/vx/ - Videogames and Paranormal

>>167043
"I don't know. But it's unlikely."

>>167044
Amber frowns. "We should at least try to not look like refugees. We probably look the worse for wear as of now."

>>167045
Erich buts in,
"Nah, these are Sibulines. They won't rob you. Not if you don't look like you have any money."

>>167046
"We can't stay here or go back anyway. I just hope you are right." Amber proceeds forwards.

>>167040
Can Silver see the changeling that's shooting at them?

>>167048
I should note - two of the ponies, I believe, we’re carrying submachine guns. It should not have been possible for them to make the kind of volley seen earlier, as that is supposed to be simultaneous marksman shooting. Silver is carrying a Grim and a Jenny, which are more or less capable of that kind of shooting, but they should have switched out. Similarly, Silver should have switched his rifle to semi-auto. Alternatively, the fire should have full auto and largely inaccurate. In any case, Silver and the ponies should have coordinated the fire, like with the drip of a handkerchief.

Silver cannot see the presumed Changeling, as it is out of his field of view. Silver can only see breaking glass, and splinters on the floor. Two ponies drop down, while another two run for cover.

>>167049
...oh...

"SCATTER!"

Silver switches to full auto, and fires in what he hopes is vaguely the direction of the attacker.

[1d20 = 19]
[1d20 = 4]
[1d20 = 8]
[1d20 = 3]
[1d20 = 16]
[1d20 = 3]
[1d20 = 2]
[1d20 = 15]
[1d20 = 20]
[1d20 = 12]

>>167051
Checking
[1d20 = 9]

>>167051
>>167052
It looks like the ponies have scattered, save for one who has his hooves over his head, and another that is crawling along. Silver aims the rifle to the right, and with a very mighty CHCHACHA that’s louder than the Jenny, louder than the old Lavender rifle, and indeed, more menacing than any shoulder fired pony rifle Silver can think of, the rifle presses firmly into his shoulder, and a window of a griffin under a blue-green sky with… white streaks? Shatters and disintegrates, giving Silver a view if the transit ministry. There is a “claclacla” reply of gunfire that with a “thump thump” seems to have hit the side of the building, but does not penetrate into the room.

The gunfire ceases.

>>167053
"Anypony hurt?"

>>167054
“Yes!” Says the orange pony, who lies on the wooden floor over towards Silver’s right.

>>167054
>>167055
Azalea, who lies in the floor a bit to Silver’s left, still with his hooves over his head, says

“I think I may… I can tell.”

>>167055
>>167056
Silver checks over the two for injuries.

>>167057
The orange pony has a cut. It’s hard to tell if it’s caused by shattered glass, or a grazing bullet. If it’s the former, there could be broken glass in the wound, but certainly no bullet is lodged inside.

Azalea likewise has a bleeding cut. Silver can see why he wasn’t sure if he had been wounded at all - it’s overtop of an existing wound and bandage, and may actually be the result of said bandage breaking or stitches coming undone.

>>167058
"Looks like you two just need some bandages to cover wounds for now."

Do they have any more bandages with them?

>>167059
If not, the medics may still be with their ride in.

>>167060
"Keep out of sight, I am going to grab medics."

Silver goes back to do just that.

>>167061
Silver trots out through the building, back into the small square behind the building. Silver sees the Chickpea is still there, it's rotors moving. Silver can see that both medics are still there.

>>167064
Silver calls out to the medics, "Hey, couple of our troops got nasty cuts."

>>167065
Silver can see the two just barely in the chickpea. One, a sort of skinny granite colored stallion, the same one who helped Silver, is partly leaning out. He looks out, and places a hoof down on the ground.
"Is that all? From all that noise?"

The other is a cream-colored stallion leaning against the wall. He presses against the floor, and looks over towards Silver.

>>167066
"Looks like they were either grazed by bullets or cut by shards of glass. Nothing life threatening, but still needs to be patched up."

>>167067
It's the cream one who asks,

"Are we... supposed to stay here with you, or leave for casevacs?"

>>167068
"It would help if you were with us, I will admit. If there are not enough of us healthy at end of this to stop detonation, it will not matter how many you pick up."

As if adding it's own opinion to the matter, from off in the distance, Silver can hear a voice on a loudspeaker. It must be a couple blocks over, very loud, and a slight echoing suggests that it's far from the only loudspeaker playing the exact same broadcast at that time. The sound is of a female voice, firmly stating the following...

"Attention, all residents. From the Office of Governor Star: The Mandatory Evacuation Order has been replaced with a Stay in Place Order. Repeat, the Evacuation order is no longer in effect. All residents still within the city limits are to seek shelter immediately. Seek shelter on the ground floor of a concrete reinforced or brick structure. Avoid windows and wooden structures. Do not remain on the streets. Stay out of your vehicles. If you cannot find suitable shelter, please proceed to any subterranean concrete-"

It continues

>>167070
"And also that."

>>167071
Is Silverfluff intending to conscript both medics to come with him?

>>167072
Basically yes.

>>167073
>>167069
The cream medic says, "Well, I guess that means we are no longer on casevac duty." He picks up his submachine gun.

The grey medic stands up, and grabs bottles and supplies out of the Chickpea. Both come out, and follow Silver into the building.

>>167074
Silver indeed leads them into the building. He points out the wounded ponies, and stands guard watching the transport ministry from the windows while they work.

Gibs wakes up in weird hotelroom... With metal bars.

"Aye yo! What happen? One moment I'm just hustlin through life like any zigga in Baltimare and the next I'm in this wacked-ass zoo cage, like I iz animal. If yo don't let me out soon, I'll go beast-mode mutherfuckerz. Hehe, get it? Dat's a rap foo."

How many writers are working on this story?

>>167083
One GM, with several players - two active this week, thought sometimes others. Occasional fun poster interlopers, like >>167079

>>167084
So it's like a PbP sort of thing?

>>167084
Is >>>161686 → still canon, then?

>>167088
looks that up
I think so

>>167089
scrunches

>>167074
The cream medic goes to the orange pony, while the grey medic goes to Azlea. "There's some glass in here..." Silver can see the cream medic extracting glass fragments before bandaging the orange pony, while the grey medic attempts to reapply stiches. But both work urgently, as they know time is not on their side. "We got this" says the grey medic to Silver.

>>167079
"Hey!" One angry zebra mothefucker smacks them bars from the outside with his brass plated horseshoes. "Y'all shut the hell up in there. I done told ya you'll see the magistrate in the mornin'."

"Yo man," says another zebra on the bench behind Gibs. "Ya'll said that two hours ago. It's mornin' already!"

The zebra outside replies, "He'll get here when he gets here." He shakes his head and walks away.

>>167091
While they work, Silver tries to see if there are any additional changelings visible in the windows of the transport ministry.

>>167090
My question is if it's a d&d game or if it's a CYOA RP, or something else entirely. I see dice, and looks like the older threads had d&d in the OP.

>>167091
Gibs Money can't believe this Aunt Zecora mutherfucker won't let him out. He bitch-ass-zigga. He looks back over at the brother on the bench behind him, thinking that he at least be a real zigga but then he sees it...

Dat zigga be lookin' at his ass! Gibs immidiately turn on the spot.

"Yousa homo. Yo starin' at mah butt like it'za watermelon. Youa gay-ass!"

>>167093
It's technically D&D, or is supposed to be, using the 3.5e system. It's morphed a little since.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd5tpFX3_xA

>>167097
>3.5e system
Interesting choice for what looks like an EaW themed game. Where did you post character sheets and rules? I tried looking at the older threads, but I couldn't really make sense of them.

>>167123
Yes, that is what we did. Character sheets have been posted sometimes through discord. No rules for the game besides those in the 3.5 system have been written down. It’s been fairly informal.

>>167129
What do you use for ponies? Ponyfinder?
>discord
Oh, so it's a discord thing. I thought it was on the board.

>>167135
Gameplay is 100% on the board, "meta" communication is just done through discord sometimes.

>>167129
>No rules for the game besides those in the 3.5 system
I know a bit about 3.5e, but there has to be some house rules if you're playing ponies. What do you use for pony stats? What level/XP did you start at?
>>167136
I see now.

>>167138
We started at level 5. We do have stat bonuses based on race. For instance, Earth Ponies get I believe a +2 to strength. I could find the notes on that if you’re interested.

I do have a pony finder book, but thus far we haven’t used it

>>167150
I'm a bit interested. Mostly curious.

>>167150
>I do have a pony finder book, but thus far we haven’t used it
Not a big fan of Ponyfinder rules either. It's not known for it's good quality of rules. People use it because bandwagon.
>We do have stat bonuses based on race. For instance, Earth Ponies get I believe a +2 to strength.
What about unicorns and pegasi? Int and Dex respectively?

I went through some the old threads to get a grip of how things work here. I didn't see anyone roll stats, but when I looked at the point totals one character had 22 points and another other had 33, so I guess you use rolled stats. I don't see very much of the other rules though.
>>167150
What level is the party now? This has been going on for a long time.

>>167084
I'm looking at the old threads threads, but a lot of time has passed since then. I can't really tell where the party is right now. Is it like multiple groups or something?

>>167177
It's a bit more about the adventure and story than leveling up in this game.
>>167184
Quite a few groups. The primary group is Silver while I am a secondary story of sorts, looking into the occupation of the changelings and the patches of survivors and rebels in the west.

>>167176
Unicorns do get +2 Int, yes, as well as telekinesis magic, and are required for sorcerer and wizard builds. I don't believe Pegasi get Dex as they can fly, which itself is a hell of a boost.

>>167177
There hasn't been a formal leveling, though it's certainly appropriate and earned. D&D has rather extreme power creep as levels increase, and the majority of enemies are and remain "humanoid" equivalent ponies, griffins, and changelings. So leveling has been kept simple to prevent inflation. Party members have acquired many weapons, a house, and NPC followers and companions as booty.

>>167184
At the moment, everyone is split up. Spark is off way north in Whinnysota. Silver and Amber are each in Baltimare in respective dream sequences. Dark Star and Iron are on sort of hiatuses, and Dark Star is in Baltimare while Iron is on a sort of "day trip" away from Baltimare.

>>167187
>Telekinesis
How does that work? Like in Ponyfinder?
>they can fly
How fast?
>hasn't been a formal leveling
So, milestone, or something else?
>leveling has been kept simple to prevent inflation.
Is that a way of saying that this is like an e6 or e8 kind of game with the HD levels capped? I've done e8 before, so that's np. I like to plan out levels in advance though.
>NPC followers and companions as booty.
That's cool. How would you handle an Apprentice PC? I know some DMs don't like making NPC mentors, but I kind of wanna try that as a quest-giver thing. Could I find know an existing necromancer mentor NPC in this world? I could make one too.
Had an idea for an apprentice necromancer thrall from the Coven of Blood or Society of bones who's doing quests to earn emancipation from her creator. After that I'd like to flirt with leadership, because it's a war themed game.
>everyone is split up
Oof. Where would a player even meet the party then?
>remain "humanoid"
Thank fuck. I'm sick of Ponyfinder's pointless Fey type autism for no reason.

>>167187
Most important: how do you do attributes? Just basic rolled stats?

>>167192
> How does that work?
Kind of just eyeballing it as it goes. Like “no, you can’t pick up an object that heavy. No, it doesn’t extend that far. You have to see what you are handling to know what you are handling.” Typically depending on traits.

>How fast
I think 60 feet per move.

> So, milestone, or something else?
Like I’ve tried to suggest it before a quest and it was ignored. I suppose “milestone” would be correct. Based on quest completion.

>level cap
As I said, it’s been informal, and mostly ignored as a way of preventing inflation. The more serious concern in the campaign has been the inclusion of automatic firearms like submachine guns, and in Silver’s future dream sequence, assault rifles and battle rifles.

>How would you handle an Apprentice PC?
This is more or less how many of the quests have worked. Dark Star has aligned him self with the Blackhooves faction, and the NPC liaison of that faction is acts as a mentor for Dark Star when not on a quest, and basically as a GMPC on quests, as she’s been the most common companion NPC for full party quests. Iron likewise has a Zebra NPC mentor who serves essentially as a GMPC when he goes on quests. These characters are level 5, same as the party, and tend to be deemphasized in combat. And they are waifus because of course they are, what did you expect.

> Could I find know an existing necromancer mentor NPC in this world?
Necromancy in the campaign has been treated as evil and something belonging to a forgotten past. I don’t think a “living” necromancer has been seen in the campaign.

> Had an idea for an apprentice necromancer thrall from the Coven of Blood or Society of bones who's doing quests to earn emancipation from her creator.
For perspective, the Society of Bones and Coven of Blood in EAW are located in a land metaphorically detached from the rest of the Griffonian continent. The main setting of the campaign has been in Baltimare, in the southern half of the equestrian east coast. The city is very much like Barcelona in the Spanish civil war in EAW, and my interpretation has been to make it like Lovecraft’s New York and Providence. I suppose a Dreas Leafye style necromancer could show up there.. but it would be something of an alien element to the city.

> Where would a player even meet the party then?
Historically, this has been the Eastside Tavern

> how do you do attributes? Just basic rolled stats?
Yes.

>>167195
>The more serious concern in the campaign has been the inclusion of automatic firearms like submachine guns
You use d20 Modern rules for those, right? They weren't too powerful, last I checked. Are you also using the Dr#321 rules for increased damage and threat range on firearms?
>Necromancy in the campaign has been treated as evil and something belonging to a forgotten past. I don’t think a “living” necromancer has been seen in the campaign.
>“living”
Unliving? It could be cool to have been made by a lich. The standard base levels for Mentors is 5 plus modifiers (8ish), but a higher level one could be cool if it already exists in the story.
>but it would be something of an alien element to the city.
I thought of it as being something like a pilgrimage/tourism. The queen herself was from Equestria, so maybe some of her followers might travel to "see what she saw".
>Yes
Okay. Here goes nothing...
How do I roll?

>>167196
Simply type out parentheses, number of dice, d, the number of sides on the dice, and then a modifier, close parentheses
[ 1 d 20 ]
[1d20 = 16]
[1d20+6 = (9+6) = 15]

Test
[1d20 = 2]

Test
[3d20 = 22]

>>167206
.... It's not showing me the results of the original dicerolls. How do I drop the lowest?

>>167207
I'll just roll the d6's one by one
>>167204
Since I don't really know how equipment is going to work out in a modern setting, and the Coven Of Blood is itself painfully low-tech, I'm probably going to spend most of my starting equipment on corpses/thralls. The thralls I start with are characters, telepathically under my command, but I want to make them proper cohorts when I reach the level, so developing them now is key. I will roll all of their stats at once and assign them based on what is most appropriate to who. My mage doesn't need anything but Charisma, but some Wisdom would be nice.

Corpse 1
Attribute 1
[1d6 = 4]
[1d6 = 6]
[1d6 = 3]
[1d6 = 3]
Attribute 2
[1d6 = 4]
[1d6 = 3]
[1d6 = 3]
[1d6 = 6]
Attribute 3
[1d6 = 4]
[1d6 = 2]
[1d6 = 1]
[1d6 = 5]
Attribute 4
[1d6 = 2]
[1d6 = 4]
[1d6 = 4]
[1d6 = 1]
Attribute 5
[1d6 = 2]
[1d6 = 2]
[1d6 = 6]
[1d6 = 4]
Attribute 6
[1d6 = 1]
[1d6 = 1]
[1d6 = 5]
[1d6 = 4]

Corpse 2
Attribute 1
[1d6 = 2]
[1d6 = 2]
[1d6 = 3]
[1d6 = 5]
Attribute 2
[1d6 = 2]
[1d6 = 1]
[1d6 = 6]
[1d6 = 2]
Attribute 3
[1d6 = 6]
[1d6 = 2]
[1d6 = 1]
[1d6 = 3]
Attribute 4
[1d6 = 4]
[1d6 = 4]
[1d6 = 2]
[1d6 = 6]
Attribute 5
[1d6 = 4]
[1d6 = 5]
[1d6 = 6]
[1d6 = 4]
Attribute 6
[1d6 = 3]
[1d6 = 2]
[1d6 = 4]
[1d6 = 1]

Corpse 3
Attribute 1
[1d6 = 5]
[1d6 = 1]
[1d6 = 1]
[1d6 = 6]
Attribute 2
[1d6 = 6]
[1d6 = 5]
[1d6 = 5]
[1d6 = 5]
Attribute 3
[1d6 = 5]
[1d6 = 1]
[1d6 = 1]
[1d6 = 2]
Attribute 4
[1d6 = 5]
[1d6 = 6]
[1d6 = 3]
[1d6 = 3]
Attribute 5
[1d6 = 2]
[1d6 = 5]
[1d6 = 3]
[1d6 = 3]
Attribute 6
[1d6 = 4]
[1d6 = 4]
[1d6 = 6]
[1d6 = 4]

Corpse 4
Attribute 1
[1d6 = 1]
[1d6 = 2]
[1d6 = 3]
[1d6 = 1]
Attribute 2
[1d6 = 5]
[1d6 = 5]
[1d6 = 2]
[1d6 = 4]
Attribute 3
[1d6 = 4]
[1d6 = 4]
[1d6 = 1]
[1d6 = 4]
Attribute 4
[1d6 = 5]
[1d6 = 1]
[1d6 = 6]
[1d6 = 6]
Attribute 5
[1d6 = 3]
[1d6 = 6]
[1d6 = 4]
[1d6 = 4]
Attribute 6
[1d6 = 3]
[1d6 = 6]
[1d6 = 5]
[1d6 = 2]

>>167208
Corpse 1
13
13
11
10
12
10

Corpse 2
10
10
11
14
15
9

Corpse 3
12
16
8
14
11
14

Corpse 4
6
14
12
17
14
14

Not stellar rolls, but doable. Half are noncombatants anyway. Corpse 3 and 4 are definitely keepers; I only wanted one 16 to glue the whole build together. Might replace Corpse 1 with the elite array if that's allowed, although he's supposed to be a living colt who won't see combat, so having crappy stats is fine for him.

>>167209
Corpse 4 (White Horse) is my Necromancer: Rosie "Posie" Ring, an apprentice practitioner in The Art. Her origins lie in the Coven Of Blood. Posie is a product of dysgenics by the Dread League, who sought to breed the perfect thrall from the necrotic tissue of a stillborn alicorn. Posie was considered to be a paragon among her cloned sisters, but ultimately still a failure to produce a god of destruction.
Posie's childhood memories are non-existent, just a blur of constant excruciating pain as she writhed about in her vat of fluid. She was liberated from her necrotic cradle as an adolescent filly, and raised by the Coven.
Posie is bound to her master in a powerful Geas that exceeds the formal binds of apprenticeship: until she surpasses her master, she is forever his thrall. Her bindings prohibits her from committing acts in Equestria that would compromise the infiltration goals of the Society of Bones, at least until her emancipation.
Posie's master was a powerful necromancer who cultivated Posie from necrotic tissue. As a mentor, he is an NPC that would not assist in quests or give any formal aid to her, but he may give her quests. I think it would be cool if he were a lich, but that's up to the DM. I would like him to be affiliated with the Dread League, maybe taking advantage of changeling occupation to infiltrate Equestria.
Posie appears to be a white/pinkish mare with a scarlet mane. She appears youthful and vivacious, even in death: her godly blood provides an unlimited well of entropy that keeps her body as beautiful as it was in her short life. Although not a true vampire, her time with the Coven of Blood has given her an appreciation of vampire culture: selfishness, hedonism, and poetic edginess.
In terms of Religion, Posie believes the holy blood in her veins makes her worthy of defeating death, a goal that her peers have forgotten. She believes that the creator of all things beckons her foals to join her in the abyss of entropy as undead, or die if they will not.
Likes:
Necromancy ("The Art")
Books, especially poetry and Eldritch times
Nursery Rhymes
Wine (with a splash of blood)
The dead (both corpses and the unliving)
Her favorite thralls
Violence and anything bloody
Dislikes:
Having to hide her art
Walking into holy sites
Garlic (stinky)
Holy symbols

Corpse 3 (black horse) will be my first thrall: the disgraced plague doctor and thief, Caligo Miasma, from the Society of Bones. He was crucified for stealing the souls of the unborn at a maternity ward. He's a coward even in death, and he accepted undeath from Posie as a means to escape whatever judgement laid beyond the void for his atrocities in life, and so she . He's a skulking coward, and a malignant villain who secretly wishes to finish his grisly work, but so long as Posie exists he is her eternal prisoner and bound to carry out her will.

Corpse 2 (red horse) will be my second thrall: the mad swordsman Frenzied Thresher. He was once a feared warlord who had killed countless innocents. He was ruthlessly wicked and bloodthirsty in life, and his bloodthirst ended up being his undoing, for the shear depravity of his crimes caused him to fall into a state of perpetual madness. He found "salvation" from the madness of taint by selling his soul and surrendering his entire being to The Worms. As a worm-infested raver, he ravaged the countryside until he eventually fell under Posie's control after being deemed a "rogue ghoul". Despite his servitude to Posie, his true loyalty lies with the the Lord of Worms. His deformed, twisted and rotten appearance is horribly monstrous, which is why Posie prohibits him from taking off his armor.

>>167211
Corpse 1 (pale horse) isn't a corpse at all, but a living, breathing colt: Gloomy Glow. Gloomy was an orphaned colt, captured and cultivated by the Coven of Blood to harvest for blood and to sacrifice as a potential slaymate. He was given to Posie as a reward for her excellence in her studies. Posie has not yet expended him, but kept him alive, raising him as her informally adopted "son". She herself doesn't completely understand why she hasn't killed him already; perhaps something about him reminded her of the childhood she never had. She keeps him as something like a pet, spoiling him with hugs, kisses and treats, and attends to his withering health. She comforts him when he's in distress (which is often) and reassures him that everything will be alright (gaslighting) when he worries. She reads him stories and lulls him to sleep, resting beside him in calm meditation
Although Posie's treatment may seem merciful at a glance, her choice to raise Gloomy might be her greatest act of cruelty: her upbringing as a thrall in the Coven of Blood did not teach her to make equal relationships with other ponies, and her mercy is more for her enjoyment and ambition than his wellbeing. Gloomy, like Posie, was a product of dysgenics, modified to be an ideal sacrifice. As a living creature, he's not immune to the taint, and thus he's ravaged by illness that stems from magical corruption, and the depravity of magic torments his mind making him a dream walker in a perpetual nightmare. His tomb tainted soul means that his chronic illnesses resist conventional medicine and magical treatment, and he's dependent on Posie's touch to find comfort from his illness.
Perhaps worst of all, Gloomy was made as a sacrifice for an Eldritch being from beyond the void, a beast of pure darkness that haunts him, seeking to use him as a gate. In his nightmares he has visions of a shadow swallowing the entire world, the antilife, Tenebrous. His fear of The Shadow is greater than his fear of death.
Posie is well aware of this, which is what sparked her interest in Gloomy. When Gloomy was first presented to her, he was in a sorry state, ravaged by the vestige of The Shadow, and yet he lived. He clung to his last shreds of life and sanity despite under spiritual pressure that would have killed any other mortal. In all her unlife, Posie had never witnessed a creature with such a strong will, and reminded him of her mission. The vampires who ruled The Coven of Blood were so hedonistic and selfish in their hubris that most of them had forgotten the true purpose of their religion: to defeat Death itself. When she met Gloomy, a pathetic creature that begged for death and yet still continued to survive, she was so inspired she fell in love, something she thought was beneath her as a sigma-mare undead ubermensch. She wanted to coddle him and spoil him and save him from the ravages of age, and so she took him under her cloak. Posie believes that Gloomy can conquer The Shadow and bend it to his own will. She intends to make him her apprentice as soon as she's emancipated by her master, and teach him to channel his Dark Powers as a true Tenebrous Apostate. If not... He's make an excellent Slaymate.
Unlike Posie's undead thralls, Gloomy is a living creature, and Posie has no magical control over him. Until he becomes her actual apprentice, he is merely a tagalong NPC that will not join in combat. If the DM wishes, he could roleplay Gloomy, as his personality is subject to the influence of The Shadow and inconsistent. In this case, his level of depravity from possession by The Shadow might be so high that it causes him to take random, unexplained actions if the plot demands or have prophetic visions.

Names subject to change.
I will post their character sheets here later. It's been a while since I played 3.5e. I'm used to Ponyfinder.

>>167212
Chaos table
[1d100 = 11]

Taint
[1d10 = 1]
[1d10 = 1]
[1d10 = 3]
[1d10 = 9]
[1d10 = 7]
[1d10 = 9]
[1d10 = 2]
[1d10 = 10]
[1d10 = 9]
[1d10 = 3]
[1d10 = 2]
[1d10 = 6]
[1d10 = 5]
[1d10 = 6]
[1d10 = 6]
[1d10 = 8]
[1d10 = 4]
[1d10 = 4]
[1d10 = 10]
[1d10 = 5]
[1d10 = 10]
[1d10 = 8]
[1d10 = 5]
[1d10 = 3]

Alright, let me write up some background fluff just to be sure you understand the setting

Occupied
In the autumn of Sol Solis 1006, the Changeling Hegemony proceeded with its most ambitious plan yet to attack Equestria: a simultaneous replacement of both princesses in Canterlot, of the royal couple in the Crystal City, and of the six ponyville friends. The plan failed when the Master of the Crystalling awoke, fled, and tripped on the floor, alerting the crystal guards. Though many within the hegemony contend, not without merit, that the plan was very nearly a success, Queen Chrysalis's lesson from the failure was the infiltration was too contingent, and too risky. A full frontal assault, costly though it may be, was the best, and perhaps only way to secure love for her overpopulated and starving empire.

Over in Equestria, the rulers were not fazed by this near success of their enemies, but only emboldened in pursuing their chosen path further. Princess Twilight, well on the rise politically after a string of successes, believed that her duty as princess was to spread friendship and harmony. Just as she had before spread it among her friends, then among her town, then among Equestria, now it was her duty to spread friendship and magic across all of the world. After all, if the races of ponies, who once hated each other, could unit in Harmony, and find themselves stronger for it, why not the same for the griffins, zebras, and hippogriffs?

Across the sea, the lands of the griffins had not recovered from the loss of the Idol of Boreas that once united their peoples. More than a dozen smaller successor states had sprung up, and among these forms of government varying from Equestrian style harmony, to feudalism, to despotism, to merchant rule, to mob rule, to communism and fascism took hold and attempted to spread. The larger of these successor states compete with one another to consume their neighbors, and ultimately claim the now vacant title of Empire of all Griffonia.

On the shores of Griffonia remains the Equestrian settler colony of New Mareland. The now former Equestrian dominion has for hundreds of years been more firmly integrated into the economics and politics of Griffonia, and the fall of the Griffin Empire hit the export based economy of New Mareland especially hard, and what would have been a simple recession turned into a great depression. The ponies of New Mareland do not see in the griffins potential future friends and converts to harmony, as Twilight does, but very real and very dangerous present enemies. New Mareland declared independence from Equestria in 1008. The radical far right party known as the Blackhooves took power. The politics of New Mareland are complicated, nuanced, and subject to interpretation, but the gist of what is important is that the Blackhooves and their leader, Duke Erebus Haygle, believe that New Mareland must establish an empire in Southern Griffonia with captive markets in order to secure itself.

Back over in Equus, the old Griffin colony reestablishes itself after a civil war. The original break away state of political radicals, Stalliongrad, continues its experiment after the death of its great leader Steel Stallion. To the outside observer, the state appears inwardly focused on its own problems, having given up the dream of being only one of many federated soviet republics. But the dream is not cancelled nor even deferred, but carried on through more subtle means.

Equestria
In 1010, across the ocean in Griffonia, Duke Haygle and New Mareland proceeded in their design to carve out an empire in Southern Griffonia, invading and colonizing several underdeveloped, backwater griffonian successor states. This blatant departure from the principles of harmony - as perceived by Twilight, anyways - enraged Equestria, and after a period of failed negotiations, lead to the declaration of war between the nations, though exactly who declared war on who is up to dispute, and for more than a year this war proceeded as a phony war.

But this was not the most important event of that year for Equestria: Queen Chrysalis proceeded across the Equestrian border with more than a million drones. But the Equestrians knew they were coming, and fought valiantly in resistance. For two long years, the Changelings slowly ground their way through the sons and daughters of Equestria, slowly carving out an empire of their own in Pony lands. This was the largest war Equestria had ever seen, with millions under arms, a million dead, and vague memories of the Empire of Tambelon and of Quetzlecoatl in those pre-Equestrian days offering the only vague analogies to the present situation.

The war against New Mareland, fought through proxy by griffin powers, had seemed to be on hiatus, or to have scarcely existed at all to those in Equestria. Or so it had seemed until hundreds of thousands of New Mareland soldiers arrived on Equestrian soil, ferried across the ocean in hundreds of warships and freighters captured from the griffins. Equestria, probably already loosing, collapsed quickly under a two front war. Equestria's leaders surrendered (mostly), and the state was split in two between the changelings and New Mareland, while a few equestrians and her allies in Aris and Aquelia continue the war. The changelings enacted a brutal regime, while New Mareland split its territories amongst separate collaborationist governments, and sent its soldiers back across the ocean to continue its wars.

The changeling zone ends only a few miles from the outskirts of the city of Canterlot. It is unknown why Chrysalis will allow that long coveted city to remain outside of her black and twisted hooves, but the odds on favorite answer is that she will not, and it is only a matter of time until the New Mareland lands are invaded as well. Meanwhile, all across Equestria, the memory of harmony dies hard, and ponies prepare a resistance to take back what was once theirs.

>>167214
Is all of this information considered to be common knowledge that new characters would know?

>>167215
Some of the information, like the internal motivations of Chrysalis and what have you, would be unknown, but the more general political realities like "this part of Equestria is under nominal New Mareland rule" should be well known anywhere in the world.

>>167214
Do you have a map of the current geopolitical situation? With Equestria at War lore there comes maps. You mentioned the Griffonian continent; has Griffonia become an empire yet?
>metaphorically detached from the rest of the Griffonian continent
Thanks to the Arcturian Order, yeah. That would change if the Arcturian Order fell though. Not sure what the situation is there.
>>167216
Then I would roleplay my character respectively. A mage from an isolated northern wasteland probably wouldn't know all that much about international politics anyway.

>>167214
>fall of the Griffin Empire
Nevermind that last question. I missed that part.

>>167211
>>167212
I can work with this.

Use of Caligo and Frenzied thresher would probably be restricted for at least the first few missions, though

>>167217
I could probably make one, although admittedly the maps are kind of vague because of indeterminacy.

>Griffonia
The empire under the Archon has united the Hearzlands. Basically the Empire, Aquelia, and Wingbardy are the big griffin states with most of the Evi river valley and southern griffonia under New Mareland rule, and Cloudbury, Vedina, and the northern griffin socialist republic still existing

>Arcturian Order
Probably very shortly before the Dread League attack on the Arcturian Order.

I suppose your character can find out things in real time. I just wanted the basics to be said

>>167219
>very shortly before the Dread League attack on the Arcturian Order
>I suppose your character can find out things in real time.
I suppose my character would have to hurry up with her missions then, because once the Arcturian order falls the league becomes the enemy of every country and characters from there would be international criminals.
>Use of Caligo and Frenzied thresher would probably be restricted for at least the first few missions
That's fine. They would basically just be zombies until Posie reached a level to make them proper cohorts (6-9ish).
>the maps are kind of vague because of indeterminacy
Understandable.

I will write up statblocks this week. Since the other players appeared to have just posted stats right on the board, I'll do the same.

>>167195
>Necromancy in the campaign has been treated as evil and something belonging to a forgotten past. I don’t think a “living” necromancer has been seen in the campaign.
>I suppose a Dreas Leafye style necromancer could show up there.. but it would be something of an alien element to the city.
I probably should have opened with this, but is an old-school Dread League necromancer with a medieval mindset from northern Griffonia welcome in this game? The descriptions I wrote yesterday might give you the impression that the character is just going to kill everything she meets, but that's not the intention. I thought the semi-grimdark war theme plus the split party would make it a cool idea, but I don't want to waste your time or embarrass myself with a character that would just antagonize the party or mess up your setting if that's not cool with everyone. It also goes without saying that the character is evil, although that could be subject to change with character development.
There's also the thing about the Mentor/Master. Making up an NPC questgiver for a new player is a tall order so if you don't want to do that, it's fine. I was looking at the rules for apprentices:
>The DM should develop the mentor's statistics. A mentor has a base level of 5th, modified by the apprentice's Charisma bonus (if any) and by the following situations. These situations only apply when the feat is first taken; if any of these situations change at a later date (for example, the apprentice's alignment changes), the mentor's level does not change.
This overall adds up to about 11 to 15 for a potential. I could write up an NPC statblock if you wanted too. I just want my master to be the necromancer who made me. I'm okay with it if they're not present or relevant to the story.
>Based on quest completion.
This is fine by me. I just remembered that 3.5 edition has a lot of things that use XP as a price, a big difference from Pathfinder. There are things I might want to use for in character creation, so I would like to just pay it all at once and start at a lower level of that's okay with you.
>Historically, this has been the Eastside Tavern
Where is that on the map? Like, what city? Who controls the area?
>>167214
Is it clear what happened to the princesses and Equestrian leadership? It's probably not really relevant to my character, but I'm curious.
>that recent history
Looks like the situation in Equestria is pretty fucked right now. Idk who are supposed to be the 'good guys' here, but that doesn't matter to Posie because she's a 'bad guy'. I said earlier that Posie would have a binding that would prevent her from causing mayhem that would interfere with the Dread League's infiltration or diplomacy goals in Equestria, so maybe I should stick to the meat grinder if I want to steal bodies and kill things. Any suggestions for more chaotic places where an ambitious necromancer might go to kill without consequences or study the impure arts? Visiting the places where our glorious leader Rosa once lived sounds like a cool quest too.

>>167220
>I suppose my character would have to hurry up with her missions then, because once the Arcturian order falls the league becomes the enemy of every country and characters from there would be international criminals.
Well, for one, the Dread League doesn't initiate the Black Crusade for several years after the invasion of Arcturius, and the invasion itself will take some time. Also, the game has had... a slow pace, in terms of in game time.

But this really raises a more interesting and important question. How will she enter the country? Will she be smuggled in through bribes and freighters? Will she just take a train across Griffonia and walk through immigration? That latter approach may work, but Gloomy Glow may be rejected if he looks like he is diseased.

>is an old-school Dread League necromancer with a medieval mindset from northern Griffonia welcome in this game?
Uh... I think so? What do you mean by that? Equestria and especially Griffonia are pretty medieval.

>I don't want to waste your time or embarrass myself with a character that would just antagonize the party or mess up your setting if that's not cool with everyone. It also goes without saying that the character is evil, although that could be subject to change with character development.
Basically just refrain from random killing, at least within city limits, and it should be fine. Think of it this way. Baltimare is a very large, very dense city where every gunshot and nearly every scream would be heard. Every missing pony will have at least one witness to see them earlier that same night. And the city has a large, active police force, although by Equestrian standards its pretty crime ridden.

At the same time, there's quite a few ways to play "evil," and more than one character has already done it.

>Where is that on the map? Like, what city? Who controls the area?
The main setting, or at least the start of the setting, takes place in the city of Baltimare on the Equestrian East Coast. Baltimare is a smaller metropolis, and the and poorest of the three large Equestrian Coastal cities - but it's still one of the three great Equestrian coastal cities. Something like 600,000 ponies live within the city limits, and about the same in the surrounding areas. Baltimare is located at the mouth of the Delemare River, and at the western most end of Horseshoe Bay. Marshes are located on the southern part of the bay, and a peninsula to the north. Outlying towns like North Point on the coast north of Baltimare have been featured as well. Baltimare is fairly small geographically, with the more often seen eastern half only a few miles across.

The different neighborhoods in Baltimare have been explored in some depth, particularly in the stretch between the city center, which is mostly commercial, and the Horse Shoe Bay, which is a city planner's nightmare of factories, warehouses, and aging tenement buildings overflowing with migrant laborers.

Baltimare is firmly within the New Mareland occupation zone, under the civil administration of the Baltimare Governate. The vast majority of governmental decisions, like social welfare and criminal justice, are performed by the local council, which is controlled by the collaborationist Social Democratic Party, the long-standing leftwing rulers of Baltimare.

>Making up an NPC questgiver for a new player is a tall order so if you don't want to do that, it's fine.
Nah, character writing is fun

>I just want my master to be the necromancer who made me.
I have a suspicion the master will not be the quest giver

>Is it clear what happened to the princesses and Equestrian leadership?
The four princesses surrendered to Changeling Custody. The other characters have varied and less obvious fates.

>Looks like the situation in Equestria is pretty fucked right now.
Yes.

>Idk who are supposed to be the 'good guys' here
The """good guys""' would presumably be the Equestrian Liberation Front, who seek to restore Equestria to something like the status quo ante bellum. This particular faction, however, is less popular than true leftwing pollical factions in Baltimare and has not featured prominently, save for an appearance when they stopped a train outside of the Everfree Forest. Of course "good" is a matter of perspective, and there are options for a communist, fascist, anarchist, or changeling dominated Equestria, as well as plenty of options if all you want is money or mares.

>I said earlier that Posie would have a binding that would prevent her from causing mayhem that would interfere with the Dread League's infiltration or diplomacy goals in Equestria, so maybe I should stick to the meat grinder if I want to steal bodies and kill things
Just refrain from random murder and it will probably be fine. Any normal action adventure game is going to accumulate a huge body count anyways. I'm sure she'll kill plenty of ponies, diamond dogs and what have you just in the normal course of questing.

>Any suggestions for more chaotic places where an ambitious necromancer might go to kill without consequences or study the impure arts?
Well, there's a low grade civil war going on, and proper wars in other parts of the world. I suppose there are options. But the easiest solution may just be to join a faction and kill on their behalf.

>Visiting the places where our glorious leader Rosa once lived sounds like a cool quest too.
That's an idea

>>167227
>How will she enter the country?
I didn't really think of that, but I guess it's logical to start with entry.
>Will she be smuggled in through bribes and freighters?
Well, a convenient thing about being dead is that you can just place yourself at the bottom of a shipping container beneath a bunch of turnips or something and nobody will notice. That's how vampires do it in various media.
I figured someone in the Dread League would have interests in sending agents to Equestria, since the Coven Of Blood specializes in diplomacy and the Society Of Bones specializes in Infiltration.
>Will she just take a train across Griffonia and walk through immigration?
I could do that too. I was making a Charisma character that would be semi-decent at negotiations (mostly deception and intimidation). Posie herself can pass for alive quite easily.
>Gloomy Glow may be rejected if he looks like he is diseased
I'm currently looking to see how I can have a tainted NPC with low Con and Wis without him just dying; his sickness would be supernatural, not medical, so it wouldn't register on tests. Most of it could internalized, so I could just talk it out and say he has allergies and touch him up with a deception or disguise check.
Or I could spend some money on a forged passport and say I'm transporting him to seek foreign medical care. Whatever would work.
I considered just spending some starting gold to have some zombie dire bat or dragon corpses reanimated that could fly us across the borders at night.
>Equestrian East Coast.
Okay.
>Marshes are located on the southern part of the bay
>poorest of the three large Equestrian Coastal cities
>a city planner's nightmare of factories, warehouses, and aging tenement buildings overflowing with migrant laborers
Sounds like paradise for a black mage.
>What do you mean by that?
I meant medieval, but since you mentioned tanks and heavy artillery I thought the ponies here might have postmodern dispositions.
>master will not be the quest giver
Okay. I'll just send them tithes in the mail.

I'm going to make the character level four to account for XP costs. If that results in me having to wait a long time to get to the level where I can actually personally raise my own undead (lvl 8ish), that's okay with me.

>>167227
>there's quite a few ways to play "evil," and more than one character has already done it.
Got any stories to tell?

>>167211
>>167212
So the gist of mechanics is:

>Posie
Unseelie Necropolitan (vampire aesthetic) Unicorn. Dread Necromancer 3-4 major vampiric and fey bloodlines (expensive, but coo). Doesn't spec into Metamagic or spellcasting at all, but instead focuses on expanding her necromantic powers and fey heritage to give her nifty 1/day spells. Charismatic fearmonger build who uses intimidation-based tactics and debuffs in combat, and falls back on her charnel touch if forced into melee. Very few actual skill points, but deceptive and seductive.

>Frenzied
Dustform-Incarnate Necropolitan (ghoul aesthetic) Earth pony: "warrior who died thrice". Barbarian 1-2, Warrior (NPC class) 1. Tainted Raver. Literally too angry to die. Very much of a "chaos warrior" thing going on there. The red horseman is associated with fire, but I think he'd be interesting if he were vulnerable to fire instead. Str/Cha build. Very scary intimidator.
Cost, about 900 gp, possibly up to four times more. Posie has to remain superior and telepathically control him at all times.

>Caligo
Necropolitan (skeletal aesthetic) Pegasus. Nightstalker 1-2, Expert (NPC class) 1. Stealthy skillmonkey with limited combat powers. Disgraced plague doctor. Alchemy skills and minor divine spellcasting. Very stealthy. Vulnerable to fear based effects due to coward flaw.
Cost: around 900 gp, Posie would have to control him.

>Gloomy
Binder 2. Major Demonic bloodline. Possession by Tenebrous puts in a state of constant hopelessness, and he's still learning to channel its powers. Does not participate in combat. If forced into dangerous situations, uses the Darkness to flee. Major demonic bloodline enables him to bind Tenebrous, and he can only bind Tenebrous. Lichloved feat prevents Posie's zombies from eating him.
Cost: at least 1600 gp. Posie would have no magical control over him, and you need to rely on Charisma skills to make him do anything unusual.

Gibs Money Character sheeit:

Stats:
Ingeligence: 2 "Ah do that fancy book learnin' stuff. Mah brain is as big as mah dick foo!"
Constitution: 20 "Ah, can eat all the fast-food mutherfucker and I still wouldn't die. If a was one of them superheroes, I be the cockroach man."

Skills:
Witchdoctor: 5
Skull-shinking: 3
Runningfrom the popo: 8
Cannabalism: 1
Rioting: 8

>>167254
>Mah brain is as big as mah dick foo!"
I laughed

>>167254
Do you by any chance have an actual character sheet too? I could use an example to see what the rest of the party is going with.

>>167250
I know this game doesn't use formal XP, but I want to know if I'm allowed to pay XP costs during character creation. Asking for the sake of bloodlines:
https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/bloodlines.htm
Whether I can reduce my level to account for XP costs would determine if I start at level 5, 4 or 3. I'm interested in major vampire and fey bloodlines on Posie. I need to know before I finish the sheet.

>>167237
>Well, a convenient thing about being dead is that you can just place yourself at the bottom of a shipping container beneath a bunch of turnips or something and nobody will notice.
Uh, how does she sustain herself? By being "an endless well of entropy"?

I suppose she could probably just walk through immigration with an Arcturian Passort, and apply for a business visa claiming she's there for a tour of east coast factories, giving over a pair of odd suits of armor to one of the wealthy factory owners they are visiting. (That would still leave Gloomy requiring explanation, but something like that). Or hide away in a ship

>I was making a Charisma character that would be semi-decent at negotiations (mostly deception and intimidation)
Be forewarned. This is a pre-me too world that does not understand the concept of sexual "harassment"

>I considered just spending some starting gold to have some zombie dire bat or dragon corpses reanimated that could fly us across the borders at night.
I mean... maybe? That's crossing several thousand miles of ocean. Any actual biological creature couldn't make it. Also, there may be radar stations. It'd probably be easier to take a boat at least most of the way there.

>I meant medieval, but since you mentioned tanks and heavy artillery I thought the ponies here might have postmodern dispositions.
I'm still not really sure what you mean by that. If what you mean by "medieval" is having a contemptuous and superior attitude towards the common ponies, that won't go over well with the common ponies, who think that because of whatever socialist ideology that they are equal, whatever that means.

The setting is supposed to approximately parallel the United States of 1943 (although as stated before, Baltimare itself is more inspired by Spanish Civil War era Barcelona). Political philosophy, ideology and the disputes between ideologies is a large part of the theming of the game, with a diverse array of characters having a diverse array of beliefs. On the whole, morality is supposed to be around about as close to the 1940s as I can figure. Most will be religious to some degree or other, some will be highly superstitious, some lukewarm, and a few scientific materialists. Racism will be vastly more tolerated on the whole that in our world, though not by everyone. Sexual morality will be much stricter than in our world (by which I mean it exists) and whores generally won't be respected, although some libertines do indeed exist. There are only two genders, homosexuality is no longer criminally punished but is pretty strongly frowned upon and is not sanctioned by the State in the form of marriage although if you want to argue about lyra and bon bon in the finale I suppose we can have that conversation, hormonal birth control does not exist (though condoms are legal and widely available) so mares have to be careful about who they have sex with. Political ideologies still think that Utopia can be reached, and there is widespread belief in the perfectibility of pony nature and perhaps all creatures.

By contrast, females in the workplace, in leadership roles, and in the military is not controversial in pony lands, although conscription still mostly targets males, and military service strongly tends male. Whereas in our world all political ideologies claim to deliver freedom, and evil is defined as oppression and tyranny, in Occupied Equestria, all political ideologies claim to be the true version of Harmony, and evil is disharmony. The government intervening in your personal friendships is of course considered to be within the bounds of the normal function of the State, as the purpose of the State includes the moral perfection of its subjects.

>>167254
But how will fair when given the clot shot?

Looks like he can't run so well when passed out drunk

>>167280
>how does she sustain herself?
Just hibernating and waiting it out.
>I suppose she could probably just walk through immigration with an Arcturian Passort, and apply for a business visa claiming she's there for a tour of east coast factories, giving over a pair of odd suits of armor to one of the wealthy factory owners they are visiting. (That would still leave Gloomy requiring explanation, but something like that).
I think I'll go with that.
>This is a pre-me too world that does not understand the concept of sexual "harassment"
Good. Let the harassment commence. Bring it on.
>probably be easier to take a boat at least most of the way there.
Alright then.
>all political ideologies claim to be the true version of Harmony
Ah, yes. The undead-supremacists who want the Lich-queen and Vampire coven to magically dominate everyone and snuff out all life are the true harmony ^:)
Then again, I think that's what they believe in Karnath, a couple citystates in Athas, and the Githyanki empire, so that's a not-unprecedented worldview.

>>167279
It looks like Unseelie creatures can't be Necropolitan anyway, so forget about the fey bloodline stuff. It was just a greedy snowflake blend of two conflicting concepts anyway. Gonna stick with the pseudo-vampire theme.

>>167284
Equestrian ideologues. Foreigners can do whatever

>>167291
How much of a role does local politics play in the game? This kind of mileau is new to me in d&d.
Also, is there a thing you want me to do to meet up with the rest of the party?

>>167292
>local politics
Basically as much as the player wants it to. It appears more or less as motivation for the various factions, and why they do what they do.

As for how, well, let me figure out what the other players will be doing.

>>167092
Walking across the checkered wooden floor, covered in shattered glass, dust, and splinters, Silver peaks through the tall, open windows at the building across the street.

Roll Spot

Starting gold roll
[4d4 = 10]

Glad someponies are trying to restart the game.

>>167323
Based

>>167321
Looking across the small, non-existent street, Silver can see two windows are fully open, and a couple more are fully shot out. There are about two more than that "cracked" open, and more than that with bullet holes. One of the windows is the same that the automatic rifle was at, in front of and a bit to the left of Silver. The other is much further to the right.

>>167047
Amber and the group walk forward into the small village and towards the pier for the ferry across the Griffking to Kronburg. The Knights seem mostly concerned with themselves, and Amber's group tries to simply walk past them, acting as non-conspicuously as possible. This seems to work, as though one looks over to them, the knights pay the group no mind as Amber and company walk onto the small wooden pier and wait for the ferry to cross. There are other griffins there. Not many, perhaps a dozen or so others. A few look like they are locals who must cross the river on a daily basis, a few are merchants who must cross with some regularity, but a few appear to have longer term plans like Amber and the group. One traveler has two suitcases with him. One merchant - Amber can't tell if he intend to cross the river or not - approaches Amber, and attempts to sell her kebabs.

Amber can actually see the ferry, further east and up the river, slowly crossing. It's one level, enclosed, though with a pilothouse on top of the cabin at the front, low to the water with an all white color scheme, and a big black smoke stack past the middle towards the back creating a pilar of smoke that is visible now from over a mile away. Looking at it right there, Amber has reason to think that they can just get on and cross... until that hope is dashed.

One of the knights comes towards the group. Erich and Federklied volunteer Helder to speak with the leader of that group, a beige, sharp beaked griffin in shining armor who stands just a little taller than the rest. The knight starts off by asking Helder who they are, and where they are going. Helder tells him the same story he gave much earlier - that they are going to funeral of the relative of a friend in Kronburg. The knight asks away, and Helder tries to hold his own. But he seems to be slipping.

As Amber looks over to the ferry which cannot come soon enough, the rising sun reflects obnoxiously off of the water, reflecting into her eyes. A knight approaches Amber. He's a canary yellow color, not wearing armor. He looks over to Amber's viol.

"That's a nice violin you have there." He says to Amber

>>167332
Amber nods cautiously as she thinks of a way to relieve the pressure off Helder. "It is my one possession I cherish the most. Would you care for some music as we wait for the ferry?"

>>167333
The griffin smiles as if he's "caught" Amber; like he believes she cannot play, or that the viol is filled with smuggled items.

"Sure. Play on."

>>167334
Amber carefully takes the viol and bow out of the case, checks to make sure the instrument is tuned, and slowly starts to play. In her mind's eye she tentatively reaches out as she had the previous night. This time, however, she does not try to evoke fear but a tranquil, even sluggish emotion through her music.

>>167335
Is Amber looking to
Impress?
Sooth?
Distract?
Or,
To invoke the power of music to reach out directly and grab the soul?

>>167336
These are trained and stolid knights, if they have their sights set on the party it is for a darned good reason and they will not let up for a mere busker's performance. Amber is so close and cannot risk it; she must go deeper.

>>167337
Amber presses the bow against the string. She is tired. Very tired. It will not be easy to summon the same passion she had last night. Perhaps it will not be necessary. the light shining in Amber's eyes is annoying, but it serves a purpose to keep her awake. The subtle shifts in the light as the waves reflect and refract the sun serve a further purpose in that the small waves of the relatively calm river inspire the motions of her smooth movements back and forth along the string, while her state of mind imbues her music with an almost somnolent quality.

The knight looking towards Amber opens his mouth in evident surprise, and soon, everygriffin on the pier takes notice of Amber's song.

>>167338
Did the foolish knight really doubt her abilities? Amber presses on with determination. She must take care not to let this determination flood into her music and upset it, but to keep it placid and smooth. Let those others be lulled and mollified instead of sticking their beaks into things far beyond them. It is a good thing she loves music so or her playing would feel like a grueling task.

>>167339
Why need a river have waves at all? Wouldn't a smooth pond, or a lagoon be more pleasant? Amber's music again imitates the qualities of water, though now with less movement. Or more accurately, a less chaotic movement; no longer the hundreds of clashing, four-inch-high waves that bounce against the shore and piers, but a coordinated set of smooth, small waves, like the ripples created by a stone thrown into the water. Not that Amber has preference against chaos, mind you, but for this audience, a bit more mathematical precision in the highs and lows of the notes will do.

The biophysical barriers that separate one consciousness from another melt away when confronted by musical harmony, and so too do the barriers that structure our experience. Amber plays a melody that repeats the same notes in a repetitive fashion, cycling her movements in an eternally returning fashion. Time loses its meaning in the face of such repetition. And as time is simply how the mind structures its experience, time becomes a weapon against these minds, trapping them in the same few ever looping seconds.

Then Amber holds one note, and a single moment seems to stretch on indefinitely. Just as perfectly still water seems to stretch on indefinitely, merging with the sky with no clear demarcation in the horizon, so does the present merge with the future, and Amber's own consciousness seems to merge into a collective of all of those who live, and have ever lived.

There is the slightest of interruptions as Amber hears, and then feels the ferry hit the edge of the pier. Not catastrophically so, but certainly far harder than intended. The griffin on the ferry who was to tie the rope, falls off the edge of the ferry and rolls onto the wooden pier.

>>167340
Once again Amber is quietly amazed at just what her music is capable of doing, and she has to consciously avoid falling into the same stupor that seems to have affected everygriff else. The collision of the ferry jars her a bit but she is relieved at how her music has proved effective. She confirms that the knights have been adequately tranquilized before motioning to the rest of the party to board the ferry.

>>167330
"I don't like this. Changelings could be anywhere, and I can't see them."

He keeps his weapon readied, just in case.

"How is healing going?"

>>167341
Amber need not fear stupor. She is closer to rapture, carried along with the music to an experience not limited by her sensory organs. But to return to the task at claw is just as well. The griffin from the ferry stands up, and ties the rope. Helder says "thank you" to the knight, grabs his luggage, and swiftly moves to the ferry. Federklied and Erich are almost as fast, going towards the ferry. There is a delayed reaction from the other griffins on the pier, but they too, move to the ferry. When the board connecting the ferry to the pier is placed over, a griffin from inside the ferry stands ready to take money for tickets. Helder basically shoves money to his chest and moves onboard. The knights remain dazed a bit longer, and slowly awake from their torpor.

>>167342
"Indeed. That's kind of how they work." Streak replies, somewhat sarcastically.

The cream medic replies
"They'll be ready to move soon enough. It's just a flesh wound."

Corporal Azelea still lets out a mild "Ah!" of pain, however

>>167343
"I would still prefer to fight changelings I can see as opposed to ones I can not see."

>>167344
"The changelings disagree with you on that one" Spectral Streak casually retorts.

>>167342
Amber breathes a sigh of relief, and hopes the crowd boarding the ferry will provide sufficient cover that the dazed knights won't remember quite so quickly what they were doing. Exhilarated by the impromptu performance, she breathes in the fresh air of this fine day. It's a good thing indeed that the stupor did not last so long for the others, as the group of them piloting a boat by themselves would not only be difficult but attract additional pursuers.

"I don't like this. Changelings could be here," Silver thought. Would make a funny meme edit.

>>167346
What is that meme?

Helder, Erich, and Federklied move towards the back, moving out of line of sight as quickly as they can. But what of Amber and her viol?

>>167347
Brad Pitt or some other celebrity looking stressed at a gas station with the caption, "I don't like this, niggers could be here."

Amber makes sure her viol is stowed safely and mingles among other older griffons, attempting to look inconspicuous.

>>167348
Alright, roll for luck. Charisma modifier

>>167350
Opposed
[1d20+1 = (3+1) = 4]

>>167350
>>167348
Amber sits down on a wooden bench-style seat nearer the back, in front of Erich and Federklied, who remain together, and across from Helder, who is trying to separate himself from the other three. Amber can see that the knights shake their heads and look over to the ferry. But they don't seem to spy the group. They don't seem to remember what they were looking for at all.

The ferry's stay at this particular stop is short, and everyone at the pier is quick to get on. Perhaps three minutes, and it moves along.

>>167352
Amber smiles wearily. One more obstacle passed, and for a few minutes she can rest…. She leans forward and asks Erich in a low voice, "What's the next step?"

>>167345
"Of course, but you would think I would get say in it at least. War takes two, after all. It reminds me of when I was in first War, pondering on what if we could play turnabout with changelings, make them as paranoid of us as we are of them, not just on battlefield but on homefront as well. How would changelings react if suddenly they could not trust that changeling next to them was actually changeling, or just pony in disguise?"

>>167353
"Kronburg. From there, it's a train if we're lucky, or a cart if we're not, straight to the border and to Hellquill. It's a short trip either way."

Erich looks back to the line of trees and the village along the Katerin bank of the Griffking.

"Goodbye to Katerinburg..."

>>167355
Nodding, Amber looks off in the same direction. She still remembers distinctly the palace they dwelled in just a short while ago, but what other reminiscences does she have of this strange principality?

>>167354
"I've heard stories of it working like that in the occupied territories. Where even the changelings have to wonder if the pony they are looking at is a pony. I suppose that's probably how they fought each other back when that was the common thing. And the Olenians... they'd even dress up as changelings. Of course they would do that. It's definitely time they felt fear. That they were on the back hoof. That's what this war is for, isn't it?

Do you wish to make the Changelings feel fear?" He asks

>>167357
"Maybe. Yes. I hope doing so will not cost us everything, but changeling leadership needs to be made to understand what happens when we are left with no other choice but war, and to fear what will happen when we do make that choice."

>>167356
Walks through the forests in Autumn. Not the bogs. The clearer ones to the east of town. Walking through the old town, through the central platz and past the rathaus. The music school in Katerin, playing to an overbearing instructor who would not abide by any mistake. Listening to a stunning performance at the grand theater in the city. Being made to sit in an uncomfortable dress outfit at the temple of Boreas in the village as a chick, with mother chiding any false move as the teacher recites the sacred text. A soldier coming into the home and taking pots; can't tell if he's a Republican or an Imperial. The same home as before, overcrowded with chicks. A charming griffin female in a salon, wearing a beige dress and holding a cigarette, giving a sultry look. That garish looking winter palace, a mimicry of pony style, that the princess had built on the hill. And De Moncree... Trusted advisor to Diazella... That first meeting with him in the library. Those scretched images he showed from the book he retrieved from a locked room in the back. That meeting in the manor house. The secret room full of art he had built in the Summer Palace. Bastard probably made it to Nova Griffonia by now... And sawing away at the viol, playing music banned by for centuries by Imperial decree in that dark, private music hall built into the ancient stone of the old temple buried in the hillside underneath the winter palace, playing to an audience of Princess Diazella, De Moncrief, Helm, Helder, Erich and others of the old group. And the music... That is what she remembers the most vividly and the most fondly. But she takes that with her.

>>167358
"Well... we need to start with Baltimare" He says, taking the magazine out of his Jenny, checking the bullets, and placing it back in.

>>167359
Finally having time to think to herself, not harried by others in pursuit, these memories astound her. Do they feel strange and assumed, or completely native to herself in a way that she could not consider herself as having any different background? Regardless, this reflection makes the past couple of days make more sense. Amber is not merely a court musician, but a holder of dark and powerful secrets within a decadent and chaotic principality. The same music she learned since chickhood, which has become all she is good for, is precisely the reason she is wanted captured and probably dead. The sooner she takes her secrets with her out of the Empire, the sooner she can know a reprieve.

>>167361
That whole concept of her memories, her background... That discredited philosophical idea of an ego, a single consciousness that builds its identity around memories and experiences belonging solely to itself, known but to itself, dying with itself... What could be more lonely, more limited, and more mortal than that? No. Amber knows better. Amber knows that Will is universal, and the Universal Will underlies all reality, that individual consciousness and reason melt into one glorious, unlimited, immortal whole. What separates Amber and her company from the likes of Mother, the inquisitors, and the teacher isn't experiences or memories, but knowledge. Amber, Helder, De Moncree, Helm, Erich... See the world as it is. Past the representation and towards the thing in itself. But the others... They lack the curiosity, the openness, the desire, and perhaps the intellect to move beyond the representation. They remain caught in tradition, mores, and mere naive perception. They fear what lies beyond it, like a primitiveness's aversion to fire. Amber and the like have knowledge and will. And that is why they are special.

>>167362
The backwards Empire is not ready for such concepts yet. Perhaps none of the nations of the planet are. However, this perception is inevitable and they will carry it to the farthest regions until all eventually accept the whole which is clear to so few right now.

>>167363
Perhaps they will, perhaps they won't. Perhaps those who do not will perish. They will perish anyways, the lonely egos...

The ferry moves further and further away from the Katerin shore. The Imperial shore on the right bank of the river upstream isn't necessarily infinitely better, but it's much closer to safety. The border crossing into Soldau is... what? 40 kilometers past Kronburg, if even that? Not that she's ever made the trip before. But the Reformitsen are more understanding of Amber's group and their eccentricities than the Katerintreue, who crave scapegoats, and the Imperial Inquisition, who fear all that is different.

>>167364
Forty kilometers is very short by train, but a grueling trek by cart for tired old refugees. She can only hope that they will have better luck with transportation and concealment than they did within Katerinburg proper. They are much farther from the hotbed of activity that is the royal capital, but the reach of the Inquisition is long indeed and the use of her forbidden music may eventually be found out. Whatever may come, the last leg of the journey to freedom is here.

I'm falling asleep, let's continue tomorrow

>>167211
Yay, new player! Glad to have you here. I like your character concepts and they remind me of Darkest Dungeon, perhaps it was an inspiration. Also having an actually evil PC around will be fun.
>>167192
>Oof. Where would a player even meet the party then?
There's no real official "party" simply because of how stretched out this game has been (playing for literal years). The upsides of playing this game on an imageboard (being able to make a post and respond whenever you want rather than wait for other players to be online) is also a downside, because it's been a long time since multiple PCs have been on at the same time and place (i.e. a "party"). It's mostly individual players off doing their own quests and projects and occasionally meeting up. It's by no means bad, just unorthodox, but to have a party quest you need to be consistently online and hope the other members are too. Silver and I are the most active players currently so if you want to meet up we could make something work.
Here's a list of all the player characters over the course of the game (I might have missed some):
Sister Ash (kirin druid, left permanently)
Onyx (crystal pony fighter, indefinite hiatus)
Spark (unicorn sorcerer, indefinite hiatus, very sporadically online)
Silver Sword (unicorn fighter, active)
Dark Star (earth pony ranger, occasionally active)
Brie (batpony rogue, indefinite hiatus)
Iron (earth pony barbarian, occasionally active)
Swedeanon's character (forgot name sorry, unicorn wizard, left permanently)
Amber (earth pony bard, active)

>>167219
>I could probably make one
The easiest way of doing it might be using console commands in-game to adjust the world to how it would look. I would enjoy having that reference (and, unlike in medieval fantasy games, maps would be commonly available for characters to see), though it would still take several hours and it's up to you whether the effort is worth it.

>>167227
>The four princesses surrendered to Changeling Custody
F
Very early to propose this, but if the party sides with the Harmonists for the most part this might be a big end-game quest. Also is the location of Flurry Heart unknown? Might also be quest material involving her. This is all speculation btw, like you said it's perfectly possible the party might choose a different future with its own quests.

>>167237
>I meant medieval, but since you mentioned tanks and heavy artillery I thought the ponies here might have postmodern dispositions.
Equestria at the start of EaW is very similar to the show albeit with a realistic bent. Big cities are industrialized but much of the population still lives in the countryside and has traditional attitudes. Big cities, especially multicultural ones like Baltimare, will have much looser mores and seedy underbellies. Equestria's military starts out small and low-tech and has primitive tanks and airplanes. Despite this there's a strong intellectual base and military gear is improved very quickly over the course of the game. We haven't seen a lot in the way of tanks, planes and other expensive equipment in the game because 1) we're rather underleveled to deal with those and 2) it's an occupied zone and not a frontline or active military base.

In terms of military equipment, Equestrian is British, Changeling is German (so is Imperial Griffonian, don't think about it too much), Stalliongrad is Soviet, Aquilea is French, and the River Republics are Czech iirc. There's no hard-and-fast rule about having the exact same equipment that was used in our world, it's more about what's cool while fitting the setting.

>>167242
Well, Brie was a classic rogue who never shied away from cutting throats, and who also cut a deal with the Changelings to aid their infiltration in exchange for certain favors. Silver is a good pony in general but has no qualms about being a Casanova; he also is hiding the identity of a changeling from one of his friends who is being fed on. Iron is an unofficial member of a street gang and regularly helps them. Dark Star is…edgy, though fundamentally good. Even Amber, who is a wholesome farmpony who arrived a short time ago, has already gotten her hooves dirty stealing evidence from a police station and has engaged in unprotected hoofholding.

I highly recommend going to the start of the game and reading through every thread to see how the story has progressed, though it's by no means required and it would take an extremely long time to get all the way through. The various dream sequences might also be a little confusing.

Anyway, you can be as evil as you'd like and the world is your oyster as a wide-open sandbox without any of the technical limitations of sandbox games. Short of going full GTA in the streets, like the DM said, you can even be a serial killer actually a potential character concept of mine if Amber ever kicks the bucket. I'm looking forward to seeing you play here!

>>167360
"Right. It is up to us to save it. I wonder if this pressure is how Element Bearers felt every time they had to stop some great evil."

>>167365
Amber does not recall the remainder of the short ferry ride, most likely for having fallen asleep. After a jolt, Amber looks to see that the ferry has stopped. To the left, Amber can see a stone landing, and a grey stone wall to the left of that. Further down, Amber sees a stairway that goes up to what must be a street, lined to its left with three story buildings so close as to merge one to another, mostly with white colored walls, though sometimes of varying colors like shades of pink and yellow, and with tall, steep red roofs. Awnings line the street, presumably for waterfront cafes. Helder, Erich, and Federklied get up, and grab their luggage.

>>167380
This looks to be a charming town, perhaps more welcoming than Katerinburg. Still, Amber must take care to not let her guard down, especially given how limited time is. She makes sure her possessions are with her and follows the others.

>>167381
Amber picks up her viol to walk out of the ferry. But when Amber comes onto the landing, she sees something not surprising, but not really welcome either. A small fence, and a single griffin in green who is evidently checking passports.

>>167383
She elbows Helder. "Do you know what to do?" she asks, staring at the official.

>>167384
"If they don't have our names on a list then there is no problem. Just show him your passport. But if they do... Bribe, talk out of it, or something else..."

>>167385
Does Amber still have her passport?

>>167386
This basically comes down to "did Amber lose her passport while on the train?"

>>167387
In that incident she did not drop anything that belonged to her, so it would stand to reason she still has it.

>>167388
Then she ought to have it.

>>167389
She presents her papers to the official, trying to look as unconcerned as possible.

>>167390
The customs agent takes Amber's passport...

But he has another paper too, which he starts to look at

>>167391
Amber widens her eyes and looks between the official and the documents in his claws.

>>167393
Is she staring off into the distance, or trying to read what he is holding?

>>167394
She tries to read what he's holding.

>>167395
There does indeed seem to be a list of griffins who are of interest. Whether Amber and companies' names are on that list isn't really possible to determine

>>167396
Amber can never tell these days the speed at which bureaucracy moves across the Empire. She can only hope that for interregional border checks it's as slow as she remembers. But there's too much tension in the air. "It's a gorgeous day this morning, isn't it?" she remarks casually.

>>167397
And if they are using radios or telegraphs, it won't go so well.

"Yeah... huh"
The agent looks up to Amber to acknowledge the statement, before looking back down to continue to go through the list.

>>167398
If there is one thing not skimped on in the budgets, it tends to be internal security….
"I wish I could linger and enjoy it, but I simply must make it to the music tutoring I am giving. Everything looks to be in order, yes?"

Does Amber have any money to give?

>>167399
Amber herself is low on money. Helder has some, and other items, like jewelry, may also have value.

Amber can also roll for diplomacy to distract the agent.

>>167400
Slipping money wouldn't attract attention, but pestering Helder for said money might, and Amber is naked and doesn't seem to have any jewelry to give.

"Forgive me, I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but if you must check every single passenger we will be stuck here until noon. I have a promising pupil who must learn the intricacies of music and whose parents have a very short patience. Look at how old I am, I am not a dangerous criminal so why should I be kept here?"
[1d20+4 = (20+4) = 24]

>>167401
He blinks, holds the passport up against Amber to verify the photo, verifies the watermark, and gives the passport back to Amber, with no stamp for what is technically crossing an internal border.

"Have a nice day, sir." He says, waving along Amber.

And then Helder

And then Erich (who takes significantly longer because he misplaced his passport and had to find it)

And then Federklied (who had a questionable passport, but is moved along anyways because who really cares if it's old)

Are all moved along into the city

>>167402
Thanking her lucky stars she didn't get stopped by such a mundane obstacle, Amber also idly wonders whether or not she can be lucky or glib enough to get away next time. Best not to tarry on such thoughts for too long, though, because time is of the essence.

"Do you know what times the train has?" she asks Helder. "Also, how are we going to avoid what happened last time?"

>>167379
"I don't know. They have rainbow lasers."

As if in protest against this statement, Silver hears a plane roar, swoop down, and then a loud "chug" sound as its multiple machine guns strafe a target, presumably the front side of the transit ministry.

>>167403
Helder replies,
"I do not know. The best thing to do would be to get the hell away from the police. It may be safer not to take the trains. But if we do, it's not even an hour to the border."

>>167405
"We could try stowing away in the cargo cars…but I have a better idea. Do you know where we can get access to the train staff and their clothing?"

>>167406
"No? At the train station, I would presume." He says

>>167407
"We had best look there. If we conceal ourselves as staff of the train, we're much less likely to be inspected by police."

>>167408
"Well... if we're unnoticed, that may work." Helder says. Erich is clearly listening as well

>>167409
"Obviously there will be some staff already and they might ask some questions. We can just say we are new hires to help with a larger workload today. For those who are unconvinced, we might have to, er…incapacitate them. We'll need to do their jobs as well, punching tickets, handing out meals and whatever else they do."

>>167410
"That could work. Or to be a porter, or a coal shoveler. The greatest danger lies with the train staff noticing that we are not supposed to be there."

>>167411
"It is a risk we'll have to take. We just need to act like we belong there. All we need to do is make it to the border."

>>167412
He nods

"Just to the border..."

>>167413
"Making it to the station in Helquill is ideal. If we must hop off the train before then, so be it, we just need to leave the Inquisition's jurisdiction."

>>167414
Both nod affirmatively

"Whatever gets us there"

>>167415
And so Amber continues on to the train station…

I need to sleep now

>>167404
"And we have machine guns. I think we can make do with these."

>>167373
I'm kind of stuck on the "getting into the country" part. I thought new players started already there.

>>167419
I like to start players at their point of entry in Baltimare. Union Station if they enter from Equestria, or Locust Promontory if they are from abroad. I suppose it can be skipped.

I made a very, very rough draft:
Rosie "Posie" Ring - Necropolitan Half-vampire Unicorn Dread Necromancer 3, Major Vampire Bloodline 3; spellstitched (not represented)

Medium Undead [augmented monstrous humanoid] [Unicorn] [Pony]

Init: +11 (Nimble bones, Improved Initiative); Senses: Darkvision 60 ft, Spot +4, Listen +4
Languages: Pony, Abyssal, Infernal, Griffon

Armor Class: 18, Touch 13, Flat-footed 17 (2 grotesque Griffon leather , plus 1 dastana, plus 4 natural)
HP: 47 (3d12+22 HD); Corpsecrafted
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +7

Speed: 40 ft (leather armor; nimble bones)
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+1
Attack: Charnel Touch +5 Melee touch (1d8+1 negative), Slam +5 melee (1d6+7 bludgeoning + 1d6 cold), Compound Bow +4 Ranged (1d8+5 piercing)
Full Attack:
Space/Reach: 5/5
Special Attacks: Spells, Rebuke Undead 7/day, Charnel Touch, Telekinesis, Negative Energy Burst, Winter's Chill, Destructive Retribution, Charming Gaze
Special Qualities: Undead Traits, Lich Body, DR 2/Bludgeoning And Magic, DR 2/Slashing; Fast Healing when below full HP; Enery resistance 5 for electricity and 10 for cold, Turn Resistance +6
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +8
Abilities: St 21 (+4 enhancement corpsecraft), Dex 16, Con-, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 19
Skills: Bluff 12, Climb 6, Concentration 9, Craft (stitching) 3, Decipher Script 3, Diplomacy 6, Disguise 6, Hide 7, Intimidate 11, Knowledge (religion) 8, Knowledge (Arcana) 9, Move Silently 7, Sleight Of Hand 5, Spellcraft 12, Use Magic Device 7, Hypnosis 5
Feats: Apprentice (bonus) (lvl 1 flaw); Magical Affinity/Aptitude (bonus) (Occupation); Necromantic Bloodline (lvl 1); Defiler (lvl 3); Reserves Of Strength (severe taint); Cerebrosis (bonus; Rite Of The Blot); Iron Will (bonus; Otugh Hole); Evil Brand (bonus; elder Evil); Evil Brand (bonus; Elder Evil); Versatile spellcaster (bonus; Vampire Bloodline; Stealthy Redundant); Improved Initiative (bonus; half vampire); Stealthy (bonus, Ironwyrm vault)
Possessions: Nightcaller; Unholy symbol, spell component pouch, grotesque griffon leather barding, compound bow + 20 arrows, Gloomy (slave), 2 zombies (bound to nightcaller); "self" (slave price)
Organization: Unique plus thralls (see text)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Combat Gear
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +0 (Half Vampire LA bought off)

Undead Traits:
Spells: (see Dread Necromancer)
Posie casts spells as a third level Dread Necromancer. Her caster level is 5 for all non-necromancy spells, and 7 for all necromancy spells (Major vampire bloodline + spellgifted).

Expanded Spell list
Her spell list has been expanded and modified as follows:
Apprentice Spellcaster: Posie's time as an apprentice has given her the option to replace a number of her spells known. She has replaced six of the redundant spells she knows from her necromantic bloodline:
Cause Fear -> Ebon Eyes
Ghoul Touch -> Desecrate
Vampiric Touch -> Gaseous Form
Contagion -> Clutch Of Orcus
Eyebite -> Antilife Shell
Control Undead -> Ethereal Jaunt

Rite Of The Blot: Posie has dealt with eldritch horrors from beyond the void, which has resulted in a mutated mind in the form of Cerebrosis. Her scarred, necrotic brain matter gives her access to the following Cerebritic spells, rudimentary and difficult to control conjuration magic, mostly in the form of summons:
Lvl 1: Aching Dread
Lvl 2: Call Amoebic Crawler
Lvl 3: Far Realm Visitation; Dimsensional Rift
Lvl 4: Call Cranial Encyster; Lingering Raver
Lvl 5: Soul-Blasting Dread
Lvl 6: Call Kaortic Hulk
Lvl 7: Finger (hoof/horn) of Expulsion
Lvl 8: Call Nightseed
Lvl 9: Welcome Amoebic Sea
Although Rosie knows all of these spells, her current level of Sorcery only gives her lvl 1 slots, so she has only been able to cast Aching Dread.

Mother Cyst: As a physical manifestation of her corruption, Rosie possesses a Mother Cyst; the ugly black lump where her heart used to be. The cyst is internalized in her chest, beneath her ample floof, and "beats" with a painful throb. Posie, in her prophetic hubris, considers her cyst to be sign of The Mother's "love". The cyst gives her access to the following spells, of which she can only cast lvl 1 spells (or lvl 2, if straining with versatile spellcaster):
1 Necrotic Awareness
2 Necrotic Cyst, Necrotic Scrying
3 Necrotic Bloat,
4 Necrotic Domination
5 Necrotic Burst
6 Necrotic Eruption
7 Necrotic Tumor
8 Necrotic Empowerment
9 Necrotic Termination
Rosie Typically uses Necrotic Awareness to seek out Gloomy, should she lose sight of him. Since she has to strain to cast Necrotic Cyst, she has yet not shared her "love" with anyone but Gloomy.

Defiler: In research of the impure arts, Rosie has delved into the forbidden practice of Defiling Magic. Defiling magic scars the land and coats it in toxic defiler ash. Rosie is aware of the destructive nature of this magic, and uses it sparingly, not out of goodness of her cyst, but to keep her practice secret, and for the backlash defiling deals on her own body and mind.
Defiler Points (defilement of self): TBA
Defiler Score (permanent moral burden of defilement): TBA

Spellstitched SLAs: TBA

>>167431
Charnel Touch (Su): (As Dread Necromancer ability) In combat, Posie prefers to use her endless negative energy to hex living creatures. At will, but no more than once per round, she can deliver a touch attack that deals 1d8+1 points of negative energy, or heal an undead creature 2 HP

Negative Energy Burst (Su): Once per day, Posie can create a burst of negative energy that harms living creatures. Creatures within 5 feet of her take 6d4 points of damage (DC 17 Will for half). Undead Creatures are healed the damage living creatures take.

Rebuke Undead: as a 7th level Cleric (major vampire bloodline + Bloodtouched Rite)

Charming Gaze: From her vampire heritage, Rosie can charm humanoids and monstrous humanoids with her cursed eyes. This is similar to a gaze attack, except that she must take a standard action.

Unicorn Telekinesis:

Undead Weaknesses (work in progress): Rosie Ring possesses the following unique weaknesses
Delusional (-1/3 CR): Posie believes that she is born of Holy Blood and that her powers are a gift from The Mother. Her desire for this to be true is her internal justification for her continued existence. Creature's that become aware of this can manipulate
Phobia (CR -1/3): Princess Celestia, a figure of myth and horror in the Dread League, is a terrific sight to those brought up there. Her phobia refers to Princess Celestia herself, and any holy sites or consecrated temples dedicated to her honor. In the presence of the Princess or on the princesses sanctified lands, Posie takes a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, ability checks or skill checks
Code Of Honor (-1/3 CR): Until Rosie surpasses her Master, she can never disobey an order from a higher ranking member of the Dread League. This binding includes not causing excessive damage in Equestria that might interfere with the Society Of Bone's infiltration goals, or the Coven Of Blood's diplomacy goals. Posie's binding has caused her to leave battles unfinishes and flee before she risks exposure.
Considering
Distractible (-1/3 CR): maybe put something about her adopted 'son' in there.
Energy Vulnerability (CR -1/2; LA -1/2): maybe
Turn Submission (CR -1/3; LA -1/2): would wipe out most of her turn resistance, probably worth the option
Sunlight Vulnerability (-1/2 CR; -1/2 LA): debilitating, but thematic as a vampire descended creature.
Phobia (see above): could include basic vampire weaknesses to represent vampire heritage

Note: the undead weaknesses with no LA adjustment are mostly for flavor. They do, however, reduce her overall CR, and thus her price as a thrall (buying self out of slavery is to represent tithes paid to her Master, as debt for creation).

Taint Score: 20
Corruption: 10
Depravity: 10
Symptions Of Taint:
Paralyzed Face; Bones Thicken
Hubristic; Prophetic

Occupation: Hedge Wizard (if not using d20 Modern rules ignore)
Region (Dread League); regional quirks tbd

Tactics: Until lvl 8, Posie is effectively a melee warrior. At lvl 8 she'll be a master of undead minions.

Military Rank in Dread League
Commander Rating: 2
Commander Aura: Necromantic Commander
Benefit: Undead allies within 30 feet of you that have an Intelligence score of 1 or higher deal an extra 1d6 points of damage on melee attacks made against living creatures. This benefit is considered a morale bonus.

Master: Dread Necromancer of at least 8th levels. The stats above assume Posie was created by a cabal of the Dread League who possessed the appropriate corpsecrafter feats in a desecrated area. This price is represented in her WBL.

Magical Location Bonus feats: the bonus feats Posie Gains from her starting equipment represent training and torture dealt to her by the Dread League, this price adds up to the 5500 gp, the same cost as having been imprisoned in the Otyugh Hole (Iron Will), The Ironwyrm Vault (Stealthy), and the Cerebrotic Mire (Cerebrosis).

>>167432
Almost 3 hours typing that and I still forgot something:
>Flaw: Test Subject (-2 to all saves vs necromancy and Enchantment spells).
Painful since Command Undead is a lvl 2 spell, but appropriate as a product of dysgenics by the necromantic Society of Bones and the enchanting Coven Of Blood.
Pick up Haunted at lvl 6 to pick up Undead Leadership.

I figured spending money on thralls was an exercise in futility when I can't even cast Animate Dead myself. Roleplaying four characters felt obnoxious to do starting off, so I'm would like to start just with Posie and her apprentice. It also makes getting into the country easier so I can actually start.
I'll post Gloomy's sheet shortly. 200 gp of Posie's starting equipment goes towards "conditioning" him, to give him Iron Will, which helps him avoid insanity from taint. He'll otherwise have no starting equipment. I want him to eventually be a cohort, so I'm making him a Binder.
>>167423
I could just go with that. Gloomy's illness wouldn't be too visible, so Posie could go through regular border control with him. It sounds like a good test for her infiltration abilities and charisma skills.
As for cover story, I had an idea for the occupation of "Neurologist": a person who studies death, both mundane and magical. Part mortician, part doctor, part mage, such a skilled pony would be in high demand in a war-torn region where death, disease and amputation are widespread, so I could come with a work visa. That way I have an excuse to skulk around graveyards and carry dark magic implements.
Maybe the Society of Bones could forge me a fake ID (or I could buy it, but I'm cutting it close with starting equipment).

>>167433
*Necrologist

>>167431
>>167432
>>167433
>>167434
This is really cool! It must have taken a lot of thought.
>Dread Necromancer 3, Major Vampire Bloodline 3
Is she level 5 or level 6? I'm still relatively new to playing DnD so I'm not the best at reading and interpreting character sheets.
>neurologist necrologist
Reminds me of the Lovecraft story "Herbert West–Reanimator"

>>167373
>In terms of military equipment, Equestrian is British, Changeling is German (so is Imperial Griffonian, don't think about it too much), Stalliongrad is Soviet, Aquilea is French, and the River Republics are Czech iirc. There's no hard-and-fast rule about having the exact same equipment that was used in our world, it's more about what's cool while fitting the setting.
The Dread League is pretty low tech in favor of having tons of skeletons and thralls, and I want to honor that, since Posie was brought up as a mage in the Dread League and I intend to go cowabunga with minions once I get to level 8. I spent most of my starting equipment on training and perks, and a trusty Nightcaller so I can pretend to be an actual necromancer despite being level 3 with no ability to raise the dead for a long time. The compound bow is as far as I'm going to go in terms of modern weaponry for now, although it synergizes well with my high Str (also the White Horseman has a bow, so I'll use one too). I should be good against anything except paladins and golems.
>There's no real official "party"
I would hope to interact with the other active PCs at some point, because that's part of the fun of roleplay. I guess it wouldn't be too bad just to talk with NPCs or do solo quests, although it feels like a bit of an undue burden on the DM to make solo quests though.
>I highly recommend going to the start of the game and reading through every thread to see how the story has progressed, though it's by no means required and it would take an extremely long time to get all the way through
Yeah, I tried that, but it's admittedly hard to follow. Thanks for pointing out who's active and who isn't, btw; it made it easier to tell what relevant.
>I'm looking forward to seeing you play here!
Thanks. I'm interested in seeing how this will play out.
>>167435
Is she level 5 or level 6
She's actually level 3. The bloodline levels don't contribute to total ECL, but you still have to pay XP to get them; thus, it's best to take them all at level 1. They do count as class levels for certain level based parameters though, including LA buy-off, which has good synergy since it reduced the cost of buying off the half-vampire LA, which let her reduce the LA for half vampire from +2 to +0. Posie is ECL 3, with the same XP as a level 3 character.
Tl;Dr, she spent 7K out of 10K XP to get some perks, and is now lvl 3.
>I'm not the best at reading and interpreting character sheets.
This sheet is an unfinished mess, so I don't blame you. I forgot how complicated it was to make characters in 3.5e. I haven't played in years, and I had to spend a few days looking stuff up.
>Reminds me of the Lovecraft story "Herbert West–Reanimator"
Yeah, something like that.

>>167423
I'll do that, because doing what you're used to should make it smoother. If I get arrested for dark magic, then so be it.
I'm close to finished, so tell me when you would be open to start.
Rosie counts as coming from abroad, since she's from another continent.

After escaping prison through the sewers, Gibs is ready to hustle again! But first, he gotta get off all the shit on his body. He gotta find the closest store with pony-axe so he can spray his whole body clean. He was lucky that toilet couldn't tell the difference between him and turd, otherwise he would never have gotten out. Yeah, zigga!

>>167438
>He was lucky that toilet couldn't tell the difference between him and turd,
I'm sorry, that was a bit too gross. :S

>>167432
I've fucked up. The both of those magical locations are 3K gp, which means on top of the night caller they add up to 9k, which doesn't leave room for my basic equipment or cost of emancipation. I'm either going to have to drop one of those bonus feats, or the Nightcaller.
I could plausibly rank up my defiler score to cover the cost of spellstitching, although that's meant to be for emergencies.

>>167436
I can't wait to see your character in the game, new fren!

>>167441
I'm almost ready with the sheet. I'm open to start posting whenever.

>>167440
>>167433
>>167432
>>167431
>>167437
>>167436
That's a lot to sort through

>>167438
>>167439
Gibbs has escaped his imprisonment Shawshank Redpemption style, but he ain't ready to go to his beach in Zihuatanejo just yet.

Gibbs observes that his stripes... is gone, He now a pure brown stallion. Like an earth pony.

>>167416
Helder tries to take the lead, although it becomes apparent fairly quickly that he's only feigning familiarity with the street pattern. The quaint cobblestone streets of the riverside are repeated one street in further inland from the river, as are the multi-colored blocks of apartments and shops that line the roadway. The further the group goes into the town, the older the buildings become, tending towards closely spaced red roofed, white-walled, half-timber constructs, with dirty stone roads that exist not in any planned-out grid pattern, but haphazardly angling out in which ever direction, occasionally cut by alleys or small squares. Not much time elapses before Federklied calls Helder's bluff, and exposes that no, he does not know where he is going, and she asks a local for directions to the train station. The griffins find and move through the central market square, lined by a large, green stoned temple of boreas with twin spires and a vaulted room, and the rathaus with its square, peaked red roofed tower and rink brick construction. The sight of a set of police passing through the market square encourages the group to move behind a set of stalls set up in the middle, selling vegetables, and to pretend to take interest in buying cabbage - probably a sincere interest for Erich by now. But there is no time to waste. More walking, past packed streets with now lowered buildings, and more trees with falling, brown leaves. The town is only a fraction of the size of Katerinburg, but it's still a proper town. It's a few more blocks before they arrive at Kronburg Hauptbahnhof.

Kronburg Hauptbahnhof is fairly long building with a black roof, and though it is only one story tall, it is as tall as two floors at many points. The building has a reception area in the fore, and two open air platforms with covers on the side away from the street. The building is accessible from the main street, and actually has space for the parking of automobiles, though only a small number are present.

>>167468
Another strange town, though quite similar to Katerinburg. Amber could not wait to get to the train station, and now that she is here, she looks for where staff rooms may be at.

Spot: [1d20+2 = (7+2) = 9]

>>167467
Gibs sniffs his unquiely colored hoof.

"Sheeeeeit."

He sneaks around like he's about to steal shit cuz yo ass don't get any respekt points with nasty ass sheeit in yo fur. Sadly for him, he turns the corner and walks straight into a crowd of bitches.

>>167467
Is there anything that stands out to you?

>>167480
>>167467
>>167432
I am going to wait to finish this, but I'm ready to roleplay or talk about backstory or exposition changes whenever.

>>167431
>Rosie "Posie" Ring - Necropolitan Half-vampire Unicorn Dread Necromancer 3, Major Vampire Bloodline 3; spellstitched (not represented)
I can't say I am familiar

>Init: +11 (Nimble bones, Improved Initiative)
That's... a lot

>Languages: Pony, Abyssal, Infernal, Griffon
There isn't really a single unifying pony language, nor a unifying griffin language (although Herzlander is probably a pretty good contender)

>Armor Class: 18, Touch 13, Flat-footed 17 (2 grotesque Griffon leather , plus 1 dastana, plus 4 natural)
HP: 47 (3d12+22 HD); Corpsecrafted
The 3d12 is 3 levels of undead, but where does the +22 come from?

>Skills: Bluff 12, Climb 6, Concentration 9, Craft (stitching) 3, Decipher Script 3, Diplomacy 6, Disguise 6, Hide 7, Intimidate 11, Knowledge (religion) 8, Knowledge (Arcana) 9, Move Silently 7, Sleight Of Hand 5, Spellcraft 12, Use Magic Device 7, Hypnosis 5
116 skill points at level 3? Come again?

>Feats: Apprentice (bonus) (lvl 1 flaw); Magical Affinity/Aptitude (bonus) (Occupation); Necromantic Bloodline (lvl 1); Defiler (lvl 3); Reserves Of Strength (severe taint); Cerebrosis (bonus; Rite Of The Blot); Iron Will (bonus; Otugh Hole); Evil Brand (bonus; elder Evil); Evil Brand (bonus; Elder Evil); Versatile spellcaster (bonus; Vampire Bloodline; Stealthy Redundant); Improved Initiative (bonus; half vampire); Stealthy (bonus, Ironwyrm vault)
I can't say I familiar with many of those

>Three paragraphs of spells
I am not familiar with these

I don't know what books these came from, but just to be completely honest, the odds that I am ever going to be familiar enough with the powers of these spells in order to create encounters that are balanced are probably pretty low

>>167432
I can follow this post pretty well. I can definitely work with these

>>167433
>but appropriate as a product of dysgenics by the necromantic Society of Bones and the enchanting Coven Of Blood.
Don't the two societies hate each other?

>Roleplaying four characters felt obnoxious to do starting off,
We could have them under my control. Which characters do you want to control? Gloomy as well as Posie?

>As for cover story, I had an idea for the occupation of "Neurologist": a person who studies death, both mundane and magical. Part mortician, part doctor, part mage, such a skilled pony would be in high demand in a war-torn region where death, disease and amputation are widespread, so I could come with a work visa. That way I have an excuse to skulk around graveyards and carry dark magic implements.
Maybe the Society of Bones could forge me a fake ID (or I could buy it, but I'm cutting it close with starting equipment).
As Baltimare is well known for its medical school, that works pretty well.

>>167437
>If I get arrested for dark magic, then so be it.
Immigration isn't going to be looking for magic. They care about tuberculosis, weird foreign parasites, and leftist radicals

>>167483
Sure, what do you want to talk about on backstory?

We could definitely start Posie soonish, although I sort of want to bring other characters in a position where they could join her

>>167475
These bitches be fiiiine. Like, solid 5/10s. One of these is even a pony, and she only got one chin! But he still smells like shit.

>>167469
Well... it ain't in the center of the building. That has the entryway, the time tables, and the ticket office.

>>167488
>There isn't really a single unifying pony language, nor a unifying griffin language (although Herzlander is probably a pretty good contender)
I want to be able to speak the most common language in Equestria (or at least Ponyville and Canterlot, i.e places in the show), so whatever that is I'll pick that. I'll pick whatever language the griffons of the Arcturian Order at the border of the Dread League would be speaking too. I probably should have read a bit more into that.
>where does the +22 come from?
It comes from being created by another Dread Necromancer of at least 8th level, who personally possesses the Corpsecrafter feat or is assisted by another necromancer who has it, after being ritually crucified in a desecrated area on the altar of an evil deity (Desecrate spell), and then gaining Cha bonus once through the Blood Touched Rite.
>I can follow this post pretty well. I can definitely work with these
I'll try to rewrite it in that format then.
>Don't the two societies hate each other?
I see them as more of competing factions who are rather passive aggressive in their bid for dominance in the same country. Posie, being level 3, probably wouldn't be high ranking enough to be an official member of either faction (since everyone who isn't a powerful necromancer is either a mindless monster or basically enslaved).
I mention both groups because it's unclear if the Society of Bones or the Coven of Blood is dominant in the Dread League in this game: should one particular group rise to power, that would be the group Posie would be loyal to.
>116 skill points at level 3? Come again?
Those are modifier, not skillpoints. I posted them in the format of an NPC statblock. If you want her skill point allocations, I can do that.
>Three paragraphs of spells
I put every resource I could into expanding my spell list, since her biggest weakness is her limited spell selection.
>We could have them under my control. Which characters do you want to control? Gloomy as well as Posie?
Well, when I was writing her I got all cocky and kind of wrote a lvl 20 backstory forgetting she's actually just a lvl 3 apprentice. She can't even have cohorts until she's level 6, although she could make Gloomy her own apprentice at lvl 5.
I think it might be better to make the other two show up when she's level 6, if she even gets there.
I would control Posie because she's the actual player character. Gloomy, until he becomes an apprentice, is an NPC, that I technically have no control over. I could roleplay him, although I wouldn't mind you roleplaying him either if you're down for it. He has the personality of a heavily-brainwashed anemic child who's somewhat numb to witnessing unspeakable evils, but still child-like in his own way.

>I can't say I am familiar [3]
Do you want me to cite the sources? I can explain or source any of the stuff, if you want.
The Elder Evil thing was kind of stupid, in hindsight, considering I made a stupid assumption about the "Prime Mover" cosmology. I'll cut that feat. I only wanted it because it could give me Lichloved as a bonus feat at lvl 5.
>I don't know what books these came from, but just to be completely honest, the odds that I am ever going to be familiar enough with the powers of these spells in order to create encounters that are balanced are probably pretty low
I see your concern. Is there a particular aspect of it that you think needs cutting down, so I could amend it? The game didn't come off as very combat-intensive to me, and I didn't build for that in mind, but if you feel like it's unbalanced I wouldn't want to be disruptive.
I would like to point out that most of the stuff her sheet comes at the expense of starting at lvl 3 instead of lvl 5 (7000 XP loss), in addition to allocating almost all of her money to creating her own body, so she's not as powerful as her bare stats might reflect in comparison to a lvl 5 character with full equipment.

>As Baltimare is well known for its medical school, that works pretty well.
That's cool. I'll go with that.
>tuberculosis
Don't have that. I'll just make sure to clear the spiders out of my lungs before the oral examination.
>weird foreign parasites
Do vampires count? Jk
>leftist radicals
Death is a preferable outcome to communism.

>what do you want to talk about on backstory?
Do you like it? Too edgy? Too obscure? Not appropriate for the setting/game? Too boring? Anything that could be improved? I'm open to suggestions.
The Dread League doesn't have very much going for it in terms of lore other than being a country of wicked mustache twirlers, so I was hard pressed to imagine what sort of twisted pony would be born and raised there. I'm not sure if I want to go through with the part of being a clone who grew up in a tank, since I think having childhood memories might actually be better for character development. I like the idea of being bred as thrall stock for vampires though: the kind of nightmarish abuse she would have lived through would make for a good foundation of development.
>I sort of want to bring other characters in a position where they could join her
Take your time then. Current players take priority. I wouldn't want to derail them with my stuff. I'm more than willing to wait while I work on the fine details

>>167497
>I want to be able to speak the most common language in Equestria (or at least Ponyville and Canterlot, i.e places in the show), so whatever that is I'll pick that
Yeah, Equestria and New Mareland speak what we'll just call "Ponish," but be advised that native tribes in the Equestrian South East, as well as Ponies from Griffonia usually don't. Posey woud definitely speak Ponish, as otherwise it wouldn't make much sense to send her to Equestria.

>Griffins
Probably Herlander?

>It comes from being created by another Dread Necromancer of at least 8th level, who personally possesses the Corpsecrafter feat or is assisted by another necromancer who has it, after being ritually crucified in a desecrated area on the altar of an evil deity (Desecrate spell), and then gaining Cha bonus once through the Blood Touched Rite.
I'm a little skeptical of what seems to be combining multiple source books to give a mage the HP of a Fighter. It's seems a little bit unfair to our fighter, and the several characters with half that HP.

>I mention both groups because it's unclear if the Society of Bones or the Coven of Blood is dominant in the Dread League in this game: should one particular group rise to power, that would be the group Posie would be loyal to.
Just sort of as a general rule the world of Occupied Equestria follows the "historical" playthrough of Equestria at War save for New Mareland's Empire. I think that The Dread League will usually be Society of Bones in a historical playthrough, so that may make most sense.

I don't want to discourage you from doing something with vampires, but I am going to mention the following because it could become relevant: I have a sort of blood-loss phobia/vascovagal reaction that causes me to literally feel numb or limp in my limbs just by thinking about blood loss or blood draws. Don't expect any sort of roleplay around vampiric draining or extraction of blood

>Those are modifier, not skillpoints
Oh, okay

>I put every resource I could into expanding my spell list, since her biggest weakness is her limited spell selection.
I'm just not familair with them

>Well, when I was writing her I got all cocky and kind of wrote a lvl 20 backstory forgetting she's actually just a lvl 3 apprentice. She can't even have cohorts until she's level 6, although she could make Gloomy her own apprentice at lvl 5.
I think it might be better to make the other two show up when she's level 6, if she even gets there.
Honestly, I might be more comfortable with more characters than with supernatural qualities, since it's easy for me to quantify the effects of another melee fighter, and more characters allows for roleplay possibilities.

>Gloomy, until he becomes an apprentice, is an NPC, that I technically have no control over. I could roleplay him, although I wouldn't mind you roleplaying him either if you're down for it. He has the personality of a heavily-brainwashed anemic child who's somewhat numb to witnessing unspeakable evils, but still child-like in his own way.
There's a pretty firm consensus that my best skill as a GM is my writing and handling of NPC characters; I like controlling NPCs. Conversely though, if you want to control an NPC that's okay. Although writing realistic children isn't exactly a strength of mine. You're probably going to get something closer to an adult or a dog

>Do you want me to cite the sources? I can explain or source any of the stuff, if you want.
Yes. I don't know what any of those spells do.

>The Elder Evil thing was kind of stupid, in hindsight
I'm not a super big fan of having Posie or Gloomy have much connection to Elder Evils, because I think that having knowledge of or allegiance to Elder Evils kind of underminds the alien, mysterious, and hostile quality of these forces that make them compelling in the first place

That Cthulhu, through the power of his dreams, unintentionally projects nightmares into the minds of artists through some unknown power, highlights how beyond our understanding he is, and how dangerous he is that he causes harm to people thousands of miles away without even desiring to do so. The cults that worship him are atavistic callbacks to an era before civilization whose simple existence calls into question just how disposed towards reason and civilization humans really are. If Cthulhu is like a Pope to whom you pay tithes, I think it looses much of that.

In EAW, in the Dread League playthrough Rosa Maledicta feels faint and experiences periodic loss of consciousness, and generally has the feeling of being controlled. Then one day, a not-entirely solid creature the size of an elephant appears to her, floating in the air. Rosa recognizes the creature as a Wendigo and realizes that the creatures have been controlling her and directing her on her crusade, as it serves their ends. The way this is done is genuinely unsettling to the reader, and Rosa, though she is making progress in the Black Crusade, is unsettled and shaken in her beliefs by the Wendigo and the fact that she's not even able to completely control her own actions. That's a "traditional" depiction of eldrich powers as something possessing great and unknown powers that is intentionally or unintentionally hostile, and I think it works very well.

I do need to say that for many of the characters in Occupied, who have no magical abilities, I like to contrast them against the supernatural, especially against cosmic horrors, as it is something alien to them. Posie, because she will be by far and away the most knowledgeable player character, and frankly above most non-player characters in the setting, is most likely going to receive mundane horrors as a contrast because it would be alien to her. The setting is modeled on the world wars, so there is a lot of mundane horror to work with.

>>167497
>I see your concern. Is there a particular aspect of it that you think needs cutting down, so I could amend it?
Most likely, the majority of enemies that Posey will face, and certainly the vast majority of enemies faced by the party so far, have been "humanoid" type enemies with melee or ranged weapons. Ponies, Changelings, Diamond Dogs, and Griffins with talons, machetes, and bolt action rifles. Sometimes, there are zombies or animals or monsters with teeth and claws. And sometimes, there is something more exotic, like machine guns, explosives, or combat mages who use deflective shields to bolster their submachine guns. Sometimes there is armor, or cover, or many enemies. But in all instances, combat is ultimately about dice rolls and modifiers. Chance of hitting multiplied by damage against health. It's all about math. I can balance things just by changing the numbers.

Spells, by contrast, tend to be more qualitative, and a bit harder to quantify. When Posie has a spell that I've actually worked with before like vampiric touch that does something like, let's say 2d6 damage, I can say to myself, okay, she's doing twice the damage of a knife, let's put her up against at least one diamond dog with a knife, or maybe even put her against a pony who has a pistol that does 2d6 damage. But if Posie has [spell that I can't remember the name of] that does [I have no idea because I couldn't even name the source book], then... what do I put her against? Four changeling drones who guard a fifth and a sixth with a machine gun? It's an apples to orange comparison, so I really don't know what to expect here. Either she is going to win and win very easily to the point that it's boring, or she is going to lose and lose massively to the point that it's frustrating.

I guess you can just post sources, or what these spells do. If the spells are too powerful I'm probably still going to be hesitant because I'd rather Posie be comparable in power to the other characters when she is alongside them. So long as she's in solo combat though, it shouldn't matter, as the enemies can be adjusted accordingly. There's also the danger that she could be too weak, especially as what are essentially MG42s have been used in combat before, although this is usually easily fixable by adjusting enemies.

>The game didn't come off as very combat-intensive to me
It really isn't. It really isn't. There can be vast stretches with no combat. Also, warning ERP has happened in the past and is probably going to happen in the future. Obviously if you don't want to you don't have to, but other players... probably will

>she's not as powerful as her bare stats might reflect in comparison to a lvl 5 character with full equipment.
Well, this highlights why I need to get a feel of how powerful she is. If I assume she's way OP, but she's not even close, her challenges are probably going to be a bit higher than they ought to be.

>Do vampires count?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvRWniTDxys&pp=ygUZeW91IGxlZnQgbGVhbmluZyBwYXJhc2l0ZQ%3D%3D

>Death is a preferable outcome to communism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=FGaosBHdFMA&pp=ygUNbGliZXJ0eSBwcmltZQ%3D%3D

>Do you like it? Too edgy? Too obscure? Not appropriate for the setting/game? Too boring? Anything that could be improved? I'm open to suggestions.
Mostly I'd like to flesh more out. What jumped out to me was Gloomy's woobie status; he'd probably become a favorite of the other players quickly

>>167498
>Equestria and New Mareland speak what we'll just call "Ponish,"
Then that's what I'll know.
>It's seems a little bit unfair to our fighter, and the several characters with half that HP.
Really? Even with constitution boosting items in play? That doesn't quite sound right, but I believe you. If the Fighter doesn't like it, then I guess I should be more considerate...
I do have a lot of hitpoints, but I have very few means of increasing them later due to no constitution score, and can't use conventional healing items. I put all the resources I could into getting those now, instead of having equipment, because that would be hard to increase later. I guess I could drop the corpsecrafter benefit, or take the feat myself to burden the cost instead, if it's too much. I was kind of fond high HP though, since I'm outright destroyed if I go to 0.
>phobia
I understand. I won't be too graphic. I'm not really into bloodplay myself, even if my character would be based on her background.
>realistic children
Gloomy is not a realistic child. He's a tortured soul bred and raised for pony-sacrifice, possessed by an ancient demon, and comes from a society where being raped by vampires or eaten by ghouls is a fact of life, and by some latent talent/insanity remains alive anyway. He also acts affectionate to his "mother" despite her being demonstrably evil, narcissistic, cruel and generally insane. His chaotic nature means he can be roleplayed however, although I would like at least a little bit of autonomy over him if I'm going to make him a proper cohort later.
My inspirations for him were Stygian (season 8), Chrona (Soul Eater), and various Binding Of Isaac characters.
If Posie is the White Horse, Frenzied Red, and Caligo Black, Gloomy is the Pale Horse.

>Yes. I don't know what any of those spells do.
The Cerebrosis spells come from Dragon #330. They consist mostly of conjuration and summoning aberrations. Every Cerebotic spell has a "Cerebotic Escalation" which allows the caster to attempt to make it stronger at the expense of potentially targeting themselves instead.
Posie can cast Aching Dread, which is a fear-based debuff that makes the targets shaken, or frightened by escalation.
Posie won't get access to most of those spells for a while, so I'm not going to post them all here right now (I will later), but a guy posted all of the spell descriptions here, in addition to monster statblocks.
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/hum_forgotten_realms/cerebrosis-t314.html
The summons are what you'd expect: aberrations that attack with tentacles and mental debuffs. They're good summons overall, and compliment Posie's undead summoning.

The Mother Cyst spells are from Libris Mortis, and are all centered around the Necrotic Cyst spell: a spell that grows a clump of necrotic flesh within the target to make them susceptible to other spells in the tree. It's basically the idea that by creating an undead tumor in a living creature, you could debuff, harm or control the target by controlling the tumor.
https://dndtools.net/spells/libris-mortis-the-book-of-the-dead--71/necrotic-cyst--1488/
I could post all of the spell descriptions, but since I don't actually have access to those spells I would rather not. Their names are pretty self-explanatory (awareness, scrying, bloat, domination, burst, eruption, termination, etc). The unifying factor is that they only effect targets that have already been infected with a Necrotic Cyst.
Overall, I don't really know how useful they'll really be, but I took it because I wanted to have as many necromancy spells as possible, and because having a throbbing cyst where her heart used to be is a cool aesthetic.
For utility, it would help me keep track of Gloomy using Necrotic awareness.
Later, it could be useful as a de-facto dominate person on certain targets, provided that they're targeted with the necrotic cyst spell first.

>is most likely going to receive mundane horrors as a contrast because it would be alien to her. The setting is modeled on the world wars, so there is a lot of mundane horror to work with.
I like that dynamic. Sounds interesting. It's actually why I chose to play a necromancer in a modern warfare setting.

>>167499
>what these spells do
Posie's spell list is the Dread Necromancer spell list. It contains the necromancy spells in the player's handbook, plus a couple others. It's overall a very limited spell list, consisting only of necromancy spells:
https://srd.dndtools.org/srd/magic/spells/classSpellLists/dreadNecromancerSpells.html
Although she has more spell known than a typical Sorcerer, her spell selection is very, very limited. Her abilities mostly consist with causing fear, disease, debuffing or attacking with negative energy. She has Summon Undead which gives her some direct damage options. She notably doesn't get animate dead until level 8, so until then she's basically a melee fighter attacking with her Charnel Touch and Inflict spells.
The Dread Necromancer is a fixed-list caster, like the Warmage or Beguiler. She has a lot of spells on paper, but most of her spells only do different iterations of the same thing (fear, negative energy attack, debuffs, create/control undead), and she can never gain any additional spells other than the ones she gained through the feats I listed. Posie can never learn to cast Fireball, Protection from Arrows, Fabricate, Shield, Shocking Grasp, Tiny Hut, etc. She has no offensive evocation spells, very few utility spells, hardly any battlefield control spells, and even fewer buffing spells.
The Dread Necromancer is a fixed-list casters, based on the Warmage. Similar to the Warmage, which knows almost all of the Evocation spells in the players handbook, it's abilities are consistent because it only knows evocation spells. The Warmage was printed in the Mini's handbook and designed to be simple to play and balance, because it's spells mostly just do different kinds of direct damage. The Dread Necromancer is a similar case.

>what are essentially MG42s have been used in combat before
Are you using d20 Modern rules for modern weaponry? Iirc, that was a reflex save vs damage.
No offense, but the way you describe it, it sounds like my high-HP necromancer with some extra summoning spells isn't exactly the biggest balance concern here when I'm hearing about NPCs attacking the party with machine guns and bombs.
>combat mages who use deflective shields to bolster their submachine guns
That sounds like a pretty brutal encounter, depending on what kind of stats you were using for the gun. d20 Modern machine guns are pretty strong if you have Burst Fire.
I can't do any deflective shields though. My defenses come from light armor, high Undead HP, and a bit of damage reduction.

>has happened in the past and is probably going to happen in the future
Yeah, yeah, all of the rest of us bore witness to it on the overboard. I'm braced for severe autism.
>Obviously if you don't want to you don't have to, but other players... probably will
I originally wrote Posie as an implicit necrophiliac (I am NOT one irl though, fyi), since necromancers like Pale Masters, Thralls of Orcus and Yathrinshee all tend to be sexual degenerates, but she's a Half-vampire, so she'd naturally still have an attraction to living things. I didn't sign up to ERP unsolicited or push obscure fetishes on the game though. The door is open.

>>167506
>Well, this highlights why I need to get a feel of how powerful she is.
Well, to summarize things, her defenses are very strong for a caster, due to undead benefits. She has some self-healing capabilities, high HP, natural armor, light armor and damage reduction. I made her specifically this way because I expected her to get sprayed with bullets in the war setting: I really like the aesthetic of an undead character getting peppered with bullets, but still walking through the gunfire an attacking the enemy, immune to pain and fear. It's like a horror movie trope.
However, in terms of combat with monsters and most of d&d as expected, she's just average defensively, maybe a bit below average, because she's still not an actual warrior.

Offensively, she's basically a mediocre warrior. She has a Slam attack that does some melee damage and a high Str score. She has simple weapon proficiency one martial weapon (I chose the compound bow, since she's the white horseman of the apocalypse, and because it compliments her undead Strength), but she has no base attack bonus or feats to back it up, so it will only be good for a couple levels. I don't know how you handle firearms proficiency, but at least at the beginning I planned to only use the longbow, because the Dread League is low tech. Her offensive options consist of summoning skeletons, casting touch-range inflict spells, and using her Charnel Touch (which is basically a lvl 1 Inflict spell).

Skills-wise, she's a low-skilled specialist mage. I spread out her skills thinly to get synergy bonus from 5 Ranks in each of the key skills. Her main skill specialties are going to be Intimidate, Bluff, Concentration, Spellcraft, and Knowledge (Religion, Arcana). She's meant to be a social character based on deception and fear mongering. Her racial bonuses give her minor stealth abilities that will only be relevant at early levels because I don't have the skill points to increase them.

Magic Wise, she's a specialist in necromancy and black magic, and very little else. She lacks most of the offensive evocation, defensive buffing, utility divination, no teleportation (it hurts, but it can't be helped).
I think after reading her spell list, you'll find that her spells are powerful, but easier to deal with than the selection that a typical Sorcerer or Wizard, because since her spellcasting is specialized she's unlikely to surprise you. She also doesn't have very any of the annoying Wizard tricks like "Skip the adventure plot" (Scry + Teleport) or "break the economy" (Wall Of Iron + Fabricate) or "Hahaha, fuck your monsters" (various offensive spells combined with battlefield control) any of those other tricks that give GM's headaches.
Also, at lvl 3, she can only cast 1st level spells. She can't even animate dead until lvl 8.
At lvl 8, if I get there, your attitude towards her powers might change, because she'll suddenly change from a mediocre pseudo-warrior to a master of dozens of undead minions.
She has no Metamagic feats, so just expect her spells do what they would normally do.

Special qualities wise, she's what you'd expect from a Half-vampire who is also undead. She has some limited ability to charm people, emergency fast healing 1 when below half health. As an undead, she has the usual immunities, which make several of her class features redundant (Mental Bastion, Negative Energy resistance, etc). Her biggest blanket immunity is her immunity to mind effecting attacks, although Terrors Of The Deadlands created an option to give a variant weakness to make the undead vulnerable to mind effecting while decreasing it's LA and CR, so I could take that if you're not fond of the blanket immunity.
Spellstitching could give her a small selection of spell-like abilities with limited use.
She's also made with the benefit of the assumption that at the cost of her starting wealth she could have had access to necromancers from the Dread League who could create her under ideal conditions, her Apprentice feat means that her Mentor is a Dread Necromancer of at least 8th level, so her Mentor would have used Undead Mastery to give her bonus HP and an enhancement bonus to Str and Dex. Desecrate means bonus HP. The Corpsecrafter feat tree means a tiny bit more HP, in addition to a bonus to speed/initiative, cold damage on her slam attack, and increased turn resistance.

Note that I was going to add a couple undead weaknesses from Terrors Of The Deadlands to decrease her CR and thus the cost to create her, so I have a bit left over for a wand. Will probably at least include the ones listed above, plus maybe material vulnerability (wood).

>Mostly I'd like to flesh more out. What jumped out to me was Gloomy's woobie status; he'd probably become a favorite of the other players quickly
Well, I meant him to be cute. I thought he could be fun for character development or comic relief. Something about a psychotic necromancer committing various war crimes, and then speaking sweetly to the colt that she's totally-not-grooming-for-sacrifice humors me.

>If I assume she's way OP, but she's not even close, her challenges are probably going to be a bit higher than they ought to be.
I'm a good sport. I won't get pissy just because my evil little pseudo-vampire dies from an overpowered fight. I might feel a little bit annoyed if I feel like I'm just killed with zero options to fight back or avoid it, but overall it's just roleplay, so throw whatever you have at me.
I just hope that, even if you're not using XP, you'll let me level up with a degree of fairness proportional to whatever challenges you throw at me.

>Equestria follows the "historical" playthrough of Equestria at War save for New Mareland's Empire. I think that The Dread League will usually be Society of Bones in a historical playthrough, so that may make most sense.
Okay. I'll take note of that.

>>167507
>I might be more comfortable with more characters than with supernatural qualities, since it's easy for me to quantify the effects of another melee fighter, and more characters allows for roleplay possibilities.
Well, I also thought I should cut them because I couldn't actually afford them as thralls, but if they're NPCs that represent factions of the Dread League that could be a thing.
I could still make them now though, given some time. What level should they be?

>>167489
Amber turns to the other griffons. "We need to split up and search for it. Let's meet back here in ten minutes."

>>167497
>I'm open to suggestions.
There's not much to add, though I would like to remark on just how different Posie is from everypony else. She's a stillborn alicorn turned into a dark messiah necromancer and none of the other PCs come close in strangeness. By comparison, a kirin druid and a Sevrayanan war hero are decidedly average in comparison not to mention my own character, who is intentionally as boringly ordinary as you can get. It's a very creative concept for a character and I hope to see her in-game, but it will be an "Aerith and Bob" situation unless if she disguises herself. Maybe she will need to balance her need to stay inconspicuous with her true nature's hautiness? And if she does disguise herself she needs to worry about ponies mistaking her as a changeling, since everypony is paranoid about them as they are also disguised as ordinary ponies.

>>167498
>I do need to say that for many of the characters in Occupied, who have no magical abilities, I like to contrast them against the supernatural, especially against cosmic horrors, as it is something alien to them. Posie, because she will be by far and away the most knowledgeable player character, and frankly above most non-player characters in the setting, is most likely going to receive mundane horrors as a contrast because it would be alien to her. The setting is modeled on the world wars, so there is a lot of mundane horror to work with.
This is perfect! I do find it interesting how, compared to OE, threats in FiM are usually the eldritch variety rather than mundane. And the whole point of EaW is that the ponies of the show are contrasted with the mundane horror of world war which they're ill-equipped for.

>>167506
>No offense, but the way you describe it, it sounds like my high-HP necromancer with some extra summoning spells isn't exactly the biggest balance concern here when I'm hearing about NPCs attacking the party with machine guns and bombs.
Actual machine guns (not just SMGs, though those are used by more serious threats too) don't pop up as often as you'd think so you don't have to worry that much about them. I don't think we've encountered actual heavy weapons like tanks or bombs in combat yet either; they will likely be at higher levels.

>>167507
>balance
To me it looks fine. Also balance is a secondary objective compared to fun. I consider Silver Sword the strongest active PC, probably stronger than Iron and definitely stronger than Amber, but that's perfectly OK. It's up to the DM and it might take a little while for him to go through everything since he's often busy.

>>167505
> and can't use conventional healing items
Now if your character can't heal very efficiently, that's a serious reduction in power.
>I was kind of fond high HP though, since I'm outright destroyed if I go to 0
Okay, that's a fair argument for needing more HP
>Gloomy is not a realistic child. He's a tortured soul bred and raised for pony-sacrifice, possessed by an ancient demon, and comes from a society where being raped by vampires or eaten by ghouls is a fact of life, and by some latent talent/insanity remains alive anyway. He also acts affectionate to his "mother" despite her being demonstrably evil, narcissistic, cruel and generally insane.
>I meant him to be cute. I thought he could be fun for character development or comic relief
What

>My inspirations for him were Stygian (season 8), Chrona (Soul Eater), and various Binding Of Isaac characters.
I have seen this pony show, yes. Not those other things though
>Spells
I will look through them when I have the time

>Are you using d20 Modern rules for modern weaponry? Iirc, that was a reflex save vs damage
Mostly I've been winging it so far

>No offense, but the way you describe it, it sounds like my high-HP necromancer with some extra summoning spells isn't exactly the biggest balance concern here when I'm hearing about NPCs attacking the party with machine guns and bombs
scrunches
In the few instances where machine guns have shown up, the players have command over a literal dozen NPCs, and with weapons like machine guns and mortars. There has been no bombs or indirect fire artillery.

>That sounds like a pretty brutal encounter
Yes.

>I originally wrote Posie as an implicit necrophiliac
Well okay then...

>>167522
>What
I haven't really finished writing him. The book is still open. The general theme is sad + cute + a bit creepy. It's still in writing.
Gloomy is conceptually meant to be either the perfect Slaymate or a potential apprentice. Posie does attend to his wellbeing and health and makes him feel cared for, in her own ways.
>if your character can't heal very efficiently, that's a serious reduction in power
I will not undersell you on my abilities: I *can* heal efficiently, just in limited ways.
I can heal, it's just that I can't really be healed by others or by items, which means I have to rely on my class resources (and by extension, my own action economy) entirely.
>Not those other things though
Not super relevant anyway. Only a vaguely allusion that I actually meant to cut out before posting.
>I've been winging it so far
Based.
>players have command over a literal dozen NPCs
Well, that's my plan as a necromancer.
>okay then...
Also not super relevant, plus open to recommendation/development/rewrite.

Anyways, I'll finish up my character and start whenever you're ready.

Per player recommendation, I've been trying to backread (skim) some old posts, although it's pretty convoluted and difficult to follow. Something peaked my interest though. What is this "Curwhinny's Farm" place? I read something about ghouls lairing there.
That adventure seems to stretch across multiple threads, and I can't tell if it was ever really resolved or what it was really about, but the site itself interests me, because although Rosie wouldn't really know anything about Equestrian politics or history, she might know rumors about any local undead.

>>167517
>none of the other PCs come close in strangeness
>decidedly average in comparison
See, that's where I'm a little hesitant to insert my edgy pseudo-vampire special snowflake into your tea party, because I don't want to be a dick. I can rewrite my character however the rest of you would prefer, if you wish.
>It's a very creative concept for a character and I hope to see her in-game
Oh, that makes me feel better about it then.
>Maybe she will need to balance her need to stay inconspicuous with her true nature's hautiness?
>disguise herself
Yeah, that's kind of the point. It's the attitude of undead monsters with any interest in mingling with the living (vampires, etc) have, if they're interested with their continued existence. Also an attitude necromancers carry.
Posie herself looks like a normal unicorn at a glance, being the type of Necropolitan that looks more like a vampire. She's stark white like fresh snow (and just as fluffy) with a crimson mane. Her most monstrous feature is her eyes, piercing and frightful, just slightly sunken in their sockets (which could be mistaken for mascara),
>"Let me into the cemetery. I am normal, and can be trusted around corpses."
>needs to worry about ponies mistaking her as a changeling, since everypony is paranoid about them as they are also disguised as ordinary ponies
Well, I guess that'll be a challenge then. Going to have to beat the changelings at their own game. Sounds like fun.