Campaign Quick-Start for Players

Here's a quick-start guide for players who don't want to research the whole wiki. Some folks want to just dive in!

Player Character Campaign Start
''You've been through basic training, and are now starting as a low-level grunt, serving in the local militia of the farming village of Ag-Rakade. You've been chosen to enter a special program, reporting to the famed soldier Ibbi-Adad, who will train you to be special operatives for the nation of Kassithe. First thing in the morning, you and your companions meet in the Ag-Rakade Militia House for your first assignment ...''

As of 2017, the campaign is well under way. New players should consult with the DM to create a relevant backstory.

Campaign Notes
Here is some key information for new players:
 * This is a plot-oriented campaign. The players are free to take whatever actions they want, but staying on-plot would be a lot more rewarding. It's not a true sandbox campaign.
 * There is plenty of mystery and political intrigue, but the campaign is mostly combat and dungeon crawling.
 * It is set in the distant past, roughly the Bronze Age of contemporary campaign settings. Equipment, armor, & weapons reflect this.
 * Interplanar travel is currently restricted, the races haven't figured out how to pierce the planar boundary yet. This affects magic in special ways. This strong planar boundary is a central element of this campaign.
 * At the start, this campaign could be considered "low magic", however that's because some things simply haven't been discovered yet. Magical research & development is a facet of this campaign.
 * There are changes to PC race choices because this campaign is set in the distant past and because of the planar boundary.
 * There are changes to PC class choices because this campaign is set in the distant past and because of the planar boundary.

Character Creation
Character creation is done in the same sequence as described in the 5th edition Players Handbook (PHB). There are some rule changes to match this campaign, however, especially at the start of the campaign.

Pick a Race
At the beginning of this campaign, the racial choices are: Currently, these racial choices are also acceptable. These are homebrewed, check out the races campaign notes: Most other race request will be accepted, consult with the DM to create a backstory that fits. These are definitely not allowed due to the specifics of the setting and the Planar Boundary: aasimar, dragonborn, tiefling, or any other race that suggests it's ancestry is from the Outer Planes.
 * Humans
 * Halflings
 * Dwarves
 * Elves
 * Gnomes
 * High Orcs (use the stats for half orcs in the PHB)
 * Kenku
 * Lizardfolk
 * Kappa
 * Grippli
 * Minotaur

See the campaign notes on the races for stats and adjustments to this races to suit this campaign.

Pick a Class
These classes are available in this campaign:
 * Barbarian
 * Bard
 * Cleric
 * Druid
 * Fighter
 * Monk
 * Ranger
 * Rogue
 * Wizard

Paladins, sorcerors, and warlocks do not exist in this campaign, due to the effects of the solid planer boundary.

Read the class rule changes section for your chosen class.

At the beginning of the campaign, all players start at Level 1. Currently, however, the party is level 10; any new players will be allowed to start at this level.

Starting Ability Scores, Hit Points, Proficiencies
Players roll up ability scores using Roll20's interface with the DM present. Players can also use the Standard Array method (your scores, before racial bonuses, are 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, & 8, arranged any way you want). Starting hit points and proficiency bonuses are as described in the PHB. Be sure to read the racial and class rule changes section to see if any adjustments are needed.

Leveling Up
New players or characters can level up to level 10 as mentioned before. Multiclassing is allowed, but the classes can only be those mentioned earlier.

For HP per level, roll on the Roll20 interface with the DM present, but the minimum die roll is equal to the average for that class. For example, a cleric will roll 1d8 per level, but if an individual die roll is less than 5, the result is counted as 5.

This game does use Feats per the PHB. The Crossbow Expert feat is useless, crossbows haven't been invented yet in this campaign.

Character Descriptions
A character's details (name, sex, physical characteristics, etc.) are up to the player. Note this campaign is loosely based on the ancient Middle East, this can be used as inspiration for character descriptions if the player wishes.

Alignment
Alignment does not directly come into play in this game. Players are encouraged to work up a personality for their PCs and use that instead. Please don't intentionally disrupt the game with any craziness. Talk with the DM for more on this.

Languages
All the standard languages are available for PCs. There are also two other human languages: Dashten (spoken in the Dashte-Kair region) and Perske (spoken in the Perskebeth Kingdom). Orcish is actually High Orcish in this campaign. Lizardfolk, kenku, kappa, grippli, and minotaurs have their own languages as well, as do most of the other sentient races encountered. The only exotic languages available are Sylvan and Undercommon (the planar boundary makes language choices such as Abyssal and Celestial impossible).

Characteristics
Personality traits, ideals, bonds and flaws can be rolled per the process in the PHB.

Backgrounds
PC backgrounds can be developed at this point. The DM can guide you here, just remember this is a Bronze Age campaign in a world where not only weaponry & magic, but also culture, commerce, and social structures are less developed than in other campaigns. Some backgrounds will need to be tweaked to fit.

Equipment
Roll starting wealth normally, & chose your equipment. Not all equipment is available, see the armor, weapons &amp; equipment section of this wiki. Now that the campaign is at level 9, the DM will work with you to determine if your PC has any equipment, including magic items, to match this status.

Feel free to roll up a trinket if desired. Let the DM know what was rolled in case it needs to be adjusted (glass, for example, does not exist in this campaign, such an item would need to be modified).