Seven Wonders, a D&D campaign

[Actaeon]

I'm sure Eph had very good reasons for inventing AIMhack instead of using an existing tabletop RPG system. However, I'm gonna go out on a limb and offer a campaign using D&D 3.5 that will act as a prequel to "Inn Between the Worlds" and hopefully help clarify what the heck is going on in that fairly disjointed setting.

 

June 9, 323 BC

 

Alexander the Great lies deathly ill in Babylon. An old man arrives at the palace of Nebuchednezzar II demanding to see the King. Against all expectations, the audience is granted. The stricken emperor greets the man like an old friend and, after several minutes of hushed conversation, accepts and drinks a small vial of water. The next day, he is on his feet. The next week, he's back to commanding armies. This is not the first time this world has been touched by magic. It is not the world you and I learned about in history books, but up until this moment, you may not have known it. A few villagers lost to a stray werewolf, a couple of shamans skilled at herbal medicine- these may have long term consequences but none so clear cut as Alexander the Great's six decade reign.

 

For nearly half a century, Alexander seems not to age. Gray creeps in at his temples, worry lines form around his eyes, but at ninety he is almost as spry as the day that his old tutor, Aristotle, visited him upon his death bed. But just as it seems he will live forever, he is again afflicted with the illness that nearly finished him before. He is unable to shake the disease, and after two weeks of slow decline, he calls his most trusted guards to them, and gives them a mission.

 

The Fountain of Youth is real, and they must find it. Alexander has been searching for it since he took his first draught of its water without success, but in his need he is willing to gamble on a theory put forth by a young mathematician. Ley lines of unseen power can be felt flowing through the great temples and monuments of the world. Some, foolhardy, have harnessed them. Others, more foolish still, have followed them. None have managed to trace them far. However, if you were able to travel to several of these points, take a bearing, and triangulate, you might stand a chance of finding their source. And it is at that nexus that the Fountain- and maybe other wonders, are rumored to reside.

 

I'm looking for a few Spiderwebbers either familiar with D&D or willing to learn. I have a few other friends that may join, also, so I think there's a fair chance of getting a decent sized group together. This will likely be a mostly martial campaign, although even a light magic world, the personal protectors of the such a major figure are likely to be taught a few supernatural abilities. I might allow a level or two of spellcaster if someone can justify it. Also, it bears saying in this group, I'll probably be taking liberties with history.

 

If that sounds like something that interests you, message me for house rules on character creation and info on the custom prestige class for Alexander's guards. You'll start out at level seven, so there's a lot of room for customization even though the setting cuts out certain aspects of the system.

[Lilith]

I'm sure Eph had very good reasons for inventing AIMhack instead of using an existing tabletop RPG system.

 

as i recall he was originally going to run a campaign in d&d 4e but nobody else had the books. that isn't such an issue for 3.5 on account of the srd existing and all

[Alorael at Large]

The other major problem, in my experience, is that D&D is a fairly clunky ruleset in many ways. It handles combat, but not quickly, and other things are a mixed bag. Considering how everything slows down when you're playing online instead of face to face I can see how a streamlined ruleset was appealing/necessary.

 

—Alorael, who can see many alternative rules that he'd prefer, but most aren't free. Fate is, though, and so's Lady Blackbird. But if you can make D&D work, more power to you. It's certainly a very robust ruleset for doing what it does, and it's not lacking for supporting materials.

[Ouroboros]

As usual I'm interested in playing

[Actaeon]

BM- do you think you can make the time difference work? Also, do you have any experience with D&D or will you need an overview?

 

The other major problem, in my experience, is that D&D is a fairly clunky ruleset in many ways. It handles combat, but not quickly, and other things are a mixed bag. Considering how everything slows down when you're playing online instead of face to face I can see how a streamlined ruleset was appealing/necessary.

 

Honestly, I think I just miss working with something I know well. As a DM, it's handy to be able to have that to fall back on. I still dream of an online system with a built in interface, but that's coming along slowly.

[Jerakeen]

I haven't played D&D since high school, which was... er, a long time ago. I might be interested, but how does online play actually work?

[Actaeon]

I tried using Skype but discovered that chat makes things easier to keep track of. I'd probably do the same thing I did with RotS- use CalRef's Roleplay Channel. Guests are disabled right now, but Sy can allow them for a while if people are unwilling to get an account. It has a built in dice roller, allows private messages, nicknames, image embeds... Pretty much anything but the character sheets and the battle maps, both of which can be handled using Google Docs.

[Ouroboros]

BM- do you think you can make the time difference work? Also, do you have any experience with D&D or will you need an overview?

 

I don't really have any experience with D&D (Except for the watered down version like NWN) so I will need an overview (maybe). As for the time difference based on previous sessions I could only attend during friday and saturday (in your time).

[Actaeon]

Well, we have a potential player in Thailand, so it might be worth it to make it work. I'd be happy to go over D&D via message, chat, what have you. For someone who's done other RPG's, it shouldn't be too hard. Jerakeen, same goes for you if you need a refresher.

 

Characters should be level seven, with at least one level of the custom prestige class. I have some house rules on abilities (they should add up to 77) and HP (2/3 of the max possible, calculated before constitution bonus) which I can elaborate on if someone wants to start character building.

 

Edit: Here's a sample battle map to illustrate how I run combat. It's rough, but I prefer the ease of drawing on the fly to prettier but more confined systems like rollD20.

[Jerakeen]

That sounds cool, but the 3.5 character sheets look a lot more complicated than I remember. I'd probably have to approach it as a complete novice, which might not be much fun for anyone in an online game. I should probably look around for a local group and see if I can get back into it in person.

[BJ Back From the Beyond]

I might be interested, but I've never played D&D. How long do you expect this campaign to run?

[Actaeon]

It usually depends on the group. A determined group could probably blow through it in five or six sessions, while eight or nine seems more likely.

[Rya.Reisender]

The other major problem, in my experience, is that D&D is a fairly clunky ruleset in many ways. It handles combat, but not quickly, and other things are a mixed bag. Considering how everything slows down when you're playing online instead of face to face I can see how a streamlined ruleset was appealing/necessary.

 

—Alorael, who can see many alternative rules that he'd prefer, but most aren't free. Fate is, though, and so's Lady Blackbird. But if you can make D&D work, more power to you. It's certainly a very robust ruleset for doing what it does, and it's not lacking for supporting materials.

I always create my own rulesets based on how the game is played. I agree that if you play online, everything is slow (especially if everybody is online at a different time, meaning only one post per day) and D&D isn't really suited for such play at all. Requires much faster-paced rulesets that for example allow to queue combat commands. Not to mention that I prefer rulesets you can learn in 1-2 hours. =3

[Actaeon]

Everyone who signed on for the campaign for sure was already familiar with the system- which says something. I've run one D&D campaign online before and it didn't seem all that much more clunky than AIMhack to me, but we'll see how this goes. Thanks for the input, all. Hopefully I'll be able to unveil ORPHEUS sometime in 2014.