

I'll allow it under one condition. You have to have one heck of a great back-story to explain why your character is adventuring with this group.

[TomPokenutter]

Originally Posted by ybn1197

I'll allow it under one condition. You have to have one heck of a great back-story to explain why your character is adventuring with this group.

In that case, it may be a better option for me to just go with the suggested sourcebooks. If I try to hard to impress, I may end up cranking out a Mary Sue (or alternatively, a character who doesn't play well with the other PCs.) How about a Halfling Thief? I've seen a lot of fighters so far.

How do I roll the stats?

[Mordae]

Getting started on my character here.

Ardwick the Philosopher

Spoiler

N Male Human Cleric
HP: 8
AC: 5 (Scale mail + shield)

Ability	Benefits
Str 11	Open doors 1-2, Bend Bars/Lift Gates 2%
Dex 13	RAA 0, DA 0
Con 11	HPA 0, SSS 75%, RS 80%
Int 11	2 bonus languages
Wis 15	MAA +1, 2 bonus 1st lvl spells, 1 bonus 2nd lvl spell, SpF 0%
Cha 14	Max Henchmen 6, Loyalty +5%, RA +10%

Base movement: 15"

Spells 1/day: tbd x3

Languages: Common, Elven, Draconic

Equipment:

Spoiler

Coins - 1gp, 4sp
Scale Mail 45gp
Shield 10gp
Mace, footman's 8gp
Sling & 12 bullets 1.5gp
Backpack 2gp
10x wax candles 1gp
20x torches .2gp
Pouch, belt, large 1gp
Rope, 50' .4gp
Waterskin 1.5gp
Tinder Box, Flint & Steel 1gp
Iron Rations x1 week 5gp
Iron holy symbol 2gp

Description:

Spoiler

Ardwick is a young male human in his mid-20's whose often grumpy demeanor gives him the wrinkled facial appearance of a man significantly older. His hair does not cooperate in that regard, having turned toward grey while he is still in his prime. Narrow-set grey eyes seem to peer over his beak-like nose, the cost of having spent too many hours reading by candlelight. His thin lips seem to find an unhappy medium between a smile and a frown, for even in moments of joy he seems discontent.

Personality:

Spoiler

Ardwick's first reaction to any situation is to try and talk his way out; his skills at negotiation are well-heeled from the temple, but sometimes he verges a bit on pontification. He's also quick to give up if it doesn't seem to him like he's getting anywhere. In such cases, the fallback method is to hit the obstacle with his mace. He's pretty direct in that regard, and has a bit of a temper that seems out of place on a man of the cloth.

Background:

Spoiler

Ardwick hails from the town of Hardby within the Domain of Greyhawk, and from a young age was raised for temple life. From within the ivory spires of the chapel of Saint Cuthbert, Ardwick eschewed the material ways of the world and immersed himself in the great books, deriving much knowledge from the ancient tomes of lore. And yet for every one thing he learned, he found there were two more questions that came unanswered.

After years of growing frustration, Ardwick turned to martial arts to distract him from the unanswerable and hone his focus on the practical. And still that focus availed him not to find a purpose in creation.

And so in his twenty-fifth year Ardwick took leave of the temple and entered the world, armed with hardened muscles and razor wit. In all ways he endeavored to find that which eluded him--a destiny to call his own.

[Ildu]

Originally Posted by TomPokenutter

How do I roll the stats?

Easy! Post [roll*]4d6b3[/roll], but without the *
For the record, if anyone would like to double up on backstories, I'm game.

Question for the DM: I'd like to have your approval on my weapon proficiencies.

Spoiler

1/Scimitar
2/Light Crossbow
3/Scimitar (Weapon Specialization: Melee)
4/Scimitar (Weapon Specialization: Double)

[TomPokenutter]

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The PHB doesn't talk about stats over 18. Does the game allow them? I rolled an 18, and was thinking of putting it into Dex, which Halflings get an extra +1 to. Would I have a 19? Would it remain at 18? Or would I have to pick a different stat to invest it in?

[Ildu]

On page 15 of the PHB, there's a list of the possible mins/maxes for racial stats.

Halflings are listed as having a max Strength of 17/14 (17 male, 14 female), a max Dexterity of 18 and a max Constitution of 19, all scores taken after racial bonuses and penalties. So in finality, your score can't be adjusted above 18 if the score's maximum is an 18.

However!
There was some Gygaxian errata that mentioned the numbers were in error, and list the halfling as having a max Dexterity of 19 and a max Constitution of 18, due to dexterity getting their +1 racial modifier.

[SCARY WIZARD]

It's like JustPlayItLoud says... I'm applying to show some interest. Here goes the rolls!

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First set screwed up, just did 4d6...did not say "best of three". 'pologies!

[ybn1197]

Originally Posted by Ildu

Question for the DM: I'd like to have your approval on my weapon proficiencies.

Spoiler

1/Scimitar
2/Light Crossbow
3/Scimitar (Weapon Specialization: Melee)
4/Scimitar (Weapon Specialization: Double)

Spoiler

You can take the first weapon specialization but the second will have to wait till you gain a new weapon proficiency after advancing in level.

Unless I am mistaken, this is what we have so far.

Player	Rolls	Sheet	Class
KingofLaughter	Yes	No
TheFallenSon	Yes	No
JustPlayItLoud	Yes	No
Mordae	Yes	Yes	Cleric
Ildue	Yes	Yes	Fighter
Hoverfrog	Yes	Yes	MU/T
MasterofFates	Yes	No
TomPokenutter	Yes	No
ScaryWizard	Yes	No

I would like to get two more characters and we can get started.

[TomPokenutter]

Originally Posted by Ildu

On page 15 of the PHB, there's a list of the possible mins/maxes for racial stats.

Halflings are listed as having a max Strength of 17/14 (17 male, 14 female), a max Dexterity of 18 and a max Constitution of 19, all scores taken after racial bonuses and penalties. So in finality, your score can't be adjusted above 18 if the score's maximum is an 18.

However!
There was some Gygaxian errata that mentioned the numbers were in error, and list the halfling as having a max Dexterity of 19 and a max Constitution of 18, due to dexterity getting their +1 racial modifier.

So, is a 19 functionally identical to an 18? If not, how much extra would I get to my Reaction/Attacking Adjustment and y Defensive Adjustment? WOuld it be +4, -5, or would it be something different?

[ybn1197]

Going by the Deities & Demigods book, a Dex of 19 is +3 Reaction/Attacking Adj, -4 Defensive Adj, +15% to Pick Pockets, +20% to Open Locks, +10 to Locate/Remove Traps, +12% To Move Silently, and +12% To Hide in Shadows.

[SCARY WIZARD]

derp, forgot starting gold for a Magic-User!

(2d4)[4] and multiply by ten...