Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Creating Your 4th Edition Character

Character Sheet. There's one in the back of the Player's Handbook you can photocopy or use the PDF here.

Here are the basic guidelines:

  • Use the 4E Player's Handbook
  • Ability Scores. Use Method 1 or 2
  • Alignment. It's up to you. You can be Good, Lawful Good or Unaligned. You cannot be Evil or Chaotic Evil.
  • Gods. The standard gods are fine. A few of the D&D gods map to the Phoenician gods:
  1. Baal is Pelor. Baal is the patron god of Baal-gad.
  2. Melqart maps to the Raven Queen (you can call him Raven King). Melqart is the patron god of Zor.
  3. Most of the others can be mapped to Phoenciain gods. Ask me if you want to use them.
  • Personality. Please go through the various matrices for coming up with your character background. Please make backgrounds short and concise, 1-2 paragraphs at the longest.
  • What I'll provide you. Once you have a basic background in place, the last thing you should write, I'll provide you with a basic contact in town, or if you chose something more exotic, potentially farther away.
Everything else is fine!

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Details on Baalgad



Total Population: Around 1000

Geography: The town is on a horseshoe shaped hillside, with roads running in semi-circles at different levels. The modern day satellite photo at the top gives you an idea along with this photo from the 1920's. Crafts people and farmers live in the houses along the hillside, as well as the surrounding area. Houses are of a more ancient style, but are large, with at least four rooms, filled with a wealth of items. The wealth of the Phoenicians are kept private in their homes.

The citadel is marked in red in the top right. It is the center of activity in Baalgad. It's made up of two sections, a smaller, fortified section and a public section. The smaller section includes a small barracks, supply house, along with the manor house of Mayor Haroum.

The public section contains the various permanent commercial buildings of the town, along with the marketplace and the trade hall.

Trade Hall. As you enter the walled keep, the first building you see is the trade hall. All trade comes through here first, as the town is usually invested in the activities of the citizens. The trade hall is also where you'll usually find Mayor Haroum and Sister Lenora of the Baal temple. Although Lord Haroum is considered high priest of the temple, it is mostly a symbolic position, with Sister Lenora the priestess in the field, ministering to the community.

Marketplace. To the left of the trade hall is the open marketplace. Various commodities can be found from throughout the region, along with the traders that come from hundreds of miles to sell their goods. Adventurers will find some equipment, but no armor and weapons. The people of Labash are peace loving people and frown upon open display of such things.

Stables are to the left of the marketplace, along a wall of the citadel. It's a quiet town and you might find a horse or two for sale, but never a war horse or more exotic beast.

Moving down a path through the marketplace, to your right is the dwarven smithy. Here you'll find standard weapons and armor, although military equipment requires a days notice.

Bairwin's Grande Shoppe is to your right, a store that has fired your imagination since childhood. Bairwin sells adventuring equipment, some minor magic items, and other impractical items that your parents warn you not to spend your money on.

Moving farther down the path into the keep, you'll find the tower of Valthrun the Sage to your right, in front of the gateway to the inner courtyard of Major Haroum's manor house. A couple of sulking ogres stand guard here.

To the left is the Warrior's Guild, the training hall of the towns meager militia. Participation is rewarded with a small payment each year, so many young men reluctantly train here at various times.

Along the left side wall of the keep is the entertainment center of the town, the Salvana's Inn. Here you'll find travelers, local villagers who gather here in the evening, and on occasion, various town luminaries like Mayor Haroum, Valthrun the Sage, and other interesting folks.

A few small houses of those who own businesses in town are scattered around the back of the keep. On the far wall of the keep is the Temple of Baal (Pelor). It is generally empty, with Sister providing services several times a week. She generally spends her time out in the community, ministering to people in their homes.