# Interest Check: One-Shot DnD (fifth edition) Role-playing Game on Chat



## Blue_Jay (Jan 3, 2017)

Good afternoon. My name is Jay. I apologize if the topic name seems a bit odd; I wanted to pack as much detail about my intentions into the title as possible, but I will summarize it here:

I am somewhat new to these forums but not so much new to this community at large, and I am interested in attempting to run a tabletop rpg over chat. For those who are experienced in chat-based roleplaying sessions (RPs) but not table top games, this is pretty much the same thing except that the outcome of some actions or events will be determined by dice rolls and character stats. To facilitate this, I would leverage resources like roll20--an online subscrption-less gaming app that allows players to manage miniatures and roll digital dice. However, while I would ask players to familiarize themselves with the basic rules of the game (here's a free pdf that was published by wizards of the coast) I would not require players to be experienced with Dungeons and Dragons or tabletop games in general. I would certainly not require them to own (or purchase) any gaming materials either. In fact, assuming that most folks in this community are not avid gamers, I would attempt to abstract the stat-and-gaming aspect as much as possible while encouraging story telling. I do not mind creating and managing character sheets and rolling dice for players if necessary, as the fifth edition of DnD streamlines much of its mechanics and makes this quite easy for me.

For those of you who are experienced with DnD, the game I intend to run will have the same mechanics with a couple of tweaks. It will also be furry-themed. The available races will include anthropomorphic variants of the core races (like rabbits instead of hobbits, and boars instead of orcs) while using much of the core racial traits as a template. Humans will also be a playable race (I have not yet decided on dwarves and elves).

The game will be a "one-shot," meaning that the story will be short and would likely involve a single quest with a single objective. The setting will be in a medieval high-fantasy (low magic) world, and the quest wold likely involve a dungeon crawl where the player characters (PCs) are pitted against your staple DnD antagonists (undead, cultists, etc.). The reason that I emphasize that "one-shot" aspect of this game is because I intend to run and complete this game in under a couple of sessions, each consisting of around five hours in real time. Rather than railroad players along a particular path towards their objective, I will cast them in a broad open world and leave the pacing and decision-making up to the players. Basically, what this means is that while I will plan for it to be _feasible_ to accomplish (or utterly fail) the quest in one session, I will plan to end the game after the second session regardless of how much progress is made. This is not to pressure the players into completing the objective in the shortest amount of time (actually, I'd encourage character development and exposition whenever possible even at the expense of time). But the truth is it would be exceedingly hard (on the players) to sustain a game's continuity over the long term. Due to obligations in real life, some players will drop out, and that sort of thing is common and unavoidable. I figured that limiting the game to two sessions would alleviate some of that pressure. 

On the whole, my intent in running this game is to find out whether not it is feasible for me leverage what little time and resources I have to eventually host a "full-length" (long term) campaign. I know from personal experience that such an undertaking (especially if done alone) is arduous, to put it mildly. But I am extremely passionate about roleplaying and storytelling, and at the very least I would like to try it out once. To that end, I hope that this game will gauge my capabilities as a game master (GM), inform me of the general disposition of the gaming community here, and also provide a fun experience for everyone involved. But of course, the first step is to see if anyone is even interested at all.

So please, if you are even the least bit interested then please reply to this topic or contact me via private message. I will provide more details upon request. I only require at least two people to run a game, and if I get enough people interested then I will start a new thread where we can plan out a time. I am typically available to game on the weekends and some weeknights.

I am also open to ideas or suggestions. Thank you very much for reading.


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## Jarren (Jan 3, 2017)

I've been playing DnD for an incredibly large part of my life (started just as 3.0 was released) and I've run a few games myself. I'd be in on this, despite having never actually used roll20. A one shot is probably the best option, truth be told, as fun a long games can be. If more people are interested this could turn into something rather fun. That said, most other attempts at roll20 games I've seen here never get off the ground :/

Best of luck!


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## Blue_Jay (Jan 3, 2017)

Thank you, Jarren!


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## Sarachaga (Jan 3, 2017)

I'm a huge fan of rpgs and I've been using roll20 for quite a bit. I'm definitely interested. The thing is my current timezone is a bit shit(GMT+4:00).


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## Blue_Jay (Jan 4, 2017)

Sarachaga said:


> I'm a huge fan of rpgs and I've been using roll20 for quite a bit. I'm definitely interested. The thing is my current timezone is a bit shit(GMT+4:00).



If I'm not mistaken, that would mean that you are five hours ahead of me (I am EST), and I would have to run the game slightly earlier to accommodate you. Seeing as this is a one-shot, I don't think that I'd mind too much so long as the other player(s) are willing to be flexible. Thank you, Sarachaga.


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## Blue_Jay (Jan 4, 2017)

Blue_Jay said:


> If I'm not mistaken, that would mean that you are five hours ahead of me (I am EST), and I would have to run the game slightly earlier to accommodate you. Seeing as this is a one-shot, I don't think that I'd mind too much so long as the other player(s) are willing to be flexible. Thank you, Sarachaga.



For some reason I missed the "+4" part of that time zone. That's... yeah, that time difference is pretty drastic.


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## lyar (Jan 4, 2017)

This sounds great. I've never played an actual game of DnD but I have always wanted to I'd love to play if you would have me. I think I know the basics and I will also read the pdf. I hope this actually happens.


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## Sarachaga (Jan 4, 2017)

Blue_Jay said:


> For some reason I missed the "+4" part of that time zone. That's... yeah, that time difference is pretty drastic.


Actually I'm on holidays rn, so I should be able to  accommodate to the time that you/the others find appropriate. And from february on, i'll be at gmt+10(and still on holidays). So basically, when/if you do it,I'll still find a way to join ^^


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## Jarren (Jan 4, 2017)

I'm in the EST as well, so any time after 5 will work for me (except today, I've got a proofreader meeting, and Sundays).


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## lyar (Jan 4, 2017)

Oh in my excitement I forgot to say my timezone which is EST as well


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## Blue_Jay (Jan 4, 2017)

Blue_Jay said:


> For some reason I missed the "+4" part of that time zone. That's... yeah, that time difference is pretty drastic.


Understood. If/when I decide to launch this I'll start another topic so that we can discuss a schedule. 



lyar said:


> This sounds great. I've never played an actual game of DnD but I have always wanted to I'd love to play if you would have me. I think I know the basics and I will also read the pdf. I hope this actually happens.


That's awesome, Lyar! I'm glad to welcome newcomers to the genre. Feel free to ask me or the other DnD vets any questions you may have.

It appears we have three people so far, which is plenty! So I'm going to go ahead and start planning that game. But I will wait until Friday afternoon (EST) before posting a new thread just in case circumstances change or more people decide to join. I really appreciate you guys indulging me. Again, please feel free to ask any questions you may have regarding me, my gaming experience, or the game I'm planning. I'm not actually certain that I will end up using roll20, seeing as a few of you are not familiar with the app. But we will see...


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## Jarren (Jan 4, 2017)

Blue_Jay said:


> I'm not actually certain that I will end up using roll20, seeing as a few of you are not familiar with the app. But we will see...


I've got an account on the site, I just haven't actually used it for anything. I'll have to see if I can remember the password...


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## lyar (Jan 4, 2017)

Jarren said:


> I've got an account on the site, I just haven't actually used it for anything. I'll have to see if I can remember the password...


^ same.

edit: I already have a functioning roll20 account if that is what we end up using.


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## Jarren (Jan 5, 2017)

Blue_Jay said:


> Understood. If/when I decide to launch this I'll start another topic so that we can discuss a schedule.
> 
> 
> That's awesome, Lyar! I'm glad to welcome newcomers to the genre. Feel free to ask me or the other DnD vets any questions you may have.
> ...


Quick question, what level would we be starting at? Just wondering so I can start planning a character build. I've got a bunch of different 5e specific ideas I've been looking to try.


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## Blue_Jay (Jan 5, 2017)

Hey Jarren, good of you to ask. Since two of your are familiar with DnD already I thought that I'd start you guys at level three. Nothing guaranteed, though. Also, you may want to have a look at the races that I have planned so far (still a work in progress):







Here is the list of races that I will have you guys choose from. I'm still working on balancing the racial traits and it is more difficult than I thought it would be at first. So I'm using a guide I found on reddit for reference. Sorry that there are no females here. As I discovered last night, I still suck at drawing girls. But generally (with the exception of boars and bears) females are slightly shorter and more slender than males. If you'd like to play a race that is not on this list then let me know and I will accommodate you (I'll just let you use one of the default races as a template if I can't come up with anything).


Manlings - The most exotic race in the realm. Strange creatures whose furless-ness makes them nearly impossible to distinguish from one another. Some of them have tails and pointed ears, some do not. They even speak their own language. They basically have the same racial traits as humans in the PHB. I'll allow the variant humans as well.
Canines (Domestic) - The second most common race in the Halgrove province after rabbits. Docile, hardworking creatures who tend towards Neutral Good. Traits: Medium sized. Increase Charisma by 2, and two other abilities by 1. Versatility grants them a proficiency in one skill, language, or tool. Loyalty grants 3 moral dice (d6s) per day that can be added to ability checks or aid actions towards assisting a specific person (that person must specified at the beginning of the day).
Canines (Whitefang) - This is the not-so-cuddly flavor of canines. They are a barbaric, savage race that typically reside in the frozen north. Their white fur makes them hard to spot in the tundra. They tend towards Choatic Evil. Traits: Medium sized. Increase Dexterity by 2, and two other abilities by 1. Pack Tactics grants the ability to gain advantage on attacks and grapple checks against an opponent that is being targeted by an ally in melee. Courageous grants advantage on saving throws against being frightened, so long as at least one conscious ally is within 60 feet.
Feline (Lux) - A proud, haughty race that mostly resides in Kingsland. Because the God-King just so happens to also belong to the Dawn race, many of them consider all other races to be second class. They have natural instincts for hunting, and tend towards Lawful Neutral. Traits: Medium sized, increase Dexterity by 2 and Strength by 1, Darkvision, and advantage on skill checks to track or search for a specific creature (Predator). Also weapon proficiency with swords and bows , a movement speed of 35 feet (Hunter's Stride), and proficiency in the Intimidation skill (Ferocious).
Feline (Nox) - Not much is known about these felines, save that they tend to be of smaller build than their Lux counter parts. They are extremely rare, and their tails tend to "fork" at the end. They also have these long, prehensile whiskers. Traits: Medium sized, increase Dexterity by 2 and Charisma by 1, Darkvision, and advantage on skill checks to track or search for a specific creature (Predator). Also, will learn a cantrip at first level and two more spells as they level up (haven't decided which yet).
Bear - Despite their appearances, these are some of the kindest, most down to earth people you will ever met. They never lie, they tend to have an intimate connection to nature, and for some reason they are nearly immortal. Rumor has it that up north they've concocted this strange mystical wine that grants them immortality. This may have more to do with why they are frequently hibernating or drunk, though. They tend towards Chaotic Good. Traits: Medium size. Increase Constitution by 2, and Strength and Wisdom by 1. Powerful Build permits you to count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push/pull/drag/lift. Insulated gives resistance to cold damage. Nature's Advocate grants advantage to ability checks to improve the disposition of beasts, insects, or plants found in the wild.
Rabbit - The natural residents of Halgrove. They are architects, tinkerers, smiths, and sometimes even artificers. Every rabbit is taught at least a couple of artisan crafts before they reach adulthood, and most master several in the span of a lifetime. But they are also timid creatures who build shelters out of hovels. Well, you do have the occasional exception (a certain manic, blood thirsty mercenary depicted in the image above). They tend towards Lawful Good. Traits: Small sized. 25 feet walking speed. 15 feet burrow speed. Increase Intelligence by 2 and Dexterity by 1. The Lucky, Naturally Stealthy, Nimble traits from the halfling race. Artisan grants proficiency with two artisan's tools of your choice.
Rat - One of the more antagonistic races, although they are somewhat tolerated in the Halgrove province. They tend to be trickers, con men, pirates, and smugglers. But they aren't all bad. They're all just mostly bad people. They tend towards Neutral Evil. Traits: Small size. 25 foot movement speed. Increase Dexterity by 2 and Constitution by 1. Rat Resilience grants advantage on saving throws against poison and disease, and you have resistance against poison damage. Nimble Escape grants the use of Hide or Disengage as a bonus action. Deceptive grants proficiency in the Deception Skill. Also has Darkvision.
Boar - Barbarians, raiders, slavers, and horrible drinking partners. Do not bring a boar to your party, it will only end in disappointment for everyone. They tend towards Chaotic Evil. Traits: Medium sized. Increase Strength by 2 and Constitution by 1. Iron Guts grants advantage on saving throws against poison/disease, and you have resistance against poison damage. After moving at least 15 you may strike an opponent using your body as a natural weapon, inflicting 1d6 bashing damage. Also, relentless Endurance and Savage Attacks traits from half-orc race.


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## lyar (Jan 5, 2017)

Blue_Jay said:


> Hey Jarren, good of you to ask. Since two of your are familiar with DnD already I thought that I'd start you guys at level three. Nothing guaranteed, though. Also, you may want to have a look at the races that I have planned so far (still a work in progress):
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You drew that? Nice job. However, I would not if  there was a reptilian or avian race. I do like it so far.


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## Blue_Jay (Jan 5, 2017)

lyar said:


> You drew that? Nice job. However, I would not if  there was a reptilian or avian race. I do like it so far.


Did you mean you would like for there to be a reptilian or avian race? I can accomodate both of those (I think there is already an avian race in DnD, and dragonborn or kabolds are probably the closest thing you can get to those.

[edit] Also, thank you for the complement! I'm not done with it yet, though.


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## lyar (Jan 5, 2017)

Yeah I was asking if you were going to make a avian or reptilian race.


Blue_Jay said:


> Did you mean you would like for there to be a reptilian or avian race? I can accomodate both of those (I think there is _already an avian race _in DnD, and dragonborn or kabolds are probably the closest thing you can get to those.
> 
> [edit] Also, thank you for the complement! I'm not done with it yet, though.


What is the avian race? From off the top of my head I can't recall one and I'm pretty sure kabolds aren't avian. If you're not going to make anymore races I'll just settle with one of the races you've already made, it be a waste if I use the regular races. Also are you going to be using the same classes as traditional DnD?


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## Blue_Jay (Jan 5, 2017)

There are actually several avian races in DnD, but I don't see that one's been implemented in the fifth edition yet, unless the Aarakocra counts (still not sure if the material I found online was homebrew or not). Right now I do not own the material to look it up, nor do I feel like doing research at the moment (I may do it later, though). Does anyone else know if there are avain races in the Unearched Arcana sections or from another non-homebrew source? 

To be honest, in the lore of my story there does currently exist a race of avians that are divine in nature, that I based on the asimar template (they're like half angels) and a demonic race consisting of cloven-footed animals (gazelles, bulls, goats, and boars) which would be based on the tiefling template with some tweaks (those are like half demons). So if you _really_ want to play an avian then go ahead. Just know that you will be given some holy powers and the ability to fly, and that half of the people you encounter will be afraid of you.

The kabold is one of the reptile races (I think they used to be mammals, though). Other than those are the dragonborn (basically half-dragons, but without tails or wings). But I imagine that you'd want to play something less mystical like a gecko or a crocodile. While I am certain that I can work those into the setting that I have for this game (they'll just be swamp people) I will need to come up with some unique racial traits for them. So if you _really_ want to play a reptile then give me some time and I will let you know what I come up with.

If anyone else has any ideas on how to manage these racial traits please let me know. This is my first time creating this many races at once and balancing them all is quite challenging.


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## Blue_Jay (Jan 5, 2017)

So here's that image of races again, but this time with the reference lines I used for scale. The space between each line is one feet, so the small races are three feet tall, and the manling is almost six feet tall.







Heralds - Think of the most zealot, most vindictive people you could ever have the displeasure of running into. If what comes to mind is your priest wailing about fire and brimstone, then you're only partially right. Rather, the deities that they worship have them beat hands-down. The creatures known as "heralds" made up roughly one-half of the calamity that had devastated the world during the Celestial Wars centuries ago, the other half being the fiendish "cloven" race. These angelic creatures are not particularly fond of mortals, and their brand of judgement is often met out at sword point. However, rumor has it that the few heralds that remain in this plain of existence have mellowed out since the war, and have even integrated into society as productive citizens. But a smart person would keep a wide birch regardless. One consorts with a herald at their own peril. This creatures tend towards Lawful Evil. Traits: Increase Charisma by 2 and Strength by 1. You have all of the racial traits of Aasimar (Darkvision, Celestial Resistance, Celestial Legacy). Once a day, you may sprout ethereal wings and gain a flying speed of 30 feet for a number of minutes equal to your level. At level 7, you regain the use of this ability after a short rest. At level 15, you may use this ability at will.


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## Blue_Jay (Jan 5, 2017)

lyar said:


> Yeah I was asking if you were going to make a avian or reptilian race.
> 
> What is the avian race? From off the top of my head I can't recall one and I'm pretty sure kabolds aren't avian. If you're not going to make anymore races I'll just settle with one of the races you've already made, it be a waste if I use the regular races. Also are you going to be using the same classes as traditional DnD?


Hey Lyar. I realized just now that I didn't answer your question about the classes. Yes, I will be using all of the classes that are in the Players Handbook. I will refrained from using homebrew classes or any material that is not in the PHB. I know that you may not have access to the PHB, but I willing to talk to you about the content that is missing from the Basic Rules in case you want to play anything other than a Rogue/Cleric/Fighter/Wizard (there's eight other classes, I think). Just let me know when you are free and we can chat. Or we can trade private messages if that is more convenient.


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## lyar (Jan 5, 2017)

Blue_Jay said:


> So here's that image of races again, but this time with the reference lines I used for scale. The space between each line is one feet, so the small races are three feet tall, and the manling is almost six feet tall.
> 
> Heralds - Think of the most zealot, most vindictive people you could ever have the displeasure of running into. If what comes to mind is your priest wailing about fire and brimstone, then you're only partially right. Rather, the deities that they worship have them beat hands-down. The creatures known as "heralds" made up roughly one-half of the calamity that had devastated the world during the Celestial Wars centuries ago, the other half being the fiendish "cloven" race. These angelic creatures are not particularly fond of mortals, and their brand of judgement is often met out at sword point. However, rumor has it that the few heralds that remain in this plain of existence have mellowed out since the war, and have even integrated into society as productive citizens. But a smart person would keep a wide birch regardless. One consorts with a herald at their own peril. This creatures tend towards Lawful Evil. Traits: Increase Charisma by 2 and Strength by 1. You have all of the racial traits of Aasimar (Darkvision, Celestial Resistance, Celestial Legacy). Once a day, you may sprout ethereal wings and gain a flying speed of 30 feet for a number of minutes equal to your level. At level 7, you regain the use of this ability after a short rest. At level 15, you may use this ability at will.


Neat. However I feel too many of the races have Darkvision. Also I don't think boars should have poison resitence and it should be exclusive to the rats. You could change the boars that if they're drunk they gain advantage on saving throws on charms and poison.


Blue_Jay said:


> Hey Lyar. I realized just now that I didn't answer your question about the classes. Yes, I will be using all of the classes that are in the Players Handbook. I will refrained from using homebrew classes or any material that is not in the PHB. I know that you may not have access to the PHB, but I willing to talk to you about the content that is missing from the Basic Rules in case you want to play anything other than a Rogue/Cleric/Fighter/Wizard (there's eight other classes, I think). Just let me know when you are free and we can chat. Or we can trade private messages if that is more convenient.


good to know


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## Blue_Jay (Jan 5, 2017)

lyar said:


> Neat. However I feel too many of the races have Darkvision. Also I don't think boars should have poison resitence and it should be exclusive to the rats. You could change the boars that if they're drunk they gain advantage on saving throws on charms and poison.


I agree with you about so many races having darkvision. Of the top of my head, dwarves, elves, gnomes, tieflings, and orcs have it, and I think that's half of the core races. That why I only made three of these (rats, felines, and bird-people) have darkvision. That's... slightly less than half. Also, I did consider giving both boars and bears a boost when they drink instead of resistance, but I'm not sure how that would play out. I don't mind taking the resistance away from the boars, though.

[Edit] Oh wait, did you mean that too many of _my_ races have darkvision?


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## lyar (Jan 5, 2017)

Blue_Jay said:


> [Edit] Oh wait, did you mean that too many of _my_ races have darkvision?


I meant in general I was reading through the race descriptions


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## Blue_Jay (Jan 5, 2017)

lyar said:


> I meant in general I was reading through the race descriptions


Ah. Well I did try to cut down on the darkvision thing when writing up my racial traits. I figured that since most felines are nocturnal and rats are often found in dark places that it'd be most appropriate for those to races to have that trait.


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## wumbology (Jan 5, 2017)

I would be interested.


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## Blue_Jay (Jan 5, 2017)

Thank you, wumbology! This is not a requirement, but are you experienced in or familiar with DnD? I'd like to know so that I can better prepare to accommodate you all.


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## Blue_Jay (Jan 6, 2017)

I've made a new thread where we can discuss our plans for the game. Have a look. Also, I spammed a bunch of background info about the setting. I would have contained it to a single post but the forums wouldn't let me. Thanks, everyone!


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## Blue_Jay (Jan 7, 2017)

Hey guys. I don't know if you saw the post on the FA forums (the thread about discussing a schedule), but I'll reiterate here:

In order to get this thing going one of the first things we need to do is determine a time that we will be available to play. I appreciate that several of you have worked with me to get your characters created, but as of now no one has come forward with so much as a tentative date or time. I'd like to get this discussion going as soon as possible so that I can start making plans and get everyone on the same page as to when the game will actually occur. So again, I'd like to open that up for discussion. Please, let everyone know what times that you think you will be available to game in the coming weeks. I plan to run a maximum of two sessions, with each session taking up to five hours in real time. Let us know if there are specific days where you cannot play, or specific times during the day where you'd be unavailable. Especially let us know if there is one specific time (and only that one time) that you will be available. Also, specify your time zone, or convert your time to EST.

Also keep in mind that this game does not need to happen soon. If our schedules do not align then we can plan to do this a couple weeks from now, or even a month from now. We have plenty of time. The goal here is to try to come up with a specific time that will accommodate the maximum amount of players. As for me, I'm going to try to open up my schedule for the next two weekends including Fridays. I can also run a game on weekday evenings if it is absolutely necessary. But I need to know well in advance so that I can clear my schedule.

Thank you, guys. Look forward to gaming with you!

--Red/Blue


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