Meet the Crew!

So let's start this off with a quick warning. There will be jargon. I'll try to keep it to a minimum, but for those of you that don't actually play D&D you may want to consult a wiki if you run across a word or two that doesn't make any sense.

Now for a rundown of the game at hand. Our group consists of myself as the current DM and three players of varying experience. I've been DMing for more than a decade with different groups each with their own quirks and backgrounds. There was a point in time where I naively believed I had "seen it all". I know now that this is an impossible feat. To those wondering about my game style, I run D&D 3.5 and I'm pretty lenient with my players. I don't punish them for not following the intended plot nor do I go out of my way to try and kill off their characters. That said, I also rarely pull punches. If you want to walk into the red dragon's mouth on a dare then don't be surprised when it chomps down on you and you die.

 I wish I were this good.

I will introduce the players with their characters to save me the trouble of carrying this thing along with two names for everyone. Also, not everyone is playing a character whose gender matches that of the player. I'll try to stick to character genders but if I slip up somewhere along the way, just ignore it.

Name: Mayu
Character: Female Human Bard
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral (Bordering on Chaotic Stupid)
Motivation: None that I can discern
Party Roles: Healing, Support, Face

Of my current group, Mayu has been gaming with me the longest, clocking in at over 5 years now I think. She has gone through more characters in more games than possibly anyone I have played with. Her character for the current game doesn't appear to have any reason for adventuring other than the sheer joy of it. Maybe she's a high-fantasy thrill seeker. Maybe she's just looking for inspiration for a good song. Maybe she's just insane. Only time will tell.

Music: The best way to make your friends into unstoppable killing machines.

Name: Dorian
Character: Male Human Necromancer
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Motivation: Power
Party Roles: Magic, Information

Dorian the player is our middle-of-the-road player as far as experience goes but is completely new to gaming with Mayu and I. Dorian the character is all about becoming the strongest and the best at what he does. Sadly, he has a long way to go yet. Having been branded a 'cursed child', his mother died when he was still young. Apprenticing under his father as a gravedigger, Dorian only humored his father's wishes as an excuse to be closer to the dead. Having gotten his hands on a book of dark magic at some point, his father's discovery of the book led to Dorian being forced to kill his own father to keep it secret, then fleeing his hometown. He travels with his companions out of opportunity more than necessity.

"Even if it means murdering my parents to learn how to create an undead squirrel that obeys me."

Name: Haruka
Character: Male Human Assassin
Alignment: True Neutral
Motivation: Revenge
Party Roles: Doorkicker, Tank

Haruka is our newest player to the game. He has the least experience with D&D and has no predictable habits. He is also totally fearless when it comes to suggesting plans of actions which has provided for more than a few moments of hilarity. There may be nothing more dangerous than a player that has no idea of what can't be done because they'll try anything. Haruka's character is the tragic one of the group. Born the second son to a minor noble house, he had an awkward upbringing as the culture he hails from has laws stating that there only may be one son per noble family. His mother being appropriately compassionate could not bear to have her child killed, so she implemented some serious deception and raised him as a daughter instead. Adding to that, his family was murdered while he was young by a group with plans to usurp the power of his noble house. Having escaped the slaughter by sheer luck, he has spent years training for the day when he will finally face his family's killers and exact his revenge. As one last note, I expect to mix up pronouns for Haruka more than the others.

So that's the party. If you noticed a lack of skill-focused or trap-disabling character, that's because there isn't one. This will certainly make for some very interesting encounters along the way. Also, Mayu is only in charge of healing because she's the only one that can activate the magic wand the players went in together to purchase.

This game started as a one-shot adventure but has evolved into a sandbox campaign. We only rarely meet to play because of the awkward schedules we all keep so after these first few posts I make to catch up to the current game session I have no idea how often I'll be updating this. Hopefully sooner rather than later.