D&D 5e

Heroes face a region wide enemy, after an extensive war rid the world of old heroes.  The Sword Coast is their home and they are sages with hidden knowledge and a lust for fighting monsters.  This should be a fast paced, action heavy, travel, research, combat, and quick decisions and killing monsters.  I envision the 4-8 encounters per game day, so plan for lots of fighting healing and short resting.  Get a helmet!!

The GM: Jeff

The Players:

House Rules:

• Inspiration is gained only on a roll of 1.  For ease in an online game. 

GM Links:

Char Gen

Letter from Jack

Intel from First Read of Jack's Journals

Group Actions:

Pick your action during Sessions (8 can be taken between "Long Rests").

1. Research.
2. Fly to Candlekeep and research.  Research +5 at Candlekeep.
3. Travel to the next town. Random Encounter outside the city.
4. Fly to any town (usable once per Long Rest).  D6: 1-3 Random Encounter at drop point.
5. Fight an enemy group/s (or Minion, but a Minion is never alone) in the current town.
6. Fight a battle to close a gate, once you’ve found it using Research, and are in the gate city, and have fought off all other cultists (or they all show up to protect the gate). Battle is 3 parts as described.
7. New and Special.  Other actions as they come up.  But some actions might be free.  Feel free to try things.  Surprise me.  (Rituals?)  Random ideas, or things that give special situational or environmental benefits but be hard to achieve are possible (Get with the Pogrom!!).  
8. Shop for magic items. Group CHR skill roll.  DC 20 is book price, DC 15 is book x2, DC10 is book x3.  <DC10 Fail.
   

“Free Actions”:

1. Level up.
2. Short Rest.

When arriving at any city, there is a chance of a random encounter in the town outside the city as you ride, or on 1-3 on D6 as you ride in from your airship drop point.  Once you’re in a town, there are no more random encounters there, until you leave and come back.

Downtime Actions:

Between “Days” The players can take 2 actions as a group:

1. Level up. 
2. Make magic items.
3. Research. (Group).
4. New and Special.  (Travel somewhere and get Rez. Surviving Group CHR roll).
5. Find another Group Member (to replace dead).

Research

On a successful Group check DC 15 History or Streetwise or Investigate or other applicable skill will tell you info about the cultists.   Things you know:  Cultists work at night, their numbers won’t change in a given day; only at the change over from one day to the next.  Same with Minions.  The qty also won’t change in a day, but at the end of a day (Cultist “downtime” is grow more cultists…). 

Finally,  Allowable questions:

1. “Which cities have cultists?”  (should be done once / turn…)
2. “How many cultists groups/Minions are in city <insert name>?”  This also tells their general content (e.g. 5 cultists, 10 zombies, vs. 12 Arrumvorax and 2 cultists).  (Should be done before going to a city.  But you don't have to...)
3. When B is discovered PCs get a free roll to determine properties of the monsters contained.  Please be good about PC knowledge vs. Player knowledge.  If you don’t learn enough from that free roll, can take another Research action for more knowledge on the contents.
4. Ask one of the 3 questions to locate a Gate, another Group Check DC15.  If successful, roll d6: 1-2 Gate 1 clue, 3-4 Gate 2 clue, 5-6 Gate 3 clue.  Can get too many clues for 1 gate, no matter.
5. Info on Krastur.
6. Info on Gate Anchor guardians leader/teams, or Summoning teams inside the barrier. 

Tropes new to the Sword Coast maybe, but I'll be using in this game:

1. There is a continent wide mail express that delivers mail twice per day, noon and at nightfall.  

2. Flying boats are more common, like in Earthdawn.

3. Despite the world being Faerun, this Mission falls to the PCs.  World timeline is advanced about 1 decade, after a major continent wide war, which cost humanity 9 out of 10 of it’s heroes.  Plus, the conspiratorial / cult nature of the threat means most people won’t believe you (and most heroes won’t believe your plight) until an Old God is overhead.  The PC group is the "Chosen Ones."  There are some higher level NPCs you might be familiar with, but they're mainly unable to help (or more likely are just dead), and The Mission falls to you all.

Synopsis:

Opening session is at a large Sword Coast Sage Commission (SCSC or SC2) meeting being held at a Noble Estate in Waterdeep of family Alexievich you're all called to attend, and will be attending with your Patron from the College, Jack the Mighty and Awesome Bard.

Journal: