The Dark City (3.5e Campaign Setting)/Character Creation

Character Creation

System

The Dark City is a 3.5 D&D adventure set in a homebrew world. This game uses more roleplay and skill related actions than combat.

Books allowed

You may use any non specific campaign book in the d20 library (not Ebberon, Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, etc.) and provided you have the source or I have the source.

Over the past year I have collected quite a few books and I am always willing to allow any that I actually own. As such, here are the books allowed in the game: Core, all completes, Exalted Deeds, Psionics Handbook,Vile Darkness, Cityscape, Dungeonscape, Libris Mortis, Heros of Horror, Lords of Madness, Unearth Arcana, Dragon Magic, Races of Dragon, Races of Destiny, Races of Stone, Races of Wild, Book of Erotic Fantasy, Tome of Battle, Tome of Magic, Magic Incarum, and Savage Species.

Abilities

Use 28pt buy for ability scores. Choose the abilities that best enhance what kind of PC you want to play. A more social PC will want high Charisma, while a skillful would want more intelligence for skill points.

Class

Players may play any class except ones that would restrict a player from performing his or her duty in the thieves guild. No Paladins or Knights.

Hide and Move Silently are now class skills for all classes. They cost only 1 point each.

Clerics The main God of the City is Aarth. The spheres of power however lie in the Saints that serve Aarth. The different patrons have spheres that give the power to the Clerics. There are effectively an unlimited amount of Saints in the Church for any individual and they all come in different alignments and spheres. Characters can make up their own Saint and choose the two spheres they need. (i.e. St. Bamus of the Hammer. This group is a militaristic church that smites foes that break the order of things. Spheres are War and Destruction.)

Before Aarth there were the Old Gods. The Old Gods have seen their temples destroyed and built over by centuries of conquerors. Any God the character chooses outside of the Church of Aarth is considered an Old God. The Church of Aarth considers all other clerics who worship these Gods as pagans.

Druid The Oak Circle serves the Druids in this Campaign and has an umbrella to accept different classes including sorcerers, other none-human races, shamans etc. The political power is however only for Druids. Oak Circles are loose groups in and outside of the city. Some live tribal existence while others are urban nomads.

Alignment

Alignment Alignment is this game is about the internal workings of a persons soul and how he is perceived by outsiders and forces of good and evil. The ultimate goal of the players is to destroy the Masters. That can never be reconciled even if the player is evil him/herself. How one goes about it is a different matter. Those who champion good can not afford to slay persons who are simply evil. That is counter productive. However, those that act upon their evil nature are targets by good persons and the laws. A good person may need not slay an evil person, just draw their attention to those who may take justice or revenge on that person. That is sufficient enough for an evil PC to curb his ways.

Good, neutral, evil, chaos,and law are MECHANICS for the outsider/celestials/demons, etc. see the mortal in his true nature. A demon won’t bother trying to corrupt a neutral or good player—he has an ideal candidate in the evil PC! The city itself permeates Lawful Neutral. It’s the challenge of the PC to what extent he will react to it. In essence, PC’s of opposite alignments can work together in these conditions. However, affiliations may have a difficulty working together if their ultimate goal conflicts with one another. These provide opportunities for good roleplay and should not be restricted by mechanics.

The exception falls when a player decides to choose an exalted feat or a vile feat thus becoming a character that exceeds the normal mortal flexibility. Exalted characters and NPC believe themselves to be moral authority over others. In the same coin, a vile character and NPC answers to the whelm of their evil nature. Both extremes will find themselves at odds with the day to day citizen and laws of the city. A Exalted PC will find it necessary to destroy evil as they find it; regardless of the consequences. A vile PC will be unable to contain his nature even when his own life will depend on it. That is the challenge players will face if they choose this direction.

Race

Any race is accepted in the game however, since everyone starts a 1st, even when they lose their PC, no LA+ PC’s are happening.

You can play other humanoid races like goblins, kobolds, etc. but they will be shunned and most NPC diplomacy will start poorly. You may also opt to use monster leveling (et al Savage Species) with the same restrictions.

The Gods

All gods in the city refer to Aath the main god and each Saint under him gives the two spheres that may be associated with her. Any God outside of Aath is considered a Pagan God. Most Guild members play homage to St. Jackdawl, patron Saint of Thieves who’s spheres are Trickery and Celerity . A cleric may choose any two spheres from a Aath Saint. Since there are countless Saints, player can make up their own. If they choose a pagan god (any God in the D&D pantheon including Greyhawk), they are limited to that’s gods spheres.

Healing can be bought at a temple but spells like raise dead and resurrection are reserved to church members and believers of high rank.

Some Notable Saints The listing of saints were from adventures done in the city campaign through its 2 year run.

St. Elisa(Healing and Protection) This Church was destroyed by Half-Feindish Gaunts that slew the clerics and Paladins some 15 years ago. Rowen had found the fable staff of St. Elasis and with the assistance of Gar and later Milo found the last Paladins of the church. The group learned of a prophecy of bringing St. Elsia back from the dead (his mortal Body) to fulfil the prophecy he would become the new head of the Church of Aaath. The Church has been growing and establishing anew force of paladins and clerics.

St Bamus (Destruction and War) This church has a ancient rivalry with the Theives Guilds patron Saint St. Jackdawyl. Jackdwly would steal things from Bamus causing him to become enraged. His weapon of use is the great hammer-large 2-handed hammers wielded by his clerics that enjoy smiting and sundering their opponents and their weapons. Rowan and Gar had to rescue Garrick once from the temple when he was used to ignite a new blood fued between the Guild and the Temple by Deena, Preistess of the House of Red Lanterns. Garricks’ old aquatints, Hurgmot had stolen St. Baumus’ Golden Mask and the angry God turned Garrick into stone. Gar managed to convince the God not to destroy the City and retrieved the mask from Hurgmot. Rowens Cousin, Raven joined them in retrieving the mask but lost her life in the battle.

St.Steffanso (Strength and Earth) The clerics of this order must follow a strict height requirement of 6ft plus. They tend to have very few worshippers and live in squalled conditions. Gar had conned the church in giving him money and into threatening a Kolbold-dragonspawn that had joined their group for a brief time. However, the church members made the mistake of raiding a kolbold shrine in the city and were wiped out. St. Steffanso angered by this, forced Gar to find him twelve new converts or become a cleric of his order. Gar fulfilled his bargain and found the church new members through a recruitment performance featuring a dance by Bobo the Pig eater dressed as a daffodil and Milo as the Bee.

St. Geneieve (Summoning and Trickery) One of the few female saints, St. Genive is the patron saint of prostitutes and those that work in the sexual companion business. One of her most prominent priestess, Deana was killed when Gar and Rowen raided her hideout to retrieve the Golden mask of St. Bamus she stole in hopes of the igniting a war between the church and the Thieves Guild.

St. Cathay of the Vines (Plant and Destruction) The temple of St. Cathay believes in the Divine powers of conquering with the vines. The Saint was known to control vines in his conquests of the heathen that once inhabited the city. The church is tall and covered in ivy. In the altar area is a giant stalk of vine that is the source of the vines.

St. Desina (Air and War) Patron saint of the Elves of wind and war.

St. Huffrey (Law and Earth)' Worshippers of Huffrey tend to be Dwarves. Lord Beezals (Despite being evil) and his family had given much to the Church over the generations making it very prosperous despite being paid for by the work of slaves.

St. Ramoreuz Actually an elaborate Illusion created bt the Masters that clouds persons minds and gives them the background in their memory of the churches history. This included an illusion of the church that hid the Masters lair. When the Masters abanndon their base the illusion ended. It is unknown if there ever was a St. Ramoreuz.

St. Aquinas (Water and Protection) Patron saint of the sailors and fishermen.

St. Cahasta (Water Destruction) A vengful sanit of storms and sea travel. Many theologians dispute whether St. Cahasta really is a Saint and not some old God in guise.

St. Jensive(Animals and Air) A Saint of Animals and Air,

St. Caldova: Patron Saint of Gamblers (Trickery and Luck) A favorite of lower class and high officials. An artifact associated with him is the Cube of Square dealing which he used to gamble others souls.

St. Jackdawyl(Luck and Trickery) Most Thieves Guild members worship this trickster Saint.

Starting Wealth

500gp for 1st level. Concentrate on equipment. You won’t really need sleeping rolls, rations, mounts, etc, because you live in a city. No magic items can be bought at the start.

Magic Items

You can buy whatever you want from the Magic Item Compendium once you start to receive treasure after level 1. I don't hand out a lot of magic items in my games but compensate with more treasure. Rest assured that if their is a magic item to be had, the enemies will probably be using it.

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