Welcome!

Moofsalot, on this page you will find links to the Players Basic Rules -- that has everything you really need to know. Since you last played 3.5 you'l be happy to know 5th edition is in the vein of 3.5 meets AD&D, and doesn't take very much (if anything) from 4th edition. So it should be a relatively easy system to pick up based on what you've got in your background. We'll help you along as needed :) For now, pick a race, pick a class and get a character together. You'll be level 2 (shhhh don't tell everyone they're levelling up after this fight ;))

https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/basicrules

PS: Everyone you're levelling up to level 2 once this fight is over. So think about that :)

Looks like you're bringing a rogue! Great.

So, I need one more thing from you for character creation - we need to get you tied in. Here's the primary hook that the party is about to receive -- a lead on some sweet treasure in an abandoned castle. Why do they contact you and get you involved and who in the group suggests you (i.e. that already knows you) or how do they find out about you? (a rogue makes this hook conveniently easy to work with!).

Hiya Moofsalot!

Certainly they know me by my reputation, but which? My stunning good looks, my wit, my deadly precision with a rapier? All of these are dwarfed (no pun intended, Rurik) by my ability to acquire that which is hidden or locked away. The more forbidden, the more dangerous, the better. Perhaps this is what ultimately led to one member of this group to call for me?

(ie I have no idea but am open to suggestions!)

Rurik has long sought dark and forbidden lore to try and lift his curse, mayhap he teamed with a rogue at one point?

Moofsalot, seed some juicy rumours here -- what are two stories that are often told about your character in pubs that this band of travelers might have overheard which might lead them to think you would be a valuable asset (feel free to embellish, these are pub stories after all!)... and Rurik, pick one of those and retell the story from Rurik's perspective (the actual truth, you know, because he was there).

Here's how I'm seeing the character intro coming together:

The party is travelling to Elsir Vale and stops at a few inns along the way. They are one party member down (as Reina has left them) and are interested in picking up another companion, and keep hearing rumours about this rogue. They hear one story and Rurik mentions that he thinks he knows her, and that the story is far to embellished. He relays the true tale to the party, and they agree that should they encounter her they'll try and recruit her (then, I'll have the party intersect with her on the road at the very beginning of the first Chapter - so they've decide they will recruit her, then fate brings them together because, as it happens, they're seeking the same loot).

There was the time I stole a dragon's tooth right out of a live dragon's mouth (without it noticing!) or the time I escaped from a camp of barbarians that had captured me and left me chained and dangling over a pit of lava, or the time I convinced Prince Grayson the Third that I was his second cousin twice removed on his great grandfather's side (and was so successful that I got as far as a royal betrothal before that ruse was discovered)... so many stories, who has time to tell them all? Then again, if the ale is free flowing I'm sure I can come up with something...

Nice! Maybe Reina told us about the barbarian story before she split. Wouldn't necessarily have to have been her tribe. We could have been talking about how useful thiefly types are when exploring the world and she could have said "Well, there was this one rogue I heard of once, Xara..."

I love it Grendel, a good torch passing is always nice.

Just joined, thanks for inviting me! I'm bringing in a female Forest Gnome ranger named Pawetha, and I need some help figuring out the Major and Minor bonds.

Pawetha originated from a typical Forest Gnome community, and she contributed work as a woodland scout. She was small, even by Gnomish standards, and as a runt she would often be the target of pranks, ribbing, and questions about her abilities. The years of this incessant teasing whittled away at her naturally mirthful nature until there was nothing left but a short-fused temper (nearly rivaling that of a dwarf) and an almost inherent need to prove herself.

Pawetha finally left that community, vowing to never return until she had accomplished something worthy and glorious, far larger than her physical size would indicate.

So, while this would explain why she's no longer confined to the forest, I'm left wondering how she would know some of the characters. Perhaps she met up with Zaris while on the road and partnered with the Elf to gather reagents for his spells? Pawetha's Outlander background offers a third language in Dwarvish, perhaps linking her to Rurik's old clan somehow?

Edit: By the way, where do you all find avatars for your characters?

Google and/or deviantart.com.

Welcome! Since Xara is famous in her own mind, perhaps you sought her out?