Castle Xyntillan: Oldschool Dungeon Crawl - OOC [OPEN]

[The Grene Knyght]

_{Welcome to}
Castle Xyntillan
^{Link to In Character Thread}

Beyond the small town of Tours-en-Savoy, the road passing through the mountains branches. Most travellers cross themselves and press onwards, hoping to reach the small priory on the pass before sundown, and continue towards Rüti Canton and its merchant towns. Yet some, mostly the foolhardy and the less than scrupulous, take the less travelled road climbing through the shadowy pine forests and into the silent mountains. There, after two days of travel, lies the Valley of the Three Rainbows, and on the shores of a crystal-clear lake, the crumbling parapets and fantastic towers of Castle Xyntillan.

How long the immense, ragtag building complex has stood is not known, only that it was erected on the remains of a much older structure. The masters of Xyntillan, the Malévol family, have ruled the province since Charlemagne and perhaps earlier, each generation adding to Xyntillan in its own way. Their corruption, and curious habits which have never put them on good footing with the Bishop of Chamrousse, has long haunted their reputation, leading to their spiritual and material decline. At last, the current head of the family, Jean-Giscard Malévol, decided to move to his smaller but less costly and considerably more fashionable summer palace in Chamrousse, and abandon his family nest to time and the elements. However, that was not the end of the story, for Xyntillan’s fabulous treasures and Machiavellian deathtraps have fascinated the fortuneseekers of a dozen lands – and never mind the ghost stories.

With the ancient castle left to rot, many brave, foolhardy, or desperate people have been known to venture into it's dark and deadly depths. You are one of them. Will you join the dozens who have perished within its walls? Or will you emerge unscathed, with untold wealth?

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Welcome to the RP, based on Gabor Lux's Castle Xyntillan for the Swords and Wizardry System. The basic concept is that players will camp out in Tours-en-Savoy and make journeys out to the castle, raiding it for treasures and hopefully getting out alive. Players are free to hire help or form parties with one another, share information, run into one another inside the castle, and so on. Some basic principles: the world is dangerous. Your character may die. Think before you fight. Creative solutions are more likely to get you out alive than swinging a sword at every threat you see. Negotiation or retreat are always options. Practical concerns are important: did you bring enough food? Where will you sleep (and who will keep watch?)? Are you carrying too much? And so on.

Why venture to Castle Xyntillan?
- The castle is wealthy: The family Malévol are rumoured to have accumulated vast hordes of wealth, ripe for plunder
-The castle is evil: The castle has a dark history, and many of the restless dead are rumoured to still walk its halls, they must be vanquished in the name of the saviour!
- The castle is magical: The Malévols dabbled in forces many consider to be unnatural. Their knowledge of the arcane was said to be without rival in Christendom.
Those who seek knowledge are sure to find things of interest in Castle Xyntillan...
- The castle is dangerous: If you seek nothing but the thrill of adventure, you will find it in abundance in Xyntillan

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Rules
1. Usual NS rules
2. No godmodding
3. Listen to OP
4. Apply and be accepted before posting
5. Short posts are fine during conversations, action sequences, or other scenarios where quick responses are necessary

[The Grene Knyght]

Character Creation:

Application:

Code: Select all

Name:
Alignment: [law/nuetral/chaos, some classes are restricted]
Archetype: [alternate names are offered for flavour, or you can come up with your own]
About: [personality, history, appearance, anything you want to put here]
Abilities: [Archetype abilities, drawbacks, and spells]
Equipment:

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Alignment:

Law and Chaos are cosmic forces engaged in an ageless, eternal struggle of civilization against the powers of blood-drenched anarchy and dissolution. These concepts are recognised in organised religion as "God" and "Satan." There are cosmic forces of Neutrality as well, standing aloof from the battle between Law and Chaos and working toward their own inscrutable ends. Even the player characters are involved with this eternal struggle, whether directly or indirectly, for every action tilts the balance infinitesimally to one side or the other.

Will you attempt to stay out of such matters, remaining neutral between the opposing forces? Will you become champions of Law and civilization, heroes against the mad desolation of Chaos? Or will you themselves fall into the subtle lure of power offered by the legions of anarchy? All characters are aligned with Law, Chaos, or Neutrality. Any person who is active on behalf of civilization and goodness is considered to be Lawful, while one who has fallen into the dark realms of demonic beliefs or vicious cruelty is considered Chaotic. Characters who fall into the grey areas of morality in between these extremes are considered Neutral.

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Archetypes:

Cleric (Priest/Monk)
Law-Chaos

Clerics are armoured warrior-priests (or -priestesses) who serve Law or Chaos. You are a champion of your faith and and an official representative of your religion - whether that be Christendom or Satanism. You might belong to a particular sect or be a follower of a certain saint or demon. You might be a shining knight of the faith, an exorcist of demons, or a sinister witch-hunter. Because most of a Cleric’s abilities are oriented toward healing and protecting, Clerics tend to play a support role during combat: backing up the front line, but able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the party’s Fighters if the need arises—at least for a while.

A Cleric can meditate on their religion, preparing a spells from the below list to be cast each day. Each spell must be prepared that day, and can be prepared more than once. They begin the game able to only cast Turn Undead (this spell doesn't need to be prepared and can be cast at will)

Level 0

Turn Undead
Clerics can “turn” undead monsters, destroying weaker creatures outright, and forcing more powerful creatures to flee or become weakened.

Level 1
Cure Light Wounds
Detect Evil
Detect Magic
Light
Protection from Evil
Purify Food and Drink

Draw no blood: Clerics are discouraged from purposely drawing the blood of another human. Many choose to wield warhammers and maces to get around this.

Secrecy: Clerics of Chaos must keep their allegiance a secret

Fighter (Warrior/Mercenary)
Law-Neutral-Chaos

You are a warrior, trained in battle and in the use of armour and weapons. Perhaps you are a ferocious Viking raider, a roaming samurai, a dashing
swashbuckler, a deadly archer, or a grizzled mercenary. Whatever type of Fighter you choose to play, you will probably end up on the front lines of your adventuring party—going toe-to-toe with your foes, hacking your way through them and taking the brunt of their attacks. The Fighter character is best-equipped of all
the character classes to dish out damage and absorb it, too. Clerics heal and Magic-Users cast spells, but the down-and-dirty, hack-and-slash work is generally up to you. You are going to serve as the party’s sword and shield, protecting the weaker party members and taking down the enemies before you.

Warrior: You deal damage and can take a hit, and are proficient in the use of armour and weapons

Mage (Witch/Wizard/Warlock)
Law-Neutral-Chaos

As a mage, you are a figure of mystery and a student of mysteries, steeped in ancient and arcane knowledge. You have studied long hours deep into the candlelit nights, delving into the parchment pages of cobweb-covered magic tomes, learning the intricacies of magical circles and runes, the strange significances of the stars and moons, the disquieting theories of mad philosophers, and above all, the casting of magic spells. You can be a truly devastating opponent as long as your fellow adventurers protect you from physical combat, in which you are the weakest of all the character classes: completely untrained in the use of armour, barely adequate with even the simplest weapons, and having fewer hit points than most other members of an adventuring expedition. You are not limited to the role of providing the party with offensive spells, though, for your spellbook provides an array of other spells that can be critical for surviving the perils of dungeons, lost temples, and other such places where you might venture in search of treasure and knowledge.

A magic-user begins the game with a spellbook containing 5 of the below spells, although this number can grow. They must prepare the spells at the beginning of each day, and can prepare the same spell multiple times. They begin the game able to

Level 1
Charm Person
This spell affects living humanoids. If the spell succeeds, the unfortunate creature falls under the caster’s influence until the spell is dispelled. The success of the spell depends on the power of the caster and the willpower of the target.

Detect Magic
For a period of approximately 20 minutes, the caster can perceive, in places, people, or things, the presence of a magical spell or enchantment. For example, magical items may be discovered in this fashion, as can the presence of a charm secretly laid upon a person.

Hold Portal
This spell holds a door closed for approximately 20 minutes or until dispelled. Creatures with magic resistance can shatter the spell without effort

Light
The target person or object (at a range of up to 60 feet) produces light about as bright as a torch, to a radius of 20 feet. Lasts for at least an hour, or longer for more powerful mages.

Magic Missile
A magical missile flies where the caster directs, with a range of 150 feet, damaging its target. The appearance of your missile is unique to the mage (fire ball, beam of light, etc)

Protection from Evil
For a period of an hour, the mage and those immediately around them are protected from evil monsters by a shell of magical energy

Read Languages
This spell allows the caster to decipher directions, instructions, and formulae in languages unknown to the caster for the time it takes to read one or two passages or short texts.

Shield
The caster conjures up an invisible shield that interposes itself in front of attacks

Sleep
If the spell succeeds, it puts enemies into an enchanted slumber for approximately an hour

Condemnation: Powerful mages are condemned as agents of Chaos by the more zealous servants of Christianity, even those mages that serve law. While many towns have a local healer or apothecary, it is generally a good idea to keep a low profile, lest you be burned as a witch.

Unarmoured: Wearing constraining armour easily disrupts a mage's concentration. This means taking injuries is more likely.

Knight (Paladin/Crusader)
Law

As a Knight, you are a resolute warrior against Chaos and evil, and a stalwart defender of the faith. You might resemble the “knight in shining armour,” or you might be a grim, deadly veteran of the dark and desperate war against the foul powers of Chaos. In either case, you are wholly dedicated to the eradication of Chaos and the protection of civilization. You defend the weak from tyranny, fight injustice where you find it, and hunt down those who are tainted with the demonic mark of Chaos. Most knights are members of a chivalric order, or are attached to the service of a temple of God, although some of them operate as “knights errant,” following the guidance of higher powers toward the places where Law battles Chaos.

Immunity to Disease

Warhorse: All knights have a trusty steed that they can summon with a whistle. If it dies that knight will have to purchase a new one or go without

Lay on hands: A knight can call on the divine to heal others once per day

Charity: Other than whatever is needed for food and shelter, a Knight must donate all treasure to charities or temples associated with the Lawful alignment

Chivalry: A knight must act according to a strict code of honour, and help those in need. A knight may not ally themself with those that they know don't serve law, unless ordered to by their superiors.

Thief (Sneak/Rogue)
Neutral-Chaos

You are a figure in the shadows, an expert in stealth and delicate tasks. Locks, traps, and scouting are your trade; you are the eyes and ears of the adventuring party, the one who handles the perils of the dungeon itself. In many ways, you are a scholar of the world; in the course of your profession you pick up knowledge about languages and even magic. True, in combat you are not the equal of armoured Fighters or Clerics, but they rely on your knowledge and specialized skills to get them safely into and out of the dangerous places where treasure is to be found. You are the guide; the scout; and when necessary, the deadly blade that strikes from the shadows without warning. In your profession, it takes great skill to survive – the life expectancy of most Thieves is very short. An experienced Thief is a deadly opponent, for such an individual has learned subtlety and survival in the world's most difficult profession

Proficiency for Thieving: Thieves are proficient at skills such as Climbing, Delicate tasks such as disabling traps or picking pockets, Hearing sounds such as approaching enemies, Hiding in shadows, Moving silently, Opening Locks, etc

Evaluate items: Thieves have a good chance of knowing the value or use of an item

Knowledge of Languages: Literate thieves can get the gist of most writing regardless of language

Unarmoured: Wearing heavy armour easily gives a thief away when trying to hide, so most forego it. This means taking injuries is more likely.

Prejudice: Even a neutral Thief might find themselves unfairly mistrusted by authorities

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Equipment:

You start with 100 gold pieces (100GP), where 1GP = 10 silver pieces (10SP), 1SP = 100 copper pieces (100CP).

You can start have any of the below starting equipment, but once your character is done, you'll have to track down places to get this stuff IC.

Items:
Backpack (30-pound capacity) 5 gp
Barrel 2 gp
Bedroll 0.2gp
Bell 1 gp
Block and tackle 5 gp
Bottle of wine, glass 2 gp
Candle 0.01 gp
Canvas (per square yard) 0.1 gp
Case (map or scroll) 1 gp
Chain (10 feet) 30 gp
Chalk, 1 piece 0.05 gp
Chest 2 gp
Crowbar 0.2 gp
Fishing net (25 square feet) 4 gp
Flask, leather 0.03 gp
Flint & steel 1 gp
Garlic, charmed 10 gp
Grappling hook 1 gp
Hammer 0.5 gp
Holy symbol, wooden 1 gp
Holy symbol, silver 25 gp
Holy water (flask) 25 gp
Ink (1-ounce bottle) 1 gp
Ladder (10 foot) 0.05 gp
Lamp, bronze 0.1 gp
Lantern, bullseye 12 gp
Lantern, hooded 7 gp
Lock 20 gp or more
Manacles 15 gp
Mirror, small steel 20 gp
Musical instrument 5 gp
Oil, lamp (1 pint) 0.1 gp
Parchment (sheet) 0.2 gp
Pole (10 foot) 0.2 gp
Pot, iron 0.5 gp
Rations, trail (per day) 0.5 gp
Rations, dried (per day) 1 gp
Rope, hemp (50 feet) 1 gp
Rope, silk (50 feet) 10 gp
Sack (15 pounds capacity) 1 gp
Sack (30 pounds capacity) 2 gp
Shovel 2 gp
Signal whistle 0.5 gp
Spellbook, blank 25 gp
Spike, iron 0.05 gp
Tent 10 gp
Torch 0.01 gp
Waterskin 1 gp
Wolfsbane 0.1 gp

Transport:
Cart, Hand 10 gp
Horse, Riding 40 gp
Horse, War 200 gp
Mule 20 gp
Rowboat 20 gp
Wagon 50 gp

Ranged Weapons:
Arrows (20) 2 gp
Axe, hand 1 gp
Bolts, heavy (20) 2 gp
Bolts, light (20) 2 gp
Bow, long 60 gp
Bow, short 15 gp
Crossbow, heavy 20 gp
Crossbow, light 12 gp
Dagger 2 gp
Dart 0.2 gp
Javelin 0.5 gp
Sling 0.2 gp
Spear 1 gp
Stones, sling (20) free

Melee Weapon
Axe, battle 5 gp
Axe, hand 1 gp
Club free
Dagger 2 gp
Flail (two-handed) 8 gp
Hammer, war 1 gp
Lance 6 gp
Mace, heavy 10 gp
Polearm (two-handed) 10 gp
Spear 1 gp
Staff (two-handed) free
Sword, bastard 20 gp
Sword, long 15 gp
Sword, short 8 gp
Sword, two-handed 30gp

Armour
Shield 15 gp
Leather Armour 5 gp
Ring Armour 30 gp
Chain Armour 75 gp
Plate Armour 100gp

[The Grene Knyght]

Dramatis Personae

Players:
Augustin the Lover, Thief
Ephraim Ben Ezra, Rabbi (Cleric)
Philippe "Pip" Lejaunie, Witch Hunter (Cleric)
Solomon the Wayward, Wizard
Caelin, Fighter
Kieran, Thief
Salif al-Hidraa, Paladin (Knight)

Hirelings

Prices you can expect to pay for reputable hirelings:
Torchbearer / other unskilled non-combatants - 1gp/day
Skilled non-combatant - 1.5gp or more per day
Thief - 2gp/day
Man-at-Arms - 4gp/day
Mage - 5gp or more per day

[Hinzland]

Name: Augustin the Lover
Alignment: Neutral
Archetype: Thief
About: Growing up the son of a cook and maid, Augustin's natural good looks always got him into trouble. Flirting with the local nobles daughter and tempting beautiful chaste nuns have always kept Augustin on the run from the law.
-Short stature and slight build. Longer hair and always manages to keep a dark 5 o'clock shadow.
-Decent fighter, with some formal training in fencing with rapiers (although could never afford one) but would much rather cut and run than stand and fight
-Well versed in many languages (Latin, Greek, Spanish, English, French, German, and Arabic).
Equipment: Back pack (5), Flint and steel, lamp, hemp rope, short bow, grappling hook, tent, staff, 10 days rations

Heavy metal clad boots began to make the wooden boards of the tower squeak. Augustin's eyes shot open, his smirk attempting to hide the fear that was growing in those dark pools of vision.
"I believe they found us, mi amor," he whispered softly to his lover. She barely moved, exhausted from the early hour of the morning. Or was it still night? He could barely keep track of the hours spent in the dark. Augustin sighed, not wishing to disturb her sleep any more, and slinked out of the bed. He looked around the ruined watchtower, where they had sneaked off to after her engagement party to some fat lord of the land. "No doubt your father fetched a pretty price for your innocence, m'lady," he muttered to himself as he gathered his meager belongings. "Not that you're untainted now."
"What are you saying, my sweet Baron?" she asked loudly.
The boot steps hesitated, probably not 20 paces from the top of the tower now. The woman had not yet noticed the intruder.
"Ummm," Augustin stammered. Now the bootsteps showed no hesitation, as the hurriedly clamored up the stairs, eager to capture the scalawag baron (a disguise of course, used simply to procure free food and wine).
Now was not the time for a long goodbye. "M'lady," he began and let the anticipation build. "Goodbye." And with a smile he dashed to the window, hooked his grapple to the sill, and with a smirk and a wave was gone. The woman slumped down into the sheets, disappointed and heartbroken, as the armed knight of her new husband burst into the room.
---
As Augustin made his way through the thicket surrounding the tower, he paused for a second and chuckled. He didn't even remember her name.

[Ceystile]

This looks like my kinda party, def interested.

[Hinzland]

This looks like my kinda party, def interested.

I'm kind of interested to see if there is a rule/dice system involved or if its up to the OP, combat/skill check wise i mean.

[The Grene Knyght]

This looks like my kinda party, def interested.

I'm kind of interested to see if there is a rule/dice system involved or if its up to the OP, combat/skill check wise i mean.

If there is a system, it'll be Swords and Wizardry, but the focus won't be on skill checks but on RP, as much as possible. Either way I'll be doing some rolls on my end, just to determine things like random encounters and the contents of rooms, things like that.

Still a bit torn on whether to use a system or not. It would require some way of rolling dice so I'd have to look into that, as well as needing people to learn a whole system. If there's not a system being used, I would just need to trust players not to RP in an overpowered way, and players would need to trust me to not act unfairly. Personally though I'm leaning towards the latter, although I'll see if there's interest in a system once a few more people indicate their interest in this

Character creation is a bit WIP at the moment, I'll finish it today, but your app looks good.

[The Grene Knyght]

I think I'll just continue on the basis of not having a system, but will review that choice before I make the IC.

I added some more notes to the archetype section, mostly just spells for the spellcasting classes.

When I get a chance I'll add some worldbuilding notes to assist people with backstory, although people are welcome to make their own additions to worldbuilding. Essentially the world is a fantasy Europe and the story takes place in a culturally french region of the Alps

Also on my to do list is to make an ad on the ad thread

[Southland Dark]

Will be keeping an eye on this.

[Voxija]

A rabbi in an old-school dungeon crawl? Why not?

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Name: Ephraim Ben Ezra
Alignment: Law.
Archetype: Cleric, rabbi subclass. The rabbi subclass of cleric would be an intelligence/wisdom-focused support subclass, less warrior monk and more support, healing, and religious lore. Please DO NOT put this new archetype on the first page; there's not enough difference between them and a priest to justify that.
About: Was born in the city-state of Al-Palmas to a family of devout Jews. Ephraim became a wandering rabbi, teaching Jewish knowledge and the Talmud and such to anyone interested, even some Christians. In his travels, Ephraim encountered the forces of Chaos, both in Satanists and those Christians that wished to expel Jews and discriminate against them.

Old, with twinkles in his eye and always wearing a skullcap. Long, white beard. Ephraim wears dark robes covered by some armor. He is here at Castle Xyntillan not out of greed or want of riches, but out of curiosity and desire to fight the forces of darkness.
Abilities: Religious knowledge. Lots and lots of religious knowledge. Notably a pacifist, focusing mostly on healing, but will certainly fight if pushed.
Spells: Turn Undead, Cure Light Wounds, Detect Evil, Protection from Evil, Purify Food and Drink.
Drawbacks: A rabbi would have a bad reputation in many cities. A lot of Christians would think Jews would ally with chaos against law despite rabbis being as much a cleric as any other cleric. A rabbi would also follow the cleric injunction against drawing blood.
Equipment: Holy symbol (wooden), Holy water (flask), pole (10 foot [obviously]), Hammer: war, ring armor, candles (10), backpack, a week's worth of rations.

[The Grene Knyght]

A rabbi in an old-school dungeon crawl? Why not?

That's a great idea, nice one.

[The Grene Knyght]

I put up a placeholder IC. Not open yet, just giving hoping to give people a bit of inspiration: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=513286

[Barapam]

Possibly interested. In a similar to that never took off there was a limit that two players couldn't be the same class. Does that apply here, or can several players have the same role?

[The Grene Knyght]

Possibly interested. In a similar to that never took off there was a limit that two players couldn't be the same class. Does that apply here, or can several players have the same role?

No, several people can have the same role

[Ceystile]

Hey OP, do we stick with the pre-listed archetypes or can we think up our own (just curious)

[Barapam]

Stupid question, but I suppose it's 100 gp minus the value of the items we decide to start with?

Haven't decided what kind of character to make yet, there's so many fun possibilities. Norman, Sami archer, Sami shaman, Lithuanian pagan, etc etc

I suppose the year is vaguely high medieval?

[The Grene Knyght]

Hey OP, do we stick with the pre-listed archetypes or can we think up our own (just curious)

If you want to come up with one that's not just a reskin of another archetype, just run it by me.

Stupid question, but I suppose it's 100 gp minus the value of the items we decide to start with?

Yeah

Haven't decided what kind of character to make yet, there's so many fun possibilities. Norman, Sami archer, Sami shaman, Lithuanian pagan, etc etc

Any of those sound good!

I suppose the year is vaguely high medieval?

Yeah

[Hinzland]

Do any of the characters already know each other or do we meet in the town? Or is it up to the players themselves?

[The Grene Knyght]

Do any of the characters already know each other or do we meet in the town? Or is it up to the players themselves?

Up to the players. You don't even have to meet the others if you don't feel like it, you can just head off to the castle by yourself, although I wouldnt recommend it without at least a few hirelings.

[The Grene Knyght]

I think I'll wait until we have about 5 apps before opening IC, but the RP will remain open to new apps

[Ceystile]

I'm stuck between two ideas, a plague doctor who fights with medical knowledge or a jeweler-enchanter who uses their jewelry as an arcane focus

[Hinzland]

I'm stuck between two ideas, a plague doctor who fights with medical knowledge or a jeweler-enchanter who uses their jewelry as an arcane focus

Both sound dope. Unique characters would add to the story

[Ceystile]

Thanks Hinz, I appreciate that. Jeweler would be more unique but at the same time, a plague doctor would also be kinda unique and fit into the setting. I know she's gonna be a girl either way, so...

[The Grene Knyght]

Both are good. Could save one idea for if your character dies. Or do both of them. One could be an NPC that joins you as a hireling, or you could even just play both at the same time as their own mini party. Could be more work for you though.

[Hinzland]

How many chars are we allowed to run at the same time?