Both Needed Recruiting Again - The Way of the Wicked - A D&D 5E Play by Post

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Both Needed Recruiting Again - The Way of the Wicked - A D&D 5E Play by Post

Baxter Peters

Baxter Peters

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We've had some dropouts, so don't be intimidated by the number of replies this thread has. We'd be happy to have some new players.

Hello Sanctum Dwellers,

I'm Baxter Peters and I'd like to run a D&D PBP for you, but not just any Play by Post. I'm going to be running the Way of the Wicked adventure path in 5th Edition D&D.

So, what is the Way of the Wicked? Essentially, all the player's characters are villains, condemned to either death or a life of hard labor for their crimes. They are recruited to join a conspiracy to destroy the Kingdom of Talingarde, the most virtuous, peaceful, noble nation in the world today. The tasks before them are monumental, and underhanded tactics are not only encouraged, but required. Thievery, assassination, framing rivals, poisoning, killing innocents, slavery, mind control, torture, whatever. It's all on the table.

That's not to say the characters are mindless psychopaths. They'll need to cooperate and work together. It's them against the world, not them against each other.

I intend to use the Fifth Edition D&D rules. I'll help people make characters if they need/want it. You will start as level 1 characters in prison, with no gear beyond filthy prison rags. You'll quickly meet a mysterious benefactor who gives you your first task. Break out of prison. They'll even benevolently smuggle you a few bits of gear to help make your escape and possibly get some revenge on the jailers who've been mistreating you. During the escape, you'll have opportunity to gear up, and as part of joining the conspiracy, you'll receive whatever equipment you would normally have as a starting character, and a bit more as well. So even if you're a character who relies on gear, like an archer or a fighter in heavy armor, you'll get sorted out quickly. Don't stress about starting nigh naked.

Talingarde is a mainly human kingdom, with some elves, dwarves, and halflings mixed in for good measure. You can choose to be any official D&D race, although more exotic races will make it more challenging for you to stay under the radar/hide from authorities. You can play any class as well, although non-oathbreaker Paladins could be a pretty tough fit.

I'm looking for at least 4, but no more than 6 players. This is a game that could go on for a while. People will drop out. When they do, I'll try to fill their slot with other interested parties.

Once we have some interested folks, I'll share more setting information and character creation details.

If you don't know D&D, but this idea interests you, I can help you. The game mechanics aren't complicated, and all the rules anyone /needs/ is legally available online for free. There are a lot more options in the various books, but the core of the game is available for free.

And yes, there will be adult/sexy themes available to explore. One of the earliest NPCs you'll meet as part of the conspiracy is a dominant 'lady' who just might be a disguised tentacle devil. You don't need to play a pervy character, but if you do, there will be pervy opportunities.

If you have any questions, feel free to drop a line here, or send me a Private Message. I'm easy.
 
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Player Briefing:

Guilty. You are a lawbreaker – the worst of the worst. Too dangerous to live amongst the good people of Talingarde, they dragged you in chains before a magistrate and condemned you. They sent you to the worst prison in the land and there they forever marked you. They held you down and branded you with a runic F. You are forsaken. You won't be at Branderscar Prison for long. Branderscar is only a holding pen. In three days justice comes. In three days everything ends. What a pity. If only there was a way out of this stinking rat-hole. If only there was a way to escape. If only… No. No one has ever escaped from Branderscar Prison. This is where your story ends.

What is Talingarde?

Talingarde is the most virtuous, peaceful, noble nation in the world today. This land is ruled by King Markadian V called the Brave of House Darius. He has only one heir – the beautiful princess Bellinda. This benevolent monarchy is heavily intertwined with the Church of Mitra, the Shining Lord.
You are from Talingarde. This is your home. You have lived here your entire life. And if they gave you half a chance, you would have your revenge on all of them.

Who is Mitra?

Mitra, the so-called Shining Lord, is the god of the sun, bravery, honor, justice, charity and other such pusillanimous rubbish. The Church of Mitra is the preeminent religion of Talingarde these days. The Knights of the Alerion, the elite warriors of Talingarde, are a Mitran order. The monks of St. Macarius, who travel the land healing the sick and the helping the needy, are also a Mitran order. The House of Darius, the royal family of Talingarde, are devout followers of Mitra. It wasn't always this way. Before the Darians took over, Talingarde worshipped an entire pantheon of deities. Preeminent among those deities was Asmodeus, Prince of Hell, Lord of Ambition and Order. Now it is forbidden to worship Asmodeus. To do so is to be condemned. The Mitrans destroyed all the Asmodean temples and burned his books and priests. There are no followers of Asmodeus anymore in Talingarde at least none you know of. Devout Mitrans will not say the name Asmodeus. He is simply "The Fallen" or "The Enemy".

How did they catch me?

You tell us. You must pick a serious crime that you were condemned for. They are only two requirements – you got caught and you really did it.

It's not surprising that the Talireans (the people of Talingarde) caught you, though. Talingarde is a fiercely lawful and good society. Crime (especially heinous crime like yours) is not tolerated.
 
Crimes of the Forsaken

Each character chooses one heinous crime that has earned them a place in Branderscar Prison. Each crime grants a different benefit, typically a proficiency or advantage on certain types of rolls. You may have committed many crimes during your lifetime, but this is the crime that finally got you branded and condemned.

This list of twenty crimes is not intended to be comprehensive. Feel free to invent your own crime, punishment and benefit (with the DM's approval of course). Besides simply choosing a crime, you should also consider how the crime was done. Was this a well-planned criminal enterprise or a crime of passion? Did you do it alone or did you have accomplices? Was this the first time you did this crime or are you a repeat offender? Answering these questions will help flesh out your character's background.

This has been said before, but it bears repeating. Your character actually perpetrated this crime. You may have done it for what seemed like noble reasons. You may have gotten entangled in this criminal enterprise unwillingly. But there is no doubt that you are guilty. You have not been sentenced to the worse prison in Talingarde unjustly. You are here because you deserve to be.

Arson

You have willfully started a fire that destroyed property. To be sent to Branderscar, you didn't start just a minor little trash fire. Your act of arson threatened a major town, city, church or castle and likely cost someone their life. You'll be punished for your crime by facing the fire yourself.

Punishment: Death by burning
Benefit: Whenever using a fire attack, you inflict a critical hit on a 19-20.

Attempted Murder

You tried to kill someone and botched the job. To be sent to Branderscar Prison, you did not try to kill just anyone. You likely assaulted someone of great importance and prominence.

Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You gain training in the Intimidate Skill.

Blasphemy

Either you have defamed the great god Mitra or you have been found guilty of worshipping one of the forbidden deities (who preeminent among them is Asmodeus).

Punishment: Death by burning
Benefit: You gain training in the Religion skill.

Consorting with the Dark Powers

(Witchcraft)

You have been found guilty of summoning an evil outsider. Likely you were captured by the famed witch hunter Sir Balin of Karfeld. The last thing he said to you was, "May Mitra have mercy upon your wretched, damned soul." If only you could get a chance at revenge!

Punishment: Death by burning

Benefit: You training in the Arcana skill.

Desecration

You have violated one of the churchs, cathedrals or holy shrines of the great god Mitra. To be sent to Branderscar this was no minor act of vandalism. Instead you have done something flagrant and spectacular to dishonor the Shining Lord.

Punishment: Death by burning
Benefit: You receive Advantage on all saving throws against divine spells.

Desertion

You have deserted from the Talirean military and been recaptured. To get sent to Branderscar this was not some minor or routine dereliction of duty. Instead, you abandoned your post during a time of crisis — perhaps battle or while defending the Watch Wall. Regardless of the exact circumstances, your laziness and cowardness must have caused loss of life.

Punishment: Death by hanging
Benefit: You gain proficiency in either one martial weapon or siege weapons.

Dueling unto Death

You have engaged in a duel to the death and mortally wounded an opponent. The opponent was honorable enough to say nothing before he expired. Alas that his family or companions was nowhere near so honorable. Dueling was once common in Talingarde before the House of Darius came to power. The House of Barca all but encouraged duels of honor. Now, dueling of any sort is punished severely. Dueling to the death is a sure way to be sent to Branderscar Prison.

Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You gain advantage on Initiative rolls.

Extortion

You have defrauded money from someone by holding information of their wrongdoing over their heads. To end up in Branderscar, this was no minor act of merely threatening to expose someone. Instead you ave attempted extortion against someone of great prominence and for exorbitant stakes.

Punishment: Life at hard labor in the salt mines
Benefit: You gain training in the Intimidate skill.

Forgery

You have forged documents issued either by the crown or by the Church of Mitra. Alas, that your forgery while competent was not entirely undetectable. To be sent to Branderscar, this was no minor finagling of paperwork. This forged document could have cost lives, undermined the reputation of the Church or endangered the security of the realm.

Punishment: Life at hard labor in the salt mines
Benefit: You gain proficiency in forgery tools.

Fraud

You tried to bilk someone out of their cash. To end up in Brandescar Prison, this was no petty con job or penny ante racket. Instead, you brazenly tried to defraud someone important of a huge sum of money. And it almost worked too!

Punishment: Life at hard labor in the salt mines
Benefit: You gain training in the Deception skill.

Grave Robbery

It is forbidden by sacred law to dishonor a corpse after it is been sealed in its tomb by a clergy of the Mitran faith. Some may not honor this ban: necromancers, golem crafters, self-styled scientists, and alchemists delving into the forbidden secrets of life and death. These ghouls can expect no mercy from the Talirean Magistrates. And by sending you to Branderscar Prison, you have received none.

Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You receive training in either the Athletics skill or the Medicine skill, depending if you were the one digging up corpses, or the one desecrating them.

Heresy

You have denied the supremacy of Mitra and been condemned for it. For this to be a crime, you were not content to keep your heresy to yourself. You tried to sway others. Likely you were captured by the famed witch hunter Sir Balin of Karfeld. The last thing he said to you was: "Mitra may forgive you yet for your lies. Talingarde will not." If only you could get a chance at revenge!

Punishment: Death by burning.
Benefit: You receive Advantage on all saving throws against divine spells or training in the Religion skill.

High Theft

You had a foolproof plan to steal some great treasure. Alas, the scheme had a fatal flaw and went horribly awry. To be sent to Branderscar prison, this was no ordinary robbery attempt. You tried to steal something of great value or religious significance.

Punishment: Life at hard labor in the salt mines
Benefit: You gain proficiency in either thieves tools, the Athletics skill, or the Stealth skill.

High Treason

You have willfully worked to bring down the current Monarch of Talingarde — the beloved King Markadian V called the Brave of House Darius. To be successfully tried for High Treason you have done more than merely dislike the king, you did something tangible to undermine his rule. Alas, that you failed at your plot and are now headed to Branderscar Prison. Treason is the only crime that is still punished by the gruesome ritual of being drawn and quartered. Your stay at Branderscar will be brief.

Punishment: Death by drawing and quartering
Benefit: You receive training in the Persuasion skill.

Kidnapping

You have abducted someone perhaps to ransom them or do unspeakable things to them. Unfortunately, you were caught and your victim was rescued (if they weren't rescued — you would be guilty of murder instead). To be sent to Branderscar Prison, you must have abducted someone of great importance or in a particularly gruesome manner.

Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You receive advantage on tests to grapple.

Murder

You have killed without just cause and been condemned for it. To be sent to Branderscar Prison, this was no typical killing but a particularly savage and unforgiveable act. you may also have killed someone with powerful friends.

Note: You are not allowed to have killed someone in the royal family of Talingarde. You may have tried (this would instead be High Treason — see above) but ultimately they are too well protected.

Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You deal 1 additional point of damage with all attacks.

Piracy

You have been caught in the act of piracy on the high seas. This is a rare crime these days since Markadian I called the Victorious burned the last major pirate fleet to threaten these isles. Still the crime is punished harshly. Likely you are the sole survivor of your ship.

Punishment: Death by hanging

Benefit: You receive training in either the Athletics skill, the Intimidate Skill, or water vehicles.

Sedition

You have attempted to covertly stir up rebellion against your rightful sovereign. This differs from high treason in that you attempted to convince others to make war against Talingarde instead of taking direct action yourself. A subtle difference to be sure. But it is the difference between receiving the swift justice of the axe instead of the slow suffering upon the rack.

Punishment: Death by beheading

Benefit: You receive training in either the Deception skill or the Persuasion skill.

Slave-Taking

Slavery is illegal in Talingarde and a very rare crime. Still, once in a great while, slavers from the mainland will foolishly make an incursion into Talirean protected territories. When they are captured alive they are always made an example of.

Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You receive advantage on tests to grapple or training in the Intimidation Skill.

Slave Trading

Slavery is legal in other parts of the world and it can be tempting to the most decadent of Talingarde's nobility to acquire a "souvenir" when traveling abroad or to purchase the object of their desire from a less reputable merchant. However you ended up trading slaves in Talingarde, you were caught red handed and now you will lose more than simply your freedom.

Punishment: Death by beheading
Benefit: You receive training in the Persuasion skill.
 
I have three interested players. I'd like one more for the Wickedness to get underway.
 
I'm picturing dailyish. I probably won't be able to post everyday.

With the option of quicker back and forths when a PC is interacting with NPCs without the rest of the group around.
 
I'm going to assume every little thing is controlled by the DM? The only time I played something with a DM, they controlled outcomes of actions, and NPCs and creatures, and I'm wondering if it's the same.
 
@Baxter Peters Soooo ... I wasn't really feeling any of the existing warlock Patrons, so I was wondering if I could use an Asmodeus homebrew I whipped up. Let me know if it looks OP.

So from what I saw, patrons generally grant; 1 passive ability, and 1 active ability at 1st, 6th, 10th, and 14th levels.

Passive ability; The Devil's Sight - The warlock gains darkvision 60ft, which will function in magical darkness.
Active Abilities;
The Devil's Auspice - Starting at 1st level, the warlock, when unarmoured, adds her charisma modifier to her AC. Additionally, her Eldrich Blast now deals fire damage instead of force damage.
The Devil's Vigor - Starting at 6th level, the warlock is immune to diseases, both natural and magical, ceases to age. and gains sleep requirements similar to elves. In addition, after a long or short rest, and until her next proper rest, the warlock may perform a sexual act with another intelligent being to gain the benefits of a full rest.
The Devil's Presence - Starting at 10th level, the warlock may, as a bonus action, teleport up to 120 feet, both disappearing and reappearing in a billow of harmless flames.
The Devil Inside - Starting at 14th level, the warlock is able to channel the lord of hell himself and temporarily gain access to a sliver of his raw power. For 1 minute, the warlock becomes a conduit of evil; They gain DR equal to their warlock class level, immunity to fire, a fiery aura that inflicts 5D6 hellfire damage on anyone who succeeds at a melee attack against her, and is within 5 feet. and regains all used spell slots for the term of the transformation.
 
Jedipony said:
I'm going to assume every little thing is controlled by the DM? The only time I played something with a DM, they controlled outcomes of actions, and NPCs and creatures, and I'm wondering if it's the same.
Click to expand...

'Every little thing' is a bit of an exaggeration, but yes, the DM has an awful lot of control over the world. I'll be setting scenes and playing NPCs/antagonists. That said, I encourage player creativity and world building. If you want to add details to a scene or NPCs, you're welcome to, so long as it makes sense in the fiction. If you aren't sure, just drop me a PM and ask, 'Yo, would it be cool if?' I'll either say, 'Yeah, sure.' or 'Not really.' and explain why it's not cool, probably with an alternate suggestion to two that are in line with your idea.

Also, for the sake of expediency, I'm often going to tell you how difficult something is. That way, when you roll, you can narrate the effects of your success or failure on your own, if you want. For example, I might say. 'This lock isn't all that great. It'd would need a DC 15 check with thieves tools to open, or a DC 15 Athletics check to bash off.' In your post, you can make your attempt and roll your die, then immediately follow-up with the results of the check in another post.

Alternatively, you can let me narrate the effects of your success/failures, because I might throw in unexpected benefits/complications. Perhaps if you fail to pick the lock, you do succeed in getting it open, but the sound of your attempt brought over a curious guard who's standing on the other side.
 
Neon Valkyrie said:
@Baxter Peters Soooo ... I wasn't really feeling any of the existing warlock Patrons, so I was wondering if I could use an Asmodeus homebrew I whipped up. Let me know if it looks OP.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, the Fiend is Asmodeus. He's name checked in the description. However, pacts are contracts and contracts can be tailored/modified. So we can certainly tweak the Fiend to make it better fit what you want.

Warlocks don't get an explicit passive ability. Some get them as part of their 1/6/10/14 abilities, but it's not a guarantee. Here's what the Fiend gets for those.

---
Dark One's Blessing
Starting at 1st level, when you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + your warlock level (minimum of 1).

Dark One's Own Luck
Starting at 6th level, when you make an ability check or a saving throw, you can use this feature to add 1d10 to your roll. You can do so after seeing the initial roll but before any of the roll's effects occur. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Fiendish Resilience
Starting at 10th level, you can choose one damage type when you finish a short or long rest. You gain resistance to that damage type until you choose a different one with this feature. Damage from magical weapons or silver weapons ignores this resistance.

Hurl Through Hell
Starting at 14th level, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can use this feature to instantly transport the target through the lower planes. The creature disappears and hurtles through a nightmare landscape. At the end of your next turn, the target returns to the space it previously occupied, or the nearest unoccupied space. If the target is not a fiend, it takes 10d10 psychic damage as it reels from its horrific experience. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
---

So, the Dark One's Blessing is a great power. It might not read that way, but I've seen it have a huge impact. You'd like to trade it for Devil's Sight, Fire instead of Force for Eldritch Blast, and adding your Charisma to your AC when unarmored. The last bit is /huge/. I can't think of another class that can add their Primary nonDexterity attribute to their armor class. It's thematic, but awfully, awfully potent. I'll allow that trade /if/ the armor effect is an active choice, requires an Action to turn on and is obvious as /fuck/. When using it, you shine with infernal radiance, perhaps your skin turns reddish, eyes turn black, hair blows around without a breeze to justify it. I'll leave the details to you, but when you turn it on, anyone looks at you and knows you're evil and dangerous. Hell, think so obvious, you gain Disadvantage on Stealth checks when it's on.

You want to trade Dark One's Own Luck for The Devil's Vigor. I'm not sure I'm feeling 'a sex act'. Too vague. I don't want a warlock jerking it in the corner for five minutes to get back their Long Rest abilities. How do you feel about: a vigorous, taboo, or corruptive sex act? Something with a bit more 'umph' to entertain your Patron enough to toss you some more power?

Level 10 - The Devil's Presence. I don't think I need to say how crazy an at will, 120' bonus action teleport ability is. Add in a once per Short rest, and we're talking. If you want to keep it At Will, I don't think I could do more than 20'.

Level 14 - Here's my suggested revision for The Devil Inside. Starting at 14th level, once per Long Rest, the warlock is able to channel the lord of hell himself and temporarily gain access to a sliver of his raw power. For 1 minute, the warlock becomes a conduit of evil; They gain Resistance to bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage, Immunity to fire, a fiery aura that inflicts 5D6 hellfire damage on adjacent targets who succeed at a melee attack against her or any target that strikes her with a natural attack, and gains a single bonus spell slot that must be used during the transformation.
 
Lol, soooo, now that I'm not sleep deprived, I'm not sure how I didn't think this was OP... Also, I think I mixed up Bloodlines and patrons for general ability strength. That being said, I would love to tone down the abilities even more and take your offer on a few of them.

I'll go into more detail when I get home, stuck at work for a few hours yet!
 
I could probably be active once a day. Should I look up a character builder for this? It... has been a long time since I played d&d. It did happen to be 5th edition though!
 
I do appreciate the benefits of the original patron power list, I just ... I like utility, but I don't want to get bogged down in all the spell-knowledge that being a wizard or a sorcerer requires. It's one thing in a table game, where I have my trusty character binder, probably a physical copy of the book, etc, but in this case the smaller list of abilities actually attracted me to the warlock. I think I'm subconsciously trying to make my warlock into a no-homework sorcerer, but it totally ends up being massively OP ... not to mention there were a few times where I'll admit to being like ... we'll see what Baxter says.

ANYWAY, I'm suuuuuper grateful for you accommodating me like this, and my thoughts are the following;

I think I have to ditch the AC buff either way. Even with the requirement, there are too many 'um, actually ...' situations when it clashes with all the magical armour abilities warlocks can choose from during progression. I based the idea off ... I think it was a Dragon-sorcerer bloodline ability that increased unarmoured base AC to 13+Dex. But then, in sorcerers, that ability is to make up for their lack of other armour options that don't directly deplete their spell lists. I think it's also because later they can sprout wings as long as they aren't wearing armour. There are also a bunch of other abilities that grant vision in magical darkness, so that feels like a cop out. What if her eldritch blast now does fire damage, and has a crit range of 19-20?

As for the Devil's Vigour ... I love it. That hits on all the right notes for the character, who is going to be a nice girl who went looking for secrets and found the devil himself. I'll make up a list of like ... major taboos that can count as qualifiers, or requirements for vigour, etc. love it love it love it.

While I would love to be able to vanish and reappear in a fiery billow every twenty feet, because who wouldn't, I feel like you're right about the "at will" part being what makes anything OP. What about 60ft 1/day, but it's not a teleport, but a fiery gate that is open to both allies and enemies? Gate lasts 3 rounds, but can be dismissed before then, and will transport a number of creatures up to the caster's charisma mod?

How about THIS for The Devil Inside ... NO DR or resistance to normal damage, because that's pretty covered by the fiery aura, immunity to fire, the 5D6 aura at 5ft, and can cast dominate 3/day with her normal warlock DC for a 7th level spell, unrelated to her normal SPD?

Also, I would just take the spell list from the normal Fiend patron. Whadayathink?
 
I'm afraid I'm going to have to say no to the 3/day Dominate version of Devil Inside. Consider what you're trading from the Fiend. 1/day take a target off the board for one full round and deal 10d10 damage.

You're asking to be able to turn a person into your mind controlled slave for an hour, 3 times a day, plus extras on top of that.

It feels like you want to do an enchantress with a splash of Fire mixed in for good measure. Am I reading that right?
 
*Bows head, ashamed for power-gaming ways* Yus, also I think I'm trying to make my character a snowflake cause I'm excited and anxious about how long it's been since I played, and how little experience I have with 5th. Sorry to put you through all this. I'll happily use the "the devil inside" that you offered me, or if you're a little sick of me at this point I can use the original Fiend patron! Besides, if I'm keen on mind control, I can just invest my spells that way, and then bam, that extra spell serves the same purpose. God, I don't even know what spells warlocks get access too ... I'mma go read now *bows head apologetically and scurries out*
 
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