Battle for the Underdepths!

[Kindling]

I doodled. A combat focus to the game is fine by me, and the idea of lots of big epic battles seems like a fun one!

[sparkletwist]

There's a lovely solid vertical column of green at Tuesday, April 7th, at 1:00 pm CDT, so that will be our first game.

I thought I should make clear a few of the expectations and preconceptions I had, because "I know I get a bit crazy" is a valid warning but not exactly specific.
So here are some more specific thoughts to make sure we're all on the same page.

• It isn't overtly E6/E8/E-whatever, but it's designed around level 10 or so being something of a soft cap for advancement. Most of the "big deal" monsters I've envisioned are around CR 12.
• Spells like raise dead are extremely uncommon and are plot points more than anything else. However, player character death will not happen without the player's consent.
• Your characters are definitely the product drow society, but there's something redeeming about each one. Nobody is just a sociopathic murder machine, at least no more than any other D&D character.
• Relatedly, the party should be able to work together and be a functional unit (so we can actually have a game) even if there's a lot of flavorful arguing and backstabbing in character.

Of course, feel free to post any questions and objections.

[Xathan]

Just letting everyone know that, from discussions with Sparkletwist, I'm scrapping the Occultist to go with a Master Summoner, because of the switch to a more war-game style. (Yes, I built a class for this game and am not going to play it. Yes, I am as about as indecisive as a player can get. :P )

We, as a group, so probably talk about how our characters know each other once everone has back stories posted, since Sparkletwist did ask us to have that. Given that pretty much everyone is a caster of some kind, first thought that comes to mind - maybe we all went to "college" together?

[sparkletwist]

There are also quite a few noble characters. Some or all of the families all being allied and/or intermarried would be completely reasonable, too. Morwen is something of a black sheep but I assume she'd at least be familiar with the allies of her house, from boring social functions they made her attend before she went out on her own.

Relatively soon I'll try to post a plot hook that serves as the "you all meet in a tavern" for this game, so the group has some cause to be together at the beginning.

[Steerpike]

I'm getting a kind of "cabal" vibe from the group - not like a formal guild or cult  but more like the Hellfire Club or the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn with a bit less hierarchy.

[Xathan]

I'm getting a kind of "cabal" vibe from the group - not like a formal guild or cult  but more like the Hellfire Club or the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn with a bit less hierarchy.

I love the idea of it being that sort of arrangement. An elitist club that believes it knows what's best for Tezzorid kind of thing? The sort of deal I could see young Drow nobles getting into all the time.

If we do go that route, I know what my 1500 non-liquid assets are going towards: our meeting place.

[sparkletwist]

Tezzorid

:huh:

I really like that idea, too. It seems very drow, and there are countless hooks for them to get into trouble.

[Steerpike]

It could be political, or more magical/occult, though in Torizzod those two probably intersect a lot.

[Xathan]

Tezzorid

:huh:

I was on my phone and took a wild guess. :P

I really like that idea, too. It seems very drow, and there are countless hooks for them to get into trouble.

I think it fits the characters so far perfectly. I'm so tempted to spend extra gold on hirelings and lavishness  for this place.

It could be political, or more magical/occult, though in Torizzod those two probably intersect a lot.

I think they totally would, given how Drow usually are.

[Xathan]

Based on the discussion about this, I posted my character's backstory and built in the Emberfall Cabal, a sufficiently vaguely defined group that, if people were interested, could serve as a common contact point for all of us and allow for plot hooks and whatnot.

EDIT: And if the slaves and inn and manor sound like it's quite a bit for one character, I'm also planning on investing 3000-5000 of my starting gold back into this place to make it a thing.  :grin:

[sparkletwist]

And for whatever it's worth, the DM enthusiastically supports this idea as it's great for party unity and being able to give you adventure hooks. :grin:

[sparkletwist]

I added some general information about Torizzod, to help flesh out character backgrounds and just to get a feel for the place.

[Steerpike]

Great writeup! Very evocative and informative. Inevitable questions:

Is there crime in Torizzod? Of what sorts? Organized?

Is there a formal police force/militia?/secret police? There's a mention of guards, but these could just be household troops of the noble houses.

Is there a formal governmental structure, like a council of nobles?

Is this a big city by drow standards?

Obviously the whole city is underground but is there much of an "undercity" - sewers, catacombs, etc?

Very roughly speaking, how far down are we? Like, is the surface just above our heads or are there miles of rock between us and the sun?

A more general question: do Mindflayers exist in this world?

[sparkletwist]

Is there crime in Torizzod? Of what sorts? Organized?
Is there a formal governmental structure, like a council of nobles?

In true drow fashion, there is really no distinction between the city's government and the city's organized crime-- although it wouldn't always be thought of as crime, given that it's not actually illegal. To the noble families, it's all just business interests, after all. As for petty street crime, the noble quarter and the wealthy shopping districts around that are quite safe, as are the main thoroughfares, but the back alleys and side streets are another matter entirely. The city's official government is a council of eight nobles called the Octet. The Houses of Sevrezar, Tthiki and Unghûl have permanent seats, and the other five seats are chosen via election among all of the nobility. Naturally, this leads to much scheming and jockeying: various upstarts try to get on the Octet, those with seats try to preserve them, the three permanent members try to get members elected who will vote with them, and so on. If this all doesn't seem like the most efficient or effective system of government, you're right. In addition, a certain decadent stagnation afflicts much of the nobility, and it prevents any real reform even from those who might have the mind to do so.

Is there a formal police force/militia?/secret police? There's a mention of guards, but these could just be household troops of the noble houses.

The nobility funds and provides them, so they are more or less household troops, and there is no independent professional police or military force in the city. There is a system of checks and balances so that an impulsive noble cannot plunge the city into civil war simply due to her house being on the losing end of an argument in the Octet, but this also means that the city's armed forces are likely to be somewhat slow to respond to threats as the noble houses bicker over how to deploy their forces.

Is this a big city by drow standards?

Yes it is. You'd have to sail across the Undersea or travel for many weeks through the caverns to find a city that is larger than Torizzod.

Obviously the whole city is underground but is there much of an "undercity" - sewers, catacombs, etc?

Yes, there is. There are numerous tunnels under Torizzod, some built as part of the city's construction, others much older.

Very roughly speaking, how far down are we? Like, is the surface just above our heads or are there miles of rock between us and the sun?

It's fairly close to the surface. The Undersea is not too far below sea level on the surface world. There are tunnels to the surface to the west of the city, which come up in a remote hilly area not well mapped among the surface populations.

A more general question: do Mindflayers exist in this world?

There are rumors of something like that lurking in caverns below even Blackflame, but nothing has been substantiated.

[Steerpike]

Thanks for those answers.

It's an interesting Underdark you've got here. Beholders are extinct (at least supposedly), Mindflayers at most a vague rumour. Apart from the drow, are there any major subterannean civilizations i.e. duergar, dwarves, svifrneblin, etc, or are they mostly scattered tribes?