The Level 7 Campaign Primer

Hello Taxidermists!  I’m excited to begin a new side campaign after a long time away from Alora, and I hope you’re excited, too!  Don’t worry, our main campaign will still take lead billing, but on the times when we can’t get everyone for that one, we’ll try this one!  

As we prepare for a slightly different kind of campaign, let me share each option with you and how it will work from here on out.

Character

For this campaign, each character will start at level 7, a middle level that should provide a nice balance of advanced abilities in combat and spellcasting without giving you the whole experience; your character will still have a long way to grow even after this campaign is complete!  

For this adventure, I would probably suggest that our party consist of:

One heavily-armored/high HP melee character

One powerful spellcaster (divine or arcane)

One utility spellcaster (low-to-medium spell casting)

One utility physical character, preferably with defensive capabilities (heals/defense/evasion)

You do NOT have to adhere to this by any means, but it will provide a balanced group for the variety of encounters this adventure will present.

When you make your new character, you’ll make your character as normal (name, race, roll your stats, alignment, etc.), but before inputting any level-specific stuff, we will level up your character all at once and record each increase on a separate sheet of paper.  Then, once everything has been tallied to account for six level-ups, we’ll write down the new stats on your new character sheet.

Over the course of this leveling, several things will happen to your character.  Skill levels will rise, with every level, of course, as will your base attack bonus, but other things will change, too.  At levels 3 and 6, you will be able to select a new feat.  Some classes gain more than two feats in this span, but all classes are guaranteed two.  At level 4 (and at every fourth level beyond that), you are allowed to increase any one ability score (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, etc.) one point.  This can have retroactive effects; if you increase your Constitution score from 11 to 12, let’s say, you gain one hit point per level.  A level 3 Druid with a maximum of 16 HP and 11 Constitution, after leveling to 4 and increasing Constitution by 1 point to 12, will automatically have 19 HP before they roll for their new HP allotment for the level (which itself will have a +1 bonus now).  Many classes will gain new access to spells, increase their save bonuses, and will have the opportunity to pursue new classes.

Class

There are 11 standard D&D classes, and I’ll post them here again as a bit of a refresher.

Barbarian – A brutish, rage-filled warrior able to deal reckless amounts of reckless damage and take formidable amounts of punishment

Bard – A versatile, talented character that uses arcane spells, skills and moderate combat expertise to affect friends and enemies with the power of song

Cleric – A variable divine spellcaster who channels their deity into magic and combat, and many can adeptly control or destroy undead creatures

Druid – A powerful divine caster whose connection to nature allows him or her special, animalistic powers

Fighter – A powerful and adaptable martial class dedicated to training in arms, feats, and armor

Monk – A disciplined and focused ascetic who prefers hand-to-hand combat, planning and special weapons and attacks to defeat opponents

Paladin – A righteous, lawful good crusader who champions noble causes and the defense of good

Ranger – A ranger combines powerful martial ability of a fighter, the skill and utility of a rogue, and a little pinch of a druid’s divine spellcasting to approach adventures with precision and zeal

Rogue – A devious, clandestine jack-of-all-trades, rogues are a skill-focused class who are adept at stealing, infiltration, distraction and devastating sneak attacks

Sorcerer/Wizard – These two similar classes focus heavily on the development of their arcane talent, casting some of the most powerful spells imaginable.  Sorcerers cast their spells without preparation, but a wizard’s time taken in study allows him or her a deeper and broader spell list.

In this campaign (and in any Aloran campaign), these eight classes will also be available to you.

*Beguiler – A trickster and deceiver, this rogue-like class uses a bit of arcane spellcasting that combine deception with amplified spellcasting against flat-footed targets

Ghostwalker (Ninja) – This stealth-based class utilizes superb agility and silence to strike deadly blows and avoid detection.  Like a monk, they can use certain supernatural abilities once a day based on their level, such as passing through walls or even becoming invisible for a moment.

Hexblade – This martial class combines strong melee capabilities with the ability to apply hexes on his or her foes, reducing their effectiveness in combat and in skill checks.  They also gain a handful of unique arcane spells at a slow rate.

Scout – A balanced class that gains bonuses in survival and sensory skills, scouts are known for their ability to move well in a wide variety of terrains and even utilize movement in combat.

*Spirit Shaman – This spontaneous divine spellcaster gains his or her magic from the powers of nature itself; several spirit-oriented bonuses are granted, and the spirit shaman delights in purging the unnatural.  

Swashbuckler – A hand-to-hand fighter and adventurer, Swashbucklers prefer using light weapons and fancy footwork to best their foes.  Many are adept at moving around urban environments and unnatural terrains.

*Warlock – A sinister spellcaster who gains his or her spellcasting ability from an ancient or recent pact with a powerful or even extraplanar magical being.  Warlocks can channel their power into eldritch blasts, reusable magical rays that can be augmented by their unique “invocations.”

*Warmage – A battle-ready arcane caster, warmages develop some martial skills alongside their spellcasting studies, and they can charge into battle as armored as any soldier while still being able to cast a limited number of spells.

*I am attempting to get the books for these and we will be able to use these classes fully at that time.  Until then, you can use these based on print-outs.

Race

Along with the seven common races (Human, Elf, Dwarf, Half-Elf, Half-Orc, Halfling and Gnome), you may also choose from these races.  

Aasimar – a slightly-good aligned native outsider race of elegant, white-haired humanoids

Tiefling – an impish, sinister-looking race of native outsiders; their horns and tail give them an devilish demeanor, regardless of the tiefling’s broadly-defined dispositions

Kenku – This small, crow-like race has developed arms instead of wings; they often hide their long beaks beneath large hoods

Shifter – Shifters are natural lycanthropes who can contain their aberrant transformations in rage-like states, making them wild, but reliable.

Jaebrin – A race of handsome, slight, charismatic fey that have a sturdy resistance to enchantment; they often hide their monstrously sharp teeth behind a veil or scarf and can use their teeth in combat

Ibixian – an anthropomorphic goat-like race who enjoy competition and dominance

Jaebrins and Ibixians have a level adjustment and level using a different formula than normal characters.

Any of these races or classes are up for grabs during this campaign or any Aloran campaign.

Alongside these nineteen classes, there are dozens of prestige classes that you may advance in.  If you have an idea for a certain type of character, chances are there is a prestige class that fits (or gets close to) your concept.  So long as you meet the requirements, you are welcome to prestige in any direction for this campaign.  

Gear

Along with your fresh new character, you will be allotted a sum of 6,500 gold.  With that, you can purchase all the items you’ll need to get started.  Although it sounds like a lot, you’ll go through it a little more quickly than you think.  I would recommend getting a +1 weapon, +1 armor and a +1 shield (if applicable to your class), a ranged weapon, a horse (perhaps with armor/barding) and potions.  Beyond that, the rest can be cash or some other item, say magic scrolls, staves or wands; perhaps even a wondrous item could wind up in your inventory.  +1 weapons can cost between 2,000 and 3,000 gold, and the armor and shield can cost about the same together, so the rest can be used for your other items.

Adventure

I've written up the adventure almost to completion and predict it will take about 6-8 sessions.  It's a fairly intense campaign, but I'm hoping that you'll enjoy it.  

As an alternative, I bought a book on the fly the other day that gives detailed information about doing a ice-world campaign.  I have a place in my own world that this could take place, so if you all would rather play in a cold world with a few new races, weapons and some really nifty prestige classes, let me know if that's what you'd rather do.  I am fine with either.  It's always on the table, and anyway, I'll probably right something for it just in case.

I’m sure there is something I’m forgetting, but this is what you’ll need to know for character creation on Friday.  I’ve got lots of stuff planned within the adventure, so I hope we all have a good time!  See you then!

- Matt