Finding Players (Recruitment)Look for players for chatroom, play-by-post, or even real-life games here. Threads will expire after 3 months, so be sure to move important information to your OOC thread.
Gotta agree with Scowling Dragon here. Sorry, but your background makes your character out to be way more powerful than he should be at that level.
It's fine for him to use his powers to gain and trade information, even adventurers need day jobs, but having him start out atop the criminal food chain, running his own web of informants and 'answering to no one'? That's too much.
Everyone else's character is just someone who's quite good at their job. Yours is a virtual criminal lord, holding his domain in a vise of secrets. See the problem there?
He isn't a criminal lord, though. Have you ever seen the Shawshank Redemption? He is more like Morgan Freeman's character in that movie. I'm not really trying to make him into this big, "criminal mastermind" or anything......I was just trying to RP him as a guy who knows things....not everything about everyone, just enough about enough people that he can make a living, and also be safe enough that he doesn't worry, too much, about getting killed by someone. What I am trying to make him out to be is good at his job, not into a mastermind.
I'll read over the last bit and rewrite it if necessary.
EDIT: Reread it and changed some wording for who he is and what he does. I didn't mean to make him out to be this crazy awesome mastermind. Just a guy with a knack of finding out stuff. Reread the last paragraph for me, Emperor, and see what you think now.
A'right, that's much better. I just didn't see how a mere third level sorcerer could operate completely unhindered by the local law or criminal elements.
In fact, maybe that could be why he's in an out of the way village? Taking a sojourn to the countryside to avoid some folks who've been worryingly intent on finding him?
__________________
Thanks to Dorian Soth for the avatar.
In fact, maybe that could be why he's in an out of the way village? Taking a sojourn to the countryside to avoid some folks who've been worryingly intent on finding him?
Oh, good idea........he's just taking a little holiday Thanks, was trying to figure that part out
One last thing; I understand not wanting to reveal everything in your backstory, but as the DM I do kinda need to know how Dorian acquires his merchandise, so couldya PM me the answer?
__________________
Thanks to Dorian Soth for the avatar.
One last thing; I understand not wanting to reveal everything in your backstory, but as the DM I do kinda need to know how Dorian acquires his merchandise, so couldya PM me the answer?
The necromancy still doesn't fit. It feels kind of randomly thrown in. If you had an undead bloodline thats one thing, but Draconic just doesn't fit.
In addition: why aren't you evil! You devour souls! Thats like the most evil things you can do!
Necromancy doesn't mean evil necessarily. It just means you can manipulate the "other side" with your powers more. And, yes, you are right it is kind of randomly thrown in, but hey......not all parts of a background can be perfect. I am not trying to make a backstory out of his Necromancy, I just really wanted to see how the Necromancy specialty worked out. So I am not trying to make it a big thing, really.
Edit: Also, remember, the Necromancy isn't a "Theme" anymore. It is just a Specialty. So, really, it doesn't necessarily have to be integrated immensely into your backstory......it can be, obviously. But for someone like a Sorcerer who's powers come naturally to them, a Specialty like Necromancy doesn't have to be a huge part of who they are, they just happen to have powers that deal with Necromancy, and are good in that particular area of magic.
But your literally devouring peoples souls (Its your level 1 ability). I can't think of a worse thing to do.
Yes, I know the ability and am well aware of what it says. Though I can think of many worse things you could do. Killing babies, torturing animals, torturing people in general, outright murder, hiring someone to murder someone else..... I can think of many other things that are worse. And I'm not really sucking out their souls......when I capture their energy that is fading away, I turn it into a spirit that hovers around me: "As an action, you can capture the fleeing life energy of a creature that has died within the last minute, transforming it into a spirit that hovers near you." Then you "destroy" it and use its energy to help you or hurt someone else. I think you are reading a little too much into what the power is, and does. It isn't like I am murdering people and "sucking out their souls". I am more taking what is left of their energy and using it to my benefit, and it will most likely only be from people that are trying to kill me first.
I am sorry, but you seem to be super critical of Dorian, and I am not sure as to why.
Your destroying a persons life spirit to power your own magic. Your destroying their chance to have an immortal life beyond death. Its called "The aura of Souls".
And Im just having a ball. Im just discussing things with you man.
I didn't like Dorean at first because he gave off heavy sue vibes.
Your destroying a persons life spirit to power your own magic. Your destroying their chance to have an immortal life beyond death. Its called "The aura of Souls".
Yes, but just because it has "Souls" in the name, doesn't mean he is taking their soul. It says "life energy" actually, not "life spirit", and when you die, despite what you believe about your soul, your body does have energy that is there inside of it after you die. That doens't necessarily mean it is your Soul, but just left-over energy that your body is getting rid of after your organs stop working. And in fact the power says "transforming it into a spirit that hovers near you", meaning it wasn't a spirit before the transformation. What it reads to me as, someone dies....the energy that fuels their physical body is going away. I am taking that energy and transforming it into spirit that hover next to me.....not the actual person's soul. If you want to get technical as to where a Necromancer's power lies....it is really just power over necrotic/life energies, not souls. IF they had power over Souls, they wouldn't be raising lifeless, soulless Skeletons and Zombies, those bodies would have souls put in them. Necromancy isn't power over life and death.....it is power over negative energy, that then fuels the bodies of the minions they raise, or used to curse others and help themselves. It is just spookier for them to mold the energy into a "Spirit Form." No where in the description does it say anything about taking someone's Soul.
Cause negative energy is the power of anti life and monstrous devouring creatures.
What is life energy? Is this process horrific?
double edit:
Mary sue......nope, still have no idea.
Well, that is my opinion on how Necromancy works. And taking your quote into account I will amend it to this: Necromancy is the power over life an death, but not the power over the soul.
And the way I read the "life energy" taking bit from the power, is that they are dead, and I take what leftover bits of physical life energy is there, and use it, not their actual immortal soul.
First off; I've yet to find any reference to negative energy in the rules, so until WotC adds something specifically verifying it exists, it doesn't. 'cause it's kinda dumb if you think about it. Ghouls and ghosts and vampires eat life-energy, so, why the heck would life energy harm them?
Second, I disagree that magic can't be thematic for a dragon sorcerer. Dragon's have a magical presence so strong it literally compells you to run the hell away, as well as other abilities geared towards forcing you to obey them via their magic. So, if it was fluffed less as 'With dark rituals upon stormy nights and research into the most hideous of magical secrets, I bring thee to LIFE!" and more as "Screw you, death's no excuse for not obeying me, get up and get working dangit!" then yes, necromancy could suit a dragon sorcerer.
And as for necromancy actually works... Tough question.
The creation of non-sapient undead; zombies, skeletons and so forth, that I think is just animating a suitable receptacle as a meat-puppet, using residual energy left in the corpse and a tiny bit of the creator's own life force to allow him to command it.
Following that line of thought, this type of undead's 'lifespan' would be directly linked to how much life was left in the body, so, I can imagine necromancers have a pretty bad rap in this world, seeing as the best zombies are those made out of children.
Now, as far as I can recall, most sapient undead, shadows, vampires and ghosts, all feed upon life energy in one way another. So then, perhaps feeding is what makes them sapient? They are born no more than wild beasts, but as they feast upon the living they gain intellects of their own, born from the horrid amalgamation of the souls of their victims?
Thus, it follows that while alive, a persons soul and life force are linked, but upon death, the former departs for realms unseen while the latter remains as residue. Meaning that no, using life force isn't inherently evil, as long as you restrict yourself to the dregs found in the recently deceased.
Sorry if that was rambling or incomprehensible, I hadn't really thought about how souls and life force and necromancy and so forth would work in this setting and basically worked it out as I typed.
But all that said and even if necromancers don't [i]technically[/] absolutely-positively have to be evil, who's gonna trust one? BURN THE CHILD-KILLING BASTARD!
__________________
Thanks to Dorian Soth for the avatar.
At level 2, and every even level after that, you get a +1 to one skill. Then, on the "level-up" table, you get newly trained skills at the levels it says. So for a level 3 PC, you should have 3 skills from your background, one skill from being level 2, and a +1 to one skill from level 2.
First off; I've yet to find any reference to negative energy in the rules, so until WotC adds something specifically verifying it exists, it doesn't. 'cause it's kinda dumb if you think about it. Ghouls and ghosts and vampires eat life-energy, so, why the heck would life energy harm them?
Negative-energy doesn't necessarily mean, harmful. That is just my throw back to 2nd and 3rd ed where positive energy spells (i.e. good cleric spells, etc) would harm undead and heal the living, whereas negative energy spells (i.e. evil Clerics, etc.) would heal the undead and hurt the living.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThirdEmperor
But all that said and even if necromancers don't [i]technically[/] absolutely-positively have to be evil, who's gonna trust one? BURN THE CHILD-KILLING BASTARD!
Heh, exactly why he doesn't broadcast his powers, Especially those that are of the Necromatic persuasion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leonardo
Where is the level up table?
It is in "Character Creation", at the very end under, "The Future: Advancement"
Its your call, but Im more conservative when it comes down to necromancy.
I like it being a very dark power. The very very powers of unlife itself.
It can be used for great causes and is a very powerful tool but it runs apon perversion and the very destruction of life.
Otherwise it just makes no sense why people would fear necromancers more then they would fear ordinary wizards. Only an idiot necromancer would make baby zombies. Their bloody useless.
At first I always wanted to play a necromancer but still be good (Like every other DND player in existence). Like the guy that wants to play a reformed sith "So I can use Sith lightning but still be a good guy" but then I just felt like it weakened it.
I realized that this was on par of Sparkly vampires that I despise so much "We don't NEED to drink human blood. So we can have super strength yet be all sexy and shizz"
They don't have to be auto evil, but they work stronger as a concept if there is some very dark morality going on.
That Skeletons and Zombies deny souls their lasting rest, forcing them to march in shells of their former lives whilst twisted in agony (But If your using them to save lives, and help overthrow tyrants doesn't that make up for it? Or is it?)
Maybe not even soul capture, but maybe the energy the soul needs to run. So stealing it whilst it leaves the body slows it, possibly making it unable to return to the afterlife. Maybe even making ghosts or Shades?
And again: You want to experiment with necromancy so fine whatever. But I still don't think it fits thematically (But thats not the point, so go nuts)
If Dragons can just compel death to leave then why aren't they immortal? And its not just the force of death. Its UNDEAD. Its the perversion of life.
I get a Dragon Necromancer, who studies this stuff, but I don't think it fits (Again that doesn't matter).
I mean, I totally see where you are coming from with you opinion of it. And yes, historically, necromancers have been the ones that we, the adventurers, go and kill in their towers and mow down their zombie hordes and have an epic battle with at the end. That is how it usually goes.
But I very much like stepping out of the cookie-cutter thoughts of particular classes, and races, and try to do some "outside the box" thinking when it comes to playing PC's. Because I have played in enough games now that I need some variety in what I play, and making weird combinations of classes, races, backgrounds, and specialties(or Themes in 4e) is one way to get that variety.
And it isn't like Dorian is exactly, "good". I mean, Chaotic Neutral is a far cry from even Chaotic good. He has his dark side as well.
Also, looked up Mary Sue.......and there is only so much I can put into 3 paragraphs when it comes to character creation. Obviously, I re-worded things to what I actually meant as opposed to what my brain decided to type in, but once we get started, there will be a lot to him. That being said, they can't all be Home Run Characters
Again. I understand outside the box, but there is another thing which is outside the house which is a whole different thing in my opinion.
Its like if in Indiana jones 2 the bad guy says "And were only doing this because of poor economic times as my magic helps raise crops". And then the movie ends with Diplomatic aid and they all have a good laugh about it later.
A more understandable villain? Yes. But a weaker film.
But whatever. Go nuts.
Its like if in Indiana jones 2 the bad guy says "And were only doing this because of poor economic times as my magic helps raise crops". And then the movie ends with Diplomatic aid and they all have a good laugh about it later.
A more understandable villain? Yes. But a weaker film.
But whatever. Go nuts.
Very poor example as my Character isn't scooping people's heart's out with his hands.....nor anything of the sort. We obviously aren't going to get anywhere with this, so let us move on.
Emperor, when do you think we will be starting/you making picks?
Its very complicated and its related to the nature of writing effective villains and characters and concepts. If you realy wan't to hear about it I have a shpiel.
RSS Feeds: 
Re: Anyone for a D&D [5e] Playtest? Need DM
Characters:
DMing:
Thanks, was trying to figure that part out 
