Welcome to the Cage Berks!

[Daos]

The drow will be perpetually sullen...

Maybe your character and mine can have brooding sessions to bond.

[Ezeze]

I'd brood with you any day, Daos

Edit: I actually think I like that as a relationship.

The little detective agency is constantly full of clueless who need their hands held. The drow claims the basement as his bedroom (it doesn't have any windows - which means no one else wants to set up down there, but it's a definite plus in his opinion). So Daos's character, like, sneaks down there when he really needs a moment alone - confident that the drow will let him, but won't force him to talk, and the other members of the agency are scared enough of the drow to stay away unless it's an emergency (he keeps threatening to stab them and they aren't sure how serious he is about that). The gensai gets a second to breathe without feeling guilty about it.

And sure, the drow is clueless and needs the gensai's help enough that the relationship is comfortable for the martyr, but he's probably the least adrift in this new city (what? a sprawling, sunless metropolis ruled over by a cruel, humorless matron filled with people who will hurt you if given the opportunity? The drow is practically home, and he's default paranoid enough to not get into too much trouble).

my headcannon is that he keeps a pack of candles down in his room, even though he doesn't need light, for when 'the boss' visits. No one else knows they are down there.

[HorizonsDream]

Well, since everyone is talking about the characters they want to play, I guess I'll put my two cents in.

I know very little about planescape, so it is going to be easier for me to play a clueless character rather than someone that is in the know. Oddly enough, that makes things difficult for me too because I only really know about three different worlds that my character could be from (Daos' world of Amtar, Dragonlance, and some Forgotten Realms). As much as I like Daos' original world, Dragonlance is my favorite. I also understand how things work when it comes to Dragonlance, so I'm most likely going to play an elven cleric of Mishakal. I'm not sure if she is going to be Silvanesti, Qualinesti, or Kagonesti though.

[Daos]

The little detective agency is constantly full of clueless who need their hands held. The drow claims the basement as his bedroom (it doesn't have any windows - which means no one else wants to set up down there, but it's a definite plus in his opinion). So Daos's character, like, sneaks down there when he really needs a moment alone - confident that the drow will let him, but won't force him to talk, and the other members of the agency are scared enough of the drow to stay away unless it's an emergency (he keeps threatening to stab them and they aren't sure how serious he is about that). The gensai gets a second to breathe without feeling guilty about it.

And sure, the drow is clueless and needs the gensai's help enough that the relationship is comfortable for the martyr, but he's probably the least adrift in this new city (what? a sprawling, sunless metropolis ruled over by a cruel, humorless matron filled with people who will hurt you if given the opportunity? The drow is practically home, and he's default paranoid enough to not get into too much trouble).

my headcannon is that he keeps a pack of candles down in his room, even though he doesn't need light, for when 'the boss' visits. No one else knows they are down there.

I like it.

Here's what we have so far then in terms of race, class, and original realm:

Daos - Aasimar (Class Undecided) [Planar]
Heather - Elf Cleric [Dragonlance]
Theron - (Race and Class Undecided) [Realm Undecided]
Lillian - (Race Undecided) Mage [Realm Undecided]
Katya - Drow (Class Undecided) [Greyhawk or FR]

[HorizonsDream]

...and the other members of the agency are scared enough of the drow to stay away unless it's an emergency (he keeps threatening to stab them and they aren't sure how serious he is about that

My character won't be scared of your drow. She'll probably look down upon him distastefully. She wouldn't venture into his basement room because she'll probably view it as filthy and disgusting. Just looking upon it would make her stomach churn. I can imagine that the two of them probably have some epic verbal battles mostly because she is so arrogant, and she isn't afraid of him that he might just get down right annoyed with her.

[Ezeze]

Nov 6, 2017 16:24:35 GMT -8 HorizonsDream said:

My character won't be scared of your drow. She'll probably look down upon him distastefully. She wouldn't venture into his basement room because she'll probably view it as filthy and disgusting. Just looking upon it would make her stomach churn. I can imagine that the two of them probably have some epic verbal battles mostly because she is so arrogant, and she isn't afraid of him that he might just get down right annoyed with her.

You are already playing a female, elf, cleric from the surface.

If you're also planning on getting into 'epic verbal battles' then I should almost certainly play something else, because I don't think the rest of the party wants to deal with routine fist fights between our characters.

[HorizonsDream]

Of course, it doesn't have to be that way. That was nothing more than idea. The last thing I want to do is to stop you from playing the character you want.

[notARobot]

Dragonlance is my favorite. I also understand how things work when it comes to Dragonlance, so I'm most likely going to play an elven cleric of Mishakal.

Funnily enough, I am also planning to play a cleric from Krynn -- specifically, a human cleric of Gilean.  I am imagining his personality as super high-strung, perpetually nervous, cowardly and sycophantic.  His greatest ambition in life is to serve as an apprentice to the great Astinus of Palanthas.  This guy wound up in Sigil after his superiors in the church ordered him to investigate a bizarre anomaly that turned out to be a one-way portal from Krynn to the City of Doors.  Now he's torn:  on the one hand, this place terrifies him and he wants nothing more than to return to the comfortable familiarity of Krynn as soon as possible.  On the other hand, he thinks if he can take full advantage of this accidental planeshifting and write up a really impressive report on the experience, that might be just the thing to kick-start his advancement through the ranks and get him that much closer to the Great Library of Palanthas.

My character won't be scared of your drow. She'll probably look down upon him distastefully. She wouldn't venture into his basement room because she'll probably view it as filthy and disgusting. Just looking upon it would make her stomach churn.

...don't you think that, at least initially, your character would feel some degree of fascination towards the drow -- since those don't exist on Krynn?

[Ezeze]

I'm going to go ahead and name him, 'cause it will make talking about him easier;

Mas'erin.

It occurs to me that there is another way to make sure our characters don't fight all the time;

What if Mas'erin is scared of your cleric? He might quickly leave whatever room she is in when he can, and when he can't keep his head down and mouth shut until he can.

She's already a female cleric, it wouldn't take much for him to be petrified of her. What do you think your character might have done to freak him out? How would she react to being so obviously feared?

[Daos]

Heather and I hashed out some potential parts of our backstories before she went off to work.  None of this is set in stone.  Just some brainstorming.

So my character is an Aasimar.  Not sure on the class yet, but depending on the edition, house rules, and how well I roll, I'm leaning toward fighter, fighter/cleric or even paladin.  Now my character believes that his angelic blood obligates him to help others, fight evil, etc.  But it's not just obligation, he's highly emphatic and cannot turn a blind eye to people suffering.  Of course, he can't save everyone.  He can't defeat evil.  These are impossible goals.  Nevertheless, whenever he fails, whenever someone dies despite his help or evil wins, he takes it hard.  Really beats himself up over it.  Hence the brooding.

He keeps to himself, because he's afraid that anyone who gets close to him might get hurt.  But also because, deep down, he feels he doesn't deserve things like friendship, love or happiness because he hasn't earned them yet.  Yeah, he's a real mess.  Anyway, he lives in an old inn in the Hive Ward (basically the slums).  He owns the place, but doesn't actually run it.  It's always dark inside (for better brooding), so customers never show up or anything, they just assume it's abandoned (it's also really dilapidated, so most people wouldn't want to risk checking it out anyway).  It's just him, living alone in a place ironically set up to house multiple people.

He likes it, though, because it's dark, nobody messes with him and it's in the Hive; which is where he feels he is needed most.  There are always criminals to beat up and such.

This all changes when he encounters Heather's character.  A snobby, Silvanesti cleric of Mishakal winds up falling into a portal and winds up in the Hive Ward.  She has no idea where she is, what's going on, or what all the strange and horrid creatures she sees are.  As you can imagine, she draws some unwanted attention from some shady folk and is quickly attacked.  My character swoops in and saves her, asks if she is alright, then walks off.  Not about to let herself be left alone in a strange place surrounded by thieves and muggers, she insists on following him.  Recognizing she's not only Clueless, but a servant of Good, he can't turn her away so lets her stay with him at the inn until she can get back on her feet.

As it turns out, Heather's character has the the power of prophecy (perhaps from the Prophet Priest kit for 2E or some other method, not sure).  Mishakal sends her visions of people in trouble.  My character realizes that keeping her around is useful, as she can help lead him to people in need of help better.  And she decides to stick around, as clearly her goddess has need for her here (perhaps is even responsible for her winding up here?).  At first it's just the two of them, but later the other PCs are recruited, as well.  The inn is converted into a detective agency, where anyone who needs help can come.

And that more or less sets up the premise.  Quests can come in through walk-in customers or from visions.  Our motley crew all have their own reasons for working there; either altruistic reasons or pragmatic ones.

What do the rest of you think?

...don't you think that, at least initially, your character would feel some degree of fascination towards the drow -- since those don't exist on Krynn?

Silvanesti believe they are superior to all races, even other elves, so I imagine that would apply to alien elves, too.  At least initially.

What do you think your character might have done to freak him out?

Maybe her prophetic powers weirds him out?

[notARobot]

If you're also planning on getting into 'epic verbal battles' then I should almost certainly play something else, because I don't think the rest of the party wants to deal with routine fist fights between our characters.

It seems like our party's going to be all over the alignment spectrum, with vastly different personalities and motivations...so some amount of in-fighting amongst ourselves is probably inevitable.

If Lillian GravityEmblem decides to play a good character, Mas'erin will likely wind up as the 'outlier' and might have to deal with the rest of the party occasionally ganging up on him.  If Lillian's GravityEmblem's character is neutral or evil, we'd have a more balanced party, alignment-wise, which would probably make things easier on Mas'erin but might generate more conflict within the party overall.

[Ezeze]

I am OK with being the outlier in both games

[Daos]

It seems like our party's going to be all over the alignment spectrum, with vastly different personalities and motivations...so some amount of in-fighting amongst ourselves is probably inevitable.

I agree.  But as long as we temper ourselves, and by extension, our characters, it shouldn't disrupt the actual fun of the game for anyone.

If Lillian's character is neutral or evil, we'd have a more balanced party, alignment-wise, which would probably make things easier on Mas'erin but might generate more conflict within the party overall.

Eh, not necessarily.  Alignment is not a team.  Two Evil characters won't necessarily get along.  Often it's the opposite.  As I'm sure you know, that's a big theme in Dragonlance ("Evil turns in on itself").

Planescape, and especially Sigil, are kind of odd, though, in terms of alignment.  Nothing is really as clear cut.  This is a place where mortals, demons, angels, slaadi, modrons and everything in between wander around freely.  There are disputes, of course, but overall people get along (if, for no other reason, than fear of upsetting the Lady of Pain).

I think the same can be true of this party.  Whatever philosophical differences, they can be overcome.  It could even be a deliberate character development arc.

[Jherek Everfull]

Posted some core rules in my very first post on the front page. 2nd ed, special attribute gen and kits stuff. Also, feel free to go wild with race and what not. Look at that Demi-human book. This might be the one time you can play a Swanmay or Lythari...ever! Have fun folks!

Daos could you format some of that for me? I'm on my phone. 

[Daos]

Daos could you format some of that for me? I'm on my phone.

Sure, done.

Here's the established party so far again:

Daos - Aasimar (Class Undecided) [Planar]
Heather - Elf Cleric of Mishakal [Dragonlance]
Theron - Human Cleric of Gilean [Dragonlance]
Lillian - (Race Undecided) Mage [Realm Undecided]
Katya - Drow (Class Undecided) [Greyhawk or FR]