DnD 5e: My first homebrew!

Okay so while I have been a ST for close to a decade, I have only just discovered dnd 5e in the last few months. I did play some 3.5 back in the day but the crunch threw me off. Since discovering 5e though, I have fallen in love with it and the wealth of materials and advice for it has helped my grow so much as a GM. I have been watching things like webdm, listening to podcasts and reading voraciously. I also have to say the people on this site have been amazing.

With all that said though, I still learn best by doing, so I would like to start a homebrew game. The elevator pitch is that you find yourself in a world that is in a transition between no to low magic, as the gods return to the world (I'll be using the Book of the Righteous for the pantheon with my own not insubstantial tweaks). The non-human races are emerging into the world and find a human society that is at a stage of development roughly comparable to the Renaissance. You would begin your adventure in the Floating City of Esterwyn, a major port city renown for its entertainment and merchant districts, which takes its inspiration from Venice. It is the capital city of the Tasmara city-state and major power of the Gabresia continent. The game will have two major arcs 1-10 will be a low magic setting where the PCs will help races establish relationships, form their societies and cope with magic returning to the world. Arc 11-20 you will be in a high magic society that we will develop together based on your choices in the first arc. There will be a brief limbo session between as well.

The GMing style I would like to try for this game is a little different to how I normally do it and will be very improv and character driven, so if I do this right there shouldn't be a railroad in sight. There are no restrictions on class or race but do keep in mind that a human fighter will have a very different experience to an elven wizard.

I will be away for the next couple of days but will be back to check on the interest. Ideally, I'm not looking for any more than half a dozen or so people. Anyone that gave me advice about how to approach building the setting will have the first pick, as a thank you! If you are keen, think of a race class combo that you'd like and when I get back we'll start a session zero of sorts to discuss the implications of the choice for the world, group and your character. So let me know if you want to take part!

This sounds super interesting! Sort of like Shadowrun's Awakening happening in the Renaissance. I'd be interested to play. Will all the standard races and classes from 5e be permissible?

Yeah, basically you can have any race/class combination you want that comes from the 5e published material. Your choice will just have consequences on how you are perceived in the game and what the attitudes towards your race will be in the second arc. Depending on what your choice is as well, you will also have control over the emergence of your race in the first arc, how they approach humanity, how they establish their society etc. In the second arc, it will be all about how that society evolved. So all the players will have a chance to world build and really put their own spin on their races and classes.

I've never been a big fan of 5e but that's probably because I haven't played enough of it. You're ideas seem intriguing, nothing like any other D&D game of any edition that I've ever played. I was curious about your idea of a floating city. I assume you mean that it's floating on water, almost being overtaken by water. I've seen too much of floating cities that are floating through the skies. I assume you mean that the first part of the game will take players from level 1 through level 10 at which point magic will grow in power. That makes me want to create a character that starts out as a non-magic user or a divine caster and then move later to a magical spell casting role. Sounds like a Mystic Theurge to me. When I see the game go up I will apply.

Very cool. I'm down! Are the races "emerging" from humanity (e.g. are humans metamorphosing into the new races) or emerging from some other realm? How are they coming into the world?

Oh man, I have so many questions! Happy to brainstorm ideas as well if that would be helpful.

The concept sounds intriguing, consider me interested.

I think this sounds fun. I always love helping build the world I'm playing in. Count me in.

Well they have more been gone from the world for a very long time and for some reason they have started reappearing and are coming back into contact with humanity. I will give you more specifics when I know the races you are all choosing.

I'll be sticking with human. He would be primarily a preistly type of whatever deity is common in the region but with an abiding interest in magic. Since I'm not totally familiar with 5e, I'm not sure if he would be going with a prestige class (those apparently do not exist in 5e) or with a multi-class with Cleric being primary and Wizard being secondary by a long way. I will try to delve into the rules to see how that will work.

You could do the Arcane Domain from the Sword Coast Adventure guide. That would prevent you from having to multiclass, though that is still an option.

I gotta find a way to download the SCA guide pdf. Everything I look at wants me to go somewhere else to download it or download something else first. I'm not going to do that. I just want to click on something and read the pdf without downloading it to my HD.

And I would require approval from Whistler first before I could use that. I've got something up about the Arcane Domain but I don't know if that would fit his world.

No issue with that at all. You would be a follower of the God of Magic, Knowledge and Truth. You would be one of a handful of his followers, given that he has just returned to the world with his brethren. Given the limited number of followers that he has you would have a very intimate relationship. Also given the campaign revolves around magic, it shouldn't be surprising that he will be a key figure in the campaign. Sound good?

I've had a deep gnome eldritch knight concept swirling in my head, would love to give it a try. They do get access to magic at level 1, would that seriously change your plans?

No not at all but we'll need to have a chat about what deep gnome society looks like. Keep in mind though that finding the bits and bobs to actually cast the spells will be challenging until the second arc.

I'm thinking about making a wood elven druid.

Sounds good. One thing to note about magic is how certain races (such as gnomes, tieflings, and others) can innately cast some spells which require no material components or focus.

That's find and still fits in with the idea of the setting but I was just giving you a heads up about the material components.

No worries. You and any other PC would be the only elves on the plane though as a heads up.

I'd be up for joining if you still up for new players. I'm thinking of playing some kind of Warlock, not sure if I want to play something from the 'elsewhere from whence magic is returning' and who tries to spread that return, or a native who heard the call just before the event who is an early adopter.

Maybe a bit of both, and be a warforged from the time when magic was around who has been reactivated by the return of magic. Might give you the opportunity to flesh out the old times...

I'm fine if you want to join.

Huzzah I'll play!

I have to say I wasnt expecting a warforged. That will be fine, just so long as you know that you wont know any more about the previous magical time as anyone else. It'd ruin the endgame somewhat :p

Sure it could be a factory reset sort of thing. I could just RP growing familiarity.

I like the idea of a factory reset so to speak and that will be fine, what class were you thinking?

Probably warlock, cause I like the idea of being a servant to the returning powers.

When will we see a game page up?

Honestly as soon as I come up with a name for the game. I'm happy to take suggestions. If you want to start your characters feel free. We'll roll for stats since I feel you come up with more interesting characters that way. If you want to roll your stats in this thread feel free. There are a few things to consider for your backstory below:

DarkReaver: You'd be the only elf in existence at the moment. Think about how you woke, where that was and how long you spent there before deciding to come to Esterwyn.

Somebox: There would be a small deep gome community in the Underdark. At this point its a pretty save place to be. Think about what that communitu looks like, where it is situated and how it survives.

Aldrusian: We already had a bit of a chat.

Genisisect: You'd also be the only one of your kind. I'd imagine questions like who made you and for what purpose would plauge you.

Jovian83: Still waiting for a race/class combo from you.

I'm toying with the idea of an Aasimar paladin, with one of two possible concepts. In the first, my character would have grown up thinking he was entirely human. As magic creeps back into the world he would start having dreams and visions that eventually lead him into a relationship with whatever the god of good/life/healing is in your mythos. Someone like Lathander in the Forgotten Realms setting. The character would be from a poorer family. I imagine his mom was fatally ill and as part of his awakening to his heritage and his god he healed her. That was his first spark of magic. Now he's in the service of his god and presaging his return.

An alternative story line: He's native to the plane of his god and was sent as a herald to his return. He's freshly arrived in this plane and getting his feet wet with the local culture. He's slightly... horrified at the state of the humans he finds. Greedy, selfish, cruel. He's not entirely sure his god is wise to seek them out.

I'd go with the second concept. Its a better fit for the race in the setting. There is no real god of good/life, those are too broad. Tell you what though. Given the concept, I'd imagine he'd have a fairly good run down of the patheon. I'll shoot you a PM with a run down of the pantheon but you'll need to keep it to yourself. The gods have sworn you to secrecy before sending you to the mortal plane. I'd also suggest rather than serve any one god directly hes a member of the celestial host that serves them all.

Actually to further evolve it, I could see you being an angel that was in their host but when you came to the mortal plane you became an Aasimar and you lost all knowledge of your previous existence. That would bring your level of knowledge in line with the other players.

Board's up even if it sounds like a bad video game.

Are you still accepting players for this? I really like the concept of the transitioning world, and looking at how the established society and its structures would adapt to the introduction of magic.

Given the characters already established, I'd be interested in playing a Human Wizard. A scholar who was fascinated by old treatises on magic, who in their investigations into the occult discovered that some of those musty old rituals were actually starting to function again. Now that there are stories of the "old races" returning and strange magical events happening, they're rapidly becoming a de-facto investigator of paranormal phenomena.

I'll apply for the game - if you've still got space, let me know! :)

I'm interested in joining this game, if you're still accepting players.

I have no issue with that Kadeton. Moonbeam what race/class would you be looking for?

A human sorcerer, perhaps? The return of the gods somehow confers unexpected magical powers that she now has to accept and learn to live with.

That will work. I can take on 7 rather than 6. Go ahead and apply.

Everyone has been accepted. Can you remind me how to access the board? I'll create a session zero space and we can start chatting about characters, my approach as a DM etc.

Click on the "Forums" link at the top of the page. The forums for the games you are participating it would be lower on the page.

Thanks for that :)

The session zero board is up. Lets move the cpnversation over there.

I don't see the game. All I see is Iron Blossoms which sounds like a much different game. I had my grandsons with me yesterday and this morning so didn't have a chance to log in the find anything. Did you open something, accept a bunch of people and close it before I could see it?

Maybe? Let me check something.

Okay worked out what is happening. We hit the limit I set regarding players. Does anyone know how I can increase it?

Sad I missed out on this one, it sounds great. Have fun you guys!

In your Game Details page, near the top, hit "Edit" and you can increase or decrease the player limit.

I believe that invited players can go above that limit, so if you'd rather invite someone that's an alternative.

I'm on California time so I'm guessing everyone else is east of me. I will check in first thing in the morning, about 7 am my time, to see if there is anything for me to accept or submit.

@Remus: I'm sorry to say you have but if someone drops out I'll let you kmow!

@Cancerman: Thanks mate! Still finding my way around the site.

@Aldrusian: I sent you an invite, let me know how you go.

I've started to put together my character but I don't see an invitation anywhere. I'll be up for another hour and will check back here before I nod off.

Does anyone else get a lot of email notifications saying somebody made a new post to a thread, but when you follow the link, there are no posts you haven't already seen?

I've seen posts like that but never from this site.

Check the time stamps. Sometimes emails take the long way around