User blog:Mr. Bambu/Workshop for My D&D Table

=Premise= So this blog aims to work towards me adding, eventually, my D&D table as a verse on here. There's a lot to work through. It does have a (rather messy) written history in terms of what we call The Log, but I don't have access to that yet.

This "verse", this campaign, has run since my father was twelve and began DM'ing his own game. He is now almost 50. The table is far older than I am and will probably continue after I die. With this in mind, I may not have perfect knowledge over everything about it. Furthermore, I am not the god-creator of this verse- I run a relatively mid-tier character in it.

This verse has the personalities of its players imprinted on it. Some of this is serious (Wraithan, Vaerun, Xavier Nightchild) some of these are jokes (Halfling Horror From The Hills, Gaw-Tor-Awd, Ciren). All of this is real based on what I know about the verse and the player characters/NPCs within it. The game also has huge elements taken from other verses that the DM loves (notably a lot of Warcraft) and the players (I've introduced Bloodborne and the person running Vaerun has introduced The Dark Tower).

The verse will be told from the POV of me. Not from some over-looking viewpoint. After all, I can only know what I know.

Let us begin.

=Characters=

This will be divided into several categories of characters.

Mogar of the Yeomanry
Mogar is, put simply, my character. Compared to the rest of the table, he really isn't that special. He is a Chaotic Good (neutral leaning) Human Fighter of 40th level. His main motivations are relatively simple- one, protect his homeland (which has been under attack for years by an army of giants) and support the team he signed on with nearly three in-game decades ago.

The Team I refer to was, originally, just some simple mercenaries set out to save a kidnapped child. Mogar was one of the original seven characters in the first adventure, alongside Blackblood, Vaerun, Orric, Veronica Starburst, Evill Bowman, and... Yoda. Not that Yoda. At the time, I was 14 and so was Mogar, who is now 42 years old. The main difference is Mogar had an 18 strength (superhuman) and an 8 intelligence (well below average).

Granted, this simple original adventure started with rescuing a small girl, this led the group to become displaced on another continent, on an island known only as the primal Isle of Dread. It was revealed here by their employer, a priest known as Father Braniman, that Marin, the girl they were saving, was no ordinary girl. The people received no info aside from that.

Through the jungle, the group encountered many things that seemed displaced from time- pirates ran rampant, as did dinosaurs and tribal natives. A clan of Rakhasta, a species of cat people, offered a guide known as Gruut (this was soon after Guardians of the Galaxy came out). Gruut, AKA Fluffy, led us through the jungle to an abandoned temple. We fought our way through, picking up several others (and nearly losing Braniman to a flooded room filled with sharks), and teleported to the mainland of this continent.

While this story plays out in much more elongated and complicated ways, I will cut plot synopsis here. Mogar has had many adventures. He has failed and been killed time and time again. As of current time as of our campaign, Mogar is a 40th level fighter-urban defender, host of the armies of the Yeomanry and Baron of Lordran. Mogar has fought in several wars, acting as a general and soldier. He has fought the gods themselves. And that is where we are.

Personality wise, Mogar is... worn, but formed, so to speak. He has seen allies die (including Gruut, whom he was good friends with) and his party attack each other. He merely wishes for the world to be safe from the hazards it has, and strides towards that with grim determination. Based on this he has developed The Hunters, from Bloodborne, who now patrol these lands. He runs the city of Yharnam as his capital and leads an army of tens of thousands in the name of the Yeomanry.

Vaerun, Sentinel of the Land
Formerly an Elf, Vaerun has experienced much in his two hundred years of life. He was discovered in the first dungeon, being tortured by an ogre endlessly. He was at first nothing more than a petty thief attempting to find loot alone. However, over time he has developed into a ruthless tyrant, after amassing vast fortunes by stealing from his fellows, specifically an artifact known as the Gem of Flawlessness, which would double any gem near it's value once left with it for one day.

Vaerun has hosted many events in the name of his fellows, and has shifted alignments many times. He once amassed a small army and committed atrocities under veil of darkness, including a vast slave market and sacrificing fey creatures to a Mind Flayer ally in return for power.

Vaerun is the most powerful of the original group of adventurers, maintaining dark and mysterious powers- he is no longer an elf, but rather a shade, a shadow-touched mockery of himself. Since his turning to the dark side, he has taken great strides in becoming more socially acceptable, though still takes part in active crimes. To his credit, in world events he has attempted to do the most neutral action, including contributing a large force in the War of Guardian City and participating in the War of the Hell Furnaces. Vaerun is also head of the Sentinels, an organization dedicated to the balancing of magic in the vacuum left by the disipation of the Circle of Eight.

Xavier Nightchild
The only remaining character of the beginning of the campaign (and my father's original character from age 12), Xavier Nightchild has seen and done much. He has, in his nearly 500 years of in-game life, ascended to godhood after undertaking all nine trials set before him by the other pantheons. Though now he remains mysterious, relatively ignored in the real world, he keeps contact with several individuals he has chosen- including Ryan St. Germain, Cleric of Guardian City, Vaerun, his Sentinel, Nandor, the head of Guardian City, and even Mogar, whom he has tasked with doing favors for in the past.

Xavier is a god of utter neutrality, and his domains include magic and literature. He is, depending on the time of asking, a lesser or intermediate Elven deity with a low amount of followers.

Wraithian
Wraithian is a human character and among the more iconic of the "verse", though does not take part in my campaign asides from as an NPC. Originally a PC, he is the esteemed lord of several cities and leader of a dynasty of kings, all with the first name Wraithian. As far as Mogar knows, he is the most powerful mortal in the world and has waged entire wars on his own, though he suspects Vaerun is approaching his level of power.

Ryan St. Germain
Among the relics of the past parties comes Ryan St. Germain, a priest of St. Cuthbert and formerly the leader of the Guardians. After falling from grace and failing to take the Guardians seriously, he was demoted, and now resides as a friend of Xavier himself. Ryan is very old, though his age far exceeds his physicality, for he has lived since the roots of the Guardians.

The Guardians, originally envisioned as a neutrality-keeping organization concerning magic, and Xavier's personal way of ensuring magic is not abused, it has since grown largely dormant, helping in some cases but largely protecting themselves.

Ryan, though a part of this, did what he could to direct the group. Sadly he failed in this endeavor and now acts as a figure head in Guardian City, doing what good he is able to.

Veronica Starburst
The player character of my sister, Veronica started out as a simple elven mage. However, with a wicked sense for battle, Veronica shares many qualities with a fighter- often landing her on the front lines and ultimately in trouble. In more recent times, she has taken to necromancy to feed her need for dark arts.

She has a tendency to allow her items and spellbooks to get burned up, thus causing a constant need for replacements and patchwork. She was formerly a close ally of Vaerun but now has no particular close allies. She is tended to Chindus, a warrior bound to her service.

Curufin of the Bow
A famous archer and thief, Curufin is another relic of parties long lost. A veteran elvish adventurer who has watched his son grow into a bard of the adventuring career, Curufin largely operates a thieving operation in cities such as Verbabonk now. Curufin was instrumental in the events of the Tomb of Annihilation and participated in (and won) the Guardian City Dueling Tournament, defeating Mogar for first place.

Curufin is a common ally of Vaerun, preferring payment in relic-class magical items over money. He is renowned for wearing only a loincloth, preferring to dodge all attacks completely rather than be encumbered by armor. He is a skilled knife wielder and is wanted in several countries.

Thordin the Archmage
Once a disciple of Vaerun, Thordin is one of the newer additions to the group. He has taken part in the development of the Hunters and the Barony of Lordran considerably, and is set to watch over the Mage Guild of the land, acting as the chief of the Research Commission. In the past, he acted as a Guardian under the tutelage of Ryan St. Germain.

Thordin is an incredibly close ally of Mogar, and one of several characters he has entrusted into his circle- including others such as Gimple, Chester of Midworld, and Dexion Starr, among others.

Shaitan, Chosen of the Fire Gods
Shaitan was formerly among the most powerful of the group (though has since been lacking in advancements). Shaitan is a unique case in clerics in that he is a cleric to an otherwise cleric-less god- a fire god, at that. Once promised to a lord of Fire Elementals, another god stole his eye and he is now locked between their stalemate.

Shaitan is prideful and quick to anger, often threatening party members he sees inferior with his flame. He is not a part of any particular inner party clique and insteads revels in chaos, maintaining his own temple of flame in the Rift Canyon.

Nandor
Though merely a simple archer possessing a relic bow given to him previously, at one point he took over the economics of Guardian City and began funneling its money in order to fund an imperialist mindset and improving himself, purchasing many pieces of equipment. Nandor is a close ally of Vaerun and was instrumental in the War of Guardian City, acting as an ambassador to other nations when requesting help.

Halfling Horror From The Hills
The first of several "meme" type characters. If the character has a name, I have never heard it referred to as anything other than this title. The idea was a small character (Halfling) Barbarian that dumped all skill points into Intimidate, meaning every action they took caused enemies to run in fear of this 2'0 character.

While a very skilled fighter, he rarely relied in skill and rarely received treasure after a certain point, due to the enemies holding said treasure running away. The big joke about the character is that they don't know they're frightening at all- they have no idea why enemies are running, due to also being incomprehensibly stupid.

It is a weird mix.

Gruut
Now deceased, Gruut was the head ranger for the tribal village of Rakhastas, a race of cat people, and was assigned to guide the party through the jungle when they were low-level. He accompanied the party on several adventures before dying, though there has been talk of resurrecting him, as he was something of an icon to his people, who now have been relocated from their now-destroyed island. Much has changed in the years since he has been here.

Stephen Amber
The Host of the Amber family and the one responsible for the mansion's displacement, Stephen Amber was the progenitor of great change for the group. After the adventure through the manor, and the slaying of several other Amber family members, Stephen rewarded the party with three wishes. These included intelligence for Mogar (who had become brain-dead) and a removing of a curse set on Orric.

Big Money Gripp
Decades ago in a party long forgotten, the group encountered a Deck of Many Things. One pulled a card that trapped them in a bird cage for decades, one pulled a card that gave them a stronghold, and one even pulled a card that made all magical items non-magical.

...but one pulled a card that summoned a devil. A powerful devil, one that made some archdevils fearful. And this card made this devil hate the party and any associated with them. This Ice Devil was Big Money Gripp (BMG) and is among those that ruthlessly and relentlessly attempt to kill the party.

Gripp has managed to kill several members of the party, including, in more recent times, Nandor and, in an attempt to protect Nandor despite their differences, Mogar, impaling and crucifying both in Hell for extended periods of time.

McGloin
McGloin was once a powerful leprechaun that became bound to a Bag of Holding held (stolen) by Vaerun. McGloin took hold of the bag, holding it hostage and residing within it until Vaerun brought him a powerful artifact from the Forbidden City.

It has been hinted that McGloin still follows us, after two decades in game, after his eventual defeat.

Krypp, Chosen of Baphomet
Originally a low-tier big bad from our first dungeon, Krypp has ascended to being a Chosen of Baphomet, a powerful Kobold Cleric. Krypp has a tendency to merely disappear when killed through unknown means.

Krypp is among the most dangerous of characters encountered by the party, having control over armies of minotaur and kobolds, and even waging war against Vaerun. Krypp is one of the few characters that have personally killed Vaerun on multiple occasions, even in recent years.

Gorsh, Aspect of Fire
A Fire Giant of potent skill, he is an adept magic user, and has stalemated the party in the past. During the war campaign against the Giants, many commanders appeared and were slain. None, however, have presented the challenge Gorsh has. While his armies have been slain and his commander lies dead, Gorsh's whereabouts are unknown.

Xanalon
Formerly an enemy of the party, he was the antagonist of a plot to take over the city of Roona, disguised as the head of the city's religion. Truthfully, he was a necromancer working to bring about war to usurp power in the chaos. After his scheme was brought to light by the party, he was swiftly found and defeated. Xanalon killed many party members, including Gruut, who did not return from the dead with the others.

Nervil
An underling of Xanalon, he was a master chemist and priest. He was encountered and, although he was going to be a large threat, easily killed by Orric in two hits. Before his death, he managed to distract the party long enough to assist McGloin, whom he was unaware of.

Acererak
A powerful lich attempting to ascend to demi-god hood, he is the leader of the Tomb of Horrors. He has been attempting for a long time- long enough for Curufin, with his original party, to all but completely die, souls lost, in the dungeon, and return decades later with the current party.

The new party, however, defeated Acererak after being sent by Xavier. While several characters were indeed slain (including Thordin and Starburst), Acererak was defeated and delayed, and Xavier's old party, found in statue form, were returned to their former glory.

=Tiering/Feats=

Bottom Tiers

 * Usage of spells consistently calc'd at 9-B to 9-A, such as Burning Hands, Searing Smite, and Fireball.


 * Defeated a Gargoyle, who is a large statue as an enemy.


 * Krypp summoned real lightning as an attack via the Dark Pearl, and Behirs did so as well on the Isle of Dread


 * Killed large dinosaurs probably big enough to qualify for 9-A

TIER: 9-B to 9-A

Low Tiers

 * Disintegration works on very large targets such as giants


 * Mogar one-shot a giant and a small dragon when he could fly, and dispatched of a Truly Horrid Umber Hulk on his own


 * Should be comparable to spells like Dawn


 * Fought purple worms, which can be some eighty feet long


 * Xanalon managed to destroy his own temple upon his death

TIER: 8-C to High 8-C

Mid Tiers

 * Can fight legendary tier dragons, who have lore statements of generating storms calculated at Low 7-B


 * Several spells mimic Tier 7 results, including Earthquake and Control Weather


 * Vaerun wished a massive castle into existence, which spanned the length of a small mountain


 * Wrathian once dropped a chunk of Ravenloft onto Greyhawk, which several characters survived


 * The Amber family was able to transport their mansion, which spanned several city blocks spatially, from the real world to Averoigne.


 * A major Djinni was destroying entire villages in the desert


 * A family of dragons fought by the party caused all life to flee for miles around, leaving the land dead and broken

TIER: 8-A to 7-B

High Tiers

 * Big Money Gripp destroyed a castle with one hit

TIER: 6-B
 * Xavier generated a massive sub-dimension in the Guardian Keep's basement, of an unknown size- though it does include a large mountain and has other mountains within it, for Xavier to meditate on
 * Acererak maintains a massive crypt of ever-changing reality in which he resides
 * Xavier can replicate any spell requiring prep time at will- including Ice Age and similarly powered spells, at 6-B
 * An Elder Treant of unknown name was corrupting the entirety of the Pomarj with its presence- the Pomarj being a 200 mile wide peninsula in the Greyhawk setting

God Tiers

 * As a god, Xavier can sustain multiple universes with his existence, as per other deities being able to do the same


 * Xavier and his fellows managed to kill Lolth within her own realm when she was a lesser deity


 * Loop Cat embodies its own universe and can extend into other universes, making them Loop shaped

TIER: 2-C

WORK IN PROGRESS