Blood of Vol - General Questions [Archive] - Wizards Community

Blood of Vol - General Questions [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
krlsrrll
07-11-07, 08:13 AM Hi all

I've been running a monster based Droaam campaign for a couple of months to fill in for the main campaign.

That campaign has now finished so mine is now the main and 2 players have both expressed an interest in playing members of the Blood of Vol

I was just wondering then if people have much experience of having active participants in their campaign (is mainly evil group but the play intelligent evil not bloodthirsty) and if so what sort of complications there could be.

The party are based around the mercenary idea working for the Gnoll marshals but they have expressed an interest in getting involved on a more grander scale using the mercenary jobs to gain gold, items and ultimately power.

The campaign is set to run until September so couple of months but will prob then just stay as a back-up to resurrect and continue when necessary.

Thanks in advance
Alex_
07-11-07, 11:59 AM Average religious tension and misunderstanding. It shouldn't get violent unless someone involved is a psychopathic or murderous religious extremist.
Nuclear_Buddha
07-11-07, 12:24 PM I'd say the real potential for complications would be in meeting with priests or officials of other religions. There aren't any other clerics in the party are there?

Since the Blood of Vol doesn't acknowledge/doesn't like the gods, there could be some conflict there.

Otherwise, the Blood of Vol isn't an especially hostile religion.
krlsrrll
07-11-07, 02:07 PM I'd say the real potential for complications would be in meeting with priests or officials of other religions. There aren't any other clerics in the party are there?

Unfortunately yes, there is a Cleric of the Dark Six who has a background which he is using (with my approval) to say he is 'Chosen' and is intending to build up a strong following to start kicking Breland for six. He's also the unofficial leader of the party and has agreements with other characters with regards to protection for healing etc.

Think I'll have to have a word as last thing I want is 2 new characters coming in and upsetting the balance in a settled group.
Alex_
07-11-07, 04:15 PM What about the rest of the party?
krlsrrll
07-12-07, 04:53 AM What about the rest of the party?

It's quite a small group with just a Medusa and an elven Ninja (playing it as a shadow warrior with no clan) so an interesting mix if nothing else.

I have subsequently spoken to the player who wants to play one of the Vol'ites (is that a word?) and he's going for a Necromancer/Cleric who isn't actually evil but CN and is in charge of recruiting true followers of Vol.

Unfortunately I've not had a chance to read up on anything yet, lots of stuff on at moment, so may just put the introduction game off a week to give me more chance to read up.
Alex_
07-12-07, 12:23 PM A Necromancer would be a pretty hardcore follower. Vol is all about the worship of blood and the divinity within. Undead don't have blood, so according to the BoV, they can never know divine immortality. Someone becoming an undead is essentially becoming a martyr and giving up any and all hope of every knowing true divinity in order to serve others.

It's not at all something to be taken lightly. Very few people have that level of dedication.
Nuclear_Buddha
07-12-07, 01:22 PM Yeah, could be some conflict, if both are preaching. It'd be tough for a Volite looking to convert others to rationalize protecting the willing minion of the cruel gods who cursed the world with mortality.
gensuke626
07-14-07, 07:14 PM A Necromancer doesn't nessicarily have to be a Hardcore follower of the Blood. Just as easily, the Necromancer could be someone who is dipping into BoV knowledge simply for the power that Necromancy can bring.

Just FYI - Followers of the BoV are called Seekers.

And I don't believe that it'd be hard for a Seeker to help a Vassal (Follower of the Host or Six) simply because he conversation would go as follows.

Vassal is hanging on the edge of a cliff
Vassal: Help Me.
Seeker: Why ask me? Shouldn't your gods help you in times like this?
Vassal: Stop preaching and help me up!

Seeker waits for a moment and catches the Vassal as he slips, saving him at the last moment.
Vassal: Why didn't you pull me up sooner?
Seeker: I was testing your gods. What kind of god allows a follower as devout as yourself to fall to his death?
Alex_
07-14-07, 07:55 PM A Necromancer doesn't nessicarily have to be a Hardcore follower of the Blood. Just as easily, the Necromancer could be someone who is dipping into BoV knowledge simply for the power that Necromancy can bring.

Never thought about them being a convert. In either case, to glean any knowledge of undeath from the Blood of Vol is going to require intense dedication and devotion to the higher ups. It's not merely an discipline of arcane wizardry taught to those who are interested or capable, it's a serious spiritual undertaking that most worshipers never have access to.
gensuke626
07-14-07, 08:32 PM Never thought about them being a convert. In either case, to glean any knowledge of undeath from the Blood of Vol is going to require intense dedication and devotion to the higher ups.

Or the illusion of intense dedication and devotion to the higher ups. Argueably, you can simply show immense talent for necromancy and get picked up by the Emerald Claw to work for the Inner Circle.

It's not merely an discipline of arcane wizardry taught to those who are interested or capable, it's a serious spiritual undertaking that most worshipers never have access to.

The face of the Blood of Vol is an intense and serious spiritual undertaking. If one truely believes in the struggle against the cruel gods and the public message of the seekers, then yes, it would require devotion that few can muster.

However, as I said above, one can bypass most of the religious aspects of the Blood if one was to find themselves being watched by the Emerald Claw, or chosen by a member of Erandis' Inner Circle.

The Blood of Vol is no mere Religion, remember? It's the face of a continent (perhaps world) spanning conspiracy headed up by some very serious moves and shakers.

The character actually reminds me of a character I posted in a thread a while back. Abel Kessler, Cleric of the Blood of Vol. NG character who truely believes that the Blood of Vol is trying to rescue humanity from death and does everything he can to help make life better for those around him untill the day that death is defeated. Has the spiritual and mental dedication required to convince him that becoming a Lich is the right thing to do.
demel
07-15-07, 10:11 AM Another good point to introduce BoV (PC) to the party, might be to ask one of the players make Elven follower of Vol (person, not faith) (older character, before the purge in aerenal) and giving that character some nasty necromantic power (spell like ability, passed by the diminishing dragonmark of death, and flawing that spell like ability so it costs Con to use. like Fort save , failure -1con temp, if rolled "1" -1 con perm.). And to mix the party more, make that elven PC relative to the Elven ninja from the party, and tell both elven that they know that the Vol´ite is hunted by the undying court).
yewshadow
07-15-07, 02:18 PM It may also help to define how entrenched the BoV characters are in the religion. Many seekers aren't initiated into the religion's innermost secrets...
gensuke626
07-15-07, 04:15 PM Another good point to introduce BoV (PC) to the party, might be to ask one of the players make Elven follower of Vol (person, not faith)

Quick point here, Vol was not a person, Vol was a family.

(older character, before the purge in aerenal)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the purge of the line of Vol 3000-4000 years ago? I mean, an elf can be that old, but that very easily puts him past his prime and possibly puts him in the venerable category. (The SRD says that elves live for 750 years at most. I don't have a PHB on me to veryify if that is correct.)

and giving that character some nasty necromantic power (spell like ability, passed by the diminishing dragonmark of death, and flawing that spell like ability so it costs Con to use. like Fort save , failure -1con temp, if rolled "1" -1 con perm.). And to mix the party more, make that elven PC relative to the Elven ninja from the party, and tell both elven that they know that the Vol´ite is hunted by the undying court).

This sounds fairly complicated and overall it comes with a few problems, the foremost being that you're basically telling krlsrrll to give one of the PCs the Dragonmark of Death.
Nuclear_Buddha
07-16-07, 02:34 AM Just FYI - Followers of the BoV are called Seekers.

Well aware of this. I just like "Volite" more. For that matter, I think "Flamist" is a better term than "Purified." The canon names from FoE just left me cold, probably because they seem to lack connection with their religion.

And I don't believe that it'd be hard for a Seeker to help a Vassal (Follower of the Host or Six) simply because he conversation would go as follows.

Vassal is hanging on the edge of a cliff
Vassal: Help Me.
Seeker: Why ask me? Shouldn't your gods help you in times like this?
Vassal: Stop preaching and help me up!

Seeker waits for a moment and catches the Vassal as he slips, saving him at the last moment.
Vassal: Why didn't you pull me up sooner?
Seeker: I was testing your gods. What kind of god allows a follower as devout as yourself to fall to his death?

Heh, nice. On a metagame level, though, they've no hope of ever convincing a Vassal cleric to go apostate.
Soltares
07-17-07, 02:52 PM Note that most people in the real-world work with, go to school with, shop alongside and even *marry* people with radically different religious views. Sure, there are crazy-flakes out there who proselytize their faith and beat other people over the heads with them, but few religions actively *require* their followers to be colossal jerks to other faiths. (Some religious *leaders* might have extreme views, and have nothing nice to say about 'the heathen,' but that's why they call them 'extreme.')

There's no reason why a Sovereign Host Cleric, a Gatekeeper Druid, a Traveller-worshipper and a Volite Necromancer couldn't work together to accomplish common goals. All of them are going to have plenty of stuff to oppose together, such as hideous Daelkyr or manipulative Dragons or malevolent Lords of Dust or just that most prevalent of D&D adversaries, 'dudes who have stuff that I want.'
Nuclear_Buddha
07-17-07, 09:23 PM Fair point. However, clerics probably don't qualify as normal people. They are so faithful, believe so hard, that (they believe, at least) their faith grants them miraculous powers.

Now they're not automatically "crazy-flakes" but they're probably super-devout about their particular religion.

Besides, there's at least one example of a real world religion that spouts a lot of rhetoric about wiping out other religions.
AntiSean
07-18-07, 10:54 AM Besides, there's at least one example of a real world religion that spouts a lot of rhetoric about wiping out other religions.

You leave the Quakers out of this!
JulesCARV
07-18-07, 12:50 PM If I were an openly practicing cleric of the Blood of Vol in a party with a cleric of the Dark Six, I'd watch my back.

"Oh great Mockery, I am in need of your guidance. My leader happens to be a cleric of a religion dedicated to killing you, but that's not a matter of concern to you, is it? I mean, I should show reasonable tolerance and respect for differences of opinion on such matters, shouldn't I? Isn't that what we Vassals of the Six are all about? Or... maybe it's about treachery, death, and destruction. I was never clear on that point."
Burningspear
07-18-07, 06:54 PM "Oh great Mockery, I am in need of your guidance. My leader happens to be a cleric of a religion dedicated to killing you, but that's not a matter of concern to you, is it? I mean, I should show reasonable tolerance and respect for differences of opinion on such matters, shouldn't I? Isn't that what we Vassals of the Six are all about? Or... maybe it's about treachery, death, and destruction. I was never clear on that point."

:rofl: :clap:
krlsrrll
07-19-07, 03:59 AM Well thats alot of information compiled and posted, some of which I even follow :)

To be honest for the smoothness of the game I've decided to veto the Blood of Vol background on the new characters. It's supposed to be a light hearted, fun game hence the monstrous theme but getting inner party conflicts continuously isn't anyone's idea of fun.

Thanks for all the advice, invaluable as ever :)
Nuclear_Buddha
07-20-07, 12:21 PM You leave the Quakers out of this!

Well, I was thinking about the Pastafarians, but yeah, them too. Darn Quaker apologists...

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
krlsrrll 07-11-07, 08:13 AM	Hi all I've been running a monster based Droaam campaign for a couple of months to fill in for the main campaign. That campaign has now finished so mine is now the main and 2 players have both expressed an interest in playing members of the Blood of Vol I was just wondering then if people have much experience of having active participants in their campaign (is mainly evil group but the play intelligent evil not bloodthirsty) and if so what sort of complications there could be. The party are based around the mercenary idea working for the Gnoll marshals but they have expressed an interest in getting involved on a more grander scale using the mercenary jobs to gain gold, items and ultimately power. The campaign is set to run until September so couple of months but will prob then just stay as a back-up to resurrect and continue when necessary. Thanks in advance
Alex_ 07-11-07, 11:59 AM	Average religious tension and misunderstanding. It shouldn't get violent unless someone involved is a psychopathic or murderous religious extremist.
Nuclear_Buddha 07-11-07, 12:24 PM	I'd say the real potential for complications would be in meeting with priests or officials of other religions. There aren't any other clerics in the party are there? Since the Blood of Vol doesn't acknowledge/doesn't like the gods, there could be some conflict there. Otherwise, the Blood of Vol isn't an especially hostile religion.
krlsrrll 07-11-07, 02:07 PM	I'd say the real potential for complications would be in meeting with priests or officials of other religions. There aren't any other clerics in the party are there? Unfortunately yes, there is a Cleric of the Dark Six who has a background which he is using (with my approval) to say he is 'Chosen' and is intending to build up a strong following to start kicking Breland for six. He's also the unofficial leader of the party and has agreements with other characters with regards to protection for healing etc. Think I'll have to have a word as last thing I want is 2 new characters coming in and upsetting the balance in a settled group.
Alex_ 07-11-07, 04:15 PM	What about the rest of the party?
krlsrrll 07-12-07, 04:53 AM	What about the rest of the party? It's quite a small group with just a Medusa and an elven Ninja (playing it as a shadow warrior with no clan) so an interesting mix if nothing else. I have subsequently spoken to the player who wants to play one of the Vol'ites (is that a word?) and he's going for a Necromancer/Cleric who isn't actually evil but CN and is in charge of recruiting true followers of Vol. Unfortunately I've not had a chance to read up on anything yet, lots of stuff on at moment, so may just put the introduction game off a week to give me more chance to read up.
Alex_ 07-12-07, 12:23 PM	A Necromancer would be a pretty hardcore follower. Vol is all about the worship of blood and the divinity within. Undead don't have blood, so according to the BoV, they can never know divine immortality. Someone becoming an undead is essentially becoming a martyr and giving up any and all hope of every knowing true divinity in order to serve others. It's not at all something to be taken lightly. Very few people have that level of dedication.
Nuclear_Buddha 07-12-07, 01:22 PM	Yeah, could be some conflict, if both are preaching. It'd be tough for a Volite looking to convert others to rationalize protecting the willing minion of the cruel gods who cursed the world with mortality.
gensuke626 07-14-07, 07:14 PM	A Necromancer doesn't nessicarily have to be a Hardcore follower of the Blood. Just as easily, the Necromancer could be someone who is dipping into BoV knowledge simply for the power that Necromancy can bring. Just FYI - Followers of the BoV are called Seekers. And I don't believe that it'd be hard for a Seeker to help a Vassal (Follower of the Host or Six) simply because he conversation would go as follows. Vassal is hanging on the edge of a cliff Vassal: Help Me. Seeker: Why ask me? Shouldn't your gods help you in times like this? Vassal: Stop preaching and help me up! Seeker waits for a moment and catches the Vassal as he slips, saving him at the last moment. Vassal: Why didn't you pull me up sooner? Seeker: I was testing your gods. What kind of god allows a follower as devout as yourself to fall to his death?
Alex_ 07-14-07, 07:55 PM	A Necromancer doesn't nessicarily have to be a Hardcore follower of the Blood. Just as easily, the Necromancer could be someone who is dipping into BoV knowledge simply for the power that Necromancy can bring. Never thought about them being a convert. In either case, to glean any knowledge of undeath from the Blood of Vol is going to require intense dedication and devotion to the higher ups. It's not merely an discipline of arcane wizardry taught to those who are interested or capable, it's a serious spiritual undertaking that most worshipers never have access to.
gensuke626 07-14-07, 08:32 PM	Never thought about them being a convert. In either case, to glean any knowledge of undeath from the Blood of Vol is going to require intense dedication and devotion to the higher ups. Or the illusion of intense dedication and devotion to the higher ups. Argueably, you can simply show immense talent for necromancy and get picked up by the Emerald Claw to work for the Inner Circle. It's not merely an discipline of arcane wizardry taught to those who are interested or capable, it's a serious spiritual undertaking that most worshipers never have access to. The face of the Blood of Vol is an intense and serious spiritual undertaking. If one truely believes in the struggle against the cruel gods and the public message of the seekers, then yes, it would require devotion that few can muster. However, as I said above, one can bypass most of the religious aspects of the Blood if one was to find themselves being watched by the Emerald Claw, or chosen by a member of Erandis' Inner Circle. The Blood of Vol is no mere Religion, remember? It's the face of a continent (perhaps world) spanning conspiracy headed up by some very serious moves and shakers. The character actually reminds me of a character I posted in a thread a while back. Abel Kessler, Cleric of the Blood of Vol. NG character who truely believes that the Blood of Vol is trying to rescue humanity from death and does everything he can to help make life better for those around him untill the day that death is defeated. Has the spiritual and mental dedication required to convince him that becoming a Lich is the right thing to do.
demel 07-15-07, 10:11 AM	Another good point to introduce BoV (PC) to the party, might be to ask one of the players make Elven follower of Vol (person, not faith) (older character, before the purge in aerenal) and giving that character some nasty necromantic power (spell like ability, passed by the diminishing dragonmark of death, and flawing that spell like ability so it costs Con to use. like Fort save , failure -1con temp, if rolled "1" -1 con perm.). And to mix the party more, make that elven PC relative to the Elven ninja from the party, and tell both elven that they know that the Vol´ite is hunted by the undying court).
yewshadow 07-15-07, 02:18 PM	It may also help to define how entrenched the BoV characters are in the religion. Many seekers aren't initiated into the religion's innermost secrets...
gensuke626 07-15-07, 04:15 PM	Another good point to introduce BoV (PC) to the party, might be to ask one of the players make Elven follower of Vol (person, not faith) Quick point here, Vol was not a person, Vol was a family. (older character, before the purge in aerenal) Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the purge of the line of Vol 3000-4000 years ago? I mean, an elf can be that old, but that very easily puts him past his prime and possibly puts him in the venerable category. (The SRD says that elves live for 750 years at most. I don't have a PHB on me to veryify if that is correct.) and giving that character some nasty necromantic power (spell like ability, passed by the diminishing dragonmark of death, and flawing that spell like ability so it costs Con to use. like Fort save , failure -1con temp, if rolled "1" -1 con perm.). And to mix the party more, make that elven PC relative to the Elven ninja from the party, and tell both elven that they know that the Vol´ite is hunted by the undying court). This sounds fairly complicated and overall it comes with a few problems, the foremost being that you're basically telling krlsrrll to give one of the PCs the Dragonmark of Death.
Nuclear_Buddha 07-16-07, 02:34 AM	Just FYI - Followers of the BoV are called Seekers. Well aware of this. I just like "Volite" more. For that matter, I think "Flamist" is a better term than "Purified." The canon names from FoE just left me cold, probably because they seem to lack connection with their religion. And I don't believe that it'd be hard for a Seeker to help a Vassal (Follower of the Host or Six) simply because he conversation would go as follows. Vassal is hanging on the edge of a cliff Vassal: Help Me. Seeker: Why ask me? Shouldn't your gods help you in times like this? Vassal: Stop preaching and help me up! Seeker waits for a moment and catches the Vassal as he slips, saving him at the last moment. Vassal: Why didn't you pull me up sooner? Seeker: I was testing your gods. What kind of god allows a follower as devout as yourself to fall to his death? Heh, nice. On a metagame level, though, they've no hope of ever convincing a Vassal cleric to go apostate.
Soltares 07-17-07, 02:52 PM	Note that most people in the real-world work with, go to school with, shop alongside and even marry people with radically different religious views. Sure, there are crazy-flakes out there who proselytize their faith and beat other people over the heads with them, but few religions actively require their followers to be colossal jerks to other faiths. (Some religious leaders might have extreme views, and have nothing nice to say about 'the heathen,' but that's why they call them 'extreme.') There's no reason why a Sovereign Host Cleric, a Gatekeeper Druid, a Traveller-worshipper and a Volite Necromancer couldn't work together to accomplish common goals. All of them are going to have plenty of stuff to oppose together, such as hideous Daelkyr or manipulative Dragons or malevolent Lords of Dust or just that most prevalent of D&D adversaries, 'dudes who have stuff that I want.'
Nuclear_Buddha 07-17-07, 09:23 PM	Fair point. However, clerics probably don't qualify as normal people. They are so faithful, believe so hard, that (they believe, at least) their faith grants them miraculous powers. Now they're not automatically "crazy-flakes" but they're probably super-devout about their particular religion. Besides, there's at least one example of a real world religion that spouts a lot of rhetoric about wiping out other religions.
AntiSean 07-18-07, 10:54 AM	Besides, there's at least one example of a real world religion that spouts a lot of rhetoric about wiping out other religions. You leave the Quakers out of this!
JulesCARV 07-18-07, 12:50 PM	If I were an openly practicing cleric of the Blood of Vol in a party with a cleric of the Dark Six, I'd watch my back. "Oh great Mockery, I am in need of your guidance. My leader happens to be a cleric of a religion dedicated to killing you, but that's not a matter of concern to you, is it? I mean, I should show reasonable tolerance and respect for differences of opinion on such matters, shouldn't I? Isn't that what we Vassals of the Six are all about? Or... maybe it's about treachery, death, and destruction. I was never clear on that point."
Burningspear 07-18-07, 06:54 PM	"Oh great Mockery, I am in need of your guidance. My leader happens to be a cleric of a religion dedicated to killing you, but that's not a matter of concern to you, is it? I mean, I should show reasonable tolerance and respect for differences of opinion on such matters, shouldn't I? Isn't that what we Vassals of the Six are all about? Or... maybe it's about treachery, death, and destruction. I was never clear on that point." :rofl: :clap:
krlsrrll 07-19-07, 03:59 AM	Well thats alot of information compiled and posted, some of which I even follow :) To be honest for the smoothness of the game I've decided to veto the Blood of Vol background on the new characters. It's supposed to be a light hearted, fun game hence the monstrous theme but getting inner party conflicts continuously isn't anyone's idea of fun. Thanks for all the advice, invaluable as ever :)
Nuclear_Buddha 07-20-07, 12:21 PM	You leave the Quakers out of this! Well, I was thinking about the Pastafarians, but yeah, them too. Darn Quaker apologists...