RPG Day! - 13th Age Playtest

13th Age: Quest for the Twilight Lotus

Game Master: Ben Roby

Player limit: 5

Adventure prelude…

The Emperor rules the world’s greatest human kingdom, known as the Dragon Empire for the mounts of its mightiest warriors. All the signs suggest that the age is turning, but will the Empire fall or shift to a new balance?

Darius Hearthwood, Duke of Horizon, a noble advisor to the Emperor, has been noticeably absent from court in the capital city of Axis. Diplomatic representatives of the Emperor assure the people that he has merely been sent out on a task by the Emperor, but rumors of something amiss begin to spread.

In the city of Santa Cora, capital city of the Priestess, a group of adventurers is approached by a stranger garbed in a blue robe marking her as a healer in the Priestess’s magnificent towering Cathedral. It is well known in the empire that the Priestess hears all the Gods of Light and serves the Emperor. The robed healer tells you the truth of Darius Hearthwood’s plight: the noble advisor has fallen deathly ill and has been sent to the Cathedral for healing from a rare poison, but despite the best efforts of the healers, the noble advisor’s health is still faltering. The robed figure states that hope remains, as the gods have granted her a vision of a cure. The essential herb needed for the cure is a Twilight Lotus, an incredibly rare herb with life altering properties that only blooms in the middle of the night. The herb lies in a glade near the western river that runs through the Wild Woods, realm of the High Druid, just east of the city of Santa Cora.

The problem is that the High Druid challenges the Emperor’s authority in the territory she has colonized and would refuse any knowledge that this herb exists. The group of adventurers is tasked with secretly entering the Wild Woods and retrieving the herb that will save Darius Hearthwood. A war between the High Druid and the Emperor could spell disaster for the entire realm, so the party must act swiftly, avoid being discovered by agents of the High Druid in the Wild Woods, and return to the Cathedral in time cure to Darius Hearthwood before death claims him.

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About the game…

13th Age is a new fantasy roleplaying game, designed by Jonathan Tweet – lead designer of Dungeons & Dragons® third edition – and Rob Heinsoo, the lead designer of the fourth edition of D&D®. 13th Age honors old school fantasy role-playing values as it dives deep into rich story telling adventures. The game features a familiar d20-style system, but it lighter on the rules compared to D&D which results in smoother, free-flowing combat. An Escalation Die rule that keeps battles fast and exciting by giving characters an escalating combat bonus the longer they fight.

The game focuses on connecting players to the world they are in through the use of background-based skills as well as detailed relationships with the key movers and shakers of the world – The Icons. Adventures will encourage creative and imaginative ways to solve the challenges set before them.

The adventure is crafted for 4-5 players. The majority of mechanical character development will be completed in advance with 10 available pre-generated characters. Players will be able to select from these and develop their background and place in their world before diving into the adventure itself. The adventure is designed with aspiring role players in mind and will be very beginner-friendly.

Players will need to bring pen and paper and if possible, a small collection of dice (d4,d6, d8, d10, d12, d20). Since character creation will be done at the table, a basic character concept is encouraged but not required. If players would like to bring miniatures of their own, they are welcome to do so, but a large variety will be available to use if you do not have any.

If you want to learn more about 13th Age, feel free to read the Q&A found here:

http://www.pelgranepress.com/?p=8395

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Additional note from your Meetup organizers–

The NFG&W Meetup group is happy to welcome Fair Game customers to join us in enjoying this game as part of Fair Game’s RPG Sunday lineup. Because this particular RPG is being run by members of our Meetup group we ask that you please join the Meetup group and RSVP yourself if you wish to join this game. If a game is already full, you are welcome to add yourself to the wait list and you will be notified if a spot opens up.

To all members:

Due to the limited number of seats in this game, the attendance policy will be strictly enforced. You are expected to arrive at Fair Game no later than Noon and be ready to game until the game ends or the store closes at 5:00pm, whichever comes first. Please review the Attendance Policy in the discussion thread if you have any questions.

Finally, please respect the GM of this game. This event would not be possible without them. Thank you!