Waterdeep: City of Splendors

[OnceUponAnAxe]

Eleven o’clock and all’s well — or is it? As apprentices of the City Guard, those in the Night Watch determine just how safe the city really is!

Looking to run a game and get my feet proper wet here on the site. Soooooooo I will be running a module modified to happen in Waterdeep. 

1. What game system are you running (D&D, Call of Cthulu, Palladium, GURPS, etc.), and if applicable what edition (Original, Classic, Revised, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, etc.)? AD&D 2E

2. What 'type' or variant of game will it be (i.e. "Shadow Chasers" or "Agents of Psi" for d20 Modern)? What is the setting for the game (e.g. historic period, published or homebrewed campaign setting, alternate reality, modern world, etc.)? A game of Beginners Beginning. Set in Waterdeep, the City of Splendors!

3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many? 2-5

4. How fast or slow of a pacing do you want to set? Some games require that players post once a day, every three days, or once a week. Let’s try for once a day.

5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)? Level 1, beginners beginning after all!

6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with? Roll your standard, per class or Kit!

7. Are there any particular character classes, professions, orders, etc. that you want... or do not want? What are your rules on 'prestige' and/or homebrewed classes? I will post links to some slightly modified kits for Warriors, Rogues, Wizards, and Clerics from Waterdeep. You can take these and one other Kit if you single class, if you Multiclass you can utilize one Kit only. You may dual class if you choose at any point after level 1.

8. What races, subraces, species, etc. are allowed for your game? Will you allow homebrewed races or species? 'Prestige' races or species? Core Races and Half-Orcs for sure. Variations of these races will likely be allowed as long as they make since. If you can convince me why another race would be attempting to join the City Watch, maybe they can make it in. A lot can be handwaved with a decent backstory.

Humans are allowed a floating +1 to any stat, and one bonus NWP from any category for free.

Half Elves are allowed a +1 to either dex (they take after their elven parent) or +1 cha (they have seen the best and worst of social interaction due to their mixed parentage)

9. By what method should Players generate their attributes/ability scores and Hit Points? 85 pts split between all six stats. No score higher than 18 after racial modifiers.

Max HP at level one + Con bonus

10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so? No restrictions. Make sure you can work as a member of the city watch. Not all cops are good...

11. Do you allow multi-classing, or have any particular rules in regards to it? Multiclassing allowed with the above stipulations

12. Will you be doing all of the die rolling during the course of the game? Will die rolls be altered, or left to the honor system? If players can make die rolls, which ones do they make, how should they make the rolls, and how should they report them? You all will roll for yourselves unless the situation deems a DM roll. I am rolling off screen for monsters/villains to preserve some secrecy.

13. Are there any homebrewed or optional/variant rules that your Players should know about? If so, list and explain them, or provide relevant links to learn about these new rules. Daos’ standard rules and house rules will be in effect the only changes I intend to make are to:
1)Char Gen: follow the procedure above
2) NWP will be followed and purchased in groups as standard. Kits and classes may modify what you are allowed to purchase. Each proficiency costs one slot to purchase.

14. Is a character background required? If so, how big? Are you looking for anything in particular (i.e. the backgrounds all ending up with the characters in the same city)? Something simple to explain your desire to join the City Watch. Give me a couple NPCs to possibly pepper in.

15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above? It will be a mix of it all I suspect.

16. Are your Players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can Players use for their characters? Use the books allowed by Daos. I’ll even allow the kits in Complete Elf.

[OnceUponAnAxe]

Kits for Waterdeep

There is no more cosmopolitan place in all of Faerûn than the City of Splendors. The people who count themselves among the natives of Waterdeep have come from every corner of the world and brought with them the traditions and religions of their original homes. This rich heritage makes the people of Waterdeep unique among all the folk of the Forgotten Realms.

Wizards of Waterdeep

Bonus NWP: Reading/Writing

Special Abilities:
The people of Waterdeep are immersed from birth in the countless customs of a hundred different cultures. They know the music and songs of Cormyr and hear the stories of Sembia’s heroes. They have a fascination for learning and that which is alien. This makes such characters the best of students. In game terms this is reflected by an in- crease in the character’s ability to master proficiencies and spells, and in the requirement of a 9 or higher Wisdom.
Wizards from Waterdeep begin the game with two extra nonweapon proficiency slots. Such a character has six slots when first created, plus any bonus slots received for a high Intelligence score. As the character advances in experience, he receives an additional slot with every two levels, instead of every three as is normally the case.
The wizards also have an increased chance to learn spells. The normal chance that a wizard has to master any new spell he is presented with is defined by his Intel- ligence score, as given on Table 4 in the Player’s Hand- book. When determining his own chance to learn spells, wizards from Waterdeep may add 1 point to their Intelli- gence score. So a Waterdhavian wizard with a 17 Intelli- gence has an 85% chance to learn spells, instead of the 75% chance he would normally have.

Special Disadvantages:
Waterdhavian adventurers are quite possibly the most diverse in terms of their cultural background. Nowhere in the world is one likely to find someone so immersed in the traditions, lore, and knowledge of so many different groups. The great diversity of these experiences, how- ever, has its negative aspects as well.
All characters from Waterdeep suffer a -2 penalty when checking any proficiency. This doesn’t reflect a lack of skill, only that such characters know so many dif- ferent things they tend to have gaps in their knowledge. The minutia that another adventurer might have mas- tered has been known to slip through the cracks because of the informal nature of the training that most folk in Waterdeep receive.

Rogues of Waterdeep:

Bonus NWP: Local History

Special Abilities
The City of Splendors fosters a great diversity among its people, even those of the same alignment and class. Nowhere, however, is this divergence so pronounced as among the rogues of the city.
When a player creates a character with this kit, he is entitled to select proficiencies from the Rogue and Gen- eral groups, but also the player should select one of the other proficiency groups for his character to have ready access to. If the campaign uses the Complete Psionics Handbook, the player may select from the Psionicist group. This expanded choice of proficiencies reflects the great range of experiences a person growing up in Water- deep is likely to have. The player may select one additional NWP at character generation for free.
In addition to his encounters with the common folk of Waterdeep, a young rogue is likely to have dealings with others of his kind. It is a unique individual who doesn’t find himself taken in hand by a more experienced rogue and taught the intricacies of the thieves’ trade. To reflect this training, the player creating a Waterdhavian rogue should select one of the standard thief skills (pick pock- ets, read languages, etc.) as his area of expertise. When- ever the rogue attempts to use this skill, he receives a 15% bonus (to a maximum 95% chance of success).

Special Disadvantages
The great tide of humanity that washes through Water- deep leaves its mark on every citizen of the city. A per- son who grows up there has the chance to make friends from all over the world. Unfortunately, the same chance exists to make enemies.
When a player wishes to create a character with this kit, he must create a second persona who is that charac- ter’s nemesis. The DM is free to dictate any special re- quirements that will be imposed upon the villainous character, but the player should do the majority of the work involved in creating him.
After the player creates the character, the character is turned over to the Dungeon Master and becomes a regular NPC who frequently torments the PC. There is a 5% chance per level of the PC that his rival appears in any given adventure. The rival should advance in level at roughly the same rate as the player.


Warriors of Waterdeep

Bonus NWP: Etiquette

Special Advantages
A warrior of Waterdeep spends a good amount of time in the city, and therefore gets the local history non- weapon proficiency (applicable only to the Waterdeep area) for free.
In addition, the exposure to so many cultures and ideas makes for quite an expansive base of knowledge. Thus, a warrior of Waterdeep may make a proficiency check to attempt a General or Warrior skill even if he does not have the particular nonweapon proficiency. Alternately, if the Waterdhavian is a paladin or ranger, he can also use this for Priest or Wizard skill groups respectively. When attempting a nonweapon proficiency in which the war- rior is not proficient, the proficiency check is rolled, but with a -4 penalty assessed against the appropriate ability score. Note that this penalty is cumulative with the nor- mal modifiers for the appropriate proficiency.
A warrior of Waterdeep may also select any languages indigenous to the surface Realms, human or otherwise, no matter how exotic. Waterdhavians will always have at least Common as a language.
Lastly, a warrior of Waterdeep is not subject to the doubled slot cost for learning additional nonweapon proficiencies outside his initial groups. Note that this bonus does not come into play until after the warrior has begun adventuring. Also, the warrior must find someone willing to teach him the proficiency; these skills, while more easily learned, cannot simply be “picked up” with- out an explanation in a campaign.

Special Disadvantages
As they say, “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” and no one personifies this better than a warrior of Water- deep. There is no danger in using learned skills, but the “intuitive” proficiencies are dangerous. If a warrior gets a 20 on a nonweapon proficiency roll when attempting to try a skill he does not know, it is not only a failure, it’s a potentially catastrophic failure. A failed fire-building at- tempt may set the warrior himself on fire, while a failed tracking attempt may make the warrior think he’s track- ing an orc, until he finds it is actually a vampire!
The Waterdhavian “big city” demeanor is not appre- ciated by more rural folk. When dealing with NPCs in rustic areas, the Waterdhavian suffers a -2 penalty to re- action rolls. In addition, DMs may extend this penalty when the warrior deals with Harpers.
In addition, Calishites are less than impressed with Waterdeep’s extravagant claims. To the average Calishites, their own cities are just as big and splendid, if not more so. When interacting with Calishites, warriors of Waterdeep suffer a -3 penalty to reaction rolls.
Finally, Waterdeep is the gathering area for many of the movers and shakers in the Realms who are on the side of good. In fact, the city is the center of the Lords’ Alliance, a trade-based pact which includes cities such as Silverymoon, Neverwinter, and Baldur’s Gate and vows to oppose the Zhentarim and other evil groups. Or- ganizations such as the Knights of the Shield, the Shadow Thieves, and the Zhentarim will keep a close eye on Waterdhavian warriors, making the assumption that such a warrior is somehow involved with the Lords’ Alliance. This “close eye” can be manifested in the form of a trailing spy, magical surveillance, or even outright capture and interrogation by said groups.

Clerics of Waterdeep

All Faerun Specific Specialty Priests are allowed as of now and may be taken in conjunction with another kit, if single classed.

Specialty Classes and Kits of the Realms

Crusader Priest is allowed
Harper is Allowed
Shadow Walker is Allowed

[Kvard51]

Yep.  Definitely getting in this.  I'll start as some kind of Rogue.  Have to look at kits.

[Daos]

Yeah, I'll join up, too.  Might break out my favorite fighter.

If you give me the name you want to call the game and a brief description of it, I'll set up a sub-forum for it, too.

[OnceUponAnAxe]

Sent you a PM with that info. Thanks. Hope you guys like what I gen Up!

[GreyWolfVT]

I wouldn't mind playing in Waterdeep (again) but I don't want to take up a spot if there are "fresher faces" on the site that have interest.

[Daos]

It occurs to me I should show you guys how to add or remove people from a group.  When running your own game, you'll want to have the power to allow someone in or kick them out without having to wait for me to be online to do it.  Here's the thing, though.  I'm an admin, so I have that power naturally.  So I'm not actually sure how this works for someone who is not an admin.  So you guys will have to let me know if this even works or not, because I don't know.

01.  Click on the profile of the person you want to add or remove from the group.
02.  Click on the tab that reads "Groups."
03.  Look for the name of your group.  OnceUponAnAxe's group is named "Waterdeep" and Greywolf's is named "Hommlet."  Click on "Add this Member to Group" to add them or "Remove from Group" to kick them.  Once added, that person can post normally in your sub-forum.  If removed, they are no longer able to post there (but can still lurk).

If this doesn't work, let me know.

[GreyWolfVT]

Daos it does not appear for a non moderator/admin i just checked but perhaps i was going about it wrong. Though I suspect like other forums you have to make that person a moderator for their game if possible not all forums have this capability (apparently).

[Daos]

I did make you a moderator for your forum, though.  I also made you the leader of your group.  Do you not see a groups tab at all?

[GreyWolfVT]

Yes I do see a groups tab. Ah I got it to work.

[Daos]

Oh, whew.  That is a relief.  I was worried I'd have to be fully responsible for adding and removing people from groups alone.  Good to know each DM can handle that on their own.  That makes things a lot easier.

So Rax has been added to Hommlet now and Kvard51 and GreyWolfVT and myself have been added to Waterdeep now.

[OnceUponAnAxe]

Yes, I added you boyos as soon as you explained the method.

[Margrave]

Interested.

[OnceUponAnAxe]

Jan 4, 2020 20:06:29 GMT -8 Margrave said:

Interested.

You’ve been added along with the others!

[Justin Tyme]

Any room left?