Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Torkwaret 06-16-04, 06:42 AM	My new party consists of a drow druid/monk, a human fighter and an arctic dwarf barbarian, the setting is FR and we decided to start in Silver Marches. I have completely no idea on how to get the three together, can someone please help me ??
Bait the Bard 06-16-04, 06:55 AM	Well, there are a few ways you can do this: Get the PCs to come up with the answer. I prefer this, as it does encoureg them to think, and get inot the game, themselves, without much of your envolvment. There was a call for mercenaries. This almost always works. They met in a tavern Number 1 is probably the best under these circumstances, as you seem to want a way for them to be involved. nothing is more involving than making their own character backgrounds, especially if you give a slight reward for a good background, maybe 100XP. - the annoying bard
Torkwaret 06-16-04, 07:17 AM	That would be really a good idea, but the players are new to this world (homebrew, greyhawk before)
Revelation 06-16-04, 07:29 AM	They might be new to the world, but they're not to role playing. Yyou don't need to know poopulation demographics or national income and weather patterns to think of a reason characters knkow each other. I always favour letting the players work out why they adcenture together as it leads to more cohesive parties. That said the dwarf as an outdoors and a fighter type might tie both the outdoors nature of the druid, and the fighter together. Perhaps the druid went north to visit the lands of ice and snow to learn about thew wilds, taking the fighter with him as a friend for defense. They met and travelled with the dwarf becoming firm friends.
Bait the Bard 06-16-04, 07:34 AM	Well, even if they are new, it could be even better; it gets them familar with the region. They have to look at the maps, figure out where most people live, and read up on stuff. It may take a bit longer, but it's likely that they will be all the better off for the knowledge. - the annoying bard
Sarta 06-16-04, 07:36 AM	Perhaps the three of them were all attempting to enter Silverymoon at the same time. The drow was not allowed in due to his race and the dwarf was given a hard time by a dwarven guard because he did not come from a nearby established dwarven clan. The human being slightly less prejudiced managed to calm the dwarf and the three turned around and left rather than continued to enter the city. Sarta
Torkwaret 06-16-04, 07:52 AM	Well, each of them already has a background story. 1) the drow escaped Menzoberranzan where he was a slave and managed to learn how to fight barehanded from another slave, a human monk, which he then fought (and killed) in a gladiatorial match. He managed to slip from his confinement some time after, with a duergar merchant. He proceeded to the Night Above through a series of caves and eventually came out in Silvery Wood. He spent some time with a small group of druids and embraced their ways. He now travels the vicinity of the forest, as far as Silverymoon. He likes to watch other travellers, hidden in the shadows, and listen to their stories. He is on the surface for 10 months. (druid 2/monk 2) 2) the arctic dwarf was a soldier in Mithral Hall. He came there several years ago with a dwarven merchant and already skilled in battle. After some time he proved to be a powerful warrior and won admiration and respect from other dwarves. He left Mithral Hall to become an adventurer and is on his way to Silverymoon. (barbarian 4) 3) the human warrior hails from Amn. He too was in the military, but he got bored and faked his death. He is on his way to Silverymoon to meet with an old friend. He was a mecenary for a short time. (fighter 4)
Autosponge 06-16-04, 10:14 AM	Generally speaking, I tell the PCs where the game will start (Silverymoon for example) and they tell me how they got there and why they're there (or what they're doing for a living). In your case, this will be difficult for the Drow since his kind are not permitted in the city. In fact, they are still kill-on-sight in most parts of the North regardless of the exploits of Drizzt. The fact that the Drow are using people's love of Drizzt against them by planting spies in the North pretending to be rangers of Meilikki will only cause more problems for Drow characters once the spies have been found. If this player is 100% set on playing Drow, you have no choice but to stick to the small rural towns of the North (under 700 pop). Everyone distrusts the Drow, but without a hearty town guard around, no one is stupid enough to pick a fight. Deadsnows is a good choice since they can all come up with a reason to be there and it has adventure opportunities. Otherwise there are hundreds of nameless towns and villages you can start your characters in dotting the whole area. But in no way is that Drow ever getting into Silverymoon, Sundabar, or the Dwarf citadels--it just ain't going to happen.
MrkGrismer 06-16-04, 11:20 AM	Originally posted by Torkwaret Well, each of them already has a background story. 1) the drow escaped Menzoberranzan where he was a slave and managed to learn how to fight barehanded from another slave, a human monk, which he then fought (and killed) in a gladiatorial match. He managed to slip from his confinement some time after, with a duergar merchant. He proceeded to the Night Above through a series of caves and eventually came out in Silvery Wood. He spent some time with a small group of druids and embraced their ways. He now travels the vicinity of the forest, as far as Silverymoon. He likes to watch other travellers, hidden in the shadows, and listen to their stories. He is on the surface for 10 months. (druid 2/monk 2) 2) the arctic dwarf was a soldier in Mithral Hall. He came there several years ago with a dwarven merchant and already skilled in battle. After some time he proved to be a powerful warrior and won admiration and respect from other dwarves. He left Mithral Hall to become an adventurer and is on his way to Silverymoon. (barbarian 4) 3) the human warrior hails from Amn. He too was in the military, but he got bored and faked his death. He is on his way to Silverymoon to meet with an old friend. He was a mecenary for a short time. (fighter 4) #3 gives you what you need. #3 arrives in Silverymoon but there is no sign of his friend, his friend had said he needed to stop at Mithral Hall take care of some business before he continued to Silverymoon, #3 finds out that #2 is from Hitral Hall so then (in game) would likely ask #2 if he knows anything. #2 does not, but #1 saw a small caravan from Mithral Hall get ambushed by (xxx orcs, goblins, bugbears, trolls, whatever xxx) while he was skulking around outside town, and #1 overhears #3 asking #2 about his friend. Bam!
JoshRodriguez 06-16-04, 12:05 PM	What? No. There's no way that's at all realistic. #1, #2, and #3 are all in a bar. All of a sudden this generic soldier-looking guy busts in. He falls over dead from a massive arrow in his back. The arrow has a message tied on to it. One of the bystanders reads it and says "Oh no! This is terrible, only the unlikely combination of a human from Amn, an Arctic Dwarf named <arctic dwarf's name>, and a Drow multiclass monk/druid can save us now!" Have them look around expectantly and occasionally nudge the characters if they don't respond. This method works EVERY TIME. My players stopped groaning a long time ago. I suspect it will take some time for all the death threats to subside, though.
Sereno 06-16-04, 12:48 PM	Backstory the fighter and dwarf as being friends or previous companions; the dwarf could be the "old friend" the fighter is going to meet. Let them figure out how they met ... mercenary company came to Mithral Hall once? First encounter, engineer something that should be too tough for them, more guys or tougher guys than they should be able to handle. Fight starts to go poorly for the dwarf and fighter (might have to pull some punches as DM to prevent a TPK before the Drow "gets there") Drow comes to their aid. The three of them whup some arse. After the fight, dwarf and fighter ask, "Gee, Mr. Drow, why did you help us?" Drow explains, "I saw two warriors fighting against great odds, and knew that the odds had to be evened...." Let the Drow explain himself over time, but he'll already be proven as a "good guy". Of course, this is all predicated that the Drow is LN (as he should be to be Monk/Druid) ... if the Drow's evil, this won't work.