First RP toon, could use some help.

[OXHawkXO]

I am working on my first RP character with back story and plot hooks. Just so I don’t make a total mess of it, I thought I would let all you lore gurus have a go at it.
My first chose would be an Aasimar cleric warpriest techsmith of Gond and master alchemist.
His background story would be on the lines that he is from an island just off The Sword Coast. This island is hidden by wards that protect it from the outside world and has been in the hands of a wealthy family many generations.

The island was raided by pirates and most of his possessions were stolen. This is where my character comes in. He arrives in BG with no memory of how he got there. He finds a book in his room, it magically instructs him on what he is to do.
Well, that’s the basics. My questions are.

1. I plan to do mostly scavenger hunt type quest. In a group of at least 3 or more. To find and return the items that were stolen. I hope to do this without the help of a DM, as I know how busy they can get. Is this acceptable?

2. Best I can tell all the race and classes should work together, but if there is any reason they won’t let me know. Maybe point me to where I might find some good info on Gond.

3. I know there is a group of islands in the Sea of Swords not far from Baldur’s Gate. Just want to make sure I’m not breaking any lore laws by having it hidden and the knowledge of its existence mostly unknown.


Thanks for your help.

[OXHawkXO]

(BUMP)

[Deathgrowl]

Firstly: You've been on the server over two and a half years and this is your first RP character...?

Anyways, for your questions:
1. Known as a player plot. Yes, certainly is acceptable as long as you're not metagaming NPCs in any way or otherwise break lore.

2. Gond is a god of mechanics and engineering. Not sure how well alchemy fits in there, being magical. The churches of Mystra and Gond have been in conflict a lot over magic versus technology. The two gods themselves are on good terms, though, but this is not something mortals would have insight into.
More info on Gond: http://www.nj-pbem.com/data/Gods/humangods/Gond.htm
Keep in mind that we are 1350, 8 years before the time of troubles, so some of the information on that site might not apply yet.

3. Why does the island have to be hidden and unknown? It is risky introducing new geographical sites to the setting, I would say. Why not just go with one of the Moonshae Isles? I'm sure they get to see their share of pirate raiding on several small villages. And Gond is quite an important god there. If you must have it hidden, I would at least suggest to have the DMs approve of the backstory before you RP about it.

[dzidek1983]

alchemy doesnt have to be magical... treat it as chemistry+biology.. preety much science

alchemists can make fire bombs.. it goes BUM!! but its not magic...

[Deathgrowl]

alchemy doesnt have to be magical... treat it as chemistry+biology.. preety much science

alchemists can make fire bombs.. it goes BUM!! but its not magic...

Alchemy is the magical version of chemistry, Dzidek. You need magic to create potions. Potions are magical.

[dzidek1983]

not true.. you treat potions as scrolls.. i know you use

make a fighter without UMD and full alchemy and you still can craft different things without any spellbook...

http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD3e:Alchemy_Skill

[Deathgrowl]

For the MASTER ALCHEMIST prestige class, Dzidek, you need BREW POTION and SPELLS to brew into those potions. Magic.

[dzidek1983]

you just dont get it... FORGET ABOUT SPELLS IN POTINS....

there are dozens of potions and usuables you create with alchemy that dont have any magic listed in their components..

i realize he wants to compose techsmith and master alchemist.. so WHAT???
techsmith can be a wizard IIRC... doesnt he?? even if Gond somehow dislikes magic...

[Deathgrowl]

techsmith can be a wizard IIRC... doesnt he?? even if Gond somehow dislikes magic...

I didn't say Gond dislikes magic. I said the clergy of Gond have conflicts with the clergy of Mystra.

[dzidek1983]

yes they do... but please now imagine an alchemist creating a tanglefoot bag or thunderstone.. he doesnt use magic.. he takes indigrients (they may be magical but che only needs to know what they are and how to handle them) and puts them together to have the desired end effect

he dpoesnt need to cast even a cantrip to create them...

alchemy is a skill that is being used in brew potion.. not the other way... mechanically...

craft alchemy is a skill like craft trap, or armor or anything....

you need benches, materials, etc.

[Deathgrowl]

Craft alchemy != Brew potion. We were talking about the Master Alchemist class here, Dzidek, which is for brewing potions. Magic potions. That are brewed with magic.

[dzidek1983]

master alchemist doesnt only brew potions

craf alchemy is not equal magic... read the skill info for gods sake...

even the master alchemist has

Alchemical Fire Mastery
Type of Feat: Class
Prerequisites: Master Alchemist 3
Specifics: Once per day the Master Alchemist may create a number of perfected alchemical fire grenades equal to half of his master alchemist levels. These cost 135 gp per grenade.
Use: Selected

what magic does he use to craft those? fireball ona vial.. dont be silly

[OXHawkXO]

First of all, Thanks for the input so far.

To Deathgrowl: I am sure that most would agree that this is a complicated GAME. When I arrived on this server it was my first experience with any RP environment. I have spent most of my time here learning what I could about the game and the mechanics behind the classes, spells and The Sword Coast in general.

I am not what you would call a creative person; my writing skills are weak at best. But I feel that I know enough now to at least try and play a RP based character. As you can see from this post, opinions can vary greatly.

As far as the island being hidden, I want the character to be naive about the world he has been put into. But I’m fine with your suggestion.

And to address metagaming NPC’s. Could you give me an example of what not to do?

[Deathgrowl]

And to address metagaming NPC’s. Could you give me an example of what not to do?

Almost anything that involves NPCs on the server, really. The obvious stuff like don't do stuff in front of guards that they would react to if a DM was around to control them. Also, don't assume what NPCs might say or think or how they may react to different situations. There's no real guidelines on what you can assume about NPCs when running player plots or not.

I suggest if you have a player plot in mind and you have need of an NPC in one way or another, ask a DM for advice on it. You don't need the DM to run an event with the NPC (but maybe if it is intriguing enough he will, and that's a nice bonus! ), but at least you might get some limits on how much you can RP about the NPC in question. Some DM approval.

[Hoihe]

And to address metagaming NPC’s. Could you give me an example of what not to do?

Almost anything that involves NPCs on the server, really. The obvious stuff like don't do stuff in front of guards that they would react to if a DM was around to control them. Also, don't assume what NPCs might say or think or how they may react to different situations. There's no real guidelines on what you can assume about NPCs when running player plots or not.

I suggest if you have a player plot in mind and you have need of an NPC in one way or another, ask a DM for advice on it. You don't need the DM to run an event with the NPC (but maybe if it is intriguing enough he will, and that's a nice bonus! ), but at least you might get some limits on how much you can RP about the NPC in question. Some DM approval.

Basically send a short PM outlining what you are thinking about.