Against My Better Judgment

[Apillis]

So, what I got planned is another attempt at a PnP campaign here. And while I have a lot going on both online and in rl, nevertheless, against my better judgment as the thread is titled, I'm willing to give it another go. A couple months ago a DnD campaign was attempted at but because of a combination of lack of interest and/or rl stuff getting in the way--it wound up dissolving. But, I'm willing to give an attempt at another go. It'll be run fairly loosely to accommodate more RP elements than tedious restrictions (to a point, necessities for the spirit of the game/campaign need to be respected to forge some boundaries), thus the core rules for each campaign will be maintained but the more misc tedium will be more flexible or just ignored. The sessions for the campaign(s) will be maybe once or twice a week or whenever those participating will be able to play. Therefore the plots of which will be moving--I hesitate to say quickly, because that implies rushed, but it'll more along the lines of a lot will happen within each session.

What I have in mind for campaigns I'll leave you to decide upon. Hence the poll. But I have to impress this, I tend to do things on a very "wing it" kind of method. I have a starting point and numerous possible ending thoroughly planned out with a very basic outline for how to get from that start to one of those endings, but how that is done--I honestly just devise pending on what you guys do. Which is part of the reason why I like to have those intervals between sessions, so I can plot and plan things out based off of your guys' actions and decisions. So, while I know the beginning--and I may have an "idea" for a possible conclusion, nevertheless I have no clue as to how it will end, because so much of depends on your characters choices.

With that said, here are the descriptions of the choices as follows...

• The Architects of an Empire
  This one will be the easiest for me to do, because I already have the setting down pat, and also because I'm massive Star Wars nerd and this is a Star Wars campaign. It's the campaign that my brothers and I did with our friends yeeeeeeeears ago. It takes place in the KotOR era, we wrote it taking place a few decades after the Great Sith War (Tales of the Jedi saga (Exar Kun's time)), therefore everything that happened in the KotOR franchise... never happened, for the simple reason being that we wrote it all before the KotOR saga ever existed. My reason for rehashing this campaign is simple, I already know how it ends with my friends back in the day. But how will it end with my SWU friends? I honestly have no idea, and I'm personally curious to find out.
  
  You start off on the Dark Lord's flagship (either as a Jedi, Sith, Republic/Sith soldier, or someone hired by either faction) as it is broken in half and blazing on fire over Coruscant, while it and several other Sith ships are being fire upon by both Sith and Republic ships alike. A faction of Sith Lords deciding to utilize the grand battle above and on Coruscant's surface as the perfect opportunity to pull a coup d'tat upon the Dark Lord. Thus launching those Sith still loyal to Dark Lord and the usurping Sith faction into civil war. In a way the coup is both ill and perfectly timed. For the Republic it is the perfect time for them to regain control of Coruscant as half of it (just as half the systems of the Republic) have been claimed by the Sith. Whereas for the usurping Sith factions it is the perfect time for a regime change, despite the risk of the Republic taking advantage of the situation. And for the Sith still loyal to the Dark Lord, while under the blanket of the same risk as their traitors, it is also the perfect time to purge the cowardice faction and consolidate power to a chosen few to build strength anew Empire.
  
  The Dark Lord in those final moments upon the flagship before its destruction, for whatever her reasons, aids in your escaping the burning, ruined vessel seemingly as her last act as she remains behind upon the ship before its destruction, rather than save herself. Why? Who knows... The real question is, what to do upon the war torn surface of Coruscant...
• The Machinations of Wars and Empires in Burning Skies
  I've always wanted to do a kinda' steampunk/cyberpunk style campaign, and the gameplay system I'll probably wind up devising from oWoD, because it's exceedingly simplistic and easy to manipulate, even though the campaign and setting in of itself will have absolutely nothing to do with oWoD, just going to use its gameplay system. The setting as implied earlier, is going to be steampunk but also cyberpunk, I'm blending the two together. If you've played the Civilization V scenario "Empires of the Smokey Skies" you have an idea for what the setting is, because that's what inspired the setting for this only the empires are all in the sky, for the lands on the planet below have been deemed uninhabitable (and for good reason as the narrative will delve further into). There will be unique races (if you've ever played or seen the old school PnP game "Rifts" you'll have an idea for what races will come up for this campaign to choose from), classes, skills, abilities, and powers and whatnot created for this campaign.
  
  There are five grand empires, each with their consolidated power and unique militaristic and political strengths. However, the relations between them on the surface seems placid for the most part, there is in reality a technological arms race between them, and deadly cold war. All it will take is a simple push for each to suddenly break out into war against the other as unspoken tensions between the five empires have reached their peak. Each simply seem to be waiting for who will make the first move on the other.
  
  In the midst of all this, something beneath the thick layer of clouds below eclipsing the world's surface, is brewing and stirring down there. What it is no one really knows, but it only seems to ratchet up the paranoia between the leaders of the five empires. One of the empires has decided to get a bit more proactive than the others, and openly begun hiring mercenaries and specialists to investigate the monstrous stirrings below the veil of clouds...
• The Warband of Ragnarok
  This... as for as gameplay goes, I'll be doing the same as the steampunk/cyberpunk campaign as I'll be using oWoD's system, but that is where it ends as the setting and narrative and whatnot will have nothing to do with oWoD. And like with the steampunk/cyberpunk campaign I'll be creating new classes, skills, abilities, and powers for it. I could go the DnD route with this, but honestly... I don't feel like dealing with DnD's stat tedium, and again oWoD's stat/dice system is sooooo incredibly easily to manipulate for creating ones own campaign, it's wonderful. In any case, as what can be deduced from the title, this will be a Nordic campaign. I'll be "borrowing" aspects of Norse mythology (though it won't be their true mythology, it'll be something more devised for the setting and more simplified). And while I typically don't like to be restrictive, in this case I will be in that the choices for races to play will be: Human, Dwarf, and Tiefling (and I'll allow only one Tiefling as more than one within the group for the setting would be... weird and take away from them being unique and very, very rare).
  
  On a battlefield fighting under the flag of your Jarl's army, your warband is facing a rival Jarl's army seeking to protect their lands from your onslaught. A calamity had be fallen them, and taking it as a sign from the gods, your Jarl has decided their lands are ripe for the picking to lay claim to. However, the chaos that had be fallen your enemy's lands still seems to persist within it. It is only upon the destruction of your enemy's army does your warband of your Jarl's army truly see what this... 'calamity' is for yourselves. And just when it seemed as though your Jarl's victory was at hand over his rival on the battlefield. The moment of realization of what the calamity is, it then unleashed itself upon the lands of your Jarl.
  
  The days following are that of blood and destruction, rumor goes among the people is that Ragnarok, the end times have arrived. Is that truth of it? That the 'calamity' that has befallen the lands are the gods' wrath or the time that the gods realize they too have their own end? Maybe, or maybe not. Perhaps it is the actions of an interloper, someone or something of great power striking from the shadows the Jarls of the land just cannot see or understand quite yet. But it targets them and their people specifically and calculatingly, it has a plan and agenda, which is... mass genocide. Is it an interloper? Is it the end times? Is it both? Can it be stopped?... Maybe.

[Dee]

I will totally get in on this! (...Duh.)

Voting for the Warband of Ragnarok, because I've never done anything like it before and it sounds interesting.

[Apillis]

Well, so far it seems only Dee and Max are interested in this, and lookin' for the Nordic campaign. I would like at least two more other players to be involved for that one to go down (though I'd settle for just one additional player), because it's storyline revolves around being in and leading a warband, and that's best--in a narrative sense--conveyed with multiple players rather than just two.

In any case, as I mentioned, for the systems I'm essentially going to be ripping off White Wolf's system for oWoD:VtM (World of Darkness: Vampire the Masquerade), because it's an easy system to alter and much simpler character sheet to work with than say--in comparison to d20... anything.

But as teaser, here's some of the setting tidbits and powers I've created for the Nordic campaign. Naturally there's more, like there's more Houses and Orders to choose from, more NPCs you'll encounter, and several more Powers and "Magicks" as well. I'm not going to put everything out, largely because if there isn't enough interest generated, then going through all that work would be for nothing. But, if there is interest, I'll naturally be giving out a lot more info and the character sheet, because, I mean, hey--you guys will need it then. Then again, if there's interest one of the other campaigns I'll make a teaser for that, too (since I have stuff written out for all three campaigns as is). But I digress, here's the teaser for the Nordic campaign:

Setting

Vahlgard: The lands in which the Houses of mortal kind reside. A region of primarily mountains and valleys with high bluffs and cliffs covered by lush green woodlands in the spring and summer, but then are reduced to bitter frozen wastelands in fall and winter. The lands of Vahlgard are divided by provinces ruled by the more prominent Houses who managed to ascended such influence in a province for the House's figurehead to become a Jarl and thereby rule the province directly; and the other lesser Houses then fall in service to the Jarl and his/her House. The threat of war between the ruling Houses of Vahlgard is always there, but currently the unrest between them has grown to extents that has not been seen in several centuries.

NPCs

Jarl Varg: The jarl whose army in which your warband is apart of... at least for now. An old and grizzled war veteran, he is a severe man, and rules his lands with the same severity. It is a time of war between houses, and the denizens of the Underworld seem to be growing restless--there is little reason for any of the jarls of the lands to have reason not to be severe in their rule. His detractors call him a warmonger, while his supporters view him as a man who understands the times and the climate of the age. Regardless, those who are willing to fight for him will find themselves welcome to feast in his halls with the rest of his army, where there is food and drink aplenty.

Asdis: One of the most well-known member of The Daughters of Hrist, merely for being Jarl Varg's adviser. A lot of suspicion surrounds her do to being one of the Daughters, far more than a few worry that she will attempt to poison the Varg's ear with whatever evil she may conjure. Albeit, those closest to either think Varg's ambition for claiming his various rivals' lands as more of a threat than her machinations. Albeit, at the same time those same people are quick to give the caveat to be weary of ploys and stratagems, for making a deal with her feels closer to making a deal with a serpentine demon than a fellow mortal.


House or Order

House Baldr: A house of old, dwindling in its influence within the lands, but one that has endured through much and has produced many warriors of great renown. At one time they were even a house of nobility and had a line of jarls, but their time of holding such standing has come to a close. Now those of the bloodline of House Baldr tend to be 'lone warriors' wandering the lands, though some had been known to join the ranks of a jarl they believe worthy to lend their steel to. Those of House Baldr, though, are also known for having extreme amounts of piety toward the war god or goddess of whom they have chosen to lend their faith to. For the people in the land who know of the old House, it becomes a wonder if the war god inspired House will ever rise again to prominence, or if it will just erode into oblivion. (Modifiers: Str +1, Melee +1) (Starting Power: Einherjar)

The Daughters of Hrist: Much fear and suspicion surrounds these women, especially by the men of the lands. They are an sorcerous order made up entirely of women and young girls, the former generally as teachers to the latter. They are viewed as a religious order because of their matron divine of whom they lend their piety to, that being the demigoddess, Hrist the Quaking One. Suspicion falls upon these women because of their use of sorcerous magick, and their ability to do something other sorcerers or sorceresses or arcane magick-wielders have been able to accomplish, which use still being able to channel the power of a divine god via their piety while practicing sorcery and arcane magick. But despite their spirituality, were one to enter the halls of their orders, its comes across as more scientific with grand works of academia more than a nunnery or convent to a goddess. And though there are women warriors who have proved to be just as tough and strong as men, the lands are nevertheless still largely patriarchal, and can prove to be more an unkind world for women than their male counterparts. However, villages, towns, and cities with convent of The Daughters of Hrist within its walls or at nearby, the women of those places tend to feel safer and even protected, and even pay homage to the Daughters and their matron. And in turn the Daughters do open their doors to women seeking shelter and safety. (Modifiers: Int +1, Sorcery +1) (Starting Power: Shadow Weaving)


Powers and Magicks

Einherjar
Essentially viewed as pious warriors, even in more extreme cases as something akin to warrior monks, are what most tend to view those who wield these powers. It is power that their war god (or goddess) bestows upon their chosen in exchange for the immense amount of faith and honor given to them. Those possessing these powers are extremely religious, to zealot extents even in regards to the war god (or goddess) they pray to. Their piety proving to be able to rival that of any priest.

The Einjerjar powers are literal direct lines to a god (or goddess), thus are divine powers. Should a warrior utilize sorcerous or arcane powers, that which defies the natural order beset by the gods, their soul is tainted by the use of that power, and thus their line to the gods' divinity is severed. It is one thing to have magicks of the unnatural cast upon on them, it is quite another for oneself to conjure said ungodly magicks.

• Touched by the Gods: You carry a strong presence, a gravitas that cannot quite be articulated in mere words alone. But when you speak, people listen, they pause to hear your words. So long as you don't make yourself out to be the fool in the room. (+1 Passive Modifier to rolls involving Persuasion.)
• Einherjar's Glare: It is more than mere intimidation, it is a gaze than demands submission from the unworthy. There are those who challenge someone touched by the gods, and such extraordinary individuals as legend says have the power to merely look upon their challenger with such a glare that it can determine the worthy from the upstart with too much bravado. (CHA/Intim roll, difficulty determined by the level of the target.)
• The Gods' Chosen Warrior: The powers of the arcane are dangerous practices, but the rewards for those willing to endure the risks and consequences for wielding such power can be tremendous; so much so even deft and skilled warrior can be rendered low at a feeble conjurer's feet. But there are those unique few warriors that are of such prowess, the gods have granted them their favor--protecting them from sorcery. (Difficulty in soaking damage from Magic spells -2.)
• The Weavers' Charity: To ensure those that gods have chosen to lend their favor to continue to succeed in their name, the Weavers of Fate will grant those chosen warriors a simple leg up from time to time. Such as unconsciously being aware something ill may befall them, or warning them the second before an ambush is about to spring on them--enabling them to perceive the backstabber's knife attempting to strike at their spine. But the greatest power that this lends is in a way rewinding an instant time that could have been a disaster and instead enabling the warrior to turn in it into narrowly won victory. (This power grants two simultaneous passive effects. The first being aware just before they are to be ambushed or an unknown event about to occur may bring them harm. And the second being able to reroll one failed roll once per day (the Weavers will only do so much.))
• Avatar of the War God(dess): There a few war gods and goddesses, whichever one the warrior looks to as their patron (or matron) god(dess), they will become their god or goddess' avatar. Those chosen warriors who have proven their faith to their war god(dess) to such an extent that the can channel the wrath of their war god(dess) through them unleashing incredible power beyond anything any mortal can otherwise accomplish. Their eyes glow bright as they radiate immense raw divine power and even speak the voice of their god(dess). (Bestows +5 Str, +2 Agility, +3 Stamina for the duration of combat or scene (pending circumstances), takes three turns to accomplish.)

Strength of Legend
In all legends there are tales of those who wield tremendous strength, whether bestowed unto them by the gods directly or merely born as an oddity of nature, or perhaps through supernatural lineage... Nevertheless all over one can hear tales of such warriors wielding strength beyond any normal man or woman could ever hope to wield. Warriors who have been known to possess such strength seem to always make into into the legends told in warriors' halls.

This power provides a constant passive strength modifier naturally determined by ones level within the power itself. Whenever a strength roll is to be made, ones level within the power becomes a modifier added to their current strength level.

• +1, You tend stand out among other warriors.
• +2, You are certainly no ordinary warrior.
• +3, Your strength as a warrior is worthy of respect and regard by even the best warriors of the lands.
• +4, You wield the strength of legend.
• +5, A war god among Men.

Shadow Weaving
A specific type of sorcerous 'magick' (yes, with a 'k') invented by The Daughters of Hrist, a sorcerous order of women who dedicate their lives to the study of the arcane, sorcery, and divine power. While those who wield the unnatural powers of 'magick' cannot wield divine powers because of the dark corruption that occurs within the soul when using 'magick', The Daughters of Hrist found a loophole in the system. Often unoriginally called 'shadow weavers' because of their 'shadow weaving' sorcery, they have managed to blend the divinity of the demigoddess of war they pray to--with the power of dark sorcery, enabling them to summon terrifying power and commit blood-curdling rituals. Some say how they have accomplished this was that they captured and bound their demigoddess with their sorcery, and have since used her divinity as a conduit to amplify their evil magicks. The reality is far more contradictorily scientific in its methodology for how Shadow Weaving was invented by The Daughters of Hrist, but the ignorant remain suspicious and paranoid toward them. And in a way, The Daughters of Hrist enjoy that distance created by the masses' fear of them.

This particular method of sorcery is limited to only female characters who are part of The Daughters of Hrist. Unless one of them insanely chose to teach another the very secret of their order to which they cling jealously to, it cannot be learned by any other than a member of The Daughters of Hrist. Additionally, while a couple spells are channeled from the demigoddess Hrist and are divine, it is still nevertheless tainted by 'magick', and thus no divine power can be learned along side this power.

• Dark Speech: The first technique in sorcery every Daughter of Hrist learns is melding dark sorcery with their very words. It is utilized to persuade, seduce, and/or warp the mind(s) of those of whom they are speaking to. Planting thoughts in their victim's head or simply convincing them via their maladjusted mind by the dark words spoken by the Daughter of Hrist. The purpose of this makes the victim fall under the power of suggestion via the Daughter Hrist's voice of whom is working the spell. Albeit, no matter how powerful the Daughter of Hrist is with sorcery, the power of suggestion has its limits, such as making one harm oneself. (The difficulty and the type of social roll is dependent upon what the caster is seeking to accomplish with the victim).
• Hrist's Caress: A powerful divine spell amplified the power of dark sorcery, the Daughter of Hrist with a simple, gentle caress over the wound can mend it. The more powerful the Shadow Weaver is at shadow weaving, the more potent the casting of the spell, thus enabling them to even rival some of the divine healing techniques of clergy with this singular spell. (The difficulty and roll is determined by the severity and type of wound)
• Shadow Pulse: It is said by the ignorant and superstition that so long as one is righteous and divine at heart, that the Daughters of Hrist's magicks cannot harm you. The belief of this is from the simple understanding wrought from fear of this spell that aside from Dark Speech, the Daughters are most well known for and equally most infamous for. It uses the divine power channeled from their demigoddess Hrist via their piety to her, to find the pulse of the darker sides that lay within the target's heart, and turns the target's very own shadowy malice against them by utilizing the power of their sorcery to erupt in an explosion of raw dark energy. An ordinary human this spell can inflict great harm. But interestingly because of what it does, the infamy of the spell maybe a little misplaced, for it is incredibly effective at bringing creatures of the Underworld or creatures wrought of dark magick to their knees. (The difficulty and roll is determined by the target.)
• Death's Charity: The name of this spell is a bit misleading, though the few Daughters powerful enough to conjure it like the name for its intimidation factor, as if they have Death's favor (for nobody does). The destructive power of the spell is actually not even as great as Shadow Pulse's (pending the target), but the advantage of this power is grand. Within a five meter diameter around the intended target, everything is struck by dark energy that can tear the life from the target and those within that five meter area of effect. That dark energy is then transferred to the Daughter who cast it replenishing or healing herself, or she can transfer that energy to someone else or even split the energy amongst multiple people making it less potent but replenishing/healing multiple targets. (The difficulty and roll is determined by the target.)
• The Black Sorceress: This 'spell' actually does not have a name. Instead the Daughter who achieves this level of power is merely titled a "Black Sorceress". Within the order of The Daughters of Hrist, those of particular talent are given the title of "Red Sorceress" or "White Sorceress" pending not just their power and talent but the sorcery they know. It is rare to encounter a Daughter who has reached such level to gain either of those titles, for even those Daughters who have not earned them are individuals to have regard for. But few Daughters in the history of their order have ever achieved the level of being titled "Black Sorceress". In any case what this 'spell' does is the Daughter is able to channel the Hrist's divine power to such extremes they bend and warp the very fabric of the gods' natural order bending shadows and darkness caused by the mere absence of light cast by the sun or even candelight, to come to life as waves of raw dark energy or even tendrils, either of which wrapping up their intended victim(s). The dark energy is scorching, burning the flesh of whom it touches. (The area of effect, power, and damage of the spell is determined by both the level of caster and the target. (Note: This level in Shadow Weaving cannot be obtained until at least two other sorcery or arcane magick powers being learned with at least one of which being reaching the third level. The reason for this is because this power is insanely overpowered as well as given the narrative behind it, it requires the character to be quite knowledgeable and talented with sorcery (or arcane magick) in both power and ability outside of just Shadow Weaving.))