Character and World Creation

Let this be the thread of discussing our characters and the world in which they live!

The Dragon Empire as a setting is a framework made to be built upon and altered in whatever manner we choose. Here is the "canon" history of the world and its Icons.

-The Age before Ages: The land that would become the Empire is ruled by the Wizard King, an immensely powerful mage. He is a tyrant, and is overthrown by the man who would become the first Emperor. The First Emperor had the aid of the Dwarf King, Elf Queen, and Great Gold Wyrm in his stuggle. The Elves create the orcs and the first Orc Lord, whose savage armies crush the Wizard King in battle. The fall of the Wizard King marks the beginning of the First Age and the Dragon Empire.

-The First Age: The Archmage, the most powerful Wizard in the world after the Wizard King, declares his allegiance to the Empire. He shows this by banishing all the sea monsters out from the Midland Sea. Half-elves start being born to non-mixed parents in significant numbers. The Emperor and Elf Queen, both mystified, declare that it is a sign of the deep bond of friendship between the races. The deposed Wizard King uses forbidden magic to become an undead monstrosity: the Lich King. The existence of the Orc Lord's army threatens the nascent Empire, and the two forces go to war. The Empire barely scrapes through, but the Orc Lord is slain and his army scattered across the distant north. This war proves the Empire is able to stand on its own, and marks the end of the First Age.

Sometime between the First and Twelfth Ages.
-The first High Druid appears, declaring war on the Empire and the Archmage for continuing the Wizard King's practices of controlling nature with arcane magic.
-The Lich King kills the Great White Wyrm and animates him as an undead slave.
-The (first?) Diabolist appears, luring many to her cult with promises of power through demonic magic. Soon after she appears, the Abyss opens up, threatening a flood of demons into the world.
-The Great Red Wyrm "helps" by laying waste to the southern frontier of the Empire near the Abyss, creating the desert known as the Red Wastes.
-The Crusader first appears. The chosen harbinger of the gods of darkness, he possess the power to subjugate demons and hellholes (blots of demonic incursion into reality) to his will. Despite his declared intent to conquer the entire world once the demons are purged from reality, he and his army are accepted as champions of the Empire.
-The Great Gold Wyrm throws himself into the Abyss to stop the demon invasion. An order of paladins inspired by him establishes a fortress on the edge of the Abyss to stop any demons that manage to slip by.
-In a massive storm from the wild Iron Sea, the city of Highrock collapses into the ocean.

-The Twelfth Age: a zombie plague spreads across the Empire. Unlike normal zombies, these are able to kill with a single bite, and anyone they kill becomes a zombie themselves. Too unorganized to be a Lich King army, the Diabolist is blamed. The Great Blue Wyrm offers to use her sorcery to augment the Empire's magical wards in exchange for the province of Highrock. The Dwarf King offers to mass-produce dwarven forgeborn servants to build an army immune to undead infection. These new warforged are incredibly effective, and crush the zombies.
A never-before-seen icon, the Priestess, appears, claiming to be the voice of the gods of light. Her ascension galvanizes the Imperial legion and throws the undead into disarray, bringing the Deadwar to a decisive end. The vast majority of warforged are put into magical stasis, to prevent the existence of a gigantic standing army destabilizing Imperial politics and relations.

-The 13th Age: Today. A new Orc Lord appears, building a vast army in the far north and declaring his intent to conquer the Empire. The practice of purchasing warforged out of stasis has begun. Some are purchased to be fashionable servants, some are purchased to serve as personal guards, some are purchased to serve as laborers, and a few are purchased and then freed by abolitionists. The Priestess has made a controversial proclamation declaring that warforged have souls, and canonized a warforged hero. The warforged question, the threat of the Orc Lord, and the eternal enemies of the Lich King, the High Druid, and demonkind all threaten to destabilize the Empire.

The Icons of the Empire:

The Icons are the most powerful beings in the known world. They are not gods, though some are worshipped as such.

The Archmage: The most poweful mortal wizard in the world. He maintains the magical wards that keep the sea monsters out of the Midland Sea, keeps the weather generally mild, magically extends the Emperor's lifespan, and other vital functions. There have been a number of Archmages, all loyal allies of the Emperor.

Crusader: The chosen hand of the gods of darkness. Has the ability to brand demons to serve him until his magic destroys them from within. Despite his vocal intent to conquer the world, he and his paladins are close allies of the Empire's war on witches and demonkind.

Diabolist: The most powerful witch (demon mage) in the Empire, this Icon is very secretive. No one is sure if there has only been one Diabolist or a succession of several. She runs an insidious cult that promises great sorcerous power to those who serve her. She summons demons to do her bidding in the world, claiming that witchcraft is just another form of magic to be studied. She has neither denied nor claimed responsibility for the zombie plague.

Dwarf King: The ruler of all dwarfkind. He claims the right to all lands under the earth. The dwarves were exiled from Underhome through a succession of wars with the dark elves and monsters from the deep. The Emperor owes him for the warforged and the continued defense of the north border and he knows it. The current King and the Elf Queen are currently on good terms, but no one holds a grudge better than a dwarf.

The rest to come.

The Elf Queen: Ruler of the three shards of elfkind: The dark (or silver) elves, high (or light) elves, and wood (or gray/green) elves. All elves are accepted in polite society, even if the dark elves do make it hard sometimes. Unlike the Dwarf King, the current Elf Queen is the same individual all the way back to the Age Before Ages - a claim that many dispute, since there are records of multiple Elf Queens and even Kings. All elves have a mystical bond to the Elf Queen, and therefore to all other elves. The Elf Queen is able to visit her kindred in their dreams, to make requests, provide insight, or even just be a calming presence in troubled times.

The Emperor: The living heart of the Dragon Empire. Mortal, but extremely long-lived thanks to the Archmage. Has close ties to the Archmage, Dwarf King, and Elf Queen, and more recently the Priestess and the Crusader. Represents order, stability, and civilization to the citizens of his Empire. The current Emperor ascended to the throne relatively recently, and some are worried if he can handle the many threats facing the Empire.

The Great Gold Wyrm: The first of the gold dragons, and the only Great Metallic Wyrm of relevance on the world stage. Physically and spiritually holding shut the gates of the Abyss to prevent demonic incursion into reality. Sends dreams and messages to worthy heroes and the leaders of the Golden Order, his paladin followers. A significant minority of citizens worship him as a god, a fact which he has neither confirmed nor denied. This has created some internal strife in the Golden Order and put them at odds with the Priestess, a would-be ally.

High Druid: The High Druid is the mortal representative of Nature, an enemy of the Archmage, and to a lesser extent, the Emperor. The High Druids of the past have not always been Icon-level, but the new one is immensely powerful and holds her territory very near the Empire's southern border. So far the Empire has not bothered her, as her followers have mostly been fighting demons and her sheer presence has made farms across the southern half of the Empire healthier and miraculously replenished the Dwarf King's mines. But she has only recently come to power, and the cold war with the Empire may turn hot once again.

The Lich King: Probably the most powerful wizard in the world, period. Formerly the Wizard King, the tyrant who ruled the land of which the Dragon Empire is the heart. All intelligent undead pay him at least token respect. Lives on the island of Necropolis in the center of the Midland Sea. Many wards exist around the shore to prevent an undead incursion from the island, but these have yet to be tested by a mass invasion. The One-Eyed King wants nothing more than to regain the throne he was cast out of countless years ago.

Orc Lord: The first orcs were created by the elves to fight the Wizard King. They brought him down and threatened to destroy the nascent Empire until the first Orc Lord was killed. Orcs have been a persistent nuisance since, establishing spawn pits (think Lord of the Rings) and creating infestations on the frontier, but now thst they are united under a second Orc Lord, the civilized Icons tremble and each hope it will be another who faces his wrath. While the first orc army was entirely orcs, this new horde is made up of a multitude of races, and not just monsters like gnolls and goblins.

The Priestess: The chosen voice of the gods of light, and an entirely new Icon. Her arrival is believed to have marked the end of the Deadwar. Resonspible for a new massive surge in faith and an Empire-wide religious revival. Has taken the city of Santa Cora as her home, and begun the construction of the Cathedral, a vast, ever-growing, ever-changing temple where every faith is encouraged. Is cordial with the Crusader for the sake of the Empire, but the two have been very vocal about their absolute loathing of the other. Tense with the Great Gold Wyrm, as her arrival stymied the worship of the ancient dragon.

The Prince of Shadows: The greatest thief in the world, capable of stealing literally anything. Priceless jewels, ancient treasures, secret dreams, and lost hopes. No one has provably met him, though plenty claim it. No one can even be sure if he is a he. No one knows his schemes or ultimate goals, leading some to believe he does the impossible things he does just for fun. He has a soft spot for those who know what they want and go get it - that is, adventurers. All rogues and thieves respect the Prince to some degree as the master of their trade. The Prince is a romantic hero to some, a pawn of darkness to others, and countless things to countless more. That's the way he likes it.

The Three: A triumverate of three of the first chromatic (evil) dragons in the world. The three of them together would be no match for the Great Gold Wyrm, but he's stuck in a hole in the ground and the Three are sitting pretty. The Great Black Wyrm is the leader of a fanatical cult of spies and assassins who ensure that her interests - her greed, in particular - are served across the Empire. The Great Red Wyrm is destruction incarnate, spreading death and chaos in his wake. He fosters his own cult, but they have a very high turnover rate. He operates well outside the Empire to avoid bringing down the entire Imperial war machine, but his presence can be felt even a continent away. The Blue has actually made herself an indispensable part of Imperial politics. In exchange for her help with the zombie plague, she became the official Imperial Governor of Highrock, now known as Drakkenhall. In a fairly short time, Drakkenhall has become a bustling, if squalid metropolis where any and all races (except orcs) are welcome. Everyone is waiting to find out what the Blue's long game is, especially the Emperor, but so far she has proven a loyal subject of the Empire and the citizens of Drakkenhall are getting used to being ruled by an ancient evil sorceress.

Those are our Icons! If you have any more questions about the setting, you can ask me or just come up with your own answer! We will collaborate to get everyone's vision of the world lined up.

Wow, that's quite a bit of lore. Thanks! It seems that history has been shaped by the Icons.
For my character, I was thinking of a Forgeborn ex-gladiator bought as a bodyguard to a dwarf artist. After a time, the artist gets sick and knows he will die and so let's my character free.

I'm going to create a halfling cleric. Should have it done tonight.

I am gonna make a human fighter. An older gentleman, likely an ex-soldier. Before I get him posted here I need to see to the sheet. Should be done by tonight.

Are we doing and expansion classes?
If so then I will be doing Commander

Okay so my sheet is finished as far as I know. Let me know if anything needs to be edited.

13 True Ways is absolutely permitted! But if you're already done, I'll give it a looksee.

It's gonna be tomorrow morning before I get a chance to finish my character sheet. Just thought I'd let y'all know.

Any idea on when this game is going to be starting?

Once we get everyone's character sheets in and complete. Afraid I can't give a better timetable than that. Hopefully soonish?

It looks like I still need my "One Unique Thing" and finish up my background skills, but I'm pretty stumped on that. Those are of course the new things from this system that I'm unfamiliar with.

Think about what sort of jobs your character has had. From what we know of your background, you've been a gladiator, a bodyguard, and presumably a soldier from the Deadwar. Slap an adjective or two on there and you have three backgrounds. Granted, there might be some overlap since they all involve fighting, but each involves certain skills that the others don't.

The One Unique Thing is all you. What makes you different from every other warforged that was brought out of cold storage to be a VIP's bodyguard? You seem to have had a good relationship with your former master, hence why he (?) freed you upon his death.

If I may, also consider that the One Unique Thing is like a story hook for your character that the GM can use. You want it to set your character apart, but in a way that the GM can use it to help facilitate a story. If I'm off the mark let me know, but that's how I understood the One Unique Thing.

Thanks for the tips! I'll try to crank something out soon.

This sheet was the first time I've Made a 13th age character. Let me know if I did it properly.

Ok I think I got it. One of the backgrounds seems off to me but I think that's because I'm used to playing with min/max'ing murder hobos. Not that there's anything wrong with that playstyle, but I'm hoping this is different.

Will review once I can sit down in front of a computer tonight.

Okay, I've reviewed the sheets and here's what I have to say. These comments by no means reflect negatively on you; you're all just starting to learn the ins and outs of the system.

unique_exemplar:
-Your defenses aren't quite right. You seem to have gotten that you need to find the median of the relevant stats, but forgot to add your level for each. Also, fighter base AC is 15 if they're in heavy armor, +1 with a shield - and you're practically walking heavy armor.
-HP should be 33. (8+CON mod)x3
-Backgrounds need to have numerical values; +1, +2, etc. You have 8 points to distribute between them. These are what you add to skill checks, along with level and appropriate modifiers.
-Instead of Longbeard Thane, the Icon should be the Dwarf King.
-The things you listed as Feats are actually Talents, and Heavy Blows, Brace for It, and Carve an Opening are Powers. Think of your feat as an upgrade point; it unlocks a perk connected to one of your Powers or Talents.
-Add your STR mod to your melee damage, and you deal damage on a melee miss equal to your level.
-Still need a ranged attack.
-I suggest a little more gear.
-Just a clarifying question: are these hidden compartments extradimensional, or mundane? Does Golo know why he has them/who built them into him?

caledoniaman:
-Quick to Fight is a Power, not a Talent.
-Don't forget to add Level to your defenses.
-Because of Deadeye Archer, your longbow should deal 1d10+2 and deal miss damage equal to level.
-Not a problem, but I noticed that both your feats are from the general feats section. That's fine, but don't forget you have special fighter feats that can modify your fighter Talents and Powers.
-I'm curious about your Unique. How did Slammer (real name or nickname) meet the champion of the Lord of Undeath himself in a tavern? and how did he win that fight? I like this guy already, tell us a little more about him.
-Your negative Lich King relationship is pretty obvious; how did Slammer get a positive relationship with the Emperor?

Nikcollini:
-HP should be (7+CON mod)x3. So, 30.
Don't forget to add your Level to all your defenses
-Quick to Fight is a power.
-Having the full Icon list isn't necessary, but it is a nice touch.
-What did Lucas do to get this mage mad at him? I assume the loss of his money is why he returned to a life of the sword, or does it just delay his retirement?
-What deeds has Lucas done to earn a positive relationship with the Great Gold Wyrm and his paladins?

Phill_Ozzy_Fer
-You forgot to add Level to your AC.
-You have 8 recoveries, not 5.
-Evasive is a power, not a feat. Also, the little C means that upgrade feat is for Champion tier. Check the entries for your Powers and Talents, it should say what the feat options are at Adventurer tier. Feats are usually perks that modify abilities you already have.
-1st level clerics get 4 spells per full heal-up, plus Heal for free. Go ahead and nab three more spells.
-Where does the extra +1 come from in your attack rolls? Also, don't forget your miss damage with the dagger and your damage on your ranged attack.
-Can you tell us a little bit about your god(s)? Go nuts; all pantheons, real and fictional are viable in the 13th Age. The domains and the negative Lich King relationship imply some sort of sun god, but I don't want to assume.
-What prophecy or mandate has Benedic been chosen to fulfill? Was he chosen directly by his god, or by the mortal higher-ups in the order? Does he resent or appreciate his duty and status as fulfiller? Is his status a secret?

Feel free to PM me the answers I ask if you really want them to be secret, otherwise I prefer we share in this thread. Once we get these points addressed and I get to "interview" these characters for juicy plot hooks, we should be ready to begin!

Is there a place to answer these questions on the sheet or do I just need to tell you here?

Either or both, really. There's a Notes section at the bottom of the sheet that I like to use for personal background purposes, but if you's rather just post the whole thing in the thread for reference and use the Notes space for notes, I'd support you in that endeavor.