OOC Thread

Welcome new players!

Hi friends, looking forward to our game!

Hello! Thanks for the invite, GM.

A quick note: I complained a little in my application about over-long RPing the "meeting in the tavern". To be clear, this is a minor nit, and I'll be perfectly happy to RP my cleric indulging in ale and comraderie at the tavern. A couple of games.I started un didn't get much past that, so it was something that came to mind. Whatever the GM and the group wants is fine with me.

Question about divine magic:

How do the people and the government view divine spellcasing? Arcane magic is licensed and controlled. Does divine spellcasting worry the government? Do they seek to control, discourage, or encourage it? Are divine casters of different faiths viewed differently? What percentage of clergy in the two main churches can actually cast spells vs those that are just mundane religious leaders?

The Duke's Stance on Matters of Faith

It would be politically unwise for the Duke to interfere in religious matters. The Church of Thyatis is a well-established and influential institution with many many millions of followers beyond Karameikos. As a wealthy and powerful organization with armed holy orders directly accountable to the Holy Father, the Church operates independently of the Duke’s authority. The Church is also the state religion of the Empire of Thyatis, arguably the most powerful human Empire in the known world. Any attempt to interfere or regulate the Church’s activities would be met with severe consequences. Even the hypothetical denial of the Duke’s right to confess and perform penance could place his soul in jeopardy, leaving him at risk of eternal limbo.

Regulating the Faith of the Taldarans is equally inadvisable. The Taldarans comprise 95% of the population, repressing their beliefs would only create unrest and provide a rallying point against the Duke’s rule. The Taldaran Faith is also largely regarded as peaceful and benign. When the Duke first arrived in Karameikos, there were no zealots rising against him. The Faith is non-confrontational by nature. Unlike the strict and hierarchal structure of the Church of Thyatis, the Taldaran Faith lacks central authority or hierarchy, making it inherently difficult to control.

On a personal level, the Duke has no desire to meddle in spiritual matters, preferring to leave religious choices to individuals—as long as their teachings remain non-hostile to his rule. Presently, he does not perceive any such threats from either the Church or the Taldaran Faith.

Interfaith Relations

The Church of Thyatis views the Taldaran Faith as a collection of superstitious idolaters. Thyatian doctrine holds that all Taldarans are destined for limbo unless they repent and join the "one true Church." This belief has driven aggressive proselytizing efforts among the population, though these efforts have yet to yield significant conversions.

In contrast, the Taldaran Faith takes a more accepting stance toward other religions. While its followers see the Church of Thyatis as authoritarian and repressive, they respect individual Thyatian priests who demonstrate compassion, devotion, and genuine goodwill. The current Patriarch, Olliver Jowett, is particularly well-regarded and even admired by many Taldarans. The Faith emphasizes judging individuals by their deeds and generally maintains an unbiased perspective.

The Elves, however, view both religions as misguided. Their isolationist approach to spirituality keeps them largely uninvolved in interfaith matters.

Spellcasting Among Clergy

Determining the exact percentage of clergy capable of spellcasting is tricky. According to the Gazetteer, any noteworthy priest is presumed to possess spellcasting abilities. That doesn't imply that all clergy are spellcasters. Many serve as mundane religious leaders or have low-level spellcasting abilities.

As a general rule, I'd say approximately one in four clergy members is likely to cast spells. Those who can cast spells are often considered truly devout, occupying significant positions within their respective faiths. The majority of clergy, however, contribute in non-magical roles.

You can use this thread to roll for your character abilities.
I'm searching for a character sheet template we can use for this game. I didn't like the one in the Public Repository all too much, so I might end up creating a new one. It will probably take me a few days to get around to it, however.

So, for a human that's 4d6 seven times, drop the lowest, arrange to suit? Here goes nuthin'...

Well, now. That there's a nice set of average rolls. And away we go.

William Winter, Human Fighter!

Str 15 (16) (17) (18)
Int 11 (9)
Wis 14 (12) (10)
Dex 12
Con 11
Cha 8

AC 17
Hp 8

Languages - Thyatian, Traladarn

Proposed Skills - Armorer (Int), Hunting (Wis), Military History (Int), Riding (Dex)

Armor - Plate Mail, Shield
Weapons - Sword, Mace, Dagger, (4) Javelins
Other Gear - Backpack, standard rations, rope, lg sack, tinder box, (6) torches, waterskin, 10 gp

I got rid of the clutter on the main forum. There was an issue that prospective players couldn't see the subforums and all the setting threads, so I had to move them out of the subforums. but now that the core group of players are part of the game that is no longer a problem.

Im still working on a char template. Will post something basic tonight.

Good Morning everyone! Glad to be joining, I will be playing Anton Rybakov, Human Apprentice Mage with the Magicians Guild of Karameikos. Going to roll some stats, wish me luck!

Edit: So looks like

STR: 9 (11-2)
DEX: 14
CON: 14
INT: 16 (15+1)
WIS: 9
CHA: 11

Ascending or Descending AC?

I grew up on THAQ0, but I don't want to go back to it ;)
We will use Ascending AC.

Thumbs up.

I created a character template and posted it on the char creation thread. It is...ugly, but functional. If anyone wants to take a stab at it and try to improve it, they'll be most welcome. I see some of you have already rolled for your attributes, if there is anyone who is unhappy about his roll, don't hesitate to PM me and we will figure something out.

I am trying to wrap my mind around Skills, are there a set limit to these? Also, what does this mean, "and are always tied to one specific attribute" does this mean that if I choose a skill based on Intelligence, that all my skills have to be based off Intelligence?

Might ‘strength bows’ be a thing in our game? And if so, would they have a cost over and above list price of a regular bow? Asking for a friend.

Another inane question sincere inquiry please, are we using what the system calls ‘variable weapon damage’? Meaning, sword does 1d8, dagger does 1d4, etc, versus what is evidently the default, which seems to be that everything does 1d6 on a hit. I want to say that’s a throwback to very early editions of the game.
Neat to get back with all the retro stuff.

Starting gold

Question: Does a cleric have a holy symbol as part of being a cleric? Or do they have to buy one for 25 gp?

Hi All,
I will start by rolling the dice and follow up by posting a character sheet.